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bookaddict24-7 · 4 months ago

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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Every week I will post various reviews I've written so far in 2024. You can check out my Goodreads for more up-to-date reviews HERE.

Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts?

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267. Body Check by Elle Kennedy--⭐️⭐️.5

You know it's bad when I can't even remember what this book was about LOL. Thank goodness for review notes.

Something about BODY CHECK just didn't immediately grab me like this author's other books. The mood just felt...off?

I've been spoiled by the newer Elle Kennedy books because this one barely had any prep time before the two MCs meant and went to bone town. Usually, Kennedy's characters have some alone time so we can get attached to them. I know this is her first book, so it definitely had some things that could have been done better. And then I start thinking about how this is a re-edited edition and I'm just kind of mind-blown.

Anyway, other than the fact that this very much felt like a Harlequin novel (not that this is a bad thing, it's just the kind of romance that happens very quickly and with some over-the-top situations), this was one of those quick books that entertains you in the moment and then immediately leaves your mind. I very much wish we'd gotten a bit more about these two before they got together. What we DID get was interesting.

The FMC had a Rachel & Ross situation going on at the beginning of the book and the poor guy was a goner that moment she had some good-good from the hockey player. The best part of this book was the scandal that was haunting the hockey players and the MC's dad. Even though I guessed the twist, it was still fun and entertaining.

If you want spicy spice, this will feed you. You will need milk. But if you want Kennedy's signature (sometimes slow burn) romance with characters who have to work to fall for each other, this one might not be for you. BUT if you're new to Kennedy, this might be a good place to start (only up from here).

I think this is one of those instances where this could have still as a backlist title, especially since most of Kennedy's more recent romance titles are a lot better. I'm not going to talk about her summer series because please.

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268. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a unique take on Cinderella!

ELLA ENCHANTED was both enjoyable and heartbreaking, all because of poor Ella's curse (excuse me, fairy "gift"). It did make for interesting moments where she learned how to maneuver her curse, and moments where I wanted to protect her from the evil people in her life trying to control her.

What I liked about this one too is that the prince knew who she was before her life completely fell apart. I liked that they had a childhood together where they fell for each other genuinely, and not because Ella looked pretty at a ball.

There was so much adventure, fun, misery, and anger felt in these pages. I also really liked that there were magical limitations and consequences for magical troublemaking. It helped the story feel a bit more genuine and like Ella would have to fight more for her freedom (which made for an even better story).

The ending had me smiling like a sap. Man, I'm glad I've finally read some of these classic stories, but I do wish I'd read them when I was younger. I just know my imagination would have been going wild back then.

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269. Alive & Wells by Bailey Hannah--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Still hung up on that awesome dedication: "For the city girls in their cowboy romance era. And for the country girls who know a fictional cowboy is always better than the real thing." LOL.

I bought this on a whim during one afternoon trip to a bookstore. I know ranchers and cowboys have been getting really popular in romance novels and I've been curious. I remember my co-worker mentioned that she's met cowboys up in Alberta and they aren't as charming as the ones in the books (which is another reason why I love that dedication so much). But you know, I'm the type of woman who lives vicariously through fiction and that's okay.

Western suspenseful romance is a genre I never thought I'd be into, but after Devney Perry I've been unconsciously looking for more books like INDIGO RIDGE and this was a close comparison. We immediately get that threat of a douche husband and the MC's escape sets off a chain of events. She grows a lot as a character as she takes back her identity and strength that she lost during her marriage.

I LOVED the tension between her and the MMC because he has a genuine reason for being so wary of her. I will always love the idea of one MC having the prove themself to the other. Assuming is the killer of so many first impressions and I love that journey to healing that immediate rift. It usually turns into some nice spicy moments and deep connections between the characters--the perfect pay-off.

I liked that Hannah doesn't shy away from showing the painful aftermath of living in an abusive relationship and how one heals from it both with the help of others, but also with their own self-strength.

Also, can't NOT include the amazing cast of side characters who offered such an incredible level of support and entertainment! I can't wait to read their stories if they're written.

I devoured this book in the only way in can be devoured piece by piece every night for a week. Such a great western romance. Highly recommend. Intense TW for DV, potential gun violence, PTSD, and verbal abuse.

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270. Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this completely blind and a part of me is happy about it and another part is curious as to whether I would have picked this up after reading the synopsis. Sometimes I avoid books like this, either because the concept of it gives me anxiety or because I just side-eye it until it leaves my sight.

THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE was an alright read that honestly made me curious about whether I should DNF it or not. I found myself wanting to do anything but listen to an audiobook and that's usually a telling sign. I will admit though that when I forced myself to press play, I DID enjoy what I was reading. Of course, there were some moments where I rolled my eyes, but there were other moments where I genuinely laughed and rooted for the MC.

Her teen life was awful and I felt so bad for her. It's true that that shit stays with you into adulthood (she says, as she thinks of how her experiences as a bullied kid still haunts her to this day) and can even alter the way you view life and the people you let in. What I wasn't a big fan of was how the MC let out her meanness on her neighbour and the people around her. She lived in that lonely bubble for most of her life and kicked people back before they could enter that bubble. In a way, this was a cautionary tale that the prison others make for you becomes so comfortable that it's really hard to break out of it.

The love interest (we all know it's not that Ken doll she meets briefly. This can't be a spoiler because it's always the one who makes the MC the angriest in the most sexually-tense way) was one of the best parts of this book. I loved that we got to know him alongside the MC and that maybe, he wasn't the jerk she thought he was. Their romance was adorable and saved a chunk of the book.

My major issues were her attitude, her obsession with that dude (to the point where it was just creepy), and some reviewers pointed out some inconsistencies that an editor would have caught.

Do I think this could easily be someone's favourite book? Hell yeah, I do. Look at that overall rating! I'm glad others liked it way more than I did. If you like romances with deadlines, a bit of paranormal action, and a grumpy neighbour who is secretly a cinnamon roll, then you might like this one!

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271. The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Unpopular opinion, but save for the conflict resolution in this one, I think I liked the first book more. BUT this was still really cute!!!

I think the problem with me and this book was that everyone hyped it up for me. I had already loved Joyce's previous book, so I was doubly excited for THE EX VOWS. AND don't get me wrong, this one was super enjoyable. I had fun and I loved the characters and how they found themselves back in each others' orbits. I love a solid redemption arc.

But.

Something about this one didn't immediately grab me like the other book. I think it was the main trope. I'm not as big of a fan of second chance romances and I think that's honestly a very me problem. The other was an enemies to lovers romance and that is my bread and butter, second chance takes a while to capture me. I do love when a romance is rekindled and it's proven that the MC and her love interest have shared a love all along, but there's no tension like that of enemies LOL.

Anyway, THE EX VOWS was cute! I liked that we get thrown immediately into this uncomfortable situation where the MC is forced to face the one who got away (let their love sizzle down?). As the story progresses, we learn that both characters dropped the ball either from anxiety and a fear of failure, and a lack of self-love and self-importance. In other words, neither communicated (which I will ALWAYS say is a relationship killer). And now, they have a second chance.

I think what makes this story so successful with so many readers is how palpable the connection is between these two characters, and how much they love their friends. But also, the representation of what getting help and putting yourself first looks like. Also, the friendships are so sweet and portray what sometimes happens in life as we grow and change and adapt to what life throws at us.

Also, that conflict resolution. Because please, that was some A+ level writing and I wish more romance novels employed that level of communication and understand during the climax of a story.

Read this book. It's popular for a reason--it's very well written and I am SO excited to see what else Jessica Joyce writes!

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272. Stay Dead by April Henry--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

STAY DEAD was not at all what I was anticipating. For some reason, that cover made me think that this was going to be a zombie apocalypse book (the truth behind entering a book without reading the synopsis). Thankfully, I'm still a sucker for these kinds of books. Survival and running away from someone hunting the MC down? Sign me up!

While I do wish there was more of a survival aspect after the plane crash, I was completely pulled in by the MC's intelligent approach to surviving the people who wanted her dead. There were some moments where I thought it would all end, but she somehow would get out safe. Also, as I've mentioned many times in past reviews, I love when a villain underestimates the MC because it makes the story more exciting.

I also liked that this was a realistic situation because of the reason behind WHY the MC and the previous people involved were hurt or hunted. I won't say it here, but I thought it was very timely. It was also well supported by that surprising third perspective that gives us more of an explanation of what was happening, why it was happening, and the real-life consequences.

And while I did like the hint of a romance there with the childhood best friend, I do appreciate that Henry stayed true to the story and focused more on the MC's journey than the potential romance. It was also left open-ended enough that there is either a what-if aspect to it, or a sequel cooking somewhere.

Overall, this was fun and was non-stop action. Really ended up enjoying this one, even if it wasn't about zombies.

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273. The Switch by Lynsay Sands--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved the bi-panic in this LOL gave me a great laugh. But impressed that it was happening in a book published when it was (late 90s).

I'll be honest, I'm always wary whenever I start a historical romance. I don't know if it'll be a story that immediately hooks me, or if it'll be one that has so much exposition that I'll be dragging my eyelids open. Thankfully, THE SWITCH was fun from the very beginning.

These twin sisters were smart and hilarious as they fell into their new roles, even if one twin was slightly more selfish than the other. And to be fair, that was part of the character growth--the one MC learning to stand up for herself and that being a little selfish sometimes is healthy.

I thought that the star of the book was the MMC and his constant confusion. It brought back memories of MULAN and how Li Shang must have felt when he found himself attracted to Mulan when she was dressed as a man. Watching this man trying to figure out his confusing feelings was pure entertainment--especially when this story is set in a world where queerness wasn't something done out in the open. Of course, there were moments that were indicative of the time this book was written (like trying to force someone to sleep with a woman at a brothel to make him "manlier"), but I'll be honest and say I was incredibly surprised with how progressive this novel felt.

THE SWITCH was just pure fun and I enjoyed every moment of it, even if these sisters have a really bad habit of jumping into danger feet first and without looking.

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274. The Hookup Mix-Up by Riley Hart--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

These marshmallow characters were the sweetest LOL. Loved this, but I know I read this series out of order. Oops.

THE HOOKUP MIX-UP was such a fun and adorable time. I love that this couple started with a friendship because the one MC's self-esteem needed to be brought up before he could feel loved and love in return. The way they meet was adorable and the mix-up had me cackling. I just kept thinking "So adorably dumb."

This was definitely one of those books that is meant to be devoured in the summer. The spicy elements were great and their chemistry was jumping off the page. I loved their dynamic and how each offered the other something that they were both missing.

The side characters were hilarious and added so much personality to the book. I do wish I had read their book first. I liked that they side-eyed the MCs whenever they tried to play down what they were doing together.

I DO wish we had gotten more of a conclusion regarding the one MC's ex. I would have loved to see her be more aware of what she lost because she was BRUTAL. This book could have definitely been a little bit longer.

But this was still a fun time and like the past books I've read by Riley Hart, I really enjoyed this one!

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Happy reading!

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mego42 · 4 years ago

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I 100% agree about wanting more fanfic lists! I honestly think it's the best way to get a variety. Everybody has personal preferences, if someone, who mostly reads long, fluffy au Brio fic, is making recs, they're not likely to mention short, angsty, canon Brio (which is understandable and fair!) so ideally someone else, who does like those, would also do recs. I'm pretty sure I've read or at least tried the vast majority of Brio fics, but the recs often make me re-read the fic and author.

YAAASSSS!!! I mean like, okay, I v much get why people have issues with rec lists, and I def do not by any stretch endorse the idea that recs/rec lists should be considered anything other than one person sharing a think they liked, but to me a lot of the issues (the same fics/authors getting recced, feeling like awesome fics/authors are going unrecognized) can be solved by more reccing, not less. everyone’s got different taste and different stuff they look/read for and I am extremely pro sharing that.

Idk, I think about it like this: in a previous internet life I was a YA book blogger and I lived and died by recs from other bloggers whose taste and preferences I knew. I mean, you know, I’d check out a book bc the premise sounded interesting but literally the first thing I would do was go to Goodreads and look for a handful of people who tended to like the same books I did and see what they were saying about it bc that was the best way to get a good idea of if I wanted to give it a shot. Or, on the flip side, there were some people whose reviews I followed bc I knew we v much did not read for the same things so if they hated a book for X, Y and Z reasons, I was probs going to like it (one thing about book blogging is if you want to keep current, you do not have a lot of time to mess around, snap judgements are key but that’s a whole other thing and idk if it’s even relevant anymore bc that landscape has changed so much).

ANYWAY, the point is, I got in the habit and now I do the same thing with fic bc, tbh, I don’t have a ton of time to read, esp not when I’m actively writing which, with the exception of the last week or two, I’ve been doing p non-stop since I got here. All of which to say is, I am desperately in favor of fic recs for purely selfish reasons, I need them! Give them to me!!! Please!!!!!

That said, I uh, am v bad at returning the favor and I recognize that (I think I’ve made what? two rec lists for this fandom?) so I will try to do better to live by my own, idek what this is, moving on and here are 10 recs not really thematically linked by anything other than I’ve read them and loved them and don’t think I’ve put any of them on one of my rec lists yet (and if I have, my blog is a trainwreck I cannot be expected to remember what’s on it LET ME LIVE):

The Goodest Boy by EnsignDisaster

There’s a key turning in the lock and Buddy rushes over to greet his Master excited for her to meet his new friends. The door opens and he dances around Master’s feet rejoicing on the fact that she’s made it home. It's been literally forever.

“Hey Buddy what’s wrong? Need to go potty? Need to pee-pee?”

“Nah he’s good we took him out.”

Master does something very unMasterlike, she drops all the food she’d brought in on the ground and screams. It’s a non traditional avant garde type of hello…Buddy loves it. Mostly because while Master taps furiously on her small light box and sits tense in the corner opposite his new friend Buddy can lick up the egg smashed on the hardwood floor.

Buddy! The! Dog! POV! no further explanation necessary. Technically WIP, but it covers the whole pilot in a way that could be read as standalone (THOUGH THAT WOULD V MUCH GIVE ME A SAD though, when did the show forget the Bolands had a dog? so maybe that’s a tragic casualty of canon, idk)

May The Moon’s Silvery Beams by @pynkhues

Emma hums in agreement, and Rio turns her around to sit her on the counter, grabbing one of the older looking boxes of muesli while she kicks her legs out, heels bumping back against the counter, watching him. He gropes around the inside of the box, finally just opting to pull the plastic cereal bag out and peering inside. He can’t quite keep the grin off his face when he sees the wad of cash lining the bottom. This woman kills him, she really does.

Then there’s a little face peering up beside him, trying to peek into the box.

“What is it?” she asks, and he tilts the box sideways so she can see inside.

The upside to not getting here until s3 is that old fic is new to me! Huzzah!! Idk how many of y’all have already read this on but if you haven’t I highkey recommend. Extremely cute take on what if Emma woke up when Rio and came by to collect his/Beth’s/whoever's money during the shutdown. Cannot believe I’m reccing kidfic. Witchcraft!!!!!!

Maybe You’re My Fantasy by ohmisterjapan

He fucking loves the involuntary. It speaks to how he likes to unlock chaos and walk away. He's been called a control freak before and it felt like such a misunderstanding of him - he's all about self control but he doesn't want to control others. It's more that he enjoys revealing to them how little they can control themselves. It's more that he likes to stand still in the eye of someone else's storm and pick coldly through the wreckage.

Another oldie but a goodie. This fic is more like an extended character study (first chapter Rio POV, second chapter Beth) and I LIVE FOR THIS KIND OF SHIT. I really really really love the take on both characters, it really digs in and pulls out some nuances that made me sit and think about my own read of them and I love it.

A Shock Of Blue by mintletters16

“You don’t look very well. Would you… like me to get you a glass of water or something?”

Her voice is low but smooth, laced with a softness that cuts straight though to his core. Strawberry blonde locks fall gently just above the pair of magnets freezing him in place.

He can still feel the chaos tearing through his veins - emanating from the gold plated gun stuffed in his waistband - and suddenly he can’t be here anymore. Can’t meet this wide-eyed gaze that’s been locked on his for the past God-knows-how-long anymore.

Can’t see blue alive and concerned when he just left it cold and void somewhere in oblivion.

She’s looking at him like he’s on the brink of madness. He thinks maybe he is.

Apparently, it’s backlist rec day over here and I’m not sorry. This one is another technical WIP but the chapter works as a standalone (BUT if the author decided to return to it I WOULD NOT BE MAD). It’s a what if Beth and Rio met pre-canon and it works so!!! well!!!! The tension and fascination and build are all *chef’s kiss* plus the writing is gorgeous and lyrical and ugh, I love it.

for a moment we were strangers by openhearts

“We got stuff,” Rio motions with a nod to the backpack Beth hadn’t noticed when they arrived hanging on the back of one of the chairs at the island.

She swallows and turns back to the dishes, realizing Rio apparently means to sleep there , assuming the place isn’t bugged. Or for some kind of cover story if it is. She turns and fixes Rio with a narrow-eyed stare, studying his face, the corner of his jaw especially prominent from the angle she’s looking up at him. He’s methodical about drying each dish and setting it back on the rack, maddeningly ignoring her hard stare, so when he goes to take the next plate from her hands she grips it tightly and gets his attention.

“Hey.”

“What you on about now?” he asks, irritated.

It gets her gut uneasy, how he’s just . . . there, settling in, in ways he never had before, no matter how nonchalantly he would let himself in through her locked doors.

“This is,” Beth tries, failing, to find words for it, “. . . it’s weird .”

This one takes place post 204 and Rio and Marcus end up spending a long weekend staying with Beth and Emma for reasons (that work, for the record, I’m just not trying to summarize rn) and it’s domestic and cute but honestly my fav part of it is how weirded out Beth is by how easily they slip into sync. The story does an excellent job balancing where they are in canon (uneasy post-sex truce) with a snapshot of what they could be if they got over themselves (HA! as if) and Beth is DEEPLY FREAKED which makes her slow slide into realizing she could maybe sort of kind of oh shit like it/him??? that much more satisfying.

Not So Careful by @bensonstablers

When he doesn’t answer, her eyes go to his but he’s too busy watching the letter opener which is still pressed against the back of his hand. Curiously, Beth runs it up his arm, careful not to press too hard, and smiles a little as he shivers. Pulling her leg up onto the bed, she shuffles closer to him before pressing the tip of the sword to his chest and slowly circling his left nipple with it, being sure not to get too close.

“You ain’t gotta be that careful.”

And when she lifts her eyes to meet his, he’s got that look. The one that always makes a lump form in her throat and for her to fall back into bed with him without a single thought of what they have to do that day. Only thing is, this time they’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the weekend and well, staying in bed the entire time had seemed like an appealing idea so she allows herself to give in a little to that look.

It makes me EXTREMELY SAD that knifeplay ranked so low on the kink survey so I’m gonna need y’all to check out this V V V EXCELLENT example of it and come back and tell me you’re sorry and you voted wrong. I am v reasonable what are you talking about.

love (where it wasn’t supposed to be) by @lilliloves

"You know what I can't stand?" Rio asks, stepping closer. It's a rhetorical question but he pauses for a second and watches Dean sniff, watches a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead, watches him shift on both his feet as he contemplates making a run for it.

"A guy who don’t realize how good he's got it." Rio continues, looking Dean up and down in disgust. "A guy that will literally fuck up a good thing just to get his dick wet."

"Yeah, well I can't stand a guy who can have anyone he wants but chooses the married woman he's not entitled to.” Dean shoots back. "And I really can't stand the fact that you're always in the room with us even when you aren't there."

And who brings him into the room Dean hmmmmm????? Jk, jk (or am I). In this one Rio catches Dean out on the town with another woman (bc of course he is) and tries to call him out but whoops! gets called out himself. I really love the like, idk, undercurrent of wistful regret in this fic. I love Dean straight up calling Rio out on his feelings (spoilers but there’s an exchange right after this one that made me straight up holler), and, you know, obvs I am here for Rio making Dean feel like an ass.

Hell Is Other People by makemanybraver

Rio: We're in Hell, Elizabeth! If you don't think you belong here, then repent! Don't fuck everyone in the room in hopes that you get to go out!

Beth: Why do I have to repent?!

Rio: Because you did some fucked up shit in your life, Elizabeth! You keep doing fucked up shit here, too! And you think you don't belong here!

Beth [screaming at the top of her lungs]: Because I don't!

This fic is existentially bonkers and I love it. It’s the kind of experimental format/homage/what have you kind of thing that I L O V E. Based on No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, Beth, Rio, and Fitzpatrick are stuck together in a room in hell for all eternity. What more do you need, honestly.

Working On Things by odenkirk

Unknown Hold up, Elizabeth. I'm really thinkin about you here.

Beth turned her face into the pillow, effectively suffocating herself for a moment, but thinking it was a good trade off for the way the cool silk of her pillowcase chilled her skin.

She lifted her head to glance at the still sleeping Dean before replying.

Beth I'm thinking about you too. But this can't happen.

She wanted him to know she wanted him, but she also thought that admitting she was already there would save Rio from trying to convince her. She wanted him, but morals had to win just once in a while.

YES this is technically Beth/Dean while also being Beth/Rio BUT it’s also sort of Rio/Dean and I am HERE FOR THE DIVERSITY OF SHIPPING leave me alone who asked you.

Five Times He Knew What She Was Thinking, and One Time He Didn't by JoeyLee

Aight, so tell ‘em I was hittin’ it. Said deliberately blunt, eyes locked on her face the whole time, just to see those blue eyes widen. She looked so shocked that he almost laughed, so he softened it teasingly just to keep her going. Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart, tell ‘em we were makin’ love.

Then he just watched her, just watched her face, just fucking fascinated. Her lips were parted and her eyes were big as saucers, and…there it was. Before she could look away flustered, he watched the thought go through her mind. Him and her together.

He wondered what she was picturing or where. Them in the back seat, her bed, a motel? Her on top or him from behind or his face between her legs?

Whatever it was, the blush started immediately, and he watched it bloom out from her cheeks to her hair. Then she was tearing her eyes away to gulp a little. But it didn’t knock her down for long before she was looking back. And then, wait, was she actually asking him how to go about telling a fed they were fucking?

Okay this is another technical WIP but works as a standalone. I am absolutely fucking feral for character POV takes of canon scenes and this is a supremely excellent take on Rio POV of some notable scenes from the pilot through 204. Imo it brilliantly captures Rio’s voice and I love it a lot.

HEADS UP I am absolute shite at tracking ao3 to tumblr unless people have specifically told me someone’s ao3/tumblr name SO if you recognize any of the non-tumblr authors on please lmk so I can tag them and YES I recognize that I am asking y’all to do things for me throughout this entire post and I’M SORRY OKAY I’M A WHOLE ASS MESS LOVE YOU BYE

#brio fic #brio fanfiction #good girls fanfiction #fic recs #anon #asks #gg disk horse #i feel like i had jokes i wanted to make in the tags but now that im here i've totally forgotten them #ANYWAY the important takeaway here is #tell me what you like and why i want to know okay #send me recs #ME ME ME #hahahahaha jk #sort of

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libertyreads · 4 years ago

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Best and Worst Books of 2020

This has been a mess of a year for everyone, but I actually managed to get a lot of books read. I decided to repeat this post from last year because I enjoyed going back through all the things I read and remembering how I felt about them.

I’ll try to avoid any repeats, but I’m sure it’ll happen at some point. If you want more info about my feelings on these books, check out my ratings and reviews on GoodReads.

