Random Musings of a Bibliophile

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: Favorites Books Published in the Last 10 Years (One for Each Year) 2009  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Here are some shorter musings on some recent MG realistic fiction reads. The Bridge Home  by Padma Venkatraman I really don't know what to rate this. This is well-written and for such a short, easy read packs quite the emotional wallop. This is a contemporary story of two sisters in India who run away from their abusive father and have to survive on the streets of a big city. They are homeless and spend their days scavenging through trash for anything that might bring a little money. They meet two young boys, and the four children quickly form a family. They will do anything to protect each other. The story is told through the point of view of Viji, the younger sister. This might have blown me away, but for one major spoiler. That element that packs the emotional wallop. I think the author had the best of intentions with what she was doing and much of that is done so well. But at the same time I'm...uncomfortable enough with this element to not feel confident in recommending...

Begone the Raggedy Witches  by Celine Kiernan is a 2018 release that wasn't on my radar at all until I saw it reviewed by several friends in a short span of time. The reviews were all stellar, and the reviewers of such similar reading tastes to mine that I bought the book since my library didn't have it. Well, I finally got around to reading it, and I have zero regrets and a lot of love for this amazing new MG fantasy trilogy. "Fear is a very effective weapon," said Fírinne softly. "And the queen uses it to its fullest capacity. Eventually we become anything she wants us to be, just so she'll leave us alone. But I don't want to live like that anymore. I don't want to go on forgetting that in my youth I danced colour up out of the  ground and sang the stars ashiver, just for the joy of it."  Mup has always lived a fairly well ordered life because she follows her Aunty's rules to the letter. What Aunty says to do, must be done. Aunty always...

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. Thanhha Lai has a YA novel coming out!!!! I don't feel like there is much to add to my excitement here. In the final days of the Viet Nam War, twelve-year-old Hang took her brother, Linh, to the airport, desperate for them to be brought to America. In a split second, Linh was taken—and Hang was left behind. Six years later, she endures a horrifying escape from Viet Nam and arrives in Texas as a refugee, where LeeRoy, a city boy with rodeo dreams, helps her find the brother she thought she’d lost. But Hang’s heart is shattered all over again when she learns that Linh doesn’t remember her at all. The distance between them feels greater than ever—but she’ll do anything to bridge the gap Release Dat: September 3, 2019 from H...

Here are some shorter musings on some recent YA realistic fiction reads. American Panda   by Gloria Chao I bumped this up my TBR list after seeing several really favorable reviews for it in a row. I'm so glad I did. This is an excellent story of the child of immigrants trying to find her place in the world. Mei struggles with how to be herself and the perfect, obedient daughter her parents expect her to be. They have already officially disowned her brother. Mei's journey is one of self-discovery, which is interesting since it is advertised as more fluffy and more of a romance that it truly is. (There is a romance, but it is definitely not the central relationship in the book.) I really loved how much this story was about Mei's relationship with her mom and the complications of relating to each other. Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss   by Kasie West I enjoyed this as the quick, fluffy read it is intended to be. Kasie West is the ultimate at YA romance that is perfect for...

April was another good month. I'm so happy to have my reading mojo back this year! April Favorites: *whisper shouts* Everyone read Spinning Silver . Seriously. April in Numbers: New Reads: 9 Rereads: 1 MG: 3 YA: 2 Adult: 5 Fiction: 10 Non-Fiction: 0 Realistic Fiction: 5 Fantasy/Sci-Fi: 5 And onto May! A month that is filled with more stuff than December in terms of events and celebrations. Here's hoping I can find time to read too. May has so many cute looking romcom releases I'm looking forward to. Just perfect for June vacation reading! There is also the obligatory TBR shelf pic. If you are noticing that the shelf has even more books, it's because all my summer book club titles are on there now too. Have you ready any books that recently that are new favorites? What are you looking forward to reading?