Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.

 

Well, it was another week. This one just seemed to drag, drag, drag. I had one video/virtual interview this week with an EXTREMELY good company! So all the crossed-fingers and well wishes you can afford would be greatly appreciated! This week I've another interview with a company I have not heard of, but it pays really well, so that would be nice too! 

This week was also kind of bummer for books as I didn't really get any other than my Fairy Loot box which I am still undecided on for the book. But after last week's awesomeness I'm kind of okay with that! Lol. I did get a few fun things I'll share here...no Fairy Loot spoilers, so feel free to read on!

 

  The June Fairy Loot box! Anyone else notice the spoiler card kind of had the wrong fandom listed for the tarot cards? Was really throwing me through a loop before I saw another item that kind of confirmed what I thought. The items this time were a mix of cool and eh. Fandoms were mostly meh too but I did really like the tarot cards this time around!

So when I saw the Owl Crate box I skipped had a super cool "decision coin," I immediately started looking around for it and got it for a reasonable price on eBay! I figured it had to be about the same price Owl Crate would sell it for and was a price I was happy with, so yay! And shipping was definitely cheaper than what it would've been with Owl Crate too!

Back on ShopDisney's free ship day I picked up the Stitch and Scrump key set! Mainly because I wanted to have at least one of these super cute baby keys! Lol.

I ordered this beauty off Mercari! Jacks fans will know why! Lol. I wanted it for pictures and while it's a tad bigger than what I wanted, it's not too bad. I did find another item off Mercari I thought would work nicer, so I ordered that immediately after this one arrived. I still plan to keep this one since the seller was nice enough to break up the set of three she was originally selling it with. To think this was the smallest too!

And finally, here is my .17 shirt I bought from Shirt.Woot during their mega sale a week or two ago. I think it was an anniversary sale maybe? Of course the daily sales usually had a shirt I already owned and I was tempted to order a backup, but talked myself out of it since I'm always buying new designs anyway! Lol! This one just made me laugh so I thought for .17 why not?!

And that was it for me this week! No other books or bookish goodies. So my TBR pile didn't really suffer. I got releases next week but I ordered signed copies of at least 2 so I won't get those until later on! Luckily, I read one of those 2 already! Lol.

What did you get this week?

It's Only a Game Book Tag

 

So I totally forgot what I was looking up. Something Caraval related naturally and I stumbled upon this book tag that I somehow missed in 2019 leading into the release of Finale! But I thought I'd still do it anyway and skip the last question that asks for your hopes for Finale...which I obviously have none since I've read it already! Lol!

So here we go...

This tag was created by Jessica @ BookedJ and I discovered it at ReadbyDev.

The Rules:

1. Tag anyone you think would enjoy this tag--I tag anyone who wants to do this tag post-Finale! ;)
2. Link back to BookedJ
3. If you are tagged by someone else, link back to their blog
4. Remember it's only a game

 

Performer, Participant, or Watcher?

 

I think I'd like to be a performer! I don't think I'd be quick enough to be much of a participant, but I'd love to be one of the performers you're not sure is really a performer or participant! Lol.

 

Which of the Fates Would You Rather Not Want to Cross Paths With? Which Would You Want to Cross Paths With? Why?

If memory serves, the Handmaidens were pretty terrifying! I would not want to run into them!

Jacks of course! If only because I'd know what to expect from him...lol.

The Luckless Coin--Do You Believe in Bad Omens?

Yes! There are days where I feel like I might have a hidden luckless coin on me somewhere! Other days I think I might have ditched it. Lol. But honestly, yes, I believe in bad omens...and good omens too.

The Sisters--Which One Do You See Yourself In the Most? Do You Find it Difficult Knowing When to Walk Away From Something? AND/OR Do You Have a Sister or Friend Who You'd Love Or Protect Like They Do Each Other?

Honestly, I'd say I have a bit of both sisters in me. But I feel more like a Tella with being a bit bold and daring! Though maybe not so much with her interactions with Jacks, but definitely with Dante! Lol! I do have a sister that I would do whatever possible to protect her. And I've a few close blogger friends I'd do the same for! Really any of my family and friends!

The closest you'll ever find to magic in this world...What is the Closest to Magic in this World for You?

(image borrowed from Conde Nast Traveler)

Disney World of course!

No longer dull shades of bland, the dress was now a rich cerise… If You Were to Put on an Enchanted Item of Clothing, What Color Would it Become?

Purple...or maybe black. Depends on what kind of clothing item we're talking about. Lol.

Wishes were things of wonder that took a certain amount of faith and Julian seemed the type to trust only what he saw… Do You Believe in the Impossible? Or Are You a Skeptic?

 

I'd say I'm a believer. Though I wouldn't automatically trust something at face value, but I am a believer deep down.

 

 

Impractical dreams and untethered imagination… What Was Something You Fiercely Believed in as a Child?

 

(image borrowed from Pinterest)

Santa of course!

The Characters—Who’s Your Favorite in the Caraval Series?

 

Tella. Without a doubt Tella!

 

 

Truth or Adventure? How Would You Play the Game? Are You a Seeker of Truth or Breathless Adrenaline? 

 

(image borrowed from Etsy)

I definitely want an adventure!

Give Away a Day of Your Life, or Sleep? Which Would You Rather Give Up? Or Are You Unwilling to Sacrifice Either?

If I give up sleep would my body no longer require it? Because I'd totally give up sleep and still be able to function! I wouldn't have a TBR pile after a year or two! That would be AMAZING!!

Hopeful and magical… Scarlett Loves the Color Gold Because It Feels Hopeful and Magical. What Gives You Hope?

 

Hmm...I guess I would say books and the stories within them.

 

 

The Words—What is Your Favorite Quote From Caraval?

 

Hope is a powerful thing. Some say it's a different breed of magic altogether.

Safe and guarded… What is Your Happy Place? Is It a Person? A Place? Something Nestled Away in Fiction?

 

It's truly being lost in a good book! Any good book! I'm in my own kind of zone when I'm reading and it's a place I love to be.

 

 

 Two halves of the same heart… Do You Ship Anything in Caraval? If So, Who? If Not, Pick Any Relationship from Any Fandom.

 

I shipped Tella and Legend and I even shipped Tella and Scarlett and their sisterly bond!

 

 

 The bad and the morally gray… What is Your Favorite Archetype When it Comes to the Characters of Caraval? Who Do You Think Fits the Title of “Villain” Best of All? Is There One?

 

 

This series had a lot of characters who were self-serving and could be deemed "villainous." Jacks was a complicated villain, so I'd say in this first trilogy he was my favorite because of his complexity.

 

 

Would the Game Bring Out the Most Selfish or Selfless Parts of You? Whether You’re a Performer or Participant or Watcher. 

I would probably say selfless. I don't really have it in me to be totally selfish having been hurt by selfish people. As a performer I'd probably want to help steer people in the right direction...even if I made it complicated. Lol.

Spells cast aren’t easily shaken off… What Books Have Been Nearly Impossible for You to Shake Off Or Forget Through the Years?

 

 
Demon in My View and Old Magic have made a lot of favorites lists over the years. Really the list of books that have stayed with me in my heart and mind is pretty long, so I'm sticking to my most used classics. And Caraval of course as it's the more recent series that has stuck with me. Including the latest Once Upon a Broken Heart!

 

Review--Haunted Homicide by Lucy Ness

 

Avery Morgan has been hired to breathe new life into the Portage Path Women's Club, but first she'll have to deal with a dead body and a meddling ghost.

Avery Morgan has had a harrowing first week on the job as manager of the Portage Path Woman's Club. Not only is she in charge of a grand old home with a mountain of maintenance problems and scheduling nightmares--thanks to a recent fire in the Marigold meeting room--but she's also got Muriel Sadler to deal with. Muriel is the current president of the club, the one "nay" vote when the rest of the board voted "aye" to hiring Avery.

After a morning of dealing with another one of Muriel's snits and a meeting with the delicious and delightfully unsettling Ben Harkness, who will be handling renovations in the fire-damaged portions of the house, the last thing Avery needs is for one of the fuses to blow. Again.

She grabs her handy flashlight and heads into the basement, where she stumbles across Muriel's body. She also stumbles across an unexpected helper, Clemmie Bow, the ghost of a young woman who was accidentally killed in the building almost a hundred years ago.

Together the Clemmie and Avery are determined to solve Muriel's murder before the killer sends Avery to join Clemmie on the other side.

 

 

I picked up Lucy Ness’ Haunted Homicide in the mood for a good paranormal cozy mystery. It was definitely a cozy mystery and there was definitely a ghost in the story, but alas, it wasn’t the paranormal novel I was hoping for. It was still a decent read and a very good mystery that kept me guessing, but I guess I had hoped for a bit more ghostly action.

Avery has taken on a new job of club manager at a ritzy sort of women’s’ club in Ohio. She’s in for a challenge though when the president of the women’s club doesn’t really like her…or anyone for that matter. Avery was actually hired by the board who’s a step above Muriel as club president. It doesn’t take long for Avery to realize that Muriel is out to get Avery, in the sense that she wants Avery out of her job so her granddaughter can have it instead.

Avery is startled that not long into her new job, she finds Muriel dead in the club basement. She’s further taken by surprise when a young women dressed in Flapper’s attire appears. Avery is not a stranger to ghosts, in fact she left her New York home with her aunt because she wanted to escape the ghost-life. What is even more shocking to Avery is that some of the club members want Avery to look into the death of Muriel.

I found this part odd. Yes, the club members are an older sort of crow whereas Avery is just under 30, but it still left me baffled that they requested Avery to look into the murder instead of you know, the police or even a private detective. But Avery finds herself doing exactly that.

It’s not long before she runs into the ghost at the club again and learns that Clemmie was accidentally killed when the club used to be a hidden speak easy back in the day. She’s been in the basement of the club ever since and she’s the one who saw Muriel get thrown down the steps and is Avery’s only lead in the mystery of Muriel’s death.

I was surprised to find that Avery has two possible suitors in this installment. I can see both guys being potential love interests in this series, but alas, Jack, the restoration artist who was hired to repair fire damage done to a room, is engaged. Or possibly engaged to be engaged. Jack and this “other” girl are sort of expected to be together. I was never quite clear if they were literally engaged as I don’t suspect there was ring on this other woman, but he’s definitely seeing her. The other possible love interest for Avery is Oz, who just happens to be the lead detective in the investigation to Muriel’s murder. I found I liked his character a whole lot more. Perhaps because he was most definitely single and Jack’s relationship status is what you would call “complicated.”

The whodunit of the mystery was a little too easy, I did narrow it down to two suspects but immediately disregarded one when it became too predictable. The reasoning behind it was little on the flat side. I felt like it was suddenly just thrust at us for shock value as there was no hint of this kind of deception at all throughout the book. There’s still the very clear “someone is hiding something” vibe to the story, but I felt like it could’ve been something with a little more depth.

I’m still on the fence if I want to continue this series or not. It was cute for sure and the mystery was pretty decent, I really had just hoped for more “ghostliness” than what we had. It still made for a cute and fun mystery and Clemmie was just “the bees’ knees!” She was by far one of the coolest characters of this book. She’d be the reason I’d come back…hopefully she’d bring some ghost friends to the mix though. If you’re looking for a nice cozy mystery with just a touch of the paranormal, Haunted Homicide would be the one to start with!

 

Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

 

 

 

 

 

Book Blogger Hop

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

 

This week's question is: Have you ever done the Classics Club challenge? If not, would you want to? (submitted by Julie @ JadeSky)

 

 

MY ANSWER: No. I'm not really a Classics kind of reader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random Thursday

 

Let's dive further into pop culture and learned more bizarre facts from Shane Carley's True Facts That Sound Like Bull$#*t!

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

Did you know that more tickets were sold to see Gone With the Wind than people living in America? In 1939, America's population was just at 130 million, yet over 200 million tickets were sold to see the movie.

Guess it was so good people saw it twice? But it was also suuuuper long, so like did they buy a ticket to see the parts where they fell asleep before? Lol.

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

Other actors like Kurt Russell, Robert Englund, and Sylvester Stallone were among ones to audition for Han Solo in Star Wars.

I mean, this is a recent picture of Kurt Russell, in his younger days he was pretty hot! He would've been a damn fine Han Solo...though I still only ever seen that character from scene grabs!

(image borrowed from Wookieepedia)

David Prowse played Darth Vadar in the original Star Wars trilogy. He didn't know at the time that his voice wouldn't be used for the character. Technical issues led his voice to be unusable. So instead of having the actor flown back over to record a handful of lines, George Lucas used local actor, James Earl Jones.

Interesting. I knew James Earl Jones was the "voice" of Darth Vadar, but guess I never realized he wasn't actually Darth Vadar. Again, I never saw these movies. 

(image borrowed from Maine Gov)

Did you know that Maine is a popular state for fictional murders? Examples include the fictional town of Derry from Stephen King, plus other books of his and you have Cabot Cove, the setting of Murder, She Wrote.

Note to self, don't move to Maine.

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

John Cage created a musical piece called, As Slow As Possible. It was designed to be played over the course of 639 years. In Halberstadt, Germany a performance of this piece started in 2001 on a specifically designed organ. It will not conclude until 2640.

Daaaaaang!

Let's Discuss: Technology Rant

 

So I was finally getting my photo taking done for bookstagram posts. I took a variety of Caraval pics because seriously! Lol. But then when I went to upload and edit my pics I found Microsoft was not cooperating. AT. ALL.

 

Technology Rant

 

I am not super tech savvy. I know your basic things and that's about it. So when after how many years now of doing bookstagram and uploading and editing pictures on my computer before I upload them to Instagram, the software I use glitches on me! I edit the picture, crop it to perfection, hit that save button to move onto the next...only for Microsoft to save a copy of the original and not the edits! After multiple attempts to get it to just what it is SUPPOSED to, I go to Google for answers...and find none.

Yes there are issues going on but all the posted solutions did NOTHING to help me. I tried to restore my computer to a previous date since I just updated things on Friday and thought maybe that was the glitch, but oh no. My computer told me I haven't done an update in 10+ days!! What the criminey?

The only fix I was able to uncover was by accident. I kept suckily cropping and editing and then at the last second switch it to be what I need and check to see if saving is "allowed." Luckily one picture I didn't like and the other that I struggled to crop, I had 3 different versions of from close up to not close up by micrometers and was able to get one to cooperate.

But ugggh!!! It's days like Sunday (as I saved this post for when I needed an extra post up on my blog, lol) where I just HATE technology! I tried to find answers and my problem decided the solutions given would not be the solution it took! I still couldn't even restore my computer prior to Friday's update that I updated that it said never happened. It happened. I had to restart my computer twice to make sure ALL the updates took.

So yeah. I'm in a grouchy mood right now...or on Sunday. Though depending when this goes up, I could be having another bad day at work while you read this. So who knows. Lol.

Is technology your friend or your enemy? I feel like most days we get along with each other but Sunday we were mortal enemies.

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.

 

Stephanie Perkins returns with another blood-chilling contemporary horror novel, the perfect companion to her New York Times bestseller There’s Someone Inside Your House, soon to be a Netflix feature.

A traditional backwoods horror story set–first page to last–in the woods of the Pisgah National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Two girls go backpacking in the woods. Things go very wrong.

And, then, their paths collide with a serial killer.

 

 

 

 

Cannot wait to read this one!! Was bummed when Covid pushed it back last year but hopefully it will still release this year! Already found out one of my WoWs was pushed back again. Sigh.

 

TITLE: The Woods Are Always Watching
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER: Dutton Books for Young Readers
GENRE: YA Thriller
RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2021 

 

 

 

 

 

ARC Review--Curses by Lish McBride

 

Curses is the 'Beauty and the Beast' retelling I've been waiting for."--Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A unique and twisty magical romp!"--Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author

Merit Cravan refused to fulfill her obligation to marry a prince, leading to a fairy godling's curse. She will be forced to live as a beast forever, unless she agrees to marry a man of her mother's choosing before her eighteenth birthday.

Tevin Dumont has always been a pawn in his family's cons. The prettiest boy in a big family, his job is to tempt naïve rich girls to abandon their engagements, unless their parents agree to pay him off. But after his mother runs afoul of the beast, she decides to trade Tevin for her own freedom.

Now, Tevin and Merit have agreed that he can pay off his mother's debt by using his con-artist skills to help Merit find the best match . . . but what if the best match is Tevin himself?

 

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

 

If you know me, then you know I love a good fairy tale retelling! Make it The Beauty and the Beast and you’ll have me grabbing the book off the shelf before it can even settle! Lish McBride’s Curses is what you would call a gender swapped version of The Beauty and the Beast, wherein a young girl was cursed to be a beast until she marries a man of her mother’s choosing.

Yup, totally not what you’d expect. Merit is not exactly your selfish and unkind princess, she’s simply a teenager who didn’t want to marry a man old enough to be her father. She wanted to marry for love, but her mother wants to marry to prosper. So she had a fairy curse her daughter to basically be a beast until she did what she wanted her to. Merit was pretty much your average teenager in terms of attitude, but when forced to marry someone she did not love, she rebelled and was punished.

Then in walks Tevin, he’s something of a con-artist.  He makes a living with his family by getting rich girls’ families to pay him off to leave their daughters alone. And when his mother is caught stealing a powerful healing flower from Merit’s gardens, she trades her imprisonment for her son’s. So yeah, no doting mothers or families around here. Tevin takes his mother’s place and agrees to help Merit learn when people are lying to her. Tevin has the gift of compulsion and can basically make people do things for him, if they are willing and they usually are.

One thing that kind of bugged me was this healing flower that Merit had access to. When turned into a concoction she’s able to be human again for four hours. This I felt like was cheating The Beauty and the Beast story. I mean, her mother wanted her to be beastly because she was behaving as such…but yet she willing wants her daughter to take this potion to be “normal” when meeting suitors. Oh, there’s also the time limit on the curse, if Merit doesn’t marry a man of her mother’s choosing before her birthday in six weeks…she will remain a beast for all times!

I don’t know what it was about the story that didn’t have me hooked. I love a good retelling, but for some reason, this one just didn’t do it for me. I was skimming the pages just trying to get to the ending because I was becoming bored with it. For a fantasy there was a lot of mundane boringness happening. I did enjoy seeing Merit and Tevin fall slowly in love, because you know they were bound to.

This one had multiple points of view that let you know what the hero, heroine, and even the villain were thinking and you pretty much knew right away who was being nefarious. But all the same, I found myself just a little bored with this one. I’d skimmed a head a few pages and find that nothing really happened to get the story moving again. I was just meh with it all.

So while Curses held oodles of potential for me as a fairy tale retelling reader, it just didn’t have the same kind of magic I’ve found with like tales. It didn’t really hold my interest despite its founding fairy tale. I did like the similar aspects this book had with the original one, if in feel, if anything else. But sadly, it was just a little too plain for me to get through entirely. I would still recommend this one to all fairy tale lovers and especially fans of The Beauty and the Beast! One reader’s dull read is another’s most favorite book after all.

 

Overall Rating 2/5 stars