Month in Review: May

 

It's finally hot again! I love summer. I love being able to sit outside, I love going on walks, and I love summer fashion. So, I am thrilled that summer weather is back. It definitely brightens up my mood. Anyways, here's what happened in May: 

What I Read: 

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline: 5/5 stars 

24 Hours in Ancient Rome by Phillip Matyszak: 3/5 stars 

Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson: 4/5 stars 

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas: 4/5 stars 

Will My Cat Eat by Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty: 4/5 stars 

The Voyage to Avalon by Julie Leung: 4/5 stars 

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson: 4/5 stars 

You Say It First by Katie Cotugno: 2/5 stars 

Favourite Book: I re-read The Marrow Thieves to prepare for my masters degree and I loved it even more the second time around. It is a hard read, but it is full of some amazing characters and a powerful storyline. Please give it a read. 

What I Blogged: 

I didn't post too much in May, but I did combine my love for Marvel with my love for books by Fancasting Book Characters with Marvel Characters. It was a fun crossover for sure :) 

Favourite Posts of the Month: 

Shayna shares some information about working in a library in Library Life: Holds Slips 

Cee explains that she Got Her Covid Vaccine Appointment, But She Hates Needles

Nyx asks: Why Are YA Books Always Set in Summer? 

Life Stuff:

At the beginning of May I got my wisdom teeth taken out. It was pretty quick and mostly painless, and I'm just happy to have gotten it over with. One thing that really bummed me out was not being able to eat all the foods I love for a good week. I would watch my sister eat candy and it really put my mood off haha! But, I'm all good now :) 

I also got my first dose of Covid vaccine! I am so happy, because Canada's vaccine rollout has been terrible. While I did get some side effects, they were so worth it. If you are eligible, go get vaxxed! 

The end of the month has been pretty busy. I am attending some conferences on Indigenous literature to prepare myself for September, and I also have to prepare for virtual graduation in June. I am a pretty shy person so a virtual graduation was a welcome thing for me, but of course I would much rather have an in-person graduation then be in a global pandemic. I guess it's just one of the sacrifices we have to make. 

Other than that, I've been doing as much work as I can outside in the beautiful weather. I said this already, but I just love summer so much. I am looking forward to many more sunny days ahead. 

That was my May. How was yours? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Fancasting Book Characters with Characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

 **** This post will contain spoilers from Avengers: Endgame, Wandavision, and the novel Station Eleven  

Hello guys! So recently, I have gotten really into Marvel. For years I was a casual watcher of Marvel movies, mostly I was just into the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. However, my sister and I decided about a month ago to tackle the wider universe, and thus, my big interest in Marvel was born. I know now a lot more about the characters, and I have had so much fun watching all of the amazing content Disney Plus has been putting out. So, I thought it would be fun to put my love of books with my love of Marvel together, and fancast book characters as characters from the MCU! Basically, I would like to analyze which heroes/villains/in-betweens would be the best to portray these book characters in a movie or tv show. It's getting really fangirly up in here today, you've been warned. 

P.S. I read a lot of YA, so if I fancast an older Marvel character as a teenager, I am talking about a young version of the Marvel character playing that character. I can imagine that a lot of the energy these MCU characters have, started in youth. So, we're just going with hypotheticals here :) 

1. Percy Jackson (from the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan)  played by: Peter Parker 

I just think Peter would be an awesome (teenaged Percy). Peter has got this amazing, youthful energy, and he also has a bit of the Percy Jackson look with the brunette hair. I can imagine Peter playing Percy really well when Percy is older in the Heroes of Olympus series, because while he still does have some wisdom, he is also very much chaotic and trying to figure life out. 

2. Circe (from Circe by Madeline Miller) played by: Wanda Maximoff 

Let's start with the obvious here in that they're both witches. I just think Wanda would have such fun playing Circe. I can imagine her really tapping into Circe imprisoning Odysseus's crew... for obvious reasons. They are both such powerful witches and have troubled pasts. Give me this collaboration. 

3. Achilles and Patroclus (from The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller) played by: Young Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes 

Stucky can relate to people erasing their chemistry, just as it happened with Achilles and Patroclus. I can see so many parallels between these two stories, that I think the young versions of these characters would play Achilles and Patroclus so well. Stucky would understand the complexity of fighting a war while also having such a close relationship, as well as the fact that Steve in particular is kind of like an Achilles character, an extremely powerful man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

4. The Darkling (from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo) played by: Loki 

A younger version of Loki could totally portray the Darkling. They are both extremely complex villains, who are incredibly cunning as well. Loki would definitely play up the Darkling's cleverness. I also think both have a similar aesthetic, which could really work. 

5. Kiera Johnson (from Slay by Brittney Morris ) played by: Shuri 

Shuri would be an amazing Kiera! They are both super smart and talented women with a knack for inventing and technology. Shuri would be able to play up Kiera's gaming smarts so well. This would be an awesome adaption. 

6. Miranda (from Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel) played by: Natasha Romanoff 

Miranda is this fiercely independent character, who has some extremely rough times and eventually carves out a path for herself. I see a lot of her in Natasha. Natasha, like most heroes, didn't have an easy go of it, but she is strong and capable of taking care of herself. Both Miranda and Natasha do end up with tragic endings, and both of them deserved better. Natasha would just understand Miranda. 

7. Thor (from the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan) played by: Thor 

This one is just for fun. Thor in The Magnus Chase series is kind of an idiot, he's all buff with no brains. While Thor from the MCU is definitely a different portrayal of the character, I'd like to think he would have fun playing this different version of himself. I mean, he does go through a rough patch in Avengers: Endgame after all. 

So that's my fancast! Do you agree/disagree with my picks? Which MCU character would you fancast in a book? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess

Cemetery Boys by: Aiden Thomas

 Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy 

Published: September 1, 2020 by: Swoon Reads 

Pages: 352 

Rating: 5/5 stars 

CW: transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, death of a family member  

Yadriel was born into a strict Latinx family who are brujx. His family can summon ghosts and help them to cross over in the afterlife. However, Yadriel struggles to fit into his family because he is trans, and he faces constant belittling from his family who fail to see him as the brujo he is. In his quest to prove himself, Yadriel accidentally summons the ghost of Julian, a teen bad boy who wants to figure out the truth behind his death before he is willing to cross over. With the help of his cousin Maritza, Yadriel seeks to help Julian, however the more time Yadriel spends with Julian, the less willing he is to let him go. 

When I finished this book, I tweeted that THIS is why I read YA. Even though I am completely behind on reviews right now and read this book months ago, (don't judge), this statement still rings true. YA should produce relatable, heartwarming characters who find themselves in their own unique coming of age journey. You should want to root for these characters. This book did exactly that. 

Let's start off with the fact that the main characters in this book were some of the best written characters I have ever read. Yadriel is this determined, strong boy who is passionate about his identity of a brujo even if his family fails to accept him. His cousin Maritza was badass, hilarious, and I loved the detail of her being really into animal rights. Julian was this soft boy with a hardened exterior that you just know is loyal to those he loves. Each and every character in this book is struggling with some sort of piece of their identity, but by the end of the book they really come into their own and achieve peace in their journey. This was beautiful to see. 

I loved the interweaving of funny banter, with dramatic moments, with fantastical elements. I think Thomas did an amazing job at bringing in their Latinx culture into this fantasy story. I loved the fantastical elements and the way the rituals were explained. Thomas really went in-depth with the explanation of these practices, which is needed especially for those unfamiliar with them. But this book wasn't too fantasy heavy in the sense where it became overwhelming. There was still some hilarious banter between the young characters, and some important conversations surrounding gender and transphobia. All components worked together to create a cohesive unit. 

I would also like to mention that this author seems like one of the sweetest people on earth. When I tweeted that I loved the book they immediately replied and even thanked me by name, which warmed my heart. It made me so happy that an author would take the time out of their day to thank readers who felt impacted by their book. That is reason enough to pick up this book if you haven't already. 

I'll also say that I would recommend reading this book in the fall time. That's when I read it and the book does centre around Día de los Muertos. If you can hold off until then to read it (which is so hard, I know), then I think this book really helps to establish a magical atmosphere that goes along with the time of year. Of course, the book will still be amazing no matter when you read it, but it does give off some amazing energy of the October/November season. 

Overall, I hope you love this book as much as I do. Aiden Thomas has now quickly became an auto-buy author for me, and I am so happy with the amazingly talented YA authors who are now taking the world by storm. 

Have you read Cemetery Boys? What did you think? 

Emily @ Paperback Princess