I don’t want to get into The Cursed Child too much here because I want to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read it yet, and I wrote a long rant post about it you can read here, but let’s just say the nostalgia of being back in the HP universe only carried this one so far.

Me Before You was my book club read for August and I found it a bit eh. I was so looking forward to reading it and it just didn't live up to the hype for me.

If I had to pick one book off the list to recommend, I’d say you should read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It was nothing like I expected and everything I needed it to be. It was beautifully written, perfectly narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and heart wrenchingly honest.


I managed to happen upon my local library’s Friends of the Library book sale one Saturday when accidentally getting there too early to pick up my book. I lucked out and found copies of Ready Player One, Anne of Green Gables, and The Magicians. I’m still eyeing this hardcover box set of The Magicians but I couldn’t pass up a used copy of book one! I’ve also been hunting for a decent, unmarked used copy of Ready Player One for ages, so score! I adore Anne of Green Gables so I had to have this lovely hardcover copy. It’s from 1992, and I don’t know if it’s supposed to have a dust jacket, but I couldn’t wait to add it to my collection.

I made progress on both my Hogwarts crest this month and my Steotchalong. So technically I should be finished with my Steotchalong, but by making time for my crest, I’ve fallen behind, but I’m okay with that. Progress is progress! I wish I had two sets of arms, hands, eyes, and two brains and heads so I could read and cross stitch at the same time!
Sometimes I listen to an audiobook while I stitch, but it’s much easier to listen to an old tv show in the background then to risk zoning out on a good book or flubbing a pattern and having to frog a lot of hard work.


My brother-in-law got married at the beginning of the month, so much of our time was spent celebrating nuptials and new family ties. My husband was the best man, doesn’t he look smashing :) It was a hometown wedding fit for the cover of Country Living, and it was gorgeous.


This has been the summer of baseball. Managed to squeeze in two more games this month! This time watching my home team, the Oakland A’s square off against the Chicago Cubs, then the Sacramento Rivercats vs. the Iowa Cubbies.


I’ve been trying to enjoy the summer while it lasts. I can’t believe it’s September and almost fall! Pumpkin spice yuck is about is invade everything and it will be time to pack up my shorts and sandals for another year. Not that I the fall doesn’t have it’s bonuses, but I’m just not ready yet.
How was your August? Ready anything good? Do anything exciting? Have any life changing news or book recommendations for me?

There are a lot of great books due out this month! Below are the ones that I’m most looking forward to releasing this September. I can’t believe Empire of Storms is finally here! I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to find out what happened to Aelin and I’m fit to bursting. What about you?

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas - September 6
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman - September 6
book two in the Invisible Library series. Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.  ||  My Review

Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu  - September 6
Two small town Texas teenagers whose lives are linked by a terrifying crime. When Caroline's little brother is kidnapped, his subsequent rescue leads to the discovery of Ethan, a teenager who has been living with the kidnapper since he was a young child himself. In the aftermath, Caroline can't help but wonder what Ethan knows about everything that happened to her brother, who is not readjusting well to life at home. And although Ethan is desperate for a friend, he can't see Caroline without experiencing a resurgence of traumatic memories.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova - September 6
Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives. Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.   ||   My Review

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake -  September 20
Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess -  September 20
Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she's brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her.

Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter -  September 20
A modern retelling of the Russian folktale “Vassilissa the Beautiful”

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo -  September 27
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.


Are you looking forward to any of these? What’s your most anticipated release in September?

Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.

Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people - and the forces of order and chaos themselves.

Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death.


The Masked City is book two in Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library series (you can read my review of book one here). It was once again full of action, danger, suspense, magic, fae, dragons, werewolves, and chaos. Also, multidimensional travel!

Right off the bat we’re thrown into action with the kidnapping of Irene’s assistant Kai, and there’s barely a dull moment after. We see the return of characters from The Invisible Library, such as the Sherlockian Detective Vale and the overbearing fae, Lord Silver, and we’re introduced to many new characters, from Kai’s family, to those who’ve orchestrated Kai’s kidnapping, and more.

Irene is a bad-ass who risks everything to save Kai and, at the same time, try to prevent a war that could destroy worlds. She ventures into unknown worlds with nothing but her brilliant mind, a tentative and reluctant allegiance to help free Kai, and the Language. Once again, her beloved Library leaves her to fend for herself and take the weight of this task on her own shoulders, and she does a magnificent job. I love Irene. She knows she’s not super human, she knows her limits, and still manages to keep pushing on and fighting to get the job done. I liked getting to know Vale more and I hope to see his and Irene’s relationship (working or more) develop more in the next book.

If you’re a fan of world building, Cogman is a great author choice for you. She describes her alternate Venice in beautiful detail, along with the rest of the alternate worlds. I could picture myself sitting at the opera or wearing a Carnival mask on a gondola ride. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll stop there, but I recommend you read it and find out for yourself!


Cogman delves deep into this world and knows every inch of her universe. I got lost a few times trying to keep up, and I’ll admit I have a few questions as to how the rules of chaos and order work, and how the Library manages to keep things in order, but in the end it didn’t matter. The story was engrossing, fast paced, and so, so smart. Cogman is brilliant. The only reason I didn’t give this a 5-star review is because the ending didn’t feel like an ending! It seemed like there should have been at least another chapter or two. I couldn’t believe that was the end. It felt unfinished. There is a third installment coming this December, The Burning Page, and that’s most likely why but I felt robbed! How could you do that to me Genevieve?!

The Masked City is available in the US on September 6, 2016

WARNING: RANT & SPOILERS

Please read the above sentence. If you loved The Cursed Child and/or if you haven’t read it yet and don’t want the story to be spoiled for you, stop reading now. You’ve been forewarned.


I want to start off by saying that I went into reading Harry Potter and The Cursed Child knowing that J.K. Rowling didn’t write it herself (did you know that? If not, you should it explains a lot), but she did give it her blessing, and I went into it with an open mind. I was very excited to be transported back into the HP universe and brought back to my childhood and teenage years of wonderment, ready to be immersed in wizardry, spells, Hogwarts, the lot of it, 19 years later.

It started off fine, I had no issues reading the screenplay style and it picked up right where The Deathly Hallows left off on Platform 9 ¾ left off with Harry talking to Albus Severus about how it would be okay if he was sorted into Slytherin. From there we’re introduced to Rose, Hermione and Ron’s daughter, cousin to Albus, and Scorpius, son of Draco Malfoy. Rose tries to warn Albus away from socializing or being seen with Scorpius because there are rumors surrounding him that he is the son of Voldemort -which right off the bat I was like what? Anyway- but Albus makes his own choice to stay with him on the train on their first trip to Hogwarts, Rose leaves, and it’s the start of a long friendship.

So, Albus gets sorted into Slytherin (shocker, I know), and a few years go by and Albus and Scorpius have become great friends. He resents that Harry is his father and he’s very emo. Scorpius is basically a mish-mash of Ron & Hermione’s personalities, nothing like Draco at all. One summer while Albus is home, Amos Diggory, Cedric’s dad - you remember him from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire don’t you? - pays a visit to Harry asking him to use a time-turner that the Ministry is rumored to have confiscated (as all others were destroyed after the previous war) to go back and save Cedric. Harry denies its existence and says no. Delphi, Amos’ niece (or is she!?) pops up and gets into Albus’s head and basically convinces him that he should go back in time and save Cedric. It will be his big moment and maybe that can gain some respect with his father. He and Scorpius get the time-turner, go back, manage to screw everything up, have to get help to fix everything, and then everything’s right in the end. Along the way we find out Voldemort did have a kid, and it was Delphi all along, and her mom was Bellatrix….


1. Voldemort having a kid at all brings up so many issues I have a hard time figuring out where to start. He thought he was so high and mighty would he have really brought himself low enough to breed with someone? And yes, that’s exactly how he would have thought of it, breeding. He thought he was better than everyone.

2. Bellatrix being the mother - I mean, if it had to be anyone, I can see why she would be the choice, but still, see my above point.

3. Her giving birth at Malfoy manor before the battle of Hogwarts - again, plausible, but Draco not knowing about it? His parents were living in the house at the time. How could they not know and why wouldn’t they have, at some point, not spilled the beans? It’s pretty freaking hard to hide a pregnancy for 9 months, plus a birth, and with Bellatrix being a top ranking Death Eater, how did NO ONE talk? And why, when Hermione used polyjuice potion to become her in The Deathly Hallows to get into Gringotts, didn’t anyone question her not being pregnant?


Depending on your theory of time travel, and sticking with J.K.’s own from Prisoner of Azkaban, Albus and Scorpius going back in time in the Goblet of Fire MAKES NO SENSE. It would have come up in the narrative! They directly interacted with Hermione, yet she has no recollection of this? More plot holes!

Overall, I think it might make a good play and would be fun to see live in person and it’s the only reason I’m giving it 3 stars. Mostly it read like a piece of fan fiction. I’m kind of surprised it received her approval as it was. The more I think about it the more upset I get. I know I can’t be the only one! I’ve heard mixed reviews, and I think most people that consider themselves to be huge fans feel similarly.


Okay, rant over.

What did you think? Do you agree? Did you love The Cursed Child? Did you hate it? Are you in between?

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

Beautiful Creatures meets Daughter of Smoke and Bone with an infusion of Latin American tradition in this highly original fantasy adventure.
The opening scene of Labyrinth Lost hooked me immediately, it got a little shaky in the first third, but after that it was smooth sailing.

I enjoyed Labyrinth Lost because it opened up an unknown world to me. I know very little of this spiritual culture and their superstitious beliefs. Alex and the women in her family are bruja’s, each possessing some form of magic. On their Deathday celebration, they bind to their family and fully embrace their powers. Unfortunately Alex thinks she’s cursed and wants nothing to do with her magic, so she tries to cast a counter-spell to rid herself of her magic and everything goes sideways.

She’s pulled into a world she once thought was make-believe, used as children’s bedtime stories to make them behave. Once there, she’s forced to face demons, the river of the dead, an unholy queen of the underworld, and betrayals of the worst kind. It’s not all bad though. She comes out stronger for it in the end and finds those who matter most to her. She also finds herself along the way.

I appreciated Córdova’s character development. I thought I would be tired of a story where the main character has this amazing gift and doesn’t want it. Way to be unappreciative of this wonderful power the universe has seen fit to bestow upon you, but Alex actually seems to have a legitimate reason. Although it’s only hinted at in LL, I think it will be fully explored in book 2.
While I wouldn’t rate Labyrinth Lost as excellent, I’d give it a solid 4 stars. It held my attention and took some interesting twists. I think this would be a good read for those who enjoy fantasy, something you can probably breeze through in a weekend.

Available September 6, 2016

July, also known as my birthday month, and as well as the month in which our nation celebrates its independence. If you’re anything like me, you’re trying to find ways to stay indoors because the 5 days in a row of triple digits with no pool or a break in the heat in sight is no bueno. I’ll stick with iced coffee and my air conditioning, thank you.





The Crown’s Game was a quick and easy read. The premise was great, but I wasn’t as enthralled as I hoped I would be. Skye’s writing and world building is beautiful, as wells as her dedication to the time and Russian heritage, but I just didn’t feel much for the characters. I also found it to be predictable.

I’m pretty sure I’d read The Lucky One before this because it was very familiar to me, but I’m not 100%. It could be because I’ve seen the movie, but the movie isn’t exactly the same, but who knows. It’s a good campy romance novel like most Nicholas Sparks books. This one didn’t make me cry at least.

I fell 3 weeks behind on my Steotchalong (mentioned in June’s recap) due to life’s events mentioned below, but I did my damnedest to catch up, and made it! That was tough. It took a lot of sitting and a stiff neck, but I managed it. Tyrion has a neck and a full head of hair, a goatee, and a shirt!


Look at all that shiny metallic gold threat. It’s a pain in the butt to stitch with! Thread Heaven is a life saver when it comes to working with metallic thread. Also, I will never work with DMC metallic ever again and will only work with Kreinik braided metallics. They don’t fray like DMC and they’re much easier to anchor to the needle.