Best Sci-Fi: This one was such an easy pick for me. All Systems Red by Martha Wells. This whole series just knocks it out of the park. The Murderbot Diaries is a series about a Security Bot who hacks their governor module so they can just watch their shows all day. Too bad the humans they’re assigned to protect are getting into trouble left and right. Worst Sci-Fi: Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt. I remember this being a free e-book that I picked up this year. I explained it to my husband as a sci-fi version of Twilight. You get a small town nerdy girl with few friends who suddenly becomes important when this alien boy pays attention to her. It was definitely a book of its time. Best Fantasy: A Fantasy that I really enjoyed this year was Fable by Adrienne Young. It is about a girl whose pirate father leaves her stranded on a deserted island after her mother dies. If she can survive, she can find her way back to him and receive her inheritance. It goes in depth about family and friendship. Plus found families. Am I right? Worst Fantasy: The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Oh boy. How do I get into it with this one without regurgitating my review? I had a problem with the author taking all of the best known magical stories of all time and twisting them throughout this dense book in order to point out that magic is a problem to be dealt with and not all unicorns and rainbows--just to rip that point out of the reader’s hands in the last four pages of the novel. Please read my review I go so in depth there. Best Contemporary: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. I think this was mostly just that I read this book at the right time. This book is about a family who is going through a hard time when the father is diagnosed with terminal cancer. They decide to spend one final summer at their cabin on the lake before he passes. I distinctly remember crying my eyes out at the end of this one and it hitting me so hard. Worst Contemporary: Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally. This was a Book of the Month pick for me at a time when they had less variety in their options. I felt like I couldn’t keep pushing back my picks every month. It’s a story about this rock band family who divorced in the late 90s and the fall out for their two children while one moves to New York to pursue a music career. A lot of fluff and almost no substance. Best Mystery: This is the year I realized that I like YA Mystery novels and not a lot else in the mystery genre. I had a three way tie for best Mystery and they call came from the YA Age Range. The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson, In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund, and The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. These were all done so well and all taking the things I love about mysteries and twisting them. Worst Mystery: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. I had heard so many amazing things about this book, but it fell so flat for me. I hate unreliable narrators. Why are they necessary in this genre? I feel like if you need an unreliable narrator to write a good mystery then you’re a bad mystery author. Best YA: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton. This is book 2 in the Rebel of the Sands series. It’s a desert Fantasy that is written so well. The world building is fantastic. We have a rebellion, magic, and some amazing characters. In book two we see Amani thrust into court politics. I marathoned this whole series in a couple of weeks and loved the adventure. Worst YA: The worst YA book I read this year was Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke. I felt like the story went no where and the writing was overly flowery. I’m sure it does good things for some people but it’s the polar opposite of what I love in books. Best Adult: For this one we have a two way tie. The first book is House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas. Is this the next great American novel? Of course not. But I had an amazing time reading this book. I felt so many feelings and the world building was fantastic. The second book is In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren. I read an ARC of this for my Christmas in July and enjoyed it so much I had to read it again right before Christmas. It was perfect for getting in the Christmas spirit. Worst Adult: This category is also a two way tie. I read The Broken Girls by Simone St. James and thoroughly disliked the mystery aspect of the story. I felt like it was left too open ended and it completely put me off. The second is a book of poetry called Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. It felt like a lot of these poems were incomplete thoughts. Maybe it’s how open it is too interpretation again, but I really did not like this at all. Best New Release: This feels like the hardest category to pick from. If we’re going based on ratings, Check, Please! Volume #2: Sticks and Scones is the highest rated new release that I read this year. But I also have a couple of YA Mystery novels that I read this year that I loved and that stuck with me throughout the year. The first is The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson which is the third book in the Truly Devious series and finishes out that mystery arc. The second is The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which I have been raving about since I read it this fall. The Inheritances games is the first book in a new series that is like a combination of Knives Out and Clue plus puzzles minus a few murders. It’s just so good. So, a top three for this category I guess. Worst New Release: The Bookweaver’s Daughter by Malavika Kannan. This one was easy to pick hands down. I felt like this book brushed over some major events that happened. As well, there’s a major lack of world building in this novel. I think with some polishing it could have made for a good middle grade novel but was sold as a YA novel. Best Backlist: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. I’m normally not huge into Adult Fantasy, but I feel like the author does a good job of making the world accessible to the reader even though it’s vast with a lot of political machinations. Probably one of the best series I read start to finish this year. Worst Backlist: The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom. I was going to put in Wink Poppy Midnight here again, but technically I gave The Cruelty the same rating and I wanted to avoid repeats. For this one, I gave a LENGTHY review about my problems with the book. I wanted to like it, but the author’s internalized ableism and misogyny really ruined the party here. Best 2021 ARC: This was a two way tie between “You Have a Match” by Emma Lord and “Shipped” by Angie Hockman. I had no idea I enjoyed these equally because they’re such different books. Both are contemporaries but “You Have A Match” is YA Contemporary about families and secrets while “Shipped” is an Adult Contemporary about a hate to love romance and work/life balance. Worst 2021 ARC: “The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)” by Alyssa B. Sheinmel. This one is more of a problem about what the publishers sold the book as. Because the book summary wasn’t correct when it came to the whole point of the book. So I went in with completely incorrect expectations. I think because of the plot twist I would have still rated it lower than the other 2021 ARCs I read, but it would have been a closer contest. Best Standalone: I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan. This is a YA Mystery that came out this Fall that I really enjoyed. It’s about a girl who is present when her friend gets taken from the woods. Years later she still has trouble dealing with being the child left behind so she starts a podcast to help people solve missing persons cases. It also had a surprise cult element that I wasn’t expecting and really enjoyed. Worst Standalone: Meet Me at Fir Tree Lodge by Rachel Dove. This one is a bit blurred in my brain. I think that really speaks to how I feel about this one. It is about a girl whose life falls apart after a skiing accident and how she tries to put it back together. But it involves a romance with an Alpha Male character which everyone hates at this point. I wanted it to be sweeter and softer and more heart wrenching than it was. Best Book in a Series: All Systems Red by Martha Wells. I scoured my spreadsheets to try to find a book I hadn’t already gushed over, but there’s a reason this one is in the top of so many categories. I love Murderbot and following all of their misadventures. The Murderbot Diaries is a series about a Security Bot who has hijacked their Governor Module and just wants to watch their serials all day. But those pesky human’s they’re hired to protect keep getting themselves in trouble. Worst Book in a Series: I found the book in a series that I gave the worst rating to and I had to go over my review to try to remember what it’s even about. I read Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward which is the first book in the Legacy Trilogy. And I still don’t remember much about it. I remember it being dense and hard to read without getting a lot out of the book in reward for my effort. It was a hard slog and clearly not great if I can’t remember what it’s about less than 9 months after I read it.

#end of the year posts #booklr #bookstagram #best books #worst books #best book #worst book #books of 2020 #books read in 2020 #2020 reading challenge #goodreads challenge #goodreads

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backofthebookshelf · 6 years ago

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Book Recs for Magnus Archives Fans

I was just rambling in tags the other day about how my avatarsona was "the Archivist, but a public librarian: Oh, you like dirt?? Let me tell you all the dirt stories I have!!!!" so, uh, here I am I guess.

I'm gonna spare you all the M.R. James and Algernon Blackwood and House of Leaves and Blindsight; you know all that already. These are my horror backlist recs.

The Bone Key by Sarah Monette Y'all. Y'ALL. Kyle Murchison Booth was absolutely the Archivist before Gertrude. He was poached from the Parrington by the Usher Foundation and the Eye glommed onto him at once, because the Eye loves disaster queers who can't people right (and also Gertrude). This I believe to be true, and so will you.

Kyle Murchison Booth is an archivist at the Parrington Museum, which is somewhere in New England, sometime in the early twentieth century. He also has a lifelong entanglement with the supernatural which is almost entirely not his fault, and he would very much like it to stop, but he also feels responsible and he can't just let evil mirrors and cursed necklaces and possessed dressing gowns randomly eat people who have no idea what's happening. Even if it means he's going to suffer for it.

(This collection doesn't contain all of the Booth stories, so here I am going to link to "White Charles", which happens to be my very favorite Booth story.)

For you if your favorite part is: honestly everything about MAG, from the modern sensibilities about early twentieth-century-horror, truly eerie ghost stories, to suffering eldritch librarians (thanks to whoever tagged my most recent fic with that you're so valid), monsterfucking and soft gay pining. No happy endings here, sorry.

Bedfellow by Jeremy C. Shipp You may or may not have heard that Macmillan-Tor is launching a horror imprint, and I don't know how long it's been since a major publishing house has had a horror imprint, but I am EXCITE. This book is part of the trend that's the reason why: Tor.com has been publishing these kickass novellas for a couple years now, and their horror books are top notch.

One night a stranger knocks on a family's living room window and asks to be invited in. They ask him to stay the night. He's an old friend, after all, he needs a place to stay. You can't kick out your twin brother when he's just gotten divorced, no matter how much Gatorade he spills on your two-year-old hardwood floors.

For you if your favorite part is: the Stranger, this is all Stranger, it's terrifying and good.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll A graphic novel, some of these were originally posted as webcomics (have you seen His Face All Red, and if not, why not???) and the only disadvantage to having them in book form is they can't blink at you. Probably. Very folktale-ish, with all the death and violence that implies, and also the slightly eerie feeling that you know this story already, and then it turns around and slaps you.

For you if your favorite part is: looking over your shoulder when the foley gets good; Once Upon a Time in Space (I know that's not technically part of the Magnus Archives but shush)

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle I am not usually a fan of artists who jump media. Just because you can write songs doesn't mean you can write novels. Apparently writing good songs doesn't mean you can't write good novels, though, because John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats (pretty sure that's his full name at this point) wrote Universal Harvester and I love him for it.

Jeremy works at a video rental place in Nevada, Iowa (it's pronounced Nah-vey-da, and yes it’s real, I've been there, and yes, it's probably haunted). It's the 1990s, and someone's been returning their VHS tapes with something on them that isn't just the movie. Footage that includes a barn that he recognizes, just outside of town.

Fair warning: this is not the kind of mystery that gets tied up in a nice bow at the end.

For you if your favorite part is: Jon losing it with paranoia in S2, The People's Church of the Divine Host, the Lonely

The Good House by Tananarive Due If this author's name is unfamiliar to you, RUN, do not walk, to your nearest internet bookseller and purchase every single one of her books immediately, you will not regret it. She also just came out with a documentary on black horror, Horror Noire, on the Shudder streaming service. They've got a free month if you aren't a horror movie person, it'd be worth your while. This book summary sounds like it's full of tropes. It is, but Due has the cred to write them well.

Angela Toussaint hopes to salvage her suffering marriage and her troubled relationship with her teenage son with a trip to her grandmother's house, a home so beloved the locals in small-town Washington state call it "The Good House," but tragedy strikes instead. Two years later she returns and finds that the tragedy isn't over, and it's not going to stop on its own.

For you if your favorite part is: the very practical statement-givers who know what's happening to them and Will Not Put Up With This Shit, the Desolation, the Hill Top Road statements

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins Is this horror disguised as fantasy? Found family disguised as horror? Grown-up Neil Gaiman? Less grimdark George R.R. Martin? Honestly I have no fucking idea, but it's amazing. Fair warning, unlike Magnus Archives, this deserves all kinds of trigger warnings, including but not necessarily limited to: sexual assault, torture, mental manipulation, dysfunctional families, incest(?)

Father is missing, and his twelve children (though extremely talented in their own ways, and not strictly speaking children any more) are at a loss without him. But also, without him, things are starting to seem different. He might be God? They might not be human? (They were probably human once.) He might not be God but maybe one of them might be next? If any of them survive.

For you if your favorite part is: slowly turning into a monster, the relationships between entities and avatars, monsters hot (not kidding about the trigger warnings)

The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley I have to keep reminding myself that Magnus Archives isn't really folk horror, there are two separate (if related) strains of British horror here and folk horror is not the one we're on, but at the same time I really want a good creepy rural pagan cult to show up in the series, you know? Anyway.

When he was a child, our narrator used to go with his family on an Easter pilgrimage to shrine on a bleak stretch of Lancaster coastline locals called The Loney. His Catholic mother was searching for a cure for his older brother, and she was convinced if they kept going long enough she would be granted her wish. The locals, however, are not huge fans of her annual visits, and even less so when the boys become involved with the goings-on of a pair of glamorous tourists.

For you if your favorite part is: the Lukases, I didn't realize until I was writing this up that I'm picturing Moreland House in the exact place described by this book

Eutopia by David Nickle One thing I love about the historical statements in Magnus Archives is just how truly historical they are. There's almost nothing in "The Piper" that isn't historically accurate - yes, Wilfrid Owen spent several days in a trench underneath the shredded bodies of his fellow soldiers. Like. You can't make up horror worse than that. But then you add monsters and it gets good. And I'm a sucker for early-twentieth-century history, it's such a bonkers time.

It's 1911 and the new Eugenics Record Office is sending agents out to catalog the disabled, infirm, and otherwise undesirable members of society so they can figure out what to do about them. In the utopian town of Eliada, Idaho, Dr. Andrew Waggoner runs from the racism of American society and straight into the influence of Mister Juke, the most troubling patient in his new practice. (Trigger warnings for, obviously, a whole lot of ableism. Treated like the monstrousness it is, but there's a lot of it.)

For you if your favorite part is: learning history through horror, the Flesh

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay I hate male writers writing about teenage girls, so you are going to have to trust me when I say that I had to check, several times while reading this book, to make sure that Paul Tremblay is actually a dude. He's very good. This book was kind of his breakout, so if you follow horror you've read it already, but if you don't necessarily then please do not miss it. His newer ones, Disappearance at Devil's Rock (Stranger, Spiral) and The Cabin at the End of the World (Slaughter, Extinction), are also good but not as good as this, I think.

Fourteen-year-old Marjorie is having a rough time - outbursts, hallucinations, paranoia. Treatment is difficult (and expensive) and her family ambivalent; they turn to a local Catholic priest, who recommends an exorcism and, to help manage those medical bills, a production company who's interested in filming a reality TV show about the process. Fifteen years later, Marjorie's sister deconstructs the now-famous show and wrestles with her own memories of childhood. Trigger warnings for ableism on the part of many of the characters, but not the narrative.

For you if your favorite part is: the Spiral, metafictional analysis of horror tropes

#the magnus archives #book recs #there's a lot of other things i could tag this as #but i wrote it for this fandom #is this a transparent excuse to get more people to read booth stories??#it is #it really is

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opheliakeeauthor · 3 years ago

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Publishing in Reverse?

Listen to Publishing in Reverse... As many of you know, I've been on my author's walk for a few years now. I self-published for the first time on May 30, 2018, and have never looked back. I love indie publishing. It gives me a great amount of control over when and how to publish my stories. That's awesome. Over the last few years, I've seriously studied publishing and marketing. I've learned a lot. I've also realized that I have a whole lot more I still don't understand and that things change a lot. That's okay. It's all part of the journey.

Coming soon to a book nook near you! A while back I realized that I needed to do something radically different if I was going to have any real hope of getting my stories in front of readers. I made the decision to publish in short-read miniseries. I also decided to publish as much of the backlist as I could before I had to return to the full-time day job in my professional career. The idea of publishing parts of a series in quick succession is known as rapid release. I did that without knowing what it was until I had been doing it for a while. (Sadly, it didn't help me as I learned later that it had helped others. But I didn't market it so that's okay. It did help me another way that I never expected. I'm very pleased with the results.) It allowed me to increase the size of my bookshelf. That meant that when readers did stumble over the stories in the dream, there was more for them to read. And read they did. So if you've never met Stephen A. North the sci-fi author, allow me to introduce his advice. "The size of your bookshelf matters." No truer words have ever been spoken when it comes to book marketing on a budget.

While beginning to publish the short reads, I learned some more about self-publishing. For me, pre-orders don't work well. For an in-depth explanation on why pre-orders might not be a great idea for new and unknown self-published authors, I would like to refer you to Dave Chesson over at Kindlepreneur. He explains that far better than I ever could. Suffice it to say, I needed something fast. I have a very large backlist of written stories that I want to publish. In order to publish them quickly, I needed to stop wasting time uploading then revisiting for changes to include links to the next title in the book before it in the series. I also didn't have time to post preorders of books that were published in reverse. (In reverse? That sounds weird, but yeah that's right.) It was a bit of a conundrum.

Parts of a miniseries soon to be released! So I began reverse publishing. Once a title was live, I copied the embed link into the title that comes before it and published the entire miniseries in reverse, one title at a time in rapid succession. As I was publishing several miniseries at the same time while waiting on Amazon, things occasionally got confusing. (This was before I made the decision to publish wide.) I wanted to explain so no one got upset. I do still publish in reverse on Amazon on occasion. If you see a book titled Part 4, but can't seem to locate a part 1, 2, and 3, please be patient and check back in a few days. I will likely have the entire miniseries available with all of the appropriate links in place. (I in no way endorse this idea as any kind of good self-publishing advice. I am just being honest about what I am doing. If it sounds crazy, I'm okay with it if you laugh. I was and am simply doing what works for me and my goals at the moment.) Also, to all who read my stories whether in order or not, thank you! Some do read out of order. I don't exactly understand that, but hey I read upside down, backward, and in mirror reverse, so what can I say about people who read out of order? Nothing. So I will be appreciative and simply smile as I shake my head in wonder and a bit of incredulity. Different is great. Readers are Awesome

A shout out to Tori Price who let me in on a possible Kindle glitch with Synner and Sainte Part 1. Thank you so much! Reaching out matters. Draoithe: Synner and Sainte Part 1 is only $.99 to purchase so if you've been considering stepping into the dream here's a perfect chance. Warning, all of my stories are urban fantasy/PNR. They're intended for readers 18+. Synner and Sainte is the Forbye Volume explaining some of the backstories about how the dream has become unbalanced while also introducing readers to the devils of Blar Elding and the harem Markus Sainte builds with Logan Synner and Riggs Sainte. Devils do walk in the Leaindeail, but that's because they were born there.

There are a couple of extra deleted scenes from the cutting room floor at the end of the miniseries. You can find out just how slimy Frank Grimes really is and learn how Luke actually met Fox and Artie as well as get a bit of back story on Ryker. I also want to shout out to Deann Spangler for reaching out to ask questions about the dream. The stories set in the dream are more saga than series. The more you read, the more you discover. Oftentimes the timelines for one story may extend further, introduce other characters, and include information about events that haven't yet been explained fully in other books. The series read order is on my site at OpheliaKee.com.

I apologize that I've as of yet been unable to publish it all. I promise I'm trying. But it does take a bit of time to get it all ready and uploaded to Amazon. Never mind about all the other places the stories are also going as my journey has now led me to publish wide. I promise there are more stories. Many are complete as far as the writing. They are simply waiting on me to get them ready to be published. Others are in various stages of being written, but I'm confident that there is an end. I didn't always know. I know what happens to Peter Elliot at this point. Sorry, you have to wait for that though. That story is one of the ones that isn't finished though so no spoilers.

In Other News Building the storyboard tiles that I use to craft the storyboard preview videos for the saga volumes and also as promotional tools is a lot of work. This one is from the Draoithe: The Library. It's volume 16 in the Draoithe Saga. I love to write, and I love to read, but I also love to create. Building the book trailers and storyboard preview videos is just fun. I even recently began crafting research videos detailing some of the inspirational research that went into writing many of the characters in the Draoithe Saga. If you haven't checked them out, subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch a few. I use a program called Corel to craft the videos in case other creators were curious. (I bought the program for less than a hundred bucks. So no subscription service fees.) Be warned you need a serious desktop with a lot of memory to store the images, music tracks, and to craft the videos. So if you were thinking to go Indie all the way, it's possible with very little money invested beyond a good computer and a few programs.

Sleep and the dream call me so, I must run away. Until next time, please be kind and leave your reviews when you read. Be Careful! Happy Reading, Ophelia Kee Read the full article

#advice #audio #dream #fatedmates #indieauthor #journey #OpheliaKee #paranormalromanceurbanfantasy #reversepublishing #self-publishing #video #writing

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mostlysignssomeportents · 8 years ago

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How to support a writer's career [Please share!]

Since the earliest days of my novel-writing career, readers have written to me to thank me for my books and to ask how they can best support me and other writers whose work they enjoy. Nearly 15 years later, I have a pretty comprehensive answer for them!

Writers' commercial and critical fortunes are intertwined: a writer whose books perform well is a writer whose publisher buys and promotes more books from them, creating a virtuous cycle, as promotions beget more sales and more promotions.

The most important time to support a writer is just after their latest book comes out -- my novel, Walkaway, is in its first week of publication -- because that is the make-or-break moment for that book, and, conceivably, for its writer.

Books that perform well in their first weeks become bestsellers. Bestsellers are more likely to be reviewed by major outlets, they are ordered in larger quantities by booksellers (a bookseller who takes five or more copies of a book will very likely place that book face-out in a new releases section and/or on a table at the front of the store). They are given close attention by collections-development staff in libraries, and are snapped up for translations by foreign publishers. They are read by production staffers for TV and movie studios. They renew interest in the author's backlist, too.

Contrariwise, books that flop go into a death-spiral. They are returned by booksellers, their sales-figures are used to justify a smaller advance for the next book (and less promotions budget), and booksellers order fewer copies of the author's next book. In really dire situations, a badly performing book can kill a writer's career.

Thankfully, Walkaway looks to be on course to be a bestseller, judging from early numbers and indicators. You readers have helped me in innumerable ways to make this happen and I am very, very grateful to you for it. Here are ways that you can continue to support Walkaway, my career, and future books from me:

Buy Walkaway or check it out of the library. Either one sends a strong signal to my publisher, to reviewers, to foreign publishers and to the industry. This is the most important thing you can do.

Review the book and tell your friends. Put your recommendation in your social media, in an online bookseller's page, on Goodreads. There is literally nothing that sells books better than personal recommendations. This is the second-most important thing you can do.

Buy Walkaway from an indie bookseller. The independent booksellers are the best friends authors can have. They support our tours, hand-sell our books, write shelf-reviews and talk the book up to other bookish people. I am visiting 30+ indie bookstores on my tour and leaving signed copies in my wake -- any of the stores I've visited will be glad to send you one by mail-order (and you can always call a store with an upcoming event to request a personalized, inscribed copy). Indie bookstores are experiencing a renaissance and your custom gives them the stability they need to continue.

Come out for the tour! I'm in Chicago tonight at Volumes Bookcafe, with Max Temkin from Cards Against Humanity. Bring along your old books to sign, but buy the new one from the store that's hosting the event, to help them recoup the cost of extra staff, promo, etc. Coming to a tour stop tells bookstores that you value their place in your community and encourages them to continue bringing authors in.

Buy a fair-trade ebook. I just launched the first-ever fair-trade ebook store. I am a retailer for my own ebooks and audiobooks, selling on behalf of my publishers worldwide. Buying direct from me doubles my royalties, and the book you get not only has no DRM, but it also comes without any kind of license agreement, and it is the only way to buy ebooks from a major publisher without having to sign away your legal rights in the bargain. Buying a book this way tells publishers and the industry that fair compensation for authors and fair legal bargain matter to you.

Buy the audiobook. The Walkaway audiobook is amazing, read by Wil Wheaton, Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls), Mirron Willis, Gabrielle de Cuir, Lisa Renee Pitts and Justine Eyre. I produced it independently and it is without question the best audio adaptation of any of my work, ever. Of course, it's DRM-free, too.

I've been on the road for a week now and I'm just hitting my stride. I've met thousands of readers so far on this tour and every meeting has been a pleasure and an honor. You readers are what make my writing possible. Thank you so much for your support, I literally would not have a career without you.

Cory

(Photo: Ruth Copland)

https://boingboing.net/2017/05/07/a-joint-enterprise.html

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cullinankatsudon · 8 years ago

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I know this is your escape blog so feel free not to answer if it feels too much like work but re: what you said on that bad beginnings post about creating good characters, do you have a process for that or like ... thoughts? I would love to write original work, but I'm honestly stumped about how to even begin to create characters I could care about as much as the ones I write fanfic about. Your characters are amazing *cough* Baz & Elijah *cough* so I just thought I'd ask if you had any advice

Well it’s my escape blog, but right now I’m escaping work, so I guess this counts. And talking about characters is always fun. I’m not promoting anything, so I’m good. Also, thanks for the kind words about my stuff.

So first, let’s get something out in the open. Remember on Tumblr I am an old. I’m bad about remembering my age (math, y’all) but I was born in August 1973, so that’s...43? 44 this year? I’ve been here a bit, and I’ve been writing original characters since seventh grade. Actively every year since I was twelve. So that helps a lot. Most of them sucked for a long, long time.

I know everyone says this and everyone gnashes their teeth and rolls their eyes, but reading and watching good story is a good start. Fanfic isn’t a bad place to start, so long as you START there and then DEVELOP into something else. It’s like playing cover songs. You can do that for awhile, but eventually you need to start writing your own work or you’re only a cover band. And at first, your own stuff is going to suck.

Oh, you might get lucky, and there’s always That One Person who seems to shit out story like it’s glitter, but get tea and watch them try to make that a career. They will, I promise, eventually run into trouble. Slow and steady wins the race in that game. Also, though, publishing career and writing original stories are not the same thing. You didn’t ask about career, so let me get back to what you did ask.

Write a lot. Try things. Let them be a mess. That’s bullet point one. I’ll try to give you some other tips, but mostly let them be messy, and don’t be hard on yourself when they’re not what you want them to be.

Let them take their time, and give them plenty of food and water. I all but mean that literally. I make story collages (digital now, but they used to be physical) and Spotify playlists (used to be iTunes, and damn did that get pricey). I buy certain scents and use certain colors around me, even drink certain teas and use particular mugs. Your mileage is going to vary, but it’s all about getting into the character mindset. Watch what they want to watch, read what they want to read. Once I asked a character (Vinnie in Family Man what was his favorite kind of music and he named an artist I hadn’t heard of. I thought it was 70s rock and it turned out to be classic jazz. That one always creeped me out. I told myself I’d heard it somewhere and I forgot. Either that or they’re real and I don’t know how to process that.

Listen to what they say. You can try autowriting, which is when you kind of go into a trance and let the character “talk” through your pen or fingers on the keyboard. I’ve had whole conversations with characters and can do it on the spot. But then, I’m a medium, and I could possibly have conversations with YOUR characters. (I won’t though, sorry.) But you can also get quiet and simply shut your head off and stop trying to drive and see what happens.

I’m going to stop the bullets there a second and wax on about that one because it’s a big one. If you’re going to write a character-driven story, let the damn characters drive. It may mean you have an idea for a plot and then the characters tell you something different. I always raise my eyebrows when I see authors on social media talking about “wrestling” their characters into behaving. I’m like, good luck there, and I always wonder how great that story can be. If they’re misbehaving, assume it’s because you’re sucking at listening.

On that same vein...

Take the detours and side quests your characters nudge you toward. I’m not a big outliner, but when I’m crunched for time, like when, say, 70% of my backlist is tied up in hell and I have to suddenly whip a new out of my ass RFN and it’s a long, complicated one, I turn into an outliner, and I’m here on Tumblr now because all afternoon I’ve been end-running my own process and outlining my novel, which is to say I’m outlining the characters like crazy. I took a long shower and played their soundtrack and whispered, “please tell me how to fix you.” Also I’ve been praying to them and my muses since Friday. So my notes are all about their new location they told me to go to instead of the one I’d wanted, the one that suited them better, and when they wanted to tell me their blood types as if this were Asia, I said, okay. And then suddenly that became a plot point, and I chased it, and then, bam. Side quest became something that unlocked a big door for me and changed a lot, but it was a good change.

Let go of your ego because your ego doesn’t matter. Theirs does. One of the biggest mistakes authors make is thinking that writing stories is about them. News flash: it’s never about you. You’re the servant, baby. You are the hired help. You are the one who carries the water for the stars (characters) and bring popcorn to the people who are here to see the show. One of the reasons I love Patreon is it reminds me of that every day. I’m there to serve my patrons, my readers. I am not the star. My name is on the book and I get the check, but my job is to find the characters, make them shine, and give readers a good ride. It isn’t even about me when I’m sitting behind a table at a convention. It’s about the reader then, and the books they came to talk about. I’m a conduit. So are you, author-to-be. So get out of the characters’ way so they can connect to the reader. Your ego is only there to help these other people get together. It’s a GREAT JOB, don’t get me wrong. But remembering it’s a service job can help you keep the characters at the center of the stage and not yourself. Which is actually a lot less work and a lot less scary. To me, anyway.

I guess I had a lot to say about this. Either that or I was really tired of writing that outline. Hope that helps.

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inloveandwords · 5 years ago

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BLACK LIVES MATTER. Visit this link for ways you can help.

*= I am trying to make a more conscious effort to read books by authors of color. I know many others are as well. Moving forward, I will be annotating books by authors of color with an asterisk. Please let me know if I missed one or mislabeled one.

Stats

Total: 28 DNF: 3 Rereads: 0 Ebooks: 7 Physical Books: 2 Audiobooks: 19 1-Stars: 0 2-Stars: 0 3-Stars: 8 4-Stars: 8 5-Stars: 12

DNF

*Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson I received this as an eARC from Netgalley. This is a contemporary romance about a woman whose mother-figure has passed away, leaving behind her 4 adoptive sons. Some of them want to close her knitting store, but one wants to keep it open and enlists the help of our heroine. The author, Kwana Jackson, also goes by KM Jackson, is a Black author. She has a big backlist of contemporary romance novels under the KM Jackson pen name that I definitely want to check out.

I think this book was just a case of bad timing and burn out for me. I found myself skimming pretty early on in this book because it felt like the story wasn’t moving forward at all. Scenes were lasting too long to keep my attention. It was actually pretty disappointing because I was really excited about this book! I don’t knit, but I crochet, and I liked hearing about yarn and knitting in Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, however, I had to put this one down. Amazon

Becoming Mrs. Lockwood by LI Lynn I talk more about this in my 7yo Picks my TBR video, but this was a book that Roree picked out for me. I think I heard this is a Twilight fanfiction, but it’s another one that reads like fanfiction, however, is extremely different than the original. It’s about a girl who is on vacation with her mom in Las Vegas, but hasn’t been able to see any sights since her mom is gambling all day and night. Since she is underage, she can’t go with her. All of that felt like a stretch to begin with, but then this super hot guy spots her from across the room and immediately is in love with her and takes her out to see Las Vegas. There is also an age gap in this, but it isn’t a good one. She’s a very immature 18 year old who is still in high school. This is mentioned when they first meet, yet he still pursues her. It just… rubbed me the wrong way. Like, how can this be instalove and still be a 500+ page contemporary romance. I DON’T UNDERSTAND! Amazon

Taming Her Mountain Man (Bear’s Tooth Mountain Man #1) by Cameron Hart I read this for the Weekend Contemporaryathon, so I talk more about that in my Contemporaryathon Vlog. It’s about an adoptive girl that is running away from her shady adoptive parents to her estranged grandmother’s cabin in the mountains where she meets this older, loner mountain man who is running away from his past. This is a novella, so it’s obviously very instalovey. What put me off of it was the main character and the instalove wasn’t done well. She’s another one who is SO immature that I was weirded out by the age gap. I think I’ve found that I don’t mind age gaps as long as there isn’t a big difference in maturity levels. Amazon

3 Stars

Remind Me (Magnolia Sound #1) by Samantha Chase This was a book I just randomly listened to off of Hoopla before I realized I have a limit on how many books I can read on that app. My library just got Hoopla, so I’m still learning. To be completely honest, I remember next to nothing about this book and the next one on this list.

If I remember correctly, it is a second chance romance about a girl who has moved away from a small town in North Carolina. She had a summer fling with her grandfather’s neighbor, but she moves away to NY to be a successful woman in tech (as they do in these types of romances). A hurricane is threatening the town and they are being asked to evacuate, but her grandfather is refusing to leave, so the hero stays with him.

I want to take a moment here to talk about this. I live in FL and have lived through many hurricanes. Some that were scary (Irma), some that fizzled out to be nothing but some wind and rain. Either way, living here my whole life has taught me that when there is a mandatory evacuation, you GTFO ASAP. Hurricanes can and have flattened entire communities.

Anyway, this book was just meh. I didn’t really care about the characters. There wasn’t a lot of chemistry. It was just ok. Amazon

The Royal Treatment (Alaskin Royal Family #1) by MaryJanice Davidson I recently did a video talking about the books that got me through my Twilight hangover back in the day, and Mary Janice Davidson’s Undead series was on this list. When I came across this book on Audible Escape, I was curious to see how her contemporary romances would be.

And it was as I expected. Just meh. This is an alternative/futuristic reality in which Alaska is it’s own country or something weird like that. Anyway, they have a king there who is looking for a wife who would make a good princess for his son. He ends up setting up our main character with his son.

A couple of things were weird about this. First, the who Alaska thing seemed unnecessary, like, just make up a country like everyone else does. Second, she didn’t really do anything that I saw for the King to think she was so amazing. Something I did find interesting, was this was almost opposite of instalove. Both of them seemed pretty neutral about each other aside from sexual chemistry until the very end. I actually really appreciated that.

Also, the synopsis calls this book erotic. It’s not. If I did steam fans like Steph, I’d give this one 3 steam fans. Amazon

PS It’s Always Been You Part 1 by Lauren Blakely I read this one for the Weekend Contemporaryathon and talk about it in that vlog. Let’s be real, I read this for Scott Eastwood’s narration… and it was pretty disappointing. The book and his narrating. He had a lot of awkward pauses. Anyway, the time it’s going to take me to tell you what this book is about is pretty much as long as it took me to listen to this audiobook. It’s about this daredevil, reality TV show guy who once hooked up with this girl who is some sort of historian, but ends up ditching her for his career, until one day they end up having to work together. And that’s it. That’s the whole story. The End. Amazon

Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier #1) by SE Smith I 100% do not remember reading this book at all. This is what happens when I go crazy adding audiobooks to my favorites in Hoopla (which I use as my TBR) because I got over-excited about having a new service.

This is a short, smutty, sci-fi romance that I picked up because… dragons. Abby creates and sells luxury artwork from her cabin in the mountains when one day an alien space ship crash lands in the woods near her and she ends up saving the guy inside not realizing that he’s a dragon shifter.

Now that I’m remembering the story, I did enjoy reading this one, it just wasn’t anything particularly special. I think I may actually move on in the series, though. If you like the whole fated mates thing, you’ll like this one. It’s no IPB, but it’s good for IPB hangovers. Averie – you should totes give this one a try! Amazon

Fire in His Blood (Fireblood Dragon #1) by Ruby Dixon Ruby Dixon is the author of IPB, and I was super interested to see how her other books are. This series is a fated mates dragon shifter post-apocolyptic romance. It’s pretty long, I was expecting it to be short like IPB, but it’s not. And I feel like I would’ve liked it better if it was. It just got a little repetitive. I did like when there is a communication barrier between the hero and heroine in these types of books. Especially when the hero recognizes that she’s his mate, but she’s like WTF, dude, back off. And I especially, especially like when they respect consent despite the communication difference. I’m over here like, “IF AN ALIEN DRAGON SHIFTER WHO HAS INVADED OUR PLANET CAN UNDERSTAND CONSENT, WHY CAN’T YOU, BROCK?” Amazon

Racked and Stacked (Blacktop Cowboys #9) by Lorelei James I read this for a secret TBR that I’m in the middle of right now because when I do secret TBRs it takes me years, so I’m not going to talk about this one too much. Just know it’s a cowboy romcom, enemies to lovers. Amazon

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner This was an ARC I received from Netgalley. It’s Berkely’s first F/F published romance, which is awesome for the author. And I think this is OWN voices, but I’m not sure. I had super high expectations going into this one – I didn’t realize how high until the book didn’t meet them. It’s about a woman who works in the entertainment industry, I think she’s a director or producer, and her assistant. The media thinks that they are dating because of something that happens while paparazzi were around. This is a SUPER CRAZY INSANE slow burn. Like… the first kiss doesn’t even happen until 75% into this book. Don’t get me wrong, I adore slow burn. Mariana Zapata is my favorite contemporary romance author, but the burn was so slow in this one, it affected how I felt about the relationship. I started not caring after awhile whether they got together or not.

I can see how some of the scenes were supposed to be super full of tension, but I think because it took so long for the relationship to develop, I just wasn’t as invested. Amazon

Shy Girls Write It Better (Some Girls Do It #1) by May Sage I read this one for Contemporaryathon and talk about it in the vlog. It’s about a woman who writes erotic romance and accidentally gives her hot boss a copy of one of her manuscripts instead of a report and instead of getting mad, he wants to give her real life BDSM experience because she writes it so badly.

Overall, this was pretty good for a short, smutty read. I don’t love the overly innocent, inexperienced heroine to begin with, so that definitely affected my rating. Also the fact that she’s supposed to be a super successful romance author and she knows she sucks at writing BDSM, but yet she continues to do it? I don’t know, something about that entire aspect of the premise was off to me and I think this book would’ve been better without it.

I did really like that the hero wasn’t your stereotypical alpha, though. That was refreshing. Amazon

4 Stars

Point of Retreat (Slammed #2) by Colleen Hoover I read this book for Contemporaryathon. It’s the sequel to Slammed which is Colleen Hoover’s debut novel, a contemporary romance involving slam poets. Obviously it’s so much more than that, I mean, it’s Colleen Hoover. At first I wasn’t sure if this book was necessary before reading it, but Layken and Will’s story definitely wasn’t done. Amazon

*Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist #1) by Renee Ahdieh Renee Ahdieh is a Korean-American author and this book was a unique twist on Mulan. This book was as beautiful and badass as the cover.

I’ve always been partial to the story of Mulan, but I love how much more intricate this story was in comparison.

Our main character doesn’t magically have all sorts of powers and though she is a badass, it’s because of her quick-thinking bravery, and resilience, not any magical skill.

The writing was also one of my favorite things about this book. It was beautiful and fit so well with the story itself. I felt like I was experiencing everything our main character did, right beside her. Amazon

*The Marriage Game by Sara Desai I received this ARC from Netgalley. I believe this is an OWN voices novel. It’s a fun enemies to lovers romance where our main character, Layla, moves home with her big family after a humiliating break up that essentially lost her her job. Her father sets her up, not only with the office above his restaurant, but also with some arranged marriage prospects (without her knowledge). Little does she know, he also rented out the space to Sam, CEO of a corporate downsizing company. Read my review here. Amazon

*The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements #2) by Brittainy C Cherry My monthly Brittainy C Cherry novel. If you don’t know, I discovered BCC this year and fell in love with her books. I’ve been reading at least one of her backlist titles per month. She is a Black author, by the way.

This is a sunshine and grumpy, friends-to-lovers romance about two teenagers who have very rough home lives. Our hero’s mother is struggling with bad addiction which has trickled down to him and has been affecting him since he was a young child. Our heroine’s mother, though successful, is cold and disinterested. Though they come from completely different backgrounds, there is a lot they have in common that bring them together and they become really good friends.

This wasn’t my favorite BCC. That being said, It was still a really good, emotional story that I’ve come to expect from her. I think the main reason why I couldn’t give this 5 stars as I have literally every other BCC I’ve read, is because there is a lot of drug use and addiction in this novel and it’s just not my favorite thing to read about. Amazon

Mind Reader by Kirsty McManus I read this book for Contemporaryathon and talk about it in my vlog as well. This is one of those novellas that I found for free on Kindle and downloaded because it sounded fun. The hero can see other people’s soul mates and knows when they will meet. Until he meets our heroine, a woman who works in the STEM field who thinks it’s all BS. Their paths cross and sparks fly.

This book is perfect for those who prefer a lot less steam. It’s very fade-to-black.

This book was a lot of fun to read. I had a lot of expectations going into this book, and I expected it to be pretty predictable, but it surprised me a few times. Though the beginning as a little rough, it starts from the hero’s POV and he was kind of douchey, but the book ended up being super sweet. Amazon

*The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa I believe this is OWN voices for the latinx rep. It’s a romantic comedy between a woman who has been left at the alter and the groom’s best man and brother. Because of this, it is a hate-to-love, but it’s so much more. The hero is dealing with issues of his own self worth in comparison to his brother (the ex-groom). The heroine is dealing with prejudice in the workplace.

I feel like this book is a little underrated. It’s not my favorite enemies to lovers, but I think it is a lot better than many of the reviews I’ve read for it were. There are a lot of complaints about the male narrator in the audiobooks and I agree, but it didn’t completely put me off of the book because of it.

I thought that the humor was really good, it was awkward in some areas, and the issues both of the characters were dealing with played out really well. Amazon

*Girl Gone Viral (Modern Love #2) by Alisha Rai Alisha Rai is a South Asian American writer. This was a refreshingly diverse bodyguard romance with fantastic panic disorder rep. Katrina is an ex-model and divorcee to a very wealthy man, she also suffers from debilitating panic attacks, so when a couple in a coffee bar live tweet an interaction between herself and a man who approached her and it goes viral, she’s not only in danger, but it also triggers her anxiety. Her long-time bodyguard whisks her away from the spotlight and sparks fly.

I almost didn’t read this, but I’m so glad I didn’t listen to some of the sub-par reviews, because I really enjoyed this book. First of all, it’s a bodyguard romance and he’s been pining after her for a long time. There is also great anxiety rep.

I had to take away a star only because I felt like the build up of tension between these two characters was so good, but when they finally got together, I was a little let down and I couldn’t put my finger on why exactly. Amazon

*Desolate (Grace #1) by Autumn Grey Autumn Grey has officially been added to my list of authors I need to read their entire backlists alongside Brittainy C Cherry, Mia Sheridan, and Sarina Bowen. Autumn doesn’t have as many books in her backlist as the others, so I’m going to have to pace myself.

I didn’t know what this book was about going into it for Contemporaryathon. I just saw the author’s name and picked it up. Autumn is a Black author, by the way. I recently read Fall Back Skyward by her after buying it from her at Shameless Book Con last year, and I fell in love with it.

This book is a forbidden new adult romance between a man who is planning on becoming a priest and a woman who is wrongfully considered the town whore. As soon as I realized the premise in this book, I was hooked. And the characters, oh my goodness, the characters and their chemistry were so potent. From the moment they met and how fascinated our hero is with the heroine, despite his dedication to God. How he can’t seem to tear himself away from her.

I will say, my only complaint is that this is a cliff hanger. It is part of a trilogy which is complete and I will be reading on in it. That and the hero started driving me crazy at the end because he wouldn’t make a freaking decision, but like I said, I loved this book. Amazon

5 Stars

Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz I need to preface this by saying that I know Hannah Moskowitz has said some problematic things on Twitter recently. I haven’t seen them myself, I’ve only seen references, but I do want everyone to know that going into this novel.

With that being said, this book was such a great and refreshing representation of chronic illness in YA. I have Multiple Sclerosis and though none of the characters in this book have that exact illness, they do have their own and they do have similar experiences and thoughts.

The two meet at, I believe, an infusion center. Some place that many with chronic illnesses are very familiar with. And there is great chemistry and bonding and banter from the beginning. There were so many moments where I found myself nodding vigerously as they talked about healthy people vs. people with chronic illnesses. What it’s like to be surrounded by healthy people when you are not. Being limited and defined by your illness. Big topics that were well portrayed.

I definitely felt seen. Amazon

Grin and Beard It (Winston Brothers #2) by Penny Reid I’m slowly but surely making my way through this series and so far I’ve been loving every second of it. Normally I’m not a big fan of the fame element in a romance novel, but it was a little easier to swallow with this book because it was the heroine who is famous. Our heroine is a comedic actress who gets rescued by our hero, a park ranger, in a small town where she is filming her upcoming movie.

Fame plays a big part in this, which I normally don’t like, but there was something about the dynamic between her outgoing, charisma mixed with his southern charm that I loved. Amazon

Beard Science (Winston Brothers #3) by Penny Reid So far the first book is still my favorite, but this comes in close second. This is Cletus’s story, and he’s such a big weirdo I was wondering who he was going to end up with. It was NOT the heroine. Where Cletus is super smart and manipulative and quirky, our heroine is very polished and put together and naive. She has lived under her mother’s thumb working at a very successful bakery.

Nobody in town takes her seriously, especially Cletus, until she blackmails him and they are forced together. Soon, he realizes there is a lot more to this seemingly shallow woman.

I loved this book so much more than I thought I would, given the main character. I thought, when we were first introduced to her that she was going to get on my nerves, but honestly, her character growth and unexpected depth made me change my mind entirely.

And I’m such a fan of quirky heroes, so I loved Cletus, too. Amazon

Powertools: Collection 1 (Powertools 1 & 2) by Jayne Rylon You guys. I never would’ve expected a super steamy reverse harem novel would be so high on my list, but here we are.

I talk a lot more about this book in my Contemporaryathon vlog, but in short, I loved this book because though it was ridiculous, there was a strong romance in both of the two short stories. I also was totally into the whole summer vibe of the first book and the immersive autumn vibes of the second book. Also, the hero in the second book is so swoony and I fell so hard for him. Amazon

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies & McBrides #1) by Jennifer Ashley Yay! A historical romance I LOVED! I knew it was only a matter of time until I found one that hit the spot for me and it was absolutely this one.

This was a rec from a comment on one of my videos and they freaking nailed it.

This is a historical romance between a widow and a man with autism. Of course, back then, they just thought he was mad and threw him and everyone treated him so horribly because of it. Seriously, my heart absolutely broke. However, our heroine is the only one who truly understood him, or at least didn’t look down on him. I also absolutely loved her. Because she has her husband’s fortune, she doesn’t need to marry. In fact, men are lining up for her. She also isn’t a naive, innocent virgin. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. She’s smart and witty.

This was everything I am realizing I love in a romance novel. Amazon

*Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda This freaking book.

So, I haven’t seen this musical yet, but I am such a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda and the music – especially Jonathan Groff’s song, though, I’m biased because I’m obsessed with him. I’ve watched performances and interviews and I’m so excited about finally getting to see this on Disney Plus on July 3. I can’t contain myself.

I actually downloaded this audiobook when it went on sale a while ago, but I picked it up on a whim last week and finished it in a day because I became obsessed.

I loved seeing how this musical became the phenomenon it is. I loved hearing Lin’s thought process behind creating it. How he wanted to depict these historical figures in a modern, much more diverse way, using a genre of music that was not associated with Broadway at all. From the choreography to the costumes – it was absolutely fascinating.

I just… I need July 3 to be now. Amazon

Lover Her or Lose Her (Hot & Hammered #2) by Tessa Bailey I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this one. So many people complained about how the hero was way to alpha for them and I kept thinking, “Well, jeez, if he’s too alpha for them, he’ll definitely be too alpha for me.” But, honestly? He wasn’t.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s definitely alpha, but I adored his reasoning for it.

Anyway, this is a second chance romance between a married couple who have a ton of chemistry in bed, but have lost touch of each other in every other way. So, when our heroine has had enough, she decides to leave her husband.

But he is not having it. To him, she is his everything. It’s kind of the opposite of The Bromance Bookclub because he thinks everything is fine since the sex is still really good, but that’s not the case. I loved how this book really dove into love languages and how both people must understand the other’s language and support it.

And there was so much longing, it made my heart hurt. Yes, he was very alpha. He very much wanted to be the one who provided for his wife, however, I wasn’t bothered by it AT ALL. Amaz

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune OMG this book was so sweet, I couldn’t handle it. It’s a whimsical fantasy that, if I had to explain it in one word, it would be charming.

It’s about a man in his forty’s who has led a very mediocre life thus far. He lives for his job, which is to evaluate orphanages for extraordinary children for a very corporate overlord of a company. He’s sent on a highly classified job to check out this orphanage for especially gifted, some think dangerous, children.

It’s very elementary school x-men.

And oh my goodness, the character growth and the relationships that are built, both familial, romantic, and platonic are all so strong and vibrant. This book absolutely lives up to the hype. Amazon

Beach Read by Emily Henry This is another book that absolutely lived up to the hype. Though the title might lead you to believe that this is going to be a fun, light read, it’s really not. There is a lot of substance behind this book that the title and cover do not allude to.

Aside from a swoony romance and hilarious banter and writing, we are dealing with grief, with loss, with resentment … a lot of heavy topics woven between this romcom story about two writers who have challenged themselves to write each other’s genre, one literary fiction, one women’s fiction/romance. Amazon

The Edge #0.5-2 by CD Reiss These are all short, but super intense military suspense romance novels. I feel that the prequel is required reading for this series because it sets up the relationship so solidly, that despite the craziness that this couple goes through in later books, you root hard for them. The couple meet in a war zone, one a surgeon who works for 8 days straight saving lives and one a psychiatrist who is trying to keep him standing and sane – along with all the other medics and soldiers. I felt like this book was so well researched and gorgeously written. CD Reiss is called the Shakespeare of Smut for a reason. The steamy scenes were just as intense as the rest of the book.

I absolutely plan on reading the rest of this series! Amazon

May 2020 Wrap Up BLACK LIVES MATTER. Visit this link for ways you can help. *= I am trying to make a more conscious effort to read books by authors of color.

#wrap up

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sahibookworm · 5 years ago

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The original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books!

I’m not someone who is fond of doing wrap-up posts, but I also feel that giving some sort of update about my first half of the reading year will make me happy. And hopefully, all you friends of mine are also interested to know about all the wonderful books I’ve read these past six months. And before I get started with the tag, let me give you a tiny overall update about my reading year and goals.

Goodreads Challenge: I’m upto 91/130 books.

1000 Followers on the blog: I’m at 982 right now, so hopefully I’ll reach my goal soon.

80% on Netgalley: I’m going steady at 85% and hope to keep it up.

Stars and Sorcery Book Club: I have actually read all our BOTM’s and I am very proud of it.

Around the Year in 52 Books: I’m at 44/52 but the remaining prompts are gonna be a bit tough.

Year of the Asian Challenge: My goal was to read between 21-30 books for this challenge and I’ve already finished 28 books, so I count this as a win too.

I’ve also never used charts and graphs to show my updates before, but everyone seems to be using them and they look awesome and colorful, so I’m gonna give them a try too.

As you can see, majority of my reads have been romances (which also tend to be contemporary) with fantasy coming closest second. I think I will also be happy if I can maintain around 10% for non-fiction till the end of the year.

This one definitely makes me feel very proud because almost half my books are ownvoices and I only hope this count increases as the year goes by.

This is definitely a bit unexpected because I love YA, but I seem to have gravitated towards reading more adult romances this year. Hopefully I can make similar inroads into adult fantasy in the latter half of the year.

This chart totally reflects me because I love reading ebooks and have also been trying to listen to more audios. What I didn’t realize was that I have been reading a lot more ARCs and I hope I continue to be approved for them.

A majority of my reads being 4 star and above surely shows that I have become a bit better at picking books that suit my taste. I surely hope I read many more 5 stars before the end of the year.

Now…. Let’s get started with the tag…!!!!!!!

💨 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2019:

Well, it was a given that Red, White and Royal Blue was gonna be here because it was such a delight to read. But an unexpected addition to my best books of the year is the finale of the Bone Witch trilogy, The Shadow Glass because it’s one of the most emotional and satisfying conclusions I’ve read in quite a long time.

💨 2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019:

I just couldn’t choose between Soul of the Sword and The Heart Forger because both of them are excellent and very action packed than their predecessors, and we also can’t help but fall in love with the characters more.

💨 3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to:

These were some of my most anticipated book releases from the first half of this year. Now, I just have to find time to read them all.

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

There are many many books on my most anticipated list for the upcoming months and I even listed many of them in this post, but one very recent announcement that has me excited is Rachel Maddow’s next. I really love watching her show and was pretty impressed by her other book Drift, so I’m very sure this one will be amazing too.

💨 5. Biggest disappointment:

I have other books which I gave lesser ratings to, but The Women’s War was more of a disappointment because I was expecting so much more from it, and it just didn’t have a lot of substance. On the other hand, I suddenly got the ARC for The Seduction Expert (which I wasn’t expecting) and read some rave reviews, so decided to give it a try – it turned out to be just downright awful.

💨 6. Biggest surprise:

While I was very excited to read We Set the Dark on Fire, I just didn’t expect to fall in love with it so much, and the world building was so amazing too.

I decided to pick up Magical Women on a whim because I wanted to know more about the sci-fi fantasy landscape in the Indian publishing industry and was pleasantly surprised by so many talented authors masterfully blending SFF tropes with Indian mythological elements.

The Priory of the Orange Tree was too intimidating and I didn’t think I would read it, but decided to take it up as a challenge and was very surprised by how easy it was to read. Definitely worth the size of it.

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

While I read some awesome debuts this year, I want to mention a new-to-me author Rin Chupeco. I knew the Bone Witch trilogy was supposed to be good but I was amazed beyond expectations because it was such a different kind of fantasy but highly impressive in all aspects, and also gave me one of my favorite OTPs of this year.

Reviews: The Bone Witch / The Heart Forger / The Shadow Glass

💨 8. Newest fictional crush:

I had to think a lot for this because apparently I don’t seem to have crushed on many characters this year. But one who comes closest is Zavier Demos, the pansexual aromantic rockstar drummer from Syncopation. He is talented, sexy and has a very cool head on his shoulders and I really enjoyed reading his story.

💨 9. Newest favorite character:

In this case, I actually couldn’t choose again because I have a lot of favorite characters this year but one who’s definitely impressed me the most is Yumeko from Shadow of the Fox. She is sweet, trusting, loyal and very brave and I completely adore her. Another one is Lady Tea from The Bone Witch. She has one of the best character developments I have ever read and she is the most loyal and loving person ever.

💨 10. Book that made you cry:

This is so easy to answer because there is no book that could make me cry more than The Song of Achilles. I remember sobbing in anticipation even before the inevitable happened. Another book that made me very emotional was Ghosts of the Shadow Market because it’s about Jem and he is one of my favorite characters from that universe, and reading his journey through so many tumultuous times made me weepy.

💨 11. Book that made you happy:

While Book Boyfriend might not make it to any all time favorite lists of mine, it made me very happy because it featured a romance author hero and a romance blogger heroine, and had so many relatable situations. The Candle and the Flame was a quiet and atmospheric fantasy but it made me happy because of it’s very inherently desi elements and reminded me a lot of home.

I don’t need any particular reason to love The Red Scrolls of Magic other than it being about Magnus and Alec and them being together makes me extremely happy. Sandhya’s books are always a delight to read but There’s Something About Sweetie is special because it features a happy fat brown girl and I could see so much of myself in her.

💨 12. Favorite Book to Movie you’ve seen this year:

I haven’t seen any movies but I eagerly awaited and watched the final season of Shadowhunters and wept when it finished. Whatever the detractors say, I really enjoyed watching this show a lot.

💨 13. Favorite post you’ve written this year:

I love writing reviews but I know I’m not that good at it like my other lovely blogger friends whom I’m in awe of. But a couple of reviews which I poured my heart into are Red, White and Royal Blue and Good Talk. I also loved writing the post about the Books that define my reading life.

💨 14. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received):

I mostly rely on my library and other subscriptions for reading books but one among my kindle purchases that is gorgeous is King of Scars – I adore the golden aesthetic. And after resisting all these months, I finally bought the paperback of Foundryside in June because it’s amazing both inside and out.

💨 15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?:

There are obviously many new releases I want to read but these are two backlist books I wish I am able to read sometime this year. I feel I have put them off long enough.

💨 16. Favorite book community member:

I am actually very happy to have many book community friends these days, especially my dearest ones in the Book Dragons India discord group, but a very recent friend I’ve made is Liz @ Lost in Literature with Liz. Both of us have quite a few things in common and we love lamenting about the fact that we can never pick our next read or find the right motivation to continue. Do checkout her blog for amazing reviews and more interesting bookish discussions.

I am not tagging anyone but if you wanna give an update about your reading year, please consider yourself tagged and link back to me so that I can read all about it.

Half Yearly Check-In AND Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag The original tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Earl Grey Books! I'm not someone who is fond of doing wrap-up posts, but I also feel that giving some sort of update about my first half of the reading year will make me happy.

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midsummernightsread · 6 years ago

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Image from CW @ The Quiet Pond

This year I am participating in the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge. Its a great way, at least for me, to read different styles of writing. I have a tendency of getting stuck in a specific genre to writing style and then wonder why I didn’t hit those amazing books and got stuck with more 2 stars (and below) than 3s and ups.

So anyway I saw this challenge on twitter but then couldn’t find the post. I then found it on The Quiet Pond’s blog. And my excitement to participate increase. List below is a direct quote from her post:

GUIDELINES

The aim of this challenge is to read as many books written by Asian authors as you can! These books can be backlist titles (i.e. released in 2018 or earlier), new releases, and ARCs. We welcome books of any genre, any format, and any length. Check out the levels we have made for this challenge (I drew them too!) and set your sights on a level you want to achieve.

In order for a book to count, you must start and finish it within 2019; the challenge will end on the 31st of December of this year. (This means that books started in 2018 and finished in 2019 do not count!) Likewise, any books started in 2019 and finished in 2020 do not count either.

We want this to be a relaxing and, above all else, fun challenge, so you can join in at any time in the year! The sign-up form will remain open until 2019 ends.

Follow us on Twitter (@YearOfTheAsian) for announcements, surprises, and more bookish fun. The official hashtag for this reading challenge is #YARC2019.

So here are my goals for books written by Asian authors for 2019.

More than likely, there will be others as I find them but this is my 2019 goal 🙂 Are you planning on participating? If so, you can find more details here. Also I would love to know what you will be reading, please share ^_^

Peace & Blessing,

Tanya P.

Year of The Asian Reading Challenge This year I am participating in the Year of the Asian Reading Challenge. Its a great way, at least for me, to read different styles of writing.

#2019 #reading challenge #Year of the Asian

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whimsiesofanerdgirl · 6 years ago

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How to Save Money for Books (and Life in General)

If you’re anything like me you’ve got piles of books stacked up to your ceiling (may or may not be exaggerating, but if you do I won’t judge). Sometimes you just gotta take a stand and either take a break on buying buys or figure out how to get the best deals so you can keep on hoarding them into your home. I see you secretly ordering them online and hoping no one notices. Yes, I’m talking to you! When you’re ready to do some serious #booknerd adulting here I’ve got this handy list of ideas to make it happen.

BOOK BUYING BAN: WHAT I LIKE TO CALL “THE TWO-FER”

Maybe you’ve heard of it, or maybe you haven’t, but it’s a perfect way to save money on NOT buying books. You heard me right. DO NOT BUY THAT BOOK ONLINE OR AS YOU PASS BY THE SECTION AT THE STORE. I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY IT! DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT 200 TBR!

In all seriousness, you’ll achieve a lot in this feat. Not only will you be saving money by NOT buying books, but you’ll also be catching up on some much needed reading time. Many of us have towering piles of our TBR to get through and by limiting your selection to the books you already own, you’ll finally read the books on your backlist and learn what all the hype was about.

You don’t have the room to keep your books or don’t own a lot of them? It’s all good, go to the library! It’s a great way to save money all while still being able to reap the benefits of reading some new books without the price tag. It’s a win-win, just set a certain time frame as to when you’ll be placing your book buying ban in the calendar whether it be a week, month, or quarter of the year - I give you kudos if you make it that far! Tip: don’t forget to renew your books if you don’t finish them all by the time of their due date!

ACQUIRE A BOOKSTORE MEMBERSHIP

So it’s possible you’re not ready to quit cold turkey. That’s okay, I feel you. This will probably be a better idea for you then - sign up for a bookstore membership. Usually when you first become a member they will send you a bunch of awesome bookstore coupons to use towards your next book shopping trip. Some stores may offer them for free, but a lot of the big stores like Books-a-Million and Barnes & Noble offer theirs for about $20 per yearly membership. That’s not bad of a deal considering you spend a bunch of money on books already anyways.

Psssst - here’s a double win...lean on in because it’s a big secret...you can share your membership with other people like friends/family. If you and your friend or family member love to go book shopping split the cost between you for the membership or can be nice and invest in it on your own to share with them willingly. Usually all they need is either your membership card or a lot of times they’ll ask for your phone number to look up your account that way to apply their amazing discounts.

LIBRARY

I know, I know, I’ve already mentioned utilizing your local library, but have you checked into their events? Some libraries hold a daily, monthly, and/or quarterly book sale to rotate out old books so they can refresh their inventory. My library system has a small collection to buy at their own individual libraries (in my county we have several branches) and almost monthly the library hosts a big book sale for three days at a time at another off site location. They have an incredible deal to buy as many books as you can fit in a brown paper bag for $8.50. The moment I found out about these book sales I was SOLD.

BOOK SWAP

This is for all you lucky people that have a nearby friend who’s also into reading the same genres. Ask your friend if you could take a look at their personal library and arrange a book swap. Just don’t forget to pinky swear an oath that you won’t harm their babies. Also mention that if something were to happen due to an emergency situation that you’ll pay them back in full. Us book nerds are serious people when it comes to our page filled children.

BOOKSTORE SALES

Keep an eye out for those sneaky little bookstore sales! A lot of the big mainstream stores have a sale season and a clearance section for you to check for books with a large chunk taken off the price sticker. Books-A-Million even has a used books section which is worth a shot at finding a book or two (or ten).

GARAGE SALES

This is obviously more for the summer season, depending on your location if you experience the colder winter months like I do here in Ohio. Garage sales typically start late Spring into early Fall seasons due to people getting rid of unwanted stuff (their loss and our gain if you ask me). A lot of times people have yard sales due to their kids moving out, going off to college, etc. so there’s a good chance to look for books that they happen to be selling and just asking to be put into your waiting arms.

Some good places to find yard sales would be in your local newspaper, google search, and Facebook marketplace. Please use caution and go to a public place and with a friend/family member to be extra safe!

THRIFT BOOKSTORES

Oh my goodness. Do not get me started on thrift bookstores, but please do because I have such a great fondness for them. Similar to garage sales these magical places sell used books for half or less the price of their original book prices. I’M NOT KIDDING YOU! Quite a few times I’ve gotten books for like $1-$2 max and it was the best feeling ever! A great place to find these deals is 2nd & Charles which is located in the U.S. and you can look up their locations here. If you’re from another region or country I suggest googling “used bookstores” or “thrift bookstores” to find some stores near you.

There’s also the option of buying your books from ThriftBooks.com where they sell a huge supply of used books for all types of genres. They’re a great place to look for books that you have missing from an old series you’ve started getting into. Now they also have a “ReadingRewards” system where you earn points with all your purchases, but that’s not the best part of shopping at this site - it’s the fact that you get free shipping on all orders $10 and up (both perks are for US customers only)! Another benefit is if you add a book to your wishlist they will send you notifications for price changes and when it becomes available if they don’t have it in stock at the time you check for it.

Another idea is that from time to time you can even get some good finds at your local Goodwill store if you’re in an area with limited used bookstores.

ONLINE BOOKSTORES

A few other selections to check into would be BookDepository.com which is great for readers because they have free shipping available worldwide! A huge game changer for online book shopping is that Book Depository has large discounts off the list price of many books so go check them out!

If you have specific concerns on shipping time for your location you can find more information from them in their “Delivery and Shipping” help section.

Wordery.com is also an online bookstore to look into if you haven’t before.

LOCAL GENERAL STORES

You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve found books for a cheaper price than actual bookstores just by looking in the book section of a general store (like Walmart or Kroger). Bonus points if you’re a Kroger Plus card member to get that extra discount! If you’re not already, it’s quick and simple to sign up for one.

EBOOKS

For someone who is more willing to read books via the digital format you have a lot of choices to choose from, but I’ll list the most popular ones that I know of:

Amazon is a great one because they offer eBooks usually between $1-$3 each! They also offer free books so if that’s up your alley search for it under their Amazon Kindle ebooks.

Bookbub.com where you can stay up to date with the latest free ebooks and deals as well as for your favorite authors by setting up alerts!

Readingdeals.com also emails ebook discounted deals right to your inbox!

Goodreads.com recently teamed up with Amazon to provide you with “Kindle Daily Deals” and you can check out their page for the latest ones!

Do you know of any other tips and perks to saving money on books? Comment below!

Read my other posts in the #25DaysofBookmas series!

Subscribe to my blog so you never miss another post!

Learn more about me - your friendly, interweb book nerd! :)

Follow me where I’m social:

Twitter: @whimsiesofanerd

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Have a suggestion or want to get in touch? Email me: [email protected]

#Saving Money for Books #Saving Money on Books #Money Saver #25DaysofBookmas #Bookmas #Blogmas

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claeriekavanaugh · 7 years ago

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Intro: What’s your name, what do you write, where can readers find you on social media? And just for fun, if you could be any mythological being, what or who would you be?

Brittney Mulliner, I write contemporary YA. Every story has romance, but the Begin Again Series has a mystery theme while Finding My Charming is more of a Fairytale Retelling.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IYlj0a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneymulliner

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittneymulliner/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Britt_Mulliner

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2sTAPTO

Website: https://brittneymulliner.com/

If I could be any mythological being I’d want to be a witch, so I could attend Hogwarts. Another perk is Floo Powder. I could travel so much more if I had that!

How did you become interested in writing?

I’ve always been a voracious reader. I devoured books growing up and through college I had a hard time finding books I wanted to read. I have a special place in my heart for YA and love reading stories of first loves and high school drama, but the books I was finding wasn’t what I wanted to read. I got sick of reading about teen pregnancies, underage drinking and partying, and drug use without consequences. I know that this all happens in high school, but I didn’t want to glamorize it like I was seeing. This was the catalyst for me wanting to write.

When did you become SERIOUS about writing?

I wrote Begin Again in two months and shared it with some friends and family. They were super supportive and encouraged me to publish it. It was the first book I’ve ever written and I fell in love with the process. I decided that’s what I wanted to do. Now I’m a bit addicted to writing. Finding the writing community helped so much. I found likeminded people who understood what I was going through. They didn’t give me weird looks when I said I had characters talking to me or characters changed my plot. They understood and encouraged the crazy. I was bitten by the writing bug and I’ve now written seven books, published three, and the other four are in various stages of editing and publishing.

What inspired your Begin Again series?

I had a dream! I actually get a lot of ideas from dreams I have. I’ve always had super vivid dreams that I remember, so if I like an idea I write it down when I wake up and find ways to work them into my writing. This dream was about being followed. I was with my best friends and could feel someone watching us, but every time I turned around the person disappeared. This was turned and twisted and stretched until I outlined Begin Again and the second book, Live Again.

What is your most recent book about? What are the characters like?

My most recent book, Live Again, is the second book in the series and picks up where Begin Again ended. It’s Aubrey’s journey through rediscovering herself after moving across the country and navigating through new friends and their expectations. She’s also dealing with a stalker who’s able to get close to her. Her friends and family try to protect her, but Aubrey has to fight for herself. There’s a lot of boy drama and fights with friends, but each character learns a lot. I love Aubrey because she doesn’t accept other people’s judgements at face value. She’s willing to give people multiple chances, even though she’s been hurt before.

Best behind the scenes story about working on your newest release?

There’s a scene in Live Again where Carter and Aubrey are attacked by a masked guy on the street. This was inspired by an event that happened in high school. I was with a group of friends playing a game with someone driving a car and they have to find everyone else, like a game of hide and seek with a car. I can’t remember what the game was called. A few of my friends were met with some guys that got kicked out of a party happening a few streets away and they pulled a knife of my friends. One of my friends was stabbed a few times and I used those injuries in my story. It was a crazy thing to happen in our neighborhood, but in the end everyone was fine. That event haunted me for a while and writing it really helped me let go of it.

Favorite quote from your own work?

I love this quote from Live Again:

“Aubrey, I was out of line that night. I never should have…”

“You regret it?”

“Yes and no. I regret kissing my best friend’s little sister, but I don’t regret kissing you.”

Traditional or Self-publishing? Why?

I’m a hybrid author. My publisher is Blue Tulip Publishing for my two YA series. I have a book coming out this month that I’m self-publishing and an adult Sports Romance series that will be released this summer. I like having my feet in both places. I can self-publish a lot faster, so that’s a plus side but I’m doing it all on my own. With my publisher I have a team to help me, but it takes longer to publish and I give up a percent of royalties. There are pros and cons for both sides, so I decided to diversify.

Name one book that changed the way you write.

Oh gosh. There are way too many books. I credit Harry Potter for my love of reading, so of course those books influenced me. I don’t know if I could narrow it down to one book, but I can probably get down to one author that changed the way I write. Rachel Van Dyken’s books, especially the Seaside Series and Consequences Series, were hugely inspirational for me because of how much emotion I felt reading them. I ugly cried through parts of Seaside, and laughed until I cried with Consequences. I want people to have that much of a reaction when they read my books.

What would you say to a writer who is looking to turn their hobby into a more serious career?

Keep writing! An author friend told me when I was starting that she reached a level of “success” when she published five books. I keep that in mind when I get discouraged. A career in writing is a lifelong marathon, not a sprint. Some people think that they’ll have riches and fame with one book, and there might be .001% that have that happen, but it’s so rare. Plus, writers have more than one story in them. They write because they have characters and stories that MUST be told. So sit down and start writing. When you’ve finished book one start on book two. Building a backlist is more important (to me) that spending hundreds on marketing. You might be able to get 10,000 people to buy your book, but if you only have one or two or five the well will dry up. You need to feed your readers, so get those books written now and worry about marketing them later.

Do you have a writing routine? If so, can you tell us about it, and if not, why not?

I write when I can. I bring my laptop on road trips and write while my husband drives. I wrote three chapters while waiting for an oil change. I’ve been stuck in traffic and dictated a chapter on my phone. There are nights when I’m too tired to sit down with my laptop and write and just want to watch TV, so during commercials I’ll write a few hundred words on my phone. By the end of the night I’ve got an additional 1,000 words or so I can add to my current project. My favorite method is sprinting. I found out about this through a Facebook group. Spring is when you turn off all distractions (your phone and internet) and write as fast as you can for a set period of time. I don’t worry about finding the perfect word or fixing spelling errors, I just get everything out on the page. I average 700 words per 15 minute sprint, so that’s a quick way to get through a scene. There are even groups where you can set up sprints with other writers so you have someone holding you accountable. I also have a group that shares their daily goals and that’s a great way to hold yourself accountable, and support other writers.

What do you believe is your main purpose/motivation as a writer?

The world can be overwhelming, sad, discouraging, painful, tiring, and people need an escape. That’s why I write. I read to go somewhere else for a little while. I escape into the other worlds created by writers for a distraction. Even if it’s when I’m on the treadmill hating my life for thirty minutes, or lounging by the pool. Reading is the perfect way to take your mind off things. I want to give people an interesting place to go for a little while.

What’s your favorite writing-related memory?

Getting accepted by my publisher was a pretty great moment. I may or may not have sobbed in my car when I got the call. It was a huge dream come true.

What’s a favorite moment you’ve had with a fan/someone who’s read your work?

I cherish each message and email I get from readers. I’m honored that someone would buy my book, let alone write me to tell me what they think. So each time I hear from a fan it’s pretty surreal and makes me want to keep writing.

One fun fact most people don’t know about you?

I’m obsessed with sloths. I love them so much! Our local aquarium got some on my birthday last year, and you can bet I was there. One of my bucket list items is to hug a sloth. I would Kristen Bell-cry if that ever happened.

Thanks for the awesome interview, Brittney! Readers, don’t forget to check out her books and stay in touch using any of the following links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IYlj0a

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneymulliner

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittneymulliner/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Britt_Mulliner

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2sTAPTO

Website: https://brittneymulliner.com/

If you like the content of today’s post please consider subscribing to my blog so you get notified every time I post new content.

As always, keep making magic, word weavers!

Check out this #author interview with: Britney Mulliner @Britt_Mulliner #YA #contemporary #romance Intro: What’s your name, what do you write, where can readers find you on social media? And just for fun, if you could be any mythological being, what or who would you be?

#featured

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josie-wales · 7 years ago

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Hello, my lovely, loyal readers! Since I haven’t been regularly posting, I figured I’d give y’all an update on my reading escapades!

P.S. Did any of y’all suddenly get that song, “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes stuck in your heads?!

Sweet Reads

If you’re a fan of The Baby-sitters Club like me, you’ve absolutely GOT to check out the Graphix editions by Raina Telgemeier!

I read the third in the series, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and adored it! The Graphix editions totally take me back to the era of Ann M. Martin, the BSC creator.

I also adored and was greatly entertained by Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians! This book is so freaking good and I’m stoked to read the next two books in the series, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems!

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan is a precious, heartwarming read. While a departure from the genres I generally stick to, this story really grabbed me. I highly recommend Colgan’s novel!

Rereading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood classic, Little House on the Prairie, also took me back in time. I’ve made it a mission to reread the entire Little House series this year and I’m so glad I decided to undertake this wonderful journey!

I’m a sucker for a good graphic novel, especially anything by Brian K. Vaughan, who is author of both the Saga and Paper Girls series, both of which I love. The most recent book I read was Paper Girls, Vol. 4 and it was awesome! I’m dying for volume five to come out – I think I have to wait until this fall!

Sour Reads

*A little note – the Sour Reads column typically includes books I rate three stars or less*

For a new book club I’m in, Read Between the Covers Book Club, [please join us!], I listened via Audible to Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu. I enjoyed Mathieu’s story, but I didn’t totally fall in love with it. Review to come!

I’m really disappointed, devastated really, to report that Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli was simply middle of the road for me. I did like the book; I’m super excited to read Albertalli’s follow-up, Leah on the Offbeat!

Currently – In Books

At this time, I’ve got four books on my plate! I’m reading the beautiful – so far – novel by Wally Lamb, I Know This Much is True, the Louisa May Alcott classic, Little Women, The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple by Jeff Guinn, and I’m listening to The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan.

I’m reading Pan’s lovely tale for the book club I mentioned above, Read Between the Covers Book Club, and I chose to read Lamb’s and Alcott’s books for a reading event I’m co-hosting, which I’ll be mentioning later in this post. I picked the Jonestown book because honestly, cults and their leaders are intriguing – in a blows-my-mind sort of way!

Welcome to My Library!

Looking back over my book purchases these past couple months has astonished me – I’ve gotten a LOT more books than I thought! 😀 I guess I’ve discovered many more bookish resources!

I’m really looking forward to reading everything I’ve obtained – especially the remainder of the Geek Girls series by Holly Smale!

Since I obtained books from quite a few sources – and because I’m in the mood to list them 😀 – I’m going to break down my acquisitions by where I got them!

Kindle

An awfully cute and entertaining-looking book, Color Me Murder by Krista Davis, was added to my Kindle collection, as was Let’s Talk About Love [super excited for this one] by Claire Kann.

I also added I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez, Tamora Pierce’s In the Hand of the Goddess [I love this series], The Last of August by Brittany Cavallaro, and Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo [which I got for $1.99!].

Kobo

Kobo offered some great deals recently and I got my hands on Kate Carlisle’s A High-End Finish, which I had been continuously renewing through the library, thus my giving up and buying it.

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum is another recent personal library addition. I’ve been very attracted to this book, I think because of the adorable cover!

I’ve been dying to read Agatha Christie and got hold of her first Hercule Poirot tale, The Mysterious Affair at Styles = super excited!

The Real [Digital] Library

I am virtually obsessed with the Overdrive app, enabling me to tap into the resources of the library without leaving my house!

When I began utilizing the app, I checked out as many books as possible; I have since learned to check out a few at a time to avoid rechecking books continuously!

As of now, I have a total of three books checked out, with one due in just a few days! LOL! Laura Ingalls Wilder’s fourth series book On the Banks of Plum Creek, Classified As Murder by Miranda James, and iZombie, Vol. 1: Dead to the World by Chris Roberson I borrowed.

I’m SO excited for the iZombie graphic novel – I had no clue there were books! I adore the show and that name – Liv Moore – tickles the crap out of me!

Book Depository

After reading the Geek Girl debut, aptly called Geek Girl, I fell in serious obsession mode with the series and added to my collection by ordering the rest of the series books!

All That Glitters, Head Over Heels, and Forever Geek moved into my library…err the basket beside my bed. 😀

In addition to Smale’s tales, I got a pretty copy of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman as well as China Rich Girlfriend!

Books-a-Million

I mentioned earlier how excited I am to read Leah on the Offbeat and I get to! I had totally forgotten that I’d ordered it! It’s like Christmas over here! 😀

Also from Books-a-Million, I got Saga, Vol. 8 and Paper Girls, Vol. 4 [which I’ve already devoured], both by Brian K. Vaughan

Challenging

So far, I’m still taking part in The Novel Knight’s Beat the Backlist challenge, the POPSUGAR reading challenge, and, of course, the 2018 Goodreads challenge for the year.

Challenges going on now for short periods of time include the read-a-thon challenge I’m co-hosting with wonderful Twitter friends, Spring Fling, the first installment of Seasonal-a-Thon!

I wanted to participate in Bout of Books 22, but it just didn’t work out for me this round. 😦

So, for Beat the Backlist, I’ve read quite a few backlist books, of which I am very proud! 😀 I’m a member of team Book Bards, and we’re making a comeback! Just because I feel like making a list, here’s a rundown of the books published prior to this year I’ve read!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Mary Anne Saves the Day by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain by Robert Kirkman

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

The Truth About Stacey by Raina Telgemeier and Ann M. Martin

The Secrets of My Life by Caitlyn Jenner

The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

Geek Girl by Holly Smale

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Moon Knight, Vol. 2: Reincarnations by Jeff Lemire

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson

Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

Saga, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughan

Wires and Nerve, Vol. 1 by Marissa Meyer

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

As for the POPSUGAR challenge, I don’t think I’ve completed any of the categories yet, although I do have a mostly complete TBR list. I’m working on Little Women and I Know This Much is True for our month-long read-a-thon!

I’m really proud of my progress in the Goodreads challenge; my current total read is 29, with my goal for 2018 being 77 books. While I am two books behind schedule, I’m not scared – I’m juggling four books at once, plus, I Know This Much is True is really long! LOL!

Love, Maggie

What’s Going On? Hello, my lovely, loyal readers! Since I haven't been regularly posting, I figured I'd give y'all an update on my reading escapades!

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