Review: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly

Finally, my 10 year old daughter can't stop spoiling me on what happens in this book. This was the first big book that she read by herself and ever since she finished it, she has been wanting me to read it so she can talk to me about it. I read it in three days because it is a very quick read. I love short chapters, but some were a page or two and then the next would be almost 10 pages long. I really don't like that in books, especially when the next chapter picks up where the previous chapter left off.

It takes place during Belle's time in Beast's castle. Beast has just gifted his library to Belle and she is cleaning it up and she finds a book titled Nevermore. Now the origin of the book comes from Death. At the very beginning, we met Love and Death playing a game of chess and they wager a bet to see if Belle will eventually love Beast or will she find him a monster forever and the servant and Beast will die. That is Death's plan all along, so she becomes a Countess in Nevermore.

I loved the illusions and descriptions of the settings and I loved Death's character. But I do give this a 3 out of 5 stars mainly because I do not like Disney princesses, except for a couple. I am not a fan of Beauty and the Beast. My favorite character by far is Cogsworth.

I still would love to have the library but then I would probably get overwhelmed and say too many books like I am with the ones I own at the moment.

BLOG TOUR: What I Want You To See by Catherine Linka

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE by Catherine Linka Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE

Author: Catherine Linka

Pub. Date: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Freeform

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

Winning a scholarship to California’s most prestigious art school seems like a fairy tale ending to Sabine Reye’s awful senior year. After losing both her mother and her home, Sabine longs for a place where she belongs.

But the cutthroat world of visual arts is nothing like what Sabine had imagined. Colin Krell, the renowned faculty member whom she had hoped would mentor her, seems to take merciless delight in tearing down her best work—and warns her that she’ll lose the merit-based award if she doesn’t improve.

Desperate and humiliated, Sabine doesn’t know where to turn. Then she meets Adam, a grad student who understands better than anyone the pressures of art school. He even helps Sabine get insight on Krell by showing her the modern master’s work in progress, a portrait that’s sold for a million dollars sight unseen.

Sabine is enthralled by the portrait; within those swirling, colorful layers of paint is the key to winning her inscrutable teacher’s approval. Krell did advise her to improve her craft by copying a painting she connects with . . . but what would he think of Sabine secretly painting her own version of his masterpiece? And what should she do when she accidentally becomes party to a crime so well -plotted that no one knows about it but her?

Complex and utterly original, What I Want You to See is a gripping tale of deception, attraction, and moral ambiguity.

"Linka delivers intrigue, betrayal, and a feast for art lovers."―Mary McCoy, author of Printz Honor Book I, Claudia

*"Clear-sighted and heartbreakingly true, this is a genuine portrait of a girl in quiet crisis learning to see things as they are."―Booklist (starred review)

"Tense, smart, and engaging . . . What I Want You to See is a stunning portrait of deception, artfully peeling back layers of secrets to reveal a meticulously crafted crime."
―Elle Cosimano, award-winning author of Nearly Gone

"A messy, heartbreaking and very real journey of learning to let others see who you truly are."―Carrie Arcos, author of the National Book Award Finalist Out of Reach

"A stunning page-turner that will tear your heart and paste it back together."
―Kim Purcell, author of This is Not A Love Letter and Trafficked

About Catherine:

Catherine Linka has been immersed in books her whole life, most recently as a writer and bookseller. She’s the author of the young adult novel WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE as well as the dystopian duology A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS and A GIRL UNDONE. Catherine lives in Southern California and watches hawks and hummingbirds when she should be writing. 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a signed finished copy of WHAT I WANT YOU TO SEE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/3/2020	Texan Girl Reviews	Excerpt
2/4/2020	What A Nerd Girl Says	Review
2/5/2020	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
2/6/2020	Savings in Seconds / @savingsinseconds	Review
2/7/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review

Week Two:

2/10/2020	Do You Dog-ear?	Review
2/11/2020	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
2/12/2020	fictitious.fox	Review
2/13/2020	momfluenster	Review
2/14/2020	Hurn Publications	Review

Week Three:

2/17/2020	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review
2/18/2020	A Bookish Escape/lindytgomez	Review
2/19/2020	notinjersey	Review
2/20/2020	Nerdophiles	Review
2/21/2020	Comfort Books	Review

Week Four:

2/24/2020	She Just Loves Books	Review
2/25/2020	One in a Million	Review
2/26/2020	Fyrekatz	Review
2/27/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review
2/28/2020	ChristenKrumm	Review

BLOG TOUR: The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLES LINDBERGH by Candace Fleming Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLES LINDBERGH

Author: Candace Fleming

Pub. Date: February 11, 2020

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

SIX STARRED REVIEWS!

Discover the dark side of Charles Lindbergh--one of America's most celebrated heroes and complicated men--in this riveting biography from the acclaimed author of The Family Romanov .

First human to cross the Atlantic via airplane; one of the first American media sensations; Nazi sympathizer and anti-Semite; loner whose baby was kidnapped and murdered; champion of Eugenics, the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding; tireless environmentalist. Charles Lindbergh was all of the above and more. Here is a rich, multi-faceted, utterly spellbinding biography about an American hero who was also a deeply flawed man. In this time where values Lindbergh held, like white Nationalism and America First, are once again on the rise, The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh is essential reading for teens and history fanatics alike.

About Candace:

Candace Fleming awarded herself the Newbery Medal in fifth grade after scraping the gold sticker off the class copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and pasting it onto her first novel—a ten-page, ten-chapter mystery called Who Done It? She’s been collecting awards (her own, not Elizabeth George Speare’s) ever since.

Today, Candace is the versatile and acclaimed author of more than forty books for children and young adults, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize honored The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of the Russian Empire; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book, Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!; the Sibert-Award-winning Giant Squid; and the beloved Boxes for Katje. She contributed the chapter on Katharine of Aragon to Fatal Throne. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar.

Website |  Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |  Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will win a signed finished copy of THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLES LINDBERGH, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/3/2020	Texan Girl Reviews	Excerpt
2/4/2020	BookHounds YA	Interview
2/5/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review
2/6/2020	She Just Loves Books	Review
2/7/2020	Hurn Publications	Review

Week Two:

2/10/2020	momfluenster	Excerpt
2/11/2020	Two Chicks on Books	Interview
2/12/2020	ChristenKrumm	Review
2/13/2020	notinjersey	Review
2/14/2020	Two Points of Interest	Review

Review: This prologue will make you think you are reading about modern day with Trump and his "want" of borders and prohibit foreigners. It shows that this nation has been divided for a long ass time.

the authors writing is amazing. it flowed neatly, and I wish I could rate it higher than a 2. going into this book, I knew Charles Lindbergh was a Nazi Sympathizer, and I go away with the opinion that he was a selfish, racist and disgusting human being!

 

Review: The Illuminated Forest by Edwin Fontanez

The beautiful and descriptive book is about a 12 year old boy Mateo who just lost a family member he was very close too. He heads back to her homeland of Palo Verde to attend her funeral and to send time with his grandparents. While on the island, he has nothing to do but try and work through his grief and get rid of the rage he has against his grandparents and everyone.

Behind his grandmother's house, there is a forest with beautiful plants and lots of wildlife and stray cats. We follow a little gray stray who has been abandoned by his owners and he takes safety in the forest and the trees and wildlife in this forest help protect him against the harsh sun and tropical rainstorms.

This book handles topics of grief, anger, animal abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, unwanted animals. I had a hard time reading about Severo and how he would treat every animal that crossed him. I also had a difficult time reading about the stray and how it was talking and screaming help. I have 3 cats and two of them I saved as stray kittens. So, this was close to home for me.

JULY 2019 OWLCRATE & OWLCRATE JR UNBOXING

OWLCRATE: Tournaments & Trials

• Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (signed, exclusive OwlCrate Edition)
• Wizarding Tournament Ceramic Mug (Cara Kozik)
• The Night Circus-inspired Jigsaw Puzzle (designed by Holly Dunn Design)
• A Gathering of Shadows-inspired Playing Cards (designed by Michelle Gray), Nicole Deal, Gina Hilton, Diana Dworak and Marianne Martin.
• The Hunger Games-inspired Coin Purse (designed by Kit Cronk Studio)
• The Selection-inspired Lanyard (designed by Four Seasons Fox
• Exclusive OwlCrate "Moon/Sun/Scissors" Enamel Pin (designed by Dust and Pages)
• Exclusive Spin the Dawn Author Letter and Bookmark. 

OWLCRATE JR: Zodiac Adventure

• The Twelve by Cindy Lin
• Exclusive 'Zodiac Parade' ceramic mug (designed by Bonnie Lui)
• Constellation Map tapestry
• Collectible Schleich Schleich) animal figurine
• Animal pattern origami paper
• Chinese Zodiac folding pocket mirror
• Zodiac animal vinyl sticker sheet (designed by Vanessa Port)
• Exclusive OwlCrate Jr "Zodiac Adventure" Button (Designed by Melanie Demmer)
• Exclusive Author Letter, signed bookplate and paper fan.
• OwlCrate Jr Magazine Issue #11 (Designed by Michelle Gray)
• August 'Thieves In The Night' sneak peek postcard (Designed by VeepDoodles) 

Review: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The second book that I have read for my A-Z global non-fiction reading challenge. My copy was adapted for younger readers and so I feel as if I did not get much of the important information as I would have if I read the original copy. I did get what the story was about.

We follow this guy named Joe Rantz who became one of the best rowers at the University of Washington in the 1930's. We see him struggle and conquer the great depression and the abandonment by his father. We see him work through his trust issues and basically find out that in the boat while rowing during the Olympics in Nazi Germany.

Overall, if I do decide to re-read this in the future, I will be picking up the original copies to see what was taken out and what was changed and how much of the war was left out.

January 2020 Reading Wrap Up

My 2020 reading year is off to a great start. I have realized that I went for some big books and fantasy and that is going to be a running theme this year. I started the A Song of Ice and Fire series and I will be reading a book every other month so I don't burn out on the series. Also most of these books were big ones. Over or almost 500 pages.I did not plan that, but I did get 10 books read this month and I enjoyed almost everything. Also three books that I read this month took place during World War 2.