October 2019 Wrap Up

On February 3, 2020February 1, 2020 By AllieS.In Book Review, Wrap UpLeave a comment

Anyone reading or following this blog will have noticed that the posts going up lately are not really current. The last several months of 2019 got busy for me and I just didn’t have much time or energy to devote to this blog but I was still coming up with ideas and things to post. So at the start of 2020, my goal for the blog is to catch up on these older posts and then get to a point where I can post more current things.

In October I read a total of eight books, three which were graphic novels and one audio book.

29496076 Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is a historical nonfiction book about the murders in the Osage Indian Nation in the 1920s and the creation of the FBI. During this time multiple members of the Osage tribe where being killed without many people noticing or caring. When the death toll reached a certain point the newly created FBI got involved in the case that became their first major homicide investigation. These murders where carried out many people of the community in an attempt to gain access to the oil head rights owned by the tribe. The book contains information both on the events happening in Oklahoma with the tribes and the general creation of the FBI but puts more focus on what was happening in Oklahoma and the investigation here. A fairly quick read but is probably more interesting to those who already study this history or want to know more.

18659623 Through the Woods by Emily Carroll is a graphic novel of creepy and scary short stories. None of the stories are incredibly scary but are very atmospheric and its a great read for October around Halloween. The illustrations are beautiful and the stories stick with you as they invoke images and stories from childhood.

8181494 The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller is a young adult historical fiction novel following the life of the Russian royal family the Romanov’s. The book is written from the perspective of the four daughters of the Tsar: Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. The book starts when their lives are great during their childhoods and progresses through World War I and the Russian Revolution. Though it is written for a young adult audience the book does not shy away from the tragedy that befell this family. Well written and researched for the right audience.. As an adult there where parts that felt a little too young and bored me at times.

42286257._SX318_ Sadie by Courtney Summer is a young adult mystery novel about a girl named Sadie who disappeared after her sisters death. Sadie is attempting to bring her sisters killer to justice by finding him and killing him herself. When radio host West McCray hears about Sadie, he starts a podcast retracing Sadie’s steps to find out what happen and maybe find her. I read this as an audio book which is amazing. The story is incredibly gripping and makes you want to finish it but the topics the story handles makes it hard to read. As you see what Sadie did to try to protect her sister Mattie from a man who just wanted to hurt them. About two hours to the end of the audio book was the hardest part to finish, I wanted to know what would happen but I was worried about Sadie and I just wanted her to be okay. If you can, try the audio book as it is very well done.

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Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant is a horror novella about a research vessel going out and trying to find mermaids. This was a reread for me on my phone while waiting for an appointment. I have a full review posted already but its still as good as it was the first time I read it.

34963526 29237221 Saga vol 8 and vol 9 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples are the last two currently published graphic novels of the Saga series. I don’t want to post spoilers here and I do plan to have a full series review with spoilers so I don’t want to say much. These volumes where very good but hard to get through given some of the topics mentioned and who lives and dies. I do love that these characters that have been forced into this situation are slowly becoming a family that cares about each other.

21434924 The last book that I read this month was Doctor Who: The Secret Lives of Monsters by Justin Richards. This is a coffee table type book with information and pictures about the monsters in Doctor Who and how they were created. Its written in a way that both acts like these monsters are real but also talks about how they were created for the show with behind the scenes information. Good book for anyone who is a major fan of Doctor Who.

October 2019 Shelf Love Crate

On January 17, 2020January 13, 2020 By AllieS.In Book Box, Shelflove CrateLeave a comment

This month I decided to try out several different monthly book box subscriptions to she how they differ from each other. Shelflove Crate is a fantasy and science fiction subscription box that includes a new hardcover book and bookish items each month. October’s theme is Page to Screen.

The bookish items included are a Honeydukes popcorn holder, a Game of Thrones inspired scarf, a Coraline inspired heat transfer to a fabric item, a bookish movie poster set, Lord of the Rings mug charms, and the collectible chess pieces with Clary and Jace from City of Bones. With how much I loved September’s this one was a let down and most of these items I don’t care about and will probably end up decluttering in the future.

The book included is The Grace Year by Kim Ligget. The story follow Tierney who lives in a community that tells girls that they have special powers that can charm men. However, at sixteen they must go out into the wilds to release this magic to be ready for marriage. The Grace Year is about survival, freedom and finding hope.

November’s theme is Reading the Restricted Section.

Sadly, I didn’t really like this box. The book sounds interesting but the items except for the scarf are not things that I will use. As this post is going up late I feel like I should mention that Shelflove Crate had shipping issues and delays at the end of 2019. Now their boxes are not sent in actual boxes but bubble mailers.

October 2019 Owl Crate

On January 15, 2020January 12, 2020 By AllieS.In Book Box, OwlCrateLeave a comment

Owl Crate is a young adult book subscription box where every month you receive one new hardcover book and an assortment of bookish goodies connected to the monthly theme. Some of these items are very practical and some are better suited as decor or for a pin/builtin board. October’s theme is Dawn of a New World.

Each box includes different bookish goodies that fit the theme of the month and are connected to other books.This month bookish items include a book tin inspired by the Illuminae Files, a set of magnetic bookmarks featuring characters from Saga,a crescent moon pendant necklace inspired by the Lunar Chronicles, and a sticker with a quote from the book Warcross.

Every month Owl Crate has a new young adult hardback book that has an exclusive cover, is signed and comes with a letter from the author. This month instead of one book OwlCrate included two. The enamel pin the is in every box is also inspired by that months book. The books this month are Crier’s War by Nina Varela and I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi.

Crier’s War is about a world where androids have enslaved their human creators. Lady Crier is the daughter of the android king who might not be as perfect as people believe and her human handmaiden, Ayla, begin to fall in love. But can their relationship survive that possible coming war?

I Hope You Get This Message follows a group of teenagers as their paths collide shortly after an alien planet is found and the world might be coming to an end. This month two enamel pins where included one inspired by each book.

November’s theme is Through the Enchanted Forest.

Alchemy and Ink True Dark Box

On January 13, 2020January 12, 2020 By AllieS.In Book BoxLeave a comment

When I order all of the DarkDawn boxes I also order a special box from Alchemy and Ink which is a small bookish candle company. Everything I’ve order from Alchemy and Ink has been the highest quality and wonderfully designed. DSCN1315

The DarkDawn True Dark box included a fleece blanket, a set of pen with quotes from Mia on them, a wine glass, a t-shirt, an enamel pin and a wall hanging. When you ordered the box you could also add on a Mia inspired candle which I did. The candle ended up shipping later that the other items but Natalie, the owner of the company, kept everyone updated and it was worth the wait.

If you are every looking at bookish candle companies Alchemy and Ink is my current favorite.

Fae Crate Darkdawn Box

On January 10, 2020January 9, 2020 By AllieS.In Book Box, Fae CrateLeave a comment

As I’ve mentioned before I bought several book boxes in celebration of the release of DarkDawn by Jay Kristoff. The Fae Crate edition is the last of the book boxes I received though I did also buy a box from a bookish candle company that I will discuss in another post. The amazing thing about all of these boxes is that there were very few duplicate items and every box had different amazing art and artist behind it.

As with all of these boxes there was a copy of DarkDawn and the deleted scene Three. The Fae Crate edition is signed and came with special dust jacket set for all the books in the series.

Of the bookish items all Fae Crate special edition boxes come with a plushie this time of Mia. Other items included were an enamel pin featuring Tric, a character print, a metal cuff bracelet with the quote “I am the war you cannot win”, and a Spiderkiller drink tumbler. Also there was a character card set, a USB in the shape of the gravestone dagger, a pouch, collectible coin and a room spray. The most unique item was a sun shade for a car that had character art on it.

I don’t always love Fae Crate’s monthly boxes but their Hangover Crates and specialty boxes are incredibly well done with high quality items and amazing art.

Shelflove Crate Darkdawn Box

On January 8, 2020January 7, 2020 By AllieS.In Book Box, Shelflove CrateLeave a comment

When DarkDawn by Jay Kristoff was coming out I got sucked into buying multiple book boxes and ended up with five different copies of DarkDawn. Though I didn’t intend to buy that many copies each box included different items and I’m glad I order all of them.

The Shelflove Crate box was called GodsGrave Getaway box and include many high quality items and a US signed special edition of DarkDawn. This copy of the book included exclusive art and came with the extra scene Three bound in the book instead as a separate item.

The bookish goodies for the box where very well done and included a “passport” spoiler card, a gorgeous tapestry blanket, collectible chess pieces of Mia and Tric, a GodsGrave sticker, an enamel pin, tarot cards featuring eleven different characters, a booksleave, a coffee mug, a cat shaped spoon inspired by Mister Kindly, Mia bookends, a sleep mask, a decorative pillow case, a bookmark, and a bath crumble that turns the water red.

Each item was created by different artist and independent shops. All the item are of high quality and well thought out that it justifies the price for the specialty box. This was the first specialty box that I got from Shelflove Crate and based on just this I would buy other boxes from them. However, since this post is going up late I have purchased from them since and there were major shipping issues and I feel like the quality of the items was not worth what I paid. So I would caution anyone planing on buying from them in the future to read some posts about the issues that happen at the end of 2019 before giving them money.

Illumicrate Darkdawn Box

On December 11, 2019December 10, 2019 By AllieS.In Book Box, IllumicrateLeave a comment

When Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff was being released and preorders started I got sucked into buying multiple boxes which I’m glad I did. So I ordered three book boxes, one candle boxes, and two preorders which meant that I ended up with five copies of Darkdawn.

Each box included different items and each box will get its own post as this would be far too long to include all in one. First box is the Illumicrate Bloods and Blades box. This box included the book with is signed, has yellow sprayed edges and come with an author letter. Also included is Three a deleted scene from the book.

The bookish items are a mug featuring Mia and Ash, a wonderful Mr Kindly and Eclipse blanket, a booksleeve, a wooden map of Itreya, and enamel pins. Other items where a Mr Kindly bath bomb that smells like blood orange and tints the bath water red, a foil art print of Mia, a Corvere crest necklace, a Mia figure designed like a Funko Pop, a character bookmark set, a collectible coin, and art and an interview from the cast of the Nevernight short film by Piera Forde.

What I love about special boxes is that the items are all from a favorite series and I like if not love most of the items. The only one that I don’t care that much about is the figurine but that’s because I’ve never been a collector of figures and I don’t really like the Funko design. I love that some of the items are very useful and not just items to display because I like everyone I don’t have a ton of space to keep bookish things.

Illumicrate’s special edition boxes are amazing and I will order form them in the future for special editions. Their monthly boxes are also goo but if I don’t love everything the international shipping to the United States isn’t always worth it.

September 2019 Wrap Up

On December 7, 2019December 6, 2019 By AllieS.In Book Review, Wrap UpLeave a comment

In some ways I feel like I was in a reading slump the past few months. I wanted to read but nothing really caught my interest. Honestly, I think I was in a slump in general because very few things be they TV shows, books, or movies have kept my interest recently.

In September I ended up reading three books and only watched more mindless TV shows and movies.

Books:

36618537._SY475_ Empath: A Complete Guide for Developing Your Gift and Finding Your Sense of Self by Judy Dyer is a nonfiction book on Empaths and being empathetic. This was suggested to me by a friend who thought that I might see myself in this book and get something out of it. I read it as part of Amazon’s Prime Reading which I’m glad because I didn’t get much out of it but its a very fast read. It has interesting information but unless you believe that your are an empath the book is not that useful.

9361589 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern follows two magicians competing in a competition at a magical traveling circus and the love story that must defy the odds. It book is beautifully written but very slow moving. I took me much longer that most books to finish but I think that was do to being in a slump as I loved the book. The story takes place over the course of many years and each chapter notes what year it is as the story is not told completely liner and there are section written in second person perspective to pull the reader into the magic of the story. The blurb on the back of the book makes it sound like a fast pace adventure but the story is really about magic and the magic of belief. This is one of my new favorite books.

11797136 101 Things You Though You Knew About the Titanic but Didn’t by Tim Maltin is a nonfiction book about the Titanic and the sinking of the ship. It was a very easy read with sections with major topics that all the information is connected to. The book is exactly what the title says its a list of information about the Titanic with explanations. Great for any one interested in learning more about the Titanic as the information is well presented and easy to understand. However, if you have researched the Titanic before you might know most of the information presented.

September 2019 Shelflove Crate

On November 13, 2019November 12, 2019 By AllieS.In Book Box, Shelflove CrateLeave a comment

This month I decided to try out several different monthly book box subscriptions. Shelflove Crate is a fantasy and science fiction subscription box that includes a new hardcover book and bookish items each month. September’s theme is The Witching Hour and is geared towards getting readers into the spooky season.

The bookish items included are a candle inspired by A Discovery of Witches that smells like lemons, a Grisha inspired spirit board aka a Ouija board, a necklace with the saying Hello Witchling, a magnet inspired by Practical Magic, and a cauldron shaped mug inspired by The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This year Shelflove Crate is also including two character chess pieces in each months box, this month is Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.

The book included in There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool. In this world a prophecy was given that stated when the new prophet was born they would either be the worlds savior or cause its destruction. The story follows five character who’s paths are no a collision course and any one of them could save or end the world. The book also came with an author letter, signed book plate, and matching book mark.

This is my first monthly Shelflove Crate and I really liked everything in the box. I will use everything included in this box which most subscription boxes can be hit or miss on the items. Unlike other book boxes Shelflove informs customers which book is included in each box.

September 2019 Illumicrate

On November 11, 2019November 10, 2019 By AllieS.In Book Box, IllumicrateLeave a comment

Recently I have decided to try out several different monthly book subscription boxes. Illumicrate is a UK based fantasy and science fiction book box that has monthly boxes or just a monthly book only subscription. Each box also includes a selection of bookish goodies some more practical, others more decorative set around a monthly theme. September’s theme is High Stakes.

The items included in this box are a ceramic travel cup inspired by Children of Blood and Bone, a note pad loosely inspired by Good Omens, a Blackcliff Academy wooden postcard inspired by An Ember in the Ashes, a scarf inspired by Carry On, and a DNA lanyard from This Mortal Coil. Each month Illumicrate also includes a magnetic collectible coin this months features Katniss Everdeen.

Illumicrate, like other book boxes, include a new hard cover each month that is signed and has a letter from the author. This months book is Kingdom of Souls: The Last Witch Doctor by Rena Barron is a special edition with sprayed edges. The story follows Arrah who come from a magically powerful family but has never had her own powers. Shortly after she decides to sacrifice some of her life for magic children in the village start to disappear and Arrah is determined to find the culprit but she might find something much worse.

I have purchased Illumicrate boxes in the past and for me their specialty boxes are amazing and well worth the cost and shipping but the monthly boxes can be very hit or miss. Most of the items in this box I won’t use and are from series that I don’t care about. This can be a problem with any box that you don’t know what you will be receiving but Illumicrate is often just to expensive with international shipping. For me, specialty boxes will most likely the only boxes that I buy from them in the future.

October’s theme is With Great Power.