Top Ten Tuesday | September 7, 2021

Happy Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s theme is BOOKS GUARANTEED TO PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!

Happy Tuesday! I’ve interpreted this week’s theme to be ‘Books That Make You Feel Like You’re Watching Ted Lasso.’ Sidenote: if you haven’t watched Ted Lasso yet and you are able to, you should go watch it right away. Like now. This post will still be here when you get back, I promise.

I hope these books bring as much joy to you as they do to me!

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

Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli
Series: Creekwood #3.5
Published on June 30, 2020 by Balzer + Bray
Genres: Contemporary, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 111
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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.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise
Published on August 10, 2021 by Oni Press
Genres: Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 128
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Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill
Published on October 18, 2019 by Oni Press
Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Queer
Pages: 60
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From the award-winning Owlcrate author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.
After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives—and eventually her own.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Series: Lady Janies #1
Published on June 7, 2016 by HarperTeen
Genres: Alternate History, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Retellings, YA
Pages: 512
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Edward (long live the king) is the King of England. He’s also dying, which is inconvenient, as he’s only sixteen and he’d much rather be planning for his first kiss than considering who will inherit his crown…
Jane (reads too many books) is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately for Jane, Edward has arranged to marry her off to secure the line of succession. And there’s something a little odd about her intended…
Gifford (call him G) is a horse. That is, he’s an Eðian (eth-y-un, for the uninitiated). Every day at dawn he becomes a noble chestnut steed—but then he wakes at dusk with a mouthful of hay. It’s all very undignified.
The plot thickens as Edward, Jane, and G are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. With the fate of the kingdom at stake, our heroes will have to engage in some conspiring of their own. But can they pull off their plan before it’s off with their heads?

Princess Princess Ever After by Kay O'Neill
Published on September 6, 2016 by Oni Press
Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Queer, Romance
Pages: 53
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"I am no prince!"
When the heroic princess Amira rescues the kind-hearted princess Sadie from her tower prison, neither expects to find a true friend in the bargain. Yet as they adventure across the kingdom, they discover that they bring out the very best in the other person. They'll need to join forces and use all the know-how, kindness, and bravery they have in order to defeat their greatest foe yet: a jealous sorceress, who wants to get rid of Sadie once and for all.
Join Sadie and Amira, two very different princesses with very different strengths, on their journey to figure out what happily ever after really means -- and how they can find it with each other.

From Percy Jackson: Camp Half-Blood Confidential (An Official Rick Riordan Companion Book): Your Real Guide to the Demigod Training Camp by Rick Riordan
Published on May 2, 2017 by Disney-Hyperion
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mythology, Neurodivergent, Queer, Retellings
Pages: 181
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram

In response to an awful camp orientation video created by the god Apollo, Percy Jackson and other residents of Camp Half-Blood answer such questions as "What is this place?" and "Do I get to keep the T-shirt?" Newbies can check out the section on the Divine Cabins, read up on Magical Landmarks, and consult the chapter of Training Arenas. But Camp Half-Blood Confidential explores much more than just the buildings and grounds. It includes info that can only be learned from those who live there. For instance, campers do not always co-exist in peace and harmony. The camp is not run with superior efficiency. Prophecies do not flow forth with great regularity. Sprinkled throughout are stories from heroes who have called Camp Half-Blood home or just passed through on their way to places unknown. Chiron himself introduces the book with a brief history of training based on his millennia of experience. And, of course, there are divine words of wisdom from the god Apollo himself, because . . . well, because the demigod authors would prefer not to be struck down, thank you very much.

Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories About Living Fabulously Fat by Cassandra Newbould, Nafiza Azad, Chris Baron, Sheena Boekweg, Linda Camacho, Kelly deVos, Alex Gino, Claire Kann, Amanda Lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, Monique Gray Smith, Renée Watson, Catherine Adel West, Jennifer Yen
Published on June 8, 2021 by Bloomsbury YA
Genres: Anthology, Contemporary, Fantasy, Queer, Aspec, Romance, Science Fiction, YA
Pages: 416
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An intersectional, feminist YA anthology from some of today's most exciting voices across a span of genres, all celebrating body diversity and fat acceptance through short stories.
Fat girls and boys and nonbinary teens are: friends who lift each other up, heroes who rescue themselves, big bodies in space, intellects taking up space, and bodies looking and feeling beautiful. They express themselves through fashion, sports and other physical pursuits, through food, and music, and art. They are flirting and falling in love. They are loving to themselves and one another. With stories that feature fat main characters starring in a multitude of stories and genres, and written by authors who live these lives too, this is truly a unique collection that shows fat young people the representation they deserve.
With a foreword by Aubry Gordon, creator of Your Fat Friend, and with stories by:Nafiza Azad, Chris Baron, Sheena Boekweg, Linda Camacho, Kelly deVos, Alex Gino, Claire Kann, amanda lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Cassandra Newbould, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, Monique Gray Smith, Renée Watson, Catherine Adel West, Jennifer Yen.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks
Published on August 27, 2019 by First Second
Genres: Contemporary, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 211
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Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.
Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.
Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .
What if their last shift was an adventure?

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs, Kelly Bastow
Published on May 12, 2015 by Quirk Books
Genres: Contemporary, Non-Fiction, Queer, YA
Pages: 208
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Fanfic, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time to be a girl geek. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is the ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life, a fun and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes for everything from starting an online fan community to planning a convention visit to supporting fellow female geeks in the wild.

Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales by Kiersten White
Published on July 25, 2017 by Scholastic Press
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, Retellings
Pages: 218
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram

Once upon a time, a girl skipped into the forest and became a zombie.Wait, no, that's not how this story is supposed to go. Let's try again.Once upon a time, a boy did a horrible job as a sheep-sitter and burned his tongue on stolen pie.No, children in these stories are always good and virtuous. From the top.Once upon a time, a king and queen tried to find a princess for their son to marry, and he wound up fleeing from a group of very hairy vampires.Hmmm...What about, once upon a time, a bunch of fairy tales got twisted around to be completely hilarious, a tiny bit icky, and delightfully spooky scarytales... in other words, exactly what fairy tales were meant to be. Grab some flaming torches, maybe don't accept that bowl of pease porridge, and get ready for a wickedly fun ride with acclaimed author Kiersten White and fairy tales like you've never heard them before.

What books are guaranteed to make you smile? Let me know in the comments below and have a splendiferous week!