Vacay Haul Post

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Kate

As mentioned in my latest unhauling post, last month I visited Beth and we had a little vacay. Well, we couldn’t go on vacation without visiting a couple bookstores.

The first bookstore we went to was the Book Nook in Saranac Lake, New York. This is an independent bookshop that is tucked on the bend of a road and the first time we drove past it, I missed it. It is women-owned and has a nice selection of books for all ages. I stopped at their local interest table and found a copy of book by new-to-me author Genna Rose Nethercott, who had been to visit the store. So, I now have a signed copy of her book! Thistlefoot is the story of two estranged siblings who reunite following a death in the family. Hoping to have inherited something fun like land or money, they find out that what they’ve actually inherited is a sentient house on chicken legs. This looks to be a fun play on stories about Baba Yaga.

4 books laid out in a circle overlapping. The book on top is black and white with red text. It has the outlines of two people and a house on chicken legs. The text reads, "Thistlefoot" and "GlennaRose Nethercott".
The second book is black with multi-colored text that reads, "The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff". There is an eye with an eyebrow visible in the top left corner of the cover.
The third book, top right, is wrapped in wrapping her with purple, pink, and yellow water color splashes. The text reads, "Blind date with a book."
The final book, top left, reads, "Cat Sebastian" "The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes" There is a couple embracing in front of a window below the text

The second bookstore we visited was The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn, New York. We’ve been to this one before, after it opened last year. This shop specializes in romance and it is a delight from it’s pink facade to the cool floor that is painted to look like a fancy tile design. (There are some neat reels about how they made that come together on their instagram.) Both times we’ve been there it was a little like being a kid in a candy store. I limited myself to three books. The one that I used as an excuse to get us to the book shop, the Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, since I had just finished the first book in that series and loved it. Then I roamed the bookstore looking for titles that caught my eye. I settled on The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. This book is about Geeta, a woman who is rumored to be a ‘self-made’ widow in her village and how she plays with that reputation. I’m really interested in themes of notoriety and freedom, so this one should be fun! The last book I bought on this trip… I don’t actually know what it is! The Ripped Bodice offers blind dates with a book, where you’re given a general description on the book and you have to decide to take a chance. This one is about someone seeking refuge in London from the French Occupation in Mexico. It’s set in a time period that interests me and promises an ‘unsuitable’ match, which is a fun trope. I’ve bought blind dates with books before. The Sisters Brothers in TBR one of these. I also picked one up the first time we visited the shop, too. I like the idea of a book surprise. So, I bought it thinking that the next time I need a pick-me-up, I can unwrap a present from my past self. One hopes to not have bad days, but it is nice to prepare fun surprises for yourself sometimes.

The Ripped Bodice also has loads of book swag. There are candles, totes, tees, pins, and stickers. Last year I picked up a tote that I’m now using as a project bag for a cardigan. This year I got a pin and a selection of stickers. We had a great time on vacation and I can’t wait to dig into these books! Do you like to hit bookstores on vacation? Which have been your favorite? What independent bookstores are on your list to find? Let us know in the comments!

Picture of 4 overlapping books. Top left book is blue with two people on it, facing each other, a man and a woman. They are embracing. The text reads, "Cat Sebastian" and "The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes". The top right book is wrapped in pink and purple slotched wrapping paper and says, "Blind date with a book!" on it.

Happy Midnight Sun Day?

Posted on August 4, 2020 by Kate

It is Midnight Sun’s book birthday! And…Beth and I are both still stuck in the first book of our re-read. Speaking for myself, my enthusiasm for these characters and this story has definitely waned since I first picked up the novels. Bella is kind of an unredeemable bitch. Edward is a creepy stalker. Jacob’s goodness drops off as the series goes on and he picks up some of Edward’s tactics in order to get in there with Bella. But, I plan on finishing them since it is the pop culture homework assignment (and since I did finish last year’s…in October…and then never wrote the reviews…because I am not the best blogger.)

Midnight Sun is Finally Coming Out.

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Bethlylou

In 2005, Stephenie Meyer released her first book, Twilight, and it took the world by storm. Kate and I are not ashamed to admit that we got caught up in. Over the last 12 years the Twilight series has gone through so much. Sequels, movies, backlash, Robsten stans and true the books are completely flawed but they also ushered in a whole wave of YA books. After the success of Twilight publishers went all in on Teen novels looking for the next big thing. It could be argued that book series like The Hunger Games, Divergent and so many more would never got the great light if Stephenie Meyer hadn’t been able to prove that books written for a teen audience could make money. So if the legacy of Twilight is remembered for anything it should be for that. Fans of the books may have remembered that around the time that back in 2008, Meyer’s was working on a companion novel named Midnight Sun. It was the events of the first book but from the perspective of Edward. Readers would finally get to see inside his head and truly know how he felt and struggled. We would get to know what he did when went to Alaska for a week to escape the temptation from Bella. The fandom was excited! It was not meant to be. The partial manuscript was leaked online and eventually Meyer’s herself released the unedited chapters and put a hold on writing. There have been rumors for years that she had begun working on it and even that she was ready to release it but again it didn’t happen. The release of the Fifty Shades of Grey novels is rumored to have delay her even longer. For the uninitiated, Fifty shades started out as a Twilight fan fiction from the male perspective that turned into a phenomenon of it’s own. Why do I bring all of this up now? If you haven’t heard, Stephenie Meyer’s announced today in the year of our lord 2020 is finally going to released the full novel on August 4th. Admit it, you’re kind of excited to read it as I am. I mean, there has been very little to look forward to this year so while this wasn’t something I we were desperately looking for it may be what we truly need in a year full of hardships and tragedy. So who’s up for a Midnight Sun read-a-long this summer?

What We Can’t Wait to Read in 2019

Posted on January 1, 2019 by stacksexceedlifeexpectancy

Now that we have looked back on 2018, it’s time to look ahead to 2019. We have a lot of fun things planned for next year. New challenges read a-longs and podcasts! But most of all we are excited for all the new books to read. Expanding our already to long to-read lists even more. 2019 is already shaping up to be our best year ever! So here are some of the books we are looking forward to the most reading next year.

Beth

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo – Leigh returns to the shores of Ravka to tell us of what happened to Nikolai after the events of Ruin and Rising. We saw Nikolai make a cameo appearance in Crooked Kingdom so we know he still uses his Sturmhond alias even though he is now the King. What other things will we learn about him? and what characters from the past series will show up?
The Everlasting Rose by Dhoinelle Clayton – Camille is on the run from Queen Sophia who is beyond a psychopath. She must find the Princess Charlotte, heal her and come up with a plan with her friends to save everyone. Hopefully she has learned from past mistakes and be a little bit more observant.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi – I can only hope that sequel is as impressive as the first book because damn it was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I can’t wait to read what happens next for Zelie and Amari.
The Wicked King by Holly Black – Holly is really at her best when she writes about Faries and that demonstrated with The Cruel Prince. Now that Jude has tricked Cardan into becoming the King of Faerie, what is she going to do next?
Untitled Sequel to Dread Nation by Justina Ireland – I’m not sure this is even coming out in 2019 but I really want it to. I need to know what happens next for Jane and Katherine. Do they make it California? Who did Jane’s mom marry that gave her away? So many questions that need answering.
Final book in the Diviners Series by Libba Bray – Another book that I’m not sure if will be published in 2019 but I’m putting it out into the universe so it will. The final batle with the King of Crows is coming and only our heroes can stop him.
Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa – The sequel to the Shadow and the Fox is going to be epic. Yumeko is still on her mission to keep the scroll safe but Tatsumi is now possessed by the demon from him sword. Can Yumeko save Tatsumi and the scroll?
Book 1 of the Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater – yet another book that I’m not sure if is coming out in 2019 but I know she has book working on it. Centered on Ronan from the Raven Cycle and how he has and hasn’t changed since the end of The Raven King. It’ll be nice to get back to the barns and see what dreams Ronan dreams next.
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas – Angie’s first book The Hate U Give destroyed me. It was so beautiful and heartbreaking. I expect nothing less for her second novel about an upcoming rapper trying to save her family.

