January Wrap Up! Part One...

 January Wrap Up: Part One

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A Deadly Education

by Naomi Novik

I started out 2021 on a not so good note...  Sad day... 😔  I haven't picked up a Naomi Novik book yet but I've been dying to read one!  I maaaaaaay have picked the wrong one to start with...  This book has been getting all the hype and it sounded like it deserved it!  School setting, magical studies, strange creatures, school that tries to kill off it's students.  Many who enter don't come out alive.  dun dunnn DUNNNNNNN!!!  How's that for an amazing premise?!  But seriously?  I couldn't get past the awful, whiny, annoying, cocky, jerk of a main character.  I absolutely could not stand her. 😭😭😭  I thought I could just get through it but I couldn't.  Not only was there that.. but the pacing of the story was off and the writing was just mega clunky.  Meh.  What a way to start off my reading year!  Oh well.  This one was a DNF for me and I only got about halfway through.  I still am interested in picking up her other series but this is one I won't be finishing.

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Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

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"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of Nature.  As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.  And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles." 

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I didn't end up giving this one a star rating.  I never quite know how to rate non-fiction books so I'll just give my thoughts on it.  I'd never read this book before so I had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into...  The Diary of a Young Girl is just what the title implies, Anne Frank's diary.  Anne gets a diary for her birthday and starts to write about her time at school and how the world is changing around her.  Rules for Jews are picking up and becoming quite alarming.  Pretty soon we see that her family is talking of going into hiding to keep themselves safe.  Enter in: the "Secret Annex".  About halfway through the book I was having mixed emotions about reading this.  I dunno...  It was just so personal and I felt as though I shouldn't be reading it.  I mean, if someone had gotten ahold of my diary at that age I would be pretty horrified. 😂  I pushed through and really got emotional at the end with the afterword.  Anne's diary ends abruptly and then we get the history of what happened afterward.  Brief accounts from other people who met her have been put together to find out just what happened.  It's very harrowing and makes you realize just how good we have it.  The things that the Jews had to go through was just horrific.  Overall, I'm glad I read this story.  You become attached to Anne and the people she lives with in secret and it makes you ponder things a bit more about life and perseverance.  This book has made me want to delve deeper into history and find out more about life back then.  So now I think I'm going to have to look around for some historical fiction as well.  Maybe Ruta Sepetys?

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Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow

by Jessica Townsend

⭐⭐⭐

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Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow is the third book to the Nevermoor series.  Following a 4 star and a 5 star book, this one was a little bit of a disappointment coming in at 3 stars.  Morrigan is starting another year of school, and with it, more adventures.  She is starting the year on a good note, learning how to master the Wretched Arts.  Something she's been wanting, and needing, since she found out that she is a Wundersmith.  Learning from teachers of the past, she is finally making headway on figuring out how to control her unique abilities and how to use them for doing good.  But while she's in the middle of learning, a mysterious illness is spreading throughout Nevermoor.  And it's targeting Wunimals.  Racing to find a cure before the town becomes divided and the death rate rises even more, Morrigan must confront her greatest enemy and team up to save the Wunimals before it's too late.  Sounds intriguing right?  Maybe it was just bad timing, but what with 2020 just happening and seeing the division of the country, and the sickness, it came a little too close to real life for me to enjoy.  I read books to get away and this one didn't cut it for me.  Also, I felt like it was too close to the movie Zootopia which I've seen like a gazillion times so it wasn't super original.  Overall, I'm disappointed. 😞  But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop reading this series.  Here's to hoping the next one brings back the feelings I got while reading the first two!!! 

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Sandry's Book

by Tamora Pierce

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

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Sandry's Book is the first book in the Circle of Magic quartet.  I've been meaning to hop into a Tamora Pierce world for a long time now.  I finally made the plunge and am starting with this series first.  I am so glad I did.  This book was such an enjoyable time!!!  Four kids, who don't seem to fit in anywhere and cause trouble wherever they go, get moved together into the same house.  House of Discipline.  Here they learn to belong and find out more about themselves than they ever knew.  We follow each of them in their day to day mischiefs and see them come into their own with their different magical abilities.  Magic, magic lessons, friendship, and loveable characters?  You can count me in.  I fell in love with each and every one of these characters along the way and am getting ready to read book two soon! 😊  The plot thickens!

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