Des[s]erted Reads: The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Des[s]erted Reads is a monthly blog feature here at CBAY Books where we highlight an unread book on our bookshelf and pair it with a dessert recipe! This month we’re highlighting The Apothecary by Maile Meloy. The Apothecary by Malie Meloy October 2011, Penguin (G.P. Putnam’s Sons) Time spent unread on bookshelf: 7.5 years It’s 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary…

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Perfect Summer Reads

So I’m going to be real here for a second: I hate summer. Like a lot. I can’t swim. Sand makes me itch. I sunburn easily and my mom’s had melanoma twice. The only thing I enjoy about summer is the fact that I can sit indoors, in the air conditioning, and read until my heart’s content. Going off that I’ve decided to share some of my favorite summer reads with you! All these books…

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Requested Manuscripts for June Blind Queries

Thank you to everyone who submitted a query to CBAY Books in June 2018 as part of our blind query process. We had so many great submissions, but we will only be requesting one manuscript at this time. We would appreciate it if the author of the following novel would submit the full manuscript below: Captured in Paint If we requested your manuscript, please use the form at the bottom of this page to submit…

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Des[s]erted Reads: DEFY

Des[s]erted Reads is a monthly blog feature where we talk about a book we’ve deserted on our bookshelf combined with a dessert recipe! This month’s Des[s]erted Reads book is Defy by Sara B. Larson! Defy by Sara B. Larson January 2014, Scholastic Press Time spent unread on bookshelf: 3 years Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king’s army, Alex uses her quick wit and…

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Happy Book Birthday to ROYAL TROUBLE, SINISTER REGENT!

Today is the official release day of Royal Trouble, Sinister Regent by Hope Erica Schultz! We’re so excited to see this book out in the world and it’s already getting some great reviews! It can be purchased via IPG, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon. On the islands of Waveborn, four friends must discover who is trying to take over their kingdoms in this charming tale set in a world unlike our own. Princess Jes…

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Des[s]erted Reads: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Do me a favor: Take a look at your bookshelves. I know you’ve got them and I know they’re close by, so give them a good look. What do you notice? For me, my favorite books pop out. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Number the Stars… then some guilt sets in when I begin to notice all the books I own that I haven’t read. There’s various reasons for not having read them, and by…

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Full Manuscript Requests for March 2018 Queries

Thank you to everyone who submitted a query to CBAY Books last week as part of our blind query process. We had so many great submissions, but we will only be requesting four manuscripts at this time. We would appreciate it if the authors of the following four novels would submit the full manuscripts below:

Paragon
Elven Gifts
Patel Patterson & the Apocalypse Key
Revelation Ridge

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Why I Lied About Reading A WRINKLE IN TIME

Yes, you read the title correctly: I lied when I said I’d read A Wrinkle in Time. Like, for years I’ve lied about it. I knew the general premise of the book so it was easy enough for me to fumble my way through a conversation if it came up. If I didn’t fumble correctly (which happened often) I’d say something like, “Oh I forgot about that part. It’s been so long since I’ve read it,”…

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Our Favorite Valentine’s Day Reads!

Everybody loves a good romance story, but sometimes finding a science fiction or fantasy YA with romantic themes that aren’t overly cheesy is hard to come by. Luckily for you, we here at CBAY have put together a list of our top six YA romance scifi/fantasy books of all time! Let us know if you’ve read them, and if you haven’t we encourage you to add them to your TBR list! We promise you won’t…

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Holiday Reads

I love the holidays. Like a lot. I’m that annoying person everyone hates who begins playing Christmas music on November 1st (if not before) and watches every single cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie. Multiple times. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. That being said, I’ve had trouble finding holiday-themed MG and YA novels. There are some, sure, but they seem to be few and far between. It’s taken me a while but I’ve curated a list…