4 disco balls
Published: March 7, 2018 by Cunning Books
Category: Novella, Fiction
I ♥ NY.
And, I loved the vibe of this book.Read More »
Blog Tour: The Afterlife of Walter Augustus by Hannah M. Lynn
This is my first blog tour and what a fun book to kick off the first of hopefully many more.
3.5 disco balls
Published: July 12, 2018 by Amazon Digital Services
Category: Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal
Normally fantasy and paranormal are not my reading jam, but there was something about the synopsis to The Afterlife of Walter Augustus that piqued my interest right from the start. I had this feeling that Walter Augustus was going to be like Ove (from A Man Called Ove) and I needed to see if I was right. I mean, who doesn’t just love Ove?
Walter Augustus is dead. He is living in the interim until no one remembers him anymore; then he can clear over to the other side and be with the rest of his family. Walter is very close to crossing that threshold when Letty will ruin everything. Letty is alive. Letty is about to be haunted: is she going crazy or are there really such things as ghosts?Read More »
Audiobook Review: Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
5 disco balls
Published: March 6, 2018 by HarperAudio
Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi & Julia Whelan
Length: 6 hours 21 minutes
Category: Literary Fiction, LGBT
I have been on an audiobook roll lately and hope to keep up the momentum. I am one who prefers to read an actual book, but likes to listen to audiobooks during my drives (or to make doing chores more bearable). There have been a few times where I felt that I had a better experience listening rather than reading and this here is one of them!
Narrator Prentice Onayemi starts the first part of this book and he was absolute perfection. I felt as though I was listening to Prentice – as Niru – tell me his story; as if I was grabbing coffee with him and we were engaged in a conversation. He made Niru real, lent a voice to his story and his family. My goodness was this story beautifully written: there is no doubt that author Iweala is extremely talented.
Read More »
Saturday Spotlight: Scattered Constellations by Ankita Singh
Introducing Saturday Nite Reader’s weekly meme: Saturday Spotlight! Each Saturday I will spotlight a book (I could have read it, am currently reading it, heard about it, what-have-you); and, of course what I think is special about it. I invite you to participate as well! Just link back to my weekly post and don’t forget to add your spotlight link in the comment section for all to see. Happy Sharing! XO, Nikki
This Week:
Scattered Constellations by Ankita Singh
Publish Date: July 31, 2018 by Amazon Digital Services LLC
Category: Poetry, Young Adult
I met poet, Ankita Singh, through a Facebook Book Bloggers group and couldn’t be more proud to introduce her first published book of poetry to you all!
At the tender age of 18, Anikta’s poetry collection is currently ranked among the Top 15 while on Wattpad, a feat that she’s extremely proud of.Read More »
Book Review: Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
4 margaritas
Published: July 24, 2018 by Lake Union Publishing
Category: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
But were they really?
Three long time friends (Ashley, Natalie, Lauren) take a girls vacation to Mexico. Three is a crowd. Two are always competing for the leader of the pack’s attention: while loving and hating her at the same time. Make up your darn mind ladies! Anywho, Ashley goes missing after getting into major blows with Natalie and Lauren (separate fights that Natalie and Lauren don’t know all the details of…hmmm).Read More »
Book Review: Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio
4.5 disco balls
Publish Date: July 24, 2018 by Atria Books
Category: Contemporary Fiction, Cultural
I came across Silent Hearts during one of my many NetGalley searches and was lured in by the message that it would appeal to fans of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns; my most recommended book. There is no doubt that Gwen Florio is an extremely talented writer. Her words created a setting in which I could easily visualize the scenes themselves (which is usually hard for me, I am more of a dialogue fan than description for that reason). Her years as a journalist – and experience covering conflict zones – aided in her crafting the unlikely friendship between Liv and Farida, our two protagonists in Silent Hearts.Read More »
Audiobook Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
4 disco balls
Published: August 9, 2016 by HarperAudio
Narrator: Katie Schorr
Length: 11 hours, 29 minutes
Category: Women’s Fiction, Chick-lit, Romance
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance, 2016
I absolutely loved this audiobook. Narrator Katie Schorr was perfection. I couldn’t wait for my drive to and from the Path train in order to be able to continue listening to the back-and-forth banter between Lucy and Josh. It made folding laundry enjoyable too: and if you don’t know, I detest folding and putting away laundry. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl, but here I was doing multiple loads because I needed to keep the story going.Read More »
Saturday Spotlight: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
Introducing Saturday Nite Reader’s weekly meme: Saturday Spotlight! Each Saturday I will spotlight a book I have read or am currently reading; and, of course what I think is special about it. I invite you to participate as well! Just link back to my weekly post and don’t forget to add your spotlight link in the comment section for all to see. Happy Sharing! XO, Nikki
This Week:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
Published: October 12, 1958 by Random House
Category: Novella, Classics, Short-Stories
I hate to admit it, but I have never read this book! As an Audrey Hepburn fan, I love the movie – its one of my go-tos on rainy days. I recently bought my own copy and aim to read it before the end of 2018. I didn’t even realize it was actually a novella.
