April Wrap up

 Here are the rest of the books that I read in April that were not on the OWLs that I did. A lot of these books were from the month of March and February. So the bottom book The Death of Mrs. Westaway By Ruth Ware was the library book club read for April or March I can't remember. I really enjoyed it and gave it 4 stars. The City of Brass By: S.A. Chakraborty I started in February and finally finished this month. It is a fantasy so it took me a little longer to read. I also enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. The book Ruby by: Cynthia Bond I listened to on audio as I ran my errands around town or just driving around. I didn't like this book and gave it only 2 stars. There were a lot of things I didn't like about and there are a lot of trigger warnings that I wish I knew about before starting this book. I will go into more details in a review once I get got up on things. Last Call at the Night Shade Lounge by: Paul Krueger was another book club read for me and I also listened to this on audio. It was an ok book and I gave it 3 stars. The last book on this stack The Cold Dish By: Craig Johnson was a disappointment for me. I actually met the author and he is a great guy and very funny but this book was only a 3 star for me. Maybe because it is more of western then a mystery. This is a mystery book but has a lot of western theme stuff going on. This is the first book in a series and I just don't know if I will continue on. I do own two more of his books that I got from book outlet. I will have to think hard on this one.

 This is a children's picture book that won the Goodreads award for 2018. I gave it 5 stars. I thought it was cute and had a message for the younger ones. I also enjoyed the pictures. I don't read in this area anymore because my children are older and my grandchildren live far away from me.

 This is a cute graphic novel. It is young adult and a quick read. I had a great time reading this and it only took me an afternoon to read. I gave it 5 stars.

This is a short story collection of women as the title tells you. I am trying to read a short story every day. I have discovered that I really don't like short stories but since I have quite a few of them on my shelves I need to get them read. I gave this book 3 stars. I feel that the short stories don't always give you enough information and it leaves me hanging and I just don't like that feeling.
I wasn't sure if I was going to do a wrap up so I don't have any statistics for you this month. I am keeping track for next month.
Until next time keep reading.

O.W.L.S Readathon Wrap up

 I have decided to take part in a month long readathon for the month of April. This readathon is the OWLS which is a magical readathon based on Harry Potter. I have enjoyed reading the books from the series by myself and then reading them to my younger two children. I have also watched the movies over and over again. When you have children who love the series you can't not help be involved with them. In this readathon there are 12 challenges and I was able to complete 11 of them. So not to bad besides the other 9 books I read which will be in the next blog.
So on with the books I read. The one challenge I didn't finish was called Ancient Runes which was to read a retelling this is the one I didn't get to. Arithmancy was to read a book by two authors and I read What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. I gave it 4 stars. Astronomy was to read a book with "star" in the title and read Girl Made of Stars by: Ashley Herring Blake. I gave it 5 stars. Care of Magical Creatures was to read a book with a land animal on the cover. I read Marley and Me by: John Grogan. I gave it 5 stars and be prepared to cry. Charms was to read a book of adult work and I read Crime and Punishment by: Fyodor Dostoevsky. I gave it 3 stars. It was a classic and they are hard for me to read and enjoy. Divination was to read a book set in the future and I finally read The Martian by: Andy Weir. I gave this book 4.5 stars but on goodreads it will show as 5 stars. History of Magic was to read a book that was published at least ten years ago and I read Coraline by: Neil Gaiman. I gave it 4 stars. It is another book like C.S. Lewis The Lion Witch and Wardrobe.

 This is the book I read for Muggle Studies which was to read a contemporary. I gave it 4 stars. This is another hard hitting book and I would recommend that you read it.

 I read this book for Herbology which was to read a book with a plant on the cover. I gave it 3 stars.
This is a memoir and it is hard for to rate someone elses life but for me it was a little boring.

 This is the book I read for Potions which was to read a sequel. You will also see this book again later in the year. I gave it 3 stars. It is a graphic novel and for me a little weird and starting to get boring and the series really needs to wrap up soon.

 This is the book I read for Defence of the Dark Arts which was to read a book that starts with "R" in the title. This was okay. I gave it 3 stars. Not one of his better books

The last book for the OWLs that I read was for Transfiguration which was to read a book with sprayed edges or a red cover. This book has been on shelves for a long time and I finally decided to read it. It is a short book just over 100 pages. I gave it 3 stars. This book talks about the religious aspects of the Da Vinci Code. At least the authors didn't bash Dan Brown and at the end of the book the do say to remember that The Da Vinci is a work of fiction.

These books really gave me a chance to round out my reading the month and some of them have been on my shelves for awhile and I was finally able to read them. Did you take part in this readathon? What did you read and were they any good?
Until next time keep reading.

Starworld Review

                                                               

StarWorld

By: Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner

Candlewick Press

Teens and YA

Pub Date 16 April 2019

352 pages

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Even though this book took me awhile to read I really enjoyed it. It isn't the books fault for the amount of time I took to read it but family and activities that were happening. This book is already out and I highly recommend that you read this book. 

At first I thought this book would be about space and wasn't sure about it but I was pleasantly surprised. This book is about a made up world called Starworld. This is a made up world that two teenage girls go to in text messages back and forth to take them away from their problems.

The girls names are Zoe and Sam. Zoe is adopted with a mom who has cancer and is in partial remission and a younger brother who has special needs. Sam is a girl who likes girls. Her parents are divorced and her Mom has a severe of OCD and Dad lives in London. Sam likes Zoe as more than a friend and Zoe only likes Sam as a friend. This book was hard to put down. I love the world they created and the way they interacted both on the phone and in real life together.

Sam and Zoe get along great and have some wonderful times together and things happen which make them look at themselves and to make their lives better.

