Sybil: The Classic True Story of a Woman Possessed by Sixteen Personalities by Flora Rheta Schreiber Book Review

Sybil: The Classic True Story of a Woman Possessed by Sixteen Personalities

I have wanted to read this book and watch the movie (which I have been unable to find a copy of) for a while. Probably ever since we figured out I had DID, since I had heard about this movie growing up. There was a lot in the biography that I related to, like losing time. I marked a bunch of passages that really connected with my, and just gave this to my partner to read. Fascinating read.
What are your thoughts on reading books about conditions that you have, that aren’t medical books?  What are your thoughts on biographies in general?
Love from,
Nox

The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes Book Review

Hey foxen,

So although this is a biography about Billy Milligan who was also diagnosed with DID (multiple personality disorder) I just did not connect with it like I did when I read Sybil.

The biography of Billy Milligan, a man with 24 different personalities, was a bit hard for me to read. Billy Milligan has several criminal personalities, and his life seems like worst case scenario for me in the future. It scares me to be perfectly honest. The book’s blurb “Twenty-four people live inside Billy Milligan. Philip, a petty criminal; Kevin, who dealt drugs and masterminded a drugstore robbery; April, whose only ambition was to kill Billy’s stepfather; Adalana, the shy, lonely, affection-starved lesbian who “used” Billy’s body in the rapes that led to his arrest; David, the eight-year-old “keeper of pain”; and all of the others, including men, women, several children, both boys and girls, and the Teacher, the only one who can put them all together. You will meet each in this often shocking true story. And you will be drawn deeply into the mind of this tortured young man and his splintered, terrifying world.” sums it up pretty well.

Do you think Billy should have gone to prison for his crimes?

 

 

King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo

This is book 1 in the Nikolai Duology that follows the Grishaverse books and the Six of Crows books. ❤ Kaz!

Check out my adorable Corgi butt bookmark that I got in China!

Anyway back to this book. Nikolai is now king of Ravka, and must find a way to protect it after the civil war with the Darkling, since threat from Fjerda and Shu are very serious. Nikolai still has the dark monster in him, it did not die when the Darkling did, and it is getting him into all kinds of trouble.

Poor Nina, that scene with Matthias. OMG. In happier news…..I totally ship Zoya and Nikolai. Zoyolai? The cliffhanger was crazy and I can not wait for book 2!

Have you read any of the Grishaverse books? Who are you favorite main characters? I would like to see Kaz get his own back story or future stories. Who would you like to see a spinoff book of?

Love from,

Nox

Eeny Meeny (Helen Grace #1) by M.J. Arlidge Book Review

This was a really interesting thriller, reminiscent of the movie Saw. Two people get kidnapped and are left with one gun, and no way out. Only one will get to live! Doesn’t that sound like Saw a bit? Right up my alley. Detective Helen Grace was a well thought out character. She is fierce and no-nonsense. She also has a BDSM side. There are a lot of twists and mind games in the book. I definitely want to read the rest of the series, or at least check out book 2.

What do you think? Is this the type of book you like to read?

 

March Movies

Hey guys! I love going to the movies. Here are the movies I am hoping to see this month.

Which movies are you wanting to see this month?

Love, Nox

20 Questions Book Tag

I saw this on Paper Fury’s blog. It looks fun so I thought I would try it also.


20 Questions Book Tag

1. How many books are too many for a series?

On the one hand I prefer them not to have more than 3, but if the series is really good I also never want it to end, so there’s that.

2. How do you feel about cliffhangers?
Image result for frustrated gif

 

3. Hardcover or paperback?

Paperback preferred, although hardcover are nicer looking on my shelf.

4. Favorite book?


5. Least favorite book?


6. Love triangles, yes or no?

Overall no, unless they are done in a unique and different way. I don’t like it when I normally can clearly see who is going to be picked.

7. The most recent book you couldn’t finish?

I can’t recall, but I do stop a lot of books if I am not immediately engrossed.

8. A book you’re currently reading?


9. Last book you recommended to someone?


10. Oldest book you’ve read by publication date?


I didn’t like it

11. Newest book you’ve read by publication date?


12. Favorite author?

Holly Black and Chuck Palahniuk

13. Buying books or borrowing books?

Buying.

14. A book you dislike that everyone seems to love?

The Lord of the Rings. I liked the Hobbit, but I didn’t like the other books.

15. Bookmarks or dog ears?

Bookmarks. Definitely

16. A book you can always re-read?

Harry Potter series. Or Wintergirls

17. Can you read while listening to music?

Yes. I prefer it.

18. One POV or multiple?

Multiple!

19. Do you read a book in one sitting or over multiple days?

Depends on the length of the book. Usually multiple days.

20. Who do you tag?

Anyone who wants to do it!

Alita: Battle Angel

I went and saw Alita: Battle Angel with my dad this week. IT WAS SO GOOD!

The CG was amazing. Alita: Battle Angel is set after The Fall in the year 2563. It starts with Dr. Ido finding a cyborg head in the junkyard. He rebuilds the cyborg, as she still has a fully intact human brain. He names her Alita, because she has amnesia. She befriends Hugo, and he shows her around the city, and Motorball. I loved it.

February Reading

Hi boys and ghouls!

36307634

I am currently reading King of Scars. I have made it to page 143, chapter 9. Really loving this sequel.

If I finish it this month I plan on starting Eeny Meeny.

23398806

What are you reading this month?

Hogwarts Tag

Michelle at A Geek Girl‘s Guide posted this awesome Hogwarts tag so I thought I would do it also!

 

  1. What pet would you take to Hogwarts?
    I would definitely want to take an owl!
  2. What school supply would you want to get first? (Books, wand, robes, etc.)
    My wand!!!!! I am going to need that immediately.
  3. What house are you in?
    Hufflepuff
  4. What core class would you love to take? (Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Flying, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, or Transfiguration)
    Charms and Herbology
  5. What core class would you hate to take?
    Potions. Way too hard, can you imagine?
  6. What elective would you take? (Alchemy, Apparition, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, or Ancient Runes?)
    Can I take them all?? If I can only pick one I need , Care of Magical Creatures.
  7. What magical item do you want to own? (Remembrall, Marauder‘s Map, Invisibility Cloak, etc.)
    Wizard    ‘s chess set
  8. What are you doing in your free time at Hogwarts?
    Explore
  9. You‘re going to Hogsmeade! What is your first stop?
    Honeyduke    ‘s for sure.
  10. What Hogwarts secret would you want to find? (Mirror of Erised, Room of Requirement, etc.)
    Mirror of Erised
  11. Would you put your name in the goblet of fire?
    Hells yes.
  12. Would you join Dumbledore‘s Army?
    Affirmative
  13.  What spell do you want to master?
    Acio
  14. What magical career would you want to go into? (Pro Quidditch Player, Auror, Dragon Keeper, etc.)
    Auror


2018 goals…results

Reading and Writing:

  • I want to read 52 books this year. — YES! I read 68 in 2018
  • I want to join the quarterly reading program at the library, — Yes but only once, and I didn’t win anything
  • I also want to do the summer reading program at my local libraries, – -Yes but did not win anything
  • Write more! (from Kayla at Epicfied) Nope, big epic fail
  • I want to write the book reviews to the books I read for Vivacioushobo.com within a week of reading them, Nope, not even close
  • Read for at least 20 mins. per day another Nope

Food and Fitness:

  • I want to try new restaurants. Yes I did try many new foods and places!
  • Try 6 foods I have never tried, or didn’t like in the past.  (from Kayla at Epicfied) Yes!! I did way more than 6!
  • Move more! I want to try to walk more outside Nope. Big fat fail
  • Try something new in fitness (from Kayla at Epicfied) I did burpees. It sucked
  • Complete Adriene’s “30 Days of Yoga” Nope, but I did Day 1 three more times

Personal

  • More selfies for confidence! started well but totally forgot
  • Finish at least 4 coloring books. Nope, but I did finish 1
  • Get a new tattoo (from Kayla at Epicfied)  I got several tattoos this year
  • Watch more movies. I did this!

2019 Goals. None. Not making commitments for an entire year.

Bookish Naughty or Nice List

Bookish Naughty List
https://jenniely.com/bookish-naughty-list-tag-blogmas/

I found this through paperfury.com, but she got it from jenniely.com and it seemed fun, so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag

1. Received an ARC and not reviewed it   – Naughty

I don’t even request ARCs anymore because I suck at posting reviews, and I have so many books I haven’t even read that were sent to me, sometimes unsolicited, and I just can’t do it anymore.

2. Have less than 60% feedback rating on Netgalley – Naughty
I haven’t even gotten on Netgalley in over a year, because I prefer physical copies, but I know for sure it is less than 60%

Image result for grinch gif
giphy.com


3. Rated a book on goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did) – NICE!

Nope! I don’t promise reviews on Goodreads.

4. Folded down the page of a book – NICE

NOPE! I use bookmarks, or items in place of bookmarks. I hate when books are all folded up.

