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.

PumpkinHeads

11 / 13 / 2010 / 31 / 20

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
Published by First Second on August 27, 2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Comics & Graphic Novels, General
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
five-stars

This format is designed to be read on color devices and cannot be read on black-and-white e-readers. In Pumpkinheads, beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell and Eisner Award–winning artist Faith Erin Hicks have teamed up to create this tender and hilarious story about two irresistible teens discovering what it means to leave behind a place—and a person—with no regrets.
Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.
Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.
Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .
What if their last shift was an adventure?

Hey!
I’m back with yet another book review. I think it is safe to say that Matt has lead me down the graphic novel path and for the most part I am loving them and how quickly I can read them.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet this review is going to be about Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell. I heard about this book last year when it came out because who else would write a book about a pumpkin patch. Thankfully though it is a graphic novel, so there are wonderful illustrations to go along with the storytelling.

As you read from the synopsis, this book takes place on the last night of the pumpkin patch and the last time that Josiah and Deja will be working together at the patch, since they will be going away to college next year. I loved the impulsiveness of Deja for wanting Josiah to finally talk to his crush and will do whatever it takes to make it happen. I love Josiah’s laidback attitude, even though he really wants to be able to talk to his crush. I won’t spoil the ending for you because it would be took easy and the book is far too cute for you not to read and fall in love with the ending. I also love the way the fanciful way the book weaves itself through the pumpkin patch. I can’t believe how big this pumpkin patch is in the book, well maybe it’s because I’m from Hawaii and the patches I have been too haven’t had that many attractions.

I would highly recommend this book especially in fall to give you all the fall, warm cozy vibes. I would love to see Rainbow Rowell do another graphic novel like this. I hope that you enjoyed this post and will continue to come back for more posts like this. Someday I will get back to writing real posts about my life.

Where’d you go, Bernadette?

11 / 11 / 2011 / 11 / 20

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
on August 14, 2012
Pages: 330
Goodreads
four-half-stars

Bernadette Fox has vanished.
When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.

Hello!
I’m back with yet another book review. I’ve finally been getting out of my reading slump and reading more. Also hopefully I will be able to make my reading goals for this year, even though there was pretty big slump in the middle of the year.

I decided to make this a combined book and movie review because when I found out that this book was going to be made into a movie I knew that at some point I would need to do a comparison. In case you haven’t seen the movie, which is currently available on Hulu at the time of writing this. Check out the trailer below

I enjoyed the book and I probably could have finished it in one sitting since the twists and turns of the characters kept me turning pages and wanting to get to the end faster. As you can see from the movie trailer the basic synopsis of the story is the an eccentric architect marries a boring computer programmer and they have a child. The live in Seattle where the architect, Bernadette doesn’t get along with her neighbors. The daughter Bee decides that for her middle school graduation present that she would like for the family to take a trip to Antartica, soon Bernadette is wrapped up in the preparations for the trip ignoring everyone else. I won’t give away the ending of the book though I will say that it is different from the movie.

There are some big differences between the book and the movie. In the book, Bernadette has taken off for the trip to Antartica for months before Elgin and Bee decide to go on the trip themselves to find her. It is also during this time that Elgin’s admin Soo-Lin has fallen in love with him and become pregnant with his child. Also during this time you find out that Audrey and Kyle have gotten away to a rehab center to fix their relationship and deal with Kyle’s drug problem.

I love that the book is written through Bee’s eyes and through documents that she has acquired from her mother and the FBI. I love the intrigue the author brings with every turn of the page as to where Bernadette went and what actually happened to her.

Let me know if you have read this book or have seen the movie and what you thought of it. See you soon!