Posted in Books, Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (6/15/20)–Dark and Deepest Red

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Before I begin, here’s a bit of good news amidst all this negativity: the U.S. Supreme Court just ruled that LGBTQ+ people cannot be discriminated against in the workplace because of their sexual or gender orientation! Through all the awful things that have been happening lately, I’m so glad that we at least have this positive decision.

Gay Pride Love GIF by jewlybeads - Find & Share on GIPHY

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

Continuing with LGBTQ+ books for this meme, anything by Anna-Marie McLemore was an obvious choice. Not only does she write incredible LGBTQ+ stories, but her writing is lush and unique–some of the best on the YA market today.

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (6/15/20)–DARK AND DEEPEST RED by Anna-Marie McLemore

Amazon.com: Dark and Deepest Red (9781250162748): McLemore, Anna ...

Blurb from Goodreads:

Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family, and Lavinia may have to do the unimaginable to save herself and everyone she loves.

Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil, whose family was blamed for the fever five hundred years ago. But there’s more to what happened in 1518 than even Emil knows, and discovering the truth may decide whether Rosella survives the red shoes.

With McLemore’s signature lush prose, Dark and Deepest Redpairs the forbidding magic of a fairy tale with a modern story of passion and betrayal.

So why do I want to read this?

Legion Season 1 Thread - Starts Wednesday 9 CT on FX | Page 10 ...

As I said…I am a simple woman. I see anything by Anna-Marie McLemore, and I am morally obliged to put it on my TBR.

Aside from that, this sounds like some seriously fascinating historical fiction! Witchcraft, the dancing plague, magical families…what more could there possibly be? Knowing McLemore’s nearly unmatched writing prowess, this sounds like it might be one of her best novels to date. Maybe I’m setting my expectations too high, but I just loved Wild Beauty and When the Moon was Ours so much…

You get really excited about lame stuff, like low interest rates ...

Today’s song:

I listened to all of Bury Me at Makeout Creek yesterday, and there is not a single bad song on the album. Phenomenal.

That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: June 8-14, 2020

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles!

All things considered, it’s been an…alright week. There hasn’t been anything super eventful, other than J.K. Rowling testing me ([screams] TRANS RIGHT ARE HUMAN RIGHTS, WHEN WILL YOU LEARN–). I’ve received a few more eARCs (more reviews to come next week!), but I checked Edelweiss yesterday, and I’d gotten declined 4 (four) eARCs all at once…whee…

But hey, I’ve just started out. And plus, I still have a bunch of pending requests, so things could start looking up next week.

My reading week’s been fairly hit-or-miss–it’s swung between four star and two star reads, for the most part, but I’ve found a few that I enjoyed. As far as writing goes, I’ve just finished writing the climax for my WIP (!!!), and I’m close to 300 pages! It’s the most I’ve ever written, so that’s been crazy. I’m also working away at an Iron Giant puzzle, which has given me a primal urge to go back and watch it again.

Coolsville GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Under Shifting Stars–Alexandra Latos (eARC) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Dreamwalkers–Leslie Rush (eARC) (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Dreamwalkers - Leslie Rush - Pre-Order - Filles Vertes Publishing, LLC

Fourth World–Lyssa Chiavari (⭐️⭐️)

Fourth World (Iamos Trilogy, #1) by Lyssa Chiavari

Lyrics and Curses (Cursed Hearts, #1)–Candace Robinson (eARC) (⭐️⭐️)

Lyrics & Curses (Cursed Hearts, #1) by Candace Robinson

Ash–Malinda Lo (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Ash by Malinda Lo

The Girl who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly–Sybil Lamb (eARC) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Girl Who Was Convinced Beyond All Reason That She Could Fly ...

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek–Kim Michele Richardson

Amazon.com: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel ...

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Books

Pride Month Book Recommendations, Week 2: Fantasy

Happy Thursday, bibliophiles! 🏳️‍🌈

Continuing with my Pride recommendations, I’ve decided to devote this week to fantasy novels featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes. In times like these (and all the time), it’s incredibly important to support LGBTQ+ authors and inform yourself about the community, and literature is a vital vessel for learning about such topics, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.

