Anticipated Book Releases of March 2019

Hi everyone! Today I’m talking about books coming out in March 2019 that I’m really excited about and that I can’t wait to read!

The Fever King by Victoria Lee

Release date: March 1st 2019

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear. Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

Why I’m anticipating it? Honestly, I can’t wait to read this one because I have heard Lily @ Sprinkles of Dreams talk about it non stop. Also, the main character is a Latino bisexual teen, which makes me even more excited to read it!

Graham’s Delicacies by Em Ali

Release date: March 5th 2019

Saccharine: Jen goes to work, agonizes over college, and looks forward to the stolen moments in the kitchen. There she can watch Emilie bake love into every morsel. Their delicate friendship takes a step towards a budding romance, but will Jen’s anxiety help them survive their first hurdle?

Delectable: James has never been kissed but he wants to be. Especially by his co-worker Sam, who he can’t talk to without turning into a little jerk. Sam is made of all the good stuff, but will James’ deepest insecurities allow him to kiss the boy?

Ravenous: Alex won’t let some foodie with a video camera bash their beloved bakery, even if it means to be petty. Except they’re nowhere ready for Yujin, the one who got away and is now romancing them. Will Alex’s pride let them see the gold heart the bashful king hides?

Why I’m anticipating it? After reading and loving Soft on Soft by Em Ali, I’m so happy to be part of the blog tour for Graham’s Delicacies. This is a collection of three short stories that are full of diversity. There’s Black, nonbinary, bisexual, fat, gay, Latinx, Korean and anxiety rep.

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera

Release date: March 5th 2019

At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets.

Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That roles brings with it violent throw downs and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but the sixteen-year-old grows weary of the life. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. To make it to the Mega towers, Nalah must prove her loyalty to the city’s benevolent founder and cross the border in a search for a mysterious gang the Ashé Ryders. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles other crews and her own doubts, but the closer she gets to her goal, the more she loses sight of everything—and everyone— she cares about.

Nalah must do the unspeakable to get what she wants—a place to call home. But is a home just where you live? Or who you choose to protect?

Why I’m anticipating it? This was on of the first 2019 releases that I added to my tbr, this is a dystopian written by a latinx author, about latinx characters and with a Mad Max vibe…. what else could I ask for?!!

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

Release date: March 5th 2019

Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, British-born Hugo is still determined to take his last-hurrah-before-college train trip across the United States. One snag: the companion ticket is already booked under the name of his ex, Margaret Campbell. Nontransferable, no exceptions.

Enter the new Margaret C. (Mae for short), an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams. After finding Hugo’s spare ticket offer online, she’s convinced it’s the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons.

When the two meet, the attraction is undeniable, and both find more than they bargained for. As Mae pushes Hugo to explore his dreams for his future, he’ll encourage her to channel a new, vulnerable side of her art. But when life off the train threatens the bubble they’ve created for themselves, will they manage to keep their love on track?

Why I’m anticipating it? Honestly, tihis just sounds like the cute, fluffy contemporaries that I like to read when my anxiety is giving me a hard time and since lately that has been the case, I’m looking forward to having some new contemporaries to read!

Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale

Release date: March 19th 2019

Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad.

And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had – to never fall for a summer boy?

Why I’m anticipating it? This sounds cute and it has a bisexual main characters, which I’m always excited about! I’m lucky enough to be participating in the blog tour organized by the lovely Lili @ Utopia State of Mind and I can’t wait to share my review and some other fun things with everyone!

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

Release date: March 19th 2019

Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends.

One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the two misfits are brought together despite themselves—and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria’s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system.

Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And its up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more . . .

Why I’m anticipating it? This has a hate to love slow-burn f/f romance and I’m so ready for it! Also, there’s a polyamorous relationship between some of the secondary characters, which I can’t wait to read about!

What February book releases are you anticipating? Do you want to read any of the books I mentioned? Have you read any of them already? what did you think about them?

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10 Cities that Books Made Me Want to Visit | Top Ten Tuesday

Hi everyone! When I started blogging I participated in Top Ten Tuesday regulary and I loved the fact that it allowed me to interact with so many people from the community, because I miss that, I decided to start participating again!

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018!

Today, the topic is places mentioned in books that I’d like to visit, so I decided to write about 10 cities that are the setting of some amazing books and that play such an important role in the story that after reading the books I can’t help but want to go visit them myself.

