June Book Haul

I had a really good haul for June and I can’t wait to show you what’s coming next!

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

(Description from Amazon)

What we’ve all been waiting for! A follow up, well really a prequel, to The Hunger Games! I’m so excited to read this! I ordered it a few days ago and it should be here Friday. I loved The Hunger Games and I am so excited to see what this has to offer.

Purchase a copy here!

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. 

Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school’s junior year.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment.

Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it’s only Tavia and Effie’s unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.

(Description from Amazon)

I’ve been seeing this book all over Twitter, and I noticed that it’s based in my home state. I had to have it, and I hope it lives up to the hype.

Purchase a copy here!

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them. 

It’s 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. 

To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.

Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they can stay alive.

(Description from Amazon)

This was another book that I saw all over Twitter and Instagram and I decided to give it a go. The story sounds interesting, but the hype is what gives me faith. A few of the book bloggers I follow reviewed this one and gave it a high ranking.

Purchase a copy here!

The Ritual by Adam Nevill

When four old University friends set off into the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle, they aim to briefly escape the problems of their lives and reconnect with one another. But when Luke, the only man still single and living a precarious existence, finds he has little left in common with his well-heeled friends, tensions rise. With limited experience between them, a shortcut meant to ease their hike turns into a nightmare scenario that could cost them their lives. Lost, hungry, and surrounded by forest untouched for millennia, Luke figures things couldn’t possibly get any worse. But then they stumble across an old habitation.

Ancient artefacts decorate the walls and there are bones scattered upon the dry floors. The residue of old rites and pagan sacrifice for something that still exists in the forest. Something responsible for the bestial presence that follows their every step. As the four friends stagger in the direction of salvation, they learn that death doesn’t come easy among these ancient trees . . .

(Description from Amazon)

This one probably sounds familiar because we talked about it either last week or the week before. (Turns out it was a longer while ago than I thought, but here’s the link) I watched the movie based off this book and it was awesome. But, I didn’t know there was a book and now that I do I couldn’t resist ordering it.

Purchase a copy here!

Devolution by Max Brooks

Set in the wilds of Washington State, Greenloop was once a model eco-community—until nature’s wrath made it a tragic object lesson in civilization’s fragility.

Offering a glorious back-to-nature experience with all the comforts of high-speed Internet, solar smart houses, and the assurance of being mere hours from Seattle by highway, Greenloop was indeed a paradise—until Mount Rainier erupted, leaving its residents truly cut off from the world, and utterly unprepared for the consequences. With no weapons and their food supplies dwindling, Greenloop’s residents slowly realized that they were in a fight for survival.

And as the ash swirled and finally settled, they found themselves facing a specter none of them could have predicted—or even thought possible. . . .

In these pages, Max Brooks brings to light the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own investigations into the massacre that followed and the legendary beasts behind it. If what Kate saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

(Description from Amazon)

Another name that should sound familiar, Max Brooks. Last Friday I talked about his book World War Z. He did such a fantastic job with his zombie narrative that I’d be a fool not to check out Devolution. I preordered it and I should be getting my copy next Tuesday, I’m so excited!

Purchase a copy here!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Kline

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He’s tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

(Description from Amazon)

So here’s the thing, I had finished this post at Devolution originally, well five minute later I purchased this book and had to go and add it to this list. This is one I’ve seen literally everywhere, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Well I read about it and I couldn’t resist, so cheers to me purchasing The House in the Cerulean Sea!

Purchase a copy here!

Do you have any new books you’re going to be reading in June? Or have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments.

Also, if you feel the burning desire to purchase one or all of these books like I did, please do me and my blog a huge favor and use our affiliate links. We will get a portion of the proceeds at no extra cost to you.

Book Review: The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai

Jeremy is a character with a lot of heart. He will do anything to help his mother, and his loyalty is unrivaled.

Jeremy’s mother is about to go to prison for their debt to the State. He is trying everything within his means to save her, but his options are running out fast. 

Then Jeremy discovers a treasure under Paris. 

This discovery may save his mother, but it doesn’t come for free. And he has to ride over several obstacles for his plan to work. 

Meanwhile, something else is limiting his time…

(Description from Amazon)

The Bridge of Little Jeremy paints a beautiful picture of Paris. I love how the descriptions of the landscape and how the natural beauty lays the perfect background for a story about a painter. You can feel the setting come to life and create the world around us. Jeremy has a beautiful home and the perfect place to hone his painting skill.

Also, Jeremy is a kind and caring character. I loved how brave and strong willed he was, his personality is perfectly complimented by his guard dog Leon. The character dynamic between them is beautiful and realistic. They have the true bond of a kid and his dog. I feel like the author picked up on how a kid and dog would interact and did a great job of illustrating that through writing. Their relationship was my favorite part of this book.

The pacing of this novel is very slow. While I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of Paris, in some places I felt like I was reading a travel book instead of a fiction novel. The pace sometimes slows to an almost halt and makes it difficult to keep reading. Luckily, I was able to keep reading because the stakes were high enough to force me to pursue the ending. This novel could have been about 50 pages less due to over descriptive scenes and also the repetitive nature of Jeremy’s thoughts. This was probably my least favorite part. Siphoning through Jeremy’s constant repetition of stress was a bit daunting and unnecessary. I understand that that’s how stress works in the real world, but it could’ve been executed in a way that doesn’t slow the plot so much.

Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but the moms complete unwillingness to let Jeremy partake in technology was irritating. She didn’t have internet for him to use in the beginning of the story, even though he’s presumably homeschooled. That just seems really strange and unrealistic. The homeschool students I know completely rely on the internet to do their school work. I don’t completely disagree with this next part, but Jeremy’s mom also has a weird thing against Jeremy having social media. I understand not allowing your kids to have social media, but this novel gave me the feeling that the mom felt like technology was evil, and the novel does kind of villianize it a bit.

This book also seems like it needs a more thorough edit. The language is wonky in some areas and it seemed like words got misconstrued. It damages the flow of the novel because any time something odd showed up I stopped reading to figure out the issue.

I really wanted this novel to end in a way that made me fall in love with the novel, but it didn’t. The ending felt abrupt and out of place. Jeremy does all this work and the ending just blows that all up. I won’t give too much detail because I don’t want to spoil it.

In all of this, Jeremy and his dog Leon are great characters in a novel that could use more developing.

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I give The Bridge of Little Jeremy 2/5 stars. But, don’t just take my word for it. Go check out Goodreads because there are plenty of positive reviews that oppose mine.

If you decide you want to purchase a copy and decide for yourself you can follow this link, and I will get a portion of the proceeds at no extra cost to you.

Movie Review Monday: Contagion

This is the most realistic representation of a pandemic that I have ever seen. This movie is what it would be like if we multiplied the intensity of COVID-19 by at least three (unprofessional opinion).

*I’m going to stop right here and let anyone who is freaked out about the virus leave before I say any more. I’d also like to say watching and reading these kinds of things help me cope with the outbreak, and I’m not trying to be insensitive, and I apologize if this review offends anyone*

Contagion follows the rapid progress of a lethal airborne virus that kills within days. As the fast-moving epidemic grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself. At the same time, ordinary people struggle to survive in a society coming apart.

(Description from Rotten Tomatoes)

This review is going to be in the lens of comparison to COVID-19 because I feel like the best way to review this movie is as a contrast to real life. I will say that the similarities are very shocking and this movie left me on the edge of my seat.

The movie opens with this amazing sequence showing how many surfaces infected people touch, and the amount of people they come into contact with. This was the best way to open this movie because that is exactly how a pandemic starts. You don’t realize how much of the world around you you share with other people, complete strangers. Most people don’t realize that you touch your face between 2-3,000 times a day. Contagion points that out in the beginning and creates a very realistic scenario. With these facts, the movie also shows the populations of the places where the infection is spreading, and that alone gives you an idea of the dangers of a pandemic.

The first real world scenario that hit me was a demonstration of the potentially unsanitary conditions of a fish market. It was announced in my home county just 2 days ago that a local fish market has experienced an outbreak and we went from around 20 cases to over 160. We are currently in phase 1 of re-opening and I’m hoping with this insane outbreak we will slide back into full quarantine. It is so real and scary, we were doing so well, but a tiny mistake can cause a huge impact.

I’d like to add that the acting in this movie is phenomenal. Gwyneth Paltrow does such a fantastic job of being patient zero, and her end is so paralyzing. She creates a moment of horror that I can’t explain with words. As always Matt Damon does an amazing job too, he is the perfect illustration of a frightened parent going through extreme loss.

