24 in 48: July 2019

Friday, July 19

We have once again arrived at that weekend of weekends, the landslide of literacy, the paragon of page-turners, the 24 in 48 readathon! This is my sixth ‘thon, having skipped January 2019 as skiing and reading are not an advisable combination.

This post’s oh so applicable header image is courtesy of my graphic designer Husband Unit, with whom I am celebrating five wonderful years today (Friday) before imploring him to ignore me for the next two days. (AND THEN we have additional special plans Monday and Tuesday so don’t get any sad tiny violin ideas about him being neglected).

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication: September 18, 2018
Hardcover: 448 pages

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with quaint settings, homegrown sleuthing and an ending you could feasibly puzzle your way through to, I suggest you back away slowly. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is none of those things. But if you’re interested in a murder mystery that tosses you straight into an ocean of frantic confusion and an expansive web of interwoven threads from the very first page, read on.

Vox

Author: Christina Dalcher
Publisher: Berkley
Publication: August 21, 2018
Hardcover: 336 pages

The last few years have seen a resurgence of feminist dystopias in media, with Christina Dalcher’s Vox as one of the latest additions to the genre. Dalcher’s near-future America centers around a simple, yet horrifying concept – what if women were only allowed to speak 100 words a day?

24 in 48: July 2018

*Pump up music*
*Pre-game stretches*
*Books and chocolate assembled, add another 6-pack of Coke Zero to the fridge*

IT IS TIIIIIIIIME!!! That twice-a-year weekend of weekends, the 24 in 48 Readathon! (Reading 24 hours within a 48-hour period, not 24 books as I am frequently asked.) This is my 5th time (what?!?) and I’m feeling pretty pumped about it. Let’s see how long that energy keeps up.

Blog Tour: Tradition (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Author: Brendan Kiely
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication: May 1, 2018
Hardcover: 352 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Book Depository | Kobo

The word “tradition” probably brings a number of things to mind. For me, it’s Poptarts on Christmas morning and Pronto Pups at the state fair. But not every tradition is so innocent, as Brendan Kiely shows in his latest book – he forgoes the innocuous and humorous to hone in on the illicit, dangerous and dehumanizing within the setting of an elite New England boarding school. I’m sharing my review and favorite quotes for this stop on the Tradition Blog Tour; you can follow along with the rest of the tour here, and don’t forget to read to the end for a giveaway!

Blog Tour: This is Not the End (Excerpt + Giveaway)

Author: Chandler Baker
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication: August 8, 2017
Hardcover: 384 pages
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Welcome to my stop of the This is Not the End blog tour! I’m officially an excerpt stop, but I enjoyed this book so much that I’ve included a brief review as well. It’s not quite contemporary YA; the setting is reflective of modern times, but there’s a sci-fi element that takes it to the next level. Make sure you scroll all the way down to enter the giveaway, and you can follow along with the rest of the tour here!

Blog Tour: Isle of Blood and Stone (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Author: Makiia Lucier
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication: April 10, 2018
Hardcover: 400 pages
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Book Depository | Kobo

Welcome welcome everyone to the Isle of Blood and Stone blog tour, in which book nerds across the internet come together to share our love of this high-stakes fantasy that releases this Tuesday! For my stop, I’m sharing a review along with my favorite quotes, and since this adventure is threaded with both humor and tension, there were plenty to choose from. If you want to check out some other blogs, you can follow along with the rest of the tour here, and don’t forget to read to the bottom of this post for a giveaway!

Let’s chart a course for Bookland! (+10 points to me for staying on theme)

SE-YA Book Fest

If I were hypothetically scrolling Twitter a few months ago, it’s possible I could have stumbled across the author reveal for the March 10 Southeastern Young Adult Book Fest, which is a free event held on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. That’s about 40 minutes outside Nashville, if you are as unfamiliar with Tennessee geography as I was. It’s also possible that my interest was piqued by their list of 40+ authors, and I may have casually mentioned it in front of the Mother Unit, who is my most consistent partner in crime for book signings*. If I name-dropped Margaret Peterson Haddix as an attendee, well then, strategy points to me for knowing who Mom would want to see. After that, it didn’t take much wheedling to secure a Chief Transportation Executive, aka rental car driver (hi, Dad), and HELLO TENNESSEE.

Yes, I am from Kansas. Only Kansans are allowed to make Oz jokes.

The Books of SE-YA: Mini Reviews

As much as I’d like to do a full-length review for all the books by Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival authors I read in anticipation of attending the fest, I know that project would die on the vine sooner rather than later. So, I’ve pulled together condensed reviews that focus mostly on my reaction to the book, and if you want the book synopsis, just click each title link. I’ve also included star ratings for comparison purposes; star ratings are not my favorite thing but I think they’re valuable here since I’m not elaborating as much on each title.