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April Book Round Up (Mod Rapier)

Hello! What the O.W.Ls have taught me is when I’m in the midst of a real life work crisis, I am not very good at following structure! But I did read six books this past month, and most of them counted for my O.W.Ls. It’s fine. Here’s what I read:

1) The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara A lot of people have complained that this book isn’t your typical biography, but that’s what I LOVED about it. The book was just as much about Millicent, the creator of the Creature from the Black Lagoon who was not credited for her work because Men, as it was about Mallory’s search for her story. Absolutely recommend! Check out my full review here. I read this book for my Charms O.W.L.

2) Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Choksi This book was sold to me as Percy Jackson meets Sailor Moon. I admittedly haven’t read Percy Jackson (but I’ve listened to the musical!!) but I do adore Sailor Moon, so they had me. I’m not sure I’m sold on the comparison BUT I still loved it. The characters are funny and believable, and this first book sets up a very promising series. The next book just came out, so I can’t wait to jump on that! This counted towards my Care of Magical Creatures O.W.L.

3) I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott Just @ me next time, Mary! I was lucky enough to meet her a few months ago when she stopped by my bookstore. She’s also a bookseller and is such a sweetheart. I wrote a shelf talker at work - which is basically a tiny review that customers can read while browsing - and I think it sums up my feelings well enough that I’ll just WRITE IT HERE AGAIN (work smarter, not harder!): There’s an essay for everyone in this collection. Philpott’s relatable voice makes the reader ask who she’s actually writing about - herself, or you? From one bookseller to another, thank you. “Me real,” too, Mary.

4) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas MOD RIVER MADE ME READ THIS AND I HAVE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND OPINIONS. Expect a very silly video review of this book to come soon. Also this is basically a retelling so I counted it for my Ancient Runes O.W.L.

5) 96 Words for Love by Rachel Roy and Ava Dash Hi I did not like this book, I would like to have 96 words to describe how much I did not like this book. I can see why people would like this book, but there were parts of it that bothered me too much. Specifically the shoehorned sex trafficking plot at the very end. There’s a way to tell that story and this felt very tone deaf and out of nowhere. This was the first book from the JIMMY Patterson imprint that disappointed me. This has more than one author, so I counted it towards my Arithmancy O.W.L.

6) When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon This book is SO CUTE. I am not a contemporary romance person and that did not stop me from loving this story. The characters are hilarious, relatable, and believably flawed. I have an ARC for the companion book, There’s Something About Sweetie, ready and waiting on my May TBR stack! Knowing me, I won’t get to the ARC until after the May 14th release, but a girl can dream.

So that’s my April summary! I suddenly have a lot more free time on my hands due to a switch in daytime jobs (still at the bookstore, though, no worries). Will this lead to more reading? Only time will tell!

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Happy Independent Bookstore Day! Go visit your local bookstore today and celebrate shopping local!!

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Evie: I’m giving up alcohol for a month. Sam: Really? Evie: Wait, sorry, that didn’t come out right. Evie I’m giving up. Alcohol for a month.

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Books when they go from enemies to lovers? Preferably YA???

Of course! 😊 Here are a few of our favourite books that fit those categories. We hope you find some that you’ll enjoy. ❤️

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (Nickie)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Marisa)

Daughter of Smoke & Boneby Laini Taylor (Vee)

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (Lulu)

Iron Breakers Trilogy by Zaya Feli (Mars)

My So-Called Bollywood Lifeby Nisha Sharma (Wind)

Royals by Rachel Hawkins (Wind)

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Melissa)

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (Isabel)

The King’s Men (All For the Game #3) by Nora Sakavic (Mars)

The Simple Wild by KA Tucker (Wind)

The Winner’s Curseby Marie Rutkoski (Vee & Nickie)

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (Vee)

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (Alex)

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi (Alex & Alyssa)

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Isabel)

- Nickie

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What I am learning from this experience is that I’m terrible at doing the plans. Well, changing my major like 8 times should have helped with that realization. But still. 

Updated TBR: 1. Ancient Runes: Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta OR (depending on when my Illumicrate comes...) Pride by Ibi Zoboi

2. Airthmancy: What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

3. Charms: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived by Karen Lindsey. It’s a feminist reinterpretation of the wives of Henry VIII which just sounds like a lot of fun and idk I’m in the mood for it I guess.

4. Defense Against the Dark Arts: Tentatively A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir but I’m having a hard time getting into it for some reason?? 

✔️ 5. Potions The Elite by Kiera Cass. It was light and fun, nothing to write home about but a good filler read. The audiobook narrator is absolutely awful though.

✔️ 6. Transfigurations I went with Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and I don’t regret it one bit! I had a hard time getting into it, possibly because I haven’t read any of the Grishaverse books before, but it was good. Less gay than I had been promised but still good!

O.W.L.s Magical Readathon TBR - Mod River

Okay so I kind of wanted to choose Alchemist because I’m That Person but ended up settling on Cursebreaker so I don’t hate myself. Thus far I have 0% started on my Readathon TBR because my TBR cart has The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi closest to me so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ also I’m in the middle of A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir which, to my credit, is necessary for my Defense Against the Dark Arts book BUT ANYWAY here is my TBR for the readathon:

1. Ancient Runes: A Retelling For this one I chose Once and Future by Amy Rose Capetta which I totally ordered the March Illumicrate for whoopsie but I’m super hype for it, Mod Rapier got an ALC and I’ve been dying to read it since! I loved The Brilliant Death sooo so much.

2. Arithmancy: More Than One Author I’m trying to just do new reads for this challenge, so my favorite collab (Tiny Pretty Things) is off the table. Going with What if it’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera because BookBub let me know it was on sale for like $1 or something after I’d been on the Libby waitlist at the library since freakin’ January. It’s okay though because having holds come in is just like Christmas except better because it’s always a book instead of sometimes being socks.

3. Charms: Adult Book Pet peeve: people who are doing New Adult titles for this one. New Adult and Adult are different genres dammit! Anywayyy I’ll be reading Good Girls Revolt by Lynn Povich because the show was bomb and I’m so sad there won’t be another season!

4. Defense Against the Dark Arts: Book that starts with ‘R’ Okay this one was really, really hard! I have NOTHING on my TBR cart that starts with ‘R’ and my library loan list is equally lacking, which is pretty impressive because I have like, infinity books on my TBR cart and like ten out from the library. I’m going with Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir, the third An Ember in the Ashes book because my heart really needs that kind of stress this month. Seriously, it’s such a good series but it’s probably going to kill me.

5. Potions: Sequel Right now the plan is to read Legendary by Stephanie Garber because Caraval was  a m a z i n g  and I def ordered the special crate from Owlcrate for Finale but tbh I might end up using either The Everlasting Rose by Dhonielle Clayton because if I don’t read it ASAP my partner is probably going to murder me (I just got him to read The Belles, which was totally not cruel of me because he finished the day before The Everlasting Rose came out).

6. Transfigurations: Red Cover/Sprayed Edges I totally have not decided what I’m going to read for Transfig yet because I have so many good options! I’m torn between Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto, or For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig. I’ve had two false starts on Six of Crows but it’s due back at the library soon and I know it’s like a YA must-read right now. But I want to get through my Owlcrate backlog before the April crate so Crown of Feathers is also a good option! And then For a Muse of Fire I picked up at NoVa TEEN Book Festival over the weekend because a) it has necromancy and shadow puppets, great combo and b) it’s an #ownvoices novel with a bipolar character which you don’t really see in fantasy. 

That’s the plan! Let’s see if I manage to stick to it.

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Rapier Reviews: The Lady from the Black Lagoon

This book is part biography, part narrative about the research process, and fully a manifesto on sexism in the film industry. The author, Mallory O’Meara, was a teenager when she discovered that her favorite monster was created not by a man but by a woman. After spending years wondering what Milicent Patrick’s story must have been, since there was no information about her to be found, she finally decided that she would be the one to tell her heroine’s story.

One of the biggest complaints about this book was probably my favorite part: this biography is just as much Mallory’s as it is Milicent’s. The parallels between the sexism Milicent faced in the 1950’s and Mallory’s in modern Hollywood are uncanny, highlighting how little the film industry has changed. Frustrated, angry, but hopeful, Mallory’s search for Milicent reads like a detective novel. I didn’t mind that this wasn’t a straight biography. I listened to the audiobook, read by Mallory O’Meara herself, and found myself verbally reacting to her journey to find Milicent as I drove down the interstate or sat in a parking lot. Maybe it’s different when you physically read the book instead of hear O’Meara share both of their stories? Mallory is also close to my age, and getting to experience a biography not written by a long-winded old white dude was extremely refreshing.

The other thing I appreciated about O’Meara’s work is that she consistently acknowledged white privilege. She made it very clear that both she and Milicent are white, able bodied, financially stable women who have experienced prejudice in this field; imagine what other marginalized communities have to/are currently dealing with in the film industry, particularly the horror industry. I love, love, LOVED that she made sure to take the time to acknowledge this.

There are a few things to look out for in this book: there is sexist language, there is a suicide, there is cancer, there is death, and there is just men being generally The Worst. All in all, I am so thrilled I had access to this book. I’m not a horror person (because I have too much natural anxiety to watch things meant to give me anxiety nope), but this definitely gave me more interested in the genre and left me appreciative of the history and work of Milicent Patrick. Thanks, Mallory O’Meara, for sharing her story.

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Book Outlet haul ~ 

I’m probably most curious about Illuminae because of all the ridiculousness surrounding the Aurora Rising ARC. Scifi? Not really my thing. But hey nothing wrong with giving it a shot!

Most anticipated? Definitely Legendary. For bonus points, it’s actually on my OWLs TBR.

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An epic UPDATE of Molly Wetta’s graphic guide to LGBTQ titles in YA literature now up on YALSA’s website. 

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April O.W.L.s Check In! (Mod Rapier)

We’re already halfway through April; can you believe it??

I’ve only made it through 2/5 of my TBRs and the two books I’m currently reading are... uh... not on my list >_> But it’s okay because we have half of April left!! I’m going to do mini-reviews of the two books I’ve finished (Aru Shah and the End of Time and The Lady from the Black Lagoon) soon. I can’t wait to talk about these reads! I’m currently reading the essay collection I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott (a fellow bookseller in the indie bookstore world!) and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass (which is entirely Mod River’s fault). I’m so excited to get back on track after I finish these books and knock out the rest of my Magical Readathon TBR! How are your O.W.L.s going? Let us know!

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The Mortal Instruments: Magnus Bane 

“I was alive when the Dead Sea was just a lake that was feeling a little poorly.” 

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[Screenshot of Goodreads recommending "Kingdom Hearts: The Novel" because Mod River is currently reading A Reaper at the Gates]

G...Goodreads? Are...are you okay there?

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hey, do u know any books that could be described as "be gay, do crimes"?? maybe like six of crows? i'm thinking heists or cons or assassins or even pirates, that sorta thing

READ DEATH PREFERS BLONDES BY CALEB ROEHRIG IMMEDIATELY

It is literally “Be Gay, Do Crimes” in a novel.

When you’re done with that, here are some assassin books: https://lgbtqreads.com/2019/01/24/fave-five-lgbtq-assassins/ and here are pirates: https://lgbtqreads.com/2018/02/12/fave-five-lgbtq-pirates/

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Memphis: Synonyms are weird because if I invite you to my cottage in the forest it sounds nice and cozy, but if I invite you to my cabin in the woods, you are going to die. Theta: My favorite is explaining the difference between a “butt dial” and “booty call” Ling: It’s called connotations. Henry: Try this one on for size- “Forgive me father, for I have sinned” versus “Sorry Daddy, I’ve been naughty” Jericho: Language is now canceled.

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LAIA BADASS OF SERRA

ARTIST: WIZONG.ART (INSTAGRAM)

😍😍😍😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️💀💀💀⚔️⚔️⚔️

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A Court of Thorns and Roses ~ Spring Court

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Cain: There's seven chairs and ten kids. What do you do?

Elias: Have everyone stand.

Laia: Bring three more chairs.

Helene: The best seven of the lot can sit down.

The Commandant: Kill three.

Cain: Keris, we talked about this.

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Blackcliff // "At age eleven, the Centurions throw us out of Blackcliff and into the wilds of the Empire without clothes, food or weaponry, to survive as best as we can for four years."