Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein

Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: August 28th, 2018
Publisher: Tundra Books
Recommended Age: 5+
Genres & Themes: Picture Book, Nonfiction, Biography, Writing, Dreams, Historical

---

REVIEW:

I had no idea.

Well first I’ve never actually read the classic Frankenstein. Like pretty much everyone else, I know what it’s about and confuse Frankenstein the monster with the doctor, but I’ve never had to read it for school (I went to a francophone high school) and I would much rather read a romantic classic than a scary one.

Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol

Series: Puffin Plated

Publication Date: October 16th, 2018

Received: Penguin Random House Canada

Let me start off this review by saying that if you haven’t read this classic story already, you must do so immediately (or in early December under your Christmas tree). I think this is a tale that every being must know by heart. So many retellings have been produced but the original version is oh so worth it.

What is special about this Puffin Plated edition of the classic is that, as was the case with the Pride and Prejudice Puffin Plated book I reviewed previously, there are recipes inside and different artworks in colour. But although Pride and Prejudice contained desserts, desserts and more desserts, this book balances your diet a little more so it will not make you gain 10 pounds in a week! There are hors d’oeuvres, entrées, side dishes and, yes, desserts.

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: A Book-to-Table Classic

Series: Puffin Plated

Publication Date: October 16th, 2018

Received: Penguin Random House Canada

This is one of the most beautiful—if not THE most beautiful—edition of the classic Pride and Prejudice I have held in my hands or seen in stores. You look at it, and you can’t help but fall in love slowly.

There is an atmosphere to it. Everything inside of it and outside of it just falls into place. Everyone knows that Pride and Prejudice is more than just a romance and so the recipes are more than just recipes—they are meant to be experienced along with a specific chapter.

Even if you’re not one to follow recipes or cook in general, you can still take great intellectual, emotional AND visual pleasure from this edition of the classic because there is art on almost every page. And the team who worked on this Puffin Plated book also included highlighted beloved quotes from the story so those may very well take your breath away.

If you’re someone who collects editions of classics you most definitely need this book in your library. Or if you want to purchase a copy of Pride and Prejudice but aren’t sure which one, you can go with this one if your budget allows you. It’s true that it’s a bit pricy for a classic—34CAN$—but because it’s the sort of book you treasure and the story is unabridged, it can reveal itself to be worth it.

Follow me on:

Youtube | Twitter| Instagram | Google+ | Goodreads | Bloglovin’

Catwoman: Soulstealer – Sarah J. Maas

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Penguin Random House Canada
Published: August 7th, 2018
Publisher: Random House BFYR
Pacing: Fast
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Action, Superheroes, Family, Romance, Friendship

---

BLURB:

Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking. Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing.

I Am Small – Qin Leng

I Am Small by Qin Leng

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Published: October 2nd, 2018
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Recommended Age: 4+
Genres & Themes: Picture Book, Friendship, Family

---

BLURB:

In her authorial debut, award-winning illustrator Qin Leng has crafted a delightful picture book with a fresh twist on the themes of self-acceptance, growing up, and the arrival of a new sibling.

Carmilla – Kim Turrisi

Carmilla by Kim Turrisi

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: May 7th, 2019
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Pacing: Normal/Slow
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, LGBTQIA+, University Life

---

BLURB:

Newly escaped from the stifling boredom of a small town, college freshman Laura is ready to make the most of her first year at Silas University. But when her roommate, Betty, vanishes and a sarcastic, nocturnal philosophy student named Carmilla moves into Betty’s side of the room, Laura decides to play detective. Turns out Betty isn’t the first girl to go missing ? she’s just the first girl not to come back. All over campus, girls have been vanishing, and they are completely changed when (or if) they return. Even more disturbing are the strange dreams they recount: smothering darkness, and a strange pale figure haunting their rooms. Dreams that Laura is starting to have herself. As Laura closes in on the answers, tensions rise with Carmilla. Is this just a roommate relationship that isn’t working out, or does Carmilla know more than she’s letting on about the disappearances? What will Laura do if it turns out her roommate isn’t just selfish and insensitive, but completely inhuman? And what will she do with the feelings she’s starting to have for Carmilla?

The Center of the Universe – Ria Voros

The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Published: April 2nd, 2019
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Pacing: Normal/Fast
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Family, Mystery, Romance, Friendship, Astronomy

---

BLURB:

Grace Carter’s mother — the celebrity news anchor GG Carter — is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace — an aspiring astrophysicist — is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits. Then one day GG is just … gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace’s family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG’s disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school’s golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother’s long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted … or did she leave? And if she left, why?

Grace and Fury – Tracy Banghart

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Published: July 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Pacing: Normal/Slow
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Feminism, Sisterhood, Action, Rebellion

---

BLURB:

In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison. Serina has been groomed her whole life to become a Grace – someone to stand by the heir to the throne as a shining, subjugated example of the perfect woman. But when her headstrong and rebellious younger sister, Nomi, catches the heir’s eye, it’s Serina who takes the fall for the dangerous secret that Nomi has been hiding. Now trapped in a life she never wanted, Nomi has only one way to save Serina: surrender to her role as a Grace until she can use her position to release her sister. This is easier said than done. A traitor walks the halls of the palace, and deception lurks in every corner. But Serina is running out of time, imprisoned on an island where she must fight to the death to survive and one wrong move could cost her everything.

The Perfect Couple – Elin Hilderbrand

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Published: June 19th, 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pacing: Fast
Recommended Age: 14+
Genres & Themes: Adult, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, Weddings, Drama, Family

---

BLURB:

It’s wedding season on Nantucket. The beautiful island is overrun with summer people–an annual source of aggravation for year-round residents. And that’s not the only tension brewing offshore. When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash digs into the best man, the maid of honor, the groom’s famous mystery novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, the chief discovers that every wedding is a minefield–and no couple is perfect. Featuring beloved characters from THE CASTAWAYS and A SUMMER AFFAIR, THE PERFECT COUPLE proves once again that Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer beach read.

I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering

I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering by Janelle Hanchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Hachette Book Group Canada
Published: May 2018
Publisher: Hachette Books
Pacing: Normal
Recommended Age: 15/16+
Genres & Themes: Adult, Memoir, Nonfiction, Parenting, Mental Illness, Addiction

---

BLURB:

At 21, Janelle Hanchett embraced motherhood with the reckless self-confidence of those who have no idea what they’re getting into. Having known her child’s father for only three months, she found herself rather suddenly getting to know a newborn, husband, and wholly transformed identity. She was in love, but she was bored, directionless, and seeking too much relief in too much wine. Over time, as she searched for home in suburbia and settled life, a precarious drinking habit turned into treacherous dependence, until life became car seats and splitting hangovers, cubicles and multi-day drug binges–and finally, an inconceivable separation from her children. For ten years, Hanchett grappled with the relentless progression of addiction, bouncing from rehabs to therapists to the occasional hippie cleansing ritual on her quest for sobriety, before finding it in a way she never expected.