TBR Challenge #8: Kicking it Old School

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Rating: 4/5

Why? Agatha is my go-to author, if I want something refreshing and well written books, I grab a Christie. None of her books have ever stirred me wrong, and what’s even better is its older than 10 years since publication. So total bonus points for this challenge. As always, I loved every minute of this book and I love reading about the famous detective, Poirot, again.

Review: I’m not really sure how I can review this book without revealing too much about the ending. Basically this book is Christie’s typical novel of suspense, lies, betrayal and a love triangle, set in the exotic setting of Egypt.

I love everything about this book. I gave it a point lower, only because I figured out who the killer was mid way into the book, but that’s ok because her writing makes up for the typical story line. I’ve always been a fan of Christie’s every since I first picked up her book as a teen. Although, I’m a lot more aware of her racist comments in her books now, I still really enjoy her writing and how she weaves a mystery. I’m especially fond of this book because I’m a fan of Egypt, especially stories set in pre-war era, when Egypt is being explored. I’m very much a sucker for Egyptian history and mythology.

Back to the story.

Like I said I’m a fan Christie and I love how she writes her books. Although, Poirot is the main character, he is never the actual narrator, instead we get multiple point of views, which give us insight to all the characters present in the story. This is very effective in creating a bigger mystery at hand. We know who the characters are, we know the reasons for their vendetta, and we are left to wonder as who is daring enough to proceed with a crime with Poirot around.

I think Christie is just one of those authors that I will always keep reading and continue reading until I’m old and grey!

Cozies Recommendation

It’s not really any secret that I’m a fan of mystery novels. I don’t care if its middle grade, YA or even adult, I would read it as long as it holds my attention. One sub-genre of Mystery is Cozy Mystery and this is one of those comfort reads for me. Anytime I’m feeling slumpy in my reading mood, I would always turn to these books to keep me on track.

Cozy books have a very specific type of writing. Obviously its always centered on a mystery, but these books are usually devoid of gore, violence, blood shed and very rarely does it include any violence towards children. Most cozy books are set in a small town or at least it revolves around a small group of people close to the protagonist.

The most common cozy mystery, that almost every book lover has read, are books written by Agatha Christie. I believe that her books are basically the foundation of cozy mysteries. Yes, Christie’s books are a lot more complex and in depth, but the lack of, or even the minimal violence of cozies are very reminiscent of Agatha Christie novels. Please don’t take my words the wrong way, they are not the same at all, but I believe Christie is the root of this sub-genre.

One of the main reason why many readers are drawn to this sub-genre is because it’s an easy read, you tend to get attached to the community that is introduced in the books, and you eventually get to see how each character develop from one book to the next. However, the main downfall of these books, is that the mystery starts to become similar and eventually the ending starts becoming very predictable. Especially, if you have read several books from the same series. I don’t really mind the repetitiveness, but I do need to read these books in between other books, so as not to get bored of the characters and story.

Anyways, I’ve read my fair share of Cozies that I think I can recommend some of them from newbies to this genre. Here are my top five cozy mystery series:

Library Lover’s Mystery by Jenn McKinlay

I’ve read several of Jenn McKinlay’s books and I love every one of them. She writes her books very well, her characters are all lovable (except of course the killers), and her relationships are all very well written. This book in particular is an amazing read because the protagonist is a librarian, so bonus points.

Cat in the Stacks by Miranda James

Most protagonist in cozy books are female, there are those rare occasions that a male protagonist is in the series. The Cat in the Stacks are those rare books, and I really love these books. The protagonist is the lovely old man who has a beautiful main coon that you can’t help but fall in love with.

A Jaine Austen Mystery by Laura Levine

This book is actually my guilty pleasure in his genre. At times I find myself eye rolling at certain parts of the books, but at the same time its just one of those books you can’t put down. I have a love hate relationship with the protagonist, Jaine. She tends to whine about certain things that’s is present since book one and at the same time Jaine is such a hilarious main characters. All the different shenanigans she gets into are so far-fetched and out of this world.

A Booktown Mystery by Lorna Barrett

This is one of the first cozies that I really got into. I’m not a fan of the protagonist in this series, but I really love the minor characters that Barrett includes in this series. This is one of those rare occasions that I prefer the other characters than the protagonist.

A Novel Idea by Lucy Arlington

This is a recent addition to my favorite cozy series and also the shortest. Since it was recently released there are only five books released so far and I’m patiently awaiting for more to be released. I admit I wasn’t a fan of the first book, but as the series progress, I eventually started enjoying the books. The town that Arlington writes in this series is very vivid and you can’t help but feel like you’re actually part of the community.

So that’s it for my recommendations on my favorite cozies. Hopefully, you found this interesting and PLEASE let me know of any good cozies that you guys enjoy and is not on my list. I’m always in search of a new series to begin!

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5: Second Book is Best

It is very rare that I find a trilogy/series that I enjoyed the second book a lot more than the first. I think this is a Top 5 that I might not get to 5.

1. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I never hid the fact that I’m not a fan of the Lunar Chronicles until the end of the series. I barely finished Cinder and was actually thinking of not proceeding with the series, but I’m glad that I did and  its all thanks to Scarlet. I loved every minute of this book and I couldn’t put it down. Scarlet and Wolfe are relationship goals! Definitely one of those rare moments when the second book won me over.

2. The Battle at the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

I’m a fan of Percy Jackson, but not until this book. I enjoyed the other three books, this books, however, made me love the whole series. I love the concept of the maze and the different twist and turns within it.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling

I might be cheating on this one because technically this was the first book I read in the series. Yes, you heard me correct. I totally skipped HP1 and HP2, and started with the Prisoner of Azkaban. So therefore, this third book has remained my favorite ever since and for me it’s just better than the first two.

4. Every Trick in the Book by Lucy Arlington

This is one of the cozy mystery that I enjoyed reading last year and its the second book in the series. Technically in cozies you don’t need to read the first book to understand the consecutive books, but I enjoyed this a lot more only because you already know the people, the protagonists and I think the mystery is a lot more developed.

5. The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel

Technically, this is the second book in the series, but its also the last. I’m including this books because I believe that it was the best in comparison to the first. I love the character development of the main/minor characters and the world development, that is included, also improved. The fact that Engel’s writing vastly improve in this book, I think she deserves to be included in the list!

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That’s it for me on this week’s Top 5 Wednesday! ^_^

 

 

 

Book Date #11

Last week was a busy week for me and I wasn’t able to do a lot of reading. I really want to remedy that, that’s why I’m participating in Tome Topple for this week. Here is my TBR for that readathon.

Last Week I Finished:

I haven’t read an Agatha Christie book in awhile and I think it was time for me to pick-up one that I know I will enjoy. Egypt has always fascinated me in its culture and history, so of course I wanted to pick this up. As always I love the story and the ending, amazing!

Currently Reading:

I actually haven’t started this book yet, but I will be today for the Tome Topple Readathon. I also read the first book in the series during another Tome Topple Readathon, so I thought it was fitting to choose this book as well.

Upcoming Read:

I will most likely read one about 500+ page books, since I will be in the middle of the readathon by the time I finish Gemina. These are two books that I own that 500+. So maybe It will be one of these two.

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So that’s it for me this week and I’m excited to get into my books this week. I always love joining the Tome Topple Readathon.

Tome Topple Readathon #4 TBR

Tome Topple Readathon Part 4 is underway! Well technically it started on August 4-17, but I’m currently in the middle of a book and won’t be able to start this readathon until Monday, August 7, 2017.

As usual the readathon is hosted by the amazing Sam from Thoughts on Tomes and along side her are other amazing youtubers. Also, first time ever you can also participate in the Instagram Challenge that Sam has on her IG account, which I think is equally awesome.

The challenges this round is the same as the previous round and they are:

1. Read more than one Tome
2. Graphic Novel Break (must also be 500+)
3. Read a Tome that is part of a series
4. Buddy Read a Tome
5. Read an Adult Novel

For the buddy read, you can head over to the Goodreads group to see if there are others who are reading the same books as you. They also have a twitter account @Tome_Topple, where you can participate in games, reading sprints, etc.

Here are the books I’m planning on reading for this round of Tome Topple:

This time around, I’m not aiming for ‘Read a Graphic Novel’ since I don’t really have the attention span to read such a thick graphic novel. Also, I don’t really buddy read since I like reading on my own pace, and I never want to discourage people from reading at their own leisure.

So that’s it for me this round of Tome Topple and I hope I’ll do a better job this time than Round 3, which I totally failed!

 

Top 5: Book Covers I’d Live in

This is quite an interesting topic since I’m very much a sucker for pretty covers. FYI I won’t really want to live in these world just ‘visit’ the world as seen on the covers.

 

These covers are to die for and the great stories within it is a BONUS! Seriously who wouldn’t want to be floating in space with a beautiful dress without the repercussions of non-breathable air!

 

The Firebird trilogy is eyegasm to the max. I love everything about these covers and it gets better and better as each book is released. I’m not a fan of time travel books, but I actually want to continue this series because the covers are so beautiful!

I love this cover and actually picked it up because the cover attracted me from afar. I haven’t gotten around to reading it, but this cover makes you want to live in this smoke filled purplish hue.

 

I love the story of Alice and I especially love this version of the cover. It’s really interesting how it’s able to incorporate so many beautiful things that in Wonderland. Definitely a cover that I would want to live in

 

Yup, another trilogy with dresses. Not a fan of the story, but the covers are to die for. I actually don’t mind living in this world either. I may not enjoy the book, but the concept of this time travelling is interesting.

 

 

 

July Wrap-up and August TBR

I am flabbergasted that today is the last day of July. I was really shocked that summer is practically finished here in Canada! Unfortunately I haven’t been making a good dent on my TBR and not doing a great job on reading as well. I feel like a snail when I read!

Anyways, in the beginning of July I wanted to read 5 books and usually go my TBR. Unfortunately, I was only able to read 3 of the books and two others. The other’s shouldn’t even be counted as books since they’re mostly graphic novels. So all in all I read 2 books and 3 graphic novels.

Although, I’m a bit bummed that I read so little, I’m really proud of myself that I was finally able to read the first book in the ACOTAR trilogy. Yes, I finally picked it up and read it. I’m pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed it and the highlight for me this month. I gave it a 3 star, because I felt that this book dragged on for a bit in the beginning and then boom, the ending happened just like that. I will definitely read the next book in the series, just don’t hold you breath for that day. I also really enjoyed Anya’s ghost and wished that the story was a little bit longer. I can’t wait to see what other graphic novels Brosgol has released.

AUGUST TBR

I’m really not sure if I want to create a TBR for this month because of how my reading mood has been lately.

I will be participating in a Readathon this month and that’s the Tome Topple Readathon. I most likely will create a separate TBR in a few days since the Readathon will be from August 4 to 17. So stay tuned for that.

Here is a tentative TBR, technically books that I ‘feel’ like reading.

I’m also really anxious to read an Agatha Christie novel, so most likely I’ll be grabbing a book by her, just not sure what yet.

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So that’s it for my wrap-up and TBR. Let me know if you want to read any of my books this month, maybe a buddy read ^_^?