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[katvaldezwriter77]

Love is Girly, and It’s Not Her Thing: THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE

From the author of THE LOST HUSBAND (the film adaptation hit #1 on Netflix) comes a no-nonsense hero who can hold her own against the men at the fire station. Nine one-hand pull ups in a row? Shoot a no-look free throw? No problem.

No-Spoilers Book Review Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine CenterSt. Martin’s Press (2019)310 pages This is the second book by Katherine Center that I’ve read in one day.One day.That’s how engaging, compelling, and funny it is. The first was The Bodyguard, which is equally awesome. (More about that in a future review.)What I’m trying to say is, “Read. This. Book. Now.” Especially if you’ve…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

A QUIET PLACE PART II and CRUELLA: A Return to the Cinema

A QUIET PLACE PART II and CRUELLA: A Return to the Cinema. I sank into the Luxury Lounger at my local Cinemark theater, grateful for the COVID-19 vaccine... I removed my mask and stuffed it into my purse. Freedom.

No-Spoilers Movie Reviews by Katherine Valdez I sank into the Luxury Lounger at my local Cinemark theater, grateful for the COVID-19 vaccine, and set my popcorn and water bottle on the tray table. I removed my mask and stuffed it into my purse. Freedom. Yesterday was my first foray back to the cinema after 14 months (and counting) of the global pandemic. For this Memorial Day weekend, I chose…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

This Girl Knight Won't Go Down Without a Fight in THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY

Read about my college memories sparked by this fun debut novel by Jamie Pacton. This Girl Knight Won't Go Down Without a Fight in THE LIFE AND (MEDIEVAL) TIMES OF KIT SWEETLY

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetlyby Jamie Pacton Hardcover, 371 pagesPublished May 5, 2020 by Page Street Kids/Page Street PublishingBuy this at Old Firehouse Books or another independent bookstore via BookShop.org Reviewed by Katherine Valdez I came across The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly while indulging in one of my favorite pastimes: wandering the Young Adult section…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY takes readers on a journey through many potential lives

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY takes readers on a journey through many potential lives

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Hardcover, 288 pagesPublished September 29, 2020 by VikingBuy this at Old Firehouse Books or another local independent store through BookShop.org Reviewed by Katherine Valdez Reading the novel’s premise transported me back to high school, when my sister mentioned the seemingly small decisions we face daily that could change our lives in big ways. “Should I…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Believe the Hype, Really

Curious about the Hulu series Normal People? Read this first.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Hardback, 273 pages Published April 16, 2019 by Hogarth Reviewed by Katherine Valdez

When I read the accolades for Sally Rooney’s sophomore novel Normal People, I thought: Yeah, right. Is it really that good? I made no effort to find it at the library or on bookstore shelves.

Two years later, curiosity overcame me and I pressed play on the first episode of the…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Girl meets boy. Boy forgets girl. Repeat for 300 years. Until one day...

Girl meets boy. Boy forgets girl. Repeat for 300 years. Until one day... As with other protagonists conjured by V.E. Schwab (Lila Bard fan club, anyone?), Addie LaRue proves intelligent, tough, and resourceful. To readers, she’s unforgettable.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Hardcover, 448 pages Published October 6, 2020 by Tor Books Reviewed by Katherine Valdez

Logline In 1714 France, in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Tagline A life no one will remember. A story you will never forget.

Book Jacket “Never pray to…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Book Review: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES by Suzanne Collins

Book Review: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES by Suzanne Collins

No-Spoilers Book Review

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel (Hunger Games #0)

by Suzanne Collins

Hardback edition, 517 pages. Published May 19, 2020 by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic

Logline Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Hunger Games, and the once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times,…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

She's Fantastic

She’s Fantastic

Piazza Navona, Rome

My mom instantly charms people, whether in line at the bank, sitting in a restaurant, or shopping.

Smiling, bubbly, complimentary and funny, Mommy shows an interest in everyone. She always reads name tags and calls everyone by name. When I visit my parents and we run errands at various stores, my mom introduces me to the employees. “This is my friend Jamie.” “This is my…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Filipina American Protagonist Exudes Quiet Strength in PRIVATE LESSONS

Filipina American Protagonist Exudes Quiet Strength in PRIVATE LESSONS by Cynthia Salaysay

Debut author succeeds in #OwnVoices authentic character study of a quietly rebellious, talented teen who battles unconscious bias and racism

Private Lessons by Cynthia Salaysay

Hardcover, 320 pages Published May 12, 2020 by Candlewick Press

Logline After the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Claire Alalay devotes herself to music and to the demanding, charismatic piano teacher she…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Wildly Inventive Memoir Illuminates Queer Domestic Abuse

In The Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Maria Machado

Published November 2019 by Graywolf Press Logline

Carmen Maria Machado traces the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, and struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming.

Jacket Copy

Prismatic, engrossing, and wildly inventive, In The Dream House is…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Book Review: I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib

I Was Their American Dreamby Malaka Gharib

NPR’s David Greene talks with NPR editor Malaka Gharib

“I loved white people at the time. (Laughter). As a teenager, I thought they were so hot, and I was so obsessed with, like, these, like, heartthrobs that you could find in, like, teeny-bopper magazines. And I saw them glorified. I mean, I didn’t know it at the time. But I saw them all over the…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

FREE Book! Today and Tomorrow (March 19 & 20)

The first volume of the “Flash in a Flash” series (Baby Shoes: 100 Stories by 100 Authors) is free on Amazon today and tomorrow! (March 19 and 20)

Check it out and read my flash fiction, “Expiration Date.”

Opening sentences:

When life expectancy hit 95 years of age, married people around the world shouted, “Enough!”

And just like that, the institution of marriage was reinvented.

Marriag…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

In THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Word Worrier Grows Into Her Power

In THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Word Worrier Grows Into Her Power

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Logline A teenager in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world.

Jacket Copy Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body crew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara (see-oh-MAH-ruh) has…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

HARRIET is a Moving Origin Story of American Legend Harriet Tubman

HARRIET is a Moving Origin Story of American Legend Harriet Tubman

Harriet: The Unbelievable True Story of Harriet Tubman, An American Legend

Logline: In the 1840s, when half of Maryland’s black residents are enslaved, Araminta “Minty” Ross escapes alone to trek 100 miles for her personal freedom then returns to lead hundreds of others out of slavery and inspire a nation.

Tagline: Be Free or Die

It’s about time Hollywood produced a film about Harriet…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

BEST MICROFICTION 2019 Dazzles with Wide Array of Brilliant Stories Read the review of Best Microfiction 2019, published by Pelekinesis, on my other project www.NoSpoilersBookReviews.com

[katvaldezwriter77]

Luis Alberto Urrea Spins True Tales

Luis Alberto Urrea Spins True Tales

The House of Broken Angels author visited NoCo for Fort Collins Reads

by Katherine Valdez

Luis Alberto Urrea attempted to write The House of Broken Angels – inspired by true events and family members – more than once.

The first manuscript he submitted was 90 pages. His editor rejected it. The second manuscript was 120 pages. His editor said, “This is not a book.”

Finally, Urrea…

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[katvaldezwriter77]

Book Launch Party Announced!

Photo of my birthday fortune from Tom Kha Thai

My essay “Climbing Down The Mountain” will be published in October in RISE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF CHANGE edited by Northern Colorado Writers.

You, my friends and subscribers, are hearing this here first:

The book launch party is Nov. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m.!

Register here for this free event.

Come and join the celebration!

I’ll be there to sign books, eat…

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