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Second Chance Books

  Aka books I want to give a second chance to read. These are books I either DNF'd, read but didn't like, or that I know I read but can't remember anything about.  Most of these I read or attempted to read before I started my blog.   Hopefully I end up liking or even loving these the second time around! 1. A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey 2. Again but Better by Christine Riccio  3. Emily the Strange: The Lost Days by Rob Reger  (first of a series) 4. Old School by Tobias Wolff 5. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 6. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 7. Chrissa by Mary Cassanova (an American Girl book, also a duology) 8. Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Z Brewer  (first of a series) 9. Love at First by Kate Clayborn 10. The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells 11. Mistress Pat by LM Montgomery  (sequel to Pat of Silver Bush , which I read last year) 12. To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers 13. Summer of Salt by K...

OP: Law's Story Review

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Omg this might be my favorite One Piece spinoff novel so far! One Piece: Law's Story by Eichiro Oda and Shusei Sakagami is the story of the character Trafalgar D. Water Law on how he met his closest crew members (Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin) and formed the Heart Pirates. He learns a lot about doctoring and martial arts, but especially life, love, and kindness from his new guardian, an eccentric elderly scientist named Wolf.  I can't get too into it because you'd have to be very familiar with One Piece to understand it, but let's just say this book warmed my heart so much! It's very emotional and well written, and it definitely made me love Law even more as a character. I am so glad we get books like these to get to know certain characters in the world of One Piece more. That's because in the main storyline, we only get bits and pieces of other characters backstories, but books like these put it all together.  So yeah, I gave it 5 stars . It's a must read f...

My Favorite Romance Novels!

  A random list of romance novels I've read over the years that I love and I hope you love, too.  I will do a part 2 soon of favorite romance graphic novels (includes manga) soon!  1. The Sun is Also a Star and Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon 2.  Close Enough to Touch by Colleen Oakley 3. Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Johanneau 4. Sleeping Around by Morgan Vega 5. You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson 6. Everything Leads to You  by  Nina LaCour 7. If You Still Recognize Me by Cynthia/Holden So 8. Dos and Donuts of Love and Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar 9. I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver 10. Moment of Truth and By Your Side by Kasie West 11.  Let's Talk about Love by Claire Kann 12. A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen 13. Flip the Script and I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee 14. The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery 15. She Gets the Girl   by  Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick 1...

A Natural History of Dragons Review

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  What a unique fantasy book! A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan is the first of several books set in a world similar to ours; in a time period and place that heavily mirrors the 19th century in Europe. In this world, dragons are real. The main character is a woman named Isabella who is a scientist that studies dragons. She tells us her story in a memoir format.  In this first book Isabella tells us how she first got interested in dragons. Then how she met her husband Jacob, who was also a dragon-loving scientist. The bulk of the story is about a trip Isabella, Jacob, and some of their friends take to another country called Vystrana (that seems to resemble Russia) to study rock-wyrms, a type of dragon. The main characters are from Scirland, which seems to resemble England. But while they are there, they end up getting caught in the web of a conspiracy that is tied to the dragons that they are studying. Isabella ends up having an unforgettable (and scary!) adventure...

Barbie Movies Tag

  Whoa...I can't believe someone made this tag! As a Barbie fan, it makes me happy.  I tagged some people over on Instagram, but anyone is free to do this tag.  This tag is a bit different because it doesn't ask any actual questions. Here you recommend books similar to the Barbie movie that is prompted.  1. The Princess and The Pauper --The best answer I have for this one is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, since it also takes place in a historical European-inspired setting and also based on a fairy tale. 2. The Diamond Castle-- this time I am gonna go with a manga series (even though I only watched the anime)...and that is Full Moon wo Sagashite by Arina Tanemura.  3. Swan Lake-- Kisses and Croissants by Anne-Sophie Johanneau is a perfect answer for this because the characters in the story literally end up performing the original Swan Lake ballet! 4. The Magic of Pegasus-- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Ha ha, I recommended a unicorn book when a...

Somehow I forgot to mention these books...

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  Remember my post from January where I showcased series I wanted to finish or catch up with? Well, somehow I forgot to mention these four! Well, one of them (the Winterhouse series), is one I started this year. I read the first book in January.  The Awakening of Roku is the second book of the Avatar Roku duology, which itself is part of the larger Chronicles of the Avatar series (6th book overall, I think?) Pennies is a prequel book to the Blight Harbor series by Lora Senf (I read the first three books last year, The Clackity, The Lighthouse Keeper, and the Loneliest Place ) Brigands and Breadknives is the sequel to Legends and Lattes ,which I read back in 2023. I read the prequel Bookshops and Bonedust back in 2024. The Secrets of Winterhouse is the sequel to Winterhouse , which I read this past January.  

Moon Phases Book Tag

  I am not sure who created this tag, but I did see this tag being done by many people over on Instagram, and I thought I'd join in! I tagged a few people over on Instagram, but there is no pressure to do it. Anyone is free to do it! 1. New Moon: A book on my TBR Pet by Akawaeke Emezi. I plan on reading it very soon! 2.  Waning Crescent: An engaging series Plenty. Some that come to mind that I haven't talked about too much on here are: Witch Hat Atelier, Eden of Witches, and Somali and the Forest Spirit 3. First Quarter: A book that changed me as a reader Plenty, but the first two that comes to mind are Stargirl and Love Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I read them when I was in fourth grade, and I am still thinking about them over a decade later.  4. Full Moon: An all-time favorite Anne of Green Gables , of course! 5. Wanning Gibbous: A book I did not enjoy. Several, but Beach Read by Emily Henry was a recent one. So bad I had to DNF it.  6. Waning Crescent: A book ...