Just Another Girl and her Books: August 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Platypire Read-A-Thon August Results

Photo Courtesy of Platypire Maribel.

August is over y'all. Kids are heading back to school and the lazy days of summer are done. That means it's time to see how I did with my reading list for the month. I'm pleasantly surprised, to be quite honest. (Note: The * denote books that were on my currently reading shelf at the beginning of August. If you'll remember, I stated that by the end of the year I want to have all those books finished.)

R - Read

C - Currently Reading

T - To Be Read
NR - Needs Reviewed

Read

R - Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman (July)* - Review
R - Sneak Peek: The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren (July) - Review
R - Sneak Peek: A Game of Ghosts by John Connolly (August) - Review
R - Sneak Peek: Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman (August) - Review
R - Sneak Peek: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (August) - Review
R - A Little Like Destiny by Lisa Suzanne (August) - Review

Reviewed
Titles link to reviews.

Feed by M.T. Anderson (May)
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes (June)
Teenage Diaries Then and Now edited by Joe Richman (June)
The Gathering by Dan Poblocki (June)
Freakling by Lana Krumwiede (June)
Beast by Donna Jo Napoli (June)
Royal Guard of Draga by Emma Dean (May)
Lost Boy by Christina Henry (June)
Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay (June)
In Our Backyard by Nita Belles (June)
Treading Water by Ginna Moran (May)

Needs Reviewed

NR - Mary Ting Proofread (Not yet listed on Goodreads)
NR - Alexandrea Weis Proofread (Not yet listed on Goodreads)
NR - Bicycle Thieves by Mary di Michele (March)
NR - Alexandrea Weis Proofread (Not yet listed on Goodreads)
NR - Ginna Moran Proofread (Not yet listed on Goodreads)
NR - Mary Ting Proofread (Not yet listed on Goodreads)
NR - Princess of Draga by Emma Dean (July)
NR - Damned by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor (July)
NR - ISAN by Mary Ting (2016)
NR - Strike a Pose by Ginna Moran (August)
NR - The Witches: Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff (July)*
NR - The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor (June)*
NR - Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray (July)*
NR - Son by Lois Lowry (May)*
NR - A House for Happy Mothers (April)*
NR - The Address by Fiona Davis (July)
NR - The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana (June)

NR - Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (June)

Currently Reading

C - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (2015)*

C - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2015)*

C - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (2016)*

C - Sweetwater: The Kihn by Rivi Jacks (2015)*

C - Give Me Your Answer True by Suanne Laqueur (2015)*

C - The Voyage by Tammie Painter (2015)*

C - Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning by Timothy Snyder (2015)*

C - The Road Home by Kathleen Shoop (2015)*

C - Troll by Ashley C. Harris (2015)*

C - The Sanctum of Souls by R.K. Pavia (2015)*

C - The Travelers by Chris Pavone (2015)*

C - Back of Beyond by Neeny Boucher (2016)*

C - The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen (2016)*

C - Letter's From Paris by Juliette Blackwell (2016)*

C - An Exaltation of Larks by Suanne Laqueur (2016)*

C - River of Ink by Paul M.M. Cooper (Jan)*

C - The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (Jan)*

C - Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (2016)*
C - My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni (Feb)*
C - Everything Belongs to Us by Yoojin Grace Wuertz (Feb)*
C - Eleanor Roosevelt: The War Years by Blanche Wiesen Cook (Feb)*
C - What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (April)*
C - The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (May)*
C - The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams (June)*
C - Only Ever You by Lisa Suzanne (July)
C - Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives (July)
C - Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller (July)
C - Artemis by Andy Weir (August)

To Be Read

T - The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias (Feb)

T - Courage to Soar by Simone Biles (March)
T - In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett (March)
T - The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse (April)
T - The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (April)
T - Betwixters: Once Upon a Time by Laura C. Cantu (June)
T - Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker (July)

T - Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale (July)
T - Zoonauts by Richard Mueller (July)
T - Cooking for Ghosts: The Secret Spice Cafe by Patricia V. Davis (July)
T - The Scary Train Ride by Marlene Bischoff (July)
T - Skyward Bound: Hot-Air Ballooning by Alese & Morton Pechter (July)
T - Roxie the Doxie Finds Her Forever Home by Jody A. Dean, Ph.D. (July)
T - Gerome Sticks His Neck Out by L.S.V. Baker (July)
T - The Adventure of Thomas the Turtle by Stuart Samuel (GR) (July)
T - The Fable of the Snake Named Slim by Doug Snelson (August)
T - How to Behave in a Crowd by Camille Bordas (August)
T - How to Change a Life by Stacey Ballis (August)
T - Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle (August)
T - Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice & Christopher Rice (August)
T - Nyxia by Scott Reintgen (August)
T - Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi (August)
T - A Thousand Rooms by Helen Jones (August)
T - The Border by Steve Schafer (August)
T - Berserker by Emily Laybourne (August)
T - Nemesis by Anna Banks (August)
T - The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus (August)

So at the beginning of the month I said that I wanted to get all my currently reading books finished by the end of the year. I'm happy to report that having finished six of those books this month, I am on track for that goal at the moment. I'm also happy to report that aside from a few sneak peeks that were not yet available on Netgalley at the beginning of August and a proofread that I did not know I would be getting this month at the beginning of August, I stuck to my list! Unfortunately, I didn't get completely caught up on review writing like I was hoping to. I managed to get pretty much all of the reviews that needed to be written at the beginning of the month done (except for proofreads that can't yet be published, but most of those reviews are written). And I have fewer books added to my Needs Reviewed section than I moved off of it (only by one, but that's still less), so I'm making progress.

But even more impressive is that counting my four sneak peeks, I read 15 books this month! Go me! So how many books did you read in August? - Katie

Review A Little Like Destiny by Lisa Suzanne

Genre: Erotic Romance

Published: August 31, 2017

Pages:

Goodreads

Synopsis

Reserved and responsible Reese Brady refuses to miss her chance with bad boy rock star Mark Ashton. After one steamy night, she's convinced the emotional connection they shared was just a figment of her imagination. After all, he’s a womanizer whose affairs are highly publicized.

Reese strives to leave that night behind her after a handsome business mogul asks her to dinner. Her relationship with Brian Fox quickly escalates into something meaningful, but Reese never expects the secret that emerges when he finally invites her to his penthouse.

She fell in love with a rock star the last time she was there. How could she know she’d fall in love with his brother next?

Review

I was hired to proofread this book. The only aspects of the story that I influenced were the spelling and grammar. If you feel that my connection to the book makes my review untrustworthy, so be it, but this is my honest review.

We all know that most teachers get summers off, but what do they do with all that free time? The answer just might surprise you. Alright, so clearly I don't think Reese is a representative of all teachers, for one thing, most of them live in places that are much more boring than Las Vegas. That doesn't mean that they don't have lives too though, and that's something I never really thought about as a kid, not even really during my teenage years. Granted, almost all of my teachers were married with kids, so it was a slightly different dynamic. I really enjoyed this glimpse into the potential summer life of a youngish schoolteacher. I also spent an inordinate amount of time having to remind myself that teachers are people too because somehow I ended up with rather puritan ideals where teachers are concerned.

Reese is a good girl who normally lives up to my puritan ideals for school teachers all on her own. But she can't resist the temptation of spending the night with THE Mark Ashton. Being a good girl, she's not equipped with the skills to successfully engage in a one and done relationship however. In order to get over Mark, she decides to get under Brian. I found her reaction to the one-night stand very believable considering what I know about her personality.

Even though I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be rooting for Reese and Brian to go the distance, I just can't. There is something about Brian that is setting off alarms for me. There just seems to be some shady stuff going on with him.

Finally, the ending really caught me off guard, and that's not easy to do. And when you get there yourself, you'll understand what I'm talking about.

Overall I give A Little Like Destiny 5 out of 5 stars. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Lisa Suzanne is a romance author who resides in Arizona with her husband and baby boy. She’s a former high school English teacher and college composition instructor. When she's not cuddling baby Mason, she can be found working on her latest book or watching reruns of Friends.

Web: http://www.authorlisasuzanne.com
Mailing List: http://bit.ly/1TBJi6S
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaSuzanne
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamLSD/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorlisasuzanne
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaSuzanne24
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lisasuzanne24
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AuthorLisaSuzanne

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Review Treading Water by Ginna Moran

Genre: YA Paranormal

Published: August 29, 2017

Pages: 292

Goodreads

Synopsis

After being transformed into a mermaid by the irresistible Carter Stevens, Ava Adair finds herself submerged deep in the sea without the ability to return to land. She trades a beachfront condo with her best friend and future plans to go to college for a life where her sole purpose revolves around Carter and the mermaid traditions she wants nothing to do with.

