Simone and Her Books

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  • November 2018 Bookish Wrap Up

    November 2018 Bookish Wrap Up

    November felt like such a great reading month and now it’s over. LOL. But let’s not discount December, the month of cozy reads, holiday treats, and possible gift cards to Barnes and Noble in your stocking.

    Let’s take a minute to enjoy what we’ve got this holiday season and the final monthly wrap up before the end of the year. Here’s what I read in November. You can find my full reviews on Goodreads.

    Winter by Marissa Meyer

    The final book in The Lunar Chronicle series and I’m so jazzed. I always get so excited when I reach the final novel of a series. It’s the end of an epic journey and everything is about to fall into place. Everything I’ve read has culminated to this moment and I have to admit, it delivered. I still can’t believe I got through all 800+ pages of this novel!

    Find my whole review on Goodreads.

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    This Will Only Hurt A Little by Busy Philipps

    I had a lot of fun with this one! Because November was Non-Fiction November, I definitely wanted to read something non-fiction. Luckily, I got this great book from Touchstone Books and I definitely read the crap out of it. I will say that her writing style is exactly how she talks and it’s a little grating after a while. I did a lot of research on Busy after I finished reading the novel because she mentions very specific moments in her career and life. I wanted to see if it was all true, and from what I can tell they were. It’s definitely a fun one to read and if you’re looking for something to give as a gift for the holidays, this is definitely a good one.

    Find my whole review on Goodreads.

    G’morning, G’night: Pep Talks for Me and You by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jonny Sun

    This was an absolutely adorable book. It’s a super quick read because I don’t think the whole book is supposed to be read in one sitting. It’s the kind of novel you read once a day, taking in the advice, and then living your life to the best of your ability. But the advice is legit, a little harsh, and totally helping me live my life.

    Find my whole review on Goodreads.

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    Until the Last Star Fades by Jacquelyn Middleton

    I received this book from the author and I was so excited because she writes some amazing contemporary womens fiction. This book delivered exactly that. It felt real and the relationship felt real. Despite a few things I wasn’t fully believing, it made me happy. If you’re looking for something easy, then you can definitely get into this.

    Find my whole review on Goodreads

    Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

    This book blew me away. I was a little worried about what I was going to get into, but wow I was truly amazed by this story. I read this entire book in one sitting, which is only reserved for those books I can’t stop reading. It’s got time travel, history, and an ending that makes you wonder if what just happened actually happened. Such a clever novel and I will definitely be reading more from Octavia E. Butler in the future.

    Find my whole review on Goodreads

    Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

    I read this book for my online book club @monstersandstrangerworlds. Well, it’s not my book club, but I love that they read speculative fiction. And so I decided to read this book. Here’s the truth: I wasn’t a fan of Furyborn by Claire Legrand, which made it really scary for me to read this book. I was super worried that this book would be the same as Furyborn and I would be playing with fire. I liked the book and I love how it involved women, but I’m afraid I’m not a fan of Claire Legrand. Nothing against her! I’m just not feeling it.

    Find my whole review on Goodreads

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    The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin

    Alright, folks. Let’s talk about this book for a second. This book made me excited about dystopian novels again. This book is considerate of things going on in this world right now. This book is the science fiction I look for, the kind that whisks you off to what feels like a foreign planet, but then you realize it’s this planet. This book is essentially the book I’ll be hyping up for the rest of my life. I honestly couldn’t do it justice in my review. You’re more than welcome to read it, but something magical about this book that made me consider the future. It made me consider what will happen. I just absolutely love how authors take genre fiction and use it to convey the world right now. Definitely pick this one up if you’re a fan of Dune. I’m just upset it took me three years to discover it.

    Find my whole review on Goodreads

    What did you read this month?

     

  • My Bookish Holiday Gift Guide

    My Bookish Holiday Gift Guide

    Happy Holidays everyone! I know we’re all in the middle of getting ready for the biggest season of the year and I’m super psyched too. There’s something about the holidays that really gets me in the mood to share and give as much as possible. I love buying gifts for underprivileged families. I love volunteering at my local church. I love giving the most, so I wanted to share that with you all with my first ever Holiday Gift Guide.

    When I was thinking about putting this list together, I honestly couldn’t stop wanting these things for myself. LOL. Don’t you find it funny when you shop for friends and family you just want to shop for yourself? So I’ve decided to give you a list of fun bookish accessories and fun books to share with your loved ones and a little for ourself.

    I hope you enjoy it! These items are all from my own heart and I hope you all love them as much as I do.

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  • Introducing: The Backlist Book Club

    Introducing: The Backlist Book Club

    I’m so excited about this because 1) I’m starting a book club 2) I’m finally reading those dang books I’ve had on my shelves for years.

