Friday, March 5, 2021

Weekly Reading Wrap Up

   Welcome to my brand new reading wrap up, now on Fridays.  I have decided to move my reading wrap up from Mondays to make room for Mystery Monday and also because it is easier for me to wrap up the week while I am still in the office instead of trying to post it first thing Monday morning. 



Reviews Posted Last Week:
Links will take you to my review

Tears by Sibylle Delacroix (Bedtime Story)
Hades & Persephone: The Curse of the Golden Arrow by Heidi & Erica Hastings (Date Night)
The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James (Mystery Monday)
Summer of Brave by Amy Noelle Parks


 Books Finished Last Week:
Reviews will be posted at a later date

Crazy Stupid Bromance
Lovebug
Summer of Brave
7x9=Trouble


Currently Reading:

Arrowed by Avery Daniels - Ebook - on page 113 of 273
Return to Shanhasson by Joely Sue Burkhart - Print- on page 78 of 380



Pages Read/ Time Listened
192:10 Hours Listened This Year(20:10 listened this week)
5,675 Pages Read This Year (240 Read this week)

Books Added to Shelves Recently: TBR
Death Bee Comes Her (Jan. Pre-Order)
Stormbreak (Feb. Pre-Order)
Lovebug (Feb. Pre-Order) - READ



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It has been a bit of a crazy week but I managed to wrap up February with some great reading numbers and have been diving right into March's books.  I am so excited to not only have Middle Grade March this month but also Tome Topple! I let my husband pick my books for Tome Topple this time around so we will see if he picked some good ones for me.  I have been so well behaved with my book purchasing but this coming week is my birthday and I might have to pick up a few books for myself. Hopefully I can focus on picking up books that I have already read so I don't add too much to my TBR.

In other news, I am getting better at keeping up with reviews and getting posts up again. I hope to get a few pre-scheduled as I expect the coming weeks will be hectic as I work on finishing up at my current office and prepare for starting a new job in April.  I hope you will bear with me as I take on my first new job in nearly 16 years!

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Review of Summer of Brave by Amy Noelle Parks

 

Read for: Netgalley/Requested Review/ Middle Grade March

Synopsis: "Twelve-year-old Lilla Baxter-Willoughby doesn't lie. She's just a little bit...selective. To keep her parents happy, Lilla hides how much she hates moving back and forth between their houses, and she stomps down her doubts about that elite high school they're pushing her toward. To keep peace with her best friend Vivi, Lilla doesn't share that she got the junior camp counselor job that Vivi wanted. And even though--no, especially because--he seems into it, Lilla does not tell the boy she grew up with about all the little sparks that flared up inside her the day she noticed his Suddenly Adorable Freckles. So when Vivi dares Lilla to start telling the truth as part of their Summer of Brave, Lilla hesitates. Because if she says out loud what she really wants, her whole life might crash down around her. And she doesn't need that. Except maybe she does."

My Review:  Gosh, if there was every a character I could relate to as a young girl, Lilla is it! The quiet, reserved girl who keeps her mouth shut so she doesn't upset anyone around her and does her best to keep everyone happy and meet everyone's expectations. I completely sympathized with amount of pressure she is under throughout the book. I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the Summer Wish. While this book already has a pretty important topic about being brave and speaking up for yourself, it also adds in the topic of guy behavior towards women and girls. I really like the term used in this book of 'street harassment', it captures what every female experiences at some point in their life, often way too young to handle it. I like the way that the situation is handled in the story in the long run, Parks doesn't wave a magic wand and make it all okay with the story, she shows how often concerns are brushed aside. Really a beautifully written book and an important one as well.

My Rating: This was such a great book, the way the issues are raised, the way Lilla grows as a character and the challenges she faces are all handled so well.  I give this one a rating of Four Paws and highly recommend it!


I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley, the above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about Amy Noelle Parks and her books on her Goodreads Page.

Summer of Brave was just released on March 1st so you can pick up your own copy in print or digital format now from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or you can request it at your local library or bookstore.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

February 2021 Wrap Up & March TBR

 Can you believe we are already into March?! I am kind of happy to see spring approaching so I am not complaining at all. For being such a short month February was a pretty fantastic reading month! 


We will start with my main challenge this year . . .

TBR Books Read:
I did so well with picking books from my TBR this month thanks to the end of Medievalathon and Fantasy Romance February.  So as I said last month in order to make my goal I need to read about 5 books from my TBR every month, so I definitely made up for last month and this month with the 8 books I did read!
 
 
 


2021 Books added to TBR & Read:
I am once again trying to purchase less books this year and to read them as quickly after they come in as I can, so here are the books that I purchased and managed to read before they sat on the shelf too long!

 


Other February Additions:
I was super well behaved this month even though there were so many new books I wanted to pick up. I only purchased/pre-ordered 3 new books in February and have plans to read them all very soon!
 
 




In other reading I am tracking this year, I read . . .

