The Bookish Fairy

Young adult, magical realism, and every book in between infused with fairy dust...

The Queen of Historical Fiction and Taylor Jenkins Reid Book Reveal

When I found out that Taylor Jenkins Reid was coming to Books & Books in Miami only seven days apart from her book release Daisy Jones & the Six, I screamed louder than my 14-year-old self in a Hanson concert! Daisy Jones & the Six was the one book that I was HIGHLY ANTICIPATING! This book was the one book of the year that I wish I could read for the first time and ever since I read Daisy Jones I literally have been thinking about this book every day since I have read it! 

Listening to Taylor Jenkins Reid discuss her book was captivating and I loved some of the tidbits she revealed about her writing process of the book. One of the questions I asked her is the amount of detail she revealed when she described the music. The way she was writing this book was as if she was a musician herself and she revealed that her husband and brother are musicians and that’s how she was able to write about the technical aspects of the music with such precision! I am absolutely baffled at the amount of skill this woman has to create the kind of book that makes you feel like you want to google Daisy Jones & the Six! She has this incredible ability to write characters that are so real, that you wish that they existed and that’s why she is my official queen of Historical Fiction! 

Daisy Jones & the Six was greatly influenced by Fleetwood Mac and other female rock stars like Linda Ronstadt! The moderator had a wealth of knowledge when it came to the seventies rock genre since she was involved in the seventies music scene as well and there was a great connection between the author and the moderator discussing their love of seventies music. 

Jenkins also revealed that she was also influenced by the indie duo band The Civil Wars who broke up in 2014. There was never a response as to why they broke up but judging from the unreal chemistry they had together when they sang there were rumors of an affair. Jenkins actually said the break up with The Civil Wars is what greatly influenced the beginnings of Daisy Jones & the Six!

Now the news that made me fangirl-squeal was when she revealed to our book audience for the first time that she is actually writing a new book that is set in the eighties in Malibu, California! Taylor Jenkins Reid is my MVP of Historical Fiction in my eyes and this is probably going to be another Taylor Jenkins Reid book that will rip me apart!

Taylor Jenkins Reid in person is an absolute love and I am so happy and thrilled to have the opportunity to meet this incredible woman! She is so sweet and personable that I was actually comfortable enough to ask her advice for the current book I am writing. Meeting Taylor Jenkins Reid was one of my best literary moments of the year! While I impatiently wait for Taylor Jenkins Reid to write another book I am just going to continue shipping Daisy and Billy while listening to my Daisy Jones & the Six Spotify playlist! 

Book Girlfriends I Would Ride or Die For

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We all have book boyfriends that we love and fangirl over but in honor of Women’s History Month, it’s time to honor the ladies in literature that I wish were my real BFF’s! These are the ladies who I would wear friendship bracelets with, buddy read with, go on road trips with, and for the age-appropriate characters have endless mimosas over brunch with!

Here is a list of my five book girlfriends that I would ride or die for…

Lara Jean from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before…

 Lara Jean loves her boys from afar and prefers to profess her love for her crushes through the form of love letters which she stores in an adorable teal-colored hat box. Then one day all the letters are delivered to all her crushes and that’s when Lara Jean’s world is forever changed.

I want to live in the world of Lara Jean and raid her adorable vintage outfits and use her heart hole puncher! After all, how can you not love a girl who has a heart hole puncher? Lara Jean is a person who is inherently herself and she doesn’t care what other people think of her and that’s what makes her full of awesomeness! She also has exquisite taste in guys because Peter Kavinsky is one of my top book boyfriends. I would go thrift store shopping with Lara Jean and eat her homemade snickerdoodles any day of the week!

Daisy Jones from Daisy Jones and the Six…

 Daisy Jones lived the rock star life before she became a rock star. She was famous for hanging out in clubs on the Sunset Strip, taking drugs, and sleeping with the most famous rock stars. Her dream is to be a bigger part of the rock ‘n’ roll scene by singing and writing her own music. When she gets the opportunity to be in the up-and-coming band The Six history is ultimately made and they become the iconic 1970’s band Daisy Jones & The Six.

My girl Daisy Jones has that ineffable and whimsical cool-girl quality that is difficult to emulate no matter how hard you try. Daisy Jones has the perfect balance of heartbreaking vulnerability and fierceness that at the end of the day all I want to do is hug her, tell her I love her and then dance alongside her to an Iggy Pop song! She is the girl that would be my ultimate concert buddy and that would totally rock out with me at a Coachella concert!

Janie Morris from Neanderthal Seeks Human…

Janie Morris is having the worst day of her life when she loses her apartment, job, and boyfriend all within a span of a day. Then she meets Sir McHotPants (aka Quinn Sullivan) who makes her an offer that changes everything…

My heart has a soft spot for Janie Morris because she was the first quirky character that I read about before I knew the word quirky was a trending thing at the time. Janie Moris is definitely a girl I can relate to in more than ways than one mainly because I tend to say the most awkward and off the wall things at inopportune times. I love Janie Moris because she is the epitome of adorkable and she is someone that can make me laugh simply for just being her geeky and random self! She is the perfect person to go “pretend knitting” with and swoon over her awkward encounters about Sir McHotPants!

Sloane from Since You’ve Been Gone…

 

The story begins when Emily receives a note with a list of thirteen things to accomplish for the summer. The only thing is that she has the list but her best friend has disappeared. “In a well-ordered universe” she would only accomplish things that are in her comfort zone…until she finally steps out of it and hugs random guys named Jamie and falls in love with an adorable red-head named Frank…

Sloane is the best friend that any introverted girl in high school could ask for! She lives her life on her own terms without a care in the world! She has an adventurous spirit and is the ultimate person you want to spend your summer with! Sloane comes up with the coolest summer activities such as going for a pizza crawl, finding the best cupcake in their town of Stanwich, and mapping out vintage flea markets in search for a nice pair of heart-shaped sunglasses. I love her passion for life and would totally watch a double feature of Troop Beverly Hills and Clueless with her while drinking soda from Twizzlers anytime!

Weetzie Bat from the Weetzie Bat Series…

Weetzie Bat is a magical realism story about a girl who lives in Shangri-La who is looking for more in her tiny sparkling universe. When she makes three wishes Weetzie realizes that life and especially love can be the most complicated of them all…

Weetzie Bat wears heart-shaped glasses and literally sees her Shangri-La world through “heart-shaped glasses.” She lives life to the fullest and she is the person you want to ride through the strip with while drinking pink champagne and eating pastrami burritos at Oki Dogs. Weetzie Bat is my inspiration growing up because she appreciated the beauty around her even when she was feeling the most pain in her life. She falls in love with the sexy and brooding filmmaker My Secret Agent Lover man who she shares heart-stopping kisses that taste like apple pie a la mode mixed with chocolate. Weetzie Bat is my muse, my inspiration, and when the world gets scary I try to adopt Weetzie Bat’s ability to simply see the beauty through the pain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Daisy Jones & The Six

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Breaking the Spine, and is now hosted by Wishful Endings (as Can’t Wait Wednesday). It’s a feature where they discuss one of the most anticipated upcoming book releases. The anticipated book release is Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid!

Catnopsis

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Why I’m Waiting

My heart is bursting with fangirl excitement for Daisy Jones and the Six because I live for rock star romances. I was a Hanson groupie from 1997-2000 (Not a naughty groupie!) and I always dreamed of marrying Zac Hanson, read bad Hanson fanfiction, and watched Almost Famous on repeat! 

Throughout my years of growing up, I had a fascination with the 60s and 70s, dramatic True Hollywood Story documentaries such as the one on Fleetwood Mac, and I daydreamed about being around for the Bob Dylan concert where he grew famous for playing the electric guitar in a folk concert. I know I am a bit extra now but I am going to be all over this book the second it is released on March 5th!

My excitement is also now quadrupled because Taylor Jenkins Reid is coming near my hometown March 12th to Books and Books in Coral Gables! She is the author that made me fall in love with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I am so excited for Daisy Jones & the Six that I am 90% confident that I am going to finish this book by the time I meet her! I know I always say that I am going to finish authors books by the time I meet them and don’t always fall through but I am way BEYOND excited for her book release! 

What is your “can’t-wait-Wednesday” fangirl-crazy books?! Chat with me and tell me about the book releases your crazy about! 

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Reads of 2018

Happy New Year Tuesday and happy birthday to me! I am officially in my mid-30’s! Gasp!

Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. Top Ten Tuesday this week consists of the best books of 2018.

1…Save the Date by Morgan Matson

I was highly anticipating this book for a solid 6 months and waited anxiously for my pre-order! I am so happy to say that I absolutely freaking love this book! If you know me then you know Morgan Matson is my contemporary homegirl! Morgan Matson has the ability to bring out those relaxing summer vibes along with the perfect blend of sentimentality! She has a gift of character development and she knows how to show the growth of her characters in a realistic pace. This book brought me to tears and hysterics at the same time which is hard to do! My love for Morgan Matson is real especially since I traveled all the way to Georgia from Miami just to meet her! Read my review about this book here.

2…Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis 

This wouldn’t be a Top Ten Tuesday without mentioning the book Girl, Wash Your Face! I cannot begin to tell you how important this book was for me this year. When I turned 34 this year, I had so many goals and I felt like I was in a race due to the fact that I am about to enter the mid 30’s and I was freaking out about not accomplishing my ultimate goal which is to finish my book. My Capricorn self is always making deadlines and I was pushing myself to finish writing my book by the age of 35.  Rachel Hollis taught me that accomplishing your goals is not about being on a race and that it’s about working on them every day on a consistent basis. This woman offers real advice in a way that is relatable and feels like your vulnerably talking to that best friend after drinking a bottle of wine. She has taught me to stop the self-doubt and insecurity and to go after my dreams no matter what.

3…The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

If I could sum up this book in two words I would say that it is one of the most authentic and relevant books I have read this year! This book is about the Black Lives Matter movement and it encompasses so many issues that our society is facing today. The Hate You Give should be required reading for high school students because it really touches on issues of race, tolerance and stereotypical attitudes many people hold especially in the times we are living in today. 

4…The Thorn Necklace by Francesca Lia Block

The Thorn Necklace is officially my writing bible resource whenever I am stuck on where my novel is going! This year of 2018, I actually took action and began to write my novel. Currently, I am on 13,000 words and wanted to get to 20,000 words by the end of this year but I keep telling myself that I went from writing 0 words to 13,000 words and that is a huge thing. This book has had such an impact on me and if you want to find out why read my book review here.

5…The Poet X

This is one of the most original and touching books I have read in 2018! Now I never planned to read The Poet X this year because I had no idea about this book AT ALL until I met Elizabeth Acevedo when she did a book talk with Tomi Adeyemi of Children of Blood and Bone. The minute I heard Elizabeth Acevedo speak I was completely blown away and I bought her book right on the spot! This is a coming of age story about a Latinx girl written in the form of beat poetry! The writing is FLAWLESS! I read this book and finished the rest of the book on audio since I heard it was highly recommended. The writing of this book filled up my soul and find out why in my book review here.

6…The Sun is Also a Star

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicola Yoon’s debut novel Everything, Everything was an addicting read for me! Yoon’s lyrical, poetic, and creative writing completely transfixed me! The Sun is Also a Star was just as beautifully written as Everything, Everything and the only regret I have is that I put this book off for far too long! The relationship between Natasha and Daniel is insta-lovey but it is one of the few instances where instant love is written with that exquisite feeling of those first-love butterflies.

7…Analee, in Real Life

Analee, in Real Life, was like coming home to me. This is written by a Cuban writer with a Cuban main character! Analee is the MC and she is your typical awkward teenager who struggles with the growing pains and losing her mother to cancer. She ends up in an unexpected relationship with the popular guy in school and through this relationship, she learns a lot about herself in the process and most importantly learns to accept the beauty within herself. One of the things I loved about this book is her Cuban family and the Cuban elements sprinkled throughout this book that reminded me of my own upbringing. I love the message behind this book and the unexpected ending of this book! This book is like To All the Boys I’ve Loved before with a twist! 

I am happy to say that I got to meet this author and I intend to read every single book written by Janelle Milanes! The Victoria in My Head will be my next read for 2019!

8…Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 

This book was the ultimate feel-good YA contemporary romance of the year! If this book didn’t give you the warm and gleeful fuzzies than there is something wrong with you! I was fortunate to read this book and then see a private viewing of the movie right after!

 

 

 

 

 

I will forever ship the romance between Simon and Blue forever! Read my fangirly review here.

9…The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

I did a buddy read of this book with my mom and I didn’t expect this book to break me the way it did! At first, I thought this was just going to be a fun and gossipy read but I was utterly WRONG! The character of Evelyn Hugo was written in such a realistic fashion that I felt like she was a real person that I could just google and find her whole Wikipedia biography! I finished this book on a plane and I was a sobbing mess after reading it. Read more about all emo feels of Evelyn Hugo here.

10…Warcross

This book is not my typical read because sci-fi is definitely not my go-to read but the plot sucked me in! The book is a virtual reality kind of book and I have always been fascinated with virtual reality. The virtual reality aspect definitely piqued my interest in this book! The world was written in such a fascinating and realistic fashion and let’s just say I had a complete crush on Hideo Tanaka! He gave me the 50 Shades of Grey feels only the writing was ten times better! I want more of Hideo Tanaka and Emika Chen and need to read the sequel Wildcard for the year of 2019! 

 

Magical Three Monday Reads Tag: Holiday New Year Edition

 

New Year’s Eve is finally here! Here are my top three magical Monday reads that I cannot wait to read for the New Year of 2019! 

1…The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

My excitement for this book is an absolute understatement! I devoured The Night Circus and if anyone knows about Erin Morgenstern you would know that The Night Circus was the debut novel for this author! There are few authors out there where their first novel is an unequivocal masterpiece and The Night Circus is in this category for so many reasons! If you haven’t read Morgenstern’s work and you want to experience the reasons why her writing is pure magic then read The Night Circus before the November release of The Starless Sea!

 

2…Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid completely broke my heart with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I have a feeling Daisy Jones & The Six will be no exception! If you’re curious to hear my thoughts about Evelyn Hugo, read my review about this book that left me a massive book hangover here. 

I have always had a fascination with the ’60s and 70’s ever since I was a little girl and instead of listening to Boys 2 Men and Ace of Base, I was grooving along to bands like The Turtles, The Beach Boys, and the Beatles!

Daisy Jones & The Six is giving me the Penny Lane feels and this book is right up my alley because when Almost Famous debuted I was obsessed with the character of Penny Lane back in high school!

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Although this isn’t a story about a groupie following a band, this is about a girl named Daisy who becomes one of the lead bandmembers of an iconic band in the 1970s! Taylor Jenkins Reid clearly has a gift of writing historical fiction after the success of Evelyn Hugo and I have a feeling this book is going to be HUGE!  I am pretty certain this is going to be my fave book of 2019! March can’t come quickly enough!!!

 

3…Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

Christine Riccio is the first booktuber I started following on Booktube when I found that Booktube was an actual thing and I absolutely gobbled up her channel polandbananasBOOKS! I had the pleasure of meeting Christine Riccio in BookNet Fest and I am so excited for her debut novel!

Again, But Better is a new adult contemporary novel set in college and I am SO EXCITED to read this book because there are not enough new adult contemporary novels that are set in college! I love to read novels set in college and the last one I read was Fangirl which disappointed me, unfortunately. Find out why the book Fangirl was a big dud for me and why Rainbow Rowell and I no longer get along here.

Christine Riccio wrote a book that is right up my alley especially since the main character takes a semester abroad to London! My book nerd heart is dying to go to London to go book shopping and of course go on the Harry Potter tour! Since I have been watching Christine Riccio’s channel for a while now I have a feeling there will be a Harry Potter tour involved here hopefully! EEEK!

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This is a coming of age novel and I am a sucker for coming of age novels especially when it involves a new country! This book comes out in May and I am planning to start reserving this book in the library! One of my bookolutions for 2019 is to not buy any books for the New Year…unless there is an author signing involved and I don’t own their books!

I have a feeling 2019 is going to be the most amazing year for reading! What are your three magical reads for 2019?! Chat with me in the comments below!

 

Feel free to participate in this book tag and Happy New Year of Reading and fangirling!