Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020

January 25, 2021 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 28 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “New-to-Me Authors I Read in 2020.” If I let myself, I could fill this list with ten debut authors, but instead I wanted to talk about authors who didn’t debut in 2020 but whom I was introduced to last year. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

If you are able, please consider donating to UndocuBlack Network here which works to support undocumented Black immigrants.

1. Claire Kann – I read two books by Claire Kann this year. Let’s Talk About Love and If It Makes You Happy features two of my all-time favorite protagonists. I keep saying this but I would fight anyone on behalf of these characters. They are literally too precious for this world.

2. Talia Hibbert – I don’t read a lot of romance, but it was a genre I wanted to check out last year. One of the authors I read was Talia Hibbert. I read Get a Life, Chloe Brown and Take a Hint, Dani Brown both of which filled me with so much joy.

3. Fonda Lee – I waited far too long to read Jade City, but it simply blew me away. I would have picked up the second book, but I confess I am far too attached to the characters and am therefore very afraid.

4. R.F. Kuang – This year I read the entire The Poppy War trilogy. It wrecked me. I can’t even think of the last time I have been so undone by a series.

5. Candice Montgomery – By Any Means Necessary ended up being one of my favorites of 2020. It was definitely my favorite YA book I picked in 2020. I haven’t gotten a chance to pick up Montgomery’s debut novel but it is high on the TBR thanks to this one.

6. Stephen Graham Jones – The Only Good Indians was one of the most intense and bloody books I’ve ever read and I cannot wait to read more of his novels.

7. Yamile Saied Méndez – I absolutely adored how fierce and uncompromising the protagonist, Camila, is in this one. Would definitely like to see more girls in sports in YA books as a result.

8. Romina Garber – Lobizona was so fun and had such vivid world building. I didn’t know I was in need of a werewolf & witches series until I picked this one up.

9 & 10. Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone – This Is How You Lose the Time War was one of the most romantic books I picked up 2020. Like, I swoon just thinking about it.

Are you a fan of any of these authors? Were you introduced to any of them in 2020? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: 2020 Releases I’ll Be Reading in 2021

January 18, 2021 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 37 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Books I Meant to Read In 2020 but Didn’t Get To.” Yes, I did cry when I looked at all the books I should have read in 2020 but didn’t. This list is incomplete and only includes a tiny peek at all the 2020 books I still need to get to. Most of these are books I bought but haven’t read, so I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me and no excuse in sight. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

If you are able, please consider donating to UndocuBlack Network here which works to support undocumented Black immigrants.

1. A Mixture of Mischief (Love Sugar Magic, #3) by Anna Meriano

2. Harley in the Sky by Akemi Dawn Bowman

3. The Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

4. The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

5. Running by Natalia Sylvester

6. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

7. The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

8. We Are Not From Here Jenny Torres Sanchez

9. Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

10. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Did you read and enjoy any of these in 2020? Which should I prioritize? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: Resolutions for the New Year

January 11, 2021 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 47 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Resolutions/Hopes for 2021.” I…have not thought about resolutions for the new year. Between trying to get through the last few weeks of 2020 and the chaos that 2021 is apparently going to bring us, I have not even attempted to sit down and figure out what challenges I am participating in or forming any book or blogging related goals, so this list is going to be the first things that come to mind.

If you are able, please consider donating to Bitches Brew here, providing mutual aid for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx trans women by providing funds for hormone replacement therapy.

1. Read Latinx Authors – As I have been doing for the last few years, it’s important to me that I help promote books from Latinx communities and this includes prioritizing books by said authors.

2. Read Diversely – Also high on my list of priorities is being intentional with what I pick up and who I promote. Most of the books I read in 2020 were books by authors from marginalized communities. I will continue this effort in 2021.

3. Being more engaged on Instagram – I started 2020 with the intention of posting more regularly, but these days I am lucky if I get one photo out there a week. I don’t necessarily want to change this, but I do want to be more engaged through commenting.

4. Limit my book buying – Please don’t laugh at me, I’m laughing enough at myself. But in my head I want to only buy a book a month and maybe a couple here and there if I get through some of the books I own. This is very vague and I don’t have a concrete plan for it, but I am going to try my best.

5. Go to the library – This is tied to the above goal. I did not go to the library often in 2020. This has a lot to do with the pandemic, but I will probably have to rely on the library more this year for books to read.

6. Read less ARCs – I haven’t sat down and calculated, but I am pretty sure that I read more ARCs in 2020 than any other year of blogging. And my stress levels around August were at its peak because of this. This year I will be requesting less.

7. More blog hopping – I was terrible at this in 2020 and I am sorry. I want to do better.

8. Read more adult fantasy – I really want to read more adult fantasy books. I feel like there are so many out there that I would love, and I need to familiarize myself with the genre.

9. Read more horror – From middle grade through adult, I want my 2021 to be filled with fictional horrors.

10. Lean in to the mood reading – I know it’s common for us mood readers to talk about why we can’t read something because we aren’t in the mood, but I think we need to lean in to our moods. Never do I enjoy a good book than when I am in the mood for it. I need to embrace this.

Do we share any resolutions? What genre are you hoping to read more of in 2021? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit!

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021

January 4, 2021 ~ Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense ~ 49 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2021.” I had about twenty books that I really wanted to put on this list, but after some crying and apologizing, I managed to narrow it down to ten books. Half of these are sequels to series I’ve loved, most are fantasy books because of course, and a few are by my all-time favorite authors. Basically, I am going to end up broke because of these releases. Covers are linked to Goodreads.

If you are able, please consider donating to Bitches Brew here, providing mutual aid for Black, Indigenous, and Latinx trans women by providing funds for hormone replacement therapy.