Top Ten Tuesday: Cover Redesigns I Liked or Disliked

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Redesigns I Liked


1. The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
I like them because all my copies can look the same, and they're artistic and have plot Easter eggs hidden. :)


2. His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers
Although I still like the original covers, the redesigns are nice and fit with the new companion duology.


3. Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale
Such pretty colors that just update the feel of the original covers.



4. Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
The originals were just too...basic YA.


5. The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
The metallics and colors are just so preeeetttyyy. (Although I miss the typography of the original covers.)


Redesigns I Disliked


1. Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
All those pretty colors are gone from the paperback cover.


2. The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski
I was there on Twitter during the redesign drama. It wasn't pretty.


3. The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
I'm really attached to the sunset-esque colors of the original. I do like the re-redesign, but I'm unsure if it truly fits the book. Still gonna buy it anyways, 'cause Emery Lord.


4. The Owlcrate edition of Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
I was super attached to the original green cover, y'all.


5. Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
The colors of the original were just so much more dynamic and eye-catching.


What's your opinion of these cover redesigns? Which cover redesigns in general are your favorites or least favorites?

Review: Spin the Dawn

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Grade: B
An e-galley was provided by Random House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I loved the idea of a Mulan retelling but with the main character doing something than going off to war. So I was super excited for Spin the Dawn. However, I found the beginning a bit slow and hard to get into. Once Maia is at the palace, though, the plot moves very quickly - quicker than I expected. The actual competition goes surprisingly fast, and then the story launches into a journey that Maia and Edan have to take. I've never been into journey stories, so that part dragged for me a little, despite the increased banter between the two.
The book focuses on relatively few characters - just Maia, with Edan primarily. Maia occasionally mentions her brothers and father, and the emperor and his fiancée come into play every now and then, but Spin the Dawn really seems to be the tale of the tailor and the enchanter. I didn't mind the developing romance, but I didn't necessarily ship it either.

Content warnings: violence (a whipping, among other things), sexism, fade-to-black sex scene

The Verdict: Good-ish, but the pacing was a bit off. Will be interested to see where book two goes.

Buy: Read Between the Lynes  Barnes & Noble

Will I be adding this book to my library?: Already did, thanks to OwlCrate.

Rewind & Review #140

Created by Shae Has Left the Room.

~"The Archer" is everything. Thank you for the new song, Taylor.

~I got to meet Ruta Sepetys at a library event, where she talked about stories, writing, and history. It was great.

~I may have gone on an Edelweiss e-galley download binge. Evidence below.

Books I Received for Review

The Map from Here to There by Emery Lord (from Bloomsbury)

Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao (from S&S via NetGalley)

Chirp by Kate Messner

The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn (from Bloomsbury via Edelweiss)

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore

Gone by Nightfall by Dee Garretson

The Silence of Bones by June Hur (from Macmillan via Edelweiss)

Books I Bought

Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra

Cream Buns and Crime by Robin Stevens

Books I Read

American Royals by Katharine McGee

Peculiar Treasures by Robin Jones Gunn (reread)

On a Whim by Robin Jones Gunn (reread)

Coming Attractions by Robin Jones Gunn (reread)

Born to Rule by Julia P. Gelardi (4 stars)

Finally and Forever by Robin Jones Gunn (reread)

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (4 stars)

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson (reread)

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4 stars)

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann (3 stars)

Blog Posts You Might've Missed in the Last Few Weeks

  (from 7/22-7/27)

• So You Like... #85
• Random Friday: Favorite Episodes of My Favorite TV Shows

   (from 7/28-8/3)

• Emma's Bookish States of America Challenge
• Most Anticipated August 2019 Releases
• Reading Challenges Check-In #6

Reading Challenges Check-In #6

At this point, we're almost two-thirds of the way through the year, and I've worked on my reading challenges some more, so I thought it was time for an update.

In April, I read two Rory Gilmore Challenge picks: The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty and The Secret History by Donna Tartt, neither of which I liked very much.

May was a very busy month, and since I was ahead by two books (thanks to January and April), I decided it would be okay if I skipped one, but as June wore on, I felt more and more reluctant to work on the challenge. I've been generally unimpressed with the books on the list, so I've been actively considering if I want to continue the challenge or not.

And with that new challenge I started up a couple days ago, I think I have enough on my plate. So... almost three years after I started it, I'm considering my attempt of the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge over.

NOW. I'm going to keep trying for the Newbery Challenge, and I have the Bookish States of America one to do now, too. So hopefully I'll have made some progress on those by the next time I check in (likely late this fall).

Also, if we count my goal of reading more classics this summer...I'm not doing great on that either, lol. Clearly I should stop setting challenges for myself because it's almost like they make me want to read those books less. Ah well. Stay tuned for another update!

Most Anticipated August 2019 Releases

Summer's almost over, but there's still plenty of time for reading. ;)

Waiting For

1. A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause (8/6/19)
I love historical fiction...even if that cover is a bit creepy.

2. Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry (8/6/19)
I love when author friends write books together.

3. Cape by Kate Hannigan (8/6/19)
Middle grade superheroes in WWII!!!

4. Start Here by Trish Doller (8/13/19)
Always here for a good friendship story.

5. Color Me In by Natasha Diaz (8/20/19)
I'm hoping for a very nuanced story. :)

Already Read - You Should, Too!


1. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (8/13/19)
Stacey continues to write great historical fiction.


2. The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais (8/13/19)
We always need more books with Deaf characters.

What August books are you excited for?

Emma's Bookish States of America Challenge

As if I don't already have enough on my plate, I'm starting another reading challenge. A few years back, I posted suggestions of books people could read that were set in almost every state of America. Well I decided to do a personal update of the list, and I actually managed to cover some of the states I had to leave blank last time (though eight states are still without YA books).

I've already mostly completed this challenge because I had to choose a lot of books I'd read and knew where they were set. (Goodreads is not great for trying to find settings...) But you'll see there are still a few states I need to cover. 

(There's a real dearth of YA books set in the west.)

Out of the blank states, I have books I could read for Iowa, Arkansas, and New Hampshire, but if anyone has more suggestions, please let me know. And if anyone has recommendations for YA set in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Rhode Island, please tell me!!

Here's what I have read (I've included multiple books where applicable so if you want to pick up this challenge, you have options):

Alabama - Don't Touch
Alaska - Not If I Save You First
Arizona - Vengeance Road, Just For Clicks
California - Outrun the Moon, If I'm Being Honest
Colorado - From Twinkle, with Love; Sadie
Connecticut - Since You've Been Gone, My Life Next Door
Florida - Don't Date Rosa Santos, First & Then
Georgia - Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Dear Martin
Hawaii - Summer Bird Blue
Illinois - Famous in a Small Town, The Comeback Season, Love, Hate & Other Filters
Indiana - The Fault in Our Stars, The Start of Me and You
Kansas - Hearts Unbroken, Just Visiting
Kentucky - Tash Hearts Tolstoy, Breakfast Served Anytime, My Heart and Other Black Holes
Louisiana - Out of the Easy
Maine - This Is What Happy Looks Like, Wild Blue Wonder
Maryland - More Than We Can Tell, The Upside of Unrequited
Massachusetts - American Panda, Free to Fall
Michigan - The Names They Gave Us, A Million Junes
Minnesota - Cold Day in the Sun
Mississippi - Magnolia
Missouri - The Art of Lainey
Nebraska - Fangirl, Girl Out of Water
Nevada - Overturned, The Chapel Wars
New Jersey - Bookishly Ever After
New Mexico - Love Letters to the Dead, Your Destination Is on the Left
New York - Pride, Like No Other, Together at Midnight
North Carolina - Belles, The Sound of Drowning
Ohio - A Madness So Discreet
Oregon - Not Now, Not Ever; This Side of Home
Pennsylvania - With the Fire on High
South Carolina - The Inside of Out
Tennessee - Racing Savannah
Texas - Puddin', Lucky Few, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Utah - By Your Side
Vermont - Truly Devious, Two Can Keep a Secret
Virginia - To All the Boys I've Loved Before, The Raven Cycle
Washington - Serious Moonlight, The Game of Love and Death
Wisconsin - Better off Friends
Wyoming - Wild Hearts

So I'm doing pretty well on this challenge! We'll see if I can keep it up. :)

Random Friday: Favorite Episodes of My Favorite TV Shows

Want to participate in Random Fridays? Just do the following:

• Include the above image in your post and link back to my blog.
• Blog about this week's topic (or a variant of it).
• Add the link to your Random Friday post at the bottom of this one.

Today is all about the episodes that make your favorite TV shows your faves. Here are mine.

Gilmore Girls -

Uh....so many that I did an Odyssey article about all of them, lol. So here's a link to that. The gist is, I love Jess, I love Luke and Lorelai, and the only good episode from the seventh season is the series finale.

This Is Us -

Season 1, episode 16, "Memphis" - It's so heartbreaking and utilizes the combination of flashbacks and present day so well.

The Office -

"The Dinner Party" is pretty great. I love the series finale. I really like the season 3 finale. And I love Jim and Pam's wedding.

Veronica Mars -

"Weapons of Class Destruction," naturally.

Great British Bake Off -

For this show, I think I need to choose a season, and I think I'm rather attached to collection 3 on Netflix (a.k.a. series 6), as well as Netflix's collection 1 (series 5). And I really hope they'll get the actual seasons 1 and 2 soon, because getting to watch season 3 was a delight.


All right, what are YOUR favorite episodes from your favorite shows?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

So You Like... #85

With this post, I'll have covered all of Taylor's released albums. This last one is focusing on...

1989.

If you haven't read the following books yet, you definitely should!

Which Taylor Swift album is your favorite? What books would you recommend for fans of her music? I can't wait to do one of these posts for Lover in a few months. :)

Rewind & Review #139

Created by Shae Has Left the Room.

~We spent a few days in Asheville, North Carolina, which was a nice treat. I haven't had a proper vacation in two years, so it was nice to get away, explore a new place, and eat LOTS of food. (That's the Saska way when we travel.) We toured Biltmore, spent an evening at a board game cafe, found the local bookstore, took a food tour.
~Also. It's too darn hot. (Bonus points if you get that reference.)

Books I Received for Review

American Royals by Katharine McGee (from Random House via NetGalley)

Books I Won/Traded for/was Gifted

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (won in a Twitter giveaway)

Books I Bought

Maybe This Time by Kasie West
Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca
Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer (in the final Uppercase Box)
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Books I Read

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (5 stars)
Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally (reread)
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (4 stars)
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim (3.5 stars)
Maybe This Time by Kasie West (4 stars)
The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais
Like No Other by Una LaMarche (reread)

Blog Posts You Might've Missed in the Last Few Weeks

   (from 7/8-7/13)

• Top Ten Tuesday: Characters and Their Hogwarts Houses
• Review: Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud (3.5 stars)
• Random Friday: Unexpected Lessons from College

   (from 7/14-7/20)

• Nineteen 2019 Reads Check-In
• Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors
• Awkwordly Emma's Eighth Blogoversary
• Review: The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert (3 stars)

Review: The Revolution of Birdie Randolph

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
Grade: C+
Release date: August 20, 2019
An ARC was provided by Novl and LBFYR in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Dove "Birdie" Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she's on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past...whom she knows her parents will never approve of.

When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family's apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded--she's also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she's known to be true is turned upside down.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I picked up Brandy's books because I loved her short story in Summer Days & Summer Nights, but each one I've read hasn't lived up to that story. I'd read an excerpt of this one when its cover released, and I was really intrigued and excited about it. So here's what went wrong.
I'm always a bit uneasy about rebelling storylines in YA, but this one seemed to be going okay. But I felt like we barely got to know Booker before he and Birdie were moving so fast. There's also a plot twist that starts to get hinted at, and when I guessed where it was going, I felt disappointed. I feel like that twist has been used a lot lately (though I can't remember other examples and wouldn't want to spoil it for y'all anyways), and it's one I've never been a fan of. And then it took another turn that left a bad taste in my mouth. So that definitely colored my opinion of the entire book.
There were things I like, I promise! I liked Birdie's affection for and relationship with her older sister. I liked the layers of Birdie's dad. I really liked the diversity of character experiences; Brandy created a lot of fully-fleshed characters and I appreciated how they represented the facets of the Black experience.

Also, this is going to be super nitpicky, but Birdie and Booker were going to a Bulls game in the middle of the summer, and I didn't think the NBA season ran that long? 

Content warnings: underage drinking, addiction issues, racism and microaggressions, foul language, a sex scene between two teens

The Verdict: Not TERRIBLE, but I guess Brandy's books aren't for me. Points for a great cover, though.

Buy: Read Between the Lynes  Barnes & Noble

Will I be adding this book to my library?: Probably not.