July 2017 Book Haul, Wrap-Up and August TBR

Hi there! I hope you are all doing well :)

I cannot believe that July is over! It seriously was the fastest month I have ever lived through, lol! SO many things happening all around, my head feels like it's spinning... 

Pictured above is my new-to-me bookshelves and I am SO happy with them! I can happily gaze and swoon over so many of my books now without having to leave my room, lol! Do you see how big my Maggie Stiefvater and Lauren Oliver collections have grown? I am so proud of those... 
I attempted to do #BookTubeAThon this past week - I started out good with a TBR and I did 2 instagram challenges, and by Wednesday, I just wasn't in the mood to read anymore - why does that happen? Especially when I was expecting to read more than I usually do, etc... I'm such a dork, lol!

ALSO, I've been on a huge "Collect ALL the Classic Books" kick!
Do you have a classic book that you absolutely love??? 
Tell me - I may need to add it to my TBR too!

How was your July??? What did you read??? 
Did you join in BookTubeAThon too??? 
Let me know in the comments below ;) 

In the meantime, here are all the books I've read and accumulated throughout July :) 

(I am participating in Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews :)

My JULY Book Haul

*What I received to review...
- DECEPTION SO DEADLY (Deception So #1) by Clara Kensie (YA/signed PB) from the author, Clara Kensie 
- GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust (YA/ARC) from Flat Iron Books 
- THE HAZEL WOOD by Melissa Albert (YA/ARC) from Flat Iron Books 
- SNOW & ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin (MG/ARC) from Random House 
- THE PERFECT SCORE by Rob Buyea (MG/ARC) from Random House 
- BONAPARTE FALLS APART by Margery Cuyler (C/ARC) from Random House
- THE BOOK OF GOLD by Bob Staake (C/ARC) from Random House 
- A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE by Penny Parker Klostermann (C/HB) from Random House 
- BIG AND SMALL, ROOM FOR ALL by Jo Ellen Bogart (C/HB) from Tundra Books 
- A PATTERN FOR PEPPER by Julie Kraulis (C/HB) from Tundra Books 
- SEVEN DEAD PIRATES by Linda Bailey (MG/PB) from Tundra Books 
- MIGHTY JACK AND THE GOBLIN KING by Ben Hatke (MG/Graphic Novel PB) from First Second (Macmillan) 
- SPINNING by Tillie Walden (YA/PB) from First Second (Macmillan) 
- SILVER IN THE BLOOD by Jessica Day George (YA/PB) from Macmillan 
- ROGER IS GOING FISHING by Koen Van Biesen (C/HB) from Eerdmans Books 
- UNI THE UNICORN AND THE DREAM COME TRUE by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (C/ARC) from Random House Kids 
- COOKIESAURUS REX by Amy Fellner Dominay and Nate Evans (C/ARC) from Disney Hyperion 
- DOG DAYS OF SCHOOL by Kelly DiPucchio (C/PB) from Disney Hyperion 
- THE SCARIEST BOOK EVER by Bob Shea (C/HB) from Disney Hyperion 
- SUPER SAURUS SAVES KINDERGARTEN by Deborah Underwood (C/HB) from Disney Hyperion 

*Books I received as gifts or from giveaways...
- MONSTROUS by MarcyKate Connolly (MG/HB) from Nicole's Novel Reads
- LEAVE ME by Gayle Forman (YA/ARC) from Nicole's Novel Reads 
- A SKY FULL OF STARS by Linda Williams Jackson (MG/ARC) from HMH Kids 
- CONSIDER THE LILIES by Elizabeth Loss (Adult/PB) from Take Up and Read 
- ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey (Penguin Orange Collection PB) from my #llamabookswap partner 

*Books I received through through #BooksForTrade via twitter...
- KINDRED SPIRITS by Rainbow Rowell (YA/HB) 
- A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness (YA/PB) 
- ORANGE: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 by Ichigo Takano (YA/graphic novel PB) 

*Books I purchased this month... 
 - THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE by Mackenzie Lee (YA/HB) 
- OUR DARK DUET (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab (YA/HB) 
- DOWN AMONG THE STICKS AND BONES (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire (YA/HB) 
- CRIMSON BOUND (Cruel Beauty Universe #2) by Rosamund Hodge (YA/HB) 
- DELIRIUM STORIES: Hana, Annabel, Raven and Alex by Lauren Oliver (YA/PB)
- LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott (Classic/HB) - V & A Collector's Edition
- THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame (Classic/HB) - V & A Collector's Edition
- THE SECRET GARDEN by Francis Hodgson Burnett (Classic/HB) - V & A Collector's Edition 
- THE BELL JAR by Sylvia Plath (PB) - Harper Perennial Modern Classic
- THE TINDERBOX by Hans Christian Anderson (Classic/PB) - Penguin Little Black Classic No. 23
- THE TELL-TALE HEART by Edgar Allan Poe (Classic/PB) - Penguin Little Black Classics No. 31 
- THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM by Brothers Grimm (Classic/PB) - Penguin Little Black Classic No. 68
- O FRABJOUS DAY! by Lewis Caroll (Classic/PB) - Penguin Little Black Classic No. 106 
- RIP VAN WINKLE by Washington Irving (Classic/PB) - Penguin Little Black Classic No. 123 
- HEIDI by Johanna Spyri (Classic/HB) - Puffin in Bloom Collection 
- THE FAIRY TALES OF CHARLES PERRAULT by Angela Carter (Modern Classic/PB) - Penguin Modern Classics 
- THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Classic/PB) - Penguin Modern Classics 
- RIP VAN WINKLE AND OTHER STORIES by Washington Irving (Classic/PB) - Puffin Classics 
- BLACK BEAUTY by Ana Sewell (Classic/PB) - Penguin Threads 
- THE WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum (Classic/PB) - Penguin Threads 
- THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS by Kenneth Grahame (Classic/PB) - Penguin Threads 

What I read in JULY

- A SHORT HISTORY OF THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jared Reck (YA/ARC)
- SAGA, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn (Adult/ Graphic Novel PB) - not pictured
- DOWN AMONG THE STICKS AND BONES (Wayward Children #2) by Seanan McGuire (YA/HB) - not pictured 
- BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME by Ameriie and other authors (YA/HB) 
- DOG NIGHT AT THE STORY ZOO by Dan Bar-el (MG/HB) 
- SUN AT MIDNIGHT by Rosie Thomas (Adult/ARC) - not pictured 
- THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES AND THE GUDGEON by Aesop (Classic/PB) 
- NO GOOD DEED by Kara Connolly (YA/ARC) 
- BIG AND SMALL, ROOM FOR ALL by Jo Ellen Bogart (C/HB) 
- A PATTERN FOR PEPPER by Julie Kraulis (C/HB) 
- SUPER SAURUS SAVES KINDERGARTEN by Deborah Underwood (C/HB) 
- MILES MORALES by Jason Reynolds (YA/ARC) 

What I plan on reading in August

First, I hope to finish reading: 
- LOVE AND VANDALISM by Laurie Boyle Crompton (YA/PB) 
- THE GENTELMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE by Mackenzie Lee (YA/HB) 

And then, I hope I have enough time to possibly read a few of these: 
- DECEPTION SO DEADLY by Clara Kensie (YA/PB)
- ELIZA AND HER MONSTERS by Francesca Zappia (YA/HB) 
- BONAPARTE FALLS APART by Margery Cuyler (C/ARC) 
- UNI THE UNICORN AND THE DREAM COME TRUE by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (C/ARC) 
- THE HISTORY OF BEES by Maja Lunde (A/ARC)
- CAN YOU FIND MY ROBOT'S ARM? by Chihiro Takeuchi (C/HB) 
- GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust (YA/ARC) 
- MAP OF THE HEART by Susan Wiggs (Adult/ARC) 
- THE BELL JAR by Sylvia Plath (Classic/PB)

Please let me know in the comments what you're reading... and leave your blog or book haul links too!

Happy reading!!!

P.S. Just a reminder that I am a rep for GEEK AT HEART!!!
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All things bookish, nerdy and more! 
Use coupon code: BUMBLEGIRL10 
to save 10% off your subscription!!!

Their second box has arrived, and it is/was amazing!!!
Here's a look at what came in the July box - themed ... :)

*I'm also a rep for Otter Nonsense Designs!!!

Jamie-Leigh has the CUTEST bookmarks ever!

Check out her shop! And, use my coupon code to save 15% off your order:
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ENJOY!!! And, thanks for stopping by today!!!
xoxoxo

Blog Tour (Review): NO GOOD DEED by Kara Connolly (YA)

NO GOOD DEED

by Kara Connolly

Release date: July 18th, 2017

Published by: Delacorte Press (Random House)

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary w/magical realism (12yo+)

Format available: Hardcover, eBook

Format read: ARC from the publisher

SUMMARY

Fans of Dorothy Must Die will love this reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood.

Girl power rules supreme when a modern girl finds herself in the middle of a medieval mess with only her smart mouth and her Olympic-archer aim to get her home. 

Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle - yes, that Nottingham - she ends up in medieval England.

Ellie doesn't care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What's an ace archer to do while she's stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood?

Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she picks up her bow and arrow, her next shot could save her past - or doom civilization's future.

MY REVIEW

There's never a dull moment in NO GOOD DEED - an adventure behind every tree in Nottingham's forest...

If you know Robin Hood's story, then you can already guess what Ellie's story is... 
Ellie is in is just one trial away from being on the U.S. Olympic archery team, but the stress of her missing brother is starting to wear on her and she doesn't know what to do about it.
After her last round of competition, with only one more to go, she goes on a walk and decides to take a quick tour of Nottingham Castle... lost in the castle's underground caverns, she emerges to find that things are not the same and things get interesting really quick.

The story unfolds and follows very closely to Robin Hood's - it's quite obvious that Ellie takes on Robin Hood's role and that she is making history with every move she makes and every person she meets. Her 'Maid Marion' is a handsome knight turned 'Friar Tuck'. We also get to meet 'Alan Dale', 'Will Scarlet' and 'Little John'; and let's not forget the 'Sherriff of Nottingham'! All played their roles expectantly... the Sherriff was a bit darker than I thought he would be, with a twist, and it was wonderful!

For me, the 'time travel' element to the story was almost forgotten and only remembered when Ellie would remind herself that she had to be careful not to do anything too rash so she wouldn't change history too much. Considering that everything had happened already, the only 'tricky part' to her story was making sure she made the right decisions to stay true to the Robin Hood story which didn't seem too far fetched to accomplish. Although the fear of being executed at any given moment did feel real - one must remember that Robin Hood is folklore, and it supposedly took place in the 15th or 16th century! 

What really made this book amazing - two things...
First, it's the first time that I read a retelling where the character is more than aware that she is living through a story that has already been told and tries her best to stick to the history of it.
The next best thing, it's ending!!!
The ending was so unexpected and wonderfully original! I am always skeptical with retelling stories, especially those that have to carry on with the time travel element - and this ending tied up everything perfectly!

Definitely recommend this book for anyone that loves a quick, predictable read with a happily ever after!

*I received this book as part of the blog tour from the publisher for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Kara Connolly

LINK - Goodreads 

BookTubeAThon 2017 - My TBR

7/30/2017 UPDATE!!!

Well, to say that my BookTubeAThon plans didn't go very well is an understatement, lol!

BUT! I did manage to read and accomplish the following challenges:
Challenge #1: Read a book with a person on the cover.
Challenge #3: Finish a book in one day.
Challenge #4: Read about a character that is very different from you.
Challenge #5: Read a book completely outdoors.

4 out of the 7 challenges is pretty good, right?! lol

Thank you for following along!
I look forward to doing another readathon soon :) 


* * * * *

Last night, I decided that I would like to try to participate in BookTubeAThon 2017!

For those of you who are not familiar with what BookTubeAThon is, it's exactly how it sounds - marathon reading as many books as we can in one week... to help, there are a few prompts, etc. You can find more information here on the BookTubeAThon's YouTube Channel!

This is my first time joining in! And the keyword here is TRY, lol!

As of right now, my week looks pretty calm and cozy - we don't have any big plans and it's supposed to be cloudy, drizzly... the perfect week for reading!!! 
I'll be posting my reading updates via instagram stories (@thebumblegirl)... 

Here are the books that I have chosen for the READING CHALLENGES: 

1. Read a book with a person on the cover.

NO GOOD DEED by Kara Connolly - there's a person on the cover, lol! 

And, it's a reimagining of Robin Hood!

2. Read a hyped book.

THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE by Mackenzi Lee is definitely THE book that everyone is talking about right now! I have only read the first 2 chapters - hoping to reread those and continue on this week! 

3. Finish a book in one day.

THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES AND THE GUDGEON by Aesop is definitely a book I can finish in one day, lol! It is SO tiny and cute! I hardly ever have time to sit for very long to read anything, so I'm hoping to get through this one - in one sitting without interruptions! (I probably just jinxed myself!) 

