Pride Flag Book Tag 🌈

Hi readers! How are you doing today?
I have to admit that I'm very excited about today's post 'cause:
1: It's a Book Tag and I don't make one for a long time...
2: It's an LGBTQ+ Book Tag created by Spencer from CommonSpence, one of the most genuinely amazing people in the world.
And 3: My boyfriend is helping me with it! We were watching the original video and he automatically began to name books that could fill the category so I asked him if wanted to help and he said YES.

In his video, he explains a little history about the pride flag so check it out.

The tag is simple: 6 categories and 6 colors of the pride flag and its meanings.

1. Red means Life - A book with a spirited protagonist totally proud of who they are. Someone who gives you LIFE!

A Darker Shade of Magic (Bae Recommendation)
Hey guys! I'm Carlos, the Bae/Bf/Couple or whatever you want to call me :)
I'm here to recommend you A Darker Shade of Magic because Andrea still hasn't read it. But I know she'll do it soon.

ADSOM equals 5 STARS OF PERFECTION.
But, today I'm talking only about Rhys, our proud bisexual character.
I don't want to spoil anything so I'm just going to say that this character it's the personification of Pride. He's bi, he knows it and he doesn't give a fuck about what others think about him.
And I like him a lot 'cause he reminds me of certain lady that is going to read this soon so Andrea I love you so much hahaha



2. Orange means Healing - A book that made you, as the reader, find a deeper meaning or catharsis in your own life.

Ramona Blue
In this book, our lesbian protagonist Ramona deals with a lot of family issues. While she is forced to be the adult in her house, her childhood friend Freddie moves back into town and she starts developing feelings for him.

So many people say that this book is problematic cause Ramona turns straight in the book. Well, that's not the case, and I think this quote from the book it's pretty explanatory:

"Maybe liking girls was that common thread that drew us together, but it's not all that's kept us together and you know it. And I still like girls. A lot. Kissing Freddie doesn't suddenly erase that part of me."


And I relate so much with this because I always thought I liked guys only, but when I was fifteen I began to realize that it wasn't true, and I'm proud to say that I LIKE BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS.

Ramona Blue is a story that explores the idea of fluidity/self-evaluation.
And, as a bisexual girl, I can say that the representation is pretty accurate. 
So if you want to, GO AND READ IT! 

3. Yellow means Sunshine - A book that fills you with so much joy it could brighten even your darkest day.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
I was going to recommend Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but I also love Ari and Dante so I'm going to go with this one.

Ari and Dante are the cutest friends I've ever seen and whenever I'm down they light me up.
This is a great lgbtq+ ya contemporary book with an engaging story about this two boys who discover themselves together.

If you haven't read it yet, I don't know what are you waiting for.
Buy it, borrow it or whatever and READ IT.



4. Green means Nature - A book that is set out of this world — a reality different to our own.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones

I just read this one for Cram-A-Thon and I freaking LOVED it. I really liked the first one in the series but in DATSAB we get to know the story of Jack and Jill.

Jack was my favorite character from Every Heart a Doorway and after reading the sequel I can say that I'M IN LOVE WITH HER.

She's just this kind of sarcastic and protective person who loves in a really sensitive and personal way that makes the other feel like the only thing that matters are them at that moment.

And I believe that's pure magic.



5. Blue means Peace - A book where one of the characters finds peace with a difficult truth.

I'll Give You the Sun

I've just re-read this book and I loved it even more than the first time.
I'm going to share Chelsea's Goodreads review because I feel the same way and I feel like she expresses herself (and myself) perfectly.

"I've been terrified to re-read this because it meant the world to me the first time I read it, but I shouldn't have been afraid. This book will always and forever make me feel all the feels. The last few pages of this book are EVERYTHING to me and I love it so damn much."

I can't tell you the hard situation/difficult truth so...
that's it for this recommendation.


6. Purple means Spirit - A book that deals with LGBT+ themes and religion.

Autoboyography (Again Bae Recommendation)
Hi again!
For Spirit, I want to recommend you Autoboyography.

I'm not a religious person but I was raised in Catholicism. I usually avoid books that deal with any religion, but I thought that this book was worth the risk.
And I was right 'cause it was amazing.

I love the way this romance blooms and grows. Tanner and Sebastian are just perfect. I love the way Tanner upholds for his bisexuality whenever it's questioned and I really like the family connection that we can see all over the book.

I also like the commentary on the LDS church because I believe that is done with the care and respect that deserves.


And that's all readers.
I hope you enjoy it.
I'm not going to tag anybody so just feel free to do it if you want to.

See you next time
   -Andrea (and Carlos)

¡Leigh Bardugo viene a España!

En la Feria del Libro de Madrid de este 2018 tuvo lugar el avance de las novedades editoriales para otoño de la Editorial Hidra .

En este evento se confirmó que Renegades, lo nuevo de la autora de las Crónicas Lunares se publicará a la vuelta del verano.

Entre sus novedades literarias otoñales han destacado también The Cruel Prince, la nueva saga de Holly Black que tanto está triunfando entre sus lectores de habla inglesa y la segunda parte de Los Bastardos Reales de Andrew Shvarts. 

Pero la noticia que nos dejó con la boca abierta fue que Leigh Bardugo, creadora del Grishaverso, vendrá a España este otoño y su libro de relatos:  The Language of Thorns será publicado en España por Hidra con una edición con ilustraciones a dos tintas bajo el título El lenguaje de las espinas. 

¡Nos vemos muy pronto Bardugo!

   -Andrea

Monthly Recommendations | Audiobooks

Hey readers!
Today I bring you the first Monthly Recommendation post. For those who don't know, Monthly Recommendation is a Goodreads group where we have a monthly theme for book recommendations to share on our BookTube channels or blogs.
June theme is Audiobooks so, let's begin!

I haven’t always been an audiobook listener. But about five months ago, I realized that if I got in the habit and chose the right books, I could get more reading in. And I love the sound of reading more!

Listening to audiobooks isn’t cheating—to us, listening is pretty much the same as reading a physical book. But it differs in that I can listen to audiobooks while doing the dishes, walking to school, bullet journaling, etc.

I don’t listen to just anything on audio. I’m looking for audiobooks that enable me to read on the go. I don’t want audiobooks that can substitute for the written word, I want audiobooks that enhance it.
For me, that means a great narrative.

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Narrated by Jim Dale

Jim Dale does the best voices and I love when an audiobook is read and the voice actor does different voices for the characters. I think if you are a Harry Potter fan then Harry Potter audiobooks are a must.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Narrated by Amy Poehler and others

The reviews on this are mixed: if you're on the fence, definitely go for the audiobook recording with a full cast including Carol Burnett, Seth Meyers, Patrick Stewart, and even Amy's parents.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Narrated by Adoja Andoh

I loved how the narrator helped me sink into the story, which takes place in Nigeria, the United States, and briefly in the U.K., and taught me how to correctly pronounce the characters' Nigerian names and cities.



Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Narrated by Nail Gaiman

It’s hard to say which Neil Gaiman novel you should listen to as an audiobook. There are a lot of books to choose from on Audible and they’re all narrated by the author himself. One of the most recommended titles by Gaiman fans for newbies is his very first novel: Neverwhere.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Narrated by Rachel McAdams

It's the classic you know and love, in a newly released audio version narrated by Rachel McAdams. For kids, this is an excellent introduction to Anne. For adults, Rachel's new narration is a wonderful way to revisit an old favorite.





Please tell me in comments which audiobooks do you like the most—I’d love to discover a new favorite today!

See you soon
   -Andrea

Cram-a-thon tbr

Hey readers!
Today I'll be sharing with you my TBR for Cram-a-thon. In case you live under a rock, Cram-a-thon is a week-long read-a-thon where you try to read as many books as you can.
In this read-a-thon, there are some challenges that you "have to complete" (but if you just read what you want it's okay, the thing is to have fun and read together).

These are the challenges:

A predicted 5-star book
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: I have only heard great words about this book. I can not wait to read THUG. I know it will be a 5-star read for me!

A book out of your comfort zone
Instrumental by James Rhodes: I've only read three memoirs and I didn't like any of those, so this is definitely out of my comfort zone. But I really think that I'm going to love this one because I truly believe that James Rhodes's story needs to be told.

A book that has been on your TBR a long time
There are so many options...
And I decided that I'm going to let you choose which book should I read for this challenge in an Instagram poll, so go follow me there!

A book that is LGBTQ+ ownvoices
Down among the sticks and bones by Seanan McGuire: I’ve heard many great things about this book and I loved the first one so... I think it's time to give it a try.
Plus, it’s a short book so that will help me get through it quickly!

Something that is not a standard novel (graphic novel, audio, comic, novella, poetry, etc)
The wicked+The divine: This is a graphic novel that I bought because I saw it everywhere. As you can read from the blurb, these gods come back every 90 years to be on Earth for 2 years and then I guess they die or whatever. I don't understand why they come back every 90 years but who cares. The story seems so different and the artwork that I've seen it's amazing.

A book that has your favorite color on the cover
Tan solo un segundo by Virgini S. McKenzie: This book tells us a beautiful love story of overcoming, secrets and a lot of dancing on the ice, and has a gorgeous intense dark blue cover.

Read 7 books
I'm kind of a mood reader so we'll see what happens with this challenge...

See you next time
   -Andrea

George R.R. Martin's new release will come out this year!

Ballantine Bantam Dell will publish FIRE AND BLOOD, a new book by George R. R. Martin, in the US and Canada on November 20, 2018, under his longtime US imprint Bantam Books. Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins, Martin’s longtime publisher in the UK, will publish FIRE AND BLOOD in the UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada) also on November 20, 2018. Martin’s longtime publishers in the following foreign territories will join in simultaneous publication, among them Penhaligon in Germany, Éditions Pygmalion in France, Arnoldo Mondadori in Italy, Penguin Random House in Mexico and South America, Luitingh-Sijthoff in the Netherlands, and Zysk I S-Ka in Poland, with more to be announced.

Set three-hundred years before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire, FIRE AND BLOOD, the first of two planned volumes, is the definitive history of the Targaryens in Westeros and chronicles the conquest that united the Seven Kingdoms under Targaryen rule through the Dance of the Dragons: the Targaryen civil war that nearly ended their dynasty forever. Readers may have glimpsed small parts of this narrative before, in The World of Ice and Fire and various anthologies, but the full tapestry of Martin’s history of the Targaryens is revealed here for the first time. Lavishly illustrated with over 75 all-new black and white portraits and scenes by artist Doug Wheatley, FIRE AND BLOOD will give readers a whole new appreciation for the fascinating history of Westeros and will be a must-have addition to every fan’s bookshelf.

We still got to wait for THE WINDS OF WINTER.., but at least we can return to Westeros this year.