The Bookish Island

7/15/2018

Stacking the Shelves #15

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

Update:

Since the last Stacking The Shelves I've read a few books.
In June I read the following books:

Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris

She Be Damned by M.J. Tjia

Broken Dolls by Sarah Flint

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
(the Through the Looking-Glass part)

Shug by Jenny Han

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Dear Bridget, I Want You by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao

The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

Sister Eve, Private Eye by Lynne Hinton

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Book Mail:

Since last time I got one of the books I had won on Goodreads. And I found The Shinning.

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7/13/2018

Shug by Jenny Han | Book Review #116

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Shug by Jenny Han

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Title: Shug

Author: Jenny Han

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Pages: 248

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2006

Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade, Contemporary

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Date Read: July 6, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

SHUG is clever and brave and true (on the inside, anyway). And she's about to become your new best friend.
Annemarie Wilcox, or Shug as her family calls her, is beginning to think there's nothing worse than being twelve. She's too tall, too freckled, and way too flat-chested. Shug is sure that there's not one good or amazing thing about her. And now she has to start junior high, where the friends she counts most dear aren't acting so dear anymore -- especially Mark, the boy she's known her whole life through. Life is growing up all around her, and all Shug wants is for things to be like they used to be. How is a person supposed to prepare for what happens tomorrow when there's just no figuring out today?

The Rating:

My Review:

This story had everything. From problems at home to boy problems to school problems.
And right in the middle was Annemarie. A 12-year-old who had just begun junior high. She came across puberty, and first crushes, and the knowledge that her parents might not be as close as they once were. And with her big sister not being around as much, and her two close friends both having their own stuff to deal with, she gets to go through most of that on her own.

Annemarie was brilliant in every way. Smart, sassy, and didn't let the boys mess with her. Which only made me wish I had a friend like her when I was that age.

I cried. Like I cried, cried. It wasn't pretty either. But I also fell in love with this book.

It was such a sweet and easy to read book that was a perfect in-between to read after having been reading a few strong Mystery/Thrillers. I loved that it was a quick read and that it had such a good story. Making me think about another book that made me feel that way. Flipped. And like Flipped, This has to be a movie. Because that would be so cooooool!

Also, this book and Flipped should totally be BFFs.
See my review of
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Goodreads | Book Depository

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7/12/2018

The Secret of the Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton | Book Review #115

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Secret of the Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:
This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Nobrow) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Secret of the Black Rock

Author: Joe Todd-Stanton

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Pages: 40

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Published: 2017

Genre: Picture Books, Children's, Fantasy

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Date Read: July 5, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

This surreal modern folk-tale tells the story of an adventurous young girl who must protect a peaceful living creature.
Erin is fascinated by the stories of Black Rock: a huge, dark and spiky mass that is said to destroy any boats that come near it! But are the tales really true? One day Erin sneaks on board her mother’s fishing boat to find out…

The Rating:

My Review:

The Secret of the Black Rock is a beautiful story that grabbed my attention and took my heart for a ride.

I was truly taken by this book and its magnificent illustrations. I cried and smiled and felt I had -no! I must read this book again sometime soon.

Goodreads | Get it

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7/10/2018

Top Ten Tuesday #7 | Best Reads of 2018 (So Far!)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

July 10:
Best Reads of 2018 (So Far!)

I wanted to do something like this on Instagram and on here as an official post but since most of the boos I read are either books I got through Netgalley or books I borrowed from my friends but had to give them back I couldn't take a good photo with all of the books together. But I'm glad I could do it in this Top Ten format so -yay!

This time it ended up being a Top Eleven Tuesday.

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I finally got my hands on and read The Ghost and the Goth which I've wanted to read since 2015. And I wasn't disappointed. And Killer Instinct was crazy good.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

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I finally read books by Becky Albertalli and I was glad I did. These two did not fail me at all.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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And We Stay is so far my favorite of the YA of the year but Shug is up there too.

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Shug by Jenny Han

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This year I have read more Mystery/Thrillers. Ones I've read thanks to Nobrow and the others I have accumulated since last year.

Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris

She Be Damned by M.J. Tjia

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Nobrow bestowed upon me these two beautiful books and as all the previous ones, I have fallen in love again. This time with these two different but beautiful books

Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao

The Secret of the Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

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This year I've already read more Adult Romance novels. My favorites being these two below.

The Knocked Up Plan by Lauren Blakely

Dear Bridget, I Want You by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

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Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao | Book Review #114

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:
This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Nobrow) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Out, Out, Away From Here

Author: Rachel Woodworth, & Sang Miao

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Pages: 32

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Published: 2018

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Mental Health

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Date Read: July 5, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

An elegant, poetic text accompanied by enchanting illustrations that shows children how to cope with strong feelings through creativity and imagination.

