Bibliophile · book review · Graphic Novels · popsugar reading challenge · Super Hero

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal

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Image result for ms. marvelWillow Wilson & Adrian Alphona

Genre: Graphic Novel, Superheroes

Popsugar: □ A book with a subtitle

This was on display for Women’s History Month at my library, and I’d never heard of a superhero who was Muslim so I had to read it!

Kamala Khan is your average Muslim girl living in Jersey City. She doesn’t quite fit in because she doesn’t have blonde hair, has way overprotective parents, and eats weird food. You know just your average Muslim teenager trying to stay true to her heritage while trying to fit in. In a fit of rebellion against her parents she sneaks out to go to a party and this weird fog over takes everything and suddenly Kamala has superpowers. But how is she supposed to control them, and what exactly can she do, and why? What should she do with her new powers?

I love that they made not just a Muslim into a superhero, but a Muslim girl. What more says girl power than that? I like this storyline a lot better than most graphic novels, I tend to read them for the information about the characters and feel disappointed without a great storyline. This story has depth, and is something that a lot of immigrants can probably relate to (I’m just you’re average American girl so I can’t say that first hand). Learning how to bring your family’s culture to a new world where everyone thinks you’re weird because you’re different, but that difference is an integral part of you throw superpowers on top of that, and the fact that you’re just a teenager trying to save your small part of the world. The one thing I wasn’t a big fan of with this graphic novel is the drawing, it’s just a style I don’t like and found it to be kind of distracting.

Bibliophile · book review

The Rosie Project

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Image result for the rosie project quotesDon Tillman #1

Graeme Simsion

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Popsugar: □ A book recommended by a librarian

I was leaving right after work to drive the almost 4 hour’s home for the weekend, and I realized that I hadn’t picked out any audio-books and I wouldn’t have time to do it myself. So I asked a co-worker, a librarian, if she’d do me a favor and pick one out for me, with the requirement of the narrator not having an annoying voice. She’s the audio-book expert at our library because she’s constantly listening to them, whereas most of us just do it occasionally, like me only on long drives. I picked this one of the couple she gave me and threw it in, and I heard the narrator’s monotone voice, and I was thinking “What I told her no annoying voices! Thank God I checked them all out!” But I gave it a chance, and within the very first few minutes of the book you realize that the main character has Asperger’s, so the monotone voice is completely on purpose.

Don Tillman is a genetics professor, and has decided that it’s time that he find a suitable wife. However, dating is a waste of time if it’s not going to lead anywhere, so he comes up with an in depth questionnaire to find the perfect partner and begins The Wife Project. However, after nearly 300 applicants no one has a perfect score, and therefore not worth his time. So his best friend, Jean, steps in and makes Don promise that anyone he sends Don will politely ask out on a date.

That afternoon Rosie stumbles into his office, and Don does as promised. But Rosie is the complete opposite of what Don’s looking for, but Rosie likes him for who he is and he truly enjoys just being with her. They then begin The Father Project, to find Rosie’s biological father, and Don finds himself breaking rules and doing things completely out of the ordinary to solve the mystery.  But is Don capable of loving someone?

Despite my first misgivings about the narrator’s voice, I found that it was the perfect match for Don. Knowing an Aspy myself (as he refers to himself) I know that the tone is generally how they sound, and a lot of the issues that Don has interacting with people is usual for them. Luckily, Don has a great job that gives him a lot of stability. I think the reason I really liked the book was because it gave a bit of perspective on my friend’s situation, but it also gives people who may not personally know someone with Asperger’s Syndrome insight to how their mind works. People are afraid of what’s different, and it doesn’t always bring out the best in them. 

Bibliophile · book review · popsugar reading challenge

Silence Fallen

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Image result for mercy thompsonMercy Thompson #10

Patricia Briggs

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Popsugar: □ A book with an eccentric character

I just LOVE this series. Not guna lie. Sometimes because there’re so many books into this series now, I worry that it’s going to get boring or start repeating itself too much. But I think the reason that it doesn’t is because the main character is a supernatural character that is based on mythology that isn’t commonly written about(That’s all I’m going to say about that so I don’t spoil anything). While each story is individual the character buildup and storyline would be lost if you don’t read this series in order, so don’t kill one of my favorites by doing so!

“Witches are bitches and they’ll burn your britches sure as kittens have itches if you give ‘em half a chance.” P. 157

Mercy is a Volkswagen mechanic who lives in the Tri-Cities area of Washington, but she also happens to be a walker (a magical being who can shift into a coyote at will). This is quite unusual even in a world where the fae are out in the public, and the creatures of our fantasies are reality. Mercy being a coyote means that just like the animal trouble is attracted to her and she can be quite the trickster in sticky situations. In Silence Fallen Mercy is kidnaped on her way to the store for chocolate chips and eggs by the most powerful vampire in the world because he’s told that Mercy is the most powerful being in the Tri-Cities area. But unlike werewolves and vampires, Mercy isn’t immortal and does not have super healing powers either. Her ability to shift is inherited tribal magic rather than a witches magic. Where Mercy lacks in physical strength she makes up for in strength of character and friends, she’s friends with some very scary, powerful creatures.

I obviously loved this book just like the rest in the series. Mercy is such a fantastic character, she’s strong willed, independent, fiercely loyal, and is a good person who always does the right thing. Briggs is also always bringing in different types of mythology, this one has the Golem. I love the type of book that teaches you something new, or makes you want to research something, yet is a fun, easy read. 

Bibliophile · book review

Sophie Says

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Image result for sophie says balanJudy Balan

Genre: Comedy Fiction

Popsugar: □ A book by an author from a country you’ve never visited

I had requested this book from another library for my “person of color book”, and then I went and read The Bollywood Bride and completely forgot about it and found myself thinking there was some kind of mistake because I’d never even heard of this book before! Don’t worry though; I’ve never been to India, where Balan is from so it will still count!

Sophia is a commitment phoebe who’s about to turn 30, just quit her job with no idea what she’ll do, and the only thing she seems to have going for her is her blog where she’s famously known as The Breakup Coach. Then the Blah-Blah Auntyhood (three aunties) come over unannounced stating that her singlehood may cause her cousins arranged marriage to fall through. At which point she lies and says she’s in love with her current boyfriend. Of course she doesn’t actually have a boyfriend. She strikes a deal with Fake Boyfriend who plans on changing her mind on relationships. Sophia starts to feel things that she’s never felt before making her life quite confusing, but not as confusing as when her Someday Guy shows up at her door.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Some parts of it I loved, it was funny with different looks on relationships than most females have with a very interesting perspective. However, I hate the way the book ends, and if you don’t like the way it ends can you really like it? I don’t know. The book is intersected with Sophia’s blog posts, and by the halfway point the blog post got very boring, so I just started to skip them. At the same time though I kind of want to become besties with Judy Balan.

Bibliophile · book review · Graphic Novels · Super Hero

Batgirl, Volume1: The Batgirl of Burnside

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Image result for Batgirl, Volume1: The Batgirl of BurnsideBatgirl, Volume IV #6

Cameron Stewart

Genre: Graphic Novel/Superheroes

Popsugar: □ A book with a title that’s a character’s name

Because Batgirl is Awesome!

Barbra Gordon just moved to Burnside, and all of her Batgirl equipment is destroyed in a fire. She takes the opportunity to reinvent herself, a new Batgirl the hero of Burnside. However, her new image is based on social media and making herself a star rather than just the hero and she loses herself, the real Batgirl, for a while there.

The storyline and artwork worked together great. Teams of people often make graphic novels, so they don’t always come together as cohesively as this one did. I loved that they included designs for the characters and their different looks giving you great ideas for cosplay and how to build the outfits as well as insight to drawing them as well. I think the idea for the story was a good one, especially for the intended target audience, with a good message. I just didn’t like the story myself as I couldn’t relate or immerse myself into it. That doesn’t mean I love Batgirl any less though!

Bibliophile · Fantasy · Romance

Outlander

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Image result for outlanderOutlander

Diana Gabaldon

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Popsugar: □ A book that’s more than 800 pages

I broke a major rule with this series… I watched the tv show (2 seasons) before I read this book! In my defense I didn’t even know the books existed until I had finished the first season, and by then I was hooked to Jamie’s deliciously sexy Scottish accent. For Christmas I decided to get my mom books, one of which we would both read and then could discuss over the phone. Like a two person, long distance book club, and Outlander is the one that made it.

Claire lives in the year 1945, and is on a second honeymoon with her husband after being separate by the war. As a nurse in the war Claire began to take an interest in natural remedies and found some flowers near ancient stone circles that they’d viewed a pagan ritual take place at that morning. She wanders back to get a better look at the flowers, and as she walks through the stones a sound like bees comes and she gets pulled through time to the year 1743.

Being a woman in 1743 was not an easy thing, especially for an English in Scotland. However, her nursing skills and interest in natural remedies makes her a great healer by 1743 standards and gives her a place, even if it is tenuous.

Usually I agree with, “the book is always better.” But I think the tv show is better in this instance. I found reading this book to be a real chore, and I just cannot imagine forcing myself to read the rest of the series. Thankfully I can just watch the show to find out how it ends, I know it’ll probably be a tad different though. The book is ridiculously long, over 800 pages. Large parts of it are just dull which give depth and some back story to the book but probably could’ve been cut out to make it go by faster. (Sort of like Harry Potter, and all the questions you still had after each book and wondered why Rowling didn’t answer them all, but each book would’ve been over a thousand pages if she had) The idea behind the book is a great one, and if you’re a huge historical fiction fan this is probably more up your alley than mine. Obviously my dislike of the book is a small opinion considering it’s so popular they made it into a tv show!

Bibliophile · book review · Fantasy

Spirit and Dust

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Image result for spirit and dustGoodnight Family #2

Rosemary Clement-Moore

Genre: Fantasy/YA

Popsugar: □ A book involving travel

 

I read the first book in this series, Texas Gothic, a few years ago and I just loved it, like really loved it! I like a lot of books, but there are few that I actually love. Spirit and Dust is not as good as the first book, but it’s still pretty great. You can also read it without having read the first in the series if you’d like, there are no spoilers the series connection is through the family.

Daisy can speak to the dead (it’s a natural ability, she’s from a family of witches) and has been working with the FBI since she was a teenager to help them solve cases. The story begins with her making an excuse to get out of her college class to be whisked off from Texas to Minnesota to view a murder scene.

While napping at the police headquarters waiting for a warrant she’s kidnapped by Maguire, the crime boss whose daughter, Alexis, was kidnapped during the murder. Using a spell called a gias he ensures that she’ll help him at the cost of her own life to find Alexis. He sends her off to uncover the whereabouts of Alexis and the jackal that was asked for in the ransom with his delectably hot employee Carson before the Brotherhood of the Black Jackal can.

This story does not have a dull moment. Between Daisy’s ability to speak to the spirit world, running from the Brotherhood and FBI, and destroying priceless artifacts along the way.  Right when you think a moment might get dull, the heat between Carson and Daisy spikes or mention of Daisy’s family comes up giving insight to the world of Goodnight witches. Honestly, the only complaint that I have is that there are no more books in the series.

Bibliophile · book review · popsugar reading challenge · Romance

Confess

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Image result for confess hooverColleen Hoover

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Popsugar: □ A book with pictures

I know people say “don’t choose a book by the cover,” but I always have and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Sometimes I read a description or am told about a book and I’ll read it still, even if the cover isn’t great. But if you’re just browsing books on a shelf you’re going to grab the book with a fantastic cover. Plus, publishers aren’t going to spend the extra mullah on the cover if they don’t expect it to come back in returns. The three of Colleen Hoover’s books I’ve read have had fabulous covers. Though it’s not the pretty covers that keep bringing me back to her books, they really are just as good as the seductive covers lead you to believe.

Confess begins with Auburn Reed leaving a lawyer’s office that she can’t really afford. She’s just moved to Texas and hates it, but we don’t know why she moved, just that she’s in some type of situation that she’s trying to fix and is going to need a lot more money than her current job will get her. Then she notices a hiring sign on a building she passes every day on her long walk home from work. The windows are covered with paper though so she can’t see in, that’s when she notices that the “paper” is really peoples confessions written on scraps of paper taped to the window.

Auburn is reading the confessions when Owen Gentry walks out and is writing how desperate he is on the hiring sign. The point of view switches between these two characters showing you bits and pieces of their lives letting you connect the pieces slowly. We know that somehow Owen knows Auburn, but she has no idea who he is, yet she instantly feels a connection with him and follows him into his dark studio; he literally has no lights on.

“There are people you meet that you get to know, and then there are people you meet that you already know.”

After a night of working together the connection between them is so strong it’s almost unbelievable, you know the kind all of us hopeless romantics keep holding out for. Yet both of their life situations make it almost impossible for them to be together, almost because there’s always a small sliver of hope for those who are strong and relentless enough to fight for what they want. You’ll have to read the story to see if Auburn and Owen are!

“Selflessness. It should be the basis of every relationship. If a person truly cares about you, they’ll get more pleasure from the way they make you feel, rather than the way you make them feel.”

 

Every time I start one of Hoover’s books I’m wanting, hoping for a deep romance. While her books are romances, they’re so different from your usual ones. She write realistic love stories, where life situations come between true love making you realize that just because you’ve found your one true love doesn’t mean the timing will ever be right for you to be together. Because real life isn’t as simple as just finding each other like most love stories make you believe.

Confess goes deep, starting with choices both Auburn and Owen made as teenagers, showing how those actions still affect their lives as adults in their early twenties and might for the rest of their lives. I love how Hoover doesn’t shy away from these issues, brushing over them like all problems can be brushed under the rug to make love work as most authors do. In real life brushing them aside doesn’t happen, and if it does that just leads to them exploding in your face later, after their “happily ever after” ending. Owen is an artist, hence the studio, and throughout the book are paintings that he’s done as well as colored versions of them in the center of the book bringing different mediums of art and expression to the book.