First published in 1958, they would go on to release the movie in 1961: Holly Golightly being one of Hepburn’s most iconic roles.
I have dressed up as Golightly twice for costume parties: the first being for what she was most remembered by: black dress, black hat, pearls and cigarette holder; the second as the wardrobe from the end scene with “cat” even making an appearance. The funny thing is, I hate Halloween and dressing up but any excuse to be Audrey Hepburn for the day and I am in.
My best friend is also a book lover. In this picture our costume theme was “literary characters.” She went as Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s quotes:
“What I’ve found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany’s. It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there.”
“Never love a wild thing…If you let yourself love a wild thing. You’ll end up looking at the sky.”
“I don’t mean I’d mind being rich and famous. That’s very much on my schedule and someday I’ll try to get around to it.”
Book Review: On Beauty by Zadie Smith
3.5 disco balls
Published: June 4, 2005 by Penguin Books
Category: Contemporary Fiction
On Beauty by Zadie Smith is 442 pages. A very, very slow 442 pages in which you need to be fully engaged and present while reading. This is not a book you can breeze through, as the book would mention of certain characters: it is intellectual. There is no doubt that Smith is a talented writer, I just struggled a bit in establishing a reading pace with this one.
On Beauty follows the Belsey family: an interracial couple, Howard and Kiki, married thirty years living in an upper middle class town with their three children, Jerome, Zora and Levi.
- Howard is an art history professor at a local liberal arts college who is hard to like; he always has an opinion (its most always negative) and he’s always right (or so he thinks)
- Kiki used to be a beautiful spitfire but has gained a significant amount of weight; still a spitfire but that magnetic confidence doesn’t exude from her like it used to (I blame Howard)
- Jerome is a young man trying to find himself in religion and grapples with adulthood and his relationship with his family; he is the rational one of the bunch
- Zora is Howard 2.0 with the spunk of Kiki; she yearns to be accepted but her approach in getting what she yearns for is more alienating than endearing
- Levi is sixteen and going through an identity crisis; he is passionate and loyal and trying to find something worth fighting for (his family doesn’t understand him – as any teenager would say)Read More »
Audiobook Review: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl
3 disco balls
Published: June 5, 2018 by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing
Narrator: Phoebe Strole (whom I just discovered was Penny on Glee)
Length: 8 hours, 46 minutes
Category: Young Adult, Supernatural, Mystery, Thriller
Plot: 2.5 disco balls
Narrator: 4 disco balls
I recently downloaded Penguin Random House’s Volumes app on my iPhone and registered as an audiobook reviewer. I like to listen to at least 1 – 2 audiobooks a month during my short drive to the Path train, and especially while doing laundry. I hate folding laundry but audiobooks somehow make it more doable. But I digress.
My first audiobook through this program was Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl, which my friend recently read and recommended. I am not sure if I would have had a different experience with the story had I chose to read it versus listen to it; there was too much going on. I found myself losing interest and it was almost a DNF had I not wanted to figure out what the heck was going on.
I will preface my review with: I typically do not read supernatural and found myself feeling the story was a bit farfetched, but still with a rather interesting concept so I was intrigued. I know I need to make up my mind.Read More »
Saturday Spotlight: She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Introducing Saturday Nite Reader’s weekly meme: Saturday Spotlight! Each Saturday I will spotlight a book I have read or am currently reading; and, of course what I think is special about it. I invite you to participate as well! Just link back to my weekly post and don’t forget to add your spotlight link in the comment section for all to see. Happy Sharing! XO, Nikki
This Week:
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Published: August 24, 1992 by Pocket
Category: Fiction, Contemporary, Coming of Age
Ever read a book and remember you had strong feelings for it and would go on to say that it was one of your top reads of all time…and then time goes by (a lot of time) and you forget the story but know it was good (or at least you felt moved when you read it)? BTW – how long did I make that sentence, holy heck. Well that is me and She’s Come Undone.
I read this book in high school, and remember being so in tuned with the story; a relation not felt due to similarity of situation, but knowing what the main character, Dolores, may have been feeling on an emotional level. Man, do I need to reread this book again. I am hoping it will bring back memories from when I first experienced it.
I always thought I would not reread books: why would I want to waste time reading something I already experienced when there are so many good books out there? But, I was wrong. I read this book almost 20 years ago – and hundreds of books since – that how can I possibly remember the full, detailed story? I will be rereading this one very soon.
Saturday Nite Reader 