Rachel Reads & Reviews

The Liz Taylor Ring Review

Jewelry has a way of making a girl shine brighter, feel prettier, sexier, like sparkly armour so they can walk into the room with their head held high. For some, jewelry can have immense meaning imbued into it, remembering who gave it to you and why, all the special events it represents.

rachelbeerwoman

December 17, 2023

Reviews

#brendajanowitz, #graydonhouse, #harpercollins, #rachelreads&reviews, #theliztaylorring

The Audrey Hepburn Estate Review

After years away, Emma is returning to her home, Rolling Hills aka the Aubrey Hepburn Estate due to local legend that Sabrina was filmed on the premise. Untrue. Also untrue is that Emma lived in the main house, she lived above the garage since her mother was the maid. It’s all in the technacalities and…

rachelbeerwoman

December 16, 2023

Reviews

#brendajanowitz, #graydonhouse, #harpercollins, #rachelreads&reviews, #theaubreyhepburnestate, #YA

Ranking Commercial Breaks

You may think commercials are those nuisances interrupting your favorite shows but for these girls, being famous for thirty seconds is a big deal. Commercial acting is its own world with its own terms, protocols and competition that Kain makes as exciting as any Hollywood set.

rachelbeerwoman

December 15, 2023

Rankings

#commercialbreaks, #dramaticpause, #famousforthirtyseconds, #middlegrade, #pgkain, #pictureperfect, #rachelreads&reviews

Howl’s Moving Castle

After reading Howl’s Moving Castle last month, I finally got around to watching the Ghibli movie. Of course, it’s not totally accurate but damn that studio is amazing in creating such a beautiful world that is inspiring and magical and whimsical. I mean that opening scene where Howl suavely steps up to those guards bothering…

rachelbeerwoman

December 14, 2023

Book/Author Highlight

#anime, #dianawynnejones, #howl’smovingcastle, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews

Book Highlight: Rapunzel’s Revenge & Calamity jack

If you like Westerns and if you like fairytales, these are for you! Really, they should be everyone cuz comics are cool but that’d be too after-school special. However, I just found it amazing because the fairytale genre just doesn’t have a lot of western AUs. School or towns full of fairytale characters, yes. Erotic…

rachelbeerwoman

December 13, 2023

Book/Author Highlight

#calamityjack, #deanhale, #fairytale, #graphicnovels, #jackandthebeanstalk, #nathanhale, #rachelreads&reviews, #rapunzel, #rapunzel’srevenge, #retelling, #shannonhale

Ranking Jem and the Holograms

After rereading the series over the year, I have to rank the arcs because let’s face it, some are just more totally outrageous than others.

rachelbeerwoman

December 12, 2023

Rankings

#darkjem, #dimensions, #enterthestingers, #IDW, #idwcomics, #infinite, #kellythompson, #rachelreads&reviews, #showtime, #sophiecampbell, #themisfits, #totallyoutrageous, #viral

Author Highlight: Michelle Moran

I have already extolled Moran’s virtues in historical writing in previous posts but after several more books in her catalogue, I have to expound on how deftly she immerses the reader into the ancient world. It probably helps that she had previously majored in archeology and has travelled extensively on dig sites so she has…

rachelbeerwoman

December 11, 2023

Book/Author Highlight

#cleopatra'sdaughter, #historicalfiction, #michellemoran, #nefertiti, #rachelreads&reviews, #thehereticqueen, #therebelqueen, #thesecondempress

Nancy Drew ReRead P4

The final seven wrap up the Nancy Drew series in a . . . well t didn’t really wrap it up as Nancy Drew lives on forever and the series followed that cue without any sappy goodbyes or retrospectives but act like its just another day in her life. So let’s get to the final…

rachelbeerwoman

December 10, 2023

Book/Author Highlight

#carolynkeene, #middlegradde, #mysteryofcrocodileisland, #nancydrew, #nancydrewmysteries, #rachelreads&reviews, #theclueinthecrosswordcipher, #thedoublejinxmystery, #themysteriousmannequin, #thesecretofmirrorbay, #thespidersapphiremystery, #thethirteenthpeark, #thethirteenthpearl

Author Highlight: Gloria Chao

So I decided to spend the week reading Gloria Chao’s catalogue of books. Which okay that was easy since there’s only four and she’s addictively readable. While each premise seems light, she also deals with the more difficult frustrations of coming of age as a Taiwanese American daughter of immigrants and the difficulties of communication…

rachelbeerwoman

December 9, 2023

Book/Author Highlight

#gloriachao, #ourwaywardfate, #rachelreads&reviews, #rentaboyfriend, #simon&schuster, #vikingbooksforyoungreaders, #whenyouwishuponalantern, #YA

Nancy Drew ReRead P3

Now onto the vacation series, otherwise known as #30-40 more or less. This was a very exciting set as it combines my favorite book trope, travelling with Nancy Drew mysteries.

rachelbeerwoman

December 9, 2023

Book Suggestions, Book/Author Highlight

#carolynkeene, #middlegrade, #nancydrew, #nancydrewmysteries, #rachelreads&reviews, #theclueintheoldstagecoach, #theclueofthedancingpuppet, #thehauntedshowboat, #thehiddenwindowmystery, #themoonstonecastlemystery, #themysteryofthefiredragon, #thesecretofthegoldenpavilion, #thewitchtreesymbol