Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is the creation of Jill at Breaking The Spine and even though Jill is no longer hosting this feature, I think it's a great idea and would like to continue the tradition.  So here is my weekly post spotlighting an upcoming release that I'm eagerly anticipating.

Book: Strawberry Summer

Author: Melissa Brayden

 Release Date: April 1, 2017

Goodreads

Just because you’re through with your past, doesn’t mean it’s through with you.
Margaret Beringer didn’t have an easy adolescence. She hated her name, was less than popular in school, and was always cast aside as a “farm kid.” However, with the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret’s youth sparked into color. Courtney was smart, beautiful, and put together—everything Margaret wasn’t. Who would have imagined that they’d fit together so perfectly?
But first loves can scar.
Margaret hasn’t seen Courtney in years and that’s for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control of the family store, Margaret comes face-to-face with her past and the woman she’s tried desperately to forget. The fact that Courtney has grown up more beautiful than ever certainly doesn’t help matters.

I devour Melissa Brayden's books, I absolutely love them. So when I found out she had a new book coming out, to say I was excited is an understatement! I cannot wait to read this!

Love Me Tinder by Nicola May

Book: Love Me Tinder
Author: Nicola May
Genre: Romantic Comedy/ Women's Fiction
Other books by this author: Working It Out, The School Gates,
Better Together, The SW19 Club, Star Fish, Let Love Win
Goodreads

Summary:
Dull security or risky freedom - which would you choose?

With her marriage in pieces, shy Cali Summers is faced with this decision and hits the world of fast love on an internet dating app.

Using room 102 in the hotel where she works as her dating 'lair', she opens herself up to a world of sex, lies, deception, as well as personal discovery and passionate love.

With a charming F1 engineer, a handsome army officer and her adulterous ex all on the scene, a predictable love match is far from on the cards.

My Thoughts:

As someone who has put in her time in the trenches of online dating with her share of bad first date stories (thank goodness those days are done!) but did so before the days of Tinder, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. And what a delightful read it was! Fun and light, this book had me hooked from the start kept me turning the pages with a smile until the end.

Cali was likeable as a protagonist and someone I was rooting for, in spite of (or perhaps because of) her naïveté. There were so many times I was reading and all I could think was

But really this was part of the charm of this book, and it's easy to see how Cali was blinded by love (lust!) and the new experience of online dating. And don't forget the side characters! I felt like I really got to know Cali's friends and I was cheering for them too. And perhaps the shining star of this book for me was the hilarious African Grey Lady P and her foul mouth!

Nicola May's writing was excellent and amongst the hilarity I was moved by her beautiful prose. I found myself highlighting a quote about love, and I NEVER stop to highlight in books!

"Love is not a flickering bulb; it is a burning, huge raging fire of desire that engulfs is all at some point in our lives." How beautiful and true is that?! And as an American expat living in the U.K., I also found this book charmingly English - which is exactly what  I like in my rom-coms!

This is the first Nicola May book I've read...but it definitely won't be my last!

Fancy checking it out for yourself? Find it on Amazon here:

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelf or TBR pile, be it physical or virtual. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

I read this about 3 years ago and loved it, I'm planning to do a re-read via the audiobook!

Another re-read, the first of Melissa Brayden's amazing books. I want to review this, but it's been too long since I've read it!

My third and final re-read of this post.  I read this book several years ago, but now that the film is out (And there's a new book! I had no idea!) I'm due for a re-read.

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Book: The Hidden Oracle
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo
Goodreads

Plot:
How do you punish an immortal?
By making him human.
After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.
But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go... an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

My thoughts:

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am an absolute sucker for Greek mythology.  The Percy Jackson books (also by Riordan) are among my all-time favorites.  I loved revisiting Camp Half Blood and discovering Camp Jupiter in the Heroes of Olympus books. So I was beyond thrilled to find out Riordan had written another book in this universe.

The shining star of this book for me (pun was really not intentional bus I'll keep it) was Apollo.   I found him both irritatingly vain and increasingly endearing.  He was the same Apollo - with the same ego - from the Percy Jackson books, but this time suffering from mortality and acne. I loved the way each chapter started with a haiku, as a throwback to the Percy Jackson books where Apollo spoke only in haiku.

Apollo as narrator is what kept this book interesting for me.  The plot, though different than the norm due to Apollo's condition, didn't feel THAT different or fresh. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed getting immersed in the world of the demigods again (though since this was Apollo narrating, I would have loved some more first-hand accounts of the gods of Olympus) and the cameos of old favorites made the book feel like home.  But the plot didn't grip me the way I expected it to.

 I liked this book, but I didn't love it as much as I absolutely adored the previous two series.  But I will still be eagerly awaiting the next instalment!

My Day as Luna Lovegood - World Book Day 2017

Today I got to celebrate my favorite books by personifying one of my very favorite characters.

Not only did I dress as the quirky and loveable Luna Lovegood, but I also got to see my inner Luna coming out today, and it was wonderful! Maybe I should have felt silly taking the bus to work in my spectrespecs and homemade radish earrings and walking around school all day in hair extensions casting spells, but I didn't feel even a bit self conscious. I embraced the wacky, and the 'I don't care if you think I'm weird, I'm going to be myself' attitude that Luna wears so well. It was so different from my normal anxiety-filled self, and I loved it. Dressing as Luna brought out a more self-assured version of myself. I felt more confident, embraced my quirks, and really liked who I was. And I could feel other people respond to this version of me.  My students were calmer and listened even better than usual, which in turn made me feel even more confident.

And what's more, I got to spend the day talking about my favorite book series with my students and watch their enthusiasm as they discovered different book characters (formally their normal boring teachers) around the school. And all day long I heard students and teachers talking about books books books! World Book Day is a wonderful thing.

 

WWW Wednesday

W… W… W… Wednesday, hosted by Taking on a World of Worlds is a weekly meme showcasing what you are currently reading, what you just finished reading, and what you plan to start reading next.

What I'm currently reading

Love Me Tinder: So far a really fun and light read! I'm really enjoying it.

Career of Evil: My current thought it 'Gosh this book is long!' I'm mostly enjoying it, but it's also taking me a very long time to get through it.

What I recently finished

 

You can find my review of The Heir here and my review of The Hidden Oracle is coming soon!

What I plan to read next

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is the creation of Jill at Breaking The Spine and even though Jill is no longer hosting this feature, I think it's a great idea and would like to continue the tradition.  So here is my weekly post spotlighting an upcoming release that I'm eagerly anticipating.

Book: Internet Famous

Author: Danika Stone

Release Date: June 6, 2017

Goodreads

High school senior and internet sensation Madison Nakama seems to have it all: a happy family, good grades, and a massive online following for her pop-culture blog. But when her mother suddenly abandons the family, Madi finds herself struggling to keep up with all of her commitments.Fandom to the rescue! As her online fans band together to help, an online/offline flirtation sparks with Laurent, a French exchange student. Their internet romance—played out in the comments section of her MadLibs blog—attracts the attention of an internet troll who threatens the separation of Madi’s real and online personas. With her carefully constructed life unraveling, Madi must uncover the hacker’s identity before he can do any more damage, or risk losing the people she loves the most… Laurent included.

I loved All The Feels and when I found out Danika Stone had another YA book, I was beyond ready to read it.  But alas, I quickly discovered it was not yet released, and the glowing Goodreads reviews were from ARCs.  People who have been lucky enough to read Internet Famous have had fabulous things to say, and I really can't wait to read this one. Hurry up, June 6!!