Theme of The Day:Is it a bird?A plane? No it's SUPERHEROS!!

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Today theme of the day is Superheroes!!!

That right today's post is about Miler Morales, and Diana Prince, better known as Spider-Man and Wonder Woman!! I'm a huge fan of comic books, so the fact that a lot of DC and some marvel comics are being turned into middle grade or YA books has me super jazzed!

Title: Miles Morales Spider-Man
Author: Jason Reynelds
Publisher:  Marvel Press

"Everyone gets mad at hustlers, especially if you're on the victim side of the hustle. And Miles knew hustling was in his veins."
Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best friend, Ganke, crushing on brainy, beautiful poet Alicia. He's even got a scholarship spot at the prestigious Brooklyn Visions Academy. Oh yeah, and he's Spider Man.

But lately, Miles's spidey-sense has been on the fritz. When a misunderstanding leads to his suspension from school, Miles begins to question his abilities. After all, his dad and uncle were Brooklyn jack-boys with criminal records. Maybe kids like Miles aren't meant to be superheroes. Maybe Miles should take his dad's advice and focus on saving himself.

As Miles tries to get his school life back on track, he can't shake the vivid nightmares that continue to haunt him. Nor can he avoid the relentless buzz of his spidey-sense every day in history class, amidst his teacher's lectures on the historical "benefits" of slavery and the importance of the modern-day prison system. But after his scholarship is threatened, Miles uncovers a chilling plot, one that puts his friends, his neighborhood, and himself at risk.  It's time for Miles to suit up.

The Cover: What I love about the cover for Miles Morales Spider-Man is that you see his face and it's not just him in his suit. Another thing I love is that the cover just screams comic book, and it's super vibrant.
My Thoughts: Honestly I'm a bit on the fence about how I feel about this book.It might just because I'm an adult and this is a middle grade book but  I didn't connect at all with the book.I thought a lot was rushed and the backstory was bare bones. Objectively it was a good book, and the villain was pretty inspired. I just wish the reader got to know more about Miles's uncle, and what happened between them. 2.5/5

Title: Wonder Woman :WarBringer
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

The Cover: That is absolutely lovely. It has the comic book feel, and I like the fact the everything in the background is dark, and eerie while the shield looks like it's glowing.
My Thoughts: I could probably rant for hours about my thought on Wonder Women Warbringer but I'll keep it short. This book is more than an origin story it's a story about family, friendship and becoming who you were always meant to be.5/5

Poems and Poets Part 2

Hello there!! Not to long ago I did a post called Poems and Poets.
That post included a few of my favorite poets and poetry collections and this post is pretty much the same.Enjoy the list and comment with any poetry recommendations you might have.

Title: helium
Author: Rudy Franciso
Helium is the debut poetry collection by internet phenom Rudy Francisco, whose work has defined poetry for a generation of new readers. Rudy's poems and quotes have been viewed and shared millions of times as he has traveled the country and the world performing for sell-out crowds.

Helium is filled with work that is simultaneously personal and political, blending love poems, self-reflection, and biting cultural critique on class, race and gender into an unforgettable whole. Ultimately, Rudy's work rises above the chaos to offer a fresh and positive perspective of shared humanity and beauty.

Title:Still Can't Do My Daughter's Hair
Author: William Evans

Still Can't Do My Daughter's Hair is the latest book by author William Evans, founder of Black Nerd Problems. Evans is a long-standing voice in the performance poetry scene, who has performed at venues across the country and been featured on numerous final stages, including the National Poetry Slam and Individual World Poetry Slam.

Evans's commanding, confident style shines through in these poems, which explore masculinity, fatherhood, and family, and what it means to make a home as a black man in contemporary America.

Title: Pelunda
Author:Melissa Lozada-Oliva 

One of the most original performance poets of her generation, Melissa Lozada-Oliva has captivated crowds across the country and online with her vivid narratives. Humorous and biting, personal and communal, self-deprecating and unapologetically self-loving, peluda (meaning “hairy” or “hairy beast”) is the poet at her best.

The book explores the relationship between femininity and body hair as well as the intersections of family, class, the immigrant experience, Latina identity, and much more, all through Lozada-Oliva’s unique lens and striking voice. Peluda is a powerful testimony on body image and the triumph over taboo.

Title:Forgive Me My Salt
Author: Brenna Twohy

Brenna Twohy's debut collection reads like a letter to all that haunts her-- letting them know that despite her wounds, she's still alive.

Title:Don't Call Us Dead
Author: Danez Smith

Award-winning poet Danez Smith is a groundbreaking force, celebrated for deft lyrics, urgent subjects, and performative power. Don’t Call Us Dead opens with a heartrending sequence that imagines an afterlife for black men shot by police, a place where suspicion, violence, and grief are forgotten and replaced with the safety, love, and longevity they deserved here on earth.

Smith turns then to desire, mortality—the dangers experienced in skin and body and blood—and a diagnosis of HIV positive. “Some of us are killed / in pieces,” Smith writes, “some of us all at once.” Don’t Call Us Dead is an astonishing and ambitious collection, one that confronts, praises, and rebukes America—“Dear White America”—where every day is too often a funeral and not often enough a miracle

Cover Reveal and Excerpt: Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device

Title: Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device
Author: James Aquilone
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Release Date: January 23rd, 2018

Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device returns to bookstores on January 23, 2018, with a brand-new cover and revised and updated text via Curiosity Quills Press. Dead Jack and the Pandemonium Device kicks off a wild and irreverent fantasy / horror series following the exploits of a zombie detective and his homunculus frenemy.

In the fast-paced novel, the drug-addicted zombie detective and his shapeshifting sidekick battle and outsmart supernatural creatures, from tough-guy leprechauns to sex-obsessed shark women and insane bat gods, in a hellish, alternateNew York City of the 1940s. Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Patient Zero and Rot & Ruin, calls, Dead Jack “wicked fun! Undead noir with a devious sense of humor. Highly recommended!” 

For more info, go to DeadJack.com

Cover art: Colton Worley of Dynamite Entertainment(The Shadow, The Spider, Masks 2).

Cover design: STK Kreations 

Interior art: Ed Watson

***************************************************

Excerpt:

Chapter 1:Waiting for My Wee-Man

I reached into my jacket pocket for a Lucky Dragon once the shakes began. The undead aren’t known for their dexterity so I had a bit of fun getting that hellfire stick. I was like a drunken mummy trying to do jazz hands. I burned off half the skin on my left index finger lighting the damn thing. That made three fingers now that were practically nothing but bone. If this continued, I’d end up a skeleton inside a cheap suit and fedora. I doubted anyone would notice.

I took a long drag on the Lucky Dragon, savoring the brimstone flavor. It warmed my throat but did little to curb my hunger. I coughed out black puffs of smoke and took another drag.

Being a member of the great unwashed dead isn’t all bad, though. I was happy for my dulled sense of smell. The alleyway stunk like rotten cabbage and sour apples.

I had tried everyone in downtown ShadowShade, but no one was holding. Out of desperation, I came here to Irish Town in search of Fine Flanagan, my old leprechaun dealer.

Hunger ate through my guts and brain like an vampiric piranha on spring break. My mouth watered as I watched dwarves enter the Fairy House, Irish Town’s premier gentlemen’s club. (It promised the “best hoochie-coochie dancers in this dimension or any other.”) Fairy dust is the only thing that can control my zombie appetite. Without dust, I’d eat half of ShadowShade (though Oswald thinks it’s all in my head).

I had been waiting in the alley between the Fairy House and Finn McCool’s Pub for at least an hour before the leprechaun appeared. I remembered that the pub was also called Finn McCool’s back in the Other World. No leprechaun patrons, though, just rowdy Irishmen who worked the docks. After all these decades, I still marveled at how remnants of the Other World lingered in the Five Cities of Pandemonium, best described as New York City as imagined by Hieronymus Bosch.

Flanagan entered the alley, singing:

“There once was a fellow McSweeney who spilled some gin on his weenie…”

He isn’t your stereotypical lep. First off, he’s not that short. Maybe five-foot-two in his pointy shoes. He’s broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, and someone you probably don’t want to mess with. He also has the saltiest mouth in all the Five Cities.

With a large sack slung over his shoulder, he swaggered past the reeking dumpsters full of what must have been hundred-year-old cabbage.

“Just to be couth, he added vermouth. Then slipped his girlfriend a martini…”

“Sorry to interrupt that charming little ditty,” I said, slipping out of the shadows as I blew smoke out of all the holes in my face. All nine. Real bad-ass.

The lep stopped deader than my libido, like I’d caught him bathing naked in his pot of gold. (Leprechauns don’t really have pots of gold, by the way, but they are known to carry sweet, sweet fairy dust, the closest thing to heaven in this godforsaken world. And Fine Flanagan had the finest.)

The sack jerked and the lep gripped it tighter.

“What’s in the bag, Flanny? Someone didn’t pay their vig?” I noticed the lep’s fashion sense had changed since I last saw him. He wore a green duster that hung to the ground, but there was no pointy hat on his head. His curly red hair blew in the wind. Leps love hats almost as much as their shoes. And his shoes, I noticed, weren’t even pointy. They were square-toed boots. What the holy hell?

“None of ya fookin business,” the lep said. “Now, if you wouldn’t be minding, I have better tings to do than conversate with a stinking zombie. I be needing to get to me apartment.” When the lep stepped forward, I blocked his way.

“Look, meat bag, I don’t be wanting any trouble tonight,” he said.

“No trouble. I’m just looking for dust.”

The lep burst into laughter. He actually placed his hand over his belly. A genuine guffaw.

“You fookin dust head. Oh, Jackie boy, I thought maybe you was on a case. I should have known what you was after. All you zombies are the same. You people are the dumbest pieces of filth in Pandemonium. Just soulless, corpse-faced, brain-licking ghouls.” 

I told you he had a mouth on him. “Nope. Never licked a brain. Total myth.”

“Mouth-breathing, empty-husk, meat-headed, motherless bags of bones, the whole lot of you.”

“Keep going. I can take it.”

“Yer wasting me precious time.”

“Just a gram, Flanny. The hunger is eating through my innards.”

“You have innards? Figured it’s all just sludge inside you by now. Like ya fookin brain.”

“The last time I went cold turkey, it ended real bad for some fairies. I went wilder on them than a pack of weres. I’m probably still not welcome in the Red Garden.”

“You ain’t threatening now, are you, you dead dick?” He smiled, exposing the four or five teeth left in his mouth. I heard he was quite the pugilist back in his day.

My hands shook and my bones rattled as I put up my dukes. Flanny probably thought I was trying to conjure a demon. I dropped the hellfire stick and ground it out with my shoe. “I’m desperate.”

“Then yer out of luck. I don’t deal anymore. I have new opportunities.”

There was a clink, like a glass bell, from inside the sack, and then it shot up in the air. Flanagan nearly lost his grip but managed to pull the canvas bag back down. The lep shot me a look so dirty I thought of taking my first bath in seventy years.

“What’s in the sack, Flanny? A sentient beer keg?”

“None of ya fookin business, you filthy corpse.”

“Does Queen Dana know what you’re up to?”

“Don’t you be talking about that blessed woman. This is none of ya business.”

“What if I told your lep queen you were up to some unsavory stuff? She might just kick you out of the club. Unaffiliated leprechauns aren’t treated very well in Pandemonium, are they?”

The lep spit out a laugh like it was venom. “I don’t have to be worrying about that, zombie. Yer the one who needs to worry. This is going to be yer last night in Pandemonium.” The fairy swung the sack into my crotch. I flew into the wall, and Flanagan took off down the alley. Fortunately, I have a dulled sense of pain so I easily shook off the between-the-legs shot. (As for my zombie genital situation, the less said about that the better.) Still, something in me snapped. Maybe my hunger had reached its apex, or maybe I didn’t like the way he called me a filthy corpse. Either way, I pounced on him like a lycan on a moonpie. I don’t even remember feasting on the little guy, I was in such a blood frenzy. I do remember him tasting damn delicious, though, like smoked sausage and sweet beer. Then Oswald, Pandemonium’s most obnoxious creature and my associate, appeared out of nowhere.

I sat on the ground, gnawing on a leg bone, when the alley filled with a blinding light. I continued eating. Like I said, it was damn good, and I hadn’t eaten in so long. The light died out and I saw the Studebaker―my Studebaker. The driver’s-side door opened and out slid the homunculus.

The little bugger stared at me, not saying a word, his X-shaped eyes unblinking. This was supposed to shame me. But I’m a revenant (which is a fancy way of saying zombie). I’m beyond shame.

I took a bite out of Flanagan’s calf. It was stringy, but I wasn’t complaining.

“I cannot express how very disappointed I am in you.” Oswald tried to sound tough, but when you’re all of eight inches and nothing but a marshmallow with a mouth, the effect is underwhelming. No one knows what Oswald is, or was. The best description I’ve come up with is a homunculus, which is another way for me to say I have no idea. I think I’d rather not know where he came from. It would most likely lead to trouble and Oswald is plenty of trouble already.

The sack rolled down the alley.

“What’s that?” Oswald said.

I licked the lep’s shin. Salty with just a hint of sweetness. It only made me hungrier.

“Hey, dummy!” Oswald shouted. “Let me remind you that you’re eating a leprechaun in the middle of Irish Town!”

I sprang up―as best a zombie can spring up, which meant I awkwardly repositioned my bones into a standing position. I stepped over to the sack and picked it up. I opened it but wasn’t prepared to find what I did.

Mr. Obvious said, “Is that a naked baby inside a glass jar?”

“I’m sorry for ever calling you a terrible detective, Oswald. You figured it out on the very first try.”

The dope smiled.

I stood the glass jar up. The baby looked at us with curious silver eyes.

“Maybe this is like those ships you find in bottles,” I said.
“How did you get in there, little guy?” Oswald asked.

The fact that he didn’t cry should have alarmed me, but I was still high from my leprechaun buffet. I wasn’t thinking straight.

The baby pointed at the top of the jar. He was a cute little fellow. Pink and soft and full of rolls. A mass of golden curls covered the top of his head. 

The observant marshmallow said, “I think he wants you to remove the glass stopper and let him out.”

The fact that the baby didn’t pop off the glass stopper himself should have made me wonder, but Oswald distracted me with his prattling.

I removed the stopper.

The hole certainly didn’t seem big enough for a baby to fit through, even a naked one, but that didn’t stop him.

He slid out of the bottle like he was a piece of taffy and, instead of falling onto the ground as a normal baby would, floated seven feet above the ground. The large, black wings that had unfurled from his back helped a lot with that, I think. The now-winged baby stopped just out of our reach, shot me a nasty look, gave me the finger, and disappeared into the blood-red sky of Pandemonium, going north. Bye-bye, evil baby.

I wasn’t able to conjure up one of my famous ripostes, though, because at that moment two irate leprechauns barreled towards us.

*********************************************

Author Bio: 

James Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap’n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe Tetris addiction while trying to write in the speculative fiction game. Demons, robots, dragons, superheroes…that sort of thing.

His short fiction has been published in such places as Nature’s Futures, The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2013-2014, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Weird Tales Magazine. His first novel should be out soon. Suffice it to say, things are going much better than his modeling career.

He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don’t hold that against him.

Teaser Tuesday (15): How to Murder My Life & The Queen of the Tearling

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR 

I think I'm addicted to Adderall," I sobbed. "I think I have a serious problem." There was silence on the other end. pg. 158

How to Murder Your Life Cat Marnell 

"We court danger here,Lady."murmured Mace.
"What danger?"
"Only a feeling.But my feelings on such matters are usually right." Pg.107

The Queen of the Tearling (The Queen of the Tearling #1)


by Erika Johansen

Top Ten Tuesday (40): Books I'm Looking Forward to In 2018

This week the topic for Top Ten Tuesday, is " Ten Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2018," 

let us discuss the wonderful books of 2018, that were so amazing we can wait to share with y'all!!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Jessica's Picks:

1. Tempests and Slaughter by Tamara Pierce, I really like the cover of this book! The title also has slaughter in it, this is my kind of book! But really it sounds cool, and I think it might be a trilogy. There is also backstabbing, possibly a love triangle, and death of course.

2. This Is Not a Love Letter by Kim Purcell, This book sounds pretty legit, it;s about a young black man, who has gone missing. His girlfriend is the only one who knows, that he was being targeted by his white male classmates. But he told no one, except his girlfriend. The story is told from her perspective. This is a must read!

3. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, This books sounds awesome, I have a special place in my heart for books about magic, love, possible death ugh! just love them~ Looking forward to reading this one!

4. The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw Loving the concept, it seems awesome, witches taking over weak hearted teens, luring young men to their death, My kind of book!!

5. Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge by Lisa Jensen This is a Beauty and Beast retelling, ugh! I love most B&B retellings, they're always awesome. I can't wait to read this book.