I think the most important message of this movie is the struggle of health professionals. They are at high risk of getting sick, they have to battle local government, and they have to communicate with all other infected communities. I could never work in the medical field, and I can’t imagine what they’re going through with COVID-19. There is also the fact that the CDC has to combat homeopathic advocates that are pushing product for money. This is shown through a battle with a blogger with a huge following who claims that there is a cure but the government is hiding it. If you look around you will find someone doing that today. It’s a hard thing to fight and unfortunately a lot of good people fall for it. I thought it was great for this movie to make a point of that.

I know this review has been a lot of doom and gloom, so I’d like to touch on a few areas of positivity. We get to see the lengths that doctors and health advocates will go to to help those in need. This can sometimes shed a bad light on them, but they are still trying to do the best for those around them. It gives doctors a heart and face instead of just a title. It’s a humanizing movie.

Contagion also sheds light on changing family dynamics, and how sometimes tragedy can bring people together. We as humans have a tendency to make the best of every situation, because what other choice do we have? The specific situation I’m referring to in this movie is when the dad (Matt Damon) throws his daughter a quarantine prom. That scene reminded me of life today. People are having social distanced or e-graduations, birthdays, and weddings. It’s a scary but beautiful time to be alive, because humans are human, and we’ll do anything to create happiness.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Contagion is easily a 5 star movie, but don’t take my opinion, watch it yourself.

You can rent Contagion here, I will get a portion of the proceeds at no extra cost to you.

Would you watch a pandemic movie in a pandemic? Have you seen Contagion? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Book Review: The Book Of Moons by K.M. Herbert

The Book Of Moons is a story about Irish travelers, their struggles, and a little bit of magic.

Sixteen-year-old Kathy is on the run from a convent orphanage. She must reach Dublin to find her best friend but she’s woken up in an Irish Traveller camp, miles from anywhere. Her only chance of getting to the city is with their help, but for that, she needs to become one of them.

Kathy has until the next full moon to find a talent and prove herself worthy. She enlists the help of a gifted young fiddler named Heath. But the others have become suspicious of Kathy, made worse by the disaster that follows in her wake. Only the matriarch of the clan seems to believe in Kathy’s potential.

Time is running out for Kathy as she races across Ireland, along the way encountering fairy forts, changelings and tinkers. And while she tries their gifts of fortune telling and palmistry, nothing seems to work for her – until she discovers the Book of Moons.

The best part of this novel is learning about Irish culture. I don’t know a lot about Irish tradition, even though my dads side of my family is Irish, so it was fun to learn something about myself along the way. I never knew that there were Irish travelers, and that they were so similar to Gypsies. This book also does a good job of mixing mythology and magic into the story. It’s subtle and the author leaves it up to you to determine if it’s real or not.

We’re introduced to a cast of characters that are very different than the main character. She is what’s considered a settler while they’re travelers. They know the way of the world while she is ignorant to anything outside her orphanage. It creates these point of contention for Kathy that are intense for someone so young. All of the characters have their own unique personalities and almost all of them are a new obstacle for Kathy to overcome. Using the characters themselves as the tension in the story was a great choice.

I loved the tone of this novel, it’s hauntingly beautiful. It creates a perfect balancing act between happy and sad. You can’t expect to feel one emotion for too long while reading this. The main character experiences a lot of tragedy but also great successes. The rollercoaster ride feels real.

I’d also like to talk about this quote that I love, it goes,

“You have to follow the words if you want to tell the story,”

I love that the author chose to include this, because it creates a self-awareness in the novel, but it also leaves an opening for the main characters future. To me it felt like very subtle foreshadowing. It was a good touch.

Something I hate is when a novel relies too much on the ‘race against time’ plot device to move a story along, but The Book Of Moons didn’t do that. It was a factor but it wasn’t the sole motivator, and I admired the authors ability to use multiple points of tension. The story doesn’t rely too heavily on any plot devices, and I think that’s awesome and difficult to achieve. This novel could also be classifies as a coming-of-age or the outsiders tale, but the book never becomes a stereotypical telling of these devices. It’s unique and displays a lot of different techniques.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I give The Book Of Moons 5/5 stars. Id like to thank the author for reaching out to me and giving me a copy of the book to review, I enjoyed it immensely.

If you’d like to buy your own copy of The Book Of Moons click on this link, I will get a portions of the profits at no extra cost to you.

