The Bookish Island: April 2017

4/23/2017

Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton | Book Review

Book Review:
The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton

Spoilers?

Maybe.

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Title - The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope
By - Joe Todd Stanton
Publication - February 14th, 2017 by Flying Eye Books
Genre - Children's Book, Mythical, Picture Book, Fantasy, Graphic Novel

Imagine a vault so cavernous that it could contain all the world's greatest treasures and relics, from mummified remains of ancient monarchs to glistening swords brandished by legendary warriors. Who could be in charge of such a vault and how did he come into possession of such a unique collection? Who is...Professor Brownstone?

The Rating:

My Review:

via GIPHY

I want to say that this was sent to me for review from publisher and that, as all my reviews, this one is full of my honest opinions.

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

The title and the ribbon are in gold foiling and it's beautiful. The cover art is amazingly beautiful too.

The Story:
A young boy starts his adventures and things start happening. With the things he has picked up and learned he will save the day.

Illustrations:
The illustrations are very vibrant and detailed. I love the warm tones in the colors and how clean and clear everything is. Its simple but its very awesome and I love it. With every page being so different you have to look at them more than once, certainly read the book more than once too, to be able to see everything. Or you'd miss a little detail.

From a kids point of view:
I think children would find Arthur to be a hero. With Arthur being an unlikely hero who ends up saving the day. They would probably say he looks like Harry Potter which would make them like the character more.
That's what I believe.

Overall:
First thing first, I was supposed to write this review after Nightlights but I completely forgot.

Also, I just have to say it but this book smells amazing. Between the smell of books and new shoes, books always win. Especially this one.

Am I curious about what other stories can come out o this world Joe has created? Yes.

This story is intertwined with a little bit of Norse mythology having some of the Norse gods as characters. Like Thor, and Odin.

This is such a beautiful book in every way. An adorable main character whose also an adventurer, a beautiful world full of creatures and magic, and delightful illustrations that make it easily submergible.

via GIPHY

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble | Amazon US

Get a copy here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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4/20/2017

I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjork | Book Review

Book Review:
I'm Traveling Alone by Samuel Bjork

Spoilers?

Maybe.

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Title - I'm Traveling Alone (Holger Munch & Mia Kruger #1)
By - Samuel Bjørk

Publication - February 23rd, 2016 by Viking
Format - ARC Copy, 388 pages

Genre - Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective

From a bold new voice in international crime fiction, a chilling debut in which two detectives must hunt down a vengeful killer--and uncover the secret that ties each of them to the crime

A six-year-old girl is found in the Norwegian countryside, hanging lifeless from a tree with a jump rope around her neck. She is dressed in strange doll's clothes. Around her neck is an airline tag that says "I'm traveling alone."

A special homicide unit in Oslo re-opens with veteran police investigator Holger Munch at the helm. Holger's first step is to persuade the brilliant but haunted investigator Mia Krüger to come back to the squad--she's been living on an isolated island, overcome by memories of her past. When Mia views a photograph of the crime scene and spots the number "1" carved into the dead girl's fingernail, she knows this is only the beginning. She'll soon discover that six years earlier, an infant girl was abducted from a nearby maternity ward. The baby was never found. Could this new killer have something to do with the missing child, or with the reclusive Christian sect hidden in the nearby woods?

Mia returns to duty to track down a revenge-driven and ruthlessly intelligent killer. But when Munch's own six-year-old granddaughter goes missing, Mia realizes that the killer's sinister game is personal, and I'm Traveling Alone races to an explosive--and shocking--conclusion.

The Rating:

My Review:

When I saw this gif I thought he'd make a perfect Holger.

via GIPHY

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

So I got this in the mail along two other books that I had won in a giveaway a long time ago as a bonus for them not sending me the books for months since I had won it. And when I saw this book I gravitated to it more than the other books. This book's cover was just so beautiful. And After reading it I can say that the cover does not say much about what the book is about. It actually has nothing in common. I think.
[The haul when I got this book.}

The Story:
A veteran police investigator, Holger Munch, and brilliant but haunted investigator, Mia Kruger team up again as partners to help find who's behind the murder of a few 6-year-old girls.

Relationships:

No couples in this one.

Mia x Holger
Their partnership was solid as could be. Apart from Mia not speaking about how she was mentally with her partner. Which I thought was unresponsible seeing as they should know stuff like that about each other if they are going to put their life on the line. But that's my opinion.

The Execution of the Crime:
Since this is a different novel, different genre, I will change things up. By adding this new part, the execution of the crime) and solving the crime as well as the team or group involved in solving the case and the murderer/bad guy.

This is not spoiler-y as the summary says the same thing I will write down.

The crime is 6-year-old girls are found murdered, dressed in dolls clothes with a message saying "I'm Traveling Alone" like the title. Then there's the connection to an old case in which a baby was taken from a maternity ward.
Our investigator, Mia finds that the might be a connection.
But there is also the case of the missing child, the church, and the nursing home.
And along the way, we find out the connections and how every character has been involved in some way.

The Team:
I thought that the people behind the main investigators, Mia and Holger, were so brilliantly different and easy to tell apart. They worked perfectly together even if there were some characters that not everyone got along with. There was the brains, the muscle, the leader, the mother bear. I loved how different they were and how each of them had a role to play solving this crime as well as other thigs.

Overall:
I was in love with this book. So much so that I think that if I would have read this in one go I would have loved it even more.

Durig the entire time I as reading this I kept thinking it would make an awesome BBC series.Like Broadchurch or Vera.
Yes, those two are the only ones I've seen but they were good.

I say BBC instead of an American show because it's more gritty if that makes sense. I think it would be good to divide each section up and divide that in half. One crime/book for one season. Much like how Broadchurch was done. It's perfect.

I also need to say this again because I was so in love and so happy about the characters in this book. Not only did I never get them mixed up or get myself confused but I remembered who each character was and their traits. That never happens. I easily get stuff like too many characters in one book confused.
Like I was even explaining to my mom how I loved it because I didn't get them mixed u and told her about the characters.

I also have to say that I felt the writer should have talked about Mia's mental state more. I know stuff like that doesn't get cured in an instant and that is not what I want or meant. What I mean is that they (Mia and someone else, maybe Holger) should have talked about it. She should have talked about it.
I know its hard and she was probably afraid they would take her off the team but the writer should have taken it more seriously and made it more seen instead of stop talking about it.
Which is what I felt happened.

As for the ending. I was disappointed.

On Goodreads:

On April 3, 2017, around page 160
I said: "picked this book back. Now I've obligated myself to finish it. I want to know what's going on."

On October 9, 2016, around page 139 Which was around the time I stopped reading for a while.
"I'm definitely not going to give up on this book. I really want to know what happens. It's really good but I'm one of those people who gets distracted easily and with my classes and the ton of homework I have to do (despite it being a long weekend) I can't get glued to the book and finish it already because I really do want to."

Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble | Amazon US

Get a copy here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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4/13/2017

Read or Binge - Part One: Bones

So I've decided to start a series of posts in which I talk about some television series that I have watched and adored that were based on books I have most likely haven't read or own. It's not perfect, this series, but I really want to talk about these shows. That I've grown up with or just started watching and already love.

And maybe I'll do this every other Monday or Thursday. I'm not certain.

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Today I decided to talk about the Bones tv show since it has come to an end.

I think I started watching this show because o my mother. She loves shows like that. Detectives, and crime shows. We have watched shows like that since I was a kid where I remember us watching X-Files nd CSI. Bones was no different. When she started watching it, I started watching it. And we both loved it and every time an episode aired we were there on the sofa watching it from beginning to end. And even the last episode was well loved.

So the tv show Bones is based off a book series called the Temperance Brennan Series, named after the main character, and is written by the author Kathy Reichs.

It started around 2005 and just ended this year.

If you don't already know what this show is about...

Basically, forensic anthropologist and crime writer, Dr. Temperance Brennan, or "Bones" and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth work together in a fictional Jeffersonian Institute Lab and solve crimes together along with a team of professionals.

It stars Emily Deschanel as Bones and David Boreanaz as Booth.

via GIPHY

Differences:

Well, although I haven't read the books I can't really say what the differences are but from what I read researching is that the name Temperance Brennan the only thing in common. Since the tv show is more based on the life of author Kathy Reichs and her work and not the Temperance Brennan Series she wrote.

I don't know any more than that.

But I did find a forum that talked about the differences a bit more.

Bones the show VS. Bones the books

My Thoughts on The Show:

I personally enjoyed the show. Although there were times I felt like it repeated some crimes in some ways.
I loved the different characters both the constant ones, as well as the ones that were on a few episodes.

The crimes were different from the ones I had seen in other shows. Meaning that they were more science drive, well, fictional science, but it sure sounded cool.

I loved the romance between Bones and Booth. Even if it felt rushed in the beginning when their relationship as a couple started, it was perfect in every way. They understood each other in ways no one else did and they loved each other till the end and beyond. I was happy that they had a happy ending and a big happy family.

The show went on for a long time so I feel that as much as the characters grew so did I and that's a nice thought to have.

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

via GIPHY

Will I Read The Books or Will I Binge Watch The Show?

Now that a great question. After finding out that the books don't have anything in common with the show I was a little disappointed but I still want to know what they are like. Maybe I'll read the first one in the series.

On the other hand, I would love to binge watch the entire show now that it's over. Like a final goodbye or something. Although I do think I'll always want to watch this show since it was awesome.

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Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan #1) by Kathy Reichs

It's June in Montreal, and Temperance Brennan has just left a shaky marriage back home in North Carolina to take on a challenging assignment as director of forensic anthropology for the province of Quebec.
Before she can explore her new hometown, though, Tempe must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells Tempe that she'll be spending her first weekend on the new job in the crime lab. This is the homicide of the worst kind.
As Tempe investigates the case, she finds more questions than answers, and a startling pattern emerges. As she races to track down a killer who is still on the loose, Brennan plunges herself and those closest to her into mortal danger.

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So in conclution...

I will read the first in the series and binge watch the entire show.
Seems like a lot, but it will be fun. Maybe I'll make my mom watch some episodes with me. And talk about what's different from the first seasons and the last ones.

via GIPHY

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4/12/2017

Waiting on Wednesday #14 - Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israe

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases.

I'm back. This is back. More books I can't wait to read. Though I think I won't read them for a long time. *sad*
Scratch that. Yay books!

Reasons. I need reasons to read this book besides that gorgeous covers.
I want to read this book because in the summary where it said that the main character Juniper's sister dies and Juniper has to deal with that and start school again, it really sounded a bit like a story I want to write ( I say want to write but I've been working on that story for a couple of years now). Except in mine, the big sister doesn't die she's just in a car accident with the little sister, my main character.
So I thought it sounded cool.

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Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

It's hard to keep close a person everyone keeps telling you is gone.

It's been sixty-five painful days since the death of Juniper's big sister, Camilla. On her first day back at school, bracing herself for the stares and whispers, Juniper borrows Camie's handbag for luck - and discovers an unsent break-up letter inside. It's mysteriously addressed to 'You' and dated July 4th - the day of Camie's accident. Desperate to learn the identity of Camie's secret love, Juniper starts to investigate.

But then she loses something herself. A card from her daily ritual, The Happiness Index: little notecards on which she rates the day. The Index has been holding Juniper together since Camie's death - but without this card, there's a hole. And this particular card contains Juniper's own secret: a memory that she can't let anyone else find out.

The Release Date for the book is:
June 1st 2017

Pre-Order:

Barnes&Noble | Amazon US

Or order it from Book Depository using my Affiliate link:
Book Depository

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4/02/2017

Stacking The Shelves - 8

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!

Around the same time I went on my hiatus I stopped doing STS posts. Duh! But even after I started blogging again I didn't start these. I don't think I was into having to know I had to blog every week. But now I want to write one.

As For Update:

This week I haven't done much reading to update on.
But I have taken it upon myself to clean my bookshelf and organize my books into piles. Books Read, Books that are in a series and I don't own the first or the ones before it, Books I don't want to own, Books To Read and Books to Read with No Urgency.
My whole bookshelf situation is bad since I have a bookcase that is two parts that go together to form a 5 shelf bookcase. But I only have the top part assembled and it's warped and on top of a dresser. It's a mess.
And I can't assemble the two parts together cause apart from the fact that we live in a basement type of place if the place floods I'd lose my books. So that has me terrified.

Book Mail: