Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I love all of the Harry Potter books that I have read so far. However, like Pete Davidson, I am disappointed that J.K. Rowling has made transphobic comments. This is the quote from Pete Davidson. Think what you want about him but he’s got a point.
“She creates a seven-book fantasy series about all types of mythical creatures living in harmony with wizards and elves and the one thing she can’t wrap her head around is Laverne Cox?” he joked. “She’s a national treasure.” – Pete Davidson.
In White Like Her, Gail Lukasik, Ph.D. learned that her mother was not who she seemed to be. For many years, her mother had been passing as a Caucasian although she was an African American.
What would you do? Would you choose a life with better options even if you had to stay away from your family?
The mother did not want to discuss they why or hows of the situation. Lukasik promised to not reveal the secret. After her mother died, Lukasik had the opportunity to go on the Genealogy Roadshow and learn more about her mother’s family.
Even after the show aired, Lukasik and a few other people kept up with the research. They didn’t solve every mystery but they did learn quite a bit.
The author does get to meet cousins from her mother’s side of the family. She does feel conflicted about revealing her mother’s secret but in the end I think she was glad to have the secrets out in the open.
Proud Boys and other white supremacists will not enjoy this book. You can’t buy good taste though. So keep reading books that will open your mind and that you can learn something from.
In the foreword by Kenyatta Berry, JD writes “These are the questions that White Like Her raises that will help us as a nation continue the discussion about racial identity. “
If you are interested in genealogy or racial identity, then you will find this book to be especially fascinating. There are also a few videos about the story on YouTube. I will never regret telling everyone to read White Like Her.
Imagine being relatively poor and struggling to get ahead in life and in the next breath you’ve inherited a sizeable fortune from the Rockefeller family.
One day Avery Grambs was living with her sister, Libby, and the sister’s abusive boyfriend, Drake. Then practically the next day, Avery has inherited a palatial estate and the fortune of Tobias Hawthorne, who is a stranger to her. The only stipulation is that she has to live in the mansion for one year. Of course, Avery will be sharing the house with all of the people that did not get what the fortune that they wanted. All of them are the enemy for the next year.
Avery is very bright but unaccustomed to having wealth or the whole world following her every move. She doesn’t have that many people in her life that are trustworthy.
The most interesting character, Emily, is already deceased by the time Avery moves to the Hawthorne estate. She was dating two of the Hawthorne grandsons and was a bit of a risk-taker. We don’t know if Emily was killed or died of natural causes until the end.
Avery spends a lot of time trying to figure out the mysteries of Hawthorne House. How does Tobias Hawthorne know her? Why did he leave her an interitance?
I thought that this book would be predictable. However, there’s enough mystery and a puzzle around every corner to keep it interesting.
If you like mystery, drama, and puzzles then you will probably enjoy The Inheritance Games.
If you would rather read a boring book about boring people, then this might not be the book for you.
I received this ebook from the author in exchange for doing a review. This blog is part of The Write Reads Blog Tour.
If you could go back in time to fix your love life and hopefully save the world, would you go?
Crossing in Time takes place in Colorado, in a biodome somewhere in the United States and on a tropical beach in the future.
Isabel loves Diego. Diego loves Isabel. Many years ago they were a couple – two brilliant, complicated, stubborn people who cannot effectively communicate until twenty years later.
Isabel lets Diego get away and then marries the biggest douchebag on the planet. He’s a jerk in the past, present and future.
The end of the world is quickly approaching. Some genius figured out that keeping Isabel and Diego from separating in their youth could save the planet.
So Isabel volunteers to go to the past to talk to young Diego about how to communicate with a young Isabel when he meets her. It was probably incredibly weird to say “Hey, someday you will meet another me who is exceptionally difficult. Please be patient with her/me even though we are a pain in the neck.
If you are a fan of time travel or apocalyptic novels, then you might enjoy Crossing Time. It would be fine to take this book to the beach to read about the world ending while the world is ending.
Oh my goodness. I should quit reading the reviews on Amazon. Prudes who don’t like cursing or all of the sexual language do not enjoy this book. The prudes gave it a one star review. That’s a bit harsh Prudence. It was worth at least 3.5 stars.
I thought I received this ebook from the author. However, I’ve had the ebook since 2018 so I’m not sure anymore.
Catch-22. This would be a good time to read the novel for the 1st time.
Catcher in the Rye. I have read this book several times. Holden Caulfield isn’t the worst character but he’s a punk. I don’t relate to him as much as other people do.
Venators: Promises Forged is the second book in the Venators series by Devri Walls. So many things can happen in Eon, where Rune, Grey and Ryker have traveled from Earth. In the last book, they – mostly Grey- defeated a dragon. Not too bad for
Ryker is still being held captive by Zio. No one else is sure where he is being kept. He isn’t sure of what is going on. Since he came to Eon, Ryker has been heavily sedated. He doesn’t even know that he’s a Venator or what that means.
Grey walks into a trap set by Feena, the Fae Queen. I don’t know what I expected a Fae Queen to do exactly but Feena is different than any other fairy that I’ve read about. She’s trickier and much more cruel. Someday, I’d like to see if anyone has any fan art of Feena. She’s such an interesting character but the picture of her in my mind is a bit fuzzy. Is it because she is scary without even trying? Possibly . . .
