From Drafts: Recap of the Texas Teen Book Festival 2017!!

 Disclaimer & Note: The Texas teen book fest has been discontinued and has not happened since before 2020 now there is a small teen section at the Texas book festival in downtown Austin instead of having its own separate event and day.

 Also this post was created in 2017 and is now being updated years later because I was clearing out our drafts

Last year in 2017 Melissa, and I got the chance to volunteer at the Texas Teen Book Fest . This was my (Jessica's) first time ever volunteering at a Book Fest, Melissa attended the fest the previous year. Needless to say neither of us were prepared for our lovely 8:00 am shift we decided to volunteer for. Here we are at 8:00 am pumped and ready to.....we actually just signed up for shifts, and hoped for the best. By far one the most awesome things that happened, I saw JASON REYNOLDS across the way. We HAD a MOMENT! He doesn't know but ehh, he totally waved which means he acknowledged I was there. How did I know it was him...the hair! The bigger the hair the closer to GOD, they say. This probably kept me going through the entire day, even when I got a chance to meet Renee Watson, I was still on a high from waving to Jason. What did I do in front of Ms.Watson, I fan-girled, super hard. Like " you don't know me, but I am a huge fan, you're awesome, can't wait to read your book, now I'm done talking..." I also got a chance to meet Renee Watson, she is amaz-ing!

This was my(Melissa's)second year attending the Texas Teen Book Fest, and first year volunteering at the fest. I had a blast despite getting up earlier than needed for our 8 am volunteer shift. It was a bit rough at first neither Jessica, and I are what you would call morning people. Luckily we were placed at the info tent with some pretty cool people,who we befriended. I even got to hold a giant lollipop looking sign that said ask me...which doesn't sound that cool but where I was placed was directly where a lot of the authors walked by for the first keynote speaker. I got to see Adam Silvera, Jason Reynolds, E.Lockhart, and Stephanie Perkins all walk by, unlike Jessica I did not wave to my favorite authors but that's fine I got to meet Adam Silvera later on...It was hella awkward and I word vomited all over him.I told him that I loved his books and followed him on twitter  and was a huge fan*sigh* I never know what to say to authors. It was great but I was a total weirdo and it didn't help that Jessica was being her usual self (a mess) and helped make things weird.

Just like the year before  the Texas Teen Book Fest in 2017 had awesome panels, keynote speaker, and pretty kick-ass cosplay.The majority of the day was spent volunteering but on our down time we got to browse all the vendor stands,check out the books for sale,and meet all the authors at signing/just walking around!! We even got to check out a few panels and see the last keynote speaker JASON REYNOLDS  !!!One thing that was not like the year before was the fact that I spoke to more than one Author!!!

All in all It was a good time.

Rip Texas teen book fest

Adults Reading Ya Novels?!?!

Recently Jessica has sent me a link about how adults should be embarrassed to read YA books.When I read this I was just sitting there confused as hell. This is a quote from the article, : "Read whatever you want. But you should feel embarrassed when what you’re reading was written for children."
Um...excuse me I read YA as adult and I'm not all that embarrassed...yes at 18 I took a stroll down the adult fiction isle thinking that I need to move past YA novels( and I still do from time time') but I have moved on from feeling embarrassed; it is what it is, I like what I like.I find no reason to be shamed by what I like. Yes, on occasion I find my self rolling my eyes at certain situations found in YA but it isn't a huge thing.YA books are on this beautiful spectrum where you can find something for 13 yrs olds to 25-30 year olds. You can find pretty juvenile books that border on middle grade to the steamy so called hip New Adult books that border on adult fiction.(only because they include the 20something gang and sex)

Yes, I agree that YA books and that community is for young adults but there nothing wrong with adults being there. There are plenty of articles that are similar to Ruth Graham and I feel like we need to move away from the idea that an adults reading YA is shameful or that certain types of books are lesser than others.

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Honestly, I had no idea that people felt this way nor do I care about how others feel about books I choose to read. Yes, I could read New Adult but I don't, not really my genre haha! But really Ruth Graham's article is talking about two specific books "The Fault in Our Stars, and Elanor and Park", I have read neither nor do I plan on reading them... Ruth has issues that these books are becoming movies because we ADULTS are reading YA...I'm not sure it works that way, sometimes the movie rights are bought before the book even comes out. Ruth herself stated in her NPR interview that "the best YA is much richer than, and more sophisticated than I give them credit for..." Ruth is simply saying that her opinion is her opinion even if it is unwarranted, and we should listen because her voice matters?? I'm being dramatic but whatever. Ruth has an issue when ADULTS read "teen love stories" me too but I can't tell you, that you should be embarrassed to read them. I think people should be embarrassed to read fiftyshadesofbland but I keep that to myself...Maybe Ruth was tired of all the fiftyshadesofbland slander , When Ruth states ya is a guilty pleasure for ADULTS..Personally I don't like the idea of  YA being a "guilty pleasure", I just like the books..

Waiting on Wednesday (80): The Speaker & Ink, Iron, and Glass

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.. 

Title:  The Speaker (book 2 of Sea of Ink and Gold) 

Author: Traci Chee

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books

Release Date: November 7th, 2017

Having barely escaped the clutches of the Guard, Sefia and Archer are back on the run, slipping into the safety of the forest to tend to their wounds and plan their next move. Haunted by painful memories, Archer struggles to overcome the trauma of his past with the impressors, whose cruelty plagues him whenever he closes his eyes. But when Sefia and Archer happen upon a crew of impressors in the wilderness, Archer finally finds a way to combat his nightmares: by hunting impressors and freeing the boys they hold captive.

With Sefia’s help, Archer travels across the kingdom of Deliene rescuing boys while she continues to investigate the mysterious Book and secrets it contains. But the more battles they fight, the more fights Archer craves, until his thirst for violence threatens to transform him from the gentle boy Sefia knows to a grim warrior with a cruel destiny. As Sefia begins to unravel the threads that connect Archer’s fate to her parents’ betrayal of the Guard so long ago, she and Archer must figure out a way to subvert the Guard’s plans before they are ensnared in a war that will pit kingdom against kingdom, leaving their future and the safety of the entire world hanging in the balance.

I love the cover, I've been waiting for the second book for months!

If you haven't read The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold #1) definitely should check it out!

Title: Ink, Iron, and Glass

Author: Gwendolyn Clare

Publisher: Macmillan/Imprint

Release Date: February 20,2018

A certain pen, a certain book, and a certain person can craft entirely new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. Elsa comes from one such world that was written into creation by her mother—a noted scriptologist.

But when her home is attacked and her mother abducted, Elsa must cross into the real world and use her own scriptology gifts to find her. In an alternative 19th-century Italy, Elsa finds a secret society of pazzerellones—young people with a gift for mechanics, alchemy or scriptology—and meets Leo, a gorgeous mechanist with a smart mouth and a tragic past. She recruits the help of these fellow geniuses just as an assassin arrives on their doorstep.

In this thrilling debut, worlds collide as Elsa unveils a deep political conspiracy seeking to unlock the most dangerous weapon ever created—and only she can stop it.

                                    So that's what we're waiting on this Wednesday. 
                                    How about you? Leave a link and let us know :)

Review: Long Way Down

Title: Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy 
Release Date: October 17 ,2017

A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.

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Please stop and READ this book!!! OMG! I read this book in an hour, I am still mad, I didn't take my time. I don't even know where to begin, I put this book on my waiting for Wednesday because I loved the concept. Then I volunteered for a book fest, where Mr. Reynolds was present,  there I bought the book, he signed it. I read the book the next day.... I loved everything about this book, the cover, characters, setting, and imagery. It's hard to find books/authors that you relate to but Jason Reynolds does it every time! I am sadden to say this is the first book I have ever read by Jason Reynolds but it will not be my last. After I finished this book, I contacted my younger cousin, and told him he needs to read this book. I'll stop there but this book is everything. 

Will has three rules to follow taught to him by his older brother; No crying. No snitching. Get revenge. Will does what every member in has family has done before him follow the rules. As Will goes to follow the rules, he encounters his fears on the way to the lobby, those from his past who have died because of gun violence. Most of the books I read, after I'm done with them I can walk away knowing damn that's a great story. But not with this book, I found myself asking what happens to Will? Speaking of Will his innocence can be felt throughout the book on every page. He only has one goal in mind, “revenge” but the question becomes is it worth it? Can you do what needs to be done? Are you sure he is the suspect? What would YOU do? Did I mention that the book is written in verse? For those of you who think that this is just a story it's not this is someones, tomorrow, yesterday, and today. Gun violence is a real problem, it destroys everyone's life not just the person with the gun. Long Way Down shows you that one decision can change your whole life but it's a never ending cycle. Loved, the book from beginning to end, I'm hoping there is a sequel (hint, hint)! Do yourself a favor, and read this book! Word to the wise don't sleep on Jason Reynolds. 

Waiting on Wednesday (79): Malice of Crows & The Wicker King

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.. 

Title: Malice of Crows (The Shadow)

Author: Lila Bowmen

Release Date: October 31st

Publisher: Orbit

The sequel to Conspiracy of Ravens and third novel in Lila Bowen's widely-acclaimed Shadow series.

The Ranger known as Rhett has shut down a terrible enterprise running on the blood of magical folk, but failed to catch the dark alchemist behind it. And now the Shadow refuses to let him rest.

Rhett must make the ultimate transformation if he has any hope of stopping the alchemist or fulfilling his destiny; he must become the leader of a new Rangers outpost. 

To save his friends, and the lives of countless others, he'll first have to lead them on a mission more dangerous than anything they've ever faced. 

You should also check out the other books in the series:

Wake of Vultures (The Shadow 1)

Conspiracy of Ravens (The Shadow 2)

I love the cover! I also feel that the cover has three bird leafs, in reference to this being the 3rd book in the series...I can see myself reading the entire series. 

Title: The Wicker King
Author: K. Ancrum

Release Date: October 31, 2017

Publisher: Imprint 

Jack once saved August's life…now can August save him?

August is a misfit with a pyro streak and Jack is a golden boy on the varsity rugby team—but their intense friendship goes way back. Jack begins to see increasingly vivid hallucinations that take the form of an elaborate fantasy kingdom creeping into the edges of the real world. With their parents’ unreliable behavior, August decides to help Jack the way he always has—on his own. He accepts the visions as reality, even when Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy.

August and Jack alienate everyone around them as they struggle with their sanity, free falling into the surreal fantasy world that feels made for them. In the end, each one must choose his own truth.

Written in vivid micro-fiction with a stream-of-consciousness feel and multimedia elements, The Wicker King touches on themes of mental health and explores a codependent relationship fraught with tension, madness and love.

So that's what we're waiting on this Wednesday.So how about you? Leave a link and let us know. :)

Review: Into White

Title: Into White

Author: Randi Pink

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Release Date: September 13, 2017

When a black teenager prays to be white and her wish comes true, her journey of self-discovery takes shocking--and often hilarious--twists and turns in this debut that people are sure to talk about.

LaToya Williams lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and attends a mostly white high school. She's so low on the social ladder that even the other black kids disrespect her. Only her older brother, Alex, believes in her. At least, until a higher power answers her only prayer--to be "anything but black." And voila! She wakes up with blond hair, blue eyes, and lily white skin. And then the real fun begins . . .

Randi Pink's debut dares to explore provocative territory. One thing's for sure--people will talk about this book. 

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Stopped to check this book out because of the cover, I love it! I'm pretty sure I read this book in one sitting, not even gonna lie. It happens sometimes I just get really into books, and can't put them down. 

LaToya is uncomfortable with her body, her dark skin, her hair, and she thinks being white will make it better. We get to see why LaToya has body issues, and how she tries to "fix" herself, even though there is nothing wrong with her. I found Toya to be funny, charming at times, and also very annoying, everything you expect from a high-schooler. Toya thought being white would be better but she soon learns that, that is not the case at all. While being white Toya has to deal with completely different issues, and problems. Toya also to deal with her brother, who is her protector, and best friend coming to terms with her being white. Randi talks about racism, almost being raped, black and white culture. There were some scenes that hit home, most of the black characters were victimized, and stereotyped. Randi is able to talk about a topic no one wants to hear "some people hate/discriminate against others because of there skin color," I get it no one wants to hear/see this but it is real. No matter what or how you believe it is true people hate others for how they were born. Some may even say it's not your color but how you act does that make it better? No, but Toya has to come to terms that there is nothing wrong with her. Toya is finally able to see that  there is nothing wrong her brother, he is just  different, he is happy. Toya dealt with some of the same issues I did, as far as body image issues go. Randi was able to create a perfect relationship between brother and sister, I loved them! This book is full of comedy, even with the serious topics discussed. Did I mention RANDI explored Black Fraternities, and Sororities, loved it! I hope there is a sequel where Toya goes to college, and joins a sorority. 5/5

Review: Ahgottahandleonit

Title: Ahgottahandleonit

Author: Donovan Mixon

Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press

“Tim's a struggling black kid on the mean streets of Newark.

