Book Review: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Death on the Nile was quite interesting. The first chapter when you open the book was broken up into many mini chapters and I got so confused as to why Agatha Christie chose to write the book like this. But then as I read on, from England to a hotel in Egypt to the Nile to the boat and as to why someone would shoot Linnet in the head like that, this book was a ride I was glad to be on, because I was trying to figure out who did kill Linnet Ridgeway. I thought it was her friend Jacqueline-I was spot on-but the whole twist as to why she was killed and why Jacqueline was stalking both Linnet and Simon. Was it because of jealousy? Was it all a plan to get all of Linnet's money so they could do whatever they wanted with it? Was Jacqueline that money-hungry as my mama would say, and wanted all of Linnet's money? Or was it revenge for stealing Simon away from her?

Simon's part of the whole thing confused me. I thought he was faithful to his wife, only to turn around and plan this whole thing, which doesn't make any sense at all. I thought he was happy with Linnet and was glad to marry her. But to surprise me and lie about it, all because of Jacqueline??? Sir. Really?? To me, Simon was one shady bitch throughout this book and I thought to keep an eye on him the whole entire time while I was trying to keep an eye on Jacqueline.

The whole scene in the drawing room, with Jacqueline making a huge fuss and acting weird--to the point that she wanted to shoot Simon to make him pay for leaving her....it didn't make sense. At all. It was one huge weird scene that just threw me off while trying to figure it all out. But then it broke off into some weird 'I saw her do this' and 'he did that' and it didn't make any sense at all. But for some reason....it compelled me though.

The ending was...not that satisfying. I didn't like how both Jacqueline and Simon just died like that, which was sad in my opinion. I thought, 'oh they'll get arrested and go to jail, good for us' but nope, didn't end that way. I'm sad about that part, though, because I felt like Linnet didn't get any justice for what happened to her after we find out it was both Simon and Jacqueline that killed her.

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Book Review: 5 Books All At Once!

Hey y'all and welcome back to my blog! I haven't been posting up anything because of the fact that I've been busy. But since May has been a huge reading month for me, I decided to do five book reviews-all at once. Each book I read I loved (one I really didn't...) but it's okay! June looks like a really good one as soon as I post this up, starting it off with Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong. So without further ado, let's get started with the book reviews!!

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Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh hello Jane and Katherine, nice to see you again. I really enjoyed the book and I’m sad that things didn’t go the way I thought, but at the end of the day, I’m glad that Gideon Carr is dead. I was shocked when I read how he died-I thought Jane was going to kill him, but then Katherine killed him…it was actually pretty dang good. I loved it and now I’m also sad that the duology is over.

I liked the dual POV from Jane and Katherine. You get to see how they are doing while they are dealing with the aftermath of Summerland, then Jackson’s death, then Nicodemus, then them out in the wild west, trying to find their place to live. I actually liked how Jane became a bounty hunter and fell in love with Callie. I honestly wanted them to stay like that forever, until Callie just upped and left. As for Katherine, she was just heading to California with Sue and the others, trying to find a place to settle down. They do-I forgot the village where Jane’s mama was, but she was there, and Jane just felt uncomfortable there, because she wanted to do something else instead of staying in one place.

I enjoyed the pacing, it was really good, and when Gideon Carr finally died, I felt like a weight was lifted off Jane’s shoulder, because throughout the book she clearly has an obsession with Gideon and wanting to kill him so much, and she does see him again, thanks to Daniel Redfern. Even though Jane didn’t kill him, I was kinda wishing that she did. All in all, this was a really good book. I enjoyed it a whole lot. Wish there was another book after this, but I understand why the author made it into a duology.

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Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So this book…first time reading this book after it came out when I was in high school or middle school…and it’s okay. The whole going back in time I really didn’t like, because it threw me off and confused me. I don’t think I’ll pick up the next two books from the library, mostly because of the fear of reading another go back in time and things not sounding straight.

But I did enjoy the parts I like-like Karou using wishes, Brimstone reprimanding her, and then how the doors were burning and everything going to hell. It’s okay, I felt like it could be better but I just dealt with it as the story went on. Some of the chapters were short and sweet, the others were long and explains a whole lot. I did think that Karou going down the slide was fun and meeting Thiago who nearly chokes the hell out of her.

And Akiva…eh…he’s okay. He’s nothing that interesting, tbh. Yes he’s an angel, but all he did was dwell on who Karou is or what she looks like at all of that. He might be big and strong and all that, but to be honest he’s kinda…boring. Sorry if you liked him a long time ago. He’s just boring and not my type, and if he gets more interesting in the book, cool, if not, then okay.

I liked this book, the writing was okay, but I just thrown around with the whole other backstory for Karou/Madigal.

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Neon Gods by Katee Robert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Katee Robert has got a new fan in me. HO-LEE-SHYT this book was so good. I enjoyed this book, mostly because I went in with very low expectations. But the spice was really good, especially when Hades asks for consent. CONSENT YA”LL. That is the most sexiest thing I’ve ever read in a book, and when a man asks for consent, I’m down, I’m done, I’m yours. And the ending. Once again, HO-LEE-SHYT.

But I really loved how Persephone grew in the book, from being society’s darling to becoming her own woman, who won’t take no shit, even from Zeus and from the Thirteen. I think the one thing I really liked from this book is that they don’t have any of their God-like powers. They’re just people like you and me, and it’s almost like a royalty story, with the Thirteen and all that. I really enjoyed this book so much that I’m hyped to read the other books.

My favorite part is when Hades told Persephone, “You are a really shitty custodian to your body.” and that just blew me away. I was mad at first when he told her that, but then as Persephone told him that she didn’t even eat, I can see why. Good lord, girl. I also loved how Persephone trusted Hades with her, because she felt safe, which I started to really love as I kept reading.

I really do highly recommend this book, I really enjoyed it, it threw me around a couple times, and I love Hades and Persephone and their relationship SO MUCH, y’all. So, so much.

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The Affair at the Victory Ball - a Hercule Poirot Short Story by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Basically this mystery was so quick, I felt like instead of Poirot solving the case, we got Rampo from Bungo Stray Dogs solving the mystery, and Atsushi was just…there in a way. I loved how quick he solved it, and even though it was a short story, I wish I knew what really went on in the Victory Ball, to learn and see what really happened. But it was short and sweet and I enjoyed it every much.

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Siege of Darkness by R.A. Salvatore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book wasn’t supposed to be funny-but it was. It was funny because of the fact that Drizzt whacked himself in the face with a tree. But after all that, this was once again a good book to read, and this time, it is a war for Mithral Hall. People did die, some did survive, one fell into his werewolf powers and killed a weapons master, and yes, Errtu was in this, but he wasn’t even that present in the book. Lolth was in the book was well, but good lord she’s very ambitious, even driving one of the oldest Matron Mothers to her death.

But let’s start at why this war for Mithral Hall is happening…

Matron Banere, with the help of the old dwarf magically hidden in a tooth, Gandalug Battlehammer, plotted out how she was going to take Mithral Hall and turn the poor dwarfs into slaves. She also wanted revenge for what Drizzt Do’Urden did to her and all of Menzoberranzan, so she starts to plot. Meanwhile, everyone in Mithral Hall is getting ready for this fight between the drow of the Underdark, and they get help from the Harpells, Silverymoon and Settlestone. Wulfgar’s presence was there when they talked about Aegis-Fang and how, if Wulfgar was alive, he would’ve been in the battle, though now I wonder what happened to him when he was caught by the damned yochlol, but I think we’re going to figure it out once I get to the next book.

The war was kinda slow. Jarlaxle was barely in it, in my opinion-he was just there, along with Quenthel and Triel. Even though Quenthel was killed by Drizzt and Matron Banere was killed by Bruenor Battlehammer (good for him), I think they were the stars, along with Drizzt and the others. I also like how the story kept switching with everyone, and the shocking thing in the story was that Lady Alurstriel showed up and helped the war.

There was a time in the book called The Time of Trouble, where magic went away, as if it never existed. Gwenhwyvar couldn’t go back to the astral plane, Bidderdoo tried to find a way to cure himself of being a werewolf, and the magic of Menzoberranzan was gone, and there was a little war breaking out in Menzoberranzan, with House Oblodara attacking another Matron Mother and killing her because she had her psionic powers…it was a whole-ass mess and I loved every bit of it. I can’t wait to read the next book of this series because I love it so much.

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Book Review: Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine yourself getting on a train, a beautiful train by the way, and while you're on your way to wherever you're going, a murder happens. Now the thing is: you don't know who did it. Who was the one who killed this man who was involved in a murder case a long time ago? Why was he stabbed 12 times?

That is was Hercule Poirot was faced with when M. Rachett (first of all, can we talk about the name? Rachett...like it was funny to me because it sounded like rachet) is found dead in his compartment, and was stabbed 12 times. Each passenger-The Wagon Lit Conductor, Secretary, Valet, American Lady, Swedish Lady, Russian Princess, Count and Countess Andrenyi, Colonel Arbuthnot, Mr. Hardman, the Italian, Miss Debenham, and the German Lady's Maid.

Of course, the Wagon Lit Conductor, Secretary and the Valet was off the suspect list. Mr. Hardman was off it too-he was part of a Private Investigation group. So that left the American and Swedish Ladies, the Russian Princess, Count and Countess Andrenyi, Colonel Arbuthnot, the Italian, Miss Debenham, and the German Lady's Maid...

Which one of them did it?

Well this is the part that shook me: ALL OF THEM DID IT.

It was planned out and I was honestly pointing fingers at the Russian Princess, thinking she was the one who did it, then Miss Debenham which I thought was a total liar all together, but when Poirot came up with that whole conclusion that everyone did it, I was shooketh-TOTALLY SHOOKETH. But I loved this book and all the twist and turns and my wild theories...I love them.

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3 Book Reviews in One Post? Yeh Darn Skimpy It Is!

Hey y'all!

So for today's post you get not one, not two, but three book reviews!!! I'm honestly proud of myself, if you can call it that, that I'm going to be book reviewing three books that I've read over the month because normally I'll do it one at a time, but since I've read three books, I thought I'd do a book review on them. So let's get started!!!

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The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So this was my first Agatha Christie Miss Marple novel and let me say, this book was different than any other novel I've read. First off, it was funny at some parts, and secondly, it had me thinking, challenging me to figure out who did it-I was even thinking that the drug in Heather Babcock's drink was weed once (and I actually ran with that before I realized that someone roofied her, and thus the silly notion of someone slipping some weed in a drink was crushed, though that would be honestly weird and funny for someone to do that) but for the intended victim, Marina Gregg, to go completely crazy and actually do all those things to those pour people (Giesuppe getting shot, Elia Zelinsky dying while taking medicine, sending those horrible notes to herself-like why) and also is completely paranoid about everything to the point that she had to go to an aslyum for treatment because of many things:

1.) She wanted a child of her very own, so she adopted some and tried with her husband (#2 I believe it was) until she finally had one of her own; but thanks to German measles she had developed earlier in the pregnancy, the child turned out to be mentally challenged.

2.) Marina Gregg is insane enough that once someone dies at her own housewarming (or house show), that before the murder actually happened, she had a look on her face when she stared at a painting of a mother being happy with her child, reminding her that she cannot have a child of her own, driving her to insanity and then her saddened death (took a bunch of sleeping pills, which I think she just killed herself because she couldn't take it anymore)

And her husband...Jason Rudd, poor man...he watched over her, watched her go insane and wanted to take her out of the country to protect her, to keep her away from the one that's tormenting her (which was herself, of course-well it looked like it to me). And I also found it weird that Heather actually spilled her drink all over herself, like she really wanted to do it and not by accident.

I actually enjoyed myself reading this book and I want to read more Agatha Christie novels real soon. Also, Marina Gregg reminded me of Niklaus Mikealson from The Originals with his paranoia, but all except his just went to the extreme while Marina's was getting close to getting extreme.


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How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits by Anne Berest
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever since this book came out, I've always wanted to read it. Now that I've read it I actually enjoyed reading it. It was witty, made me laugh a couple times, got me thinking about some of the points in the book, and also keep some advice in mind. How to be Parisian Wherever You Are gives examples of how the Parisian lives, have parties, fall in love, their style and how they spend a day.

It also have little recipes that the Parisian has in her repertoire, like Lemon Chicken, crepes, and Ile Flottante (Floating Island) and they all sound delicious. The book also mentions style, like What You Won't Find in Her Closet, Au Naturel, and A Mother With Flaws and other things Parisian that makes me want to actually go to Paris one of these days when I have the money to do so...or I'll find a rich man to take me (har de har). But it does make a girl dream, doesn't it?

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The Best of Thanksgiving (Williams-Sonoma): Recipes and Inspiration for a Festive Holiday Meal by Williams-Sonoma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brace yourselves: Thanksgiving is coming....(a week from now, actually)

On Thursday, November 23, everyone will come to the dinner table surrounded by friends and family and eat a great dinner, either at the grandparents' house or having a Friendsgiving, bringing the wine and the foods that you made at home, and not going shopping on Black Friday (even though I must admit the prices are really good on Black Friday, but I digress...) that starts on Thanksgiving, but thank god all stores will be closed when Thanksgiving arrives and then people can eat, be with their families, and have fun.

With The Best of Thanksgiving, Williams-Sonoma brings the forgotten (I say forgotten because it's becoming a forgotten holiday...like WTF y'all) holiday back with great dishes, pictures of food that'll make many foodie drool and make your stomach growl (mine did each time I looked at the recipes and the photos) and makes you want to make some (or all) of these dishes for Thanksgiving.

The cookbook is broken down into thirteen sections for you to read and devour over-from recipes for Boozy Ice Cream, Classic Roasted Turkey, Corn Bread Stuffing with Apple, Ham and Fennel, Mash Potatoes with Herb-Infused Cream and to top it all off, a Apple Crumb Pie. And with that turkey and stuffing you got your cranberry sause and your Turkey gravy complele with drinks (wine for grown folks, coke and kool-aid for the kids-mostly kool-aid) your Thanksgiving meal is complete. I even wrote down a couple recipes from this book and now I really wanna make them and try them one day, see if they're really good (or just one day buy the actual book) and also recreate the table settings in the book, including the cover because I would be there with a bunch of my friends or people dead or alive that I would have Thanksgiving with...like Vox Machina (the whole cast) and Daenerys Targaryen...also Tessa, Will and Jem...oh and I can't forget Magnus and Alec, and of course, Mr. Mayonnaise himself, Stephen Amell (because his twitter is hilarious and it makes me laugh so much) and some others (yep it'll be a big table).

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