#love ozya

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Hi Em! So I’m kinda excited for the Booklr Reads Australian event even though I’m somewhat doubtful I’ll be able to join. However, I wanted to ask you for possible recs for it anyway. I know you’re the local YA and OzYA expert here on tumblr, but I was wondering if you’d have NA or adult fiction recs too from Australian authors? And good job organising the event, I hope a lot of people participate!!

aww that's okay, love <3 we are all much busier than we were the last time this challenge ran 😅

so, fun fact, but NA isn't really a thing here! Australian YA as a demographic tends to encapsulate stories set at university age as well as just high school. mostly 'cause we're a smaller market so divvying things up too much gets a bit laborious and makes it trickier for publishers and booksellers to market things

I do know a few books featuring characters in their late teens/early 20s but as for adult fiction recs, I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever read adult Australian fiction 😂 maybe someone else can chime in with some recs?

but for not-quite-NA recs, I'd suggest looking for:

Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending by Jodi McAlister - a girl gets involved with her uni's theatre club and finds herself dragged into all the drama that that entails

Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood - a girl moves into student housing to go to uni and immediately butts heads with one of her roommates, testing the only rule of the house - "No Unnecessary Drama"

[beautifulpaxielreads]

Currently reading

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

Really enjoying this book by debut Aussie author Nina Kenwood. It's funny, it's honest and it's just real.

Full review coming when I finish it!

[writeriz]

Surprise! A new YA meta rom-com is coming your way :) Next week will bring release date news!⠀ ⠀ BLURB:⠀ When I find a half-naked guy standing in my dormitory at my new boarding school, I assume he’s my roommate’s boyfriend.⠀ He introduces himself as Alex and I introduce myself as Lottie.⠀ When he tells me he’s Sasha and was expecting Elliott, I see what happened.⠀ Someone knew I was a girl or he was a guy, and made some glaringly incorrect assumptions about the other one, meaning we were assigned as roommates.⠀ The new dorm mistress tells us we’re stuck with each other, at least for the short-term. What starts out as playful ribbing between my studious self and the ripped jock becomes something a little more friendly as his friends take me in as one of their own.⠀ Soon, I’m their ticket to the ways of the female heart. But not my heart. Because, I mean, no one falls in love just because of a roommate mistake.⠀ ⠀ #amwriting #cover #CoverReveal #indieauthor #writingcommunity #writersofig #writersofinstagram #writerslife #newrelease #YAromance #YAromcom #indiewriter #selfpublished #youngadult #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #youngadultbooks #bookcommunity #bookish #YAbook #ozya #readlocal #bookworm #booknerdigan #booklove #LoveOzYA https://www.instagram.com/p/CMObt5Fgl2W/?igshid=1x1pmcmptxv53

[storytime-reviews]

End of the Decade Favourite Book Tag

Thanks to @thereadingchallengechallenge and  @thelivebookproject for tagging me! This is going to be hard because I’ve always been a voracious reader so no doubt I’m going to forget half of what I’ve read because I’ve only been on Goodreads since like 2017. 

1. High fantasy books that are obsession-worthy.

I’m going to second @thereadingchallengechallenge here and go with the Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks. It’s honestly filled with so many plot twists that I’m always hungry for more and once I’ve re-read the rest I’m going to read the final book, which I got for Christmas!

Does Tamora Pierce count as high fantasy? Because everything she writes is brilliant!

2. Urban fantasy books filled with people you want as friends.

The characters from the Shadowhunter Chronicles! I honestly love the originals aka Clary, Jace, Magnus, Alec, Isabelle and Simon and love so many of the other characters in the various other series as well! 

3. Portal fantasy you fall in love with multiple times.

I mean you can’t go wrong with Narnia, just like @thereadingchallengechallenge and @thelivebookproject both included it as well! Inkheart by Cornelia Funke-not technically portals, but similarish. 

4. Novella that just makes you sigh cause it’s so lovely.

[skipped]

5. Historically inaccurate but laugh out loud.

[skipped]

6. Satire that makes you reconsider your whole world view.

[skipped]

7. Happy, happy, happy, and sad, sad, sad.

I’m gonna steal @thelivebookproject‘s answer, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

8. No, I’m not too old for kids’ books, what are you talking about???

Literally everything by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Rick Riordan etc. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

9. I’m also not too old for picture books either and never will be.

I love fairytales, like every kind, especially because there are so many great fairytale picture books. 

10. Whoah, never expected that ending and to have that much fun!!!

Pretty much everything by Matthew Reilly and Dan Brown. Their thrillers really keep up the pace and I genuinely love the reveals. 

11. Like I’m scared, but I’m happy about it.

[skipped]

12. Classically favourite.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is my favourite book ever, so I have to include that here. 

But some of my other faves that are classics: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum by Heinrich Boll, anything by Shakespeare etc

13. Party in your ears.

I wanna say Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda because the Love, Simon soundtrack is incredible. 

14. Boom!!! Pow!!! Wham!!!

The Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly. As someone who majored in ancient history, I noticed all of the foreshadowing and references and waiting for it to all come together was brilliant – I honestly think he did an amazing job putting it all together. 

15. Oh wow, this is me!!

Tbh I love OzYA set in highschool, both when I was in highschool myself and reading them now. I especially love Jaclyn Moriarty and Randa Abdel-Fattah. But recently read Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough and fell in love with it – I especially related to a lot of the private school shenanigans as I went to one, and I also really related to Harriet, one of the main characters, as I could be a lot like her at school!

16. I can’t stop thinking about this book.

Daring to Drive by Manal al-Sharif, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, Equal Justice: My Journey as a Woman, a Soldier and a Muslim by Rabia Siddique. These are some of my fave non-fiction books and they’re really important. 

17. A book you got from Tumblr that made it to your fave.

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman, To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

18. A book you had high expectations for and then the author OVER delivered.

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan. I honestly loved all the books but Kwan really brought out all the stops in the final one!

It would take me forever to write about all my faves as there are so many and not all of them even fit into these :)

Tagging: @myownlittlebookcorner, @backlogbooks, @flamingmirrorbookish, @beautifulpaxielreads, @literachel, @lornaslibrary, @doughtah, @darkestwings

and whoever else wants to do this! 

[the-rat-plays-games]

The Anomalous Pack

Within the Ferals faction, there’s a particular pack of mutants that has become almost infamous. It is speculated that the reason this pack has not been obliterated like other troublesome ones is due to their nature. Each of them is an anomaly, logged and observed -- why this has stayed Sloane’s hand, nobody quite knows. Speculation is, of course, entirely forbidden. Members of Visceru Sancti are discouraged from interacting with the anomalous pack -- as the Anomalous Pack’s members are spurred almost immediately to murderous rage upon seeing the Fleshmenders. Additionally, the Anomalous Pack is engaged in almost constant warfare with the Summoner’s Choir; the two organizations have an almost compulsive need to fight one another when close by. Pack members are listed below with their corresponding Anomalous Designations -- the way they are listed in the notes taken by Strauss Syndicate trackers.

CANNY ( OD-045 ) - Pack Leader. Considered as both her own anomaly and a second half of The Gristpool (LD - 010). Heavily mutated, barely resembling what she used to be. It is suspected that Canny was once Cindy Conolly, the daughter of a now-deceased leader of a rebel cell, and a member of the Strauss Syndicate. Twisted from what she was once, Canny is now the most ruthless leader among feral packs, but has abandoned any rebel mission she may have had in order to live as she pleases. The Strauss Syndicate paranormal investigator known as Emilia is the only member of the Syndicate who does not have to bribe Canny in any way to speak with her; Vesta Strauss knows the nature of this, and has decided not to share it with the company at large, primarily for Emilia’s emotional well-being, because only Emilia remembers the entirety of how they used to be involved. Canny remembers her ex-partner in shades and flickers, or so she claims.

