Love Your Library July (July 1-July 28) Hosted by Bookish Beck

 

For the second part of Summer Reading, I really focused on audiobooks. I looked mostly for ones I could listen to while I did other things. With the reading challenge at work, I tried to at a minimum listen or read to a book for 1 hour a day. High interest audiobooks are great for that. I get almost all my audiobooks from the library. My library's main online resources for audiobooks are Libby and Hoopla. In my review, I have included links for the Libby website, so people can see what their library offers. Since all Hoopla items are visible without selecting a library, I have included links to the specific titles.  

READ

• Daredevil: Guardian Devil by Kevin Smith - This was the last of the Daredevil audiobooks I found on Hoopla while I was on my Daredevil kick. It was alright with an interesting straight forward story, but I wasn't a fan of the narrator's voice. It was more of a "Ben Afleck" Daredevil voice, but I prefer Charlie Cox's Daredevil voice. Additionally, it was a short audiobook, around two and half hours long. The premise is Daredevil saves a baby, who is prophesied to be the anti-Christ and gets pulled into a criminal's elaborate ploy.                                                                                           ★★★☆☆ Listened to on Hoopla
• Under the Surface by Diana Urban - Last year I read Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban and thoroughly enjoyed the high stakes mystery at sea. This time Urban takes readers to Paris as a group of American kids face complicated relationship and the dangers of the catacombs. While I enjoyed the premise from the beginning, it took longer to get into the action in this story, so it took me several months to finish it.  ★★★★☆ 
• Kill the Villainess, Vol. 1 by Your April and Haegi - Lost in a book and stuck living the life of a doomed villain, this girl just wants to figure out how to get back home. I picked this title up because it was a full-color manga. I was only curious what a full-colored manga would look like. The story was slow, but as the adventure progressed, I liked the main character and felt for her as she decided if she should follow her character's destiny or forge or her own path.            ★★★★☆ IG Reel
• Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz - My mom sent me a podcast, where a former FBI negotiator talked about how to negotiate. I was fascinated by it and wanted to learn more about his techniques. I found the library had his book as an audiobook. This book feels very practical. It's about listening to people and understanding them, so you can lead them to lead them to understanding you.                                                      ★★★★★ Listened to on Hoopla
• The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver - This book was not slow. It was an action thriller, that started with the most exciting point of the book and then went backwards to explain how it got to the climax. I checked it out because it is the novel that inspired Justin Hartley's TV show, Tracker. While this book isn't exactly like the TV show, it provides the character and backstory as the basis for the show. This one is possibly my favorite read of the month.                                                      ★★★★★ Listened to on Libby
• The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer - As a child, Lucy tried to run away from her problems and live on a remote island as the sidekick for the writer of her favorite book series. As an adult, she found that running away from her problems only works for so long, and she will have to face her problems if she wants to adopt the young boy she tutors. She returns to the island to compete in a competition that if she wins, she will have to money to adopt. There were so many red flags in all the adult-child relationships in this book, I wouldn't recommend.                                              Read for 12 Recs from 12 Friends ★★★☆☆ Listened to on Libby
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - This is one of my sister's favorite books. As kids we watched Anne Hathaway's movie based on this book. The book is different from the movie, but this Cinderella retelling is possibly more interesting than the original story. When Ella was born, she was cursed to be obedient, when her dad remarries her stepfamily takes advantage of her obedience to make her into a servant. My favorite part of this fairytale romance is that the Prince Charming character, Prince Char is a childhood friend of Ella. It's one of the best books I've read this month.                                                                                                                                          Read for Reb's Recs ★★★★★ Read on Hoopla
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - This book was a hot-mess ensemble of characters. Tova's is a lonely aging woman who is working at marine aquarium as the janitor. Cameron is a thirty-year-old with no direction. Lastly, but my favorite character is a four-year-old Octopus at the aquarium counting down his days in captivity until he dies. Initially when this title released it had a lot of hype, but I found the execution of the book a bit boring. The characters of the book were the plot.                                                                                                                 Read for 12 Recs from 12 Friends ★★★☆☆ Listened to on Libby
• Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano - In the fourth installment of this quirky accidental assassin series, Finlay, Vero and most of Finlay's family heads to Atlantic City. These ladies dodge their loved ones as they search for Vero's kidnapped childhood friend and of course, they stumble onto more dead bodies that they will have to hide, if they want to stay out of trouble. I am absolutely obsessed with these two and their laugh out loud misguided ways.            ★★★★★ Listened to on Libby