Fave Five Friday: Zombie Books

I have read a ton of zombie books, they’re a weakness I have. In fact, I’m working on writing one right now. There is something about zombies that fascinates me, I could watch a zombie movie or read a zombie novel at any time, and it takes a really special zombie story to freak me out. Without further ado here are my top 5 zombie books.

5. The Enemy by Charlie Higson

Charlie Higson’s The Enemy is the first in a jaw-dropping zombie horror series for teens. Everyone over the age of fourteen has succumbed to a deadly zombie virus and now the kids must keep themselves alive. When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician – every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they’re fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city – down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground – the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there – alive?

(Description from Amazon)

As many of you know I love the Young James Bond series, well The Enemy series is by the same author, Charlie Higson. I don’t exactly remember how I came across these books, I was probably looking for the next YJB installment and saw them, but they’re awesome. I made it through the first two in the series and I just haven’t had the time since, and I’d like to add that my dad LOVES these books. He’s talked about them for years at this point. They’re fun and scary, plus they take on a different perspective of zombies.

4. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman

Rick Grimes is not prepared for this. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family he must now sort through the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son.

(Description from Amazon)

If you haven’t heard of The Walking Dead, and you’re a zombie fan, you probably live under a rock. The Walking Dead exploded into popularity thanks to its very successful TV show. I was one of those people who started reading the graphic novels because of the show. They do mean it when they say the books are better, even though the show is already phenomenal.

I would say that The Walking Dead captures the essence of zombie story-telling. It’s exactly what you’d expect a zombie story to be, but it’s also unique in its own ways.

3. World War Z by Max Brooks

We survived the zombie apocalypse, but how many of us are still haunted by that terrible time? We have (temporarily?) defeated the living dead, but at what cost? Told in the haunting and riveting voices of the men and women who witnessed the horror firsthand, World War Z is the only record of the pandemic.

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet.

He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

(Description from Amazon)

World War Z is the scariest zombie book I have read by far. Mostly because it reads like a real historical document, and because the zombies are so terrifyingly smart. Imagine, I Am Legend (even though those are vampires) mixed with 28 Days Later, that’s what the zombies are like. I read this book right before the movie came out, and while I enjoyed the movie, the book is a 1,000 times scarier. It’s definitely a must-read if you’re in to horror.

2. The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her “our little genius.”
Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.
The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end.

(Description from Amazon)

If you’ve been around my blog for a little while you’ll probably recognize this title. I wrote a rave review about it a little bit ago, and it has a fantastic movie to accompany it.

I’ve actually just picked up the prequel The Boy On The Bridge, I’ll talk about that more in a few days when I do my June Book Haul.

1. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn’t want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

(Description from Amazon)

Rot & Ruin is my all time favorite. I was absolutely addicted to these books and now they have such a lovely nostalgia factor. They may not be the scariest or the most complex, but they have the humanity.

This book is a fantastic coming of age novel with tragedy around every corner, and characters that will win your heart. I think I read these for the first time at the perfect age. I was around 14 and these really spoke to me, and they really opened me up to the zombie genre. They deserve to be way more popular than they are, and a TV series would be amazing.

Do you love zombie stories too? What are some of your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: Eagle of the Empire by Martin Ferguson

The Relic Hunters series is what you’d get if you combined the Young James Bond series, Indiana Jones, and National Treasure. It’s a YA adventure that you won’t want to miss!

RELIC HUNTERS: EAGLE OF THE EMPIRE

When his brother mysteriously disappears, sixteen-year-old Adam Hunter discovers that the myths and legends he was told as a boy have more truth to them than he ever thought possible.

To free his brother, Adam must uncover the truth about the lost Roman Ninth Legion and find its fabled Eagle Standard, an artefact of mysterious mythical power. Adam calls on the help of the British Museum, a team of quirky Relic Hunters, skilled in recovering and protecting relics around the world. 

They need to act fast for they are not the only ones searching for the relic.

To save the life of his brother, Adam and his allies will face an immortal tyrant who seeks to claim the Eagle of the Empire for himself, and with it, bring the world to its knees.

Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love archeological adventures. Indiana Jones was my absolute favorite as a child, and this series feels like the next step. Eagle of the Empire is just the first stepping stone in this action packed series.

The adventure starts with one small sentence,

“Do not let this fall into the wrong hands.”

From that point on I was hooked. This book is an adrenaline shot from the very beginning, and it keeps its fast paced tone without becoming confusing or muddled. I love when a story kicks it into high gear and is able to maintain that speed, that’s exactly how an adventure story should be. It kept my heart racing and I loved that.

The protagonists are excellent, even though you aren’t sure whether you can trust some of them. I love how the author is able to build such a diverse cast of heroes with their own desires and flaws. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s incredibly important to create three dimensional characters. There’s nothing I hate more than cardboard cutout characters who only exist in the background for the main character to interact with. This book absolutely nails dynamic characters.

I also enjoyed how it flashes from present to past between Adam and The Centurion of Ancient Rome. Usually these kinds of books build history through discovery of artifacts, but this one gives you a first hand account of the past. I loved viewing the gladiatorial arenas through a gladiators eyes. Honestly it reminded me of the Gladiator movie, which I also love. The switch from past to present is smooth and it adds even more depth to the story.

I mentioned earlier how this book reminded me of National Treasure, this is why:

“You want to infiltrate the Vatican?’ Charles asks after a moment of silence. ‘You want to infiltrate one of the most heavily guarded structures in the world? In the very heart of Rome it is its own country, possessing its own army and is home to the Pope himself.”

I love the high-stakes of this book, and the bar only keeps getting higher and higher as we progress. There’s so much to lose and it really creates the tone you need for this kind of story.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Maybe I’m a sucker for adventure novels, but this is easily a five star read in my eyes.

A huge thank you to Martin Ferguson for reaching out to me. As soon as I’m caught up on my reviews I’ll be reading what happens next!

Would you like a copy of Eagle of the Empire? If you purchase a copy using this link I will get a portion of the proceeds at no extra cost to you.

Have you heard of this series before? Does it sound interesting? Let me know in the comments.

May Book Review Wrap Up

The Memory Thief byLauren Mansy

The Memory Thief was the first book of this month and while it was a fun read, it was missing core elements that would make it a great books. Find my full review here.

Deviously Sincere by Alayna Hallward

This book was a stupendous read. It’s a dark mystery about a Jack The Ripper style killer. It ended up being one of the best reads of the month. Here’s the review.

Complete Darkness by Matt Adcock

Complete Darkness is a middle of the road level novel with entertaining sequences of violence and sci-fi world building. You can find my full review here.

May by Kelli Green

May was a surprisingly excellent novel that was out of my comfort zone. It had a lot to say and earned my highest recommendation. Here’s my review.

Heir of Ashes by Jina S. Bazzar

While this novel wasn’t perfect it leaves room for what comes next in the series, and I strongly look forward to it. Check out my review.

Magic by Mike Russell

Magic was another pleasant surprise. This novel put a smile on my face and was so unique that it’s unforgettable. Check out my full review here.

The Curse by Jina S. Bazzar

The Curse is a companion novella to Heir of Ashes, and it does a good job of expanding the universe and answering questions. It’s a necessary read if you’d like to enter this paranormal world. Here’s the review.

The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy

The Fiery Crown is a sequel to The Orchid Throne that entirely lives up to its predecessor. I was very pleased with the second installment and I can’t wait to see what happens in the third. Here’s the link to my review.

Watchers by Craig Priestley

This was a very interesting and fun read. I enjoyed every explosive minute of it, and the author is awesome. I highly recommend you get a copy. Here’s a full review.

I think my favorite book of this month was The Fiery Crown, because I was so excited to re-enter Jeffe Kennedy’s world, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Now that May is wrapped up I can’t wait to see what we have in store for June!

Dear Followers, Be Safe

I held my son in my arms today and watched the world catch on fire as we protested the horrible killing of George Floyd. Curfews have been put in place across the nation to prevent protestors from being heard, and our citizens have been gassed and shot with rubber bullets. It’s been a sad couple days in history, and I can only say that I’m standing with the people of this wonderful country, and Black lives will always matter to me.

So please, my lovely followers, be safe. If you’re protesting do everything you can to stay in one piece. I intend on protesting in 2 days and I’m already worried, but this is something I have to do, we have to do.

Let’s make history.

Movie Review Monday: Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep is the continuation of Danny Torrance’s story 40 years after the terrifying events of Stephen King’s The Shining. Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the “shine.” Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality.

Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or-death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before-at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.

(Description from Rotten Tomatoes)

First of all, The Shining is my all-time favorite horror movie. It has an artistic quality that you don’t see anymore, and Doctor Sleep is a lot different than The Shining. I don’t think another horror movie will quite capture that feeling again. So, while this is a continuation it feels like a different genre of horror movie.

Doctor Sleep takes on a whole different idea than being trapped in a hotel with spirits, it’s about Danny and how he is able to shine, like many others. I like how this movie takes on the world instead of one location, it expands the Stephen King universe and gives it a place of its own. It’s a very ambitious film and it does a good job.

The acting is also phenomenal for the most part. The only actor I thought wasn’t good was the child actor they brought in to play young Danny Torrence, his acting was cheesy. But, the rest of the child actors were amazing. They picked Ewan McGregor to play grown-up Danny, and he did an awesome job. The new characters came to life and fit in to the Stephen King universe easily.

They kept with the theme of being more freaky than outright terrifying. What I mean by that is they focused more on the human aspect with flickers of the spirits haunting them. A lot of scary movies rely on the ghosts or monster to be scary, but the scariest creatures in this movie are Rose and her gang, who are arguably human. Don’t get me wrong there are definitely freaky ghosts, they just don’t require them to be as scary as you’d expect.

I will say that this movie is painfully long. I understand that it’s so they can wrap up all the lose ends and make it feel complete, but they definitely could have accomplished that with a shorter run-time. It feels like you’re creeping along when you should be running in some places. It loses its momentum here and there but it was still an interesting movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I give Doctor Sleep 4/5 stars. It’s not the same as The Shining but it’s a pretty good sequel.

Looking to rent Doctor Sleep? Follow this link and I will get a portion of the profits with no extra cost to you.

June Goals

This month I was able to surpass 2,000 total followers, in June I’d like to be at 3,000. This improvement has been huge for me. A couple months ago I was at 200 solid followers with no solid post schedule. But now I’ve surpassed my own expectations and I even have a dedicated readership.

My second goal is to beat my highest amount of views in one day. My current count is 163, if I could get even one view higher I’d be ecstatic.

My last goal is to put out more book reviews in June than I have in past months. My goal for May was 2 book reviews a week, but I’d like to push that number to three in June. The whole purpose of my blog is reviewing and I’d like that to be my main focus with a book tag or an interview here and there.

What are your goals for the month of June? Let me know in the comments!

No Regular Post Again

Hey everyone. I’m not feeling very good today and I think it’s best if I take the weekend and spend it with my family. I’m really feeling the woes of the world and I’m just not in it.

If you have been affected by the pandemic or if you’ve been hurt by the riots in Minneapolis my heart goes out to you. I hope that the US is able to figure it out before protestors are needlessly killed. Be strong and stand up for what you believe in.

I tried to at least stick with a book theme and I found an article: The Power of the People: 9 Protest Books You Have to Read Right Now. I’ve not read any of these so I can’t vouch for how good they are, but if you’re in a protesting type of mood they might be for you.

Fave Five Friday: Fictional Places

Have you ever read about a fictional place and thought to yourself, I wish I could be there? Well here’s my top five places I wish I could visit.

5. Camp Half-Blood in Percy Jackson

If you’ve read the Percy Jackson series you know what I’m talking about. There are woods to explore, a beach, obstacle courses, and so much more. It’s a magical summer camp and it looks like it would be a lot of fun. Also, I took the quiz that designated which cabin/God I would belong to, and I got Poseidon! Heck yeah, I’d be roomies with Percy himself! That’s the dream.

4. Varenia in Crown of Coral and Pearl

I would love to see Varenia in it’s prime, but not when the events of Crown of Coral and Pearl take place. It’s a beautiful place with houses built on top of the tropical waters. You can dive off of your porch and into the beautiful blue below. It’s warm and you can sustain yourself through fishing and trading pearls. In Varenia, beauty is everything, so they keep their home as beautiful as possible. I’d love to visit and swim in their waters for a day.

3. The Isle of Skye in The House of Night series.

So, the Isle of Skye is a real place in Scotland, but in The House of Night it’s a mystical place ran by the Queen Sgiach, and it contains ancient fey magic plus so much more. The isle has a hanging tree where people go to tie yellow cloth and make wishes, especially lovers tying their fates together. On the isle there is also a beautiful castle where the Queen Sgiach teaches her pupils. I always thought it would be awesome to visit and learn from her.

The Shire in Lord of the Rings

The Hobbits of The Shire live a slow and peaceful life. Their daily activities mostly include, light farming, eating, smoking, drinking, and reading. It sounds like the perfect life. The Shire itself has it’s homes set inside the hills with funky round doors, and the land is a lush green. There’s a pub for the locals to celebrate in, and problems almost never penetrate the quiet Shire greenery. I love the idea of living in a place that’s peaceful and quaint. I could get so much reading done in a place like The Shire.

Hogwarts in Harry Potter

Hogwarts is the ultimate fantasy location. You could do something different everyday. I would want to explore everything, from the Room of Requirement to the Forbidden Forest. The castle is huge and there are endless mysteries, not to mention I could learn magic. There is always something fun, and dangerous, happening at Hogwarts. I think I’d get up to a lot of mischief because I was sorted into Gryffindor on Pottermore. On top of all the places I could explore, there’s the beauty of the place itself. The Hogwarts grounds have their own forest and their own lake, with a giant squid. The place is beautiful in every season and I wish I could see it in real life.

That’s my list of Fave Five Fictional Places, what are yours? Let me know in the comments.

Stay At Home Book Tag

Happy Thursday everyone! I was tagged by @ Mad’s Books and this looks like a really fun book tag.

Laying in bed — A book you read in one day

I read If I Stay in one sitting and it was such a sad book. My friend bought this for me for Christmas a few years ago because she absolutely loved it, and thought I would too. It was a good book but it isn’t one of my favorites. I have the sequel but I’ve never picked it up, it’s gathering dust on my bookshelf.

If you like The Fault in Our Stars I think you would like this book because it gave me the same kind of vibes. This one has a little bit of a happier ending though.

There’s also a movie that looked good, but I’ve never watched it. It has Chloë Grace Moretz in it, so I’m sure the acting is top notch, maybe I’ll watch it and do a movie review.

Snacking – A book that is a ‘guilty pleasure’ read

Honestly, I love Pretty Little Liars. The show and the books are way over the top and a little ridiculous, but they’re fun. I even got my boyfriend into the show with me.

If I need something to read purely for entertainment purposes, I’ll pick these up and take a read. These are the type of YA that all the pretentious readers talk bad about, but I think they’re great.

These books are also part of the rare few where I think the show is actually better. They got a great cast to play in that show and it totally outshines the books, but I still enjoy the books.

Who doesn’t love a good teen drama?

Netflix — A series that you want to start

I have had this book on my shelf for so long! It sounds really interesting I’ve just never picked it up. I’ve only heard good things about these books so I feel like I have to read them.

I was working at a bookstore when this series got really big, and they were flying off the shelves. I remember having to wait to get my hands on the first in the series because it had become so popular. But, for some reason it got lost in my bookshelf.

When I’ve beat down my TBR a little bit I’ll have to dust this one off. Or I’ll just add it to the massive TBR stack, because we all know that list will probably never get smaller 😅

Deep clean — A book that has been on your TBR for ages

This poor book has been sitting on my shelf for 3-4 years now. I actually read around the first 50 pages, but it was right in the middle of when I was taking finals, so I never got around to finishing it. It was a good story and the main character was a badass, but it got thrown to the wayside.

I think I’ll actually go find this one and pull it off the shelf, that way I’m forced to at least pick it up again.

It’s a retelling of Vlad The Impaler, I really shouldn’t need that much of a push to pick this one up again. This is the kind of historical fiction that I find most fascinating.

Animal Crossing — A book you recently bought because of the hype

The hype for The Power has definitely died down, but the fact that it was an Obama pick and it was held in such high regard by The New York Times definitely inspired me to pick it up.

I read this book and reviewed it. It definitely lived up to the hype. The Power is an important novel for this day and age, so if you’re thinking about picking it up, do it.

FaceTime — A book you were gifted

My dad bought me a copy of Severance because I asked him to. It was a mistake, I hate this book. Here’s a review and let’s pretend like I didn’t read it.

Self-care — What is one thing you have done recently to look after yourself

I’ve made sure that I stay sane, and blogging has been a really good outlet for that. I’ve been going a little stir crazy, but being able to reach out to the writing community has been awesome for my mental health. Blogging keeps me busy and I’m still able to retain a little bit of a social life through talking to other bloggers on Twitter.

BONUS — An upcoming release you are looking forward to

I’ve talked about The Only Good Indians a few times now, and I’m still so hyped for this book. There aren’t a lot of hyped up Native American authors, especially in the horror genre, and I am so excited for this.

I actually started reading Mongrels by this author and it is so good so far. It’s just making me more excited for The Only Good Indians.

I tag anyone who would like to participate.