ReRead-A-Thon 2018: Revisiting Childhood Favorites

7 days, 21 hosts, 21 giveaways

When Merphy Napier invited me to participate in her inaugural ReRead-A-Thon, I instantly knew this would be my chance to revisit some of my childhood favorites... Or in some cases my favorite children's books.

You see, I wasn't much of a reader when I was a kid. This is horrifying, I know.

I'll give you a minute to digest this fact and let the shock wear off.

And... We're back!

As I was saying, I have very few favorite books from my childhood since reading wasn't a priority for me back then. But there is one childhood classic at the top of my list...Alice in Wonderland.

I doubt I will ever adore a book, a world or a cast of characters more than that of this children's classic. I own dozens of copies -- old and new -- as well as knick knacks and artwork commemorating this fantastical tale. Books about Lewis Carroll's well-known novel litter my bookshelves, and I even wrote my thesis on the people behind the story and the bits of truth that pepper its pages. 

Alice has been with me since I was a little girl, and I've revisited her world more times than I can count over the years, finding renewed joy and appreciation in the story ever time. It's that lasting effect that makes childhood favorites so impactful. 

Like any reader, I love experiencing a new world, but there is something incredibly satisfying about delving back into the familiar. Like the literary version of going home again. 

That's why I'm so excited to kick this ReRead-A-Thon off with a few of my childhood favorites. There are some children's and young adult books that I've read as an adult in my TBR, but three titles from my youth are at the top of my list. 

 

I'll definitely be rereading Alice in Wonderland and Tuck Everlasting. The entire Nightworld Series is slated for a reread this year, but I doubt I'll finish this week since there are other books I have on my ReRead-A-Thon TBR. Who knows though? Maybe I'll surprise myself! 

Are you planning to reread any of your childhood faves for ReRead-A-Thon 2018? 

Comment below and tell me what you're reading!

Remember there are daily giveaways during ReRead-A-Thon 2018...

3 hosts per day! 21 total giveaways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to check out my co-hosts for the day: 

...And tomorrow's hosts: 

Announcing the 2018 ReRead-A-Thon!

7 days of rereading... 21 book enthusiasts... 21 giveaways for you!

In a just a few weeks, the first ever ReRead-A-Thon will be upon us! What is the ReRead-A-Thon you ask? Well, it's as simple as it sounds folks...

It's an opportunity for you to revisit old favorites, spend time with beloved characters and immerse yourself in their world. It's a chance to give a second chance to a book you didn't connect with on a first read. And if you're the type who believes there are just too many good books waiting in the TBR to reread old ones, this is a week to put your reader guilt aside and indulge a little bit! Your Unread Shelf has waited this long... What's another week?

Influx by Daniel Suarez

Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: Signet
Age Group: Adult
Source: Purchased
Pages: 528
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
IndieBound | Book Depository
Description: Goodreads
Physicist Jon Grady and his team have discovered a device that can reflect gravity—a triumph that will revolutionize the field of physics and change the future. But instead of acclaim, Grady’s lab is locked down by a covert organization known as the Bureau of Technology Control.

The bureau’s mission: suppress the truth of sudden technological progress and prevent the social upheaval it would trigger. Because the future is already here. And it’s rewards are only for a select few.

When Grady refuses to join the BTC, he’s thrown into a nightmarish high-tech prison housing other doomed rebel intellects. Now, as the only hope to usher humanity out of its artificial dark age, Grady and his fellow prisoners must try to expose the secrets of an unimaginable enemy—one that wields a technological advantage half a century in the making.

Technology in the 20th century made unprecedented leaps. Humans went from being unable to fly in early 1903 to landing on the moon less than 70 years later. Minor cuts and scrapes could become life-threatening if they became infected and then we discovered antibiotics and a range of new surgeries became available. We discovered bombs that could single-handedly both destroy and power entire cities. 

The Progeny by Tosca Lee

Release Date: May 24, 2016
Publisher: Howard Books
Age Group: Adult
Source: Publisher
Series: Descendants of the House of Bathory #1
Pages: 336
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
IndieBound | Book Depository
Description: Goodreads
Emily Jacobs is the descendant of a serial killer. Now, she’s become the hunted.

She’s on a quest that will take her to the secret underground of Europe and the inner circles of three ancient orders—one determined to kill her, one devoted to keeping her alive, and one she must ultimately save.

Filled with adrenaline, romance, and reversals, The Progeny is the present-day saga of a 400-year-old war between the uncanny descendants of “Blood Countess” Elizabeth Bathory, the most prolific female serial killer of all time, and a secret society dedicated to erasing every one of her descendants. A story about the search for self filled with centuries-old intrigues against the backdrop of atrocity and hope. 

Imagine waking up with no memory of your life before, knowing that this is a choice you made, even though the reason why has been erased. That’s the choice that Emily Jacobs made. For some reason. But now, a past that she can’t remember is catching up with her and she has no idea who she can trust.

As part of an ancient bloodline that has been hunted for centuries, Emily must navigate underground societies while running from an order determined to exterminate them. By following bread crumbs she left for herself, she starts to unravel some secrets that have been hidden for centuries and others she gave up everything to keep hidden.

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn or An Open Letter to a Beloved Author

Check out this gorgeous paperback cover!!!

Release Date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Age Group: Adult
Source: Publisher
Series: Veronica Speedwell #1
Pages: 368
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
IndieBound | Book Depository
Description: Goodreads
London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth. 

Dear Deanna,

How do I love thee? There is not enough room on this blog to count the ways, but that won’t stop me from trying to articulate a few of them here.

1. You create strong female characters who are very much in their time while being independent and making their own way in the world with cleverness and poise. Veronica Speedwell is a fully realized woman in the vein of Lady Julia Grey and for this, and all your stouthearted and clever heroines, I thank you.

Best Frints in the Whole Universe by Antoinette Portis

Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Age Group: Children's
Source: Publisher
Pages: 40
Buy:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
IndieBound | Book Depository
Description: Goodreads
Yelfred and Omek have been best frints since they were little blobbies. They play and snack, and sometimes they even fight, all in a language similar to but slightly different from, English. When Omek decides to borrow Yelfred's new spaceship without asking (and then crashes it), it sparks the biggest fight yet. Can these two best frints make up and move on?

Award-winning picture book creator Antoinette Portis delivers a new universe of cleverness and imagination in this hilarious, sweet, and otherworldly book about friendship.

 Six months ago, I had no idea what Best Frints in the Whole Universe even was. I couldn't have told you who wrote it, what it was about or even what the cover looked like. Now, I can't stop talking about this wonderful picture book. 

I picked it up on a whim while at ALA Midwinter, and had no idea how much I'd enjoy it. Looking back, it's so appropriate that I read this tale of friendship and its ups and downs with one of  my best friends --Tess! We found ourselves smiling and laughing out loud at Yelfred and Omek's antics, and we were instantly their biggest fans.