Sniffing A Book

I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I like to watch new shows before I read the books they're based on. If I hate the premise of the show, I'm certainly going to hate the book. But there have been a couple of TV shows over the years that have made me want to read the books that they're based on, just because I love the worlds that are built so much. Outlander is one of those shows that I heard about for so long, but I never really watched it. I knew everyone loved it, and it was really good, but I just never got into the idea of it. Then someone recommended the book to me. I know this is backwards from what this post was supposed to be, but I read the first book, and then watched the first season, and decided I was going to continue reading the series and then following it up with the show.  Currently I'm on book 4 Drums of Autumn. I know the last season has a lot of spoilers for it, but I'm still excited to finally get a chance to sit down and re...

Here are some of my favorite DIY bookshelves that I've found. Each picture is linked in the caption so if you want to know more, you can easily find it :)  Picture 1 Super easy bookshelf to make out of an old ladder.  Picture 2 This is such a handy idea! Super easy and cheap also! The cinder blocks would probably cost about $30 USD, then the pieces of wood for the shelving.  Picture 3 This is a little more complicated bookshelf, but still is classy and modern.  Picture 4 Super easy bookshelf that can be made with fruit crates. The great thing about this one is that you can customize it however you want. You can change the directions of the fruit crates so they're all the same way, make it more sporadic, as big as you want, and you can even paint/use finish on them to give them a cleaner look.  Picture 5 I love the use of space with this one. This is great for a home that doesn't have an extra room, or even a wal...

A Book Written in Verse: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds A book with a villain: I'll be gone in the dark by Michelle McNamara A debut novel: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas A one word title: Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch A book about someone who is neuro Diverse: Split by J.B. Salsbury A variation of the word "lie" in the title: One of Us is Lying by Karen M McManus Book with a Funny Character: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris A book that's also a screen adaptation: Sailor Moon 9 by Naoko Takeuchi Water on the Cover: Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield A book with a weather element in the title: Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas Finish a Book outside: Sailor Moon 10 by Naoko Takeuchi A stand alone:  Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield Free space: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas A book set in High School: Percy Jackson Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan A library book: All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris A book...

5/5 City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare may have just become my favorite of the Mortal Instrument series. I really wasn't a fan of City of Fallen Angels, it felt like it didn't need to exist. But now that I've read this one it completely makes sense. Also the fact that you're not supposed to read them in order makes it more enjoyable as I could kind of see how it was supposed to be two separate series within the Mortal Instrument series almost.  This book takes place a couple of weeks after City of Fallen Angels. Jace is still missing, and no one has heard from Sebastian. But they come after Clary, and in the process, wound Luke with a poison dagger. Clary doesn't go with them, but just as Jocelyn suspected, Jace comes back for Clary again, and this time she goes with him. She goes into this new place thinking that she has the advantage because she has fairy rings to talk to Simon through, but eventually hers goes missing. It's painfully obviou...

Well we're a week into the April and I'm finally home from vacation. March was one of my best months for reading by far. I ended up getting one bingo, I was 2 books away from 2 more bingos, and while I had planned on reading them on the plane ride, I didn't make it to them after Clockwork Princess. For the Bingo: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas Sailor Moon Pretty Guardian 5 by Naoko Takeuchi Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling Also finished: Sailor Moon Pretty Guardian 6 by Naoko Takeuchi Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan  Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris Sailor Moon Pretty Guardian 7 by Naoko Takeuchi Club Dead by Charlaine Harris Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris The Crimes of Grindelwald by JK Rowling

Let me start by saying that I completely judge a book by its cover. I pick up books I’ve never heard of to read the description based solely on if the cover is aesthetically pleasing to me. I’m sure I’m missing out on a crap ton of good books, but 🤷🏻‍♀️ If the cover is ugly, the only reason I’m picking up the boom is because a) a friend has read and enjoyed/recommended it to me or b) there is a show I like that’s based on the book or series. Books I never would’ve picked up: 1. Dead Until Dark:  I loved True Blood (even when it got weird), and while falling into a Wikipedia hole one day, I found out that True Blood was based on the Southern Vampire Mystery series.  2. Amulet #1 The Stonekeeper: while I was at Powell’s one day with a friend, I mentioned that I really wanted to get into graphic novels to try them out. She recommended The Stonekeeper to me because her son had enjoyed it. It’s not a cover I would’ve picked up as it looks like it’s for little kids,...

