Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Posting on a Sunday again! Lots to share this week in terms of movie/television trailers.

BOOK

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks (goodreads)

The Royal We is one of my favourite reads. I immediately wanted a sequel or companion novel upon finishing and was thrilled when it was finally announced that there would be a sequel! I hope Freddie has a much larger focus in this sequel but I am also looking forward to reading all about what Nick and Bex are up to.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Rebecca Serle recently announced her next book and I need it immediately. It is not up on Goodreads yet but you can read all the details over at Deadline.

S&S Imprint Atria Lands U.S. Pub Rights To Rebecca Serle Novel ‘In Five Years’ https://t.co/In77GBtQhQ pic.twitter.com/IkRi7C0cEY

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) March 30, 2019

I cannot wait to learn more about this book (like a release date). I am even more excited that Rebecca is continuing to write adult books because I loved The Dinner List so much.

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments.

The Umbrella Academy: Volume 2 by Gerard Way

The Umbrella Academy: Volume 2 by Gerard Way, Gabriel Bá, and James Jean
Release Date - September 16, 2009
Publisher Website - Dark Horse Comics

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  192 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**borrowed from library**

** Spoilers For Volume One ** 

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The team is despondent following the near apocalypse created by one of their own and the death of their beloved mentor Pogo. So it's a great time for another catastrophic event to rouse the team into action. Trouble is - each member of the team is distracted by some very real problems of their own. The White Violin is bedridden due to an unfortunate blow to the head. Rumor has lost her voice - the source of her power. Spaceboy has eaten himself into a near-catatonic state, while Number Five dives into some shady dealings at the dog track and the Kraken starts looking at his littlest brother as the key to unraveling a mysterious series of massacres… all leading to a blood-drenched face-off with maniacal assassins, and a plot to kill JFK

I was eager to dive into the second volume of The Umbrella Academy after thoroughly enjoying the first one and devouring the Netflix television show. Sadly, some of the things I loved about the first volume felt missing in this follow up. I wanted more character stuff and instead got a plot heavy story that didn't quite connect with me in the same way.

The art of Gabriel Ba, once again. captures the imagination. It is bright, vivid, and done in way that matches the comedic and violent elements of the story Gerard Way has written. They work together with the art enriching the story. The panels scream out for you to linger and examine them and is one of the highlights of this volume.

Vayna had something really traumatic happen to her at the end of the first volume. I anticipated and looked forward to that being dealt with or addressed in some way. Sadly, Vanya gets very little mention in this installment. We don't deal with the fallout of what she did to Rumor or what was done to Vanya. It felt like a lost opportunity to deepen the relationship between the characters and a major plot point that was just left hanging without any real payoff (at least in this installment).

Luthor (Spaceboy)'s plot is mainly used to highlight how awful he feels and for some laughs. Klaus (Seance) gets some more to do but it doesn't quite feel fleshed out enough. Number Five gets a large part of the story arc and it really works when focusing on those parts. The plot involving the assassination of John F. Kennedy is, I felt, the strongest part of this story arc. I just wish the plot had given us some character moments. I didn't feel the sibling connection the way I did in the first one and I missed it. A large part of what I love about this comic is the Hargreeves siblings and I want to see them interact and have conversations in ways that matter.

The addition of Hazel and Cha Cha was delightfully fun. I loved them as much as I did in the Netflix series. They're larger than life, vivid characters who offer comic relief and the type of antagonist that works for the tone of the overall story. Their sugar obsession is just one of the many things I loved about them. They're fun villains in a story that needs its villains to be as fun as its heroes.

This is a rare case where I think the adaptation has surpassed the source material. I can appreciate them both for what they are but the television show focuses on the character development instead of just running with a plot at breakneck speed. I predict many will love this comic more than I did, but while I found the plot engaging enough, I was left wanting more from the other elements of the story.

Waiting On Wednesday ... Ninth House

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

The mesmerizing adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

I am a huge fan of anything Leigh Bardugo writes and was incredibly intrigued when I heard about her first foray into adult fiction. It's about secret societies and that would have been enough for me to read it all on its own. They, however, also released this amazing synopsis and incredible cover and now I am fully obsessed. It sounds amazing and I am going to impatiently be waiting for October when I can get my hands on this one.

It's basically a perfect spooky season read and I cannot wait to pair this with a pumpkin spice chai latte and a cozy blanket.

Expected release date - October 1, 2019

Daisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones And The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Release Date - March 5, 2019
Publisher Website - Penguin RandomHouse  

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  368 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice. 

Daisy Jones and the Six is the type of book you devour in one sitting. It's a beautifully written book that will make your heart ache. It packs the same lyrical beauty and intensity that a song does. It is so vividly written, and packed with so much emotion that it will leave you breathless.

Daisy Jones is the type of character that is unforgettable. She easily steals a little piece of your heart. Her wild flower child vibe, sense of self worth, and drive make her one of the most interesting characters I've encountered. The book tells you that everyone fell a little in love with Daisy and the reader instantly is able to discern why.  One of Reid's talents is crafting characters and that is on full display with Daisy.

Billy Dunne is another character who sees to leap off the page. All of the members of The Six feel incredibly developed but I felt that Billy (and Daisy) are the ones that shine. Billy could have been a caricature of a character. He's a man who turns to his vices to deal with the stress put on him. He feels broken inside and does his best to make it match on the outside. He's a much more developed and interesting version of this character who has been done many times before. His demons are many and the portrayal of his addiction feels pitch perfect.

The creative energy that ignites when Daisy and Billy meet is electric. It is the proverbial lightening in a bottle. That spark feeds into all aspects of their relationship. It is at times antagonistic and at other times they are so in sync with one another that it hurts. It's a palpable energy that leaves the reader, and the rest of the band, feeling like they've been left in the wake of an earthquake.

The relationships between the band members are just important to the story as the one that exists between Billy and Daisy. This feels like a true ensemble piece where each of the characters adds something vital to the story being told. It is a story of the rise and fall of a band and that requires all of the members. Their dynamics are a large part of what pushes the story forward. It's more of a character driven story than a plot driven one and those characters are used to their fullest impact.

While I was reading I had to keep reminding myself that this band never actually existed. I wasn't going to be able to listen to these incredibly sounding songs no matter how badly I wished I could. Part of the power of Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing is entrancing you so fully that you believe every word that is being spun. You're captivated by this fictional band and so in love with their story that you forget over and over again that none of it is real. The choice to write this as an oral history where each of the band members tells their story adds to this as well as creating a really interesting commentary on memory. Events are remembered differently by different band members, and pieces of the story are only held by certain people. It makes for a vastly more interesting read because the truth is probably somewhere in the middle a lot of the time.

Music is such a large part of the story being told that it was necessary to have the songs feel as authentic as possible. They had to fit within the story and the reader had to be able to feel them. They're integral to the story and many of the important scenes are back dropped with the creation of one of the songs. They are woven into the plot so expertly that it only adds to the realism of the story. Reading the song lyrics at the end of the novel only deepened my appreciation for this book and Taylor Jenkins Reid's talent. So much of this book hung on her nailing those songs and she did just that.

Daisy Jones and the Six is a love letter to so many things. It's a love letter to creative passion and the way it can command your soul. It's a love letter to music and the power it has to invoke feelings from us so effortlessly. It's a love letter to love itself and its messy, complicated nature. It's a book that works itself into your very being the same way a really great song does. It is the kind of book that lingers. I won't forget Daisy Jones and the Six. I'll be thinking about their story for a long time. It is a raw, richly woven story that I cannot recommend enough.

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Posting on a Sunday again! Lots to share this week in terms of movie/television trailers.

BOOK

Cover Of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (goodreads)

Leigh Bardugo's first adult novel just had its cover reveal and it is PERFECTION! I love the dark, unsettling vibe of this cover. It matches the synopsis perfectly and manages to be eye catching.

I have a feeling that this book is going to be talked about A LOT as the release date nears/right after release as I anticipate it'll be one of those books everyone is reading.

TV / MOVIE

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Trailer

I have been curious about this one since the premise was announced and I am really intrigued to see Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate.

We finally got our first look and I am a fan of the trailer not giving much away.

It's certainly fits the teaser trailer description but its enough to keep my interest piqued.

I also love the poster that was released (at least the Margot Robbie one).

She looks great and the poster certainly gives off a 70s feel.

Stranger Things Season 3 trailer

My reaction to this was incredibly embarrassing. It's my favourite show at the moment and I was just so happy to return to Hawkins (even if briefly via this teaser).

My main thoughts after watching this were: these kids are growing into teenagers really quickly, the music is amazing, IS BILLY TRANSFORMING INTO SOMETHING?!, WHY IS WILL CRYING?!, Steve and Dustin are still adorable, and I am entirely not okay with Steve getting injected with something! I loved our first look at the mayor (played by Cary Elwes) as well. Happy Fourth of July, indeed. I'll be binging this along with almost everyone else.

Lucy In The Sky Trailer

The true story that this is loosely based off of is one I am only sort of familiar with and the trailer doesn't hint too much at it so I am not going to spoil it, but it has the potential to be REALLY good.

Natalie Portman looks great in this. I sort of expect her to be in the conversation around awards season just based on the trailer alone. The movie is scheduled for a fall 2019 release which puts it in a good spot to gain some awards consideration.

What are you obsessed with this week? Let me know in the comments.

Top Ten Books I Hope Are At Book Expo

It is the time of year when I start getting really excited about Book Expo and begin speculating what books might be highlighted at this year's event. I pretty much annoy everyone with how excited I am and how impatient I am for the schedule. I like to plan and plan ridiculously early.

To help deal with this restless time between having signed up and having a schedule to plan my days I decided to do a blog post sharing which titles I hope are there. A list of the titles I am most excited to hear more about and cannot wait to read.

These titles may not end up being featured but I hope it at least helps grow your reading pile.

1. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo's work. I've loved all of her previous books and always look forward to whatever she is writing next. Her next work involves secret societies which I think is a perfect fit for her writing style. Ninth House is probably the book I most hope will be at Book Expo. 

2. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

This book was referred to as a 'feminist Lolita' when it was first announced which immediately piqued my interest. It was just recently named one of the Book Expo Buzz Books selections (which means it will definitely be at Book Expo this year) which has only increased my interest. I have a feeling everyone will be talking about this one upon its release.

3. American Royals by Katharine McGee

Books about royalty are always high on my list. Katharine McGee's newest about an alternate history where America created a royal family when they won the Revolutionary War. It sounds incredible and like a perfect book club read.

4. The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Those of you who, like me, have been dying for vampires to make a come back will want to check out this next book from Renée Ahdieh . It's set in New Orleans, features a murder mystery, and also happens to have a historical setting. It's basically perfect and I hope to be able to read it after getting a copy at Book Expo.

5. Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi

A book with a main character who sounds a little like Britney Spears is going to catch my attention. It also happens to sound like a great contemporary young adult read that has a fun romance at its core.

6. Into The Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

This is teased as a gangster fantasy and I immediately think Peaky Blinders with magic. That alone is enough to make me eager to get my hands on this one. Combine that with the fact that I really enjoyed Alexandra Christo's previous book and it is easily becomes one of the books I am most hoping is at Book Expo.


7. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

I was surprised with how much I loved Carry On and could not wait to return to this world. I, like many others, was thrilled when Rainbow Rowell announced  a sequel. I would love to get my hands on it at this year's convention. 

8. Twice In A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

My love of Christina Lauren books is well known so when I discovered that they have a new one releasing in the fall of 2019 I instantly thought of Book Expo and hoped that it would be there.

9. Waiting For Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

This one is the least likely to be at the convention because it comes out just about two weeks later. I would love for it be there though. It is another adorable sounding romance read that sounds like it'll be a perfect summer read.

10. Neverland by Meagan Spooner

I know nothing about this book other than it is a Peter Pan retelling and it comes out in January. It is unlikely to be at Book Expo (but possible, there has been promotion for books releasing in Janurary and February before) but that doesn't stop me from  hoping it is. I love any kind of Peter Pan retelling and I cannot wait to hear more about this one.

Are any of these books on your radar? Are you going to Book Expo this year? If you are, what books are you hoping will be featured? Let me know in the comments.

Waiting On Wednesday .... Sea Witch Rising

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning

** Spoilers for Sea Witch **

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love. 

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds? 

Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption.

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning was is one of my favourite villain origin stories. It captured the heart of story it was reimagining and put a sympathetic twist on a character that had always fascinated me.

I was delighted when I heard that there would be a sequel and that it seemed to follow the events of The Little Mermaid (at least the Hans Christian Anderson version) a little more closely.  I cannot wait to see where Evie's story goes next and see her take steps to become the villain we love to hate.

Expected release date - August 6, 2019