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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Apple Cider Slaying in Books
Nov 3, 2019
Death of a Neighbor Complicates Winnie’s Plans
The apple orchard that Winnie Montgomery calls home, along with her Granny, is having financial issues, and she is looking for ideas to save it. The idea she is most excited about is turning a barn on the property into a cider shop. She just needs a loan from the bank to be able to do the renovations. However, the meeting with the loan officers doesn’t turn out well when they find the body of Nadine during their tour of the facilities. The police are looking at Granny as their prime suspect since she and Nadine fought on a regular basis. With Granny’s freedom and the fate of the family orchard on the line, can Winnie figure out what really happened?
I always pick up the debut in a new series with hopes for a great read. I had more of a mixed reaction to this book. The plot was uneven, with what should have been sub-plots taking over for pages at a time and leaving me wondering when we’d get back to the mystery. The mystery was driven more by events than Winnie uncovering clues, but those events did draw me into the book, especially since I had come to care for the characters. I loved Winnie, Granny, and the rest of the cast. This was really driven home to me in the second half when an event made me gasp and read a little longer than I had intended that day. The timeline was fuzzy, which always bugs me. However, the book is set during the beginning of the Christmas season, and I loved how that season added to the coziness of the book. The four recipes at the end sound delicious, and yes, one of them is for cider. Julie Anne Lindsey also writes under the names Jacqueline Frost and Bree Baker, and I know she has a large fan base under all of those names. While I find this book uneven, I think this fantastic case of new characters will draw in many readers to this series.
I always pick up the debut in a new series with hopes for a great read. I had more of a mixed reaction to this book. The plot was uneven, with what should have been sub-plots taking over for pages at a time and leaving me wondering when we’d get back to the mystery. The mystery was driven more by events than Winnie uncovering clues, but those events did draw me into the book, especially since I had come to care for the characters. I loved Winnie, Granny, and the rest of the cast. This was really driven home to me in the second half when an event made me gasp and read a little longer than I had intended that day. The timeline was fuzzy, which always bugs me. However, the book is set during the beginning of the Christmas season, and I loved how that season added to the coziness of the book. The four recipes at the end sound delicious, and yes, one of them is for cider. Julie Anne Lindsey also writes under the names Jacqueline Frost and Bree Baker, and I know she has a large fan base under all of those names. While I find this book uneven, I think this fantastic case of new characters will draw in many readers to this series.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated When Dimple Met Rishi in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Cute contemporaries might be my downfall this year - there are so many amazing ones, and I am on a contemporary spree of sorts. (I hopped back to fantasy, but I'll be back for more cute ones, contemporary!)
Sandhya Menon’s debut novel has got to be one of my favorite contemporaries - and that says a lot since I'm not exactly a contemporary person. If anything, I avoid the genre like the plague.
Sit back, grab some Pocky Sticks, and allow me to gently shove this wonderful book in your face.
<b>Four Reasons to Pick Up When Dimple Met Rishi</b>
Rishi and Dimple are the cutest beans together - After the early hiccup between the two of them, I loved seeing their interactions together. I'm pretty sure my heart eyes emoji went a little out of control. Also can I please adopt them?
Women in STEM - I'll admit it: we need more females in the STEM fields - in both reality and in the literature we read. Dimple has a passion for coding, and the book is set around Dimple’s aspirations to win Insomnia Con (where coders spend several weeks creating an app of their own) in addition to her developing romance with Rishi.
Dimple doesn't care for romance - Dimple cares more about other things (like coding), and I really loved Menon included this because I can definitely relate. I prefer no makeup, and I suppose if I were in Dimple’s place, my mother would say no boy would want to talk to me because I look like I'm going to bite a boy. (Good.)
Iced coffee being thrown - I don't care what some peeps think about Dimple throwing iced coffee at Rishi, but I think it was A+, and it is one of my favorite scenes in the book. I was looking forward for this scene to happen, and if this book becomes a movie, this scene has GOT to be in there.
