2023 Rewind

Apparently, writing and posting one whole book review this year has motivated me to do a whole year rewind post. 😂 Let’s go!

2023: A Totally Insane Year. Am I Right?

It feels like the world has been living in some alternate universe the past few years, so I’m not trying to sound special when I say, 2023 has been a completely crazy year. Like, the kind where one year feels like three, and you hardly recognize your life anymore.

On the personal side, in 2023 I: went back to NYC for the first time in 10 years, got married, left my job of almost 10 years, started a business, ate some incredibly delicious food, drank a lot of coffee, cried a lot, and otherwise tried to keep my shit together. And again, I’m sure many of you can relate.

I Read Some Books, Too!

I actually completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge for the first time in TEN years! There’s that number 10 again, lol. I even OVERACHIEVED by reading 24 out of 23 books- YEAH! As I write this post, I might even SUPER OVERACHIEVE by squeezing in another book before 2023 ends. I can’t even!

I read a steady diet of self-help and business books this year, which is a very good indicator of how 2023 went. I was actually in the mood for a Christmas-y book this year, so I picked up The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily, which ended up being one of my favorite books of 2023. I only read 2 fiction books, Dash & Lily being one of them. Getting back into fiction made me realize how much I’ve missed it and that I need to read more of it in 2024.

I also attended a local bookstore event with Chloe Gong in September. She did a Q & A and then very graciously signed everyone’s books. It was a lot of fun to listen to her talk about her books and writing, and she was super sweet chatting with everyone while signing their books.

Dear 2024: Please Be Kind to Everyone

Seriously. 😂 I hope 2024 brings everyone peace, happiness, and lots of good books!

Review: The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily (Dash & Lily #2)
By Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher: Ember
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: It’s Lily’s absolute favorite time of the year, but the Christmas season just isn’t the same with all of the changes happening in her family. As much as Dash has tried to be there for her, Lily worries that things just aren’t right between them. Now it’s up to Dash, not exactly the biggest Christmas fan, to try and revive Lily’s holiday spirit.

Review: It’s been a hot minute since I read a YA book. It’s been an even hotter minute since I wrote a book review. And just to belabor the point, I last read a Christmas book in 2018.

So what prompted 2023’s sudden burst of motivation to do all the things? A strong possibility is the steady diet of self-help and business books I’ve been reading all year. It was time to switch gears, and what better way to do so AND get into the holiday spirit by catching up with some familiar fictional characters?

I loved Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares and felt a bit dismayed when I saw meh reviews for the follow-up, The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily. But it’s been such a strange year that I summoned some optimism and dove in.

First, let me say how wonderful it was, indeed, to read about these two characters again. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed Dash’s snark and Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s gift for capturing New York City’s incomparable character, especially during the holiday season.

I get why some readers viewed the book with mixed feelings. We quickly learn that Lily’s beloved grandfather has suffered a heart attack and is still undergoing a challenging recovery, with Lily insisting upon being his primary caregiver. All the time she’s been spending with her grandfather has not only meant seeing less of Dash, but it’s also put a huge damper on Lily’s normally indomitable Christmas spirit. Dash is trying to support his girlfriend as best he can, but sometimes Lily longs for more from him, especially with expressing his feelings.

I admit that at first, Lily wishing that Dash fit the perfect boyfriend mold prompted a small eyebrow raise from me because it came across kind of petulant in a, “Why can’t Dash just do X?” “Why can’t Dash be more Y?” way. But Lily learns from some older and wiser adults in her life that Dash can’t read her mind. That’s when I also called myself out for also being guilty of the same expectation. So then I applauded Lily’s character growth for its realism.

While Lily is understandably not the ebullient Lily from the first book, that’s not to say there’s not lots to love about this sequel, like anatomically correct gingerbread men, glitter-related injuries, the logic (or lack thereof) of Dash’s friend, Boomer, and the sage observations of Lily’s great-aunt, Mrs. Basil E. If you enjoyed Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, go ahead and give this one a read.

All in All: Just what Santa ordered in a Christmas read.

Review: Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko

Ghost Girl
By Ally Malinenko
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format: eARC
Source: Sparkpoint Studio

To Sum It Up: In the small town of Knobb’s Ferry, not far from the famous Sleepy Hollow, Zee Puckett stands out, and not in a good way. All Zee wants is to tell her spooky stories and hang out with her best friend Elijah, but her shock of white hair makes her an easy target for teasing at school. It also doesn’t help that it’s just Zee and her older sister, Abby, having lost their mother when Zee was born and their father now gone in search of work elsewhere. As long as Zee has her stories and her friendship with Elijah, though, she can weather anything until a storm rolls through Knobb’s Ferry and seems to bring something very sinister with it. Zee soon learns that while she may love spinning scary tales, it’s a completely different thing to actually find herself living in one.

Review: With Halloween not that far away, now is the perfect time to start getting into the ghostly groove with a chilling read like Ghost Girl that also manages to warm your heart. Zee Puckett is a sixth grader in the small town of Knobb’s Ferry, which the book mentions is near the fabled Sleepy Hollow. Ally Malinenko does a great job of establishing a setting where everybody knows everybody and their business, the type of place where a girl like Zee, with her white hair, unusual name (Zee is short for Zera), and love for telling scary stories, attracts unwanted attention from other kids. It’s a good thing Zee has her best friend Elijah, the only person in Knobb’s Ferry who really gets her. Their friendship is one of the book’s standout parts.

The paranormal aspect starts creeping in when a fierce storm rocks the town and little by little begins affecting its residents. Zee and Elijah quickly realize that something is very amiss and that they are central to whatever is going on. While the identity of the villain isn’t all that hard to figure out, there’s still a good amount of mystery surrounding what exactly is happening in Knobb’s Ferry. Malinenko builds just the right amount of suspense, punctuated by some wonderfully frightening moments.

Ghost Girl also focuses on some very human elements, such as standing up for yourself and not assuming that you know everything that another person may be going through based solely on outward appearances. Perhaps the most important point that the book addresses is that no one can take something away from you that is not given freely. Although these may sound like heavier themes for a middle grade read, Malinenko incorporates them in a manner that’s subtle yet powerful.

With an ominous atmosphere, deep character development, and ample thrills, Ghost Girl more than lives up to the expectations of its eerie title. I definitely hope to see more adventures featuring Zee and her friends.

All in All: A perfect read for the fast approaching spooky season that will appeal to readers of all ages!

Review: Game Changer by Neal Shusterman

Game Changer
By Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Publication Date: February 9, 2021

To Sum It Up: Ash Bowman is a high school football player with a seemingly normal life until a hard hit during a game leaves him with the feeling that things aren’t quite right—and they aren’t. Ash, however, appears to be the only person who fully realizes that the world has changed, and not necessarily for the better. Whatever is happening around him also awakens Ash to the fact that he truly hasn’t been seeing what life is like for people who aren’t as privileged as he is. As the world continues to shift, Ash discovers that he may be able to bring about positive change, but even the smallest slip could create a new, bleak reality that is permanent.

Review: Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy blew me away with its unique premise and brilliant writing, and so I was thrilled to dive into his newest release, Game Changer. One of my favorite things about the Arc of a Scythe series was its deft, multilayered storytelling, and Shusterman doesn’t disappoint in that department here with Game Changer.

At first Game Changer appears to be a novel about an archetypal All-American high school football player named Ash Bowman. But when Ash takes a particularly hard hit on a play during a game, it literally shakes his entire world. Blue stop signs are now the norm. Ash knows something is amiss, but most of his family and friends do not. As he maneuvers this seemingly new world, Ash begins to discover that blue stop signs are the least alarming aspect.

