Author: sarasreadingnook

WWW Wednesdays #4

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme formerly hosted by MizB at Daily Rhythm and now hosted on Taking on a World of Words.

The three Ws are:

Currently Reading

Title: Listen for the Lie
Author: Amy Tintera
Published: March 5th, 2024
Thoughts: I will wait to finish to give my overall feedback, but I am currently enjoying this one!

Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: December 1st, 1860
Thoughts: This is a classic and my favourite novel. I’m listening to a little bit of this each night and savouring it!

Title: The Warmth of Other Suns
Author: Isabel Wilkerson
Published: September 7th, 2010
Thoughts: This is a challenging but very important and well-researched novel. I’ve put it down for a moment but will pick it up again soon.

Recently Finished Reading

I recently finished reading a few books! To see my thoughts on Funny Story, please check out the review. I’m going to discuss Bad Dreams in the Night during my monthly wrap-up, but I thought the contents on the cover and blurb were not what I was expecting. I’ll share reviews for One Long Weekend and The Spell of a Story in May and June; I enjoyed both titles.

Title: Funny Story
Author: Emily Henry
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024

Title: Bad Dreams in the Night
Author: Adam Ellis
Published: April 16th, 2024

Title: One Long Weekend
Author: Shari Low
Release Date: May 1st, 2024

Title: The Spell of a Story
Author: Mariajo Ilustrajo
Release Date: June 4th, 2024

Reading Next

Title: The Ghost Cat
Author: Alex Howard
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Thoughts: I was so happy to be approved for this ARC! I am making a last-minute change and will be reading this as my comfort read for the Catathon Readathon (April 20-21st) since the book I initially wanted to read won’t be available, and I think this might fit the prompt very well. Also, I would like to focus on NetGalley reviews, hoping to complete 100 reviews (in total) within the year.

Title: The Wildings
Author: Nilanjana Roy
Published: August 17th, 2012
Thoughts: This is my “book about cats” for the Catathon Readathon. I just got it from the library – yahoo!

Title: Et Cetera
Author: Maia Lee-Chin, Marta Bertello (Illustrator)
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Thoughts: I’m so excited to read this! It’s an illustrated guide to latin phrases and includes lots of famous latin quotes. I’m hoping the illustrations will be a great companion since otherwise it might be a bit dense. But I am up for it!

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for ARCs received for the following: Listen to the Lie (Celadon books), Funny Story (Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio), Bad Dreams in the Night (Andrews McMeel Publishing), One Long Weekend (Boldwood Books), The Spell of a Story (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books), The Ghost Cat (Harlequin Trade Publishing), and Et Cetera (Andrews McMeel Publishing). All opinions are my own.

QOTD: Which of the covers from the books above
is the most appealing to you? I’m curious to know!
My favourites are “The Wildings” and “The Spell of a Story”!

The Sunday Post #22

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Update:

Hello everyone! It’s been another busy week for me, but I’ve managed to be fairly productive. Recently, I discovered that I can make lists on NetGalley, so I’ve created a list of widgets that I’ve been invited to read. This way, I won’t forget what I have available to me. Apart from that, I’m enjoying the warmer weather.

PS – Please don’t “furr-get.” The Catathon Readathon is coming up on April 20-21st!

Olivia Update 🐾

Olivia is doing well and enjoying watching the birds outside our balcony door. Here she is, being a gem.

Reading/Watching Update

Currently Reading

I am almost finished reading two books from NetGalley: One Long Weekend, published by Boldwood Books, and Bad Dreams in the Night, from Andrews McMeel Publishing. I am taking my time reading Great Expectations and thoroughly enjoying it! Additionally, I am slowly making my way through The Warmth of Other Suns, which has been an excellent read.

Added to My NetGalley Shelf

The publisher invited me to read this by Celadon Books, but I just remembered I hadn’t downloaded the ARC. I will get around to this one very soon!