*If you click the title of the books, it will take you to the Goodreads page for the book

Without further ado, here are the 10 cities that books made me want to visit:

If The Dress Fits by Carla de Guzman-—> Manila, Philippines

Honestly, all the #romanceclass books I have read made me want to visit the Philippines, but If the Dress Fits is my favorite #romanceclass book and it’s the one that mentions more especific places from Manila like the Dangwa flower market and the Manila Metropolitan Theatre, as well as different types of food that sounded delicious.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan —–> Taipei, Taiwan

I really want to go to Taipei, and especifically, the food markets that are constantly mentioned in this book, I’m just so excited to try delicious food! Also, the observatory inside Taipei 101 sounds so cool, I really want to see the city from that height.

Darius the Great is not Okay by Adib Khorram —-> Yazd, Iran

Iran is the most recent addition to this list, I read Darius the Great is not Okay in January and I fell in love with the way Darius talked about Iran.  I would love to go to Yazd and see the Jameh Mosque, the Towers of Silence and the Atashkadeh.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan —-> Singapore

While reading Crazy Rich Asians, I couldn’t help but be incredibly intrigued about Singapore. I can’t wait to visit the food markets and the impressive buildings, especially the Marina Bay Sands and the gardens by the bay.

Idyllic village Oia (Ia) on Santorini island, Greece with famous church with blue domes. Click for more images: [url=http://www.istockphoto.com/file_search.php?action=file&lightboxID=6413055][img]http://santoriniphoto.com/Template-Greek.jpg[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9724165][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9724165[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701552][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701552[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701515][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701515[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701504][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701504[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701472][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701472[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701450][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701450[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9701281][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9701281[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9697520][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9697520[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=2637803][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=2637803[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9751572][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9751572[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9749064][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9749064[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9728858][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9728858[/img][/url] [url=file_closeup.php?id=9728820][img]file_thumbview_approve.php?size=1&id=9728820[/img][/url]

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares —-> Santorini, Greece

I’ll confess that my desire to visit Greece is due to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books and the movie, as well as to the Mamma Mia movies. But, even if the Mamma Mia made me want to go to Greece even more, it all started with Lena and her trip to Santorini in the first book of the series.

City of Ghost by Victoria Shwab —-> Edinburg, Scotland

There are so many European cities that I want to see and to be completely honest, Edinburgh wasn’t one of them until recently when I read City of Ghost. Now I can’t wait to go to the Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile and the Edinburgh Vaults! Also, I’m so excited by the fact that book 2 is taking place in Paris and especifically in The Paris Catacombs, which I have been to.

View of a small crescent beach hidden away among green hills and forests. Punta Islita Beach, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Long Way Down by Krista & Becca Ritchie —-> Costa Rica

Ryke and Daisy are my favorite couple in this series and they talk so many times about Costa Rica that it put this country at the top of my list. I’m not sure which city or region they were in, but I would love to go to Cahuita, which is supposed to be a place to relax and find peace.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo – Los Angeles

I have wanted to go to L.A. for as long as I can remember, but the last few years, it had been slipping further and further donw the list of places I wanted to visit, until I read this book and it made me want  to go to L.A. so badly! As I said on my review this is a love letter to Los Angeles, there’s commentary on different neighborhoods, who primarily lives there, what type of activities are done and what types of food are sold in them. It simply made me feel excited about going to L.A. again.

Like Us  Series by Krista & Becca Ritchie – Philadelphia 

I already was interested in going to Philadelphia thanks to the original Addicted/Calloway Sister series, but if I’m being honest, the Like us series was the one that really made me want to go to Philly. It’s just that the bodyguards talk about their city with so much love that I can’t help but being curious!

The Bean

Knitting in the City Series by Penny Reid – Chicago, United States

I loved this series, I have already read like 10 books in this series between novels and novellas and I have spent so much time with the ladies of this knitting group that I can’t help but want to visit their city!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor – Prague, Czech Republic

I had never thought about visiting Prague before this book, but then I read this and soon after I met a dear friend who is from Czech Republic and so I knew the universe was telling me that I needed to visit this beautiful city. It’s being almost five years and I’m happy to say that I’m visiting my friend in April in Prague and I’m so excited!

What books do you want to visit because of a book or series? HAve you ever visited a city because I book was set in it? 

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Diverse Pride and Prejudice Retellings

Hi everyone! As someone who loves Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, I’m always looking for retellings and adaptations.  I love to read new takes on this classic story and I love the diverse retellings that have been coming out lately even more. I know Pride and Prejudice is loved by many of you too and I thought it would be a good idea to share some diverse retellings for those of you who enjoy a new twist of this beloved classic!

Without further ado, here are some diverse Pride and Prejudice retellings that I read and loved:

 Pride by Ibi Zoboi

In this book, the main character Zuri is Haitian-Dominican and the love interest, Darius, is black. I love their dynamic, they are always bantering and bickering, but the main reason this book is amazing is the way it dicusses gentrification and class, including these subjects adds to the original story and makes it more relevant to our time. Also, the representation of a Haitian-Dominican family, in terms of the religion, the food and the family dynamics is so fascinating to read.

 

The Story of Lizzy and Darcy by Grace Watson

The main change in this retelling is (obviously) that Darcy is a woman and she is biracial and bisexual, while Lizzy is a lesbian. Also, instead of Mary Bennet, we get Mark, who is aroace and Colonel Fitwilliam is Will, a trans man. There’s a lot of diversity in this book and it’s well integrated to the story. Lizzie and Darcy have so much chemestry and they both work in publishing industry, which gave this book a cool setting.

 

Well Played by Katrina Ramos Atienza

This is a Filipino retelling, it takes place in a university and it’s very interesting to get to learn a little bit about how things work in the educational system in the Philippines. The main character in this book, Patrice Reyes, is a passionate soccer player, and Paul Damacio, the love interest, is a math nerd and he’s very similar to Darcy from the book. Actually, this is a pretty faithful retelling, at least when it comes to the main romance.

 

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet by Bernie Su and Kate Rorick 

This book is a companion for the webseries The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which I LOVE!! You can definitely read this without watching the webseries, but I recommend you watch it since it’s fantastic. This is a pretty close retelling in terms of the main plot points of the story, but it’s set in modern day and Lizzie Bennet is a Youtuber and Darcy runs a media company. Now, the really cool thing is that Bingley is actually Asian and his name is Bing Lee and his sister is, obviously, Caroline Lee. Also, Charlotte is Asian as well!

DIVERSE RETELLINGS I WANT TO READ 

Those were some of the diverse Pride and Prejudice retellings that I have already read, now here are some diverse retellings that I can’t wait to read! Three of them were released recently and one of them is going to be release in 2019.

 

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin 

Two Muslim main characters and an arranged marriage between the wrong people. I think this gonna be a very unique take on the Austen classic and I can’t wait to experience it for myself!

Pride & Prejudice and Passports by Carrie Garrett 

This takes place during the 2016 presidential elections in the United States and the main family, the Benitez, are undocumented immigrants. This retelling seems to give a strong political background to the classic story, which I found fascinating, and I’m excited to have another retelling with Latinx main characters!

Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev (Release date: May 7th 2019) 

For what I have heard, this is a very  loose retelling with a gender flip. In this story, Trisha Raje is a Indian neurosurgeon and Dj Caine is a Indo-African chef, they are from different backgrounds and they don’t like each other at first. I have heard this has interesting discussions about class and cultural difference and I’m excited to give it a chance.

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal 

The Bennets are the Binats in this retelling set in modern-day Pakistan.  Out of these retelling this seems to be the closest to the original, the Binat family has fallen on hard times, the 5 daughters are unmarried, then Jena meets Bingla at a wedding and everyone is waiting for a proposal. Meanwhile, Alys and Darsee don’t seem to like each other that much.  I have heard great things about this one and I can’t wait to read it!

Have you read Pride and Prejudice? Do you like P&P retellings? Have you read any of the retellings that I mentioned? Are you looking forward to reading any of them? 

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Anticipated Releases of February 2019

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk about some of the books that are coming out in February 2019 and that I can’t wait to read!

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 

Release Date: February 5th

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

Why am I anticipating it?: I obviously read and loved The Hate U Give and I can’t wait to read Angie Thomas second novel. The cover’s amazing and I have heard great things from the few people that got arcs and I’m just excited to get this! Also, it comes out right on time for Black History Month, so I will be reading this as soon as I get it. 

The Risk by Elle Kennedy (Briar U #2) 

Release Date: February 18th

Everyone says I’m a bad girl. They’re only partly right—I don’t let fear rule me, and I certainly don’t care what people think. But I draw the line at sleeping with the enemy. As the daughter of Briar’s head hockey coach, I’d be vilified if I hooked up with a player from a rival team.

And that’s who Jake Connelly is. Harvard’s star forward is arrogant, annoying, & too attractive for his own good. But fate is cruel—I require his help to secure a coveted internship, and the sexy jerk isn’t making it easy for me. I need Connelly to be my fake boyfriend. For every fake date…he wants a real one.

Which means this bad girl is in big trouble. Nothing good can come from sneaking around with Jake Connelly. My father would kill me, my friends will revolt, and my post-college career is on the line. But while it’s getting harder and harder to resist Jake’s oozing sex appeal and cocky grin, I refuse to fall for him. That’s the one risk I’m not willing to take.

Why am I anticipating it?: This book has fake dating AND enemies to lovers, which are two of my favorite tropes, so I would read it just for that. But the truth is that I have been meaning to read this since I finished the first book in the series, because I loved Brenna when she was introduced in that book and now  she is gonna be the main characters. Also, the glimpses we got of Brenan and Jake in the first book left me really intrigued about their dynamic.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

Release Date: February 26th

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Why am I anticipating it?: Dragons + Matriarchy+ Secret Society of Mages??!  I CAN’T WAIT to get my hand on this book!  Not only does it sound amazing, I actually  have heard great things from people that got arcs.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia 

Release Date: February 26th

At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret—that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme.

On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or to give up everything he’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?

Why am I anticipating it?: This is close to the top of my list of most anticipated books of 2019, it has a Latinx main characters, the author is also Latinx and there’s an enemies to lovers f/f romance. I mean WHAT ELSE COULD I ASK FOR??! Nothing, really, but still this book gets even better becuase it discusses important subjects like gender roles, immigration and being undocumented. I honestly can’t wait to read it! 

What February book releases are you anticipating? Do you want to read any of the books I mentioned? Have you read any of them already? what did you think about them?

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Diverse Nonfiction Book Recommendations

Hi everyone! Today I have a post that’s a bit different for me. I don’t read that much nonfiction, I mainly read YA fantasy and Sci-fi, YA Contemporary, Romance and Mystery. Nonetheless, from time to time, I’ll pick up a nonfiction book and more times than not, I’ll love it. So, I was thinking the other day that maybe some of you also like to read nonfiction from time to time and if that nonfiction is diverse that’s even better and that’s why I decided to share with you some of my favorite diverse nonfiction books.

Without further ado, here they are:

In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park & Maryanne Vollers

Human rights activist Park, who fled North Korea with her mother in 2007 at age 13 and eventually made it to South Korea two years later after a harrowing ordeal, recognized that in order to be “completely free,” she had to confront the truth of her past. It is an ugly, shameful story of being sold with her mother into slave marriages by Chinese brokers, and although she at first tried to hide the painful details when blending into South Korean society, she realized how her survival story could inspire others. Moreover, her sister had also escaped earlier and had vanished into China for years, prompting the author to go public with her story in the hope of finding her sister. 

Why I recommend it?: I think this is a perfect book for YA readers that want to try nonfiction, especially for readers who like hard hitting contemporaries, because it tells the story of a girl that goes through many heartbreaking things and it focuses on a relatevely small period of time, not like other nonfiction books that tell the story of someone’s entire life. This book is hard to read, because the whole time you know this actually happend to a girl, you know it happens to a lot of girls all over the world. This is heartbreaking, horrific and honest. I’ll admit that the writing isn’t the best and that made it a bit harder to connect to the story, but I still found it an impactful and touching book.

Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock 

In 2011, Marie Claire magazine published a profile of Janet Mock in which she stepped forward for the first time as a trans woman. Those twenty-three hundred words were life-altering for the People.com editor, turning her into an influential and outspoken public figure and a desperately needed voice for an often voiceless community. In these pages, she offers a bold and inspiring perspective on being young, multicultural, economically challenged, and transgender in America.

Why I recommend it?: This book is incredibly thought-provoking, because Mock doesn’t hold back, she is achingly honest and that makes her story and what she has to say so compelling.  Mock talks about being biracial, trans and poor, she talks about poverty and prostitution, about her priviliges for “passing” as a cis woman, about what’s consider to be the ‘right’ kind of trans women and why that needs to end.  This book is insighful and moving, as well as beautifully written and I feel like everyone should pick it up. (Full review)

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay 

In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog, Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance, and health. As a woman who describes her own body as “wildly undisciplined,” Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial, between self-comfort and self-care. In Hunger, she explores her own past—including the devastating act of violence that acted as a turning point in her young life—and brings readers along on her journey to understand and ultimately save herself.

