Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. Our love of lists inspired this meme and brought the book blogging community together. Jana will post a list each week, and we readers will make our list based on that prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we’re not feeling the topic that week. This week, our topic is Bookish People I would Like to Meet. I went with a combination of authors and book characters.
Authors
1- Becky Albertalli (Author of The Creekwood Universe, What If It’s US Dulogy with Adam Silvera, and Yes, No Maybe So with Alisa Saeed)
2- Leigh Bardugo (Author of The Grisha Verse, the Hell Bent Series, and Wonderwoman: Warbringer )
3- The Cast of Critical Role (Authors of the Vox Machina Comics, and Novels)
4- Ashley Herring Blake (Author of The Bright Falls Series )
5- Emma Lord (Author of Tweet Cute, You Have A Match, When You Get the Chance and Begin Again)
Bookish Characters I want to meet
6- Gideon from Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir- She’s so sassy and so much fun. Gideon is the opposite of me in many ways, but I really think we could have fun together.
7- Claudia from Foolish Hearts by Emma Lord- We could bond over Shakespeare and the love of online gaming. I think we could have a lot of fun together.
8- Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan- Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, and if I were to meet any of the characters from this series it would be one of the kids of Athena or Demeter.
9- Margot from Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur- I’m currently reading this, and Margot is a lot of fun as a character. I would love to talk about astrology with her.
10- April from Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade-I read this earlier this year, and I had a lot in common with April. I would with to talk with April about fanfics, and our love of fandom and cosplay.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. l. This meme is based on our love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our list based on those prompts. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have ideas for that week. This week, our topic is a genre freebie. I decided to go with YA Contemporary Romance.
1- Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
2- Reggie and Deiliah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
3- Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did) by Tess Sharpe
4- When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord
5- Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
6- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
7- 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
8- Geekerella by Ashley Poston
9- Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
In this lyrical novel that will appeal to fans of Meg Medina, Maya turns to her trusty “wheel of fortunes” for guidance on the toughest questions–like why her best friend suddenly feels far away, or when her Daddy will move back home. But can Maya find the courage to write her own fortune?
Maya J. Jenkins is bursting with questions:
Will she get the MVP award at this year’s soccer banquet? Who will win the big grill off between Daddy and Uncle J? When will she pass the swim test and get a green bracelet? For answers and a dose of good luck, 12-year-old Maya turns to her Wheel of Fortunes, a cardboard circle covered with the small slips of wisdom she’s collected from fortune cookies.
But can the fortunes answer her deep-down questions? The ones she’s too scared to ask out loud? Like, where did Mama’s smile go, the real one that lit up everything around her? When will Daddy move back home? And most of all, does she have enough courage to truly listen to the voice in her heart?”
Favorite Quotes
You have firm convictions- stand strong behind them
Your Talents will be recognized and rewarded
Mama says Daddy’s a soccer snob, for calling it football like that.
I’m not quitting. I love soccer. I love every minute!
Beauty surrounds you because you create it
You may lose the small ones but with the big ones
Each Fortune is a compass, leading me in the right direction.
In dreams and in life, nothing is impossible
Your luck will surface in unexpected ways
Sometimes the thing that scares you is the best thing for you
Five Reasons to Read The Many Fortunes of Maya
Rating- Four Stars
1-Characters
The Many Fortunes of Maya had fantastic characters. Maya was spunky, and I loved her passion for soccer, and how much she also loved the flute. Maya was a character who knew what she wanted and went after it. Although she had some challenges in the story, she faces them head-on and grows as a person from them. There us also a wonderful cast of supporting characters that help Maya as she discovers things about herself, and her goals in life.
2- Plot
The Many Fortunes of Maya had a great plot. I’m not much one for sports stories, they’re just not for me, but I really enjoyed the passion that the athletes had. Off the field, the girls also had a fantastic and caring friendship. There was also a love story about Maya’s family that I enjoyed.
