My Coronavirus Break TBR (ft. it’s not what it sounds like)

Hey sunshines!

The title may have… ~thrown you off~ but these books are actually not related to COVID-19 at all! You may remember that I have three weeks (now pretty much two weeks) off from school because of this virus and the disease (which has spread to SOMEONE I KNOW and who my father hung out with recently) (on another note, my dad thinks that he had the virus for a day or two because he showed all those symptoms but he recovered quickly. If he passed it onto us, it hasn’t shown yet… I’M SCARED Y’ALL).

Anyways, I thought I’d catch up on my reading challenge this year by reading a lot over the break! Sadly, my library is closed, so physical books aren’t really an option. On the other hand, I’ve started trying audiobooks! I’ll probably make a post on that sometime soon if you guys want it 🙂

Now to get right into it!

With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo

I’m actually in the middle of this one right now! It’s very good and it’s my first audiobook.

~Synopsis~

With her daughter to care for and her abuela to help support, high school senior Emoni Santiago has to make the tough decisions, and do what must be done. The one place she can let her responsibilities go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Still, she knows she doesn’t have enough time for her school’s new culinary arts class, doesn’t have the money for the class’s trip to Spain — and shouldn’t still be dreaming of someday working in a real kitchen. But even with all the rules she has for her life — and all the rules everyone expects her to play by — once Emoni starts cooking, her only real choice is to let her talent break free.

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Shadow And Bone by Leigh Bardugo

I just finished Crooked Kingdom (you can find some screaming on my Goodreads) and really want to get back into the Grishaverse, especially after some of the characters from this trilogy appeared.

~Synopsis~

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

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Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

I’ve heard a ton of amazing things about this book including some really great POC and LGBTQ+ rep! I’m eager to dive right into it. (hopefully, the audiobook is good!)

~Synopsis~

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she’s unafraid to be herself.

So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared…

Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.

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Love From A to Z: A Novel by S.K. Ali

There are mixed reviews about this book, but apparently, it’s really good and the perfect -soft- contemporary book.

~Synopsis~

A marvel: something you find amazing. Even ordinary-amazing. Like potatoesbecause they make French fries happen. Like the perfect fries Adam and his mom used to make together.

An oddity: whatever gives you pause. Like the fact that there are hateful people in the world. Like Zaynebs teacher, who wont stop reminding the class how bad Muslims are.

But Zayneb, the only Muslim, isn’t bad. She’s angry.

When she gets suspended for confronting her teacher, and he begins investigating her activist friends, Zayneb heads to her aunt’s house in Doha, Qatar, for an early start to spring break.

Fueled by the guilt of getting her friends in trouble, she resolves to try out a newer, “nicer” version of herself in a place where no one knows her.

Then her path crosses with Adam’s. (more)

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Another Elizabeth Acevedo book! Yes! I’m already eager (even though I’m not even done with my first oop). It’s also narrated by the author herself again so that’s reassuring!

~Synopsis~

A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mothers religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. (more)

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The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzie Lee

For some reason, the hype has died down or something? I remembered everyone reading it around six months ago ish but it does sound really compelling even now! I just hope the book meets the hype.

~Synopsis~

Henry Monty Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father havent been able to curb any of his roguish passionsnot for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. (more)

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A Very Large Expanse Of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

The narrative reminds me a lot of The Hate U Give and a few good friends have loved this book a lot! (plus the cover is pretty lit amirite)

~Synopsis~

Its 2002, a year after 9/11. Its an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl whos tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. Shes tired of the rude stares, the degrading commentseven the physical violenceshe endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. (more)

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Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

So the synopsis is so weird?? And I’ve heard weird things in reviews too, but the cover is too good to not read (DO judge a book by a cover)!

~Synopsis~

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.

But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.

Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. (more)

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The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Sophie has been wanting me to read this for a while and I’m really excited about this!! Especially… some cinnamon role character- Adam I think?? XD

~Synopsis~

There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Marks Eve, Neeve said. Either youre his true love . . . or you killed him.

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees themnot until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. (more)

I hope you guys enjoyed this! It was pretty easy and light to write and I really hope I get to at least five of these books over my break.

Would you be interested in reading about my audiobook experiences? How many of these books have you read? Which one should I start with first after finishing With The Fire On High?