Wednesday Chatter #20: Why Being International Is Awesome

Wednesday Chatter is a weekly feature at Ruby's Books where we'll be talking about anything and everything related to books and reading. Click here if you want to see what we talked about in the previous weeks


WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Hey everyone! I think it's safe to say that, by now, you all probably know about the limitations Netgalley and Goodreads have put on authors and international readers. You've seen the posts, the tweets, the confusion and anger, which I've felt, as well as many, many other international readers and reviewers. It's only natural. 

Source: Giphy

And before anyone starts thinking "OMG, yet another international blogger complaining about ARCs", the point is so not about the ARCs here. The entire situation is not about that. I'm one of the lucky, privileged bloggers that do get ARCs even if I'm international. But the ARCs are not the point.

And this post isn't about the negative side. It's about the positive side. Here's why:

After people started discovering the changes in Netgalley and Goodreads, a bunch of international bloggers started getting together. And lo and behold the International Book Bloggers group was born. And here's why it is absolutely awesome:

1. Meeting new people and making friends

It is fantastic to discover bloggers. I love the feeling, because we're not only united by a common passion, which is books, but I got to discover the people behind the blogs. I can safely say I've made new friends. They're truly awesome people and beside following each other and supporting each other, we're really just people having fun, talking, making friends, and being nice.

2. Support Group

This is obviously one of the "perks" if you want to call them that, but not only do we follow each other, we also support each other. There's no competition over there to be the "best", the most popular or to one up one another. Which is something I think a lot of bloggers have forgotten a little bit. We've all heard the talk about the competitive side of the community, but when you dig deep enough, you realize it's actually not competitive at all. Which to me never made any sense. It's not as if certain books are available only to a certain group of people, while the rest of the population doesn't have access to them. We're not in the middle ages, basically. In the time I've been in that group, the members have shared giveaway links, tutorials, blogging hacks and ideas, arc announcements, they've commented on each other's blog posts and have been offering encouragements. If that doesn't prove that this isn't a competitive group, I don't know what will.

3. Non-bookish Support and General Fun

Before you go thinking that we're only talking about books, let me tell you, it is not true. We talk about everything and anything. Wanna talk about fitness? You can do that. Video games? They're your people. TV shows and movies? Most definitely. Vent about something? You can do that too. Want a virtual party? You guessed it, we got that too.

It's a safe place and I don't say that to get on anyone's good side.

It just has that feeling, you know?

Do I need to go on? No? Thought so.

In case you're wondering who these awesome human cupcakes are, Pagan over at Paperback Kingdom compiled a list including all of them, a list that's growing constantly by the way, so be sure to check it regularly. Also, check out Fanna @ Fannality, as she interviews each of the members of the group who signed up for an interview/guest post over on her blog. As a side note, my dear friend Rafael from The Royal Polar Bear Reads also has a blogger spotlight feature where he interviews bloggers, but I don't know if all of them are in the International Book Bloggers group. I may be wrong, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, this is why being international is awesome. And I'm glad I get to end 2017 with this Wednesday Chatter, because I can only imagine how much better 2018 will be with these amazing people.

P.S.: If you want to be a part of such an awesome group and if you're international, send me a tweet over on my Twitter account and I'll see what I can do.

Top Ten Tuesday #17: Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward to In 2018

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Happy Holidays my dear bookworms! The year may not be over just yet, but I've been getting excited about 2018 for months now. Why? Because it's a really good year for literature in my opinion. I am dying to get my hands on a ton of books and I'll try really really hard to stick to just ten of them. So without further ado, here's Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To In 2018:

1. Legendary by Stephanie Garber - After reading and loving Caraval I cannot wait for Legendary to be out.

2. Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian - The blurb reminds me a little of Ruined, which I loved. Plus, I love revenge stories :D

3. Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong - I decided 2018 will be the year I'll read series endings, and one of the series I need to finish is Armstrong's Women Of The Otherworld

4. Sea Witch by Sarah Henning - Ursula. Need I say more?

5. Dealing In Dreams by Lilliam Rivera - There's something about this book that calls to me. I can't exactly tell what, but I usually don't question this feeling, as it's helped me discover great books that I love. I cannot wait to see the cover.

