Hi bookworms! Happy Tuesday to you! Today I wanted to write a little bit about my current audiobook – The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner. Originally published in March of 2016, this is a YA-contemporary coming-of-age story set in a small town in Tennessee. It follows the POV of 3 main characters: Dill, Lydia and Travis.
I went into this book with no real expectations. I had heard a lot of buzz about it through bookish social media channels last year and really had heard nothing but good things. This being said, YA-contemporary is not my go-to genre – I generally prefer sci-fi/fantasy books. I am about 75% through this now and to say that I am enjoying it would be a vast understatement. This book is legitimately rocking my soul to its core. The characters are so real, so innocent, I feel what they are feeling. True Story: This morning, while walking my dog and listening to the audiobook, I was crying. Actual tears! While walking down the road at 7:30 a.m. listening to this book.
The three main characters are high school kids, in their senior year, all on the verge of adulthood. Trying to navigate that transition and only one of them has the family support to make it a smooth transition. The other two, oh the other two, I want to hug them, help them and tell them it will all work out. I haven’t done too much research on the author, Mr. Jeff Zentner, but the writing in this is so real it makes me pause to think whether or not this could classify as an ‘own voices’ narrative – the emotional depth and experiences in this book seem so important – it’s like these characters are actually alive. How much of this can be traced directly from Mr. Zentner’s life? I do not know the answer to that, and may never know, but it makes me feel such a swelling in my heart for this book and all it is about.
If you ever have the chance to read this book, or listen to the audio, I could not recommend it more highly. I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and read this one. It was worth every moment and every tear!
Cheers to emotionally charged books!
~Meg
Expected Publication Date: January 23, 2018
Good morning bookworms! Well, I am finally home and back with all of my books, which makes me very happy. I watched a lot of ‘booktube’ while I was away on vacation and really enjoyed hearing about everyone’s book goals for the year, as well as their most anticipated reads. I wanted to put down my bookish goals for the year here; mainly so that I can hold myself accountable to what I write.
Octavia E. Butler (1947 – 2006) is a phenomenal American science-fiction writer who I certainly wish I would have discovered earlier in life. Her writing is intelligent, heartfelt and oddly prescient of today’s political climate, e.g. The Earthseed Series, (please look this up on Goodreads if you haven’t heard of it).
Kindred, originally published in 1979 was the first Butler book I read and I am very glad I started with that one. In fact, I feel that is a good starting point to anyone new to her writings. 
One of my favorite books that I have read this year was actually my 2nd audiobook – The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (the pen name of the beloved J.K. Rowling – yes, that J.K. Rowling). Originally published in 2013, this gritty crime novel introduces us to the gruff and brilliant detective, Cormoran Strike and is the first book in a currently four book series.
Hello book friends! I just wanted to give a quick status update on my progress through The Darkling Bride by Laura Andersen. As I may have mentioned in a earlier post, I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher, Ballantine Books, in exchange for an honest review which has an expected publication date of April 2018.
Good morning book lovelies! This morning prior to work, while drinking my first coffee of the day, I sat down to continue, Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. This is my first Paris book and it is definitely an edge of your seat thriller. Truth be told, I am finding it really, really frustrating! I like it. I can’t put it down but I am getting so aggravated it is actually a wee bit stressful.
Firstly, I preordered this book based on the cover alone – it’s gorgeous! Luckily for me, this book is way more than a pretty cover. I was blown away – it was brilliant. 
Sooooo, my 40th birthday is next year. September 18, 2018 to be exact. I have been thinking about a King project to commence on that date. I have only mentioned it to one other person (a friend of mine on Instagram) and I am pretty nervous about it. It is a huge undertaking should I wish to proceed. Well, I am ready to reveal it now to the universe. Once you put it on social media, you know it’s true! My plan is to read all of Stephen King’s published novels in order of publication date (except for The Dark Tower series, which I am reading currently and is an entity unto itself).
First off, the cover – that is what attracted me to this book; it’s gorgeous! This is apparently book #4, in a currently 4 book series called the Lancashire Detective Mystery series. This being said, I was unaware of the earlier books prior to starting this and I don’t feel that it is inhibiting my enjoyment at all. I don’t feel like I am missing any pertinent information.