It's weird for me to think that I've been blogging for nearly five years and booktubing for nearly a year now. It's also weird to me that my first instinct is still to say that both are completely separate; they are different mediums, but they've actually got quite a few commonalities. In thinking about my pending blogoversary come this March and the booktube channel anniversary that passed last month, I was thinking about what both have given me.

1. I'M CONSTANTLY LEARNING:

I think that's the coolest aspect of both the booktube channel and this book blog. Last week, I messed up my bookish rounds, saying that PulseIt was becoming RivetedLit when Riveted was meant to be publisher neutral. I changed it when I realized, but it's very obvious that there are errors here and there and everywhere on the site. Both booktubing and blogging force you to think somewhat ahead for post ideas and designs, and as someone who sometimes isn't the greatest at planning things out and following through, that's wonderful. I want to be more organized. Both could also use nice photos for each post/video, and that's forcing me to consider how best to use skills in photo editing. For booktubing, I'm still learning about outros, adding in audio music and editing videos. There was a series of videos when I simply didn't want to learn what cards were, which was really silly on my part. But because both are different mediums, they're both challenging me to think in new ways, even while encouraging me to be enthusiastic about one of my passions: books.

2. I'M CONSTANTLY IMPROVING AS A PERSON:

The awesome, life-changing aspect of being both a booktuber and a book blogger is that they're reminding me of who I am and what I like. Quite simply, I'm becoming more confident. The more time I spend on this blog, the more confident in my evaluation of books. The more time I spend booktubing, the more I'm learning to project my voice and say what I want about books. I've been told several times in my life that I'm quiet, which is true. I don't like being in the center of attention, and I probably never will, but that doesn't mean that I can't find a comfort zone and that I can't find a way of expressing myself without compromising those ideals. I've becoming more focused, too, on positive reviews; I'm accepting more of my own limitations, one of which is that negativity makes me feel worse about myself.

3. I'M CONSTANTLY GAINING NEW SKILLS:

There's no doubt that both booktubing and blogging have given me new skills. Let's face it: when you write at least 500-1,000 words a week for almost five years, of course your writing will improve. Especially when it's tempered by reading a lot of books. Blogging has helped steer me towards finding my own "writing voice" and forced me to focus my ideas. I asked one of my friends for some advice on my booktube channel; I know that I'm not quirky, but I also know that I could play to my strengths and that I haven't been doing that so far. She pointed out that I needed to project my energy more; project more, she said, and more of "me" would come through. You know what? She's right. The more energy I use to make a video, of course both the silly and serious side of me would come out more. And the more videos I make, the better I'm getting at public speaking -- I've been having a bunch of interviews for graduate students, and while I still get nervous, I'm much more controlled about my opinions as well. I know that some people don't want to blog or booktube because they're afraid of what might happen if future bosses discovered them, but the truth is that I'm a better employee because of the skills I'm gaining (e.g. public speaking and writing) -- and not just the ones that are specific to the medium in question (e.g. blog design and video editing).

4. I'M CONSTANTLY GETTING DEEPER INTO THE BOOK COMMUNITY:

It's absolutely lovely getting to see people's enthusiasm for books expressed in different ways: whether writing a *FLAIL* ~flail~ into your reviews/posts or flailing about in your videos. The different mediums show different sides to books and the book community, and it's also really interesting seeing what books, particularly in YA, are popular in the blogosphere and popular on various booktube channels, and whether there's overlap.

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

Publishing:
Rights Report 0, 1, 2

• The Black Hole of Broken Things - Scott Reintgen (debut sci fi YA trilogy; In the novel, a Detroit teen accepts an interstellar space contract only to realize the promised millions must be won in a brutal competition where winners face the ultimate choice – take the money and become pawns in the corporation's sinister plans or find a way to fight that won't compromise their humanity. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Crown).
• The Romantics - Leah Rowan (a YA romantic comedy told from the perspective of Love as a character, about a teenage boy who is hapless in love until Love steps in to help him, only to find that her meddling yields unexpected results. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Abrams/Amulet).
• Borderlines - Mitali Perkins (YA; The book links 15 stories about a Bengali family in Queens. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
• The Valiant - Lesley Livingston (The book tells the story of 17-year-old Fallon's journey from fierce Celtic princess to female gladiator and the darling of the Roman Empire. Publication is set for spring 2017; Razorbill).
• The Memory of Things - Gae Polisner (a YA novel about two teenagers finding friendship, comfort, and first love as their fractured city tries to put itself back together in the days following 9/11. It is slated for publication in fall 2016; St. Martin's).
• The Loser's Club - Andrew Clements (The Loser's Club tells of a resourceful boy figuring out how to survive sixth grade and bullying by using what he's learned from books to become the hero of his own story. Publication of the first book is planned for fall 2017; Random House).
• The Castle in the Mist - Amy Ephron (The middle-grade novel follows siblings Tessa and Max, who discover a magical key that gives them access to the ancient castle, and gives the indecisive Tessa a chance to have a single wish granted. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Philomel).
• A Small Zombie Problem - K.G. Campbell (Debut MG series which he will also illustrate. The story follows the adventures of a boy who accidentally unearths a family curse – and raises a lot of zombies in the process. Publication will begin in summer 2017; Knopf).
• We Are (So Not) the Trevors - Jake Burt (MG debut; The book is about a 13-year-old pickpocket in the foster-care system who longs for her own family. When a clan called the Trevors offers to take her in, it seems like she's gotten exactly what she wanted – until she learns that the family is being pursued by a killer and is about to enter the witness-protection program. The book is set for spring 2017; Feiwel and Friends).
• The Art of the Swap - Jen Malone (l.) and Kristine Carlson Asselin (When two teen girls living in the same Newport, R.I., mansion, but in different centuries, accidentally switch places, they must solve a 100-year-old art heist in order to return to their proper time periods. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; S&S/Aladdin).
• Untitled - Jan Greenberg (l.) and Sandra Jordan (Middle-grade biography of Cindy Sherman, widely celebrated as one of the world's most significant contemporary artists. It will be illustrated with the artist's work. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books).
• Bad Guy - Hannah Barnaby, illustrated by Mike Yamada (about a boy who relishes playing the villain and his kid sister, who must endure his antics. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• Sci-Fi Junior High - John Martin (l.) and Scott Seegert (In the illustrated novel, Kelvin Klosmo, a 12-year-old boy whose parents' jobs take the family to an intergalactic space station on the far side of the galaxy, must learn to deal with alien teachers and classmates of all types – and an evil plushy bunny who wants to rule the universe. The book is scheduled for February 2017; the new Jimmy Patterson imprint).
• The Dragon in the Leaves - Emily Arsenault (debut YA novel about a teenage girl who reads tea leaves for fun until a classmate asks her to do a reading about his missing friend, drawing her into a world of dark secrets and possibly murder. Publication is slated for June 2017; Soho Teen).
• Fever Dreams - Maurene Goo (a YA novel about a girl who decides to take control of her lackluster love life by following the “love rules” found in Korean dramas – staging her own perfect romance. Publication is planned for 2017; Farrar, Straus, & Giroux).
• Teddycats - Mike Storey (a middle-grade debut that was inspired by the 2013 discovery of an elusive mammal species that lives high up in the cloud forests of South America. This jungle adventure novel follows Bill Betancourt, a wily young Teddycat who becomes an unlikely hero after accidentally exposing his previously hidden species to the most dangerous predator of all: humans. The first title is set to publish in July 2016; Razorbill).
• The Duke of Bannerman Prep - Katie Nelson (debut; a YA retelling of The Great Gatsby in which a teen is recruited to an elite prep school to bring their debate team a victory at Nationals, and is drawn into a glittering world of parties and after-curfew bonfires, only to discover that the thrill-seeking playboy who has taken him under his wing is more conman than caviar. Publication is tentatively scheduled for spring 2017; Sky Pony Press).
• Kiss/Kill - Amy Rose Capetta (the story of Zara, a teen who wins her dream role in a Broadway show and the love of the young female lighting designer – only to find herself surrounded by mysterious deaths that are hastily blamed on the theater's curse even though everyone on stage has a motive or two. Publication is set for fall 2017; Candlewick).
• Ultimatum - K.M. Walton (two teen brothers, whose father's health is deteriorating rapidly, must come face to face with their demons – and each other – and set aside their differences if they are going to survive an uncertain future. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Sourcebooks Fire).
• The Wood - Chelsea Bobulski (YA debut; Winter is the guardian of the woods behind her house, rescuing travelers from madness and death. When a mysterious boy shows up, knowing more than he should, it's up to the two of them to learn the truth about her father's disappearance and to stop a killer from striking again. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Feiwel and Friends)
• A Flag for Harvey - Rob Sanders (the story of Harvey Milk and the creation of the gay pride flag. Steven Salernowill illustrate; publication is scheduled for spring 2018. Random House).
• Karma Khullar's Mustache - Kristi Wientge (contemp MG debut; It tells the story of a biracial Indian-American girl who must navigate big changes in her friendships and family life as she starts sixth grade, all while trying to rid herself of an unexpected problem: 17 hairs that have sprouted on her upper lip. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Simon and Schuster).
• Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe - Jo Hackl (debut which combines a quirky southern ghost town, survival in the woods, and an art history mystery. Publication is set for fall 2017; Random House).
• The Gravedigger's Son - Patrick Moody (MG debut in which an 11-year-old boy must reluctantly embrace his ability to speak to the dead after awakening the inhabitants of the graveyard his ancestors have spent centuries tending. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Sky Pony Press).
• Untitled YA - Adi Alsaid (the story of Carlos, a wealthy Mexican teen who is struggling to come to terms with his older brother's death – and unbeknownst to his family, is hearing and seeing messages from that brother. Convinced by his brother's spirit to risk everything to pursue his dreams, Carlos runs away from his sheltered life in Mexico City and apprentices himself to a famous American chef, finding love and a sense of purpose along the way. Publication is slated for 2017; Harlequin Teen).
• Of Blood and Shadow - Kerri Maniscalco (The debut gothic thriller, inspired by the Ripper murders, is about a Victorian-era lord's daughter who defies society expectations by secretly apprenticing as a forensics examiner, and soon finds herself embroiled in the investigation of a serial killer who is stalking London's East End. The book is scheduled for fall 2016; Jimmy Patterson Books).
• Keep Me in Mind - Jaime Reed (Contemp YA about a girl who doesn't remember and the boy who can't forget her. Publication is planned for April 2016; Scholastic).
• Bad Romance - Heather Demetrios (about a 16-year-old girl who tries to reclaim her life from bad relationships with three men: her father, an alcoholic ex-Marine; her stepfather, who would rather she didn't exist; and her dangerously abusive boyfriend. A publication date has not yet been set; Henry Holt).
• Queen of the Sea - Dylan Meconis (debut; a hybrid graphic novel/historical fantasy inspired by the early life of Queen Elizabeth I, about a girl raised in a convent on a small island, whose happy life is shattered when she discovers the convent is actually a political prison... and she herself one of its most dangerous prisoners. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Abrams).
• Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo - Ben Costa and James Parks (graphic novel series about a walking, talking, singing skeleton bard who embarks on an epic quest with his gelatin sidekick to discover his origins in a world of ogres, gnomes, haunted woods, and a kick-butt knight who is not all she seems. Publication will start in summer 2017; Knopf).
• For the Love of Double Dutch - Doreen Spicer-Dannelly (debut MG tells the story of a girl who must salvage her double-dutch dreams after her parents' rocky relationship takes her away from Brooklyn – and her beloved team – to spend the summer with her cousin in North Carolina. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Random House).
• Lifeboat 12 - Susan Hood (MG debut; The story, based on true events, follows six boys who survived a major naval disaster in September 1940. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• The Sun Race - Wesley King (a middle-grade novel told in three voices about a school field trip to the Carlsbad Caverns that goes horribly wrong. Publication is set for fall 2017; S&S /Paula Wiseman).
• The Mortification of Fovea Munson - Mary Winn Heider (debut MG; a 13-year-old girl is forced to spend her summer vacation working at her parents' cadaver lab, where friendships form under the most unlikely circumstances. Publication is scheduled for summer 2018; Disney-Hyperion).
• The Glittering Court - Richelle Mead (a romantic fantasy series set in a mix of Elizabethan and frontier worlds, which follows three girls as they embark on a journey in search of empowerment and love. Publication is planned for April 2016; Razorbill).
• Hour of the Bees - Lindsay Eagar (debut; part of a previous two-book contract, is slated to publish in March 2016. Candlewick has bought these two additional titles to make Eagar a staple of Candlewick lists through 2019. The books for this latest deal are untitled and will publish in 2018 and 2019; Candlewick).
• Untitled - Peadar Ó Guilín (The as-yet-untitled books tell the story of a girl, ravaged by a childhood disease, who fights to defend herself against an evil that targets the children of Ireland. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Scholastic).
• Spurt - Chris Miles (debut about Jack Sprigley, an eighth grader and former reality TV star who decides to fake puberty to avoid embarrassment. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• Words in Deep Blue - Cath Crowley (about two teens who find their way back to each other while working in an old bookstore full of secrets and crushes, love letters and memories, grief and hope. Publication is set for spring 2017; Knopf).
• Thornhill - Pam Smy (a dark yet ultimately uplifting novel that explores themes of bullying, identity, and friendship. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Roaring Brook).
• Far from Over - April Lindner (a digital original novella and spinoff of her novel Love, Lucy, about restless traveler Jesse Palladino as he leaves behind his summer romance in Rome and must decide where his heart lies. Publication is slated for May 2016; Poppy/NOVL).
• Blobby Blobson - Evan Kuhlman, illustrated by Merrill Rainey (first in an illustrated middle grade series. It features the adventures of a blob boy from the sewer who tries to fit in at a suburban middle school. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Razorbill).
• In Darkling Wood - Emma Carroll (In the story, a girl named Alice is shipped off to her estranged grandmother's house when her brother receives the chance for a heart transplant, and finds herself entangled in a battle to save the magical woods next to her grandmother's home. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Delacorte).
• Nana in the Country - Lauren Castillo (This was part of a previously unreported deal that encompassed Caldecott Honor book Nana in the City. Nana in the Countryfinds Nana visiting her grandson, who sets out to share with her all the lovely things the country has to offer. Publication has not yet been set; Clarion)

