Started listening to The Last Ember by Lilly Berlin Dodd

 

Hello Bookies, 

Well I am onto the next audiobook. This one is a middle grade book supposedly. I say supposedly because this book starts out pretty depressing. It's a little unhinged when the narrator is reading in a cheerful tone while talking about death. That is right, for a kid's book and only three chapters in I have heard about a man's cabin mate dying. Which resulted the man going through the dead man's things tossed what he could sell. That is just the prologue. The first chapter is a girl's twelve birthday and her mother wrote her a letter to have many crushes and then crush them. The second chapter starts with a boy who wakes up every morning wondering how much time he had left before he dies. I guess once he reaches a certain age he get drafted into the military where he is sure he will die. I'm a little surprised that this is a kid's book. Especially with the topics being mentioned so early on in the book. I predict that I probably won't finish this book. The tone of the narrator does not fit the tone of the book. It's a little weird for me to get around.

So until next time...

-Lys

Finished Pen Pal

 

Hey there Bookies, 

Well I finished the book and none of my theories were correct. Well maybe one was a little bit but you will have to read the book to figure out which one. But I will say that the book did take a turn I didn't expect. Again you will have to read the book to find out. I can't tell you everything about the book and ruin it for you. But I will say that the house is in fact haunted. By who? Now where is the fun in that if I told you? Anyway I did enjoy the quick read. Okay not read, more like listen. It took me only two days to finish this book with minor interruptions. I liked the book, but I didn't love it. I still feel like the plot was a little neglected throughout the book. There really isn't any character development either. I know there was a reason for it once you get to the end of the book, but you kind of have to think that someone might not even get to the end of the book. There are some very picky readers out there. Luckily I am not one of them. Anyway the book gets three solid stars from me. I liked it and would recommend, but I didn't love it. 

So until next time...

-Lys

Halway through Pen Pal

 

Hello Bookies, 

I am actually a little over halfway through this book. Maybe almost two thirds through. So far I am not learning much. I think the plot is more focused on our main female lead, Kayla, finding something new after her husband passed. Also I am starting to think the plot is more secondary to the spice of this book. I am not sure yet and it is just a feeling. But the good thing is that I can just have to story play while I do things without feeling I am missing anything important. Anyway Kayla is told by her housekeeper that her house could be haunted. Is it actually? I will have to find out by listening more. But I have a few theories with what is going on in the book. One theory is that her husband isn't actually dead. It's a stretch but he seems like a guy who might pull something off. Especially when she notices the bruise in her wedding photo. Her husband could have been abusive and she blocked that part out. So now he is seeing if she will move on without him and will punish her if she does. That's just the theory. The other theory is that Aiden is the pen pal from prison named Dante. Or maybe Kayla's husband is Dante. Again, I will have to finish the book in order to find out if I am correct. At the rate I am going, I could finish tonight or before work tomorrow. 

So until next time...

-Lys

Started listening to Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger

 

Hello bookies,

I am trying to tackle my TBR before my bif move. Meaning I am trying to read and listen to as many books as I can from my local library. All because it will take me a while to find the local library in the new town and state I am moving to. Anyway i have no idea what this book is about. I know once upon a time it was popular on TikTok. But that is about it. I am only an hour into the book because my family has an extra need to bug me now that I am moving. Have I learned anything in that hour? Not really. But our main female character had just lost her husband in an accident and now she is left with a house that is falling apart alone. But weird things are starting to happen in the house that our main female character has been writing off. Flickering lights that must be electrical issues, even though the handyman said everything is fine. Mysterious letter addressed to her on the kitchen counter? She must have checked the mail and forgot she did. You know because she is so stressed from losing her husband. Markings on her neck that could be fingerprints? Must be left over from the accident even though things should have been healed by now. But as I listen, I wonder if our female lead is getting drugged, which will put this book in dark romance territory if that is true and things are going on that she can't remember. But we also have the mysterious Aiden that has come to her place to check out her roof. Our main female character is both attracted and annoyed by him. I stopped listening at the part our main female character goes to a grief support group. But I didn't get far because my mother wanted to spend time with me. So far I am just trying to figure out if I like the book. The first few chapters are just the reader learning about the characters. I don't expect a whole lot until I am a little bit further in the book.

So until next time....

-Lys

Let's Get Personal #34

 Hey there Bookies,

Well my mood on what I want to read is changing yet again. But I am halfway through revisiting Cinder since I got my hands on the second book. So I will probably finish that and hopefully by then I will figure out what my new mood of reading is so I can continue. Right now I am breezing through graphic novels. I read at least four of them today. Also I am a little overwhelmed because I am preparing to move. That's right, I am moving and to a whole different state. I ended up getting a new job that will give me more time to explore more of my creative side and literary side. I'm a little nervous about it and also excited. It's a big step, but I think this will be good for me. At least i have my books to help me get my mind off of how stressful my life just got.

So until next time...

-Lys

Finally finished Electric Idols

 

Hey there Bookies, 

Thanks to revisiting series that I never finished, I was able to finally finish Electric Idol. The first time I tried to read this book i had only made it halfway. I can't remember why. It could have been a personal reason or my mood shifted since I am a mood reader. But I finished and I can say it is still like a 180 from the first book in the series. The trope is a marriage of convenience that still doesn't go as planned. Our female character is Prosephone's sister Psyche. She ends up in a situation where Aphrodite wants her literal heart, but Aphrodite's son Eros can't go through with killing Psyche. So he comes up with an idea to marry Psyche in order to prevent his mother from killing her. Sadly Aphrodite doesn't care and still wants Psyche dead. Why? I can't remember why. To get back at her mother Demeter? Probably. Aphrodite and Demeter have a bit of a fued going on that their children suffer for it. Also what seems to be popular with these books is that the female character always leaves to sacrifice herself for the man she loves and then the man gets tangled up in someone dying. Now I have to be honest, I haven't exactly finished this book. I have about 30 minutes left but I am starting to see a pattern. Especially when all the intense stuff happens right when the book is about to end. It kind of makes it a little predictable. I even bet the next book is going to have the main male character as Zeus. Guess I will just have to find out.

So until next time...

-Lys

Finished reading Immortal

 

Hey there Bookies,

I finished listening to Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan. Sadly I didn't liked this book as much as the duology that I love by her. I do like that it takes place in the same world as the duology. But there was a few more things that needed to be explained a little better in the book in order to make this book a little bit better. Maybe if she explained when this book took place compared to the duology it would have been easier to visualize. Now I have no idea what to say about this book that doesn't ruin all of the things that would reveal certain events in the book. There is an enemies to lovers feel to the beginning in the book but it eventually changes tropes after about halfway through the book. It changes after our main female character enters a cave and is presented to two different fates that she must choose from. But of course our main female character decides that she doesn't want either of them. She wants to make her own fate. That is as much as I can't comfortable say without ruining the book. If you want to know what happens, I do recommend the book to read. I really enjoyed the book, but I don't love it as much as the duology that I read from this author. The book will probably get three stars from me. I would give it three and a half stars but I can't. Either way, please go support this author because her books are pretty good and focus around Chinese Mythology that I find pretty fascinating. 

So until next time....

-Lys