Hardcover Lover Confessions: How Many Books Until it's Considered Hoarding?

Hey there all you little Hardcover Lovers! Welcome to the latest edition of Hardcover Lover Confessions. 

If you aren't familiar with Hardcover Lover Confessions, they're basically discussion posts. I don't have a set schedule for them - they just come as I think of different kinds of bookish posts. Basically, they're just really informal discussion posts wherein I write (or sometimes rant) about certain things going on in the book community or things affecting me as a reader. The posts are fun, and you, my readers, are always encouraged to confess your own thoughts in the comments!

It's my Blogiversary!

Wow! It's so hard to believe that I'm celebrating another Blogiversary! Today, The Hardcover Lover turns three today! It honestly seems like time has just flown by so quickly, especially when it comes to the time that I've been blogging.

I know it's been a slow blogging and reading year for me, but I thought it would be fun to walk through of some my favorite posts from the past year.

Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale

Title: The Handmaid's Tale

Edition: First American Edition

Author: Margaret Atwood

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Publication Date: January 1, 1986

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

Netflix and Books Reading Challenge Update

Hey, everyone! It's time for a reading challenge update!

Way, way back in March, I decided to join Lauren and Erica's Netflix and Books Challenge. Yes, I realize that it's now mid-July, and I'm only just offering up my first update. Oops. I've really failed you, my readers, lately. But I'm hoping to change all of that starting now. So let's get to the update, shall we?

The Story Behind Walking with Miss Millie

Hey, everyone! I hope your day is off to a wonderful start!

I have a wonderful post for you today, and it's a special one because Tamara Bundy is on The Hardcover Lover today to share a little bit of information with you about her debut novel, Walking with Miss Millie, which was released on July 4!

Title: Walking with Miss Millie

Author: Tamara Bundy

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Publication Date: July 4, 2017

Source: Finished Copy from Publisher

A poignant middle grade debut about the friendship between a white girl and an elderly black woman in the 1960s South.

Alice is angry at having to move to Rainbow, Georgia—a too small, too hot, dried-up place she’s sure will never feel like home. Then she gets put in charge of walking her elderly neighbor’s dog. But Clarence won’t budge without Miss Millie, so Alice and Miss Millie walk him together. Strolling with Miss Millie quickly becomes the highlight of Alice’s day, as she learns about the town’s past and meets a mix of its catty and kind residents. As the two become confidantes, Alice is finally able to express her heartache over her father’s desertion; and when Miss Millie tells her family story, Alice begins to understand the shameful history of Segregation, and recognize the racism they need to fight against. Navigating the neighborhood with Miss Millie gives Alice new perspective, the wisdom to move on from her anger, and even enables her to laugh again.

Tamara Bundy’s beautifully written story reminds readers that there is nothing like friendship to lighten one’s load, and make anyplace a home.

Zodiac Reread Campaign: Zodiac Review and Adding Stardust to Your Life

Title: Zodiac

Series:  Zodiac

Author: Romina Russell

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: December 9, 2014

Source: Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and Purchased Final Copy

At the dawn of time, there were 13 Houses in the Zodiac Galaxy. Now only 12 remain….

Rhoma Grace is a 16-year-old student from House Cancer with an unusual way of reading the stars. While her classmates use measurements to make accurate astrological predictions, Rho can’t solve for ‘x’ to save her life—so instead, she looks up at the night sky and makes up stories.

When a violent blast strikes the moons of Cancer, sending its ocean planet off-kilter and killing thousands of citizens—including its beloved Guardian—Rho is more surprised than anyone when she is named the House’s new leader. But, a true Cancerian who loves her home fiercely and will protect her people no matter what, Rho accepts.

Then, when more Houses fall victim to freak weather catastrophes, Rho starts seeing a pattern in the stars. She suspects Ophiuchus—the exiled 13th Guardian of Zodiac legend—has returned to exact his revenge across the Galaxy. Now Rho—along with Hysan Dax, a young envoy from House Libra, and Mathias, her guide and a member of her Royal Guard—must travel through the Zodiac to warn the other Guardians.

But who will believe anything this young novice says? Whom can Rho trust in a universe defined by differences? And how can she convince twelve worlds to unite as one Zodiac?

Embark on a dazzling journey with ZODIAC, the first novel in an epic sci-fi-meets-high-fantasy series set in a galaxy inspired by the astrological signs.