Tag: Book Reviews

October ’20 TBR

~ Mr Geek ~ 2 Comments

It’s finally October and that means “Spooky SZN” is upon us! The weather is FINALLY starting to cool off in the northeast and all of the Autumn flavors are in full swing (I’m looking at you Pumpkin Spice and Apple). I typically don’t set a book “theme” for the month but I decided to give that a try for October. Since Halloween will be coming up, I thought this would be the perfect time to break out all of my horror / spooky books to binge all month long! I’m still on track to hit my stretch goal of 52 books by the end of the year. If I want to hit this goal, I need to read at least 6 books each month in October, November and December. I’ve set an aggressive TBR for October so, without further ado, let’s jump into the books!

I’m going to kick the month off with a classic horror story, Pet Semetary by Stephen King. I haven’t read many books by King but this seems to be a favorite! I actually don’t know a ton about this story other than there is some sort of cursed land that has the power to bring whatever is buried there back to life… but not quite the same. I actually have a paperback of this and will be listen to some of the audiobook. The audiobook is narrated by Michael C. Hall and it has received rave reviews. After Pet Semetary, I’m going to move on to Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Mexican Gothic has been described as a horror-thriller that seems to be right up my alley. When Noemi received a mysterious letter from her cousin, beginning someone to come save her from impending doom, she sets off to the High Place to investigate. Noemi is better suited for dresses and dinner parties than as a rescue but that won’t stop her. As Noemi dig deeper and deeper, she soon discovers a history of violence and madness that might be impossible to escape.

I’ve always been a big fan of Victoria Schwab and now seems like the perfect time to read City of Ghosts. Meet Cassidy Blake, an In-Between who can communicate with ghosts. When Cass meets Lara, a fellow In-Between, she explains that it’s Cass’ responsibility to send ghosts permanently across The Veil. When the Red Raven begins terrorizing her city, she quickly realizes it isn’t meant for this world. She’s soon pulled into an epic fight that stretches across the worlds of the living and the dead. I am purposely saving Home Before Dark by Riley Sager for closer to Halloween. This “haunted house” book seems like the perfect read as Halloween approaches! When Maggie Holt, a restorer of old homes, inherits her family home, she returns to restore it so it can be properly sold. Maggie is too young to remember the horror’s mentioned in her father’s book. Soon she begins experience strange occurrences, that seem to be right out of her father’s book. It’s up to Maggie to find out what secrets are within these walls before it’s too late!

In addition to these physical books, I’m also going to try to knock out 2 audiobooks. My first audiobook will be The Shadows by Alex North. The Shadows is the follow-up to North’s debut, The Whisper Man (which I read last year). The premise of this one sounds great and has a lot of promise. Paul Adams remembers the dark, imaginative and gruesome murder committed by Charlie Crabtree when he was a teenager. After the murder was committed, Crabtree disappeared and was never found. Fast-Forward 25 years later and a copycat killer has struck. As tensions rise around town, Paul can feel the past slowly starting to seep into the present. I haven’t decided on which audiobook I’ll read next. I have a couple Stephen King books queued up (Misery and If It Bleeds) and a couple by one of my favorite more niche authors, J.A. Konrath (Origin and The List). This last pick will definitely be based on my mood and whatever I’m feeling in the moment.

Hopefully I’m able to conquer this TBR and then some! What do you have planned for this month? Are you going to read anything creepy to celebrate Halloween? Leave me a comment, tweet me or add me on GoodReads (@ItsMrGeekToYou on both sites).

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

Book Review: Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker

~ Mr Geek ~ 1 Comment

I have always been a fan of the thriller / suspense genre. I love starting a new mystery novel and immediately becoming immersed in the plot! Last year, while browsing around Amazon, I came across a recently released book (The Night Before) by an author I had never heard of (Wendy Walker). As soon as I read the synopsis I knew I had to add it to my TBR! Here’s my quick take for those who haven’t read or heard of this book: Lauren Lochner has never had much success in the romance department. After her latest failed relationship, she decides to give up her Wall Street job, and New York City lifestyle, to move in with her sister, Rosie, back in Connecticut where they grew up. Lauren struggles to find her new normal and decides to give dating another try. This seems like the perfect reset for Lauren…. until she doesn’t return home from her date the next morning. As panic begins to build, and Rosie desperately tries to locate her sister, she realizes she’s not worried that something happen to Lauren, but what Lauren might have done to her date. This book was fantastic, inventive and I could not put it down! If you’re interested in picking up a copy or learning more, view The Night Before on Amazon.

Shortly after I read The Night Before, St Martin’s Press reached out to me offering an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Walker’s newest book, Don’t Look For Me. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew this book would be right up my alley and jumped on the offer! Don’t Look For Me was a brilliant, nerve-wracking, thrill-ride from the first page to the last.

Here’s my quick, spoiler-free summary: Have you ever wanted to just pick-up, leave your life behind and start over somewhere new? Well that’s exactly what Molly Clarke wanted. After the death of one of her children, Molly’s life is shattered and her family is broken. She’s desperate to disappear and never be found, it’s the only way she can deal with her grief and hopefully help her family heal. So it doesn’t come as a surprise when Molly goes missing one night during a terrible storm. Days later a note is found at a local casino, along with some of her clothing, saying that she is moving over and “don’t look for me.” Is this Molly’s chance to start over or is there more to this story than meets the eye?

Review: I freaking loved this book. To start, I love when a book is written with multiple POVs or alternating timelines. “Don’t Look For Me” alternates between present day and the night Molly disappears. Walker did such a great job here. Each timeline was interesting, compelling and I was never bored with the story. I looked forward to each “switch” because I knew I was getting more details to help my unravel what happened the night Molly went missing. I found the characters to be fascinating and I liked the subtle theme of redemption that was threaded throughout the novel. The further you get into this book, the deeper and more intriguing the mystery becomes. As I hit the last ~100 pages, I felt like I was on a runaway train and sat glued to the couch until I read the final page. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable and well-written thriller. If you haven’t read a Wendy Walker book, do yourself a favor and pick up either: The Night Before or Don’t Look For Me (Release Date: September 15, 2020). If you do purchase a copy, please consider using the affiliate links in this blog post – I’ll receive a small commission and there’s no charge to you!

A HUGE thank you to St Martin’s Press for providing this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Are you a fan of thrillers? What are some of your favorites? Have you also read one of Wendy’s books? What did you think? Leave me a comment or tweet me (@ItsMrGeekToYou)!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

PS – Are we friends on GoodReads? Add me: ItsMrGeekToYou

September 2020 TBR

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

September is finally upon us and you know what that means! Fall is right around the corner along with chilly evenings, pumpkin-or-apple-flavored-everything and more time to spend indoors reading! This has been such a weird year for me, as I’m sure it has been for everyone, and I’m really hoping to get myself back on track. I’ve struggled to read as much as I normally do (lack of focus during this pandemic) and I just haven’t been able to accomplish as much as I hoped. As we enter the last few months of 2020, I’ve set a few short term goals for myself and one of those is to hit my original stretch reading goal of 52 books. That will require me to read ~6 books per month which I actually think is doable. I’m aiming to read 1 book/week and 2 audiobooks/month. To help my achieve this goal, I’m going to be setting TBRs for myself at the beginning of each month.

I already have a few books in progress that I am hoping to finish over the long weekend / next week. I received an ARC of Wendy Walker’s new book, Don’t Look For Me. I started this last weekend and am LOVING it. I took a small break from the thriller genre but this is really hitting the spot. After Molly Clarke’s life is turned upside down by tragedy and a broken family, she decides to abandon her life and start over… or does she? I’ll be absolutely reviewing this book once I finish. I read The Night Before last year and really, really enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of the thriller genre, I’d recommend picking that up as well! It’s about a first date gone wrong – I’m sure we can all relate to that but mayyyyyyyyyyyyyybe not to this extent! I am also struggling through The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare. For how much I love the Shadowhunter books and that universe, this has been a challenge to get through. It reads very much like a textbook. While the information is interesting and helps build a more complete world, it’s definitely on the dry/boring side. The last book I have in progress is an audiobook, Bossypants by Tina Fey. I read Bossypants back when it first came out in 2011. I am a HUGE Tina Fey fan but thought her book was mediocre at best. Recently, I was chatting with a coworker and Bossypants came up. When she found out I wasn’t really a fan, she recommended the audiobook. I was able to scoop it up, on sale, from the Apple Books store. Tina narrates the book and it makes it so much more enjoyable!

Now that we’ve covered what I have in-flight, moving on to what’s next! Since I’ve been enjoying Don’t Look For Me so much, I thought I’d pick up another thriller: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. I read Goldin’s debut The Escape Room earlier this year and absolutely loved it. If you’re looking for a sophisticated literary experience, move along. If you want a twisty, bizarre and thoroughly entertaining thriller, definitely pick this up. I am a HUGE fan of cheesy horror / thriller movies and this was definitely right up my alley. I am also thinking about picking up The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson. I read Truly, Devious earlier this year. I liked it but didn’t love it. Personally, I felt like I was reading 1/3 of a book. There wasn’t much resolution and it seemed like I had more questions than answers by the end of the book. I’ve heard that the as you progress through the series, everything gets woven together nicely. The last couple books on my list are The Last Flight by Julie Clark and Camino Winds by John Grisham. To be honest, I don’t really know much about either of these books. I’ve seen The Last Flight on several “Books That I Couldn’t Put Down” lists – so it seems like something I’ll enjoy. I read Camino Island a couple years ago and enjoyed it. I think, in the moment, I would’ve enjoyed it more knowing that the story was going to continue. It was left very open ended and I just didn’t love that (again, knowing a sequel was coming would’ve changed that opinion a bit).

So that’s my proposed TBR for September. I might sub in a couple depending on my mood. I’ve already started working on what I want to read in October and have some great spooky / horror reads queued up! Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What did you think? What are you planning to read in September? Let me know in the comments or Tweet me @ItsMrGeekToYou!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

Tome Topple Round 12: Wrap Up

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Well friends, another round of Tome Topple is in the books! I had, what I’m considering, a very successful round. I was about to read over 1,000 pages in this 2-week duration. Unfortunately, I had a pretty busy week 2 and also took a long weekend trip out of town (which really cut into my reading time but provided some MUCH NEEDED R&R).

The first book I tackled was quite the chunker: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. This clocked in at around 700 pages and was a freaking phenomenal book. Lady Midnight is the first entry in the Dark Artifices series. I honestly can’t say enough good things about this book! From the first page to the last I was completely hooked. Even though this was a longer book, the pages flew by. Not once did I find myself bored or flipping ahead to see how much was left. I felt the connected to the characters and the plot really sucked me in! Hands down a 5 out of 5 stars read! If you haven’t read the Shadowhunter Chronicles, but are interested in starting, stay tuned – I’m working on a post outlining how to enter this world!

The next book I started, but didn’t quite finish was Muse of Nightmares by Liani Taylor. Holy. Shit. I have been sleeping on this book for a good year and am so angry at myself for not reading it sooner! I’m finally getting around to writing this post about a week after Tome Topple has ended and I just finished Muse today. This booked completely lived up to my expectations (and I’ll be writing a fully review soon, so check back for that). Taylor’s writing is so poetic and lyrical – it’s really a joy to read. I found the plot to be completely engrossing and I absolutely loved revisiting some of previous characters from Strange the Dreamer, in addition to meeting some new ones! Everything about this book was perfect and I can’t wait to rave about it more in my review post!

It looks like we’ll be squeezing in one more Tome Topple this year (I think in November). There were many more read-a-thons this year than normal due to the pandemic. I feel like I’m finally getting myself back to a good spot in my reading and am able to enjoy my books again. I’ve also been on a great streak here of reading excellent books! Did you participate in Tome Topple? If so, what did you read? Any reading suggestions for me for the next round? Leave me a comment or tweet me @ItsMrGeekToYou.

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

Author Spotlight: Christopher Moore

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I have been an avid Christopher Moore fan for years! Back when I was in college, I had a friend who worked at Borders (RIP) and stumbled upon one of Moore’s books, Lamb, during her shift. After she read the book, she immediately recommended it to me. The plot sounded interesting, so I ran out and picked up a copy. From the first few pages, I loved the witty, zany, engaging writing style and knew this wasn’t going to be my last Christopher Moore book.

After I finished Lamb, I started to branch out into Moore’s other works. His writing style is effortless and so easy to connect with. The tales are lighthearted and will have you laughing out loud as you ravenously consume each book. If you’re looking for a nice distraction to help lighten you up (especially given the current state of the world), his books are the comical oasis you’re looking for! To this day, I haven’t read one of his books that I didn’t like (and I’ve read almost all of them). Have a liked some more than others? Of course, but that’s only to be expected!

Personally, I love reading a story that’s told from multiple perspectives and Moore has nearly perfected this writing mechanic (in a couple different ways). In his “Pine Cove” “series” (I say “series” because the books aren’t really connected but do take place in the same location; These books are: Practical Demonkeeping, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and The Stupidest Angel), the perspective continuously alternates between characters. I love how each character has their own distinct/unique voice and you can clearly tell who’s perspective you’re reading from. Additionally, while almost all of Moore’s books are standalone, sometimes characters will make cameos in other stories. I love these little “easter eggs” and am always on the look out while reading!

Hopefully by this point, I’ve piqued your interest and you’re looking to pick up one of Moore’s books but, with so many options, where do you begin? Have no fear, I’m here to help! Like I previously mentioned, most of Moore’s books are standalone, so you can go into each book fresh and the story resolves by the end. Below are a few short Amazon summaries for some of my favorites and I’ve also included a link to his Amazon author page here, if you’d like to check out all of his works:

Blood Sucking Fiends

Jody never asked to become a vampire. But when she wakes up under an alley Dumpster with a badly burned arm, an aching back, superhuman strength, and a distinctly Nosferatuan thirst, she realizes the decision has been made for her.

Making the transition from the nine-to-five grind to an eternity of nocturnal prowlings is going to take some doing, however, and that’s where C. Thomas Flood fits in. A would-be Kerouac from Incontinence, Indiana, Tommy (to his friends) is biding his time night-clerking and frozen-turkey bowling in a San Francisco Safeway. But all that changes when a beautiful undead redhead walks through the door…and proceeds to rock Tommy’s life—and afterlife—in ways he never thought possible.

