Random Musings of a Bibliophile

It is time for the Quarterly Review Round-Up where I talk about the best of the best, the one's I couldn't finish, and the non-fiction and adult novels I'm reading that I don't review here. Plus there's a GIVEAWAY. The DNFs (links to my reasons why-if I shared them-on Goodreads): The Goblin Emperor  by Katherine Addison The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd Secrets of Valhalla  by Jasmine Richards Sword and Verse  by Kathy MacMillan Non-Fiction (links to reviews on Goodreads): Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War  by Steve Sheinkin Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M.T. Anderson Adult Books (links to reviews on Goodreads): Carolina Dreaming  by Virginia Kantra (contemporary romance) Diary of an Accidental Wallflower  by Jennifer McQuiston (historical romance) Her Bull Rider's Baby  by Genevieve Turner (contemporary romance) Knowing the Scor...

Top Ten Tuesday  is a Meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish This Week's TTT Topic: Most Recent 5 Star Reads Links to my reviews:   Burn Baby Burn  by Meg Medina Sleeping with her Enemy  by Jenny Holiday Secrets of the Dragon Tomb  by Patrick Samphire When I Was the Greatest  by Jason Reynolds Star Dust  by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner Shadowshaper  by Daniel José Older A Pocket Full of Murder  by R.J. Anderson A Nearer Moon  by Melanie Crowder A Wish Upon Jasmine by Laura Florand Goodbye Stranger  by Rebecca Stead

Top Ten Tuesday  is a Meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish This Week's TTT Topic: Books I Love But Haven't Talked About in a While In blogging we can sometime get so focused on the new and shiny we forget to talk about backlist and old favorites. Are there any old favorites you want people to know about?

Shorter Musings are quick reviews of books I've read but don't have a lot to say about. Bayou Magic  by Jewell Parker Rhodes This is a great book to hand to 3rd-5th graders who love stories of magic, friendship, and family. I enjoyed the relationship between Maddy and her grandmother most of all. This is a story rich in history and tradition. The bayou setting is beautiful, detailed, and feels exactly as I imagine the bayou to be. The books only real weakness is its pacing. There are parts that are a little too slow and others that feel rushed. This may have been intentional for the plot, but it made for a disconcerting reading experience at times. Fridays with the Wizards  by Jesica Day George This series has been one of my favorites, but this volume fell flat for me. That could be because I expected it to be about something entirely different than from the set up at the beginning than it ended up being about. I thought the last 2/3s of the book would be away from the c...

Top Ten Tuesday  is a Meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish This Week's TTT Topic: Books on Spring TBR Exit, Pursued by a Bear   by E.K. Johnston (contemporary YA) OUT TODAY!!! A Tangle of Gold byJaclyn Moriarty (fantasy YA) March 29th Release Chase Me  by Laura Florand (Romance Adult) April 5th Release Booked   by Kwame Alexander (Contemporary MG) April 5th Release Masks and Shadows  by Stephanie Burgis (Fantasy Adult) April 12th Release The Legend of Sam Miracle   by N.D. Wilson (Fantasy MG) April 19th Release The Lie Tree  by Frances Hardinge (Fantasy YA) April 19th Release Poison is not Polite  by Robin Stevens (Historical MG) April 26th Release As Brave as You  by Jason Reynolds (Contemporary MG) May 3rd Release Earth Bound  by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner (Historical Romance, Adult) May Release

Anne Nesbet is a must read author for me. I've enjoyed all of her books. (If you haven't read last year's The Wrinkled Crown, you are missing out on one of the best MG books of 2015.) This being the case, I'm so excited to bring you the cover reveal for her 2016 release, Cloud and Wallfish.  The  cover is amazing. The synopsis has me wanting this book NOW. Anne's interview following the cover and synopsis is a must read that offers insight into the books and characters. (Did I mention I want to read this book now?) And without further ado: Friends you make while the world is falling apart are friends you keep  forever.   Noah Brown's ordinary, everyday life is smashed to smithereens the  day his parents tell him his name isn't really Noah, his birthday  isn't really in March, and his new home is going to be East Berlin,  on the other side of the Iron Curtain. It's 1989, and everywhere all  around countries are remaking themselves, b...

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of  Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. Let's take a moment to stare in awe at the beautiful cover. The city of Tarreton is powered by magic, from simple tablets that light lamps to advanced Sagery that can murder a man from afar. Isaveth has a talent for spell-making, but as a girl from a poor neighborhood she never dreamed she could study at the most exclusive magical school in the city. So when she’s offered a chance to attend, she eagerly accepts. The school is wonderful, but old and new enemies confront Isaveth at every turn, and she begins to suspect her scholarship might be more a trap than a gift. Even her secret meetings with Esmond, her best friend and partner in crime-solving, prove risky—especially once he hatches a plan to sneak her into the biggest society event of the season. It’s their last chance to catch the corrupt politician who onc...

Erin Entrada Kelly's Blackbird Fly  was a book I really enjoyed last year. I finished it and knew that I would read whatever Kelly wrote next as soon as I could. I got an ARC of her new book The Land of Forgotten Girls   and enjoyed it even more. Soledad came to America with her father, sister, and newly acquired stepmom shortly after her mother's death. Soledad knows her stepmom only married her father for his papers bringing them from the Philippines to America. When her father returns to the Philippines for a funeral and never comes back, Sol and her sister are left in the care of their evil stepmother Vea. Sol works hard to protect her younger sister Ming from Vea's anger and bitter resentment. Sol tells her stories the same way their mother used to tell her-stories about a mythical world traveling aunt. Ming now believes that Auntie Jove will be there to rescue them shortly. She is packing and has the date set in her head. Sol struggles with whether she has hurt her ...

Top Ten Tuesday  is a Meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish This Week's TTT Topic: Books When You're in the Mood for X My X=Unreliable Narrators I do love a good unreliable narrator. These are my favorite books whose narrators are unreliable either because they are being denied information, they are too consumed by themselves, they are confused, their minds work differently, or they're liars. Some of them are a combination of these. A couple of the books have multiple unreliable narrators.  Do you enjoy unreliable narrators or do you find them frustrating? If you enjoy them, who are some of your favorite unreliable narrators?