TBR

2019 Retellings Challenge TBR

I have seen the 2019 Retellings Reading Challenge around a couple of times, but I dismissed it because I figured already read most of the retellings on my TBR. However, when I finally caved and looked at my TBR, I realised that’s not true at all!

I’ll try to focus on the books I already own for this challenge, but if I manage to read those, then I might purchase a few more for the remaining prompts. Reading my owned books will get me at least two bingos if I do it right, so that might be enough. (Books marked by the emoji are the ones I own.)

  1. Beauty and the Beast: 🍀Bellamy and The Brute 
  2. Set in a foreign country: 🍀Children of the Knight
  3. Standalone book: 🍀Uprooted
  4. Wonderland
  5. Award winning: The Song of Achilles
  6. One word title: 🍀Ash
  7. Bronte or Austen: 🍀Gay Pride and Prejudice
  8. Native American
  9. A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams2019 release: Once & Future
  10. Egyptian Myth
  11. Greek Myth: Circe
  12. Debut author: House of Salt and Sorrows
  13. Free space: 🍀Unburied Fables
  14. Shakespeare: 🍀Vinegar Girl
  15. Asian myth
  16. Indie book: 🍀Marian
  17. Russian folklore: A Lake of Feathers and Moonbeams
  18. Weapon on the cover: 🍀King Arthur and Her Knights: Enthroned / Enchanted / Embittered
  19. Norse Myth: 🍀The Gospel of Loki
  20. Peter Pan: 🍀Peter Darling
  21. Over 500 pages
  22. Set in space: In Ageless Sleep
  23. Middle Eastern myth
  24. Brothers Grimm: 🍀The Ice Princess’s Fair Illusion
  25. Written 10+ years ago: 🍀Briar Rose

~ Alexa

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Readathon/Bingo · TBR

Sequel September TBR

Not Your Villain (Sidekick Squad, #2)Here’s a thing about me: I very rarely commit to series. I generally prefer reading standalone books, but I very often read a first book in a series and then just… never follow up on the sequels. There are some notable exceptions where I was willing to read 5+ books in a series (looking at you, Rick Riordan) but they’re not common. But I love the challenges by Kathy @ Books and Munches (Sci-fi July was awesome), and September is apparently Sequel September… so I was motivated to look at my TBR and see if I have any sequels.

Some of these are on my August TBR as well, so I still have a few days left to get to them this month, but if I don’t, well, then I can read them in September I guess? There are also some sequels I own even though I haven’t even read the first book, which is probably a dangerous amount of trust to have in an author, but hey. It happens.

There are also a few anomalies, e.g. I haven’t read the first book in the Bride Quartet either, but I think they can be read standalone, so I put Bed of Roses in that category.

Sequels on my August TBR

  • Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)
  • The Navigator’s Touch (The Seafarer’s Kiss #2)
  • A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2)
  • A birodalom visszavág / A Jedi visszatér (Star Wars in Hungarian)

Sequels I own and want to read

  • Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag
  • Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet #2)
  • Ardulum: Second Don

Haven’t read the first book yet

  • City of Betrayal (City of Spires #2)
  • Flames (The Guild of the Cowry Catchers #2)
  • The entire Discworld series

Akata Warrior (Akata Witch, #2)Sequels I want to get my hands on immediately

  • Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3)
  • Searching for Dragons (The Echanted Forest Chronicles #2)
  • A Prince on Paper (Reluctant Royals #3)
  • The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2)
  • Akata Warrior (Akata Witch #2)
  • Daughter of the Sun (Tales of Inthya #2)
  • Not Your Backup (Sidekick Squad #3)
  • Ruse (Want #2)
  • Lions Can Always Learn To Roar (Until Lambs Become Lions #2)

… See? I told you I’m horrible at this. Pretty much everything on my owned TBR is standalones or first books in a series. So I guess this is more of a “sequels I’m looking forward to that mostly aren’t published yet” post.

Do you often read series? Are you participating in Sequel September?

~ Alexa

Readathon/Bingo · Wrap-up

Summer TBR Wipeout Wrap-up + NEWTs Readathon Update

The Summer TBR Wipeout is already over, which is a little sad, since it’s not even the middle of August. You can see my previous posts for this challenge here:

You can see from my July wrap-up that I managed to read quite a lot of books, especially graphic novels. I also got my “owned and unread” shelf on Goodreads down below 400, which is a huge accomplishment, so I’m proud of that.

