Black Friday 2019

Tags

Black Friday, Humor

Okay everyone. It’s Black Friday so here’s your chance to work off those Thanksgiving calories. Unless, you’re a wuss like me and you’re not venturing out past your front door that is. Here are some fun memes to get you ready.

And for those of you who sallied forth into battle, well done! I hope your quest was successful and you’ve returned safely. Here are some more Baby Yoda pictures to help you relax.

Software Updates

Tags

Eddie Izzard, Humor, Software Updates

Is it me or has Apple been going a little crazy with software updates lately? It started with iOS 13 in September, and as of tonight we’re up to iOS 13.2.2. I know all these fixes, big and small, are supposed to keep everything running smoothly, so I try my best to be more like this:

Instead of this:

However, after taking nearly 20 minutes for a “mini-update,” I was considerably cranky until I remembered this Eddie Izzard routine from his live show at the Madison Square Garden in 2011. Not all that much has changed!

 

The Fowl Twins (The Fowl Twins #1), by Eoin Colfer ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adventure, Fantasy, Humor, Middle School Fiction, Science Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 5th, 2019

368 Pages

Synopsis: Criminal genius runs in the family…

Myles and Beckett are eleven-year-old twins, but the two boys are wildly different. Beckett is blonde, messy and sulks whenever he has to wear clothes. Myles is fanatically neat, he has an IQ of 170, and he wears a fresh suit every day, just like his older brother, Artemis Fowl. 

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Fowl family and their adventures?

This Fowl adventure is filled with the most unusual of individuals: an immortal duke, a miniature troll, a nunterrogator, and a Police Specialist that’s 42% elf. And of course, the Fowl twins—one a certified genius with a criminal leaning, and the other possessing an unusual talent that has not been fully explored…yet!

Here begins the second documented cycle of Fowl Adventures.

The first in a breath-taking new series from global superstar Eoin Colfer. Set in the multi-million bestselling world of ARTEMIS FOWL.

The Fowl Twins is a delightful beginning to this new spin-off series from the bestselling Artemis Fowl books. While there are several nods to the original series and characters, you needn’t have read them, although in my humble opinion you really should! Myles and Beckett prove themselves to be worthy of picking up the mantle from Artemis who’s off planet with the ever loyal protector and friend, Butler. This has all the sly humor of the original series and interesting new foes like Sister Geronima from the secret organization ACRONYM, and the horrid Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye for the twins to go up against. Thankfully they have allies like a fierce miniature troll named Whistle Blower, and LEPrecon specialist Lazuli Heitz who is magic-less, or is she? The book is just non-stop action and madcap adventure that both tweens and adults will enjoy. Revisiting the Fowls seven years after The Last Guardian, had me a little anxious, but I needn’t have worried because Eoin Colfer is still in top form. Just like the original books, The Fowl Twins is a wonderful mashup of fantasy and science fiction, with enough over-the-top villains and high-tech gadgetry to make any James Bond fan sit up and take notice. While I do think this book is geared toward a slightly younger age group than the Artemis books, the humor will most likely go over the heads of children under the age of ten. There’s also a death scene (kind of), which makes me hesitant in recommending this to younger readers. Otherwise, I enthusiastically suggest this for tweens and adults who are looking for a unique and refreshing read filled with excitement and exhuberant joie de vivre!

 

 

Only Mostly Devastated, by Sophie Gonzales ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Death, Fat-Shaming, Homophobia, Humor, LGBTQ, Romance, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 3rd, 2020

272 Pages

Synopsis: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, inspired by Grease.

When Ollie meets his dream guy, Will, over summer break, he thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After. But once summer’s ended, Will stops texting him back, and Ollie finds himself one prince short of a fairytale ending. To complicate the fairytale further, a family emergency sees Ollie uprooted and enrolled at a new school—Will’s school—where Ollie finds that the sweet, affectionate and comfortably queer he knew from summer, isn’t the same one attending Collinswood High. This Will is a class clown, closeted—and to be honest, a bit of a jerk.

Ollie has no intention of pining after a guy who clearly isn’t ready for a relationship. But as Will starts ‘coincidentally’ popping up in every area of Ollie’s life, from music class, to the lunch table, Ollie finds his resolve weakening. 

The last time Ollie gave Will his heart, Will handed it back to him, trampled and battered. Ollie would have to be an idiot to trust him with it again.

Right?

Right.

