Tiny Navajo Writes: Top Five ARCs to Read

Hey guys! Today is Thursday and today I want to talk to you about some ARCs that I have requested that I’m actually looking forward to reading. I do request ARCs, as much as I can, I just seem to have a very bad habit of not reading them on time for their release schedules. BUT! I plan on changing that this year, and I have a list of the ARCs I have requested and their publish dates on my phone. It is pinned to my screen, so I can see it whenever I turn my phone on, so I’ll actually know when to have these ARCs read and reviewed by. Pretty good plan if I do say so myself.

I’m also letting you know that I tend to only request ARCs that I find interesting to me. I don’t request ARCs just to request ARCs, I want to read the books that interest me and that includes the possibility of books that might interest me. So, here are five ARCs that I’m excited to be reading!

1. The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. A book about the American Library in Paris (I didn’t know there was one!) during WWII and a librarian who seeks to protect all that she holds dear.
2. The Russian Cage by Charlene Harris. This just sounds so interesting! A world where magic exists and is acknowledged, but is a despised power; the Holy Russian Empire and seeking to find a way to rescue a prince. How does this not sound good?!
3. The Conductors by Nicole Glover. Once a conductor on the Underground Railroad, now an investigator for murders and crimes white authorities won’t touch, our main character is going to have to learn a LOT about her home and neighborhood if she wants to solve this crime.
4. A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. A third in the series in an alternative Cairo, where magic and steampunk combine to give us this fantastical world!
5. Tales of the Mist by Laura Suárez. A graphic novel set in 1930s Spain, where the paranormal and prewar realism clash in a tiny fishing village. Dark and spooky and sounds just like my cup of tea!

These are the five ARCs I’m actually forward to reading this year, and I will read them and review them in a timely order! Y’all may need to hold me somewhat accountable if just to ask, “Did you read them yet?” I’m going to go enjoy my reading, and I suggest you try and do the same. We all need some escapism right now, so find it however you can and I hope things will calm down.

Tiny Navajo Writes: December Update and Announcements

Hey guys! The new year is here and I can say that I’m so very glad that it has come! 2020 was the year of the dumpster fire and I’m glad it’s done. Now, we look to the future with hopeful hearts and (hopefully) open minds and strive to make this year a better one than last year.

As promised, I do have an announcement: I’m on the Sequoyah High School reading team for the next three years! I get to read books and help decide which books are going to be on the Sequoyah lists, which if you don’t know, or aren’t from Oklahoma, it’s an award that honor Sequoyah, a Cherokee man who created the Cherokee syllabary, the 86 symbols representing the different sounds in the Cherokee language. This also allowed the Cherokee language to be preserved and taught.

So, be on the lookout for the books I’ll be reviewing, you may recognize them later in the year. Anyway, with that out of the way, it’s now onto my December Update, where I tell you what I read and the breakdown of types of books that I read throughout the month of December and how my reading goal for whole year went. I will warn you now, I may not have a lot, so don’t be too disappointed.

Currently reading and reading goal for the year.

In December, I read a total of 4 books. Yep, 4 books. I will say though, December is one of the harder months out of the year for me personally, so that number doesn’t really surprise me. Especially with how 2020 in general went. I read Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, Vanity and Vampyres, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and Elysium Girls. 3 of these were library books, with 1 being an ARC I received from the author. Other than that, I didn’t do a whole lot of book reading. I did do a LOT of fanfiction reading, it seems to give me the peace and focus because I usually already know the characters and so don’t have to reinvest energy to learn about a whole new set of characters.

As for my overall year reading, I read a total of 123 books and my goal was 52 books for the year. One book for every week. This will be my goal again for this year. I want to read because I want to read, not because I want to get a certain number on the board. And if I don’t want to read, I want to be able to choose not to read as well. 52 books for this year, and we’ll what comes of it.

What are you goals for reading this year? How do you plan on reaching them? Comment below and let me know, I may need some new strategies as my reading seems to have lost all focus thanks to last year. Happy New Year! And I hope that this year is better than the last for you in more ways than not!

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Vanity and Vampyres

Vanity and Vampyres by Tilly Wallace

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*Published December 11, 2020*

Vanity and Vampyres by Tilly Wallace

I received this ARC from the author. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

I was so excited to hear that this book was to be published later this year after I had binged the first three audiobooks in the series in the early months of the pandemic as I needed something that would fully take me away from the horrors of the pandemic and a world that is still spiraling out of control. And it was definitely the series that I needed and so this is probably the best thing about December so far.

Being a reveller is such a drain…

Someone is supping upon young noblemen and it’s up to Hannah and Wycliff to investigate. If only they could agree on how the men are being drained of their life’s blood. Is it a vampyre, known for their impeccable fashion sense, nocturnal roaming, and dislike of rain, who lurks in the shadows of London? Or is some more earthly method at play, like an attack of leeches?

With her best friend’s wedding imminent, Hannah is determined that the event be untouched by murder or mayhem. To ensure a magical fairytale event they must catch the murderer before the big day. Wycliff must seek the assistance of a man who raises his hackles and Hannah struggles with her growing feelings toward her guarded husband.

This pursuit will unearth long buried secrets that could have fatal consequences for those dearest to Hannah.

This book was great! I highly enjoyed getting to know more about Hannah and Wycliff and how much that Wycliff is starting to actually fall in love with Hannah. I also enjoyed getting to know more about this world where zombies are created from a cursed face powder, the men and women who are turned are still partially accepted as members of society, in a way, and where Unnaturals are also accepted into society.

We see more growth of affection between Wycliff and Hannah, as Wycliff comes to rely a bit more on Hannah to help in his investigations and Hannah is starting lean more on her own intuitions to seek out information that may help bring about an end to the murders in time to celebrate her best friend’s wedding day.

We also start to see that while this may have started out as a marriage of convenience for Hannah and Wycliff, is starting to become just a tiny bit more as they explore their feelings and affections for each other. It not only leads their better working together to solve mysteries and murders, but it also leads to them growing into better versions of themselves that they are able to admit to.

I highly enjoyed reading Vanity and Vampyres and I’m so very excited for the final book to being coming out in 2021! There is definitely some light at the end of this tunnel. Have you found Manners and Monsters? Do you like reading about alternative universes? Comment below and let me know! And I need more people who have read this book series that I can talk to about! Come and talk to me!

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: The Only Good Indians

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

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*Published July 14, 2020*

*I borrowed this ARC from a friend, my opinions and review are my own.*

As stated in previous reviews and writings, I don’t normally read horror as I have an overactive imagination and I do not need nightmare fuel on top of my already weird dreams. But my library system is working on material for Native American Heritage Month and I volunteered to read and do a book talk on three books, this being one of them. It was…interesting to say the least.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

A tale of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, Stephen Graham Jones.

Seamlessly blending classic horror and a dramatic narrative with sharp social commentary, The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

In this chilling book, we see the consequences of wrongly using land and resources for your own gain, and how those consequences will always follow you, even if you believe you’ve run away from them.

While not focusing on my tribe, it does ring true in some ways. I can feel the horror and the disbelief of something following you from not only your tribal stories, but your own disregard of tribal policies. I could feel the edgy-ness of the whole thing, of Lewis not quite believing what his eyes are seeing, on knowing that the mistake that he and his friends made over 10 years ago has now come back to literally haunt his ass. I could feel the not quite here or there of both Gabe and Cassidy not believing, or wanting to believe that what happened to their friends could ever happen to them.

While not a typical horror fest, full of blood and gore of innocent people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, this is still horror. But it the horror of something coming after you because of something that you did. There are many horror stories where your consequences are the reason you’re being hunted, but I think that’s what makes this story work. There is an actual reason here as to why the four friends are the ones who are being chased and killed. And the relentlessness of the avenging “angel” is also terrifying. We, as humans, are pursuers, that’s our superpower, we just can go and go and go at a steady pace and still follow our prey. Now, for Lewis, Gabe, and Cassidy, they are the prey and they are being pursued. All of which leads to a fantastic chase scene at the end of the book that leads to a twist that I didn’t see coming and that gave a small amount of hope that the end of the story.

