A Girl Like You - A Surprising Historical Mystery

TITLE: A Girl Like You (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel)
AUTHOR: Michelle Cox
PUBLISHER: She Writes Press
PUBLISHING DATE: April 19, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: Henrietta Von Harmon works as a 26 girl at a corner bar on Chicago s northwest side. It s 1935, but things still aren t looking up since the big crash and her father s subsequent suicide, leaving Henrietta to care for her antagonistic mother and younger siblings. Henrietta is eventually persuaded to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall and just when she s beginning to enjoy herself, the floor matron turns up dead. When aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene, Henrietta agrees to go undercover for him and is plunged into Chicago s grittier underworld. Meanwhile, she s still busy playing mother hen to her younger siblings, as well as to pesky neighborhood boy Stanley, who believes himself in love with her and keeps popping up in the most unlikely places, determined to keep Henrietta safe even from the Inspector, if need be. Despite his efforts, however, and his penchant for messing up the Inspector s investigation, the lovely Henrietta and the impenetrable Inspector find themselves drawn to each other in most unsuitable ways."

MY THOUGHTS: 
I received this book from Book Sparks as part of their #ItsRainingBooks promotion for April and when I picked it up, I didn't have much information about it. Seeing it was a mystery really intrigued me, because personally I think the title and cover do not hint at that at all, and once I picked it up, I found it hard to put down.

The book is set in Chicago in 1935. Henrietta Von Harmon finds herself almost 18, and having to work hard to help support her 7 siblings and an ungrateful mother, following her father's suicide several years ago. Henrietta bounces from job to job, with some of them being quite questionable, yet she remains pure and naive. Through a chain of events, Henrietta meets Inspector Clive Howard and ends up working as an undercover informant in a seedy burlesque.

I loved Henrietta. Even though she was young, innocent and naive in so many ways, she was also headstrong, and independent. She has a loving and nurturing capability, but clearly understands that it is not her responsibility to raise her siblings their entire life and marry the first man her mother pushes her toward. Inspector Howard is a somewhat aloof detective who tries to keep a professional boundary with Henrietta, but finds it harder and harder to do as time progresses. This book also has a great cast of side characters.

The mystery in "A Girl Like You" kept me guessing until the end. I never really considered myself a fan of historical novels, but over the past year I have found that when mixed with other elements, whether they be magic, paranormal, or mystery, I have really good luck with the genre. I believe this is the start of a new series and I can't wait to see what lies in store next for Henrietta and Inspector Howard. If you love mystery books, or even historical fiction, I think you should give this book a chance.

I received this book from Book Sparks and the published in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 5 PAWS

 

The Society - Why "Society" Needs To Stop Bullying

TITLE: The Society
AUTHOR: Jodie Andrefski
PUBLISHER: Entangled Teen
PUBLISHING DATE: May 3, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: Welcome to Trinity Academy’s best-kept secret.

The Society.

You’ve been handpicked by the elite of the elite to become a member. But first you’ll have to prove your worth by making it through Hell Week.

Do you have what it takes?

It’s time to find out.

Samantha Evans knows she’d never get an invite to rush the Society—not after her dad went to jail for insider trading. But after years of relentless bullying at the hands of the Society’s queen bee, Jessica, she’s ready to take down Jessica and the Society one peg at a time from the inside out.

All it’ll take is a bit of computer hacking, a few fake invitations, some eager rushees…and Sam will get her revenge.

Let the games begin.

MY THOUGHTS: 
The Society is one of those books where you realize how evil humans beings can really be, even outside the context of a horror novel. Sam Evans' father is sentenced to prison for insider-trading the summer before she starts high school. Her best friend, Jessica, plays a huge role in the whole disaster and things between her and Sam are never the same. The book starts with Sam's senior year of high school and the reader basically learns that Jessica, Queen Bee of the elite high school they both attend, has made it her mission to bully, tease and make Sam's life miserable for as long as they are in school together. Eventually Sam reaches her breaking point and exacts revenge on Jessica using a secret "society" at the high school which requires strict screening and initiations for all invited to join.

While I am somewhat long removed from high school, and I may not have really connected with the characters as much as many will, I still found "The Society" to be a worthwhile read. Bullying was not a hot topic when I attended school, but being somewhat of a geek, I was made fun of from time to time and could relate to Sam on a smaller scale. While Jessica is clearly a monster in this book, I was amazed at how far Sam was willing to go to reap her revenge. I found the fact that she was willing to sacrifice others in the school who had little or nothing to do with her situation and battle with Jessica slightly self-centered and inappropriate. Yet, it still goes to speak at how horrible Sam's life has truly been and the toll bullying can take on a person.

I enjoyed Sam's relationship with her Aunt, who is now raising her, and think it is important to the book as it shows a softer, more caring side of Sam. This relationship also helps Sam develop an appreciation for what is really important in life as the book progresses.

I believe this book addresses some tough issues facing some teens/young adults today. If someone has a child who is has been touched by bullying in anyway - victim, perpetrator, or witness, then I think this would be a good tale for them to share. I enjoyed Andrefski's writing and will be keeping an eye open for future works.

