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Author Highlight: Julie Murphy
This bold and body-positive author always manages to hit the right note in her YA novels of being true to you no matter your size or sexuality.
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New Year, New Books
Happy 2023 everybody! Hopefully this year will be more positive than the last. Not that we can control the events of the world but the decisions we do control, try to choose one of kindess and respect to others.
Now off my metaphorical soap box, what new books am I eager to read? And for the few who are following, eager to read my thoughts on these books.
Well some new (well new to me. They’ve been out quite a while) books that I plan to read are Julie Murphey’s books. I saw the netflix movie version of her book, Dumplin which was entertaining enough. And as we all know the book is almost always better than the movie so now I’m going to check that out as well as her other YAs that seem to follow similar themes of identity, body positivity, pagents etc. Puddin and Pumpkin. This should be fun as I already like her romance, If the Shoe Fits.
I will also be reading Sandya Menon’s Dimple Meets Rishi series since I’ve only heard good things about that.
I’ll finally get into The Rose Years series since I finally finished Little House on the Prarie. I can’t wait since I do enjoy the turn of the 19th-20th centuries.
In the YA fantasy vein, I will be getting to the Beautiful Creatures quartet by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (I know I read the sequel series first and skimmed the original, but come on! Villains are so much more interesting) and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy (yes another bad bad reader mark for me, I only saw the movies).
In romance I plan to get to Eloisa James’ Desperate Duchesses series and maybe a Tessa Dare or Sabrina Jeffries series since I’ve heard conflicting reviews of how good their romances are.
And I’ll be rereading some old favorites like Ruditis’ Drama! and Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Calonita. As well as Cabot’s Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls. It’s been like 14 years since I read that series, let’s see if it still holds up. Additionally, I’m eager to get back into Sam Ellis’ nonfiction again.
In the reread section, I also plan on getting to finish my Princess Diaries reread and start Nancy Drew, Warriors and the American Girl series (I’m only 6 away from finishing my collection. 6!!!). Not to mention the School of Good and Evil of which I read the first trilogy when I was little and though I forgot most of it, still mindboggled at how badly Netflix butchered it. Plus the second trilogy will be an new adventure for me.
As for actual new releases, I will be getting to that too. Ana Maria and the Fox is coming out this month as well as the lates Twisted Tale by Lim and the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series. Not to mention the final books for Clare’s The Eldest Curses and The Last Hours trilogies.
Comics-wise, I’m interested in the latest Avatar tale, Azula Alone as well as getting into Fables and Empowered but first I will see if they’re available through the library loan.
That’s all the plans I have for now. Drop a comment if there’s a book you think I should get to or any other suggestions. Happy New Year!
#alliefinklesrulesforgirls, #anamariaandthefox, #avatarthelastairbender, #beautifulcreatures, #darkascension, #desperateduchesses, #dimplemeetsrishi, #disneyvillains, #drama!, #dumplin, #empowered, #fables, #fantasy, #hungergames, #nancydrew, #newyearnewreads, #puddin, #pumpkin, #rachelreads&reviews, #realisticfiction, #secretsofmyhollywoodlife, #theeldestcurses, #thelasthours, #theprincessdiaries, #theroseyears, #twistedtales, #warriors, #YA -
Reading Log 2022
Well I feel pretty proud of myself this year from starting up this blog, getting up to 292 posts (woot woot) and being able to interview at leat 20 authors I admired. It has been a pretty good
Now this list is a list of books I read from cover to cover, including acknowledgements. Each period read. Which isn’t to say I didn’t read the other books I have written about, but it was more getting the gist of the story rather than intense concentration.
I’ll admit I did not start this year documenting my reading. Heck, I hadn’t started this year planning this boo blog. I only started this list around school time as this blog provided a helpful list of everything I read and since I was around 276 or something I decided to make a goal of reading 365 books. One for every day of the year. And when I surpassed that, my new goal was 400 and when I surpassed that, 500! And I did it! Sure, some may not count all the comics since they’re quicker to read but this is my blog and I do. I split it into several sections, YA, adult, nonfiction, Archie Comics, comics and so on. Here we go!
(more…)#ababybookforwillybobthesquirrel, #acarribeanheiressinparis, #amatchmadeinmehendi, #americanpanda, #archieamericana, #archiecomics, #artofavatar, #artofkorra, #artoftheanimatedseries, #awrinkleintime, #balletshoes, #beastboy, #beastboylovesraven, #beautyqueens, #becauseIwasagirl, #betty&veronica:senioryear, #bettyandveronica:thebondoffriendship, #bettyandveronica:vixens, #bigmoose, #blackgirlsrock, #bloodyjackadventures, #bobbiefayesveryveryveryverybadday, #bookofmormon, #boxers, #boyseries, #bravely, #browngirldreaming, #camp, #catroyaladventures, #channelkindness, #chillingadventuresinsorcery, #chillingadventuresofsalem, #concreterose, #confessionsofaslightlyneurotichitwoman, #constantine:distortedillusions, #cosmothemightymartian, #covertaffairs, #crazyhorse'sgirlfriend, #dangerouscreatures, #dccomicbombshells, #dccomics, #dcink, #dearjusticeleague, #dickgraysonandthelostcarnival, #don'taskmewherei'mfrom, #dorkdiaries, #ellaenchanted, #emmieandfriends, #extraordinarymothersanddaughters, #fantasy, #fearthefunhouse, #fierceyoungawesome, #flipthescript, #forever, #fruitsbasket, #fruitsbasketanother, #fulldisclosure, #gamoraandnebula, #geekgirl'sguidetocheerleading#shutin, #gildedagegirlsclub, #girlsoflighthouselane, #girlswhogreentheworld, #girlswhoruntheworld, #girlwhorodeashark, #grandesdreamers, #graphicnovels, #grishaverse, #groundbreakingguys, #harrietthespy, #hattiebigsky, #hattieeverafter, #heartsunbroken, #heroesformydaughter, #heykiddo, #historicalfiction, #honorgirl, #hudaf.areyou?, #i'llbetheone, #iamnotalabel, #immigrantstoriesforrebelgirls, #inheritance, #inuyasha, #jackofhearts, #jinx, #jinx'sgrimmfairytales, #josieandthepussycats, #josieandthepussycatsinspace, #jughead, #jughead'stimepolice, #kataraandthepiratetreasure, #kidgloves, #kiki'sdeliveryservice, #kpopconfidential, #kpoprevolution, #lawbreakingladies, #legendofkorra, #littlehouseontheprarie, #littlepinkpup, #loki, #longlivethepumpkinqueen, #loreolympus, #loyalleague, #lumberjanes, #martitaIrememberyou, #marypoppins, #meangirls, #megjobethandamy, #misfitinlove, #modernherstory, #monsterhigh, #mymostexcellentyear, #natashapierreandthegreatcometof1812, #nativewomenchangingtheirworlds, #nexttimewillbedifferent, #noisemakers, #notablenatives, #nuestraamerica, #offtherecord, #onceuponatoad, #onewoman'sjunk, #onthecomeup, #paperbacksfromhell, #parisdaillencourtisabouttocrumble, #piercingittogether, #plainjanes, #poisonivy:thorns, #powerinnumbers, #prettylittleliars, #princceofsongandsea, #princessacademy, #rachelreads&reviews, #radgirlsatoz, #rainatelgemeier, #rainofghosts, #raisingthehorseman, #raven, #realfriends, #realisticfiction, #realitycheck, #reggieandme, #revolutionarywomen, #ruinsofanempire, #rupikaur, #s.a.s.s., #sabrina'sanniversaryspecial, #sabrinatheteenagewitch, #saints, #saintsandmisfits, #sherepresent, #sincerely, #sleepawaygirls, #smithhigh, #somethingnew, #songofthelioness, #spiritsofashandfoam, #stupidcupidtrilogy, #supermansmashestheklan, #takethemonkeysandrun, #thearchieencyclopeda, #thearchies, #theavatarchronicles, #thebestarchiecomicever, #thecuckoosister, #thedirtybookclub, #thegoodmaster, #thehateugive, #thehathaways, #thehollywoodsisters, #thehouseofspirits, #theinheritanceoforquideadivina, #themagicofsabrinatheteenagewitch, #themagicwithin, #themotherdaughterbookclub, #themysteriousbenedictsociety, #theolympians, #theperfectionists, #thepretenders, #theradicalelement, #theshadowhunterchronicles, #thesisterhoodofthetravelingpants, #thetaleofdespereaux, #theturners, #thriller, #thrillseekers, #tigerthemonarchbutterfly, #travelogue, #turfwars, #turnitup, #twistedtales, #twitches, #tyrannyofpetticoats, #unscripted, #unsungheroinesoftheholocaust, #w.i.t.c.h., #wearedisplaced, #wearehere, #weirdermysteries, #whenyougetthechance, #wherestarsarescattered, #whodiditfirst, #witthefireonhigh, #womenwhodare, #wonderfulwomenoftheworld, #xmenevolution, #YA, #yaquidelgadowantstokickyourass, #yearoftherabbit, #youngjustice, #youngsalem, #zatanna:thejewelofgravesend -
Superduck Review
Tieri and Flynn bring Superduck to the 21st century as part of Archie Comics’ general reboot of all its properties and what a reboot it was! The original Superduck harbors a lot of similarities to Donald Duck being hotheaded avians with hen-pecking girlfriends and mischievous nephews. However, Superduck gains his powers from biting super vitamins that allow him to be the cock-eyed wonder and champion of Ducktropolis. Though some of the messes are of his own making as well.
Anyway, this reboot is not for kids as the original was. Innuendo and cursing abound as it has its fun lampooning cliche villain tropes and leaning into the Donald Duck confusion. The villain is even named Dapper Duck, a scheming captalistic money-monger that hates the poor and charges old ladies for crossing the street.
However, after a brutal fight with a giant robot, Super Duck passes out and recieves the fatal diagnosis that those super vitamins have been slowly killing him while he basked in his industrictble feats.
It’s quite fun but unfortunately cancelled after this one issue so one will never how Super Duck deals with this downgrade in life nor the rich Scottish uncle who is going to help him (no it’s not Scrooge as many are expecting). Too bad, I wanted to see more, maybe a gofundme campaign will get their attention.
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Winter Books
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Someone said that this was like a modern Bridget Jones Diary but I’d say this was a bit deeper than that.
Yes, the titular Queenie does have a bonkers love life and sometimes she doesn’t know how to put the oven on and her personal and business life cna get messy but it’s also has the hard edges of a dysfunctional family, microaggresive work collegues and a clear drinking problem.
Living as a black woman anywhere is tough and highlights that portraying Queenie’s stress and sometimes feelings of paranoia that no one else will support her or just get that she isn’t acting out or out of control, she’s hurting. Some of this comes from her immigrant background that is peeled back layer by layer, granting more insight to Queenie’s issues which. . .
Well that would be a spoiler so I just say, this isn’t your average chick fic. You can still sip a glass of wine but you’ll also appreciate the nuance and complexitiy woven into this tale.
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
Now this is the book I wanted to read during Halloween. Vera’s home is haunted by monsters but Bailey keeps things off-kilter as readers will wonder if this monster is a beast or a human or some freightening possession of the two concocted by the house.
You see, Vera’s old home was the resting places for the many victims her beloved father killed. Her father may be gone but the secrets linger as a new parasitic man enters the house only adding to its sinister atmosphere. And it’s up to Vera to tackle its secrets although Vera may not be so pure herself.
I was kept guessing the whole time and if you love those gothic horrors that combine gore with domestic abuse as an echo of real life horror that vampires cannot give, then you’ll enjoy this old haunted house of a novel.
Ariadne and Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Since I so enjoyed Miller’s take on Achilles and Circe’s mythologies, I immediately jumped to another classicist turned author, Jennifer Saint. Here she brings the women’s roles in mythology to the light and revels in the sorrow and horrow of mortals living among gods and monsters. And sometimes you don’t know which is which.
Ariadne would be better titled Ariadne and Phaedra as this is a story about sisters. I believe most know the myth of the minotaur but you may have missed that Theseus’ story did not end there. He may have taken Ariadne away from Minos but he did not wed her. Rather he abandoned her on a island where she would have rotted to death if not for Dionysus. Yes, Theseus is one of the most monsterous of Posidon’s children (Guess which author I’m quoting there!)
Not only does Saint explore Ariadne’s feelings of abandonment as well as how swept she was when she initially meets Theseus but expands on the entire minos family. There’s Queen Paispha in a rare depiction of her as a grieving lost mother than evil witch. Ariadne dispairs of her mother’s weak grasp on reality and her father’s cruelty, finding solance and comfort with her younger sister, Phaedra who is the only one who understands their life in a loveless palace. But Phaendra falls for Theseus too and she’s the one to wed him when he returns to Minos, telling her that Ariadne is dead. Yep, a man splits the sisters a part but not in the usual tropy way. Both feel guilty as Ariadne believes this is punishment for leaving her sister and Phaedra feels guilty for ever wishing Ariadne gone so she may have the prince.
I won’t spoil how things get resolved between them but men as monsters is a reoccurring theme in this book and the next. For as Ariadne finds solace and healing from the god of revelry, the most human of the Olympians as a demigod, she also finds that the vulnerabilities that attracted her to him in the first place have their limits as he grows into his godly power and his madness (bonus that she depicts the Dionysian rites!). Once more she wonders if she will ever find a home again.
There were a few things that threw me off. But perhaps it can be filed under artistic license so maybe these are nitpicks but for some reason she has Dionysus’ former lover, Amphelos be a mortal boy instead of a mortal satyr. Don’t know why she made that change exactly as the result would be the same for he and Ariadne to have a conversation about godly views on mortality. Also I understand her choice to make Paispha more sympathetic as the view of her as a heinous witch could be Ancient Greek mysigny (They are the ones who give Hera a bad rep after all even though she was well beloved by the female population), it also felt like it was weakening her since she made no mention of her powers and relation to the equally powerful Circe.
As for Elektra, once again, it’s more than Elektra’s story. It’s the story of three women in the midst of the Trojan War. Clytmnestra, Cassandra and Elektra. Clytmnestra is the wife of Agamon one of the great victors of the Greeks and Elektra is their daughter. Cassandra is the doomed oracle of Troy who fortells their destruction but is unable to convince anyone of her prophacy. Honestly, Clytmnestra is the protagonist of this piece but I suppose everyone knows Elektra better for the whole Elektra complex. Don’t worry, Saint does show harrowing scenes of rape, murder and sacrifice but she doesn’t go so far as incest. Well maybe some light imaginings. But Elektra is more of a Daddy’s girl than a Daddy’s lover here as she has been kept in the dark of her father’s more monsterous deeds and fully believe in the propoganda of his glory.
Clytmnestra knows better as she comes in close contact with the curse of Agamom’s family line. A curse that hurts her more directly than Agamom when he kills her daughter. A women scorned. . . No a mother losing her child is the worst sort of enemy as Agamom is about to find out. Meanwhile Cassandra’s POV is heartbreaking as you know how her story will end with the destruction of her city and her family so it’s harrowing to see her repeated attempts to save the world she knows.
Like Miller, Saint does a grand job in creating a scale of epicness befitting the source material, expounding on themes such as mortality, pride, glory and familial legacy as Greeks had contextualized through the world. The gods are appropriately human yet unknowable. The women are fully realized as not props to their husbands but women trying to survive in a man’s world and coming to terms with the monsters that surround and betray them at every term.
I don’t have many nitpicky thoughts here, probably because my knowledge of Elektra, Clytmnestra and Cassandra mythology is so poor but I did wonder why Saint chose to portray Cassandra’s curse as something that she misconstrued as a gift from Apollo when in the original myth he cursed when she had refused his advances. I thought it would fit right in with the whole men are monsters theme that she has been working through.
I’m eager to see what Saint’s next book on the myth of Atlanta. That’s one is rarely retold for adults nor from Atlanta’s POV so I can’t wait.
(more…)#alyssasheinmel, #amatchmadeinmehendi, #anathology, #ancestorapproved, #andrealrogers, #annameriano, #apartment1986, #ariadne, #artcoulson, #awrinkleintime, #balzerandbray, #beachblondes, #bloomsbury, #bothsidesnow, #bradburybooks, #brianyoung, #candicecartywilliams, #candlewickpress, #carolelindstrom, #christinaday, #cynthialeitichsmith, #davidarobertson, #dawnquigley, #delcourtpress, #elektra, #elisebryant, #ellenhagan, #ericgansworth, #erikatwurth, #firstgeneration, #forever, #greekmythology, #happilyeverafters, #harpercollins, #harrietthespy, #heartdrum, #heathervogelfrederick, #horror, #ifyoudon'thaveanythingnicetosay, #indigenous, #inkyardpress, #inspiringpublishers, #isaacblum, #iwgregorio, #jackofheartsandotherparts, #jasminezumidehneedsawin, #jennifersaint, #jennihendriks, #josephbruchac, #judyblume, #juslikehome, #katherineapplegate, #kathrynormsbee, #kimrogers, #leilasales, #levacrosen, #lisapapademetriou, #littlebrownbooksforyoungreaders, #louisefitzgerald, #luckofthetitanic, #macmillan, #madelinelengle, #megmedina, #moniquegreysmith, #nandinibajpai, #noneoftheabove, #onceuponatoad, #penguinrandomhouse, #peytonthomas, #philomelbooks, #putnam'ssons, #queenie, #realisticfiction, #rebeccaroanhorse, #reneewatson, #sandraneilwallace, #sarahgailey, #scholastic, #seoulmates, #simon&schuster, #sohoteen, #sohoteens, #sourcebooks, #stacylee, #susanazimboyer, #susanlee, #tashheartstolstoy, #tedcaplan, #thedownstairsgirl, #thelifeandcrimesofhoodierosen, #theproblemwiththeotherside, #thisishowwefly, #timtingle, #tracisorell, #unpregnant, #vikingbooksforyoungreaders, #watchusrise, #whatkindofgirl, #YA, #yaquidelgadowantstokickyourass -
Dork Diaries ReRerad
I’ve been rereading the Dork Diaries since I remembered stopping over #10 because I think I grew out of it. But I also think it changed somewhat. It felt too hard trying to be hip with hashtags and such but that might just me being an old old person. Again, I guess I grew out of it.
However, now rereading it I’m struck by how nostalgic it is and some things I wished that stayed the same.
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Top 5 Canterwood Crest
Chosen: This one probably gets first as it has at least 50-100 pages more than the other books in the series being a super special at all. That allows Burkhart to carve more time to get into Lauren’s internal struggle as a rider coming down from being a champion to getting over her fears. That constant insecurity is an interesting battle to see her combat and I enjoy watching her build up her confidence again thanks to her friends, and family. Also has the most meta last line ever that I just adore.
Best Enemies: This one is enjoyable for having real consequences and changing the stakes by actually expelling several key side characters. It adds weight to the word and I was on the edge of my seat to find out what happens next.
Chasing Blue: Only the second book in but not only does it humanize Heather somewhat and hint that she may be more than her mean girl anatgonism by forcing her and Sasha to work together to better improve their riding. But it also introduces Eric! And I love Eric, he’s just so so sweet and I still enjoy them together.
Rumors, Secrets and Lies: Once more I have a tendency to enjoy the group-changing books and what better demonstration than here with Britt becoming more included in YENT and the mysterious gossip mongering ruining their reps and spreading lies. Additionally, Sasha, Callie and Paige still have ways to go before returning to their formerly easy friendship and even then, it’s not quite the same. I just enjoy how Burkhart isn’t afraid to change the status quo.
Initiation: Super fun for introducing a whole new cast of characters, all very distinct and likable alongside new mean girls alongside the beginning of Lauren’s overarching secret arc.
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Ranking The Popularity Papers
The Rocky Road Trip of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang: I love road trip stories so this one gets the top spot as Lydia and Julie get to spend the summer across the American West and East Coast encountering giant dinosaurs, mutant blueberries, and earthquakes. But more dangerous than the rattlesnake (possibly flat tire) they encountered on the road is the family drama as Lydia stays with her estranged Dad and his hyper active sons as well as Julie dealing with her homophobic grandparents. The two learn family is what you make of it and that self-worth can only be determined by you, not your family’s approval. Surprisingly those words of wisdom come from Melody whose trip abroad has turned her back to blonde which may be one of the craziest revelations of all during that summer.
(more…)#amyignatow, #loveandotherfiascoswithlydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #middlegrade, #rachelreads&reviews, #simon&schuster, #theawesomelyawfulmelodiesoflydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #thelessthanhiddensecretsandfinalrevelationsoflydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #thelongdistancedispatchbetweenlydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #thepopularitypapers, #therockyroadtripoflydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang, #wordsof(questionable)wisdomfromlydiagoldblattandjuliegrahamchang -
Top 5 Vet Volunteers
Trapped: This one comes first for me because I love deer so the story of Brenna taking care of an injured fawn is just adorable. But what is also interesting is the focus on Brenna’s brother and his growing enviromental radicalism and how far he is willing to go to stop poachers. Anderson presents the pros of such staunch care for the enviroment and its animals while warning not to let it go so far into harming humans in the zeal to protect wild critters.
Fear of Falling: David’s personal problems are just as engaging as his attempts to get over his fears of high-jumping while still seeming like a man about it. His story of trying to gain his Dad’s attention during the uncertainty of his parent’s divorce is a heartfelt as one can see how much he wants to make his Dad pride while also wreastling with his animosity for his Dad leaving the family so easily.
Fight for Life: This first book brings the gang together and tears to my eyes every time as it unveals the cruelty of puppy mills. It does a good job in setting up the premises and the dynamics of the group while Maggie struggles in letting others into the world she feels as a private sanctuary.
Masks: Once again, Anderson presents the complicated world of vetinary research as Sunita discovers when she interns at a local lab. She loves animal so how can she condone the testing done on them? It’s a difficult problem and in an ideal world we wouldn’t have to but as Sunita learns it is necessry to find cures and other medicine for humans and animals. That leaves the rest of the book for her to contemplate where her future path lies if not in vet science?
Helping Hands: This book dives into the abuse of pony ride and other petting zoo animals which I never thought of but wow, this paints a rather graphic picture. Really, the whole series does (so much animal abuse everywhere) but it’s still worthwhile to learn so I appreciate this book being out there to highlight its existance.
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Ranking Wildflowers
Jade: Jade got number one mainly because I enjoy emotional turmoil and Jade has plenty of emotional turmoil as the pawn in her parent’s vicious divorce where both are utterly focused on climbing the corporate ladders that they neglect her. So she turns to internet chat rooms which leads to a traumatic kidnapping that is so perverted that Jade may have even blocked out some of it. So yeah, lots of stuff happen that combine the cold, hardened shield that Jade forms aorund her heart and her cynical nature.
Cat: This is a perfect combination of Gothic with all the Andrews’ tropes of incest, sexual repression, evil matriarchs and trauma with all the building suspense of old Law and Order: SVU episodes as Cat reccounts her confusing relationship with her father that turns from her ally to worst abuser.
Star: Star’s story was interesting as she tells about her parent’s detoriating marriage and how her mother’s alcoholism forced her to become the parent for herself and her little brother which forces her to repress her needs and self-care. She only finds solace in the new boy but even that brief happiness is torn from her. Even so, I admire her hesistancy in sharing her story as well as her fears that they’ll see her as a stereotype before coming to feel the healing power of sharing with her fellow wildflowers.
Misty: Not much to say here as Misty’s story of her divorcing parents and realizing they weren’t the perfect people she idolized them to be could almost be a tv movie of the week but Andrews does a decent job in introducing the other Wildflowers, building the mystery around their stories and the important of the story.
Into the Garden: This big novel brings the Wildflowers together to cement their sisterhood in the most dramatic way possible when Cat’s guardian, Gereldine dies. they bury her in secret and not tell the police. What could go wrong? A lot as you can imagine. Unfortunately this big book ends up showing that they aren’t as stalwart friends as they said they’d be especially when it leads Cat to more isolation and danger. It also has so many things going on that the girls feel too different from their time in therapy. Which makes sense as how one acts in their personal life is probably different from group therapy but also felt like plot convenience at times.
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 