march wrap up

Welcome to the March 2017 wrap up! I seriously cannot believe that March is already over... I feel like it honestly just started. It flew by, and maybe it has something to do with having Spring Break right in the middle of the month, but I just really feel like March slipped through my fingers. Not that I'm complaining, I am more than ready for this semester to be over. March was pretty good though, I managed to read 17 books and post 6 reviews, so nothing too shabby :) Really don't know how I read 17 books, but apparently it happened!

MARCH WRAP UP 

  

1. The Hating Game – Sally Thorne ☆☆☆☆☆

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

2. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life – Benjamin Alire Sáenz ☆☆☆☆

The first day of senior year:

Everything is about to change. Until this moment, Sal has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican-American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief.

Suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and discovering that he no longer knows who he really is—but if Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he? 

3. The Merchant of Venice – Shakespeare ☆☆☆1/2 

The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, but it remains deeply controversial. The text may seem anti-Semitic; yet repeatedly, in performance, it has revealed a contrasting nature. Shylock, though vanquished in the law-court, often triumphs in the theatre. In his intensity he can dominate the play, challenging abrasively its romantic and lyrical affirmations. What results is a bitter-sweet drama.

Though The Merchant of Venice offers some of the traditional pleasures of romantic comedy, it also exposes the operations of prejudice. Thus Shakespeare remains our contemporary.

4. The Lost Daughter – Elena Ferrante ☆☆ 

"Elena Ferrante will blow you away."-Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones

From the author of The Days of Abandonment, The Lost Daughter is Elena Ferrante's most compelling and perceptive meditation on womanhood and motherhood yet. Leda, a middle-aged divorce, is alone for the first time in years when her daughters leave home to live with their father. Her initial, unexpected sense of liberty turns to ferocious introspection following a seemingly trivial occurrence. Ferrante's language is as finely tuned and intense as ever, and she treats her theme with a fierce, candid tenacity.

5. You're Welcome, Universe – Whitney Gardner ☆☆☆☆ 

A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti.

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.

Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.

Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.

Told with wit and grit by debut author Whitney Gardner, who also provides gorgeous interior illustrations of Julia’s graffiti tags, You’re Welcome, Universe introduces audiences to a one-of-a-kind protagonist who is unabashedly herself no matter what life throws in her way.

6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sáenz ☆☆☆☆☆* 

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

 

7. We Are Okay – Nina Lacour ☆☆☆☆

You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…

Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother.

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

  

8. The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch #1) – Rin Chupeco ☆☆☆☆ 

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer.

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.

Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.

9. The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas ☆☆☆☆☆  

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

10. Othello –  Shakespeare ☆☆ 

In Othello, Shakespeare creates a powerful drama of a marriage that begins with fascination (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), with elopement, and with intense mutual devotion and that ends precipitately with jealous rage and violent deaths. He sets this story in the romantic world of the Mediterranean, moving the action from Venice to the island of Cyprus and giving it an even more exotic coloring with stories of Othello's African past. Shakespeare builds so many differences into his hero and heroine—differences of race, of age, of cultural background—that one should not, perhaps, be surprised that the marriage ends disastrously. But most people who see or read the play feel that the love that the play presents between Othello and Desdemona is so strong that it would have overcome all these differences were it not for the words and actions of Othello's standard-bearer, Iago, who hates Othello and sets out to destroy him by destroying his love for Desdemona. As Othello succumbs to Iago's insinuations that Desdemona is unfaithful, fascination—which dominates the early acts of the play—turns to horror, especially for the audience. We are confronted by spectacles of a generous and trusting Othello in the grip of Iago's schemes; of an innocent Desdemona, who has given herself up entirely to her love for Othello only to be subjected to his horrifying verbal and physical assaults, the outcome of Othello's mistaken convictions about her faithlessness.

11. Blood Rose Rebellion – Rosalyn Eves ☆☆☆1/2

Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.

Her life might well be over.

In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.

As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever. 

12. The Education of Margot Sanchez – Lilliam Rivera ☆☆☆

Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted—from debut author Lilliam Rivera.


THINGS/PEOPLE MARGOT HATES:

Mami, for destroying my social life
Papi, for allowing Junior to become a Neanderthal
Junior, for becoming a Neanderthal
This supermarket
Everyone else

After “borrowing” her father's credit card to finance a more stylish wardrobe, Margot
Sanchez suddenly finds herself grounded. And by grounded, she means working as an indentured servant in her family’s struggling grocery store to pay off her debts.

With each order of deli meat she slices, Margot can feel her carefully cultivated prep school reputation slipping through her fingers, and she’s willing to do anything to get out of this punishment. Lie, cheat, and maybe even steal…

Margot’s invitation to the ultimate beach party is within reach and she has no intention of letting her family’s drama or Moises—the admittedly good looking but outspoken boy from the neighborhood—keep her from her goal.

13. Swinging at Love (Suttonville Sentinels #2) – Kendra C. Highley ☆☆☆☆

Outfielder Tristan Murrell has a problem. As the number two slugger for the Suttonville Sentinels, his team is counting on him to make their very first run at the state championship. But he has a secret—his swing has totally deserted him. As in, he can’t hit anything. He needs to fix the issue, and fast, but how?

Ballerina Alyssa Kaplan has a problem, too. The shiny new sports complex in town has left her family’s batting cage business on the verge of going under. Nailing her audition for a prestigious dance company is everything, but there’s no way she’s letting her some shiny big-box company destroy her family’s livelihood.

Tristan needs a miracle. So does Alyssa. And maybe, just maybe, Tristan’s secret weapon might be the girl of his dreams…
 

14. Aced (PresLocke #1) – Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine ☆☆☆☆

Ace Locke is Hollywood’s hottest action hero. Women across the globe fling their panties in his direction, but Ace isn’t interested in those—he’s more of a boxer briefs kind of guy. Specifically, those of the nearly naked male model on a billboard he drives past every day.

Though he recently made headlines for his public coming out, Ace is wary about pursuing a relationship, fearing what the court of public opinion will do to his career. But there’s something in the model’s expression that intrigues him and has him wondering what if?

Dylan Prescott just scored his biggest modeling campaign yet. One that has him plastered all over L.A. in not much more than what he was born with. And when he’s cast in Ace’s latest blockbuster, it puts him in close proximity to his ultimate fantasy.

Outwardly confident, Dylan has no problem with his sexuality or his pretty-boy looks, and uses both to his advantage to get what he wants. And what he wants is the impossible—Ace Locke.

 

15. Locked (PresLocke #2) – Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine ☆☆☆☆

Sorry, ladies—and fellas—Hollywood’s hottest action star, Ace Locke, is officially off the market!

The man on Locke’s arm has been identified as Dylan Prescott, the sexy new “it” model currently featured in the latest Calvin Klein ads. Sources tell TNZ the men met on the set of Locke’s upcoming action film Insurrection 2, and that “they only have eyes for each other.”
This is the first public gay relationship for Locke, who came out a year ago, and there has been much speculation on who would finally be the one to catch his eye.

According to multiple eyewitnesses, Locke whisked Prescott away on his private jet for a romantic weekend at Syn, the most exclusive hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. After pictures recently surfaced of the new couple, affectionately named PresLocke, it appears from the possessive way Locke keeps his new beau close that things are heating up.

The world is watching #PresLocke, and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on this budding relationship!

16. Wedlocked (PresLocke #3) – Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine ☆☆☆☆

Because you have believed in them,
Celebrated with them,
Loved and encouraged them,

Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine
Invite you to join

Ace Samuel Locke

and

Dylan Prescott

Saturday, the twenty-fourth of May
at six-o’clock in the evening

The Grand Floridian Hotel
4406 Palm Way
Orlando, Florida

For Love, Laughter and Happily Ever After 

17. Bluets – Maggie Nelson ☆☆☆

 Suppose I were to begin by saying that I had fallen in love with a color...

A lyrical, philosophical, and often explicit exploration of personal suffering and the limitations of vision and love, as refracted through the color blue. With Bluets, Maggie Nelson has entered the pantheon of brilliant lyric essayists.

Maggie Nelson is the author of numerous books of poetry and nonfiction, including Something Bright, Then Holes (Soft Skull Press, 2007) and Women, the New York School, and Other True Abstractions (University of Iowa Press, 2007). She lives in Los Angeles and teaches at the California Institute of the Arts.

what did you guys read and love this month? 

xx

Caroline    

spotlight on: cuteness overload

Spotlight On is a monthly feature here at Stardust and Words, where each month I talk about something random/bookish/life-related of my own choosing. You can find the rest of the Spotlight On posts here! And to make up for being basically AWOL through the month of February, I'm trying to make this a Spotlight On post worth waiting for :) I decided to compile a list of the books that make my heart go SQUEE every time I think of them. Whether that's an adorable romance, friendship, or just a really cute pet, these books are super cute to me. (Though, just because these books are "cute," that doesn't mean they aren't deep, sad, lovely, or well-written. They are a multitude, each) Enjoy!

1. The Names They Gave Us – Emery Lord (I know this is sort of unfair, since this book doesn't come out until May, but I'm just going to try to get you guys as excited as possible for this book. Or at least annoy you into buying it.)

Lucy Hansson was ready for a perfect summer with her boyfriend, working at her childhood Bible camp on the lake. But when her mom’s cancer reappears, Lucy falters—in faith, in love, and in her ability to cope. When her boyfriend “pauses” their relationship and her summer job switches to a different camp—one for troubled kids—Lucy isn’t sure how much more she can handle. Attempting to accept a new normal, Lucy slowly regains footing among her vibrant, diverse coworkers, Sundays with her mom, and a crush on a fellow counselor. But when long-hidden family secrets emerge, can Lucy set aside her problems and discover what grace really means?  

2. One Paris Summer – Denise Grover Swank 

Most teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they’re expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Camille, agrees to show them around the city, but she makes it clear that she will do everything in her power to make Sophie miserable.

Sophie could deal with all the pain and humiliation if only she could practice piano. Her dream is to become a pianist, and she was supposed to spend the summer preparing for a scholarship competition. Even though her father moved to Paris to pursue his own dream, he clearly doesn't support hers. His promise to provide her with a piano goes unfulfilled.

Still, no one is immune to Paris’s charm. After a few encounters with a gorgeous French boy, Sophie finds herself warming to the city, particularly when she discovers that he can help her practice piano. There’s just one hitch—he’s a friend of Camille’s, and Camille hates Sophie. While the summer Sophie dreaded promises to become best summer of her life, one person could ruin it all.

3. The Loose Ends List – Carrie Firestone (this was my absolute favorite book of last summer!)

It’s a summer for first love, last wishes, and letting go.

Maddie has big plans to spend the last months before college tying up high school “loose ends” alongside her best friends. Then her beloved grandmother drops two bombshells: (1) Gram is dying. (2) She’s taking her entire family on a round-the-world cruise of dreams come true—but at the end, Gram won’t be returning home.

With a promise to live in the now without regrets, Maddie boards the Wishwell determined to make every moment count. She finds new friends in her fellow Wishwellians, takes advantage of the trip’s many luxuries, gets even closer to her quirky family, and falls for painfully gorgeous Enzo. But despite the copious laughter, headiness of first love, and wonder of the glamorous destinations, Maddie knows she is on the brink of losing Gram, and she struggles to find the strength to let go in a whirlwind summer shaped by love, grief, and laughter.

4. My Lady Jane – Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, and Cynthia Hand  (the LOL factor is through the roof with this one) 


The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane is about to become the Queen of England.

 
5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before  – Jenny Han 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

6. Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertalli 

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
  

7. Steering the Stars – Erica Cope and Autumn Doughton

Two girls. Two stories. One journey.

Be careful what you wish for…
Aspiring writer Hannah Vaughn worries that she is doomed to live out the rest of her existence in a sleepy Oklahoma town. For as long as she can remember, she’s dreamed of something more – adventure, excitement, intrigue. When her sister invites her to London and she’s accepted to a prestigious writing program at The Warriner School, she jumps at the chance. But will it be epic or an epic fail?

You’ll never know if you don’t try…
Nothing ever happens to straight-A student Caroline McKain and that’s exactly the way she likes it. With her best friend in London and junior year looming on the horizon, all she wants is to remain invisible. So when she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight, she must ask herself: Can an invisible girl really take center stage?

Follow Hannah and Caroline as they navigate the complexities of first love, family and growing up. As their bond is tested, the girls will learn that being apart can ultimately bring you together. Steering the Stars is a fresh, heartfelt young adult story about fate, discovery, and the magic of friendship.

8.  Love & Gelato – Jenna Evans Welch 

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more. 

9. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.






 

10. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour – Morgan Matson 

Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way. 

spotlight on: my favorite fall reads

Welcome to Spotlight On: a monthly feature hosted her at Stardust and Words. You can find the rest of the spotlight posts here! I did a post that is similar to this one last year, where I talked about the books that capture the spirit of Halloween for me, and I talked about this again in my TTT post last week! Now I want to talk about some books that I love to reread in the fall. Some of these are perennial favorites, and some of them are new-to-me favorites, but they all have the coziness and feeling of coming home that I associate with fall, and they are all perfect for curling up with a mug of something hot and watching the leaves swirl outside the window :)

1.The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas – Swashbuckling, revenge, misty islands, and mistaken identity make this a perfect book for a fall afternoon. It's super long, so you can either power through with the help of a lot of coffee or read an abridged version. I just love how atmospheric it is.

2. Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine – The perfect quick read for when you need a pick me up. I love to make a super elaborate hot chocolate and then snuggle up with this book or its (HIGHLY inferior but still a ton of fun) movie. Gail Carson Levine is one of the best writers I've ever read, and she manages to capture so much emotion and heart in all of her books. Ella Enchanted is my personal favorite, but you can't go wrong with any of her novels.

3. Inkheart – Cornelia Funke – One of my favorite books from when I was in middle school, this entire trilogy reminds me of driving through New England in October. Lovable characters, a great father daughter relationship, and traveling into all of your favorite books means that Inkheart is basically every bibliophile's dream.

4. The Princess Bride – William Goldman – Okay, who doesn't adore The Princess Bride? It is one of those classic fairy tale stories that you absolutely can't go wrong with on a fall day. It's hilarious, heartbreaking and completely engaging.

5. Entwined – Heather Dixon – A darker retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Dixon conjures up the darker side of fall with her fairy tale. I think of abandoned castles, sleeping beauty on her one-hundredth year of slumber, and dark fall nights lit only with candles.

6. The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien – Do I even need to explain myself here? I don't know about you guys, but curling up in a Hobbit hole with Bilbo is the perfect way to spend October.

7. The Book Thief – Markus Zusak – save this book for the moment that you can almost feel autumn turning into winter. That is the feeling that I associate with The Book Thief. The nights are freezing but the days are still warm enough that you aren't cold, and you can see the frost on the grass early. This book is the most heartbreakingly beautiful thing that I have ever read, and I love every second of it every single time I read it.

8. Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta – Looking for a home, looking for your place of belonging, looking for fun, looking for a love. Long, winding paths, mysteries, pranks, making up. Jellicoe Road is haunting, captivating and so perfect for fall days.

9. Love Letters to the Dead – Ava Dellaria – The leaves are dying and falling, but they are so beautiful as they do so. That's kind of like Love Letters to the Dead. Death is something that, sometimes, like the leaves, stares us right in the face. But we have to find the beauty despite of it.

10. We Were Liars – E. Lockhart – Family secrets, first loves, mysteries, blink and you'll miss them clues, an enormous plot twist.

11. Attachments – Rainbow Rowell – Caloo, Calay! There is one scene in this book that talks about October in the best way, and that is why I always associate this book with October and fall in general. It has a homey feel to it too, like a cup of tea and your favorite movie.

12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling – I'm not sure why it is just this particular book of the series that I always think of when I think of fall, but I always get the urge to read PoA when the weather starts changing. Maybe it is because I think the movie is beautiful in the way that it deals with the changing of seasons, or maybe it's because this was my favorite one when I was little, but something about it screams autumn to me.

13. A Little Something Different – Sandy Hall – One of those adorable warm and fuzzy contemporaries that I think is perfect for the crispest and clearest fall day. I love the alternating POVs and the fact that it takes place on a college campus just makes me think of walking to class and stomping on the falling leaves.

14. Carry On – Rainbow Rowell– Maybe this also has something to do with the on-campus/Hogwarts/school-time feeling, but I think this book is perfect for reading in the fall. It combined the sparkly brightness of a crisp fall day with the spooky darkness of the chilly fall night. Lovable characters and a little bit of magic rounds off this amazing book :)

15. First & Then – Emma Mills – football/school/first love. The ultimate fall trifecta!

16. Walk the Earth a Stranger – Rae Carson – The aesthetic of the cover combined with the gold rush era historical fiction of the plot makes this one a perfect fall read for me. It is engaging while still being subtle, and isn't in your face with its fun.

17. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Saenz – Adorable LGBT romance, finding out who you are and what you're really made of, "boys like me were made for the rain," adorable puppies. These are all of the things that you need to know about this book please read it, it is my favorite thing in the entire world.




18. Some Kind of Happiness – Claire Legrand – a haunting, moving description of depression in and for younger kids, I absolutely adore this atmospheric novel. Forests full of dangers and delights, old family secrets, houses full of relatives, friendships formed in the heat of imagination. A long sip of cold water.


19. Uprooted – Naomi Novik – a lush fairy tale retelling of a few different mashed up tales, there is darkness and dark magic as well as lovely sunlight in this one. Dragons or humans? Monsters or girls? Who to trust and who to be wary of? Magical and unconventional girls who have friendship above all. Lovely.

21. Milk and Honey  – poetry for autumn. Poems about breaking, loving, healing, becoming. Poems about the worst times and the best times, extremes that stick with you. Beautiful verse, beautiful illustrations, read it in an hour or linger for several.

What are some of your favorite fall reads?

xx
Caroline

spotlight on: all about love

welcome to the spotlight!! this is a monthly series here at Stardust and Words, where I just pick something book-related at random and shine a spotlight on it for 500 or so words. You can find all of the spotlight posts here. Of course, this month being February, I knew that I had to do some sort of spotlight post centered around love. So! In the spirit of Valentine's (or Galentine's) Day, I decided to do a post that highlights my favorite love stories: in books, in movies, and in TV shows. I do hope that you ~love~ it!

In Novels:

<– (SPOILERS FOR THRONE OF GLASS)  Aelin and Rowan – Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas: though it wasn't love at first sight, it was a slow burn that grew into something beautiful and intense. I think these two are perfect <3 

Shazi and Khalid – The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh – The love that developed between these two –>
is deep and strong, and I love the way Khalid is so taken with Shazi from the beginning.

 <– Emmy and Oliver – Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway– such a sweet story and a sweet couple, this is about accepting someone the way they are, not the way you wish they were.

Feyre and Tamlin – A Court of Thorns and Roses by –> Sarah J Maas – I know tons of people ship Feyre and Rhysand from this series, but I tend to be a gal who sticks to her guns, and I love Tamlin.

<– Max and Paige – The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord – This is the best of nerdy couples: literature, TV & trivia is what bonds them together, and I love the slow burn, friends turned into more aspect of their relationship.

Simon and Blue – Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens –> Agenda by Becky Albertalli – I absolutely loved reading the emails sent between these two, they are adorable and unsure in the BEST WAY!

<– Skylar and Josh – I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios – Sky and Josh represent an escape for the other, and this is a couple that cannot stay away from each other, they have a magnetic attraction.

Marguerite and Paul – A Thousand Pieces of You –>
by Claudia Gray – Paul and Marguerite are soulmates in every sense of the world, through dimensions, through hardships, they always find each other, and it is SO romantic.

<– Annabeth and Percy – Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan – the OTP that I shipped before I knew what shipping was. This is the boy you've loved since you were 11 years old turning into the love of your life.

Anna and Etienne – Anna and the French Kiss by –> Stephanie Perkins – the slowest of all slow burns!! I love the concept that Anna and Etienne become each other's concept of home. This is an all-time fave.

<– Amy and Roger – Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – what better way to bond two people together than to throw them into a car for a cross country trip? Favorite line: Oh yes, since Kansas. At least.

Cath and Levi – Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – –> another all-time favorite, Cath and Levi are who I look to when people say opposites attract, and I truly believe that, with a supportive heart, it couldn't be more true.

<– Tessa and Will – The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare – if I could insert myself into a fictional couple, it would be these two. I fell in love with Will from page 1, and I relate to Tessa so much. </3 <3 I LOVE THEM

Ari and Dante – Aristotle and Dante Discover the –> Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz– "how could I be ashamed of loving Dante Quintana?" is all you need to know.

<– Elinor and Edward – Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen – this was the first Austen I ever read, and I have never been more in love with a hero. Even Mr. Darcy. I feel like Elinor and Edward were the original slow burn romance, and I love how they resolve.

Patroclus and Achilles – The Song of Achilles by –> Madeline Miller – these two make me cry every single time I even think about them. They're the two that know each other inside and out, and love every part of one another.

In Film: 
(from 1 to 5 hearts, 1 being super romantic and 5 being OMG I'M DYING romantic)

<– About Time – Tim and Mary:

♡♡♡♡♡

The Princess Diaries – Joe and Clarisse –> :  ♡♡♡♡ 



<– Thor –Thor and Jane : ♡♡♡

HighSchool Musical  - Troy –>
and Gabriella: ♡♡♡♡


 
<– Pitch Perfect– Becca and Jesse: ♡♡♡

Pirates of the Caribbean– Elizabeth and –> Will: ♡♡♡♡



<– Robin Hood– Robin Hood and Maid Marian: ♡♡

10 Things I Hate About You –  –>
Kat and Patrick : ♡♡♡

<– Brooklyn – Eilis and Tony: ♡♡♡♡♡

Howl's Moving Castle– Sophie and Howl –>  ♡♡♡

<– Clueless– Cher and Josh: ♡

Beautyand the Beast – Belle –>
and the Beast – : ♡♡♡♡

<– Legally Blonde– Elle and Emmet: ♡♡♡
 
Star Wars– Leia and Han –>
♡♡♡♡♡

<– 13 Going on 30– Jenna and Matty: ♡♡♡♡

What If – Chantry and Wallace –>
: ♡♡

<–RENT–  Roger and Mimi:
♡♡♡♡

Anastasia – Anastasia and  –>
Dmitri:♡♡♡

In Television:

<– Pam and Jim – The Office ♡♡♡♡♡
Jess and Nick – New Girl –>
♡♡♡♡

<–  Cece and Schmidt – New Girl
♡♡♡♡♡
Finn and Rachel – Glee –>
♡♡♡♡

<– Kurt and Blaine – Glee
♡♡♡ 
Emma and Hook – Once Upon –>
a Time 
♡♡♡♡♡

<–Luke and Lorelai – Gilmore Girls
♡♡
Monica & Chandler –Friends–>
♡♡♡

<– Chuck and Blair – Gossip Girl
♡♡♡
Chip and Joanna – Fixer Upper–>
(IT TOTALLY COUNTS)
♡♡♡♡


<– Leslie and Ben – Parks & Rec
♡♡
Felicity and Oliver – Arrow –>
♡♡♡♡♡

<– Lizzie and Gordo – Lizzie McGuire
♡
Carrie and Big – Sex and the –>
City ♡♡


<– Lois and Clark – Smallville
♡♡♡ 
Corey and Topanga – Boy –>
Meets World  
♡♡♡♡♡



♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Well, that was a ton of fun to do!!! Who are some of your favorite literary/movie/tv couples? Please share them with me :)

xx
Sunny