Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Frances Hardinge is an auto buy author for me. However, I enjoy most of her books more on an intellectual level. There have thus far only been two that I have felt a deep full connection to as a reader, A Face Like Glass  and The Lost Conspiracy . Now there are three. Hardinge's most recent release Deeplight  falls into the same category-intellectually and emotionally satisfying with prose that makes my mind sing. Just 50 years ago the people of the Myriad lived lives of fear. They lived in fear of the monstrous sea gods that would occasionally rise from the sea and swallow whole islands of people. Everything changed with the Cataclysm. The gods turned and destroyed each other, and the Myriad learned what peace was. Now enterprising exhibitions dive under the sea to recover pieces of old god to harvest the powerful godware that still carries a range of powers. On the island of Lady's Crave, Hark is an orphan who must use his wits and cunning to survive. His greatest talent...

Jenn Reese's Above World  trilogy is a beloved set of books in this house. My daughter still has all her original copies on her favorite books shelf 8 years later. (One of three series that remained from elementary to high school when others were moved to other rooms as she grew older.) When I discovered a new MG by Reese would be coming out this year, I was so excited. Little did I know the emotional journey in store for me while reading this devastatingly beautiful book. You can try to plan for the Fox. You can save up your cards for him instead of trying to prepare for winter. Many people do. They spend so much time worried about the Fox that they forget about the rest of the game entirely. But remember: you never know when the Fox will appear, or what kind of Fox he will be when he does. And by then it will be too late. Samantha (Sam) has just arrived in Oregon with her sister Caitlyn. They are moving in her with their Aunt Vicky and her wife Hannah fol...

How is everyone doing??? We are hanging in there. We have had various illnesses during this quarantine but none too serious. It's been a huge adjustment for the extroverts I live with for sure. I, despite an abundance of extra time, feel listless. It actually feels harder to get these done. I actually read 12 books this month but most were rereads. I'm having a focus issue right now, so rereads are working better for me. The Favorites of the New Reads: Love Lettering  by Kate Clayborn Sal and Gabi Break the Universe  by Carlos Hernandez Undercover Bromance  by Lyssa Kay Adams January in Numbers: Total: 12 New: 4           Rereads: 8 MG: 1             YA:  1             Adult: 10 Contemporary: 2 Historical: 9 Fantasy: 0 Science-Fiction: 1 Non-Fiction: 0 April has a couple of releases I'm really looking forward to, so hopefully my focus and attention span will retu...

I take the 2nd Friday of every month to highlight some upcoming releases I am looking forward to that I hope are Future Favorites. Feel free to do your own post, just please link back to my blog and tell me about your post in the comments. Can I tell you how much I loved Well Met ???? It was A LOT. A lot a lot. I was so excited to discover it would have a sequel. I'm loving the cover and the synopsis. CANNOT WAIT!!!! Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One. When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summe...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Books with One Word Titles I was almost not going to do this one, but I decided to look through my favorites shelf and realized I loved a lot of really great books with one word titles that I haven't talked about in a while. This seemed the perfect opportunity. \ This is an entire trilogy with one word titles. They are all amazing. This is an entire trilogy full of one word titles that is a favorite, AND it has a spinoff series of one word titles that is equally good. Read them all.

I got a lot of reading in this month, but I only had one truly favorite new read of February. The Favorite: February in Numbers: Total: 13 New:  7            Rereads:  6 MG:  2           YA:   3            Adult:  8 Contemporary: 5 Historical:  6 Fantasy: 2 Science-Fiction: 0 Non-Fiction: 0 DNFs: By the Book We See the Sky Sparkling Would Like to Meet Here are some of the March releases I'm looking forward to:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Characters I'd Follow On Social Media I love this topic. I actually have my students create social media pages for characters for extra credit assignments, so I've always thought this was fun to think about. It actually really requires some character analysis to do well. Which social media fits this character's personality? What would they post about? How much of their inner lives would they share? Here are the characters I would follow, where I would follow them, and why: Lizzie Bennet on Tumblr because you know her blog would be a beautiful mix of nerdy fangirl thoughtfulness and feminist manifestos. I love following people like that. Darcy on Twitter: He would use it rarely, but when he did, it would be to the point and oh so entertaining. Amy March on Instagram because it would be beautifully aesthetic, and...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Last 10 Books That Gave Me a Book Hangover There is no better feeling in the world than that of a good book hangover. Unfortunately, it is a feeling I've experienced less and less in the past few years, though I'm hoping a turnaround is nigh. The first three books on this list I've read in 2020. Even if they were mild hangovers, the feeling being back is still exciting. In Order of Recency: Wow, compiling this list forced me to remember the Dark Reading Time of 2018. I knew it was bad while it was happening, but going back and looking at the stats was kind of shock. And there are zero books from that year on this list. And I want to take this time to give a shoutout to the book that caused the most epic book hangover of my life. It lasted for WEEKS, and the first few days I was completely usel...

I take the 2nd Friday of every month to highlight some upcoming releases I am looking forward to that I hope are Future Favorites. Feel free to do your own post, just please link back to my blog and tell me about your post in the comments. I JUST read The Bromance Book Club  a couple of weeks ago and FELL IN LOVE. I fell in love with the concept and the characters and the tackling of hard issues. Since both the protagonists of the sequel were introduced in the most delightful ways, I am so excited that I don't have to wait too long for it. Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a sous chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef. Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic ...

I take the 2nd Friday of every month to highlight some upcoming releases I am looking forward to that I hope are Future Favorites. Feel free to do your own post, just please link back to my blog and tell me about your post in the comments. Frances Hardinge has a new book coming out this year!!!!! The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him? Release Date: April 14, 2020 from Amulet Books Goodreads I've been waiting for this ever since I read There...

Here are my reading stats for the last month of 2019. Look at all those new reads! (See what three weeks off of school with nowhere to go can do!) December Favorites: Total Reads: 8 (7 new, 1 reread) MG: 2 YA: 2 Adult: 4 Contemporary: 5 Historical: 1 Fantasy: 2 Looking forward to January, here are the releases I'm most anticipating: How was everyone else's reading month? What are you looking forward to reading in January?

The Top Ten No Matter Age Category: Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Keirnan The Faithful Spy   by John Hendrix The Lost Girl  by Anne Ursu Lovely War  by Julie Berry On the Come Up  by Angie Thomas The Princess Who Flew with Dragons   by Stephanie Burgis Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George Spinning Silver  by Naomi Novik There's Something about Sweetie  by Sandhya Menon Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind them All  by Laura Ruby Top MG: Top YA: Top Adult: Top Non-Fiction: