Posts

MMGM and #IMWAYR: My Aunt Is a Monster, Improve, Messy Roots, and more!

Image
I'm finishing up spring break, during which I: devoured a bajillion and a half graphic novels (hooray!) listened to good amounts of music lived in my own brain (which is as much of an experience  as ever) So yeah! Let's dive into some book reviews! Middle Grade My Aunt Is a Monster Written and illustrated by Reimena Yee Graphic novel · 2022 Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations · · · The publisher says: · · · Safia thought that being blind meant she would only get to go on adventures through her audiobooks. This all changes when she goes to live with a distant and mysterious aunt, Lady Whimsy, who takes Safia on the journey of a lifetime! While the reclusive Lady Whimsy stops an old rival from uncovering the truth behind her disappearance, Safia experiences parts of the world she had only dreamed about. But when an unlikely group of chaotic agents comes after Whimsy, Safia is forced to confront the adventure head-on. For the first time in her life, Safia is the hero

MMGM and #IMWAYR: Other Ever Afters, Squished, Sylvie, and more!

Image
Hey everyone! It's looking like I need to stop promising that I'm going to return to blogging consistently—I think I'll plan instead on being hopelessly flaky and showing up every few weeks with some books to share. I'm doing all right—life is just hectic, and there's never enough time to read! But I have been on a little bit of a reading kick in the last week, and I've got a few books to share with y'all this week—let's dive in! Finished recently: Other Ever Afters New Queer Fairy Tales Written and illustrated by Melanie Gillman Young adult (but appropriate for most ages) · Graphic novel · 2022 Add it on Goodreads  · Preview the illustrations · · · The publisher says: · · · Once upon a time . . . happily ever after turned out differently than expected. In this new, feminist, queer fairy-tale collection, you’ll find the princesses, mermaids, knights, barmaids, children, and wise old

#IMWAYR: Finna, Kindred, and more!

Image
Hey everyone! A couple things: First, I apologize for dropping off the face of the earth basically in the middle of the #LiveLikeABookChallenge ! I do really appreciate all of you who joined me—it was a fun weekend, and I hope to run the challenge again in the future! Next, I'm sure it's somewhat obvious that I've been a chaotic mess lately, and I'm trying to get it together now by writing a blog post! Surprisingly, I actually do have a couple books to talk about, so let's dive in! Cybils! I finished reading as a Round 2 Judge for the Nonfiction categories of the Cybils Awards, and I had a great time reading these amazing books and working with such an amazing team of judges! The winners are being announced on Tuesday, so next week, I'll share more about a couple finalists I read that stood out to me. Finished in the past few weeks: Finna Written by Nino Cipri Adult · 2020 ·  Add it on Goodreads · · · The publisher says: · · · Nino Cipri's Finna is a rambun

My #LiveLikeABookChallenge Adventure, Day 2!

Image
Here, I'll be cross-posting my updates from Instagram and Twitter about the #LiveLikeABookChallenge—make sure to check out the challenge hub if you want to participate! Update 1: Day 2 of #LiveLikeABookChallenge begins! I'm continuing my adventures from Goodbye Stranger with more cinnamon toast—and the cat ears will make their return too! 🍞🐱

My #LiveLikeABookChallenge Adventure, Day 1!

Image
Here, I'll be cross-posting my updates from Instagram and Twitter about the #LiveLikeABookChallenge—make sure to check out the challenge hub if you want to participate! Update 1: #LiveLikeABookChallenge begins today, so I'm spending my weekend living like Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead! First up: starting the day with one of Bridge's favorite treats, cinnamon toast! (It's even on the book cover...) And yes, Bridge, I ate it face-up! 😄 Update 2: My Goodbye Stranger adventures continue...with Bridge's cat ears! 🐱 (I won't be wearing these in public, I'm afraid, but I will be wearing them to a friend's house!) #LiveLikeABookChallenge Update 3: #LiveLikeABookChallenge continues with a Sherm-from-Goodbye-Stranger-themed activity: Reading about the Apollo 11 moon landing on Wikipedia! (And the quote is a smidge out of context—this book doesn't endorse moon landing misinformation! 😁) Update 4: My family's joined the #LiveLikeABookChallenge fun to

Don't forget...

The #LiveLikeABookChallenge begins tomorrow!!! Check out the challenge hub for information on how to participate. And don't stress too much about planning elaborate activities or picking the perfect book—just do what feels good, and focus on having fun! And I want to say, I've been behind on my activities in the blogosphere, but I will very much be around this weekend to check out what people are doing for the challenge. I hope you'll join me this weekend!

#LiveLikeABookChallenge Hub!

Image
With the #LiveLikeABookChallenge one week away as of this writing, I've created the challenge hub here so you can begin sharing advance plans, or participating if you're completely unable to join us during the scheduled dates of January 14 and 15! In short, this is your chance to spend a weekend like you're inside a book—and who doesn't want that? About the challenge: For a few years, I've thought about hosting a reading challenge like many other bloggers do, but I honestly felt like no one needs another reading challenge to tend to. But I still wanted to find a way to bring the blogging community together as part of a fun activity. Then a few random pieces of inspiration came together (including this article I saw that is basically my challenge for Taylor Swift rather than a book)...and I devised the #LiveLikeABookChallenge! What do I do for this challenge? Glad you asked! Basically

MMGM and #IMWAYR: Besties: Find Their Groove, One Cup at a Time, and more!

Image
Hi everyone! I've got a couple of books to share with y'all today, so let's dive right in! Finished in the past few weeks: Besties: Find Their Groove Written by Kayla Miller and Jeffrey Canino Illustrated by Kristina Luu MG · Graphic novel · Add it on Goodreads · Preview the illustrations · · ·   The publisher says:   · · · With their first formal school dance around the corner, Beth and Chanda are on a mission to make it the best night ever. Step one? Secure the perfect dresses so they can dominate the dance floor! But when neither of them can find an outfit that lives up to their high expectations—and when they encounter unexpected pressure to find dates—these besties will need to lean on their friendship more than ever if they hope to find their groove and bust a move! New York Times bestselling author Kayla Miller and co-author Jeffrey Canino share a thoughtful and

MMGM and #IMWAYR: Crunch by Kayla Miller

Image
Happy new year, everyone! Today I'm excited to be recommending the fifth book in the Click  series of MG graphic novels, Crunch  by Kayla Miller! There are no spoilers  of the previous books in the series in this review! Add it on Goodreads  or preview the illustrations! To be frank, y'all, I related to this book so much  that it was honestly painful at times—like, I knew I was thrilled to see a book about navigating an overflowing to-do list, but the specific mistakes Olive makes were so similar to the ones I am making in my own life that it hurt a little bit. But that's just a testament to the realism and thoughtfulness of this graphic novel, the fifth in Kayla Miller's astoundingly good series, following Click , Camp , Act , and Clash . (There are also two spin-offs that form the Besties  duology: Besties: Work It Out , which is amazing, and Besties: Find Their Groove , which I'll discuss soon!) Let's dive in with the publisher's description : **********