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BOOK COUPLES COUNTDOWN | Day 2: Inej & Kaz

February 8, 2018 , Thu | Book Couples Countdown | or add your thoughts!

It’s Day 2 of Book Couples Countdown, and our lovebirds for the day are a pair of thieving legends! Oh how I love the infamous Dirtyhands and his Wraith.

Art by Kevin Wada. These are two of the illustrations included on the inside of the dust jacket for Target’s exclusive edition of Crooked Kingdom.

One of the things that immediately interested me about these two is that they aren’t total opposites. It seems like a lot of books, especially YA ones, feature couples with two very different personalities, in one way or another. I think this is often done because it creates great romantic tension. Conflict is a key ingredient in dramatic romances, and let’s face it, that’s what we all want out of a book romance, right? Nina and Matthias are actually an example of this! Nina is outspoken. Matthias is particularly reserved. This makes for some comical and endearing scenes between the two. Jesper and Wylan are also pretty different in core personality, although I think they are less of a stark contrast than Nina and Matthias. Inej and Kaz have a good bit in common, and I could see another writer struggling to make this work in a way that maintains interest. Kaz and Inej are both damaged, quiet, introspective, and driven. That last characteristic brings me to the next thing I adore about this pair. They let one another be who they are and do what they want. Even when the other’s choice is uncomfortable or difficult for them, they work to help each other attain their goals. read more

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BOOK COUPLES COUNTDOWN | Day 1: Beauty & the Beast

February 7, 2018 , Wed | Book Couples Countdown | or add your thoughts!

Welcome to Day 1 of Book Couples Countdown! My first pick is Beauty and the Beast. I decided to make them the Day 1 pair because I’ve loved them since childhood, and their relationship has therefore remained somewhat simplistic to me.

Art by MinaLima. This is a page from Harper Design’s 2017 edition of Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s original story.

But last year I finally read Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s original version (La Belle et la Bête, which was translated to English by J.R. Planché), and it only furthered my love for them!

Art by Walter Crane. This illustration acts as the cover for Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s version.

The faith Beauty has in the Beast despite his appearance is, of course, the very essence of this story. It’s something I never seem to tire of, and I know I’m not the only one, as the tale has been told and retold for centuries. The story as we know it was first written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. She is believed to have been inspired by the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, and that influence came full circle in 1956, when C.S. Lewis published Till We Have Faces. This, a retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth, is often thought to be a Beauty and the Beast story. It’s possible that Lewis was influenced by the evolution of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale as an extension, of sorts, of the original myth. In between Villeneuve and Lewis, countless retellings of the fairy tale have been put out into the world. Notably, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (whom many mistakingly believe to be the original author) and Andrew Lang (a master of fairy tales) have versions to their names. A tale as old as time? Almost! read more

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Introducing Book Couples Countdown

February 6, 2018 , Tue | Book Couples Countdown | or add your thoughts!

In honor of the month of love, I’ve decided to do a weeklong series here on my blog and over on Instagram! Titled Book Couples Countdown, it will entail me sharing one of my favorite bookish couples every day for the week leading up to Valentine’s Day! The series will start tomorrow, and before it does, I want to share a little info about how I chose these lovely pairs.

Selecting just seven favorites was difficult. Putting them in some kind of countdown order was nearly impossible! They could probably still be reordered a bit, but I think I’ve done pretty well! That being said, I can confidently say that my Day 7 pick truly is the book romance I’m currently the most obsessed with. I read fan fiction. I pine for the next book. I have framed fan art of them (that could be a hint if you’re a longtime Instagram follower, or if you do some serious digging on my feed).

So stay tuned, and join me in a celebration of the love stories I (and I’m willing to bet many of you) love most! read more

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WRAP-UP | January 2018

January 31, 2018 , Wed | Wrap-Ups | or add your thoughts!

Well, that’s a wrap on January! And it was such a success for me! One of my goals for the year is to take the time to slow down and read less if I’m feeling it, and I did that this month. I also completed my book-buying ban as planned, which feels like one of my largest accomplishments in a while, to be honest! Each of these books came from my unread shelves, and that makes me so happy.

“Sayings Missing One Letter

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bus.

If you can’t eat them, join them.

A stitch in Tim saves nine.

Work hard, lay hard.

Ruth is stranger than fiction.

People who live in glass hoses shouldn’t throw stones.

Follows your reams.”

I began the year with some comedy! As I get older, I find I enjoy satire more and more. This was no exception! Martin had me laughing out loud and/or shaking my head throughout this little book. I picked it up in the airport, because it looked too hilarious to pass, and I’m glad I did! The page I’ve quoted was one of my favorites. I hope it gives you a laugh too. read more

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REVIEW | Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang

January 29, 2018 , Mon | Reviews | or add your thoughts!

“I’ve been called magic, but I wouldn’t use that term exactly. I like to think of myself as always being in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time. Very rarely am I simply in an acceptable place at a generally convenient time. That said, I find those rare occasions very pleasant, mostly because they give me time to work on my crosswords.”

Themes:

  • Family dynamics
  • Nature’s raw power
  • Finding your purpose

When I read the synopsis for this book, I became immediately convinced that I’d love it. Once I had the book in my hands, I began with apprehension, because my expectations were high! I can happily say, those expectations were exceeded. This book is MAGICAL.

Brimming with whimsy and wildlife, quirky personalities and human complexity, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance was a joy to read.

