Virtual Mount TBR Challenge 2022 discussion

I have done Mount TBR for the last 2 years, but need to split between the two climbs this next year. I want to start giving my local library more business and to allow myself to buy more used books. So, I’ll go for 12 books that way and keep working on additional books that I own in the other challenge. 😊

JANUARY

All books read this month were for the original Mount TBR.

FEBRUARY

1. 4/5
I enjoyed this short novel about Gwendy and her button box. The story was intense and creepy, yet just the right amount. There was one overly violent scene that I wasn't a fan of, but it made sense in the context of the story. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the series to see what happens next with Gwendy.

2. (ARC) 4/5
I have never read anything by author Bethany Morrow before and this book seemed intriguing. The premise is that a teenage girl named Farrah is obsessed with her best friend Cherish, but not in the way you would think. Farrah and Cherish are the only two black girls at their private school and Cherish is the adopted daughter of a white couple. Cherish is what Farrah calls "White Girl Spoiled". Farrah's family stability is crumbling and she desperately wants what Cherish has. Farrah is manipulative and cunning and will do what she needs to in order for her life to be like that of her best friend.

I knew that this novel was a psychological thriller by the description. I was expecting twists and surprises along the way. What I wasn't expecting was the switch to horror by the last third of the book. It kept building in intensity and - WOW - I did NOT see any of that coming!! The story turned creepy in a way that reminded me of the book "We Need to Do Something" by Max Booth III. The story is told completely from Farrah's point of view, so you aren't always sure what the truth is at any given time.

I really enjoyed this book! It covered the topics of adoption, racism, class warfare, and mental illness, all to varying degrees and with unique presentation. Some issues where addressed more subtly, woven into the fabric of the story, while others hit like a slap in the face.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinGroup#Dutton for an ARC of #CherishFarrah by #BethanyC.Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

3. 3/5

4. (audio ARC) 4/5
I have never read a book by Axie Oh, but the cover of this novel was so beautiful that I wanted to hear the story inside. I enjoyed this novel for many reasons. First, the characters were interesting with a mix of humans, spirits, gods, goddesses, and a slew of mythical creatures. Next, the setting sounded beautiful and intriguing. Also, the plot contained a combination of mystery and magic as Mina attempts to solve the curse of the sleeping sea god. Finally, even though it is in many ways a love story, the overarching lesson from the book is the importance of family.

I enjoyed the narrator however, having someone with a British accent made me feel somewhat of a disconnect from the story. I had a difficult time keeping track of who some of the characters were at times. Her voice was easy to listen to, I just feel a printed version of the book would have helped me to capture the story better.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC audiobook version of #TheGirlWhoFellBeneaththeSea by #AxieOh in exchange for an honest review.

MARCH

5. (ARC) 3.5/5
The cover art and book title immediately caught my attention and made me want to read this book. The premise was also intriguing. Junior is a giraffe who just wants to read his book and keeps getting disturbed by his siblings. The art work is wonderful and adds to the humor of the story. I appreciated the attention to detail, including the giraffe wearing water wings and a giraffe wearing glasses. There is a lot of “little kid humor” in the book, such as a giraffe who burps and one who farts. I can see a lot of children loving this silly book.

The only thing that I didn’t care for was the disconnect between the book description and the events of the book. The book jacket summary and cover show that the giraffe siblings are noisy because they play instruments. In the book however, Junior describes different ways that each giraffe is noisy. The flow of the book’s text was a bit choppy, but the illustrations made up for it. I would recommend this for children ages 3-7.

Thank you to #Goodreads for an ARC of #Quiet,Please! by #RussWillms in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

6. (ARC) 3/5
I have been reading Stephen King novels for years. I first picked up Gwendy’s Button Box because it sounded intriguing. I really enjoyed the short novel and the combined writing of the two authors. The second book in the series was also enjoyable, although not quite to the same level as the first. Of course, I needed to read the final book to see how it all turned out!

In Gwendy’s Final Task, Gwendy is 64 years old and is headed into space on a final mission. I had a difficult time getting vested in the story because the time jump from each book was so significant. It took awhile to care about this “new” Gwendy who was older and had experienced so much more. I also didn’t love the space aspect, although I didn’t dislike it either. Everything was written in a way that made sense to the story and the books were woven together nicely. In a way, I wish the book was longer so that the characters could have been more developed. I would have loved to have gotten to know the “Bug Man” more. Although, at the same time, since the entire novel was written from Gwendy’s perspective, it makes sense logically why the character development existed as it did. Overall, it was an enjoyable story.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #Gwendy’sFinalTask by #StephenKing and #RichardChizmar in exchange for an honest review.

7. (audio version) 5/5

8. (ARC) 3.5/5
I was drawn to this book based on the title of the story and the beautiful cover illustration. It is a simple story about a young girl who finds a magical bicycle. The bicycle becomes her friend and it stays with her through the good and bad as she grows up. I enjoyed the simplicity of the story yet wish there was more of a transition between Ellery getting older and then suddenly being married with a child. Maybe the bike could move with her to her new house and then be happy to have them all together again, before the page where the baby arrives?

The magic of the bicycle is very simple and lends to the personification of the bike. It also allows for a good classroom conversation about identifying the elements of the story that show that the bike is magic. This story could also be used in a lower elementary classroom as the lead in to a creative writing assignment. Students could write about things they would do if they had a magic bike or other magical inanimate object.

The illustrations were beautifully done and complimented the story perfectly.

Thank you to #NetGalley and to #MariaMonte for an ARC of her book #Ellery’sMagicBicycle . The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4

9. 4/5

10. (ARC) 3/5
The tension in this novel was palpable from the beginning. This book was a quick read that alternated between two of the main characters narrating the tale - Beth and Amber. Multiple characters seemed deceitful early on but the truth didn’t come out until the end.

Disappointingly, I didn’t connect to any of the characters, so I wasn’t shocked by the revelations that came to light. I did enjoy the premise of the family vacation house swap and the descriptions of the Amalfi coast and surrounding areas were very detailed. It was easy to visualize what was happening. Overall, it was a good book and I enjoyed the read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #TheFamilyHoliday by #ShaliniBoland in exchange for an honest review.

APRIL

11. (ARC) 5/5

When I read the synopsis of this novel, I was intrigued. Not because I thought it would be a fun read, but because I felt it would be an important one. As an elementary teacher, I have known many children who have suffered some kind of abuse or trauma in their childhood. Reading novels such as this helps me to understand the signs to look for and the way children may deal with their trauma.

In this novel, a 16 year old named Joel begins suffering from terrible nightmares. They keep him from getting enough sleep and he inevitably falls asleep during the school day. While asleep at his desk, he ends up having another nightmare and other students catch it on camera. Now he is being ridiculed at school, on top of having an unstable home life and the ever increasing bad dreams. All he wants to do is escape and figure out what's haunting him.

The entire novel is told from Joel's perspective. Even though you, the reader, may know what's causing Joel's nightmares, you enter on the journey with him to find out the truth. You will experience the emotions with Joel: fear, confusion, horror, loneliness, fatigue, hunger, anger, longing, happiness, sadness, and calm. Although you could read this book in one sitting, the story is heavy and you may want to take breaks to process what you've read so that you don't feel the extreme exhaustion that Joel does.

This book is beautifully written! There are some exquisite poems throughout the novel, written by the main character Joel, as he finds writing to be an outlet for his emotions. Sadly, it is clear that the author has first hand knowledge of processing childhood trauma and abuse. I believe this book will be a beacon of hope for many who need to know that they aren't alone.

I highly recommend this novel for anyone who works with children, for parents, and for those who have experienced abuse themselves and are ready to work through the trauma. 5 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley , #LiterallyPR , and #CherishEditions for a copy of #ThePackingHouse by #GDonaldCribbs I look forward to the sequel!

12. (ARC) 4/5

I enjoy reading psychological thrillers and, heard good things about this one, so of course I had to read it to see if it lived up to the hype. It did!! There were multiple twists in the novel - some that didn’t surprise me, and some that did. One thing that came out near the end I was happy about because it fit what I had guessed.

The characters were well developed and the book was fast moving. I was disappointed at first when the initial plot twist was revealed because it seemed too predictable. However, that didn’t last long as more twists kept coming. I will definitely read another book by this author!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookoutre for an ARC of #TheHousemaid by #FreidaMcFadden


*** RUM DOODLE climbed!!!*** (goal achieved)


13. 4/5

This was a quick, one day read. It kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting for what would happen next. I’d love to read more by this author.

MAY

14. (ARC) 4/5

I love psychological thrillers and this one sounded intriguing. I've read numerous books with women stuck in abusive/controlling relationships, but this is the first one where the woman arranges her own kidnapping in order to escape.

Noelle was a strong female protagonist who figured out fairly early on in her relationship with Daniel that he was controlling. She thought not only about her own safety, but the safety of those she loved, and knew she had to leave him. She realized that the only way that she could get away from Daniel without it causing problems for others was to fake her own kidnapping. However, things don't always go according to plan...

This was an intense novel with a lot of twists along the way and I enjoyed all of the turns the story took. I want to say so much more about the things I liked, but I don't want to give anything away! I'll just leave it at "I really loved the ingenuity of the main character, Noelle!" The only disappointing aspect of the book to me was that I was able to easily figure out what I would call the "main" plot twist early on. However, the characters were well written and I enjoyed the premise. I will definitely read more from this author in the future!!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MakeMeDisappear by #JessicaPayne

15. (ARC) 5/5
I read and adored the book "The Nature of Witches" so was excited to see that Rachel Griffin had written another book. I am so lucky to have had the chance to read this amazing new novel, "Wild is the Witch".

After high school, Iris works at the nature preserve that her mother owns and runs. She loves spending time there with the animals, her Lunar magic connecting her to them. The only part of her job that she doesn't enjoy is having to work with Pike Alder, a college student who is interning there. When a spell that wasn't meant to be cast accidentally joins to an owl, and that owl flees the preserve, Iris know the only way to prevent a tragedy from happening is to get the owl back and remove the curse she unintentionally created. Iris and Pike set out into the mountains to find the owl and bring him back to the refuge, Iris keeping her secret that she's a witch and Pike having no idea what he's getting into. As both teenagers start to open up more to each other, they become connected in a way that neither could see coming.

This novel was beautifully written! The author's description of magic and the way it works was, in itself, magical. She gave magic a connection to nature - plants, trees, animals - that was simple, yet powerful. It was easy to connect with Iris, and with Pike, and to care deeply about them both throughout the story. My favorite part of the story though was Iris's connection to the animals - especially Winter. We all need a wolf like that!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #SourcebooksFire for an ARC of #WildistheWitch by #RachelGriffin

16. 3.5/5

The writing in this novel was lovely and I found myself drawn into the story, wanting to solve the mystery with Eliza of what happened to her father. The book started off slowly, but picked up as it went, with moments so heightened in intensity that I didn’t want to stop reading. However, I found the ending lacking, anticlimactic after so much build up.

This was a quick read and one I would recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction. It was interesting learning about the pearling industry and that time period in history.

Thank you to #Simon&Schuster for an ARC of #MoonlightandthePearler’sDaughter . This would make a good novel for book clubs as there are a lot of discussion points and things to reflect on. 3.5 stars rounded to 4

17. (ARC) 4/5

Jake and Marisa fall in love almost as soon as they meet. They decide to begin trying for a baby as having a family is important to them both. To help save money, they invite a lodger, Kate, to stay with them. Marisa feels that Kate is too comfortable in the house and that she is becoming much too comfortable with Jake. Is it safe to have Kate stay or is she becoming a threat to Marisa, Jake, and their future baby?

This thriller was well written and had an unexpected twist. It was difficult to tell who could be trusted as the story was told from multiple viewpoints. I really enjoyed this novel and hope to read more by the author. I can't really say much more as I don't want to give anything away.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #Magpie by #ElizabethDay. 4 stars

JUNE

18. (ARC) 3/5

I liked this book, but didn’t love it. There were storylines that I didn’t really care for and others that I really enjoyed. It was just a slow book for me. I would recommend it to others though who enjoy historical fiction and/or women’s fiction.

19. (ARC) 5/5

I absolutely loved this book! It was a very well written middle grade novel. Donovon's class is reading a novel called "The Adventurers". He leaves his copy on the kitchen counter and his mom picks it up and skims through it. Next thing he knows, his mom is leading a crusade to have the book banned from the curriculum. Donovon has no idea why. It turns out that his mom, and the other parents working to have the book removed, are upset because they feel that two of the main characters are gay and in love. Meanwhile Mr. Howe, Donovon's 5th grade teacher, is gay and is happily married. Curtis, a student in Donovon's class comes out as gay. Another student in the class has two moms. So, Donovon isn't sure how reading a book with possibly gay characters is a big deal.

There is another story that is being told simultaneously in the book about a boy named Gideon and his feelings toward a new classmate, Roberto. The two stories wind together beautifully and make the book that much more powerful.

This novel fits what is happening in the world today with parents fighting against books in schools for various reasons. I would recommend this to upper elementary and middle school students, along with teens and adults who are interested in the topics addressed.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #AnswersinthePages by #DavidLevithan. 5 stars

20. (ARC) 2/5

When I read the summary of this novel, it sounded interesting. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. It wasn't written in chronological order and it wasn't cohesive in the ways in which the past came up. The best way to describe it is that it was all over the place.

The main character, Lucca, was suffering from severe depression and the entire book was focused on this. It didn't focus so much on her trying to get better, but on how she felt all of the time. The characters in the book were not interesting and they all had extreme issues that they were dealing with. I'm also not really sure where the title of the book comes from as it doesn't seem to fit the story at all.

I appreciate the ARC I received from #NetGalley.

21. 5/5

This book was very good! Make sure you have tissues handy though. I may have cried my way through the last 20-30 pages.

22. 4/5

I really enjoyed this but I didn’t think it was as good as “We Were Liars”. The author did a nice job of tying the two together and made it easier to see why the adults were the way they were in the first book.