Only Mostly Devastated is an adorable read that as advertised combines elements of Grease, Clueless and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Love Simon was the film adaptation.) When I first began this I was a little worried that it would be too derivative, especially of Grease, but I’m very happy that while similar to the Sandy, Danny, the Pink Ladies, Sophie Gonzales does a fantastic job having her characters stand out on their own. Ollie, who has been out since he was thirteen, and received acceptance from his family and friends, is understandably hurt and bewildered when Will, who hasn’t come out, is reluctant to acknowledge their relationship. Their actions, and feelings are both understandable and relatable. The other characters: Juliette, Lara, and Niamh who form this modern day incarnation of the Pink Ladies are much more diverse and complex than their predecessors. I especially loved Lara (Rizzo), who initially comes off as a callous you-know-what, but the more you find out about her, the more you can’t help but love her.  As much as I loved Ollie’s and Will’s rocky romance, the eventual friendship between Lara and Ollie also captured my heart.

The only reason why I’m not giving giving this a full 5 stars is because a few of the secondary characters needed some development but instead they came across as rather pointless. While there are some touching scenes with Ollie and his ailing aunt, and some humorous ones with his young cousins, I wish I had a better sense of his relationship with his parents. They’re obviously close and supportive, but we’re told this rather than shown this. At the end of the book I really knew nothing more about them and their relationship with their son than I did in the beginning. Overall though, Only Mostly Devastated is a wonderful novel that deals with serious issues like the death of a loved one, homophobia, and fat-shaming, in a thoughtful manner, and balances these with sweet humor. It’s a book I’d recommend to YAs and adults who are looking for a cute fun read that will make them smile.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (The Thorne Chronicles #1), by K. Eason ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Humor, Romance, Science Fiction, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 8th, 2019

416 Pages

Synopsis: First in a duology that reimagines fairytale tropes within a space opera—The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

Rory Thorne is a princess with 13 fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother give birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his crown. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but to change the course of history.

I’m pretty sure that you’ll all be with me on this when I say there are times I just want a book that’s fun. No deep meaning. No long, thoughtful discourses to make you ponder the meaning of life. Just pure, joyful, unadulterated fun. Well, How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is just such a book. As a matter of fact, I finished this yesterday and it’s still making me smile.

While the synopsis references The Princess Bride and Princess Leia, there’s also nods to Sleeping Beauty (no sleeping curse though), and even a little Ella Enchanted. Rory Thorne is a protagonist who’s easy to fall in love with. Intelligent, yet eager to learn more. Feisty yet able to be diplomatic, under certain circumstances anyway. And she shows vast amounts of love and loyalty to her friends and family. As this is a fairytale retelling in part, there’s a touch of romance but it’s not the main focus of the story. The secondary characters are just as well written as Rory, and I’ve already picked my dream cast for any future movie. 

The story is a marvelous mashup that easily could have gotten messy, but doesn’t. While the politics are complex and there are occasional info dumps that slow the pace down a few times, the storyline is mostly kept on a quick and even pace by the unknown narrator who also brings some welcome levity to the story. The ending, while not quite a cliffhanger has definitely left me wondering what the second book will bring.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is an absolutely delightful read from beginning to end. It’s completely different than anything else I’ve read this year and I highly recommend it to readers who like fantasy and science fiction mixed with some sly humor.

🦈 Happy Shark Week 2019! 🦈

Tags

Humor, Shark Week 2019

*Because I’m always looking out for you guys, here is a very special version of Baby Shark just for grownups!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#MurderFunding (#MurderTrending #2), by Gretchen McNeil ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Horror, Humor, LGBT, Mystery, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Freeform for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 6th, 2019

336 Pages

Synopsis: WELCOME TO WHO WANTS TO BE A PAINIAC? the latest reality TV show on the hunt for the next big-hit serial killer. But don’t worry—no one is actually going to murder anyone, as real as the fake gore and pretend murder may appear…uh right?

Seventeen-year-old Becca Martinello is about to find out. When her perfectly normal soccer mom dies in a car crash, a strange girl named Stef appears to let Becca know that her Mom was none other than one of Alcatraz 2.0’s most popular serial killers—Molly Mauler. Soon, Becca ends up on Who Wants To Be a Painiac? to learn the truth about her mom’s connection to Molly, but things turn sinister when people are murdered IRL. Will Becca uncover dark secrets and make it out of the deadly reality game alive? Or will she get cut?

While I didn’t review last year’s #MurderTrending I really enjoyed the completely over-the-top storyline mixed with spot-on biting social commentary. The premise of the first book is that in the not too distant future, convicted murderers are sent to an island called Alcatraz 2.0 to be hunted down and killed gruesomely by costumed government sanctioned serial killers. And this is all broadcast for the masses as a bloody reality show. There’s even an app where the show’s legions of fans can comment and place bets. Of course, just as in real life, some of those convicted are actually innocent. Sound familiar? I’ve been looking forward to seeing where Gretchen McNeil was going to go with the sequel.

My biggest issue in this book is with the pacing. While there’ a lot of build up, the action frustratingly doesn’t start until the second half of the book. Because of that, the action does kick in, everything seems extremely rushed. I also didn’t connect with the new characters as much as I did with the original “Death Breakfast Club.” Becca’s being an LGBT character is welcome, but without going into spoilers, her overall attitude about Alcatraz 2.0 really got on my nerves. The relationship between her and Steph also didn’t click with me. Steph remained a standoffish mystery until the last couple of chapters and because of this I never connected with her. I actually liked the secondary characters more, especially Coop and Fiona. The survivors from Alcatraz 2.0 also make some brief appearances which I was happy to see. There are a couple of welcome twists that caught me by surprise, and while everything for the most part is wrapped up at the end, the last sentence has me wondering if there will be a third book.

Although I don’t think #MurderFunding is quite as good as it’s predecessor, overall I still enjoyed it. Questions left at the end of #MurderTrending are answered and while there are a couple of loose ends left, they could be due to the rumored third book. Because of some pretty gory scenes in the second half of the book, I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone younger than high school age. That said, I think both these books could be used to introduce some interesting discussions about our increasing reliance of social media, our fascination with realty shows, and most importantly the negatives surrounding the death penalty.

Swipe Right For Murder, by Derek Milman ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Homophobia, Humor, LGBT, Romance, Suicide, Terrorism, Thriller, YA Fiction

Thanks to JIMMY Patterson Books for providing an ARC in exchange for and honest review.

Release Date: August 6th, 2019

336 Pages

Synopsis:

On the run from the FBI.

Targeted by a murderous cult.

Labeled a cyber-terrorist by the media.

Irritated by texts from his best friend.

Eye contact with a nice-looking guy on the train.

Aidan has a lot to deal with and he’s not quite sure which takes top priority.

Finding himself alone in a posh New York City hotel room for the night, Aidan does what any red-blooded seventeen-year-old would do—-he tries to hook up with someone new. But that lapse in judgement leads him to waking up next to a dead guy, which sparks an epic case of mistaken identity that puts Aidan on the run from everyone—-faceless federal agents, his eccentric family, and, naturally, a cyber-terrorist group who will stop at nothing to find him. 

He soon realizes the only way to stop the chase is to deliver the object that everyone wants, before he gets caught or killed. But for Aidan, the hardest part is knowing who he can trust not to betray him—-including himself.

It’s only halfway through 2019, but I already know that Swipe Right For Murder is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. An ingenious ode to Alfred Hitchcocks North by Northwest and a poignant coming-of-age story, it tackles some serious issues such as: terrorism, homophobia, an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a teen, and suicide. At the same time it displays a wry sense of humor that had me laughing out loud several times. While Aidan is immature at the beginning, his personal growth expands by leaps and bounds as the story progresses. He’s someone you want to shake and hug at the same time. The plot itself is absolutely crackers, but it’s so much fun that it’s easy to suspend disbelief and just hang on for the wild ride. 

I loved Derek Milman’s first book, Scream All Night, and honestly wondered if his sophomore effort would live up to his debut. I’m thrilled to say that I think it actually surpassed it! Both books blend the world of classic film, with contemporary coming-of-age themes, sympathetic and relatable main characters, and over-the-top (in a good way) storylines. I can’t recommend this author highly enough to both teens and adult fans of YA fiction, and fans of classic films in general. I can’t wait to see what this incredible author comes out with next!

The Lady Rogue, by Jennifer Bennett ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Vlad the Impaler, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 3rd, 2019

384 Pages

Synopsis: The Last Magician meets A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue in this thrilling tale filled with magic and set in the mysterious Carpathian Mountains where a girl must hunt down Vlad the Impaler’s cursed ring in order to save her father.

Some legends never die…

Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left alone to sit in her hotel in Istanbul. 

Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.

Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—in order to possess it.  

The Lady Rogue is the first book I’ve read by Jenn Bennett, but I knew as soon as I saw the gorgeous cover and read the premise that I had to get my greedy hands on it!

While it was a lot fluffier than I expected, it was a fun read which I found somewhat reminiscent of Romancing the Stone. The pacing was a little uneven at times with a few sections making me want to cheat and skim over them, but other than that, everything worked. The banter between Theodora and Huck had me laughing out loud several times, and I loved the chemistry between the two of them. The storyline with its sinister society, coded journals, and wonderful train rides through early 1900s Romania kept me turning the pages. And while the mystery itself was a trifle predictable, everything else was just so much darn fun that I didn’t care. The ending ties everything up neatly but I’m hoping this isn’t the last we see of Theodora Decker and Huck Gallagher. I think this could be the beginning of a fun and exciting series. 

 

 

 

A Little Levity

Tags

Gilbert Gottfried, Humor, Mueller Report, Stephen Colbert, The Late Show