Book Review: The Unwitting Journeys of the Witty Miss Livingstone: Book I: Journey Key (Miss Liv Adventures 1) by Kennedy J. Quinn
The Unwitting Journeys of the Witty Miss Livingstone: Book I: Journey Key (Miss Liv Adventures 1)by Kennedy J. Quinn
A Steampunk Novel published by Amazon Digital Services Inc. (10/25/16)
Summary:
Miss Livingstone doesn’t quite fit into her era because she is a woman with her own mind. It is the early 1900’s until Miss Livingstone peeks into the new bookshop and finds time-traveling stones that take her forward in time to meet the owner of the bookshop. Then she is taken back through time as she attempts to solve the mystery of the stones and find some good books on the side!
Keywords:
Time Travel, Female Heroine, Adventure, History, Literature, Literary References, Snoqualmie, Books, Steampunk, Evil, Lurking, Romance
My Review:
A new blend of history, great literature, and adventure, Miss Liv Adventures was a fun read. I especially liked how every adventure ended with the steam train taking Miss Livingstone back (or forward) to her own time. I really liked the integration of books and history into the plot of the book and thought the details surrounding the key were marvelous and fantastical.
Miss Livingstone was curious to a fault and brave beyond doubt as she traveled across time and space, never forgetting her home and her love of books. The places she traveled to were rich and lively and there were just enough different settings to keep my interest but not too many to be confusing.
This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services Inc. on October 25th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50
Links for more information:
Foodie Fridays: Blue Apron Review
I tried out a 3 meal for two people Blue Apron this month.
Pros:
- I got to know new ingredients (like how to deal with turnips and chickpeas)
- I got to eat semi-gourmet homemade meals
- They were over portioned and I had leftovers!
Cons:
- The box arrived on the most inconvenient day of the week and I had to let the ingredients sit in my fridge for 3 days before I could even cook the first one.
- The recipes were more complicated than I’m used to cooking
- There were a LOT of dishes to clean up
- Some of the directions were confusing and I started to doubt my own ability to cook and make assumptions
I really enjoyed the experience but felt harried trying to make the meals and not let them sit in the fridge for too long. I liked having new ingredients to work with that I’m not sure I’d ever find or purchase in the grocery store and I will be using chickpeas in the near future! I wish Blue Apron had levels of difficulty/gourmet so that the harried overworked overbusy people can start off with the starter pack that uses less dishes and takes less prep finagling to figure out, but introduces you to new ingredients and provides a ready meal when you’re too busy to go to the grocery store.
The spicy chicken with Mediterranean flair (my favorite):
The seared salmon with fall vegetables:
And the roasted pork steam buns without final picture because we were too busy eating:
NaNo November: Why I Won’t Win NaNoWriMo This Year
Or will I?
What are your excuses for not making time to write/winning?
Here’s my list:
- I have two jobs and one is in retail so I’m working 50-60 hours/week
- I lose a lot of time driving because Seattle area traffic = black hole of time suck
- I have 4 major events in November (Belles of the Ball, a Tuesday all day sales event, Oddmall one weekend, and Bard & Starlett)
Here’s why I WILL win:
- I’m extremely stubborn
- I like a challenge
- I have a schedule for my For the Love of Donuts series
- I like to write
- I actually have an outline for my NaNo novel
And finally, why I love NaNoWriMo:
- I’m writing
- I get to meet other writers
- Write-ins are hecka awesome!
- Novel bragging rights
- I’m being highly productive
- It helps me finish/start/work on my writing
- I go to new places
Not to forget a list about my upcoming NaNo manuscript:
- It’s a young adult novel
- It’s the third book in the For the Love of Donut books
- Nichole and Vanessa are in it
- There will be donuts
- There will be themes of friendship
- It will be set in Sarasota
- I’m super excited to write it!
Book Review: Purple Text Talk by C.Y. Robertson
Purple Text Talk by C.Y. Robertson
A Middle Grade Novel published by Chizzy Press (2/12/16)
Summary:
Aria doesn’t want to make her family worry any more than they have to. She remains quiet and unobtrusive in the middle of her many siblings as they move mid-year. Leaving her best friend Lily behind shouldn’t be so bad because she can make new friends in her new school, right? Fitting in is hard and maybe not even worth it if Aria has to do and say things she’s not proud of, will she stick with it or stay true to herself?
Keywords:
Texting, New School, New Friends, Travel, Popularity, Best Friends, Talking, Phone Calls, New Town, New House, Bullies, Mean Girls
My Review:
This book felt scattered, just like a preteen. Not only was there text talk, there was text grammar and text style. It was difficult to read because details and transitions were not there, but you get the tone of the novel, the mood of the main character Aria and the big picture for the plot. I prefer books with more to them, but for pre-teenagers who text talk and text read and text love, they will totally get this.
The plot was more scattered than I would have liked, since it was more based on showing a slice of life than on a particular main character goal. I enjoyed the story with Luke even though it felt like a subplot that took over the story in the end. Luke and Aria were very fascinating characters, not the norm for pre-teens.
I wish I had more details on how old the characters were. Aria had too many siblings to keep straight!
This novel was published by Chizzy Press on February 12th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25
Links for more information:
Monroe Main St. Books Author Signing Aftermath! Cats and Books and a Raffle
What a fun local bookstore in Monroe! I enjoyed talking with the customers and my fellow YA authors from the Writer’s Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest.
