book tag

Book Tag: Dreamy Book Covers

Hello, reader!

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a tag, hasn’t it? Thankfully, the lovely Danni @ For Books Sake recently tagged me in a book tag that is perfect for me! You should definitely go check out her answers and her blog ๐Ÿ’•

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time, you know that I am a sucker for a pretty cover. I have often read a book just because I thought it was pretty. It doesn’t always work out, experience-wise, but, hey, at least my bookshelves are gorgeous! So when Danni tagged me in the Dreamy Book Cover tag, you know I had to participate ๐Ÿ˜ Let’s get to it!


Rules

1. Thank the lovely person who tagged you, spread the love! (Thank you, Danni!)
2. Mentionย Tiana @ The Book Ravenย as the brilliant creator of this book tag! (Thanks for the great book tag, Tiana!)ย 
3. Use the original tag image in your post. (However, Feel free to add whatever other graphics your heart desires!)
4. Nominate at least one fellow blogger for this tag.
5. List the rules and have fun!


No Ideas But in Things โ€“ย A book cover that perfectly expresses the novel inside it.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

I read this solely because I fell hard for this cover. I mean… look at it! Turns out, the story contained within is as kickass as the cover would suggest. There are skeletons, there is destruction, and, best of all, there is Gideon! The aesthetic also gives you what kind of feel you’re in for, which is dark and creepy. So, yeah, I think it does a damn fine job of expressing what’s the novel!

Continue reading “Book Tag: Dreamy Book Covers”
book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: Jul 10 – 16

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created byย Crazy-For-Booksย and is currently being hosted byย Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Question

This week’s prompt submitted byย Tabatha @ย Broken Soul Reviews.


Ohhh, I am a fan of this week’s question! I’m going to constrain myself to one per genre, otherwise we’d be here all night! I’m not entirely sure if New Adult and Young Adult are considered genres, but we’re gonna roll with it.

Romance

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

I’m new to the romance genre, tbh, but I read this and instantly fell in love with it! The characters are wonderful, the romance is adorable, and the sexy scenes are pretty top notch. Of course, I am a newbie, so my taste in sexy scenes is perhaps not that developed. Still, this was such a beautiful story and I can’t wait to pick up the next book in this “series”, Take a Hint, Dani Brown!

New Adult

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

So I’ve not read a ton of New Adult. Or, more accurately, I’m not sure what really counts as New Adult ๐Ÿ˜… But this book was tagged as “new adult” 395 times on Goodreads and that’s enough for me! I absolutely adored this book, the first I had ever read by Naomi Novik. She has a way of weaving retellings that is just magical. Well, her writing in general is magical and I can’t wait to read A Deadly Education when it comes out!

Young Adult

SLAY by Brittney Morris

This is a fabulous contemporary YA about a young girl who creates a game specifically for Black gamers. It’s a safe space in an online community that can often be unwelcoming to non-white players and, honestly, I want SLAY to be a real game! It sounds like a ton of fun. That aside, the topics discussed in this book are very timely and the writer attacks them with such grace and beauty. This is a fantastic book and I need everyone to read it!

Fantasy

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Is anyone surprised that this is my fantasy rec? Anyone? It was almost my YA rec, but then I would have had to pick a different fantasy book that I currently love more than Raybearer and… yeah, no. This book has claimed my heart and I can. not. WAIT until it’s officially out in the world! I know I said I wouldn’t rest until everyone read SLAY and this is doubly true for this beautiful novel. It comes out in August and just… please read this!


What books would you recommend for these genres? Did you do your own BBH? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Jul 8, 2020

Itโ€™s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think youโ€™ll read next?

If youโ€™d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste: I’m reading this book as part of the Middle Grade Marvels book club and it’s incredibly hard sticking with the reading schedule! It’s such an interesting and fun story and the setting is richly invoked. I can’t wait to get back into it!
  • Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows: This is another book I’m reading as part of the Middle Grade Marvels group! (Which, btw, you should all totally join) I just started this one because ya girl packed her copy and just found it yesterday, heh. That being said, so far I’m enjoying the journey!
  • Voice of War by Zack Argyle: This is a fantasy novel I’m reading for a blog tour run by Storytellers on Tour. It’s definitely got me intrigued, so far, and the world-building is pretty on point. I’m excited to continue this one, as well.
Continue reading “WWW Wednesday: Jul 8, 2020”
book reviews

ARC Review: Fire and Vengeance by Robert McCaw

Title: Fire and Vengeance (Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery #3)

Author: Robert McCaw

Genre: Mystery

Publication Date: September 1st, 2020 (though I believe the Kindle version was available May 26th!)

Source: Publisher (Oceanview Publishing)

Content/Trigger warnings: Suicide, gun violence, animal death

Rating: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…

Book Links: Bookshop::Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

Chief Detective Koa Kane finds himself embroiled in a fight for justice after a volcanic vent destroys an elementary school, killing multiple children and teachers.

Favorite Quote

This quote is from an uncorrected copy and may change in the final version

“[Koa] sensed a seething rage bubbling just below the surface underlining the community’s shared loss. People came to honor the dead, but Koa felt a powerful groundswell of outrage rising like a rogue wave directed at the officials who’d let this disaster happen.”


Continue reading “ARC Review: Fire and Vengeance by Robert McCaw”
book reviews

Book Review: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

Title: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

Author: Grady Hendrix

Genre: Horror

Source: Borrowed (library)

CW: Violence, gore, suicide, child abuse

Rating: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…

Book Links: Bookshop::Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

Patricia and the members of her book club find themselves in a fight for their neighborhood when they unwittingly invite a vampire to join.

Favorite Quote

โ€œHe thinks weโ€™re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you somethingโ€ฆthereโ€™s nothing nice about Southern ladies.โ€


Continue reading “Book Review: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires”
cant wait wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Jul 1, 2020

Canโ€™t-Wait Wednesday is a meme where you get to flail about whatever upcoming book youโ€™re excited to read. Though it is generally a new release, it certainly can be any book thatโ€™s on your TBR! This meme is currently hosted byย Wishful Endingsย and itโ€™s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill atย Breaking the Spine.


Hello, reader!

Welcome to July! Here’s hoping that this hot, summer month (if it’s actually summer where you are) treats you well. This month is bringing a lot of new things for the McBookNerd family as we have just moved into our new house! Yay for new beginnings, right?

In celebration of all things new, I thought I’d do a Can’t Wait Wednesday today to highlight a new book that I’m really looking forward to. If you saw my TTT post from yesterday, you’ll know that there are quite a few books that I can’t wait to get my hands on! So many, in fact, that I had to leave some off of my list of ten. That being said, I decided to highlight a book that didn’t make the list yesterday, but not because I’m not incredibly excited about it! The book I’ll be featuring today includes:

  • Witches!!
  • Suffragists!!
  • Magic!!
  • And a gorgeous cover!!

The book I’m talking about is…

Goodreads Synopsis:

“In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters–James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna–join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote-and perhaps not even to live-the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.”

Publication Date: October 13th, 2020

Pre-order here: Bookshop::Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon

Why I’m Excited:

There’s witches! What else do I need?

Seriously, though, I absolutely adored Alix E. Harrow’s other book, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. If the writing in this new one is anywhere near as lyrical and lovely as that book, I just know I’m going to fall hard. I can’t wait to get wrapped up into another of her fantastical stories.

But, also, witches!!


What is a book you can’t wait to get your hands on? Did you do your own Can’t Wait Wednesday post? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2020

Top Ten Tuesday was created byย The Broke and the Bookishย back in June 2010. It is currently hosted byย That Artsy Reader Girlย and, as is stated on the blog, it was โ€œborn of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.โ€


Hello, reader!

So today is the last day of June which means that we are over halfway through 2020. Even though the beginning of the year seemed to crawl by, I now feel like we’re flying towards the end! Which, ya know, I’m perfectly okay with at this point. Bring on 2021 and let us hope it’s better than what this year has had to offer ๐Ÿ˜…

That being said, there’s still six more months left of the year, and you know what that means? Six more months of shiny, new books! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (woo, alliteration!) looks at my most anticipated new releases for the rest of 2020. Though I usually have trouble filling up these lists, I actually had to cut back on this one! There are just so many books coming out between now and 2021 that sound amazing! So, with that being said, let’s take a look at my list.


  • Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (Pub date: July 7th)
  • The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter (Pub date: July 16th)
  • Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (Pub date: August 4th)
  • Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar (Pub date: August 11th)
  • The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen (Pub date: August 18th)
  • Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (Pub date: September 1st)
  • Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (Pub date: September 15th)
  • White Fox by Sara Faring (Pub date: September 22nd)
  • Well Played by Jen DeLuca (Pub date: September 22nd)
  • Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade (Pub date: October 6th)

There’s a great mix of some highly anticipated sequels, new fantasy, spooky horror, and adorable rom-coms that I think will round out 2020 quite nicely. Though, let’s be honest, I probably won’t get to most of these before the new year. Because of who I am as a person.


What are some of your most anticipated new releases coming out in the last six months of 2020? What is one you hope to read before we ring in 2021? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

book reviews

Book Review: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Title: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Author: Jessica Townsend

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Source: Bought (Bookshop.org)

Rating: โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…

Book Links: Bookshop::Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

One Sentence Synopsis

Morrigan Crow, a cursed child who has been told her whole life that she will die on Eventide, finds herself whisked away to the enchanting world of Nevermoor and competing in a trial that could change her life.

Favorite Quote

โ€œDeath is boring. Life is much more fun. Things happen in life all the time. Unexpected things. Things you couldnโ€™t possibly expect because theyโ€™re so veryโ€ฆ unexpected.โ€

Continue reading “Book Review: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow”
book blogger hop

Book Blogger Hop: Jun 26 – Jul 2

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Crazy-For-Books and is currently being hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. Every Friday, a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer in the coming week. The purpose of the hop is connection and community. You can discover new blogs to follow, new books to read, and you may end up with some new followers, as well!

This Week’s Question

This week’s prompt submitted byย Elizabeth @ย Silver’s Reviews.


I mean, the reasonable answer would be I go through and unhaul the books I no longer want and try and find good homes for them.

But, when it comes to books, I am far from reasonable.

Currently, I just stack them on the available shelf space until the bookshelf looks like it is, itself, made of books ๐Ÿ˜… And, once we’ve reached critical mass on the shelf, books start collecting on any flat and infrequently used surface in the house. Bedside table: check! Computer desk: check! Top of actual computer: check!

Now, in defense of my hoarding, I have made a conscious effort to not buy as many books this year and I was doing really, REALLY well… before lockdown happened. My local library closed and, suddenly, my wallet flew open. I did try borrowing books electronically, which is awesome and I completely advocate doing so if you are able, but I’m still one that prefers reading a physical book. That’s just me and I recognize that I’m pretty privileged to be able to indulge that preference.

That being said, the fact that we are in the process of moving (which is why I’ve been so quiet on the blog lately) has shown me that, perhaps, I need to reinforce that book buying ban… ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

www wednesday

WWW Wednesday: Jun 24, 2020

Itโ€™s time for another WWW Wednesday! This is a bookish meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words where bloggers answer the 3 Ws:

  1. What are you currently reading?
  2. What did you recently finish reading?
  3. What do you think youโ€™ll read next?

If youโ€™d like to learn more about any of these books, click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page.

Current Reads

  • The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: I randomly borrowed this book from my library and have been listening to it on the Libby app. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this has definitely been a ride! I’m really enjoying this weird, horrifying story.
  • Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend: I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the Nevermoor series, so, when the Middle Grade Marvels book club chose it for the June book, I was incredibly excited! So far, I’m having a ton of fun following Morrigan’s story in the strange and whimsical Nevermoor. I’m not even done with the first book and I already can’t wait to read the next one!
  • A Threat From the Past by Paul Cude: I’m reading this one as part of the Reedsy Discovery program and, so far, it’s definitely interesting! There’s dragons and danger and a lot of exposition. A lot of exposition… Still, I’m enjoying myself, so far.

Recently Finished

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
  • The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant: I requested this book on Netgalley on a whim and I am so glad I did! It’s a Les Misรฉrables retelling that had a whole lot of stabby fun. If you’d like to read my review, you can find it here.
  • Crossing in Time by D.L. Orton: I read this book for a blog tour run by #TheWriteReads. It was an intense, time-travelling romance that kept me interested the entire time! You can check out my blog tour post here.
  • Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara: This was another Netgalley e-ARC that I was super excited to read. A quiet and emotional thriller that had me on my toes from the first page. Lesley Kara has a way of writing women-focused thrillers that is incredibly enthralling. You can read my review here.

What’s Next

  • Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall: This is yet another book for a #TheWriteReads blog tour and I’m super excited to read it! This is a fantasy novel filled with magical creatures and it sounds like it’s going to be a wild ride. I can’t wait to dive in!

What are you currently reading? Read any new favorites lately? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!