Wrap Up: October 2022

Hi readers, here’s my wrap-up for the month of October!

5 stars:

Two amazing middle grade books, Yesterday Crumb is officially one of the best books I’ve read this year. I wasn’t convinced by Spirit hunters initially, but it evolves so well.

4/3 stars:

A lovely cozy mystery by one of my favorite author, Colleen Gleason, Tomes, scones and crones is the first in a new series. Stolen remains is the second volume in The lady of Ashes mystery series, but it’s not as good as the first one. Any old diamonds is a lovely M/M historical fiction. Another first volume in a series is Lady of devices, with a great MC and a steampunk setting.

2/1 stars:

The worst books for me were Doll house and Terre spettrali: both of them full of errors, and some of them keep repeating throughout the book, really annoying. I gave 2 to Cuore d’inchiostro (Inkheart) and Dead mountain only for the respect I have for Brendan Fraser and for the Dyatlov group. L’uomo dei sussurri (The whisper man) was boring, and Silver in the blood has a really interesting setting, but the two female MC are so YA they’re sometimes embarrassing.

How was your month? Have you found a new fave?

Review: The lost ones by Anita Frank

Title: The lost ones

Author: Anita Frank

Genre: historical fiction – Mystery – Paranormal

Pages: 464

Goodreads rating: 4.01/5

My rating: 5/5

Synopsys:

Some houses are never at peace.

England, 1917
 
Reeling from the death of her fiancé, Stella Marcham welcomes the opportunity to stay with her pregnant sister, Madeleine, at her imposing country mansion, Greyswick – but she arrives to discover a house of unease and her sister gripped by fear and suspicion.

Before long, strange incidents begin to trouble Stella – sobbing in the night, little footsteps on the stairs – and as events escalate, she finds herself drawn to the tragic history of the house.

Aided by a wounded war veteran, Stella sets about uncovering Greyswick’s dark and terrible secrets – secrets the dead whisper from the other side…

Review:

I won a copy of this book through the author’s Instagram profile, which has not influenced my opinion. I’m pleased to had the opportunity to read such a great book!

I love reading stories about ghosts or/and haunted houses, I think it is my fave genre, best if it’s also historical.

The lost ones can seem very long with nearly 500 pages, but I was completely drawn by it, even if sometimes the plot was a little predictable. The style of the author’s writing and the revelation of the past of Greyswick mansion is captivating, and I love Stella, the main character, alongside her maid, and a secondary character I can’t reveal for spoilers. The entire plot has reminded me a little of In the shadow of blackbirds by Cat Winters, one of my fave books of all time. The lost ones have quickly become one of them too.

I recommend it to the lovers of gothic historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural.

Wrap Up: August 2022

Hello readers!

I know I forgot to post the wrap-up for July, I’m sorry, I was already on vacation, I promise I will post it in the next few days!

Here’s what I read during August (click on the cover for the plot):

5 stars:

I wasn’t expecting to love L’imprevedibile viaggio di Harold Fry (The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry) so much, but it’s a heartbreaking story. Same for Lady of ashes, a great historical fiction about a female undertaker in Victorian London.

4 and 3 stars:

My dad visited Iceland this year, and brought me this beautiful book about Aurora Borealis. Do you know that I’m obsessed with Van Gogh right? L’uomo e la terra (The man and the earth) is a wonderful book about the exposition in Milan. I thought that L’isola del tesoro (Treasure island) was more adventurous, but I’m glad I’ve finally read it.

1 or 2 stars/DNF:

The sisters brothers and Devil in the darkness are the books I didn’t finish. Only The power of Poppy Pendle gains 2 stars, the other books are so bad I immediately unhaul them from shelves.

And that was my reading month, hope yours was better than mine!

Wrap up: June 2022

Hello readers, sorry for the delay, I had busy days at work!

In June I’ve read 12 books with 2 DNF, a record even for me.

4 stars:

I can say that Chad Nicholas can write a really good thriller/horror book, having already enjoyed Nightmare written by him. His stories are really dark and twisted, be aware.

3 stars:

If you have a cat, you can easily relate to the poems of I could pee on this. So hilarious.

Are you terrified of dolls like me? Demonic dolls is the book for you!

Philippe Daverio racconta Van Gogh: I was expecting more from Daverio, this book is just a general portrait of the artist.

2 stars:

3 great covers for 3 predictable books: Reign of Shadows is a dystopian/romance retelling of Rapunzel; Knock knock is a ghost story totally ruined by the prologue; The heir of Hawksclaw tried too hard to be gothic/scary, without success.

1 star/DNF:

I wouldn’t talk about each of these books, I know some are very popular, maybe it was just a bad reading month for me. You can check the GR page by clicking on the cover.

And that was my reading month, hope July will be better!

Wrap up: May 2022

Hello readers and welcome to another wrap up! Sorry if I’m late, I have so much work to do right now.

During May I’ve participated in the Star Wars Challenge organized on Instagram that required books over 200 pages, so I’ve read fewer books than usual.

5 stars:

I already love another series by C.J. Archer (The ministry of curiosities) so I was excited to begin The palace of lost memories. It’s original and captivating.

I bought Un delitto al circolo polare (Murder at the polar circle) at the secondhand shop, the creepy snowman on the cover has won my curiosity. It was really good.

4 stars:

Murder at the Fitzwilliam is the first volume in a historical fiction series featuring murders in famous museums all over the UK, with a strong female co-protagonist who is also an archeologist. Perfect!

How colorful is the cover of Rainbow Grey? Laura Ellen Anderson is so good at writing fantasy middle-grade books!

2 stars:

Horrorstor has a beautiful cover and “project” but half of the plot was like an episode of SuperStore, not scary at all. This is my last attempt with Hendrix. Il bacio del Diavolo (The vampire Narcise) is erotica, and I didn’t like the genre, but I won a copy years ago, so I gave it a try. Sweep was so depressing with an MC not likable at all. I’ve loved the first quarter of The sun Down motel, and then stop.

1 star:

Both of them are full of characters, different POVs, and plots to confusional and intricated. Click on the cover for the GR page.

And that was my May in reading, how was yours?

Wrap Up: April 2022

Hello readers!

In April I’ve read 11 books with 1 DNF, and I managed, thanks to a readathon, to read some of the older (means I bought them years ago) books on my shelves.

5 stars:

It is always a great pleasure to come back to The ministry of curiosities, and that’s why I savor every volume. Beyond the grave wasn’t an exception. Next, we can find a great surprise, the first book an author sends to me through Instagram, you can find the review of Swallowed by a secret here.

Il tempo delle rose (Time to smell the roses) is the last volume in the Hermux Tantamoq series. I can’t express how much I love this mouse and his adventures.

The storyteller by Dave Grohl is a work of art, especially if, like me, you’ll listen to the audiobook version narrated by Grohl himself. There’s music too.

2 stars:

I can’t hide the disappointment after reading Mortal arts, it was so different from the previous The anatomist’s wife. The girl of fire and thorns is a typical YA, nothing more, and Son Goku is the original story and legend of Son Goku who inspired manga like Saiyuki or Dragonball. I no longer appreciate books like Death, the devil and the goldfish, but I gave it a try since was on my TBR for years.

1 star + DNF:

So similar to Wintersong, insta love, an illness of the Trolls that is exactly like mine, I save only the cover of Stolen Songbird. I’ve waited years to read Delia’s shadow, and didn’t like at all. The female characters are useless, the plot is boring, by again, great cover. The rib from which I remake the world is the DNF of the month, didn’t like, didn’t comprehend it, didn’t get involved by the characters.

How was your reading month?

Tell me in the comments!

Review: Swallowed by a secret

Title: Swallowed by a secret

Author: Risa Nyman

Genres: Middle grade/Mystery/Family/Grief

Pages: 198

Goodreads rating: 4.63/5

My rating: 5/5

Synopsys:

One dead father. One lying mother. One giant secret.

12-year-old Rocky’s father dies suddenly, and he learns the “his heart stopped” story he has been told is bogus. Immediately after the funeral, his mother sticks the For-Sale sign in the lawn and whisks them out of town as if living there has become too dangerous. As his trust in his one remaining parent unravels, Rocky is determined to crack the secret about how his father really died.

The road to the truth involves eavesdropping, snooping, and listening to advice from his dead father which sends Rocky on a risky journey to find the truth.

But sometimes it might be better for a secret to stay secret. Will Rocky have to rethink the father he thought he knew?

Review:

First of all, I want to thank Risa, she’s the first author who contacted me on IG after reading my bio, and gently asked me if I want to read her book. I’m grateful for this, it means that my work on bookstagram is seen by someone.

At first, I admit I wasn’t fond of the main character, Rocky, since he was so rude and ungrateful to his mother, but it was also somewhat justified but the tragedy that took away his father.

This book shows perfectly the “famous” stages of grief, and also includes one of the best character development of the MC I have ever seen in a book, even in an “adult” book.

My fave character is Olive, a great side character who easily became best friend with Rocky and helps him in more than a way.

The relationship between the characters is so heartwarming, thanks also to the development and personal growth of Rocky.

Prepare the tissues, because you’ll need them right before the ending. It was so emotional I had to pause my reading and calm myself. But don’t worry, there’s a happy ending.

Read it, you’ll not regret it.

Wrap up: March 2022

Hello readers and welcome to another wrap up!

In March I’ve read a total of 12 books, with a DNF, as usual.

5 stars:

Jeremy Ray as quickly became one of my fave authors. Petrified women is a piece of art, I can’t recommend it enough.

E a mio nipote Albert lascio l’isola che ho vinto a Fatty Hagan in una partita a poker has the longest title I know. Super funny and entertaining.

4,5 stars to The golden key simply because is really strange and incredibly sad. But there’s a happy ending, perfect to shed a tear or two.

4 stars:

I’m participating in an Agatha Christie challenge on Instagram, and Giorno dei morti (sparkling cyanide) was my read for March.

Another great short story by Jeremy Ray, My mother’s eyes. I’ll also add that all his stories began with a page dedicated to the trigger warnings you’ll find in that story. Very thoughtful.

I love reading non-fiction books about weird/macabre topics, and Tomb raiders was funny and interesting.

Look how colorful the cover of The sapphire library is!! Love it! This is definitely my cozy series, love the characters, so happy to have discovered it!

3 stars:

Can we all agree that the cover of The time of green magic is special and wonderful? It reminds me of the works of Miyazaki, unfortunately, the plot isn’t really engaging.

One for sorrow is a middle grade set in 1918 with the outbreak of Spanish Influenza. A lot of things are happening even now with the Covid epidemic, it’s sad and hurtful.

2 stars/DNF:

Il castello di Otranto (The castle of Otranto) is weird and sometimes just absurd.

Death and the harlot had the possibility to be a great historical mystery, but it’s really fatphobic.

I DNF The route of ice and salt on page 20. Nothing more to say.

And that was my reading month, how was yours?

Wrap up: February 2022

Hello readers and welcome to another wrap up!

My birthday was on 27th, I received a lovely steampunk rabbit music box!

Anyway, in February I’ve read 12 books with 1 DNF.

5 stars:

I’ve discovered A is for Arson through Instagram, and itìs fantastic, an historical fiction with an intelligent young woman and a super cute man and a mystery. And look at the cover! ❤

How a short story about a house plant can make you laugh, cry and change forever your idea of house plants? If it’s written by Jeremy Ray, apparently, my new favorite author.

4 stars:

How lovely is the cover of Assassinio sull’Orient Express?(Murder on the Orient Express) A great classic.

React is a short story with a great plot twist. The winter freak show is a great historical mystery/fantasy, really adventurous.

3 stars:

It was a dark and creepy night space up to really nightmares materials stories to WTF? are you kidding me? Stories. There’s no middle ground.

By the same author as React comes Driving in the dark, great cover but predictable.

2 stars:

Interviewing the dead was predictable and a little boring, but I’ve loved Carlyle’s daughter and her obvious crush.

My respect to The Queen, it was lovely to read about her, but the investigation and the mystery in The Windsor’s knot were terrible.

1 star/DNF:

I had to DNF The binding because the motivations of the characters to erase the memory were horrible.

This dark endeavor is a prequel of Frankenstein following the Frankenstein brothers, but Victor is a terrible character, it’s ableist and there’s violence against animals.

Look at me, giving Hamnet only 1 star, because if it’s about Hamnet, the son of William Shakespeare, I want to read about him, not his mother or his grandma. Very disappointing.

How was your reading month?

What do you plan on reading next month? Tell me in the comments!

The ABC Book Challenge (M)

Hello! How’s everyone doing?

The challenge is to post some books that I loved and some books that are still on my TBR (please TBR, don’t hurt me), corresponding to each letter of the alphabet.

Personally, I found this challenge on A Book. A Thought. Go and check this great blog!

Please remember that maybe some books will be in Italian. I will write the English title too.

Previous Post:

The ABC Book Challenge (A)

The ABC Book Challenge (B)

The ABC Book Challenge (C)

The ABC Book Challenge (D)

The ABC Book Challenge (E)

The ABC Book Challenge (F)

The ABC Book Challenge (G)

The ABC Book Challenge (H)

The ABC Book Challenge (I)

The ABC book challenge (J)

The ABC book challenge (K)

The ABC Book Challenge (L)

Memorable books:

La mummia (The Mummy or Lot 249) is a collection of short stories by Conan Doyle, and Il mago di Oz, as you can imagine, is The wizard of Oz, one of my fave classics. Mirror mirror is a great horror short story, and A monstrous place a very well written middle grade with a wonderful cover.

Books on my TBR:

Have you read some of these books?

Any recommendations?

Until next time, happy reading!