COYER Summer Vacation!

I am of course signing up for COYER Summer Vacation, I love doing COYER! Because it's a summer challenge, the rules have been loosened, and hard copy books count as well, which makes me extra happy :)

I have very general goals, which are just to clean as many books off my Kindle and my TBR shelves as I possibly can. I will be off for the summer (a perk of being a teacher), so I'm hopeful I can get lots of reading done.

1) Buzz Off by Hannah Reed
2) Nonna's Book of Mysteries by Mary Osborne
3) Walt by Russell Wangersky
4) Endgame by Jeffrey Round
5) Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
6. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
7) The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
8) The Trap by Melanie Raabe
9) American Girls by Alison Umminger
10) Creed by Trisha Leaver
11) H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton
12) The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
13) The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale
14) The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
15) Escape From Asylum by Madeleine Roux
16) Beastly Bones by William Ritter
17) All These Perfect Strangers by Aoife Clifford
18) The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
19) The Cases That Haunt Us by John Douglas
20) The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
21. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
22) These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
23) The Beauty of the End by Debbie Howells
24) The Assassin Game by Kirsty McKay
25) I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi
26) Girl Last Seen by Heather Anastasiu and Anne Greenwood Brown
27) Murder in the Secret Garden by Ellery Adams
28) American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin
29) The Killing Retreat by Tammy Mack
30) The Unraveling of Mercy Louis by Keija Parssinen
31) Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
32) Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
33) Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty
34) A Mind to Murder by P.D. James
35) Pumpkin Picking with Murder by Auralee Wallace
36) Surrender, New York by Caleb Carr

Genius by Leopoldo Gout and Please Don't Tell by Laura Tims

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

This is essentially the middle grade version of Ready Player One. No, it's not as well-written, but it is a good read. And it carries the message of doing the right thing, fighting against those who abuse their power, and how you can be true best friends with someone you've never met face-to-face.

The three main characters of the story, Rex, Tunde, and Painted Wolf, are in fact best friends who physically meet for the first time in The Game, a competition meant to bring together the best and brightest youth of the world. Up to this point, these three have known each other through their communications online. The internet has made it possible for these teenagers, separated physically by thousands of miles, to come together as The Lodge, essentially the Three Musketeers of cyberspace.

The Game itself is interesting, though again not as interesting as the central game of Ready Player One (and the story line of Genius practically begs for comparison to its predecessor). This is one of those young adult reads that I think I would have enjoyed more as an actual young adult. While adults can certainly find it a fun read (I did), it doesn't have the same adult appeal as many other young adult books do.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Please Don't Tell is everything its haunting front cover suggests.

It tells the story of twin sisters, Joy and Grace, who have always depended on each other but are now falling apart. Their deep emotional descent all ties into the night Adam Goldman was found dead in the local quarry after his birthday party.

The characters follow the mantra of the title. They don't tell all to the readers, not even until the very end, and even then you are left wondering how well you can truly know these complex beings.

This is not a light read. Go into this knowing that everything won't be tied up in a nice neat bow, and that the book is better for it. This is a book that makes you question, and that makes you feel. Please Don't Tell is a smart, dark, expertly written, complicated young adult psychological thriller with a mystery that will keep you guessing and a story that will keep you thinking long after you turn the last page.

Five Friday: Guest Post From Trishajennreads: Five Broadway Musicals You Didn't Know Were Based On Books

Hello world! I’m Trisha from trishajennreads. Aside from novels, I also really like dance and theatre (I was a total bunhead when I was a kid and even thought about trying to go professional as a dancer).

So, what better way to celebrate my collection of loves by exploring Broadway musicals you didn't know were based on books?! So many plays and movies are based on novels and, sadly, audiences don’t always realize this.

Here are five pretty well-known musicals that, surprisingly or unsurprisingly, depending on your level of knowledge, are based on books.

Fiddler on the Roof

We’re all familiar with the shoulder shake from the movie version. But Joseph Stein didn’t write the original story of Tevye trying to live out his Jewish traditions and find good marriages for his daughters.

The story of Tevye was originally penned by a man named Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich. Better known by his pen name, Sholem Aleichem, he wrote a series of short stories written in the form of a fictional memoir called Tevye the Dairyman or Tevye and his Daughters written in 1894.

The Phantom of the Opera

Also super well known, not many know this play is based on the novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra written by Gaston Leroux. The story of the ghost haunting the Paris Opera House was originally published in serial format between September 1909 and January 1910. It was published in novel form in English in 1911.

The original story is apparently much darker than the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage version that we all know so well. It’s called Gothic Horror Literature and I’m tempted (but also scared) to pick it up and read it to see.

Ragtime

Syncopated, ragged rhythms make this hybrid style of music a blend of sounds that became popular at the end of the 19th century. This musical debuted in the 1990s but is based on a 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow.

Ragtime weaves real historical figures in and out of the lives of the fictional characters to discuss ideas of fame and success, racism, violence, and family. The story focuses on three separate and very different families and how their lives intersect in early 1900s New York. There is the wealthy white family, the working class black family, and the Eastern European immigrant family.

The Pyjama Game

It’s only a 7 ½ cent raise, but the workers of Sleep-Tite pyjama factory are denied the request to bring their wage up to par with other similar workers. Mix in a little romance and some union politics and you’ve got yourself quite the conundrum.

The musical, which premiered in 1954, is based on the novel 7 ½ Cents by Richard Bissell. Bissell adapted it for the stage himself.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder

A comedy about a serial killer. This is a fairly new musical, winning Tony awards in 2014. But it is based on a 1907 novel called Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal written by Roy Horniman. Again, I must reiterate, it’s a comedy about a serial killer, with musical numbers. Of all the musicals I’ve listed here, I really, really want to see this one!

What is your favourite musical adaptation?

*images from playbill.com

Trisha Jenn Loehr is a professional bookworm–okay, she’s a professional communicator who loves to read and dreams of one day reading novels all day long and getting paid for it. She blogs about writing and bookish things at trishajennreads.com. She’s a freelance writer, editor, and writing coach too. Oh, and she also loves tea and pretty things. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest and find her bookish designs on RedBubble.

True Crime Thursday: True Crime Addict by James Renner

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

This is one of those books that when I received an ARC, I'm pretty sure I actually squealed out loud. I had been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it on the Missing Maura Murray podcast. I found the case fascinating, but the podcast rambled too much for me, and I was looking forward to reading a more straight forward account.

While Renner does ramble some in the book, it's all for a purpose. When he goes off on tangents about his family, they do all tie back to his obsession with the case. And that's what makes this book work. Renner admits right in the title that he is obsessed with this case. If he hadn't just laid that out right away, you might find yourself questioning his perspective throughout the book, but he states it up front and then both you and he can move on.

This is a fascinating case. There are so many twists and turns, so many possibilities, so many little clues to stumble upon. You can see why Renner would want to write about it, and why so many people on the internet would spend their time trying to solve it. I know there are a lot of people online who strongly dislike Renner and what he is doing, but I personally chose to avoid reading any threads online and just read the book for what it was.

The only thing I don't like is the "secret epilogue". Both at the end of my ARC copy and on his website, Renner states that there is a secret epilogue with 10 more pages of new revelations on the case, but that no reviewer copy has it. You have to buy the book when it comes out to read it. This bugs me, to be honest. If someone is taking the time to read and review your book, feature it on their blog, you shouldn't withhold a part of your book from them. It seems like a bit of a publicity stunt that I honestly don't appreciate.

That said, this is a fascinating gripping book that I couldn't put down. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fellow true crime addict. I was planning to buy this book anyway once it comes out (May 24th), so I'll get to read the secret epilogue then.

