The Gernesy Literary and Potato Peal Pie Society | Movie Review


Title: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peal Pie Society
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Release Date: April 20th, 2018
Rating: 7.4/10 IMDB
Cast: Lily James, Jessica Brown Findlay 

Summary from IMDB: In the aftermath of World War II, a writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.


Review: My sister spoke of this Netflix movie the other day. She said it was an amazing story of love, loss and triumph during the WW2 era. I loved this movie. It was touching and heartfelt.

An author is drawn to the island of Guernsey after hearing their tale of how they formed a book club in order to hid from the Germans. The twisted tale tells of a mystery where a woman from the island is taken by the Germans. The author must try and figure out what happened to this woman and bring her home for the sake of those who love her, all while trying to hold her own love life together. You have to watch this movie. I'm waiting for my copy of the book, because I've been told its even better. 

Five stars and the bloggers choice award for The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society.





The only thing that makes a witch burn | Seventh Born By Monica Sanz



Title: Seventh Born
By: Monica Sanz
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 400
Release Date: September 4th, 2018
Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Summary from Goodreads: Abomination. Curse. Murderer. All names hurled at eighteen-year-old Seraphina Dovetail. As the seventh-born daughter to a witch, she's the cause of her mother losing her powers and, in turn, her life.

Abandoned as a child, Sera dreams of becoming an inspector and finding her family. To do that, she must be referred into the Advanced Studies Program at the Aetherium's Witchling Academy. Her birth order, quick temper, and tendency to set things on fire, however, have left her an outcast with failing marks…and just what Professor Nikolai Barrington is looking for.

The tall, brooding, yet exceedingly handsome young professor makes her a proposition: become his assistant and he'll give her the referral she needs. Sera is quickly thrust into a world where witches are being kidnapped, bodies are raised from the dead, and someone is burning seventhborns alive. As Sera and Barrington grow ever closer, she'll discover that some secrets are best left buried…and fire isn't the only thing that makes a witch burn.



Review: A seventh born is considered to be the lowest of the low. They have to fight for everything they want, and are discarded like trash. This book seems to follow along with the Harry Potter craze. They go to school to learn the ways of magic so they can make their way in the magical world. The story was hard to get into for me. It seemed slow and daunting. The story did pick up eventually and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. The ending was great, it was just getting there. If you liked Harry Potter, you will probably like this book. Three stars for Seventh Born. 

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.



She Could Never Have Imagined | Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett



Title: Foundryside
By: Robert Jackson Bennett
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 512
Release Date: August 21st, 2018
Publisher: Crown

Summary from Goodreads: In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself--the first in a dazzling new fantasy series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett. 
 
Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. 
 
But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic--the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience--have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. 
 
Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them. 
 
To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.



Review: When a book throws you into the sewers right off the bat, you can either hold on for the ride or soak in the smell. It takes guts to put a reader in this situation, but it was well written and worth the trouble. I loved the little key. It fit in with the character and pushed the story along. There was so much to this story that sometimes I got lost, but was able to quickly catch up and keep reading. This was a good weekend read that I'm excited to share with you. Three stars for a good read. 

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.



Closer to Freedom | Storm of the Gods by Amy Braun



Title: Storm of the Gods
By: Amy Braun
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 362
Release Date: August 28th, 2018
Publisher: Amy Braun

Summary from Goodreads: Thirty years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their return restored their powers, which had been spent in a cataclysmic battle with the Titans. With the ancient deities imprisoned in Tartarus, the Olympians now reside in Néo Vasíleio, formerly known as California.

Twenty-four-year-old Derek Aerios is a war scion, a descendent of Ares, the God of War. He and his brother, eighteen-year-old Liam, capture mythological creatures and rogue scions as part of Ares’s elite military force. As he struggles to cope with his violent powers and the scars of a traumatic childhood, Derek tries to keep the two vows he has made: protect his brother, and never kill a human again.

But when Ares forces him to hunt and kill four rogue scions under Athena’s control—by threatening Liam’s life—Derek chooses to go after the scions in order to save his brother and keep his promise to himself.

Yet the closer Derek gets to the scions, the more he realizes that his orders are part of a deeper conspiracy that put him at odds with his mission and his conscience. Athena may not be the enemy, a traitor could be in their midst, and the Titans could be closer to freedom than ever before. 



Review: Its been a while since I've been pulled into a story like this. There was so much depth and intrigue with the characters that I had a hard time putting it down. It was an interesting story line with the Greek gods taking over California. The one thing that I would say was a little distracting was the use of telling instead of showing. The story was good enough though, to look past this. Still, four stars for Amy Braun.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.



What I'm Reading This Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #263


It's Monday again and vacation is over. This is the last week before school starts and all my babies are off into the world. Middle school, and two in grade school. How did I get this old? My baby is five and my oldest is a pre-teen. I'm not ready for this, but who is.

I'm really going to try and work on my writing this week. It's been a while since I've sat down and written anything more than a blog post. It's disheartening. I want to write, but every time I sit down, I feel angry and unwilling. Push through, I must push through. Otherwise, nothing will ever be finished and I have several books I want to write.

This weeks, I'm going to finish Storm of the Gods by Amy Braun. I started it on my beach vacation and I'm really excited to finish it. Its right up my ally. Magic, urban fantasy and one of the characters is named Liam and that is my babies name. Great name. The other books I've read by Amy Braun have been great. I can't imagine this one would be any different.

This weeks menu is going to be delicious and I can't wait to dive into it. Enjoy!


Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday
Leftovers Night

Vacation Week | #WeeklyMenu Week #262



It's a mid week menu. We've been on vacation for the last four days and I haven't had access to the internet or the time to really sit down and hash out a menu, but now that we are back at home, I'm putting together a little menu for the rest of the week, just so I don't have to think about it after this. 

Vacation stuff will come later this week or next week, depending on how I feel and how much work I want to do while I'm trying to rest and reset before the boys go back to school. 

Here is a little help for the rest of the week. Enjoy!

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday
Leftovers Night

Jean will reclaim her voice | Vox by Christina Dalcher



Title: Vox
By: Christina Dalcher
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Dystopian
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 21st, 2018
Publisher: Berkley

Summary from Goodreads: Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial--this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end. 

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.



Review: This book was really infuriating to read. I wanted to stab it with a pencil and throw it against the wall. I guess that's what you want from a book though. One that makes you feel extreme emotion. It kind of had a Handmaid's Tale kind of vibe where men ran the world and women were only there to serve them, but that's as far as I would go with that comparison.

The first half of the book was really intense. It was interesting and drew me in. The second half of the book seemed like a completely different story. It was like starting over. I never really felt connected to the characters and their struggle.

Although there was a great premise to the book, I felt a little let down. Still, it was a good afternoon read and I'm not mad that I picked it up.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.



Vacation

I'm on vacation this week. I'll be back next week with a menu and more books and movies. Happy vacation.

Camping time | A trip to the Redwoods


Its that time of year again, VACATION TIME! Every August we take a week vacation with the boys and usually head to the beach. This year, we wanted to try something different. Instead of Cannon Beach, Oregon, where we usually go, we are headed to the redwoods in California.

I've always wanted to see the redwoods and with the recent fires in California threatening the amazing forest, we thought it was about time that we took a gander on the giant trees. They boys are old enough now to have memories and this will be a great start. 


While we are having a blast in California, Check out these 7 awesome hikes in Oregon for you to take this weekend. Make sure you stop back by and tell me about it. 



The very heart of the Misery | Ravencry by Ed McDonald



Title: RavenCry
By: Ed McDonald
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 380
Release Date: June 18th, 2018
Publisher: Gollancz

Summary from Goodreads: Four years have passed since Nall’s Engine drove the Deep Kings back across the Misery, but as they hurl fire from the sky, darker forces plots against the republic.

A new power is rising: a ghost in the light known only as the Bright Lady manifests in visions across the city, and the cult that worship her grasp for power even as the city burns around them.

When Crowfoot’s arcane vault is breached, an object of terrible power is stolen, and Galharrow and his Blackwings must once find out which of Valengrad’s enemies is responsible before they have a chance to use it.

To save Valengrad, Galharrow, Nenn and Tnota must venture to a darker, more twisted and more dangerous place than any they’ve walked before: the very heart of the Misery.

RAVENCRY is the second book in the Raven’s Mark series, continuing the story that began with the award winning epic fantasy BLACKWING.


Review: I'm always a fan of Ed McDonald's work. He has a unique world that I'm excited to explore. The characters were solid and full of life. The story had depth and was unpredictable. I was actually scared after wrapping up Blackwing, that this book was going to fall short of the greatness that McDonald had already created. I was not disappointed. 

Four stars for Ravencry! 

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.



If they hear you, they hunt you | A Quiet Place Review



Title: A Quiet Place 
Genre: Horror 
Release Date: April 6th, 2018
Rating: 7.7/10
Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski 

Summary from IMDB: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.


Review: AAAHHHH! What is happening? This is one messed up movie. I love it so much, but hate it at the same time. 

There is tragedy in the very beginning of the movie. Its heart breaking and so sad. The rest of the movie is the family trying to get back to life as best they can with super freaky monster things that can hear everything surrounding them. 

First off, I want to know where these things came from? Are they aliens? Did the government create them? Where did they come from? This is never explaned in the movie. It would be interesting to have a few flash backs of how this world came to be. It's not too much to ask.

This family is torn apart over and over again, but still manage to hold the bond of love in the darkest of times. 

A great movie with a powerful message of family and love in the midst of it. Very scary, not for young eyes. Five stars for me.



Cinderella is only a fairy tale… | Butterface by Avery Flynn



Title: Butterface
By: Avery Flynn
Genre: Romance
Pages: 250
Release Date: July 30th, 2018
Publisher: Entangled Amara

Summary from Goodreads: It’s true. I’m not what most people would call “pretty” and, well, high school was rough. Fast forward ten years and life is good… 

Until a bunch of jerks think it’s hilarious to put the “butterface” (AKA me) on a wedding Kiss Cam with the hottest guy ever—and that old humiliation hits hard. 

I recognize him immediately. The sexiest cop in Waterbury and totally out of my league. 

But then he kisses me. 

And we totally forget the room, the crowd, everything. 

Then he tells everyone we’ve been dating for months. 

Soon everything starts to feel too real, from adorable fights over “necessary” tools to fix my broken porch to surviving a free-for-all dinner with his six siblings to picking up where our last kiss left off. 

But there’s something he’s not telling me about why he’s really hanging around, and I’m pretty sure it has to do with my mob-connected brothers. 

Because this is not a make-over story, and Cinderella is only a fairy tale…


Review: I just wanted to start off saying thank you to Entangled Publishing and the author for giving me a copy of this book.This was a fun book to read. It was steamy, exciting and to hot to handle. There were times where I felt like the sex scenes seemed rushed. Like, she touched herself twice and was done. I could have used a little more intrigue, but otherwise, the story was great. 

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.