Category: bookish list

bookish list

5 Books I Read Because Everyone Else Was Reading Them

Sofia @ BookishWanderess11 Comments

5 books I read because everyone else was reading themI’m definitely one of those people who gets caught up in the hype and ends up reading books because everyone else seems to be reading them. It doesn’t happen with everybook, but if I had a bit of interest in that book before and I start to see it everywhere, there’s a big chance I’ll inmidiately pick it up. So, today I decided to talk about 5 books I read in the first half of 2017 because everyone else seemed to be reading them. 

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon 

When I first heard about this book I was so excited to read it, but by the time it came out I  wasn’t as excited anymore. Nonetheless, the week this was released it was everywhere. I saw reviews of this in almost ever single blog I follow, so my excitement was back and I read it. I ended up really liking it, I thought the concept of an arranged marriage in a contemporary setting was really interesting and the story was so cute.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

Is there any book that has been more hyped this year that The Hate U Give? I really don’t think so. Everyone seems to have read this and loved it and I’m no exception. This was  such a heartbreaking book and it was really hard to read because the situations the characters end up in were so enraging. At the same time, it has amazing family dynamics, great friendships, it has interesting storylines for all the characters and it has great representation.

The Melody of You and Me by M. Hollis 

This book is not what I would define as a popular book, but most people I follow on Twitter have read this book and loved it. There was a point like 2 months ago where everyone seem to be reading this and so I read it as well. Unfortunately,  I ended up not loving this book. It has so many good things a pansexual main character, a lesbian filipino love interest, sex positivity and female masturbation, but I couldn’t get pass the very week writing.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E, Schwab

The last book in this series came out this year and everyone was talking about it, so that finally convinced me to start this series. I know this is cheating a little bit  because people were talking about the last book and not this one, buuuuut….  I’m gonna count it anyway because I actually read the entire series in one go and I loved it. It had amazing characters and I shipped Kell and Lila so much. Also, the world building and magic system were interesting and captivating.

 Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

I’m cheating a little bit with this one as well, because everyone was talking about the tv show that’s based on this book and not the book itself. But still, it was everywhere! I actually started to watch the  tv show first and then decided to read this book. At the end, I felt like the tv show made some really good changes and that made me like it more, but I still really enjoyed the book.

Have you read any of these books? Did you like them? What books have you read this year because everyone else was reading them? 

Add me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter 

 

#ownvoices · bookish list · Diverse Books

6 Anticipated Releases by Latinx Authors (Seconf Half of 2017)

Sofia @ BookishWanderess6 Comments

6 anticipated releases by latinx authorsI have been trying to increase the amount of books I read that are written by Latinx Authors for a long time now, but I keep feeling like I don’t try hard enough. I think about doing it often and I planned to do it all the time, but I think I don’t take as much actions to actually do it. As a Latina myself, I feel like I need to commit to this goal of reading more books by Latinx authors and promoting those books on my blog as well.

That’s why, I looked up the releases for the second half of 2017 written by latinx authors and I chose some that sounded interesting to me and that I wanted to read. All these books not only are written by latinx authors, they also have latinx main characters.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez (August 22nd 2017)

A girl who loves Punk + a conservative school with an strict dress code + misfits that create a punk band + illustrations and collage art because the main character loves zines= what else do I need to say?! Even if I don’t read middle grade often, this one sounds amazing!

The Closest I’ve Come by Fred Aceves (November 7th 2017)

A kid with an absentee mother + an abusive stepfather + who lives in a poor neighborhood + he wants to find love in his life and wants to leave his neighborhood behind +  a program for troubled teens with potential = a story about a boy that learns that bravery is about being true to yourself. I’m interested in seeing how the conversation about poverty, abuse and dysfunctional families is handled. That’s definitely makes me really want to read this book.

The Victoria in my Head by Janelle Milanes (September 19th 2017)

A shy teenager with the dream of being a rock star + overprotective Cuban parents + paralyzing-stage-fright + unattainably gorgeous boy = a story about a girl looking for the courage to confront her insecurities, fight for her dreams and love. A YA contemporary with a latinx main character that sounds like it’s NOT gonna be a sad, dark contemporary, it’s just what I need!

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore (October 3rd 2017)

Magical realism + bisexual representation + amazing family dinamic + different kinds of relationships between women as a central part of the story +  Anna-Marie McLemore’s writing = the only thing I have to say is that I can’t wait! I loved When the Moon was Ours and I’m really excited to read another of McLemore’s books.

I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez (October 17th 2017)

This book deals with grief and with learning that a person that it’s gone wasn’t as perfect as you thought, which to me is always a interesting concept, but the fact that this revolves around a mexican family makes a concept that is not that unique something really special.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (September 5th 2017)

In this book, people get told if they are gonna die in the next 24 hours and there’s an app called Last Friend that finds you someone to spend your last day with. It’s an interesting concept and there’s LGBTQ+ representation! I haven’t read any of Adam Silveras other books, but I’m really excited to finally read something by him. I haven’t hear anything but great things.

Are you planning on reading any of these books? Do you have recommendations for books written by latinx authors? Let me know in the comments! 

Add me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter 

bookish list

5 Villains I Wish Would Get Their Own Books

Sofia @ BookishWanderess4 Comments

five villains i wish would get their own books

I’m one of those people who are really intrigued by villains and that’s why when I found a villain that I’m captivated by or particulary interested in, I end up wishing that I could get a book about them. In this post, I want to talk about 5 villains I wish would get their own books.

The Bonner Girls  (When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore)

The Bonner Girls definitely inspired this post. I would love to read about what happens to them after When the Moon was Ours, but also I would love a prequel about the period of time leading up to the ‘big event’ that changed their dynamic from what they used to be to what they are during When the Moon was Ours. I would love to get to know each one of the girls a lot more, understand who they are and what are their motivations,  and I would like to explore more the magic that seems to surrounder them.

Voldemort (Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling)

Since I reread the Harry Potter books last year, I have wanted a Voldemort prequel. It’s just that I’m not entirely sure about him as a villain and exploring his past may help him become a more complex and interesting character to me.  I want to know how did he get his power and his followers and how did he find out about the horocruxes. Basically, I want to know what happened in the period between the time that he left Hogwarts and when he came back looking for a job as a teacher. That means the period in which he changed from Tom Riddle to Voldermort.

Keris Veturia (An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir)

I haven’t read  the second book in this series, so I don’t know if we find out about The Commandant’s backstory. Nonetheless, I would love to read a book about  her time training, everything that happened leading to Elias’ birth, and also, how did she ended up working with the Nightbringer. She is this cold and seemingly heartless characters that intrigues me.

villains

Athos and Astrid Dane (Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab) 

I honestly would want a prequel with them mainly to explore White London a little bit more. It’s such a twisted and dangerous place and I think a whole book set there would be interesting. I  would also love to know how did Athos and Astrid became the cruel and vicious characters they were and I would like to know more about their relationship with each other.

The Court of Nightmares (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas) 

I know this is not technically a villain, buuuuut since in my mind, everyone in the Court of Nightmares is a villain, I’m gonna count it in this list. I think it would be so interesting to read about a place where evil villains live together and read about all the horrors that situation can entail. It would be a really dark and twisted book.

Do you enjoy reading books from the POV of a villain?  What villains do you wish would get their own books? Let me know in the commets! 

Add me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter 

bookish list · discussion · How to

How to Fall Back in Love with a Genre

Sofia @ BookishWanderess10 Comments

how to fall back in love with a genre

For as long as I can remember Fantasy has been my favorite genre, especifically, Young Adult Fatansy. Nonetheless, I have not been reading that much YA Fantasy in the last couple months, because it got to a point in the middle of 2016 where I felt like I was reading the same book every single time I picked up a YA Fantasy book. There were a lot of aspects of the books that felt repetitive to me. That, off course, is totally a personal feeling and I’m not implying that they aren’t unique books in the genre.

I know that falling out of love with a genre is something that happens to a lot of people. Because of that, I decided to put together a list of things I have been doing to try and fall back in love with fantasy and that I think can be applied to fall back in love with any genre you used to love and now you don’t. 

1. Give it a bit of time

This may seem a bit obvious but I definitely think that if you are feeling frustrated, bored or disappointed with a genre, the best thing you can do is stop reading that genre for a little bit. I think this aplies especially to genres that you love a lot, because it gives you time to miss what that genre made you feel or think or whatever that genre gave you and that way you remember the things that you used to love about it.

2.Try reading diverse books in that genre

I feel like the reason we fall out of love with books a lot of times is because we feel like the books in that genre become repretitive and I think that happens because most books are told from the same perspective (a white, straight, able-bodied, cisgender character). In that sense, reading a book that has diverse main characters or was written by diverse author gives you a chance to explore different perspectives. You get to read from the point of view of someone who thinks, feels and experiences the world in a different way.

3.Try reading books in that genre directed to other age ranges

My favorite genre is YA Fantasy, what I have been doing is reading new adult and adult fantasy, because those books are directed to other age ranges or have main characters in other age ranges, which means that- a lot of the time- they bring new elements to the genre  and that stops me from feeling like the books are repetitive.

If you like YA contemporary, YA historical fiction or any other genre, try reading the middle grade, new adult or adult version of that genre. That can help you if you are feeling bored, frustrated or  like the books are repetitive. The same things goes for any of the other categories: middle grade, new adult or adult. If you like a genre in any of those categories try to read that genre directed to any of the other age ranges.

4. Re-read your favorite book or series in that genre

I think that re-reading your favorite book or series in a genre reminds you of the reason you love that genre, what it makes you feel, what it makes you think about, what that genre means to you. For me, remembering all of that makes you more willing to give a genre another chance.  It spotlights the good and it makes you focus on that, instead of being focused on the things you are bored with or frustrated with or disappointed about.

5. Follow other bloggers that love that genre

Reading about someone else’s love and excitement about books or series in a genre that you used to love is a great way of getting excited about that genre again. You may feel disappointed about it, but if someone else points out the positive things about that genre or about a particular book in that genre that may motivate you to start reading it again.

Have you ever fell out of love with a genre? Do you want to fall back in love with a genre? Do you have any advice to someone who wants to fall back in love with genre? Let me know in the commets! 

Add me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter 

9 Books Monday · bookish list

9 Books with Muslim Main Characters

Sofia @ BookishWanderess7 Comments

9 books with muslim main characters

9 Books Monday is a feature here on Bookish Wanderess where I talk about books that are focused on marginalized group (Here are the 9 Books Monday posts I have written so far). The idea is that on Mondays, I will talk about 9 books that have positive representation for a minority/marginalized group.  Today, I will talk about 9 books with Muslim main characters.

The truth is that I have not read that many books with Muslim characters and I definitely want to change that. This series is not only to recommend books that I have read to you and to talk about books I want to read, this series is also a reminder to me that I need to expand my reading and search for books that allow me to know other cultures, perspectives and ways of life. Today, I will talk about books with Muslim Main Character: 2 books I read and loved, 4 books on my tbr and 3 books releasing soon.

2 Books I Read and Loved

Sofia Khan is Not Obliged by Ayisha Malik:

This book is really funny; it deals with a lot of the stereotypes that people have about Muslims and their love lives, while being respectful, honest and entertaining (this is my Opinion, but I also looked at #ownvoices reviewers to check their opinions). Another thing that I loved about the book was that female relationships have such a central place throughout it. Also, it’s #ownvoices. 

God Smites and Other Muslim Girl Problems by Ishara Deen

This book is a funny, charming and interesting book that talks about the problems Muslims have to deal with in everyday life, particulary, Muslim teenage girls. The heart of this book is the main character Asiya, she is funny, smart and she has a unique voice that shines throughout the book. The humour in this book is absolutely brilliant and that comes from being honest and outspoken about things that are not often talked about in YA like sex and religion. Also, it’s #ownvoices. Here’s my full review.

4 Books on my TBR 

The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi

This is described as a steampunk Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair and I’m so excited. I loved Jumanj (the movie) when I was young and I haven’t read that much steampunk, so those two things definitely have me intrigued about this book. Also, it has a Muslim main character and it’s #ownvoices.

The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain

I only found this book recently and I wanted to included in this list becuase is set in England and I would love to read about the lives of Muslims in different parts of the world. I’m also really excited to read this because it focuses on the lives of 4 different Muslim women that have made different life choices and that want different things, I think it’s gonna be fascinating to read about them. Also, #ownvoices

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

This book talks about arranged marriage, which is a topic I have not read anything about, and I’m quite interested in seeing how it plays out in a contemporary setting. I know it’s gonna revolve around a Muslim family, which is also somethings I’m curious about.  I have heard great things about this book and I can’t wait to read it.  Also, #ownvoices

When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah

This is another one I chose because I want to read about the lives of Muslims in different parts of the world; this is set in Australia. For what I know about this book, When Met Mina is full of political discussions, it adresses racism and imigration and I think those are very important subjets right now, so I’m really excited about reading it. Also, #ownvoices

3 Books Releasing Soon 

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

The main character of this book is an Arab Indian-American hijabi teenager and at the same time she is a book nerd, aspiring photographer, and sometime graphic novelist. I think the main reason I want to read this is that description of the main character. I’m also interested in the fact that it seems like a tightknit Muslim community plays a big role in this book. This is #ownvoices. Release date: June 13th 2017

That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim

This book has a Pakistani-American main character and I have never read a book told from a Pakistani-American perspective, so it’s exciting to be changing that. It seems like this has references to historical events like the Partition of India, which I don’t know much about, so I’m looking forward to learnd about it a little bit. Also, it seems like there’s gonna be discussion about some religion related subjets and I think it’s gonna be fascinating coming from a #ownvoices perspective.  The release date for this one is May 9th 2017.

The City of Brass by S. Chakraborty

I wanted to add this book because is fantasy and recently I have looking for diverse fantasy books to read. There’s a magical Middle Eastern kingdom in this book, it’s set in 18th century Cairo, the main character is a con woman and there’s also a djinn warrior. I don’t know what else to say,  I simply  can’t wait to read this!  The release date is November 14th 2017.  Also, #ownvoices. 

Have you read any of these books? did you enjoy them? Are you planning on reading any of them? Do you have recommendations for books with Muslim main characters? 

Add me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter 

9 Books Monday · bookish list · Diverse Books

9 Books with Bisexual Female Characters

Sofia @ BookishWanderess18 Comments

9 books with bisexual female characters

In this post, I will talk about 9 books with bisexual female main characters: 3 books I have read and loved, 3 books on my tbr and 3 books releasing soon. I haven’t read that many books with bisexual characters, but it’s something that’s important to me and I will definitely be reading more books with bisexual female characters in the future.

3 BOOKS I HAVE READ 

The book that inspired this list is How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake, I think the way in which  Grace’s bisexuality is described in the book feels real and honest and the way her bisexuality is treated and viewed by other characters as something normal is so meaningful. here’s my full review.

I recently read Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee and the main character in this books is not only a bisexual girl, she is also biracial. Sadly, it’s not that easy to find positive representation of a bisexual, biracial girl, so I think this book is so incredibly important.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova is especially important to me, because the main character is not only bisexual, she is latinx like me. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and finding a fantasy book that I can relate to means so much to me.

3 BOOKS ON MY TBR 

I’m so excited to read Keeping her Secret by Sarah Nicolas, it sounds like Parent Trap (the movie with Lindsay Lohan, which I have watched countless times and loved it all of them), but instead of sisters the girls like each other and one of them is bisexual. I think that’s all I need to say about it.

I have heard so many good things about Ash by Malinda Lo from Riley @RileyMarie that I can’t wait to read it. Also, I love retellings and more when the main character in the retelling is bisexual.

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz has a black, bisexual female main character that has an eating disorder.  Finding a book like that it’s so rare that I can’t wait to read it. I’m so happy this book exist.

3 BOOKS RELEASING SOON 

27 Hours by Tristina Wright sounds amazing, the synopsis is great but the fact that it has a bunch of queer teens in space saving the day has me really excited to read it.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate has a bisexual, Asian-American female main character and it has accapela and I’m intrigued by that. I love books where there’s music and I want to see how they incorporate the accapela into the book.

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde sounds amazing, I have heard the representation is spot on and I know it includes not only a bisexual female character, but also positive representation for autism (this is #ownvoices).

Have you read any of these books? did you enjoy them? Are you planning on reading any of them? Do you have recommendations for books with bisexual female characters? 

Add me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter 

bookish list · discussion · How to

How to Get Out of a Blogging Slump

Sofia @ BookishWanderess20 Comments

how-to-get-out-of-a-blogging-slump

A few days ago, I participated in the #BHPChat on Twitter and one of the questions was if we had any tips to get out of a Blogging Slump. A lot of the people participating in the chat tweeted me saying my answer was really helpful or that they agreed with what I said. Today, I decided to share those tips and a few others here on the blog.

1. Change the design of your blog

You can either completely redesign it or just make small changes, depending on how much you like the way your blog looks. The last time I was on a blogging slump, I moved my blog from blogspot to wordpress and completely redesign it and since then I have been super excited to blog and I  have been doing it  more constantly.

Sometimes appearances do matter, if you don’t like the way your blog looks then you may feel less incline to blog. Also, if you feel that the plataform you’re using isn’t working for you then you may also feel less incline to blog (that was my case with blogspot). Sometimes you may love the way your blog looks but it has had the same design since the beginning of time, then that can affect your excitement when blogging as well.

Whatever the reason a new appearance may give you the motivation you need to start blogging again.

2. Visit you favorite blogs 

A lot of the time, the thing that inspires me the most to keep blogging is reading amazing blog posts because I feel the desire to write an amazing blog posts of my own. When I’m on a blogging slump, I visit my favorite blogs and I start to feel motivated to be as good as the bloggers behind it are. It’s not about copying anyone, it’s about wanting to write great post in your own personal way.

3. Write a list of ideas for blog posts

Even when you don’t feel like writing a blog posts, if you write down ideas for things you want to blog about in the future, you are going to start getting excited about them. If you write down, for example, ‘discussion about book bloggers and different types of social media’ in your notebook, bullet journal, a draft on your blog, and then you see a twitter discussion or a booktube video that relates to that or gives you more ideas for that post you want to write, then your gonna get excited about writing it and once that happens, you are gonna be on your way out of a blogging slump.

When we have concrete ideas we want to blog about in the future, it’s easier to find inspiration everywhere we look and then the excitement begins and the blogging slump ends.

4. Get involve with other parts of the community. 

Blogging isn’t the only way to participated in the online book community. If you don’t want to write blog posts, you still can participate in Twitter chats or post pictures on bookstagram. There’s so many other things you can do that are related to books, that way your gonna get excited about talking about books again and, let’s be honest, a lot of time 140 characters or a comment in a photo are not enough and that’s when you start to feel the itch of blogging again.

Also, a lot of the time when you are on Twitter or Instagram you see people talking about their blogs or sharing blog posts and you are going to get jealous (in this case that’s good!) and you are gonna want to have something to share as well. That’s when you start blogging again! Or maybe you won’t get jealous, you will feel sad and nostalgic and you are gonna start to remember how fun blogging was or how proud you were of your blog posts and that way you get out of a blogging slump.

5. Read the blog posts you’re more proud of

Here’s the thing, everyone has that blog post or those blog posts that make us proud, the ones we want to share with everyone or we can’t stop talkng about them, and reading them reminds you of that feeling of being proud and happy because something you blogged about and that feeling is one of the best feelings in the world. Remebering that feeling makes you want to feel it again and that why you get out of a blogging slump.

 That’s it! Those are my 5 tips to get out of a blogging slump.

Have you ever been on a blogging slump? How did you get out of it? Do you have some tips to get out of a blogging slump? 

Follow me on

Goodreads | Bloglovin | Twitter