Month: September 2021

#5OnMyTBR – Magical School

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#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook where you chose five books from your to-be-read pile that fit that week’s theme. If you’d like more info, head over to the announcement post!

Hello, reader!

Another Monday has arrived, which means that’s time for 5 On My TBR! And there was no way I was missing this one. Why? Because our theme today is all about magical schools! This is one of my favorite bookish tropes, though I haven’t read a ton lately. That just means there is plenty on my TBR from which to choose.

That being said, let’s get to the post!

#1. Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

I can’t talk about books with magical schools (or Wundrous Societies) and not include this book. I fell in love with this series when the Middle Grade Marvels group read as one of our monthly books. I’ve been meaning to continue the story for quite some time, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. I need more Morrigan, Jupiter, and Fenestra!

#2. The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

This book has been on my TBR for quite some time, so I honestly forgot that it was set at a school! The premise captured my interest, but I recall there was some controversy about it that made me put it on the back-burner TBR. Still, a book about a young woman who is trying to get from under the shadow of her famous, witchy grandmother sounds intriguing.

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Down the TBR Hole #9

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Hello, reader!

It’s time for a new round of Down the TBR Hole! This is where I go through my Goodreads ‘Want to Read’ shelf and do a bit of cleaning up. If you want to see the full description of what this post is all about, check out my first round HERE.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a Down the TBR Hole post, hasn’t it? And you know what that means. My Goodreads Want to Read shelf has gotten quite a few additions 😅 I ended my last post with 625 books on the TBR. Where am I currently sitting? *cough668bookscough* I mean… I’m proud of myself for not breaking into the 700s! There’s that 😂 But I’m still in the part of my Want to Read shelf that I added when I first joined Goodreads, so there’s a fair chance I’ll be able to pare this down a bit this round.

With that being said, let’s jump in to round nine!

Woman with a Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine

Starting off with a tricky one! The premise of this one sounds intriguing, if potentially confusing. We are following a Japanese character who has been written out of a story but is still trying to finish it! We also get snippets of the editor’s letters to the author, who is a Japanese-American imprisoned at an internment camp during WWII, urging him to make his story more “patriotic”. And that’s where my hesitation lies because this was written by a white, contemporary author. I’m not saying he can’t do a wonderful, nuanced job of capturing the emotions surrounding the circumstances. But it’s just not the same as someone of actual Japanese or Japanese-American descent telling this story, in my opinion. Perhaps future-me will change her mind, but, for now, it’s off the TBR.

Verdict: Remove

Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon Smith

This is a YA paranormal dystopian/horror and I haven’t been a fan of YA dystopian books in ages. Not saying that this couldn’t pull me back into the fray, but it was published around the time when I fell out of love with dystopian novels in general. Beyond that, the premise doesn’t sound like anything spectacular. It’s about a teen gaining massive demonic powers to help save the world at great peril to himself and probably those closest to him. It just doesn’t capture my interest anymore, so off it goes!

Verdict: Remove

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

For someone who claims that her favorite bookish trope is “books about books”. this one has been on my TBR for an embarrassingly long amount of time 😅 I mean, it’s set in a potentially magical bookstore! It sounds like something I would genuinely love, so of course it gets to stay. Now I just need to make time to read it!

Verdict: Keep

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ARC Review: The Dare by Lesley Kara

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Title: The Dare

Author: Lesley Kara

Genre: Thriller

Source: e-ARC (Netgalley)

Content/Trigger Warnings: High risk pregnancy, gaslighting, revenge, death

Rating: ★★★★

Book Links:

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

Lizzie was the only one with her best friend, Alice, when she was tragically hit by a train when they were thirteen and now her past is coming back to haunt her.

Favorite Quote

“You may wonder why I let her take the lead. Why I surrendered all sense of self on the altar of her desires. I wonder it myself sometimes, but I never had a choice. Not really.”

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BBNYA Spotlight: A Facet for the Gem by C.L. Murray

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Hello, reader!

It’s the last of the BBNYA spotlight tour. I’ve had a lot of fun helping to shine a light on all our fabulous semi-finalists. The book I’m highlighting today is a fantasy that sounds absolutely epic: A Facet for the Gem by C.L. Murray! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: A Facet for the Gem
  • Author: C.L. Murray
  • Publication date: February 25th, 2016
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Young Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Amazon::Goodreads

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BBNYA Spotlight: All or None by Aurora Lee Thornton

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Hello, reader!

It’s the second to last day of the BBNYA spotlights for this year’s semi-finalists! Participating as a panelist and following along with this tour has helped me discover so many incredible, indie authors. For today’s spotlight, I’ll be highlighting a book that sounds like it would be a right up my alley; a fantasy that promises magic and romance: All or None by Aurora Lee Thornton! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: All or None
  • Author: Aurora Lee Thornton
  • Publication date: May 15th, 2020
  • Genre: Fantasy Romance
  • Age group: Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

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BBNYA Spotlight: Butterflies by D.E. McCluskey

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Hello, reader!

I’m back again with another BBNYA Spotlight! Today’s book is a contemporary that seems like it would be an emotional journey: Butterflies by D.E. McCluskey! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: Butterflies
  • Author: D.E. McCluskey
  • Publication date: October 1st, 2020
  • Genre: Contemporary
  • Age group: Young Adult

Book Links

Amazon::Goodreads

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BBNYA Spotlight: Duplicity of Power by S. Lynn Helton

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Hello, reader!

It’s time for another BBNYA spotlight of one of our fabulous semi-finalists. We’re coming to the end of our tour and I’m hoping you’ve discovered some incredible books along the way. For today’s spotlight, I’ll be talking about a fantasy that involved high stakes and magical quests: Duplicity of Power by S. Lynn Helton! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: Duplicity of Power
  • Author: S. Lynn Helton
  • Publication date: October 25, 2018
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

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BBNYA Spotlight: May Day by Josie Jaffrey

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Hello, reader!

It’s another day of celebrating the wonderful semi-finalists of BBNYA 2021. The book I’ll be spotlighting today is the start of a series that features mystery and vampires: May Day by Josie Jaffrey! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: May Day
  • Author: Josie Jaffrey
  • Publication date: July 9th, 2020
  • Genre: Urban Fantasy
  • Age group: New Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

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BBNYA Spotlight: Secret Legacy by Carissa Andrews

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Hello, reader!

I’ve got another semi-finalist BBNYA spotlight for y’all today! Today’s book is a young adult fantasy that features one of my favorite things… a magical school: Secret Legacy by Carissa Andrews! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: Secret Legacy
  • Series: The Windhaven Witches #1
  • Author: Carissa Andrews
  • Publication date: September 15th, 2020
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Young Adult

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

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BBNYA Spotlight: Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster

kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

I have another BBNYA spotlight for y’all today! This time, the semi-finalist I’ll be featuring a fantasy that is all about family and secrets: Esme’s Wish by Elizabeth Foster! But before we get into the post, let’s talk more about this spotlight tour and BBNYA in general.

This year, the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the 65 books that made it into Round Two with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 10 finalists and one overall winner. 

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Book Details

  • Title: Esme’s Wish
  • Author: Elizabeth Foster
  • Publication date: December 1st, 2019
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Middle Grade
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

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