From Publisher’s Lunch:

• Ross Welford's TIME TRAVELLING WITH A HAMSTER, when young a boy is given a letter from his dead dad, it leads him to something extraordinary: a time machine; but his dad has a mission for him too: go back in time and prevent the accident that eventually killed him, to Schwartz & Wade.

From last week:

• Feathers Like Rain - Sharlee Glenn (MG novel; The book is a coming-of-age tale set on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation. Publication is set for 2017; Charlesbridge).
• The rest weren’t on Goodreads, so I’m leaving them now.

Awards: Publisher’s Weekly announced its list of the best books from 2015. The winners for the Woodcraft Circle Awardswere announced. We Need Diverse Books announced the recipients of the Walter Grant. The YALSA Top Ten was announced. The Goodreads Choice Awards Nominees were announced. Jacqueline Wilson is being presented with the JM Barrie Lifetime achievement award. The NYT released its list of the best illustrated children’s books of 2015. The Guardian children’s fiction prize shortlist was announced.

Authors/Interviews: Persuasion - Martina Boone, Upside-Down Magic - Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins, Sarah Mlynowski,Save Me Kurt Cobain - Jenny Manzer, Liars and Losers Like Us - Ami Allen-Vath, Anne & Henry - Dawn Ius, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here - Anna Breslaw, Life Before - Michelle Bacon, Underneath Everything - Marcy Beller Paul, Consider - Kristy Acevedo, Ruby Reinvented - Ronni Arno, Unforgiven - Lauren Kate, Traffick - Ellen Hopkins, Need - Joelle Charbonneau, A Madness So Discreet - Mindy McGinnis, Jeff Kinney, Anna Bond

Book Trailers: How to Be Brave - E. Katherine Kottaras, Bleeding Earth - Kate Hart, Manners & Mutiny - Gail Carriger, The Awakening of Sunshine Girl - Paige McKenzie

Excerpts: The Forbidden Wish - Jessica Khoury, Outrun the Moon - Stacey Lee, Their Fractured Light - Megan Spooner & Amie Kaufman, The Square Root of Summer - Harriet Reuter Hapgood, Don’t Get Caught - Kurt Dinan, Truthwitch - Susan Dennard, My Kind of Crazy - Robin Reul

Eric Smith’s INKED is getting a sequel, RISE OF THE UNPRINTED. (“...introduces a class of characters that get brought up in book one, but aren’t really explored. The Unprinted, the citizens without the magic, moving tattoos that define one’s place in society, who have opted to live off-the-grid and away from the mandatory practice of magical Ink…”)

Alexandra Bracken has sold four more books to Disney. “She’ll start a new middle-grade series, pen a stand-alone YA novel and write a fourth to-be-determined book. The new series is called The Last 13 Nights of Prosperity Redding. The story follows a 13-year-old New England boy who must rid himself of the demon sharing his body and break the family curse.”

Michelle Hodkin has sold the spin-off series of Mara Dyer called The Noah Shaw Confessions. (“The series will be told from the point of view of character Noah Shaw, and will explain “what happens after the happily ever after,” according to the publisher. Noah’s father is murdered in the first book of The Shaw Confessions, and while Noah inherits both knowledge and wealth beyond his wildest dreams, he also has a chance to find others like himself. As Noah and Mara begin their search for others, it becomes clear that they have vastly different goals — and Noah must choose between the girl he loves and world peace.”)

Super cool stop-motion animation on Hogwarts, all built from the pages of a Harry Potter book.

If you’re interested in reading The Girl on the Train, the publisher recently hosted a tumblr Q&A with the author.

Benjamin from the booktube channel Benjamin Of Tomes has created a book publishing imprint, oftomes.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a sequel. No more epilogue - things may not be as happy and idealistic as they were left.More details here. Are you one of the people who wishes JKR would leave Harry Potter alone, or will you be seeing the play (if you can)?

President Obama on reading: “fiction helps us to find truth in a complex world.” And kids talk about the impact of reading.

Diversity in publishing is not where it should be. A storify with the perspective of several authors from September but still highly relevant. Related-ish article: what should editors be doing?

Scholastic and We Need Diverse Books are teaming up to create a poster with over seventy-five diverse recommendations for younger readers. I’d love to see more publishers do something similar.

Lee & Low and Simmons College have created a diversity scholarship to help solve the “pipeline” problem of getting more people of color into the publishing industry.

Several authors discuss romance in YA Lit, with diverse themes. And for intersex awareness day, Gregorio some great tweets into a Storify.

Latino authors weighed in on reaching readers for a NYPL panel. (I liked getting to read about what they related to & also how that ended up influencing their own writing-- like Silvera’s comment on women being the heroes of his life & novels).

I really liked what I’d read of the Reading While White posts I’ve seen so: on creating safe spaces & what they mean (safety vs. comfort); on “be kind” and other BS; and a guest post from Brendan Kiely on his presentations with co-author Jason Reynolds (“But I’d never thought that the book might do danger to the very people I claimed to be working with in the Black Lives Matters movement. I had to take a breath. I’m so glad I did, because if I’d just answered straight from the gut, I’d have said something dumb, no matter how factually correct, and I would have done exactly what he was warning me about.”)

Has “Diversity” Lost Its Meaning?

At SCIBA, diverse books were the focal point. (The education sessions included a financial session on the economics of publishing, a panel on how to sell high-end gift books, a panel on diversity in YA books, and a session on Independent Bookstore Day.)

James Dawson has come out as transgender.

Here’s a summary of the EW fest for YA books & five things the writer learned from the panel.

I wish I was going to YALLFEST. 60 YA authors. All so soon.

J.K. Rowling is writing a new children’s book! No plans yet but AAAAHHH

The Hunger Games theme park keeps expanding.

A panel to discuss the latest trends in YA from the editors -- what do you think? (But the new trend is a style of books that Julie Strauss-Gabel is championing now, and always has been, is contemporary realistic fiction. “There are also a lot of readers interested in a new genre that could be called ‘heightened contemporary,’” she said... “Also, sci-fi is gaining ground again.”)

Another panel - Think That I saw It - this time discussing a variety of topics, from middle-grade, YA, and picture book authors and illustrators.

Another panel discussing the hell that is Middle School (When kids are reading past middle grade, which is typically considered for ages 8-12, and aren’t quiet emotionally ready for the heavier themes of YA suggested for 14-18 year olds, where do readers, booksellers, and librarians turn?).

Youtube authors are all over the NYT Bestsellers list.

Twilight Reimagined is still selling really well (24k copies/week).

Amazon opened its first brick and mortars bookstore.

Teen Book Festivals are a win-win for all. Check out the photos from the Texas Book Festival.

A brief summary of author and industry events this last week and the one before.

I am so interested in this book - it maps famous literary locations (and the maps look so gorgeous!).

Cover Reveals:

You can vote for the cover for Night Flower by Kate Elliott.

Discussion & Other Blogger Posts:

One of the best costumes… sexy Gandalf. Oh la la.

As is usual when I’ve not done one of these posts for a long time, there are a ton of recommendation posts. You can read books with haunted houses, adventure books, YA books with multiple narrators, books for Gilmore Girls fans, diverse horror reads,amazing YA books by Latino authors, book recommendations from YA Highway, YA books to keep you warm in the chilly weather, for fans of the Scream Queens, books that prove you should be afraid of the dark, 9 fantasies to make your fall more magical, 7 books that will help you win your book club. And if you’re looking for NaNoWriMo inspiration, these books might help. These books started as NaNo projects. Of course, you can always reread Harry Potter for inspiration.

On one end: the 15 most anticipated November YA books. On the other: November’s top picks for young readers.

You can also use an emoticon chart to determine which horror book is up your alley.

Do you recognize these YA novels from the 2000s?

How many of these YA books have you read across the states?

17 Beautiful Rooms for the Book-loving Soul. CAN I LIVE THERE???

Have you read any of these popular November books?

6 Ghostly YA book quotes & 18 stories you should not read in the dark.

Can you read a book to death?

How often do you read over people’s shoulders?

27 excuses to use when you want to stay home & read. I use #1 a lot.

YA authors who also rock middle grade. This list will only be increasing as the years pass...

An open letter to those who give kids banned books: rarely, too rarely, do we talk about the good things that come when you share dangerous books with teens.

Movies & TV Shows:

Dolphin Films has optioned The Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary Pearson.

I missed this and technically it’s not YA, but I’m sure there are a lot of crossover fans -- did you see the Magicians trailer from NYCC?

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda was acquired by Fox 2000.

Check out your first look from Fantastic Beasts… and did you know the equivalent of Muggle in the States is No Maj?

The BBC will be adapting His Dark Materials into a TV show.

Selena Gomez and Jay Asher are working on a 13 Reasons Why show to be picked up by Netflix.

They released the second tv spot for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II.

Halston Sage, Logan Miller, and Kian Lawley have been cast for the Before I Fall adaptation.

Dreamworks has optioned John Connolly’s MG trilogy (including the Gates) for a possible movie franchise.

Jerry Bruckheimer & Paramount optioned the rights to YA novel, The Cruelty by S. Bergstrom (self-published).

Johnny Depp is in talks to join the Neil Gaiman adaptation, Fortunately, The Milk.

Giveaways:

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, US, ends 11/14/15.

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: New Releases 11/2/15! Win TWO great new YA novels that release this week, plus read interviews and a round-up of all this week's new YA novels. Giveaway ends 11/8/15; Win one of SEVEN packs of FIVE popular or recent YA titles, plus swag to help reward readers, for underfunded classrooms, schools, or libraries. Know a school or library who needs books? Nominate them! This month's donations from Martina Boone, Maggie Stiefvater,Danielle Paige, Laurie Halse Anderson and Maria Dahvana Headley. Ends 11/1/15; Win signed, personalised copies of COMPULSION and PERSUASION, plus signed copies of Laini Taylor's DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

You have until January 1st to complete your Storyboard Sprites board and win a book up to $15.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases:

October 25th - 31st: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly, The House by Christina Lauren, What We Left Behind by Robin Talley, Persuasion (Heirs of Watson Island #2) by Martina Boone, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch by Daniel Kraus, Underneath Everything by Marcy Beller Paul, Gabriel (Styclar Saga #2) by Nikki Kelly, Diamonds are Forever (Secret Diamond Sisters #2) by Michelle Madow, The Winter Place by Alexander Yates, Placebo Junkies by J. C. Carleson, Dark Heart of Magic by Jennifer Estep, Unspoken (Shadow Falls After Dark #3) by C.C. Hunter, Fathomless (Redemption's Heir #2) by Anne Pillsworth, Frosted Kisses (Cupcake Queen #2) by Heather Hepler

November 1st - 7th: Hotel Ruby by Suzanne Young, Traffic (Tricks #2) by Ellen Hopkins, Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2) by Claudia Gray, NEED by Joelle Charbonneau, The Conjurer's Riffle (Inventor's Secret #2) by Andrea Cremer,Manners and Mutiny (Finishing School #4) by Gail Carriger, All In (The Naturals #3) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Until We Meet Again by Renee Collins, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett, Hollow Girl (Twinmaker #3) by Sean Williams,The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey, Girl with the Wrong Name by Barnabas Miller, The Lies About Truth by Courtney C. Stevens, The Revolution of Ivy (Book of Ivy #2) by Amy Engel, Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn, Captive by A. J. Grainger,How to Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras, Fearless (Arena #3) by Marianne Curley.

Recent Recommended Reads: I will be filming a booktube video tonight about the three audiobooks I have recently read!

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

It's been a really long time since I did one of these recaps! So much has happened here on the blog and I've read a bunch of different things since my August book talk too (though even in that I didn't really link back to different blog posts? Oops?). So here we go - let me know what you've read, reviewed, etc. this past month as well. Mine could probably be summarized with: "Christina is terrible at TBR lists."

So, first up, from the blog: I got my bookish rounds back on a weekly basis! Woohoo! You can check out edition 87 (this week), edition 86, edition 85, edition 84, and edition 83. (There are more blog posts, but this is only from between now and my August book talk). The only change is that so far this month, I've just been too tired to include book blogger discussions. I hope to do this in the future, but since it's the last thing that I do on those posts, it's the one I most often skip when exhaustion takes over.

This month, I also read and reviewed Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Serpentine by Cindy Pon, and The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow. I read but did not reviewQueen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (my thoughts are too complicated for a blog post or booktube video - we can have a discussion on this but expect it to be long),Faces of Love: Hafez and the Poets of Shiraz translated by Dick Davis (aka a book of Persian poetry; I enjoyed it but have been told that no translation can ever match the original. Also looking forward to comparing it to another book of poetry on Hafez since Dick Davis takes a literal interpretation to most of Hafez's poetry while others view him as a very famous, mystical Sufi poet), The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows (which I will review in the future), The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh (heyhey this was on my list of 2015 debuts I wanted to read, so that counts, right?), Humans of New York (I only recently discovered the blog & was curious to see what the book would be like; was slightly disappointed the captions weren't there as often but perhaps they'll be more featured in the upcoming Humans of New York: Stories?), Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters #1) by Juliet Marillier, Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters #2) by Juliet Marillier, and Child of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters #3) by Juliet Marillier.

Because I loved Daughter of The Forest so much, I created a list of recommendationsof adult fiction that seemed suited for YA readers.

If you're interested, I'm also giving away Zeroes, This Raging Light, One, Mirrored, and the Wild Ones - some as ARCs, some as hardcovers.

What I just read & absolutely loved was Six Myths of our time by Marina Warner.

I had a feeling that I was going to love it when in the introduction, Marina Warner quotes Roland Barthes: Myth transforms history into nature.

Particularly relevant to all the YA I read was Warner's third essay, "Little Angels, Little Monsters: Keeping Childhood Innocent." So many of the most popular YA - Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The 5th Wave, Twilight, Divergent - end with or prominently feature the idea of the child as a stand-in symbol for hope, for the innocence of the future generations and the betterment therein of society. Time and time again I wondered how we got to a place where we placed such undue pressure and responsibility on a child and the child as a symbol. This essay gets into that and more. (Actually, I want to email my old kidlit professor and ask her whether she's read this essay or heard Marina Warner as she gave these lectures on the BBC. "Little Angels, Little Monsters" felt so, so relevant to everything that we had discussed; Warner even mentioned Bettelheim, who analyzed fairy tales with a Freudian lens. (Because of Bettelheim, every time I see Cinderella's slipper now, I think of the supposed representation of her sexuality i.e. her vagina.)).

Some reviews suggest that this book is dated. Maybe some of the cultural references are dated (the things that are referred to in the present are obviously no longer so), but the points that Warner makes on she-monsters (and motherhood/femininity, the role of women), modern masculinity, the concept of national identity, fairy tale beasts and cannibalism (and colonialism) still feel rather relevant to me. In fact, her last essay, "Home: Our Famous Island Race," is directly applicable to the Refugee crisis today. I appreciated the feminist lens and the broad-ranging approach Warner took to deconstructing these myths, and I will definitely be reading more of her work.

(I also am looking forward to reading some of the work she mentions here. Salman Rushdie's Imaginary Homelands? Derek Walcott's work? Yes, please!)

Next week, I know that I'll be reading a lot though. I'll be doing menial work at my job, and so I'll be able to listen to some audiobooks. Right now queued up are:Carrie by Stephen King, Monster by Walter Dean Myers, The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss,Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, and the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. 

Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds is a feature that will let you know about recent MG/YA/NA book related news. I'll post about articles from the publishing industry, cover reveals, discussions from fellow bloggers, the latest tv/movie news, and giveaways that you're hosting. If you would like to follow along with cover reveals during the week, see my Pinterest. (If you're interested in how I make these posts, here's your guide.)

You should probably check out the bookish rounds post from last week. This one is a lot shorter, since it’s back to normal scheduling around here…

Publishing:
Rights Report:

• The Canny Town of Ingot - William Alexander (about a girl who moves with her mother, a librarian and Ghost Appeasement Specialist, to the curiously un-haunted town of Ingot, where she must learn what has happened to Ingot's ghosts and what will happen if they ever come back. The first book is scheduled for summer 2017; McElderry Books).
• 17 Years - Ava Dellaira (a YA novel told in alternating perspectives about a mother and daughter, each at 17 years old, on the brink of adulthood, and struggling to imagine her future and to discover her place in the world. Publication is slated for 2018; Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
• My Shelf Life - Lilliam Rivera (a YA novel about a girl named Margot Sanchez who charged $600 on her father's credit card and is stuck spending the summer working off the debt at the South Bronx location of the family chain of grocery stores. Publication is set for spring 2017; Simon & Schuster).
• Remember to Forget - Ashley Royer (debut; The novel tells the story of Levi, who, depressed after the death of his girlfriend, moves from Australia to his father's home in America. Publication is planned for spring 2016. HarperCollins/Blink).

From Publisher’s Lunch:

• David Levithan's two new standalone novels, one a sequel to Every Day, concluding the story of a character who changes bodies on a daily basis but is always in love with the same girl, and with Rachel Cohn THE TWELVE DAYS OF DASH & LILY, sequel to Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, and SAM & ILSA, a story that features brother-sister twins and a fateful end-of-the-year party, to Knopf Children's.

From last time:

• The Well - Jake Wyatt, illustrated by F. Choo (YA fantasy graphic novel; The book follows Lizzy, a girl who steals coins from the town wishing well and is then forced to grant the wishes attached to them. Publication is set for 2018; First Second).
• Shakshuka series - Galia Oz (bestselling in Israel. [The three books] will be published as one middle-grade volume titled Dog Trouble & Other Julie Stories featuring Julie's candid narration of the ups and downs of school and family life. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Crown).
• Struttin' with Some Barbecue - Patricia Hruby Powell (a middle-grade book in verse about jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Lil Hardin Armstrong... Ahead of her time and in a man's world, Lil Hardin Armstrong – Louis Armstrong's second wife – made a career in the early days of jazz. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Charlesbridge).
• Lucy and the Rocket Dog - Will Buckingham (a middle-grade story told from the alternating perspectives of Lucy, an aspiring astrophysicist who has built a rocket ship in her backyard, and Laika, Lucy's beloved dog who wanders into the rocket ship and is subsequently shot into space. Publication is set for summer 2017; Knopf).
• Monsterville: A Lissa Black Production - Sarah Schauerte Reida (MG debut in which 12-year-old film-obsessed Lissa discovers a shape-shifting monster in her woods and decides to film the greatest horror movie of all time. Then her little sister is taken to the monster homeland of Down Below and she needs the monster's help to get her back. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2016; Sky Pony Press).
• Blues Bones - Rick Starkey (MG debut in which a 13-year-old boy uses voodoo to overcome stage fright and has to suffer the consequences of dabbling in dark magic. Publication is planned for spring 2016; Leap Books Seek)
• Howard Wallace, P.I. - Casey Lyall (debut; a lonely middle-school gumshoe reluctantly takes on the new girl in town as his assistant as they hunt down the stolen student council treasury and foil a would-be blackmailer. Publication of the first book is slated for fall 2016; Sterling).
• PhilanthroParties: A Party Planning Guide for the Social Activist - Lulu Cerone and Lucy Keating (The book will serve as a DIY guide for teens to partying with a purpose and incorporating philanthropy into their social lives. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Beyond Words and Simon Pulse).
• Higher, Steeper, Faster: The Daredevils Who Conquered the Skies - Lawrence Goldstone (MG narrative nonfiction debut about the men and women who pioneered modern aviation and popularized flying through their aerial feats in the first decade of powered flight. Publication is set for spring 2017; Little, Brown).
• Family Poems/Poemas familiares - Francisco X. Alarcón, to be illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez (The bilingual collection of original poems, the sixth collaboration of the author and illustrator, celebrates the days of the week along with familiar family life experiences of Latino children in the U.S. Publication is set for fall 2016; Lee & Low Books).
• Naughty Claudine - Patrick Jennings (about a girl who does not doubt the existence of Santa, but is not comfortable with his spying and judging and breaking and entering, so she decides to act naughty to stop him from coming down the chimney. Suzanne Kaufman is slated to illustrate. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Random House).
• How to Survive Extinction - Paul Acampora (a middle-grade novel about 13-year-old Leo, his cousin, his sometimes forgetful grandmother, and a dog named Kermit, who hit the road together in search of dinosaurs. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; Scholastic).
• Just Fly Away - Andrew McCarthy (YA debut; In the story, 15-year-old Lucy discovers that her father has a son from an affair, an eight-year-old named Thomas who lives in the same suburban New Jersey town, causing Lucy to question everything she thinks she knows about her family and her own life. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Algonquin Young Readers).
• The Sweetest Sound - Sherri Winston (about a shy but talented 10-year-old girl who needs to build up the courage to enter her church's singing competition – while grappling with the fact that music was one of the few things she and her estranged mother had in common – only to have the stakes raised when her anonymous recording leaks. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Little, Brown).
• Garbage Island - Fred Koehler (MG debut; In this animal fantasy, young inventor Archibald Shrew lives on a massive garbage patch adrift at sea, but dreams of leaving the island to discover things, especially news of his long-lost family. Publication of the first book is planned for fall 2017, Boyds Mills).
• Will Nolan Eats Bugs - Rebecca Petruck (in which a class clown tries not to worry about how his parents fight all the time by being funnier than ever. But a “hilarious” presentation with insects as snacks leads to heckles, retaliation, and possible expulsion. Publication is set for fall 2016; Abrams/Amulet).
• Confessions from the Principal's Kid - Robin Mellom (a middle-grade novel about a girl whose insider status at school leaves her an outsider among her classmates. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Hmh)
• There Will Be Blood: The HelloFlo Guide to Puberty - Naama Bloom and Glynnis MacNicol (With the support of a panel of experts, the book will incorporate real-life stories along with facts and illustrations. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Dutton).
• How to Save an Elephant - Linda Oatman High (MG; In it, 12-year old Lily Pruitt and a circus elephant are drawn together by the shared loss of the same man – grandfather, best friend and keeper – and journey through a series of life changes to save not only themselves but each other. Publication is scheduled for winter 2017; HarperCollins).
• Claiming My Place: Coming of Age in the Shadow of the Holocaust - Planaria Price and Helen West (nonfiction YA memoir; This eyewitness account tells the story of Barbara Reichman, West's mother, who took on a different identity and hid in plain sight to make it through the war. The book is planned for winter 2017; Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
• What a Beautiful Morning - Arthur A. Levine, to be illustrated by Katie Kath (in which Grandma's support helps a boy accept his grandfather's gradual memory loss, and to enjoy the moments they still have together. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Running Press Kids).
• Maud and Grandmaud - Sara O'Leary, to be illustrated by Kenard Pak (In the book, a girl visits her grandmother's house for a sleepover; they have breakfast for dinner, watch old films, and enjoy other simple pleasures made sweeter for doing them together. The book will be co-published with Tara Walker at Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books in summer 2018. Penguin Random House).
• Wolf in the Snow - Matthew Cordell (in which a girl, caught in a fierce blizzard, stumbles upon a lost wolf pup and must choose to find her own way home or return the pup to its pack. Publication is planned for fall 2016; Feiwel and Friends).
• Q & Ray: The Case of the Mola Lisa - Trisha Speed Shaskan and Stephen Shaskan (Graphic novel series; In the book, two animal sleuths set out to solve cases using wits, disguises, and teamwork. Publication is planned for fall 2017… Lerner/Graphic Universe).
• Debut illustrated middle-grade series Marty Pants - Mark Parisi (Parisi is the creator of the long-running Off the Mark comic. The first book is slated for winter 2017; HarperCollins).
• One Hundred Spaghetti Strings - Jen Nails (In the middle-grade novel, Steffy's mother has a severe brain trauma, and isn't able to care for Steffy and her moody older sister. When their long estranged father returns to live with them, Steffy hopes that the special recipes she loves to cook will bring her fractured family back together again. Publications is scheduled for winter 2017; HarperCollins).
• City of Secret Rivers - Jacob Sager Weinstein (MG debut about an American girl transplanted to London who discovers a dark secret lurking beneath its streets, with terrifying repercussions. The book sold at auction in a three-book deal; the first volume will publish in summer 2017. Random House).
• A Friend Like You - Beth Ain (a middle-grade verse novel about a fourth grader and the small moments in her year that add up to big surprises. Publication is slated for 2017; Random House)

Unfortunately it seems that many books this week or from before aren’t up on Goodreads.

Authors: Queen of Shadows - Sarah J. Maas, Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon, Dumplin - Julie Murphy, Fans of the Impossible Life - Kate Scelsa, Into the Dim - Janet B. Taylor, The Fix - Natasha Sinel

Awards/Lists: Lesyle Walton won the PEN USA Literary award for YA. The Longlist for the National Book Award for YA/Young people was released.

You can vote now for YALSA’s top ten teen books of 2015 until Teen Week in October.

Book trailers: Ghostlight - Sonia Gensler, The Dead House - Dawn Kurtagich, Ascenders: High School for the Recently Departed - C.L. Gaber.

Excerpts: Every Exquisite Thing - Matthew Quick, Ice Like Fire - Sara Raasch, Consider - Kristy Acevedo, Sweet Madness - Trisha Lever & Lindsay Currie, The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan, Untamed - A.G. Howard, Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

The tenth anniversary edition of Twilight will include some bonus content. Here’s a look back at Twilight and its legacy.

From September 2014 - September 2015, here’s Booklist’s list of top 10 YA romances. Similar list -- here’s one focusing on top 10 YA sports books.

On Sept. 6th, Corinne Duyvis started the hashtag #OwnVoices: “the hashtag focuses on recommending titles about marginalized groups of people by authors in those groups.”

And in unsurprising news, most authors earn below the poverty line for their income.

The Bad Decisions Playlist - Michael Rubens

Darkest Dawn - Katlyn Duncan

A Million Times Goodnight - Kristina McBride

Threadworlds - Bryan Konietzko

Sugar Skulls - Lisa Mantchev & Glenn Dallas

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey, movie tie-in

P.S. I Like You - Kasie West

Demon Heart - Emma L. Adams, NA

Summerlost - Ally Condie

Once Was a Time - Leila Sales

My Sister Rosa - Justine Larbalestier, AUS

The Disappearance of Ember Crow: The Tribe, Book Two - Ambelin Kwaymullina

Half in Love with Death - Emily Ross

Dead Girl Running - Ann M. Noser, NA

This Song Is Not For You - Laura Nowlin

Consider - Kristy Acevedo

Every Exquisite Thing - Matthew Quick

26 Kisses - Anna Michels

A Game of Crows - Jacob Whitfield

The Transatlantic Conspiracy - G.D. Falksen

The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse - Brian Farrey

Forbidden - Eve Bunting

Shadow Magic - Joshua Khan

Me & Miranda Mullaly - Jake Gerhardt

The Terrible Two Get Worse - Jory John, Mac Barnett, illus by Kevin Cornell

Either the Beginning or the End of the World - Terry Farish

Josh Baxter Levels Up - Gavin Brown

Some Kind of Courage - Dan Gemeinhart

Saving Wonder - Mary Knight

The Tiara on the Terrace - Kristen Kittscher

The Inn Between - Marina Cohen

Withering by Sea - Judith Rossell

The Adventures of Lettie Peppercorn - Sam Gayton, illus by Poly Bernatene

Fortune Falls - Jenny Goebel

Sara Lost and Found - Virginia Castleman

Maybe a Fox - Katwi Appelt, Alison McGhee

Secrets of Bearhaven - K.E. Rocha

Donny's Inferno - P.W. Catanese

Henry Cicada's Extraordinary Elktonium Escapade - David Teague

Secrets of Valhalla - Jasmine Richards

Ticket to India - N.H. Senzai

The Thickety: Well of Witches - J.A. White

A Week Without Tuesday - Angelica Banks

Blue in the Face - Gerry Swallow

The Door by the Staircase - Katherine Marsh, illus by Kelly Murphy

Red: the true story of Red Riding Hood - Liesl Shurtliff

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel - Firoozeh Dumas

Sweet Home Alaska - Carole Estby Dagg

OCDaniel - Wesley King

The Secrets of Solace - Jaleigh Johnson

Far from Fair - Elana K. Arnold

Just My Luck - Cammie McGovern

This Is the Story of You - Beth Kephart

Poison Is Not Polite - Robin Stevens

The Last Monster - Ginger Garrett

The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price - Jennifer Maschari

The Extincts - Veronica Cossanteli, illus by Roman Muradov

Pugs of the Frozen North - Philip Reeve, Sarah McIntyre

Mutt's Promise - Julie Salamon, illus by Jill Weber

The Luck Uglies: Rise of the Ragged Clover - Paul Durham

Mabel Jones and the Forbidden City - Will Mabbitt, illus by Ross Collins

What Elephants Know - Eric Dinerstein

The 8th Continent: We Built This City - Matt London

Belzhar - Meg Wolitzer, pb redesign

Discussions/Other Blogger Posts:

Have you read these popular September YA books?

The greatest female sci/fi authors of all time - I knew Le Guin would be on that list. Can’t wait to read more female SFF outside of YA!

Indianapolis has an interesting initiative with its Big Free Libraries.

Take a look at the most popular libraries in the U.S.

5 YA Books to Read after a Breakup, 5 Psychic Protagonists Whose Stories You Want to Read, 5 YA Pirate Tales to Bring Out Your Inner Swashbuckler - sometimes, looking at these B&N articles, I really want to know how they come up with these lists and recommendations. Because how is it that every time there’s at least one book I don’t recognize? Not having even seen its cover before?

Looking for some YA urban fantasy to kick the Cassandra Clare / shadowhunter craving? Here are three recently published ones that might help.

9 YA Novels That Every Woman Should Have on Her Reading List - it makes me sad that I’ve read like 3 of these novels only. But, hey, at least I’ve got some. What do you think?

32 Books Guaranteed to Give You Wanderlust & because it’s a community curated list, there are actually some YA novels!

17 New YA Books That Will Make Your Heart Happy - yaaas to A Thousand Nights and some of these other fall releases.

16 YA Books That Will Keep Your Attention to the Last Page - yasss to Poison Study and Grave Mercy and some of the others on this list.

The magic of Harry Potter will never be over - a HP themed bar is opening in Toronto, and Pottermore is expecting a radical relaunch.

Top 10 islands in children’s fiction - like with B&N, I actually haven’t heard of some of these titles.

Remember how these 24 YA books changed dramatically between hardcover & paperback?

If you’re ready for school, maybe you’re ready for a new book boyfriend.

Leila Sales discusses her favorite 10 YA contemporary books - love getting to see these from authors! And like with most B&N articles, some of these I hadn’t even heard of!

Movies/TV Shows:

Man, even though I posted a lot of movie/tv show news last time, I think I missed some things...

They’ve changed the title of the final Divergent movie from Allegiant to Ascendant. You can read Veronica Roth’s thoughts here. Here are the new posters. Also, they’ve released a teaser clip of Allegiant.

Zoey Deutch will be starring in the adaptation of Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall.

You can watch an exclusive clip from The Scorch Trials here.

You can watch the first and second trailers for Goosebumps.

The official trailer for the 5th Wave movie was released. You can also see the new poster (which is on the movie tie-in edition, as shown above.)

Throne of Glass was optioned for t.v.

Check out the new Hunger Games: Mockingjay poster/banner.

Olive Cooke has been cast in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ready Player One.

The Sky Is Everywhere was also optioned - but by Warner Bros, for a movie.

Paramount optioned Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother, with the hopes of starting a new franchise.

The Animorphs is getting its own movie.

Barry Sonnenfeld will be directing A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Do you think that these are the best YA films of all time?

Giveaways:

I’ll be hosting a giveaway soon. Keep your eyes out for that!

Adventures in Children's Publishing giveaways: Celebrate Four MILLION page views with us by entering our MASSIVE giveaway! Giveaway ends 9/21/15; Win one of FOUR packs of FIVE popular or recent YA titles, plus swag to help reward readers, for underfunded classrooms, schools, or libraries. Know a school or library who needs books? Nominate them! This month's donations from Martina Boone, Kami Garcia, Liza Wiemer, and Jessica Porter at Crossroads Reviews. Ends 10/1/15;Win $50 American Express Gift Certificate, one of 5 beautiful Tiffany-style Key necklaces, Compulsion for Reading T-shirts, a What I'm Reading chalk mug, Fictionista Notepads, and much more in the PERSUASION pre-order celebration. Also TONS of free downloads, including stickers, bookmarks, magnets, door hangers, and wallpapers.; Win DAMAGE DONE by Amanda Panitch. Enter by 10/8/15.

Giveaways listed at Saturday Situation by Lori of Pure Imagination and Candace of Candace's Book Blog.

Don't forget to enter YABC's giveaways for the month.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Friday {SF/F Reviews and Giveaways}.

If you have a giveaway, you should let me know.

Other:

New Releases: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales, The Marvels by Brian Selznick, The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen by Katherine Howe, The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, Mirrored by Alex Flinn, The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore, The Bamboo Sword by Margi Preus, Breakaway by Kat Spears, Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty, Queen of Always (Stolen Empire #3) by Sherry D. Ficklin, Imposter by Antony John, Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prunes, One by Sarah Crossan, Delicate by C. K. Kelly Martin

Recent Recommended Reads: You can read my review of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo :). And hopefully I’ll have a booktube video up soon as well!

Which articles did you like best? Did I miss any news? Did you host a cover reveal or discussion that I should have posted about? A giveaway? Leave the links, and I'll either edit this post or post about 'em next week.

Catch up with my blog and booktube channel via a recap of January: my posts, videos, current reads, and recently read.

We are all pretty busy, so I wouldn't blame you if you haven't much time to read this blog or watch my videos, and don't know what's been going on here. You remember how I set that goal of commenting on all the blogs listed in my bookish rounds posts? Yeah, that became quickly unrealistic, but I am glad to reply to all comments here and visit my commenters's blogs or videos, and I'm glad to give y'all a recap video & post of everything that's been going on here on the blog and booktube. Maybe this weekend, I'll catch up with some of my favorite blogs again...

The pictures in the video will take you directly to the videos & blog posts, but for your convenience, I've also typed everything out below the cut!

This month, at my booktube channel, I recorded videos on:

• 14 2015 Books That I’m Anticipating

• 12 Young Adult High Fantasy Recommendations || also on the blog HERE.

• Books Publishing in 2015 That You Should Anticipate || also on the blog HERE.

• The Bias against Young Adult literature from my coworkers || also on the blog HERE.

• The Best Books of 2014 || also on the blog HERE.

• A Tour of My Bookshelf || also on the blog HERE.

• My New Year's Bookolutions for 2015 || also on the blog HERE.

• Book Byte videos, aka shorter Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds, focusing on MG / YA / NA book related news: book byte (3), book byte (4), book byte (5) & book byte (6)

Here at the blog, I've written posts on:

• Reviews: The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick; The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand; In a Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis;The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson, The Vault of Dreamers by CaraghO'Brien, Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sarah Farizan, and The Curefor Dreaming by Cat Winters.

• Christina Makes the Bookish Rounds: edition 67, edition 68, edition 69, and edition 70.

• A Top Ten Tuesday post on which books I'd pick for my book club.

• A Discussion post in which I compare blogging and booktubing.

• Plus the posts mentioned above with their accompanying booktube videos!

Aside from the titles I've mentioned reviewing, I've also read:

• Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This book is SO SO SO beautiful. We read this as the January pick for my book club and YESSSSSSSSSS. I don't usually tend to like verse novels, but Ms. Woodson has such a talent for depicting moments. I've bookmarked so many pages and I'm so so so glad that I actually have a physical copy of this! Read it if you haven't already: you're missing out hugely!

• Burned by Karen Marie Moning. The Fever series is something like Faerie lore + Dublin + kickass, dangerous immortals + sexy times + women forced to become their own weapons. At the heart of the series is a struggle with the Sinsar Dubh, a Dark Book, that has a lot of Unseelie dark, evil magic, and the different factions within Dublin that are trying to get this book. Also at heart: the protagonist, Mac's, ability to see (and interact with) the Fae. Burned is the seventh book in the Fever series, and the second book in the Dani O'Malley trilogy, which means that in addition to focusing on Mac, the protagonist of the Fever series, it also focuses on Dani O'Malley. The sixth Fever and first Dani book, ICED, was pretty isolating: people either tended to hate or love it... and apparently that is also happening with Burned. I love both books and after waiting two years, I'm mostly pleased to have gotten another book that raises so many questions! If you clicked the link above, you would've been taken to my review. You see like five spoiler tags. That's because of all my theories and questions and the beautifully complex plotting and characters, and I can't wait for October and the next Fever novel!

I am currently reading:

• Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs. This is a read-along with Kristin, and I am so very glad for that because YAY to finally reading a book that I own and that is on the TBR pile. I'll report more later on the actual book. This past Monday was our goal for being 100 pages in.

I downloaded for review:

• Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. This is the sequel to Seraphina. Despite me sayingNO MORE ARCS, I AM AHEAD ON REVIEWS, I was still like omg omg omg looooooooooook Shadow Scale is READ NOW on Netgalley. Doooo it! *sigh*

I purchased:

• Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. So many bloggers love this title, I feel a little deficient in not having read it already. My book club continues to mention it, so after our meeting, I went to the Strand and got myself a copy.

• A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn. I've had my eye on this one for a while now. It has a blurb by Kristin Cashore (all the books she's blurbed I've loved, and I love her books) & a blurb by Franny Billingsley. It also got a starred review from Kirkus and was named one of their best books of 2014. Lame as this makes me sound, I tend to agree most of the times with Kirkus, so that review is an excellent sign.

• Alchemy and Mysticism by Alexander Roob. So, I got the above two titles when I was in the Strand, and this one too. Occasionally I like to buy books that I wouldn't normally hear about or read, but would serve as great writer's inspiration. Obscure topics. Last time I was in the Strand, I purchased a book on sea monsters on medieval mapsand that was delightful.

• The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. I already read this, so I just wanted to own a copy for myself :).

• Splintered by A.G. Howard. To get free shipping from Barnes and Noble, you have to have a cart of $25 or more, and I had a $25 gift certificate, so I added Splintered because last summer I bought Unhinged (dumbass me thought it was the first book lol) and everyone keeps talking about that series, might as well see for myself.

• I also pre-ordered Made You Up by Francesca Zappia and with it, to qualify for free shipping again & use another gift card, is Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, which I already read but which I gave away to a friend, so here's to restoring my copy! And y'all have already heard me wax poetic about Made You Up :).

I know most other recaps also link to other blogger posts and discuss the blogger's personal life, but y'all should check out my bookish rounds posts if you'd like to see what other bloggers have been up to this month. Have there been any posts you liked a lot from me this month? Got any blogger or booktube feedback? What are you currently reading? What have you recently purchased and what was your latest read? I hope your Januarys have been fantastic :).