Category: Books recommendations

Book Review: Florence & Leon by Simon Boulerice, Delphie Côté-Lacroix (Illustrations), Sophie B Watson (Translation).

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Synopsis:

Florence and Leon have never met. Florence is a swimming instructor. She has a small problem with her lungs: it’s as if she’s breathing through a straw. Leon is an insurance salesman. He has a small problem with his eyes: it’s as if he’s seeing the world through a straw. One day Florence and Leon bump into each other, literally, and this mishap turns their lives upside down. Over slushy drinks with proper straws, Florence and Leon find out how their differences make them alike.

 

Book Review:

This lovely picture book tells a story about two people who meet one day and they seem to “click” immediately, they share stories of their own disabilities (Florence has a problem with her lungs and Leon has a problem with his eyes) and try to relate to each other.

The romance is sweet and the illustrations are beautiful. This is a children’s book but I think teens and adults would enjoy it too.

 

My rating:   ★ ★ ★ ★

Do I recommend this book? Yes.

Will I read more books from this author? Yes.

 

“I received a copy of this Ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

Book Review and Recommendation: the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace.

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Recently I realized that I have an incredible large amount of books in my Kindle Library (the number is in the thousands) and decided to organize more of them into Collections, so is easier to locate them based on a certain criteria.

One the books I found while doing that is the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace and is the original version published on 2016 (the book was published on 2017 by Andrews McMeel Publishing).

 

Here’s the synopsis:

From Amanda Lovelace, a poetry collection in four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The first three sections piece together the life of the author while the final section serves as a note to the reader. This moving book explores love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, and inspiration.

the princess saves herself in this one is the first book in the “women are some kind of magic” series.

 

My review:

This a short book (perfect to read during a break or on your commute), the princess saves herself in this one is a book full of wonderful poetry and it made me experiment different feelings with the turn of every page.

This book is raw, is emotional, I absolutely loved it and I can’t recommend it enough.

My rating:   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely.

Will I read more books from this author? Definitely.

 

 

 

Book Review: Empress Unveiled by Jenna Morland.

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Empress Unveiled

 

Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)

What if a magical touch meant leaving everything you loved behind?

I was supposed to die. The doctors told me I had only two months to live.
That was before I met him. Daylan.
He was the miracle cure I had been waiting for. With Daylan, I was no longer the small-town girl with that unexplained illness. I was something more. The fate of a magical world depended on my survival, and I longed to go with him. There was only one thing stopping me.
Tyler.

For fans of fantastical adventures, unexplained magic and deadly romance.

 

Book Review

First of all, I have to say that I really love the cover of this book.

Empress Unveiled is a fantasy story that, besides humans, involves creatures like fae, angels, demons, witches and an interesting love triangle.

One of the things I liked about this book is the fact that the focus is not only on mythical/fantasy/magical aspects, it also follows a human story of struggles when faced with a terminal disease.

Swayzi is very sick and the doctors can’t find a cure for her, she’s been in and out of hospitals and with her mother as her only family member.

Things are hard for them and I loved to read about their relationship and the kind of support system Swayzi had, not only from her mother, but also from her best friends Penelope and Tyler.

As I mentioned at the beginning there’s a love triangle (and I admit that while I was reading I was constantly changing my mind about the guy I wanted Swayzi to end with), also the arrival of a mystery guy called Daylan that changes things in Swayzi’s life (I won’t give anything more away to avoid spoilers).

At one point this book was heartbreaking and I just couldn’t stop reading because I had to find out what was going to happen.

This book was an enjoyable read, I didn’t know it was part of a Series and as it ends with a cliffhanger I just can’t wait to read the next one.

Book Review: Meet Yasmin! By Saadia Faruqi.

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Book Synopsis

Meet Yasmin! Yasmin Ahmad is a spirited second-grader who’s always on the lookout for those “aha” moments to help her solve life’s little problems. Taking inspiration from her surroundings and her big imagination, she boldly faces any situation, assuming her imagination doesn’t get too big, of course! A creative thinker and curious explorer, Yasmin and her multi-generational Pakistani American family will delight and inspire readers.