Image result for grinch gif
tenor.com


5. Accidentally spilled on a book – NAUGHTY

I actually can’t recall doing this with anything other than water, but I do eat and read so I am sure it has happened.


6. DNF a book this year  – NAUGHTY

OMG SO MANY!  I do this a fuckton. I’m not sorry. There are so many books, if I don’t like it I am not going to suffer through. This is why people think they don’t like reading.

Image result for christmas not sorry gif
giphy.com


7. Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it – NICE

Nope. I intend to read them all. Some day. Eventually.

8. Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else – NAUGHTY
Definitely. I should clean or do anything really, but nah, I’d rather read.

Image result for rather be reading gif
giphy.com


9. Skim read a book – NICE

No! I don’t understand how people do this.

10. Completely missed your Goodreads goal – NICE

but to be fair, I made it low this year so that I knew I would hit it.

11. Borrowed a book and not returned it – NICE

Nope. I don’t want people to do this to me.

12. Broke a book buying ban – NICE

Because I don’t have a book buying ban. Otherwise I would mess it up.

13. Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about – NAUGHTY

This is why I basically quit doing reviews, because I never do them in a timely fashion and then I can’t even remember what the book was about.

14. Wrote in a book you were reading – NICE

I don’t do this, but I do like when people have notes in the used books I buy sometimes.
15. Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads – NICE

I add everything to Goodreads otherwise I will not remember if I have it, or if I have read it.

Tally:
6 – Naughty
9- Nice

Image result for i'm nice gif
giphy.com

I Will Remember You A Goodbye poem for my foster children by: Karen Elliott

I will remember you
Though we were just a home you happened to be passing thru
And you might not even
remember my name
But the way I feel is still the same
I will remember you.

But before you go
There is something that I really do want you to know
That if things get rough
And you’re struggling through
Even years from now—and you don’t know what to do
We will still be here.

I fell in love with you
I would never trade a minute of my time with you
And maybe one day
When you’re grown on your own
You’ll have memories of your time in this happy home
And come back again.

I sometimes picture you
Maybe years from now, at my door, walking through
I see your familiar smile
And whisper your name
I throw my arms around you, so very glad you came
And never let you go.

I’d invite you inside
We’d talk and laugh and hug and try hard not to cry
You’d see your photos
Still hanging on our wall
To tell you that you’re remembered often every day
And that you were home.

But it’s just a dream
Right now you’re so young and don’t understand what’s happening
I close your suitcase
Love notes buried inside
Hoping you’ll see them and know how much you’re loved
And it will make you smile.

But I must let you go
No matter how it hurts I’ll hide it so you won’t know
Because I want you to be happy
I don’t want to make you sad
And though chances are that I might never see you again
Please know I loved you so.

The days ahead I dread
Found my daughter just this morning crying in your bed
Found a box of precious Lego
The ones you couldn’t touch
With a tear-stained note taped to it from my quiet son
Wanting you back.

Memories flood my head
When I find a tiny sock hiding underneath your bed
I want to kiss your toes
I want to hear you sing
I want to close my eyes and pretend this isn’t happening
I want to cry no more.

And so I’ll say goodbye
And hope you’ll keep a piece of me tucked close inside
And whatever you do
And wherever you go
I just really hope and pray that you will always know
I will remember you.

Kidnapping

So tiny

It is hard grieving the loss of my foster daughter.  It doesn’t feel like a death, because it isn’t one. She is out there alive and hopefully happy and healthy. It feels like she was kidnapped though.  I miss her so much and I really just want her to come home.  I get so many spam calls, and every single time the phone rings, I fill with hope and think that they are calling to give her back to me, but that is not going to happen.  Every time I go out, I search for her at the stores even though I know she doesn’t live near me, but just in case.  One day could come where I actually pass her somewhere and I won’t recognize her.  That thought causes me to have a ton of anxiety. I just feel like she doesn’t understand why I am not with her.  She clung to me around other people and I loved her so fiercely and I know she is too young to understand why I am not there for her. It hurts so bad not being able to explain. If your child dies you no longer have to worry if they are happy or safe, it is over, but with this I feel I will worry about her forever. Is she happy, loved, safe, fed? Does she think I abandoned her? How long before she forgets me altogether? Also I want her back so badly, but does that mean hoping something bad happens so I can have her back? Everyone is asking me if we are going to get another foster child and try again to adopt, but IDK and my baby isn’t replaceable. I am sure people don’t mean it like that, but it feels like that. I can’t fix this grief with another baby.

One thing is for sure, I will love her forever.

June Movies I hope to see

 

 


May Movies


<br?

Bacon Pie by Candace Robinson

I am so

excited that BACON PIE by Candace

Robinson & Gerardo Delgadillo is available now and that I get to share the

news!

If you

haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Authors Candace Robinson & Gerardo

Delgadillo , be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz

also includes a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Candace Robinson & Gerardo

Delgadillo. and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in

the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

About The Book:


Title: BACON

PIE

Author: Candace

Robinson & Gerardo Delgadillo

Pub. Date: April

13, 2018

Publisher: Evernight

Teen

Formats: Paperback,

eBook

Pages: 314
Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Goodreads
Lia Abbie has the easy life—kicking it back with old school video games,

hanging out with her best friend Barnabas, and alternating her living schedule

between the apartments of her two dads and her mom.

Kiev Jimenez is a theater geek who loves him some Shakespeare and taking care

of his pet armadillo. He has one set goal in life: obtaining the role of

Horatio for the Hamlet school play.

When a showdown between Lia and Kiev lands them in the principal’s office,

they’re forced into volunteer work at the cringe-worthy Piggy Palooza Festival,

or risk being suspended. Lia and Kiev aren’t thrilled about the situation,

especially when it interferes with Lia’s relaxed life and Kiev’s theater role.

But by working together, they may find more than just bacon—possibly a little

love in the air.

Excerpt:
The door is

already wide open. Mr. Walker is missing in action, but two guys are already

there—Tweedle Jerk and Tweedle Jerkier.

I’m not

dealing with this crap today. I march up to Cole, who is sitting in my seat

again, and watch as Kiev’s eyes seem to follow me all the way until I’m

standing in between both of them.

“You need

to get out of my seat,” I say to Cole. Does he have his usual basketball shirt

on today? He does.

He holds up

both hands like he’s trying to tame a wild boar. “Calm down. Calm down, Miss

Ophelia Abbie. The bell has not announced the start of this oh-so-wonderful

class.”

I give him

a look of disdain. “Enough with the Ophelia stuff.”

“What’s

wrong with the name Ophelia?” Kiev pipes in. “It’s like the name from Hamlet.”

“What?” I

turn to Kiev, not sure what this idiot is talking about.

“You know,

O-phe-li-a.” He draws the name out super slowly to get his point across.

“I don’t

give a crap about Hamlet—that has nothing to do with my name,” I huff.

Tapping his

fingers on the desk like he’s typing on a keyboard, Kiev stares at my face.

“Are you sure your parents didn’t name you after the character?”

“Who the hell

names their kid after a stupid Shakespearian play?” I’ve read two, and I hated

them both.

“Plenty of

people. Juliet Weaver, in our grade, was named after Romeo and Juliet.”

“Quit being

pretentious.”

“Quit being

a—”

I narrow my

eyes at him. “A what?”

“You know

what you’re being.”

“Shut up,

Kiev. Oh, my parents named me after the capital of Russia, because I’m such an

important person who has to answer questions for people when they don’t need

help answering!” I yell.

“Um, Kiev

is actually the capital of Ukraine.” He bobs his head. “You know that, right?”

I hear Cole’s loud hooting to my right.

That’s it!

Without thinking, I slam my fist directly into Kiev’s nose.

About Candace:

My name is Candace

Robinson. I’m just your average hemiplegic migraine sufferer. My days are spent

writing, book reviewing and traveling through books for my blog, Literary Dust.

I live just outside of Houston, Texas, where it feels like the hottest place on

Earth with the crazy weather. No, seriously, one day it’s 30 degrees and the

next it’s 70 degrees! I live with my husband and awesome daughter!

You can also

follow me on my review blog Literary

Dust

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Instagram | Goodreads


About Gerardo:

Gerardo’s amazing bio.
Yup. Even though I’m like

one-hundred-and-fifty-nine years old, spelled all out, I love to write about

contemporary teens in distress. So no magic, dragons, or unicorns.

About me
At the tender age of sixteen years

old, when giant lizards ruled the world, I used to be a DJ–turntables and all.

I was born in the States, raised in

Mexico, and now live in Big D.

Cloud computing is my area of

expertise–just don’t ask me what cloud computing means.

I love football, the one played with

the feet by footballers, La Liga from Spain being the best.

Chilaquiles is my favorite food.

Yummy.

About my novels
Multi-cultural is my writing trade,

in English and Español.

My writing must be emotional or else

…

I believe in the Oxford comma, but

the Oxford comma doesn’t believe in me.

