Inspired by my dad, the biggest WWII history-buff that I know, this week's nonfiction new-releases are dedicated to the WWII and Cold War periods. Read to learn more about these exciting, new titles!
Tag: author
What Superhero Group Are You In?
Think you've got what it takes to be an Avenger? Or an X-Man? Maybe even a Teen Titan? Take this quiz below to find out!
#Bookstagrammer Of The Week: @as_thornton
It’s that time of the week we’ve all been waiting for! Today’s bookstagram feature is Alexandra/@as_thornton. She’s an author, bookstagrammer and vet all at once. What more could someone ask for than books, cover art and cats?
When did you start your Bookstagram:
I started it in April 2015. I had the cutest edition of The Jungle Book, so I held it up in front of a bush, threw an awful filter on it, and snapped the photo. Needless to say, it’s gone from my bookstagram’s history!
Where are you from:
Northern California
What do you want your Instagram to bring to the world:
I hope for nothing ground-breaking, just to show that books are beautiful both when seen from the outside and the inside.
Fun Fact about you:
I am a veterinarian for dogs and cats, and I have four cats of my own. (Uh-oh, that’s two facts, isn’t it?)
Favorite Bookstagrammers:
At this point my favorite bookstagrammers are really just some of my best social media friends. These include Casey (@caseyrosereads), Sara (@novelnovice) and Milana (@acouplereads), to name a few. I’m sure there are loads more I am missing and for that I already feel terrible!
image via @as_thornton
Favorite Books and Authors:
I adore everything Amy Harmon writes, because she writes my kind of love story (subtle, sweet, and tense!). Other favorite books: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and The Bronze Horsemen by Paullina Simons (both are deliciously heartbreaking love stories, which is what I live for).
Fictional Crush:
Matthew Clairmont from A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. *swoon* What a man. But I’d be remiss not to include Edward Cullen–DON’T JUDGE ME–and Rhysand.
TBR List:
Right now I have nothing on my TBR, because I’m in the midst of edits for my own novel. I can’t read anything when I’m working on my own stuff, because I get intense imposter syndrome and feel like everyone writes infinitely better than me.
image via @as_thornton
What’s Your Special Approach to Content:
I’m all about bookish rainbows.
Aesthetic / Instagram page theme:
I don’t have a theme, because I’m lazy and not able to be that coordinated. So I use the cheater method, instead: a consistent filter.
How often do you post:
I used to post daily, but work and life has gotten so busy that now I try to post 3-4 times per week.
image via @as_thornton
What does your Bookstagram mean to you:
Oh goodness, I could get so sappy here. I can’t even begin to describe what the book community means to me. Not only have I found so many reader and writer friends that I have made very close connections with, it got me started writing again. I wouldn’t be getting a book published today if it weren’t for the book community. I am living my dream because bookstagram exists. *starts crying*
Favorite Bookstore:
Any that I can browse and browse and browse and browse. That is to say, all of them.
Who would you have supply you with a lifetime of books:
TheBookDepsitory.com, because not only would I get all my fun reads from them, I’d get all of my beautiful classics, too!
Author to take a selfie with:
Paullina Simons, because I don’t think there’s a book in the world I love as much as I loved The Bronze Horsemen.
image via @as_thornton
Favorite book cover:
THERE ARE SO MANY! I don’t think I can tell you a single favorite, but I can tell you I rarely like covers with people on them.
Book you have claimed to have read that you didn’t:
None. I see no reason to claim I’ve read something at this point in my life. I’ll proudly say NO I HAVEN’T READ THAT ONE AND I’M NOT GONNA!
When did you know you had made it as a Bookstagrammer:
When I started getting trolls commenting on my posts! Every time I see a negative comment, I get so gleeful! That’s true success right there, guys.
image via @as_thornton
Favorite fandoms:
I used to be into fandoms so much more, but now I find that I’m less interested in them. Gosh, I’m boring, aren’t I?
Advice for aspiring Bookstagrammers:
Bookstagramming does not require fancy equipment or expensive props! I use my phone for everything and do minimal (if any) editing!
image via @as_thornton
Additional bookishness:
My debut adult fantasy novel, Daughter of the Salt King, comes out early 2021! If you like ancient deserts, magical jinn, and forbidden love, go add it to your Goodreads TBR.
feature image via @as_thornton
National Book Award Nominees of 2020
The National Book Awards has released the names of its 2020 nominees, including two acclaimed debut novelists: Megha Majumdar and Douglas Stuart, both their fiction novels taking on serious cultural themes.
Majumdar’s A Burning is about a Muslim girl trying to make it out of the slums and is accused of being linked to a terrorist attack on a train, and Stuart’s Shuggie Bain tells of the childhood of a young boy in 1980’s Scotland, growing up in the throws of poverty and drugs.
Other novelists included on this list include Rumaan Alam for his work Leave the World Behind, and Brit Bennett for the novel that swiftly rose to popularity, The Vanishing Half.
Among the non-fiction authors nominated are Isabel Wilkerson for Caste, Jill Lepore for If Then, Claudio Saunt for Unworthy Republic and Frank B. Wilderson III for Afropessimism, a philosophical memoir and essay about how the Black experience is seen through the lens of slavery. The text Undocumented Americans also brought Karla Cornejo Villavicencio to the list with her honest memoir paired with extensive research into immigration.
The two short story collection nominees include the recently departed, Randall Kenan, for her collection If I Had Wings, and Deesha Philyaw for The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.
The finalists of this list will be revealed on October 6th, and the winners will be announced via a virtual ceremony on November 18th.
FEATURE IMAGE VIA LITERARY HUB
Twenty Agatha Christie Quotes on her 130th Birthday
On this day in 1890, one of the world's best selling authors was born, Agatha Christie. In honor of her, we've compiled twenty of her most enlightening, comical, and mind-bending quotes.
