beabliophilia

[beabliophilia]

books I’ve read in 2024 📖 no. 003

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

“Two passing temporarinesses developed feelings for one another. Two puffs of smoke became mutually fond. I mistook him for a solidity, and now must pay.”

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨ A bit late, but here is what I read in the first two months of this year 😅 ▪︎The wisteria society of lady scoundrels, India Holton ▪︎The amber spyglass, Philip Pullman ▪︎Sorcery of Thorns & The mysteries of Thorn Manor, Margaret Rogerson ▪︎Lost in the moment and found & In an absent dream, Seanan McGuire - 5 💫 ▪︎The magicians daughter, H.G.Parry - 5 💫 ▪︎The adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, S.A. Chakraborty- 5 💫 ▪︎Emily Wilde's encyclopaedia of fairies, Heather Fawcett - 5 💫 Have you read any of these? 👀 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp4zYNnrFUf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨ Last month I finally got my hands on a physical copy of Emily Wilde' Encyclopedia of Fairies and look how pretty the cover is! 😍 The story follows a grumpy university professor that goes into a small village up North to study fairies in order to complete her encyclopedia. Little does she know, her only friend and colleague, who is much better with people than her, follows her into the village to help with the research. At first she will be very annoyed by his presence, but of course she will soon change her mind and realize he is not so useless after all 👀 I loved the main character and her bizarre flowery love interest, the relationships between them and the village folks, and the cold and mean fairies. This reminded me of some aspects of Jonathan Strange so that was also a plus ✨ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXPl5crOOD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨

Last month I reread and annotated my used (and sadly a bit damaged) copy of In an Absent Dream, which is my favourite out of the Wayward Children series and the only one I physically own (why are these books so expensive despite being so short 😭)

I normally only underline cute sentences with a pencil, but I really liked the experience of rereading a favourite book and writing down my thoughts. It really helped me understand what I liked in the story and why this one has a special place in my heart ✨

Do you annotate on your books like it is so trendy now, or do you keep them pristine? 👀

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpCsQRArrtr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨

One of the first books I read this year was the last installment of the His Dark Materials trilogy, which has been waiting on my TBR pile for over two years. The reason I did not pick up the last book sooner was the fact that after loving the first one, the second one turned out to be so boring for me. In the end, I like the third one more (despite all the suffering - if you know, you know), but the first one is still my favourite 😊

Because I didn't read the books as a child, I had no nostalgia for them. However, I think that by experiencing them as an adult, I got the opportunity to gasp and understand more than I would have as a kid.

I really enjoyed the commentary and the ideas the author put into this series, and I am happy to now have my own copy so that one day I can go back to this world and find more hidden details I missed the first time around ✨ 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoiasZELbeK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨

One of the first books I read this year was Sorcery Of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, and it was such a delightful read! 💫

I heard that it has Studio Ghibli vibes, specifically Howl's Moving Castle, so I was intrigued to see what all the hype was about. And indeed, this was a cozy read with magical books locked in magical libraries protected by armed librarians, a male interest with a mysterious dark past and a demon that takes the form of a cat, and a not super dumb main character. I also spotted a few Avatar the Last Airbender references! 🧐

The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars was the fact that it follows the classical structure and tropes of a YA fantasy book without doing anything super original. Anyway, just a few days after I finished it, I discovered that there is a sequel novella that came out this month, so I am super excited to be going back into this world 😊

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4VRmnI4H3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨

Today I am here to try to convince you to pick up (or at least consider) the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. The series is also going to be adapted into a Netflix TV show coming out in January, so this is the perfect time to give the books a try.

The story is set in an alternative version of London in which "the Problem", as people call it, has spread: ghosts are coming back to the mortal world, putting everyone in danger 👻 Only children can see and hunt them in order to protect the rest of the population, and they do so through organizations called Agencies.

All agencies are controlled and monitored by adults, except one: Lockwood & Co. The owner is the young, confident and with a mysterious past Anthony Lockwood, who runs his agency from the walls of his dead parents' home, alongside his nerd best friend and associate, George Cubbins. The story starts when Lucy Carlyle, a girl with strong psychic talent from the countryside, starts working with them.

If you are looking for a funny and creepy story filled with sarcasm to read during fall, this is certainly for you! 😊

Filled with amazing character dynamics, this book will make you fangirl and laugh out loud, just to break your heart at the end 😭✨

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck8jXkBIhjn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨ 

Today I bring to you (a bit late as usual) my autumn TBR, of which I am currently half way through 😅

So, in no particular order, we have: ▪︎The secret history by Donna Tartt (do not come at me, but I was not the biggest fan of this one) ▪︎The creeping shadow and The empty grave by Jonathan Stroud (the 4th and 5th installment in the Lockwood & Co. series) ▪︎The graveyard book by Neil Gaiman (which is just really good) ▪︎ A far wilder magic by Allison Saft (that I keep on seeing everywhere and also that cover 😍) ▪︎Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro (in this gorgeous Italian edition that reminds me a lot Jonathan Strange ✨) ▪︎The golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (that has been on my shelf for ages)

Also, if you scroll, you can see the rest of my autumn list on Notion 😊

What about you? What are your reading plans for this fall? 👀🍂

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkqnpiRrmM7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨

I kindly received the audiobook of Babel by R.F. Kuang through Netgalley, so here is my review 😊

Seeing all the praise that this book got and since it was compared to my favourite book (Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell), I was so disappointed to not have loved this to pieces 😪

Let's start with what I really liked: the world building and the magic system were great. The atmosphere in the book is what you expect it to be from the description of the dark academia aesthetic: studying in libraries full of books, old Oxford architecture and autumn days. The magic system was very peculiar and innovative, but not really hard to understand.

The sad part for me is that I did not connect with any of the characters. I did not care for the main character and he felt so dull the entire time. I understand that they played with his brain and lied to him all his life, but still he felt to me like an empty doll moving where it was convenient. There was also a lot of telling and not showing of how the friendship between the characters formed. In particular, at the end of book one there is a paragraph describing how they will become very close friends right after they meet and how their friendship will end in ruins.

A little side note, maybe it is just me, but the notes were so strange. Like there were annotations that should have been in the prose (like how the characters behave seen from an external point of view) and text that should have been in the annotations (like descriptions of historical events). I also agree with the fact that this, for the most part, reads like a text book. The insides and the commentary were interesting, in my opinion, but they could have been included better within the prose.

In conclusion, this is a really well written book with some issues and it is definitely not for everyone. If you are seeking for a book with dark academia vibes and you really care about topics like translation and colonialism, you will definitely love this one ✨

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci9sLcLLY1V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨ A bit late, but here is what I read in the last couple of months 😅 ▪︎The priory of the orange tree, Samantha Shannon - 4 25 💫 ▪︎Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree - 4 💫 ▪︎Fool's errand, Robin Hobb - 5 💫 ▪︎The golden fool, Robin Hobb - 3.75 💫 Have you read any of these? 👀 ▪︎The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Sangu Mandanna - 4.5 💫 ▪︎Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake - 4.5 💫 ▪︎Primeval and Other Times, Olga Tokarczuk Have you read any of these? 👀 https://www.instagram.com/p/CiZ9eKCr-V3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you?✨

The first book I picked up once I had time to read again, was the chunky beast that is The Priory of the Orange Tree. I saw this book around for a very long time, but the amount of pages and the fact that I did not like The Bone Season intimidated me 🙈

I will not go much into the plot because I feel you need to go into this blind, and at first you will not understand much of what is going on. One thing I remembered from The Bone Season is the fact that Samantha Shannon creates really complex and detailed worlds that are not so easy to imagine at first.

After a couple hundred pages (the pacing is a bit slow) you start to see pieces of the big plot and the book starts to get interesting. There are some very cool fighting scenes as well, most of them involving dragons and ships.

I liked the characters (despite the fact that the one I liked the most died almost immediately), but one thing that did not work much with me where the "backstories". Like, at some point in the book characters meet and all of a sudden they have this past that we did not know about until a second ago? 🧐

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am excited to read the other books the author has planned for this world, and I also think this is a good book to start with if you want to read adult fantasy! ✨

https://www.instagram.com/p/CguPGpxoMyA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you doing?✨ Since another month has passed, here is what I read in May: ▪︎Radio Silence, Alice Oseman - 5 ⭐ ▪︎A magic steeped in poison, Judy I. Lin 3.75 ⭐ ▪︎The mad ship, Robin Hobb, 4 ⭐ ▪︎A master of djinn, P.Djèli Clark - 4.5 ⭐ Overall it was a really good month 😊 What was your favourite read from May? 👀 https://www.instagram.com/p/CeTza6lg6Ij/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you doing?✨ The last book I finished was 'A magic steeped in poison'. I started seeing it everywhere and it got me really intrigued since it is a fantasy book with a magic system based on tea 🍵 My expectations weren't very high since this is a YA book and I do not read many anymore, but I actually enjoyed this! ✨ The main character is not dumb, the magic system is really cool and the plot kept on going till the end (which has a really well done cliffhanger 😅) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdu9hAxgKRA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you doing?✨

Lately the only manga I have been reading is Shirayuki (Snowhite of red hair) and nothing, I am obsessed 😅

This is a fantasy romance manga (there is also an anime adaptation), with a smart female character, a cute love interest and so many other wonderful characters ✨

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdoGDUhL20b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you doing?✨  Since another month has past, here is what I read in April! ▪︎ The poppy war, R.F. Kuang - 4 ⭐ ▪︎ Ship of magic, Robin Hobb - 4 ⭐ ▪︎ Lonely castle in the mirror, Mizuki Tsujimura 3.5 ⭐ ▪︎ An enchantment of ravens - 3 ⭐ This month was not the best, and I was very disappointed at my lonely castle in the mirror 🥲 https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEFC7Mrmrs/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you doing? ✨

My April Robin Hobb's read was 'Ship of Magic', and I have to say I did not love this as much as I was expecting 😅

Reading about talking ships and pirates was the reason I started reading Robb in the first place, but this first book did not stand my (very high) expectations.. I think it is because I loved the characters in the previous trilogy way more, and maybe I just need to spend more time with the ones in this series. Luckily, there are so many pages in the next two books, so I am not too worried about it 😂

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc-tL9xIHhK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[beabliophilia]

Hello, how are you doing? ✨ @readwithascia tagged me in #whatthisweek so I decided to try too! ☁️ What am I reading this week? This week I am planning on finishing 'Lonely castle in the mirror', to catch up with 'Snowhite of red hair' and to reread 'Heartstopper' before the tv show comes out. ☁️ What am I watching? Nothing at the moment, last week I watched 'Ranking of Kings' and I need some time to recover 😭✨ ☁️ What have I been listening to? Beside audiobooks, only Novo Amor 😅 Can't wait to see him live at the end of the month ✨ ☁️ What I am looking forward to? Finishing the stressful four days of work ahead so I can do nothing again 😂 Working and studying at the same time is killing me 😅 ☁️ Favourite books genre? If it wasn't obvious, fantasy 😂 What are you doing this week? 👀 https://www.instagram.com/p/CcffDxZLsr7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=