OZYA ( OC-018 ) - the only member of the pack to not have a rating of Dangerous. Ozya is more preoccupied with the pack’s territory than she is with interacting with others who are not in the pack. She must still be regarded with caution, but is considered to be the safest to interact with, as she lacks Knell’s temperamental swings. Ozya is also the oldest of the Pack, with accounts of her presence in the surrounding territory going back for multiple generations.

KNELL (OD-041) - once known as Tori Simons, a confirmed leader of Phauxfire, a now-defunct rebel cell. After being tricked into revealing her plans to a spy sent by Empress Sloane, Knell was taken into the wasteland’s depths in the night and given a simple choice with a blade to the back of her neck: partake in the Everflesh, an experimental anomalous weapon kept secret by the Empress (even from her wives), or be killed outright. Knell ate, and now she roams as a pack-member, half-remembering who she used to be. Knell is prone to showing off for the cities the pack passes by; even the smaller settlements can hear her singing and calling to them. She enjoys music a great deal, and will trade secrets and songs. Knell is quite romantic, and gives flowers to the women of the Syndicate she enjoys talking to. Knell loves to chatter. As such, despite being highly dangerous, she is the most approachable, because unlike Ozya, she does not try to actively leave conversation. However, mentions of her past life trigger berserk rages that have, on every instance, resulted in the deaths of everyone involved.

ISHU (OD-182). The newest of the pack, and only recently given her designation. Ishu wears a mask at all times, that covers half of her face, and it is unknown what the nature of her anomaly is precisely, but it is believed to originate from her mask. The Syndicate, trying to observe her, have discovered that focusing on her is difficult unless she is directly engaging them in some way, and so they have suspicions that her anomalous nature involves perception, but precisely how they’ve yet to pin down.

HRIST (OD-057) sporting a single horn, has fused with a local anomaly and now is capable of emitting hypnotic lights from her mouth and horn. Her back is spiny and the spines have been observed to emit poison. Hrist has also been seen to scale city walls so that she may prey upon the guards within their posts. She is considered the second most dangerous of the group, after Canny herself, because she is the only one who has been observed to kill for fun.

[mareekimberley-blog]

I cannot tell you how much I loved, loved, loved this book! Such a great read. And, imho, Wilkinson’s best novel ever. #theboundlesssublime #liliwilkinson #loveozya #ozya #yafiction https://www.instagram.com/p/B5920TAgSrH/?igshid=zkit1wurvsxa

[dymocksmelbourne-blog]

So lovely to sit down with Gabrielle Tozer and chat about her new book! We now have signed copies of ‘The Intern’ , ‘Faking It’ and ‘Remind Me How This Ends’ in store. ☺️ . . . . . #books #bookporn #booksale #shelfie #bookshop #bookstore #bookstagram #bookworm #booklove #booklover #read #reader #bookfacefriday #dymocks #dymocksbooks #dymocks234 #melbourne #dateabook #datereaders #readingproblems #loveozya #ozya @theyaroom @theyacircle @gabrielletozer

[afoolsingenuity]

Bye Bye 2017 // Blogging Favourites (Whatever That Means)

I know I wanted to list my favourites blogging wise this year but I wasn’t sure what to include. This is my attempt to include everything from blog posts to bloggers. I have my final 2017 post coming soon (once I start writing it) of my favourite books of this year. It’s going to be a hard post to write.

Most Read Post Of This Year

It came between two posts for the coveted ‘most read’ spot this year. I trawled through looking at my views and did my checks and my most popular post was in fact ‘Do Your Reviews Ever Feel Repetitive?’ with ‘Why I Am Happy To DNF’ in a close second. I was in no way surprised to see a discussion post as the most popular post of the year, they are the posts which get the most views and comments on a weekly basis and I love that. It is why I will undoubtedly be doing the Discussion Challenge again next year. It helps motivate me to write those discussion posts (as they take up more time and energy to write) but they are the ones I engage with people more on.

Most Read Review This Year

Every book blogger knows that reviews simply aren’t as popular as other posts on the blog. I mean, my Sunday Summary posts are viewed more often than most of my reviews. You would question what is the point but then if you are posting your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon then the point is you are boosting a books popularity and helping an author out. You may not care that much when it comes to books you didn’t like, but those you love? I know I would sure like more people to read my favourites, especially if it means an author can keep writing what they love.

Anyway, diversion aside, I wanted to know which review I did garnered the most attention in 2017. I was in fact a review for a film: Five Reasons To Watch Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. I’m not surprised to see something Harry Potter adjacent received attention but I am surprised to see my most popular review in 2017 is for a film. My second most popular review was in the same format and was Five Reasons To Read Alchemists Of Loom. I’m surprised that was so popular as well. It does show me that a five point format works for people in reviews. I think because you have the three headings and a summary. They're easy to look and digest if you don’t have time to read the whole thing. I’ll have to do that more.

My Favourite Post Of The Year

I know in one tag for the year there is the question of which post you wish had received more attention, I think I always wish my posts received more attention. I want folks to love them all. Instead, I am going to select the post I loved the most from the past year.

I think the post I most enjoyed writing and felt was most true was ‘Commenting: Sometimes Less Is More’. I am a fan of writing long comments and I like receiving them but honestly, I like folks commenting. It doesn’t matter if they say a few words or write an essay, it’s good to see folks stopping by so that’s what motivated me to write that little post and I am really pleased with it.

My Favourite Review Of The Year

How do you pick favourites when it comes to a review? I am not exactly objective on what was a good or a bad review. I pretty much think everything I write is amazingly terrible but I keep on doing it because blogging is fun. Anyway, I think the review I enjoyed the most was the one I wrote for The Love Experiment. It’s nothing special or different but I just enjoyed spewing my thoughts onto the page, and reading it back made me smile. I also noticed I have not done anywhere near enough ‘Five Reasons’ reviews of late. Probably because they’re a little more time consuming but I am changing that next year guys, I will bring back those posts (maybe… hopefully… we’ll see).

Post I Wish I’d Written

There are plenty of posts I wish I wrote. Pretty much every review which either convinces me to buy a book or reminds me why I loved it in the first place. Those, along with the many well thought out and informative discussions which get me thinking mean that I could write a very long lost here for you. There is one post which springs immediately to mind though and that is the one Evelina at Avalinah’s Books wrote after Netgalley changed things up for international bloggers.

She wrote an encouraging post which hopefully helped those who felt disheartened at the changes occurring in the bookish community and felt excludes by them. I had wanted to write something similar but life prevented me. In fact, I still have the notes on that post saved on my phone. It was basically me encouraging folks to take alternative routes to get books from libraries to indie books to taking a shot and emailing publishers. I didn't feel the need to finish my post after reading hers.

Book Bloggers Who I’ve Enjoyed This Year

The bloggers who I've enjoyed the most this year? For me, I feel they should be obvious. There may be new faces on here or they may be old but they all deserve to be here.

Nick and Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist: Nick for always providing the best romance recs and for reading all of the things so you don't always have to (it's like she checks them out for you and if they get her stamp of approval they must be good). And Nereyda for her amazing bujo skills and reminding me you can go through a reading slump which feels never ending but eventually you will get back into reading and love it. Also for making me always feel I should exercise more and linking to good YouTube videos.

Metaphors and Moonlight: Kristen reads the best indie books. If you are ever in doubt you want to read an indie she is there. Also if you need any good/different paranormal recs. She managed to survive a hurricane with chronicle illness! I mean seriously guys, check her blog out.

Fine Print: Danya is a blogger I have followed for a long while. She reads excellent fantasy. Has great taste in romance and is just generally great to chat to. She had a tough time of it towards the end of the year but she is still reading and blogging and still adding plenty of books to my TBR, as usual.

Avalinah’s Books: Evelina is a newer blogger to my list but considering she wrote the post I wish I had this year I felt she definitely deserved a spot on here. I’m only a recent follower to her blog but I know I like her discussions and she is so active on Twitter that I feel I should try harder.

Book Haven: Greg has had a tough a year. I mean major heart surgery and still blogging!? Yeah, I feel like I’m slacking too.

Diva Booknerd: Kelly’s blog is one I have followed for a while but never really commented on too much but this year I sucked it up. I’d posted how short comments mattered just as much as long ones so was determined to practice what I preach and turns out Kelly is great. She also ends up spending way too much on romance under the influence of Nick. And she is a champion of OzYA which is great but upsetting for me because a lot of books she reads haven’t made it out of Australia yet and they sound so good! I cannot justify going to Australia just to stock up on some books, I don’t gave that kind of cash.

Weendizzle: Rowena is great. She reads good romance, has the biggest family known to man so always has an interesting story to tell and always seems to watch good films. She is one of those bloggers you feel actually pays attention to what you say when you stop by. And she keeps you well informed about whichever sport she’s following which is in season, which is always fun.

KissinBlueKaren: Karen is a blogger who I discovered a while ago but who I began following after one comment on my blog. I couldn’t help but keep stopping by. She reviews a variety of books and helps me discover books I might never normally read.

We Live and Breathe Books: Specifically Sam who is reading all the YA so I don’t have to. I can pick and choose the best from her. She is always friendly and posts so much which is great because you never run out of new recs and in good discussion posts.

The Innocent Smiley: Val blogs about YA mostly and I love it. She also has a cat, Primrose, and I love when you stop by and there’s anew cat picture. Any blogger who loves cats is one I want to be following.

It Starts At Midnight: Shannon not only hosts the Discussion CHallange long with Nicole, she also loves The 100 and blogs about books when The 100 is having downtime. She has excellent TV and book recs so I keep on stopping by.

Feed Your Fiction Addiction: Nicole is the other host of the discussion challenge but she is also a brilliant blogger. She reads so many different books and she is great she keeps track of bloggers birthdays/blogoversaries. She is like this central hub, you stop by on a Sunday and her posts include giveaways going on and preorder gifts. You not only get reviews but bookish information, what’s not to love?

There will be plenty of bloggers I’ve forgotten. There are so many I follow so if you’re missed off it’s not because I’ve not been loving your blog this year but simply because I am forgetful and began to feel my list was getting a bit lengthy. If you’re missed off feel free to shame me in the comments.

What blog related things have you been loving of late? Which bloggers have you loved this year? And which post do you wish you wrote? Tell me blog things below and let’s make 2018 a great year for bloggers!

from Blogger http://ift.tt/2lbgkiG via IFTTT

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: The Flywheel by Erin Gough  |  #LoveOzYA Rating: 4/5

also known as Get It Together, Delilah

"And in this moment I am happy. I don't know what's around the corner but it doesn't matter, because what I feel right now is enough."

Delilah Woolwich-Green has found herself quite suddenly alone. When she sent her father off on a round-the-world trip, she assured him that their family café, The Flywheel, would be perfectly fine. Since then, the manager has been deported, the barista has been fired for stealing from the cash register, and bullies have driven Delilah out of school. The Flywheel is all she has left but now the café is slipping through her fingers too. Delilah must get it together and find a way to keep The Flywheel afloat before she loses anything else.

I may or may not have read this entire book in ... 7 hours. Less than. It was a surprisingly engrossing read that I just couldn't put down. It kind of had the same vibes as Solitaire by Alice Oseman - angry girl struggling with friendships and school and feelings. I'm usually hit and miss with Australian YA but when I enjoy one this much, this quickly, I'm reminded of just how wonderful our wee publishing industry is. Especially now that I'm discovering all the LGBT+ OzYA we have to offer.

Delilah was a wonderful leading lady. I love seeing angry girls in YA - all teenagers are so full of angst and anger and frustration. I like seeing it represented and explored on the page and Gough does an excellent job of that. The bullying Delilah faces for being a lesbian is so heartbreaking and infuriating but it was cool to see how she worked through her anger and how the school realised they should have done more to help her. Her relationship with Rose was a little stilted in places but it was a good change of pace to see them struggling to figure out how to be together when Rose isn't able to come out the way Delilah was able to.

Friendships are a big part of this novel too. I loved Charlie and Delilah's dynamic - though I wasn't entirely sure about their brief dalliance. They brought out the best and worst in each other but were always on each other's side in the end. And I loved that Charlie decided to keep pursuing his education through a less traditional route, too - mainstream school isn't for everyone and that's totally okay. Delilah and Lauren's friendship was brilliantly written too though I feel like their resolution could've been drawn out a little longer.

A fun contemporary with an undercurrent of melodrama that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a book that celebrates community and friendship.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil    Rating: 4/5       #LoveOzYA

"I guess some people enter your orbit and get stuck, and there's nothing either of you can do about it."

Sam Kinnison's life is not a movie and for that, he is very grateful. But the arrival of Camilla Carter turns the entire world on its head and everything Sam thought he knew about himself is thrown into doubt. But emotions are not Sam's forte and it will take some trial and error to figure out how he feels about Camilla - and how Camilla feels about him too.

This was just a fun, light-hearted novel that was easy to read and very enjoyable. I loved all the film references - even the horror ones. And it was so refreshing to read a YA contemporary set in Melbourne for a change! So much OzYA is set in Sydney so this was a nice change. I was especially excited when Keil mentioned my favourite pop culture store! I never get to be excited over little details like that.

Camilla was a cool character - I was terrified through most of the novel that she was going to turn into a manic pixie dream girl but that never happens. She was so well-rounded and interesting and her friendship with Sam was lovely. Sam was a little obtuse at times and I think that could rub some people the wrong way but I identified with him. I too was a total film nerd in high school with no social skills and a penchant for living in pyjamas.

If you're looking for an easy read similar to The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak, definitely give Life in Outer Space a try.

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

46/100 Days of Booklr - Current read review

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot | #LoveOzYA Rating: 3/5

"Your everything is hers -- Your mother's. You are a gift And a curse."

The Art of Taxidermy is a quiet verse novel about a girl named Charlotte who is fascinated by dead things. In her rural town, there are plenty of bodies to scavenge and study but what Charlotte really needs to do is examine herself.

Reading this was a precarious choice. I'm very hit and miss with verse novels and I'm very hit and miss with Australian novels. Particularly ones that are set in rural towns in the mid-20th century because oh my gosh there are so many OzYA novels and Australian literary novels covering this time period. Move on! But this reading experience turned out well. Well enough to garner three stars.

I liked the verse because it made a slow story a quick read and it certainly added to the mood but there was nothing spectacular about it. Just a lot of native flora and fauna and indirect speech that didn't always make sense. And I have virtually no clue where it was set - somewhere in New South Wales, I think? I would've liked some more concrete detail there. (Googled - it's set in South Australia). And the timing too - given the references to World War II internment camps and Indigenous children living in missions I'm guessing the 50s, 60s or even early 70s. But that's a pretty broad scope and I like specificity.

I did like the themes of the novel - everything is very much centred around death and grief and sorrow and Kernot treats those themes with care and respect. And I absolutely loved how stubborn and resolute Charlotte was even if her talk about the dead creatures and what she did to them was too grotesque in places.

A good enough book but it didn't blow me away.