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Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Who loves Halloween? Who loves Hocus Pocus?

Hocus Pocus & The All New SequelHocus Pocus & The All New Sequel by A.W. Jantha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fall is here and when it's Fall I fill my TBR pile with Witches and Ghosts. I also fill my DVR with movies and TV shows featuring Witches and Ghosts. When I saw there was a book version of the movie and a sequel to the -dare I say- cult classic movie--I had to read the book ASAP.

"Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel" was a fun nostalgic read. I really enjoyed the sequel and am looking forward to seeing the movie version of this follow up to the classic Hocus Pocus. The sequel features some of the children of characters from Hocus Pocus and of course those terrible witches are back too.  Note, I read that the sequel won't start the same actresses as the Sanderson Sisters, which is a bummer to be sure. That's was makes the book even more fun, as reader of the sequel, I was able to picture the original witches. The pacing of the stories is on point with a nice build up to the final confrontation between the witches and the humans. In the original story I thought the 8 year old Dani was too mature for her age in words and actions--she really seems more like an 11 year old. The teens in the stories are perfectly age appropriate which is a nice change.

This would be a fun book to read with kids at bedtime as you count down to Halloween. I borrowed the book digitally from my library, so I'm sure it's easy to get a copy to enjoy before October ends. Once you finish the book you can have a family movie night, pop some popcorn and watch the classic movie! 


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Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Did you know you can listen to all the best selling novels out there for FREE?

In addition to listening to a bunch of podcasts, I also listen to audiobooks when I'm out running or am cleaning around the house. The best way to listen to books is to borrow them from your local library and these days you don't even have to go to the library.  They have an app for that!  My library uses Libby/Overdrive.

It doesn't get any easier or cheaper to read a novel or twenty.  Currently I'm listening to "The Outsider" by Stephen King.  The Kindle version is $14.95, a gently used hardback is $17 and to purchase it the Audible member price is $24.49.  The cost to me via my library: $0.00. You can't beat it!

Just before starting "The Outsider"  I listened to "A Cast-Off Coven" by Juliet Blackwell.  "A Cast-Off Coven is the second book in her "A Witchcraft Mystery" cozy mystery series. Lily Ivory is a witch and owns a vintage clothing store so the series has lots of supernatural lore and vintage fashion nods.  I recommend it, a fun series to listen to as you are out running or walking while the leaves change.

A Cast-Off Coven (A Witchcraft Mystery, #2)A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook. The reader does a nice job with the various character's voices including the potbelly pig. It's fun to read this series as fall approaches. This book's pacing was spot on, and the audiobook runs just about the right length of time for a cozy mystery at 8 hours.

I am enjoying how Ms. Blackwell intertwines San Francisco in the book, allowing for a small sense of community as she makes friends inside the big city setting. Each book in the series has a main mystery along side the slow parceling out of Lily's backstory. I have to keep reading to find out what the deal is with her father!

When I finished this book, I had the undeniable desire to go visit a vintage clothing store!


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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Looking for a Great Summer Read? Crazy Rich Asians is Perfect!

Crazy Rich AsiansCrazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up to read in advance of the movie version coming out in August. Throughout the book there are many references to luxury designers and descriptions of such an opulent lifestyle, I was overwhelmed at times with the conspicuous consumption of it all. Kevin Kwan overwhelms the reader with generational wealth on a massive scale and through this I was as overwhelmed as Rachel midway through the book.

At the same time, Kwan manages a to add depth this large cast of characters and the reader is able to look beyond the trappings of billionaire wealth and care what happens to not just Rachel and Nick but also Astrid, Colin, Araminta, etc. He also does a wonderful job imparting cultural and historical knowledge about Singapore bringing readers without an understanding of the area into the fold and making readers who are familiar with Singapore feel at home.

On the whole this book draws heavily from the classic tale of Cinderella, and it works very well. There is a reason some themes are done over and over and it's because they are classic. As I read the book, I found myself looking increasingly forward to seeing the movie. The descriptions and the landscapes in the book lend themselves to being on the big screen and the cast lines up so well with how I pictured the characters.


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Saturday, May 26, 2018

Writer in progress

Since I last wrote, after 4 years of renting, we bought a townhome. It's so wonderful to have a place of our own, that I'm happy to see that mortgage payment leave our account each month! We *finally* timed a real estate purchase properly! Plus, our townhome is the very rare kind that has our own small fenced backyard and there is no association! No fees and we can landscape as we want!

Tomorrow the Man and I are headed out to purchase our garden seedlings and get my raised bed started!  I'm planning on Fresh tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, parsley, basil, and thyme.  It's the little things.  I'm so grateful to be able to raise fresh produce in our backyard.

On the reading front, I, not too long, ago reviewed a lovely book for Project Fandom and you can see the review here.  If you are looking for a captivating story to read this summer, this is an excellent choice!

The school year is wrapping up and our oldest GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL. We are very lucky to live in-district for our local community college so Mr. P is able to continue his education, close to home and get those required classed completed at the lowest cost possible.  At work, I see tuition bills for schools from coast to coast and the average cost of a year at a 4-year college/university is more than I make in a year.  Now it is true I don't make a ton of money but should college cost  $30, 40 grand a year? It makes it unaffordable for most people to attend, or they suck it up and take out loans they are still paying back in their 50s.

Alright, I'm off my soapbox.  Now back to me.  I've been working on my book. It has no title, but I have the series name already picked out.  I call it "Creating Cakes: Book 1."  My plan moving forward is to post with some consistency on this blog and share how the writing is going. Also, I plan to do a bit of crowdsourcing for some of my editorial decisions. 

I hope you will stay tuned and provide your two cents as I write.  Here is my first bit of crowdsourcing, my first chapter is in decent shape.  If I had it here to read, would you be interested in reading it if there was a $1.00 fee for the chapter and that fee offered future VIP perks?  Comment below and let me know!
The Grad enjoying the best present ever, Hamilton Tickets!