tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85160239857128623382024-03-13T08:43:22.860+00:00Two Book ThievesBec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-70002246865596445792017-07-07T23:52:00.000+01:002017-07-07T23:52:45.422+01:00Mini Reviews II & Trip to the Bookshop <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nlh0CxgypEo/WV_P12ixOgI/AAAAAAAABnQ/oomBci2ePVAmj-vCKyKvF5bHWNAjEltzgCLcBGAs/s1600/title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="1600" height="106" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nlh0CxgypEo/WV_P12ixOgI/AAAAAAAABnQ/oomBci2ePVAmj-vCKyKvF5bHWNAjEltzgCLcBGAs/s640/title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Becky and I have discussed adding more posts based on the lifestyle style of the book-lover so today, as well as doing a second part to <a href="http://twobookthieves.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/mini-reviews-june-2017.html">this</a> post of mini reviews, I'll be adding a few photos of my trip to the bookshop today and my very mini haul. So here is some of the books I've read in the past few days and what I thought about them in a few sentences and some shots of my favourite place in Swansea.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8BUS7TVknA/WV_ccMNu-vI/AAAAAAAABno/OkLmOQjwIG4AJ4POVdyN1na5hNEfiFF2QCLcBGAs/s1600/19748326_487059088295548_4621310106100869372_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s8BUS7TVknA/WV_ccMNu-vI/AAAAAAAABno/OkLmOQjwIG4AJ4POVdyN1na5hNEfiFF2QCLcBGAs/s320/19748326_487059088295548_4621310106100869372_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Not Your Sidekick </span></i><span style="font-size: large;">by C.B. Lee</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, it's a <strike>Christmas</strike> July miracle. I finally read this book after attempting twice. This is always recommended on book Twitter and seeing as the sequel is around the corner, I thought I'd make an effort and I.Loved.It. Jessica Tran is now one of my favourite characters, Abby is amazing, Bells is a badass. If you love anything superhero and more importantly, diverse, then definitely pick up this book. Our main character is Chinese/Vietnamese and Bells is trans (and the sequel is based on him!!) Go!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vzu5L4UyOfI/WV_btOmAd7I/AAAAAAAABnk/_4M2sRM-2fA8QEvg0XjLqLbbdGl_BQ7PQCEwYBhgL/s1600/19731798_486857594982364_8676593365644058408_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vzu5L4UyOfI/WV_btOmAd7I/AAAAAAAABnk/_4M2sRM-2fA8QEvg0XjLqLbbdGl_BQ7PQCEwYBhgL/s320/19731798_486857594982364_8676593365644058408_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Moxie by </i><b>Jennifer Mathieu</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was one of those books that I just knew I was going to love as soon as I read the synopsis. A high school girl who makes it her mission to end sexism in her school by distributing Moxie zines anonymously and gradually, all the girls - from every clique and every belief - come together and fight back! I could have cried from anger and happiness throughout this entire book (which I read in one sitting!) It reminded me a lot of the Holly Bourne <i>Spinster</i> series, especially <i>What's a Girl Gotta Do?</i> and I think they both should be required reading in secondary schools. This book is dedicated to teenage girls, showing that their voices are just as important as anybody else. Overall, read this book. Spread the word. #moxiegirlsfightback</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hRmVhUbMcxg/WWALTHgv7tI/AAAAAAAABn4/r9ccodDBGBc9Y4g61a7q4IiWfPIkV9aQgCLcBGAs/s1600/19748478_486857688315688_4856509738907818769_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="960" height="304" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hRmVhUbMcxg/WWALTHgv7tI/AAAAAAAABn4/r9ccodDBGBc9Y4g61a7q4IiWfPIkV9aQgCLcBGAs/s320/19748478_486857688315688_4856509738907818769_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><b style="font-style: normal;"><i><br /></i></b></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><b style="font-style: normal;"><i>The Epic Crush of Genie Lo </i>by F.C. Yee</b></i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I loved this book! I loved Genie from pretty much the beginning when her reaction to Quentin screaming 'you're mine!' at her made her want to teach him that there are certain things you don't say to women. Despite this book being full of Chinese mythology and Genie being thrown into a world of demons, she still manages to maintain her worry over finishing school and getting into a good college. This is so important and realistic, especially in YA. Another thing that stood out to me was the humour. Genie came out with hilarious one-liners that made me laugh out loud. So if you're looking for a YA fantasy that's diverse, funny and realistic (other than the demons), then I'd definitely recommend this!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xMigPH2Lsc/WWAM01ZjuGI/AAAAAAAABoE/28LNNMgBFZYZEZqnwC5LObYgpwfsPWMhwCLcBGAs/s1600/19748402_486857571649033_4198293897000608177_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8xMigPH2Lsc/WWAM01ZjuGI/AAAAAAAABoE/28LNNMgBFZYZEZqnwC5LObYgpwfsPWMhwCLcBGAs/s320/19748402_486857571649033_4198293897000608177_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a copy for review.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Exquisite </i><b>by Sarah Stovell</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; text-align: left;">Another case of a 'psychological thriller' that I found neither psychological or thrilling </span><i style="color: #181818; text-align: left;">but</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; text-align: left;"> I seem to be in the minority here. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;">I did complete this book in one sitting. Despite my rating, I did find the story very addictive which I think is one of the key elements of a psychological thriller. I wanted desperately to know what happened next, how everything would end, etc. It's just when I closed the book, I felt disappointed. However, this book is based around a lesbian relationship (albeit a toxic one) but I think it could have been handled better. Overall, I wouldn't recommend.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEB8aCq-cUU/WWAOc3km9bI/AAAAAAAABoU/nXYNktYB8dIE4fRsZ6xM8ZqPKC6xqqrqACLcBGAs/s1600/flower-border-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="1542" height="56" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEB8aCq-cUU/WWAOc3km9bI/AAAAAAAABoU/nXYNktYB8dIE4fRsZ6xM8ZqPKC6xqqrqACLcBGAs/s640/flower-border-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86m3oUeEydc/WWAOkML2AWI/AAAAAAAABoY/-_7ep1Tdoakcbm-53kz-fJ1lCndKyzzcQCLcBGAs/s1600/19702505_486857604982363_3851354321862447092_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-86m3oUeEydc/WWAOkML2AWI/AAAAAAAABoY/-_7ep1Tdoakcbm-53kz-fJ1lCndKyzzcQCLcBGAs/s640/19702505_486857604982363_3851354321862447092_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;">My local bookshop (Waterstones for U.K. people) isn't the largest and sometimes finding a new release in there is like finding a needle in a haystack but it is my favourite place in Swansea. Despite recovering from agoraphobia and struggling to leave the house, I always feel safe in here amongst the books. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EaxitwnNzqI/WWAO8lFsrzI/AAAAAAAABog/W63-hQ2dP8QVF2G5gevywbHIi7pOafz-gCLcBGAs/s1600/19732033_486857628315694_5263252145864867223_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EaxitwnNzqI/WWAO8lFsrzI/AAAAAAAABog/W63-hQ2dP8QVF2G5gevywbHIi7pOafz-gCLcBGAs/s320/19732033_486857628315694_5263252145864867223_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eSCETN7igyc/WWAO8JT1UNI/AAAAAAAABoc/TTs3iOS91FYyxOG-pG8682uxR7XW5ASTQCLcBGAs/s1600/19748656_486857641649026_2162103577710490039_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eSCETN7igyc/WWAO8JT1UNI/AAAAAAAABoc/TTs3iOS91FYyxOG-pG8682uxR7XW5ASTQCLcBGAs/s320/19748656_486857641649026_2162103577710490039_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
However, today they had two amazing tables on display. One featuring Trump's Small Hand Soap (along with other piss-taking books) and two books that won the Women's Prize for Fiction - <i>The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood </i>and <i>The Power by Naomi Alderman. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1WGKdq1ok1Q/WWAPoI0gJ-I/AAAAAAAABoo/5jP_g6aUBDA04E0Z-H0KGK2f1AHfaiZzgCLcBGAs/s1600/19731808_486858301648960_5243648451787749260_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1WGKdq1ok1Q/WWAPoI0gJ-I/AAAAAAAABoo/5jP_g6aUBDA04E0Z-H0KGK2f1AHfaiZzgCLcBGAs/s640/19731808_486858301648960_5243648451787749260_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;">Overall, despite the fact that I'm supposed to be on a book-buying ban, I bought these two at buy one, get one half price! I got <i>The Power</i> because of the Women's Fiction Award it won. I've seen mixed reviews but the premise sounds very interesting and the cover was so striking as soon as I walked into the shop. <i>The Crow Girl</i> has been on my TBR for a while but this cover's edition looks so different from the original that I've been walking past it for ages! It's a psychological thriller and I am so excited for it! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ym5skarNIe8/WWAQDhWPh3I/AAAAAAAABos/18vqTLe9ptEmmKX7sEL2DXG9TE3iyW2kACLcBGAs/s1600/flower-border-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="1542" height="56" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ym5skarNIe8/WWAQDhWPh3I/AAAAAAAABos/18vqTLe9ptEmmKX7sEL2DXG9TE3iyW2kACLcBGAs/s640/flower-border-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And that's it! I hope you guys liked this post as it is something a bit different. Becky is planning on a post where she matches clothes/outfits to books and their characters so stay tuned for that. We hope you're all well and have the best weekend.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Love Angharad @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KyQw6nkTVc/WWAQTmQHdJI/AAAAAAAABow/STL3mGKc7hwsUqaCOwVVCSrlC19cED4CgCLcBGAs/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KyQw6nkTVc/WWAQTmQHdJI/AAAAAAAABow/STL3mGKc7hwsUqaCOwVVCSrlC19cED4CgCLcBGAs/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-34364462403795959872017-07-03T15:57:00.000+01:002017-07-03T15:57:20.874+01:00The Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag!<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yaFe8fs-9_4/WVpbCRhNUaI/AAAAAAAABm8/0J8yHrUU278W1hPVai-qKLynfsON11mfgCLcBGAs/s1600/title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="1600" height="106" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yaFe8fs-9_4/WVpbCRhNUaI/AAAAAAAABm8/0J8yHrUU278W1hPVai-qKLynfsON11mfgCLcBGAs/s640/title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So this post was originally going to be a June wrap-up but after writing and rewriting the post about five times, I decided that I'm just not up to it. However, I managed to read thirteen books - eight physical and five eBooks (because I finally bought a Kobo!) I haven't been tagged to do this but I've seen it all over Booktube and the wonderful <a href="https://novelparadiseblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/02/the-mid-year-book-freakout-tag/" target="_blank">Taryn's blog</a> so I thought I'd give it a shot anyway. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">1. THE BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2017?</span></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOb48N2Zj5o/WVlkCFzHfDI/AAAAAAAABlI/5YmTWr2Ae00rm5Kd7BV9S1c-oc96UJL1QCLcBGAs/s1600/32613366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fOb48N2Zj5o/WVlkCFzHfDI/AAAAAAAABlI/5YmTWr2Ae00rm5Kd7BV9S1c-oc96UJL1QCLcBGAs/s320/32613366.jpg" width="208" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f1OfXj1Am1U/WVlj8Ox937I/AAAAAAAABlE/-NEjY5VE-s4pp4Nvn0U43WeDxwnfkfKnACLcBGAs/s1600/30259893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f1OfXj1Am1U/WVlj8Ox937I/AAAAAAAABlE/-NEjY5VE-s4pp4Nvn0U43WeDxwnfkfKnACLcBGAs/s320/30259893.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was so difficult as I've hit the halfway mark with my reading challenge (50 out of 100 books!) so I've had to choose two. From the start of the year, my favourite has to be <i>The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas</i> and my most recent favourite is <i>Ragdoll by Daniel Cole. </i>Both completely different - one a YA contemporary and the other a Crime Thriller but both have stayed with me to this day.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<h2 style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">2. YOUR FAVOURITE SEQUEL OF 2017</span></strong></span></h2>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qezpna5BnFw/WVll-pIC7XI/AAAAAAAABlQ/jaw_4AIiJ0cZn29uyIsvtX9-KzXsPCPVgCLcBGAs/s1600/29939230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qezpna5BnFw/WVll-pIC7XI/AAAAAAAABlQ/jaw_4AIiJ0cZn29uyIsvtX9-KzXsPCPVgCLcBGAs/s320/29939230.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">Try and stop me using this book for the answer to every question though. This is the final book in the </span><i>Shades of Magic </i>series by V.E. Schwab and woah, didn't it half end with a bang. This series has just been magical and diverse and funny and Lila and Rhy will forever be two of my favourite characters. I miss this world all the time! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">3. A NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ BUT WANT TO</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2SfWstT4qts/WVlm1GJ8a6I/AAAAAAAABlc/dZKa7gsKNTITDCdFsYPjRwVc4nOKHBvegCLcBGAs/s1600/32333174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2SfWstT4qts/WVlm1GJ8a6I/AAAAAAAABlc/dZKa7gsKNTITDCdFsYPjRwVc4nOKHBvegCLcBGAs/s320/32333174.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">I have wanted this book from the second it was announced and now that it is finally out, I've got a TBR the size of a small child so I can't get to it yet. However, it is getting amazing reviews so I may have to bump it up </span>further<span style="font-style: inherit;">. It is an incredibly diverse sci-fi novel which is exactly up my street so I encourage you guys to check it out too!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">4. MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR</span></strong><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></strong>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ojcSkFpgnUI/WVlnbRxXaaI/AAAAAAAABlg/Gc6WSDwsjAARkrchqYhRJBcBZZVRotRYACLcBGAs/s1600/29749085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ojcSkFpgnUI/WVlnbRxXaaI/AAAAAAAABlg/Gc6WSDwsjAARkrchqYhRJBcBZZVRotRYACLcBGAs/s320/29749085.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></strong>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">Yes, I am SO excited for </span><i>Warcross by Marie Lu </i>and <i>27 Hours by Tristina Wright </i><b>but</b> I would be lying if I didn't say this amazing book right here wasn't what I was most excited for. Not only is this a Wonder Woman story but it's also written by one of my all time favourite authors. There's a 99.9% I had a heart attack when it was announced. It will be released on August 29th!</span></span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">5. YOUR BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MntV_B7Si-c/WVloXM6a-8I/AAAAAAAABlo/vSkWBTMTUQEY_ntRPEJTBjHCx6V9VSi3gCLcBGAs/s1600/23308087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MntV_B7Si-c/WVloXM6a-8I/AAAAAAAABlo/vSkWBTMTUQEY_ntRPEJTBjHCx6V9VSi3gCLcBGAs/s320/23308087.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A lot of books were a disappointment this year but I think you have to choose one that you had high hopes for and for me, it was <i>Flame in the Mist. </i>I didn't watch a lot of Disney movies when I was younger but the one I loved above all else was Mulan and to hear this was a retelling made me so happy. Although the book wasn't terrible, it has problems with cultural and historical inaccuracies and bi-erasure. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">6. BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR</span></strong><br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IA1rTDo6Sw8/WVlpcUfbNVI/AAAAAAAABls/yhLagR1uBGk2WFeXp7JJGYjDM0TxYCQRwCLcBGAs/s1600/29779231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IA1rTDo6Sw8/WVlpcUfbNVI/AAAAAAAABls/yhLagR1uBGk2WFeXp7JJGYjDM0TxYCQRwCLcBGAs/s320/29779231.jpg" width="210" /></a><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></strong>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">This was a surprise for me because the one genre I've never really read has been memoirs/non-fiction. However, I picked this up because of the blurb and the fact that it was being sold for very cheap in a local supermarket. When I finished this book, I probably cried for about </span>ten minutes and immediately started researching other popular memoirs on Goodreads. It surprised me how much I was invested in a story that was real life and I also come away with a line that stays with me to this day - <i>"I can't go on. I'll go on."</i></span></span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">7. FAVE NEW TO YOU OR DEBUT AUTHOR</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lkZJg9s-dRE/WVpLqbUt3VI/AAAAAAAABl8/1OAefnwL0kUOD4STBzY04GzvInAyg_dbQCLcBGAs/s1600/25526296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lkZJg9s-dRE/WVpLqbUt3VI/AAAAAAAABl8/1OAefnwL0kUOD4STBzY04GzvInAyg_dbQCLcBGAs/s320/25526296.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ok, for this I'm going to choose Seanan McGuire who I discovered after reading <i>Every Heart a Doorway</i>. I just instantly fell in love with not just her twisted take on fairytales but also her imaginative and diverse writing. Definitely an author I'm going to keep up to date with.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">8. YOUR NEW FICTIONAL CRUSH</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c2DZWzhq9dc/WVpMspABAiI/AAAAAAAABmE/bm0jClIK8pIr_MvUkjHK74lJUooc_WAcgCLcBGAs/s1600/29904219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c2DZWzhq9dc/WVpMspABAiI/AAAAAAAABmE/bm0jClIK8pIr_MvUkjHK74lJUooc_WAcgCLcBGAs/s320/29904219.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I don't really develop crushes on characters and if I do, I haven't developed one this year <i>but</i> one of my newest loves is definitely Jessica from <i>Not Your Sidekick</i>. I just think she's amazing and the hero of her own story and just somebody I'd want in my life so she's getting this trophy. Sorry, Abby.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">9. NEW FAVOURITE CHARACTER</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0FsZOVdsJYI/WVpNL3lxdiI/AAAAAAAABmM/tS1ZpMTzXqsHmUz-646VUhdPhibVroi-ACLcBGAs/s1600/30653853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0FsZOVdsJYI/WVpNL3lxdiI/AAAAAAAABmM/tS1ZpMTzXqsHmUz-646VUhdPhibVroi-ACLcBGAs/s320/30653853.jpg" width="211" /></a><br />
<br />
I'm going to have to choose Molly from <i>The Upside of Unrequited. </i>She has just managed to stand out for me - she's kind, very good at baking and is an avid fan of Pinterest. I think she's just somebody you'd love to have as a friend. She's written brilliantly, has amazing humour and is just a character I missed as soon as I finished the book.<br />
<br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">10. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY</span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmWQ5Jdm1ko/WVpN2GHyKWI/AAAAAAAABmQ/pyAZuIt-dRktmHoRK0sv1NlZF1s_iMUCACLcBGAs/s1600/25334922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XmWQ5Jdm1ko/WVpN2GHyKWI/AAAAAAAABmQ/pyAZuIt-dRktmHoRK0sv1NlZF1s_iMUCACLcBGAs/s320/25334922.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I think 99.9% of people who read this book got tears. I'm not kidding. This book isn't fun to read. It's heavy and heartbreaking and be aware of triggers for pretty much everything - suicide, self-harm, abuse. There's nothing 'little' about <i>A Little Life</i> so don't go into this expecting a light-hearted read. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">11. A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY</span></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_x1JrbS28is/WVpOeDtVVeI/AAAAAAAABmU/OLqcHwJ_krQmSqg6OGRQLXFijgzuhutmACLcBGAs/s1600/15749186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_x1JrbS28is/WVpOeDtVVeI/AAAAAAAABmU/OLqcHwJ_krQmSqg6OGRQLXFijgzuhutmACLcBGAs/s320/15749186.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This trilogy is bound to make anyone happy. It's light-hearted, fun and just generally cute. Lara Jean is a likeable and relatable character, there is a strong family dynamic especially between the Song sisters and the story lines are typical coming-of-age issues. They are just books you can fly through in one sitting and just have your heart warmed by its contents.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">12. FAVE BOOK TO MOVIE ADAPTATION YOU’VE SEEN THIS YEAR</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;">I haven't actually seen one? I'm not the hugest fan of book to movie adaptations anyway but there's none I can think of this year.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">13. FAVE BOOK POST PUBLISHED THIS YEAR</span></strong><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm super proud of a lot of posts we've made this year, especially our diverse recommendations but my favourite has to be our post featuring books with bisexual characters which you can find <a href="http://twobookthieves.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/diversity-recs-bisexual-characters-in.html" target="_blank">here</a>. We've since posted a part II <a href="http://twobookthieves.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/diversity-recs-bisexual-characters-ii.html">here.</a></span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">14. MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT/RECEIVED</span></strong><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E1aa61zKgZo/WVpVp15DNuI/AAAAAAAABmk/5jDIMhxGLFEeEUfCJE36CO7RZHQjKI-mQCLcBGAs/s1600/25493853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E1aa61zKgZo/WVpVp15DNuI/AAAAAAAABmk/5jDIMhxGLFEeEUfCJE36CO7RZHQjKI-mQCLcBGAs/s320/25493853.jpg" width="207" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EFzrg72rD3A/WVpVo3Cu30I/AAAAAAAABmg/fMx3LYP7Apk2AzRVR80qa-cKccgmBbaowCLcBGAs/s1600/29760778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EFzrg72rD3A/WVpVo3Cu30I/AAAAAAAABmg/fMx3LYP7Apk2AzRVR80qa-cKccgmBbaowCLcBGAs/s320/29760778.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: inherit;">So my initial choice would have been </span><i>The Tiger's Daughter</i> because I fell in love with that cover art as soon as I saw it but I don't technically own it as I read the ARC from Netgalley. So if I had to choose one I do own, I'd choose the Russian fairytale <i>The Bear and the Nightingale</i>. Like most books, this has different editions but each one manages to be stunning! </span><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">15. WHAT ARE SOME BOOKS YOU NEED TO READ BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR?</span></strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XkKK268csZQ/WVpYXHlq4sI/AAAAAAAABms/2BtjmuoiPckv1G-3NJNSmDvohlDnIz3igCLcBGAs/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1576" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XkKK268csZQ/WVpYXHlq4sI/AAAAAAAABms/2BtjmuoiPckv1G-3NJNSmDvohlDnIz3igCLcBGAs/s640/Untitled-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></strong>
So, in reality, the answer to this question would be the entirety of my TBR which is, no exaggeration, the size of a fridge but these are the five that have already been released and that I want to get around to reading ASAP. I've got some fantasy, crime thriller, sci-fi and contemporary so I think this is a good mix.<br />
<br />
**<br />
<br />
And that's the tag. I tag everybody who reads this to do this tag, whether it's on their blog or Youtube channel. Especially the bloggers who are just starting out! I'm happy with the way my reading is going this year - I have delved into the world of non-fiction and gone back to my favourite genre growing up which was crime fiction. Can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings in terms of reading!<br />
