Book Bingo:Your Heart Was a Legend

Your Heart Was a Legend by Emily Nakanishi is only available as an ebook, unfortunately. I really prefer print, but it's only thirty-four pages, so I pulled through. [I was asked to read this by a friend. I probably would not have picked it up on my own, but my review is completely honest and not influenced by an outside source.] The novella centers around Frankie, a high-school senior who is coming to terms with his homosexuality. Before I read it, the piece was described to me as "gay romance," but that's not really what I found in reading it. While Frankie does wish he could admit his true feelings for Tobias, his best friend and semi-guardian, the primary focus of Your Heart Was a Legend is Frankie facing himself and deciding what he wants in life.

(picture taken from Torquere Books)

I could tell that this was Nakanishi's debut to publishing by the open phrasing and simple sentence structure. However, she often surprised me with unique word choices and spot-on dialogue that kept me intrigued. Considering how few pages there were to read, she did a fantastic job of drawing me into Frankie's world. I did have a little trouble understanding the ending, though. As someone who found love fairly early in life, I think, the idea of more than one person appealing to me at the same time doesn't quite calculate. Maybe it has less to do with when I found love and more to do with my personality. Whatever the reason, Nakanishi approaches the ending in a way I did not expect. My only real complaint with this novella is that it's so short! It's easy to see various opportunities with side characters that could have extended the piece and perhaps added even more dimension to the town the author has created. All-in-all, a very interesting, quick read.

This novella was my "New Release" read for the Book Bingo Challenge. So far I'm really happy with my progress! Thanks for checking back with me! Don't forget to subscribe and keep checking back for more great reads!

Poetry Challenge / Book Bingo: Jimmy Stewart and His Poems

(picture taken from Goodreads)

I heard about Jimmy Stewart's book of poems (simply titled Jimmy Stewart and His Poems) on Goodreads a few weeks ago, and I thought, "Jimmy Stewart wrote poetry?! What couldn't this guy do?" I'm a sucker for old movies, and Stewart was definitely one of my favorite actors, so obviously, I had to find a copy to read immediately--which I did at my local library. The cover of my library's copy had a fun cartoon drawing of Stewart and his dog, Beau (about whom one of the poems is written):

 (found here by Hamlette--thanks!)

 Stewart's collection is my first read for the Dive into Poetry Challenge and my second free square read for the Book Bingo Challenge.

I really enjoyed this book! It's very short--thirty-something pages--and there are only four poems, but it was definitely worth finding. Each poem is prefaced by a short background story of the poem. I found it a lot of fun to learn a little more about Stewart and the simple, touching moments in his home life. His style as a poet is rhyming and light. It's easy to read, and I found myself laughing out loud about some of the situations in which Stewart and his family found themselves. I would definitely recommend picking this up when you have a few moments free--it's a breezy, fast read (especially for poetry)!

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Blind Date with a Book

This year, my library is doing a really fun program for February (because of Valentine's Day) called "Blind Date with a Book." I've heard of other places doing this, and it seems like such a great idea to me! Here are the basics: They have a table with several books wrapped in wrapping or butcher paper so you can't tell what they are. You pick one, take it home and read it, and then review it. The idea is to get people reading genres or specific books that they might not otherwise pick-up. So, here's the package I picked-up the other day:

It was a big hit with Gabe, who got to unwrap it!

I won't reveal what book I got yet, but I want to encourage you to try this fun idea out for yourself! If your local library isn't doing it, maybe wrap some of your TBR books and pick one randomly, or go to the library and pick a book with your eyes closed? I think it will turn out really interesting to read something that I hadn't necessarily expected, so here goes!

Don't forget to check back for my review of the blind date pick, and subscribe so you won't miss any other exciting reads!