Tag: Book Blog

Meet The Co-Hosts Of Tome Topple: Gaia from Lalettricesegreta on Instagram!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

I’m back again with another co-host interview and today I’m chatting with Gaia from Lalettricesegreta on Instagram! Gaia is our main Instagram user and creates some incredible stories/posts. If you aren’t following her, you should absolutely change that! Now let’s get chatting!

Mr Geek: Hi Gaia, thanks so much for chatting with me for my blog. Let’s kick things off with you introducing yourself to my readers. What are a few things you enjoy doing outside of reading? Do you have any fun hobbies? What do you do as your day job?

Gaia: I have to admit that I’m a “late” reader. I discovered my love for books during senior year of high school. It took me almost three years to start sharing online, opening my blog and then my Instagram account. Before that, music was my soul and heart… and it still is today. I’ve took singing lessons for years!  Can’t pass a day without singing or listening to Broadway show recordings! When I have to be serious — yup, sometimes it happens — I’m a psychology student at the University of Bari (Italy). 

Mr Geek: I had no idea you were into music and theater! I actually grew up going to the theater once every summer. My Mum and Grandma would buy season tickets to 3 shows playing in the city and they would always buy me a single ticket to join them for a show. It was always a really fun, enjoyable experience and I definitely appreciate the arts more now as an adult because of it. And since we’re talking about art, I love your Instagram stories and posts! You’re @Lalettricesegreta on Instagram. What inspired this name? How did you first get started on Bookstagram?

Gaia: My nickname, La Lettrice Segreta, means literally THE SECRET READER. That’s exactly what I was at the beginning of my voyage through books. I didn’t have friends, at the time, that shared my passion – except for a group of online readers I met at some fantasy-related forums. 

When I opened my blog, I decided to name it “The secret worlds of books” (translated in Italian “Le Parole Segrete dei Libri”). I had this idea of whispered emotions and words shared between just me and my books. It felt so poetic — it was the right choice. My nickname came along very naturally from that.

Then starting my Instagram was one of the best choices I ever made. I love photography, especially if it’s surreal and photoshopped – it’s so fun to create! The possibility of talking about books and taking pictures at the same time was just perfect for me! 

Mr Geek: Love how your book related accounts are able to also incorporate some of your other passions – that’s awesome! You’re Instagram posts all have a sense of fantasy and whimsy about them, so you’re really staying true there! Since you’re our resident Instagram expert here at Tome Topple, when did you first get involved in the read-a-thon?

Gaia: I met Sam on Instagram during ROUND 9 of Tome Topple a couple of years ago. I remember tagging her in my stories with some reading templates I had created for myself — as I just said, I’m a graphical edits and photography nerd!  She saw them and we talked a little bit. Some weeks later she asked me if I wanted to be the instagram host of the readathon. Of course I said YAAAAAS!!!

Mr Geek: It’s awesome how you just randomly connected with Sam on Instagram, very similar to how I got involved. I participated in Tome Topple for a couple of rounds and then reached out on Twitter to see if she could use another co-host. She said sure and the rest is history! As we are on the tail end of Tome Topple, if you could only pick one genre to read for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

Gaia: This is SO hard.  My heart right now is *painfully* divided between fantasy+scifi. Yup, obviously cheating and putting them together as branches of the same ginormous tree or literary fiction. I know I’m proving myself a 100% Libra with these awful decision making skills…. Oh well, I can’t choose! May the odds be ever in my favor!

Mr Geek: Well… I guess I can let this combo slide! I definitely consider Fantasy and Sci Fi as part of the same tree. Did you read any great Fantasy or Sci Fi books recently? What were some of your favorites from 2021?

Gaia: 2021 was a great reading year. Just to name a few of my favorites, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Normal People by Sally Rooney, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Not a bad book, but one I was expecting a little bit more from and then didn’t blow me away as I hoped, was A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. Good book, but not life-changing for me.  

Mr Geek: I read The Handmaid’s Tale back in college and really enjoyed it. Definitely a crazy book that really makes you think. I also own, but haven’t read, The Secret History. I’ve heard great things about this one, I’ll have to get to it soon! Have you ever considered writing your own book?

Gaia: Oh well, that is a BIG dream of mine! Right now I’m concentrated on my studies, both at university and outside, reading fiction and non-fiction, especially about creative writing. Fingers crossed!

Mr Geek: Well, if you ever write that book, I am expecting an ARC! The good news is, you have already have a bunch of bookish Tome Topple friends who are waiting to hype this up for you! Were there any particular books that inspired you to want to write your own novel or that had a big impact on you growing up?

Gaia: Yes! I would not be here talking to you if it wasn’t for The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. This was THE book that made me realize I could love books more than anything! I’m a book addict, a bookstagrammer, even a Tome Topple host because of it – well… it’s a thousand page book… a forerunner indeed!  Then Little Women came, and it was the first time I saw myself perfectly portrait by a fictional character. Jo March is very close to my heart today, just like when I first read this book! 

Mr Geek: Gaia, we’re winding down our interview but for my last question. You speak Italian as your native language but your English is outstanding. Do you know any other languages?

Gaia: Yes, Italian is my native language and I started learning English in kindergarten. I do my best to talk, read and listen in English as much as I can every week – thank goodness we have books, movies, audiobooks and TV shows! I studied Spanish during middle school, but can’t remember a single thing now that I’m 28. It has been too many years since, but I would love to study it all over again – it’s such a musical and fun language! 

Mr Geek: This was such an interesting conversation and I definitely learned a lot more about you, as did our Tome Topple readers! Thank you so much for stopping by and chatting, Gaia!

There you have it – Gaia from Lalettricesegreta on Instagram! Hopefully you know a little more about Gaia and, like I said, if you aren’t following her on Instagram be sure to do that! Tomorrow is the last day for Tome Topple and I’ll be featuring my final interview – Sam from Thoughts On Tomes, the original creator of Tome Topple (talk about a great way to close things out)!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Meet The Co-Hosts Of Tome Topple: Tori from ToriMorrow!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hellllllo readers!

Tome Topple is officially into Week 2 and the finish line is in sight! I’m making excellent progress on King of Scars and am really, really loving it! Today’s interview is with Tori from Tori Morrow over on YouTube! Let’s get started and chat with Tori!

Mr Geek: Hi Tori! Thanks for taking the time to chat! To kick things off, why don’t you introduce yourself to my readers. What are a few things you enjoy doing outside of reading? Have any fun hobbies?  What do you do as your day job?

Tori: Hey, Tome Topplers! My biggest hobby outside of reading is definitely playing video games. I’m big into open-world RPGs, action, and games with strong narratives. Some of my all-time favorites include: Fallout 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last of Us, Control, Uncharted, and Bioshock. A hobby that I’ve started recently and have surprisingly been loving is hiking. It’s one of the few forms of exercise I’ve found I actually enjoy, but it’s also been amazing for my mental health in a way I couldn’t have imagined. The Chicagoland area has so many beautiful hiking trails and parks, and it’s been great exploring more of them and spending hours in nature.

By day, I work in non-profit recruitment in a senior project management role. By night, I’m a writer (currently struggling to clean up a terrible draft of my novel) and freelance short story editor.

Mr Geek: We’ve been co-hosting Tome Topple for awhile and I had no idea you were into video games! Also a big fan of Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted and Bioshock! I also didn’t realize you were writing a book which is very cool and a perfect transition over to BookTube! How long have you been a BookTuber?  What inspired you to start your own channel?  Have you always loved to read?

Tori: I’ve been on BookTube for 6 years. (No one go back and watch that first upload, please!) I was actually inspired to start my channel as a way to help with my public speaking. I’ve always been better at writing and getting my thoughts down on paper, but verbalizing them was something I struggled with from my pre-teen years into my early twenties. I used to speak faster than it’d take for my thoughts to fully form and would start rambling, so most of the time, I’d be too self-conscious to say anything at all. Talking to a camera, though, especially about books, and explaining what I enjoyed or disliked about something I’d read, really forced me to slow my thoughts down and be intentional with what I wanted to say. It’s been a journey, but the process of creating videos has been an amazing life skill for me and is something I use every day.  

Yes, I’ve always loved to read! Growing up, my mom and grandma really cultivated my passion for reading, and books were a staple in our home. Even when we had moments that were a challenge financially, they still made sure I had something to read. They knew how much of an escape books were for me, and I remember they’d let me read for hours, completely uninterrupted, so I’d have time to get lost in a story. My mom also worked nights and was still in school when I was a kid, and I remember her coming home and somehow still making time to read with me. I was incredibly blessed in that way and was able to grow up on books and classic series that I still cherish now. My mom and grandma are definitely the reason why reading is still one of the biggest parts of my life today.

Mr Geek: I LOVE that you stared your channel as a way to help improve your public speaking skills! What an incredible idea. Being a strong presenter is such a great skill to have no matter what profession you’re in! It’s also great to hear that your Mom and Grandma really instilled reading in you at a young age – it is also nice to see that this is something you’ve enjoyed and have carried with you into your adult life! If you could only read one genre for the rest of your life, what would you pick and why?

Tori: Science fiction, without question! Since starting my BookTube channel, I’ve really come into my love for sci-fi, and I’m still amazed by the vastness of the genre, its sub-genres, and how some authors are defying categorization altogether. I’ve always had a fascination with the “what if”, in relation to technology, government, the environment, and even space, and I feel like that question is the foundation for a lot of great science fiction. It’s a genre that I’ve found really encourages big and exciting ideas, whether that’s done through a space opera, a futuristic setting, a dystopian, or even a literary sci-fi that’s a commentary on our modern society. Science fiction has allowed me to reflect on the world and my place in it, in a way that few other genres have been able to do for me. That’s something I’ll never get tired of reading!

Mr Geek: Sci-Fi is a genre that I don’t read very often but I usually enjoy whenever I do! What were some of your favorite and least favorite reads from 2021? Read any good Science Fiction?

Tori: My top ten favorites of last year were: 

  1. Jade War (Green Bone Saga #3) by Fonda Lee 
  2. Ring Shout by P.Djèlí Clark
  3. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due
  4. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
  5. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) by Pierce Brown 
  6. Velocity Weapon by Megan O’keefe
  7. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
  8. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
  9. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
  10. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell 

My least favorite books were: 

  1. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
  2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
  3. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
  4. The Whisper Man by Alex North 
  5. The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He

Mr Geek: Should’ve thought about that question a little more before asking it! Like all of my other interviews, I didn’t think about the impact this question was going to have on my TBR. I’ve read about half of your Top 10 list and a few of those have been on my radar (like My Dark Vanessa) but I wasn’t sure if I should pull the trigger. I think I will! I as neutral on The Whisper Man but I didn’t like North’s most recent release, The Shadows. Very meh, in my opinion. Ok, as we wrap up here, what have been your favorite and least favorite books of this year?

Tori: My favorite read of the year so far is Morning Star (Red Rising #3) by Pierce Brown. My least favorite is Mickey7 by Edward Ashton.

Mr Geek: If this conversation did anything, it firmly convinced me that I NEED to move the Red Rising series up on my TBR and get to that soon! It was great chatting with you Tori – thanks for stopping by!

And that Ladies & Gentlemen, was Tori Morrow from ToriMorrow on YouTube! I think I can confidently say if you like Fantasy or Science Fiction (among other genres), you’re going to love her channel! Be sure to check her out! I’ll be posting my final 2 interviews this week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Meet The Co-Hosts Of Tome Topple: Adri from perpetualpages!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

Continuing on with my Tome Topple co-host interview series, today I’ll be featuring Adri from perpetual pages on YouTube! If this is the first interview you’re reading, I chatted with Sam from Will Read For Booze already and that post can be found here! That’s enough of an intro, let’s jump in and start chatting with Adri!

Mr Geek: Hi Adri, I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. To kick things off, why don’t you introduce yourself to my readers. Tell me a little about yourself – what do you like to do outside of reading? Do you have any fun hobbies? What’s your day job? 

Adri from perpetualpages: First off, thank you so much for having me on the blog! For those who don’t know me, I am a queer, trans nonbinary, Mexican-American writer, book reviewer, and YouTuber. I run a BookTube channel called perpetualpages, where I share reviews for books I’m reading, recommendations, book tags, and lots of other fun book-related content! As a reader, my taste is highly eclectic. I read across all genres, age demographics, and mediums. I put a particular focus on reading works from marginalized authors, with a special emphasis on queer lit just because that’s where my experience aligns. Every one of my new uploads comes fully captioned and I include content warnings for every book I review, because I believe access to information is power.

Outside of reading, I love to play video games, take photos, watch movies/tv shows with my family and friends, color, go on long walks, and of course write! I have a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing, and I try to balance my own creative projects—poetry, short stories, fiction manuscripts—with my content creation. For work, I’ve dabbled in a lot of different industries. I’ve done some freelance content creation and writing, I’ve worked in the field of education as a tutor and teaching assistant, and most recently I’ve started working in the postal service industry! I kind of bounce around wherever I’m needed, but I think that just demonstrates a strong range of professional abilities, and I’m super proud of all I’ve done so far.

Mr Geek: I love that your degree in Creative Writing aligns so perfectly with your YouTube channel, current projects and all of the other elements in your life that you mentions. Very cool! Since we’re talking about YouTube, how long have you been a BookTuber?  I love the name perpetualpages, what inspired that?  How long have you been co-hosting Tome Topple?

Adri from perpetualpages: I started my BookTube channel in late 2013. So when November hits later this year I will have officially been making videos for nine years! It’s kind of surreal to quantify my experience in that way, but I suppose the numbers don’t lie.