**Bloodsucking Fiends is probably my favorite and also has a couple of sequels (You Suck #2 / Bite Me #3); This is one of the few series Moore has written

Island of the Sequenced Love Nun

Take a wonderfully crazed excursion into the demented heart of a tropical paradise—a world of cargo cults, cannibals, mad scientists, ninjas, and talking fruit bats. Our bumbling hero is Tucker Case, a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy’s body, who makes a living as a pilot for the Mary Jean Cosmetics Corporation. But when he demolishes his boss’s pink plane during a drunken airborne liaison, Tuck must run for his life from Mary Jean’s goons. Now there’s only one employment opportunity left for him: piloting shady secret missions for an unscrupulous medical missionary and a sexy blond high priestess on the remotest of Micronesian hells. Here is a brazen, ingenious, irreverent, and wickedly funny novel from a modern master of the outrageous.

Practical Demonkeeping

In Christopher Moore’s ingenious debut novel, we meet one of the most memorably mismatched pairs in the annals of literature. The good-looking one is one-hundred-year-old ex-seminarian and “roads” scholar Travis O’Hearn. The green one is Catch, a demon with a nasty habit of eating most of the people he meets. Behind the fake Tudor façade of Pine Cove, California, Catch sees a four-star buffet. Travis, on the other hand, thinks he sees a way of ridding himself of his toothy traveling companion. The winos, neo-pagans, and deadbeat Lotharios of Pine Cove, meanwhile, have other ideas. And none of them is quite prepared when all hell breaks loose.

I hope this post inspires you to give one of Christopher Moore’s books a try! If you do, please consider using the affiliate links in this post, I’ll get a small commission (to keep my blog running) and the prices match going to Amazon directly! If you have any questions about the books, are also a big Christopher Moore fan or just want to say hello – leave me a comment! I’m always up for some book talk!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

Top 5 Friday: Thrillers

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Let me start off by saying this, I absolutely love the suspense / thriller / mystery genre! There is just something about a heart-pounding mystery that I can’t resist. I’m not sure when I got into these types of books, but I have very distinct memories of reading thrillers in bed and actually sitting up straighter because the book was so engrossing! Whether you’re a fan of the genre, looking for a new read, or someone who’s always wanted to give this genre, but didn’t know where to start, this list is for you!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Summary: Meet Alicia Berenson, a famous artist, married to a popular, in-demand, fashion photographer. Alicia has the perfect life until one night she returns home, shoots her husband five times in the face and never speaks another word. Since Alicia won’t speak, she’s it own deepens the mystery around her. She’s soon transferred to a secured forensic unit (The Grove) where she can be hidden away from the public eye and monitored. Enter Theo Faber. Theo is a criminal psychotherapist who has been itching for a chance to work with Alicia and get her to speak. As Theo’s work with Alicia continues, we’re set off down a winding path of twists and turns, where nothing is as it appears!

Why This Book Made the List: Quite frankly, it’s un-put-down-able. I had seen this book on my “Must Read” lists for 2019. The premise did sound interesting but I thought this book would struggle to live up to the hype. Boy was I wrong. Michaelides does such a fantastic job weaving this story together. The pacing was perfect and he provides just enough details to keep you reading. I think what is most noteworthy is the ending. It was twisty, surprising and definitely steered clear of more standard / cookie cutter ideas!

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Summary: What the secret to a happy marriage? It’s easy, murder. The premise is simple, a married couple abducts and murders women. The husband handles the identification and luring while the wife handles the disposal. This is purposefully done so neither spouse know where the girl came from or where her remains are located. If this plot sounds at all interesting, don’t investigate this book anymore and just go buy a copy.

Why This Book Made the List: This book was so surprising! I saw this book featured on Netgalley but by the time I requested it, all of the ARCs were taken. As soon as it was released, I scooped it up. The synopsis is sort of vague but it just adds to the overall vibe. Downing does such a great job weaving together all of these details and expertly crafted one hell of a story. The last quarter of the book was incredible and left me speechless. Usually I’m pretty good at figuring out the ending before I get there but that was not the case here!

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Summary: Ted Severson is sitting at an airport bar, waiting to catch his flight back to Boston. He is attempting to drink his sorrows away because he’s sure his wife, Miranda, is cheating on him. He then meets the beautiful and mysterious Lily Kintner (who is also on his flight back to Boston). Ted, being slightly intoxicated, launches into how woes and how he could kill Miranda for what she’s done to him. Lily immediately jumps on board, saying she’d love to help. The two plan to meet up in a few weeks to map out of the final details of their murder plot.

