Recently Read: Truly Devious

Author: Maureen Johnson
Genre: Young Adult/ Mystery
Publication Date: 2018
Page Count: 416
Rating: 4/5

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Also by Maureen Johnson 
The Name of the Star
The Madness Underneath
The Shadow Cabinet 

Stevie Bell is obsessed with solving crimes, one crime in particular: the disappearance of an American billionaire's wife in daughter in the late 1930s. When Stevie is accepted into the boarding school started by the billionaire, and the scene of the infamous crime, she is determined to solve the mystery once and for all, but first, she may have a few other crimes to solve. 

Back in 2014 I read the first book in Johnson's Shades of London mystery series and I loved it! The next books in the series were less-great (though still good) so I was excited to hear that Johnson had a new YA mystery series coming out this year, but also a little unsure of how I would feel about it.

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a quick read. I read the ebook and couldn't believe when I finished it that it was four hundred pages because I flew through it. As usual, Johnson's characters were super loveable and interesting. I loved the dual mysteries and time-lines that were in the plot, and thought both of them were equally intriguing and entertaining. We receive information on the 1936 case in alternating chapters alongside Stevie's story, and I was just as invested in the past crime as the current story-line. I think the two will come together in a brilliant way in the upcoming novels.

All elements of this novel were high-quality including the mysteries, the characters, the setting, and the slow-burn and confused romance. I loved the idea of the boarding school for super-smart and creative kids, and I thought it made a great setting for a mystery. I think that this plot will really expand in the upcoming novels, as there is a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this book. I'm not looking forward to the wait for book two! I also loved all of the side characters, and found Stevie's classmates to be so interesting. I'm hoping that we will get to know these characters more in the upcoming books. There is a lot of natural-feeling diversity in the side characters, which is always appreciated.

I'm really looking forward to more books in this series. The end of this book had me trying to turn the page to the next chapter, and being shocked to see it was done. If you've been thinking about picking this one up, go for it!  

2018 Releases on My Radar (and that might not be on yours)

January tis the month to post about upcoming book releases! I have seen quite a few posts highlighting books that will be released in 2018, but I haven't seen a lot of the books that have caught my eye on many lists. I thought I would share some of the books on my 2018 watch-list that may not be on yours. Book titles lead to Goodreads of course!

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson 
Release Date: January 16th

This is a mystery that flips back and forth in time that takes place at a boarding school. I love Johnson's humor and thought the first two books in her Shades of London mystery series were hilarious and so well-done, so I think this one will be a really great read. It looks as if this will be the first book in a trilogy.  

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson

Release Date: February 6th 

I loved the writing and magical realism of Hutchinson's We Are the Ants which I read in 2016, so I'm really looking forward to this release. This one also sounds like it will have some magical realism as the main character, a girl-who-likes-girls, is able to perform miracles, including healing her crush from a gunshot wound as her mysterious shooter disappears into the clouds. 

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartmen

Release Date: February 27th 

This one is set in Medieval times and is about a rebellious girl who avoids being sent to a nunnery by her parents by running away and disguising herself as a boy. Oh, yeah, and there's dragons. 

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough 

Release Date: March 6th 

Books about art and artists always catch my eye and this one sounds really interesting as it centers around an Italian teenage female artist in the early 1600s. It's written in verse, and centers around a young woman's struggle to make a name for herself in a world that doesn't approve of her lifestyle. 

The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton

Release Date: March 13th 

This one deals with family curses, witches, and love. I haven't read Walton's first novel, but I've heard lots of great things about the lyrical writing and the magical realism elements. 

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Release Date: May 8th 

This one has a super unique premise! Mila tries to solve the mystery of her best friend and the school's mean girls' deaths by bringing them back from the dead. I love the vibes of this cover, and the premise sounds like it has a lot of potential! 

Scream All Night by Derek Milman

Release Date: July 24th

I have to rely on Goodreads for this one because its another one with a unique premise. 

Dario Heyward knows one thing: He’s never going back to Moldavia Studios, the iconic castle that served as the set, studio, and home to the cast and crew of dozens of cult classic B-horror movies. It’s been three years since Dario’s even seen the place, after getting legally emancipated from his father, the infamous director of Moldavia’s creature features.

