Happy 2020!

 

WE MADE IT!  Happy New Year Everyone.

 
🎉✨Here's wishing everyone a wonderfully productive 2020 and SO many great reads!🎉✨ 😬

Book News! Sneak Peek at Diana: Princess of the Amazons

DC Sneak Peek at Shannon and Dean Hale's 'Diana: Princess of the Amazons' in New Trailer and Excerpt

New Middle Grade Graphic Novel by Shannon and Dean Hale, Illustrated by Victoria Ying,
Hits Stores Everywhere Books Are Sold on January 7, 2020


Available to Preorder Now

  

This January, lasso in the New Year with Diana: Princess of the Amazons, a new middle grade original graphic novel from DC.

Perfect for readers ages 8-12, Diana: Princess of the Amazons is written by New York Times bestselling co-authors Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrated by popular artist Victoria Ying. This heartwarming tale follows 11-year-old Diana as she navigates the highs and lows of growing up as the only child on the entire island of Themyscira. It’s a story about family and friendship, learning from mistakes, and finding inner confidence.

The Hales are veterans in the children’s publishing space and are the co-authors behind acclaimed and fan-favorite novels and graphic novels including the Princess in Black series, Rapunzel’s Revenge, and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, among others. Both are longtime fans of Wonder Woman, and this book marks their first project with the character and first work with DC.

“I was so excited to write about young Wonder Woman,” said Shannon Hale. “I always wondered what it would feel like for young Diana to grow up as the only child in her world. How extraordinary—but also potentially lonely. We started from there and got to explore who Wonder Woman was as a child, and challenge her with an adventure that would help shape who she would become."

“Wonder Woman has always been one of my favorite superheroes, but Diana has been one of my favorite heroes, full stop, super or not,” added Dean Hale. “To have the opportunity to tell a story in her formative years, to provide one of the many story ‘ingredients’ that combine to make her the hero she becomes, was an incredible honor.”

Diana: Princess of the Amazons also marks Ying’s first work with DC and her very first graphic novel. Ying comes to DC from an animation background, having worked on such hit Disney films as Tangled, Frozen, and Wreck-It Ralph, among others. Ying has also written and illustrated several children’s picture books and was thrilled to work on this original story starring Wonder Woman.

“It was a real treat to explore Diana as a child,” said Ying. “I had a blast drawing her and felt like I got to be her friend too.”

Leading into its January on-sale date, Diana: Princess of the Amazons has already received critical acclaim from such outlets as Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal, among others. The book was also selected by IndieBound’s prestigious Kids Next list for winter and is one of DC’s most anticipated releases of 2020.

“Diana: Princess of the Amazons is DC’s first solo Wonder Woman graphic novel geared toward middle graders, and we are thrilled with the reception so far,” said Michele Wells, vice president and executive editor, DC Books for Young Readers. “The Hales’ heartfelt reimagining of Wonder Woman combined with Ying’s playful and energetic illustrations make this original story a great introduction to the iconic superhero. Its debut will mark one of the largest print runs we’ve set since launching our young reader program, and we can’t wait to share this book with the next generation of Wonder Woman fans!”

Diana: Princess of the Amazons will hit stores and online retailers everywhere books are sold on January 7, 2020 and is available to preorder now. See here for a sneak peek at the story and here for the official trailer.

Diana: Princess of the Amazons

Written by Shannon and Dean Hale

Illustrated by Victoria Ying

Colored by Lark Pien

Lettered by Dave Sharpe

MSRP: $9.99

On sale everywhere books are sold on 1/7

Cut off from the rest of the world, Diana has had an idyllic childhood on Themyscira. But now, at 11 years old, she’s beginning to feel more and more isolated. Though she has many “aunties” and a loving mother, she is an only child. THE only child, in fact.

After an escapade goes wrong, Queen Hippolyta chastises Diana for not living up to the Amazon standard. Diana just can’t seem to measure up, no matter what she does! Literally every other person on the island is an adult proficient in their trade and mighty in body, while she is gangly, sometimes clumsy, and not particularly proficient in anything. She’s not Wonder Woman yet. What Diana needs is a friend—someone her own age whom she can talk to. But when she decides to take matters into her own hands, she may just make a monster instead.

