vale-reads

[vale-reads]

So I forgot this blog existed. I had a reading slump in 2020 and stopped posting. I have a bookstagram now at arvbooks where I am actually active 😅

Or you can follow me on my main @aka-noodle

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Here are some Black authors I think you guys will enjoy.

1. L.L McKinney - The Nightmare Verse Series

2. Tomi Adeyemi - Children of Blood and Bone series

3. Kwame Mbalia - Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky & Tristan Strong Destroys the World

4. Bethany C. Morrow - A Song Below Water, A Chorus Rises, and Little Women remix (The last two come out in 2021)

Reni K Amayo - Daughters of Nri & Descendants Of The First (2021)

Nicole Glover - The Conductors (2021)

I'll add more but if you know any others feel free to add them.

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Stumbled upon this gorgeous book shop in Brighton, England 📚

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What was one of your favourite reads of November? 🤔📖

A little something different today picture-wise because I was about to edit some pics from today and this one was still mid-edit. DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER also deserves all the love. I can remember vividly sitting with my cup of tea and devouring this book. This was definitely one of my favourites this month! 📚📚

I baked all day today. I have never baked so much! My mom, bless her, offered her help and it made such a huge difference (You’re super appreciated, Mamí!) I prepped three of the doughs the night before and crashed into bed, then woke up and got to it again. I’m surrounded by cookie tins as I type this out. It’s my first year giving cookies away as a holiday love gift and I can’t wait for my friends to try my baking! Do you do anything special for your friends around this time of year? 📖📖

IG: @daylafm

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Richmond, UK

Chiswick, UK

Chelsea, UK

Bridport, UK

Norwich, UK

Lincoln, UK

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Source

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Some of my older hardcover books

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jesus, it’s really been 20 years since the first Dresden Files book was released. Can someone please tell Jim Butcher to get with the times? he’s still writing about women like it’s 2000. either put Harry through some goddamn character development or make him the sexist villain already ffs

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My latest novel is out! It’s a YA fantasy titled The Art of Saving the World and it’s got all of the following and more:

questioning asexual lesbian protagonist

who finds out she’s the ~Chosen One~

except the Powers That Be have no faith that she’ll succeed in actually saving the world

loophole!! they send in several AU versions of her as backup

who are also all queer

and dealing with some flavor of anxiety!

and endometriosis in some cases

how do you even cope with seeing AU versions of yourself when you’re self-conscious as hell

“oh my god do I really bite my lip that much oh GOD does my laugh sound like that????”

“if one useless Hazel can’t save the world how are SEVERAL useless Hazels supposed to do it jfc”

there’s a grouchy lady dragon mentor

a Mysterious Government Agency

and an out-of-control interdimensional rift

as one review mag says: “takes the standard chosen-one plot formula and tips it on its head, then wrings what’s left for all the angst and existential crises it’s worth” which is PRETTY ACCURATE

and also the author (that’d be me) is queer and disabled and has cats to feed

This book came out in September 2020 and it got pretty badly hit by the coronavirus crisis in terms of marketing/promo, so ngl, I’m kinda worried about its sales, and I’m seriously hoping word of mouth will be able to save the day. So if any of this appeals to you: 

please share this post/spread the word!

please pick up the book from a library or bookstore!

thaaanks <3

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i love reading!! *gets distracted every time i try to read a book, can’t concentrate on the passages, forgets entire plot lines and characters, has literally no recollection of actually having read the story*

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Look what I found at Half Price Books!! They’re well-loved, but still beautiful!

I’ll splurge on the hardcovers eventually, but for now, I can’t wait to finally finish this series 🔱 🗡 🌊

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Book stall in  Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.

Photo by  dastan khdir

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“I read a book one day and my whole life was changed.” – Orhan Pamuk

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for yesterday’s @guardian review

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Finally got around to writing a piece for the lovely @theatticoneighth, whom I have admired for so long. You can find my piece, a city guide to Vienna, here. 

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The new Les Mis section on my bookshelves

Previously the place where I kept my Harry Potter books