#Popular Books

[hannahs-quirky-moments]

“All humans make mistakes. What determines a person's character aren't the mistakes we make. It's how we take those mistakes and turn them into lessons rather than excuses.”

— Colleen Hoover, It Ends with Us

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Sybil Leek - The Astrological Guide to Beauty - Popular - 1973

[thebestbrunettee]

cardan x jude pt 1.

so i mentioned in a previous post (here) that cardan is seemingly obsessed with with mortals/mortality in itself or at the very least is fascinated with pretty much anything to do with humans and their world, literature, artifacts, etc. in that post, i mentioned that this could be cardan’s method of escapism considering he despises faerie, lacking virtually any interest in his role in the court or as the high king. but i think this appeal towards mortals could be what led cardan to take notice of jude and eventually fall desperately in love with her.

in tcp, cardan’s favorite book is alice in wonderland, a story where a regular human girl is thrown into this magical and dangerous world so very different from her own. it’s there that she relies on her wits and own strengths to survive. is this not what happened to jude and taryn? so it makes sense that this could be another reason cardan takes interest in jude. (see this post)

also in tcp, it’s mentioned that one of the first things cardan noticed about jude were her ears and their roundness, how different they were from cardan and his friends’. i highlight this specifically because what jude sees as a massive insecurity, cardan is intrigued by and even takes a liking to.

part of the reason i think jude is so alluring to cardan is that she has the one thing cardan can never know, mortality. see, in faerie, cardan can have anything he wants, and if it isn’t already given to him he takes it. this is not the the case with mortality. cardan can never have it no matter how hard he tries, so in a way couldn’t he be partly jealous of jude? in tcp, cardan views her as a weakling, dirt. he and his friends called them the circle of worms- and even that isn’t a low enough ranking in his eyes. however, it’s later revealed that cardan would free the mortal servants at hollow hall and would even take beatings for protecting them. so could cardan’s initial hatred for jude stem from the fact that she is born with something over him? maybe he begins to hate her (i mean before she starts to stand up to him) because she has something he might deep down long to become familiar with.

[thetypedwriter]

The Grandest Game Book Review

The Grandest Game Book Review by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I feel like I’m writing about Jennifer Lynn Barnes constantly. 

Thankfully, this is not a case of diminishing returns. 

In fact, this might be Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ best novel yet, which is astounding to me. 

The Grandest Game is now the…fifth book in the Inheritance Games series which is insane, but it’s also the first installment in a spinoff series.

So related but not a direct sequel, although you would be lacking in a significant amount of understanding if you had not read the first four books of the Inheritance Games.

At this point, Jennifer Lynn Barnes is becoming the new Cassandra Clare.

But back to The Grandest Game, one of the key differences is instead of focusing on Avery and the Hawthorne brothers, this novel focuses on other players that have either been invited to play or won themselves a nomination. 

The Grandest Game itself is not that noteworthy, but the plot essentially boils down to this: Avery has set up a competition game where the prize money is $26 million.

Most of the game includes the players getting involuntarily put into teams and trying to solve a series of riddles and puzzles while attempting escape-room antics. 

Avery and the Hawthrone brothers are in the novel, but they’re in the periphery and largely unimportant other than the history they have with the players and the fact that they have masterminded the game. 

However, I can not emphasize enough how much better the book is by not focusing on them. Avery was never much more than a Mary-Sue from the get go and the Hawthorne brothers were all largely one-dimensional cliches.

The side characters who take center stage in this novel are a huge improvement, personality and interest wise. 

Rohan we know from the last book, The Brother Hawthorne, and his POV is fascinating. I’ve always had a soft spot for characters who are selfish and conniving, two characteristics Rohan has in droves. 

However, he also has a good motivation for playing the Grandest Game—getting money to take over the Devil’s Mercy, a secret club that he’s been a part of since he was a child. His penchant for winning always makes his POV fun to read. 

His relationship with Savannah, while predictable, was also really charming. I love relationships that are fierce and fiery, have cat-and-mouse banter, and are between two very stubborn people who don’t want to admit defeat. Every chapter with them working as a team was titillating. 

The POV I enjoyed the most was Gigi’s. Her fun, bubbly personality and bright way of connecting with people and seeing the world was fresh, fun, and authentic.

Her interactions with Knox and Brady were hilarious, but also strangely deep and intriguing, as they were both new characters with a sordid and complicated past with each other. 

Gigi’s intellect shone through while others constantly underestimated her, a plot point that never got old. Gigi trying to piece together what happened with Knox and Brady, while at the same time learning she’s bugged and trying to untangle the larger mystery of who’s on the island, was the most riveting part of the story for me. 

The last POV was for a character named Lyra Kane. Essentially, she’s Avery 2.0. I disliked her POV the most, especially as her motivation to win–saving her childhood home—while nice, was boring.

She also had the hackneyed story arc of being attracted to Grayson Hawthorne while incessantly telling herself to stay away from him (without success). 

The most interesting part of this POV was Grayson’s and Lyra’s interaction with their third teammate, Odette, an older woman who was once involved with Tobias Hawthorne.

I liked Odette’s backstory and the diversity of having an older character, but she was too cryptic throughout the whole novel and then decided to give up her spot at the end, a choice that riddled me with frustration and made her character dip in the favorite department. 

That being said, these three POV’s were still a huge improvement from the banality of Avery’s mind and the vapid love triangle she found herself in of the previous books. 

Instead, we have two interesting perspectives (plus Lyra) to carry this new spinoff series forward, a journey I am wholeheartedly ready to embark on.

Plus, all the riddles are a lot of fun to try and piece together as a reader. It may not be the most complicated of plots, but it’s entertaining and the characters propel it forward with their intersecting relationships and personal motivations. 

Recommendation: The best Jennifer Lynn Barnes novel yet. Read it and try to solve as many of the puzzles as you can (I got two of them!).

Score: 8/10

[books-and-strawberry-tea]

Holiday Book Haul✨ This is everything I got. This will be my last haul for a while. I have a lot of physical books to read now. And once I read them all I want to sell some that I didn’t like, or give them away, maybe donate them. There’s a library near me, but I’ve never donated before so I’m going to sus that out for my own knowledge.

꒰�� ˚₊ ✧・┈・╴﹕꒰ ᐢ｡- ༝ -｡ᐢ ꒱﹕╴・┈・𐑺 ‧₊˚໒꒱

[your-mommy-ems]

Kenji: Self care is actually getting in fist fights with randoms in dark alleys.

Juliette: No, self care is stuff like taking a bubble bath, or putting on a lot of makeup if you like it, or taking a nice warm nap!

Aaron: Self care is the burning heat when rage washes over you!! Self care is when you feel the bones crack under your powerful fists!! Self care is the fear in your enemies’ eyes!!!

Nazeera: Lmao self care is taking your birthday cake just so I can eat the frosting.

Kenji : If you touch my birthday cake I’ll make you eat your hands.

[madebytaylorursula]

I have been rebinding books for the last six months or so as a hobby, and as much as I love doing it - I don’t actually collect books myself. I’m trying my hand at selling some of my rebinds on Etsy! I’m not sure how successful it will be (rebinding is so time consuming and pricey to start out in, so finished products are fairly expensive due to the time, practice, and energy that has to go into them) but I at least wanted to give it a go! This is one of many I have finished in the last couple of months that I am going to put on my Etsy shop. I’ll be adding more as I make them, and I am very open to custom orders, if by chance someone is interested in one ☺️ I’m just starting all of these pages out, so they are pretty bare bones for now

[shy-tidal-waves]

"Isn’t it awfully convenient,” Harry added, “that when men make the rules, the one thing that’s looked down on the most is the one thing that would bear them the greatest threat? Imagine if every single woman on the planet wanted something in exchange when she gave up her body. You’d all be ruling the place. An armed populace. Only men like me would stand a chance against you. And that’s the last thing those assholes want, a world run by people like you and me."

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid

[wakingupnexttoyou]

I gotta live read this one... Because I'm 5% in and this shit is WILD already. Soooooo. Spoiler warning obviously.

This girl's parents died. She goes home to deal with their house..... It's FULL OF DOLLS.... And the attic hatch is boarded shut..... I would have walked right back out of that house you guys 😂😂😂😂😩😭

[ismahanescorner]

The Apothecary Diaries | Gush!! 🩷

heya!! so i’ll prolly be doing more of these gush-y review-esque posts about stories that i’m consuming in multiple media formats!

if you’ve been following along with my wrap-ups, you’d know that i binged the apothecary diaries manga in december (i’m currently waiting on vol. 11 to be released). i’m also watching the anime weekly (i can’t wait for temple rescue coming up!!). i also have the light novel on hold from my library so i can read ahead!! 😅

the story isn’t all that new or innovative if you’re an avid enjoyer of historical chinese (east asian) court dramas. however, it is very compelling and intriguing, and the pacing of reveals is pretty good as well!

the characters are instantly loveable and are the reason for my current -tiny- hyperfixation with the story. i just adore maomao and jinshi!!! 😍😍😍

if you’re in the same camp of being swept by your overwhelming love for these two idiots, please let me know so we can gush together!! 🤭🤍

🖼️ collage by me! 😊

[fairy-peculiar]

It hit me pretty hard. How there’s no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning. People will keep on wanting what they want and you’re on your own.

Demon Copperhead / Barbara Kingsolver

[bigheartedbibliophile]

Happy Saturday! Wanna play a game? 😈

Post your guesses in the replies/reblogs!

