What I'm Reading Now: December Edition

It's December! I'm wrapping up the year with some good books and thinking about what I want to do in the new year. Any reading plans for 2016?
If you're looking for a good book, here are a few suggestions.

On my Nook: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte - I loved The Tenant of Wildfell Hall so I dove into this one and I'm really loving it. Why on earth did it take so long for me to read Anne Bronte?

On my Phone: A Soul for Trouble by Crista McHugh - I originally thought this was a YA, but it's more a high fantasy with elements of romance. However, once I readjusted my expectations I really am enjoying it. And the way it's going, it seems to be the first in a series, so I'm looking forward to reading more.

In Print - Fiction: The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex - When I saw that the movie Home was based on this, I pulled it off my shelf. It's cute and different enough from the movie that I don't feel like I'm reading the same thing. If you're looking for a spunky young protagonist, a story of alien invasions, or a book about the importance of cats in your life, you should love this book.

In Print - Non-Fiction: It's Too Late Now: An Autobiography of a Writer by A. A. Milne - seriously. Everything I read by this man just makes me feel like he is my historical spirit animal. His autobiography is interesting and entertaining and informative all at the same time.

On Audio in my Car: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling - After my giant Series of Unfortunate Events reread I decided to go ahead and dive into Harry Potter again. It still has its old magic.

On TV: Jessica Jones - If you have Netflix and you like a darker, edgier show this one is for you. Also, David Tennant as Kevin Killgrave is horrifically and deliciously evil.

How about you? Anything you're trying to finish before the 31st?

Little Lit: The Third Twin by CJ Omololu

I heard about this book during a Twitter chat that popped up on my feed. I then got sucked into the fun that was going on there and my interest was piqued by the description. (Note: social media marketing, when done right, with people that actually care about the people not just the marketing, does work!)

So hold on for my mini review of CJ Omololu's The Third Twin.

Summary:
When Lexi and Ava were little they invented Alicia. She was the imaginary third twin who ate the cookies in the pantry, broke the lamp, and generally took the blame. Now that they're teenagers, the twins use Alicia as an opportunity to go out with guys they wouldn't normally date or visit parties they wouldn't go to themselves. Lexi's ready to let Alicia go when suddenly ominous things start happening. Alicia starts taking on a life of her own and when the first body turns up Lexi doesn't know who she can trust. Is Ava involved? Or is there really an Alicia out there? And who wants to set Lexi up for murder?

What I Liked:

• I really enjoyed the premise. I liked the way Omololu took the traditional "twin" story - identical sisters who switch places - and twisted it, adding the invention of the imaginary twin into the mix.
• I liked the twists and turns, including one that really did shock me. Omololu certainly wasn't afraid to take some risks and it paid off.
• I enjoyed the small, but not insignificant character development of Lexi as she comes to better understand herself through dealing with the various identities of her sister and imaginary twin.

What I Would Have Liked:

• The ending twist was certainly a bit of a shock and it did work, but I would have liked it better if it had been set up just a little more throughout the book. I would have preferred to look back and see more clues planted throughout to make the twist more of a "how did I not see that; now these things make sense" than a "what".
• I would have liked just a little bit more development of some of the secondary characters. Some of them are fairly important, but they fell a little bit flat for me, including Lexi's father and even, to some extent, Zane. It's not that they weren't developed, I just wanted a bit more.

Verdict:

• Definitely worth the read and I will check out more things by this author in the future!
• If you like a twisty turny thriller that isn't too gory, this is your book.

Once Upon a Time - Swan Song

5.11 "Swan Song"

SO. Um. Yeah. I'm feeling a little speechless after that episode.

Tonight the battle against the Darkness comes to a head, with Emma "I can't move my face" DarkSwan ready to sacrifice herself to protect her family. Meanwhile Snow and Charming and Henry act completely contrary to character and decide to sit around eating pie while waiting for their impending deaths as Regina makes all of my wildest dreams come true and finally throws Zelena out a window. In a rare wayback flashback we get a little more of Killian's backstory for no real apparent reason other than for Regina to make vague allusions to it all episode long. Rumple finally proves that I have, unfortunately, been right all along concerning the core of his character, and the set up for the second half of the season means we could see pretty much anybody who has ever been on the show and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

So, even though the flashbacks felt really unnecessary, I do have to say that the person in charge of casting is probably the most brilliant person working on this show. Killian's father was absolutely spot on.