I would say that if you’re looking for a horror story this Halloween and aren’t afraid to dive into the thinking of a Native American, in some respects, then you should give The Only Good Indians a try. You may find that you keep looking over your shoulder for your own consequences. What types of books do you like to read for the spooky season? And do you read horror books? Why or why not? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Sanctuary

Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher

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*Published September 1, 2020*

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

This book knows just how to shine a lot of what is happening in the United States and it does not hold back its punches.

Co-founder of the Women’s March makes her YA debut in a near future dystopian where a young girl and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary.

It’s 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked–from buses to grocery stores. It’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant, but that’s exactly what sixteen-year-old Vali is doing. She and her family have carved out a stable, happy life in small-town Vermont, but when Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning and the Deportation Forces raid their town, they are forced to flee.

Now on the run, Vali and her family are desperately trying to make it to her tía Luna’s in California, a sanctuary state that is currently being walled off from the rest of the country. But when Vali’s mother is detained before their journey even really begins, Vali must carry on with her younger brother across the country to make it to safety before it’s too late.

Gripping and urgent, co-authors Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher have crafted a narrative that is as haunting as it is hopeful in envisioning a future where everyone can find sanctuary.

I will say that this book doesn’t hold anything back as it tells the story of Vali, Ernie, and their mother as they seek to create a new and happy life in the United States. As immigrants, Vali and her mother have illegal chips implanted in them. Ernie was born on American soil, making him an American citizen. But when California decides to secede from the rest of the United States and become a sanctuary state for all those in the United States without legal chips, a war between the citizens of the United States and the government starts.

As Vali and Ernie make their way to New York, they are separated from their mother, her chip malfunctioning. They must leave her behind and Vali tries to keep her younger brother’s spirits up by saying their mother will meet them in New York. Once there though, it is obvious she won’t be meeting them there and they have to continue making their way to California on their own. As they do, they are chased at every turn by the Deportation Force and just about everyone else who would see them out of the lives of clean Americans.

This is a very real look into what our future as the United States of America could be like if we don’t take action now. This is what scares me about the United States is that the beginnings of this story is happening right now. And this is why this book is as hard hitting as it is. Because it is already happening. We need to take our own action to make sure it doesn’t come to the point where we are chipping people to keep track of illegal immigrants or not. We need to use our voices to speak up and to be heard about what we as a people think the United States should be, not what a government that doesn’t care thinks the United States should be.

I try to not be political about what I read and I try not to be political in my writings. This is what our lives are turning to though and so now is a time to speak up. What do you do when a book strikes a little too close to home? How do you respond to books that have political leanings? Maybe don’t answer this one, but do think about it. You should be thinking quite a lot on what you are doing to do come November.

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Salvaged

Salvaged by Madeleine Roux

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*Published October 15, 2019*

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

I know, I know, I am so late to the party with this ARC but I am glad that I finally read it because it is amazing!

A WOMAN ON THE RUN. A CAPTAIN ADRIFT IN SPACE. ONE OF THEM IS INFECTED WITH AN ALIEN PARASITE.

In this dark science fiction thriller, a young woman must confront her past so the human race will have a future.

Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, the bioengineering job she’s come to hate, and her messed-up life. She’s run all the way to outer space, where she’s taken a position as a “space janitor,” cleaning up ill-fated research expeditions. But no matter how far she goes, Rosalyn can’t escape herself. After too many mistakes on the job, she’s given one last chance: take care of salvaging the Brigantine, a research vessel that has gone dark, with all crew aboard thought dead.

But the Brigantine’s crew are very much alive–if not entirely human. Now Rosalyn is trapped on board, alone with a crew infected by a mysterious parasitic alien. The captain, Edison Aries, seems to still maintain some control over himself and the crew, but he won’t be able to keep fighting much longer. Rosalyn and Edison must find a way to stop the parasite’s onslaught…or it may take over the entire human race.

