September 2015 Challenge Recap

Fantasy reads for this month could have been better. However, you can bet that next month will be chocked full of fantasy due to all the amazing upcoming releases and October! You can check my intro post about Flights of Fantasy here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here and August's recap here.

Flights of Fantasy books I've read in September 2015

Diversity books are pretty much my calling no matter what the genre is. I cannot get enough of them. Please check out my intro to the Dive Into Diversity challenge here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here and August's recap here.

Dive Into Diversity books I've read in September 2015

Ten Books To Read If You Like Rainbow Rowell

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten Tuesday asks bloggers to list their top ten books to read if they like this super popular book/author. I decided to choose ten top books to read if you like Rainbow Rowell. I listed a bunch of cute, romantic contemporaries. I hope you enjoy it!

1. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli is part mystery, part contemporary and all the feels. There is also a lot of talk about Oreos! You will fall in love in Simon because he is pretty fabulous!

2. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales is a coming-of-age story about Elise who finds her calling in life through DJing and music.

3. Something Real by Heather Demetrios is a whirlwind of a story about Chloe (aka Bonnie Baker) and her family being on a reality TV show for most of her life. Hear what she has to say about her journey.

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is one of my favorite books and one that I have read when I was a teenager. A coming-of-age story about Charlie who just lost a friend. He tries to figure out how to cope when he meets two people who helps him figure out who he is. Life is infinite.

5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han is seriously the cutest book ever about first love and sisterhood. Lara Jeans letters to her past crushes were sent out to the guys. What will Lara Jean do?

6.  P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han is the sequel to To All the Boys I've Loved Before. I enjoyed PSISLY even more than the first book. The whole entire time the reader is either rooting for Peter K.  or John Ambrose! This is another heartfelt book that you should pick up!

7. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord made me cry. Paige lost her boyfriend who passed away a year ago and she tries to see past the death and to move on with her life. With strong friendships, English class and Quiz Bowl, she is able to overcome her fears.

8. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is cute romance situated in the city of love! Follow Anna and her life at a boarding school in Paris!

9. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is about Lola who is a bit eccentric but is a total sweetheart. Her next door neighbor and his family relocates back to her home town and she is torn about her feelings for him. Lola and the Boy Next Door is my favorite book in Anna and the French Kiss companion series.

10. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins is about Isla the hopeless romantic who has been pining for Josh for a long time. Join Isla to find out where love will take her.

11. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a coming-of-age novel that is about Nick and Norah who find each other through Where’s Fluffy? and broken hearts. Definitely check out the film adaptation after you read the novel.

Banned Books Week 2015

Image from www.tamusa.edu

Banned Books Week is being held September 27th - October 3rd. Every time I think about censorship, I always think about Fahrenheit 451 with Guy Montag and the historical role of book burning. By censoring books or even films and music, we are creating an environment where people cannot have the freedom of speech. The government and authority like to censor things because they are fearful of the ideas portrayed in these mediums. They think the ideas will corrupt the masses and they fear the masses will go against authority. By censoring they believe they have control over everyone. Censorship shows how authority lacks the confidence and trust of its people.

Not only has many good books have been censored but the reasoning why the books are being censored are ridiculous. This year it the 33rd annual Banned Books Week and it is important to spread the awareness of the freedom to read. We need to protect the rights to be able to write, read, watch and listen to some of the most fantastic literary ideas. This is our past, present and future. We need to preserve history! We need to protect the freedom to read and access to open information. We should be able to encourage children to read. Literacy rates are important and by denying children access to certain books, we are denying them access to education.

“We must teach students about their First Amendment rights rather than restrict their use of particular books and materials. As educators, we must encourage students to express their own opinions while respecting the views of others.”— Pat Scales

What are your thoughts about censorship?  Are there any banned books that you enjoyed reading?

Looking Ahead: Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories Cover Reveal

Jim Tierney illustrated the cover to My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, a wonderful winter anthology edited by Stephanie Perkins. Yesterday, he revealed his cover art for Summer Days and Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, also by Stephanie Perkins. I love how he illustrated Summer Days and Summer Nights similarly to My True Love Gave To Me. They look fabulous next to each other and the colors contrast nicely. In terms of design, Olga Grlic did a wonderful job with the typography. Both anthologies complement each other nicely. The deciduous trees, valley and lake is perfect next to the coniferous trees, mountains and frozen lake.

Check out some of Tierney's art work on his website. I cannot wait to match up the couples on the cover of Summer Days and Summer Nights with the characters in the anthology. I hope someone makes an animated version of the cover just like My True Love Gave To Me and I hope there is a lovely UK version because I love my UK version of My True Love Gave To Me.

The author line up for Summer Days and Summer Nights is fantastic. I am looking forward to reading stories by Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth and Jennifer E. Smith. Ms. Perkins revealed Marigold and North will be back which I am ecstatic about because "It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" is my favorite story in My True Love Gave To Me. Check out more information about Summer Days and Summer Nights here!

North and Marigold from Stephanie Perkins's website

The anthology will be released June 14, 2016. It's perfect timing to start next summer! What do you think about the cover art? Will you be picking up Summer Days and Summer Nights next June?

Favorite Fandom Etsy Vendors

I saw Alexa's tweet last month about Etsy stores selling fandom items and decided to put together a list of some of my favorite Etsy shops. Some of my favorite fandom items are purchased through Etsy but I also purchase fandom items through other websites and stores as well. I love official merchandise but there is something special about handmade items. The magic the artisan puts into the products is special. The love the artisan pours into making the item is unique. There are some pretty fantastic artisans that produce amazing items that are worth it checking out!

Here is Alexa's initial tweet.

Favorite bookish/fandom Etsy stores? I'm going on an Etsy window shopping spree at the moment 😉

— Alexa S. (@alexalovesbooks) August 22, 2015

Candle and Tarts
Fictitious Fragrances
From the Page
Frostbeard Studio
Bookish Candles
The Fragrance Library

Bookmarks
Craftedvan
Happy Hello Designs
Magic Bookmarks

Other
Cookie Cutters: jbkgift
Soaps: The House of Wormwood
Tote bags: Pivot Book Totes
Hair bows: Fangirl Creation
Magnets: Refrigerator Prose
Aprons: AJsCafe
Nail Polish: LynBDesigns, Literary Lacquer
Jewelry: Little Literature
Literary Emporium
The Colorful Geek

What are some of your favorite Etsy shops?

Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten Tuesday asks bloggers to list their top ten books on their fall TBR. The following books are in no  particular order.

1. The Rose Society by Marie Lu is the sequel to the The Young Elites. I love the first book and cannot wait to read more about Adelina! If you are looking for a dark fantasy, definitely check out The Young Elites before reading The Rose Society.

2. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan is about a boy named Magnus who lives in Boston. He find out he is a descendant of a Norse God! Who doesn't love reading about mythology? I can't wait to read this first novel of Riordan's newest series.

3. Winter by Marissa Meyer is probably on the top of a bunch of people's TBR list for the fall and I don't blame them. Fairytale retellings, diversity and in a sci-fi world. YES, please!

4. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord is definitely on the top of my list and I recently acquired it through a trade. I love The Start of Me and You and I cannot wait to read more novels by Ms. Lord.

5. Renegade by Kerry Wilkinson is the sequel to Reckoning. If you are interested in reading a dystopian, definitely check the Silver Blackthorn series out.

6. What We Left Behind by Robin Talley is definitely a book I am dying to read. I enjoyed reading Talley's debut novel, Lies We Tell Ourselves, and I can't wait to read more books by Ms. Talley.

7. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell is probably one of my top anticipated reads this fall because it's freaking RAINBOW ROWELL!!! I love her writing, her characters and pretty much everything about her! Fangirl is one of my favorite books so a story about Simon and Baz is going to be freaking fantastic!

8. Tonight the Streets are Ours by Leila Sales is definitely a book I am looking forward to read. I unfortunately missed a launch event for the novel last week but I am still excited to read the novel. Sales wrote This Song Will Save Your Life and I fell in love with that book. I am hoping this book up to par with This Song Will Save Your Life.

9. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson is a gift I received from last round's #OTSPSecretSister aka Nicole from The Book Bandit. I love Fangirl and Stevenson designed the cover art for Fangirl. I love Stevenson's drawing style and cannot wait to read this graphic novel.

10. Separated @ Birth: A True Love Story of Twin Sisters Reunited by Anais Bordier and Samantha Futerman is a book I have been wanting to read for awhile even before I watched the Twinsters documentary. A set of twins born in Korea were separated at birth. One was adopted by an American couple and the another was adopted by a French couple. A couple decades later, the twins were reunited through the wonders of technology!

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Title: Crenshaw
Author: Katherine Applegate
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: September 22, 2015
Pages: 256
Source/format: e-ARC from Edelweiss

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.

My Thoughts

Life as Jackson is quite tough. His parents aren't making enough money to make ends meet. His dad works random odd jobs here and there but when Dad gets sick, Dad has to cancel his appointments. His mom works multiple jobs. Jackson's dad is very prideful and doesn't want to ask for help because he believes if he asks for help, then he is a failure. Jackson also lives with his sister, Robin, and his dog, Aretha.

Jackson is all about facts and he loves how science is all facts. He wants to be animal scientist when he grows up. What's ironic is that he has an imaginary friend named Crenshaw the cat. Crenshaw often visits Jackson at times he needs Crenshaw the most. Crewnshaw is a human sized cat with white and back fur. He loves bubble baths and he likes the surf. Jackson and Crenshaw bond over purple jelly beans. Jackson learns to enjoy the magic of Crenshaw while he can even though there is no logical explanation of why Crenshaw exists.

"Imaginary friends are like books. We're created, we're enjoyed, we're dog-eared and creased, and then we're tucked away until we're needed again." - ARC of Crenshaw

When parents say things are all right, children often believe their parents until they find out things are not okay and everything is not all right. Since Jackson is a fact lover, he would rather have his parents tell him the truth about what is going on. He doesn't want his parents sugarcoating everything and pretending that everyone is peachy keen. He wants his parents to tell him and his sister about what is going on; he wants the truth.

Katherine Applegate wrote a middle grade book that covers multiple topics such as multiple sclerosis, poverty and homelessness. Applegate has a way of tackling tough issues in a way where the reader can understand wholeheartedly. Most middle grade books I read are usually fantasy. Applegate integrates fantasy into a contemporary novel. She adds some humor to difficult topics. Crenshaw opens the reader's eyes to other types of families besides the perfect family of four living with a dog in a nice house with a white picket fence. Crenshaw is a heartfelt novel for readers of all ages.