tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73087022297216263032023-11-16T19:06:41.938+08:00Reading WishesRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.comBlogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-7293222945513213642015-12-21T19:28:00.002+08:002015-12-21T19:28:57.552+08:00Goodbye For Now<div class="bookMeta">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To ease your pain, I present you with David Tennant and his cute face.</td></tr>
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I’ve been kind of avoiding writing this post because even though I know it’s the right decision, these words are not easy to type. I’ve never been a frequent organised blogger, but you’ve probably noticed I haven’t been around much of late. The truth is, I think I’ve been pushing myself to read for a while now and it’s caught up with me. As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve lost that reading spark that I first started out with. And as a lifelong reader, it’s very saddening to have come to that point. As the year comes to a close, challenge signups come out and the excitement for the books 2016 releases grows, it makes me want to stay. on. Things just look brighter and shiny at the start of a new year, I suppose.<br />
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I’m going miss being a blogger in this amazing community so very much. Whether you're a long time follower or someone who stops by now and then, thanks for visiting, comments that brighten my day and for your friendship. <3<br />
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Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean I’ll be gone for good though. I’ll still be around on Twitter and please do reach out and say hey. Promise me, OK? And of course, I’ll still be visiting blogs when I get the chance. You can't get rid of me that easily.<br />
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Next year I plan to fall back in love with reading.</div>
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<i>Paper beneath my fingertips, </i></div>
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<i>the sound of flickering pages, </i></div>
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<i>head stuck in a book</i></div>
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<b>What are your 2016 plans? </b>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-25564803256787853712015-12-15T20:00:00.000+08:002015-12-19T11:16:23.954+08:00It's A Wrap! | Dive Into Diversity<div class="bookMeta">
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<b>I can't believe that this post is the last one of the year! We've come to the end of Dive Into Diveristy and I must say as a host, it's been quite the ride. Lots of learning, growing and reading good books. I hope you've enjoyed the challenge, our posts and most of all, that it encouraged you to expand your TBRs and read more diversely. For our last post, Estelle and I wanted to reflect on the challenge and year, so we've interviewed each other for some fun. I hope you enjoy her answers below and if you'd like to read my interview, click over <a href="http://ratherbereadingblog.com/we-did-it-dive-into-diversity-farewell"><span id="goog_317286851"></span>here<span id="goog_317286852"></span></a>.</b><br />
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<b>Lastly, thanks to all the participants and awesome people who have followed along. Keep reading diversely because we still need diverse books and they matter. And to Estelle and Magan: thanks for co-hosting with me! I couldn't have done it without you <3</b></div>
<b>Hosting Dive Into Diversity has been a learning curve for me, as I’m sure it has been for you, too. What’s been the biggest challenge for you?</b><br />
Honestly? Keeping up with the movement. There is *so* much going on beyond We Need Diverse Books, and all of it is so important. It’s almost a bit overwhelming because when you are planning a challenge like this one, you want to be knowledgeable and have the time to do research, but there are so many different avenues – it would take forever. I’m so glad to see this conversation is happening so frequently though. It’s great.<br />
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<b>Time to rewind and reflect: Favourite DID post of the year?</b><br />
Of yours, I loved: <a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/dive-into-diversity-how-diverse-are.html" target="_blank">how diverse are your shelves?</a> For ours, I had so much fun with my <a href="http://ratherbereadingblog.com/tag/interview-with-ya-diversity-book-club" target="_blank">YA Diversity Book Club interview</a>.<br />
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<b>Recommendation time: Top three favourite diverse books you’ve read this year. Plus, an underrated pick we should all bump up our TBRs.</b><br />
A toughie! <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21490991-the-boy-in-the-black-suit" target="_blank">The Boy in the Black Suit</a> by Jason Reynolds (who is a genius); <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079898-the-secret-side-of-empty?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">The Secret Side of Empty</a> by Maria E. Andreu; <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23718736-cut-both-ways?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Cut Both Ways</a> by Carrie Mesrobian. I think all of these are underrated but I’m all for recommending a fourth book: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20578939-kinda-like-brothers?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Kinda Like Brothers</a> by Coe Booth.<br />
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<b>From reading diverse books and listening to marginalised groups voice their thoughts, it’s been a year full of learning and growing for me. What’s something you've learnt over the past year?</b><br />
There are so many ways to look at “diversity”; no one story is alike. I hope that these campaigns and conversations reach those who are outside of the “book bubble” and readers start asking questions about why their experiences aren’t reflected in the books they are reading. It’s one thing for all of us to be blogging about it and for there to be articles in trade magazines, but I hope the reader in a classroom realizes they have the power to question the lack of diversity in the stories they are seeing at school and in their library.<br />
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<b>We’ve seen good progress since the We Need Diverse Books campaign launched and this past year has seen a number of diverse titles published and do well - but we’ve still got room to improve. What do you think is next for diversity in lit?</b><br />
I think I sort of answered it in the above question. Going beyond what has happened so far is important. The diversity conversation has the power the engage young kids who are curious about others, want to learn about the world, and also want to feel like their own story is important and worth telling. Everyone deserves to pick up a book that speaks to them.
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-83446308834497013212015-12-11T19:30:00.001+08:002015-12-11T19:30:59.578+08:00Chatting 2015 Favourites<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
I may not have read a whole heap this year, but there have been quite a few spectacular titles that <i>absolutely</i> blew me away. And so as the end of year approaches, I knew I couldn’t go without posting about my absolute favourites and why I think they’re <u>must reads</u> that shouldn’t slip under your radar. Without further ado, the top 3 (plus a sneaky extra) nominations go to:</div>
<b><a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/nerding-out-simon-vs-homo-sapiens.html" target="_blank">Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli</a></b><br />
My very first favourite book of the year and 8 months later, Simon still has a hold of my heart and I don’t see that changing - ever. I’ve talked your ear off about Simon quite a bit this year, but if you still haven’t read it and need convincing… This book is special, heartfelt, heart-warming and a joy to read. It made my heart happy and put a smile on my face. Simon’s voice is genuine and real; the kind of character you want to be friends with. If you want to make me happy, go read this. Then come join the Becky Albertalli fan club where we meet every Tuesday to talk books and drink Oreo milkshakes<b>*</b>. I also recommend you munch on Oreos when you read it - trust me on this.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/review-rest-of-us-just-live-here-by.html" target="_blank">The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness</a></b><br />
This book is beyond amazing. I was originally interested in this because I got a (not so) Buffy vibe from reading the blurb and after that, I was sold. Let’s just say, this book blew my expectations out of the water and gave me more than I could ever have hoped for. Simply, this book is dreamy and Patrick Ness is hella talented. The writing, the characters, the originality - it’s all here and done effortlessly. This guy is a pro and you should pick this one up is what I’m saying.<br />
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<b><a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/review-just-visiting-by-dahlia-adler.html" target="_blank">Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler</a></b><br />
This book is amazing and since it’s not as popular as the other two titles, I will now caps you, so you don’t miss what I’m saying because YOU NEED THIS BOOK and you probably don’t even know it yet. The friendship between Reagan and Vic is what YA has been lacking. There’s questioning, growing and figuring out and whether you’re a YA or an A, I think you’ll be able to relate. And even if you don’t, I think you’ll liked it nonetheless. I’ve read all of Dahlia's books and I’ve enjoyed/loved them all, but this one takes the cake for me. This might sound really weird, but when I finished reading it, I felt proud. I’ve followed her since before her debut released and I can already see how much she’s grown as an author, which makes me even more excited to read her future work.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjA6Iu7xtPJAhXF6aYKHZKgA4YQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F20743633-the-last-leaves-falling&usg=AFQjCNE-tW7Fy9UPXWWSf4TYi0L8hYVz1w&sig2=DrFarqdVI5E201kj3v9Ziw" target="_blank">The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell</a></b><br />
So…I read this one late last year, but it released this year so I’m allowing it. After all, I’m in charge and I make the rules in that there all no rules. Getting back to it, I’ve mentioned this book a lot, but never reviewed it. Not because I forget to, but because for reasons, namely being it felt too close to try and put into words why this book meant so much to me. It’s not a light book, it tackles tough subjects, but Sora is an unforgettable character and his story won’t leave you anytime soon. (If you do take on my recommendation, as much as I adore the US edition, buy the UK/red cover. I heard they’ve changed some things in the US ed. and from what I’ve heard, it maybe doesn’t best suit the book.)<br />
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*I wish. Can we make this a reality?<br />
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<b>Now it's your turn - tell me your favourite books of the year! Have you read any of these? If you haven't, I hope I've convinced you to pick them up and that you end up loving them as much as I did. </b>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-43648590104922700572015-11-24T20:00:00.000+08:002015-11-24T20:00:02.543+08:00Dive Into Diversity: OzYA Recs<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83IL0STSXtdQXn7wZ3h9AVleMrJ5u2My_bunDkGsfZCH6qOs0z6lR4wAng3M9s_K81CqaYzReCehXTow0hyphenhyphenMQYE1bP1IpsHFFviTKLaiWhIZl3t28KfccvbeAvzyHTYnSGMGJjDxgIH0U/s1600/diveintodiversity.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83IL0STSXtdQXn7wZ3h9AVleMrJ5u2My_bunDkGsfZCH6qOs0z6lR4wAng3M9s_K81CqaYzReCehXTow0hyphenhyphenMQYE1bP1IpsHFFviTKLaiWhIZl3t28KfccvbeAvzyHTYnSGMGJjDxgIH0U/s640/diveintodiversity.png" width="640" /></a>Diversity in lit is taking strides. We’ve seen some great titles released just this year and it’s a movement that is still going strong since We Need Diverse Books was launched in 2014. But here in Australia, there is still a gaping hole when it comes to diversity and we still have a way to go. I’ll be the first admit that Australian authors are some of the best, but this is one area where we need to improve on. Aussie authors including <a href="http://theconversation.com/telling-the-real-story-diversity-in-young-adult-literature-46268" target="_blank">Ambelin Kwaymullina</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2014/nov/27/migrant-teens-deserve-their-own-young-adult-fiction" target="_blank">Sarah Ayoub</a>, <a href="http://www.welovethisbook.com/features/why-diversity-matters-an-aussie-perspective" target="_blank">Rebecca Lim</a> and <a href="http://gabriellewang.com/growing-up-all-i-wanted-to-be-was-white/" target="_blank">Gabrielle Wang</a> have previously spoken about this issue. Book reviewer <a href="http://www.killyourdarlingsjournal.com/2012/12/you-are-not-alone-why-we-need-more-indigenous-writers-and-characters-in-australian-ya/" target="_blank">Danielle Binks</a> has also written posts on the subject, hearing from <a href="http://www.killyourdarlingsjournal.com/article/we-read-to-know-we-are-not-alone-examining-the-lack-of-lgbtqi-characters-in-australian-youth-literature/" target="_blank">Erin Gough and Eli Glasman</a>.<br />
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We’re having conversations and getting people thinking, and that’s a great place to start. In the mean time however, we have some brilliant diverse titles published and we need to do our bit by supporting the books we <i>do</i> have at our fingertips. So today I’d like to welcome my good friend Rachel (blogger @ <a href="https://thetometravellers.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">The Tome Travellers</a>) to the blog, who has a list of awesome recommendations to share with you all. Get your TBRs and wallets ready and don’t forget to link up you reviews below. Happy reading!<br />
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<i>P.S. Attention Int'l friends: If you're having trouble finding these, <a href="https://www.fishpond.com.au/" target="_blank">Fishpond</a> ships internationally, so you can shop to your hearts content! (I am a terrible enabler...but supporting the Aussie industry. I'm sure it all balances out.)</i></div>
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11560914-whisper" target="_blank">Whisper by Chrissie Keighery</a> - </b><b>August 2011</b><br />
Whisper is about a teenager, Demi, who went profoundly deaf about 18 months prior to where her story starts off. I can’t even remember why I decided to read it, but I’d never read a book about deafness before and I wanted to fix that. I’m so glad I did, because I was so invested all the way through and it makes me sad that this book is so underrated. It’s a moving story about Demi navigating all the things teenagers struggles with – there’s some family and friend issues that are beautifully dealt with - and coming to accept herself as a deaf person and realising that it’s not a bad thing, it’s just who she is now. I really, really liked it (in fact, writing this little paragraph right now is making me want to re-read it something fierce) and I think it’s a perfect candidate for the quietYA hashatag. Chuck it on your TBRs, please and thank you.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/2012%20-%20https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15464101-grace-beside-me" target="_blank">Grace Beside Me by Sue McPherson</a> - 2012</b><br />
