Wrapping Up

Another ReverseReadathon has come to an end. I really love doing things, but boy am I exhausted.

 

That's about where I'm at right now.

But here's the final count:
Books read: 4
Pages read: 1196

I didn't catch up entirely in what I wanted to do for my reading list (I'm still 5 books behind schedule apparently), but I would say that reading 4 books over 24 hours, with sleeping and working for about 10 of those hours is no mean feat. 

Closing Survey:

How would you assess your reading overall? It was just how I wanted it to be. I wish I had some better books in the pipeline I think, but hey they can't all be winners. 
Did you have a stategy, and if so, did you stick to it? I had zero strategy and it worked out pretty decently this time around.
What was your favorite snack? I had some delectable garlic triscuts that really seemed to hit the spot. 
Wanna volunteer for our next event? Definitely! I was a moderator in a past readathon and would love to do that again in the future. Especially now that I am officially done with school!

We did it guys! Can't wait to join you all again at the next Dewey's 24 hour Readathon!

Fourth and Final

So while yes there still is 30 more minutes of the Reverse Readathon left, I know I won't be finishing a book in that time frame so this is my last review from the readathon and I can honestly say last the best of all the game.

The Sisters Mederos 

By: Patrice Sarath

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary:

House Mederos was once the wealthiest merchant family in Port Saint Frey. Now the family is disgraced, impoverished, and humbled by the powerful Merchants Guild. Daughters Yvienne and Tesara Mederos are determined to uncover who was behind their family's downfall and get revenge. But Tesara has a secret - could it have been her wild magic that caused the storm that destroyed the family's merchant fleet? The sisters' schemes quickly get out of hand - gambling is one thing, but robbing people is another...

Together the sisters must trust each another to keep their secrets and save their family.

My Thoughts:

This was so much fun! It was well paced, characters well developed, and the build up to the end had me wishing I could read so much faster.

What I greatly enjoyed was having two such very different sisters working together to bring their family some of their previous prestige. Tesara, broken hands but still deft with cards - she is quiet, she is calculating and she learns to control her magic.  Yvienne grows cold, cunning and can't seem to quit the game as the notorious robber. 

I loved my growing suspense as I read it. Reading it in 2 sittings was great. Lots of thoughts of "don't trust them - don't do it" or "calm down! Quit while you're ahead!" Books that getting me to physically root for a character make me happy and this was one of those books. 

Points I would have liked more of - Is magic a common thing or at least a known thing in this particular world? What exactly was the fallout at the end? It did feel just a titch rushed as they were trying to tie everything up with enough bows that I was happy with it, simultaneously leaving enough loose ends that I want a sequel.

Points I would have liked less of - THE PARENTS ARE THE WORST! like I get they are broken and whatnot from what happened to them, but they seem to have no redemptive qualities. ZERO. They snipe at each other and their daughters and for all Mama goes on about bettering the house, she doesn't seem to be doing much does she? They felt a little bit one dimensional and more like plot devices rather than characters.

All in all this was a fun read and one that I can't wait to follow up on. 

Finished Book 3!

And I'm still at work, but I finished listening to this one. I have another one lined up until I can get home and start reading.

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted 

By: Bridget Asher

Genre: Women's Fiction

Rating: 4.5  stars.

Summary: 

Every good love story has another love hiding within it.”

 
Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbott, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for mending hearts since before World War II.

There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother’s “lost summer” when Heidi was a child. As three generations collide with one another, with the neighbor who seems to know all of their family skeletons, and with an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and healing amid the vineyards, warm winds and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal Heidi’s heart, too?

My Thoughts:

This was another one I listened to and the reading was just as good as the writing. You  have to have a good reader when you're listening, otherwise it could be the most beautiful book and the world and you will still hate it. 

This was a beautiful slower paced novel. And the second one this summer I've read about a newly widowed mother who is trying to come to terms with her grief. Granted at the start of the story it has been 2 years since her husband has passed away, but who can put a timeline on grief, who am I to say when one should have "moved on." Heidi felt real, raw. She wasn't perfect - she yelled, blamed others at times and honestly is no good in an emergency. I loved her.

Charlotte was another character who I loved. She is your standard 16 year old girl, wanting to be punk and fight against the corporate system, but also with the childlike vulnerability that teens try so hard to hide. Unlike Heidi - she IS good in an emergency and a good balance to the emotional fragility that is presented in Heidi. 

The descriptions of France - the country side, the food, little snippets of French coming here and there -really made me want to go back and lock down my French better and then go and visit and stay in a little bed and breakfast in the south of France.

Asher did a wonderful job creating this world that I would give anything to step into grief and all.