Top 10 Tuesday: Freebie Week

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme that is brought to us by The Broke & the Bookish. Check out the topic list here.

I've missed the last couple of weeks of Top 10 Tuesday topics, so when this week's came up, it seemed like a good time to go back and pick one that I'd missed. Thank the fandoms for freebie weeks, right? ;)

I decided to do my post on Top 10 Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year. There are a ton of books coming out this year and the second half of the year really seems to get the most, doesn't it? I remember last October was pretty heavy. Let's see what this year's crop looks like, shall we?

For this I'm counting anything that comes out June 2016-December 2016.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

The Midnight Star by Marie Lu

Aerie by Maria Dahvana Headley

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, & John Tiffany

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Review: Storyteller by Lisa Cresswell

Storyteller by Lisa T. Cresswell

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Thirteen year old Lily knows she can make weird things happen, just by telling a story. It's a gift she can't always control, making her the queen of seventh grade outcasts. She can't make a million dollars appear out of thin air or make it rain cupcakes, but it's not for lack of trying. More than anything, she wants to see her mom, who's left her in the care of her unconventional grandmother, Gwendolyn, and her only friend, Peter.

When Lily finds a strange fairytale book, she's drawn into a fantasy world where her mother waits for her. When her grandmother admits to Lily they are fairies, hiding in this world from dark forces in another place, Lily is convinced the book she's been reading is real. According to the book, those dark forces now threaten to destroy her mother. What Lily doesn't know is they are already hunting her as well.

Despite the dire warnings of Gwendolyn and Peter, Lily embarks on a mission to find a way into the fantasy world to save her mom. The events she sets into motion with the telling of a story will change all of their lives forever.

Rating: 3 Stars


I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Any book where a child has to go on a magical adventure, particularly when they have to save a parent, warrants a look-see from me. This book intrigued me because of the abilities that it assigned to Lily, the heroine. Being able to tell stories that come true sounds fantastic, but as Lily finds out, there's more than one side to a story and more than one way for it to turn out.

Lisa Cresswell, author, had a good handle on writing her characters. They were multi-faceted throughout and had a fair bit of development among them; it wasn't all saved for Lily or Peter (Lily's friend). I appreciated that because I find that sometimes, the strength of character within a book is distributed unevenly and then you have the super powerful heroine and lackluster secondary characters, which stinks because they're necessary to a good story.

The pacing was a bit muddy about halfway through the book and had a few moments where I wanted to set the book aside completely, but I didn't and I'm happy about that. Some books just have subpar middles but I think while this book dipped toward that it saved itself and went on to something greater.

There's a lot of fantasy adventure within this story that I think middle grade readers will like, but also older readers as well. It translates well between age groups, an important factor if a book wants to have staying power. I'd recommend it to fans of Narnia and The Great Good Thing.







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Review: Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay

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From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request—and possibly to do more—and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman, posing as a doctor’s wife, but sent by Seressa as a spy.

The trading ship that carries them is commanded by the accomplished younger son of a merchant family, ambivalent about the life he’s been born to live. And farther east a boy trains to become a soldier in the elite infantry of the khalif—to win glory in the war everyone knows is coming.

As these lives entwine, their fates—and those of many others—will hang in the balance, when the khalif sends out his massive army to take the great fortress that is the gateway to the western world... 

Rating:  2 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I find it interesting when authors take history and turn it on its head. They have the opportunity to make things right that we see as having happened incorrectly and adding fantastical elements to an otherwise ordinary time period.

While I found Kay's writing style to be quite lyrical, I thought that the text suffered. I looked and could not find any evidence of this book being a sequel to a previous work, but that is what it read like. I felt the whole time as though there were a lot of events that I was missing that might have brought all of the action together.

There was obviously a lot of work put into this book, what with all the details in evidence, but with what I've said about it feeling like a sequel, I must also add that there were significant portions of the story that felt very slow. The lyrical writing, quite elegant in places, became burdensome after awhile and made the book more of a brick than a refuge from an ordinary world.

I think I can safely say that it takes an enormous amount of willpower to make it through this book, not only because of the events of the story, but also because of the time it takes to get through them. I would leave this for a long weekend, maybe a couple of long weekends, during the winter when you need to imagine the warmth of the wide world again.







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Review: The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl.

On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long , and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl.

As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means.

Rating: 4 Stars

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Art of Being Normal. I picked it up as I had decided to read more book from the LGBTQ+ genre this year (in general, really).

I'm glad that I did so, as this was both what I expected from the description, and nothing like what I expected. The writing was much more engaging that I thought it would be. Not that I thought it would be bad, you understand, but my mind really responded to the way this book was written. It was so happy to pick this book up each day, even when I knew something not so good was about to happen.

The characters were unique to me. They were special in that I had never read a character portrayed in just that way and they gave me a lot to think about. David and Leo are characters that I wish I knew in real life. They felt like real people that just so happened to be made of paper and ink, rather than fictional ones.

I was saddened when things ended, but  I was more saddened when I realized that there are similar things going on everyday to people I may or may not know. People who've been born into the wrong body who are having difficult times because they aren't being accepted, because people with skewed view points, aren't seeing past their own noses to what another person might be feeling in their minds and their hearts.

I hope to read more from Lisa Williamson soon. This book has made me a big fan.

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Review: Fever At Dawn by Peter Gardos

Fever At Dawn by Peter Gardos

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Twenty-five-year-old Holocaust survivor Miklós is being shipped from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to Gotland, Sweden, to receive treatment at the Larbro Hospital. Here he is sentenced to death again: he is diagnosed with tuberculosis and his doctors inform him that he has six months to live. But Miklós decides to wage war on his own fate: he writes 117 letters to 117 Hungarian girls, all of whom are being treated in the Swedish camps, with the aim of eventually choosing a wife from among them.

Two hundred kilometres away, in another Swedish rehabilitation camp, nineteen-year-old Lili receives Miklós’s letter. Since she is bedridden for three weeks due to a serious kidney problem, out of boredom — and curiosity — she decides to write back.

The slightly formal exchange of letters becomes increasingly intimate. When the two finally manage to meet, they fall in love and are determined to marry, despite the odds that are against them.

Based on the original letters written by Miklós and Lili (ninety-six altogether), Fever at Dawn is a tale of passion, striving, and betrayal; true and false friendships; doubt and faith; and the redeeming power of love.

Rating: 3 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a heartbreaking and heartwarming tale; it all depended on where you were in the story.

I thought it rather interesting to follow Mikos as he searched for a wife. His determination not to listen to his doctor's diagnosis, especially after all he'd been through, was amazing. I suppose he figured, after surviving the camps and forced labor, why listen to Death?

The story was interesting and I liked it when the story actually focused on the developments between Mikos and Lili, but there was an awful lot of dead space, if you'll pardon the term. The first fifty percent of the book was fairly fast paced, but after that I found myself skimming quite a lot.

I think I am rating it so high because, like I said, the first half was very good and the story of the main characters was intriguing. Letter writing can be very intimate and it is a dying art. That Mikos and Lili found each other at all is a miracle; that Peter came to be to share their story is another.







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Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

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Andie had it all planned out. 

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing - if everything's planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 

And where’s the fun in that?

Rating: 4 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've been reading a lot of light books lately and this continued the trend in a delightful way, while edging toward the deeper end of the literary pool.

I've never read any Morgan Matson books before, though I've had a few on my list: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, Since You've Been Gone, etc. The Unexpected Everything was my first and I'm happy to say that I will definitely be continuing on with Matson's books.

There were a few moments that were really funny. I appreciate humor in a book because it can be hard to get it right.  There's a balance that needs to be maintained or it gets to be too much and I just can't enjoy the book anymore.

The cast of characters was better than  I could have hoped for in a contemporary novel. Usually I find myself liking only one or two characters and finding the rest to be superfluous. Here, however, it was like they were all puzzle pieces that fit together and worked. The picture was a good, clear one that made sense and was a joy to interact with.

Andie, the main character, was not what I expected. From the summary's description, I thought she'd be much more uptight than she was and I thought she'd react much more badly that she did when things started falling apart. Having my expectations not met like this is a very good thing. It was a nice turnaround not to have an MC fall to absolute pieces when their life plan changes.

As I said before, I'm going to be happy to continue reading Matson's books, especially if I can expect the same level of quality from all of them.







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Review: Of Pens and Swords by Rena Rocford

Of Pens and Swords by Rena Rocford

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Seventeen-year-old Cyra Berque wants two things in life: a date with Rochan and a chance to fence at the Olympics. But people with one hand don’t normally fence, and girls with big thighs don’t get the boy. Knowing that she wants to make the Olympics, Cyra’s coach sets her up with another coach, one who could take her all the way to the top, but the new coach costs more. Feeling her dreams slipping out of reach, Cyra agrees to tutor a ballerina with a rich father and a D minus in English. It’s triple the pay and triple the pain. The ballerina isn’t interested in passing classes―she wants Rochan, and she’s promised she’ll turn her D minus into a full-fledged F if Cyra doesn’t help her win the heart of Rochan.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that I very much wanted to like, and I even started out liking it a lot, but it didn't hold up.

The premise was good (a retelling, so to speak, of Cyrano de Bergerac) and one that I don't think has been done often, unlike certain fairy tales. There were some good traits, but it started falling apart due to the cons outlined below.

Pros

The chapter header illustrations were pretty. They reminded me of drawings you might see in a textbook demonstrating the various moves a fenced might do. They would've been even better if they had done that. Illustrations at the beginning of every chapter, but each one showcasing a different ability.

The passages in the first part of the book that talked about fencing expectations and the weapons used were fascinating. I don't believe I've ever read a book about fencing, so this new knowledge was welcome.

Cyra's disability is not one that I've read about often. It was interesting to see it brought up and how Cyra deals with life as someone with only one hand.

Cons

The transitions between Cyra's thoughts needs a little work. At times she sounds like she's about to trail off instead of being focused on the moment at hand.

She's reading as immature, which is annoying because I would think that someone who's suffered a maiming like her and who is determined to make it to the Olympics via fencing wouldn't sound or act so childish.

The "friendship" between Cyra and Christine makes no sense. I understand that Cyra has to put up with Christine because of the tutoring job, but Christine makes this semi-transition from the new mean girl to the friend character that you can't help but hate because she's rude, whiny, and doesn't have a redeemable bone in her body.

Christine's voice is weird, too. Her speech pattern sounds off, like she's trying to pretend to be someone else and is failing. The words are stilted at best, cliche at worst.

Summary

The book started out well and continued as such for a little while, but the annoying parts piled up and ultimately the book suffered. Luckily it was a fairly short one, so not much time will be wasted if you decide to pick it up.







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Sunday Street Team: Guest Post by Danika Stone, author of All the Feels

All the Feels by Danika Stone

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College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.

About the Author:

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both adults (The Intaglio Series and Ctrl Z) and teens (All the Feels). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency. 

Top 5 Books You Wish You'd Written

When you’re a writer, you never stop reading. Every book you consume becomes a model for what your own writing could be. I read everything – thrillers to science fiction to young adult – and I take guidance from each one. Most of the time, I’m happy enough to just be a reader, but very once in a while, I read a book so AMAZING it leaves me desperately wishing I’d written it.

Here are five that I really hope, in some parallel universe, are mine:

1.      The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger. There’s something incredibly powerful about a love story that doesn’t follow a conventional timeline, leaving readers to second-guess how things will work out. The story makes readers consider the moments that define us, and how we never really move on from some of them. An AMAZING book. Read it. Read it NOW.

2.      Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin. Okay, this whole series is incredible, but the first book is the only one I’ll grab for this list. Why? Because if I wrote the first one, I’d get to decide what happens for the rest! I’ll admit it. I mostly wish I’d written Game of Thrones so I could figure out if my own theories about the parentage of Jon Snow are right.

3.      The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins. I love the entire trilogy but the first book (in my opinion) is a perfect novelization of a dystopian world. It narrowly edged out The Giver for this honor.

4.      The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood. This book is one of the few I was given to read in a university class and became absolutely fannish about. I love all of Atwood’s writing, but I think this one is probably my favorite.

5.      The Stand, Stephen King. I refuse to let myself reread this book because I’m terrified it won’t be as good as the first time I read it. I remember loving it so much I forced it on everyone I knew. (And didn’t lose too many friends because of it.) It takes the mythic structure and expands it into a post-apocalyptic world that seems disturbingly realistic. Definitely on my top five list of “books I wish I’d written”.

So how about you? What books do you wish YOU had written, and why? I want them on my to-be-read pile.

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Mini Review: Bedtime for Batman - Written by Michael Dahl & Illustrated by Ethen Beavers

Bedtime for Batman - Written by Michael Dahl & Illustrated by Ethen Beavers

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When a dark night comes to the big city, one little super hero prepares for a great adventure . . . bedtime! He dons his pajama uniform, speeds upstairs, cleans up the nightly grime, and keeps watch from his towering bunk bed. Written by award-winning author Michael Dahl (Goodnight Baseball, Goodnight Football, and Goodnight Hockey) and illustrated by Ethen Beavers (DC Super Friends), this bedtime tale will have Batman fans, young and old, delighting in their nightly routines. Bedtime for Batman is the perfect way to say goodnight to your little Dark Knight.

Rating: 4 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute book. It had great art and included illustrations of all of my favorite DC characters: Harley Quinn, the Joker, etc.

There wasn't really a story, per se, but this might be just the thing to read to a little one that's being difficult at bedtime. There's almost a side by side comparison of Batman having his adventure and the little boy getting ready for bed. Dreams can contain big adventures, maybe even one where you're the Caped Crusader? :)

All in all it's a pleasant bedtime story, though I think the parents (especially comic book fan parents), will get more of a kick out of it than the kids who might not know all the characters yet.

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2016 Debut Authors Bash - Featuring Anna Breslaw

I want to start off this awesome event by thanking Nichole from YAReads for letting me know about the 2016 Debut Authors Bash and inviting me to be a part of it. It has been a fantastic time: getting to know my author, getting to know her book, and now getting to share some content with you that I think is a whole lot of fun.

I got to do an interview with Anna Breslaw, the author of Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here. I remember seeing this book blurbed somewhere along the lines, probably on Goodreads, and I hadn't looked into it indepth until I realized that 1) I wanted to read more debuts this year 2) it's a book about a fangirl and what happens when her fandom suddenly goes away and 3) that Anna really gets what it means to be a fan, whether you're a fanboy, fangirl, whatever.

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw

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Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her weed-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. And if they ever find out what Scarlett truly thinks about them, she’ll be thrust into a situation far more dramatic than anything she’s ever seen on TV…

It also helped when I saw that this book was recommended for fans of some of my favorite books and television show: Fangirl, Veronica Mars, Daria, etc. I think if you have ever had a fandom that meant more to you than a passing stranger might understand, you should definitely take a look at Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here.

In the mean time, check out my interview with Anna below:

When you were Scarlett's age, what was your version of Lycanthrope High?

That’s easy: Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Season 2 in particular, and the high school years, were my everything. And like Scarlett, it really informed my writing a lot. It’s probably why I gravitate towards grounded fantasy/sci-fi metaphors for our modern-day experiences, and also why I try to make all my characters complex and well-rounded, following the Whedon example of setting up and then knocking down stereotypes. Particularly female stereotypes.

As a Hufflepuff, what is the one thing you want people to know about being in that house, or one misconception you'd want to clear up?

There are SO MANY MISCONCEPTIONS I would like to clear up! First of all, being a Hufflepuff doesn’t make you dumb. Loyalty does not equal low intelligence. (And frankly, you’re probably a Slytherin if you think it does.) I think of Hufflepuff basically as Gryffindor minus the constant need for glory and attention. We put our heads down and do the work without expecting a parade, and value fairness and empathy above all things. Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff and he was the MAN. OK, done.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

Battlestar Galactica.

While writing Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here, did you have any particularly low moments where you weren't sure you were doing right thing? If so, how did you get past them?

The fanfiction parts were a struggle at first. I wasn’t sure what the tone should be. I wanted it to be different from the first-person story, but not so different the reader would feel like they weren’t getting what they signed up for. I also wasn’t sure how serious of a concept Scarlett would come up with—like if the story would be more melodramatic and romantic or more of a grounded high-school satire. My editors Jessica Almon and Marissa Grossman at Penguin Random House ended up suggesting the direction I went in, which was more of the latter than the former, and felt really right for the book.

What piece of press has surprised you the most since Scarlett Epstein's been released, whether it be a review, a starred rating, etc.?

People have said it’s refreshing and uncommon that my main character is from a lower-middle-class single-parent family and Jewish. That was funny to hear, since it’s basically my background. And I got a starred Kirkus review, which was an absolutely delightful surprise.

What celebrity meet and greet would have you fan girling the most?

Oh my God, a lot. Kyle Chandler, Amy Schumer, Conan O’Brien... but honestly I’d probably flip out over most of them. It’s easy in theory to pick your favorites and say you’d be really blase about anyone else, but if I met like, The Rock, or Martin Short, or the lady from the Progressive commercials, I’d probably lose my shit.