So let’s begin, shall we?

PRIDE MONTH RECS, WEEK 2: FANTASY

  1. Reign of the Fallen duology, Sarah Glenn Marsh

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Bisexual protagonist, lesbian love interest wlw relationship, several gay side characters

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not only is Reign of the Fallen a fascinating and action-packed fantasy novel, it boasts one of the most accurate (personally) depictions of bisexuality in YA literature. Odessa will always have a special place in my heart.

2. Simon Snow series, Rainbow Rowell

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Both protagonists are gay, mlm relationship

MY RATING:

Based off of a Harry Potter-like fan fiction written in Fangirl, the Simon Snow series is if you took Harry Potter and made Drarry canon. Even though book 2 was a little disappointing, Simon and Baz are always wonderful.

3. The Brilliant Death, Amy Rose Capetta

Amazon.com: The Brilliant Death (9780451478443): Capetta, Amy Rose ...

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Both the protagonist and the love interest are genderfluid, queer relationship

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this a little over a year ago, and there’s no doubt that Amy Rose Capetta is a veritable champion in the world of LGBTQ+ YA literature. The sequel to this one (and the conclusion to the duology), The Storm of Life, just came out this January, and I’m so excited to read it!

4. Girls of Paper and Fire, Natasha Ngan

Amazon.com: Girls of Paper and Fire (9780316561365): Ngan, Natasha ...

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: wlw relationship

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Although I found book 2 to be quite disappointing, this is an immensely powerful novel, not only discussing LGBTQ+ themes, but it mainly tackles the trauma of sexual assault. Gotta love Lei and Wren. 💗

5. Mask of Shadows, Linsey Miller

Mask of Shadows (Mask of Shadows Series #1) by Linsey Miller ...

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Protagonist is genderfluid

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[smacks self in forehead] I still can’t BELIEVE that I haven’t gotten around to reading Ruin of Stars (book 2), because this novel was SUCH FUN TO READ! And though I can’t speak to how good/bad the genderfluid representation is (as I’m a cisgender person), Sal’s depiction seemed both accurate and well-written.

Tell me what you think! Did you like these novels? Do you have any LGBTQ+ fantasy novels that you loved? Tell me in the comments!

Infinite Loop Rainbow GIF by CmdrKitten - Find & Share on GIPHY

As always, a great resource for finding LGBTQ+ novels is here at Queer Books for Teens, so check out their website for more great recommendations!

Today’s song:

Soccer Mommy–night swimming (demo)

Another song from her Soccer Mommy & Friends singles, this one is just as dreamlike as the original song! 🙂

That’s it for this week’s pride month recommendations! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (6/8/20)–The Sound of Stars

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

Continuing on with LGBTQ+ books, this one’s been on my TBR for a while. And from the description, it’s virtually everything that I’d ever want in a sci-fi novel. I am on an eternal search for quality YA sci-fi, so I REALLY hope to read this one soon!

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (6/8/20)–THE SOUND OF STARS by Alechia Dow

Amazon.com: The Sound of Stars (9781335911551): Dow, Alechia: Books

Blurb from Goodreads:

Two years ago, a misunderstanding between the leaders of Earth and the invading Ilori resulted in the deaths of one-third of the world’s population.

Seventeen-year-old Janelle “Ellie” Baker survives in an Ilori-controlled center in New York City. Deemed dangerously volatile because of their initial reaction to the invasion, humanity’s emotional transgressions are now grounds for execution. All art, books and creative expression are illegal, but Ellie breaks the rules by keeping a secret library. When a book goes missing, Ellie is terrified that the Ilori will track it back to her and kill her.

Born in a lab, M0Rr1S (Morris) was raised to be emotionless. When he finds Ellie’s illegal library, he’s duty-bound to deliver her for execution. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to human music and in desperate need of more. They’re both breaking the rules for love of art—and Ellie inspires the same feelings in him that music does.

