#Book Lists

[outtoshatter]

Alright, I will have NO book shaming. Also this list made me realize that when I know I like something, by god do I stick with it 😂 I only put the first book in any given series on purpose!

I'd love to hear how you did! But if there's book shaming I'm not here for it.

[bookcub]

A fun new list challenge! Feel free to copy me (and tag me so I can play along!)

[richincolor]

I thought it would be fun to close out February by leaving you with 10 YA books by Black authors that we are looking forward to! All of these books come out later this year, so you have plenty to look forward to even though Black History Month is over. Of course, there are many, many other books by Black authors coming out this year--these are just the ones that caught my attention. Check out our StoryGraph account to find what else is on our radar!

Where Shadows Meet (Heirs of Shadows #1) by Patrice Caldwell Wednesday Books

The dark and thrillingly romantic debut vampire fantasy that questions what it truly means to sacrifice for love. You have no idea what I’ve done for love. Just as you have no idea what you may one day do. Once long ago, a girl named Favre sacrificed her wings for love. Thana, the young goddess she so willingly gave them up for, sacrificed that same love for power. But everything has a cost. Favre never got over the loss of her wings. And Thana’s choices led to a life of eternal night, and later, their destruction. Favre has bided her time ever since, waiting for the chance to resurrect the girl she loves who turned her into the creature she hates. Now, a thousand years later, Leyla, the crown princess of the malichora—an ancient race that survives on human blood —must travel to the Island of the Dead when her best friend is captured during an attack on her nation’s capital. Along with Najja, a fierce, beautiful seer, and the last person she expected to help her, Leyla forges down a dangerous path, intent on saving her friend. But nothing is as it seems. The closer she gets to her goal, the more she risks awakening an ancient evil and destroying everything she holds dear. Set in the aftermath of a war between vampires, humans, and the gods that created them, Patrice Caldwell’s devastatingly romantic fantasy debut, Where Shadows Meet, centers the heart-wrenching pain of loss and the struggle of self-discovery to ask: do we choose our fates, or do our fates choose us?

All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis Atheneum Books for Young Readers

In this compelling, moving story about brotherhood, identity, and social justice, a Black, autistic teen tries to figure out what happened the night his older brother was unjustly arrested. All Aiden has ever wanted to do was play football just like his star quarterback brother, Brandon. An overstimulation meltdown gets in the way of Aiden making the team during summer tryouts, but when the school year starts and a spot unexpectedly needs to be filled, he finally gets a chance to play the game he loves. However, not every player is happy about the new addition to the team, wary of how Aiden’s autism will present itself on game day. Tensions rise. A fight breaks out. Cops are called. Brandon interferes on behalf of his brother, but is arrested by the very same cops who, just hours earlier, were chanting his name from the bleachers. When he’s wrongly charged for felony assault on an officer, everything Brandon has worked for starts to slip away, and the brothers’ relationship is tested. As Brandon’s trial inches closer, Aiden is desperate to figure out what really happened that night. Can he clear his brother’s name in time?

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum HarperCollins

Hollis Brown is stuck. Born to a blue-collar American Dream, Hollis lives in a rotting small town where no one can afford to leave. Hollis's only bright spots are his two best friends, cool girls Annie and Yulia, and the thrill of fighting his classmates. As if his circumstances couldn’t get worse, a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger named Walt results in a frightening trap. After unknowingly making a deal at the crossroads, Hollis finds himself losing control of his body and mind, falling victim to possession. Walt, the ghost making a home inside him, has a deep and violent history rooted in the town Hollis grew up in and he has unfinished business to take care of. As Walt and Hollis begin working together to put Walt’s spirit to rest, an unspeakable bond forms between them, and the boys begin falling for one another in unexpected ways. But it’s only a matter of time before Hollis’s best friends begin to notice that something about Hollis isn’t quite…right. With the threat of a long-overdue exorcism looming before them, will Walt and Hollis be able to protect their love and undo the curse that turned their town from a garden of possibility into a place where dreams go to die?

