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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


30 / 30 bookish books. 100% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


48 / 50 books. 96% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (2)
- Arkansas (1)
- California (8)
- Colorado (2)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (3)
- Georgia (1)
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- Pennsylvania (1)
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- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (3)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (3)
- Wyoming(1)
- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- Australia (8)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (4)
- England (26)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (3)
- Italy (3)
- Mexico (1)
- Morocco (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Romania (1)
- Scotland (3)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)

My Progress:


48 / 51 states. 94% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


25 / 25 books. 100% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


35 / 50 books. 70% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


41 / 52 books. 79% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


39 / 52 books. 75% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


26 / 40 books. 65% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


32 / 51 cozies. 63% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


25 / 25 books. 100% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


46 / 52 books. 88% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

My Progress:


60 / 65 books. 92% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

My Progress:


55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


28 / 36 books. 78% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

My Progress:


80 / 125 books. 64% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

My Progress:


20 / 20 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

My Progress:


42 / 60 books. 70% done!

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

My Progress:


11 / 40 books. 28% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

My Progress:


8 / 50 books. 16% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

My Progress:


85 / 125 books. 68% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

My Progress:


4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Monday, May 05, 2014

Wexler v. Fishman—Another Exciting Battle in an Author War of Wits (With a Giveaway)

No, your eyes do not deceive you—yes, I am participating in a blog tour, even though I swore off them at the beginning of the year.  I know.  I'm such a flake!  Actually, this one just sounded too fun to pass up, especially since I had just finished The Forbidden Library, anyway.  

Also, I jumped at the chance to offer you a chance to win a copy of The Forbidden Library.  Everything you need to know to enter the contest is at the bottom of this post.

Oh, and this is the fourth stop in the tour.  To see the previous ones, click the links below:

PART ONE at Bookish
PART TWO at The Young Folks
PART THREE at Ticket to Anywhere

Enjoy!

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 Welcome to THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY blog tour! In honor of Django Wexler’s new series, perfect for fans of Coraline, Inkheart, and The Books of Elsewhere, we’ve paired Django and fellow Penguin author Seth Fishman (The Well’s End) in a battle of wits! Each day for the next two weeks, Seth and Django will challenge each other to escape from popular story scenes in the most creative way. Follow along as the two try to outmatch each other and check out some cool interior art from THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY along the way!

Seth to Django: I can't help it, Alice has some tea, at a party, with one hatter... if she managed to get out of Through the Looking Glass, how would the Mad Hatter's power manifest?

I can't help but think that my Alice would be irritated by whimsy and irrationality of Wonderland.  Her namesake is a more "go with the flow" sort of person, who wanders from one spectacle to the next but never seems very interested in how things fit together.  My Alice is the sort of girl of investigates things, and asks questions, and generally picks apart whatever's in front of her.  She'd want to know where the Mad Hatter gets his tea from -- does he buy it at a shop somewhere? -- and where the food comes from for all the unbirthdays.  (Being practical, though, I think she'd be right behind the unbirthday concept.)

What would the Mad Hatter's power be?  Hard to say, he's mad after all!  I think it would be something to do with wordplay -- maybe the ability to think up baffling doggerel and puns on a moment's notice, or to run verbal rings around your opponents until they're utterly confused.  Very useful if Alice ever decided to become a lawyer!  The ability to use mirrors as portals would also be a pretty neat power to have, and a logical one to get out of Through the Looking Glass. 

The Forbidden Library Synopsis:

Alice always thought fairy tales had happy endings. That--along with everything else--changed the day she met her first fairy.

When Alice's father goes down in a shipwreck, she is sent to live with her uncle Geryon--an uncle she's never heard of and knows nothing about. He lives in an enormous manor with a massive library that is off-limits to Alice. But then she meets a talking cat. And even for a rule-follower, when a talking cat sneaks you into a forbidden library and introduces you to an arrogant boy who dares you to open a book, it's hard to resist. Especially if you're a reader to begin with. Soon Alice finds herself INSIDE the book, and the only way out is to defeat the creature imprisoned within.
It seems her uncle is more than he says he is. But then so is Alice.

