Armchair Book Expo 2017 – Day 3: Delving Into Diversity & Dining With the Authors #ArmchairBookExpo #diversity #dreamdining

Armchair Book Expo is the experience for book bloggers to participate in Book Expo from the comfort of their homes. This experience is created lovingly by book bloggers specifically for our peers who for whatever reason are not able to participate in the main conference in New York each year. We bring publishers, authors, and bloggers together in celebrating our love for all things literary by hosting celebrations such as sneak peeks, daily discussion topics, and sponsored giveaways. 

• Delving Into Diversity: Book Expo sparked quite the controversy a couple years ago regarding diversity in books and authors. Where are we now? OR, let's take a different direction and explore the diversity of the format of a book. Do we judge a book by its cover and/or content (e.g.,, audio, digital, graphic, etc.)? Or, combine the two topics and discuss diversity found in alternative content (e.g., representation in graphic novels). Get creative and maybe even controversial! 

Personally, I see more diversity now in books than when I first started blogging in 2010. I don't read a book BECAUSE it is diverse or features a diverse character. Rather, I go with my interests and what appeals to me.

I absolutely am sucked in by a gorgeous cover! I frequently buy books because the cover entices me in some way, whether it's dark and disturbing or beautiful. I won't even read the synopsis!

• Dining With the Authors: Every year at Book Expo, children and adult authors are featured during breakfast. Who would you dream of enjoying a meal with? Would it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or simply coffee? What would your meal be? What would you discuss?

I think I'd love to host a dinner party with some of my favourite horror writers, including Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul. I imagine retreating to a den afterwards with a drink by the fire and the three of them combining their talents to tell one heck of a ghost story!

I'd also love to have a drink/coffee with two authors that I find hilarious: Alice Clayton and Christopher Moore. I think they would both have me in stitches!

Chapter Break May Bookish Bingo: Wrap-up Post @juliecookies @lynnmpoppe

This is my Wrap-up Post for the monthly challenge hosted by Julie & Lynn at Chapter Break.

I did better than I did last month!
22/25 SQUARES COMPLETED (with the FREE space)

I actually have another book on the go that would have completed 2 more squares, but I didn't manage to finish it yet.

1. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson, Book #3) - Completes 7 squares: Vampire/werewolf/demon, In a series, Audio book, Multi-word title, Not a new release, Shelf-love book, Transformation
2. Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress Universe, Book #1.5) - Completes 2 squares: Marriage/wedding, Library book
3. Shadows in the Mist by Brian Moreland - Completes 3 squares: Historical, Secrets, Free book
4. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton (Cocktail, Book #1) - Completes 2 squares: Lusty, Baking/cooking
5. Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters by Suzanne Weyn - Completes 4 squares: Read a physical book, Fancy party, Royalty, Dual narration
6. Nemesis by Brendan Reichs (Project Nemesis, Book #1) - Completes 2 squares: Red on the cover, Nerd/geek
7. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - Completes 1 square: Forbidden/inappropriate romance

That was fun! Thanks for hosting, Julie & Lynn!

May Wrap-up

Another month has sped by! I hope the coming months pass more slowly so we can savour summer!

Thanks to the Caffeinated Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge, I tackled some books that have been sitting for a long time on my review pile!

I finished 8 books this month! Here they are (CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS TO SEE MY REVIEW):

FROM MY BOOKSHELF:

4 stars
Day by Day Armageddon
by J.L. Bourne
(Day by Day Armageddon, Book #1)


FROM THE LIBRARY

4 stars

Happily Never After

by Jeaniene Frost

(Night Huntress Universe Book #1.5)

REVIEW COPIES

3 stars
Shadows in the Mist
by Brian Moreland

5 stars
Wallbanger
by Alice Clayton
(Cocktail, Book #1)

4 stars
Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters
by Suzanne Weyn

4 stars
Nemesis
by Brendan Reichs
(Project Nemesis, Book #1)

4 stars
Buried in Buttercream
by G.A. McKevett
(A Savannah Reid Mystery, Book #17)

4 stars
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins


Wallbanger was definitely my stand-out favourite read of the month, followed by Nemesis! Wallbanger is hilarious, and I am surprised how much I enjoyed it given that I don't typically like contemporary romances. I really enjoyed the whole conspiracy angle of Nemesis. I will definitely continue on with both series.

I discovered seven new authors and four new series, and I read another book from a series previously started (Happily Never After).