Finding out the impact of that single event during the football game as Ash does makes for compelling reading. What exactly is going here to cause these shifts in the world? The answer involves a sci-fi twist that I thought was well done, and I’m not much of a sci-fi reader. This book reminded me a bit of David Levithan’s excellent Every Day. As he did with Arc of a Scythe, Shusterman is so great at immersing you in a world that, sometimes very eerily, isn’t too farfetched from what we know.

The heart of this book, though, lies in its timely exploration of some of the most pressing social issues we face, including racism, homophobia, and sexism. At the beginning of the novel, the extent of Ash’s social awareness is his diverse circle of friends. As he finds himself thrown into alternate universes, his white, heterosexual male privilege becomes more and more glaringly apparent to him.

While some readers may feel that the novel tries to take on too many weighty topics at once, and granted, each of them individually could absolutely be the subject of their own book, for me the takeaway here was the overall development of Ash’s realization of just how privileged and comfortable his life was back in his original world. And although his attempts to effect sweeping change and correct the injustices he can now see more clearly are sincere, they can come off seeming a bit of a simplistic approach to extremely complex problems. On the whole, though, this is a thought-provoking read that challenges how we often view the world only through the lens of our own experiences and demonstrates the need to continue the work of truly seeing and listening to the multitude of perspectives that exist.

All in All: This is the fourth Neal Shusterman book that I’ve read, and I love how he blends an impactful look at societal issues with a sci-fi/alternate universe twist. I find that his books leave me thinking about them for some time after I’ve read the last page, and Game Changer will definitely be staying with me for a while.

Review: The Enforcer Enigma by G.L. Carriger

The Enforcer Enigma (San Andreas Shifters #3)
By G.L. Carriger
Publisher: Gail Carriger
Format: eARC
Source: Author

To Sum It Up: After spending many years of his werewolf existence searching for a pack where he felt he truly belonged, Judd seems to have finally found a home with the San Andreas Pack. And then there’s Colin—Judd’s pack mate and the person whom Judd can picture himself being with for the rest of his life. Colin, however, is used to being invisible and doesn’t feel he has anything to contribute to his pack, let alone to a relationship. As the pair attempt to work through the obstacles in the way of their happiness together, they also find themselves caught up in some intrigue involving selkies who also happen to gangsters as well as a rather unwelcome figure from Colin’s past.

Review: The San Andreas werewolf pack has returned, and not a moment too soon! The Enforcer Enigma is the third book in Gail Carriger’s paranormal romance San Andreas Shifters series, this time centering around Judd, one of the pack’s enforcers, and Colin, the pack’s quietest member who was basically abandoned by his parents and as a result, struggles with finding a sense of worth not only to the pack, but also to himself. Kind and patient Judd would love nothing more than to call Colin his mate for the rest of their lives, but Colin’s insecurity and Judd’s hesitation over their age difference pose challenges to a possible future together. The book follows their burgeoning relationship while also featuring a subplot with an otter shifter/barista, a country music superstar/Alpha werewolf, and selkie mobsters. Intrigued? You definitely should be!

One of the hallmarks of this series is how much you find yourself rooting for the main character pairing to get together and get their happily ever after. Judd and Colin could not be sweeter as a couple. The development of their relationship is just so wonderfully written, with neither wanting to pressure the other into moving too quickly or making a long-term commitment. Seeing Judd, who has lived a long life as a werewolf, perhaps finally find love at last, and Colin, who has been starved of affection for the majority of his young life, become the center of another person’s universe will melt your heart.

As in the previous two books, the deep bond between the members of the San Andreas Pack shows its strength here. Not only does the pack have each member’s back, but it also embraces an extended family of supernatural friends. That circle widens with each book, and it’s simply lovely to see familiar faces from the other novels pop up.

I absolutely love, love, love the humor that Gail Carriger incorporates into all of her books, and The Enforcer Enigma won me over on the first page with a café named Bean There, Froth That. I’m still chuckling typing that! And who wouldn’t welcome some laughs right now? Not only that, and more significantly, there’s also a sweet story about finding acceptance, love, family, and home and learning that everyone unconditionally deserves a family who loves and accepts them for who they are.

All in All: An excellent follow-up to The Omega Objection! And yes—still giggling over Bean There, Froth That!

Review: Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger

Defy or Defend (Delightfully Deadly #2)
By Gail Carriger
Publisher: Gail Carriger
Format: eBook
Source: Author

To Sum It Up: Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, alumna of Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, is now a seasoned intelligencer, skilled at espionage all while being irrepressibly effervescent. Settling down with a family is now very much in Dimity’s thoughts, though, and she already has a potential partner in domestic bliss in mind—Sir Crispin Bontwee, who’s previously looked after Dimity’s safety on missions. The two are assigned to work together again to investigate a vampire hive that has gone Goth. Armed with a prodigious eye for interior design, Dimity must put her talents into action quickly before time runs out for the hive.

Review: Sometimes you read a book at EXACTLY the right moment, and that was 100% the case with Gail Carriger’s Defy or Defend. This short novel is the second installment in her Delightfully Deadly series, which is set in the paranormal/Victorian steampunk world of Carriger’s Parasolverse works and follows the characters from the YA Finishing School series as adults. During this time of real world uncertainty, Defy or Defend was a most welcome escape and an absolute joy to read.

In Defy or Defend, we catch up with Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, best friend to Finishing School protagonist Sophronia Temminnick. Despite being a stellar spy (code name: Honey Bee) for the War Office, Dimity finds herself contemplating leaving life as an intelligencer behind and settling down. She would love nothing more than to win the heart of Sir Crispin Bontwee, her security on some past missions, but he seems immune to her formidable charms. What Dimity doesn’t know is that Sir Crispin does in fact have a soft spot for the Honey Bee. When the pair must work together again, masquerading as a married couple no less, they’re given the perfect opportunity to make their feelings for each other known. There is, however, the not insignificant matter of their mission: to discover what has driven the Nottingham vampire hive to go Goth and to set things to right before BUR, the authority that oversees paranormal affairs, steps in and takes drastic action.

In addition to a very sweet romance, Defy or Defend features Goth vampires who are quite in the throes of gloom, the entire makeover of a vampire abode, overwrought poetry, and ballet. If all of that weren’t enough, there may be a familiar name or two from the Parasolverse. I love how existing characters are incorporated—there’s just enough of an appearance to thrill readers already familiar with the Parasolverse without making newcomers to the world feel that they need to have read previous books. If anything, I think that these cameos spark curiosity about the characters and entice new readers to pick up the other books.

As much as I rooted for Dimity and Cris, who are an adorable couple, to sort out the situation between them, I also rooted for the Nottingham hive to find some cheer (which mostly takes the form of Dimity). Dimity is truly a makeover maven with irresistible magic and every bit suited to Cris’s nickname for her, Sparkles. But I also love how Sparkles has her other, lethal side that honed her proficiency in all matter of deadly arts at finishing school.

Defy or Defend was perfect from beginning to end: the romance, the mission to save the hive, the friends from other Parasolverse stories, and as always with Gail Carriger’s books, the humor! This book and its wonderful heroine and her gallant tuppenny knight are just what I needed in my life right now.

All in All: 5 sparkly stars!

Eight Years of Blogging!

So I'm racing against the clock a bit to get this posted while it's still officially this blog's eighth blogoversary, lol. OK, so I spent a good chunk of my day playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, OK? I think we can all agree 2020 has been suck-tacular thus far, and we all have our coping mechanisms. Mine has turned out to be fishing, collecting bugs, picking fruit, and constantly owing money to a raccoon. In that strange way that the universe works sometimes, I played the OG Animal Crossing on the Nintendo GameCube during an extremely stressful time, and it seems we've circled back around.

But enough about AC: it was eight years ago today that this blog launched! It's gotten quieter over the past few years as Ally, Melissa, and I have all gotten busier with our non-reading and non-blogging lives, but popping in every once in a while to post and chat books still brings me joy.

I'm really proud that I didn't recycle the same graphic for like the fifth year running, lol. Melissa very kindly agreed to utilize her artistic gifts to create this new, snazzy graphic for this year's blogoversary post. Thanks again, Melissa!

I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy and that books are bringing you some much needed comfort during these very uncertain times. ♥♥♥

Review: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

* This review may contain spoilers for the previous book, Scythe. *

Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2)
By Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Although they began their journey together as scythe’s apprentices, Citra and Rowan’s lives could not be any more different now. Citra has become Scythe Anastasia, an increasingly rare junior scythe who seems to adhere to the principles of the old guard amidst a growing new order that wants to glean without boundaries. Rowan, meanwhile, is now the notorious Scythe Lucifer, the self-appointed deliverer of justice to dishonorable scythes. As Rowan tries to evade capture by the Scythedom, Citra finds herself targeted by a yet unknown enemy. It seems that conflict within the Scythedom is inevitable, and the Thunderhead, the sentient artificial intelligence that benevolently rules over humanity, is powerless to do anything about it because it cannot intervene in scythe affairs.

Review: After the genius that was Scythe, I couldn’t wait to dive into the sequel, Thunderhead. Scythe was such a thrilling, exhilaratingly unpredictable read with a note perfect ending that I was a bit about nervous how Thunderhead would measure up to its predecessor. It turns out that I need not have worried for a second.

When we catch up with Scythe’s two protagonists, Citra and Rowan, we find them on rather opposite sides of scythe law. As Scythe Anastasia, Citra is following in the footsteps of her mentor, Scythe Curie, and doing her best to perform her duties with honor. This is even as the so-called new order within the Scythedom that wants to loosen restrictions on gleaning continues to gain traction. Citra and her mentor’s adherence to the old ways appears to come at a price when they become the targets of an unknown adversary.

As for Rowan, his path has detoured down a much darker road. He has taken it upon himself to mete out justice to nefarious scythes by gleaning them. Rowan’s vigilantism is not without consequences. In addition to being the Scythedom’s most wanted criminal, AKA “Scythe” Lucifer, his deeds cost him in ways he couldn’t have imagined.

While Citra and Rowan remain central to the series, we gain the perspectives of additional characters in Thunderhead, including the titular . . . entity? The Thunderhead is such a unique character. It’s essentially a highly evolved version of the cloud (as in cloud computing) that governs humanity except for the Scythedom. Not only is the Thunderhead an authority figure, but it also literally takes care of the people it rules. In the case of new character Greyson Tolliver, the Thunderhead has basically parented him.

As we see inside the Thunderhead’s thoughts, its concern over what is happening within the Scythedom grows significantly. A shift in political climate doesn’t affect just scythes; it inevitably ripples to affect every single human being. Although the Thunderhead cannot take direct action to protect its charges, it is more than clever enough to find ways to circumvent the separation between scythe and state. And Greyson Tolliver becomes a key figure in the Thunderhead’s plans.

At the beginning of the novel, Greyson is a nondescript student at the Nimbus Academy, training to become an agent under the Thunderhead’s authority. Having essentially been raised by the Thunderhead, Greyson is quite content with his career path. The Thunderhead, however, has other ideas in store for him, and by the end of the book, Greyson Tolliver has experienced quite the adventure.

One of the things I loved most about Scythe was its seemingly never-ending supply of surprises. Thunderhead ups the twists and turns exponentially. I’m not joking. When I finished the book, I needed a bit to process all that had happened between page one and the final page. It. Is. Insane.

The ending also makes you wonder where the story can go from there. Seriously—this ending changes EVERYTHING. Whatever follows, though, is sure to be just as brilliant as everything about Thunderhead.

All in All: This is no lightweight middle book! I loved reading from the Thunderhead’s POV, and I’m still in awe over how Neal Shusterman pulled off shocker after shocker.

Review: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1)
By Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: In a future where disease has been eradicated, the only way to die is to be gleaned by a scythe—those officially charged with delivering death. Scythes are supposed to respect the gravity of their role in society and adhere to a set of rules, but as newly selected apprentices Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch quickly learn, not all scythes are honorable. As division grows within the Scythedom, Citra and Rowan find themselves caught up in some deadly politics that test them as much as, if not more than, their training.

Review: I’d wanted to read Scythe ever since I spotted the epic cover, but as usual, it took me forever to get to it. And once again, I was late to the “This book is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G” party.

I’m not sure what I expected from a book that features what are essentially grim reapers—maybe a tone that was mostly gloom and doom and, you know, grim? But Scythe is so, so many layers deeper than that. Yes, death is a major component here, but we also have an extremely thought-provoking dystopian novel sprinkled with wit.

I absolutely loved Neal Shusterman’s world-building. On the surface, the world of Scythe looks like a utopia. There is no disease. In the event of injury, the body’s nanites dull pain until healing is complete. Hunger and war do not exist anymore. The Thunderhead, an evolved, sentient version of the cloud, watches over humanity and administers to its needs. The watching part sounds rather Big Brother-esque, and as Facebook, Google, etc. track everything we do more and more, the idea of technology ruling over all of us doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

And then there’s the Scythedom. Since humans no longer die from disease or injury, scythes are charged with controlling population growth by taking lives, or gleaning. Scythes are supposed to approach their duty with reverence and have ten commandments to follow. As the book unfolds, however, we learn that some scythes interpret those commandments more loosely than others, to the point where they’re almost flouting scythe laws. There’s a growing division between the old guard scythes, who keenly feel the weight of their role in society, and the new order scythes, who think the rules are antiquated and restrictive. A lot of political maneuvering goes on in the Scythedom, and it is this tense climate that main characters Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch find themselves thrown into.

Citra and Rowan are both chosen to be the apprentices of Scythe Faraday, and at first the outcome is simple: only one of them can earn a scythe’s ring. The other will resume his or her life once the selection is made. A cruel twist, however, raises the stakes and puts Citra and Rowan on paths they never envisioned. This book was full of surprises, and I loved how it kept me guessing. I also loved the ending—sometimes I get frustrated when the first book in a series leaves you with nothing but a scream-inducing cliffhanger. Scythe nails the ending, though.

This is a fantastic series opener with a gripping story, deft world-building, and stellar writing. I am officially a Neal Shusterman fan now and can’t wait to see what else he has in store for this series.

All in All: A 5-star read from beginning to end. Just brilliant storytelling.

Book Loot (40)

Straight from the Department of Better Late Than Never, here's my first post of 2020: my (mostly) Book Outlet haul from . . . Black Friday 2019. Yikes!

In my defense, the end of 2019 was bonkers. On top of the holiday rush, I got a whopper of a cold just in time for Christmas. Said cold didn't care when the new year dawned and continued to linger. I finally gave in and got it checked out because the nagging cough was keeping me up at night. The best guess was allergic bronchitis, and off I went with prescriptions for a disgusting tasting liquid and an inhaler. Those finally did the trick, and I'm happy to report that I can now get through a complete sentence without needing to stop to hack until my eyes water.

Getting back on topic to books, I'd first heard about Book Outlet on Facebook, where I also saw that subscribers to their emails would receive early access to their Black Friday sale. This seemed like the perfect time to give the site a try, and ahhhhhhhh . . . . It was a real challenge not to put EVERYTHING in my cart! Once common sense was restored, I narrowed down my selections to 8, lol. (I got both The Epic Crush of Genie Lo and Sky Without Stars from Amazon.)

Bought:

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
American Panda by Gloria Chao
Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell
Eon by Alison Goodman
Eona by Alison Goodman
Clariel by Garth Nix
Goldenhand by Garth Nix
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Have you read any of these? If so, I'd love to know what you thought! I hope your 2020 is off to an amazing start!

