Friday Reviews Week 7

🍂 Friday Reviews Week 7: 

October 14th- 20th, 2017 🍂

This has been the week of graphic novels. I have started other books but here are the ones that I finished. 

🍁 Book 1: Star Wars- Tag & Bink Were Here 🍁

by Kevin Rubio and Lucas Marrangon

Read October 16th, 2017

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A parody of the first six Star Wars movies. We follow along Tag and Bink as they traverse the galaxy. It starts with them minding their own business on Princess Leia's ship until the ship gets boarded by Darth Vader and the stormtroopers. Instead of dying they choose to borrow the armor of a pair of dead stormtroopers and their adventures really begin.

This book chronicles their adventures as we see many of the scenes from the Star Wars movies 4-6 and then 1-3. I enjoyed how this book basically makes Tag and Bink the reason why many of the events happen. For instance, Anakin's horrible love dialogue in Attack of the Clones, that's their fault.

This bind-up is a humorous take on the Star Wars movies that I enjoyed. I have heard of Tag and Bink previously and I was glad to have the chance to read their stories. 

🍁 Book 2: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales 🍁
by Joss Whedon, Amber Benson, Jane Espenson,
Sam Loeb, Doug Petrie, etc.

Read October 18th-19th, 2017
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I went into this volume expecting it to have more tales about Buffy and her gang. There were a couple but most were on other slayers from the past and also vampires. Many of the tales in this book were interesting and each had their own specific art style. Some of the art styles were great and then others were not as great for me.

My favorite tales from this bind-up are

"Numb"- which dealt with some of Angel's struggles as a vampire with a soul.

"Spot the Vampire"- this shows an image and then shows each person and you are meant to pick out who the vampire is. It was cute with the rhymes which made it feel like a Dr. Seuss story. Also, the illustrations were beautiful.

Tales of the Slayers: "Broken Bottle of Djinn"- This was a story set in Buffy's time period and had very cute illustrations. It's just a classic Buffy style mission. Buffy is trying to live through a normal day in high school, in this case, a Chem lab, and then she has to save the day from a demon attacking the school. It's cute short read that I loved.


I did like some of the other stories but they were not as good as the ones that I mentioned above. I did like that we got to learn about many of the previous slayers back from the first slayer. Altogether this is a good collection of short graphic stories set in the Buffy universe.

🍁 Book 3: Lumberjanes Volume 1: 🍁
Beware the Kitten Holy

Issues 1-4

by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, 

Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen

Read October 19-20th, 2017

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Lumberjanes is about a group of five girls that go to Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet's Camp for hard-core lady-types. This camp is not what it seems though. In this first volume, we see yetis, three-eyed foxes, talking statues, secret caves, and anagrams that the girls have to figure out. Our main characters are young teen girls, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley, who share a cabin together. These four issues chronicle the adventures of the girls as they try to enjoy camp together but also explore what is going on around them.

This graphic novel deals with a lot of supernatural creatures that the girls keep witnessing. The mystery that keeps expanding as the issues continue is intriguing to read about. The girls make a point of saying that the camp is more than they expected. I really love how the girls have to use what they have learned to get out of their troubles. Their friendship is the best part of this series and how they actually work together. It will be great to see how their friendship evolves more over the course of the series. My favorite issue so far has been issue three.

Issue 1: 📚📚📚📚

Issue 2: 📚📚📚📚

Issue 3: 📚📚📚📚📚

Issue 4: 📚📚📚📚

I will be continuing on with the series and I cannot wait to see what will happen next. 

Friday Reviews

Friday Reviews Week 6:
October 7th- 13th, 2017

This has been one of my best reading weeks this year and I also got to read two of the books that I have been anticipating for a long time, John Green's Turtles All the Way Down and Rhett and Link's Book of Mythicality.

🍁 Book 1: The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference 🍁

Edited by David H. Borcherding

Read October 7th-8th

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~ Brief Synopsis and General Thoughts ~

This book was mostly a disappointment for me. For a book said to be "An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic" it really had nothing major of substance that would not be known to a fantasy writer or someone with knowledge of history. Really the fantasy topics are little and far in between. Most of the information that I read in this book was basically information that I learned in history classes, from historical fiction books, and fantasy books.

One section was actually useful for me, which is about the Anatomy of Castles. It's the only section of the book that I'll even use. I'm sure I could have found this information in some other source that would have been more detailed than what I have found here. This is a book that I bought years ago believing it to be useful for me in writing my book series. It's not.

~ The sections in the book ~

Below I will list the different parts of the book and what they contain. 

1.) Traditional Fantasy Cultures: talks about Christianity, Feudalism, Manorialism, The Social Order, Ecclesiastic Titles, Knighthood, and various terms about the Middle Ages

2.) World Cultures: talks about Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, Other Mesoamerican Cultures, North America, Oceania, and South America

3.) Magic: contains: history, principles of magic, what magic does, ritual and ceremonial magic, secret societies, divination, building your own magical worlds (the list in this section might be useful for building basics of a story, but you can find questions like this anywhere. I have about twenty myself), written in the stars

4.) Witchcraft and Pagan Paths: How to recognize a witch, classical witchcraft, Gothic witchcraft, family or traditional witchcraft, dictionary of terms from witchcraft and magic, etc.

5.) Commerce, Trade and Law in Contemporary Fantasy: commerce, punishments, trade and barter

6.) Fantasy Races: dwarves, elves, fairies, giants, goblins and orcs, half-lings and hybrids, merfolk, trolls, minor races, Non-Western races, created races, Industrialization and Characterization.

7.) Creatures of Myth and Legend: contains an alphabetical listing of creatures (with about a paragraph of information for each creature) - Again this could be useful for someone who does not know about these creatures, but to write about them you would want/ need much more information than what this gives you.

8.) Dress and Costume: materials, colors, women's clothing, men's clothing, shoes, children's clothing, clergy, chastity belts

9.) Arms, Armor, and Armies: arms, armor, armies, beasts of war

10.) Anatomy of a Castle: castles and other fortifications, castle life, siege

~ Overall Opinions of the Book ~ 

I will say that I have not fully read every single part of this book. The reason I bought this book was for research and there are various aspects of it that are more important to me than others. Really, this focuses more on Medieval European concepts with little focus on the actual fantasy. I thought this would actually give tips towards writing, whether that be world building or creating a fantasy world. But what I actually received was a dry encyclopedia like book that gave very basic explanations of the topics. The images are okay inclusions in the book.

Fantasy writers, that believe this book will give you valuable pointers for writing fantasy, should really steer clear of this book. It's not worth the price and you will most likely not find what you are looking for. If you want to read something much more worthwhile, you should pick up Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff Vandermeer. It's is meant for writing fantasy but you can get something out of it if you don't write fantasy. I will be doing a detailed review of this sometime in the near future.

🍁 Book 2: The Marvels by Brian Selznick 🍁

Read October 9th, 2017

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~ Brief Overview ~

This book is incredible. It was my fourth book that I have read of Brian Selznick's and it definitely my favorite of them all. This may actually have become my favorite book of the year. I never thought that I would love this book as much as I do. It's actually pretty incredible. 

For those new to Brian's books, I want to explain his formatting. Half or more than half of his books are told in illustrations. Probably some of the best illustrations I have seen in books ever. Then the other half is told in prose. Brian's books are always beautiful, but this exceeded that in so many ways. 

~ Synopsis ~
The Marvels tells two different stories that connect in such an amazing way. The first is told in about 400 pages of continuous pictures. It begins with a boy named Billy who is shipwrecked in 1766 and eventually finds work at a theater in England. Throughout this story we follow the rest of his family throughout the generations and their life as actors. This is up until 1900, when Leontes Marvel is banished from the theater.

The second part of this story takes place almost a century later, in 1990, with the runaway Joseph Jervis. He has come to England from his boarding school to try and find his uncle. Albert Nightingale, his uncle, is known to be a strange man living in the most stunningly beautiful house, that contains many secrets. Joseph becomes fascinated in this house and his uncle. He tries everything to figure out what has happened in the past with his family and also the house.

~ Overall Thoughts ~ 
Brian Selznick does an incredible job weaving each of his books together. This book was no exception. It was intriguing in the mystery aspects and a great adventure that I believe would be great for all ages. This was one incredible read for me and has become a ultimate favorite for me. He also based the story off of real people so that was another great aspect.

If you pick up any book that I recommend for you this should be the one. Also, it's a quick read so it will not take you too long.

🍁 Book 3: 365 Journal Writing Ideas 🍁
By Rossi Fox
Read October 9th, 2017
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This was a quick read that had some really great writing prompts. I have been thinking of starting a daily journal next year and I'll probably use at least a couple of these. I like using prompts to play around with writing a bit. Some can be quite good, I just wish that this one had more examples that I enjoyed.

The formatting and layout of the book was somewhat disjointed. Also, the prompts are repetitive. This would be a great way to start journaling, but you might be able to find better prompts in other places.

🍁 Book 4: Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality: 🍁
A Field Guide to Curiosity, Creativity, and Tomfoolery
By Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal
Read October 10th, 2017
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I loved reading this book and getting to know Rhett and Link more from it. I have been a Mytholical Beast for a little over three years and I am so happy to be able to read more about them and just about them.

This is the perfect book for any fans of Good Mythical Morning and Rhett and Link in general. I believe anybody though can get something out of this book. It is funny and heartwarming at parts. The section with their wives writing is great, it's probably one of my favorite parts of the book.

I really want to get the audiobook now to listen to them read it.

Check this book out.

🍁 Book 5: Turtles All the Way Down 🍁
By John Green
Read October 10th, 2017
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I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of the book. 

This book was incredible, though I'm not surprised. John Green has done it yet again. I read it in one sitting and was thoroughly engrossed the entire time. I have been a fan of John Green for about six years through his books and also as a Nerdfighter. I'm a very proud Nerdfighter. DFTBA (Don't Forget To Be Awesome)

~ The Plot ~
Sixteen year old Aza and her best friend Daisy, begin to pursue the mystery of the fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett's disappearance. Aza is reluctant but Daisy is insistent and there is a hundred- thousand dollar reward at stake. They both start to investigate and talk to an old friend of Aza's, Davis Pickett, the son of Russell Pickett.

Aza is living with the tightening spiral of thoughts that constantly plague her mind throughout her whole life. She does a great way of describing this on the first page saying that it's like she is in a fictional story, with someone controlling her every thought (very meta). She is trying to be a good daughter to her mother, a good friend, student, and live with a mental illness that controls a lot of her life.

~ The Characters ~
Aza was a great main character that I loved from the very beginning of this book. John definitly made her voice authentic. I believe that this book was incredible because of her character. The voice that he created made me realize what it felt like to live with OCD and anxiety a little more. It was hard to read at times because of it but also, so beautiful. I loved Aza so much.

Each of the characters also felt real. Aza's best friend Daisy made me think of my own friends. She's not afraid of telling Aza the truth when she needs to hear it but also is always there for her. Hearing about Daisy writing Star Wars fanfiction is some of the funniest parts of this book and I really enjoyed getting to know her character.

Aza's mom and parenting in general was another vital part of this book that I felt was important. She was always trying to figure out how to help her daughter. Her caring nature and attitude towards life was a great addition to this book.

Davis, one of the sons of Russell Pickett was a complex character himself. His father has fled and left Davis to care for not only himself but also his little brother, Noah. They do have servants but they are not around and both boys really do need a reliable guardian. Throughout the book, we see Davis try to protect his brother from the truth, but also him worry about the outcome of everything.

~ Overall Thoughts ~
It has been quite awhile since John has written a book but I feel that it was well worth the wait. I have been a fan of him for a long time and I am glad to say that this lived up to my overly high expectations of it. Sometimes I feel we hype things up too much, which will sometimes ruin the book. This could have been the case but John Green's book was written so beautifully. He writes with such a distinct voice and with so many stunning lines. I love his writing immensely and cannot get enough of it. The ending was so powerful and I'm still thinking about it three days later. I'll admit that I would love to read it again really soon. This has become my favorite John Green novel, right above Looking for Alaska. It's also a favorite of this year for me.

If you read any book the rest of this year please read this one. I believe that you will not regret it.

🍁 Have a great weekend. Happy Reading. 🍁

Finally Fall tag

🎃 Tag Tuesday: Finally Fall Tag- October 10th, 2017 🎃 

Created by Tall Tales on Booktube

Her Video

1.) In fall, the air is crisp and clear: name a book with a vivid setting.
🍂 Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

🍂 Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

2.) Nature is beautiful...but also dying: name a book that is beautifully written, but also deals with a heavy topic like loss or grief.
🍂 Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rafka Brunt

🍂 The Marvels by Brian Selznick- I just read this book for the first time this week and it has become one of my favorite books ever. It is beautifully written and illustrated and has a heartwarming story. It broke my heart a little reading it but I loved it the entire time.

3.) Fall is back to school season: share a non-fiction book that taught you something new.
🍂 Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer- this is a guide that gives tips for writing imaginative fiction. I'm not quite finished with it yet but I have learned so much from this book.

4.)  In order to keep warm, it's good to spend some time with the people we love: name a fictional family/household/friend-group that you'd like to be a part of.
🍂 I really always love the Weasleys. Molly and Arthur take Harry and Hermione into their home right away and made them family. They all are such great people (except for that darn Percy for like six years but he even turns around). It would be great to know them and be a part of their group.

5.)  The colorful leaves are piling up on the ground: show us a pile of fall-colored spines.

6.)  Fall is the perfect time for some storytelling by the fireside: share a book wherein somebody is telling a story.
🍂 Inkheart by Cornelia Funke- This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. I have to finish this series soon.

7.) The nights are getting darker: share a dark, creepy read.
🍂 The Lovely Bones by Alice- This creeps me out, especially the beginning.

8.) The days are getting colder: name a short, heartwarming read that could warm up somebody's cold and rainy day.
🍂 Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick- His books are longer but they take little time to read because over half of the books are illustrated.

9. Fall returns every year: name an old favorite you'd like to return to soon. 
Oh and fall is definitely my favorite season. 
🍂 So I do plan on reading an old favorite again this year, the Harry Potter series, in December. I have a whole month planned.

10. Fall is the perfect time for cozy reading nights: share your favorite cozy reading "accessories"!
🍂 Nice cozy socks

🍂 Green tea

Happy Book Birthday Turtles All the Way Down by John Green and Rhett and Link's Book of Mythicality by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal!! I just read Rhett and Link's book now it's time for John's Yay!

Books Featuring Witches/ Top Five Wednesday

🍁 Books Featuring Witches/ Top Five Wednesday: 🎃
October  4th, 2017

These are some of my favorite books that feature witches as characters.

Top 5 Wednesday is a group created by Lainey of Ginger Reads Lainey on Booktube. It is now hosted by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes on Booktube. Here is a link to the group on Goodreads if you are interested in joining.

Runner-up: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz/ Whole Oz series by L. Frank Baum- I originally grew up with The Wizard of Oz movie and really enjoyed the Wicked Witch of the West, even though she scared me. In the books, each of the witches is quite interesting but different from the movie versions. This is a series that I would recommend. I hope to eventually read all of the books. It would not be a list of witch books for me without this book.

Runner-up: the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling- In these types of lists we try to avoid the Harry Potter series because really they can fit a lot of the categories for various reasons. Like I mentioned above though, this would not be a list of witches without the Harry Potter series. Some of my favorite witches come from this series. So another runner-up is this series. 

5.) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis- The name gives away that this book has a witch in it. Jadis first shows up in The Magician's Nephew and if you have not read that I recommend it. Jadis is another villain that used to creep me out. She takes over Narnia one hundred years before the events of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, beginning the long winter. She turns people to stone just for going against her. A lot of the creatures in Narnia fear her and I could see why. She always creeped me out as a kid. 

4.) Macbeth by Shakespeare- The three witches (Weird Sisters) in Macbeth play a pivotal role in the plot. They tell Macbeth many prophecies that ultimately cause many of his problems to occur. This is my favorite of Shakespeare's plays and the witches are a major part of that. I always enjoyed their parts of this play. Their famous lines "Double, double toil and trouble" are my favorites from Shakespeare. They had to make the list because they will always be some of my favorite witches.

3.) Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman- The witch in Good Omens is named Agnes Nutter. We learn about this character from her prophecies that are mentioned multiple times throughout this book. She was a witch in the 17th century and also the only true prophet that ever lived. She wrote a book called The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, which was a collection of prophecies. It didn't sell though because they weren't spectacular and were very true. She's a very interesting character that helps bring the humor in this book.

2.)  The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett- I have only met two of the witches so far in the Discworld series but so far I am loving them. One of the most popular characters in the series is Esmerelda "Granny" Weatherwax. She has become one of my favorite characters of all time. Granny has an unshakable belief in her own abilities. She's blunt with anyone she meets, she has a dry way of talking that brings a lot of humor, and her expressions make any book she is in. You don't want to mess with Granny Weatherwax. The first book that she appears in is Equal Rites. If you want to learn more about her or the series in general here is a link to my Discworld posts:
Terry Pratchett's Discworld

1.) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell- This book just came out yesterday, October 3rd. I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of it about a month ago. I wanted to highly recommend this book to anyone that is reading this post. I have a full review of the audiobook on my blog at this link if you would like to read it: Friday Reviews 2. The witches in this book are some of the creepiest that I have ever read. This is a world where witches are supposed to have been extinct for a long time, but this assumption is very wrong. I was surprised by these witches and cannot wait to continue on with this series and learn more about them. 

Friday Reviews 3: September 16th- 22nd

🍁 Friday Reviews Week 3: September 16th- 22nd, 2017 🍁

🍂 Book 1: The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner 🍂

Read September 16th-18th

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This is the story of a sixteen-year-old named Kyle Donohue, who on September 11th, 2001, watches from his high school the first twin towers come down. On his way home after the students are evacuated, he comes across a girl covered in ash wearing costume wings. He decides to take the girl home. Both of his parents are not there, his mother is in California with his younger sister and his father is part of the Joint Terrorist Task Force and is helping at the disaster. Kyle finds out that the girl does not remember who she is and he decides to try and help her. This is their story as they deal with the disaster happening around them.

First, I want to mention how incredible this novel was. It pulled on my heartstrings countless times and had me wondering what was going to happen next for this family. Kyle is a young man having to deal with a lot of stress and tragedy in a short amount of time in the novel. He does not know what is going to happen to his dad, his mother, sister, or himself. Gae Polisner does an incredible job creating this atmosphere that carries throughout the whole novel. I really related to Kyle even though I have never experienced something quite like this. Many of us can say where we were on September 11th. I was in second grade at the time and I have vague memories of it all. I could never imagine what it felt like to actually be there.

It was hard to read this book at times because of how heartbreaking it really was. 

Another aspect of this book that I would like to talk about, is the style Polisner wrote in. This book is told in prose and also in verse. It was interesting to get the two different perspectives, Kyle's and the girl's, in such a way. This could get jarring though at times. I loved seeing this story in such a way and learning little bits and pieces from both of their lives. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book as a whole. It was a hard-hitting story that touched me and I really felt for both of the characters. Their story is definitely one that I would recommend. 

Also, the memory technique used in the book was really awesome. I wish I would have known about it when I was still in school myself. It would have come in handy. I still remember all ten of the items. This is one that I'll have to let students know about. 

🍂 Book 2: Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: 🍂

Special Collector's Manga by Jun Asuka

Read September 19th

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This is a manga version of the 1993 movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Jack Skellington, the ruler of a Halloween centric world, called Halloween Town, comes across a door that leads him into a new world. A world that shows him the joys of Christmas, Christmas Town. Jack wants to replicate this world in his own world because he is becoming bored of the constant repetition. He has all of his citizens work together to create the holiday and this is when problems ensue.  

I liked the overall premise of the story. When I was a child, I saw this movie but did not remember most of it when I read this book. I do remember that it creeped me out though. This was an interesting manga. 

I love the Pumpkin King. Jack's innocence when he found out about Christmas and how he wanted to recreate the joyful feelings of it was enduring. The way he goes about accomplishing this is not the best idea but he just wanted to spread the Christmas feeling. 

The artwork was nice to look at. It was reminiscent of the style of the movie, just in black and white. The style was nice but it loses some of the magic without the stop-motion animation and the music.

 I'll have to watch the movie again to compare it to this. If you are interested in this manga I would pick it up. I don't feel that it would disappoint a fan of the movie. 

This is definitely an interesting concept and I think that it would be cool to see the other doorways in the forest that Jack comes across. I would watch those movies. Let's have Jack go into another door and become obsessed with St. Patrick's Day or Easter. 

Also, I'm going to be watching the movie this weekend and doing a review on that. 

* I received a copy of this from Netgalley for an honest review. *

🍂 Book 3: The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid by Geronimo Stilton 🍂
Read September 21st, 2017
Release Date: October 19th, 2017
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I first read this book back when I was around eleven or twelve. This was when I was still in elementary school. I remember signing out many of the Geronimo Stilton books from the library that year and I adored them. I thought that Geronimo's job at the paper was cool and I was so interested in exploring the world someday. 

Now this book is being re-released in October for a new generation. 

I will say that yes, I am feeling nostalgic when I read this book. It was very cute and funny. I enjoyed the characters especially the ridiculous grandfather of Geronimo, who would give Scrooge a run for his money. Also, the mouse-related puns were adorably cute. I wanted to pick up this book for the nostalgia and I'm happy that I did. 

This is a perfect book for middle-grade students. They will get a great story and also learn about ancient Egypt. I recommend it. I know that my younger self would be happy to know that there are still books coming out from this series. 

*I received a copy of this from Netgalley for an honest review. *

🍂 Book 4: The Library of Souls by Richard Denney 🍂

Read September 22nd, 2017
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I first found Richard on Youtube about a year and a half ago. His Booktube channel interested me. I have always loved reading so many different genres and middle-grade novels are some of my favorites. Richard has been promoting his book on his channel throughout the year and I was excited to pick it up. I'm glad I did. 

The main character of the novel is Simon Santiago, a thirteen-year-old boy who lost his parents in a train accident when he was nine. He is sent to live with his uncle Monty, who uses Simon. Simon can see and speak to the dead. So his uncle has created an agency, where Simon expells the ghosts and his uncle gets all of the credit. His uncle gets them a job at an old library that is known to be haunted. The library has had many people die throughout the years and Simon's job is to go in and get rid of the ghosts. Simon meets a young library assistant that helps him in his quest to help the library. Little does Simon know of the mysteries hiding in the library. 

This was a quick read that I enjoyed reading. I don't think I have ever read a middle-grade novel that has spooked me before. There is one scene in this novel that creeped me out a bit, bathtubs anyone. 

The pictures were also a great feature in this novel. I have read other books that have "creepy" pictures in them, but I feel like Richard utilized the pictures in an interesting way for the story. They are not just used here to get people to read this book. They are actually another aspect of the story and help tell it. I love that Richard created these pictures himself and that he showed how he did this on his Booktube channel. 

Overall, I fully enjoyed this novel. It was a quick read that had me questioning what was going to happen next. I would have never expected that ending. Great storytelling. I will be picking up the second novel.

If you like a great mix of creepiness and a mystery pick this book up. I believe you'll enjoy it. 

🍁 Happy Fall everyone. I hope you have a great weekend and have a great time reading. 🍁

Oh, and happy Hobbit day! 

Friday Reviews 2: September 9th-15th

🍂 Friday Reviews Week 2: September 9th- 15th, 2017 🍂

🍁 Book 1: The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell 🍁 

Audiobook Read by David Tennant- Listened to Sept. 10th, 2017

Will be released: October 3rd, 2017

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I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this novel. The fantasy story was interesting and also cute. I rooted for all of the characters especially our two main characters, Xar and Wish. Also, the witches are interestingly different than I have ever seen before and are creepy. 

This is the story of Xar, a son of the King of Wizards, who cannot even cast a spell. Also of Wish, the daughter of the Queen of a warrior tribe that does not want magic in the land. Wish though has a magic object of her own. In the wood, both Xar and Wish find each other when the disturbance of a witch pulls them into an adventure. And witches are supposed to be extinct. 

Cressida Cowell is great at story building and writes with a voice throughout the story that I could not get enough of. Her use of wit and narration are great parts of this story. This is the first book of Cressida's that I have picked up and know I will pick up others of hers. She is known for writing the popular How to Train Your Dragon book series that the two Dreamworks movies are based on. Middle-grade fantasy is a genre that I have always loved and this is an incredible example of one of the best. She builds this world that I felt like I was walking around in when listening to this book. The creepiness of these witches and also just the deep dark forest was perfect for the story. She says at the beginning that we may have heard of deep dark forests before but we really don't know what we are getting into. Her descriptions throughout were perfect to show this. 

Another great aspect of her storytelling is her wit. This book made me laugh out quite a lot while listening. It was quite an enjoyable experience for me and I was so glad that I was given the opportunity to read this novel.

David Tennant did a great job creating a distinct voice for each of the characters. I have loved David Tennant since I first saw him in The Goblet of Fire movie and also in a few episodes of Doctor Who. He is a great actor and I was excited to hear him read this audiobook. For the longest time, I have loved only one audiobook the most and that's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (read by Stephen Fry). This is definitely another top favorite right below The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. David Tennant gave each of the characters a voice that seemed to fit their characters. My favorites were for the sprites, which were amazing. So adorable. He could literally read any audiobook and I would listen to them. That is because he made these characters come alive and created this atmosphere of a reading experience that I will never forget. Saying that I enjoyed listening to this book is an understatement. He made this book so much for me and I know that I will be picking up the rest of the series once they come out.