Throughout the book, our protagonist, Weylyn, finds himself within a few different family dynamics. It inspires thoughtfulness on the reader’s part, and is an element of the story that captured my attention early on and entertained throughout. It created a sort of examination of human life through Weylyn’s observations. His wildness lent him a fascinating and believable naïveté through which the reader explores average things through a new lens. read more

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RECOMMENDATIONS | For the Dog Lover

January 15, 2018 , Mon | Recommendations | or add your thoughts!

Today’s post is for my fellow dog lovers! This is a blog about books, which means I can be reasonably sure that most of the people reading this are bibliophiles. But I’d be willing to bet that a fair amount of you are cynophilists (according to Merriam-Webster, a dog fancier) too! I’m certainly one! My beloved dog, Milo, turns 6 today, and we are celebrating as we always do: doing all of his favorite things. Here on the blog, I thought it’d be fun to share some of my favorite dog-related reads.

Nice Nosing You: For the Love of Life, Dogs and Photography by Elke Vogelsang

An exploration of the comfort, companionship, and beauty dogs bring to our lives, this stunning coffee table book was inspired by the severe illness of the writer and photographer’s husband, Carsten, and the role their three dogs played in comforting the couple throughout the trials it brought. Vogelsang’s images are gorgeous and charmingly posed. The story will wrench your heart. I cried while reading this, but it’s breathtaking! read more

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Holly Black Author Event for The Cruel Prince’s Release

January 5, 2018 , Fri | Events | or add your thoughts!

On Wednesday, I attended an author event for Holly Black! Hosted by Little Shop of Stories, this event was a part of Black’s tour for The Cruel Prince. It was also located at Decatur Library, which is one branch I’d yet to visit. It’s gorgeous! The event was such a wonderful time full of fascinating discussions and cool moments, as bookish events will be! I think I’ve said this before, but I’m so grateful to now live near a shop that does so many of these. Where I lived in Florida, we had an independent bookshop, but it was over an hour away from me and rarely held author events. Little Shop of Stories is so on top of this! I feel like every time a new book is coming out, they’ve got the author in house.

Anyway, my love for Holly Black is actually just becoming! When I saw she was going to be here, I definitely wanted to go, because I love the books in The Spiderwick Chronicles and Magisterium. However, I’ve never read any of her solo works, nor am I familiar with any of them. So, it was news to me that many, The Cruel Prince included, are in the same universe. This has left me somewhat conflicted, because it makes me feel like I should go in publishing order, but I read two chapters of The Cruel Prince while in line at the event and, you guys, IT IS BEAUTIFUL. I’m so enthralled already, and I really want to start it as soon as I finish up reading some of the things I’ve been in the middle of this week. I’ve decided I think I will just let myself do that, because I’m on a book-buying ban (books from events and BOTM not included) this month, so it’s not like I can get any of her other stuff yet anyway. Since they are just in the same universe, not the same series, I thiiiiink I’m chill with doing this? read more

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My 2018 Reading Goals

January 1, 2018 , Mon | Uncategorized | or add your thoughts!

Happy 2018! Today, I’ll be sharing my reading goals for this year.

Over the course of the next 12 months, I want my reading life to be slow and intentional, rather than frenetic. I so love to read, and I’m such a mood reader. This means I often find myself in the middle of five-plus books at once. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. My personal horror is boredom, so reading a group of different things, across genres and formats, has been my way of keeping entertained and always being in the middle of something I’m in the mood for. And yet, I’ve been feeling lately as if I want to give myself a reason to slow down. I actually don’t think this will be easy for me, but I want to approach everything I read in 2018 with intention. I want to give myself the incentive to work through a book more slowly and spend time digesting it after.

I also buy way too many books before reading the ones I already have. I constantly enter this frenzy of wanting to read things that relate to holidays, seasons, and life events, or because everyone else is reading them, resulting in more spur-of-the-moment purchases. I want to treasure each of the books I already own in the way they deserve. read more

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FOUND FIVE | My 5 Favorite Books of 2017

December 31, 2017 , Sun | Found Fives | or add your thoughts!

It’s almost 2018!! That is so crazy to me! Not because this year seemed short, but because the number 2018 just seems too big, if that makes sense. Anyway, as 2017 comes to a close, I thought it would be interesting to go through my year in books and pick five that jump out at me as I look through them. So these are my five favorite reads of 2017—sort of. Some of these I went back and forth on, because there were other books I felt could have been on this list too. But, in the effort to choose just five I think I’ve done quite well! Each of these has really stuck with me, and I definitely feel they will all remain long-term favorites.

As difficult as this is for any avid reader, I’ve also managed to choose a single, overall favorite: Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

1. Archangel by Sharon Shinn

My Aunt Diane gave me this for my birthday last year, and I’m so grateful to her for that! A romance, high fantasy, and science fiction rolled into one, Archangel is a fantastic read from all angles. Shinn has a writing style that is quite unique to me, which is always something I enjoy. I find she’s particularly good at building genuine drama. It doesn’t feel ridiculous or overdone, even when it involves the romance part of the story. And the series this is a part of, Samaria, has the COOLEST overarching plot. I’ve only read one other book in the series so far, but the larger plot starts to become clear, and since my aunt and now my dad read them too, I’ve heard hints! 😉 Archangel in particular was so fun for me. read more

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