I'm finding myself with actually little to say about this episode as a whole. There wasn't as much a unifying theme as there often is. So here are all of my random thoughts:

As so often has happened, I found myself typing the following early on in the episode: "Someone push Zelena out a window already would you?" When this actually happened I was literally cackling on my couch. Now, I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of Zelena, because the writers like to torture us, but that moment was the best.

I hate that Killian was made a Dark One, but I love Killian as the Dark One acting wise. Kind of the way I love evil Regina and evil Rumple. The actors just play it up and I love seeing them pull out such a wide range. That was what I was really hoping for from Emma *sigh* Also, I loved that Killian's smoke was red.

Can I just say how tired the trope of the "good woman who saves the bad man" is? I think that's one reason that I actually am kind of really glad that Rumple twisted everything around to regain all of his power rather than just becoming the "hero." Because Belle doesn't fix him. His love for Belle doesn't miraculously change his character. I am both mad that she came back and fell for his lies again (though they were good ones) and very happy that she is not gone from the show. I'm just really scared we'll be stuck in that loop. I want her to be separate from Rumple so she can have crazy amazing adventures as herself, not as a plus one.

Rumple's ancient flip phone made me laugh so much. It was just a perfect touch.

Is it just me, or was it really super easy for the Dark Ones to trade all those souls. It would seem to me it would be a little more complicated to do something that major?

But here's my biggest pet peeve. I was so frustrated with Snow, David, and Henry. The three of them are like the most tenacious people on this show. They don't give up. Ever. I mean, come on. It was completely out of character for them to just shrug and go to the diner to "make the most of the time they had left" instead of trying to find a way to NOT DIE. How many other times have they faced the impossible and figured something out at the last minute. Maybe they could have stopped Emma from giving the sword to Hook if they were actually THERE. I'm sorry, but that's just lazy writing. It's like, hey, let's take the people who could most help Emma out of the equation so everything can go wrong BECAUSE PLOT.

Wait. No. I think my biggest peeve of the night was Emma being STUPID enough to hand the sword over the "Henry" when the door never opened and she KNOWS that Dark Ones can take on the shapes of others. That was just too dumb for words.

Okay. Now. Killian.

From HERE

I am so happy that he turned around and made the right choice, and yes, I realize that it plays into the bad boy saved by the good girl trope, but he doesn't make the choice just because of Emma. He makes it because he wants to be a different kind of man (whereas Rumple doesn't want to be different. He likes his power). BUT the yoyo on his emotions/decisions since finding out he was a Dark One has been ridiculous. I'm going to kill you; I'm going to kill everyone you love; I'm going to make you suffer; wait, Nimue is hurting you. Never mind I'm going to sacrifice myself to save Emma because I remembered that I do love her after all. Oops.
It's just a little hard to swallow. Also, did they have to kill him? Again? I mean, Graham, Neal, Killian? Ridiculous.

And what do you think about the whole Underworld thing? At first I was thinking that maybe they were going to start dipping into mythologies (which I guess could still happen), but now it kind of looks like an excuse to revisit everyone who has died. I wonder who all we will see? And why did everyone go with Emma? I mean, it seems like it would have made more sense for someone to stay behind, like Snow and David, to, you know, take care of the babies? I get that the fairies have them, but wouldn't it be better for at least one of the four parents to not go into the underworld?

Crazy. What did you think? Who are you hoping we'll see in the second half of the season?

What I'm Reading Now: November Edition

Christmas is almost here, guys! Also, only one more month to complete any personal reading challenges you've set for yourself! I'm chugging along on mine. But here's what I'm reading right now.
On my Nook: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. This is hilarious and I'm so glad to be reading it and I will be so sad when it is over. I really wish Pratchett and Gaiman had worked on more things together because they just create a really great story when they collaborate.

On my Phone: A Fairy's Guide to Disaster by A. W. Artoin - Finding this quite enjoyable, though there are some rough spots in the editing. The world building is pretty intriguing, though. I'm curious to see how everything turns out.

In Print: I'm actually in between books, but I just finished Naked Heat by Richard Castle - it's like reading an episode of the show - and I'm about to start Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid. Both of these are to help me complete the PopSugar reading challenge - I only have 3 more books to go on that front!

On Audio in my Car: I just finished The End, the final book in the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, and I haven't started a new one yet. I am absolutely and completely even more in love with that series after rereading (re...listening?) to the entire thing one right after the other. I've kind of just been reveling in that feeling. But I'm thinking an audio reread of Harry Potter may be next on my list!

How about you? Reading anything good right now?

Once Upon a Time - Broken Heart

5.10 "Broken Heart"

In tonight's episode we finally get answers. We learn what happened to Merlin, why Emma took the memories, why Killian hasn't remembered he was a Dark One, and how Merida and the Camelotians ended up in Storybrooke. Meanwhile, in the present, Robin and Regina give Zelena a four billionth chance to redeem herself, Hook duels with Rumple, and Rumbelle shippers squee with delight and scream with despair.

Trust is not easily gained and, once broken, is incredibly difficult to regain.

This theme was reiterated throughout this episode. Emma didn't trust her family to understand why she had done what she did with Killian, even though they initially supported her. Because of this breach of trust, they don't trust her and shut her out of what they are doing. Emma doesn't trust Killian to reject the sword or to ask someone to guard it the way she asked Regina to keep the dagger and so he loses trust and respect in her. Then, when he finds she wiped his memory, he turns even further away. Belle has trusted Rumple so many times that now, even with his redemption, she feels the need to protect herself. She loves him, but she can't trust him. And, to counterpoint all of this, Regina and Robin decide to take a massive step of trust and offer Zelena a small opportunity to begin to prove herself. Of all the people in this show, she is the one least deserving of trust, but there is a tiny slivery glimmer of redemption in her interaction with her baby girl.

Trust makes or breaks a relationship. The question for the second half of this season, I think, is going to be whether trust can be regained enough to allow these people to work together and to save Hook from himself.

Hook makes a much better Dark One than Emma. Even "good" Dark Hook has a swagger and sassiness that is sadly lacking. But it isn't long before he turns, so I'm beginning to see that Emma's blah-ness is somewhat tied to her continuing struggle not to give into the Darkness. But honestly, I just am finding her not that great of an actress. Her voice is also incredibly getting on my nerves with its oily lethargicness. Okay. Moving on.

I really do understand that Hook would be much more susceptible to the Darkness. He's still fighting so hard against his own natural tendency toward evil and I can see how he would feel so betrayed by Emma, but I just have a hard time seeing the man who was willing to sacrifice everything to protect Emma being so very quick to just throw it all away.

I AM SO NOT OKAY WITH MERLIN'S DEATH. They were being so cagey about it that I feared it was true, but I am so very upset and sad and *sigh*

Also, I totally get Belle's point of view. She certainly deserves some time to just be able to be herself rather than being defined by trying to help Rumple. And I'm really hoping that this means we'll get some adorable courtship stuff as Rumple wins her back. Part of me is okay with this and hopes it doesn't happen too quickly because Belle has been through the wringer and I want her to be able to be the amazing kick-butt person she so often proves herself to be (when she gets screen time), but part of me just wants them to finally be happy together after everything that has happened and hates the way this plays into the idea that a villain can never get a happy ending no matter how much they reform or change. *more sigh*

Favorite line of the night goes to Regina (as usual)
Regina to Emma: "Fine. You're being stupid. So stop it."

And quite an interesting set up for the second half of the season. All of the Dark Ones are back and ready to wipe out the light?

And even with all of the answers we did get, we still don't really know Hook's whole plan.

So what did you think of the episode?

Down Unders: Uprooted

Book Details:

• Written by Lynne Reid Banks
• Cover Illustration - I couldn't find this information, though I looked all over the place, which made me sad because I absolutely adore this cover. It's so perfect for the story.
• Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (first published in 2015 in Great Britain)
• This is geared toward a solid middle grade audience. Lindy is 10 and her cousin is a little older.

Summary:

• Ten year old Lindy along with her mother and cousin Cameron flee England as war begins to encroach on their home. Settling in Saskatoon, Canada with a kind couple who welcomes them in, the three struggle to adapt to their new situation in a new country. Lindy has to find ways to deal with her feelings of loss and displacement and the uncertainty of what is happening to the family she left behind on top of the every day trials of growing up, going to school, and making and losing friends.

Important Things To Know:

•  This book does deal with issues of war and some domestic issues, but everything is handled in an age appropriate way.
• Although this is a fictional story, it is based on Banks' own life story, which is really cool and makes this story even more interesting, in my opinion!
• This is a standalone novel, but Lynne Reid Banks has written many books, including the classic The Indian in the Cupboard. You can check out more of her books and more about the author on her website.
• I got an Advance Reader Copy of this book at Book Expo America this year

Why I Enjoyed This Book:

• I really liked the way that the different levels of the story came together. Even though there were really big, intense troubles going on from the war to the troubles they had with their sponsor family, there were also the more intimate problems a ten year old would face like settling into a new school with a "funny" accent, losing friends, and worries over her parents being apart for so long.
• I loved Lindy's voice and the way the book is told sort of as a flashback (without being too cheesy or belaboring that aspect). It makes even more sense knowing this was based on Banks' own childhood memories.
• I liked the way Lindy interacted with her cousin Cameron. They felt very real in the way they got along, fought, and found each other confusing at times.

You Can Find This Book At:

• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million
• Chapters
• An Indie Bookstore Near You

10 Things I Loved About A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

Farrah is good at math. Really good. As in, she has a gift, good. But all she wants is to be normal, so her friends don't know. Then one night she spots a code embedded in one of the teen shows she watches with her friends and when the code leads her to a terrorist plot, Farrah suddenly finds herself on the run for her life with a young and admittedly cute FBI agent. As the threat to her safety escalates (as well as her attraction to John), Farrah has to let her true self shine or risk losing everything.
So here are my 10 (non-spoilery) Things I Loved about Annabel Monaghan's A Girl Named Digit:

1. Farrah aka Digit: I really enjoyed her story arc. I totally understood her desire to hold back on her math/pattern intelligence as a way to just get through her senior year of high school, but I appreciated the way her perception of herself (and her friends) grew over the course of the book. I also liked the way both sides of her "gift" were presented - both the positive (the good that was done through applying it) and the negative (the OCD type tendencies she could fall into).
2. Her parents: I liked the fact that they cared for her and that Digit got along with them as well. It was nice to see a cohesive family unit in a young adult novel.
3. Her brother, Danny: who is the main person to call her Digit. I liked that the siblings got along okay as well. It was refreshing to not have the tension be in the main character's family for once.
4. John: I liked the way his character was slowly built throughout the novel. Monaghan did a good job of revealing things just slowly enough to keep the interest going.
5. John's dad: Cracked me up. I really liked his character, for the short amount of time he was there.
6. Farrah's friend Olive: Even though she isn't present in much of the book, her character really shone through the brief bits that are there. Enough so that she left an impression and I want to see more of her!
7. The codes: I've always been fascinated with secret codes and I loved the way they all worked together to crack the various messages and codes to uncover the terrorist plot.
8. The action: Running for their lives, trying to solve the mystery in time to save people, being betrayed - all made for a quick read as I wanted to find out what happened next!
9. The camp: Okay, so there are bits of this that are a bit cheesy and a few things about the plot (particularly the very end) that stretch believability a bit. But it's a good and enjoyable kind of cheesy (at least it was for me). It's hard to have a light-hearted romance-y novel that's dealing with a girl running from terrorists who want to torture and kill her, but somehow Monaghan manages to pull it off.
10. There's a sequel. I'm definitely going to be looking up the next chapter in Digit's adventures.