July & August 2019 Book Haul

Hey, guys!

I cannot believe that I didn't get to posting my July book haul, but oh well. It was definitely a wonderful month for reading and for acquiring books. I'm really pleased with all that I bought/acquired. However! August was an even bigger month for acquiring books too. I really did not mean to acquire over 30 books in August, but it happened. Before the end of the month, though, I gifted or traded some books that I did not buy for myself or was gifted. 

Here are the stacks and stacks of books that I acquired in the past couple of months!

*Please be aware that I did not buy the majority of these at their full price. I'm not as excessive as this book haul makes me out to be. Promise. I am excessive, but not "nearly 50 books" excessive.*

Personally Purchased

• The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
• My Amazon Prime Day purchase! Thank you, Amazon for coupons!
• Gods of Shade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia
• my YA BOTM pick!
• Three Women by Lisa Taddeo 
• one of my BOTM picks!
• Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center
• another BOTM pick!
• Mississippi Jack by L.A. Meyer 
• $3 hardback? Thank you Half Priced Books!
• In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer
• another $3 hardback? Thank you Half Priced Books!
• The Pisces by Melissa Brandes
• I splurged and bought this lovely book at an indie bookstore in Indianapolis!
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
• I also bought this at Half Priced Books, new, but at a reduced price!

Gifted and Traded

• Writer's Market Guide to Getting Published
• How to Write a Book Proposal (3rd edition)
• A massive thank you to my pastor and his wife for gifting me these awesome books for writers!
• ((ARC)) The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell
• ((signed)) Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell 
• One Day In December by Josie Silver
• ((signed, sprayed edged Owlcrate edition)) Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
• Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

~~~

This month was such a wild ride. I only personally purchased 5 of these books, but I'm quite excited about the books that I was sent this month. 

Personally Purchased

• A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V.E. Schwab
• I picked this up at Joseph-Beth Booksellers Cincinnati. I was originally going to pick up Nevernight in hardcover, but they didn't have it in stock. I'm so glad that I picked this book up. I'm so obsessed with this series right now.
• Godsgrave (Nevernight #2) by Jay Kristoff 
• This is a signed first edition from Barnes and Noble! 
• This month, I won a gift card from my job to B&N for the summer reading program. 
• Well Met by Jen DeLuca 
• This is one of the books that I picked for my BOTM monthly subscription!
• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
• This is another book that I picked for my BOTM box!
• Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
• I had the pleasure of going to Cincinnati for the first tour stop for Rainbow and Faith's book tour for Pumpkinheads! It was such a wonderful experience and meeting them was a dream come true! 
• My book is SIGNED!

School Books 

Yes, I did purchase these, but not by choice. These don't count!

• White Teeth by Zadie Smith
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Gifts/Trades/Prizes

• Recursion by Blake Crouch
• I actually found this book at my job's free little library! So!!!!! It basically fits in this category! I got it for freeeeee!
• The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
• I was sent this book through a trade! 
• Frankly In Love by David Yoon
• This lovely ARC was also acquired through a trade!
• Fire by Kristin Cashore
• Another trade! My Graceling trilogy is complete!
• Sky In The Deep (Russian edition) by Adrienne Young
• Adrienne Young actually sent this to me! I won this awesome edition on one of her Instagram live stream!

ARCs/Review Copies

• Dinosnores by Sandra Boynton 
• This was sent to me by the publisher, Workman Publishing Company. It was super super cute and I definitely will be saving it for when/if I have some kid(s) of my own. 
• This will be out on September 3!
• House of Salt & Sorrows by Erin A. Craig 
• My YA BOTM affiliate complimentary copy! I cannot wait to get to this book! It's so gorgeous and I just need the murder-y, mystical-ness in my life!
• Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
• This was sent to me from Bookish First! 
• I'm not usually into thrillers, but this instantly caught my interest. I hope that I can get to it before its release date: September 24.
• Juliet Takes A Breath by Gabby Rivera 
• I also acquired this via Bookish First!
• This was originally published in 2018, but it is being published again with some rebranding! 
• This will be released on September 17!
• Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
• Another Bookish First ARC! 
• I'm so excited to dive into this before its release on October 1!
• As Many Nows As I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl - ARC & finished hardback
• Penguin was so so kind and sent me an ARC & a finished copy of this lovely book. 
• We Speak In Storms by Natalie Lund 
• Penguin also sent me an ARC and finished copy, but I sent the finished copy along to another reviewer. 
• Mirror Bound by Monica Sanz
• This was kindly sent to me by Entangled Teen/Entangled Publishing!
• Unsolicited finished copy. 
• The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus 
• This was sent to me by Penguin too! I was given an ARC and finished copy, but I gifted the ARC to my best friend Courtney.
• Ziggy Stardust & Me by James Brandon
• This was such a lovely book. I have a full review up!
• Penguin kindly sent me an ARC and finished copy.
• Michigan vs. The Boys by Carrie S. Allen 
• This was sent to me by KCP Loft. I think my fiance is going to read it. 
• Unsolicited finished copy.
• The Hive by Barry Lyga, Morgan Bayden, 
  Jennifer Beals
  , & 
  Tom Jacobson
• This was also sent to me by KCP Loft. 
• Unsolicited finished copy.

These are all such fun books. I'm eager to get to the books I haven't read yet and I'm so glad to have the books that I have read. 

What is your favorite book that you acquired this month? I think I'm the most excited about Godsgrave, A Conjuring of Light, and Pumpkinheads!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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New Series I Love (AKA Big Regrets Before the First Week of Senior Year): A Darker Shade of Magic, The Raven Boys, Nevernight

Hey, guys!

This past week, I finished some really fantastic fantasy novels...all of them are the beginnings of a trilogy or quartet. They've all been on my TBR for a year + and I just didn't think through what I would do if I loved them. 

What are your bookish regrets?

I regret waiting to read these books (but I'm also really happy that I read them at the time that I did).

I also regret starting these books right before my senior year of college started. 


I'm sure you've noticed that I've sucked at posting frequently. Yes, I'm a failure...BUT!!! It's fine because I've done my best (or have I?). 

I've managed to start some really fantastic series, so here are my first impressions!

NEVERNIGHT BY JAY KRISTOFF (NEVERNIGHT TRILOGY #1)

Page Count: 448

Published On: July 5, 2016

Published By: HarperVoyager

Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult

Source: paperback - personally purchased
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.9 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars, and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.

The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