Cover2CoverBlog Review Coming Soon!

Stay Tuned!

Book News! Official Trailer for Wonder Woman: Warbringer

DC DEBUTS OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR WONDER WOMAN: WARBRINGER

Young Adult Graphic Novel Adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s 

New York Times Bestselling DC Icons Novel

Set to Hit Stores January 7, 2020

Available to Pre-Order Now

 

DC revealed the official trailer for Wonder Woman: Warbringer, the publisher’s next young adult graphic novel based on Leigh Bardugo’s New York Times bestselling prose novel. The novel is adapted in graphic form by comics legend Louise Simonson and illustrated by Kit Seaton.

Set to debut everywhere books are sold on January 7, Wonder Woman: Warbringer is a modern re-imagining of the iconic character following a teenage Diana on a journey of self-discovery. See the graphic novel come to life in the official book trailer here! 

  Wonder Woman: Warbringer 

  Adapted by Louise Simonson from Leigh Bardugo’s prose novel 

  Illustrated by Kit Seaton 

  Colored by Sara Woolley 

  Lettered by Deron Bennett 

  On sale January 7, 2020 

  MSRP: $16.99 

She will become one of the world's greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning.Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Leigh Bardugo, this graphic novel adaptation brings to life Diana’s first adventure beyond the hidden shores of Themyscira.

Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world. Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn't know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. 

  

Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Merry Christmas 2019

🎄🎄🎄🎄Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!🎄🎄🎄🎄
From Steph at Cover2CoverBlog 

Hope that your holiday is filled with love and happiness (and BOOKS!...lots and lots of great books)!!

Happy Holidays from Cover2CoverBlog

Happy December and Happy Holidays! 

However you will be celebrating, I would like to say Happy Holidays!!!

I hope you have a love filled holiday season and a beautiful month!

Here is one of my favorite photos of Rolo to help you relax during this holiday season.

 

Waiting on Wednesday: We Used To Be Friends by Amy Spalding

We Used to be Friends by Amy Spalding
Publisher: Amulet
Publication Date: January 7, 2020

Synopsis:  

 Two best friends grow up—and grow apart—in this innovative contemporary YA novel

Told in dual timelines—half of the chapters moving forward in time and half moving backward—We Used to Be Friends explores the most traumatic breakup of all: that of childhood besties. At the start of their senior year in high school, James (a girl with a boy’s name) and Kat are inseparable, but by graduation, they’re no longer friends. James prepares to head off to college as she reflects on the dissolution of her friendship with Kat while, in alternating chapters, Kat thinks about being newly in love with her first girlfriend and having a future that feels wide open. Over the course of senior year, Kat wants nothing more than James to continue to be her steady rock, as James worries that everything she believes about love and her future is a lie when her high-school sweetheart parents announce they’re getting a divorce. Funny, honest, and full of heart, We Used to Be Friends tells of the pains of growing up and growing apart.

Why I Am Waiting:
This seems like a great way to tell a story - it moved forward AND backward in time... I am very intrigued and would love to read this one!

Recent Reads: The Worst Christmas Ever by Kathleen Long Bostrom and Guy Porfirio

Source: From Netgalley and Flyaway Books for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

The Worst Christmas Ever by Kathleen Long Bostrom and Guy Porfirio 
Publisher: Flyaway Books
Publication Date:  September 17, 2019

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

Now that his family has moved to California, Matthew has doubts as the holiday season approaches. Palm trees? No snow? It’s all wrong.
Little sister Lucy thinks everything is wonderful, but Matthew knows better. And to top it off, the sudden disappearance of his beloved dog, Jasper, settles it. This will be the worst Christmas ever.
Or will it? Surprising events on Christmas Eve just might change everything—and maybe this new place can feel like home to Matthew after all.

Review: 
Matthew and his family are moving to California, and it is not the right place for Christmas. In this book Matthew is upset because California is not what he wants for his Christmas experience and everything feels off and what he would love is a Christmas miracle. 

I completely understand Matthew's depression about this, it is hard to move and it is hard to be ok with change, but it happens and we need to make the best of the situation. I also agree that Christmas should have some dead leaves and maybe even snow, so being in a different climate would be really unnerving. 

To make matters worse, Jasper, the family dog runs off and Matthew is left all alone and missing his dog. It was a sad and mopey book for a holiday book, but it all comes together in the end. Matthew has a change of heart but I think that there was something missing to this book. 

I think it will be a great book for when a change is happening but it doesn't get in to the solutions for dealing with change and I thought it should go into that more since it was the plot.

Audible Audiobook Reviews - October and November (Part 1)

The Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Peterson
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication Date:  October 3, 2019

  

Format:  Audiobook
Source: October Audible Freebie for Subscribers

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In January 2019, culture writer Anne Helen Petersen set the internet on fire with her viral BuzzFeed essay diagnosing "millennial burnout" - a chronic state of stress and exhaustion that's become a "base temperature" for young people today. Now, she continues this generation-defining conversation in a brand-new format, interviewing millennials around the country about their own deeply personal experiences with burnout, and the culture that creates it.

In this Audible Original, you'll hear about how this issue has affected Petersen's own life, as well as the lives of five very different subjects: Kevin, a musician and Marine veteran; Kate, a first-generation college graduate working to repay her formidable student debt; Haley and Evette, young writers at different career stages in the digital media industry; and John, a pastor and co-founder of a new Baptist church in North Carolina.

The conversations that comprise The Burnout Generation cover everything from debt to social media to the blurred boundaries between our professional and personal lives. In this illuminating an intimate audio project, you'll learn how and why this generation has been conditioned to "optimize" every aspect of our lives (Meal prep for the week! Find a side hustle! But practice self-care! And answer emails in bed!), and most importantly, how the consequences of this phenomenon play out in day-to-day life. 

 Review: 
As someone experiencing burnout, I connected with this title and so I picked it up as my Audible freebie in October. The author talks about her experience being a millennial and the burnout she experienced and then goes on to talk to a few others about their experiences. 

While I enjoyed this as a listen, it seemed like it only touched on some of the reasons for burnout and it was more of a personal story than researched. I was hoping for more data and information but that might be because I am in a Master's program and that is all I am doing right now.

A lot of things this author talked about effect me personally so I rated the book higher than I might have otherwise, it was just lots of truth. Not just millennials, but a lot of people are in this boat now where in order to deal with over stimulation and constant contact we are burning ourselves out.  We need to find the time to disconnect, really take a vacation, and breathe but it is so hard. I think what I took from this book, was that we try and will keep trying to push ourselves to stay ahead and it is not going well, but we continue to do it... (it looks great on Instagram... jk or am I, I am not even sure anymore).

I think that this book would be even greater with more science behind it and I would be screaming to the world about it then, but for not it is a good read. If you are looking for some truth about the world we live in and how we feel about it, this would be a good listen. 

How Chefs Holiday by Dana Cowin
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date:  October 31, 2019

  

Format:  Audiobook
Source: November Audible Freebie for Subscribers

Rating:

Goodreads Synopsis: 

 Once autumn hits, the holiday season has begun! And nothing embodies holiday spirit more than family traditions and recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Maybe it’s sharing stories at the dinner table, having a laugh on the front porch, or just relaxing with loved ones—everyone has their own ritual.

Join Dana Cowin, author and former Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine, as she chats with some of today’s most popular chefs and food personalities. Together they pass along their own holiday traditions and stories, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Dana and company also discuss how these experiences impact their current holiday traditions and menus.

Cowin takes advantage of her career-spanning relationships with these top chefs to have them share

• Unique ways to celebrate Thanksgiving with Padma Lakshmi
• The Swedish Christmas with Marcus Samuelsson
• The "hard knocks of the holidays" with Kwame Onwuachi
• A holiday catastrophe with Carla Hall
• The importance of gratitude with Mike Solomonov
• The Anti-Christmas with Alex Guarnaschelli. 

Review: 
Something you might not know about me... I LOVE cooking shows, but I am a horrible cook, I can follow a recipe but that is about it. I love food, I love thinking about food and eating food and watching things about food (hahaha...now I am hungry). Lucky for me though I knew who all of these chefs were before I started listening, because of all my TV time with them.

This was a super short listen all about how these chefs do the holidays and the struggle is real for them just as much as us. It is such an interesting listen if you know the chefs, I feel like you might not feel as connected if you don't but it is stil interesting. Their storys were fun and funny and Alex's Anti-Christmas was a very interesting take on Christmas time but I agree with some of her points. She notes that sometimes the holidays are hard and there is guilt in them because of who you are with and how you aren't with and that is so true and can sometimes take away from all the joy you are 'supposed' to feel.

This book came with a PDF of recipes too, so if you are so inclined you can try some of the comfort foods the chefs talk about. If you like food and know these chefs from their various tv appearances it might be interesting for you to hear about their holiday traditions, it was fun for me.

Recent Reads: Just Us Kids- Shipwrecked by D Stewart

Source: From the Author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Just Us Kids: Shipwrecked by D Stewart
Series: Just Us Kids
Publisher: Createspace
Publication Date:  May 31, 2017

 

Format: Audiobook

Rating:








Goodreads Synopsis: 

Tyler Hartmann had made mistakes, but today was the worst so far. The ship he was on with his mom had been caught in a storm and slammed against some rocks. Soaked by the pouring rain and confused by the darkness, Tyler and the other children had jumped into a lifeboat. It was what they’d been taught by the captain their first day on the ship. But the adults had all gotten on a separate lifeboat. When the two crafts hit the water and were battered by the waves, there had been no way to keep them together.



We are on our own. Just Us Kids
 

Review: 
Just Us Kids - Shipwrecked is about a group of kids that get shipwrecked together and must fend for themselves while they what for adults to come and find them. The kids face a new place, figuring out how to work with the land and resources about them, and try not to get hurt by any animals that might be around.

This was a cute book. I was provided an audiobook version and it was a pretty quick listen. The plot was interesting but there wasn't too much character development. The does a great job at showing how strong kids can be when they need to be which was nice but because it lacked that character depth it wasn't as enthralling as I would have liked. 

This is a simple but fun middle grade read that would be great for younger middle grade readers who like books with adventure and action. It shows some of the problems with being on your own, but also how to overcome obstacles.  

One note which might seem weird but I feel the need to mention it, the main character Tyler is referred to as 'he' but the audiobook reader is feminine, and that was weird for me. I kept thinking the main character was female. Not that that matters but I thought it would bring it up.

Recent Reads: Mike Saves the Day by JT Hobbs

Source: From a marketing firm on behalf of the author in exchange for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Mike Saves the Day by JT Hobbs
Series: Pufferfish adventures
Publisher: Barringer Publishing/Schlesinger Advertising
Publication Date: September 12, 2019 

 

Format: Ebook

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 

Does your little one feel "uncool" sometimes?
So does Mike, because blowing up like a balloon doesn't exactly give you points for popularity...
However... it turns out that "weird" can become a blessing!
Start reading Mike Saves the Day to your little one today so that they can:Increase their self-confidence; Learn to turn adversities into strengths; Uncover new ways to make ..

Review: 
Mike is a pufferfish who thinks that he does not fit in and he feels funny about it. In the beginning of this book he is very down on himself and he is sad about being "uncool" as the synopsis notes. 

This was a good book about fitting in and how we all have our own special quirks. It will help younger readers understand that they don't have to be like everyone else and that is o, they just need figure out what they are good at and use it to their advantage. 

While I liked the book and feel like younger readers will enjoy it, and will learn something from it. The illustrations were hard for me, they were cute, don't get me wrong, very cute, but some of the sea creatures seemed a bit off. Th illustrations were vivid in color and very detailed though which is always nice in a children's book.