This was such a good book, and I was taken aback by how much it read like a horror flick. There’s something weird going on with the company that Rosalyn Devar works for, more and more ships are going dark and she has to clean them up. But a ship that shows it has gone dark, shows that there are possible crew members alive, Rosalyn does what Rosalyn does; she goes into the ship, trying to figure out what has happened and what she can do to rescue the crew that is still there.

Once on board though, things take a dark turn for the worst, a parasitic alien has taken hold and has started to murmur into the crew’s minds, to make them think of the parasite as “Mother.” As each member of the crew starts to succumb to “Mother’s” enticings, you can see that Rosalyn knows some of what she is about. She starts to recognize that the parasite is more than what it seems, that there is something more to what it is trying to do in this ship that has gone dark.

As Rosalyn and the few crew members that seem to retain their human sides, their human memories, work together to find out what and where this mess started, Rosalyn starts to realize that there is more here that deals with her previous life than she would like to work with.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and I do wish that I had actually read it sooner, I would have appreciated it more last year before all of this mess popped out. What do you like about deep spaces stories? Do you want to visit the stars? Comment below and let me know!

 

Tiny Navajo Reads: Defy or Defend

*Thanks to Gail Carriger for providing a digital ARC for review!*

Defy or Defend (Delightfully Deadly #2) by Gail Carriger

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*Published May 3, 2020*

This was a sweet novella and it was one that I had been waiting for a while to come out! I am so glad that Gail Carriger decided to reach out to me about reviewing this book for her. While she did provide a digital ARC, the following review is my honest opinion.

A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. The bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other.

New York Times bestselling romantic comedy author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of love, espionage, and Gothic makeovers set in her popular Parasolverse.

SPY

Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office’s best and most decorative fixer. She’s sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives.

VERSUS KNIGHT

Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee.

Neither one is a vampire expert, but when the Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire.

In a battle for survival (and wallpaper), Dimity must learn that not all that sparkles is good, while Cris discovers he likes honey a lot more than he thought.

“This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans.” ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless)

Spinning off from the Finishing School series, featuring deadly ladies of quality, this story stands alone, but chronologically follows Poison or Protect before the start of the Parasol Protectorate Series. It’s Cold Comfort Farm meets Queer Eye meets What We Do In The Shadows from the hilarious author of the Parasol Protectorate books, perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Jodi Taylor, or Meljean Brook.

Delicate Sensibilities?

Contains fraternizing vampires and one very curious young lady, who asks about seduction, sometimes in detail but mostly in retrospect. May also involve excessive use of velvet, melodramatic poetry, and the strategic application of interpretive ballet.

Like I said, this is a sweet book and it gives the epilogue to Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, one of the girls from Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series. It’s a epilogue I had been waiting for for a while and it was well worth it! I loved Dimity and her bubbliness while she was in school, and I love how well that bubbliness helps her now as she works for the War Office in fixing situations that seem to have gone awry.

When Dimity’s skills are called upon to bring a vampire hive back from going Goth, it will take all of Dimity’s skill, both decorative and espionage, in order to bring things to rights before a Sundowner is called to deal with the matter. Nothing will stand in her way, not her safety, a man trying to be a knight, or a drone with thoughts of being center spotlight.

This was so cute and it definitely the ending that Dimity wanted and needed. Dimity has never been one to love the espionage game, but she was extremely good at the game. What she truly wanted was to settle down with a husband and maybe become a society matron. But before she can do that, she must convince her knight that he’s actually her knight, and a vampire hive that going Goth is not the way to do. And she does it all by being herself, not the Honey Bee or Sparkles.

I love all of this story and I love how all of ties together, not only with some of the Finishing School stories, but with some mentions of characters from Gail Carriger’s other series as well. I love Dimity, I love Crispin and his morality, and I love how much a change of scenery can change not only a person, but their outlook on life as well. If you’re looking for more of Gail Carriger’s writing, or just want to know what happened to the girls after Finishing School, then you need to read this book next!

Tiny Navajo Reads: October Update

Hi guys! I know that I’m a little late in doing this, but here is my October update.

October has gone by in a bit of a blur, but I can tell you this right now, October was one of the best months for myself, and for me and my husband. First things, as you can probably tell, I’m writing at different times and I missed out on writing for about two weeks; this is because I now have a full-time job! I’m still working in a library, just in a different library and I’ll be able to do programming as I see fit, for the most part. I’m so excited for this!

Anyway, this past October I read 9 books. Compared to what I have been reading, it’s not that much, but I went on vacation for a week, where I didn’t really read. Nor have I been reading as much now that I have a full time job. But, I am still reading and I will continue to read when I can.

I read Confessions of a Bookseller, Food Wars! Vol. 8-10, An Ember in the Ashes, A Natural History of Dragons, A Torch Against the Night, A Reaper at the Gates, and The Deep. Of these books, I read 5 actual books, one of which was an ARC, 3 mangas, and 1 audiobook.

How has your reading been going? What was your favourite book to read this past month? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Shatter the Sky

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells

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*Published July 30, 2019*

I received an ARC from NetGalley. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

Yes, yes, I know, I know. I’m very very late with this ARC review. But come on, when you request a lot of books, you tend to forget which ones you need to read next. At least I do. But this book was worth it and I’m definitely looking forward to when the next one comes out.

A determined young woman sets out to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend by stealing a dragon from the corrupt emperor in this stunning fantasy debut that’s perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold.

If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground…

With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined?

An excellent start to a new series, I loved the main character Maren and how she leaves her village home to rescue the one she loves. As she goes through many trials and obstacles, she sees that there is more to the world that she first let herself see. We also see her grow and mature and become someone she never thought she would ever be. She is truly one of the best main characters I’ve read in a long time.

Maren starts out this book almost weak and unwilling to leave her safe, small community. But when the love of her life is taken from her, she throws all of her energies into getting her back. She leaves her mountain home, leaves her family behind, and does what all else in her community was spit upon: working in the dragon fortress at the bottom on the mountain. It’s there that she sees the creatures that her ancestors used to work side by side with, the dragons that are now the Emperor’s weapons to be used against her and her people.

I also love the dragons and the lore surrounding the dragons in this book. Dragons have always been a fascinating subject to read about, especially all the different ways they can be interpreted. I think that was a bit of the best part of this book, was seeing how different and unique the dragons were in this world compared to other worlds.

If you like dragons, love, friendship, and standing for what is right, then you should consider picking up this book. And what would you do for love? What have you done for love? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: The Deep

The Deep by Rivers Solomon, Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, and Jonathan Snipes

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*To be published November 5, 2019*

I received an ARC from BookishFirst. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

I first saw this book first start to circulate on Tumblr, and the idea of mermaids born from slave women thrown from slaver ships and memories and how this all effects a culture that forces itself to forget.

Octavia E. Butler meets Marvel’s Black Panther in The Deep, a story rich with Afrofuturism, folklore, and the power of memory, inspired by the Hugo Award–nominated song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’s rap group Clipping.

Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.

Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.

Yetu will learn more than she ever expected about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.

The Deep is “a tour de force reorientation of the storytelling gaze…a superb, multilayered work,” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and a vividly original and uniquely affecting story inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping.

This was such an interesting book and I loved it all! I loved how a culture was created from a time in history where cultures were destroyed by those who stole many away from their homes. Yetu is the Historian, the one who was called upon to Remember the memories of her people, to help them retain their culture, and who they are. But this only happens once a year, for the rest of it, Yetu is required to hold all the Rememberings and it’s eating away at her mind.

But at this most recent Remembering, Yetu flees and leaves her people to be trapped in the memories of their ancestors. She is flung far and wide and becomes trapped in a small pool of water where she finds out more about her people, her life, and what it means to remember; not only for herself, but for her people as well.

This was an awesome book and one that I was really excited to be read as soon as it came out. I also like how it’s a story that is told through the several lenses, not just the from the story, but the music that inspired it and the thought of a race of people born of slave women thrown overboard.

Do you like learning about how a book came to be? Does it make you like the book more or less? Comment below and let me know!