Tag: Book Reviewer

#TopTenTuesday: 21st Century Books That Could Be Classics

Dini @ dinipandareads54 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: 21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics (Submitted by Lisa of Hopewell)

I found this week’s prompt to be a toughie and I wasn’t entirely jamming with it because I don’t tend to read a lot of classics, but I was also too tired to find a new topic to do, so I decided to dive in and see what I could come up with! I changed the wording of the prompt slightly because I’m not confident at all in my ability to discern which books will become classics but I feel like maybe these books have potential? For starters, I needed to refresh my memory of what makes a classic.

A classic usually expresses some artistic quality—an expression of life, truth, and beauty. A classic stands the test of time. The work is usually considered to be a representation of the period in which it was written, and the work merits lasting recognition. A classic has a certain universal appeal. Great works of literature touch us to our very core beings—partly because they integrate themes that are understood by readers from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. Themes of love, hate, death, life, and faith touch upon some of our most basic emotional responses. A classic makes connections.

ThoughtCo.

With this definition in mind, I managed to come up with a list of books that I think fit the bill— plus, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of these books and not only have they left a strong impression on me but they’re ones that I frequently recommend to others! I know many people would disagree with at least one of these for sure 😂 Without further ado, let’s get right to it…

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BBNYA Blog Tour Review: Accused by M.N. Jolley

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Hello, hello friends! I’m so excited to be back for another blog tour hosted by @The Write Reads for third place BBNYA 2021 finalist Accused (KC Warlock Weekly #1) by M.N. Jolley. Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers participating in this tour: here or click on the banner below! 😍

*Find out more about the BBNYA competition at the end of my post!*

Special thanks to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads: Accused (The KC Warlock Weekly #1)
Publish Date: 03 November 2020
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Mystery

Panda Rating:

(3 pandas)

My name is Levi. I’m a journalist, I’m autistic, I’m bad at magic, and I swear I didn’t kill her.

Research for the paper usually falls into a few basic patterns. Someone in the city says there’s a troll under Buck O’Neil Bridge, or they’ll call just so a friendly ear will listen to them complain about a pixie infestation.
That sort of content carries me through slow news weeks. It’s rare that I uncover a murder.
Being framed for murder, though? That’s a first.

With the Wizard’s Council hunting me for a crime I didn’t commit, I’ve got no choice but to solve the murder and clear my name. If I don’t unravel this case, nobody will, and I’ll go down for it so hard I might never see the light of day again

GET YOUR COPY – UK
GET YOUR COPY – US
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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 spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

I’ll be spending the rest of my Sunday night in bed with A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin. I’m still making my way through this one fairly slowly because the ARC is a PDF copy and my eyes get very tired reading on my Kindle (as it’s teeny tiny). But I’m really enjoying it and can’t wait to dive back in!

What are you currently reading?

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ARC Review: The Rigid Duke by Darcy Burke

Dini @ dinipandareads3 Comments

Special thanks to Zealous Quill Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: The Rigid Duke (Matchmaking Chronicles #1)
Publisher: Zealous Quill Press
Published: 08 March 2021
Genre: Historical Romance

Panda Rating:

(3 pandas)

As a refinement tutor, Mrs. Juno Langton helps young ladies develop the skills and confidence to secure an advantageous marriage. Her cheerful disposition never wavers no matter how challenging her assignment. When a house party provides an opportunity to match her difficult charge with a duke, Juno will go to any lengths to satisfy her employer and ensure the young lady’s future. Too bad the duke is an unsmiling, rigid grouch, albeit an irritatingly handsome one.

The Duke of Warrington dislikes social gatherings and despises the Marriage Mart which makes it nigh impossible to find a wife. He plans to secure his future duchess at a house party, but she’s being managed by a thoroughly meddlesome—and provocative—Mrs. Langton, who is determined to find his better nature. He’ll do anything to avoid her sunny charm and room-brightening smiles, but she’s breaking through his shell and the only way he can think to keep her quiet is to kiss her. He must marry the young lady, not desire the companion.

But now he’s rethinking his wife choices.

TL;DR: I’ve come to really enjoy Darcy Burke’s books ever since discovering her historical romances last year and The Rigid Duke was no different. It was an enjoyable grumpy/sunshine romance that’s slightly more sex than plot but was a quick and entertaining read that delivers a sweet HEA!

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#FirstLinesFriday: 25 March 2022

Dini @ dinipandareads16 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:

“They say you can spot a true shénnóng-shi by their hands—palms colored by the stain of the earth, fingertips scarred from thorns, a permanent crust of soil and blood darkening the crescents of their nails.
I used to look at my hands with pride.
Now, all I can think is, These are the hands that buried my mother.“

Do you recognise the book these first lines come from?

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ARC Review: One-Timer by Teagan Hunter

Dini @ dinipandareads16 Comments

🎉 HAPPY RELEASE DAY! 🎉

Special thanks to Valentine PR for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: One-Timer (Carolina Comets #3)
Publication Date: 24 March 2022
Genre: Sports Romance, Romantic Comedy
Panda Rating:

(3.75 pandas)

“I’m pregnant.”

That’s what my teammate’s sister-in-law told me after our one-night stand.

I didn’t expect to see Hollis again, let alone end up raising a child with her.

We set some ground rules–we’ll raise the baby together, but that’s it.
No relationship, no future, and definitely no kissing.

But the more time we spend together, the harder it is to keep track of where the lines were once drawn.

I’m known for my one-timer on and off the ice, but this game with Hollis just got a lot more complicated…

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US
Amazon Worldwide
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Cover Reveal: Those Three Little Words by Meghan Quinn

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Hellow, friends (especially my fellow romance readers)! I’m excited to be sharing the cover reveal for Meghan Quinn’s upcoming release: Those Three Little Words! Quinn is one of those authors that writes hilarious and fabulous banter while also turning the heat up high. 🥵 I always get excited when I learn she’s releasing another new book!

THOSE THREE LITTLE WORDS by Meghan Quinn
Release Date: 05 April 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance

PREORDER IS AVAILABLE!!!

gET YOUR COPY!
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#WWWWednesday: 23 March 2022

Dini @ dinipandareads29 Comments

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 last week I’ve read four books. This past week has been hellacious and all I’ve wanted to do is take my sleep-deprived and anxious self and retreat into a cave and never come out. When I’m not playing my new Breath of the Wild save (what’s more de-stressing than slaying Lynels?) romances have been my go-to and even then my anxious mood has made it hard to fully get into the stories…

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater ★★★½
I buddy read this with Leslie and I’m glad that I finally read it. It’s very hyped and I can see why but it took a bit of time to warm up to it. It was also very different to what I expected which was both awesome but very much threw me off 😂 We’ll read the next book in May and I can’t wait!

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score ★★★★☆
This was my first book by Lucy Score and I loved it! This had so many tropes including hate-to-love, grumpy/sunshine, single parent with a dash of fake-dating and forced proximity, and all set in an awesome small town. I want more stories set in Knockemout, please!

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#TopTenTuesday: Books with Adjectives in the Title!

Dini @ dinipandareads26 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: Books with an Adjective in the Title (Submitted by Nicole @ How to Train a Book Dragon)

This was a fun little prompt to test my knowledge of grammar! 😂 I decided to focus today’s list on the books that are just waiting to be read on my Kindle and I was honestly surprised by how far down my list I had to go to find ten titles but we finally got there in the end! To start, let’s take a look at what the definition of an adjective is:

An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. In general, the purpose of an adjective is to describe a noun or pronoun and provide more information about it. Adjectives provide answers to questions such as “What kind?” “Which one?” and “Whose is it?”

Thesaurus.com
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Blog Tour Spotlight: Letter to a Stranger by Colleen Kinder

Dini @ dinipandareads3 Comments

Hi, friends! I’m excited to be shining a spotlight on Letters to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us by Colleen Kinder on the blog today!

When I first heard about this book, it absolutely delighted the part of me that often thinks about all the people, significant or seemingly insignificant, that I’ve met in life. I think it’s such a romantic notion and I love the idea of writing a letter to whichever person has (un)knowingly left a mark on your person. I haven’t heard of any of the featured authors in this book but I’m excited to dive into it. This seems like a collection of essays that is best taken in over an extended period of time by consuming maybe one or two stories a day to really be able to savour the experience!

Special thanks to Algonquin Books for having me on tour and for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads: Letter to a Stranger: Essays to the Ones Who Haunt Us
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Publication Date: 22 March 2022
Genre: Non-Fiction

Sixty-five extraordinary writers grapple with this mystery: How can an ephemeral encounter with a stranger leave such an eternal mark?

When Colleen Kinder put out a call for authors to write a letter to a stranger about an unforgettable encounter, she opened  the floodgates. The responses—intimate and addictive, all written in the second person—began pouring in. These short, insightful essays by a  remarkable cast of writers, including Elizabeth Kolbert, Pico Iyer, Lauren Groff, Gregory Pardlo, Faith Adiele, Maggie Shipstead, Lia Purpura, Kiki Petrosino, and Jamil Jan Kochai, are organized around such themes as Gratitude, Wonder, and Farewell and guide us both across the globe and through the mysteries of human connection. Addressed to a first responder after a storm, a gambler encountered on jury duty, a waiter in  Istanbul, a taxi driver in Paris, a roomful of travelers watching reality TV in La Paz, and dozens of others, the pieces are replete with observations about how to live and what we seek, and how a stranger’s loaded glance, shared smile, or question posed can alter the course of our lives. 

Moving and unforgettable, Letter to a Stranger is an irresistible read for the literary traveler and the perfect gift for anyone who is haunted by a person they met once and will remember forever.

buy a copy
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