Ashleigh's Bookshelf

It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk Josh Funk An original reading of a classic story where the Jack disagrees with the narrator and takes the story into his own hands. I found this story hilarious. In addition to the main character fighting with the narrator, there are cameos by other fairy tale characters, including several hidden ones. Without spoiling the book, I loved the ending. Overall, I truly enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read more in this series. I would rate this story five quills and place it on my top shelf.

Between a Rock and a Deadly Place by Zoey Chase After a very unpleasant divorce, Thea is ready to start over. She left her law practice, packs only her most important possessions into her car, and sets off for the campground she inherited from her grandparents. But, the place is nothing like her memories. Completely run down, it will need a lot of work to get in shape for the summer. When an unexpected death results in cancellations, Thea realizes it's up to her to figure out what happened in order to save her new home. I loved this novella for many reasons. It opens with a map of the campground that is difficult to read on the kindle. However, if you click on the link, you can download a free, color, annotated map that looks so authentic, I was picking out a site for my RV this summer. Since this is a novella, there were a few places where things felt a little rushed, but overall I liked the story. I found the characters very relatable and look forward to r...

Murder in an Irish Village Carlene O'Connor Since the death of her parents a year ago, Siobhán has been trying to get by. Running her parents' bistro. Caring for her four younger siblings. Keeping an eye on her older brother. When the brother of her parents' killer is found dead in the back booth, her own brother becomes the prime suspect. Of course, that's the night her brother breaks six months of sobriety to go on a bender. With everyone in town, even her brother, wondering whether he did it, Siobhán decides its up to her to determine the identity of the true killer and clear her brother's name. This book opens with a glossary and pronunciation guide and I was proud of myself for knowing most of the terms and sounds. During the readings, however, the terms were explained in the text, somewhat unnecessarily, either because their meaning was obvious or because they were already explained in the glossary. While I am aware the author spen...

Caraval by Stephanie Garber Scarlett has one dream: to attend the magical Caraval - a magical interactive performance. But now that her father has arranged for her marriage to a mysterious count, she has another wish: to get her and her sister safely away from their abusive father. One day, tickets to Caraval mysteriously arrive in the mail and she finally sees a way for all her dreams to come true. However, when Caraval turns out to be far more dangerous than she expected, Scarlett embarks on a journey of self-discovery that makes her reevaluate her dreams. This book was selected for my book club and, having heard mixed reviews, I was skeptical about wanting to read it. However, I was surprised to find myself engaged and eager to read more. From the beginning, I doubted Scarlett's fiancee was going to be the knight in shining armor who saved her and her sister from her abusive father. However, I enjoyed watching Scarlett grow to the point where she realized...