Categories
Books

What I Read in June & July 2021

In June & July 2021, I read 1 nonfiction book, 1 science fiction, 1 anthology (fantasy), 1 crime thriller, 1 graphic novel, and a short story (contemporary drama). Check it out… Sorry I skipped July without an explanation or better planning.

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 36 books toward
her goal of
50 books.
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Below you’ll find my star ratings and review blurbs for each title I completed in the indicated month. If you have not signed up for my newsletter, please consider doing so. That’s where I post my thorough book reviews (and sometimes TV and movie stuff) as well as talk about my love of reading while offering tips for having a healthy reading lifestyle. You can also click the Goodreads links to see the thorough reviews. At the bottom of this post, you’ll also be able to watch a video of my monthly reviews, if that’s more your style.

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4.0 – Some good writing exercises.

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Many twists and endings 😉

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Only read An Imperfect Family by Tricia Drammeh

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Still processing this one.

 

Goodreads | Amazon

4.0 – I wanted more of these stories.

 

Goodreads | Amazon

5.0 – Zombie sophistication!

 

Goodreads | Amazon

You can watch my update video here. Click below to watch my review video.

So, did you read any good books in June & July?

What did you think of the ones I read?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
Reblogs

Reblog: Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews…

Today, I’m visiting the Creative State of Mind blog for an interview.

Today, I’m welcoming Toi Thomas to my blog! I’m super excited to talk with her about one her new recent releases, Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Book Reviews.

Hi Toi, and thanks for stopping by. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a bit of a geek girl. I love comic books, vinyl records, animals, chocolate, and green tea. Of course, that also includes books. I love them- whether print, digital, audio or whatever the future holds. I love a good story- whether fiction or nonfiction. When I’m not indulging in written words, I also like to write my own via published books and my blog: The ToiBox of Words….“Read more here.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Books

Bookreview: Firebound #fantasy #FlashbackFriday

This is a special post I do once a month to highlight a book I reviewed some time ago, but never actually featured on my blog. Because this is an author blog and not a book blog, I don’t always feature all the books I read. Like all good and dedicated fans of the written word, I do my part and leave reviews on Goodreads.com, Amazon.com, and sometimes other places, but don’t always bring attention to what I’m reading, unless you follow me on YouTube… hint, hint, wink wink 😉 In any case, please enjoy this review of a book I read at some point in my life.

~

Today’s flashback review is a little special but mostly because today is International Authors Day. I’m featuring a review of a book from an author I really like.

~

Goodreads

Title:  Firebound

Series: Spellbringers #2

Author: Tricia Drammeh

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance, Paranormal

Pages: 285

Reading Level: Teen

Content: PG-13 (violence, sensuality, brief mild sexual content, dark and mature themes, adult situations, suspense)

In book one my heart went out to Bryce who seemed to be misunderstood, but in book 2 I really fell in love with Alisa. She’s the only character with no power of her own, yet she seems to be the strongest of them all. Depending on how you look at it, Alisa is the reason the Alexander family is as mighty as they are. In their society of magic and Spellbringers, their connection to this one human keeps them all from becoming monsters… I may be exaggerating a bit, but in any case, I really adore Alisa.

Rachel, on the other hand, is a character that despite her many many flaws, I can’t hate but don’t exactly love her. I feel for her in many ways, but she seems to be a bit self-destructive. Like all self-destructive people, she also hurts others as a result. The one thing she seems to have going for her is the fact that she is apparently the most powerful being on the planet though she hasn’t realized the extent of her powers. As destructive as she is, I still like her more than Jace.

It’s not that I don’t like Jace. I feel a bit indifferent about this character. I can see that he will continue to grow as the story develops, but for now, he’s a pretty face, decent brother, and good son.

The action of this book is much more involved, which I didn’t think was possible. Alisa and Bryce struggle to be close yet so far apart. After he speaks the claiming words to her, they crave each other but can’t share each other or live together. Alisa is forgetting what an independent person she used to be and Bryce is clinging to her affection so he won’t turn to the dark side. Yeah, whoa!

Rachel has the best of intentions trying to protect her brother but she has to know that going on dream dates with a demon isn’t going to end well. Plus, there’s more than one demon after her. When, Alisa, the only human in the bunch has to risk her life to save Rachel, things heat up in more ways than one. What a perfect end to this installment and a grand enticement for the next.

I think I enjoyed this one just as much as the first. Highly recommended again.

Read my review of Spellbound here.

I give this book a 5.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link: Amazon

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords