Lively Libations aka My Review of Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Feelings after reading - pumped up and thirsty (gotta try some of the drinks that were mentioned. :) )

This book was one wild ride. I adore the whole magic system that’s in play here. Cocktails for magic and a surprising other drink that heals makes for a truly fun read.

All the drink recipes and history are great additions that make the book shine too.

Bailey and the other characters are well done and have great chemistry. My favorite characters (besides the awesome Bailey) have to be Vincent and Bucket. I like that these characters definitely aren’t perfect but find their way as they go along.

Also great is the surprising big bad and just how far they will go to get what they want.

Overall, fighting evil with booze leads to plenty of surprises/twists/and a surprising amount of heart.

Review - Iron Man: The Gauntlet

Iron Man: The Gauntlet by Eoin Colfer

* Read via NetGalley for review

4 out of 5 gnomes

This book is so much fun. It would make a really great cartoon or movie. Everything is really easy to visualize especially if you’ve seen any of the Iron Man movies. The author really gets this character and makes you care for/curious about each new character you meet.

I like this author’s writing style, I don’t know how to phrase it really but it all reads really comic book like and makes the story come to life more. The tone and changing viewpoints just let the story fly by.

I don’t want to spoil anything but let’s just say the conflict was very surprising. Plus it was really an intense read. There was plenty of humor and snarkiness to go along with the action too.

The ending was a nice twist and I love how it tied back to the beginning of the story.

Review - Drag Teen

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

5/5 gnomes

Oh, this book was excellent. This story is both fierce and fun.

I was drawn to this story because I also love Rupaul's Drag race, now that is one heck of an entertaining show. I discovered it on Netflix and have been watching every season since then.

This book is interesting because it combines drag, a road trip, and lots of crazy shenanigans along the way. JT's journey is angsty of course but his insecurities feel very real.

I love his boyfriend Seth even if he is more than a tad too positive at times. Also his best friend Heather rings pretty darn true too.

The road trip was both insightful and also full of great characters. It tested all of their relationships and they are now a lot more interesting for it.

The Drag Pageant itself was a blast to read about too. The ending was great and I really can't wait to see what this author writes next.

Review - Ungifted

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

3 out of 5 gnomes

This book was a lot of fun. I picked up this book because it reminded me of that Simpsons episode where Bart gets sent to the genius school.

Donovan is definitely a troublemaker and you really can’t blame him for wanting to hide out after doing what he did.

The story is a little predictable but it's still a fast and fun read.

I like the multiple perspectives because it lets you see all the sides of the story.

The whole robotics team angle was great and I loved what Donovan's normal kid realness brought to the school.

The ending was pretty pitch perfect too.

Review - A Week of Mondays

A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

* Read via NetGalley for review

3 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Ellison has a very bad Monday and then some Groundhog Day-esque shenanigans ensue (aka she starts reliving the same day over and over.)

I will always be a sap for this kind of story because Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies. Each Monday redone is pretty entertaining and shows a great progression of just how much can go wrong.

I think she’s just a tad slow to pick up on things and doesn’t learn the inevitable lesson of the story as fast as she should have. Though I guess that makes her normal or relatable because everybody know that it’s easy to make mistakes no matter how old you are.

I kind of wish the sixth Monday had been the last one because she’s so bold and funny that day but I guess it wasn’t quite as perfect as the last Monday.

Overall a fun read that shows that you really should be careful what you wish for.

Review - How to Lose a Bachelor

How to Lose a Bachelor by Anna Banks

4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes

This book was a lot of fun. I don’t normally watch Bachelor type shows but the whole concept/structure in a book is a lot of fun. I really liked the humor in the story and how relatable all of the characters are.

Rochelle and Grant have some crazy chemistry and I love how far she took the whole revenge bits. I like that you slowly learn their history and get both sides of the story. Dual perspective shows you how crazy the whole situation is.

It has a great behind the scenes aspect to it all that makes for a quick and fun read. There’s plenty of manipulation on both sides and you’ll wonder what’s going to happen next. Plus though you pretty much know how it’s going to end, it’s a heck of an entertaining ride getting there.

Short Reviews for Short Stories: Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories Edited by Stephanie Perkins

* Read via NetGalley

Overall this book is a very fun read with just a few meh stories. The whole collection though is well worth reading and will make you fall in love with a myriad of intriguing characters. There are some great surprises included throughout and I really do hope to read about some of these characters again in future stories.

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Head, Scales, Tongue, Tail  by Leigh Bardugo

4 out of 5 gnomes

A love story that all starts with a potential monster sighting = awesome. This story went in a surprising direction. The writing really makes it feel like you’re there.

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The End of Love by Nina LaCour

Pretty good, liked the love connection here but the parental drama was a bit blah/after school special-ish.

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Last Stand at the Cinegore by Libba Bray

This is such a fun story. A look at a very non run of the mill kind of first date. This would make a tremendous movie. I love the horror/humor.

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Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block

What did I just read...This one has the weirdest writing style. Don’t like how each person only has a one letter name.

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In Ninety Minutes Turn North by Stephanie Perkins

Perkins is a master of making you care about characters. I like how she continued their story from the last short story collection. These two finding their way back to each other was great.

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Souvenirs by Tim Federle

5/5

I really like this story. Matty and Kieth seem like a mismatched pair. I like that it's a love story about a breakup. You can tell that Matty will really grow from this experience.

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Inertia by Veronica Roth

Dang, even if I hated Roth's last book with a firey passion I can definitely admit that she can truly write some intense characters. This felt like such an indepth world and story. I'm really curious about this world and characters that she's created.

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Love is the Last Resort by Jon Skovron

This story was a lot of fun. I love the wordiness/attitude of it all. Reads kind of like a really great farce/play.

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Good Luck and Farewell by Brandy Colbert

This is another story where you can really feel the character's emotions. Takes a look at the magnitude of feelings you have when people leave.

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Brand New Attraction by Cassandra Clare

5/5 gnomes

This story was awesome. I'd love to read a whole book/series about these characters. The whole dark carnival world is fascinating.

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A Thousand Ways This Could All Go Wrong by Jennifer E. Smith

Nice story, I like how it gives you a glimpse into autism and what that could mean for a love story. Even though the main character seemed a wee bit slow on the uptake on figuring out why the guy she likes is different.

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The Map of Tiny Perfect Things by Lev Grossman

Wow, such a good story. One that will give you all the feelings and really make you think. This one's my favorite because it does so much with so few words. It’s also great to think of all those perfect little moments each day that you might not even usually notice.

Pirate Pizzazz

Deadweather and Sunrise: The Chronicles of Egg by Geoff Rodkey

* Book received from the publisher for review

 4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book is full of piratey goodness.  It has murder, mayhem, and mystery which makes for an intense yet funny read.  

I just love the tone of this book, there is a real wry sense of humor throughout.  It is a middle grade book but it can definitely be accessible/enjoyable to anyone.  Things always look a bit grim for Egg since his family doesn’t really seem to like him much, he has an antagonistic relationship with his siblings and father.  He’s kind of the scapegoat of the family.  His family does treat him horrible but some of their interactions are pretty darn funny too.  Things change forever though when his dad starts acting weird and then wants to take them all on an unexpected trip to Sunrise Island.  

All the islands in this book seem like real characters too.  Deadweather, Egg’s home, is not the most picturesque place and happens to be full of pirates.  His father runs an ugly fruit plantation and is working all the time.  Everything on the island is kind of rotten and there’s an actual volcano that nobody has bothered to name.  Though the weather is uncomfortable and his family isn’t very loving, this is still Egg’s home and he doesn’t plan to give that up easily.

Sunrise seems like a utopia compared to Egg’s home but you do get the feeling that everything might not be as great as it seems.  At first Egg forgets all his troubles and just goes along for the ride.  Then things get rather complicated.  

Egg and Millicent are a very intriguing pair.  She is by far the outspoken alpha in their friendship.  Millicent is a fierce person and doesn’t take guff from anyone.  She loves to talk, is quick witted, and has some interesting views on the world.

The pirates are the other stars of this novel.  They are indeed a cast of colorful characters.  The house pirate Quint and Burn Healy are my favorite pirates of the lot.  They show the wide spectrum of pirates in the story from the one’s that are on Egg’s sides all the way to the scariest pirates that he meets.  

Egg goes on a crazy journey, makes some friends, and really grows as the book progresses.  I love the solution at the end and can’t wait to see what happens on Egg’s next adventure.