The Thought Spot

Thanks to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the arc of Pure Soapmaking by Anne-Marie Faiola. This book is full of detailed directions, precautions and illustrations making it a must have for anyone interested in soap making! I have thought about soap making in the past and was interested in reading this book to see how difficult making soap would be. It isn’t as easy as I thought it would be and there are real precautions that need to be taken to make soap safely, but after reading this book I really want to dive in and try to make my own natural soaps. All ingredients and supplies needed are listed and notes on how to adjust recipes are also included, as well as how to make a safe work space. Great hobby book!

Thanks to Algonquin for the free book of Jackaby by William Ritter! This Sherlock Holmes style story has a supernatural twist, which just adds to the fun! On page 55, Jackaby gets “socked” in the face by a woman because he made a harmless statement. I laughed out loud at this! The humor continues throughout the entire book and is placed appropriately so it doesn’t interfere with the suspense of the mystery.

I love that Abigail Rook is the narrator of the story. Abigail is impressively independent, especially in the 1890’s setting. I enjoyed the letter at the end of the story immensely. In this letter, Jackaby dictates to Abigail his request for the police to return his tuning fork. A long winded explanation later, Abigail includes a small note, unbeknownst to Jackaby. The note simply states, “Please return Jackaby’s tuning fork. He’s getting more obnoxious than usual.” The fork is returned that very evening with a note attached, “I completely understand.” Jackaby mistakes the note for understanding of the importance of the fork, but Abigail knows the truth. I am not doing the humor in this book the justice it deserves. Read it and enjoy it for yourself:)

The Jack of Souls by Stephen C. Merlino is the beginning of a new fantasy series that should please the fans of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy! The story begins with Harric trying to survive his mother’s curse and it just becomes more interesting from there. I enjoyed the varied lifestyles and history of each of the characters. Caris gets along with horses better than with people, Harric struggles against the memory and “haunting” of his mother, the immortal beings deal with eccentricity and gluttony and several other characters add to this mix. Delightful fantasy that is well paced! I am looking forward to the rest of this series!

Members receive this badge when 3 or more of their reviews have been added to any NetGalley title details page by a publisher.

I’m so excited to share this badge!  Yay, NetGalley!

Check out this wonderful Reading Challenge for 2016!  I just had a friend share this great list with me.  Concise and still challenging!  Here is the link: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2016-reading-challenge/.

The website offers a printable sheet to track your reading progress and even a printable journal for those who love to write the old fashioned way!  Great website Modern Mrs. Darcy!

The Grimm Legacy Series by Polly Shulman is lighthearted fun!  Each book is based off of a different genre of classics.  The Grimm Legacy uses Grimm’s Fairy Tales to build upon, The Wells Bequest uses science fiction stories and The Poe Estate uses supernatural reads.  Each book is fun on its own merits and contains author’s notes, which lists titles used for inspiration.

This series is for young adults, but can easily be interesting for middle schoolers and younger, as well as any adults who like to read fantasy!  I am hoping that Polly Shulman continues with this series because I enjoy stories that use classics for a base to build upon.  Highly recommended, fun reads!

These two books have a little of the Bronte life in them, but each in a completely different way.  The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay takes a literary tour of the Bronte landscape and Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley gets into the minds and fantasy world of the Bronte siblings.

Both books are enjoyable reads.  The Bronte Plot is realistic fiction geared more toward adult readers.  Worlds of Ink and Shadow is fantasy geared towards young adult readers.  Both of these books are an introduction to the Bronte family and may lead readers to find out more about them.  Enjoy!

Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen is a unique and diverse story with dynamic characters that keep the reader guessing!  I enjoyed the world and the setting, as well as our brave, unsure heroine!

I am impressed with Lila Bowen (pseudonym for Delilah S. Dawson) and her bravery to venture into controversial territory and bring readers a wonderful, fictional story full of adventure.

Wake of Vultures is an amazing book covering several diverse topics and still manages to tell a magnificent story!  Well done, Lila Bowen!  I am impatiently awaiting the sequel!

Thanks to Macmillan Publishers and Goodreads for the giveaway, The Killing Lessons by Saul Black (audiobook cd)!  I have never listened to an audio book before, but I can see that I will be “reading” books more through this option.  I enjoyed being able to have my eyes and hands free to work on craft projects, so I was able to get twice the work done!

I began listening to the cd’s on the evening that I received them-November 3rd.  I now realize that audio books take much more time for me to “read” than a regular book or ebook.  I had to be alone in the room to listen, with other editions I can read while other people are in the room with me or while they are watching television, such as my husband watching a football game.

The first chapter dove right into the story and reminded me instantly of the elegance, creativity and realism of the writing of Stephen King.  Two criminals break into a home of a single mother who has two children.  The story revolves around the narrative of thoughts of these criminals, the mother and daughter and several other characters.   Descriptive writing brings the reader into each character’s mind and world.  The murderers don’t seem to feel emotion or pain unless it is their own, which is scary and completely horrible, but probably par for the course with these situations.  The Killing Lessons is intense to the very end.

I also enjoyed the author interview at the end of the audio book.  Saul Black shared the beginnings of his story and what he related to while writing.  Very interesting and it sounds as though we will hear more about Valerie, the detective, in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the arc of Firstlife by Gena Showalter!  The story begins in a detention center, somewhat like a prison, for obstinate people who are unwilling to choose sides – Myriad or Troika. The world building is somewhat confusing and the dialogue, through letters, is difficult to follow. I think the difficulty is due to the arc and I am assuming these problems will be taken care of before publishing. Religious fanatics who go to tremendous lengths to make their children decide on either Troika or Myriad, including torture (even cutting out the tongue isn’t beyond what they will allow), are in charge of this world. The more I read, the more I enjoyed the book. Also, the book cover is beautiful and creative. Gena Showalter is a great author and this series has potential!  I am definitely planning on reading book #2!