Confessions of a Bibliovore

Title: History's Mysteries: Curious Clues, Cold Cases and Puzzles from the Past Author: Kitson Jazynka Why were the Easter Island heads erected? What really happened to the Maya? Who stole the Irish Crown Jewels? The first book in this exciting new series will cover history's heavy-hitting, head-scratching mysteries, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Bermuda Triangle, the Oak Island Money Pit, Stonehenge, the Sphinx, the disappearance of entire civilizations, the dancing plague, the Voynich manuscript, and so many more. Chock-full of cool photos, fun facts, and spine-tingling mysteries. What a great book!!! Loved it! I'm totally into all things mysterious, so this was a perfect fit for me.  Some of the stories I had heard about before (Yeti), but others were new.  I think that's what I liked the most - that it included some stories I had never heard of before.  And since I love stories like this it was nice to hear about some new ones.   The pictures in ...

Super excited today to be a part of the book blast for Children of Refuge!!! I love Margaret Peterson Haddix, so I jumped at the chance to promote her latest.  Synopsis  After Edwy is smuggled off to Refuge City to stay with his brother and sister, Rosi, Bobo, and Cana are stuck alone—and in danger—in Cursed Town in the thrilling follow-up to Children of Exile from New York Times bestselling author, Margaret Peterson Haddix. It’s been barely a day since Edwy left Fredtown to be with his parents and, already, he is being sent away. He’s smuggled off to boarding school in Refuge City, where he will be with his brother and sister, who don’t even like him very much. The boarding school is nothing like the school that he knew, there’s no one around looking up to him now, and he’s still not allowed to ask questions! Alone and confused, Edwy seeks out other children brought back from Fredtown and soon discovers that Rosi and the others—still stuck in the Cursed Town—might be in dange...

Title: Forbidden  by Tabitha Suzuma Series: N/A Genre: YA - Contemporary Publication: June 28, 2011 by Simon Pulse Format: Hardcover Source: Purchased Rating:  ★★★ Synopsis:  Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As de facto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: A love this devastating h...

Title:   Dead Little Mean Girl by Eva Darrows Series:  N/A Genre:  YA - Contemporary Publication:  March 28, 2017 by Harlequin Teen Format:  Audiobook Source: Library Rating:  ★★★ Synopsis:  A proud geek girl, Emma loves her quiet life on the outskirts, playing video games and staying off the radar. When her nightmare of a new stepsister moves into the bedroom next door, her world is turned upside down. Quinn is a queen bee with a nasty streak who destroys anyone who gets in her way. Teachers, football players, her fellow cheerleaders—no one is safe. Emma wants nothing more than to get this girl out of her life, but when Quinn dies suddenly, Emma realizes there was more to her stepsister than anyone ever realized. Thoughts: This was a book I enjoyed mostly all the way through and then felt a little meh at the end. From the title and the synopsis, it's easy to guess how its going to end. I just felt like the conclusion was weak and that sort of chang...

Title:   The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon Series : N/A Genre: YA - Contemporary Publication: November 1, 2016 by Delacorte Press Format:  ARC Source : Books for Trade Rating:  ★★★★★ Synopsis:   Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story. Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us. The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?...

Title: Cinder by Marissa Meyer Series: The Lunar Chronicles, #1 Genre: YA - Dystopia Publication:   June 7, 2016 by Washington Square Press Format: Paperback Source: Traveling Book Rating:  ★★★ Synopsis:  Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.  Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.  Thoughts:  I'd been looking forward to starting this series for y...

Title : Random Illustrated Facts: A Collection fo Curious, Weird and Totally Not Boring Things to Know Author : Mike Lowery A collection of illustrated trivia unlike any other. From glow-in-the-dark cats to Jupiter's diamond showers to the link between dancing goats and the discovery of coffee, here are up to 100 obscure and fascinating facts brought to life in Mike Lowery's quirky, hilarious style. Each illustrated fact is paired with a handwritten web of related tidbits, recreating an entertaining dive down a trivia rabbit hole.  What a fun little book!!!!! I can see kids loving this book and laughing at parts of it.  My 10 year old saw it and was immediately drawn to it, so I know it's one kids would enjoy.  Honestly I can see leaving it in the car, so on trips the kids could pick it up and flip through it. I can see the random facts spurring more conversation about different topics.  Oh and the illustrations - so, so fun!! I love the colors too. It's made with mu...

This feature was created by Lauren from 365 Days of Reading Title:   Gwendy's Button Box by Richard Chizmar and Stephen King Anthology: N/A - Novella Rating:  ★★★ One Line Summary: Gwendy meets a strange man in a black hat who knows too much about her life and gives her a small, but powerful button box. Thoughts: A little under 200 pages, I was able to finish this in one sitting. Gwendy's Button Box is a collaboration between Stephen King and Richard Chizmar, and it follows our protagonist Gwendy after she meets the man in a black hat, who gives her a button box. The short novella spans over a few years, and we get to see how the box affects Gwendy's life. I can't deny that the story was entertaining, if not mysterious and a little creepy, too. But when it was over, I felt like I didn't get it . Like I missed the underlying message that was supposed to come across and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Its possible that I felt the conclusion lacked a bit, but...

Title: The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe Series: N/A Genre: Historical Fiction Publication:  June 7, 2016 by Washington Square Press Format: Paperback Source: Once Upon A Book Club Rating: ★★★ Synopsis:   Since childhood, Anita Hemmings has longed to attend the country’s most exclusive school for women, Vassar College. Now, a bright, beautiful senior in the class of 1897, she is hiding a secret that would have banned her from admission: Anita is the only African-American student ever to attend Vassar. With her olive complexion and dark hair, this daughter of a janitor and descendant of slaves has successfully passed as white, but now finds herself rooming with Louise “Lottie” Taylor, the scion of one of New York’s most prominent families. Though Anita has kept herself at a distance from her classmates, Lottie’s sphere of influence is inescapable, her energy irresistible, and the two become fast friends. Pulled into her elite world, Anita learns what it’s like to be...

Title: The 100 by Kass Morgan Series: The 100, #1 Genre: YA - Science Fiction/Dystopia Publication: September 3, 2013 by Little, Brown and Company Format: Audiobook Source: Library Rating: ★★★★ Synopsis: Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission. CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it wo...

Title: History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera Series: N/A Genre: YA - Contemporary Publication: January 17, 2017 by Soho Teen Format: Hardcover Source: Purchased Rating: ★★★ Synopsis:  When Griffin's first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he's been imagining for himself has gone far off course.  To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin's downward spiral continues. He's losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he's been keeping are tearing him apart.  If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life. Th...

The Virgin Suicides  by Jefferey Euginedes Synopsis:  The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear. Quick Thoughts: I'd been meaning to read this for years because since I'd watched the movie, I had felt a little unsatisfied with the story. But, the book is pretty much the same thing. There are a few changes here and there, the girls become a little more wild and die differently, but overall it felt like a very elusive story. Maybe because it's told from an outsiders perspective. I don...

About a month ago I got a package in the mail and was excited by what I found inside.  Inside were three books on making paper airplanes!  I've got two boys at home, and I knew they would love these. Pocket flyers Paper Airplane Book, a flyaway impulse book if ever there was one. Developed by the same team of Ken Blackburn and Jeff Lammers,  Pocket Flyers Paper Airplane Book  features 12 Lilliputian-size models, for a total of 74 planes. The models are about one-quarter the size of the planes in the previous books and are designed with original full-color graphics. There are easy folding instructions for each, as well as special tips on how to fly smaller aircraft. The portable package and its planes are perfect for small spaces: the office, the den, the back of the minivan, drinking establishments. The obsessed among us will try to establish a mini plane world record. The rest of us will be content to just fly these flashy Piper cubs of paper from one side of the ro...

Title: The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins Series: N/A Genre: YA - Contemporary/Poetry Publication:    January 24, 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books Format: eARC Source: Publisher Rating: ★★★ Synopsis: For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire. Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined. Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her f...

This feature was created by Lauren from 365 Days of Reading Title: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King Anthology: Different Seasons Rating:  ★★★★★ One Line Summary:  A man convicted of murder lives in a prison brutally ruled by a sadistic warden and secretly run by a con who knows all the ropes and pulls all the strings. Thoughts:  I picked this up after my boyfriend read it, and loved it. If you've seen the movie starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, this short story is almost word-for-word of that movie. Stephen King creates these realistic characters in such a short time, that you learn to love and care for in just a few pages. I felt like I knew Red and Andy Dufresne and I really wanted their friendship to continue on for many years after the story was overall. Definitely a worthwhile read and can't recommend it enough (and the movie too!)

NOTE → This is a quick set of reviews on books I read some time ago, in attempts to catch up on reviews. I do not have a star rating for these reviews, but I do try to express how I felt about the book. This is a feature I am bringing back and will be regularly used to share my thoughts on books. My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness. There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner.  Even though Aysel and Roman have nothi...

The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner I really wanted to enjoy this one because it was about 9/11 but I had difficulties really connecting with one of the characters because of the prose in the book. Gave this one a good try before ultimately DNF'ing it. Rating: DNF French Milk by Lucy Knisley I read most of this, but found it redundant and a bit boring so I skimmed the last third or so of the book. Really disappointed in how uninteresting this was. Rating:  ★ Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted This had the potential to being an interesting story, and the characters were almost interesting until they met and there was the insta-love. It was such an awkward book, and even though it was so short, I couldn't get myself to read the whole thing. Rating:    ★ Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi I definitely would've been more intrigued if it was an actual novel instead of a graphic novel. Instead I felt like way too much information was being crammed i...

I meant to post this earlier, when the readathon actually started but I forgot all about scheduling it! Anyways, here goes: It's another readathon attempt for me! This time around, I will be participating in the Borrowathon TBR which was created by Riley at rmfickfack.  There is a YouTube announcement video explaining all the details, but the readathon will be from November 5-12 and I am really excited to participate. I am choosing books that were already on my November TBR so hopefully this will push me to finish them faster (although I usually fail with readathons.) There is a few challenges but I will be disregarding these for the most part, because I already have my books and I don't think they will fall under most of the challenges. I will most likely be vlogging the readathon because I have realized that those are some of my favorite videos to make, so once I have a wrap up I will share that video with you guys too. On to my TBR! Here is my video sharing what I'll ho...

Title: The Diviners Author: Libba Bray Narrator: January LaVoy Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult. Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened....