Friday, October 9, 2020

Middle Grade Novels to Read This October

It’s October, a.k.a. one of my favorite times of the year. It also means fall is here, and I have my fingers crossed that cooler weather is on the way. But I digress, let’s talk about some books. So throughout this year and the later part of 2019, I’ve been enjoying a number of middle grade ghost stories. I’ve mentioned them on the blog, but I wanted to put my current favorites onto one post. Adri is joining me today, with recommendations and comments of her own about some of the books on this list.

  

Small Spaces and Dead Voices by Katherine Arden 

Breana: I found these books because I read Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy. I really enjoy the way the author blends spooky elements with issues relevant to the target audience. Plus the story within the story could have been its own book, and the ghosts of the series always appear in surprising ways and places.

Adri: Since I agree with what Breana said, all I’m going to add is: both books are great. They have just the right amount of spookiness and touching friendships.

The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown 

Adri: I’m still left speechless by The Forgotten Girl. It’s a chilling ghost story that incorporated real life history in the form of segregated cemeteries. I really loved the author’s note at the end, where she detailed her inspiration behind including the cemeteries. It added a timeliness touch to the story.

Breana: The Forgotten Girl is one of my favorite ghost stories. Brown did an excellent job with the supernatural elements of the story, and I enjoyed the perspective of the main character. The ghost was in-your-face scary at times. Not because she was evil, but because of the gradual escalation of her actions. All around, it’s a fantastic story.

Ghost Squad by Clairbel A. Ortega 

Breana: Ghost Squad had the fun quirkiness of Ghostbusters combined with a cast of lovable characters. The ghosts took on both a haunting and a cherished role in this story, which was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

Adri: I finally got around to reading Ghost Squad after Breana, and I couldn’t put it down. I agree. It is a fun story. I loved the relationship she had with her dad and family spirits. Her adventures with Syd and eventually Babette and the cats were all the more enjoyable because of the magical elements.

The Sisters of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins 

Breana: I read this book as an ARC. While there were no ghosts in the story, The Sisters of Straygarden Place needed to be on this list for a myriad of reasons. The atmospheric storytelling had a spooky and downright eerie quality to it, and the setting was as mysterious and dangerous as the characters.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley 

Adri: I’ve already reviewed this book with Andrea. There’s not much else I can say about it other than that I enjoyed it immensely. The mystery drew me in. There was a good balance of eerie and lighthearted moments. I said it in the review and I’ll say it again here: it was definitely a page-turner.


We hope this trend of middle-grade ghost stories continues well into the future. So that’s it for today. What ghost or spooky stories have you been reading lately?


Tuesday, October 6, 2020

ARC Review: Deception By Gaslight by Kate Belli

50498680Title: Deception by Gaslight
Series: A Gilded Gotham Mystery #1
Author: Kate Belli
Source/Format: Publisher (Netgalley); eARC
More Details: Historical; Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Crooked Lane Books; October 6, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...
Glittering Gilded-Age New York holds its lavish charms--and a litany of deadly sins--as intrepid reporter Genevieve Stewart uncovers a trail of corruption and murder. 
As a chill sets in on New York City in the winter of 1888, a jewel thief dubbed the "Robin Hood of the Lower East Side" has been stealing from the city's wealthiest and giving to the poor. Genevieve Stewart--a young woman whose family is part of Mrs. Astor's famed 400 but who has forged a life of her own as a reporter--decides to chase the story, but gets more than she bargained for: a murder victim sprawled in a dark alley in the dangerous Five Points neighborhood. A handsome neighborhood tough comes to her rescue--but when she encounters the same man at a glamorous ball a few nights later, she realizes he's society scion Daniel McCaffrey. Could this be her Robin Hood? When two more murders rock the Knickerbocker world, it becomes apparent that something much more sinister is afoot than a few stolen diamond necklaces. Genevieve is determined to prove that Daniel is Robin Hood--but she's loath to believe he is a killer as well. From the glittering lights of Fifth Avenue to the sordid back alleys of Five Points, the truth is just one murder away.
It’s been some time since I last picked up a historical mystery, and Deception by Gaslight immediately got my interest. It was set in late 1800’s New York. It was a story steeped in old money, a mysterious and escalating string of thefts, and what it had to do with a person (thief) who goes by the moniker of Robin Hood. It was an interesting mixture of aspects, and  overall the story was a good one.

From the first page, I was drawn into the story by Belli’s writing, which created strong and distinctive voices for both of the novel’s main characters—Genevieve and Daniel. I liked the mystery portion of Deception by Gaslight the best. Since Genevieve knew—and was acquainted with or moved in some of the same social circles—as many of the people who had items stolen from them, it presented a personal tie to the case that increased the sense of tension early in the story.

For the most part, I liked Genevieve’s character. She was a reporter who was chasing what she hoped was her next big story, and I admired the kind of ambition she had. Her friends were also entertaining characters, and I enjoyed every time they appeared on page. Daniel was a very complex character. As the enigmatic recipient of a fortune (under mysterious means), he had a number of secrets. He was a well-meaning person, and overall I thought his characterization was great. I also enjoyed the scenes he had with Genevieve. The two worked well together, and some of my favorite scenes were when they were acting as a team.

Although, there were times when it seemed like the clues were almost too obvious, yet the characters didn’t realize it till much later. It was a little frustrating, because otherwise this was a very capable group of characters. However, that didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story, and it was more of a pet peeve of my mine. When the story picked up towards the latter half of the book, all the revelations kept me turning the pages. The end left off in an open-ended place, and it definitely left room for another story. (I have a number of questions about that last scene, but I just have to wait until the next book comes out.)

Deception by Gaslight is a promising beginning to a new series. If you’ve read any of the Veronica Speedwell books by Deanna Raybourn, then you might want to consider giving this one a try.

About the Author....
Kate Belli writes historical mystery, historical romance, suspense and women’s fiction. Fascinated by history from an early age, she earned a PhD in American art and has variously worked as an antiques appraiser, a museum curator and a college professor. Kate has lived all over, from Florence, Italy, to Brooklyn, New York, to the Deep South, to a cottage next to Monet’s gardens in Northern France. Today she lives and works in a small, Civil War-era college town in Pennsylvania with her husband and son. When not writing, Kate satisfies her wanderlust by traveling with her family as often as possible, touring museums and sampling local food. She is also an avid runner, having completed several marathons, and a yoga teacher. Kate loves hiking, camping, and cooking, and firmly believes red wine and strong coffee qualify as their own food groups....


Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) via Netgalley, thank you!

Monday, October 5, 2020

Music Monday (133): Halsey, Aloe Blacc, Lone

 
   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 
Breana: This week, I'm listening to Halsey's new song, I'm Not Mad. This is one of my favorite tracks by this artist to date. It's on my playlist, and I have it on repeat. 


Adri: Lately, I've been listening to Lone's newer releases. I think I've said it before, but I'm saying it again: I have yet to be disappointed by Lone's music. Anyway, my pick is Boketto.


Andrea: Hi all! I hope everyone is doing well while listening to great music. This week, I've been listening to My Way and I Do by Aloe Blacc. Both songs are from his new album, All Love Everything. Have an amazing week!





What are you listening to this week?

Friday, October 2, 2020

ARC Review: Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley's Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter by Brea Grant, Illustrated by Yishan Li

54842385. sy475Title: Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley's Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter
Series: n/a
Author: Brea Grant
Illustrator: Yishan Li
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Graphic Novel
Publisher/Publication Date: Six Foot Press; October 6, 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...
Angsty teenager Mary Shelley is not interested in carrying on her family’s celebrated legacy of being a great writer, but she soon discovers that she has the not-so-celebrated (and super-secret) Shelley power to heal monsters, just like her famous ancestor, and those monsters are not going to let her ignore her true calling anytime soon.
The Shelley family history is filled with great writers: the original Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, the acclaimed mystery writer Tawny Shelley, cookbook maven Phyllis Shelley…the list goes on and on. But this Mary Shelley, named after her great-great-great-great-great grandmother, doesn’t want anything to do with that legacy. Then a strangely pale (and really cute) boy named Adam shows up and asks her to heal a wound he got under mysterious circumstances, and Mary learns something new about her family: the first Mary Shelley had the power to heal monsters, and Mary has it, too. Now the monsters won’t stop showing up, Mary can’t get her mother Tawny to leave her alone about writing something (anything!), she can’t tell her best friend Rhonda any of this, and all Mary wants is to pass biology.
The name Mary Shelley is a recognizable one. I haven’t read Frankenstein yet, but I have seen some of the many iteration’s of the titular character in other media. So I was drawn to this graphic novel, which imagines what the descendants of Shelley would be like with a notably paranormal edge. Mary was a fun read. There was a lot I liked about the story, and overall it was good.

I liked the art style. The characters had a very unique look to them, and the setting was done quite beautifully. Though if you have read a lot of young adult novels, especially on the paranormal side, you will recognize a lot of the tropes used here. They were used effectively, and the end result was an enjoyable story perfect for October.

One of the highlights was the character, Mary, who didn’t seem to quite fit in with the rest of her family—who were all writers, whether it be for cookbooks, memoirs, or fiction. In many ways, her issues of feeling pressured by her family to follow in their footsteps—and feeling unsure of what she really wanted to do—felt very real. I can also say the same about the rest of her family. They meant well, but they could come across as overbearing. Still I liked how those themes—namely family and coming-of-age—were handled. I do have to note that Mary’s powers were extremely easy for her to master. There didn’t seem to be much effort at all, just some hesitation on her part.

That being said, I really enjoyed Mary. If there’s ever a sequel for it, I will likely read it.

About the author...

Brea Grant is a filmmaker/writer best known for co-writing/directing the apocalyptic feature, Best Friends Forever, and acting on shows like Heroes and Dexter and features like Halloween II and Dead Night. She has co-written two comic series: We Will Bury You, a 1920s zombie series, and The Suicide Girls, based on the popular website. She also wrote a short story for the collection Zombies vs Robots: This Means War! She wrote and created the series, The Real Housewives of Horror for Nerdist and most recently wrote and directed an episode of the Netflix show, EastSiders. As if she’s not busy enough, she also co-hosts a weekly podcast called Reading Glasses on the Maximum Fun network. You can currently see her award-winning short Feminist Campfire Stories on Funny or Die and her acting work on the series The Arrangement. She wrote and will star in a feminist slasher called Lucky later this year. In her spare time, she enjoys reading science fiction and watching too much TV while pretending like it's research.

About the illustrator...

Yishan Li is a professional UK/Chinese manga artist currently living in Shanghai. Yishan has worked with publishers such as Top Cow, DC, Darkhorse, Random house, Titan comics, Delcourt, and Dargaud. Her recent works include: HELLBOY AND THE B.P.R.D.: 1956 (Dark Horse); Paradox Girl ( Top cow/ Image); Buffy the High school years graphic novel (3 books, published by Dark Horse), Sugar ( Top Cow/ Image), Lady Di and Me (Glenat France) and Blue Beetle (DC Comics).

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Six Foot Press) via Netgalley for this review, thank you!

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Quarterly Recap: July-September

It’s hard to believe it’s already October, but it’s already time for the next quarterly recap. Today, I’m going to go over the reviews and other posts that have appeared on the blog between July and September.
July Reviews
August Reviews
September Reviews
Other July Posts
Other August Posts
Other September Posts

2020 has been an unpredictable year, so I’m not making any concrete plans. I’m going to skip right to some of the posts that will appear on the blog this month. Starting on October tenth, I’m going to share some Halloween themed art from my sketchbook. I read the fifth volume of The Case Study of Vanitas in September, so there will be a review for that. I’m also reviewing The Sisters of Straygarden Place and The Eternal City later in this month. I also read an ARC of Tales From the Hinterland, and I really enjoyed it. The review for it will be posted closer to the release date, which isn’t until next year. However, if you enjoyed The Hazel Wood duology, then I recommend Tales From the Hinterland.   


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