2017 Reading Challenge

I decided to start this reading challenge for this year.  I know we're two weeks into the new year but I thought it would be fun to do.  It seems simple enough and I think I can do it!  Wish me luck.

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye - Tania del Rio

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye

Warren the 13th is the lone bellhop, valet, waiter, groundskeeper, and errand boy of his family's ancient hotel.  It's a strange, shadowy mansion full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddles--and it just might be home to a magical object known as the All-Seeing Eye.  Can Warren decipher the clues and find the treasure before his sinister Aunt Annaconda (and a slew of greedy hotel guests) beats him to it?

This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and delightful mystery.

This book was so cute.  I loved all the illustrations and the story line.  I think this book would be perfect for middle-grade and up including adults.  I felt so bad for Warren and how his aunt and uncle treated him.  I fell in love with all the characters and hated the characters I was supposed to hate.  Warren especially is so likable.  I highly recommend this book and all sequels to this book.  There's a cute short story and activity book to go along with this book and can be found here.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Wreckage - Emily Bleeker

Wreckage - Emily Bleeker

Lillian Linden is a liar. On the surface, she looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she’s been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost two years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can’t tell the real story—so they lie.

The public is fascinated by the castaways’ saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall—a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program—isn’t buying it. She suspects Lillian’s and Dave’s explanations about the other crash survivors aren’t true. And now, Genevieve’s determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.
In this intriguing tale of survival, secrets, and redemption, two everyday people thrown together by tragedy must finally face the truth…even if it tears them apart. 

3/5 stars (liked it)
I enjoyed the back in forth in time and the point of view change from David and Lillian.  I imagined when I started this book that something unforgivable had happened on the island.  But when I got done with the book, what I imagined was worse than what actually happened.  I think if I had been in Lillian's shoes I would have done the same as her.