Julie read some books

 

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

Pages: 248

It's 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma's reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she's been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence's most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

Pages: 403

Ah, Christmas! Gemma Doyle is looking forward to a holiday from Spence Academy, spending time with her friends in the city, attending ritzy balls, and on a somber note, tending to her ailing father. As she prepares to ring in the New Year, 1896, a handsome young man, Lord Denby, has set his sights on Gemma, or so it seems. Yet amidst the distractions of London, Gemma’s visions intensify–visions of three girls dressed in white, to whom something horrific has happened, something only the realms can explain...

But all is not well in the realms–or out. The mysterious Kartik has reappeared, telling Gemma she must find the Temple and bind the magic, else great disaster will befall her. Gemma’s willing to do his intrusive bidding, despite the dangers it brings, for it means she will meet up with her mother’s greatest friend–and now her foe, Circe. Until Circe is destroyed, Gemma cannot live out her destiny. But finding Circe proves a most perilous task.

Pages: 548

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, and Miracles.

In short, it's about everything.

Pages: 429

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

When he attends a dying patron of his family's boarding house, young Jim Hawkins has no idea that the man was once a pirate, or that the man's possessions include a map that will lead whoever has it to the island where the  notorious buccaneer, Captain Flint, buried his treasure. Jim and his guardians hire a boat to sail to the island, unaware that crew they have hired includes many members of Flint's pirate band, among them former quartermaster Long John Silver, and that they hope to claim the treasure for their own. 

Now to go and watch Muppet Treasure Island

Pages: 311

Doctor Who: The Doctor's Lives and Times

 Doctor Who: The Doctor's Lives and Times by James Goss and Steve Tribe

Pages: 256

Rated: 5 out of 5 stars

Presented as a collection of documents on the life and activities of the Time Lord, "The Doctor." The story of The Doctor is told using letters, journals, trial records, secret government files, news files and interviews with The Doctor's friends and enemies. 

In the midst of the documentation of the life of The Doctor, are behind the scenes stories, comments, photos, of the BBC show Doctor Who starting with the first season in black and white, through the current revival of the show now on BBC America. 

I have never seen any of the older episodes of Dr. Who so I learned a lot about the show's history and some of The Doctor's history that fills in some details about his life. These details aren't necessary to enjoy the more recent episodes but they do add some depth to the character and his relationships especially to the British government and alien species all over the universe, including his own people, the Time Lords of Gallifrey. 

Some January Reads

Go Team Venture! The Art and Making of The Venture Bros.

I have loved The Venture Bros. for years and I finally got this companion book for Christmas. It's awesome, has great pictures from the show and insights on each episode.

Pages: 376

 The Sun Down Motel

Ghosts, murder, mystery??!! Everything I love in one book!

Pages: 327

The Kind Worth Killing

Holy crap, twists and turns everywhere!!! I don't even want to reveal too much here since it would take away from all the surprises. Let's just say it's an awesome retelling of Strangers on a Train. 

Pages: 311

Avatar: The Last Airbender series

 I flew through the cartoon series once it was put on Netflix, so of course I picked up the graphic novels after I was done to fill the void in my life. They did not disappoint. 

This one fills in some of the gaps of the Gaang's adventures between the show's episodes. I love me some Sokka.

Pages: 240

Picking up exactly where Avatar: The Last Airbender left off. The Promise takes Aang to a Fire Nation colony in the heart of the Earth Nation, where tensions between neighbors threaten to shatter the world's newfound peace--putting the Avatar on a collision course with one of his closest friends, Fire Lord Zuko.

 We find out what happened to Zuko's mom!!! 

Pages: 240 

Pages: 240

Avatar Aang and friends honor an Air Nomad holiday that hasn't been celebrated in over one hundred years, but when cryptic visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen lead Aang to a refinery operating on land sacred to the Airbenders--they soon find themselves in peril as a dangerously powerful ancient spirit awakens with vengeance and destruction on its mind.

Pages: 240

The Fire Nation is threatened by a prophecy told by the Kemurikage--mysterious figures thought only to exist in legend: "remove Zuko from the throne or the country will perish!" Unrest is brewing as the New Ozai Society prepares to make its move against the crown, and children begin to go missing from their homes under mysterious circumstances.

Pages: 240

When Katara and Sokka return home to the Southern Water Tribe, they are shocked to find that it has gone from a small village to a bustling city! Malina, a Northerner, is behind the change and plans to unify the two groups, but Gilak, a Southerner, leads a fierce rebellion to stop her. In the face of these two opposing tribes, Katara will have to make peace with her nostalgia and distrust to save the home she loves from being permanently torn apart.

Pages: 240

When Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph return to Earthen Fire Industries--the factory owned by Toph's father--Aang is surprised when their arrival is met with a cold shoulder. As soon as the team is asked for help at a business council meeting, the reason for the slight becomes clear: a massive bender-versus-non-bender conflict has gripped the town and is threatening to turn violent. In order to heal the divide and save the town, Aang and the team will all face tough decisions about power and identity that could tear them apart.

Pages: 240

Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein

Ok so does anyone else feel like Missouri is getting called out/attacked or is that just me....
Hey look a research librarian...which is like one of my dream jobs...
Check your facts, check your sources. Yaas.
304 Pages

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics by Chris Grabenstein

Andrew really is the "Excuse my potty mouth" vine.
....so the Midwest team dressed up as a cross of frat guy and FFA member....I don't know how to feel about that...Is that the Midwest stereotype?
Preach about banned books. YAAAS.
Look at all those Catholics killing it, being awesome role models.
...A priest... Yas, Fr. Mike.
320 Pages

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Zachery Ezra Rawlins finds a book in the library that has no author listed. Intrigued, he checks it out and finds it's a series of seemingly unconnected stories. Then he comes across a story that is about himself as a boy. He had found a door, but didn't open it then. Not yet. Next is a journey to discover where the book came from, the romance of Time and Fate, the identity of the Owl King, and how every story is connected.

Pages: 512

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

...Did he mean to name Sierra....Sierra.... The book nerd.... But unlike one Sierra I know, I love this one, and she's super helpful and friendly.
You can't just mention underwear multiple times and expect me to not think it's a clue.
....It's not if you consult the internet for help about the final clue that wasn't in the book, right?

336 Pages

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Under a Painted Sky
by Stacey Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Still fantastic!

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was obsessed with The Boxcar Children as a child. I mean what's not to love about a smart group of orphans who learn to survive on their own and do their best to stick together and protect each other? There are 4 of them, and I have 3 siblings, so I was sure that should the need ever arise, I would be ready to live with my siblings in a boxcar. In fact, I wanted to (not that I wanted anything bad to happen to my mom, but boxcar in the wilderness would have made a kickass club house).

Also, the children adopt an inured dog, even though feeding it means less food for themselves. I mean, come on! Could these children be any more amazing?

As an adult, I was curious to reread this to see if it still held the charm and whimsy of my childhood. I confess, I enjoyed reliving this book, but a bit of my realistic adult has snuck in at this point and therefore questions some of the things I never questioned as a child. Go figure. Growing up does seem to ruin a lot of good things, but it comes with some amazing perks, like being able to drink coffee without being told it will stunt your growth (clearly that was a lie, as I'm 5'10").

Anyway, long story short, this is a charming and fun read for elementary students. While I confess that I could have survived in the wilderness (and practically did) as a child, I don't think my nieces and nephews would far this well, which makes it even more interesting to me and probably also to them.

Pages: 160


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Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Pax by Sara Pennypacker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This MG story was a real stretch for me. It's somewhat sweet, but you'll definitely have a hard time suspending disbelief with this one.

The ending is meh. The book is constructed to be symbolic and pull at your heartstrings, rather than be truly realistic or factual. And that's okay, but since it didn't inspire that much emotion in me, the little crap that just doesn't add up bothered me.

I am not always great with animal books, so the indifference could be partially me. However, I just don't think this lives up to the hype. Give me WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS any day over this.

Book 297 read in 2018

Pages: 278

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

To escape their abusive father, sisters Scarlett and Donatella run away to participate in Caraval, a game where you follow the clues to get the ultimate prize...one wish that will come true. Be warned though, everything that happens during Caraval may be real and it may not so don't get swept away. Things are going smoothly until Donatella is kidnapped by Master Legend, the creator of Caraval and Scarlett must find her before the end of the game.

This is an easy read and goes by really fast. Best point: it's just really fun to get caught in the game and try to decide what's real and what's not.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages: 407

Staked (The Iron Druid Chronicles #8)

 Staked (The Iron Druid Chronicles #8)
by Kevin Hearne
Pages: 310
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Atticus has made some enemies in his over two thousand years of life, including some vampires. Now he has made an agreement with a coven in Poland to rid all of Poland of all vampires and vampires from around the world are taking revenge, especially one powerful, old vamp, Theophilus. 