If you get the chance to read this book, I would recommend it and if you want to get a great audiobook I would recommend this one. David Tennant did a phenomenal job reading this wonderfully written book. 

*I received this book from the publisher for review purposes. 

Thank you!

I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book

Also if you are interested in other reviews of some other great audiobooks you should check out the website AudioFile. They have great recommendations for audiobooks that you may enjoy. 

🍁 Book 2: Fowl Language: The Struggle is Real 🍁

By Brian Gordon- Read Sept. 13th, 2017

This will be released on October 10th, 2017

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This book was a surprise for me. I expected to really like this book but not to adore it as much as I did. Brian Gordon has become popular online for his Fowl Language comics on his website: https://www.fowllanguagestore.com/collections/book

This is his second collection of his comics and they are highly enjoyable. Most of the comics in the collection not only made me laugh but laugh out loud. 

I used to love reading comics such as Garfield and Mother Goose and Grimm when I was a kid and this reminded me of the humor that I enjoyed in those books. All of the humor was directed at jokes about the author's children or parents and their children. I do not have children of my own but I could still relate to the jokes in this collection of comics. They were funny and some were very touching. 

If you love comics, great humor, or have heard of Brian's comics I would recommend picking up a copy of this book. It was highly enjoyable and funny. 

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. 

Thank you!

🍁 Book 3: Taproot by Keezy Young- Read Sept. 13th, 2017 🍁

This will be released on September 26th, 2017

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I don't read a lot of paranormal stories, but when I first saw the art style of this book, I wanted to read it. This was a stunning graphic novel that I enjoyed. It has a quirky story of a ghost that has fallen in love with his best friend who is alive. Blue has had a hard time moving on into the afterlife and Hamal can see ghosts so Blue haunts him. Something is going wrong in the town and Blue is trying to protect Hamal no matter what he has to do.

The style of this graphic novel is different from what I have seen before and was beautiful. I really liked the story and the characters. The romance was cute, also it was a healthy relationship that was built from a great friendship. 

This overall was a great read that I would recommend. 

*I received a copy of this graphic novel from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. 

Thank you!

🍁 Book 4: Dear Future Boyfriend by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz 🍁

Read Sept. 11th- 15th, 2017

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This was a re-read for me of this poetry collection. When I read it again, it made me remember how much I enjoyed reading it over five years ago. It was in my first year of college and the topics she wrote about were very relatable for me. I connected with the poet Cristin then and I continue to connect with her now. There are many poems in this collection that I have read multiple times over the years since I had first read it: "Mother," "Father," "Lit", "Science," and especially "Ode to the Person Who Stole My Family's Lawn Gnome". 

I have read plenty of poetry collections, whether that be through a college class or in my own free time but I have not connected to a poet like I have this. I adore poetry, writing and reading it and this is a collection that I know I will get something out of everytime I read it. 

Cristin writes about love, heartbreak, family, and even about someone who stole something very important to her. The poems are funny and also heartbreakingly sad. 

As a poet myself, I enjoy analyzing poems for their content and as a reader, I love the stories that she can create. 

I will be picking up more of Cristin's poetry collections, hopefully soon. 

🍁 Have a great weekend everybody and happy reading! 🍁

July: Chris Colfer Month!!

Chris Colfer Month
In other words July 

I decided for the month of July to read Fairy Tale retellings starting with Chris Colfer's series. 

Every year at the start of July I read Chris Colfer's Land of Stories series before the new book in the series is released. I started doing this back in 2012 and have done it ever since. I will be reading the whole entire series leading up until the release of the final novel on July 11th. I will also be reading the companion books that go along with the series.  

Chris Colfer's Land Of Stories Series:

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell

The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns

The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning

The Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdoms

The Land of Stories: An Author's Odyssey

The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide- Finally!!

The Land of Stories: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales
Adventures from the Land of Stories: The Mother Goose Diaries
Adventures from the Land of Stories: Queen Red Ridding Hood's Guide to Royalty 
The Curvy Tree: A Tale from the Land of Stories 

And also his book Struck By Lightning


This is going to be a great month of reading. 

Superheroes with puny names and flying houses (Reviews)

The Adventures of Technicality Man by Jessica Meats: Read May 12th-13th

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This was an interesting read that I was not expecting. At first I really enjoyed the puns that were throughout this book. It was unlike anything I have ever read. The book is playing with the conventions of stories and is really parodying the way many people write or in this case superhero stories. Some of the names are quite enjoyable such as Good for Nothing Boy (a sidekick character), Tangent Tiger (there are some writers that need to get rid of this guy), Alchemisto, Alchemistress, Origami Man, etc. 

When a group of villains start to go against the natural order of the stories, Technicality Man has to join forces with the other good guys and some villains to get the stories back in order. It was quite funny to see the author play with these conventions. For instance big cats are the guardians of the stories and are the ones that control what is happening. There is a punctuation cat that controls punctuation throughout stories. When this cat is stolen the punctuation starts to mess up. 

I think that this was a creative idea though there were times that I lost interest while reading. The ending was great and funny. All together this was a story that I am glad that I read. I love stories that play with the conventions of stories and break the fourth wall. 

I was given this book for free for an honest review. 

The Magnificent Flying Baron Estate by Eric Bower: Read May 13th- 14th

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"Magnus was a very sensible horse. In fact, he was probably the most sensible creature in the Baron Estate. Often, when my father would try to use Magnus in his experiments (like when he place electric horseshoes on his hooves to make him run faster, or the time he tried to attach a propeller to Magnus's backside to turn him into what he called a horse-e-copter), our horse would give him a look that seemed to say, 'Are you utterly insane? I am a horse. A horse! Just let me be a horse, for goodness' sake.' " - This is just one of the many gems from this wonderful novel.

A young boy wakes up after a dream about a talking squirrel to an equally strange occurrence, his house is flying. Waldo Baron's, W.B. for short, parents are inventors who have decided to enter into a contest with their house. The contest is for a $500 dollar prize which they want to use for an assistant. Their plans get messed up though when Rose Blackwood kidnaps them hoping to use the prize money to get her notorious villain brother out of prison. Along the way Waldo has to use his brain and slowly seems to become friends with his captor. Rose though does not seem to be as bad as he expected. 

This is the first book in a series that I will be continuing. I am so glad that I got the chance to read this book. It was so funny throughout. I cannot tell you how many times that I literally laughed out loud. This is a middle grade book and I know that many people believe that they are not worth a read. I will tell you right now that I am not one of those people. Read this book.  It was so very funny and enjoyable. I cannot wait to read the next book whenever it comes out. The characters were intelligent and made me invested in their story. It was also interesting to read about this time period. It took place in 1891. W.B. may be a klutz but gosh it was so enjoyable watching him try to save the day or at least solve their problems.  

 I cannot wait to get a copy of this for myself. 

I was given this book for free for an honest review. 

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

📏  Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi- Read May 1-3rd  🦊

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This book met my every expectation for it and I am so glad I picked to read it this week. I fell in love with the characters in this piece and also the worlds that it took place in. I cannot tell you enough about how much these worlds took me in. So good!

The main character of the novel is named Alice Alexis Queensmeadow (I love her name) and she is a very intriguing girl. She was born with almost pure white skin and hair. Her world, Ferenwood, is a world filled of color and she is the only person there that does not have any color besides her eyes. In her world color shows magic and many of the people there do not believe that she has any magic because of this. They also believe that she is strange. Many people would let this get to them but not Alice. She is full of confidence and is herself all the time and is not afraid to say so. 

Alice's father went missing three years before this story and she feels that no one else cares for her after this. Her mother is distant and many of the people in town are constantly making rude comments about her. She is determined to find her father and will set out on any adventure to do it. Along with a boy named Oliver, Alice sets out to a world named Furthermore that is different from what she was expecting. There they will do anything to find her father and bring him back safely. 

This story is geared towards Middle Grade but I cannot help but think that anyone would have a fun time reading this (I believe anyone can enjoy a good Middle Grade novel. I don't care what age you are). Not only is this a great adventure story but it also is a story about individuality. Alice is never afraid of being herself and will let anyone know this. She, I believe would be a great inspiration for younger readers and even older readers.

This was a great novel and it makes me want to read more of Tahereh Mafi's works. She writes in clever prose with beautiful lyrical writing. Also her asides are quite funny along with the chapter introductions. I must say I am very happy that I started my reading this month with such a wonderful book. I hope she will write more books like this if not a sequel. I know that I would definitely read it.