Bookish And Not So Bookish Thoughts - 5 September 2019

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts is a Weekly Meme hosted by Christine @ Bookishly  Boisterous.

Hey Bookdragons! Today I'm doing something a little different. As you may know I'm a member of the street team for Julie Eshbaugh's upcoming novel, Crown of Oblivion. I just finished reading it and it got me to thinking about the memories I'd never want to forget and the memories I'd gladly give up (since entering the race in the book means you must purge all of your personal memories). Here are 5 events in my life I'd never want to forget...

1. When I was four my mom, grandmother, and great uncle went to Disney World. We took the train from Milwaukee and the kitchen on the train had no power from Chicago to Washington, D.C. so the only food they could offer were frozen hot dogs. When we got to D.C. I dropped my beloved stuffed animal, Baby Bop (the green dinosaur from Barney) down the escalator and a very mean woman behind us who was in a hurry said someone should throw it out. I got Boppy (as I called her) back and we got on the train to Orlando. At Disney, my great-uncle who was an older gentleman took the top bunk of the bunk beds in our hotel room and got his boxers caught on the ladder then later misheard one of the Disney employees (a little person) who wanted him to come forward in line and told the little man off. I'll spare you the exact thing he said but it still cracks my mom and grandmother and I up. Later in our trip we went to visit one of my other great uncles who lived in Florida and there was a black swan outside a restaurant and my second great-uncle was afraid I'd get bitten.

2. When I was about 9 and my sister was 3 we went to the Wisconsin Dells in the month of March. My sister, who was prone to coming down with illnesses had an ear infection and screamed well into the night. We had to walk her up and down the hall to wear her out. When she got back to our hotel room she got in bed with my grandmother bringing along a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine which she opened up and began showing my grandmother, yelling, "girlfriend! make-up! nail polish!"    

3. In January 2014, I received an email from a publisher I had sent my first manuscript to offering me a publishing contract. I was so excited I couldn't believe it was real.

4. Shortly before Christmas 2017 I received a package from UPS. Thinking it was a Christmas package I was expecting but not seeing a return address I opened it... and found an ARC of The Heart Forger by Rin Chupeco. Sourcebooks Fire had granted my request and sent me an ARC! My grandmother thought I was insane as I jumped up and down and screeched in excitement.

5. In January 2018, only days after my book CurseBreaker released, I found out it had been shortlisted for a fantasy fiction award. 

I Can't Wait For... CROWN OF OBLIVION

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.

I swear I've talked about this book before, but never the less I'm really excited for this November release! Did I mention it comes out on my boyfriend's birthday? Preordering it will be a gift for both of us because I'll get a book and he'll get peace and quiet while I read. Haha! 

Crown of Oblivion

By Julie Eshbaugh
YA Fantasy
eBook, Hardcover, 384 Pages
November 12, 2019 by HarperTeen 


Blurb

Astrid is the surrogate for Princess Renya, which means she bears the physical punishment if Renya steps out of line. Astrid has no choice—she and her family are Outsiders, the lower class of people without magic and without citizenship.

But there is a way out of this life—competing in the deadly Race of Oblivion. To enter the race, an Outsider is administered the drug Oblivion, which wipes their memory clear of their past as they enter a new world with nothing to help them but a slip of paper bearing their name and the first clue. It’s not as simple as solving a puzzle, however—for a majority of the contestants, the race ends in death. But winning would mean not only freedom for Astrid, but citizenship and health care for her entire family. With a dying father to think of, Astrid is desperate to prevail.

From the beginning, the race is filled with twists and turns. One of them is Darius, a fellow racer Astrid meets but isn’t sure she can trust. Though they team up in the race, as Astrid’s memories begin to resurface, she remembers just who he was to her—a scorned foe who may want revenge. Astrid also starts to notice she has powers no Outsider should—which could help her win the race, but also make her a target if anyone finds out. With stakes that couldn’t be higher, Astrid must decide what is more important: risking her life to remember the mysteries of the past, or playing a cutthroat game in order to win her—and her family’s—freedom.

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What do you think? Will you be checking this one out?