~~~

trigger warnings for violence, murder, gore, slavery, child abuse, and intense subjects

This was a slow start, but once I got into this book I was HOOKED!

Nevernight follows sixteen-year-old Mia Corvere. Mia is on a mission to join the Red Church -- a religious, assassin cult/religion that worships the goddess of death and murder -- to learn their murderous ways to get revenge on the people that killed her family. Throughout the story, Mia also learns more and more about her power over the shadows. 

This book and the series seems to be fairly polarizing. You either love it or you hate it. I, for one, really loved it. The main character, Mia, is so morally grey and fascinating. 

Jay Kristoff is quickly becoming a new favorite author. Not only is he a really rad personality on his social media profiles, but he also has a fantastic writing style that I couldn't get enough of. The book has such a beautiful, dark, creepy vibe that I honestly needed in my life. This book was honestly so different from the fantasy novels that I've read before. The fact that the characters were so different and diverse, they're so sex-positive, and 

Mia's character is so wonderful and I loved to yell at her as I read. I loved how vocal she is about the things she struggles with, I love her journey to becoming a badass assassin, and her journey to get revenge on her enemies. She's just a really cool character and I cannot wait to see what she does in Godsgrave and Darkdawn. It will be a privilege to see her die (Not a spoiler. It's on the first page of NN).

~~~

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic #1)

Page Count: 400

Published On: February 24, 2015

Published By: Tor Books

Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult

Source: paperback - personally purchased
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

~~~

trigger warning for self-harm (The Antari magic system is based around blood magic. The person will cut themselves to make portals and call upon their magic.)

By the recommendation of so many book bloggers, bookstagrammers, book lovers, and readers --- I finally picked up this book. I originally picked this up some time last summer, but I really wasn't in the mood for it. To be honest, I think I've just been in a looong contemporary/romance mood for the past year. 

When I first read this book, I read the first 25% and I really liked it... I just wasn't in the mood. Picking this back up and starting over, I adored this book. It's a bit slower compared to the contemporary/romance books that I've been picking up (obviously), but that wasn't an issue. It was such a pleasure to dive into this world and get to know the characters and learn more and more about the magic that connects the four Londons. 

Kell was such a fun character, but Lila, Holland, and Rhy were such wonderful characters too. I cannot wait to learn more about them in A Gathering of Shadows & A Conjuring of Light. 

While reading this book, you will be constantly infuriated and yelling at the characters. I loved every moment of this reading experience.

I definitely will be continuing this series and I absolutely recommend it.

~~

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (The Raven Boys #1)

Page Count: 409

Published On: September 18, 2012

Published By: Scholastic Press

Genre(s): Fantasy, Adult

Source: paperback - personally purchased
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them —not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore

~~~

trigger/content warning for physical abuse, PTSD, depression

Picking this up was a really random decision. I saw that Lala from BooksAndLala on YouTube was hosting a month-long readathon for the whole series, the books quickly became another batch of books on my radar. Granted, they've been on my radar for a hot minute, but not on my immediate TBR. I decided to listen to The Raven Boys via audio since I didn't like the book when I first read it. (I didn't read all of it... I DNF'd it.) However, I tried to read TRB right after I finished A Court of Mist & Fury (aka my #1 book of all time). It just wasn't the right time and it wasn't giving the book a fair shot. 

I'm really glad that I gave this book a second chance. It's been a hot minute since I enjoyed a paranormal fantasy book, and this really took the cake. I don't think I've read a book this beautifully atmospheric, mysterious, and sarcastic. It's so dark, so engaging, and so addicting. 

Back in the day (middle school/early high school), I read Stiefvater's Shiver series -- werewolves? Yes, please! --hand really enjoyed them. I've never really read any of her other work, but now I'm really eager to. Her writing is so clever, so nicely layered, and her characters are morally grey, snarky, and fun. 

I think that my favorite parts of this book are the witchy, spooky vibes, the amazing cast of characters, the layered magical system, and the snark. 

I cannot wait to read more. 

~~~

Overall, I'm not sorry that I read these books. They're fantastic, addicting, atmospheric, and I couldn't put them down. I cannot wait to continue the series and consume more from these authors. New favorites? Probably! Stay tuned for my "19 Favorite Books from 2019" blog post coming in December!

What are some of your favorite atmospheric fantasy reads? Let's chat in the comments!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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{Review + Playlist} Ziggy Stardust & Me by James Brandon

Page Count: 368

Published On: August 6, 2019

Published By: GP Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre(s): YA, LGBT, Historical, Young Adult

Source: 
Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository 

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis

In this tender-hearted debut, set against the tumultuous backdrop of life in 1973, when homosexuality is still considered a mental illness, two boys defy all the odds and fall in love.

     The year is 1973. The Watergate hearings are in full swing. The Vietnam War is still raging. And homosexuality is still officially considered a mental illness. In the midst of these trying times is sixteen-year-old Jonathan Collins, a bullied, anxious, asthmatic kid, who aside from an alcoholic father and his sympathetic neighbor and friend Starla, is completely alone. To cope, Jonathan escapes to the safe haven of his imagination, where his hero David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother, guide him through the rough terrain of his life. In his alternate reality, Jonathan can be anything: a superhero, an astronaut, Ziggy Stardust, himself, or completely "normal" and not a boy who likes other boys. When he completes his treatments, he will be normal--at least he hopes. But before that can happen, Web stumbles into his life. Web is everything Jonathan wishes he could be: fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay.

     Jonathan doesn't want to like brooding Web, who has secrets all his own. Jonathan wants nothing more than to be "fixed" once and for all. But he's drawn to Web anyway. Web is the first person in the real world to see Jonathan completely and think he's perfect. Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known. For the first time in his life, he may finally feel free enough to love and accept himself as he is.

     A poignant coming-of-age tale.

~~~

Trigger/Content warnings: alcoholism, parental death, conversion therapy, shock therapy, racism, homophobia, abuse, bullying, potential sexual assault of a minor

Hey, guys!

This book was sent to me for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own. 

In 1973, homosexuality was seen as a terrible mental illness, Watergate was raging on, and Native Americans were standing up against adversity and fighting for their human rights.

Jonathan Collins is bullied, asthmatic, and extremely anxious about his mental health. To cope with all of that plus an alcoholic father, he escapes into David Bowie's hero, Ziggy Stardust and the music that guides his story. He tries to be normal, but when he meets Web, his world is turned upside down. Web is fearless, outspoken, and unapologetically gay. Everything that Jonathan wishes he could and couldn't be. 

This book was so freaking powerful. Do not go into this book thinking that it will be a fluffy and light-hearted read because it will tear out your heart and eat it for dinner. This is one of the most intense contemporary novels I've ever read and I'm so thankful for the discussions that it instigated and for how thought-provoking it was. The historical context, combined with Jonathan's poetic and stream-of-consciousness method of prose created such a colorful, yet extremely sad story. Throughout this book, there are so many mentions to Bowie's songs, his message, and the way that his music made so many feels. The fantastic musical culture from the 70s is so prevalent and wonderful. I also really loved the discussions that this book evoked surrounding the tense political happenings of the day. They're still so relevant, but it was so wonderful to see them handled so loudly and progressively (compared to the mind-sets of that society). 

The characters in this book were so compulsively lovable. I loved Jonathan's personality and I was just rooting for him for the entire book. I found myself so emotional as he struggled with the events of this book and his journey to healing and self-love. Web was such a lovely, passionate, and inspiring character that I loved to interact with. I feel like I would be really close friends with him if he weren't fictional. I love how he and Jonathan fell in love and I love how he helped Jonathan learn to love himself for who he is.  

This book is so important, and though it wasn't one of my all-time favorite books, I cannot wait to be here when the book gets all of the hype that it deserves.

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE!

Please enjoy this playlist for this amazing book!

{click here for the playlist!}

AUTHOR BIO

James Brandon produced and played the central role of Joshua in the international tour of Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi for a decade, and is co-director of the documentary film based on their journey, Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption. He's the co-founder of the I AM Love Campaign, an arts-based initiative bridging the faith-based and LGBTQ2+ communities, and serves on the Powwow Steering Committee for Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) in San Francisco. Brandon is a contributing writer for Huffington Post, Believe Out Loud, and Spirituality and Health Magazine. Ziggy, Stardust and Me is his first novel. 

You can visit James Brandon at justbejb.com

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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I'm A YA Book of the Month Affiliate!

Hey, guys!

I have such fantastic news! I am officially an affiliate for the YA Book of the Month subscription box! I'm so excited to promote this box because BOTM is one of my favorite subscription services. I've had my subscription for nearly two years on and off, but I've officially had my account consistently for nearly a year! I love the feeling of choosing a new book or two (or three) every month. The BOTM team chooses such fantastic books! 

Being an affiliate, this means that I get paid a small sum every time that someone clicks my link and starts their subscription. 

So what is the BOTM YA box?

Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box. Each month, 5 curators pick out their favorite new hardcover books, and you can choose which one you want to receive on the first of the month. You can also add up to 2 additional books for only $9.99 each.

How It Works:

1. New selections are chosen each month. On the 1st of the month, the site announces the 5 books that they chose for the month.

2. Choose your book! Choose by the 6th, or skip the month.

3. The boxes are shipped and you get a beautiful BOTM box and book!

Shipping: Shipping is always free! However, BOTM only ships to the U.S.  (apologies to my international readers!)

Overall Product: Subscribers will receive a hardcover book from the books that were selected that month. You can add up to 2 extra books for $9.99 each plus BOTM goodies for an additional fee.

The site also has a promotion where if you sign up right now, you can get your first book for $9.99! Just insert the code: (FLEX)!

If you are interested in a subscription please click here!

What are this month's picks? 

Arden sells memories. Whether it’s the becoming homecoming queen or studying for that all-important test, Arden can hack into a classmate’s memories and upload the experience for you just as if you’d lived it yourself. Business is great, right up until the day Arden whites out, losing 15 minutes of her life and all her memories of the hot boy across the schoolyard. The hot boy her friends assure her she’s had a crush on for years.

Arden realizes that her own memories have been hacked, but they haven’t just been stolen and shared… they’ve been deleted. And she’s not the only one, the hot stranger, Sebastian, has lost ALL of his memories. But how can they find someone with the power to make them forget everything they’ve learned?

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.

While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

Who is Nevaeh Levitz?

Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom's family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.

Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can't stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh's dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she's always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.

It's only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom's past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?

Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.

Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.

Ready to subscribe?

Happy reading!

Olivia

~ Liv the Book Nerd ~

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August 2019 TBR - ARCs, The Magical Readathon, and More!

Hey, guys!

This month is going to be so busy, but I'm ready!

August has always been a hectic month for me as I've always started school this month. This year will be my last year of college. My last year. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I'm going to take it day-by-day. 

Until school starts back up -- I will be reading as much as I can, preparing for my classes, and writing as many reviews as I can -- and working on my book if I can recover the files from my hard drive. Yup! My computer kapooted and my hard drive might be dead. I'm currently waiting to see if my files can be recovered. BACK UP YOUR FILES, MY FRIENDS!

Here are the books I would like to read this month!

First, I decided to take part in the NEWTs! It's a part of Book Roast's Magical Readathon that she does. 

I've decided to pursue a wizard career as a journalist/writer. It's one of the easier careers, so it ought to be a good sort of practice for when I do the entire readathon next year.

Here are my reading choices!

+ History of Magic- 

• E: a book that includes a map: NEVERNIGHT by Jay Kristoff
• A: read a fantasy - GODSGRAVE by Jay Kristoff

+ Muggle Studies -

•  A:  cover with an actual photo element (person, item, place) - THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK by Adrienne Young (eARC)

+ Transfiguration - 

• A: a book with LGBTQIA+ rep -- A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by V.E. Schwab 

Four books ought to be manageable for the month. Stay tuned to see how I manage!

~~~

I also plan on attempting to read some more books. Hopefully, my reading month is just as good as July.

1. Ziggy Stardust & Me by James Brandon - ARC for a blog tour August 12
2. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
3. The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis - ARC
4. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett - audio
5. Renegades by Marissa Meyer
6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
7. Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid - audio
8. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - library
9. Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim - library
10. The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

Will I read all of these books? Stay tuned to find out!

Happy reading!

Olivia

~Liv the Book Nerd~

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