May 2019 Wrap-up

May’s TBR Pile (20/32):

1. Book of the Month Club: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

2. Girly Book Club: A Curve in the Road by Julianne Maclean (iPad) ✓

3. Friend Book Club: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

4. UnRead Shelf Pick: The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips ✓

5. Random TBR Pick: The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg ✓

6. Ebook: The Strange Journey of Alice Pendelbury by Mary Levy (iPad) ✓

7. Series Pick: Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco ✓

8. Alphabet Soup: Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi ✓

9. Monthly Keyword (Daisy): Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid ✓

10. Monthly Motif (One Sitting Reads): Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen ✓

11. Nonfiction: The Problem of Democracy by Nancy Isenberg

12. Nonfiction Cities by Monica Smith

13. Comic: The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 8 ✓

14. Comic: The Beauty Vol. 5 ✓

15. Comic: Heathen Vol. 1 ✓

16. Comic: Giant Days Vol. 8 ✓

17. Science Fiction: Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor (iPad)

18. Horror: The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo ✓

19. Romance: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

20. Romance: The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli ✓

21. Historical Fiction: The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White ✓

22. Historical Fiction: The Light Over London by Julia Kelly ✓

23. Historical Fiction: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton ✓

24. Historical Fiction: Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

25. HP Reread: The Chamber of Secrets

26. HP Reread: The Prisoner of Azkaban

27. Short Stories: Toil and Trouble

28. Young Adult: Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta

29. Young Adult: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

30. Added: Royals (Prince Charming) by Rachel Hawkins ✓

31. Added: A Brief History of Nebraska by Ronald Naugle ✓

32. Added: Watching You by Lisa Jewell ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5676 pages
Pages Remaining: 608,435 pages

Current Read - Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter; Secrets of the Greek Revival by Eva Pohler

Books I Gave Up On (0) 

Books bought/received (0)

June TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar

2. Girly Book Club: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore (reread)

3. Friend Book Club: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

4. Random TBR Pick: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

5. Ebook: Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor

6. Series Pick: Taste of Marrow by Sarah Gailey

7. Monthly Keyword (Woman): The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

8. Nonfiction: From Scratch by Allen Salkin

9. Nonfiction: City of Light by Rupert Christiansen

10. Nonfiction: Cities by Monica L. Smith

11. Comic: Lumberjanes Vol. 3

12. Comic: Lumberjanes Vol. 4

13. Comic: The Umbrella Academy Vol. 2

14. Science Fiction: Perihelion Summer by Greg Egan

15. Science Fiction: Alien: Echo by Mira Grant

16. Science Fiction: If, Then by Kate Hope Day

17. Horror: Secrets of the Greek Revival by Eva Pohler

18. Mystery: The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

19. Romance: The Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

20. Romance: Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

21. Romance: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

22. Romance: Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

23. Historical Fiction: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

24. Creativity: Craftfulness by Rosemary Davidson

25. Creativity: My Friend Fear by Meera Lee Patel

26. Short Stories: Toil and Trouble

27. Young Adult: Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins

Movies watched

• Hired Gun - Fascinating documentary about musicians. Wish they would have spent a little less time on the Billy Joel storyline.

• Apollo 11 - The story of the Apollo 11 mission told through archival footage and audio transmissions. A work of art in itself!

TV Shows watched

• Veep S7 - And with that, the show is over!

• Game of Thrones S1 - We restarted the entire series now that the show is ending.

Comments - As predicted, my reading momentum slowed down just a bit. But I’m still really happy at my reading this month. Lots of mediocre reads, but a couple of really good ones.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips

Title: The Egyptologist

Author: Arthur Phillips

Publisher: Random House 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 383

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf Project; Alphabet Soup - P; Historical Fiction

Just as Howard Carter unveils the tomb of Tutankhamun, making the most dazzling find in the history of archaeology, Oxford-educated Egyptologist Ralph Trilipush is digging himself into trouble, having staked his professional reputation and his fiancée’s fortune on a scrap of hieroglyphic pornography. Meanwhile, a relentless Australian detective sets off on the case of his career, spanning the globe in search of a murderer. And another murderer. And possibly another murderer. The confluence of these seemingly separate stories results in an explosive ending, at once inevitable and utterly unpredictable.