Currently Watching

We only have the finale left! It has hits and misses, but Kate Winslet is so good.

Recently Finished

I found Ripley very interesting and liked it overall! I watched the whole series in two days. Although I haven’t read the books, I have watched parts of the adaptation starring Jude Law and Matt Damon — The Talented Mr. Ripley. If I get the chance, I’d like to watch three adaptations and compare and contrast them.

The Phantom of the Opera is a movie I’ve watched multiple times. I honestly don’t know how many times I’ve seen it, but it’s been quite a lot. There are parts that I like more in the Broadway version with Sierra and Ramin. Here, I’ll leave my favourite performance by Sierra. I cry every time I watch it! I hope you enjoy it too. I’ll also leave my favourite performance from the movie, which features Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson. They are a pleasure to listen to, and Patrick is my favourite Raoul, hands down!

And, of course, since I’m going through a classic film phase, I have to continue watching James Stewart.

This Week on the blog

  • Reviews
  • Top Ten Tuesdays
  • The Sunday Post
  • More … if possible!

Last Week On The Blog

QOTD: What Book are you reading right now? Let us know!

Where to find us: Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph | Pinterest

The writing of this post was edited and enhanced with the help of Grammarly AI.

Review | Funny Story by Emily Henry

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Title: Funny Story
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Format: Audiobook
Length: 11 hours 22 minutes
Source: ALC via Libro.fm

Description

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

Okay! So, the plot of this book is a bit complex, but it sounds great, doesn’t it? The story revolves around Daphne, whose fiancé tells her he is in love with Petra, his childhood best friend. Daphne needs a place to stay, so she ends up staying with Petra’s ex, Miles, and they ultimately decide to fake date.

This story has many tropes, including fake dating, friends-to-lovers, opposites attract, and forced proximity. This sometimes makes it feel very rom-com, but a lot of substance is also thrown into the mix.

Honestly, substance is what I enjoyed the most in “Funny Story.” The character development of both Daphne and Miles was quite good, and there was a lot of focus on family dynamics. I listened intently during these moments and related to certain aspects of their histories. Honestly, I also loved the readathon planning portions because I was planning my readathon at the time. So, I think book lovers will enjoy the book-loving aspects! Unfortunately, I admit that the book dragged for me at times, particularly in the middle portion, and I felt like the tone of the narration was sometimes a bit flat. Perhaps it’s just my preference, but I was hoping for more vibrancy in the narrative tone of voice.

While it’s not my favourite EH novel (that goes to “People We Meet on Vacation!”), it’s still a great read, and the ending was pretty satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed this book by Emily Henry! Many romance readers will be happy to have another EH book, and if you’ve enjoyed her previous books, this is a great one to add to your library.

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Very. Cute. Story.

Values/Themes

  • opening oneself to love
  • family
  • finding oneself

Favourite Part

I enjoyed listening to their backstories. Also, being Portuguese-Canadian, I enjoyed the pastéis de nata reference! And yes, Daphne, is correct — Portugal does have beautiful beaches!

Feelings

  • emotional
  • hopeful
  • reflective

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.5 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

QOTD: Have you read Emily Henry’s novels? What’s your favourite? Let us know!

The writing of this review was edited/enhanced using Grammarly AI.

Top Ten Tuesdays: Top Ten Books to Read for the Catathon Readathon!

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We are excited to link up with Top Ten Tuesdays, hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl.

Hello everyone,

Today’s post is a freebie so I will post about the Catathon Readathon, a 48-hour readathon that will take place on April 20th-21st. Myself, Abigail from Abigail’s Cup of Tea, Christin from Christin_Rene_, and Melanie from Mels_Reads_ will host the event. We have hosted this readathon once before, and it was a lot of fun! The event will mostly be hosted on Bookstagram; and we invite all bloggers to join and post about their readathon weekends on their blogs and socials!

