To Live Here, You Have To Fight Review

                                                                
To Live Here, You Have To Fight
By: Jessica Wilkerson
University of Illinois Press
Nonfiction (Adult), Politics            
Publish Date 30 December 2018              280 pages
#ToLiveHereYouHaveToFight #NetGalley
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There is no way to sugar coat this book. This book was really boring. The author did a lot of research to back up her findings. In fact the last 22% of the book ha all of her sources.
At first I thought the book was going to be great because she started off with a story that got me hooked and I couldn't wait to find out more about the person and her life. Then it went into facts about the Appalachian Mountains and the miners and the women.
I struggled reading this book. I came real close to DNFing it. The only two reasons I didn't is because they wanted my honest review on this book and the author did a lot of research to write this book.
I gave this book 1 star and unless you are into a book that only really goes into fact then read it but otherwise I don't recommend this book.

The Lying King Review

                                                                  
The Lying King By: Alex Beard
Greenleaf Book Group Press
Children's Fiction  60 Pages
Pub. Date 4 September 2018
#TheLyingKing#NetGalley

I really like this book. The pictures are great and the story is cute. It is real easy to read and I think children will like this story. A child will learn a lesson from this story about lying.  Don't want to give too much detail because it is a short book. It is about a warthog who lies. I recommend this book for your personal library. I gave it 4 stars.

House of Dreams: The Life of L.M.Montgomery Review

                                                                    
House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery
By: Liz Rosenberg
Candlewick Press
Children's Nonfiction              352 pages
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This was a great book. It is already out for you to read. It was wonderfully done and I am grateful that I was given the chance to read this for review. It is a biography about the author of the Anne of Green Gable books. I learned a lot about the author that I didn't know much about. I didn't realize that she went by her middle name and had a rough childhood. I also learned that her books are based a lot on her life. I highly recommend that you read this book. I would have read this book in one setting if I didn't have a lot of other things happening this month.
The author of this book draws you in and you just don't want to stop reading.
I gave this book 5 stars and I will be buying this book to keep on my shelves.

Glitter Bomb Review

I received this book from GoodReads give away. I was actually surprised that I finally won a book from them. This book came out on the 2nd of October of 2018. I am a bit behind on giving a review on this book. I actually didn't finish this book until this month. It is  considered a cozy mystery and usually they are quick reads for me but the last few months have been real busy for me and I am trying to play catch up.
I have read most of her other series called Cackleberry Club Mysteries. This is the first book from her New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery series. I did enjoy this book even though it wasn't the first book. I was able to figure out who was who without too much trouble.
This takes place during Mardi Gras. Just before the big day during one of the many parades one of the floats explodes and kills someone. The main Characters Ex- Husband happens to be on this float so ends up being a suspect. He convinces her to help him out since she is engaged to the investigator.
She comes up with a whole lot of other people who could have wanted to kill the person who died.
I don't want to say too much about this book because it is a mystery and I don't want to give anything away. It is a good read and I recommend you read it. You might want to read the books in order so you can understand the main characters a little better but you really don't have to. I gave this book 4 stars.

Borrowathon Reads

 Here is another readathon that I just finished. This one was going on at the same time as the other I posted a few days ago. This readathon ran from November 4th-November 11th. It was called borrowathon. You could only read books that you borrowed. There were 6 challenges to try to finished. I finished 5 of them. The challenge I didn't complete was to read a book with a name of an animal in the title. Heretics Anonymous completed the challenge of a 2018 release. I gave this book 4 stars. It is a YA book and is about a boy who's father is always moving them around for his job. No he is not in the military. This last place the boy is going to a private school. This school is catholic and the boy does not believe in any religion.  He makes friends with four other students who have similar issues and they try to make changes. It was a little slow at the beginning but them starts to pick up. It was a good book and I recommend it.
 Anya's Ghost completed 2 challenges which were Read a book you've never heard of before and read a book that features a library. This is another YA book but really not a book but a graphic novel. This was a quick read for me which most graphic novels are. This is a little hard to describe because the book was a little weird for my taste. The girl befriends a ghost when she falls into a hole. When the girl is rescued she unknowingly takes a small bone of the ghost body with her. This is how the ghost is able to be with her outside of the hole. The book goes on with how the ghost helps her but then takes a turn. It wasn't bad and if you like that kind of stuff I would recommend that you pick it up.

 The 14th Colony completed the challenge a book you think you're going to love. Well it didn't. Mike recommended the book to me. I really liked his book the Jefferson Key. This book follows the same characters but for one was really slow and the President is leaving office and a lot of things take place. The reason I thought I would love this book is that Steve Berry adds a  lot of history into the story line. He did this time but it was more political and I don't really care about that in my reading because it is boring to me.