<i>Love Angharad @</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXvUXNg1AwY/WVpZsX82JII/AAAAAAAABm0/qAqBz4W43Xc2GTGpaxbRN_uZp7kp672NQCLcBGAs/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qXvUXNg1AwY/WVpZsX82JII/AAAAAAAABm0/qAqBz4W43Xc2GTGpaxbRN_uZp7kp672NQCLcBGAs/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-37852149090872675992017-06-25T22:26:00.000+01:002017-06-25T22:26:43.210+01:00Diversity Recs: Bisexual Characters II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rK1brZ_zQ74/WU-ZOMhU_SI/AAAAAAAABjg/Z0sl_QPkMoYdkjRWXwKumS9B_Y6s2pd8wCLcBGAs/s1600/title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="1600" height="106" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rK1brZ_zQ74/WU-ZOMhU_SI/AAAAAAAABjg/Z0sl_QPkMoYdkjRWXwKumS9B_Y6s2pd8wCLcBGAs/s640/title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h6vL-7nEfyY/WU-g5tfxaCI/AAAAAAAABjw/54Pi0Lp8lzcEStAVCXv92AJeTuCMOB0EwCLcBGAs/s1600/28919058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h6vL-7nEfyY/WU-g5tfxaCI/AAAAAAAABjw/54Pi0Lp8lzcEStAVCXv92AJeTuCMOB0EwCLcBGAs/s320/28919058.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28919058-autoboyography?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Autoboyography</i> by Christina Lauren</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A coming-of-age story featuring two boys who fall in love in a writing class. Tanner, openly bisexual whilst living in California but is pushed back into the closet when he moves to Utah and Sebastian, the Mormon prodigy from a strict religious community who mentors the class. Determined to write a book in four months and planning to coast through high school, Tanner's plans change when he meets Sebastian. It takes him less than a month to fall in love. <i>This book will be released on September 12th.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EaDy3WiHhaQ/WVAiSPyuNzI/AAAAAAAABkA/DgOBnAGseVMWmNWyscTNQAWNzbG0UQj8gCLcBGAs/s1600/33158561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EaDy3WiHhaQ/WVAiSPyuNzI/AAAAAAAABkA/DgOBnAGseVMWmNWyscTNQAWNzbG0UQj8gCLcBGAs/s320/33158561.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33158561-wild-beauty?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Wild Beauty </i>by Anna-Marie McLemore</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Graced with the world's most beautiful cover, this book is jam packed with magic realism, beautiful familial and romantic relationships and celebrates generations of the Nomeolvides women. The book features houses filled with huge families, and more importantly, queer women. Our main character, Estrella, her cousins and some of their mum's and grandmother's are bisexual and this is stated. Yes, this is a YA novel that features older women actually having a sexuality. I also believe there is a genderqueer character although I am not 100% certain (please correct me if I'm wrong.) <i>This book will be released on October 3rd.</i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M2yZS1cKZIE/WVAkMvMCOZI/AAAAAAAABkM/J__9Yz_TbFI5OCCjn246X80OyNJRYhLHACLcBGAs/s1600/31556136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M2yZS1cKZIE/WVAkMvMCOZI/AAAAAAAABkM/J__9Yz_TbFI5OCCjn246X80OyNJRYhLHACLcBGAs/s320/31556136.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31556136-like-water?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Like Water </i>by Rebecca Podos</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Savannah Espinoza always planned to escape her small town in New Mexico but when her father is diagnosed with Huntington's disease, she and her mother must care for him. Now her life revolves around caring for her dad, working as a performing mermaid at a water park and distracting herself with one boy after the other. That is until she meets Leigh, wildly ambitious and the friend Savannah has been missing in her life. However, it isn't long before feelings of friendship become something more. A story of identity and first love. <i>This book will be released on October 17th.</i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GmvoMCq7VDo/WVAlhXhcTcI/AAAAAAAABkY/8BuK62sgRng0TLAschlkYCeWVg0cMYMDQCLcBGAs/s1600/25528808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GmvoMCq7VDo/WVAlhXhcTcI/AAAAAAAABkY/8BuK62sgRng0TLAschlkYCeWVg0cMYMDQCLcBGAs/s320/25528808.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25528808-that-inevitable-victorian-thing?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>That Inevitable Victorian Thing by E.K. Johnston</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This sci-fi novel taking place in the near-future tells the story of the world if the British Empire had never fallen and the U.S had never rose. Victoria-Margaret is crown princess of the Empire but genetically arranged matchmaking will soon enter her into a forced marriage like her mother before her. However, before she must accept her fate, she must go incognito for one summer in the far corner of the Empire. Here she meets Helena and August, both prominent figures and during this action-packed summer, the three form an unlikely bond that could change the course of their future. <i>This book will be released on October 3rd.</i> </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iBJlPIvNzRw/WVAnuFKApLI/AAAAAAAABko/bITISmdtCIUlv_maD7BioN2fydw0LFKSQCLcBGAs/s1600/34884747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iBJlPIvNzRw/WVAnuFKApLI/AAAAAAAABko/bITISmdtCIUlv_maD7BioN2fydw0LFKSQCLcBGAs/s320/34884747.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34884747-wild?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Wild </i>by Hannah Moskowitz</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zack Ramos knows of two things - he must be a parent to his 12 year old sister once their mum's Alzheimer's progresses too far and he must train for a hundred mile race through the mountains of Tennessee. His support comes from longtime girlfriend, Jordan, whom he met online and still hasn't met. And Jordan herself is coming to terms with how she's going to tell Zack that she's deaf. In terms of representation, this book is packed with it. A <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Guatemalan/Jewish Deaf bisexual love interest </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">and Filipino bisexual protagonist. Hardly any of the cast is white and of course, we have a main character with a disability that is a main focus of the story. Hilarious, heart-warming and diverse, this short story is definitely one you need to pick up!</span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Happy Reading!</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Love Angharad @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8fMRcHJY5mM/WVAqOi-vCtI/AAAAAAAABk0/9fxmN0nyaYkz8zkg0S4tbZVoGg-CHpzigCLcBGAs/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8fMRcHJY5mM/WVAqOi-vCtI/AAAAAAAABk0/9fxmN0nyaYkz8zkg0S4tbZVoGg-CHpzigCLcBGAs/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-22836426453089432492017-06-17T23:55:00.000+01:002017-06-17T23:55:37.862+01:00Mini Reviews (June 2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r50b0anzQQo/WUWzKE4wyNI/AAAAAAAABjQ/m1F9cTAMKmEd0j4-IdRPd9vXzfrNnfR6ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_8805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="1600" height="104" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r50b0anzQQo/WUWzKE4wyNI/AAAAAAAABjQ/m1F9cTAMKmEd0j4-IdRPd9vXzfrNnfR6ACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_8805.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've been struggling with writing reviews lately. Although I can have a lot of thoughts about a book, sometimes I find it difficult to express them all in review form. Sometimes I feel as though I don't have anything exciting to say but still want you guys to hear my opinions. So I've come up with a new idea of creating posts that feature my latest reads, including some mini reviews. The good, the bad and the overall rather than including the synopsis, background, etc. So without further ado, here are my latest four reads and what I thought about them in a few sentences.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gako9_NIeZg/WUWtLNZsljI/AAAAAAAABiY/jA0B-ACc7F0dIwuCYvHplDIFFw4rqjbegCLcBGAs/s1600/28248380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gako9_NIeZg/WUWtLNZsljI/AAAAAAAABiY/jA0B-ACc7F0dIwuCYvHplDIFFw4rqjbegCLcBGAs/s320/28248380.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29970013-the-couple-next-door" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Couple-Next-Door/9780552173148" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Couple Next Door </i>by Shari Lapena</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This may be weird to admit, but the first book genre I fell in love with as a child was crime thrillers purely because that is what my mother read so the house was full of them! I picked this book up on a whim in Brighton train station and completed it during the journey. Although it was addictive (as most crime-thrillers are) and I did read it in one sitting, the big reveal/ending/plot-twist kind of fell flat for me and it's something I called from the beginning. However, considering this is a debut novel, I think there is definitely potential for the author's future works.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mba4csStzsw/WUWuPdPhQyI/AAAAAAAABik/MFDSdlxWE7MUEpGT70DLe4IPaUU5szDxACLcBGAs/s1600/32887579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mba4csStzsw/WUWuPdPhQyI/AAAAAAAABik/MFDSdlxWE7MUEpGT70DLe4IPaUU5szDxACLcBGAs/s320/32887579.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32887579-one-of-us-is-lying" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/One-of-Us-is-Lying-Karen-McManus/9780141375632?ref=grid-view&qid=1497739055562&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">One Of Us Is Lying </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">by Karen M. McManus</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So this book is marketed as being like The Breakfast Club but with murder and for those who may not know, that is one of my favourite movies and I love a good murder mystery. This book had huge pros such as the relationship that forms between the members of the 'Murder Squad,' especially between 'Queen Bee' Addy and the 'Brains,' Bronwyn. However, I didn't like the addition of somebody's sexuality being a spoiler and once again, the big reveal just made me feel unsatisfied and felt very rushed. I wanted a huge twist. However, loved the Breakfast Club vibes and the characters themselves. Overall, a three star read for me.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DcQOf2DGiM4/WUWvZ5-38-I/AAAAAAAABiw/vHQcvh6IZXknKgpQtVkp08iWPn0WJUHGQCLcBGAs/s1600/29760778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DcQOf2DGiM4/WUWvZ5-38-I/AAAAAAAABiw/vHQcvh6IZXknKgpQtVkp08iWPn0WJUHGQCLcBGAs/s320/29760778.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29760778-the-tiger-s-daughter" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><b><i>The Tiger's Daughter </i>by K. Arsenault Rivera</b></i></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To say I loved this book is an understatement. After being accepted for it on Netgalley (god bless) and finishing it within a day with tears in my eyes, I've since been trying my hardest to get a physical ARC copy just so I can hold it. No lies. Beautiful, atmospheric, full of magic and mythology but the standout is the relationship between Shefali and Shizuka, the two girls who were destined to spend their lives together. I felt as though I went on the journey with the two girls, their love came bounding off the pages to the point that I could feel like I was intruding. This book comes out on October 3rd and I would encourage you all to preorder because it is worth it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k0vc__TUy1s/WUWw0HZqzjI/AAAAAAAABi8/1MBll03Cw4gQfAb10fwbTx1EePIRl1KegCLcBGAs/s1600/27251758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k0vc__TUy1s/WUWw0HZqzjI/AAAAAAAABi8/1MBll03Cw4gQfAb10fwbTx1EePIRl1KegCLcBGAs/s320/27251758.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Suffragettes </i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This book is not only about the amazing Suffragettes, our ancestors who fought for women to have a voice but it was also a £1 and it's so cute, it's literally pocket size. This book is filled (I say filled, it's around 40 pages long) with news articles, speech transcripts, propaganda and memorabilia from the years of the Suffragettes. It isn't anything special and probably doesn't tell you anything you don't already know but it is still an informative read, especially for those who want a basic understanding of what these women faced. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>What have you guys read lately and what has been your favourite?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Love from Angharad @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7EEmRG_iks/WUWxmc985TI/AAAAAAAABjE/uyqZ13Y6IRU2oVa-cys-25UZONREDu6KQCLcBGAs/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7EEmRG_iks/WUWxmc985TI/AAAAAAAABjE/uyqZ13Y6IRU2oVa-cys-25UZONREDu6KQCLcBGAs/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-12887714279036998012017-06-06T20:44:00.001+01:002017-06-06T20:44:29.037+01:00May Wrap Up II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3j2-bHN6PRg/WTVNiS41ClI/AAAAAAAABf0/yEcsbT_MXPonNItmB88KucDf5hrkFjNtwCLcB/s1600/IMG_8800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3j2-bHN6PRg/WTVNiS41ClI/AAAAAAAABf0/yEcsbT_MXPonNItmB88KucDf5hrkFjNtwCLcB/s640/IMG_8800.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>* <u>Becky's Reads</u> *</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rr8vYN12CvI/WTVsHnZTkKI/AAAAAAAABgE/SL8bXaj_8jElFRqGPEwgiHhQ5aEORlnegCLcB/s1600/18946927_10156373670304199_2098458973_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="889" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rr8vYN12CvI/WTVsHnZTkKI/AAAAAAAABgE/SL8bXaj_8jElFRqGPEwgiHhQ5aEORlnegCLcB/s640/18946927_10156373670304199_2098458973_o.jpg" width="502" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So I felt as though this was quite a slow reading month for me (mostly because I had my final deadlines for my degree, got into a bit of a slump and somehow spent four weeks finishing one book?) but I definitely read some books that I really enjoyed throughout May!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ljnBcJaqCRY/WTWZLwUaBJI/AAAAAAAABgU/S--dKd0wTHoJmTbG8aBBp1iCktiU9m3DgCLcB/s1600/18986244_10156373670549199_844240071_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="889" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ljnBcJaqCRY/WTWZLwUaBJI/AAAAAAAABgU/S--dKd0wTHoJmTbG8aBBp1iCktiU9m3DgCLcB/s320/18986244_10156373670549199_844240071_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
<span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><i style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Ship Beyond Time by Heidi Heilig</span></b></i></span></div>
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;">Although it took me almost a month to read this (I'm not exactly sure what happened there?) I really loved this book and I think I'd even say that I preferred it to the first one! </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;">I have always loved both mythology and history, so a world that includes them both is absolutely perfect for me.</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;">The world-building was absolutely lush, to the extent that I could almost smell the sea breeze purely from descriptions, or imagine that I was walking through the streets of modern-day New York (a city that I've never visited).</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RkO1sYCMx7g/WTWbTGl3cfI/AAAAAAAABgo/gbZu1iGBaq8r2FhGgwm7V9I_xQYfpJv4gCEw/s1600/2268515_orig%2Bcopy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="21" data-original-width="100" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RkO1sYCMx7g/WTWbTGl3cfI/AAAAAAAABgo/gbZu1iGBaq8r2FhGgwm7V9I_xQYfpJv4gCEw/s1600/2268515_orig%2Bcopy.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TBBEtNwh78/WTb6TPstBgI/AAAAAAAABhA/-EYG0Y7Ft-UiAneg2shzBbZOVasyGlFqACLcB/s1600/18927167_10156373670404199_133821758_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="889" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TBBEtNwh78/WTb6TPstBgI/AAAAAAAABhA/-EYG0Y7Ft-UiAneg2shzBbZOVasyGlFqACLcB/s320/18927167_10156373670404199_133821758_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><b><i>To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;">So as it's coming up to the summer, I was in the mood for a light contemporary read and after hearing about this series, I thought it would be perfect. It's a quick read with important family dynamics, a diverse main character (Korean/American) and a whole lot of baking goodness. I quickly finished the rest of the series within a few days and I can safely say that I recommend it. </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xT7sIg-0iTM/WTb7b9gIKrI/AAAAAAAABhM/bOjh1VIPJPwFqmSQFZS26RsFB0eo6itMQCLcB/s1600/2268515_orig%2Bcopy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="21" data-original-width="100" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xT7sIg-0iTM/WTb7b9gIKrI/AAAAAAAABhM/bOjh1VIPJPwFqmSQFZS26RsFB0eo6itMQCLcB/s1600/2268515_orig%2Bcopy.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVVTT4ghSis/WTb7nkb0OdI/AAAAAAAABhQ/anKj7OBBWOI90X2C1CRAOG2Xl8eaMS5awCLcB/s1600/18947162_10156373670529199_2015141349_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="889" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yVVTT4ghSis/WTb7nkb0OdI/AAAAAAAABhQ/anKj7OBBWOI90X2C1CRAOG2Xl8eaMS5awCLcB/s320/18947162_10156373670529199_2015141349_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><b><i>Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">This book was definitely a mixed bag for me. The first half of the book took me a while to get into, I wasn't too invested with the plot or the romance but then the second half </span><span style="font-family: "georgia", "times new roman", serif;">definitely</span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"> improved to the point I gave this book four stars. However, since reading it, we have read some mixed reviews from Own Voice readers such as problems with bi-erasure and inaccuracies with Japanese history. We will be posting a full review soon!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--8kgqWiQcA4/WTb9ClBtBdI/AAAAAAAABhc/Dc7_hDwGaOk_txoIFFQOiSX89jbIVMtNQCLcB/s1600/images-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="17" data-original-width="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--8kgqWiQcA4/WTb9ClBtBdI/AAAAAAAABhc/Dc7_hDwGaOk_txoIFFQOiSX89jbIVMtNQCLcB/s1600/images-2.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JprDiF79_FA/WTb9OENzSnI/AAAAAAAABhg/Act6-o3Z7CMSupuw5HSPrClEp-8GxZBqQCLcB/s1600/18949085_10156373670384199_1560778214_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="889" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JprDiF79_FA/WTb9OENzSnI/AAAAAAAABhg/Act6-o3Z7CMSupuw5HSPrClEp-8GxZBqQCLcB/s320/18949085_10156373670384199_1560778214_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b><i>When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Although this was a fast read, I really enjoyed it! It has a diverse cast, it is really lighthearted, cute and fun but at the same time touched on important issues. Dimple wasn't a typical YA contemporary protagonist and I loved learning about all of the Indian traditions. I'm just excited for whatever this amazing author releases next!</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfMKmCjvi50/WTcC6aeRxFI/AAAAAAAABhw/6QMLLWh3zDk2Y2eExlS6-6fIcT574QEOACLcB/s1600/images-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="17" data-original-width="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfMKmCjvi50/WTcC6aeRxFI/AAAAAAAABhw/6QMLLWh3zDk2Y2eExlS6-6fIcT574QEOACLcB/s1600/images-3.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ed0V77l0hzw/WTcDEwRaT4I/AAAAAAAABh0/K6qhx6yAO-IZfiJG_aXcuNvOKmtFrTd9wCLcB/s1600/18870630_10156373670584199_53161543_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="889" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ed0V77l0hzw/WTcDEwRaT4I/AAAAAAAABh0/K6qhx6yAO-IZfiJG_aXcuNvOKmtFrTd9wCLcB/s320/18870630_10156373670584199_53161543_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I thought </span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">ACOWAR</i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> wrapped up the trilogy really well (I definitely cried more than once) for the most part I was so happy with how things turned out, there are a couple of issues that needed discussing with this book (such as biphobia and ace phobia.) However, without overlooking these issues, I did really enjoy ACOWAR and have loved this series so much as a whole. I think in the future, Sarah J. Maas definitely needs to focus on bringing more diversity to her worlds and stop describing penises as 'velvet steel.'</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xT7sIg-0iTM/WTb7b9gIKrI/AAAAAAAABhU/oVpAwkf8TzYmqjBkBUJ14Pkpck_VeRZ4wCEw/s1600/2268515_orig%2Bcopy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="21" data-original-width="100" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xT7sIg-0iTM/WTb7b9gIKrI/AAAAAAAABhU/oVpAwkf8TzYmqjBkBUJ14Pkpck_VeRZ4wCEw/s1600/2268515_orig%2Bcopy.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>So that was my reading month! I'm looking forward to the month of June (and not just because I'm going on holiday.) What was your favourite read this month?</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Love Becky @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Ccp4nW97UM/WTcF1HK4r7I/AAAAAAAABiA/UApKPp_l_Ionga6kXlFb-jAC2Li0ezA_wCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Ccp4nW97UM/WTcF1HK4r7I/AAAAAAAABiA/UApKPp_l_Ionga6kXlFb-jAC2Li0ezA_wCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-8412741612132516162017-06-04T20:02:00.000+01:002017-06-04T20:02:18.813+01:00Our May Wrap Up! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9fT85qxa-eQ/WTK6iTgbcmI/AAAAAAAABdo/xFwDscTNOFgXx2synYnH2Srv7qWvBrWJgCLcB/s1600/18869805_10156365488529199_1965083520_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="1600" height="138" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9fT85qxa-eQ/WTK6iTgbcmI/AAAAAAAABdo/xFwDscTNOFgXx2synYnH2Srv7qWvBrWJgCLcB/s640/18869805_10156365488529199_1965083520_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>* <u><span style="font-size: large;">Angharad's Reads</span></u> *</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ihn0n1Twnwo/WTK5yoOD3cI/AAAAAAAABdk/ouxLT4OlGacr0bizBKd5EY4rizqf9fn3QCLcB/s1600/Untitled_Panorama1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1377" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ihn0n1Twnwo/WTK5yoOD3cI/AAAAAAAABdk/ouxLT4OlGacr0bizBKd5EY4rizqf9fn3QCLcB/s640/Untitled_Panorama1.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
So after months and months of not doing a wrap-up <i>and</i> being caught up with our new business, we've decided to stop abandoning this blog (yay!) Although I'm behind on my reading challenge at the moment, I read more books this month than I thought I did! Some let me down but I also found another all time favourite so it was worth it. So without further ado, here's the books I read this month and what I thought about them. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tn3o67lfSFk/WTLtAWGVj8I/AAAAAAAABd0/9yG0Gv-wfoYM_EYfa4Sn1nRhi0Z7kYXWQCLcB/s1600/IMG_8814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tn3o67lfSFk/WTLtAWGVj8I/AAAAAAAABd0/9yG0Gv-wfoYM_EYfa4Sn1nRhi0Z7kYXWQCLcB/s320/IMG_8814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>A Dance with Dragons 2: After the Feast by George R.R. Martin</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So I've finally caught up with the ASOIAF series! This isn't a quick read series or even a happy series (it has more death than a graveyard) but the amount of magic and world building in these books is hard to beat. I don't watch the show anymore but these books more than make up for it! The unfortunate thing about catching up is that I now have to wait like everyone else for the next book. Wish me luck.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bDW-frsSxI/WTLumqbvSRI/AAAAAAAABeE/-TKeIy06UYEMOCCeVmQlP4e5qdRQIVpCQCLcB/s1600/four-star-rating-black-hi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="19" data-original-width="100" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bDW-frsSxI/WTLumqbvSRI/AAAAAAAABeE/-TKeIy06UYEMOCCeVmQlP4e5qdRQIVpCQCLcB/s1600/four-star-rating-black-hi.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eAr2MVfsa5A/WTLwBPXHx5I/AAAAAAAABeI/Tt3KJhN4uYcOQtKjVH3ofJ_h6S8DSb6gACLcB/s1600/IMG_8819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eAr2MVfsa5A/WTLwBPXHx5I/AAAAAAAABeI/Tt3KJhN4uYcOQtKjVH3ofJ_h6S8DSb6gACLcB/s320/IMG_8819.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have wanted to pick up this book of poetry for ages and then a miracle happened when I won a copy in a giveaway! I follow Amanda on Twitter and she seems like the most beautiful person so I just knew this would come across in her book. Her poems are raw and real, heartbreaking but beautiful. As the title suggests, this is the story of a princess who saves herself, a damsel who becomes queen, a girl who picks herself up. I also loved the size of this book as poetry books can definitely be too sparse. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bDW-frsSxI/WTLumqbvSRI/AAAAAAAABeE/wpW3TqOuq70u-BAlhi1uLHv5kQiq5vQeQCEw/s1600/four-star-rating-black-hi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="19" data-original-width="100" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bDW-frsSxI/WTLumqbvSRI/AAAAAAAABeE/wpW3TqOuq70u-BAlhi1uLHv5kQiq5vQeQCEw/s1600/four-star-rating-black-hi.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I3k-dNc9Ao4/WTLyaJst2SI/AAAAAAAABeQ/dZEXBlpT0qcZq_1tD7Rr3priMJ_wFfu3wCLcB/s1600/IMG_8817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I3k-dNc9Ao4/WTLyaJst2SI/AAAAAAAABeQ/dZEXBlpT0qcZq_1tD7Rr3priMJ_wFfu3wCLcB/s320/IMG_8817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>P.S. I Still Love You & Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The second and third instalment in the Lara Jean trilogy. I read the first book in April after hearing about it being a cute little contemporary with a Korean American protagonist and it didn't disappoint. They are your typical coming-of-age stories but with beautiful scenes between Lara and her family as she deals with future plans and a more than complicated love life. I would definitely recommend this series as they are quick and perfect for the summer. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bDW-frsSxI/WTLumqbvSRI/AAAAAAAABeE/wpW3TqOuq70u-BAlhi1uLHv5kQiq5vQeQCEw/s1600/four-star-rating-black-hi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="19" data-original-width="100" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1bDW-frsSxI/WTLumqbvSRI/AAAAAAAABeE/wpW3TqOuq70u-BAlhi1uLHv5kQiq5vQeQCEw/s1600/four-star-rating-black-hi.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FlGfia4pLGE/WTL0Z0c70FI/AAAAAAAABeY/kdCETMvG5m0YBa6rdG3zYQ3JOfQkY3HegCLcB/s1600/IMG_8820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FlGfia4pLGE/WTL0Z0c70FI/AAAAAAAABeY/kdCETMvG5m0YBa6rdG3zYQ3JOfQkY3HegCLcB/s320/IMG_8820.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Idiot Verse by Keaton Henson</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For those who didn't know, Keaton Henson is a very talented singer/songwriter who also happens to do a bit of art and poetry on the side. When I heard about this book, I ordered it immediately and finished it in just a few minutes (it's very short and a few pages are dedicated to his own illustrations.) Despite being a huge fan of his, unfortunately this book of poetry just didn't resonate with me but don't let this put you off as I believe poetry is subjective and others may love it! Plus, look at that cover art.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cofgTKYQZEM/WTL1c5q-8XI/AAAAAAAABeg/71dyAmUeXjsWGcb3jcuB1QrqDWaHRPQDQCLcB/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="17" data-original-width="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cofgTKYQZEM/WTL1c5q-8XI/AAAAAAAABeg/71dyAmUeXjsWGcb3jcuB1QrqDWaHRPQDQCLcB/s1600/images.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8nrMBZZeeJY/WTL19txBOZI/AAAAAAAABek/WuPNb3ezU8oZZLs1MftbCOyTRCuNQXqqgCLcB/s1600/IMG_8818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8nrMBZZeeJY/WTL19txBOZI/AAAAAAAABek/WuPNb3ezU8oZZLs1MftbCOyTRCuNQXqqgCLcB/s320/IMG_8818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
I am a HUGE sucker for post apocalyptic stories even though they have been done almost to death (har har.) This book has been on my shelves for about a year and the other day I decided to pick it up and ended up reading it in one sitting <i>and</i> it has become a new favourite of mine. This isn't an action-packed novel, it hardly even has a plot but it is about the characters and how they have survived and kept going since the world 'ended.' It shows how humanity rebuilds and how nature reclaims its domain and this is everything I've been looking for in a book.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diFv3CpBtBc/WTRVTVkTBlI/AAAAAAAABe0/P-woByoDuogdeK-j0gkuepDTwJGSqamVwCLcB/s1600/Star%2B5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="20" data-original-width="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diFv3CpBtBc/WTRVTVkTBlI/AAAAAAAABe0/P-woByoDuogdeK-j0gkuepDTwJGSqamVwCLcB/s1600/Star%2B5.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SOqJU8Sekr8/WTRVhHLfcnI/AAAAAAAABe4/LVX-x5RF4g8JIb8Ue5NFTy20exnSEv2BwCLcB/s1600/IMG_8815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SOqJU8Sekr8/WTRVhHLfcnI/AAAAAAAABe4/LVX-x5RF4g8JIb8Ue5NFTy20exnSEv2BwCLcB/s320/IMG_8815.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>A Jarful of Moonlight by Nazanin Mirsadeghi</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We were sent this small book of poetry in exchange for an honest review. <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">The book is split into five parts with a small poem on each page but by the end, they come together to form a story of love, heartbreak and grief. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For me, my end review is a bit of a mixed bag. Some poems resonated with me, some didn't and some reminded me of poems I've read before, either by other authors or on Tumblr. Our full review <a href="http://twobookthieves.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/a-jarful-for-moonlight-by-nazanin.html" target="_blank">here!</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Htup3Ew5pYE/WTRWY6s2iVI/AAAAAAAABfE/KRMO0YGOzIw7egYWDEMTrCfjaAIlQvevgCLcB/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="17" data-original-width="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Htup3Ew5pYE/WTRWY6s2iVI/AAAAAAAABfE/KRMO0YGOzIw7egYWDEMTrCfjaAIlQvevgCLcB/s1600/images.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJG_mXj2g7Y/WTRWsWEAa7I/AAAAAAAABfI/AkMzfJfYMzQj2bByxJGhR85GmdsmE6pJQCLcB/s1600/IMG_8821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OJG_mXj2g7Y/WTRWsWEAa7I/AAAAAAAABfI/AkMzfJfYMzQj2bByxJGhR85GmdsmE6pJQCLcB/s320/IMG_8821.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh </i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">I have been highly anticipating this read since hearing about it and the reason for that is because as a person who didn't watch a lot of disney films as a child, the one I loved more than anything with Mulan. And what's this? A Mulan retelling! Unfortunately, for reasons that will be discussed in a future review, I was left disappointed. Although it was very atmospheric and I enjoyed the main character, there were problems with bi-erasure amongst other things. However, if I could rate the book on cover alone it would be a full five stars.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWIacCAaxAA/WTRXhxcW8jI/AAAAAAAABfU/mzp_Ws3yBHUDohLbdjr3KJtxskFqyUZxACLcB/s1600/images-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="17" data-original-width="100" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWIacCAaxAA/WTRXhxcW8jI/AAAAAAAABfU/mzp_Ws3yBHUDohLbdjr3KJtxskFqyUZxACLcB/s1600/images-1.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7Drp410D-Q/WTRXyeAfx9I/AAAAAAAABfY/vPkqWMgkAkIMb2H1S8qw4kFwKyWaSNN_ACLcB/s1600/IMG_8816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7Drp410D-Q/WTRXyeAfx9I/AAAAAAAABfY/vPkqWMgkAkIMb2H1S8qw4kFwKyWaSNN_ACLcB/s320/IMG_8816.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Girl A</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">This is a memoir written by the victim who stopped the infamous Rochdale sex ring. Remaining anonymous, 'Hannah' tells the story of the abuse she, and other young girls, suffered at the hands of older men which for many years was ignored by social services and the police force. I decided to pick this up after watching the BBC drama, Three Girls and even after finishing it, I feel it is a book I can't rate. It's harrowing, it's difficult and it's a story that never should have to be told, especially by a young girl. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>So that is all my reads for the month of May. It was a mixed month but I read a lot more than I thought I did and I'm looking forward to June as I have a few books I'm so excited for. </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>What did you guys read? What was your favourite?</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Love Angharad @</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r3MfX0mdWUk/WTRY6TYaUJI/AAAAAAAABfk/OH1UILAbV6MC-qvx_ftNH-eI249OZP38ACLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r3MfX0mdWUk/WTRY6TYaUJI/AAAAAAAABfk/OH1UILAbV6MC-qvx_ftNH-eI249OZP38ACLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-49733384375192327322017-06-01T12:42:00.000+01:002017-06-01T12:42:07.247+01:00A Jarful for Moonlight by Nazanin Mirsadeghi <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gia9IXqCB-Q/WS_7DDdex5I/AAAAAAAABc8/18MGNJFmzWYtofKF0PXo1_GYxsX6FARYgCLcB/s1600/title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="1600" height="110" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gia9IXqCB-Q/WS_7DDdex5I/AAAAAAAABc8/18MGNJFmzWYtofKF0PXo1_GYxsX6FARYgCLcB/s640/title.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6iPQ_2qI5uU/WS_7N_TGPRI/AAAAAAAABdA/6stwyJbPabUspCQ8j38F7NE57RYx0K4bwCLcB/s1600/Untitled_Panorama1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6iPQ_2qI5uU/WS_7N_TGPRI/AAAAAAAABdA/6stwyJbPabUspCQ8j38F7NE57RYx0K4bwCLcB/s320/Untitled_Panorama1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge thanks to Bahar Books Publishing for this copy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>A Jarful of Moonlight </i>is a collection of short love poems. For me, poetry books can be hit or miss but that is only because poetry is subjective, it either makes you feel something or it doesn't. However, I am always open-minded. The book is split into five parts with a small poem on each page but by the end, they come together to form a story of love, heartbreak and grief. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For me, my end review is a bit of a mixed bag. Some poems resonated with me, some didn't and some reminded me of poems I've read before, either by other authors or on Tumblr. I don't know if Nazanin was heavily inspired by other works but I saw a lot of familiarity. I read the book in around ten minutes but it is easily a book you can pick up again or use to mark your favourite poems. I would recommend this collection if you're a fan of love poems in general or <i>Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur </i>and <i>Salt by Nayyirah Waheed.</i> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UUImngllXEk/WS_8nQ8raxI/AAAAAAAABdM/6QQKv4aeoociaG0uf63X84fGmCu1gG0jQCLcB/s1600/Untitled_Panorama2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UUImngllXEk/WS_8nQ8raxI/AAAAAAAABdM/6QQKv4aeoociaG0uf63X84fGmCu1gG0jQCLcB/s320/Untitled_Panorama2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34396069-a-jarful-of-moonlight?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/jarful-moonlight-Nazanin-Mirsadeghi/dp/1939099625/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496317227&sr=8-1&keywords=a+jarful+of+moonlight" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To conclude, I am assuming this is the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">author's first collection of poetry and because of this,</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I would give it around 3 stars! It is always hard to rate poetry as your experiences with it may be the complete opposite from somebody else's. However, for me, only one or two poems stuck out to me. It's clear that Nazanin is a gifted poet and her poems easily depict the feeling of love and self-discovery. I hope she continues to bare her soul to us through her poetry and I would definitely pick it up. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Love,</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lHTRnFJE55A/WS_9UxuL20I/AAAAAAAABdU/_I1OSp0rs5YOACl8FKZ9pCiAvwcUXc5OwCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="400" height="126" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lHTRnFJE55A/WS_9UxuL20I/AAAAAAAABdU/_I1OSp0rs5YOACl8FKZ9pCiAvwcUXc5OwCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-23958535698784922042017-05-22T13:51:00.001+01:002017-05-22T13:51:39.843+01:00Two Candle Thieves <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ip4bs9ltLCc/WSLeqVvrtpI/AAAAAAAABcs/ke0nGn9nFVsdsxLjaNE59tGtJVF2FRDbgCLcB/s1600/IMG_8495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="78" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ip4bs9ltLCc/WSLeqVvrtpI/AAAAAAAABcs/ke0nGn9nFVsdsxLjaNE59tGtJVF2FRDbgCLcB/s640/IMG_8495.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
So if you are a fan of our blog, not only are you the bee's knees but you also may have been wondering where we've been. Well, Becky and I (pretty much on a whim) decided to start up our own bookish candle business! Yes, there are quite a few out there but we are still building up our name and hoping to distinguish ourselves from the others out there (who are amazing because we now know how much work goes into it!!) During a conversation in which we both realised we hadn't seen a bookish candle dedicated to Inej from the Six of Crows duology, <i>Two Candle Thieves</i> was born. I had made candles in the past myself and Becky is good at the ol' Photoshop so it was us against the world of wax. Despite only having our shop since February this year, it has received so much praise, support and sales that we are overwhelmed every single day. We only use natural products (vegan-friendly) and at the moment, our candles come in 190ml jars! We also use our own photos for our labels. So without further ado, here are some photos of our current products and links to where you can find us.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpmQAZ_mbKs/WSLPLEmnEUI/AAAAAAAABaQ/OcRIP-K4Cfo0QpJVAZB6eEXar63Lg0ssQCLcB/s1600/18641763_10156315311819199_2099512684_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpmQAZ_mbKs/WSLPLEmnEUI/AAAAAAAABaQ/OcRIP-K4Cfo0QpJVAZB6eEXar63Lg0ssQCLcB/s640/18641763_10156315311819199_2099512684_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yq1jIi6YiJI/WSLPMl4KvOI/AAAAAAAABaU/2eEsN5D45m82l3_5Ln9wpOWDpwQLixaUgCLcB/s1600/18674927_10156315311854199_18537584_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yq1jIi6YiJI/WSLPMl4KvOI/AAAAAAAABaU/2eEsN5D45m82l3_5Ln9wpOWDpwQLixaUgCLcB/s640/18674927_10156315311854199_18537584_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our <i>Welcome to Weep </i>candle inspired by <i>Strange the Dreamer </i>by Laini Taylor. This has scents of bergamot, green tea, lemon, raspberry and more. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/520366965/welcome-to-weep-strange-the-dreamer-by?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">Found here.</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">**</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMu9zJgeDKM/WSLQs4POAYI/AAAAAAAABag/udpjNuSrhz0vNWGfb6FltBINQaxiQwTZgCLcB/s1600/18618928_10156315315684199_1862263836_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMu9zJgeDKM/WSLQs4POAYI/AAAAAAAABag/udpjNuSrhz0vNWGfb6FltBINQaxiQwTZgCLcB/s640/18618928_10156315315684199_1862263836_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nAL8qkgmxKc/WSLQtF8g0WI/AAAAAAAABak/fYeoJ1BKIo4Uivy_KTT43Ap-gereOEwbwCLcB/s1600/18698784_10156315315589199_1709662807_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nAL8qkgmxKc/WSLQtF8g0WI/AAAAAAAABak/fYeoJ1BKIo4Uivy_KTT43Ap-gereOEwbwCLcB/s640/18698784_10156315315589199_1709662807_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our <i>Blood Shrike</i> candle inspired by Helene Aquilla from <i>The Ember in the Ashes </i>by Sabaa Tahir. This has scents of amber, vanilla and cloves. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/501683788/blood-shrike-an-ember-in-the-ashes?ref=shop_home_active_9" target="_blank">Found here.</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdBjTMrenXo/WSLRaWlR0HI/AAAAAAAABaw/4IcSHUkHPIsOUWHvt7YsJvPuOzmNFJxxgCLcB/s1600/18641460_10156315315569199_1847900469_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NdBjTMrenXo/WSLRaWlR0HI/AAAAAAAABaw/4IcSHUkHPIsOUWHvt7YsJvPuOzmNFJxxgCLcB/s640/18641460_10156315315569199_1847900469_o.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uooGBQRHKTM/WSLRaHLuIrI/AAAAAAAABas/sXgJ5qI4rhwtZUEAHmITwJNvCYdYk0yTwCLcB/s1600/18641575_10156315315659199_524116347_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uooGBQRHKTM/WSLRaHLuIrI/AAAAAAAABas/sXgJ5qI4rhwtZUEAHmITwJNvCYdYk0yTwCLcB/s640/18641575_10156315315659199_524116347_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our <i>True Story </i>candle dedicated to Karou from <i>A Daughter of Smoke and Bone </i>by Laini Taylor. This has scents of fresh roses, cedar wood and cinnamon. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/511059377/true-story-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by?ref=shop_home_active_8" target="_blank">Found here.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-487dAzY9YHA/WSLR5SqVZOI/AAAAAAAABa4/XbyJS_7OpMoFPPujz-7HYsNAKnC7LAgLACLcB/s1600/18697561_10156315311864199_1963275287_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-487dAzY9YHA/WSLR5SqVZOI/AAAAAAAABa4/XbyJS_7OpMoFPPujz-7HYsNAKnC7LAgLACLcB/s640/18697561_10156315311864199_1963275287_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WxOeFtKG35c/WSLR4jQjM9I/AAAAAAAABa0/B0OoKidGSBQYXgQSbM1HYln33hEtlqVpQCLcB/s1600/18697883_10156315311904199_2038312646_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WxOeFtKG35c/WSLR4jQjM9I/AAAAAAAABa0/B0OoKidGSBQYXgQSbM1HYln33hEtlqVpQCLcB/s640/18697883_10156315311904199_2038312646_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our <i>Stars Eternal/Night Triumphant </i>candles are sold as a pair and limited stock. Dedicated to Feyre and Rhysand from <i>A Court of Wings and Ruin </i>by Sarah J. Maas. <i>Stars </i>has scents of jasmine, pine and amber. <i>Night</i> has scents of sea breeze, citrus and lavender. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8a51IVfJEFI/WSLSr9kFvrI/AAAAAAAABbE/2Ehmv5eAJsA2CnnEjoM8dxtaBKG8bOgkgCLcB/s1600/18674853_10156315395489199_707879715_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8a51IVfJEFI/WSLSr9kFvrI/AAAAAAAABbE/2Ehmv5eAJsA2CnnEjoM8dxtaBKG8bOgkgCLcB/s640/18674853_10156315395489199_707879715_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4V5EoRGDLoI/WSLSrUI2ZgI/AAAAAAAABbA/WGdH_Pc2KI0yxjOWYltnpZC3LCebp6LjACLcB/s1600/18697470_10156315395274199_231253565_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4V5EoRGDLoI/WSLSrUI2ZgI/AAAAAAAABbA/WGdH_Pc2KI0yxjOWYltnpZC3LCebp6LjACLcB/s640/18697470_10156315395274199_231253565_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our <i>High Lady & High Lord of the Night Court </i>candle inspired by <i>A Court of Mist and Fury </i>by Sarah J. Maas has hints of lilac, jasmine and sea breeze which will transport you straight to Velaris. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/501683208/high-lady-and-high-lord-of-the-night?ref=shop_home_active_5" target="_blank">Found here.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0ePQme2yfE/WSLT2LwVhyI/AAAAAAAABbQ/vMlcr6zjBPk-12KkN4TNNPFSTzMJaB1YgCLcB/s1600/18675168_10156315311814199_799343582_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0ePQme2yfE/WSLT2LwVhyI/AAAAAAAABbQ/vMlcr6zjBPk-12KkN4TNNPFSTzMJaB1YgCLcB/s640/18675168_10156315311814199_799343582_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NiBIPNQEqRo/WSLUsF5mbjI/AAAAAAAABbc/kCjqkRZMsbYHTjEwR1KaHuchVUigGH2UwCLcB/s1600/IMG_8489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NiBIPNQEqRo/WSLUsF5mbjI/AAAAAAAABbc/kCjqkRZMsbYHTjEwR1KaHuchVUigGH2UwCLcB/s640/IMG_8489.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our <i>Thief at Sea </i>candle inspired by Lila Bard from the <i>Shades of Magic trilogy </i>by V.E. Schwab. This has scents of freshly cut roses, sea breeze and gunpowder to transport you alongside our favourite cross-dressing pirate. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/497575878/thief-at-sea-a-darker-shade-of-magic-by?ref=related-6" target="_blank">Found here.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk1lpCb3Hi0/WSLWXXqUvgI/AAAAAAAABbs/OcXav254JZwjWhkWj2E97SwtZI1_DP2wgCLcB/s1600/IMG_8567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk1lpCb3Hi0/WSLWXXqUvgI/AAAAAAAABbs/OcXav254JZwjWhkWj2E97SwtZI1_DP2wgCLcB/s640/IMG_8567.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mF8G9M7Arxk/WSLWV2LGQXI/AAAAAAAABbo/3b3LYSOT1FgAizgVI7V55PyCFkwzaw4PQCLcB/s1600/IMG_8571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mF8G9M7Arxk/WSLWV2LGQXI/AAAAAAAABbo/3b3LYSOT1FgAizgVI7V55PyCFkwzaw4PQCLcB/s640/IMG_8571.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our <i>White Wolf </i>candle inspired by Adelina from the <i>Young Elites</i> trilogy by Marie Lu. As well as having scents of dark fruits, jasmine and sea breeze, this candle's label also features a photo of my husky, Jayden! <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/520365693/white-wolf-the-young-elites-by-marie-lu?ref=listing-shop-header-1" target="_blank">Found here. </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvlFYe3eWgk/WSLY-rf5EUI/AAAAAAAABb8/ZMk8kxMJBOMiCqZyJFhBq3gJt7Kr_w5igCLcB/s1600/IMG_8528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uvlFYe3eWgk/WSLY-rf5EUI/AAAAAAAABb8/ZMk8kxMJBOMiCqZyJFhBq3gJt7Kr_w5igCLcB/s640/IMG_8528.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4HfnOjkdqA/WSLY8VjwQYI/AAAAAAAABb4/_FBOz1XjU7Qy1_gx4C4Xfy2EzqayQVbvgCLcB/s1600/wraith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4HfnOjkdqA/WSLY8VjwQYI/AAAAAAAABb4/_FBOz1XjU7Qy1_gx4C4Xfy2EzqayQVbvgCLcB/s640/wraith.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The candle that started it all! <i>The Wraith</i> is inspired by Inej Ghafa from the <i>Six of Crows </i>duology. It has scents of warm cinnamon, burning amber and fresh breeze. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/511049741/the-wraith-six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo?ref=related-4" target="_blank">Found here.</a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2A80wONeeLo/WSLc-XdGNKI/AAAAAAAABcg/iyUnlQ0o4x0MfADtP3KUtDPpRt9sgB_xgCLcB/s1600/IMG_8491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2A80wONeeLo/WSLc-XdGNKI/AAAAAAAABcg/iyUnlQ0o4x0MfADtP3KUtDPpRt9sgB_xgCLcB/s640/IMG_8491.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn2-PGKGoSg/WSLczu3SvaI/AAAAAAAABcc/twdum91n1uQrBmB01Zc6qiUfptx3hdZ5gCLcB/s1600/IMG_8493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hn2-PGKGoSg/WSLczu3SvaI/AAAAAAAABcc/twdum91n1uQrBmB01Zc6qiUfptx3hdZ5gCLcB/s640/IMG_8493.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our <i>Liesl & the Goblin Grove </i>candle is inspired by <i>Wintersong </i>by S. Jae-Jones. It has scents of pine, snow and citrusy Goblin fruits. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/511059195/liesl-and-the-goblin-grove-wintersong-by?ref=SellerDashboard" target="_blank">Found here.</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And that is our shop! We have a lot more candles planned for the future, including one inspired by the Lara Jean trilogy and the women of A Song of Ice and Fire! If you go to our shop, you will also see that our newest venture is vinyl stickers which are only £1! So once again, thank you all so much for the support and we hope you love our candles as much as we do! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qTtew0uJubw/WSLZ_1ytcnI/AAAAAAAABcI/U1ntGCW-KYw9uOqNBb8vgeQkXzIoSmbUQCLcB/s1600/18674918_10156315317269199_720784996_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qTtew0uJubw/WSLZ_1ytcnI/AAAAAAAABcI/U1ntGCW-KYw9uOqNBb8vgeQkXzIoSmbUQCLcB/s640/18674918_10156315317269199_720784996_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/twocandlethieves" target="_blank">Etsy Store</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/twocandlethieves/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/2candlethieves" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Love,</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUaQHVfRgsA/WSLaiBCB20I/AAAAAAAABcQ/UmyjF1CquTQmDA775QIfZ3Q4BLCSXlg_QCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUaQHVfRgsA/WSLaiBCB20I/AAAAAAAABcQ/UmyjF1CquTQmDA775QIfZ3Q4BLCSXlg_QCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-24310988842056495882017-05-10T19:31:00.001+01:002017-05-10T19:31:47.029+01:00Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Scc8bF4TZ_0/WRNcSUoshzI/AAAAAAAACfU/uDM0cybVYkIrsP2dRa8uddp0ssCqg7UUwCLcB/s1600/strange%2Bthe%2Bdreamer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="64" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Scc8bF4TZ_0/WRNcSUoshzI/AAAAAAAACfU/uDM0cybVYkIrsP2dRa8uddp0ssCqg7UUwCLcB/s640/strange%2Bthe%2Bdreamer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>“You’re a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable," she pleaded. "Something beautiful and full of monsters."</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>“Beautiful and full of monsters?"</i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>“All the best stories are.” </i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>+</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a7nsZvCUP7o/WQ5VP1YedKI/AAAAAAAACe8/TG3YqwpnYK4zuSJcZbkYwLNP0B3SyXvjACLcB/s1600/3strange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a7nsZvCUP7o/WQ5VP1YedKI/AAAAAAAACe8/TG3YqwpnYK4zuSJcZbkYwLNP0B3SyXvjACLcB/s640/3strange.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've been a huge fan of Laini Taylor ever since reading Daughter of Smoke and Bone all those years ago, so Strange the Dreamer was such a highly anticipated read for me. I'm so happy to say that it didn't disappoint.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've taken my time writing this review but, for those of you who haven't read this book yet, I'll be avoiding spoilers throughout this post!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
+</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u__BXWoN0OU/WQ5ViQzWYLI/AAAAAAAACfA/LMhRxGziREsSqFLWBrmMZteyL88q000PgCLcB/s1600/a7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u__BXWoN0OU/WQ5ViQzWYLI/AAAAAAAACfA/LMhRxGziREsSqFLWBrmMZteyL88q000PgCLcB/s640/a7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So, as always, Laini's writing was absolutely magical; Strange the Dreamer truly felt like a fairytale, and I could almost taste and sense the beautiful descriptions being weaved throughout this story. I didn't think it was possible, but I think Laini's writing has improved so much since DOSAB - despite that being such a beautifully written trilogy, she's somehow managed to grow within her writing and surpass it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Although the story is fairly slow paced, the world building and character development means that this isn't an issue in any way. I have to admit that Lazlo Strange is definitely one of my fictional crushes now - the gentle giant trope, his love of books, and just the general fact that overall, he is a <i>dreamer - </i>he was a perfect main character, and that's coming from someone who often struggles to read novels with male main characters. Besides Lazlo, I adored all of the characters, and immediately fell in love with Sarai and her story. The way in which each characters path intertwines to connect each thread of the story together worked in the most perfect way, and although there weren't necessarily any <i>huge</i> plot twists or surprises in my opinion, Strange the Dreamer had such a wonderfully woven plot and left me craving the sequel. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Without giving away too much, I also loved how easily Strange the Dreamer could be linked to the world of DOSAB, in terms of its mythical and magical aspects, especially within the world building (although I'm not sure if this was purposeful). irregardless, I enjoyed forming the connections between the two stories.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vI5EzbpU0zw/WQ5VxjwJZvI/AAAAAAAACfE/2UP-yawH7q4JzfREC31zlE7u00xRmt3BQCLcB/s1600/a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vI5EzbpU0zw/WQ5VxjwJZvI/AAAAAAAACfE/2UP-yawH7q4JzfREC31zlE7u00xRmt3BQCLcB/s640/a3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Overall, Strange the Dreamer is a story of gods and monsters, of an orphaned librarian and a half-human girl with dreams that they can't escape, of lost cities and lost histories, of long-standing prejudices spanning centuries, and of a dreamer who just wants to be the hero of the story, despite believing that he has no skill to ever achieve that goal. It brings together a strong social commentary on how grudges can be held against a group of people based purely on the actions of their predecessors and a simple overarching message to never give up your dream. If, deep down, you have a storytellers mind and a dreamer's soul, this is the book for you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>love Becky @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</span>Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-68600196399825898252017-04-23T23:28:00.002+01:002017-04-23T23:28:50.056+01:00Diverse Recs: Books with Trans Characters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3osy8K6Drk/WP0fG6XMlUI/AAAAAAAABYk/Zs84QQ-bo80DwVLfJYj-viz2StQeYRP-QCLcB/s1600/jjh-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3osy8K6Drk/WP0fG6XMlUI/AAAAAAAABYk/Zs84QQ-bo80DwVLfJYj-viz2StQeYRP-QCLcB/s640/jjh-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gX0giswh5pM/WP0fVGeO9RI/AAAAAAAABYo/148OnZqpQacV2yFzZh-FdWWktaZt42D9gCLcB/s1600/26156987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gX0giswh5pM/WP0fVGeO9RI/AAAAAAAABYo/148OnZqpQacV2yFzZh-FdWWktaZt42D9gCLcB/s320/26156987.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26156987-if-i-was-your-girl?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/If-I-Was-Your-Girl/9781474923835" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>If I Was Your Girl</i> by Meredith Russo</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We follow the story of Amanda, a transgender girl who goes to live with her father. She falls in love, makes new friends and learns to love the body she should have been born with. The novel switches between present day and flashbacks all the way through Amanda's childhood to her attempted suicide and finally, her transition. This is a YA contemporary with all our much-loved themes but having it told by a transgender woman makes the story so much more relevant.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUiF1YO1yl8/WP0hQcOsbcI/AAAAAAAABY0/hSRbfG3K2LU_kiQ2fMrCxa0gg6uD7jJBgCLcB/s1600/30279514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUiF1YO1yl8/WP0hQcOsbcI/AAAAAAAABY0/hSRbfG3K2LU_kiQ2fMrCxa0gg6uD7jJBgCLcB/s320/30279514.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30279514-dreadnought?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Dreadnought-April-Daniels/9781682300688" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Dreadnought </i>by April Daniels</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dreadnought</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is the first book in the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Nemesis </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">series by April Daniels. We follow the story of Danielle, a superhero who just happens to be transgender. This is a world where superheroes are a part of everyday life and when Danny is confronted by a dying Dreadnought, one of the world's best superheroes, it isn't long until her life is completely changed when with his dying breath, he gives her his powers and changes her from the boy she was born into the girl she has always been. Faced with her new appearance and blossoming superpowers, Danielle is drawn into the world of heroes and villains alongside her fellow class-member/masked vigilante, Sarah/Calamity as they work together to stop Utopia, a super-villain hell bent on controlling the world. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ePHRD8VdaAY/WP0h-T1OaCI/AAAAAAAABY8/3hKgxag__ukVhAJOCXAPIgugLLOgTDEywCLcB/s1600/28220826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ePHRD8VdaAY/WP0h-T1OaCI/AAAAAAAABY8/3hKgxag__ukVhAJOCXAPIgugLLOgTDEywCLcB/s320/28220826.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220826-when-the-moon-was-ours?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Moon-Ours-Anna-Marie-McLemore/dp/125005866X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492984976&sr=8-1&keywords=when+the+moon+was+ours" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i></i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>When the Moon Was Ours </i>by Anna-Marie McLemore</span></b></i></span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This beautiful magic-realism story follows the story of a lost girl who has roses growing from her wrists and Sam, a transgender boy with a Pakistani heritage whose culture is explored through his paintings. Sam and his mother have always followed the practice of Bacha posh, the cultural practice in Afghanistan and Pakistan of families without sons picking one of their daughters to live and behave as a boy, in order to accept his identity. Although this book is heavily metaphorical and magical, it still manages to deal with many intense issues - such as gender and race. Overall, this is the story of the friendship between Sam and Miel.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--O4_qtMYyp8/WP0k5vCr3yI/AAAAAAAABZI/Xsp5nah8BS493C2-_JrQgEU4mNANEIEogCLcB/s1600/24612624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--O4_qtMYyp8/WP0k5vCr3yI/AAAAAAAABZI/Xsp5nah8BS493C2-_JrQgEU4mNANEIEogCLcB/s320/24612624.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612624-george?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/George-Alex-Gino/0545812577/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492985394&sr=1-1&keywords=george+alex+gino" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>George </i>by Alex Gino</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A middle-grade novel incorporating what it means to be transgender and how it is manifested in children. When people look at George, they see a boy but inside, she knows she's not. Despite the heavy issues, this book being narrated by 10 year old George allows it to remain a lighthearted and heartwarming, especially George's blossoming friendship with Kelly who accepts her without question. Female pronouns are </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">used throughout the entire book and during one scene, George renames herself as Melissa and from that point on, that is her name. I think it's so important to have a middle-grade novel that focuses on the positivity of a trans character and the acceptance that should always be in their lives.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uPhP8dBmFIw/WP0miAXKgcI/AAAAAAAABZU/4FeLEMmWHXQg7H_sHdYL5U95OZ9QsjqhgCLcB/s1600/33358438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uPhP8dBmFIw/WP0miAXKgcI/AAAAAAAABZU/4FeLEMmWHXQg7H_sHdYL5U95OZ9QsjqhgCLcB/s320/33358438.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33358438-peter-darling?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Darling-Austin-Chant/dp/1620049805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492985759&sr=1-1&keywords=peter+darling" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Peter Darling </i>by Austin Chant</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beautiful cover? Check. Beautiful story? Check. Own Voices? Check. Diversity? Double check. Just checks everywhere for this amazing retelling of Peter Pan. Despite (unfortunately) being quite short, this story definitely packs a punch as we follow the story of Pan who returns to Neverland after resigning to live his life as Wendy Darling. However, growing up has only fuelled his true identity as a boy. Coming back to the Lost Boys who have now become men and his old rival, Captain Hook isn't what Pan expected. What is extra unexpected is the attraction he now feels towards Hook leaving a new question, who the real villain is. This book is cute and fun and Pan and Hook could have been SO toxic but Austin nailed it. Definitely pick up this adorable retelling!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-onZVuOwn1XQ/WP0n7hLFcrI/AAAAAAAABZg/AGT0n1cCNLMTveGLUK5wgZNCniyTWIqqgCLcB/s1600/25526296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-onZVuOwn1XQ/WP0n7hLFcrI/AAAAAAAABZg/AGT0n1cCNLMTveGLUK5wgZNCniyTWIqqgCLcB/s320/25526296.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><span id="goog_199136389"></span><span id="goog_199136390"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Every-Heart-a-Doorway/9780765385505" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Every Heart a Doorway </i>by Seanan McGuire</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This young-adult fantasy novella is packed full of diversity despite being so small. Our main character is asexual (whose identity is confirmed and discussed), there is a trans boy whose identity is discussed in a wonderful and fascinating way and there are also secondary characters, one of Japanese descent and the other is Latino. This story takes place in a home for 'wayward children' and all is seemingly normal, except for the disappearing children who end up in magical lands. Heartbreakingly beautiful, reminiscent of Narnia and yet jam-packed with diversity. Despite the trans character being a secondary character, his identity is still treated with respect so we thought it was worthy to mention in this list. Also, the sequel </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Down Among the Sticks and Bones </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">is out in June!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5B77uFRt3E/WP0pKP2LCAI/AAAAAAAABZs/76LHIxC88zAug5e6j_6iAEyiMTRSnTLLgCLcB/s1600/29904219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5B77uFRt3E/WP0pKP2LCAI/AAAAAAAABZs/76LHIxC88zAug5e6j_6iAEyiMTRSnTLLgCLcB/s320/29904219.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29904219-not-your-sidekick" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Your-Sidekick-C-Lee/dp/1945053038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492986410&sr=8-1&keywords=not+your+sidekick" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Not Your Sidekick </i>by C.B. Lee</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Upon delving into the world of book Twitter, you will probably come across this novel almost immediately. A superhero story packed with diverse characters including a bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese main character, a lesbian love interest <i>and </i>a trans boy called Bells whose identity is only confirmed when he is casually asked about his binder. The best news? The sequel, <i>Not Your Villain, </i>gives us Bells as our main character! This series is set in a world where superpowers are the norm but who is to say that they are more powerful than their sidekicks? This book is fun, full of the good kind of tropes but most of all, full of diversity. Also, who wouldn't want that cover on their shelves?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Lots of love,</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Angharad @</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zlIduL62Jyk/WP0qaQ-Fu0I/AAAAAAAABZ4/MmUfvPuJkBsh2lEWE1wyVPwySqet0mwcACLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zlIduL62Jyk/WP0qaQ-Fu0I/AAAAAAAABZ4/MmUfvPuJkBsh2lEWE1wyVPwySqet0mwcACLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-6552404119886365772017-04-16T14:01:00.001+01:002017-04-16T15:32:02.256+01:00Laini Taylor Event at Waterstones Liverpool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EB_4wkMYFDc/WPNZFcVEiMI/AAAAAAAACc4/axBkT96dPrwTJCx3QX0cKv8Nw_3BASjUgCLcB/s1600/laini%2Btaylor%2Bevent.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EB_4wkMYFDc/WPNZFcVEiMI/AAAAAAAACc4/axBkT96dPrwTJCx3QX0cKv8Nw_3BASjUgCLcB/s640/laini%2Btaylor%2Bevent.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi everyone!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So we've gone a bit quiet again recently, partly due to the opening of our store, Two Candle Thieves, and also as Angharad's away at the moment and I'm just finishing up with my degree. Hopefully once the last of my assignments are submitted and Angharad's finished gallivanting about in the south of England, we'll be posting more frequently again!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Today's post is a bit different from anything we've done before (partly because we've never attended book signings before - unless you count the Jacqueline Wilson event I went to when I was 12...) but anyway - I thought I'd share a bit about the Laini Taylor event I went to in Liverpool a few days ago!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Alqena6Ujok/WPNVB8pEJwI/AAAAAAAACcQ/OlEsAgoAIaExi5cDz1lHdclRXUiV_wslgCK4B/s1600/C6QQH3gU4AAOfQM.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Alqena6Ujok/WPNVB8pEJwI/AAAAAAAACcQ/OlEsAgoAIaExi5cDz1lHdclRXUiV_wslgCK4B/s640/C6QQH3gU4AAOfQM.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As soon as I saw that Laini was touring the UK, I knew I <b>had </b>to be at one of her events - I've absolutely loved her writing ever since I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone around five years ago, and I had been waiting to read Strange the Dreamer ever since I heard that she was writing a new novel. Unfortunately, Laini wasn't visiting Manchester on this tour, so after considering the three nearest event stops to me, I decided to attend the event at Waterstones in Liverpool - I've been to Liverpool many times for photography work, and as I was anxious enough about going to a bookish event for the first time (and on my own) I wanted to be in a city that I was fairly familiar with! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SMff1Arbin0/WPNUPhiUaEI/AAAAAAAACcE/GB8TW8WAcJwdSmdGb-H6s9nGWfadN0U5ACK4B/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SMff1Arbin0/WPNUPhiUaEI/AAAAAAAACcE/GB8TW8WAcJwdSmdGb-H6s9nGWfadN0U5ACK4B/s640/IMG_0927.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Luckily, I ended up not having to go to the event alone, and met up with Amy (www.amyjanealice.com), Lauren (www.northernplunder.blogspot.co.uk), and Beth (www.iambookmad.com), three fellow Manchester-based book bloggers. I'm usually an awkward mess when meeting new people, but these three are so lovely and it was so great to meet some book lovers who live close to me! So after travelling to Liverpool and grabbing some food, we got to Waterstones, and I couldn't have been more excited. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There was a little talk and Q&A - Laini spoke about how Strange the Dreamer was originally Sarai's story, called the Muse of Nightmares, but Lazlo just kept coming back to her, and so the first book in the series became his story. I'm so glad she chose to write the book this way, as I have to admit, Lazlo is definitely my current bookish crush. I feel as though I should have taken notes during the talk (as a few other people there were) so I could remember it all better, but I was just so awestruck that I didn't even think to do so!<br />
<br />
One interesting link between Strange the Dreamer and Daughter of Smoke and Bone was the mention of being impaled on spikes - this is at the very beginning of Strange the Dreamer (so no spoilers here, don't worry!) and mentioned briefly in Daughter of Smoke and Bone (about Czech nationalists attempting a rebellion against the Nazis, and subsequently being impaled on a gate surrounding the building that had become Karou's art school). Laini hadn't actually noticed this link until it was brought up but assured us all that she doesn't have a phobia of being impaled on a gate.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PsPHwxbP2jM/WPNVstfxFXI/AAAAAAAACcY/5Cxl9LWmOA8JSAHTvtXGit_lxMbpTdJyACLcB/s1600/laini%2Bsigning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PsPHwxbP2jM/WPNVstfxFXI/AAAAAAAACcY/5Cxl9LWmOA8JSAHTvtXGit_lxMbpTdJyACLcB/s640/laini%2Bsigning.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After the talk, we queued up for the signing - the four of us were panicking a bit about getting the train back, but the lovely Waterstones staff moved us closer to the front of the queue (with the help of a very kind man who let us cut in front of him - if you're somehow reading this, big thanks to you!!). It got to my turn to speak to Laini, and I was honestly so nervous! I got up and handed her my books and mumbled some rubbish about how it was my first book signing, I was sorry that I'd brought so many books with me to be signed, and some other nonsense. Laini was such a lovely person though! I also gave her one of our Welcome to Weep candles and got a photo with her (below). We were all given two Strange the Dreamer moth temporary tattoos, which are so pretty that I can't bring myself to actually use them and have stuck them on my bookcase instead!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sB5p713BEs/WPNWZtltlVI/AAAAAAAACcg/nxVPHh-Nj5kyL-OjM82ml41O3mKJBTE2wCLcB/s1600/laini2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sB5p713BEs/WPNWZtltlVI/AAAAAAAACcg/nxVPHh-Nj5kyL-OjM82ml41O3mKJBTE2wCLcB/s640/laini2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I do feel as though I was such a puddle of awkwardness, but hopefully next time I'll be less nervous now that I know what to expect from author signings and events a bit more. I'm really hoping to somehow be able to attend YALC this year, and if I do I'll get to meet Laini again which would be amazing!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>love Becky @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-59707585607588044272017-04-04T20:26:00.000+01:002017-04-04T20:26:55.276+01:00Hunted by Meagan Spooner<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLmr4spbk0Y/WOPx0vycL8I/AAAAAAAACbM/ekAYO5AkpMAzMOhjV-5lk3vcFDq-9tOEwCLcB/s1600/hunted%2Btitle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oLmr4spbk0Y/WOPx0vycL8I/AAAAAAAACbM/ekAYO5AkpMAzMOhjV-5lk3vcFDq-9tOEwCLcB/s640/hunted%2Btitle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6s9-BSLaaM/WOPv_f0si_I/AAAAAAAACbA/UcQBZgp4Nj8vwaprTMnE-YLBUTS2G4xWgCLcB/s1600/IMG_0630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y6s9-BSLaaM/WOPv_f0si_I/AAAAAAAACbA/UcQBZgp4Nj8vwaprTMnE-YLBUTS2G4xWgCLcB/s640/IMG_0630.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Beauty and the Beast has never been my favourite story, but when I saw that this BATB retelling was set in medieval Russia and incorporated aspects of Ivan Tsarevitch, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf, it went straight onto my TBR list!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hunted follows Yeva (nicknamed Beauty by her family), a young girl who's a skilled hunter after training for years beside her father in the woods close to their village. Yeva has a comfortable life with her father and two sisters, spending most of her days accompanying the baronessa of the village with a group of other women. However, she grows tired of living up to the standards of high society, and longs to live in the woods and carry on hunting - and also to meet someone who will understand her unconventional ways and treat her as an equal with admirable skills, rather than a submissive woman. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IvQIFQ5PGhM/WOPwuj6HEnI/AAAAAAAACbE/laUFfS10WdQZZqJgxiYrebEr9h9P2w6fACLcB/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IvQIFQ5PGhM/WOPwuj6HEnI/AAAAAAAACbE/laUFfS10WdQZZqJgxiYrebEr9h9P2w6fACLcB/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When Yeva's father loses his fortune, her family is forced to move back to his small hunting cabin deep in the woods. This may seem like a blessing in disguise for Yeva, who is finally able to escape the confines of high society, until the day that her father goes missing after becoming convinced that there is a beast living in the forest chasing away his prey. Yeva is then forced to go deep into the woods to search for him. What follows becomes a merging of Beauty and the Beast alongside Ivan and the Firebird, mixed with multiple other Russian folktales that I've come to love over the years.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I generally have three problems with Beauty and the Beast, and thankfully, Hunted eradicates all of them. First off, the <b>stockholm syndrome.</b> Yeva gets to know the Beast and forms a bond with him before knowing that he is the one who imprisoned her, and once she finds out, she struggles with her fondness for her mysterious friend Ivan, and the beast who chained her up and who she believes hurt her father. There is also a conversation between Yeva and a friend of hers about abusive relationships - something which I've definitely never seen in a Beauty and the Beast retelling before, and which improved the story as a whole so much. Issues like this need to be addressed in these sort of stories, and I was so thankful that Meagan Spooner took the time to add this conversation into the book. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Second, <b>I've never really liked Belle/Beauty in these stories. </b>Thankfully, Yeva was a much more interesting character - she's a strong female character (and we can never have too many of those, in my opinion), she had depth, she was incredibly selfless and always put others before her (even those who hurt her), she was determined and she knew exactly what she wanted, and I really came to relate to her story. The author's note at the back of Hunted points out that this is very much a coming of age story that the author herself feels relates to her own life, and I could also relate to so much of it, so Yeva really grew on me. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5h33j9pvU5c/WOPw7m9kHaI/AAAAAAAACbI/y0X93xVUbQEXJl0O7VFHY6AUvbJiMTJWACLcB/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5h33j9pvU5c/WOPw7m9kHaI/AAAAAAAACbI/y0X93xVUbQEXJl0O7VFHY6AUvbJiMTJWACLcB/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Third, <b>the sisters. </b>I don't think I've ever read or seen a version of Beauty and the Beast where Beauty's sisters aren't awful to her, but Yeva's sisters, Lena and Asenka, are both wonderful characters in their own right and are always looking out for their younger sister. I really enjoyed both of their individual stories and would definitely read more about them. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fourth (I think) <b>the Gaston character. </b>We've all seen this guy be the typical douche (lets take Tamlin in ACOTAR, for example) but Yeva's suitor, Solmir, is actually such a nice person and admires Yeva's talent for hunting and tracking - he doesn't treat her like she's below him or expect her to be the typical wife figure, and constantly reassures her that he'd never impose any expectations on her if they were to marry. When she's unsure about being with him, he doesn't push her at all and promises to protect her family when she leaves the cabin to search for their father. There was honestly a small part of me that was shipping him with Yeva, he was just that lovely!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And finally, <b>the 'fall in love to break the spell' trope. </b>Without spoiling anything, I'm so happy to say that the Beast isn't constantly trying to force Yeva to fall in love with him in order to break his curse. He believes that his curse has to be broken in other ways that require Yeva's help - but I won't say anything else on this as it'll spoil too much of the plot! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have to say that the incorporation of Ivan Tsarevitch, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf worked so perfectly with this story, and the second half of this book is definitely more of a retelling of this folktale than of Beauty and the Beast. It was done in such a clever way, and I'm still in awe at the way that the author managed to weave the two together and set the result in medieval Russia so perfectly. I'm always on the lookout for new books inspired by Russian folklore, and I'm so glad that I came across Hunted.<br />
<br />
<i>love Becky @</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i></div>
Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-35385461361443317132017-03-22T09:56:00.000+00:002017-03-22T09:56:27.725+00:00Latinx Book Recommendations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOcxzjo5NUg/WNJKAPCB7MI/AAAAAAAABYM/CCeQtBu4ce8DGiJeBH_fEdNLPaOqTYcUgCLcB/s1600/jjh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOcxzjo5NUg/WNJKAPCB7MI/AAAAAAAABYM/CCeQtBu4ce8DGiJeBH_fEdNLPaOqTYcUgCLcB/s640/jjh.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In light of an upcoming book which appears to have severe themes of cultural appropriation for the Latinx community, here are some books from the community, with majority being Own Voice novels. Support these books and their authors and let their voices be heard as they tell their histories and their stories and be careful of the damage caused by supporting misinformation and appropriation. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CxuhSaq6m54/WNI6R1tr5LI/AAAAAAAABWs/whwpQj5I5XkJINTNdAEZXWkDRlsWOfwYwCLcB/s1600/26594801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CxuhSaq6m54/WNI6R1tr5LI/AAAAAAAABWs/whwpQj5I5XkJINTNdAEZXWkDRlsWOfwYwCLcB/s320/26594801.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26594801-the-education-of-margot-sanchez" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Education-of-Margot-Sanchez-Lilliam-River/9781481472111?ref=grid-view" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Education of Margot Sanchez <i>by Lilliam Rivera</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">After 'borrowing' her father's credit card without permission, Margot finds herself having to work in the grocery store owned by her family as punishment and to pay off her debts. Margot is desperate to maintain her fought-for reputation at her private school, and refuses to let her family get in the way of her attending the ultimate beach party. </span><i>The Education of Margot Sanchez </i><span style="background-color: white;">looks at class and cultural issues, family secrets, and the building of new relationships whilst trying to maintain old relationships, with friends who could never understand the situation that you're in. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDNVfdTgqL0/WNI7Y-7dRmI/AAAAAAAABW4/1oAhQAAE9LY-Vg8Gqi-vAUisOz3eW9vQgCLcB/s1600/29010395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDNVfdTgqL0/WNI7Y-7dRmI/AAAAAAAABW4/1oAhQAAE9LY-Vg8Gqi-vAUisOz3eW9vQgCLcB/s320/29010395.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29010395-i-am-not-your-perfect-mexican-daughter?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter<i> by Erika L. S</i></b></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><b><span itemprop="name">á</span><span style="background-color: white;">nchez</span></b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">A YA contemporary telling the story of Julia, a young girl left to pick up the broken pieces after her sister dies in a tragic accident. Unlike her 'perfect' sister, Julia still lives at home and becomes the brunt of their mother's grief as all her failures get pointed out. However, what if her sister wasn't as perfect as everyone thought? This is a story of self-discovery, secrets and what happens to the ones left behind. This book will be released on October 17th, 2017.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_YfUs6aD0g/WNI9mLTBrII/AAAAAAAABXE/2_NL0O1-LVsACz-ihCxc0RHEbXb0aCIxACLcB/s1600/33158561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_YfUs6aD0g/WNI9mLTBrII/AAAAAAAABXE/2_NL0O1-LVsACz-ihCxc0RHEbXb0aCIxACLcB/s320/33158561.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33158561-wild-beauty?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Wild Beauty<i> by Anna-Marie McLemore</i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Not only being blessed by the world's prettiest cover, this magic-realism story follows the Nomeolvides women who have tended the beautiful estate of La Pradera whose magic entices guests from all over the world. However, these women have a tragic legacy: if they love too deeply, their lovers will mysteriously vanish and after years of this, a strange boy appears in their gardens. One of the women, Estrella becomes enamoured by this mysterious boy who doesn't know where he is or where he has come from. This book will be published on October 3rd, 2017.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oggp5qme4co/WNI-v78vD_I/AAAAAAAABXQ/xS4RjDcZMz8IOARuGXI-GmNCPoc0sJuOwCLcB/s1600/22295304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oggp5qme4co/WNI-v78vD_I/AAAAAAAABXQ/xS4RjDcZMz8IOARuGXI-GmNCPoc0sJuOwCLcB/s320/22295304.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shadowshaper by</span> </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Daniel José Older</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This short but powerful novel follows Sierra Santiago, a budding artist from Brooklyn. She is looking forward to a good summer but that is until a strange guy turns up to a party, starting a chain of unusual events in New York. Sierra soon discovers the Shadowshapers, a supernatural order who can connect with spirits via paintings, music and stories. Finding out not just about this order but also about her family's history, is Sierra ready to face her destiny? The sequel, <i>Shadowhouse Fall, </i>will be released on September 12th, 2017.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AL00VviF-ww/WNJAFs2evYI/AAAAAAAABXc/zY_brfssYQQtu8sMSZv3SIBo-lfGIbAzwCLcB/s1600/28143051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AL00VviF-ww/WNJAFs2evYI/AAAAAAAABXc/zY_brfssYQQtu8sMSZv3SIBo-lfGIbAzwCLcB/s320/28143051.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28143051-proof-of-lies?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Proof-of-Lies/9781633756083" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Proof of Lies <i>by Diana Rodriguez Wallach</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A YA mystery novel following Anastasia Phoenix, the always odd girl out plus black belt plus speaker of four languages. Moving to an International city with her scientist parents is hard enough without being the sister of a mission girl who is presumably dead. Anastasia is the only person certain her sister is still alive and when she finds a trail of evidence, she becomes part of a conspiracy much bigger than she anticipated. But her only goal is to find her sister. Joined by Marcus, your typical bad-boy with a heap of secrets, the two try to uncover the secrets around her sister's disappearance but everything is not as it appears.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4A6Q9bZlmU/WNJEmjGji7I/AAAAAAAABXo/0nOI1uusx0YSxNAlmpF-TOLC7NNPQn9PwCLcB/s1600/32673416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P4A6Q9bZlmU/WNJEmjGji7I/AAAAAAAABXo/0nOI1uusx0YSxNAlmpF-TOLC7NNPQn9PwCLcB/s320/32673416.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32673416-the-go-between" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Go-Between <i>by Veronica Chambers </i></b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Being the envy of every teenage girl in Mexico City, </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">Camilla del Valle Cammi is used to a life of private planes and paparazzi. It comes with being the daughter of a telenovela actress and a voice-over artist for blockbuster films. However, when her mum gets cast in an American television show, everything changes when the family move to LA and things aren't quite as glamorous anymore. For once in her life, Camilla is struggling to fit in, especially when her new friends thinks she is a scholarship kid and daughter of a domestic. This book will be released on May 9th, 2017.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AawTW6F-DoA/WNJG6s64GoI/AAAAAAAABX0/nFMSbrs5v3w1f8st_uoKSkIG_nAzx6C4ACLcB/s1600/33385229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AawTW6F-DoA/WNJG6s64GoI/AAAAAAAABX0/nFMSbrs5v3w1f8st_uoKSkIG_nAzx6C4ACLcB/s320/33385229.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385229-they-both-die-at-the-end?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>They Both Die at the End <i>by Adam Silvera</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Adam Silvera strikes again with a book you just know is gonna make you cry and smile, probably at the same time. Following the story of Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio, this young-adult novel joins them on their last day on Earth as they meet over an app and agree to spend their last hours together. Going from strangers to friends in just a couple of hours isn't something either of them expected but knowing you'll both be dead in a few hours tends to speed things up. Heartbreaking, profound and proof that your entire life can change in a day. This will be released on September 5th, 2017.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Are there any Latinx books that you're anticipating? </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Let us know in the comments ready for the second part of this post.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Love Angharad @</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tSncbUMfao/WNJID6gYjtI/AAAAAAAABYA/3JyqZc6bQEoV3CxfEXS-zim3SgnMCh2nACLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tSncbUMfao/WNJID6gYjtI/AAAAAAAABYA/3JyqZc6bQEoV3CxfEXS-zim3SgnMCh2nACLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-12127820483203825632017-03-07T22:47:00.001+00:002017-03-07T22:47:39.496+00:00A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1y58UrMk4tE/WLbaqWhZcGI/AAAAAAAABWI/Nf3ym6PfZCgUmo3vhUsl8yF1XECLcXlAwCLcB/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1y58UrMk4tE/WLbaqWhZcGI/AAAAAAAABWI/Nf3ym6PfZCgUmo3vhUsl8yF1XECLcXlAwCLcB/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The final instalment in the <i>Shades of Magic</i> series follows our favourite Antari, Kell who is a magician with the ability to travel between alternate Londons. Teaming up with fellow magician, Delilah Bard - cutthroat pirate and thief and his brother, Rhy, heir to the throne, they must put a stop to a murderous force that threatens to take over everything and put everyone under their spell. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>(<b>Trigger Warning </b>- The Magicians in this series use blood magic so there are some detailed descriptions of cutting in this series.)</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pK9RwrYU31Y/WLbbNyLeE_I/AAAAAAAABWM/_MiTusgotxQza-UT-CiZkWBJRTe9CEmTACLcB/s1600/IMG_7196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pK9RwrYU31Y/WLbbNyLeE_I/AAAAAAAABWM/_MiTusgotxQza-UT-CiZkWBJRTe9CEmTACLcB/s640/IMG_7196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><b>* <u>Angharad's Thoughts</u> *</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">If I could just insert an audio clip of me screaming for my review, then that will probably sum up my experience with this trilogy. Usually with trilogies, the first book is amazing and then the second book is okay and then the third is either a hit or miss but this entire trilogy managed to be A+++ all the way through and nobody could have done it quite like Victoria Schwab. Just a quick summary because if you're reading this review, then you've probably read the previous books. The Shades of Magic trilogy follows Kell who is an Antari, a magician able to travel between worlds, or in this particular case, various Londons. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">This series introduced me to one of my all time favourite characters - Delilah Bard. Thief/pickpocket and wannabe pirate, whose goal in life is to just live it. She is gender-fluid, has a disability, carries a load of knives around with her and is confident and sassy without being cocky. She starts off as something of a side character when she teams up with Kell but by the end of the series, she is the shining star. She goes through so much character development in just three books and grows so much as a person. She was a girl used to running, used to having nothing, used to sleeping with her back against the wall but now she is pure magic (literally and figuratively.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Another character with huge development is Rhy, heir to the Arnesian throne and Kell's brother (also a queer PoC.) He has no magic and always felt as though he was less because of it but he proves that you don't need magic in order to be a true and just king. I was so so proud of him after reading this book, he's just my royal son. His relationship with Alucard progressed more and we hear more about their backstory - they are just the cutest. Speaking of Alucard, he continued to be a badass in this book, whilst also breaking my heart into a thousand pieces and constantly bickering with Kell. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Want to know what broke my heart the most? Other than pretty much everything. The award goes to Holland. We get chapters from his POV as he also tells us about his past, from the beginning. Without excusing some of his actions, he has been through so so much, his life has literally been hell on earth and we hear more about his life and the people who have been in it. Holland, Kell, Lila and Alucard even team up in the second half of the book and I enjoyed every second of these people working together. Teamwork (especially between former enemies) is my soft spot in fiction. Also, without giving away spoilers, Kell and Holland go through quite a bit in this conclusion. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Overall, this book was huge (the paperback being 666 pages, har har, Victoria) but every second was packed with action, emotion and excitement. I read this book in a day and every time I had to put it down, I felt as though I had been pulled from the world. We get POVs from Kell, Lila, Holland - even characters such as Queen Emira & King Maxim which was really interesting. I usually hate secondary characters suddenly having a voice in the final book but this is Victoria Schwab we're talking about so she nailed it. The beginning, middle and end captured my attention and I'll miss this world more than you can imagine. It is rich, diverse and just magical and it will forever be a series I recommend.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2M39mLx-xVI/WLbdWKi9-8I/AAAAAAAABWY/zlzutiuscccK1s7n2OIcNXvYj3O6fzVTgCLcB/s1600/IMG_7193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2M39mLx-xVI/WLbdWKi9-8I/AAAAAAAABWY/zlzutiuscccK1s7n2OIcNXvYj3O6fzVTgCLcB/s640/IMG_7193.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>* <u>Becky's Thoughts</u> *</b></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">It's been a few days since I finished this book and I still can't put my feelings into words. The one thing I can confidently say right now, to sum everything up, is this - although I've loved this series from the start, it was A Conjuring of Light that truly made it one of my favourite series's of all time. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">We are thrown straight into the action with this book kicking off exactly where A Gathering of Shadows left off, and this fast-pacing carries on throughout, because for Kell, Lila, Alucard, Rhy and Holland, it's no longer just a magical power play - it's about saving their world(s). I'm not always a fan of books that are full of action all the way through, but ACOL did this perfectly - yes, the action, tension and plotting never stopped, but it wasn't all action and nothing else. Each of the characters grow and develop more in this book than in either of the previous books, and we get more of a look into their pasts as well - Holland's back story, most of all, destroyed me. I've always loved him (sorry, I just have a thing for antiheroes/villains) and his story arc in this book couldn't have been more perfect. Lila was, as always, <b>amazing, </b>and she definitely grew and matured in this book in my opinion. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">I feel like there isn't much that I can say that Angharad hasn't already said or that wouldn't absolutely spoil this book for anyone else, so I'll just say this - go and read it. If you've already read the first two books in the series, I don't think you need me to convince you to pick this up, and if you haven't started this series yet, take our gushing as encouragement to go and do so. If you want a fantasy series full of complex, well developed and diverse characters, <b>three </b>different worlds with the most perfect atmospheric world building, a fast-paced, emotional plot, and enough twists and cliffhangers to make you dizzy, <b>this </b>is the series for you. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">+</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>love,</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-57926830289589826882017-02-26T19:20:00.000+00:002017-02-26T19:20:01.788+00:00Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L7RHXSf0kn4/WLMoFvukKKI/AAAAAAAACZA/_zm1Jl9UYl4u-bRR0uTzsftqxNrO4Z1YQCLcB/s1600/empress.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L7RHXSf0kn4/WLMoFvukKKI/AAAAAAAACZA/_zm1Jl9UYl4u-bRR0uTzsftqxNrO4Z1YQCLcB/s640/empress.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Was there really so much hatred in the universe, so much prejudice, even among people who claimed to be unbiased? Had this always been true?"</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQRSJl63VNg/WLMkmtNefPI/AAAAAAAACYs/8gQhMAce8UYg5OW6IqMhmtGD8O4fDboxwCLcB/s1600/IMG_9562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQRSJl63VNg/WLMkmtNefPI/AAAAAAAACYs/8gQhMAce8UYg5OW6IqMhmtGD8O4fDboxwCLcB/s640/IMG_9562.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Honestly, Sci-Fi isn't always my go-to genre; I have always been an avid Star Wars fan, but I tend to be quite wary of sci-fi novels as I really struggle to find ones that I can connect with, or that don't info dump too much (in my opinion). However, when <i>Empress of a Thousand Skies</i> was announced, I jumped straight on the hype train along with everyone else. All I knew about this book was that it was a YA sci-fi, centered around a Princess set on vengeance, full of diverse characters, and I had high hopes for it. I'm happy to say that this book didn't disappoint. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Empress of a Thousand Skies </i>switches between two POV's - <b>Princess Rhiannon Ta'an (Rhee)</b>, the last survivor of the Kalusian dynasty. Rhee is approaching her sixteenth birthday and coronation, but is determined to out her family's murderer before she is crowned. The second POV character is <b>Alyosha</b>, a Wraetan refugee who has found fame in a DroneVision show, The Revolutionary Boys. When Rhee is attacked during her journey to her home planet a few days before her coronation is planned, the galaxy assumes her dead, and Alyosha is blamed - a scapegoat in a universe still full of prejudices against Wraetans. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Yr6TEAezNY/WLMk32o9IvI/AAAAAAAACYw/zsMQezihZpQYK0UPsXCE5ytJl0C3fVzAACLcB/s1600/IMG_9564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Yr6TEAezNY/WLMk32o9IvI/AAAAAAAACYw/zsMQezihZpQYK0UPsXCE5ytJl0C3fVzAACLcB/s640/IMG_9564.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
For me, what really made this book was the incredibly relevant social commentary. Alyosha struggles daily with being Wraetan and being famous - he feels as though his actions will reflect the actions of everyone from Wraeta, his home planet which was destroyed in the last war with Kalu. Despite the treaty between the Kalusians and the Wraetans following the war, tensions are still high between them both, and Alyosha is determined to prove the often racist and stereotypical opinions that the Kalusians have of the Wraetans wrong. However, when he is framed for Rhee's murder, all of his carefully done hard work goes awry, and war flares back up across the galaxy. Alyosha also has an incredibly emotional backstory, focusing on his journey away from Wraeta before it's destruction, and his feelings of displacement ever since. I felt as though Alyosha's story particularly is so relevant to the world we're currently living in, and it was easy to see the parallels despite him being from a completely fictional planet. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rhee's side of the story is far more fast paced, and is much more of a coming of age story as she delves into the secrets surrounding the murder of her parents and sister, as well as coming to terms with the differing opinions of her being on the brink of taking the crown at such a young age. Both Rhee and Aly's stories circle each other and join together in such a perfect way, making the overall plot of this book full of cliffhangers, surprise twists and heartbreaking scenes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-afXZ6GLjtd4/WLMorn5EtXI/AAAAAAAACZE/x_GdWJcggxof4y0kZuX0i0fGxITXqunxgCLcB/s1600/IMG_9581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-afXZ6GLjtd4/WLMorn5EtXI/AAAAAAAACZE/x_GdWJcggxof4y0kZuX0i0fGxITXqunxgCLcB/s640/IMG_9581.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I often struggle with world building in sci-fi novels, however the world building in <i>Empress </i>was both easy to follow and complex enough to flesh out the galaxy at the same time. Each of the characters visited multiple planets, moons etc throughout, which I thought really added to the overall plot - why stick to one planet when you have a whole galaxy in your reach? There was also a map and a little glossary at the front - two things which are bound to start a book off on the right foot!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If I were to have one criticism, it'd be that I would have liked more character development. I felt as though I could have connected to Rhee more than I did, and hopefully I'll be more emotionally invested in her story in the second book. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Overall, <i>Empress </i>is truly unlike any other sci-fi book I've ever read - it's culturally relevant to our time, whilst remaining fast-paced enough to keep you interested, and is set across a whole galaxy that I can't wait to see more of in the sequel. I'd definitely recommend this book! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
+</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>love Becky @</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bQDq9dJBQM/V0SZjAognNI/AAAAAAAABSc/ZfPXeQNIZiQ04QUJSULwwjXKx-DldpHRQCPcB/s320/Untitled-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-6685018003514566372017-02-20T17:21:00.000+00:002017-02-20T17:21:47.037+00:00February Fairyloot Unboxing: Emperors and Fugitives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LWS18mKC908/WKsP72eyuLI/AAAAAAAACXc/vHIWW976Vio11cYn4HeJjv8-QaUlRPneACLcB/s1600/fairyloot%2Bfeb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LWS18mKC908/WKsP72eyuLI/AAAAAAAACXc/vHIWW976Vio11cYn4HeJjv8-QaUlRPneACLcB/s640/fairyloot%2Bfeb.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
