From my TBR shelf...

My library has been closed for an entire month now. The books I put on hold back in March for my next two buddy reads with Melody are languishing on the hold shelf at my library--hostages to COVID-19. And the last of my library books have all been read, leaving me with only the books on my shelves. Luckily, I have a lot. Some I'll review; some I won't. And though I am grateful I do still have books to read, I REALLY hope my library reopens soon! Anyway, here's one from my TBR shelf:

Title & Author:  Voyage by Ellisa Barr

Why I bought it:  I read and enjoyed Barr's previous book, Outage, and wanted to read the next one in the series. Also, it's one of those EMP disaster/survival books that I like to read so much.

Favorite line:  "Wake up and smell the apocalypse, Sena."

The plot in brief:  Sena and several of her classmates are on an Alaskan cruise when the EMP hits. Chaos quickly ensues as Sena and a few new friends struggle to make their way back home to Washington state.

My thoughts:  Sena's a foster kid with a fear of the dark and a past she doesn't like to talk about. You'd think she'd be tough and guarded, but she comes across as meek, timid and naive, and even a bit spineless at times. It wasn't until the last half of the book that she finally stands up for herself. Despite these flaws, I still liked her. And I liked this book, although I do wish it had been a little more fleshed out in places. At only 200 pages, the story felt a little thin and left me wanting more. Barr's first book, Outage, is definitely the better read. But this one was still fun.

My rating:  3/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

From my TBR shelf...

Title & Author:  When the Power is Gone by P.A. Glaspy

Why I bought it:  EMP, preppers, survival. Need I say more?

The premise:  Anne Mathews is trying to get her teen-age son out the door for school when the lights, the phones, and everything else goes dark. Anne immediately suspects an EMP, especially when she can't get her car started. And even though she never thought it would actually happen, she and her husband, and their close friends and neighbors, the Hoppers, have been preparing for this exact worse case scenario for years. Now they're going to have to put all those plans to the test, because their day to day life just became a fight for survival.

Favorite line:  "Yep, I knew exactly what this was. And it was going to really suck."

My thoughts:  I love reading books about preparing for and surviving unexpected disasters, especially when the characters are as likable as the ones in this book. They're practical, smart, and determined to survive. And even though they know they can't help everyone ,they do try to help the ones they can. I'd love to have them as my neighbors! And while the plot of this one is pretty predictable, I thought it was also well-written, fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining. I'll definitely be buying the sequel.

My rating:  4/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

What do you love?

I have many bookish loves:  psychological thrillers, supernatural stories, urban fantasy, mystery, historical fiction, certain classics, and even some romance. But one of my absolute favorite kinds of books is disaster/survival novels. I just can't resist them. In Outage by Ellisa Barr, the disaster is an EMP that wipes out all power and technology and leaves fifteen-year-old Dee stranded with her grandfather at his farm in rural Washington. (Her parents are on an Alaskan cruise when the EMP hits.)

With her grandfather dependent on a pacemaker that no longer works, it's up to Dee to handle the majority of the farm chores. Then there's the problem of not having any clean water. Or enough food. It gets even worse when their truck gets stolen. Luckily they have good neighbors (who just happen to be Mormon), who will trade bread for eggs and help with the farm work for a few chickens of their own. And Dee and her grandfather will need all the help they can get if they hope to fend off those men in town determined to take what they want no matter who gets hurt in the process. (Because every dystopian novel needs its requisite bad guys!)

I liked this one! It's not a perfect read, but I thought it was fun. Dee's a bit spoiled and naive in the beginning, but she grows up fast. And she never gives up. I liked that about her; I also liked her two friends, Hyrum and Mason. There's a little bit of faith and prayer in this book, and lots of focus on preparedness and figuring out how to survive in a scary and uncertain world, all of which I enjoyed.

I'm a bit of a prepper at heart, so books like this always make me wonder what I can do to be better prepared for whatever the future may hold--whether it's stocking up on batteries and candles for the next power outage, investing in a good first-aid kit, or buying a few extra cans of food and bottles of water the next time I'm at the store. 'Cause a little preparedness goes a long way.

Happy Reading!

Similar reads:

     Trapped

     The Sky So Heavy

     The Road to Winter

     Prepper's Survival Hacks