It was a pleasant, funny, short book.
Reviews and Comments
I was born the day that Reading Rainbow began. 📚 She/Her
Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Percy Jackson, Shadowhunter Books
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Shannon Kay rated All Systems Red: 4 stars
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by …
Shannon Kay reviewed All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Shannon Kay reviewed Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell
Review of 'Almost Midnight' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I truly love Rainbow Rowell’s New Year’s Eve themed short story, Midnights, and already have it in two other volumes of her short stories. This year, I was delighted to enjoy the story in this adorably small paperback, which also has unique illustrations that are not in the other volumes.
I also enjoyed Kindred Spirits, a story about camping out to see Star Wars Episode VII in 2015. I’m now somehow nostalgic for 2015.
Shannon Kay rated Emma: 4 stars
Emma by Jane Austen
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first …
Shannon Kay finished reading Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Shannon Kay reviewed Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot
Fun Witchy Rom-Com
4 stars
Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot was a funny and enjoyable fantasy romantic comedy with excellent fall vibes in a cozy small town, perfect for the Halloween season.
Enchanted to Meet You stars a witch named Jessica who lives in a small Connecticut town and owns a cute clothing boutique. The fun begins shortly before Halloween when Derrick comes into her shop and tells her about a prophecy that might involve her.
This book had delightful main characters as well as great side character friends. It also has some flashbacks to events from Jessica’s high school days, and has chapters from the perspectives of both Jessica and Derrick. Meg Cabot’s narrative style is friendly, light, and funny.
If you’re looking for a fun romantic comedy to read this fall, Enchanted to Meet You is a great choice.
Tropes/themes: fake dating, witches, small town in peril, Halloween season, forced proximity, …
Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot was a funny and enjoyable fantasy romantic comedy with excellent fall vibes in a cozy small town, perfect for the Halloween season.
Enchanted to Meet You stars a witch named Jessica who lives in a small Connecticut town and owns a cute clothing boutique. The fun begins shortly before Halloween when Derrick comes into her shop and tells her about a prophecy that might involve her.
This book had delightful main characters as well as great side character friends. It also has some flashbacks to events from Jessica’s high school days, and has chapters from the perspectives of both Jessica and Derrick. Meg Cabot’s narrative style is friendly, light, and funny.
If you’re looking for a fun romantic comedy to read this fall, Enchanted to Meet You is a great choice.
Tropes/themes: fake dating, witches, small town in peril, Halloween season, forced proximity, mid-2000s high school flashbacks, dual timeline, multiple POVs, romantic comedy
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for my digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
An Adventure
4 stars
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty is a great historical fantasy adventure.
Amina Al-Sirafi is a middle-aged piratey sea captain who is persuaded out of retirement and away from her daughter. What she thinks will be a fact finding and rescue mission to recover the daughter of a former crewman turns into a full scale supernatural adventure.
This book had a lovely, satisfying ending. Open ended with room for more stories, but not in a cliffhanger way.
I got my book from Book of the Month Club and read it in hardcover, as well as listening to the audiobook for some of it.
Shannon Kay reviewed The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill
Sweet Tea Dragons
4 stars
The Tea Dragon Society was so cute! I struggle a bit with graphic novels because I’m not very visual and have to actively remember to look at the pictures, but I really enjoyed this one. This was the sweetest concept and such a cozy story. I love the idea of tea dragons! I showed them to my daughter, and we agree that we both want one.
Shannon Kay commented on Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare
I’ve finished Chain of Thorns, and The Last Hours series of Shadowhunter books has concluded for me.
The anticipation for Chain of Thorns was at the forefront of my reading brain, and I had trouble thinking about what to read next after the “holiday book” reading season. Knowing Chain of Thorns was coming out at the end of January left me indecisive about other reading.
I enjoyed reading a book that I was so looking forward to. I didn’t rush it. But now I have a book series hangover.
After anticipating a book for two years, it’s strange for it to have ended. What do I do now?
Luckily, there are other new releases that I’m excited about this year, and of course the many books that are already available on my hopefuls list.
Actually Really Good
4 stars
While reading the History Smashers book about The Mayflower, I remembered this Baby-Sitters Club book that I read as a kid. In Claudia and the First Thanksgiving, they put on a Thanksgiving play at the elementary school. They do lots of research to make it more historically accurate, but then parents get mad and make them change it to a “traditional” Thanksgiving story. They stealthily write “Censored” on all the posters.
That’s what I remembered from my childhood reading of this book. But I couldn’t remember what they did in the play that made people mad. I didn’t have my childhood copy, so I looked up the book and downloaded the Kindle edition.
Claudia and the First Thanksgiving felt surprisingly relevant to 2021. When I was a kid, I remember wondering why adults would censor and protest a Thanksgiving play with more historical accuracy. I’m now an adult with kids, …
While reading the History Smashers book about The Mayflower, I remembered this Baby-Sitters Club book that I read as a kid. In Claudia and the First Thanksgiving, they put on a Thanksgiving play at the elementary school. They do lots of research to make it more historically accurate, but then parents get mad and make them change it to a “traditional” Thanksgiving story. They stealthily write “Censored” on all the posters.
That’s what I remembered from my childhood reading of this book. But I couldn’t remember what they did in the play that made people mad. I didn’t have my childhood copy, so I looked up the book and downloaded the Kindle edition.
Claudia and the First Thanksgiving felt surprisingly relevant to 2021. When I was a kid, I remember wondering why adults would censor and protest a Thanksgiving play with more historical accuracy. I’m now an adult with kids, and I definitely recognized those parents who are protesting more historically accurate critiques of those who came before us. 25 years later, we’re still having the same problems.
As far as what enraged parents and some faculty about their Thanksgiving play? They brought up women’s rights. They also stated that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving and Native Americans observe a day of mourning. They pointed out differences between then and now. They got to keep the more accurate costumes and foods. I guess those didn’t anger the parents.
I’m actually looking at the book cover right now, and wondering if the cover artist read it. Lol.
I hadn’t read a Baby-sitters Club book since middle school, and didn’t have super high expectations for Claudia and the First Thanksgiving to hold up for an adult, but this book was kind of amazing. I remembered a surprising amount of weird details, like when Claudia decides to stir marmalade into her oatmeal, but also considers the option of grape jelly.
One thing that surprised me a little bit was the release date. Claudia and the First Thanksgiving was published in November of 1995, when I would have been in 7th grade. I’m guessing that I must have read this book very soon after its release. I think I started reading BSC books in 4th grade and kept reading them through 8th grade, so this was relatively late in my Baby-sitters Club reading era. I had definitely read at least one hundred Baby-sitters Club books in my life by age 14. I definitely learned about lots of things from BSC books, including diabetes and autism. Re-reading this book reminded me of the idea that maybe we could understand each other better if only everyone read more books.
Review of 'Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1902 to 1903' on 'Storygraph'
No rating
Last night, I read a short story by Lucy Maud Montgomery(author of Anne of Green Gables) from 1903 called The Strike at Putney.
It’s about a group of church ladies who are told by their church elders and minister that a missionary woman cannot speak in the church, because a woman cannot preach from the pulpit.
So they go on strike. <spoiler>They stop organizing socials to raise money, don’t set fresh flowers out in the church, or clean and dust the church. The organist doesn’t play, and no women sing in the choir.
“You know if a woman isn't fit to speak in the church she can't be fit to sing in it either."
The Strike at Putney by L. M. Montgomery
The men last two weeks.</spoiler>
I was delighted to read this story from 120 years ago about women opposing patriarchalism in church.
Shannon Kay reviewed House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
Shannon Kay reviewed Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell
Review of 'Scattered Showers' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
A delightful collection of short stories by Rainbow Rowell. A few that I had already read.
• Midnights - New Years Eve story. Have already read and loved. Also in My True Love Gave To Me.
• Kindred Spirits - Previously published, but I hadn’t read it yet. About a girl waiting in line for Star Wars The Force Awakens in 2015. Really cute.
• Winter Songs for Summer - Set in what must be, like, 1999/2000ish on a college campus. Really cute story featuring mix CDs.
• The Snow Ball - (skipped because it seemed Christmassy and I wanted to save it until after Thanksgiving) Cute. I like the weird best friends and Star Trek is obviously better than Prom. True Story: The day of my senior prom, I was at a theatre festival.
• If the Fates Allow - Read last year and loved. About Christmas 2020.
• …
A delightful collection of short stories by Rainbow Rowell. A few that I had already read.
• Midnights - New Years Eve story. Have already read and loved. Also in My True Love Gave To Me.
• Kindred Spirits - Previously published, but I hadn’t read it yet. About a girl waiting in line for Star Wars The Force Awakens in 2015. Really cute.
• Winter Songs for Summer - Set in what must be, like, 1999/2000ish on a college campus. Really cute story featuring mix CDs.
• The Snow Ball - (skipped because it seemed Christmassy and I wanted to save it until after Thanksgiving) Cute. I like the weird best friends and Star Trek is obviously better than Prom. True Story: The day of my senior prom, I was at a theatre festival.
• If the Fates Allow - Read last year and loved. About Christmas 2020.
• The Prince and the Troll - Weird and fun. A sort of fantasy story about a bridge troll who I think turned out to be a mermaid, but her river had dried up. Because of the road.
• Mixed Messages - I decided to read this, even though I haven’t read Attachments. It was an enjoyable story that was mostly a text message conversation between two friends who are women nearing their fifties.
• *Snow for Christmas - the Simon Snow story. Haven’t read those books, but have read Fangirl. I skipped this one.
• In Waiting - This was like being inside of Rainbow Rowell’s head. It was really funny at the beginning. It was really interesting and reflective as it progressed.
Shannon Kay reviewed Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
Review of 'Bloodmarked' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
It was so good. I couldn’t put it down.
Fantasy, action, lovable characters. I thought they might be about to take down every hierarchical structure standing in their way at some points.
I would preorder a book three right now if it were possible.