My Very Late, Very Unrealistic Contemporary-a-thon Round 5 TBR // aka I want an excuse to write a TBR post + I shoutout some of my favourite people in the community <3

If you know anything about me and my reading: you know that I love contemporaries, I love readathons and I love making TBR posts.

*shrugs*

For some reason.

Hence, it is to the surprise of absolutely no one that the contemporary-a-thon is one of my favourite readathons, and that I really try and participate every round. However, I was super close to skipping this round because of school commitments and all, but my neurotic, contemporary-a-thon loving self would not have that.

So I’m going to do my best to participate in that, while trying not to die from school and keeping it fairly chill. I don’t expect to read that much, but I am hoping I can squeeze quite a few books in!

This readathon is hosted by the wonderful Chelsea @ Chelsea Dolling Reads, Melanie @ Mel To The Any, Julie @ Pages and Pens, and Natasha @ My Reading Is Odd, and will be hosted from Monday, the 23rd of September to Sunday, the 29th of September.

I am EXCITED.

On to the books!

THE CHALLENGES:

Since the next week is fairly busy, this TBR is definitely going to be weird. Normally, what I do is select contemporaries I want to read and attempt to shove fit them into as many categories as possible so my competitive self can feel like I won ticked off as many of the challenges as possible, which is why I’ll be putting a lot of images within a single challenge. So many of these books are going to double up, and I’ll just mood read throughout the week, I guess. The first left image is the book I’m going to try and read for that specific challenge, but since many of them double up anyway, it doesn’t matter that much.

Oh, and by the way, I have a total of 10 books here.

Fun times!!

Going Off Script / Serious Moonlight / The Summer of Jordi Perez / The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling / Everything Here Is Beautiful / Frankly In Love / Unpregnant / Bloom / Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me / Picture Us In The Light

➽ 1.) Read a 2019 release ✨

Oh man, I have way too many 2019 releases here. For Serious Moonlight, my main focus for this challenge, is a book that I’m super excited about (which I’ve started at the time of writing this post), since it sounds so cute and I did enjoy Alex, Approximately back in August. It is a little long, so I might swap it out for something else though, but it seems like such a cozy, comfort read and I really want to read it.

If I finished Serious Moonlight before the readathon starts, I’ll be using Going Off Script for this challenge. I’ve been wanting to read a Jen Wilde book for some time, and I think that Going Off Script would be the best way for me to dip my toes into her works. It’s about straight-washing in Hollywood, which I’ve never seen portrayed in media, so it will definitely make for an interesting read.

Or perhaps I may use The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling. This is a book I just found out about, from CW @ The Quiet Pond’s wonderful list of YARC Recommendations for the Month of September, and it seems like such a poignant, important read about Asians and mental health.

Alternatives: Frankly In Love by David Yoon, Unpregnant by Jenni Hendricks and Ted Caplan, Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell.

➽ 2.) Read a contemporary with yellow on the cover ✨

I’ve been so, so excited for Frankly In Love to come out since the second I heard about its existence. Like, fake dating, Asians, and a coming-of-age story rolled into one book? It had my heart from the second I heard about it. It fits so many challenges here, so this is one I’ll be prioritizing for the readathon, and for this challenge as well.

If not, I’ll switch it out for The Summer of Jordi Pérez is another book that I’m super keen to pick up. I actually tried picking it up at the end of June for Pride Month, but I wasn’t really in the mood for it and put it back down, but hopefully I can finish it this time around!

I’m also incredibly intrigued by Picture Us By The Light, which I’ve heard some great things about but not gonna lie, the main reason I’m picking it up is because that the audiobook of this is on Spotify (who launched a whole new website/app for audiobooks, by the way) and I need audiobooks to get through this week otherwise I will actually die. Therefore, since this has an audiobook, there is a very high chance I’ll read this one.

Alternatives: Going Off Script by Jen Wilde, Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

➽ 3.) Read a diverse contemporary ✨

Thankfully, all of the books I’ve picked are diverse in some form or manner (with the exception of Unpregnant), which is so awesome! This means that I can literally use any of these books for the challenge, so we’ll see how this goes.

Since there are so many books that qualify for this section, I’m just going to list down the representation these books have (that I know of! Please let me know if there is any important representation I missed out.

Going Off Script: Lesbian MC, LGBTQIAP+ love interest (I’m unsure of her sexuality)

Serious Moonlight: Asian/Part-Asian, Partially Deaf Love Interest

The Summer of Jordi Pérez : Lesbian MC, Latina LGBTQ+ love interest

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling: Chinese-Australian main characters, mother suffers from mental illness

Everything Here Is Beautiful: Chinese-American MC and major characters, major-side character has schizophrenia

Frankly In Love: Korean-American MC and side characters, black side character

Bloom: Gay MC, Samoan gay LI, multiple side characters of colour

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me: WoC LGBTQIA+ MC and LI, side characters of colour

Picture Us In The Light: Chinese-American MC and family

➽ 4.) Read a contemporary with an illustrated cover ✨

While I am a little more apprehensive of Unpregnant due to the mixed reception this was getting, I am nonetheless hoping I’ll like it and hopes that the topics are dealt with well, especially since abortion is so timely now. Also, that cover? Minimal but cute. (I KNOW that’s weird but).

