#like I enjoyed Hani and Ishu’s guide to fake dating so much

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[bikananjarrus]

for the ask game, top ten book recommendations?? (can be sw or non-sw since ik you’ve gotten a lot of sw asks already 🫶🏻)

thank you for this question! 💙 (meant to answer this sooner but then i really had to think about some book recs). i will split it 50/50 and do 5 sw books and 5 non-sw books!

five sw books:

light of the jedi by charles soule. life-changing, showstopping, spectacular, will never be the same etc etc. (best place to start if you want to get into the high republic books!)

lost stars by claudia gray. my first sw book i ever read back when it was published in *pauses to look up* 2015. imo it is an EXCELLENT book to begin with if you're looking to get into sw books and are overwhelmed with where to start.

a new dawn by john jackson miller. for the rebels fans out there, and especially the kanera fans, this one's for you <3

not a traditional novel, but going off the last one, the kanan: the last padawan comic run. two volumes, 12 issues total. so so SO good! a must-read (imo) for rebels fans!

revenge of the sith novelization by matthew stover. if you're a prequels fan, or an anakin fan, or an obiwan fan, this book WILL hurt you. in the best way possible lol.

(quick honorable mention for the ahsoka book, but specifically the audiobook bc it's narrated by ashley eckstein and it felt like watching a clone wars arc)

five non-sw books:

i mean who would i be if i didn't mention the percy jackson books. i recognize i am biased bc they've been part of my life for so long now, so i have the nostalgia factor. but also that's my number one guy percy jackson!

what you're looking for is in the library by michiko aoyama. this book felt like a hug, and i definitely recommend for anyone who is feeling a bit lost or unsure of what they want to do with their life, where they are in life right now. it was a really great reminder that you can keep growing and change your mind and do something different with your life no matter what age you are.

a study in drowning by ava reid. a more recent read of mine, so maybe a bit of recency bias here, but it's about an architecture student who gets tasked with redesigning her favorite author's estate. she ends up working with her academic rival, and they discover secrets about the late author's life along the way. i remember (personally) having a few minor gripes with how the end all came together, but overall it was really atmospheric with lots of seaside imagery (which i love), and the setting and certain mystery elements made it enjoyable for me!

giovanni's room by james baldwin. read this for the first time when it was assigned to me in high school, and while i don't think i appreciated it much then, i reread it later on my own and really enjoyed it, so i'm grateful for my 12th grade english teacher for introducing it to me!

hani and ishu's guide to fake dating by adiba jaigirdar. this is just a really cute ya wlw romance! i listened to the audiobook for this and there were two separate narrators for hani and ishu, and i thought they both did a fantastic job! i read it last year and still think about it from time to time, so for anyone looking for an easy romance read, it's a good one!

still up for doing more of these, so feel free to ask me my top 5/top 10 anything!

[dovesndecay]

for your queer muslim friend (giving them my salaams! <3) 

queer muslim charities they can look into (both for events etc and also those charities have many online resources): unity mosque, hidayah, muslims for progressive values (also has the best and most comprehensive reasons i’ve seen for why our religion doesn’t condemn queer people), salaam canada (it recently closed but the website has lots of great info and resources), the naz and matt foundation (not specifically for queer muslims but they are a large portion of the people involved in the charity), inclusive mosque

reading (all fictional or memoirs or poetry collections — none are like academic texts etc) : a queer muslim memoir: we have always been here (the author, who to my knowledge uses they/them pronouns now, also has a few articles on guardian and a great project here on tumblr called something like ‘just allah and me’ that photographs and tells the stories of queer muslims across the world), radiant fugitives, hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating, the henna wars, guapa, if they come for us, blood orange by mx yaffa, love is an ex country, zachary ying and the dragon emperor (one of the few on this list i haven’t read, but i’m pretty sure the mc is muslim and implied to be gay), you exist too much. only this beautiful moments is about characters who were raised muslim but faith isn’t a big part of any of their identities (i think, it’s been a while since i’ve read this). but it’s about queer iranians, and so it definitely explores being queer in muslim spaces and the intersection of that… it touched me deeply and that’s why i’m adding it here.

