Weekly Wrap-Up

 

This is for the week of May 24th- May 30th. I read a total of 8 books which brings my yearly reading total to 153 books. I read a total of 2,416 pages. This was a great reading week and hope to continue on this way. Now for the books that I read in order of when I read them.

The Last Piece By: Imogen Clark

I gave this book 4 stars. This book I received in my Once Upon Book Club Box.

This book is about adoption and finding your birth family. This can be a hard book for some to read if you have a family member who was adopted out or you yourself had to place a child.

I love this story because the mom was 16 when she the baby and she was made to place her baby. Fifty years later they meet. There are up and downs and some family drama that does not deal with the adoption.

The ending was not what I expected but it was still good. I do recommend that you read this book.

The Glory and The Dream By: William Manchester

This is the second volume. This book took me 5 months to read. I only read about 20 minutes a day. This is a history book, and it only covered the years from 1932 to 1972. There is a whole of information that I did not know and some I did not care to know. Yes, it is outdated but I enjoy history and since it was around the house, I read it. I gave it 3 stars.

An Ember In The Ashes By: Sabaa Tahir

I gave this book 3 stars. This book is about a young girl who will do anything to save her brother. Even if that means spying for the enemy. I had a hard time getting into this book, but I am interested enough to continue with the series.

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned To Read By: Rita Lorraine Hubbard

I gave this book 5 stars. It is a beautiful book about a freed slave and her life. She was freed with the civil war at the age of 15 and how much she wanted to learn how to read but she had to work to help her family. She was finally able to lean at the ripe old age of 116. She lived to be 121. I enjoyed the pictures as well as the story.

The Crow’s Call By: Wanda E. Brunstetter

This is the first book in her new trilogy. I gave it 4 stars. This book is about the struggles of an Amish family dealing with the death of three members of their family. This first book is about Amy and how she feels that she can no longer court the boy she loves because she must help her family with their greenhouse, which is how they are able to make a living. Strange things are happening at the greenhouse, and they do not know who or what is causing the problem.

Diana and The Underworld Odyssey By: Aisha Saeed

I gave this book 4 stars. It is the second book in the World Woman Adventures.

I received as an e-arc from NetGalley for an honest review and the link of my review is below.

https://debbiesreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2021/05/diana-and-underworld-odyssey-book-review.html

The Mockingbird’s Song By: Wanda E.  Brunstetter

This is the second book in series. The first book is called The Crow’s Call. I gave this book 4 stars also. I received this as an e-arc from NetGalley for an honest review. The link is down below. This book is about the sister who lost her husband an accident. It goes into how she deals with her grief and get her life back to normal for herself and her two young children. More things are still happening to the Greenhouse, and they do not know who or what is causing the issues.

https://debbiesreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-mockingbirds-song-book-review.html

King and the Dragonflies By: Kacen Callender

I received this book through the Amazon Vine Program for an honest review. I have reviewed it on Amazon already. I gave it 3 stars.  I felt there were too many issues going in this book for a middle-grade reader to have to deal with at one time. If he had just kept to one or two it would have been a four star. He did do a great job with the issues and his writing is wonderful. The three issues were an unexpected death of a youth through sports, sexual identity issues and abuse by a parent who has an important job in the community.

Have you read any of these book? If you have do you agree with me? If not tell me why because I am truly interested in your thoughts.

Until next time keep reading.

The Mockingbird's Song Book Review

  

The Mockingbird's Song

By: Wanda E. Brunstetter

Barbour Publishing, Inc

Shiloh Run Press

Christian/Mystery and Thrillers

Publish Date August 1, 2020

#TheMockingbirdsSong#NetGalley

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This is the second book in a trilogy called Amish Greenhouse Mystery. I received the e-arc from NetGalley for a honest review.

I gave this book 4 stars just like the first book.

This book continues with the family as they work through the death of three loves. The father, one son and a son-in-law are killed in an accident. This book is about the oldest daughter still dealing with death of her husband. She has had a hard time because she has two small children. 

She knows she needs to move on and so the first thing she does is that she decides that she needs to rent her home out to help  bring money into the family to help them out. She rents the home to a stranger who has just come to the area and he trains horses and needs the land.

The man likes to watch birds like herself and her brother. In fact that is how they met. The man has seen tragedy just like her family and knows what she is going through. They are able to become friends and enjoy time together bird watching.

Her mother isn't thrilled about this because they don't know anything about and why he moved into the area.

What happens between the two and does the mother come around. You will have to read the book.

So much goes on in the book it is hard to decide what to tell you and what to keep out. I will say you do need to read the first book so you can get the whole picture of this family and their struggles.

This is a different twist on the books she normally writes and I have enjoyed it. 

Diana and the Underworld Odyssey Book Review

 

Diana and the Underworld Odyssey

By: Aisha Saeed

Random House Children's

Random House Books for Young Readers

Children's Fiction

Publish Date May 25, 2021

#DianaandtheUnderworldOdyssey#NetGalley

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I really enjoyed this book. I gave it 4 stars. It is also a quick read. This is the second book in the Wonder Woman adventure series for middle grade. I didn't read the first book so I missed that adventure and how she met one of her friends. You do not have to read the first book to read one this one though.

This book is about children being kidnapped for the special powers. At the beginning of the book you don't know who is behind the kidnapping but about half way you are told or it is easy to figure out before hand.

Diana has two of her friends taken and she wants to help save them. She has escaped being kidnapped a couple of times. She is actually the most wanted in the children. She doesn't understand why because she doesn't think she has any special powers. 

She has many adventures and challenges in this book to help friends.

By the title of the book you probably figured out she goes to go to the Underworld to save her friends.

This book leaves you on a cliff hanger so you will want to the sequel.

I would recommend this book and the series. The only thing I really didn't like is the Diana acted towards her Elders and that she did things because she wanted to and not what she was told to do.

Project Hail Mary Book Review

 

Project Hail Mary

A Novel

By: Andy Weir

Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine

Ballantine Books

Mystery & Thrillers/ Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Publish Date May 4, 2021

#ProjectHailMary#NetGalley

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I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. I do have to warn you that this book is full of science and it is over baring. It does have a duel time line also. 

This book is about the earth having some issues and they only have so much time to figure out what to do before it goes into another ice age period and will kill more than half the population. It takes them several years to figure out what they need to do to try to save the world.

Dr. Grace who ends up being the sole survivor on the aircraft has a lot of work to do but first he has to remember what he is doing in the space ship and why. He does figure it out and gets to work but the other two people who were with him ended up dying in their coma state and he didn't. 

He has a few adventures before he meets up with my favorite character in the book, Rocky. Rocky is an alien and his world is having the same issues as Earth.

There is so much to tell but I really don't want to reveal anymore. You have to read the book to find out more and to see if they accomplish what they were sent out to do.

I just love the relationship between Rocky and Dr. Grace.

Tristan Strong Destroys The World Book Review

 

Tristan Strong Destroys The World

(A Tristan Strong Novel, Book 2)

By: Kwame Mbalia

Rick Riordan Presents

Children's Fiction

Disney Publishing Worldwide

Publish Date October 6, 2020

#TristanStrongDestroystheWorldATristanStrongNovelBook2

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I was kindly given the e-arc of this book for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley. I gave this book 3 stars. This is the second book in a trilogy. Unfortunately this series has only received 3 stars so far. It hasn't wowed me. This is based off of African American folktales. I do enjoy learning about different cultures and the story is cute but I just can't seem to get into the characters. 

This book is about him preparing for a boxing match and the this African God comes into his dreams and he has to figure out what he wants. Tristan is at his Grandparent's farm place in Alabama. This God is destroying his grandparent's farm to get Tristan's attention and finally kidnap's his grandma. Tristan is out to find his grandma and deal with this God. He needs help from another God but he can only the trickster. There are many things going on and new places to see besides helping his grandma. 

