Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bang Up by Jeff Strand

 

Bang Up by Jeff Strand is the fourth (maybe fifth book?) I've read by the author. Jeff Strand has a twisted sense of humor and he writes the quirkiest characters and plot twists ever. I look forward to reading more books by Jeff Strand.

I read the ebook edition of Bang Up by Jeff Strand, which is an erotica novel filled with tons of humor and crazy antics by the characters. Bang Up is a lighthearted read and a fast read at that. It's a nice summertime/beach read if you want to read something different that doesn't take up a lot of mental bandwidth.

Below is the publisher's plot summary for Bang Up by Jeff Strand I discovered on Amazon's website:

"You want to pay me to sleep with your wife?"

Kirk is extremely surprised by Ralph's proposition. He's even more surprised by the next part: Kirk is supposed to perform BADLY, to make Ralph look good by comparison. And Julie isn't supposed to know that any of this was planned. It's the kind of offer any smart, sane person would turn down.

But this is not a book about smart, sane people. This is "bad decisions spiral out of control" all the way. From the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of PRESSURE, DWELLER, and AUTUMN BLEEDS INTO WINTER comes something lighter, goofier, and way, way smuttier.

I am giving Bang Up by Jeff Strand a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Angel Fire by Lisa Unger

 

I can't remember when I first heard about author, Lisa Unger, but she's been on my radar for a while. I finally listened to one of Lisa Unger's novels this month! 

I chose to listen to the unabridged audio version of Angel Fire by Lisa Unger and narrated by Emily Beresford. This is the first novel in the Lydia Strong series and it falls into the thriller/mystery/suspense genres. Listening time for Angel Fire is 7 hours, 53 minutes.

I was impressed with Angel Fire, especially considering it is an early work written by the author and sometimes early novels aren't always the best. I didn't find Angel Fire flawless by any means, but I did find it engaging/entertaining enough to keep me engrossed throughout much of the novel. I look forward to reading the rest of the Lydia Strong series at some point in time.

Below is the plot summary for Angel Fire by Lisa Unger from Chirp's website:

The childhood murder of Lydia Strong’s mother has turned her into a woman obsessed with bringing brutal killers to justice. The reclusive, bestselling true-crime writer and investigative consultant has made a life out of chasing monsters. And her powerful intuitions rarely fail her. When three adults - loners, drifters - go missing, no one seems to notice except for Lydia. Enlisting the help of her friend, former FBI agent Jeffrey Mark, Lydia starts an investigation of her own. But when someone raises the stakes and goes after Lydia - just as fifteen years ago when she put the FBI on the trail of her mother’s killer - the real hunt begins.

I am giving Angel Fire by Lisa Unger a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Ravens in the Rain Book Trailer!

As a book blogger, I periodically receive requests from authors or publishers to read and review upcoming or recently released books here on Captivated Reader.

This kind of situation is a win-win for all parties involved in my opinion. I receive a free copy of the book in exchange for giving an honest review of the book. Plus, readers of my blog may discover a new book they may enjoy reading.

This morning, I was able to download the unabridged Audible edition of Ravens in the Rain by Christie and Jeff Santo for FREE from the authors. Ravens in the Rain is a a recently released novel and is considered a noir love story.

I look forward to listening to and reviewing Ravens in the Rain here on my blog once I've had a chance to listen to it. In the meantime, enjoy watching the above book trailer on YouTube about Ravens in the Rain. It looks to be a very good read.

How to Identify a First Edition Book

 

I enjoyed watching another short YouTube video from AbeBooks on how to identify first editions when published books may not always state that they are first editions... Plus, a couple of other resources were given in this video as well.

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Here's a look at the world’s most mysterious book!!

Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper

I received a review paperback copy of Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper through the Goodreads Giveaway program. 

Below is my honest, unbiased review of Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper.

Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper is the fourth novel in Molly Harper's 'A Southern Eclectic' series. I've read two previous works written by the author, but this is the first novel I've read that is part of Harper's 'A Southern Eclectic' series. 

Although, I found Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper to be a good summertime beach read, it just didn't have the depth of feeling I would have liked to make this a better read for me. The plot, storyline, and characters are good, but as I already mentioned there is lacking that little bit of something extra to make this novel great... For instance, the humor was entertaining, but wasn't as funny as I thought it could. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this contemporary work of fiction. I highly doubt I'll read the rest of the novels in the 'A Southern Eclectic' series by Molly Harper. 

Below is the plot summary for Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper from Amazon:

An Atlanta ex-cop comes to sleepy Lake Sackett, Georgia, seeking peace and quiet - but he hasn’t bargained on falling for Frankie, the cutest coroner he’s ever met.

Frankie McCready talks to dead people. Not like a ghost whisperer or anything - but it seems rude to embalm them and not at least say hello.

Fortunately, at the McCready Family Funeral Home & Bait Shop, Frankie’s eccentricities fit right in. Lake Sackett’s embalmer and county coroner, Frankie’s goth styling and passion for nerd culture mean she’s not your typical Southern girl, but the McCreadys are hardly your typical Southern family. Led by Great-Aunt Tootie, the gambling, boozing, dog-collecting matriarch of the family, everyone looks out for one another - which usually means getting up in everyone else’s business.

Maybe that’s why Frankie is so fascinated by new sheriff Eric Linden...a recent transplant from Atlanta, he sees a homicide in every hunting accident or boat crash, which seems a little paranoid for this sleepy tourist town. What’s he so worried about? And what kind of cop can get a job with the Atlanta PD but can’t stand to look at a dead body?

Frankie has other questions that need answering first - namely, who’s behind the recent break-in attempts at the funeral home, and how can she stop them? This one really does seem like a job for the sheriff - and as Frankie and Eric do their best Scooby-Doo impressions to catch their man, they get closer to spilling some secrets they thought were buried forever.

I am giving Ain't She A Peach by Molly Harper a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

I've been wanting to read Born A Crime by Trevor Noah since last summer. So this year, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Born A Crime by Trevor Noah and narrated by the author. 

I'm so glad that I finally got around to listening to Trevor Noah's memoir. It's amazing!! And listening to Born A Crime narrated by the author made it all that much better as he makes it come alive... plus it was wonderful listening to Trevor Noah speak the various African languages in short sentences throughout his memoir.

Trevor Noah definitely captures the essence of what life was like for him growing up in South Africa... Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is well written and very engaging. It was very interesting to learn what it was like to grow up as a mixed race child in South Africa during Apartheid and in poverty. Trevor Noah's memoir had me laughing out loud in parts, sad in other parts, and everything in between.

The listening time for Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is 8 hours, 44 minutes.

Below is a summary for Born A Crime by Trevor Noah from Amazon:

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.

I am giving Born A Crime by Trevor Noah a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger

The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger is a hardback nonfiction book I've had in my 'to be read' pile prior to May 2014. I've always been interested in parrots. I had a cockatiel as a youngster and other family members have had larger parrots like African greys or Amazon parrots. So with this in mind, I became interested in reading more about parrots.

I'm so happy that I finally read The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger!! This nonfiction book was really well written and very captivating from start to finish. The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship not only recounts Tiko's life, Joanna Burger's Red-Lored Amazon parrot, and their unique relationship/bond, but it also discusses Joanna's life as a distinguished professor at Rutgers University and her studies. More specifically, Joanna Burger is a behavior ecologist and she shares her insight about wildlife biology and birds. All in all, this is a fascinating read, not only for parrot lovers, but also wildlife lovers and ecologists.

Below is the summary for The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger from Amazon:

“Birds are my passion,” says Joanna Burger, “but parrots are my weakness.” Fifteen years ago, when se adopted a neglected, orphaned thirty-six year old parrot named Tiko, she entered on of the most complex relationships of her life.

Sullen and hostile when he entered Dr. Burger’s home, Tiko gradually warmed as she carefully persuaded him of her good intentions. Eventually he courted her, building nests inside household furniture during mating season and trying to coax her into them. He nursed her vigilantly through a bout with Lyme disease, regularly preening each strand of hair on the pillow as she slept. For a while he even fought her husband for her attentions, but eventually theirs became a relationship of deep mutual trust.

The Parrot Who Owns Me is also the story of the science of birds, and of parrots in particular (America’s third most commonly owned pet, after cats and dogs). Woven into the narrative are insights and fascinating revelations from Joanna Burger’s work — not only about parrots, but about what it means to be human.

By turns delightful, hilarious, touching, and enlightening, The Parrot Who Owns Me introduces us to an unforgettable bird and his human companion, whose friendships tells us much about ourselves.

I am giving The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship by Joanna Burger a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

The Joy of Bookcrossing!!

I've been a member of Bookcrossing for over a decade now. I've had such an awesome experience being part of the Bookcrossing community. 

In fact, I received a hand knitted scarf and young adult book from another Bookcrosser in the mail. What a wonderful surprise!!

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids by Meghan Daum (Editor)

There was a time in my life that I had assumed that I would marry and have children of my own when I became an adult. However, by the time I was about 16 years old, my decision to have children in the future quickly fell by the wayside and I wanted to be childless forever. There were several reasons for this decision that I won't get into here.

As a side note, it's always been amazing to me that people assume that you will have children once you've become an adult, have finished college, started a career, and are finally married... In fact, you no sooner start a serious relationship as an adult and people start peppering you with questions as to when you'll get married... Then no sooner are you married, the questions start coming from well meaning family members and friends as to when you'll both be having children!! And, it seems to me like the woman in the relationship is always asked these types of questions about when children will be coming along, etc. and RARELY is the man ever asked these types of questions. 

Additionally, I've received some strange comments in the past from people that I barely know when I said that I wasn't having children. Mind you, these comments were made after I had been asked when my husband and I were having children. Hence, I was never simply volunteering my decision not to have children. Most people have been polite and respectful with my decision not to have children, especially close family members. 

It's just weird that a few people have had a problem (or have made the odd comment) with my decision not to start a family when it was never their decision to make in the first place.

So when I came across Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids by Meghan Daum, I looked forward to reading these essays. Thirteen of the essays were written by women and three of the essays were written by men. The essays are diverse and varied. I enjoyed most of the essays with the exception of two of them.

The following is a summary for Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids by Meghan Daum from Goodreads:

Sixteen Literary Luminaries On The Controversial Subject Of Being Childless By Choice, Collected In One Fascinating Anthology.

One of the main topics of cultural conversation during the last decade was the supposed "fertility crisis," and whether modern women could figure out a way to way to have it all--a successful, demanding career and the required 2.3 children--before their biological clock stopped ticking. Now, however, conversation has turned to whether it's necessary to have it all or, perhaps more controversial, whether children are really a requirement for a fulfilling life. The idea that some women and men prefer not to have children is often met with sharp criticism and incredulity by the public and mainstream media.

In this provocative and controversial collection of essays, curated by writer Meghan Daum, sixteen acclaimed writers explain why they have chosen to eschew parenthood. Contributors Lionel Shriver, Sigrid Nunez, Kate Christiensen, Elliott Holt, Geoff Dyer, and Tim Kreider, among others, offer a unique perspective on the overwhelming cultural pressure of parenthood.

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed makes a thoughtful and passionate case for why parenthood is not the only path in life, taking our parent-centric, kid-fixated, baby-bump-patrolling culture to task in the process. What emerges is a more nuanced, diverse view of what it means to live a full, satisfying life.

I am giving Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not To Have Kids by Meghan Daum a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Accidental Eyewitness by Alice Zogg

I enjoy reading mystery novels. I learned about author, Alice Zogg, from Judy @ Keep The Wisdom. So, I decided to start by reading one of Alice Zogg's standalone novels titled, Accidental Eyewitness.

I enjoyed Alice Zogg's writing style. The storyline and characters for Accidental Eyewitness were interesting and kept my attention throughout the entire novel. I had no idea who the killer was until it was revealed at the end of the book. In fact, I was actually kind of surprised by the killer's identity!! Additionally, I thought the killer's reasoning for killing was a bit superficial. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading Accidental Eyewitness by Alice Zogg.

The following is the plot summary for Accidental Eyewitness by Alice Zogg from the author's website:

Kurt Nobel, known as “The Real Estate King,” invites a mixture of odd guests to his mansion on the Isle of Ease for a week of snorkeling, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, and general fun in the sun. The occasion is to celebrate the millionaire’s recent marriage to his new young wife, singer Barbie.

But all is not pure pleasure and merriment on the tropical island. One person plans an intriguing way to commit murder, and may get away with it, if not for the fortuitous eyewitness, eight-year-old Evie Frederique.

I am giving Accidental Eyewitness by Alice Zogg a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Top Ten Tuesday - Books I Wish I'd Read As A Child Or Teen

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

As an adult, I've read quite a few young adult books and even children's books. I've always been an avid reader my entire life... But somehow, some way, there have been some classics that I missed reading in my youth that I wished I had read at the time!

Below is a list of ten young adult or children's novels I wish I had read during my younger years. Like how did I miss out on so many Judy Blume novels as a youngster???? 

Click on the links to read my read my review of the below novels.

1. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume

2. Deenie by Judy Blume

3. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

4. Forever by Judy Blume

5. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

6. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery

7. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

8. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

9. The Seance by Joan Lowry Nixon

10. The Witches by Roald Dahl

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro and narrated by Wanda McCaddon on compact disc.

Ugh, the audio production/quality of this audiobook wasn't very good, which is unfortunate!! However, I did think that Wanda McCaddon was a good narrator.

As far as James Shapiro's writing/book goes, I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information provided in this book. I am not a William Shakespeare scholar and have only read a few of his plays during my high school and college years as required for English classes. Before reading Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro, I'd only vaguely heard that some people speculated whether Shakespeare actually wrote his plays, but that was all I really knew about the subject until listening to this audiobook. Approximately, the first 80% of Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro focuses on the history of those that believe Shakespeare didn't write his plays or sonnets, while the remainder of the book focuses on why the author feels that Shakespeare wrote his plays and sonnets.

Between the bad audio quality and being overwhelmed by the amount of information provided in Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro, I found myself tuning out frequently and only listening in spurts at the parts that captured my interest.

I feel like James Shapiro has a vast knowledge regarding the subject of William Shakespeare and the authorship of his plays. But the audio quality of the audiobook was definitely a downer for me. In this case, I would have very much preferred to read Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? myself verses being read to.

I liked learning more about the authorship controversy of William Shakespeare's plays. BUT, as I mentioned above, I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of information provided as I am new to this particular topic. There was just so much food for thought to take in and digest. I think if you are a Shakespeare enthusiast, then by all means this book is probably for you!

Below is a summary for Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro from Amazon:

For more than two hundred years after William Shakespeare's death, no one doubted that he had written his plays. Since then, however, dozens of candidates have been proposed for the authorship of what is generally agreed to be the finest body of work by a writer in the English language. In this remarkable book, Shakespeare scholar James Shapiro explains when and why so many people began to question whether Shakespeare wrote his plays. Among the doubters have been such writers and thinkers as Sigmund Freud, Henry James, Mark Twain, and Helen Keller. It is a fascinating story, replete with forgeries, deception, false claimants, ciphers and codes, conspiracy theories—and a stunning failure to grasp the power of the imagination.

As Contested Will makes clear, much more than proper attribution of Shakespeare’s plays is at stake in this authorship controversy. Underlying the arguments over whether Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, or the Earl of Oxford wrote Shakespeare’s plays are fundamental questions about literary genius, specifically about the relationship of life and art. Are the plays (and poems) of Shakespeare a sort of hidden autobiography? Do Hamlet, Macbeth, and the other great plays somehow reveal who wrote them?

Shapiro is the first Shakespeare scholar to examine the authorship controversy and its history in this way, explaining what it means, why it matters, and how it has persisted despite abundant evidence that William Shakespeare of Stratford wrote the plays attributed to him. This is a brilliant historical investigation that will delight anyone interested in Shakespeare and the literary imagination.

In the end, Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro just didn't do it for me in terms of interest. I'm not going to remember much about this book over the long haul. With that said, I am giving Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

Read, Read, Read!!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket

Hardback Edition

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket is a children's book that I read over the course of a few days. 

I only decided to read The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket, when I discovered that the author was going to be speaking at the 2016 Bay Area Book Festival... I love attending author events and I love having books signed by the author. So with that thought in mind, I decided to purchase a used copy of The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket.

After reading The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket, I have mixed feelings about this novel. I liked the Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, & Sunny) and the fact that the novel is written as a series on unfortunate events (as happy endings don't always happen in real life)... But sadly, the storyline for The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) just didn't do it for me. Needless to say, I won't bother reading the rest of the novels in the series.

I am giving The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!