Belated Quarterly Recap: July-October

Yikes...

To be honest, I completely forgot that I was supposed to do a quarterly recap at the beginning of October. It wasn't until the twenty sixth that I was looking through the September and early October stuff, only to discover that I never actually drafted this post. Whoops. And it was so late in the month, that I decided to lump October with July, September, and August. 

So, without further ado, I'm going to jump right in and start with reviews...

July Reviews:

• Wintersmith
• Love Charms and Other Catastrophes
• The Torn Wing
• Riverkeep

August Reviews:

• Thieving Weasels
• Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
• The Traitor in the Tunnel
• Mortal Gods

September Reviews:

• The Reader
• Visual reference Guide: Architecture
• Fangirl
• A Corner of White

October Reviews:

• The Witches
• Cloudwish
• Burning Emerald
• Grand Forks
• Hourglass

(Weekly meme labels can be found on the features page)

Other July Posts:

• Favorite Genre Characteristics Part 1
• Favorite Genre Characteristics Part 2
• Cover Reveal: Hear the Wolves by Victoria Scott
• Quarterly Recap April-June
• Happy Fourth of July

Other August Posts:

• How My Blogging Has Changed Since Way Back In 2013
• Hobbies are Subjective
• Netflix and Books Tag
• Favorite Fictional Friendships
• Pre-release Blitz: The Flame Never Dies
• Release Day Blitz: United by Melissa Landers
• EP Summer Carnival

Other September Posts:

• Seasonal Books
• Whats on My TBR+Obscure Books & Movies

Other October Posts:

• Weekend Tidbits #8 It's October
• Music Monday Halsey
• Music Monday Ryn Weaver & Tove Lo
• Music Monday Halloween Edition
• Where Do you Buy Books?
• Creatures of the Night Book Tag

It's been a busy couple of months that's only bound to get busier since the holiday season is underway. But, I've read a lot of good books across the past four months. Some were new and others were older releases that I've been meaning to get to. One thing I want to do is read more contemporary novels since I don't regularly read from that genre, and continue getting to more of the backlist books I want to read. 

The Friday 56 (83) The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire. But Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself...

"Marigolds and roses adorned the entrance to the Raja's welcoming hall, and bright petals carpeted the path."--The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Comments: I read The Star-Touched Queen earlier in the week, and have to say that it was one of the best stories I've read in 2016. Page 56 had so many spoilers for the story that I found it hard to pick out a quote that didn't go into detail. I ended up with the one above because it was just a description of a place, and doesn't give anything away.

What are you reading this week?

Review: Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

Title: Nightmares!
Author/Illustrator: Jason Segel & Kristen Miller; Karl Kwasny
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardback
More Details: Middle Grade; Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Books For Young Readers; September 9, 2014
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Sleeping has never been so scary. And now waking up is even worse!

Charlie Laird has several problems.
1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.
2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is NOT a place you want to find yourself after dark.
3. He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.

What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed. And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good...

It seems like forever since I first saw Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller. I think what really got my attention was the book trailer for it—which was fantastic, and now that I’ve actually read the book I can see how fitting it truly was. And since it was October, I decided to go ahead and give Nightmares! a try.

Nightmares! was a fantastic book, and from start to finish I was drawn in by the story. I already had high expectations and wasn’t disappointed in any way. I got what I was looking for—a slightly spooky Halloween story with nightmares—and then some.

Charlie Laird is having a problem, and that idea alone made for an interesting story. Part of the reason I liked the book so much was the message—everyone has something they fear. It was incorporated nicely into the story, and felt like a natural part of the plot. It was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the book. I liked Charlie as a character. He was grouchy, but that was understandable when his nightmares and subsequent lack of sleep were factored in. The secondary characters were fantastic. To me, it seemed like they were developed. Their roles were essential to the story and their personalities were different, which made them seem like individuals.

I could really sit here all day and talk about all the things I liked about Nightmares!, like, how fantastic the story was, or how much I liked the writing and world building. Instead, I’m going to end the review here. But, before I go, I just want to say that I’m glad that Nightmares! was just the beginning of a series. I’m really looking forward to checking out the next two books when they become available at my local library.

