Geekerella

 Geekerella by Ashley Poston was a surprise fun read for me.  I selected it to fulfill a retelling prompt and ended up enjoying it much more than I anticipated.  The storyline definitely mimics Cinderella even involving a pumpkin and sewing dresses.  No multi talented animals though.  The story does a wonderful job of showing the lows and highs of an underdog   You would have to be mean at your core to not cheer for Elle to get her goal fulfilled.   

There are several YA tropes in the book but rather than feeling contrived they do make sense.   Among them are the mistaken LGBTQ crush, the mean girls and the secret admirer.  The whole fangirl and Cosplay theme make for a great story.   If you are looking for a fun heart warming story you will enjoy this book.  It's an added bonus if you are into SciFi and Cons. 

There are several other books in this series that I am interested in reading down the road.  

 I liked this retelling of Cinderella mixed with the Sci Fi flair.  The Cosplay was An interesting plot line.  I wished there was A bit more depth to the relationships between Elle and her family.   There were glimpses of them starting to discuss emotions that quickly disappeared I would have liked that to have happened.  Also the ending felt a bit  rushed maybe I just was wanting more.  i did enjoy the book though.

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #63
2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #75
3. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #58
4. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  #8 one word title
5. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #37 A coming of age story where the characters are in school
6. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2022 #15 a retelling
7. OWLS 22  #3 Tales of Beedle the Bard: A fairytale retelling
8. Pick your Poison #7 a retelling of a classic
9. RAD challenge #aradreadingchallenge #3 A One word title

22 seconds

  22 Seconds is the latest installment in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson.   I always enjoy reading the thrillers about Det Lindsey Boxer. This book features her and husband, Joe Molinari, mainly.  The other ladies in the club, Yuki, Clare and Cindy do each have roles but not as prominent as in other books in the series.  At times the other ladies stories overlap with the main plot line but the one involving Clare, in her ME role really doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.  It is also the one most thoroughly developed so it does seem a bit strange.  

 I don't mind that the story focuses on Boxer and Molinari as the story is well developed  and full of action.  The central story line aspect of drugs and guns being trafficked across the Mexican border is very relevant to current events.  I appreciated the perspective of the impact on the law enforcement community and the fact the hot topic wasn't treated too politically, but rather had both sides on the gun control issue represented;  accurately reflecting the complexity of the matter.  

All in all the book is a great thriller as Patterson's books usually are.  I think my favorite part was the excerpt from his upcoming  memoir.  I found the stories fascinating and have now placed that book on hold at my library.  Hopefully I won't have to wait too long.

This is an action packed book but I did feel like the murder club did t really happen in this installment. The side stories for the other ladies intersected with the main plot line. I will admit that Clare’s role was heartbreaking but the story that leads her to Nor Cal felt unnecessary. That being said the other ladies could have been left out entirely and the story would have worked. There were definitely some plot twists for sure and full of shout outs and death

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #64
2. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2022  Series: 32 Book #1
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #76
4. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #71
5. Medical Examiner Challenge 11 Toe Tags
6. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- jail/streetx4/ferry/carx2/park/warehouse/bedroom
• Weapon- gun/fentanyl/sheet
• Detectives- Lindsey Boxer
• Victims- Ted Swanson/Kim Swanson/Roger Chen/Richard Darby/Brian Donahue/Roy Abend/Carl Barrows/Pepe Carriola/Katie Caruso/Kenny Chen/Royce Bleeker
7. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #3  Shot #2
8. OWLS 22  Unicorn: Your most anticipated book of the year
9. Pick your Poison #92 chicago a book set in a jail or prison

  

Wonder Woman Vol 1 lies

  I picked this for a challenge prompt of a non patriarchal society.  I figured the origin of Wonder woman was definitely in a matriarchal society.  This is a story of deception that I think having some awareness of the Wonder Woman tale enhances. Not knowing wouldn’t ruin it but the reader might be a bit lost

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #74
2. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #57
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  #14 graphic novel, manga, or web comic
4. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #9  Graphic Novel
5. OWLS 22  #5 Parseltongue: A book that contains a fictional language
6. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge # 3. A book about or set in a nonpatriarchal society 
7. Pick your Poison #81 a book about a mythical creature

Santa Cruise

 Santa Cruise is the first book I have read by Fern Michaels.  I was drawn to the book based upon the cover and the title.  For some reason I felt like reading a Christmas type book and decided this would be a perfect Christmas in July theme read.   I don't generally read the more romance chick flick type books a lot but I did find myself thoroughly enjoying this book.  It was fun reading about the cruise and all the exciting activities and ports of call particularly since it has been several years since we have been on one and I do miss this vacation style.  

The character relationships fit well with the concept of good friends reuniting at a high school reunion and reigniting old bonds.  The redevelopment of their friendships felt organic and realistic.  Their personal development and growth when facing life changing career decisions seemed real and the level of uncertainty and angst was conveyed at a believable level.  

I would not hesitate to select another book by Fern Michaels if I was looking for a feel good escape.  

Santa Cruise by Fern Michaels
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

fun book combining Christmas and vacation

What a fun book about a cruise reuniting a group of HS friends add in Christmas season and a bit of romance. All in all a fun enjoyable read

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #61
2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #73
3. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  # 17 A book picked based on its spine
4. Bookworm #43 Read a book by an author with the same name as one of your parents 
5. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2022 #8 bought based on cover 
6. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #2. A book set on a plane, train, or cruise ship
7. Pick your Poison #103  a beach read 
8. Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO  JULY- Summer Lovin’ 
9. Diversify your reading #DYRC22  Jul Contemporary Fiction

Not All Diamonds and Rose

 This book by Dave Quinn is a biography of sorts of the different Real Housewives franchises.   Not all Diamond and Rose begins with the start of the franchise and the creation of the Orange Country edition.  This book is an enjoyable book doing memory lane for fans of the shows.  It does relive many of the premier moments with thoughts and opinions from Housewives and producers.   There isn't a whole lot of juicy behind the scenes info and I am sure the stories and info have been scrubbed to meet with Bravo and Andy Cohen's approval.  All it all it was a fun read but don't expect to get a whole lot of new information.  

Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Real Housewives Spilling Tea, Throwing Shade, and Sharing Secrets by Dave Quinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

fun read for franchise fans

While I enjoyed reading the stories and remembering scenes I couldn’t help but feel like this was more timeline rehash rather than revealing anything new per se. Felt like it had been whitewashed to make acceptable to bravo


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #60
2. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  Q
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #72
4. Non Fiction Reader  #ReadNonFicChal   # 6. Celebrity
5. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub  #7 A non-fiction bestseller  
6. Bookworm #26 Read a book published by Macmillan (or subsidiary)
7. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  #24  author has an active podcast or youtube channel
8. BooklistQueen  #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2022  #39. Recommended by a Librarian
9. Nerdy Bookworm  #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #24 New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller
10. OWLS 22  #60 Vanishment Spell: A bestseller (that vanishes off the shelf!)  
11. Pick your Poison #18 a biography
12. Lifetime of Reading  July – Life in Your 50s
13. Unruly Reader Bingo  #22 immersion

High Stakes

 After reading Dead Cert earlier this month I decided to pick another Dick Francis book to meet the prompt written when you were 5.  I remembered how much I enjoyed his storytelling and figured it was easy enough to select a stand alone that was published in 1975.   I had never actually read this one so that was a nice added bonus.  

As always he crafted a well written book set around horse lifestyles.  In this case the steeplechase is the focus of the horse racing.  There is quite a large amount of deception and plotting that occurs in this story.  I also enjoyed the side information about Mr. Scott's toy inventions.  Be sure to read the author notes on how he formed this character and who he based it upon.

This book is a great pick for those who like well crafted mysteries and horse lovers.

High Stakes by Dick Francis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A gritty book about revenge and the depth people will go when they feel wronged. As with all Dick Francis books the story centers around the horse racing community. Each of the mysteries sheds a little bit of background information about horses and the racing world. I am enjoying going back and reading books written in the 1970s. It is enjoyable to read modern books without modern technology and the detective work is much more about footwork and observations

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #60
2. What an Animal Book #40
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #71
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #56
5. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #48
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #70
7. Craving for Cozies  Book #65
8. Medical Examiner Challenge  1 Toe Tags
9. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- toy workshop
• Weapon- machine
• Detectives- Steven Scott
• Victims- Ganser Mays
10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #86  Shot #2
11. Bookworm #17 A book that was published when you were 5 years old
12. Pick your Poison #84 a book by an author you consider amazing
13. Century challenge  1970s

The Rocky Road to Ruin

 This book is perfect for ice cream lovers as well as mystery lovers.  You will be craving ice cream as you read The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen.  This is the first in a new series that definitely has the making for some interesting storytelling going forward.  Riley has a very unique past that she is bringing home to her hometown in CT.  Bits of her story get told as the mystery progresses but I envision much of her mysterious past to be part of the background dialogue in future installments.

The mystery itself is well written with several smaller mysteries contained within the principal one.  Riley's relationship with her BFF, Caroline. is a timeless story of sister/friends from childhood.  Riley's protectiveness of her friend is believable and unwavering.   The relationship with her father and stepmother is ancillary but believable in many ways.  Overall I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more in the series.

The Rocky Road to Ruin by Meri Allen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great first installment in a new series. Set in CT and cemeteries around an ice cream shop there’s a small town feel within a farming community. Characters are realistic with not perfect family dynamics that feel authentic. I enjoyed the mystery that was multi layered with several smaller mysteries built into the big one.

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #59
2. What an Animal Book #39
3. 2022TBR  #2022ReadingChallenge  # 
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022   Book #70
5. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #47
6. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #69
7. Craving for Cozies  Book #64
8. Medical Examiner Challenge 4 Toe Tags
9. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scene- barn; road; bedroom x2
• Weapon- pitchfork; car; poison; natural
• Detectives- Riley Rhodes
• Victims- Mike Spooner; Martha M; Brooke Danforth; Buzzy Spooner
10. Beat the Backlist #BTB2022  # 42 title is an alliteration 
11. Around the Year in 52 Books #4. A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list----A book where the title and author name are in two different colours