Between the Pages

 Oh, what a reading year 2021 has already been! I am so excited to share what I have read in 2021 thus far (whether I shared it on here with a review or on my Instagram or not!). I always enjoy seeing what others have read for two main reasons. The first being that I am genuinely interested in what books other readers gravitate towards in my favorite genres. And secondarily, I love organization and comprehensive reports on a lot of different topics. Readers' reading reports always hold a sense of such accomplishment. Please enjoy my stats as of today in the slides below!

 The Minerva House gang is back! This is NOT a drill. I repeat this is NOT a drill! SUMMARY Stevie Bell is back and better than ever (literally) in The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson, but this time, with another mystery. For three books, we have been riveted by the Ellingham Academy murders. Now that Stevie has solved those, she begins the summer before her senior year working in a deli - not exactly the perfect job for a mystery-solving teenager but it is a safe job (unless you count the deli-slicer as a dangerous weapon...).  In 1978, four prominent teenagers at summer camp in Barlow Corners went into the woods together to smoke after camp curfew. Sabrina, Todd, Diane, and Eric were never seen alive again. They were seen, however, stabbed to death in the woods. 43 years later, still, no one knows why. Cold. Case. When Stevie gets an offer to solve the Box in the Woods murders, she takes it - posing to everyone (even her parents) except her friends and the camp owner as ...

SUMMARY Dr. James Sheppard is a (the) well-known doctor in a wealthy town called King's Abbott. Dr. Sheppard wakes up on this particular Friday morning to a normal day (is there really such a thing as a "normal" day in the life of a doctor?) - his sister Caroline spilling out all of her most recently acquired gossip while he sips tea or coffee over a light breakfast. But, Dr. Sheppard's day doesn't stay normal. Mrs. Ferrars - a citizen of the extremely small town - has died. Sheppard is sent to give her medical attention, but he was too late.  One of Dr. Sheppard's best friends in King's Abbott - Mr. Roger Ackroyd - was seeing Mrs. Ferrars before her ultimate demise. As the amateur sleuth he is, Sheppard goes to pay a call at the biggest house in King's Abbott: the Ackroyd residence. Upon his visit, Sheppard is immediately ushered into Ackroyd's study where he is informed that Mrs. Ferrars was being blackmailed. Perhaps Caroline was right when she ...

In January, I shared a list of Bookish Pet Peeves . Well it's July, and I am back with more pet peeves but this time relating to romance books. Let me know if you think any of these things are nerve-shredding too.  Romance is a genre with many tropes (enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, forced proximity, etc.). A very frequently used theme for romance books is the classic "opposites fall in love" or become really good friends in the beginning. While I have read books with this trope and liked them, I don't fully understand how this is supposed to work. If two people "are polar opposites" (as some back covers report), how did they meet or become friends (much less lovers)? Shared experience is how I've met almost everyone I know, so if two people "have nothing in common," they couldn't have become even acquaintances.  If the protagonist has a "unique name" - I'm out. O-U-T. Any Pepperidges, Zeldas, or Evies, and I can't g...

 I hope you all enjoyed the airport books piece! I honestly LOVED writing it. Today, something a little simpler and shorter is on the agenda - a conglomeration of details about my literary life right now. An update, if you will, about what books I just bought, I am reading, and what I've got my eye on.  What I Just Bought Box in the Woods  by Maureen Johnson (yes, the same author of the Truly Devious trilogy! This book has some of the same characters too!) Finlay Donovan is Killing It   by Elle Cosimano (an adult book, but when the words "a mystery" are on the front - MUAH...) I made both of these purchases on my weekly trip to Parnassus. Yes, I usually get one book, but I had to get these two this week. Had to.  What I'm Reading I chose to start with Johnson's book this week. Look for updates on my Instagram (@betweenthepgs) story! My nails match this cover - just thought I'd point that out. (DIY manicure, if you couldn't tell.) What I've Got my Eye O...

 As was mentioned at the beginning of my last post, I just got back from summer vacation (the first one in a WHILE - thanks COVID). While waiting for 5 hours on a layover in the Houston airport, I finished my book, and I finished it quickly. I brought two books on this trip: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry. With two books down, I was on a roll - I needed to find another book. This began my Airport Book Odyssey: the hunt for a book I (1) wanted to read and (2) wouldn't be too heavy for my tiny little travel backpack. I, along with my siblings, marched up to the handy-dandy interactive map and clicked "Books/Magazines/Newspapers". Several results surfaced (5 of which I visited).  I visited the CNBC smart shop, Houston Chronicle, Southern Living, Shady Lane, and Texas Monthly News. Through my journey, I wanted to answer the questions: Why am I so selective about where I buy my books? Should I be selective? What are the pros of air...

 Hello everyone! I am back from vacation with a review of a book about vacations. (Also, can we all just notice how nicely both of Emily Henry's books go together!?) SUMMARY Poppy Wright isn't happy. The question, though, is why? Why is she unhappy? Should she be unhappy? She has her dream job. She lives in New York City - away from her tiny hometown in Indiana and all of her childhood bullies she still holds trauma from. She has made great friends in NYC including her best friend Rachel. Well, not her best friend of all time, that's Alex Nielsen. Alex and Poppy met their freshman year of college and had nothing in common (except not liking when people call boats "she"). But, nonetheless, they became best friends. He was the pair of khakis to her sequined top. She was the extrovert to his introvert. They began going on trips together every summer, as Poppy was an aspiring travel writer and Alex desperately needed a little adventure whether he wanted it or not. The...