Last Week I Read:
Immunity by Erin Bowman (4.5 stars)
Currently Reading:
Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (ARC)
What I Plan to Read Next:
These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
Other Posts of Interest:
Jul 8, 2019
It's Monday! What are You Reading?
Jul 7, 2019
Stacking the Shelves
Well this week was mostly tolerable! Lol. I took a vacation day Friday so I didn't have to have Thursday off and then go back to work for the last day of the week. Total buzz kill. I had an interview on Monday after work that went okay, but then the traffic I had to deal with afterwards was dreadful. It didn't help that it was "dinnertime" and I was so hungry my limbs were shaky as I was driving/scooching forward in dead stop traffic. Not sure if that job will be a winner as I don't want to deal with that kind of traffic every night on my way home. Need to locate better so I can avoid that highway that I am already stuck on. Sigh...then I'm also having a bit of snafu while trying to order some books, it's hard since they're from another country and communication is all by email. Still awaiting the latest response to my response to the problem at hand.
Bookwise things weren't too bad! I think I forgot to include my Fairy Loot box like two weeks ago? I think it came when I got back from my vacation two weeks ago, so somewhere in that scuffle I forgot about it! Lol. And I still haven't taken a picture of it, probably won't be doing those this month, as it is, I'm still not feeling the creative juices for picture taking, though I sorely need to take some!
Anyways, here's what I got this week:
Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep--keeper copy
The Odd Sisters by Serena Valentino--need to read the rest of this series. I read the Beast's book, not realizing it was a series to read in order, so I'll eventually go back and read the rest in the right order and have them all properly lined up!
Then in some trades I received:
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson--I fell in love with the purple cover, so I bought the majority of the box from a fellow trader from the hashtag!
THANK YOU Irka!
I added The Hermit and Temperance to my Fairy Loot tarot deck, then having a moment of fret, I ended up buying them from the shop too, as I guess I wanted to be sure I had a pair that wouldn't be damaged, you can never trust mail transit...so I'll basically have an extra undamaged set! Lol!
THANK YOU Juliana!
And that was it for me this week! What did you all get?
Jul 5, 2019
Book Blogger Hop
This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!
This week's question is: Do you review all of the books you read? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)
MY ANSWER: Yes. Every single one of them! Granted DNF reviews are a little harder. As I don't actually read the entire book, I don't really write too many reviews on those. Every now and then if I read a fair amount of it, like 100 or so pages I'll write why I was excited for it and then what happened to let me down and why I had to DNF. Other DNFs that happen before the 100 page mark I don't bother to review at all.
But if I read it to its completion, I write a review for it!
Jul 4, 2019
Review--Immunity by Erin Bowman
Survivors of a deadly planetary outbreak take on a new, sinister adversary in the white-knuckle sequel to Contagion, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman called “gripping, thrilling and terrifying in equal measures.”
They thought their nightmare was over, but Thea, Coen, and Nova’s rescue was only the beginning. After being imprisoned on a ship they thought was their ticket to safety, it’s clear that the threat they left behind isn’t as distant as they’d hoped—and this time the entire galaxy is at risk.
Now that threat is about to be unleashed as an act of political warfare. To prevent an interstellar catastrophe, the survivors must harness the evil they faced on the planet Achlys and learn to wield the only weapon they have left: themselves.
The first installment in Erin Bowman’s duology earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called the plot “intricate and action-packed,” and fans of Jonathan Maberry, Rick Yancey, and Madeline Roux will relish in Bowman’s tense, high-stakes conclusion to the events of Contagion.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.
Readers will be happy to learn that Erin Bowman's Immunity picks up right where we left things at the end of Contagion! I binge read this duology, which, let me tell you, was the best idea ever, and it was so much easier to flow through the story that way! While Contagion had its edge of mystery, Immunity is rife with suspense!
Coen and Thea are now prisoners of Lieutenant Burke who plans to experiment on them in order to create the perfect soldiers so that he can, in essence, control the galaxy. Time moves much slower this time around, as several weeks go by and all the while Coen and Thea are trying to figure out a way to escape, but escape for these powerful teens is nearly impossible with the impenetrable fortress that Burke has them locked away in.
Immunity was way more exciting than I had anticipated! I wasn't sure how Erin would be able to top Contagion in terms of suspense and excitement, but she really steps up her game in this one! While this time around we know all about the contagion and how it infects people who are too old, that teenagers are the ideal candidates to take it on and not be turned into a rabid monster. Burke soon learns all this through studying them both and has plans to make for his own teenage army that will be unstoppable. But I got to tell you, she really nailed it with this one! While we no longer have that mystery, the suspense is pretty much spot on as we watch Coen and Thea try to break out of the impossible prison.
They are not alone though, joining them again is Nova and a new character, Amber, who is actually in the "fortress" with Coen and Thea acting as a nurse of sorts to Nova. We still get the multiple points of view, this time it's just, Thea, Coen, Nova, and Amber; I feel like this makes the story more contained and easier to follow as the two pairs are together for the most part and this lets us see what's happening on all sides of the "fortress." There is once again the mystery point of view, but we actually know who this is rather early on and I was quite happy to have another mystery solved before the story concluded.
For those who found Contagion lacking in the romance area, never fear for Immunity has what we were all pining for to begin with! Thea and Coen develop a relationship naturally, as we saw this coming even in Contagion. It was nice to see how things developed based on their circumstances. It was one of those sweet kind of relationships that wasn't all in your face about the characters being desperate to be in the other's arms either. And, let's just say that it wasn't only the relationship in the works either!
Immunity was the non-stop thrill ride you pretty much expected from Erin Bowman! It was yet another book that kept me turning the pages and wishing the world would just be quiet and let me read! Lol. While this was my first series by Erin Bowman, it certainly won't be my last! If you're looking for a nice short series that is thrilling, a little scary at times, and just overall amazing, this will be on duology you'll need to add to your TBR pile ASAP!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!
I just want to wish all my fellow US friends a very HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!! Time to celebrate the day off from work!!!
And to all my international friends, I wish you the very happiest of days as well! It's Thursday, only one more day until the weekend! You can do it!!
Random Thursday
(image borrowed from Yelp)
"Three square-meals a day" is an expression we used today to mean that we eat 3 good meals a day. We get this expression from the 18th century where British sailors had 2 sparse meals and 1 (maybe) good meal day. The better meal was served on a square plate and was thus referred to as their "square" meal.
That's rather interesting! And I couldn't help but use a picture of the pizza that's "the square beyond compare." Lol.
(image borrowed from Merriam-Webster)
Midday is called the "noon hour" but it wasn't always midday. It's been shifted around quite a bit throughout history. When Christians prayed twice a day it was at midday and midnight. In the Old English time for prayers it was held at noon, which at that time meant the ninth hour of daylight, or three o'clock in the afternoon. The singular prayer time, or noon hour, changed to midday, or twelve o'clock, during the Middle Ages in Britain.
Oh my head hurt typing all that!
(image borrowed from Amazon)
The expression "Good night, sleep tight" started sometime during the 16th century when British farmers started sleeping in beds instead of on the ground. Because the beds were straw-filled mattresses, the mattress had to be tied to the wooden frames with ropes. Before going to bed that night, you would tighten the ropes to secure the mattress, and that's when people began saying, "good night, sleep tight."
And then we started adding, "and don't let the bed bugs bite. If they do, hit them with a shoe until they turn black and blue!" Or was that just my grandpa? Lol.
(image borrowed from Great Schools)
When we say we're going to "hang out" with friends, it usually just means getting together and not really doing anything to pass the time other than conversation. This expression comes from the time before commercial signs when English shopkeepers set up poles in front of their stores with flags that described some of their goods. The flags were called "hangouts." It soon became a place where people would linger and gossip with friends.
That's actually interesting! Never really thought about what "hang out" meant before!
(image borrowed from Youtube)
When it's mealtime, sometimes people say it's "chow time." "Chow" is a Mandarin Chinese word that means to cook or fry, while in Cantonese, "chow" means food. In the early days of North American settlements, Chinese immigrants were put to work cooking for labor gangs because of their culinary skills. It was (assuming) the labor gangs who picked up the phrase "chow time" as it meant it was time to eat.
I assumed the description I was reading was referring to the labor gangs coining the term "chow time." As I read it again, I feel like it could really go either way! Lol. So one of the two groups coined "chow time."
(image borrowed from Amazon)
If something is in great shape, it's said that it's in "A1 condition." In their early days, Lloyd's of London used an "A list" to classify sailing ships for insurance purposes. The vessels that met the strict conditions would go the top of the list which were said to be in A1 condition.
Now I am totally getting the A1 Sauce name! Lol!!!
Jul 3, 2019
Waiting on Wednesday
Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings,
to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet
to read. It's
based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.
“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love.
Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.
Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds?
Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption.
I was really excited that Sea Witch was having a sequel! I wanted to see more after the events that happened that led to Evie becoming the Sea Witch! So I'm excited for this one!
TITLE: Sea Witch
AUTHOR: Sarah Henning
PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books
GENRE: Fairy Tale Retelling
GENRE: Fairy Tale Retelling
RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2019
Jul 2, 2019
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.
"Thea had no way of knowing if Amber even knew who Nova was. But the girl was a med intern and at the very least, she'd have access to medical records, so Thea made sure to hold her gaze, thinking, Help me, help me, please. She didn't care if it was pitiful or desperate or weak. She wanted an ally outside her cell, and something told her Amber might be it." p 106
TITLE: Immunity
AUTHOR: Erin Bowman
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
GENRE: YA Sci-Fi
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019
This week's topic is: Top Ten Childhood Favorites
*in no particular order
10. THE RANDOM HOUSE BOOK OF FAIRY TALES by Amy Ehrlich--I can't count the times I checked this one out of the school library during elementary school!
9. THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES by Jon Scieszka--what fairy tale lover didn't love this parody of the classic tales?
8. THE RAINBOW FISH by Marcus Pfister--there was something so magical about this book and it was definitely the shiny scales! Lol. It had a good moral to it too!
7. HOLES by Louis Sachar--another book that was read to me in middle school by a teacher that I ended up really enjoying! I loved the mystery element to it!
6. ACROSS THE WIDE AND LONESOME PRAIRIE by Kristiana Gregory--I loved the Dear America Diaries as a kid! This was the first one I read and one of my favorites!
5. MEET MOLLY by Valerie Tripp--like many a girl growing up, I got myself an American Girl doll and that was Molly! So naturally I had to read her books!
4. SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU? (Comics) by Multiple Writers--Scooby Doo was my first comic book series...and pretty much only one! Lol! Though I don't think my subscription went to #55 as pictured.
3. FALLING UP by Shel Silverstein--like many a kid, I adored his poems! This was the first one I got and is my favorite of all!
2. THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS by Jon Scieszka--yet another adorable and hilarious story! I loved this one!!
1. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by J.K. Rowling--and of course Harry played a large role in my younger years! Granted it was preteen vs childhood, but still the same! Lol.
Jul 1, 2019
It's Monday! What are You Reading?
Last Week I Read:
You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook (5 stars)
Contagion by Erin Bowman (4 stars)
Review That Was Posted:
Protect the Prince by Jennifer Estep (ARC) (4 stars)
Currently Reading:
Immunity by Erin Bowman
What I Plan to Read Next:
Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (ARC)
Other Posts of Interest:
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