Author Archives: missnewvillagereads

Book Spotlight – Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

“I needed the chance to do something impossible and amazing. To be great.”

I am so excited to be part of the blog tour for the paperback release of Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez. If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know I loved this book back when I read it 2020. Since then it has been given so much praise, having been selected by Reese Witherspoon as the YA pick for her book club and winning the Pura Belpré Young Adult Award for Author in 2021. 

In this novel set in Argentina, Camila Hassan lives two lives. At home she is quiet and careful, trying to live with the expectations of her mother, in the shadow of her brother’s success in soccer, and watchful of her father’s short temper. But on the field, she is La Furia, a talented soccer player. When her team qualifies for the FIFA Sudamericano tournament Camila has to figure out a way to compete because her biggest dream is to play for a North American university. The only problem is that her parents do not know about her desire to play soccer professionally and will not allow it. And when Diego, her first love, returns to Argentina on break from playing on the Italian international soccer team Juventus, Camila must decide what she really wants and how far she is willing to go to reach her dreams. 

Furia is perfect for fans of #ownvoices books, young adult contemporary stories, books with soccer/sports themes, and strong characters overcoming obstacles while pursuing their dreams. Furia is out in paperback today! 

CW: domestic violence

Blog Tour: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutano

For today’s post, I want to spotlight a book that was just released on April 27th called Dial A for Aunties. Written by Jesse Q Sutano and published by Berkley, this book was a hilarious read. When Meddelin Chen accidentally kills her blind date, her mother and aunts help her dispose of the body. But things go disastrous because the cooler they place him in gets sent to the wedding venue that they are working. Now they must somehow avoid getting caught with a body at the biggest wedding event they have worked. I’ll leave the synopsis below for you to read. 

What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family? 
 
You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!
When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It's the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—"Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!"—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie's perfect buttercream flowers.
But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

My Thoughts

I really appreciated the positive view on Chinese-Indo culture, especially around a wedding. I enjoyed the banter between each of the aunties. There is a strong theme of family in this book that was really wonderful. Despite how crazy her aunts can be, you can tell that they love Meddy and will do anything to help her. I also enjoyed the second-chance romance between Meddy and her college ex/one who got away, Nathan. Some things after the 50% mark seem a bit out there and you need to suspend your disbelief and go for the ride, but overall I did like this book and think it would be a fun read, especially since it is currently Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University, but she has yet to figure out how to say that without sounding obnoxious. Jesse has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. When she’s not writing, she’s gaming with her husband (mostly FPS), or making a mess in the kitchen with her two daughters.

Author Photo Credit: Michael Hart

*I received a digital arc from the publisher through Netgalley, however all opinions are mine.

Top Ten Tuesday: Colorful Book Covers

Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been over a month since I’ve posted on this blog. I’ve been busy with work, but I am back again with another Top Ten Tuesday post. In case you didn’t know, Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme that is currently being hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is colorful book covers, and I found 8 books with colorful covers.

  1. Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
  2. Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley
  3. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  4. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
  5. Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
  6. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
  7. The Sound of Letting Go by Stasia Ward Kehoe
  8. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

What are some books you own that have colorful covers? Until next time!

~Anneliese

The Reading Habits Book Tag

Hi everyone! I figured for today’s post I can do another tag. Today’s tag is all about my reading habits. I saw this tag over on Booktube, but the original creator of the tag has since put their video as private. I figured this would be a fun tag for you to get to know me a little better. I hope you enjoy my responses to the questions below.

Questions:

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading? – I tend to read in three places: on the couch, in my bed, or in my parents’ bed. I prefer to read in my parents’ room because they have a larger bed and more natural light. It gives me a nice ambiance while I’m reading.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper? – Both! I own so many bookmarks, but there are 4 always on my desk for me to chose from. However, I used to just use a random piece of paper and still do sometimes.

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages? – I like to end off at a logical place in the book, like the end of the chapter or at a section break. If I am reading during my commute or listening to an audiobook, then that might not be possible. However, most times I will read until the end of the chapter.

4. Do you eat or drink while reading? – No! I can’t eat while I am reading. I focus more on eating than I do reading if I try to do both at the same time. I drink water while reading, mostly because it won’t stain the book if I accidentally spill it.

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading? – Sometimes. It really depends on the type of music or show/movie.