Fuzzy McCardell ‘Fuzzy Mac’ is an aboriginal girl being raised by her grandparents in the small country town of Laurel Dale. Her story starts off in the year 2007, the year of Kevin Rudd’s national apology to the stolen generation. So while I personally didn’t connect to the story all that much, I loved Fuzzy. Her voice was so unique and fresh – I adored her observations and descriptions of the people in her life, the quirky and unique people of Laurel Dale. In fact, I’d say the final page of this book is probably the best final page I’ve read all year, so I want you all to read it, and experience it for yourselves.<br />
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<i><b>**</b> </i>Nona and Me by Clare Atkins was published this year, but as it’s told from the perspective of a white girl living in an Aboriginal community, I thought Grace Beside Me was more appropriate for this post as it’s written by an Aboriginal woman with an Aboriginal MC.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17155735-alex-as-well" target="_blank">Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman</a> - </b><b>Jan 2013</b><br />
Alex is a 15 yr old who was born with both female and male parts. Her parents chose to raise her as a male but she has always felt like a girl. After an incident at her current school, she decides to start fresh in more ways than one - she moves to a different school and also starts dressing as a female. It’s been a few years since I read this book now, and I’ll be honest when I say it wasn’t one I loved. I liked and enjoyed it at the time, but much of the story has faded from my memory and I don’t know if I want to read it again (please keep in mind this is only how I feel – other bloggers I know loved it). I want you, dear reader, to read it though, because it features an intersex MC. I’ve never EVER read a YA featuring one, which only emphasises that we NEED books featuring MAIN characters that are representative of every sexuality that LGBTQIA encompasses. I believe Alex As Well has been published in the US and it’s of course available in Australia, so please seek it out and read it, it’s an important one.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/July%202014%20-%20https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20929510-the-boy-s-own-manual-to-being-a-proper-jew" target="_blank">The Boy’s Own Manual To Being A Proper Jew by Eli Glasman</a> - July 2014</b><br />
As you might guess from the title, Yossi, our MC, is Jewish. He’s also gay and desperately doesn’t want to be. Mix that with Yossi meeting Josh, the new, not-very-religious (and also gay) boy at his school and you will get thoroughly sucked into this endearing YA story about a boy figuring out how his sexuality fits into his faith and vice versa. Although I know next to nothing about Judaism and I was a little confused at times, I ended up devouring this book in one day (it’s in no way preachy, by the way, more that it’s just a lot of information to take in) and I’m so happy that this book exists because it’s a book about sexuality and faith, particularly Jewish faith and again, it’s something I’ve never seen in YA. I want everyone to know about this book and I feel like so few do (both in Australia and internationally) and that frustrates the hell out of me. So if you’re reading this, please, GET YOUR HANDS ON IT HOWEVER POSSIBLE AND START READING IT NOW.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22603951-laurinda" target="_blank">Laurinda by Alice Pung</a> - </b><b>November 2014</b><br />
Lucy is a Vietnamese-Australian teenager growing up in the relatively poor suburb of Stanley in Melbourne. At age 15, she is granted a scholarship to an exclusive private school for girls, Laurinda, and is drawn into the world of the elite upper class and into the web of the Cabinet, a trio of girls who rule the school. So essentially, Laurinda is an exploration of class and racial prejudice; it’s about Lucy existing in an environment where people constantly seek to remind her that she is lesser/doesn’t belong because of where she lives and who her parents are, and it’s so well done. I enjoyed the interesting format – the book is split into the four school terms and it reads like Lucy is writing a series of letters to her friend, Linh. Two other things:<br />
<i>1.</i> If you’ve read Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers - for me, Laurinda brought back some of those feels.<br />
<i>2.</i> There is no romantic element, which I find to be so rare in YA these days (not saying there’s anything wrong with romance in YA, of course, because I can’t live without romance in my YA).<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Feb%202015%20-%20https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19488665-the-flywheel" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/Feb%202015%20-%20https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19488665-the-flywheel" target="_blank">The Flywheel by Erin Gough</a> - February 2015 </b><br />
Okay basically what you need to know about this book is that it has A LESBIAN MC. Do you know this is the first lesbian MC I’ve come across in Aus YA and it’s 2015? THAT IS TERRIBLE. I mean, I’m sure there is others, it’s just that I haven’t read them/come across them yet (Bec did tell me about Pink by Lili Wilkinson when we were discussing this) but holy lesbians in Aus YA, Batman, we need more of them. Anyway. This book is so, so charming and adorable and sweet and funny (I loved the Marx Brothers references) and is essentially everything you want in a contemporary YA. It’s about Del, who has an all-consuming crush on Rosa, a flamenco dancer from across the street. She basically drops out of high school after being bullied and ends up running her Dad’s café, The Flywheel, when he decides to stay away longer than planned on an overseas trip. Chaos ensues. I think one of the things that’s so great about The Flywheel is that Del is already out and comfortable with who she is. That’s important for queer teen readers to read, just as reading about characters that are still struggling with their sexuality and identifying with them in that way, is. I can’t recommend this book enough, and I believe it’s being published in the US next so year so if you come across it, please please please read it.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24248906-cloudwish" target="_blank">Cloudwish by Fiona Wood</a> - </b><b>September 2015</b><br />
Vân Uoc is a Vietnamese-Australian teenager attending Crowthorne Grammar school on a scholarship. She’s a dreamer. She dreams about making it into an arts school and Billy Gardiner. She makes a wish. And suddenly, Billy starts to notice her. Is it magic? Can wishes really come true? I can’t decide which of her three books my favourite is, but I <i>think</i> it’s this one? And to be honest, it’s hard for me to properly articulate why I loved it so much. I think a lot of it comes from how much I adored Vân Uoc and the achingly real portrayal of first love Cloudwish explores. I was surprised at myself actually, because I was well and truly swept away on a wave of FEELINGS (and normally. my cynicism butts in and ruins things). I love that Fiona wrote a book with Vân Uoc as our MC, because I absolutely loved her voice. Trust me when I say that you want this book in your life and you want it in your life NOW.<br />
<br />
<b>Other books that deserve a mention: </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20746502-looking-for-alibrandi" target="_blank">Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta</a> – features an Italian-Australian MC </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18080157-hate-is-such-a-strong-word?ac=1&from_search=1" target="_blank">Hate Is Such A Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub</a> – features a Lebanese-Australian MC </li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjtwoT5gqjJAhUi56YKHSHXDGMQFgglMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodreads.com%2Fbook%2Fshow%2F26802671-clancy-of-the-undertow&usg=AFQjCNHlMbFbyOn33AEATtVyfWBNAD8_xQ&sig2=tPJq8wWU2w3CP9fFIVsv4Q" target="_blank">Clancy Of The Undertow by Christopher Currie</a> – a very recent release that features a F/F relationship (I think, I haven’t read it yet but I’m so excited for it) </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.biblioimages.com/macmillanaus/getimage.aspx?class=books&cat=default&size=large&id=26337" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.biblioimages.com/macmillanaus/getimage.aspx?class=books&cat=default&size=large&id=26337" width="129" /></a><a href="http://sleeperspublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BoysOwn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://sleeperspublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BoysOwn.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a><a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/jpg-large/9781863956925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.penguin.com.au/jpg-large/9781863956925.jpg" width="129" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437958980l/19488665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437958980l/19488665.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
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<link href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/styles/default.css" media="all" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/loc_en.js"></script><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/opt_defaults.js"></script><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/misterlinky.js"></script><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?mode=standard&owner=ratherbereading&postid=23Nov2015&meme=12225" type="text/javascript"></script>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-69277622034912083142015-11-09T16:51:00.002+08:002015-11-09T16:51:46.810+08:00Review: Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429803179l/25223115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429803179l/25223115.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><b>Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler</b><br />
<u>November 17th, 2015 · Spencer Hill Contemporary</u><br />
<u>Source: Author</u><br />
<u>Format: eARC</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 348</u></div>
<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
Reagan Forrester wants out—out of her trailer park, out of reach of her freeloading mother, and out of the shadow of the relationship that made her the pariah of Charytan, Kansas.<br />
<br />
Victoria Reyes wants in—in to a fashion design program, in to the arms of a cute guy who doesn't go to Charytan High, and in to a city where she won't stand out for being Mexican.<br />
<br />
One thing the polar-opposite best friends do agree on is that wherever they go, they’re staying together. But when they set off on a series of college visits at the start of their senior year, they quickly see that the future doesn’t look quite like they expected. After two years of near-solitude following the betrayal of the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart, Reagan falls hard and fast for a Battlestar Galactica-loving, brilliant smile-sporting pre-med prospective... only to learn she's set herself up for heartbreak all over again. Meanwhile, Victoria runs full-speed toward all the things she thinks she wants… only to realize everything she’s looking for might be in the very place they've sworn to leave.<br />
<br />
As both Reagan and Victoria struggle to learn who they are and what they want in the present, they discover just how much they don't know about each other's pasts. And when each learns what the other’s been hiding, they'll have to decide whether their friendship has a future. </div>
In the words of Vic: Tia Maria! This is one fabulous book.<br />
<br />
I'm not usually a fan of dual narration, but Just Visiting made it work so well. Normally it would take me a while to find my groove and adjust to two voices, but I sank into this book like a fluffy marshmallow and didn't give it a second thought because I was too busy turning the pages. Apart from jotting down a note as to how well the POVs were written, of course.<br />
<br />
The diversity in the book is just SO GREAT. Truly. It's weaved in effortlessly and as always, you can see that Dahlia has done her research. For one, Victoria is fluent in ASL because her mum is deaf and I don’t think I’ve ever seen this done in a YA novel before. It was great and as much as I enjoyed it, I think I would have loved this particular aspect even more now that I’ve discovered the TV show Switched at Birth, one of my latest obsessions. (And hey, on another note, you should totally check out that show.) It also includes a cast that's diverse in race (Victoria is Mexican and one of the love interests is Indian) and socioeconomic class.<br />
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I already liked the girls, but I really came to love them when we got to delve into their pasts. This fleshed them out and allowed us to get to know them; where they've been and where they're going. Reagan and Vic are both very different and I think this is also why they complement each other in friendship and from a reading perspective. They both offer something different - to each other and for the reader. They aren't without their flaws, but they care for one another so much. It’s a beautiful friendship and the kind I love to see being represented in YA.<br />
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More reasons I love JV? I won’t spoil it, but there's this scene that deals with contraception and it's handled so well. Some authors might have simplified it or skipped over it altogether; I know this because I remember reading this scene once that was so dismissive of the subject it’s stuck with me, even though the book hasn’t. But Dahlia does’t take the easy route and has handled the subject with such grace. You’ll know it when you read it.<br />
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To sum up: Just Visiting is for you, if you like:<br />
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- Well written stories with heart and humour<br />
- fleshed out characters<br />
- books brimming with diversity<br />
- awesome friendships to ship<br />
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Basically, what more could you want in a book?<br />
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<b>P.S. I'll be hosting a Twitter party with the author to celebrate the release next week. Come for some fun, a Q&A, book chatting & more. </b><br />
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<b><u>Save the date:</u></b></div>
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8PM EST on the 18th (US)</div>
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9AM AWST on the 19th (AUS, WA)<br />
<a href="http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/" target="_blank">Not sure if you'll be able to make it? Check your time zone here!</a><br />
<br />
Use the <b>#JVParty</b> hashtag to join in. Hope to see you there!</div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-41400107092716855692015-10-28T18:00:00.000+08:002015-11-01T08:20:32.892+08:00Review: What We Left Behind by Robin Talley<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://www.millsandboon.com.au/resources/products/250w/24863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.millsandboon.com.au/resources/products/250w/24863.jpg" height="320" width="202" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26437343-what-we-left-behind" target="_blank"><b>What We Left Behind by Robin Talley</b></a><br />
<u>November 1st, 2015 · Harlequin Teen Australia</u><br />
