#hanna c. howard

[afrotumble]

Frederick "Curly" Neal was born (On today 81 years ago, May 19, 1942) he was one of the most memorable basketball players who played with the Harlem Globetrotters. Following in the footsteps of Marques Haynes, Neal became the Trotters' featured ballhandler, a key role in the team's exhibition act.

Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Neal attended James B. Dudley High School and Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1959 to 1963. At Smith, he averaged 23.1 points a game and was named All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) guard.

Neal played for 22 seasons (from 1963 to 1985) with the Globetrotters, appearing in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries. His shaved head earned him his nickname, a reference to the Three Stooges' Curly Howard. In the 1970s, an animated version of Neal starred with various other Globetrotters in the Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon Harlem Globetrotters as well as its spinoff, The Super Globetrotters, The New Scooby-Doo Movies and Gilligan's Island. On March 26, 2020, Neal died at his home outside Houston at the age of 77.

[aurora-daily]

Music recommended and/or mentioned by AURORA!

ABBA - Thank You For The Music

Advanced Language

Agnes Obel - Falling, Catching / Riverside / Dorian / The Curse (Robert Hampson Remix)

Air - Sexy Boy

Alice Phoebe Lou and Olmo - Devil's Sweetheart

Alt J - Fitzpleasure / Hunger of The Pine / Pulsher

Amanda Delara (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

Amanda Tenfjord (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

And Still I Rise - Wrecking Ball

Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive / All We Want is Love / Do You Remember

Anna of the North - Lovers

Annie Lennox - No More "I Love You's"

Antônio Carlos Jobim - Samba De Uma Nota Só

A Perfect Circle - The Outsiders / Weak And Powerless / Passive / Thirteen Steps (album)

Asbjørn - The Love You Have in You / Asbjørn

Askjell - The First Goodbye / L O S T M Y C O O L / Sofia

The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows / Revolver (album)

Beck - Blue Moon

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (Glenn Morrison’s version)

Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love

Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Sunset Village

Bjork -  Army of Me / Homogenic (album) / Human Behaviour / Hyperballad / Joga / Unravel / Violently Happy / All Is Full Of Love (Howie's Version)

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy 

Blondie - Heart Of Glass

Bob Dylan -  Emotionally Yours / Political World / Mr. Tambourine Man (live version) (mentioned as the first song she dug)

Cameron James Laing - The Way

Cats of Transistria - Good Night

Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On (Titanic)

The Chemical Brothers -  Another World / Galvanize / Escape 700 / Hanna's Theme

Cher - Believe

Childish Gambino - This Is America

Claude Debussy, Alexis Weissenberg - Claire de Lune (mentioned as a song that impacted her as a child)

Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas

Coldplay - Fix You

College/Electric Youth - A Real Hero (mentioned as the song that got her through her teen angst)

The Cranberries - Dreams  

Crystal Castles - Air War / Celestica / Sad Eyes / Untrust Us

Daft Punk - Digital Love

Damien Rice - Cannonball /  Delicate / Volcano

Daughter - Youth

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust / Blackstar (album) / Life On Mars? / Let’s Dance

dePresno - Forever

Dido - Here with Me 

Dina Ögon - Tombola 94

DNKL - Hunt

Dolores O'Riordan - When We Were Young

Ed Sheeran- No Diggity vs. Thrift Shop (& Passenger, Kygo Remix) / I See Fire (Kygo Remix)

Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (mentioned as a song which makes her cry)

Edvard Grieg - Morning Mood (Morgenstemning) / Solveig’s Song

Enya - Amarantine / May It Be / Storms In Africa / Ebudae / Boadicea / Watermark / The Memory of Trees (album) 

Eric Whitacre - Lux Aurumque

EvighetenYoung (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

Fever Ray - When I Grow Up

Fka Twigs - Water Me

Fleetwood Mac - Big Love / Landslide

Florence + The Machine - No Light, No Light / Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)

Frankie Valli - Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

Gabrielle - 5 fine frøkner

Gaahls WYRD (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

Gojira -  Explosia / Mouth of Kala (mentioned as a song she loves that might surprise people)

Goldmund -  Image-Autumn-Womb

Great News - Now And Them (album)

Grimes - Flesh Without Blood

HALIE (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

Hans Zimmer - Cornfield Chase

Henry Mancini & His Orchestra And Chorus - Moon River

Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Main Theme (mentioned as a song that she wishes she had written)

Imogen Heap -  Headlock / Hide And Seek

Iris -  Romance is Dead / lavender and heaven (mentioned as the song she wants played at her wedding)

Japanese Breakfast - Paprika

Jenny Hval - Golden Locks / Mephisto in the Water

John Williams - Hedwig's Theme (mentioned as a song she wishes that she had made)

John Wizards - Tet Lek Schrempf

Jóhann Jóhannsson - Arrival (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) / Kangaru

Johnny Cash (mentioned as the artist she likes)

Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now

Kate Bush - Cloudbusting / Babooshka

Khold - Myr

Kimbra - Top of the World

Kishi Bashi - I Am the Antichrist to You

Kvelertak (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful

Leif Vollebekk - Elegy

Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat (Live) /  Suzanne (Live) /  The Partisan (mentioned as an important song which her parents listened to) /  You Want It Darker (album) / It Seemed the Better Way / Greatest Hits (album) / Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye 

Lorde (mentioned as the artist she would like to collaborate with) 

Lou Bega -  Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)

Madonna - Frozen / Drowned world/Substitute for Love

Madrugada - Majesty

Marilyn Manson - Tainted Love

Massive Attack - Daydreaming /  Teardrop

Mastodon - The Hunter / High Road

Masterdon (mentioned as the artist she likes)

Matt Maltese - As the World Caves In

Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight

Metteson - Under Your Shirt

Miki Matsubara - 真夜中のドア/ Stay With Me

Moby - Porcelain / A Seated Night

Moyka - Colder

Naaz (mentioned as the artist she likes)

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ft. Kylie Minogue - Where The Wild Roses Grow

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

Nicholas Hooper - When Ginny Kissed Harry

O. Martin - Nowhere Is Home

Paolo Nutini - Everywhere

Phoebe Bridgers - Smoke Signals

Poliça - Happy Be Fine

Prince - Sexuality

Put Your Hands Up for Neo-Tokyo - Get By

Queen - Under Pressure

Radiohead - No Surprises

RED MOON (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

RHODES - Turning Back Around

Rockettothesky - Grizzly Man (mentioned as the first song discovered on her own)

Röyksopp & Robyn - Monument 

Robot Koch - Nitesky (feat John LaMonica)

Rudimental - Waiting All Night ft. Ella Eyre

Rusted Root - Send Me on My Way

RY X - Berlin

Sarah Brightman - Eden

SEA CHANGE - Above

Secret Garden - Windancer / Windancer

Seigmen - Monument

Sei Selina - Only When You’re Asleep

Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar 

Silja Dyngeland / Silja Sol - Stemning (DC#27) / Løgneren / Skrubbsår

Silvana Estrada - Lo Sagrado (album)

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2U

Slayer (mentioned as an artist she likes)

Solå (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)Sondre Lerche - Why Would I Let You Go / Wrecking Ball (cover) / Palindromes / Sentimentalist / Lucifer / Bad Law / Patience/ I Love You Because It's True

Strange Hellos (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

Stromae - L’enfer

Sufjan Stevens (mentioned as an artist she was excited to see at Panorama NYC festival 2016)

Susanne Sundfør - Silencer / White Foxes

Sushi x Kobe (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

System of a Down -  Violent Pornography

Tame Impala - Let It Happen

The Prodigy -  Voodoo People / Smack My Bitch Up

The Secret Sisters - Tomorrow Will Be Kinder

Thomas Newman - American Beauty: Original Motion Picture Score

Tigran Hamasyan + Arve Henriksen + Eivind Aarset + Jan Bang - Hoy, Nazan / Holy

Tool - Aenema

Underworld (mentioned as an artist she’d collaborate with) - Born Slippy / Rez / To Heal / 1992-2012 (album she would put it at a rave party as a DJ) / Born Slippy (mentioned as the song that she listened to the most when she first started driving)

Vilde Tuv - Cellevevet / Det blåser ingen vinder inni huset

Wardruna - Yggdrasil (album) / Runaljod - Ragnarok (album) / Fehu / Algir-Tognatale

WDSTCK - Flowers

Wim Mertens - Iris

Wintergatan - Sommarfågel

Woodkid - Iron

Wolf Alice - How Can I Make It Ok?

The XX - Intro

Young Dreams (suggested as an artist she recommends listening)

And overall music without words like soundtracks, movie pieces or classical music

Sources (in no particular order and some might be missing as I’ve been working on that since February 2021):

“Aurora feirer Grieg” on NRK 2018, i-D interview “city guide: bergen with aurora”, INDIE mag interview “BLESSING OUR EARS WITH AURORA’S DEBUT ALBUM” 2016, Records In My Life (interview 2016), 2014 interview for GAFFA, Auto-Tune Interview for DIFFUS 2019, Aurora guest programs Rage 2019, NRK radio show “AURORA Up Close” 2017, “Like A Bird In The Night: Clash Meets Aurora” 2019 interview, Spotify Greenroom Wrapped 2021 With AURORA and Sub Urban, Mixtape with the songs for Kzradio, #TBT Mixtape for Billboard, 2016 Artist Survey: AURORA for Under the Radar, Records In My Life (2019 Interview), Nordic Playlist #83, Nine Songs: AURORA for The Line of Best Fit 2019, NPR’s Guest DJ: AURORA On Her Love Of Heavy Metal And Leonard Cohen 2016, IG story from March 2020, IG story from September 2021, Interview - Panorama NYC 2016, Tweet from 2016, Spotify's music & talk show 10 Songs That Made Me 2021, Playlist for Weibo 2022, Interview for NRK 2014, Interview with Jamie Taylor 2016, Playful Playlist for i-D 2022, Midnight Mixtape for Deezer 2021, Daydreaming playlist for HIGHJINKX 2021, ChillDaBeats #038 2021, AURORA’s official SoundCloud channel, NRK P3 - Plateprat (record talk) 2017

Special thanks to Amroth for the support and additional resources provided! 🖤

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 9.4

Beer Birthdays

Samuel Simon Loeb (1862)

William Hamm, Jr. (1893)

Ken Weaver (1983)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Anton Bruckner; Austrian composer (1824)

Whitney Cummings; comedian (1982)

Candy Loving; Playboy playmate 1/79 (1956)

Darius Milhaud; French composer (1892)

Ione Skye; English-American actress (1971)

Famous Birthdays

Joan Aiken; English author (1924)

Al-Biruni; Persian physician and polymath (973)

Carl Heinrich Biber; Austrian composer (1681)

Janet Biehl; philosopher (1953)

Daniel Burnham; architect (1846)

Martin Chambers; English drummer and singer (1951)

Craig Claiborne; journalist, author (1920)

Darryl Cotton; Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (1949)

Francois Rene de Chateaubriand; French writer (1776)

Max Delbrück; German-American biophysicist (1906)

Edward Dmytryk; film director (1908)

Gary Duncan; rock guitarist (1946)

Danny Gatton; guitarist (1945)

Mitzi Gaynor; actor, dancer (1931)

Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist (1934)

George William Gray, British chemist, creator of liquid crystals (1926)

Max Greenfield; actor (1980)

Kevin Harrington; Australian actor (1959)

Paul Harvey; radio journalist (1918)

Jacqueline Hewitt; astrophysicist and astronomer (1958)

Syd Hoff; author and illustrator (1912)

Constantijn Huygens; Dutch poet and composer (1596)

Beyoncé Knowles; pop singer (1981)

Lewis Howard Latimer; inventor (1848)

Alexander Liberman, Russian-American artist (1912)

Dave Liebman; saxophonist (1946)

Donald McKay; shipbuilder (1810)

Kyle Mooney; comedian (1984)

Albert Joseph Moore; English artist (1841)

Stanford Moore; biochemist (1913)

Howard Morris; comedian (1919)

Gene Parsons; singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player (1944)

George Percy; English explorer (1580)

Mike Piazza; New York Mets C (1968)

Drew Pinsky; radio and television host (1958)

Mary Renault; English writer (1905)

Oskar Schlemmer; German artist (1888)

Hanna Schwamborn; German actress (1992)

Jan Švankmajer; Czech filmmaker (1934)

Kim Thayil; guitarist and songwriter (1960)

Tom Watson; golfer (1949)

Damon Wayans; actor, comedian (1960)

Dallas Willard; philosopher (1935)

Gerald Wilson; trumpet player (1918)

Richard Wright; writer (1908)

Shinya Yamanaka; Japanese biologist (1962)

Dick York; actor (1928)

Bobby Jarzombek; drummer (1963)

[ulkaralakbarova]

Five twenty-something friends spend a drug-fueled weekend in Cardiff, Wales. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Jip: John Simm Koop: Shaun Parkes Nina: Nicola Reynolds Lulu: Lorraine Pilkington Moff: Danny Dyer Lee: Dean Davies Felix: Andrew Lincoln Moff’s Father: Terence Beesley Reality (voice): Jo Brand Andy: Richard Coyle Karen Benson: Jan Anderson Pablo Hassan: Carl Cox Fleur: Stephanie Brooks Howard Marks: Howard Marks Jip’s Mother: Helen Griffin Tyrone: Danny Midwinter Ziggy Marlon: Justin Kerrigan Hip Hop Junkie: Tyrone Johnson Koop’s Father: Larrington Walker Jip’s Manager: Philip Rosch Lulu’s Uncle Albert: Peter Albert Lulu’s Auntie Violet: Menna Trussler Jeremy Faxman: Mark Seaman Connie: Lynne Seymour Luke: Patrick Taggart Boomshanka: Anna Wilson Casey: Robert Marable Herbie: Nick Kilroy Matt: Peter Bramhill Moff’s Mother: Carol Harrison Moff’s Grandmother: Anne Bowen Martin: Giles Thomas Jip’s Ex #2: Sarah Blackburn Doctor: Eilian Wyn Asylum Doorman: Neil Bowens Jip’s Ex #3: Nicola Davey Inca: Roger Evans Tyler: Bradley Freegard Trixi: Emma Hall Jip’s Ex #1: Elizabeth Harper Jip’s Secretary: Jennifer Hill TV Interviewer: Nicola Heywood-Thomas Casey: Robert Marrable Cardiff Bad Boy: Louis Marriot Millsy From Roath: Millsy in Nottingham Karen Benson’s Boyfriend: Robbie Newby Tom Tom’s MC: Ninjah Jip’s Mother’s Client: Cadfan Roberts Koop’s Workmate: Mad Doctor X Bad Boy: Jason Samuels Breakdancer / Bodypopper: Tim Hamilton Bodypopper: Alicia Ferraboschi Bodypopper: Sherena Flash Bodypopper: Marat Khairoullin Bodypopper: Adam Pudney Bodypopper: Mark Seymore Bodypopper: Algernon Williams Bodypopper: Colin Williams Bodypopper: Frank Wilson Film Crew: Supervising Sound Editor: Glenn Freemantle Sound Editor: Tom Sayers Dialogue Editor: Gillian Dodders Casting Director: Sue Jones Additional Editing: Stuart Gazzard Associate Producer: Rupert Preston Producer: Allan Niblo Director: Justin Kerrigan Producer: Emer McCourt Co-Executive Producer: Michael Wearing Steadicam Operator: Paul Edwards Second Assistant Director: Marcus Collier Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Craig Irving Editor: Patrick Moore Director of Photography: Dave Bennett Costume Designer: Claire Anderson Original Music Composer: Matthew Herbert Set Dresser: Ed Talfan Sound Recordist: Martyn Stevens Production Coordinator: Andrea Cornwell Post Production Supervisor: Jackie Vance Post Production Coordinator: Claire Mason ADR Recordist: Sandy Buchanan Gaffer: Andrew Taylor Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Nicolas Le Messurier Script Supervisor: Laura Gwynne Assistant Sound Editor: Susan French Music Supervisor: Pete Tong Makeup & Hair: Kerry September First Assistant Director: Charlie Watson Post Production Supervisor: Maria Walker Second Assistant Director: Matthew Penry-Davey Assistant Editor: Amy Adams Foley Editor: Miriam Ludbrook Original Music Composer: Roberto Leite Storyboard Artist: Nick Kilroy Dialogue Editor: Keith Marriner Makeup Designer: Tony Lilley First Assistant Director: Emma Pounds Music Consultant: Arthur Baker Co-Executive Producer: Kevin Menton Electrician: Mark Hutchings Boom Operator: Jeff Welch Costume Assistant: Karen Mason Casting Director: Gary Howe Production Design: David Buckingham Co-Executive Producer: Nigel Warren-Green Executive Producer: Renata S. Aly Art Direction: Sue Ayton First Assistant Director: Hywel Watkins Third Assistant Director: Tivian Zvekan Location Manager: Peter Vidler Location Manager: Frank Coles Assistant Location Manager: Roland Mercer Focus Puller: Mike Chitty Clapper Loader: Ewan O’Brien Key Grip: David Hopkins Construction Manager: Martin Dawes Property Master: John C. Reilly Set Dresser: Riana Griffiths Art Department Assistant: Jacqui Puscher Storyboard Artist: Deena Mathews Costume Supervisor: Anne McManus Makeup & Hair: Hanna Coles Still Photographer: Hector Bermejo Unit Publicist: Jessica Kirsh Movie Reviews: zag: One of my favorite films of all time, its a period movie describing the young party goers of the UK in the 1990’s. It hits the nail on the head, the lov...

