Lifestyle Of Me: June 2023

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Review: The Walking Dead: Invasion by Jay Bonansinga

Book 6 of the Walking Dead novels and I am still obsessed. I will always love the Walking Dead universe. I am going to be a little sad when I finish the Woodbury arc and get to book 9 that is set in China and written by a different author.

If you have not picked up the novels, I highly recommend them. The first two books of the series follow the rise and fall of the character I hate the most, which is The Governor. From the 3rd book to this one, we follow a new main character named Lily Caul and she becomes sort of leader of Woodbury along with some of the older residents.

This book continues with the evil preacher from the 5th book and it got a lot more religious and sort of preachy. There were also some character deaths that I was not expecting and two new characters who I feel will not pull their weight even though they were major players on the installments conflict.

I was confused at the beginning when we were following the evil preacher and we were in an entirely new setting, but it all came together and it was gory. I hope that the motorcycle gang that was mentioned will play a bigger part in the next two books.

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: July-December 2023 Most Anticipated Releases

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Sad to say that I have stop keeping up with new releases because I found myself making these list every month of books that came out that I would want to read and never got around to them because I didn't have the money to buy them or it would take months and months for my library to get their own copies and then the wait list for those would last another few months. But this time I have utilized my netgalley and the proofs that I have with dates for the remainder of the year will go on this list.

Friday, June 23, 2023

Review: Demon In The Wood by Leigh Bardugo

I have read this short story of the young Darkling once before when I was reading the trilogy. I gave both editions of the story 4 stars. I actually enjoyed the graphic novel a little more because I could beter visualize OBVIOUSLY! Seeing young Aleksander so vulnerable when they got to the cave and Baghra had to leave and use the only lantern to scout the village that they were going to next. He was a little afraid of the dark which is ironic.

The only con that I had with this is that most of the pages had panels with no dialogue. it just showed the setting or characters. It would be like that for a page or two, then panels with dialogue and then 3-4 more pages with only illustrated panels. It was definitely a missed opportunity to give more information on why Aleksander and Baghra were on the run and why people were so fearful and mistrusting of Grisha.

Seeing Annika's betrayal in pictures made me that much more angry because she is the primary reason that the Darkling is so mean and evil to other humans. But that need to be around others like him and find a common ground is what forms the Little Palace and brings all of the Grisha together. Like calls to like.

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer 2023 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.

Hello.. my first top ten post since the end of January. I figured I would come back with my summer 2023 TBR which is this week's topic. I don't have much more of summer left, so I am hoping that I get a good chunk of these read. I have 7 weeks left of summer before my girls start back to school and I may designate 1-2 of these as a read aloud to them.

Monday, June 19, 2023

Review: My Hero Academia volume 8 by Kohei Horikoshi

8th volume done and it is another 4 star read. It picks up right where the 7th volume left off and I enjoyed this volume more because it went into detail about the pairings of the students and teachers for the practical exams. We see more character development from different characters mainly Yaoyorozu and her self confidence. I also ship her and Todoroki, they are a good team and they are cute together.

I do have an issue with the sexual hype in this. We get a look at Yaoyorozu's quirk and then we get information on why her costume is so revealing along with her age. She is 15 years old and she is wearing that. I started to question the author and what his thoughts were when he was creating this series. There is also another scene at the very end where the pervert Mineta is peeping on all the girls while they are bathing in the hot springs and they are all full on nude with the bits covered.

Other than that major con I have with this volume, I did get quite a few laughs during the trip to the summer training camp and we also get background information on Nezu the rat principle which made me think of Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy. We also get a group of new characters called the Wild Wild Pussycats.

There is also a revealing moment about the league of villians and a character can remove something and it makes him that much more creepy. Honestly can't wait to get my hands on the 9th and 10th volumes and then I can fully dedicate my time to finishing season 1 and possibly season 2 of the show.

Saturday, June 17, 2023

Review: The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

I started the Grishaverse back in 2021 in preparation for the show coming on Netflix. I have only read the Shadow and Bone trilogy and watched the first season. I have watched the first episode of the second season but have not continued because even though I knew most of the story happening in the first season, I did not know what the hell was going on with the other characters. So I am making it my goal to finish the books that are currently out in the Grishaverse. The next one I am going to be reading is the demon in the Wood graphic novel and then I will move on to Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. But enough about my plans, onto what this book is.

This is a collection of Grisha fairytales and fables. It contains 6 stories and 3 of them I gave 5 stars.

The first story is a Zemeni tale called Ayama and the Thorn Wood and it is about a girl who is sent by her king into a thorn wood as a messenger to get the monster to stop destroying crops and killing cattle. She has to tale truthful tales to make it out of the wood and for the monster to agree to her demands. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars.

The next three stories are Ravkan tales. I gave two of these stories 5 stars and they were The Too Clever Fox and The Witch of Duva. The Too Clever Fox hit all my feels because I have recently seen Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3 and IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW! I am still not over the heartbreak of Rocket. This story is about a little fox who is constantly escaping death and making friends.

The Witch of Duva is about a village who is losing young girls in the woods and we follow this girl and her family and they are struggling along with the rest of the village through a long winter. The son of the family goes off to join the military and the mother dies. The father eventually remarries and the woman is made to be a horrible stepmother to the girl. She sends the girl into the woods to check the rabbit traps and she ends up becoming lost. The story gets so much better. NO SPOILERS!

The last Ravkan tale is Little Knife. I gave this a 4 stars. This is about a beautiful princess. She was the most beautiful girl in the kingdom that everyone wanted to marry her. There would be fights. Her father who was the duke, ran a flour business and had her portrait added to the bags of flour to sell them faster. he also had to make her wear a veil and keep her inside the castle because her beauty would wreck havoc. The duke set three tasks and an outcast comes into the picture and uses magic to complete the tasks.

My least favorite tale is Kerch and I gave these 2 stars. It is called The Soldier Prince. I got so confused about what was happening. I didn't understand the moral or the reason for why it happened in the first place. This story is about a clockmaker and he makes these weird contraptions kind of like Geppetto in Pinocchio. The clockmaker ends up crafting this toy soldier to spy on a mother and daughter. The rest is where it gets weird. The toy soldier is constantly having memories of fighting in battle and being wounded, but I have no recollection reading that. This is one fairytale or fable that just doesn't make its mark.

The last story is my third 5 star and it is Fjerdan. It is called When Water Sang Fire and it is essentially a Little Mermaid retelling. It is about two mermaids. Their names are Ulla and Signy. Ulla is always being gossiped about because of her dark looks and how she was born above the water. Her father had relations with a woman above. Signy is a lonely girl who gets stuck with Ulla one day duing choir practice and from then on, they are partners and friends. They go to shore with the nobles and gain legs. Ulla and Signy have to help the sixth born son figure out the best perfect gift that will make him king and things go horribly wrong.

This is the Ursula backstory I wanted and I wish it was longer.

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. I am not a fan of fairytales or royal stories at all. But I do like a good retelling every now and then and these were perfect. I give the whole book a 4 star.

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

BLOGTOUR: Pillars by Claire Theriot Mestepey

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the PILLARS by Claire Theriot Mestepey Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: PILLARS (Madeline's Magic #1)

Author: Claire Theriot Mestepey

Pub. Date: February 3, 2022

Publisher: Claire Theriot Mestepey

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 488

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/PILLARS

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited membership!

Madeline Jourdain is starting a new life in New Orleans, Louisiana. Despite being paralyzed from the waist down, she has always been popular and smart, recently graduating from college. She has been blessed with adoring parents and friends who saw Madeline’s true self, beyond her disability. But deep down, Madeline longed for something she never knew she missed. With a touch of a welcoming hand, Madeline’s heart opens to find true love. With an opening of a book, Madeline discovers the magic lying dormant in her, as magic is reintroduced throughout the world. This fills Madeline’s heart with more possibilities but also more danger than she could ever have imagined. With help from witches, storm giants, and a Pixie named Charlie, Madeline learns about true love, magic, and even dragons.

Grab Book 2 REALMS now!

Review: coming soon

About Claire Theriot Mestepey:

Whimsy Word Search Game Ups the Fun Level of Word Searches

Whimsy Word Search has launched a new style of game that triples the fun with its genius mix of color and word search.