Love first person present tense POV.
In my novels, food tends to be

another protagonist.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram| Tumblr | Goodreads
Giveaway Details: All International
1 winner will receive an Amazon Gift Card,

International.

Ends on April 24th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

22299763

Goodreads Summary:

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

My Thoughts:

I love the covers on this series!!!! They are so beautiful! This book is so fucking good. This story starts one week after Six of Crows and that’s great because the cliffhanger on Six of Crows was the size of the grand canyon. All our favorite characters are back and just as awesome as ever. Kaz is darker and more tortured because they stole his lovel (even though is isn’t exactly sure he can say that yet or that it could even work) but HOW DARE THEY!? Kaz is all I WILL BRING THEM TO THEIR KNEES, THEIR WORLD WILL CRUMBLE. MWAHAHAHA. Although Wylan gets more fleshed out in this book, and he is super adorable, he still isn’t my favorite. This book is super long also, but it goes by so much faster than the first one. By this time you are so fucking invested in these characters stories you don’t want the series to be over. I NEED MORE. I am going to miss scheming face. I need more scheming face. Actually had almost tears about Matthias because HOW DARE THEY, but also thank god it was him because I ship Nina and Nikolai, and really only would have been okay with Matthias or Inej dying. I was surprised that one of my precious babies died, but none of the bad guys die? NONE OF THEM? I mean their world’s were ruined, but both could potentially recover, at least somewhere else. So…. just kill them. Whatever.
CAMEO ALERT. Sturmhond, Genya, Zoya, appear and David is mentioned, and even Tolya gets a mention (although not by name). Actually cried when Kaz shows Inej her family coming off the boat, because many boys can give you flowers, but only Kaz will give you your family. ❤

Quotes:

“I would have come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”

“Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the rest of us? What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.”

“Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.”

“No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to the fact that there would be no expensive burials for people like them, no marble markers to remember their names, no wreaths of myrtle and rose.”

“How many times have you told me you’re a monster? So be a monster. Be the thing they all fear when they close their eyes at night.”

“And that was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have.”

“We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen.”

“Suffering is like anything else. Live with it long enough, you learn to like the taste.”

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

23437156

Goodreads Summary:

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he’ll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done – and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable – if they don’t kill each other first.

My Thoughts:

First of all this cover is gorgeous. I love how the crow forms the cityscape.  This series is my favorite over the Grishaverse series.  This book is so good. I am so glad my friend made me read it. I’m sobbing over the fact that there are only 2 books in the series. There is everything awesome in this book, old-timey gangs, magic, and heists. So this book is a spin off of the Grisha series, and I had no idea that it would be even better! Good news too, you don’t have to read that series to read this one, although there are little spoilers for the other series, I think it’s fine to start here. Kaz is my number one favorite character here. He is the mastermind of the group, and he is epic and cold and amazing. Jesper is a huge flirt and the groups sharpshooter. Nina is the Grisha of the group, she is sassy and flirty and I love her, Inje is the former circus star, turned assassin acrobat. My Kaz-Inje ship has sailed and I’m not sorry. Matthias is viking like, and an obvious love for Nina, even though he hates her and hates everything. Lastly there is Waylan the merchant’s son who is last on my faves list. I don’t care about his character at all but I do ship Jespar and Waylan hard, because Jespar is so cute, and the only time Waylan can quip is when Jespar is talking to him. All of the characters were great. It did take me a bit because there are so many perspectives, and DAMN but all of the characters are very in depth and have backstories and you know so much about them that you love them all. I love tortured soul characters and here is a group of them, all hanging out. This book is soooooo long. SO LONG. Plus you have to have the second book right away because cliffhanger much? Yes. GRRRR.

Quotes:

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you’ll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won’t matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.”

“No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for ‘good luck.”

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”

“She’d laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him.”

“He needed to tell her…what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. That he was twisted, crooked, wrong, but not so broken that he couldn’t pull himself together into some semblance of a man for her. That without meaning to, he’d begun to lean on her, to look for her, to need her near.”

 

Movies for the month


April Movies






What movies are you looking forward to this month?

Ruin and Rising (The Grishaverse #3) by Leigh Bardugo

14061957

Goodreads Summary:

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

My Thoughts:

See my review for book one here. and my review for book two here.  The end of the trilogy. I’m both happy and sad. Happy that I loved the series and sad that it is over (for now.)

So my love of the Darkling ending in Book 2 with my new love Stormhund, and because the Darkling just gets creepier and creepier, and it’s hard to love him anymore. Nikolai needed to be in this book WAY more. How can you give him to me in Book 2 and not have him all throughout this book. HOW DARE YOU?! My friend told me there will be a Nikolai book next year though, so YAY. But NO a year!?! Damnit man. I didn’t like how they were stuck in the cave for so long it was boring and drawn out. I still hate Mal and after the huge plot twist, I was LIKE YAAAAAAAS stab him Alina. GET HIM! But even that did not work out. Lame.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

24974996

Goodreads Summary:

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack.

My Thoughts:

This book is so short, so it is a very quick read. This book is so important. This is not my culture at all, but I think it is so important to read about different cultures. Justyce is a great character. He is trying to be the best he can be, despite what is going on in America, and despite where he comes from. You can tell he wants to change the world, and is actually smart enough to do so, but he doesn’t have everything figured out, so that makes him feel real. This is a tough book, it is not a fun and quirky story. I did love it. I love books that touch on real issues, and this one is beautifully written. I love how the book is mostly dialogue. There are no long detailed paragraphs. I don’t think it needed that. I love that this book talks about racism and classism so realistically.

Quotes:

“You can’t change how other people think and act, but you’re in full control of you. When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is this: If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be?”

“People often learn more from getting an undeserved pass than they would from being punished.”

 

March Movies





What movies are you excited for this month?

 

Siege and Storm (The Grishaverse #2) by Leigh Bardugo

14061955

Goodreads Summary:

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her–or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

 My Thoughts:

THIS SERIES! I reviewed the first book earlier. So I was iffy during the first book because of all the Russian style words and names, and I’m not good with stuff I can’t pronounce. BUT OMG IT WAS SO GOOD. So of course I started the second one immediately after, and it was still so fucking good. STURMHOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Swoon so hard. I LOVE HIM. My friend told me her favorite character was Nickolai, and I was like well I haven’t gotten to him yet, but how are you not mentioning Sturmhond, because he’s the best. So she was all

Image result for sneaky glance gif

I like that Alina is getting these darker style powers and really getting into it. I know you aren’t supposed to like that but I still ship Alina and the Darkling….so there’s that. She’s a bad ass. I still don’t like Mal. I feel like he is such a dick. He is jealous and not understanding at all. Just grrrr. Grow the fuck up MAL! I am glad that I have book 3 already because there is no way I am waiting to dig in.

Quotes:

“When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable.”
“What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men.”
“Oh, and the easiest way to make someone furious is to tell her to calm down.”
“Weakness is a guise. Wear it when they need to know you’re human, but never when you feel it.”

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide #1) by Mackenzi Lee

29283884

Goodreads Summary:

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

My Thoughts:

Not my style. DNF I checked it from the library and it didn’t hook me right away so I took it back since it was getting close to due date. lots of great reviews. maybe i should try again?

 

Should I give it a second chance?

 

The Clothes Make the Girl (Look Fat)?: Adventures and Agonies in Fashion by Brittany Gibbons

34217563

Goodreads Summary:

A sartorial follow-up to her hilarious memoir in stories, Fat Girl Walking, internet personality Brittany Gibbons once again deep dives into the world of the plus size woman, this time chronicling her love/hate (but mostly hate) relationship with what fashion.

From Pinterest boards and Instagram posts to shop windows and ad campaigns, fashion is everywhere. We shop and dress for practical reasons like job interviews or to make a good impression at the board meeting. We shop and dress for more adventurous reasons—for dates, to woo a lover, to catch someone’s eye. Clothes are armor for women, and we wrap a lot of meaning in what we choose to wear.

As plus-size spokesmodel and blogger Brittany Gibbons knows, what we choose to wear is especially important, and especially emotional, for curvy women. This isn’t only because curvy women feel underrepresented and underserved by the fashion world. For the curvy woman who struggles with feelings of self-worth and a lack of confidence the feeling of “why bother” can come crashing in. You can’t help but think “wouldn’t leggings and a slouchy sweater just be easier?” Especially when we, like every other woman on the planet, are facing greater, real-life obstacles like raising kids, attending college, keeping your marriage together, paying bills, and a myriad of other daily struggles.

Everyone has those days where they hate their body, they hate their clothes, but self-confidence and strength can come from a great outfit. Brittany is determined to help women, curvy and otherwise, embrace fashion and all the bumps and lumps that come with it. An “overdue love letter” to her body, Brittany delves into the hilarity and the humility of her quest to find her own personal style—to break out of a rut of maternity underwear and men’s undershirts once and for all. From wardrobe malfunctions, to fashion advice, to mom bodies and the perfect pose, The Clothes Make the Girl (Look Fat)? is the empowered battle cry all women deserve.

