Revealing the cover of Read with Pride!!

April 17, 2020

It feels like yesterday that my first book, The Paper & Hearts Society, was released – but today I’m here to share with you the gorgeous cover for the sequel, Read with Pride!

I’ve been busy working on Olivia’s story for the past year, and am counting down the days until you will all get to read it. Hopefully you’ll love it just as much as I do!

So without further ado ….

Here is …

… the cover of …

… The Paper & Hearts Society: Read with Pride!

It was designed by Alison Padley and Alice Duggan from Hachette Children’s Group, who have done such an amazing job bringing Olivia to life!

I’m obsessed with the tiny details: the fact that Olivia is reading a copy of the first book, how her nails are painted in rainbow colours, and the unbelievably stunning bookshelves at the bottom! I think it’s going to look such a treat on my bookcase!

What’s Read with Pride about?

Here’s the official synopsis:

The much anticipated second book in The Paper & Hearts Society series by Booktuber Lucy Powrie. Will you be the next recruit for The Paper & Hearts Society book club? For fans of Holly Smale and Super Awkward.

Olivia Santos is excited for her last year at secondary school. But when a parent complains about LGBTQ+ content in one of the books, the library implements a new policy for withdrawing books. Olivia is distraught – she’s demisexual and knows how important it is for all readers to see themselves represented.

Luckily, she’s the mastermind behind The Paper & Hearts Society book club, and she knows exactly what to do: start a new club, find ways of evading the system, and change the policy for good!

With two book clubs to run, exams to prepare for, and a girlfriend, just how long will it be before Olivia burns out? After all, creating a book club and trying to get the #ReadWithPride hashtag to get noticed is going to take a lot of energy.

Sometimes, when you’re in too deep, it’s up to your friends to look out for you …

Why Read with Pride?

I write all of my books for my younger self and when I was seventeen, all I wanted was a book that would talk about all the scary and often overwhelming feelings that come with realising that, actually, you might not be straight. I also wanted a book that would make me realise that it was okay to be me – and I could be proud!

I first had the idea for a secret underground book club, but I didn’t immediately connect it up with The Paper & Hearts Society until I started writing a different version of the book and couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and where they might fit into the world I’d already created … and then Read with Pride was well and truly born!

I haven’t read The Paper & Hearts Society yet — can I still read Read with Pride?

The short answer: yes!

The long answer? I’d love it if you could read The Paper & Hearts Society because Read with Pride is best read if you know the characters and story, but I have written it so that it shouldn’t be difficult to understand if you haven’t read the first book. That being said, beware of spoilers for the first book if you take the risk!

Can I review Read with Pride for my blog/YouTube channel/bookstagram?

While there won’t be physical proof copies for Read with Pride, it is currently available to “wish for” on Netgalley — plus, it’s only a few weeks until publication, so not long to wait!

And if you do read it, leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or other retailer websites is really helpful — it’s a great way. of supporting your favourite authors! As a former book reviewer myself, I SUPER appreciate all the hard work that goes into writing reviews. So thank you in advance!

Pre-Order

Pre-ordering is one of the best ways you can support an author, and I would love it if you could! Plus, if you do, keep proof that you have so that you can claim an exclusive Read with Pride pre-order reward — coming soon!

Waterstones — one of the most reliable ways of ordering at the moment!

Amazon

Hive

The Book Depository

And there are many independent bookshops in the UK still taking preorders directly, so do get in touch with your local indie or favourite shop — it’s so important to support them at such a difficult time.

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Not long to go now until Read with Pride! I hope you adore the cover just as much as I do!

Lucy Powrie

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The return of #UKYAChat!

April 10, 2020

Hello, everyone!

I am super excited to be able to share with you the return of #UKYAChat! For those of you who may not know, #UKYAChat is a Twitter chat that I first founded and hosted in 2013 — so we’re in our seventh year now! We discuss YA books, play bookish games, and are joined from time to time by special guest authors.

I’ve taken a break from hosting #UKYAChat for the past year due to other commitments and also because I think it’s good to take breaks to keep things fresh. But now we’re back, and I hope #UKYAChat will offer you some fun and bookish friendship during these difficult times.

THE DATES

Please note: for the first two weeks, #UKYAChat will take place weekly, but then change to fortnightly. However this may change to weekly in the future, depending on demand.

April

Friday 17th April @ 8pm BST

We’ll be CELEBRATING YA, plus I’ll be revealing the cover of my second book, Read with Pride! Come along to play bookish games, discuss what’s so special about YA, and more!

Friday 24th April @ 8pm BST

This chat’s theme will be SENDING LOVE TO THE BOOK INDUSTRY – sharing our favourite bookshops, libraries, and authors, and spreading as much love as we can!

May

Friday 8th May @ 8pm BST

It’s the #UKYAChat Quiz! Test your YA knowledge in this #UKYAChat special!

Friday 22nd May @ 8pm BST

Check back to see the theme of this chat closer to the time!

Don’t forget to add the dates to your calendars! I’ll also be tweeting regular reminders and updates.

So how do you join in with #UKYAChat?

All you need is a Twitter account and to use the dedicated hashtag — #UKYAChat! Starting at 8pm, I’ll be sharing questions from my Twitter profile, @LucyTheReader, and other people will be sharing their responses. Answer the questions yourself, chat to other people and, most importantly, have fun!

Anyone can join in – whether you’re a book blogger, fellow author, librarian, bookseller, or a book lover! With #UKYAChat, it really is the more, the merrier, so feel free to invite your Twitter (or real life!) friends along, too.

If you’re a UKYA author with a new book being released, or a book publicist, do feel free to get in touch to discuss ways that #UKYAChat can support you in the coming months. My email address can be found on my contact page.

Hope to see you next week for the return of #UKYAChat!

In #UKYAChat, Bookish by

Lucy Powrie

9 Books I’m Excited to Read

April 8, 2020

There are so many books that I’m excited to read at the moment that will be released in the next few months — so I thought I would share some of them with you today, so that hopefully you will be just as excited as I am!

One of the best ways you can support your favourite authors is by pre-ordering their books, so if you are able, please do consider it when reading this post! I’m sure I can speak on their behalf when I say it would very much be appreciated. Plus, you’ll get a fantastic read on publication!

1. The Vanishing Trick by Jenni Spangler

This one is cheating a little bit … because I’ve already started reading it! The Vanishing Trick is a Victorian fantasy for children, and begins with an orphan, Leander, falling into the hands of the indomitable Madame Augustina Pinchbeck, and subsequently thrown into a world of magic, folklore and illusions.

I believe that Jenni Spangler is the next big voice in children’s magical history fiction, and is set to take the middle grade world by storm. If you’re looking for vivid settings, fantastic writing, and characters to root for, you need to read this.

Published on 30th April 2020 by Simon and Schuster Children’s UK.

2. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

One of my favourite YA books of last year was A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson — and I know I’m not the only one! It was a runaway success, and for very good reason. Good Girl, Bad Blood is the sequel and follows main character Pip as she deals with the aftermath of the first book, as well as a new murder to solve.

If you haven’t read A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder yet, now is the perfect time! You’ll love it if you enjoy fast-paced murder mysteries with innovative formatting and enough twists to give you whiplash. I found it impossible to put down!

Published 30th April 2020 by Electric Monkey

3. Asking for a Friend by Kate Mallinder

Kate Mallinder writes the perfect feel-good books that I think are brilliant for young teens. Her debut, published last year, was Summer of No Regrets, and I’m hoping that Asking for a Friend will be another book that will make you feel as if you’re lying under the sun on the beach.

In Asking for a Friend, three teenagers are thrown together on the school bus and plan a pre-exam “study break” trip to Weston, but they’re not all being truthful about their reasons for heading there. It’s described as being about “valuing the friends who value you” — one of my favourite YA themes! How good does it sound?! I can’t wait!