What We're Reading Wednesday: May 18, 2016

This is my Kindle read. I've been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it, and was thrilled to get an ARC of it. I'm about three quarters of the way through, and it is definitely a good read-it really grabs you and makes you want to keep reading.

These are my before bed reads. Nonna's Book of Mysteries is a book my dad bought me, and it has a really strong, intriguing female protagonist working to avoid an arranged marriage and follow her dream of becoming an artist. The Body in the Library is a re read for the monthly Agatha Christie read Maidens of Murder are hosting on Bookstagram.

This is my hard copy read for my commute to and from work (I can't look at screens in moving vehicles, including my phone and Kindle-plus I love hard copy books too). It's a series I've always enjoyed, and I felt like I needed a light, easy, fun cozy mystery.

My graphic novel read. I'm stretching it out as long as I can because it's so fun and wonderful, but I'm nearing the end.

Still working on this one on my phone-still not enough mystery, still well-written enough and intriguing enough to keep me reading.


What are you reading this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Picked Up On A Whim

As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish


This week's topic is books we picked up on a whim, not because they were recommended to us, or we'd read a lot of reviews about them.

1) I was 9, and we were at my favorite bookstore. My parents told me I could pick out one book that they would buy for me. I was a big Nancy Drew fan who was just starting to explore other mystery books, and pulled this one off the shelf. It's been my favorite book ever since, for over 20 years, and I re read it at least once a year.

2) This was a recent whim. I was at Barnes and Noble using a holiday gift card I had gotten, and saw this in the mystery section. I actually didn't buy it then, but was intrigued enough by the idea that it was a cozy mystery surrounding the possibility of a new Agatha Christie play that I ordered it when I got home.

3) I saw this on the shelf of a great independent bookstore near where I used to live. A true crime book involving Edgar Allan Poe was a book I knew I had to read.

4) This was an ARC I picked up at ALA. I thought it looked really intriguing, and it ended up being a really great read.

5) This was another ALA ARC I picked up on a whim, and it ended up being one of my favorite reads of that year.

6) I remember being drawn to this book when I was browsing on Amazon because the product description made it sound like it might be reminiscent of one of my all-time favorite books, The Secret History. It ended up surprising me with just how good it really is.

7) This was another ALA ARC. I was immediately drawn to it because it was billed as a psychological thriller in a Hitchcockian vein. 

8) I had heard nothing about this when I picked it up at a used book sale-it honestly sounded way more science fiction than the books I am typically drawn to. But the description on the back was just intriguing enough to make it so I had to read it.

9) This was on the Mystery table at a recent book swap. I've loved psychological suspense books set on college campuses since I first read The Secret History, and even though I'd never heard of The Sixes before, it immediately became one of the books I brought home with me.

10) I remember this was on a display table at a bookstore in Michigan. As soon as I read the inside cover, I knew I had to read this book. I've since re read it multiple times, and even interviewed the author.

What are some books you picked up on a whim? Did you like them?

The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

This book was absolutely nothing like what I expected. And that was pretty awesome.

Jude is an author who is clearly unafraid to take risks. I went into this expecting a young adult psychological suspense book, like so many I've read (and loved) recently. And while this is a book with psychological suspense, it is also a book with an urban legend at its core, set in a village surrounded on the outside by modern times but keeping to the old ways within.

It is a book about a young girl discovering herself, and finding love, but it is also about missing animals and missing girls.

There is graphic gore and there is tender love.

There are moments of sheer terror and moments of absolute heartbreaking humanity.

At it's heart, this is a book about what it means to grow up under the shadows of a terrible, haunting evil. Everyone in the village knows there is a man who lives in the woods, who is insane and terrible and once murdered their May Queen. When it seems he's come back, been drawn back somehow, the protagonist, Ivy, must come to terms with what it means to live in fear, all while she falls in love, and all while her best friend and cousin begins to pull away.

I really look forward to seeing what Jude comes out with next. She is a really original writer writing in a genre of her own making.