July's Monthly Recap

Inspired by Faye of A Daydreamer's Thoughts's Weekly Recap, here is a recap of my posts over the last week, and anything else I found interesting.

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Review: Creative Coloring Inspirations by Valentina Harper

Creative Coloring Inspirations by Valentina Harper (review copy) - Life is a wonderful adventure, and all of our dreams can come true! Hold on to your dreams with Creative Coloring Inspirations, the coloring book that offers hope and encouragement on every page. Inside you ll find 30 relaxing activities designed to motivate your creativity and stimulate your spirit. Team up with talented artist Valentina Harper as you personalize her exquisite line drawings. Valentina combines exhilarating words with flowing, intricate, and highly detailed patterns. Best-selling craft author Marie Browning joins in with beautifully colored examples of finished work. Printed on high quality extra-thick paper that won t bleed through, all pages are pre-perforated for easy removal and display. They're perfect for decorating with markers, gel pens, watercolors, or colored pencils. From Goodreads.

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Review: I'm a Girl! by Yasmeen Ismail

I'm a Girl! by Yasmeen Ismail (review copy) - I'm supposed to be made of sugar and spice
and all things nice.
But I'm sweet and sour
and not a little flower.

I'm a girl! I'm a girl! I'm a girl!

The girl in this book likes to win, she likes to be spontaneous, fast and strong, and because she also likes to dress in t-shirt and shorts, she is forever getting mistaken for a boy. And when she meets a boy who likes wearing dresses and playing dolls, they both quickly discover that they share interests that are wide and varied.

I'm a Girl! is a wonderful celebration of being who we are and not being pigeon-holed or restricted by gender stereotypes. Most of all it is full of energy and laugh-out-loud funny. Who says that pink is for girls and blue is for boys? From Goodreads.

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Review: Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb - Tom Badgerlock has been living peaceably in the manor house at Withywoods with his beloved wife Molly these many years, the estate a reward to his family for loyal service to the crown.

But behind the facade of respectable middle-age lies a turbulent and violent past. For Tom Badgerlock is actually FitzChivalry Farseer, bastard scion of the Farseer line, convicted user of Beast-magic, and assassin. A man who has risked much for his king and lost more…

On a shelf in his den sits a triptych carved in memory stone of a man, a wolf and a fool. Once, these three were inseparable friends: Fitz, Nighteyes and the Fool. But one is long dead, and one long-missing.

Then one Winterfest night a messenger arrives to seek out Fitz, but mysteriously disappears, leaving nothing but a blood-trail. What was the message? Who was the sender? And what has happened to the messenger?

Suddenly Fitz's violent old life erupts into the peace of his new world, and nothing and no one is safe. From Goodreads.

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Review: George by Alex Gino

George by Alex Gino (proof) - When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.

George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her (4th grade) teacher announces their class play is going to be "Charlotte's Web." George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part ...because she's a boy.

With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte - but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all. From Goodreads.

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Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters.
Oooh, this is my topic! It's going to be hard to narrow it down to just ten... I'm only going to talk about books I've read this year to make it easier. Here it goes...


Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (review) - Let's start off with an intersectional diverse book, huh? Lies We Tell Ourselves is an incredible novel set during the integration of black students into white schools, and follows Sarah as she experiences desegregation, and falls for Linda, the daughter of one of the most powerful influencers for segregation. So a LGBTQ YA novel with a POC main character!

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Review: The Awesome by Eva Darrows

The Awesome by Eva Darrows (review copy) - Seventeen-year-old Maggie Cunningham is tough, smart, and sassy. She's also not like other girls her age, but then, who would be when the family business is monster hunting? Combat boots, ratty hooded sweatshirts, and hair worn short so nothing with claws can get a grip, Maggie's concerns in life slant more toward survival than fashion or boys.

Which presents a problem when Maggie's mother informs her that she can't get her journeyman's license for hunting until she loses her virginity. Something about virgin blood turning vampires into pointy rage monsters. Insides being on the outside and all that.

Maggie's battled zombies and goblins and her fair share of house brownies, but finding herself a boy proves a much more daunting task than any monster hunt. Did you know normal girls don't stuff their bras with holy water balloons? Nor do they carry wooden stakes in their waistbands. And they care about things like "matching" and "footwear." Of course, they also can't clean a gun blindfolded, shoot a crossbow, or exorcise ghosts from a house. Which means they're lame and Maggie's not. Because Maggie's awesome. The Awesome, in fact.

Just ask her. She'd be more than happy to tell you.

After she finds herself a date. From Goodreads.

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Movie Review: Boy Meets Girl

Boy Meets Girl - Boy Meets Girl is a funny, tender, sex positive romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman, and how important it is to live a courageous life not letting fear stand in the way of going after your dreams. From IMDB.com

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Review: Horns by Joe Hill

Horns by Joe Hill - Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, he had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more — he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone - raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances - and Ig was the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion he was and always would be guilty.

But now Ig can hear people's deepest, darkest secrets and means to use this ability to find whoever killed Merrin.

It's time for a little revenge.

It's the time the devil had his due. From the blurb.

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Review: 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger (#Ad)

5 to 1 by Holly Bodger

I was sent this review copy for free by Knopf Books for the purpose of providing an honest review.

In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife.

Sudasa doesn’t want to be a wife, and Contestant Five, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Contestant Five’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Contestant Five thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.

This beautiful, unique novel is told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Contestant Five’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope. From Goodreads - but edited.

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