noellelovesbooks

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#januaryreadingwrapup2024 #whatimreading #readingwrapup

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I am so excited to get my hands on this book and devour it!

Releasing July 2nd, 2024 it's described as a Mulan retelling!

"The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s opium addict father refuses to answer the imperial draft. When he decides to marry Meilin to a violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin’s relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But as her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom…with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart."

#thenightendswithfire #kxsong #2024bookrelease

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What books give you fall feels, have a big emphasis on family/legacy, mystery, magic, and a bit of romance?

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#octoberbookreleases #SoundCloud

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#reading wrap up #2023 reading wrap ups

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Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month: Nonfiction Recommendations

Speak, Okinawa by Elizabeth Miki Brina

Elizabeth’s mother was working on U.S.-occupied Okinawa when she met the American soldier who would become her husband. The language barrier and power imbalance defining their early relationship followed them to the predominantly white, upstate New York suburb where they moved to raise their daughter. There, Elizabeth grew up with the trappings of a typical American childhood, while feeling almost no connection to her mother’s distant home and out of place among her peers. This account is a heartfelt exploration of identity and what it means to be an American.

Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy

Original and expansive, this volume is a nearly 200-year history of Asian migration, labor, and community formation in the U.S. Reckoning with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge in anti-Asian hate and violence, historian Catherine Ceniza Choy presents an urgent social history of the fastest growing group of Americans. The book features the lived experiences and diverse voices of immigrants, refugees, US-born Asian Americans, multiracial Americans, and workers from industries spanning agriculture to healthcare.

Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow

Born two years after her parents’ only son died just hours after his birth, Kat Chow became unusually fixated with death. She worried constantly about her parents dying - especially her mother. Four years later when her mother dies unexpectedly from cancer, Kat, her two older sisters, and their father are plunged into a debilitating, lonely grief. In this memoir, Kat weaves together what is part ghost story and part excavation of her family’s history of loss spanning three generations and their immigration from China and Hong Kong to America and Cuba.

Rise by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, & Philip Wang

In this intimate, eye-opening, and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and beyond, authors Yang, Yu, and Wang chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging, interactive graphics, charts, graphic essays from major AAPI artists, exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons, and more.

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I’m so happy to reveal the cover for book 2 of the Dark Gods trilogy: THE MIDNIGHT KINGDOM! (Design by Lisa Marie Pompilio)

In The Midnight Kingdom, each heir walks a dangerous path, attempting to undo the damage the gods have wrought across the four realms. But they live on borrowed time. The divine will have their war—and not all of them will survive it.

Preorders are now available here!

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quote from "Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity" by Devon Price -

"This is a systemic and far-reaching problem. White Autistics are 19 percent more likely to be diagnosed than Black Autistics are, and 65 percent more likely to be diagnosed than Latinx Autistics.[33] Black and Latinx Autistic people also get their diagnoses at older ages, reflecting their delayed access to services.[34] Indigenous Autistics are underdiagnosed and delayed in their diagnoses at even more extreme rates.[35]"

Start reading this book for free: https://a.co/1fptB1N

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Finally kicking that slumps butt! About time 😎

#FebruraryReadingWrapUp2023 #whatimreading #Booklr

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Black History Month: Mystery Recommendations

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby

Beauregard “Bug” Montage: husband, father, honest car mechanic. But he was once known - from North Carolina to the beaches of Florida - as the best getaway driver on the East Coast. Just like his father, who disappeared many years ago.

After a series of financial calamities (worsened by the racial prejudices of the small town he lives in) Bug reluctantly takes part in a daring diamond heist to solve his money troubles - and to go straight once and for all. However, when it goes horrifically wrong, he’s sucked into a grimy underworld which threatens everything, and everyone, he holds dear…

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette 

Recent MBA grad Bronwyn Crewse has just taken over her family’s ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and she’s going back to basics. Win is renovating Crewse Creamery to restore its former glory, and filling the menu with delicious, homemade ice cream flavors - many from her grandmother’s original recipes. But unexpected construction delays mean she misses the summer season, and the shop has a literal cold opening: the day she opens her doors an early first snow descends on the village and keeps the customers away. To make matters worse, that evening, Win finds a body in the snow, and it turns out the dead man was a grifter with an old feud with the Crewse family. Soon, Win’s father is implicated in his death. It’s not easy to juggle a new-to-her business while solving a crime, but Win is determined to do it. With the help of her quirky best friends and her tight-knit family, she’ll catch the ice cold killer before she has a meltdown…

This is the first volume in the “Ice Cream Parlor Mystery” series. 

Blood Grove by Walter Mosley

It is 1969, and flames can be seen on the horizon, protest wafts like smoke though the thick air, and Easy Rawlins, the Black private detective whose small agency finally has its own office, gets a visit from a white Vietnam veteran. The young man comes to Easy with a story that makes little sense. He and his lover, a beautiful young woman, were attacked in a citrus grove at the city’s outskirts. He may have killed a man, and the woman and his dog are now missing. Inclined to turn down what sounds like nothing but trouble, Easy takes the case when he realizes how damaged the young vet is from his war experiences - the bond between veterans superseding all other considerations.

The veteran is not Easy’s only unlooked-for trouble. Easy’s adopted daughter Feather’s white uncle shows up uninvited, raising questions and unsettling the life Easy has long forged for the now young woman. Where Feather sees a family reunion, Easy suspects something else, something that will break his heart.

This is the 15th volume in the “Easy Rawlins” series. 

American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson 

It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club. Her career has stalled out, she’s overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. Yes, even though she secretly admires the work Thomas is doing for his country. Yes, even though she is still grieving over the mysterious death of her sister, whose example led Marie to this career path in the first place. Yes, even though a furious part of her suspects she’s being offered the job because of her appearance and not her talent.

In the year that follows, Marie will observe Thomas, seduce him, and ultimately have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American.

Inspired by true events - Thomas Sankara is known as “Africa’s Che Guevara” - this novel knits together a gripping spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a passionate romance. This is a face of the Cold War you’ve never seen before, and it introduces a powerful new literary voice.

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…

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The Marked by Eve Langlais

Content Warnings: Sexual scenes, violence, classism, gun violence, slavery, sexual assault, attempted rape, and loss of body autonomy. Mention of: forced pregnancies, rape, and genocide.

That's my first thought upon completing this story.

The beginning had me fully committed...I thought we were getting a book with divided classes that also had a rebellion intent on making the world a better place. I was excited to see the world through our main character's eyes as she realizes the injustice of the world she's grown up in and that she would join and aid the rebellion to help form a better path for all. What we end up getting is a disgusting rebellion leader who only seeks to take down the powers that be so that he can be the power. There was no altruistic motive on his part he's merely enraged that he was demoted and now seeks to be the ultimate power as is due him *hard eye roll*

This story had so much potential and it just felt wasted...by the end although we now believe our main character is with a truly good man and that he's making changes to their society to improve all lives, not just the lives of those above ground BAM the author throws us a curveball that in fact, he is one of the ultimate powers that put this entire social structure in place. In truth, he is one of the powers that caused a major wipe of most of the world's population and is himself immortal.

I really thought I was going to love this story going in and I was just left completely disapointed.

#the marked #eve langlais #what i'm reading

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Season of the Wolf by: Maria Vale

Content Warnings: Sexual scenes, blood, violence, murder, child neglect, loss of family, child abuse, torture, gun violence, and animal death.

I was expecting this book to stick with the single narrative, as the three before were, so I was pleasantly surprised when it switched POVs.

Seeing both Constantine's and Evie's POVs as they slowly get to know one another is fantastic. From the start, we see how both characters will do whatever it takes to protect and care for what they value...in Constantine's case that's Magnus a young man he considers a brother, and for Evie that means her pack. Both are willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary with no real thought to themselves.

There were a few moments where I found myself laughing out loud at Constantine's inner dialogue and thinking "TMI dude! TMI!" And of course there were times where I wanted to shake and then hug the crap out of Evie because everyone deserves to be a little selfish now and again and yet Evie will literally do whatever she feels her pack needs...regardless of the cost to herself.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and am equally excited and sad to pick up book 5...aka the end of the series...I'm not sure I'm ready to leave the pack...

#season of the wolf #maria vale #the legend of all wolves #what i'm reading

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This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Content Warnings : Loss of parent[s], toxic friendships, blood, injury, violence, grief, torture, self-harm, gun violence, and racism.

Wow! What a fantastic read...and one I'm glad I read after book two has already been released 😅

Before starting this book I really had no idea what kind of story it was going to be, I knew that the main character had an affinity for plants but that's about it.

So we meet Briseis who was adopted as a baby by two amazing moms who've loved and supported her through everything...even the strange affinity she has with plants. I mean they opened a floral business, named after her, so that she could have a safe place to be near and work with plants.

Always needing to be hyper-vigilant to ensure no one outside of their little family finds out about her affinity...has led to a pretty isolating way of life. The few friends Briseis attempted to have never seemed fully comfortable around her when plants started acting abnormally so she never felt like she could truly express or explain herself.

Out of nowhere a mysterious estate lawyer shows up and says "hey, so you're aunt...oh you didn't know you had one?...well anyways she left you a family estate. Here are the keys and a few letters. Have fun!"

We get to go along with Briseis as she uncovers the rich and mysterious history of her birth family as she tries to learn more about her connection to plants and what it all might mean.

This was such a fun read! The first half of the book felt a bit longer than it needed to be but that second half felt like a whirlwind! I LOVED how we got so many mythology crumbs as Briseis was diving deeper and deeper into her bio-families history.

I look forward to getting my hands on This Wicked Fate so I can find out what more Briseis has to uncover.

#This Poison Heart #kalynn bayron #YA fantasy #What I'm reading

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Throne of the Horde King by Zoey Draven

Content Warnings: Blood, violence, sexual scenes, and drug use. Mention of the death of loved ones, murder, possible suicide, and mental illness.

Summary on Storygraph.com

Where to even start about reading the final book in the Horde Kings of Dakkar series...

Back when I decided I wanted to read some alien romance novels, not based on Earth, I asked a friend what she recommended, and right away [since she knows I'm a sucker for barbarian romances 🥰] she recommended me this series. In all the recommendations Janessa has given me...I've never once been disappointed.

From the first book with the Khal Drogo and his khalasar vibes...I was hooked! Each book, and couple, added so many more layers/history/depth to a world I desperately wanted to know more about.

Like many series...when I decided to start the final book...I took a deep breath and hoped that it did justice to the hopes and dreams I had before starting it. There have been too many series that have let me down in the final book...and I'm always scared of it happening again. But Zoey...Zoey knows what we wanted and needed in a final book...and she delivered!

This book has me going through some emotions...let me tell you. I was not anticipating getting so emotional over these two characters and their journey to save their planet and everyone they know...okay when I put it like that...how did I not think I was going to be emotional? 🤔

Anyways...just a freakin fantastic finish and I was so excited to read, in the author's notes, that Zoey has plans for a spin-off series so although it will be during a different time and with all new characters...we don't have to say goodbye to Dakkar just yet. 💜

#throne of the horde king #zoey draven #horde kings of dakkar #alien romance #barbarian romance #what i'm reading #book review

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A Highlander for Hannah by Mary Warren

Content Warnings: Sexual scenes, fatphobia, secondary character dealing with internalized fatphobia, and a parent who has a medical scare.

When I first heard that Mary was planning on writing a romance with time travel and a highland love interest...I knew I needed to read it.

I mean really all I needed to hear was highlander...and I was in...I have no idea why...

Annnnnyways when Mary put out a Tiktok saying she was opening arc requests I filled out the form lightning fast!

This book was such a joy to read, not only do we get a badass fat leading lady who decides to take life by the horns but we also get this beautiful story of learning to open up and trust someone and allow someone to see all your sides, not just the ones you normally show.

Hannah, up until this point, has always done what she felt was expected of her. She didn't even realize she wasn't living her life for herself. Now Hannah has seen the light and refuses to settle for anything less than what she wants and needs. Determined to start living for herself Hannah confides her new feelings to her best friend...who cheers her on.

One of the funniest, and most realistic, aspects of this story was...even after performing a spell requesting her perfect man...when he shows up she's in complete denial. Even after accepting that Graham time traveled here from the 1700's she still assumes there's no possible way he could be attracted to her or that they could have a relationship. The powers that be have literally delivered to her someone who's her perfect match and she's like "nope, not possible...let's see what we need to do to send you back."

Overall I really loved this story and getting to see Hannah come into her own while also seeing Graham adapt to modern times as he falls harder and harder for Hannah. This couple was adorable, I went through times of wanting to lock them in a room so they could talk, to wanting to hug them, to cheering the crap out of them.

If you're looking for a fun time-traveling romance with a badass leading lady and a cinnamon roll of a Scottish Highlander who will do whatever it takes to please and care for her...then this is a book for you!

#a highlander for hannah #mary warren #adult romance novel #2022 book release #whatimreading #arc review #arc reviewer #time travel romance #plus size romance #plus size representation

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Uncultured: A Memoir by Daniella Mestyanek Young

Content Warnings: Child abuse [physical, verbal, sexual], rape [on page], pedophilia, indoctrination, kidnapping, child brides, forced family separation, conditioning, injury [burn], suicidal ideations, racism, toxic relationships, confinement, sexism, depression, homophobia, sexual harassment, war, violence, and death.