I got to the name perpetualpages because I started BookTubing in the early days when alliteration was very much The Thing To Do. After toying around with a lot of different book-related terms, I landed on “pages,” because I felt it was a universal part of the reading experience. Whether you listen to audiobooks, read e-books, or read physical books, the “experience” of reading is often quantified by the page count, and you make progress by working your way through those pages, however they may be presented to you. With that decided, I just needed to find another “p” word and “perpetual” struck something in me because I think it alludes to a feeling of permanence and legacy. So all together, my hope was that “perpetualpages” would signify how the stories that truly matter to us will always stay with us. What’s more, I think it ties into my “branding,” so to speak, because I am very intentional with what I read and how I read, and my mission statement as a content creator and reviewer has always been to help other people connect with the stories they need the most, the stories that will always stay in their hearts.

As far as Tome Topple, I am fortunate enough to say that I have been a co-host since the very first round! Sam reached out to a few different people to help her get this read-a-thon off the ground, and I had such a good time with it that I decided to make myself available any time it rolled around again! I always have so much fun interacting with readers, hosting reading sprints, and of course spending some dedicated time with those bigger books, so it always works out for the best.

Mr Geek: I had no idea that I was speaking with one of the original co-hosts of Tome Topple! That’s awesome that you have been around from the very beginning. It’s hard to believe that is is already the 4th round that I’ve helped co-host, and I’m obviously loving it! Speaking of things you love, if you could only read one genre for the rest of your life, what would you pick and why?

Adri from perpetualpages: As a lover of almost every genre that exists, this question is so painful! But I would probably have to say Fantasy. I think Fantasy itches that part of my brain that longs for a sense of wonder and imagination, and because it isn’t tied down to real-world constraints or logic, the concepts can really challenge a reader’s mind and provide limitless possibilities. Plus, Fantasy also comes with a lot of subgenres that would make me feel like I’m not missing out too much. I could still get those contemporary settings in contemporary fantasy or urban fantasy, I could still enjoy the richness of intimate relationships in fantasy-romance, and the fantasy genre covers everything from children’s books to adult books! The same could be said for many other genres, but as a life-long lover of Fantasy, I think I’d have to stick with it for good.

Mr Geek: I completely agree with you. When I chatted with Sam (2), she also picked Fantasy. There is just something about escaping into a great Fantasy book that I love. You previously mentioned that you’re a videogame player, as am I, and I also love a good Fantasy game. I always choose to be the magic user when I can! Shifting gears a bit, let’s talk about some of favorite, and least favorite, books from 2021!

Adri from perpetualpages: Not gonna lie, I have to go back and reference my bookish stats for this one! As a Libra, having to choose one definitive favorite is my worst nightmare, but I’m going to cheat a little bit and say it’s probably a tie between Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa and The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon. Though they’re very different from each other, both stories are incredibly written and reading them brought me a deep sense of catharsis and recognition that I haven’t experienced before. I’m definitely anticipating both Jonny and H.E.’s next books!
I don’t love “putting books down,” because enjoyment of the arts is so incredibly subjective, and what’s a “bad book” for me could absolutely work on every level for someone else. It’s so often a matter of taste and reading experience that’s hard to definitively pinpoint. But just based on ratings alone, one of my lowest rated books of 2021 was Well Played by Jen DeLuca, which I think paled in comparison to the first book in the trilogy.

Mr Geek: I’ve never read either of your favorites, so you just made my TBR a little bit longer! I also don’t usually like hating on books, there is only one book out there that I despise but we can save that for another day! Since our time together is winding down, tell me about a few of your favorite books from past rounds of Tome Topple!

Adri from perpetualpages: Luckily, I can say that I’ve picked some real winners for these past rounds of Tome Topple! I’ve read everything from The Secret History to Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky and almost everything you can imagine in-between. Some real standout tomes for me have been Jade City, which set me on a path of utter devastation; Braiding Sweetgrass, which turned out to be one of the most personal and memorable pieces of nonfiction I’ve ever read; Priory of the Orange Tree, which I finished in a week out of sheer force of will; the entire Daevabad trilogy, which I listened to on audio over three different rounds; and Empire of Sand, which turned out to be one of my favorite books of 2021. I’ve had so many memorable reading experiences throughout my years of co-hosting Tome Topple, and I look forward to making many more memories!

Mr Geek: I don’t know Adri, I might have to ban you from future interviews haha – I added 5 new books to my TBR and bumped Priory of the Orange Tree, Jade City and the Daevabad trilogy to the top of the list! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me! Hopefully we can do this again for a future round!

And that concludes my interview with Adri from perpetualpages. If you couldn’t tell from our conversation, Adri is EXTREMELY good at giving book recommendations and their channel is just overflowing with that type of content! Be sure to check them out over on YouTube! Keep an eye on my blog, Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou) and the Tome Topple Twitter Account (@Tome_Topple) for my next co-host interview! Keep toppling those tomes!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Meet The Co-Hosts Of Tome Topple: Sam From Will Read For Booze!