6. One book at a time or several at once? – My currently reading section on Goodreads always says I’m reading over 10 books at any given time. Truthfully, whenever I attempt to read more than one book at a time I end up finishing one and not continuing with the others.

7. Reading at home or everywhere? – I prefer reading at home, but I will read during car rides (I don’t drive), on the train or bus when I go somewhere, at work if I am on a break, etc. When I was in college I would spend my breaks between classes reading when I probably should have been studying. Oops.

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head? – I read silently in my head unless I come across a scene or section I really like. Then I’ll go back and read it out loud.

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages? – I try my best not to read ahead. Sometimes I’ll look ahead to see how many pages I have left in the chapter. I also tend to get a little to anxious to continue reading and my eyes will skip to the end of the page without reading any of the text, especially with dialogue. I’ll skip the description of what the character is thinking to just get to the dialogue and then have to go back and read it again.

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new? – Like new. When I was younger I deliberately broke the spines of books to lay them flat. Now that makes me cringe.

11. Do you write in your books? – Not typically. I will sometimes highlight sections or underline them in pencil, but I’d say it’s extremely rare (maybe one book a year gets annotated, if that. I didn’t annotate a single book in 2020. I just stuck sticky flags on the sections I liked.)

I hope you enjoyed getting to know some of my reading habits. I tag everyone reading this, so please let me know if you decide to do this tag. I would love to read your responses. Until next time!

~Anneliese

Review: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

*This review was written in November 2020. I received an arc from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out on Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is the final installment in Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters series. I read both Get a Clue, Chloe Brown and Take a Hint, Dani Brown this year and fell in love with each of the Brown sisters and their stories of finding love. I knew instantly when I saw this title on Netgalley that I wanted to request and read it because I knew I would enjoy it.

Eve Brown is the youngest of the Brown sisters, and unlike her older sisters, Eve has struggled with finding a career, lasting love and fulfilling friendships. It seems like everything she tries ends up going disastrously and her so called friends are only there when they need her not because they genuinely like her. At the start of the book, Eve has just started, and quickly failed, at an event planning job. When her parents find out they tell her that they are cutting her off financially until she gets a job and keeps it for at least one year. Furious at this proposition and hurt that they do not believe in her, Eve drives to a small town and ends up at the driveway of a B&B that has a sign posted seeking a chef. Even though she doesn’t have any paperwork on her nor is she dressed for an interview, Eve enters the B&B to apply for the job. There she meets Jacob Wayne, who instantly dislikes her. When the interview goes poorly and Eve leaves, Jacob realizes he needs to give Eve a try because he is desperate for a chef. But when he finally sees her in her car Eve ends up running him over. Now Jacob has a concussion and Eve feels like she needs to stay and help him. But as time passes their relationship evolves to one of friendship and maybe more.

I loved so much about this book. One thing I always love about this series is the representation. I loved the exploration of neurodiversity and I was happy that this book showed that everyone is capable of finding love regardless of if someone is on the autism spectrum or not. I love how you could see Eve trying to view things from Jacob’s perspective. She was still herself but she took time to understand the things that Jacob did or said. I also really loved their relationship. I liked seeing their relationship evolve as the spent more time together. You could tell the moment when Jacob realizes that he actually liked Eve beyond just her physical attractiveness. I liked how confident Eve was about her body, because for me as a plus size woman body positivity is important. I also felt like I understood Eve. She is 26 when this book starts and I also did not have a stable job until then. I struggled a lot in college with deciding what to do and switching majors several times because I “failed.” I love how patient and reassuring Jacob was when Eve was telling him about her past. Both Jacob and Eve are multi-dimensional characters. There is not just one thing that defines them, and I felt like the characterization was strong in this book. Like Take a Hint, Dani Brown I felt that this book was smart, cleverly written, and steamy without going overboard. The only thing I don’t like is that this series is now over. I will definitely pick up more of Talia Hibbert’s books because I just love the stories she creates.

Last Ten Books Tag

I saw this tag on megsmagicalmusings’s blog and thought I would give it a try. It seemed like a very straightforward tag, which is always what I look for in a tag.

Last Book I Gave Up On – I think the last book I truly gave up on is Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee. I tried listening to the audiobook because it is narrated by Jenna Ushkowitz, who was in the tv show Glee, but I am not a fan of books about rich socialites. Jenna’s narration was great and I can appreciate the fact that these characters are Asian, but I’ve realized that regardless of race, if the characters are acting like rich, spoiled people I cannot read that.

Last Book I Re-Read – The last book that I re-read is The Hate U Give (THUG) by Angie Thomas. I read this book in 2017 and loved it. The prequel novel Concrete Rose just came out last month, and after reading it I immediately picked up THUG. I’m actually planning on rewatching the movie adaptation soon.

Last Book I Bought – The last book I bought was The Lost Love Song by Minnie Darke. I actually bought the Once Upon a Book Club subscription box that included this book because they did a live unboxing of it and I really liked the gifts they included.

Last Book I Said I Read, But I Didn’t – I read the first two books of the Harry Potter series. Sometimes I will say that I read the series because I did read those two books and watched all of the movies. But other times I say that I haven’t read the series.

Last Book I Wrote in the Margins Of – I don’t usually write in the margins of books, but sometimes I do highlight/underline and add sticky notes to books. The last book I did that for was Stamped From the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. I’m still reading this book since it is so big, but I am annotating as I go.

Last Book That I Had Signed – The last book signing I went to was for Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks in August 2019. Since authors are not able to do book tours anymore I have gotten a few signed bookplates and pre-signed but not personalized books, so the last signed bookplate I got was for Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (I bought the book in November 2020).

Last Book I Lost – I constantly misplace books around the house when I am reading them. I always end up finding them, but the one I lost for the longest time was Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I eventually found it, but it went missing for over a year.

Last Book I Had to Replace – I don’t usually replace books, even if they do get damaged. I do own multiple copies of books, but it’s not like I bought one to replace the other.

Last Book I Argued Over – I don’t usually argue over books. I try to listen to criticism and decide if I agree with them. The last book I had a differing opinion with the majority, including my best friend, was Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner. I enjoyed this book, but I now many people who were disappointed by it.

Last Book You Couldn’t Find – So for this one I am saying it is a book that I can’t find available from the library, and that is Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. This is the first book of the prequel series to the Bridgertons, and I have actually read 2 of the now 4 books released so far, but I cannot find a library copy of this book available. I’ll probably end up buying it eventually, but I’d like to borrow it from a library of possible.

If you would like to do this tag, I would love to read your responses. Until next time!

~Anneliese

Top 5 Wednesday: Judging Books by their Covers

Hello everyone! It has been a few months since I’ve done a Top 5 Wednesday post, but I really liked this prompt. They always say not to judge a book by its cover, but if you are like me then you definitely have picked up books based solely on their gorgeous covers (although I do read the synopsis just because I want to make sure it’s a book that at least sounds interesting). Here are 5 books on my TBR that I purchased because of their covers.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacy Lee
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel
Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting

There is a second part to this prompt, which is to add these books to your March TBR. I am not good with reading off of my monthly TBR, so I make no promises about reading these. I’ll just say that they are tentatively on my March TBR, but I won’t be mad if I don’t read them next month.

What are some books you have purchased because they have beautiful covers? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time!

~Anneliese

I Should Have Read That Tag

I found this tag over at mphtheatregirl’s blog and decided to do it. Tags are some of my favorite things to write, especially ones that focus on books that I have (or haven’t) read.

A Book that a Certain Friend is Always Telling You to Read? – My best friend is always telling me to read Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. I attempted it a few times, but I have yet to finish it despite how short it is. One day I will finish it (hopefully).

A Book That’s Been on Your TBR List Forever and Yet You Still Haven’t Read It? – When I first started watching Booktube in 2014 I found a bunch of people who read literary fiction. One of the authors they mentioned a lot was Sarah Waters. She has written several novels that have LGBTQIA+ rep, specifically relationships between two women, which I love reading about. I own several of her novels that I bought in 2015 but still have not read them.

A Book in a Series You’ve Started But Haven’t Gotten Around to Finishing? – I started the Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski in 2016 and read the first two books, but I have yet to finish The Winner’s Kiss, the final book in the series, despite having started it and getting a quarter of the way through. I intend on rereading the first two books again this year and finally finishing it.

A Classic You’ve Always Liked the Sound Of But Have Never Actually Read? – I’ve mentioned a few times in previous posts that I really want to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë because it sounds like a classic I will actually enjoy. Classics tend to intimidate me, but I do want to read some of the ones I did not get a chance to read in school.

