I’m going to be taking a little break from posting. Unfortunately, life is just way too hectic for me to post religiously. Hopefully, in August, life will be less hectic and I’ll eventually get back to the rhythm of things again.
Thanks and as usual, happy reading!
In May, I participated in a month long readathon called Asian Readathon and I enjoyed myself immensely. I read books that I’ve never head of before and at the same time was introduced to new authors. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful with the readathon, but I’m still proud of myself. I hope that next year the readathon will be renewed again.
Out of the three books that I posted on my TBR, I was able to read 2 of them and another novel that focused on retellings of fairytales and folktales from different parts of Asia. Technically, out of all the challenges that the readathon has I was only unable to accomplish one of them and that’s Read a non-fiction book written by an Asian author. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any non-fiction novels that I was interested enough to pick-up.
I really enjoyed these three books that I was able to read. The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman was in my Most Anticipated Release of 2021 and I’m really glad that I was able to get my hands on it. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting, but the storyline that the author established is interesting enough, but I just wasn’t a fan of the heroine. I found her to be so whinny and and overall annoying. Half way into the book I wanted to quit and be done with it, but I’m glad that I pulled through and was able to finish it because that ending was epic. I really did not see that at all. The ending, for me, saved the whole book and now I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series.
The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco is an epic fantasy that I came across when looking for book written by an Asian Author. Rin Chupeco is a Filipino author who’s work I’ve seen around but never really gotten around to picking up. It’s interesting because I’ve always wanted to read novels written by Filipino’s but never really did my research on it, but with this readathon came around, I had no choice but to do so. I enjoyed reading this novel and will probably read the next one in the series. I wasn’t as invested in the beginning, but as the story progressed, you really can’t help but enjoy the plot. I love to two princesses and can’t wait to see where the author will take their story. I’m actually surprised that I didn’t hear of this book when it was released considering it’s pretty hyped up.
Finally, I was also able to finish A Thousand Beginning and Ending edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman. When I was younger my family told me a folktale about one of the popular mountains in our country, I was so surprised when a re-telling of it was feature in this short story novel. I’m delighted to see well-known authors research stories told to me when I was a child and be acclimated into mainstream fiction. Just like most anthologies, some stories were a hit and some were not, but I still enjoyed reading the different stories from different parts of Asia being adapted and brought to the general population. That way everyone get to enjoy other cultures folktales/fairytales. This one is definitely a must read and I think everyone would find one or two stories that they would enjoy.
All in all, I think this was a successful readthon and even though I didn’t technically ‘finish’ it, I’m still proud that I was able to get a chance to read these books that I would never have thought of picking up.
Capturing the Devil by Kerri Maniscalco
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads Synopsis: In the shocking finale to the bestselling series that began with Stalking Jack the Ripper, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the depraved, elusive killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer—or see their fateful romance cut short by unspeakable tragedy.
Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Cresswell have landed in America, a bold, brash land unlike the genteel streets of London they knew. But like London, the city of Chicago hides its dark secrets well. When the two attend the spectacular World’s Fair, they find the once-in-a-lifetime event tainted with reports of missing people and unsolved murders.
Determined to help, Audrey Rose and Thomas begin their investigations, only to find themselves facing a serial killer unlike any they’ve heard of before. Identifying him is one thing, but capturing him—and getting dangerously lost in the infamous Murder Hotel he constructed as a terrifying torture device—is another.
Will Audrey Rose and Thomas see their last mystery to the end—together and in love—or will their fortunes finally run out when their most depraved adversary makes one final, devastating kill?
Review: Another series over and done. I’m really glad I was finally able to pick this up and read it. Even though it wasn’t as entertaining as the other books in the series, it’s a very well written ending to a great series. I enjoyed reading the book and while I was immersed in Audrey Rose’s world, I felt that the world building lacked compared to her other novels. It didn’t grip me as much as the previous books did. However, I did really enjoy the character development in each of the characters, and also loved seeing old faces in this last novel. Would I read another Kerri Maniscalco book? Simple answer, definitely! Complex answer, definitely, but only if it’s within the same genre as Stalking Jack the Ripper series. Let’s break it down a bit further.
As I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of the world building in this novel. It’s not that it was non-existent, but it lacked in compared to her other books. In the previous books in the series, you can always feel the foreboding just by her description of a certain place or certain area. I missed that sense of creepiness in this book. Mind you, Maniscalco was able to capture the darkness of New York City and the enlightenment of Chicago, but I just wanted more from her. Even with all my complaints about the novel, I still highly enjoyed my reading experience.
To be honest, the main aspect of the novel that I did enjoy is the relationship between Audrey and Thomas. I just love the two of them and if ever I wanted to root for any couple, it was these two. I was really at the edge of my seat the whole time in regards to where they were going, but I’m pleasantly surprise that I highly enjoyed the obstacles that they went through. It made the ending a bit more bittersweet in my opinion. I also love seeing Audrey interact with other people. I feel that the first three books were just Audrey and Thomas, that it’s a lot more interesting how Audrey is with a different set of people. I’m also glad that Maniscalco decided to include other characters from previous books, it was a nice touch for the finale.
Out of the four books in the series, I really did enjoy the mystery in this novel the most. I think maybe because it finally concluded the overall mystery arc from the first novel. However, since the mystery is technically touching on real murders from that era, it took away from the impact of the situation. We all know the Ripper murders were never solved, and this novel didn’t really do justice on the mysteries surrounding the case.
All in all, the series was a good one and the ending was just as good. Everything was tied up in one pretty bow and I loved how the author ended the story for the couple. I’m definitely going to read more of Maniscalco’s future books and can’t wait for her to release a new series.
Hello, hello! It’s been a hot minute since I last posted something interesting and this post is not that much interesting. May was an interesting reading month for me, but I was at least able to read a few books that’s not a cozy mystery. I also participated in a month long reading challenge, which also helped my TBR. Which I’m going to be posting a separate wrap-up for.
Anyways, for May I was able to read 4 books that’s not part the reading challenge. Unfortunately, only one of those books are from my actual TBR. As usual I veered away from the three books I was suppose to read and picked something up instead.
Here are the four books I read for the month of May:
I’m pleasantly pleased with the books that I did manage to read and I’m hoping that I can eventually pick up the two books I wasn’t able to read in the coming future, I really need to get them finished. I did a review for Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price, and although it was an interesting take on Pride and Prejudice, I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I wanted it too. Although, still a good read, I just found it different from my expectations. I’m definitely going to be checking out the second book to see how the story progress. As for the three cozies I’ve read, they’re mostly from series that I’ve already started. I’m still playing catch up the Amory Ames series and as for the Daisy Darymple series, I’m still not 100% sure if I’m going to be continuing on with it.
That’s basically for the month of May for me. Not as eventful as I would have liked, but I did manage to read some good ones for the readathon, so please stay tuned for that post!
JUNE TBR
For June, I’m not going to be ambitious because it’s summer and I really need some time to be with my family. Things are finally starting to open here in Ontario, which means I’m going to be super busy. That being said, I do want to get some books read before the month is over. I think I’m doing badly with my Goodreads challenge, and I really need to remedy that situation.
Anyways, here are the book I plan on reading for June:
These are the three books I really want to get finished before June is over. I’m hoping and wishing that when the month is over, I would have them in my wrap-up along with a few others. I’m really excited for The Gilded ones by Namina Forna, so I’m hoping that it will be a good one!
Ok, so that my wrap-up and tbr. Its a fairly quick one, but I do have another wrap-up that I need to do before the week is over! Wish me luck and as usual Happy Reading!
I know!
I’ve been super busy these past few weeks and I just haven’t had the time to post anything. Definitely next week will be different! I’ll have more time to write and post some reviews. I also need to do my wrap up and TBR, but everything will be done next week.
Thanks for the understanding and happy reading!
I don’t really have much of an update, as usual, I just use these things as reminders for myself on what books I need to get through before the month is over.
Last Week:
It was a great reading week for me last week. I was able to finish these three books for the readathon I’m participating in and although I won’t go into too much details on them here, all I have to say is that they’re all pretty great reads.
This Week:
My priority is really the Tiger at Midnight, but if I do finish it earlier than expected, then I do want to get to the new release of Andy Weir. I’m excited, and yet hesitant, to read it. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Next Week:
I try not to start books close to the end of the month, but if I still have time to finish a book then I want to get cracking on A Court of Mist and Fury. Overly ambitious of me, but I need to get this series out of my TBR ASAP!
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings Edited by Ellen Oh
I recently finished this anthologies of folktales from different parts of Asia and written by an assortment of well known authors. Although, I did enjoy all the stories within the book, I really just want to focus on the first story, which was written by Roshani Chokshi. I decided to focus on the particular story because I’ve heard about this folktale many times before, and I’m so very proud that Chokshi decided to write about it. For those who doesn’t know, I’m Filipino through and through. My family descendent, from parents, to grand parents to great grandparents are all Filipinos. Totally proud Flip and never ashamed to announce it. I’ve also been a wide reader since I was young, and since I grew up in Canada, most of the books I’ve read are usually set in US/UK/Canada. If not those places, then its usually places that are more well known. So, when I picked this anthology up, I was so surprised that the first story within it is inspired by the folktale of Mount Makiling, which is a well-known mountain in the Philippines.
I really enjoyed how Chokshi wrote the folktale and I found that she did an awesome job of bringing out the essence of the story between the spirit goddess and the human. Although, its different from the version of what I’ve heard when I was younger, it was still nice to see someone try to promote the rich folktales of the Philippines. I think the author was able to create an atmosphere between the two lovers in such a short story, that it draws the readers from the beginning. I also love how she included a disclaimer in the beginning on how you should “Turn your shirt inside out” because that’s such a popular saying in the Philippines to those who are lost (literally). I’m really glad that I was able to pick it up and get a chance to read it.
The one thing that did threw me off is the names that Chokshi decided to use. I’ve really never heard of them before and it’s not really a Tagalog name that I was a bit confused as to why she decided to use those names. However, I’m really not complaining about that because I’m just happy someone featured a Filipino Folktale in a worldwide published book. To be honest, I don’t if it’s also my fault for not looking for Filipino writers that I don’t get to read novels written by Filipino authors.
The anthology is a good read especially for those who wants a quick story. It features all Asian Fairytales/folktales, which is different from the other anthologies that I’ve read before. I loved reading about the different types of folktales from different parts of Asia. Definitely something people should pick up and read!
These past few days I’ve been neglecting my books. Since the weather has gotten nicer here in Ontario, I’ve been doing nothing but enjoying it and I’m not ashamed of it. Canadian winter lasted a tad too long this time around and I’m ready for the heat! I’m pretty sure I’ll regret saying that during a heat wave!
Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads Synopsis: Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.
When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.
Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.
Review: The beginning of May I decided to pick up Pride and Premeditation, in fact its actually one of my most anticipated release for 2021, so I was definitely on board. Not only is Pride and Prejudice one of my favorite Jane Austen novels, I also really enjoy mystery novels, so put two and two together, I’m like in heaven! However, that’s not really how it played out, besides the names of the characters, I didn’t really see any other similarities between the two books. I’m not saying that this book was horrible written, but I expected for it to be more like the original. I guess that’s really one of the biggest problem on a retelling, too much similarities, you get blamed for it, too much originality and you get blamed for it too. There’s only really a fine line between the two.
Anyways, if you take away the adaptation part of the novel, I enjoyed my reading experience. Although, the characters are one that we’re familiar with, I find that Price did justice to them. Especially with the two protagonists, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. She captured the essence of both the characters and I can actually imagine Elizabeth being the headstrong female protagonist she is and the Darcy being the aloof love interest in that type of setting. I also enjoyed their many bantering, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if Price incorporated more of the Georgian style of speaking. I find that the Regency period has a very eloquent way of speaking, one where they’re already cussing at you and yet it’s so finesse that you won’t even realize it. I think if the author did this the banters would have been funnier. I also would have enjoyed to see the sisters more in this storyline, I’m pretty sure this isn’t a standalone, but I actually wanted to see more of Jane Bennet communicating with Charles Bingley. Besides the ending, there’s really no interaction between the two. As for the other characters, I love that the author wrote more independent females, such as Charlotte Lucas and introduced her as a mixed race. It will be interesting to see how she’s going develop her in future novels. I’m also interested to see where she’s going to take this move with Lady Catherine de Bough. I think she’s going to be a good one and I’m hoping she can take this story arc further.
As mysteries go, I’m pleasantly surprise that I enjoyed it. As I mentioned previously, I’m really interested to see where Price is going to take this storyline of Lady Catherine. I can’t really divulge too much or else I’ll have to post a spoiler warning, and I really want everyone to be surprise as I was when I got to that part. That being said, the mystery itself was interesting. I enjoyed it and to be honest, Price gave her readers a ‘left hook’. I don’t know if it was just me, but I really didn’t see that one coming. I expected who the perpetrator is, but I didn’t really understand the extent of it, which is a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed the role that Elizabeth Bennet played in the mystery and how Darcy helped her along the way, after a few struggles of his own. I’m really fascinated on how Price will continue on with this story, but I’m all for it. I love Elizabeth and Darcy, and I would love to see how they will work together as a team.
All in all, Pride and Premeditation is a great read. I’m hoping that the second book will allow us to see more of the other sisters and of Bingley. I would also want the mystery to be a lot more suspenseful and adventurous for our characters. I’m hoping that the bantering between Lizzie and Darcy will continue and I can’t wait to see how everything plays out.
So last year I participated on a month long readathon, Spring into Horror. This month I came across another month long readathon called Asian Readathon and although I’m 12 days late to the party, I decided to participate in it because (1)Asian representation in any type of media is cool and (2)I think it’s time that I read books with the main representation are Asians. For those who are interested in also participating, check out the host’s YouTube channel for more information, withcindy.
On her channel, in the video of the readathon, open up the google docs to access the guidelines and other information pertaining to the readathon. It’s pretty self explanatory, read Asian book for the month of May, which also happens to be Asian Pacific Heritage Month. It’s quite sad that this is not predominantly celebrated or even have media attention. So let’s try to broadcast it as much as we can!
Rules/Guidelines for the Readathon:
I think this readathon will be my biggest challenge this year, only because these rules and guidelines are a bit tough for me. I don’t really have a lot of Asian culture books or even books written by Asian authors. I’ll have to dig deep in my bookshelves to find something. I’ll definitely be back to actually input the books I’m going to read, I just wanted to post this now to get my intentions out there.
Any suggestions, I’ll be happy to take them!
Update: May 14, 2021
So I’ve perused my inventory, and this is what I came up with. I’m hoping these would be good enough for the readathon. However, as much as I scoured my TBR, I really can’t find a non-fiction written by and Asian author that I really want to read. I might have to resort to spying and copying!
I don’t know much about any of these books except for The Infinity Courts, but that’s only because its in my most anticipated book release for this year. I won’t really go into much details because I want to be surprised when I read them.
So that concludes this TBR, I’m excited, but at the same time apprehensive because I know that I won’t be able to get around to reading my actual TBR for May. Either way, I’m at least reading something!
Last month I decided to participate in a month long readathon the Spring into Horror Readathon. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to read all of the books I wanted to read for that month. Out of the four books that I included in my TBR, I read three of them, which in my opinion isn’t a bad thing. Mind you, I did read a couple more books, it’s just not part of the readathon.
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Rating: 4/5
I’ve read Blake Crouch’s other novel, Dark Matter, a few years ago and enjoyed it. I actually really like this one compared to that. For me, the characters are a lot more developed and the storyline a lot more interesting. I’m really not a reader of “time travelling” genre, but I find that Crouch does a great job in connecting the dots. Usually there’s too much conflict between the present self and the past/future self for the storyline to actually make sense, but with this author’s time travelling, he writes it in a way that helps answer those problems. I also really enjoyed the romance in this novel, its very light and under the radar, that it doesn’t hinder the plot. Definitely a great read!
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
Rating: 4/5
This is the second book in a duology, so please be warned, there might be SPOILERS! However, I’ll try to be as vague as possible. If you want to know more of my thoughts, please check here, for the full series review. From the first book, to the second, I highly enjoyed my reading experience. Although, both books include the same setting and the same characters, I felt that the two books in this duology can survive separately. It’s not that they don’t touch up on the same storyline, but the focus of the books are different. Like I said, I really enjoyed both novels and I can’t wait to read more of Ireland’s books when she publishes them. I also love the ending on this series and I think this is how all endings should be, all tied up with a pretty bow!
Copy Cat by Alex Lake
Rating: 3.5/5
Not as high of a rating as the other two, but still pleasantly a good read. Well “pleasant” won’t be a word that I would use when reading this novel. It’s so gripping and uncomfortable to read because of the things the main character goes through. As far as thriller novels go, this is a good read, not the best, but still interesting. Although, the main character is not perfect, like we see in many cozy novels, she’s also not an unreliable female character, as seen in most thriller novels. Sara actually has her life in order and seems to be in a great headspace, that you don’t really see the problem until mid-novel. I also really enjoyed that ending, totally blew me off the left field and didn’t see that coming. Afterwards, when all was revealed, things just click into place. Pretty great read and I’ll definitely check out her other novels.
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So that’s it for my wrap-up. I really do enjoy these month long readathons. I don’t feel as I have to rush myself to finish one novel after another in order to fulfill any challenges. I’ll check out more readathons like this in the future.
