#Diverseathon2021: June’s Prompt and Host
Tomorrow is June 1st: Now it is time to talk about June’s prompt and host for #Diverseathon2021:
For June the prompt is: A Main Character Who Is LGBTQ
June’s Host: Danyel at dany.alvey
She will host at Instagram.
She will be hosting a giveaway of $15 to Book Depository (or Amazon for a US winner) for your choice of a book. This is an international giveaway! Be sure to check out her Instagram for full details on that giveaway.
For full details on this year long read-a-thon, please click here.
And don’t forget about the awesome GRAND PRIZE at the end of the year. Click the link here for that information.
What am I reading during June for #Diverseathon2021? My choice is…
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass
**This one does not come out until July 13th. I received an arc copy from the publisher via Bookish First.
Book Description:
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can’t decide what’s worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student—the handsome Allister—and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.
Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he’s a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game—one Jake is not sure he can win.
What are YOU reading for #Diverseathon2021 in April?
Book Review: Bitter Chills: A Horror Anthology: Edited by Nick Harper
Bitter Chills
Editor: Nick Harper
Published: February 11, 2021
120 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Bitter Chills is the first horror anthology from Blood Rites Horror and brings together eleven wintry tales of ghosts and monsters, killers and creatures from Denver Grenell, Kyle J. Durrant, Roxie Voorhees, Spencer Hamilton, Carla Eliot, Cass Oakley, Christopher Badcock, Carmilla, Joe Clements, Marcus Hawke and Patrick Whitehurst.
Kim’s Review:
What a great anthology! It was easy to read and filled with really great stories, ranging from straight horror, to sci-fi, to psychological thriller. I couldn’t put this book down. And the theme of winter and cold and snow was apparent thru the whole thing. It was short, simple, and something I’d recommend even to teens who want to scratch the scary itch. It even makes me want to look into the individual authors to see if they have any other works published!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
#Diverseathon2021: Brian’s Hunt by Gary Paulsen (Brian’s Saga #5)
Brian’s Hunt
Series: Brian’s Saga #5
Author: Gary Paulsen
Narrator: Ron Mclarty
Published: January 1, 2003
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: May 18-19, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Millions of readers of Hatchet, The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return know that Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the challenge of surviving alone in the woods. He prefers being on his own in the natural world to civilization.
When Brian finds a dog one night, a dog that is wounded and whimpering, he senses danger. The dog is badly hurt, and as Brian cares for it, he worries about his Cree friends who live north of his camp. His instincts tell him to head north, quickly. With his new companion at his side, and with a terrible, growing sense of unease, he sets out to learn what happened. He sets out on the hunt.
Jessica’s Review:
As a part of May’s prompt for #Diverseathon2021 I listened to the Brian’s Saga series by Gary Paulsen and I have finally reached the last in the series: Brian’s Hunt.
Brian’s Hunt seems to pick up where Brian’s Return left off. This time Brian has a friend with him: He finds a severely injured dog that he takes care of. He begins to worry over the Cree Indian family who he has become friends with. In the ‘what if’ novel Brian’s Winter Brian comes across this family and they ‘rescue’ him and take care of him for several weeks before being able to go home. I still have confusion on if Brian’s Winter is actually not a what if scenario and did actually happen since the next books reference things that happen in that novel.
This is a bit of spoiler, but this novel will not be for the sensitive or younger readers as to what happens to the Cree family. They meet their untimely fate at the hands of a bear and the novel is descriptive in how Brian finds the family. Because of this Brian becomes determined to find the bear and he goes on his hunt.
I did enjoy listening to this series. I do recommend it for teenage boys, as our protagonist is a boy and we don’t get many of those in middle grade/ YA novels. Those novels tend to have female leads. I did not know it was a series until I decided I was going to read Hatchet for Diverseathon, and seeing they were all of a shorter length, I decided to ‘go all out’ and listen to the whole series as all were available through the Libby App. The only thing I was not a ‘fan’ of was the music added to try and enhance the suspenseful parts. I can see how the music would work for some but not others such as myself since I listen to these books while driving and the music was distracting at times.
The Brian’s Saga is recommended!
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For full details on this year long readathon, please click here.
And don’t forget about the awesome GRAND PRIZE at the end of the year. Click the link here for that information.
Beccie over at Bookies is having a giveaway for the month of May: She is giving away a copy of Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (it is set in Canada). You can also enter this giveaway by entering through the Grand Prize link above.
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Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK