The Martian by Andy Weir, read by R.C Bray

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

We went on a trip to see my in-laws so my husband and I decided to listen to a book. He likes science fiction and his sister had recommended this book. We both really enjoyed it. There's a lot of cursing which is fine for us but with the kids in the car we both cringe a little. Luckily they were mostly watching their cartoons in the back anyway.

This book is really funny. The narrator does a great job alternating between Mark Watney and the other POVs in this book. I enjoy science fiction but sometimes the science is too much for me but this book didn't have that problem. The science part was very understandable and interesting. The way the author has Mark explain how he is going to do things and how he survives on Mars seems achievable and clever if not impractical. We still haven't seen the movie but I really want to now. This is definitely a book that I'll read or listen to again.

Weekly Round-Up 1/6

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

Right now I'm reading Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan.
I started my son on the Harry Potter books when school started last year so we are listening to Order of the Phoenix (performed by Jim Dale). And I'm listening to The Martian by Andy Weir, narrated by R.C. Bray

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

This book was recommended to me by a coworker with the words "I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager."  I can't say it effected me as profoundly but I did really like this book.

I liked Willowdean. She is sassy and confident but also insecure and slightly petty. She wants to be "good" and to do right but sometimes cannot reconcile with her own insecurities. Because she is judged only on how she looks by so many people, she can't understand people who see her for herself. I like that most of this book was about Willowdean and her coming to terms with herself and with her body. It's a hard thing that most struggle with well into adulthood and for a teenager is extremely difficult.


I'm glad it wasn't just a fat girl in a beauty pageant book. This was an outsider type book. Or someone who cannot get past their own self to see what others see type book. It was about a girl who wants to be loved but doesn't know she deserves it type book

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

As much as I love Rainbow Rowell and her books, I wasn't sure if I was going to read this one. I loved Fangirl but was less interested in the fanfic that Cath writes than in the story itself. But since I've loved every other Rowell book I thought, why not? It's a fairly meta book. Meta meta even. Because it's a fanfic of a fanfic of fictional book in another story entirely. But you don't need to have read Fangirl to love this book. It probably helps but it stands on its own too. 

I loved this book. I loved Simon and Baz and Penelope and even Agatha. I think most of the backstory was there. You really don't need to have read the "Simon Snow" books to know what is going on. Because in the end this is a love story. It's not actually about the villain and the hero. It's about two boys who fall in love despite having not having reason to. It's about destiny and how it is not always what you think is. It's about friendship and loyalty. It's about love.

And I'm back...

Yes, yes. I know I announced I was closing shop but I missed it too much. I hate when bloggers do this but here I am under a different name. New year, new things, right?
So I'm going to try this again. I really liked book blogging but I didn't like feeling pressure. It was pressure I put on myself to review constantly and I know that won't happen again. This is a hobby, not a profession so I'm going to review as I read and maybe even read and not review. But still I'm happy to be back, no matter how it goes. It's good to have an outlet.

2016 Reviews by Title

A

B

C

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

D

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

E

F

G

H


I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W


X

Y

Z

2016 Audio Book Reviews

1.

A long time coming

I think that it's time I called it quits officially. I really do wish I could keep book blogging. I think about it after I finish a book and I think about the review I'd write. But the truth is that I don't have the willpower to get it done anymore. I enjoyed my time blogging and I'd like to pick it back up one day. But that day is not today and it won't be for a long time. So thanks for reading along with me and for reading this whatever followers I may still have. I like to share photos of what I'm reading on Instagram if you ever wonder what I'm up to.

But this is just a note to say that  I appreciate it all. It's been a good time.

Wild Rover No More: Being the Last Recorded Account of the Life & Times of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer (Bloody Jack #12)

Just when it looks like Jacky Faber and her beloved Jaimy will finally find their romance, Jacky is accused of treason and must flee Boston while her friends attempt to clear her name. Of course that means wild adventures for our fun-loving heroine, who manages to secure a job as a governess…and run away with the circus. The highly anticipated grand finale of the Bloody Jack Adventures

The saddest thing is that this is only the last book because L.A. Meyer died last year. It's a small blessing to those who loved this series that he wrote the conclusion for Jacky. It also makes the ending sadder than you'd think.

