Audiobook Review: The Fire Keeper

 

Written by J.C. Cervantes

Read by Ozzie Rodriguez

Duration: 11 hours 17 minutes

Zane Obispo's new life on a beautiful secluded tropical island, complete with his family and closest friends, should be perfect. But he can't control his newfound fire skills yet (inherited from his father, the Maya god Hurakan); there's a painful rift between him and his dog ever since she became a hell hound; and he doesn't know what to do with his feelings for Brooks. One day he discovers that by writing the book about his misadventures with the Mayan gods, he unintentionally put other godborn children at risk. Unless Zane can find the godborns before the gods do, they will be killed. To make matters worse, Zane learns that Hurakan is scheduled to be executed. Zane knows he must rescue him, no matter the cost. Can he accomplish both tasks without the gods detecting him, or will he end up a permanent resident of the underworld?

In this cleverly plotted sequel to The Storm Runner, the gang is back together again with spirited new characters, sneaky gods, Aztec royalty, unlikely alliances, and secrets darker than Zane could ever have imagined. Secrets that will change him forever.

Goodreads

Independent Bookstore Day

 

If you like to support independent bookstores, then you're in luck! Today is Independent Bookstore Day!!!

This event was rescheduled from April to August 29th because of COVID-19. Not only are many local independent stores celebrating, but a lot of events are happening virtually. You can visit the event page to find all the different ways to celebrate the day. 

My plan was to attend a few virtual author discussions today, but due to work stress I only got 3 hours of sleep last night. I don't think I'll be able to focus much if I try attending a Zoom event. So instead, I plan to visit my local independent bookstore's websites and support them by buying a couple of books. 

Here are some of my local independent bookstores that I enjoy visiting:

First Line Fridays: Aug. 28th

 

This weekly meme is hosted by Hoarding Books.  Here's a book I listened to in April: 

Books from the Backlog #3

   

Books from the Backlog is hosted by Carol's Random Life in Books. It is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. 

 

This week's neglected book...

Review: Born a Crime

 

Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah

The memoir of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

Goodreads

Tuesday Release #1

I love watching Book Riot's "New Release Tuesdays" on YouTube. While watching, I wondered how I was able to look into other book releases and luckily, Goodreads has a page for that. Here's what I found

Books released August 25, 2020:

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

The Exiles tells the story of a young governess, Evangeline, who discharged and sent to prison once her pregnancy was discovered. She is then sentenced to be exiled in the colony of Australia. On this voyage, Evangeline meets Hazel, a young girl who was sentenced seven years of transport for stealing a silver spoon. Then she also meets Mathinna, an aboriginal who was forcibly relocated by white colonists. Though Australia is supposed to be a land of punishment, the three women find it as a place for a new beginning. 

#FitReaders: Aug. 10th-23rd

 

 

#FitReaders2020 is hosted by Felicia the Geeky Blogger and Jen from That's What I'm Talking About. 

I'm changing this up a bit. Instead of posting every Monday, I would post every other Monday that includes 2 weeks worth of activities. This is to help with my sanity while I get use to my new workload. 

Here's how it went:

Aug. 10th- 16th

NOTHING

Aug. 17th- 23rd

Nothing...yup

First Line Fridays: August 21st

 

This weekly meme is hosted by Hoarding Books.  Here's a book I listened to in April and enjoyed: 

Books from the Backlog #2

  

Books from the Backlog is hosted by Carol's Random Life in Books. It is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. 

 

This week's neglected book...

BRD Online Events

  

Yesterday was Bookstore Romance Day and I had so much fun! I didn't participate all day but I was able to check out a few independent bookstores around the U.S., learn about different authors and books, and attend two virtual author events. 

The first author event that I attended was...

It's Bookstore Romance Day!

 

Yes, it is Bookstore Romance Day! I just found out about this event last night and immediately got excited for it. 

So what is it all about?

Per their website: 

Bookstore Romance Day is a day designed to give independent bookstores an opportunity to celebrate Romance fiction—its books, readers, and writers—and to strengthen the relationships between bookstores and the Romance community.

This is the second year that this event is happening. The organization even has an official schedule of various online author talks. There are also other author event from independent stores that could be found on Evenbrite, which I will be attending later on today.

First Line Fridays: August 14th

 

This weekly meme is hosted by Hoarding Books.  Here's a book I listened to a few weeks ago and highly enjoyed: 

Books from the Backlog #1

 

I saw this weekly feature over at All the Book Blog Names Are Taken and I figured, why not? 

Books from the Backlog is hosted by Carol's Random Life in Books. It is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

 

This week's neglected book...

Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes

#FitReaders: August 3rd- August 9th

 

#FitReaders2020 is hosted by Felicia the Geeky Blogger and Jen from That's What I'm Talking About. 

Here's how my week went:

Monday 8/03:  Took a break today and hydrated all day since we have had too many sun exposures and heat sensitivity this past week. 

Tuesday 8/04: 20 minutes of dumbbell workout.

Wednesday 8/05: 30 minutes of online belly dance class with Fahtiem; neighborhood walk--0.85 miles. 

• Belly dance classes On Demand from DanceGardenLA: https://www.dancegardenla.com/

Thursday 8/06: NOTHING

Friday 8/07: NOTHING

Saturday 8/08: Hiked 4.5 miles at Inspiration Point in the Angeles Forest. 

Little Free Library Adventures #11

 

My husband and I encountered a couple of new Little Free Libraries near us. I always like to take pictures of them to document the creativity of people. Plus, it makes me even more excited to check out the types of books each library has.

Here's the first library:

Graphic Novel Review: The One Hundred Nights of Hero

By Isabel Greenberg

In the tradition of The Arabian Nights, a beautifully illustrated tapestry of folk tales and myths about the secret legacy of female storytellers in an imagined medieval world.

In the Empire of Migdal Bavel, Cherry is married to Jerome, a wicked man who makes a diabolical wager with his friend Manfred: if Manfred can seduce Cherry in one hundred nights, he can have his castle--and Cherry.

But what Jerome doesn't know is that Cherry is in love with her maid Hero. The two women hatch a plan: Hero, a member of the League of Secret Story Tellers, will distract Manfred by regaling him with a mesmerizing tale each night for 100 nights, keeping him at bay. Those tales are beautifully depicted here, touching on themes of love and betrayal and loyalty and madness.

As intricate and richly imagined as the works of Chris Ware, and leavened with a dry wit that rivals Kate Beaton's in Hark! A Vagrant, Isabel Greenberg's One Hundred Nights of Hero will capture readers' hearts and minds, taking them through a magical medieval world.

Goodreads 

#FitReaders: July 27th- Aug. 2nd

 

#FitReaders2020 is hosted by Felicia the Geeky Blogger and Jen from That's What I'm Talking About. 

Here's how my fourth week of the challenge went:

Monday 7/27:  Did my own 15 minutes dumbbell workout; went on an evening neighborhood walk--1.52 miles; 10 minutes of salsa dancing. 

• Music for dumbbell workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6BOs1Ejpvw
• Salsa music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH8StTUCQNY&t=320s
  
  

Tuesday 7/28: Evening walk through the neighborhood--.60 miles (had to rush to get to my online class); belly dance online class with Fahtiem--1 hour (890 calories burned)

• Belly dance classes from DanceGardenLA: https://www.dancegardenla.com/