If you’re looking for a cute romance, definitely give When Dimple Met Rishi a try! If not for the cute romance, at least for the iced coffee being thrown?
<a href="https://thenovelistics.blogspot.com/2017/09/when-dimple-met-rishi-by-sandhya-menon.html">This review is originally posted on The Novelistics</a>
Sandhya Menon’s debut novel has got to be one of my favorite contemporaries - and that says a lot since I'm not exactly a contemporary person. If anything, I avoid the genre like the plague.
Sit back, grab some Pocky Sticks, and allow me to gently shove this wonderful book in your face.
<b>Four Reasons to Pick Up When Dimple Met Rishi</b>
Rishi and Dimple are the cutest beans together - After the early hiccup between the two of them, I loved seeing their interactions together. I'm pretty sure my heart eyes emoji went a little out of control. Also can I please adopt them?
Women in STEM - I'll admit it: we need more females in the STEM fields - in both reality and in the literature we read. Dimple has a passion for coding, and the book is set around Dimple’s aspirations to win Insomnia Con (where coders spend several weeks creating an app of their own) in addition to her developing romance with Rishi.
Dimple doesn't care for romance - Dimple cares more about other things (like coding), and I really loved Menon included this because I can definitely relate. I prefer no makeup, and I suppose if I were in Dimple’s place, my mother would say no boy would want to talk to me because I look like I'm going to bite a boy. (Good.)
Iced coffee being thrown - I don't care what some peeps think about Dimple throwing iced coffee at Rishi, but I think it was A+, and it is one of my favorite scenes in the book. I was looking forward for this scene to happen, and if this book becomes a movie, this scene has GOT to be in there.
If you’re looking for a cute romance, definitely give When Dimple Met Rishi a try! If not for the cute romance, at least for the iced coffee being thrown?
<a href="https://thenovelistics.blogspot.com/2017/09/when-dimple-met-rishi-by-sandhya-menon.html">This review is originally posted on The Novelistics</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Girl King (The Girl King, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<h2><strong>I wanted to like this book.</strong></h2>
In fact, I wanted to love <em>The Girl King</em>. Sisters! Rivals! Betrayal! Family! War! Mimi Yu's debut smells of an action-packed adventure with sibling rivalry, magic and court politics that would be hard to put down. Bonus points for #OwnVoices.
<h2><strong>But much disappointment has occurred.</strong></h2>
Bookwyrms, much disappointment has indeed occurred. I spent loads of time deciding if I should continue trekking my way through <em>The Girl King</em> or calling it quits. Eventually, at 50% through, I decided to call it a day because we don't have time for books that aren't enjoyable.
<h2><strong>We're not going to talk much about the problems involved.</strong></h2>
"Slipskin" feels awfully weird for a shifter/werewolf influence, bookwyrms. Sure, it's "slipping" out of one's "skin" and into another "slipping" into another "skin." But is it just me, or do I think of something gross and slimy at the thought? 🤔
And let's not get started with "pink." I legit thought of newly born babies.
<a href="https://vickywhoreads.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/arc-the-girl-king-by-mimi-yu/">Vicky from Vicky Who Reads</a> has this covered in more detail in her review. (I guarantee you her post is 100x more professional.)
<h2><strong>I didn't connect with anything in <em>The Girl King</em>.</strong></h2>
Sure, I went to at least halfway through the book, but it was a whole lot of back and forth reading between this book and another one. I didn't care about the storyline or the world, even though I could relate to some of the cultural influences included. Despite enjoying Lu's fierceness, I ultimately didn't care about Lu or any of the other characters involved. I found myself interested in continuing the book at some points, but at the same time, I didn't really care.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-girl-king-by-mimi-yu/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<h2><strong>I wanted to like this book.</strong></h2>
In fact, I wanted to love <em>The Girl King</em>. Sisters! Rivals! Betrayal! Family! War! Mimi Yu's debut smells of an action-packed adventure with sibling rivalry, magic and court politics that would be hard to put down. Bonus points for #OwnVoices.
