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Heartstopper

Jan 20, 2022

Heartstopper

Alice Oseman

I love a good book that makes you sigh with a lightness in your heart after finishing. Books that make you want to give them a hug. HEARTSTOPPER is as good as everyone says it is. It is a beautiful series about two queer teenagers finding themselves and growing up. If you’re looking to read for the warm and fuzzies this is exactly what you need in your life. It does cover heavy topics, but it is not heavy handed. But be warned, that you will want to read all the volumes right after you finish volume 1. I made the mistake of not having the rest on deck and I was VERY UPSET when I was done with volume 1. @msyislibrary can attest to this pain as well.

[ID: The graphic novel series HEARTSTOPPER Volumes 1 through 3 laying on a wooden white fence.]

#Hearstopper #GraphicNovels #QueerCharacters #HeartwarmingReads #BestBooksEver #AlwaysReading #YAGraphicNovels #aliceoseman

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston

White Smoke

Jan 15, 2022

White Smoke

Tiffany Jackson

Tiffany D. Jackson knows how to write truly creepy books! WHITE SMOKE is about a teenager named Marigold. Her mom has accepted a job that comes with a new house they get to live in for free. If the family stays for one or two years (?) they get to keep the house. But soon after moving in, creepy things start to happen that convince Marigold the house is haunted.

Also an exploration of gentrification, and mass incarceration, this novel was truly one I did not want to read at night. I liked it well enough, but did feel it was a tad too long. I was also kind of uncomfortable with how the conversation around weed was handled. As someone that regularly uses weed to help deal with my anxiety and to help me sleep, some parts of this made me cringe. That being said I can empathize with why the choice was made and try to reserve judgment. If you’re in the mood for a haunted house story this will definitely fulfill that desire.

I want to read other Jackson novels (ALLEGEDLY & GROWN being the top two I would like to get to), having only read MONDAYS NOT COMING. MONDAYS NOT COMING is the stronger novel, in my opinion. I thought it was tighter, and Jackson did a much better job carrying the suspense throughout the whole novel. I felt WHITE SMOKE was also trying to send out too many messages at once, but MONDAYS NOT COMING felt more focused. That ending still haunts my nightmares and it still holds a place in my heart for being one of the best YA I have ever read.

[ID: WHITE SMOKE by Tiffany D. Jackson rests on purple flowers outside. It is sunny.]

#CreepyBooks #YA #YoungAdultNovels #SpookyBooks #BooksWithHauntedHouses #OctoberReads #ScaryBooks #AlwaysReading #Bookstagrammer #Bookstagram

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston

Seven Days In June

Jan 13, 2022

Seven Days In June

Tia Williams

In today’s edition of #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt we have Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams. I really enjoyed reading this book. Tia Williams is hilarious and the characters she wrote all had me hooked. I was rooting for every single one of them. I was taken by surprise by the heavy subject matter covered in this book. It is an exploration of how past traumas can continue to haunt and infect every area of your life, and the ways in which people try to overcome. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes not, but learning and growing does not take place on a linear timeline. I was expecting just a “typical” romance (a genre I rarely read, I prefer my romances on the silver screen). But this one felt different from ones I have read in the past (which again are very few, so I’m not the best judge of whether or not this one is truly unique). An enjoyable read that kept me warm during some cold days over winter break. I would love to see this one adapted into a movie or limited TV series.

(Spoiler so stop reading if you haven’t read the book yet: I felt bad for Ty. I felt like he was collateral damage to Shane’s growth and that sucked, I wish his story could’ve ended differently.)

[ID: The book Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams, being held by Viv with a colorful painting as the backdrop]

#RomanceNovels #ReadMoreRomance #SevenDaysInJune #Bookstagram #BooksBooksBooks #AlwaysReading #LosAngelesReader #bookstagrammer

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston

Never Have I Ever

Jan 11, 2022

Never Have I Ever

Isabel Yap

I remember seeing a post by @booksbythecup telling SOME readers (i.e. ME) that we were reading short story collections all wrong. I was reading short stories in a way one would read a novel. After that simple realization, I became determined to give short stories another go.

Thankfully my wonderful little book club, with @enjoyjournaling and @nerdtasticnoms were game to try something new as well. We decided to read Isabel Yap’s short story collection titled NEVER HAVE I EVER.

One thing I loved about reading short stories was that it is a complete story! Seems obvious…I know…But it was nice not feeling like I had to get to the end to see what happens. It was a calmer pace and I felt a deep sense of satisfaction when I finished one story. I also really loved the range of the stories in this collection. Some were heartbreaking, some were creepy, there was a queer witch romance, and one that was totally about the Sailor Scouts getting older! I would love to read more by Isabel Yap, and I think she is definitely a Filipino author to watch.

I won’t say I am a short story convert just yet, but I do have a few on my TBR now that I am excited to get to. I recently acquired Sabrina & Corina and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. I’m ready for more!

[ID: The short story collection, NEVER HAVE I EVER, by Isabel Yap resting against colorful plants]

#ShortStoryCollections #IsabelYap #ReadMoreFilipinoAuthors #FilipinoAuthors #FilipinoWriters #SpookyReads #Philippines #Bookstagram #AlwaysReading #BooksBooksBooks #LosAngelesReader #filipinobookstagrammer

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston

Stack of Unread Books

Jan 9, 2022

Stack of Unread Books

My stack of unread books next to my bed. I have never owned so many unread books in my life. My one intention this year is to whittle this stack down and only read what I own. Everything else will come from the library if I want to read it. I’m a big believer in giving books away when I read them too. I love passing on loved books to friends and family. My only request is that they keep passing the book along. See any here I should prioritize? I hope I can keep this promise to myself. I may have to take a year off #bookstagram to do it. Haha. #bookstagrammer #ilovebooks #alwaysreading #readwhatyouown #TBR #nonfictionbooks #fiction

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston

Mexican Gothic

Jan 7, 2022

Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno – Garcia

Mexican Gothic was a perfectly good book that I read in October. It was exactly what I was in the mood for. Some horror, mixed with a creepy house? Sold. Badass female lead? Yes, please. I am a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, having read Gods of Jade and Shadow. I enjoy her writing style and the heroines she creates. (Slight spoiler ahead) I do feel like I could’ve done without the love story, it didn’t bother me so much that I disliked the book, although it did feel kind of thrown in. I really do wish sometimes stories just ended with no romance. I can think of a few movies, tv shows, and books where I wish the heroine just ended up by themselves at the end of the story. But I say this as a married person, so who am I to judge?

I will say mushrooms were a bit hard to look at the same way after reading this. Hehe, IYKYK.

[ID: The book Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia resting on a brown table.]

#SilviaMorenoGarcia #MexicanGothic #HorrorNovels #SpookyNovels #SpookyBooks #bookstagram

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston