Top Ten Things That Make Life as a Reader/Book Blogger Easier

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic over at The Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Things That Make Life as a Reader/Book Blogger Easier. These are ten things I use pretty much every day.

My Library

OverDrive and OverDrive Media Console

Smart Audiobook Player

Moon+ Reader Pro

Goodreads

Blogger

Kindle

Bookmarks

Amazon.com

Feedly

Twitter

What makes your reading life easier? Do you use anything regularly that I didn't mention today?

August 19 | Currently Reading

This is the last week of summer (before school starts) for us. We managed to get all of our school shopping done over the weekend so this week is just about having lots of fun and meeting the new teachers.

Last week I posted reviews for Hounded by Kevin Hearne and The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman.

I finished reading The Troop by Nick Cutter and Tamarack County by William Kent Krueger.

I started reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch which I am loving. I'm trying to keep on schedule with Gollanzc's readalong so it will theoretically take me 4 weeks to read it if I can be disciplined enough to not jump ahead.

I have a few things out from the library so I will probably try to squeeze those in this week, too.

I hope summer has been excellent to you. I'm looking forward to this fall. We have a lot of changes happening in our family right now so these are exciting times.

Let me know what you are reading this week or leave me a link!

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This post is being shared as part of Book Journey's It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman | Storybook Sunday

What a weird little book.

Book Description

What if you wanted your best friend's two goldfish so much that you'd swap anything for them, even your father?

What if your mother came home and found out what you'd done?

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is a hilarious adventure and was the first book for younger readers from the acclaimed author and illustrator of the New York Times best-sellers The Wolves in the Walls and Coraline. Chosen as one of Newsweek magazine's Best Children's Books of the Year, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is beloved by readers of all ages. This new edition features brand-new jacket art and an afterword by the author on the origins of this unique and wonderfully funny story.

Review

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish is Neil Gaiman's first children's book. The main character and his little sister are playing out in the yard when a friend arrives with a goldfish bowl. Inside the bowl are too very gold goldfish. "I'll swap you for them," says the MC. He names a list of things he can swap before he has a big idea to swap his dad.

"I'll swap you my dad," I said.
"Oh-oh," said my little sister.

It's a great swap until his mom comes home. Whoops. The MC has to trade the goldfish back for his dad, but he finds out his dad has been traded again and again amongst the children.

It's a cute story, but it's kind of strange. The dad just gets passed from kid to kid. On one hand, I see the correlation to dads who sit at home and read the paper without paying much attention to the family, but there was no real need to have the dad back other than to please the mom so she would feed them their dinner. I've never been of the mind set that children's books need to teach values, but a piece of that was missing here for me even though it was told through the perspective of a child.

That being said, there was plenty to make me smile, especially the very end. I grew a little tired of all the items that were traded for their dad, but the ending was cute. This is a good book to keep an eye out for at the library.

6/10: Good Read

Hounded by Kevin Hearne | Audiobook Review

Hounded is the first book in the Iron Druid Chronicles series.

Book Description

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Review

If you are looking for something fun to listen to on audio, Hounded is a great choice. Luke Daniels's voice is really age and style appropriate although Atticus's dog Oberon does sound too much like Cheech Marin to me.

I laughed out loud so many times listening to Hounded. I don't do that very often, much less multiple times in the same book.

I'm certain the book is just as fun in print as it is in audio, but I like finding audiobooks that have this level of entertainment in them.

The Iron Druid Chronicles is an urban fantasy series. Many (many) mythical creatures make an appearance in Hounded, but they all have their place. I kind of tiptoe through the urban fantasy genre every once in a while, and I've really enjoyed every UF book that I've given a try so far.

I will definitely continue on with this series, and I will likely listen to them all on audio as well.

7/10: Recommended Read

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch | Waiting on Wednesday

Oh my goodness. Have you read the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch? I started reading it this week and it is so good. My WOW post for today is for book 3 because it comes out October 8th, and I'm looking forward to being caught up by then.

Gollancz and Marc from Fantasy Faction are hosting a readalong of books 1 and 2 leading up to the release of book 3. I thought it was an awesome idea so I joined in.

The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies

Orphan Locke Lamora leads elite thieves "Gentlemen Bastards" trained by priest Chains. In Venice-like city, as the "Thorn of Camorr", he stings the wealthy nobles. But the Gray King kills mobster Capa Barsavi’s trusted, and uses Locke as his pawn to take control. Locke vows revenge, but is best skilled at lies. His opponent has more money, men, and power.

The Republic of Thieves

Have you read or heard of this series? What are you anxiously waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

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This post is being shared as part of Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday.