Books Archives - A Glass of Sweet Tea

I Read Horror? “The Library At Mount Char” by Scott Hawkins

Welp.

Ahem.

I read The Library At Mount Char and it was…a time.

But before we get into my thoughts on it, let me preface them by saying that The Library At Mount Char is not a bad book. Really, it’s not.

Alrighty, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about it.

This was Spooky Season book attempt #2 (here’s # 1, in case you missed it).

I was looking for a story that would scare the daylights out of me, and this one seemed like a good fit after I saw it mentioned on one of those “Scariest Books” lists.

In the Library At Mount Char, we follow Carolyn, one of 12 siblings who live with Father in his curious Library.

But there’s a problem: no one has seen or heard from him in far longer than normal. Now, they’re beginning to worry.

So Carolyn takes it upon herself to figure out just what’s going on.

I Read Horror: “Cyclops Road” by Jeff Strand

It’s early morning.

Half-awake, I amble out of my room, walk over to my bookshelves, and stand facing them. I run my eyes over the titles, and pull down Cyclops Road, a current read.

I’ll finish this one today.

I move to the blinds, opening them. Soft light fills the space. I curl up on the love-seat; cover my legs with a small throw; click my portable heater’s knob to ON, bask in it’s warmth; and dive in.

Cyclops Road is a story about a man who accompanies a woman across the country. She is on a mission to slay a cyclops. He doesn’t believe it exists. But, he’s curious – about this woman, and the “cyclops” too.

Besides, he could use an adventure after the blow life has recently dealt him. Or distraction, perhaps.

I Read “The Ten Loves of Nishino”…Should You?

The Ten Loves of Nishino is a short Literary Fiction novel about ten women who fall in love with the same man over the course of his life.

Sounds interesting enough, right?

But, should you read it?

Let’s find out.

The answer might be yes, IF –

1. You’re Okay With Non-Linear Narratives

Does it bug you when a story is told non-sequentially? If so, do yourself a solid and skip this one.

Though, this might be a contender if you favor, or are unbothered by, non-linear narratives.

2. You Don’t Mind Multi-Perspective Stories

Book Wrap Up: Well Read Black Girl by Gloria Edim

Have you ever heard of Well Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves by Gloria Edim?

No?

Well pull up a chair, and I’ll bring you up to speed.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I could earn a small fee, at no additional cost to you.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Well Read Black Girl is a collection of essays by Black women from various cultural backgrounds. These women developed a love of reading at a young age, but didn’t see a lot of characters like themselves in books.

Currently Reading: April 2020

Hey Y’all,

Just popping in.

How’s your reading going?

Mine is going ok.

To be honest, I’ve struggled to find the desire to read over the past few weeks, but I’m still managing a few pages here and there.

With that said, these are the books I’ve currently got on the go:

Book Wrap Up: Hidden by Helen Frost

Guess who finished her second read of 2020?!

Yep, isss me!

Woo hoo!

As you can see, my reading year is off to a slow start, but I’ve gotta turn this this ship around, and fast, if I’m going to make it to my goal of either 15,000 pages read, or 50 books read.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I could earn a small fee, at no additional cost to you.

Right after I finished book number 2, I started my third book of the year, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are cemented in my mind as Holmes and Watson, so despite my best efforts, I keep imagining them as I read.

Now, let’s talk about what I actually read: Hidden by Helen Frost.

SYNOPSIS

Middle Grade Fiction | First Publushed: 2011

From GoodReads –

When Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are eight years old, Darra’s father steals a minivan. He doesn’t know that Wren is hiding in the back. The hours and days that follow change the lives of both girls. Darra is left with a question that only Wren can answer. Wren has questions, too.

Years later, in a chance encounter at camp, the girls face each other for the first time. They can finally learn the truth—that is, if they’re willing to reveal to each other the stories that they’ve hidden for so long.

Told from alternating viewpoints, this novel-in-poems reveals the complexities of memory and the strength of a friendship that can overcome pain.

*****

FUN FACT: I ordered this book back on April 20, 2013. I finished this book on February 03, 2020: 20-freakin’-20! That’s 7 years it’s been sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. I’m appalled! Best go see what else is lurking on my shelf from eras gone by. Aaah, I digress.

A Robot in the Garden. Book Review.

That’s it guys: my final read of the decade.

I’ve gotta say, I enjoyed this heartwarming story about getting unstuck, wrapped in a tale of friendship.

SYNOPSIS

Meet Ben. He’s married to Amy; she is smart, driven, and poised for success. Meanwhile, he spends his days in his pajamas, living off the money his parents left to him. But Amy wants more from their marriage, yet she hasn’t been successful in motivating Ben to strive for more. And she is fed up.

Early one morning, she notices a robot sitting against a tree in their yard. Not the sleek service Androids that are all the rage, but a rinky-dink, haphazardly thrown together, robot. She asks Ben to send it away.

But he’s determined that there is something special about this robot, even though he can’t explain why. So, he keeps it, much to Amy’s dismay.

After giving the robot a once-over, Ben notices that one of its cylinders is leaking fluid. Unable to repair it, and concerned for its survival, Ben and the robot embark on a quest to find, and return it, to its owner, before it’s too late.

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Excerpt…

*******

I liked it, ummm, I said that already.

Ok, let’s start with this –

Book Spotlight: The Benefits of Being An Octopus (Middle Grade Fiction Novel)

I can’t figure it out!

I read The Benefits of Being an Octopus book months ago, and have wanted to talk about it since then but I just can not figure out how to.

Have you ever desperately wanted to express something, then opened your mouth to speak on it, and all of a sudden your thoughts jam?

(Brain jam…is that a thing? If not, let’s coin a new phrase.)

Well, that’s how this has been for me.

I don’t think I’ll ever have the right words, and again, it’s been months, so here goes nothing.

Heads Up: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I could earn a small fee, at no additional cost to you.

The Benefits of Being An Octopus (by Ann Braden)

♥ It’s a Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Novel.

♥ It gives us a peek into poverty and the family struggles that follow.

My Very First Reread: Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza Rising is one of my favorite books, though I’ve only read it once, 6 years ago.

A Brief Synopsis

Esperanza Rising is a riches to rags tale where we follow our protagonist Esperanza Ortega, 12 year old daughter of Sixto Ortega, a wealthy rancher in 1920’s Mexico.

One fateful day, Sixto is killed by bandits.

During this time in Mexico, only men are permitted to own land. And after Sixto is killed, his two corrupt step-brothers approach his widow, Ramona, and offer to marry her, so that she may stay with the land.

She refuses.

Fearing retaliation for their public embarrassment, and penniless, she and Esperanza flee to the United States to a work camp for migrant workers.

Heads up: Affiliate links ahead, which means I could earn a small fee if you make a purchase using one of these links.

We continue following Esperanza’s experience from here.

A Little Background on My Rereading Experience

I’d never reread a book, until now. With so many good books on my TBR that I have yet to read, compounded with the fact that I read like a turtle, I couldn’t make a case for revisiting a book I’d already read, no matter how much I enjoyed it.

But this time was different.

Book Review: The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Hey Y’all,

It’s book review time!

Today we’re chatting about the Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian novel: The Book of M by Peng Shepherd.

Whew chile, this was rough!

At least, for me, it was.

First, we’ll get into the synopsis, then I’m going to tell you about why this book was a no-go, no-no, for me.

Just so you’ll know, both the synopsis, and the review, are spoiler-free.

Let’s get into it –

Synopsis

One day a man mysteriously loses his shadow.

His memories soon follow.

As the days pass, more people lose their shadows too, along with their memories.

What began as a singular case, quickly turns into a global pandemic.

Widespread chaos follows.

We follow married couple Ory and Max, just after Max has lost her shadow.

Max, not wanting to endanger Ory, because losing your shadow has strange side-effects, flees their home.

Despite a promise they made to one another, he refuses to leave her alone in a world filled with danger, so he goes after her.

::Official synopsis here::

My Thoughts