some queer muslims to follow on social media (all are out): blair imani, sufi and anjali were a youtube channel i followed a few years ago (sufi is a queer muslim, anjali is a queer hindu, the channel is about them and their relationship), reeta loi

queer muslim spaces on tumblr: queer muslim culture is, religious queer culture is (not only about queer muslims, but often is, and the mod is a queer muslim i think), we are not haram. dyemelikeasunset is a queer muslim who has a wonderful comic up on webtoon, and whilst their blog is a personal one and not focused around being queer and muslim, you may enjoy their comic! (their characters aren’t muslim, though, but they’re queer). bigenderrevert and mlmrevert are personal blogs run by queer muslims, but their blogs often do focus on being queer and muslim.

tv and movies that i know have at least one significant queer muslim character: the bold type, we are lady parts, breaking fast (2020)

Ahh, thank you so much, nonny!!! (I adore Blair Imani, I'm so glad to see her on your list!) Passing this along immediately!!

[readingbooksinisrael]

Mid-Year Book Freakout 2023

1. Best book you've read so far this year

Well, I reread Spinning Silver/Naomi Novik again… But besides rereads I really loved two non-fiction books: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood/Nathan Hale. It’s a graphic novel with the characters being represented as animals, so I was really nervous at first that it would make light of something tragic but it didn’t at all, and I think the illustrations emphasized the horrificness while still being appropriate for its intended audience (4th graders). (It also finally convinced me to pick up Maus.) 

The other was The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos/Judy Batalion, which was an extensive following of a number of women resistance fighters in the ghettos, which is a subject that I hardly know about.

2. Best sequel you've read so far this year

It absolutely has to be Ribsy/Beverly Cleary, the last in the Henry Huggins series. I was nervous because it follows Ribsy the dog rather than Henry the human, but it was great. I liked the look at all the different families (except one) and Ribsy’s perspective. It nearly made me cry even/exactly when the good things were happening.

Also, special mention to The Chalet School in Exile/Elinor M. Brent-Dyer for acknowledging the murder of Jews by regular citizens back in the first year of WW2 when that’s something plenty of people refuse to admit to this day. (Though maybe it was easier then when it was an enemy country.)

3. New release you haven't read yet

All of them lol. I’ll choose six notables (one for each month):

The Dos and Donuts of Love/Adiba Jaigirdar--I loved Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating so much! I’m so excited about this I’m nervous

The Luis Ortega Survival Club/Sonora Reyes--I love a story about messed up experiences in high school

The Home for Wayward Girls/Marcia Bradley--See above

The Mimicking of Known Successes/Malka Ann Older--I heard it described as a Sherlock Holmes type mystery in space, and I’ve really wanted to read something by this author for a long time but this was the first book that really caught my eye

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride/Roshani Chokshi--It is my favorite sub-genre (fairy tale retelling) of a fairy tale that I find really interesting (Bluebeard) by an author I already know I enjoy

Sorry, Bro/Taleen Voskuni--Jews often feel that they have a lot of common with Armenians (for good reasons) so I’m really interested to read this story of someone claiming both her culture and her sexuality (even my mom was interested and she tries to not be homophobic but she winces at bi characters)

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Delicate Condition/Danielle Valentine. This absolutely sounds like a book that is going to make me cry.

5. Biggest disappointment

Catherine, Called Birdy/Karen Cushman. This seemed like a book that would be right up my alley--historical, mg, epistolary, rebellious and funny main girl character--but it just fell flat for me in so many ways.

6. Biggest surprise

Leave It to Beaver/Beverly Cleary surprised me by actually being pretty good, which you don’t usually expect for a novelization of a tv show. It wasn’t her best work, but I do want to read the rest of the series.

And, then, one I saved for here, Top Secret/John Reynolds Gardiner. This was recommended me as a funny, gross book and it was that (admittedly, a bit light on the grossness but what was there was good), but it also very much talked about repressing creativity for bad reasons and I loved that.

7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)

A.J. Sass. I read Ellen Outside the Lines in one night and immediately put two more of their books on my tbr.

8. Newest fictional crush/newest favorite character

Just the one? Well, Ead Duryan from Priory of the Orange Tree/Samantha Shannon is exactly the type of character I love; but have you read about the angel/Uriel Shtetler from When the Angels Left the Old Country?! It thinks in such an interesting way about things and so it changes in a very odd way. (Also, it becoming more ‘human’ doesn’t make it stop using it/its pronouns!)

9. Book that made you cry

Ribsy, I’ve mentioned, but I don’t think any other book made me cry.

10. Book that made you happy

I reread The Girl With the Silver Eyes/Willo Davis Roberts to see if it still held up after over a decade since I first read it and it absolutely did. It acknowledges that grown-ups can make mistakes while trying to help children and that children have the right to defend themselves from that as well as actually evil adults. Also, read this fanfiction of Katie as an adult.

Riding Lessons/Jane Smiley also made me happy because it didn’t attempt to pathologise a kid whom I think would be pathologised today.

Tagging @ninja-muse @bookcub @opalescentswan @books-are-portals and @gigilberry (Only if you want to, obviously.)

[beareadsbookz]

Review: The Do’s and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Summary

Shireen Malik is still reeling from the breakup with her ex-girlfriend, Chris, when she receives news that she’s been accepted as a contestant on a new televised baking competition show. This is Shireen’s dream come true! Because winning will not only mean prize money, but it will also bring some much-needed attention to You Drive Me Glazy, her parents’ beloved donut shop.

Things get complicated, though, because Chris is also a contestant on the show. Then there’s the very outgoing Niamh, a fellow contestant who is becoming fast friends with Shireen. Things are heating up between them, and not just in the kitchen.

As the competition intensifies , Shireen will have to ignore all these factors and more— including potential sabotage—if she wants a sweet victory!

Thoughts

I always enjoy Adiba Jaigirdar's books, but I didn't like this one quite as much as, say, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating. The main character is very talented and relatable, but she is a bit self centered in her friendships. There was an element of this in The Henna Wars, but in that book I felt like the main character recognized it and learned from it. In this book there isn't as much self-awareness, which made it a little frustrating to be in Shireen's head at times. That aside though, the story was cute and the characters were good. I liked the puns in the chapter names. One of the judges on the show that Shireen competes in has a name that is like a funny version of Gordon Ramsey, which I didn't realize until more than half way through (I think it’s Galvin Kremsey or something? I listened to the audiobook so I have no idea how it’s spelled.) I did love that the main character is fat and it doesn’t really come up that much, because I so rarely see plus sized main characters, and even when I do a large portion of the book is deprecating towards the character.

3.75 ⭐️

AAPI Heritage Month Hopefuls

(books I want to read if I can get them)

Rise of the Manō by Leialoha Humpherys

Poūkahangatus by Tayi Tibble

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes

Vā: Stories of the Women of the Moana edited by Sisilia Eteuati and Lani Wendt Young

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

The Do’s and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz

The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim

One Boy, No Water by Lehua Parker

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

The Wonders We Seek by Saadia Faruqi & Aneesa Mumtaz

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

The Dragon Prince: Stories and Legends From Vietnam edited by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

Muslim Girls Rise by Saira Amir

Fish Swimming In Dappled Sunlight by Alison Watts & Riku Onda

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocco

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

Force Of Fire by Sayantani DasGupta

Rangikura by Tayi Tibble

Writing In Color by multiple authors (including but not limited to Nafiza Azad, Axie Oh, Joan He, Chloe Gong, and Darcie Little Badger)

I will be reblogging with reviews as I finish these!

[halflingkima]

Most Disappointing Books of 2022

So the worst books aren’t necessarily the most disappointing – some of those I fully expected to hate! And the most disappointing aren’t necessarily the worst (I have a 4-star read in here lol). But there were some books I was really looking forward to that just. Dropped me in the trust fall.

One of these books has a sexual assault scene, but I would have been sufficiently prepared had I checked the content warnings on storygraph 🙃 Aside from that, there may be some spoilers ahead, so if you’re concerned, tread lightly.

And now – my top 10 most disappointing reads of 2022 ranked (read this past year, not necessarily published in 2022).

10. Kill the Farm Boy (⭐️⭐️) by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne In the tradition of Monty Python, a rag-tag bunch of unlikely heroes adventure to find (or resurrect?) the kingdom’s Chosen One and break a few curses.

Kicking this list off with one that was also on the least favorites list – mainly because I didn’t have enough “worst books” to round out a list of ten. So generally the same applies here. It’s this low on the list because I didn’t expect too much of it, and really only picked it up because I’m interested in the followup book, but the humor rly did not vibe.

9. Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Adiba Jaigadar Hani needs to “prove” her bisexuality to her friends and Ishu needs to be popular to win votes for head girl; the two agree to a fake relationship despite not liking each other very much.

This one was upsetting because I was really interested in the intersection of the teens’ identities in this one, but I felt like nothing was every explored fully enough. It’s YA and the girls are on the older end of their teens but the authorial voice bordered on middle grade to me. I also felt like it tried to do too much with their story, piling on an adversary to lovers thing on top of the fake dating, while at the same time trying to honor both girls’ personal journeys. I think this would’ve been better as a contemporary novel centering on one main character with some romance flavor, rather than aiming for a romance outright.

8. Ballad (Books of Faerie Duology) (⭐️⭐️) by Maggie Stiefvater When James’s musical talent attracts the faerie Nuala, he finds himself embroiled in a fae war.

This one should be lower on the list due to how much I did not enjoy but in all fairness I really didn’t expect to. I read the first in the duology the previous year and it didn’t have anything special to offer me, which I was upset about, so let’s consider this as an entry for the whole duology. I always say I want more paranormal focusing on celtic myth and tradition, and I know miss maggie can write a book I like, but this just. Didn’t hit, I guess. It did feel very outdated as well, and I know she was rather young when she wrote it, so I can write this off as a sorta stepping stone in her career, I suppose.

7. In Deeper Waters (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by FT Lukens The prince Tal discovers a prisoner on an enemy ship and sets him free; when Tal is kidnapped to start a war, the ex-prisoner returns the favor.

I feel bad that this is even this high on the list, but it’s simply because I had higher hopes than the others. It was a perfectly good story, with interesting politics and fun world-building. However, I had picked it up primarily for the romance and it really left me wanting in that area (despite the OTT ending – iykyk).

6. Rabbits (⭐️⭐️) by Terry Miles There is a game that blurs virtual reality and reality – and K, who has been obsessed with the game since childhood, finally gets a way in.

Yet again, we’ve reached one that double features on the least favorites list. This one’s higher because I don’t think I would’ve read it if I were more familiar with the source podcast or had read more reviews. I picked it up expecting some reality bending philosophy fodder and instead got a very straightforward – and sexist, at certain angles – narrative. Bored to the extent of disappointment.

5. The Bromance Book Club (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Lyssa Kay Adams MLB player Gavin’s marriage implodes when he learns his wife has been faking her orgasms; his friends use romance novels to coach him through saving his relationship.

The anticipation may have done me dirty with this one. I saw everyone on booktube raving about this for nearly two years before I got my hands on it and it was so. mediocre. And that was upsetting because the premise is so cute!! But it was so. Painfully. Heterosexual. There was no fun. There was no whimsy. There was the heaviness of a marriage falling apart with children involved despite the easy fix of. talking to each other. Both leads’ character journeys made sense and carried weight and the sex scenes were fine but had I known how bland it was, I probably would’ve given it a skip.

4. American Pop (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Snowden Wright This sprawling family saga about a fictional soda empire follows the Forsters and their misfortune through the generations.

This was quite a decent book! But I had expected this to be a new favorite of all time. I had hoped that I would experience the passage of US history through the unique perspective of an ensemble cast with the added flavor of an alternate/fictional history. Specifically, I was hoping for something reminiscent of The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett (one of my 2021 favorites), which I loved so much not necessarily because of the characters’ and their stories, but because of how I saw America develop throughout their lives. This one said very little about America or industry or the passage of time, and mainly focused on a vague “family curse” and the unique despair and misfortune of each family member. It was a fine book, but not what I was expecting when I picked it up.

3. Cytonic (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Brandon Sanderson Now stranded on the other side of the galaxy, Spensa makes new friends and learns more about the history of the Delvers.

With the third installment, the series slipped into a pattern that I’m not a fan of. I really enjoyed the first book, and I withheld judgement on the second book, hoping it was a brief diversion from a main plotline, but the third solidified the series’s trajectory. Each book thus far follows the concept of Spensa being thrown into a new group of people/strangers/friends, creating a brief found family that readjusts her worldview, then moving on. The first book made me very invested in the planet and the flight class and I’ve been missing them for the majority of the last two books 😔

2. Tell No Tales (⭐️⭐️) by Sam Maggs and Kendra Wells Anne Bonny has a prophetic dream and urges her crew to face the monsters in their pasts.

I feel bad about sticking this on the list because I think the fault is with my expectations, but I was truly so disappointed by this book. I was expecting a YA pirate adventure with some speculative elements but this is ultimately a middle grade historical fiction, emphasis on the historical. The diversity was nice but felt like way too little too late wrt graphic novels for kids. The plot was excessively formulaic and paint by numbers and it offered me. Nothing, basically. When Anne Bonny and her own crew were right there.

1. That Kind of Guy (⭐️⭐️⭐️) by Talia Hibbert Rae needs a fake date for an author’s convention coming up and turns to her best friend Zach, who’s been recently coming to terms with is demisexuality.

This one comes out on top simply because of how excited I was to read it. I love Talia Hibbert, and I love the previous two books in the series. The first (A Girl Like That) was even my first Talia Hibbert! And on top of this, it’s a fake relationship (favorite trope), with a demisexual main character (personal representation), and an older heroine (#feminism) who’s an author (also favorite trope/personal representation)! This sounded made for me. I started the whole series to get to this book. And then. There was nothing all that special about it. I have read much better demisexual characters. The fake relationship ruse dissolved immediately. The sex was just as detailed and graphic – maybe even more so – than Hibbert’s other books. It was a perfectly good book! That let me down so entirely 😅

[lgbtqreads]

Apologies if you've already did this somewhere, I had a look but couldn't see anything, but what were your top 10 (or 5 or 7 or whatever) queer fiction books of 2021?

I've been looking at media lists to work out what I should make sure I don't miss but I trust your judgement more.

I don't have one specifically of my top queer fiction, but in this post I did for another site, five of the seven books I chose were queer: https://earlybirdbooks.com/best-ya-books-2021 (the Gilbert and Nedd are not) and I shouted out a bunch of other favorites in the blurbs, including The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore, Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa, The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe, Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve, and Tonight We Rule the World by Zack Smedley.

So that's my top, but I'd also definitely recommend these: This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron, She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin, Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth, Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson, Love & Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura, and Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan, all of which I very much enjoyed.

In adult, my faves were The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, Yes, Daddy by Jonathan Parks-Ramage, The Guncle by Steven Rowley, Let's Get Back to the Party by Zak Salih, Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan, and sadly I didn't read much SFF so all I have to personally rec is The Unbroken by CL Clark.

[ari-does-epi]

Pride Reading Challenge Update #3

The Henna Wars by Abida Jaigirdar

3/5

Review and image descriptions under the cut!

I bought this book because I LOVED Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating and honestly the concept of two girls falling in love while running rival henna stands was two cute to pass up. I honestly didn't like it as much as I was hoping to, honestly? It was a lot less "fluffy" than I was expecting. I really rarely enjoy coming out books, though, so that's more of a personal preference. I also didn't really like the romance, it just felt like there wasn't a ton of chemistry, and just in general it seemed like a lot of the core conflicts of the story got suddenly fixed in the last 20 pages in a way that didn't feel like a real resolution. I did like that the discussion of how race intersects with sexuality was really nuanced, at least by YA standards. I read this because I wanted some good queer South Asian representation, and I definitely got that! I think it was a good book, overall, but it used a lot of queer YA tropes that I dislike and you can definitely tell this was the author's first novel. I'll still be buying her next book though (she has one coming out next year that looks more adult romance-ish, without the heavy coming out drama)!

[Image 1 ID: The 4x4 bingo square for the studyblr with knives reading challenge. From left to right, top to bottom, they read “Queer Found Family,” “Queer Academia,” “Fucked Up Queers,” “Abolish Annihilate Aspec,” “Coming Out Book,” “Historical Setting,” “Epically Queer,” “In Sappho’s Footsteps” “Yes Homo,” “Queer Joy,” “Sword WLW,” “Old Queers,” “Yes I’m Queer, Mind Your Own Business,” “Down With Cis,” “#OwnVoices” and “Not Gay As In Happy But Queer As In Fuck You”. “Sword WLW” and “Queer Found Family” are crossed out in gray. “Coming Out Book” is crossed out in black.]

[Image 2 ID: A photo of The Henna Wars by Abida Jaigirdar.]

[the-forest-library]

August 2021 Reads

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin

Feral Creatures - Kira Jane Buxton

The Secret Bridesmaid - Katy Birchall

Very Sincerely Yours - Kerry Winfrey

The Road Trip - Beth O'Leary

The Bookshop of Second Chances - Jackie Fraser

The Real Deal - Lauren Blakely

To Have and to Hoax - Martha Waters

Austenland - Shannon Hale

Incense and Sensibility - Sonali Dev

The Babysitters Coven - Kate Williams

For Better or Cursed - Kate Williams

Blood Like Magic - Liselle Sambury

Serpent & Dove - Shelby Mahurin

Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating - Adina Jaigirdar

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous - Suzanne Park

This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki

Stranger Planet - Nathan W. Pyle

The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo

The Truth About Animals - Lucy Cooke

Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops - Jen Campbell

Long Story Short - Lisa Brown

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: Feral Creatures was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint. It was so wonderful to be back with S.T. and his found family (or murder, as he would say). The Left Hand of Darkness was a re-read, and I was pleased to find that I loved it as much as I did when I read it so, so long ago. Surprise of the month was The Secret Bridesmaid. In the late 90s/early 00s, this book would have been a 'chick lit' hit. I thoroughly enjoyed it because while it uses many of the same tropes we see in modern romances, it's focused on a friendship with romance in the background.

