Love Your Library August (July 29-August 25) Hosted by Bookish Beck

This month's library reading was significantly less than in July or even in June. Earlier this month, I took a week off from work and went on vacation. But I don't like to take library books on vacation; it's too easy to lose or damage a book while traveling. I spent four days in Boston, Massachusetts seeing the sights. It was my first time on the east coast, and it was certainly a change from the desert where I live. The weather was cooler and much more humid, but I found it nice that it actually cooled off in the evening. Alright, enough about the weather on my trip, let's get started on my library reading from August.

READ

• Grimm: The Icy Touch by John Shirley - This novel is based on the mid-2010s show, Grimm, a dark horror-mystery where fairytale creatures are real and deadly. I discovered this show a couple of years ago on The CW app. As my watching came to the end of the series, I wanted more. I found this book in my library's eBook collection. Unfortunately, it reads worse than a fan fiction. I would believe it, if this author never watched an episode. In this book, these characters read like cliche stereotypes, rather than their complex interesting characters they are in the show. The pacing was slow and had many subplots that didn't flow well into one story. ★★☆☆☆ Read on Libby
• Searching for Peace by Jessica Ashley - I was looking for more clean romance novels when I discovered this faith-based action romance. Elijah is veteran with a lot of scars from his time in the service. After leaving the military, he moves to a small town to work for his former commander's private security company. While Andie is a fashion designer in the big city returning to her small hometown for her grandmother's funeral. Although after her grandmother's house in ransacked and her mother is killed, Elijah and Andie have to set aside their differences to figure out who is behind these crimes and stay alive. This book had a fantastic premise, but the writing was subpar, and the audiobook narrators were hard to follow.  ★★★☆☆ Listened to on Hoopla
• Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 12 by Sorata Akiduki - In Volume 12, Shirayuki and Zen have come a long way from being strangers in the forest. Shirayuki is now a court herbalist and living at the castle. While Zen is taking on more princely duties. The announcement of Zen's older brother's coronation brings new challenges for them. One of the biggest challenges is Shirayuki will have to play host to the prince that she had once fled to avoid becoming his concubine. There were so many sweet moments between Zen and Shirayuki. It wasn't a five-star read because my favorite stories in this series are about Shirayuki practicing medicine, and this volume didn't have much of that. ★★★★☆ IG Reel

Currently Reading

• Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table by Nilah Magruder
• Accomplice to the Villian by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
• A Year without Autumn by Liz Kessler
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
• Spider-Man: The Secret of the Sinister Six by Adam-Troy Castro IG Reel
• 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
• The Grim Reader: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Putting Your Characters in Peril by Miffie Seideman

Checked Out, To Be Read

• Grace Notes by Karen Comer IG Reel
• This Book Kills by Ravena Guron
• Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson
• Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
• The Beginner's Guide to Procreate by Roché Woodworth
• Slow Burn Summer: A Novel by Josie Silver
• The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold by Ally Carter
• Epic Baby Names for Girls: Fierce and Fisty Heroines, from Ancient Myths to Future Legends by Melanie Mannarino
• Emotional Confidence: 3 Simple Steps to Manage Emotions with Science and Scripture by Alicia Michellle

In The Reservation Queue

• Power Rangers: Force of Chaos by Diana Ma
• Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein Rebs Recs
  

On Hold, To Be Picked Up

None at this time.

Returned Unread

• The Met Gala: Iconic Moments of Fashion from the World's Most Exclusive Event - I checked this one out because it was photobook of formalwear. My sister loves fashion, especially fancy dresses. I thought she would enjoy it.
• Real Simple: Magazine May - Occasionally, I like to look at this magazine because I enjoy looking at pictures of nicely organized homes, however whenever I check the prices on the items advertised inside, I realize that it is too rich for me.
• Vocal Warm-Ups by Elaine Schmidt - When I was looking for some vocal excises to use for when I warm up before singing, I checked this one out.
• Sing! Vocal Warm-Ups for All Styles by Paul Knight - Ditto as the title above.
• The Love Interest by Helen Comerford - I was playing around with my library's new online catalogue when I found this one. They switched to a different online system a few months ago and as I was going through it, I found this new superhero romance. It looked cute, but I didn't get the chance to read it before I had to return it.
• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins - I had to return this one when it was overdue. I have since checked it out again.

After so much reading in June and July, in August I only finished three titles from my library. One in each reading mode, I finished one audiobook, one physical book, and one eBook. The genres were also a verity, one a horror based on a TV show, the second, a clean Christan romance, and the final title, a fairytale retelling manga. This month's finished titles may be few, but if the currently reading list is any indication I should be able to finish more books soon.

While I was traveling, I took a break from Instagram, but I wrote a few book reviews while I was on my trip. One of the reviews I wrote was a long overdue advance readers copy review, for a juvenile graphic novel, Miraculous Chibi, Vol. 1: Pizza Pursuit and Other Cat Tales by Josh Trujillo and Carrie Harris. Since I always share a fiction story and still haven't posted anything new, here is the second part of Fairy Troubled. I really wish I had done a better job of proofreading way back when, but now it feels too late to fix it. Maybe if I decide to publish it elsewhere. 

Lastly, I have announcement! I will be participating in Five Fall Favorites again! It's hosted by Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebecca Morris I'm already busy preparing for a week of obsessive blogging. Come back from September 22-27 to follow all of my bookish ramblings. I will be sharing some recent reads as well as some childhood favorites. 

#LoveYourLibrary

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

I love making Bookish Friends! Follow me on Instagram Skai_BooksAndBracelets