Waiting on Wednesday (97)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming/recent releases that we seriously can’t wait to read

Here's my pick for the week:

The Other F-Word

by Natasha Friend

Publication Date: March 7, 2017

A fresh, humorous, and timely YA novel about two teens conceived via in vitro fertilization who go in search for answers about their donor.

Milo has two great moms, but he's never known what it's like to have a dad. When Milo's doctor suggests asking his biological father to undergo genetic testing to shed some light on Milo's extreme allergies, he realizes this is a golden opportunity to find the man he's always wondered about. 

Hollis's mom Leigh hasn't been the same since her other mom, Pam, passed away seven years ago. But suddenly, Leigh seems happy—giddy, even—by the thought of reconnecting with Hollis's half-brother Milo. Hollis and Milo were conceived using the same sperm donor. They met once, years ago, before Pam died. 

Now Milo has reached out to Hollis to help him find their donor. Along the way, they locate three other donor siblings, and they discover the true meaning of the other F-word: family.

(Summary from Goodreads)

 This book sounds like a really interesting take on finding family.  I like all the different aspects that seem to be a part of it: having lgbt parents, being fertilized from a donor, having a half-sibling only related to you through said donor, experiencing the loss of a loved one, and discovering who you are in this great big world.

Can't wait to read this one for sure; this is the kind of contemporary book that I am all about!  

What book are you waiting for?

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Visual Inspiration - The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Pictures/Art/Photographs all help me see the books I'm reading.  Often, while I'm online, I stumble upon images that remind me of the book.  These visuals add layers to the stories, and can be used to offer hints to the plot.  So I've decided to put out "Visual Inspirations" in order to spark readers' interests in those books that I love.  Please feel free to join in; hopefully you'll get some new books to read in the process!

If you're a believer in science and in fate, then this book is definitely for you! So without further ado, I give you inspiration this week from:

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository

I went a little different with this one, and did more of a fancasting!  

In my head I totally see the fierce Amandla Stenburg as Natasha (coincidentally, she WILL star in the film adaptation of Nicola's first book Everything, Everything.  I clearly have awesome taste).  She is independent and stands up for what she believes in, which translates to her acting as well.

Then I found the adorable Yeo Jin Goo who is a popular Korean actor.  So while perhaps not going to be cast in an American produced film depending on his skill in English (which can be taught so let's not discriminate here) based on what I've seen of his acting, he is a very emotional actor and would be perfect for Daniel!

Do you all do this, cast actors into the roles of your favorite characters?  And if so, what are some of your fanon favorites you've casted?  Sometimes I can picture people right away, and other times I have to do a little Googling to find the right actor for the role.  But one thing I definitely try and do is pick an actor that is as close to the physical book description as possible.  I think this is especially important with casting for books that have POC characters.  White washing something when there are so many great POC actors is insulting, and pops me completely out of the story.

This book pulled me immediately.  Told from alternating view points with narrator sections mingled in, the voice of these characters is immediate, fresh and real.  I felt invested from the very first page (or in my case, audio cd), and I didn't want to let these characters go at the end.  I have officially, unabashedly, fallen in love with Nicola Yoon and plan to devour her first book, Everything, Everything, immediately!

If you liked this, keep an eye out for more posts and check out my other Visual Inspirations!

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Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices edited by Mitali Perkins [Review]

Title: Open Mic: riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices
Editors(s): Mitali Perkins
Contributors: David Yoo, Gene Yuen Lang, Cherry Cheva, Debbie Rigaud, Varian Johnson, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, G. Neri, Francisco X. Stork, and Naomi Shihab Nye
Edition: Audio, 2 hours 50 minutes/3 discs
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
Source: Library
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository

Using humor as the common denominator, a multicultural cast of YA authors steps up to the mic to share stories touching on race.