We’re only 10 days into August, but my August reading has been focusing on the NEWTs readathon. The NEWTs are a continuation of the OWLs, which I did last month:

I didn’t post a separate NEWTs TBR since I was kind of winging it, but let’s take a look at what subjects I completed so far in August.

ASTRONOMY

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Acceptable: Stars on the cover
Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan: 4

CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES

Acceptable: Animal on the cover
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden: 5

Exceeded Expectations: A book under 160 pages
Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown: 2

Outstanding: Includes dragons
The Sun Dragon by Annabelle Jay: 4

CHARMS

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Acceptable: A book with magic in it
WARRIOR: a collection of short stories by multiple authors: 4

DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS

 

Acceptable: Last book in a series
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells: 5

Exceeded Expectations: A foiled book
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: 4

HERBOLOGY

Acceptable: A book with a green cover
Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey: 4

Exceeded Expectations: A book with illustrations
Poe Dameron Vol. 2, The Gathering Storm by Charles Soule: 4

Outstanding: Light, air, sun or water in the title
Still Waters by Alex Gabriel: 4

POTIONS

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Acceptable: Has a colour in the title
Poe Dameron Vol. 1, Black Squadron by Charles Soule

TRANSFIGURATION

Acceptable: A book with a grey cover
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Exceeded Expectations: A new-to-you author
Sadie by Courtney Summers

~

So, that’s how I’m doing. Not bad for the first 10 days of August, but there’s still a looong way to go if I want to complete all the subjects… which might not be possible actually.

~ Alexa

Readathon/Bingo · Wrap-up

OWL Exams Wrap-up!

Related post:

The OWLs are exams that students in Hogwarts (in Harry Potter) take in their fifth year. Book Roast on YouTube came up with the amazing idea to turn these exams into a reading challenge. The original challenge took place in April, which I unfortunately failed – but since August is the month of the NEWTs, an even bigger reading challenge, I decided to complete the OWLs this month as preparation.

There are twelve subjects total, and thus, twelve OWL exams. The marks are the following:

  • Acceptable – Complete two subjects
  • Exceeded Expectations – Complete three subjects
  • Outstanding – Complete five subjects

In the end, I managed to complete all twelve challenges, but since I wasn’t sure I could do that, I picked my five favourites that I definitely wanted to complete.

ASTRONOMY – A Science Fiction book
Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka

CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES – Magical creature in a book
The Backstagers Vol. 1 by James Tynion VI

CHARMS – A Fantasy book
The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember

HERBOLOGY – Nature-related word in the title
For Whom The Roses Grow by Rebekah Blackmore

TRANSFIGURATION – Shapeshifting in a book
Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee

ANCIENT RUNES – A book with a symbol on the cover
The Dry Season by Cassidy Taylor

ARITHMANCY – A book with a number on the cover or in the title
Three Times as Deadly by Erin Wade

DEFENSE AGAINT THE DARK ARTS – Book with a secret society or club
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

DIVINATION – A book with a prophecy
The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

HISTORY OF MAGIC – A historical fiction book
Moving Pictures by Kathryn Immonen

MUGGLE STUDIES – A nonfiction book
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson

POTIONS – A book about or with alchemy
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

~

See you next month with the NEWTs! I have a tentative TBR, but honestly there are so many prompts and many books that fit several categories, so I don’t want to post it. I’m just going to wing it and post regular updates as I go through the subjects!

~ Alexa

Miscellaneous

Summer TBR Wipeout – Update Post #1

Other relevant posts:

Have two weeks really passed already? It’s time to post an update for the Summer TBR Wipeout! I’ve posted an update on my other challenges not too long ago, but those didn’t include my non-challenge books, plus I’ve finished some others since then. Here is everything I’ve read in July so far.

  • Up to 100 pages: 4
  • 101-200 pages: 3
  • 201-300 pages: 2
  • 301-400 pages: 2
  • 401-500 pages: 1
  • 500+ pages: 0
  • Graphic novels*: 18
  • Total: 30

*Usually between 110-150 pages, with some exceptions.

Out of these, 8 books have been science fiction for Sci-Fi July – which is less than I’d prefer. I love reading sci-fi, but somehow there’s not much of it on my immediate TBR.

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)RECENTLY FINISHED

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

This is one of the most hyped books ever that I’ve been meaning to read, as I own a copy of both books. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book although I didn’t think it really lived up to the hype. I absolutely loved Kaz and Inej, who were both my favourite characters. I’m also looking forward to learning more about Wylan, since he didn’t have a POV in this book, but I think he has one in the second.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1)CURRENTLY READING

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

This is another super popular book that everyone has been telling me to read, but I’m enjoying it much more than Six of Crows. I’m about halfway through and I absolutely love it. It’s incredibly funny, but also with some serious topics and loveable characters. It has everything I want: a bisexual protagonist, a biracial love interest, a complex sibling relationship, a girl who just wants to study medicine, and lots of travel and secret plots and trickery.

NEXT ON TBR

There are several things I could read next: Not Your Villain for the OWLs challenge (where I only have two books left once I finish Gentleman’s Guide), Sakaei: Ghosts for the Sapphic Book Club, or Secondhand Origin Stories because it’s the oldest ARC I have and the book has been out for a while. Or maybe another graphic novel, to reduce my TBR and contribute to the Books and Tea readathon?

~ Alexa

Readathon/Bingo · TBR

Summer TBR Wipeout Introduction + Graphic Novel Readathon

Another thing I’m participating in this summer is the Summer TBR Wipeout – this can be easily combined with other challenges because really, the only thing that matters is that you read as much as you can.

I already talked about my TBR for July in my Ambitious July Plans post (includes my TBR  for my OWLs!) as well as my Sci-fi July post, and I also hinted that in August, I’d be doing my NEWTs (after hopefully finishing my OWLs in July).

Since the NEWTs are so challenging, they will likely make up most of my August TBR by themselves because I don’t think I’ll have time to read anything more. It’s so far away that my TBR will likely change, but here’s a sneak peek anyway!

newts.png

I mentioned I’d be participating in Books & Tea Book Club’s graphic novel readathon in July, but I didn’t actually post a TBR for it, so let me use this opportunity to talk about just a few graphic novels I’m hoping to get to.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2:  Friendship to the Max

  • 1. Lumberjanes

This is one graphic novel series that literally everyone recommends if you ask for queer comic recs. I have read the first Volume already, and frankly, I didn’t like it that much, but I hear that it improves later. I have the next three volumes, as well as a bunch of specials/bonus stories, so I hope to read the entire series this summer. It also takes place in a camp, so it’s a perfect summer read.

  • 2. Giant Days

Giant Days, Vol. 1 (Giant Days, #1)I barely know anything about this other than the fact that it’s about young women in college, the first volume has a beautiful yellow cover, and I think one of the mains is sapphic? I have the first three volumes of this, so I’ll be reading those.

  • 3. The Backstagers

Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. I only have the first volume of this, but it has queer boys, theatre kids, and fantasy-magic elements, so honestly that’s enough for me.

  • 4. Joyride Vol. 1

Earth sucks. The stars have been blocked out for so long that people have forgotten there was anything else besides the World Government Alliance watching over them. When Uma Akkolyte jacks an alien spaceship and punches through the stratosphere she sets forth on an adventure with an unlikely crew who are totally not ready for all the good, bad, and weird the universe will throw at them. Sci-fi with an unlikely crew and apparently a queer main? Give it to me!

  • 5. Paper Girls Vol. 1

Paper Girls, Vol. 1 (Paper Girls, #1)In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this smash-hit series about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood. It’s a little weird that this is about 12-year-olds because the girls on the cover look older to me (especially with the cigarette??), but I’m excited to read this nonetheless.

+ Hopefully many others! Seriously, I bought two separate comic bundles on Humble Bundle in the last few months, so I have SO MANY graphic novels in my library that I want to get to. Next month is the perfect time to do this, although my OWLs will come first.

What are some of your favourite graphic novels or comics? Also, is there a difference?! I have no idea.

~ Alexa

Readathon/Bingo · Wrap-up

#MarvelAThon Phase Three Wrap-Up

Guess what? I finished #MarvelAThon! That’s 21 books total, and this is a wrap-up of the last 9, so let’s start with some links.

In the last two rounds, 4 out of 12 books I read were graphic novels, and in this round, it was 3 out of 9.

phrasethree1

CIVIL WAR – A book about rivalry or enemies
Brave Chef Brianna by Sam Sykes
This is a cute graphic novel about a girl who has to compete with her brothers to have the best restaurant and carry on the family legacy – only she ends up opening her restaurant in a city of monsters, which leads to some trouble.

DOCTOR STRANGE – A book that involves medicine
The Origins of Heartbreak by Cara Malone
🏳️‍🌈 This is a lesbian medical romance novel that I unfortunately didn’t like much, especially because of the way it treats antidepressants. But hey, it fit the prompt.

GOTG2 – A book set in space
Lando by Charles Soule
The ending of this graphic novel absolutely destroyed me, okay? It also reminded me that I’m a really casual Star Wars fan because I have no idea who half the people here were.

phasethree2

SPIDER-MAN – A young adult book involving secrets
Omen Operation by Taylor Brooke
🏳️‍🌈 This book has a bisexual female protagonist, and a beginnings of a polyamorous quad with two guys and two girls. One of the guys is also panromantic demisexual, according to the author. Unfortunately, the plot didn’t impress me much, but it certainly involved secrets. Read my review here.

THOR: RAGNAROK – A popular book
Lumberjanes Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis & Faith Hicks
🏳️‍🌈 This is a graphic novel that everyone keeps recommending me, with a strong female cast including some sapphic girls. Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed by the first volume, but I have three others and a bunch of specials, so we’ll see next month if it improves.

INFINITY WAR – A book that fulfills multiple challenges
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
🏳️‍🌈 This was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, with a biromantic asexual protagonist who is also #ownvoices for black representation – and female, thus the two challenges. It didn’t live up to my expectations, but I still think it’s an important book.

phasethree3

BLACK PANTHER – #ownvoices with black main character
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
What better book to read for the Black Panther challenge than a fantasy set in Nigeria with a wonderful female protagonist that Shuri would be proud of? (Review to come in the first days of July, so keep an eye on this blog!)

CAPTAIN MARVEL – A book with a female MC
Blackout by Kit Mallory
🏳️‍🌈 Most of my books this round had female MCs, but Blackout was one I read for the book club I’m in, so I decided to list it here. This was a dystopian young adult novel set in the UK, with very European elements.

AVENGERS 4 – A book you don’t know anything about
You’re You by Mette Bach
🏳️‍🌈 I saw this book on NetGalley in the LGBT section and downloaded it because it had a questioning bisexual protagonist. It was an okay read and I think it handled the questioning part well. Read my review here.

That’s about it! Did you participate in MarvelAThon? How did you do?

~ Alexa

Readathon/Bingo · TBR

My Ambitious July Plans: In Which I Do Like Four Challenges

For July, I’m actually taking part in four different Readathons – pretty ambitious, right? Thankfully, two of those Readathons are “easy” – there isn’t really a minimum requirement, and there are no specific prompts: you’re “just” supposed to read as many books of a certain genre as you can. This way, I’m hoping there will be a lot of overlap between the challenges to make them easier.

First: I’m participating in Sci-Fi July by Kathy, where the main goal is to read as many Sci-Fi books as you can. You can check out my TBR here.

Second: I’m also participating in a Graphic Novel readathon in the Books and Tea book club run by Lauren. Again, the goal is to read as many graphic novels as you can. I won’t post a separate TBR for this one, but I have tons of graphic novels thanks to Humble Bundle’s Summer Reading List, so I’ll try to finish the ones I still have left.

Third: I’m also starting a reading challenge that is not only for one month: Candybook Land! This one involves rolling a dice and playing like you’d play a boardgame, only every square/colour means reading one book. Since I’m doing so many other challenges, I don’t think I’ll set a time limit for this one, just roll another dice whenever I’m done with the previous book for the challenge.

First roll: 5 (square: 5)
Orange – read a book with a romance, where one of the characters is an artist or has an orange cover.

Fourth: Finally, I’m resitting my OWL exam! I first heard about the OWL Readathon by Book Roast in April, and I attempted to complete it then, but I admit that I gave up pretty early. So, technically I’m a troll?

However, I saw on Twitter that in August, Book Roast is hosting a NEWT reading challenge (which is incredibly challenging and I’m so afraid) and some people are taking this opportunity to complete the OWLs challenge in July if they haven’t yet. One of them is me. Wish me luck so I can actually complete it this time!

For the OWLs, there are three fail grades and three pass grades. Since I intend to pass this time, I’ll only list the passing grades here:

  • Acceptable – Complete two subjects
  • Exceeded Expectations – Complete three subjects
  • Outstanding – Complete five subjects
  • Bonus – Complete all twelve subjects

Obviously, I would be very happy if I managed to complete all twelve (and reading twelve books a month isn’t that far-fetched), but I’d like to do five at the very least to get that Outstanding mark.

owls

And here’s my current plan! As you can see, the subjects in yellow are the ones I definitely want to complete (because those are my favourite subjects, duh. Also, the ones that are most… Hufflepuff-y?)

Ancient Runes: The Dry Season (The Lost Fields 0.5) by Cassidy Taylor
Artihmancy: Secondhand Origin Stories by Lee Blauersouth (SF)
Astronomy: Shattered Empire by Greg Rucka (SF) (GN)
Care of Magical Creatures: The Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood
Charms: The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
DADA: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Divination: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
Herbology: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire OR For Whom The Roses Grow by Rebekah Blackmore
History of Magic: Moving Pictures by Kathryn Immonen (GN)
Muggle Studies: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
Potions: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Transfiguration: Not Your Villain by C.B. Lee (SF)

I kinda wish there was more overlap with my other two challenges, but maybe I can rework this TBR later. For now, these are the books I found that fit the given prompts.

Are you participating in any readathons or challenges in July?

~ Alexa

Readathon/Bingo · Wrap-up

#MarvelAThon Phase Two Wrap-Up

Welcome back to my wrap-up of #MarvelAThon’s Phase Two! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here are some helpful links:

Phase One and Phase Two both had six books each, while Phase Three has nine. In Phase One, two of the books I read for the challenge were graphic novels, and I said that I would like to continue to include as many graphic novels as I can, because reading 21 books a month is ambitious even for me.

Oh, and of course, since June is also Pride month, I tried my best to read books with queer main characters for at least /most/ of the prompts. (In the last Phase, 5 out of 6 books had at least one queer MC.)

phasetwo1

IRON MAN 3 – A book that will challenge you
Broad Knowledge edited by Joanne Merriam
(🏳️‍🌈)This was an anthology with 35 stories, and while I love anthologies, if they have more than 15 stories then I tend to read them very, very slowly. (It took me a month to read the Sunvault anthology, with had about 40 pieces, and many of those were artwork or a few lines of poem.) So, reading this in time to finish the other prompts was certainly challenging. About 5 of the stories have queer women MCs. Read my review here.

THOR: DARK WORLD – A book with siblings
Coady and the Creepies by Liz Prince
🏳️‍🌈 This is a graphic novel about three sisters who are part of a punk band… and one of them is a ghost. It was a fun read, although I felt like the plot was a little all over the place. One of the sisters is into girls, though.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER – Main character is a villain or anti-hero
Loki: Agent of Asgard, Vol. 1: Trust Me by Al Ewing
🏳️‍🌈 Need I say more? In the MCU, Loki goes from villain to annoying little brother and reluctant ally. In this particular volume, he is an agent of Asgard, trying to make up for his past crimes – but he’s got a long way to go before anyone would call him a hero. Also, his genderfluidity is wonderfully presented in this volume.

phasetwo2

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – Set or written in the 80s
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
🏳️‍🌈 For this prompt, I picked a novel by Jeanette Winterson that I was convinced was a memoir until I read the introduction. Apparently, this is a fictional novel loosely based on the author’s life. It’s about a girl who grows up in a heavily religious family and realises she’s a lesbian – personally,  I would have enjoyed more focus on the second half, but we can’t always get everything.

AGE OF ULTRON – A book involving AI
The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
(🏳️‍🌈) Shout out to Avalinah’s Books: I was agonising over this prompt because the book I was originally going to read for it is 400 pages long, so it was a blessing to quickly find this 200-page novella that centers a crew’s relationship with their artificial intelligence. The book has a nonbinary side character and two men in a sexual relationship, although romantic attachments are definitely not in focus. (I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book specifically for the LGBTQAI+ content, though. The nonbinary character is pretty minor, and the two men barely spend time together after the first chapter.)

ANT MAN – A book involving heist or thieves
Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault
🏳️‍🌈 This is the ownvoices aromantic story with a bigender aromantic protagonist and a biromantic demisexual protagonist that we all deserve. Both the queerness and the food in this book is amazing, and I’ve been meaning to read it for a long time. Its relevance to the prompt is probably obvious by the title – I could have used it for the sibling prompt too, because both protagonists have siblings who are central to the plot.

