Archives for September 2016

REVIEW • Jenny’s Murder (Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter)

September 19, 2016 Leave a Comment

Ghostly Echoes

Jenny Cavanaugh, the ghostly lady of 926 Augur Lane, has enlisted the investigative services of her fellow residents to solve a decade-old murder–her own. Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, dive into the cold case, starting with a search for Jenny’s fiancé, who went missing the night she died. But when a new, gruesome murder closely mirrors the events of ten years prior, Abigail and Jackaby realize that Jenny’s case isn’t so cold after all.

Fantasy and folklore mix with mad science as Abigail’s race to unravel the mystery leads her across the cold cobblestones of nineteenth-century New England, down to the mythical underworld, and deep into her colleagues’ grim histories to battle the most deadly foe she has ever faced.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Algonquin Young Readers for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “Mr. Jackaby’s cluttered office spun around me.”

William Ritter does it again! Ghostly Echoes tops the previous books, and has become my favorite book of the series. *round of applause!*

In Ghostly Echoes, Lead supernatural investigator, R. F. Jackaby, and his assistant, Abigail Rook, are getting to the bottom of a cold case—a decade-old murder of the ghostly inhabitant of 926 Augur Lane, Jenny Cavanaugh. A string of murders have caught Jackaby and Abigail’s attention; they’re very similar to Jenny’s and her fiancé’s death and disappearance. As they investigate the new murders, they find themselves encountering a vampire, missing wives, lost souls, ferryman of Hell, and a big bad that had been building itself for a decade (and possibly longer).

Before you read any further about the goodness of Ghostly Echoes, please tell me you have read the previous two Jackaby books. Please! If you haven’t, here are my reasons why you should read Jackaby (the first book of the series).

Letters

SINCERELY, CEE | A letter from yours truly to Neal Shusterman & Scythe

September 18, 2016 Comment : 1

**Dear Neal Shusterman & Scythe,**

[quote cite=”Goodreads” url=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28954189-scythe”]In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives.[/quote]

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW • The Lewis and Clark Father-Son Journey (The Courage Test by James Preller)

September 14, 2016 Comment : 1

the-courage-test

Will has no choice. His father drags him along on a wilderness adventure in the footsteps of legendary explorers Lewis and Clark–whether he likes it or not. All the while, Will senses that something about this trip isn’t quite right.

Along the journey, Will meets fascinating strangers and experiences new thrills, including mountain cliffs, whitewater rapids, and a heart-hammering bear encounter.

It is a journey into the soul of America’s past, and the meaning of family in the future. In the end, Will must face his own, life-changing test of courage.

A father-and-son journey along the Lewis and Clark Trail–from Fort Mandan to the shining sea–offers readers a genre-bending blend of American history, thrilling action, and personal discovery.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Macmillan for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “My name is William Meriwether Miller. “

What better way for a father and a son to bond than to take the same journey that Lewis and Clark did? Well, it’s not what William Meriwether Miller wants to do. (Yes, he was named after the great Lewis and Clark.) He’d rather be home with his mom, playing in the All-Star baseball team, but yet, he is forced to go on a trip with his father.

Holy Mother Cover

HOLY, MOTHER COVER! US vs AUS • Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

September 12, 2016 Comments : 5

holymothercover

Inspired by What She Reads, Pure Imagination Blog, and Stacked.

I admit I’m a book cover snob. Who isn’t though?

Book covers are the first thing that attracts readers to a book. A good cover can draw someone is, just as a bad cover can easily draw someone away. It can essentially make or break a book. Holy, Mother Cover! is where I showcase the book covers that stand out (or make me cringe), and discuss cover changes.

(A big special thanks to Georgie at What She Reads for bestowing me this fabulous name and to Charlotte at The Simple Tales for creating the beautiful feature banner you see before you.)

US vs. AUS: Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow

Reviews

(ARC) REVIEW • We All Blow Up (Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer)

September 10, 2016 Comments : 2

Spontaneous

Mara Carlyle’s senior year is going as normally as could be expected, until—wa-bam!—fellow senior Katelyn Ogden explodes during third period pre-calc.

Katelyn is the first, but she won’t be the last teenager to blow up without warning or explanation. As the seniors continue to pop like balloons and the national eye turns to Mara’s suburban New Jersey hometown, the FBI rolls in and the search for a reason is on.

Whip-smart and blunt, Mara narrates the end of their world as she knows it while trying to make it to graduation in one piece. It’s an explosive year punctuated by romance, quarantine, lifelong friendship, hallucinogenic mushrooms, bloggers, ice cream trucks, “Snooze Button™,” Bon Jovi, and the filthiest language you’ve ever heard from the President of the United States.[/note]

myreview

[note note_color=”#BFD1D1″ text_color=”#ffffff”]I received this book for free from Penguin for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.[/note]

First sentence: “When Katelyn Ogden blew up in third period pre-calc, the janitor probably figured he’d only have to scrub guts off one whiteboard this year. “

When your classmates start spontaneously combusting, you have a problem on your hands. That’s what happens to Mara Carlyle and her high school.

Seniors at Covington High School are blowing up for no particular reason. Is it because of drugs? A virus? Is it a terrorist attack? A government conspiracy? What is going on? These students are subjected to medical tests, quarantine, and media attention, but nobody—not the people living in the town nor the FBI—can figure out why these students are spontaneous combusting.

Discussion

TOO MUCH TBR • September 2016

September 8, 2016 Comments : 5

too much tbr september

August was not my month for reading. I did worst than July. Because of urgent family stuff, I couldn’t focus on reading.

For those who do not know, Too Much TBR is a way to help me see which books I really need to read and tackle them. It helps a lot seeing a visual of the books on my TBR pile.

Let’s discuss what I read last month, and what I’m reading this month!

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