Weekly Wrap Up | October 17, 2021

Happy Sunday and welcome to my Weekly Wrap Up post! I link these posts up with The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimberly over at Caffeinated Reviewer; The Sunday Salon, hosted by Deb at ReaderBuzz; It’s Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date and a children’s/middle grade version hosted by Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers; Mailbox Monday, hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and Martha of Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf; and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Marlene at Reading Reality. For my Weekly Wrap Ups, I’ll recap what I posted, read, and watched this week, plus I’ll let you know about any current giveaways I have up. I’ll also tell you about recent updates on my TBR and new books I received and/or bought. Okay, time to see what happened this week!

Hi! I missed the last few weeks, oops! Here’s what happened since my last update…

On the Blog

Here are the links for everything that was published the last three weeks on Kait Plus Books:

week one

• Weekly Wrap Up | September 27, 2021
• Blog Tour: As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson (Reading Journal!)
• Top Ten Tuesday | September 28, 2021
• Can’t Wait Wednesday | September 29, 2021
• Spotlight Book: My Journal About Life by Erin Yun (+Bookstagram!)
• First Line(s) Friday | October 1, 2021
• Blog Tour: Barb the Last Berzerker by Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson (Interview!)
• Monthly Wrap Up | September 2021

week two

• Blog Tour: Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey (Guest Post + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock (Excerpt + Giveaway!)
• Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan
• Top Ten Tuesday | October 5, 2021
• Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
• Blog Tour: The Endless Skies by Shannon Price (Reading Journal!)
• Blog Tour: Welcome to Dweeb Club by Betsy Uhrig (Excerpt + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo (Interview + Reading Journal + Giveaway!)
• First Line(s) Friday | October 8, 2021
• Blog Tour: Tristan Strong Keeps Punching by Kwame Mbalia (Excerpt + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer (Interview + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: Everything Within and In Between by Nikki Barthelmess (Interview!)
• Blog Tour: City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn (Interview!)
• The Throwback List by Lily Anderson

week three

• Blog Tour: Frankie and Bug by Gayle Forman (Excerpt + Giveaway!)
• Top Ten Tuesday | October 12, 2021
• Blog Tour: Briarheart by Mercedes Lackey (Reading Journal + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: How to Save a Superhero by Ruth Freeman (Excerpt + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: Absolution by Rachelle Storm (Excerpt + Q&A + Bookstagram + Giveaway!)
• Blog Tour: Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan (Interview + Giveaway!)
• First Line(s) Friday | October 15, 2021
• Blog Tour: Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan (Excerpt + Bookstagram + Giveaway!)
• Weekly Wrap Up | October 17, 2021

Off the Blog

• I signed up for #TBTBSanta! I actually *gasp* put money away this year specifically so I could budget for #TBTBSanta because wow do I like shopping for people!!!
• #Readathon is this Saturday! I’m so so so excited!!!
• will it surprise anyone when I say that I wasn’t up to date with everything because I was sick? no. but that’s why I wasn’t up to date with anything.
  • related: I was in so much pain this weekend that I could barely walk! *insert upside down smiley face here*

Currently Reading: I’m reading Journey to the Heart of the Abyss by London Shah right now. The audiobook made a HUGE difference in my enjoyment of book one, so I’m hoping that book two will follow suit.

Currently Listening To: I just (as in ten minutes ago) finished listening to The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin. It was absolutely amazing and I love it so much!

Just Finished Reading: I read A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow a few days ago and OH MY GODS IT IS SO GOOD!! Alix now has a forever spot on my favorite books list.

Just Finished Listening to: I literally JUST FINISHED listening to Rachel Griffin’s The Nature of Witches this afternoon and it was SO GOOD!

Books: I’m not sure yet. #readathon is on Saturday, so I’ll probably listen to Toil & Trouble and read a few graphic novels for that.

Audiobooks: Once I finish Journey to the Heart of the Abyss, I’ve got the kindle/audible copy of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow all queued up and ready to go!