4. Read about a character that is very different from you.

MILES MORALES by Jason Reynolds... he's Spiderman! And, I'm afraid of heights, sooo... lol!

5. Finish a book completely outdoors. 

CAN YOU FIND MY ROBOT'S ARM? by Chihiro Takeuchi is a picture book! Am I cheating with this one? Probably, lol! But in my defense, I did mention that it is suppose to be a cloudy/rainy week!

6. Read a book you bought because of the cover. 

THE HISTORY OF BEES by Maja Lunde is an ARC, BUT, I did pre-order it the minute I saw the cover! And I was very lucky to have my request (wish) granted by the publisher to receive an advanced copy to read before it's release date in August... it is stunning!!! Very shiny and it has texture and I'm dying to get my hands on the finished copy! I'll also be pre-ordering the UK edition too, I can't decide which cover is more beautiful! I hope it lives up to my expectations!... and bonus - BEES!!! 

7. Read seven books.

And for my seventh book - THE ADVENTURES OF CAVEBOY by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen! An adorable early middle grade book about a caveboy who is just figuring out who he is and how to make friends :) 

I am really excited for this week! I have never read so many books in one week that didn't include the majority of them being picture books, lol!

Will you be joining BookTubeAThon this week too??? 

If so, let me know! And good luck to us all :) 

Cover Reveal: DECEPTION SO DEADLY by Clara Kensie (YA)

I am so thrilled to be able to share this cover with you all today!

I have been waiting for a very long time for Clara Kensie to not only give us the new cover to her series, but to also release her story the way it was meant to be told... the DECEPTION SO series was originally published as the RUN TO YOU serial series and the winner of the prestigious RITA® AWARD for BEST FIRST BOOK!!! It is a super romantic psychic thriller that will be released in August!

I seriously cannot wait to read DECEPTION SO DEADLY this Fall!

I've missed Tristan so very much :) 

Cover design by Key of Heart Designs

DECEPTION SO DEADLY

Deception So series #1

by Clara Kensie

Expected release date August 15th, 2017

Published by Snowy Wings Publishing

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Format: Paperback and eBook

SUMMARY

Book One in Clara Kensie's YA paranormal thriller DECEPTION So series, DECEPTION SO DEADLY was originally published as the RUN TO YOU serial parts 1 - 3, and is the winner o the prestigious RITA AWARD for BEST FIRST BOOK.

RUN.

It's all sixteen-year-old Tessa Carson has ever known. Hunted by a telepathic killer, Tessa and her family have fled home after home, hiding behind aliases to survive. Her scars are more than just physical, and as the only one in her family without a psychic ability, she lives a life of secrets, lies, and fear. 

After the Carsons flee to a new hideout and take on new identities yet again, Tessa meets confident, carefree Tristan Walker. Their attraction burns fierce, but she runs from him too, knowing their love can never be true when she can't even tell him her real name. 

But Tristan has secrets as well - secrets that will either save Tessa or destroy her. The only way Tessa can save her family - and uncover the real reason they've been hunted all these years - is to forget everything she's learned from a lifetime of running away and run straight into danger head-on.

Danger. Deception. Betrayal. 

It must be first love.

Praises for DECEPTION SO DEADLY

"A dark, suspenseful, and romantic ride!" - USA Today

"The perfect blend of mystery, romance, paranormal thrills, and danger." - Mundie Mums

"A well-written YA paranormal read, with welcome dashes of thrills and plot twists, Kensie has written a gripping and engaging series that features great family dynamics and the enormity of first love." - RT Book Review 

"A thrilling story, packed with twists, secrets, a swoon-worthy romance. I couldn't read it fast enough!" - Erica O'Rourke, author of the TORN trilogy (Kensington) and the DISSONANCE series (S&S BFYR)

PRE-ORDER LINKS

AMAZON / For more links, click HERE!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Clara Kensie

Clara Kensie grew up near Chicago, reading every book she could find and using er diary to write stories about a girl with psychic powers who solved mysteries. She purposely did not hide her diary, hoping someone would read it and assume she was writing about herself. Since then, she's swapped her diary for a computer and admits her characters are fictional, but other wise she hasn't changed one bit.

Today, Clara is a RITA Award-winning author of dark fiction for young adults. Her debt, the super-romantic psychic thriller DECEPTION SO series, was named an RT Book Review Editors Pick for Best Books of 2014, and DECEPTION SO Book One: DECEPTION SO DEADLY, is the winner of the prestigious 2015 RITA Award for Best First Book. The first two books in the series, originally released as the six-part RUN TO YOU digital serial in 2014, are being released in print with new DECEPTION SO titles and gorgeous new covers, starting with DECEPTION SO DEADLY in August 2017 and DECEPTION SO DARK in February 2018. The series continues with DECEPTION SO DANGEROUS in August 2018.

Clara's critically-acclaimed novel AFTERMATH (Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse), a dark, ripped-from-the-headlines drama about hope, healing, and triumph over tragedy in the tradition of ROOM and THE LOVELY BONES, is on Goodreads' list of Most Popular Books Published in November 2016, and Young Adult Books Central declared it a Top Ten Book of 2016.

Clara's favorite foods are guacamole and cookie dough. 

But not together. That would be gross.

LINKS

NEWSLETTER / GOODREADS / WEBSITE / FACEBOOK GROUP - The Insiders 

FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER 

Blog Tour (Q&A and Giveaway): BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME w/Ameriie and Tina Burke (YA)

I am so very happy to be a part of the BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME: 13 TALES OF VILLAINY blog tour!!! Today, I get to share with you my Q&A with author and editor, Ameriie, and bookblogger/booktuber, Tina Burke... 

Be sure to read through to the bottom of the post and enter the giveaway that is being hosted by the publisher!

BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME
edited by Ameriie
Release date: July 11th, 2017
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: Fairy Tale/Fantasy - Anthology/Short Stories
Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

Leave it to the heroes to save the world - villains just want to rule the world.

In this unique anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential booktubers to reimagine the origin stories of the villains we love to hate - infamous foes from fairy tales, mythology, and brand-new worlds. 

Based on comic book-inspired enemies in pop culture and classics such as Medusa from Greek mythology, Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes, and the giant from "Jack and the Beanstalk," these fractured, unconventional spins retell each character's story in an original, unexpected way. This behind-the-curtain look at villains explores the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that set them on the road to bad and questions whether or not anyone is truly born evil. 

No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again... 

Featuring writing from... 

Authors: Renee Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke and Nicola Yoon. 

Booktubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoe Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel). 

MY Q&A with author and editor, AMERIIE

1. BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME are fairy tale retellings that are told from villain's point-of-view, why give them the spotlight when they are purposefully callous and unforgiving?

"Even when I was a kid, I felt sorry for the villain. There was something sad about them, I felt they were misunderstood. I wanted to understand them, and not only that, I wanted everyone else to understand them, too. I wanted the villains, the so-called evil-doers, to get a chance to tell their own stories so that we could get the "full truth" of their situations." 

2. Fairy tales are said to be 'fictititious short stories that usually teach a moral lesson' - do you believe that in this day that fairy tales and their retellings can still have an impact on readers? If so, what you you like to see readers learn from BECAUSE YOU LOVE TO HATE ME?

"It's harder to teach lessons these day s because I think we're, in general, a lot more aware that ther are no easy answers, that often times there are no easy delineations of right and wrong. If anything, I'd just like the anthology to make readers question themselves when they are quick to judge. I'd like the book to help create empathy, though I read somewhere that reading tends to do that, anyway. In any case, an increase in empathy would do us all a world of good, especially now, when we're all closer yet further apart than ever." 

3. How did it feel to have to work with someone else's idea rather than come up with your own? Do you feel that the prompts influenced you away from something else that you may have written?

"It was a scary prospect because of course, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to deliver. But I'm really happy with the resulting story. The funny thing is that although you might think it'd be harder to be creative when writing under constraints, I believe it forces you to be more creative. You have a nutshell, and now you have to figure out what to do with it. you can't fall on easy answers, easy story paths. Now that I think of it, it reminds me of one of those competitive chef shows, where everyone gets the same ingredients and they have to make something special." 

4. Favorite fairy tale? Favorite villain? 

"Hmmm. I have too many, so I think the Brother's Grimm version of Cinderella. 

My favorite villain is Michael Corleone of the Godfather, though I've never seen him as a villain." 

MY Q&A with booktuber, TINA BURKE

1. What were some of the prompts that you provided to Ameriie, and what sort of research did you do to come up with them? 

"I had five prompt sections: Serial Killers, Fairy Tales, Mobsters, Historical Figures, and Mash It All Up. I was most worried about creating a prompt that was too restrictive; part of the cool thin in fairy tale retellings, for instance, is that you can choose which plot points you want to reinvent, not include, etc. So I didn't want to create a prompt that actually specified plot points. As Ameriie hinted in our google hangout, one of the prompts was related to Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who could fit under many of these categories. Having multiple categories also meant that Ameriie could mash up the prompts in whatever way she wanted.

As for research I did, I looked up serial killers, mobsters, and historical figures. I looked at the books that I read and considered why I did and didn't like the villain in that particular book. I read various articles about what made a good villain. I took these things into consideration." 

2. What villain do you think is the most misunderstood and deserves a chance to be sought out, listened to an, perhaps, be understood/forgiven? 

"I don't think there is any one villain who deserves this more than another. Villainy is often a matter of perspective - you can be the hero of your story and the villain in someone else's. But in general, I would like to read more stories about morally grey characters who blur the line of heroism and villainy."

3. What is your favorite fairy tale and/or who is your favorite villain, and why? 

"I have a confession to make: I don't really like fairy tales. But that's also somewhat of a fallacy, because that's like saying I don't like Story. Ursula Le Guin, in "the Wilderness Within: The Sleeping Beauty and 'The Poacher'" (The Wave in the Mind), wrote about how she hates being asked about what inspired her and how few writers could ever pinpoint all the little things that take root in their brains - and hey, go back to the original stories, fairy tales inspire us all, etc. And Vladimir Propp, in "Morphology of the Folktale" (The Classic Fairy Tales), writes about the different functions of various phenomena within fairy tales, most of which are in regular stories anyway. But I guess I just don't like the simplicity of fairy tales, which have those functions but without the added context and richness in a regular story, the "Big Idea" so to speak. 

I don't really have one favorite villain (see #2), but there are quite a few I like. Recently I was listening to the audiobook 2015 version of Dracula, and OMG, the first two parts of the audiobook are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. The atmosphere, the build-up, the slow discovery of what Dracula is doing, the facade he is building - and contrasted against my dislike of Jonathan Harker, who's supposed to be the hero, I guess - I'm engrossed. 

Grendel is a pretty great villain retelling from Beowulf (and another example of how giants are always viewed evil!). 

Dolores Umbridge is a pretty great villain to hate - certainly not one I'd fangirl over, but one who felt realistic, a character who we've met in our lives at some point.

And, of course, there's the villain crushes I identified in another post; they're pretty cool characters, too. That's without getting into media beyond books." 

GIVEAWAY

Giveaway is sponsored by Bloomsbury.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Bumbles and Fairy-Tales will not be held responsible for any lost, unclaimed, damaged, etc. giveaway items.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND EDITOR - Ameriie

Ameriie is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, and lifestyle bon vivant.

The daughter of a Korean artist and an American military officer, she was born in Massachusetts, raised all over the world, and graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor's in English. 

She began writing at the age of seven, stories of fairies and piraes and witches and phantoms.

She lives mostly in her imagination, but also on Earth with her husband, her parents and sister, and about seven billion other people. 

When she isn't writing or creating music, she talks books, beauty, and more on her YouTube channel, Books Beauty Ameriie.

Links: Goodreads / Website / YouTube / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Tumblr

ABOUT THE BOOKTUBER - Tina Burke aka ChristinaReadsYA and The Lushables

Tina was raised in Southern California by a boisterous Lebanese family, whose favorite words ("let me tell you a story") spurred a lifelong love of storytelling. 

After earning a BA in neuroscience, she moved to the East Coast for her PhD program. 

When she's not reading or thinking about her next research story, she can be found writing fictional stories. 

Links: YouTube / Blog / Goodreads / Instagram / Twitter  

Don't forget to follow the blog tour... 
ends on July 27th... 

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

July 11: The Candid Cover

July 12: Once Upon a Twilight

July 13: Bumbles and Fairy-Tales

July 14: Lost in Literature

July 17: Nicole’s Novel Reads

July 18: curlyhairbibliophile

July 19: Page Turners Blog

July 20: A Page with a View

July 21: Novel Novice

July 24: Peace Love Books

July 25: The Plot Bunny

July 26: The Eater of Books!

July 27: Read.Sleep.Repeat