Lifestyle Of Me

Thursday, August 10, 2023

BLOG TOUR: Clara Poole and The Long Way Round by Taylor Tyng

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CLARA POOLE AND THE LONG WAY ROUND by Taylor Tyng Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: CLARA POOLE AND THE LONG WAY ROUND

Author: Taylor Tyng

Pub. Date: July 4, 2023

Publisher: Pixel+Ink

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 384

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/CLARA-POOLE-AND-THE-LONG-WAY-ROUND

Mr. Lemoncello meets the Amazing Race in this quirky high-octane balloon-racing middle grade around-the-world adventure.

When an unintended flight over Michigan in her class science project—a lawn chair held aloft by balloons—brings her instant celebrity, Clara Poole is invited to be the spokesperson for a round-the-world adventure race. But when her overprotective father refuses, Clara forges his signature in a moment of defiance and runs away to Paris to take her place in the skies. If only she’d read the fine print first.

Partnered with a veteran aeronaut who wants nothing to do with her, Clara faces down ten treacherous stages in a race around the world—capturing flags in the perilous mountains of Nepal; being a guest of honor at a maybe-wedding in the Saharan desert; flying through rings of fire in Hong Kong—all while learning the ropes alongside a colorful cast of international competitors.

But there are more dangers ahead. Someone is trying to sabotage the competition. And surviving this race means Clara must come to terms with the tragedy that set her fleeing to the skies in the first place, and accepting that forgiving herself isn’t a process she has to undertake alone.

Gorgeous prose and winning characters combine in this quirky, often-hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking, and thoroughly captivating middle grade adventure series starter from an incredible new talent.

Book Trailer:

Review: coming soon

About Taylor Tyng:

Taylor Tyng has worked as a designer, animator, film editor, and software CEO. He finds endless

joy in writing for middle-grade readers, who are no longer children but not quite adults. He lives

in Massachusetts with his family. Visit him online at TaylorTyng.com.

https://linktr.ee/taylortyng

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of CLARA POOLE AND THE LONG WAY ROUND, US Only.

Ends August 22nd, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/7/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
8/7/2023	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
8/8/2023	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
8/8/2023	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/9/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
8/9/2023	Destiny's Path	Review/IG Post
8/10/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review/IG Post
8/10/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post
8/11/2023	enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/11/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

8/14/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/14/2023	@katherinebichler	TikTok Post
8/15/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
8/15/2023	Gryffindorbookishnerd	IG Review
8/16/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
8/16/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Review
8/17/2023	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
8/17/2023	popthebutterfly	Review/IG Post
8/18/2023	@pagesforpaige	Review/IG Post
8/18/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Review: Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

After a lot of begging by my kids who like to spoil movies and shows for me, I finally picked this up after adding it to my TBR 8 years ago. I have heard so many good things about this graphic novel from tons of booktubers and book bloggers. My teen daughters will not shut up about the Netflix show and they have watched it over and over I don't know how many times. They read this after watching and said that they adaptation is better, so we will have to see.

The first chapter had me giggling and my 14 year old screaming that I liked it. My 14 year old has been asking everyday if I was done reading so we could watch the movie.

We follow a villian named Ballister Blackheart and a shapeshifting girl named Nimona who loves to become a shark. She wants to help Blackheart be his best villian self and along the way Blackheart comes to care for Nimona and wonder where she got her powers. She isn't exactly truthful in her backstory and they come to blows. While this is happening, the director of the Institution is wanting Nimona dead and she sends in Sir Goldenloin who is kind of a overacheiver. He is also Blackhearts former friend/ lover.

I laughed a lot at the snide comments that Nimona made to Blackheart and the Christmas part at the end, I really loved. My favorite part had to be when they were playing the board game World Domination which is basically monopoly, and now I will be calling it that for the rest of my life. Wonder how long my husband will take it because Monopoly is his favorite board game. We have 8-10 different versions of the game.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I want to read because of Top Ten Tuesday

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

Another fun topic for this week's top ten Tuesday. I will be sharing the books that I have seen on other's lists that has made my TBR MASSIVE!!

Monday, August 7, 2023

Review: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

My third Christie book for the year and I have been hearing that this is the one that put her on the map and one of the best ones. I enjoyed it but found myself missing the character Hastings, even though Doctor Shepherd was similar but very different obviously.

The beginning was very confusing because it goes straight into detailing a murder and introducing the doctor and his sister who he lives with. The murder of Ms. Ferrars goes unmentioned until the main murder which is of course Roger Ackroyd. We learn about the doctor and how his sister is a brown noser who likes to gossip and be in every ones business.

I find it very funny that there neighbor is Hercule Poirot who they mistake for a hair dresser. Then for the rest of the book, it is the same as with any other Agatha Christie novel. They run around trying to figure out answers and why someone would do such a thing. Blah Blah Blah, now to the end which I won't spoil even though this is almost a 100 year old book. The ending was epic. I was not expecting the person whodunit to be the culprit.

Thursday, August 3, 2023

BLOG TOUR: West of Sundown Volume 2 by Tim Seeley & Aaron Campbell

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 2 by Tim Seeley & Aaron Campbell, Jim Terry Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 2: Youthful Blasphemy

Author: Tim Seeley & Aaron Campbell, Jim Terry (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: July 25, 2023

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 144

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WEST-OF-SUNDOWN-Vol-2

From Dusk Till Dawn and American Vampire meet The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in this terrifying tale of the Old West, survival, blood, and monsters.

La Sangre es la Vida

The New Mexico town of Sangre De Moro has accepted its strange new residents: beautiful vampire Constance Der Abend, her thrall, Frankenstein's monster, and the would-be mad scientist, Griffin. But a new threat has come for the evil-saturated soil of the mesa: Dr. Moreau and his strange companions.

West of Sundown – where Hammer Horror and literary monsters stake their claim in old New Mexico.

A Western tale of survival starring a cast of literary horrors from the diabolical minds of Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Vampire: The Masquerade, Money Shot), Aaron Campbell (Hellblazer, Infidel), and Jim Terry (Vampirella, Come Home, Indio)!

For fans of Westworld, Red Dead Redemption, American Vampire, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hammer Horror films, Universal monsters, and Preacher!

Collects the entire second arc, issues #6-#10, of the smash-hit series!

"If you like your horse operas bloody, if you thought The Searchers was fine, except for all the missing vampires and werewolves and monsters, then … Tim Seeley, Aaron Campbell, and Jim Terry have a book here for you. Come walk with them through the Old West, and don’t trust them when they tell you it’s all going to be fine. It’s not. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.” --Stephen Graham Jones (New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw and Don't Fear the Reaper)

"Vigorous, bloody pulp fiction boned with fierce intelligence and blooded with delicate observation. This just might be the start of the best monster universe since Universal's." -- Daniel Kraus (New York Times bestselling author of The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, and The Autumnal)

“Western gets weird in this gore-strewn, rollicking adventure set in the 1870s …with a wink toward gothic Victorian horror.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

Grab WEST OF SUNDOWN, VOL. 1 now!

Review: Volume 1 review! This volume contains a mix of legendary figures. Frankenstein, Dr. Moreau, La Llarona, La Malinche. Some of the tales I know, but some of these stories I only know by word of mouth so all of them combined is kind of confusing. Plus this volume has so much to tell that it is not cohesive. The ending though, has me anticipating volume 3.

About Tim Seeley:

TIM SEELEY is one of those “slash” people…a writer-slash-artist. He has drawn a number of different comic book series including G.I JOE, HALLOWEEN, WILDCATS and ANT-MAN & WASP. His writing work include NIGHTWING, MONEY SHOT , INJUSTICE v. MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE ,the critically acclaimed REVIVAL, and the NY TIMES bestselling HACK/SLASH. He resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife, daughter and 80s action figure collection. Hometown: Chicago, IL

About Aaron Campbell:

Aaron Campbell has been working as a comics artist for a decade, and is now the co-writer of Vault Comics horror title, West of Sundown. During his time in comics, he’s illustrated the adventures of some of the world’s most iconic characters, including Hellblazer, Batman, Harley Quinn, The Shadow, Green Hornet, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Infidel, working with such revered writers as Garth Ennis, Matt Wagner, James Robinson, and Andy Diggle. Hometown: Albuquerque, NM

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

About Jim Terry:

JIM TERRY is a Native American comic book artist who’s memoir Come Home, Indio was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and the Ignatz, as well as the artist on such titles as THE CROW, HACK/SLASH, HEAVY METAL and more. He is currently working on WEST OF SUNDOWN from Vault Comics. He lives in Chicago with his 4 cats.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 1 & WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 2, US Only.

Ends August 15th, midnight EST.