Between the Pages

August 2020 has rounded out the biggest literary summer I have ever had! I have officially read 20 books in 2020! In fact, 18 out of the 20 books of 2020 have been read between May and August.   I have read and reviewed 5 books this month. Here is the official break down: This month was fairly balanced in terms of likes and dislikes: two dislikes, two loves, and one straight down the middle. Therefore, this month balances out as a fairly good month. I cannot believe I have read five books this month. One-fourth of this year's books! I hope to make a recap and chart like this one every month. Here are the reviews of the books I have read in August: http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/08/a-good-girls-guide-to-murder.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-man-in-brown-suit.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/08/dracula.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/08/atomic-love.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-guest-list.html I also wrote 4 interest pieces this month. A...

Dracula by Bram Stoker is truly horrifying and a classic EVERYONE should read.  Summary Johnathan Harker is off on business. He always has a plan, Except, this time he doesn't. His mysterious business associate has not given him any direction. Johnathan Harker travels to Transylvania to meet his host. Instead of a professional, businessman, Harker is greeted by a seemingly mythical, ghastly white-haired and skinned man. Count Dracula, or the Count for short, terrorizes the town below the cliffs of his lair. Throughout Harker's time at the castle, he is almost killed from scaling the castle windows' ledges, three ghost women who cackle and try to suck the blood out of the veins in his neck, and the Count himself.  Meanwhile, Harker's fiance, Mina Murray, is with her beloved friend, Lucy Westenra, in Whitby. Lucy starts having dreams and sleepwalking. One night, Lucy sleepwalks to a misty churchyard where Mina spots a ghostly figure on a bench next to an extremely pale Lu...

  Jennie Fields's historical accuracy in Atomic Love is unrivaled, but, like everything, is not perfect. Summary Chicago, 1950. Rosalind Porter is just getting herself back together after her long-time relationship breaks up and her long-time project blows up (literally, she was an integral scientist in the Manhattan Project). Her heart is broken by her boyfriend, more like a soulmate, Thomas Weaver, who is also a scientist. Her soul broke though when the bombs fell and burst Nagasaki and Hiroshima into a million pieces that would never truly be put back together. She felt guilty and empty.  She's getting back on her feet though. She spends fun-filled weekends with her mini-twin and niece, Ava. She visits her sister and brother-and-law (more like her mother and father because Roz's mom was so old when she was born), Louisa and Henry. Her life is finally settling down, that's when Weaver starts to call again. And call and call and call and call. Staying strong, Rosalind ...

Hello everyone. I have missed you all SO MUCH! I haven't blogged as much these past couple days because, drum roll, school started! I promise everyone is safe, masked, and socially distanced at my school. What about you? How has COVID-19 affected you reading? Comment both down below! Because of internships, programs, busy work, and, now, homework, I have been listening to no end of great podcasts. I already did a post on this, but I have a couple more I NEED to share.  Phoebe Reads a Mystery I am literally in love, y'all. I can honestly say that I listen to this podcast every day. I have listened to 3 full books on this podcast. I truly cannot get enough. It is a great way to fly through books if you haven't the time to sit down with a physical copy for a couple of days. Phoebe's voice is AMAZINGLY calming, yet informative. This podcast helps me get into books. As you all know, my favorite genre is mystery/detective. This podcast is perfect. Five stars. ZERO complai...

  The Guest List by Lucy Foley has a great concept and plot, but the wonderful story is buried by inappropriate language and sexual innuendos.  *DISCLAIMER - I knew this book was for adults before I read it. I will explain in the review part of this post. I don't think anyone below 18 years old should read this book.* Summary On a remote Irish island called Folly, Jules Keegan and Will Slater have gathered their closest friends and family. The smart, ambitious magazine publisher and the charming, witty, and handsome television star are getting married. While the sea and cell service are a little choppy, the couple and their friends won't let the setting spoil their fun. A deserted island, a huge house, plenty of alcohol, a four-tiered cake, and the perfect dress make the wedding of the century. "But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human". Jealousies and not-so-fond memories come out before the cake is even cut. Dark clouds loom overhead, physically and...

I continued my Book of the Month service this month! While I have not read these books yet, reviews are coming soon. This post will just serve as a report on what came in my box for those of you without Instagram.  For my August Book of the Month, I picked Atomic Love by Jennie Fields.  This month, I decided to do an add on. I am so excited I did because I picked The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I have heard nothing but AMAZING things. Plus, all of you know I love mysteries and thrillers! This should be GOOD.  I am beyond excited to read these books. Thank you BOTM! Have you ever ordered BOTM? If not, comment below for a reference code! Want this specific book? Again, my reference code gets us both rewards! Read either of these books? Comment your thoughts below!

Summer is winding down for the school that I attend. Since summer reading is a great source of stress when the summer quickly (seemingly) closes, I thought I would make this blog one of resources for summer reading. This will be organized by MS grade. These books are specific to the required reads at my school. If you have read these books or happen to have these books assigned to you now or in the future, feel absolutely free to use these at your disposal. Please use the tips from my previous posts about summer reading linked here.  RISING 5TH GRADERS Hello fifth graders! I am so glad you are beginning your journey in middle school. As I understand it, your summer read is Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Use these resources to prepare and review for your class beginning in only one and a half short weeks.  Synopsis and review . Book Summary given very in-depth and by chapter. Again, fabulous summaries with an included study guide . Kid-friendly Review video that may be ...

Hello everyone and welcome back. I'm sorry I have not posted in a while (and by "in a while" I mean 4 days). I have been on a very safe, masked (wear your mask!), and socially distanced vacation in a destination to which we drove. I read this book on vacation in the presence of the river and trees with ominous, mossy overhangs. Please enjoy. While The Man in the Brown Suit is a Christie, it is painfully obvious that it is one of her earlier published. Summary Anne Beddingfield is standing waiting for her train at the tube station when she sees a man who smells overwhelmingly of mothballs. Suddenly, the man looks at the her and then just behind her and goes stark white. He stumbles backwards, from fear, and trips over the side of the platform. He lands on the tracks. A couple passersby help Anne get the man back on to the platform. A man in a brown suit rushes past Anne and claims to be a doctor. The brown suited man pronounces dead, but Anne notices he does not handle the...

Because of quarantine, I have been fortunate to have a lot of time to write blog posts and read books in preparation for those posts. But, what will happen when the school year starts? My schoolwork can be quite rigorous when the year settles to its rhythm. Will I continue to have time to read and write as much as I have during quarantine? As much as I would like? I do not have the answers to all of these questions, as all school years are different in terms of workload and schedule. I do hope to continue writing and reading the best I can for all of you if you are there at all, and, mostly and honestly, for myself. This blog is a kind of self-care and time with books and myself for me. This is a space where I can put my thoughts on books without being influenced by others. I appreciate you all giving me that opportunity.  My plan, starting in late August/early September, is to continue being VERY active on my Instagram (@betweenthepgs) but also to make sure I post frequently on he...

Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder  is the summer thriller you NEED! Summary Pippa, or Pip, Fitz-Amobi is good at school. She has always been, but she doesn't know who she truly is when she isn't working on a project, doing homework, or studying for a test. For her senior capstone project, Pip decides she will solve a murder. Drastic, I know, but she has to find out what really happened five years ago. She has to find out what happened to her friend Sal. When Sal Singh was a senior in highschool, his girlfriend, Andie Bell, disappeared. Sal Singh was found a couple days later, after texting his father that he kidnapped and killed Andie, dead - suicide with sleeping pills. Pippa knows that's not the whole story.  The only condition on her capstone project is that she does not interview any members of the Bell or Singh families. This is the first rule Pippa breaks, a concept that she is not used to. Pip enlists the help of Ravi Singh (Sal's younger brot...