Note: I was provided a copy of "The Society" by Entangled Teen and the author in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 4 PAWS

 

Stacking the Shelves (62)

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves or TBR piles, may it be physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in a physical store, online, books you borrow from the library or friends, review books, gifts and of course, ebooks! The original meme was started over at Tynga's Reviews.  Clicking on the book should take you to the Goodreads page.

I probably ended up with more books than I need this week, but oh well...blame it on......something.  Just pick something and lay the blame.  Anyway, here's what you came to see!

I had time this week to stop in the only used bookstore we have in our town.  I think their prices are often high for used books, but they just started a new rewards system where for every three you buy, you get the fourth one free.  It's probably a hook because now they owe me one which I will have to go back and claim soon - haha!  Anyway, I grabbed the following:



I knew since I read "The Dark Days Club" I wanted to give Goodman's first series a try so I had to grab it when I saw it. Also, see that cute little CARTOON dog on "Roommates?" Just goes to show the dog doesn't even have to be an actual photo to sucker me into picking it up. I figure it will at least be a cute back-yard read this summer.

I grabbed the following for my Kindle (Hey, there were all under $3.00 at least):


I also got this wonderful box from Book Sparks for their #ItsRainingBooks" promotion. I already posted it in Twitter, but here it is again. It even had a great Starbucks gift card - not that I visit Starbucks that often but now I will soon.

And finally I won a box set of Kindle books from Ink & Page:

And I almost forgot, I saw this at Walmart this week and just had to grab it.  I remember going to see The Jungle Book at an old theater in my hometown with my grandma when I was really young and as
it is one of my favorite Disney films, I had to add it.   Of course I also can't wait for the new movie!

So what did you add to your shelves this week?  Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Weekend Reads (04/15/16)

I suppose overall it's been a pretty uneventful week here at the farm.  Other than the kitchen sink getting stopped up and having to work on that one evening (totally not my fault and I'm not pointing fingers but Booker T and Cassius can't reach it so you figure it out), things were fairly quiet.  DH is finishing up his last few weeks of on-line classes this term and has become obsessed with Youtube theories on who actually died on The Walking Dead (by the way, do you think the writer's even know or will they nominate someone at the last moment?).  We did watch a few movies which included "The Forest" which I thought was so-so and "Hateful Eights" which is just what I expected from a Tarantino film - loved parts of it and hated parts of it.  Hope to knock a few more off the list this weekend.  Plus Banshee is back on so that takes care of late night Friday night TV.

I managed to get a few things read this past week, but there is still an awful lot on the pile, so here's what I plan on getting to over this weekend and the following few days:



Here are a few recent pics of the pups. They wanted to make sure I said "hi" from them!

"I know that Cat is here somewhere!"

"I think I heard it creeping up behind me"

So what are you weekend plans and more importantly, have you see the cat trying to sue Booker T!

We3 Review - Still Not Sure How I Feel

TITLE: We3
AUTHOR: Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
PUBLISHER: Vertigo (DC Comics)
PUBLISHING DATE: August 23, 2011

FROM GOODREADS: Writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely deliver the emotional journey of WE3 – three house pets weaponized for lethal combat by the government – as they search for “home” and ward off the shadowy agency that created them.

With nervous systems amplified to match their terrifying mechanical exoskeletons, the members of Animal Weapon 3 (WE3) have the firepower of a battalion between them. But they are just the program’s prototypes, and now that their testing is complete, they’re slated to be permanently “decommissioned,” causing them to seize their one chance to make a desperate run for freedom. Relentlessly pursued by their makers, the WE3 team must navigate a frightening and confusing world where their instincts and heightened abilities make them as much a threat as those hunting them – but a world, nonetheless, in which somewhere there is something called “home.”

MY THOUGHTS: 
I am still not quite sure what to think of this stand alone graphic novel. We3 tells the story of three animals who have been used as military lab experiments and turned into killing machines. When their creator gets the word to "end it," she actually ends up freeing them and the story revolves around the government trying to capture them. I really became attached to the animals - no surprise there - and actually rooted for them to kill the damn people trying to hunt them down. "1" is the dog, "2" is the cat and "3" is the rabbit. All three are able to talk in simple forms right now and it it really funny that the military are most worried about the cat and what it might do.

The graphics are well done and not for the weak. If you love animals, I wouldn't warn you to stay away, just be aware that this handles some pretty heavy subject matter regarding animal testing and careless individuals going too far. Not a bad read, but I'm glad I can return it from the library because it really isn't something I would want in my collection.

RATING: 4 PAWS (Pretty much because some of the idiot people die!)

 

Author Interview With Jodie Andrefski

I was lucky enough to both receive an ARC of this future release from Entangled Teen AND be contacted by the author regarding an interview.  I am in the middle of this book and so far, it has held my attention and I can't wait to finish it and see how it ends (look for my review next week).  Thanks for stopping by Jodie!






INTERVIEW WITH JODIE:

Tell my readers a little about your upcoming release, The Society, which hits the shelves May 3rd.  Is it part of a series or stand alone novel?