But then Dario’s brother invites him home to a mysterious ceremony involving his father and a tribute to his first film—The Curse of the Mummy’s Tongue. Dario swears his homecoming will be a one-time visit. A way for him to get closure on his past—and reunite with Hayley, his first love and costar of Zombie Children of the Harvest Sun, a production fraught with real-life tragedy—and say good-bye for good. But the unthinkable happens—Dario gets sucked back into the twisted world of Moldavia and the horrors, both real and imagined, he’s left there.

With only months to rescue the sinking studio and everyone who has built their lives there, Dario must confront the demons of his past—and the uncertainties of his future. But can he escape the place that’s haunted him his whole life?

The Truth Lies Here by Lindsey Klingele 

Release Date: August 21st

This one has lots of great elements. It takes place in my home state, it's a mystery with paranormal elements, and a conspiracy theory obsessed father who goes missing. 

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke 

Release Date: October 2nd 

There's not a lot of information about this one out yet besides that it's a gender-bent Beowulf, which you can sign me up for. 

Blanca and Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore 

Release Date: October 9th 

Goodreads: A magical realist Snow-White & Rose-Red meets Swan Lake, in which two sisters become rivals in a game that will turn the losing girl into a swan.  I enjoyed McLemore's first novel. Her writing was super lyrical and the magical realism was super interesting, and I'm hoping this one will be similar.  

Pulp by Robin Talley

Release Date: 2018

Goodreads: About a closeted teen in the 1950s finding a way to express herself by writing a lesbian pulp novel and a contemporary out-and-proud lesbian who discovers the book years later and becomes fascinated by its pseudonymous author.

Girls on the Verge by Sharron Briggs Walker

Release Date: 2018 

Goodreads: When 17-year-old Camille discovers she can't obtain an abortion anywhere near her small hometown, she sets off for a Planned Parenthood clinic in the next state. Accompanied by Annabelle, the one-time star of her high school who has wound up stocking shelves, Camille embarks on a road trip of self-discovery in this coming-of-age story pitched as Going Bovinemeets Thelma and Louise. 

Recently Read: Bird Box

Author: Josh Malerman
Genre: Adult Thriller/ Horror
Page Count: 262
Publication Date: 2014
Rating: 3.5/5

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Something outside is making those who see it lose their minds. It starts with a few alarmingly violent cases throughout the world and then quickly spreads. Don't open your eyes because what you see will drive you crazy. Bird Box follows a house of strangers trying to survive this new world with their eyes shut. 

I have seen some buzz about this book lately, and although it's not my usual type of read, the concept sounded so interesting to me that I couldn't resist picking it up. I had no idea of what to expect from the plot or the reading experience, and that made the book even more fun to read. I couldn't put this book down. From page one, Malerman sucks you into a world of suspense and uncertainty and you need to find out what happens next.

I thought the writing style fit with the plot and genre perfectly. You really don't get to know any of the characters all that well, but you don't need to. The plot is constantly moving towards something unknown and that drives the narrative. I also really loved that the book wasn't told in a linear fashion as both the past and present were so interesting that I was equally invested in what was happening in both times, which is not always the case with books that switch back and forth between times. The novel has the perfect amount of "shocks" and suspense, but still keeps an interesting plot and substance. Once you pick this book up, you won't put it down until it's finished.

A lot of the negative reviews on Goodreads are the result of readers being unhappy with the ending of the novel. While this book does leave a lot of questions unanswered, I prefer it that way. I think that's what makes good science fiction or horror so good. The unknown is what scares us as humans, we need to sort and classify everything we see in a logical fashion, and when we can't, that's when we are threatened. Unanswered questions in the real world, and fiction such as this, is what makes horror scary. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot or the ending, but I respected the ending and enjoyed it. It does what the end of a good horror plot should do: make you think about it even after you have finished it. And I agree that some details of the novel are unrealistic, but it's a novel with a supernatural plot; I'm willing to suspend belief for the smaller details as well as the larger ones in an entertaining novel such as this one. 

If you're not usually a reader of this genre, I really recommend this one. I raced through it and really enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen next. I'm interested to explore the thriller/horror genre more in the near future, so leave me your favorites!  

Recently Purchased: Two Classic Mysteries

I went on a long- weekend vacation last weekend to the beach and of course I manged to sniff out a bookstore. This bookstore had a huge bargain section downstairs with tons of U.K. editions, and other editions that are hard to find in the states. I manged to limit myself to two classic mystery novels.