Why I recommend it?: This book unlike the two that I have already mentioned, it’s made up of essays, so there’s no linear story. There are extremely personal essays, including a incredibly heartbreaking essay about rape (huge trigger warning!), but then there’s also essays about various subjects like how harmful tv shows about losing weight can be. Still, this is mainly a book about Roxane Gay’s relationship with her body, with her weight, with food and it’s personal, raw and honest. This is a very hard book to read, but it is so powerful because it’s talks about her experience as a fat women in a world not built for her in a way that makes you empathize, that makes you see things as common as chairs in a new way because you see them through her eyes.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:

“I’ve often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that ‘normal people’ also might never understand. And that’s what Furiously Happy is all about.”

Why I recommend it?: Out of all these books, this is the less heartbreaking and the one that has the most humor, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a very important and touching book. This book focuses on living with a mental illness, on how that looks like in the day to day and on the good and bad that comes with it, and it handles those topics in such a brilliant way. At some points while I was reading, I couldn’t believe someone had the words necessary to explain certain feelings and experiences, that’s how good Jenny Lawson is at translating her experience with depression into words. I would recommend this book to anyone, but particulary, to people that struggle with mental illnesses, I found this to be – as strange as that may seem- a very reassuring book.

Do you have any diverse nonfiction books to recommend? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? is any of them on your tbr? 

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Anticipated Releases of January 2019

Hi everyone! A new year means new amazing books that are being released and I’m so excited to talk about 4 books coming out in January that I can’t wait to get my hands on!

There’s one book coming out in January that it’s missing from this list, Tangled Like Us by Krista and Becca Ritchie, because I mentioned in my post about December anticipated releases before it was announced that the publication date was being moved.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army. Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

Nikolai is one of my favorite characters from the Grisha Trilogy and I’m so excited to see how his journey continues. I’m also looking forward to cameos of some of the characters I love from the original trilogy and also from Six of Crows.

Release date: January 28th

The Wicked King by Holly Black

After the revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.

The Cruel Prince was one of my favorite books of 2018, so I’m incredibly excited to find out what happens next. I feel like we are gonna get a lot more of Jude and Cardan in this book and I’m here for it! Also, the fact that so many people that got arcs loved the book is giving me a good feeling about it.

Release date: January 8th

In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

This is the story of a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she’s found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well. For anyone . . .

I have so much fun reading this series, I truly love the concept behind it and I’m excited to find out more about one of the most intriguing characters in the series and the fact that it’s set in a goblin market makes it even better.

Release date: January 8th

Black Enough by Ibi Zoboi

Black Enough is an anthology that will delve into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across the country. From a spectrum of backgrounds—urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—Black Enough showcases diversity within diversity.

Whether it’s Jason Reynolds writing about #blackboyjoy or Renee Watson talking about black girls at camp in Portland, or Jay Coles’s story about two cowboys kissing in the south—Black Enough is an essential collection full of captivating coming-of-age stories about what it’s like to be young and black in America.

I wasn’t much of a fan of short story collections, but in 2018, I found a few that I really enjoyed and I want to read more of them. The topics of this particular collection are so important and I’m looking forward to see how every author addresses them, especially since I have read and loved books by some of them.

Release date: January 8th

What January book releases are you anticipating? Do you want to read any of the books I mentioned? Have you read any of them already? what did you think about them?

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Best Books of 2018

Hi everyone! This is such an exciting post, I’m sharing my favorite books of 2018! 🎉 I didn’t make this list based on ratings, I just thought about the books that have stayed with me the most, the ones I still think about weeks or months after I read them. Here are my favorite books of this year:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

What is this book about?: An old Hollywood movie star is giving an interview for the first time ever about her life story, including her relationships with her seven husbands.

Why I love it?: It is an amazing story about a morally gray character that unapologetically does terrible things in order to achieve what she wants in life, but she’s also fiercely loyal to those she loves. The main things I love about this is that it’s about a complex woman that’s neither good nor bad, and while reading the books it’s imposible not to fall in love with her. All the other characters are also complex and compelling and, because of that, there’s some very powerful relationships in this book. Also, I really liked that there’s discussions about gender and sexuality that are very well handled, Evelyn is a Cuban-American bisexual woman and there’s lesbian and gay rep in this book as well.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

What is this book about?: A West African inspired fantasy, about a girl that’s trying to bring magic back and fight against the king, with the help of some unexpected allies.

Why I love it? This is a captivating read, the world and magic system are so well crafted and it’s action packed. But my favorite thing about it are definitely the characters, Amari is a new all time favorite, her character development in this book is incredible. And Zélie and Iman are complex and intriguing. This book is angsty, dramatic and emotional and it basically gave me all the feels. (Review)

Mirage by Somaiya Daud

What is this book about?: A girl is taken in secret to the royal palace to be the body double for the cruel Princess, who is so hated by her conquered people that she requires someone to appear in public as her, ready to die in her place.

Why I love it? From this entire list, this is the book I keep thinking about even months after I read it. Mirage is a wonderfully written Moroccan inspired sci-fi story, with amazing characters and a rich setting, that provides a message about the importance of culture and traditions, especially for communities that have had a lot taken from them. I was absolutely captivated by the characters, especially Maram and Amani, they are so different but I loved the development of their relationship. Mariam is one of my new favorite characters. (Review)

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

What is this book about?: Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world.

Why I love it? This is such a great ending to the series, I cried so much while reading it, it broke my heart but it also made me happy. This is a lot more action packed than the other books in this series, but there is still so much character development. Also, both of the ships I had in this series have so many amazing moments together and that made me enjoy this book so much. Honestly, this is one of my favorite series of all times, even if I know it has its problems.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

What is this book about?: Jude and her two sisters were stolen away to live in Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, but many of the fey despise humans. As betrayal threatens the Courts of Faerie, Jude will need to risk her life to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Why I love it? I was in a fantasy slump for a long time and this was one of the only books that managed to make me feel consumed by a world and characters during that time. It managed to enthrall me and it made me feel inmersed in a world full of political intrigued, deceitful characters, unexpected turns and so much cruelty. I was so inmmersed in it that it kept me on the edge of my sit, I was so worried for all the characters throughout the book. Also, it gave me a new couple to root for, which always makes me enjoy a fantasy book more.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

What is this book about?: Seven years ago, a crew set off to film a “mockumentary” about mermaids and it was lost at sea. Now, a new crew has been assembled and for the scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Why I love it? This is a very complex and scientific look at mermaids and it’s as fascinating as it is scary. I’m not kidding, this is horror sci-fi, which I had never read, and I was so worried while making my way through it that I had an anxiety attack at one point. BUT it was still such an amazing book with a really unique concept and great execution. It kept me entertained, but also made me think a lot because it was very scientific but also because it dealt with a lot of ethic concerns. Also, I really enjoyed the fact that this had a very diverse and compelling cast of characters.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

What is this book about?: Xiomara, a girl from a traditional latinx catholic family, loves writing poetry. When she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her family finding out.

Why I love it? This is a story told in verse, which allowed me to feel more connected to the main character’s thoughts and emotions. It’s a touching and powerful story, and it explores a Dominican-american girl’s struggle with inhabiting her body, a body that attracs attention and because of it, it’s unwillingly subjected to the male gaze; it also deals with growing up in a conservative latinx family that it’s extremely religious and that imposes faith and leaves no room for questions. It’s a book about trying to figure who you are in an enviroment that doesn’t leave much room to do so and it’s fantastic. I LOVED the way it explored all those topics.(full review)

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

What is this book about?: Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. Now, months later, Mabel is coming to visit and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid.

Why I love it? This is a quiet book about grief and it’s so powerful. I loved the alternating timelines, in both of the timelines the main character goes through loneliness, hurt and grief in different ways. In the past, there’s this big reveal about what happened that it’s both unexpected and heartbreaking, and in the present, the book explores the hardships and awkwardness of second chances, of rebuilding relationships and trust. I cried reading this, which doesn’t happen often, it was just such a beautiful book.

The Diviners & Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray

What is this book about?: The Diviners series is set in the 1920s and follows a group of people with different abilities that have to solve mysteries and face ghosts, curses and evil spirits.

Why I love it? This series helped me discovered my love for spooky books and it has become one of my favorite paranormal series of all time. This is an atmospheric series with a creepy vibe and some really scary scenes, which is something I loved. Also, both books have these mystery elements that make the stories really intriguing. The characters are captivating and so different from each other and I loved the way their stories intertwined.

What were your favorite books of the year? Have you read any of the books on this list? Did you enjoy them?

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