We Love Lists: Back to School Books

Like a lot of you probably are, the Weres are getting ready for back to school this month, one as a parent and one as a teacher. And it got us thinking about books with characters who are also going back to school, either as students or as teachers. 

Even if you don't have school-aged kids in your life, these might get you in the back to school mood too.

Grumpy Jake by Melissa Blue

Grumpy Jake was my Summer book for Romanceopoly, but it got me thinking about back to school. A kindergarten teacher gets stuck in an elevator with one of the dads from her class and romance ensues. Jake and his son are just the cutest!

My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren

One of my fave Christina Lauren books! Friends to Lovers romance featuring two college professors. Their friend group reminded me of The Big Bang Theory but not quite as nerdy.

Vampire Academy/ Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

"Academy" is a big trend in YA and NA paranormal romance now, but it all began thirteen years ago with the Vampire Academy series. Bloodlines is the spinoff series that follows some of the supporting characters.

Twyst Academy by D.D. Chance

If Good Will Hunting were set at Brakebills, it might be something like the Twyst Academy series. A janitor at a college for mages gets drafted into a magic competition and winds up with four new boyfriends. 

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

The Raven Cycle is all about the back to school vibes! It's about a group of friends, who almost all go to an elite private school, searching for a sleeping Welsh king in the middle of rural Virginia. It's about relationships and magic and is just a perfect read for fall and back-to-school time!

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

In my mind back to school time is the perfect time to read about students at a magic school. Carry On is the perfect book to fulfill that craving. It's like Harry Potter but queer and that makes it even more wonderful.

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi

My favorite set of students have to be class 1-A from UA High. I love it so much! Just imagine a superhero high school full of awesome action, villainous villains, and teenage hijinks. I can't recommend this manga and anime enough!

The Middle of Somewhere Series by Roan Parrish

This whole series revolves around teachers and students. The main character from the first book is a college professor, both main characters in the second book teach skills to a youth group, and one of the main characters of the last book is a college student. The series gives you all the back to school perspectives while being wonderfully queer!

What books give you Back to School vibes?

July Reading Challenge Recap

Oh, Summer! How we love thee! The Weres have been reading up a storm and making quite the progress on our reading challenges! We don't want to brag but we're killing it with the series and Kindle Unlimited binges this year. We sure love summer vacation times!

This is how we did in July:

Romanceopoly

Gretl

This is my second time around the board. I went back and found books for Winter and Spring that I read during those challenges but that's all that got added in July. The good news is I'm still on pace to finish by the end of the year.

Completed:
So there was this rabbit and then there was a hole. You'll see a little farther down the post.

Coming Up:
Sun Board:
➖Beau Blvd - YA by new to you author
➖Lady Lane: Women’s Fiction

Moon Board:
➖Fated Folly - Fated Mates Romance
➖The Office - Romance where the couple meet at work
➖Burger Joint - Book on Book Boyfriend List
➖Drive In Movie - MC in the film industry
➖Journey’s End - Fantasy w/ Chosen One trope

Rose Red

I’m almost done with my first trip around the board so I decided this month that I would start my second time around. This time I will be doing mostly the Sun pack except for the few where I used the Sun prompts the first time around. For those few, I'll use the Moon prompts I skipped last time. I'm going to designate my first time around as the Moon Pack board and my second as the Sun Pack board.

Completed: 

Moon Pack

✔️Summer- Read a Book Where It Has a Brightly Colored or Multicolored Cover

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

✔️New View- Read a Friends-to-Lovers New Adult Romance
Marriage Contract by A.J. Sherwood
✔️Library #1- Read Any Book
Cold Hard Cash by K.L. Hiers

✔️Soldier Street- Read a Book Where the H/H is in an Action Pose on the Cover

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Sun Pack

✔️Amour Avenue- Read a Book With An Age Gap Romance

Hard Earned Cash by K.L. Hiers

✔️Fated Folly- Read a PNR Where the H/H is Part of a Pack/Coven/Band/Paranormal Group

Hell on Earth by Macy Blake

✔️Journey's End- Read a Fantasy Where the Main Character is a Magic User

The Capital by A.H. Lee

✔️The Office- Read a Non-Contemporary Romance Where the Couple Meet at Their Place of Work
The Empires of Luxor City by Sasha Hope

✔️Killer Crescent- Read a Thriller Where the Main Character is a Detective or PI

Devil by Silvia Violet

✔️Passion Place- Read an Erotic Romance with a Menage or Reverse Harem (Moon)
Finding Home by D.J. Heart
✔️Fang Alley- Read a PNR with a Magic User or Paranormal Creature (Not Vampire or Shifter) H/H
Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh
✔️Emergency Service-  Read a Romance Where the H/H is in the Medical Profession
Will and Patrick Wake Up Married by Leta Blake and Alice Griffiths

Coming Up:

Moon Pack

➖City Lane- Read an Urban Fantasy Published in the Last Five Years
➖Beau Boulevard- Read a Young Adult Novel by a New-To-You Author

➖Journey's End- Read a Fantasy with the Chosen One Trope

➖The Vault- Read the PNR That Has Been on Your TBR for the Longest.

➖Campus Corner- Read a New Adult Where the H/H is a Jock

Sun Pack 

➖Outer Space- Read a Sci-Fi Set on an Alien Planet or Spaceship

➖Rainbow Row- Read a F/F Romance

➖Summer- Read a Book Where It: Has a Brightly Colored or Multicolored Cover; Has the Beach, Sand or the Sun on the Cover; Has a Summery Word in the Title; Is a Summer Holiday Read; Or All of/Any Combination/Any One of the Above! 

➖City Lane- Read an Urban Fantasy on Any of Our Urban Fantasy Recommendations Lists

Beat the Backlist

 Gretl

I’m playing Beat the Backlist Bingo and filled 2 squares this month. 

Almost made you cry: Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb
Pink on the cover: Witness in Death by JD Robb

Rose Red

I completed 3 squares on my Bingo Board this month.

Beat the Backlist Bingo

Genre You Rarely/Never Read- Cold Hard Cash by K.L. Hiers

Own Voices Author- The Gentleman Attraction by Connor Peterson
Book with 600+ Pages- Will and Patrick Wake Up Married by Leta Blake and Alice Griffiths

Non-Bingo Backlist Books

Paws and Claws by M.A. ChurchHow to Howl at the Moon by Eli Easton
Hell on Earth by Macy Blake
Hell to Pay by Macy Blake
Give Him Hell by Macy Blake
Homerun Daddy by Liam Kingsley
Surprised Daddy by Liam Kingsley
Secret Daddy by Liam Kingsley
Doggone Daddy by Liam Kingsley
Silver Daddy by Liam Kingsley
Rescue Daddy by Liam Kingsley
Protective Daddy by Liam Kingsley
The Christmas Dragon's Mate by Silvia Violet
The Snow Dragon's Mate by Silvia Violet
The Dragon Boss by Anne Wineheart
The Boss by M.D. Gregory
The Boss's Christmas by M.D. Gregory
War's Mate by Taylor Rylan

Library Love Challenge

My goal was 36 library books for the year. In July I read 39, which makes 81 for the year so far.

This month I read:
Fallen by Rebecca Zanetti
Holiday in Death by JD Robb
Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb
Loyalty in Death by JD Robb
Witness in Death by JD Robb
Judgment in Death by JD Robb
Betrayal in Death by JD Robb
Seduction in Death by JD Robb
Purity in Death by JD Robb
Reunion in Death by JD Robb
Portrait in Death by JD Robb
Imitation in Death by JD Robb
Divided in Death by JD Robb
Visions in Death by JD Robb
Survivor in Death by JD Robb
Origin in Death by JD Robb
Born in Death by JD Robb
Innocent in Death by JD Robb
Creation in Death by JD Robb
Strangers in Death by JD Robb
Salvation in Death by JD Robb
Promises in Death by JD Robb
Kindred in Death by JD Robb
Fantasy in Death by JD Robb
Indulgence in Death by JD Robb
Treachery in Death by JD Robb
Celebrity in Death by JD Robb
Delusion in Death by JD Robb
Calculated in Death by JD Robb
Thankless in Death by JD Robb
Concealed in Death by JD Robb
Festive in Death by JD Robb
Obsession in Death by JD Robb
Devoted in Death by JD Robb
Apprentice in Death by JD Robb
Echoes in Death by JD Robb
Secrets in Death by JD Robb
Dark in Death by JD Robb
Leverage in Death by JD Robb

Tackle My TBR Challenge

After successfully completing the Safety level last month, my new goal for the year is to read 30 Books I Own for the First Down (25-36) level. I'm happy to report that I have read 18 TBR books for the year! I'm so happy with my progress!

This month I read 3 books that count for this challenge. I also completed the challenge for July which was to read a Summery Read.

 The books I read are:

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (Summery Read)

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh

How did you all do on your reading challenges this month?

 and

This Month's Most Anticipated: August 2020

Our list of most anticipated reads for August is a little on the smaller side but the number of sequels to our favorite series is amazing! We're so excited to finally get our hands on so many of these! The Weres will definitely be stalking their kindles for all the new releases this month. Or at least, Rose Red will.

Here are our most anticipated August releases:

Book Releases

Aug 1

The Enforcer Enigma (San Andreas Shifters #3) by G.L. Carriger
 
Aug 4


Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2)
Lobizona (Wolves of No World #1) by Romina Garber
Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon a Con #3) by Ashley Poston
You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Aug 11

Eighty Days to Elsewhere by K.C. Dyer
Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

Aug 18

Drowned Country (The Greenhollow Duology #2) by Emily Tesh

Aug 25

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews

Ink & Sigil (Ink & Sigil #1) by Kevin Hearne

Acsquidentally in Love (Sucker for Love Mysteries #1) by K.L. Hiers

The Memory of Souls (A Chorus of Dragons #3) by Jenn Lyons

Better Than People by Roan Parrish

Aug 26

 The Sugared Game (The Will Darling Adventures #2) by K.J. Charles

Aug 31

Beloved by the Boss (M/M Mafia Romance #2) by Leighton Greene

TV/Movies

Aug 25

Lucifer season 5

on Netflix

What books are you looking forward to this month?

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