Bonnie Lynn Wagner has been a reader for as long as she can remember. Friends frequently come to her for book recommendations, and eventually, she decided to start reviewing books in order to share her love of them with everyone. While her favorite genre is fantasy, she reads and reviews many others, from contemporary novels to juvenile picture books. When she isn't reviewing books, you can find her on Twitter @abackwardsstory talking about musicals, nail polish, and Disney, among other things! She continues to review at http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com if you'd like even more book recommendations!
This week, word got out that Buffy the Vampire Slayer will receive new life in Fall 2018 as a brand spanking new book series. Coming on the heels of the show's 20th Anniversary on March 10th, fans were whipped up into an even bigger frenzy and social media spontaneously combusted.
FANGIRL took me longer to get into than ELEANOR & PARK, which I reviewed here at BWW last week. It has a slower start before it gets moving and makes readers become attached to the characters. It's also a longer book, so it took me longer than the day it did to read ELEANOR & PARK. But in some ways, I can relate more to FANGIRL because I've experienced several of the same things that Cath goes through. In ELEANOR & PARK, it's easy to slip into Eleanor's shoes and feel her embarrassment and live her life. With FANGIRL, the audience is more secular. I've heard a lot of people complain that FANGIRL seems improbable, that freshmen at college aren't like this, that the scenario is off. ...And yet, Cath is a lot like I was my first year of college. Don't brush off Cath's experience just because it wasn't yours, because it was someone else's.
What makes ELEANOR & PARK so extraordinary is, in fact, how ordinary it is. How everyday. Life is mundane. We make our way through each day, and there isn't always something to set it apart from all of our yesterdays and tomorrows.
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas is one of my all-time favorite retellings of Beauty and the Beast. It's also an original, immersive fantasy!
Since we're celebrating A Week of Beauty and the Beast all week, of COURSE I want to tell you about my ten favorite retellings! Dive into these great novels while you count down to the new movie! Are you ready to see what I've come up with?
This week, in celebration of the release of Disney's brand-new live-action movie Beauty and the Beast, I'm going to be posting reviews of beloved novels retelling this story both here at Broadway World as well as on my personal book review blog A Backwards Story. Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl is also posting throughout the week. We'll both be posting every day on our personal blogs, and I'll have a few posts here at BWW as well so that we can all join in on fun!
There is so much to say about STATION ELEVEN, and so little that can be shared without revealing spoilers. STATION ELEVEN is a book that unfurls slowly, one that introduces you to a multitude of characters and slips all of the puzzle pieces together later. It's interesting that Erin Morgenstern blurbed the novel because in her own debut, THE NIGHT CIRCUS, she also has a way of unfurling the story to move it along. Slowly, softly, but with great impact.
STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves by Kate T. Parker came out this week, and the timing is perfect with today being International Women's Day. The book is full of breath-taking photographs and empowering messages, from the silly joys of childhood to the the heartbreak and hope of adulthood.
“Working with Netflix in the entertainment field of television and film is a dream come true. Netflix is a company that does on a grand scale what my company does in miniature. Our motto is 'scouting without borders,' which perfectly aligns with Netflix's transformational model to bring stories in every form to people all over the world.”
Villain or hero, you're always the victor when it comes to seeing things through your own eyes. That's why so many villains have depth. That's why so many people want to read about villains these days. They don't want to watch the movies and TV shows of old where villains are static characters.
So many readers have asked for more books--especially in fantasy--where the main characters going on adventures are more diverse. Where that diversity isn't the entire story, but another layer of it. Where characters of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds can have adventures.
RONIT AND JAMIL was written by Pamela L. Laskin and is a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet revolving around the Israel-Palestine conflict.
RONIT AND JAMIL was written by Pamela L. Laskin and is a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet revolving around the Israel-Palestine conflict.
First there was GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn. Then there was THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins. Now, the big thriller to pick up is THE GIRL BEFORE by debut author J.P. Delaney.
Barnes and Noble is running its annual 40% Off Soundtrack & Shows Sale from Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 to Monday, March 6th, 2017.
It deals with terrorism, with racism and the prejudices people carry. It talks about immigration issues and pokes at the way journalists and social media can exacerbate a situation or report without all of the details.
Fall into a great retelling based on some of the most romantic couples in classic literature!
Like Labyrinth? Check out today's book review featuring WINTERSONG by @sjaejones!
Today, book reviewer Bonnie Lynn Wagner @abackwardsstory begins her journey reviewing books at BWW! Come meet her & discover some great books!
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