Goodreads Goal: 186/200

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads

[therefugeofbooks]

November was a lot of fun! I participated in the Divesathon hosted by @princessofbookaholics​ and I loved most of the books I picked up! I hope we can do it next year! And then, at the end of the month, I just read different genres, trying to find what exactly I was in the mood for 😅

Talking about all the books I read in November under the cut.

In reading order:

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames

It started well, but then things started to make zero sense. The ending is so unsatisfying, and the romance is weak. Many things don't contribute to the plot at all, and I don't know how I finished it...

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

I love stories of pretentious groups of friends and mysterious and dark things they did in the past. And We Were Liars gave me exactly that! Contrary to many reviews I've read, I enjoyed the writings style. I think it matches the tone of the story and, more specifically, Cadence's inner monologues. I'm still debating whether I like or not the last bit of the ending, but it was overall a fun and quick read.

Read if you want: ya mystery, family secrets, pretentious group of friends.

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill

It was as cute as the first story. I love the art style, and I love how comforting the story, characters, and relationships feel. The drama in this one is super cute, and I loved the main character development.

Read if you want: someone looking for something comforting, relaxing, and magical cozy.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

This story made me laugh! The main character is funny, and the situations she got herself into are even funnier. It's a fun and lighthearted mystery, although you can't think too much about the reality of some things.

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James

I didn't expect it to make me so emotional. It's an unexpectedly cozy sci-fi heavily focused on relationships. The main characters are fun, and I loved their relationship. Also, the main character reads old internet posts from when the virus spread. It was interesting to read about people dealing with the crisis, and sometimes it was too realistic compared with what has been happening in the world. And the plot twist is so good! All in all, this story is a touching and hopeful read.

Read if you want: soft post-apocalyptic fiction, ya sci-fi.

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

It's so sweet! I loved the girls and their grumpy and sunshine dynamic. The entire fake dating part is full of fun and wholesome moments, and the ending couldn't be sweeter. I enjoyed reading about their culture, the food, the parties, and traditions. Also, Hani is a Muslim, and I loved to read about her relationship with her religion! Overall, it's a delightful story with fluffy romance and important discussions.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo with Jamie Chang (Translator)

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 was fast-paced but not an easy read. It made me reflect on the many women's experiences that overlap and the ones that are very specific to one's culture. It made me sad and angry. But if you're looking for feminist fiction in translation, I'd highly recommend it.

Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith

The story is spooky, and the main character is so curious and brave. The villain is scary, and I caught myself wondering how the main character would defeat him. It was a nice dark adventure!

Read if you want: middle-grade horror, kids saving the day, family secrets.

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

It’s a very emotional story. The main character deals with OCD, and he’s also figuring out his sexuality. The family and friends in this story are amazing! A lot of love and support comes from them. But the main character deals with bullying and racism as he tries to be the best at something. It made me tear up at the end as all ended so well!

Read if you want: queer middle-grade books, mental health books, kids standing up for themselves, loving families.

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun translated to Janet Hong

I found Lemon in the crime thriller section. Although the start point of the story is a criminal case, the story is more about grief, class, and an analysis of Korean society. Maybe because it wasn't what I expected, and maybe because of the nonlinear story and the multiple points of view, I felt unsatisfied with the characters and bored with the story.

Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia

It's a beautiful book, telling the lives of many women through history whose lives are intertwined. It's a sad book, but I loved how Gabriela Garcia gave voice to these women. And the prose is so beautiful! The author is also a poet, and it does show in her novel.

Read if you want: immigrants stories, family sagas.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

It's hard to explain how much I loved this book! The historical ambiance is so well-done, the coming of age arc is beautiful, and I could feel the dangers of being true to yourself and others in the 1950s. Overall, the romance is so good, and the characters are fantastic! I can't recommend it enough!

Read if you want: wlw ya romance, historical romance, realistic ya.

The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke

It’s an entertaining gothic story with a nice plot twist. I don't know if it was a mood thing, or I was just too dazed because of the last book, but I was not hooked up in the story immediately, but it'd still recommend it!

Read if you want: modern gothic, multiple POVs, family relationships.

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

It was a cute and lighthearted romance. However, I didn't get attached to any of the main characters, and I thought the drama was a bit predictable. Maybe I read too many of these fake dating romances!

Read if you want: queer Christmas romance, wlw adult romance, fake dating.

Black Butler Vol. 30 by Yana Toboso

I can't believe this series reached vol. 30!! I also can't believe Yana Toboso decided not to explain the last plot twist and write a backstory!!!

The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee

I love this series, and I was looking forward to this last book, but I have mixed feelings. I loved seeing the characters now that they're old, and I love what the author did with Monty. Adrian is a cutie! I wanted more of Percy, though. However, I think their journey is messy, and people pointed out how the plan doesn't make much sense and has many plot holes. But what didn't work for me was the fact that I thought it was too similar to the first book.

Read if you want: more of the Montague siblings!

Disponíveis em PT:

E se eu pudesse voltar no tempo? de Marie Pessoa

Encarnação de José de Alencar

Read in: Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July |Aug | Sep | Out

☆Book Photography ☆ Storygraph ☆ Scribd ☆

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Any book recommendations with the fake dating trope?

yes!

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - the first big fake-dating story to rock booklr's world, an oldie but a goodie. I like the book way more than the movie because the book does a much better job of unveiling the twist at the end

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee - I'll confess, I didn't love the fake-dating aspect of this. we were promised good times and instead got kinda screwed over. but the actual romance that blooms separately from the fake-dating storyline is so sweet, so pure, so good. deserved to be the focus of the story imo

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall - not YA but an excellent readalike for people who liked Red, White and Royal Blue. disasters boys in England falling for each other while they fake date to improve each other's reputations. it's getting two sequels as well so I'd recommend getting in on the ground floor and enjoying the thrill that is sure to come from this romance trilogy

I'll also rec two books I haven't got to yet but am very excited for: Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar, and Love and Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura. two awesome new releases by women of colour about wlw girls accidentally falling in love. should be lots of fun ^.^

[taqrir]

no cause the way i saw this post and went....wait a minute i know that line......... is sahar reading hani + ishu's guide to fake dating??????? and RAN to goodreads to see that yes!!! you are!!!!!! HELP the way i recognized it immediately is making me go insane i didnt rate it 5 stars for nothing ig have fun reading it though!!!! its everything to me <33333

HDHSJSH yeah i just wanted to read some wlw yk ?? haven’t read some in a long while and both you AND suha gave it 5 stars<33 so obviously i have to read it. i’m enjoying it very much so far like it’s all so realistic and the way hani and ishu’s relationship progresses ‼️ excellent. i love it

[almondscroissant]

hey, sweet friend. how are you doing? how's everything going on with you? i hope you're doing great. just wanted to say hi and ask you for book recommendations lol since you won't send me the playlist i asked for 🙄 jk jk honestly take your time. i recently got back into reading again would really like recommendations. just tell me your favorite books or something. other than that nothing much happening with me. but thanks to you i am obsessed with sage green now💀.

💜💜💜💜💜💜

Akjdkfjskdk call me out for that playlist lmao. I will finish it one day, I promise!!!! 😅

But oooh okay, book recs I can do! And congrats on getting back into reading. I hope I can help you find something you love! I'm not sure if you have a preference for certain genres, but I'll just list different things I've read recently and enjoyed/a few all-time faves:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: one of my favorites, even though I feel like the marketing absolutely tricked me lmao (Reese Witherspoon, i am looking directly at you ...) This book is so clever and quirky and heartwarming, but it also deals with darker topics and a character living with the effects of childhood trauma. (I can be more specific on the triggers if you'd like me to!) All that said, it's such a special book to me and the friendship is just the best <3

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: so sweet!!!!! so funny!!!!!! so warm!!!!!

One Day in December by Josie Silver: a controversial pick dksjdks. Some people really don't like this one because there is a cheating element to it, but boyyyy the angst and boyyyyy the pining. I picked it up in the middle of a reading slump and I flew through it.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson: this book has my whole heart!

The Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman: it's a graphic novel series and it is so soft!!!!!