So today my cat Olivia and I are providing you with our top ten recommendations for our readathon! Five recs for each prompt. Please note I have read all of those listed below except for the two I plan to read for the readathon. Let’s start with the first prompt.

Top Recommendations for:
“Catnip Comforts: A book that brings you comfort or joy”

Title: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator)
Thoughts: Four individuals visit a cafe that promises to transport visitors through time; a very comforting Japanese-translated read!

Title: Oddball: A “Sarah’s Scribbles” collection
Author: Sarah Andersen
Thoughts: I loved this comic book! Although it is not solely based on cats, it has hilarious comments about daily life with cat-related themes throughout.

Title: Rascal
Author: Jean-Luc Deglin, Edward Gauvin (Translator)
Thoughts: This is an absolutely adorable graphic novel featuring a cute cat named Rascal!

Title: A Tale of Two Tabbies
Author: Kathi Daley
Thoughts: “Whales and Tails” is a murder mystery series, and I highly recommend the seventh book. It revolves around cats and has become one of my favourite books, bringing me a lot of joy.

Title: Cat’s Café
Author: Matt Tarpley
Thoughts: SO CUTE. I enjoyed this graphic novel! It’s sure to bring you those cozy, comfy vibes.

Top Recommendations for:
“A cat-related book you’re excited to read”

Title: Chapter and Curse, The Cambridge Bookshop Series #1
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Thoughts: This is one of my favourite cozy mystery series and it features a cat named Puck! The best part about this series is that book 2, “A Treacherous Tale,” is just as good, or even better! I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Title: The Wildings
Author: Nilanjana Roy, Prabha Mallya (Illustrator)
Thoughts: I’ve heard about this book and have really wanted to read it! It’s about a group of cats in Delhi. One day, an orange kitten joins their group and their whole world is transformed. Sounds great!

Title: A Cat Story
Author: Ursula Murray Husted
Thoughts: I loved this! It takes place in Valletta and follows two cats, Cilla and Betto, on an adventure to find their forever homes.

Title: The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book (Volume 14)
Author: Bill Watterson
Thoughts: Classic! This comic book series features a fictional tiger named Hobbes who is the best friend of the mischievous Calvin. I love it so much!

Title: The Fatal Folio
Author: Elizabeth Penney
Thoughts: This is book number 3 of the Cambridge Bookshop Series and is a personal pick for me since I can’t wait to finish this series!

Therefore my Purr-sonal Picks for the readathon are ….

Both of these books are cat-related books, but I want to use The Fatal Folio also as a book that brings me comfort or joy since this is a series I have absolutely loved! I’m very excited to read The Wildings for the readathon and am sure this will also bring joy as well!

No caption.

QOTD: Are you a cat person? Let us know!

This post was edited/enhanced with Grammarly AI.

The Sunday Post #21: Catathon Readathon coming up!

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Update:

Hi everyone,
I hope you’re doing well! Today is an exciting day because Olivia, myself, and our co-hosts have announced our 48-hour readathon, “Catathon Readathon”, which will take place on April 20th and 21st. We would love for you to join us if you can! This is the second time that we are hosting this readathon, and we are incredibly excited about it!

We even made activity prompts to accompany it!

If you are interested, please follow us on Instagram, where we will post everything related to the Catathon Readathon. All cards can be downloaded HERE.

Cohosts:
Thank you to our cohosts!
Abigail (and cats: Luna, Ellie, Dolly, Poppy, and Hugo) @abigailscupoftea
Christin (and Pocus the cat) @christin_rene_
Melanie (and Kyra the cat) @thatgirl_blogue

Other life updates:
It has been a busy week, but I am happy to be able to relax this weekend. Today, Olivia and I will be watching some movies at home and enjoying some delicious Greek-style lemon potatoes that were purchased from a local vendor. Although I have not tried this particular variety before, lemon potatoes have always been one of my favourite dishes. So, I was pleasantly surprised by my partner today when he brought a tray of these for us to enjoy!

Olivia Update 🐾

Olivia is still beaming with excitement after a sociable day yesterday that included many pets and treats from a visitor.

Olivia, satisfied, below 🙂

Reading/Watching Update

Currently Reading

Newly Added On My Bookshelf

Recently Watched

This Week on the blog

  • Reviews
  • Top Ten Tuesdays – Cat Book Recommendations (*tentative)
  • The Sunday Post #22

Last Week On The Blog

QOTD: What book are you most looking forward to reading this month?

Where to find us: Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph | Pinterest

The writing of this post was edited and enhanced with the help of Grammarly AI.

Catathon Readathon Announcement!

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Catathon Readathon!

Hi everyone! It is time for Olivia, myself, and our cohosts to announce our second Catathon Readathon! It’s our 48 hr Readathon dedicated to what we love most – CATS!

Readathon Cards

All of the readathon info can be found here, including the answers to our crossword puzzle, TBR card, Readathon Checklist, and Activity Cards!

Thank you to our cohosts!
Abigail (and cats: Luna, Ellie, Dolly, Poppy, and Hugo) @abigailscupoftea
Christin (and Pocus the cat) @christin_rene_
Melanie (and Kyra the cat) @thatgirl_blogue

QOTD: Will you be joining?
What is your favourite cat related book? Let us know!

Review | What You Are Looking For Is in the Library

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Title: What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Source: Physical Copy (Gifted)

Description

For fans of The Midnight Library and Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this charming Japanese novel shows how the perfect book recommendation can change a reader’s life.

What are you looking for?

This is the famous question routinely asked by Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. Like most librarians, Komachi has read every book lining her shelves—but she also has the unique ability to read the souls of her library guests. For anyone who walks through her door, Komachi can sense exactly what they’re looking for in life and provide just the book recommendation they never knew they needed to help them find it.

Each visitor comes to her library from a different juncture in their careers and dreams, from the restless sales attendant who feels stuck at her job to the struggling working mother who longs to be a magazine editor. The conversation that they have with Sayuri Komachi—and the surprise book she lends each of them—will have life-altering consequences.

With heartwarming charm and wisdom, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library is a paean to the magic of libraries, friendship and community, perfect for anyone who has ever found themselves at an impasse in their life and in need of a little inspiration.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

I received this book as a Christmas present and was pleasantly surprised by it. The cover featured a cat and books, making it seem like a perfect quick read for 2024. Naturally, I was excited to read it and knew it wouldn’t take long for me to take it from my bookshelves.

The book is divided into five chapters that tell the story of people at different stages of life who eventually visit a librarian in Tokyo named Sayuri Komachi. She can quickly determine and recommend books that the patrons want, but the real magic is when she recommends books she thinks the patrons need to enrich their lives. This is a beautiful concept, especially for those of us who see the library and books as magical in their own right.

While I like this idea, the formula in this book is pretty repetitive. Each character’s backstory is unique, but there is a lot of overlap when the patrons visit the library and meet the librarian. I felt the redundancy was a bit of a barrier to enjoying chapters 2-5 to their full potential. The backstories, though, were all interesting to read and were one of my favourite parts of reading this novel. I learned quite a lot, especially regarding work culture in Japan and how it relates to these five individuals.

The book overall has a very cozy and warm atmosphere. Readers will especially enjoy this if they enjoy slice-of-life literature or television/film. However, although the book feels very cozy, I noticed that some of the physical descriptions contrast with this tone and are unnecessary/unkind, and I felt uncomfortable reading those sections of this novel. (Content warnings below.)

If you’re a cat lover like me, you might be disappointed by the small amount of cat content despite there being a feline on the cover. Hopefully, the author will include more cat-related content in their future novels!

I enjoyed reading this novel, but there were a few things that I needed to consider before writing my review. It’s a good choice for those who want to spend time with five different individuals and learn how visiting the library can enrich their lives.

