Book Your Future Reads is a feature on Stories in Space where I put a spotlight on upcoming releases that deserve recognition, a spot on your to be read lists, and to be your next pre-order purchases. Through this feature I want highlight novels I am excited about and novels I think you should be excited about too. This week I’m putting a spotlight on two upcoming romance novels: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Much Ado About You by Samantha Young.
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Hey there people in the galaxy! You might not know this, but I love Far From You by Tess Sharpe. I remember reading this book for the first time and getting to know Sophie and Mina, and their fate, one chapter at a time. Their story completely consumed me and I laughed, I cried, and I just felt every word on the page. This book is about pain, addiction, murder, and two best friends who barely had the chance to figure out their feelings for each other before it was too late.
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Book Your Future Reads is a feature on Stories in Space where I put a spotlight on upcoming releases that deserve recognition, a spot on your to be read lists, and to be your next pre-order purchases. Through this feature I want highlight novels I am excited about and novels I think you should be excited about too. This week I’m putting a spotlight on two upcoming Christmas themed novels: One Way or Another by Kara McDowell and Christmas Wishes by Sue Moorcroft.
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Welcome to Stories in Space! This is a new and improved version of my blog, previously named Olivia Chanel’s Galaxy of Books. My last blog post was made in August, 2018, which was more than two years ago so a lot has happened since the last time you saw me on here. I made this post to reintroduce myself, and the blog, and to update you on what has happened in my life since the summer of 2018.
First of all, let me tell you about the name change. I decided to change my blog name from Galaxy of Books to Stories in Space because I want to venture out from just book blogging in order to discuss other media forms as well, such as movies, and I feel the new blog name better reflects my love for all narratives, both those that exist within the pages of novels and those outside of them. However, my love for the universe is still a cornerstone of this blog which is reflected in the new name too.
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Hi readers! How are you doing? Are you reading a book you just can’t seem to put down? Tell me all about it. I’m currently reading Macbeth to prepare for when University starts in September and I’m actually really enjoying it.
Anyhoo, today’s blog post is about some of my favorite movies on Netflix. I don’t know about you guys but I tend to be a multitasker. I can’t focus on just one thing so when I’m studying or writing blog posts I almost always have something else going on as well, either it’s music, a TV show, or a movie. Because of this, I thought I’d tell you guys some of my favorite easy breezy movies that can be found on Netflix. These movies are pretty light and don’t require that much attention from you; the 15 movies I mention below all contain various amounts of romance and most of them are pretty funny too. So, without further ado, here are my favorite movies on Netflix with small synopses and links to trailers you can watch.
Beautiful Creatures
Beautiful Creatures (2013) dir. Richard LaGravenese. Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town (IMDb). Watch the trailer on YouTube and find the movie on Netflix.
A Christmas Prince (2017) dir. Alex Zamm. When a reporter goes undercover as a tutor to get the inside scoop on a playboy prince, she gets tangled in some royal intrigue and ends up finding love – but will she be able to keep up her lie? (IMDb). Watch the trailer on YouTube and find the movie on Netflix.
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Hi readers! Last Friday I published my review of Sounds Like Summer by Six de los Reyes where I talked about how much I love this book. The book came into my life at the perfect moment and really had everything I love about a great romance novel. That is how this book playlist came to be. I also like to call this playlist the Sounds Like Summer — Summer Storm setlist. It mixes all those great summer, beach, music, and a full moon by the ocean vibes. Lux and Micah spend the perfect weekend together at the Summer Storm music festival with lots of live acts playing outside by the beach and I tried to incorporate all of the vibes of that into the playlist.
Sounds Like Summer by Six de los Reyes
Publication Date: March 26, 2017.
Publisher: Independently published.
Genres: Romance, Mental Health, New Adult, and Contemporary Romance.
Recommendation: I highly recommend this book.
Purchase here: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice
Synopsis: It’s not just a weekend for Lux Castelo. She has a plan, of course.
Phase One: Escape to the beach for a music festival.
Phase Two: Deal with what she can’t control.
Phase Three: Return to reality whole and ready.