Re-Reads:
Goal: Re-read 15 books


Borrowed Books:
Goal: Borrow 30 books


Books Over 500 Pages:
Goal: 10 books


Requested Reviews: 
4. Love on the Winter Steppes (Pump Up Your Book)
6. The Broken Spine (Netgalley)
7. Tears (Netgalley)
8. Please Don't Give Me a Hug (Netgalley)



January Reading Stats:
I read a total of 20 books this month
2,909 pages read and 4 days, 1 hour and 27 minute of listening


Resolutions Check in:
1. Read that TBR: I definitely met my goal for this month and covered the books I was short last month! I hope I can keep the ball rolling in March. - CHECK
2. Re-Read More: I only managed to squeeze in 1 re-read this month but I am still on track to meet my goal!  - CHECK
3. Purchase Less & Read More: I only picked up 3 books this month and read 3 of the books that I have purchased so far this year, so while I wasn't reading the books immediately as they came in I did manage an even wash this month! - CHECK
4. Keep Trying New Genres/Authors: I have continued trying more authors in the Cozy Mystery genre and tried a couple of books in different sub-genres of fantasy and romance and a historical fiction. So I am happy with trying new things.  - CHECK

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March TBR
So besides my Middle Grade March TBR I have a bunch of books that I still want to get to this month. This could potentially end up being a completely insane month so we will see how it goes.


For TBR books: 
The Return to Shanhasson *Currently Reading
Tailing a Tabby  *Currently Reading


ARCs:
Summer of Brave *Currently Reading


Thank goodness for audio books! I don't think I would even get through half of these books without that benefit!

What are you reading this month?


Monday, March 1, 2021

Mystery Monday: The Broken Spine by Dorothy St. James

 Welcome to a brand new feature series here on Eastern Sunset Reads!

In the mess that was 2020, one exciting thing that came about is my discovery of Cozy Mysteries.  Yes, I knew they existed before but I never had a desire to pick one up but last year I ended up reading 17 of them! Clearly they have become a regular thing for me to pick up and it is such a vast genre that I can't wait to dive into more of them.  So Mystery Monday has become a thing and will be a (at least somewhat) regular thing here.  So stop by on Mondays to see my reviews of new books I have picked up, new releases, chat about sub-genres and lots more.

Read for: Netgalley/ Requested Review/ Anticipated Release

Synopsis: "The first in an exciting new series featuring Trudell Becket, a spunky librarian who will stop at nothing to save her beloved books and catch a killer!

Trudell Becket finds herself in a bind when her library is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless 'technological center'. A library with no books breaks Trudell's book-loving heart and she decides to rescue hundreds of beloved tomes slated for the recycle center. Under the cover of darkness, Trudell sets up a secret book room in the library's basement and opens it to her loyal patrons.

When the town councilman, who was a vocal supporter of the library's transformation is crushed by an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the prime suspect. She was the only person in the library at the time of his murder, or so the police believe. But the visitors to Trudell's secret bookroom were actually all there too.

If she tells the police about the backdoor patrons who were in the library at the time of the murder, she'd have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. To keep herself out of jail, Trudell--with the help of a group of dedicated readers--decides to investigate. She quickly finds herself on the same page with a killer who would love to write her final chapter."

Trudell Becket finds herself in a bind when her library is turned into a state-of-the-art bookless 'technological center'. A library with no books breaks Trudell's book-loving heart and she decides to rescue hundreds of beloved tomes slated for the recycle center. Under the cover of darkness, Trudell sets up a secret book room in the library's basement and opens it to her loyal patrons.
When the town councilman, who was a vocal supporter of the library's transformation is crushed by an overturned shelf of DVDs, Trudell becomes the prime suspect. She was the only person in the library at the time of his murder, or so the police believe. But the visitors to Trudell's secret bookroom were actually all there too.
If she tells the police about the backdoor patrons who were in the library at the time of the murder, she'd have to explain about the secret book room and risk losing the books. To keep herself out of jail, Trudell--with the help of a group of dedicated readers--decides to investigate. She quickly finds herself on the same page with a killer who would love to write her final chapter."

My Review: As a newbie to the Cozy Mystery genre, I am excited to discover a new series that I don't have a big backlist to catch up on. From what I have read so far in the genre, this book was right up my alley. I did struggle quite a bit with this one, I wasn't able to stay focused on it for some reason. The setting was great, a small town, a library and even better a secret library. I also really enjoyed the characters, Tru and her cast of friends, Jace the nosy detective with a history and of course best of all, Dewey the scrappy stray cat. I really enjoyed some much about this book but I think the part the really made it difficult for me to stay in the story was the first person narration. For some reason that really kept pulling me out of the story instead of putting me into it the way it should have; maybe because I wouldn't have handle things the way Tru did. All in all I really loved every other part of this story. I think I will give the next book a try and hopefully can settle into the narration style.

My Rating: I enjoyed so many aspects of this book but struggled so much with the narration that it made it difficult to read it for extended periods.  I also figured out who did it quite a bit before Tru got there, so that also slowed the reading down for me.  I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.

 I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley, the above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about Dorothy St. James on her Goodreads Page or Website

The Broken Spine was released at the end of January so you can obtain your own copy in print or digital format from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or request it at your local bookstore or library.