2020 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge

Another year—and another decade—is almost in the books, so to speak, which means it's time to start thinking about reading goals for 2020! My never-ending TBR is loaded with backlist titles, which is why I'm joining Novel Knight's Beat the Backlist challenge again.

It's a bit sad to admit this, but several of the books I'd hoped to read for this year's challenge are making return appearances on my list of planned reads for next year's challenge because I'm just not going to get to them in 2019. Oh well, lol. So here's what I'd really love to read in 2020:

I'm also joining the team mini challenge. I am ALWAYS adding books to my TBR even though it's already impossibly long, so it's The TBR Stackers team for me, lol!

Are you joining any reading challenges for 2020?

Book Loot (39)

Hello, friends! We're getting closer and closer to the end of 2019, and, the end of another decade—EEK!

For my part, it looks like I'm trying to amass as many new books as possible before 2019 ends, lol. Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle is one of my favorite series ever, so of course I HAD to get a copy of the first book in the spin-off Dreamer trilogy.

Neal Shusterman's Scythe is one of my favorite 2019 reads. I've already started Thunderhead, and I'm loving it just as much as Scythe so far!

What books have you added to your shelves recently?

Won:

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
Miss Austen by Gill Hornby
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press and Flatiron Books!!

Bought:

The How and the Why by Cynthia Hand
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
The Toll by Neal Shusterman

Adventures at YALLFest 2019

November has become one of my favorite months because it means it's time to go to YALLFest again! This was the fifth trip for Ally, Melissa, and me to Charleston for the two day young adult book festival, and it was just as much fun as the first year we attended.

After the requisite stop for coffee before hitting the road, we were on our way by around 3:45AM. It's about a 6 hour drive from Central Florida to Charleston, and for us, a big part of the adventure is the road trip itself. Will we have enough room in the car for our book hauls? What item did Lee forget to pack this year? Who will get hangry first? (It's usually me, Lee, but this year it wasn't me haha!)

Friday is YALLCrawl, which features some author signings and events. Jenny Han was signing as part of YALLCrawl again, so I got my copies of P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever, Lara Jean signed:

While I was at the signing, Ally and Melissa headed off to check out the official YALLFest merch. We learned the hard lesson in our first year at the festival that we must buy our T-shirts and any other YALLFest goodies on Friday or they will be sold out by Saturday.

Since some of us had been awake since 2:30 in the morning, we opted for an early dinner again and then took our exhausted selves to the hotel to get a good night's sleep in preparation for a very, very busy Saturday.

We usually grab bagels for breakfast, but this time we tried a charming café called La Pâtisserie that we'd passed while browsing King Street on Friday. I had a ham and cheese croissant, and it was amazing! The delicious coffee also hit the spot on a chilly morning.

After breakfast, we headed towards the Charleston Museum, where the line to pick up tickets for the Fierce Reads ARC giveaways already wrapped around the corner. We happily each received our tickets to return later for the ARCs and then got down to the business of running from line to line.

I've collected Shadowhunter posters from the Riveted/Simon Teen booth for the last 3 years, so I was thrilled to add another, this time of Matthew Fairchild from the upcoming Chain of Gold:

Here's one of the better pics of us, lol, taken at the Pique booth during their ARC giveaway of Jordan Ifueko's Raybearer:

L to R: Lee, Melissa, Ally

Nic Stone was signing ARCs of her upcoming Shuri at the I Read YA/Scholastic booth, and she noticed the Marvel sweatshirt I was wearing and said it was perfect!

Around 4PM, we realized that we were starving and practically sprinted to Five Guys to grab dinner. Back at the hotel, we collapsed for a bit and then organized our goodies to make departing in the morning a bit easier.

Once again, the weekend flew by in a blur of books. I can't wait to start reading these!

Blood Countess by Lana Popvić
Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers
The Iron Will of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate
The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne
The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett
Most Likely by Sarah Watson
Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian
Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell
The Small Crimes of Tiffany Templeton by Richard Fifield
Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Shuri: A Black Panther Novel by Nic Stone
You're Next by Kylie Schachte