Tag: Book Blogger

Blog Tour Review: His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

I’m back with another Algonquin blog tour and this time it’s for this gem of a debut: His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie. Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Goodreads: His Only Wife
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Release Date: 01 September 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, African Literature
Panda Rating:

Afi Tekple is a young seamstress whose life is narrowing rapidly. She lives in a small town in Ghana with her widowed mother, spending much of her time in her uncle Pious’s house with his many wives and children. Then one day she is offered a life-changing opportunity—a proposal of marriage from the wealthy family of Elikem Ganyo, a man she doesn’t truly know. She acquiesces, but soon realizes that Elikem is not quite the catch he seemed. He sends a stand-in to his own wedding, and only weeks after Afi is married and installed in a plush apartment in the capital city of Accra does she meet her new husband. It turns out that he is in love with another woman, whom his family disapproves of; Afi is supposed to win him back on their behalf. But it is Accra that eventually wins Afi’s heart and gives her a life of independence that she never could have imagined for herself.

A brilliant scholar and a fierce advocate for women’s rights, author Peace Adzo Medie infuses her debut novel with intelligence and humor. For readers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Candice Carty-Williams, His Only Wife is the story of an indomitable and relatable heroine that illuminates what it means to be a woman in a rapidly changing world.

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Currently Reading Book Tag

Dini @ dinipandareads23 Comments

Hello friends! I hope everyone is doing well and has had a good if not great week so far. I for one am very much looking forward to the weekend so I don’t have to think about work anymore (hopefully). But I digress because I’ve decided to do a quick and fun book tag that doesn’t require me to think too hard about my answers because I’m definitely that over-thinker 😂 Lucky for me, Alexis @ The Reading Addict tagged me to do the Currently Reading Book Tag and it’s just the right kind of tag I was looking to do. If you haven’t already, go check out Alexis’ blog for some great reviews and bookish content!

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#WWWWednesday: 26 August 2020

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Can someone please tell me where August went because… Is it really already the final full week of August?

Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

Since my last WWW check in I’ve managed to read these five books. I feel like I’m missing books that I’ve read and just didn’t mark on Goodreads but if that’s the case then… we might just never know LOL My brain has been shrouded in a fog of lethargy lately and it can get really frustrating when this happens!

Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard ★★★☆☆
This was an enjoyable, fast-paced and adventure filled story with lots of our favourite magical creatures. It’s the perfect read for fantasy newbies or fantasy lovers who aren’t looking for anything complicated or for anything “new”. Read my review!

Starcross Manor by Christie Barlow ★★★☆☆
This was a fun and easy read about mistaken first impressions, community and good friendships that left me feeling hopeful and warm. Our protagonists are older in this romance and I liked that focus as it’s rare to read about people above the age of 30/35 finding love! Read my review!

The Heart of a Peach by Jess B. Moore ★★★½
With such an adorable cover, I was surprised by the darker themes in this book. CW: abuse (emotional/mental), gaslighting. There’s also insta-love (a trope I hate), but I was able to look past that and rooted for the characters and their HEA. This was a surprising and enjoyable romance. Read my review!

The Little Wedding Shop by the Sea by Jane Linfoot ★★★☆☆
I’ve mixed feelings about this one. I liked the story, most characters and even the slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance, but as the story went on (and it really rolled on for quite a while) I found myself getting too irritated with our MC, Poppy. Still, it’s a sweet story set in a cute town and I wouldn’t mind coming back to read more around the wedding shop. Review coming soon!

Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen ★★★★☆
This was the romance I didn’t know I needed this weekend. I love me a strong heroine who knows what she’s worth and what she wants out of life and goes for it 100%. Katharine was a great heroine and Kit is a hero that will steal your heart (although he could be immature at times). Loved the family relationships, especially the bond between Katharine and her brother, and the banter had me laughing out loud multiple times! Would definitely recommend it. Review coming soon!

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#TopTenTuesday: Questions I’d Ask My Favourite Authors

Dini @ dinipandareads45 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: questions I’d ask my favourite author(s) (submitted by Nushu @ Not A Prima Donna Girl).