                                 

I haven't read anything by Raymond Chandler yet, but I own the novel (and have seen the movie version) of The Big Sleep. I am confident I will enjoy Chandler's novels as I love the drama of Noir Crime films, so I'm sure I will enjoy the source material. I don't know anything about this one, I just picked it up on a whim, but I can't wait to get into it. 

I have seen the movie version of The Maltese Falcon and loved it of course, so I'm eager to read the novel. Even though I have already seen the ending, presuming that the film ending doesn't differ from the novel, I don't remember a lot of the details, so I still think I will enjoy the book. 

Let me know your thoughts on Crime Noir and classic mysteries! I'd love to hear them. 

Recently Read: Bellweather Rhapsody

Author: Kate Racculia
Genre: Adult- Mystery
Publication Date: 2014
Page Count: 340
Rating: 5/5

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Fifteen years ago, a murder-suicide in room 712 rocked the grand old Bellweather Hotel and the young bridesmaid who witnessed it, Minnie Graves. Now hundreds of high school musicians have gathered at the Bellweather for the annual Statewide festival; Minnie has returned to face her demons; and a blizzard is threatening to trap them all inside. When a young prodigy disappears from infamous room 712, the search for her entwines an eccentric cast of conductors and caretakers, teenagers on the verge and adults haunted by memories. A genre-bending page-turner, full of playful nods to pop-culture classics from The Shining to Agatha Christie to Glee, Bellweather Rhapsody is a winning new novel from a writer to watch. Goodreads

I heard about this novel in a haul video on Books and Quills Youtube channel and it sounded so perfect for my reading mood at the time. I just watching The Shinning a few months ago and really loved it, so I was interested in the comparison, and I've been craving creepy media to consume lately. I picked this up from the library and dove in not knowing much beyond that, and I really, really enjoyed this novel. 

This is an adult novel with teenage main characters as well as adult main characters. The mysteries of the hotel and the Statewide Festival weekend unravel slowly, and in pieces, as the novel is told through different characters. There are quite a few characters that play a role in this novel, but they were easy to keep track of and all had a distinct voice and personality. For much of the novel, I was really unsure of how it would end, and then when things began to clear up, Racculia surprised me a few times over. The end of this novel is action packed and surprising and very well done.

This novel was the perfect mix of creepy, quirky, mysterious, and funny. I loved how this novel paid homage to The Shinning and mystery classics, yet was its own unique story. The Bellweather hotel almost becomes a character itself in the novel, and the atmosphere is perfect for the characters and story. I enjoyed that this novel was told through so many perspectives and that they were all so different. The characters range from teenage twins to an eighty-year-old bellhop to a psychopath former music prodigy turned mom and Statewide director, along with a few others. This is a book I can see myself curling up with and rereading in the future, despite already knowing how it ends. The reading experience was so enjoyable.

I'll be keeping my eye on this author to see what she comes up with next, as I really like her style and humor. This is a novel I highly recommend you add to your reading list!  

Just Added to my TBR (16): (Weird Reads)

If you have been reading anything I've been putting out lately, you will have caught on to my craving for weird and creepy reads lately. I've rounded up the last three creepy reads I've added to my Goodreads TBR.

Just Added (15)
Just Added (14)

Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

Summary from Goodreads:

The nine stories in Link's second collection are the spitting image of those in her acclaimed debut, Stranger Things Happen: effervescent blends of quirky humor and pathos that transform stock themes of genre fiction into the stuff of delicate lyrical fantasy. In "Stone Animals," a house's haunting takes the unusual form of hordes of rabbits that camp out nightly on the front lawn. This proves just one of several benign but inexplicable phenomena that begin to pull apart the family newly moved into the house as surely as a more sinister supernatural influence might. The title story beautifully captures the unpredictable potential of teenage lives through its account of a group of adolescent schoolfriends whose experiences subtly parallel events in a surreal TV fantasy series. Zombies serve as the focus for a young man's anxieties about his future in "Some Zombie Contingency Plans" and offer suggestive counterpoint to the lives of two convenience store clerks who serve them in "The Hortlak." Not only does Link find fresh perspectives from which to explore familiar premises, she also forges ingenious connections between disparate images and narrative approaches to suggest a convincing alternate logic that shapes the worlds of her highly original fantasies.

