Teaser Tuesday: Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Merry Mansfield told Yancy a version of her life so far-fetched that he bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. “That’s so rude,” she said.
“You’ve got a charming imagination. I could listen to you go on all day.”
"What did I say that you don’t believe?”
“Basically every word.”
“See, I’m just testing you. So far, so good.”
(p.153)

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen was published September 6, 2016 by Knopf.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Just a Brief Note

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a news bulletin:

My computer caught a virus and has been unusable. I haven't been able to post regularly because of this. Things should be looking up now though. This coming Tuesday's post is ready to go. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

Meanwhile in the works is a review for A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones and also a review for Killing Eve: Die for Me by Luke Jennings. I'm reading the short story collection Fantastic Hope. And I'm finishing up Razor Girl by Carl Hiassen.

That's the highlights.

What are you reading? Leave a note in the comments and let me know. Are you enjoying it? What's on your plate?

Happy Reading!

Teaser: The Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Garrett's ire skyrocketed so fast he saw stars. Just like she knew it would. The scene was played to orchestral perfection. Each line delivered with just the right pause. Just the right inflection. The man's expression full of menace. Hers full of fear, yet her chin lifted in defiance. 

Garrett had been played like a heated game of Monopoly. (p.22)

The Graveyard Shift by Darynda Jones (Charley Davidson series #13.5) was published on June 9th, 2020 by 1001 Dark Nights Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one is quite what they seem.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is like the old tv program Quantum Leap mixed with the movie Groundhog Day and an Agatha Christie novel. The author does mention Quantum Leap and Agatha Christie as influences at the end of the book.

For me, the book started out great, then slowed down for a while before picking up again. I had a really hard time during the slow part. In fact, I put it aside for a little while. But, once it picked up it really took off.

I thought the author did a great job with characterization. Aiden Bishop was jumping from body to body with a total of 8 possible hosts while trying repeatedly to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. The author managed to stay true to Aiden while dealing with the influences each host exerted on him - a growing influence with each jump.

Anna was another major character who was consistent in each of his jumps. She was interesting in that it was hard to determine if she was an ally or enemy. And while Aiden had one set of rules determining much of his efforts, Anna had a slightly different set. I would have liked to know Anna's rules sooner. The footman and the plague doctor are consistent like Anna but seem more aware of what's going on.

There were surprises and red herrings and twists to the plot. The 8 host characters were varied and not all nice. It was interesting to see how Aiden made each host's traits work for him. The ultimate ending was a surprise to me if a bit deus ex machina. It was still a satisfying ending.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's mostly well-plotted except for that pesky slow part. Characterization is great. And it's an original blend of mystery and science fiction. I would recommend it for lovers of both mystery and science fiction.



View all my reviews

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #329: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From Goodreads:

Lesson One of the Scholomance

Learning has never been this deadly

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is due to be released on September 19th, 2020 from Del Rey Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I find the concept of this school interesting. And it seems that El has power beyond what most of the students have at that school. I'd like to see how she uses it and how she manages to get through the school. What kind of friends will she make? What challenges will she face? What does she hope to gain from this school?

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments.so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The people she passed on her way to SSS seemed locked in a dream, soft-eyed, faces turned to one another, steam rising off the cups of coffee in their gloved hands. She had the eerie sense that they were dreaming her, a girl in a dark coat who would disappear when they woke. (p. 8)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo was published October 8, 2019 by Flatiron Books.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!