After guessing which book would be included in this month's Fairyloot, I knew I had to get hold of one, and luckily I managed to grab a box just before they sold out. Here is our full unboxing of the Emperors and Fugitives box - if you are waiting for your box and wanting to avoid spoilers, I'd suggest looking away now!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fn4B-qleI9U/WKsWg2sIDwI/AAAAAAAACX0/ShwmRb4F0NI8yxxvBfYKOVZwBVoHpvoLACLcB/s1600/IMG_9545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fn4B-qleI9U/WKsWg2sIDwI/AAAAAAAACX0/ShwmRb4F0NI8yxxvBfYKOVZwBVoHpvoLACLcB/s640/IMG_9545.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">* Spoilers Below*</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BuD7YqYlx5U/WKsEmJCeT8I/AAAAAAAACWk/l4pNn711TcsnmoZpdkBGrHgZkxUKoQ6swCLcB/s1600/IMG_9466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BuD7YqYlx5U/WKsEmJCeT8I/AAAAAAAACWk/l4pNn711TcsnmoZpdkBGrHgZkxUKoQ6swCLcB/s640/IMG_9466.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2UZD5PpnFk/WKsD6Gk-KPI/AAAAAAAACWg/_BlnKmvuAWAS9MdYunT3NQH5eKh60Ym-wCLcB/s1600/IMG_9509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2UZD5PpnFk/WKsD6Gk-KPI/AAAAAAAACWg/_BlnKmvuAWAS9MdYunT3NQH5eKh60Ym-wCLcB/s640/IMG_9509.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza + signed bookplate and letter from the author</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is a book that's been on my TBR list for a long time, so I was so excited to receive it (plus a letter from the author and a signed bookplate) in this month's box! I can't wait to get stuck into this book; an action packed space opera full of diverse characters!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJkXxrnHGuQ/WKsFgIvTE5I/AAAAAAAACWw/kLBT61zZUc8R4bNRwL5JglFXKy4ogM_AQCLcB/s1600/IMG_9514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJkXxrnHGuQ/WKsFgIvTE5I/AAAAAAAACWw/kLBT61zZUc8R4bNRwL5JglFXKy4ogM_AQCLcB/s640/IMG_9514.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Manon and Dorian double-sided print by <a href="https://society6.com/taratjah">Taratjah</a> </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Who doesn't love Manon and Dorian? This double-sided print is perfect for any fan of the ship (what would they be called? Manorian?) and I've already stuck mine up on my wall (with the Manon side visible, obviously!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Rebel of the Sands Pouch by <a href="https://society6.com/alissecourter">Alisse Courter</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is a lovely little pouch that could easily be used as a pencil case, a make up bag, a little purse, and more! It's hand lettered with a quote from Rebel of the Sands, 'The world makes things for each place'.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Kalusian Sunset Candle by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HappyPiranha">Happy Piranha</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is a full-size candle with a gorgeous, sweet scent. My favourite thing about it is that the author of this month's book, Rhoda Belleza, named this candle!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Celestial Gunpowder Bath Bomb by <a href="http://www.bathingbeauties.co.uk/">Bathing Beauties</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This exclusive bath bomb smells of cupcakes, and I can't wait to use it! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Space Girl Bookmark by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/people/tillanddill">Till and Dill</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Considering that I used to use train tickets to mark my place in a book, I now have quite a collection of bookmarks, and this is a perfect addition to that collection!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Illuminae Coaster by <a href="https://society6.com/readatmidnight">Read At Midnight</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I haven't read Illuminae, but I really have a thing for bookish coasters for some reason, so I was really excited to find this in this month's box. This coaster reads 'She is catalyst. She is chaos. I can see why he loves her.' As with many items that Fairyloot include in their boxes, it's a really great item despite me not having read the book that the quote is from.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Baby Groot Keychain from Funko</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So, I have a confession to make...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*whispers* I don't like Guardians of the Galaxy...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
BUT, my husband soon stole this little Groot keyring off me, and I have to admit it's dancing is quite cute!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRy4NEvoysw/WKsG7yaPyQI/AAAAAAAACXA/3L0YwLHrUKsgAmpmPlyYh_3T9TKjiJNWwCLcB/s1600/IMG_9527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xRy4NEvoysw/WKsG7yaPyQI/AAAAAAAACXA/3L0YwLHrUKsgAmpmPlyYh_3T9TKjiJNWwCLcB/s640/IMG_9527.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>Extras: The One Memory of Flora Banks sampler | MyBookmark Discount Code </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>love Becky @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8-APNrBDrEs/V1hco_i-PWI/AAAAAAAABgE/LSf-fnd39GA-dtwLvofSbvzBSwU-iHNMQCPcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8-APNrBDrEs/V1hco_i-PWI/AAAAAAAABgE/LSf-fnd39GA-dtwLvofSbvzBSwU-iHNMQCPcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-23930285988632777452017-02-17T20:22:00.000+00:002017-02-17T20:22:23.526+00:00Diverse Recs: Books with Muslim Characters II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJxmBW2-Nl4/WJXjHzd_INI/AAAAAAAABT8/Gg3KV-UP3zkxTLEDvpuPEMRZmp6OvlVMQCLcB/s1600/banne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="98" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JJxmBW2-Nl4/WJXjHzd_INI/AAAAAAAABT8/Gg3KV-UP3zkxTLEDvpuPEMRZmp6OvlVMQCLcB/s640/banne.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Our previous post on books featuring Muslim characters which you can find here did so well that we decided to do a second part which is fitting considering the state of the world right now. If we continue to find books written by or featuring Muslims or you guys want to recommend any, we will definitely keep this series going so leave any comments below. Also, if any of the information we give is incorrect, please do not hesitate to let us know. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o2f3zdWGgRw/WJXjiM_Gp0I/AAAAAAAABUA/M4O2RRxY-No3kW2Wp_XtE1DiUlqlBO8rgCLcB/s1600/25752164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o2f3zdWGgRw/WJXjiM_Gp0I/AAAAAAAABUA/M4O2RRxY-No3kW2Wp_XtE1DiUlqlBO8rgCLcB/s320/25752164.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25752164-that-thing-we-call-a-heart?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/That-Thing-We-Call-Heart/dp/0062445707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486218653&sr=8-1&keywords=that+thing+we+call+a+heart" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We follow the story of Pakistani-American, Shabnam Qureshi, a teen who is attending a private school alongside her best friend, Farah. However, when Farah starts wearing her headscarf without consulting her and after hooking up with the most racist guy in school, Shabnam's life begins to unravel. That is until she meets Jamie, a guy who gets her a job at his auntie's pie shack. Shabnam finds herself falling for him but knows there are secrets he is hiding from her. A story of love, culture and self-worth. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmCzbe4e5WI/WJXl7pLhT4I/AAAAAAAABUQ/A8kxDO-RcA8XyVK_rlsK4rl5xE6EB_jIwCLcB/s1600/31371275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mmCzbe4e5WI/WJXl7pLhT4I/AAAAAAAABUQ/A8kxDO-RcA8XyVK_rlsK4rl5xE6EB_jIwCLcB/s320/31371275.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31371275-the-authentics?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Authentics-Abdi-Nazemian/dp/0062486462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486233172&sr=8-1&keywords=the+authentics+by+abdi+nazemian" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Daria Esfandyar and her group of friends call themselves the <i>Authentics </i>as they pride themselves on staying true to themselves and their culture, as being an Iranian-American, Daria is proud of her heritage. However, when researching a school project, she stumbles across something shocking about her own past which leads her on a journey of self-discovery whilst also trying to cope with her mother planning a sweet sixteen birthday party. With everything spiralling out of control, can Daria remain true to herself? <i>This book is released on August 8th, 2017. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5cOIpe-5jKY/WKdRfnVD7dI/AAAAAAAABVA/0E-Rcd_4ogYN5d0nVuUAvT5wV3vGkkUJACLcB/s1600/31123249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5cOIpe-5jKY/WKdRfnVD7dI/AAAAAAAABVA/0E-Rcd_4ogYN5d0nVuUAvT5wV3vGkkUJACLcB/s320/31123249.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31123249-saints-and-misfits" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Saints-and-Misfits-S-K-Ali/9781481499248" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is an amazing debut novel featuring an Arab Indian-American hijabi protagonist, Janna Yusuf. As a Muslim teen who is an aspiring photographer and occasional graphic novelist, a lot of people don't know what to make of her. Usually Janna doesn't care what people think about her but that is until she meets Jeremy but she could never date him, could she? Muslims can't date, right? What will people in her tight knit Muslim community make of Janna following her heart? This is a story of self-discovery, religion and if we do fit into the category of 'Saint,' 'Misfit,' or 'Monster.' <i>This book will be released on June 13th, 2017.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gN8_asrSBw/WKdTbcWaInI/AAAAAAAABVQ/d1sYdxz-KV0SGXKL-r-jkLxwhqta4vXbgCLcB/s1600/33149346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gN8_asrSBw/WKdTbcWaInI/AAAAAAAABVQ/d1sYdxz-KV0SGXKL-r-jkLxwhqta4vXbgCLcB/s320/33149346.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33149346-the-secret-lives-of-the-amir-sisters?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Secret-Lives-of-the-Amir-Sisters/9780008192259" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain</span></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">The story of four sisters - Fatima, Farah, Bubblee and Mae - who are the only Muslims in their small, English village. Struggling to fit in doesn't bother the sisters and as a whole, they are a happy family but each sister has their own problem. After continuing to fail countless driving tests, Fatima is trying to find out who she really is. Farah is desperate to be a mother despite being in a happy marriage, Bubblee is an aspiring-artist trying to make herself known in London and Mae is coming to terms with quickly becoming a Youtube star. When a tragedy strikes within the family, the sisters are forced to come together as one and support each other whilst dealing with their blossoming lives. A heartwarming tale by a debut author.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span><br /><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ePTLn0sfU5Q/WKdWK3T2FGI/AAAAAAAABVg/edflwk7wXS8xhvpcyczSRSLcij-s-0wtgCLcB/s1600/33816139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ePTLn0sfU5Q/WKdWK3T2FGI/AAAAAAAABVg/edflwk7wXS8xhvpcyczSRSLcij-s-0wtgCLcB/s320/33816139.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33816139-god-smites-and-other-muslim-girl-problems?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smites-Other-Muslim-Girl-Problems-ebook/dp/B01NGZOQ6F/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487362017&sr=8-1&keywords=god+smites+and+other+muslim+girl+problems" target="_blank">Amazon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>God Smites and Other Muslim Girl Problems by Ishara Deen</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">I am SO excited for this one! Asiya Haque is craving a 'normal' teenage life, starting by going for a walk against her parent's wishes with Michael, her crush who she is head-over-heels for. What seems like a harmless act quickly turns into something way more serious when they stumble upon a dead body. Michael covers for Asiya, up until he himself goes missing. Despite allegations by the police, Asiya is sure that Michael is innocent but how can she prove it with her strict parents and sheltered life? The start of a mystery series with a Muslim protagonist? What more could you want? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><i>Love Angharad @</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qu2DiV9Km2w/WKdauJgFrYI/AAAAAAAABVw/7GNO8mrN9SwcqMwelPpY0mxKCxvxfRdEQCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qu2DiV9Km2w/WKdauJgFrYI/AAAAAAAABVw/7GNO8mrN9SwcqMwelPpY0mxKCxvxfRdEQCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-23781638197548784222017-02-08T15:41:00.000+00:002017-02-08T15:41:16.690+00:00The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli <div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zfh2ZR1xzvM/WJs73082iqI/AAAAAAAABUw/E8GRfPLYCg4xX4sIa7F9LkaLUayZuMdWACLcB/s1600/IMG_8206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zfh2ZR1xzvM/WJs73082iqI/AAAAAAAABUw/E8GRfPLYCg4xX4sIa7F9LkaLUayZuMdWACLcB/s640/IMG_8206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Upside of Unrequited </i>follows the story of seventeen-year-old, Molly Peskin-Suso who knows all about the world of unrequited love after having a string of crushes but nothing in return. Her twin, Cassie, is her complete opposite and everything changes, including their close relationship, when Cassie meets and falls in love with Mina, a girl Molly meets in a girl's bathroom (yay for female friendships formed in the toilets!!) Faced with being alonie, Cassie tries setting her up with Mina's best friend, Will and he's everything Molly would usually go for. That is until she gets a new job and meets the Tolkien/Game of Thrones fan (who wears seriously white trainers,) Reid. What follows is a journey of self-acceptance, love in all its forms and a story full of diverse and fantastically written characters.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SCDZKzKZLj8/WJsOPPOl_xI/AAAAAAAACWI/C1zm1uoBf7QNGKOKcfqVr8m-8p-5uMklQCLcB/s1600/unrequited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SCDZKzKZLj8/WJsOPPOl_xI/AAAAAAAACWI/C1zm1uoBf7QNGKOKcfqVr8m-8p-5uMklQCLcB/s640/unrequited.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><i><u><span style="font-size: large;">Angharad's Thoughts:</span></u></i></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u> * My highlights *</u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>MOLLY PESKIN-SUSO!</b> Now on my list of my all-time favourite fictional characters. Molly is Jewish, fat and a surrogate child of her and Cassie's parents, Nadine and Patty. In other words, we have nothing in common <i>but</i> she is just so relatable. She's funny, has mental health issues (and medication is actually mentioned!!) and is the nicest person you'll ever meet. You root for her from the very first page. She's an avid fan of Pinterest and can make anything look good and she can bake the best cookie dough. I just want her to be my friend. Her weight is never an issue to her, she worries more that other people will judge her and that fat girls never seem to 'get the guy', or have sex or fall in love. I can't wait for the world to meet her.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>FEMALE CHARACTERS! </b>Other than Reid, Will and baby Xavier, this book is packed full with amazing and diverse female characters. We have the main family consisting of Molly, Cassie, Nadine, and Patty (and little Xavier.) Cassie's pansexual girlfriend, Mina. Olivia and Abby (close friends of the twins) and even their grandmother who makes a very controversial introduction but ultimately has good intentions despite saying hurtful things. They are all amazing, they all interact with each other, there is no rivalry (other than silly arguments), there's trust and they all have their own voices. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>NADINE & PATTY! </b>Not only are they an interracial f/f couple (one being bisexual) whose cuteness destroyed me but they are parents that are PRESENT IN A YA NOVEL YES YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY! They are involved in Molly and Cassie's lives without interfering, they have grown-up conversations with them (safe sex!!) and they have their own lives outside our protagonist's storyline to the point that we even learn about their pasts and how they met. I can't even express how important this is in a YA novel so I am incredibly grateful to Becky Albertalli. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Overall, this book is just so <i>positive. </i>It deals with coming-of-age, body image and our insecurities. It is a book full of LGBTQIA characters, amazing representation and genuine conversations. There are mentions of medication, masturbation (I should have another 'M' here right?) and (safe) sex. It is a funny, upbeat and sweet novel. It is has something for everyone - friendships, family and relationships. Molly and her relationship with Reid is slow-burning but realistic and when they finally got together, they were just SO cute. I do believe there are little cameos from Becky's previous book <i>Simon vs </i>but I haven't read that book so I can't confirm this. Definitely put this book on your TBRs for 2017, share it with your friends and show your support because this book is important.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><i><u><span style="font-size: large;">Becky's Thoughts:</span></u></i></b><br />
<br />
I feel as though, if you read a basic plot synopsis for <i>The Upside of Unrequited</i> without <b>any </b>context or background information on the characters, it could seem like your typical girl-meets-boy YA contemporary. The thing is, it couldn't be further from typical.<br />
<br />
Our main character Molly is a fat, Jewish girl with mental health issues and a wonderfully quirky sense of humour; she's a girl with an lgbt+ twin, two mums, and her and both of her siblings are surrogates. I didn't realise how much I needed a book with Molly Peskin-Suso as the main character until I read this. I absolutely devoured the entire book within a couple of hours, it was that enthralling, funny, and at times painfully true to life. Molly is a character you will connect with straight away - she's <b>so </b>likeable and easy to relate to, and I genuinely felt her anger on the rare occasions that she got mad.<br />
<br />
As a girl who would be called overweight by a BMI calculator, Molly was a breath of fresh air for me. Finding a book with an overweight main character, especially a YA book, is such a rare occurrence - I actually can't think of any others that have one. Although Molly's life doesn't revolve around her weight (which was such a positive thing to reinforce!!!) she mentions issues that all of us slightly larger girls deal with - the chub-rub, the "you're pretty - <i>for a fat girl</i>" comments, the constant mental comparisons to skinnier girls - it's all dealt with in this book. I was immediately hooked when I read this extract, literally on the first page:<br />
<br />
<i>'I suck in my cheeks so it looks like I have cheekbones. And it's quite a transformation. Sometimes I have the idea that I could maintain this. I could spend the rest of my life gently biting the inside of my cheeks. Except for the fact that it makes my lips look weird. Also, biting your cheeks definitely gets in the way of talking, and that's a little hardcore, even for me. Even for cheekbones.' </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Honestly, I cannot even count the amount of times I've stood in front of a mirror and done similar things. I knew as soon as I read this that I'd instantly connect with Molly, and my love grew for her throughout the entire book.<br />
<br />
Anyway, although I really loved Molly (if you can't tell that already from my insane amount of gushing) I did also love other things in this book! Cassie perhaps wasn't the best sister at times, but I loved how she always called out things that were wrong, and she was always prepared to stand up for Molly, even to her Grandma. I loved her personality and I adored her and Mina. I wish we could have seen more of Mina though - I have to admit that I fell in love with her just a little bit. Nadine and Patty, Molly and Cassie's parents, were absolutely perfect, and as Angharad said - it's a YA novel and they were actually present in their kids lives! They were such a down to earth couple and definitely family goals. Reid and Molly were also <b>so </b>cute together, and again, it was a breath of fresh air to read a YA contemporary that didn't resort to instalove. I loved watching their friendship grow and the way that they bonded over a love of mini eggs and cookie dough - food based friendships are the best kind, and everyone knows it.<br />
<br />
One of my pet peeves with many YA contemporaries is the attempt to include social media without actually naming any modern day companies or websites. I find that often authors will say the main character "logged into a chatroom" etc, and you just feel instantly disconnected and transported back to the 90's. I really appreciated that the characters in this used up to date websites and apps that we all actually use - they're always checking Facebook and Instagram, and Molly is a complete Pinterest addict. Although this is just a small thing, I do really think it helps a modern day audience to connect to the characters (I mean, who even uses chatrooms anymore? Do they still even exist?!)<br />
<br />
Overall, <i>The Upside of Unrequited</i> is such a diverse, modern, and generally <b>relatable </b>book. I love a good contemporary, but I am so tired of reading something that tries to portray the real world, but it couldn't be further from it. Becky Albertalli's world in <i>Upside</i> - with a range of diverse characters, strong but complicated family ties, different religions, and hey, <b>characters who aren't all a perfect size eight with a flat stomach </b>- this is the real world, and it was absolutely perfect.<br />
<br />
+<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>This book is released on April 11th, 2017.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Love from</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hMothmxuC0c/WJealvhfEwI/AAAAAAAABUg/5uzuFyKhQEM85KPMI6ro7UudQR-wVkYeQCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hMothmxuC0c/WJealvhfEwI/AAAAAAAABUg/5uzuFyKhQEM85KPMI6ro7UudQR-wVkYeQCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-10909776977035012942017-01-31T21:29:00.002+00:002017-01-31T21:29:34.953+00:00Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vUB5r2XJWJk/WJD7HeTspzI/AAAAAAAACSo/OnZaOZ5AOuMEFO6Vn3fShiKkC5D_YLBMwCLcB/s1600/traitor%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bthrone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vUB5r2XJWJk/WJD7HeTspzI/AAAAAAAACSo/OnZaOZ5AOuMEFO6Vn3fShiKkC5D_YLBMwCLcB/s640/traitor%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bthrone.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><i>Nearly a year has passed since Amani and the rebels won their epic battle at Fahali. Amani has come into both her powers and her reputation as the Blue-Eyed Bandit, and the Rebel Prince's message has spread across the desert - and some might say out of control. But when a surprise encounter turns into a brutal kidnapping, Amani finds herself betrayed in the cruelest manner possible.</i></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Stripped of her powers and her identity, and torn from the man she loves, Amani must return to her desert-girl's instinct for survival. For the Sultan's palace is a dangerous one, and the harem is a viper's nest of suspicion, fear and intrigue. Just the right place for a spy to thrive... But spying is a dangerous game, and when ghosts from Amani's past emerge to haunt her, she begins to wonder if she can trust her own treacherous heart.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fhCKVVsFWWs/WJD_AaNMOVI/AAAAAAAACTE/nXsI-SZ_nHks_okjNbcFyj0zuNP2thA_wCK4B/s1600/tumblr_odf7nf5bZI1umh4tdo2_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fhCKVVsFWWs/WJD_AaNMOVI/AAAAAAAACTE/nXsI-SZ_nHks_okjNbcFyj0zuNP2thA_wCK4B/s640/tumblr_odf7nf5bZI1umh4tdo2_1280.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>+</i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><b><i>Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eArc of this book.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>This is a spoiler-free review of Traitor to the Throne, however, it does include spoilers for Rebel of the Sands! </i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>+</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><i>Traitor to the Throne </i>is the highly anticipated sequel to <i>Rebel of the Sands. </i>Having loved the first book in this series when I first read it, I was quite excited for the release of the second book in this trilogy. However, I have to admit that I feel slightly let down by <i>Traitor. </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I feel as though, in my opinion, the biggest let down in this book (compared to <i>Rebel</i>) was Amani's drastic character change. I'm all for character growth and development, but that wasn't what this was. After discovering her Demdji heritage in <i>Rebel, </i>Amani seems to now be completely reliant on her magic and brings it into absolutely everything in this book. I much preferred the gunslinging sharpshooter version of Amani from the first book. <i>Traitor </i>also seemed to bring a few plot holes to light - for example, at one point, Amani comments that she is unable to make a sarcastic comment (as, being a Demdji, she physically can't lie) and "her tongue can't tell the difference between sarcasm and lying". However, Amani's entire personality in <i>Rebel </i>was based around her sassiness and sarcasm? I don't want to sound too picky so I won't go into detail, but I noticed a few little things like this that just didn't quite make sense to me when you take the first book into consideration. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Now, I'll stop slating Amani and move onto a big issue I had with the plot. <b>Skip this section if you want to avoid very mild spoilers!</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">So basically, Amani spends the majority of this book inside the Sultan's harem after being kidnapped and sold to him, as he is looking for a Demdji. She slowly manages to gain more of his trust, and there is a point where she starts to have clear doubts about Ahmed's ability to rule and about the rebellion in general. However, these doubts are voiced by her and then just never dealt with again? Fair enough if it was just a <i>moment </i>of doubt and she didn't take it too seriously, but I would have liked to have read how she worked through that. Plus, anyone who knows me knows that I am in no way going to support a tyrannical character, but apart from a few things, the Sultan didn't seem too awful. Like, I've seen fictional dictators who are far more evil. Ahmed is barely in this book, but he's pretty insufferable in the scenes he is in, and to be honest, he just <b>isn't </b>that good<b> </b>a good leader. Why is Shazad not leading this rebellion? Yes, she's not royalty, but <b>surely rebellion is just slightly about overthrowing imperialism. </b>Shazad would be a <i>far</i> better ruler than any of the men in this book. I'm rooting for #ShazadforSultan2018. Anyway.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I feel as though I've complained way too much in this review (I'm sorry) so here's a few things that I did like:</span></div>
<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The political intrigue - of course I like action, but a bit of intrigue is never a bad thing in my opinion!</span></li>
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some of the new/reintroduced characters - I won't say much as I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a wonderful example of a strong female character reintroduced in this book, and I would've loved for her to have been a bigger part of the plot</span></li>
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The little myths and legends inserted between chapters every now and then! Not only were they intriguing, but they were beautifully written and really helped to build the story. I think more of these in book three would go far. </span></li>
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">There's very little romance - the plot is almost entirely focused on the plot, and therefore on the rebellion and politics. Although I don't dislike Jin and Amani as a couple, and I didn't really see the point in her basically being mad at him for almost this entire book, I was glad that the romance was put to one side for a while.</span></li>
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shazad, Rahim and Sam. Three characters I really liked in this book and <b>really </b>hope will be around more in book three. </span></li>
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Sultan. I love a good grey-area villain; this guy is clearly in the wrong in some aspects, but you can't fully disagree with his ideas, and he clearly has an interesting back story. </span></li>
</span></ul>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">+</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Traitor to the Throne is published on the 2nd February in the UK / 7th March in the US.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>love Becky @</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6mlVtfrv6o/V2BRGYHjvfI/AAAAAAAABjY/HHcZ0l4VFHQMBPhVsrg0Y5k46GWXVNlKACPcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A6mlVtfrv6o/V2BRGYHjvfI/AAAAAAAABjY/HHcZ0l4VFHQMBPhVsrg0Y5k46GWXVNlKACPcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-74299117001509742152017-01-29T18:50:00.000+00:002017-01-29T18:50:05.701+00:00Dreadnought by April Daniels<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9SH9SwKXHfY/WI3hhznHvHI/AAAAAAAABTk/EqWKVMrETNUYwzvDlGHXqzzGxFhZWkqogCLcB/s1600/dreadnought_coverlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9SH9SwKXHfY/WI3hhznHvHI/AAAAAAAABTk/EqWKVMrETNUYwzvDlGHXqzzGxFhZWkqogCLcB/s640/dreadnought_coverlarge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Dreadnought</i> is the first book in the <i>Nemesis </i>series by April Daniels. We follow the story of Danielle, a superhero who just happens to be transgender. This is a world where superheroes are a part of everyday life and when Danny is confronted by a dying Dreadnought, one of the world's best superheroes, it isn't long until her life is completely changed when with his dying breath, he gives her his powers and changes her from the boy she was born into the girl she has always been. Faced with her new appearance and blossoming superpowers, Danielle is drawn into the world of heroes and villains alongside her fellow class-member/masked vigilante, Sarah/Calamity as they work together to stop Utopia, a super-villain hell bent on controlling the world. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5uayBbrLGJc/WIo1chw_2gI/AAAAAAAABTQ/C3P54gKR44EjoX6djrRjDa4_6eA-Pm60ACLcB/s1600/30279514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="505" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5uayBbrLGJc/WIo1chw_2gI/AAAAAAAABTQ/C3P54gKR44EjoX6djrRjDa4_6eA-Pm60ACLcB/s640/30279514.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this.<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30279514-dreadnought#" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Dreadnought-April-Daniels/9781682300688" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Fifteen-year-old Danny will take your heart and then proceed to jump all over it. She broke my heart, she made me smile, she made me feel strong just by how positive she could be even when so many bad things were happening. Her dad is unable to accept her transition, immediately finding ways to 'fix' her whilst shouting abuse at her and every slur under the sun so I must point out <b>trigger warnings for transphobia.</b> Her mum stands on the sidelines, too frightened to intervene and even fellow superhero, Graywytch constantly misgenders and dead-names her. The one thing that remains positive is Danny. She takes every situation and tries to make the most out of it, even when she wants to give up, she finds the strength to keep on going and not because she's a superhero, but because that's the type of girl she is. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The entire cast of characters are diverse - Danny being trans and a lesbian, one character being an sentient android and Calamity being Latina. This, primarily, is the story of the strength behind women and it is their story and although there is no romance, there is a hell of a lot of female friendships. Although this is a story about superheroes, Danny is still an average teenager. She goes to school, she worries about homework and friendships, all whilst saving the world. She experiences what it is like to be a girl on more than just the inside when she experiences blatant sexism from her ex-best friend who assumed because she now 'looked' like a girl, they should probably start dating. However, Danny just spends this book shutting everyone down and I had to stop myself from cheering each time. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
If I had one problem, it was that the author tended to info-dump a lot of the 'science' parts to the point where I had no idea what was going on and found myself skipping through it, whilst still being able to follow the story. Maybe it is because I'm not the most scientific of people, but for me it just seemed like too much thrown at you all at once. The ending of the book is truly like a movie, the action was fast-paced and had me sitting on the edge of my seat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The best thing about this book is that I wouldn't just recommend it to people who are fans of superheroes but also to people interested in the trans community or just want to read a coming-of-age story as I truly believe Danny grows so much throughout the course of this relatively short novel. She faces everything head-on and makes light of every situation with a joke - even to the point of asking for food after an epic battle which is what I would probably do. Her relationship with Calamity and Doctor Impossible was a highlight for me - they are three very difficult people but come together again and again and portraying the strength in female friendships. There are so many questions I have and backstory I'd love so I cannot wait for the next book. Read this book, guys. It is fun, important and revolutionary. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Love, Angharad @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-hlLb4xEbU/WIo1X9-DVTI/AAAAAAAABTM/o_SA0Cz4t6U2iRuqSe41BKCkLXnHjvktgCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-hlLb4xEbU/WIo1X9-DVTI/AAAAAAAABTM/o_SA0Cz4t6U2iRuqSe41BKCkLXnHjvktgCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-68962547091476807022017-01-25T21:13:00.000+00:002017-01-26T16:46:04.364+00:00Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8CBVAylZmaI/WIJtWdyyWVI/AAAAAAAACQk/teU7RDjb3ZYlb3Bd2ynwQJB72hmhCcWfwCLcB/s1600/wintersong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8CBVAylZmaI/WIJtWdyyWVI/AAAAAAAACQk/teU7RDjb3ZYlb3Bd2ynwQJB72hmhCcWfwCLcB/s640/wintersong.png" width="640"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk4mUzO0FxI/WITnnLod_wI/AAAAAAAACQ8/hh6d5DgQfeEJcD2NE7YtCi3GZmaK0oGhACLcB/s1600/IMG_9172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mk4mUzO0FxI/WITnnLod_wI/AAAAAAAACQ8/hh6d5DgQfeEJcD2NE7YtCi3GZmaK0oGhACLcB/s640/IMG_9172.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Thank you to Titan Books for sending us early copies of Wintersong to review! </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>+</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>In the deep woods of Bavaria, Liesl has grown up with stories of the Goblin King and his underground realm. Intertwined with her life, the stories have inspired her musical compositions and been at the head of her Grandmother's superstitions. As Liesl grows older and begins to help run her family's inn, as well as looking after her younger siblings, her dreams of music and the Goblin King begin to slip away. </i><i>However, when Liesl's younger sister Kathë is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl realises that her childhood fantasies are a reality, and has to journey to the goblin's underground realm to save her sister. A story of sacrifice, family and mythology, inspired by Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth', Wintersong is a magical, dark fantasy debut from author S. Jae-Jones. </i></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ebPw3sqvRvI/WIUdd6803XI/AAAAAAAACRw/rDjQDDIJUjIdJ5KCpKH7yc4QKbNMzaawwCLcB/s1600/IMG_9165%2Bcopy%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ebPw3sqvRvI/WIUdd6803XI/AAAAAAAACRw/rDjQDDIJUjIdJ5KCpKH7yc4QKbNMzaawwCLcB/s640/IMG_9165%2Bcopy%2Bcopy.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Wintersong </i>has been on my to-read list ever since I came across it on Goodreads - Labyrinth has always been a favourite film in our house, so when I heard that this was a more adult loose retelling of Labyrinth, I was all for it! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Wintersong </i>follows Liesl - the eldest of three siblings who has long given up on her dreams of writing and creating music. Cast aside as the 'ugly, talentless sister' next to her beautiful sister Kathë, and her brother Josef who has a great talent for playing the violin, Liesl has made do helping her parents run their inn and secretly writing pieces of music for Josef to perform. With a once musically talented and now alcoholic Father, and a Mother who was the beauty of Salzburg until the family had to move to the backwoods of Bavaria, Liesl has become the one to hold her family together. I found Liesl to be a really interesting character and so easy to connect to - usually with this sort of book, you'd find a character with her struggles to be quite whiney, but Liesl carries her burdens willingly and will always be ready to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; text-align: left;">“There is music in your soul. A wild and untamed sort</span><br style="color: #181818; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; text-align: left;">of music that speaks to me. It defies all the rules and laws you humans set upon it. It grows from inside you, and I have a wish to set that music free.” </span></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Liesl's relationship with her sister Kathë was far from perfect - Kathë was jealous of Liesl as she was the only member of the family who wasn't musically inclined, and Liesl jealous of Kathë for being more beautiful than her - but the pair's devotion to each other really made the character development in this book for me. I would have loved to have seen more of Josef, as I really loved the parts that he was in, and the way that he continually encouraged Liesl to follow her dreams even whilst she was dedicated to helping him start out his musical career in the best way possible. Family was such a key element to this story, and in my opinion this aspect of it was executed so well.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Goblin King, I absolutely adored. S. Jae-Jones got him spot on - his voice, his internal conflicts, and can we just talk about how perfect his appearance was? I knew that, however he was described, I'd picture him as David Bowie, but he was most definitely based off Bowie's appearance in Labyrinth - the long, pale limbs, the light fluffy hair, the pointed features - and to be honest, when his 'mismatched eyes' were mentioned, I teared up just a little bit - it was such a perfect hidden tribute to Bowie. I was also so thankful that he wasn't just a typical anti-hero (although, I do love anti-heroes); he has a past and he has character development, and despite his elusiveness towards Liesl for a large part of the book, you do get to understand him more as the story progresses.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">“Now the days of winter begin, and the Goblin King rides abroad, searching for his bride.”</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Ulk1AR2cVA/WITnihFjBCI/AAAAAAAACQ4/GPjJY36jrr4XSvMaqrjLPUaHh-UP03K_QCEw/s1600/IMG_9174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Ulk1AR2cVA/WITnihFjBCI/AAAAAAAACQ4/GPjJY36jrr4XSvMaqrjLPUaHh-UP03K_QCEw/s640/IMG_9174.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Plot wise, <i>Wintersong </i>was very much split into two halves - the first, in which Liesl attempts to save her sister from the Goblin King, and the second, where Liesl is staying in the Goblin King's Underground Realm. Both halves were very different (the first was far more of a journey/adventure style story, and the second followed more of a character growth plotline) but I loved both halves (if anything I think I preferred the second half), and despite their differences, I thought that they fit together so well. Liesl's voice, attitude and entire character changes from one half to the next; to begin with, she's still very much submissive to her family's needs, but after offering to take her sister's place in the Underground, she decides that it's time to live as she wants now that she isn't responsible for her family. She grows more daring with the Goblin King and begins to compare the child she was in the world above to the brave woman that she has become. I couldn't help but compare Liesl and the Goblin King's relationship to that of Marya and Koschei in Catherynne Valente's <i>Deathless: </i>it was an intense romance with both parties battling for their own will before reconciling to the middle ground.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; text-align: left;">“I surveyed my kingdom. Chaos. Cruelty. Abandon. I had always been holding back. Always been restrained. I wanted to be bigger, brighter, better; I wanted to be capricious, malicious, sly. Until now, I had not known the intoxicating sweetness of attention. In the world above, it had always been Käthe or Josef who captivated people’s eyes and </span></b></span><b style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">hearts - Käthe with her beauty, Josef with his talent. I was forgotten, overlooked, ignored - the plain, drab, practical, talentless sister. But here in the Underground, I was the sun around which their world spun, the axis around which their maelstrom twirled. Liesl the girl had been dull, drab, and obedient; Elisabeth the woman was a queen.” </b></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It is quite a long book - 500+ pages - but I found it to be a fairly quick read as both the writing style and the world were just <b>so </b>immersive. In fact, I could have happily read another hundred pages or so of the story - anything to mean that that ending wasn't so excruciatingly heartbreaking. The companion novel to <i>Wintersong</i> is currently due to be published next year, and even though <i>Wintersong </i>itself hasn't even been published yet, I <b>already </b>need that next novel...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
+ </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Wintersong is published in the UK and US on the 7th February 2017. </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24763621-wintersong">Goodreads</a> | Book Depository | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wintersong-S-Jae-Jones/dp/1785655442/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485286440&sr=8-1&keywords=wintersong">Amazon UK</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lClQYgg5e5o/WIUdgPdAm1I/AAAAAAAACR0/NVisIzeD_7sbpvjv9T-QUi3EKTljvNBHgCLcB/s1600/IMG_9164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lClQYgg5e5o/WIUdgPdAm1I/AAAAAAAACR0/NVisIzeD_7sbpvjv9T-QUi3EKTljvNBHgCLcB/s640/IMG_9164.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Are you planning on reading Wintersong? What other 2017 releases are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Love Becky @</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xbGzSCdQyHQ/V7DHJE8fhMI/AAAAAAAAB1E/2WSrIRgoGKoqf1BweBmujxwaGi_2A61UwCPcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xbGzSCdQyHQ/V7DHJE8fhMI/AAAAAAAAB1E/2WSrIRgoGKoqf1BweBmujxwaGi_2A61UwCPcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-63594222707903005772017-01-22T21:10:00.000+00:002017-01-23T09:16:55.470+00:00Diversity Recs: Pansexual Characters in Fiction <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kGLwp-U-KgY/WIUU8EIDudI/AAAAAAAACRQ/PnXl_7oGcmEhEwBxMyXMUB2RLy1ETjWmgCLcB/s1600/pansexual.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kGLwp-U-KgY/WIUU8EIDudI/AAAAAAAACRQ/PnXl_7oGcmEhEwBxMyXMUB2RLy1ETjWmgCLcB/s640/pansexual.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For our next Diversity Recs post, we decided to research books which feature characters identifying as pansexual. This was quite a challenging post to put together, as it seems that books with pansexual characters are few and far between; however, we managed to find the following six books that feature one or more pansexual characters (as far as we are aware, all of these books state that a character is pansexual in the text, or the author states this outside of the book). If our information is incorrect, please do let us know, or alternatively if you know of any more books that feature pansexual characters, we'd love your recommendations!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">+</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
</span><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--tUYaqL90XU/WIJPuTlW85I/AAAAAAAACPs/jJmtN0pRsOsNC3QMEerXkFe0LoFB2nzDwCLcB/s1600/31923110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--tUYaqL90XU/WIJPuTlW85I/AAAAAAAACPs/jJmtN0pRsOsNC3QMEerXkFe0LoFB2nzDwCLcB/s320/31923110.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></span></b></span>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">The Shock of Survival by Nicole Field | </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31923110-the-shock-of-survival?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | {Own voices author, polyamorous relationship}</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After winning the final battle against The Oppressor, Benedict, Ophelia and Dylan return to their magical community triumphantly, but soon discover that returning to their old lives after the war has been won isn't necessarily as easy as it seems. The Shock of Survival is not only one of few books that looks at the events <i>after </i>the war against evil rather than before and during, but also features pansexual characters and portrays polyamorous relationships respectfully.</span>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16Vwzkq7k3c/WIJRFXVLivI/AAAAAAAACQI/DPGqx6qGXbkW-y-O6mRGqFUOBUZxHzHyQCLcB/s1600/111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16Vwzkq7k3c/WIJRFXVLivI/AAAAAAAACQI/DPGqx6qGXbkW-y-O6mRGqFUOBUZxHzHyQCLcB/s320/111.jpg" width="215" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">The Melody of You and Me by M</b><b>.</b><b style="font-size: x-large;"> Hollis | </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31193155-the-melody-of-you-and-me?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | {Pansexual MC with Filipino lesbian love interest}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In an attempt to turn her life back around after dropping out of university and breaking up with her girlfriend of three years, Chris (a pansexual MC), picks up a job at her local bookstore, although her hopes for feeling better aren't high. However, this all changes when Chris meets Josie through the bookstore, and the two form a fast friendship, which Chris hopes can develop into something more.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
</span><br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DrC_ckgEeoI/WIJQLyOv1JI/AAAAAAAACP0/iXBqyX_tedE3FcryEalpdY0J4RamIXx9QCLcB/s1600/25223500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DrC_ckgEeoI/WIJQLyOv1JI/AAAAAAAACP0/iXBqyX_tedE3FcryEalpdY0J4RamIXx9QCLcB/s320/25223500.jpg" width="210" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></span></b></span>
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Out on Good Behaviour by Dahlia Adler | </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25223500-out-on-good-behavior">Goodreads</a> {Pansexual MC, lesbian love interest}</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Frankie knows that she can get anyone she sets her sights on - but when she starts falling for Samara Kazarian, the daughter of her town's Republican mayor, she thinks that some lines shouldn't be crossed - that is, until Frankie discovers that she's been on Samara's mind as well. However, Samara wants the real thing, not just a quick fling, and Frankie has never been one for commitment. For Sam, though, she's willing to try...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>{disclaimer: we have read mixed reviews about the representation in this book - just so you are aware if you choose to read it!}</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
</span><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6cPADxpZNU/WIJQak2N0NI/AAAAAAAACP8/ZRRDv0o5pdAimwmOazijAKRXQltCLdpSgCLcB/s1600/26240663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6cPADxpZNU/WIJQak2N0NI/AAAAAAAACP8/ZRRDv0o5pdAimwmOazijAKRXQltCLdpSgCLcB/s320/26240663.jpg" width="212" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate | </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26240663-seven-ways-we-lie">Goodreads</a> | {Pansexual MC}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seven Ways We Lie follows the story of seven different characters who all attend the same high school (Olivia, Claire, Kat, Juniper, Matt, Lucas and Valentine), correlated with the seven deadly sins. When rumours of a student-teacher affair surface within the school, the unlikely group end up in the middle of the situation, and each of their individual stories merge together to form the full picture.</span><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SQsxhhi2i6w/WIJQo9FXzJI/AAAAAAAACQA/znSBeqHIIBsYzoPzLXcUIO_pSLadU-q8ACLcB/s1600/25760792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SQsxhhi2i6w/WIJQo9FXzJI/AAAAAAAACQA/znSBeqHIIBsYzoPzLXcUIO_pSLadU-q8ACLcB/s320/25760792.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="223" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span>
</span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SQsxhhi2i6w/WIJQo9FXzJI/AAAAAAAACQA/znSBeqHIIBsYzoPzLXcUIO_pSLadU-q8ACLcB/s1600/25760792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></b></span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Timekeeper by Tara Sim |</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25760792-timekeeper">Goodreads</a> | {Pansexual character, gay relationship}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Danny Hart is a clock mechanic in an alternate Victorian England. When he is assigned to a new position and meets his new apprentice, Colton (a pansexual character), he soon realises that Colton's distance to him is due to the fact that he is the tower's clock spirit - the mythical being overseeing the time in the town Danny is placed in. Falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden and would destroy the position that Danny has worked so hard to be given, but the pair are immediately drawn to each other. </span><br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aMbROxFIpzQ/WIXJxCs2LzI/AAAAAAAABSs/RRub3AiJTHotFgeP71fEyNN7qtiMTGPmQCLcB/s1600/blank-133x176-8b769f39ba6687a82d2eef30bdf46977.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aMbROxFIpzQ/WIXJxCs2LzI/AAAAAAAABSs/RRub3AiJTHotFgeP71fEyNN7qtiMTGPmQCLcB/s320/blank-133x176-8b769f39ba6687a82d2eef30bdf46977.jpg.png" width="203" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /><br /><br /></b></span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large; white-space: pre-wrap;">27 Hours by Tristina Wright |</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28526192-27-hours">Goodreads</a> | {Pansexual character}</span><br />
<br />
27 Hours is a diverse sci-fi novel, which I'm sure we can all agree that we need more of. It is the story of a group of LGBT+ teenagers battling to save their home, the colonised moon on which they live on that was previously inhabited by Chimaera. There isn't much info out about this book yet, but we're sure that it'll be a must read when it's released this October!<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>love,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2sJe67-E4BY/WIUW7ndVvVI/AAAAAAAACRg/ea4bKClI1iQMMyjzJzJjrin2hZ1l0SJaACLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2sJe67-E4BY/WIUW7ndVvVI/AAAAAAAACRg/ea4bKClI1iQMMyjzJzJjrin2hZ1l0SJaACLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
Bec Bentliffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857152660500350734noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-56258918676104237142017-01-20T18:39:00.001+00:002017-01-22T20:43:59.447+00:00Kingdom of Sleep by E.K. Johnston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94DcLy1VlOU/WIJNnidPFxI/AAAAAAAACPk/BZ4ZjWegJzoJe8gnL5mDvIg8gDOTWL3iQCLcB/s1600/kingdom%2Bof%2Bsleep.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94DcLy1VlOU/WIJNnidPFxI/AAAAAAAACPk/BZ4ZjWegJzoJe8gnL5mDvIg8gDOTWL3iQCLcB/s640/kingdom%2Bof%2Bsleep.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMz4LzMhSso/WII_7QeboDI/AAAAAAAACPE/IqJe1fAato4lHlCElfeqqpDGgUdLOe1HgCLcB/s1600/IMG_9122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KMz4LzMhSso/WII_7QeboDI/AAAAAAAACPE/IqJe1fAato4lHlCElfeqqpDGgUdLOe1HgCLcB/s640/IMG_9122.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">I don't think I quite enjoyed this book as much as its prequel, </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21524446.A_Thousand_Nights__A_Thousand_Nights___1_" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00635d;" title="A Thousand Nights (A Thousand Nights, #1) by E.K. Johnston">A Thousand Nights</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">, but it was still an intriguing, beautiful story!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kingdom of Sleep, or Spindle, depending on where you live, follows Yashaa, Arwa, Tariq and Saoud, on a quest to return to their crumbling home of Karuf and save the Princess, Zahrah. At her fifth birthday party, she was cursed by a demon who intended to possess her once she had learned everything she needed to be a ruler, forcing her kingdom into ruin and resulting in the banning of spindles (this is where the Sleeping Beauty references come in), as the demon pronounced that once Zahrah learned to spin, she would be ready for inhabitation. Yashaa, Arwa and Tariq's families, who were spinners, were forced to leave their home at this point, but now the three of them along with Saoud are determined to break Zahrah's curse. </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lyiE1jwLJnw/WIJAljlTb8I/AAAAAAAACPI/RIZ98iDvIcAtO8z8ZIuvijdOY3PJwAQFQCLcB/s1600/IMG_9128%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lyiE1jwLJnw/WIJAljlTb8I/AAAAAAAACPI/RIZ98iDvIcAtO8z8ZIuvijdOY3PJwAQFQCLcB/s640/IMG_9128%2Bcopy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #00635d; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21524446.A_Thousand_Nights__A_Thousand_Nights___1_" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00635d;" title="A Thousand Nights (A Thousand Nights, #1) by E.K. Johnston">A Thousand Nights</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> was very much a slow building story, and whereas Kingdom of Sleep was also slow, there was still a lot more action in it. It was definitely more of a "journey story", focusing on the development of the characters and their relationships with each other rather than on the plot. I did struggle to get into this book at first, mostly because I wasn't expecting some of the differences between it and A Thousand Nights (for example, I assumed that the characters would all remain unnamed as they did in the previous book) but once I got into the book I really enjoyed it and began to connect with the characters a lot more. </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although I thought the ending was a bit too rushed, the very last chapter really made the book for me. With <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21524446.A_Thousand_Nights__A_Thousand_Nights___1_" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; color: #00635d;" title="A Thousand Nights (A Thousand Nights, #1) by E.K. Johnston">A Thousand Nights</a>, the thing that really stuck with me was how beautiful and poetic the writing was, and I'm so glad that <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33614521.Kingdom_of_Sleep" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; color: #00635d;" title="Kingdom of Sleep by E.K. Johnston">Kingdom of Sleep</a> still had such beautiful writing, even though it was written in quite a different style and voice. </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0LRm5O2A5Yo/WIJA14ubuYI/AAAAAAAACPQ/_ejrdzr_KxEOryRKQLOusxM1os_1XWdrgCLcB/s1600/IMG_9102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0LRm5O2A5Yo/WIJA14ubuYI/AAAAAAAACPQ/_ejrdzr_KxEOryRKQLOusxM1os_1XWdrgCLcB/s640/IMG_9102.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This definitely isn't a sequel to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21524446.A_Thousand_Nights__A_Thousand_Nights___1_" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; color: #00635d;" title="A Thousand Nights (A Thousand Nights, #1) by E.K. Johnston">A Thousand Nights</a>, but a companion novel - it's set in the same land, but quite a long time afterwards (hundreds of years, as far as I'm aware) and although key events are mentioned from the previous book, you could definitely read this as a standalone and have no trouble at all understanding what's happening. I'd also just like to mention something about the Sleeping Beauty comparisons - Kingdom of Sleep is marketed as being inspired by/a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and I think this may have put some people off, but in my opinion, the two stories couldn't be more different - literally the main similarity is that in both stories, spindles are the triggers in the Princesses curses. Because of this, I would definitely not let the Sleeping Beauty inspirations embedded in this book put you off reading it, as like I say, they're barely there! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">+ </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Have you read A Thousand Nights or Kingdom of Sleep/Spindle? What did you think?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>love Becky <complete id="goog_2096855513">@ </complete></i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8-APNrBDrEs/V1hco_i-PWI/AAAAAAAABgE/LSf-fnd39GA-dtwLvofSbvzBSwU-iHNMQCPcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8-APNrBDrEs/V1hco_i-PWI/AAAAAAAABgE/LSf-fnd39GA-dtwLvofSbvzBSwU-iHNMQCPcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-61571872103341701832017-01-14T18:37:00.002+00:002017-01-20T18:38:13.582+00:00Diversity Recs: Characters on the Autism-Spectrum<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kJIQ-6-r2f4/WHpv07SzF9I/AAAAAAAABRc/JXtfqVKgYAgHib1rLq2uFngOzj8_PA3uACLcB/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kJIQ-6-r2f4/WHpv07SzF9I/AAAAAAAABRc/JXtfqVKgYAgHib1rLq2uFngOzj8_PA3uACLcB/s640/Untitled-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
For this post on diverse recs, we're focusing on book characters that are on the autism-spectrum. This is a topic close to my heart, as at the age of 18, I was diagonised with Asperger Syndrome. It makes it difficult to communicate with people, understand emotion and understand other people's actions but Aspergers is only one form of autism - there is a whole spectrum and these characters are on it. No two people with autism are the same but these are some books that we have found. As always, if any of our information is incorrect, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comments.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--uRwRE_cdiw/WHfL8Os8-6I/AAAAAAAABPI/CwLmArMHzgQImVqCRaObwnTwrjKbHPCdwCLcB/s1600/22020598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--uRwRE_cdiw/WHfL8Os8-6I/AAAAAAAABPI/CwLmArMHzgQImVqCRaObwnTwrjKbHPCdwCLcB/s320/22020598.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22020598-on-the-edge-of-gone?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/On-the-Edge-of-Gone-Corinne-Duyvis/9781419719035?ref=grid-view" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>On the Edge of Gone <i>by Corinne Duyvis</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Yes, this is a sci-fi, dystopian novel with its biracial MC living with autism. Also an Own Voices book, we follow the story of Denise as she, her mother and little sister, Iris are moved to a temporary shelter on the day a giant comet is scheduled to hit their hometown of Amsterdam. There is a ship available to leave Earth but will they be allowed to board it seeing as Iris has gone missing and Denise's drug-dependent mother isn't helping? There are also Muslim and Jewish characters and I believe Iris herself is trans. This book is full of diversity, full of twists and turns and just a definite must-read.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JrHVqaPm0Qs/WHfOtWgQLQI/AAAAAAAABPM/HOqwQyuWEgIhk-4ERqRQJ5Q_6rn0E3aywCLcB/s1600/25903348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JrHVqaPm0Qs/WHfOtWgQLQI/AAAAAAAABPM/HOqwQyuWEgIhk-4ERqRQJ5Q_6rn0E3aywCLcB/s320/25903348.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25903348-m-is-for-autism?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/M-is-for-Autism/9781849056847" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>M is for Autism <i>by The Students of Limpsfield Grange School</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This story is primarily told by a teenage girl known as 'M' as she shares her story of autism and her experiences whilst also dealing with teenage years and wanting to be 'normal.' <i>Limpsfield Grange </i>is a school for girls with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and we hear from a lot of the students. What drew me to this book, is that it was girls with autism who shared their stories and as I learned when I was diagnosed, autism is a lot harder to detect in girls than it is in boys so a lot of us can live our lives undiagnosed. This novel is heartfelt and important and delves into the world of autism from the people who know it best. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shK1z_ExPxU/WHfQcxHufGI/AAAAAAAABPQ/mnN6tOq75hwODzoFyTzL59pFbRl167t0gCLcB/s1600/28245707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shK1z_ExPxU/WHfQcxHufGI/AAAAAAAABPQ/mnN6tOq75hwODzoFyTzL59pFbRl167t0gCLcB/s320/28245707.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28245707-queens-of-geek?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Queens-of-Geek-Jen-Wilde/9781250111395?ref=grid-view" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Queens of Geek <i>by Jen Wilde</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Released on March 14th, this Own Voices novel follows the story of three girls and delves into the world of conventions. It is jam-packed with diversity including Taylor, a girl with autism and anxiety and a general fear of change, an openly bisexual Chinese-Australian vlogger/actress who falls in love with another woman of colour. Filled with adorable romances, pop-culture references and the mad but incredible world of conventions, this book is highly-anticipated. This book also deals with feminism, slut-shaming, body-shaming and how important these girl's voices are.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OFmrwGLdMj4/WHfmgP7r-BI/AAAAAAAABP8/P7y4iyCHi7A23KDGb9_U5dyP5OfDTMUlACLcB/s1600/16113737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OFmrwGLdMj4/WHfmgP7r-BI/AAAAAAAABP8/P7y4iyCHi7A23KDGb9_U5dyP5OfDTMUlACLcB/s320/16113737.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16113737-the-reason-i-jump?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Reason-I-Jump/9780812994865" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Reason I Jump <i>by Naoki Higashida</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book is written by Japanese thirteen year old, Naoki who lives with autism. He is very smart, very self-aware and very charming but he unable to speak aloud. Having to use an alphabet grid to communicate, we hear Naoki answer questions about living with autism which allows us and his family to understand what it is like inside his head. I must point out that this book has received some controversy as it is translated into English by David Mitchell and his Japanese wife. Some people are worried about the authenticity of Naoki's words and if they have been at all edited for publishing reasons. For this reason, the book has mixed reviews.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-S08bexfGg/WHfn-3FeKkI/AAAAAAAABQE/7MukkeEbfxQwp8HvEZN84PzyS4RbyupLACLcB/s1600/32195586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O-S08bexfGg/WHfn-3FeKkI/AAAAAAAABQE/7MukkeEbfxQwp8HvEZN84PzyS4RbyupLACLcB/s320/32195586.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32195586-the-original-ginny-moon?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Original-Ginny-Moon-Benjamin-Ludwig/9781848455429?ref=grid-view" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Original Ginny Moon <i>by Benjamin Ludwig</i></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fourteen year old Ginny Moon has finally found her 'forever home,' a place where any foster kid would feel safe but Ginny is desperate to be kidnapped by her abusive, drug-addicted mother and return home, continuing her life hiding from authorities and from her mother's violent boyfriends. Ginny is autistic and she has very strict rules that she can't deviate from and moving away from what she knows is too much. This is the story of her living with autism, trying to fit in and trying to make sense of the strange world around her. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbshaHp9O5M/WHgahHN3cjI/AAAAAAAABQY/km_U6q6L0y4CEb3-9262Ja-N_exL3oKfgCLcB/s1600/3700085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbshaHp9O5M/WHgahHN3cjI/AAAAAAAABQY/km_U6q6L0y4CEb3-9262Ja-N_exL3oKfgCLcB/s320/3700085.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3700085-marcelo-in-the-real-world?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Marcelo-in-the-Real-World/9780545056908" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Marcelo in the Real World <i>by Francisco X. Stork</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Before I start, just look at that beautiful cover. Ok. Serious face back on. We follow the story of Marcelo Sandoval, a boy who hears music that nobody else can hear and it is due to his unidentifiable form of autism. Having always attended a special school, this summer his father demands that he works in his law firm's mailroom to get experience of the 'real world.' Here, Marcelo meets Jasmine and Wendell and learns about jealousy, competition and desire. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i></i></b></span>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></b>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fEAbIM1BaG4/WHgcQthlf-I/AAAAAAAABQk/jaq6mE8_daQ_Wnu1q9HBMCKnA1rYV1pVACLcB/s1600/1618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fEAbIM1BaG4/WHgcQthlf-I/AAAAAAAABQk/jaq6mE8_daQ_Wnu1q9HBMCKnA1rYV1pVACLcB/s320/1618.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1618.The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_in_the_Night_Time?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Curious-Incident-of-the-Dog-in-the-Night-Time-Mark-Haddon/9780099470434?ref=grid-view" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time <i>by Mark Haddon</i></span></b><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We follow the story of Christopher Boone, a boy living with Aspergers which makes everyday life a little more difficult for him, however, he is a mathematical and scientific genius. He has no understanding of human emotions and cannot stand to be touched but he knows every country of the world and its capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. His brain is just remarkable but when a neighbour's dog is killed, fifteen-year-old Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favourite detective (and mine), Sherlock Holmes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qegXHQ0c3Rc/WHpoByl8BII/AAAAAAAABQ0/yeWSbZy2zZUFDgLPJV6rPFoIU6Dd58u-wCLcB/s1600/25369192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qegXHQ0c3Rc/WHpoByl8BII/AAAAAAAABQ0/yeWSbZy2zZUFDgLPJV6rPFoIU6Dd58u-wCLcB/s320/25369192.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25369192-shtum?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Shtum/9781409162971" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Shtum <i>by Jem Lester</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Told by Ben Jewell as he and his wife, Emma are struggling to cope dealing with their ten-year-old son, Jonah and his severe autism. The only way to further Jonah's upcoming tribunal is for the couple to fake their separation and Ben and Jonah move in with Ben's elderly father, Georg. What follows within the four walls of a small house in North London is the family dynamics between two men who <i>won't </i>talk and one boy who can't. Heartbreaking and important as it shows how families deal with their loved ones having autism.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bLO-O3WuiDk/WHprCgH4PzI/AAAAAAAABRA/HE-6h_EWQ00OJG-bS17XgH05dbwvqFuhgCLcB/s1600/6596547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bLO-O3WuiDk/WHprCgH4PzI/AAAAAAAABRA/HE-6h_EWQ00OJG-bS17XgH05dbwvqFuhgCLcB/s320/6596547.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6596547-mockingbird?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Mockingbird/9780142417751" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Mockingbird <i>by Kathryn Erskine</i></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Caitlin is an eleven-year-old girl living with Asperger Syndrome and to her, everything is black or white, good or bad. Caitlin's older brother, Devon has always been able to understand this and can explain when she couldn't. However, Devon is now dead and her father just doesn't get it. When one day, she reads the definition of <i>closure</i>, she realises that she must go out to find it and on her journey, she discovers that the world is made up of more than just black and white. It is complicated and wonderful and strange. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4U4ZfypAXxQ/WHpsYkj4BZI/AAAAAAAABRI/vnM_ETzXVuQzweeWw4sGAME0ax1SFjBqgCLcB/s1600/16101109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4U4ZfypAXxQ/WHpsYkj4BZI/AAAAAAAABRI/vnM_ETzXVuQzweeWw4sGAME0ax1SFjBqgCLcB/s320/16101109.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101109-rogue?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Rogue-Lyn-Miller-Lachmann/9780399162251" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Rogue <i>by Lyn Miller-Lachmann</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We follow the story of Kiara who lives with Asperger </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">syndrome</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and in a world where not a lot makes sense, she relies on the Internet to answer any questions she may have but some things don't have answers, like why she struggles to get along with other kids and why she has been kicked out of school. She wishes she could be like Rogue, a misunderstood X-Men mutant she looks up to. One day, a new boy moves in across the street and Kiara vows to make this friendship work. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Love from Angharad @</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-creYn4ybUt4/WHpuglzZOhI/AAAAAAAABRU/Cmh1b1OJ46QS8wkE4pbvoBujOj2oaQSfACLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-creYn4ybUt4/WHpuglzZOhI/AAAAAAAABRU/Cmh1b1OJ46QS8wkE4pbvoBujOj2oaQSfACLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8516023985712862338.post-78551353440214909842017-01-10T20:00:00.000+00:002017-01-22T20:44:27.177+00:00Noteworthy by Riley Redgate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdj_Kvqgw4c/WHU6t4f6FiI/AAAAAAAABOo/Mw_TbSjC9jkKYHV6zQdrtzhjhFUCDTaRgCLcB/s1600/IMG_5704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdj_Kvqgw4c/WHU6t4f6FiI/AAAAAAAABOo/Mw_TbSjC9jkKYHV6zQdrtzhjhFUCDTaRgCLcB/s640/IMG_5704.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxEdy7peesA/WHUNNQSV5KI/AAAAAAAABOQ/gsl7og2xr8stjfySG97J3b-clCKGAMfAgCLcB/s1600/15965042_395332000801591_5421204101870257613_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XxEdy7peesA/WHUNNQSV5KI/AAAAAAAABOQ/gsl7og2xr8stjfySG97J3b-clCKGAMfAgCLcB/s640/15965042_395332000801591_5421204101870257613_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></span></span>(Huge thanks to Netgalley for sending me an eArc of this book.)</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif;">Jordan Sun is starting her junior year at performing arts school, but being an Alto 2, she's always struggled to get a role in the school musical. When the school get a mass email informing them that the Sharpshooters, the school's revered all-male a cappella group, Jordan is determined to make this year different. She cross-dresses as a guy, Julian, and discovers that, as a Tenor 1, she's just what the Sharpshooters need.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">**</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">+ Our main character represents a lot of things. Jordan is a bisexual (which she discovers throughout the course of the novel), Chinese-American girl coming from a poor family. She's tall and has a low voice, making her easily pass as a guy. All of these things have stopped her from achieving her goals in Kensington, but as a guy, she finds her place. During the beginning of her transformation into Julian, she Googles ways to flatten her chest and comes across a website for trans people. What follows is an important narrative as Jordan compares her cross-dressing as a disguise and lie whereas for trans, it's a very different and important matter. The book also touches upon sexuality and gender stereotypes as Jordan regularly calls out acts of sexism in her role as Julian.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">+ Upon hearing that Jordan would be the only main female character in this book, amongst a group of all males, I was hesitant but this is a very interesting and diverse group of boys. Isaac who is Japanese, Trav who is black, Jon Cox who has a learning disability and Nihal, a Sikh guy who reveals that he is gay. Jordan develops a friendship with each of them and I especially loved her friendship with Nihal who becomes something of a confidante. I just loved the bond between them and their domesticity during rehearsal. I'm a sucker for domesticity! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">+ The prose was beautiful, flowing like music itself and despite the book focusing on a subject I'm not clued up on (music, singing, a cappella), the author manages to let it flow naturally, never info-dumping any of the technical terms. The book is split into four parts but it is a novel you can definitely read in one sitting. It manages to touch upon important subjects and represent them without preaching or making the narrative too difficult. It is a style of contemporary that we need more of.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">+ Overall, I liked being inside Jordan's head. I liked her transformation into Julian and how it changed her and also the high expectations she puts on herself to please her parents. Jordan is also dealing with an emotional breakup throughout the course of the novel and it was so refreshing to see her journey through accepting its end. This book just manages to deal with <i>so</i> many topics and issues and yet never rushes over the main story. Riley Redgate just proves that you can still deal with important issues in a YA contemporary novel without it being the main focus. Jordan destroys gender norms one page at a time and it was truly an honour to have met her and the Sharpshooters.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Love from Angharad,</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1YPS7Bjus-8/WHU9OSTBsXI/AAAAAAAABO4/nqI_mnw6BEMNTWo0utZ3cntDjdf39t8pwCLcB/s1600/signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1YPS7Bjus-8/WHU9OSTBsXI/AAAAAAAABO4/nqI_mnw6BEMNTWo0utZ3cntDjdf39t8pwCLcB/s320/signature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976707744842024557noreply@blogger.com4