Mini Book Haul

 

📚 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝗹 📚

Happy Saturday! 

Here’s a small stack of books that I recently got from the library’s used book sales shelves. 

The Colorado Kid- I’ve been on the look out for this for awhile since reading Stephen King’s Joyland and Later. 

B Is for Burglar - Sue Grafton’s alphabet series is one of my all time favorites. Happy to find this early edition hardback. 

The Inheritance Games- this series a bookstagram darling. So I guess I should give it a try. 

Killing Floor - l love the Jack Reacher series and was thrilled to find this hardback edition. 

Always shop your local public library’s book sale. You’ll find some gems! 

I was all set to post this pic yesterday afternoon, but I was rudely interrupted by a bat flying around my living room. It was the second bat in our house within 12 hours. Definitely not cool. My husband took care of the first bat. But yesterday’s bat found a good hiding spot after I ran screaming from the room. Had to call a pest control company to come. The pest control guy found it hiding under the radiator in a corner of the living room, captured it, and set it free outside. He also checked for other bats especially in the attic. Needless to say, we’re going to have our house bat-proofed. 

QOTD: Ever had a bat or some other uninvited critter in your house? 

#bookhaul #bookhauls #librarybooksale #killingfloor #bisforburglar #theinheritancegames #batsinthebelfry #ihavetomovenow #bookstagram #usedbooks #bookworm #bibliophile #bibliophilelife #shoplocal #booksbooksbooks #alwaysreading

Library Outreach

 

📚 𝙇𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 📚

#libraryoutreach is more than delivering #librarybooks. Today I’m manning an table at an informational event for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. There are many county, state, and community agencies here to provide information and resources. I have information on the library’s programs, resources, and getting a library card. I also have some books and bubble wands to give away. Should be a fun day! 

#librarylife #libraryoutreach #library #community #communityresources #makingadifference #outreachlibrarian #communityoutreach #libraryprogramming #librarian #librarianlife

Cold People

 

Author: Tom Rob Smith

Narrator: Rebecca Lowman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2023

🎧 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🎧

Thank you @simon.audio and @librofm for the complimentary audiobook. 

Cold People is a thought-provoking sci fi global apocalyptic survival story and it really hooked me. 

Alien ships suddenly appear in the sky all over the world. They have one simple message. All the people on earth have 30 days to make their way to Antarctica. It’s the least habitable place in the world and the only place the alien invaders will allow humans to now live. 

The story focuses on a few of the main characters perilous journey to Antarctica. Those that survived the journey must find ways to survive and thrive living there. What happens to mankind as the decades go by and their high tech cold weather gear can no longer be patched or replaced? Can the human species evolve quickly enough to survive? Could genetic engineering help create future generations of humans better suited to live in the bitter cold environment? Will genetically modified beings still be humans if they look vastly different or will they be an entirely new species? Would they retain our humanity?

This was such a unique and compelling story. For me sci fi is a delicate balance of characters, science, and action. Author Tom Rob Smith really hits the mark here with interesting characters, a quickly moving plot, and enough science to be plausible without being overwhelming. Kudos to Rebecca Lowman for for her stellar narration. Pick this one up if you’re looking for a smart survival story that will leave you pondering what it means to be human. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 

QOTD: are you a cold weather person or a warm weather person? 

I’m definitely a warm weather person. I don’t like the snow and the cold. Pretty sure I wouldn’t last long living in Antarctica! 

#coldpeople #tomrobsmith #rebeccalowman #simonaudio #librofm #giftedbook #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #audiobooksofinstagram #antarctica #scifi #survivalstory #alieninvasion #lgbtqrepresentation #surviveontheice #geneticengineering #geneticmodification #mankindssurvival #humanity #newspecies 

February Reading Wrap Up

 

𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗨𝗽

I can’t believe Febuis here and gone already. It was my most productive reading month in awhile and I enjoyed all the books I read. 

QOTD: what was your favorite February read? 

Thank you the tagged publishers for the gifted books and digital ARCs. This was my most productive reading month in a while. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧The Last Orphan- the Orphan X series never lets me down. 

📖The Cabin at the End of the World- so intense! 

📖Small Mercies-a mother’s search for her teen daughter puts racism & community under a microscope. Publishing April 25th. 

📖Miss Benson’s Beetle-friendship, loneliness, & chasing a dream with two unforgettable main characters  this was my book club’s read for the month. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

🎧Cold People - thought-provoking sci fi examines to what extent we should go to ensure mankind’s survival as a species. 

📖Killing Me- a great mix of humor and thriller. Publishing May 16th. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖The Mitford Affair- privileged English sisters get wrapped up with Hitler & the Nazis. 

🎧The Twist of the Knife- I really enjoy this series! 

📖Ozark Dogs- family secrets & generational trauma lead to tragedy in this southern noir. Publishing April 4th. 

📖Welcome to the Game - a fast paced debut thriller

🎧The House of Eve- historical fiction that entwines the lives of two Black women. 

🎧Maybe in Another Life - a woman’s life can go in different directions depending on a choice she makes. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖The Drift - apocalyptic locked room thriller. 

