Rereading Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

 Hello Bookies,

I'm breaking into my huge stack of books on my bookshelf. Starting with rereading a book I don't remember much about. I don't feel comfortable read the second book of this series because I don't remember much. It's been a while since I read this book. When I read it before I gave it five out of five stars. I'm using an audiobook for this because it is so much faster. I've been having trouble focusing lately. The more I listen to the book, the more bits and pieces I remember. I remember the princes but I don't remember which one is the bad one. I remembered that Mare ended up in the palace but I didn't remember how she got there. I hardly remember anything about her life in the stilts, so that was a nice refresher for me. I'm pretty sure I'm going to breeze through this book and won't have many thoughts on it. But I figured I would do a small update on what I was doing.

So until next time....

-Lys

Finished reading An Arrow to the Moon

 

Hey there Bookies,

I actually meant to make a post when I was halfway through the book but I was so focused on what I was doing that I pretty much ended up finishing the book. The one thing that excited me was the legend of the eight suns being mentioned in the book because thanks to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I knew the story. Then it got me thinking that this book could be a retelling of that legend. Where Hunter, our main male character, is the....I guess we will just say Sun Warrior, and Luna, the main female character, is the moon goddess. I also get Romeo and Juliet vibes in this book because both characters are from rival families. I almost giggled out loud a few times listening to this book and that is a good sign. The book might get four stars from me because it plays so close to the series I fell in love with. In all honesty, I haven't finished the book completely yet. I still have a few pages and few more mysteries to solve. Like how does the title of the book play into the story? I plan to finish this book and double check that it is a standalone YA. But Goodreads is down right now, so I will just have to wait.

So until next time....

-Lys

Finally finished reading Once Upon a River

 

Hello Bookies,

Well, I finally finished the book. We really don't get a full answer on who the little girl is. But other secrets get revealed. I wish I could tell you what I read on the book but I feel like it would ruin the ending. I guess I could tell you what I thought about the book. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. Honestly, it felt like it was too slow and descriptive. It feels like the author focused more on the setting and building a mystery than focusing on the plot of the story. In my opinion, the book could be a little bit shorter if we got rid of some of the words that I felt like weren't needed. But I guess we can just say that I'm pretty picky when it comes to my reading. The book got three out of five stars on Goodreads from me. It's an interesting tale but it is a bit long. It's a book not for me but maybe for those that don't mind the different point of views and how all of the character's stories somehow tend to wind together in a way. Which I did find that interesting. But if you don't mind slow books that have a bit of mystery to it, this might be the book for you.

So until next time...

-Lys

Started reading An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

 

Hello there Bookies,

I have attempted to start this book but I was so tired from work that I fell asleep listening to the audiobook of this book. I have a feeling that this book is going to be a retelling of a folktale, but I can't be sure until I read more of this book. All I know is that it focuses around two children that a broken star landed on when they were born. Or, I think it landed on them. I can't remember. But so far I am already invested. I wish I could tell you more but I plan on starting this book over and not falling asleep listening to it. Wish me luck.

So until next time....

-Lys

I got Once Upon a River back.

 Hey there Bookies,

I just got this book back. I was expecting a little bit of a shorter wait but beggers can't be choosers. Sadly, I have to finish an audiobook I've already started while waiting for this book, but I will finish this book as soon as I can. I want to know the mystery of this little girl and I'm just happy that I will finally find out. Hopefully, no one requests it because I messed up on my time for borrowing the audiobook. I gave myself 14 days instead of a full month. Wish me luck on this.

So until next time...

-Lys

Finished reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon

 

Hello Bookies,

I finished listening to The Girl Who Drank the Moon and it was a nice book. Honestly, I don't remember what I already told you about the book. Well, the witch of the woods took in a baby that was left in the woods. She raised it as if it was her own and even named the baby Luna. But Luna was a very special girl. Due to drinking from the moon, she became so full of magic that she didn't realize she was doing it in the first place. She didn't understand it at all. It forced the witch to lock away the magic until Luna turned 13. Luna grew up as normal as she could but she always felt like something was missing. But the more we learn about Luna, we also learn more about the town she had come from. We also learn that the witch in the woods isn't the evil witch. The evil witch might actually be closer then the town realizes. Sadly I can't tell you more because once you start learning secrets in the book, the more it picks up. Also if I revealed all of the secrets to you, you wouldn't want to read the book. I do recommend this book to those that wants an easy listen or for those that likes books about magic. Even though I enjoyed the book, I will still give the book three stars. It didn't draw me in as much as I thought it would, but I would still recommend it to others if they were looking for a good book about magic and witches.

So until next time....

-Lys

Started reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

 

Hello Bookies,

I started a new audiobook. I've actually had this one for a while but I was waiting for the physical copy to come in. I keep the physical copy around so I don't forget that I have an audiobook of the book. Since I just started the book I don't know much about the book. As far as I have is there the book is focused around a village that believes in an evil witch that lives in the forest. In order for her to leave them alone, they sacrifice a child by leaving them in the forest. The leaders of the village know that this is actually a lie but it is to keep the people in the village dependent on their rule. There is a witch though but she isn't evil. She actually takes the abandoned children to a different village and gives them to a new family that will raise them happily. But with the latest child, she develops a connection with them and decides to keep them. That is where I left off for now. I'm interested with how this story is going to play out. The best way to find out is to read more.

So until next time....

-Lys

Finished reading When You Trap a Tiger

 

Hello Bookies,

I finished this book late at night so I wasn't able to make a post about it until now. The story has a bit of a sad ending but it also helped our main character grow a little bit. She learned that life isn't all about magic and happy stories. I did enjoy this book a lot but I wouldn't say that I loved it. It could also have to do with the video I found on Youtube. Who knows? Anyways the book got three stars out of five. I liked it but I didn't love it. It is a book that was in the children's section in the library and that could also be it as well. Maybe I'm just too mature to read a book like this. But I like the retellings of folklore and myths and this was sort of my cup of tea. My boss did recommend this book to me and I know she will be asking me about the book when she sees that I read the book. This would be a good book to have in my personal library down the road. It's a good lesson to read to children and ask them how it made them feel.

So until next time....

-Lys

Read Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

 

Hey there Bookies,

I'm trying to read as much as I can to cut down this TBR list of mine. I figured a good graphic novel will help. This is supposed to be full of spooky stories, but I don't get scared easily. I just like how interesting it is to read something like this. It's just full of different stories. One of the stories I thought it finished too short and was a little disappointed, but it actually continued after a few pages. All of the stories have good potential to spook you to the bones. But since I don't get scared, I just enjoyed the creativity and the pictures. The book is a good quick read. It probably took me about an hour to finish. Sadly it only gets three stars from me. It only gets that rating because it was short, but I am willing to read another graphic novel like this. 

So until next time....

-Lys

Had to return Once Upon a River

 

Hey there Bookies,

With only twenty percent of the book left to listen to, I had to return the audiobook. I tried to renew it but I guess someone else wants to read the book. Looks like the mystery of the little girl will have to be on hold until I can get this book again. I'm a little disappointed but it is what it is. Hopefully I can get it back quick but with how many books I have on hold, I'm not too optimistic about it. Sorry I couldn't finish the book in a timely manner. But I do plan on finishing the book. Fingers crossed that it comes back to me quick.

So until next time....

-Lys

Let's Get Personal #8

 Hello,

I've been meaning to do these posts at the beginning of each month, but with the piles of books next to me, it gets a little hard. I've been entering Goodreads giveaways and those books are starting to pile up. My goal is to finish what library books I have and then work on the books I got from giveaways. So far there is only three of them. Also I have to go through movies for the library to see if they are good enough for our Movie Mondays. I have a list of things I have to do and I'm just happy that I have a new appreciation for audiobooks. Especially now that I recently got back into writing. I can just listen to a book while I take a break from writing. Well, I wish I had more to update but life calls for me and I have a list of things to do. I'll do another post next month. 

-Lys

About halfway through When You Trap a Tiger

 

Hello there Bookies,

I don't know where I left off explaining this book to you. As much as I like folklore from different countries and the books that are based off them, I feel like my lack of knowledge isn't helping me enjoy this book. Maybe I should brush up on it. Anyways, our main character Lily is trying to find a way to heal her grandmother from a sickness. She believes that if she trades the tiger the stories her grandmother stole, she will get better. I'm pretty sure it isn't going to work, but it is sweet that this child believes that some magic will work to healing her grandmother. It could actually work too, that is how children's books are anyways. Anyways, my focus has been pretty slim lately so I ended up finding someone reading this book on Youtube. I've been listening to them read the book while I try to work on other things. Audiobooks are the saving grace for my busy lifestyle. I do enjoy the story, but I feel like I would enjoy it more if I understood the folklore more. Maybe one of you can point me in the direction on where I can read the folklore that this book is based on so I can get myself familiar with it.

So until next time....

-Lys

Still reading Once Upon a River

 

Hello Bookies,

It is hard listening to this book. I have to relisten to chapters because I end up falling asleep listening to them. It also probably doesn't help that I'm listening to this before bed. The story is focused on this mysterious little girl. Who is she? Where did she come from? Who's daughter is she? The storyline is interesting. I just make the mistake of listening to it after a long day of work and other household activities. I'm about two thirds of the way through the book and we still haven't solved the mystery of the little girl. To be honest, I'm pretty sure that is the only reason I'm still listening to the book. I want to know the mystery of this little girl. The girl who was dead but came back to life is what the books says. For a while the little girl was being taken care of a family that had lost their little girl two year ago in the book. They believe the little girl is their missing daughter. But I had just got done with a part where they went to a fair and another person had claimed the little girl to be their daughter, taking her away from the family that had been taking care of her. The family is now in shock over the situation because it was so sudden and should have been traumatic for the child. But the child shows no reaction to anything really. There is something strange about this little girl and I plan to listen to the book more in hopes that I find out what it is.

So until next time....

-Lys

Reading When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

 Hello there Bookies,

My boss told me to read this book. She figured that I would like this book, so I figured, why not? It's a kid's book or middle grade. The book is based on a Korean folktale. I'm not really familiar of Korean folktales, but this is a good introduction into it. The plot so far is that our main character, Lily, and her family move to live with her grandmother. They aren't sure why, but Lilly is excited about it. But things aren't the way they used to be before. She sees a tiger and she isn't sure why. Lily also learns that her grandmother is sick. Now Lily thinks that the tiger can heal her grandmother. The only problem is that she has to hunt the tiger in order for it to help her. I'll just have to read more to see what happens next.

So until next time....

-Lys

Manga post #30

 Hey there Bookies,

It has been a while since I made a post like this. But this is one quick way to get through my TBR list. I have so many mangas and graphic novels I want to read so I'm going to include all of the ones I got in this post. So you can say this isn't an official manga post since we do have one graphic novel in this post, but it is just easier to include it.

The first one we are going to talk about is Yona of the Dawn vol. 1. I do not know much about this series because I just started it. But already I'm curious on what is going to happen. We have a princess named Yona who is the daughter of a timid king. The king has no sons and he has no queen to give him a son. Yona doesn't mention any siblings so I'm going to assume that she is the only child before the queen died. There is some hints of incest in the volume but it isn't too bad. Yona is pretty much in love with her cousin but when he is like the only guy she ever interacted with other than her guard, I can see why. Also in the time period that this book takes place, it's normal. History is a wonderful thing. Anyways Yona turns 16 and wants to convince her father to let her marry Su-won, her cousin. Her father has refused before because he can't trust him. He doesn't say it out loud but you get the idea with what he says. Anyways as a birthday gift, Su-won gives Yona a hairpin and kills her father. Yona is shocked by it and her guard does his best to keep her safe. But now that Su-won is taking over the kingdom, Yona and her guard must figure out what to do next. You know that I got the second volume requested. 

The next book I read was the graphic novel called Demon in the Wood. This is kind of the prequel to the whole Shadow and Bone series. I know there is a regular book for this graphic novel or at least I'm pretty sure there is. I didn't look too much into it. But I've only watched the first season of Shadow and Bone. Yes, I'm admitting that I never read the books, but this is a good start into it. This just gives a small background on one of the characters in the Shadow and Bone series. It's how he travels with his mother and is always on the run. They have a power no one is familiar with and are either scared of it or want to control it. Eventually someone in the camp they are staying in finds out that he is an amplifier and tries to kill him. In a desperate way to survive he loses control of his power and ends up killing the person and another villager. In order to save himself and his mother, he injures himself and comes up with a story. The village then has to move on after the deaths in fear that they will be discovered. But this is where you get the realization that no place is safe for people like them. But our main character has decided that he is going to create a place that is safe for people like him. And that is how the story ends. Like I said this is a good way to introduce yourself into the Shadow and Bone series. It is a good motivation to pick up the book and see what is going to happen. Which I will be doing soon. Well, hopefully soon. Depends on my reading list. 

Our next read is the manga Kagyua-sama: Love is War vol. 1. This is a cute one. We have two students that are the head of the student council in their school. Everyone in their school expect the two to be dating because they are always seen together. So the two play with the idea but neither want to confess feelings for each other. They see that whoever confesses first is the loser. The whole manga is them trying to get the other to confess. All the different situations are a good laugh and it is just cute how hard they try. Also most the time no one ends up winning or losing because something happens that ruins their plans. I look forward to the next volume because I want to see what else they will try to get one of them to confess first. 

The last graphic novel/manga I read is Tomie 2. I enjoyed the first book of this series, so I thought it would be nice to get the next one. The adventures of Tomie have been really interesting. So interesting to the point I'm wondering if there is a way to actually kill her for good. The girl just keeps coming back no matter how many times she gets killed. I think once I'm done with this series, I'll look into more of Junji Ito's works. I'll just have to look up the titles to find them, I guess. So if you have suggestions, I'm all ears. As far as I can tell I enjoy the stories in this series but it takes a lot of thinking to understand what is going on. Making me take my time on the reading. If I remember correctly there is one more volume on in this series, but I will have to see if my work place has it. If not, it is on to the next book by Junji Ito.

So until next time....

-Lys

Started reading Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

 

Hey there Bookies,

Well, the version I have is the large print version and sadly Goodreads doesn't have that. So my progress isn't going to be accurate on there. Anyways my first thoughts on the book is that there is a lot of information being given to me and my brain doesn't want to process it all. I do have the audiobook for this book and I tend to space out a lot. I think it is safe to say that this isn't going to be a book for me. If I end up DNF the book, I will let you know. This is on my TBR list, so I figured I would give it a try. Hopefully I can at least get halfway through this book before my brain decides that it can't take anymore. I wish I could tell you want is going on in the book but I can't. All I know is that the book is talking about different characters and I have no idea how they relate in any way. Maybe if I stop spacing out and actually listen to the book, I would know more. 

So until next time...

-Lys