[findasongblog]

Find A Song about the coming of spring

The Duke of Norfolk - Golden Light & Thistle

About two years ago my sister, Young Adult Fantasy Author Hanna C. Howard, called me, said she was writing a new book, and asked if I would be interested in writing the song which would play a central part in resolution of the story. I said I would absolutely love to try but, as I was in the midst of a long bout of writers block, I wasn’t at all sure that I would be able to pull it off. The book is set in a fictional Scotland and the song needed to stir some sense of home and belonging. So just after Christmas last year, I holed myself up and, after reading a slew of Burns and Scott and Keats and all manner of other Scots and Romantic poetry, set myself to the task of writing a song about the coming of spring. I then took the resulting song, Golden Light & Thistle, to Hanna and asked if it would work for the book. She said that it was a perfect fit (whooosh!) and then wove it beautifully through the story.

Added to FAS Spotify playlist indie folk/country/americana.

[ultraheydudemestuff]

Howard M. Hanna Jr. House

11505 Lakeshore Boulevard

Bratenahl, OH

Built in 1910 for Howard Hanna Jr. and his wife, the nationally registered and historic iconic Howard M. Hanna Jr. House on Lake Erie is 25,000 square feet sprawled over four floors. Howard Hanna Jr. was one of the partners of M. A. Hanna & Company, a director and officer in a dozen or more of the big coal, transportation, and other corporations of Cleveland and elsewhere. He was one of the younger representatives of a family that has been exceedingly prominent in business and politics in Ohio and the nation for more than half a century.  Howard Melville Hanna, Jr., was born on December 14, 1877, to Howard Melville and Kate Smith Hanna. Howard Sr. was the nephew of Mark Hanna, the president maker of the McKinley era. Howard’s two sisters lived in the next two houses east of the Hanna home.

     Howard Jr. was educated in public schools and graduated from University School in 1897. He spent three years in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University.  In 1901, Howard began his business career at the C & P Ore Dock in Cleveland, taking his place in the ranks. In 1902, he was assistant to the manager of the Pennsylvania Ore Docks, with offices in the Pery-Payne Building. For two years, Howard was secretary of the Boomer Coal & Coke Company of West Virginia. He then entered the coal sales department of the M. A. Hanna Company. In 1906, he organized the Iron Ore Mining Department of the M. A. Hanna & Company, was its active manager.

     Howard married his cousin, Jean Claire Hanna, in 1907. Jean was born on December 31, 1882, to Leonard and Fanny Hanna.   In 1912, Hanna became a partner in M. A. Hanna Company. The other active partners were Leonard C. Hanna, Leonard C. Hanna Jr., Matthew Andrews, F. B. Richards, William Collins, Richard F. Grant, and James D. Ireland Sr.  The partnership discontinued, and the M. A. Hanna Company was incorporated in 1922 with Howard Hanna Jr. as the first president. He became chairman of the board in 1929.  Hanna organized the Standard Investment Company and the National Steel Company in 1929.  In March 1945, Howard attendedthe funeral of his sister, Gertrude Hanna Haskell. Then, he took his chauffeur's place to drive the car to the Cleveland Union Terminal. As Mr. Hanna put his foot on the starter, he suddenly fell forward over the wheel and died instantly. His chauffeur took him to Charity Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on March 17, 1945. The doctors attribute his death to coronary thrombosis. However, associates said that he had not previously shown any signs of heart trouble.  Jean died on April 13, 1973, and was buried alongside Howard in Lake View Cemetery.   The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1974.

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (August 18th, 2020)

___

Note: Since so many release dates have been changed for various Young Adult novels, keep in mind that there might be some titles missing in this post.

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know! ___

New Standalones/First in a Series:

The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner

All Eyes On Her by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn (L.E. Flynn)

What Goes Up by Christine Heppermann

Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard

Skywatchers by Carrie Arcos

Dating Makes Perfect by Pintip Dunn

New Sequels:

Vicious Spirits (Gumiho #2) by Kat Cho

The Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow #2) by Margaret Owen

___

Happy reading!

[2020ya]

IGNITE THE SUN

by Hanna C Howard

(Blink, 8/18/20)

9780310769736

Add to Goodreads

Purchase from Indiebound

Sixteen year-old Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. The light is dangerous, according to Queen Iyzabel, an evil witch who has shrouded the kingdom in shadow. Siria has always hated the darkness and revels in the stories of the light-filled old days that she hears from her best friend and his grandfather. Besides them, nobody else understands her fascination with the sun, especially not her strict and demanding parents. Siria's need to please them is greater even than her fear of the dark. So she heads to the royal city--the very center of the darkness--for a chance at a place in Queen Iyzabel's court. But what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest toward the last vestiges of the sun with a ragtag group of rebels who could help her bring back the Light ... or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

[aaronstveit]

read in 2022

i’m starting this super late but howdy!! here is my reading thread for 2022 (inspired by a few mutuals <3) you can find my goodreads here and my askbox is always open if you have any questions about these books!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (★★★★★)

Crooked House by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (★★★☆☆)

I Am Not Your Final Girl by Claire C. Holland (★★★☆☆)

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (★★★★★)

Final Girls by Riley Sager (★☆☆☆☆)

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (★★★★★)

The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro (★★★★☆)

The Case For Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro (★★★★☆)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (★★★★★)

A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro (★★★★★)

Under Lock & Skeleton Key by Gigi Pandian (★★☆☆☆)

The Nation Must Awake: My Witness to the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Mary E. Jones Parrish

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow (★★★★☆)

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (★★★★★)

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf (★★★★☆)

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus (★★★☆☆)

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus (★★★☆☆)

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien (★★★★★)

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole (★★★★☆)

Heartstopper Volume One by Alice Oseman (★★★★☆)

Heartstopper Volume Two by Alice Oseman (★★★★☆)

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay (★★★☆☆)

Heartstopper Volume Three by Alice Oseman (★★★★☆)

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames (★★★★☆)

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (★★★★☆)

Heartstopper Volume Four by Alice Oseman (★★★★★)

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto (★★★★★)

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto (★★★★☆)

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh (★★★☆☆)

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (★★★★☆)

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (★★★★☆)

Sadie by Courtney Summers (★★★★☆)

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (★★★★★)

Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf (★★★★☆)

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver (★★★★☆)

My Darkest Dearest by Kayla Cottingham (★★★☆☆)

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (★★★★☆)

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (★★★★★)

Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali (★★★★★)

Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong (★★★★★)

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand (★★★★☆)

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene* (★★★★☆)

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (★★★★☆)

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson (★★★★☆)

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall (★★★★☆)

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (★★★★☆)

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (★★★★★)

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (★★★☆☆)

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket (★★★☆☆)

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket (★★★☆☆)

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie (★★★★★)

The End by Lemony Snicket (★★★★☆)

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix (★☆☆☆☆)

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (★★★★☆)

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto (★★★★☆)

Dog Songs by Mary Oliver (★★★★★)

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (★★★☆☆)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (★★★★★)

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard (★★★★☆)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater* (★★★★★)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (★★★★☆)

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (★★★★☆)

If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho (translated by Anne Carson) (★★★★★)

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater* (★★★★★)

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (★★★★☆)

Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (★★★★☆)

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror by assorted authors (★★★★☆)

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson (★★★★☆)

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron (★★★☆☆)

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (★★★★★)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (★★★★☆)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater* (★★★★★)

Working on a Song: The Lyrics of HADESTOWN by Anaïs Mitchell (★★★★★)

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo (★★★☆☆)

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (★★★★☆)

Greywaren by Maggie Stiefvater (★★★★★)

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by assorted authors (★★★☆☆)

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson (★★★★☆)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater* (★★★★★)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (★★★★★)

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (★★★☆☆)

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (★★★★☆)

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (★★★☆☆)

Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry (★★★★☆)

I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers (★★★★☆)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins* (★★★★★)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins* (★★★★★)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins* (★★★★★)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (★★★★★)

Five Survive by Holly Jackson (★★★☆☆)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (★★★★★)

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (★★★☆☆)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (★★★★☆)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (★★★★☆)

Opal by Maggie Stiefvater* (★★★★★)

Note: * marks a reread.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

Black Femme Character Dependency Dark Skin Directory || Characters Masterlist Pt. 1 (A-J)

A

Abbie Mills | Adelaide Wilson/Red | Agent 355 | Agura Ibaden | Aleesha Morrison | Alexa Brandt | Alexandra Crane | Allison Sawyer | Amanda Stern | Amari Peters | Amber Bennett | Amie Sammuelson Conde | Amina Ramsey | Amy Bellafonte | Anaya Imanu | Angel Dynamite | Angela Abar | Angela Goddard | Angela Moore | Angela Vaughn | Anissa Pierce | Anita Fthe13th | Annalise Keating | Annie Keller | Annie Pearson | Antigone | Aphasia | April Sexton | Apocalypta | Arabella | Artemis | Ashley Banks |  Ashley Collins | August King | Ava Coleman | Aya Al-Rashid | Ayo | Azima Kandie 

B

Barbara Howard | Becca Palmerstone | Beckett Mariner | Becky | Becky Todd | Bella Crawford | Belle Newman | Betty | Billie the Reaper | Bilquis | Bisma | Blackfire | Bo | Bobbi | Bow Kid | Bree Matthews | Bumblebee

C

Caprice Winters | Carmen Eguiluz | Carol | Carol Lockhart | Carole Clarke | Catherine Halliday | Catty Noir | Celeste Bisme Lyons | Celie Johnson | Chantelle Blades | Charlotte Page | Cherise | Chondra Unkrich | Clash | Claudia Grant | Cleo Sowande | Cleopatra Jones | Cobra | Coffee | Cocoa Cookie | Coco Conners | Coco Monvoisin | Condola Hayes | Conny Spalding | Cressida | Cynthia Rose Adams

D

Daisy Grant | Damita | Dana Mythical Quest | Darli Dagger | Dayna Mellanby | Death of the Endless | Deja Pearson | Delilah Benson | Denise Hayworth | Denise Johnson | Diana Freeman | Doc McStuffins | Doctor Slone | Donna Siren | Donna Meagle 

E

Ela | Elektra Abundance |  Elena Felton | Ella McFair | Elzora | Enchantress | Erin Cortland | Esi Jiwe | Esther Hopkins | Ethel Peabody | Evangeline Williamson | Eve Doll 

F

Fanta | Farah Black | Felicia | Foxxy Love | Fringilla Vigo

G

Genevieve Quik | Georgiana Lambe | Girl 6 | Grace Hitchens | Grace James |  Grace Monroe | Grace Ryder | Grace Sienar | Grace Walker | Grandmother 

H

Hailey Collins | Hallie McDaniel | Hanna Lovecraft | Hannah Grose | Hannah Steale | Harley Hidoko | Harper Bettencourt | Harriet Lennox | Harriet Tubman | Hattie Mitchell | Hazel Levesque | Henriette | Hippolyta Freeman | Holly | Honeybear | Hunter | Hunter B 15 

I

Ikora Rey |  Imane Bakhellal | Imani | Imani Izzi | Indra | Inquisitor Reva | Irene Federic | Iridessa | Iris Watkins | Ironheart | Isis

J

Jack Starbright | Janai | Jane Amphibia | Jane Hayward | Janie Egins | Janine Teagues | Jasmine TD | Jasmine Davis | Jean Peterson | Jennifer Sisko | Jenny Jackson | Jenny Pizza | Jessica Crashing | Jessica Williams | Jill TUA | Jinna | Joana Coelho | Joanna Crawford | Jodie Landon | Jojo Williams | Jolene | Jonelle Abraham | Jordan Armstrong | Jordan Moore | Josie McCoy | Juanita Benson | Judith | Julia Freeman | Juniper Andromeda | Justine Dancer

...

I ran out of time. LOL. I’ma work on it tho...

I got 2 jobs. Sometimes, I’m not gonna have the things I intend to bring.\

[lightleckrereins]

if the prev west end alts (zara, cherelle, hana) ~and grace, vicki, courtney ig- followed the current alt cos system with the primaries for first covers and either pink, teal, or orange for 2nd and 3rds, what costumes do you think they’d have

I am actually very curious about that. Because alt colors are now assigned following what fits better for the combination of second and third covers. But the alt costumes were designed for the original (and second gen) WE alts and their first covers. So them having principal costumes for their first covers from the start would have in theory created completely different alt costumes.

And then you get the original alts covers. Alt colors would have been asigned and costumes made right at opening which means that would have happened before Courtney and Grace switched Aragon and Seymour as first covers. In that case Courtney would have had a principal Aragon and Grace a principal Seymour costume plus an alt each before the switch. So what would have happened? No switch or them having their final covers from the start? Also pink and silver didn't exist back then so they would have had in theory only black, teal and orange at that point. Also Vicki might have gotten her principal Howard early if her temporarily taking over was the plan since Shekinah joined because at that point she became alt B/H. So I have a few scenarios.

Original WE cast. Only three original alt colors exist. Grace and Courtney start with their original covers: (I dont love this one but it is the best way it works with their covers)

Grace: Principal Seymour and Howard, black alt (A/B/C/P). If the switch happens she gets principal Aragon later.

Courtney: Principal Aragon and Parr, teal alt (B/S/C/H). Post switch she adds principal Seymour.

Vicki: Principal Boleyn and Cleves, orange alt (A/S/H/P).

Only three alt colors, Grace and Courtney start with their final covers. (again not ideal)

Grace: Principal Aragon and Howard, orange alt (B/S/C/P).

Courtney: Principal Seymour and Parr, black alt (A/B/C/H).

Vicki: Principal Boleyn and Cleves, teal alt (A/S/H/P).

All five alt colors, Grace and Courtney start with their original covers:

Grace: Principal Seymour and Howard, orange alt (A/B/C/P).

Courtney: Principal Aragon and Parr, teal alt (B/S/C/H).

Vicki: Principal Boleyn and Cleves, pink alt (A/S/H/P).

All five colors, Grace and Courtney start with their final covers:

Grace: Principal Aragon and Howard, orange alt (B/S/C/P).

Courtney: Principal Seymour and Parr, teal alt (A/B/C/H).

Vicki: Principal Boleyn and Cleves, pink alt (A/S/H/P).

2019 WE cast (silver didn't exist by this point):

Collette: still black because this is when it became a swing design.

Cherelle: Principal Boleyn and Cleves, pink alt (A/S/H/P).

Hanna: Principal Seymour and Parr, teal alt (A/B/C/H).

Zara: Principal Aragon and Howard, orange alt (B/S/C/P).

Shekinah:Principal Aragon and Cleves, emergency shorts if she ever played any other queen.

[ancientegyptdaily]

“Real life tomb raider Joan Howard pictured with a mummy mask she found at Sakkara, the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis.”

Perth woman Joan Howard has been accused by a group of concerned Egyptian archaeologists of looting artefacts from Egypt, Jordan and Palestine. Earlier this month Howard gave an interview to The West Australian in which she proudly detailed her adventures during the 1960s and early 1970s while her husband, Keith, travelled widely in the Middle East. "It was all good fun. Dirty work, of course. But as it turned out, very, very rewarding," she told the newspaper. The antiquities are said to be worth around $1 million.

Howard used the diplomatic freedom afforded by her husband's job with the United Nations to travel between Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel, where she volunteered on archeological digs with British and American archaeologists. Laws subsequently changed to make it illegal to dig for and remove antiquities.

The story says she now has Neolithic axe heads, pottery and weapons from the Phoenicians and the Romans, coins and seals and jewellery from the time of the pharaohs, and a precious funerary mask from Egypt.

Howard told the newspaper she felt "absolute wonder and astonishment" when she looked at these artifacts. Asked why she had kept quiet about her haul until now, she said: "You don't go round saying 'I've been in a tomb'."

However, Monica Hanna, a prominent archaeologist who works closely with the Egyptian government, has accused Howard of outright cultural theft. "I was really appalled by her attitude because she broke the law", Hanna told Fairfax Media. "This is not something nice or fashionable to do to come and pretend to be Indiana Jones".

Shaaban Abdel Gawad, the director-general of the Retrieved Antiquities Department at Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said, "We want to investigate how these pieces made it out of Egypt illegally."

Egypt's foreign ministry has contacted Australian authorities to open an investigation, Gawad said, and Neil Hawkins, Australia's ambassador to Egypt, was aware of the case.

Hanna said Howard's digs were not authorised by any educational institution, nor given permission from Egyptian or other Arab authorities."I would like the objects to be repatriated to Egypt, Palestine and the other countries" Hanna added.

"Australia implements its obligations under the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970) … this includes the return of foreign cultural property which has been illegally exported from its country of origin and imported into Australia," the spokesman said.

Egypt and the wider Middle East have been vulnerable sites for rampant illicit trade of important cultural artefacts by transnational criminal networks.

Australia and Egypt are both signatories of the Convention which stipulates that artefacts musts be properly returned to their countries of origin but the enforcement of such international treaties are haphazard and weak.

In May this year, the Egyptian government amended a law raising the maximum sentence for illegal trade of antiquities to life in prison.

"The theft of antiquities and its subsequent sale is not a new phenomenon and we are interested in retrieving those that belong to our country wherever they may be," Abdel Gawad said.

[read full article here]

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 9.4

Beer Birthdays

Samuel Simon Loeb (1862)

William Hamm, Jr. (1893)

Ken Weaver (1983)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Anton Bruckner; Austrian composer (1824)

Whitney Cummings; comedian (1982)

Candy Loving; Playboy playmate 1/79 (1956)

Darius Milhaud; French composer (1892)

Ione Skye; English-American actress (1971)

Famous Birthdays

Joan Aiken; English author (1924)

Al-Biruni; Persian physician and polymath (973)

Carl Heinrich Biber; Austrian composer (1681)

Janet Biehl; philosopher (1953)

Daniel Burnham; architect (1846)

Martin Chambers; English drummer and singer (1951)

Craig Claiborne; journalist, author (1920)

Darryl Cotton; Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (1949)

Francois Rene de Chateaubriand; French writer (1776)

Max Delbrück; German-American biophysicist (1906)

Edward Dmytryk; film director (1908)

Gary Duncan; rock guitarist (1946)

Danny Gatton; guitarist (1945)

Mitzi Gaynor; actor, dancer (1931)

Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist (1934)

George William Gray, British chemist, creator of liquid crystals (1926)

Max Greenfield; actor (1980)

Kevin Harrington; Australian actor (1959)

Paul Harvey; radio journalist (1918)

Jacqueline Hewitt; astrophysicist and astronomer (1958)

Syd Hoff; author and illustrator (1912)

Constantijn Huygens; Dutch poet and composer (1596)

Beyoncé Knowles; pop singer (1981)

Lewis Howard Latimer; inventor (1848)

Alexander Liberman, Russian-American artist (1912)

Dave Liebman; saxophonist (1946)

Donald McKay; shipbuilder (1810)

Kyle Mooney; comedian (1984)

Albert Joseph Moore; English artist (1841)

Stanford Moore; biochemist (1913)

Howard Morris; comedian (1919)

Gene Parsons; singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player (1944)

George Percy; English explorer (1580)

Mike Piazza; New York Mets C (1968)

Drew Pinsky; radio and television host (1958)

Mary Renault; English writer (1905)

Oskar Schlemmer; German artist (1888)

Hanna Schwamborn; German actress (1992)

Jan Švankmajer; Czech filmmaker (1934)

Kim Thayil; guitarist and songwriter (1960)

Tom Watson; golfer (1949)

Damon Wayans; actor, comedian (1960)

Dallas Willard; philosopher (1935)

Gerald Wilson; trumpet player (1918)

Richard Wright; writer (1908)

Shinya Yamanaka; Japanese biologist (1962)

Dick York; actor (1928)

Bobby Jarzombek; drummer (1963)

[sunnyisreading]

Book Review: Ignite the Sun by Hanna C. Howard

This book held such an amazing premise when I started reading it: an evil queen, the never-ending darkness, a quest to bring back the Light, and save the kingdom. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the premise.

Howard's debut book Ignite the Sun is a fantasy young adult novel about a common 16-year-old girl with a fear of darkness in a kingdom where darkness always prevails. Overnight, she is thrust into an entirely new world, discovering she is not who she thought she was and learning about her duty to the kingdom and her people. On the quest, she tries to find herself through love, friendship and magic.

Going into the book, I didn't have necessarily high expectations, but the plot was something I would read in a moment if offered - just the thing that is right up my alley. But even after the first few chapters, I started noticing things that don't usually bother me if done well, but they really weren't: cliches. And deeper I went into it, more of them there were - and I wouldn't have minded, but they were badly incorporated at inappropriate times, but I would have handled that if they were done and gone through properly, but they really weren't. I think the sentence 'One bed.', is all I have to add here.

Siria, the main character, was a person I started off liking a lot, but that just stopped after we got around to the quest portion of the book. Her backstory somehow didn't match a lot to what she was going through at that time - as a rebelling child, although she was supposed to be coddled and cherished, I didn't expect to spend a good 1/4 of the book with her muttering and holding grudges and being angry at everyone for not telling her something they possibly couldn't. But again, I could have handled the growth of her character if it was done properly.

Especially looking at the world and how it is right now, I think we need more strong female characters that find strength, bravery, and magic in themselves, without a prince charming always standing around. And that might have been a bit of a problem here. Although in the beginning, I really liked the slow-building romance in this book, from childhood friends to starstruck lovers, as we might say, I think it would have been better if they stayed best friends as the book and their romance started dragging on.

Another thing that bothered me a bit was the ending: we get this pretty slow-paced story at the start, them travelling to the North on foot, and then suddenly we're 80% into the book and everything, and I mean everything, goes down. The pace could have been a lot more thought out, and the ending shouldn't have been rushed as much as it was.

Saying all of this, I can't deny the fact that at times, I still enjoyed the book and its premise, thinking of it as more of a light, fun, romance-filled read with some feeble characters, but with some who I loved seeing grow: Yarrow, Elegy and Merrall. Although this was a 3 star read for me, I think some of you who are into light and fun novels with a twist of magic could still enjoy it a lot.

Disclaimer: I received the eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Expected publication: August 18th 2020 by Blink Read: June 20th 2020 Rating: 3 stars | ★★★☆☆ Review cross-posted to Goodreads.

[storyphoria]

Review | The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night

Author: D.E. Night

Title: The Crowns of Croswald

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, YA Fantasy

Series: The Crowns of Croswald

Page Count: 249

Published: 07/21/2017

YA Fiction and Fantasy are almost always some version of a coming of age tale and The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night is no different. Take the familiar coming of age story, add in some unique magic and mix it all up in an interesting new world and you have some decent story potential on your hands. But how will The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night fare?

Before we get to the review let’s hit all the particulars. The Crowns of Croswald is written by author D.E. Night and is published by Stories Untold Press. The book was first published back in 2017 and full disclosure, I was approached by Stories Untold Press to see if I was interested in taking a look at this first book in the series. Being that I’ve reviewed some YA Fantasy titles in the past, (see my reviews/interviews for Ignite the Sun by Hanna C Howard, Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly, and A Curse of Gold by Annie Sullivan) I said “Sure! Let’s take a look!”.

The ONLY requirement asked of me was that I read it within a month(CHECK) and that I leave an HONEST review on both Amazon and Goodreads(CHECK and CHECK). I like to let you guys know of these things so you know the review is NOT bought and paid for, rather it’s my full honesty as I think about what I just read.

Ok, lets get to it.

The book opens with a slightly familiar premise of an orphan girl living a life of relative obscurity and poverty, yet having some mysterious friends, a talent for drawing, and dreams that are vividly real.

In those dreams she sees a castle and in that castle is a man. A man she can never quite see fully, and a man that never talks to her.

Almost immediately we’re thrust into the story proper as Ivy(our main character and said orphan girl) is whisked away to a mysterious magic school after a “less than ideal” exit from the castle she grew up a servant in.

Once at the magic school, Ivy is thrust into a world of various magics, mystery, curious beasts, and of course… eventually the threat of… THE DARK QUEEN. But I won’t go too far down that road so as not to spoil anything for you.

Along the way, and largely BEFORE we reach the halfway point of this first book, we meet a whole bunch of quirky and interesting people. From magic teachers in the school to eccentric shop owners, even mysterious ghosts and people long thought dead.

And it doesn’t take long for the threat of danger and the hero’s quest/coming of age tale to get underway in earnest for young Ivy.

There are a few key elements in every fantasy story that can absolutely make or break the tale. The first being the magic system, the second being the creatures and world building.

The magic system in The Crowns of Croswald is interesting. There seems to be two parts to it, and I enjoyed the evolution of the split or division between the two types of magic. There are the those that need magic stones in their crowns to provide them a semblance of magic and there are those with the innate ability.

The division between the two feels at times like a slightly ham-fisted approach of “needing to work together” or “understand that our differences should be celebrated not looked down upon”. There is absolutely a feeling of one group looking down hard on the other, it reminds me of High School Musical in many ways.

I know, I know! Where the heck is this coming from?!

In those movies there are the rich kids that have all the opportunities and “talent” while the kids deemed lower class, aka poor kids, aren’t supposed to have much talent. But of course, once push comes to shove and they are forced to work together, some of the biggest talents come from those less fortunate.

I enjoyed how the different types of magic were presented, even if we don’t get too much of a look at HOW it works. I can only assume that in the next books in the series we’ll be treated to more.

The tough part about this genre is that these days, everything runs the risk of being compared to the legendary Harry Potter. While there certainly were more than a few Harry Potter vibes in terms of general themes, I feel like the magic system and story elements were unique in their own right, making this feel like a familiar yet unique story.

The Bottom Line

Overall, as a YA Fantasy title I think the book was pretty decent. While I’m certainly not the exact target audience, I can see how this would be a highly enjoyable world for a younger audience to get sucked into.

For me, it felt a little bland (though I enjoy the concept of the Scrivenest and the magic in the quills) and a LOT predictable. I think from the earliest chapters, anyone that has enjoyed modern YA fantasy is going to find it’s very predictable, yet still enjoyable, to read.

That’s not always a bad thing however, sometimes it’s nice to be able to get lost in a story without feeling like you have to “figure it out” so you can understand what’s going on.

I give The Crowns of Croswald by D.E. Night 3 out of 5 stars.

The people, creatures, and magical world of Croswald is worthy of your exploration… assuming you want to zone out with a fun and easy read containing very few surprises that you won’t see coming.

[aicstories]

This episode I’m joined by talented Author Hanna C Howard to talk about her fantastic new book “Ignite the Sun”.

Of course we also cover a lot of ground about her start in writing, her creative process and much, much more!

Ignite the Sun, from the Amazon description:“Once upon a time, there was something called the sun … In a kingdom ruled by a witch, the sun is just part of a legend about Light-filled days of old. But now Siria Nightingale is headed to the heart of the darkness to try and restore the Light—or lose everything trying.

Sixteen-year-old Siria Nightingale has never seen the sun. That’s because Queen Iyzabel shrouded the kingdom in shadow upon her ascent to the throne, with claims it would protect her subjects from the dangerous Light.

The Darkness has always left Siria uneasy, and part of her still longs for the stories of the Light-filled days she once listened to alongside her best friend Linden, told in secret by Linden’s grandfather. But Siria’s need to please her strict and demanding parents means embracing the dark and heading to the royal city—the very center of Queen Izybel’s power—for a chance at a coveted placement at court. And what Siria discovers at the Choosing Ball sends her on a quest toward the last vestiges of Light, alongside a ragtag group of rebels who could help her restore the sun … or doom the kingdom to shadow forever.

Ignite the Sun is:

A YA fantasy adventure that is exciting and unique, right down to its metallic book cover

An allegorical exploration of the struggle with anxiety and depression

Perfect for readers 13 and up”

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