Top Ten Tuesday — Books on My Spring 2022

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here for more on this weekly meme and for future topics.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

It’s probably about time to finally read Pachinko, with the TV series coming out and all and that it’s one of those books I’ve heard nothing but great things about.

A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion

I read a little bit of this one a while ago in January/February but since I borrowed it from the library I had to return before getting a chance to really get into it. However from the first few chapters I read, I was super intrigued. It reminds of Unsolved Mysteries in a way. Maybe I had been watching too much Unsolved Mysteries at the time, but it has that bit of mystery and intrigue in it that makes it feel like I’m watching an episode unfold in front of me. It’s more so a coming of age story with a mystery/thriller-ish vibe.

Violeta by Isabel Allende

One of the authors I have wanted to read for a while now is Isabel Allende, especially her classic novel, The House of the Spirits. However I saw that she was releasing a new book this year that’s relevant to the times about a 100 year old reflecting on her life being born in 1920s and living through all those years and being alive during yet another pandemic in 2020, as told through letters. It was available at my library so I decided to go ahead and borrow it.

Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You by Ariel Delgado Dixon

This is a fairly new release that I discovered through how I typically always find out about new/future releases, NetGalley. It’s a story about two sisters who are sent to a wilderness camp for troubled teen girls. This is based on real life groups that actually take “troubled” teens out of the blue from their homes to make them “better” and there’s a lot of harrowing traumatic tales and a dark underbelly behind these wilderness camps and retreats that you can read up on. But it’s a weird industry that is still somehow making a profit. I finally decided to place a hold from the library and I can’t wait to get around to it this spring.

Other People’s Clothes by Calla Henkel

Yet another library read, this sounds like the next best thing to read after having read Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton, a darkly thrilling story about a toxic female friendship gone very wrong. This book also has that but with a few interesting details such as it taking place in 2008 (I think lol) and I think there’s even more murder in it.

Sundial by Catriona Ward

Of course I also want to read some horror this spring and I think this release sounds perfect. I haven’t read anything from this author yet, I’m also interested in reading The Last House on Needless Street.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

One of my recent reads, How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell, which I highly recommend, mentioned this book, which is one I have had on my many TBRs before and one I think I’ve talked about wanting to read but How to Do Nothing convinced me that I need to read this. I don’t have a copy of this yet, however, I do think there’s an eBook available through my library that I can try to place a hold on. Last time I checked out there was a 6 week wait for it 😬

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton

Speaking of Social Creature, Tara Isabella Burton’s next novel was just released and it sounds so perfect. It’s a dark academia story that also has some religious cult-y stuff. I don’t actually know if this will be what the novel really is but I will read whatever Tara Isabella Burton writes.

Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

I’m sure I have talked about this book before, but if I haven’t, it’s one I bought myself last summer and I’m dying to read. It’s a ghost story that ties in family and grief. It just sounds super interesting.

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

This is a book that comes out in May and I was fortunate enough to get an eARC! I really loved the author’s debut novel, The Wolf and the Woodsman, from last year which I still want to talk about more on my blog and crossing my fingers that I finally do it justice with a review. So yeah I’m really anticipating reading this one as well more stories from Ava Reid.

Top Ten Tuesday — Most Anticipated Non-Fiction Books Releasing In the First Half of 2022

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here form more on this weekly meme and for future topics

This week’s topic is anticipated releases and I am pretty much making a bunch of these types of lists already. However I don’t think in any those I mention non-fiction books. I’m making it a goal for 2022 to read at least 5 non-fiction books. I read about 3 in 2022 so I think it could be manageable. So here’s 10 non-fiction titles coming out this year that sounds the most interesting to me.

How We Can Win: Race, History and Changing the Money Game That’s Rigged by Kimberly Jones – Release Date: January 18

This is social issue book about Black lives focusing on economic and social issues facing Black people and other marginalized people in America. I believe this is a written form of the viral video that the author was in, which if you can watch it, I recommend it.

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Challet – Release Date: March 8

A book about witches or well women who were persecuted as witches during the witch hunts and witch trials, can always manage to grab my attention so I am interested. Also I feel like having a forward by Carmen Maria Machado is a huge endorsement.