Currently Reading

• Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 12 by Sorata Akiduki
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
• Grimm: The Icy Touch by John Shirley
• Spider-Man: The Secret of the Sinister Six by Adam-Troy Castro
• Climbing Rejection Mountain: An Actor's Path to Success, Stability, and Self-Esteem by Nick Wyman, Michael X. Martin
• Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline IG Reel
• The Grim Reader: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Putting Your Characters in Peril by Miffie Seideman

Checked Out, To Be Read

• Meet Me at Wonderland by Julia Devillers
• Batman Soul of the Dragon (Blu-Ray)
• The Jewel Thief by Jeanne Mobley
• Four Days a Week: the life-changing solution for reducing employee stress, improving well-being, and working smarter by Juliet B. Schor

In The Reservation Queue

(Image of Jason David Frank--the original Tommy Oliver from Power Rangers--at Phoenix Fan Fusion 2017, from my photo collection)

• The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter
• Power Rangers: Force of Chaos by Diana Ma

On Hold, To Be Picked Up

None at this time.

Returned Unread

• Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Procreate: How to create on an iPad - I got this book because I was leading a Procreate class in early June and needed to brush up my skills. I used it some, but not enough to consider it read.
• Perfect Girl by Tracy E. Banghart - The library did a "Blind date with a book" display back in February. The wrapping was too cute to pass up, but I wasn't quite as interested by the book's description. IG Reel
• Batgirl: Possession by Jade Aida - I love superhero books, but this one's vibe was a little weird. Plus, I didn't get around to reading much.
• Writing an Identity Not Your Own: a guide for creative writers by Alex Temblador - I love writing books, and this one had an interesting concept, I just didn't find time to read it before it was due.
• The Beginner's Guide to Procreate: Everything you need to know to master digital art by Roché Woodworth - I (also) got this book because I was leading a Procreate class in early June and needed to brush up my skills. I used it some, but not enough to consider it read.

Update from last month's closing blurb, I got my chosen final prize book. I choose a YA romantasy Half-Blood by Jennifer Armentrout. I read a few Good Reads reviews, most enjoyed the romance, and the reviewers had a crush on the lover interest. However, a few reviews called it a rip-off Vampire Diaries. Since I haven't read Vampire Diaries, I wouldn't know, so I figured, I might as well give it a try.

This month I would like to write more reviews and am looking over some of my old fiction, both original short stories and fanfictions, to see if I have something new that I could publish before next month's Love Your Library. We'll see.

My most recent review is for Under the Surface by Diana Urban. This is the book about being lost in the Paris Catacombs, that I mentioned earlier. You can read it over on IG. This month's story is the first part of an eleven-part superhero story, that I wrote as a teenager during one night of insomnia, although a quick reread makes me wonder if I also proofread and edited it one night 🤣😉. Check out Fairy Troubled for an angsty story about a teenaged fairy superhero.

#LoveYourLibrary

Thank you again, Rebecca for coming up with this blog challenge and I have enjoyed making it a pseudo regular part of my writing life. Check out her blog Bookish Beck

I love making Bookish Friends! Follow me on Instagram Skai_BooksAndBracelets

Love Your Library May (April 29-May 16) Hosted by Bookish Beck

In total for May (so far) I've finished 6 books, 5 of them were from the library. I read my first ever book from Interlibrary Loan. It's a great program that allows readers access to titles which your library doesn't own, by borrowing it from another library. My interlibrary loan game from across the United States, it was fun to see how different another library's material could be. Amongst other books were 3 audiobooks and 1 ebook. Overall, I enjoyed the books better than I did last month, my average rating was 4.5 stars this month, compared to 4.0 stars last month.

