Top Ten Tuesday | June 16, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s theme is BOOKS ON MY SUMMER #TBR!

I love making #TBRs. I’m not usually that great at sticking to them, but I love making them! I apparently didn’t create a spring #TBR post, but I did do a winter one so let’s see how I did with that…

Out of 10 books, I actually read 6 of them, I’m reading one of them right now, and 3 I haven’t read yet. That’s actually… pretty good! I’d say I hope to do better on my summer #tbr but honestly 6.5 out of 10 is awesome! Hopefully I’ll do that well again!

And now without any further ado, here’s this week’s Top Ten Tuesday!

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
Series: Wayward Children #6
Published on January 12, 2021 by Tor.com
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer
Pages: 176
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“Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”
Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.
When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to "Be Sure" before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.
But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Published on May 7, 2019 by Tor.com
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer
Pages: 525
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Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.
Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.
Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.
Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.
Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong
Published on August 6, 2019 by Puffin Canada
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Pages: 288
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Twelve-year-old Rowan is next in line to be Queen; her twin brother, Rhydd, to be Royal Monster Hunter. Rowan would give anything to switch places, but the rule is, the oldest child is next in line, even if she is only older by two minutes. She resigns herself to admiring her royal monster hunter aunt's official sword and having tea with dignitaries with her mother, the queen. But a tragic event breaks up longstanding rules, and now Rowan finds herself in hunt of a dangerous gryphon.
Accompanied by a feisty and determined baby jackalope and a giant wolf that barely tolerates her, she sets off on a journey that will see her join forces with other unlikely allies: a boy who has ambitions of his own to hunt monsters, and a girl from a nearby clan with hidden motives for befriending Rowan. It will take all of Rowan's skills, both physical and diplomatic, to keep this journey on track. The future of the kingdom depends on it.

A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt
Published on February 16, 2021 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Pages: 352
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Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn't serious. But I am. I'm going to sue my parents.
Juniper Jade's parents are hippies. They didn’t attend the first Woodstock, but they were there for the second one. The Jade family lives an all-organic homeschool lifestyle that means no plastics, no cell phones, and no vaccines. It isn’t exactly normal, but it’s the only thing Juniper has ever known. She doesn’t agree with her parents on everything, but she knows that to be in this family, you've got to stick to the rules. That is, until the unthinkable happens.
Juniper contracts the measles and unknowingly passes the disease along, with tragic consequences. She is shell-shocked. Juniper knows she is responsible and feels simultaneously helpless and furious at her parents, and herself.
Now, with the help of Nico, the boy who works at the library and loves movies and may just be more than a friend, Juniper comes to a decision: she is going to get vaccinated. Her parents refuse so Juniper arms herself with a lawyer and prepares for battle. But is waging war for her autonomy worth losing her family? How much is Juniper willing to risk for a shot at normal?

Faith: Taking Flight by Julie Murphy
Published on July 7, 2020 by Balzer + Bray
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 304
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Faith Herbert is a pretty regular teen. When she’s not hanging out with her two best friends, Matt and Ches, she’s volunteering at the local animal shelter or obsessing over the long-running teen drama The Grove.
So far, her senior year has been spent trying to sort out her feelings for her maybe-crush Johnny and making plans to stay close to Grandma Lou after graduation. Of course, there’s also that small matter of recently discovering she can fly….
When the fictional world of The Grove crashes into Faith’s reality as the show relocates to her town, she can’t believe it when TV heroine Dakota Ash takes a romantic interest in her.
But her fandom-fueled daydreams aren’t enough to distract Faith from the fact that first animals, then people, have begun to vanish from the town. Only Faith seems able to connect the dots to a new designer drug infiltrating her high school.
But when her investigation puts the people she loves in danger, she will have to confront her hidden past and use her newfound gifts—risking everything to save her friends and beloved town.

Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli
Published on June 30, 2020 by Balzer + Bray
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, YA, Queer
Pages: 128
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Tumblr

It’s been more than a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into an IRL relationship, and just a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at senior prom.
Now the Creekwood High crew are first years at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began—on email.

The Dark Deception by Morgan Baden
Series: Daphne and Velma #2
Published on July 7, 2020Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Retellings, YA
Pages: 272
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Despite their differences, Daphne and Velma were able to solve the mystery of The Vanishing Girl. But there are a lot of secrets buried in the town of Crystal Cove. And the biggest case of all still remains unsolved... why did the town's original settlers all disappear? What happened to them?
Velma is determined to find out... especially because her family's ancestors were among the disappeared. And now that she and Daphne have started to get a reputation for solving mysteries, everyone in town is looking to them for answers.
But digging up the past can be dangerous... especially when some people in town have profited from the mystery for so long. Can these two intrepid teen detectives crack the case... and escape with their lives?

Girls Save the World in This One by Ash Parsons
Published on April 14, 2020 by Philomel Books
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, YA
Pages: 432
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June’s whole life has been leading up to this: ZombieCon, the fan convention celebrating all things zombies. She and her two best friends plan on hitting all the panels, photo ops, and meeting the heartthrob lead of their favorite zombie apocalypse show Human Wasteland.
And when they arrive everything seems perfect, though June has to shrug off some weirdness from other fans—people shambling a little too much, and someone actually biting a cast member. Then all hell breaks loose and June and her friends discover the truth: real zombies are taking over the con. Now June must do whatever it takes to survive a horde of actual brain-eating zombies—and save the world.

The Retake by Jen Calonita
Published on December 1, 2020 by Delacorte Press
Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Pages: 272
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You can retake your photos...but what if could redo moments in your life too? With one magical app, Zoe is able to do just that! A smart and funny twist on time travel from New York Times bestselling author Jen Calonita, for fans for Disney's Zapped and The Swap.
Zoe knows that the only thing harder than middle school is losing a best friend. She and Laura used to do everything together from taking silly selfies, to joining all the same clubs together and even throwing surprise birthday parties for one another.
But lately things have been weird between them. Now Laura will post a photo of her hanging out with other girls before responding to Zoe's simple text. She doesn't even want to sit with her at lunch anymore. Zoe is heartbroken--all she wants is for things to go back to normal.
But then a magical app downloads on her phone...and things get even weirder! Suddenly Zoe can travel back in time to moments where her and Laura started drifting apart. It is like a dream come true. A chance for Zoe to mend their friendship.
But as Zoe goes back to moments of middle school drama--sleepover games gone wrong, field trips with cliques and crushes, and school projects that bring on more-than-awkward encounters--she realizes that second chances don't always go as planned and that sometimes you need to trust the magic of new beginnings.

Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North
Published on June 7, 2016 by Riverhead Books
Genres: Adult, Romance
Pages: 400
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Shakespeare’s plays weren’t meant to be read. They were meant…to be played.
What if Romeo never met Juliet? What if Juliet got really buff instead of moping around all day? What if they teamed up to take over Verona with robot suits? This choose-your-own-path version of Romeo and Juliet—packed with fun puzzles, secrets, and quadrillions of possible storylines—lets you decide where the plot goes every time you read. You might play as Romeo, or as Juliet, or as both of them at the same time. You might even unlock additional playable characters!
That’s right. We figured out how to have unlockable characters in books.

What are you planning on reading this summer? Are you good at sticking to TBRs or are you like me? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous week!