Tag Archives: book club

RIP Readathon 2019

RIP Readathon 2019The Babysitters Coven (The Babysitters Coven, #1) by Kate Williams
Published by Delacorte Press on September 17, 2019
Pages: 368
Goodreads



Adventures in Babysitting

meets

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

in this funny, action-packed novel about a coven of witchy babysitters who realize their calling to protect the innocent and save the world from an onslaught of evil.

Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it's kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she's good at it.

And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let's just say she owes some people a new tree.

Enter Cassandra Heaven. She's Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria food. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme's babysitters club?

The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra's mother left her: "Find the babysitters. Love, Mom."

Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they're about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to yet another book review. If you have been following along the past few weeks on social media, you will know that I have been participating in two readathons for the beginning of October. Whew! What a world wind of books it has been.

For the group read for the Creating & Co RIP Readathon the pick was The Baby Sitters Coven by Kate Williams. The close second runner up was a book called Serpent & Dove which I will also probably read a some point. Thankfully in a busy week, the group book fulfilled nearly all the prompts for the readathon, so I didn’t have much to worry about there in the way of book. Also thankfully this wasn’t the only book that I finished this week. I found the book lighthearted and very YA in the writing style. I was disappointed to find that the book is part of a series and not just a standalone novel. Why can’t people just write a single novel anymore?!? I loved the fact that Esme and Janis were so deeply into fashion that they coordinated and themed their outfits Overall, I would recommend this book if you are looking for something that is fun, but not so spooky to read.

RIP Readathon 2019Finale (Caraval, #3) by Stephanie Garber
Published by Flatiron Books on May 7, 2019
Pages: 478
Goodreads
five-stars

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. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, 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.

Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end…

The second book that I had planned to read and finish for the readathon was Finale by Stephanie Garber. What?!?! I’m only reading two books for a readathon?!? Yes, I know that seems wild, but let’s be honest I really hoped that this was doable since Matt & I ended up traveling for a friend’s wedding during the week of the readathon.

I had planned to read Finale months ago when it came out and I got the box from FairyLoot, but it didn’t happen then. I’m so glad that I finally was able to read and finish the book now though. If you haven’t read my reviews on the other books in this trilogy you can do so here and here. There will be some spoilers from the other books since that is just the way that series go. I found it interesting that in this book the author chose to do a back and forth perspective between the two sisters instead of having the perspective of just one sister. I thought that this may have made for better reading, but at times it was also confusing. I would recommend this book if you have already started the series and are hoping to finish it.

I’m glad that I was able to finish both books that I had planned for this readathon and I hope that in the next readathon that I am able to finish all the books that I plan to finish and more. Let me know if you joined in on this readathon or are planning on joining in on the next one. See you soon!

Discover New World Readathon

I honestly wish that I could tell you that I finished my whole TBR of 5 books during this Readathon, but I didn’t. I only managed to finish 2 books , one of which was a graphic novel. I also did vlog during the week, so hopefully that will be up when this post goes live.

The first book that I finished was Teen Titans Raven by Kami Garcia. This reimagines the character Raven as a teenager in modern times trying to deal with the loss of her mother and recover her memory after she lost it in a car accident. Along the way, she not only has to deal with the trappings of high school, but also the fact that she may have super powers that she might not know about. I love the fact that thanks to Matt I am starting to get into graphic novels. I have enjoyed the ones I have read so far and hope to read a bit more in the future, so look forward to reading those.

The second book that I officially finished for the Readathon was Souless by Gail Carriger. This book was also the group read for the Readathon. I was not able to finish this book during the readathon since I easily got distracted by enjoying the week and also I found the book slow in the beginning, it does pick up after the first 100 pages which is good. Though I finished the book intrigued I’m not sure that I was impressed enough to continue the series, I guess we will see what happens in the future.

Thanks to Paige and the rest of the Creating & Co Community for creating the Discover New Worlds Readathon and for allowing me to participate. I enjoy all the Readathons created by the Creating & Co book club because it gets me out of my comfort zone for reading and challenges me to read books I wouldn’t normally read. Hope to see you soon in another post 🙂

The Favorite Sister

The Favorite SisterThe Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll
Published by Simon & Schuster on May 15, 2018
Pages: 375
Goodreads
two-stars

When five hyper-successful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder…

Brett’s the fan favorite. Tattooed and only twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent engagement to her girlfriend—has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her cast mates.

Kelly, Brett’s older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now—a role which requires her to protect their shocking secret.

Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful bestselling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, non-working actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends—and resentment soon breeds contempt.

Lauren, the start-up world’s darling whose drinking has gotten out of control, is Goal Diggers’ recovery narrative—everyone loves a comeback story.

And Jen, made rich and famous through her cultishly popular vegan food line plays a holistic hippie for the cameras, but is perhaps the most ruthless of them all when the cameras are off.

Hey!
I know that I have been promising real posts for some time, but that time isn’t yet so please enjoy the plethora for book reviews that are coming your way. I finally finished this book after starting and stopping this book for months. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll was the Paper & Glam Book Club read for April simply because of the umbrella on the cover.

I apologize that this review will not be as in-depth as my reviews usually are, but I found the book rather dull and uninteresting which is why I kept putting it down throughout reading it. If you like reality tv and are interested some of the stories behind the scenes of a fictional reality tv show this book is for you. Honestly this book being marketed as a mystery thriller is a bit of a joke, since though we find out that Brett is dead in the beginning of the book we don’t even really touch on why she might be dead throughout the book and don’t come back to that topic until the end of the book.

I’ll be back soon with more reviews and hopefully a surprise in the future that will bring you back to reading the blog once more. Happy Reading!

two-stars

The Beholder

Hey!
I’m back again with yet another book review. This book took me a while to read, which actually may be all well and good since the sequel doesn’t come out for ANOTHER YEAR! Ugh….Now I will have to wait forever to continue this story.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, today we are going to be talking about Anna Bright’s The Beholder. This was yet another book that was chosen for a Readathon for the Creating & Co book club that I didn’t get to finish. It’s finished now though….I don’t hate that the group picked it since it was a newer book that most of the members including myself hadn’t read yet, but the fact that it’s part of a duology is the annoying part.

A quick synopsis of the book is that after Selah, daughter to the Sensechal is rejected at her proposal party by a boy she adored. Her stepmother sets her up with a crew and several appointments for courtships throughout Europe. Knowing that her father has become gravely ill in the last few months and not wanting her stepmother to win, Selah agrees to go on these courtships date through Europe. At first, Selah feels as if she is alone in her quest to quickly find a match and return to her father, but she then discovers that she is not alone in her quest and then is let in on the secret mission of the trip that has nothing to do with her courtship appointments.

I found Selah beautifully refreshing compared to other princess type characters that I have read about in the past. She knows exactly what she wants and who she is for the most part. I was annoyed that she kept allowing herself to keep falling for her suitors and her heart to get broken over and over knowing that she just needed to pick one before heading home and not facing the unknown, which she dreads so much. I was amazed at all the twists and turns in the book, which made me want to keep reading although the slow start in the beginning made me almost want to put it down.

I would definitely recommend this book as a read, but I would have rather read this closer to the sequel release so that I wouldn’t have to wait so long in between books and living in the world of Selah and her adventures in Europe. I will definitely be letting you know my thoughts on the Beholder sequel after it releases next year.

Let me know what you have been reading lately and what you would recommend. I would love to hear your thoughts if you have read the book.

The Witches

Hello!
I’m back with yet another book review, thankfully I’m catching up on my Goodreads and reading challenge goals for the year at the very least. This year in addition to finishing a couple of series and working on the Paper & Glam book club and the Creating & Co book club I also decided to take on Rachel Dawson’s reading challenge. If it gets me reading more diverse and interesting books I’m all for it. This book completed the challenge of reading a book that was published in the year you were born. I probably could double this up since this is also a children’s book, but I have another book in mind for that.

I chose this book because not only was it published in 1983, but also because Roald Dahl is a quintessential children’s author. You may have recognized his name from such works as James & the Giant Peach or Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. I had never heard of this book , but apparently it is another classic and also has a movie adaptation. The version I chose to read had an introduction and notes from James Patterson.

In the book, we meet our young hero who has spend a good portion of his youth growing up in England before his parents are killed in a tragic car accident and then he is sent to live with his Grandmama. His Grandmama would like to raise him in Norway, but his parents’ will dictate that the child be raised in England. While in England, Grandmama teaches the young boy everything she knows about witches, so that he can protect himself. Unfortunately, it is on his second encounter with witches that he is turned into a mouse.

The 218 page book with an introduction by James Patterson and notes from the editor Stephen Roxburgh make for a quick read and also add to the interest of reading Roald Dahl books. If you haven’t read a Roald Dahl book in your life I highly recommend picking one up. If you haven’t read The Witches I would definitely recommend this fanciful tale surely to have you turning pages and wanting to dive more into the world of Roald Dahl.

Let me know if you have read the book or seen the movie adaptation. I hope to see you soon!