Release Day Blitz: Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

 

Today is the release day for Ryan Graudin's Blood for Blood, sequel to Wolf by Wolf. If you haven't heard about this series yet, check out the details below and stick around for a giveaway down at the bottom of the post.

About The Book...

Title: BLOOD FOR BLOOD

Author: Ryan Graudin

Pub. Date: November 1, 2016

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

The action-packed, thrilling sequel to Ryan Graudin's Wolf by Wolf...

There would be blood.

Blood for blood.

Blood to pay.

An entire world of it.

For the resistance in 1950s Germany, the war may be over, but the fight has just begun. Death camp survivor Yael, who has the power to skinshift, is on the run: the world has just seen her shoot and kill Hitler. But the truth of what happened is far more complicated, and its consequences are deadly. Yael and her unlikely comrades dive into enemy territory to try to turn the tide against the New Order, and there is no alternative but to see their mission through to the end, whatever the cost. But dark secrets reveal dark truths, and one question hangs over them all: how far can you go for the ones you love?

This gripping, thought-provoking sequel to Wolf by Wolf will grab readers by the throat with its cinematic writing, fast-paced action, and relentless twists.... 

About Ryan...

Ryan Graudin grew up in Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of All That Glows and The Walled City. She resides near Charleston with her husband and wolf-dog. You can find her online at www.ryangraudin.com.

Website | Twitter |Tumblr | Goodreads | Pinterest

Now for the giveaway. 5 winners will receive a finished copy of Wolf by Wolf. This giveaway is US Only and ends on November 15th at Midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Music Monday (3) Halloween Edition

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me, that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

First of all, happy Halloween everyone! October flew by so fast, and it seems like just yesterday that I started Inktober. By the time this post goes up, I'll probably be working on my last Inktober drawing. I have to say that I had more fun with it than I expected, and I look forward to participating next year. And since tomorrow is the start of November (and while I'm not joining myself), I want to say good luck to anyone participating in NaNoWriMo. I'm rooting for you!

With that out of the way, I'm going to jump back to the topic of this post. Today, I'm doing a Halloween edition of Music Monday. When I sat down to write this post, I sort of realized that I have and know about a lot of Christmas music, but my Halloween collection was severely lacking. Anyway, here is my list...

1. Emperor's New Clothes by Panic! At the Disco--I think we all remember last year when Panic! At the Disco released that spooky good music video for the Emperor's New Clothes. So, of course, that was going to make it on my list. Listen to Emperor's New Clothes HERE
2. I Put a Spell on You by Jay Hawkins--I remember this song from Hocus Pocus. Plus Bette Midler's performance in the movie was phenomenal. Nina Simone also did a version of I Put a Spell on You, which is just fantastic. Thus, this song as one of my favorites.
3. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.--I like the original Ghostbusters movies, and I also like the theme song by Ray Parker Jr. Listen to Ghostbusters HERE
4. Wicked Moon by Angel Haze--Wicked Moon is a song that definitely fits with October. Its kind of spooky, and the beat is pretty awesome. Listen to Wicked Moon HERE
5. This is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas--When a song has Halloween in its lyrics, you know that it has to make this list. I also like the version of the song performed by Panic! At the Disco.

What are you listening to this Halloween?

Creatures of the Night Book Tag

Today, I'm going to do the Creatures of the Night Book Tag. I couldn't really find another one that specifically related to Halloween, other than the Fall Time Cozy Time Book Tag. This tag seemed fun and festive. This tag was created by Kat O'Keefe from Katytastic. You can check out the original video HERE. And don't forget to check out her channel HERE. Lets get started...

Vampire:

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

I might not have liked the second book, The Eternity Cure, as much as I liked The Immortal Rules, but the opening to this series was fantastic. I liked Kagawa's take on vampires just as much as her version of the fey.

Werewolf: 

Need by Carrie Jones

I really liked Need. Yeah, some parts were a little cheesy, and at times the main character had questionable decision making skills, but I still liked the book. Need has a very interesting mixture of supernatural elements, from fairies to people who could change their shapes. And since, it does have a werewolf, Need totally fits the bill for this one.

Ghost: 

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

While Hourglass had mostly science fiction themes that took up the bulk of the story, there were still ghost like entities that played a role in the book. And since they were ghostly, Hourglass seems like an appropriate answer for this one.

Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster: 

Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Wintersmith was one of those books that actually made me laugh out loud. There were some instances that were so ridiculous and spontaneous that I couldn't help but laugh. However, its not for the humor that Wintersmith is my answer for this one, but rather the main character, Tiffany Aching, who is a witch.

Fairy/Fae: 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black 

I could have picked a number of books/series for this one (like Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, Need by Carrie Jones, The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton, Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely, even The Spiderwick Chronicles or Artemis Fowl). Oh, the choices (I've read a lot of fantastic books that have the fey in prominent roles). However, I went with The Darkest Part of the Forest. Holly Black is one of my favorite authors, and I really enjoy her take on the fey. I wasn't sure if I would like The Darkest Part of the Forest, but I ended up really enjoying the book.

Demon: 

Cambion Chronicles by Jaime Reed

While the main themes of this series doesn't necessarily involve demons, there are some present in the story. I won't say too much on that, because it would be one massive spoiler for book 2 and 3.

Angel:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

My answer for this one is Daughter of Smoke and Bone because, honestly, I haven't read that many books that feature some kind of angel. Regardless, Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of my favorite books.

Alien:

Gravity by Melissa West

It has been so long since I read Gravity, but I remember really enjoyed the book. I read the second book of the series, but have yet to get around to the last book (I need to, eventually). But, to say the least, Gravity has aliens, and I liked West's take on the subject.

Superpowered human:

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Wolf by Wolf was one of my favorite 2015 reads, and what qualifies it for this part of the tag is the main character, Yael, and her ability to change her features.

And that's it! As usual, I'm not going to tag anyone specifically, but if this seems like something you want to participate in, then go for it, I tag you. Happy reading! 

The Friday 56 (82) Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Sleeping has never been so scary. And now waking up is even worse!

Charlie Laird has several problems.
1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.
2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is NOT a place you want to find yourself after dark.
3. He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.

What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed. And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good...

"Cypress Creek Elementary was a four-story brick box with big square windows. The whole building looked like it was made of Legos."--Nightmares! by Jason Segel & Kristen Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny

Comments: I've wanted to read Nightmares! for a long time. I read this book earlier in the week, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I now want to see if my library has the next two books in the series.

What new series have you recently started?

Review: The Witches by Roald Dahl, Illustrated by Quenten Blake

Title: The Witches
Author/Illustrator: Roald Dahl; Quenten Blake
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Paperback
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Scholastic inc.; First published in 1983

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

This is not a fairy-tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. Real witches don't ride around on broomsticks. They don't even wear black cloaks and hats. They are vile, cunning, detestable creatures who disguise themselves as nice, ordinary ladies. So how can you tell when you're face to face with one? Well, if you don't know yet you'd better find out quickly-because there's nothing a witch loathes quite as much as children and she'll wield all kinds of terrifying powers to get rid of them...

You know, it seemed like the appropriate time to read Roald Dahl’s The Witches, since it's October and all. This is the first time I’ve read this book, but parts of it seemed familiar to me. At first, I didn’t remember where I’d heard about it before seeing it on Goodreads. Then I sort of realized that I’d seen the movie a really—extremely—long time ago, which explained a lot.

So, did I like the book?

My answer to that is yes. There were things that I really enjoyed about The Witches. For instance, the writing was good—Dahl’s style was a perfect fit for the story. It wasn’t that long of a book, but the story was done really well. One thing I especially liked was Dahl’s version of magic and witches. That part of the story was highly imaginative, and the witches themselves were as fantastic as they were spooky. The other characters—such as the narrator and his grandmother--were just as interesting as the witches. I liked them, and their respective quirks gave them personality.

I haven’t read anything else by Roald Dahl, but I would definitely consider it, because The Witches was a fun and incredibly timely October read. (Actual rating 3.5)

Music Monday (2) Rny Weaver & Tove Lo

 Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me, that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

This week, I'm listening to Ryn Weaver and Tove Lo. I've known about Tove Lo for a while, and her Queen of the Clouds album is one of my favorites. Ryn Weaver is a relatively new artist to me. I happened to be listening to google radio when I heard her song Promises. I basically spent the last week discovering Ryn Weaver's music. 