6. Indiscretion by Hannah Fielding - I've had by eye on this book for a while now. I love the sensual feel of the story, and the cover art is fantastic.

7. The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell - One of my other auto-read theme is Robin Hood. And this book is a retelling of Robin Hood's tale and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

8. The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green - Fantasy. I don't need a better reason than that.

9. Furyborn by Claire Legrand - I love books told from dual POVs, especially when they don't happen simultaneously, but a length of time separates the two main characters.

10. Between The Blade And The Heart by Amanda Hocking - I love the myth of Valkyries and I try to read as many books with them as I can.

My list is way, way longer than this to be very honest, but I decided to limit myself at just 10 books. What about you? What are ten books you cannot wait to read in 2018?

Comic Book Tuesday #31: The Altered History Of Willow Sparks by Tara O'Connor

Author: Tara O'Connor
Series: N/A
Audience: +15
Genre: Comic Book
Publisher: Oni Press
Release Date: March 6th 201
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

What happens when you can finally get everything you ever wanted?

Willow Sparks and her best friend Georgia Pratt are at the bottom of the social ladder at Twin Pines High School, just trying to get through each day relatively unscathed. But when Willow finds a mysterious book that allows her to literally change her life, it feels like her luck is finally turning. Becoming more and more popular with each entry into the book, her old life, including her friendship with Georgia, seems miles away. Yet as Willow will discover, every action has a reaction, and the future has unusual—even dangerous—ways of protecting itself.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Oni Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Have you ever read a book that made you wish you had something similar back when you were a teenager? That's what this book made me think once I finished reading it. I wish I had this book back when I was an awkward teen.

The idea of the book is pretty simple: you have a regular teenage girl, Willow, working at a library in her spare time, that isn't popular, and is bullied, alongside her best friend, Georgia, by a group of really popular kids. After an incident in the library, she discovers some books, one of which carries her name. Once she realizes what this book really is, she takes it, and tries to write herself a better story. Simple, right? Something I most certainly would have done had I been in Willow's shoes. Because what teen doesn't want to escape those years, when it's all awkward, and when acne, bad hair days, not being noticed by your crush, and not being picked for one of the teams in sports class seem like the worst thing that could ever happen.

But as simple as it may seem, it's also really complex. Because in doing so, Willow has to face the consequences of her actions, one of which is losing her best friend. The other visible effect of Willow altering her life in such a way is the signs that she has on her, some marks that look like lines made with a pen. I kind of get the symbolism behind it, but I would have wanted a bit more time spent on that aspect. I loved the fact that Georgia, Willow's best friend, lectures her on the fact that she's using this book to have an easier life, when she should find a different way to deal with life. At the same time, Georgia is going through some changes in her life, and seeing Willow exchanging their friendship for the company of the popular kids in school hurts her enough to stop trying to reason with Willow.

While the story itself is great, and some of the effects of Willow's tampering are mostly explored in this book, there were a few things that were left untouched, like the parents angle. I would have wanted Willow's parents to notice something. There's an interesting moment that shows the limitations of the book, but it wasn't completely explored. I am hoping that there's a volume 2 in the works, because the ending was a bit too abrupt. While I do remember how fights between friends resolved at that age (God knows I've had some of the most "epic" fights with my BFFs that ended in tears 5 minutes afterwards and promises to never fight again), I feel like Willow needs to face the school crowd without the help of the book, she needs to be exposed to the same popular kids after she returned her book. I'd love to see how she's going to do that.

Aside from that, there's a wonderful moment of someone having a crush on somebody, and it turns out that somebody is a gay character, and it's a beautiful conversation between friends that warmed my heart, really.

The artwork is pretty simple. It wasn't the best I've seen, but it's cute and it's in line with the story. The drawings are black-and-white, which is a nice change for me. The panels were easy to follow, and they weren't too crowded by dialogue. I liked the fact that the author shares, at the end of the book, a little bit of this book's history, with the changes in artwork that went on over the years. I've said this before, but I really enjoy seeing this behind-the-scenes type of segment in comic books.

Overall, this was a pretty good book, but I would have wanted a bit more. I hope the story will be continued in the future, and I'll definitely read the next volume if and when it comes out.

