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Showing posts with the label novellas

Favorite Authors Part 14!

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  Reposted from my Instagram @candybunnyreader Check out the previous parts of my favorites authors on the Navigation page!   

September Wrap Up!

  All of the books I read in September!  I read a total of 17 books . Most were short books or graphic novels. It was mostly a good reading month. Except for that one book I gave 2 stars.  Links to Goodreads descriptions will be provided. Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix -4.5 stars To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han -2 stars Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson -4 stars Everything Leads to You by Nina Lacour -4 stars A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard -4 stars The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz -5 stars A Psalm for the Wild Built, and it's sequel, A Prayer for the Crown Shy , both by Becky Chambers , A Psalm got 4.5 stars, A Prayer got 5 stars.  Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar -5 stars Yotsuba&! Volumes 1-3 by Kiyohiko Azuma -all 5 stars! Seance Tea Party by Remina Yee -4.5 stars Huda F Are You by Huda Fahmy -5 stars Gigi Shin is not a Nerd by Lyla Lee -5 stars Homebody by Theo Parish -5 stars Mamo b...

I finally read A Psalm for the Wild-Built!

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  This was awesome! I think Becky Chambers is now a new favorite author of mine. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers  is set on Panga--a distant moon that has been settled by humans. The humans on this moon are living in a new age where they are no longer dependent on technology, and things made during the "Factory Age" such as humanoid robots, have disappeared into the wild. The story follows a young monk named Dex. Their title as a monk is "Sibling Dex" since they are nonbinary. They've grown bored with their monastic living and decide to become a tea monk. Tea monks travel around and  listen to help people with their problems while sharing cups of teas. On their travels they encounter a humanoid robot named Mosscap, who wants to understand humans better by asking Dex "What do humans need?" From then on out, Mosscap and Dex travel together across Panga trying to understand humans--and each other--better.  The story gets very philosophical, b...

The Puppets of Spelhorst Review

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Another great book by Kate DiCamillo ! The Puppets of Spelhorst is about 5 sentient puppets: a boy, a girl, a king, an owl, and a wolf. They get bought by an old sailor with the last name Spelhorst. After the sailor dies, the box gets donated, bought, and gifted to two young rich sisters--Emma and Martha. They decide to write a play for the puppets that they can perform, but before they can, the puppets get into some mishaps in and around the girls' house. Eventually the play is performed, and the puppets find out what their true purpose is. I love the whimsical style the story was written in. It felt like a modern day fairy tale. I'd say this book is like a mixture of DiCamillo's two other most popular books: The Magician's Elephant and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. They are both short books with a huge emotional impact, and they are both about sentient toys.  Apparently this is also the first in a series. I can't wait to read more! It is a pure 5 star ...

Granny Torelli Makes Soup Review

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My third favorite Sharon Creech book, after Bloomability and Ruby Holler ! Granny Torrelli Makes Soup is about Rosie, who recently had a misunderstanding with her best friend, Bailey (a boy). Rosie's grandmother, whom she calls Granny Torrelli, helps Rosie with her problem by having Rosie help her cook some soup, while she tells her a story of a similar situation that happened to her back when she lived in Italy. The second half of the book, after  Rosie and Bailey make up,  follows another dilemma, with  Rosie and Bailey meeting a new girl name Janine and thinking their friendship will fall apart. This time, Granny Torrelli has them help her make spaghetti and meatballs. She tells them another similar story from her youth, and then a pasta party happens.  It's a short book, but it really packs an emotional punch. What else did you expect from Sharon Creech? The food descriptions really had me thinking the food was delicious. I'm in the mood for soup and pasta, to...

The Unfinished Angel Review

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  Yes, another Sharon Creech book! The Unfinished Angel is different than the rest of the books I've read from Sharon Creech so far. For one, it is a lot shorter. It's more like a novella. Secondly, it is magical realism! The story is narrated by an unnamed angel who guards a small village in Switzerland. They are confused why humans (or "peoples" as they call them) are the way they are, but they want to learn. The angel usually narrates in their unique voice what daily life looks like with what they often see, usually commenting on the same few people. The only one who can see and interact with the angel is an American girl named Zola, who came to live in the village with her father, whom the angel calls Mr. Pomodoro. He is planning on building an international school in the area (not the same one Dinnie from Bloomability goes to). The biggest event that happens in the story is a couple of runaway orphans are found in a chicken shed on a farm not far from the vill...

How to Find Time to Read/Read More

  So you are a reader. You have so many books you want to read. But you feel like you don't have enough time to read, or you just can't find the time. You are also super picky when it comes to books and maybe haven't found a book you loved or at least liked in a long time. I've been there before, and this phenomenon still happens to me occasionally. But, I always find myself getting back into the groove of things.  Here are my tips on how to find time to read, or just read more books! Schedule a certain time during the day. At what time to you find you're more in the mood to read? The morning? The evening? For me, I find I am more in the mood to read between 10 am and 12 pm. So, I almost always read at or around 11 am. If you work or have a family to take care of, find a time where you are not working and have a break from the family, but have energy to read. You don't have to even read for a full hour. Even just 30 or 15 minutes is okay. Plan on how many chapt...

Worst Books of the Year So Far

Warning: Potentially unpopular opinions ahead. Unfortunately, yes, we are going to be a little negative today. These are the worst books I read so far this year. I rated these either 3 stars or lower. Well, this particular list is all 3 stars .  These are not books I DNF (aka 0 stars). That will be the next post. The books you see here are all books I read from beginning to end. I do not personally recommend them, but I not discouraging you from checking them out either. Maybe you might like them more than me, but if your reading tastes are similar to mine and you trust me for recommendations, you might not like these.  Anyway, here is the list (and links to reviews if applicable): Our Dreams at Dusk Volumes 2 and 3 by Yuhki Kamatani Given Volumes 4 and 6 by Natsuki Kizu Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman   Sheets by Brenna Thummler Well, that wasn't too long! What disappointing books have you read so far?

Nick and Charlie Review

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Oh boy...how am I gonna talk about this... Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman is a novella of the characters Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson whom we all know and love from Heartstopper. This novella is set in Charlie's second to last year of high school and Nick's last year before going to university. The gist is that Charlie worries that he and Nick won't be able to maintain a long-distance relationship, and that's what kicks off the conflict for the story. There is not much to say about this book because it is a novella so the story is short and is everything is resolved pretty quickly. Nick and Charlie have an argument and avoid each other for a while but then they get back together really sweetly towards the end. Pretty predictable.  To be honest, there were a lot of things about this novella I didn't like. I found Charlie in particular to be a lot more short tempered and whinier here compared to his graphic novel counterpart. I also felt very uncomfortable readin...

THE LITTLE PRINCE AUDIOBOOK SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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  Here is the link to the audiobook video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APG1upS8LDw&ab_channel=ChristopherWilliams This is my first audiobook of the year. It is of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novella The Little Prince. While it may look like a kid's picture book story (and can still be read as one), it is also a story of deep philosophical themes that can hit harder when you are an adult. That's why the book is so popular among adults as well. The plot itself is about an unnamed narrator who is a pilot who crash landed in the Sahara Desert. As he is trying to fix his plane, a young boy, The Little Prince, asks him to draw him a sheep. The narrator is not confident in his drawing skills as he gave up drawing as a kid a long time ago when the grown ups in his life couldn't understand his drawings of boa constrictors. He draws a sheep inside of a box for The Little Prince, which satisfies him, and then he tells the narrator about his planet and flower, his journey o...