Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

You may not know this, but when I was on my long blogging hiatus in 2016/2017, I created a blog for the Major League Baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays! While I don’t write on that blog anymore, I am still a ginormous Blue Jays fan, and am still very active on my baseball-focused Twitter account! When I found out that one of my favourite announcers, Jerry Howarth, was writing a book published by ECW Press, I knew that I had to request it so that I could read and review it early! Fortunately, my request was granted and I was able to read it a month in advance! Even though this book has been out for almost a month, I wanted to save my review until Toronto Blue Jays Opening Day (which is today!!!!!!!)!

DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I will collect a small commission. Any books that I have received for free from publishers or authors, have been clearly identified when mentioned in the post.

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

An honest memoir about life, family, and baseball from the longtime, legendary Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcaster.
For 36 years, Jerry Howarth ushered in eternal hope each spring and thrived in the drive of each fall as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1982, the lifelong avid sports fan joined Tom Cheek as full-time play-by-play radio announcer for the Blue Jays, and for the next 23 years, “Tom and Jerry” were the voices of the franchise. Jerry became part of the fabric of a nation and a team, covering historic moments like the rise of the Blue Jays through the 1980s that culminated in back-to-back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. His Hall of Fame-worthy broadcasting career has been nothing short of legendary. When Jerry retired in February 2018, the tributes poured in and made one thing perfectly clear: Toronto baseball would never be the same.
Howarth brings together thoughts on life, family, work, and baseball. Featuring stories about everyone from Dave Stieb, Jack Morris, Duane Ward, Roberto Alomar, and Joe Carter to John Gibbons, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, and the late Roy Halladay, Hello, Friends! is a must-read for sports fans everywhere.

I loved everything about this book!

Jerry is one of my all-time favourite broadcasters, as he truly was the Blue Jays voice. His stories from his past were great to read, and made me respect him so much more. He found his true passion and paved his own path into a very successful jobs and career. Jerry is such an inspiration to me, and thousands of other people!

My favourite chapters came from the beginning and end of the novel. I loved reading about how he came into the Blue Jays organization and became the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays. I also LOVED the chapters about the “glory years”, both the 1992/1993 chapters, as well as the ones talking about the 2015/2016 seasons. They were written so well, and made me feel very nostalgic and yearn for more successful seasons to come! I also loved the chapters from which he spoke about his wife and family, as it made me feel very connected to Jerry.

When reading this entire novel, it seemed like I was listening to Jerry Howarth speak in my head while reading the book, and I could practically hear Jerry during every phase. You could definitely tell that he wrote it himself, as a lot of the words/language that he used on the radio for over forty years as the Blue Jays announcer were also used in his novel!

“Hello, Friends!” by Jerry Howarth is a MUST-READ for Toronto Blue Jays fans new and old! I gave this book 5/5 stars, as I loved every second of it! Thanks to ECW Press for sending me an advanced finished copy in exchange for a review!

If you live in Canada and are interested in purchasing your own copy, click here to get it for almost 50% off!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

I have been in the mood to read a lot of fantasy and fairytale re-telling stories lately, so when I received this one from Hachette Book Group Canada, I knew it was the perfect book for me to read!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.
Now I’m done hiding.
My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.
When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

This book had a lot of promise, but unfortunately it took a lot of turns that I was not expecting, let alone anticipating. The plot, at times, confused the heck out of me, and at times, I struggled to pick up the book and remember where it had left off. The pacing of this story was very sporadic and wild. There were some parts that felt so slow, and other times where it felt like there were ten things going on at once. I would have liked if the pacing was a lot more smooth and consistent. However, the overall creativity and story was great and really interesting. It was the perfect mix between fantasy and sci-fi, as well as hilarious and sad.

At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Ari, who is a new reincarnation of King Arthur. We are also introduced to Merlin, King Arthurs trusted advisor/wizard. Ari and Merlin were my two favourite characters in the novel, as I connected to them the most and loved reading their stories. I loved Kay, Ari’s brother, at the beginning, but unfortunately I ended up despising him throughout the last 75 pages. The other characters were great, but I didn’t care about them as much as I would have liked to.

The settings of this story were super interesting. At times it was hard to figure out exactly where they were, but after a few paragraphs it was easy to realize their location. There were several different planets that we are taken to throughout this story, and I really loved reading about all of the different settings and planets.

Another thing I loved about this book was the government/political system. Mercer, the main group that essentially rules the galaxy, are the main antagonists and are the “evil” villain in this story. I really liked all of the interactions Ari and her team had with Mercer and the “Administrator” (the person in charge of Mercer).

Overall, I quite liked this book and gave it 3/5 stars. Thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me an ARC of this book!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

The two most talked about books of 2019 thus far were both written by highly aclaimed author, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Over the past two days, I have read her two most well-known novels, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and “Daisy Jones & The Six” – which is her most recent novel (it came out just last week!). If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw me talking about these on both my Instagram stories and posts, and a lot of you wanted to read my opinions about both of them… so that is what I am going to share with you today!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ’80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Written with Reid’s signature talent for creating “complex, likable characters” (Real Simple), this is a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.

WOW. This book was truthfully unlike anything I had ever read before. The characters Evelyn, Monique, Harry, Celia, Rex, and everyone else literally felt like they were real people. Ms. Reid wrote the characters with such grace and elegance, and they honestly felt so real. It’s hard to describe unless you’ve read the book. I will admit that it took me about 100 pages to really get into the book, but I really loved it after that mark. And even though I figured out the main plot twist/point that occurs about 100 pages in the book, that did not stop me from loving it. Plus, the plot twist at the very end SHOCKED me, as I was not expecting it at all. This book discusses so many important themes and topics that are so relevant to society, and were basically whispered about back then, although they were still crucial and important. From LGBTG+ discrimination, to women working in a male dominated workplace, there were many things that this book discussed with such urgency. As I said before, the writing of the book was phenomenal, and deserves recognition on its own. It felt like I was literally reading a biography of a real celebrity that I had known for years. Everything in this book popped off the page, and I visualized it beautifully. Evelyn Hugo is a character I won’t soon forget and will stay with me for a very long time. I gave this book 4.75/5 stars!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.
Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.
The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

This book was great, but I definitely enjoyed Evelyn Hugo a lot more. Surprisingly, I’m part of the unpopular opinion, as I liked the first half a lot more than the second half. I liked reading about the rise of Daisy Jones and The Six separately, and how they came together. While a lot of people felt that the beginning was all over the place, I really really loved it! However, I honestly thought that the middle of the book was kind of… *whispers* boring?! I don’t know. I was bored with the song writing process, and I felt that the same events and emotions just repeated for every song they wrote. I guess you could say that I was underwhelmed for a large majority of the plot, especially because I knew what Taylor was capable of writing since I had just finished Evelyn Hugo the day before reading this one. The ending picked up the pace a little bit, but it didn’t save the book from the dull middle. I loved all of the characters in this book, and Taylor continued to make these characters come alive off the pages. Her words are truly magical, and her writing is out of this world. She made it seem like I was reading a non-fiction book/conversation from a real life band! I also LOVED the writing style she used in this book, as it is all formatted like an interview. I’m a sucker for “unconventional” writing styles, and this one hit it out of the park. Overall, I gave this book a rating of 3.75/5 stars. To be honest with you, I feel like if I had listened to the audiobook instead of physically read the book, I might have enjoyed it a bit more, as so many people absolutely adored listening to this story. Although, I don’t really enjoy listening to audio books in general.

In conclusion, I enjoyed “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” quite a bit more than “Daisy Jones & The Six”. Throughout both books, Taylor Jenkins Reids’ writing was phenomenal, and the unique cast of characters featured in both books came to life wonderfully.

Have you read either of these novels? I’d love to discuss your thoughts in the comments!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

Isn’t “Chicken Girl” a fantastic name for a new young adult book? I think it is! This book was filled with funny, intimate, and emotional moments. There were so many relevant and important messages talked about throughout this novel. Even though the book was 200 pages, I still got a lot out of the story. Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for the finished copy! Now on to the full review…

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Everybody has a story that will break your heart; a poignant coming-of-age YA for fans of David Arnold, from the author of the acclaimed The Agony of Bun O’Keefe, a Kirkus Best of the Year selection.Poppy used to be an optimist. But after a photo of her dressed as Rosie the Riveter is mocked online, she’s having trouble seeing the good in the world. As a result, Poppy trades her beloved vintage clothes for a feathered chicken costume and accepts a job as an anonymous sign waver outside a restaurant. There, Poppy meets six-year-old girl Miracle, who helps Poppy see beyond her own pain, opening her eyes to the people around her: Cam, her twin brother, who is adjusting to life as an openly gay teen; Buck, a charming photographer with a cute British accent and a not-so-cute mean-streak; and Lewis a teen caring for an ailing parent, while struggling to reach the final stages of his gender transition. As the summer unfolds, Poppy stops glorifying the past and starts focusing on the present. But just as she comes to terms with the fact that there is good and bad in everyone, she is tested by a deep betrayal.

This book pleasantly surprised me! The synopsis didn’t sound that unique to me, but it actually turned out to make a good story! However, nothing in this book was very “wowing” to me, and I just thought that it was ok.

The characters in this novel took some warming up to. I did not love any of them at the beginning of the novel, but I slowly enjoyed reading about their adventures. My favourite characters were Miracle, Cam, and Lewis. I loved all of the scenes that they were involved in, and I loved reading about their personal stories.

The romance in the book was my least favourite part of the story. There is an insta-love relationship between two of the main characters within this story at the 30 page mark, which I hated (to say the least). Insta-love, when written beautifully, is not a “problematic” story element in my opinion. However, when it is done badly, I absolutely hate it. And unfortunately, that’s what happened in this story.

The overall plot of this book was interesting. I wished that the first two thirds of this book would have been a lot shorter, and that the last third of the story had been a lot longer. The last third of this book had a much different “vibe” and feel then the first two thirds, and I enjoyed it a lot! The small mystery element and emotional element that occurred during the final third was an amazing part of the story, and by far my favourite.

There are a lot of really important, yet triggering, themes mentioned in this book. Transgender, homelessness, and rape are just a few of the many themes written about in this story, so if any of these things are triggering to you, I would suggest skipping this novel. That being said, these themes and messages made the story a lot more interesting and unique, especially since it is a YA book. I enjoyed all of the things that were talked about, and I believe that they added a lot to the story as a whole.

Overall, I quite liked this book and gave it 3.25/5 stars. Thanks to Penguin Random House for providing me with a finished copy!

Good Night Book Owls!