Yesterday while spending some time reading to my son, my mother asked him to pick out his next read. Keep in mind he is 9.5 months old. So, he crawled over to one of the bookcases and made his choice…
Yes, folks, that is a Rick Riordan book. The Lost Hero, actually. Glad to see he’s already caught the reading bug! This mama’s heart is bursting with love and pride! đź’›
Another new month, more new releases. Of course, there are plenty of new books being released this month that I’m super excited about. Here I’ll talk about some of the ones I’ve been anxiously awaiting. This list has in no way been influenced by anyone and is not sponsored by anyone. This list is also not exhaustive and I’m only mentioning a few of the new releases that I’ve been super anxious about.
First up we have More Than Just A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood. This will be published on August 4th. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this to review, so I’ve already gotten to read this gem for myself. I was and am still so excited about this one. You can read my review for this book here.
After that comes The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed. It will be published on August 4th. I have been anticipating this book so much, and I’m so anxious to read it. I’ve heard such good things about this book and I’m sure it’ll live up to the extreme hype that’s been built.
Another book I’m looking forward to reading is They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman. This is expected to be published on August 4th. I’ve been super excited to read it because I’m always up for a murder mystery. Unfortunately I’ve heard some mixed reviews on it. Guess I’ll just have to read it and see for myself how it is!
I’m so excited to read Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia which comes out August 4th. At this point, pretty much anything that Rick Riordan or his imprint puts out I’m like
Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim, which comes out August 4th, sounds like such a fun and magical read. I can’t wait to read it and go on adventures with Vanessa, and follow her matchmaking and fortune-telling. Definitely looking forward to this one.
A Place At The Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan is to be published on August 11th and is another book that I am excited to read. I read Saadia Faruqi’s upcoming middle grade book, A Thousand Questions, and loved it, so I’m sure this book will be just as enjoyable.
The history lover in me is especially anticipating Displacement by Kiki Hughes, which drops on August 18th. I am looking forward to this look at the Japanese internment camps and the tale of weaving together past and present through memory. Very anxious to read this!
Another book I’m looking forward to is Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon, which comes out August 18th. I haven’t heard much about this book but from what I’ve read, it sounds like it’ll be such a good read and so timely too. Can’t wait to get this book in my hands!
Next we have Darius The Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram. This is scheduled for publication August 25th. I loved Darius The Great Is Not Okay so when I heard there was going to be a second book, I was so excited and immediately added it to my never-ending TBR pile.
And finally, one of my very highly anticipated books is The Companion by Katie Alender. This book comes out on August 25th. I read an excerpt from this book and I’ve been dying to read the rest! It sounds so good, so I’m hoping it lives up to the hype I’ve built up for it.
So there you have it! These are my most anticipated releases of the month. I know many more are releasing this month…with a highly anticipated release being one from a pretty popular series that I never got into. đź‘€ I know, I know.
What books that are releasing this month can you not wait to dive into? Any that I haven’t mentioned? Are there any on my list that you’re excited for as well?
Happy Reading!
So, another month has finished. This month wasn’t as good for me, reading-wise, as other months, but it wasn’t my worst. I was able to read 6 books this month. There were some highs, and definitely some lows. I didn’t really have any mediocre books, it was either a hit or a miss.
My books this month were: Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip Across America by James Ward, Christmas Candee by Judi Thompson and Charlene Tess, This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf, Letters From The Light by Shel Calopa, More Than A Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood, and The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood.
My favorite books this month were definitely the two Syed M. Masood books I read: More Than a Pretty Face, and The Bad Muslim Discount. Both will be coming out soon (August and November, respectively), and they feature muslim protagonists. I really enjoyed Masood’s writing style and the characters that he developed were recognizable and stayed with me long after I finished the book(s). Both books received 5/5 stars.
My least favorite book was probably Hannah and Soraya’s Fully Magic Generation-Y *Snowflake* Road Trip Across America by James Ward. I was given the book for free in exchange for my honest review. There was nothing inherently bad about the book, I just didn’t enjoy it. There were so many things that happened in just the first few days of their road trip that I found it hard to believe. I originally didn’t rate this book but if I had, it’d have been a 1.5-2/5 star rating.
How was your reading month? Any favorites? Has anyone read any of these? Any recommendations for me?
I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
In this story we are following a high school senior, Danyal Jilani, as he prepares his entry for Renaissance Man. He’s always had a crush on Kaval Sabsvari, the beautiful sister of his friend Sohrab. But when Danyal’s parents try arranging a marriage for him with Bisma Akram and he starts spending more of his time with her, he realizes maybe his heart belongs to someone else.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked Danyal’s character and liked the humor that Masood infused throughout the story. Some parts actually made me laugh out loud. Danyal wants to become a chef, which is considered a less-than-honorable profession in his culture. I liked the descriptions of food that were in the story, but I also liked that Bisma was supportive of Danyal and his dreams.
The inclusion of Churchill and British colonization was interesting and I liked learning about it. I think it was also important for Danyal’s character to do this topic for his project because he was always seen as a slacker and it forced him to decide whether to play it safe or go with his gut and talk about what he felt was important.
The relationship between Danyal and his father was intriguing. In the beginning we see that they have a rocky relationship. His father does not approve of Danyal’s dreams of becoming a chef and feels that he is more or less a failure to him. We see their complex relationship and struggle to communicate throughout the book. By the end, however, it’s clear that the relationship between Danyal and his father has changed. I liked how Masood showed this change at the end of the book.
I didn’t like the fact that people were constantly telling Danyal how dumb he is or how little potential he has and he just agrees with it. I also wanted to know more about Bisma. We find out something important about her past on their first meetup, which has important repercussions for her and her family and plays a role throughout the rest of the book. She seemed like such an interesting character and was good for Danyal, I wanted more about her. She was such an integral part in Danyal’s character growth so a little more about her as a character would have been nice.
I can’t speak to the muslim representation in this book. One thing I did notice was that there was the typical stereotype of the “hardcore” religious worshipper. When one character practiced his religion the majority of his time, he was seen as the killjoy and too serious and multiple characters wanted him to “chill out” and I didn’t really like that aspect.
If you’re into YA contemporary books with more serious topics seamlessly woven in or want a humorous diverse read, definitely check this book out! I’ll be keeping Syed M. Masood on my radar for other books. Publication is set for August.Â
