The Readers Block

Wow! It's been a few years since I posted anything, because honestly, I thought I lost this site. Good to see it's all still here! I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately, but I will be back to review The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Krisin Harmel very soon!

Jane Seymour: The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love all things Tudor, I love Alison Weir, but I could only like Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen. I think maybe it's because not much is known about the person Jane, and in this book Alison Weir has tried to give her some life and depth, but she seems to spend a little too much time in the shadow of Anne Boleyn. I do like how Jane's conscience comes into play, but I wonder if in reality she even gave the sequence of events that much thought... Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title for review. View all my reviews

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh My rating: 4 of 5 stars Grace, Lia and Sky are three sisters whose parents have taken them away from civilization to live on an island after a strange plague has hit. The sickness is especially dangerous to women, causing severe symptoms and seems to cause men to become more aggressive towards the opposite sex, while not making them ill at all. Raised by the mother and their father, King, in safety and seclusion, the girls are put through "therapies" to teach them how to survive, and rid them of any toxins from the outside world. When King dies, the girl's survival instincts and training are put to the test, and what follows is a dark and haunting story that leaves you with just the right amount of questions... This may be my favorite read so far this year... Thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for review! View all my reviews

The Emperor of Shoes by Spencer Wise My rating: 4 of 5 stars For all of Alex Cohen's life, he's been taught what it means to be a Cohain. He hears of The Sacrifices his father and grandfather have made to build the family's shoe business from nothing, especially how his father gave up everything, including his wife and family, to make the company successful when he sees an opportunity to move the factory to China. A passive, seemingly disinterested twenty-six year old Jewish kid from Boston, Alex has just signed the paperwork to begin taking the reins from his father when he meets and falls for Ivy, a migrant factory worker who lives in the factory dorms. Through Alex and Ivy's relationship, we see the unfairness and abuse suffered by these workers, and Alex has to come to terms with the fact that his father has turned a blind eye to it all for the sake of profit. Ivy helps to open Alex's eyes to the state of her world as a Chinese factory worker and citizen, fo...

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book by Penguin's First to Read program, and I must say I am grateful. I remember seeing small clips of the war in Rwanda here and there on the news in 1994, and thinking, "Why isn't anyone helping? Why aren't we helping???" All these years later, I still don't understand why the world just sat back and did nothing. I can't imagine what Clemantine and Claire went through to survive- even after reading their story, but I am thankful they are here to tell it. I have hope that one day we will live in a world where we will never have to ask why again, where people will have learned from stories like Clemantine's and Claire's, and Elie's and just make all the hate stop. View all my reviews

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova My rating: 4 of 5 stars My thanks to Netgalley, Scout Publishing, and Lisa Genova for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I thought I had an idea of what having ALS meant, I mean, who hasn't heard of Stephen Hawking? Reading this book has shown me I knew nothing about this horrible disease and what it means to live with it. The medical descriptions of the attacks on the body, and the quickness with which it robs its victims of their quality of life, are just devastating. This is another heart-wrenching, well written novel by an author who has definitely opened my eyes and heart and given me a little more understanding of the struggles, hopes, and realities of the families dealing with diseases like this. I just can't find the words to express the feelings I got while reading this. *I wrote this review before Mr. Hawking's passing, and would like to express my condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. His life wit...

Any one who knows me knows that if I am not reading, I am crocheting. I love to crochet. As a beginner/intermediate level 'hooker" I am always looking for clearly written patterns that I can learn from. This book is great! There are plenty of patterns for circles, squares and projects, all clearly written out and illustrated with graphs. There is a glossary of stitches and terms, so if you are unsure of what is being asked, help is there! I've sampled a few patterns so far, and haven't had any problems. In fact, following a graph has always been a problem for me, but with this book, I've been able to decipher them and work strictly with the graph. Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, and many thanks to Sandra Eng! I will definitely recommend it to all my crochet groups and friends!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have never been to Alaska, though it is on my bucket list, but I felt as if I was there the entire time I was reading this book. I had no trouble imaging the places Leni saw, Cora's voice became my own mother's. the descriptions of the bonds between mothers and daughters, and how fragile those threads can be at times... I can't say too much about this book without gushing over it, and ruining it for someone else, so I'll just say thank you, Kristin Hannah . You have quickly become one of my favorite authors, and this book does not fail to move me as much as the others I have read. I will cross visiting Alaska off my list one day, but I know it will be most likely be on a cruise ship, as a tender-foot, but I will feel as if I've already known it's beauty. #TheGirlfriendGreatAlone View all my reviews