A Popular Book That It Seems Everyone But You Has Read? – I feel like everyone has read books like Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series and all the other books in the Shadowhunters world. I am constantly hearing about these books. Even when I was in high school (over 10 years ago now) people were talking about the first few books in the original series. I have not read it, and I am honestly not planning on picking it up anytime soon if not at all.

A Book That Inspired a Film/TV Adaptation that You Really Love But Just Haven’t Picked Up Yet? – This was actually pretty difficult for me. Even though there are so many tv and movie adaptations of books, I have either read the book before or haven’t seen the film/tv show. I am not really a big movie fan. But I will say, I enjoyed season one of You. I tried watching the second season but I don’t think I was in the mood for it. I also liked the first few seasons 13 Reasons Why and Orange is the New Black, but didn’t finish the series even though they are completed.

A Book You See All Over Instagram But Haven’t Picked Up Yet? – I feel like the new book all over social media is The House on the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. I’ve seen it more on Booktube than on Instagram, but it really has been everywhere. My best friend even purchased it last month. I’m not sure yet if I will be adding this to my TBR. I might wait to see what my friend thinks of it.

I feel like everyone has many books on their TBR and can do this tag. If you end up doing the tag, I would love to read your responses. Have you read any of the books I still haven’t read yet? If so, let me know your thoughts on them. Until next time!

~Anneliese

Top Ten Tuesday: Mardi Gras Colors

Happy Tuesday, and Happy Mardi Gras! I don’t celebrate Mardi Gras, but I do celebrate Lent and Easter. Regardless, I am excited for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now run by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl. Today’s prompt is purple, green, and yellow colored book covers in honor of Mardi Gras. I’ve collected a bunch of book covers from my owned books to share with you.

If you celebrate Mardi Gras I hope you enjoy the day and eat a lot of King Cake! Until next time!

~Anneliese

Two Mini Book Reviews – Love in English by Maria E. Andreu and Some Other Now by Sarah Everett

I am always looking for new YA releases and I often request advanced copies through Netgalley. This fall I was able to read two that I really enjoyed. Below are my reviews for these books in order of publication date.

Love In English by Maria E. Andreu (published on February 2, 2021 by Balzer + Bray): This story is about a teenaged girl from Argentina named Ana, who has just moved to the United States and does not speak English. She must navigate a new country and new language. She also has to navigate the idea of assimilating while still holding on to her culture. The very first page is written in Spanish, and although I have a pretty decent understanding of Spanish there were still some words and phases that I didn’t understand. I loved that the first page was in a different language because it puts the reader into Ana’s shoes and makes the reader understand what it must be like for Ana to not know the language being spoken around her. I really loved the poetry in this book. For someone who didn’t know much English, Ana was able to use poetry to really capture life in a new country and navigating feelings for a boy. The friendship between Neo and Ana was so sweet and I loved how they were able to connect despite not having a strong command of the English language and not sharing a common native language. The end of this book made me tear up and I love how much growth Ana undergoes throughout the story. 

Some Other Now by Sarah Everett (published on February 23, 2021 by HMH Books for Young Readers): This book was pitched as This Is Us for teens, and it definitely delivers. The Cohens are like Jessi’s found family. She grew up with Mel and her sons Rowan and Luke since she was seven years old. But one summer everything changed and now she is a senior and it has been a year since she has even spoken to the Cohens. But when Luke comes home from college and asks Jessi to pretend to be his girlfriend because his mother only has months to live, she needs to confront the events from the past year. This book was so good. The characters are messy and there is so much depth to them. I think one of the biggest things about This Is Us is that the characters are good, but flawed and make mistakes. Jessi and the Cohens are the same exact way. From the way Jessi defends Mel through anything, to the way the fake dating brings up old feelings even though those feelings are stained with regret and hurt, this book is painfully beautiful. I am a huge fan of books that pack an emotional punch and Some Other Me is exactly that kind of book. I think this story is one that many readers will be moved by, and I really enjoyed it.

There are two adult romance novels coming out this month that I am also really excited about. One is The Ex Factor by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I read her 2020 release Today Tonight Tomorrow and really enjoyed it, so I am excited to read more from her. Another is Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers. All I know is that this book has a lesbian protagonist and that is honestly all I need to know in order to be interested. I’m always looking for new releases, so if you’ve come across any fairly recent ones or upcoming ones that sound good, let me know. Thanks for reading and until next time!

~Anneliese