~ Mr Geek ~ 1 Comment

Hello Readers!

Tome Topple officially started yesterday and we’re off to a solid start! My first read is going to be King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (and I’m already about 100 page into it)! For this round, I thought it would be fun to do blog posts featuring each of the co-hosts that make this event happen! Over the next 2 weeks, whenever I host reading sprints, I’ll be sharing a blog post highlighting one of my fellow co-hosts! So without further ado, let’s chat with Sam from Will Read For Booze!

Mr Geek: Hey Sam! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me for this blog post! Let’s kick things off withy ou introducing yourself to my readers. What are a few things you enjoy doing outside of reading? Have any fun hobbies?  What’s your day job? 

Sam (Will Read For Booze): Hey there! I’m Sam from Will Read For Booze. I live in the DC area, am in my early 30s, and work as a consultant (like most people here). I have the cutest cat ever named Nona Grey from the Red Sister series by Mark Lawrence. Other than reading, hobbies include social sports (I play kickball) and Netflix, but my Covid hobby I picked up was doing my own nails. Been loving that. 

Mr Geek: I love a good book-inspired pet name! Speaking of things I love – the name of your blog, Will Read For Booze, combines two of my favorite things into one!  What inspired the name and what got you into blogging? 

Sam (Will Read For Booze): Well… back in 2016, my friends and I attended our first BookCon in Chicago. Little did we know what we would get ourselves in to. We started talking about how we want to get in to BookNet but how to do so without being one of many… we also just so happened to be hammered at the time. So, myself, Ginny, and our other friend Parker started the blog. The name came from us basically starting a google doc and everyone writing ideas and we picked one haha. We’ve picked up a few others along the way, Linz and Minda. A couple of us are on hiatus, but that’s what happens when you’ve got.. you know.. life.

Mr Geek: That’s awesome! It’s great that you’re able to blog with friends… I’m flying solo over here at Treat Yo Shelf. Follow up question, that your favorite kind of booze?

Sam (Will Read For Booze): Fave booze? I don’t really discriminate when it comes to alcohol but wine. Always wine.

Mr Geek: Ahhhh, wine. An excellent choice and I might just go pour a glass after this interview is over! I also don’t discriminate but I am a big wine drinker too. Love a good Sauvignon Blanc! Shifting gears and back into book talk, if you could only read one genre for the rest of your life, what would you pick and why?

Sam (Will Read For Booze): Fantasy, one thousand percent. It’s my escape. You can learn and process so much about your life when you can get rid of a lot of the realities of the day to day. Especially now, the last thing I want is to think about the real world.

Mr Geek: I can completely understand that! This pandemic has not been very enjoyable to live through! I completely agree with you though, I also love fantasy. It’s great being able to escape to a separate world and forget about your day-to-day life for awhile! What were your favorite and least favorite books you read in 2021? Read any good fantasy?

Sam (Will Read For Booze): This is not a fair question but if I had to pick a favorite, The Burning God by R.F. Kuang. The finale just worked and the series was beautiful and tragic all at the same time.

My least favorite? Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin… listen I know these books are well loved but… not by me, and especially not this one. Nothing happened haha!

Mr Geek: There are plenty of books out there that I can’t stand but others adore. That’s what makes you, you! As we wind down, your final question. What was the most boring thing you did during the pandemic?

Sam (Will Read For Booze): The boringest thing I did in Covid, you ask? Why, I’ll tell you. I literally watched paint dry. I moved in to a new place and was painting my bookshelves and just watched it dry so I could do the next coat.

Mr Geek: Haha, I did A LOT of boring things during the pandemic but I can honestly say I’ve never watched paint dry! Sam, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview, it was great chatting with you!

There you have it ladies and gentlemen, Sam from Will Read For Booze! Hopefully you learned a little something new about Sam. Keep an eye on my blog, Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou) and the Tome Topple Twitter Account (@Tome_Topple) for our next co-host interview! Hope everyone is having a great round!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

A Mis-Matched April TBR + Tome Topple!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

I can’t believe we are almost halfway through April! The weather should be breaking but it has been surprisingly cold and even a little snowy here in Pittsburgh these last few weeks. In non-book related news, I just got back from a trip to Augusta, GA! I was invited to golf at Augusta Country Club last Thursday and then I attended the Masters golf tournament on Friday and Saturday. It was an incredible trip and I am still in disbelief that I was able to go! While the trip was packed with activities, I did get some serious reading done during my flights! So let’s chat about what books I plan to tackle during the month of April!