Fitting in with other mermaids is the last thing Ava wants, and after refusing to go through the coupling ceremony with Carter, Ava falls under the scrutiny of the colony’s mighty king, who would wipe out towns to keep his kingdom safe. When the king threatens not only her relationship with Carter but also the chance of reuniting with her family, Ava must figure out how to escape from the ocean and the king’s rule or never see the beloved shores of her home again.

Review

I was hired to proofread this book. The only aspects of the story that I influenced were the spelling and grammar. If you feel that my connection to this book makes my review untrustworthy, so be it, but this is my honest review.

This is book two in the Spark of Life series, and you absolutely should read Diving Under first. I mean, I feel like Ms. Moran does a good job of re-telling the important details from the first book, so it's not absolutely necessary to read it first, but it is strongly recommended (and I can't say for sure whether or not this book will still make sense if you don't read Diving Under first as I did read Diving Under first).

This book pissed me right the fuck off. Honestly, pretty much everything about Ava's life in this book is horrible for her. There were a few high points, but mostly I was angry on Ava's behalf. I think a lot of that anger was because it felt to me like there were just so many rules that Ava had to follow as a mermaid, but she was just expected to know them, like no one really told her what was allowed and what was against the rules, but if she broke a rule, she was in just as much trouble for breaking it, and that's just really not fair in any world, human or mermaid.

One of the highlights of the story for me was one of the new friends that Ava made. Luna was definitely my favorite character in this book. But any character that made Ava's life a little less miserable would have won that honor I'm sure. It's sad what happened to her.

So overall I give Treading Water 5 out of 5 stars. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Ginna Moran is a writer living in Austin, Texas but originally from Southern California. She started writing poetry as a teenager in a spiral notebook that she still has tucked away on her desk today. Her love of writing grew after she graduated high school and she completed her first unpublished manuscript at age eighteen.

When she realized her love of writing was her life's passion, she studied literature at Mira Costa College in Northern San Diego. Besides writing novels, she was senior editor, content manager, and image coordinator for Crescent House Publishing Inc. for four years.

Aside from Ginna's professional life, she enjoys binge watching television shows, playing pretend with her daughter, and cuddling with her dogs. Some of her favorite things include chocolate, anything that glitters, cheesy jokes, and organizing her bookshelf.

Ginna Moran loves to hear from readers so visit her online at www.GinnaMoran.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest.

Ginna Moran is currently hard at work on her next novel.

Top Ten Tuesday Ten Hidden Gems in Children's Books.

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Joood - Hooligan of Platypire reviews bossed me into doing this, so I guess this is a thing I do now.

This weeks theme is hidden gems in X genre. I've decided to feature kid's books because it can be hard to find good recommendations for kids books sometimes.

1: If Your Monster Won't Go to Bed by Denise Vega. This book is just adorable, it teaches kids to take some responsibility for a bedtime routine, and I don't dread the thought of reading it over and over again.

2: Fluffy Strikes Back by Ashley Spires. This is a graphic novel definitely geared towards children. It features cats in an FBI type role, defending the world from evil bugs. It was a fun read and I normally dislike graphic novels.

3: Everywhere and All Around by Pimm van Hest. This is actually a rather sad story about a young girl whose mother dies. But I believe it could really help a child deal with the loss of someone close to them should they need to.

4: Miles of Smiles by Karen Kaufman Orloff. This is kind of a silly rhyming story, but it earned a spot on this list because my son was able to read it mostly in the intended rhythm even when he was a somewhat weak reader.

5: A Friend for Mole by Nancy Army. This story is about two animals that learn to help each other in spite of their differences. I think that's a good lesson for just about anyone to learn.

6: A Message for Grandpa by Julie Guardado. This is another book that talks about grief and mourning in language that kids can understand. It shows that there are lots of ways to mourn the loss of someone close to you and that they are all valid.

7: I Love You Already by Jory John. This is a story about a extroverted duck and an introverted bear. I think it could help children understand people who express their friendship in different ways because Duck and Bear express their friendship in different ways.

8: Honk Honk! Hold Tight! by Jessica Souhami. This is a funny story that flips the traditional fairy tale on it's ear. I appreciated that in this story, the princess wasn't a prize to be won, but instead she choose the man that made her laugh because she appreciated his personality.