I picked up this book at a library sale a few years back and it’s been sitting on my shelves ever since. I was intrigued by the subject matter and the mystery. Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of the epistolary style or writing voice. I just couldn’t really get behind any of the characters. The mystery central to the plot was wrapped up too quickly leaving a lot of pages left. This was tough to get through.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Videos...

Love this live version from BottleRock last weekend.

Randomness, but I’m really digging the Jonas Brothers…

Great list!

Way too funny!

So much fun! Joseph Gordon Levitt is my fave!

This might be fun.

They better do this series justice. The books were amazing…

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Daisy Jones & the Six

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publisher: Ballantine Books 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Monthly Keyword - Daisy; Alphabet Soup - R

Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Why??? Why did I not read this before this week? I started this book, read 20 pages, slept, and then couldn’t put it down! It was amazing! I fell into the story of the rise and fall of Daisy Jones and The Six. I loved piecing together the mystery of what truly happened in the 1970s. And the twist toward the end was just inspired! I loved the style of this book. It read just like a long-form Rolling Stones article and I was hear for every word. I kept wanting to look up the albums and listen to the songs. Inspired writing. After reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and this volume, I think I might just be a big fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Title: Watching You

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publisher: Atria Books 2018

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 324

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Popsugar - Two Word Title; Women Authors

Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.

As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.

One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…

Picked this one up on recommendation from Anne Bogel at What Should I Read Next podcast and Modern Mrs. Darcy. Thrillers are not usually my go-to genre, but I was wanting something a little different and hopefully fast-paced. This one was definitely fast-paced. We got lots of intersting and intersecting characters. We got lots of secrets behind doors. We got terrible coincidences. It was that last point that made me not love this book. I enjoyed it and read quickly wanting to find out the secrets and the whodunit, but I wasn’t that invested in the characters. Decent thriller. Probably won’t pick up any more of this kind in awhile.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Brief History of Nebraska by Ronald Naugle

Title: A Brief History of Nebraska

Author: Ronald Naugle

Publisher: History Nebraska 2018

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

This book is a short treatment of a long history. Nebraska has been inundated by ancient seas, carved by glaciers, and settled by ancient cultures who learned to survive in a land prone to extremes of climate. As a state, Nebraska was born out of the Civil War, shaped by railroads, and built by immigrants. Settlers were drawn by promises of free land and abundant rain. They endured droughts and economic depressions. They fought for political reforms, fought world wars, and sometimes fought each other. Along the way Nebraskans chose a unique form of government and re-invented their communities under new conditions. A Brief History of Nebraska is a story of continual change, the back story of the place and people we know today.

I picked up this slim volume while looking for travel books for our summer road trip. Naugle packs a ton of information into a short amount of pages. The sections dealing with national history I already knew. I did appreciate learning more about my adopted state.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Taylor Swift feat. Brendon Urie "Me!"

Not a huge Taylor Swift fan, but this song is really catchy!

And the live version for you!

The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg

Title: The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror

Author: Mallory Ortberg

Publisher: Holt 2018

Genre: Short Stories - Fantay

Pages: 208

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Women Authors; Dancing with Fantasy and Scifi - Library

From Mallory Ortberg comes a collection of darkly mischievous stories based on classic fairy tales. Adapted from the beloved "Children's Stories Made Horrific" series, "The Merry Spinster" takes up the trademark wit that endeared Ortberg to readers of both The Toast and the best-selling debut Texts From Jane Eyre. The feature has become among the most popular on the site, with each entry bringing in tens of thousands of views, as the stories proved a perfect vehicle for Ortberg’s eye for deconstruction and destabilization. Sinister and inviting, familiar and alien all at the same time, The Merry Spinster updates traditional children's stories and fairy tales with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a keen sense of feminist mischief. 

