Best Laid Plans...

So that plan I had back in January to reading a book a month was going swimmingly. I was feeling really accomplished; I was getting views, and although I wasn't getting the high celebrity I hoped for in the darkest corners of my heart, I was still impressed with my progress. Then it seemed like all hell broke loose. Although I have finished four books since my last post, I haven't been able to bring myself to write about them. Maybe it was the book not exciting me enough to spark my muse, or maybe it was the thousand other things that piled up on me that had me pushing this blog to the back, back, burner--hell it wasn't even on the stove to be honest. 

So, I'm making a conscious effort to get back in the saddle. I have four books to review and even more from the TBR to read. I'm going to work on giving myself a break when it comes to completing the books "on time" because frankly with this remote teaching and the world seemingly going down the pooper, I feel like I can give myself some slack. Although, maybe I should fall into my fantasy worlds. When the Seven Kingdoms seems like a better option, you know some shit has seriously hit the fan. 

My review for Nyxia by Scott Reintgen will be up by next week. 

My stash for the summer from my classroom. Lofty goals. 

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

My husband has picked up Brandon Sanderson on the recommendation of Daniel Greene, a YouTuber he subscribes to. He's devoured his Mistborn series, so I was familiar with the name. I put this particular book on my reading list because I wanted to expand my genres. When it comes to science fiction, my interest typically runs to movies or TV shows. Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly are all on my watch again list. But when it comes to science fiction books, I can't honestly name any I've read. I mean yeah, maybe you could count Andy Weir's The Martian. So I guess I have one or two sci-fi books under my belt.

Skyward is the first in a series that follows Spensa Nightshade, who dreams of being a pilot like her father, but there's just one problem. Her father was branded a coward during one of the most historic battles against an enemy called the Krell. Spensa has to fight her way into flight school and prove that she isn't like her father. when she makes a discovery deep in a forgotten cave, her world becomes less about proving herself worthy of a pilot's pin and more about saving humanity and finding out what lies beyond the stars.

Sanderson spent a lot of time researching for this book and it shows. His passion shines through the descriptions of the aerial combat and training that Spensa and the other cadets go through. He does take some liberties, but considering the book is set on an alien world you can forgive him for breaking physics. The detail Sanderson uses when Spensa is training and when she's in the various battles creates a great deal of suspense. The writing is fast paced and you feel in the moment with Spensa. 

I really enjoyed Spensa's journey. She was a unique voice in YA because her goals weren't about winning a guy's approval; they were about proving her abilities as a pilot. She started out as such a hot head who grew up on the stories of heroes like Beowulf, so she adopted a warrior attitude, drinking wine out from the skulls of her enemies and all that. Spensa is a flawed character. Her attitude as she goes into flight school is very cocky and unfortunately when she gets into the cockpit, she's knocked down a few pegs. She's definitely not a Mary Sue and I think that's why I enjoyed her. She struggles, and makes mistakes and the stakes are high. 

The lack of romance in Sanderson was refreshing. Unfortunately, many YA books, especially ones with a female protagonist, are mostly focused on a romance. The point of the plot is to get the character together with their love interest. I'm not saying these books are any less enjoyable, but it's just interesting to see a book that can be easily relatable to both male and female readers.

I give this book 5/5. I'm looking forward to the second installment and I'll definitely be picking up more of Sanderson's novels.

 

My Favorites (right now)

At the risk of sounding cliche, trying to pick a favorite book or series is like asking someone to pick a favorite child; although, we all know there is always a favorite. Between me and my two siblings, there has always been a friendly rivalry about which of us is the favorite. My dad says that his favorite child is the one he's with at that moment. Conveniently evasive, but the sentiment is still sweet. So to begin my favorites list, it's with the disclaimer that this list includes my favorites at the moment. Most of them I've read many times, some only once; they are different genres and the list is not in any particular order.

1. Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier

I came across this series in high school while roaming the library stacks, but I actually returned it after the first 90 pages. I was having to work too hard to get to the story. Of course, I was a teenager and needed that instant gratification, but luckily I gave it another shot and I'm so glad I did. This series has been that comforting presence on my bookshelf for years. I have multiple copies and I've read these original three multiple times over the last 15 years. If you dig books with light fantasy elements with a little romance, you'll love this series. The first book, Daughter of the Forest, was based on the legend of the Children of Lir and "The Six Swans" but I'm not sure if the rest follow a similar pattern. Each book follows a single female narrator. First we follow Sorcha, the seventh child of the Sevenwaters clan who must save her six brothers from a sorceress's spell. You continue the story in Son of Shadows with Liadan, Sorcha's youngest daughter whose choices could doom them all. And finally the third follows Liadan's niece Fianne, a strange girl who must choose between the path her grandmother, the lady Oonagh, has laid out for her, or a path of her own making. Marillier has expanded the series into 3 more, which are also very well written and still follow the women of the Sevenwaters, but my heart will always be with the original 3 books. They have a beautifully written narrative and you feel like you've stepped into a fairy ring, transporting you to this world of magic and strong women who forge their own destinies.   

2. Arc of the Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Dystopian literature has been very popular in young adult fantasy. I've read a few series that follow the typical tropes but Neal Shusterman's newest series does something different and so, so good. In the series, mankind has conquered hunger, disease, war, misery, and most importantly death. But even in a perfect world, people must die. Scythes are death personified. This group is the only ones who can render people truly dead. The first book follows Rowan and Citra, two teenagers who have been chosen as apprentices to a Scythe. It should have been an opportunity of a lifetime, but neither want the role, which makes them, perhaps, the best candidates. As they learn the art of killing, they realize that the world is not as safe as people believe. Even though this book is classified as young adult, it is packed full of adult themes. The discussion of death and humanity's failings are so striking that there were moments where I had to put the book down and just ponder the masterful way Shusterman write complex ideas in such a way that younger audiences will understand. The world he built is seems so far removed from our own and yet there were so many elements that spoke to the world at large. For a young adult series, this one packs a punch. 

3. Educated by Tara Westover

I'm not a big nonfiction fan. The topic has to either be tied to my job, because apparently I can't turn off my teacher brain, or it has to be about the weirdest shit ever. I decided to break away from that mold this last summer by picking up this book. I'd walked by it many times in bookstores; I'd read the inside cover and thought "wow that sounds interesting...but not interesting enough to buy it." Until I signed up for a teacher training for Lit Circles. This was one of the options and man was I glad I chose this one. In her memoir Tara Westover examines her life in rural Idaho growing up in a Mormon family that didn't believe in modern medicine or the government. She has no idea what her actually birthday is, she'd never formally gone to school, and didn't have a birth certificate until she was 12. But even after all that, she manages to get into college, and not only graduate but continue on to get her doctorate from Cambridge University all before she was 30. What really struck me about this memoir and why it's on this list is just the unbelievable life she lived. There were moments where I just had to set the book down and gaze in amazement that this chick didn't die and how she managed to turn out the way she did. I haven't read many memoirs, but I also liked the way she concedes that her memories are not necessarily how other people remember events. This was a fascinating glimpse into a world so far removed from my own, but through the eyes of a person I could somehow relate to. I gave this to my mom to read and she devoured it. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to read a unique story that delves into the idea of family, home, and education. 

4. The Martian by Andy Weir

I have this weird thing with book to movie adaptations. If I read the book before seeing the movie, I typically enjoy the book more, but if I see the movie before reading the book, then I prefer the movie. Andy Weir's novel The Martian has been one of the few exceptions to this rule. Even though this book describes very complex astrophysics, biology, and botany issues, it does it in such a way that is accessible. Mark Watney has been left on Mars and yet he doesn't let that little detail steal his humor. Matt Damon did a great job of capturing this characters humor and the stream of consciousness throughout the plot, but I think much of that comes from Weir's writing. There were many points in the book that I was laughing out loud, especially when he'd mess something up while "scienceing the shit out of things" and then immediately go on a rant. This is a book about the human capacity for survival and what one man's journey can bring the entire population together. 

5. Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead

Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors. I started with her young adult series and moved into her adult ones. The Georgina Kincaid series follows a succubus who is tired of playing by Hell's rules but when she meets the mortal writer Seth Morgensen, she must decide whether she can fight her nature to stay with Seth. Mead's writing and character development for this supernatural romance is so good. The relationship between Georgina and Seth is the thread that runs through each book and their history is vastly more complicated than it appears in the first book. There were moments that made me so angry that I threw one of the books across the room and the big reveal in the last book had me going back to each one to see the bread crumbs Mead left throughout the book. Seth is such a good leading guy. He the type of understated sexy that just shocks you enough that you almost stop and ask yourself "wait did he actually just say that?" I fortunately got a chance to meet Richelle Mead in Austin at Book People and was so start struck. This is one series that I would suggest to anyone interested in a supernatural romance with more than just sex at the center of the story. 

Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid

Thinking back, I’ve actually had a long history with romance novels. Probably inappropriately long, but when you grow up with parents who didn’t censor you much, you tend to pick up whatever suits your fancy, so yeah...I read some pretty racy books as a teenager before I even really understood what was going on. Of course I went for more rom-com than Fabio-esque novels and still prefer a bit of comedy rolled into the romance. I wanted funny innuendos and steamy encounters with an ultimately happy ending. I didn’t care that I could typically pick the predictable ending out a mile away; it has always been a guilty pleasure. I don’t go for romance for the deep, hard-hitting, thought-provoking narrative. I go for the sex, the drama, the girlie-squeal-inducing cheese-fest, and of course for the insanely unrealistic hot guys.

Which brings me to my next review of Penny Reid’s second book in her Winston Brothers series: Grin and Beard It. I can’t for the life of me remember how I even heard of this series. Probably some random google searches on Goodreads, but regardless, I was hooked. I mean, you have a set of hot brothers with beards who love their mama and say yes ma'am before ravishing you all night long. Each book follows a different brother and can be read independently of one another, which is nice, and not always the case in romance series. Grin and Beard It follows the oldest Winston brother,...wait for it...Jethro. Yes. That is his name. A close friend of mine loves poking fun at this, but honestly, if she could see what he looks like in my head...she wouldn’t care what his name was. The novel takes place in Green Valley, Tennessee where the Winston brothers are infamous. All six of them have a long history of raising hell and Jethro is unfortunately still trying to run from his past indiscretions.. Having taken a vow of celibacy for the last five years, Jethro is blindsided when he rescues Sienna Diaz, Hollywood’s rising star, as she unsuccessfully tries to navigate her way around the Tennessee back roads. Instant sparks and chemistry ooze, and as their relationship begins to sizzle, a huge dose of reality almost extinguishes the passion between them. Sienna questions whether she can throw Jethro to the Hollywood wolves without losing him, while Jethro wonders if his past will inevitably hurt the one woman who can redeem him.

Lord was this book funny. From the jokes that Sienna told, to the conversations she had with both Jethro and his brother Cletus (yeah, yeah...that is his name), this book had me laughing out loud, leaving my husband to give me side stares wondering what the hell I was reading. I mean Sienna is supposed to be a comedian/actress/writer, so her character needed to be on point with the humor but it worked so well with the story and didn’t feel campy at all. It added to her charm and made her feel like a real woman. There is a lot to be said for Sienna as a character. She is not the typical romantic leading lady. She says stupid stuff, she totally owns her size 14, and she’s Latina. What I also liked best about this character is her ability to see the best in people. She doesn’t make assumptions about Jethro when she first meets him, although in a fit of nervousness and low blood sugar mentioned something about inbreeding. She continues to see past his exterior (however gorgeous and manly that may be), and sees his heart and the love he has for his family.

Jethro Winston is just…*sigh*...like when you think of the typical Southern gentleman who is ruggedly handsome, always remember his manners, and can make a girl forget how to breathe, that is our leading man. He is deeply ashamed of his youthful mistakes and wants to make it up to his family by being the big brother he wasn’t when they were growing up. His self-imposed celibacy is more about protecting the woman around him rather than protecting himself which I found refreshing. He wants nothing more than to be close and intimate with Sienna, but continues to hold her at arm’s length even though it drives him crazy to do so. That tension is what drives the main plot and of course drives the reader crazy as well. I can’t get enough of the whole unfulfilled sexual desire between two characters. That moment where they almost kiss or they do kiss but something stops them before they can get to the good stuff. I live for that shit.

One of the side characters that I can’t wait to read more about is Jethro’s younger, maniacal brother, Cletus. He made an appearance in the first book, and played wing-man to both Jethro and Sienna in this one. He's just an odd duck who says exactly what is on his mind and loves to meddle in his brother’s affairs in the most roundabout way. His banter with other characters was always hilarious and one scene in particular about his world famous sausage will have you rolling with laughter.

Honestly, the only thing that I felt brought this down a peg was the lack of a real conflict. There was always hints of something on the horizon that the characters would have to deal with, but there was never any fear that they would break up or hurtful words would be said. It wasn’t the typical story arch for a romance novel, so maybe that’s why I felt like their happy ending was too easy. Even though both characters had their flaws, they weren’t big enough to pose any threat to the relationship which I think would have spiced the story up a bit.

I give this one a solid 4 stars. It has all the hallmarks of a good romantic comedy and was a pleasure to read. Penny Reid’s narrative voice is fun and remarkably easy to escape into and I’ll definitely be continuing to indulge myself in more of the Winston family’s escapades.

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson Review

In recent years, young adult fiction has shifted. Gone are the days of Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew. What has surfaced are books that are pushing the boundaries between what many adults think teens want to read and what they are actually yearning to read. There has been a major influx in novels that portray flesh and blood characters who live in a world where they have to deal with situations beyond their years. Mental health, sexuality, drugs, abuse, and all manner of unseemly material have become more prevalent because unfortunately more and more teenagers are having to cope in a world that even my generation couldn’t fathom. Sometimes, when trying to cope, you just need to know that you’re not alone in your struggles, and some authors are answering the call for more authentic teen fiction.

Authors like Tiffany D. Jackson seems to be making it her mission to write books that are real and tackle hard topics mostly relegated to adult fiction. Like Jackson’s debut novel Allegedly, which follows a girl, convicted of murder, seeking the truth while in a group home, her second novel, Monday’s Not Coming, deals adult themes in a way that is relatable to a younger audience without pandering to them. The story follows Claudia Coleman. After coming home from visiting her grandmama in Georgia for the summer, she immediately questions where her best friend, Monday, is, having not heard from her the entire time she was away. Her parents along with everyone else continue to assure Claudia that Monday is just busy and that she’ll be at school on the first day of their 8^th grade year...but she doesn’t show. The reader follows along Claudia’s desperate attempts to find Monday while coping with her absence. On the surface, this is simply a mystery of a missing girl, but at the heart of this novel, readers can begin to see Jackson weave in themes of friendship, gentrification, mental illness, and injustice into a complex narrative that left me saddened and disturbed. The thought that this was inspired by real events made the ending even more gruesome and heartbreaking. As always, I will being doing a spoiler free review that goes over some hits as well as some misses and my personal rating.

To start with, the friendship between Claudia and Monday was extremely relatable. I as well as many others have had friendships growing up that we will never forget. There is a special bond among friends when you are a kid and the quote from the movie Stand By Me comes to mind, “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve.” Claudia and Monday are inseparable and often mistaken for twins. Sleep overs, a secret language, coordinating outfits are all hallmarks of young female friendships. Anyone that has or ever had a friend like this can immediately relate to Claudia’s distress when this other part of her goes missing. She sadly realizes just how alone she is without Monday and struggles to cope with her loneliness. Ultimately Claudia begins to feel betrayed and even questions whether Monday actually felt the same way about their friendship as she did. I enjoyed this aspect of the character’s struggle. That feeling of being left out or forgotten, especially when you are an insecure 14 year old can be devastating. Jackson revealed in an interview that this friendship mirrored her own and I felt like that shined through.

The other aspect I enjoyed was that the characters felt real. I’ve read some YA books where the author clearly doesn’t know how young adults talk and it ends up sounding like a 30-40 year old trying to talk like a teenager. It doesn’t work and just sounds desperate. I honestly didn’t feel like that happened here. Jackson does a good job of creating a young voice and although Claudia does sound a little more childish at times, I feel like in this case it made sense in the story. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say there is a point.

