Building the Book Pile #396

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Reading and Reviews WOOOO! Lots to do, but lots going up. While the blog is feeling better, my veggie plants have all hated the move outside and many have withered and some have died, hoping once they are more established / transplanted into the ground some will bounce back (cross your fingers for me, I put them in this week).

How was your week? Here in New England it was WARM! and so nice. We were outside all week (I had some time off, have to use it or I lose it), so we put up a fence for Charlie and I put my veggies in the garden beds... well the ones that seemed ok-ish. 

Today we are headed into Boston for a Mad Hatters Gin and Tea Party. I will post some pics if we get any good ones... because OF COURSE I am going to dress up 🐰🎩🍵

If you are interested in supporting my ability to stay awake and read please consider dontating - Coffee  is appreciated ... Ko-fi

 

Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads: The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Recent Reads: Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper

Books Received Recently...

Audible and their 2 for 1 credit sales always grab me, especially when it is a book I have been meaning to pick up but haven't found the time. Here are the two that I got.

 

The Mermaid, The Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokunda-Hall 

Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik 

Marraige Unarranged by Ritu Bhathal - for a Blog Tour Review

 

My May pick from Book of the Month was Darling Girl by Liz Michalski

But I also added Book of Night by Holly Black 

Have you missed anything lately?

Monthly Re-Cap (April 22) and TBR Pile (May 22)

Recent Reads: The Book of Secrets by A.L. Tait (MG) - 3 stars

Blog Blast w/Giveaway! The Omen of Crows Nest by Cathrina Constantine (YA)

Recent Reads: If These Flames Could Talk by Michael Burnham (Adult) - 3 stars 

Blog Tour: Review - The Beautiful Ones by Julia Sutton (Adult, YA) - 3.5 stars

Comment or leave me a link and I will see you online again soon.

Happy Reading!

Blog Tour: Review - The Beautiful Ones by Julia Sutton

The Beautiful Ones by Julia Sutton
Publisher: SpellBound Books
Publication Date:  May 10, 2022

 

About the Book: 

Caitlyn Shaw had it all.

Surrounded by loving friends and family, on the cusp of landing her dream job.

When Caitlyn suffers a traumatic event, her idyllic life is shattered.

She finds herself spiralling into an abyss of terror and despair which manifests as a psychotic break.

Subsequently hospitalised in a psychiatric unit, Caitlyn sees her future slowly slipping away from her.

Desperately ill and refusing to accept her condition, she rebels against the hospital staff.

As battle of wills ensues, Caitlyn begins her fight back to sanity, standing up and challenging the many stigmas attached to women like her.

Can Caitlyn drag herself back from the brink to fulfil her dreams?

Come and walk for a while with The Beautiful Ones. 

Rating:

Trigger Warnings: Stuggles with mental illness, traumatic events (automotive related), and sexual abuse.

This book had me emotional in many ways; I was upset, angry, frustrated, and I felt for the main character as well. In this story we follow Caitlyn, a young woman, as she departs high school for college then graduates college and moves on to teaching school. During these time jumps we learn about Caitlyn and her family and the dynamic that mental health plays in her household. Her mother has anxiety issues, her uncle Joe is schizophrenic, and she is left as the oldest to uphold house while her father works all the time. 

As an oldest child, I understand the toll that it takes to be the one often left in charge and also having to bear the burden of family drama and issues while putting on a happy face and figuring out your own things. So, this book hit me very close to home in a lot of ways. Caitlyn though, had it a lot harder than most. She is motivated and strong in the beginning of this book, but soon starts to wither away and become more stressed out and paranoid as the book progresses. Seeing her struggle was a very realistic account of what it is like to deal with mental illness and to come to the realization that you might need more help than you think.

While I found this book very heartbreaking in a number of ways it was a good book, and I liked reading it. I was very confused at the beginning though. The book is a slow build, really putting everything into place that one might need to really understand what Caitlyn is going through, but that was also over 50% of the ebook, so I kept wondering where the mental health issues were really going to become the focus of the book. Additionally, since the synopsis doesn’t go into detail about the traumatic event that occurs to trigger her spiral, I fully expected it to be something to do with the rude, seemingly abusive teen character we met at the beginning of the book. Luckily, that was not that case; however, there were still (what I would consider to be) some acts of sexual abuse between Caitlyn and him.

All that said, the book was very deep and really explores the life takeover effect that mental health can have on someone. One day you have it all, the family, the money, house, career and the next you are too depressed/paranoid/anxious to move or leave your house. It was a very strong representation of how it feels and reading from Caitlyn’s point of view was very impactful.

If you are looking for a book about mental health struggles, that might not have the happiest of endings, this one could be for you, but it might be an emotional journey.

About The Author:

Hello I’m Julia Sutton, born and raised in Wolverhampton, I love it so much I still live here. 😊 

I’m fifty at the end of May and have been married for 24 years with two grown up children.  

I’ve had a variety of careers – I started out as a sales assistant in a newsagents and have worked as a secretary, a teaching assistant and most recently a lunchtime supervisor in a primary school.  I’m now happily retired but am studying for a Masters in Creative Writing.  I’m also a part time author who has written and published 9 adult fiction novels.  

I’m an avid reader who also loves drawing, walking, listening to music and spending time with my family and friends.  

Find the Author

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok: @sparklyauthor

 

Recent Reads: If These Flames Could Talk by Michael Burnham

If These Flames Could Talk by Michael Burnham  Publisher:  Mansfield Bound
Publication Date:  February 22, 2022

 

Format: Hardback
Source: Bought/ Own

Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Some cemetery vaults are no longer used to store the dead, but in the twisted mind of one Vermont man they make an excellent place to keep the living.

A teenage girl leaves home after her mother’s untimely death and returns years later in search of closure. Instead of finding the healed scars of tragedy, she’s kidnapped and swept underground. There she discovers her past is connected to decades of crimes that span from cold cemetery vaults to fiery cremation chamber walls.

Addiction, Jealousy, and Religion act as catalysts for the horrific spree of events that follow, testing her will to survive as her captor seeks his warped version of justice through Needles, Fire, and Ash.

Review: 

I know this author and was super excited to read his book. It is a thriller about a young woman that is abducted by her brother and put in an underground room/ vault in a local (to me) cemetery. The book is full of mental health issues like depressions, anxiety, and possible schizophrenia, there is family drama, and some religious delusions as well. It was a lot of backstory. 

Overall, the pace was good, the plot was interesting, and there were lots of characters. I found the character development to be a little lacking at the cost of the suspense and thriller aspects of the plot, and I am not completely sure how I feel about that because I liked the plotline and read the book pretty quickly. 

Given the local nature of the book, I would have liked for it to feel more local. I know that seems strange and maybe asking too much but aside from a few locations and brief descriptions, this could have been any old town in a lot of ways, and I think that the history of White River and really talking about the history could have lended well to the overall story. For example, the train systems, the drug use, and sketchiness of some areas etc. (I think there is something about being 100 miles from the Canadian border that has something to do with it...) 

As far as the plot went, I felt like there wasn't enough police involvement at any stage of the book, and I won't go into more detail because I don't want to spoil anything, but it just seemed far-fetched given all the things going on. On top of that some of the dialogue was just kind of bad or off-putting which always broke me away from the story a bit.

Overall, i liked the mystery and how it all came together in the end, I was a little lost as it came full circle, but it all worked out and it was an interesting thriller. If you like small town thriller/mysteries, you might like this one as well.

Blog Blast w/Giveaaway! The Omen of Crows Nest by Cathrina Constantine

The Omen of Crows Nest by Cathrina Constantine
Publication date: May 4th 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

No blood. No body. No murder.

That’s what the police found after Penelope spun her bizarre tale. In a hysterical state, she said her father was butchered and eaten by a mob of birds ~ in her bedroom.

They claim she’s crazy.
That she suffers from delusions.
Penelope is dead set on proving them wrong.

After being institutionalized for eight months, Penelope is out and more determined than ever to find answers to her so-called hallucinations. With her father’s untimely disappearance, she’s convinced her family is hiding something sinister.

THE OMEN OF CROWS NEST is the latest masterpiece by the award-winning author Cathrina Constantine, and is sure to leave fans of fantasy gasping!

The electrodes in my brain were like a loop recorder, continuously dredging up the past. And problematic for the psychiatrist at Green Fields Sanitarium, who was in the process of rewiring me.

Bear with me as I digress: I witnessed the gruesome death of my father by a mob of birds. I know what you’re picturing: A scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s horror movie The Birds. Not exactly like the movie, it happened in my bedroom. An aberration that my brain conjured, so they say.

Gramma had reinforced Dad’s untimely disappearance to the police. After the thunderstorm he’d raced to catch a late flight. An overseas business trip. Lacking evidence of any misdeeds, no mutilations as I’d described, the police had nothing to go on besides a batshit crazy kid. I experienced a daymare, a delusion, and it hadn’t been the first time, so said Gramma.

Afterward, Mom spent a week in bed, purporting she had a bug. She couldn’t keep anything down and stopped eating. I noticed her yellowy sick skin and hair matted as if a brush hadn’t made contact in weeks.

Thirteen days passed at a snail’s pace since that night. I was in the library’s alcove, my daily vigil, half-expecting Dad to come strolling up the cobbled walkway. My fretfulness heightening because I’d spilled my guts to my best friend, Hillary, telling her everything. If she repeated it to anyone, the repercussions would come back to bite me.

About the Author

I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.

I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I'm devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.

I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.

 

Find the Author

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub

Open Internationally

$25 Amazon gift card

Ends May 12th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recent Reads The Book of Secrets by A.L. Tait

The Book of Secrets by A.J. Tait  

Series: Ateban Cipher #1
Publisher:  Kane Miller Books
Publication Date:  March 2019

 

Format: Paperback
Source: Bought/Own

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

What's the secret of the book, and why is it so valuable? These are the questions Gabe must answer when a dying man hands him a coded manuscript with one instruction: take it to Aidan. Gabe is hurled into a quest that takes him beyond his monastery home and into a world of danger, political intrigue and adventure. 

As he seeks to decipher the code and find a mystery man who may not even exist, Gabe learns that survival must be earned and that some of life's biggest lessons are not found in books. 

Gabe finds himself questioning everything he knows about right and wrong and wondering if he'll ever find a way back home. He also discovers that the biggest secret of all may be his own.

Review: 

The first in a middle grade duology, The Book of Secrets follows a young monk named Gabe. We are immediately thrust into turmoil as he finds another monk dying on the floor and warning Gabe to keep a prized possession hidden. He gives Gabe instructions to hide a book and fine Aiden, but Gabe has no idea who Aiden is. 

After determining that the monastery isn’t safe, Gabe runs into a band of thieves in the woods, and they are girls to his surprise. Working together they try to figure out who Aiden is and how to try to get Gabe their while also learning about political lies and scandal. Everything begins to turn awry, and the first book is a buildup.

This installment is a lot of teambuilding and character introduction and laying a framework for book 2. The overall story is forming but after the initial shock of the monk's death in the beginning, there isn't a lot of progress in the main plot line of the story. As for the characters, Gabe is a little sad and whiney and the girls are pretty non-trusting and so they can be rude and a bit snarky. The plot felt a bit rushed, likely because this was only a duology and the author was trying to keep it to two books, but it was also thorough. I would have loved a map to help with locations but that is just a personal preference.

Monthly Re-Cap (April 22) and TBR Pile (May 22)

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Here is the progress from April 

TADA!!

~~Books I Read in April 2022~~

       

~~Links to Some Reviews~~

Most coming in May.

1.  The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Adult) -5 stars
2. Tiny Fox and Great Boar: There by Berenika Kołomycka (MG, GN) - 4 stars
3. The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA) - 4 stars

 TBR for April

1. The Beautiful Ones by Julia Sutton
2. The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow by Catherine Woodfine
3. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow
4. The unplanned Life of Josie Hale by Stephanie Eding
5. If You Find A Unicorn, It is Not Yours to Keep by DJ Corchin
6. The Guest List by Lucy Foley

How was your April reading? Anything I should add to my TBR?

Feel free to share it in the comments below! I would love to know what you are reading!

Building the Book Pile #395

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Hi there... I have been slacking over here to some extent. Sorry. I have been reading but need the motivation to write up my reviews and post them.

Part of the reason I haven't been online is beacuse today as you read this, I am flying back to NH from Seattle. I was there for a work conference and had a wonderful time nerding out about recruitment assessments and artificial intelligence in assessments. My workplacec kindly sent me and the weather was wonderful the whole time we were there (oh yea, I dragged my hubs with me to keep me company).

Tomorrow I will post my re-cap and May TBR. While there won't be all the links to reviews like normal, I have done a great job reading this month :) How was your April?  I hope you are all well and enjoying the warmer weather!

😑You might have also noticed that the home page of my blog is all wonky (footer on sidebar and sidebar at bottom), I am trying to figure out what happened... please bear with me this is not a full time gig and I'm already frustrated at it 😢

If you are interested in supporting my ability to stay awake and read please consider dontating - Coffee  is appreciated ... Ko-fi

 

Coming up on the Blog

Monthly Re-Cap (April 22) and TBR Pile (May 22)

Blog Blast w/Giveaaway! The Omen of Crows Nest by Cathrina Constantine (YA)

Recent Reads: The Book of Secrets by A.L. Tait (MG)

Books Received Recently...

I have been trying to hold back on requests and opportunities in order to get through my current TBR stack. So no new books this week... but here is a puffin pic.

Have you missed anything lately?

Blog Blast: The Sisters of Luna Island by Stacy Hackney (MG) 

Early Reader Review: Tiny Fox and Great Boar: There by Berenika Kołomycka (Youth) - 4 stars

Blog Tour: Excerpt - Recursion by David J Harrison (Adult)

Waiting on Wednesday: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Recent Reads: The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Game #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA) - 4 stars

Waiting on Wednesday: Book of Night by Holly Black

Comment or leave me a link and I will see you online again soon.

Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Book of Night by Holly Black

 

Book of Night by Holly Black
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date:  May 3, 2022

Synopsis:  

#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

With sharp angles and prose, and a sinister bent, Holly Black is a master of shadow and story stitching. Remember while you read, light isn’t playing tricks in Book of Night, the people are.

Why I Am Waiting:

I love Holly Black. When I was young I fell in love with her Modern Faerie Tales series and this one looks great. Black has a way with the dark and sinister that I really enjoy.