From Tove Lo...

Listen to Thousand Miles HERE

Listen to Moments HERE

From Ryn Weaver...

Listen to Promises HERE

Listen to Octahate HERE

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (81) The Witches by Roald Dahl

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

This is not a fairy-tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. Real witches don't ride around on broomsticks. They don't even wear black cloaks and hats. They are vile, cunning, detestable creatures who disguise themselves as nice, ordinary ladies. So how can you tell when you're face to face with one? Well, if you don't know yet you'd better find out quickly-because there's nothing a witch loathes quite as much as children and she'll wield all kinds of terrifying powers to get rid of them.

"I sidled cautiously into the room. What a lovely secret silent place it was."--The Witches by Roald Dahl

Comments: This week, I visited my local library. The Witches is one of the books I picked up while I was there. I've heard a lot of good things about it, and was excited to finally give it a read. 

What are you reading this week?

Review: Grand Forks (A History of American Dining in 128 Review) by Marilyn Hagerty

Title: Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews
Author: Marilyn Hagerty 
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Nonfiction; Food & Drink
Publisher/Publication Date: Anthony Bourdain/Ecco; August 27, 2013

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads...

A legendary 86-year-old food critic brings together a collection of the best down-home, no-nonsense restaurant reviews-from Red Lobster to Le Bernadin-culled from her fifty year career...

Writing for her local North Dakota newspaper, the Grand Forks Herald since 1957, Marilyn Hagerty went from obscurity to overnight sensation in 2012 when her earnest, admiring review of a local Olive Garden went viral. Among the denizens of the food world-obsessive gastronomes who celebrate Alice Waters and Michael Pollan, revere all things artisanal, and have made kale salad a staple on upscale urban menus-Hagerty's review ignited a fiery debate over the state of American culture. Anthony Bourdain defended Hagerty as an authentic voice of the larger American culture-one that is not dictated by the biases of the food snobbery that define the coasts.

In this refreshing, unpretentious collection that includes more than 200 reviews culled from a voluminous archive spanning over fifty years, Hagerty reveals how most Americans experience the pleasure of eating out....

Just a quick disclaimer: this is the kind of book that will make you hungry.

I picked up Grand Forks just because I happened to come across a copy, and decided to just go ahead and buy it. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading 237 pages worth of reviews about restaurants and food, written by Marilyn Hagerty.

Grand Forks is probably one of the more interesting nonfiction reads I’ve come across this year—not because it wasn’t science, history, or environment related (it’s not even a cookbook). Those subjects are fine, but Grand Forks was just different. It was filled with a compilation of restaurant and food  reviews.

Grand Forks was all about the food from the various restaurants that Marilyn Hagerty visited. She also described the décor, the atmosphere of those places, and her overall dining experience. Hagerty’s descriptions of the food she tried often made me wish I had a plate of it too.

I liked how the reviews centered largely on Hagerty’s community restaurant scene, and how some of the places were reviewed more than once. On the surface, Grand Forks doesn’t appear to tell the history of much. But, actually, it was kind of a history of American dining. One of the earlier reviews in Grand Forks comes from 1987. So, 1987 all the way up until 2012. That’s a long enough time to establish some kind of history. As the book progressed, it kind of illustrated the changing times in Hagerty’s community. New restaurants opened, old favorites closed down or altered their menus and dining rooms—while some things almost stayed basically the same.

So, Grand Forks was a very entertaining read. I liked it a lot.

Music Monday (1) Halsey

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me, that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

A while ago, I tried out a meme called Thursday Tracks, but it just didn't work out for me. So, I wanted to try out something music related on a different day of the week. While participating in the Friday 56 meme, I stumbled across Music Monday on one of the blogs I visited. In the end, I decided to re-purpose the art I'd made for the Thursday Tracks, since I still wanted to use them. 

I'm still going to participate in Musing Monday, but I wanted to do something not related to books too.

Recently, I've listened to a lot of Halsey's music. I've basically had Badlands on repeat. My three top favorite songs off the album are Young God, Control, and Gasoline.

Listen to Young God HERE

Listen to Gasoline HERE

Listen to Control HERE

What are you listening to this week?