Random Musings of a Bibliophile

Shorter musings of some recent reads. The Education of Margot Sanchez  by Lilliam Rivera Margot's voice is perfectly teen. She is self-absorbed yet open to learning more about the world around her. She is consumed by petty goals and desires yet has a real desperate need to figure out what she's truly meant to do and live for. She is both shallow and deep. She is incredibly real and the situations she finds herself in are very much typical teen problems. The cover makes this book seem like it might be edgier than it actually is. Margot's family has some serious problems, and part of her journey is learning to navigate those as well as her own social circle's dramas. It all comes together very well. Highly recommended. The Star Touched Queen  by Roshani Chokshi I was pulled into the beginning of this one. I enjoyed Maya as a main character and found myself really looking forward to her journey and the use of Indian folklore and mythology. The middle got to be a bit ...

Since Waiting on Wednesday is no longer linking, I am starting my own feature that I will probably do once a month to highlight 1-3 upcoming releases I'm excited for. If you are interested in joining me for this, let me know and I can make it more formal with a linky and an actual schedule.  This is technically an ALREADY favorite, but I feel like I haven't done enough to bring attention to the fact that  A Face Like Glass  FINALLY has a US release date. This is my favorite Hardinge novel and I've never been able to figure out why it is the one book she's written not available here. Well fear not Americans, as of May, you can easily procure a copy.  In the underground city of Caverna, the world’s most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare—wines that remove memories, cheeses that make you hallucinate, and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. On the surface, the people...

Top Ten Tuesday  is a Meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish This week's TTT topic: Most Unique Books I've Read All of these fall under the umbrella of Speculative Fiction, and for most of them their uniqueness lies in their world-building.  What unique books are your favorites?

Here are some shorter musings of recent reads. Clayton Byrd Goes Underground  by Rita Williams Garcia Clayton is an excellent main character. He is grieving the death of his grandfather and trying to navigate all those emotions while his mom is dealing with it in exactly the opposite way he needs. The inter-generational struggles here and how we carry the baggage of disappointing relationships into new ones is explored in a way that the target audience can take in. I think this could have been a truly extraordinary book, but (and I can't believe I'm saying this) it was too short. The last quarter of the book is packed with too much action and emotion with a rushed resolution that fives the reader no time to process it. Crushing It  by Joanne Levy This is a fun, lighthearted romantic MG read. Yes. Romantic. MG readers often want those too and this is perfect for the age range. It is a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, which the audience isn't going to know or care about...