I can also use Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me for this challenge. I’m going to talk more about it in the next challenge, and I really want to read this. BUT I’m not sure how much of a dark contemporary mood I’m in, so we shall see, I suppose?

Alternatives: Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Gancheau, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim, Picture Us In The Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert

➽ 5.) Read a dark / hard-hitting contemporary ✨

The main book I’m hoping to use for this challenge is Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. This one has been on my TBR for quite a few months, and I’m excited that I finally managed to get my hands on this one. It’s about toxic relationships and it stars Asians. In conclusion? Very here for it. However, like I said earlier, I’m not sure how much of in a dark-dark contemporary mood I’m in, so I don’t know.

If not, I can switch it out for Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee. This is another CW recommendation from her wonderful YARC September Reads Recommendations List (which I referenced earlier). Though she hasn’t personally read it, she made it sound so interesting that now I want to pick it up ahhhhh.

Alternatives: Frankly In Love by David Yoon, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim

➽ 6.) Read a contemporary with plants on the cover ✨

The main book I’m using for this challenge is Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau. This seems so cute and fun, I’ve heard some great things about this from so many people, so I am so excited to start this. We love soft boys that love baking and just cute art in general! Which this has both of, so yay!

Alternatives: Going Off Script by Jen Wilde, The Summer of Jordi Pérez by Amy Spalding

➽ 7.) A contemporary beloved by a member of the book community (shout out the creator, if you want!)

Because I am extra and will try to double/triple/quadruple up on as many challenges as possible, I went to Goodreads and checked what my Goodreads friends rated it. If it was 4 stars or above, I counted it because I’m desperate.

Love that for me!

Since I’ve talked about all these books, I’m just going to list each book as well as the creator it corresponds with, and probably gush about them because gosh do I love my fellow bookish creators!

Frankly In Love by David Yoon – Chloe @ Books With Chloe: Chloe is literally one of the sweetest people ever, and I’m so glad I’m started to get into her channel. I love how she advocates for diverse books, and I seriously just ADORE her accent, especially since I used to school in an Australian school! Also, her reading bujo is absolutely GOALS. She rated this 5 stars, so I’m very excited!

Eveyrthing Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee – Emily @ Emily May: Yes, Emily is one of the biggest Goodreads reviewers – likely the biggest – and her reviews are actual perfection. I love how she dissects books and if she rates something a 4 star or higher on a book on my TBR, you got me interested.

Going Off Script by Jen Wilde – Ju @ Paper Blots: Ju is one of my dearest friends and one of the funniest people in the community. I actually found out by this book by her 5-starring it. I just love Ju a whole lot and I trust her and her recommendations with my whole heart.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett – May @ My 1st Chapter and Kelly @ Another Book In The Wall: A lot of my friends love Jenn Bennett, but especially May and Kelly, and I really couldn’t decide between both of them, so I put them both down 😎 They’re literally THE Jenn Bennett stans and I love them both so much. They’re both the absolute sweetest and absolute blogging icons (May is a Goodreads icon, and Kelly is a teen blogger icon – and also, they just create the best content ever?). We stan them both in this house ❤️

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling – CW @ The Quiet Pond: I found this book from that same YARC September Recommendations Post that she did, and she gushed about how much she loved it, so I’m really excited! The Quiet Pond is literally perfection and it seriously deserves all the love it gets. CW is an actual gem and I cannot wait for the Quiet Pond to return from hiatus.

The Summer of Jordi Pérez – Aline @ Fully Booked: Aline is truly one of my best friends in the community, and I love her so so so much. She’s on hiatus and I am truly deprived of her presence. I miss her SO much and know she’s killing it in IB. Look, I’m a simple girl – if I see an opportunity to shout her out, I will take it. Not gonna lie, this connection was a little bit of a stretch but it’s fine. Because it’s a win-win – I can double up on challenges with this book and shoutout Aline. I am a happy human.

Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Gancheau  – Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books: Yeah, I know SO many people have been loving and raving about this, but Marie’s review was the first one of this book that I read and where I first heard about it. I just trust Marie’s recommendations (and Marie in general) completely. She’s like my blogging older sis/ my proud blogging mum and I love her with my whole heart. Also, her blog is perfection, and every time I see it I am truly awed.

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me – Elise @ The Bookish Actress: Elise is another reviewing queen, that I love and trust wholeheartedly. She gave this a really high rating and she hit on a lot of key points that I’m excited for. She is also one of the smartest and eloquent people I know, and an absolutely BRILLIANT writer. She’s also super big on Goodreads, so I’m surprised if you don’t follow her already/know of her.

Picture Us In The Light – May @ Forever and Everly: So I heard about this book a few times, but what really piqued my interest of it was that it was her first 5-star of the year. I trust her recommendations completely (especially since I picked up Darius the Great Is Not Okay, and you all …. know my feelings on that one). May’s blog is actual perfection, and her content is just fantastic. Also, her aesthetic? *dies inside from the swooning*.

---

Are you participating in the contemporary-a-thon and if so, what books do you have picked out? What are some of your favourite contemporaries? And what about some of your favourite bookish creators? (Do you see any favourites from here?)

I would love to know!