The Society is a stand alone novel. It's about Sam, who is a senior at Trinity Academy in New York, a very posh private school. She's been excluded from the "it" crowd since her father went to prison the summer before her freshman year. The queen bee who has been bullying her horrifically is also ruling the school's (not so) secret Society. Sam plots a revenge scheme to get back at Jessica and topple The Society from the inside out. However, her plan starts to fall apart at the seams and students get hurt, and Sam needs decide if she is really willing to pay the price for revenge.

What sparked your love of writing and share with us something about your writing process.

I've always loved to read, ever since I was a little girl and used to climb this big old tree on the farm where I grew up and read a book tucked in its branches. My mom used to tease me that I always had my nose buried in a book, and it was true. When I was younger, I'd dabble in writing stories, then as I teenager I did the writing angsty poetry thing. But I didn't really know I wanted to write novels until about eight years ago. Out of the blue, the plot line of a story just started whispering to me. I thought, oh that's interesting...and didn't do anything with it at first. But it kept calling to me. So I finally wrote it down. Of course I had NO idea what I was doing back then, and had a LOT to learn through the years. It took a lot of drafts, and rewrites, and edits and rejections to get where I am.

As for my writing process, I tend to write at night. I need quiet. I write on my laptop in my bed. I wish I could say I have this spectacular very author-looking space where I write, but it just isn't the truth. LOL  For The Society and my previous novel, The Girlfriend Request, I was a total pantser when it came to the writing process. However, the WIP I am working on now, I have to outline. It deals with multiple timelines, so in order to not get them confused, I am finding I need to be sure to map everything out first.

Who are some of your favorite authors/favorite books and what are you currently reading?

This is such a difficult question, haha I honestly love so many authors. I read all different kinds of genres across YA. I still have a soft spot for the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, and I love The Selection Series by Kiera Cass, Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, anything by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Right now I am reading Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn.  (***Great book by the way - I've already read and reviewed it here on the blog)

I love reading but also enjoy other things such as movies, TV and music.  Besides the obvious, do you have any other favorite hobbies or pastimes?

I have to confess, I am a total Netflix binge-watcher. Sometimes when I am writing (or procrastinating on writing) I have to bribe myself by using Netflix. I'll tell myself, "Okay Jodie, if you finish this chapter, you can watch another episode of Person of Interest." (Or whatever show I am binging on at the time--that happens to be the one I am watching right now.) =)

Booker T, my boxer pup, loves to help me read and review books from time to time.  He has participated in several memes and is the inspiration behind Booker T's Farm, so this question is from him.....Do you have any animal inspirations, like my Mom, and are you a dog or cat person (please say dog, please say dog, please say dog) Ruff!

Awww...Booker sounds adorable! I don't really have any animal inspirations, but I am a much more a dog person. (No offense to any cat people, I am just allergic to them.) Growing up, as I mentioned, I grew up on a small farm so we had lots of animals. I even had a horse named Thunder there for a while as a teen, so that was a lot of fun. 


Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, I had a blast! I'd also like to let your readers know about an exciting contest that allows you to win prizes while raising awareness against bullying and performing acts of kindness to the people around you. It is for people of any age, not just for teens.

The contest begins this Friday, April 15th and continues though May 13th, but you can sign up NOW. All the info you need to participate is here: https://thesocietycommunity.wordpress.com.  The Society actually gave me the idea for a contest that would inspire tasks of kindness. You’ll be completing tasks that will make a difference in the lives of people around you–small, fun things that just may bring a smile to someone’s face, maybe even your own!  It will definitely be a great time.

Jodie has been passionate about reading since she was a little girl, which led to a love of writing.  She writes YA - especially if it involves at least some kissing.  She has a B.S. in in Secondary Education from Penn State University and is pursuing her M.S. in mental health counseling.  She lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her teenage daughter.

Preorder links: Amazon/Chapters/BooksAMillion/Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on" Wednesday" is weekly meme hosted over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming anticipated releases. 

October 11, 2016

FROM GOODREADS: Cinder meets The Walking Dead in a chilling futuristic fairy tale that will reboot everything you thought about family, love, and what it means to be human.

Sixteen-year-old Frost understands why she's spent her entire life in an abandoned apartment building. The ruined streets below are hunting grounds for rogue robots and Eaters.

She understands why she's never met a human besides her father. She even understands why he forbids her to look for medicine for her dying pet. But the thing is, it's not her real father giving the orders . . .

It's his memories.

Before he died, Frost's father uploaded his consciousness into their robot servant. But the technology malfunctioned, and now her father fades in and out. So when Frost learns that there might be medicine on the other side of the ravaged city, she embarks on a dangerous journey to save the only living creature she loves.

With only a robot as a companion, Frost must face terrors of all sorts, from outrunning the vicious Eaters . . . to talking to the first boy she's ever set eyes on. But can a girl who's only seen the world through books and dusty windows survive on her own?

WHY I'M WAITING:  While I hate book comparisons, I can sometimes be a sucker for taglines so how can I resist "Cinder meets The Walking Dead?"  And hey, even though it's quite a while before the release, it's still sooner than The Walking Dead Season 7 premier.....aaarrrgghhh!!!!! that cliffhanger.

What are you waiting for this week?