#and anything on Goodreads with 5 stars i would generally recommend as a read

[not-poignant]

do you (or your followers) maybe have any story recs with protagonists similiar to a stain that won’t dissolve alex and/or spoils efnisien? they both have this tragic fragility/vulnerability about them that i really enjoy reading about lol

Opening this one out to everyone else, because I generally write what I can't find, and that's pretty much my main motivator as a writer, so I don't usually have recs on hand that aren't already in my AO3 bookmarks or on Goodreads.

[typingwithmyhandstied]

a love letter to the Realm Breaker trilogy

I am losing my mind over the Realm Breaker trilogy again, and I can't wait for Fate Breaker next week. To my knowledge, only one of my mutuals has read it (@crowgenius <333), but I will probably not be shutting up about it. Here is my little love letter to Realm Breaker because it may not be my absolute favorite, but it does mean a lot to me. (I did not mean for this to get this long sorry)

I first read Realm Breaker around the time it first came out in paperback. It was one of the last (if not the last) fantasy books that I found in the bookstore by chance and picked up. I had never heard of it before. It wasn't one I'd seen recommended somewhere or something. I did vaguely know who Victoria Aveyard was (I owned Red Queen but had never read it). It was facing out on the bookshelf, and I could see the cover. I think that's what caught my eye first, and then I noticed how the back listed characters (i.e. "a squire forced to choose between home and honor, an immortal. . .). It reminded me of Six of Crows which I had loved, so I bought it.

I looked it up on Goodreads that night (which I had just recently joined). I remember cursing when I saw that it was an incomplete series. I didn't do those. I had never done those except a select few (the Fairy Tale Reform School series by Jen Calonita which I'd been obsessed with and KOTLC). I am surprised I even read it after that to be honest. I did not want to be left on a cliffhanger, but I did. I read it. I wasn't even thrown off by the length, only excited.

It was more intense and LOTR-esque than anything I'd ever read. It was also probably the first book that I couldn't just memorize the worldbuilding for (I had learned the Grishaverse backwards and forwards as well as everything that came before it). It was the first book that I mostly had to go with the flow and be immersed in it and learn as I went along. There was no info dump at the beginning. I loved it. It is also to this day one of the most descriptive books I have ever read but not suffocating. I also really loved how Corayne was handled as if not the classic chosen one character then something adjacent (I love her with my whole heart).

I feel slightly ashamed saying it, but I was a lot like every other person I knew in the sense that I really liked romance. I remember specifically not reading things because they didn't have a romantic focus. I am not saying that Realm Breaker did not have hints of romantic potential and building (my favorite), but it is in no way portrayed to be a main, driving factor of the story. It is there, but it is not the reason to read it as much as even some less romantic heavy books (Six of Crows, etc). (To give credit where credit is due, ADSOM was also something I read before that and doesn't have romance as the main reason to read it, etc, but I do not think that I realized how it was done before.) I was new to that. It challenged me to return to the mindset of romance not being the most important factor that I had had before with other books like Percy Jackson, etc. It was good for me. It helped push me on my journey to understanding that romance was not the most important thing in books to me, and that really that was just the characters and their dynamics in general. I had just been presented with many books where the majority of the notable characters and relationships were displayed in a romantic sense. (A quick caveat---I still absolutely adore a good romance with my whole heart. I love my romance novels. I also do enjoy many fantasies where romance IS the driving factor.)

Upon finishing Realm Breaker, I instantly wanted more. It was a masterpiece in my mind even if it never had that feeling I got with many other books that meant it would be one that stuck with me forever. (Realm Breaker had been 4/5 stars for me the first time. Upon rereading, I realized that it was even better than I remembered and actually was a favorite and a 5 star read. Was I just too stupid to appreciate it fully the first time? Jury is still out on that one.) It was only a few months until Blade Breaker came out. I was resolute. I could wait, and I would be able to wait until the third book came out as well.

"I cannot wait" had to have been among the first thoughts I thought upon finishing Blade Breaker. I had looked forward to books in the past (the aforementioned prior incomplete series), but those books had been ones I'd patiently waited to have the mail carrier bring them. I could not wait that long for Blade Breaker. I had to have it. So on a hot summer day, Blade Breaker became the first book that I went to the bookstore on the release day to purchase. I went with my mother. I ran into my friend in the parking lot. Life was good, at least until I finished.

I had brought Blade Breaker with me on my family's annual camping trip. I usually spend the whole time sitting in a hammock and reading. I had already finished Geekerella by Ashley Poston on the trip. (I needed light reading for the car.) I read Blade Breaker sitting in a hammock looking out onto the lake. When I looked up, I could see tall pine trees and a bright blue sky. I could have been in some of the forests the Companions traveled through. I read for as long as there was light. I read in the tent with a flashlight. I read as bugs bit me. I finished it days before the trip was done.

I remember that I finished it just as it got dark one night. My parents were making a fire. I walked over, and I sat down on the big rock in the dimming light. I was flabbergasted. I was awestruck. I was heartbroken. I was so close to tears. I remember telling my mother that all of my favorite characters might be dead, and I remember it hitting me that I'd probably have to wait over a year to see if they were alive. Little did I know that it would be even longer than that. So long that I managed to completely block out the ending for my own emotional survival probably.

I waited and waited. I understood why I had to wait of course. I in no way expected instant gratification. I knew it probably wasn't even written. I knew writing and publishing took pressure time, so I persisted. Then, in December of 2023, I decided that I would have to reread. I needed to remember the worldbuilding to be able to appreciate the intricacy and nuance of Fate Breaker, but also because I happened to read a horrible book (which I will not name) that did everything Realm Breaker had done so well so badly. I needed to remind myself that good books existed.

I accidentally opened Blade Breaker to the last page first. It is then that I realized I'd completely blocked out the last few pages and what happened on them. I knew that I thought many of my favorites could be dead, but I did not remember that. I did not remember the specifics. I did not remember the last paragraph. I was crushed, but I kept rereading. I listened to the audiobooks while I did everything when February hit to finish on time. I looked at the map. I got my bearings back in this fantasy world I loved so dearly, and the best part was that I loved it even more the second time.

Then, yesterday exactly a week before Fate Breaker releases, I read the ending of Blade Breaker a second time. This time, I was not just close to tears, but they did fall. This time I was terrified not just for the characters in that moment but for all they were yet to encounter. All of the possible foreshadowing of their imminent deaths. I am still terrified today, but I am mostly excited because I know that Victoria Aveyard will at least write it well no matter how cruel.

Next week, I will be buying Fate Breaker on Tuesday, February 27th 2024 when it comes out in a bookstore just like I did for Blade Breaker. I will most likely scream and cry and be my overdramatic self. One thing is new though. I will be spending every moment up until then scheming up what I think the plot will be to that book. I have developed new habits (thank you secret shanghai fandom).

I am excited. I am terrified. I am ready to have my heart broken. Thank you, @vaveyard, for writing such a beautiful book series. It has been something I never knew I needed until I had it. Please don't kill my favorite characters. Please. If Andry Trelland dies, it will be my villain origin story. 

[golbrocklovely]

the nine books i read this year (part one)

while this isn't technically related to sam and colby, i figured i would tell you guys about the books i read this past year. originally i was trying to read at least one book a month, but that didn't work out in the end. but i did get to nine and that was like seven or eight more than i read last year, so i'll take it.

i'm gonna try not to give any spoilers for any of these books. just my general thoughts and overall how many stars i would give them. but if i do plan to talk about spoilers, i'll give you a fair warning.

so without further ado…

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

this book was SO fucking good. i bought it bc i saw it in target and thought it looked interesting. then i literally read it all in one night because i could not put it down. if you like murder mysteries/crime solving novels, you will like this book.

super easy to read, and it made me immediately want to watch veronica mars again. it definitely gave me that vibe when i was reading it too, so if you like that show, you'll like this.

i know there is a sequel and then a threquel and then i think a prequel???, but i haven't read any of those yet. i did go out the next day and grab the sequel tho. i just never got around to reading it. but i plan to do that this year.

probably one of my favorite books i read this year.

Rating: 5/5

Belle Morte by Bella Higgins

yall know me, i love me a good vampire book. and i think this one got recommended to me on tiktok, or i might have saw it in target and thought to buy it. the cover of this book is fantastic, and i think that along with the general premise drew me in.

that being said, this book was… fine, at best. at worst? kinda lazy.

i think the overall idea of it is interesting. vampires being known to humans but living in almost fraternity like houses, and they themselves being celebs now, humans being donors to them - all of that sounded cool to me. this book kinda hits all of the vampire shows/movies in one: a bit of true blood mixed with twilight and vampire diaries and even bits of dracula. and i'm usually here for that type of stuff.

but… this story was just not hitting the way i wanted it too.

it read like a wattpad fanfic, and then come to find out it was publish by wattpad. and look i'm happy that bella higgins got her story published, that's great. but i just think parts of this story could have been so much better. like while i was reading it, all i could imagine was "if i was writing something like this, i would do this instead of that". that's not to say i think my writing is superior or anything, i just felt like a lot of the choices in the story maybe could have used another person in the room to either flesh them out or give her another avenue to go down.

there's a sequel to this book, but i will not be reading it.

also ngl, i completely forgot what this book was about until i had to write this review and the only way i remembered what this was about was reading ppl's spoliers on goodreads so… do with that as you will.