About Django Wexler: Django Wexler is the author of The Thousand Names. He lives near Seattle, Washington.

The Well’s End Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Mia Kish's small town of Fenton, Colorado is known for three things: being home to the world's tallest sycamore tree, the national chicken-thigh-eating contest and one of the ritziest boarding schools in the country, Westbrook Academy. But when emergency sirens start blaring and Westbrook is put on lockdown, quarantined and surrounded by soldiers who shoot first and ask questions later, Mia realizes she's only just beginning to discover what makes Fenton special.

And the answer is behind the wall of the Cave, aka Fenton Electronics, of which her father is the Director. Mia's dad has always been secretive about his work, allowing only that he's working for the government. But unless Mia's willing to let the whole town succumb to a strange illness that ages people years in a matter of hours, the end result death, she's got to break quarantine, escape the school grounds and outsmart armed soldiers to uncover the truth. 

About Seth Fishman: Seth Fishman is a native of Midland, Texas (think Friday Night Lights), and a graduate of Princeton University and the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England.  He spends his days as a literary agent at The Gernert Company and his nights (and mornings) writing. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.  This is his first novel (that's not in a drawer). 

----

So fun!  Okay, here's the low-down on the giveaway: If you live in the U.S. or Canada and would like a chance to win your own copy of The Forbidden Library, all you need to do is comment on this post and tell me what your dream library would include (first editions of your favorite novels; a built-in coffee/cocoa bar; signed posters of your favorite authors; etc.).  Please also include your email address, so I have a way to contact you if you win.  You have until May 20th to enter.  

A Forbidden Library Where Books "Leak" Into the Real World? Yes, Please!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Alice Creighton's father drowns in a mysterious shipwreck, the 12-year-old finds herself adrift.  She can't stay in her big, old house alone—even if she could find a way to save it from being sold at auction.  The only solution is to do what she's told and go to Pittsburgh, where she'll stay with an uncle she's never met.  It's all very straight-forward.  The always practical Alice can think of no better alternative to her problem.

Maybe the change of scenery will help relieve her extreme sadness, an overwhelming grief that is causing her to see things.  Like fairies.  Even in Pennsylvania, Alice can't shake the strange visions—surely talking cats aren't real, even in a place like Uncle Geryon's creepy castle.  And then there's his library—a forbidden library—which Alice knows is full of even greater wonders.  Either she's insane or the strange creatures are real, people really can jump into books and there's a whole lot more than meets the eye to everyone and everything around her—including Alice herself. 

As Alice begins to untangle the vast mysteries contained in the library, she wonders how she's going to solve the most compelling one of all:  What happened to her father?  Is he really dead?  Or is he, like her, simply trapped in a vast, impossible world of magic?  Can she find him if she just knows where to look?  

The Forbidden Library, the first book in a new fantasy series by Django Wexler, introduces readers to a complex world where Readers can step inside stories, but have to fight their way out.  It's a wild treasure hunt that hops between reality and fantasy, making fairy tales come alive in the most frightening ways.  As Alice learns the rules through trial and error, the reader journeys with her, always wondering if this adventure will be her last.  Although the story gets confusing at times, The Forbidden Library is a fun, Inkheart-ish read that will appeal to book lovers of all ages.   

(Readalikes:  The Inkheart trilogy [Inkheart; Inkspell; Inkdeath] by Cornelia Funke and The Book of Story Beginnings by Kristin Kladstrup) 

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:  


for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), scary scenes, and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The Forbidden Library from the generous folks at Penguin.  Thank you!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Tighter Prose Makes Cured Stand Out From Its Fellows

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  Although this review will not contain spoilers for Cured, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Stung.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

For those who do not qualify for life inside the safety of the wall, life is tough.  Rabid Fecs still roam the land, as do violent raiders.  People kill for any scrap of food they can find.  Women are an especially hot commodity in this dead, post-apocalyptic version of Denver.  Not that it matters—17-year-old Jacqui "Jack" Bloom stopped being a girl (at least on the outside) a long time ago.  It's safer that way.  Fashion makeovers and trips to the mall belong to a different world; her only concern in this one is helping her brothers keep the family's home safe.  With her rifle in hand, she spends hours on the roof, scanning the horizon for any hint of trouble.

Because she's so needed at home, Jacqui feels a little—okay, a lot—guilty for stealing away in the early hours of the morning.  But, she's got to find her older brother, Dean, who's been missing for a year and a half.  They haven't heard a word from him, so although Jacqui fears the worst, she also hopes for the best.  Because Dean left to escort a former neighbor to a rumored safe haven in Wyoming, Jacqui goes to her daughter for help.  Fiona Tarsis, now living inside the wall, brings along two others—her boyfriend, Bowen, and her brother, Jonah.  Cradled in Jonah's backpack are bottles of bee flu antidote, precious bargaining chips.  But when they're stolen, the group is left with few advantages.


When they're rescued by 18-year-old Kevin Emerson, who offers safety and supplies, Jacqui and company can't quite believe their luck.  Is it too good to be true?  The more Jacqui learns about Kevin, the less she trusts him.  Who is Kevin, really?  Why is he helping them?  These are mysteries Jacqui needs to figure out—before it's too late for them all.  

Originality is hard to come by in the YA dystopian genre, so it's really not surprising that the plot of Cured, the second book in Bethany Wiggins' Stung series, feels familiar.  Still, like I said about the first book, this one boasts stronger prose than many of its fellows.  So, while I got a little bored with the same ole, same ole, the characters and action kept me reading.  I would have liked more depth from the novel's cast as well as some plot twists I didn't see coming (Kevin's identity is pretty obvious from the get-go, although it takes Jacqui a long time to figure it out).  Overall, though, I enjoyed this one.

(Readalikes:  Stung by Bethany Wiggins; other zombie and zombie-ish YA dystopians)  

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for brief, mild language (no F-bombs); violence; mild sexual innuendo; and references to rape

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Cured from the generous folks at Bloomsbury via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Not Surprisingly, It's a Meh From Me

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Slayers: Friends and Traitors, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Slayers.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

With one summer of dragon-slayer camp behind her—plus some on-the-job training—16-year-old Tori Hampton still doesn't feel ready to face the fearsome creatures.  A pity, since her ability reveals terrifying news: baby dragons are hatching.  Which means they'll be full-size, ready to terrorize America, long before the slayers can gain enough skill to control or kill them.  The slayers need more manpower.  Ryker Davis, a 17-year-old in Vermont, fits the bill.  Even though his parents have forbidden him to join the others, Tori knows they have to find Ryker.  The more fighters on the team, the better chance they all have of surviving a dragon invasion.

Meanwhile, Tori's learning more about her own abilities, which include an innate desire to protect the dragons.  How can she help her friends annihilate the creatures if half of her can't stand to see them hurt?  And speaking of hurt, there's her heart to consider.  With a traitor in the team's midst, Tori has to be careful whom she trusts with her life, let alone her heart.  

So, I have to be honest—I opened Friends and Traitors, the second installment in C.J. Hill's Slayers series, knowing I probably wouldn't like it that much.  Not surprisingly, I was right.  I had the same meh reaction to this one that I did to its predecessor, Slayers.  For me, Hill's dragon world just isn't that convincing.  Plus, the plot winds all over the place, too much explanation bogs down the story, and the characters are so flat I can't remember who's who most of the time.  So, yeah.  The books have lots of action, but little else.  For me, at least, that's just not enough.  Although I have to say, I quite liked Angel Moroni's cameo appearance :)

(Readalikes:  Slayers by C.J. Hill)

Grade:

   
If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for violence, intense situations, and mild sexual innuendos

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
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