Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1) by Eoin Colfer
Published by Disney-Hyperion on April 1, 2003
Pages: 396
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-half-stars

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius, and above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of bedtime stories—they're dangerous! Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl is a riveting, magical adventure.

Hello!
I’m back with yet another book review. After Artemis Fowl the movie was released on Disney + earlier this month and I had a rather disappointing thoughts on the movie. (It had so much potential!!! It’s been in production for nearly a decade) I thought that I should read the book because maybe the book was better.

I would agree with critics to say that the book was better. I think the fact that in this first book that Artemis Fowl starts out as a villan with good intentions as we found out in the end, makes the character likeable. In the movie, we are made to root for the character from the jump being that his dad has suddenly been kidnapped and Artemis Fowl needs to save him. While most of the book we aren’t completely sure of his motives we are shown that he comes from dire circumstances in which we made to feel at least a little bit of compassion for him.

While the book tops out at just under 400 pages and is marketed as a middle grade novel, as an adult I didn’t find the book written down to. There were parts that due to seeing the movie first that I was grossed out by but overall I found the book to be more enjoyable and added more depth to the character of Artemis Fowl.

I don’t see myself continuing the series I did find the book intriguing enough to finish it and give it an average rating.

Let me know if you have read this book or have seen the movie and what you thought of it. I would like to tell you that I will be back in a more regular capacity and that there will be some content on the blog changing, but we’ll see. See you soon!

Wonder Woman: Warbringer

7 / 16 / 207 / 15 / 20

Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Published by Random House Children's Books on August 28, 2017
Pages: 369
Goodreads
three-half-stars

Daughter of immortals.
Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.
Daughter of death.
Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together.
Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Hey!
I’m finally back with yet another book review. If you follow me on Goodreads, you will know that I have had this book on my TBR list for at least a few years. Since quarantine happened, I am determined to get at least a few books off of my shelf this year. I finally got around to reading this book , so here are some of my thoughts.

I took me a while to get into the beginning of the book, which is probably why it took me so long to read and finish the book. I also have been known to get distracted by other books as well. I enjoyed the premise of the Diana meeting Alia, the warbringer and the thought that she could be from a line of Warbringers that have passed through the generations. I think that the ending was a bit far fetched and there were things from the book that seemed out of place as well.

Overall, I liked the book, but I’m not keeping it in my collection. Also I would recommend that you give the book a shot if you like any of the other books in the DC Icons series, which you can read my thoughts on the other books I have read here, and here. I am interested in reading other books by Leigh Bardugo, just to see if I would still like her writing style under different circumstances. I am also still interested in reading the last book in the DC Icons series so far, which is Superman.

I hope that you are doing well and that you enjoyed this review. Let me know if you have read this book or any other books by Leigh Bardugo and what you would recommend. I hope to see you soon with another post!

Buddhist BootCamp

7 / 9 / 207 / 5 / 20

Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye
Published by HarperOne on February 19, 2013
Pages: 160
Goodreads

A collection of short journal entries and letters sent to friends over the course of an eight-year journey to mindful living. Buddhism is all about training the mind, and boot camp is an ideal training method for this generation's short attention span. The chapters in this small book can be read in any order, and are simple and easy to understand. Each story, inspirational quote, and teaching offers mindfulness-enhancing techniques that anyone can relate to. You don't need to be a Buddhist to find the Buddha's teachings motivational. As the Dalai Lama says, "Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are."
So whether it's Mother Teresa's acts of charity, Gandhi's perseverance, or your aunt Betty's calm demeanor, as long as you're motivated to be better today than you were yesterday, it doesn't matter who inspires you. Regardless of religion, geographical region, race, ethnicity, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, flexibility, or vulnerability, if you do good you feel good, and if you do bad you feel bad.
Buddhism isn't just about meditating. It's about rolling up your sleeves to relieve some of the suffering in the world. If you are ready to be a soldier of peace in the army of love, welcome to Buddhist Boot Camp!

Hey!
I’m back with yet another book review and I might be getting closer to my book goals for the year. I’m also working on my physical TBR list, which is also good news.

I’ve had this book on my TBR list for a long time in both a physical and list form for a long time. Which is unfortunate because when I met Timber Hawkeye in 2016 or so I had intended on reading his book then. I had also heard him speak at a reading of his book before that too. That only brings us here to the review and reading of this book.

This book is a collection of essays that Timber Hawkeye wrote during his time in Hawaii and some of it after. I loved that each essay can stand on its own or together with several others as shown in the book. The book is broken down into chapters dealing with life and giving the reader practical advice based on the writer’s experience.

I would recommend this book for someone looking for a quick easy to read book that might be interested in Buddhism or are trying to supplement their faith a bit more.

Let me know if you have read this book or have read something similar. How are your reading goals going this year since we are now about halfway through? Are you going to make it? Did you set a reading goal for the year? I’d love to know all your thoughts. I hope to see you again soon.

The Oracle Code

7 / 7 / 207 / 2 / 20

The Oracle Code by Marieke Nijkamp, Manuel Preitano
on March 10, 2020
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-half-stars

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends) and artist Manuel Preitano unveil a graphic novel that explores the dark corridors of Barbara Gordon's first mystery: herself.
After a gunshot leaves her paralyzed, Barbara Gordon enters the Arkham Center for Independence, where Gotham's teens undergo physical and mental rehabilitation. Now using a wheelchair, Barbara must adapt to a new normal, but she cannot shake the feeling that something is dangerously amiss. Within these walls, strange sounds escape at night; patients go missing; and Barbara begins to put together pieces of what she believes to be a larger puzzle.
But is this suspicion simply a result of her trauma? Fellow patients try to connect with Barbara, but she pushes them away, and she'd rather spend time with ghost stories than participate in her daily exercises. Even Barbara's own judgment is in question.
In The Oracle Code, universal truths cannot be escaped, and Barbara Gordon must battle the phantoms of her past before they swarm her future.

Hello Everyone!
I’m back with yet another book review. Overall this year has been a slow reading year for me, but we are still pushing through in hopes that I will be able to make it to my reading goals at the end of the year. Today’s review is on The Oracle Code. This is another book in the DC Icons series, which I have been reading through in the past year. Overall I like that YA authors are trying their hands at writing for graphic novels though there are a few out of the series that are less than stellar.

This book was an average book for me, it was overly flashy in the way they handled the story of Barbara Gordon because if you know anything about DC this story can be a bit controversial. It was a bit unpleasant that Barbara spends most of the book not being believed for how she feels about the hospital. In a stereo typical fashion it comes out with a nice ending. I hope that we get a few more graphic novels about Barbara Gordon because I would like to see what she does next.

Let me know what you have been reading lately and if you read graphic novel. I hope to see you again in another post soon! 🙂

Shadow of the Batgirl

6 / 18 / 206 / 12 / 20

Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn, Nicole Goux
on February 4, 2020
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Out Spring 2020.

Hey!
I’m here with yet another book review. I might actually be catching up with my reading goals for the year, but we will see if that actually happens. It has been hard year so far so I hope that things are beginning to look up.

Today we are here to discuss a graphic novel that I have read recently. If you followed me for the last year, you will know that I have gotten into the graphic novel series that DC began publishing. You can read a review of a few of the other graphic novels here, here, here, and here. This is another graphic novel in the series though none of the books are connected, so feel free to read them in any order you want.

In this novel, we meet Cassandra Cain and she struggles to identify who she is and her role in society for most of the novel. It takes her a while but she identifies with the stories of Batgirl and wanting to save people though she might not know who Batgirl is.

I love that in this graphic novel you get to see Cassandra Cain portrayed as asian and to see how that adds to her struggles with her identity. I also loved the illustration throughout the novel being a little more sketchy and the panels a little more disjointed at times as it appears that Cassandra’s thoughts are also disjointed.

I would recommend this novel if you like any of the DC characters and are a bit familiar with Gotham City. I would also recommend this book if you are familiar with any of Sarah Kuhn’s work in literature. I definitely think that this is a fun read and adds to the beautiful work that DC is creating in their ink series.

I hope to see you soon in another post.