When I saw that the book Nevermoor was featured on so many #bookstagram posts, I decided I should try and read the book since so many folks were raving about its genius and greatness. However, for me, this wasn't my experience.
The main character Morrigan Crow is precious in every way, with a kind heart and good intentions. However when you take the following formula: * Emotionally neglected child * Whisked away to magical school * Faced with several tests/tasks * Secret villain lurking about * Discovers magical powers within herself Is this the new formula for middle grades fantasy lit? This book contains so many elements of Harry Potter (one reviewer called the main character Harriet Potter), with a little Mary Poppins, Hunger Games, and Scythe thrown in. My feelings toward this book vary from so many readers who love this story...and the main character is PRECIOUS in every way, but it still feels like a copycat, or some would say, a Cheater Brand. (I don't plan to read the additional books in the series.) Keep On Reading !
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**CONFESSION**
If Lin Manuel Miranda wrote or touched nearly anything, I would give it a positive review. (I Love You, Lin-Manuel!) This book is a collection of his Good Morning & Good Night tweets from LMM's Twitter account, from months and months of postings. What a beautiful service he provided with sweet encouraging words each morning and good-night wishes each night. This book would be perfect if you are a teacher and presented a daily inspirational quote to the students each day (I had a teacher or two who did such things). This is a sweet and short book, full of nice affirming and encouraging words, that hopefully will help you to believe in yourself, and get your day/evening started on a happy note! (I Love You, Lin-Manuel!) I saw that this eBook was available via my library's eBook lending site, and then I saw ALL OF THE AWARDS this book has earned...and so on a whim I decided to read it. And I was hooked from page 1! In this debut "novel-in-verse" by award-winning slam poet, Elizabeth Acevedo knocked my socks off. I couldn't stop thinking about the main character, Xiomara,
The next day I was on a road trip, and discovered that The Poet X audiobook was among the titles available in my Scribd app and let me just say...the author narration...with all of the proper dialect for the Spanish language (as opposed to my butchering it while reading)...well let's just say audiobook grabbed me and pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. I am very stingy with my Goodreads Stars but this one is receiving a 5 Star Review! The author left me with a firm imprint of Xiomara and so much character development was laid out for the reader...II am truly hoping we see more of X in future books! From the publisher: National Book Award and Golden Kite Award Honor Winner! "Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about." I purchased this book from Audible, mostly because of the fantastic video promos hosted by Thandie Newton (one of my faves), and honestly...I could hear Thandie Newton read the phone book or an encyclopedia...or anything she wanted to read aloud. Her book narration is fantastic and I think I may need to listen to one of her other Audible titles to which she has lent her voice.
Restless Girls is a story based on the Grimm's Fairytales story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I have never read the Grimm's version, However, for my first introduction to the story line of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, I heard it first by listening/watching "Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses" whose script I nearly memorized when my girls were young--the movie was playing on a nonstop loop!. I didn't realize that the Barbie movie was based on the Grimm's Fairytales, and so when I began the Restless Girls audiobook, I began to wonder why the plot seemed quite familiar! Aha! From the publisher: "A dazzling, feminist reinterpretation of The Twelve Dancing Princesses...a fairytale about family, sisterhood, imagination and bravery." In the classic fairytale story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, as stories in the past have laid out, a princess is a victim and needs rescuing, frequently by a prince. Well...not this time! One of my favorite books I read my children is The Seven Chinese Sisters...for a very similar reason. Check out Restless Girls - either in audio (I Love You, Thandie!), or in hardback, released in the US on March 19! I am apparently the only person on the planet who hasn't seen Busy Philipps' Instagram stories...but after reading this book, I will definitely be following her on Instagram, and checking out her new talk show, Busy Tonight on the E! Channel (she has had some amazing guests so far). Busy is notable for being in the cast of Freaks & Geeks, Dawson's Creek, Cougar Town, among other shows and movies.
This memoir started a tad slow for me, but I still enjoyed it because the Arizona location of so many teen adventures were just down the street from where we lived back in the 1990s. I am convinced that she was hanging out with her friends within walking distance of my house! I could have been in the book! I enjoyed the book - especially the second half - and have turned from what I would perceive as a Busy Philipps acquaintance to a Busy Philipps fan (AND Insta-Follower). I listened to this celebrity memoir (shocker) using the Scribd app...and as I have previously stated...I prefer to listen to memoirs when read by their author. Busy has a lot of opinions about the male dominated entertainment business, and a fascinating story about Blades of Glory (I am still angry). Plus a few heart wrenching tales...in some chapters, you can hear her narrating through her tears on the audiobook. Busy is the real deal, and this book has made me come to the realization we need to become best friends. I wish her much success with her new talk show! Links Mentioned: www.scribd.com/ The White Queen is not my first novel by Philippa Gregory, and I would also wager that it's not my favorite either. (Sorry - The Other Boleyn Girl is still my fave!) It's not Philippa Gregory's fault - in 1400s England, there are several Edwards, Richards, and Henrys strewn about the book, and somewhere in the middle it became a bit confusing. Plus, the research for the 1400s is less abundant than the later royal archives, so therefore the author has to plug in the gaps between coronations, marriages, births, etc. Plus the battles...soo many battles! It was called War of the Roses for a reason...
I love the story about how Elizabeth Woodville became Queen, but I had to 'google' why she was called The White Queen - even after finishing I didn't know. She is called The White Queen because the House of York's Symbol was a White Rose (as compared to the House of Lancaster's symbol of the Red Rose). There is a Starz miniseries based on this book and I watched the first few episodes streaming on Amazon Prime recently - VERY WELL DONE! Let's just say that Max Irons as King Edward is royally cute... As of August 2016, Philippa Gregory lists her historical novels as one series: The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels. Like the name tells it, it is a series about the two British royal houses, the history being told through the female narrative. I have personally read more books about the Tudor dynasty, so it was interesting to read the earlier history about the Plantagenets. I don't think any of this information would be considered spoiler alerts...but beware. I was looking up Elizabeth Woodville online and BAM - spoilers galore. (These books are all based on historical research, after all...) (argh) If you decide to give read any of Philippa Gregory's novels, here is the reading chart with an author suggested list of how to move through them. Happy Royal Reading! www.howtoread.me/plantagenet-tudor-novels-reading-order-philippa-gregory/ The new year 2019 couldn't have started off better than by my reading Becoming by Michelle Obama. Every post and every review seemed positive, and so when I saw that this audiobook was on the Scribd app, then I didn't hesitate to re-activate my membership.
I must confess that I didn't know very much about Michelle Obama before this book. Becoming really highlights her education, her drive, her motivators, and her strong desire to make sure each and every young person knows that their future can yield great things! Every sentence in the book is thoughtfully worded, and I am encouraging my teenage daughter to read it. Michelle Obama's intelligence, poise, and life story (thus far...she's only 54 and still young in my book!) is full of highs and lows. And...after finishing Becoming, I am now a huge fan/follower/admirer. Further, I chose to listen to this book, because I really enjoy author narrated memoirs. You can get much more out of the story when the author, who has written about an experience, is also the same person who is describing the experience. The tonal inflections and emphasis are put where they were intended. Check out Becoming by Michelle Obama! You won't regret it! Recently I was reviewing my Goodreads profile on the desktop and I found a section that says "Kindle Notes & Highlights". I started reviewing the various passages that I had highlighted when I saw one that was a tad racy. This was not on purpose...and I had no recollection of this passage, so I went to look more closely. Sure enough, I saw a nonsensical passage, albeit referencing sex, and I had apparently highlighted it and shared it with my Goodreads followers.! (argh).
So I decided to peruse all of my highlights...because when you're using an E-reader, and dozing off to sleep, your finger may linger on the screen and the magic highlight tool begins to record your finger swipe. I have quite a few recorded on the Kindle! (FacePalm) So...as a cautionary tale....check out the Kindle Highlights part of your Goodreads and see if you have been sharing passages with your friends...hopefully on purpose...or perhaps on accident! Ha Ha Here are some of my nonsensical highlights that were recorded on the Kindle...but I mostly read before bed (as I think most readers do), so stay tuned for even more nonsense shared on the Kindle Notes section! I am sure I will do it again...maybe even tonight! Happy Reading! It's a new year, as everyone seems to be creating and committing to new and exciting things in 2019, I have decided to try my hand at creating a new blog. I know there are millions out there these days, and I am not even sure who is reading all of these blogs, but hey - if you can't beat 'em...join 'em!
I set my Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal this year to 50 books (same as 2018). I realize some of my reading pals are devouring hundreds of titles a year, but with four very active children and a full time job...I am hopeful to achieve my goal of 50 titles again this year. However, one of the keys to a full reading life is to be excited about the titles you read, and what better way to gain access to the amazing #bookstagram community than to create an account...and a companion blog! So...check out my new account on Instagram...@MississippiMomReads... I am new to the #bookstagram community but so far I have had so many wonderful readers reach out and welcome me. Happy New Year! |
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