4.5/5 I'm pretty sure Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris is my favorite of the Sookie Stackhouse series so far. It's New Year's Day (technically) and Sookie is on her way home from the bar where she sees Eric running along the road. She stops and gets him in the car and home where she calls Pam. Pam and Chow show up and give Sookie the run down on what's going on: it turns out that a witch is in town that wants to make all the vampires pay her to stay out of their business, like a mob boss. Chow attacks one of her people, but there was a failsafe built in that took all of Eric's memories. He keeps all his basic understanding of how to function in the world, but not any information about who people are and what they mean to him.  "If my sister does this," Jason said, disregarding me completely, "she deserves to get paid for it." There was what you call a pregnant silence. I gaped at him. Simultaneously, Pam and Chow nodded. ...

4/5 Club Dead by Charlaine Harris picks up where Living Dead in Dallas left off. Sookie and Bill are together in Bon Temps but Bill is being really secretive. Things get even more strange when Bill tells Sookie that if anything happens to keep his computer safe and that he's going to be going to Seattle. Only later do we find out that he actually went to meet his ex, Lorena, and that he was leaving Sookie to go back to her. Not only does Sookie not find this out from Bill himself, but from Eric. And to top it off, Bill was he going to leave her and pay her off essentially, but now he's gone missing and everyone's asses are on the line. So Sookie goes on a mission with Alcide to Mississippi where they get into all sorts of trouble trying to track down Bill. But it takes Sookie getting stabbed with a stake for her to be able to get close enough to rescue bill from the King of Mississippi's compound.  There are lots of fights in this book and Sookie kee...

4.5/5 Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan picks up 9 months after The Lightning Thief and Percy has almost made it through a full year at his new school. He has a new friend that the school has taken in as their charity case as he's homeless, Tyson. But it turns out Tyson is not only a cyclops, but also Percy's brother. They reach camp to find that someone has poisoned Talia's tree and the only cure is the golden fleece. While Clarisse is given the quest to go find the fleece, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson all head out to look for Grover who's in trouble. They end up teaming up with Clarisse to get down to the Sea of Monsters, also known as the Bermuda Triangle. There, Annabeth and Percy run into all sorts of trouble with different monsters. But they eventually find Grover, and with the help of Clarisse and Tyson, rescue him and get the fleece all at once.  This was an excellent continuation of the series. It continues to build the world and expand on the p...

4 /5 In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol 7 by Naoko Takeuchi we met the new bad guys. They're called the Death Busters. It reminded me of the ghost busters every time they said their name. We also find out that Sailor Saturn has been reborn, which can only mean doom for the planet. She's also fully possessed thanks to the help of her father. But there's still a piece of Sailor Saturn still in there as she helps Chibi-Usa reclaim the Legendary Silver Crystal. This was a good continuation of the story, and I'm excited to see what happens next with Sailor Saturn. As well as Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto, now that they're here fully and hell bent on not letting Sailor Saturn be fully reborn. It'll be interesting to see how we get Sailor Saturn without destroying the world.

4/5 Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris has Sookie and Bill head to Dallas under contract to find a missing vampire. Sookie just has one condition, the vampires must promise to behave and let the humans involved not be harmed. But they end up finding more than they were looking for when Sookie learns about Godric. Unlike the tv version, Godric is not a good being. He is self-aware enough that he knows he needs to die to protect people. More specifically, he needs to protect little boys from him. But when Sookie is kidnapped by the Fellowship of Sun, and about to be rapped, he steps in and kills her attacker, and then is convinced to let her go. An undercover shifter comes to her rescue to get her out and the vampires don't just owe Sookie anymore. Sookie returns to the sheriff of Dallas and tells him everything that happens, he hands out the punishments to fit the crime after his vampire friend is safe. But then the church attacks and kills some of the humans i...

5/5 Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 6 by Naoko Takeuchi was an excellent addition to the series. It picks up with two new people from the private school showing up and starting to get close to Sailor Moon and Mamoru. At the same time, two new Guardians appear out of nowhere. The Sailor Guardians don't know who's side they're on though because they're standoffish and don't really want anything to do with the Guardians. I loved the introduction of Haruka and Michiru, and I loved that Sailor Uranus (Haruka) is gender fluid. We start to meet Hotaru but we don't really know who she is or how she'll play into the series. It was a nice change from the previous books and I liked that it brought in a new villain, and minions.