How far can he run? Where can he hide?”

What is innocence? Where does it go? Tim doesn't read as well as his classmates in an inner-city Newark high school. He's got good street cred, though, riffing strange rap-rhymes and running like the wind. He's packed into a three-flat with his mother, sister and Uncle Gentrale. His father, a drunk, recently walked out on the family, wanting some "freedom." He says, "Ahgottahandleonit, son." He doesn't. Nor does Tim. He's a sophomore, already two years behind in school. He'll be a sophomore again if he doesn't pass his proficiency exam. He wants to do what is right, but anger boils deep inside him. The last day of school before summer, Tim slaps Mr. Jones, the one teacher who has wanted to help. He doesn't know why. It was just there, a rage born of some dark history. Uncle Gentrale tries to explain, some crazy shit about living back down south. Marie reaches out to him for love, but that doesn't work either. In a fight with some gang bangers, the rage boils over and Tim slams Chucky in the head with a rock. Chucky dies. Tim steals his phone. He carries it, like an albatross, throughout the summer—wanting to run, to hide, to speak truth, to be free. Maybe Mr. Jones will understand. Tim wants his life to matter.

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I randomly picked this book during a weekly trip to the library, read the synopsis, and checked out the book. This book is real, real issues, real concepts, real problems, and real life. I truly enjoyed this book. Besides doesn’t the cover just make you stop? LOL

When I first started reading this book, it was difficult to follow, there was a lot of re-reading. Tim is an emotional young man, who is trying to pass high school. But he's two years older than everyone in his grade due to being held back twice. We learn that Tim's dad left the family, and his mom works nonstop to keep the family afloat. We get to see how Tim balances trying to be there for his family, and staying out of trouble. He has issues the local gang members, and which leads to Tim harming someone. To see the guilt eating away at Tim but also giving a sense of worth is something to read about. Donovan Mixon was able to incorporate poetry into Tim’s story, and we see how Tim’s father can’t be a father due to his childhood. Being able to hear about the background of Tim’s dad was a plus for me. We see that Tim’s father has not dealt with things from his childhood, therefore he cannot be a husband or father or brother. When it becomes too much he leaves, he would rather drink then face the truth of his past. I loved this book because I could relate to the struggles Tim, and his family went through. While reading this book, you just want to see Tim to win. Anything that could go wrong does, and there are times that his guilt almost destroyed him. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I loved the poetry, and characters. 5/5

13 Frightful YA Novels {31 Days of Halloween}

13 Frightful YA Novels brought to you by I'd Rather Be Reading 

Reader beware, you're in for a scare...

Here are 13 YA novels that are sure to give you a scare, thrill, nightmare and possible symptoms of a heart attack... ENJOY!

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs. 

The Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

The Ravenous By Amy Lukavics

From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn't quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away, and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression.

When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they'll go to keep their family together. 

There's Someone Inside Your House By Stephanie Perkins

Scream meets YA in this hotly-anticipated new novel from the bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss.

One-by-one, the students of Osborne High are dying in a series of gruesome murders, each with increasing and grotesque flair. As the terror grows closer and the hunt intensifies for the killer, the dark secrets among them must finally be confronted.

The Monstrumologist By Rick Yancey 

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?

The Girl From the Well By Tin Chupeco

Okiku is a lonely soul. She has wandered the world for centuries, freeing the spirits of the murdered-dead. Once a victim herself, she now takes the lives of killers with the vengeance they're due. But releasing innocent ghosts from their ethereal tethers does not bring Okiku peace. Still she drifts on.

Such is her existence, until she meets Tark. Evil writhes beneath the moody teen's skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. While his neighbors fear him, Okiku knows the boy is not a monster. Tark needs to be freed from the malevolence that clings to him. There's just one problem: if the demon dies, so does its host. 

Amity By Micol Ostow 

When Connor's family moves to Amity, a secluded house on the peaceful banks of New England's Concord River, his nights are plagued with gore-filled dreams of demons. destruction, and revenge. Dreams he kind of likes. Dreams he could make real, with Amity's help.

Ten years later, Gwen's family moves to Amity for a fresh start. Instead, she's haunted by lurid visions, disturbing voices, and questions about her own sanity. But with her history, who would ever believe her? And what could be done if they did?

Because Amity isn't just a house. She is a living force, bent on manipulating her inhabitants to her twisted will. She will use Connor and Gwen to bring about a violent end as she's done before. As she'll do again. And again. 

The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova

Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters. The letters are all addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," and they plunge her into a world she never dreamed of—a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an inconceivable evil hidden in the depths of history. 

The letters provide links to one of the darkest powers that humanity has ever known—and to a centuries-long quest to find the source of that darkness and wipe it out. It is a quest for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler whose barbarous reign formed the basis of the legend of Dracula. Generations of historians have risked their reputations, their sanity, and even their lives to learn the truth about Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. Now one young woman must decide whether to take up this quest herself—to follow her father in a hunt that nearly brought him to ruin years ago, when he was a vibrant young scholar and her mother was still alive. 

What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the Dracula of myth truly existed—and that he has lived on, century after century, pursuing his own unknowable ends? The answers to these questions cross time and borders, as first the father and then the daughter search for clues, from dusty Ivy League libraries to Istanbul, Budapest, and the depths of Eastern Europe. In city after city, in monasteries and archives, in letters and in secret conversations, the horrible truth emerges about Vlad the Impaler's dark reign—and about a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive down through the ages. 

 The Madman's Daughter By Megan Shepherd

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.


When I cast your shadow By Sarah Porter

Ruby. Haunted by her dead brother, unable to let him go, Ruby must figure out whether his nightly appearances in her dreams are the answer to her prayers—or a nightmare come true…

Everett. He’s always been jealous of his dashing older brother. Now Everett must do everything he can to save his twin sister Ruby from Dashiell’s clutches.

Dashiell. Charming, handsome, and manipulative, Dash has run afoul of some very powerful forces in the Land of the Dead. His only bargaining chips are Ruby and Everett. At stake is the very survival of the Bohnacker family, bodies and souls… 

Anna Dressed in Blood By Kendare BlakeCas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. Yet she spares Cas's life.

Blood and Salt By Kim Liggett

These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira, Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks of this village lost to time.

Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality. Charming traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn to Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.

As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making, Ash must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth about Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.

Another Little Piece By Kate Karyus Quinn

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past

Pet Sematary By Stephen King

When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son—and now an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all…right down to the friendly cat.

But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth—more terrifying than death itself...and hideously more powerful.

The Creeds are going to learn that sometimes dead is better.

#OwnVoices

So recently I stumbled across the hashtag #ownvoices after looking into to it and reading a few articles regarding the hashtag and the idea behind it I decided to make a list inspired by it. The hashtag #ownvoices on Twitter, was created by author Corinne Duyvis) 

All the books that i listed our depicting marginalized characters, featuring authors from those same backgrounds. There's a wonder article on BookRiot all about the hashtag #ownvoices that I loved it is written by it's guest post from Lamar Giles. Lamar writes novels and short stories for teens and adults. Reading Our #OWNVOICES

Title:Gabi,Girl In Pieces

Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy's pregnancy, Sebastian's coming out, the cute boys, her father's meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.

Fun fact I've read this book and about died.When I say I about died I mean that in a good way...Gabi,A Girl In Pieces is an excellent book i'd recommend to anyone.

Title:More Than Happy Not
Author: Adam Silvera

In the months after his father's suicide, it's been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again--but he's still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he's slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely. 

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron's crew notices, and they're not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can't deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. 
Why does happiness have to be so hard?

I have yet to read this book,despite receiving an advance copy and having it on my book shelf for quite some time.I have no idea why I'm stalling especially since I have heard nothing nut wonderful things about More Than Happy Not.My goal is to start/finish this book by the end of  this month.

Title:It Ain't So Awful Falafel
Author: Firoozeh Dumas
Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy. It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even mood rings and puka shell necklaces can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the best-selling Funny in Farsi.



Recently heard about this and it sounds adorable.






Title:Two Boys Kissing
Author:David LevithanNew York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS.

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other. 


David Levithan is on my must read list so I definitely feel like I need to read two boys kissing.However even if it wasn't written by David Levithan  I would probably still want to read this book.




Title:Labyrinth Lost
Author: Zoraida Córdova

Nothing says Happy Birthday like summoning the spirits of your dead relatives.

I fall to my knees. Shattered glass, melted candles and the outline of scorched feathers are all that surround me. Every single person who was in my house – my entire family — is gone.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she can’t trust. A boy whose intentions are as dark as the strange markings on his skin.

The only way to get her family back is to travel with Nova to Los Lagos, a land in-between, as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland…

Brujas,magic.and that cover...Gahh why wouldn't people want to read Labyrinth Lost.