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

David Paul Lyday - Come Die For Me - Popular - 1977

[amarenacherriezzz]

My 2024 Reading List ✨️📜💗

Books I've read this year:

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Out by Kirino Natsuo

Sono hi no natsu by Kazuko Saegusa

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Currently reading:

August Blue by Deborah Levy

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevski

What I plan on reading this year:

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The Guest by Emma Cline

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (maybe?)

Let me know your recs 😘

[thetypedwriter]

Children of Anguish and Anarchy Book Review

Children of Anguish and Anarchy Book Review by Tomi Adeyemi

This book was so horrible. 

No one is more disappointed than me to say that. 

I’ve gone to two of Tomi Adeyemi’s book signings, including a recent one for Children of Anguish and Anarchy.

Tomi Adeyemi herself is absolutely wonderful. She’s so intelligent, hilarious, addictively charming, and can work a room like no other. The book signing was fantastic. Too bad the book couldn’t hold up to the event itself. 

Children of Anguish and Anarchy follows as the third and last installment of the Legacy of Orisha trilogy, but doesn’t read like that at all.

Other than having the same four main characters of Tzain, Zelie, Amari, and Inan, nothing about the book concludes any issue, plot story, or character development from the previous two novels. 

A completely new villain is introduced, someone we haven't heard about as a reader in the last two books whatsoever, and obliterates any of the conflict and tension that Adeyemi worked so hard to build in her previous stories. 

Gone is the tension and literally hundreds of years of in-fighting between the Maji and the monarchy, gone is the civil war and its repercussions on Orisha, gone is even one of the main characters from the last novel, Roen, who was a significant love interest for Zelie and who has been completely disappeared in this new book all together (like, what???). 

It was incredibly lazy writing to wipe away everything the first two books created in order to “unite” against this new enemy. The sentiment is nice, but it’s not the finale we wanted or needed. 

I desired answers to Amari and Zelie’s broken friendship, closure to the Inan and Roen love triangle, a verdict on how Orisha would rebuild and who would rule. 

We get none of that. 

Instead Zelie and the others spend half their time in the book on a ship with very strong slavery parallels, and the other half in the introduced land of New Gaia.

While I thought the descriptions of New Gaia were beautiful (albeit very similar to Avatar), I was dissatisfied because the whole series at this point has been focused on Orisha and Orisha’s problems, not New Gaia and not the Skulls. 

While the plot was bad and aggrieving, the characters were even worse. 

None of the characters were interesting. They were carbon copies of each other in which all they talked about was avenging their fallen Orishan people, killing the Skulls, and protecting loved ones.

Rinse and repeat. It was boring as hell to delve into four different characters’ minds only to find that they all sounded exactly the same. 

I often had to go back to the start of the chapter to tell whose internal thoughts I was reading because they were so interchangeable and self-righteous and dull.  It is never a good sign when you can’t automatically tell who’s POV you’re reading based on their internal dialogue and tone. 

Lastly, the pacing of the book was atrocious. Everything happened so goddamn fast that I felt like I never had the chance to properly digest or internalize anything.

Oh they’re on a ship? Moving on from that. Zelie got some sort of medallion shoved into her chest?? Moving on. Wait, Maji and Titans and the monarchy are all working together after two full books of them killing each other??? Five pages and it’s done with. 

It was outrageous and insulting. 

The pacing made everything feel shallow, unimportant, and unnecessary. More than most of the plot were action scenes, while difficult to write and interesting in their own right, in this book it was so repetitive that characters killing other characters 90% of the time became egregiously tedious. 

And speaking of the action, I also found it incredibly violent and graphic for a YA book. As someone who is not a fan of gore and blood, this book had so many explicit details for no reason other than being gratuitous.

For example, at one point Zelie shoves a chicken bone through someone’s cheek. I found it repulsive and it was also incessant. 

I know some people can handle brutality, but I can’t, and found it a huge turn off and made me dislike the book so much more, especially as this was a majority of the book to boot. 

Disappointment can’t even contain my full feelings for this story. For such a wonderful trilogy to succumb to such a terrible end is a tragedy. I wish the best for Tomi Adeyemi and success for her future, but I will not read another book by her again. 

Score: 2/10

Recommendation: Read Children of Blood and Bone, a magical story that will inspire and entertain you. Read Children of Virtue and Vengeance if you really need something else, but even this book I wouldn’t recommend picking up.

Do not, I repeat, do not read Children of Anguish and Anarchy. It will leave you feeling dismayed and disheartened beyond redemption.

Bonus: Here's me, my fiance, and Tomi Adeyemi at her book signing!

[certifiedfantasyreader]

What's one popular booktok book you didn't like?

I wanna see if we have any commons