Readers of The Toast will instantly recognize Ortberg's boisterous good humor and uber-nerd swagger: those new to Ortberg's oeuvre will delight in this collection's unique spin on fiction, where something a bit mischievous and unsettling is always at work just beneath the surface. 

Unfalteringly faithful to its beloved source material, The Merry Spinster also illuminates the unsuspected, and frequently, alarming emotional complexities at play in the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, as we tuck ourselves in for the night. 

Bed time will never be the same.

This slim volume of fairy tale inspired stories was a recommendation from the podcast Reading Glasses. I finally picked it up at the library and sped through it in an afternoon. I loved the twists and modernization of classic stories. My favorite story was definitely “The Daughter Cell” based on The Little Mermaid. There’s a cheat sheet of influences in the back of the volume, but I loved piecing out each story as I read them. Ortberg has a wonderful talent for nods to the readers and our modern knowledge while keeping us squarely in the fairy tale realm. Really enjoyed this collection!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #15

On my bedside table: The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips; Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

On my TV: We made it through S1 of Game of Thrones just in time for me to leave for a week.

Listening to: I finally started Unobscured podcast by Aaron Mahnke about the Salem Witch Trials. After traveling yesterday, I’m six episodes in.

On the menu: Absolutely no idea! We’ll be at my mom’s house until Friday and then traveling.

On my to do list: Just enjoy the week! I don’t have many to-dos, but I’m sure I’ll knock out some small items.

Happening this week: We’re in Indiana visiting family!

What I am creating: I’m working on card ideas for upcoming classes. I also brought my Paper Pumpkin kit to play with while in Indiana.

My simple pleasures: All the iced tea! The warm weather always makes me crave iced tea.

What I’m planning: Summer activities.

Looking forward to: Taking all the boys to Shedd Aquarium on Friday. The twins and I were last there about 10 years ago. The littles have never been. It’s going to be great.

From the camera: Yesterday we stopped at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines for a fun afternoon. Of course we had to ride the train while there!

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Title: The Glass Ocean

Author: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Women Authors; Historical Fiction

May 2013
Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .

April 1915
Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetter’s marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can’t quite put a finger on. She’s hoping a trip to London in Lusitania’s lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect—but she can’t ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . . .

Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that’s her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. She’s really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But she’s had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they’ll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there’s something about this job that isn’t as it seems. . . .

As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself.

I enjoyed this tale set mostly onboard the Lusitania. I really fell for Tess immediately and was rooting for her throughout the story. Caroline was a very typical lady and at times I was annoyed by her behavior. But it always made sense for her character. I enjoyed following their intersecting story lines throughout the voyage up until the sinking of the Lusitania and beyond. Sarah’s more contemporary storyline was lackluster in comparison. I don’t really think we needed her story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List Update #3

A new season has begun! 7/25 activities completed so far.

1. Read 50 books - Up to 46 books!

2. Eat at 3 new-to-me restaurants ✓

   • Zios - Good family pizza

   • Brasa (Minneapolis) - Loved this restaurant! I got the pulled chicken and gravy with a side of rice and beans and collard greens.

   • Sushi Train (Minneapolis) - Super fun sushi place with good rolls.

3. Attend two theater performances

   • Dragons Love Tacos @ The Rose

4. Make fun cupcakes

5. Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓ - The boys had fun finding 70 hidden eggs in our yard.

6. Make a planter for the front porch ✓ - Q and I took a trip to the garden center and bought some pretties! I actually have two planters out front now plus another planter and some potted herbs in the backyard.

7. Find two good parks

8. Host a cookout

9. Have fun at OnStage! ✓ - It was so much fun!

10. Tie Dye Shirts with the boys

11. Check out three new museum/zoos

    • SAC Museum in Ashland — We do enjoy our Air and Space museums!

    • Joslyn Art Museum — We went for storytime, but did check out the galleries while there.

12. Check out The Makery

13. Create a spring Spotify playlist

14. Buy a sprinkler for the yard

15. Smoothie month

16. Mini golf family night

17. Make a rain gauge ✓ - We ended up buying one, not making it, but we have one!

18. Buy and fly a kite

19. Go berry picking

20. Sign Arthur up for summer camps ✓

21. Find a Farmer’s Market

22. Make a trip to Peacetree for root beer and beer

23. Go on a hike

24. Visit Old Market ✓

25. Redo my hair

Next up on the TBR pile:

Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen

Title: Naughty in Nice (Royal Spyness #5)

Author: Rhys Bowen

Publisher: Berkley 2011

Genre: Mystery

Pages: 354

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Finishing the Series; Women Authors

London, 1933. Her Majesty the Queen is sending Georgie off to Nice with a secret assignment—to recover her priceless, stolen snuff box from the disreputable Sir Toby Groper. Her Majesty’s trust is an honor, but an even greater honor is bestowed upon Georgie in Nice when none other than Coco Chanel asks her to model the latest fashions. 

Unfortunately, things go disastrously wrong on the catwalk and before Georgie can snatch the snuff box, someone’s life is snuffed out in a very dastardly way. With a murderer on the loose—and Georgie's beau Darcy seen in the company of another woman—how’s a girl to find any time to go to the casino?

I always enjoy this series. I love the change of scenery to the Riveria full of glamorous and slightly sinister characters. I’ve never been a fan of Georgie’s mother, but it was interesting to see her in this environment and even see a bit warming toward her daughter. The mystery was thoroughly intriguing and the murders dastardly. My only issue with this book was that there was a significant lack of Darcy.

Her Royal Spyness:

• #0.5 Masked Ball at Broxley Manor

• #1 Her Royal Spyness

• #2 A Royal Pain

• #3 Royal Flush

• #4 Royal Blood

• #5 Naughty in Nice

• #6 The Twelve Clues of Christmas

• #7 Heirs and Graces

• #8 Queen of Hearts

• #9 Malice at the Palace

• #10 Crowned and Dangerous

• #11 On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service

• #12 Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I haven’t packed for our trip this weekend. Totally not me to not have this done already.

• The rain can stop now…

• I really hope the weather is good for our Memorial Day activities…

• My reading momentum has certainly slowed down, but still at it.

• I can’t wait to visit Shedd next week! Haven’t been there in 10 years and the littles have never been there.

• So many road trip snacks packed…

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean

Title: A Curve in the Road

Author: Julianne MacLean

Publisher: Lake Union 2018

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 266

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Women Authors;

Abbie MacIntyre is living the dream in the picturesque Nova Scotia town she calls home. She is a successful surgeon, is married to a handsome cardiologist, and has a model teenage son who is only months away from going off to college.

But then one fateful night, everything changes. When a drunk driver hits her car, Abbie is rushed to the hospital. She survives, but the accident forces unimaginable secrets out into the open and plagues Abbie with nightmares so vivid that she starts to question her grip on reality. Her perfect life begins to crack, and those cracks threaten to shatter her world completely.

The search for answers will test her strength in every way—as a wife, a career woman, and a mother—but it may also open the door for Abbie to move forward, beyond anger and heartbreak, to find out what she is truly made of. In learning to heal and trust again, she may just find new hope in the spaces left behind.

This isn’t a bad book, but I definitely think this book is just not for me. I wasn’t a fan of the first person narration that, at times, seemed to move back and forth throughout the timeline. Abbie and Zack were decent enough characters. I just didn’t get a great feel for Abbie beyond the trauma. I may have liked this book if it started before the accident to allow for the reader to get to know our main character. But most of all, I wasn’t a fan of all the coincidences and reveals. Too much. It made the entire storyline much too unrealistic for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #9

Reading: Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen — loving this cozy mystery series!

Watching: Still working through Games of Thrones S1.

Listening: I caught up on some other podcasts, so I started Aaron Mahnke’s Unobscured about the Salem Witch Trials.