Listen in as ten YA authors -- some familiar, some new -- use their own brand of humor to share their stories about growing up between cultures. Henry Choi Lee discovers that pretending to be a tai chi master or a sought-after wiz at math wins him friends for a while -- until it comically backfires. A biracial girl is amused when her dad clears seats for his family on a crowded subway in under a minute flat, simply by sitting quietly in between two uptight white women. Edited by acclaimed author and speaker Mitali Perkins, this collection of fiction and nonfiction uses a mix of styles as diverse as their authors, from laugh-out-loud funny to wry, ironic, or poignant, in prose, poetry, and comic form.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

I am making a pledge this year to read more diverse books, and participate in the 2017 Diverse Reads Book Challenge, so I started it off right by getting a hold of the audiobook of this gem of a collection.  Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices edited by Mitali Perkins has the perfect mix of humor, a little heartache, and a whole lot of strength, capturing the reality of experiences of people trapped between cultures.

There is a mix of fiction and nonfiction; a mix of prose, verse, and graphic within the pages.  But while each entry may be different, the underlaying purpose rings true.  As Perkins writes in her introduction, the purpose is to "...to break down barriers and draw us together across borders.”  And this collection succeeds.  From the romantic, in Cherry Cheva's "Talent Show" to the empowering, in Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich's "Confessions of a Black Geek; from half-way across the world, in G. Neri's "Under Berlin", to one's own house, in Francisco X. Stork's "Brotherly Love" and everything in between the autobiographical feeling of being trapped between two cultures, and the journey to fight against racism and the expectations of each culture is clear.

The audiobook was excellently done, with multiple voice actors doing the readings (a majority of whom are POC as far as I could figure out).  This made it much easier to differentiate between each entry right away, and also brought great character to the stories.  I love that Mitali Perkins narrated her own story, which is about her life.  It gave it just something special to hear her telling her story of being a boy-crazy Indian-American teenager trying to figure out how to "score some points" (read it to find out more!!!!).

I would love to see a Volume 2 come out in 2017, especially with the climate of America the way it is currently.  Diverse books containing stories from the very people represented in them is necessary and so impactful.  Each of these authors are amazing contributors to both the Young Adult and Middle Grade genres, but put them all together and is it amazing!  A great addition to the #ownvoices movement (published ahead of its time) and a necessary book that helps bridge the gap in our country, shining a light on racism and multicultural issues through humor.

Final Rating

Extras

Interview with Mitali Perkins

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Reading Challenges and Me

This year I am only doing ONE reading challenge, and that is the: 

I am doing this one in particular because in 2017 I need to do better as a consumer of books.  

Because I can read even more broadly, 

Because I can take the time to highlight books from diverse genres, cultures, and authors.  

Because I can make sure that the books I read are lifting up communities and accurately reflecting the culture and people within said community. 

Because I can lend my voice to the loud cry to publishers of "These are the books we WANT AND NEED!"  

Because I want to make sure that I showcase books that can reflect all of my readers, not just the white, cisgender, straight ones.  

Because I need to recognize when my favorite books/authors are problematic and why.

Because I want to create a safe space for discovery.  

And because above all I want to learn and grow because I know I'm not near knowledgeable enough.

As an "ally" it's time for me to really start putting my money where my mouth is as much as possible.

With all that said, instead of holding myself to a list of specific books that I cement right now, I will update this post with books I hope to read AND books that I do read, along with the review when finished, so I can keep it as flexible as possible.

I want to be able to discover new books and not feel beholden to a book I might not enjoy.

1. Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices edited by Mitali Perkins - Multiple POC, #ownvoices, ethnic diversity, intersectionality

          Review - 5/5 Stars

2. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - African American POC, Asian POC, #ownvoices, ethnic diversity, deportation

          Review - 5/5 Stars 

3. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older - Latinx POC, ethnic diversity, #ownvoices, mythology, LGBT

          Review - 5/5 Stars

4. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Mental health (Bi-polar), suicide

          Review - 

5. Love & First Sight by Josh Sundquist - Disability (blindness), ethnic diversity

          Review - 4/5 Stars

6. Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez - Grief, abuse, ethnic diversity

          Review - 

7. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon - Indian American POC, #ownvoices, family expectations, ethnic diversity

          Review - 

North of Happy by Adi Alsaid - Latinx POC , #ownvoices

A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouwman - Folktale, intersectionality

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui - Memoir, Asian POC, #ownvoices 