    The objective of the Backlist Book Club is to read the books we’ve had on our shelves for years. Every month, I’ll announce a book published any time before the current year. For example, in 2018, anything published in 2017 and older is game to read. However, I do want to outline some other important pieces of the book club:

    1. We will mostly choose standalone novels. It’s tough to start a brand new series or read a book mid-series if everyone else isn’t reading it too. There’s a ton of standalone books I haven’t read yet and I want to get into those instead.
    2. I’ll announce the book prior to the month it’ll be read and then live-read the books on social media mid-month. It will always be around the 15th of the month. You’re more than welcome to join me in reading that weekend, but if you can’t make it, use hashtag #thebacklistbookclub to join in on the fun.
    3. The authors will be a mix. I was thinking of doing only authors of color or only female authors, but in truth there are some books that I want to read off my shelf that follow neither category. I do want to be mindful of who we’re reading, so it’ll always be a little bit diverse.
    4. The books should be accessible. Because I’m choosing books that were published prior to the current year, these books should be accessible through your library holds and the like. Hopefully. If anything, I’ll find you deals for books and share them with you.
    5. I want this to be our book club. Being inundated with brand new books all the time means books you wanted to read get put on the back burner. I want this to be an effort for all of us to continue choosing books on our shelf. Also, I want this book club to be about us. This means that I want you to help in the process of picking books in the future. For now, I’ll just pick the books off my shelf and I’ll introduce polls on Twitter for new reads.

    Finally, I’m announcing our first book for December. This book was published in 2017, been sitting on my shelf for the last six months and making its debut on my TBR. That book is…

    The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

    32956365Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning.

    Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other’s hearts.

  • Book Shaming Just Needs to Stop

    Book Shaming Just Needs to Stop

    A few months back, I was working at my job and the new COO of the company came over to our department to introduce herself to the employees. I was so excited to meet this woman because she’s a C-level executive at a huge company and made it there with the grit and hard work of any other human being. It’s so awe-inspiring to see a woman who worked so hard to get where she was.

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  • Currently Loving – As You Wish

    Currently Loving – As You Wish

    This morning, I woke up to the saddest news. The book adapter and screenwriter, William Goldman, has died. If you aren’t aware who William Goldman is, he’s the writer of movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and more iconically (to me), The Princess Bride.

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  • Adult Bookstagrammers Who Read Fantasy – Part Two

    Adult Bookstagrammers Who Read Fantasy – Part Two

    Welcome back, readers, to another installment of adult bookstagrammers that love to read fantasy. Now, I’m a fan of both adult and YA fantasy. YA fantasy gets a little nerving sometimes because it’s all crashing lips and insta-love and everything kind of easily. But good fantasy is so good and it eats you up and spits out your bones.

    So if you love fantasy, here’s list 2/3 on bookstagrammers unafraid to share their love for fantasy too.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BoothawH1W1/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

  • What I’m Reading Wednesday/Author Spotlight – Octavia Butler

    What I’m Reading Wednesday/Author Spotlight – Octavia Butler

    Today is a very special Wednesday because not only is it the day I share my current reads with you, but this read is also an author spotlight of mine for November.

    Octavia Butler has been on my reading list since I bought this Mind of My Mind t-shirt from Out of Print Clothing. I recall feeling a little sheepish buying a t-shirt of a book I’ve never heard of. However, I told myself that I would eventually read Octavia Butler and that time has finally come. I’m a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy especially when they’re written by women and women of color. Science fiction still feels like that one of those genres that’s dominated by white men and so I try my best to mix it up and include other authors of the genre.

    However, what I’m learning about Octavia Butler has been blowing my mind.

    I like to think of Octavia Butler as one of the earliest African American and female author of science fiction and fantasy. She’s been herald as ahead of her time writing about being a woman, being African American, being infringed, and being working class. She used her experiences growing up to help fuel the fire of her stories and the science fiction genre because it’s just so vast and the imagination is endless. She’s the first science fiction writer to be given the MacArthur Fellowship and a huge influence in the Black science fiction genre.

    For my What I’m Reading Wednesdays, I’ll be exploring this genre and how that works with one of Octavia Butler’s iconic works, Kindred. I honestly feel like I’m learning so much just by picking up her novel. Here’s more on Kindred:

    60931The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity.

    Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life.

    During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given: to protect this young slaveholder until he can father her own great-grandmother.

    So this book is hitting all my science fiction needs. It’s got time travel, which in and of itself is paradoxical. It’s got a young African-American woman as the main character. It has her traveling back in time to a very poignant time in African-American history.

    I think I’m about to have my mind blown. Will you be reading along with me?

    You can find KINDRED on Amazon.

     

     

     

     

  • Literary Lunch – Wonton Cabbage Soup

    Literary Lunch – Wonton Cabbage Soup

    As the weather gets cooler, I’m so happy to pull out the big pots and make giant vats of soup. I’m a soups and stews kind of girl all year round, but especially during the cold winter months. A big bowl of soup and my current reads and you’ve got perfection.

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  • Currently Loving – Thank u, next

    Currently Loving – Thank u, next

    It’s been a really long time since I broke up with someone and felt the heartache Ariana Grande felt in this song. If this song could have existed over five years ago, it would have saved me years of pain and teach me to move forward. It’s a truth that a lot of people figure out while examining themselves and their past relationships. You may no longer be with that person, but you can thank them for the lessons you’ve learned. You can thank them for the opportunity to feel love and loss. You can thank them for letting you go so you can be the best version of yourself.

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  • Adult Bookstagrammers Who Read Fantasy – Part One

    Adult Bookstagrammers Who Read Fantasy – Part One

    So recently I realized that I’m a huge fan of fantasy reads. Great! Got that out of the way.

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