Its like reading an episode of Supernatural.
It is a mix of gore and horror with a heavy dose of lightness to balance it

Probably the most boring audio book ever. Was there even a plot to this story? I love Dean Koontz other works, but this one was a big fail for me.

A sweet light romance (not a bodice ripper). It was a perfect cleanse read from my last book. Neat and tidy and sweet.

Don't read this book on an empty stomach. Every other page has detailed descriptions about the aroma, feel and taste of food.

Vanessa is a fourth generation Chinese American living in San Francisco, surrounded by her parents and large extended family. She was born with the ability to fortune tell. Unfortunately, she cannot control when or where this happens. And she abhors it. Then one of her aunties, a clairvoyant, is moving to Paris to open a tea shop and invites Vanessa to join her, and to once again try to train her in the art.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book seemed to suffer a little from an identity crisis: is it magical fantasy, or horror, not horror in the gory sense, but in the evil entity that wants to take over your soul kind. For the most part, I was bored with the story, until it went from the light fantasy to the more sinister. That seems to be when the story actually picked up. Unfortunately that happened way late in the story.

I loved the premise of Josie being pulled into these fictional stories, where she could be the heroine. It seemed like she learned lessons in each of them that she could apply to her real relationships, but she continued not to. It was assinine that continued to and sought out stories where she could be the star attraction because she couldn't handle that she was no longer the big star in real life.

This book is good for those who do like their stories of the neat and tidy, all wrapped up variety. Also, the romance is light, so if parents/tweens/teens are looking for that, it would satisfy that requirement

Anthropomorphic animals. Mystery mild peril. Some humor.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via net galley

This book did not live up to its blurb. I was expecting magic, instead I got a story about abused foster kids being used for farm labor, with the background of something magical. This book made me feel dirty and depressed.

First, the use of "foster" kids. We know they aren't fosters--they are payments to the family from leaches who want the medicine that Mama Joseph hawks. They are brought up in what can only be squalor conditions, as at least 7 of them live in a trailer together. With adult figures who use them to farm the land for the family business and are beaten when they step out of line. One of them gets sent to the main house to marry the matriarch's son. And conditions there are no better than in the trailer--maybe even worse manipulations and abuse.

Second, the incestual lust of Cello for Joanie is disgusting. Yes, they are not really related, but they function as a family and eww, just eww.

I would have enjoyed this more if they went more into rituals that the women used, and Helen and Joanie's discovery of their (craft/spirtualism/withcraft) and the history behind the vine. But we just got a she did this and then her mind went a little nuts.

I received an advanced copy of this via NetGalley from the publisher.

A great book that walks you through the steps of cidermaking. After reading the process, I don't think I will do this myself, at least not at this point in my life, but it gave me a greater appreciation of what goes into my beloved ciders, including tips on how to chose them in the future. I immensely enjoying reading this.

This book is filled with gorgeous photos. However, the one bit that is lacking is photos in the equipment section. it would be nice to not have to google everything.

One thing that this book does great, is that it gives different pathways to follow for different budgets and production scale. Making it easily modifiable to those just wishing to try it out, and those looking to take it steps further.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
It's a little unfair to have read two novels nearly back to back with such a similar premise (jumping through different books) and to try not to compare them, but this one blew it out of the water!!!

I was a bit leery at the beginning of the book, realizing that it starts with a suicide. I wasn't sure where it was going to go from there. It was a present topic in the books, but it wasn't graphic. So just a warning to those who might be triggered by that.

It feels odd to say that a book that centers around a suicide has an inspiring message and optimistic ending, but it does.

The Midnight Library is a place where Nora can explore her life regrets and live a life that would have resulted from making different choices in those instances. It is a story of parallel universes/sliding door actions. Nora has the opportunity to see what her life would be if she chose differently. But she is put into the life at the age she is now, not the age of what where she was when the "regret" happened. And she does not enter those lives with previous knowledge of the events that transpired in that life. I would personally find that difficult and that I wasn't worthy of that life, that I was an impostor.
The further she goes on jumping through her other lives, Nora makes discoveries about herself and her pull to actually want to live. And how she wants to live that life.
Another theme heavily discussed in this book is mental health. There is discussion around depression, panic attacks, anxiety and medication. Other reviewers have talked about Matt Haig's personal experiences and past history of these topic being in his books. I was unaware of either of these facts, but it does make me want to explore more of his work.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley

When I started to explain this book to my kid, they said--"So it's like Harry Potter" and my response was no, it's only commonality is that it is set in a magic school. After telling this to my co-worker, they felt it was more Harry Potter and Hunger Games mash-up, which might be more apt.

It's high school--there are cliques. And there those who are heros, nerds, outcasts, and the wanna-bes. Sounds normal right? But no, it is highly dystopian. This world is riddled with monsters that feed on the power of those with magic, and the teen population is the largest target. So the kids are sent, or in some cases, pulled into this school that exists mostly due to the belief and power of the people in it. Most kids won't make it through the years there, and those who do, half of them die during "Graduation." This is apparently the safest place for these kids, so that tells you a bit about the world.
The school itself, seems to have no security and no teachers, "The School" decides what you need to work on and it will send you assignments based on that. There might be teachers, but they are never discussed.
Power structure: Many kids are from enclaves that are geographically based. These kids have built in protections due to the strength of the enclave. Individuals spend their school years trying to prove themselves and gain an alliance that will help them obtain a position in the enclave post graduation.

The main character, El, is pretty relatable. She is cautious, reserved, and doesn't think she is all that, even when she actually is. El downplays her abilities, and hides most of it from the other kids. When she was younger, her grandmother saddled her with a prophecy filled with doom. This has caused El to be cautious in her interactions with others because she is afraid of what they will see her powers can do. The thing is -- she is awesome, and powerful. She knows she could do lots of damage to pave a way for her in the school, but her moral fortitude won't let her. I love this character.
I will not say anymore, because I am afraid of unintentionally giving spoilers, but I am looking forward to further installments of this story line. It is part of a series, however, this one could be a standalone as it is a self contained, fully developed story.

Full of action, character depth, and conflict. It's not listed as YA, but could be. No sex for those who want building relationships with out all the romance, etc.