Lost in a Good Book

The Librarians and the Pot of Gold (#3) by Greg Cox

02 May 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook Tags: four stars, greg cox, The Librarians, therese plummer, urban fantasy

Published: 30 October 2018 (print)/30 October 2018 (audio)
Publisher: Tor Books/Macmillan Audio
Pages: 336/8 hrs and 57 mins
Narrator: Therese Plummer
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Urban Fantasy
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

For millennia, the Librarians have secretly protected the world by keeping watch over dangerous magical relics. Cataloging and safeguarding everything from Excalibur to Pandora’s Box, they stand between humanity and those who would use the relics for evil.

There is truth to every story…

Hundreds of years ago, the fate of the world rested upon the shoulders of a clever priest and a clever librarian. On the day the pair drove the remnants of the Serpent Brotherhood from Ireland’s shore—that is, until the grave of an ancient sorceress is dug up and her remains removed.

Now, Baird and her team of plucky Librarians find themselves on a collision course with their long-time foes as they race to find a leprechaun’s lost gold to prevent the Brotherhood’s dark design from coming to fruition.

The point of The Librarians is to bring history into play with myths and legends, showing you how there was a truth to old stories. Cox builds on this incredibly well through the novels because while written simply, it’s easy to see the story play out in front of you. Things take time, people don’t make connections right away, there’s still a lot of realism involved.

Cox makes sure enough information is included that if you don’t know anything about the movies, the television show, or the other books you still understand the situation regarding the Library and everything it includes. I loved that Cox captures the voice of the characters so well, if you do know the television show it’s easy to hear each character speak and nothing they do it out of their presented character. This only adds to the great feel of the book because it’s like an extra episode of the show.

This time there’s truth in the term luck of the Irish and I really loved this story about honour and doing what’s right. As well as having a trip through famous landmarks to uncover “real history” and secrets that have been hidden for centuries.

I loved the mix of missions, how one often plays into another. Even when they don’t it is a great example of how a Librarian’s job is never done and there’s always something else that needs rectifying.

There are great moments of surprise as well as rewards for picking up on clues and hints before big reveals and I liked that through the whole thing it felt real. As real as it could when magic and leprechauns are involved.

You can purchase The Librarians and the Pot of Gold via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

26 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Junior Fiction, LGBTQIA Tags: four stars, junior fiction, lgbt, LGBTQIA, rebecca stead

Published: 7 April 2020
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

After her parents’ divorce, Bea’s life became different in many ways. But she can always look back at the list she keeps in her green notebook to remember the things that will stay the same. The first and most important: Mom and Dad will always love Bea, and each other.

When Dad tells Bea that he and his boyfriend, Jesse, are getting married, Bea is thrilled. Bea loves Jesse, and when he and Dad get married, she’ll finally (finally!) have what she’s always wanted–a sister. Even though she’s never met Jesse’s daughter, Sonia, Bea is sure that they’ll be “just like sisters anywhere.”

As the wedding day approaches, Bea will learn that making a new family brings questions, surprises, and joy.

This is a great story that shows family is whoever you want it to be as well as understanding that the list of things that will not change may not always be for the better while sometimes the things that do change are not so bad. Through a lot of different events and time we see Bea’s past and present as she tells us about her friends, her family and how she is guided by the list her parents made her when they divorced.

It’s weird to say this is a wholesome story because there are bad things in here like bullying and homophobia, but Stead tells the story through the characters and each one is full of depth and complexity which feels real and human and I was surprised how deep this story felt.

Bea is a great character because she is complicated, flawed, loving, and her own person. I liked Bea’s passion and her enthusiasm and it was wonderful to see a kid being able to express themselves, even in bad ways, because it is a great example of how kids need to be taught about emotional control and everything is still a steep learning curve for them.

Stead does a great job balancing the story of Bea, her parents, as well as hinting at other family issues and things that happened in the past. The bookend story about her dad and corn is so well done and I thought I was going to be disappointed but Stead makes it work and most of the time you forget there is a reason you’re being told this story about love and family and growing up.

There are secrets, mysteries, and big changes all bundled together and while on the surface this looks like a simple story it’s packed full of so many things that show how messy life can be. Bea’s voice is so innocent and yet understanding it’s a fantastic read for any age.

You can purchase The List of Things That Will Not Change via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Pretty in Punxsutawney by Laurie Boyle Crompton

18 Apr 2023 1 Comment

by Amy in General Tags: Audiobook, four stars, laurie boyle crompton, maddison lawrence

Published: 29 October 2019 (print)/29 Oct 2019 (audio)
Publisher: Blink/Blink Audio
Pages: 304/6 hrs and 51 mins
Narrator: Maddison Lawrence
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

A Groundhog Day meets Pretty in Pink mashup that tells the tale of a shy, introverted high school girl who must relive the first day of school over and over again until her first kiss can break the curse … she hopes.

Andie is the type of girl who always comes up with the perfect thing to say … after it’s too late to say it. She’s addicted to romance movies–okay, all movies–but has yet to experience her first kiss. After a move to Punxsutawney, PA, for her senior year, she gets caught in an endless loop of her first day at her new school, reliving those 24 hours again and again.

Convinced the curse will be broken when she meets her true love, Andie embarks on a mission: infiltrating the various cliques–from the jocks to the nerds to the misfits–to find the one boy who can break the spell. What she discovers along the way is that people who seem completely different can often share the very same hopes, dreams, and hang-ups. And that even a day that has been lived over and over can be filled with unexpected connections and plenty of happy endings.

I love time loops stories and seeing them executed well is always satisfying. I enjoyed the different approach Boyle Crompton has taken with this novel. The 80s teen movies, the character motivation, and the exploration of the expected high school life versus the real experience is a great change from what I’m used to in American stories.

Andie is a great character; she is flawed but hopeful, and you can tell she has a good heart despite her misgivings. There is a wonderful message of being herself instead of who anyone else wants her to be or who she thinks she should be which is encouraging and her use of the time loop was interesting and unique.

Books and movies set in the USA always focus on cliques and group teens together into stereotypes like goths, cheerleaders, footballers etc which never happens in Australian books or in real life. But what Boyle Crompton tries to do is break down the barriers and shows the characters, and the readers, that those old stereotypes – like those from the 80s movies – aren’t always the real story.

With all the references to the old films there is a sense of Andie trying to be her own main character and get the movie romance and high school experience she is after. I enjoyed the different groups she infiltrates and Boyle Crompton isn’t shy of having Andie do loop after loop as she learns her lessons.

Seeing Andie grow is wonderful, especially when that initial growth doesn’t break the spell so there’s plenty more self-improvement to come. Time loops don’t always have to have a completely morally inept character, and Andie isn’t a bad person, but her misguidedness makes her blind and selfish and it’s always great seeing characters change for the better and make those around them better in the process.

The ending is sweet and hopeful, the story full of important lessons and realisations that make it a great book for any teen. The fact Andie is starting a new school and goes in this hard and strong is an interesting approach, especially since every day could be her last day in the loop but I think Boyle Crompton’s attention is focused more on making Andie a better person, widen her understanding of the world around her and gain some perspective rather than dealing with the consequences of what happens after the loop is over. It’s a classic 80s coming of age movie in book for with its own unique charm.

You can purchase Pretty in Punxsutawney via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley

12 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: anna whateley, aussie books, four stars, neurodivergent, young adult

Published: 28th April 2020
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pages: 248
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

At sixteen, neurodivergent Peta Lyre is the success story of social training. That is, until she finds herself on a school ski trip – and falling in love with the new girl. Peta will need to decide which rules to keep, and which rules to break…

‘I’m Peta Lyre,’ I mumble. Look people in the eye if you can, at least when you greet them. I try, but it’s hard when she is smiling so big, and leaning in.

Peta Lyre is far from typical. The world she lives in isn’t designed for the way her mind works, but when she follows her therapist’s rules for ‘normal’ behaviour, she can almost fit in without attracting attention.

When a new girl, Sam, starts at school, Peta’s carefully structured routines start to crack. But on the school ski trip, with romance blooming and a newfound confidence, she starts to wonder if maybe she can have a normal life after all.

When things fall apart, Peta must decide whether all the old rules still matter. Does she want a life less ordinary, or should she keep her rating normal?

This is a fantastic book that gets into the mind of a neurodivergent teen and helps you understand how messy and complicated things can be and how everyday things can become incredibly complicated when you’re trying to behave like you’re “supposed” to.

Peta comes across on the page instantly and you can gauge who she is and her view on the world. Her friendships are important, she’s always trying to do the right thing and lives her life guided by the rules she has had drilled into her. Her exhaustion is evident but at the same time seeing her able to be herself and free from the rules is refreshing.

The story has a lot of sharp turns and rough edges but what I loved about that is this whole thing is being told through Peta’s eyes. She’s already told us her mind works differently so to have a story suddenly shift made sense. Logic works differently for Peta and while it can make the story take a dark or different turn it’s because situations change and life changes around Peta and she is constantly fighting to keep up. What makes sense to her won’t make sense to others but it’s always made clear just how much Peta is trying.

Whateley flips between the past and present as we see Peta’s journey and her experiences which helps us understand her and how she’s come to be where she is. I loved being inside Peta’s head because what she thinks she is doing isn’t always what others think she’s doing. Having the obvious miscommunication on the page only adds to forcing the reader to understand how the brain can interpret things differently for each person and you never know what anyone else is going through.

Seeing Peta come into her own is wonderful, finding herself and her place, as well as strengthening relationships is a great reward having seen her struggle as she recounts the issues she’s had in her past and in her present.

It’s a great achievement of Whateley to give Peta the right voice that speaks volumes about her experiences and I really hope it’s a book that provides an insight into the life of other neurodivergent people.

You can purchase Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal via the following

QBD | Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust

Midnight, Repeated by Dani McLean

04 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, Novella Tags: alexa elmy, Audiobook, dani mclean, novella, three stars, time loop

Published: 1 November 2022 (print)/20 January 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Set the Mood Publishing/Set the Mood Publishing Audio
Pages: 131/3 hrs 26 mins
Narrator: Alexa Elmy
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Fiction
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars

She’s about to have the night of her life. Over and over again.

At twenty-five, Lauree Miller knows what she should want — a serious job, a serious boyfriend, the ability to cook a meal that doesn’t involve two types of cheese.

Who cares if it isn’t the future she had in mind for herself? It’s about time she stopped pining over her best friend’s brother, Max, anyway.

New Years Eve is a time for resolutions, and as the clock ticks closer to midnight, Lauree makes a decision – next year, she’s going to let go of the past and finally grow up.

Except when she wakes, it’s still December 31st. Then it happens again. And again. And again.

What’s a girl trapped in a time loop to do?

Will kissing the right man at midnight set her free?

I have been on a time loop kick lately and finding a time loop set outside of a teen experience was great because it allowed more adult experiences and relationships to be explored. This short story is the perfect length to time loop the same New Years Eve over and over and it was wonderful to see how Lauree can redefine who she is and what she wants with such a short story that never felt rushed.

There is definitely room to expand and give readers more history and backstory, develop the story more but at the same time a short, sharp novella about a time loop and finding the right love is satisfying as well.

McLean address common problems like being in a loop so long you never know who has been told what, or what events happened on your current day they also mix the story up so there’s a combination of repeated moments to satisfy the loop element and you can see the changes, while also including new experiences to shift the story off course into a new line.

I liked that the way Lauree changes herself is inward and she doesn’t need to right too much of the world around her. The steps she takes to improve herself are small but impactful and despite being stuck in the loop for months on end she never falls into too much despair, which, while weird, isn’t always possibly on such a tight turn around.

Getting out of her loop is rewarding for readers, but at the same time I felt it could have ended sooner. This is part of a Movie Magic series so there obviously has to be goals met, but I felt like the real ending was a step too many to break the spell. Personally it could easily have broken sooner but I think that’s easily personal preference.

You can purchase Midnight, Repeated via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Wordery | Angus and Robinson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible