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Best Books of the Month: March 2018

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Want to Read

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Want to Read

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Want to Read

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Want to Read

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

All News & Interviews | Popular this month

Giveaways

The Murano Glass Slipper
by Victoria Leybourne (Goodreads Author)

Release date: Nov 03, 2017

Three masked balls, three chances for a Venetian Cinderella to find her prince. And then she’ll lose him forever…

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Format: Print book

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Availability: 1 copy available, 3263 people requesting

Giveaway dates: Dec 08 - Mar 08, 2018

Countries available: US, CA, and GB

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Top Reviews This Week

Emily May's review of Tempests and Slaughter (The Numair Chronicles, #1) by Tamora Pierce

" I initially rated this four stars but did not write a review. For some reason, I wasn't ready. I had to go think about it some more before I could put my overall thoughts into words.

And that's when I realized something: I was rating this based on wh I initially rated this four stars but did not write a review. For some reason, I wasn't ready. I had to go think about it some more before I could put my overall thoughts into words.

And that's when I realized something: I was rating this based on what I wanted it to be, what I was sure it would be before I started the book, and just generally what I expected from Tamora Pierce. But - and it pains me to say it - this is just not a four star book.

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely enjoyable parts. Three stars means "I liked it", after all. It was very easy to get into, very easy to read, with the loping effortless style of a seasoned author who knows the audience she is writing for well. It is fun and formulaic, but spends a lot of time meandering, lacking direction or purpose. Almost all of the forward momentum of the plot occurs in the last fifty-ish pages, setting us up for what will probably grow into a good series.

As with the wonderful Alanna books, Tempests and Slaughter follows the protagonist, this time Arram Draper, through his years at a fantasy school. This magic boarding school definitely has more of a Harry Potter vibe, though. Arram, along with his two friends, Varice and Prince Ozorne, moves through the semesters of the Imperial University of Carthak, attending classes, making enemies, and learning from powerful mages.

Arram's day-to-day life makes up the majority of the book. Sure, events happen to stir things up, but it is a long time before there is any sense of something bigger at play, or an overall destination for the story at large. While character backstory and development is essential, there are several hundred pages where it feels like there is nothing we are reading towards. Instead, Arram gets his first erections and discusses wet dreams with Ozorne, which, you know, it's great that we're talking about this in YA, but I was left wondering-- where is the plot?

As the book winds slowly to a close without much of a climax, you can see how the author has developed certain plot points for future - and, I hope, more dynamic - installments. The theme of slavery seems to be of importance and I look forward to seeing what Pierce does with that. Let's face it, disappointments aside, I am definitely coming back for the next book.

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New Releases in Graphic Novels & Comics

不滅のあなたへ 6 [Fumetsu no Anata e 6] (To Your Eternity, #6)

ヲタクに恋は難しい 5 [Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii 5] (Love is Hard for an Otaku, #5)

リビングの松永さん 3 [Living no Matsunaga-san 3] (Living-Room Matsunaga-san, #3)

食戟のソーマ 28 [Shokugeki no Souma 28] (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, #28)

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New Releases in Romance

Nobody Does It Better (Masters and Mercenaries, #15)

The Sea Before Us (Sunrise at Normandy, #1)

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New Releases in Fiction

Lethal Licorice (Amish Candy Shop Mystery, #2)

The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond, #1)

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New Releases in Memoir & Autobiography

Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy

Hiding Out: A Memoir of Drugs, Deception, and Double Lives

Things We Haven't Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out

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A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)

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A Life in Books

Penny Reid

Life coaches and professional cuddlers and medication, oh my! Dating-ish author Penny Reid shares her favorite books on relationship research.

21 likes · 7 comments

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Book Look

Mark Bradford: Tomorrow Is Another Day

Mark Bradford is best known for his large abstract paintings. He uses fragments of posters, billboards, newsprint, and other found objects to create commentaries on class, race, and gender through his lens as a black American artist.

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Recent Award Winners

The Thin Light of Freedom by Edward L. Ayers

The Thin Light of Freedom: Civil War and Emancipation in the Heart of America
by Edward L. Ayers
Lincoln Prize (2018)

Three Things About Elsie
by Joanna Cannon
Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2018)

Sing, Unburied, Sing
by Jesmyn Ward
Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2018)

The Trick to Time
by Kit de Waal
Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2018)

Home Fire
by Kamila Shamsie
Women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2018)

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