Almost done reading Secrets Can Kill

 

Hello Bookies,

I have almost finished a book before the end of the year. I only have like twenty pages left and I'll finish that before bed. Anyways, Nancy is on the case of figuring out who is the killer of a student at Bedford High. That is right. A student found out the wrong secret and paid the price for it. I had a feeling of who it was and it turned out to be right. Now I just need to know how Nancy was going to reveal the truth and make it out alive. This was a great quick read and I'm ready for the next book. Sadly the book didn't follow the game or the game didn't follow the book, but it was still an enjoyable read. I just did this for the nostalgia. I can't really give this book a rank but if I had to give it one, it would be three stars. I'm sure if I was younger reading this it would be a higher rank. But I still love a good mystery. 

So until next time...

-Lys

Started reading Secrets Can Kill by Carolyn Keene

 

Hello Bookies,

I've started an old series. That is right. I started reading the Nancy Drew series. I grew up on the video games and my mother giving me the books a I grew up, I was looking for a bit of nostalgia. This is the case that the first Nancy Drew game is inspired by. Nancy goes under cover to find out who is stealing and breaking into things at Bedford High. Her case even started before she entered the school when a mysterious package showed up at her house telling her to not investigate. At this point everyone is a suspect as Nancy tries to get some information or some clues to help her solve this case. I figured this book will be a pretty quick read. It is just over a hundred pages and something to keep the reading going. 

So until next time...

-Lys

Almost done reading Heart of the Sun Warrior

 

Hello there Bookies,

I'm going to straight out say that I loved this book. I gave it five stars. It had me tearing up at least three times and I'm pretty sure it is going to make me tear up on last time by the end of the book. I have less than a hundred pages left. This book was a trip and I have no idea what to say that won't ruin the book. The things Xingyin is put through in order to save the Celestial Realm is something that put her life in danger multiple times and also puts her in situations of things she doesn't want to do. She loses so much to the point I have no idea how this book is going to end. I'm hoping that it will end happily but with how things are going, I don't see that happening. But we won't know until I finish the book. But I highly recommend this book and the the whole duology. Go check it out. Highly recommend. I'm also pretty sure Sue Lynn Tan is one of my favorite writers of all time. I look forward to reading more of her books down the road. I went into this book with high expectations and it did not disappoint. Go read the duology. The first part in the first book is a bit slow but once you get past that, you will love this duology. 

So until next time....

-Lys

Halfway through Heart of the Sun Warrior

 

Hey there Bookies,

First I want to wish you all a Happy Holidays. I know you are all busy with your families and friends. But we can't forget about the fictional characters that are like family to us. And, I think I'm growing to attach myself to the characters in this duology.

To be honest, I don't know what to say about this book without ruining it. So much has happened so far. We start the book off with Xingyin living on the moon with her mother and attendant. Its peaceful, nothing much is going on. Xingyin is able to recover from her injuries in the last book. Life is just good. Until some visitors come. They all seem harmless but there is one that is a little different. Xingyin finds out a powerful secret on the moon and this secret pretty much snowballs out of control. The emperor gets offended because Xingyin's mother forgets about her duties during his birthday because she had received a letter about the mortal realm.  Xingyin finds her mother and tells her to return home but while there she makes a discovery. A discovery that could mend her mother's mourning heart. But first Xingyin has to go through some things, such as helping someone steal an elixir from the emperor and being forced to run away from her home as it's being destroyed. There is also a part where she has to make a deal with the empress to save Liwei from imprisonment because he is associated with Xingyin and is being punished for that reason. But I can't tell you anymore. Not right now though. But I can tell you that this book has almost made me tear up twice so far. The first time it wasn't too bad but the second time, I felt the sting of tears building up. This girl's world is shattering beneath her and she doesn't know why. Why is her family the main target for all of this hatred? I'm hoping there will be answers soon because this girl has been through enough.

So until next time....

-Lys

DNF - Poet X

 

Hey there Bookies,

I've been debating this for a while. Should I request this book from the library again and try to finish it? Or, do I add it to the DNF list? Judging by the title, I decided to not finish it. I was enjoying the book and the story it was telling through the poems. But once I got halfway, that was where it lost me. Things started to slow way down to the point I felt like nothing was happening in the book. I'm sure it would pick up more if I continued to read, but I just don't have the desire or the motivation to finish the book. So I decided to add this book to the DNF list. This book just wasn't for me and since I didn't finish it, it gets a low star rating. But I feel like it is fair to the author if I was honest instead of forcing myself to finish the book. If I forced it, I'll probably end up hating it in the end.

So until next time...