People Change by Vivek Shraya – Release Date: January 4

I have yet to read her other books (but I would like to), but I think this is a good place to start for me since it’s a sort of memoir while also being a story about personal growth and change. But I’ve heard great things about Vivek Shraya and I hope I can at least read this year.

Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library by Amanda Oliver – Release Date: March 22

As a public librarian worker, I cannot wait to read this one. It seems like it will discuss many of the biggest issues public libraries have such as racism, class discrimination, mental health care issues and much more. I hope 1) this is actually good 2) People will read this. I think this book bringing up these issues about libraries will hopefully get more people to understand that not all libraries are these perfect little sanctuaries for book lovers. Libraries are a lot of things and I hope this author illustrates that.

The Unwritten Book: An Investigation by Samantha Hunt – Release Date: April 5

I’m currently reading The Seas by this author, Samantha Hunt, and enjoying it a lot. This is described as being genre-bending (kind of like how Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House blends memoir with horror) as this book explores the authors own history as well as the unwritten stories of other authors as well as an unfinished story from her dead father.

Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi – Release Date: March 8

In 2021, many schools & public libraries began to ban books for children and teens with many authors having to fight for their books to be read by their intended audiences. I don’t think my mind will be blown necessarily by this book because I know quite a bit about the history of censorship and banned books, but I just think it would still be worth reading more on the subject and from a non-white dude perspective.

Blood, Sweat and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan – Release Date: February 22

Mad Max: Fury Road is one of my favorite films of all-time. Not even just action. It’s just a good film about so many things and I cannot wait to read the story of how it was made.

Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes – Release Date: March 1

Greek mythology retellings have been IN for a while now, and while I’m not the biggest Greek mythology retelling fan, I’m still interested in knowing more about them or about the women that most of these are interested in highlighting. Since a lot of have involved the women of Greek mythology such as Circe, Ariadne, Helen of Troy, etc.

Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses by Sarah Fay – Release Date: March 15

As someone who is still being diagnosed with various mental illnesses, I feel the exhaustion and pain that comes with being misdiagnosed. As I am typing this I am still in the process of finding the right doctor to diagnose me with whatever.

Brace for Impact: A Memoir by Gabe Montesanti – Release Date: May 24

Me, a person who saw the movie Whip It, loved it and only has knowledge of roller derby from that film: “Getting a lot of Whip It vibes from this” I don’t know much about the author but it seems like it’ll make for an interesting read!

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Top Ten Tuesday — Christmas Wishlist

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here form more on this weekly meme and for future topics

This week’s topic is: Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes. I’m not going to link a wishlist here, so I’m just sharing some books I would love to get myself for Christmas when I get money. It’s actually been a hot while since I’ve gone book shopping which is a simple joy in my life.

1. Cultish by Amanda Montell

One of my favorite reads from this year! I checked this out from the library but would love to have a physical copy of my own so I can annotate it and highlight my favorite bits. Hopefully the paperback will be out in 2022.

2. Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying about Recipes (And Love My Microwave) — David Chang and Priya Krishna

I swear every year I have some cookbook on my wishlist. Do I actually cook? No lol. I would love to at least learn to cook or just cook. This sounded like an interesting cookbook that focuses less on recipes and just fucking around and finding out which tbh is how I approach most things.

3. Devotions — Mary Oliver

I read Mary Oliver for the first time this year and I loved the three collections I have from her; Felicity, Dream Work and Blue Horses. Her poetry was so beautiful yet accessible and I am glad to have discovered her this year. I see Devotions brought up a lot in conversations about her work so I would to own a copy of it.

4. Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread — Michiko Kakutani

I just kind of like coffee table/listicle books like this. I think they’re neat.

5. The Collected Poems — Sylvia Plath

I would love to really dig deeper into Sylvia Plath’s poetry. So why not try to get this collection? I am wary because I’ve heard that this version or a certain version is heavily edited and has some poems left out.

6. feminism is for everybody: passionate politics — bell hooks

Around the time of me writing up this post, bell hooks passed away. I have never actually read her works but I have always wanted to read, of course, this one. Seeing people on twitter talk about her story, life and works was nice to see.

7. All About Love — bell hooks

Another bell hooks book that a lot of people were talking about on Twitter. Seeing a few of the quotes from this being shared on Twitter really made me want to read this more.

8. How to Do Nothing — Jenny Odell

I’ve had my eyes on this for a while. It’s on a lot of lists of books that I want to read. This book is also apparently what made Lorde get off the internet so I’m interested to see what power it could have over me if it made Lorde disappear into the sun (or well to Antarctica).

9. Starting Point: 1979-1996 — Hayao Miyazaki

In 2022, as I will talk about at some point in the future, I would like to read more books about art and artists! Hayao Miyazaki, being one of my influences and favorite creators of all time, seemed like a good place to start. Both this and the one below, Turning Point, are collections of essays & interviews from Miyazaki.

10. Turning Point: 1997-2008 — Hayao Miyazaki

see above.

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Thanks for reading this list! I hope all of us can get something from our wishlists! Happy Holidays to everyone and Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday — Books on My Winter 2021 To-read List

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here form more on this weekly meme and for future topics

Hello all! I hope everyone is having a chill time or fun time or just having a time. Happy Holidays as well to everyone! It’s been a hot minute since I last participated in TTT. However I think this post is a great jumping-back-into-it point, since I was planning on making my own Winter TBR post anyways. Now that is a sort of just a few books I want to read before the end of the year/following into 2022.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

I swear I will read The Winternight trilogy starting with this book!!! I have had this series on my TBR for years now and every winter I decide to add to my TBR, because its winter and so I should read this wintery series. Also its probably about time I read a book that I know way too much about because of Book Twitter and one that I will share fanart of because I like the main couple of the series!

White Ivy by Susie Yang

Since I work at the library I often come across books where I tell myself “I’m going to read that soon”. This is one of those books that I find myself always looking at and through when I go to shelve books. So now I finally decided that I want to read it. It sounds like an interesting take on the Talented Mr. Ripley-esque con artist story, this time from the POV of a Chinese-American woman who learned from her grandmother to lie and steal and eventually she falls in love with a rich guy and chaos ensues probably.

All’s Well & Bunny by Mona Awad

I’ve heard nothing but great things about Mona Awad’s books. I believe Bunny is a sort-of-dark academia novel and All’s Well is a Shakespearean horror story. I’m going into both with little knowledge of each but I think that’s for the best.

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak

Part one of two books I’ve added to this TBR thanks to Ally @ Ally Writes Things. Ally has talked about this book a lot and I’ve wanted to read it for some time because I like disaster/messy/slightly unhinged and/or unlikeable female characters. Also since the author has a new release in 2022 called Our American Friend, that I am also super interested in, I’d like to read this before I get around to that one.

Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton

And here’s part two of book recs from Ally! Thanks again! This is a book she described the same way as Necessary People, which means it sounds like my jam. The author also has a 2022 release I’m interested in, The World Cannot Give.

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

This is another “I saw this book while shelving” book. The first sentence is what caught my eye. “When we were eight, Dad cut me open from throat to stomach.” Brutal. It sort of slips my mind every time I try to think of what the book is actually about. I think it has something to do with two sisters who are scientists and raising wolves and the wolves are maybe causing problems? IDK But I’ll give it a go.

We Can Only Save Ourselves by Alison Wisdom

This threw a buzzwords and buzz-titles (?) at me that I had to put a hold on this. If you know me, I like stories about cults and this apparently has that going for it, with a mix of The Virgin Suicides. From the synopsis this about a teenage girl who disappears, joins a cult and all that ensues of that.

We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman

Similarly titled to the previous book I mentioned, this is about a writer, involved in a scandal, who goes off to Los Angeles, California and befriends a female filmmaker whose next project is a semi-documentary about a girls who start an actual fight club inspired by the book/movie Fight Club. This sounds wild and I am here for it.

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

This is a 2022 release however it was a Book of the Month pick and I really wanted to read this one. I’m hoping it comes in soon because I have a Book of the Month related post I’m working on that I would like to have done by the end of December/beginning of January. There is also already a TV series in the works starring Aubrey Plaza so there’s that. I’m going into this not knowing much but we’ll see what we get.

(As I was typing this on my phone, it arrived! Sometimes manifesting works kids!)

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Thanks again to anyone who reads this! Let me know what your TBR plans are for the season.

Top Ten Tuesday – Spooky Non-Fiction

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here form more on this weekly meme and for future topics

What’s spookier than fiction??? NON-FICTION mwahahaha because it’s R E A L. And there’s nothing you can do about it’s realness.

Okay moving on from that terrible intro, today’s topic is Halloween freebie and I’ve been wanting to discuss more non-fiction so I’m recommending two I’ve read and eight others on my TBR.

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My Little Occult Book Club by Steven Rhodes

You may have seen this artist’s shirts on websites before. They say things like “EASY BAKE COVEN”, “LET’S SUMMON DEMONS”, or “LET’S SACRIFICE TOBY” and they have very 80s/90s vibes with kids that parody the kids games with that of the occult, paranormal and spooky. Which is the same vibe of this art book that features darkly funny illustrations that have hints of nostalgic book value. It makes for a fun coffee table book and I highly recommend it!

Cursed Objects by J.W. Ocker

I got this from my library recently and it was a fascinatingly delightful read! These details of course, cursed objects, real life objects from all parts of the world that have caused misery, pain, haunting, and d e a t h. Sorry for being morbid but I do find this subject interesting and also terrifying seeing as one of these objects is in my state!!! This is also illustrated like the previous book recommended but does have some words and stories about each object. I think this makes for a great history read as well. So I recommend this one for a quick read.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

This is a pretty well known true crime book from a well known true crime author Ann Rule about Ted Bundy, whom she actually knew before anyone ever knew the truth about him. I actually have read a little bit of this, at least the first few chapters where she actually talks about how she worked at a crisis center where she met Ted. However I know that she goes further into the story of the infamous serial killer and his life, the women and girls that he murdered and so on. It’s a heavy read and a big book so it may take me a while.

Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix

There’s this really cool YouTube video that talked about old school paperback horror covers which I’ll link here. From that video I found out about this book which also talks and shows off some of the grotesque, weird, horrifying covers from 70s and 80s horror paperbacks. I got this just recently from a Kindle deal and I cannot wait to see what’s in store!

Beneath the Moon: Fairy Tales, Myths, and Divine Stories from Around the World by Yoshi Yoshitani

I’ve had small peels at the gorgeous art featured in this book from Yoshi Yoshitani and it just looks so stunning. Maybe less on the spooky side but I think it works for this list because it’s about folklore and myths from around the world, as the title says. I believe the art also was used for tarot cards.

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin

I’ve had this on my Kindle for a long while. I’m always fascinated with books that critique and analyze trends in media and this details on why media in particular is maybe a little too fascinated and sensationalized dead girls. I can’t wait to see what this talks about, I saw something that it talks about Twin Peaks, which is a favorite of mine but nevertheless has some pretty problematic elements in it and I can see why it’s easy to critique one particular element from it.

Monster, She Wrote by Lisa Kröger & Melanie R. Anderson; Nightmare Flower by Elizabeth Engstrom; The Women of Weird Tales: Stories by Everil Worrell, Eli Colter, Mary Elizabeth Counselman and Greye La Spina

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A 3-in-1 section!!! MONSTER, SHE WROTE, specifically focused on women who wrote horror & speculative fiction such as Mary Shelley, Octavia Butler, VC Andrews, Angela Carter etc. Then the other two are companions to MONSTER, SHE WROTE with stories and authors that were mentioned in MSW. I love things like this about women who wrote in this genres but were maybe overlooked during their time because of so many reasons and now we can look back see their influence in horror and the speculative genre.

The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara

What’s more horrifying that ghost or ghouls? Men who get jealous of a woman’s success and tries to take credit for her contributions to film! This nonfiction tale is the story of Millicent Patrick, one of Disney’s first female animators and the woman who created the design for the Creature of the Black Lagoon and how unfortunately one jackass tried to make everyone forget about her. But I’m glad that a book like this exists to give Millicent Patrick the credit she deserves. It also has me questioning everything about how women especially throughout history have been overlooked or intentionally forgotten due to the patriarchy™️.

