The Map Shop

Another productive reading month gone. I honestly didn't think I read as much as I did this month but I managed to read seven books, DNFing only one. i also got to attend a book signing at my local Barnes and Nobles store. The authors in attendance included Tehlor Kay Mejia, Mindy McGinnis, Brittany Cavaallaro, and Justin A. Reynolds. This was a lot of fun. Each had 10 minutes to talk to us about their most recent works, their writing process, and  bit about themselves. We  got to ask questions about their books or writing in general. It was fun to hear from them and get a little insight into their books. Afterwards there was a signing and I may have purchased far too many for them to sign. Now, onto the recent reads . . . Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Lost Cult by E. E. Knight-- I read this based on the POPSUGAR challenge prompt "a book revolving around puzzles or a game." Tomb Raider is a video game turned movie and apparently book series. I went into this book e...

  Special thanks to NetGalley for an early edition. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. For more information, see the link a the end of the post. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell was published by Simon Pulse and was released on March 26th, 2019.  It is the first in the Systems Divine series. I had been reading through this before the release and, unfortunately, didn't have time to finish it before then. This book is a sci-fi, dystopian, revolution novel for YA readers.  This is usually described as Les Miserables . . . in space. And that's what you get, minus the 150 pages describing everyone's interior decorating. This book follows Chartine-- disguised as a boy named Theo-- who is a thief in the Third Estate as she tries to steal enough money to buy her freedom from her life and her past. Meanwhile Marcellus is the grandson of the General and must prove himself to his grandfather and the entire Second Estate that he is not like ...

Special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the bottom of this post for more details. Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young was published in March 2019 by Simone Pulse Publishing. Young is a New York Times best seller and has written several novels, including the Program series.  Girls with Sharp Sticks follows Mena as she attends the elite all-girl's academy that promises to make her a "better girl." There, she and her friends learn necessary lessons about gardening, etiquette, and table setting. After a field trip to a local garden that ends with a chance meeting with a boy, Mena begins to notice inconsistencies and odd behaviors in the men who claim to be protecting them. When one of her friends goes missing, Mena stops taking her vitamins and begins to see the school and what the professors are trying to do for what it really is. Now they need to find answers and a way to escape, but they ...

#notsponsored I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. For more information, see the bottom of this post. Special thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book. The Vampire of Maple Town is by Kane McLoughlin and published by Ever After Press in 2018). It is a fairytale, coming of age, romance for young adults, though I believe some middle school readers would enjoy it as well. The story follows Charlie, a young vampire who was turned as a kid, as he slips away from his adoptive vampire father in order to explore the nearby town of Maple. There, he meets Sally, the local beauty that all the men fall for and their romance begins. But an old deal with some demon twins will force him to kill someone in Maple Town and he has no control over who or how or why. Meanwhile, his friend Scat is creating a blood blade to hunt down the world's vampires. When his romance with Sally starts to faulter and his cruel deed is done, Charlie must find a way to make amends or es...

For those who don't know, the term DNF stands for “did not finish” in the book world. Granted, i only learned of this term a few years ago. It occurs any time you decide continuing a book or series is not worth your time or effort and you move on to something else. Hopefully, something better. This only works, of course, if you are willing to give up on a book. This is where I struggle. For as long as I can remember, I've had to finish every book I start. I read every page, every line, every word, like not doing so is somehow an insult to the author or a sign of weakness or carelessness in me as a person. If I pick up a book, I have to finish it, even if it takes me months to get through (I'm looking at you, Milton's Paradise Lost ). For someone who reads a lot, or even someone who has a lot of school projects to get through, this easily becomes a problem. Forcing myself to read things that I don't enjoy or find interesting usually does one of two things f...

   I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the end of this post for details. Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan and was published by Bloomsbury YA in 2019. Watson is the author of several books, including A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and What Momma Left Me. She is also the creator of the one woman show Roses are Red, Women are Blue and she has had poetry and articles published in Rethinking Schools, Theatre of the Mind, and With Hearts Ablaze. Hagan is a poet and a feminist with books including Hemisphere: Poems, Crowned, and Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism. Watch Us Rise follows Jasmine and Chelsea as they deal with sexism and racism in their progressive NYC high school. They begin a Women’s Rights Club to protest this, posting articles and essays calling out the system and people they encounter. When the club is threatened to be shut down, they have to find a way to make their voices heard. A special thanks to NetGalle...