Sadly I haven’t touched my Hogwarts Crest *pout* I probably won’t be finished this year as I’d hoped. Too many other things going on. I haven’t touched my other secret project mentioned in other monthly recaps either. I guess it could be worse; I could have no projects or hobbies.

July was incredibly busy for me. I know I say this every month, but this month especially. It was my birthday the first week and I turned the big three-oh. Oh lordy… Don’t judge me for still reading loads of YA, it’s my favorite. My husband surprised me with a whole spa package and the above pictured totally awesome Harry Potter Quidditch set for my b-day. He totally gets me. My mom found my Top-10 Birthday Wishlist post and sent me a stack of books (also pictured above)! Overall I’d say I had an awesome 30th!


I went to my future sister-in-law’s bachelorette party weekend where we attended a Giant’s game and spent a day wine tasting in Sonoma.
While everyone else was at SDCC, my husband and I made our annual trek to the state fair. I know it’s pretty much the same every year, but I love it, and it’s a tradition now. By 10am, it was 85 deg, so naturally we started the day with milkshakes. I had Reece’s Peanut butter and my husband had Oreo. The day topped out at 104 deg! I didn’t win big at the horse races but we have a good time with family and trying not to melt. After the fair, I went to a Sacramento Rivercats game, where I also proceeded to melt.


HAS ANYONE ELSE DISCOVERED STRANGER THINGS?! I binge watched it in only 3 days. Holy man it was so good! I may re-watch it just because I couldn’t get enough! It was the first show in so long where all I wanted to do was sit and watch and do nothing else. Not play on my phone or even cross-stitch. Usually I have to be doing something while watching TV or a movie or I feel incredibly lazy or I get bored, but not with Stranger. It was just too good. If you haven’t watched yet, you totally should.

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.
And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love... or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear... the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.


I had very high hopes for The Crown’s Game but I’m sad to say this was not a 5 star book for me.
If you read the synopsis, it had an amazing premise. I mean, magical duels to the death between two enchanters to become the Imperial Enchanter? I was expecting all out death matches, obstacle courses, arenas, and the like, a la A Gathering of Shadows, but it was nothing like this. Instead it was much more like The Night Circus. Which, don’t get me wrong, isn’t a bad thing, it’s just not what I was expecting and not what I was lead to believe was going to happen.

Skye’s world building is wonderful. She created a 19th century Russia that no longer believes in magic, but once was surrounded by it. Only a select few still know of magic and the enchanters, including the Tsar, the enchanters themselves, and their mentors. A few more people find out along the way, but the masses pass of the enchantments as extremely detailed mechanics/engineering works, rational ways of explaining things that cannot be explained. She’s dedicated to the Russian theme and 19th century feel. The details used to describe St. Petersburg and Ovchinin Island left me feeling like I was there on those wintry days. I could have been walking down those cobblestone streets.

Where I feel it fell flat was with the characters and their story. Vika and Nikolai are supposed to be in the Crown’s Game, this ultimate game to the death, to reach their full potential and serve their Empire. Something they’ve each trained for their whole life, but when the time comes they, predictably, pull their punches and drag out the fight. Which, turns out, isn’t really even a fight but more of a back and forth competition to see who can impress the Tsar more – not what I was expecting to say the least. They manage to throw some barbs in here and there but with no real weight behind them. Ludmilla, Ovchinin’s resident baker and Vika’s friend/confidante/motherly figure, was one of the only characters I really liked and felt a real connection to. Not to mention I wanted to eat every one of her delectable treats!

In the end I rated The Crown’s Game 3.5 out of 5 stars. I found the “long-buried secrets” predictable (I managed to figure them out long before they were revealed), and it lacked the action I was hoping for, but it overall it was a good story and has a lot of potential for the sequel, The Crown’s Heir.

This is a good read for fans of The Night Circus, which I loved, so don’t necessarily take my word for it. Read The Crown’s Game for yourself! I think I just went into this one expecting one thing and got blindsided by a completely different type of story.