Unspeakable Acts : review

Unspeakable Acts by Sarah Weinman (editor)

*e-ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

A brilliant anthology of modern true-crime writing that illustrates the appeal of this powerful and popular genre, edited and curated by Sarah Weinman, the award-winning author of The Real Lolita.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: July 28th, 2020

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Honestly, I feel a bit weird giving this book a star rating, since it's an anthology accounting true stories.

I did give it one but didn't break it down, like I usually do, to how I came to that rating. Instead, I wrote out my opinions, and what to expect from the book!

Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

• Though not all of the stories were new to me, I still got lots of new information. Though you might want to note, that these are all previously published pieces.

• The collection had vastly different types of cases and also reflects on why some became well known, and why people can be fascinated by them.

• Written by many different people; reporters and journalists, some with ties to the cases, it goes in-depth into 13 cases one by one. As with any anthology, you might end up really liking the style of one and really disliking the next, but fortunately, that didn't happen to me.

• Organized into clear sections separating different types, the book moves well (though you could just read a few here and there if you so choose). The first delves into four crime cases with classics features, the second goes further into cultural interaction related to crime, and the third being more broad and general about criminal justice.

! This book goes through real-life cases, and if you haven't figured it out yet, don't read the book if you are sensitive to reading about true crime cases. !

Read on lovelies,

S

Faith: Taking Flight : review

*Disclaimer - this is technically next week's post, but since this book will be released in a couple days, I wanted to go ahead and publish this now!

But don't worry I'm not changing schedules, and the next one will be on the 25th (also a review of a soon-to-be-released book I'm excited for!)*

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Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

From Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin', comes the first in a two-book origin story of Faith, a groundbreaking, plus-sized superhero, from the Valiant Entertainment comics.

Goodreads' link to the book!

Release Date: July 7th, 2020

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Stars: ✦✦✦✦.5

So as usual, I'll tell 4.5 things I liked about the book and 0.5 things I didn't care for.

First I'll point out that I'm not familiar with the original comic, so I can't say how accurate things are.

And quite surprisingly, this is my first book by Julie Murphy that I've read, though I know her work Dumplin' became popular and is being released on Netflix now.

+1 | The plot and pace

It took me some time to actually pick the book up, but once I started reading it, it felt like it flew by. The plot is interesting and the story moves at a good pace

+1 | Events and storyline

It has some crime and a bit of mystery, but at the end of the day, the characters were what made the story so engrossing. Also, another thing I enjoyed was how the author wove in fandom with a popular TV show starting to film in town.

+1 | Characters

I loved Faith's personality, and the set of people were so interestingly different with everyone having their own personality, perspective, and background which brought depth into the book

+1.5/-0.5 | Relationships and romance

As much as I felt like the characters were what drove the story for me, I didn't like the relationship triangle. At the same time, I saw how it was necessary to really show Faith's struggle in getting to know herself. But then when it comes to the friendship groups, I adored them!

Note: If you're interested in this book being "the next superhero book" with plenty of action, you might be disappointed - though there is action and tells the tale of a "superhero" in the making.

Maybe it's the younger-feeling writing or that the characters are at the forefront.

To end I'll just say, that I'll definitely be reading the next (and last?) book when it comes out!

Read on lovelies,

S

Read This Quarter II

What I read this quarter, Quarter II

April, May, and June

1. Hawk          REVIEWED ✦✦✦✦✧
2. Persuasion          audiobook (classic) ✦✦✦✦✧

3. The Guest List          ebook REVIEWED ✦✦✦✦.5
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4. Animal Farm          audiobook (classic) ✦✦✦✦✧

5. How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need Non-fiction  ebook REVIEWED ✦✦✦✦✧

6. Lady Susan          audiobook (classic) ✦✦✦✧ ✧

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7. Myyttihovi          ✦✦✦.5 ✧

Data:

Author:

          57 % female,

          43 % male

Genre:

         43 % classic,

         29 % fantasy,

         14 % crime
         14 % non-fiction

Pages:

       1 958 p

Format:

         43 % audiobooks,

         29 % e-books,

         29 % physical books

Average:

         3.86

Arcs:

          43 % sent to me (for honest reviews)

*For more info check my Goodreads: link*

Read on lovelies,

S

Mid Year Book Freak Out TAG

I wasn't planning on doing this tag this year since I've only read 12 books - of which none were 5 stars for me! But I thought that this, looking back and forwards, might work as a push to maybe read a bit more.

Also funnily enough, it turns out I've been doing this every other year. 2016 link & 2018 link and here it is again since we're a bit over the halfway mark again.

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2018.
I've given two books 4.5 stars so far; Turn of the Key and The Guest List.