Atticus ends up with backup from some unexpected places.  This is good since new druid Granuaile is trying to free herself from Loki and deal with some personal issues from her own past and his arch-druid is trying to start a school for new druids and doesn't need trouble with vampires too.

14 by Peter Clines

 14
by Peter Clines
Pages: 372
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a unique book. It's a bit of a mystery, some adventure, some fantasy, some science fiction, some steam-punk all blended into one well-written story. 

Nate's new apartment is surprisingly cheap and in an historic building. It also some oddities that he soon notices such as padlocked apartments, mutant cockroaches, no cell service inside and no one who seems to really own the building. But Nate has other things on his mind when he moves in. He hates his job but has no money in the bank to live off of while looking for a new job. Soon he starts meeting his neighbors and they start discussing odd stuff about the building. A group quickly forms to work together to figure out the mystery of their home. Little do they know how dangerous this quest while be and that there is at least one spy among them

Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles #6)

 Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles #6)
by Kevin Hearne
Pages: 384
Stars: 4 out of 5

Atticus O’Sullivan, his apprentice Granuaile and wolfhound Oberon are racing across modern-day Europe to seek the help of a friend, Tuatha De Danann. They are being chased by two goddesses of the hunt, Artemis and Diana. The goddesses are seeking revenge and other gods and powerful beings are getting in on the action. Some to aid Atticus and some to aid the goddesses. Still others just for their own amusement. Atticus's usual magical druid option of shifting to another plane is blocked so now all they can do is run and hope to reach safety. Then Loki decides to get in on the fun. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok and the end of the world. This series is full of Celtic, Norse, Greek and other ancient mythology as well as plenty of adventure, but my favorite part is Oberon who Atticus can communicate with magically. Seeing all of the adventure and chaos happen through the eyes of a loyal dog companion just adds to the fun.

Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.5)

 Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.5)
by Kevin Hearne
Pages:
Stars: 4 out of 5

In this novella Atticus's training of Granuaile is interupted by the Morrigan, the Celtic Chooser of the Slain. She insists he leave with her at once if he wants to save his and Granuaile's lives. What choice does he have but to follow her.

Originally released as an ebook, this story if now available in print.

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up at random to earn pirate points for our work challenge, and I ended up really enjoying this adventure story. It's about Jack, a plucky orphan girl, and how she survives in the world on her own, which includes how she ends up serving as a deck boy on a naval ship that fights pirates.

So yeah, fun times were had by all, or at least me. This has some of my favorite tropes from childhood, including the whole girl pretends to be a boy gem.

It bridges the gap between MG and YA by starting out with a strong MG feel and ending up more in the upper MG to YA realm. I thought the author did a great job of showing how Jack changes as she starts to grow up.

Also, the audiobook is narrated by Katherine Kellgrin, who is amazing. She narrated over 200 audiobooks and won many awards, including being inducted into the Narrator Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, she passed away in January of 2018, so there will be no new books narrated by her. However, I still will try to listen to as much of her body of work as possible, as she has such a good sense for the dramatic and really pulls a reader into the story.

Book 107 read in 2018

Pages: 304

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is clever and delightful. It has so much voice and an extremely confident female MC, who has earned the right to her snarkiness, which I found refreshing. There’s lots of banter between characters, which is fun.

The pacing is excellent, and I was thoroughly enjoying this wickedly charming female pirate story, when this suddenly took a turn in an unexpected direction. The change was interesting, but I also would have loved this as just a pirate story, since I was enjoying that so much.

Pages: 320

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novel has so much voice, the kind that’s funny and unapologetic. I really do want to hug this book, which is problematic since I listened to the audiobook.

The MC is a charming rake who gets himself into mess after mess, and I adore the fact that one of the side characters is his sister. That’s so rare in YA these days…to have a really relevant character be a sibling, and for that sibling to go along on the adventure. It added a nice dynamic.

These teenagers were appropriately teenagery, and I loved how the dated time period still felt so fresh and easy to exist within. These are the kind of characters who steal away little pieces of your heart, and you don’t even mind.

Pages: 513

(PS: This story has pirates, really inept pirates, but they’re relevant to the storyline.)