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Well that’s that for my Top Ten! Let me know if you’ve read any spooky, scary non-fiction recently and what you’d recommend or if you’ve read of any of these! Thanks for reading and Happy Halloween week!!! 🎃

Top Ten Tuesday – Floral Horror Covers

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here form more on this weekly meme and for future topics

Today’s topic is a Cover Freebie!! Freebie topics are always fun and easy and I had many ideas for this but I was led to this idea since it’s close to spooky szn 🎃!!! I wanted to share a a trend I’ve noticed recently (not saying it hasn’t probably been done before) when it comes to horror books: floral horror. Basically these are horror books that feature flowers/plants. I am going to admit that I am using the word “horror” loosely for some of these books which maybe would fit more into murder mystery or dark fantasy but let’s just pretend it’s all under the same umbrella of horror. Just for my sake 😉

I think this is an interesting trend because a pretty cover doesn’t typically go together with what most people associate with horror but I think that may be the intent of the artist and/or publisher. To attract people who like pretty covers to read horror stories. I like both so these appeal to my taste. Then again we did get a movie like Midsommar which is both pretty and disturbing.

Flowers can be deadly. Literally. There are flowers than can kill you.

I tried to look into the covers and see if the artists were going for metaphors or deeper meaning with the flowers in the covers. Some actually did, some seem to be for more ~ aesthetic~ purposes which is honestly fine. I did some deep dives on the internet and looked up what some of flowers meant. However I have also learned that I could not identify different types of flora if my life depended on it. Like I know what a rose and a sunflower looks like. But other than few other flowers, IDK. I’m not an expert on these things. I just think they’re pretty.

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WILDER GIRLS by Rory Power / Cover by Aykut Aydoğdu & Regina Flath – OUT NOW

Definitely the most attention grabbing one is this gorgeous yet horrifyingly creepy cover of WILDER GIRLS by Rory Power. It’s so pretty but if you think about it too long it’s kind of terrifying and twisted. This is how the author described the cover/story in an interview for the cover reveal.

“Girlhood is its own kind of horror. Girls grow up steeped in it, in that slow-burning fear, in that sneaking sense that our bodies aren’t our own. In writing Wilder Girls, I wanted to take that horror and make it something else. Something you can touch. Something you can fight against, if you want, or keep tucked inside. Wilder Girls is about agency; it’s about hope; it’s about the things girlhood tries to drive out of us. I’m so proud to be sending it out into the world with this stunning cover – I hope you enjoy it.”

HORRID by Katrina Leno / Cover by Tran Nguyen – Release Date: September 15 2020

It should not be a surprise that this cover is on this list because this one of my favorite covers for this year. But at the same time I’m not sure if the black flowers have any sort of deeper meaning. It just looks horrid but in a good way. I can’t wait to read this horror that’s inspired by Stephen King and Agatha Christie.

HOUSE OF HOLLOW by Krystal Sutherland / Cover by Aykut Aydoğdu – Release Date: April 2021

Of course the same artist for WILDER GIRLS goes absolutely hard on another YA horror. This one gives me Midsommar vibes and the insects and blood make it even more creepy and chilling. The artist definitely does pretty body horror very well. “Beautiful, unsettling, haunting” as described by the author. Which is a perfect description!

THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS by June Hur / Cover by Pedro Tapa – Release Date: April 2021

This book is a historical murder mystery that takes place in Joseon Korea on Jeju Island. So I looked up what kind of flowers exist on Jeju Island. I found out that Jeju Island is most known for canola blossoms (which are a gorgeous yellow), cherry blossoms, red azalea, and rhododendron blossoms. I don’t know if any of the flowers on the cover are these variety of flowers but I’d like to think they are. But regardless this is such a lush cover that would be fill in with colors like a coloring book page. But use of flowers with the two girls sort of hiding or disappearing within the flowers may represent secrets lurking.

WHAT BIG TEETH by Rose Szabo / Cover by Corey Brickley – February 2021

I’ll be honest and say I don’t have much to say about the floral aspect of the cover design here since I think the most obvious draw is the face with fangs. BUT THERE ARE FLOWERS in the background. This is a horror story and it’s about a family with “monstrous” secrets. Mwahaha.

IN THE RAVENOUS DARK BY A.M. Strickland / Cover by Natalie C. Sousa – Release Date: May 2021

The author, via me looking at their Twitter, feed helped me figure out that the flowers are poppies and that this book is inspired by Greco-Roman culture and mythology. So with those little tidbits in mind, I did a quick Google search. Poppies in Greco-Roman myths were used as offerings to the dead and often represent eternal sleep. Cool. Also it’s a skull made from flowers!!!

PRIDE & PREMEDITATION by Tirzah Price / Cover by Dan Funderburgh & Corina Lupp – Release Date: March 2021

LOOK ANOTHER SKULL MADE OF FLOWERS!!! I can assume these are lillies, tulips etc. I don’t really know but it just looks pretty. Also this is a Pride & Prejudice murder mystery retelling so I’m in for a treat when I get my hands on this book!

MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia / Cover by Tim Green – OUT NOW

The only adult title I have on here, I know, but I really think this is a beautiful cover. Also one book I can’t wait to read soon. Of course there’s the yellow flowers that the main character is holding. Then there’s the wall decor which is very stylish and gothic. But it also may represent the feelings of entrapment which is a common theme of horror/gothic tales.

CEMETERY BOYS by Aiden Thomas / Cover by Mars Lauderbaugh – OUT NOW

As described by the author in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “Lady Death and the marigolds represent Dia de Muertos, the holiday during which Cemetery Boys takes place. This cover is the perfect mix of beauty, magic, mystery and unapologetically Latinx!” So glad to see that the flowers do play an important role in the story here. It’s also a book on my immediate TBR. I just got my copy in the other day!!

WATCH OVER ME by Nina LaCour / Cover by Pippa Young – Release Date: September 15 2020

It’s pretty!! And it’s a ghost story! I have no idea what these flowers are but again it’s pretty and I’m actually very hyped for this book!

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That’s that for my Top Ten! Let me know what you think and share your own posts if you joined in! Also let me know if you know anymore about these flowers than I do lol.

Also check out these artists. They are all amazing. They’re indivual work is so impressive my favorites are Tran Nguyen’s, Pedro Tapa, and Aykut Aydoğdu.

Top Ten Tuesday – Blue Books of 2020

Today’s topic is a Book Cover Freebie so I decided to do a little throwback to a similar Top Ten Tuesday post I did two years where the theme was Books With Your Favorite Color on the Cover or Title. Blue is my favorite color and there PLENTY of 2020 releases this year that feature that color beautifully.

Also I tried to give to credit to all the designers and artists. There were only a few I couldn’t find so if you happen to know let me know in the comments!

EDIT (1/28/20) totally forgot to talk more about some of these books so forgive me for editing this at a later time ✌🏻

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All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
Release Date: February 4
Design by Natalie C. Sousa & Art by Gemma O’Brien

I love the blues in this one and the ocean theme is gorgeous. The perfect color for an epic sea fantasy!!!

Havenfall by Sara Holland
Release Date: March 3
Design by Peter Strain

First of all blue and gold is an excellent combo. Secdon, I definitely prefer this over the original US cover. Much like the color palette this cover gives off a gothic meets fantasy vibe.

Anna K. by Jenny Lee
Release Date: March 3

Minimalism is always the best way to go for covers. Also if you don’t know this is a retelling of Anna Karenina featuring a Korean American heroine! Also it’s been optioned as an HBO series!

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett
Release Date: March 3
Design by Billelis

Billelis is known for these kind of epic heavy metal as fuck covers.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu
Release Date: March 3
Design by David Curtis

I’m actually not too familiar with this book but that I think it’s about Mozart’s sister and her creating a fantasy world (??) It sounds kind of wrord but cool at the same time. Also this cover is so otherworldly. 💙💙💙

The Silence of Bones by June Hur
Release Date: April 21
Design & Illustration by Kasiq Jungwoo

I love the ominous and hazy vibes this shade of blue gives off which is perfect for a mystery such as this one! This is a historical mystery-thriller set in 1800s Korea! It just sounds so cool.

I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick
Release Date: June 2
Design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover & artist Levente Szabo

Not to be that person but I’m definitely bragging that I have an arc for this one already!! But I love the use of blue here set in a pool with just that one dash of red to make it more mysterious. I cannot wait to read this Rebecca inspired YA thriller!

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
Release Date: June 2
Design & Art by Alex Cabal

Aquatic vibes and black girl rep!! What more can you ask for???

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Release Date: August 4th
Design by Laura Eckes & Illustrated by Jeff Jeff Östberberg

You would never think to make a desert scene blue but it WORKS here. This is a sci-fi fantasy that I’m so hyped for because its got Roswell vibes and will also deal with some relevant topics of today such as immigration. Also it’s going to be a TV series which is very cool!

A Golden Fury by Samatha Cohoe
Release Date: October 2020
Design by Kerri Resnick

Another one I don’t know too much going into other than there’s some alchemist magic stuff and it’s basically historical fantasy? IDK but sounds like my thing™️

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Let me know your thoughts on these covers! What is your favorite color and/or color palette on book covers?

Top Ten Tuesday – Cover Redesigns I Love

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here for more on this weekly meme and for future topics!

I’m back!!! I’ll be talking more about my unannounced hiatus tomorrow-ish but in the mean time it’s been a while since I’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday and this is a very easy but fun topic to discuss.

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The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

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I have a preference towards the new version because I love illustrated covers especially for YA contemporaries and it features teens of color listening to music. It really fits the story much better than the original one. The OG cover is nice to look at but it doesn’t really represent the story inside as much as the redesign.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

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Hold Still has had quite a few redesigns but I think the winner for me is the latest 10th anniversary edition done by Adams Carvalho, who also designed the cover for We Are Okay and Darius the Great Is Not Okay. It’s such a gorgeous piece of art and again I’m going to restate my love for illustrated YA contemporary covers. The other two are perfectly fine but feel very dated and old-school YA.

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

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Speaking of older YA (and yes it feels weird saying that a book from 2008 is old because that means i’M GETTING OLDER!) there’s Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers. I’ve honestly only read one of her books, Sadie and I hope to remedy that soon when the redesigned cover comes out next year. They went with the minimalist style of Sadie for the new cover but still containing some of the essence the original one had and I LOVE IT. It really stands out to me while the original just seems kind of too generic for my taste.

Dangerous Girls / I’ll Never Tell by Abigail Haas

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Not only did Dangerous Girls get a redesign for its cover but also for its title. I don’t know the specifics of the title change, but the new cover works so much better for me. I don’t actually think the other two covers are bad by any means, but the new one feels newer and fresher. This is a book I got on my TBR, so I hope to see if the redesign has any sort of significance.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

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I’ll be honest and say I don’t think I’ll ever actually read this one because I’ve seen reliable sources give this mediocre reviews but the redesign appeals to me much more. Again, illustrated covers do wonders for my taste. I get what the OG cover is going for and it works because symbolism or whatever but I definitely lean towards the redesign.

The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black

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This contains three stories in one. The OG cover is….in my personal subjective opinion bad. I definitely would not have picked it up if I saw this one in a bookstore. However the new cover appeals to me because 1) goes with The Folk of the Air aesthetic 2) aesthetically pleasing. It also makes sense to redesign it with TFOTA trilogy in mind since they’re both connected through their characters.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

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The entire series is getting a redesign and it seems fitting. I have yet to read this series but I’m interested in reading late 00s YA fantasy since I never got around to them in the first place. The old cover isn’t too bad to be honest, but I love a cover that has symbolism and aesthetically pleasing colors.

Katie Cotugno’s covers

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Katie Cotugno is another YA contemporary author I’ve yet to read but I’m pretty interested. The original covers are okay by me, I like the photos, but the redesigns fit my personal taste better.

The Diviners by Libba Bray – Dishonorable Mention

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We could have it all. I will never NOT be disappointed that this series had a cover change in the first place. The aesthetic of the first cover is magnificent.

Top Ten Tuesday – Summer 2019 TBR

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Click here for more on this weekly meme and for future topics!

Today’s topic is Books on My Summer 2019 TBR. So here’s a few books that I want to read before summer ends. I really wanted to read some of my backlist reads, so there’s a few here. I also want these books to have that summertime vibe, since its Summer here in Florida (BIG TIME) .

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Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno

This has been described as “queer Practical Magic”. So there’s going to be magical realism with some F/F romance.

Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle

More magical realism with queer girls. color me surprised. But this time in Ireland! I’ve had on my TBR since last year so I should get to it.

The Lost Cost by Amy Rose Capetta

Okay just another queer book with witches. I realize I have trend going on here.

Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak

I got this last year with the intention of reading it last summer but I never did. But it deals with a blueberry farm in Maine and a cute summer romance.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

I actually started this…last October but never finished so I think I should finish it now because while its also a horror story it actually takes place during the summer.

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga

All I really know about this is that the MC finds out her dad is a famous rock star and they go on a trip together, so I’m kind of sold on that aspect alone. One of my fave bloggers Aurora mentions this quite a bit and I trust her recommendations.

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

These covers give me life and also I’ve been dying to read this one ever since I saw it described as Mean Girls meets 10 Things I Hate About You. Also the idea of an author couple writing together makes me feel things.

Like Water by Rebecca Podos

Another summe-ry queer book featuring a bi MC and genderqueer love interest. Also featuring mermaids (performing mermaids at a water park) and the MC is named Savannah (like me but with an H). Which may or may not be weird for me.

This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura

The first sentence caught my attention immediately, “Hannah calls it a “state of becoming,” but most people would probably call it chaos. This deals with a Japanese-American teen and her family’s history during WWII Internment Camps and in the present with their flower shop. Bonus points for that gorgeous cover.

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Thanks for reading!!!

Top Ten Tuesday -First Ten Books I Reviewed on This Blog

This is a Top Ten Tuesday post, which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

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Hello everyone! It’s been a while! (I feel like I write this in every post).

This is a great topic because it’s a fun retrospective of my blog and seeing how I’ve made some progress and also kind of regressed in writing reviews and also how I write in general.

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And I Darken (The Conqueror’s Saga #1) by Kiersten White

My first ever review on my blog and it’s pretty bad folks. There’s misspellings, typos, and just a lot of cringe-y moments here. You’ll notice this trend where I try to rate books from a 1-10 scale instead of using the star system (which I still hate btw) but as of right now I’m not even sure how I want to rate books.

This is also one of the few books I’ve reviewed on here that wasn’t an arc because at this time I had no idea what NetGalley and Edelweiss was. Honestly I had no idea what the hell an arc was.

By the way I still have yet to finish this series….I really need to get on that I guess.

How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

I’m actually proud of this review because I took notes while reading which made it easier for me to go back and recall some details. But I also just genuinely enjoyed this book and wanted to gush about it. I also forgot that I used to do “+” for a positive thing I liked and “-” for something I didn’t like. This did not stay long.

Girl at the Grave by Teri Bailey Black

This was my first ever ARC review and it shows. I think I tried really hard to like this book but I really didn’t. This book was more like a 2 star read now that I come to think about it. It was kind of forgettable but now I’m remembering some of the plot I kind of hated it.

Sadie by Courtney Summers

For Sadie I didn’t want to do a full on review but 1) other people had been doing and had some stunning and poetic reviews of 2) because I was kind of lazy and didn’t want to write a lot. I also just noticed that the photo I took of for this review is really huge and hard to see. But this review felt so easy but it was a great book and obviously it’s easy for me to write reviews for books I enjoyed rather than ones I don’t like and for some people it’s the the opposite.

Shadow of the Fox (#1) by Julie Kagawa

This was my second ARC review and another favorite review of mine because it was so easy to gush over this book.

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

I think I like this graphic novel even more now than I did when I first read it. I’m not really sure if my review did it justice but I hope someone picked it up regardless of whether I made them or not.

Aquicorn Cove by Katie O’Neill

This was another grapic novel ARC review. However with this one I don’t really remember too much about it. It wasn’t bad, because it does have a good message but it’s just not a book that was meant for me. I still stick by my original rating but its not a story I would ever read again.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

And finally I went back to reviewing a book that wasn’t an ARC. Yet another gushy review. I’m not sure what kind of review I was going for here but it did get plenty of interaction so I’m glad about that.

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So there’s my evolution of reviewing books on my blog, which is still something I’m working on and I can always improve which I guess is my advice to anyone wanting to write reviews. Keep on writing! 🙂