Melissa's Picks:

1.Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles  I really dig the cover of this cover of this book and the overall concept.

2.To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo Sirens are my favorite mythical creatures,so this book sounds right up my alley.I like the fact that To Kill a Kingdom seems like a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid.

3.A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena  A Girl Like That sounds like a beautiful and heartbreaking novel that I can't wait to get my hands on.

4.The Midnights by Sarah Nicole Smetana Contemporary coming of age stories are my jam.The Midnights sounds like a wonderful debut novel.

5. Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons #3) by Sarah J. Maas Catwoman is one of my favorite antiheroes and  I really dig Sarah J Maas so I can't wait to read this book.

Tell us which books you're looking forward to in 2018!! Drop a comment below!

Waiting on Wednesday(83): Sinless & Batman: Nightwalker

This lovely picture is borrowed from Thoughts on Tomes, you should check out her page!!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Jessica's Pick:

Title: Sineless (Eye of the Beholder #1)
Author:  Sarah Tarkoff
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: January 9th, 2018

In Grace Luther’s world, morality is physically enforced. Those who are "good" are blessed with beauty, while those who are not suffer horrifying consequences—disfigurement, or even death. When the cleric’s daughter stumbles onto information that proves her world is more complicated than it seems, she finds herself at the center of an epic battle where good and evil are not so easily distinguished. Despite all her efforts to live a normal teenage life, Grace is faced with a series of decisions that will risk the lives of everyone she loves.

Your morality is a deciding factor in how you look?? This is for all those beauty is only skin deep people lol!  I'm not sure if this the final cover but I love it. 

Melissa's Pick:

Title: Batman: Nightwalker

Author:  Marie Lu
Publisher: Random House Books

Release Date: January 2nd, 2018

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.

One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope.

In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.

I'm super jazzed about all the YA super hero adaptations!!

Teaser Tuesday(14) Vassa in the Night & Wonder Woman:Warbringer

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR 

"Night sees you, Vassa," he tells me at last. 

Is he trying to change the subject? "I guess the night sees everything. If it sees." pg.140

 Vassa in the Night Sarah Porter

"Mom and Dad were scientists,"protested Alia. "Were scientists. This is...this is a bunch of superstition.Bedtime stories."

Diana shook her head,but didn't look frustrated, just sad,almost pitying." Pg. 121

Wonder Woman Warbringer, Leigh Bardugo











These are the books we're currently reading. What are you reading??

Top Ten Tuesday (39): Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings....

This week the topic for Top Ten Tuesday, is " Ten Books you Hope Santa brings you," 

let us discuss the wonderful books of 2017, that were so amazing we can wait to share with y'all!!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Jessica's Picks:

1. The Forgotten Book by Mecthild Glaser, Honestly can't remember where I heard about this book but I really liked the concept. I love when the main character gets their way or someone's trying to kill them. This sounds like a popular girl who gets her way but now someone is possibly trying to kill her...
2. One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake, this book is described as dark, sibling rivalry for the throne?? Send this to me Santa!! I love a good competition, especially when only one can have the crown...This is the second book in the Three Dark Crown, I probably should read the first one..
3. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus,  Five teens enter detention only four leave, this book already sounds great. Death, rivalry, anger...my kind of book. Think breakfast club but with murder, I'm going to need this book asap.
4. Dear Martin by Nic Stone, I love the concept, Melissa actually told me about this book. I didn't read this book because I was reading The Hate U Give but I need to read this. I love the idea that he writes letters to Martin Luther King Jr, after reflecting about things in life, and his interactions, and run-ins with the police. Santa, I need this!

Melissa's Picks:

1. Helium by Rudy Fransisco This book of poems is the perfect size to be a stocking stuffer. So if Santa happens upon my blog I hope he takes  this post as a huge hint.
2. Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy by Ameriie & etc This book is an anthology by a lot of my favorite authors. I'm guessing that all of these characters belong on the naughty list, but I hope I've been nice enough to get a copy of this book.
3. Not Your Sidekick (Sidekick Squad #1)by C.B. Lee Lately I've been on a huge superheroes kick so I love to see this book under my tree this Christmas...Instead of mommy kissing Santa Claus.
4. Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor #1)by Mark Lawrence Murder,Intrigue,and Assassins sounds like a few of my favorite things...(to read about of course) This sounds like an excellent book to curl up and read on Christmas hopefully the jolly man in red can deliver!!  
5. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman Hot damn! I just found out about this book and I need to get my hands on it. I'd much rather read about the crazy family dynamics of Norse Gods than deal with my own this holiday season. 