Slingshot book review

  

Slingshot

A Novel

By: Mercedes Helnwein

St Martin's Press 

Wednesday Books

Teens and YA

Publish Date 27 April 2021

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I gave this book 3.5 stars.  My first thoughts were why is this book titled Slingshot because there isn't much mentioned about it. The only thing I can think of is that is how the two main characters met. Gracie is from Florida and lives with her mom while her dad lives in California with his other family. Gracie's mom and dad aren't' married. They aren't very rich but he sends her to a broading High School for her to get the best education. She is a riot.

Wade is the boy that she meets by her slingshot. He is a likes to cause problems.

They learn about each other and have great time until something happens to cause issues with their relationship.

I was starting to get a little bored with Gracie's attitude and the typical high school drama. It did end pretty good .

Weekly Wrap-Up

 I forgot to take a picture of my book stack so there won't be one this week. This is for the week from April 25th-May 2nd. I read 7 books which brings my yearly total to 122 books. 1,747 pages read this week.

Olive The Lionheart By:  Brad Ricca

I gave this book 3 stars. This is a biography about Olive MacLeod. This is mostly about her time in Africa looking for her fiancé who goes missing.

Finding Dorothy By: Elizabeth Letts

I gave this book 5 stars. I totally enjoyed reading this book about Maud Baum who is the wife of L. Frank Baum. This book is about Maud and the making of the movie The Wizard of Oz.  It is a dual timeline. It tells about her life and how Frank came about writing the books.

The Oracle Code By: Marieke Nijkamp

I gave this graphic novel 3 stars. I have had this on my to read list on the library website for a while so I decided it was time to read it. It was a quick read. It was ok but I was a little lost at the beginning because I didn’t know the back story even though they hinted at it. This is a stand alone and I wish there were some background. The story is about a rehab center for injured people but something not normal is going on with people who does not have any family.

Teen Titans: Raven By: Kami Garcia

I gave this graphic novel 4 stars. This was another quick read for me. This book was about a young teenage girl who is an orphan who is about to be adopted by the foster mom who raised her most of her life. There is an accident, and the foster mom is killed so the girl is now living with her foster mom’s sister and her daughter. This young lady has lost her memory and is trying to figure out things. She has some special powers which are starting to come known and she does not know what is happening. Her aunt and cousin know her powers but do not mention anything to her until it is almost too late.

Teen Titan: Beast Boy By: Kami Garcia

I gave this graphic novel 3 stars. Another quick read. This is the second book in the series. I did not like this book as much. This book is about a young man who also has special powers, but his parents do not him about it. In fact, they have been giving him vitamins to suppress these powers and do not him so when he decides to stop taking them things start to happen. You must read to find out.

My Dark Vanessa By: Kate Elizabeth Russell

 

I ended up DNFing this book at chapter 17. This is a hard-hitting story. This has nothing to do with the writing but more part of the topic. The topic is about a young girl who is abused by her English Teacher. It deals with how it started and how it ended. My issue is not with this but more about the adults. Again, this is a dual timeline story.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI By: David Grann

 

I gave this book 4 stars. This is about the murder of some rich Osage Native Americans. This took place in the 1920’s in Oklahoma from oil. There was a lot of cover ups and finally they needed some form of interference to solve the murders. This is how the FBI came about. Not all the murders were solved, and family members are still doing their investigation. Some of the murders were deemed suicides. This is a sad but true story. I would highly recommend that you read this book.

Have you read any of these books? If so what are your feelings about them? Do you agree with me or not? 

Until next time keep reading.

Another Book Haul

 

This is a haul from Amazon Vine Program and Wal-Mart. I have read two of them already. I will tell you what the synopsis says so you can decide if you want to read them.

Rule of Wolves By: Leigh Bardugo

This is the second book in the King of Scars duology, which is part of the Grishaverse series. I won't be giving you any information on this book since it will give away a lot if you haven't read the other books.

City of the Plague God By: Sarwat Chadda

I have already read this book and I have a review up if you want to see what I thought of it.

Sikander "Sik" Aziz has a frantically busy life working in his parents' deli in Manhattan after school and on weekends. Sure, he misses game night with his friends, and he wishes Daoud, a vain aspiring actor who is supposed to be an employee, would pull his his weight. But Sik is dedicated to keeping his immigrant parents' American dream alive. After all, there's no one else they can count on now that their eldest son, Mo, is gone.

Mo loved Iraq, where he was born, and taught Sik all about ancient Mesopotamia and its mythology. As young boys they even played at being Gilgamesh, the greatest hero of all time, and Enkidu, his trusty sidekick, battling make-believe monsters till dinnertime. All this role-playing becomes painfully real when Nergal, the ancient god of disease, crashes into Sik's life. Nergal is seeking a treasure he thinks Mo stole from Iraq, and if he doesn't get it, he will unleash a supernatural plague across New York City, transforming its inhabitants into monsters.

Sik must fight demons, join forces with the goddess Ishtar and her adopted daughter, and venture into the netherworld to save the people he loves, making heart-breaking sacrifices along the way. He must become a hero in his own right, or the city is doomed. But is that even possible for someone like him?

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice By: Amanda Foody

The last thing Barclay Thorne ever wanted was an adventure. Thankfully, since he's an apprentice to Dullshire's mushroom farmer, the most exciting mission he's ever faced is searching for the elusive Mourning-tide Morel. Until the day Barclay accidentally breaks Dullshire's most sacred rule: never ever, ever stray into the Woods, for within the Woods lurk vicious magical Beasts.

To Barclay's horror, he faces a fate far worse than being eaten: he unwittingly bonds with a Beast and is run out of town by an angry mob. Determined to break his bond and return home, Barclay journeys deep into the Woods to seek help from the mysterious Lore Keepers, people who willingly bond with Beasts and share their powers. But after braving a dangerous apprenticeship exam and discovering that his own Beast might not be so bad after all, Barclay must make a difficult choice: return to the home he's always known, or embrace the adventure awaiting him.

The Cousins: Family First, Always By: Karen M. McManus

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised...and curious.

Their parents are unwavering on one point: not going is not an option. This could be their chance to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious-and dark-their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over-and this summer, the cousins will learn everything. If they can survive the season.

The Story of Stan Lee By: Frank Berrios

I have already read this book and I have a review up if you want to see what I thought. This is the book I received from the Amazon Vine Program.

Stan Lee was a famous comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher for Marvel Comics. Before he helped create heroes like the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Black Panther, Stan was an imaginative boy who spent hours reading all sorts of different stories and letting his thoughts run wild. These stories inspired him to come up with exciting plots and new characters of his own. Explore how Stan went from being a young boy growing up in New York City to a comic book legend.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think about them if you have? What book would you recommend me to read next?

Until next time keep reading.

Book Outlet Haul

 I have another book outlet haul for you. Below I have the individual books with the synopsis of each book.

Caleb's Story By: Patricia MacLachlan

This is the third book in her Sarah, Tall and Plain Series. I don't want to go into this because it is the sthird book. I did enjoy the first two books so I am hoping this will just as good and I get to know Caleb better.

The Green Glass Sea By: Ellen Klages

This is the first book in a series and the next two are below. I have read this one and book two. So I will only give you the information on this book . The Series is The Gordon Family Saga

Eleven-year-old Dewey Kerrigan is on her way to live with her father who's working on a government project for the war, in a place that doesn't officially exist. When she gets there, she discovers that everything in Los Alamos is top-secret-especially the mysterious "gadget" her father is building with other top mathematicians and scientists. Dewey is happy to experiment by herself, taking machines apart and inventing new ones. But one girl just won't leave her alone-Suze Gordon, a building artist who's as much of a misfit as Dewey. When the two of them have t join forces, neither of them likes it. But together, they start to discover just how much the gadget will change everything-the war, their families, and their future.

White Sands, Red Menace By: Ellen Klages

Second book in a series. I have read this one also.

Out of Left Field By: Ellen Klages

The third and final book in the series. I have not read this one.

The Crooked Sixpence By: Jennifer Bell

This is the first book in the Uncommoners series.

I have read this book and hoping to continue on with the series.

Not long after policemen armed with toilet brushes appear at their door, Ivy Sparrow and her older brother, Seb, go tumbling into a world unlike their own. Welcome to Lundinor, the secret underground city where uncommon buttons can mend headaches, uncommon bells chime in to offer directions, and uncommon vacuum cleaners are perfect if you need to make a clean getaway-which Ivy usually does! 

But life in Lundinor isn't all charmed. The town is tormented by an evil guild called the Dirge that has kidnapped Ivy and Seb's parents. To get them back, Ivy must race to uncover the greatest uncommon treasure of them all...if only she knew what she was looking for.

The Dollhouse By: Fiona Davis

I have read this book and really enjoyed it. 

When she arrives at the famed Barbizon Hotel in 1952, secretarial school enrollment in hand, Darby McLaughlin is everything her modeling agency hall mates aren't: plain, self-conscious, homesick, and utterly convinced she doesn't belong. Yet when Darby befriends Esme, a Barbizon maid, she's introduced to an entirely new side of New York City: seedy jazz clubs where the music is as addictive as the heroin that's used there, the startling sounds of bebop, and even the possibility of romance.

More than half a century later, the Barbizon's gone condo and most of its long-ago guests are forgotten. But rumors of Darby's involvement in a deadly skirmish with a hotel maid back in 1952 haunt the halls of the building as surely as the melancholy music that floats from the elderly woman's rent-controlled apartment. It's a combination too intoxicating for journalist Rose Lewin, Darby's upstairs neighbor, to resist-not to mention the perfect distraction from her own imploding personal life. Yet as Rose's obsession deepens, the ethics of her investigation become increasingly murky, and neither woman will remain unchanged when the shocking truth is finally revealed.

Still Me By: JoJo Moyes

This is the final book in the Me Before You series. I haven't read this series yet because I was waiting to get all the books. I will give you the synopsis of the first book.

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life-steady boyfriend, close family-who has barely been farther afield than her tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair-bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life-big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel-and he is not interested in exploring a new one.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy-but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own. Lou sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

X By: Sue Grafton

This is twenty-fourth book in the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries

The Deceivers By: Kristen Simmons

This is the first book in the Vale Hall Series. I have read this book.

Brynn Hilder is desperate to escape her run-down neighborhood and hopeless future for better things-at any cost. She spends her free time conning, spoiled, entitled rich kids out of their allowances, and any guilt she feels is worth the ultimate goal: college.

When she's recruited to the elite, mysterious Vale Hall, it seems too good to be true...and maybe it is. Turns out, she's been brought in for a reason, and it's not her good grades.

The director of Vale Hall wants Brynn to put her conning skills to use on much bigger, riskier targets. Instead of honors English, her assigned reading is A History of Scams. She'll be graded on how well she can execute classic hustles and deceptions.

But this might just be where Brynn belongs. For the first time ever, she has what feel like real friends. And there's Caleb-hot, smart, and he seems really into her. Then again, they're all basically professional liars. The only one who seems honest is the senator's son she's been assigned to con for her semester project...but he wouldn't be her mark if he wasn't hiding something.

As truth and lies begin to blur all around her, Brynn will have to decide how far she's willing to go to get wat she wants, and how much of her true self she's willing to risk

Honesty may be the best policy, but at Vale Hall, cheaters always win.

Scammed By: Kristen Simmons

Book Two in the Vale Hall Series. I haven't read this yet.

Have you read any of these books and if so what did you think.

Until next time keep reading.