Jacky is almost reunited with Jaimy when she is set up for charges of treason by an old enemy. So instead she is on the run first as a governess and then to the circus. Jacky, of course, is excellent at both as she always seems to be. I did enjoy the part where she was the governess and had to deal with a very spoiled little boy. 

I like the ending that Jacky got. It seemed right though I would have liked to see more of her and Jaimy together but then I think this series was about Jacky, growing and seeing the world. It had less to do with Jaimy, really in the end than I think Jacky would think. I do hope she continues to see the world and have many (tamer) adventures.

Weekly Round-Up 5/18

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson. I'm listening to The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood, read by Katharine Kellgren and, with my son, Peter and Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, read by Jim Dale.

Weekly Round-Up 5/4

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot, the last book, I think, in the Heather Wells series. I'm listening to The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood, read by Katharine Kellgren and, with my son, Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

Last week I reviewed Boston Jacky by L.A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren.

Boston Jacky: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, Taking Care of Business by L.A. Meyer (Bloody Jack #11)

Jacky Faber has a habit of making waves--even when docked in her adopted city of Boston, where she is attending to the business of Faber Shipping Worldwide. With big dreams and perhaps a bit too much exuberance for the very Puritan populace, she purchases the Pig and Whistle Inn, determined to revive her old stomping grounds and establish a musical theater.
But Jacky quickly finds herself at odds with the Women's Temperance Union and a town roiling with tension over the arrival of hundreds of Irish laborers--brought in by her very own Lorelei Lee. As things heat up, both literally and figuratively, she's soon back in Judge Thwackham's courtroom facing the dozen lashes promised the last time she stood before the judge. Thwarted at every turn by her enemies, Jacky is finally forced to confront her shortcomings--and possibly lose her beloved Jaimy Fletcher in the process.

It doesn't seem right to not finish out my reviews on the Jacky Faber series. The penultimate book finds Jacky in Boston supposedly just trying to live her life right and carry out her business while waiting for Jaimy to arrive back from Rangoon. Of course Jacky being Jacky, she manages to make new enemies in a local temperance group and, through an unfortunate event, also loses Jaimy in a manner of speaking. 

I enjoy Jacky and love her adventures and as usual her past has a way of making her careless and she is careless because she doesn't seem to learn from her past. I think she has definitely grown though as a person since the first book, but she is so impetuous that it makes it difficult for her to stay out of trouble. It's funny because though I don't want anything awful to happen to her, I also like the moments when her clever schemes did not work to her advantage for a chance. I think it's a good learning opportunity for her.

I was significantly less fond of Jaimy Fletcher though. I wish he would quit being an idiot. Like a lot of conflict in books, much of the drama could have been avoided if he had just asked Jacky instead of assuming and I was disappointed with him in the end.

All in all, I am looking forward to the last book though I am sad that it is the last.

Weekly Round-Up 4/27

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm not sure what I'm reading because I keep switching between Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Steifvator and The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson. So it's one of those at any given time. Maybe one day I'll finish one of them. I'm still in a reading slump though my own weirdness and not because I can't find a good book. It's all me. Anyway. I'm listening to Wild Rover No More by L.A. Meyer, the last Jacky Faber book and, with my son, Peter and the Shadow Thieves. He immensely enjoyed Peter and the Starcatchers so we are following along with that series.

Floors and 3 Below by Patrick Carman (Floors series)

Floors
The Whippet Hotel is a strange place full of strange and mysterious people. Each floor has its own quirks and secrets. Leo should know most of them - he is the maintenance man's son, after all. But a whole lot more mystery gets thrown his way when a series of cryptic boxes are left for him . . . boxes that lead him to hidden floors, strange puzzles, and unexpected alliances. Leo had better be quick on his feet, because the fate of the building he loves is at stake . . . and so is Leo's own future!