3-Writing
Nicole D. Collier wrote a fanatic story, and I loved the writing style of the book. The Many Fortunes of Maya was a story talking about a variety of different topics, from soccer, to family, and dealing with separation. They handled these topics with care, and each scene felt new. When talking about soccer, or when Maya was on the soccer field, there was a more lighthearted tone, which I loved because it showed that Maya and her friends where having a good time. When Maya’s parents were separated, or when she was talking about her flute, it was a more heavy tone with the scene.
4-Friendship
Maya and her friends were so sweet, and they all very much supported each other. Maya and Ginger had a fantastic friendship that I loved reading about because you could tell how much each of them helped each other, and the love they had for each other. At the pool, you could feel the friendship bond with the friends, even though Ginger and the rest of Maya’s friends were in the deep end without Maya. Themes of friendship are all over this novel, and I just loved the friend group.
5- A Lovely Family
MJ had a lovely family because they had a bond, even when things weren’t going well for her parents. Even though there was a separation of parents in this book, there was still a bond that her parents had. Both of her parents still loved her even though they weren’t staying in the same house for part of the book. Maya had a bond with each of her parents, one thing they each loved, that she enjoyed as well, so she could talk about it with them. The family barbeques and the music scenes with her uncle were very fun.
About the Author
Nicole D. Collier, Ph.D., was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has spent the past two decades in education. First as a fourth grade teacher, then teacher coach, and now as a partner at Personality Matters, Inc., an executive training, coaching and consulting firm.
Nicole writes for all ages, but her first love is middle grade contemporary fiction. Young people are trying to discern who they are vs. who they want to be, and how to bridge the gap between the two. Nicole’s stories are in that gap. In particular, she writes about the interior lives of Black girls as they seek their authentic selves.
A self-proclaimed ever-victorious woman, Nicole has been known to run, dance, and turn cartwheels on sunny days. The Georgia peach has recently relocated to Tampa Bay, Florida.
Her forthcoming novel, The Many Fortunes of Maya (HarperCollins/Versify, Jan ’23) has earned two starred reviews (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly) and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. Our love of lists inspired this meme and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list inspired by that prompt. This week our topic is Favorite Heroines, and I’m very excited to share my list.
Middle Grade
1- Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.
I just love her sass, and how much she cares about Percy and her friends so much.
2- Natalie from The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz.
I love Natalie and her passion for theater and speaking up for herself.
YA
3- Kate from Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli.
This might be more of a vibes thing. I loved Kate’s passion for musical theater and those around her.
4- Claudia from Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills.
Claudia is a sweetie and I just love her so much.
5- Tash from Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee.
Tash is such a fun character, and the first character I saw with Ace Rep in a book.
6- Millie from When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord.
Again, this might be more of a vibes thing for me, but I loved her love for theater and the romance between her and Oliver
7-Delilah from Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant.
Delilah was so cool, and so into music. I just loved her so much,
Adult
8- August from One Last Stop by Casey McQuison.
I love her and how nerdy she is. I love her story as well.
9- Gideon from Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series #1) by Tamsyn Muir
This was not a book that was on my radar at all, but I loved Gideon and her sassy banter so much. I’m almost done with the third book, and so far, Gideon the Ninth is my favorite by far.
10- Delilah from Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care(Bright Falls #1) by Ashley Herring Blake
This was my favorite romance of the year last year, and it’s definitely because of the lead character. Delilah was so sassy and knew exactly what she wanted from her life. I also loved her romance with Claire.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme is based on our love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make a list based on the prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have an idea for the topic that week. This week it’s a love freebie for Valentine’s day, so I wanted to do a list of my favorite couples.
1- April and Marcus from Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
2- Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper by Alice Osemen
3- Jude and Carden from The Folk of Air Trilogy by Holly Black
4- Freye and Rhys from A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Holly Black
5- Deliliah and Claire from Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
6- Deiliah and Reggie from Reggie and Deiliah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
7- August and Jane from One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
8- Simon and Bram from Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
9- Gideon and Harrow from The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir
10- Claudia and Gideon from Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday thatartsyreadergirl. This meme was born out of a love of lists, and brining the book blogging community together, Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make our list based on that prompt, We also have the option to do our own thing if we don’t have ideas for the prompt that week. This week, our topic is 2023 Debuts! I love supporting new authors, so I was excited about this. Books came from-https://2023debuts.com/home.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Jana will post a prompt each week, and we readers will make our post based on that prompt. We also can do our own thing if we don’t have ideas for the topic that week. This week, our topic is a freebie, so I decided to do some comfort reads for me.
1- Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee- YA Contemporary
2- Heartstopper by Alice Osemen- YA Contemporary Romance (Graphic Novel)
3- Spoiler Alert by Oliva Dade- Adult Contemporary
4- Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake- Adult Contemporary Romance
5- When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord -YA Contemporary
6- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid- Adult Historical Fiction
7- 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston – YA Contemporary Romance
8- Geekerella by Ashley Poston-YA Contemporary Romance
9- Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills-YA Contemporary
10- The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz- Middle-Grade Contemporary
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This meme was born out of a love of list,and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our list based on that prompt, We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have ideas for the topic that week. This week, our topic is: Favorite new to me authors of 2022.
1- Ashley Herring Blake (Deliliah Green Doesn’t Care)
2- Tamsyn Muir (Gideon the Ninth)
3- Racquel Marie (Ophelia After All)
4- Sabaa Tahir (All My Rage)
5- A.J. Sass (Ellen Outisde the Lines)
6- Alice Osemen (Heartstopper)
7- Jenifer Dugan (Hot Dog Girl)
8- Claribel A. Oretega (Frizzy)
9- Malinda Lo (Last Night at the Telegraph Club, A Scatter of Light)
10- Matthew Mercer & various (Vox Machina Origins Volumes 1-2)
Welcome Back! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This weekly meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will post our list based on that prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we don’t have any ideas for that topic. This week, we’re talking about our bookish goals.
Read 75 books
I always keep my goals low, but attainable for me. I’m doing well so far, and I just need to keep the pace.
Read 25 Graphic Novels, 15 comics, and 15 Manga
This is a personal challenge for me this year to read more visual novels. There are so many interesting ones.
Have a planned TBR for the month, but also leave it open for mood reads
I do like having a planned TBR and reading books with friends. For me, if I have an open slot or a book I’m not as looking to read, I’ll put another book on my TBR for the weeks/month based on my mood.
Reach Between 80%-100% on Netgalley
My ratio right now is 67%. I have some blog tours open, and some coming up. I know that you don’t need the 80% to be on a blog tour, but I want to get there and see if I can request some big titles.
Write Reviews and talk about my thoughts on books more
I had the plan to write book reviews on Thursdays, but that kind of fell off at the end of the year. I want to post reviews more and talk about books I’m enjoying more.
Read more Books I own
We all have those books we buy and never read. This year, I’d to read more books I own in addition to new ones.
Use the Libary more
My Libary usage really picked up last year, and I’m so happy it did. I want to continue to use the Libary this year.
Read my anticipated releases right away or within 1-4 months of release
I find that if I buy a book that’s new, I let it sit on my shelves for a bit. I want to read the books either pre-ordered or from the library within four months of the release.
Read more Diversely
I want to read more diversely this year. I want to read more books with people of color, more LGBTQ+ books, and more books with people with disabilities.
Read more books from my backlists along with new releases
This is different from my owned books because I want to read books I was excited about over the last few years.
Hi! Jana hosts Top Ten Tuesday @thatartsyreadergirl. This meme was born out of a love of lists and bringing the book blogging community together. Each week, Jana will post a prompt, and we readers will make out a list based on that prompt. We also have the option of doing our own thing if we’re not feeling the topic that week. This week is fun because we get to talk about our most anticipated releases for the first half of 2022.
1- The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim
2-Begin Again by Emma Lord
3- The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
4-Where Do You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
5-Out of Character by Jenna Miller
6-A Witches Guide to Fake Dating A Deamon by Sarah Hawley
Paiges of Novels 