I don’t know about you, but when I’m in a reading slump or just want to take a break from reading, I like to go on a binge of either reruns, or catch up on missed episodes of shows I’m following.
What are some of your favourites?
Here are some of mine:
RERUNS
Sex And The City
Friends
FOLLOWING
Stranger Things
Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina
Riverdale
JUST FINISHED
Game of Thrones
Divorce
Hello Bookdragons!
It’s Throw Back Thursday and I’m throwin it back with a trip to Singapore in Crazy Rich Asians.
I love when something delicious is mentioned in a book, cause those are my two favourite things: food and books! So I’ve decided to add this new segment to my blog where either something yummy is mentioned, or was the focal point of the book.
In Chapter 14, Rachel and Nick arrive in Singapore where Collin & Araminta take them to Lau Pat Sat – the “old market” to eat Singaporean street cuisine.
This chapter was filled with delicious dishes! I could almost smell the aroma coming out of the pages.
Malay rojak salad bursting with chunks of pineapple and cucumber, Hokkein-style noodles in a thick garlicky gravy, a fish smoked in coconut leaves called Otah otah, and a hundred sticks of chicken and satay beef.
As Rachel tasted the char kuay teow, her eyes widened in delight at the rice noodles flash-fried with seafood, egg, and bean sprouts in a dark soy sauce.
It made me wanna hop on the next flight to Singapore for dinner! Don’t these dishes sound yummy? I’m hungry!
Which book made your mouth water?
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This place isn’t kind to gentle souls. It chews them up and swallows them whole
I’m always nervous walking into a book that receives alot of hype. I usually end up an unpopular opinion. The Last Time I Lied wasn’t successful for me, but I did love Final Girls. So this was a bit of a deal breaker.
As the saying goes, “third time’s a charm”. I was hooked from the start! Even though I had figured out the “who” part early on, I still found myself enjoying the story, especially with that fucked up twist near the end.
I don’t want to say too much since it’s a hard one to review without spoilers, but if you’re a fan of American Horror Story, you’ll like this one.
Have you read it? Have you read any of his other books?
No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.
As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.
Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew’s dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS a bad case. Only a bad client.
This was like learning to drive a stick shift for the very first time. At times it’s moving well, others not so much.
What worked well:
I enjoyed the alternating POV’s between Eddie & Kane.
Kane was a great villain: ever so calculated with impeccable timing.
What didn’t:
Unfortunately, the story itself didn’t quite have the same effect as the premise did.
It was entertaining, but not the nail biting experience I was hoping to get.
THE SERIAL KILLER ISN’T ON TRIAL.
HE’S ON THE JURY…
They were Hollywood’s hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.
This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.
All the evidence points to Robert’s guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie’s mind.
What if there’s more than one actor in the courtroom?
What if the killer isn’t on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
My Rating: DNF
⭐⭐ 1/2
..the average person has thirteen secrets that they live with-five of which they’ve never told a soul. That was our focus, at the resort: secrets
Thrill Level: ☆
Drama: ☆☆☆☆
DNF at 116 pages 🙊🤦♀️
Not gonna lie. I wanted to give up much earlier, but I was determined to give it a chance and see how things would unfold.
The author does a good job at leaving a trail of crumbs to reel you in, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get me hooked.
The premise sounded so promising! I even liked the style, which included emails and a Hollywood gossip article. It just took way too long to get into all the couples’ secrets. By then, I no longer cared nor did I connect with any of the characters.
Sorry guys..I really tried, but I just wasn’t feelin it.
The Harmony Resort promises hope for struggling marriages. Run by celebrity power couple Drs. Miles and Grace Markell, the “last resort” offers a chance for partners to repair their relationships in a luxurious setting on the gorgeous Mayan Riviera.
Johanna and Ben have a marriage that looks perfect on the surface, but in reality, they don’t know each other at all. Shell and Colin fight constantly: after all, Colin is a workaholic, and Shell always comes second to his job as an executive at a powerful mining company. But what has really torn them apart is too devastating to talk about. When both couples begin Harmony’s intensive therapy program, it becomes clear that Harmony is not all it seems—and neither are Miles and Grace themselves. What are they hiding, and what price will these couples pay for finding out?
As a deadly tropical storm descends on the coast, trapping the hosts and the guests on the resort, secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested and not one single person—or their marriage—will remain unchanged by what follows.
What’s your most anticipated read this month?
Any favourites you’ve read so far?
Here’s my list of books I’m excited to read! Hopefully I’ll be able to get through all of them!! 😜
Library Borrows
The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
YA
Frankly In Love by David Yoon
The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young
Into The Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo
Middle Grade
The Great Brain Robbery (The Train To Impossible Places #2) by P.G Bell
The Vanderbeekers To The Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser
Netgalley
Thirteen by Steve Cavangh
The Whisper Man by Alex North
Did you manage to finish the books on your TBR this month?
Any favourites??
Here are some of the books I read:
ARC’s
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green ⭐⭐⭐
Middle Grade
The Monster Catchers by George Brewington ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Netgalley
We Were Killers Once by Becky Masterman ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
The Arrangement by Robyn Harding ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
** Thank you Netgalley and Mulholland Books for my eARC **
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
Number one: you are not the first and you will certainly not be the last. Number two: remember, it’s not about the money —it’s about The Chain.
Would you kidnap someone’s child in order to rescue yours?
This book starts off intense. I’m not much of a sports fan, but it was like watching game 6 of the 2019 NBA finals (Raptors vs Golden State Warriors). Anything to do with children going missing gives me anxiety!
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this one because the writing fell a little short for me. While it was fast-paced, it read more like a sports commentary. The intensity was there, but it lacked the emotions I wanted to feel. I wanted to feel like it was real..like the pages were coming to life. I think this could have been achieved if the story was told in first person, rather than third.
Overall, it was still a good read. It was addictive and made me wanna keep turning the pages!
Have you read it?
You just dropped off your child at the bus stop. A panicked stranger calls your phone. Your child has been kidnapped, and the stranger explains that their child has also been kidnapped, by a completely different stranger. The only way to get your child back is to kidnap another child within 24 hours. Your child will be released only when the next victim’s parents kidnap yet another child, and most importantly, the stranger explains, if you don’t kidnap a child, or if the next parents don’t kidnap a child, your child will be murdered. You are now part of The Chain.
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎶 If there’s something strange, in the neighborhood. Who you gonna call?! 🎶
As soon as I started reading, I got total Ghostbuster and Scooby Doo vibes. But instead of catching ghosts and solving mysteries, this is about a father-son duo chasing after monsters, goblins and dangerous faeries.Being an only child, I connected with Bailey and loved his character. He was smart, kind and brave.
This was such a fun and adventurous story! One that I could picture being turned into a graphic novel or illustrated series. I would highly recommend it for the classroom or if you enjoy middle grade. 🙂
Were you a fan of Scooby Doo or The Ghostbusters?Whether it’s a goblin in the garden or a fairy in the attic, Bailey Buckleby and his dad can rid your home of whatever monster is troubling you—for the right price. But when Bailey discovers that his dad has been lying—their pet troll Henry is actually a kidnapped baby sea giant—he begins to question the family business.Enter Axel Pazuzu, criminal mastermind, who will stop at nothing to make a buck. With everyone and everything he loves in peril, it’s up to Bailey to save his family and set things right in this funny, fantastical adventure.
