***My 250th Blog Post Banned and challenged books have become a “hot topic” in 2022; or maybe the Shutdown brought more attention to them because many people returned to reading due to the Pandemic. Yes, throughout 2020 and 2021 A LOT of attention was given to books about race and ethnic issues. Then earlier this year,… Continue reading Banned & Challenged Books: When Society Overrides Personal Choice
Category: Middle Grade Fiction
Why You Need to Read: “Gallant”
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Gallant By: V.E. Schwab, Manuel Sumberac (illustrator) Audiobook: 7 hours 41 minutes Published: March 1, 2022 Narrated by: Julian Rhind-Tutt Genre: Tween/Young Adult, Gothic For so long, Gallant was nothing but that word, the last one her mother ever wrote. Now she knows it… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Gallant”
Book Tag: 10 Years, 10 Favorite Books
It seems Realms of My Mind has carried this BookTok Trend over to Bookbloggers (checkout the lists compiled by both imyril and My World of Books)! Before this "trend," I was thinking over my favorites from previous years. Keep in mind I started using "book apps" such as Goodreads and Library Thing (and later StoryGraph)… Continue reading Book Tag: 10 Years, 10 Favorite Books
The Midpoint of 2022: Favorite Speculative Fiction Books So Far & Other Reads
Once again, we're at the halfway point in the calendar year. And for me, A LOT has happened since the start of 2022. I'm working full-time and I'm participating in an awards panel, so my reading is a bit behind. I've finished 42 of the 100 books I'm aiming to read by the year's end.… Continue reading The Midpoint of 2022: Favorite Speculative Fiction Books So Far & Other Reads
Why You Need to Read: “Wildseed Witch”
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Wildseed Witch, Book 1: Wildseed Witch By: Marti Dumas Published: May 10, 2022 Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Magic School This is Belles Demoiselles: Finir l’École des Sorcières. Magic is for hooligans. Belles demoiselles use charm. That’s what you’re supposed to learn at a finishing… Continue reading Why You Need to Read: “Wildseed Witch”
Reading Check-In: June 4, 2022
I know this is another listing, but I've finished reading some great books and I wanted to share them with you all before posting my reviews of them (which, I still need to write). What have you finished reading recently? This was a cute take on "Black Girl Magic," and readers older than the middle… Continue reading Reading Check-In: June 4, 2022
Librarian Listings #1: May 28, 2022
As many of you know, for almost a year, I've been working as a librarian and I'm loving it. Yes, the job suits me and yes, there are even more books to read (and NOT enough time to read them ALL)! When I asked whether or not you all would be interested in me discussing… Continue reading Librarian Listings #1: May 28, 2022
Reading Check-In: May 14, 2022
So, A LOT happened during the past few weeks. First, my hay fever has died down, finally. Second, the Kindle app malfunctioned on me and I couldn't read neither my ebooks nor my eARCs for over 2 weeks (those of you who follow me on Twitter saw my daily rants). Last, I started a new… Continue reading Reading Check-In: May 14, 2022
Awards: The 2021 Nebulas, the 2022 Hugos, and the 2022 SCKA
Earlier this week, the 2022 Hugo Award Finalists were announced. Similar to other (literary) awards, there were surprises, the snubs and the expected among them. After noting (and congratulating) the nominees, some of us tend to do one and/or two things. One, we look over which nominees we may or may not have read or… Continue reading Awards: The 2021 Nebulas, the 2022 Hugos, and the 2022 SCKA
Books Released in 2021 I Did NOT Get to Read in 2021
I wasn't sure whether or not I should do this topic at all, but I noticed other bookbloggers have been doing the same thing. And yes, that's not a good reason to do something (I created a poll on Twitter), but then I remembered I was able to catch up on reading some of the… Continue reading Books Released in 2021 I Did NOT Get to Read in 2021