October's Monthly Recap

Here is the recap of what's been happening here in October!

It's been pretty quiet here this month as I've been doing the last of my reading for Sex in Teen Lit Month II (which starts tomorrow, I'm so excited!), but there have been a few interesting things going on.

Reviews:

• The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Russell Brand & Chris Riddell - I really enjoyed this! I loved the style in which Brand told it, and I love Riddell's illustrations!
• Colour Me Mindful Series - Underwater, Birds and Tropical by Anastasia Catris - I love these colouring books, they're so cool! And looking forward to giving the new ones in the series a go.
• The Tenderness of Theives by Donna Freitas - This was a really interesting story, but it focused on the romance more than the psychologial thriller side of things. I also didn't like how the girls' based their worth on what guys thought of them. But still a sweet, troubled romance.
• Start Your Day With Katie by Katie Piper - This is a book with an affirmation for every day of the year, and I love it a whole lot more than I thought I would. It's surprisingly personal, because these are the affirmations that helped Katie when she was recovering from her acid attack.  
• Pierre the Maze Detective by Hiro Kamigaki & IC4DESIGN - This is a really beautiful book; intricate illustrations, and puzzles that will keep children occupied for hours. Great fun!
• Paper Dandy's Horrorgami by Marc Hagan-Guirey - This is not at all what I expected, but this is a fantastic book for crafty horror fans to create horror scenes through the art of karigami.
• Secret Garden: Artist's Edition by Johanna Basford - The illustrations in this colouring book are beautiful, and I love how you can pull them out to hang them up. The card doesn't seem to link felt tips/ink though.

Announcements:


I announced that I will be hosting a reading challenge next year: the Retellings Reading Challenge 2016. All retellings - classics, children's classics, fairy tales, myths and legends, folktales - are accepted, as well as prequels/sequels. Do sign up!


Sex in Teen Lit Month II is happening this November! I'm really excited for it to start tomorrow, and get to share all the reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. It's going to be awesome. Find out more in the post above, and do visit throughout November for all the posts.


I will be hosting Bookish Spinsters, a weekly link-up inspired by Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne to discuss feminism and feminist ideas. The first post on What is Feminism? went live yesterday. Please check it out and participate -  this week's link-up closes on Thursday 5th October - I'm excited to learn from you all! If you can't take part for this week's topic, do check out the Bookish Spinsters page, where you'll find a schedule for future topics.


Other posts:

• I discussed my thoughts on eReaders, the pros and cons, and how I warmed to them when I originally hated them. 

Elsewhere:

• C. J. Skuse wrote a piece for The Guardian on why we need angry girls in YA. 
• James Dawson announced on Buzzfeed that he is transgender, and will be starting his transition this year. I think he's pretty incredible for being so open about this.
• Leah Raeder wrote a great piece for Queer Romance Month on why she wrote Cam Girl, her next novel: because of her own gender identity. Again, another incredible author for her honesty and openness.
• There's was a lot of talk last weekend on Twitter about an article on Teen.com about Teen Wolf slash fanfic that was quite homophobic. There were great things said by Dahlia Adler, Tess Sharpe and Leah Raeder (but as it's been a week, it might be hard to find them again.) Tess Sharpe wrote a brilliant letter on her blog to the editor of Teen.com, which explains the whole situation.
• Dahlia Adler shared a list of Books By and About People of Marginalized Races recently. While you're there, check out her other recs.

How has your month been? Will you be taking part in Bookish Spinsters and/or Retellings Reading Challenge 2016 with me? Are you as excited about Sex in Teen Lit Month II as I am? What's happening on your blog next month? Let me know!