Top Eleven Books of 2016

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Attack of the Ninja Frogs (Dragonbreath #2) - Ursula Vernon

Hamster Princess was a BIG hit with me last year, so it's no surprise I immediately picked up her other middle grade books, and the Dragonbreath series does not disappoint.  They are so freaking hilarious and wonderfully creative.  Attack of the Ninja Frogs is clearly superior to the rest though.  NINJA FROGS GUYS.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) - Patrick Ness

Totally called that this was going to be on my end of year list in June (of course, I ended up pretty much not reading after July, so most of these were on that list too.  But still I was right!)  I think I'm finally over my emotional trauma enough to pick up the next book.

Maybe.

The Bone Knife - Intisar Khanani

So you've probably seen me mention Intisar Khanani on the blog a few times - but trust me, it's not nearly as many as she deserves. Of all her works (and I read them ALL this year, but I'm limiting myself to one per author) this is my favourite. Which was honestly a surprise since I don't tend to like short stories much, but this one is perfect and I love it.  But if you like fairy tale retellings, I really recommend Thorn and if you like diverse fantasy I really recommend her Sunbolt series, but also any of her books because they are ALL diverse fantasy.

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces - Isabel Quintero

This book is so real and so funny and so heart-breaking.  It's everything - and you guys know that contemporary is not really my scene.  I highly, highly recommend this one - and do yourselves a favour and get a physical copy if you like art.  This book features art in between each chapter (or something like that anyway) but it doesn't translate super well on kindle I found.

The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) - Alison Goodman

This is so different from what I've read from her before - both in style and subject.  But also, paranormal fantasy set in the Victorian era??? THIS IS MY KRYPTONITE.

The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo - Zen Cho

This romance was so refreshing - while it may have technically followed tropes, it did so in completely unexpected ways with some really interesting characters.  This is definitely a book I'll reread and I'm picking up her other novel ASAP!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli

This book is SO. CUTE.  And also I shipped Simon with Blue before I knew he was Blue so I felt very proud of myself because usually I pick the wrong dude.  But this was cute and FEELS and parent relationships and friend relationships <3 p="">

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

This book was just pure fun - I mean I didn't grow up in the 80's, but I totally get 80's nostalgia and having a book basically obsessed with the 80's and video games was so freaking fun!  Plus Wil Wheaton was the perfect choice as narrator.

The Strange Library - Haruki Murakami



The impossible has happened! I found a Murakami book I actually liked! I even really liked it! It's cheeky and surreal and basically the few things I had liked about his previous writing without all the things I hadn't liked. It showed he actually had a sense of humour which helped greatly too. I think his writing style is really well suited to shorter works, so I'll likely read his shorter works from here on out.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom - Christopher Healy



Ahhh this is everything I love about fairy tale retellings - the amazing, awesome things you can do to overthrow tropes (particularly involving gender).  I'm also pretty excited because I have some ideas about the romance but I don't want to give spoilers and also I'm never wrong and therefore must never have any proof of possibly being wrong.

But I'm not wrong.

My Lady Jane - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Guys, this book is HILARIOUS. I literally laughed out loud on the flight so many times and I don't even care that I looked crazy, it was totally worth it.  I'm not even kidding - I had like legit laughing fits.  Definitely add this on your list to get to - even if you don't usually like things by these authors (I didn't), even if you've been burned by paranormal fantasy in this era (I have, so many times) trust me you're going to want to make an exception for this one.

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Leaving Me Under the Tree

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

     

These are all books that I reread so frequently that I NEED them on ebook.  I get hit with these crazy cravings for a specific book, so I need access these books 24/7.  (Add to the list anything written by Tamora Pierce or Robin McKinley. Luckily I have a few of theirs on ebook already!)  I already have hard copies of the Abhorsen series, but I'm at the mercy of library availability for the others.  And what do I do if I'm traveling and need to read one of these?  I MIGHT DIE.  

 

 Speaking of my library - I find it super weird that neither my Chicago library nor the Baltimore library has a copy of this! I mean...I guess maybe there's not a huge demand for Montgomery's books anymore other than the Anne of Green Gables one?  So it looks like I'm at the mercy of buying a copy for myself.  And since I've seen so many other bloggers praise it so highly, I definitely need to get my hands on a copy!

Oooooor basically any book at all by Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire. (Other than the Newsflesh trilogy which I already own and super recommend).  I MUST READ ALL THE THINGS.  But particularly the Mira Grant books because she really does her research on the science and it's super interesting.  

This has been recommended to me only, I don't know...a million times? And I DO really want to read it, but it's never available to check out!  But now that it's being made into a...movie? tv series? I need to get to this sooner rather than later!

 

A friend sent me some of Warsan Shire's poetry a few years back, and I have been dying to get my hands on a copy of her book since then.  Once again, no library copy, but seeing as she's gotten a just a teensy bit of coverage from a small album Beyonce created this year - it's called Lemonday, you may have heard of it? - I'm hoping that will be fixed since I imagine she's rather higher in demand now.

This series is so much freaking fun!  Sadly my library only has the first few books (is this starting to sound familiar to you?), but I absolutely intend to finish the series.  And it turns out she has a steampunk series too - if it's anything near as fun as this series is, it's next on my list!

Ok, this one I need for two reason.  Technically, I would need two copies - one to read from, and one hard cover that I could cut up the dust jacket to hang up on my wall. (Really I need this from all the books because have you seen these covers??? Totally wall art worthy).  Also, this is a series ending I've been looking forward to SO MUCH.

Cruel Beauty is one of my favourite books I've read in the past few years, and you know I'm a sucker for retellings so this is a book I'm highly anticipating!  I feel like I missed so much this year by not having kept up with 2016 books I'd wanted to read, so I feel like this year I'm going to have to try and make a priority to read newer books.

And that's it for me! What are you hoping to see to help celebrate the holidays?

A Day in the Life #47

Whew it's been a crazy couple weeks!  We had our first 6th grade concerts last week and the kids sounded so good - I was really proud of them!  (...even though like 15 of them left their music which meant I was running around like a chicken with her head cut off making extra copies instead working with the kids to make sure they were in the right head space before performing).  But jeeeeezzzzus I was exhausted.  By the time you've walked to the gym and back, you've walked a half mile - and no I am not exaggerating.  That's literally the distance.  So just imagine working a full day, that full day being with middle school children, and then running enough chairs, stands, percussion equipment, and risers for 80 middle school children on stage and god knows how many parents in the audience, corralling hundreds of middle school students, running two concerts, and THEN after ALL OF THAT....moving all of the equipment back.

So...let's just say that exhausted doesn't even begin to cover it, and I've only just started to recover from all of it because I slept later than I've slept in months today.  Aaaaand I am doing this all over again for the 7th graders this Wednesday, and the 8th graders after that...and then I'm done!  Which is very bittersweet, but I'll definitely be ready for the break because if I'm this tired now? It's got nothing on how I'll be feeling by the end of the 8th grade concert. 

And of course I'm FREAKING OUT about my 7th graders except for one group, and to be freaking out about 3/4 groups is NOT A GOOD FEELING.  But I'm hoping they'll pull together like my 6th graders did. (Or that Sue's band will cover up my band kids if needed)

On the other side of things...I had to put Lily down two weeks ago.  I don't much feel like talking about it, but I can say that it was time and I think because of that I'm not feeling quite as bad as I thought I would be.  I can also say that if you've ever had to put a cat down, consider doing it at home.  The cost for me was pretty on par with I would have paid at the vet and it was just a way, way better decision for her.  And if you live in the Maryland area, I would recommend Peaceful Passage a million times over.  I am still missing her like crazy - I keep thinking it's her out of the corner of my eye or that she'll be on the bed waiting for me, and between Sejoon being gone and her being gone it's kind of messing with my sleep. But I still have Tristan and he is the cuddliest cat in existence, so he's been making up for it in the meantime.

Books

Emma talks about Newt Scamander, Toxic Masculinity, & The Power of Hufflepuff House.
Emily dissects the literary glamour of madness.
There's a Lunar Chronicles character quiz. (I'm Cress, btw)
Chelsea thinks it's more important than ever to criticize the things we love.
Even more bookish links over on In Tori Lex!


Authors

Lin Manuel Miranda is producing adaptations of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle!!!!!
Neil Shusterman uses stained glass to recharge his writing.
Ursula K. Le Guin on the election, Lao Tzu, and a cup of water.
Authors on being a writer in the time of Trump.

Top Ten New To Me Authors of 2016

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish



Christopher Healy (Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom)

     

The Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom was the last dinner reading book I read with the kids when I was nannying, and it was a HUGE hit all around! Fairy tale retellings are always a favourite of mine (no surprises there) but this has so many of my favourite things about retellings, especially on the trope bending front.  It's funny and self deprecating and just all around fun!  I'm definitely going to be finishing this series soon.