I originally had a pretty fun idea for my TBR planned but due to Tome Topple and a couple other events I’m participating in this month, I’m going to postpone this one more month and use this idea in May! Instead of having a fully baked plan, I’m sticking with the theme of this year and going a little chaotic. To start, I’m reading Finlay Donovan Is Killing it by Elle Cosimano. This is a funny, light and slightly dark story about an author, and recent divorcee, who gets mistaken as a hired assassin. I’m almost done with this one and I’m really enjoying it – it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a nice distraction in this crazy world we’re living in. The next book I’d like to wrap up is This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg. I’ve been picking away at this one since last month and am going to be committing to finishing it soon. I was a little slumpy when I first started this one, so I’ve been dragging it out much longer than I meant to!

Once I wrap up these two books, we’re going to be into the start of Tome Topple Round 16! I always set lofty goals for Tome Topple and never follow through with them but I’m going to try to change that this time around! As you might’ve seen in my announcement post, I’m planning to read King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. This is the first book in the Nikolai Duology that takes place after the original Grishaverse trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology. I’m planning to try to knock this one out in week 1 of Tome Topple then move into The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. The Book of Accidents is a creepy horror title that sounds RIGHT up my alley. I usually save these types of books for October but I got this one for Christmas from my Secret Santa (if you ever read this – Thanks again, Gigi!!) and I’ve been dying to read it ever since! Each of these books check the box for each of the reading prompts I rolled in my announcement post. I’m also going to revisit Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff. I started this one back in January and while I enjoyed it, it’s slow pacing threw me off. I’m about 90 pages into that one already, so I’m going to pick that up when I can to try to chip away at it during this round of Tome Topple.

So that’s it! What books are you reading this month and are you planning to participate in Tome Topple? Drop me your books in the comments and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for when I’m hosting reading sprints (and be sure to join in)!

Until Next Time,
Mr Geek

Tome Topple Round 16 Announcement!

~ Mr Geek ~ 4 Comments

Hello Readers!

It’s hard to believe that April is right around the corner and with it… THE NEXT ROUND OF TOME TOPPLE! That’s right, Tome Topple Round 16 will begin on April 15th and run until April 28th! Better start picking out those books because we have some exciting updates happening this time around!

Since it has been awhile since our last round in October, I thought I’d give everyone a quick rundown of what Tome Topple is and how you can participate! Tome Topple is a 2 week read-a-thon where the main objective is to read books that are over 500 pages… that’s it! We’ll be hosting reading sprints on Twitter and potentially Discord this time around plus there will be Instagram and TikTok challenges too! So, how can you participate? Simply read your long books (and be sure to tag me and the other co-hosts so we can chat about your book/s)!

Speaking of co-hosts, I think now’s the perfect time to introduce the wonderful group of people that make this event happen!

We’re also going to be switching up the reading prompts this time and are shifting away from the “Bingo Card.” Instead, there are 20, yes 20, reading prompts for this round! Feel free to pick your favorites, use a random number generator, ask your friends / family for numbers or you can always roll some dice. The prompts are as follows:

1. The tome with a screen adaptation (current or upcoming) 2. A sequel tome
3. Tome on your TBR with the most pages
4. Audiobook tome
5. A tome written by a BIPOC author
6. Tome from a genre you don’t usually read
7. Tome in a series you haven’t read for a while
8. Tome with a green cover
9. Tome based on a historical event
10. Tome that has won an award

11. Standalone tome
12. Tome set in a non-European inspired setting
13. Tome centering a romance
14. Tome that’s been on your TBR the longest
15. Tome featuring an animal as main character or prominent side character (real or magical)
16. Tome with your favorite cover
17. Graphic novel tome
18. Tome that was published before 2018
19. Re-read a tome
20. Tome written by someone who doesn’t identify as a man

I decided to bust out my old faithful D&D dice (which have been in retirement for about a year) and leave my book selections up to Fate!

The dice have spoken – I’ll be tackling prompts 8 (Tome with a green cover) and 10 (Tome that has won an award). As an added bonus, I might try to throw in an Audiobook Tome too (but I usually only manage to read one book during this read-a-thon so I should probably calm down. It was pretty easy selecting which books I’ll read for each prompt. For #10, which I’ll begin the read-a-thon with, I’ll be reading King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo which won the Parents’ Choice Silver Award. For #8, I’ll be reading The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. Both of these books have been on my TBR for entirely too long and it’s time to finally knock them out!