Tell us which books you're hoping to get from Santa!

Review: Dumplin

Title: Dumplin
Author: Julie Murphy

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

*********************************

So Dumplin has been out for a while now but I never gave the book much thought until I heard it was going to be a movie.While looking though the books at the Texas Teen Book Fest I stumble upon a affordable signed copy of Dumplin I snatched it up and later I had a chance to get i personalized by the lovely Julie Murphy herself. It was a wonderful moment were I word vomited on her about how I liked her books and congratulated her on getting her book turned onto a movie.

Willowdean also known as Will is the type of main character that was a bit hard for me to like.I feel like this was mainly because while I love YA books, sometimes it's rough reading from a YA perspective. Will is brave,self consistences and a typical teen girl.What I liked about Willowdean and the other characters was how relate-able they all were. Willowdean decided to do the whole beauty pageant thing to get back some confidence and year that happened,but she also gained some friends and a new perspective on who she was and who the people around her are.

The cover is simple and cute,it really seems to fit with the story perfectly.I can not wait to read the companion book to Dumplin called Puddin that's coming out in 2018!!Also fun fact if you didn't already know Dumplin is being turned into a movie. I'd definitely recommend everyone check out the book before the movie.3.5/5

Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood

Title: In a dark, dark wood
Author: Ruth Ware
Publisher: Harvill Secker
Release Date: July 30th, 2015

What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.

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This was one of those airport finds, I had to choose between this book, poetry, and Snowman....This won for obvious reasons. I haven't read a thriller in quite sometime, so this was refreshing. I totally loved the simplicity of the cover, that's one of the reasons I choose this book. 

In a dark, dark wood, we meet Nora or Lee depends who is speaking at the moment. She is very much a loner, and when I say loner, I mean if there is no reason to have contact with the outside world Nora does not. So I probably should say hermit instead. Nora's life is simple wake up, make coffee, checks/answer email's,go for a morning run to clear her mind, shower, write a few chapters in her book, dinner, repeat cycle. This changes when Nora gets an email from someone she doesn't know, telling her that she is invited to a bachelorette party. Whose bachelorette party, someone she hasn't seen in ten years, and then she asks why? I don't want to give away too much of the book, but it was good.  Probably one of the best thrillers, I have read in some time. I found myself annoyed with the main character, most of the time. Lee could, and would not defend herself in most situations, unless she was talking to Nina. There were times when I had to put the book down because I was over Nora letting people, say/talk to her any way they wanted with no repercussions. I wish we could have learned more about Nina, but there wasn't time, she was a true friend to Nora the entire book. I thought this book was predictable but then WHAM plot twist, honestly didn't see it coming. This is like single white female, if they were childhood friends, now reunited, and getting married....Let that sink in 4/5

If you can go buy this book out, or check-it out from your local library, it's going to be a movie but i suggest reading the book first. Also the cover just screams I'm lost, I love simplicity.

Available for purchase at Amazon~Barnes and Noble

Waiting on Wednesday(82): The Hazel Wood & The Queen's Rising

This lovely picture is borrowed from Thoughts on Tomes, you should check out her page!!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for..

Melissa's Pick:

Title: The Hazel Wood
Author:  Melissa Albert
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: Jan 30, 2018

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

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Jessica's Pick:

Title: The Queen's Rising (Untitled Trilogy #1) 

Author: Rebecca Ross
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 6th, 2018

When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron.

Growing up in the southern Kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her for such a life. While some are born with an innate talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she belatedly chose to study knowledge. However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—the solstice does not go according to plan and she is left without a patron.

Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, and with no other choices, she accepts. But there is much more to his story, and Brienna soon discovers that he has sought her out for his own vengeful gain. For there is a dangerous plot being planned to overthrow the king of Maevana—the archrival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved—some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing between the two lands, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. The ultimate decision Brienna must determine is: Who will be that queen?

Don't you just love the cover?? Brienna will hopefully make the wrong choice, I'm hoping someone gets their heart broken lol! 

These are the books we're excited for, drop a comment below and let us know what you're waiting for!!