SONG AT THE TOP OF MY PLAYLIST

PRAYING by Kesha

I have long been a Kesha fan. I loved her fun, funky stuff at the beginning of her career-Tik Tok and Timber are still on my workout play list. It's been four years since we have heard Kesha sing and this song-"Praying" will give you the feels. Not only are the lyrics deep and heartfelt but the video is disturbingly beautiful. AND when she hits that note-WOW! Just wow! Goosebumps.
There is very personal meaning behind this song-it's telling Kesha's journey of the past four years. I won't go into details here and now-but if your interested you can look it up and find the history on the web. But right now, just sit back and enjoy.

BOOK REVIEW-IF YOU KNEW MY SISTER

IF YOU KNEW MY SISTER

By Michelle Adams

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

375 Pages

2017

Goodreads Synopsis:
If You Knew My Sister tells the story of Irini, who was given away by her parents at the age of three, whilst her volatile, destructive sister was kept within the family. Twenty years later Irini receives a phone call from her estranged sister to say that their mother has died, compelling her to return for the first time to the family home, and to uncover the shocking truth that has defined both their lives.
My Thoughts:
I have some really mixed fillings about this book. 
The Good-
Creepy is the word I would use to describe this book. There are definitely parts that are suspenseful.
My favorite character actually turned out to be the sister, Elle. She was an excellent "villian". She had me guessing what her next move would be throughout the book. I think the author did a great job of describing the complicated relationship of the two sisters. Irini is so desperate to have a family connection that she's willing to let Elle into her life even though she knows it will probably result in disaster. Elle clearly suffers from mental illness and I found myself feeling very sorry for her, even though she acted out in disturbing ways.
I think the most frustrating part of reading this book is that I failed to connect with the main character Irini. Throughout the book she continued to make so many poor decisions. She has a live in boyfriend, Antonio who is basically sponging off of her and draining her bank account, he is obviously using her-I know that love is blind but this guy is such a loser! There are several times that she ponders about the different ways that he's spending her money but never does anything about it.
She spends the entire book trying to get answers to some long buried secrets but every time she gets the chance to connect with someone from the past, like her father, she would suddenly veer off in another direction. So much time is wasted as she runs around in circles making poor decision after poor decision. At times I wanted to reach into the book and shake her while screaming, "Get your shit together!"
The Bad-
Irini never stops playing the "victim".  She played this part so well she should have carried body chalk around with her. I was so over it by the end of the book. But listen, I really seem to be in the minority of people who didn't care for this book. People rated it fairly high. So maybe it just wasn't the book for me. 

SERIES REVIEW-"REIGN"

REIGN

The CW

4 Seasons

(Netflix Binge)

Summary:

Queen of Scotland Mary Stuart travels to France with four ladies-in-waiting to secure her politically strategic engagement to the king's son, Prince Francis. Mary and Francis share a mutual attraction, even though he has reservations about the wisdom of an alliance with Scotland. Complicating issues is Bash, Francis' illegitimate half-brother whom Mary finds herself drawn to in spite of herself. The French Court is also full of less romantic challenges for Mary, who finds her engagement -- and life -- threatened until she finds an ally in a mysterious shrouded guide. With all that she faces, Mary rallies, readying herself to rule and trying to find a balance between the demands of her country and those of her heart.
My Thoughts:
A friend of mine recommended this series to me knowing that I am a history buff. I was easily sucked in from the first episode. First and foremost you have to go into this series knowing that there are a lot of historical inaccuracies. Reign is pure entertainment. There are characters in the show that don't actually exist in the history of Mary-Queen of Scots. The costumes are incredibly beautiful but don't actually exist for that time period and modern instrumental music is played throughout the series(I actually loved that). The three characters that stood out to me and quickly became my favorites were Mary(of course) who is played by Adelaide Kane, Queen Elizabeth played by Rachel Skarsten, and Catherine de' Medici played by Megan Follows. The series is put out to the CW which caters to a younger crowd(Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, etc.) which is why I believe the first couple of seasons center around romance, love triangles, and teen drama(Mary and King Francis are wed at a young age-in the series sixteen and seventeen. The third and fourth season start to include the political mess that Mary is drug into regarding the return to her country, acquiring another husband and producing an heir to the throne. The last season unfortunately is rushed and cut short because it had a drop in ratings. I'm guessing that the younger demographic lost interest as Mary gets older, returns to Scotland, and her life becomes more complicated. The series lasts four seasons and comes to a very abrupt ending. I purposely resisted the urge as I watched this series to look into actual history facts and accepted the fact that it's pure brain candy with some really great acting. I was sad that the fourth season was rushed and the later part of Mary's life is glossed over-there is so much more to the story! But all in all I highly recommend this Netflix series if you go into it not wanting a real life history lesson on Mary Queen of Scots. Make a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy the episodes.


First Season

Second Season:

Third Season:

Fourth Season:

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to the

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY HOP!

This hop starts on November 15th and ends on November 30th

This hop is hosted by BookHounds

My Giveaway:

I love this giveaway so much because it gives me the opportunity to thank you! I appreciate you for following my blog and reading my reviews. I'm only asking you to do two things to enter this giveaway:

1. Follow "Mug of Moxie" on Facebook

2. Follow "Mug of Moxie" on Twitter

Both buttons are located to the right on my blog page.

This is giveaway is International.

Please Include contact information(email address) in comment section.

Giveaway will run from November 15th to Novernber 30th

Winner will be chosen on December 1st

Good Luck AND a GIANT thank you from Mug of Moxie!

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BOOK REVIEW "THE MURDERS OF MOLLY SOUTHBOURNE"

THE MURDERS OF MOLLY SOUTHBORNE

128 Pages

Publisher: Tor 

October 3, 2017 

Goodreads Synopsis:
The rule is simple: don't bleed.
For as long as Molly Southbourne can remember, she's been watching herself die. Whenever she bleeds, another molly is born, identical to her in every way and intent on her destruction.
Molly knows every way to kill herself, but she also knows that as long as she survives she'll be hunted. No matter how well she follows the rules, eventually the mollys will find her. Can Molly find a way to stop the tide of blood, or will she meet her end at the hand of a girl who looks just like her?
My Thoughts:
This small book packs a hell of a punch! WOW! The timing of reading this was perfect for the Halloween season. The reader will take a ride that's brutal, bizarre, and terrifying. The genre is a unique combination of  horror and science fiction that I found thrilling. The author pulls the reader in from the very first page and doesn't let go, I actually forgot about the character that was introduced in the first few pages until the author brings the story around full circle. All the pieces of this strange puzzle fit together beautifully. Just a warning to the reader- this tale is gruesome, bloody, and not for the faint of heart.
I really wish that the book would have been a bit longer, Molly's story is so interesting, I wanted more.
I would absolutely read another book by Tade Thompson.

BOOK REVIEW: THE SCENT OF RAIN

THE SCENT OF RAIN BY ANNE MONTGOMERY

March 2017

386 Pages

Treehouse Publishing

Amazon Synopsis:

Rose Madsen will do anything to keep from being married off to one of the men in her Fundamentalist Mormon (FLDS) community, even endure the continued beatings and abuse of her mother. But when her mentally handicapped baby sister is forced to strangle the bird she loves at the behest of the Prophet, Rose frees the bird and runs away.
Adan Reyes will do anything to escape the abusive foster care system in Phoenix, even leaving his good friends and successful high school athletic career behind him. Ill-prepared for surviving the desert, Adan hits the road only to suffer heat stroke. Found by a local handyman, he catches a glimpse of a mysterious girl--Rose--running through town, and follows her into the mountains where they are both tracked and discovered by the men of the FLDS community. With their fates now intertwined, can Rose and Adan escape the systems locking them into lives of abuse? Will Rose be forced to marry the Prophet, a man her father's age, and be one of dozens of wives, perpetually pregnant, with no hope for an education? Will Adan be returned to the foster home where bullying and cruelty are common? Is everyone they meet determined to keep them right where they belong or are some adults worthy of their trust?

My Thoughts:
It was a little eerie that I had just listened to a podcast about Jim Jones and his followers who committed mass suicide in Jonestown in 1978. As I read through this book I kept reflecting on what people do in the name of religion and their beliefs.
This is not a feel good, cozy book to read. We have all seen the Dateline and 20/20 specials that report disturbing stories on the FLDS- an real life cult community that actually exists in Colorado City, Arizona. Author, Anne Montgomery helps us step into the life of a fictional sixteen year old girl named Rose who has lived her entire life in this community. Everything that an outsider would view as odd or bizarre is everyday life for her. Rose is a typical teenager who has a bit of a rebellious streak which is absolutely forbidden in this town and her home. No questions are allowed, you are expected to obey without answers. This story is told from several points of view giving the reader a deeper look into life in the FLDS community. We get the perspective of Trak who lives in Hurricane, Utah-a town outside the community but does small jobs in Colorado City, he has grown up with this cult right next door and has come to believe that it's just the way things are-it disturbs him but what is he expected to do? We see things through the eyes of The Prophet, a man that members of the FLDS believe speaks revelation directly from God and expect his followers to obey without question-whether that means killing family pets or marrying sixteen year old girls to sixty year old men. Probably one of the most disturbing characters to me was Bliss, Roses' mother who is completely committed to The Prophet and punishes Rose verbally, emotionally, and physically when Rose does something she believes does not fall into line with the teachings of the Prophet. 
There were a couple characters that puzzled me because I wasn't sure why they were part of this particular book. A runaway named Adan comes into the story early on and is then inserted several times, but I never really truly understood his role in Roses' life. I really liked Adan and his back story which involves the foster care system and the deportation of his mother which is so relevant-especially right now. Adan could really have his own book. The other character that felt inserted simply to provide a love interest was Brooke, a social worker new to the area. Her only role was to simply find out that Adan was a runaway and be that special red head that catches Trak's eye.
Other than those few little issues I had with the story I thought "The Scent of Rain" was really good. A heartbreaking and tragic read but, this story also shows the resilience of the human spirit. People can go through hard things and still overcome. I appreciate the time and research that author, Anne Montgomery put into writing her book.
If you like this book I would also recommend a book called "The Chosen One" by Carol Lynch Williams. They both give a fascinating look into a disturbing reality going on right under our noses.
*I received a copy of this book by from the author for an honest review.

WINNER: Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

A WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN!

Emily has won a copy of "There's Someone In Your House" by Stephanie Perkins

Thanks to everyone who participated and to BookHounds for hosting.

I've already signed up for a "Gratitude Giveaway" Hop also hosted by BookHounds. I can't wait!