Jessica's Book Thoughts

I read books from a mix of genres. My favorites are dark fantasy, paranormal anything, Sci fi, horror, and fantasy. I have a thing for reading encyclopedias, I know it's sort of weird. When I find something interesting (meaning really gross, funny, unbelievable) I lost about it. I have an amazing family.

...and books! Good ones.

Need to find new read...

Something like A Court of Thorns and Roses that will take me far away from real life, nothing that could happen in real life. I need the happy parts and need the romance mushy shit too. Any ideas?

 

I really miss being here more often

I miss being a to spend more of my time chatting with all you here at Booklikes. So much has happened lately. My husband is preparing for surgery. A pretty invasive one, a mass has popped up near his spine. It is deep, and growing rapidly. Not cancer, but if it gains more mass it will start to press on his spine. My health is not wonderful either. The doctor found a large tumor on my ovary. Waiting for the verdict on whether it is cancer or not. More testing tomorrow and the 28th. I am in pain, the mass is basically compressing the ovary and blocking my bowels, and puzshing on my bladder. They offered me opiate painkillers, for a minute my inner drug addict belted I wanna swing from the chandeliers... in my head. My mouth and reasonably thinking part of me politely declined. If the pain intensifies I think I may have to consider my options though, responsibly I hope. I know that most likely, based on the testing already done, it will be surgical. Fingers crossed. So much more has happened in the last month, hubby's grandma passed, my kid had dental surgery twice, I am tired.

 

I miss my books, and my book friends. I know I won't have time now or in the immediate future to devote more time to here, but someday I will be back full force and reviewing the hell out of all the books I will be reading. Though I don't always have time to LIKE all posts or comment a lot, I do pop on to see what you are all reading and thinking. 

 

Jessica

Free today

Interest - Kevin Gaughen

Free on Amazon

 

Read this about a year ago. Enjoyed it.

Fliers

Fliers: 20 Small Posters with Big Thoughts - Nathaniel Russell

I enjoyed this. The idea behind it is a good one. Each addition is not what it initially seems at first glance, hidden alternative messages aol with multiple tranlations and interpretations. 

I do feel here needed to be more content. Maybe a small description of each flyer ncluded giving the .eaning the author wished to convey. I do give props for the creativity, and I feel there are those out there who would get a lot more out of this then I.

 

AUTHOR:

 

NATHANIEL RUSSELL was born and raised in Indiana. After college, Russell spent several years in the San Francisco Bay Area making posters, record covers, and woodcuts. He returned to his home city of Indianapolis and now spends his time creating drawings, fake fliers, bad sculptures, wood shapes, and music.

 

 

AMAZON US

 

Review copy provided by Blogging for Books.

 

My New Favorite Series

A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas

This is the perfect end to this trilogy. I absolutely loved the adventure. This author is lengthy in her descriptions, but manages make you want absorb each and every word. Loved the characters, especially watching Feyre grow into an amazing woman. In the beginning of this series she was a great young lady, but life had really broke her. I hated when Tamlin was a bad guy, but he redeemed himself a bit by the end of this.

 

Now to figure out what to read next.

Reading progress update: I've read 620 out of 648 pages.

A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas

Oh... I have a feeling this book is gonna make me cry soon. I don't know if they will happy tears, or the kind where a hole is left somewhere inside my heart. I started this series thinking I was not even going to like it. I think it is my most favorite ever.

Adult Coloring Book

New York Street Style: A Coloring Book - Zoe de las Cases

Description:

 

Adult coloring gets a makeover with charming, fashion-forward illustrations from the city that never sleeps. 
Wherever you're off to, take New York Street Style with you. Transport yourself to bustling New York, and give life to the city. Beautifully detailed outfits, accessories, and hairstyles complement iconic skylines and intricate street scenes. Embellish whimsical, full-page patterns with your own touch and window shop the elegant stores of New York while you make your way through an iconic city. 
This sleek, high-end package has an elastic closure and a satin ribbon marker so you can dip in and dip out of your own New York fashion week. With nothing more than some colored pencils, you'll be on your way to a perfect New York day.

 

My Thoughts:

 

I like coloring books for big people, but I usually go for the geometric designs, or ones that are a coloring adventure based on my favorite books. My girls like this. The minute it came in the house they were bickering over who got to claim it. It is a very nicely made book: bright white paper, elastic band to keep it closed, thicker cover, and uniquely sized. My main complaint is I feel there isn't enough content on each page. My girls solved this by adding their own backrounds and patterns. Definitely made them become more creative. My Thoughts are that I feel teen girls will enjoy this more than adults.

 

Amazon US

 

Review copy received from Blogging for Books.

 

A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas

I loved Tamlin in the first book, but I also loved Rhys. This series really makes me rethink my need for sleep. I have to be at work by 6 a.m. tomorrow, I don't need to sleep for a 14 hour shift, nope, not at all. On to book 3. Then I will switch to the audio book and run the sound through my blutooth headset so no one knows I am listening to anything, just waiting on a phone call. It'll work!

 

I can't believe I thought this series was for young adults.

A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

Wow, just wow... I loved, love this book. I can't believe it took me so long to read, but I am glad it did. I truly needed a distraction that only this could have provided.

 

This is not very young adult as I had originally thought. I was shocked that there was sex. Some of it pretty descriptive, not smutty or very erotic, but no closed doors here. Would I let my teen read it? Probably, even if I thought no, it wouldn't matter. She already has... Lol

 

This is easily within my top five favorite books I have ever read. I see countless rereadings in the future and so look forward to buying a complete physical boxed set when this series is finished.

From the Platform 2: More NYC Subway Graffiti, 1983–1989

From the Platform 2: More NYC Subway Graffiti, 1983–1989 - Paul Cavalieri, Kenny Cavalieri, Henry Chalfant

BLURB:

 

This is a nostalgic, visual account of the best time and place to be a graffiti writer. In the 1980s, brothers Kenny, a.k.a. KEY, and Paul, a.k.a. CAVS, immersed themselves in the graffiti scene in the Boogie Down Bronx, dutifully photographing hundreds of pieces on now-discontinued MTA subway cars and capturing their proud comrades before, during, and after the act. “Bombing” “White Elephants” with their pilot markers and documenting them with their cameras, which they always carried, they were on the ride of their lives—until 1989, when the last painted train was removed from service. Tags by names like QUIK, IZTHEWIZ, and many others appear here in color exposures, and dozens of artists share stories and drop knowledge with no filter. A foreword by graffiti historian Henry Chalfant, coproducer of Style Wars—the seminal documentary on New York graffiti and hip-hop culture—kicks things off.

 

REVIEW:

 

I have always loved graffiti. I live near two cities that both sport a lot of graffiti. I never tire from seeing it. 

 

I really enjoyed this coffee table book. It is amazing what someone can create with some spray paint. I can only imagine the amount of time and dedication it took for the brothers to photograph all these subway car masterpieces. The text boxes tell the story of their jouney.

 

 

Highly recommended.

 

REVIEW copy provided by Edelwiess.

Reading progress update: I've read 80 out of 432 pages.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

Much better than anticipated so far. Young adult, but not the sappy, eye roll kind, the good kind. I am kicking myself though because I picked this up not expecting to get sucked in, I don't typically like starting a series until all books are published. Daughter has all three books and I have a feeling I am going to be impatiently waiting for more. 

Color Squared: Color, Dot, Dash, or Stamp Your Way to Awesome Pixel Art

Color Squared: Color, Dot, Dash, or Stamp Your Way to Awesome Pixel Art - Lee Meredith

Description:

 

Paint-by-number meets the traditional coloring book in this brand new format that showcases pixelated images of cool and quirky nostalgia objects. Doodlers, artists, and puzzlers alike will enjoy this new take on coloring. With a focus on old favorites, pictures of things like cassette tapes, a rotary phone, and roller skates have been pixelated and rendered as numbered grids. To fill them in, users have options to vary the colors, just vary the shading, or even use different shapes or lines. Color Squared can relieve stress or challenge the mind, depending on the approach the reader chooses--but either way, it will keep the head and hands busy, and make for a fun trip down memory lane. 

 

My Thoughts:

 

Wow, this is really time consuming, but it does completely take your mind off of everything else. Think paint by numbers, but not wit h paint and offers the user a chance to be more creative. It is like numbered grid paper and you choose what to fill each with whatever you want. This kind of made me a bit crazy because I have a terrible time with choices and will not decide until I have thoroughly thought about every possible option. I sat there with an unused page in front of me for like four hours... Lmao.

 

About the Author:

 

Lee Meredith calls herself a maker of things, doer of stuff; with a background in art and photography, a career in knitting pattern design, and a later-in-life education in graphic design, she has undertaken countless projects in the worlds of craft, art, and design. She brings her love of color, puzzles, and experimentation into her creative work, known for designing knitwear with unusual construction and often with game-like twists on the process of knitting itself, and thinking outside the norm in all pursuits.

 

Barnes and Noble

 

Review copy provided by Blogging for Books.

Steel's Edge by Ilona Andrews

Steel's Edge -  Ilona Andrews

I can't believe this is the end to this. I want more. I need to know what happens to the rest of the characters. I would like to see a young adult series features the juveniles in the series. Gonna miss Edge. Gonna miss these crazy ass characters. 

 

So I kinda felt this ended at a point in the series where I will always wonder how things turned out. Yes, we got the happily ever after, but I felt it was the condensed version. Need a novelette or something so I can figure out how Lark is. I really liked her character.

Fate's Edge

Fate's Edge -  Ilona Andrews

I really like this series. This one was a bit different than the previous two because there wasn't as much family fun as in the other two where we had a main character frequently in the story.

I did enjoy that the couple was very compatible and had similar interests. I liked having the kids in this one. Book 4 now.

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