9: Mystery of the Disappearing Dolphin by Janelle Diller. This is a chapter book, but still for young readers. It includes a few good lessons such as honesty is the best policy and that even though we may look different on the outside, on the inside we can be pretty similar. It also includes some Spanish words and phrases with translations and information about Mexico at the end of the book, so it's a fun read with some education thrown in.

10: A Problem with Donuts by Ben Woodward. This is a funny little story with a lot of word repetition so it would be great for a beginning reader to help reinforce the words in their mind.

Are there any children's books you would add to my list? - Katie

*If you are stopping by from the TTT link-up, please be sure to leave a link to your post below so I can be sure to check out your list as well.*

Monday, August 28, 2017

Deja Revu 28 August 2017

Déjà Revu is a weekly review round-up that is open to all book review blogs.

Original

Big Mistake. Huge. Authors Please Don't Do This. - Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books

Meme

Response

Interview

Writing Reviews: Discussion Challenge - Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order) #1) by C.S. Lewis - Curly Carla @Celebrity Readers

Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay - Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books

Fantasy

Romance

Contemporary

Romance

Classic

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (Satire) - Czar Fancypants @Whose Review is it Anyway

Contemporary

Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran - J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews

Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic

Graphic Novel

The Dark Swan: Storm Born by Richelle Mead - Caroline Andrus - Author & Blogger

Historical

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - K.D. Keenan @Platypire Reviews

Horror

Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2 by various authors - Bob @ Platypire Reviews

Mystery

Non-Fiction

In Our Backyard by Nita Belles - Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books

Romance

Science Fiction

As Wings Unfurl by Arthur M. Doweyko (Satire) - Czar Fancypants @Whose Review is it Anyway

Suspense/Thriller

Women's Fiction

Paranormal

Reaped by Gracen Miller and Tina Carreiro (Satire) - Czar Fancypants @Whose Review is it Anyway

#MadLibMonday - Damaged by Luke Prescott

When I was growing up, I loved Mad Libs. The excitement of sort of writing your own story really appealed to me. So I thought it would be fun to mesh that love with my love of books by turning blurbs into mad libs and letting you guys write your own book blurbs.

For anyone that doesn't know how Mad Libs work, I will ask you for certain parts of speech or other specific things (i.e.: date, age, color, etc.) which you will write down. After you have completed your list, scroll down below the cover image to find the redacted blurb. Then read through it substituting your words where applicable. Try not to laugh. (Laughing is actually strongly encouraged, because this is supposed to be funny.)

Some brief definitions of the parts of speech.
Noun: Person, place, or thing.
Verb: Describes or indicates action.
Adverb: Modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb expressing manner, place, time, or degree (gently, here, now, very).
Adjective: Names an attribute of a noun (pretty, blue, large)
Pronoun: A word that can function as a noun (I, we, they)
Preposition: a word that combines with a noun or pronoun to form a phrase that usually acts as an adverb, adjective, or noun (on, after, for)

And with that, here we go.

1: Plural noun
2: Noun
3: Verb
4: Adjective
5: Verb
6: Noun
7: Verb
8: Noun
9: Adjective
10: Plural noun

Genre: Romance

Published: August 23, 2017

Pages: Unlisted

Goodreads // Amazon

I’m damaged. Bad ( 1: Plural noun ). Not good enough for anyone.

Brett Daniels is a player with a capital manwhore. The idea of being with just one ( 2: Noun ) is something that he’d never ( 3: Verb ). He’s out looking for a ( 4: Adjective ) wingman, since he lost his to a woman. He won’t make the same mistake, hell no. It’s all about sex, having fun. Forgetting.

I’m damaged. Bad goods. Too much for anyone to ( 5: Verb ) with.

Eva Chapman is back in the game. She’s had a hell of a ( 6: Noun ) and she’s ready to make the most of it now. Too much has been taken from her. She’s not willing to ( 7: Verb ) up anything else, for anyone. It’s time for ( 8: Noun ), and fun. Anything to help her forget.

When Brett meets up with his old friend Eva, he knows he’s found his wingman. A ( 9: Adjective ), sexy weapon no one will see coming. Not even him.

Can two damaged ( 10: Plural noun ) learn to beat as one or is the damage too severe?

Now that your fun is through, here is the real blurb for Damaged by Luke Prescott.

I’m damaged. Bad goods. Not good enough for anyone.

Brett Daniels is a player with a capital manwhore. The idea of being with just one woman is something that he’d never entertain. He’s out looking for a new wingman, since he lost his to a woman. He won’t make the same mistake, hell no. It’s all about sex, having fun. Forgetting.

I’m damaged. Bad goods. Too much for anyone to deal with.

Eva Chapman is back in the game. She’s had a hell of a year and she’s ready to make the most of it now. Too much has been taken from her. She’s not willing to give up anything else, for anyone. It’s time for sex, and fun. Anything to help her forget.

When Brett meets up with his old friend Eva, he knows he’s found his wingman. A secret, sexy weapon no one will see coming. Not even him.

Can two damaged hearts learn to beat as one or is the damage too severe?

If you enjoyed this mad lib, please comment with your link below so that the rest of us can get a chuckle out of it as well. And be sure to share with your friends. - Katie

#MadLibMonday - Gunny's Pups by Marialisa Demora

For anyone that doesn't know how Mad Libs work, I will ask you for certain parts of speech or other specific things (i.e.: date, age, color, etc.) which you will write down. After you have completed your list, scroll down below the cover image to find the redacted blurb. Then read through it substituting your words where applicable. Try not to laugh. (Laughing is actually strongly encouraged, because this is supposed to be funny.)

Some brief definitions of the parts of speech.
Noun: Person, place, or thing.
Verb: Describes or indicates action.
Adverb: Modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb expressing manner, place, time, or degree (gently, here, now, very).
Adjective: Names an attribute of a noun (pretty, blue, large)
Pronoun: A word that can function as a noun (I, we, they)
Preposition: a word that combines with a noun or pronoun to form a phrase that usually acts as an adverb, adjective, or noun (on, after, for)

And with that, here we go.

1: Adjective
2: Noun
3: Adjective
4: Verb ending in s
5: Number
6: Plural noun
7: Dog breed
8: Verb
9: Noun
10: Plural noun

Genre: Holiday Romance

Published: August 28, 2017

Pages: 87

Goodreads // Amazon

Gunny and Sharon have been through a lot together, coming out ( 1: Adjective ) in the end. Fate throws them a ( 2: Noun ), so to speak, in a mastiff by the name of Tank.

Adopting a dog means taking on all that animal’s troubles, ( 3: Adjective ) or small. When the dog in question ( 4: Verb ending in s ) nearly three-feet at the shoulder and weighs more than ( 5: Number ) pounds? All the problems are big!

Lane Robinson has always had a soft spot for dogs. All breeds and sizes; if it’s a furbaby, he’s a big pushover. Gunny loves his ( 6: Plural noun ). Persuaded into helping a Rebel member sort out a difficult situation, Gunny didn’t expect to find a new family member in the form of an enormous ( 7: Dog breed ). With a child on the way about to add more chaos to his life, he thought the big guy would be a temporary house guest. ( 8: Verb ) the monster-sized dog home, foster him for a little while, then place the critter with a loving family. Piece of ( 9: Noun ).

But, when he came through for Sharon in an important way, helping her through a difficult time, Gunny decided the dog had found a forever home. Remember those big ( 10: Plural noun )? They’re about to get even bigger! This novella sits alongside Rebel Wayfarers MC book #10, Bones.

18+ due to explicit content.

Now that your fun is through, here is the real blurb for Gunny's Pups by Marialisa Demora.

Gunny and Sharon have been through a lot together, coming out stronger in the end. Fate throws them a bone, so to speak, in a mastiff by the name of Tank.

Adopting a dog means taking on all that animal’s troubles, large or small. When the dog in question stands nearly three-feet at the shoulder and weighs more than 150 pounds? All the problems are big!

Lane Robinson has always had a soft spot for dogs. All breeds and sizes; if it’s a furbaby, he’s a big pushover. Gunny loves his pups. Persuaded into helping a Rebel member sort out a difficult situation, Gunny didn’t expect to find a new family member in the form of an enormous mastiff. With a child on the way about to add more chaos to his life, he thought the big guy would be a temporary house guest. Take the monster-sized dog home, foster him for a little while, then place the critter with a loving family. Piece of cake.