Ellie’s—and humanity’s—fate rests in the hands of an alien she should fear. M0Rr1S has a lot of secrets, but also a potential solution—thousands of miles away. The two embark on a wild and dangerous road trip with a bag of books and their favorite albums, all the while making a story and a song of their own that just might save them both.

So why do I want to read this?

Aliens

Music

Libraries

LGBTQ+/POC representation

this is everything i've ever wanted gif | WiffleGif

I might be setting my expectations too high, but I might have just found another dream book…

Like I said, I’m a huge lover of sci-fi, and the addition of a secret library and a shared love of music seems like the exact type of thing that I would immensely enjoy in a novel. A friendship between a human and an alien and bonding over secret art is just the kind of content that I’ve been wanting to read for ages.

And in times like these (and all the time), it’s so important to support POC/LGBTQ+ authors, so I encourage all of you to spread the word about such novels, review them, and recommend them to friends. 💗

black lives matter – GIF

Today’s song:

(Why yes, I did watch Baby Driver yesterday, why do you ask?)

That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: June 1-7, 2020

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles!

Man, after last week’s reading, I just SPED UP for some reason this week, and I read almost double the amount that I did last week. Part of it’s probably due to the fact that I read several books that were on the shorter side, but I just found it sort of odd.

Adding onto that, I think this is the most I’ve posted in one week. Partially because I’ve been starting to review the eARCs that I’ve gotten so far, but since I have a few more to review, so expect more such momentum next week…wheeeeee…

200,000 units are ready with a million more well on the way Blank ...

I got approved for two more eARCs (4 so far) and I’ve been declined 3 [sad harmonica noises], but I’ve requested a bunch, so we’ll see what happens…

Other than that, it’s been a fairly nice week–warm weather, a bit of drawing, some writing, and I watched Rope. (There is absolutely nothing heterosexual about that movie, and I love it.)

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Emma–Jane Austen (⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: Emma (Penguin Classics) (9781439515822): Austen, Jane ...

The Masked City (The Invisible Library, #2)–Genevieve Cogman (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

The Masked City (The Invisible Library Novel): Cogman, Genevieve ...

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation–F. Scott Fitzgerald and K. Woodman-Maynard (eARC) (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by F. Scott ...

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life–Dani Jansen (eARC) (⭐️⭐️)

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life by Dani Jansen

Hollow Kingdom–Kira Jane Buxton (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

Dandelion Wine (Green Town, #1)–Ray Bradbury (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: Dandelion Wine (Greentown Book 1) eBook: Bradbury, Ray ...

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

Under Shifting Stars–Alexandra Latos (eARC)

Amazon.com: Under Shifting Stars (9780358067757): Alexandra Latos ...

Dreamwalkers–Leslie Rush (eARC)

Dreamwalkers - Leslie Rush - Pre-Order - Filles Vertes Publishing, LLC

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Books

Pride Month Book Recommendations, Week 1: Sci-Fi

Happy Thursday, everyone! 🌈

For this Pride Month, I’ve decided to do a batch of weekly recommendations of LGBTQ+ books. I’ll do a different genre each week (though they’ll all probably fall into the YA category), focusing on books with LGBTQ+ protagonists/casts of characters and themes. We’ve come quite a long way in YA, so why not celebrate it?

Let’s begin, shall we?

PRIDE MONTH RECS, WEEK 1: SCI-FI

  1. Once and Future, Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta, Cori McCarthy |, Paperback ...

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Pansexual protagonist, some of the side characters are gay, genderfluid, and asexual, respectively, wlw relationship with protagonist

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 (rounded up to 5)

Once and Future is a genderbent, feminist retelling of the legend of King Arthur (set in space!), and it’s an absolutely WILD ride.

2. Heart of Iron duology, Ashley Poston

Amazon.com: Heart of Iron eBook: Poston, Ashley: Kindle Store

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: mlm relationship between two of the main characters, wlw relationship between some of the side characters

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I know I blab about this one quite a lot, but both Heart of Iron and Soul of Stars are truly masterpieces. Plus, Jax and Robb are one of my favorite couples in YA literature. Period.

3. Dreadnought, April Daniels

Amazon.com: Dreadnought: Nemesis - Book One (9781682300688 ...

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Protagonist is a trans woman/lesbian

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A poignant and potent spin on the classic, superhero/coming of age story, as Danny comes to terms not only with her gender identity and sexuality, but with her newfound powers. I read this one a year or two ago and haven’t gotten around to reading book 2 (Sovereign), but I REALLY need to do that soon!

4. The Disasters, M.K. England

Amazon.com: The Disasters (9780062657671): England, M. K.: Books

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: Protagonist is bisexual, gay love interest, trans woman side character

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Again, it’s been over a year since I’ve read this one, but it was very Guardians of the Galaxy-esque, and an absolute joy to read!

5. Crier’s War, Nina Varela

Amazon.com: Crier's War (9780062823946): Varela, Nina: Books

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: wlw representation between the two protagonists

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Though I was initially hesitant about reading this one, it turned out to subvert all of my expectations and make for a lushly written novel with romance to DIE for! I suppose you could debate whether or not this is sci-fi or fantasy (I mean, there’s…androids? Basically…), but I’d say it’s a combination of both genres.

6. Aurora Cycle, Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Amazon.com: Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle Book 2) eBook ...

LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION: There’s 7 POVs/protagonists in the series (though it later gets knocked down to 6); one is bisexual, another is a lesbian

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You all knew I was gonna put this one in here…but hey, this series is genuinely masterful, and spoke to me on so many levels.

If you want more YA LGBTQ+ novel recommendations, I highly recommend visiting Queer Books for Teens! They have all sorts of recommendations for LGBTQ+ books of all genres, but mostly YA.

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! WHAT ARE SOME LGBTQ+ SCI-FI BOOKS THAT YOU LOVED? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS! 🏳️‍🌈

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week’s Pride Month recommendations! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday (6/1/20)–The Henna Wars

Happy Monday, bibliophiles, and happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈

I’m going to try and do some more for Pride all through June–I’ll probably do some weekly recommendations, but I’ll start later in the week. I’m going to try and focus my Goodreads Mondays on LGBTQ+ books as well (starting with this one!). I’ve also started to get some eARCs ready–one of which is LGBTQ+–so I’ll be reviewing those once I read them!

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.

This one came out very recently, and not only does it have stellar representation (POC/Muslim/LGBTQ+), it sounds like an adorable, enemies-to-lovers rom-com!

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (6/1/20)–THE HENNA WARS by Adiba Jaigirdar

Amazon.com: The Henna Wars (9781624149689): Jaigirdar, Adiba: Books

Blurb from Goodreads:

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.

Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.

SO WHY DO I WANT TO READ THIS?

Oh my goodness I NEED to get my hands on this!

I Need Some GIFs - Get the best GIF on GIPHY

YA has made some incredible strides with representation in the last decade, with many LGBTQ+, POC, and Muslim characters now at the forefront. Not only does this novel feature a wlw romance, both protagonists are POC (Nishat is Bangladeshi, and Flávia is biracial), and the plot also seems to deal with the subject of cultural appropriation. Especially in times like these, this is such an important theme to be discussed, so thank you to Adiba Jaigirdar for writing a book that deals with this topic!

And other than that…I am a total sucker for enemies-to-lovers rom-coms. I mean, you all know how much I love Carry On. It’s a YA trope–and a trope in general–that I don’t mind at all, and that I enjoy reading a lot. Don’t get me wrong–there’s always the chance that it will be executed poorly, but when it’s done well, I love it. So of course I want to read this novel.

Oh, and can we talk about how adorable that cover art is? 😍

In short, The Henna Wars sounds like the perfect blend of rom-com and tackling social issues. Count me in!

Happy Jimmy Fallon GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Today’s song:

This song brings back such good memories for me…I heard it a lot in the car as a kid, and now, I always associate it with being little.

That’s it for today’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Posted in Book Review Tuesday

Book Review Tuesday (6/4/19)-Aurora Rising (+ a few quick updates and explanations)

It is I, fellow bibliophiles, back from the dead at last!

giphy.gif

 

Again, so sorry for going M.I.A. for about a month there. AP exams and finals were weighing me down a little bit, and I was a little *busy* about a week ago (by “busy” I mean “converting some of my friends to X-Men before Dark Phoenix comes out”). But hey, I’m back now, and I’ve got a positively INCREDIBLE book to review!

(Oh, and HAPPY HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! 🏳️‍🌈)

Everyone’s got their dream book. For all bibliophiles, there’s always that one book that we sorely wish that we’d written, that we re-read endlessly without getting tired of it. There’s a few books for me that I feel that way about. Think…Heart of Iron, and a few years back, the Search for WondLa series. Now, Aurora Rising has stolen the title of dream book…yes, surpassing Heart of Iron.

And I thought that was the best book in the universe. MAN.

Aurora Rising is, in short, everything that I could possibly want in a book–downright lovable characters, a fast-paced, intricate plot, and some classic, high-stakes space adventure.

Without further ado, here’s the first Book Review Tuesday in…like, a month? Wow, I’m really in rare form…

 

81DOo37t7UL.jpg

Aurora Rising

Tyler Jones thinks he has it made–he’s about to graduate at the top of his class from the Aurora Academy, a school that trains humans and aliens alike for interstellar humanitarian missions. But on the day of his graduation, he finds a defunct ship drifting out in space. In it, he finds Auri O’Malley, a girl who has been frozen in a cryogenic pod for 220 years.

After rescuing Auri, Tyler is late to graduation, and ends up with a ragtag crew of misfits and delinquents, all of which will accompany him on his missions: Scarlett, his twin sister, Cat, his childhood friend, Finian, Zila, Kal, and now Auri. Though the unlikely group seems destined for anything but greatness, they soon find themselves embedded in a mystery involving the mysterious planet that Auri and many other human colonists were set to settle. And Auri herself is an enigma–with each passing day, new powers wake within her, putting a target on her back that everyone in the Milky Way Galaxy can  see from miles away.

 

 

Now, presenting the reactions of my last brain cells, upon finishing this book:

wHEEZE.gif
YYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

 

AAAAAAH!!!

 

Aurora Rising truly has it all–aside from the factors that I stated above (incredible world-building, characters TO DIE FOR, and ✨SPACE FUN✨), there’s also:

-Not only do we have great characters, but the chemistry between them is FANTASTIC

-BEAUTIFUL writing. Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff are honestly gods…

-No spoilers, but MY DREAM SHIP IS *squeezes two fingers almost completely together* THIS CLOSE TO BECOMING A REALITY

-DIVERSITY! Let me elaborate–Zila is African-American (or British? I dunno, they didn’t specify, but she’s definitely poc), Auri is mixed race (half Irish, half Chinese), and Finian is definitely LGBTQ+ (again, no explicit explanations, but I think he’s either bisexual or pansexual), and also has a disability that requires him to wear a special suit for mobility. (MAN, and I didn’t think you could get such good representation with an alien, for God’s sakes, and here we are…and I’m HAPPY FOR IT)

I’ll say it once, and I’ll say it again. DREAM. BOOK. AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE. PLEASE, GO READ IT. I’d rate it a solid…however many stars there are in the known universe out of 10. I kid you not. 😉

 

Kaufman and Kristoff have confirmed that this is going to be a trilogy, but as this book only came out about a month ago, we have no information other than that. (*cries while re-reading it and waiting for 2020*)

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this week’s review! Have a great rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Oh, and don’t forget…DARK PHOENIX COMES OUT ON FRIDAY!!! I’m seeing it on Saturday, so I’ll DEFINITELY get to a review at some point…AAAH!