Tag: book blog

— book review, comic/graphic novel, nonfiction —

Cheeky: A Head-to-Toe Memoir by Ariella Elovic (Review)

July 5, 2021
Blog post header for Flavia the Bibliophile's review of Cheeky: A Head-to-Toe by Ariella Elovic

Too tall. Too short. Too fat. Too thin. The message is everywhere–we need to pluck, wax, shrink, and hide ourselves, to not take up space, emotionally or literally; women are never “just right.” Well, Ariella Elovic, feminist and illustrator extraordinaire, has had enough. In her full-color graphic memoir Cheeky, she takes an inspiring and exuberant head-to-toe look at her own body self-consciousness, and body part by body part, finds her way back to herself. Charming and hilarious, full of empathy and candor, and gorgeously illustrated, Cheeky aims to inspire all of us to embrace our bodies, flaws and all, as well as our bodies’ needs, desires, and inherent power.… Read More Cheeky: A Head-to-Toe Memoir by Ariella Elovic (Review)

— book review, nonfiction —

The Art of Toy Story 4 & The Art of Ralph Breaks the Internet (Review)

July 3, 2021
Blog post header for Flavia the Bibliophile's review of The Art of Toy Story 4 and The Art of Ralph Breaks the Internet

The Art of Toy Story 4: Beautiful art book features never-before-seen concept art, character studies, process animation, storyboards, and colorscripts from the Pixar studio animation movie. Includes exclusive interviews with the production team on the making of the film and insights into their creative vision. The Art of Ralph Breaks the Internet: A great collectors book for fans of Disney Oscar-nominated Wreck-It Ralph movies and a resource for animation and film students. Features exclusive content on the making of Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2… Read More The Art of Toy Story 4 & The Art of Ralph Breaks the Internet (Review)

— Adult, book review —

The Marriage Code by Brooke Burroughs (Review)

July 3, 2021

Emma has always lived her life according to a plan. But after turning down her boyfriend’s proposal, everything starts to crumble. In an effort to save the one thing she cares about—her job—she must recruit her colleague, Rishi, to be on her development team…only she may or may not have received the position he was promised. (She did.) Rishi cannot believe that he got passed over for promotion. To make matters worse, not only does his job require him to return home to Bangalore with his nemesis, Emma, but his parents now expect him to choose a bride and get married. So, when Emma makes him an offer—join her team, and she’ll write an algorithm to find him the perfect bride—he reluctantly accepts. Neither of them expect her marriage code to work so well—or to fall for one another—which leads Emma and Rishi to wonder if leaving fate up to formulas is really an equation for lasting love… Read More The Marriage Code by Brooke Burroughs (Review)

— ARC review, audiobook, book review, young adult —

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (ARC & Audiobook Review)

June 21, 2021
The blog post header for Flavia the Bibliophile's book review for Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess. In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight… Read More Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean (ARC & Audiobook Review)

— ARC review, book review, young adult —

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (ARC Review)

June 21, 2021
The blog post header for Flavia the Bibliophile's book review for The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water, and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Then a coded message from Kiva’s family arrives, containing a single order: “Don’t let her die. We are coming.” Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom. But no one has ever survived. With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva’s heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can’t escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun… Read More The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley (ARC & Audiobook Review)

June 21, 2021
The blog post header for Flavia the Bibliophile's book review for Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromfield.

Kara Sullivan’s life is full of love—albeit fictional. As a bestselling romance novelist and influential bookstagrammer, she’s fine with getting her happily-ever-after fix between the covers of a book. But right now? Not only is Kara’s best friend getting married next week—which means big wedding stress—but the deadline for her next novel is looming, and she hasn’t written a single word. The last thing she needs is for her infuriating first love, Ryan Thompson, to suddenly appear in the wedding party. But Ryan’s unexpected arrival sparks a creative awakening in Kara that inspires the steamy historical romance she desperately needs to deliver. With her wedding duties intensifying, her deadline getting closer by the second and her bills not paying themselves, Kara knows there’s only one way for her to finish her book and to give her characters the ever-after they deserve. But can she embrace the unlikely, ruggedly handsome muse—who pushes every one of her buttons—to save the wedding, her career and, just maybe, write her own happy ending?… Read More Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley (ARC & Audiobook Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review —

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (ARC Review)

June 17, 2021
The blog header for Flavia the Bibliophile's review post for The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. Raised by her grandparents—who now help raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno—Jess has been left behind too often to feel comfortable letting anyone in. After all, her father’s never been around, her hard-partying mother disappeared when she was six, and her ex decided he wasn’t “father material” before Juno was even born. Jess holds her loved ones close, but working constantly to stay afloat is hard…and lonely. But then Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The reliability of numbers: This Jess understands. At least she thought she did, until her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Pena… Read More The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (ARC Review)

— ARC review, book review, young adult —

Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton (ARC Review)

June 15, 2021
Blog header for Flavia the Bibliophile's review for Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton

As a lead reporter for The Warrior Weekly, Eden has covered her fair share of stories at St. Joseph’s High School. And when intimate pictures of seven female students are anonymously emailed to the entire school, Eden is determined to get to the bottom of it. In tracking down leads, Eden is shocked to discover not everyone agrees the students are victims. Some people feel the girls “brought it on themselves.” Even worse, the school’s administration seems more concerned about protecting its reputation than its students. With the anonymous sender threatening more emails, Eden finds an unlikely ally: the seven young women themselves. Banding together to find the perpetrator, the tables are about to be turned. The Slut Squad is fighting back!… Read More Revenge of the Sluts by Natalie Walton (ARC Review)

— Adult, ARC review, book review, Poetry —

Is This Scary?: Poems by Jacob Scheier (ARC Review)

June 14, 2021
The blog header for Flavia the Bibliophile's review for Is This Scary? by Jacob Scheier

Is This Scary? digs deep into internal landscapes of suffering, including depression and anxiety, chronic physical ailment, and rare neurological malady. With its many eccentric songs and odes to medications and medical procedures, this book is full of both levity and unapologetic lament. Pushing back against societal stigma, Is This Scary? unflinchingly addresses experiences of psychiatric institutionalization and suicidality, without either romanticizing or pathologizing them. Scheier rejects much of the mainstream cultural views of mental illness, subverting the biochemical model by emphasizing the radical subjectivity of mental suffering. While the poems render the difficulty of communicating pain to others, they defiantly celebrate its expression and evocation through visceral lyricism… Read More Is This Scary?: Poems by Jacob Scheier (ARC Review)