I’m a YA blogger. 100% of the books I read are YA, pure and simple. Until September 29, 2019, you could count on this. That’s when I picked up and finished Red, White & Royal Blue within a single day and became an immediate fan of adult literature. Before then, I’d always dismissed the genre out of hand, thinking it couldn’t be as entertaining or topical as YA. No, all adult books were dry stories about divorce and death, and weren’t for me.
I have never been so happy to be wrong. I’ve stepped inside a magical world, full of grit and relatable characters. I suppose this is what “growing up” is supposed to feel like. I devoured Ninth House yet—a novel full of both fantasy horror and the mundanity of real life, from one of my favorite YA authors. That book imprinted itself upon my soul, and I am so ready for more. I thought for the longest time that these were isolated incidents, and I couldn’t possibly want to read more adult lit. This is not to say that The Baroness of Books is going to be reinvented—I still read a majority YA books, and I don’t see that changing for a long time. They brought out a magic inside of me that I didn’t realize I had, ignited my love of writing, and connected me with a fantastic bookish community. YA will still be the heart of my content, but I hope no one would oppose some crossover content! For starters: Being new to the genre, I have no idea what I should read first, so here are some of the first books I want to read:
The more I think about it, the more I know how right this is. Growing as a reader is inevitable, especially the books we read shape us for the ones we’re about to discover. And I’m so ready to jump into a whole new set of stories. What do you think? Let me know in the comments how your reading taste has changed over the years!
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I don't know how tuned in you all are to global happenings, but I'm willing to bet you know about COVID-19. Even on this book blog, it's one of the only things I have to talk about right now. However, this is a bit different than my usual #QuarantineReads posts. This complaint and solution set is SPECIFIC and targeted at my least favorite company ever. Amazon. Now, I know Amaz*n is kind of unavoidable--they own Goodreads. They own Audible. They own Book Depository. However, in response to COVID-19, they have slowed their processing time on book orders, cut earnings rates for publishers, and all around hurt the book community.
That's why I'm so happy to say that my most recent order is coming from bookshop.org, an independent website that shares a percentage of your order with independent bookstores! I have chosen one of my local indies, and they will receive 30% of my order, but you can also shop unaffiliated and contribute to a fund that benefits all indies! Your local shop doesn't have to work on your order, which is fulfilled through Ingram's warehouses, but you're able to support them all the same. I love independent bookstores. They are truly the heart of a community, a place to share and receive book recommendations, shop, and bond with other booklovers. I look forward to the day when I can visit my local shops again, but until then I will still be supporting them. Please join me in shopping local and helping these wonderful stores stay afloat! Many indies operate on incredibly small margins, and may be struggling to stay open during this time of low revenue. Now for the book haul! My goal for my "to-buy" list is this: for every book I purchase that I've already read (books from the library that I loved, or eARCs I received), I will also buy a book I haven't read yet. I'm not much of a rereader, so this is to keep me involved with current books and make sure I don't stop exploring. Today's picks are Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and Toil & Trouble ed. by Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spotswood. RWRB is one of my favorite romance books ever--it's not YA, but I still love the story and I find so much meaning in it. Toil & Trouble is to satisfy my recent fantasy cravings, and the witchy mood I've been left in after watching the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I've read anthologies edited by Jessica Spotswood before, so I trust that this one will also be amazing. I'm so excited to receive these orders, and even happier that I could uplift an indie bookstore while doing so! I definitely plan to continue in the future, so send me your best book recs--what should I keep my eye on next?
I know. It’s unrealistic. In this world of e-galleys and Libby library books, quitting e-readers isn’t something to do at the drop of a hat. In the past I have vaunted the advantages of using Libby to borrow library books, which is definitely a consideration now that I can’t access the library at all. And yet I find myself wondering if I would feel better, read better, or stay healthier by putting down the Kindle and picking up hard copies. Over the past few weeks, I noticed I developed a lack of motivation when it came to ebooks. I struggled to focus for long periods of time, and frequently switched between books. This led to me having a really long currently-reading shelf and a mountain of half-finished books. Eventually, I stopped reading at all. I think it was the light, combined with the tiny screen, that made it difficult to absorb the words and get hooked on a story. After a week or so, I picked up Serpent and Dove—the first physical book I’d read in almost a month at that point—and couldn’t put it down. That weekend was fantastic for my reading. I finished three books and started another, which lead me to think it was the Kindle that caused my reading slump. Fantastic! I thought. I’ll finally be able to finish a book again. Except… not so fast. I can cite studies showing e-readers cause eye-strain or lessen abilities to connect with characters until I turn blue in the face, but I’m still unsure that I can quit e-reading. Just this week, I was lucky enough to receive a Netgalley approval for The Friend Scheme, a highly anticipated Cale Dietrich novel that releases this July. To read and review… you guessed it. I’ll have to download the novel. Sighs. Perhaps there is an alternate solution. For now, I’m going to put off my e-reading obligations. I’ll focus on my physical TBR pile, and when it comes time to shorten my currently-reading shelf, I’ll alternate between reading hard copies and e-books. How do you feel about e-reading? Is it something you lean on to supplement a physical collection, or do you not care for it at all? Welcome to #QuarantineReads, where I detail my reading life in our new and scary world! This isn't a regularly scheduled feature, so if you have a topic you want me to discuss, go ahead and email or comment! I'm open to anything. Really. A N Y T H I N G. I need more ideas.
I’ve been told to start a diary. Apparently I should value posterity more than my own well-being, which has never been helped by some external compulsion to record my feelings every day. I don’t think I will be journaling during my quarantine. Instead, I’ll let my reading choices speak for me. So far, I’ve read Serpent and Dove, The Devouring Gray, the Alice in Wonderland books, and made progress on Call Down the Hawk and A Wish in the Dark. Notice the similarities? All fantasy books. Fantasy usually benefits readers by reflecting societal and personal problems in a new setting, so that readers can connect with the hero and learn how to solve their own problems in a new context. I wholeheartedly agree. I want to read characters who are placed in impossibly strange situations and work themselves out of problems in inventive ways, because I need to learn that now. I’m retraining my brain to problem-solve. to live in a different habitat, to work on new routines. Besides, a little dose of magic usually makes my day. Tell me, readers, how are you escaping? Or are you escaping at all? Who’s the brave soul picking up a light contemporary in some comfortable beanbag chair, or window seat with a view of the trees? Let me know in the comments what you’re reading!
My perfect reading nook: blankets, fluffy pillows, a window nearby... and the scent of my favorite candle which matches my book. If you agree with me, then you need to know about these ten bookish candle companies! I've included my favorite photos from their Instagrams, so head over there to learn more about these wonderful shops--disclaimer: the specific candles pictured in my selection of photos might not still be available, but they all still have an incredible selection for you to order from!
Because I read so many books from libraries, I don’t own copies of many of my favorites. I typically buy books I haven’t read yet, or books that I’ve reviewed ARCs of and loved. This is mostly because I don’t often reread books, so I save coupons and gift cards for buying books that are new to me. I’m less likely to buy a hard copy of a book if I’ve read a library copy or if I own the ebook, which is unfortunate because it means that so many of my favorites are books I don’t own! Here are just a few of the ones that got away:
It's been quite a year for reading in 2019! I finally reached my goal of 150 books after a long slump in November-December. I almost didn't finish, but a couple unexpected library holds pushed me over, and I couldn't be happier. This is my fourth year of successfully completing my GoodReads challenge, and I look forward to the fifth. Here's some data that GoodReads collected and showed me: The most popular book I read was The Great Gatsby, and the least popular was Loukas and the Game of Chance (which I reviewed here). My average rating is 4.2 (wow! I'm generous! Or maybe I just know how to pick books I'll like) In January 2019, the first book I reviewed on GoodReads was Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen. The first book I reviewed here is History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. My last review of the year, from last Monday, is Reverie by Ryan La Sala. In 2019 I read 150 books, and 50 of them earned five stars. I guess I had ridiculously good luck this year, and I hope it carries through to 2020! Here's the complete list. These are just books I've read in 2019, not only ones published in the past year, and they're in reverse chronological order to match the blog feed. All my reviews will be linked, and I'll also do a short gallery of my favorite covers at the bottom! I strongly recommend all of these books, and I hope you'll choose a couple for your 2020 backlist TBR!
It's a lovely fall Thursday, and I'm staring at the pile of books on my nightstand, mostly new and unread... and yet I'm still thinking about which books I want to order next! These beauties are a mix of new releases and old, and I can't wait to read all of them!
This week I am planning to write more than I read. I've been finishing books at a ridiculous pace, but I haven't reviewed any of them yet! And I have so many feelings, so I should probably put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and get those thoughts out. However, I am still going to read, as I'm not wired to go more than 24 hours without a book. All of my To Review books are upcoming or recent releases that I've been lucky enough to receive ARCs of, so some of those reviews won't be out for a few days (Hint: Check back on March 7 to see my stop on the Lovely War blog tour!). However, my To Read books include past releases I'm overdue to read. For instance, I thoroughly enjoyed The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, so I'm excited to visit Felicity in this sequel! Mackenzi Lee's witty writing and lovable characters made the first book in this duology an irresistible read. That's it for me, so what about you? Current reads, on hold at the library, in the mail, what are you reading? To Review:To Read:Currently Reading:
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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