To sum up: six books in this challenge, two of them are graphic novels (one of them is Marvel!), and all of them have queer characters: five as protagonists in at least some stories, and one has multiple side characters.

There’s still time left in June – but will it be enough to read another 9 books?! … Let’s hope so.

~ Alexa

Miscellaneous

I Spy Book Challenge

I saw this challenge on Avery’s blog and I decided to try it – I figured if I failed too badly, I just wouldn’t post it, so I was the most surprised when I actually managed to complete it!

The challenge: Find a book that contains (either on the cover or in the title) an example for each category. You must have a separate book for all 20, get as creative as you want and do it within five minutes!! @BooksAndLala

I went to the My Books page on Goodreads and started scrolling. With the combination of good luck and some creative choices, I actually managed to find one book for each category on the first 3 pages – so I managed to complete the challenge in exactly five minutes. I started at 20:00 and finished at 20:05.

FOOD – TRANSPORTATION – WEAPON – ANIMAL

challenge1

Sugarplum by Darshana Suresh: I’m not actually sure if “sugarplum” itself is a thing, but sugar and plum are both foods.
Lando: Double or Nothing #1 by Rodney Barnes: Isn’t the Millenium Falcon in the corner the best transportation ever?
The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan: Magnus is holding Jack, the sword on this cover (and also, the first book is called the Sword of Summer, so it’s a double win).
Wolf Blood by Darshana Suresh: This one has wolf in the title.

NUMBER – SOMETHING YOU READ – BODY OF WATER – PRODUCT OF FIRE

challenge2

Seven Years Among Dragons by Lyssa Chiavari: This prompt was actually one of the tough ones and I nearly scrolled past it, even though it has a beautiful cover.
Misfit City #1 by Kirsten Smith: Misfit City has a map on the cover, which is something you read.
Ocean Deep by Darshana Suresh: This one is self-explanatory. Also a pretty cute poem collection about wlw pirates and mermaids.
The Power Plant by Charles W. Harvey: I didn’t enjoy this story much, but it does have smoke on the cover.

ROYALTY – ARCHITECTURE – CLOTHING ITEM – FAMILY MEMBER

challenge3

The Princess Deception by Nell Stark: Again a self-explanatory one. This one had sports and princesses and it fell a little flat for me, but it’s good for the prompt.
Halfway Home by Barbara Winkes: Another forgettable story, but a house counts as architecture, right?
Into the Mystic, Vol. 3 by NineStar Press: I wasn’t sure how to interpret this, since most book covers with people hopefully have clothes on them, but this one has a very noticeable dress.
Coady and the Creepies by Liz Prince: This graphic novel is about three sisters who are all on the cover.

TIME OF DAY – MUSIC – PARANORMAL BEING – OCCUPATION

challenge4

A Night At The Mall by M. Hollis: This is a sweet short story for anyone who’s looking for a short, light f/f read.
The Radical Element edited by Jessica Spotswood: There is a guitar in the corner of the cover, and also a story about a girl band in the anthology.
Lucifer’s Fall by A.J. Flowers: This is a prequel short story with an angel on the cover.
The Boss of Her by multiple authors: Shh, being a boss counts as an occupation! Also, they are clearly at a workplace on the cover.

SEASON – COLOR – CELESTIAL BODY – SOMETHING THAT GROWS

challenge5

The Christmas Curse by Ruby Moone: It’s pretty clearly winter on the cover, and Christmas suggests winter as well.
The White Renegade by Claudie Arseneault: This story was heavier than I expected, and it’s also the only story I have read by this author so far… until I pick up Baker Thief, that is.
Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-speculation edited by Phoebe Wagner: I loved this anthology, and it also put me in contact with a great small publisher, which is a bonus.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: Poppy is a plant, and it grows. Duh. Also, I love the cover.

I’m going to tag a few people, but no pressure if you don’t want to do it. Check out these people’s latest posts on the links – and also, feel free to do this and link me even if I didn’t tag you!

Laura, Lia, Dorka, Aurora

~ Alexa
https://goldenxlibrary.wordpress.com/tag/challenge/
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description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2019
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
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software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.1-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
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