Reading Right Now! (304)

 It is FRIDAY!!! Yayy!

So, what I'm Reading Right Now! is...

Leviathan Wakes (#1) by James S.A. Corey -- I decided to do something crazy and start this series. I'd actually been eyeing this book for a while, and I finally decided to just read it. Was it on my TBR for this month? No. I kind of waffle between having a set TBR and then Mood Reading. I like having a pile of TBR books, but I don't always like sticking to that pile. So, to get to the point, it wasn't in my plans to read this book this month, but I just wanted to.

I also greatly overestimated my abilities and thought I could finish this in a week hahahaaaa. I am a fool. The reason that I had a week time frame is because I have this checked out from the library and that's when it is due. I've barely cracked the 200 page mark, so that's not going to happen. Good news though, I checked out another copy, so I'm fine.

I am really, really enjoying this. When I think of space books and space operas, this is what I'm always searching for. I think it's great! I'm definitely going to have to watch the show now.

So that's what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

BLOG TOUR: Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman

I am excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman. I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to MIRA and Sara Ackerman for letting me be a part of this fun tour!

 

 

Title: Radar Girls

Author: Sara Ackerman

Published by: MIRA

Released: July 27, 2021

Source: Electronic Review Copy through Netgalley from Publisher

Goodreads     Amazon

 

Synopsis: An extraordinary story inspired by the real Women’s Air Raid Defense, where an unlikely recruit and her sisters-in-arms forge their place in WWII history. 

Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people, bare feet and salt water to high heels and society parties. Then, in the dizzying aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs guide pilots into blacked-out airstrips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies.  

But not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above their differences and work side by side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way. With America’s future on the line, Daisy is determined to prove herself worthy. And with the man she’s falling for out on the front lines, she cannot fail. From radar towers on remote mountaintops to flooded bomb shelters, she’ll need her new team when the stakes are highest. Because the most important battles are fought—and won—together.

This inspiring and uplifting tale of pioneering, unsung heroines vividly transports the reader to wartime Hawaii, where one woman’s call to duty leads her to find courage, strength and sisterhood. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: I'm always a fan of a good historical fiction, especially ones that tell stories of forgotten or overlooked details. I was not familiar with the Women's Air Raid Defense before reading this book, and I really enjoyed learning about it. I had no idea this group made up of women even existed, but it was really cool learning about the role they played in history. The role they had in keeping the United States safe during the horrors of WW2. They were a strong group of women.

I liked our main character Daisy. She has a lot of grit and determination. I enjoyed following her story and rooting for her throughout the book.

I also really loved the descriptions and setting of Hawaii. The author really made it come to life and color the page. I read in the Author Bio that she was born and raised in Hawaii, she knows her setting so well. I'm jealous that I've not experienced Hawaii because it looks and sounds like an awesome place.

I thought this book was great! If you like Historical Fiction, WW2, and a group of female soldiers, then you've got to read this one!

 

Sara Ackerman writes books about love and life, and all of their messy and beautiful imperfections. She believes that the light is just as important as the dark, and that the world is in need of uplifting and heartwarming stories. Born and raised in Hawaii, she studied journalism and later earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing, and sees no end to its untapped stories.

Thanks for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman. Thanks so much to MIRA and Sara Ackerman for letting me be a part of this fun tour. I'd definitely add this one to your reading list.

BLOG TOUR: The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison

 I am very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison. I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Inkyard Press and Whitney D. Grandison for letting me be a part of this fun tour! It's a no brainer for me to grab a book with a cute dog on it!

Title: The Right Side of Reckless

Author: Whitney D. Grandison

Published by: Inkyard Press

Released: July 13, 2021

Source: Electronic Review Copy through Netgalley provided by Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis: He’s never met a rule he didn’t break… She’s followed the rules her whole life… When they meet, one golden rule is established: stay away. Sparks fly in this edgy own voices novel, perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon, S. K. Ali, and Kristina Forest. 

They were supposed to ignore each other and respect that fine line between them…

Guillermo Lozano is getting a fresh start. New town, new school, and no more reckless behavior. He’s done his time, and now he needs to right his wrongs. But when his work at the local community center throws him into the path of the one girl who is off-limits, friendship sparks…and maybe more.

Regan London needs a fresh perspective. The pressure to stay in her “perfect” relationship and be the good girl all the time has worn her down. But when the walls start to cave in and she finds unexpected understanding from the boy her parents warned about, she can’t ignore her feelings anymore.

The disapproval is instant. Being together might just get Guillermo sent away. But when it comes to the heart, sometimes you have to break the rules and be a little bit reckless… (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: Classic bad boy meets good girl and sparks fly! This does an enjoyable job with that tried and true formula. I liked this. I definitely enjoyed my time reading this one.

It was easy to get through and it did a good job of keeping my interest. It was a little on the long side though, there were parts where it didn't feel like a whole lot was happening. I think it could have been a little shorter and gotten the same plot points across.

This was a cute story. It was fun to read. I liked the writing style and spending time with Guillermo and Regan. They did have some stuff to work out with themselves and with each other, but they did it.

If you're looking for a cute kind of romance to read, I'd say give this one a read. It's good.

Whitney D. Grandison is dedicated to telling stories about teens of color and teens in difficult but relatable situations. Some of her works can be found on Wattpad, one of the largest online story sharing platforms, where she has acquired over thirty thousand followers and an audience of over fifteen million dedicated readers. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Korean dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio. She also the author of A Love Hate Thing.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison. Thanks so much to Inkyard Press and Whitney D. Grandison for letting me be a part of this fun tour! I'd definitely recommend grabbing this book when you see it. It's the perfect summertime read.

Reading Right Now! (303)

 It's Friday! Yayy!

So, what I'm Reading Right Now! is...

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky -- I saw this on the library shelf and snagged it. I was kind of craving a scary sort of story. Maybe it's been because I've been watching the Fear Street movies on Netflix and really enjoying them. Fear Street 1666 is out today!! But I'm almost always a fan of YA Horror.

This is reading a little more high school then I thought it was going to be. Not a bad thing, just different from what I was expecting. It's pretty quick. Our main character definitely has some secrets. The Prologue started off with such a bang, and then all of a sudden, I was dropped into this rich kid prep school. We'll see what happens with it. 

And that is what I'm Reading Right Now! What are you reading?

BLOG TOUR: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

 I am very, very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. I received a free electronic copy for honest review from the publisher. Thank you soooo much to Berkley Books and Grady Hendrix for giving me the chance to read this one and be a part of the tour!

Title: The Final Girl Support Group

Author: Grady Hendrix

Published by: Berkley Books

Released: July 13, 2021

Source: Electronic Review Copy from Publisher through Netgalley

Goodreads     Amazon

 

Synopsis: A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires.

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she's not alone. For more than a decade she's been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette's worst fears are realized--someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: I am a Grady Hendrix fan. I have almost all of his books on my shelf (or to be more accurate, stacks of books on my floor because I ran out of shelf space). I love the humor and the horror that Grady mixes and mashes into books. They are always fun to read and also very unnerving in one way or another.

I was so excited to read The Final Girl Support Group, and I wasn't disappointed. This was a slasher film delivered in book form. I had a lot of fun, a lot of gasps, and some definite nerves for our Final Girls. 

I just really enjoyed the ride this took me on. I loved the idea and set up for it. I loved the references to classic slashers. I had a good time with this book.

I can't wait to see what Grady Hendrix comes up with next! Go get this one!

Grady Hendrix is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter living in New York City. He is the author of Horrorstör, My Best Friend’s Exorcism (which is being adapted into a feature film by Amazon Studios), We Sold Our Souls, and the New York Times bestseller The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (currently being adapted into a TV series). Grady also authored the Bram Stoker Award-winning nonfiction book, Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the horror paperback boom of the '70s and '80s.

Thank you for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. Thanks so much to Berkley Books and Grady Hendrix for letting me be a part of the tour. I definitely recommend this one, give it a read!

BLOG TOUR: Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise Edited by Laura Silverman

 I am very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise edited by Laura Silverman. I received a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Young Readers and Laura Silverman for letting me be a part of this fun tour!

Title: Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise

Edited by: Laura Silverman

Published by: Algonquin Young Readers

Released: July 13, 2021

Source: Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Goodreads     Amazon

 

Synopsis: When everyone else goes to bed, the ones who stay up feel like they’re the only people in the world. As the hours tick by deeper into the night, the familiar drops away and the unfamiliar beckons. Adults are asleep, and a hush falls over the hum of daily life. Anything is possible.

It’s a time for romance and adventure. For prom night and ghost hunts. It’s a time for breaking up, for falling in love—for finding yourself.

Stay up all night with these thirteen short stories from bestselling and award-winning YA authors like Karen McManus, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nina LaCour, and Brandy Colbert, as they take readers deep into these rarely seen, magical hours.

Full contributor list: Brandy Colbert, Kathleen Glasgow, Maurene Goo, Tiffany D. Jackson, Amanda Joy, Nina LaCour, Karen M. McManus, Anna Meriano, Marieke Nijkamp, Laura Silverman, Kayla Whaley, Julian Winters, Francesca Zappia (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: This was a very cute short story collection and I really enjoyed reading it. I thought all the stories did a great job of sticking to the theme. It had a great selection of well known authors, plus some that I was newly introduced to. It's just a very well put together collection.

If you're a fan of short story collections, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a read. It's as nice on the inside as it is pretty on the outside.

LAURA SILVERMAN earned her MFA in Writing for Children at the New School. She is the author of Girl Out of Water and You Asked for Perfect. You can reach out on Twitter at @LJSilverman1 or through her website LauraSilvermanWrites.com.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Up All Night: 13 Stories Between Sunset and Sunrise edited by Laura Silverman. Thanks so much to Algonquin Young Readers and Laura Silverman for letting me be a part of the tour. If you're looking for a good short story collection, get this one.

SPOTLIGHT: The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb

 I am very excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb for a Spotlight Post! I received a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Dean Jobb for letting me be a part of the tour. There is something that is just strange, yet fascinating at seeing what monsters some humans can be. I loved that this brought to attention a case I'd never heard of. Jobb did a great job of telling this tragedy of the past in a really interesting and readable way.

Title: The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer

Author: Dean Jobb

Published by: Algonquin Books

Released: July 13, 2021 (TODAY!!)

Source: Review Copy provided by Publisher

Goodreads      Amazon

 

Synopsis:  “When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals,” Sherlock Holmes observed during one of his most baffling investigations. “He has nerve and he has knowledge.”

In the span of fifteen years, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream poisoned at least ten people in the United States, Britain, and Canada, a death toll with almost no precedents. Structured around Cream’s London murder trial in 1892, when he was finally brought to justice, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream exposes the blind trust given to medical practitioners, as well as the flawed detection methods, bungled investigations, corrupt officials, and stifling morality of Victorian society that allowed Cream to prey on vulnerable and desperate women, many of whom had turned to him for medical help.

Dean Jobb vividly re-creates this largely forgotten historical account against the backdrop of the birth of modern policing and newly adopted forensic methods, though most police departments still scoffed at using science to solve crimes. But then most police departments could hardly imagine that serial killers existed—the term was unknown at the time. As the Chicago Tribune wrote then, Cream’s crimes marked the emergence of a new breed of killer, one who operated without motive or remorse, who “murdered simply for the sake of murder.” (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Dean Jobb is an award-winning author and journalist and a professor at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he teaches in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program. He is the author of eight previous books, including Empire of Deception, which the New York Times Book Review called “intoxicating and impressively researched” and the Chicago Writers Association named the Nonfiction Book of the Year. Jobb has written for major newspapers and magazines, including the Chicago Tribune, Toronto’s Globe and Mail, and the Irish Times. He writes a monthly true-crime column, “Stranger Than Fiction,” for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. His work as an investigative reporter has been nominated for Canada’s National Newspaper and National Magazine awards, and Jobb is a three-time winner of Atlantic Canada’s top journalism award.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb. Thanks so much to Algonquin Books and Dean Jobb for letting me be a part of the Tour and giving me the chance to read this fascinating and creepy book. If you are oddly captivated by true crime, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a read.