21: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Bad Feminist, and more

Who knows how much longer this quarantine is going to continue? My local library has been AMAZING throughout it all, though. They’re doing curbside hold pick-up days twice a week despite fines being suspended for the duration of their closure. Honestly, these guys are amazing. So I’ve got a few library books to finish this month and then…I guess it’s probably a good time to read some of the books that have been sitting on my shelves for ages.

monthly tbr

Continue Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (book club)
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Are You Listening? by Tillie Walden
The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch [ARC, Blog Tour on 5/7]
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (book club) – FINALLY FINISH
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant [ARC 6/2]
Something by Kristin Hannah

Let’s see how this month goes! If you have a favorite Kristin Hannah book, let me know.

What are you guys reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

Summer Releases | NetGalley Mini-Reviews

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

I really enjoyed Kemmerer’s other book Letters to the Lost (only $2 for the eBook right now!) so I was really excited when I got approved for this one. It did not disappoint. I found the two main characters to both be likable (Rob a little more so for me than Maegan). I thought the book dealt with some tough topics like teen pregnancy, abortion, and race and crime in a really mature, sensitive, and realistic way. The plot wasn’t as cut and dry as it first seemed and I enjoyed the depth there as well. I didn’t feel like the characters’ choices always made a ton of sense, but in the end, the author really made me try to examine how I would react if I were in Rob’s shoes. 4/5

Hardcover | eBook

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

This book was being marketed as a Lord of the Flies type story which so happens to be one of the only required reading books from High School that I actually enjoyed reading. So I was all in. Unfortuntely, I was to be disappointed. This book had so much hype around it and I found the premise to be really intriguing and I liked the eerie and unsettled tone that wove throughout the book, but I felt like there was too much that was just weird. The Tox itself doesn’t really make much sense. Why does it effect everyone differently? What causes the flare ups? And then in the end, the explanation for it is unsatisfying, comes out of nowhere, and doesn’t really fit the tone of the rest of the book. It actually would have been a more satisfying ending if there HADN’T been an explanation. Another issue for me was Byatt. I just 100% did not understand her as a character. Lastly, I had a hard time with Hetty and Reese’s “relationship”. I felt like so much of their currently existing relationship is backstory that we never get to see and we’re more told how they “feel” about each other rather than shown. They kind of just get slapped into this relationship and then just as quickly slapped out of it. 3/5

17 Best Book Deals for 6/27/19: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Swing Time, The Eyre Affair, and more

Book Deals

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Friendship to the MAX! | Lumberjanes: An Overview

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy I recently got into Lumberjanes and it has been amazing! The basic premise is that it’s about a group of girls who are away at a summer camp (Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types). Mal, Molly, Ripley, April, and Jo (and their counselor Jen) are in the Roanoke cabin and they’re getting along swimmingly. They notice some weird stuff happening in the woods around camp, however, and start to realize that this camp isn’t exactly…normal.

I love the friendship that the girls have with each other and the love that they have for Jen as well. I think it would be really easy for Jen to be cast as an antagonist since she’s kind of an authority figure, but the girls just love her! (Especially Ripley). The girls don’t always agree with each other, but they really take the Lumberjane Scout motto (Friendship to the Max!) seriously. Even between cabins (they have a slight rivalry with another cabin) in the end, they’re still supportive. Although this is a camp full of girls and you might expect more drama, there is no girl-hate here. Only love and support.

Each of the girls in Roanoke cabin is such an individual with their own strengths and weaknesses. I love how the format of a graphic novel makes it so much easier and natural to see the diversity of the characters. The author doesn’t have to come out and say that Jo has darker skin or reemphasize that every once in a while. We can just see her there on the page! I also like how there isn’t much emphasis on Molly and Mal’s relationship. They’re just quietly holding hands or next to each other in the corner of the panel. It’s so refreshing to me! Sometimes I feel like I’m getting hit over the head with diversity when an author has to describe things all the time. I like that graphic novels just kind of lay it out there for us and I can observe at my own pace. They don’t have to draw attention to diversity, because we can just see it along with everything else!

Overall, I really love this series. I’d be hardpressed to pick a favorite character, but I might go with April or Jo. I’ve read nine volumes and I’m not tired of the characters or story at all. They keep things fresh and bring back old characters and it’s just overall a lot of fun! Highly recommend.

Because the only thing better than reading is more reading.

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $2

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As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $2

Less than $3

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

Less than $2

Less than $3

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

Less than $2

Less than $3

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

Less than $2

Less than $3

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

Less than $2

Less than $3

Less than $4

What are you guys reading this month? Let me know in the comments!

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

Less than $2

Less than $3

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