But, when he came through for Sharon in an important way, helping her through a difficult time, Gunny decided the dog had found a forever home. Remember those big problems? They’re about to get even bigger! This novella sits alongside Rebel Wayfarers MC book #10, Bones.

18+ due to explicit content.

If you enjoyed this mad lib, please comment with your list below so that the rest of us can get a chuckle out of it as well. And be sure to share it with your friends. - Katie

#MadLibMonday - Take You Apart by T.J. Spade

For anyone that doesn't know how Mad Libs work, I will ask you for certain parts of speech or other specific things (i.e.: date, age, color, etc.) which you will write down. After you have completed your list, scroll down below the cover image to find the redacted blurb. Then read through it substituting your words where applicable. Try not to laugh. (Laughing is actually strongly encouraged, because this is supposed to be funny.)

Some brief definitions of the parts of speech.
Noun: Person, place, or thing.
Verb: Describes or indicates action.
Adverb: Modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb expressing manner, place, time, or degree (gently, here, now, very).
Adjective: Names an attribute of a noun (pretty, blue, large)
Pronoun: A word that can function as a noun (I, we, they)
Preposition: a word that combines with a noun or pronoun to form a phrase that usually acts as an adverb, adjective, or noun (on, after, for)

And with that, here we go.

1: Adjective
2: Plural noun
3: Verb ending in s
4: Adverb
5: Plural noun
6: Verb ending in s
7: Plural noun
8: Adjective
9: Noun
10: Verb

Genre: Suspense

Published: November 30, 2015

Pages: 249

Goodreads // Amazon

A woman – so ( 1: Adjective ) and ripe – lies amid a detritus of pine ( 2: Plural noun ) and dirt. Her hair is matted to her face with a mixture of blood and tears and she ( 3: Verb ending in s ) again before subsiding into body wrenching sobs. Her voice is ( 4: Adverb ) slurred as she begs, “Please, stop. Please, I want to go home. Please don’t do it again.” A pair of black gloved ( 5: Plural noun ) comes into view. They hold pliers. The girl screams again. Lovely.

Successful artist Caleb Everett ( 6: Verb ending in s ) each day with a real-time film inside his head, playing … murder. Since he was a child, Caleb has been able to see into the minds of ( 7: Plural noun ). Working alongside veteran Homicide Detective Jack Rafferty, Caleb now uses his ( 8: Adjective ) ability to balance the scales of justice.

With a new case afoot, Caleb is himself being targeted by a killer, and with attractive ( 9: Noun ) Makayla Dawson on the scene, it becomes a race against time to ( 10: Verb ) them all. With the odds savagely stacked against them, will this case take apart everything Caleb holds dear?

Now that your fun is through, here is the real blurb for Take You Apart by T.J. Spade.

A woman – so young and ripe – lies amid a detritus of pine needles and dirt. Her hair is matted to her face with a mixture of blood and tears and she screams again before subsiding into body wrenching sobs. Her voice is slightly slurred as she begs, “Please, stop. Please, I want to go home. Please don’t do it again.” A pair of black gloved hands comes into view. They hold pliers. The girl screams again. Lovely.

Successful artist Caleb Everett lives each day with a real-time film inside his head, playing … murder. Since he was a child, Caleb has been able to see into the minds of killers. Working alongside veteran Homicide Detective Jack Rafferty, Caleb now uses his unique ability to balance the scales of justice.

With a new case afoot, Caleb is himself being targeted by a killer, and with attractive journalist Makayla Dawson on the scene, it becomes a race against time to save them all. With the odds savagely stacked against them, will this case take apart everything Caleb holds dear?

If you enjoyed this mad lib, please comment with your list below so that the rest of us can get a chuckle as well. And be sure to share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc. - Katie

Saturday, August 26, 2017

#SneakPeekSunday - Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Title: Children of Blood and Bone
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Genre: YA Fantasy
Published: March 6, 2018
Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Pages: 448
Goodreads

Synopsis

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.

Sneak Peek Review

I received a copy of this sneak peek from Henry Holt Books for Young Readers through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

I only had a small taste of this tale and I am hooked. There is so much that I need to know yet, and so much for me to learn about this world still, but I want to learn it so badly. What I do know about this fantasy world is that it seems to be based on Africa, at least I was using Africa as my reference point because the people have dark skin, the diviners are cursed with the darkest skin which is part of what sets them apart from the other citizens of this world and marks them as lesser people. The attitude towards skin color in this sneak peek kind of made me think about what I learned about slavery in America before the Civil War, but I also saw some parallels with more recent events in America as well.

This story is told from multiple points of view. I got to see three of them in the sneak peek with the most time spent inside Zélie's head. And Zélie is fierce! From what I can gather, she spends her days training to be a warrior under the guise of working for a seamstress, but I don't really know why the girls are being trained exactly yet. I imagine it's for some rebellion that will be organized at a later date, but it's possible that it's just as a means of self-defense. I really don't know, but I want to.

I think Amira is probably my favorite character though, at least she is so far. She's royalty but has no interest in lightening her skin (among the nobility at least, lighter skin is much desired), and her best friend is a diviner who works as a servant in the king's household. This girl doesn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. She almost certainly becomes a sidekick type character, but I have high hopes for her.

Now I've gotta' say that whoever chose where to end this sneak peek is an evil genius. We end up in Amira's brother's head, and he has just found out a kind of big secret about his sister. Somehow I'm supposed to just be okay with pausing the story there? I don't think so. I need the rest of this book ASAP.

So will I be buying this book? Abso-freaking-lutely. Possibly on release day if I don't have anything else I HAVE to be reading right then, but it's far enough away that I can't really plan my reading then yet. But I will absolutely be reading the rest of this book. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative writing coach based in San Diego, California. Her debut novel, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, comes out March 6th, 2018 and the movie is currently in development at Fox with the producers of Twilight and The Maze Runner attached. After graduating Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she received a fellowship that allowed her to study West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. When she’s not working on her novels or watching Scandal, she can be found blogging and teaching creative writing to her 3,500 subscribers at tomiadeyemi.com. Her website has been named one of the 101 best websites for writers by Writer’s Digest.

Big Mistake. Huge. Authors Please Don't Do This.

Read my review here.

So I checked my email today to discover that I had a comment on a review I posted on Goodreads almost three years ago. I must say, that had me a bit intrigued because I barely even remembered reading the book in the first place. So I clicked the link to discover the above comment. Authors, I realize that most of you know better, for those of you who are new and don't, leaving comments like this on a reader's review is just not a good idea. For one thing, you never know if they're a blogger like me who will put you on blast for your bad behavior (because I have no chill). But I've got some time on my hands, so let's unpack this comment, shall we? But first, here's the review for A Child's Primer to Understanding Government (for adults):

When I downloaded this book I was expecting to read a book about how government works in a clear, easy to understand language. I was expecting information about things like the checks and balances provided by The President, Congress, and The Supreme Court, and information about how a bill becomes a law. I even thought we might get some information on how the President is actually elected through the electoral college. This book doesn't provide any of that. Instead it is just an uber-conservative diatribe about everything the author thinks is wrong with government.

I had several problems with this book, beyond just my standard disagreement with the authors ideals because I'm very liberal (but I was expecting to have those issues with the book based on the synopsis, and those do not affect my rating). Early on in the book we learn about how "Nothing is voted on that [The Senate Majority leader] disagrees with He runs the House with a firm iron hand Some would say he runs the House in a fascistic way." (I left all capitalization and punctuation as it's found in the book. That alone is a problem). Based on that quote alone, it is pretty clear that the author of this book is operating on faulty information though. The Senate Majority leader doesn't run the House at all, he runs the Senate, hence his title. Is it true that he doesn't bring bills to a vote that he doesn't agree with? Sure. The same thing happens in the house though, but this author doesn't bother to mention that. It's hard to take someone seriously when they can't even get simple facts like that correct.

This author also uses several "facts" to illustrate his point such as "...the climate hasn't changed in 18 years..." and "We have millions out of work now, nearly 1 in 6 people. We have millions more on food stamps -- even in foreign countries -- than when he started." These "facts" would be great if they came with source citations. As they stand, I just have to laugh at them for how ridiculous they sound. For one thing, the only way to have U.S. citizens on food stamps in other countries is for them to be in the military stationed overseas, and if your military members are on food stamps, you might just want to reevaluate how well you pay them.

He goes on to discuss how President Obama is expanding the government by doing things such as "giving 1/7 of the economy (healthcare) over to be run (poorly) by the government." and "taking over Wall Street, the auto industry, student finance, and a host of other things that the private sector used to run." Last time I checked, the private sector still runs all of these things, except student finance, but the government has been providing student loans since long before President Obama was in office. I'm currently paying some off that I took out 12 years ago. Beyond that, here is another instance where there is no source cited for the information.

After that little gem, he talks about RINO (Republican in name only) double-crosses, using the example of the current Senate majority leader not wasting time trying to repeal the ACA. This would actually be a great place to use some real information about how the government works. The author sees this as a double-cross, where I'm fairly certain the Senate majority leader sees a repeal that will never succeed because he doesn't have the two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to override a presidential veto. It's really a pretty simple concept that I would expect someone writing about book titled "A Child's Primer to Understanding Government" to understand.

So as you can see, there are a lot of structural problems here. A complete lack of sources, spelling and grammar that are used very loosely, and very little information about how government is actually supposed to work. But the real kicker is that it's written in a tone that implies that everyone reading it is a complete idiot. So I guess if you're looking for a book to make you feel like you're a real dummy, this would be a great book for you. Personally I wish I had my twenty minutes back.

Y'all, I put effort into this review for a book that I downloaded from Amazon for free. I highlighted and took notes while reading even, and I basically NEVER do that, but it became apparent early on that I would want to quote sections from the book to support my position on things. And as you can see, I utilized those things I highlighted.

So the author disagrees with my assessment. That's really not a big surprise, but that's the very reason he should have just not said anything. No one is going to see my review of this book and think "I bet the author loves that review" at least not without sarcasm oozing from their mental voice.

He argues that the facts are "in the news and easily verifiable." Facts like that the Senate Majority Leader runs the House of Representatives? I'm not sure what news he's watching or reading, but that's not the way Congress works. And facts being in the news and easily verifiable does not absolve him of the responsibility to cite his sources for said facts. (And some of his "facts" are just dead wrong, like everything mentioned in the fourth paragraph of my review.)

His next point is about the synopsis making it plain who the target audience is and that the book is satire. Here is the synopsis.

Finally. A primer for the un-informed voter (or your best liberal friend). In easy to understand language that even a politician can understand. With chapters like The Tea Party, The Rino, The Media, The Vice-President and The Future of America. Makes an excellent gift for the low information voter (that is, someone weaning themselves off MSNBC).

So yeah. The synopsis DOES make it clear that the target audience is conservatives with a very low opinion of liberals, but I acknowledged in my review that I was not the target audience and knew that going in to the book. If the book was satire, it was not well-executed. (And I'd LOVE to give you an example of better satirical execution for a section of the book, but I deleted it from my device after I finished reading it, and the author has removed it from Amazon, so I can't even download it again to pull an excerpt from the book to use.)

He then ends his comment talking about how they only people who criticized his book were not the intended audience and they would have known better than to read the book in the first place if they'd read the synopsis. His book has one review. Mine. And I did read the synopsis (for once). I referenced the synopsis early on in my review even. But my criticisms weren't about his political positions. My criticisms were about the spelling and grammar, a lack of cited sources, and a lack of information about how government is actually supposed to work (and I'm sorry, but a book that calls itself a Primer to Understanding Government should include some actual information about the workings of the government).

Now I mentioned that the book is no longer available on Amazon. I'm not sure when it was removed, but based on the timing of his comment, I suspect it was quite recently when he checked and saw that it had one measly, scathing, verified review. That wasn't my intention in leaving the review though. My intention in leaving the review was to get another verified review with a short, free book in order to pad my verified to non-verified review ratio on Amazon (because I believe that helps me keep my non-verified purchase reviews when Amazon does their random purges). I was simply striving to post an honest review and did make it a point to support my points with quotes from the book.

But do you think I was maybe too honest? Do you think he would have commented on my review if I hadn't proclaimed that I was very liberal and disagreed with political ideals because of that? What if I had posted the exact same review but prefaced it with something like "Now I'm about as conservative as they come, but I had some serious issues with this book."?

But back to my original point. Authors, please don't do this to yourselves. Bad reviews happen. Your book will not be for everybody, but you cannot control who reads it once it's published. And reviews like the one I wrote for this book might happen. And they will probably hurt because you put effort into writing your book. But reviews like mine are just the opinion of the readers leaving them, and nothing good will come from leaving a negative comment on those reviews. So find a friend to complain to about "That bitch that doesn't know what she's talking about..." But don't comment on the review itself. Please do yourself this one favor.

- Katie