Feeling: There are a few things up in the air right now. I’m a bit anxious. Will feel much better after this weekend passes.

Planning: We heading over to Indiana this weekend for Memorial Day and to pick up the twins. Looking forward to our activities!

Loving: The grocery stores around here carry rhubarb (so scarce in California) and I’ve been buying a ton. I’ve been making a ton of rhubarb dishes. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Head and the Heart "Missed Connection"

This song is in heavy rotation on Alt Nation and I’m so digging it!

Life Right Now #14

On my bedside table: The Merry Spinster by Mallory Ortberg; Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

On my TV: Still working our way through Game of Thrones S1. We just finished the current season of Superstore. And I started the newest season of The Bachelorette this week.

Listening to: I finished catching up on a few podcasts, so I started a few new ones. I started listening to the back episodes of Binge Mode to go along with our Games of Thrones watching. And I finally started Unobscured about the Salem Witch Trials.

On the menu:

• Monday - Pot Roast

• Tuesday - Grilled Cheese

• Wednesday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken

• Thursday - Shrimp Scampi

• Friday - Buffalo Chicken Sliders

• Saturday - Travel Day (dinner out)

• Sunday - Dinner in Fort Wayne

On my to do list: I need to wrap up some travel details for this week, work on travel for June, get my calendars situated, check the safe for some specific papers, pack and travel, check on summer school, drop off library books before traveling, and probably other things.

Happening this week: It’s going to be a super busy week around here!

• Monday - Arthur school; Quentin Tinkergarten; Library visit

• Tuesday - Zoo day; Tobe dentist; Tobe book club

• Wednesday - Arthur school; Quentin Romp n Roll; Trader Joe’s stop

• Thursday - Tobe dentist; Tobe get-together

• Friday - Arthur’s last day of Preschool!

• Saturday - Travel Day; Stop at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines

• Sunday - Travel Day to Fort Wayne

What I am creating: Mostly just travel plans

My simple pleasures: Rhubarb in everything! Cold brew coffee

What I’m planning: More summer activities plus our summer bucket list

Looking around the house: I need to do a big clean sweep before leaving. But more importantly, I need to finish fixing the twins’s bedroom.

Looking forward to: Getting to Fort Wayne and seeing the twins!

From the camera: Getting in daddy’s way

Prince Charming (Royals) by Rachel Hawkins

Title: Prince Charming (Royals #1)

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: 2018

Genre: YA

Pages: 297

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Women Authors; Monthly Motif - One Sitting Reads; Romance

Meet Daisy Winters. She's an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair, a part time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who's nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. 

While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince's roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown--and the intriguing Miles--might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.  

This novel was originally published as Royals, which is the copy I borrowed from the library. I went into this book with extremely low expectations. It’s just that I don’t usually read contemporary romance and definitely not Young Adult contemporary romance. But apparently, I’ve been on a streak lately. This story ended up being a delight romp through the royals of Scotland from the perspective an average American. I loved Daisy from page 1 and kept rooting for her throughout the story. I would have liked to have seen a bit more between Daisy and and Ellie, but did enjoy her interactions with all of the Royal Wreckers. Light and fun. Just what I needed. And I put the second book, Her Royal Highness, on hold at the library.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo and Sara Kipin

Title: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Imprint 2017

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 290

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Women Authors; Monthly Motif - One Sitting Reads

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns. 

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, the tales in The Language of Thorns will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, each of them lavishly illustrated and culminating in stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

I definitely enjoyed this collection of fairy tales. My favorite was the Hansel and Gretel retelling involving gingerbread golems. Really fell into the imagery in that story. The other five stories were just as good. Really loved this collection! Recommendation of any one who loves fairy tale retellings.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Field of Videos

Crazy alligator movie! Totally here for it!

I enjoyed the book, hope the movie is good.

Definite Attack the Block vibes here.

Goodness this is going to be trippy…

Hmmm… maybe…