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

Cozy, Enlightening, Reflective

Values/Themes

  • slice-of-life
  • work and careers
  • life stages
  • finding one’s place in the world

Favourite Part

Learning about each patron.

Feelings

  • cozy
  • warm
  • hopeful

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 3.25 stars

Acknowledgements

A: Thank you for the Christmas present!

QOTD: do you often visit the library?

The Sunday Post #20

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Update:

Hello everyone! Short updates today.
This week was hectic, but luckily, I finished two books, so I am on track with my reading goal of 52 books this year (though I would like to aim for more if possible!). I’m delighted to be blogging again.

Happy Easter, everyone!

My Easter Foccacia

Olivia Update 🐾

There have been many snoozes this week! Olivia has also been happily eating her soft food, which she increasingly enjoys as she ages. Today has been a great day. She listens to the birds singing outside, who are starting to chirp now that the snow is melting.

Reading/Watching Update

Currently Reading

We are currently listening to Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. And we are likely to start reading some of our ALCs and ARCs this week for review.

New On Our Shelf
Nothing new this week.

Recently Watched

I watched several movies featuring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino this week, including: A Streetcar Named Desire, Mutiny on the Bounty, One Eyed Jacks, Don Juan DeMarco, Insomnia, and my new favourite: Scent of a Woman. I became interested in these two actors’ filmographies after watching The Godfather and falling in love with Marlon Brando’s performance as Vito Corleone. I wasn’t expecting to love Scent of a Woman so much, but Al Pacino was so good! Hooah! It truly was an Oscar-worthy performance. The film reminded me a lot of The Holdovers, one of my favourites, which was nominated for Oscars this year.

Currently Watching

I am enjoying The Regime and can understand the mixed reviews. The show is pretty odd, but I love Kate Winslet’s acting so much that I must keep watching it!

This Week on the blog

Review – What you are looking for is in the library

  • Top Ten Tuesdays
  • The Sunday Post

Last Week On The Blog

Book Review: The New Couple in 5B
Top Ten Tuesdays: Movies I’d Love to See As Books

QOTD: What’s your favourite recent film?

Where to find us: Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph | Pinterest

The writing of this post was edited and enhanced with the help of Grammarly AI.

Review | The New Couple in 5B

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Title: The New Couple in 5B
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Format: Audio Listening Copy
Duration: 12 hours 8 minutes
Source: Libro.fm

Description

A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this binge-worthy thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.

(Source: Goodreads)

Review

I really enjoy reading psychological thrillers, so I was very happy to see that Libro.fm was offering this ALC for the month of March. The synopsis sounded very promising and mysterious. It truly caught my attention! I also noted several very promising reviews, including Sarah Michelle Gellar’s recommendation of the book. Naturally, I just had to listen to it to see for myself!

The book starts off very strong. Set in New York City, it was fascinating to see how Rosie and Chad’s life would change in this coveted apartment. And, of course, as the book progressed, Windermere became a much darker place. However, although plot elements were coming forward, the pacing of this novel started to feel slow and I felt that the book lost some momentum. I lost some interest but still kept listening onwards. Ultimately, I thought the conclusion was done well.

So, yes I did leave the book with mixed feelings, but I do feel like I may have enjoyed a physical copy more than the audiobook. I wonder if the narration had an impact on my enjoyment. While it didn’t fully click for me, largely due to pacing, I think that readers who enjoy psychological thrillers with paranormal aspects may enjoy this one!

Content Warnings

This Book in Three Words

dark, mysterious, twists

Values/Themes

  • paranormal themes
  • criminal events
  • hidden truths

Favourite Part

The introduction of this book was quite strong! I enjoyed the first 1/3 of the book.

Feelings

  • unsettling
  • mysterious
  • suspenseful

Overall Rating

Numerical Rating: 2.75 stars

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for this ALC! All opinions are my own.

QOTD: do you enjoy thrillers? Let us know!