Spines Speak

My “Spines Speak” feature includes all my bookish discussions:
monthly reviews, book lists, and updates on my blogging adventures

Event Recap: Raincoast Books Fall 2022 TBR Preview

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Another book event! Raincoast Books hosted us earlier this month to share some fun adult, YA, and MG titles releasing this year.

Normally I try to limit these wrap-ups to five books that really caught my attention but there are so many great titles coming out from Raincoast! So I’ve included a couple extra titles as “honourable mentions”.

Let me know which ones peak your interest!

Upcoming Releases

Book cover for Marikit and the Ocean of Stars. Illustration of a woman wearing a shell crown in the background. In the foreground is a young girl riding a raft in an ocean.

Marikit and the Ocean of Stars by Caris Avendaño Cruz
Genre: MG Fantasy
Publication date: October 18, 2022

“Inspired by Filipino folklore, this middle grade debut follows Marikit who sets off into the magical land of the gods to escape the clutches of a sinister shadow god.” – publisher’s promo

I love the increase in Filipino stories I’ve seen recently and especially love getting to read more from folklore I’m not as familiar with. This sounds like a wonderful heartwarming story and the little snippet from the blurb promises some beautiful world-building too.

Continue reading →

Month in Review: May 2022

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Summer is finally here! Last year I made a summer reading list (mostly based on my yearly TBR) so I may do that again to try to tackle that Chosen TBR.

But for now, here’s what last month looked like for me! Template courtesy of Jenna @ Falling Letters.

Books finished:

  • Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed edited by Saraciea J. Fennell
  • In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
  • Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega
  • Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
  • The Hidden Keys by André Alexis
  • What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

Books reviewed:

Book cover for The Deep by Rivers Solomon. Illustration of a fish-like mermaid swimming in the water alongside whales.
Book cover for Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu. Yellow background with illustrations of two young people with their backs to each other and peering over their shoulders at each other. On the left is a young woman with long hair, wearing a purple witch hat and dress and holding a steaming plate of baked goods. On the right is a person with wolf ears wearing a red hoodie and jeans and holding a bowl of batter with the spoon in their mouth.
Book cover for Mis(h)adra by Iasmin Omar Ata. Black background with a sketch illustration of a person falling down with their arms stretched above them. Square and circular lines surround them and wrap around their arms.
Book cover for No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox. Black and white photo of Michael J. Fox sitting on a chair. He wears a leather jacket, white tee, and jeans and looks at the camera with one arm draped over the back of the chair.
Book cover for Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi. Black background with ripped scraps of paper. Each scrap has an illustration of a body part - eye, ear, or mouth, or a piece of the title or author text.
Book cover for Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. Illustration of a two-headed python against a purple and white background. python
Book cover for Home Fire by Kamila Shamsi. Photo of a created paper flower with multiple layers of different colours of paper rippling out, in pinks, blues, reds, and purple.
Book cover for Scratching River by Michelle Porter. Illustration of a topographical map showing a river in blues and whites beside a ridged bank in green and grey.
Continue reading →