-Lys

Finished reading Daisy Jones and the Six

 

Hello Bookies,

I have to be honest here. I thought the book was okay but not worth the hype it was given. Also I felt like it was mostly focused on Daisy and Billy the moment Daisy joined the group. There was a little bit of forbidden romance but it doesn't really play out. But it does show the struggle of someone trying to stay faithful to their significant other while trying to not fall of the rails. I give Billy props for not giving into his cravings to just go back to the drugs and the drinking. I've seen people close to me go through the same struggle and it isn't easy. It must be just as hard living a life of rock and roll. Also if you have a bandmate that was heavy into that scene and you are spending a lot of time with that person, Billy showed a lot of will power and I'm proud of him for it. You also don't find out how the book came to be until pretty much the end. It would have been nice to see how they came up with this idea instead of the person finally revealing themselves at the end. Even then they still didn't explain why they created this story in the first place. The book is interesting as a whole but not one of my favorites. I would recommend it as a good quick read. But I wouldn't push the recommendation. I was constantly told how good this book was and I had high expectations. Sadly the book didn't meet them. To me it fell flat and was a little disappointing. I'm probably one of the few that liked this book but enough to give it more than two stars. At least I can finally say I finished a book after being in a slump so long. 

So until next time....

-Lys

Let's Get Personal #5

 Hello Bookies,

I was strolling through my old posts and I completely forgot I started this series back in 2016. Why not bring it back? That way you can get an update on why I don't post as much as I should.

The reason I haven't posted much is because I can't seem to finish a book. I either take so long to read it that I have to return it to the library and then request it again. Or, I just didn't like the book. It's a cycle that happens a lot lately and I've very disappointed in some of the recommendations I was given. Don't get me wrong, I loved some of the recommendations I had gotten. But some of them did fall flat. Also some of the books I read were just out of my curiosity. 

Now the reason why my posts aren't consistent is because I suffer from a thing called depression. I like to call it a little dark cloud looming over me when I get an episode. Episodes usually consist of me just wanting to stay in my bed all day and sleep. I really don't have the motivation to do anything when I have these episode. My mom literally has to force feed me because I don't even have the motivation to eat. I did go through a few spells over the past few months due to some stuff happening.

One of those things that caused an episode was the fact that one of my stories that I was posting online for feedback got stolen. Being a small poor writer that can't get thing properly copyrighted had no proof that the story was actually mine. So I lost that case. Now I'm scared to write again in fear that another story is just going to get ripped off. It also took my drive to read as well.

Also during that time I tried reading three books that just didn't cut it for me. I never finished them and left me wondering why I was reading in the first place. Which put me into another depressive episode. Because I love reading but those books just killed it for me for a while. It has been tough to get back into reading again and so far I haven't read a book to really get me back into reading yet. Hopefully I will find it soon.

But with the holidays coming up, I think my reading will be even more inconsistent. Between decorating, working, and planning a meal, it will be hard to fit time in for reading other than when I go to bed. But let's be honest, I'm pretty much too tired to do that most of the time. 

Anyway I just wanted to say thank you all for sticking it through with me. I know it isn't easy when I post constantly one week or month and then go silent for twice as long. I'm trying my best with the cards I was given. Thanks again and I really appreciate all of you who give the time to read this blog.

-Lys

P.S. I can't believe this blog has been around for eight years now. Come July 5th, 2023, this blog will hit it's ninth year mark. Where did the time go?

Halfway through Daisy Jones and The Six

 

Hello there Bookies,

I could have sworn I made a post on this book but I guess I didn't. I must have started reading it and not bothered to let anyone know. To be honest, I just read a little bit of this book before bed when I can't sleep. Anyways, the book is okay so far. We got two groups of artists just trying to make it in the music world. I like to see a book talk about the industry like how it really is. Also I can see the flaws in this book. I have a background in the music industry, not as an artist, but I still saw how hard they work for their jobs. So in a way I can relate to this book. Talking about the long hours it takes to make music and then tour on the road. Sure this book takes place in the 70s but I can still relate. Now I'm going to share a very unpopular opinion here and a lot of people are probably going to hate me about it. Blame my background for it, but I can't see the hype about this book. Its okay and it is an interesting read. I don't hate it because I'm still reading it. But I also don't like it. It's in the two star area for me so far. Nothing fantastic has happened that made me think that this is a really good book. I'm taking my time trying to absorb it and see it for what it really is. But I don't see how everyone likes this book. Like I said before, you can blame my background in the music industry. My knee injury may have taken me out of the business but I still have passion for it. I'm sure things were different in the 70s but it still has that whole unrealistic feel to it. I know the book is fiction and everything in it is made up, but that isn't what I mean when I say unrealistic. I'm sure when people read this, they think it was so easy for these people to reach stardom so quickly. And I think that is what makes it feel unrealistic. It's like they get this one good song and they are on the high road to stardom. I wasn't really paying attention to how long it took between scenes but to me it felt too quick. I've seen groups spend twenty years to finally make a name for themselves. Twenty years of having some good albums that built them a good fanbase but not enough to be doing arenas. And again, I know this book is made up and the writer can do whatever they want. And it could have been completely different in the 70s. I wasn't there during that time. I don't even think my mother was old enough to have me yet during that time. But being halfway through the book, I just don't see it. I don't see why everyone I've watched on Youtube and TikTok love this book. It kind of makes me feel like I'm missing something here.

So until next time....

-Lys