MAY TBR

UPDATE: I forgot Kimba wasn't feeling good. He was not in the mood for my shit that day. =(
(And he didn't really bite me. It was a warning hold, he's a GOOD PRECIOUS BOY.)

... I'm not even sure. This is such a weird stack, and a weird bookish feeling for me. I'VE JUST BEEN READING SO MANY THINGS.
My long, long book rut is OVER. *knocks on wood, prays to book gods*

THE BOOKS that may or may not be read, idk:
Spies, Lies & Allies
How I Resist
Spinning Silver
a bunch of comics, possibly many from one of this post
and likely an audiobook or two from the audiobooksync summer program

and I DON'T KNOW. I want to read everything, and am spoiled for choice, and genuinely don't know what I want to read. Give me suggestions in the comments!

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored video, though some of the books mentioned were sent to me for review consideration purposes. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
Also, I'm an Amazon Affiliate. Getting a slice of that Amazon pie, yo!

APRIL BOOK HAUL

This was a busy month for my mail man... ;)

Also, totally think I pronounced Filak wrong... Why don't all authors have pronunciation guides of their names?!

THE BOOKS:
Unraveled
True Born
True Storm
Spies, Lies & Allies
How I Resist
The Queen Underneath
Give Me Some Truth
The Initiation

And from the FIRST SECOND unboxing (which you can see here!)
Cucumber Quest vol 2: The Ripple Kingdmom
Scarlett Hart, Monster Hunter
Star Scouts: League of Lasers
The City on the Other Side
Dragons Beware
Giants Beware
Monsters Beware

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Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored video, though these books were sent to me for review consideration purposes. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
All links to Amazon are affiliate links, meaning Amazon will pay me a small commission, at no cost to you, were you to buy anything from one my links. Getting a slice of that Amazon pie, yo!

UNHAUL #2

BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING: I know I pronounced Funke wrong. Funny thing is, I actually know how it's pronounced -- I just watch far too much Arrested Development... 😂
As for Picoult... I don't f*cking know.

Anywho, all of these books are OUTTTA HERE, and are heading to my local library book sale, so they can raise funds for programs!
Let me know if I've made a terrible mistake...

THE BOOKS:
The Name of the Wind
Chronicles of Avonlea
My Sister's Keeper
The Thief Lord
Triangles
What Waits in the Woods
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
R.L. Stine Presents: Fear
Riders
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
Roman Fever and Other Stories
Wildwood Dancing
Being Henry David
Guys Read Terrifying Tales
The Comet's Curse
Falling Over Sideways
Shift
Salt & Stone
The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence

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Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored video, though some of these books were sent to me for review consideration purposes at one time or another. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Cover Love: Comics Edition!

Since I featured some of my absolute fave comics featuring strong, complex, interesting female characters yesterday — a post with plenty of covers to swoon over — for today's Cover Love post, I thought we'd take a look at a couple of my favorites that I haven't read.
So, disclaimer: these seem to have strong, complex, interesting female characters, too, but as I haven't read them yet... your guess is as good as mine.

I have to confess, I actually have a read a tiny bit of this one. But I got distracted by something else, let it expire on Hoopla, and never circled back to give it another try. But this vibrant neon cover catches my eye EVERY TIME I browse the comics section...

From BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, #1 New York Times bestselling writer of SAGA and THE PRIVATE EYE, and CLIFF CHIANG, legendary artist of Wonder Woman, comes the first volume of an all-new ongoing adventure. In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood. Collects PAPER GIRLS #1-5.

HOW HAVEN'T I READ THIS YET?

Lunella Lafayette is a preteen genius who wants to change the world, but lives in fear of the Inhuman genes inside her! Now, Lunella's life is turned upside down when a red-scaled beast is teleported from the prehistoric past to a far-flung future we call...today! Together they're the most Marvelous Team-Up of all — Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur! But will they be BFFs forever, or just until DD's dinner time? And Lunella soon learns that there are other problems with having a titanic T-Rex as a pet in the modern-day Marvel Universe. School, for one. Monster hunters are another — especially when they're the Totally Awesome Hulk! Then there's the fact that everyone's favorite dino didn't journey through time alone. Beware the prehistoric savages known as the Killer-Folk — New York City's deadliest tourists!

Welp. I think this will be in the next batch of comics I read on Hoopla.

Barbara Thorson, a girl battling monsters both real and imagined, kicks butt, takes names, and faces her greatest fear in this bittersweet, coming-of-age story called "Best Indy Book of 2008" by IGN

I've heard such mixed things on this series that I haven't picked it up yet, but basically, every cover, and every variation of every cover, is just gorgeous.

The Wicked + the Divine follows a young teenage girl, Laura, as she interacts with the Pantheon, a group of twelve people who discover that they are reincarnated deities. This discovery grants them fame and supernatural powers, with the stipulation that they will die within two years – part of a ninety-year cycle known as the Recurrence.

Okay, it seems more than a little self-indulgent to have yourself as the cover illustration (and I'm assuming, main character?) in a comic you helped co-write, so I see you, Amandla Stenberg. But the cover did catch my eye, and the interior art looks very dreamy and inviting.

“What becomes of the child who has lost her spirit?”

NIOBE: She is Life is a coming of age tale of love, betrayal, and ultimate sacrifice. Niobe Ayutami is an orphaned wild elf teenager and also the would-be savior of the vast and volatile fantasy world of Asunda. She is running from a past where the Devil himself would see her damned… toward an epic future that patiently waits for her to bind nations against the hordes of hell. The weight of prophecy is heavy upon her shoulders and the wolf is close on her heels.

Honorable Mention:

This one is less a cover-love (I mean, the cover's fine, but not necessarily a stand out), but this is definitely a synopsis love: I. Am. Intrigued.

When all the men in Mancastle get eaten by a dragon, the women take over! Now the blacksmith’s wife Merinor is King, Princess Aeve is the Captain, and the only remaining (and least capable) knight Sir Riddick is tasked with teaching the ladies of the castle how to defend against all manner of monsters! Novelist Delilah S. Dawson (Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon, As Wicked as She Wants, Wake of Vultures) brings her first original series to comics, and is joined by breakthrough illustrators Ashley A. Woods (Niobe: She Is Life) and Becca Farrow for a rollicking fantasy adventure featuring women reclaiming their lives on their terms. Collects issues the complete limited series.

Let me know your thoughts on these covers, and any comics and graphic novels that have caught YOUR eye, based on cover alone, in the comments!
And make sure to check out the rest of the girl power comics-inspired posts that have gone up this week!

Feed Your Reader: Comics Edition!

We're continuing on with our impromptu theme week, in conjunction with First Second's Girl Power Comics blog tour (a theme I took and ran with).

Today, since I've been doing my best to load you up on books lately, I thought I'd do a special edition of Feed Your Reader. Now, normally, FYR is book-deal specific, but today, I'm just trying to shove as many of my personal favorites, featuring my ride-or-die female characters, into your kindles and onto your bookshelves as I possibly can.

And away we go!


FOR KIDS (but not just kids)

All of the books mentioned in yesterday's series of mini-reviews. Seriously, they are all excellent and super kid-friendly.

You already know.

Mighty Jack may be a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk — so, naturally, centered around a male lead — but as much as I love Jack, it's the two main female side characters, Maddy and Lilly, that steal the show for me.

Again, you've heard me talk about this one a time or ten.

My review of this gorgeous book, and the fact that it ended up in my fave reads of 2016, says it all.

This spin-off of the Battling Boy series features Aurora West, daughter of a superhero, and she is fantastic.

FOR ADULTS (but also for kids, probably?)

I just... oh, god, you guys! I love this series a lot, I've made no attempt to hide that. There are plenty of amazing characters in this book, male and female alike (and mostly not human), but it centers around Jain, one of a host of peripheral fairytale-world characters, living together in a castle abandoned by one of the more notable fairy tale characters when she rides off into the sunset with her Charming prince.

I LOVE EMMA.

I LOVE HER.

I devoured this series, and then a few months later, I devoured it again. Ugh! So good.

This is a recent read for me, and I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I can load up volume 4 on Hoopla and dig in. (I may or may not have overdue library fines, preventing me from doing such...😫) It's a far-flung, space Western, which is something I never knew I needed so badly until Tin Star; add in the strong, complex female sheriff lead, and I'm sold.

FOR ADULTS (definitely just adults. Srsly.)

Okay, maaaybe older YA readers can get away with this one (and certainly will enjoy it if they sneak it, I'm just saying), but the content frequently goes to very adult places.

And yes, I did struggle to get into the series initially. But if there's one thing that has consistently kept me going, it's the character of Snow White. She may have become one of my favorite female characters in comics, period.

Oh my gaaaahhhd, what is there even to say? This entire series is just chock FULL of strong characters of all genders, races, and whatever the robot creatures are, and it is all just FAN.TAS.TIC.

(and not for kids)

Seriously, though. Some of the best storytelling out there right now, and I'm not limiting that statement to comics.

But Penny, tho.

Yes, volume 3 was a mess. I know I've railed against aspects of this story in the past. But there's no denying that (in the beginning at least, and hopefully again, with the reboot), this Dungeons & Dragons-esque caper won me over hard, and introduced me to some of my absolute favorite (and I do mean favorite) female comic book characters I've ever read. They're all a mess, but damned if I don't love them.

(And I really mean it with the 'adult' classification on this one. Do not buy this for your kids. Trust me.)

I could go on.

I COULD GO ON.

These would all make excellent additions to your ereaders and book shelves. Seriously.

There are so many amazing female characters in comics, and more making their way into the world every day. Have any favorites? I'd love to hear about them in the comments!