Week 7: Readers' Square

I have wanted to read this book for awhile now and finally got around to it this past week. Winterset Hollow is a dark fantasy that takes 3 friends to the island home of a beloved children’s author. The friends make the journey as a pilgrimage to the place where the author was inspired to write their favourite epic poem about a rabbit, a frog, a fox and a bear. Once on the island they are startled to encounter these very animals living in the manor. The rabbit invites them to join in their annual Barley Day feast, to the delight of the friends. Things quickly take a turn and the friends realize these animals are not what they expect and instead are murderous and vengeful. 

Absolutely loved it! 

Bonjour, j'aimerais parler d'un livre que j'ai récemment terminé. Une nouvelle auteure pour moi. La meute alpha: Instinct primal de J. D. Tyler. Je l'ai dévoré en quelques jours. J'ai accroché de la première page jusqu’à la dernière. Je voulais lire sur les métamorphes et la romance et j'ai été servie. J'adore X 1000.  Je commence le tome 2 bientôt.

I just finished Accordion Crimes yesterday, and last night I started to read the famous Lord of the Rings.  I read the The Hobbit as a child and watched these movies, but have never read the LOTR novel.  I am borrowing a really nice 50th anniversary hardcover edition, which makes it enjoyable to read.  Fun fact, it is marketed as a trilogy, but Tolkein meant for it to be one novel comprised of six books.

I am about to read Geronimo Stilton, my daughter and I are reading Geronimo Stilton together.

good idea to read with children sometimes .

I’m so excited I have finally finished reading my summer book!! I done reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and I finished all 336 pages. It was a book that really made me think and I’m so grateful for the person that recommended it. Can’t wait to read more books like it. 

This week I am really enjoying reading The Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso. This is book 2 in her Rooks and Ruin series, and I can't put it down. It's super fast paced with not a dull moment, I love the characters and I'm excited to see where this ends up. I am a bit worried it will end up with a cliff hanger and I'll have to wait until December for book 3 to be released.  

My current read is Penpal by Dathan Auerbach. It started as a series of short stories on a Reddit forum and eventually was transformed into a book! Penpal is the story of a man investigating memories from his childhood to help him understand a terrifying event that shaped his life. I'm about halfway through and I'm enjoying it! The story is non-linear but not so much that I'm confused. I've read a fair amount of horror and this one does a good job of sprinkling in the fear instead of overwhelming the reader at every page. I find the scares are more effective when they're slowly measured out, building up the tension. I recommend this book!

This is the second book in the Blood and Ash series. I gave the first one 3 stars on Goodreads and I am giving this one 3 stars as well.

There are some big issues with this book (pacing, one-dimensional characters, pacing, repetitiveness). Although the last 1/3 of the book had some surprises, adventures nd some laughs, it doesn't quite make up for the flaws.

It is, however kind of entertaining and easy on the brain, so if you are able to overlook these issues, and you are a fan of fantasy romances, enemy-to-lovers tropes and spicy bedroom scenes, this might be for you!

I'm now about halfway through The Whisky King (it's a thick book!). I'm an easy sell on Prohibition histories in general, but this one is quite clever in the way it goes back and forth between the story of the bootlegger (the titular Whiskey King) and the Mountie who would eventually hunt him down and Cole has a bright, breezy style. He's just a touch too clever sometimes, but overall it's an engaging read.

I just finished reading the last book in the trilogy by Julie Murphy. 

Pumpkin was a great and easy read. It reminded me that everyone has their own insecurities and fears but that it only really matters what you think about yourself. Always remember to 'Go Big or Go Home!'.

I am now excited to get started on the first book in the Sweet Magnolia Series by Sherryl Woods. I actually watched the Netflix Series and then discovered that the show was based on a book series. So I am excited to compare and contrast as I make my way through the series.