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?

5 Lessons I Learned from A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

5 Lessons is a feature here at Crazy for YA designed to share explain some books that deserve more than just a review. You can see the other posts in this feature here. 

There will be spoilers in this post, so if you have not read both ACOTAR and ACOMAF, then you should avoid this post. Or a least don't complain when you "stumble" on some surprising tidbits of information later in this post. 

A Court of Mist and Fury is the second installment of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I was wary of this novel when I first read it because I was exposed to many spoilers before I decided to pick it up. 

Sarah J. Maas does some magical things in this novel that you will not be able to fully understand until you read it for yourself. Which brings us to lesson #1.

5 Lessons I Learned Reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I am sure that you have heard of Six of Crows before. I am sure that you know who the author is and the names of all of the main characters. This is definitely not the first post about the books that you have read. In fact, a lot of you probably have memorized quotes and dedicated a lot of time to proclaiming the praises of the story. 

I decided that a review was kind of pointless. Almost everyone knows about the book and its pristine reputation. You don't need another person screaming at you to read this book (no matter how amazing it is). I will tell you that I loved everything about it and I am begging the universe to somewhat get me an early copy of Crooked Kingdom. My words cannot do this book the justice it deserves.

So, I decided to do something a little bit different for a book that deserves so much more. To me, the signal that a book is truly great, unforgettable, and absolutely worth reading is that it taught me something. Or even in rare cases, more than one thing. Six of Crows is so awesome, that it taught me dozens of things about people, life, writing, and the world as a whole. I thought that I would discuss five of the lessons that Six of Crows taught me that I will not be forgetting anytime soon.

Top Ten Tuesday | It's Not You, It's Me

This is a weekly list meme hosted by the wonderful bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Even though I have no experience breaking up with people, I am going to have to break up with a couple of books today. Sometimes, books are perfect for a certain point in your life, but then you move on and realize that they were never really that good for you in the first place. Today, I am listing some of the books that I originally really enjoyed, but now have to say goodbye to.

The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross | Fantasy Persians are awesome

The Midnight Sea 

By Kat Ross 
Fourth Element #1 
Published on May 10th 2016

326 Pages
Genres: 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.

They are the light against the darkness.The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.And they use demons to hunt demons….
Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King’s elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister. Scarred by grief, she’s willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he’s possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other’s emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close. As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius’s past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…

Amazon 

There is nothing better than British spies | Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

Love, Lies and Spies

By Cindy Anstey 

Published on April 19th 2016

368 pages

Published by Swoon Reads
Genres: Historical, 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.

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.
Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

Amazon * Barnes and Noble * Kobo * iTunes

Better than Avatar | Air Awakens by Elise Kova

Air Awakens

By Elise Kova
Air Awakens #1
Published on August 27, 2015 
377 pages
Young Adult, Fantasy

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

Vhalla wakes up in the morning as a library apprentice, content with her place in the world. She works in the stacks of books, reads more than she probably should, eats, and goes to bed. She fears the magic in the Tower of Sorcerers just like everybody else. 
But her view of the world changes with the letters from a mysterious writer and the new feeling that is awakening within her. 
This magic that is suddenly apparent in her becomes a problem in a world where magic is frightening and shrouded in mystery. Vhalla must decide if she is willing to pursue her new magical path in life or if she will reject her magic and the responsibilities that come with it. That decision is rather complicated when both the Minister of the Tower of Sorcery and the Crown Prince both had secret agendas that involve Vhalla and her powers.

Art, Life, and Love according to The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Goldfinch

By Donna Tartt
Published October 22, 2013
773 pages
Adult Fiction, Literary Fiction, Art

Theodore Decker's life was a mess, even before he stumbled museum, and subsequently, into a terrorist bombing with his mother.
As fulfillment of an old man's dying wish in the wreckage of the museum, Theo leaves with a priceless painting, but without his mother. 
From that day on, Theo's life is spent bouncing from place to place, and family to family. He starts at the house of a wealthy family friend in New York to the dusty streets of Las Vegas and the quiet isolation of Amsterdam. The only thing that stays with him is the painting from that cursed day in the museum.
One stolen painting in his childhood leads to a life on the edge, where there is a fine line between good and bad. Theo must decide if life, love, and art are valuable enough to keep fighting for.

In Defense of Reading Multiple Books at Once

I am not one of those people who systematically eat their meals in order. (I hope we have already established the fact that I am far from normal, if not, here is your first clue.) For example, if I were to have a hearty and delicious meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas, I would not eat anything in order. I would probably start with the meatloaf, and eat a couple of bites of the surprisingly delicious protein yes, meatloaf can be amazing. Then, I would take a couple of scoopfuls of mashed potatoes, maybe even mixing the meatloaf and the potatoes. I would then rotate to taste the peas. This process would repeat until I finish the whole meal.

I read exactly like I read. I love to nibble on one book, then snack on another, then return to the first one. (See, there was a point to that intro besides making you incredibly hungry.)

I read multiple books at one time, and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Size does matter | Demon Princess by Kassandra Lynn

Demon Princess

By Kassandra Lynn
Demon Kingdom Fairy Tales #1
Published on December 21, 2015
162 Pages
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.

Adriana's coronation day did not go exactly as planned. She is not even supposed to be the Demon King yet. But in the absence of both her father and her brother, she is forced to step up to the throne and take charge of the Demon Kingdom. 

But before Adriana even has a chance to feel the crown on her head, she is summoned to a fledgling mage who has no idea the power that he just summoned. Now instead of wearing her crown and controlling the power of the Demon Kingdom, Adriana is forced to obey the will of a weakly mage who cannot even light a candle by himself. 

If Adriana wants to keep her kingdom safe, she has to hide her identity from the mortals who trapped her and get back to her leaderless kingdom before it falls apart.  

Preparing for Heartbreak | The OTP Tag

The charming Carlisa at Confessions of Carlisa tagged me for the OTP tag, just in time for Valentine's Day (really it was a couple of weeks ago, but we are going to pretend that I am not a procrastinator for this post).

The rules of this tag are pretty simple, even if the decisions are not. Many of you probably know that a "ship" is, and no, we are not talking about the kind that floats on water, a relationship between characters that you promote, love, and in dire cases, cry over. The OTP, or ONE TRUE PAIRING, is the same thing, but they do not have to necessarily be the relationship in the book. You can think anything is an OTP, like peanut butter and jelly or chocolate, and, well, anything. 

Also, just so you know, these are my personal opinions. You may not agree with me, which is fine. But please let's just keep this fun and civil.

ARC Review | Beyond the Red by Ava Jae

Beyond the Red 
By Ava Jae
Publication Date: March 1, 2016
352 pages

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

An alien queen, Kora, and a half-breed slave, Eros, have more in common than anyone would want to believe. Both are shunned and hated. Both just want to do what is right for their people. Both of their lives collide when they are forced to work together to save those that they love. 
They live on a planet on the verge of revolution from the plots to kick Kora from the throne in favor of her war-hungry brother and the threats of rebellious humans. The only way to hinder the constant criticism of her rule is to quickly find a mate to share the throne. But finding love in a revolution is harder than Kora thought.
Eros and his human people are constantly being hunted and killed for invading the alien planets. Only a few nomads are left, despite the alien army's efforts to eradicate the human species. Unfortunately, those few survivors might not stay survivors much longer.
The key to keeping their separate people alive is to bring them together, in defiance of the years of hatred and fear between their species. 

Top Ten Tuesday | Songs that Have Been Stuck in My Head All Week

This is a weekly list meme hosted by the wonderful bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. 

This week is a freebie post, so I got to pick whatever topic came to my mind first (after about 15 minutes of brainstorming, but I am not bitter or anything). Since I have been listening to a lot of music lately, I decided to talk about the songs that have been stuck in my head lately. Just to warn you, I am still a music newbie and I am by no means a music expert (I cannot even play an instrument). 

In case you are wondering, I mostly listen to pop, pop-punk (I am a little bit behind on the times) and even some alternative music. But, I am pretty much open to trying any kind of music (except for rap). 

So, I made you guys a playlist of the top ten (ish) songs that have been circling in my head for the past couple of weeks.

Mini-Reviews | Breaking hearts, demons, and thoughts on how we treat people

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Since I do not have a Time-Turner, a TARDIS, or a cloning machine, I just do not have time to write a full review for all of the books that I read. So, I have decided to write mini-reviews to discuss the books that I do not have as much to say about. That does not mean that I did not like these books, but sometimes, as creative and amazing as my brain is, I just cannot think of that much to write about a book. 

Today, I am discussing how Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between broke my heart, how The Demon King gave me hope for books with multiple perspectives, and how You are Mine's unique premise was not enough to make me love the story.

Review | An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

An Ember in the Ashes

By Sabaa Tahir
An Ember in the Ashes #1
Published April 28, 2015
446 pages
Fantasy, Young Adult

Freedom is in short supply in the Empire.

Laia watched her family be mercilessly murdered as her defiant brother was dragged to prison. No one escapes Martial prisons, but Laia is willing to do anything for the only family she has left. Apparently, everything includes accepting the dangerous, and doomed-to-fail, mission from the elusive Resistance. The only way to get her in is to sell her as a slave to the most brutal woman in the Empire in the most dangerous place in The Empire.
Elias is a good soldier. But that does not make him a good person. He lived his years at Blackcliff in a constant cycle of training, obeying, and killing. He is a slave to the expectations of the Empire. Graduation is coming up, along with a chance to break that soul-crushing cycle. While Elias wants to escape with his soul intact, it seems like destiny will do everything to rip the life from him. 

These two desperate slaves to the Empire meet when the world is in the midst of chaos, which quickly includes them in its madness.

Top Ten Tuesday | Books I meant to read in 2015 but was too lazy to

This is a weekly list meme hosted by the wonderful bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish. 
Ironically, today's topic is a testament to my laziness, which is why I have not posted a TTT in the past couple of months. Scheduling posts ahead of time requires effort and time and I have not had a lot of either lately. But, in an effort to keep myself on schedule, I am going to (try to) post TTTs consistently again.
As you all should know, I am a rather slow reader. I am by no means a speed reader, and I have come to terms to that. Unfortunately, this means that there are always a lot of books that I miss out on. There were quite a few 2015 releases that I was not able to get last year, but I hope to this year.

Book Battle | Alive by Scott Sigler vs. Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Welcome to Book Battles, a feature here at Crazy for YA where I put two books in the battle ring and have them fight it out to see which one is better.

Today's fight is between Alive by Scott Sigler and Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant. 

Alive is a science fiction thriller about a girl who wakes up in a coffin without a clue where or who she is. 

Messenger of Fear is a thriller that leans more on the urban fantasy side of the spectrum about a girl names Mara and her exploits, or more like terrors, with her new nightmare, the Messenger of Fear. 

Since both of these novels are thrillers, it is best if I do not reveal a lot about the nature of the plot. I want to keep the mystery and suspense intact.

Looking Forward and Looking Back 2015

Well, 2015 did not exactly go as planned.

My Goodreads goal was left out of reach. I took a couple unexplained of blogging breaks. There were weeks without comments, tweets, or any other sign that I was actually alive. Twitter intimidated me. Comments went unanswered. Some posts were written just for the sake of having a post. I did not have all of the time that I wanted. 

But Crazy for YA is still here, and that is more than I could ever ask for. 

There are good and bad aspects of every year. All in all, 2015 was a pretty good reading year. If you look at my favorite books of 2015, you will see quite a few amazing ones there. Mathematically, I posted at least once a week (or some equivalent of that). I made a dozen great blogging friends. We hosted our first readathon and successfully completed our first yearly blogging challenge. 

Let's discuss how the year went.

Classic Conversations | The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Disclaimer- These are just my thoughts on a classic novel. They are not intended as a study guide for an English test that you forgot to study for. My opinions may vary from other people's, even yours. Please respect my opinions as I will respect yours. 

Also, this is a discussion of the entire novel, which includes the ending. Basically, there will be spoilers about everything. Read at your own risk.

The Scarlet Letter is one of the classic classics. Almost every high school (or even college) student has (or should have) read it at some point in their English career. It is a story that teachers frequently use as examples and is the topic of a plethora of essays.

It is idolized in the literary world due to its blatant symbolism, dominant themes of religion and hypocrisy, and its revelations about human nature. 

Students know it better as the book that is way to obsessed with a stupid red letter. 

But, that is the magic of this book. The scarlet letter is so much more than a piece of fabric. In order to fully understand and appreciate the novel, you have to look past the superficial appearance of the novel and dive a little bit deeper, which I know is daunting. But with a little bit of guidance, this book could become one of your favorites.

Review | Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae

By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The Illuminae Files #1
Young Adult, Sci-Fi
Published on October 20, 2015
559 Pages

Kady's universe is a lot different from ours. Actually, it is pretty much the same but they know a lot more about it due to the advancements in wormhole jumping, battle spaceships, and artificial intelligence. 

But Kady does not really care about that right now. All she cares about are the space ships dropping bombs on her planet and the fact that she has to plan an escape with the boy that broke her heart that morning.

As it turns out, just escaping is not enough.  

Kady also has to survive biological attacks in the form of mutating viruses, psychotic artificial intelligence, and a lethal spaceship bent on revenge that is quickly catching up to them. When the livelihood of the entire fleet is endangered, questions of morality, practicality, and probability complicate the already chaotic attempt to retreat.

They have the whole universe to run in, but nowhere to run to.