The Haunted Heart of America: In-Depth Investigations of the Villisca Ax Murder House, Myrtles Plantation & Other Frightful Sites by Logan Corelli My rating: 3 of 5 stars If I'm being totally honest here, I have to admit that I skimmed through some of this book. Not because I wasn't interested, but because much of it reads as a log, with detail by detail of what was said and done, and by whom. I, of course, was more interested in the results. But this book reads like a combined paranormal travel guide and a beginner's how-to on investigations, so if I had the money and equipment, I might set off to visit some of these places. The Villisca Murder House and the Logan County Memorial Hospital would be first two stops. Thank you, Netgalley, Llwellyn Worldwide and Logan Corelli for giving me the opportunity to read this book. View all my reviews

I was given access to an advanced reading copy through Netgalley and Llewellyn Publications. First, let me just say this book was right up my alley. I have been interested in the paranormal for as long as I can remember, though I'd say as a skeptic more times than believer. I can relate to the thought that objects, people or houses can be haunted, as I've had some pretty creepy experiences of my own. However, I've always looked for the rational explanation first. Sometimes, though, there just isn't one to be found. That seems to be the case with Norman. Early on in the story, I found my skin crawling as the author begins to describe things that may have been circumstantial, but hadn't happened before Norman came into their lives. It just felt a little too familiar, and I had to take a break. I jumped back in after a day or two, and found myself wanting to know more. This is a pretty interesting tale, though I'd stay away if you have phobia of dolls. The ...

There are only 14 days left in the year, so it's time to start thinking about the 2018 Reading Challenges! And, it means I still have two weeks to finish last years (not gonna lie, it ain't gonna happen). This first one is the PopSugar challenge, which is my favorite and may be the only one I actually work on. I'll fill in my choices as I think of them. Here goes!!! A book made into a movie you’ve already seen Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro True crime In Cold Blood, Truman Capote or Helter Skelter The next book in a series you started King's Cage, Victoria Aveyard A book involving a heist The Hunter, Richard Stark Nordic noir The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye, David Lagercrantz A novel based on a real person The Perfect King, The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation, Ian Mortimer A book set in a country that fascinates you The Last Tudor, Philippa Gregory A book with a time of day in the title Dawn, Elie Wiesel A book about a v...

There's 24 hours left to help my daughter advance her business to the semi finals of a grant competition that could help her finally open a store. All you have to do is view this 30 second video and it counts as a vote! You don't need the volume on either. Just play it!

I woke up this morning with a true and serious book hangover. I mean, a real doozy. Swollen eyes, headache, stuffy nose... I must have been crying in my sleep, and The Winter Garden is to blame. I can't think of any thing else at the moment, and I should have known better. I read The Nightingale last year, and it really touched me, so I couldn't pass up the chance to read The Winter Garden when it was offered for free on the Bookshout app. I don't normally like to read on my phone, but the app has a speed read setting which is awesome for the elliptical or treadmill. So I decided to give it a try. It's a really good thing I read The Nightingale, because I at least had enough warning from that to know I had to stop reading Winter Garden at the gym. I got so caught up in Vera's story that I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish Winter Garden last night, and ended up trying to cry as softly as I could manage so as not to wake my husband. Not an eas...

Didn't quite reach my goal for 2016, but I'm not stressed about it. My number goal for 2017 is 40, I decided to stick to doable instead of pushing it. As far as the challenges go, I've chosen two for 2017- so far- Book Riot's Read Harder and Better World Books 2017 challenge. I'm going to try this again- Maybe I'll get it done this year if I have the books listed beforehand. We shall see.... Book Riot’s Read Harder 2017 Challenge 1. Read a book about sports. Fourth Down and Inches (l) 2. Read a debut novel. The Bell Jar (k) 3. Read a book about books. The Book of Lost things (l) 4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author. The Sound of Things Falling (l) 5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative. Americanah (l) 6. Read an all-ages comic. X-men- The Age of Proteus (h) 7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950. The Secret Garden (k) 8. R...