READ

• The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams - This was a "friends to lovers" story that was so sweet from beginning to end. Bree is fiercely independent, while Nathan is really caring and protective. I had been in a bit of a reading rut, after being sick. This was the perfect fun-read to break the rut. Read for 12 Recs for 12 Friends. ★★★★★ Listened to on Hoopla.
• Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six by Adam-Troy Castro - I had to get this novel as an Inter Library Loan since my library did not own a copy. It came from a long way away. That was probably the coolest part of this typo filled pulp fiction novel from either the 90s or the early 2000s. I found conflicting publication dates, when I was looking for this book. This was a fun action novel starring a favorite character of mine. Mary Jane Watson-Parker had some of the best moments both with Peter and taking on one of the Sinister Six herself. The action was well-paced, and the danger never got dull, but the author could have had the Sinister Six together more and the story may have been written too fast.  ★★★★☆ IG Review
• The Swarm by Andy Marino - This was a horror novel where an annoying but usually benign insect species mutates and takes over the world. I enjoyed how it read like an artistic indie horror movie. I found myself wondering how the characters might survive and if they could save their loved ones. This book followed four main characters, and I thought that some of those characters were interesting and well-developed, other characters were flat and even annoying. ★★★☆☆ Read on Libby
• Spider-Man: Hostile Takeover by David Liss - This was a re-read/re-listen. I looked up my rating from my first read through, and now I'm wondering why I decided to re-read it. This Spider-Man novel is a prequel to PS4 video game. It follows too many characters and spends too much time away from the main character of Spider-Man, the combination just makes for a boring story. Side note, this plot felt very similar to the Kingpin storyline in the Daredevil TV show. ★★☆☆☆ Listened to on Hoopla
• Restart by Gordon Korman - Imagine getting to start over. What would you change? Chase Ambrose was the school's star football player and biggest bully, but after an accident amnesia gives him the chance to start over. As I listened to this book, I felt bad for the main character. It seemed that a lot had happened to him, and he responded by taking his problems out on others. It is well plotted and even though it is narrated by multiple characters, it follows one well-plotted thread. Restart is packed with humor and heart. Read for Reb Recs ★★★★☆ Listened to on Libby

Currently Reading

• Kill the Villainess, Vol. 1 by Haegi and Your April
• Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil, Vol. 1 by Stan Lee, Bill Evertt, and Joe Orlando
• Climbing Rejection Mountain: An Actor's Path to Success, Stability, and Self-Esteem by Nick Wyman, Michael X. Martin IG Reel
• Spy x Family, Vol. 11 by Tatsuya Endo
• The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
• Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
• Fairest by Marissa Meyer
• The Grim Reader: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Putting Your Characters in Peril by Miffie Seideman
• Under the Surface by Diana Urban

Checked Out, To Be Read

• Star Wars: Tales of Light and Life by Various Authors, Star Wars titles for May the 4th be with You Reads IG Reel
• Star Wars: Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton
• Star Wars: Queen's Hope by E. K. Johnston
• Actions: The Actors' Thesaurus by Marina Caldarone
• The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer
• Beginner's Guide to Digital Paints in Procreate: How to create art on an iPad 
• The Agatha's by Kathleen Glasglow
• You, Me and Our Heartstrings Melissa See
• Make a Living Living by Nina Karnikowski
• When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington
• The Beginner's Guide to Procreate: Everything you need to know to master digital art by Roché Woodworth
• Write Fearless, Edit Smart, Get Published: A master class for fiction writers by Lisa Mangum

In The Reservation Queue

• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
• Paper Hearts: a novel by Tess Wakefield
• Ready Player Two by Erenest Cline
• Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter for 12 Recs From 12 Friends

On Hold, To Be Picked Up

• None at this time.

Returned Unread

• God, Where Is My Boaz?: a Woman's to understanding what's hindering her from receiving the man and love she deserves by Stephan Labossiere - I thought this was a Bible study book, but it was written by a motivational speaker. From what I read, it was okay, it just was not for me.
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - Was not able to start this book before it was due, so it seemed nice to return it so the next person could read it. Mockingjay 5 Star Review on IG
• Purple Hearts: a novel by Tess Wakefield - I watched the movie and enjoyed it. Someone else had this book requested from the library, so I returned it.
• The Healthy Mind Cookbook: big-flavor recipes to enhance brain function, mood memory and mental clarity by Rebecca Katz - I was looking for brain healthy foods, but I never read cookbooks cover-to-cover.  
• Kiss Like a Star: Smooching Secrets from the Silver Screen by William Cane - I checked this out when I was looking for books with makeup techniques. I thought it was an interesting topic. It is a "how to" book, not a screen study.

To wrap up May was a more interesting month for my reading. I suppose not being sick probably improved my reading enjoyment. This past month I checked out 12 news books that I haven't started, so I have plenty of reading going into the summer. Summer Reading at my library starts June 1 and you have to read fast to get the good prizes, on to the races. Hopefully, I'll have many more great reads to share for next month.

I intend to catch up on Reb Recs because I have 2 new reviews to write on those titles. On Instagram I am trying to catch up on my book reviews. Read my most recent review on Instagram, for Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six (link is above) and my second most recent review is for Breaking the Dark: A Marvel Crime Jessica Jones Novel by Lisa Jewell. I wrote a lot of short stories as part of longer story ideas. I still do, but here is one from 2011, published in 2020, "Prelude: The Last Commission".

#LoveYourLibrary

Thank you, Rebecca for coming up with this blog challenge and I hope to do it again. Check out her blog Bookish Beck

I love making Bookish Friends! Follow me on Instagram Skai_BooksAndBracelets