Top Ten Bookish People I'm Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and The Artsy Reader Girl. These are authors, bloggers, and others in the book community I am thankful for!

1. Dahlia Adler - She runs LGBTQ Reads and is also an awesome YA and NA author! I love her books and she's super helpful in the bookish community!

2. Rachel Strolle - Rachel is a teen librarian and blogger! She reads and recommends a ton of books, and is one of my go-to's when looking for a specific book!

3. WeRateDogs - While not a bookish thing, WeRateDogs keeps me sane going through life, along with the associated account, Thoughts of Dog.

4. Cat Sebastian - Cat writes queer historical romance, and is a big presence on Twitter! She often has great recommendations for queer romance!

5. Libib - This is a service that I use to catalogue my books, which helps me keep my collection organized!

6. Sam (Some Books and Ramblings) - Sam and I used to be on a Teen Advisory Board together, and I always love interacting with her on Twitter!

7. Sparknotes - Specifically the Twitter account. They tweet hilarious stuff, often about popular and classic novels!

8. Kitty - Kitty hosts A-spec April and is often tweeting thoughtful insight about books!

9. Blair Braverman - Along with writing the nonfiction book Welcome to the Goddam Ice Cube, Blair tweets pictures of her sled dog all the time. She's a great storyteller, and shares her great adventures with her dogs.

10. IncorrectCruelPrince - This account shares fake quotes from The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black, as well as shares cool fan art.

Waiting on Wednesday (185)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I am excited for Nameless Queen by Rebecca McLaughlin and Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning.

Nameless Queen is a standalone fantasy about a girl from the Nameless class who suddenly finds herself queen. The premise kinda reminds me of The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen, in that a girl from the lowest class ends up involved in the fate of the kingdom. In this world, a tattoo declares who will rule next, and it appears on the main character. This book definitely looks interesting, and I'm excited to see how the main character deals with her sudden rise to power!

Synopsis:

Everyone expected the king's daughter would inherit the throne. No one expected me.

It shouldn't even be possible. I'm Nameless, a class of citizens so disrespected, we don't even get names. Heck, dozens of us have been going missing for months and no one seems to care.

But there's no denying the tattoo emblazoned on my arm. I am queen. In a palace where the corridors are more dangerous the streets, though, how could I possibly rule? And what will become of the Nameless if I don't?

Release: January 7, 2020

Throw Like a Girl is a contemporary sports romance that I am super excited for! The main character Liv plays softball, but is kicked out of her scholarship when she punches a player on another team. She has to transfer to her local high school. Which just happens to be the school of the girl she punched. The injured school football player Grey has a plan though. He'll have Liv replace him on the team, and get her a spot on the softball team in the spring. Clearly, a bit of romance will ensue. I love a good sports romance, especially when it has girls going outside their prescribed sports. I really can't wait to read this book!

Synopsis:

When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she'll have to convince their coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched... Every. Single. Day.

Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he'll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the Spring. But it will take more than the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland's halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.

With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who's got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.

Release: January 7, 2020

Top Ten Changes in My Reading Life

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and The Artsy Reader Girl.

1. Started reading romance alongside YA - Around junior year of high school I discovered romance novels, and especially my love of historical romance

2. Started reading eBooks more - When I started reading romance, I started reading it mostly on my phone using iBooks and the Kindle app

3. Not feeling the need to see *every* movie adapted from a book

4. Slowing down - I'm not reading nearly as many books as I used to, though I am coming closer this year

5. Not going to conferences as often - This is mostly because there have been no conferences near me in the last couple years

6. Buying more books - My collection has grown significantly, compared to when I mostly checked books out of the library when I was younger

7. Balancing reading with college life - Homework loads are a lot bigger, which limits the amount of free time I have

8. Reading more diversely - This is partially a reflection of my own reading habits and partially a reflection of how the landscape of YA publishing has changed and improved

I can't think of any more, so I'll leave it at eight! How has your reading life changed in the last few years?

Waiting on Wednesday (184)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. I've gotten behind these last couple weeks, but I'm gonna try to post these more regularly.

This week I am excited for The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black and Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim!

The Queen of Nothing is the final book in The Folk of the Air trilogy! I absolutely loved the first two books, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King! The Wicked King ended on a huge cliffhanger, and I really need to know how this ends. While I ship Cardan and Jude, Cardan is pretty awful, and I want him to be taken down a couple pegs. I'm also curious where the book is going to go, given the snippet revealed awhile back about Taryn and Locke. When the book comes out, I'll likely buy it and not get up until I finish it!

Synopsis:

He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

Release: November 19, 2019

I'm really excited, as I just got an ARC of Scavenge the Stars! The book is a gender-swapped fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. While I haven't read the book it's based on, I still anticipate enjoying it. The book centers around the character Amaya seeking revenge against the man who ruined her family. True to Tara Sim books, there is a promise of romance. I also want to point out how amazing the cover is, and I really hope we get to see Amaya stab someone with that gorgeous dagger!

Synopsis:

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Release: January 7, 2019

Top Ten Books That Give Me Autumn Vibes

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and The Artsy Reader Girl. This list is based mostly, though not entirely, on color scheme.

1. The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout - The pinkish-red with the falling confetti makes me think of falling leaves.

2. Chosen at Nightfall by C.C. Hunter - The colors and the trees make me think of fall, and the birds make me think of birds migrating south for the winter.

3. Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas - This is the bright yellow of many of the falling leaves, and the sparks are the pops of red.

4. If I Should Die by Amy Plum - Some great fall coloring! The decals also make me think of vines snaking around buildings.

5. Endless by Jessica Shirvington - Orangey fall colors and falling feathers like falling leaves.

6. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - This book is really great for fall representation, as it literally centers around the first frost of the season! Plus, look at that gorgeous apple!

7. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - This is more early fall/late summer, but it makes me think of back to school.

8. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi - This has some fall and some spring vibes, but the colors make me think of fall blooms.

9. Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards - Instead of a bright red phoenix feather, imagine a bright red leaf.

10. The Reckoning of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin - Fall colors with sparks like falling leaves!