Waiting On Wednesday: Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.

 

Published by: Park Row

Expected Publication: 23rd February 2021

 

A refreshingly timely and relatable debut novel about a young woman whose life plans fall apart when she meets her wife.

With her newly completed PhD in astronomy in hand, twenty-eight-year-old Grace Porter goes on a girls’ trip to Vegas to celebrate. She’s a straight A, work-through-the-summer certified high achiever. She is not the kind of person who goes to Vegas and gets drunkenly married to a woman whose name she doesn’t know until she does exactly that.

This one moment of departure from her stern ex-military father’s plans for her life has Grace wondering why she doesn’t feel more fulfilled from completing her degree. Staggering under the weight of her parent’s expectations, a struggling job market and feelings of burnout, Grace flees her home in Portland for a summer in New York with the wife she barely knows.

In New York, she’s able to ignore all the constant questions about her future plans and falls hard for her creative and beautiful wife, Yuki Yamamoto. But when reality comes crashing in, Grace must face what she’LBGs been running from all along the fears that make us human, the family scars that need to heal and the longing for connection, especially when navigating the messiness of adulthood.

 

2021 Reading Challenge: Australian Women Writers Challenge

For those unaware, the Australian Women Writers Challenge was established in 2012 in order to boost female writers in Australia and help them over come gender bias in the mainstream media. Below is quote taken directly from the challenges website:

The AWW challenge was set up to help overcome gender bias in the reviewing of books by Australian women. The challenge encourages avid readers and book bloggers, male and female, living in or outside Australia, to read and review books by Australian women throughout the year. You don’t have to be a writer to sign up. You can choose to read and review, or read only.

The Australian Women Writers Challenge (AWW) is perhaps one of my all time favourite reading challenges to be part of each year.

2021 Reading Goals and Aspirations

2021 is a fresh start in a number of ways, and much like everybody else, I am so keen to put 2020 behind us. The following post is a very brief overview of my reading goals and blogging aspirations for the year ahead.

Waiting On Wednesday: Heartstopper Vol 4 by Alice Oseman

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.

The Heartstopper comics are one of my guilty pleasures. The books are full of love, hope and acceptance and just a really good read. Given the synopsis, I’m expecting to swoon and fall in love with these characters all over again in this volume.

 

Published by: Hodder Children’s Books (Hachette Book Group)

Expected Publication: 9th February

 

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fourth volume of HEARTSTOPPER, for fans of The Art of Being Normal, Holly Bourne and Love, Simon.

‘Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book.’ RAINBOW ROWELL, author of Carry On

Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you.

Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.

As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

Heartstopper is about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

Waiting On Wednesday: All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.

I first heard about this one during Walker Books Australia’s Upcoming Release Zoom party and let’s just say I was instantly hooked. I’ve never read this author before, but I’m so intrigued by this book and the cover, although stunning, isn’t something I would normally gravitate towards, so I’m so glad I heard about it on the zoom call!

Published by: Walker Books Australia

Expected Publication: 3rd February 2021

 

A dark and supernatural contemporary teen debut by multi-talented author and journalist Caroline O’Donoghue.

I’ll give up the tarot readings. I’ll apologize to Lily. But Lily doesn’t come to school on Monday. Or Tuesday. It’s not until Wednesday that the police show up. Maeve Chambers doesn’t have much going for her. Not only does she feel like the sole idiot in a family of geniuses, she managed to drive away her best friend Lily a year ago. But when she finds a pack of dusty old tarot cards at school, and begins to give scarily accurate readings to the girls in her class, she realizes she’s found her gift at last. Things are looking up – until she discovers a strange card in the deck that definitely shouldn’t be there. And two days after she convinces her ex-best friend to have a reading, Lily disappears. Can Maeve, her new friend Fiona and Lily’s brother Roe find her? And will their special talents be enough to bring Lily back, before she’s gone for good?

HRR: Historical Romance Readathon 15-21th January 2021

Lacey from Lacey Book Lovers, Jess from Peace Love Books and Lisa from Remarkably Lisa are hosting the next round of the Historical Romance Readathon from the 15th-21st January 2021. Having recently read the first Bridgeton book, The Duke & I by Julia Quinn, this month, I am so excited to have an excuse to dive back into another historical romance so quickly. As always there is a bingo card, Instagram challenges and a group read, all of which are optional to take part in.

This time around, I’m not aiming to complete the entire bingo board (as pictured at the bottom of this post and available from Lacey’s Instagram stories announcement), or really going in with any real strategy to get bingo at all. Instead, after reading Amanda from talk_about_swoon’s diverse historical romance post back in November, I’m choosing to focus on some  #ownvoices and BIPOC historical romances as recommended by Amanda.

End of Year Book Survey 2020 Edition: Part B

The End of Year Book Survey was originally created by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner in 2010 and is updated every year with new questions.

This survey was so long, I broke it up into two parts. Last Friday I posted Part A of this survey where I talk about all the books I read and loved in 2020. So if you haven’t checked it out already, you can do so by clicking here.

End of Year Book Survey 2020 Edition: Part A

The End of Year Book Survey was originally created by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner in 2010 and is updated every year with new questions.

This survey is so long that I’ve broken it up into two parts. Part A is all about the books, and Part B is coming on Monday. 

 

Number Of Books You Read:136
Number of Re-Reads:8
Genre You Read The Most From: Romance (48 romance books)

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2020?

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

 

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

This book was totally out of character for me and something I only picked up because of Believeathon. I adored this one … part folktake, part fantasy, part mystery this book had it all and I’m hoping to read more of the series in 2021.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

#sorrynotsorry for talking about this one so much and forcing my friends and family to read it. I know I’m behind the eight ball with this one, but this book was my number one book of the year.

5. Best series you started in 2020? Best Sequel? Best Series Ender of 2020?

Best  Series: The Arizona Vengeance by Sawyer Bennett.

Sawyer Bennett has dominated my reading the last couple of years, but this year I read five books by Sawyer Bennett, four of which were part of the Arizona Vengeance series alone (my highest number of books read in one series this year).

Best Series I started in 2020:

Best Sequel: 

I couldn’t choose between the two books, so your welcome 🙂

Best Series Ender: How the King of Elfhame Learned To Hate Stories by Holly Black

Not only was this book beautiful, but it was the perfect addition to the series.

 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2020?

I read seventy-two new-to-me authors in 2020. But if I have to choose one, I’m going with Tessa Dare. I read four of her books in 2020 (pictured below) and she was my second most read author of the year.

 

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I’m classifying this as literature, and as such it was the only book in this classification I read throughout 2020.

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

This book creeped me out big time (in the best possible way). It made me want to explore more thrillers/mysteries/crime/suspense novels in 2021 for sure.

9. Book You Read In 2020 That You Would Be MOST Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I think I’m going to re-read this one before I read the sequel and then hopefully the third book.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2020?

I am obsessed with this cover.

11. Most memorable character of 2020?

Emma Jane Phoenix from Bossy Bastard by JL Perry

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020?

Not only was this book expertly written, but the presentation of the book is a sight to behold as well. I think I need to reread this book already.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020?

This … everyone needs to read this one.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read? 

What was I thinking waiting this long?

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2020?

“Her hair truly did look like an octopus.

It was the way she wore it, he thought. Or maybe the way it wore her. It all sat perched atop her head in that big, inky blob. And no matter how strenuously she pinned it, dark, heavy curls worked loose on all sides, like tentacles.

Of course, it was an entrancing, strangely erotic octopus. Ransom worried this might be how fetishes developed.” — Romancing the Duke, Tessa Dare

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020?

I read a bunch of picture books in 2020 but I’m not counting them in regards to the shortest books tally. Which means the shortest book I read this year was a novella that was 36 pages long (Royally Raised by Emma Chase).

The longest book I read was 594 pages long and was The Nightingale by Hannah Kristin,

17. Book That Shocked You The Most

(Because of a plot twist, character death, left you hanging with your mouth wide open, etc.)

Umm… multiple plot twists!!!

 

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

(OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar)

Cletus and Jen … So glad they are getting a spin off series. I adored book one.

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

This one is hard because majority of what I read falls into the romance category, but I’m going with a picture book. This relationship between the Grandfather and Grandson made me tear up.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2020 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I love everything Lee Christine writes, and this book was no exception. I am so excited Crackenback that releases on the 1st February!

21. Best Book You Read In 2020 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure/Bookstagram, Etc:

I had never heard of this author until I heard Jesse from Bowties&Books gush over how amazing the author was. After reading this incredible masterpiece, I’m hooked and can’t wait to discover more of their work.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020?

It’s a tie between Nate from Brooklynaire and Gideon from The Perfect Rake.

23. Best 2020 debut you read?

This memoir came highly recommended, and honestly I think it’s one of the most beautiful books I read this year. Susan Francis’ writing was incredible. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

It’s a tie between the world of Wundersmith which I absolutely adore, and the Island in The Jumbies which was just so atmospheric and confining.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2020?

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2020?

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

I’m going to preface this by saying I adored this book; but man did I get frustrated and angry at times because of how the characters were being treated and what they were going through.

What was your favourite book of 2020? Let me know in the comments below and Don’t forget to check out Part B on Monday 🙂

 

 

Top Ten (ah .. Sixteen) Books of 2020

I had so much trouble trying to finalise my top ten list for last year, but I think I’ve finally got it after roughly 794837659 attempts. The list that follows is quite different to my mid year predicted top ten books of 2020, and my best by genre list … though the later did help me narrow this list and the former was quite interesting to look back on.

The top sixteen books that made this list (six honourable mentions that couldn’t be left out) are some of my all time favourites from last year. As a mood reader, for a book to be considered a five star read and favourite, it needs to not only move me, but capture my heart and soul in one way or another. More often than not I’m emotionally connected to the stories, characters and events, or they challenge me in profound ways.

Waiting On Wednesday: The Project by Courtney Summers

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are excited for.

To say I adored Sadie would be an understatement, so its safe to say I have high expectations for this book. The cover is trippy and creepy … this one is going to be good guys!

 

Published by: Wednesday Books

Expected Publication: 2nd February 2021

 

The next pulls-no-punches thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Courtney Summers, about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister from a cult.

“The Unity Project saved my life.”

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo’s sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there’s more to the group than meets the eye. She’s spent the last six years of her life trying–and failing–to prove it.

“The Unity Project murdered my son.”

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can’t, she must finally leave them alone.

But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her–to the point she can no longer tell what’s real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn’t know if she can afford not to.

Welcome to The Unity Project.