January Wrap-up: 10 books

[3 shelf-love, 5 library, 2 review]

February Wrap-up: 9 books
[2 shelf-love, 5 library, 2 review]

March Wrap-up: 7 books
[5 shelf-love, 2 review]

April Wrap-up: 8 books
[6 shelf-love, 2 review]

May Wrap-up: 8 books
[1 shelf-love, 1 library, 6 review]

Year to date total: 42 books
[17 shelf-love, 11 library, 14 review]

So, how was your May? What was your favourite book? Least favourite? Please let me know in the comments! I'd love to add your favourites to my TBR :)

It Read-a-Long #SummerofIT #Gather2Read @truebookaddict

The read-a-long is being hosted by Michelle at Gather Together and Read.

Here are the details copied from Michelle's blog:

The Summer of It Read-a-Long

Schedule:

• Start reading on June 1st
• In June, read Part 1: The Shadow Before, Derry: The First Interlude, and Part 2: June of 1958 - Pages 3 - 433
• Discussion on Friday, June 30th - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• In July, read Derry: The Second Interlude, Part 3: Grownups, Derry: The Third Interlude, and Part 4: July of 1958 - Pages 435 - 878
• Discussion on Monday, July 31st - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)
• In August, read Derry: The Fourth Interlude, Part 5: The Ritual of Chud, Derry: The Last Interlude, and Epilogue: Bill Denbrough Beats The Devil (II) - Pages 879 -1138 (end)
• Final discussion on Thursday, August 31st - no set time. Just stop by here, or at the Facebook group event any time that day (or later on, if you get behind)

This has been on my TBR since I was a teenager! When I saw this read-a-long, I thought it was a great way to finally tackle this tome before the film re-make hits the theatre in September!

My version is this one, published by New English Library in 1987. It has 1,116 pages.

I may switch between listening to the audiobook and reading, since this book is so long! My library offers the audiobook on Overdrive, and it clocks in at 44 h and 53 min. Wow! I'm not even sure that I'll finish it during the lending period, LOL!

If you would like to join me in the challenge, just click the link at the beginning of the post. 

Armchair Book Expo 2017 – Day 2: What Do Readers Want and Let's Collaborate & Listen #ArmchairBookExpo #whatreaderswant #collaborate

Armchair Book Expo is the experience for book bloggers to participate in Book Expo from the comfort of their homes. This experience is created lovingly by book bloggers specifically for our peers who for whatever reason are not able to participate in the main conference in New York each year. We bring publishers, authors, and bloggers together in celebrating our love for all things literary by hosting celebrations such as sneak peeks, daily discussion topics, and sponsored giveaways. 

What Do Readers Want?: What makes or breaks a book? How do we rate the books, or determine if it is good literature or a good story? What do we want from an author event? How does diversity representation fit into all of this? 

For me, what makes or breaks a book is how engaged I am. When something is tough for me to put down, it gets a higher rating. Whether or not I like the characters is irrelevant. I don't have to like them to enjoy the story. Evil characters are sometimes the best! When I am reading YA, the content has to be age-appropriate and something that I would feel comfortable letting my teenager read. I get really irked when an author or publisher passes off a book as YA simply because the main character is a teenager, when it really should be marketed to adults. 

If a book is un-put-downable and I loved it, then I give it five stars. When I really enjoyed the story but it didn't give me the "love it" feeling, then I give 4 stars. If I liked it and enjoyed it but wasn't WOWed in any way, then I give 3 stars. If it's just "meh", then I give 2 stars. If I didn't like the story at all or it just wasn't for me, then I give only 1 star. I never mark a book as DNF. I feel obligated to finish it, even if I am not liking it!

Let's Collaborate & Listen: The online book community has changed so much over the years. How do we keep up within our own book-sphere as well as within the community as a whole (i.e., libraries, bookstores, authors, publishers, etc.)? 

Way back when I first started blogging, there was a great site called Book Blogs NING. It was a great way to meet other bloggers and share reviews. I do miss that community of passionate readers, but I enjoy talking about books with other fans/bloggers over at Goodreads. I participate in different weekly memes on a regular basis, so I find out about new books from other bloggers. I'm also a big fan of utilizing my local public library, and I am there each week checking out the New Release shelves. My local branch is small, so I frequently use the inter-library loan service. My library's branch manager told me that I single-handledly have increased the circulation at their branch and that I must never move out of the area :)  I don't generally request ARCs from NetGalley or Edelweiss because I don't enjoy reading e-books, but I love using Edelweiss to view publisher catalogs. I keep track of upcoming releases on Goodreads and add them to my Wishlist. When I post reviews on my blog, I tweet the link to publishers and authors so that they can view it if they wish.

Wrap-up Post for Bookish Bingo: Spring Edition @ironteethbitch

This is my Wrap-up Post for the Spring 2017 Edition of Bookish Bingo hosted by Becca at Pretty Deadly Reviews.

I had a hard time with this one! I didn't do as well as I was hoping.

FINISHED: 13/24 BOOKS
1 Bingo

1. POLITICS OR GOVERNMENT: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
2. MULTI POV: 
   Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard
3. ADAPTED TO TV/MOVIE: The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
4. NON FICTION: Year of No Clutter by Eve O. Schaub
5. MAGIC: Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Kingmaker Chronicles, Book #2)
6. THRILLER: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
7. SCARY: 
   The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone
8. PARANORMAL: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress Universe, Book #1)
9. 2017 DEBUT: Fast in the Night: A Woman, Her Dogs, and Their Journey North on the Iditarod Trail by Debbie Clarke Moderow
10. PERSON OF COLOUR ON COVER: Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson, Book #3)
11. BLUE COVER: Shadows in the Mist by Brian Moreland
12. SISTERS: Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters by Suzanne Weyn
13. SPRING RELEASE: Nemesis by Brendan Reichs (Project Nemesis, Book #1)
14. MUSLIM MAIN CHARACTER:
15. GREEN COVER:
16. JUST WORDS ON COVER:
17. PURPLE COVER:
18. DRAGONS:
19. SERIES FINALE:
20. OVER 500 PAGES:
21. LGBT+ MAIN CHARACTER:
22. WITCHES:
23. HISTORICAL:
24. RETELLING:

That was fun, Becca! Thanks for hosting :)

#Audiobook #Review: 4 out of 5 stars for The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins @PHawkinsAuthor @PRHAudio

TITLE: The Girl on the Train

AUTHOR: Paula Hawkins
NARRATORS: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, and India Fisher

PUBLISHER: Penguin Audio

PUBLICATION DATE: January 13, 2015

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook

LENGTH: 10 hrs and 59 mins

GENRE: Mystery, Thriller

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.

MY REVIEW:

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.

It’s hard to believe that this is Hawkins’ debut! She pulled me into the storyline like a pro, and she managed to keep me guessing right until the end!

The story is told from three points of view. By telling the story from multiple viewpoints, I feel that it adds to the dimension of the characters. First, we meet Rachel Watson. She rides the train from Ashbury to London and back each day so that her roommate won’t find out that she actually lost her job. She’s an alcoholic, and she frequently imbibes on the return trip home. She is a people watcher and very observant. The train usually stops at the same place every day, and she is able to get a good view of a particular home and its inhabitants. She sees who she thinks is the perfect couple: Jason and Jess, which aren’t their real names of course. She fantasizes about their perfect life in their perfect home, and she is taken aback when she sees Jess one day in a romantic clinch with another man! She becomes very incensed, and part of the reason for that is because Rachel’s ex-husband cheated on her. Rachel thought her marriage, like Jason’s and Jess’ marriage, was perfect and was oblivious to the fact that her husband was cheating on her with another woman. The story then jumps to Megan Hipwell’s point of view, who is Jess, and goes back in time to a year earlier so we get to see what transpired in the past leading up to what Rachel witnesses. Later in the book, a third point of view from Anna Watson is added, who is Rachel’s ex-husband’s new wife. Interestingly, Megan lives on the same street where Rachel lived with her ex-husband and where he now lives with Anna. When Megan goes missing, Rachel is driven to find out what happened to her and if this strange man that she spotted Megan with factors into the picture. Not only that, but Rachel went to her ex-husband's house that night to confront him, so she was in the area on the night that Megan disappeared but she was so drunk that she has gaps in her memory. 

I like flawed and complex characters, and Hawkins treats us to a cast of them! Rachel as an alcoholic is completely unreliable, so I spent a good deal pondering whether things actually occurred the way that she thinks they did! Also, she is an outside observer and her impressions might be wrong or skewed by what her ex-husband did to her. Secrets, secrets, everyone has a secret! I have to admit that I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, but that is okay! I found them all abhorrent in their own way, but I don’t have to like the characters to enjoy the story. Sometimes, it’s interesting to see how far down someone can fall or how messed up they become! Hawkins kept the tension in the story high, and I loved how she unraveled this mystery bit by bit. There was a red herring that threw me off, and I was completely blindsided by the ending. I love it when an author can do that! I really enjoyed this debut, and I am really looking forward to reading Hawkins' sophomore novel, Into the Water, which was released in May 2017.

There were three different narrators for the story’s multiple points of view: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, and India Fisher. All of them were wonderful, so it doesn’t surprise me that this audiobook was the Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award and 2016 Audie Award Winner for Best Audiobook of the Year. Each narrator brought the personality of her character to life, and I think the audiobook was enhanced by using different narrators for each viewpoint. In particular, the narrator for Anna was so convincing that she really made me hate her! I assume it was India Fisher, since she was the third narrator listed and Anna’s perspective was the third one introduced. Here is a sample of the narration:

I have avoided watching any movie trailers or reading book reviews so as to not spoil the story for myself. It’s best to go into this one blind. I am planning to watch the 2016 film adaptation, but I have heard from others that it is incredibly boring! There is a lot of internal dialog, so perhaps that doesn't adapt well to the big screen. I suspect that the movie won’t hold a candle to the book, but I will come back to add my thoughts after seeing it.

MY RATING:

4 stars!! It was really good, and you should put it on your TBR if you enjoy psychological thrillers! Thanks again to Penguin Random House Audio for the opportunity to review this audiobook!

This book qualifies as:

#42 for my 2017 You Read How Many Books Reading Challenge

#42 for my 2017 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

#42 for my 2017 Pages Read Challenge

#25 for my 2017 Audiobook Challenge

#25 for my Audio Books Reading Challenge 2017

#6 for my Blogger Shame Review Challenge

#28 for my Women Challenge #5

#35 for my Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge
#33 for my The Backlist Reader Challenge 2017

#34 for my New Authors 2017 Reading Challenge

#35 for my 2017 New To Me Challenge

#26 for my 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

#5 for my 2017 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge

#4 for my Wild Goose Reading Challenge 2017

#13-3 for my 2017 Bookopoly

Bonus #5F for my 2017 Literary Escapes Challenge

#12 for my Monthly Mix-up Mania

#12 for my 2017 Book to Movie Reading Challenge
#11 for my Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

Task #6 for my Goodreads Spring 2017 Seasonal Scavenger Challenge

#7 for my Chapter Break Bingo May 2017
#6 for my May Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge

View all my reviews

Caffeinated Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge May 2017: Wrap-up Post #CleanSweepARC @kimbacaffeinate

This is my Wrap-up Post for the Caffeinated Clean Sweep ARC Reading Challenge. 

My goal was to finish 5 ARCs in May, and I met my goal! I actually have two more books on the go (one audio, one paperback), and I really thought I'd finish the paperback by the end of the month but the past week has just been very busy with the kids' extra-curricular activities.

Here are the links to my reviews:

1. Shadows in the Mist by Brian Moreland
2. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton (Cocktail, Book #1)
3. Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters by Suzanne Weyn
4. Nemesis by Brendan Reichs (Project Nemesis, Book #1)
5. Buried in Buttercream by G.A. McKevett (A Savannah Reid Mystery, Book #17) 
6. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (this link goes to my Goodreads review, which will be updated when the review is posted on my blog on June 1st)

Thanks again for hosting, Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

Sci-Fi Summer Read-a-Thon: Starting Line #SciFiSummerJune

The Sci-Fi Summer Read-a-Thon has begun!

I'm Finishing Up:

Souljacker
(Lily Bound, Book #1)
by Yasmine Galenorn

This is urban fantasy, but Michelle said that qualified so I'll finish this one up since I started it before the read-a-thon. My next picks will be sci-fi :)


Next Up:

The Book of Ivy
by Amy Engel
(The Book of Ivy, Book #1)

Raging Star
by Moira Young
(Dust Lands, Book #3)

Others on my TBR (not sure what I'll pick next):

Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel

Enclave
by Ann Aguirre
(Razorland, Book #1)

The Remedy
by Suzanne Young
(The Program, Book #0.5)

Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
(Shatter Me, Book #1)

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
(The Hunger Games, Book #1)

Allegiant
by Veronica Roth
(Divergent, Book #3)


I will post my updates on Twitter using the #SciFiSummerJune hashtag, and then do a wrap-up post at the end of the read-a-thon on my blog.

Thanks again to Michelle at Seasons of Reading for hosting!

Armchair Book Expo 2017 – Day 1: Introductions #ArmchairBookExpo

Armchair Book Expo is the experience for book bloggers to participate in Book Expo from the comfort of their homes. This experience is created lovingly by book bloggers specifically for our peers who for whatever reason are not able to participate in the main conference in New York each year. We bring publishers, authors, and bloggers together in celebrating our love for all things literary by hosting celebrations such as sneak peeks, daily discussion topics, and sponsored giveaways. 

I am . . . a multi-tasking busy single mom, working full-time. I have very little sit-down time to read, so I listen to audiobooks on my work commute and while doing chores!

My current read . . . is Unspoken by Lisa Jackson, and I'm also reading an autobiography/memoir by Alice Cooper called Alice Cooper, Golf Monster. I'm listening to Souljacker by Yasmine Galenorn, and I'm reading the second book in the Oz series, The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum, aloud to my younger daughter.

  

My summer plans . . . spending time in my lovely backyard with my kids in the evenings and on the weekend!

My buddy . . . meet Trixie. She actually is my older daughter's cat, but she enjoys lying on my lap in the evenings if she can catch me sitting down.

My blog/channel/social media . . . Darlene's Book Nook. All the links to my social media handles are up top.

The best . . . my kids!!