Are you planning to participate in Tome Topple? What’s your TBR looking like? Leave me a comment and be sure to follow along on Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou) / Subscribe to my blog for all the updates!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

My Chaotic March TBR

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

I’m writing this post a little later than I originally intended. As I was wrapping up February, I had this great idea for March. My “Judge A Book By Its Cover” TBR. Well, like always, life threw me for a loop. I ended up getting an ARC a little later than expected and I had a copy of Acts of Violet show up that I have been dying to read, so… PLOT TWIST. I’m changing up my TBR and moving “Just A Book By Its Cover” to April – so keep an eye out for that! For now, I’m just going to let chaos rein and enjoy whatever March throws at me, which will include the follow books!

As you might’ve seen in my February TBR, I was working on a blog tour for This Golden State. I’m currently making my way though that and really enjoying it so far. It’s a sort of YA thriller / mystery and it has been GREAT! I’m going to review this book once I’m done (and I’ll include more spoiler-free details there). Definitely something to keep an eye on!

My new book is Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore. Montimore’s debut, Oona Out Of Order, was one of my favorite books of 2020 (and one of the best things to come out of that year). Acts of Violet is the story about a magician, Violet Volk, how vanishes in the middle of her magic show and is never seen from again. Similar to Oona, Violet is more of contemporary fiction and I’m LOVING it. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and, so far, it’s living up to the hype! I’m also going to be doing a dedicated review for this book as well!

The last book that I’m currently reading is The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I’m actually helping out Lisa From Troy (on GoodReads & Twitter) with a read-a-long she’s hosting. I am enjoying this WAY more than I thought I would. I saw The Da Vinci Code movie years and years ago when it first was released and wasn’t crazy about it. The book is 10x better and Lisa is doing a GREAT job with the read-a-long. She posts discussion posts daily (then I’m there to support with fun side talk and chatter). More information on the read-a-long can be found HERE. Also, if you’re worried about starting late, don’t be! Lisa did a great job breaking each day into small, bite-sized pieces and you could easily knock out a few days at a time to catch up!

Outside of these books, I’m going to play it by ear and just read whatever I’m in the mood for. Chaos will likely ensue but I’m just going to enjoy it and ride this wave! Should be an interesting end of month wrap up post! If you’re enjoying my content, please consider following my blow here or on Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou). Enjoy your month, friends!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

February ’22 Wrap Up!

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

I can’t believe that February is officially over. Somehow this month feels both extremely long and extremely fast at the same time. I feel like I was just writing my TBR post or my Top 5 Books from 2021 (to sync up with Valentine’s Day). While I don’t love how fast time seems to be moving, I am excited about Spring approaching, Day Light Savings Time starting (goodbye darkness at 5:30) and we’re one step closer to “Summer Hours” at work. Overall, I had a pretty solid reading month and managed to finish 4 books (about halfway done with another one). So without further ado, let’s dive in!

The first book I tackled was The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. I really started the month off with a bang! This was a fantastic story that, once you got about 1/3 the way in, really sinks its hooks into you. The synopsis is pretty vague but that woks in the favorite of the story. You follow three different points of view throughout the book which was a little disorienting at first but soon becomes comfortable. There were a fair number of twists and turns along the way that I didn’t see coming (there were also som weird, cringeworthy moments too). Overall, if you’re a fan of fantasy books, that are character driven, you should give this one a try!

Next I jumped into the Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. I more or less read these books simultaneously. The Poet X follows a High School student, Xiomara, as she navigates a strict religious family, High School and growing up. The book is written in verse which I found to be really unique and different. The further I got into the novel, the more I enjoyed it (as I became accustom to the style). I highly recommend this one for anyone looking to branch out of their comfort zone a little and try something new. This was NOT an easy read though. It was quite heavy at times and I’m sure there are plenty of people who have experienced similar situations growing up. In addition, the ending felt a tad too rushed for me. It felt a little too – BOOM, we’re done here. Still, it was an interesting read! Dear Justyce is the sequel to Dear Martin. I really enjoyed Dear Martin but I think I enjoyed Dear Justyce even more. It was fast paced, engaging and read like it could be non-fiction. This novel follows a character we meet in Dear Martin and talks a bit about his life and what happens after. I think this one was done really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did feel it was trying too hard to be progressive at the end but that’s a minor note.

About this time, my library request for The Psalm For The Wild-Built by Becky Chambers was available, so I pivoted and decided to read that instead. I requested this book from the library awhile back because I didn’t want to spend $11 for the Kindle edition (when the book is only a little over 150 pages). This was the book equivalent of a warm hug. It was thought provoking and real. The only thing that threw me off a little was the non-binary main character. I feel like no matter the book (I struggled with this reading Legendborn and Truly Devious), I always get a little confused reading they/them and it referring to a single person. Once I adjust, I’m fine but I have to constantly remind myself that the person is non-binary.

My last book, that’s still a work in progress, is This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg. My ARC for this book arrived a little later than expected, so I’m still in the process of finishing it up. So far though, I am really enjoying it. This is a YA mystery thriller that really holds your attention and reads pretty freaking fast! I’ll be posting a full length review soon, so if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, be sure to stop back!

How was your February? Read any amazing books? Or maybe a few real duds? Let me know in the comments! I’m also planning my March “Judge A Book By Its Cover” TBR, that’s going to be a fun post!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

Spotlight: This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

I’m going at you today with a very special post! Last month, I was asked by Flatiron Books if I wanted to participate in an upcoming Blog Tour supporting one of their new releases (This Golden State by Maris Weisenberg). I had never heard of this author, or the book, so I was a little skeptical Before confirming my spot, I decided to research the title a bit – it’s VERY important to me to provide honest and reliable reviews, so I wanted to make sure this was going to be something I’d enjoy before moving forward. I immediately went to GoodReads and Amazon, after reading the summary of the book, I was intrigued to say the least. I am a HUGE fan of murder mysteries and thrillers, plus I typically enjoy YA books (usually read fantasy). This book checked all those boxes! If you aren’t familiar with This Golden State, here’s a quick synopsis:

The Winslow family lives by five principles:

1. No one can know your real name.
2. Don’t stay in one place too long.
3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.
4. Keeping our family together is everything.
5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.

Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice.

When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality.

Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?

I’m currently making my way through my ARC (it arrived a little later than expected) and have been LOVING IT so far! Fans of the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson, One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus or Sadie by Courtney Summers will love This Golden State. The character development and family dynamics complement the plot in such refreshing and unexpected ways! Poppy is engaging and relatable; While she doesn’t always make the best choices, her impulsive actions and teenage angst are absolutely perfect.

This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg is out next Tuesday, March 1st and is available everywhere books are sold – like Amazon or Barnes & Noble! Stay tuned to my blog, I’ll also be posting my review next Monday to help celebrate the release!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr Geek

February ’22 TBR

~ Mr Geek ~ Leave a comment

Hello Readers!

It’s hard to believe that we are officially into February already! Last year, I decided to do a Black History Month TBR that focused on POC authors. Not only did I read a lot of interesting, thought-provoking and engaging reads, this gave me a chance to purposefully flex my reading into genres that I don’t typically dabble in. Since I had so much success last year, I challenged myself to do it again! In addition to my BHM TBR, I was also asked to be part of a Blog Tour for an upcoming release from Flatiron Books (This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg), but I’ll get to that later in this post! For now, let’s talk my main TBR and what that lineup looks like.

To start things off, I’m reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Last year, I read Jemisin’s The City We Became and it was one of my favorite books of the year. It was so unique and different, it pulled me in and didn’t let go. I’ve heard great things about her Broken Earth trilogy so I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a try! I’m not going to give.a synopsis here because everything I’ve read so far has been vague and I think that’s part of the fun – piecing the story together as you go. I only have about 100 pages left so I’ll be wrapping this one up soon and I’m curious to see how Jemisin ties this all together.

Next up will be The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. I actually read books from both of these authors last year and really enjoyed them so I thought they’d be perfect to include again in 2022. The Poet X is written in verse and I’ve heard great thing about the physical book and the audiobook (supposedly this one reads fast, so I might read it on each medium). The plot revolves around a Brooklyn high school student who begins using poetry as a means of self expression. Dear Justyce is the follow up novel to Dear Martin. I really liked Dear Martin (I wish it was longer) and I’m curious to see how this next novel plays out. I don’t want to go into plot details since it’s a sequel but I’m hoping to get a little more resolution and closure that I thought was missing from Dear Martin.

Finally, I’m round out this list with On The Come Up by Angie Thomas. This is the story of Bri a seventeen year old student who dreams to follow in her father’s footsteps and become the greatest rapper of all time. When life start to catch up to her, she’ll need to figure out if this dream can support her or if she’ll need to drop the mic in favor for a more steady option. I also read The Hate U Give last year and that was a masterpiece. I’ve heard great things about both of Thomas’ other books that I haven’t read so I have high expectations for this one!

As I previously mentioned, I was asked to participate in a Blog Tour support This Golden State, so I’ll also be reading that book in February, with a review and more content coming last this month! If you haven’t heard of This Golden State, here’s a quick summary:

The Winslow family lives by five principles:

1. No one can know your real name.
2. Don’t stay in one place too long.
3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.
4. Keeping our family together is everything.
5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.

Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice.

When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality.

Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?

I’m a big fan of YA and thrillers, so this seems to be right up my alley! Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@ItsMrGeekToYou) for live thoughts while I’m reading! What kind of books do you have planned for this month? Any recommendations for my BHM TBR? Be sure to leave a comment!

Until We Meet Again,
Mr.Geek