Sorry I haven’t been around much I don’t really have any excuse other than an injury in the family I’m helping to take care of, so I’m not reading as much. I’m still doing my readathons but now I’m just focusing on reading and not the prompts which I will try to get back to on Monday. I just needed a break from prompts and a focus on something different so I’ve been reading the “This Mortal Coil” series.
I don’t know I wanted something focused on a viral pandemic, I don’t why COVID has me reading about the end of the world but reading about the fake end of the world is calming me down about our potential impending doom. So that’s always good. Not sure what phase of COVID coping this means I’m in. But I still have to stay inside a lot so I don’t end of the world fiction is helpful in some way mentally. So expect a review for “This Mortal Coil” soon as I’m speeding through the series. So sorry I haven’t been super active, and it was one of my goals too. I think I’ve got a little bit of the COVID depression.
But I will do better coming up, it’s my birthday coming up and its into my second favorite month, the spookiest of month. The high of spoopy season. I can’t wait for the readathons coming out next month. I’ve already been reading some spooky stuff that I just that I just need to review and I can’t wait for all the spooky release and stuff that is highlighted over the next month.
I know for sure I’m taking part in part in Spookathon but I’m actively on the lookout for good Halloween or spooky based especially if they focus or can be tweaked towards middle grade challenges.
So I thought August wasn’t going to amount to much reading wise. Instead it became an extremely productive reading month I’ve had to date since I’ve started reading seriously. Now posting on the blog fell behind which I’m going to try to remedy next month. But I read A LOT. A few were picture books but most were novels, and I may be able to fit a few in more in before the end of the month.
It’s a good thing too since I’ve got two extremely major readathons coming coming up. They both require a lot of books and a lot of time spent. Those two readathons are BookoplAthon and Orillium, one is readathon inspired by Monopoly and the other is a journey to a magical school. So the books I’ve read this month were great training for the TON of reading I’m going to do next month.
Let’s talk about the books I’ve read this month shall we 13 in all. 13! For some of you who hit double digits often this may not sound like a lot but I’ve been having trouble getting out of the low single digits so it’s a big success for me, so I’m going to try for 15-20 next month.
Below are the books I’ve read this month.
So as we can see I have a lot of reviews to do, well as some reviews from the summer that I’ve missed. I’ll try to get to all that in September. But it’s nice to look at all the reading I’ve done in a visual form. Most of this reading was done for the two readathons I was taking part in this month, which were, The Royal Readathon, and the Trope-ical Readathon. I feel particularly accomplished this year because I hit most of the prompts on the Trope-ical Readathon.
Looks like I didn’t put up any June goals or none that I can find. But since it’s around Midsummer I’m going to just look at June and July and into the second half of the year.
In June I,
Read six books, moving back up toward the ten-a-month goal. And it was almost seven I was at like 83% on book 7 last night.
Posted mostly regularly. I will explain why my post are falling off at the end of the week in my next post.
Did a look at my reading habits so far for the year.
Found Readathons for the next two months.
What I plan to do in July
Since it Midsummer I’m starting to look into the second half of the year.
Since July is the first part of the second half of the year, I want to start it off right.
I want to read 10 books this month finally.
I want to complete at least one of the challenges for my readathon.
I want to get better numbers than last month on the blog.
I can’t believe that the year is half over, I’m not sure I’m going to make it to my original 100 book goal. I’m still trying but I’m currently at 40. So I’m really going to have to put on the gas the second half of the year to hit that goal. There are a couple of reasons I still think I can hit it though one we will be going into fall and winter, the seasons when I’m extremely productive for some reason. Two my libraries have been very good about releasing new releases to the online platforms shortly after they come out. For example all the wonderful LGBTQ books that came out for Pride month are now on my online platform. Anyway it’s giving me a better opportunity to read great books hence more content for the blog.
In preparing for June I like to go over my May Goals to see how I did for the month. I’ve got a little more energy now that I’m continuing to heal from my ankle. More than I did at the start of the end of April/the start of May when I set these goals Allowing myself to keep a slow pace on healing was the theme of April. I thought I had more energy in the beginning of May, but looking at it now I truly have more energy. I’m reading and writing and doing reviews at almost my pre-injury pace. So I’m happy about that.
1)Try and keep posting ahead of time
I’ve gotten MUCH better with this at this. I’ve been able to start preparing for the week ahead during the weekend and get most of what I’m going to post for the week done.
2) Finishing up my books from previous months
I’ve worked on lots of books but I got distracted by new content. This will have to be another goal for June.
3) Celebrate AAPI authors this month!
I started Joan He’s book and DNF it, I’ve come to find that I just don’t like her style however I’m going to focus back on these authors. I’ve got plenty of books line to read from AAPI authors and plan to make it a focus through the summer.
4) Get back to 10 books a month.
I only read 4 four this month, and I’m still happy with that, reading slump.
5) Look for Readathons for this month/next month
Probably going to find a pride readathon. But honestly I’m not the hugest fan of pride month, I appreciate the sentiment I’m just not a showy person naturally. So I’m more like t-shirts and door mats rather than going all out. But all the support to people who appreciate pride on a more involved level.
Allowing myself to keep a slow pace on healing was the theme of April. I’m doing much better now and even made it out to some stores today now that I have full immunity. I can’t wait to get out to book shop, once to gas shortage calms down. We’ve been in pretty hard lockdown since March 2019 so it’s nice to get out finally.
1)Try and keep posting ahead of time
Since I’ve gotten better from my injury I’ve found I had a whole lot to do to make up for my time down while I was recovering. Do you know there is this weird phenomena that when you have an injury you literally lose all your things. I couldn’t keep up with a game controller. Which was no where near I injured myself, several outfits and remotes.
2) Finishing up my books from previous months
I’ve still got a lot books from the Disability and Autistic Readathons. Some of the are really good and I want to get the reviews out, so I want to do that in May.
3) Celebrate AAPI authors this month!
I’ve already got several AAPI authors lined up to read this month including Joan He The One We’re Meant to Find to keep me current, The Dragon Egg Princess by Ellen Oh, and Andrea Tang’s Rebelwing. That’s just a few of the ones on the list,
4) Get back to 10 books a month.
I got close last month but healing keeps making tired, think the gif of the book keeps falling onto the person’s face because they’re asleep. That’s me, trying to get any reading in.
5) Look for Readathons for this month/next month
I know there are going to be a lot of Pride readathons in June so I’m going to probably one of those. But I’d love to try another Readathon, so if you know of any cool ones send them my way.
Try and enjoy reading and not be bound by a number for my April reading list.
I did much better with this, I read 8 books for the month. That’s much closer to the 10 I was shooting pre-breaking my foot than I’ve had since the accident. So we are getting closer to seeing how things will work with my recovery and reading and the blog.
I’m also getting so new ideas for the summer which is unusual because I usually have a little bit of reverse SADS. Like most people have seasonal affective disorder in the winter I usually have it in the spring and summer. So be excited for new content.
2. Don’t feel like you have to post every day in April
This one helped too. Especially with some advice from other bloggers about it. My health was also waxing and waning not feeling stressed to post every day made things much easier.
Like I said this was easier I think I’m going to focus on quality of post for awhile then even if that means less posts and what that means for things like interaction and SEO.
3)Use Readathons as a guide for your reading.
I think I did a good job with this I let the readathons help focus my reading and sticking to books within the goal subject. I will however admit to reading a few of the subjects because they were ADORABLE.
4) Try and get ahead on my ARCs early.
Let’s be honest with ourselves guys why was this even a goal lol. I appreciate the fact that I want to get my ARC done early I really do. I also appreciate the reality that I wrote a write-up of an ARC, the night I got a COVID shot, with a fever and the review still reads beautifully. I also finished another ARC review in a day, not how a blogger should ideally behave.
I need to listen to myself now and make a promise now I’ll do better before I get more ARCS lol.
1 Try and enjoy reading and not be bound by a number for my April reading list
I think I’ve been worrying too much about how many books per month I’ve stopped reading for fun, so I’m going to just read next month, and if I come out with 5 good and if I come out with 15 good. Literally, everyone is telling me to slow down so I’m going to slow down.
And if that puts a stake in the heart of my reading goal so be it. I wasn’t trying to read as many books as I did last year, also a lot of unexpected stuff has happened this year so I’m going to try to stop worrying.
2. Don’t feel like you have to post every day in April
In my stop worrying agenda, I’m going to stop obessesing over blog numbers so much, this one is hard for me. Because I love hitting the higher vistor numbers.
3)Use Readathons as a guide for your reading.
Don’t feel like you have to do double the work. Just use your readathon books to count towards your book goals for the month of April
4) Try and get ahead on my ARCs early.
I’m reading my ARCs well before their due date so I don’t have to rush to read them near when their due, another measure to reduce stress
March was an interesting month. I’m finally walking thank goodness, however no one explained to me the fact that my muscles would be super angry. However I sstarting thearpy today hopefully fix that. I didn’t post a lot this month, nor read a lot but hopefully I’ll be making that up in April.
1.Try and read 10 books
This one I feel short on again during March, just like I did in Feburuary I’m going to end up with four maybe 5 done books done . However I have to consider my injury. This simply means I really have to ramp it up in spring/summer.
2. Try and get ahead on blog posts.
I was just trying to do blog posts for the days I had. Not sure I had it here either hopefully I’ll be better about scheduling and maybe have a bit more energy to work on things now that I’m sorta off the couch.
3. Do another readathon.
I am currently doing the Trope-ical Readathon and will be doing the Disability Readathon next month. I’ve got readathons lined up for the next few months so I feel like I’ve got this covered.
4. Work on my Dungons and Dragons Book Lists
I really need to start this back up. I was busy this month working on Top 5 Lists for another project so this got posponed.
5.Work to Improve the Website.
Since I did this new site upgrade I really haven’t had time to get into all the little details that I want to work on I hope to improve that next month.
Now I can’t promise I’ll read all of these but it’ll be my goal.
Boarding School Trope
The Revenge of Magic
Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic.
Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government-run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books.
But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
James Riley currently lives in Northern Virginia with his four cats and is trying to get a book out every six months.
When the new girl in school joins a group of teen witches, she and her friends must team up with a rival coven to take down a mysterious killer.New girl and secret witch Iris just wants to get through her first day of school without a panic attack. The last thing she expects is to be taken in by a coven of three witches: soft-spoken Greta, thoughtful and musical Ridley, and fiery and spirited Binx. They may be the first witches Iris has met IRL, but their coven is not alone in their small northwestern town. The Triad is the other coven at their school. When the Triad’s not using spells to punish their exes or break up happy couples for fun, they practice dark magic. The two covens have a rivalry stretching all the way back to junior high. When tragedy strikes and one of their own is murdered, the rival covens must band together to find out who is responsible before it’s too late. Someone’s anti-witch ideology has turned deadly . . . and one of them is next.
Written by the Paige McKenzie who has previously done the Sunshine Girl series, along with Nancy Ohlin, who was born in Tokyo and has colaborated with many other famous authors. The art work/cover art is done by Sweeny Boo.
It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions.
Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean?
Day’s debut novel, I Can Make This Promise, was a best book of the year from Kirkus, School Library Journal, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library, as well as a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book, and an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. She live in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
The New Kid in Town Trope: Read a genre you don’t usua lly read (romance)
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.
What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.
Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.
Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.
Robin Talley (she/her) is a queer author who grew up in southwest Virginia and now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their rambunctious kiddos. She worked for progressive causes for fifteen year but now writes full time.
Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes. Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm. Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down. Not one has ever returned.
When Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria and heir to the throne, discovers that she may hold the key to defeating the mysterious demon terrorizing her kingdom, she vows not to rest until the beast is slain. With the help of her friends and the powers she wields—though has yet to fully understand—Asterin sets out to complete a single task. The task that countless trained soldiers have failed.
To kill it.
But as they hunt for the demon, they unearth a plot to assassinate the princess herself instead. Asterin and her companions begin to wonder how much of their lives have been lies, especially when they realize that the center of the web of deceit might very well be themselves. With no one else to turn to, they are forced to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect the only world they have ever known.
That is … if the demon doesn’t get to them first.
An accomplished pianist as well as author Coco Ma is doing astonding work for someone her age.
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test:
One: Help your town, do good all around. Two: Live there for one moon, don’t leave too soon. Three: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.
When she lands in the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she’s worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her “semi-magical fixes” repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva’s bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she’s grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.
Julie Abe is the author of the EVA EVERGREEN, SEMI-MAGICAL WITCH middle grade fantasy series. She has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea, where she creates stories about magical adventures.
Twisted facts and bent truths take center stage in this sequel to Verify, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins calls “a thought-provoking tale of intrigue, beautifully crafted.”
Meri Buckley has lost everything. She lost her mother to a fight much bigger than herself. Her father to grief, fear, and denial. And the truth—to an overbearing government that insists that censorship and secrecy is the only path to peace.
But though Meri and her band of truth-seeking Stewards did lose the first battle in their quest to enlighten the public, they have not yet lost the war.
Meri can start the revolution she seeks, if the powerful figures who profit from the status quo don’t find her—and kill her first.
Joelle has performed in opera and musical theater productions across Chicagoland. She now teaches private voice lessons and is the author of the New York Times best selling The Testing Triology. Her YA books have appeared on the Indie Next List, on the YALSA Top 10 books for 2014 as well as the YALSA Quick Picks for reluctant readers.
Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: There’s a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.
In a kingdom filled with magic, Jiho Park and his family are an anomaly—magic doesn’t affect them.
Jiho comes from a long line of forest rangers who protect the Kidahara—an ancient and mysterious wood that is home to powerful supernatural creatures. But Jiho wants nothing to do with the dangerous forest.
Five years ago, his father walked into the Kidahara and disappeared. Just like the young Princess Koko, the only daughter of the kingdom’s royal family. Jiho knows better than anyone else the horrors that live deep in the magical forest and how those who go in never come back.
Now the forest is in danger from foreign forces that want to destroy it, and a long-forgotten evil that’s been lurking deep in the Kidahara for centuries finally begins to awaken. Can a magic-less boy, a fierce bandit leader, and a lost princess join forces and save their worlds before it’s too late?
Eleven-year-old Ava Andrews has a Technicolor interior with a gray shell. On the inside, she bubbles with ideas and plans. On the outside, everyone except her best friend, Zelia, thinks she doesn’t talk or, worse, is stuck-up. What nobody knows is that Ava has invisible disabilities: anxiety and a heart condition.
Ava hopes middle school will be a fresh start, but when Zelia moves across the country and Ava’s Nana Linda pushes her to speak up about social issues, she withdraws further. So Ava is shocked when her writing abilities impress her classmates and they invite her to join their improv group, making up stories onstage. Determined to prove she can control her anxiety, she joins—and discovers a whole new side of herself, and what it means to be on a team.
But as Ava’s self-confidence blossoms, her relationship with Zelia strains, and she learns that it isn’t enough just to raise your voice—it’s how and why you use it that matters.
I know that’s not all the promts but I’m sure I’ll find the rest and some may change along the way. But I’m looking forward to having a readthon again it makes me feel more like reading. Since I’m Team Sci-Fi/Fantasy we have a few extra tropes for our team. I’m not sure about one of them yet but know for sure about the other.
Team Trope:Secret World Trope
Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations Book 1)
Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.
So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.
Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.
March is going to be better than Febuary for several reason most all of them being doctor visits. My the doctor who did the operation on my foot is finally going to let me put some weight on it, not all weight but I don’t care, some weight means crutches or a walker and not being on the couch all the time. I’m also getting shots for Botox so my headaches won’t be as bad. Which hopefully means more reading and a happier blogger.
1.Try and read 10 books
I did this in January, and I read six this month. I’d just want to keep pace for my yearly goal.
2. Try and get ahead on blog posts.
Forever my goal. Always my inspriation.
3. Look for another read-a-thon.
If you guys know of any cool ones please post in the comments.
4. Work on my Dungons and Dragons Book Lists.
I already have some good ideas for them and you should see them coming out throughout March.
![The Dragon Egg Princess by [Ellen Oh]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41NBK6YltoL._SY346_.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Revenge of Magic by [James Riley]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cB2TjfVqL.jpg?resize=235%2C355&ssl=1)
![Dark Waters by [Katherine Arden]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51KeOML3ZFS._SY346_.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Hide and Don't Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories by [Anica Mrose Rissi]](https://i2.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41imKGI0S4L._SY346_.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Last Dragon (The Revenge of Magic Book 2) by [James Riley]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QWbMviGeL.jpg?resize=232%2C351&ssl=1)
![Bridge of Souls (City of Ghosts #3) by [Victoria Schwab]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41b4UfIDCeL.jpg?resize=236%2C354&ssl=1)
![The Forgotten Girl by [India Hill Brown]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51RqESo5DBL.jpg?resize=237%2C356&ssl=1)
![In My Mosque by [M. O. Yuksel, Hatem Aly]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61oPjqF0J9L._SX260_.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Say It Out Loud by [Allison Varnes]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51K1p4K7oPL.jpg?resize=231%2C349&ssl=1)
![The Revenge of Magic by [James Riley]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cB2TjfVqL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![B*WITCH by [Paige McKenzie]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qU6d3Ug4L.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Sea in Winter by [Christine Day]](https://i2.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51jMwQcmtsL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by [Robin Talley]](https://i2.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/5165S9pX8eL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Shadow Frost (Shadow Frost Trilogy Book 1) by [Coco Ma]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41q0rKnrWKL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by [Julie Abe]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51wiyBPgWCL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Disclose (Verify Book 2) by [Joelle Charbonneau]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/419L6mNMG+L.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![The Dragon Egg Princess by [Ellen Oh]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41NBK6YltoL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Something to Say by [Lisa Moore Ramée]](https://i2.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41mHF6P3kQL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Five Things About Ava Andrews by [Margaret Dilloway]](https://i1.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CRxUy7UfL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
![Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations Book 1) by [B. B. Alston]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51f5PWfVZoL.jpg?w=840&ssl=1)
