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!

Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo

I’ve never participated in a bingo reading challenge before, but I’ve always found them to be really appealing. I think this challenge gives you a lot of room to work with and as a mood reader, this is really important to me. The Summer 2017 Bookish Bingo is hosted by Pretty Deadly Reviews. It takes place June through August and the goal is to get as many BINGOs as possible using the card above. I’ll be including an updated bingo card in my monthly wrap-ups just so I can keep track of my progress. There’s still time to join the fun if you’re interested. Also, I want to give a shout-out to Morgan @ The Bookish Beagle for bringing this challenge to my attention (thank you again!).

Have you taken part in a bingo reading challenge? Do you have a favorite challenge? Any strategy you use in order to ensure you get as many BINGOs as possible? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Emma Readalong: Announcement & Invitation

One of my goals for this year is to participate in a couple of buddy reads. I haven’t done many since joining the community, but I find having someone to read with can be a great motivator when it comes to tackling those books you’ve been putting off. I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. I have far too many editions of her books and literally (okay, not literally) thrive off of adaptations. But strangely enough, I have never actually read her novel Emma. I’ve seen a number of adaptations and feel like I know the story quite well, but it is the only novel by her that I haven’t read.

Earlier this year I reached out to Jolien @ The Fictional Reader to see if she’d be interested in doing a buddy read and she said yes. Beginning March 10th, we’ll be reading Emma, but we’d also like to invite you to join us! If you’re a fan of Jane Austen like I am and would like to buddy read with us, we’d love to have you! If you haven’t read anything by her or are just trying to pick up more classics, you’d be a great addition to our buddy read as well!

The Details:

• Readalong will run from March 10th-March 31st
• Emma is divided into three volumes, so we’ll be tackling a volume a week
• Use the hastag #EmmaRAL to track your progress while you read
• We’ll be forming a DM group to have more in depth discussions regarding the book

If you are interested in joining us, you can leave a comment on this post or Jolien’s. Just leave us your Twitter handle, so we can add it to the group DM. You can also reach out to us on Twitter: Jolien @fictionalreader and Alicia @booknonsense. We look forward to you joining us for this readalong!