My Thoughts:

Brittany Gibbons, author of Fat Girl Walking, wrote another memoir! I interviewed her back in 2014, and you can read it here! She teaches confidence, and self love, and that it is okay when you don’t have those things.  Not only did I laugh, I cried, and made plans to clean out my closet. Brittany’s first book was epic, and a New York Times Bestseller. Ladies. LADIES. You need this book. NEED IT. (and her other book also, just get them both.) This book is like sitting down with your best friend, and having a long awesome conversation. This book is not just for plus size women, it is for ALL WOMEN. I am not plus size (anymore) and this book is still for me. This book is for everyone that has ever felt like they didn’t fit in. This book is about fashion, and it isn’t about fashion at all. I needed this book. The letter to her daughter is something I needed, for me, and something that all girls need.

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

35541390

Goodreads:

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“With more twists than a bag of pretzels, this compelling family saga may make you question what you think you know about your own relatives.”
– Cosmopolitan

“Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.”

After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran…fast and far away.

Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.

My Thoughts:

Haunting. I could not put this book down. I read it in about half a day without putting it down at all. This book is so dark. I like dark. I know a lot of people won’t be a fan, because of the disturbing aspects of the book. The fact that most of the characters act like everything is okay, is going to be hard for people to accept. I got this book for free from blogging for books. Wow. Okay so the main character is Lane. She is hard to like. But it is also hard to fault her, when her childhood and life is so fucked up. I did love Allegra though. She is the manicpixiedreamgirl. All of the Roanoke girls have a fucked up childhood. On top off all the dark history and suicides, is the mystery of Allegra’s disappearance. I did ship Lane and Connor and was glad that they were able to end up together. I like how the story is told in different time periods, and how there are different chapters on each of the Roanoke girls. The ending surprised me, which isn’t common for me. Overall loved it.

Quotes:

“You can’t outrun what’s inside of you. You can only acknowledge it, work around it, try and turn it into something better. I may not know exactly where I’m headed, but this time I’m choosing my own destiny.”
“…sometimes you have to hurt people just to prove you’re alive.”
“We’re all fucked up, Lane, one way or another. It’s only a matter of degree.”
“Sometimes it’s a revelation, even to me, how much more comfortable I am with cruelty than with kindness.”
“No one had to explain to me the power our childhoods had over us, even when we fought like hell against them.”
“I understand how sometimes you have to pass the pain around in order to survive it.”

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

7108001

Goodreads:

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother’s bedside. She’s been stricken with something the old-timers call “Milk Sickness.”

“My baby boy…” she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother’s fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, “henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose…” Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

Image result for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter gif

My Thoughts:

I did see this movie when it came out and I thought it was okay. I don’t know how I got this book, but because my book club members had not read it yet, this was my pick for January.  I don’t like history. I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction.  This was written just like a historical biography. I am not a fan of historical biographies. I really only like memoirs. The concept of this book is really intriguing. I mean Abe Lincoln, hunting vamps with an axe.

Image result for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter gif

Pretty epic. The Photoshop photos were well done. They were pretty funny, I did end up googling some facts about Abe Lincoln to see if any of the book was true. So I guess in a weird way the book made me slightly smarter? Although I didn’t like the book and there is no way I would read it again. I did read the entire thing, and normally I DNF books pretty quickly. It was interesting enough to read the entire book.

Shadow and Bone (The Grishaverse #1) by Leigh Bardugo

10194157

Goodreads Summary:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy.

My Thoughts:

I read The Language of Thorns and I LOVED IT SO MUCH! So I knew I needed to read the Grishaverse books. I started this book in 2015 and DNF, but I was literally another person back then. I did not like it enough to finish the first time through, because of the names. I don’t like it when the names are unpronounceable to me.  The city names, the name of the Darklings guards. GRRRRRRRRRR. Oh fantasy, why do you do this to me?

Image result for why are you like this gif

BUT I LOVED LANGUAGE OF THORNS! And my friend Candace recommended this series, so I gave it another shot. I still had trouble with all the names, because I don’t know how to pronounce  things at all. Putting that aside, this plot and the characters were really good! I don’t really enjoy many fantasy books because of the name thing. I do like how this was set in an old world (like many fantasy novels.) All of the city names, and foods seem very Russian. I even had to looked it up to see if the author was Russian, but no. The story was great. I love that she didn’t go into too much detail on every page, but you still get fully immersed in Ravka. I loved Alina. She is sassy, and self-deprecating. She was very well written. Mal is her childhood best friend, and love interest. AND I HATE HIM. He is charming, and charismatic, and gets the girls. Alina pines after him, and he is oblivious. UNTIL SHE GETS POWER! Then she stops being sickly, scrawny, and weak. So now Mal is all Hey girl, and Alina comes running. BUT FUCK THAT. It reminds me of the girls on Maury who have an extreme makeover so they can get their childhood crush, and then the crush is like oh yah I can see what a great person you are now that you are hot. NO. The Darkling. I admit, I shipped it. Obviously it doesn’t work out, but in the beginning. Alina also becomes friends with Genya! YAAAAS. I loved her. She is a Grisha servant to the Queen, but she is full of snarky comments, and style.

Quotes:

“The problem with wanting,” he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my lips, “is that it makes us weak.”
“They are orphans again, with no true home but each other and whatever life they can make together on the other side of the sea.”
“This was his soul made flesh, the truth of him laid bare in the blazing sun, shorn of mystery and shadow. This was the truth behind the handsome face and the miraculous powers, the truth that was the dead and empty space between the stars, a wasteland peopled by frightened monsters.”

 

Haunting the Deep (How to Hang a Witch #2) by Adriana Mather

33977969

Goodreads Summary:

The Titanic meets the delicious horror of Ransom Riggs and the sass of Mean Girls in this follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Hang a Witch, in which a contemporary teen finds herself a passenger on the famous “ship of dreams”—a story made all the more fascinating because the author’s own relatives survived the doomed voyage.

Samantha Mather knew her family’s connection to the infamous Salem Witch Trials might pose obstacles to an active social life. But having survived one curse, she never thought she’d find herself at the center of a new one.

This time, Sam is having recurring dreams about the Titanic . . . where she’s been walking the deck with first-class passengers, like her aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, in Sam’s waking life, strange missives from the Titanic have been finding their way to her, along with haunting visions of people who went down with the ship.

Ultimately, Sam and the Descendants, along with some help from heartthrob Elijah, must unravel who is behind the spell that is drawing her ever further into the dream ship . . . and closer to sharing the same grim fate as its ghostly passengers.

My Thoughts:

This cover though! When I read How to Hang a Witch and read the author’s biography, I told my friend (who also read the book) that I hoped the sequel would be Titanic themed, and she has already gotten it, so she told me IT IS! I bought it immediately.

Image result for titanic gif

YAAAAAAAAS. A Titanic ghost story? I am so fucking there. This book immediately follows book one, and you definitely need to read it, because it is amazing. It starts with Sam at breakfast with Jaxon, her dad, and Ms. Merriweather, and Sam sees the ghost of a little dead girl from the Titanic (she doesn’t know that yet.) She pretends it isn’t happening.  She is trying to pretend that no magic exists anymore after everything that happened to her, and the Descendants in book one.  OF COURSE THAT CAN’t HAPPEN. Later she ends up seeing the spirit of a drowned man, so in this book we have not just one, but two spirits! YAY. I wasn’t really sure how Titanic would fit into a series that started with the Salem Witch Trials, but it was done very well. The author actually has all this amazing and tragic history in her family tree.  Anyway, Sam decided to tell Jaxon everything that has gone on, and he acts like such a dick about it, which was a bit surprising after how amazing he was in the first book. I mean I get that he doesn’t like magic and spirits, and he is so mega jealous of Elijah (and for good reason) but damn. Then he blows Sam off, for that bitch Niki, and I was like OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I know what is happening here. Magic. There is no way my sweet, furniture making, pastry bringing, Jaxon has lost his mind without a little help from some magic.  There is a new kid at school, and so I immediately suspect him as being involved, even though they didn’t really give any indication that he was going to be a major part of the book, but I was like I’M WATCHING YOU FOREIGN EXCHANGE KID! The school is having a Titanic themed dance, so naturally all the teachers change their entire curriculum to include a Titanic study, which explains how everyone Sam is around is so immersed into Titanic. Then Sam starts getting mystery packages from her dead relative, who survived the Titanic, and having nondreams where she actually goes to this kind of alternate reality Titanic. The last time she was there, I was so on the edge of my fucking seat.

Image result for titanic gif

It was so exciting!!!!!!! All the times she is on the Titanic were actually really cool scenes, because just picturing how fancy it was, and the fashion. Those were definitely my favorite scenes in the book. Overall this book is a win. Can’t wait to see what the next book in the series will be. My guess is the revolutionary war, because the author has that in her family history as well. Oh and can we please get a spinoff book on the Descendants before Sam came to Salem? Because they are epic.