I have #bookmail to share, I borrowed a book from the library, and I added a few books to my #tbr! Here’s some of what I stacked my shelves with lately:

#bookmail

Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan
Published on October 19, 2021 by Harper Muse
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram

"Where did Narnia come from?"
The answer will change everything.
Megs Devonshire is brilliant with numbers and equations, on a scholarship at Oxford, and dreams of solving the greatest mysteries of physics.
She prefers the dependability of facts—except for one: the younger brother she loves with all her heart doesn’t have long to live. When George becomes captivated by a copy of a brand-new book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and begs her to find out where Narnia came from, there’s no way she can refuse.
Despite her timidity about approaching the famous author, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with the Oxford don and his own brother, imploring them for answers. What she receives instead are more stories . . . stories of Jack Lewis’s life, which she takes home to George.
Why won’t Mr. Lewis just tell her plainly what George wants to know? The answer will reveal to Meg many truths that science and math cannot, and the gift she thought she was giving to her brother—the story behind Narnia—turns out to be his gift to her, instead: hope.

City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn
Published on October 19, 2021 by Flux
Genres: Futuristic, Science Fiction, YA
Pages: 400
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, TikTok

As darkness closes in on the city of shattered light, an heiress and an outlaw must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other.
As heiress to a powerful tech empire, seventeen-year-old Asa Almeida strives to prove she's more than her manipulative father's shadow. But when he uploads her rebellious sister’s mind to an experimental brain, Asa will do anything to save her sister from reprogramming—including fleeing her predetermined future with her sister’s digitized mind in tow. With a bounty on her head and a rogue A.I. hunting her, Asa’s getaway ship crash-lands in the worst possible place: the neon-drenched outlaw paradise, Requiem.
Gun-slinging smuggler Riven Hawthorne is determined to claw her way up Requiem’s underworld hierarchy. A runaway rich girl is exactly the bounty Riven needs—until a nasty computer virus spreads in Asa’s wake, causing a citywide blackout and tech quarantine. To get the payout for Asa and save Requiem from the monster in its circuits, Riven must team up with her captive.
Riven breaks skulls the way Asa breaks circuits, but their opponent is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. The A.I. exploits the girls’ darkest memories and deepest secrets, threatening to shatter the fragile alliance they’re both depending on. As one of Requiem’s 154-hour nights grows darker, the girls must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other before Riven’s city and Asa’s sister are snuffed out forever.

The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah
Series: Light the Abyss #1
Also in this series: The Light at the Bottom of the World, Journey to the Heart of the Abyss
Published on October 29, 2019 by Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genres: Alternate History, Dystopian, Futuristic, Science Fiction, Thriller, YA
Pages: 320
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Author Links: Website, Goodreads, Instagram

In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind wavers between fear and hope--fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface.
When sixteen-year-old submersible racer Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges. The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice.
Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails to discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture--or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.

The Reckless Kind by Carly Heath
Published on November 2, 2021 by Soho Teen
Genres: Historical Fiction, Queer, Aspec, YA
Pages: 336
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram

It's Norway 1904, and Asta Hedstrom doesn't want to marry her odious betrothed, Nils—even though a domestic future is all her mother believes she's suited for, on account of her single-sided deafness, unconventional appearance, and even stranger notions. Asta would rather spend her life performing in the village theater with her friends and fellow outcasts: her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, wealthy Erlend Fournier.
But the situation takes a dire turn when Nils lashes out in jealousy—gravely injuring Gunnar. Shunning marriage for good, Asta moves with Gunnar and Erlend to their secluded cabin above town. With few ties left with their families, they have one shot at gaining enough kroner to secure their way of life: win the village's annual horse race.

Library haul

Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason
Published on September 7, 2021 by Bloomsbury YA
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction, Time Travel, YA
Pages: 304
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Jenny Waters boards her flight in 1995, but when she lands, she and the other passengers are told they disappeared . . . 25 years ago. Everyone thought they were dead.
Now contending with her family and friends fast-forwarding decades, Jenny must quickly adjust to smartphones and social media while being the biggest story to hit the internet. She feels betrayed by her once-best friend and fights her attraction to a cute boy with an uncomfortable connection to her past. Meanwhile, there’s a growing group of conspiracy theorists determined to prove the whole situation is a hoax. Will Jenny figure out how to move forward, or will she always be stuck in the past?

new to the queue

All Signs Point to Yes by Cam Montgomery, Adrianne White, g. haron davis
Published on May 31, 2022 by Inkyard Press
Genres: Anthology, Contemporary, Fantasy, Multiverse, Mythology, Queer, Romance, Science Fiction, YA
Pages: 350
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a YA anthology of love stories for each of the star signs that will showcase multicultural characters and celebrate the myriad facets of love, from meet-cutes to the lesser-explored love expressed by aromantic people, featuring 13 bestselling and award-winning multicultural authors.

