Night Shift

12 / 4 / 2011 / 29 / 20

Night Shift by Charlaine Harris
Published by Ace Books on 2016
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary, Urban, Mystery & Detective, Cozy, General
Pages: 308
Buy on Amazon
three-stars

"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels--"the Mark Twain of things that live under your bed"*--comes a new novel of Midnight, Texas, the town where some secrets will never see the light of day... At Midnight's local pawnshop, weapons are flying off the shelves--only to be used in sudden and dramatic suicides right at the main crossroads in town. Who better to figure out why blood is being spilled than the vampire Lemuel, who, while translating mysterious texts, discovers what makes Midnight the town it is. There's a reason why witches and werewolves, killers and psychics, have been drawn to this place. And now they must come together to stop the bloodshed in the heart of Midnight. For if all hell breaks loose--which just might happen--it will put the secretive town on the map, where no one wants it to be.."--

Hello!
I am back again with yet another book review, you know for those you who want a more in-depth review than what my instagram says. This book is the last book in the Midnight Texas series. If you haven’t read my reviews on Midnight Crossroad or Day shift please feel free to read them. This novel refers to some of the incidents that have happened in previous novels especially referencing Olivia’s backstory.

I had originally got into the book series because Marine Goldberg had talked about the books after the books became a short lived series on NBC. It’s now available on Hulu in case you still want to watch it. The series finisher in me, enjoyed that I was finally able to complete all the novels in the Midnight Texas series and I was also excited to find out more about Manfred and Olivia’s backstory.

We did also learn a little bit more about Chuy & Joe, but not much. I won’t spoil the book for you since I would definitely recommend reading it if you are a series finisher or if you are a fan of the tv show. I would love to have another novel in the series that talks more about Chuy & Joe and how they ended up in Midnight. I also loved the thought of town where all the weird strangers some with powers and some with strange backstories all come to live together.

I hope that you enjoyed this short review and hopefully I will see you again in another post.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass

12 / 2 / 2011 / 29 / 20

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki
Published by DC Ink on September 3, 2019
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Superheroes
Pages: 182
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

With just five dollars and a knapsack to her name, 15-year-old Harleen Quinzel is sent to live in Gotham City. She’s not worried, though-she’s battled a lot of hard situations as a kid, and knows her determination and outspokenness will carry her through life in the most dangerous city in the world. And when Gotham’s finest drag queen, Mama, takes her in, it seems like Harley has finally found a place to grow into her most “true true” with new best friend Ivy at Gotham High. But when Mama’s drag cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that’s taking over the neighborhood, Harley’s fortune takes another turn. Now Harleen is mad. In turning her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join activist Ivy, who’s campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or team up with her anarchist friend Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time. From Eisner Award and Caldecott Honor-winning author Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Steve Pugh comes a coming-of-age story about choices, consequences, and how a weird kid from Gotham goes about defining her world for herself.

Hello again!
Well it is nice to see you all again and nice to post again so soon. As I mentioned previously I may finally be catching up on my reading goal for the year. This year has definitely been a challenging one and reading has not been a top priority though I have been trying.

Today’s post is Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki. I have not read any of Mariko Tamaki’s other work, so this was definitely a new experience for me. The words of the book read a lot like the movie Birds of Prey, another Harley Quinn story. The art in this book was definitely more sketchy and it was done in more of a black and white style with pops of color, but definitely more sketchy if you were comparing it some other graphic novels. I kind of liked the style because it definitely fit Harley Quinn’s story telling style and how she appears to see the world. Also in this story you meet the characters that will become Poison Ivy and The Joker, although I’m told that the Joker doesn’t have a straightforward back story. I did enjoy the book and can’t wait to read more of the author’s work.

Let me know if you have read this graphic novel or if you read graphic novels at all. I hope to see you again in another post. Hopefully real soon.

Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story

11 / 30 / 2011 / 29 / 20

Victor and Nora: a Gotham Love Story by Lauren Myracle
Published by DC Comics on 2020
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle (ttyl, ttfn) and artist Isaac Goodhart (Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale) reunite in this gorgeous YA story about living life to the fullest, and how far one will go for love.
Seventeen-year-old Victor Fries has a cold heart. After his brother died in a tragic house fire for which Victor feels responsible, his parents have isolated themselves, and Victor has dedicated his whole life to one thing: science.
Nora Faria is full of life. She is suffering from an incurable illness that will slowly consume her, so she's decided to live her last days to the fullest at her summer home outside of Gotham City until her birthday. On that day, she plans to take her own life.
When Victor and Nora happen to meet at the cemetery outside of town, they are astonished to find the connection they have each been missing in their lives. Their summer quickly spirals into a beautiful romance, and Victor's cold heart begins to thaw, allowing him to enjoy life just a little more. But when Victor learns of Nora's illness, he's driven to try to find a solution to keep from losing another person he loves...by any means necessary.
Victor & Nora: A Gotham Love Story is a tragic tale about living life to the fullest and what it truly means to love...and to let go.

Hello!
I’m back with yet another book review. I might actually be catching up on my reading goal for a year. Raise your hand if you have had a hard reading year *raises hand* life was going so well and then this pandemic hit and I have felt all out of sorts with reading. You would think with so much more time at home I would have more time to be read and have exceptionally killed my reading goal for this year. However that has not been the case and I have just been slowing still reading along, albeit at a much slower pace. Today’s post is a review on Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story.

I thought the book was a cute, fun, quick read. If you know the story regarding Mr. Freeze than it follows the same presence except now Mr. Freeze is a teenager, who is really crazy about science who just happens to meet and fall in love with a girl who is dying from a rare disease. I would definitely recommend this book if you have read any of the other books in the DC Ink comics series. Though the books in the series aren’t connected perfectly to each other, all the characters live in the same universe and at some point could cross over. I enjoyed this graphic novel by Lauren Myracle more than Catwoman, which she also wrote the words for.

I hope that you will pick up this book and read it. If you have already read it let me know what you think I’d love to hear your thoughts. I hope to see you again in another post.

Superman:Dawnbreaker

11 / 25 / 2011 / 21 / 20

Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt de la Pena
Published by Random House Children's Books on March 5, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Superheroes, Action & Adventure, General, Social Themes, Emigration & Immigration
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

The blockbuster DC Icons series that began with Leigh Bardugo's Wonder Woman, Marie Lu's Batman, and Sarah J. Maas's Catwoman continues with the story of the world's first super hero--SUPERMAN--from award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author MATT DE LA PEÑA.
When the dawn breaks, a hero rises.
His power is beyond imagining.Clark Kent has always been faster, stronger--better--than everyone around him. But he wasn't raised to show off, and drawing attention to himself could be dangerous. Plus, it's not like he's earned his powers . . . yet.But power comes with a price.Lately it's difficult to hold back and keep his heroics in the shadows. When Clark follows the sound of a girl crying, he comes across Gloria Alvarez and discovers a dark secret lurking in Smallville. Turns out, Clark's not the only one hiding something. Teaming up with his best friend, Lana Lang, he throws himself into the pursuit of the truth. What evil lies below the surface of his small town? And what will it cost Clark to learn about his past as he steps into the light to become the future Man of Steel? Because before he can save the world, he must save Smallville.
Act fast! The first printing includes a poster of Clark Kent! Each first printing in the DC Icons series has a limited-edition poster--collect them all to create the full image!
Don't miss the rest of the DC Icons series! Read the books in any order you choose: * Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo * Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu * Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Hello!
I’m back with yet another book review. I’m excited that I finished all the current books in the DC Icons series. You can read my reviews of Wonderwoman, Batman, and Catwoman with the various links. There is rumors of a new book coming out later this year, but we’ll see it is 202 after all, haha!

In case you haven’t heard of the DC Icons series before it takes some big DC characters and has a story written by some YA authors. None of the stories are connected so you can read all of them or just one of them if you want. They are sold together in a set and also sold separately.

In the book, I just finished we walked through the life of Clark Kent AKA Superman just as he is discovering his powers and his place in the world. The book reads a bit like the beginning of Smallville (the show), but honestly I haven’t watched Smallville so I couldn’t properly tell you. You do get to meet Lana in the story, which is probably the only time other time I have heard her mentioned. You also have the introduction of Lex Luthor and Lois Lane into the story although neither are big characters in this story.

If you liked Superman as a character and wouldn’t mind reading another origin story or haven’t read a good origin story of Superman this is the book for you. If you are a huge fan of Smallville and know the origin story of Superman inside and out this may not be the book for you.

I hope to see you around here again for another post 🙂

Little Fires Everywhere

11 / 23 / 2011 / 21 / 20

Little Fires Everywhere (Movie Tie-In) by Celeste Ng
Published by Penguin on March 17, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Literary, Family Life, General, Asian American
Pages: 432
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

The #1 New York Times bestseller!
Soon to be a Hulu limited series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. "I read Little Fires Everywhere in a single, breathless sitting." --Jodi Picoult
"To say I love this book is an understatement. It's a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears." --Reese Witherspoon
"Extraordinary . . . books like Little Fires Everywhere don't come along often." --John Green
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.
Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood--and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more...
Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more.

Hello Everyone!

I know that it has been a little bit since I have written a post here, but I have been trying to read a bunch, but I just haven’t finished a book lately. Thankfully, I was able to join the GilmoreGirls Readathon this week and knock a few books off my list. This book was one of those books. Now in case you haven’t heard of this book Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng was a New York Times bestseller in 2018 and then it was turned into a Hulu miniseries starring Resse Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. I haven’t seen the show yet, but I have heard good things about it

I loved this book from the jump and I’m a little sad that it took me so long to find and read. I thought the many different perspectives of the story added to the story’s complexities and would highly recommend this book if you haven’t read it before. It definitely keep me turning pages and I probably could have finished it in one day had I really tried and had the time.

So if you haven’t read this book yet, I would definitely pick up this book. I hope to see you again soon, in another post.