I received an ARC, ahead of release, through St Martin's Press through their influencer program. 

In the vein of Educated and The Glass Castle, Daniella Mestyanek Young's Uncultured is more than a memoir about an exceptional upbringing, but about a woman who, no matter the lack of tools given to her, is determined to overcome. Behind the tall, foreboding gates of a commune in Brazil, Daniella Mestyanek Young was raised in the religious cult The Children of God, also known as The Family, as the daughter of high-ranking members. Her great-grandmother donated land for one of The Family's first communes in Texas. Her mother, at thirteen, was forced to marry the leader and served as his secretary for many years. Beholden to The Family's strict rules, Daniella suffers physical, emotional, and sexual abuse--masked as godly discipline and divine love--and is forbidden from getting a traditional education. At fifteen years old, fed up with The Family and determined to build a better and freer life for herself, Daniella escapes to Texas. There, she bravely enrolls herself in high school and excels, later graduating as valedictorian of her college class, then electing to join the military to begin a career as an intelligence officer, where she believes she will finally belong. But she soon learns that her new world--surrounded by men on the sands of Afghanistan--looks remarkably similar to the one she desperately tried to leave behind. Told in a beautiful, propulsive voice and with clear-eyed honesty, Uncultured explores the dangers unleashed when harmful group mentality goes unrecognized, and is emblematic of the many ways women have to contort themselves to survive. -bookshop.org

Daniella's story is incredibly powerful and inspiring...showing the strength of a woman who's been through so much. As the first memoir, I've ever read it had me extremely emotional and required a few breaks to get through. 

There were so many words that I strongly related to...some that reminded me of my teen years when I couldn't possibly fathom surviving until 18. The idea that I could survive my youth seemed impossible...either my abuser would end me or I'd end myself...I saw no other way. As an adult, I'm incredibly happy that some little tiny voice always told me to keep going no matter how much I tried to drown it out. Other words inspired me and had me wishing I read those words when I was going through my own trauma. 

Incredibly powerful and moving read... everything Daniella experienced and overcame...unimaginable pain and trauma that she endured and persevered through. 

#uncultured: a memoir #daniella mestyanek young #non fiction #2022 book releases #st martins press influencer

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Ledge by Stacey McEwan

Releases: September 13th, 2022

I received an e-arc through Netgalley, ahead of release, in exchange for an honest review.

After being randomly selected as a human sacrifice, instead of death, Dawsyn finds herself on a quest to save her people from their icy prison... ---In a place known as The Ledge, a civilization is trapped by a vast chasm and sheer mountain face. There is no way for anyone to escape the frozen wasteland without befalling a deathly drop. They know nothing of the outside world except that it is where The Glacians reside - mystical winged creatures who bring them meagre rations to survive, in exchange for a periodic human sacrifice.Dawsyn, axe wielder and only remaining member of her family, has so far avoided the annual culling, but her luck has run out. She is chosen and ripped from her icy home, the only world she knows. No one knows what will happen to her on the other side, least of all Dawsyn. Murdered? Enslaved? Worse?Thankfully, the fates align and Dawsyn manages to escape their clutches with the help of a half-Glacian called Ryon. But trust does not come easily, and she keeps a trained axe to his throat while they journey together down the slopes. But who's to say that the life below will be any better than the one she has run from? -Bookshop.org

Content Warnings: Sexual scenes, isolation, loss of loved ones, depression, PTSD, sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, violence, blood/gore, slavery, torture, racism, and suicidal ideations. Mention of: growing up with limited resources, starvation, sexual assault, rape, suicide, loss of body autonomy, and death due to childbirth.

I loved every second of getting to know Dawsyn and Ryon, two souls that have been hurt so much but still want to fight to create a brighter future. Seeing these two who should be enemies [according to their enemies] slowly get to know one another, empathize with each other, and ultimately fall hard for each other...had me cheering for them, crying for them, and just wanting to give them the biggest hug I can.

Watching these two who should be enemies slowly get to know one another, trust each other, and ultimately fall head over heels for each other...had me cheering for them, crying for them, and wanting to just hug the crap out of them.

With the way, this book ended I have no idea what book two could lead to but I AM READY! I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever comes next!

If you love fantasy books that are unpredictable, fun, and leaves you wondering what could possibly happen next...I highly recommend reading Ledge!