Nowhere in that plan is Micah Jacinto, self-proclaimed adventurer and the kind of boy with his head stuck in the clouds and the moon inked on his arm—everything her rational sense tells her to stay away from. And yet Lux finds herself welcoming the distraction. As they spend the entire weekend together, Micah leads her to rediscover the lost pieces of herself amidst the excitement and the confusion of a raving mosh pit.
But all weekends come to an end and Lux needs to return to the dreaded reality she’s running away from. Does being brave enough to leave summer behind mean being brave enough to ask Micah to stay?
Content warning: this book deals with depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. Some of this will also be discussed in my review.
What makes Sounds Like Summer a must-read romance novel is the fact that it mixes the best parts of what makes a typical summer romance novel amazing with heavy hitting topics such as what it’s like to live with depression. This book is about Lux Castelo and Micah Jacinto and the weekend they spend at Summer Storm — a weekend-long festival filled with live music acts, parties, and time spent at the beach by the ocean. However, this book is about more than just the romance; this weekend is about Lux escaping her life for a weekend to process what she has been through because of her depression and to, for a moment, forget. After Lux and Micah spend this weekend together, they find out that what happens at a summer festival does not have to stay there and sometimes the smallest of coincidences can lead to the greatest of adventures, no matter how small and scary they might be.
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The Navigator’s Touch by Julia Ember
Publication Date: September 13, 2018.
Publisher: Duet Books.
Genres: Fantasy and Young Adult.
Purchase here: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice
Synopsis: After invaders destroyed her village, murdered her family, and took her prisoner, shield-maiden Ragna is hungry for revenge. A trained warrior, she is ready to fight for her home, but with only a mermaid and a crew of disloyal mercenaries to aid her, Ragna knows she needs new allies. Guided by the magical maps on her skin, battling storms and mutiny, Ragna sets sail across the Northern Sea.
She petitions the Jarl in Skjordal for aid, but despite Ragna’s rank and fighting ability, the Jarl sees only a young girl, too inexperienced to lead, unworthy of help. To prove herself to the Jarl and win her crew’s respect, Ragna undertakes a dangerous expedition. But when forced to decide between her own freedom and the fate of her crew, what will she sacrifice to save what’s left of her home?
Inspired by Norse mythology and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, this companion novel to The Seafarer’s Kiss is a tale of vengeance, valor, honor, and redemption.
Thank you Duet Books for my ARC of The Navigator’s Touch. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this does not affect my opinion. Any quotes mentioned below are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
The Navigator’s Touch is about Ragna, a teenage girl and trained warrior who is hungry for revenge after she was kidnapped, her village destroyed, and family murdered. The story is inspired by Norse mythology which is seen through the involvement of Norse gods, one who has a very specific connection to Ragna and the magical maps displayed all over her skin.
Read More »Two years later, Sigrid gave birth to a girl. At first, the child seemed unremarkable. Astrid came into the world screaming, demanding attention and reverence, a small mirror of her mother. But a few days later, curious markings developed on the baby’s pale skin. Lines of latitude stretched across her chest and legs, and, as the days passed, cobalt continents and oceans of cerulean blue appeared.
Hey aliens! I see you’ve found your way to this blog post dedicated to The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. This book truly blew me away with its magic and the feelings it gave me. If you haven’t seen it yet, I posted a review of this book last week where I go into detail of what it is about this book that makes it so special. Let’s just say it’s a lot. Because this book was so amazing and the fact that it’s actually being adapted into a movie, I decided to make an unofficial soundtrack for the book. Like the book, these songs are about the universe, destiny, and epic love. This story of two teens who spent one single day together in NYC, and how their day together changes not only their lives but the lives of those they encounter during that day, is one you do not want to miss.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Publication Date: November 1, 2016.
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books.
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, and Romance.
Recommendation: I highly recommend this book.
Purchase here: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice
Synopsis: Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
The Sun Is Also a Star is a book I have had on my to be read list for quite some time, and it did not disappoint when I finally read it. If you are in search of a young adult story that will pull you in, make you both laugh and cry, and at the same time be thought-provoking in the way it portrays what is meant to be and what choices shape our future, look no further. The Sun Is Also a Star has it all and is the perfect blend of sweet, sour, and bitter in the same way that reality and uncertainty is. The story’s two main characters are both of color — Natasha is Jamaican and Daniel is Korean-American — and the book itself shows the way immigration in the U.S. works.
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