Author Events in the Seattle’s Eastside today! Neverending Bookshop and Monroe Books
Meet the authors at Main Street Books in Monroe today from 2pm-4pm! For more info, check out the Facebook event page here.
And don’t forget to support your other local bookstore in Bothell! The Nevending Bookshop is turning 1-year old!
Come help us celebrate one year at The Neverending Bookshop! We’ll have storytime, a literary costume contest (both adults and kids), a short story writing contest (both adults and kids), giveaways, mysterious books for sale, and so much more! For more information, visitwww.theneverendingbookshop.com/events We can’t wait to celebrate one year in the Bothell community!
The day’s schedule: 10:30 a.m.: storytime; 11 a.m.: coloring; 2 p.m.: the children’s literary costume contest; 2:30 p.m.: the adult’s costume contest. Throughout the day we’ll be collecting business cards and contact information for a super awesome giveaway!
For more info, check out the Facebook event page here.
Book Review: Breeder: Arrow’s Flight Book #1 by Casey Hays
Breeder: Arrow’s Flight Book #1 by Casey Hays
A Science Fiction/Dystopian Novel published by Whispering Pages, LLC (11/22/14)
Summary:
Kate lives in the only civilization left on earth, a small village where women rule the town and men are kept alive only as breeding stock to replenish the earth. Kate has been chosen as a breeder and she must fulfill her role in society, but on her birthday when she is led to the Pit for her first mating, she rebels. Kate never wanted to be a breeder, but in this society where Fate is all important, will she be able to break out and do what she wants or will she be forced to conform to society’s rules?
Keywords:
Breeding, Procreation, Dystopian, Female Run Society, Rebelling, Leadership, Fate, Destiny, Village, Isolation, Friendship, Council, Voice, Chosen, Disobedience, Punishment, Secrets
My Review:
Another dystopian novel. Another female heroine. Another enticing and excellent book that had me enthralled to the very end. Some parts may have rambled on a bit, but the story was so well written and held my attention from beginning to end.
Kate is an amazingly active and headstrong character who doesn’t let things happen to her, even though this is how Fate works. She refuses a role as a placid character. She is dynamic and stubborn and in this way, too, she is special. Any one of us could be Kate if we too followed our hearts and didn’t look the other way when injustice happened.
I loved Kate just a little bit more every time she interacted with a male and showed her strength, innocence, determination and humanity.
I look forward to more books, dystopian or otherwise, from this author.
This novel was published by Whispering Pages, LLC on November 22nd, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75
Links for more information:
Book Review: Black Poodle Over Seven Hills by Victoria Bastedo
Black Poodle Over Seven Hills by Victoria Bastedo
A Contemporary Romance novel published by Satin Romance (10/18/2016)
Summary:
Soubrette offered to transport a high-end black poodle to Seattle in exchange for a free ticket to a new life, but when the owner’s cousin shows up instead of the owner, Soubrette will have to follow up to make sure the puppy gets to the right home. The cousin, Timothy, is immediately taken with Soubrette (and the dog) and offers to show her around and help get her settled. This simple meet cute will take a turn when Soubrette’s left behind baggage arrives in Seattle and interferes with Soubrette’s new life and new relationship.
Keywords:
Seattle, Poodle, Romance, Friendship, New Place, Moving, Leaving Behind, Stalker, Bully, New Beginnings, Queen Anne, Tourist, New Job
My Review:
A simple, meet-cute novel full of witty dialogue set against the lovely hills of Seattle’s Queen Anne, Black Poodle Over Seven Hills was a charming fast read. Where does the titular poodle fit in? She brings Soubrette and Timothy together – not in the ‘can I pet your dog’ sense, but in quite a different manner altogether. An airport chase and mistaken identity isn’t that big of a deal for Soubrette since she is calm in the face of potential danger, but this first scene foreshadows the depths the plot will jump to after the main characters meet and grow their friendship.
Both Soubrette and Timothy were fully developed persons with interesting backstories. Never has the answer to the question “so what brings you to Seattle” been so intriguing. Soubrette is a lively and cheerful lady with spunk and wit to spare even in the face of the past that won’t stop clinging to her coattails. Seattle may offer a new start for her, but she can’t leave her past behind, it will just take a bit longer to catch up to her.
Soubrette is a great mixture of passive and active character. Even when bad things followed her around, she was able to use her strength of character to make her own way and bully her way around some fairly tight situations. She is no damsel in distress, but even she can’t win all her battles. And that’s where Timothy Marsh gets a chance to save the day. Both Timothy and soubrette are independent, but any time they are together you will just have to smile at their witty banter and camaraderie.
I received an ARC from the author.
This novel was published by Satin Romance 10/18/2016 and is available on Amazon here.
TLDR Star Rating: 3.75
Links for more information:
Emerald City Writer’s Conference First Timer Experience – My Takeaways
Check out my YouTube video (please subscribe!) of my thoughts regarding my first time attending the Emerald City Writer’s Conference this weekend in Bellevue. And here’s the only picture of me I took during the whole weekend – me and one of the Wanderlust models.
My to read list from conference recommendations:
- Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
- Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need (for pacing help) by Blake Snyder
- Silvia Day books because they’re angsty and have broken characters
- Nalini Singh for contemporary world building
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
- Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books) (Volume 1) by Gwen Hayes
- Elizabeth Moon for sci-fi/fantasy
Rachel Author Barnard 