Book Review

This book is about Yasmin, she’s a creative Pakistani American girl with a natural curiosity and an amazing family who loves her and supports her.

It was great to read a story that shows diversity in their characters and I love the fact that includes some words in Urdu (a language from Pakistan) with their English translation and also some interesting facts about that Country (it’s a good way to learn more about other cultures).

This book tells a story that is fresh and fun to read, in addition it has beautiful illustrations that make it even more engaging for younger readers.

As an adult I loved this book, will definitely recommend it and look forward to read more books from Saadia Faruqi in the future.

 

* I received an ARC of this book trough NetGalley*

Audiobook recommendation: The Art of War narrated by Aidan Gillen.

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To me The Art of War is a must in any library, I have several E-book versions and three Audiobooks (narrated by different people, two in English and one in Spanish).

This month I went out to walk by the city and decided to listen to the version narrated by Aidan Gillen and it didn’t disappointed me.

The length of this audiobook is just over an hour, which makes if perfect to listen during commute or while at the gym.

Aidan Gillen’s voice is perfect for this kind of book and, while I was listening I could see him in my mind  as “Littlefinger” from Game of Thrones while imparting this pearls of wisdom (I’m a Game of Thrones fan and I loved it).

I haven’t listen to the other audiobook versions yet, but I think it will me hard to top this one.

Book Review: Understanding the Alacran by Jonathan LaPoma

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Synopsis:

-Silver Medal Winner of the 2017 FAPA President’s Awards (Contemporary/Literary category)

Trying to escape the oppression leading him to drinking, drugs, and despair, 22-year-old William James rejects a teaching position offer at a prestigious Buffalo high school and moves to Mexico to find freedom in its beaches, mountains, and culture.

But soon, this freedom becomes oppressive as well as William finds himself unable to avoid the pull of the wild party scene in the small town of Lila where he lives. He continues a downward spiral until he meets a complex and compassionate Mexican woman whose love inspires him to face the question he’s been avoiding: Is this trip a desperate search for life or a slow death?

A dark but humorous coming-of-age novel, UNDERSTANDING THE ALACRÁN explores many of the questions that haunt young people searching for love and their place in this world, and offers a poetic look at the raw beauty and healing power of Mexico.

My Review:

Will moves from Buffalo to Mexico to try to find some freedom while living with his friend Sal in a place called Lila. In Lila, besides the locals, he meets some people that like him are just looking for an escape and to explore Mexico.

Things are not easy for Will, yes there’s a lot of partying, drinking and meeting women but the cultural differences and the language barrier proves to be a struggle, especially at the beginning.

This book and Will’s experience while in Mexico shows how living on a budget in a different country can be a hardship, how prejudices can go both ways and the real weight of dealing with insecurities and society expectations.

The descriptions of the places Will visited during his stay in Mexico are good and it was a nice surprise to find out that I’d been to some of the cities mentioned in the book and, reading, made me go back to the times I visited some of them (like San Cristobal de las Casas, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Vallarta, Guanajuato and Puebla).

The writing is engaging, with the right flow and a dose of dark humor to make it an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

I found myself highlighting many parts of this book and next are some of my favorite quotes:

“And it was that very face that drew me – a beauty that could cut through any chaos without losing a hint of resolution”.

“It’s ok, Will. Keep writing. Maybe someday you’ll realize your ‘nothing’ is really something beautiful”

“The darkness had made its way back in full force. It was crippling and consumed me whole. I’d gotten away for a short time, but when it caught up again, it hit me with an extra viciousness – perhaps to punish me for running. Nobody truly gets away”.

“It was soft, and organic, and visceral. I felt alive in the darkness – alive and not alone. This was the Mexico I’d fled to see. The Mexico I’d invited to  sweep me away”.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

* I received a free copy from the author through a Goodreads Group.

Book Review: Enginerds by Jarrett Lerner.

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Book Review:

Ever since I saw the cover of this book I knew I needed to read it and when I won a personalized signed copy in a Twitter Giveaway organized by the author I was really excited.

Not being someone to limit myself to the “adults” genres, I enjoy reading all kind of books (from Children’s books, to YA, Fiction, New Adult, Fantasy, etc.) and this one proved to be really a great choice.

Greeeg is a robot that Kennedy (a kid part of a school group called Enginerds) receives in a box that someone left in his doorstep, Greeeg eats everything (except radishes for some reason) and he has an “interesting” way to dispose of food.

I love learning and tech and I guess that’s one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much and why I could relate easily to the wonderful characters created by Jarrett Lerner.

Nerdy and with geeky heart is a way to describe the members of Enginerds, kids that pursue knowledge, learning science and tech while having fun.

Every character has something interesting, but for some reason I liked John Henry the most, with his predilection for “scientifically sound” statements (even if Kennedy is not a fan of him).

Robots, science, tech, friendship, action and teamwork, this book has a lot of elements that

Definitely make it worth to read, share with someone, gift to kids and add to a library collection.

Surprises and twists are present in this fun book that will keep you really entertained and hopefully by the end, also excited about the sequel (the author told me it will be release next year).

Book Review: Lucas. A Preston Brothers Novel by Jay McLean.

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Book Description:

In a sprint, every millisecond counts.
When you’re waiting for love, those milliseconds can feel like eons.

High school senior Lucas Preston has it all: star of the track team, a scholarship waiting for him, an apartment to himself and a revolving door of girlfriends. He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other.
His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven.
A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage.

It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love.
Eight life-changing seconds.
It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.

 

Book Review:

 

I opened this book one night around 11:00 PM just to look at it quickly and see how it began but after reading the first pages I felt instantly drawn to the story and I just knew that if I didn’t stop reading at that moment I wouldn’t be able to stop until I finished it… it was with difficulty that I put my Kindle aside and decided that it would be better if I read the book another day when I was able to do it without interruptions and well…. it prove to be the best decision because when I picked up the book again I just couldn’t put it down.

Lucas (Luke) and Lois (Laney) met when they’re eleven and there seems to be an instant connection between them, they become best friends and are inseparable.

The book shifts between Luke’s and Lois’s POV, and past and present time easily which helps to get a better context and make the reading more engaging.

This book has wonderful characters and it’s really hard for me to choose only one among them, but I can say with certainty that Luke became my favorite male character from all the books I’ve read (he’s far from perfect, he makes mistakes but I think that was the reason I liked him even more). Another character I loved was Lachlan, who is Luke’s younger brother and the cutest kid ever (he deserves his own book).

The Logan (another member of the Preston Family) references of “He’s so Logan”  made me curious about this character and I was happy to find out that there is a book about him, so I’m definitely going to read it.

There are many beautiful, awkwardly cute, heartwarming, funny but also heartbreaking moments in this book; reading was an emotional roller coaster but I loved every moment of it (and yes there moments when I cried a lot).

I really recommend this book and I look forward to reading more about the Preston Family in other books from Jay McLean.

 

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *

Book Review: US by Curtis Wiklund.

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Review:

Curtis Wiklund is a wedding photographer whose work I follow in Instagram, where he started posting some of the drawings that ended up forming part of his book “The Daily Drawings Of US”. I love his drawings and that’s why after I had a gift card towards an ebook I opted for getting this book instead of a YA Novel as I usually do.

This was the first book in my 2018 Reading List and it was a great way to start the year.

In “US” Curtis Wiklund shares some glimpses of his day to day life with drawings (particularly about his relationship with his wife). As I went through the pages I could relate to some of the situations (some of them are cute and funny, some of them are heartwarming) and it’s fairly easy see how much he loves his wife.

I found this book touching and enjoyable, a good addition to a family library and a great option as an anniversary’s or wedding gift.

I hope to be able to buy a printed copy of this book soon in the future because this is the kind of book that I would love to have next to my bed to occasionally open it in a random page and just enjoy.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★