Claire Theriot Mestepey’s love affair with word games and word searches has been going on for as long as she can remember. Then about a few years ago, Claire had a novel idea to create a book that combined both coloring and word searches in one game. She immediately got to work to ensure this idea came into fruition. After a lot of trials and mostly errors, Whimsy Word Search was born.

Whimsy Word Search debuted with two never-seen-before puzzle styles: normal and pictogram. The normal Whimsy Word Search is a prettier and more colorful take on the regular word search, but the difference is that it allows one to color each letter in the words they find.

As for the pictogram style, Claire has her husband to thank for the idea. “My husband suggested there might be a way to make these puzzles even more challenging. Why use simple letters when you can challenge your puzzle lovers with pictograms? So have each pictogram represent a letter and then find the connecting pictograms that form the words. Hence Whimsy Word Search, Pictogram Style was created.”

As the owner and creator of the Whimsy Word Search, Claire is in charge of the entire process. “I do everything from coming up with the ideas for different books to creating the pages to publishing the books.” It is particularly noteworthy that Claire does all this even with a severe physical disability. “What gives my story of a strong woman trying to build a business while raising a happy family a twist, is that I have cerebral palsy.”

Nonetheless, Claire shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. “Recently we have added American Sign Language too. My latest book is Shakespearean Insults, which features letters from guttersnipe to roundtable wench! These words and insults work in a pinch! It’s probably my favorite book word search that I have created to date.”

Claire also added a new feather to her cap when she and her work were featured in the Texas County Reporter. An experience she is most thankful for.

Claire also finished her first full-length novel recently, Pillars, which is about a heroine in wheelchair who uses her magic powers to combat evil. The novel is set to be part of a trilogy that chronicles the epic battles between good and evil. Claire is currently writing the second novel, while a detailed outline of the third novel is already penned down.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

3 winners will receive an eBook of PILLARS, International.

Ends July 7th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/1/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
6/2/2023	The Chirpy Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

6/5/2023	Sadie's Spotlight	Excerpt/IG Post
6/6/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
6/7/2023	Cara North	Excerpt/IG Post
6/8/2023	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
6/9/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Three:

6/12/2023	Fire and Ice	Review
6/13/2023	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
6/14/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review
6/15/2023	Jaime_of_gryffindor	IG Review
6/16/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

6/19/2023	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
6/20/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
6/21/2023	@jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Review
6/22/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
6/23/2023	the original B00K nerd	IG Review/FB Post

Week Five:

6/26/2023	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Review
6/27/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post
6/28/2023	The Momma Spot	Review
6/29/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
6/30/2023	Gothichaunting	IG Review

BLOG TOUR: Crescentville Haunting by MN Bennet

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CRESCENTVILLE HAUNTING by MN Bennet Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: CRESCENTVILLE HAUNTING

Author: MN Bennet

Pub. Date: March 19, 2023

Publisher: M.N. Bennet LLC

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 327

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/CRESCENTVILLE-HAUNTING

Determined to pass junior year, Logan won’t let Henry distract him—much. Logan’s focusing on all things human, which means his swoony vampire ex-boyfriend will have to file his own fangs for a change. When he goes to the school bonfire and runs into Henry, wandering into the woods seems like a great escape. Until he’s bitten by a wicked Crone with some twisted magical munchies.

Logan is certain his ex-free human future is done when he’s dragged off to a scientific institution for study. There, he’s presented with an opportunity to keep his life, family, and future. All he has to do is stick to human ideology, since all things paranormal are illegal. But complications arise when the Crone begins to haunt him and Logan realizes that if he wants to get his life back, he has to navigate his lingering feelings for Henry.

With the Crone set on devouring him and the institution ready to obliterate him for any missteps, Logan must decide between pursuing the human future his family wants—one that he thought he wanted too—or the chance to embrace Henry, even if the world isn’t ready.

Review: coming soon

About MN Bennet:

M.N. Bennet is a high school teacher, writer, and reader. He lives in the Midwest, still adjusting to the cold after being born and raised in the South.

He enjoys writing paranormal and fantasy stories with huge worlds (sometimes too big), loveable romances (with so much angst and banter), and Happily Ever Afters (once he’s dragged his characters through some emotional turmoil).

When he’s not balancing classes, writing, or reading, he can be found binge watching anime or replaying Dragon Age II for the millionth time.

Find MN- https://linktr.ee/mnbennet