Read Game Craft

This is going to be a round up of my favorite books, shows, and just general things of the year. I'm also going to include some of my hopes and goals for 2018.  Favorite Books of the Year The Star-Touched Queen  by Roshani Chokshi          This book was inspired by Hindu stories and tells the story of Maya who has been cursed by a bad horoscope her whole life. When she's 17, her father finally finds someone who is willing to marry her and she is whisked away to a kingdom like no other she has ever seen before.            The immediate description I think for this book is that it is absolutely beautifully written. The prose is gorgeously lyrical and richly written. Reading this book is a sensory experience like no other. I'm not someone who generally visualizes things as I was reading because that's not the way I think, but the details in this book were so beautiful and rich that I couldn't help but appreciate...

Now that it's getting into August and I start sophomore year of college in a few weeks, I'm looking forward to fall and winter. I'm looking forward to wearing sweaters, partially because last winter was so mild in Alabama that I barely wore any of the sweaters I got for Christmas. I'm also looking forward to some cozy fall reading. Not all books released in the fall are particularly autumnal, but some of them are and I love a good seasonal book. I'm sure I'll be rereading some of my cozy favorites (Harry Potter), but I'm also looking forward to some new books coming out this fall.  These are in no particular order, but I made sure they're all either very recently released or upcoming so that you won't have already read them. While I am trying to diversify my reading and read about important issues, these are all books I am genuinely planning on buying and reading. These are the ones I'm looking forward to the most: (photos and descriptions ...

I am certainly not an athlete and don't even watch or understand most sports, but I do sometimes fall victim to your usual high school athlete romance. Most recently, I've read Catching Jordan  by Miranda Kenneally, the first book of eight in her Hundred Oaks series. I wasn't sure I would like it but I did. I've also read books lately about swimming, gymnastics, and a few other sports. I'm also going to call ballet a sport here, because it is.  Catching Jordan  was my most recent sports-related read and I found it after reading Coming Up for Air . This one was about a girl playing high school football with dreams of becoming aI didn't know this was a series at first, but once I read the 8th book and enjoyed it, I decided I wanted to see what the other books were all alike. I wasn't sure I would like this one, because I have no interest in actual football, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I even found myself enjoying the book more as it...

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda   Publisher: Balzer and Bray Release Date: April 11, 2017 Overall Rating: 4.5/5  Synopsis:  Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back. There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right? ...

I just published my first ever YouTube video and it's my June Book Haul. It's about 18 books, though it's of course not the best quality but I'm working on figuring out what the best filming setup for me is. I'd really appreciate it if you all went and watched it and let me know what you thought. You can find it  here . Let me know what kinds of videos you'd like to see. I'm open to non-book videos. Thanks for reading and thanks for watching!

Doing It by Hannah Witton I've unfortunately only been watching Hannah's videos for about six months now, but once I started I never looked back. That's why I knew I had to pick up her book, Doing It . It's a fun book that focuses on sex and relationships education for teens and young adults. Because a lot of it is written from her perspective it does at time skew more feminine, but I think it's a great resource for people of all genders. Witton includes both personal anecdotes and social advice, but she also gives anatomical information and scientific advice. She talks about reproductive systems as they are and work biologically, rather than as connected to a person of a certain gender, because she acknowledges that these do not always align. Something else she does to ensure the book is as inclusive as possible is having guest contributors. When there was a topic Hannah wanted to cover but didn't have experience with, she had a friend or an expert write a ...

Publisher: Blink Release Date: May 9, 2017 Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she's stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF's gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night (which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client). When Tatum discovers she's not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela/fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way. A modern play on the Cinderella story arc, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE shows us that sometimes going after what you want means breaking the rules. Right now, the ebook is $1.99 on Amazon and you can get it  here . Even if it weren't...

I've had a few things going on the past month, but they're exciting so I wanted to update you on all of them. Exciting Life News: 1. I finished my freshman year of college at UAB. It had its ups and downs and difficult parts, but it was a good year over all with new friends and new experiences. I'm really looking forward to sophomore year.  2. I started a new job! I work in a library now which is perfect for me. I work at a really nice library in the Birmingham area and I love it. I really like all of my coworkers and the environment there. I have to stop myself from sitting down and reading all of the books I'm shelving. I did check out a few for myself last week.  3. I moved into my first apartment! I'm living with two of my best friends that I've known since 9th grade and so far I'm loving it. I have all of my stuff moved in, but I still have some decorating to do, which is really exciting.  All of this has also kept me pretty busy, which has slow...

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen  Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers Release Date: June 6, 2017 I got an e-galley from Netgalley. Synopsis:  Is it really better to have loved and lost?  Louna's summer job is to help brides plan their perfect day, even though she stopped believing in happily-ever-after when her first love ended tragically.  But charming girl-magnet Ambrose isn't about to be discouraged now that he's met the one he really  wants.  Maybe Louna's second chance is standing right in front of her.  Sarah Dessen’s many fans will adore this latest novel, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story with humor, romance, and an ending that is so much more than happily-ever-after. Sarah Dessen's novels are classics. Over the years, I've made my way through each and every one of them. They're some of my favorite books to read during the summer and I've read most of them multiple times. Once and For All  is Dessen...

Hello, Sunshine by Leila Howland Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Release Date: July 11, 2017 Synopsis:  Becca Harrington is a reject. After being rebuffed by every college on her list, she needs a fresh start, so she packs up everything and moves to LA, giving herself one year to land an acting gig or kill herself trying.   Unfortunately, not everything turns out as planned, and after a few grueling months, LA is looking like the worst idea ever. As hard as she tries, Becca can’t land an agent, she's running out of cash, and her mom is hounding her to apply to more schools. In an act of desperation, Becca and her friend Marisol start posting short videos online—with the help of their adorable filmmaker neighbor, Raj—and the videos catch the attention of a TV producer. Could this be it? Her big break? Or will she have to move back home with nothing but some bad head shots and a monstrous credit-card bill?  Review: This book was so much fun to read, though Becca's risi...

Publisher: Balzer and Bray Release Date: September 8, 2015  Synopsis: Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby. Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye. Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives. As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secre...

Oh, how I loved it. I read this book in a few days and read the vast majority of it in one evening. It was a summer romance but it also made my heart ache. This book tackles grief and mental illness and it does it beautifully. I've never lost a parent, but I did lose a grandparent six months ago and I related to Jonah in how hard it was to watch my mom grieve. I spent the week my grandmother was in the hospital with my mom and I promised not to leave and that if she wanted to stay all night I would to, but I had to leave her a few days after my grandmother passed away. My mom had to drop me back off at my dorm just a few hours after the funeral and I know it was hard for both of us. Like Jonah, I have a hard time talking about grief and in the past, I've been someone who's tried to pretend everything is okay even when it's not. There have also been times where, like Vivi, I've thought I was doing better than I really was, though luckily the realization came more...

Release Date: April 4, 2017 Publisher: Amulet Books I received this book after requesting it from NetGalley. Official Synopsis: Quinn Cutler is sixteen and the daughter of a high-profile Brooklyn politician. She’s also pregnant, a crisis made infinitely more shocking by the fact that she has no memory of ever having sex. Before Quinn can solve this deeply troubling mystery, her story becomes public. Rumors spread, jeopardizing her reputation, her relationship with a boyfriend she adores, and her father’s campaign for Congress. Religious fanatics gather at the Cutlers’ home, believing Quinn is a virgin, pregnant with the next messiah. Quinn’s desperate search for answers uncovers lies and family secrets—strange, possibly supernatural ones. Might she, in fact, be a virgin? Review: I got through this book really quickly and I really enjoyed it. I read it in long blocks and never got bored of it. I would've read it all in one night but I've been sick and I needed to go t...

I'm hoping to have a new book review soon, but I thought I'd put up another monthly favorites post to fill the gap. I didn't get to read much this weekend because I had to write two papers and study for a test, but I'm hoping to get back to reading now. Jane the Virgin This month, I started watching Jane the Virgin and I haven't been able to stop. I'm on season 2 right now and I keep staying up too late so that I can keep watching it. While it's unclear whether the creators were actively trying to have a feminist message in their show, but there are still a large number of wonderful female characters. Central to the story are the three Villanueva women. Despite having a main character who is waiting until marriage to have sex, the show does not slut shame its characters who do have sex and often confronts slut shaming head on. Stuff Mom Never Told You Since Witch, Please, my other favorite feminist podcast, is on hiatus, I've started listening to S...

Synopsis for Six of Crows (because the synopsis of Crooked Kingdom has spoilers for the first book): Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone... A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don't kill each other first. I just finished Crooked Kingdom a few minutes ago, and I have so many feelings. First of all, it was wonderful. Second of all, this duology was so stressful to read. I ...

College has turned me into a slow reader, so I'm sorry I don't have a new book review for you. But! There will absolutely be one soon. I'm currently reading Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and am planing on reviewing it as soon as I finish it. Since I'm not ready to write a review, but still wanted to have a new post, I thought I'd do another monthly favorites post. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend I started watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend because I'd been hearing author Rachel Hawkins raving about it and it seemed interesting. I started watching it a little less than a week ago and I finished the first season last night and I loved it. Towards the end of the first season, you start getting some second-hand embarrassment that tends to go along with sitcoms, but it's still overall great and really funny. Despite the title, it has some great feminism as well as LGBT representation, although you have to wait a little longer for that to be explicit, but you can see it comin...

Title: The Sun Is Also A Star  Author: Nicola Yoon Publisher: Delacorte Press Release Date: November 1, 2016 My Rating: 4.5/5 Natasha:  I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story. Daniel:  I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us. The Universe:  Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?  The main thing I have to say about this book is how absolut...