So this month I read an astonishing 39 books this month which I was immensely pleased with. I also completed my TBR for the biannual bibliathon and marked off quite a few books on some other challenges I am taking part in this year.
Buzz Books 2018: Young Adult Fall/Winter by Publishers Lunch *** – All I know about The Travelling Cat Chronicles is that this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru’s long-time friends. Or so Nana is led to believe… I really loved this excerpt it is told from Nana’s point of view who is a male cat, but Nana means 7 in Japanese. He develops a strange bond with a human named Satoru and through some strange events, Nana becomes Satoru’s cat for five years until for some reason Satoru has to give him away. I really liked Nana sarcastic voice and how he seems to embody what all cats are thinking, and I will definitely be picking this book up.
2. The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes **** – So, all we get from the synopsis is that this series follows Fred an accountant who has been turned into a vampire. We don’t learn much about Fred’ actual turning but his life hasn’t changed much since he became a vampire until he decides to go to his high school reunion. Everything is going pretty well until he sees Krystal, a girl who was outcast much like him and the closest thing he had to a friend at the time. However, soon after the lights go out and Fred witnesses someone gets killed by another creature and completely freaks out, but he also finds out Krystal works for an agency that hunts down rogue creature including vampires and needlessly so says he gets the hell out of there.
3. Dear Earthling: Cosmic Correspondent by Pen Avey **** – All I knew about Dear Earthling beforehand is it is about an alien boy writing to a boy on Earth about many different things but there might be more to it than that. We are introduced to Dethbert Jones who lives on the planet Crank, who has joined the Space Cadets which is like Scouts and in order to earn his Cosmic Correspondent badge he needs to find a pen pal from another planet. I was a little disappointed to see that there are no characters from Earth but rather the book is Dethbert’s replies to the Earthling’s letters, but we don’t get to see those. I supposed it is designed for you to insert yourself into the Earthling’s place. We also learn about how Dethbert’s planet Crank is very similar to Earth although they are more advanced, this is clear since Dethbert’s best friend is a Robert called Andi Social.
4.Four of a Kind by Kellie Bean *** – All I knew about Four of a Kind beforehand was it is about identical quadruplets, one of which is Reagan and it is her journey to be independent and seen separately from her sisters and to find love. This book is described as Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Gilmore Girls, and while I have never seen Gilmore Girls, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is one of my favourite movies and books series of all time.
5. Twilight Vows by Shion Hanyū (Illustrator) & Maggie Shayne ***** – We are introduced to Rachel who has been studying in America but has decided to return to her home country of Ireland however, she soon encounters the mysterious Donovan who she believes is the same man who rescued her as a child. It turns out that she is right, but Donovan is also a centuries-old vampire and despite trying the wipe Rachel’s memories, he can’t erase what is in her heart and so she stays close to him despite his best efforts to push her away.
6. Musical Hearts by Nancy Brewka-Clark *** – This story is quite a difficult one to describe it is essentially a look at relationships, the relationships between biological parents and children, adoptive children and parents, spouses and new-found love. While all these relationships are going on there is also a clever writing twists that completely blinds you to the fact that you are discussing LGBT relationships as they are talked about in the exact same way heterosexual relationships are talked about which they should be.
7. A Lost Love by Hiromi Kobayashi (Illustrator) & Carole Mortimer ***** – In A Lost Love we are introduced to Jacqui who has undergone major reconstructive surgery after a car accident, but this isn’t just for vanity’s sake, she wants to create a whole new identity as Brooke and the reasons for this are explained later on. Brooke is best friend with an older woman named Jocelyn who is part of the prestigious Charlswood family.
8. Lady Folbroke’s Delicious Deception by Riho Sachimi ***** – In Lady Folbroke’s Delicious Deception, we follow Emily whose husband Adrian is an Earl but 3 years ago he went to London and never returned. Now is cousin Rupert is trying to claim Adrien’s land as his own unless Emily produces an heir, in the moment Emily tells Rupert that she is pregnant but now she has only months to make a baby actually appear.