Obsessed With Covers #44: Onyx & Ivory, Sea Witch

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

2018 Reading Challenges: The Master List

Heya there bookworms! Since I decided to dedicate a lot more reading time to backlist books next year, I've also decided to sign up to a bunch of reading challenges. And since there are many, many challenges I want to sign up to, I decided to make a Master List instead of individual sign-up posts. Here are the challenges I want to take a part of.

Christmas Tag

I was tagged by the wonderful Abbey over at Abscape to do the Christmas Tag. It's been ages since my last tag and so I decided to do this one as fast as possible.

Use one noise to describe how excited you are for Christmas.
Yaaaaaaayyyyy!

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
I open all presents on Christmas Eve. It's my family's tradition to all get together on the 24th and open prezzies.

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?
Cooking with mom out family recipes.

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Puppy-proof fake. Which means it's made out of cardboard and tinsel. Maybe I'll share a photo, as I'm very proud of my artwork :)

What is your favorite Christmas film?
I have no favorite Christmas movie really. I love a lot of seasonal movies, but I don't have  a go-to movie. Usually I binge watch Harry Potter, but I wouldn't call it a favorite.

Where do you usually spend your holiday?
At home, in bed, watching TV shows and reading. Drinking hot tea that's Christmassy-flavored. This year, with a pupster (that may or may not be the reincarnation of the inspiration behind Cujo) I don't think that's in the cards for me *nervous laughter*

What is your favorite Christmas song?
So, so, so many. Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, almost any Christmas songs Dean Martin sang, there's an awesome interpretation of Baby, It's Cold Outside by Carmen McRae & Sammy Davis Jr. that I adore. There's one version of The 12 Days Of Christmas that is amazing, but I can't find anywhere and I haven't listened to it in ages and that makes me sad.

What is your all-time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?
Just...the entire dinner, really.

Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?
Ooohhhh...see, I like both, really.

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
The cheer and the air of hope that's present everywhere, really.

When do you start getting excited for Christmas?
Well...Usually right after Halloween, as soon as the Christmas decorations start appearing in the shops. At the same time, I'm also the weird person that listens to old Christmas songs as soon as August is nearing the end, so I can't give an honest answer here.

What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?
This is book related, obviously, and I've told this story many many times, my aunt and uncle got me the first three Harry Potter books one Christmas, and then it sort of became tradition for them to get me the newest Potter book each Christmas.

What is the worst present you’ve ever received?
Can you believe I've never actually hated a gift I've gotten? I usually appreciate the thought. My great-grandma usually gets us "kids" chocolate each year and that is just my go-to present really. Plus my family has a weird tradition: if we're really unsure what to get the other person (kids not included in this) we usually tell that person "Listen, here's the money I have in mind for your Christmas gift, let's go wherever you want and get your gift together", which is something I've always loved, because I always get books.

As a kid, did a sibling ever receive a present that you wished was for you?
No, because my baby cousin (who I've always thought of as a little sister really) came along when I was 13, so our gifts were totally different by then.

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
New York. I'd love to see the decorations they put up each year.

Most memorable Holiday moment?
The first time my cousin realized that Santa was "here", and to the delight and amusement of everyone, she begged her Daddy to sing a song for Santa, in order for her to get gifts. It was hilarious and heartwarming at the same time.

Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?
I make resolutions probably even before New Years is near. Somewhere mid-November. I only stuck to one of them in my entire life. Best thing I could ever stick to, but yea...pathetic when you think about how many resolutions I actually have each year.

What makes the holidays special for you?
Being with family.

What’s the best part about Christmas for you?
The house smells like Christmas, being with family, having that childlike wonder that is inspired by the holiday, the snow...Man, I miss the snow in my home-country.

You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?
Hmmmm....This one's tough. Maybe....I don't know. Oh! I do. For my puppy to be calmer. Not for him to have a complete personality change, but it would be so awesome if he could be less energetic about everything around him. I love him to pieces but that is one hyperactive puppy. In all seriousness, I hope everyone in my family is healthy and happy, including my pupster. That would be the best thing to have, really. Anything else is just secondary.

Wow, sorry for that sadness-inducing phrase. I was just listening to the news and it seems everything is doom and gloom right now. Anyway. That's my Tag. I'll tag a few of you on Twitter. As for the rest of you, if you want to do this tag, leave me a comment so I can visit :D