If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal HarperCollins Children's Books

Lights. Camera. Love? Rochelle “the Shell” Coleman is laser focused on only three things: becoming valedictorian, getting into Wharton, and, of course, taking down her annoyingly charismatic nemesis and only academic competition, Amira Rodriguez. However, despite her stellar grades, Rochelle’s college application is missing that extra special something: a job. When Rochelle gets an opportunity to work at Horizon Cinemas, the beloved Black-owned movie theater, she begrudgingly jumps at the chance to boost her chances at getting into her dream school. There’s only one problem: Amira works there… and is also her boss. Rochelle feels that working with Amira is its own kind of horror movie, but as the two begin working closely together, Rochelle starts to see Amira in a new light, one that may have her beginning to actually… like her? But Horizon’s in trouble, and when mysterious things begin happening that make Horizon’s chances of staying open slimmer, it’s up to the employees to solve the mystery before it’s too late, but will love also find its way into the spotlight?

If I Could Go Back by Briana Johnson Peachtree Teen

For Aaliyah Campbell, family is everything. Her cousin Ivy is her best friend and track co-star, and Grandpa Joe is her rock. He may be crotchety and dramatic, but he’s raised Aaliyah since she was a toddler. Still, Aaliyah can’t stop thinking about what’s missing—her parents. When Aaliyah secretly contacts her mom, she risks upsetting the family who’s always been there. But Grandpa Joe refuses to explain why her parents gave her up, and without answers, Aaliyah cannot silence the anxious voice telling her she's never been good enough. Surprisingly, it isn't Aaliyah's mom, but her dad, Quincy, who steps up. Quincy turns out to be immature but surprisingly fun to hang out with. And when the rest of the family finds out they're in contact, old secrets will finally be forced into the light. Aaliyah Campbell is a champion for young Black girls coping with anxiety and depression, and a voice for all teens navigating the messy process of learning how to advocate for ones’ self. Through honest storytelling and a voice that oozes humor and heart, Briana Johnson’s memorable debut explores sensitive topics with authenticity and compassion.

Solo Stan by Talia Tucker Kokila

From the author of Rules for Rule Breaking comes a queer YA romance about two solo concertgoers and unwitting seatmates who, when the show is abruptly cut short, embark on an unforgettable North Carolina summer night together, discovering how opposites can attract under the right circumstances. Dakarai (Kai) Barbier was supposed to be at CYPHR’s sold-out show with his best friends. Instead, he finds himself going solo, reeling from the news that they’ve decided to accelerate the next chapter of their lives, leaving him alone the summer after high school graduation. Meanwhile, Elias Davis has just been sent from New York City to North Carolina to live with his uncle after a last-straw fistfight. Stuck in a town he doesn’t want to be in, and without knowing a soul his own age, he buys a single ticket to CYPHR’s Raleigh show. When a sudden blackout ends the show early, forcing these unwitting seatmates back onto the streets of Raleigh, they are faced with a choice: get on the bus and head home or take a chance on each other. They might have arrived alone, but will they be leaving together?

Tempest by K. Ibura Quill Tree Books

After Veronique’s parents died, her grandmother raised her on a farm in rural Louisiana. For sixteen years, it’s just been Veronique, MawMaw, and an ocean of trees. That’s because Veronique has a secret—one MawMaw has warned her she must always keep safe. Veronique has the power to control the wind. But when MawMaw falls ill, Veronique is forced to move to New Orleans to live with family she never knew she had. New Orleans is a far cry from her old quiet life, but Veronique finally gets her chance for a normal life—one with school, friends, and even love. But when her new life threatens her ability to control her powers, she quickly learns that the world is bigger and more dangerous than she’d ever imagined. Veronique must uncover what MawMaw was trying to protect her from before it’s too late.

Pretty Girl County by Lakita Wilson Viking Books For Young Readers

Girls like Reya Samuels always come from Prince George’s County. Reya is rich and she’s not afraid to show it—she wears designer clothes, drives a custom pink Audi, and lives in a neighborhood tucked behind a fancy cast iron gate. She works hard, but she can get anything she wants with a snap. Sommer Watkins is from Seat Pleasant, where the cast iron gates are significantly smaller—and attached to the windows, where most folks are still trying to make ends meet. Every day for Sommer is a hustle, working at her dad’s bookstore, and using her art skills to scrounge up enough scholarship money for her dream school, Spelman. Reya and Sommer used to be BFFs—back when Reya lived in Seat Pleasant, too. Now the girls are from different stratospheres—but when Reya desperately needs help to prove to FIT admissions officers that she has what it takes to make it in fashion, the only person who can help is Sommer. Reya promises to help Sommer in return—she’ll pay her for her services, helping Sommer afford the school her parents can’t. As the girls work together, slowly they begin to trust each other again. But when new relationships push them both, and Sommer’s dad’s bookstore is suddenly in danger of closing, old wounds bubble up. Can the girls find a way to repair their friendship and stay true to themselves along the way?

My Perfect Family by Khadijah VanBrakle Holiday House

Sixteen-year-old Leena has always wished for a big family… but when she discovers she has a Muslim grandfather and aunt she never knew, she learns that family comes with tangled histories she may not be able to heal. “Lonely Leena” is close with her young single mother. Still, she’s always secretly dreamed of more (and, when she was a kid, asked Santa for it). A huge family to cheer her on at graduation. A gaggle of smiling faces at the holidays. But one call from the hospital, and her mother’s hidden past comes to light: Her grandfather is in the ER, and her aunt is with him in recovery. Sorry—her WHO? But with family comes family secrets—Leena’s mom’s, and as Leena grows close with her new family behind her mother’s back, her own. Leena’s mom warns that Leena’s grandfather Tariq’s financial generosity doesn’t come without strings attached… like Leena converting to Islam, fighting for a spot at a top university, and adhering to the restrictive rules that she ran from all those years ago. Leena isn’t sure who to trust, yet she’s certain that she adores Tariq and her mom—and that she’s the only one who could heal old hurts. After so many years, is it even possible? And if she can’t, will she have to choose between them? A big family was the dream, but all this drama isn’t. Warm, witty, and sometimes serious, My Perfect Family is a poignant intergenerational narrative that gives voice to Black Muslim women. A thoughtful examination of the intersection between gender and religion, Khadijah VanBrakle’s sophomore novel is a heartfelt tale of forging one’s own path… while loving those who stay by your side.

The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle HarperCollins

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sedgwick is a lost cause. While 1860s England offers little opportunity beyond marriage for a sharp-tongued, dark-skinned housekeeper’s daughter, Stella dreams of a writing career and independence. When her late mother’s former employer—the wealthy Thomas Fitzroy—summons Stella to London, he bequeaths her one of the family’s great estates on his deathbed. But such an inheritance will precipitate a legal battle, one that would be much easier if Stella were married. Suddenly thrust into lily-white London society with the goal of finding a husband, Stella also reunites with the Fitzroy heir Nathaniel, her childhood best friend, now somewhat of a stranger. But even though she doesn’t want a husband, London presents other opportunities, like picking up her mother’s old advice column, where “Fiona Flippant” anonymously guided readers through upper-class perils. It turns out the dresses and balls aren’t so bad, though the stares and insults sometimes feel impossible to navigate. Things only grow more complicated with the attention of handsome suitors and Stella’s increasingly tempestuous relationship with Nathaniel. As new opportunities arise and old secrets are uncovered, Stella must decide when to play by the rules, when to break them, and when to let herself follow her heart.

[lafcadiosadventures]

A short and non exhaustive list of Romantic stories where someone falls in love with a statue:

->Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer:

El beso, (1863) -> set in the napoleonic wars, the story has anti colonial undertones, the statue represents the ancient legacy of Spain about to be desecrated by the invading forces. Can an inertial stone defend itself from the attack? Or is art not innert at all??

Rima LXXVI (1868) a more philosophical take on the same subject

->Théophile Gautier:

Arria Marcella: art nerds travel to Pompeii. The city gives a much livelier impression to those with an artist’s eye, especially the imprint of the thigh of a beautiful woman who died thousands of years ago. Or did she. Because like another of Gautier’s heroes said, no one really dies if someone still loves you

->Honor�� de Balzac:

Sarrasine, a sculptor starts treating a person as if they were one of his artworks, he recreates them in sculpture form, but the unwilling model refuses to be what the artist needs them to be. There’s also gangster priests involved because this is a Balzac novella.

->Alexandre Dumas:

The Count of Monte Cristo, during the glorious dawamesc scene, Franz isn’t quite sure of the nature of seductive women he meets. They seem very much alive, but after the trip he sees some suspiciously similar statues he hadn’t noticed before.

Vingt and après: I will let Athos explain: “(…) just at his age, how deep in love I was with a Grecian statue which our good king, then Henry IV., gave my father, insomuch that I was mad with grief when they told me that the story of Pygmalion was nothing but a fable."”

->Petrus Borel:

Mme Putiphar, an apparently benevolent and Enlightened jailer has some cozy tête-à-têtes with a bust of Ninon, in finding a female prisoner of flesh and blood, the marble bust in the fortress ceases to be his predilect female presence

-> ETA Hoffmann:

The Sandman (the famous Coppelia, is not really a statue but an automaton… the illusion of life/appeal is in the motion of the doll)

-> Victor Hugo: Grantaire calling Enjolras « quel beau marble »

[books-coffee-and-the-woods]

Top 24 Books of 2024

It's that time of year again!

I read 80 books this year, most of which didn't rearrange my brain like a Really Really Good book, however a significant number of them still left an impact and I'm going to come back to them again and again.

TOP 24

(in no particular order - especially impactful ones are bolded - rereads are marked with a *)

White Cat, Black Dog - Kelly Link

The Saint of Bright Doors - Vajra Chandrasekera

Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered - Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark*

The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule

Homesick for Another World - Ottessa Moshfegh

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk - Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain

The Unicorn Series - Vicki Blum*

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien*

Dead Mountain: the Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident - Donnie Eichar

Silver on the Road - Laura Anne Gilman

The Call is Coming from Inside the House: Essays - Allyson McOuat

Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik*

Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan Lindsay

A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness - Nagata Kabi

Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons - Keith Rosson

The Age of Magical Overthinking - Amanda Montell

The Mirror Visitor - Christelle Dabos*

High Times in the Low Parliament - Kelly Robson

Absolution - Jeff Vandermeer

A Dark and Drowning Tide - Allison Saft

A Handful of Time - Kit Pearson*

The Archive Undying - Emma Meiko Candon

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Drunk on all your Strange New Words - Eddie Robson

Princess Jellyfish - Akiko Higashimara

Song of the Lioness - Tamora Pierce*

Devil House - John Darnielle

Hamnet & Judith - Maggie O'Farrell

Flyaway - Kathleen Jennings*

Chelsea Girls - Eileen Myles

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil - Ananda Lima

[victusinveritas]

Some Vampire and Related Fiction Recommendations

I wrote this list up for a Reddit comment and thought I'd share it here in case any of you nerds liked Vampire fiction.

This list leaves out Stoker, Anne Rice, Stephen King, etc.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The queen of Mexican-Canadian horror. Check out Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow too (not vampire as such but still great reads).

"The Wide Carnivorous Sky" by John Langan. Probably the best modern Vampire story you'll read. Novella-ish length, worth getting the entire eponymous story collection as it is one hell of a ride through modern horror.

Anno Dracula series Kim Newman. The first book is the best, though the other books in the series are very fun, if a bit campy and too clever for their own good, still worth reading. His main character, Genevieve Dieudonne, is awesome and spans genres from his vamp work into his Warhammer Fantasy work (which is also great imo).

Christopher Golden's Shadow Saga (starts with Of Saints and Shadows)--absolutely one of my favorites. The first three books are great and kind of form a self-contained trilogy, but the other books are also fun, even if a tad uneven.

Those Who Hunt the Night by Barbara Hambly. Look, it's a bit pulpy in all the right ways while still being a really good historical-vamp-fiction, full on Victorian vampire hunters. The rest of the series gets high marks too.

S.P. Somtow's Vampire Junction and related books.

Dhampir series by Barb and J.C. Hendee. Vampire killers (a half-vampire (dhampir), an elf, and a wolf) wander around a Gothic landscape stabbin' all sorts of things. Kind of reminds me of The Witcher in that monster-bashing way, except with more romance plots as the series moves on, sometimes veering (if I remember correctly, which in truth I might not) into almost bodice ripper territory.

Brian Lumley's Necroscope series. It's maybe a bit dated, very 1980s/1990s feel but that's fine and it is still golden. Lumley's one of those workhorses of horror, just happily churning out stuff until the day he dropped dead and a lot of it was really great. I don't think he got enough notice on this side of the pond.

John Conroe's Demon Accords series. It's got vampires, werewolves, demons, and everything else…look, it's not high literature, at all, in the slightest, it's the worst of Kindle Unlimited self-published author schlock at times, like most of the time, but it kept me hooked for fifteen books until I finally hit a wall and just couldn't wade through a single goddamn page of it anymore. Am I ashamed of reading this series? Yeah, a little. Did I reread the first seven or so books? Also yes.

A lot of Laird Barron's stuff has vampiric elements re the Cult of the Old Leech, especially his novel 'The Croning,' however the Leech and devotees are not vampires in the traditional undead sense. I adore all of his work (especially his horror though, and Xs for Eyes is just, just beautiful), including the Isaiah Coleridge stuff which has hints of cosmic horror and the dark-fucked-up-ness at the Center of It All, peak modern noir.

The Lesser Dead by Christophe Buehlman. Honestly, I'm including this one even though the ending felt like a massive let down for me. There's a point where it says to stop unless you want the twist ending. Take it up on that and stop. The twist made me violently angry at the author, like I get why he did it and all, but I'm still pissed about it a year or two later. There's no need to fuck with readers like that, my guy. So, yeah, listen to the warning. Until then, the world-building was great and the vampire characters (narrator included) very fun, with a great working knowledge of 1970s New York.

The Unnoticeables by Robert Brockway. Vampires? Eh, kinda. Angel-things that suck people dry and remove them from existence to 'correct' the universe, definitely. Do punks fight them? Yes. Is it overall a satisfying series: absofuckinglutely.

[moodyinapinkbow]

Moodboard: A Scorpio Autumn Book List.

Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica.

Kamouraska by Anne Hébert.

A Cruelty Special to Our Species: Poems by Emily Jungmin Yoon.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll.

[manuscripts-dontburn]

The Best books I read in 2024 (by which I mean the ones I most enjoyed and keep thinking about)

[booksandboba]

My Favorite Books that I Read as a Kid 2/

Zel (Donna Jo Napoli) / Bound (Donna Jo Napoli) / Fairest (Gail Carson Levine) / The Two Princesses of Bamarre (Gail Carson Levine) / Artemis Fowl (Room Colfer) / Amy's Eyes (Richard Kennedy) / Heir Apparent (Vivian Van Velde) / The Hollow Kingdom (Clare B. Dunkle) / Coraline (Neil Gaiman) / The Borrowers (Mary Norton)

[richincolor]

There is a wealth of fantasy books out in September and October, and here's a roundup of some I thought looked fun. Which ones are on your TBR list?

The Ancient's Game by Loni Crittenden HarperCollins

Alchemy and ancient spirits come to life in this debut fantasy inspired by African diasporic folklore and the 1920s World Fair, wherein sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre, an orphan from a reviled class, must compete for a coveted apprenticeship among the nation’s elite in order to save her adoptive father from a twisted fate. Sixteen-year-old Kellan DuCuivre is the descendant of traitors. She never knew her family members or which one of them betrayed the isle of Nanseau. But like all Du orphaned after the war, Kellan is forbidden by law from practicing makecraft, the trade of carving magic into metal that was perfected by the Guild of Engineers and their maker apprentices. No one can know that Kellan has been using makecraft in secret and that, in the wake of a tragic miscarve, she’s been helping her adoptive father, Edgar, run his celebrated makeshop. But Edgar’s condition is worsening, and his shop is on the brink of ruin. On the eve of the Eighty-Fourth Annual Makers’ Exposition in Nanseau’s sparkling city of Riz, Kellan is thrust into the Guild’s twisted web of political intrigue and ancient secrets when she strikes a dangerous deal with one of its members to save Edgar and his shop. Now Kellan must compete in a rigorous gauntlet against the nation’s elite for a coveted spot as a maker’s apprentice. But danger lurks at every turn. And as Kellan falls into a budding relationship with the illegitimate son from one of Nanseau’s most revered families, she’s put into the limelight when something sinister begins targeting the Gauntlet’s competitors and wreaking havoc on Riz. Amid a crumbling city and a ticking clock, winning the Gauntlet won’t just be a test of survival—it will mean pulling back the veil of secrets behind the Guild and uncovering the shrouded legacies of Nanseau itself.

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga Wednesday Books

A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love. Three hundred and sixty-four days. Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can't forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance--a stolen djinn treasure--they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure. Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance--and her heart to the only boy she's ever loved.

Immortal Dark (Immortal Dark Trilogy #1) by Tigest Girma Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy, where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister. It began long before my time, but something has always hunted our family. Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from the arcane society she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her—the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad. To find June, Kidan must infiltrate the elite Uxlay University—where students study to ensure peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires and inherit their family legacies. Kidan must survive living with Susenyos—even as he does everything he can to drive her away. It doesn’t matter that Susenyos’s wickedness speaks to Kidan’s own violent nature and tempts her to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill Susenyos at all costs. When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. There she discovers a centuries-old threat—and June could be at the center of it. To save her sister, Kidan must bring Uxlay to its knees and either break free from the horrors of her own actions or embrace the dark entanglements of love—and the blood it requires.

