Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

 

This book was our book club pick for a fairytale retelling. It's a stand-alone fantasy book that is much shorter than fantasy books tend to be. T. Kingfisher does an excellent job of writing concisely and giving the reader a rich world to discover. I listened to the audio version of the book and found it to be easy to listen to and follow. 

The story has a satisfying resolution, and also one could see how the story could continue if T.Kingfisher had an interest in writing a second book about these characters. 

 Key elements of this book that I enjoyed:

The main character Marra, as well as potential love interest, Fenris both feel like they are destined to live a life with more suffering than happiness. 

We have a character who is capable of powerfully evil magic, but they choose not to use that evil. 

Some very creepy scenes involve something known as a tooth dancer and a landlady that has a childhood toy. Both characters and the parts they play are so creative and truly the stuff of nightmares. T. Kingfisher builds a fascinating world of a book that is an homage to the story of Little Red Riding Hood. 

4.5 stars 

This Month's Read for The Cozy Mystery Book Club

 

On YouTube on Tuesday at 6 PM Central Time Angela is hosting our monthly Cozy Mystery Book Club you can join me in the comments there. 

I'm looking forward to chatting about this cozy. I don't think we have read a book where we have a single mom of a teenager in quite a while. I enjoyed the family dynamic. Our Amateur Sleuth is a successful thriller writer so she is a very curious sleuth. In the book, she butts heads with the local sheriff that just happens to look almost identical to her main character. I loved that conceit--especially in the way Tamara Berry has Tess Harrow make notes to use what happens at the cabin in her book to overcome some writer's block.  It's the wink and a nod to us readers of cozy mysteries that amps up the fun while reading this book.

If you like humorous cozies, I recommend giving this book a read, I think you will find yourself laughing along!

4 Stars!

This is the Shortest Month, #TheSundayPost End of Feburary!

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

Wow, it's the end of February already. Fortunately for my area, we had it pretty goes on the weather front. More often than not, our temperatures were above freezing. I've been spending some of my not reading time watching K-Dramas. They are SO ENTERTAINING! I'm so glad there are tons on Netflix, so much content I get to enjoy! From what I've been watching they also have a lot of eating scenes so now I'm really excited about a restaurant that is opening near me: Korean Hot Pot and BBQ. It's a whole AYCE thing where you cook your meal yourself it looks really delicious. 

How about you? Have you ever gone to a cook-your-own food place? Do you watch K-Dramas?

Here are the books I'll be talking about this week!

For When You Are Looking for A Light and Fluffy Read

 This book is a follow-up to The Ex Hex, it takes place during October, and it has nice Halloween ambiance but as you can see I read it during the dead of winter. This book was a fast read for me, I liked the way the story of Gwyn and Wells is fun and has a nice balance of action/romance and comedy. This is like a well done Hallmark Witchy movie--something the world needs more of- and by world I mean me!

I found myself smiling quite a bit as I read about Gwyn and Wells and the baby witches. Fun Stuff!  My rating is a 4 and here is the blurb from Goodreads:

"Welcome to Spooky Season!! The follow-up to Erin Sterling’s New York Times bestselling hit The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late."

Nice Start to a New Series- Dead Man's Hand

This name may look very familiar to you. I took a second take the first time I saw this book.  Then I realized this isn't a new book in the Harry Dresden Series, it's a new book by Jim Butcher's son. Like his father, this book is written in the Urban Fantasy AKA the Contemporary Fantasy genre.  I added this book to my library holds weeks ago and as it often the case, a bunch of my holds came in at once. I might not have had time to read this book if I'd gotten the e-book, but fortunately my hold was for the audio version.

The reader for the book is James Patrick Cronin and he does a wonderful job voicing the various characters and bringing the action to life. The story is engaging it has a nice blend of action and exposition.  The main character is a down on his luck witch who works at a place that sounds like Mideval Times Chuck E. Cheese. His name is Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby--what a fun name! 

The book begins with a different POV character, but soon it is clear that this series is going to be about Grimsby's hero's journey.  He is a scrappy young man with low self esteem who as this book goes along pairs up with a grizzled old guy who was sort of like a cop in this world and then you have Wudge who is a troll or maybe a goblin or maybe Wudge is just a a wudge? Anyway you look at it this trio is fun to read about. The plot involved some shady witches trying to get a very powerful item, and all that stands in the way is our intrepid hero and his buddies. 

I can't wait for more!  I love these sorts of stories.  Found families are so delightful to read! 

5 stars

 

What the Reviews Said, What I thought.

Once again I found myself looking for an audiobook that was included with my Audible membership so I had something to listen to while doing chores. This seems to be a weekend theme for me. This time The husband was off at a golf show, so I had time to putter around the house and listen to this book.

I chose this book because it is narrated by Johanna Parker who voiced the Sookie Stackhouse books and I enjoyed her reading of those books. According to the reviews for this book, some people weren't fans of the audio. 

The beginning of the book is told from Ada's perspective and Ada is a very naive 15-16 year old who has come back home to her horrible abusive father. I was not very into the beginning of the book, I was disappointed that it starts with a clueless girl in the 1920s  with an awful father who needs rescuing.  I considered putting the book down (figurately not literally as I was listening on my phone) and not continuing,  

However, I decided to listen a little longer, and that is when the story switches to the perspective of the other girl in the stilt house, Miranda.  Miranda was a much more interesting character and I enjoyed her backstory. I have not read much fiction taking place in rural areas during the 1920s, which enhanced my reading of this story. 

In the blurbs for this book, The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian is compared to Where the Crawdads Sing and apparently many, many reviewers did not agree with this assessment and that affected their enjoyment of the book.  I have not read the Crawdads book, so this comparison meant nothing to me. 

4 stars

 

Presidents' Day, Fat Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday. #TheSundayPost 3rd Week of February!

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme 

No spoilers but I've been on a nice roll of enjoyable books! I hope it continues for a nice long time. How was your week? I'm enjoying a 4-day weekend, I go back to work on Tuesday and I'm bringing paczki. When it's Fat Tuesday, you've gotta have a big jelly-filled donut, right? 

How's your reading going?  Read any 5-star books lately?? 

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

Oh my goodness how beautiful is the cover!  Go ahead and judge this book by its cover because it's as lovely a read as the cover. 

This book is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice which is one of my favorite stories. In this modern retelling, we have Liza the only DJ who gives a Jam--what a great tagline and Dorsey a rich developer. The book is set in DC and has a diverse cast of characters. I loved how Nikki Payne take the character of Lady Catherine De Bourgh and turns her into a him and make him a misogynist Senator. 

Nikki Payne managing to include all the best lines and scenes from the original tale by Jane Austen but puts her own twist on it in such a wonderful way. This book is really a chef's kiss of a retelling.  As I was reading the story there were many times where I had a smile on my face because this is such a fun retelling . Nikki Payne also brings the heat—unlike

the classic tale we know and love, we get sex scenes between Liza and Dorsey. 

5 stars —if you like the original you must read this and if you are not familiar then I think you will enjoy this enemies to

lovers  romance !

 

Tell Her Story - Reading While Cleaning

It was Saturday morning and I was once again looking for a quick book to listen to while I caught up on laundry, so I scrolled through what was free with my audible subscriptions and I came across this book, Tell Her Story.  The book is centered around a former journalist who starts a podcast. 

I said to myself, oh cool, I like podcasts, I'll give this book a listen.

The reader for this story is the actress Dakota Fanning and she does a nice job as the narrator keeping the story going. This book doesn't have many characters so it is easy to keep people straight while you listened and there are many subplots it's a straightforward mystery covering a cold cast that the main character has turned into a podcast.  Now our main character was fired as a journalist because she wrote a story about someone claiming he was a sexual predator and then it turned out she knew it wasn't true.  That makes her hungry for redemption and also maybe we should believe what she says in her podcast. Or should we? 

C/W part of the story involves a high school teacher sleeping with a student. It's not condoned but it is part of the story. 

Without spoiling the story, I will say my response to the end was, hmm, really? If you listen to the book I'd love to know what you think! 
 

A Wish Granted - Bones POV

I won a ecopy of The Other Half of the Grave from Anne's Read-Along! Halfway to the Grave is a very good first book in an Urban Fantasy series so I was excited to re-read the book from Bones' perspective. 

I am sure that over the years Jeaniene Frost has received thousands of requests for a Bones book as he is who is a beloved Vampire in the Urban Fantasy universe.  He is right up there with the Vampires from True Blood and Anne Rice's vamps so it is safe to say that this book was very wanted.

I enjoyed reading the book and knowing all the events of the first book. Since the original book is told from Kat's anti-vampire perspective, it's good to see what was going on in Bones' head while she was projecting upon him her worst fears. 

If you enjoy urban fantasy or vampire romance, I say go read this book if you have already read Halfway to the Grave or get both books and read either one first --or if you are new to the series, I'd love to see what you think of book two after just reading Bones point of view.

4 stars for The Other Half of the Grave it's a solid read.