Rune spends most of her time learning how to be more diplomatic and also getting in touch with her inner Venator. It’s time for her to unleash whatever powers she has. Rune and the rest of the group need every power that they have to rescue Grey from Feena.
Poor Ryker might never get rescued from Zio’s prison. All of that bad boy energy will go to waste if Rune and Grey don’t make it out of the Fae Queen’s forest.
If you like fantasy novels with scary female villains and a bad boy or two, then this could be the series for you. Who is your favorite female villain? I’m partial to Ursula from The Little Mermaid.
If you lack imagination and only like boring books with dull characters, then you might not like Venators: Promises Forged. There’s probably still a boring book out there for you.
P.S. Sorry for being late to the blog tour. I feel like I got trapped in the Fae Queen’s Forest too.
4 Years Trapped in My Mind Palace by Johan Twiss is set in a nursing care facility in the San Francisco area. At first I was not excited about reading about a nursing home because it reminds me of my job in a similar facility. However, the book is also set in the mind of Aaron’s new roommate, Solomon.
Aaron, a 14-year-old boy, who contracted Cryptococcal meningitis, is currently in a vegetative state. He cannot control his body but his mind is just as active as before the illness. No one knows that Aaron is aware of what is going on until Solomon moves into the room. Solomon can hear his thoughts. It’s the first time in two years that Aaron could communicate with anyone.
Solomon also has dementia. Occasionally, Aaron gets trapped in Solomon’s memories. Solomon was a jazz musician and also fought in WWII. He has seen some amazing things. Famous boxing matches. Great music.
He has also seen things like the liberating of the concentration camps and other horrors of war.
Will Aaron get trapped in the memories or in his own mind forever? Will he be able to communicate with anyone else?
Most people will enjoy this book. It has a little bit of something for everyone. Romance. Action. Adventure. Nostalgia.
If you don’t like unhealthy people or old people, then you might not be a fan of this book. Aaron’s own parents disappear for awhile. They don’t call, write or visit. They pay the bills for his care but that’s all. ( I mean really . . . what kind of monsters are they anyway?) Will the parents visit him again?
I recommend this book to everyone, except those cruel parental monsters and Nazis of course.
The Harpy by Megan Hunter is set in a pretty typical town. Lucy and Jake live in a nice home with their two sons. Lucy is a stay-at-home mom while Jake works at an office. Their life is nice and comfortable. It could be wrapped up in a nice gift box with a lovely bow.
Then one day Lucy receives the news that her husband is having an affair with a co-worker. She doesn’t know what to do except cry and be angry. Finally, Lucy decides to give Jake another chance.
They come up with this deal that she is allowed to hurt him three times in whatever way that she wants. People say that sort of thing during in an argument. What are the statistics on following through with inflicting pain on someone that has caused you pain? I guess that why there are so many shows like Snapped and Forensic Files.
So things are going alright for awhile. Definitely not perfect but they are trying to make the relationship work.
In between thinking about the relationship and taking care of her kids, Lucy remembers her fascination with Harpies. A Harpy is a half-bird, half-human creature. The most accurate description of them is that they are agents of punishment.
Anyway, Lucy discovers that Jake cannot be trusted. So she may have turned into Harpy – either in her mind or in a physical way. Lucy seems happy in this form. Maybe she feels free because this is her true nature – an evil, vicious bird. It may not work for everyone but maybe it will work for her. I hope she finds someone to take care of her kids while she’s off finding her true Harpyness.
If you are looking for a good book with plenty of drama and Harpies, then The Harpy should be the next book on your list.
If you are a cheater or have a fear of birds, also known as ornithophobia, then you have other problems that you should attend to first.
I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.
The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch by Marshall Thornton is set in Wyandot County in Michgan. There used to be a Wyandot County but it became Cheboygan County in 1853. It seems funny to hear the author refer to the area as the Northern Lower Michigan. It’s accurate. People always forget about the Upper Peninsula.
Henry Milch has recently moved to Michigan from Hollywood, California in order to live with his grandma. Henry had a choice between living with Nana Cole or going to rehab after an overdose. He’s still a drug addict and not always completely honest with anyone. He wants everyone to call him “Mooch” but it doesn’t stick. It’s a horrible nickname. Who really wants to be called “Mooch?”
Henry finds the body of Sammy Hart while working for a local land conservancy. There’s a reward offered for information about Sammy’s death. Henry’s motivation for finding Sammy’s killer is greed. He wants the money so he can move back to Hollywood.
Sammy was an interesting person while he was alive. He was an openly gay man living in a conservative area of Michigan. Unfortunately for Henry, the first gay person in the area that he meets is also deceased. Henry is also gay. He has only told a handful of people in Michigan.
Henry finds out everything he can about Sammy. Who would want to kill him? Was it because he was gay or was there another reason? Henry is really hoping that he solves the case before anyone else. Nothing is more important to Henry than getting out of Michigan.
If you are looking for an interesting LGBTQIA murder mystery, then The Less Than Spectacular Times of Henry Milch is a good match.
If you’re close-minded about everything LGBTQIA, then you should start reading articles or books about how to not be a bigot. Come back to the book at a later time.