Ernest Cline (Ready Player One)

   

Ready Player One is probably the MOST FUN BOOK EVER (that I have read this year).  I've been avoiding this book because for some reason I thought it was really serious/not YA.  (And I'm sorry, it's YA. If eighteen were a cut off age for YA, then a good portion of YA books wouldn't be YA.  And I know audiences are changing what with NA being a thing, but it seems like the audience divisions haven't really solidified as of yet.  Anywayyyyy getting off my soapbox. I'm just saying, if my non-blogger friends had tried recommending it to me like one of you guys instead of starting with "It's not a YA book" I probably would have read it sooner)



Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)

     

*squees* Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was the cutest freaking book ever.  And I actually got to meet Becky Albertalli which was really cool. (Btw, the audiobook - which is how I listened to it - is her favourite version of the book!)

Zen Cho (The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo)

   

This is hands down my favourite romance read of the year (and I've read quite a few this year). It's swoony and refreshingly surprising as far as characters go and there were nontraditional relationships (in comparison to usual) and Zen Cho has officially become an extremely high priority for me.  I will be reading Sorcerer to the Crown asap.  



Elizabeth Gaskell (North and South)

   

Unpopular opinion: I actually think I might like the miniseries more than the book.  But that has little to do with the book and much to do with Richard Armitage and the soundtrack.  That being said, I do really love her writing, and so much of her social commentary on class is relevant today. Like...way more than I am comfortable with, actually.  She's often compared to Dickens, and it makes sense why - but unlike Dickens, she knows when to wrap a story up.  (In Dickens' defense, a lot of his stuff was serialized, and you only have to look at oh I don't know...any comic book/American tv show to know how that can screw with things)

Patrick Ness (The Knife of Never Letting Go)

   

 To say that I am still not ok after reading this book would be a large understatement.  This book hurts. And I thought the concept was so interesting that I will definitely finish this series, and I know that the rest of the series is not as upsetting as this book was....but the FEELS guys!  They're too overwhelming, and finishing this series has been put on hold until I can get it together. 

Intisar Khanani (Thorn)

   

Intisar Khanani is probably my favourite new author of the year.  Ok, not probably - definitely.  I actually heard her on a bunch of panels at Chessiecon last year before I'd read anything of hers (although I'd known of Thorn before - my library just hadn't had a copy for me to read) and she had so many thought provoking and insightful things to say, that it prompted me to pick up Thorn.  (That and La La repeatedly recommended it haha!) Cue three months later and I loved her writing so much that I actually bought all of her books AND pre-ordered her last book that just came out a couple months ago.  If you want diverse fantasy - both in setting and in race - paired with beautiful writing, she is my number one recommendation.  I will forever be a huge advocate of hers (especially since she's an indie author so word of mouth is basically how she makes her living), so definitely go read something of hers!  While I loved all her writing, The Bone Knife is actually my favourite piece of hers - it's a novella that she's actually working on developing into a series right now!

Jenny Holliday (Sleeping With Her Enemy)

   

Some of you know that my boyfriend is Korean. And as a white girl with an Asian boyfriend...it's just not something I see reflected in society/media. Like...ever.  So having a romance novel with an Asian (well, half but I'll take it) male lead??? SIGN ME UP PLEASE! Plus this was hate to love and all my favourite romance things, so I was basically cheering on the inside the whole way through this novel haha!

Alaya Dawn Johnson (Love is the Drug)
 
   

This book has it all - it's heart racing with all of the government conspiracy stuff going down, there's coming of age stuff, there's complicated family relationship stuff, there's a solid romance, there's race and class through the lens of a rich private school kid -  I'd read another of her books in a heartbeat.  (And considering I've been recommended Summer Prince like a million times, it's shameful that my first book of hers I picked up on a whim and only later realized who the author was!)

Isabel Quintero (Gabi, a Girl in Pieces) 

   

This book is just so...real. There's so much honesty to it - and it's a truth that is so different from my experiences (what with not having grown up Latina or poor) but still resonates in so many ways.  And there are some experiences that are just....if you're a girl, you've been there.  I don't usually read contemporary works, but I'm glad I made an exception with this (although I wish I'd had a physical copy of the book since I think the art would have been easier to see).



Over all, this has been a good new author year for me.  I'm also pretty pleased that 4/10 authors are PoC, and that 6/10 book feature PoC as main characters! (7/10 depending on how you read the descriptions in Hero's Guide - I can't remember if they were ever explicit, but a couple of the characters definitely felt like they could be read as non-white).   A much more diverse list than last years was for me!  What about you guys? These authors new to you or long time favs?

A Day in the Life #46

Hello my lovelies!  After many months, it is nice to be able to write a bit!  I can't promise I'll be back to any sort of regular schedule, but I've missed blogging (and all of you!) a lot so I'm going to make a go if it again.

I started teaching in September, and I knew it was going to be a draining gig, but MAN I underestimated it!  On the one hand, I'm not nearly as tired as I was nannying and working at the cafe every day, physically speaking.  On the other hand, I can barely keep my eyes open past 6:00 pm on Tuesdays. (Why Tuesdays you ask? Beats me, I have no clue.)  When I'm teaching well - really well - it is the most draining thing in the world.  I mean, it's super fun and really rewarding and I LOVE it...but then at the end of the day all of a sudden I'm ready to collapse.  Hmm. Maybe this is what taking drugs feels like?  Honestly though I think it comes from being an introvert and having to be ON all the time.  Teaching music is different than teaching a regular class - not that I'm knocking classroom teaching at all.  (One of the downsides of teaching at this school is that if there is a teacher out and they can't get a sub or if they had to schedule a meeting during class, one of the other teachers has to come in during their planning period and teach the class instead.  It's....greeeeeeat.)  In a regular class there's a lot of downtime where the students are working individually/taking tests/etc, which means you have some breathing space to get a little of your own work done.  (The downside of this of course is there's way more grading)  In music, there's not a SECOND where you can let your attention waver, and you have to be actively teaching 100% of the time.  And if you're an introvert?  It's a little bit of personal hell.  Luckily, I do love teaching I just find it really exhausting at the end of the day.  (And 8th graders are of course....8th gradery.  Thank god I don't teach any 8th graders at the end of the day or that really would be the limit).  My time with this group is almost over, which will be sad. And I'm likely going to be at a high school for a couple of months starting in February (which scares me shitless. I DON'T WANT TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL!!!! But, a girl needs a job, so there we are.)  Then I'm back at either a middle school or elementary school teaching strings and general music.  So by the end of this year I'm going to be significantly more well rounded! (Although I sincerely doubt it's going to change my mind about liking middle school band best)

So basically, teaching has taken over my life, and since I'm still working at the cafes on Saturdays, I only have Sunday to get my main cleaning/cooking/general life stuff done.  So I haven't been reading like...at all.  I never, ever, EVER though that the only reason I'm getting any reading done is through audiobooks.  AUDIOBOOKS GUYS.  A thing that until last year I had sworn was the most boring thing everrrrr.  But at least I've had a good run on those?  (Bill Bryson guys.  Great author, great narrator. Highly recommended.)  I also had a SUPER AWESOME weekend (four days off! Unheard of for me!) that I will tell you about later because this is more than I've written in three months and this is long enough.  But long story short I spent my Thanksgiving weekend in Flushing and Chinatown having the best dumplings EVER and I don't care if everyone thinks that's a weird way to spend a weekend it was amazing. So there.


Bookish News

Cait confesses the worst and most horrific things she's ever accidentally done to a book.
Jane talks about her first encounter with lesbians in fiction - Haruku and Michiru from Sailor Moon.
Gillian has fallen out of love with a series.
Heather shares how to read more diversely.
Zita the Spacegirl (aka one of my favourite reads of last year) is being adapted into a film!
Katherine discusses the English fairy tale "Mr. Fox" (the oldest known version of Bluebeard).
La La has a huge personality test round up that is super fun and interesting (and she'd love your feedback too!)
Yash lists the four types of book break ups.
Heather suggests what we could change up about literature programs so they aren't all white men.


Author News

Ursula Vernon is basically the best.
KRISTIN CASHORE IS RELEASING A NEW BOOK!!!!!!
Jacqueline Carey had a limited edition reprinting of her Kushiel series and it is so freaking gorgeous and there was a leather bound version too *sobs* I want one so bad!! (Too bad they're sold out).


 Nonbookish News

Teresa names four non-American feminists she's thankful for.
Emily's review of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is exactly would I would have said (tl;dr delightful, full of plot holes, Eddie Redmayne is perfect as Newt)
Need something cute to erase the horror of this month? Jessica recommends the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary Facebook page. 

Like my weekly round ups? Check out In Tori Lex's - this week she links to articles about censorship in Kuwait and what books YA authors are most thankful for.