Why This Book Made the List: The way Swanson wrote this book, every chapter ended on a cliffhanger and each section of the book ended with a bomb drop. I absolutely tore through this book at a ridiculous pace because I had to know what was going to happen. This book moved at breakneck speeds and was impossible to put down because you just had to know what was going to happen next. The twists were genius and very unexpected! I have to admit, I wasn’t crazy about how it ended – it wasn’t horrible but definitely not my favorite. Overall, a fantastic read that I cannot recommend enough!

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Flynn

Summary: Anna Fox has agoraphobia and spends her days inside her New York City home, too scared to venture outside. She passes the time watching old movies, drinking wine (there’s nothing wrong with that) and spying on her neighbors. When the Russells move in across the street, Anna has a new subject to watch. Mrs Russell stops over to introduce herself and they spend an afternoon socializing and getting to know each other. As Anna is gazing out her window, she thinks she see Mrs Russell being murder – but that couldn’t be! She calls the police and soon they stop over with Mr and Mrs Russell… but this isn’t the Mrs Russell that stopped by earlier! What did Anna see… or not see?

Why This Book Made the List: From the very beginning, The Woman in the Window sunk its hooks into me and never let go. I was curious to learn more about Anna, what caused her agoraphobia and how did she get to this current state she was in? The story flips between multiple present and past which help fill in her overall timeline. Like all of the other books on this list, the twists were fresh and really caught me off guard. They were a rather unique take on a somewhat overplayed storyline. I’ve recommended this book to several people and everyone has loved it! I’m anxious to see the film adaptation (staring Amy Adams) but who knows when that will happen – the film has been delayed several times (once to rewrite the ending since a test audience found it confusing and again due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Summary: Journalist, Camille Preaker, has done everything in her power to separate herself from the small town where she grew up (Wind Gap, Missouri). Unfortunately for Camille, she is assigned to investigate a series of gruesome murders that happened / are happening in Wind Gap. Camille returns to her hometown and remembers all of the reasons why she left in the first place: Small town drama, her overly-needy mother, half-sister Amma and psychological demons that’s she’s trying to leave in the past. As Camille digs deeper and deeper into these murders, she quickly realizes that she might not survive this homecoming.

Why This Book Made the List: I picked up Sharp Objects after I read Gone Girl. While I enjoyed Gone Girl (the ending was meh), I loved Sharp Objects. I found the setting to be interesting and the bizarre family drama dynamics were definitely entertaining. As Camille dug deeper and deeper into the mystery, I had no idea how this book was going to end. It kept me engaged and interested until he very last page – and that ending was perfection! This is an extremely dark book that deals with some pretty heavy subject matter – definitely check out the trigger warnings on this before taking the plunge! Also, if you do enjoy the book – I highly recommend the HBO series. This also starred Amy Adams (as Camille) and she did a fantastic job bringing this character to life. While I enjoyed the TV show, it did take about half of the episodes for the plot to really come together and get interesting.

There you have it, folks! These are some of my all time favorite thrillers. Have you read any of these? What did you think? Do they deserve to be in my Top 5 list? Sound off in the comments or tweet me / add me on GoodReads (@ItsMrGeekToYou)!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

PS – This post includes affiliate links, if you’re looking to pick up one of these books, please consider using the links in my post. I’ll receive a small commission and it doesn’t cost you a thing!

Book Review: Everyone Knows How Much I Love You by Kyle McCarthy

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

“Everyone Knows How Much I Love You” by Kyle McCarthy is a tricky book for me to review. I am a huge fan of the suspense / thriller genre and never get board with reading something that gets my heart pounding. Unfortunately, “Everyone Knows How Much I Love You” went a little off the rails in the middle and wasn’t really able to recover.

The premise of this book had me hooked as soon as I read the synopsis. When Rose, a struggling author, moves to New York City, the last person she expects to run into is her former best friend from High School, Lacie. After a chain of events, these two women find their lives beginning to intersect and they soon settle back into their old friendship. As Rose is trying to find a place to live, on a minimal budget, Lacie offers up the spare bedroom in her apartment. We learn that Rose is on the cusp of finishing her book which, unbeknownst to Lacie, is about her. Soon Rose has infiltrated Lacie’s life – she begins wearing her clothings, meeting her friends and even connects with her boyfriend (a former friend from Art Camp). As the plot unfolds, we learn more about what happened in High School that drove the two friends apart. It was at this point that the book began to lose me. Without giving away too many spoiled, Rose begins an affair and the plot really went off the rails. The narrative became so disgustingly raunchy and graphic that I almost stopped reading. I think this would’ve been slightly easier to understand if I felt like it advanced the plot in some capacity – but it did not. I’m far from a prude but this writing was disgusting and completely unnecessary. As the book began to wind down, I was curious how this was all going to end (Spoiler: Not well for anyone involved). The ending felt rushed and, while it was surprising, wasn’t particularly good. I definitely was scratching my head for a few minutes after I finished the last page.

Overall, not a horrible read but definitely not a favorite for the year. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House – I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. If you’re interested in pick up a copy, please consider using my Amazon affiliate link (it doesn’t cost you anything and I’ll get a small commission to help keep my blog going)!

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

Mid-Year Freak Out Booktag

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

I recently saw the Mid-Year Freak Out booktag on YouTube and thought I’d do a little research to see if this was something that I could translate to my blog. The Mid-Year Freak Out is basically just your year in books, so far, highlighting your favorite and not-so-favorite books. I thought this would be a fun way to recap my reading year and revisit some of my favorite books! 2020 seems to be moving incredibly fast and incredibly slow simultaneously! So, without further ado, onto my list!

Best book you’ve read so far in 2020.

The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

So I am cheating a little with this one and I haven’t finished this book at the time of authoring this post (but hopefully by the time it goes live next week). My good friend Mollie recommend that I read “The House on the Cerulean Sea.” This is such a wonderful, surprising and wholesome book – it really caught me off guard! We follow the main character, Linus, who is a casework for the Department In Charge Of Magical Youth (DICOMY). The book opens with Linus visiting an orphanage and reporting on how they are treating the children left in their care. Soon Linus receives a highly classified assignment where he must visit an orphanage on the island of Marsyas. This particular orphanage has an assortment of very “unique” and magical children. The story continues to roll from there! It’s best to go into this one with limited knowledge of the plot and to just be swept away! Cannot recommend this one enough (I officially finished this on Sunday and read the last ~200 pages)!

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020.

Thunderhead by Neal Schusterman

Scythe was the very first book I read this year and it was excellent! I had no idea how Thunderhead could top that but it did! To keep this summary spoiler-free, Thunderhead begins shortly after the events of Scythe and the action just doesn’t stop. The plot moves a breakneck speeds and the ending really caught me by surprise. I’m excited to read The Toll but I’m also not ready to finish this series!

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

One of my favorite BookTubers, Reagan from PeruseProject, is a HUGE fan of N. K. Jemisin. Reagan has featured several of Jemisin’s books on her channel. I’ve never read anything by this author but I recently picked up an omnibus of her Inheritance trilogy and a copy of The City We Became. The City We Became has a fascinating premise, each city has a soul and is birthed. New York City is finally entering the world when an evil villain shows up to stop it. All of the summaries I’ve read about this are rather vague but I’m really looking forward to diving into this one soon!

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria Schwab

Victoria Schwab has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I read her “Shades of Magic” trilogy back in 2018 and have been an avid fan since then. This new stand alone adult novel has the potential to be one of my favorite books by Schwab yet! We follow the main character, Addie, who made a deal with the Devil for immortality. What did it cost her? She’s destined to be forgotten by everyone that she meets. Until one day, she meets a man in a hidden bookstore who remembers her name. October can’t come soon enough for this one!

Biggest disappointment.

You by Caroline Kepnes

When I found out that one of my favorite shows from Netflix, YOU, was actually based on a book, I was thrilled! I quickly binged both Season 1 and 2 shortly after their releases. Since I so thoroughly enjoyed the show, I thought I was all but guaranteed to love the book… wrong. We follow the main character, Joe, who works in a book store in New York City. One day, Guinevere Beck comes into the shop and Joe’s life is changed forever. Joe becomes obsessed with Beck and begin stalking her. Soon their lives begin to intersect and you can tell their relationship is a ticking time bomb that won’t end well. For me, something was lost in translation between the TV show and the novel. Even though Joe is a stalker, TV Joe had this likability that Book Joe was completely missing. I also found the aggressive and raunchy language to really put me off as a reader. I usually struggle with this type of content because imagining it in a book is so much worse than seeing it on a screen. Not a fan and I would definitely say pass on this one if you were interested!

Biggest surprise.

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely adore cheesy horror movies. The lower the budget, the better! After reading the plot of “The Escape Room,” I knew this would be right up my alley. A group of coworkers end up trapped in the elevator of a new building that’s under construction. They’re lured to this particular location under the muse of an escape room team bonding challenge. This book has multiple timelines (I love this writing style) and flips between present day and the past. I found the plot extremely engaging and easy to follow. I compulsively read this one because I just had to know how this was going to end! A very good thriller and a very quick read! If you’re into the thriller / suspense genre, this book can’t be missed!

Favorite new author, debut or new to you.

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

I originally saw “Oona Out of Order” on the Jordy’s Book Club Instagram account. The cover really caught my attention and once I read the summary, I knew I had to read this book as soon as possible! The premise was fascinating – starting on Oona’s 18th birthday, she begins to live her life out of order. Each birthday she “leaps” to a past or future year (i.e. she’s 56 then she’s 67 then she’s 22). I don’t really want to discuss the plot because the journey is really what makes it so enjoyable. What I enjoyed the most was the “lesson” each year taught her. I love when I book can teach you a lesson or give you something to think about. Montimore gave us these philosophical nuggets wrapped up in an intriguing story that pulled you in and never let you go.

Book that made you happy.

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

I’ve been seeing reviews, hype and praise for Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books for YEARS. Beginning last year, I decided I was going to commit to reading these books, in order, over the next year or two. I began with the first Mortal Instruments trilogy, read the Infernal Devices trilogy and then the second Mortal Instruments trilogy. I made it through the first 7 books last year. I read the penultimate, City of Lost Souls, and the finale, City of Heavenly Fire, this year. City of Heavenly Fire was honestly a perfect final entry in the Mortal Instruments series. There was plenty of action, heartbreak and loose ends were nicely tied up. This was quite the chunky book, coming in at nearly 750 pages, but it never felt long. I was sad to end the Mortal Instruments, because it was like saying goodbye to a group of friends (who I spent over 3,000 pages with). I am eagerly anticipating wrapping up the short story binds ups so I can move onto the Dark Artifices trilogy! I’ve heard this is one of Clare’s best series and is quite addicting!

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Gryffindor House Edition by J. K. Rowling

Instead of writing about this one, I’m just going to share a picture! I ordered this book from Waterstones (United Kingdom) with a couple other books that I had been eyeing the UK editions.

What 6 books do you want to read by the end of the year?

  • The Toll by Neal Schusterman
  • Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
  • Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
  • The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
  • Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
  • Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read this post! So far, 2020 has been a tumultuous year. I’ve been struggling to find my reading groove with everything happening in the world but, thankfully, I’ve been fortunate to read a lot of really great books! I hope over these next 6 months things continue to settle down and my TBR continues to shrink (who am I kidding, it’s only going to grow)! What’s your favorite book you’ve read this year? What was your biggest dud? What’s a title you’re counting down until the release? Leave me your recommendations in the comments!

Until Next Time,
Mr. Geek

Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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It’s hard to believe that it has be 10 years since Suzanne Collins concluded the Hunger Games trilogy. What’s even harder to believe, is that this series wasn’t even my radar until the release of “Mockingjay.” I distinctly remember seeing a “Coming Soon” poster at Barnes & Noble and thinking “What’s the deal with this blue book with the bird on the cover?” I never investigated the book further until it happened to come up one day at work (I was working at a small Publishing company, at the time). One of our interns was an English major and was talking about how she just binge read “Mockingjay” the day it came out for class. This sparked my interest and we started discussing the series. After that conversation, I was officially intrigued and ran out during my lunch break to pick up a copy of “The Hunger Games!” This series quickly became one of my favorites and the rest, my friends, is history!

I heard, earlier this year, that a new Hunger Games prequel was announced and I was thrilled. Details were few and far between but the events of this book happen roughly 50 years or so before we meet Katniss. Even with no information on the plot, I was still looking forward to re-visitng Panem. As additional details were announced, it was revealed that this book was going to be focusing on President Snow. The book community seemed to responded with mixed feelings but I was still extremely interested in reading this new release as soon as possible!

I purposely avoided reviews, feedback and comments about “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (TBOSAS)” while I was reading so I didn’t accidentally spoil anything for myself (or pick up some sort of bias). Having finished the book last night, I spent most of this morning seeking out all of that content I was avoiding. I was quite surprised by some of the reactions I saw. There were digs at Collins for “extending” a concluded series, Snow as a main character and how these details could’ve been included in the original trilogy / didn’t deserve their own book. I wanted to share of my thoughts and why I think some of this feedback missed its mark. Disclaimer: All of this content is relatively spoiler-free, I discuss some revealed information but without any context and I don’t think it will reduce your enjoyment of the book.

To start off, this book is without a doubt NOT an “extension” of “The Hunger Games” series. We are not continuing the story with Katniss and Peeta. The purpose of this novel was to give readers the background on how the Hunger Games became the Hunger Games. When Katniss and Peeta competed, we saw past winners serving as mentors, elaborate costumes, in-depth tribute interviews, a ranking / betting system, technologically-advanced arenas and gifts being flown in to fan-favorites, but how did that all come to be? “TBOSAS” gives you all of this background information and more! I guess I sort of assumed that the Hunger Games were expertly structured from the very beginning. That was definitely not the case! It took years and years of iterations to turn these Games into the finely tuned event we see in “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire.”

While President Snow wasn’t my first choice as a main character, it was interesting learning more about his upbringing and background. In his youth, Snow was not the twisted, manipulative, villainous dictator we’ve all come to despise from the main trilogy. Instead, he was a poor orphan boy, living with his cousin and Grandma’am, trying to maintain a false appearance of grandeur. Snow was extremely driven and dreamed of achieving a better life for not only himself, but his family too. I found his character building to be fascinating. Later in the book, we come to understand why Snow hated District 12 and his complicated relationship with the mockingjay. For me, I think these were some of my favorite revelations in the book. Katniss was often referred to as the Mockingjay but that now takes on a whole new meaning!

Snow’s behavior towards the end of the book does become a little erratic but I think this all ties into the fact that he is extremely driven and will do almost anything to get what he wants. There was a period where he seemed very resigned to his fate but as soon as there was a glimmer of hope, he continued fighting – nothing was going to stop him from the future he so desperately desired!

While this wasn’t a perfect read, probably 4 or 4.5 / 5 stars, it was very enjoyable. If you’re on the fence about picking this up, here are a few things to ponder to help decide: Are you interested in learning the origins and growth of the Hunger Games? Why President Snow hates mockingjays and District 12? How mentors, betting, interviews and gifting were introduced? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll at least get some pleasure from reading this book. If you’re expecting an action-packed adventure in the arena, you probably should pass on this one!

Have you read “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?” Do you agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments – I love a good good discussion!

Until next time,
Mr. Geek

Tome Topple Round 11

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Over the last couple years, I started to really enjoy watching book reviews and discussions on YouTube (specifically these channels: Thoughts On Tomes, PersueProject and Daniel Greene).  Late last year, I saw a video for the “Tome Topple Read-A-Thon,” which was started by Sam from Thoughts On Tomes.  The main objective is simple, to read books with more than 500 pages.  I’ve always loved the idea of a read-a-thon or reading prompts (i.e. read a book with a red cover), but I never took the plunge until recently.  In February, I decided to participate in Round 10 of Tome Topple.  I created my TBR (To Be Read) to align with their reading prompts and was ready to roll.  Unfortunately, it didn’t end (or start) well for me.  I wasn’t done with my current book when the read-a-thon began, so I got off to a late start.  In the end, I didn’t even finish one book (granted, I was reading City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare and that book is near 750 pages).  For Round 11, which started this Saturday (May 9th), I have a whole new plan and I’m ready to read!

Tome Topple uses a “Bingo Card” style format for tracking the prompts (which I’ll share below).  These prompts help you to create your TBR, stay engaged and just lighten up the read-a-thon. This is run by a great group of people and they are constantly encouraging you to “read more.” They host reading sprints on Twitter and also have several other ways to interact (like a GoodReads group).

This format is strictly for tracking your prompts, no need to get “bingo.”

I’m, aggressively, aiming for Sage status which I can accomplish if I read all of the following books (but let’s be honest, I’ll be thrilled if I reach Student):

Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2) by Christopher Paolini

  • It has been years since I first read Eragon but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and have been looking to get back into this series.  This book will count for the “tome that has been on my TBR for the longest” and “a tome that’s part of a series” prompts.  

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

  • Last year I decided I wanted to start reading Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles.  Little did I know that this was going to become an epic journey.  I decided to read the books the way that Clare recommends (The Mortal Instruments 1-3, The Infernal Devices trilogy then The Mortal Instruments 4-6).  The Bane Chronicles will be the last of the 3 supplemental books I have to read before I can move on to The Dark Artifices (this series has received nothing but praise, so I’m really looking forward to it).  This book will count for the “standalone tome” and a tome with an “AAPI main character” prompts.

Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

  • I have been seeing nothing but great feedback and praise for Priory of the Orange Tree.  This is quite the tome and I’ve been a little intimidated by how long it is (coming in at nearly 850 pages).  A good friend of mine read this not too long ago and she raved about how great it was! Definitely looking forward to this one!  This book will be counting for the “adult tome” and “a genre I don’t typically read” (adult epic fantasy) prompts.

Strange the Dream (Strange the Dream Duology, #1) by Laini Taylor

  • This will actually be a re-read for me and I’ll be listening to this via audiobook. I read this early last year and absolutely loved it.  The whole concept of this novel was so unique and engrossing but the end was pretty traumatizing.  I’d like to read the sequel, Muse of Nightmares, later this year so I thought brushing up on the story with an audiobook was the perfect choice!  This book will count towards the “tome audiobook” prompt.

Like I previously mentioned, Tome Topple starts this Saturday (May 9th) and runs through May 22nd.  For more information, check out their Twitter account (@TomeTopple) or Sam’s YouTube Channel (Thoughts On Tomes).  If you’re able, grab a tome and read along with me!  I’ll be providing quick updates on my progress and thoughts on my current reads, both here and on Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou), over the coming weeks.  Have you read any of the books I mentioned?  Feel free to leave some thoughts or feelings about them in the comments but, please, no spoilers!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

PS – I am not affiliated with Tome Topple. I think it’s an excellent idea and wanted to help spread the word!