The House in the Cerulean Sea | 
pickI'm a bit late to the party on this one, but I held off so I can go right into the sequel which just came out. Another wonderful and imaginative LGBTQ themed story about acceptance and finding what is truly important in life.
#12BooksOf2024 @Andrew65
How did I get behind again? These days are messing with me! 😂
A fantasy story about six magical kids, their loving mentor, Arthur, and dear Linus, the hero of this novel. What didn't I love about this book? Nothing. I laughed, I cried, I got goosebumps in all the right places. 🩵
Thank you, @Catsandbooks for this lovely 2024 #BookBracket.
Myron & Win make me so happy (Think Twice) that I thought they‘d go the distance. But in the end, The House in the Cerulean Sea has stayed with me.
pick26 Nov-14 Dec 24 (audiobook)
Dryly humourous, this is the story of Lionel Baker. Lionel lives a quiet, rule-abiding existence working for the Department of Magical Youth inspecting orphanages which home children with magical abilities until he is asked to inspect an orphanage housing six extraordinary children, including Luci, the actual antichrist.
Heartwarming and funny, Trixie and I enjoyed this audiobook.
pickBook 4 September 2024
Unpopular opinion😬Liked it but not love it. I liked the premise and loved the characters, Lucy and the romance was cute. However, there were parts that I don‘t not know, for me, were disconnected, unnecessary. Pretty much like my experience with Guncle novel. This novel is so hipped that I expected too much I guess. I have that problem with hipped books🤷🏽♀️I still want to read book 2. 3⭐️
Finally starting this one! I‘ve had it forever!
It‘s Chauncy! I found him at BN but he‘s created by https://kingdomofthreads.com
It makes me ridiculously happy to find things inspired by this book.
pickI almost bailed in the beginning, because Linus‘s life working for the Department in charge of Magical Youth was super sad & boring. I‘m glad I stuck with it because his life is supposed to be that way for contrast and makes the ending more delightful. The magical children at the orphanage were hilarious and endearing. This is where the story really starts. Arthur was my favourite character and as the book evolves he only gets even more lovable.
#two4tuesday
1. It‘s hard to have a fave because I love fruit. But I‘ll pick raspberries because they‘re delicious by themselves, in desserts, and in chocolate.
2. Tagged
pickI was offered (and took) an ARC of the sequel to this, and since this one was very popular I figured it was time to read it. I am glad I did. This is a wonderful story about people who do not fit in, filled with morality messages. It nicely teaches lessons on all types of prejudices and the lessons seem particular apt these days. I really enjoyed all the characters, both the children and the adults. 4.5/5 stars!
pickThis was a reread before starting the second book, and I loved it all over again. It just hit me again, like the first time I read it. The kids went straight to my heart, again. And I went all Awwww, again. All the ❤❤❤❤
And my monthly wrap-up for September. One of the 17 books was a manga (loved it!) and one was a really good short story.
And it's my #bookofthemonth once again. Who would've guessed? 😄
#botm
Finally got to read this one and it was cute!
I loved the character development of the MC and I really enjoyed the children. There were some parts that I thought were cheesy, but hey it was still heartwarming. 4 ⭐️
#authoramonth2024 @Soubhiville
#BookBracket @CSeydel
Tagged with a bonus pick of The Spellshop.
pickWhat a sweet story about hapless, rule-abiding Linus Baker who gets sent on a four week assignment by the Department in Charge of Magical Youth to an island with a most unusual orphanage. As he observes and engages with the island‘s unique denizens he finds unexpected joy, acceptance, and himself. The messaging is heavy handed at times, but I fell in love with the characters and this feel-good story of found family and choosing the life you want.
Seven books read in September. I finished the #LitsyAtoZ challenge this month with the #letterU! Two books read for #authoramonth, 3 for #foodandlit #Malaysia, 2 for #readingOceania #Australia and #Samoa. @Soubhiville @Catsandbooks @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
#bookbracket #bookbracket24 #bookbracket2024 @CSeydel
August: THE GOD IN THE WOODS
September: THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA
I've decided for the rest of the year that I'm not going to include rereads (so no Shardlake or Sherlock) in order to give the other books a chance. 😂
#bookbracket #bookbracket24 #bookbracket2024 @Catsandbooks
August: THE GOD IN THE WOODS
September: THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA
I've decided for the rest of the year that I'm not going to include rereads (so no Shardlake or Sherlock) in order to give the other books a chance. 😂
pickWhat a charmer! Linus Baker, a government flunky, is tasked with determining whether an orphanage for the scariest of magical children (one is the son of Satan)is safe, or if harmful should be closed. Linus‘s gray world becomes so colorful when he learns and grows to love the children and their island, which is magical in different ways. The nearby town is antagonistic to these scary kids. Linus has many life decisions to make. A fantastic story.
pick#AAM I needed a distraction today and couldn‘t settle on anything, so in the end I decided I‘d revisit this before picking up the sequel. I found reading it a second time around a less all consuming experience that I got swept up in, and a more analytical one that had me noticing new details. But it was just as funny, charming, and heartwarming as I remember it. @Soubhiville
pickIs there anything better than slipping back into the pages of a Klune book? Whenever I'm wary or simply downcast, I find myself re-reading this book; my little refuge. The experience was made all the better knowing that the sequel was finally in my possession. This was delightful, as always. These characters never fail to feel like long-lost friends. The pages always feel like home. Klune is my safety blanket whenever I need a comfortable read.
This 🫶.
“Ornery” is one of my favorite words. But I‘m wondering how y‘all pronounce it. I‘ve always pronounced it “awn-ree” but assumed I was saying it wrong. So I just looked it up and apparently I‘m not alone. How do you pronounce “ornery”?
#authoramonth @Soubhiville
My next book for #authoramontb @Soubhiville even though I‘m only halfway through Wolfsong. My library hold for the ebook came in so I‘m starting it.
#weeklyfavorites
@Read4Life
I think quite a few of us chose this one this week. 🧡🩶🧡
#WeeklyFavorites
The only book I finished this last week but that doesn‘t mean it isn‘t a gem.
@Read4life
pick#readtheceruleansea @CBee
What don't I love about this book? Nothing. I laughed, I cried, I got goosebumps in all the right places. Then I read a bit more about the background, and it was partially inspired by the Sixties Scoop, where the Canadian government removed Indigenous children from their homes and placed them with unrelated white, middle-class families. What they endured was beyond horrific, so perhaps Klune felt the need to show ⬇️
pickEasily my favorite book of the week. And I enjoyed all of the books I read. This one is just that good.
#WeeklyFavorites
#5JoysFridayonSaturday
1) Wonderful reread of the tagged book.
2) A couple of small home maintenance tasks checked off the list
3) Flare up symptoms abated in time to go see
4) Sum 41 last night and
5) get introduced to The Interrupters
Never too late to share your joys!
@DebinHawaii
pick#readtheceruleansea @CBee
Thanks for hosting this, @CBee
I LOVE this book. I enjoyed it even more this time around. I feel like I picked up on new things and appreciated all of the characters more. 💙💙💙
Read this last January and 3 more days until Book 2 releases
#thehouseintheceruleansea #goodreads #goodreadsreadingchallenge #goodreadsreadingchallenge2024 #ebook #audiobook #crossstitch #patches #attackontitan #aot #handmade #needlework
pickLike some of y‘all have mentioned, this was even better the second time around ♥️♥️ Thanks for joining me, whether it was your first or second (or fifth 😂) time reading it! On to the next, and I cannot WAIT 😊😊
pickI re-read this in anticipation of the sequel publishing next week. I liked it even better the second time around (hard to believe)! This is exactly what I needed to read in this moment. 💙 [Full review to come, hopefully.]
pickSeptember #AuthorAMonth #ReadAway2024 #SeriesLove2024 I loved this book! I couldn‘t stop listening. The first couple of chapters were a bit rough because it felt like 1984 with kids. But I fell in love with the characters and their story. I can‘t wait for the second book to come out in just a few days. And TJ Klune has become a new “must” buy.
#Readtheceruleansea
So glad to have reread this book in anticipation of the release of the sequel. I think I loved it even more this time.
Thanks for hosting @CBee
pickThis book was full of hope and found families. It was also about discovering who you really are inside. The emotions were there in all the right places. 5 stars.
#ReadAway2024 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
#LitsyLoveReads @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Read4life @TieDyeDude
@WJCintron
#WickedWords #wicked
Word 3/5
#AuthorAMonth Spider Robinson created a character who was a were-Beagle. In one of the movies with Wesley Snipes as Blade there were vampire Pomeranians. In this book I‘ve just been introduced to a were-Pomeranian.