<u>Source: Publisher</u><br />
<u>Format: ARC</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 416</u></div>
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From the critically acclaimed author of Lies We Tell Ourselves comes an emotional, empowering story of what happens when love isn't enough to conquer all.<br />
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Toni and Gretchen are the couple everyone envied in high school. They've been together forever. They never fight. They're deeply, hopelessly in love. When they separate for their first year at college—Toni to Harvard and Gretchen to NYU—they're sure they'll be fine. Where other long-distance relationships have fallen apart, their relationship will surely thrive.<br />
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The reality of being apart, however, is a lot different than they expected. As Toni, who identifies as genderqueer, falls in with a group of transgender upperclassmen and immediately finds a sense of belonging that has always been missing, Gretchen struggles to remember who she is outside their relationship.<br />
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While Toni worries that Gretchen, who is not trans, just won't understand what is going on, Gretchen begins to wonder where she fits in Toni's life. As distance and Toni's shifting gender identity begins to wear on their relationship, the couple must decide—have they grown apart for good, or is love enough to keep them together? </div>
I had such high hopes and expectations for What We Left Behind. I’d liked Robin Talley’s debut, but since historical isn’t my thing, I thought I’d love her latest. It sounded like a sure thing and it’s disheartening to be sitting here writing a negative review. Beware: ranting ahead.<br />
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Of course, I certainly don't claim to know everything about the LGBTQIA+ community and their experiences, so these are just my thoughts and what I took away the book.<br />
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I like that it discussed gendered pronouns. It's the first time I've seen it on the pages in YA and that was great. But that’s the only thing about this book that worked for me.<br />
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It’s really disappointing that for a book I hoped would be free of stereotypes, it was full of them. Not in just secondary, uneducated characters, but in the way Toni thought too. He was always stereotyping people he didn’t know and judging them, which got really old fast.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So I show Carroll yearbook pictures and tell him more about my friends back home. He’s shocked by how many gay people went to our high school. I think it was partly because it was an all-girl school," I say. “Going across the street to the guys’ school was so much effort. People got lazy.” pg 56</i></blockquote>
Problematic much? Turned gay because they're lazy? Really? Also:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ebony and Felecia are both black, and Joanna is Vietnamese. I felt a little weird at first, like I was boring next to them. Then I remembered that I bring in the LGBTQIA diversity angle, so I was still contributing. pg 293 </blockquote>
Oh no, you didn’t. So being of a marginalised group is “contributing” and if you're not, you're boring? Wow… Note: this is only two alarming excerpts of many.<br />
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The thing I found most problematic though was how the author completely misrepresented what it means to be genderqueer. Transgender and genderqueer are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. They’re not one and the same; they’re not interchangeable. For the author to basically depict that they are? I found that really damaging. I get that Toni was still questioning things and trying to better understand herself and what she wanted, but I feel the author did a major disservice in confusing the two and making them interchangeable when they are NOT. I feel this book was supposed to introduce people to the term genderqueer and instead it became a transgender book. And it’s not to say we don’t need books with transgender characters because we do, but I was just really let down with how things were handled here.<br />
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I think what makes me most disheartened is that people are going to pick up this book and take away a confusing, conflicted message. This may be their first time learning about genderqueer and transgender terms and the whole book was largely stereotypical. There’s enough stereotyping and erasure in the world when it comes to the LGBTQIA+ community, but I didn’t expect that from this book. We *do* need genderqueer characters, but we also need for that to be good representation.<br />
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<b>P.S.</b> I highly recommend <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9ULiqj-1o" target="_blank">this video</a>, which explains genderqueer so, so well.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-31432800715571045562015-10-22T08:16:00.000+08:002015-10-22T08:16:35.874+08:00Review: Cam Girl by Leah Raeder<div class="bookMeta">
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23430483-cam-girl" target="_blank">Review: Cam Girl by Leah Raeder</a></b><br />
<u>November 3rd, 2015 · Atria</u><br />
<u>Source: Publisher</u><br />
<u>Format: ARC via Netgalley</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 320</u></div>
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Vada Bergen is broke, the black sheep of her family, and moving a thousand miles away from home for grad school, but she’s got the two things she loves most: her art and her best friend—and sometimes more—Ellis Carraway. Ellis and Vada have a friendship so consuming it’s hard to tell where one girl ends and the other begins. It’s intense. It’s a little codependent. And nothing can tear them apart.<br />
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Until an accident on an icy winter road changes everything.<br />
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Vada is left deeply scarred, both emotionally and physically. Her once-promising art career is cut short. And Ellis pulls away, unwilling to talk about that night. Everything Vada loved is gone.<br />
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She’s got nothing left to lose.<br />
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So when she meets some smooth-talking entrepreneurs who offer to set her up as a cam girl, she can’t say no. All Vada has to do is spend a couple hours each night stripping on webcam, and the “tips” come pouring in.<br />
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It’s just a kinky escape from reality until a client gets serious. “Blue” is mysterious, alluring, and more interested in Vada’s life than her body. Online, they chat intimately. Blue helps her heal. And he pays well, but he wants her all to himself. No more cam shows. It’s an easy decision: she’s starting to fall for him. But the steamier it gets, the more she craves the real man behind the keyboard. So Vada pops the question:<br />
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Can we meet IRL?<br />
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Blue agrees, on one condition. A condition that brings back a ghost from her past. Now Vada must confront the devastating secrets she's been running from—those of others, and those she's been keeping from herself... </div>
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When I saw Cam Girl on Netgalley, I couldn’t resist. I’ve read rave review after rave review when it comes to Leah Raeder’s books, ever since Unteachable released in 2013 and caused a storm of hype and frenzy. While I didn’t fall head over heels for her latest, I can see her book appeal. Her writing alone is gorgeously intoxicating.<br />
<br />
The characters are incredibly flawed and real. Sometimes I’ll read a book where the characters seem like puppets; their words not their own; their actions forced. This is not the case with the lead or its secondary characters. Veda comes right off the page, her emotions vivid enough to touch, her voice all her own, as does the rest of the incredibly diverse cast. POC, physical disability, characters who ID as Bi, Gay and Trans. It’s all here.<br />
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I didn’t know what to expect with Veda working as a cam girl and I didn’t give it any thought when I went ahead and requested the book. I don’t have an interest in reading about sex work, but I thought the author handled it very well and depicted that camming can be more than objectification.<br />
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I wasn’t a big fan of the twisty suspense, as I felt it started to drag on as the story progressed. But I must say: the last 15% was INTENSE. Like, stop breathing, stop reading, catch my breathe intense. Well played.<br />
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I’d heard wonderful things about Leah Raeder's prose and I can confirm: her writing is just as good as everyone says it is. It’s lyrical, lush and lovely to read. But Cam Girl as a whole? I didn’t really connect with it. I liked it, but I didn’t love it and it's not that I can even really fault it. I really think it's one of those it’s-not-you-it’s-me situations. Maybe it’s because I’m happy reading YA and that I don’t have that pull to read NA, at least not yet. I do know that if I do want to venture out in the future, for something dark, edgier, I’ll be looking up Raeder's other titles. Her writing alone is enough to venture back for.<br />
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<b>Are you a NA reader? If you're familiar with Leah Raeder: what's your favourite titles of hers?</b><br />
<a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-21526852730469410912015-10-15T13:32:00.000+08:002015-10-16T18:58:22.408+08:00Mini Reviews: None of the Above + Written in the Stars = Diversity FTW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I read None of the Above and Written In the Stars earlier in the year and loved them. These books are incredibly diverse, unlike anything I’ve ever read and character driven page-turners. I would have loved to written a full review for each of them and given them the spotlight they deserve, but I was enjoying them that much I just wanted to sit, enjoy them and skip note taking. So I did. Nonetheless, I highly recommend them both! Here’s why I loved them and why YOU should check them out before the year ends:</div>
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A groundbreaking story about a teenage girl who discovers she was born intersex... and what happens when her secret is revealed to the entire school. Incredibly compelling and sensitively told, None of the Above is a thought-provoking novel that explores what it means to be a boy, a girl, or something in between. (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22896551-none-of-the-above?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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<b>None of the Above</b> broke my heart and then mended it. This is the first book I’ve read about intersex and I thought it was handled so incredibly well. Before None of the Above, I knew a bit about intersex, but not in great detail so reading this was eye-opening and informative. Kristin’s voice is great and hooked me from page one; she’s a character you really can’t help but wish the best for. Despite picking this up in a book slump, I couldn't put this down and finished it in a little over a day. You can't help but be pulled in by Kristin's story and all that she's going through.<br />
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The bullying Kristin experiences made me angry. It’s not that I expected supportive, warm and fuzzy reactions from everyone, but it was disappointing and saddening, yet unfortunately not unrealistic. The bullying Kristin experiences and her own inner turmoil was heartbreaking to read, but the support she did receive was great. As for the romance, it was lovely and sweet, but most importantly, it didn't overtake the heart of the story. Ultimately, this book made me wish people were more understanding and open minded because it would truly make the world of difference. I’m glad this book exists.<br />
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This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny? (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22521951-written-in-the-stars" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>)</div>
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<b>Written in the Stars</b> was one of my most anticipated titles and it certainly delivered.<br />
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This was like watching a nightmare unfold, one that poor Nalia can't wake up from. But what's really terrifying is that for some girls, this is a reality; this has happened and continues to happen. When you stop and think, it’s not only heartbreaking, but incredibly scary.<br />
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Looking back, I think I was expecting an honest, terrifying look at forced marriages, and while I got that, I also got much more. The author doesn't hold back and has written an intense, bittersweet story that is well worth the read.<br />
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As the ending neared, I was so invested, my stomach was in knots wondering how it would all end. It’s a nailer-biter of a book to say the least and kept me on the edge of my seat more than any thriller I’ve read this year. That truly is a testament to how well-written this is and make me excited to read more by Aisha Saeed.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-69486124416236499682015-10-13T20:00:00.000+08:002015-10-13T20:00:01.484+08:00Dive Into Diversity: Robin Talley Interview <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFuqwNIhHHrZBdtw_0V9oseQk6uHkwV-_pZBfAEPDTjrVgTJsmf3PHRYlnMkat94YyRWASrVStMDz-ikpP6HAFl6mfJEa1ElYa4ca86V91UG0HWg1tGsatlggEUIqejBpWVCXGaI1YrWP/s1600/diveintodiversity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFuqwNIhHHrZBdtw_0V9oseQk6uHkwV-_pZBfAEPDTjrVgTJsmf3PHRYlnMkat94YyRWASrVStMDz-ikpP6HAFl6mfJEa1ElYa4ca86V91UG0HWg1tGsatlggEUIqejBpWVCXGaI1YrWP/s1600/diveintodiversity.png" /></a></div>
<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434560215l/22082075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434560215l/22082075.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a>Welcome back to another Dive Into Diversity post! This month I'm interviewing Robin Talley to celebrate the release of What We Left Behind. Enjoy and don't forget to leave your reviews in the link-up below!</div>
<b>Your upcoming release, What We Left Behind, is about Gretchen, who identifies as a lesbian and Toni, who identifies as genderqueer. Firstly, could you please explain genderqueer for those who aren’t familiar with the term? Secondly, how was it writing these characters? Were you ever scared of not doing the characters justice or offending people? (Yes, this is me jumping right in the deep end.)</b><br />
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For Toni, neither end of the binary gender spectrum ― male or female ― feels quite right. Toni spends much of What We Left Behind exploring gender identity and expression, and uses several different labels for gender over the course of the book, including genderqueer. I should note, though, that this is just Toni’s experience. Other folks who identify as genderqueer may have experiences totally different from Toni’s ― as is the case with labels for gender across the board.<br />
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And to your second question, I loved writing these characters. Loved, loved, loved it. There’s always a fear element to writing anything, of course, but I tried to be as authentic as possible in the writing of this story and these characters, and creating What We Left Behind was above all a joyful experience.<br />
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<b>You said on your blog Toni and Gretchen are "two of my favorite fictional people ever”. What do you love most about them and what does their story mean to you?</b><br />
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Toni and Gretchen have been with me for a long, long time. They started out as secondary characters in the very first book I wrote, back when I was first teaching myself how to do this whole novel thing. That book wasn’t very good and it will never leave my hard drive, but Toni and Gretchen were my favorite things about it, so I wound up writing another book where they were front and center. And now I’m incredibly thrilled that their story is entering the world. Both of them feel so real to me I sometimes forget I made them up.<br />
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<b>From my knowledge, What We Left Behind will feature one of the first genderqueer characters in YA. Along with that, I’ve heard the book will also include a diverse cast who identity somewhere on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Are you excited about the conversations that your book will encourage? What do hope readers take away from it?</b><br />
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I’m always happy for my writing to spark conversations! At its heart, What We Left Behind is a story about coming of age ― about figuring out your place in the world and in relation to the people you love, and about how that place changes as you grow and change as an individual. So that’s what I hope readers will take away.<br />
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<b>I’m not a writer myself, but I would like to think each book you write would teach you something along the way. What did you learn in the process of writing What We Left Behind?</b><br />
<br />
Because What We Left Behind is told in alternating chapters between Toni and Gretchen ― it’s the only book I’ve written in that format ― I had to carefully balance my plot and structure in a new way. It really forced me to look closely at exactly what had to happen when, to make sure I was keeping a fair balance between the two points of view and that the story was moving along at the right pace. It was a challenge, but it definitely taught me some useful lessons about structure.<br />
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<b>As someone who is passionate about writing diverse books (particularly LGBTQIA+), what advice do you have for those wanting to write diversely, but are afraid to incase of getting it wrong?</b><br />
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If you’re writing about characters whose experiences are different from your own, your first step is going to be research, research, research. I think a lot of writers who worry about getting things wrong are at the very beginning of the writing process ― conceptualizing a story ― and if they’re too afraid, they might not ever get further than that. But research is an essential part of conceptualizing, no matter what you’re writing about. So my advice is to start there, so you can learn what you need to know before you can dive into the writing itself.<br />
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<b>What was the path to publication like for you? Any tips or advice for LGBTQIA+ writers that you wish you’d been privy to back then? (Maybe about what finding an agent was like, and any tips for the process? Or general helpfulness.)</b><br />
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I followed the standard process of querying literary agents when I was first starting out. With the first book I queried (that was the one I mentioned above, featuring Toni and Gretchen as side characters), I didn’t wind up getting representation. But I got a lot of very encouraging rejection emails (for real, those are a thing!). So the very first query I sent for my next book was to the agent who had sent me the most encouraging rejection the first time around. He’s also the one I wound up signing with, and he still represents me today. He’s awesome, and I feel so lucky that he sent me that encouraging rejection years ago! As for LGBTQIA+ writers who are at the beginning of the query process, every YA agent out there seems eager to represent more books with queer characters, so my advice is to put it all out there ― be direct in your query about your characters’ orientations and identities.<br />
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<b>And last but not least, recommend us a diverse book (or two!) you think we all need to read and why. I think we can all agree that readers can never have enough good recommendations!</b><br />
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Two books that I read recently and that made me think a lot ― in very different ways ― are George by Alex Gino and The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon. Both books have a lot to say about gender identity, but George is for a younger audience and made me weep with joy, and The Unintentional Time Traveler is for an older crowd and is a fascinatingly twisty sci-fi tale.<br />
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<u><b>Author bio:</b></u><br />
<i>Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves (September 2014) and What We Left Behind (October 2015), grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. A Lambda Literary Fellow, Robin now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife, plus an antisocial cat and a goofy hound dog. When Robin’s not writing, she’s often planning communication strategies at organizations fighting for equal rights and social justice. You can find her on the web at www.robintalley.com or on Twitter at @robin_talley. </i><br />
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Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-21674989644207982562015-10-06T12:00:00.000+08:002015-10-06T21:10:22.115+08:00Review: How To Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427462483l/23368740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427462483l/23368740.jpg" height="320" width="221" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23368740-how-to-be-brave" target="_blank"><b>How To Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras</b></a><br />
<u>November 3rd, 2015 · St. Martin's Press</u><br />
<u>Source: Publisher</u><br />
<u>Format: eARC from Netgalley</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 288</u></div>
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<i>An emotional contemporary YA novel about love, loss, and having the courage to chase the life you truly want.</i><br />
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<i>Reeling from her mother's death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave - all the things she's wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she's always been afraid to do - including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most - and you learn that you're stronger and braver than you ever imagined.</i></div>
Firstly, I really enjoyed the positive, empowering vibe of this book. You have the close friendship between Georgia and Liss, who have each other's backs. As always, it’s great to see strong female friendships in YA. Secondly, Georgia’s voice is authentic and a definite highlight of the book. Though she’s overweight, I loved that the book didn't revolve around that; it wasn't the be all end all. Because at it’s core, How To Be Brave is about trying to live a life Georgia's mum would be proud of and taking chances. I think this quote sums it up perfectly:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"But being brave isn't about living every minute exhilarated. It's about waking up and knowing that despite the worry and the sadness and the deep, dark fear, you're going to go forth anyway. That you're going to try anyway. That you have a choice, and you're going to choose to live, today, bravely."</i></div>
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Isn't that quote just beautiful?<br />
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For the most part, this was an enjoyable story. The main negative I had with the book was that I wanted more from the beginning. It felt like the plot was lacking and I was left waiting for it pick up. I was much happier with the ending and by the second half, I became hooked as conflict started to arise and saw Georgia start to grow as a character, which was great. It was just what I'd wanted and made me a happy little camper.<br />
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I have to say, I wish the cover had went with a model that looked more like Georgia, instead of the traditional-looking, thin model. I know it doesn’t affect the story and authors don't have much say in the matter, if any, but it’s rather disappointing when you think about it. Hopefully we’ll start to see better cover representation in the future!<br />
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A particular scene that stood out to me was when Georgia and her friends went to to tribal dance class, which was on Georgia’s list. It was such an empowering moment for these young girls and my favourite scene in the book.<br />
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How To Be Brave is a thoughtful story and one I think teenagers will enjoy.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-11168484987469755662015-10-01T08:00:00.000+08:002015-10-01T08:00:00.784+08:00Rebecca's Ramblings: Star Ratings & Why I Quit Them<div class="bookMeta">
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You’ve probably noticed that over the last few months, I’ve stopped rating books when I review. <i>[Note: I still rate on Goodreads, but I just wasn’t happy enough with it to continue it here.]</i></div>
<br />
Why? Well, for a long time, I hadn't been happy with how I was rating them on the blog (out of 5). Sometimes deciding on a number just didn’t feel right; maybe it’s because books are made up of words and numbers can be cold and calculating... (Can you tell I don’t like Maths? We have a bit of a love-hate relationship - in that it loves hate me.)<br />
<br />
Like I said, I’m no longer rating on the blog, but I continue to do so on Goodreads. Why? Because it's not my blog, so I don't feel so protective of it. Secondly, not putting up a rating was not an option. For some reason, I need those yellow stars in my life! I decided to be lax on there for the sake of my sanity.<br />
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If you want to know how my brain works, it's like this: when I’m reading a book I’m rating it as I go along - without even meaning to. I can't help it. To give you a sneak peek into my exhausting brain: "Yep, a 3-star book so far."...or..."It’s going great! I'm loving it. 4 stars for sure, maybe 5?" I just can’t seem to escape the numbers!<br />
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I’ve tried coming up with a different system, but I got nowhere and just decided to focus on the review itself, which is what I’ve been doing. But it’s still been playing on my mind, as you can obviously see from my post. If it was all good and dandy, I would have let it be. But I have thoughts and feelings, so you poor loves have to listen to me squabble on. I'll be the first to admit: I think a rating is super great in the way that you can walk away from a review knowing full well just how much the reviewer enjoyed (or didn’t) the book. When that rating system - or any kind of system - isn’t there, things can be less clear. The reviewer might have enjoyed it, along with the characters and whirlwind romance, but is it a four or five star? Is it a buy or borrow? There’s a difference and that is where the waters can become murky.<br />
<br />
But enough of my ranting... <b><i>Let’s take a moment to look at a few types of rating:</i></b><br />
<br />
- First off, you have your good ‘ol, trusty 1-5 stars (3/5 stars)<br />
- Letter grade (<i><u>A+</u></i>. <u>B-</u>. <u>C</u>. This gives you room to rate, which is always a plus I think.)<br />
- Word rating (<u>Fabulous. Loved. Good. OK. Not my cuppa tea, ect</u>. Straight to the point.)<br />
- Recommend? (<u>Yes, this was fabulous…. No, unless you like...</u> ect. Effective and gives plenty of room to sum up.)<br />
- Multiple star ratings for different aspects (<u>plot, writing, characters</u>, ect. I quite like this - clear and let’s give you room to rate.)<br />
<br />
<b><i>Rating Systems I love:</i></b><br />
<a href="http://readeroffictions.com/" target="_blank">A Reader of Fictions</a> GIF rating. Love this, it's so original! Especially since Christina is known to use Buffy GIF’s. (See: the way to my heart.)<br />
<a href="http://ratherbereadingblog.com/" target="_blank">Rather Be Reading</a>'s Buy It/Worth It/Borrow It. Such a fan of their rating system. I think it’s great!<br />
<br />
So, we've established I can <strike>talk</strike> write your ear off. But…I’m still not sure what to do about my rating system. All that I know is I want to come up with a new rating system that I’m happy with and I’ve yet to find it. Maybe this post will kick start some new ideas. Let's hope!<br />
<br />
<b>Lastly:</b><br />
I haven't rated a book on the blog for some months now, but before I decided to part with the rating, I'd been unhappy with it for a while. That extra aspect that can add to a review? Well, it was just doing my head it. So after much thought, I axed it. I'm sorry if it's something you've missed, but I do plan to bring the rating system back soon. I'm just going to make sure it's something that'll work for both me <i>and</i> you.<br />
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<b>Now to open the floor to you guys: What’s your rating system like? Are you ever conflicted with star ratings? How do you feel about no ratings and relying solely on a review? I'd love to hear your thoughts!</b>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-84865961059428623152015-09-29T12:17:00.000+08:002015-09-29T12:17:21.825+08:00Review: The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness <div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429800081l/22910900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429800081l/22910900.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22910900-the-rest-of-us-just-live-here?ac=1" target="_blank"><b>The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness</b></a><br />
<u>August 27th, 2015 · Walker Books</u><br />
<u>Source: Purchased</u><br />
<u>Format: Hardcover</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 352</u></div>
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<i>What if you aren’t the Chosen One?</i><br />
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<i>The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again.</i><br />
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<i>Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.</i><br />
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<i>Award-winning writer Patrick Ness’s bold and irreverent novel powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable. </i></div>
Patrick Ness. What is there to say, apart from the fact that he is one very beloved, popular YA author among readers? Practically everyone loves him and I've only ever heard incredible things about his books, yet this was my first time reading him. It took me a while, huh? First things first: I can see why he causes such a hype. I LOVED The Rest of Us Just Live Here.<br />
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I first became intrigued about TROUJLH after my friend <a href="http://thetalescompendium.com/" target="_blank">Jess</a> read it and was telling me about it at a blogger meet-up. It sounded great, but I officially knew I <i>needed</i> this in my life after I jumped onto Goodreads a few days later and got a major Buffy vibe from the reviews. (As you most probably know by now, BtVS is my favourite.) Because then that got me thinking - what would have high school been like for those teens <i>not</i> off saving the world? Patrick Ness shows us in his latest. But it also delivers SO much more and blew my expectations out of the water.<br />
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In case you didn’t know, this book is incredibly diverse and it is WONDERFUL. It was so great to read and see so many diverse characters on the page. Plus, they were written with care and sensitivity, which is just as important as writing them in the first place. Big thumbs up.<br />
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And the charterers? Fabulous! I loved Mikey and from page one, his voice jumped off the page. The secondary characters - Mel, Jared and Henna - were just as great and I loved how fleshed out they were. Ness makes his characters easy to love and that is no small feat. The last time I cared about characters this much was when I read <a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/nerding-out-simon-vs-homo-sapiens.html" target="_blank">Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</a>, which I read earlier in the year. It's not every day you come to care so much about a bunch of characters, but when you do, it's such a special thing. I closed the book with a heavy heart, knowing I'd miss them. If that’s not well written characters, I don’t know what is.<br />
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Another thing I I loved about this book was how supportive Mikey’s friends and sisters were. They all cared about each other so much and it was a delight to read about such strong, positive relationships and people who will be there for others no matter what. This is what we need to see more of in YA. It was seriously so endearing and lovely and heartfelt and wonderful and special that it made me tear up multiple times. (That is a lot of <i>ands</i> and adjectives, but it was an original sentence I wrote when I was taking notes and I still stand by it so! *takes deep breathe*)<br />
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The Rest of Us Just Live Here is an incredible, original story and one that is beautifully diverse. If you want true-to-life characters, writing that stands out and a book that’ll steal your heart, this is for you! I hope you love it as much as I did.<br />
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<b>Have you read this or do you plan to? What's your favourite Patrick Ness book? Now that I've read him, I can't wait to read more! Last but certainly not least: Have you ever watched Buffy and if you have, are you a super fan like I am?</b>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-49955214434520907752015-09-22T19:58:00.000+08:002015-09-22T19:58:01.524+08:00Dive Into Diversity: How Diverse Are Your Shelves? (Bookshop Ed.)<div class="bookMeta">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kE2BUuLPVXNMyrKdxmEOwcZxSnb2qLudcXTHeVZIoRAo_qBUEW8PkrIlfLDckX60VY7f6CvNT7dmHPQDJ_efaH6oW3qo6j8I2O6seCOuLUNF2Hx6MSRYcVuDJmnImhR8zVuxDoXow13u/s1600/diveintodiversity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kE2BUuLPVXNMyrKdxmEOwcZxSnb2qLudcXTHeVZIoRAo_qBUEW8PkrIlfLDckX60VY7f6CvNT7dmHPQDJ_efaH6oW3qo6j8I2O6seCOuLUNF2Hx6MSRYcVuDJmnImhR8zVuxDoXow13u/s1600/diveintodiversity.png" /></a></div>
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<b>A few months back I did an experiment called, <a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/dive-into-diversity-how-diverse-are.html" target="_blank">How Diverse Are Your Shelves</a>? It was eye-opening, a lot of fun and not only did you enjoy it, but it got you guys thinking, which was great to see. So for September's post, I decided to do it again, except this time, in a different environment - the bookshop! So here's take two, How Diverse Are Your Shelves? Bookshop edition!</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The (<i>estimated</i>) facts:</span></b></div>
- Four aisles of shelves equates to a LOT of books. My guess is 900 - 1000 titles in the YA section.<br />
- After browsing the shelves, I found <i><u>27 books that counted as diverse</u></i> (QUILTBAG, POC, authors of colour, nerodiversity, ect). I could only go off of books I knew, so this is an <u><i>extremely rough estimate</i></u> and <i><u>I’m sure I missed at least another half</u></i> of books that would have counted. Especially since fantasy, dystopian and paranormal aren’t my go-to genres. Add another ~30 books for any I missed and I think that would be about right.<br />
- From a rough estimate, I calculate 6.25 % diverse titles.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Diverse titles I found browsing...</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1BnVEWEXPXnMJBTu6lh6pPzTihEB3LAr_K8DketSyVcpvWWVrLiRXUBz0zGblsgtIvtkJzQClG76v9D1WN9iDp2ddjx5IGhzJNU5aRviC-s-oAV1O_km8xrodsGEgQmoXf7omHeDNS9z/s1600/pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1BnVEWEXPXnMJBTu6lh6pPzTihEB3LAr_K8DketSyVcpvWWVrLiRXUBz0zGblsgtIvtkJzQClG76v9D1WN9iDp2ddjx5IGhzJNU5aRviC-s-oAV1O_km8xrodsGEgQmoXf7omHeDNS9z/s320/pic2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N2-vHZPpBLrmeoO0OOORXsa83TnFv2CSy08brG0QcSnjPK2OQJH7OgcorK4FnS3NkNkElV5e6JKGCczWSIR__E9fRrMFONiOU2oWPXDpThfJ7jUNOYJsKQ1Qfz_r5SqNE0NMhekKBsUI/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N2-vHZPpBLrmeoO0OOORXsa83TnFv2CSy08brG0QcSnjPK2OQJH7OgcorK4FnS3NkNkElV5e6JKGCczWSIR__E9fRrMFONiOU2oWPXDpThfJ7jUNOYJsKQ1Qfz_r5SqNE0NMhekKBsUI/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYdmB7ql9tKeL4M6MhWkGqIxHrrZZBetm8KcB_UhIRI34A8vlIemQo5COILtg-cLv2LZniPN3jaEbJ0nxAWuG2InXO8ydorows8tiN6RL536X_zF5Ey_cq2_jd8G0XGbSxgcu-9o4kfy2/s1600/flyy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYdmB7ql9tKeL4M6MhWkGqIxHrrZZBetm8KcB_UhIRI34A8vlIemQo5COILtg-cLv2LZniPN3jaEbJ0nxAWuG2InXO8ydorows8tiN6RL536X_zF5Ey_cq2_jd8G0XGbSxgcu-9o4kfy2/s200/flyy.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrPVuDt-KwRZqgpNrqkrwyQ1zBcij4oOo9U4lJY8ge82sZ7drXuwnv_FSQeggC8kmT_Gh42j0YCbbhRVbwpsWrJC12w0jhfrM9VearAQqiModpgpUi8L8T2PvMBAz5xfn1lAVPWNKhFvE/s1600/champ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrPVuDt-KwRZqgpNrqkrwyQ1zBcij4oOo9U4lJY8ge82sZ7drXuwnv_FSQeggC8kmT_Gh42j0YCbbhRVbwpsWrJC12w0jhfrM9VearAQqiModpgpUi8L8T2PvMBAz5xfn1lAVPWNKhFvE/s200/champ.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPpwhyVzm5xvFWXB2AtOC20CzmIhHoWqIMDEwbXxorv7m6o9K1aVT6fp_da5UJ9khQmTS2ZA6Vqy4yEQuI4ed_UAdcbPn_LO5ciVhA-ig1cUQCAiL-RsiwyZIw5av9g8JEbGNKz74MG7R/s1600/suuun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPpwhyVzm5xvFWXB2AtOC20CzmIhHoWqIMDEwbXxorv7m6o9K1aVT6fp_da5UJ9khQmTS2ZA6Vqy4yEQuI4ed_UAdcbPn_LO5ciVhA-ig1cUQCAiL-RsiwyZIw5av9g8JEbGNKz74MG7R/s200/suuun.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Now, you might be wondering... well, that's seem like a great selection of diverse titles there! And it is. But keep in perspective I searched for them through all these shelves:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Bookshelves in question...</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32enWHBYuhrClYUC8hfFboarLklngzPZ1pl4JuBOPV2dU_2oq_0rX3fVkCrpwlVOyqWW5h-JA7LyC_L3jaEVzdkxQw70j3sibEMOvRy5jNkniovqtjyv-N7wAvjxAFWe0OSSg4wx6elqU/s1600/shelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32enWHBYuhrClYUC8hfFboarLklngzPZ1pl4JuBOPV2dU_2oq_0rX3fVkCrpwlVOyqWW5h-JA7LyC_L3jaEVzdkxQw70j3sibEMOvRy5jNkniovqtjyv-N7wAvjxAFWe0OSSg4wx6elqU/s400/shelf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Was I surprised by the results?</b></span></div>
<u><i>Yes</i></u>, I didn’t actually think they’d have the selection and amount that they did of diverse books. Percentage-wise, it’s still really low, but I was glad to walk in there and be able to find diverse titles. The non-diverse titles obviously outweighed the diverse titles, but that’s to be expected. After all, you have to look at what’s being published and what’s already out there.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What did I learn?</b></span></div>
If we want to be able to go into a bookshop and see diversity on the shelves, <i><u>we need be showing interest and buying diverse titles in-store</u></i>. This makes sense and is something I already knew, but it's a great reminder!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Overall thoughts:</span></b></div>
Very different to the first time I did this experiment with my own shelves, in that I couldn’t be as precise and a lot was calculated guess work. Great to see bookshops stocking diverse titles!<br />
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<b><i>I hope you enjoyed this experiment like you did the last one! So tell me: how diverse are your bookshops? Do you make a point to buy diverse titles in-store? Lastly, have you had any interesting conversations to the staff about books and diversity? I'll leave it there and let you take over in the comments... Don't forget to link up your reviews for this month!</i></b><br />
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Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-50352377025045796332015-09-02T18:40:00.000+08:002015-09-02T18:40:22.312+08:00Review: The Devil You Know by Trish Doller<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410205972l/22929537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410205972l/22929537.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22929537-the-devil-you-know" target="_blank"><b>The Devil You Know by Trish Doller</b></a><br />
<u>July 1st, 2015 · Bloomsbury Australia</u><br />
<u>Source: Publisher - thank you!</u><br />
<u>Format: Hardcover</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 256</u></div>
<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions.<br />
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A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.</div>
The Devil You Know was one of my most anticipated releases of 2015, with Trish Doller being one of my favourite authors. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it like I hoped I would, but I did still quite enjoy it.<br />
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<b>Things that I liked:</b><br />
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- The Devil You Know was addictive! I read it within a few hours and two sittings for a few reasons. 1) I obviously wanted to know how it would end and 2) I didn’t want to be reading it at night, knowing it would be tense and thrilling, which it definitely was. I don’t know about you, but I get a bit crazy reading thrillers. The suspense, I just can’t deal!<br />
- The writing was great, as per usual with Trish Doller.<br />
- There’s a pie run, which is so American and I LOVED it! I've never tried banana cream, but have <i>always</i> wanted to since I watched Bewitched. I wish pie was bigger here in Australia...<br />
- I loved the feminist undertones.<br />
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<b>Things I didn’t:</b><br />
- I didn't connect with Cadie. She's a reckless character and will probably test your patience...<br />
- The first half was slow moving for me, considering it was a thriller. It eventually did pick up though and provided a solid ending.<br />
- I normally swoon over the romantic interest when it comes to this author, but the romance wasn't a winner for me. I was constantly thinking about which guy was the villain (yep, I did not crack the case. Hmm, surely all those crime/detective shows I’ve watched should have turned me into Miss. Holmes by now, right? Obviously not) and because of that, I was never sold.<br />
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A quick thriller that kept me on my toes. Not my favourite by the author, but still an enjoyable read overall. Nonetheless, and as always, I can’t wait for Trish Doller’s next release. Hopefully it'll be more my thing.<br />
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<b>Have you read this and if you have, what did you think of it? Are you a fan of Trish Doller? Do you like pie? What's your favourite flavour? And if you've ever tried banana cream, TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT. Let me live vicariously through you!</b></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-49891522553551703992015-08-26T11:42:00.000+08:002015-08-26T11:42:53.519+08:00Review: Risk by Fleur Ferris<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/content/titles/9780857986474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/content/titles/9780857986474.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24973955-risk" target="_blank"><b>Risk by Fleur Ferris</b></a><br />
<u>July 1st, 2015 · Random House Australia</u><br />
<u>Source: Purchased</u><br />
<u>Format: Paperback</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 288</u></div>
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Taylor and Sierra have been best friends for their whole lives. But Taylor’s fed up. Why does Sierra always get what – and who – she wants? From kissing Taylor’s crush to stealing the guy they both met online for herself, Sierra doesn’t seem to notice when she hurts her friends.<br />
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So when Sierra says Jacob Jones is the one and asks her friends to cover for her while she goes to meet him for the first time, Taylor rolls her eyes.<br />
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But Sierra doesn’t come back when she said she would.<br />
One day. Two days. Three . . .<br />
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What if Taylor’s worrying for nothing? What if Sierra’s just being Sierra, forgetting about everyone else to spend time with her new guy?<br />
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When Taylor finally tells Sierra’s mum that her daughter is missing, Taylor and her friends are thrown into a dark world they never even knew existed.<br />
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Can Taylor find Sierra’s abductor in time? Or should she be looking for a killer? </div>
Risk was a book I was really looking forward to this year, especially because I've never read a book like it before. It sounded like a great story (it was) and one that would hook me from the start (it certainly did).<br />
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Firstly, let’s chat characters. Sometimes Taylor’s voice felt too young for a 15 year old, but I think something to take into account is that no two teens are the same and also, teenagers will be teenagers. Maybe it was also the fact that a) I don’t normally read characters this young and tend to be drawn to upper YA and b) that it was so frustrating to watch, especially in the beginning because I knew where it was headed and there was nothing to do, except watch it play out. As much as I was tempted to hit pause a few times, I couldn’t not turn the pages and ended up reading this in a day.<br />
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The only fault I had with Risk was that I felt the author’s voice come through at times towards the end, so it felt a tad “teach and preach”. But I can let it slide. Because not only did I enjoy this a lot, but I like to think this book could have the power to save someone’s life and teach them about the dangers of the internet, and that is way more important.<br />
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Debut author, Fleur Ferris, addresses internet safety and online predators, both subject matters that need to be talked about, especially with young adults who have the potential to be at risk. Engaging, relevant, hard to put down, this book is a chilling nightmare come to life and one that is all too real. Risk is a book that should be required reading for all teenagers.<br />
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<b><i>Have you read Risk or do you plan to? Have you read a book with similar subject matter before - what did you think of it? Is this something that needs to be discussed more in YA?</i></b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to join #bookclubaus on Twitter this Friday @ 7:30 (AEST) to discuss the book and for a Q&A with the author!</b></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-53463924728007371552015-08-25T12:00:00.000+08:002015-08-25T12:00:05.286+08:00Top Ten: If I Were Teacher for the Day...<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
<b>Top Ten Tuesday</b> is held by <b><a href="http://brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a></b> and involves lists and books, two of my favourites.<br />
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I love todays topic so much and had such fun putting together a list of books that would be on the syllabus if I taught High School English. Not enough teens enjoy reading and I remember the majority (I’m guessing 95% or more) of classmates read the cliff notes of books we were assigned because they found the book boring and dull. Well, that would not be a problem in my classroom! I would be that awesome teacher who taught books that students could relate to in voice and character. Who would celebrate and welcome discussions and questions. Who would make a point of including diverse voices and character because everyone deserves to heard and seen. And in this moment, I kind of feel like making this all into a reality… On to my list!</div>
<b>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1162022.On_the_Jellicoe_Road" target="_blank">Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta</a> *</b><br />
This book is my favourite so of course I’d want to push it on my students. Brilliant book, that is all!<br />
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<b>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13643131-friday-brown" target="_blank">Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield</a> *</b><br />
*see answer to #1<br />
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<b>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20743633-the-last-leaves-falling" target="_blank">The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell</a> *</b><br />
This book is incredible, moving and I could see such this inspiring a beautiful, open discussion in the classroom. It doesn’t shy from tough topics and I think teenagers would appreciate that. Also, I would hope it made students appreciate their lives, their health and how lucky they are.<br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516HBxJOEhL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516HBxJOEhL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336642584l/13643131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336642584l/13643131.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409161674l/20743633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409161674l/20743633.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<b>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24973955-risk" target="_blank">Risk by Fluer Ferris</a></b><br />
I would push this book into the hand of students as early as possible because I think this book could save lives. Hopefully it would scare the pants off them and be a wake up call to how dangerous the internet can be.<br />
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<b>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22896551-none-of-the-above" target="_blank">None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio</a></b><br />
Such an important, eye-opening book that I hope would create a safe, positive environment to talk and learn about intersex.<br />
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<b>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15752348-my-life-after-now" target="_blank">My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi</a></b><br />
HIV and AIDS are not talked about <i>nearly</i> enough and that is why this book is so great.<br />
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<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/content/titles/9780857986474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.randomhouse.com.au/content/titles/9780857986474.jpg" height="200" width="129" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412996346l/22864477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412996346l/22864477.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346810112l/15752348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346810112l/15752348.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
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<b>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13482832-fault-line" target="_blank">Fault Line by Christa Desir</a></b><br />
I think this is a very well done book that tackles rape; it’s messy and heartbreaking and unflinching. I think this would also lead to a wonderful discussion about rape culture.<br />
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<b>8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6989576-raw-blue" target="_blank">Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar</a></b><br />
A fantastic book and * see reasons for #7<br />
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<b>9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13262783-every-day" target="_blank">Every Day by David Levithan</a></b><br />
Fantastic book that addresses gender identity, sexuality and so much more.<br />
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<b>10. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9403947-something-like-normal?ac=1" target="_blank">Something Like Normal by Trish Doller</a></b><br />
With an incredible realistic male POV and an unflinching look at PTSD, I’d love for this book to be read in school.<br />
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<i><b>*aplogies to my imaginary students for making them cry. Because boy, did these books make me bawl...</b></i><br />
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354534700l/13482832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354534700l/13482832.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><a href="http://www.kirstyeagar.com/wp-content/uploads/High-res-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kirstyeagar.com/wp-content/uploads/High-res-cover.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336837143l/9403947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336837143l/9403947.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356993940l/13262783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356993940l/13262783.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Do you agree with any of my choices? Let me know which books would YOU put on the class reading list and why. Oh, and what books did you have to read for school? Any that surprised you and ended up loving? Hopefully none put you off reading! Required reading has been known to do that...</i></b></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-23908992541711827962015-08-19T19:04:00.004+08:002015-08-19T19:04:47.801+08:00On the Old Days & Reminiscing About My Past TBR<div class="bookMeta">
The other day as I was sorting my shelves and going through books to donate to a Save the Children book sale, I began reminiscing about my once small, manageable TBR pile. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this thought and to be honest, I miss what my TBR used to be like. (And before I go any further, I’m talking of my physical shelf, not my long, perpetual Goodreads shelf. Because I love adding books on there, discovering new titles and finding out about hidden gems I’ve missed - that is not the problem. Not that there <i>is </i>a problem, more just a recent realisation of sorts.) <br />
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You might be wondering where I’m going with this, so let’s take a trip down memory lane. Before blogging, I was a very different reader and my TBR was a shell of what it now is. Not that I’m complaining! I used to have a small pile of books that either I’d acquire from the bookstore or library that I’d make my may through, one by one, and then I’d finish them, be without my next read, PANIC! (NO BOOKS! THE HORROR!) and then race back to the library or store and start the process all over again. Like supply and demand, I suppose?<br />
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So often I look at my shelf and have trouble deciding on what to read next. There are books I obviously want to read (and then some I don’t, those of which have now been donated. I mean, why was I keeping books I didn’t plan on reading for years, if ever? Be gone books! Go find a new, loving home! Anyway, I keep getting off track…) You see, the real trouble is, I’m such a mood reader that it can be a struggle to find my next book. Just a few weeks ago I was in a slump and there was nothing on my shelf that jumped out at me. Contemporary is my favourite genre so that’s what preoccupies most shelf space, but it’s not what I turn to when I slump; that would be mystery and thriller. So I went to the shop and bought three books - I read two and gave up on one. But the great thing about this is, these books aren’t sitting on shelf, collecting dust. They’re being read like they should be; fulfilling their life purpose and all ;)<br />
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I mean, I do love having a shelf full of books waiting to be read, never being without a book, but I do miss the simplicity of before.<br />
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Like…buying a book and actually reading it, rather than it adding to my already full shelf of books to be read. See, this is probably why I also don’t buy books often. I feel a sense of duty to the books I already own and feeling like I'm cheating when I buy more. And when I do, something like this follows:<br />
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<i>"But all the books at home! You can’t disappoint them! They’ve been waiting for your return, patiently waiting to be picked up and shown the love they deserve. It just isn’t fair! Don’t break their hearts again, they won’t be able to take it, poor things!”, my inner conscience bellowed.</i> (And yes, I read this with a British accent, didn’t you?)<br />
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Don’t you love that, too? Buying a book and reading it? Getting to it sooner rather than latter? I want more of that. I want to read a book soon after I buy it, not years later. I want to follow my mood, not my shelf. I want to not worry about being swallowed whole by my shelf and never being found again. Mostly, I want more enjoyment because after all, that’s what reading is all about - and I think this is the way to it.<br />
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So, what am I proposing? I’m going to try to get back to that small (or small-er, let’s be real) stack of books I can’t wait to devour and actually end up getting devoured, or uh, read. I’m sad of the books that sit unread and the books I somehow acquire that I don’t *need* or really want. I’m about to get a lot pickier with buying (I’m going on a book buying ban. Exceptions to be made if I plan to read that book within a week of buying it) and my shelves are going to get a lot smaller. Well, we’ll see - I’m not that fast a reader… I’ll keep you updated. That is, if you’re interested? I feel like this post may have put you to sleep? If you survived, you deserve a waffle for all my waffling. *throws waffle with maple syrup goodness and strawberries your way* *apologises for the sticky delivery*<br />
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<i><b>So tell me - what do think of your TBR? Are you ever overwhelmed, do you wish you got to books sooner? Do you make a dent in your physical TBR or are you somehow acquiring more books that you can read? Are you afraid of drowning in a sea of books, too? Let’s chat. </b></i></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-61788353566664106032015-08-11T20:00:00.000+08:002015-08-11T20:00:06.799+08:00Dive Into Diversity: Cover Chat<div class="bookMeta">
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Just as all people deserve to read books and see themselves on the page, it’s also important for them to see themselves on covers. So today I'd like to chat covers - starting with authors who have taken matters (and covers) into their own hands, along with sharing favourites. Because who doesn't love a cover well done?<br />
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Authors who write diverse stories are also determined and passionate about their covers representing authentically. Take Dahlia Adler’s recent f/f Under the Lights, for example. If you’ve read the <a href="http://cuddlebuggery.com/blog/2014/09/29/cover-reveal-under-the-lights-by-dahlia-adler/" target="_blank">cover reveal</a> post you’ll see how hard it was in trying to bring this cover to life. As Dahlia said: <i>"</i><i>So, two girls, who are clearly into each other, one of whom is Asian-American. Surely there’s an endless abundance of stock photos of that, right?”</i> But thankfully with Maggie Hall’s (author and designer) help, as you can see, they got there in the end!<br />
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Another cover I want to mention is a recent cover reveal for More Than Fashion by Elizabeth Briggs. In case you didn’t notice from the cover, it’s NA ;) After unsuccessfully browsing stock sites trying to find an interracial couple, the author decided to take matters into her own hands and put on a custom photo shoot, which you can read about <a href="https://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/cover-reveal-more-than-fashion-by-elizabeth-briggs/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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While these were both successful covers, most authors don’t get much say in their covers, if any, and lot of it comes down to publishers and their choosing. The good thing I discovered after searching and putting a tweet out for others to have their say, was that I didn’t get much negative feedback (i.e.: whitewashing), apart from <a href="http://www.yainterrobang.com/" target="_blank">Nicole</a> pointing out Immortal Rules original cover. But that’s not to say there hasn't been disappointment and white-washing in the past because I’m sure there has been.<br />
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All I can hope is that we’re becoming a more diverse, rich book community and covers will accommodate that. 2015 has been a pretty fantastic year of diversity and I hope this is just the beginning of many, many more wonderful diverse titles to come, along with that many, many more badass diverse covers!<br />
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As for my favourites? <b>The Last Leaves Falling</b> (US version) is my not only one of my favourite diverse covers, but one of my favourites in general. Oh, how I love it! It's stunning and eye-catching and it's so damn perfect for this book. And if I haven't read this yet, PLEASE DO. I haven't been able to review this yet, it's a bit too close and personal for me to put into words, but this book is so incredible and brilliant.<br />
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<b>Dumplin</b> is just downright fabulous. Her stance is bold and awesome and I have a feeling I'm going to love this book! Such a simple yet wonderful cover, don't you think?<br />