Most Anticipated books for May 2019

 I am trying something new for this blog. I have been watching these types of videos on you tube so just wanted to give this a try on my blog. I am still learning where to look for new releases coming out. I am having trouble finding adult new releases but will keep looking. These are mostly Young Adult books with two adult books.
Aurora Rising By: Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman is released on May 7th. I really loved their previous trilogy that they wrote and want to give this series a try. This book is set in 2380. Aurora Academy's Tyler Jones has it all. He's the most decorated cadet in his year, in line for the best missions with peacekeeping group Aurora Legion, and ready to recruit his dream squad-he just has to get through the Draft. But when a late-night flight reveals a ship that disappeared more than 200 years ago, he follows protocol and rescues a cryogenically frozen human girl, missing the Draft entirely. Stuck with his twin sister and a squad of misfits no one else wants, Tyler resigns himself to making supply runs for the foreseeable future. Then Auri, the girl he rescued, turns up as a stowaway. Now on the run from the Global Intelligence Agency, which will stop at nothing to capture Auri, Tyler and his squad must bring her to safety and probe deeper into her visions of Octavia, a lost human colony in a different solar system.

 This is the third and final book in a trilogy. I have the first two but still haven't read them. I like to have the complete series before I read them so I don't have to wait for the sequel. This book releases on May 7th.
A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for. It's been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn't really exist. With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she's going to trust Legend or a former enemy. Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him. Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.

 I have read the first book of this series. I even have the e-arc of this book. I still haven't read and review it yet. It is on my to do list. This book releases on May 21st. In this sequel to the Furyborn, two queens, separated by a thousand years, connected by secrets and lies, must continue their fight amid deadly plots and unthinkable betrayals that will test their strength-and their hearts.
Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien-but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist.  Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity's long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption-fear of becoming another Rielle-keeps Eliana's power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted-by embracing her mother's power, or rejecting it forever.

 If you have read the Kiss Quotient you will probably want to read this book. I really enjoyed reading The Kiss Quotient so can't wait to dive into this one. This book releases on May 7th.
Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions-like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better-that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.
As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. Esme's lessons in love seem to be working...but only on herself. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.
With Esme's time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he's been wrong all along. And there's more than one way to love.

 I have heard so much about their books. I have read only one of them and that was their young adult book called Autoboyography. I really enjoyed that book. I have been collecting all of their books but still haven't gotten to them. This book releases on May 14th.
Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion...she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas.
Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren't affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there's a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo.
Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the weird thing is...Olive doesn't mind playing pretend. In fact, the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.

This is the third book this author has written. I have read her first book When Dimple met Rishi and enjoyed it. I have her second book but as usually haven't read it yet. This book releases on May 14th.
Ashish Patel didn't know love could be so...sucky. After being dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up.
The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl-under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he'll be taking his date on "fun" excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work?
Sweetie loves her parents, but she's so tired of being told she's lacking because she's fat. She decides it's time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she'll show the world (and herself) what she's really made of.
Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there's an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?

As I stated before I am really looking forward to getting these books and reading them. I hope to read them shortly after I purchase them instead of waiting or reading a different book instead. I hope you enjoy this post and let me know what you think. Until next time keep reading.

Appalachian Reckoning Review

Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds To Hillbilly Elegy
Edited By: Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll
West Virginia University Press
NonFiction (Adult) Politics
Pub. Date 1 March 2019
Pages 432
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I am not sure how to go about reviewing this book. This is actually the first book I have ever DNFed.
I decided to do this at 40%. I had a hard time reading this book because all it did was bashed Vance about his Memoirs. I have read Hillbilly Elegy and I never thought of things these editors are talking about. I have a hard time of people bashing someone memoirs. Memoirs are how people feel and from their point of view. I know by looking at the ratings on Good Reads I am the only one who feels this way. I really don't want to bash these editors so I will leave it at this. Sorry but I just couldn't continue.

Murder From Scratch Review

Murder From Scratch

By: Leslie Karst

Crooked Lane Books

Mystery/Thriller

320 Pages

Pub Date 9 April 2019

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I enjoyed this book. I love me a good cozy mystery story. This book also has the recipes in the back of the book. This is a mystery so I will not go into too much detail.

The story is a about a woman who is found dead by her blind daughter. Evelyn is her name. She insists that her mom wouldn't take her life and there are clues to support her. Her cousin, Sally owns a restaurant that left to her by her deceased Aunt but before that she was an attorney. She helps her cousin but researching the clues and doing a little bit of investigating on her own. She actually helped the police with her Aunts murder in a previous book. This is the same aunt whom left her the restaurant. There is some interesting turns in this story and like I said I enjoyed myself. I was able to figure out who did it but it wasn't until 2/3's into the story. I would recommend this book for you to read if you like cozy mysteries.

The Immigrant Brides Romance Collection Review

                                                             

The Immigrant Brides Romance Collection

9 Stories Celebrate Settling in America

By: Irene B. Brand; Kristy Dykes; Nancy J. Farrier; Pamela Griffin; Joann A Grote; Sally Laity; Judith McCoy Miller; and Janet Spaeth

Barbour Publishing, Inc

Barbour Books

Christian, Romance

Publish Dater 1 March 2019

444 Pages

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I read this book a little while ago so my review will be very short. It is also hard for me to review a short story collection. I did enjoy this book because it is historical fiction. The stories draw you in and you can feel what each character is going through. There are two stories that deals with Chinese immigrants and what they go through and how they are treated.

My favorite story is about an Irish immigrant who becomes a teacher. I love that her family was very supportive and how the young man who is interested in her helps her out also even though she doesn't give him the light of day.

I would recommend this book for you read.