Book Review: The Long Game-Fixer #2

Thursday, April 7, 2016




Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

Review: 
I am really glad that I had a chance to participate in another Around the World ARC Tours with this book. I enjoyed the story and it is the second book in the series. If you haven't read the first here is the link to my review of it. 

In this one, we are again reunited with Tess in DC. As I mentioned before in my other reviews, I love the setting for this book because it is 'home' for me. In this book, we see Tess who is helping to run one of her classmates campaigns for student council. I don't want to spoil anything, but sometimes information comes out. In addition, to the story that Tess has going on, the President's son shows up to talk with her sister. We see her sister using her "Fixer' skills again to resolve the issue that is going on behind the scenes.

The best selling point for these books is the plot. The author does a good job of keeping things moving and I appreciate that. You have to read the whole book to get the story, but you get a resolution and I appreciate that.

These books were both marketed to me as a book revision of Scandal, the TV show. I think it is a good way to go about it because I can see the similarities between the two. I enjoyed the book and I recommend it.

Happy Reading!

Reading Recap



Hi Everyone!

It's been awhile since I reported out on the books that I have been reading lately, so I wanted to share with you all a brief update! 

All Better Now
A memoir of Emily's life and set of stories that go along with it. This book was a story of a childhood that was not easy. I thought that the writer wrote in a manner that was easy to read, even though the topics were not always ones that were easy to read about. I appreciated the vulnerability that she shared in each page and story. The book was one that an interesting read.

 Trespassing Across America
If you are interested in hiking and/or climate change, this is probably the book for you. In this book we get to tag along with Ken who hikes across North America. When doing so, he encounters the many faces of North America and a number of unique situations. The book is filled with stories that make you question the earth around you and how we take care of it. I enjoyed the book.

 The Love That Split the World
This one was a fantasy, time shifting novel that I had anticipated reading since I saw it was first coming out. I enjoyed the characters and the quest of the main character. However, I do have to say that there are a couple of passages I had to read a couple of times to prevent confusion. The book is detailed and has beautiful imagery. I enjoyed the story.

LumberJanes Vol.3

I have been waiting for this book for months and it did not disappoint! Another great read with beautiful illustrations. I love this series and I appreciate the creativity in these stories. I loved that there were a variety of 'ghost stories' and you got to see a number of styles included in this book. If you haven't read a graphic novel, this is a great series to pick up!

Rat Queens Vol. 3
The illustrations were wonderful in this volume. I am always amazed at the talent. The stories were good, but didn't quite captivate me as much as some of the prior stories. That said, I did enjoy it very much. I love the adventures that the Rat Queens go on and it always keeps you wanting to keep reading! Disclaimer: this one does have some adult content.

Allegiant
The third book in the Divergent Trilogy. Without saying too much, I know what had to happen and I get why it did but why did it have to. I enjoyed this one as much as the other two and appreciate the series very much. I read this one with my husband and I am glad that I finally took the time to do so. It is jam packed with adventure!

Magical Monarch of Mo

A book by the talented Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz. In this book we had another chance to visit one of his world's. I enjoyed this version of the book because of the illustrations. Quirky at times, I enjoyed being taken on another adventure. 

 What have you been reading lately?







Happy Reading!

Book Review: When We Collided



Author: Emery Lord

Review: 
I am really glad that I had a chance to participate in another Around the World ARC Tours with this book. I enjoyed the story and is probably one of the best books that I have read this year.

In this book, we get to see the romance develop between two main characters, Vivi and Jonah. They're are a number of other characters as well, but the story centers on them. When Vivi moves to town, there is something about her that draws Jonah in.

However, things are not as simple as they look. Jonah is dealing with some situations at home, Vivi is dealing with the realities of her own life. The relationship between them is complex but the chemistry you can tell is very real.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book is the characters. The plot was fairly straight forward, but I felt like you could feel the emotions of the characters. This book had some ups and downs, but that made it an enjoyable read for me.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a contemporary romance. I enjoyed the story very much and I am looking forward to the chance to read other books by this author.

Happy Reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday: Rat Queens Vol. 3

Wednesday, April 6, 2016


Photo Credit: Amazon
 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week I am excited to feature a follow up to a series that I have been enjoying and one that I pre-ordered:


Rat Queens: Volume 3

  
Publish Date: April 19, 2016


Description from Amazon:  Having survived the end of the world, the Queens follow Hannah back to where it all began: Mage University. A long perilous journey awaits the Rat Queens as they attempt to find out what happened to Hannah's father while battling their own demons.

Collects RAT QUEENS #11-15



Have you read any of the Rat Queens books? 

Happy Reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish People To Follow

Tuesday, April 5, 2016



Hi Everyone! 

Just stopping by with another Top Ten Tuesday!  This week's topic is Top Ten Bookish People You Should Follow. I really like this topic because it gives me a chance to highlight some of the wonderful people that exist in the book community. I have noticed that some of my suggestions also write about not only books, but other items as well. None the less, they are worth checking out!

YouTube
Max at Well Done Books
He does an excellent job of reviewing books in a way that makes you think about what you read in a thoughtful way.

Jessica at Peace Luv Books
I like that she is upbeat. I also follow her blog, but I tend to pay more attention to her videos. I like that she has a cute dog, she does makeup hauls, and discusses books too!

Another You Tube/Blogger person who just does a very thoughtful job at her reviews. I love her blog posts and I can tell she has alot to share and offer the community. She is one of the hosts of the #LoveAThon that happens in Feb. every year as well.

Kristina Horner
She vlogs about all sorts of things, but my favorites are when she talks about books and Nanowrimo!

Bloggers
Melissa Merryland Girl
A local person who I met through blogging. We have so much in common. I love getting recommendations from her! She never leads me down a bad path.

Another friendly person I have loved getting to know. Not to mention have you seen how cute her dogs are? I love reading her blog. She has to be up there on my list of favorite people I have 'met' in the community!

Amber at Book Stack Amber
A blogger who is extremely professional in her posts. I love her reviews! Her blog graphics are awesome and I enjoy her posts very much.

Christina at Confessions of A Book Addict

She was one of the first bloggers I found when I started out and I love that she reads alot of the similar books that I like and enjoy. I love that she is very friendly and responsive!

Brittany at Book Addicts Guide
I love her enthusiasm for books she loves. I also love that she has launched her own Bookish candle line: Novelly Yours! She also hosts the #weeklybookstagram and Book and Beverage on her site!

Twitter
Brittany at Brittanys Book Rambles
I love participating in her #BBTC chats on Twitter. It has been fun getting to know other people and having book conversations!

Do you follow any of these people? If not, you should go do it now! They are great. :)

PS. If you're also looking for another bookish person who has awesome adventures, I would recommend checking out my in-laws blog! They have wonderful stories about what it means to be full time RVers and I am jealous of all of the fun things they get to do!

Happy Reading!

March Rewind

Saturday, April 2, 2016

 Hi Everyone,

Happy March wrap up! Spring is in the air and I am loving it. If you haven't ever done the cherry blossoms in DC, I recommend trying to come some time! That said, March was another productive month of reading for me!

I read 17 books this month! I won’t link to the reviews directly, but if you head over to the side of my blog you can sort my posts by month.
Specifically, I read:
4 Books for Review
5 Books I Own
5 Library Books
3 Extra Book3 that was based on reading with family!

They fell into the following groupings for my Challenges:
I love Libraries-3 Books
Mt. TBR-3 Books
#RockmyTBR-1 Book
Popsugar-1 books 
Read Harder-1 Book
(Some books overlap!)

Highlights of the month included:
Participating in a Buddy Read for #RockMyTBR
Participating in another Book Tour!
Participating in the #BBTC chats on Twitter
Participating in the #Takecontrol TBR Chat and Readathon
Connecting with new friends through twitter and other places!

I have to say, it turned out to be another busy month! But so much fun :)   I hope that you had a successful month of reading! What’s in your que for April?

Happy Reading!

ARC April

Friday, April 1, 2016

Hi Everyone!

I am signing up to participate in the ARC April Reading Challenge. I have set a goal to finish six ARC's in April and to obtain the silver level! I will track the information here as I go!

1. When We Collide
2. All Better Now
3. Trespassing Across America
4. The Long Game (Fixer #2)
5. What Happens in the Alps
GOAL MET! 6.  Braving It 

7.  She Poured Out Her Heart 
8.  The Lost & Found 
9.  Food and the City 
10. Liar
11. The Path
12. I Know What I Am Doing
13. Where You'll Find Me
14. The Stars of Summer
15. The Lost and Found Life of Rosy Bennett
16. Glory Over Everything

4/25 Note: I participated in the #ARCApril chat last night and it was alot of fun! The people hosting this event are awesome, so you should go follow them right now. :) They have also inspired me to want to reach the diamond level, so if  you cant find me for the 6 days it is because I have 6.5 books to finish! :)

4/29: I did it! Yes, I read 6.5 books in 4 days. It's been a little insane. All I have done is read. Literally. Every chance I had was spent reading. While that was awesome, I must return to my normally scheduled life and my husband :) Happy Reading!

Final Wrap Up: What an awesome month and a fun event! I really appreciated the 'you can do it attitude and support' that I got from this group of people. I was also at the end of April caught up on all my current ARC's through April and some of the older ones that I just hadn't got to. It feels great to clear the shelves a little bit as I am heading to Book Con in a couple weeks. I hope that they do this again and that next time you will participate too! Happy Reading! 

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For my information click the Link above and read the following!

Guidelines

ARC April, like ARC August is all about YOUR personal goal in regards to YOUR ARCs! This was made as a “low pressure” but maximum benefits kind of challenge and I really want to continue that! The only real rule for ARC April is any books you count towards the challenge MUST be an ARC. It can be an e-ARC or physical ARC. It can have a 2017 release date or an overdue date of 2010! As long as it is an ARC we won’t judge you or take that accomplishment lightly.
*Update* If you decide to read a finished copy of an expired eARC that is FINE. <b>HOWEVER</b> this is straight honor system. Meaning I am TRUSTING you to be honest that you read a finished copy of an ARC you were once granted. Ok? Ok.

The Incentive

Traditionally Shelly and I create a linky and just let you participate until your heart in content and pick a random winner from that initial sign up post. But I want to try something different this year! This year sign ups will close April 15th and there will be NO exceptions made. In addition we are going to implement a point system! Now remember the goal is to make a dent in those ARCs of yours but we understand that a prize is always a helpful way to get a goal accomplished right?! Right! So the point system will go as follows:
1-4 ARCs read for the month = The Bronze Reader Level
5-9 ARCs read for the month = The Silver Reader Level
10-15 ARCs read for the month = The Gold Reader Level
16+ ARCs read for the month = The Diamond Reader Level
Now each tier puts you in a different prize bracket.
Bronze =  Shelly & I are headed to BEA this year and I’m sure we could score some pretty cool totes and swag for this tier!
Silver = $10 Bookoutlet gift card. This is open INT!
Gold = $20 TBD gift card This is open INT!
Diamond = 1 ARC signed IF POSSIBLE of your choosing, from Book Expo America 2016. This giveaway is open INT and requires further clarity and details:
1. Authors that require a ticket MAY NOT BE SIGNED. The cost to get a ticket is really expensive and those lines are normally the craziest. We will do everything we can to get you the book of your choice signed but in the event that is not an option please understand we truly did try our best.
2. Once BEA releases the list and schedule of books that will be at BEA we will post said list here. Once a winner is selected THEN, and only then, will they be able to submit their prize request. We all hear rumors of what “might” be at BEA and I don’t want someone getting all worked up and excited about a book just for the publisher to show up and it only be a sample. Cool? Cool.
3. This is open INT. Meaning we will ship it to you no matter where you live. We will supply a tracking number but you must be PATIENT. There’s a 90% chance I won’t be able to ship it until I am back home. I will not ship anything while I am in Chicago since I have no idea if I’ll have the time.
 
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