3 Below (Floors #2)
Now that Leo has uncovered a few secrets behind the wacky Whippet Hotel, he'll have to save it!

Leo has explored the zany, wonderful Whippet Hotel from basement to top floor, with trains, flying goats, and mazes (among other things) in between. But even Leo doesn't know every secret of the Whippet - and when he discovers that there's more beneath the hotel than he'd thought, it doesn't take long for more adventures to unfold!


So I've managed to get my 8 year old hooked on audio books. Not a bad thing in my opinion. We started with Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, then Peter and the Starcatchers, and then Floors followed by 3 Below. He likes the wacky adventures in the hotel and requested the second book when we finished Floors. I think they are cute books. I also like the wacky adventures and the humor, though it verges a lot into burp jokes in 3 Below, is still funny. The narrator, Jesse Bernstein, does a great job with the stories. I'm sure my son likes these books since the idea of a 10 year old working and running a hotel appeals to him in the same way running away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art did for me.

Weekly Round-Up 2/2

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

Hey y'all!
Right now I'm listening (again for the 4th or 5th time) To Say Nothing of the Dog, Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump At Last by Connie Willis. Some books are just worth reading over and over again. I plan on getting to The Blood of Olympus after. My son and I are getting ready to start Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstien, a recommendation by a co-worker. 

As for reading, it's hit or miss with me right now. I started Blue Lily, Lily Blue but didn't get very far. I'm trying, but reading is just not happening for me right now. So reviews are going to continue to be scattered and may become more like "micro-reviews" than anything I've written thus far.  

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year! I'm day late but I spent most of yesterday in the ER with my youngest (she's fine) and that was exhausting.

I have been getting a little reading done lately. And I've been thinking about picking up reviews again. I've been reading Mary Kay Andrews and enjoying her fun, quirky characters. I'm about to start Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I've also got my son interested in audio books and he's become a fan of the Peter and the Starcatchers series. So that's been fun!

In which I write about my unintended hiatus

I realized the other night that I hadn't blogged in a while. I didn't realize it had been September! I haven't really been reading but I have been listening to audiobooks and I keep meaning to review them but time has not been my friend for a long while now. I was wondering if I wanted to keep this blog going. Yes, I do. I really do. But, as I've said in the past, I don't want to feel obligated. So hopefully I'll get back to it soon. As I type this I'm thinking about writing up the Enola Holmes series. So clearly the spark to review is not gone. I'm going to get back to it. Bear with me.

Weekly Round-Up 9/22

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading Landline by Rainbow Rowll. I'm listening to The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer, read by Katharine Kellgren.

Last week I reviewed The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer, read by Katharine Kellgren.

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer (Enola Holmes #4)

Enola Homes, younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft, is living on her own and evading her brothers in an attempt to stay out of boarding school and keep her independence. When her landlady is mysterious kidnapped and her house ransacked, Enola sets out to find her and figure who and why someone would want her sweet old landlady.

This was a very fun mystery. I enjoyed the character of Enola and how clever she is. Her brothers very much underestimate her but I think Sherlock is beginning to see the truth of his little sister. Enola is a very independent and she knows more about the ways of the world especially a lady's world than her brothers can understand. She is also very good at riddles and coded messages and those skills certainly come in handy for this case. I also like the history of this era like Florence Nightingale and how London was at this time. That was very interesting. 

Katharine Kellgren, one of my favorite narrators, is the reader of this book and I can't say enough good things about her. She really is one of the best narrators I've come across and does a great job on every book and this one is no exception.
The only thing is some weird lengthy pauses between chapters. A few times I wonder if the book had stopped but it was just the way it was engineered.

Weekly Round-Up 9/15

Weekly Round-Up is my wrap-up of last week's activities and includes what I'm reading this week, reviews I've posted, books in the mail and anything else of interest plus From the Library, my weekly listing of what I've checked out from the library.

I'm reading The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. I'm listening to The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, read by Katharine Kellgren.