Debbie's Reading Corner

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday

Today's Top Ten is historical fiction books I would like to read soon.

When We Were Young and Brave By: Hazel Gaynor

I received this as a Goodread Giveaway.

The Nightingale By: Kristin Hannah

My Lady Jane By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

The Light Over London By: Julia Kelly

This is also a Goodread giveaway book.

The Giver of Stars By: Jojo Moyes

Before We Were Yours By: Lisa Wingate

Out of the Easy By: Ruta Sepetys

This is the last book I have to read of hers.

The Rose Code By: Kate Quinn

This was on my TBR last month

The Lions of Fifth Avenue By: Fiona Davis

Dear George, Dear Mary By: Mary Calvi

This was also a Goodreads giveaway book.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them without giving away anything.

Would you like to buddy read any of these?

Until next time keep reading.

Monday, June 7, 2021

Weekly Wrap Up

This wrap-up is for the week of May 31st- June 6th. I read 10 books for a total of 2,308pages. This brings my yearly reading total to 163 books.

The Legend of the Golden Raven By: K. Ancrum

I gave this novella 2 stars. I am not sure if it was me or the story. It has been over a year since I read The Wicker King and maybe that is why I had a hard connecting to the story. It is only 40 pages, but it took me 3 days to read. I honestly cannot even tell what it is about. The book did do a lot jumping from present to past. I will not tell you not to read it but if you do, please read it right after you the Wicker King.

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice By: Amanda Foody

I gave this book 4 stars. It is a fast read about spirit animals. They call them Magical Beasts in the story. This story is about a young man who has lost his family to an extraordinarily strong Magical Beast and is left orphan in the town with lots of rules. He keeps breaking the rules and does not feel welcomed there. One day he and his fellow working go looking for a mushroom, by the woods (which are forbidden to be enter) and somehow get into the woods. They find a girl there who is going to summon this great beast. She ends up summoning a beast but not the one she wants, and that beast beat ends up bonding with the boy who lost his family. He does not want the beast and gets into trouble at his village and must go to another village to try to get the mark removed. He goes through a lot of trails and learns some important things. There is a lot going on in this story and I recommend that you read it.

Paradise Lost By: John Milton

I gave this classic 3 stars. This is the retelling of Satan and his fallen angels from Heaven. I would suggest that you read the bible version before you read this book. This was for whateverathon prompt of reading a book out of my comfort zone. Digital challenge of written before 2018. Personal challenge was to read a classic a month and top ten.

The Miner’s Lament: A Story of Latina Activists in the Empire Zinc Mine Strike By: Judy Dodge Cummings.

I read this book for the Whateverathon and the prompts it fulfilled were POC Rep. and TBR Game. For the Boxofficeathon it fulfilled the prompt to read a classic or Historical fiction by reading an e-book. I gave this book 4 stars. I have a review up and the link is below.

https://debbiesreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-miners-lament-book-review.html

Elatsoe By: Darcie Little Badger

I gave this book 4 stars. This book was used in the whateverathon for a debut novel and POC Rep. The read digital challenge for a hyped book.

This is a native American book about a young girl who can bring the ghost of dead animals back. There is a lot of magic involved. She is trying to figure who murdered her cousin and her friends are helping her along with ghost of dead animals she can bring back.

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches By: Maggie Stiefvater

I gave this book 3 stars. This is a graphic novel for young adults. This is about twin brothers who catch their Dad having an affair and he sends them to visit family while the parents figure out what to do with their marriage.

The one brother is very nerdy and has been working with plants and the experiment he is working on is how to pull the plants feelings into some form. I was confused on what was doing and what he was trying to accomplish. Anyway, things go wrong, and weird things happen. Was not on my June TBR but I saw the book at the library and wanted to read it.

Beauty Queens By: Libba Bray

I gave this book 4 stars. This was a ride to read. At first, I thought I was not going to like it, but I did. This book has a lot of characters and each one is different except being a beauty queen. There is a trans., POC, Lesbian and a deaf person and maybe one who might be bi. You find al this out as you read the book.

This story takes place on an island out in the middle of nowhere. Their plane crashes and the flight crew do not survive. The girls do and they must learn how to get along and work together to survive.

Caleb’s Story By: Patricia MacLachlan

I gave this book 4 stars. This is the third book in her Sarah, Plain and Tall Series. This is about Caleb keeping up with the family life in Journal form. His sister Anna started this when Sarah came into their lives. World War 1 is happening and so is the Spanish Flu. Somethings take place that I do not want to mention just in case you have not read the first book. It is just a little more about their lives.

Grandfather’s Dance By: Patricia MacLachlan

I gave this book 4 stars. It is the fifth and final book in the Sarah, Plain and Tall Series. This book is about the wedding of Anna and life. Again, I do not want to say too much because it the conclusion of a series. They are quick reads and fun with some historical fiction in them.

Dear Justyce By: Nic Stone

I gave this book 4 stars. I used this book for the Whateverathon prompt of POC Rep. This is the second book in the Dear Martin series .This book is told in back flashes and takes place at Yale and a detention center. There is a dead police office and a boy is charged with the murder because he is the weapon. Did he kill the police officer or is he being set up? You have to read the book to find out.

Did you read any of these books? If so do you agree with my ratings? If not tell me why.

Until next time keep reading.

Thursday, June 3, 2021

The Miner's Lament Book Review

The Miner's Lament: A Story of Latina Activists in the Empire Zinc Mine Strike

By: Judy Dodge Cummings

Flux

Jolly Fish Press

Historical Fiction/Multicultural Interest/Middle-Grade

Publish Date September 1, 2021

#TheMinersLament#NetGalley

I gave this book 4 stars. I never heard of this strike so it was nice to learn about. At first I was getting frustrated with Ana's Papa for the way he treated her and all females. There is a reason for his thoughts and it comes out at the end. This is a quick read and one that you should read because this isn't talked about in any classroom.

This is about a Zinc Mine and the miner's. Miner's are on strike for better working conditions and living conditions. The main character is an 11 year old girl who lost her mom by a simple accident that should have never happened if they had proper living conditions.

It tells how everyone worked together for a long period of time to get what they needed. It also is about a young girl proving her dad that girls are just as good as boys.

I don't speak or read Spanish and so at first I had to skip a lot of this but if you go to the back of the book there is the English version. Skipping the Spanish parts doesn't take away from the story, because you get enough content to help you understand.

I would recommend this book.

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

June 2021 TBR

Here is my June TBR for 2021. This is only a portion. I am participating in two readathons this month and I will put the announcement videos down below. Since this is a huge pile I will be listening to a good portion of them.

Here is the first announcement.

And the second one.

Both of these sound like fun and they go for the whole month.

Now onto my books and the prompts they will fill.

This is for the prompt a 5 star prediction for the whateverathon. I pledged to read 10 middle-grade books for the whateveraton. For my personal challenge I am using this for a short story. I try to read one every month.

I am using this for the boxofficeathon. This is for roll 2 prompt which is read a historical fiction or classic in e-book form. I received this as an e-arc from NetGalley. It doesn't come out until September.

This is from last years top ten post of classics I need to read. I read a classic a month. For the Whateverathon it fills the prompt out of comfort zone. I don't enjoy reading classics but I need to get them off my shelves.

I read a scriptural related book every month. I try to read about 30 minutes a day. This is just for my personal challenge.

This is for the booktube spin #2.

This is for the whateveraton covering the prompt of disability rep. Also a couple of months ago it was the Page Turners book club choice.

This is for the whateveraton prompt of Author's Debut.

Knockout Challenge of reading a LGBTQA+ book

This book will cover the whateverathon prompt of rereading a book. It also will do the same for the #yearathon prompt of a reread. There is a summer buddy read with Chantel from Chantel at an Intentional Life. This is the June book.

Another book to get off my shelves.

Whateverathon prompt of indie/self publish book. This is another book for my 10 book middle-grade pledge.

Another book for my whateverathon middle-grade pledge and the prompt of POC Rep.

This is for the Whateverathon prompt of Hailed in the past year. book towards my pledge. My personal challenge of catching up on series.

Whateverathon prompt of Title Last Letter/Title First Letter. pledge for middle-grade.

Bookshelf challenge of reading a book with an animal on the cover. Pledged book for whateverathon.

This is an arc from Amazon Vine program. pledge for whateverathon and for the prompt of pride flag.

Whateverathon prompt of team color (orange) and pledge. Personal challenge of catching up on series.

Whateverathon prompt of poll and pledge. Personal challenge of finishing a series.

Whateverathon prompt of buddy read and pledge.

This is for my personal challenge. I try to read a non-fiction a month this is the pick for that. I will read it for 30 minutes a day. It is also a family recommend book. I have added to my 21 books to read in 2021. I borrowed this book from my youngest daughter, Ashley.

This is the book I chose for the buzzword group on goodreads. The prompt was to read a book with a name/title in it.

The last book so far. The boxofficeathon does two rolls a week so I have to wait for the next rolls. This is from the first roll which is to read a medium pace fantasy/sci-fi book. The whateverathon prompt is to read a book from a TBR game. this is also a family recommended book. Knockout challenge of a rainbow and my personal challenge of reading a tome a month. It is also one my 21 books in 2021 challenge.

I haven't counted the books and know that more will go on it for the second readathon. Audio will be my lifesaver this month.

Have you read any of these books? Did you like them? Are you doing any readathons this month and if so which ones? I will keep you posted on how I do and what I think of these books. Keep an eye out for my weekly wrap-ups.

Until next time keep reading.