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Alpha-Books, Week 12

Happy Friday, lovely Book Nerds! Here we are in the month of July, at last, but though the fireworks may be over, we still have some colorful content for you to enjoy. This week, we continue on through an a-z tour of our bookshelves, with a little segment we like to call “Alpha-Books”.

Were brought to you by the letter F today, and were very happy to say that we have some very heavy hitters for you this time around. Are you ready to meet them? Then I say let`s get to it!

(*Please Note: Content Warnings cannot properly be provided for these titles, as I did not have time to thoroughly review the material beforehand. As such, please proceed under the assumption that reader discretion is advised, if you plan to read either of them for yourself*)

Book #1: “Frankenstein”, by Mary Shelley – In this time-honored and seminal work of horror and sci-fi, an enterprising young Doctorate student named Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with finding a way to thwart death itself. In the midst of his dogged pursuit, he creates life, in the form of a being he built out of stolen body parts. In his desire to play God, however, he finds that he has gotten much too far over his head. Frankenstein must reckon with the reality of what he has brought into the world, and his creation must likewise reckon with being brought into a world that tragically does not want him…

Book #2: Firestarter, by Stephen King – In this story, a young girl named Charlie possesses an incredible talent: The power to control fire with her mind. This gift was the result of secret government testing done on her parents before she was born, and now the same secret organization that created her will stop at absolutely nothing to get her back under their control. As a result, she and her Father find themselves in a desperate run for their lives, before they lose an incredibly deadly game of cat-and-mouse. For fans of the incredible and beloved series Stranger Things, the fingerprints of this early Stephen King work can be found all over it! (Fun Fact: The later movie adaptation of this book also marks a very early film appearance, for a very young Drew Barrymore as Charlie!)

…With that folks, we conclude this leg of our alphabetical journey for today. Dont worry, though; We`ll be back again in just two weeks, with moreAlpha-Books!

See you then!

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Book Report: “The Girl From Everywhere”, by Heidi Hellig

Welcome aboard, Book Nerd Crew, and Happy Friday! The week is almost over, and the month of July is almost here, so it`s time to bring you one last edition of our Book Report feature before June closes. We`ll be making a splash with the time travel adventure “The Girl From Everywhere”, by Heidi Hellig, so what do you say?

Let`s set our course, and get going!

What Its About: Nix and her Father, Slate, have lived a life full of adventure. With the help of a good map and their trusty ship, they can sail absolutely anywhere in time, and beyond. When entire worlds are at your fingertips, the sky is the limit, yet for Slate, he only has one mission: To find a map that will help him save his late beloved wife. The only problem with this, however, is that if Slate succeeds, Nix will cease to exist altogether, leading her to wonder about what she wants for her future…

What I Expected:  Treasure Island, with plenty of time travel shenanigans mixed in.

What I Got:  An atmospheric, pulse-pounding Pirate adventure, mixed with the whimsy and heart of Doctor Who.

What I Loved: Ive always had a bit of a weakness for a good time travel story. I love the ethical quandaries that arise from being able to go back and change history, for better and worse. The thing about this book, however, is that it tackles the mechanics of time travel in a way that is completely fresh and unique. I mean, who wouldnt love to be able to hop onto a beautiful wooden ship, and instantly go anywhere you can possibly imagine? I also absolutely love a good Pirate story, and this book gives a whole new take on Pirates too when you mix it in with the time travel angle. This mixture of elements makes for a perfect cinematic blockbuster read for summer!

What To Watch Out For When Reading: References to drug use, Animal Endangerment, Racism and Racist Language, Colonialism, Brief nudity, Severe bodily trauma

Check It Out If You Enjoy: Our Flag Means Death, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Treasure Planet, “Treasure Island”, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Doctor Who

That completes our Book Report for now folks, but dont worry; We`ll be returning soon, to share more great reads with you! See you then!

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Alpha-Books, Week 11

Happy Summer, dear Book Nerds (Or for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, Happy Winter)! Things are really starting to heat up here at The Book Nerd Diaries, so I think we should get into some cool reads, with another round of a little feature we like to call Alpha-Books. Here, we take you on an A-Z tour of our bookshelf, one title at a time.

For the month of June, we`ve made it to the letter E, so what do you say? Let`s go and meet our books for this week!

Book #1: “Even More Scary Stories For Sleep-Overs”, by Q.L Pearce – For kids and kids at heart alike who love all things that go bump in the night, this middle-grade short story horror anthology is sure to give you chills! From Hungry Ghosts to a Haunted Summer Camp, To a Cursed Flute, and more, you never know what kind of scares may await you just around the corner…

Book #2: “The Eyes Of The Dragon”, by Stephen King – Weve covered a fair number of Stephen King's works recently, and with good reason. Few authors have contributed more to the modern landscape of horror, and contemporary American literature in general, than King has, for very good reason. Despite being a master of fright, however, "The Eyes Of The Dragon" marks a rare turn into the world of classical high fantasy. Here you`ll find all the magic and gritty courtly intrigue your heart could desire, as we follow a Prince who has been falsely imprisoned by an evil wizard for the murder of his Father, as he fights to escape and clear his name…

(*Please Note: Content Warnings cannot properly be provided for these titles, as I have not read either of these books for myself at all, or for quite some time. As such, please proceed under the assumption that reader discretion is advised, if you plan to read either of them for yourself*)

That concludes our little literary journey, for now, all, but fear not; We`ll be right back here before you know it, with more Alpha-Books!

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Book Report: “White As Frost”, by Anthea Sharp

Welcome to another Friday, dear Book Nerds! Before the weekend arrives, its time to dive once again into the world of another great read. For fans of fairytales out there, we have a treat for you this time around, as we talk about the Snow White remix "White As Frost", by Anthea Sharp! Were headed into the dark forest now, but don`t worry; As long as we stay on the path, everything should be just fine..

Ready? Then I say we get to it!

What Its About: After her Mother marries the lord of the distant kingdom of Raine, a young girl named Rosaline has a hard time adjusting to her new palace life. More difficult than anything, however, is learning how to coexist with her brand-new stepsister, Neeve. It appears that Neeve simply wants absolutely nothing to do with Rosaline at all, which ultimately makes her feel even more alone than ever before. The more time goes by, however, it turns out that the seemingly dull world she`s been thrust into then meets the eye, and that she has a bigger part to play in it than she could have ever imagined…

What I Expected:  A unique and gritty retelling of two classic fairytales: “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, and “Snow White and Rose Red”

What I Got:  A cleverly told, high-fantasy mystery that stands all on its own

What I Loved: Though there are plenty of callbacks to the fairytales this book is based on, this book does well in not simply relying on being a one-to-one adaptation. It is built within its own unique world, with its own lore and rules, which I deeply appreciate. I also love that, while there are elements of romance, the narrative largely focuses on the complicated family dynamic between stepsisters Neeve and Rosaline. They do not understand or trust each other at all when Rosaline first moves in, as they come from two completely different worlds. When you live in an isolated kingdom with no one else your age to interact with, however, they cant help but reluctantly need each other. Their dynamic is messy, just like between any siblings, yet they may find that they`re not quite so different as they first thought

What To Watch Out For When Reading : Religious trauma and persecution, Death by burning, Drowning, Animal Death, Eye Trauma

Check It Out If You Enjoy: Grimm, “Once Upon A Time”, “Cinder”, by Marissa Meyer, Grimm`s Fairy Tales

That completes our Book Report for now folks, but dont worry; We`ll be returning soon, to share more great reads with you! See you then!

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Alpha-Books, Week 10

Happy Friday, dear Book Nerds, and Happy June!

Summer is just around the corner, and one half of the year is now behind us, which means its now time to head back to our bookshelves, for another round of Alpha-Books. In this feature, we take you on an A-Z journey though our vast book collection, and for the month of June,we`re brought to you by the letter E!

Without further ado then all, what do you say? Let`s take a look at this week`s books!

Book #1: “The Exorcist”, by William Peter Blatty – Any horror fan, or movie fan in general, is more than likely to recognize the title of this book instantly. Spawning arguably one of the most beloved classic works of horror cinema in history, this novel follows an Exorcist, who joins a Psychiatrist/Priest at the bedside of an ailing young girl named Reagan. Reagan`s declining health and severe change in personality are unable to be touched my traditional medicine, pointing to something far darker and more perilous at play, as they become locked in a fight for her very soul…

Book #2: “Echoes Among The Stones”, by Jaime Jo Wright – In this thriller, we find ourselves switching between the stories of two different women : Firstly, we meet Aggie Dunkirk, who moves back to Wisconsin after the sudden brutal end of her career, and finds herself drawn into her Grandmother`s fascination with an local cold case from 1946. Secondly, we follow Imogene Grayson, whose sister was the tragic victim of said cold case, turning her whole world upside down. In two different decades, are for two different reasons, the two women are determined to find justice for a girl whose life was cut far too short

Book #3: “The Elfstones Of Shannara”, by Terry Brooks – Marking the second book of Terry Brooks` series "The Shannara Chronicles", this high fantasy epic follows a young elf named Wil`s desperate quest to save his world, and restore the dying tree that holds the magic of his people…

(*Disclaimer: I have not personally read these titles yet, or have not read them in a very long time; As such, I am unable to provide appropriate content warnings for them. If you decide to pick up any of these books for yourself, please proceed with the assumption that reader discretion is advised*)

With that, dear folks, we have made it to the end of this part of our tour; We hope you loved it as much as we did! Take care, and we`ll see you right back here in two weeks for more Alpha-Books!

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Happy Monday, All!

This Friday, June 9th, we`ll be bringing you another edition of our Alpha-Books feature, over at bndpod.wordpress.com.

We`d love it if you`d join us, as we continue an A-Z journey through our bookshelves!

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