Bloggin 'Bout Books Blog

The Diviners by Libba Bray is a fun historic fantasy.  I've loved Bray's writing since I read the first Gemma Doyle book in 8 th grade. The Diviners was no exception. In fact, it's pretty high up there on my favorites. Evie is a 17 year old flapper from Ohio who, after a disasterous party where she humilated a rich boy, is sent to Manhattan to live with her uncle and his assistant, Jericho. Memphis is a numbers-runner for one of the biggest speak-easy owners in Harlem. Theta is a showgirl for Ziegfield, one of the most prominent stage shows in New York City. Sam is a pickpocket trying to make some money on the street. Each of them have a secret. With a mass murderer on the loose in NYC, Evie's uncle, Will has been asked to consult for the NYPD. It might be the roarin' 20s but there's more happening in the world than prohibition and rebelling young people. While I was constantly questioning Evie's choices, I did really appreciate all of ...

Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman is such a realistic look at how sometimes the people who should care for you the most can utterly and completely let you down. Alex is intersex. She doesn't quite know this when we're introduced to her life. What we do know is that until now she's been raised as a boy, but she knows that she's really a girl. She describes it in terms of there being two Alexes—one who is a boy and one who is a girl. Her parents want her to stay a boy. But she knows she's actually a girl. I don't think I've ever read a book about someone who is intersex or transsexual. I'm including both because although they are slightly different, I think in a lot of ways the book captures the experience of someone from both groups. While I haven't read any books about an intersex or trans person, I spend a lot of time on the internet, and on a website that generally supports intersex and trans people. I support intersex and transsexual p...

Liar by Justine Larbalestier is complicated and wonderful. I saw it about a year ago when I was working for a bookstore. We were having a hard time selling our copies, and I didn't think it sounded that great. Then I saw it on a post for diversity in fantasy, and I was like, whaaaat?? So, for those who are extremely anti-spoilers, maybe stop reading. This is definitely a book where the less you know going in, the more twisty-turny the plot seems.  Micah's friend, Zach, has been murdered. Micah is a compulsive liar. She'll lie about anything and everything. Micah and Zach were a little more than friends. Now, Micah promises to tell the reader the truth. And as she unravels the lies, her story becomes more and more unbelievable. Until finally, you find yourself walking a thin lie between believing her and believing she's nothing but a liar. This is the first single novel I've read of Larbalestier's. I read the entirety of Zombies vs Unicorns whic...

Written in Red by Anne Bishop is a fantastic start to her newest series (Novels of the Others (or possibly just The Others)).  Bishop is one of the few adult writers whose works I just flat out adore. Thankfully, this book was just as amazing as her others.  Meg Corbyn applies for a job at the Courtyard (a place where all the creatures that are not human are forced to live). Simon Wolfgard is the leader of the Courtyard and a Wolf. He doesn't exactly trust Meg, but he doesn't have a lot of other options.  I don't want to spoil anything but it's amazing. It is an adult book, so I'll put a few trigger warnings at the end of this review under a spoilers tag.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy novels. ~ * ~ * SPOILERS * ~ * ~ Trigger Warnings for: Rape Mentions, Cutting, Death

Wow. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick is one of those books which isn't pleasant to read, but after you finish, you want to immediately have everyone read it. It's a somewhat novelized memoir of Arn Chorn-Pond's experience surviving the Cambodian Genocide of 1974-1979. McCormick's Author's Note at the end explains why the book is marketed as historical fiction instead of a biography. Part of the reason includes the fact that McCormick writes the book from Chorn-Pond's point of view. It's written in a style of broken English which gives readers a very distinct view of the narrator. English is clearly not the narrator's first language, but they speak it fluently enough to give description that can tear your heart in two. Sometimes I would feel myself choking back tears after reading a single sentence. I honestly didn't know much about the Cambodian Genocide--it was before my time, and it was never something I heard about in school. I could...

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin was just as mind-bending and interesting as the first book in the series. I'm going to be real honest here and admit that I basically read this one in two sittings. If I hadn't had to go celebrate the Fourth of July, I definitely would have finished it in one. I'm still reeling a little from finishing this book. To be fair, I devoured both books in three days, so I think I deserve a little WTFing right now. This sequel took so many unexpected turns from the original book that I have no idea what's happening or what's going to happen, but in a good way? Like the first thing I did when I finished it was to text my friend who had pushed it on me in the first place (heyyyyyy Melissa!). I can't wait for The Retribution of Mara Dyer to hopefully clear some things up for me in the future (November!!). As it is, I can feel I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about this one. Fans of the first one should reall...

Disclaimer: I was given a free ARC of this copy with the understanding that it would not influence my opinion or review of it at all. These are my real thoughts on the book. The Wednesday Daughters by Meg Waite Clayton is an interesting look at the relationships forged through a lifetime and what happens to them when the people involved are recovering from losses. I received an ARC of this through GoodReads probably almost a year ago now. (I am the worst! I shouldn't ever ask for ARCs because it takes me so long to read them.) I've been making my way through it for about two months -- it's kind of been a book that's been hanging around in my bedroom for when I have a couple minutes to read (it's got pretty short chapters for the most part, so it was handy to have to read there). I finally finished it last night.  I really wasn't sure how I felt about this book in the beginning. On the one hand, it had mostly female characters including a mixed-...

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look is a delightful middle grade read. Alvin Ho is going into 2nd grade and he is afraid of everything. Well, maybe not everything, but he sure is afraid of a lot of things. He can't talk at school, but he manages to make a friend (which he maybe didn't want to) in Flea--a girl with one longer leg than another and blind in one eye. She looks like a pirate which is Alvin's favorite part of her, but she's a girl which means Alvin's automatically afraid of her. Alvin wants to become friends with the biggest kid in 2nd grade, but when he does get his wish he doesn't like it at all. I'm pretty excited to read the next book in this series. It was darling. Middle Grade March Count: 8

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi  is an intricate graphic novel that tells the story of one woman's childhood in Iran. Having been trained as a teacher, I have a problem where occasionally I'll be reading something and all I can think about it how much I want to teach that novel. And that's what I kept thinking when I was reading Persepolis. For years and years and years now, America has has the tendency to think of the Middle East as a homogeneous culture that is comprised of one belief set (and that is the belief set that has driven a very small minority to very big displays of patriotism (or terrorism if you prefer)). Satrapi writes about her experience growing up in a country that was experiencing some pretty intense revolutionary changes. She writes of the hypocritical nature of people--how people are so willing to move with the regime changes of a government. She writes of the confusion of being a young girl in a culture that keeps changing history and "facts...