Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly discussion hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl (and formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), and this week’s topic is “Books on My Wishlist”! There’s an Amazon link below to my wishlist, but absolutely do not feel obligated to purchase anything for me! These also in no particular order, just in the order I found them through my Goodreads to-read list.
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid– So many fairy tale and myth retellings are coming out, and I’ve seen such good things about this!
Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian – Give me all of the Arthurian revisits, especially about the female characters.
Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen – I keep looking at this at the bookstore, and the cover is so pretty that I want to own a physical copy!
Son of the Storm by Suyi Davis Okungbowa – Everything in Orbit’s pipeline lately has been and looks incredible, and this is no exception.
The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu – I love books about books/libraries, and this looks delightfully spooky.
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – This keeps catching my attention every time I go to the bookstore and see it on Instagram, and I’m totally digging these Greek mythology retellings.
Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell – This keeps being touted as Finn/Poe-esque, and tbh I want it for that reason alone.
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo – A The Great Gatsby retelling from the perspective of Jordan??? I’ve been wanting to read this ever since it was announced.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan – This is another one I’ve been hearing so much about and it just looks amazing.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim – Aside from this cover being one of the most beautiful, striking covers I’ve seen in a while, the story sounds incredible too.
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly discussion hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl (and formerly hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), and last week’s topic (that I’m doing this week instead) is “Books on my Summer TBR” and all of these are books I currently have with me in my car or on my Kindle. I read exactly ZERO of my spring books, but to be fair I also moved and probably packed half of them in a hurry. I should call these possibility piles because set TBRs don’t always work for me, but when I’m sitting there wondering what to read, having this list put out there in the world is a great reference and starting point for me.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala – I saw this on a table and on a couple of Instagram posts, and it looks like the perfect summer cozy mystery!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I have enjoyed all of Reid’s recent releases, so I’m sure I will love this one!! I also want to knock out her backlist prior to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but first things first!
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto – I love everything about this cover and the premise, and I hope it’s an alphabet series!
The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley – Let’s be real, I just need some historical romance fluff to balance out this current chaos.
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth – This was sent to me by HMH (thank you!!!) and I’m very interested in the premise! I enjoyed the Divergent series, didn’t quite enjoy what came next, but I’m looking forward to reading Roth’s foray into adult fiction!
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan – Access to this was included as part of me being a bookseller, and I’m always in the mood to try some new fantasy even though I’m terrible at keeping up with series. However, this one looks gritty and something to balance out everything else I’m reading and wanting to read!
Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia – Listen, I am in the mood for mysteries and thrillers, probably because they are pageturner likelihoods and I desperately need those, but the cover of this initially caught my attention and then it being queer??? YES thank you.
Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler – I just need more Anne of Green Gables in my life, and this contemporary romance retelling set in New York has already ticked off a lot of my yay boxes.
The Ninth Metal by Benjamin Percy – Something about the cover and the premise caught my attention, and everything I’ve heard about this weird sci-fi has been good things!
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston – This has been on my radar since it was announced but then I recently found out that it’s kind of a reinvention of Kate & Leopold which is one of my favorite movies???
Lara's had eyes for exactly one person throughout her three years of high school: Chase Harding. He's tall, strong, sweet, a football star, and frankly, stupid hot. Oh, and he's talking to her now. On purpose and everything. Maybe...flirting, even? No, wait, he's definitely flirting, which is pretty much the sum of everything Lara's wanted out of life.
Except she’s haunted by a memory. A memory of a confusing, romantic, strangely perfect summer spent with a girl named Jasmine. A memory that becomes a confusing, disorienting present when Jasmine herself walks through the front doors of the school to see Lara and Chase chatting it up in front of the lockers.
Lara has everything she ever wanted: a tight-knit group of friends, a job that borders on cool, and Chase, the boy of her literal dreams. But if she's finally got the guy, why can't she stop thinking about the girl?
Cool for the Summer is a story of self-discovery and new love. It’s about the things we want and the things we need. And it’s about the people who will let us be who we are.
I don’t read many contemporary YA romances, but the fact that this is a BI YA romance is what caught my attention. Cool for the Summer is utterly adorable, deftly handling what it means to be a teenage girl navigating the confusion surrounding her bisexuality. This is the kind of book I probably needed as a teenager, and I’m glad to have read it now.
The title comes from Demi Lovato’s song which makes an appearance in the book, and I think it suits the theme of the book so well. I am also just a sucker for song title books. Cool for the Summer also felt a little like a classic summer teen movie, with a lot of nods to Grease. The connections Lara had with both Chase and Jasmine were real and believable, and as a reader, I didn’t know which one she’d end up choosing in the end. Lara’s forever crush Chase finally notices here the summer after Jasmine, and I loved the reflection Lara has when making her decision in the end. It felt so true, heartbreaking, and exhilarating all at once. I think the only thing that stuck out to me was the one who wasn’t chosen’s reaction once Lara made her decision. It felt like an easy acceptance, but in reality, I don’t know if Lara would be let off the hook that easily or without more indepth explanation. Not that the person needed the explanation because it’s ultimately Lara’s choice, but for the reader it might have brought more closure and understanding.
Overall, this is a super cute book and one I wished I had when I was younger. If you’re looking for a cute summery YA romance to read, definitely look into this one.
Thank you, Wednesday Books for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
I moved and I’m starting my new job at the end of the month! Until then, I’m going to be hanging out with friends and doing a little DoorDash to fill up time and make some money. I’m also hoping to transfer into the local BN soon part time also, but I’m so excited about this new adventure.
CURRENTLY READING
I FINALLY finished reading The People’s History of the United States, and while I’m currently still picking at The Agitators and The Big Book of Science Fiction, I feel like I’m finally making progress through some of the chunkier reads on my TBR. I’m listening to The Diviners again because I used my Audible credits to pick up the entire series once the final book came out. I love the narrator so much and think she does such a great job bringing this story to life, and I’m going to continue reading (rereading because I’ve read the first three!! But it’s been long enough that I want to revisit the entire series). It’s nice to listen to a book while writing out blog posts or playing a video game. The Helm of Midnight looked like a fantastic read, so I decided to borrow the ebook from the library. Beach Read was something I bought last year, and I wanted to read this before I read Emily Henry’s latest release.
⌛️ The Helm of Midnight – Marina Lostetter (15%)
🎧 The Diviners – Libba Bray, narrated by January LaVoy
📚 Beach Read – Emily Henry
📓 The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought For Abolition and Women’s Rights – Dorothy Wickenden (6%; thank you, Scribner Books!)
📚 The Big Book of Science Fiction – edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (32%)
FINISHED READING
I read eight books in April and nine books in May, both pretty good numbers considering I worked and prepared to move myself across the country in that span of time. I reread Once Upon a Dream because I remember DNFing it when I first read it and wanted to give it and the series another go. I’ve realized Braswell’s writing might not be for me, but I’m curious about the other titles written by other people. I reread the Shadow and Bone trilogy before the Netflix show released, and I enjoyed revisiting the Grishaverse! Malice is a wonderful start to a duology that retells and queers the story of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent. This is the year of revisiting familiar and favorite stories because I’ve also decided to take on a full reread of Tolkien’s work, especially adding in the works I either haven’t touched since I was fourteen/fifteen or works I haven’t begun to start reading! The Other Black Girl is an amazing Get Out-esque glimpse into the world of publishing, and it feels like the book of the summer.
Astrid Sees All – Natalie Standiford
Composite Creatures – Caroline Hardaker
I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories Kim Bo-Young
⌛️ Once Upon a Dream – Liz Braswell (3/5 stars)
📚 A People’s History of the United States – Howard Zinn (3.5/5 stars)
📓 Astrid Sees All – Natalie Standiford (3.5/5 stars, thank you Atria!)
📓 Composite Creatures – Caroline Hardaker (4/5 stars, thank you Angry Robot!)
📓 I’m Waiting for You and Other Stories – Kim Bo-Young (4.5/5 stars, thank you Harper Voyager!)
📚 Shadow and Bone – Leigh Bardugo (4/5 stars)
📚 Three Japanese Short Stories – Akutagawa and Others (3/5 stars)
📚 The Custard Heart – Dorothy Parker (3/5 stars)
📚 Siege and Storm – Leigh Bardugo (4/5 stars)
📚 Waiting for a Scot Like You – Eva Leigh (3.5/5 stars)
📚 The Wallflower Wager – Tessa Dare (3.5/5 stars)
📚 Malice – Heather Walker (4.5/5 stars)
📚 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien (5/5 stars)
⌛️ Finlay Donovan is Killing It – Elle Cosimano (3.5/5 stars)
⌛️ Come As You Are – Emily Nagoski (4/5 stars)
📓 The Other Black Girl – Zakiya Dalila Harris (5/5 stars, thank you Atria!)
ON THE HORIZON
The last couple of months were weird reading months for me, so I didn’t read any of the five I picked to read for April, but these are five I have immediately on my Kindle to read from the library or I specifically packed them to take with me in my car on my drive out!!
📚 Arsenic and Adobo – Mia P. Manansala
⌛️ Bring Me Their Hearts – Sara Wolf
📚 Dial A for Aunties – Jesse Q. Sutanto
📚 The Duke Heist – Erica Ridley
⌛️ The Siren – Katherine St. John
WHAT I ACQUIRED
I was very good on book purchases!!! More than I probably should have bought, but these five excite me the most.
📚 Anne of Manhattan – Brina Starler
📚 One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston
📚 People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry
💾 Burning Roses – S.L. Huang
💾 The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water – Zen Cho
ON SCREEN
GAMING: I bought Pokemon Snap and have played it a little bit (not a whole lot of time to waste on video games during a move)!
TV: I’ve watched most of Shadow of Bone, I really enjoyed Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki so far seems like a treat!
MOVIES: Cruella was fun and Raya and the Last Dragon was adorable.
PERSONAL
It’s so great to feel like I’m back home and around all of my friends again! I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the year will bring, because it’s sure to be an adventure!
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