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi - South Asian mythology , #ownvoices

Mirage by Tracy Clark - African American POC, mental illness

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz - Asian POC, #ownvoices, deportation

This Is the Part Where You Laugh by Peter Brown Hoffmeister - Socioeconomic status, drug abuse

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson - LGBT, #ownvoices, suicide

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen - Ethnic diversity, intersectionality, women's rights

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury - Fairytale retelling, Middle Eastern POC

When We Collided by Emery Lord - Mental illness

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp - Ethnic diversity, intersectionality, 

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds - African American POC, #ownvoices, 

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo - LGBT, #ownvoices, trans issues

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera - Latinx POC, GLBT, #ownvoices, suicide

Sula's Voyage by Catherine Torres - Asian POC, mythology, #ownvoices

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B by Teresa Toten - Mental illness

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley - Mental illness, LGBT

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - African American POC, #ownvoices, disability

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst - LGBT, bisexual

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom - Disability (blindness)

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy - LGBT, bisexual, ethnic diversity

So there's my hopeful list.  I'm really excited and encourage all of you to join in too!

The ladies have a great resource list, Diverse Reads 2017 Reading List, that you can check out for recommendations.  Also Naz, over at Read Diverse Books, is holding a reading/reviewing challenge that is also focusing on diverse books (obviously).  So you can hit two challenges with one book AND celebrate diversity in reading!!!

Happy reading everyone!

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Top Books of 2016

Hello everyone!  I know it's been radio silence on this blog, but I HAVE been reading, I promise!  I have read some AMAZING books this year!  Not all of them were published in 2016, but I discovered them in 2016.  

As a fun little round up for the end of the year, I thought I'd list some of my top picks of the books I've read in 2016!

I got to start the list off with the latest book from my favorite author ever!

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book leaves you on a razor's edge keeping you teetering though moments of joy and moments of pain; an uncomfortable journey to be had, but one worth traveling. 

Next up

Half Bad by Sally Green

Like nothing I've read before, this is not the typical "boy discovers he has magic" book.  Harsh and desperate, this world keeps you on your toes as you hope the main character survives.

Next up

George by Alex Gino

Necessary, heartbreaking, inspiring. I hope that this finds its way into the hands of everyone. The struggle that George is going through can open everyone's eyes & see that love is love is love. And that loving yourself is the most difficult step of all, especially when loving yourself might alienate the others you love.

Next up

Wax by Gina Damico

Hilarious and quirky, delivered in a quick-pace, this "waxy" adventure will keep you in stitches the entire time!

Next up is another amazing book by a favorite author

Local Girl Swept Away by Ellen Wittlinger 

An examination of the power people can wield over others and how one event can thoroughly rock the reality of a friendship. Set in the beautiful wilds of Provincetown, the sea and art are just as much characters in this story as the humans.

Next up is the very first audiobook I've ever listened to

Seth Baumgartner's Love Manifesto by Eric Luper

Hilarious and rough, just like being in love is like. Really fun and a quick read. Enjoyable for all those who've experiences the trials and tribulations aid love and so relatable to those just going through it. A perfect main protagonist, you can't help but fall a little in love with Seth Baumgartner!

Next up

Learning to Swear in America by Katie Kennedy

An amazing debut by Katie Kennedy.  Super funny, surprisingly deep--examining the big questions in life: girls, math, and the end of the world!

Next up

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

Powerful story about faith, love, truth, and trust. A robust examination of the walk with faith that LGBTQIA+ individuals deal with every day, and how to be true to yourself and stand up for the love you believe in.

Finally, the last book up

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

this book was beautiful and heartbreaking and inspiring and tremendous. A journey that gives weight to the tragedy of 9/11, and creates a way for everyone, but especially kids who didn't experience it first hand, to connect

Obviously, I read MANY more books than these, and they were all excellent in their own way.  But what each of these particular books had in common was that they all impacted me either through humor, heartache, or insightfulness.  

Let me know what were some of your top books in 2016, and if you've read any of my picks, what you thought, in the comments!

Happy New Year everyone!  Hopefully 2017 will be a fresh start for my blog and reading!

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (Review)

Title: The Raven Boys
Author(s): Maggie Stiefvater
Edition: Audiobook, 11 hours/10 cds
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Source: Library
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Book Depository

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

(Goodreads)

My Opinion

I want to preface this with the fact that I "read" The Raven Boys on audio.  My first foray into audiobooks in fact, which may have not been completely the best idea as Maggie Stiefvater's books tend to be very detailed and complicated.  I would suggest reading a hard-copy of the book because those details and complexity was sometimes overwhelming at times when listening.  And while I realize there are probably a million reviews out there for this book, I think another one won't hurt.

Blue Sargent comes from a family of female physics, but she is the only one without the gift.  Within the town she live in, Marietta, her family witness the crossing of the dead, and each year Blue goes with, never seeing the souls as her family does.  Except for this year, when one soul walks towards her and whispers his name. And Blue is told by her Aunt Neeve: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said.  “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”  (pg. 16 of the hardcover).  This one sentence pretty much sets the tone of the book, and the action takes off.

Rich in detail and mythology, Stiefvater's Marietta is a character in of itself, and seems like a beacon gathering the 5 main characters together.  As with all Stievater books, the mythos within The Raven Boys is rich, pulling from legends existing within the real world.  Each boy, Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah, is multi-layered and complex.  Sometimes you hate them, but more often you love them, much like Blue herself.  With each new turn of the story, you sink deeper and deeper, becoming a part of this quest that Gansey and his fellow Raven Boys are on.  And while this is one quest, you find yourself on a simultaneous journey with Blue, navigating the possible result of her predicted future.

Lyrical, complex, and compelling, The Raven Boys delivers a story steeped in magic, both of the fantastical and the ordinary.  This is sure to pull you in and not let you go!

Final Rating

Book Cover: 5/5 
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 8/10

Overall: 45/50: A

Extras

Book Trailer

Other Books in Series

Photo credit: Maggie Stiefvater

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BLOG TOUR --- USELESS BAY BY M.J. BEAUFRAND [Spotlight + Giveaway]

I love a good mystery, and this one is particularly twisty!  While a quick read, you'll be hooked right away.  Darkly atmospheric, Useless Bay is a great new book from Edgar Award Nominee M.J. Beafrand!

Title: Useless Bay
Author(s): M.J. Beaufrand
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, 240 pages
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: October 18, 2016
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - iBooks - Book Depository

Tour Schedule

 Week One:
10/10/2017 - The Autumn Bookshelf - Interview
10/11/2017 - Zach's YA Reviews - Review
10/12/2017 - The Alchemy of Ink - Review
10/13/2017 - Bean's Bookshelf and Coffee Break - Review
10/14/2017 - Curling Up With A Good Book - Interview

Week Two:
10/17/2017 - Michelle4Laughs: It's in the Details - Excerpt
10/18/2017 - In a bookish world - Excerpt
10/19/2017 - The Bookworm Central - Review
10/20/2017 - Eli to the nth - Spotlight (ME!)
10/21/2017 - Owl Always Be Reading - Excerpt

The Summary

A gritty, psychological thriller about a mythic set of sixteen-year-old quintuplets searching for a young boy, Useless Bay is sure to bring the twists and turns.

On Whidbey Island, the Gray quintuplets are the stuff of legend. Pixie and her brothers have always been bigger and blonder than their neighbors, as if they were birthed from the island itself. Together, they serve as an unofficial search-and-rescue team for the island, saving tourists and locals alike from the forces of wind and sea. But, when a young boy goes missing, the mysteries start to pile up. 

While searching for him, they find his mother’s dead body instead—and realize that something sinister is in their midst. Edgar-nominated author M. J. Beaufrand has crafted another atmospheric thriller with a touch of magical realism that fans of mystery and true crime will devour. 

(Goodreads)

Other Books by Author

                    

                              Dark River                         The Rise & Fall of the Gallivanters

About the Author

Mary Jane grew up in Gresham, Oregon. She’s a graduate of Wellesley College and has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Program. Currently she lives in Seattle with her husband, two children, and dogs. In the eighties she had a bad perm.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway

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