October's First Class Post & Monthly Recap

First Class Post - because this post is first class!

Books Purchased:

Physical Copies:

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (2nd October 2018)
Sadie by Courtney Summers (4th September 2018)
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (2nd October 2018)
The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo (18th September 2018)
The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski (31st July 2018)
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi (4th September 2018)
Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore (9th October 2018)
The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall (2nd October 2016)
This Is How It Always Is by Laure Frankle (23rd January 2018)

eBooks:



What They Don't Know by Nicole Maggi (2nd October 2018)
The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson (7th November 2017)

Books received for free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review:

Books with an * are reading copies I received as a book seller.

Proofs:

Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History by Sam Maggs (2nd October 2018)
Monsters by Sharon Dogar (7th February 2019)
Fierce Fragile Hearts by Sara Barnard (7th February 2019)
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (4th April 2019) Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus (10th January 2019)

Finished Copies:

Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F Word Means to Them, curated by Scarlett Curtis* (2nd October 2018)
What Would Boudicca Do?: Everyday Problems Solved by History's Most Remarkable Women by Elizabeth Foley (6th September 2018)

eARCs:



Odd One Out by Nic Stone (18th October 2018)
This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher (27th December 2018)
Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu (10th January 2019)



What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera (18th October 2018)
The Familiars by Stacey Halls (7th February 2019)
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (1st November 2018)
The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke (4th October 2018)


Thank you to Quirk Books, Penguin, Faber & Faber, Macmillan Children's Books, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster Children's Books, Hodder Children's Books, Bonnier Zaffre, and HQ Young Adult for the review copies.

Check out mail memes: The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves on Tynga's Reviews.
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On the blog:

Reviews:

• Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor - Quite simply, perfection. Muse of Nightmares is just epic. It broke my heart, but it blew my mind, and I finished so full of joy and wonder. Laini Taylor is a genius.
• A Room Away from the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma - I was completely confused by this book. There were hardly any answers, and I don't think I could even really tell you what actually happened. I don't know what happened, I don't know what was going on, I don't know what the point of this story was. I have never been more confused by a book in my life.
• The Price Guide to the Occult by Leslye Walton - So very disappointing. No explanations, no atmosphere and no depth. Should have been quite a dark story considering what happens, but it just fell really flat for me.
• The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge - A huge disappointment. Badly written, with underdeveloped world building, and possible ableism. Really didn't enjoy it.
• The Book of Blood & Shadow by Robin Wasserman -Absolutely bloody brilliant! A thriller mystery in a similar vein as The Da Vinci Code. Not what I was expecting, but so complex and involved, and just incredible!
• Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson - Not what I was expecting, and so a real disappointment. Not a paranormal mystery. None of the elements of a mystery, plus very little in the way of magic, and only the very surface stuff in regards to Wicca.
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand - Terrying and gripping and simply epic! I absolutely love this book, and I want more!
• Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton - This was pretty slow to start, and didn't feel as creepy as it should, but was still a very atmospheric and beautiful story, that was kind of epic! Plus polyamorous relationships!

Once Upon a Retelling:

• Damsel by Elana K. Arnold
• The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

Discussions & Book Lists:







Top Ten Tuesday:

• Longest Books I've Ever Read.
• Retellings from the Villains' Perspective

Other Posts:


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What I've Been Reading Online:

Cover Reveals:

• Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi (+ Excerpt) on Bustle.
• Virtually Yours by Sarvenaz Tash (+ Interview) on B&N Teen Blog.
• The Beholder by Anna Bright on The Young Folk.
• Hungry Hearts, ed. by Caroline Tung Richmond & Elsie Chapman on Bustle.
• Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson (+ Excerpt) on EW.
• Dumplin' by Julie Murphy Movie Tie-In (+ Interview) on Hypable.

Books:

• These Are the 12 Most Riveting YA Books of 2018 on Popsugar.
• 10 YA Fantasy Books Written by Women of Color on BookRiot.
• 10 YA Fantasy Books Inspired By Asian Mythology — And Written By Female Authors on Bustle.
• 16 Sci-Fi And Fantasy Series You Can Binge-Read Right Now on BuzzFeed.
• 5 Books that Reinvent the Love Triangle Trope on B&N Tee Blog.
• Teen Girls Fight Back: 15 YA Books Featuring Revenge on BookRiot.

Authors:

• Growing Up a Damsel by Elena K. Arnold on Ms. Magazine.
• 13 YA Authors on How They Find (Forge, Carve Out, Sacrifice For) the Time to Write on B&N Teen Blog.
• How the 2016 Election Changed the Plot of my Book by Katherine Locke on the Jewish Book Council.
• Nic Stone's Letter to Her Younger Self Is an Important Reminder That You Don't Have to Fit in Just One Box on Teen Vogue.
• Vengeful: V.E. Schwab on Female Anger & Ambition on BookRiot.
• Shannon Hale: What are we teaching boys when we discourage them from reading books about girls? on Washington Post.
• Books to Get Cozy With This Fall! | Book Recs from Heidi Heilig

Book-to-Screen Adaptations:

• Queer Love Story 'What If It's Us' Getting Movie on Variety.
• Amandla Stenberg And Angie Thomas On "The Hate U Give", Code-Switching, And Using Art As Activism on BuzzFeed.

Bloggers:

• How to Treat a Book Blogger in the Wild on Paper Fury.

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