July 2018 - Booked J | in the Land of Stories

Top Ten Tuesday (#16): Books With Sensory Memories

2:43 PM

Happy Tuesday, everyone! For those of you who are new to my blog, or the book blogging community, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Artsy Reader Girl, originating over at the Broke and the Bookish, and is exactly what its title hints at. Each week we're given a topic to explore in our entries. This week's prompt was one that definitely stood...

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Review: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

5:33 PM

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert | Rating: ★★★★☆ “Everyone is supposed to be a combination of nature and nurture, their true selves shaped by years of friends and fights and parents and dreams and things you did too young and things you overheard that you shouldn’t have and secrets you kept or couldn’t and regrets and victories and quiet prides, all the...

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Review: I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip by Alicia Cook

5:10 PM

I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip by Alicia Cook | Rating: ★★★★★ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. I've said it once, I'll say it a billion times: Alicia Cook is one of the best voices in...

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Review: Sisters' Entrance by Emtithal Mahmoud

4:32 PM

Sisters' Entrance by Emtithal Mahmoud | Rating: ★★★★★ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Sisters' Entrance is a modern, poetic triumph. Simply breathtaking. Where to begin, where to begin, where to begin? I could not put down...

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Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

4:15 PM

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren | Rating: ★★☆☆☆ After reading Dating You / Hating You by Christina Lauren last summer, I have to admit, I was curious about the rest of their publications. Imagine my surprise upon realizing that I had read Beautiful Bastard, the first of their highly popular series, in its original form: Twilight fanfiction sensation The Office. It's no secret...

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Review: Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott

3:54 PM

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5) “Women have to live so much of their life in the in-betweens.” In case you didn't know: Megan Abbott is one of my all-time favourite authors. I adore her prose so much and the way she is able to portray the complexities of humanity and the relationships between women. It's fairly obvious...

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Review: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

3:18 PM

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty | Rating: ★★★★☆ “It’s because a woman’s entire self-worth rests on her looks,” said Jane. “That’s why. It’s because we live in a beauty-obsessed society where the most important thing a woman can do is make herself attractive to men.” Big Little Lies is an impossible to put down read. An indulgent thriller that keeps you on...

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Review: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

2:29 PM

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage | Rating: ★★★☆☆ As a note, a physical copy of this novel was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Wow. Where to begin with this novel? I've been trying to gather my thoughts on it for nearly a week. I guess the first...

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Review: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

2:12 PM

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote | Rating: ★★★★☆ “Once a thing is set to happen, all you can do is hope it won't. Or will-depending. As long as you live, there’s always something waiting, and even if it’s bad, and you know it's bad, what can you do? You can’t stop living.” If you were to ask any reader of True Crime,...

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Review: My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton

4:31 PM

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows and Brodi Ashton | Rating: ★★★★★ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. If you loved the hilarity that was My Lady Jane, the first installment of The Lady Janies,...

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Top Ten Tuesday (#15): Best of 2018 So Far

2:25 PM

Happy Tuesday, everyone! You know what that means! Time for this week's Top Ten Tuesday entry. I am super excited for this weeks theme--BEST OF 2018, SO FAR! Colour me stoked. For those of you who are new to my blog, or the book blogging community, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Artsy Reader Girl, originating over at the Broke and the...

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a dark eternity

Review: A Dark Eternity by Nissa Leder

5:43 PM

A Dark Eternity by Nissa Leder | Rating: ★★★★★ As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me by the author in exchange for my review. This does not effect my opinion. Holy crap, you guys. This. Book. Was. Wild. Although, if you've read the explosive, fantastical Whims of Fae series you know that everything usually is. A Dark Eternity...

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Review: I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo

5:21 PM

I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo | Rating: ★★★★★ “You can always control how hard you fight.” YOU GUYS, HELP! This book was so cute. I've fallen. How can something be so freaking cute? Not only is the cover-art dreamy, I Believe in a Thing Called Love is, too. And it's definitely one of my favourite contemporary releases since...

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Review: The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

6:10 PM

The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5) “Nobody ever feels just one way about another person, Margo. We're so much more complicated than that. I can see a million things you want from me, just like the million things I want from you. Some of them are wonderful. Some are awful. Some contradict each other, and some don't make...

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adrienne vaughan

Review: That Summer at the Seahorse Hotel by Adrienne Vaughan

5:32 PM

That Summer at the Seahorse Hotel by Adrienne Vaughan | Rating: ★★★★☆ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. There was something very striking about That Summer at the Seahorse Hotel. Something that I can't find a...

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Review: She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell

4:54 PM

She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell | Rating: ★★★☆☆ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. There was a moment when I hesitated in picking this up. She Was the Quiet One had such an...

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all that's left of me

Review: All That's Left of Me by Janis Thomas

3:34 PM

All That's Left of Me by Janis Thomas | Rating: ★★☆☆☆ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. It took me ages to finish this book and even longer to actually commit to writing the review. Mostly, because...

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Review: The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan

5:51 PM

The Art of Escaping by Erin Callahan | Rating: ★★★☆☆ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. The Art of Escaping was a very promising release from the start. While I can't say that I loved every...

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Review: The Chateau (The Original Sinners, #9) by Tiffany Reisz

5:17 PM

The Chateau by Tiffany Reisz | ★★★★☆ (4.5) As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Does anyone else have that compulsive need to get their hands on literally everything that Tiffany Reisz has ever, and will ever,...

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genre: dystopian

Review: Whisper by Lynette Noni

4:59 PM

Whisper by Lynette Noni | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5) As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. To be honest, I did a Very Bad Literature Lover Thing when I requested Whisper. I, wait for it, didn't read the synopsis...

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Review: It Ends with Her by Brianna Labuskes

4:39 PM

It Ends with Her by Brianna Labuskes | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5) As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. While it wasn't my favourite release of the year and it had...

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Review: The Good Twin by Marti Green

4:21 PM

The Good Twin by Marti Green | Rating: ★★☆☆☆ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy The Good Twin by Marti Green even a little bit. Or rather, that I didn't enjoy...

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Review: Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire

4:02 PM

Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire | ★★☆☆☆ As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Part of me truly expected to love this for nostalgic reasons. That sounds a bit odd considering the contents of Here Kitty Kitty...

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Glass Girl. Makes Readers Feel Less Alone as Jessyca Thibault Takes Them on a Journey (Review: Glass Girl. by Jessyca Thibault)

9:27 PM

Glass Girl. by Jessyca Thibault | Rating: ★★★★★ "Depression is like a fog / No one can see what you're really going through / When you're inside it / And you can't find the end." This was just beautiful. Breathtakingly so. So purely honest. I positively adored Glass Girl., but that will come as no surprise to any of you, right? You already...

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Review: The Balles by Dhonielle Clayton

8:49 PM

The Belles (The Belles, #1) by Dhonielle Clayton | ★★★★☆ (4.5) “Dreams remind us of who we are and how we feel about the things around us.” The Belles was one of my most anticipated YA releases of 2018 and with good reason: it sounded unlike anything I've ever read in the genre. And, through the years, I've read a lot of YA--so...

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Review: Light Filters In by Caroline Kaufman

8:20 PM

Light Filters In by Caroline Kaufman | Rating: ★★★★★ “It's okay if some things are always out of reach. If you could carry all the stars in the palm of your hand, they wouldn't be half as breathtaking” This is one of the most promising debuts in modern poetry. Light Filters In showcases a wise, and still vulnerable and young, prose. Kaufman's honesty...

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Top Ten Tuesday (#14): Books With Red, White and Blue Covers

6:38 PM

I'm back, I'm back, I'm back! For those of you who haven't caught on, I've been M.I.A. and sick the last two weeks--miserable, given that it was hot--so I missed at least one Top Ten Tuesday. While I'd normally pick up where I left off and do last week's theme, I felt like I already did something similar a few weeks back. For...

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Cover Reveal: Wrecked by Shana Vanterpool

8:00 AM

And, it's finally here! Get ready for (and to be) Wrecked, the first installment of Shana Vanterpool's Charming Knights, by checking out your exclusive first look at the official cover-art. ...

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Review: I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

1:00 AM

I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara | Rating: ★★★★★ “I love reading true crime, but I’ve always been aware of the fact that, as a reader, I am actively choosing to be a consumer of someone else’s tragedy. So like any responsible consumer, I try to be careful in the choices I make. I read only the best: writers who...

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Review: You by Caroline Kepnes

12:11 AM

You by Caroline Kepnes | Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5) “And I will never again underestimate the power of anticipation. There is no better boost in the present than an invitation into the future.” Caroline Kepnes' You is the type of novel best consumed on a stormy night, wine in hand, lights dimmed and nothing else. You is so compellingly unsettling, you find yourself startled...

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Welcome, Welcome

BOOKED J was created by a group of friends who wanted nothing more than to discuss literature with the world. In the time since, Booked J has gone through a number of changes in name and content.

Presently run by Jessica, a freelance writer, singer, Goodreads Librarian and avid reader, Booked J is--somehow--still going strong. With several years of book blogging under her belt, and a desire to work with the literary community in making it more diverse, she is always open to collaborations.

You can always find Jessica obnoxiously singing show-tunes into her morning coffee. When not reading or researching true crime, she is likely running around outside with her dogs and generally making a fool of herself.

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