Along with the characters, Jackson has so far been able to discuss difficult topics concerning racial bias, social injustices, and the like without being too heavy handed. Again, what I’ve found in a lot of YA is authors not giving their readers enough credit to understand their themes. They’re teenagers...not idiots! And frankly, you don’t have to put every single social issue plaguing the world in your book. At some point it becomes more about checking boxes than telling a really good story.

Now on to some misses. However, most of the misses are not really misses because after finishing it, I can totally see the “why” behind these decisions. The book is told in a non-linear plot, jumping from before and after Monday was found (I’m not spoiling anything for you...it literally says it within the first few sentences). This device is often jarring and can be difficult to follow because you have to pay attention to what is going on and what has been revealed already. But again, once you get to the reveal, you understand why Jackson built it this way and it makes you want to flip back to the first page and read it again to see if you can catch some of the clues.

My other miss was more out of personal preference and my own ideas of how the books should have ended. Because I had read Allegedly, I was expecting this “holy crap” kind of reveal that would leave me with an icky feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know I’m that weird, morbid person who wants the Lifetime thriller moment where the girl’s been living with her stalker the whole time and she’s scarred for life. So when the mystery behind Monday’s disappearance was exposed, I felt like there should have been more. I kept thinking that there was going to be another detail just as twisted as there was in Allegedly. But again...I’m morbid and apparently this ending wasn’t gruesome enough for me. It’s definitely a “holy crap” moment that will leave you heartbroken and feeling so pissed at the world that you won’t necessarily sit the book in the corner like a child in time out, but you will feel angry at a world where something like this could and does happen.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend this book to both YA readers and adults alike. Although I would add that because of some language, this may not be something parents of younger teens (like 13, 14 or even some 15 year old) will feel comfortable with their child reading. But besides that small detail, the story is captivating and had me finishing the book in about two days. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy mysteries.

2020 Goals and TBR

My first inclination as I start this blog is to jump out of the gate with some witty crap that will grab your attention and perhaps make you ponder the deeper meaning of my stellar insights. Unfortunately, I'm not all that witty and frankly, I just don't have the time to devote to it. My goal for this blog is simple: write about books I've read, and perhaps share my feelings about said books. As I reflect back on 2019, I realized I wasn't quite intentional with my TBR (to be read) list. I definitely purchased more books than I had time to read, but that's my sickness...some women buy purses and shoes they don't need...I buy books. However I have a very, very good excuse for spending probably hundreds of dollars on books; I'm a high school English teacher trying to fight the good fight against boring books. So if I can't walk into a bookstore without buying something, I just soothe my buyer's remorse with the knowledge that I'm doing it for the children...the poor, poor children.

Anywho...I wanted to be intentional this year, both with my TBR and my overall reading goals. So what better place to put down some accountability than this blog that I hope doesn't turn into a digital version of my high school diary. Trust me, no one wants to read that...least of all me. Of course these goals may change. I may amend or add to the list at any point and of course I will add books to my TBR, but I figured I'd start small so I'm more likely to check them off.

2020 READING GOALS
1. Read 30 books minimum and track on Goodreads.
2. Read more classics (I am unfortunately not a very well read English major).
3. Read more non-fiction not related to teaching.
4. Get together with a group on Caravan.
5. Create video reviews for YouTube.

2020 TBR (in no particular order)
Grin and Beard It
A Constellation of Stars
Challenger Deep
The Toll
Nyxia
Opposite of Always
The Black Witch
A Conjuring of Light
Hillbilly Elegy
Evicted
The Binding
A Brave New World
Frankenstein
East of Eden
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Tess of the D'Ubervilles
Skyward
Starlight
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
Sharp Objects
The Rules of Magic
A Place to Stand
Girls of Paper and Fire
The Queen of Tearling
On a Pale Horse
American Road Trip
Truthwitch
Trickmirror
Family Fang
Needful Things
The Institute

Okay, so technically this list is 31, but hey--I don't have a witty response so just humor me. I've told friends of mine that I started these shenanigans, and hopefully they kick me in the butt when I don't update. So happy reading and hope to give y'all my first book review in the next week.