Saga Volume 3 also completed 2 challenges. First it also had a library featured in it and the book was under 150 pages. This is an adult graphic novel. I am slowly into graphic novels. Some are better than others but when there are a few readathons you want to do these are quick reads. I am not sure how to describe this graphic novel because it is the 3rd volume of an on going series. It is almost a Romeo and Juliet retelling but dealing with different forms of beings. That is the best way I can describe it. Again if you like this kind of thing I would recommend that you read it. There is violence and some nudity.
So for this readathon I read 4 books that totaled 1141 pages. Doing these readathons help me to one read more and widen my range of reading. I hope you decide to join this readathon next time. It happens about twice a year. Until next time keep reading.

LaLaThon

I just finished a readathon which was called Lalathon. It went from November 1st thru November 9th. This is from one of my favorite Youtubers that I watch. All you had to do for this readathon is read her favorite books. She had over 200 to choose from. These are the books I decided to read. Flame in the Mist has been on my TBR for a long time and I was finally able to read it. The second book is out and I have it and hope to get it read soon. Milk and Honey is a book of poetry. It is a little dark but a quick read. The Dream Thieves is the second of a series called The Raven Boys.  I gave Flame in the mist 4 stars, Milk and Honey 4 stars and The Dream Thieves 3 stars. I read a total of 1036 pages for this readathon. Not bad for the beginning of a new month.

Hooks Can Be Deceiving Review

                                                           
Hooks Can Be Deceiving   By: Betty Hechtman
Published By Crooked Lane Books     Published Date 11 December 2018
Mystery and Thriller                 320 Pages
#HooksCanBeDeceiving     #NetGalley
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I just love her books. I have read a few of her books and enjoy them. At the end of the book she always has a pattern or two for you try and also recipes. These recipes and pattern are mentioned in the book.
The main character in this book is Molly Pink. She works in a book store which has a yarn area to do projects. Within the first couple of chapters in these books there is always a murder. Molly usually gets herself involved with trying to solve them.
I won't go into too much detail because it is a mystery novel and I don't want to give too much away. The story is about a fellow crocheter who is killed. They want to put it as an accidental death but there are too many discrepancies. Molly gets involves because a friend asks her to do some quite investigating.  Molly finds out some things and more questions come and a lot of other people need to be questioned by the police.
This was one of her better books because it had me guessing all the way to the end and I was surprised by who the murderer was.
I highly recommend this book when it comes out. I gave it 5 stars.

My Heart Belongs In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Review

                                                     
My Heart Belongs In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
By: Murray Pura
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc
Published Date: November 1, 2018
256 pages          Christian, Romance
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I greatly enjoyed this book. I gave this book 4 stars. I love history and this book was about the civil war one of my favorite subjects.
Clarissa is a 19 year old girl who has a lot of spunk and energy. She is a conductor on the underground railroad. She has a love interest in Kyle and Liberty. She doesn't know which one to choose. She likes both in different ways. Liberty is also on the underground railroad but she doesn't know what he looks like because he always wears a hood over his head. Kyle is studying to be a clergyman. When the war breaks out she is upset that Kyle won't join the army instead he stays behinds and helps the head clergyman.
During one of the underground escapes with Liberty they are caught and Liberty gets hurt. Who is Liberty? Why does he hide his face?  What happens to Kyle? You need to read the book to find out.
Clarissa has some more adventures during the war. At the beginning of the book I didn't like her but throughout the story she grows and learns, which makes her a better person.
I was able to figure out a few things that happen in the book fairly quickly so it brought down my rating just a little. The author did a great job on the history. I would recommended this book for those who love history and a romance story.

Louisiana's Way Home Review

                                                              
Louisiana's Way Home  By: Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press
Published date 2 October 2018
Children's Fiction        Middle Grade      240 pages
#LouisianasWayHome       #NetGalley

I know that this book has already been out in the stores for a while but I just couldn't get my review up before now. I did get the book finished before the publish date though.
I have greatly enjoyed this book and a few others that she has written.
This book is about a 12 year old girl named Louisiana and her grandma, who leave the state of Florida at 3 in the morning. Louisiana doesn't know why just that her grandma woke her up and told her to get into the car. She had to leave behind her friends and pets. She has been told that a curse has been passed down from her great grandfather and that it was time to end the curse. The curse is known as a Sundering. The story goes on to explain how the curse was started and why it is called this name. They travel with no money or means on how to get where they are going.  Grandma ends up needing some dental care and time to recover so she has Louisiana help pay for things by her wit and voice. She has a beautiful singing voice. During this time Louisiana meets some a boy who befriends and they are able to have some fun while grandma recovers. On her trip back from one of the visits her grandma has taken off and left her a note. This note explains somethings to Louisiana that changes her life and questions everything that has happened. What did the note say and what does she do?
I do recommend that you read this book or have your middle grader read it. It is a fun and adventurist book.

24 Hour Read Your Face Off

I decided to do this challenge that took place on the 8th of September. It started at 9 am and ended on the 9th of September at 8:59 am. I was able to get a lot of reading done. I read 5 books.  These are the books that I read.

                  
These books have been on my to be read pile for a long time and this was a perfect tome to read them. All but one book received 4 stars. Candide received 3 stars. Total pages were 802. As you can see 3 books are about history, one is a classic and the other a novella. I had fun doing this and will most likely do this again next month. This goodread group does a 24 hour reading day once a month. The next one is schedule for the 13th of October. Come join us next month. Until next time keep eading.
                        

                                                         

Born Scared Review

                                                            
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Candlewick Press    Published Date September 11, 2018           Pages 256
Teens and YA
I had the privilege of being able to read this book before it was published. I did finish this book yesterday which is when it was released. This is the old cover but the new cover is a lot prettier.
This was a different book and I am still trying to process what I read. As of right now I am giving it 3.5 stars.
There were a lot of characters in this book and the transition between each one was a little rough.
This book is about a teenage boy who is afraid of everything. He is so afraid he doesn't go outside and is on medication which only slightly helps.
The story starts with him being born early at 26 weeks. He is part of twins. His sister doesn't live after an hour. He has named her Ellamay. Mom never named her. His fear starts from day one. Part of Ellamay lives within him. There are only three people that he isn't afraid of and they are mom, the doctor and his Aunt Shirley. When he was four he was caught talking with Ellamay and  scared his mom and the doctor. His mom's name is Grace and the Doctor's name is Owen Gibson. Everyone else he calls Monkems.
Enter new characters the two Santas who are Leodnar Dacre (Dake) and Carl Jenner. Dake is the follower and Carl is the leader. They are bad men. They are planning on robbing the bank vault, by using yet another person named Gordon. They will make Gordon rob the bank for them by using his mom as leverage. How do they know about Gordon well yet another character is used and that is Kaylee who is dating Carl. Kaylee likes Carl because he is different and fun. Kaylee gives him all the information about Gordon. She assures Carl that Gordon is so predictable that you can set a clock by him.
The story goes on and Elliot is given the wrong medicine so mom needs to go and the correct pills but her car dies and so she ask Shirley to go get them. Shirley is dealing with traffic because it is Christmas Eve. Before she drops of the pills she goes home to pick up the gifts to deliver them along with the pills. Shirley never makes it to their home so Mom goes to her house and she never returns either.
Elliot decides he needs to go and find his mom. This is were his adventure starts. He has a great adventure and was great to read. What happen to him? You will have to read the book. What happen to Shirley and Mom? Again you have to read the book. What does Gordon have to do with this story? I am being very careful trying not to reveal too much. It does get good but I didn't like the ending at all. You are left wondering on what happened to a few of the characters.
If you don't mind being left hanging at the end I would recommend this story. It made me a little upset because I wanted to know. I don't care if it is a good end or a sad end, I just want to know what happen. The jumping around was a little hard and I had to figure out who I was reading about. This is a story I have never read about and it was interesting. Would I read something else by this author, yes I would give him another chance.

The Poet X Review

                                                                   
The Poet X By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Young Adult           357 Pages

This book is written in verse. I wasn't a fan of this book so I only gave it 3 stars. I am getting use to reading books that are written in verse and starting to enjoy them. They are actually quick reads.
The main character is 16 year old girl named Xiomara. She has a twin brother, Xavier and her best friend, Caridad. Mom is from the Dominican Republic and Dad is from America. Mom married Dad to come to the states but she really wanted to become a nun. Mom is extremely religious. Dad doesn't do much. He is a womanizer. X loves to write poetry and her brother gave her notebook one year for their birthday to keep them in. She hates going to church. She isn't allowed to date or have contact with boys except for her brother. She is punished for the smallest things. (SPOILER) For example when she starts her period. Her mom hasn't told her anything about this or allowed her to watch the movie that they show in school so she has to look it up on google to figure out what to do. She gets money from a stash and goes to the store to get tampons but doesn't insert correctly and cries. Her mother is freaking out telling her that 11 is to young to be having a period and that only ho's use tampons. In high school during biology she meets a boy, Aman. They like each other and find ways to see each other. This is were her best friend helps out. They are eventually discovered and mom goes nuts. X wants to join the poetry club at school but mom makes her go to confirmation classes at the church. Again her best friend helps her to be able to eventually go to poetry club.  There are a few more things that happen and make the book interesting I just could not stand the mom in this story.
Brother has a secret what is it? Does mom and X get to understanding each other better? You will have to read the book to find out. Just be warned that mom is not a nice person.