When I first looked at today’s prompt I was stumped and *almost* decided to pass up on doing this or choosing a different topic. Just the thought of meeting my favourite authors let alone getting the chance to ask them questions already has me tongue tied and honestly? I’m just really bad at coming up with good/smart questions 😂 So that was pressure on my little brain that I didn’t know if I could handle today… Until I decided that I would just think of ten random/silly questions, and so I did. I’m not going to be identifying my favourite authors below but as I was writing down these questions I did have these authors in mind: V.E. Schwab, Neil Gaiman, Jay Kristoff/Amy Kaufman, Leigh Bardugo, and Laini Taylor. It goes without saying that these are just some of my favourites (in random order). Now without further ado…

  1. How much time do you usually spend on research while writing a book?
  2. Do you have any weird/quirky superstitions or rituals that are part of your writing process?
  3. What’s one of your favourite quotes from one of your books?
  4. What’s the funniest/weirdest/coolest moment that struck as inspiration for one of your books?
  5. Do you have a favourite out of the books you’ve written (for sentimental or any other reason)?
  6. Do you write with music or shows/movies on? If yes, what is your favourite band/show/movie to listen to?
  7. If you could see one of your books be adapted into a series/movie which would you pick?
  8. What are three of your favourite tropes to read or write about?
  9. Would you survive living in the world(s) in your book(s)?
  10. Can you describe your most popular book in the most boring way you can think of?
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eARC Graphic Novel Review: Fangs by Sarah Andersen

Dini @ dinipandareads11 Comments

Goodreads: Fangs
Publish date: 01 September 2020
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Genre: Graphic Novel
Panda Rating:

A love story between a vampire and a werewolf by the creator of the enormously popular Sarah’s Scribbles comics.

Vamp is three hundred years old but in all that time, she has never met her match. This all changes one night in a bar when she meets a charming werewolf. FANGS chronicles the humor, sweetness, and awkwardness of meeting someone perfectly suited to you but also vastly different

I’m a big fan of the many Sarah’s Scribbles comics that I’ve seen online although I’ve never actually read through or purchased one of her books, and after reading Fangs I’m really questioning why! This was such a cute/weird/sweet love story between a vampire and a werewolf that had me laughing out loud and ‘awwing’ constantly. Talk about them feel good feels!

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#5OnMyTBR: Ensemble Cast

Dini @ dinipandareads14 Comments

Hello Mondays, welcome back to #5OnMyTBR, a meme created by the wonderful E @ The Local Bee Hunter’s Nook. This bookish meme gets us to dig even further into our TBRs by simply posting about five books on our TBR! You can learn more about it here or in the post announcing it. You can find the full list of prompts (past and future) at the end of this post!

This week’s prompt is: Ensemble Cast

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Goodreads Monday – Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Welcome back to Goodreads Monday! It’s been a very hot minute since I did one but I figured I might as well get back into it! This weekly meme was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners and it invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.

This week’s featured book is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. This is a contemporary fiction/coming-of-age story that was published in January 2020 and it has a 4.16 star rating!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp

Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I have spent very little of this Sunday in bed with a book because I can’t decide what to read! I finished a romance novel last night and while I usually keep rolling with romance reads until my mood tells me otherwise, this time my mood has been all over the place and so I’ve now got three books “going” (that I’ve started last night, this morning and this afternoon). They’re not bad books and I’m enjoying each read but my mood is really playing havoc 🤣 Anyone read any of these?

What are you currently reading?

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First Lines Friday – 21 August

Dini @ dinipandareads18 Comments

Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

“Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding.”

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

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Blog Tour Review: The Heart of a Peach by Jess B. Moore

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

I’m back with another blog tour and this time it’s for The Heart of a Peach by Jess B. Moore. Thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for organising this blog tour, and to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Be sure to click on the banner below to check out the rest of the bloggers on tour!

Goodreads: The Heart of a Peach
Release Date: 14 August 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Panda Rating:

Olivia Hamilton can do no wrong. Or at least that’s what the community of Fox River, North Carolina thinks of the odd but sweet young lady. She’s hiding a past she’d rather forget, engaged to the town’s most eligible bachelor, and longing for someone to see past the mask she wears. Olivia wants to find herself, forgive herself, and fall in love with someone who sees and embraces her flaws. 

Denver MacKenna grew up the fiddle-playing prodigy of not only his hometown of Fox River but of North Carolina and the surrounding states. He plays obsessively and tours as often as possible, escaping a life of loneliness at home. Until he meets a beautiful siren who calls to him and has him making plans to settle down. Denver knows it’s wrong to covet the elusive Olivia, but finds himself inexplicably drawn to the brief glimpses she gives him of her true self.

BUY NOW: Amazon (US)

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