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I've been a fan of the <b>Lies We Tell Ourselves </b>since I first laid eyes on it. I love how it's a yearbook.<br />
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So now it's your turn to chat - sound off in the comments and tell me which diverse covers you love! Also, w<i>hat would you like to see more of on covers? What's missing? </i>As always, link up your diverse reviews below. I look forward to seeing what you've been reading!<br />
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Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-31961766154032678622015-08-10T17:19:00.000+08:002015-08-10T17:19:04.829+08:00Reasons to Read: The Bookshop Book<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk/uploads/1/7/4/6/17467641/1251161.jpg?386" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.jen-campbell.co.uk/uploads/1/7/4/6/17467641/1251161.jpg?386" height="320" width="204" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20631808-the-bookshop-book" target="_blank"><b>The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell</b></a><br />
<u>December 2014 · Murdoch Books</u><br />
<u>Source: Publisher</u><br />
<u>Format: Hardcover</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 288</u></div>
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Every bookshop has a story.<br />
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We’re not talking about rooms that are just full of books. We’re talking about bookshops in barns, disused factories, converted churches and underground car parks. Bookshops on boats, on buses, and in old run-down train stations. Fold-out bookshops, undercover bookshops, this-is-the-best-place-I’ve-ever-been-to-bookshops.<br />
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Meet Sarah and her Book Barge sailing across the sea to France; meet Sebastien, in Mongolia, who sells books to herders of the Altai mountains; meet the bookshop in Canada that’s invented the world’s first antiquarian book vending machine.<br />
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And that’s just the beginning.<br />
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From the oldest bookshop in the world, to the smallest you could imagine, The Bookshop Book examines the history of books, talks to authors about their favourite places, and looks at over three hundred weirdly wonderful bookshops across six continents (sadly, we’ve yet to build a bookshop down in the South Pole).<br />
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The Bookshop Book is a love letter to bookshops all around the world.<br />
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1. The Bookshop Book will remind you just how important it is to <b>support</b> your local bookshops. Yes, online shopping is great. Prices can be more affordable and you can get it shipped to your door, but… With more and more bookstores struggling to stay open, it’s up to us readers to help keep their doors open and support our local stores.<br />
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2. So...this is kind of terrible when you don’t have the finances, but boy, will The Bookshop Book give you a case of <b>wanderlust</b>. There are such amazing bookshops mentioned, all around the globe, and reading about them is going to make you want to hop on a plane and go explore! This might sound like a reason to avoid the book, but truthfully, it was just quite lovely to imagine visiting them all one day - yes, a girl can dream. I may or may not be going to use this book like a bucket list!<br />
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3. Owning a bookstore is probably never a far thought for book lovers who <b>dream</b> of being surrounded by books all day, but reading this made me so badly want to open my own. It was fun imagining what my fantasty-store would be like… Tea parties, dress up days, author events, bookish inspired cupcake competitions galore!<br />
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4. It will make you <b>appreciate</b> the good ole bookstore and all that it offers. There’s nothing like walking into the warmth and comfort of a book shop and being surrounded by books, as far as the eye can see.<br />
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5. Simply put, it will remind you of the <b>magic </b>and <b>wonderment</b> that stepping into a bookshop can bring.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-51785294739407653212015-07-31T16:04:00.000+08:002015-07-31T16:04:25.929+08:00Review: In the Skin of A Monster by Kathryn Barker<div class="bookMeta">
<a href="http://assets.allenandunwin.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/original/9781760111717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://assets.allenandunwin.com.s3.amazonaws.com/images/original/9781760111717.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25380845-in-the-skin-of-a-monster" target="_blank"><b>In the Skin of A Monster by Kathryn Barker</b></a><br />
<u>July 29th, 2015 · Allen & Unwin</u><br />
<u>Source: Stole from friend</u><br />
<u>Format: Paperback</u><br />
<u>Page Count: 304</u></div>
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What if your identical twin sister was a murderer? Does that make you a monster too? A profound, intense, heartbreaking fantasy that tackles issues of fate versus free will, and whether you can ever truly know someone.<br />
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Caught in a dreamscape, mistaken for a killer ... will Alice find a way home?<br />
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Three years ago, Alice's identical twin sister took a gun to school and killed seven innocent kids; now Alice wears the same face as a monster. She's struggling with her identity, and with life in the small Australian town where everyone was touched by the tragedy. Just as Alice thinks things can't get much worse, she encounters her sister on a deserted highway. But all is not what it seems, and Alice soon discovers that she has stepped into a different reality, a dream world, where she's trapped with the nightmares of everyone in the community. Here Alice is forced to confront the true impact of everything that happened the day her twin sister took a gun to school ... and to reveal her own secret to the boy who hates her most. </div>
After skimming the blurb and deciding it sounded like the perfect book to help with my slump, I went in expecting a contemporary, and soon discovered it wasn’t one. Nonetheless, it was thrilling and kept me turning the pages. So much so that I binged it in a day and if you have the time, I do think it’s a good way to read it. It's confusing at times and I feel it wouldn’t have flowed as easily had I kept stopping and starting it over the span of a few days. Plus, having been in a book slump of late, sometimes the only way to get through it is to find a good book and read for hours.<br />
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I’m not a fan of multiple point of views in a story, but this one worked for me, probably because of the story and how it’s told. Having said that, I never came to care for the characters as much as I would have liked to. Maybe because it was both very character driven and plot driven, where as normally it’s one or the other.<br />
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With Jellicoe Road levels of gripping complexity and a twisty, upside-down vibe of Alice in Wonderland, though unlike nothing I’ve ever read before, The Skin of a Monster is a brilliantly woven story. Strangely wonderful and sure to keep you on your toes; recommend.<br />
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<b>Is this Oz YA title on your TBR? </b></div>
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<b>Oh, and while you're here, don't forget to go enter my <a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/reading-wishes-turns-4-giveaway.html" target="_blank">blogoversary giveaway</a> going on! </b></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-10733951141525242652015-07-28T12:00:00.000+08:002015-07-28T17:48:48.680+08:00Reading Wishes Turns 4 & Giveaway<div class="bookMeta">
Hello friends! Today, four years ago, I put out my first post, but little did I know all that blogging would bring…<br />
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If you haven’t been following for a while, you might not realise that I haven't truly celebrated my blogoversary before. For one reason or another, there was always something going on that prevented me from having the celebration I wanted to throw. Last year I was in Germany, then in 2013 I was on holiday in England, and in 2012, I was busy organising the Author Appreciation August event. If you’ve been here for all of that, I congratulate you. You’re a trooper. Considering today marks my fourth year of blogging, I knew I couldn’t let today slip by. Thankfully, I finally made it and with GIF's to spare!<br />
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Firstly, whether you’re a new or old follower, thank you for reading. I appreciate it. I really do.<br />
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I know I've never been the most consistent blogger, and for a long time I felt guilty about that, but after nearly calling it quits early last year, it’s just a wonder that I’m still here after all this time. Close friends have come and gone, slumps have been an unfortunate constant from time to time, personal crap has certainly gotten in the way, blogging mojo has been lost - and yet I still have posts to write and things to say and books to push - have you read Jellicoe Road yet? Friday Brown? The Last Leaves Falling You should. And if not, have I not been doing my job right? More on that later… I don’t how long I’ll be blogging for, but today marks 4 year - FOUR YEARS, PEOPLE - and I’m damn proud of that. It’s been bumpy, wonderful years and I’ve got a lot of great memories and had amazing experiences that without this blog, I never would’ve had. <i>…gosh damn I’m getting nostalgic!</i><br />
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From my first post, to my first comment, to my first follower. Looking forward to a comment, having it brighten my day, interacting with gorgeous like-minded readers and becoming friends, regardless of where they live in the world. To an author reaching out, thanking me for my review. Or that author I struck up a special friendship with, after emailing them to say how excited I was for their book to release; never did I know how many emails we’d send back and fourth, talking books and writing. Holding my first blog event and all the work that went into it, but how worth it all was. The book events and signings I’ve attended, along with the Perth bloggers I’ve gotten to know and catch up with in real life. And that’s just the half of it, I’m sure.<br />
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<i>To thank you for sticking around, here’s a giveaway to win some of my very favourite books. Win or not, I hope you check them out because I have fantastic taste in books and these are the best. So go forth! And Aussies: don't forget to enter the other giveaway on Twitter to <a href="https://twitter.com/readingwishes/status/625951111749341184" target="_blank">win a signed book of Friday Brown</a>! You want this book, OK?!</i><br />
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<i>Lastly, I'd love if you shared a blogging memory with me. Maybe you have a story of how you first stumbled upon my blog or when we met or an interaction. What's been your favourite moment here at Reading Wishes? Indulge me, I'm feeling nostalgic, OK? Plus, don't forget who's giving away the free books now. Buahaha! </i><br />
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Or if you've already read all of these - hooray, for you! - you can choose another book from my list of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5447305?shelf=favourites" target="_blank">favourites</a>.</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="9779090428" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9779090428/" id="rcwidget_sctpprkk" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-85941323267120360802015-07-22T20:27:00.000+08:002015-07-22T20:38:21.900+08:00My Love-Hate Releationship with Series & Why It's Time for a Breakup <div class="bookMeta">
I have a love-hate relationship with series. When done right, they can be fantastic. Only thing though, I’ve rarely had luck with them. Vampire Academy is my favourite series, but I binge-read that back in 2012 and have since yet to find one that delivers with each instalment. But more that that, I think the problem is me. Yes, it really is one those, it’s-not-you-it’s-me situations.<br />
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Over the past few years, I can’t tell you the number of series I’ve started out loving and then just bombed out with. Some of this had to do with the books not being as good as the first and/or failing to live up to my expectations, but mostly, I think it was the dreaded wait in-between. And when I think about it, it’s not that hard to see why this is a problem for me. I mean, you’re being told this incredible story, where you’re completely invested, hook, line and sinker, and then the story ends, most likely leaving you on a cliffhanger. Fast forward a year or more with a new instalment out, lots more books read since, and a foggy memory on what exactly went down and how it all ended. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.<br />
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Sometimes I’m just left wondering...<i>would I still love this series had I held off until the rest of the books had released</i>? So, that’s why I’ve come to the decision to take a break from series, at the least the uncompleted ones. I like books; I like series; but I do not like waiting. What can I say, I’m a little bit impatient. So until then, I’ll be sticking to standalones and completed series. The upside? Hopefully less disappoint and a binge-fest of bookish goodness to be had in the future.<br />
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<b>So tell me: what do think of series? What do love about them and what do you hate? Do you hate the wait in-between and find it affects your enjoyment, like me?</b></div>
Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-16100437939729971672015-07-14T20:00:00.000+08:002015-07-14T20:00:05.157+08:00Dive Into Diversity: Favourites of 2015 (so far!)<div class="bookMeta">
Hello there! If you're reading this, sorry for my absence, I've been in a slump and just haven't been able to bring myself to read or blog or do much of anything. Hopefully this feeling passes soon because it sucks. But on to better and brighter things, todays Dive Into Diversity post! Having been away, this post was rather last minute, but contains something all us book lovers love doing: chatting about books we've loved! And here today, I've gathered two lovely ladies to share their favourite diverse reads of the year (so far)!<br />
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My favorite diverse book I've read this year is <b>TRUST THE FOCUS by Megan Erickson</b>. It's a male/male romance about two best friends on a post-college road trip. One is out, but the other isn't. I loved watching Justin's growth! Seeing him find his courage. Seeing him and Landry find their way to each other. Justin is from a conservative family, which I identified with. Even though TRUST THE FOCUS is New Adult (with some sexiness added in), I feel like YA readers who love contemporaries with themes of self-discovery would love this book. -- <a href="http://mollimoran.com/" target="_blank"><b>Molli Moran, YA author of As You Turn Away</b></a></div>
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<b>The Wrath and the Dawn</b> is a mesmerizing and compelling debut written by Renee Ahdieh that is loosely based on the Arabic folk story, A Thousand and One Nights. In a genre that so often tends to follow a very specific mold, it was extremely refreshing to read a fantasy that incorporated a culture I had no real prior exposure to, so effortlessly. The details about the food, the clothing, and the language only made the story that more richer and fascinating. Shahrzad was a fantastic endearing heroine. Feisty, sarcastic, and clever she brought a spark to the story that was complimented by Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan whom I adored. Together, they were amazing. The ultimate royal power couple, their scenes together were filed with undeniable chemistry and an addicting romance. Overall, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh is hands down one of my favorites of 2015 and a refreshing fantasy read that offers readers a look into a captivating culture. -- <b><a href="http://www.theseflyingpages.com/" target="_blank">Kaina @ These Flying Pages</a></b><br />
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As for my pick? I think you know my favourite diverse book of the year, which is no other than Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. I push this book so hard and I mean, I've even created a fan tee - it doesn't get more dedicated than that.<br />
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But to spread the book love, I'm going to go with <b>None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio</b>. If you haven't read this, you should. It's a brilliant, eye-opening book that sheds light on intersex, a topic that doesn't get talked about nearly enough and I hope that changes soon. This was my first intersex book, but I thought the author handled the subject matter with such care and respect and I definitely recommend it!<br />
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I love how diverse our list turned out to be - a gay love story, a book about intersex and a fantasy with a POC main character. <b>I'd love to hear YOUR favourite diverse title of the year and why we need to read it. </b>And if you're a challenge participant, don't forget to link up below! Happy reading!<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D7308702229721626303%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dheader&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.readbreatherelax.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2015%252F04%252Fthe-wrath-and-the-dawn-renee-ahdieh-e1429485080995.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=d1jf5qTrUDD5&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 467px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 961px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D7308702229721626303%23editor%2Fsrc%3Dheader&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fproxy%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.readbreatherelax.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2015%252F04%252Fthe-wrath-and-the-dawn-renee-ahdieh-e1429485080995.jpg%26container%3Dblogger%26gadget%3Da%26rewriteMime%3Dimage%252F*&xm=h&xv=sa1.37.01&xuid=d1jf5qTrUDD5&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 467px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 961px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-85090039457986480292015-06-09T20:00:00.000+08:002015-06-09T20:00:06.693+08:00Dive Into Diversity: Understanding Pride Month<div class="bookMeta">
After announcing <a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/simons-most-holy-awesome-pride-month_8.html" target="_blank">Simon’s Most Holy Awesome Pride Month Agenda</a> (if you're a Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda fan, check it out!) yesterday, I thought a post about Pride Month was in order. And here it is. Maybe you know a lot about what this month is all about, maybe you don’t. For me, I was the latter, having only heard of Pride Month in passing. So to fix this, I took to researching and discovering what I could. Here’s what I learned:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1l0FXPEgNVQLDnMPxu95r3IzX6g06ZA2VcDzi0LNmpUGODSlK6qcAAuw-zKVwEpgroJRljEgulZMfedfkY0ZZnqmtrJE8WX0dh7JEl_MWAV7NKKGC4bI0Hmg2jaFAyM3Vft1STt6ktEY/s1600/diveintodiversity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1l0FXPEgNVQLDnMPxu95r3IzX6g06ZA2VcDzi0LNmpUGODSlK6qcAAuw-zKVwEpgroJRljEgulZMfedfkY0ZZnqmtrJE8WX0dh7JEl_MWAV7NKKGC4bI0Hmg2jaFAyM3Vft1STt6ktEY/s400/diveintodiversity.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i>So...what is Pride Month?</i></b><br />
<i>Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. - taken from <a href="http://loc.gov/lgbt/about.html">loc.gov/lgbt/about.html</a></i><br />
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<b>What happens during Pride Month? Are allies allowed to join in?</b><br />
<br />
There are a ton of amazing events, parades and festivals going on in the US, from a Pride pageant, to a concert for love and acceptance, to a Pride comedy night. And yes, allies are welcome to join in. If you’re an Aussie reading this post you might be wondering, do we have Pride Month here in Australia? We don't, but there are LGBT events held throughout the year. If you're interested, this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LGBT_events" target="_blank">list</a> of worldwide events is helpful!<br />
<br />
<b>Apart from going to festivals and such, what are other ways to celebrate Pride Month?</b><br />
<br />
Maybe you can’t get to an event or maybe you live outside the US, but still wish to join in and show support. Here’s a few suggestions, good for anytime of the year:<br />
<br />
1. Learn the history and become more aware. Being informed is always a good way to show support. Here's a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/attn/videos/874801172555343/" target="_blank">short video</a> on Pride Month for visual folks. It's worth a watch!<br />
2. Volunteer at a local LGBT youth centre.<br />
3. Buy, borrow, read, discuss and share your favourite LGBT books.<br />
4. Support LGBT bookstores. There aren’t many around, but there are a few <a href="http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/media/print/bookstores/glbwnets.html#Australia">in Australia</a>. Giovanni’s Room in the US looks a great please to visit. Just look at that beautiful display!<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Giovanni's Room is a landmark, the country's first LGBT bookstore.
Proud to see <a href="https://twitter.com/IWGregorio">@IWGregorio</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/beckyalbertalli">@beckyalbertalli</a> here. <a href="http://t.co/uWTJmwK7yl">pic.twitter.com/uWTJmwK7yl</a></div>
— Eric Smith (@ericsmithrocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ericsmithrocks/status/603643360251904001">May 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
5. Support and follow great LGBT blogs like <a href="http://gayya.org/" target="_blank">Gay YA</a>. If you haven’t checked them out, they post fabulous guest posts, interviews, reviews and even run a book club!<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoyed this post and learnt some new things, I know I certainly did! Here’s to a great Pride Month. Link up and happy reading!<link href="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/styles/default.css" media="all" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/loc_en.js"></script><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/opt_defaults.js"></script><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/misterlinky.js"></script><script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?mode=standard&owner=ratherbereading&postid=post13204&meme=12225" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
<a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308702229721626303.post-13892557310673690492015-06-08T08:27:00.000+08:002015-06-08T08:37:24.627+08:00Simon’s Most Holy Awesome Pride Month Agenda<div class="bookBlurb" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border-bottom: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; border-top: 1px dotted #e5e5e5; margin: 20px 0pt; padding: 20px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dExJdgFqBjqKC1w8o3rmDIT7MPLUZo66GcK2df5cGakW4nv9bSGNVy3MWG8PqSNyvxnUtNMh5zw1FjdkbcUXUMbD5FV9QKcTsUZygnR7l9HvGpd1xaYIoH9fj-Fpu63f-Jnxrwcj9A_Q/s1600/simon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dExJdgFqBjqKC1w8o3rmDIT7MPLUZo66GcK2df5cGakW4nv9bSGNVy3MWG8PqSNyvxnUtNMh5zw1FjdkbcUXUMbD5FV9QKcTsUZygnR7l9HvGpd1xaYIoH9fj-Fpu63f-Jnxrwcj9A_Q/s200/simon.jpg" width="132" /></a><b></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>By now, you've probably heard of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It's <a href="http://readingwishes.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/nerding-out-simon-vs-homo-sapiens.html" target="_blank">one of my favourites of 2015</a> and has become a beloved book by many. And if you haven't checked it out yet, I hope you do! </b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b><br /></b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><b>Now, I'm sure you're wondering what Simon's Pride Month Agenda is all about, so I'll quit</b><b> raving (for now) and get down to business. I'll pass the mike over to Simon who has kindly joined us today and let him fill you in! Just give him a minute to finish off his Oreo and then we're good to go.</b></b></div>
</div>
*wipes Oreo crumbs out of the corners of my mouth*<br />
*clears throat*<br />
<br />
Hi, guys – Simon Spier here, and I’m pretty excited to dive into diversity on this freaking amazing blog. Sit back and relax while I tell you all about my Most Holy Awesome Pride Month Agenda. It's pretty epic if I do say so myself. Oh, wait, I just did.<br />
<br />
So, here in the US, June is a pretty big deal for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s National Pride Month, which means it’s an entire month dedicated to the utter badassery and amazingness of LGBTQIA+ kids, teens, and adults.<br />
<br />
And let’s be clear. LGBTQIA+ people are pretty freaking badass and amazing. <br />
<br />
So, in honor of Pride, I’m teaming up with two of my favorite Rebeccas with an epic scheme to support some of my favorite organizations. Want to participate and win some cool stuff? Here’s how!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">DO THIS: </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Buy a shirt! </b><br />
Look awesome and feel awesome by purchasing one of these extremely cool shirts, designed by Rebecca from Reading Wishes! 100% of profits will be donated to GLSEN (http://www.glsen.org)! <b><a href="http://teespring.com/simon-pride-month" target="_blank">Buy your shirt here</a>!</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCOOm_JoRKA8tPsuSSJV6gmrC_LYi8_K0xU_AHphBaJFzV9nV1pds2dga0ODVJqOgD4TWcJ27BE3d4Oauv7AoJ239f_lfU7GNG0mvHb8CVjtfx6a7xhxw6X8ZUjuy6KKDmzbgjESZ_mmD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-07+at+1.21.42+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCOOm_JoRKA8tPsuSSJV6gmrC_LYi8_K0xU_AHphBaJFzV9nV1pds2dga0ODVJqOgD4TWcJ27BE3d4Oauv7AoJ239f_lfU7GNG0mvHb8CVjtfx6a7xhxw6X8ZUjuy6KKDmzbgjESZ_mmD/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-06-07+at+1.21.42+pm.png" width="284" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkhUcgmCGq5CyobaDRkFb3VEG5VkWZP7tyRhKnGNxfhoXOE0bfHAz2rRMgdsANP0AHBEQUZnX50-vqcej1ALuXAYS7MaAHLmRnjyrnhFJYzAr9sZqlVrMOdzGFXyT837-GcLdOw6meKkP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-06-07+at+1.10.16+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkhUcgmCGq5CyobaDRkFb3VEG5VkWZP7tyRhKnGNxfhoXOE0bfHAz2rRMgdsANP0AHBEQUZnX50-vqcej1ALuXAYS7MaAHLmRnjyrnhFJYzAr9sZqlVrMOdzGFXyT837-GcLdOw6meKkP/s320/Screen+Shot+2015-06-07+at+1.10.16+pm.png" width="284" /></a><b></b><br />
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<b><b><br /></b></b><b><b><br /></b></b><br />
<b><b>2. or… Donate! </b></b><br />
<br />
So, you’d rather be naked, but still want to support a LGBTQIA+ organization? Consider donating to one of my favorites!<br />
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- GLSEN: <a href="https://donate.glsen.org/page/contribute/Donate" target="_blank">https://donate.glsen.org/page/contribute/Donate </a><br />
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- The Trevor Project: <a href="http://www.thetrevorproject.org/section/donate" target="_blank">http://www.thetrevorproject.org/section/donate </a><br />
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- Human Rights Campaign: <a href="http://shop.hrc.org/membership-1.html" target="_blank">http://shop.hrc.org/membership-1.html</a><br />
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- GayYA Blog: <a href="http://www.gayya.org/" target="_blank">http://www.gayya.org</a><br />
<br />
No donation is too small – give what you can afford! And if you can’t afford a donation…<br />
<br />
<b>3. or… Share! </b><br />
<br />
Spread the news by sharing this post! It’s a great way to raise awareness, whether or not you’re able to donate.<br />
<br />
<b>4. Email! </b><br />
<br />
Don’t forget this step! If you buy a shirt, donate, or share this post, please send an email to becky.albertalli@gmail.com. This is totally on the honor system. WHY SHOULD YOU DO THIS? Because…<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">GET THIS: </span></b><br />
Everyone who buys a shirt, donates, or shares this post (AND emails Becky) will receive an actual deleted scene from the end of <i>Simon Vs</i>.! It’s a short email exchange between Blue and me, and it’s freaking embarrassing and romantic and UGH. Don’t hate us. (NOTE: SPOILERS. MAD SPOILERS. READ THE BOOK FIRST, OKAY?)<br />
<br />
One random emailer will ALSO receive a signed copy of Adam Silvera’s <i>More Happy Than Not </i>AND a signed/personalized copy of <i>Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.</i> Open internationally. Whoa.<br />
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Got it? Excellent.<br />
<br />
Til next time,<br />
Simon<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
_________</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*brain explodes from awesomeness* Thanks so much for reading and I hope you'll donate, buy a shirt and/or spread the word! Becky and I would so appreciate it! You can buy the shirt by clicking <a href="http://teespring.com/simon-pride-month" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7308702229721626303" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7308702229721626303" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7308702229721626303" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7308702229721626303" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D7308702229721626303%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Q89nSoma_og%2FVXPS1H1k5gI%2FAAAAAAAAEQo%2Faz8mG4yMGe0%2Fs320%2FScreen%252BShot%252B2015-06-07%252Bat%252B1.10.16%252Bpm.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 678px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogger.com%2Fblogger.g%3FblogID%3D7308702229721626303%23editor&media=https%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Q89nSoma_og%2FVXPS1H1k5gI%2FAAAAAAAAEQo%2Faz8mG4yMGe0%2Fs320%2FScreen%252BShot%252B2015-06-07%252Bat%252B1.10.16%252Bpm.png&xm=h&xv=sa1.35&description=" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 26px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 678px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7308702229721626303" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7308702229721626303" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18234560405122776663noreply@blogger.com7