Last weekend, my husband and I discovered a newly erected Little Free Library in San Ramon, California! Now there are a total of nine Little Free Libraries in San Ramon, which is awesome. I left two books at this particular Little Free Library, but I didn't take any books home with me though.
Have you discovered any new to you Little Free Libraries lately?
I read the ebook edition of Peril In Pensacola by Lucy Quinn for FREE.
Below is my honest, unbiased review for Peril In Pensacola by Lucy Quinn.
Peril In Pensacola by Lucy Quinn is a cozy mystery novel and the first book in the 'Accidentally Undercover Mysteries'.
I liked all of the characters for this cozy mystery novel. Additionally, the plot premise for this cozy mystery novel was well done and engaging as the main character, Dora Winslow, is an accountant and discovers her employer is money laundering. When her boss finds out she knows about the money laundering, things go south fast!
The next thing Dora knows is that she's on the run to prove her innocence with the help of her best friend, Evie, Evie's dog, Sunshine, and a few other soon to be friends along the way. There are a lot of fun twists and turns along the way as both Dora and Evie get into trouble along the way, of course!
The ending for Peril In Pensacola by Lucy Quinn was a complete disappointment!! The ending was a cliffhanger and ended abruptly. So many things were left unfinished that needed to be wrapped up. I will not read the rest of the 'Accidentally Undercover Mysteries' series for this reason.
Below is a summary for Peril In Pensacola by Lucy Quinn from Amazon:
Dora Winslow is having a hard day. Not only does she stumble upon a money laundering scheme, but the next thing she knows her boss is dead. As the prime suspect for his murder, she goes to Brian, a police officer she trusts. She soon learns things aren’t adding up because Brian’s got a mysterious scheme of his own.I am giving Peril In Pensacola by Lucy Quinn a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.
With her best friend, Evie by her side, Dora is on the run. But before they can leave town to secure the evidence that could clear her name, she has to bring Brian down. With help from a hot chef, a friendly mailman, and a little white dog, Dora and Evie must balance the scales to save their bottom line.
Until my next post, happy reading!!!
I listened to the unabridged audio version of Ensnared by A. G. Howard and narrated by Rebecca Gibel. This audiobook falls into the young adult genre and is the third book in the 'Splintered' trilogy. Earlier this year, I read and reviewed the first two novels in the 'Splintered' series (Splintered and Unhinged) and really enjoyed them both as well.
If you are a young adult genre fan and also enjoy classic retelling spinoffs, then the 'Splintered' series is worth reading. A. G. Howard is great at world building and storytelling. Ensnared is nonstop action, just like in the previous novels in the trilogy. I also like the characters in the 'Splintered' series as well. What was different in Ensnared? Jeb's character was a lot darker/jaded in this novel than the previous ones. Also, Alyssa'a dad had a more active role in the events in this novel verses a role on the sidelines/background, which was fun to see.
The 'Splintered' series is the third trilogy I've started and finished in 2021. All in all, I enjoyed this series and would recommend it.
Listening time for Ensnared by A. G. Howard is 13 hours, 28 minutes and it is well narrated by Rebecca Gibel.
Below is the plot summary for Ensnared by A. G. Howard from Audible:
After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves, even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles... and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world - a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts.
In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?
I am giving Ensnared by A. G. Howard a rating of 4 stars out of 5 Stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
The Complete Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, & Tamra Bonvillain is the second trilogy I've read in 2021. My goal is to read a total of five trilogies in 2021.
I am a Margaret Atwood fan. So, I was curious about her comic series 'Angel Catbird' series and wondered what a comic book series would look like from Ms. Atwood.
The Complete Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, & Tamra Bonvillain is written for kids ages 8-12. I thought the artwork was just okay and the storyline was very simplistic... A half human-rat wants to take over the world and have rats rule, but their plans for world domination are thwarted by half human-cats and owls.
There were a lot of cat puns throughout this series that were funny/cute to begin with, but did grow old after a while. There are also a lot of cat facts sprinkled throughout this comic series that were interesting and informative.
Below is the summary for The Complete Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, & Tamra Bonvillain from Amazon:
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Handmaid's Tale, comes the complete collection of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel from Margaret Atwood!
Internationally best-selling and respected novelist Margaret Atwood and acclaimed artist Johnnie Christmas collaborate for one of the most highly anticipated comic book and literary events!
A genetic engineer caught in the middle of a chemical accident all of a sudden finds himself with superhuman abilities. With these new powers he takes on the identity of Angel Catbird and gets caught in the middle of a war between animal/human hybrids. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, educational, and pulp- inspired superhero adventure--with a lot of cat puns.
Includes previously unpublished art by Margaret Atwood.
Collects Angel Catbird volumes 1-3
I am giving The Complete Angel Catbird by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, & Tamra Bonvillain a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
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.
Below are my top ten reasons I love to read!!
1. I love reading because it's so much fun to read!!
2. I love reading as it a great way to unwind/relax the mind and relieve stress.
3. I love reading as it helps me learn new things.
4. I love reading as a form of entertainment.
5. I love reading as a way to build empathy and gain new insight/perspective/knowledge of the world in which we live and those around us.
6. I love reading as a way to learn we aren't alone... that others share our same journey/experiences.
7. I love reading as it helps inspire us to grow, dream, hope, and become much bigger than we currently are.
8. I love reading as it is portable and helps pass the time while commuting, waiting for appointments, etc.
9. I love reading in order to visit new/different realities.
10. I love reading as it helps improve/build ones vocabulary.
I received an uncorrected proof copy of Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone through the Goodreads Giveaways program earlier this year.
This year I have read more short story collections than I normally do in a year... And so far, Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone has proven to be the best short story collection by a single author so far.
Below is my honest, unbiased review of Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone.
Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone is a collection of nine short stories and was published in March 2021. All nine short stories feature a woman as its protagonist. The short stories are all well crafted and good for the most part despite the crappy situations that the women in each short story find themselves in... I enjoyed all of the short stories, except for one of them titled, Exuma. The rest of the stories were well done.
Emma Duffy-Comparone is a new to me author. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Below is the summary for Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone from Amazon:
Named a Best New Book of 2021 by Vogue and Refinery29
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Lit Hub
Named one of "5 Hot Books" by The National Book Review
"For a friend who needs a reminder that love is weird, humans are complicated, and bad things often get better or at least later become funny stories to tell our friends." —Vanity Fair
A sharp, witty book about brilliant, broken women that are just the right amount wrong.
Whether diving into complicated relationships or wrestling with family ties, the girls and women who populate this collection—misfits and misanthropes, bickering sisters, responsible daughters, and unhappy wives—don't always find themselves making the best decisions.
A woman struggles with a new kind of love triangle when she moves in with a divorced dad. A lonely teenage beach attendant finds uneasy comradeship with her boss. A high school English teacher gets pushed to her limits when a student plagiarizes. Often caught between desire and duty, guilt and resentment, these characters discover what it means to get lost in love, and do what it takes to find themselves again.
Utterly singular and wholly unforgettable, Emma Duffy-Comparone's stories manage to be slyly, wickedly funny at even their darkest turns and herald the arrival of an irreverent and dazzling new voice.
I am giving Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.
Until my next post, happy reading!!
