Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to review a really cool anthology which was provided by Candlewick Press, and was released on September 1, 2016. This book features authors from/living in New Zealand & Australia, & as the name suggests, consists of short essays that explain what book had a profound affect on the author’s writing and/or life. As always this review will be spoiler free & completely honest, also this is the 1st time we’re reviewing a non-fiction book so let’s see how it went. Ready? Ok, let’s go!
Usually I would give a quick plot summary here but we can’t really do that this time because the whole book is essays following a similar theme so we’re going to skip straight to the review. Personally I knew that I would enjoy this book because I’m a giant book nerd & this collection is about other giant book nerds talking about books however, I also know that this book won’t necessarily be for everyone. In this anthology you’ll find stories about author’s who recount how a book changed their perception of themselves or where they came from, inspired them to become an author through the book’s ability to entrance them, or inspired them to become an author because they didn’t like the book in question. If you think that this is the sort of anthology you’d enjoy reading then this collection has some really interesting stories for you. Now you’re probably wondering what I thought. Well although I did enjoy this book, I honestly had to give it a 3 out of 5 smiley faces because some of the stories were more interesting than others. I’m glad that I read this book, but because of the fact that every story isn’t totally gripping I can’t really give it a higher rating.
Hello people of the internet!!!! On today’s ‘YouTube Wednesday’ we’re going to talk about an amazing new Booktuber that every book lover will be ADDICTED to!!! For about a year I’ve been watching a Booktuber named Merphy Napier, and during this time I’ve noticed that her channel has become better and better the longer I’ve watched it. Merphy has a natural ease in front of the camera, which allows the viewer to feel as if they’re having a discussion with one of their friends also, her video content is very diverse and interesting which allows her viewers to know that they won’t ever feel bored watching her channel. I know that Merphy will quickly become a very popular Booktuber, so I thought that now was a perfect time to discuss what her channel has to offer so that you can subscribe to her today. Also she is a self-published author so make sure you support her by checking out her debut book ‘Perfection’ on her website here: https://www.merphynapier.com/menu/. So now let’s get into the fun part of this post, talking about the videos. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
The first video that we’re going to talk about is Merphy’s ‘DISCUSSION: How Many Books Is Enough?’ video, which was uploaded on November 12, 2016. This is a very interesting video that quickly discusses the topic of competition in the BookTube community. Many people have posed the question of whether or not our need to read as many books as possible in a month is a consequence of book tracking websites such as Goodreads, or even BookTube itself. This expands into other questions such as: ‘Should you only read what’s new and popular in order to stay relevant in the community (which goes into another topic about buying new releases as soon as they come out)?’, and ‘Are you allowed to DNF (not finish) a book if you aren’t enjoying it?’. Honestly this is a very complicated and interesting topic that still floats around the BookTube community today. I think Merphy does an amazing job of discussing her point of view on this topic, which is basically that reading shouldn’t be a competition, it should be fun. The next video we’re going to discuss is her ‘Top Five Wednesdays: Unlikable Protagonists’ video, which was uploaded on June 20, 2017 (you can check out the video below). I found this to be a very fun video to watch because as much as we love gushing about our fav protagonists, we also love complaining about protagonists that we consider unlikable (I’m looking at you Bella Swan!). In this video Merphy discusses several popular Young Adult protagonists that are considered unlikable, and gives her opinions about why they may not be as bad as everyone thinks. It’s a very fun video to watch and a must see for all fans of the Young Adult genre.
Next up we have Merphy’s ‘Books I Never Should Have Read’ video, which was uploaded on September 7, 2017. I really love the topic of this video because at first you think it’s going to be a rant video about her least favorite books, but in reality it’s a video about how incorrect marketing can cause a book to suffer. In this video Merphy explains that if a book is not marketed to the correct audience then this can result in low-ratings, bad reviews, and the author being branded a “bad writer”. This video is a perfect example of how Merphy can take a serious topic and not only perfectly explain her point of view on the topic, but do so in a way that’s interesting and engaging to the viewer. The final video we’re going to discuss is her ‘Diverse Book Recommendations’ video, which was uploaded on May 19, 2018 (you can check out this video below). This has to be one of my personal all time favorite Merphy videos, because it discusses a very important topic not just in literature, but in media in general. Although we have seen a rise in books/movies/TV shows with diverse characters and situations, there is always room for even more diversity. In her video Merphy discusses underrated books that deal with: Physical Diversity, Racial Diversity, and Sexual Diversity. These books range from LGBTQ+ topics, to blind and deaf representation, and so much more. It is very exciting to see more Booktubers discussing diverse books/authors that aren’t always on the forefront of everyone’s minds, because this way you get to see a much wider range of experiences/perspectives which is what makes reading so amazing, and why we keep coming back story after story.
Keep up with everything Merphy is doing:
Hello people of the Internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to discuss an AMAZING new book that y’all should all check out! If you’ve never heard of Dana Burkey then please keep reading because this is an up and coming author that you HAVE to check out. Dana has just released her new book ‘Learning To Fly’ and trust me when I say it’s a MUST HAVE for your summer TBR. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!
‘Learning To Fly’ is about a 12 year girl named Max. She is a tomboy who enjoys hunting, fishing, playing sports, and just generally having fun with her next door neighbors Peter and Kyle. Max’s world is turned upside down when she discovers the world of competitive cheerleading. At first Max decides that the glitter and bows are too girly for her, but through some persuasion from her dad, Max decides to give cheerleading a try. Throughout the course of the story Max finds friends, enemies, and possibly two potential love interests (let the shipping wars begin!). I don’t want to spoil the rest of the book for you, but if you like sports, YA fiction, and stories with a great plot and characters that you will absolutely fall in love with then this is the book for you. Personally I couldn’t put this book down, so I HIGHLY recommend that everyone check out ‘Learning To Fly’ for themselves.
Also keep an eye out for book 2 of this trilogy entitled ‘Reaching The Summit’ which should come out in October of this year, and please keep checking back here and on all of my social media sites for a special giveaway coming soon (trust me you won’t want to miss it!).
Keep up with everything Dana is doing!:
Website: danacburkey.wix.com/yaauthor
Goodreads:Dana Burkey
Twitter: DanaCBurkey
YouTube: Dana Burkey
Instagram: danacburkey