Emotions can be strange, sudden, and even overwhelming at times. With thoughtful words and expressive images, this book guides us on a journey through our imagination… to a place where everything feels calm again.

The Rating:

My Review:

Out, Out, Away From Here is one of those children's books that make me which I was a kid again. To be sitting in a corner reading this book and feeling all the beautiful emotions this book makes me feel now.

That, or to have a little one of my own and share this brilliant little, but ginormously enchanting story and just see their reactions.

I cried and felt happy when I finished reading this. It's that good.

Goodreads | Get it

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7/08/2018

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene | Book Review #113

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Title: The Secret of the Old Clock

Author: Carolyn Keene

Series: Nancy Drew Mystery #1

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Pages: 180

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Published: 1987

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Classic, Children's, Fiction

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Date Read: From June 22 to June 27, 2018

Rating: ★★★★☆

This is a facsimile reprint of the first ever Nancy Drew book, published 1930.
Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for Mr. Crowley's missing will.

The Rating:

My Review:

There were too many characters being introduced to keep track of. And they were oddly in sets of two.

The mystery was good. Not great but good. Everything was obviously there in plain sight. I did not expect the will being at a security deposit box though. And Nancy trying to figure out which bank it was in was actually cool.

I dont know who I feel about Nancy as a sleuth or even as a character. For someone who liked being involved in mysteryes and getting in trouble, why doesn't she know how to defend herself. I believe that ladies who sleuth should know how to kick ass and get out of it alive.

I also discovered/found the Get a Clue, Nancy Drew Podcast and fully agree with them. They are great and I recomend you listen to them if you like the Nancy Drew books.

Goodreads | Book Depository

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7/05/2018

Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris | Book Review #112

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Title: Tagged for Death

Author: Sherry Harris

Series: Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery #1

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Pages: 304

Publisher: Kensington

Published: 2014

Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

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Date Read: June 26, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

Starting your life over at age thirty-eight isn't easy, but that's what Sarah Winston finds herself facing when her husband CJ runs off with a 19-year-old temptress named Tiffany. Sarah's self-prescribed therapy happily involves hitting all the garage and tag sales in and around her small town of Ellington, Massachusetts. If only she could turn her love for bargain hunting into a full-time career.
One man's junk is another man's treasure
But after returning from a particularly successful day searching for yard sale treasures, Sarah finds a grisly surprise in one of her bags: a freshly bloodied shirt…that undoubtedly belongs to her ex, CJ, who now happens to be Ellington's chief of police. If that's not bad enough, it seems Tiffany has gone missing. Now it's up to Sarah to prove that her cold-hearted ex is not a cold-blooded killer…
But finding that treasure can be murder.

The Rating:

My Review:

I loved the mystery in this book. It was so well written and made me change my mind about who the suspect was a few times. That's always a good sign in a mystery novel when that happens.

I never had a problem with the main character. I thought she was amazing. Tough and smart and didn't give in to what everyone said or did against her.

I was also furious and didn't agree with how people were treating her. So I got mad a lot. Definitely more than a few times I really wanted to be a character in this book just to stand by her and kick some ass cause -damn!

All in all, I would love to keep reading the other books in this series.

Goodreads | Book Depository

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7/01/2018

She Be Damned by M. J. Tjia | Book Review #111

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
She Be Damned by M. J. Tjia

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Title: She Be Damned

Author: M. J. Tjia

Series: Heloise Chansey Mysteries #1

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Pages: 288

Publisher: Legend Times Group

Published: 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction

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Date Read: June 28, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim.
The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate.
With the assistance of her trusty Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise must reconsider who she can trust, before the killer strikes again.
Tjia brings us a pacey and exciting murder mystery set in Victorian London. This historical crime thriller sees a young female detective work with the police to evade a violent killer.

The Rating:

My Review:

I managed to read this book in one day. And I can say it really took me for a ride.

This book contains a series of very dark and adult themes. Like mutilation and the such (I'm not going to say more since I don't want to spoil it) and racism and sexism. Mostly because it was set in 1863's London.

It opened up with a strong prologue. Immediately telling you what to expect for the rest of the book.

The murders that occurred in this book reminded me of Jack the Ripper.

I have to admit that the mystery was fantastic, gruesome, but good. I didn't know who the suspect was at all.

Heloise is such an interesting character in my opinion. I don't think I've read any other character like her.
She doesn't take no shit from no one. And isn't afraid to use her skills to her advantage.

I was reminded of Phryne from Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery with this book. Not that I have read the books so I don't know if they are similar to the show but Phryne from the show is similar to Heloise.
Not only are Heloise and Phryne similarly strong, independent women who just happen to surround themselves with people who are willing to protect and care deeply for them. They both wanted to escape the evils of their pasts and achieve the slightest slivers of happiness and peace wherever they could find it.