Merci Suarez Changes Gears Review

                                                              
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#Merci Suarez  #Net Galley       Candle Wick Publishing        Children's fiction     Middle Grade
Release date September 11, 2018       368 pages

I was lucky enough to be selected to read this book before it is released. I enjoyed this book greatly. I gave it 4 stars.
This book is about a Latino family who live in Florida.  The family consist of a grandma, grandpa, aunt, twin cousins, mom, dad, older brother and the main character Merci. They really aren't poor but nor are they rich. probably low middle class. Both of the older children go to a private school by way of scholarship. The dad owns his own business as a painter and to pay the children's books during the summer they painted the gym. They wear a uniform to this school. Merci isn't as smart as her older brother who loves science. She has lazy eye and has gone the process of wearing a patch and having surgery. Her eye still has some issues at times.  The students are required to do community service at this school. Most students only have to do 40 hours but Merci and her brother have to do 60 hours because of their scholarship.  She isn't thrilled about her community service which is being a Sunshine Buddy. She ends up being a buddy to a boy which is unusually for a girl to be buddy with a boy. All the other children tease her when she tries to make contact in school. This new boy Michael Clark is a very cute boy and all the girls talk about him.
This book is about Merci and the things she goes through not only at school but also at home. She hates have to help out with her twin cousins because now she isn't able to go to soccer try outs which she really wants to do because she has to her Grandma watch the twins. Her Grandpa whom she adores is sick and she does find out but is the last to know and gets upset with her family for not telling her sooner. She is scared and mad at the same time.
This is a great book for a middle grader to read because it will explain about the disease her grandpa has in a very understanding way. It will give them understanding on how you can work through some hard times.
It is hard to go into detail because I don't want to give anything away about this story. I read most of it in one setting.
The author did a great job.
   

Barnes and Noble Summer Blow-Out Haul

For Labor Day Barnes and Noble had a huge summer blow-out sale. Mike let me go to the store and buy a few things. He even went with me. I have a membership which saves me an additional 10 %. I also had a 15%  coupon off your entire order. 1 item is missing because it is a gift for Aryan on his birthday and I don't know if he reads my blog but just in case I didn't picture it here. I bought 6 books and two backpacks. The purple bag was free when you bought three books. You could get only one free bag. The backpacks were 50% off and then I got another 10% and 15% off because of my membership and coupon. 4 off the books that I bought were 50% off and then I was able to add my discount and coupon on top of that. Fly Girls was 20% off and then my discount and coupon on top. The Gentleman's Guide to vice and Virtue I paid full price before my discount and coupon. So for everything we spent just under $107. 4 books I don't know too much about but heard a lot of hype about them so want to give them a try. Aryan's book is part of a series he is reading. Fly Girls is a non fiction book about the history of ladies who fly airplanes and the struggles they went through. I hope you able to take part of this sale. Sorry I didn't get this post out earlier for you to know about it.
I will try to better to let you know about sales like this.
Until then keep reading.

September TBR

can you believe it is already September. boy has this year flown by. I know I haven't posted a monthly TBR in a while so I decided to so again. This is only tentative and can change. So here we go with what I plan to read for this month.
The two audio books I will listen to in the car as I run errands and take the boys to and from school. I am a little afraid of listening to Pet Sematary by: Stephen King I hear it is scary. I don't do well with scary but we will see, it will be during the day most of the time. The other one is Seraphina by: Rachel Hartman. I have already started this one. I am only on the third disc. It is a bout a girl who is part human and part dragon. It is a fantasy. I can tell you Aryan is not enjoying this and shaking his head saying that things are impossible.
Strange The Dreamer By: Laini Taylor is one of many books that I am doing a read along for. I heard a lot about this book; some good and some bad. I want to form my own opinion and give this book a try. The second book comes out soon.
The Boys In The Boat By: Daniel James Brown is the book that the library has chosen for their book club. I have already read this book. It is about the 1936 rowing team from Washington who won the gold medal in Berlin. It is good and I will be putting up a review soon.
A Gathering Of Shadows by: V. E. Schwab is another book that I am doing a read along with. It is the second book of a series. I read the first book last month and loved it.
Godsgrave By: Jay Kristoff Is another book that I am doing a read along with. It is the second book to a series. There is to be a third book coming out soon. The first book was NeverNight which I did a review on.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by: Mackenzi Lee is the last book this month for a read along. This is a book about a young man being raised as a gentleman and is having some life issues. It takes place in the 1800's. He goes and tours Europe before he takes over the estate in England. He doesn't get along with father.
The Bane Chronicles By: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson. This book is full of short stories about Magnus Bane from the Series that Cassandra Clare writes. I am trying to read one story a day.
This may change or I may add more books depends on what I am in the mood to read. I can already tell you that it is the 4th and I am already behind on my read along books. That is pretty normal because if the book is good and know that two of them are I will read them quickly. I am not sure about the other though.
Let me know what your reading plans are for the month. I would like to know maybe I will add them to a future TBR.
Until next time keep reading.

August 2018 Wrap up

Okay it is the end of August well actually the 1st of September. I had a great reading month and did a lot of readathons. I read 30 books which totaled 6926 pages. Of those books 16 were female authors and 14 were male authors. I read 2 classics, 6 middle grade, 6 children's, 2 cozy mysteries, 4 young adult, 3 fantasy, 1 novella, 2 mysteries, 1 historical fiction, 1 biography, and 2 horror books.
As you can see I read a variety of different genres this month. Even a few I usually don't read. I will give you a quick reminder of the books that I read and the order that I read them.
Little Lord Fauntleroy By: Frances Burnett
Haunted House By: Jan Pienkowski
A Skeleton In The Family By: Leigh Perry  I have a review up
Persuasion By: Jane Austin
The Lost Continent (Wings of fire #11) By: Tui t. Sutherland
Bob By: Rebecca Stead and Wendy Moss   I have a review up
Hooked On Murder By: Betty Hechtman   I have a review up
The Giraffe and Pelly and Me By: Roald Dahl
Ready Player One By: Ernest Cline
The Red Queen By: Victoria Aveyard
The Shape Of Water By: Guilleimo delToro
Nevernight By: Jay Kristoff    I have a review up
The Hidden Oracle By: Rick Riordan
Freaky Friday By: Mary Rodgers
Hello, Universe By: Erin Entrada Kelly
The Deal Of a Lifetime By: Fredrik Backman
Chato's Kitchen By: Gary Soto
Martin's Big Words By: Doreen Rappaport
Flossie and The Fox By: Patricia McKissack
Hershel and The Hanukkah Globin's By: Eric Kimmel
The Jefferson Key By: Steve Berry
A Darker Shade Of Magic By: V. E. Schwab
The Girl Who Came Home By: Hazel Gaynor
Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground By: T. R. Simon  I have a review on this (comes out 9-11-18)
Wonder Girl By: Don Van Natta Jr.
One Of Us Is Lying By: Karen M. McManus
Coma By: Robin Cook
Blaze By: Stephen King
The Body By: Stephen King
The Raven Boys By: Maggie Stiefvater
I hope you try one or all of these books that I have listed above. I am trying to do more reviews but time is not always on my side. Until next time keep reading.

N.E.W.T.S Part 2

 It is the last day of August so I will report on how well I did on my NEWTS Exams. I was able to get two more exams done. So that means I passed five exams total. This is pretty good in my eyes.
The photo above is what I read for the Potions Exams. First test was to read a book with a color in the title so I read The Red Queen By: Victoria Aveyard. Second test was to read a book with a male lead character so I read The Jefferson Key By: Steve Berry (Yes this book covered a lot of different reading challenges this month.). Final test was to read a book with over 350 pages so I read Nevernight By: Jay Kristoff ( you must read this book it was fantastic).

The last exam I completed was Transfiguration and these are the books that I read. First test was to read a book with a grey cover so I read Persuasion By: Jane Austin. I am pretty sure I am now done reading all of her books. I really don't like her writing style and I am so glad that I am done. Second test was to read a new to you author so  read Hello, Universe By: Erin Entrada Kelly. This book won the Newbery Award for this year. I was not impressed with it. Third and final test was to read a book set in a kingdom/has royals so I read A Darker Shade Of Magic By: V. E. Schwab. Again another book you should read it was great.
There were three exams that I didn't complete and they were Ancient Runes, History of Magic and Muggle Studies. I did get some of the books read but I will tell you about them in my August wrap up. Until next time keep reading.

Thriller-A-Thon and Cosmo Readathon

I have tried to two read-a-thon on the same week and didn't do to well. I also was sick during this week so that didn't help.
There were 5 challenges for the Thriller-A-Thon and 6 challenges for the Cosmo readathon. I tried to double up my books.
First up the Cosmo readathon challenges and the books that I read to meet those challenges.
1. Read a book that suits a song lyric. Didn't complete
2. Read a book set in an environment completely different to yours. I read The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry. It was set in several areas.  Washington DC, New York City, North Carolina, and Canada
3. Read a book that intimidates you. Didn't finish the book. Started reading Coma by Robin Cook
4. Read a book that reminds you of your childhood. Didn't complete
5. Buddy- Read a book. I read The Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
6. Read any book that has been featured in a Cosmo readers poll. Didn't complete.
Now for Thriller-A-Thon challenges and the books I read to meet those challenges.
1. Read the thriller you're most anticipating. Didn't complete
2. Read the thriller that's been on your TBR the longest.  I read One Of Us Is Lying by: Karen M. McManus
3. Read the thriller you most recently added to your TBR. Didn't complete
4. Read the thriller with best cover. Started but didn't finish Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman
5. Revisit a thriller book or Author. I read Blaze By Stephen King (Richard Bachman)

I was hoping to do a lot more reading but being sick put a big dent into my plans. But for the month I have done really well so I can't complain. There are still four days left in this month so hopefully I can finish what I started. Until next time keep reading.

Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground Review

                                                              


Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground By: T.R. Simon
Children's Fiction    Middle Grade 272 Pages  Release Date September 11, 2018 Publisher: Candlewick Press
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Okay now that I got all the information that Net Galley wants me to put onto each of my reviews I can now review this book.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I gave it 4.5 stars.
This book is about two girls named Zora and Me(Carrie Brown). They learn a lot about their little towns history in this story. The town is called Eatonville, Florida. This town is a color town meaning only color people live here. The town was established in around 1887.
This story takes place in the summer of 1903
Carrie is staying with Zora and her family while her mom is off working with a sick baby. One night it is raining and the neighbors horses get loose. This is unusual so the girls go to check on the neighbor, Mr. Polk who is a mute. They find him beaten up and go to find the healer who people claim to be a witch. They soon discover that Mr. Polk is able to talk but in a foreign language and not very often. The healer is Old Lady Bronson.
Here is the reason why I only gave the book 4.5 stars it went into a flash back and I it took me almost half way through the book to figure out why.
The story turns to the year 1855 and talks about a little girl called Lucia. This little girl is friends with a white girl named Prisca. Prisca Dad brings them both to Florida to marry a lady Miss Caroline. Lucia is made into a slave and having to learn about a new of way life. The book keeps flashing back every now and then to keep you informed about what happened.
I could tell you about the book but then you want to read it and I highly recommend that you do. Ms. Simon does a wonderful job telling the way the country was back in that time that needs to be told.
You will enjoy the twist and turns this story tells. You will not want to put the book down.
Zora loves adventures and can get into a lot of scrapes. They see a ghost or two and that is unnerving to them. One quote that I liked is when Zora says "I know you go anyway, even though you're scared and you're right it doesn't make you a scaredy-cat. It makes you brave."
You must read this book to your children and help them learn about our history because the schools are slowly fading out this part of history.

Barnes and Noble Haul

 Yes I did again. I went to Barnes and Noble. Actually I bought these last month and had coupons. I went for only two books as you can see I came home with a lot more than 2. The R.L. Stine book is new and I know that David likes his writing so I had to pick it up. I have seen it a few times and just never picked it up. I picked up the Stephen King book and The Diabolic because they were marked down and sounded interesting. I have been reading a lot of Stephen King lately. Sea Witch sounded so interesting on some you tube channels that I had to pick it up. It is almost like a little mermaid retelling but not. It is more a Ursula retelling. The next two books are what I went to buy. The Serpentine is another Anita Blake book that I have slowly been reading. I have a long way to go to finish that series I am only on book 12 in this series. I always try to get Sandra Browns newest book when it comes out. She is one of my favorite authors so I always pick up her newest book. Doesn't matter what it is because usually it is good. She hasn't really disappointed me. NeverWorld Wake is another that I have been hearing a lot about. It is suppose to be a thriller. I will have to see if it is any good. The List is a book about a world who are only allowed to speak 500 words a day. It is like The Giver. I liked The Giver so want to check out this book. I might read it David to see if he will like it. The last book is another crochet mystery novel.  

This series I bought from Barnes and Noble website. I couldn't find the whole series in the store. I got them for 15% off plus my member discount and free shipping. This is a series I have been meaning to finish since I read Red Rising a few years ago but never did. So now I will have reread Red Rising before I can read the rest of the series. I am not sure if Iron Gold is part of the series or not but I wanted to be prepare just in case. I can't tell you too much about this series because I have forgotten a lot of it. Can't wait to start this again mostly likely in the new year. I need to finish up some other series first.
So many books not enough time. Until next time keep reading.

Read Your Face Off 24 Hour Read A Thon

 On August 18th I decided to take part in a 24 hour readathon. This readathon started at 9 am on the 18th and went until 8:59 am on the 19th. What makes this readathon different was that there was a bingo board for you to fill out and the challenges were tre for you to pick and choose.

Here are the books that I read a part of or completely. The good thing also about this readathon was that you only had to finish one book. The rest of the challenges let read you read part of a book to work the challenges. I will tell you the challenges that I completed with each book. Aru Shah and the End Of Time By: Roshani Chokshi completed the following book with purple on cover, Book with "R" in Authors name, book with "R" in the title. I read 14 pages in this book. The Jefferson Key By: Steve Berry completed Running Character, "R" in title and author, number 19 drinking a hot drink while reading and it is a thriller. I read 341 pages in this book. The Deal of A Lifetime By: Fredrik Backman completed R in the authors name, art in book, I read it outside, finish a book, find the 2 and 19, beach and dogs. This book has 65 pages.

                                                                                

Flossie and The Fox By: Patricia McKissack completed yellow on the cover, "R" in authors name, finish a book, taken place in summer in the month of August and has a dog. This book has 32 pages.

Chato's Kitchen By: Gary Soto complete yellow on the cover, "R" in the author's name and finish a book. This book has 32 pages. Martin's Big Words By: Doreen Rappaport completed "R" in the title and author's name and finish a book. This book has 32 pages. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins By: Eric Kimmel completed "R" in title and authors name, finish a book and yellow on cover. This book has 3o pages. Why did I read these 4 children's book, well I have a book that list 100 children's book you should read and I haven't read these. This was a perfect time to read them.

I know this isn't a very good photo of my completed bingo board. I was only able to complete one bingo. As you can see I came close on several more. I think this was a pretty good job considering that we had Missionaries over for dinner on Saturday night and Church Sunday morning. I am always trying to find ways to read more and different genres. I read a total of 546 pages. Completed 5 books.

                              

There is a good reads group for this readathon. It is called Read Your Face Off. They do a 24 hour readathon every month. I don't always join in but try when it works into my schedule. That is how I spent my week-end. Until next time keep reading.

NEWTS (Nastyily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) Part 1

 I have past some of my NEWTS so I wanted to give you the midway update. The firs exam that I have passed is Herbology. I needed to read three books to get an outstanding. These are the ones that I choose. The first one was Hooked on Murder I read this for booktubeathon and posted a review and that was because I needed a book with green on the cover. The second book The Giraffe and Pelly and Me because I needed a book with illustrations. The third book The Shape of Water because I needed a book with a title with light, air, sun, or water. The last book was extremely weird and wasn't thrilled with it. It didn't make since at all.

 The next set of test that I completed was Divination. One book isn't shown. Again I had to read three books. Book one was Ready Player One because it was set in the future. Book two which isn't shown was Freaky Friday because it is under 200 pages. Book three is The Hidden Oracle because it has Mythology.

The last test I have completed so far this month is Care Of Magical Creatures. So that I don't have to keep writing it every test you must read three books to pass. Book one is Little Lord Fauntleroy because there is an animal on the cover. I also read this book for the Booktubeathon. Book two is Haunted House because it is less than 160 pages. Book three is The Lost Continent because I needed a book with dragons.
There are five more tests that I am working on. Two are almost done just missing one book to read. Three I haven't even started. I will keep you posted on my progress.
Until next time keep reading.

NeverNight Review

                                                                 
NEVERNIGHT By: Jay Kristoff
Adult Fantasy                429 pages

This was an amazing book. At times I just couldn't put it down. This is the first book of a trilogy. I will be reading the 2nd book, Godsgrave soon.
This book is about Mia Corvere who is seeking vengeance against the powers that destroyed her family. At the age of 10 her father was hung and her mother and baby brother were sent the Philosophers stone, prison. She was to be drowned but escaped.
During her flight she is robbed and get's a shadow friend who happens to be in the shape of a cat. She calls her friend Mister Kindly. A retire killer takes her in and trains her in the art of fighting. At 16 she leaves and heads out to join the Red Church. On her way she meets a young man, named Tric and an older woman named Naev.
 Naev ends up being a member of the Red Church. She learns that Tric also wants to join the Red Church. Each have their reasons for joining.
To join the Red Church you have to go through deadly trials. If you survive to initiation you will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Mother. If she makes it this far she will be one step closer to her goal of revenge.
This book takes you through her trials and friendships and enemies. Why was her family targeted? Who are her friends? Who are her enemies? What is Tric to her? Does she make it into the Red Church? You have to read to find out the answer to these questions. I highly recommend this book I gave it 4.5 stars.

Hooked On Murder Review

                                                                
Hooked On Murder By: Betty Hechtman
Cozy Mystery           280 pages
Setting: Tarzana, California

I just love quick and fun mysteries. This book was one of those. I gave this book 4 stars. It is the first book in a series but not the first one I have read of hers. I have read this series out of order. It was nice to finally know somethings about the main character.
The main character is Molly Pink and she is a widow. Her husband left her in a good position so that she didn't have to work if she didn't want to. She has decided to go work and she works at a book store as an event coordinator. One of the events she has is a crocheting club, which she doesn't know how to do at the beginning of the book. The main leader in this group is murder and who finds her. You guess it it is Molly. You learn about the crochet leader and Molly in this book. One of the detectives is dating Molly and the other has it out for her because she wants Molly boyfriend.  Did Molly kill the crochet leader? What about the boyfriend issue.I am afraid to go into a lot of detail because I don't want to spoil it for you.
At the back of the book the author gives you a recipe and a crochet pattern. I always like the little extras.
I hope you read this book and the rest of the series. They are fun.

Bob Review

                                                                   
Bob By: Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
Children's Fiction     216 pages

The copy of this book I have is a B&N Exclusive Edition so it has a bonus chapter in it.
I picked up this book to read to my son, David. This book takes place in Australia.
It has been five years since Livy has visited her Grandmother in Australia. Now that she has returned she has a feeling she is forgetting something. She goes into her mom's old bedroom where she stayed before and she opens up the closet and out comes this small greenish creature in a chicken suit. This creature is named Bob. He has been waiting five years for Livy to come back for him. He doesn't know who or what he is and five years ago Livy promised to find out. Now it is time for Livy to keep that promise. Bob has a big job helping Livy remember things from five years ago. When Livy is away from Bob for any length of time she starts forgetting about him. As you read the story it takes you through some fun events to help solve the mystery of who Bob is. This was a fun story. There are differences of how Australia talk and what things are called in that country compared to ours. I would recommend that you read this book. We gave it 4 stars.

The Arc Thrift Shop Book Haul

Here is another book haul for you to enjoy.
I bought these a while ago and forgot to post about them. I have read two of the books. The Book Thief, I read this book a while ago but enjoyed it so much that I wanted to add it to my book shelves.
Plum Lucky I read earlier this year. I have been trying to get through this series but it has been slow going. Not because the series is bad but because there are so many books that I want to read. I also need to break up a huge series so that I don't get bored or tired of the series.
I have started collecting the Sue Grafton series but haven't started reading it yet. I would like to have as many of the books before I start. Nothing worse than to start a series and then you can't continue on because you don't have the rest or you have a long wait before the next book comes out.
I also found two Cornelia Funke books. I enjoyed reading Ink Heart and I also read the other two books in that series but didn't like them as much. I wanted to try her other books and so I picked them up. I will probably read them with David. The Iron Trial By: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare is another book that I will probably read with David is another book that I picked up. I have read a couple of books by both of these authors and want to see how they work together on writing. I am not sure what is about but the back mentions something about magic. David likes magical things so we will give it a try. There is another book to this series so we might wait to see if I can find the second one.
I know this next book has more in the series but it is the first time I saw it in the store so I picked it up. I have also seen the movie so I want to see what the book is like. The book I am talking about is Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. This is not something I normally pick up to read. The series is about a mysterious island that has an abandoned orphanage. The book has pictures and a strange story to go along with them.
If I stay is the last book in the photo that I need to talk about. Again I have seen the movie already. To be honest I didn't know there was a book so finding the book was a gem. I liked the movie so lets see if the book is even better. For the most part the book is better but sometimes not. The back of the book says, In an instant, Mia's whole world is shattered, leaving her with only questions. What will happen if she leaves? If she loves? If she stays? Heartbreaking, romantic, and ultimately filled with hope, this is a powerful story of love and loss, and finding the courage to make the right decision when your life is literally in your hands. It sounds so good.
Ok those are the books that I bought and I hope this helps you with some ideas for reading. Until next time keep reading.