Ring Shout by P. Djèli Clark: Probably my favorite thing I've read all year. It's about a trio of Black girls in the early 20th century fighting demons/the KKK. The concept is so unique and it was very short but made me feel more than books twice its page length. 14/10 recommend!!!!!!!

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse: It's a fantasy inspired by pre-Columbian cultures in the Americas and it was such a ride!!!!!! (I also recommend reading this one while listening to the audiobook. SUPER FUN.)

Circe by Madeline Miller: big kill men energy. Her writing is unparalleled!

Legendborn by Tracy Deon: I just finished this one and while I have mixed feelings about the romance (I can just feel a love triangle looming and ksjdksjdksd), the story is so interesting! It's got mythology and magic and twists all over the place!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: just !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (first book is Finnikin of the Rock): this is the first high fantasy series I ever read and it legit blew my mind?? I just fell in love with every single character and I knew the author was a genius (her book Jellicoe Road also blew my mind!!!!) but this really sealed the deal.

The Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo: maybe you've heard of them lol. But I mean, they are a good time!!!! Also starring the two loves of my life: Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: do not worry if you don't understand a single thing that is happening while you read this; it is the universal experience, it is part of the full scale hallucinogenic quality of the writing. Bonus factor: my son Richard Gansey III, the one character who, if I learned he was created in a lab to be unlikable to me specifically, I would not be surprised. (He's my fave.)

And some books I'm planning to read soon:

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

I'm stopping because I'll just keep adding stuff lol, but I really do hope you can find something here that appeals to you!!! 💖💖💖

[laneway]

mid-year book freakout

thanks for tagging me @callumnova !

Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2021? I’m going to say IN THE DREAM HOUSE by carmen maria mechado, that was exquisite in content and in form & challenged my perception in several ways

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2021? I read elena ferrante’s neapolitan novels this year - I think those were the only sequels I’ve picked up. of those, I think I liked THOSE WHO LEAVE AND THOSE WHO STAY the most!

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To? oooh HANI AND ISHU’S GUIDE TO FAKE DATING by adiba jaigirdar !

Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2021? I honestly don’t know what’s releasing later this year, I might update my answer to this once I’ve had a look

Biggest Disappointment? ARSENIC AND ADOBO by mia p manansala. if I wasn’t filipino & craving the filipino-ness of it all I don’t think I would’ve finished it. it’s not that it was terrible - it was... a book. the things that distracted me were things I would have thought a good editor could’ve pointed out & helped fix. 

Biggest Surprise? IN THE DREAM HOUSE. you see ‘memoir’ and you think of a particular style, and honestly none of it applies here. (read it read it read it)

Favorite New Author? mmm, I’ve just been introduced to & discovered taylor jenkins reid. does she count? I’ve always loved stories about famous people and she does it so well. 

Newest Fiction Crush? it’s still tristan caine. but I am currently reading SPELLBREAKER & developing a crush on bacchus so, stay tuned.

Newest Favorite Character? I adore kit & nina riva from MALIBU RISING!

Book That Made You Cry? uh I’ve been reading a lot of heavier books this year so most of them... but let’s go with THE SEVEN OR EIGHT DEATHS OF STELLA FORTUNA by juliet grames, and also DAISY JONES AND THE SIX by taylor jenkins reid.

Book That Made You Happy? THE ANSWER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS YES by olivie blake. who doesn’t love short stories about love and also female rage?

Favorite Book Adaption You Saw This Year? SHADOW & BONE. I’ve only read the six of crows & crooked kingdom and enjoyed them an average amount, but I lost my mind when I saw them onscreen. so yeah that one’s it.

Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year? I write reviews very occasionally and I always hate them, so I don’t have one. but I like what I wrote about KINDRED for S.P.E.L.L.

Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far This Year? oh god I don’t pay much attention to covers sorry. if this is about content it’s IN THE DREAM HOUSE again for me.

What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year? LEGENDBORN, DIAL A FOR AUNTIES, THE GIRLS I’VE BEEN. i’m also working my way through a list alexene sent me after I finished the neapolitan novels. she has terrific taste (obviously) but I have to pace them because of the emotional devastation, hah

thanks again! tagging: @rivanina @its-sjay @cocoartistwrites but no pressure!

[reyyya]

it’s 4am and i just finished hani and ishu’s guide to fake dating and i’m so happy i loved it so much bro like i haven’t enjoyed romance since like 6th grade but my heart is melting i love this sm