Kate

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas– I’m also very excited about this one!
Women Talking by Marian Toews– The blurb says the book is about Mennonite women who had thought that they were being visited by demons in the night to be punished for their sins but find out members of their community have been drugging and attacking them. This promises to be an intense story about women coming together to protect themselves and other women in their community.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James-The first in a trilogy by award winning author James, the blurb on amazon calls it an African Game of Thrones. I’m so here for this
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett– Here’s what I know about this: it’s about an HIV-positive black teen. I also know that I enjoy Camryn Garrett’s twitter presence and it seems unlikely that I’m going to stop picking books this way in 2019.
Internment by Samira Ahmed-In this near-future novel, Layla Amin and her parents find themselves in an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. This looks like its going to be another intense tale. Layla works, with the help of others, to obtain freedom.

What books are you looking forward to reading this year?

Books I Can’t Wait to Read this Fall!!

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Bethlylou

Summer is over and now it’s to look forward to some fall reading. So get your pumpkin spice latte ready as here are some of the books I can’t wait to read this fall.

The Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor (October 2)-The sequel to Strange the Dreamer and left off one big cliffhanger.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (October 2)-Shapeshifters, samurais and Japanese mythology. Yes please.
A Very Large Expense of the Sea by Tahereh Mafi (October 16) In our attempt to read more diverse voices. Tahereh Mafi releases probably her most personal story yet. Shirin is a muslim girl starting a new school a year after 9/11.
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (October 23)- The last book in the epic Thorne of Glass series. Who will prevail and who will die?
Archenemies by Marissa Meyer (November 6)-The second book in the Renegades trilogy. The ending of Renegades really changes the dynamics of this one.
The Storyteller by Traci Chee (November 13)- The final book in the Sea of Gold and Ink trilogy. Is the future already written for Sefia and Archer?
The Reckoning of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin (November 13)-Noah Shaw has done some bad things and so has her girlfriend Mara Dyer. The consequences might be finally catching up to them.

What are you looking forward to reading this fall?

Rick Riordan Presents is killing it with it’s Cover Game

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Bethlylou

Rick Riordan has made a career of making Greek, Roman, Norse and Egyptian mythology more accessible to kids and adults. Now he is launching his own imprint to bring a more diverse set of mythology written by authors of that culture. The covers for the first three books released under his imprints are amazing. If I wasn’t excited about reading them before, I am now. Take a look.

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi.

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from their latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?

One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.

But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty it is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them.

The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes

A 13-year-old boy must save the world by unraveling an ancient Mayan prophecy

Zane must not only grapple with a family history that connects him to the Mayan gods, but with newly acquired knowledge that his ancestry may have something to do with a leg deformity that requires he use a cane — not the greatest reality for a middle schooler.

Feisty heroes, tricky gods, murderous demons, and spirited giants are just some of the pleasures that await in this fresh and funny take on Mayan mythology, as rich and delicious as a mug of authentic hot chocolate

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Space opera based on Korean mythology.

A standalone middle grade novel starring Min, a teenage fox spirit whose brother is missing and thought to have deserted the Thousand Worlds Space Forces in order to find the pearl of the title, an artifact that may have the power to save their struggling space colony.

Books I’m excited to read this fall

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Bethlylou

It’s that time of the year when publishers release titles in bunches so they are out before the Holidays. It also means my to-read list just gets longer and longer. Here are a few books I just can’t wait to read.

Just released

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake – the sequel to Three Dark Crowns. Three sisters with three different powers but only one will survive to be crowned Queen.

October 3

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray – Book three of the excellent The Diviner’s series. To quote Evie, it really is the Bees knees.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan – It really is a shame that this is the last book in the series because Magnus has been amazing. I do hope he shows up in Rick’s other books the way Percy has.

October 10

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater – Maggie is awesome and we love her and have no doubt this will be awesome too. Also Yeah! for standalones!

November 7

Renegades by Marissa Meyer – I believe this Marissa Meyer’s first book not based on fairy tales.

The Speaker by Traci Chee –The Follow up the The Reader that both Kate and I loved.

The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin– The first book in the Shaw Confessions series, the companion series to the Michelle Hodkin’s Mara Dyer series.

Coming to a TV near you

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Bethlylou

Lately some of the books we have read are being turned into TV shows and we couldn’t be happier about it. Here’s three that will be hitting the airwaves in the next couple of years.

The first being The Raven Cycle by Stacks Fave Maggie Stiefvater. It’s still in development but making progress. It’s found a home on Syfy with Catherine Hardwick of Twilight fame at the helm. Now this series is perfect for a series. There is really just too much for a movie. Too much of it’s weirdness and nuances would have to be cut out to make it fit into a two hour movie. As a TV show, we can get all the adventures of Blue and the Raven boys and also expand on the people of Henrietta. I’m particularly hopeful they dip deeper into the ladies of 300 Fox Way. I’ve been dying to know more about Maura, Calla and Persephone. Like how did they even meet?

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor has been optioned by HBO and produced by George R.R. Martin. This is exciting because it takes place in a post-nuclear-holocaust Africa meaning an all black cast. Yeah diversity on TV! I’m not sure how this will play as a TV series. It wasn’t a very long book but plenty of room to expand on the universe. Go more into Onyesonwu’s people and the conflict between the Okeye and Nuru. If you are squirmish about some of the violence in Game of Thrones this is going to be any better. There were several scenes in the book that were very hard for me to read. I’m not sure how they are going to do them on TV, even if it is HBO. I can definitely tell you that there will be nothing like this on TV and the fact that HBO and George R.R. Martin are taking it on is impressive. Almost makes you forget that they are also trying to make a TV show about the Confederacy. Almost

Who Fears Death maybe produced by George R.R. Martin and HBO but in my mind N.K. Jemisin’s novel The Fifth Season is probably closer to Game of Thrones in scale of epic story telling. The Hugo winning novel was picked up by TNT earlier this week. I’m not even sure how they will be able to present this on screen without giving too much away. It also means more diversity on primetime television as the main characters are all women of color. If this done right it’s going to be impressive. This also reminds me I better get on to reading book two in the Broken Earth series, The Obelisk Gate.

May Flowers Bring New Books

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Bethlylou

The month of May has a lot of great new books coming out and of course I’m already behind in my to-read list. Sigh. Anyway, here’s a list a few books that I’m definitely going to try to get to in May. Let’s see how I’ll do.

May 2:

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

May 16:

Seeker by Veronica Rossi

May 23:

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

May 30:

Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson

My To Read List Just keeps getting longer

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Bethlylou

So I haven’t been reading as much lately because well life and Gilmore Girls. I’ve recently just finished watching all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls. I know it’s weird it’s taken me this long to watch the show but what better time to do it then right before the new season, right? Anyway, while I was binge watching several books have come out and now I’m hopelessly behind. I’m still reading Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. I have waiting in the wings.

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan just came out. The latest in his Magnus Chase series with Norse gods. Then there’s Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo the sequel to Six of Crows. And then The Bronze Key by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. Also The Midnight Star by Marie Lu the finale of The Young Elites Trilogy.

I have also recently picked up The Swan Riders by Erin Bow, the sequel to Scorpion Rules. I had no idea there was a sequel so I’m super excited for that. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro and The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin are two books that were impulse buys. I have so much to read but what else is new.

What books are on your t0 read list this month?

2 Women, So Many Books

Our "to read" stacks way exceed our life expectancy

Category Archives: can’t wait