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Review: Pages and Co. The Bookwanderers

I chose to include Anna James’s The Bookwanderers in my February TBR (to be read) pile because the story sounded like something I would have wished happened to me, as a child and even now as an adult.

I was not disappointed.

James’s story was captivating and charming. Though this is a middle grade book, I was thoroughly mesmerized by the magic these characters uncovered.

The story follows a young girl, Tilly, and her friend, Oskar, who find out they can “wander” in and out of books. As thrilling as that may sound, their adventures are both fun and full of peril!

Tilly and Oskar find they are being followed by a devious Librarian, Mr. Chalk, who will stop at nothing to derail their wandering.

Secrets are uncovered and family ties are illuminated more than Tilly could have ever expected.

The Bookwanderers is a story for all ages. I hope you “wander” to this series and fall in love, as I did.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Sookie Stackhouse Didn’t Do it for Me!

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

1 in content/writing style
2 in engagement
1 in creativity
Total is 1.3 or 1 when rounded

I listened to this book on audio so perhaps that had something to do with the level of dislike I had for this book. I was so surprised to have disliked it as much as I did as I LOVED the HBO series “TruBlood.” That said, I did not like this book. Everything about Sookie’s interest/love in Bill seemed outrageously unrealistic and rushed considering her background and personality. That alone really turned me off to their affair which is the main part of the book. I’m bummed as I really like a lot of the side characters and what I know is to come from watching the show… I will not be continuing on in this series. 😦 These are my own personal opinions and I firmly believe others will have a different opinion and even love the books. I’m happy for them! These just aren’t for me.



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31 Days of Book Reviews

July is my birthday month! What better way to celebrate than with a full month of book reviews?!

Each day in the month of July, I will be and have been posting reviews of books I have recently read on my YouTube channel. Best part, I’ve been including my subscribers in the selection of the next day’s review!

Titles have included: East of Eden, The Night Tiger, The Little Paris Bookshop, Kindred, and many other amazing reads!

Check out my YouTube channel, “Spenelli Speaks,” for more about what I’ve been reading and to join in on the fun!

Thank you and happy reading!

I Quit.

Not what you think, but I did quit… my full time job.

Clickbait? Possibly.

Over the last year, I have been deeply contemplating my life and what I want to spend my time on. Mostly, my time spent creating content for my YouTube channel has been the most rewarding – my job, not so much.

So, I thought to myself… how can I make that ‘rewarding’ feeling last? How can I grow my passions into something that also pays a few bills along the way?

One thing I knew for sure… I couldn’t do both. I can’t fulfill my passions as well as work in a role that does nothing but fill me with dread.

Hence the life-changing decision to quit.

Now what?

So much!!! I’m so excited to start a new adventure where I can use my creativity and ingenuity to fulfill my passions and interests!

This won’t strictly be YouTube. Or this blog, which I have grossly neglected for – let’s be real – the entire time I’ve had it. (Again, other thing that I didn’t have the energy for.)

But, I will be embarking on a journey full of many things including YouTube, this Blog, and something else very big which I will announce very soon!

I hope you stick around to find out!

Thank you for listening!

Posted 06/26/2021

Time to begin… One Hundred Years of Solitude

That’s right. I’m doing it!

I am embarking on a journey into one of the most renowned novels in literature. One I know nothing about…

Today, I begin Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. The back cover gives little away yet implies that the reader is in for a treat of the ages. Honestly, the author won the Nobel Prize… that has to count for something, right?

Best part about this endeavor is I have the luxury of reading this with a small group of fellow readers! Reading together always seems to enhance the story for me. I love hearing what others have to say, especially if their thoughts are different from my own understanding.

This is a month long read… I hope to fill you in a long the way.

Wish me luck!

New Year… New You?

No big surprise here… 2020 blew. I started this blog in February of 2020 and, shall we say, the rest was history – COVID history.

I allowed the global pandemic to ruin my goals of maintaining this very blog. Foolish. When I had the “time” to contribute, I failed. Instead, I allowed my frustration of the events to overtake my ambition to write.

The New Year brings out the resolutions in all of us… Can I honestly say that I’ll be better this year? Time will tell…

Today, I read Mitch Albom’s The Timekeeper, and I can honestly say that this book couldn’t be more perfect for this very day.

So many of us wish the days would pass faster or that we had more time… what about the time that we do have? What about this moment?

It’s easier said than done, but we can be better. We can be better about appreciating ourselves and our precious moments.

If you have gained anything from this year, I hope it’s an appreciation of the people and experiences you have in every moment you live and breathe.

Take care and Happy New Year!

Review: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I’ll admit, I saw the movie long before I had any intention of reading the novel.

I’m not sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

What I can say is… I really liked the movie. So, when I read the novel, every scene funneled through my mind via the memories I had of the film. And… I truly saw few differences. Blasphemy?

Yes, there were differences. However, overall I found the novel to film adaptation to be spot on.

Basically, this story is about an earthling who is taken for a ride in the universe after Earth has been destroyed. He finds himself in situations one would never have imagined, even improbable, and yet is seemingly calm throughout. Robots have feelings, dolphins have checked out, and mice are more than they seem. Traveling the universe with a girl you struck out with may not be ideal, but when you’re the only two earthlings left… one would make the best of it.

I enjoyed the story… but… perhaps, for me, a better review of Douglas Adam’s writing will come in reading his sequels to the Guide.

I intend to find out. Stay tuned.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

Spenelli Speaks…

Why, hello there. Welcome to my reading blog!

Spenelli … where does that even come from? Many people ask me this, and I wonder why I have kept the nickname after all this time. If you remember, Disney had a cartoon character by this name in the early morning airings of Recess in the late ’90s early 2000’s. One fine day in high school, I happened to wear a knit cap and pigtails for a school spirit day and was thusly named Spenelli. The rest was, as they say, history.

So, what am I doing here? What is my purpose?

  • Simply, I want to read, tell you all about it, and do it all over again and again.
  • More complicated, I want to engage with others within in the enormous community of which reading exists.

That said, let’s get acquainted. My real name is Dani. I live in Wisconsin and have for most of my life. I’m 33 and am finally getting married this year. So exciting! 2020 is going to be a year to remember, and I hope to share much of it with you. You’ll see that my life is full of family, doggies, cooking, baking, travelling, crafting, and most of all reading.

What do I hope to accomplish within my blog:

  • Share myself with you… mostly the reading bits, but I’m sure there will be other fun items sprinkled in there.
  • I’ll post reviews of every book I read as I read them including updates along the way.
  • Engage with you! Please connect with me via the blog, email, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube … whew, that’s a lot!
  • By the end of the year, I’m hoping to have read 100 books to share with you and have had wonderful conversations about many of them with you!

This is the beginning of an exciting journey and I hope that you follow along.

I can’t promise that I’ll be awesome… or even very good. However, I do promise to give you my all when it comes to providing content that is honest, unbiased, and from the heart.

Thank you for joining me on my literary journey…