ARC August 2020: The TBR

I have tons of ARCs that I would really like to get to this month and thought, why not join ARC August to give myself a little motivation? ARC August was created and is hosted by Octavia and Shelly @ Read. Sleep. Repeat. This TBR contains more books than I have been getting to in a month, but I am crossing my fingers that some kind of reading god possesses me and I check off most of these as a result. You might notice that all these books are by Latinx authors and that’s because I just can’t help it, I get excited about so many. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

The TBR:

1. Wayward Witch by Zoraida Córdova – I am reading this right now and love Rose’s voice and the world Zoraida has created.

2. Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera – A Orpheus and Eurydice retelling with Afro-Latinx characters? Yes please. I requested this one from NetGalley the moment it was available.

3. Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez – I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for this one in September. This one is about an Argentinian soccer player.

4. Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro – I have to tell myself to be patient when it comes to this one because I am so excited and have come close to throwing my whole TBR out the window so I can get to this one already. We don’t get a lot of magical realism novels in YA and this also has horror elements **squeals in excitement**

 

5. Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar – I am a huge fan of Aida’s debut The Moon Within and am really excited to read her second MG novel. She is also one of the kindest authors around and if you haven’t gotten a chance to read her stuff, I encourage you to do so.

6. Miss Meteor by Anna-Marie McLemore and Tehlor Kay Mejia – I kind of poured my heart out in an email and HarperTeen showed mercy on me and sent me on ARC of this one. You have not idea how excited I am for this collaboration.

7. Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz – I don’t think it’s likely that I will get to this one this month, but if I have time, I am tackling this dragon book.

Are you participating in ARC August? What’s an ARC that you are hoping to get to soon?

Reading Challenges Wrap-Up: March – April ’20

I originally planned to do a recap every month of these two challenges, but it looks like every two months will be the plan going forward. We will start with the Year of the Asian reading challenge which is hosted by Lily @ Sprinkles of Dreams, Shealea @ Shut Up Shealea, Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads, and CW @ The Quiet Pond. Be sure to check out their blogs to join and challenge yourself to read as many books by Asian authors as you can. I did not get very far with this one over the last two months, but there are several books that I am hoping to pick up in May and June. Covers linked to Goodreads.

Books by Asian authors I read in March:

1. The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang

Reading Challenge Goal: 11-20 books; Current Count: 4 books

I did much better with this challenge. For those unfamiliar, the Con Sabor Reading Challenge is hosted by Dani @ metamorphoreader, Astrid @ Book Love Book Reviews, Natalia @ Books.Build.Life, and Nox @ Nox the Reader and focuses on encouraging readers to read Latinx authors. I am still aiming to read at least 30 books by Latinx authors this year. I think I’m going to succeed, especially considering how many I picked up over the last couple of months. Covers linked to Goodreads.

Books by Latinx authors I read in March and April:

1. Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
2. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
3. Into the Tall, Tall Grass by Loriel Ryon
4. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon
5. A Sprinkle of Spirits by Anna Meriano
6. Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova
7. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
8. Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Reading Challenge goal: 30 books; Current Count: 13 books

Badges earned so far for this challenge:

Have you joined these challenges this year? Have you read any of these books as well? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Reading Challenges Wrap-Up: January – February ’20

I joined two reading challenges this year and will be giving an update on both in the same post every month. Year of the Asian reading challenge is hosted by Lily @ Sprinkles of Dreams, Shealea @ Shut Up Shealea, Vicky @ Vicky Who Reads, and CW @ The Quiet Pond. Be sure to check out their blogs to join and challenge yourself to read as many books by Asian authors as you can. I am currently aiming for 11-20 books and have made some really good progress. Covers linked to Goodreads.

Books by Asian authors I read in January and February:

1. Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven by Marjorie M. Liu, Sana Takeda (Illustrator)
2. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
3. Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

Reading Challenge Goal: 11-20 books; Current Count: 3 books

I have also joined the Con Sabor Reading Challenge hosted by Dani @ metamorphoreader, Astrid @ Book Love Book Reviews, Natalia @ Books.Build.Life, and Nox @ Nox the Reader which focuses on picking up books by Latinx authors. I have a couple of goals with this one but have only made progress with one. I am aiming to read 30 books by Latinx authors this year. So far I am on schedule to accomplish this but might have to step up my game in the coming months so I don’t fall behind. Covers linked to Goodreads.

Books by Latinx authors I read in January and February:

1. Diamond City by Francesca Flores
2. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea
3. Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez
4. American Street by Ibi Zoboi
5. Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Reading Challenge goal: 30 books; Current Count: 5 books

Badges earned so far for this challenge:

Have you joined these challenges this year? Have you read any of these books as well? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Con Sabor Reading Challenge 2020: Sign-up, Goals, and TBR

Dani @ metamorphoreader, Astrid @ Book Love Book Reviews, Natalia @ Books.Build.Life, and Nox @ Nox the Reader have created the Con Sabor Reading Challenge that runs all year long and challenges readers to pick up more books by Latinx authors. I am so excited for this challenge and have been looking forward to it ever since Dani mentioned wanting to created a year-long challenge focused on Latinx books. Obviously this is my kind of challenge. In addition to challenging readers to pick up as many books as possible, the hosts have also created prompts that you can participate in each month if you so wish. You can earn badges by either reading a certain number of books or by participating in these prompts. Check out the hosts’ posts (which I linked to above) for complete info, including where to sign up!

My Goals:

1. Become a Latinx Historian – The hosts have included badges every time you reach a certain number of reads. I am going to shoot for the highest number (30), so I can become a Latinx Historian.

2. Become a Latinx Explorer – I’m less confident with this one but I still want to try. You can also earn a special badge by completing 5 prompt reads which I will also be aiming to do.

The TBR:

I don’t want to make a really specific TBR for this challenge because I want the freedom to choose what I read throughout the year. I do want to highlight a few backlist books that I would like to get to however. So here are a few books that I will be picking up in 2020 for this challenge (I hope). Covers are linked to Goodreads.

1. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
2. The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary  by NoNieqa Ramos
3. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
4. The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey
5. Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez

6. The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel José Older
7. Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez
8. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
9. By Any Means Necessary by Candice Montgomery
10. Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

I have also already earned my first badge for this challenge by reading my first book by a Latinx author this year. I read Diamond City by Francesca Flores. Look at how adorable this badge is. I will probably be making a progress post every month here on the blog to track my reading and show off all the badges I’ve earned.

Are you joining the Con Sabor Reading Challenge? Which books by Latinx authors are you hoping to pick up this year? Let’s talk in the comment!