What about Scarlett, do you think, is the most relatable to girls her age?

I think the feeling of being different from other people your age and just waiting for your “real life” to start is pretty relatable. To girls who like to read, at least. I think part of what makes someone a really voracious reader as a teenager is the excitement of immersing yourself in a bigger world than your own. No matter where you are, or how unfulfilled or ostracized you might be feeling, books give you this sense of infinite possibility that makes you see there’s a better life waiting for you. It was definitely like that for me, anyway. Sometimes I think reading a lot saved my life, in a way.

If you could cross Scarlett's book over with another one, which would you choose and why?

That’s such a good question. Maybe Me And Earl and the Dying Girl. I think Scarlett and Greg are alienated kindred spirits in a way, and would be capable of having a conversation entirely in pop-culture references (and yeah, she’d probably have a crush on him).

Do you have a favorite writing method? Pen & paper, mobile phone, etc.?

I write in Microsoft Word, but jot down little idea lightning-bolts regarding whatever I’m working on in a pad I keep next to my laptop. Which inevitably get lost or forgotten whenever I turn the page. It’s a bad system.

Which do you feel is more difficult, the writing stage or the editing stage?

Editing is like 1000% harder, at least for me. It’s a challenge to look back at the big picture and try to see the structure/plot with fresh eyes and improve it, which is why editors are so invaluable.

Do you think you'll write more books about fangirls (or fanboys!) like Scarlett in the future or try something different?

I may revisit fan culture at some point, but for now I’m definitely onto different stuff. While I was writing the book, I found myself really interested in the inner life of Ashley the popular girl, so I think my next protagonist’s going to be a queen-bee type “mean girl” who’s smarter and more complex than she lets on. And the love story might be more front-and-center this time.

About the Author

Anna Breslaw is a New York-based freelance writer and author who previously wrote for Cosmo and has also been a contributing writer for Jezebel and Glamour.com.

She has a weakness for Kyle Chandler and Devil Dogs. 

Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here is her debut novel. 

Thank you to Anna for answering my questions and giving us a little more insight into who she is as an author and a fangirl.

Please don't forget to check out all the other amazing stops on the 2016 Debuts Authors Bash Tour starting June 1, tour dates listed below. Enjoy the rounds!

June 1st

My Book Addiction – Kristy Acevedo

SleepsOnTables – Michele Bacon

Adventures in Writing – Jennifer DiGiovanni

Sci-Fi and Scary – Margaret Dilloway

YaReads – A. E. Conran

BookCatPin – Anna Michels



June 2nd

Alice Reeds – Sarah Alexander

The Hermit Librarian – Anna Breslaw

Me, Myshelf, and I – Melissa Gorzelanczyk

Pulp and Mystery Shelf – Kim Savage

With Love for Books – Kat Helgeson



June 3rd

Let Me Tell You A Story – Amy Allgeyer

Gabriella M Reads – Tobie Easton

Bookish Wanderlove – Emily Martin

Brittany’s Book Rambles – Robin Reul

Kirstyes – Books, Occupation – Magic! – Jennifer Mason-Black

Diane’s Book Blog – Michael Miller

Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – R.S. Grey



June 4th

Ink Sisters Write – Brooks Benjamin

21st Century Once Upon A Times – Lucy Keating

With Love for Books – Amber Smith

Swoony Boys Podcast – Mia Siegert

Vi3tBabe – Judy Sheehan



June 5th

Diane’s Book Blog – Sarah Ahiers

Cover2Cover – Kerry Kletter

The Candid Cover – Jenny Moyer

Lost in Lit – Katherine Fleet

Alice Reeds – Jenny Manzer



June 6th

Gabriella M Reads – Ami Allen-Vath

Two Chicks on Books – Nicole Castroman

Lisa Loves Literature – Janet B. Taylor

Downright Dystopian – Jeff Garvin



June 7th

The Hardcover Lover – Ashley Herring Blake

Here’s to Happy Endings – Meg Leder

Vox Libris – Catherine Lo

YaReads – Scarlett Kol

The Book Cellar – Julie Hammerle

Ink Sisters Write – Kenneth Logan

Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – Jenna Welch



June 8th

Go Read A Book – Natalie Blitt

Curling Up With A Good Book – Lindsey Klingele

Across the Bookiverse – Kathy MacMillan

The Reading Nook Reviews – Rebecca Podos



June 9th

The Book Beacon – Andrew Brumbach

The Turning Pages – Shannon M. Parker

Book Lovers Life – Patrick Samphire

Bibliophilia, Please – Gordon Jack



June 10th

With Love for Books – Harriet Reuter Hapgood

the bookdragon – Marisa Reichardt

Cue My Muse – Laura Shovan

Rockin’ Book Reviews – Bryan Methods



June 11th

Kirstyes – Books, Occupation – Magic! – Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Arctic Books – Laura Tims

Book Lovers Life – Sarah Schauerte Reida



June 12th

Bibliophilia, Please – Julie Eshbaugh

Mundie Kids – Robin Yardi

YaReads – Martine Lewis



June 13th

Little Book Heaven – Michelle Andreani

YaReads – Carrie Firestone

Me, Myshelf, and I – Peter HoffMeister

Emily Reads Everything – Emily Skrutskie



June 14th

Downright Dystopian – Christian McKay Heidicker

Brittany’s Book Rambles – Kerri Maniscalco

Platypire Reviews – Nanci Turner Steveson



June 15th

My Book Addiction – Jennie K Brown

Sci-Fi and Scary – Jennifer Bardsley



June 16th

Milky Way of Books – Ava Jae

Rachel’s Book Reviews – Jeff Zentner



June 17th

Write Writing Written – Lily Anderson

Two Chicks on Books – Kim Zarins

Pink Polka Dot Books – Heather Smith Meloche



June 18th

Pimples, Popularity, and Protagonists – K.C. Held

Wishful Endings – Elizabeth Briggs

Cue My Muse – Lee Gjertsen Malone



June 19th

Read.Sleep.Repeat. – Rahul Kanakia

YaReads – Dee Romito

With Love for Books – Jessica Taylor



June 20th

YaReads – Kurt Dinan

A Perfection Called Books – Erin Summerill

21st Century Once Upon A Times – Riley Redgate

My Book Addiction – Janet Sumner Johnson



June 21st

YaReads – J. Keller Ford

What’s Write About This – Erin Teagan

Alice Reeds – Aditi Khorana

Latte Nights Reviews – Mia Garcia



June 22nd

Pink Polka Dot Books – Emily France

Emily Reads Everything – Sonya Mukherjee

YaReads – Everly Frost

Little Book Heaven – Paula Garner



June 23rd

Latte Nights Reviews – Kathleen Glasgow

Bookish Wanderlove – Karen Hattrup



June 24th

My Bookish Year – Erica M Chapman

The Eater of Books! – Julie Buxbaum

The Book Cellar – Jill Diamond

YaReads – Dana Elmendorf



June 25th

Pretty Deadly Reviews – Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

My Book Addiction – Erin Petti

SleepsOnTables – Parker Peevyhouse

The Phantom Paragrapher – Julie Leung



June 26th

The Book Cellar – Evangeline Denmark

The Reading Nook Reviews – Kathryn Purdie

Gabriella M Reads – Stephanie Scott

Read.Sleep.Repeat. – Lisa A. Koosis





June 27th

The Book Beacon – Claire Fayers

YaReads – Cheryl Blackford

Bookish Wanderlove – Jenn P. Nguyen

Bibliophilekid – Emily Cox and Nicole Allen

BookCatPin – Laura Stampler





June 28th

Pandora’s Books – Audrey Coulthurst

My Book Addiction – Abby Cooper

Downright Dystopian – Katie Kennedy

Hannah Plus Books – Tom Crosshill

Book Lovers Life – Cynthia Reeg



June 29th

Media Geeks Unite – Tricia Clasen

Tigersbooksandme – Destiny Soria

Mindjacked – Margot Harrison

books are love – Caleb Roehrig

Emily Reads Everything – Janet McNally

Platypire Reviews – Tara Sims

YaReads – Isabel Bandeira



June 30th

On Starships and Dragonwings – Traci Chee

Doodle’s Book Reviews – Meghan Rogers

Pandora’s Books – Kathleen Burkinshaw

Bibliophilia, Please – Bridget Hodder

Swoony Boys Podcast – Krystal Sutherland

Alice Reeds – Karen Fortunati

My Book Addiction – Mike Grosso

The Reading Nook Reviews – Lindsey Roth Culli

Book Lover’s Life– Abigail Johnson

YaReads – Sarah Glenn Marsh

What’s Write About This – Wade Albert White







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