Today I thought that I'd share my favorite reads from 2015. I've been posting these on a Goodreads shelf all year long, but some of them are books I'd also marked as favorites in 2014: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma, The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski, and The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon. Those I read in 2014, though they were officially published in 2015 -- would still recommend reading those! Last year I only made a video as a means of recommending books to people who didn't like YA much, but this year I wanted to make a full list!

Great contemporary reads --

Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed, Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, and Black Iris by Leah Raeder

Written in the Stars is a heartfelt exploration of an arranged marriage in Pakistan, written simply to maximize its impact and our identification with the main character on her horrific journey. Dumplin' is a romantic coming-of-age about a fat girl who competes in a beauty pageant to regain her confidence and self-love. About a girl trying to break into a men-only secret society, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is another great read from E. Lockhart. And what happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet in Delicate Monsters. Black Iris is Leah Raeder's heart book, sexy, romantic suspense layered with questions about gender identity and sexuality. All are wonderful explorations of growing up in a patriarchal world.

You can read my reviews of: Black Iris, Delicate Monsters, and Dumplin'. I nominated Dumplin' and Delicate Monsters in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards, and encouraged others to be excited for the release of Dumplin'.

Magical realism that takes risks in its narrative --

Chime by Franny Billingsley, Bone Gap by Laura Ruby, and The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle

YA magical realism is a wonderful expanding genre that's pushing the boundaries of the typical YA narrative. All three of these stories are told in their own cyclical, winding ways, and all three have absolutely gorgeous writing. Chime tells the story of a girl regaining her confidence as she discovers the truth; Bone Gap tells a story about perception and beauty; and The Accident Season tells the story of a family broken by a tragic past. Highly recommended, and can't wait for more magical realism to crop up.

I discussed Bone Gap and The Accident Season here. I nominated Bone Gap in the Epic Reads Book Shimmy Awards.

Female-led historical journeys --

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, and Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Elizabeth Wein is a reigning queen of YA historical fiction, and Rose Under Fire was a gorgeous tale of female friendship tested under terrible circumstances. Walk on Earth a Stranger is about a girl with a fantastical ability to discover gold on an Oregon Trail-like, self-discovery journey to California, and it's as fantastic as that sounds.Daughter of the Forest is loosely based on the legend of the Children of Lir and "The Six Swans," a fairy tale told by the Grimms and many more. It's gorgeous and I absolutely adore the commingling of tender romance, Celtic atmosphere, and fantastical curses.

You can read my review of Walk on Earth a Stranger. Because of my love for Daughter of the Forest, I wrote a recommendation list of adult fiction for YA readers. I nominated Walk on Earth a Stranger in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards, and encouraged others to be excited for its release.

Er, the only Urban Fantasy recommendation I have is Burned by Karen Marie Moning. A few years ago, I got caught up in adult urban fantasy, which is often sexy and led by kickass heroines. At this point, I'm not reading much adult UF (though feel free to recommend me some books!); only the Fever series remains on my tbr list.

Fantasy! Fantasy! Fantasy!

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove, Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman, Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge, Serpentine by Cindy Pon, Eon by Alison Goodman, Poison Study by Maria Snyder, and A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Goodness, where to start? The Golden Specific is a part of the MG trilogy I said was most inventive MG fantasy I've read since Harry Potter. Shadow Scale is the much anticipated sequel to Seraphina, and is, like its predecessor, a wonderfully written masterpiece. Crown Duel is the most fun I've had with fantasy in a while. As Small Review said: "It's like a fantasy Pride and Prejudice with an imperfect main character who grows throughout the book, a swoony slow burn hate-turned-love romance, and lots and lots of political intrigue." Uprooted has a side plot of slow burning hate-to-love romance, a determined, spirited heroine who learns to wield magic with skill, plenty of plot twists and an absolutely wonderful main female friendship. Plus, of course, a creative fairy tale world, with a cinematically creepy evil Wood. Crimson Bound is very much of the same ilk as Uprooted; enjoyed one, and well, you should read the other. At its core, Serpentine features a wonderful main female friendship which runs well alongside a sweet romance, lush setting inspired by Chinese folklore, and an innately discussable premise about a girl with a power that makes her feel Other. Eon is an epic fantasy inspired by Japanese and Chinese mythology, full of daring adventure and heartbreaking action and romance, and layered with questions on gender identity. I'd definitely recommend Poison Study to fans of Throne of Glass; Poison Study is about the food taster to the Commander of a military regime, and the political intrigue, magic, and romance she unexpectedly finds. A Thousand Nights is a loose epic fantasy retelling of 1001 Nights, and features a heroine who defies the odds in not only surviving the threat of murder from her husband but also in becoming a stronger leader and a goddess in her own right. ALL FANTASTIC FANTASY READS!

You can read my reviews of: A Thousand Nights, Eon, Serpentine, Crimson Bound, Uprooted, Shadow Scale, and the Mapmakers trilogy. I discussed Crown Duel and Poison Study here. I nominated Serpentine and A Thousand Nights in theEpic Reads Book Shimmy Awards.

Science Fiction for your Star Wars craving --

Stone in the Sky by Cecil Castellucci

Hello! Did you know that the nominations for the Epic Reads Book Shimmy Awards are happening NOW until this Friday, December 18th? Normally, I must admit, I don't pay much attention to book awards and lists (aside from Printz/NBA/Morris), but the Book Shimmy Awards are 100% determined by the community. We have agency in what we are going to be voting for, and I hope that you'll join me in nominating your favorites! (I hope that we have some common favorites as well...)

Best of Shelf
Award given to the best overall book published in 2015.

 

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski. This was a really hard book to choose. BEST OVERALL BOOK??! I don't about you, but I like books for very different reasons. Some have excellent romances. Some have beautiful prose. Some have action-packed plots. Maybe I was influenced bythe recently released excerpt of The Winner's Kiss, but the Winner's trilogy reminds me of Kristin Cashore's books, which definitely make my favorite books of all time list. Not one scene is ever unnecessary in The Winner's Trilogy. Masterful plotting, masterful characterization... and how many times have I paused, wondering whether Kestrel and Arin will ever come to an accord of their own making? THAT EXCERPT! I reviewed The Winner's Crime, encouraged people to pre-order the novel, and basically said whenever I could how awesome the book is.

The Pagemaster
Award given to favorite YA author of the year. (Author must have published a book in 2015.)

Nova Ren Suma. At first, I was going to nominate Samantha Shannon, but her books aren't technically considered YA. And then I looked at my list, saw The Walls Around Us and remembered a blog post I'd read from Nova Ren Suma about the surprises she'd had as an author. As someone who is trying to navigate different careers and expectations of life, I really resonated with that post. Nova's dedication in the Walls Around Us is also perfect for the YA community. She seems like an incredibly sweet author, and The Walls Around Us, as I said in my review andanother post, is like a tribute to girls in all our complexity. Yes to Nova Ren Suma.

Award for best debut YA author of 2015.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. In some sense, this isn't fair of me because Chessie and I are good friends, but I really did enjoy Made You Up. I interviewed Chessie on this blog when her deal had recently been announced and when her book was soon to be released. I reviewed Made You Up and encouraged you all to pre-order the book when you could, because it was one of theawesome 2015 books that I'd read. I gave away an annotated ARC of Made You Up. There are only so many ways that someone can say this is an amazing debut novel and Francesca Zappia is an amazing author to watch.

Cover Lust Award
Award given to the YA book with the most gorgeous cover design.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. Made You Up has made Bustle's list for best YA book coversas well as the beautiful covers list from Epic Reads and some categories in the viewer-votedYoung Adult Book Cover Awards. It's actually a cover that also represents aspects of the book well. If I'm not mistaken, the eyes of a pivotal character in the book are described as something like, taking a bunch of blue crayons and melting them together. The umbrella is a great representation of the main character trying to shield herself from things beyond her control. Plus, the emphasis on her red hair, which plays its own role, and the fact that she's illustrated allows you to picture her however you want. Win, Greenwillow Designer. Win.

We Need Diverse Books Award
Award given to the best YA book of 2015 that explores the diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.

Serpentine by Cindy Pon. The interesting thing is, when I saw this award, my first thought was towards the excellent selection of diverse contemporary novels that I'd read, like Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed. But contemporary generally seems to be where most diverse novels are; fantasy has a serious problem when it comes to including diversity because of some fallacious arguments. I enjoyed and reviewed Serpentine, and included Skybright in various lists about brave heroines. At its core, Serpentine is discussing what it means to be Other; with our patriarchal society marginalizing the voices of those who fit the aforementioned diverse label, well, Serpentine also seemed perfect for this category. Plus, y'know, the exploration of Chinese folklore, and a non Western-centric fantasy: that definitely fits the We Need Diverse Books Award criteria, no?

The Mental Health Matters Award
Award for the best book that shines a light on mental health.

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn. I considered adding Made You Up here as well, but I know that Francesca Zappia is planning on releasing books not focused on mental health, whereas all of Stephanie Kuehn's novels thus far have been about exploring mental health issues. I've reviewed and enjoyed Delicate Monsters, Complicit, and Charm and Strange. Basically, Stephanie Kuehn is a wordsmith, a masterful plotter exploring the complexities of the human mind, and I can't wait to see what she produces next. (The Smaller Evil looks so good!).

The Here and Now Award

Award for the best contemporary YA novel.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Undoubtedly, you've already heard of the awesomeness that is Simon Versus the Homo Sapiens Agenda; it was on the National Book Award longlist and has been making the rounds across various YA best-of lists. I reviewed Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and encouraged people to pre-order the book. Simon was also recently optioned for a book to movie adaptation. Simon is a great YA contemporary, and I can't wait for more from Becky Albertalli.

The Reality Bites Award
Award for the best fantasy / sci-fi YA novel published in 2015.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby. This made me feel a little strange because I consider Bone Gap to be more like "magical realism" than SFF, but if there's no magical realism category, sure, Bone Gap, I'll mention you here. I can undoubtedly say that Bone Gap is one of the most unique YA books that I've read, which is probably why it was a National Book Award finalist and has been making the rounds across various YA best-of lists. I love Laura Ruby's writing style; I love her willingness to try something completely different; I love her exploration of perception and beauty. Laura Ruby really does a wonderful job developing the setting and making the people of Bone Gap feel unique to Bone Gap (but also familiar to us). 100% recommended.

Hot Under the Cover
Award for the best romance YA novel. (This also known as the Theo James Award for sexiest novel.)

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. Well, this category was a little strange for me because none of my favorite YA novels are romance novels. They're romantic; the romance is frequently a side plot connected into the coming-of-age. But, ultimately, I still decided to nominate Dumplin'. I enjoyed and reviewed Dumplin', and discussed why people ought to anticipate its release. Willowdean made my list of favorite YA heroines, and I discussed more of the awesomeness of Dumplin' in aCinderella Book tag. I chose to nominate Dumplin' for romance because of all that and more. Julie Murphy has been getting reader emails suggesting that the romance is wish fulfillment because Willowdean is fat. No, ladies. Let's not play into this harmful societal narrative that fat girls deserve less. I enjoyed the romance in Dumplin', and my nominating Dumplin' for this category is also a statement against those reader emails.

World Series Champ

Award for your favorite new, on-going or series that ended in 2015!

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. I was considering nominating The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (book 2 of The Bone Season, which I loved and have encouraged people to read), but it's technically considered adult and ineligible for the Book Shimmy Awards. I enjoyed and reviewed Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman; Seraphina is one of my favorite YA heroines. It's a shame that this inventive dragon duology has ended, but hopefully there will be more Rachel Hartman books to come!

The Blast from the Past Award
Award given to the best historical fiction book published in 2015.

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson. It was pretty awkward realizing that I hadn't read much historical YA this year; I had planned to read Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee but... haven't yet. Still, Walk on Earth a Stranger fits; its historical, Oregon-trail quest-like elements are more prominent than the fantastical gold hunting magic. Lee/Leah was one of my favorite YA heroines. Walk on Earth made my Cinderella Book Tag list, and I told people to anticipate its release. Of course, I also reviewed Walk on Earth a Stranger. Walk on Earth a Stranger was a great introduction to the Gold Seer trilogy, and I'm looking forward to more from Rae Carson.

The Retelling Award
Award for the best YA retelling published in 2015.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston. I considered nominating Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge -- I've loved every one of her dark spins on fairy tales, including her short stories and novellas, and I reviewed Crimson Bound, encouraged people to pre-order the awesome book -- but ultimately I want there to be more Middle Eastern books that actually feel Middle Eastern in the way that A Thousand Nights does. I also considered nominated Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which I reviewed here, but it's technically not a YA book (it's like Red Rising, both published by Del Rey as adult fiction but both frequently making YA book lists, which the publisher isn't going to complain about because it wants the crossover crowds). I reviewed A Thousand Nightsand have sung its praises whenever I could, including discussing my love for the main character. As someone with Middle Eastern heritage, I felt that A Thousand Nights was authentic. The atmosphere was wonderful. ATN is an epic fantasy that should not be missed.

The Most Anticipated Award
Award for the book you are most excited to read that publishes in 2016.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi. I have a list of 2016 books and 2016 debuts that I need to write up, but I haven't done so yet. The Star-Touched Queen was "pitched as a Hades and Persephone-style romance infused with Indian mythology, about an unlikely princess who must overcome her sinister horoscope and embarks on a quest to unravel her true identity and find the one she loves." A.) We don't have enough YA fantasy that's actually diverse, and very little YA fantasy that aren't Western or European centric. B.) Indian mythology! C.) I don't even like Hades and Persephone that much, but I read The Star Maiden by Roshani Chokshi and her writing IS GORGEOUS. YES PLEASE to this book.

Book Nerd of the Year
Award given to your favorite contributer to the YA community. Nominate your favorite YA book blogger, vlogger, podcaster, Instagramer, Tumblr-er, ect. (Please list their handle and which platform! Example = @EpicReads on Instagram)

Ameriie at the booktube channel, Books Beauty Ameriie. If you're reading this, you might feel offended that I didn't nominate you. I can guarantee you that I considered you, especially if we're (close) friends. But unlike most of you, I've hung out with Ameriie in person several times, and we've been friends for over three years, so I know her book nerd ways intimately. This girl, when we first hung out, I can still remember feeling nervous in the way that you always are when you're hanging out with someone for the first time, but she made our interaction comfortable with her book nerd ways. Sniffing all those books, discussing our favorites, always driving to bookstores at the end of one of our writing days spent together... I mean, even if you forgo my personal experiences with Ameriie, all you need to do is check out her channel and here's a particular book nerd video: How She Reads. If you aren't one of her subscribers yet, you're seriously missing out on a wonderful perspective on both YA and adult books.

Books I almost nominated...

Those were my Book Shimmy Award nominations! Do we have any in common? What have you decided to nominate for each category?

Hi, everyone! Today I've got another tag, this time to celebrate new releases -- or releases coming now/late summer/fall (or even later, with Passenger, which just made for an easy question). You can change the questions by putting in titles that you'd like to promote if you want. Mostly I just want to help promote these titles & bring your awareness to them, especially as a few of them are being released really soon!

Also feel free to answer as many of the questions as you'd like, whether that's only one or them all :). And and and! Feel free to interpret them as you like (e.g. Q1: not just tropes but characteristics of a fave; Q7: monsters on your feels as in favorites instead of psychological thrillers, etc.).

1. What makes you MORE HAPPY THAN NOT (in books)?
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera | Release Date: June 2, 2015

A book to anticipate!

So this question is actually the reason I started this tag. I received an email from SoHo Press about the #MoreHappyThanNot tour where people across social media were meant to answer: What Makes You More Happy Than Not? But I wanted to promote more than one book, and because I'm a cheeseball, I'd probably answer that my friends and family and the love and connections that I have make me more happy than not, so ANYWAY I figured that I would mention both the book & BOOKS in general.

So! What tropes make me happy in books? What elements are like "key words" to me to pick up the book? Alternatively, I could've interpreted this question to mean what sort of things make for favorite books - not necessarily tropes - but oh well. I was filming at midnight lol. Be glad I'm awake.

Essentially I said that the trope of the Hidden Identity was one of the things that I absolutely loved in fantasy when done well and two examples I give are: The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas & The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, the latter of which inspired ToG.

2. (I) MADE YOU UP: which fictional character do you wish was real?
Made You Up by Francesca Zappia | Release Date: May 19, 2015

Read my review here.

Read my first interview here.

Read my second interview here.

I actually refilmed this question! I didn't like my first answer. So I gave two answers: if I were to interpret this question a la book boyfriend type, I'd say Cricket Bell from Lola and the Boy Next Door because Nerdy Sweet Boy Next Door types = my fave. Also the kind of guy I'm probably going to end up with later in my life, as that seems to be my type hahaha.

But if I were to choose a best friend type, I'd go for Fire by Kristin Cashore. It upsets me a little when I see people complain about Fire's "hand-wringing." NGL, I judge people a little bit by how they react to this book / Fire as a main character. If they don't like the writing style or the book, totally fine. But if they think that Fire is somehow weak, my inner judgment meter rises a notch. I don't like being that person but hey, everyone has a character who's like that for them, no? And I admire Fire's quiet strength A LOT. I also love the way Cashore wrote a heroine who has extraordinary powers but who is not a Mary Sue at ALL.

3. In high school, you were THE BOY (/girl) MOST LIKELY to ...?
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick | Release Date: August 18, 2015

A book to anticipate!

My middle school actually had one of those yearbook category things. We all voted. I was in the "Best Eyes" category. Does it count if you're voted into something you're literally not responsible for having and/or doing? Lol, well, even if I weren't voted into that category in my middle school, I would've been voted into "Most Academic."

In high school, as arrogant as it sounds, probably Most Likely to Succeed as I did all those cliche things to pad my resume and was pretty high in rank for GPA/SAT/again all the cliche markers of "success" that don't actually mean much.

4. Which century would you like to be a PASSENGER to?
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken | Release Date: January 5, 2016

A book to anticipate!

Well, if I had my choice, I wouldn't want to leave our century as women have historically been treated awfully and at least we may? be getting better.

 

But if I really had to time travel, which centuries am I most fascinated by? Well, even though the Victorian period has been used by so many books, I'm still fascinated by it. Also by the Romans, especially if I can just be a Passenger & leave that brutality by the end of the day.

5. P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU: which of your childhood reads gets this letter?
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han | Release Date: May 26, 2015

I've been told that I read a lot when I was a kid, but I only vaguely remember reading. I remember reading what few Nancy Drew hardcovers there were. I remember a lot of other books on the shelf but not whether I read them. The real exception were those American Girl novels. I devoured them. They were my first exposure to diverse books, girls of different heritage or class and how they coped with the challenges presented to them. Don't remember if they were stereotypes, but I guess I would write that letter to them because they definitely also encouraged my enthusiasm for reading.

Also, lol, Harry Potter. #hpforlife

6. You're not a DUMPLIN' but a ...?
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy | Release Date: September 15, 2015

Read my review here.

Dumplin' is the main character's nickname, so this is a sort of "get to know you better" question. What nicknames do you have? Well, I'm a Chris, Stina, Xtina, Tina, Stinkle, Teenie, Teen, C, Cree Cree, Cokiri, Crystal, Kawthar. Probably more. Kawthar was given to me by my Arabic professor in college. For whatever reason, the other Arabic professor decided to give me another "Arabic name," but LOL Crystal is not Arabic. *shrug*

7. Which books are DELICATE MONSTERS on your feels?
Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn | Release Date: June 9, 2015
Read my review here.

So, multiple ways to answer this question. Monsters on your feels as in your faves, or monsters on your feels like Kuehn's psychological thriller, heart-pounding & intense? I did the latter & recommended BLACK IRIS. You can read my review of that here :) but essentially: gorgeous, magical writing + dreamy atmosphere + unreliable narrator who says she's an unreliable narrator + total unpredictability + dark revenge + suspense = pulse-pounding AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

Like that formula?!?!?

A.) I seriously tag all of you. You don't need me to specifically tag you to do this but if you want, I will edit this post to mention you :)

B.) I tag Ameriie at Books Beauty Ameriie, Mel at the Daily Prophecy, Tara at Literally Tara, andAmber at Books of Amber.

C.) And I also tag all the people who I tagged in my Extraordinary Means tag because hey, if you didn't like the questions there, maybe you'll like them here & want to promote some upcoming new releases?

How would y'all answer these questions?

 

Hey everyone, so today I thought that I would do something similar to my previous “books you should anticipate” post and talk about books I’ve recently read that I think you should anticipate + books that I am anticipating and/or are on my immediate radar.

• Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, May 19th release | Review HERE + Interview HERE

• Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn, June 9th release | Review HERE
  
  What happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet.

Books that are not coming out soon but that are SUPER GOOD and look for ARCs or PRE-ORDER NOW!

• Dumplin' by Julie Murphy, September 15th release
  
  So, when I was in high school and saw the title "The Designated Ugly Fat Friend" while browsing my local Borders, I was reluctantly curious. I didn't know what the book was about and yet I had a feeling that I would just click with it. When I read The DUFF, I had the sense that Kody Keplinger had seen all my insecurities and I had read a book that put a name to something I hadn't always realized that I was feeling. Yes, I had felt like the DUFF multiple times. That sort of realization -- a book making you more aware of societal norms/constrictions -- is exactly the sort of feeling I got from Dumplin'. Julie Murphy not only understands female friendship particularly well but she also excels at portraying how we treat female bodies and socialize females to look at their own bodies. If you're a fan of the DUFF, definitely check out Dumplin' this fall.
  
  Also not in video but: I just read a fairly popular YA contemporary romance that essentially does what this book is fighting: fat-shaming. So, yeah, Dumplin’ is a really important read to have on your radar.

• Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson, September 22nd release
  
  This book is like Oregon Trail meets In a Handful of Dust (California is the Promised Land; road trip with girls carrying guns and being self-sufficient; harsh land and evocative writing styles about these dystopic atmospheres; water is a hugely valuable resource, etc.), with a large character cast. Rae Carson writes with as much historical detail as someone like Diana Gabaldon, and her story is reminiscent, to me at least, of the older fantasy tales where daily actions made for a large part of the narrative, which gives us a distinct sense of atmosphere (and the danger inherent to the terrain and other outlaws). Her world very much comes to life. There's less romance than I expected (and a little less fantastical elements too - I think that'll get expanded on in the future), but strong, well developed heroine, wonderful sense of the world and atmosphere, a fully developed cast of characters to root for and hate: I’m definitely returning for more!

Both are September releases, back to back weeks. The 15th & the 22nd so keep them marked on your calendars!

Books That I Recently Read and Loved:

• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
  
  I think that it’s fairly easy to tell whether or not you’d like this book. I saw the premise and knew that I would love it, as it reminds me of one of my favorite personal essays (“Your Life as a Girl” by Curtis Sittenfeld). But, as she did with We Were Liars and The Boyfriend List, E. Lockhart changes narrative styles, so that might not jive with other readers as it did with me. My advice: read an excerpt. Does the premise appeal to you? Are you okay with the narrative style? Then I think that you’ll be good.

• Black Iris by Leah Raeder | Review HERE
  
  Leah Raeder is an auto buy author. Sometime in this video I mention that & mention my excitement for her upcoming new title this November 3rd, CAM GIRL.

Books That I'm Anticipating:

They’re on my radar. Either they’ll be the first ones I’ll look for BEA or the ones I’ll pre-order or somewhere in between those options. TBR PILE!!!

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, October 20th release!
  
  I now have an ARC of this thanks to my good friend, Ameriie, at the YT channel, Books Beauty Ameriie. Y’all should definitely follow her; she’s an EXCELLENT booktuber.

All of the below books may or may not be at BEA. I officially suck at looking up which ones will be there along with the authors but oh well! If they’re not there, they’re definitely on my radar for later!

• Definitely not at BEA: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, September 1st release!
• Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan, May 26 release!
• The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, February 23rd, 2016 release :( :(
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, September 29th release!
• Court of Fives by Kate Elliott, August 18th release! 
• The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove, July 14th release!
• Slasher Girls and Monster Boys edited by April Genevieve Tucholke, August 18th release!
• The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick, August 18th release!
• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard, January 5th, 2016 release!
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, August 25th release!
• The Rose Society by Marie Lu, October 6th release!
• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken, January 5th, 2016 release!
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, June 2nd release! 
• The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker, June 2nd release!
• Soundless by Richelle Mead, November 10th release!

Also books that I've recently requested:

• Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith, October 6th release!
• Tonight The Streets are Ours by Leila Sales, September 15th release!

Books that I forgot to mention in the video but am still anticipating:

• Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman, September 1st release!
• Blood and Salt by Kim Liggett, September 22nd release!
• A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston, October 6th release!
• Serpentine by Cindy Pon, September 8th release!
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, September 1st release!
• Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti, September 29th release!

(The summer/fall is really aiming to steal all our monies, no??! WHY SO MANY BOOKS!)

The reason why I’m awful at reading lists is because lists like these are always updating and I’m always forgetting about titles.My TBR books - hahaahahah, I'm doing such a good job with those (NOT). My most anticipated debuts titles, I’ve read a few more on; my most anticipated 2015 books, I’ve also read some more on… and in the end, still most of the above titles were not on those lists. ALWAYS UPDATES. ARGH TBR WHY YOU ALWAYS EXPANDING??

Which titles are you most anticipating? Are you going to read any of the ones I recommended above? Have you read any of these books? Let me know!

P.S. - if you're looking for bookish rounds... they're coming... hopefully... it's hard to catch up on 3 weeks (and 3 weeks because of internet issues + lots of work!).

Release Date: June 9, 2015
Source: Netgalley
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

Delicate Monsters - Stephanie Kuehn | Goodreads

From the Morris-Award winning author of Charm & Strange, comes a twisted and haunting tale about three teens uncovering dark secrets and even darker truths about themselves.

When nearly killing a classmate gets seventeen-year-old Sadie Su kicked out of her third boarding school in four years, she returns to her family’s California vineyard estate. Here, she’s meant to stay out of trouble. Here, she’s meant to do a lot of things. But it’s hard. She’s bored. And when Sadie’s bored, the only thing she likes is trouble.

Emerson Tate’s a poor boy living in a rich town, with his widowed mother and strange, haunted little brother. All he wants his senior year is to play basketball and make something happen with the girl of his dreams. That’s why Emerson’s not happy Sadie’s back. An old childhood friend, she knows his worst secrets. The things he longs to forget. The things she won’t ever let him.

Haunted is a good word for fifteen-year-old Miles Tate. Miles can see the future, after all. And he knows his vision of tragic violence at his school will come true, because his visions always do. That’s what he tells the new girl in town. The one who listens to him. The one who recognizes the darkness in his past.

But can Miles stop the violence? Or has the future already been written? Maybe tragedy is his destiny. Maybe it’s all of theirs.

What happens when you take three self-destructive, morally grey people and force them to interact with each other? A high stakes psychological thriller from Stephanie Kuehn, potentially her best work yet.

What I enjoy the most about turning to a Stephanie Kuehn novel is that I'm always given the sense that she is in control of this story. It's a strange thing to mention over and over; but there are some books with extraneous details, some books when I'm crossing things out in my head as I'm reading (and wondering what the point of X and X truly is). This will never happen with a Kuehn novel. She's a wordsmith through and through, and she keeps her novels taut with tension and her writing tight so that the thriller elements are well and truly highlighted.

For her other novels, I've read reviews suggesting that some plot elements are predictable. Well, not so for me, and particularly not at all for this novel. I think this is where the fact that Kuehn used a third person perspective came in handy. Furthermore, instead of one unreliable perspective, we now have three. All those elements together make the past and future events that much more unpredictable. Still, even knowing that these PoVs are unreliable doesn't stop you from caring about the characters -- or if not about them, at least what they will do or what lays in store for them. Kuehn excels at making their voices not only distinct but also compelling (definitely didn't expect to ever feel empathetic towards a sociopath but wow, what.). I also think that these additional perspectives allowed for greater character complexity in the side cast, as each character has something different to say about, say, Mr. Su or Mrs. Tate. This is why I say that Delicate Monsters may be Kuehn's best work yet. The pacing is just as fast as her other novels, and the climax action-packed and full of tension and the best sort of satisfying character and plot reveals.... and now we've got added character complexity and unpredictability. Delicate monsters, indeed.

Another thing that I really appreciate about Kuehn's novels is that she's handling very real issues. Her books aren't all about mentally ill characters - there's criticism on race, parenting, class, etc. But, most of all, she gives mentally ill people a voice. Whenever I've read a sociopathic character, it's generally been in the form of a villain. What easier way to create a villain than someone who doesn't care about harming other people, right? Taking on the challenge of creating a compelling, 3D sociopathic character is hard -- and yet, Kuehn does this with ease. Her books are so, so discussable - and not just for their take on mental health but also on other issues.

I can only hope that a writer as talented as Kuehn will always have a place for her stories to be published. I'll certainly be coming back for more.