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow
Published on February 8, 2022 by Dutton Books
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Thriller
Pages: 336
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram

Seventeen-year-old Farrah Turner is one of two Black girls in her country club community, and the only one with Black parents. Her best friend, Cherish Whitman, adopted by a wealthy white family, is something Farrah likes to call WGS--White Girl Spoiled. With Brianne and Jerry Whitman as parents, Cherish is given the kind of adoration and coddling that even upper-class Black parents can't seem to afford--and it creates a dissonance in her best friend that Farrah can exploit. When her own family is unexpectedly confronted with foreclosure, the calculating Farrah is determined to reassert the control she's convinced she's always had over her life by staying with Cherish, the only person she loves--even when she hates her.
A troubled Farrah manipulates her way further into the Whitman family but the longer she stays, the more her own parents suggest that something is wrong in the Whitman house. She might trust them--if they didn't think something was wrong with Farrah, too. As strange things start happening at the Whitman household--debilitating illnesses, upsetting fever dreams, an inexplicable tension with Cherish's hothead boyfriend, and a strange journal that seems to keep track of what is happening to Farrah--it's nothing she can't handle. But soon everything begins to unravel when the Whitmans invite Farrah closer, and it's anyone's guess who is really in control.
Told in Farrah's chilling, unforgettable voice and weaving in searing commentary on race and class, this slow-burn social horror will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

The Lost Language by Claudia Mills
Published on October 12, 2021 by Margaret Ferguson Books
Genres: Contemporary, Linguistics, Middle Grade
Pages: 304
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Author Links: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram

Sixth grader Betsy is the one who informs her best friend, Lizard, that thousands of the world's languages are currently threatened by extinction; Betsy's mother is a linguistics professor working frantically to study dying languages before they are lost forever. But it is Lizard who, gripped by the magnitude of this loss, challenges Betsy, What if, instead of WRITING about dying languages, like your mom, you and I SAVED one instead?
As the girls embark on their quest to learn as much as possible of the near-extinct language of Guernésiais (spoken on the Isle of Guernsey, off the coast of France), their friendship faces unexpected strains. With Lizard increasingly obsessed with the language project, Betsy begins to seek greater independence from her controlling and charismatic friend, as well as from her controlling and charismatic mother. Then tragedy threatens Betsy's life beyond what any words can express, and Lizard does something unthinkable.
Maybe lost friendships, like lost languages, can never be completely saved.

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling
Published on December 7, 2021 by Razorbill
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, Queer, Romance, YA
Pages: 384
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Elise Beaumont is cursed. With every touch, she experiences exactly how her loved ones will die. And after her brother’s death—a death she predicted but was unable to prevent—Elise is desperate to get rid of her terrible gift, no matter the cost.
Claire Montgomery also has a unique relationship with death, mostly because she’s already dead. Technically, anyway. Claire is a vampire, and she’s been assigned by the Veil to help Elise master her rare Death Oracle powers.
At first, Elise is reluctant to work with a vampire, but when she predicts a teacher’s imminent murder, she’s determined to stop the violent death, even if it means sacrificing her own future to secure Claire’s help.
The trouble is, Claire and Elise aren’t the only paranormals in town—a killer is stalking the streets, and Claire can’t seem to shake the pull she feels toward Elise, a romance that could upend the Veil’s mission. But as Elise and Claire grow closer, Elise begins to wonder—can she really trust someone tasked with securing her loyalty? Someone who could so easily kill her? Someone who might hold the key to unraveling her brother’s mysterious death?

I’m back on #bookstagram (sometimes, at least)! Here’s what I posted recently:

So last week I rewatched season one of Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club, and then I watched all of season two! I really love watching this show, even though a) it’s a kids show and b) it makes me cry A LOT. Also, Big Sky is back! My parents and I are watching this together. I’m really excited to see what they do this season!

The giveaways widget is always the most current and accurate way to tell what giveaways you can find on my blog, but since you’re here…

So that’s everything! What have you been up to the past few weeks? Anything important happen? Did you have any posts that didn’t get a lot of attention? I’d love to check them out! Leave your links in the comments below and don’t forget to have a splendiferous week!