Inferno's Heir by Tiffany Wang Bindery Books

Fearing for her life, an outcast princess joins the rebellion against her own kingdom and family. . . but when playing with fire, someone always gets burned. Teia Carthan abandoned her morals long ago, and now there’s nothing she won’t do to stay alive. So far she has survived her parents’ deaths, the ire of the Council, and innumerable attempts on her life, orchestrated by Jura, her half brother and soon-to-be king of Erisia. Teia’s rare control over two elements marks her as both an outsider and a formidable opponent—but once Jura is crowned king, there will be no way to survive him. Not for Teia, not for anyone. When Jura moves to crush the rebellion that seeks to overthrow the monarchy, Teia sees one last opportunity to ensure her own safety. She can infiltrate the rebels, locate their base . . . and betray them to Jura, trading their lives for her own. Yet when Teia meets the rebels, she gets far more than she bargained for. And when she gains not only their trust but their friendship, she begins to have doubts. Perhaps the rebels are right. Perhaps the Golden Palace should be torn down and the monarchy destroyed. But then again—what if there is another possibility? What if Teia were on the throne instead?

Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee Quill Tree

A snake spirit transforms into a boy and must hide his true identity after falling for a headstrong prince in this lush, romantic retelling of the traditional Chinese folktale. When Prince Xian was a boy, a white snake bit his mother and condemned her to a slow, painful death. The only known cure is an elusive spirit pearl—or an antidote created from the rare white snake itself. Desperate and determined, Xian travels to the city of Changle, where an oracle predicted he would find and capture a white snake. Seven years ago, Zhen, a white snake in the West Lake, consumed a coveted spirit pearl, which gave him special powers—including the ability to change into human form. In Changle, Xian encounters an enigmatic but beautiful stable boy named Zhen. The two are immediately drawn to each other, but Zhen soon realizes that he is the white snake Xian is hunting. As their feelings grow deeper, will the truth about Zhen’s identity tear them apart?

Spells to Forget Us by Aislinn Brophy G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Fate brought them together. Magic made them strangers. Luna is a powerful witch. Known for her skills and feared for her temper, she’s set to preserve her family’s legacy by becoming the head of Boston’s Witch Council—a job she does not want. Aoife is a non-magical girl. Raised under the lens of her influencer family, she’s grown up in the public eye. Now she yearns for privacy—but knows her parents won’t oblige. Just when they are at their lowest, Aoife and Luna find each other and start dating. As decreed by magic law, Luna casts a spell that will erase Aoife’s memories of their history together if they ever break up. But when Aoife and Luna end things, it’s both of them who forget . . . that is, until they meet again, fall for each other, and recover all the memories of their last attempt at dating. So begins the story of two star-crossed lovers who keep finding their way into each other’s orbits, even as the universe pulls them apart. When they set out to break the cycle, will they be strangers forever or together at last?

Till the Last Beat of My Heart by Louangie Bou-Montes HarperCollins

When you grow up in a funeral home, death is just another part of life. But for sixteen-year-old Jaxon Santiago-Noble, it’s also part of his family’s legacy. Most dead bodies in the town of Jacob’s Barrow wind up at Jaxon’s house; his mom is the local mortician, after all. He doesn’t usually pay them much mind, but when Christian Reyes is brought in after a car accident, Jaxon’s world is turned upside down. There are a lot of things Jaxon wishes he could have said to his once best friend and first crush. When he accidentally resurrects Christian, Jaxon might finally have that chance. But the more he learns about his newfound necromancy, the more he grasps that Christian’s running on borrowed time—and it's almost out. As he navigates dark, mysterious magics and family secrets, Jaxon realizes that stepping into an inherited power may also mean opening up old family wounds if he wants to keep the boy he may be falling for alive for good.

[sillimancer]

okay I made a book list too

[physicsgoblin]

I saw people doing this and thought it was fun :3 judge my book taste!!

[books-coffee-and-the-woods]

Procrastinated by making one of these challenges! Some favourites from my childhood/teen years. I think a lot of these were popular in the early 00's, so I wonder how many other people remember. Some of them are also local, small-publisher books (bc somehow my library had a lot of those?) so I wonder if anyone else has read them...

[godzilla-reads]

As of right now I have 279 individual dragon books (not counting doubles).

😵‍💫