Published 21st May 2020 by Firefly Press

4. Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green

Simon James Green is one of my favourite YA writers, although I do read his books very slowly — because I’m always laughing too much to read them any quicker! The concept of Heartbreak Boys is AMAZING: two boys, Jack and Nate, find themselves dumped by their boyfriends, who are now going out. So they decide to show that they’re having a great time without them and embark on a road trip.

I am in love already!! I can tell I am going to adore this — it sounds like just my thing!

Published in August 2020 by Scholastic

5. The Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D Lapinski

Another magical middle grade! The Strangeworlds Travel Agency has been compared to Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor, which is one of my favourite children’s books, so I’m sure this will be right up my street. I’ve already heard very good things from early reviewers!

Imagine stepping into a suitcase and being transported to a different world. Well, that’s the premise of the book: 12-year-old Flick is invited to join the Strangeworlds Travel Agency, visiting other worlds through the suitcases, but soon learns that the city of Five Lights, at the centre of the world, is in trouble — and she has to race against time to fix it before it disappears, taking our world with it.

Published 30th April 2020 by Hachette Children’s Group

6. Destination Anywhere by Sara Barnard

There’s nothing better than a new Sara Barnard novel. One of my favourite books of all time is A Quiet Kind of Thunder, and I’ve also read and loved all of her other books. So I was very happy to hear that there’ll be a new one this year: Destination Anywhere!

The book centres on 17-year-old Peyton, who has had a very tough time at school but is hoping things will improve once she gets to sixth form. The story takes her to Canada, where she hopes to find her place in the world, and I love the idea of a UKYA book set in Canada — which, I think, will be a first for me!

Very exciting!

Published 25th June 2020 by Macmillan Children’s Books

7. Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

I am SO excited for a new Tanya Byrne book! As a young teen, I devoured Heartshaped Bruise and Follow Me Down, so you can imagine how extreme my excitement was when I first heard about Afterlove. Tanya is one of the best voices in UKYA, and I can’t wait for even more people to discover just how wonderful she is.

When Ash is hit by a car, she exists in the afterlife, where she becomes a fierce girl-reaper and collect the souls of the city’s dead. However, Ash also can’t forget her first love, Poppy, and is determined to see her again, either dead or alive. I would very much like to be able to close my eyes and wish upon a star to be reading this immediately!

Published in August 2020 by Hodder Children’s Books

8. Moonchild: Voyage of the Lost and Found by Aisha Bushby (illustrated by Rachael Dean)

When Amira and her sea-witch mothers are shipwrecked, they reach the Sahar Peninsula, a land that is recorded by no map and can only be reached by crossing the horizon. Amira has a jinn — an animal companion, Namur, who takes the form of a cat, and when she gets the chance to explore on land, she meets a boy who is just like her. But when Namur goes missing, Amira will learn what it really means to be a Moonchild.

I may sneakily be reading Moonchild at the moment and I can confirm that it is AMAZING. Exquisitely written and vividly drawn, it feels like you’re reading a Studio Ghibli film. I always read Aisha’s writing with wonder, and her stories make me feel as if I’m a child again. Moonchild is no different!

Published 6th August 2020 by Egmont

9. Dangerous Remedy by Kat Dunn

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a really good fantasy YA, mainly because my tastes tend to go towards contemporary (as you can probably tell from this list!), but I have a feeling that Dangerous Remedy is going to become a new fantasy favourite, especially as it’s drawn comparisons to the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo.

It’s set during the French Revolution where Camille, the daughter of a revolutionary, leads a group of rebellions called the Battalion des Mortes, who save the lives of those destined for the guillotine. I’m always very keen to support UKYA fantasy, which never fails to impress — and deserves lots of attention!

Published 5th May 2020 by Zephyr

What books are you looking forward to reading soon?

In Bookish by

Lucy Powrie

3 Comments

12 Bookish Facts About Me | An Introduction

February 24, 2020

Hello and welcome to lucythereader.com! My name is Lucy Powrie and you may know me as the author of The Paper & Hearts Society, as a booktuber or from my previous blog, Queen of Contemporary, which I started in 2012 when I was 12 years old.

Here’s the thing about starting a blog when you’re 12: you change a lot in the subsequent years. There are many things I’d do the same if I had the chance, but there’s also a lot I’d do very differently.

So I’ve decided to say (a sad, tentative) goodbye to Queen of Contemporary, while still keeping it as an archive of the blogging work I’ve done in the years to date, and wave hello to lucythereader, my brand new blog where I’m looking forward to sharing more of my bookish personality, life, and thoughts.

To introduce you to me, I thought I’d share 12 bookish facts about myself!

12 Bookish Facts About Me

1. I’ve ALWAYS loved reading, and can’t remember a time when I haven’t loved it. I would get a bedtime story every night and would beg my mum for more and more and more, except I’d turn around and she’d already be asleep. Books never made me want to go to bed — I craved more!

2. When I was younger, I gravitated towards animal stories — I devoured all of Beatrix Potter’s books, wanted to live in Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge, and used to think I was Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig’s Angelina Ballerina. They’re still the books that make me feel the most warm and cosy because I have such fond memories of reading them.

3 . My favourite book is Shirley by Charlotte Brontë! I’m almost constantly re-reading it, diving in to my favourite passages and learning more about myself along the way. The main characters, Shirley Keeldar and Caroline Helstone, have the most wonderful friendship, and even though it isn’t as polished as Jane Eyre, I think it’s the more charming of the two.

4. My favourite book may have been written by Charlotte, but my favourite author (and poet) is Emily Brontë. Wuthering Heights had a life-changing effect on me: it was a friend to me when I was going through one of my darkest times; it opened so many doors, such as being able to work with the Brontë Society. I’d never read anything so brutally dark yet hopeful before, where the landscape was a character just as much as any of the characters were. I love it with all my heart.

5. My favourite Brontë story is from Emily’s time in Brussels. She didn’t exactly fit in, wearing odd clothes and not interacting with other people in the ways they expected to be interacted with, but when questioned she said: “I wish to be as God made me.” They are words I always remind myself of when I worry what other people may think of me. If Emily Brontë was true to herself, I can be too!

6. The first YA book I remember reading was The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot and I read all of the other books in the series, and then the rest of Meg Cabot’s novels, in quick succession. I fell in love with Mia and rooted for her and Michael, couldn’t get enough of Lilly and Tina and all her other friends. I was very happy when the adult sequel was published! I felt like I’d come full circle with Mia.

7. The first time I remember wanting to be a writer was aged 8. I was tasked in a literacy lesson with writing a story based on a picture of a small stream. I wrote about a duck called Genius and a water vole, and when the lesson had finished I rushed home to write the ending. Maybe I should dig that one out of the archives?!

8. The Paper & Hearts Society was the first novel I’d ever written and began with the idea for a literary road trip, inspired by the literary locations I’d visited myself the summer I began writing it: Bath, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, West Yorkshire.

9. I write all of my books for my past self. The Paper & Hearts Society for my 16 year old self, who was in desperate need of friends who would stick by her no matter what; Read with Pride is written for my 17 year old self, who wanted to know there were people like her out there; and the third book in The Paper & Hearts Society is going to be written for my 18 year old self.

10. I find audiobooks very hard to listen to. Instead, I love listening to radio adaptations of my favourite classics, which I find I can become far more absorbed in. Particular favourites include Rachel Joyce’s adaptations of all of the Brontës’ novels!

11. I can’t read one book at a time. I have to be reading multiple or I get impatient! It does become quite difficult to keep track of what I’m reading, so I now have a notebook where I can write all the titles down.

12. I am TERRIFIED of horror novels or anything remotely scary and always have been. Horror is one of the few genres I would ever refuse to read!

I hope you enjoyed the first lucythereader post! I’d love to know an interesting bookish fact about you in the comments!

In Bookish by

Lucy Powrie

4 Comments

Hi! I'm Lucy Powrie! I'm the author of The Paper & Hearts Society series, published by Hodder Children's Books, as well as a blogger and booktuber. Books have always been my life, and I'm looking forward to sharing the bookish love on my blog, as well as writing tips and advice.