#tbr thursday

[flamingmirrorbookish]

TBR Thursday: A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 

The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?

I didn't know what to expect from this book. It was the title that caught my attention. And I'm so glad it did! This well-written and suspenseful mystery will keep you guessing until the end. The main character is a brilliant and witty girl named Pip. The story is heartbreaking but also funny at times and gripping from the first page. I enjoyed the format. I felt like it allowed me to really get to know Pip. I had no idea how things would turn out. All my theories were wrong. Every new idea Pip had seemed genius. I highly recommend this to all YA Mystery fans.

“‘I came out of the womb knowing how to do academic references.’”

“But sometimes remembering isn’t for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”

TW: suicide and racism, mentions of rape (yes. I copied my review from Goodreads)

[asreadbydana]

Hello readers! I am starting off the new year with a list of the books that I want to make it a priority to read in 2020! I did really well with my list last year so I figured I should challenge myself again this year. Here are the books:

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb

[themelodyofspring]

TBR Thursday hosted by @adoeandherbooks​

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide.

Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding.

Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment.

And now there's a ghost inside her.

The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, but it may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.

This book was bought because of its gorgeous cover!!

The story kicks off with the protagonist, Makepeace, and her mother living in the town of Poplar, where Makepeace’s mother made her sleep in the graveyard most nights so that she could learn to fight off the spirits of the dead that may try to hide inside of her (cruel!).

But certain events transpire and Makepeace ends up at a rich relative’s house where a group of people have the same powers as her. She meets her half brother there and through various trials, figures out the good and bad about housing spirits inside of you.

Why you should read this book – It’s a coming of age novel with a female protagonist that for once, does not revolve around romance. Lots of bad things happen but Makepeace rebels in her own way and never gives up. This book had one of the strongest endings for a standalone novel.

My rating – 4/5 stars

A snippet of a dialogue between Makepeace and a spirit that is inside of her,

“I suppose there is no chance of hearty tot of rum?” suggested the doctor as Makepeace hurried along the streets. “I think I could use one.”

“An innocent young maid like me?” Makepeace whispered sarcastically.

“I can recommend its fortifying virtues on medical grounds. O Almighty have mercy, this is intolerable! You walk without symmetry – this jolting – do you need to lollop so? I am seasick! And your posture is dreadful, I can feel every kink in your spine...”

[janareviews]

I’m trying to make more realistic weekly TBR’s, and it’s kind of been working! (But I completely forgot about my September TBR, oops)

TBR Thursday:

Flirting with Fire by Piper Rayne

Losing the Field by Abbi Glines

Southern Charmer (eARC) by Jessica Peterson

**The Wingman by Natasha Anders

What’s on your TBR for the week??

[foreverlostinliterature]

TBR Thursday: Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed

A blog about books and book reviews

I’m featuring Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed - out July 25th - for my TBR Thursday this week! This sounds like a fantastic choice for anyone interested in cult-like societies.

[flamingmirrorbookish]

TBR Thursday: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say. Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen. Their love isn’t a lightning strike, it’s the rumbling roll of thunder. Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. 

I fear that anything I say won't do justice to this book. I've been staring at the screen for hours, trying to find the right words. A Quiet Kind of Thunder has a diverse cast of charming, funny, and flawed characters (they do things right, they mess up), a cute and fun romance, interesting relationships between friends and family, while also discussing disabilities in an honest and sensitive way. And without love curing all!

„But panic doesn’t care about stakes or context. It is loud and immediate and profoundly, all-encompassingly selfish.“

„'… Chronic anxiety is a form of illness, Steffi. It’s not something you bring on yourself by how you feel on any given day.’“

„Here’s the thing about anxiety: it’s not rational. It’s not rational, but it’s still real, and it’s still scary, and that’s OK. That’s one of the things my therapist used to tell me. It doesn’t make it any less difficult because it doesn’t make sense.“

[flamingmirrorbookish]

TBR Thursday 

All Evie wants is to be normal. And now that she's almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the-girl-who-went-nuts, there's only one thing left to tick off her list...

This book is moving, hilarious, witty, heartbreaking, gripping, and so much more. It tells a very honest and insightful story about srtuggling with OCD, secrets, feminism, and relationships. I felt close to this and it made me tear up. I wish I could have read it when I was younger.

„Being a spinster means you value your female relationships as much as your male ones.” I thought of Jane. “Being a spinster means not altering who you are, what you believe in, and what you want just because it makes a boy’s life easier.”

„It’s also hard not to dance to AC/DC like a pissed old person at a wedding and everyone else had the same problem.“

(If it was talked about, I missed it. And it should be talked about more. If you want to join in the TBR Thursdays, look at this post here)

Trigger Warning: mental illness - the book gets pretty graphic 

[flamingmirrorbookish]

TBR Thursday: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella 

Fourteen-year-old Audrey suffers from a severe anxiety disorder and has left school because of a traumatic bullying problem. She almost never leaves her house and the only people she sees are her family and counselor. But one day she accidentally meets her brother's gaming buddy – Linus.

I was afraid that this would turn out to be a „love cures all“ kind of story but it does not. (I've read reviews where people say that they thought it was. I didn't feel that way). Linus offers friendship and support. He makes her laugh, is patient, and doesn't judge. He tries to draw Audrey outside again. He'll do anything to help Audrey get better.

While the story is centered around Audrey and her illness, there are many hilarious situations, mainly between her mother and brother.

„I’ve often noticed that people equate ‘having a sense of humour’ with ‘being an insensitive moron’“

YA. Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Bullying.