Top Ten Tuesday | Books that I need to read with a pumpkin muffin

Top Ten Tuesday is a list based meme hosted by the wonderful ladies at The Broke and the Bookish.

As much as I hate to admit it, summer is over. The popsicles and swimming suits have been packed away. My shorts have been shoved aside for pants and I can't go outside without grabbing a jacket.

But fall definitely has its perks, such as pumpkin muffins (which I firmly believe are heaven with frosting), fuzzy sweaters, Halloween candy, Thanksgiving festivities, and crisp apples. Fall also means that I get to curl up with a blanket and a book in my (limited) free time. 

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, I tend to gravitate toward darker and more disturbing books. I never really read outright horror, but more dark fiction and mysteries creep into my bookshelf. Scary stories that give me goosebumps are perfect to keep me up on Halloween night. Mystery books also give me something to think about while I sip my hot apple cider.

Lucky for you, I have a list of all of the book that will keep me warm and entertained this fall.

Blood of the Prophet by Kat Ross | Underrated Fantasy for the Win

Blood of the Prophet

By Kat Ross

The Fourth Element Series #2

Published on September 12, 2016

Fantasy, Young Adult






This book was provided to me from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. I swear on my bookshelf that this has not affected my opinion of the book.

Visionary. Alchemist. Savior. Saint.The Prophet Zarathustra has been called many things. Now he spends his time drawing pictures of weird-looking goats. That’s what happens when you’ve been stuck in a prison cell for two hundred years. But the man who might be mad, and is definitely supposed to be dead, has suddenly become very valuable again…It’s only been a few weeks since Nazafareen escaped the King’s dungeons with her daēva, Darius. She hoped never to set foot in the empire again, but the search for the Prophet has led them to the ancient city of Karnopolis. They have to find him before Alexander of Macydon burns Persepolae, and Darius’s mother with it. But they’re not the only ones looking.The necromancer Balthazar has his own plans for the Prophet, and so does the sinister spymaster of the Numerators. As Nazafareen is drawn in to a dangerous game of cat and mouse, her newfound powers take a decidedly dark turn. Only the Prophet understands the secret of her gift, but the price of that knowledge may turn out to be more than Nazafareen is willing to pay…

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Kobo 

You can catch up on the series with the first book, The Midnight Sea. If you are still not convinced that you need to give this series a shot, then check out my glowing review of The Midnight Sea.

Nemesis by Anna Banks | Don't judge an author on their past books

Nemesis 

By Anna Banks
Nemesis #1
368 pages
Published on October 4, 2016
Young Adult, Fantasy




This book was provided to me from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I swear on my bookshelf that this has not affected my opinion of the book.

Princess Sepora of Serubel is the last Forger in all the five kingdoms. The spectorium she creates provides energy for all, but now her father has found a way to weaponize it, and his intentions to incite war force her to flee from his grasp. She escapes across enemy lines into the kingdom of Theoria, but her plans to hide are thwarted when she is captured and placed in the young king's servitude.

Tarik, also known as the Falcon King, has just taken over rulership of Theoria, and must now face a new plague sweeping through his kingdom and killing his citizens. The last thing he needs is a troublesome servant vying for his attention. But mistress Sepora will not be ignored. When the two finally meet face-to-face, they form an unlikely bond that complicates life in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Sepora's gift could save Tarik's kingdom from the Quiet Plague. But should she trust her growing feelings for her nemesis, or should she hide her gifts at all costs?

Diversity is not a bad word

I know a lot of bad words. Words that would make your grandmother blush and have your mother wash your mouth out with soap. Words that destroy, devastate, and hurt. Four letter words that cannot be said on television or public radios. Most of us know some, if not all, of these words. They are imbued in our society so that everyone recognizes these words of hatred and pain.

But in the plethora of curses, insults, and swears that exist in our cultures, diverse is not a bad word.

Diverse is a word that uplifts and gives voices to the quiet. It gives hope to the hopeless. It has the power to change the book publishing industry, and hopefully our world, for the better. A single word can make our community better and improve us as readers and people.  

There are so many ways that diversity improves our world, and I am not just talking about in literature. Films, music, and every field should be diversified to represent the real people. The world is not full of the same type of people, so why does our media suggest that? 

Diversity is a big and heated topic in our community and world right now, and one post and one opinion will not do it enough justice. I plan on writing many more posts to campaign for greater representation for all people in literature through a series of blog posts.

But for now, I have complied some inspiring tweets, posts, and other resources to show that we are not alone in the fight for diversity.

     

What do you think about diversity in literature? How do you campaign for diversity? What are your favorite diverse books and authors? Are there any posts about diversity that you would like to see from me?