Welcome to the first "Read with Kayla" blog post! Inspired by my bookstagram (which you need to be following - ReadWithKaylaXO!), I will be writing a blog post every Sunday about the books I read the week before! I can't wait to share my book obsession with you all! Let me know what other bookish content you'd love to see on SBK!
Alright... let's dive into it!
Physical Books/eBooks:
1. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I am a MASSIVE Tudor Era England nerd so this book (and the play based on it and it's sequel) has been sitting on my bookshelf for awhile! I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read about the events I know so well from a perspective we don't always get. I also learned (though have not confirmed historical accuracy) a lot about Thomas Cromwell and his life and family that I did not know before!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: The Tudors (TV Show), Philippa Gregory (Author), Six (Musical), Historical Fiction, Tudor Era England
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
2. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made For Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
I really enjoyed this book. I follow Austin on Instagram so I knew a little about her but was very excited when I saw her book at Target! She talks about her own experiences with race and racism throughout her life, especially in church settings. I have been reading a lot of non-fiction books on race/racism/experiences of people of color, and this one was a very quick read - mostly because I was so interested (also it is only 182 pages long). Though I don't share the same faith as the author I was able to connect with the way the church makes her feel by thinking of spaces that make me feel the same way. For a book that has so much religion in it to keep me interested, you know it has to have a strong author!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: True stories, unpacking racism, biography, christianity
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Target
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Simon Stephens (play)
I feel like every theatre person I know has read this play and I was behind! This play (based on a book that I can't wait to read) is a quick read, but full of intense and beautiful content. I enjoyed the structure of the play going back and forth between action and the content of the book Christopher is writing read by his teacher.
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: plays, the novel, mystery
Content Warnings: Death, Violence
Purchase: Amazon | Dramatists
4. American Royals by Katharine McGee
This book is my new obsession! The premise is what if George Washington had been offered the crown of America instead of creating the presidency. His descendants still are on the throne in modern times and this book tells the story of the young royals and their lives! It felt relatable, realistic and had just the right amount of drama, intrigue, twists and turns! I'm really looking forward to the sequel coming out next month!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: The Royals (TV show), Her Royal Highness (book), YA Drama, Celebrities
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
5. Add More ~ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness by Gabrielle Bernstein
This book came out when I was a freshman in high school. Usually when a self-help style book is that old I struggle to connect to it the way someone may have in 2010, but this book was different! If 15 year old Kayla had picked up this book she would’ve seen no purpose to it, but now it feels like kismet that I picked up this book that has so many lessons I wish my 15 year old self could have learned. I can’t wait to jump into some of the -ings and really focus in on beING the best me I can be. I love Gabrielle’s work so much, and this book just reinforced that!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: Gabrielle Bernstein, meditation, self-help, trampolines
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
6. One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
How cliche of a plus-sized blogger to love a book about a plus-sized blogger, but who cares! I absolutely loved this book! I am a huge fan of reality TV and so reading a book about someone who looks (and thinks) like me being on a Bachelor-esque show was huge! I loved the varied writing styles and including the social media/text/article elements to really show how public perception impacts reality TV. I found Bea extremely relatable and realistic. Her pessimism in the face of searching for love is something that I connected with on a deep level. Definitely a new favorite!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read you love: The Bachelor (TV show), France, Fashion, Multi-Media/Multi-Form books, sassy leads
Content Warnings: FATPHOBIA
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Target
7. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I don't know how I put off reading this book for so long! It has so many qualities that I love: badass women, magic, dystopian society, dashing princes, rebellion and so much more! One of my sister's friends told me I needed to read this and she was right! (Thanks Hailey!) Can't wait to read more of this series!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: royalty, magic, dystopias, badass women
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Audiobooks:
1. Love Without Borders by Angela Braniff
I absolutely love Angela and her family! I discovered Angie on YouTube a few years ago when she shared a video about the adoption of their sweet little girl Rosie! They have 8 kids through both birth and adoption and they are just the sweetest family! Though I don't share their religious beliefs it was still great to hear their story in this book. Adoption is something that is huge on my heart and I love hearing stories about families like the Braniffs!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: adoption stories, big families, This Gathered Nest (YouTube Channel)
Purchase: Amazon (Audible)
2. The Goddess Revolution: Make Peace with Food, Love Your Body and Reclaim Your Life by Mel Wells
There were definitely some good one liners and solid advice for loving yourself as you are, but there was definitely some fat erasure (all of the stories were about moderately overweight women who probably didn’t “need” to lose weight anyway and there was only one mention of doctor recommended weight loss and how to balance that with body positive thoughts and eating habits) and transphobic language (“do you have a vagina? You’re a real woman”) in there as well as well as the emphasis on “clean eating most of the time” which doesn’t really seem to gel with the anti-diet culture message the author is trying to portray. There’s definitely positive intent here, but I struggled to take anything away from it that I hadn’t already heard a million times. I do however really enjoy how the author's voice is strong and it felt like a conversation with her and you could tell her mannerisms from her writing - Following her on Instagram confirmed this for me!
Rating: ★★
Read if you love: Self-help, body positivity, anti-diet culture
Content Warnings: Mild (one instance of) Transphobic Language
Purchase: Amazon (Audible)
3. You Do You: How to Be Who You Are and Use What You've Got to Get What You Want by Sarah Knight
I love Sarah Knight's no-nonsense approach to life and her position as an anti-guru! Her books always make me laugh and feel better about the completely normal things that I do in my life! There is less profanity in this book than her others (It's the only one with none in the title), but her attitude is still all there!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: no nonsense advice, profanity, being a little weird
Purchase: Amazon (Audible)
ARCs/eARCs
(I received these eARCs from NetGalley and their respective publishers in exchange for my honest review)
1. Adulting: A Novel by Liz Talley (out February 23rd, 2021) I absolutely loved this book! I was a little hesitant in the beginning - party girl hits rock bottom and goes through extreme therapy felt a little contrived and done to death, but after I got past the first few chapters I was hooked. Olivia and Chase are both incredibly complex and relatable characters who both show immense growth throughout the book. It definitely has some intense subject matter (CW - rape, sexual abuse, substance abuse, suicide) but the way it is handled feels real and not over dramatized. The flashbacks to more intense moments definitely have some shock value, as any writing surrounding these topics does, but doesn't feel sensationalized. I appreciated the raw emotion we got to see (mostly from Olivia and Neve) surrounding the traumas of their past. I could not put this book down and can't wait for it to be available to the public next year! Do not skip this one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eARC!
Rating: ★★★★
Read if you love: Celebrities, stories of growth, unexpected romance, family dramas
Content Warnings: Sexual Abuse, Rape, Substance Abuse, Suicide
Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
2.10 Minute Crystal Healing: Easy Tips for Using Crystals for Healing, Shielding and Protection by Ann Crane (out September 8th, 2020) I LOVED this book. I always worry with new crystal books that it will be more of the same old same old, but this one surprised me! I really enjoyed how the author not only discussed the metaphysical significance of crystals, but also the historical, scientific and mythological backgrounds as well! There are so many incredible meditations and exercises to try in this book and I look forward to them! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eARC!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: crystals, crystal healing, metaphysical studies/arts
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
3. For the Crown by Melissa Mitchell (out now!)
I may have a new favorite book! I could not put this one down. It has everything you could want in a YA fantasy novel - princesses, dragons, duels, romance, and did I mention DRAGONS!
Princess Lena is an incredibly relatable character. Her desire for freedom and what should be her birthright lead her to find an unexpected path to happiness. For such a young character she shows great maturity, but not so much that she can't change and grow more throughout the story.
The world is beautifully created and once you get in a few chapters the lore of the world starts to make more sense. It definitely takes a few chapters to understand some of the complexities of the magic of the world. But once you understand it, it is incredibly well thought out!
Buy this book now. NOW.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this eARC!
Rating: ★★★★★
Read if you love: fantasy, YA fantasy, strong women, dragons
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
4. We Are Family by Nicola Gill (out September 3rd, 2020)
Sister relationships are complicated and this book gets to the heart of that perfectly. Thought Jess and Laura are several years older than me and my sisters I still found their relationship incredibly relatable and real. I loved how this book shows two very different (and also different from the "normal", "accepted", "mainstream") ways of grieving. Jess and Laura had incredibly different relationships with their mother and reactions to her death and I really enjoyed reading them play out.
The book was good, but though I loved the story and the characters, it did sometimes drag on a little bit. Though the dramas of Laura and Jess' lives felt very real, at times it. felt like the author was adding as much as possible to what these women were going through. And though sometimes when it rains it pours is the reality, it felt a little much. But that's life for you... a little much.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to the eARC!
Rating: ★★★
Read if you love: family drama, bloggers
Pre-order: Book Depository
That's it for this week's books! Let me know if you've read any of these and what you thought! Don't forget to head over to Instagram and follow ReadWithKaylaXO for more SBK Bookish content!
xo,
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