Which is surprising, since I wouldn't think that crime would be my favorite genre this year.
2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2018.
I haven't read any! My Calamity Jane and Come Tumbling Down are high on my list though!
3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
From ARCs I have and haven't gotten to yet; Faith and Burn
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year. Bookish and the Beast, One by One, Instant Karma, A Sky Beyond the Storm are all on my list

5. Biggest disappointment. Maybe Lady Susan? It wasn't bad (I gave it 3 stars), but especially comparing to Pride and Prejudice and Emma I was disappointed.

6. Biggest surprise. I think this goes back to my answer for the first question.

7. Favorite new author.(Debut or new to you) I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Ruth Ware! With adult crime though, at the same time I know it could either go really well or, well, not.

8. Newest fictional crush. I don't really get fictional crushes, more like I really love a good relationship dynamic. And oddly enough, the only "romance" books I've read this year have been Persuasion and Lady Susan. Maybe I should pick up a contemporary book next.

Also something to mention, I enjoyed the relationships in the book Hawk.

9. Newest favorite character. I really don't think I have one!

10. Book that made you cry. None, I don't think

11. Book that made you happy. Book Love was definitely a cute one

12. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received) I haven't bough a single book! Well I guess I did, but it's a cookbook so does it count?

I've had this bucket list dream of cooking every single thing in a cookbook and I finally found one I wanted to go with; Magnolia Table. And it is gorgeous!

13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I went back to my post in January of anticipated reads, and I haven't read any! 4 out of the 6 2020 releases have already been released, yet I haven't read them.

How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips : review

How to Drag a Body and Other Safety Tips You Hope to Never Need: Survival Tricks for Hacking, Hurricanes, and Hazards Life Might Throw at You

by Judith Matloff

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY

A seasoned war correspondent, Columbia University professor, and safety consultant provides practical, proven strategies for women that gives them the power and resources to take on almost any crisis, disaster, or challenge—from hurricanes to harassment and beyond.

Goodreads' link to the book!
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Honestly I feel a bit weird giving this book a star rating, since it's more of a how-to type book.

I did end up giving it one, but didn't break it down like I usually do to how I came to that rating. Instead I wrote out my opinions, and what to expect from the book!

Stars: ✦✦✦✦✧

• This book goes through real life scenarios, though some might seem extreme, with tips an tricks from experience. It's written by a war reporter, so you know she has seen things.

• It's quite a reality check to help you feel in control. Whether it's by reading a section that applies or going through the book cover to cover. Overall I'd say it's a healthy way of being prepared.

• It's not simply "this scenario has this answer, that one has that", but has some story telling aspects to it, with humor also interlaced.

• I worked as a guard for some months, and in training we go through some worst case scenarios and what to do. The reality is you can never be sure you know everything and are prepared for anything. So simply having a game plan of where to find information is a great start! For example which folders have blueprints, or where the emergency meeting areas are.

" As Confucius once said, “He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail.” "

Read on lovelies,

S

400th Post

This right here is my 400th post(!), and I still can't believe that that is how many I've done!

I started in October 2013 with five reviews back to back (Graceling, Hunger Games, Gallagher Girls, Throne of Glass, Infernal Devices - all the ones everyone were reading). Actually, maybe I should go back and re-read Graceling and see how a review now would compare to my very first one? I'll put it into my thinking cap.

Then in 2014 I had a whopping 97 posts, with 12 alone in July! I started out with posts twice a week, T5W's (Top 5 Wednesdays) were here for a while.

Now it's just every other Saturday, a comfortable amount to me, with everything else going on. I haven't wanted to stop - and don't plan on for a while - even though my reasons to continue aren't all the reasons why I started.

I wrote about why I started in my very first post, and made another post four years later "Revamping an old Post" (link here). If you've read that post, then you know what I mean when I say thank you. Thank you for reading, even though it's not what I initially even really wanted. Yet here we are 400 posts later.

Read on lovelies,

S

The Guest List : review

Book by Author

*e-ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review!*

SUMMARY
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the author of The Hunting Party.


The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body

Goodreads' link to the book!
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Stars: ✦✦✦✦.5

So as usual, I'll tell 4.5 things I liked about the book and 0.5 thing I didn't like.

So what did I think?

+1 | The idea and premise was immediately intriguing. Honestly the plot got me at Agatha Christie

+1 | The writing with the atmosphere on the island fitting the story perfectly

+1 | The suspense and mystery was executed really well with jumps to the past to pace the story

+0.75 | The ending. Everything made sense in the end, just the way I love in mysteries. Sure there were things that I guessed and saw coming, but I did get to feel surprised as well

+0.75 | The characters. There were many but the main ones were distinct enough. The changing pov made sense for pacing and it made me speed through

-0.5 | The book had some adult themes, and at times I felt like some were just thrown in

Read on lovelies,

S