Posts By: Rashika

Sunday, March 06, 2016

Epic Cover Battles #: US vs UK Edition

Posted by 17 Comments

One of my favorite things to do is compare covers and occasionally bitch and moan about how I wish I owned a certain edition of a book because it is prettier in my opinion. So, I decided I wanted to do a cover feature where covers ‘battle’ against each other and you guys can pick which cover you like better! This feature is inspired by the Cover Fever feature done at The Readers Den.

Let the Games Begin…

Epic cover battles

Review: After the Woods by Kim Savage

Posted by on 02/26/2016 • 2 Comments

My feelings about After the Woods are complex. I think it is a great novel on the whole but there are also bits about it that bothered me. Either way, if you are looking for a psychological thriller with a potentially unreliable narrator, After the Woods is for you.

The reason why I am not completely ready to say I loved this book though is that I am not satisfied (I’ll never be satisfied.)  There are so many questions left unanswered by the end of the novel. It feels unfinished, like there is more of the story to be had. Not necessarily in terms of plot but in terms of character development and understanding the motives. Also what actually happened in the woods.

Don’t get me wrong, I love books…

Religion in Books and Why I Am Not Always Okay With It

Posted by on 02/17/2016 • 18 Comments

Religion in books makes me uncomfortable. There, I said it. It’s not because I have anything against religion, it’s just that in a lot of my experiences, books that are based on some sort of religious myth tend to draw heavily from Christian mythology and that’s really where I start feeling uncomfortable. It’s not that these myths cannot be done well but in a lot of my experiences what ends up happening is that all other religions become excluded from this world found on one kind of myth and as a reader who isn’t Christian or really aware of many of these myths, I am excluded from the novel.

I realize this isn’t unintentionally done but this brings us back to the issue of diversity in literature. BECAUSE DIVERSITY. Religious…

On Blog Tours

Posted by on 02/12/2016 • 14 Comments

There has been a lot of discussion in the community about blog tours and I am here today to add my two cents to the conversation.

So. Blog tours. I really like them, but I understand what people mean when they say blog tours are filler posts. The thing is though, it really isn’t as simple as that (or at least in my opinion.) I think blog tours can also be really creative especially when hosts are allowed to have a bigger part in their posts.

Also, a lot of my blog tour posts tend to be review posts (especially in my experience) so in that way, they really aren’t that much different from regular blog posts and are just a way of getting a large amount of reviews for…

Female Leads That Influenced Me When I Was Growing Up

Posted by on 02/04/2016 • 11 Comments

I am of the opinion that books are amazing (DUH.) Over the years, I have gained so much knowledge from books and learned so much about the world. Reading hasn’t just been a form of escapism but a way of filling all the gaps in my knowledge. Today, I wanted to dedicate a post to all the amazing female leads who inspired me growing up and who have helped define the person I want to be.

 

You might know Madeleine L’Engle as my no.1 hero because her books changed my life but it was Vicky in specific from the Austin Family series that really helped me out during my awkward pre-teen phase. In A Ring of Endless Lights (one of the best books I’ve ever read, FYI) Vicky is surrounded…

Diverse Picture Books

Posted by on 01/25/2016 • 5 Comments

So, picture books. A lot of you might not read them yourselves but if I might say so, there are some fabulous picture books out there and yes, picture books that are ‘diverse.’ I am currently taking a Queer Lit class at my college and one of my classmates mentioned that she wished picture books weren’t so generic. She mentioned how nice it would be if she could read some pictures books aloud to her kids that weren’t based on heteronormative ideals and I wanted to shout that there ARE some amazing pictures books out there. AND HERE WE ARE. With me recommending some diverse picture books to you guys. ENJOY.

 

Goodreads Links

My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis

Last Stop On Market Street by…

Review: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Posted by on 01/20/2016 • 9 Comments

Passenger AKA the much awaited, highly anticipated time travel romance. I had hoped it would be everything I wanted, I had hoped I would swoon and die because cuteness, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Passenger was by no means a bad book, I just had a hard time relating to the character and getting behind the romance (which is kind of a big deal given that it is a time-travel romance.)

Etta is really my biggest problem with the book. It isn’t that she is fundamentally flawed, I just couldn’t get behind her as a character. Her privilege, growing up the way she did and in the century she did, is so blatant and her ignorance of it really bothered me. Being with Nicholas did make her realize that she was…

Diverse Books to Look Out For in 2016

Posted by on 01/11/2016 • 11 Comments

As some of you might know, diversity is super important to me and I strive to promote it whatever chance I can get. So today, I am presenting you with a list of some really cool diverse books coming out in the year 2016. PREPARE TO ADD EVERYTHING TO YOUR SHELF if you haven’t already. Not only do all of these have stunning covers, but they sound pretty awesome too!

Goodreads Links

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

Vicarious by Paula…