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BOOK COUPLES COUNTDOWN | Day 2: Inej & Kaz

February 8, 2018 , Thu | Book Couples Countdown | 0 or add you 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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HAUL | My Birthday 2017

December 28, 2017 , Thu | Hauls | 0 or add you thoughts!

My 25th birthday was this month, and it’s safe to say I was fantastically spoiled with bookish goodness!

The Chalkboard Tradition

When we moved to Florida many years ago, my mom created chalkboard pantry doors in the kitchen. Since then, my dad has made it a tradition to design a special birthday message for everyone on their birthday. We’ve since moved, but they always make sure there’s a chalkboard in the kitchen, and the tradition goes on. It means a lot to each of us, and this year mine was totally bookish!! I love it so much.

My Great Barnes & Noble Splurge

Every year for my birthday, I take a totally indulgent trip to Barnes & Noble. I go with little to no idea what I want to get, and the only rule is that I have to be able to hold everything I’ll buy in my arms. Aside from that, I allow myself to grab whatever my heart desires in the moment, without reading reviews, looking online to see if I can find it cheaper, or thinking about how ridiculous my TBR already is. This is the only time of the year I let myself engage in such a free-for-all! It’s glorious! This year, I had a few serendipitous discoveries, which always adds to a good book-shopping trip. read more

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REVIEW | Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

December 26, 2017 , Tue | Reviews | 0 or add you thoughts!

“Somewhere far in the distance, she heard the rumble of engines. The voices of the girls grew louder, drawing her onward. They were fifty now, one hundred, the sound so lovely it brought tears to Alia’s eyes. When had she stopped being a child? The first time a guy had whistled at her out of a car window when she was walking to school? The moment she started wondering how she looked when she ran, what jiggled or bounced, instead of the pace she was setting? The first time she’d kept from raising her hand because she didn’t want to seem too smart or too eager? No one had sung. No one had told her how much she would lose until the time for grieving was long over.”

Themes:

  • Female empowerment
  • Trusting instincts over misguided authority
  • Humanity’s natural inclination towards war

So I want to start off by saying that I’m not someone who typically enjoys superhero stuff all that much. I’m not sure that it’s for any particular reason. It’s just one of those things I’ve never been drawn to. Because of this, I had trouble deciding whether I was excited to start this one. I’ve read the Six of Crows duology by Bardugo, and I LOVED it. I also got to meet her at a local book festival, which she attended as part of her tour for this book. On top of all that, the DC Icons series is also going to have books by Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas, and Matt de la Pena. I’m obsessed with everything Maas does, and the short stories I’ve read by Lu and de la Pena have made it clear that I’m going to enjoy their larger works. So, there were a lot of reasons I wanted to read Wonder Woman: Warbringer, but I wasn’t too invested in the actual story before beginning. Guess what? I adored this book. read more

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WRAP-UP | November 2017

November 30, 2017 , Thu | Wrap-Ups | 0 or add you thoughts!

Hello, friends! It’s the final day of November, which means wrap-up time! I read quite a bit, despite being busy, and really enjoyed everything! So yay!!

“Species that rebel against seasonal norms are loved for their courage. The mistle thrush that can be heard to sing when all other birds have turned shy, even during winter gales, earns our respect, and his nickname, ‘tormcock,’ comes alive on the wind. The red berries and dark-green leaves of holly have found their way onto Christmas cards and earned a little fondness, despite their prickles, because they refuse to let their colors be bowed by a decrease in daylight or a blanket of snow. Gorse will flower at any time of year, and our love of this resilience can be found in the old saying, ‘Gorse is out of bloom when kissing’s out of fashion.'”

If you are interested in learning more about the way we perceive nature, and how we can improve, and benefit from improving, our observational skills, this is a book for you! I picked this up mostly just because I thought the audiobook would be nice to listen to on walks with my dog. I ended up loving it and getting so much out of it. Gooley even walks the reader through observational exercises to explain the way we see certain things and how we might see them in more detail. It was so enjoyable! read more

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AJC Decatur Book Festival 2017

September 4, 2017 , Mon | Events | 0 or add you thoughts!

This past weekend, I attended the AJC Decatur Book Festival, and IT WAS AWESOME. I always love these things, but this was my first time going to this one. It was well organized, filled with like-minded book lovers, and had a ton of tents overflowing with books, many of which were collectible and/or rare. Needless to say, I was in heaven! In this post, I’ll share photos and recap a little about the weekend.

On Saturday, my dad and I went to the Superheroes Redefined panel and signing with Gwenda Bond (author of the Lois Lane series and the moderator), Leigh Bardugo (on tour for Wonder Woman: Warbringer), and Jason Reynolds (on tour for Miles Morales: Spider-Man). It was SO COOL. The three of them are such intelligent, fascinating people. Listening to them was an unreal experience. As someone who loves to read, I know that the people who write the books I’m reading are uncommonly smart. Of course they are. They wrote a book. But hearing them speak in person, not just about their own novels, but about how they were striving to interweave important themes, was incredible! Bond, Bardugo, and Reynolds touched specifically on the influence superhero stories can have on today’s youth, especially in a political climate where very few real-life examples of moral good exist anymore. I have never read anything by Bond or Reynolds yet, but after this panel I am definitely going to pick up their work. read more

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