Whitefern did not pop for me. I'm not saying I didn't like it or think it's a bad read, but it seemed to lack something for me. I'm thinking it might be because I read My Sweet Audrina too long ago, or maybe I've just outgrown V.C. Andrews' novels. What I didn't like about the novel- Arden's constant reminders to Audrina about the business and why he needed to have all the say. The lack of darkness- My Sweet Audrina was a very dark, disturbing read. Whitefern seems to lack that darkness, though it alludes to the events that caused the darkness often... I stuck it out though because I liked Sylvia, needed confirmation about Mrs. Matthews, and knew I'd be proven right by the end of the novel. I think I'll re-read the originals now to see if I still like them. Whitefern by V.C. Andrews My rating: 2 of 5 stars View all my reviews

"The real life of Lady Anne Clifford, 1590 - 1676, is a story of feminine victory in a man's world, the men including King James I & VI, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and two husbands: the Earl of Dorset, gambler, waster and womanizer, and the Earl of Pembroke, gambler, waster, womanizer and the richest man in England." -quoted from the description on Goodreads. I wanted to love this book, simply because I love reading everything I can get my hands on when it comes to the Tuder/Stuart era. But.... while there is a whole lot of interesting information in this book, it just didn't grab me. I would have liked to read more about Anne and less about the people around her... The First Feminist: My Lady Anne by Gordon Thorburn My rating: 2 of 5 stars I feel like it took me forever to read this book, and it just wasn't for me.... View all my reviews

I don't usually go for mysteries, but lately I've had a bit of a taste for them. This is an entertaining read and the characters are mostly likeable. The ones who are supposed to be likeable, that is. My favorite is dear old Mrs. Bentley, Mrs. Rodd's landlady and companion. I would recommend this book to friends and buy any subsequent volumes should it continue as a series. Now, if someone would only tell me what makes a mystery cozy.... The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews

Life Interrupted by Yessi Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this book as part of a read along/ discussion for the Coffee and a Good Book group. I have to say I think it was a good pick. I was a little iffy during the first chapters, as the writing seemed a little shaky and unsure, but I feel like the author found her voice towards the end. Holly is a bit frustrating at times, but likeable overall, and she, Travis and Derrick balance each other out well, IMO. Kudos, Yessi Smith! You managed to bring tears to my eyes more than once. =) View all my reviews

This is my review of The Doll- Master, which I received from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. It has been over a month now since I finished this book and I still can't get The Doll-Master out of my head. Six stories are told in this book, six. But I could only give you a basic plot summary of the other five if you asked me for one, because The Doll-Master is the one that haunts me. And because it does, I will tell you nothing more about it than this- it really doesn't matter if you can see it coming, because you know you are helpless to stop it. And it made my skin crawl. Out of the other five stories, the one I can recall the quickest and with the most details is Gun Accident. I can relate to Hanna, the shy, quiet girl who can't seem to see that some people ARE just bad, and is picked by her teacher to house sit for her while she is with her husband in the hospital. Things quickly turn bad for Hanna, and the situations she faces are just too real...

The Blood Countess is a fictionalized retelling of the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and the life of her descendant- Drake Bathory-Kereshtur. The story tells of how their lives touch through mysticism, passion, and upheaval- creating passages to each other in the flow of time. Personally, I felt the accounts of Elizabeth's crimes in this book was mild, considering the legends attached to her. I have read other reviews that the book was too gory and the reviewers had to stop reading it, but that wasn't the case in my experience. I feel that the author was trying to show that while Elizabeth was guilty of cruelty, torture, and murder, she wasn't the monster history and legend have made her become. Or maybe she was. In either case, it was enough to get me interested in the history of Hungary and the current situation in that part of the world, so off I go to find more. =) The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu My rating: 3 of 5 stars View all my reviews