<h2><strong>But much disappointment has occurred.</strong></h2>
Bookwyrms, much disappointment has indeed occurred. I spent loads of time deciding if I should continue trekking my way through <em>The Girl King</em> or calling it quits. Eventually, at 50% through, I decided to call it a day because we don't have time for books that aren't enjoyable.
<h2><strong>We're not going to talk much about the problems involved.</strong></h2>
"Slipskin" feels awfully weird for a shifter/werewolf influence, bookwyrms. Sure, it's "slipping" out of one's "skin" and into another "slipping" into another "skin." But is it just me, or do I think of something gross and slimy at the thought? 🤔
And let's not get started with "pink." I legit thought of newly born babies.
<a href="https://vickywhoreads.wordpress.com/2018/12/22/arc-the-girl-king-by-mimi-yu/">Vicky from Vicky Who Reads</a> has this covered in more detail in her review. (I guarantee you her post is 100x more professional.)
<h2><strong>I didn't connect with anything in <em>The Girl King</em>.</strong></h2>
Sure, I went to at least halfway through the book, but it was a whole lot of back and forth reading between this book and another one. I didn't care about the storyline or the world, even though I could relate to some of the cultural influences included. Despite enjoying Lu's fierceness, I ultimately didn't care about Lu or any of the other characters involved. I found myself interested in continuing the book at some points, but at the same time, I didn't really care.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-girl-king-by-mimi-yu/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Penne Dreadful in Books
Aug 2, 2019 (Updated Aug 2, 2019)
This Debut is Anything but Dreadful
Tessa Esposito has had her life turned upside down. Her husband has been killed in a car accident, leaving her a widow at 30. However, she is about to get another shock. Her cousin Gino, a cop, stops by to visit and drops the bombshell on her – the police don’t think the accident was an accident at all. Instead, they think it was murder. And he suggests that someone at Slice, the local pizza parlor where Dylan had lunch most days, might be responsible. After all, he was last seen alive leaving the restaurant. Tessa loves to cook, and Slice just happens to be advertising for a cook, so she snags the job, hoping to get a clue about what really happened to her husband. But her co-workers don’t seem to happy to see her. Is she going to be able to get anything out of them?
With Tessa’s husband being the victim, this book starts out with a more somber tone. Some events try to lighten it, but it didn’t quite work for me. After a bit of time to set up the characters and plot, things take off, and the book becomes impossible to put down. Tessa must unpeel the layers like an onion, and each new layer has a twist that kept me hooked until I reached the end. The suspects are all strong, and Tessa is a sympathetic lead character. It is easy to understand everything she is going through. The potential series regulars have a little room to grow, but that’s because they weren’t on the page too much. That’s what sequels are for, right? I did find some inconsistencies in the timeline late in the book, but nothing that ruins the plot at all. My biggest complaint is how much Tessa’s love life was a sub-plot; it’s something that should have been held until at least the next book in the series in my opinion. The book has some delicious sounding recipes at the end, including Tessa’s prize-winning tomato sauce. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to seeing what happens to Tessa next.
With Tessa’s husband being the victim, this book starts out with a more somber tone. Some events try to lighten it, but it didn’t quite work for me. After a bit of time to set up the characters and plot, things take off, and the book becomes impossible to put down. Tessa must unpeel the layers like an onion, and each new layer has a twist that kept me hooked until I reached the end. The suspects are all strong, and Tessa is a sympathetic lead character. It is easy to understand everything she is going through. The potential series regulars have a little room to grow, but that’s because they weren’t on the page too much. That’s what sequels are for, right? I did find some inconsistencies in the timeline late in the book, but nothing that ruins the plot at all. My biggest complaint is how much Tessa’s love life was a sub-plot; it’s something that should have been held until at least the next book in the series in my opinion. The book has some delicious sounding recipes at the end, including Tessa’s prize-winning tomato sauce. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to seeing what happens to Tessa next.
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