#readingwrapup #monthlywrapup #crimefiction #historicalfiction #sciencefiction #simonaudio #netgalley #harper #penguinbooks #sohopress #thrillerbooks #mysteryfiction #audiobooks #bookstagram #audiobookstagram 

The Drift

 

Author: C.J. Tudor

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Year: 2023

❄️ 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 ❄️

“You’re either a good guy or you’re a survivor, someone had once told him. The earth is full a dead good guys.”

- The Drift 

The Drift is a mash up of a locked room mystery and a virus-induced post apocalyptic survival story. The overall plot has three different threads. The first follows Hannah and a group of fellow students from her boarding school. The bus they are on is involved in an accident during a ferocious snowstorm. The survivors must work together to survive the snow, the virus, & their secrets. 

The second thread finds former police officer Meg & several others trapped in a cable car going up a mountain during a huge snowstorm. They’re on their way to a place called “The Retreat” which might have something to do a vaccine for the virus. One of the passengers has been murdered & the gondola is stuck high in the air due to the storm. Will the killer strike again? Is anyone coming to rescue them? 

The third thread takes place at a ski chalet that’s equipped with a lab to manufacture a vaccine against the virus. How very convenient to have a science lab in a ski chalet! Carter & a few others at the chalet begin to worry when the aging generator starts going on the fritz because that could lead to some virus infected people escaping from the lab. A terrible snowstorm hits and bodies start piling up. 

There are clues throughout that start sewing the three plot lines together & by the end the whole thing comes together. But to me, the layout felt like a gimmick- almost like the author was trying to be a little too cleaver with the writing. Don’t get me wrong, overall I thought the story was interesting and entertaining. But some parts were just too unexplained & a few plot points felt smidge too contrived. So for me it’s 3.5 ⭐️. 

QOTD: how are you doing today? 

I’m actually a little annoyed with myself. I’ve been on a quest to learn to make good bagels. I made the dough and shaped them yesterday. They proofed in the fridge overnight. This morning I baked them a little too long & burned them. 😳😡 I have another batch still proofing so I’ll try again later. 

#thedrift #survivalfiction #lockedroommystery #snowstorm #postapocalypticfiction #virus #thrillerfiction #alothoingonhere 

The Other Side of Night

 

Author: Adam Hamdy

Narrator: Justin Avoth

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2022

 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🎧

QOTD: Have you ever read a book that made your brain hurt in a good way? Because you keep thing about it? Adam Hamdy’s The Other Side of Night is one of those books. 

Even if you read the synopsis, you won’t be ready for where this genre-defying book goes. The story seemed so intricate at times that I thought I’d never understand what’s going on. But then, it reveals itself to be so elegantly plotted and cleaver. 

This is a mind-bending mashup of genres that at its heart is a love story. I listened to the audiobook and really had to pay attention. Justin Avoth’s narration kept me riveted. Plus I didn’t want to zone out while listening because I was afraid of missing a crucial, but nuanced plot point. 

Pick this one up if you’re looking for something totally different and truly unique. I definitely recommend this one if you’re a Dr. Who fan. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for the complimentary audiobook. 

#theothersideofnight #adamhamdy #simonaudio #justinavoth #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #audiobooksofinstagram #librofm #giftedbook #genremashup #genrebending #mysteryfiction #sciencefiction #romancefiction #lovestory #bookstagram #booksta 

After I Do

 

Author: Tara Jenkins Reid

Narrator: Julia Whelan 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Year: 2022

🎧 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🎧

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for the complementary audiobook. 

The bloom is off the rose for Lauren and Ryan’s marriage. Their relationship has been rocky for awhile and now they’re at a breaking point. They come up with a brilliant plan to save their marriage- separate for a year with absolutely no communication. Wut?! So Ryan moves out of their house and Lauren must learn to be single. 

I thought this was more a story of growth rather than a typical love story. Lauren spends the year rediscovering herself and figuring out who she wants to be. She realizes that she sort of lost her sense of self somewhere inside her relationship with Ryan. The growth theme continues with Rachel, Lauren’s sister. She steps out of her comfort zone to chase a dream. Meanwhile, Lauren’s mom is building a budding relationship with a man. After being single for so long, she must make a decision to go all in on this new relationship or risk losing it. Lauren’s brother Charlie goes from being a carefree party time dude to embracing the huge responsibilities of fatherhood. Lots of growth for Lauren and her whole family. We only get small glimpses of Ryan’s life during the year long separation. I couldn’t tell if he really experienced any significant growth. 

My little quibble- the ending. Maybe I’m too cynical, but it just seemed too much for me. It didn’t ruin the book for me. It just made my eyes roll all the back in my head. 🙄 Of course Julia Whelan’s narration made up for my cynicism. Her performance was excellent. All in all, a very enjoyable story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: Happy Friday! What are you doing this weekend? 

I’m going to attempt to fix my dishwasher. It apparently has a leak somewhere and I can’t find a repairman to come out to look at it.

It’s only four years old and I don’t want to have to buy a new one if it’s an easy fix. Wish me luck! 

#afterido #tarajenkinsreid #simonaudio #librofm #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #audiobooksofinstagram #romancebooks #romancebookstagram #marriage #breakup #wewereonabreak #whogetsthedog #bookstagram #bibliophile #backlistbook #juliawhelan