Why I added It: Short stories can be a great way to get your creepy fix (think The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits but in book form) and I saw this book on quite a few recommendation lists for creepy reads. Plus I love that cover! 

Alice and the Fly by James Rice

Summary from Goodreads:

A spellbinding debut novel by an exceptional new young British talent.

This is a book about phobias and obsessions, isolation and dark corners. It's about families, friendships, and carefully preserved secrets. But above everything else it's about love. Finding love - in any of its forms - and nurturing it.

Miss Hayes has a new theory. She thinks my condition's caused by some traumatic incident from my past I keep deep-rooted in my mind. As soon as I come clean I'll flood out all these tears and it'll all be ok and I won't be scared of Them anymore. The truth is I can't think of any single traumatic childhood incident to tell her. I mean, there are plenty of bad memories - Herb's death, or the time I bit the hole in my tongue, or Finners Island, out on the boat with Sarah - but none of these are what caused the phobia. I've always had it. It's Them. I'm just scared of Them. It's that simple. 


Why I added it: I saw this one over on Mixed Margins' post about her top five books of 2017 so far, and it sounded perfectly weird and delightful. 

The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson 

Summary from Goodreads:
One day in March 1969, twenty-three- year-old Jane Mixer was on her way home to tell her parents she was getting married. She had arranged for a ride through the campus bulletin board at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she was one of a handful of pioneering women students at the law school. Her body was found the following morning just inside the gates of a small cemetery fourteen miles away, shot twice in the head and strangled. Six other young women were murdered around the same time, and it was assumed they had all been victims of alleged serial killer John Collins, who was convicted of one of these crimes not long after. Jane Mixer's death was long considered to be one of the infamous Michigan Murders, as they had come to be known. But officially, Jane's murder remained unsolved, and Maggie Nelson grew up haunted by the possibility that the killer of her mother's sister was still at large.

In an instance of remarkable serendipity, more than three decades later, a 2004 DNA match led to the arrest of a new suspect for Jane's murder at precisely the same time that Nelson was set to publish a book of poetry about her aunt's life and death - a book she had been working on for years, and which assumed her aunt's case to be closed forever.

The Red Parts chronicles the uncanny series of events that led to Nelson's interest in her aunt's death, the reopening of the case, the bizarre and brutal trial that ensued, and the effects these events had on the disparate group of people they brought together. But The Red Parts is much more than a "true crime" record of a murder, investigation, and trial. For into this story Nelson has woven a spare, poetic account of a girlhood and early adulthood haunted by loss, mortality, mystery, and betrayal, as well as a subtle but blistering look at the personal and political consequences of our cultural fixation on dead (white) women.

The result is a stark, fiercely intelligent, and beautifully written memoir that poses vital questions about America's complex relationship to spectacles of violence and suffering, and that scrupulously explores the limits and possibilities of honesty, grief, empathy, and justice.

Why I added it: This basically sounds like a cross of the last two documentaries I have watched and loved on Netflix: Packed in a Trunk and The Keepers. (Read more about these documentaries here.) It has the family mystery and detective work of Packed in a Trunk and the true-crime mystery element of The Keepers. Bonus: I live in Michigan and have never read a book about true-crime; I'm very intrigued!

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I STILL Need to Start

This year has been the year of the standalone for me so far. There are so many series that I need to get caught up on (a post for another day) and that I need to start! So, before I get too overwhelmed with thinking about all the books I want to read, here's ten series that I would like to start! I own at least the first book in the series for all of the series listed below, so I really have no excuses here.
Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

 

1.  The Fairyland Series by Catherine M. Valente 

2. Papergirls by Brian K. Vaughn 

3. The Bronze Horsemen Trilogy by Paulina Simmons 

 

4. The Magnus Chase Series by Rick Riordan 

5. The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde 

6. Finishing School Series by Gale Carriger

 

7. The Glamourist Histories Series by Mary Robinette Kowal  

8. The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency by Jordon Stratford 

9. The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante 

10.  The Lois Lane Series by Gwenda Bond

Recently Read: Fingersmith

Author: Sarah Waters
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 2002
Page Count: 582
Rating: 4/5

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Sue is an orphan who lives with a family of thieves in London in the year 1862. She has learned the tricks of the trade from her family around her, and when she is offered a chance to make her own fortune by a man who does regular business with her adoptive father, she knows better than to refuse. But Sue has no idea what she is getting herself into, or where she comes from. 

Ever since I have been blogging, I have heard great things about Sarah Waters. I picked this book up at my local bookstore a year or so ago, and it has sat on my shelf because of its size and my busy school schedule. I finally picked it up on a whim earlier this month and flew through it despite its size. Waters is known for her lesbian historical fiction with twists and mysteries, and this one delivered.

Waters did a great job creating the atmosphere for this novel. The atmosphere was historic, Gothic, and quite dreadful: perfect for London in 1862. The characters were done so well. Every character had multiple sides to them, as many were crooks or thieves, but were real people with messy motivations. I really enjoyed the romance element of this novel, as it was not front and center, but was natural to the story and the plot. It's great to see a well done lesbian romance set in a historical setting, as that is not something I come across too often in my reading of historical fiction. I know most of Waters books have a lesbian romance and a historical setting, so if that interests you, please check her out. 

I don't want to talk about the mystery/twist in this novel too much because I want you to be as taken back by it as I was, but I will say, I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of this novel. I couldn't read fast enough when I got to the middle of the novel; I had to know what was happening and how it could have happened. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by this novel from the first to last page.  

I will be picking up another Waters novel as soon as I can. I have a feeling I will be speeding through her back catalog of novels in the near future. Let me know which novel of hers I should read next! 

Mystery Double Review: They Do it With Mirrors and The Body in the Library

Author: Agatha Christie
Genre:Classic/Mystery
Publication Date: 1952
Page Count: 202
Rating: 3/5

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Also by Agatha Christie:
And Then There Were None

In this Miss Marple mystery, our detective heads to the home (and juvenile delinquent rehab center) of her old schoolmate. Miss Marple is sent on the suspicion that something is not right, and of course, that suspicion is correct as murder ensues.

This was my third Christie novel and first Miss Marple. I picked this book up to take to work with me one day and ended up reading it in two days. I loved that this novel was so quick to read and easy to follow, which made for great work reading. I really enjoy reading (and watching) mysteries, so of course, I enjoy Christie. While I don't think this is the best mystery she has ever crafted, I was thoroughly entertained and suspicious of every character. The setting really made this novel, and I'm eager to pick up more by Christie. I have been scouring for her novels at every used bookstore and sale I've been to lately! 

If you've never read anything by Christie, I highly recommend picking her up. She's a great author to start with if you are new to mystery, and a must read for those who love mysteries.

Title: The Body in the Library 

Author: Agatha Christie 

Genre: Classic/Mystery 

Publication Date: 1942

Page Count: 207

Rating: 3/5

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In this novel, Christie tackles the 'body found in the library' trope of the mystery novel, and of course, she does it in a clever and entertaining way. Miss Marple is called when friends of hers awake to find the dead body of a young girl they have never seen before in their library. 

I have come to find that I really enjoy Miss Marple. I find her to be funny and smart in her observations and village parallels. She never seems to be the focus of her novels, which leaves room for Christie's eccentric and humorous characters to lead the show. This novel, like They Do it With Mirrors, was hard to put down and very entertaining.  I find myself turning to Christie when I need a quick and entertaining read to help me pass the time during trips or slow work days. 

Christie's works also make great beach reads as they are clever and entertaining, but not overly complicated. The plot and characters are easy to keep track off, and her clever detectives can always be counted on to add wit and humor to the very series topic of murder. 

What's your favorite Christie novel?

Short Reads TBR

In this post I talked about some of my short-term reading goals I have set for myself. One of those was to use February to read some of the short books that have been on my TBR for ages! I've picked out six books that are under or around 200 pages that I have been meaning to get to for ages. If you've read any of them, let me know what you thought!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman- 241 pages

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark- 128 pages

They do it with Mirrors by Agatha Christe- 202 pages

The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and American Slave by Fredrick Douglas- 110 pages

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho- 177 pages

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon- 221 pages

I would love to get through all of these this month, as they are all well-beloved books. 

What are your reading goals for this month? For the year? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Poolside Reads

I love reading by the pool during the summer! My family home has a pool in the backyard that we have had since I was in first grade so pool-side reading has been a staple for me for a long time. I have certain genres that I love to read by the pool, so I thought I would share some of the books from these genres on my TBR for this summer.
Hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

Mysteries 

 

1. Anything by Agatha Christie- I love reading mysteries in the sun, and Christie is the Queen of Mystery. I've loved all the Christie I have read so far so I am eager to read more.
2. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron I'm really excited to start this mystery series where Jane Austen solves mysteries.
3. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde- This literary based mystery looks like a lot of fun; I have heard lots of great things about Fforde.


Nonfiction

 

4. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Byrson- Nonfiction is another of my favorite pool-side reads, particularly outdoorsy and nature inspire non-fiction like Bryson's novels. This will be my first Byrson and I'm excited to see what all the hype is about.
5. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer- This nonfiction classic has been on my TBR forever, I would love to cross it off by the pool this summer.
6. Memoirs of a Beatnik by Diane Di Prima- I will be starting this one really soon. It's on my Classics Club Women's Literature Event TBR and I love the Beatnik movement. I'm eager to learn more about women in the movement as they were somewhat of a rarity and faced discrimination.


Young Adult

 

7. Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas- I have heard that this YA thriller is supper addtictive, perfect for a pool read.
8. The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski- I need to finsih this trilogy and the other two books were fast paced and sucked me in so I expect this one to as well.
9. These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelley Zekas- I think this one will be a fast and light read.


Graphic Novels

 

10. Comics!- I am on a comic book kick this summer; I plan to read as many as I can. Right now I have tons of Robin and Wonder Woman to read.

What are your favorite genres to read by the pool, on the beach. or even on your couch in the summer?
Side note: does anyone else miss Mad Men as much as I do?

Reading Update, Life Update, Summer Plans, Oh My!

For the last few months of the semester I had ZERO time to do anything beside school so I took a little blogging break. I didn't stop reading, but my reading slowed down a lot. I thought I would just update you with the reading I've done in the past few months, the end of my semester, and some things I want to get up on the blog this summer. 

Reading Update:

So since my last review on the blog I've finished four things: a play, a middle grade novel for school, a murder mystery, and a reread. I'm way behind on my Goodreads challenge, so hopefully I can catch up this summer but I'm not too worried about it. 

 

I listened to Lady Windermere's Fan on audio while driving back to my apartment from my parents house and of course I loved it. I have written about my love for Oscar Wilde many times. This play is witty, laugh out loud funny, and a great social commentary. I highly recommend picking up one of Wilde's plays if you have not yet. I gave Lady Windermere's Fan 5/5.
I picked up The Opening Night Murder because I knew I needed something light I could read for ten minutes and then put down for two days because of school. This one takes place in the reconstructed Globe Theater and revolves around a single mother main character. This one started off a little slow with a lot of set up, but it was enjoyable and the characters were likeable so I didn't mind. I have another one in this series on my shelves that I might get to this summer. I gave this one 3/5.

 

I read One Crazy Summer for my teaching literature class and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the historical setting, 1968 America, and the Civil Rights themes in this one along with the humor and mother- daughter and sister relationships. Highly recommend you check this one out. I gave this one 4/5.

Lastly, I reread Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets because I have been itching to ever since reading the illustrated first novel in December. I picked this one up when I was feeling a little down and it was the perfect pick me up. I love these novels and it has been a very long time since I have reread them, particularly the first few in the series. I cannot put into words how excited I am for all of the illustrated editions coming out. Of course, this reread got 5/5

End of the Semester Chaos:

The end of the semester was packed with papers and projects and I am so glad to have it all done! If you remember earlier I mentioned I was writing a paper on women codebreakers in WWII at Bletchley Park (for more on these ladies see the interesting links post and interesting books post) and I am happy to say that my paper won the best 300-level history paper for the 2015-2016 academic school year! That was a really great honor and I loved studying this topic and learning more about these amazing women. I know I will be reading everything I can about them for the rest of my life. 

Summer Plans:

I am taking a summer class and have three certification tests to take this summer, so it will be a working summer for me. I'm still thinking (and hoping) that I will have lots of time to read and blog. I would like to get up an average of three posts a week, it's just a matter of me getting organized and scheduling ahead. I have lots of posts that I have been wanting to write up for ages but haven't had the time to. I want to get up more of my lengthy series posts including poetry spotlight and literary look, and of course I want to read and post more for the Classics Club's Women's Literature Event as I haven't had much time to do anything with that this semester. 

What have you guys been reading? Are you on summer break? How was the last few weeks of the semester for you?  Any posts you want to see?