February 2019 Pick: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Okay, ladies and gents. It's time to get into the romantic spirit! Are you ready for our swoon worthy February read?

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...

We'll be reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang which, I feel I must tell you, I eagerly awarded 5 stars to last year! It was the last book I read for 2018, and it was the perfect book to end on.

Get those copies!

Oh and a note, we're going to switch from weekly discussions to two per month. For my sanity, and for yours! That way if you're behind, you have plenty of time to catch up!

Thanks for playing along! Reading breakdown is coming soon!

Good Omens - Discussion Post #2

Good morning lovely people!

Thanks for bearing with me as I hunted down my darn book. It's been a few weeks of epic proportions, being the first few weeks back for most people from long vacations, and my brain has been pretty fried. Finding my book last night actually almost made me sob, hahaha. One thing going right in a week of madness.

Anyway, if you're reading along you should be up to the paragraph header "A Lorry Had Shed..." and be through to the madness that is coming for Aziraphale and Crowley! Let's chat!

Here are your questions for the week:

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Now that you've had a chance to meet Adam and "Them" in earnest, what do you think about this young bunch of  friends? What do you think of Adam's powers?

Do you think Adam would have ended up a different entity, if he hadn't been misplaced?

Since you've gotten more exposure to Agnes Nutter and her prophecies, what do you think about how they play into the larger story? How do you view the role of Anathema?

What do you think about the portrayal of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse?

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As always, feel free to talk about anything else that you'd like! Did a quote make you laugh? Do you have an unpopular opinion? Is this book just driving you mad?

Let's have a discussion!

Good Omens - Discussion Post #1

Good morning lovely people!

If you're following along at a steady pace, this week you should have read from the section titled "In the Beginning", right up until the end of the section titled "Tuesday"!

Hopefully you're finding that you adore Crowley, and Aziraphale, despite their silly quirks. Or because of them! Hopefully you're also finding that sweet space that lies between Terry Pratchett's silliness, and Neil Gaiman's wonder. These two were a force to be reckoned with, I think!

Here are your questions for the week:

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What are your first impressions of Crowley and Aziraphale? Do you think they are distinctly good or distinctly evil?

Good Omens is billed as a comedic fantasy novel, but it touches on a lot of things that definitely settled in the real world. Specifically religion. How do you feel about the way that this story is told, so far?

Now that you've gotten a pretty good glimpse at our cast of characters, who is your favorite?

(I am so in love with DOG.)

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As always, feel free to talk about anything else that you'd like! Did a quote make you laugh? Do you have an unpopular opinion? Is this book just driving you mad?

Let's have a discussion!

February Book Suggestions!

Okay ladies and gents, February is Romance Month!

Now, before you freak out and yell "But it's not even January yet!?!", trust me I know. We just need to plan ahead and be able to pick our next read by the middle of the month, so that we can give people time to snag it.

And, of course, give me time to pre-read it ;).

So comments are now open! What romance books should we read in February?

It can be Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance, whatever your little hearts desire. I'll take suggestions until January 5th, and then they'll be a poll for you to vote!

Get going!

Good Omens - Reading Breakdown

Hi lovely readers! Here's the reading breakdown for Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman! I hope you're ready to get started!

December 30th - January 4th:
  - In The Beginning - Tuesday

January 5th - January 11th:
  - Wednesday - Friday

January 12th - January 18th:
  - Saturday - pg. 290 ("A Lorry Had Shed")*

January 19th - January 25th:
  - Through to end!

* Not all books will be numbered the same, due to different printers. Look at for the section header that reads "A Lorry Had Shed" to know where to stop reading!

Remember, you're more than welcome to read ahead! It's also totally fine if you're behind, because discussion posts that go up on Friday will stay up and open for comments until the end of the read.

Happy reading friends!

A New Beginning!

Hi lovely readers! Did you miss me?

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I've been missing interacting with more of my reader friends. Book blogging is a lot of fun, but sometimes it feels like I'm screaming into the void. It's hard to get meaningful interaction in a place where there are tons and tons of people vying for it.

Also, I've been deeply missing having conversations about books I've fallen in love with. I want someone to gush with, someone to yell with, and maybe even someone to binge read the next books in the series with.

So, it's time for a new beginning.

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Starting on December 31st, I'll be hosting a read-along of one of my favorite books that is soon to become a television show, Good Omens.

Click to see it on Amazon!

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

Be warned, this book is all kinds of silly. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman are a force to be reckoned with as they poke fun at religion, free will, and divine destiny. If that sounds like your type or read, huzzah!

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I'm going to pre-read this, and pick some chapter breakdowns as well as start some discussion questions brewing, so give me a week or so to get everything settled. In the meantime, please feel free to grab your copy of the book and get ready!

I can't wait!

Discussion Post #2 - Fun Home: A Family Tragiocomic by Alison Bechdel

Sorry this is a little late, all. I forgot how much of a punch in the gut this graphic novel is, and so I ended up having to take a break part way through to read something a little lighter. I realize that this is much different than the book we started with, and I wanted it that way. To show you all that graphic novels can touch on all topics, and can even be memoirs. Alison Bechdel's memoir is one of the best I've read, because her illustrations are essentially her heart bled onto the page. It's tough not to feel that. 

Here's hoping for a good discussion!

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Discussion Points:

* Alison Bechdel chose to tell her story as a graphic novel, rather than just a novel. What did you think about this choice?

* She also describes her style as one of "cool asthetic distance" at one point. Do you think this is true?

* Bechdel's relationship with her father was tenuous, but they used books as a way of communicating. Did this resonate with you? Why do you think it was easier for them than speaking frankly?

*  Bechdel claims that there was something entirely fictional about the life her family led. What does she mean by that?

* How do you think that Bechdel's own introspective look at her sexuality mirrored her fathers? Do you think it might have brought them closer together if he was honest with her?

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Feel free to add to this, and chat about anything that you're interested in!