9. Trial by Seduction by Karin Miyamoto ***** – In Trial by Seduction we follow Glenna, we learn that Glenna’s older sister drowned at sea when they were on vacation in Florida ten years ago where they meet the Connelly Brothers; Edgerton, Phillip, and Mark. Glenna also knew that the man involved in his sister’s death had a tattoo of the legendary moon bird on his wrist which all three brothers have.
10. One Wedding Required by Megumi Toda **** – Amber was Finn’s secretary at work…and his fiancée at home! But her happy heart is slowly filling with anxiety. Ever since their engagement, he’s been pushing her away and telling her that he’s too busy with work. Finn is the talented CEO of a modelling agency, and models are constantly trying to seduce him. She worries that he’s not in love with her anymore… And just as Amber began to doubt him, she caught him in the embrace of a beautiful young model. From this synopsis One Wedding Required seems like your average romantic drama.
11. The Magic of Christmas by Motoyo Fujiwara ***** – With the Christmas period just over I was still in the mood of a cosy Christmas romance. In this manga we follow Merry, a server, was in desperate need of money. One day out of the blue, Peter, one of her customers, asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend over the Thanksgiving holiday. He seemed serious and the money would certainly help, so Merry accepted his proposal.
12. The Ruthless Greek’s Return by Tomomi Yamashita *** – Jessica is an interesting character from the beginning she just to be a tennis player who was rising through the ranks when she began a relationship with her bodyguard Loukas. Her father greatly disapproved of any relationship but when Loukas proposed he went mad and drove the two apart. Jessica’s father and step-mother were killed in a car accident leaving Jessica to take care of her step-sister Hannah leading to her getting a job as a model.
13. Surrender to a Playboy by Erio Hori ***** – We learn very early on that Bonner doesn’t actually come to his grandmother’s as he can’t leave the state because of a crime he committed so in his place he sends his best friend and lawyer Taggart. When Taggart meets Mary, he is instantly smitten which is something he wasn’t expecting after the sudden death of his wife Annalisa.
14. Seduced into the Greek’s World by Keiko Okamoto ***** – Natalie is a dedicated single mother trying to maintain her hard-built career and be a present mother to her young daughter Zoey. However, this life isn’t easy as it has meant sacrificing almost any chance at having a happy relationship. Natalie has also had a hard life as it has been spent caring for others, first her brother Gareth who died young, then her mother until her passing and finally her daughter.
15. The CEO’s Scandalous Affair by Yukako Midori *** – Anna is an assistant to Parker who is the CEO of an influential company, however, after seeing Anna getting out of the shower Parker admits he finds her attractive and admires her skill and determination. After going out to dinner the pair realise that they are attracted to one another but want to keep their relationship professional for the time being since Anna has a past, she can’t talk about.
16. Lifelong Affair by Yu Senke **** – Morgan meets Alex for the first time since her sister’s wedding after she learns that her sister Glenna and her husband Mark Hammond are killed in a plane crash and Glenna was around 7 months pregnant at the time. Both heartbroken by their lost Morgan and Alex don’t get along especially as he comes across as quite cold and unfeeling.
17. The Ultimate Guide to Stargazing by Gregg D. Thompson **** – As this book is a bind-up of 4 volumes on stargazing aimed at everyone from novices through to experts, I am only reviewing selected chapters that are aimed more for ‘beginners’ like me. Firstly, I did like that the author has given careful thought to helping us ‘newbies’ with no prior knowledge or experience of stargazing.
18. Partner for Love by Marito Ai ***** – Partner for Love is exactly what I wanted it to be we follow Darcy who great-uncle Bill left her a ranch, but she soon learns that not only is she unprepared for life in the Australian outback but that she isn’t the sole owner of Bindaburra. It turns out that Cooper the man that rescued her also owns 50% of the ranch and she now has to be a partner in the ranch unless she fancies selling her half to the cold Cooper.
19. The Tycoon’s Dating Deal by Masaru Urakawa ***** – One of the first things we learn about Kara and Matthew is that they met for the first time when Kara was 8 and Matthew was 14. Kara’s parents had died, and she was taken in by a family friend Sally, who also watched over Matthew whose parents had separated and his new stepmother didn’t spend a lot of time with him. From the moment they meet the pair are inseparable, but the age difference soon makes things difficult for them to be a close. It is Kara who realises as a young woman that she is in love with Matthew but when she tries to make a move, he rejects her harshly and they were never close after that.
20. Never Go Back by Kinuko Nakayama ***** – Olivia who lost her parents’ very young moves into Ramillies as her grandfather was a butler there and she was also very close to Ludwig’s great-uncle Rathbone. However, after Rathbone’s death, Olivia is set in inherit Ramillies, but it somehow ends up in Ludwig’s hands and he cruelly tosses Olivia out and put her grandfather in a nursing home, contributing to his death. Olivia is living her normal life until she receives a call from Ludwig to renovate Ramillies and she takes the project in the hopes of getting revenge for her grandfather. However, being back at Ramillies brings back a lot of memories for Olivia and she soon finds herself being drawn to the mysterious Ludwig who at times appears cold and other times as energetic as a child.
21. The Secrets She Carried by Keiko Yamada *** – This was a standard romance story with a few twists thrown in. We learn that Erin and Cristophe were in a relationship and now he is trying to buy the hotel she works at and he intends to fire her straight away from stealing a lot of money from him. Erin can’t defend herself without giving away the identity of the real thief, so she keeps silent. However, Cristophe says she can keep her job if she has dinner with him, so she agrees. They begin talking about their relationship and he accuses her of cheating on him which she never did she was always faithful.
22. Konohana Kitan Volume 2 by Sakuya Amano *** – So I read volume 1 of Konohana Kitan back in May and I loved it, we are still following Yuzu working at Konohanatei, a hot-springs inn for yokai. So, like the previous volume the manga is split into 4 sections ghost stories, summer festival part 1 & 2 and a day off.
23. Konohana Kitan Volume 3 by Sakuya Amano ***** – So after reading volume 1 & 2 I was undecided about this series. I really loved Volume 1, but I had some mixed feelings on Volume 2 so this volume will determine whether or not I continue on with series as there are 2 more volume comes out before August. Again this volume contains 4 sections; A God’s day off, My Doll is a Good Doll, Miracle on New Year’s Eve and Waiting Lovesick.
24. Never Blamed by Sabrina Kade ***** – So, I have read everything available in Sabrina Kade’s Rebels of Sidyth series so when I heard she was starting a new sci-fi alien romance series I could wait to get my hands on an ARC. I don’t know a lot about Never Blamed but I can’t wait to see where Kade takes this series and what kind of world she is going to create. Never Blamed follow Hollis and Chimase and their romantic adventures. It seems that Never Blamed is going to be set in the same universe as the Rebels of Sidyth series as the opening line is: “I’m first human woman Chosen by an influential Sidyth. This is my story.” Reading this I honestly got goosebumps, I have never been a fan of alien romance novels until I found the Rebels of Sidyth series and now I am hooked.
25. Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition Manga by Tokyo Calen & Yoshiken (Contributor) ***** – So this edition contains volume 1 & 2 of Dark Metro in addition to and never before seen conclusion to the trilogy. I loved the fact that each chapter of the manga is named after a real metro line in Japan, it just added an extra touch to the story. We are introduced to Anna who is a dancer whose friend Rei stopped showing up for rehearsal and there are rumours that she killed herself after having an affair with their teacher. On the way home, Anna misses the last train and encounters Rei who is dead, and she is dragged down into the underworld but the mysterious Seiya saves her. Seiya claims to be the guide to the underworld and with evidence to prove it isn’t a dream Anna is always looking for Seiya.
26. Cellies Volume 1 by Joe Flood & Davis Stuart II * – I was disappointed with the beginning of Cellies as we are only introduced to the store workers of Jog Mobile and their daily work life for 3 whole chapters, we don’t get to the Seven Sails theme park’s Shocktober Nights until the opening of chapter 4. I didn’t think this much of the novel was needed introducing the characters and the store may be just one chapter so by the time chapter 4 came around I was already bored.
27. Blood and Ink by Stephen Davies ***** – So before we even get into the novel, there is a lot of background information and history you need to know. There are three groups of people in this novel: The people of Timbuktu – As you may already know, Timbuktu is a real city. You can find it on a map on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. Its people are – brace yourself for two massive generalisations – poor but peace-loving. They are followers of Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam. They are proud of their vast manuscript collections, their wonderful music and their much-visited shrines (burial places of Timbuktu’s scholars and holy men). The Tuareg rebels – The Tuaregs are an ethnic group in West Africa. The men are sometimes called ‘the lords of the Sahara’. They wear indigo turbans and ride camels through the desert, buying and selling salt. The Tuaregs live in Mali and other West African countries but they have always longed to have a country of their own, right in the middle of the Sahara desert. This imagined homeland, Azawad, will be at least the size of Spain, and its three main cities will be Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu. The Defenders of Faith – There are many militant Islamist groups in the Sahara Desert. One is called AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb). Another is called ‘Defenders of Faith’ (Arabic: Ansar Dine). They hate the West and its allies, including the government of Mali, and they long for a strict form of Muslim law to be imposed across West Africa.
28. Death Knocks by Miranda Hardy & Jay Noel **** – I didn’t know anything about this book going into it and I couldn’t wait to get into it. All I know is that this book has 2 perspectives; Maverick and Astid and the opening perspective is Maverick’s. The opening chapters to this novel are definitely interesting, we are introduced to Maverick, his best friend Tarick and Tarick’s baby sister Cally. Maverick is hanging out at Tarick’s while he is babysitting, and everything seems normal until there is a knock at the door. At the door is a young boy who Maverick has a bad feeling about and when it appears, he can control Tarick’s mind Maverick is terrified, but he has to protect baby Cally from the black-eyed demon child. After attacking the boy Maverick blacks out only to awaken until the supervision of a black-eyed girl, he manages to escape only to find Tarick’s body. Remembering what happened he runs back to Tarick’s place hoping to find baby Cally alive and that’s when he breaks down.
29. In an Absent Dream (Wayward Children #4) by Seanan McGuire **** – So in the Wayward Children’s series we have followed Nancy, Jack & Jill, Rini & Sumi and we follow Lundy’s journey to the Goblin Market years before the years of Every Heart a Doorway. I have been lucky to get ARC’s of both Beneath the Sugar Sky and In an Absent Dream from NetGalley and I couldn’t wait to get into the latest installment from Seanan McGuire.
30. Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean ***** – The first perspective we are introduced to is Mari’s as she faces a samurai, I am not sure what this purpose is whether it is to train or whether she is actually an executioner of sorts. However, we do learn of Mari’s yokai form and how skilled she is despite her human appearance. We are then introduced is Taro’s, he is the son of the Emperor and the prize in the competition, however, Taro won’t let his hard-won freedom be taken from him so easily. As the synopsis states, the competition bares on yokai from competing and Taro’s father is slowly ridding their lands of yokai, but Mari is going to compete. The brief glimpse of the Winter room and how a yokai responds to it tell us of the hardships that lie ahead for competitors.
31. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) Re-Read by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff ***** – So, the first time I read this series I read them with big gaps between the books but this time I will be reading them close together and I am going to see whether or not my opinions on this series has changed. The opening to Illuminae was shocking as ever and the humour in the opening is better given the fact, I already know who the Illuminae group are and the elaborate game they are playing.
32. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid ***** – So, I know nothing about this novel, but I am reading it for 2 of the winter biannual Bibliathon challenges; Adult fiction and a cover I don’t like. I don’t like any cover that has people on them, so it is a meh cover for me. However, the synopsis sounds interesting and reminds me of Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden which is one of my all-time favourite books.
33. Fire Hot Aunt by Katsuki Izumi ** – It turns out that Toru’s Grandmother gave birth at 50 to Sugako so she is his mother’s sister but also happens to be the same age as Toru which he finds a little disturbing as she acts more like an aunt than someone their age. I loved how Sugako is constantly seeing Toru through a lens that makes him seem like a baby rather than the teenager he is but they do have quite a strong relationship.
34. Queen of Kenosha by Howard Shapiro & Erica Chan *** – So, Queen of Kenosha is a coming of age tale, that is also the first installment of the Thin Thinline Trilogy, that follows the fiercely independent Nina Overstreet who has an axe to grind. A talented singer-songwriter slogging her way through the burgeoning Greenwich Village folk music scene of 1963, the Queen of Kenosha, Wisconsin, realizes that standing on the cusp of stardom gets her little respect and barely a cup of coffee in New York City.
35. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Re-Read by J K Rowling ***** – So, it has been a while since I re-read this series but one of the challenges for the biannual Bibliathon is read a book that got you into reading and for me, it can’t be anything else apart from Harry Potter. It was the book my mother read to me, the first book I read independently and a series I love. Unlike my other reviews, I won’t be discussing every detail as we are all familiar with the story, so I will only be discussing my thoughts on key scenes throughout the novel.
36. Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth by C. J. Benjamin **** – Jane #65 is an orphan from the Flood that lives on Hullabee Island. She lives in the small town of Aveile on the outskirts of Lux City. It seems that Jane #65 and Nova are friends as she has a crush on him and he’s even given her the nickname Tippy, life isn’t good for the orphans, but they make do. Jane #65 does even have a name despite the title as she was only a baby when the Flood happened, so she was too young to remember her name while other like Nova were old enough to remember their names and families before they became orphans. After a fight with another orphan Nova, tells Jane #65 that there is something special about her, she has a magic gift of sorts and some of the other orphans have them too, but it is Jane #65 they have been waiting for.
37. Geneva Sommers and the Secret Legend by C. J. Benjamin **** – After the dramatic ending of Quest for Truth I couldn’t wait to jump into Secret Legend. The opening 50 pages to Secret Legend were amazing. Tippy has learned of her true identity as Geneva Sommers and she has gained a sibling in Jemma but the whole revelation of being the Eva, the chosen is too overwhelming for Geneva which leads to her getting into some harmful situation both physically and emotionally.
38. Belle: Beast Hunter Complete by Dave Franchini ** – So we are introduced to Belle whose family on her father’s side has fought in wars dating back to 1812, while her mother’s family fought too but to keep the world safe from monsters roaming the night and Belle now does the same. Belle seems to have a complex history as she had a friend/brother Alex who there is some tension with but as this is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, it seems like Belle may fall in love with one of the monsters she is sworn to fight against.
39. Sleeping Together (Perfect Drug #1) by Kitty Cook **** – We are introduced to Ness and Pete, Pete wants a child, but Ness doesn’t given the fact that she can’t even keep a plant alive and she has some serious anxiety over this. Ness works at a pharmaceutical company with Altan who she seems to have a crush on. Altan however, has been stealing a drug from the company called Morpheum which is being marketed as a sleep aid which both Altan and Ness need when Ness finds out the only logical thing, she can think to do is take the pills from Altan and possibly confront him. Ness agrees not to tell their boss if Altan shares some of the pills with her and he agrees, and Ness has the best sleep of her life but through Altan’s diary entries we see that there are some side effects to the drug but nothing major. We also get some background on Ness and learn her fear of getting pregnant comes from the fact that she was raped in college and found out she was pregnant and even after getting an abortion she never told Pete who she was dating at the time.
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