Rating: 3/5

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

this was a surprise read for me. i remember hearing about this book years ago back in hs, but never read it bc i really didn't want to read a book about being a DUFF (designated ugly fat friend) which is what i kinda saw myself as back then.

there's a lot to unpack there.

but, i've loved the movie version of this book and ended up watching it like three times in one week and was like "let me see if i can find this book online". i did, and then i read it all in one night. and you know what? it was weirdly refreshing to read.

first off, nothing like the movie for the most part which was both intriguing and not. secondly, the author wrote this when she was 17, and it was loosely based off of her time in hs. and honestly, it read like a high schooler speaking about being in hs. and i don't mean that as a diss. i mean that as it was nice to hear a 17 year old talk like a 17 year old and not a 26+ year old trying to write like high schoolers.

you'll hear more about that in the next review.

this book also reminded me of hs, but not in the "oh gross i hated that time" kind of way, but in a more nostalgic sort of way. it was no where near how my hs experience went, but i still enjoyed my time reading it. it was written incredibly well for a 17 year old author.

also one fabulous line that stuck out to me so much so that i wrote it down: For a girl with a such a fat ass, I felt pretty invisible.

same here girlie lmao

Rating: 4.5/5

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

another surprise read !

so, this year i bought a hulu subscription. one of the first movies that popped up for me was "the hating game". i watched it, and then immediately watched it about four more times in the span of couple days.

safe to say it, i like the movie.

found out it was based off of a book and decided i had to read it. the movie and book, in my opinion, are similar enough that if you don't want to sit through reading the entire thing, you could just watch the movie and get the same general gist. also i kinda think the movie is better.

i realized after reading this book that ppl either LOVE it or they despise it. which is very weird to me only bc the story itself is fine. the language used either by the characters/author is a bit… questionable at times, but that doesn't sour the whole book for me, if that makes any sense.

minus one instance which i will tell you about in a bit.

i think the movie made the two mc very likeable and cute (but with their own problems) but this book kinda made them more…. realistic (so, less likeable lol). but i don't mean that in a rude way, just more of like "i've definitely met ppl like this, and while i didn't hate them, i didn't love them either".

slight tangent i want to go off on: i will NEVER understand how ppl that read romance novels get so up in arms about "toxic" relationships or men in these stories and then rate the book super low bc "this relationship is terrible! you should never strive to have a man like this in your life! this is all RED FLAGS" ect, ect. and it's like…….. yeah babe, i know that. IT'S A FANTASY. this isn't real life. i'm not looking for a dude like joshua templeman. calm the fuck down and stop sucking the fun out of everything you read bc it's not totally toxicity free.

it's the same reason i get so fucking annoyed when ppl point out in twilight "omg he's 109 year old dating a 17 year old girl he's disgusting!!" ………HE'S A VAMPIRE WHO IS PERMANENTLY 17. THIS ISN'T REAL LIFE.

anyway…

i will say tho, there were some annoying parts to this story. like the amount of times the main woman character talked about how small she is compared to the guy just got a bit redundant after a while. like it's not like she's 4'11 or something. she's like my height or close to mine, somewhere between 5'0 to 5'2. and he's like maybe 6'4 MAX. so while he's definitely taller, he's not a fucking giant. that was like the only thing that stuck out to me the most while reading, bc i swear it's like every couple pages she's saying "omg i'm so smol and he's so big".

so i have to bring up the one instance of this book that i THROUGHLY did not enjoy. i had planned to rate this book a very soft 4/5. i enjoyed my time reading it, i thought the romance itself was cute for the most part, the love-to-hate/enemies-to-lovers was written decently well, a little bit too mean at times maybe, but overall i liked the book for what it was. but then…. i got to the end of the book. or the last couple pages. i won't give too much away in case you want to read it. but let me lay out the scene for you.

josh and lucy, the main characters, are in a room together. they might have just finished having sex????? i think, either way they're in bed with one another i believe. they're talking sort of romantically with one another. josh is speaking. he's telling her all of this stuff…. and then all of sudden he just casually says the r-word/r-slur. mind you, this man has barely uttered a curse word in this story, let alone a slur. and this man is intellegent, maybe a bit of a narotic dick sometimes, but not someone that would casually say that word, ESPECIALLY in the middle of borderline confessing his love for this girl he's been pining for.

so i had to knock this book down a whole ass number bc i was that upset that he said it. it felt like a word that the author uses, but not the characters, if you catch my drift. like it didn't feel like part of the lexicon josh would use, at least to me.

also earlier in the book, lucy uses the g-slur, in case you needed to know about that too. i know some ppl don't know that that word is a slur for romania ppl, so i try to give the benefit of the doubt with that, but just thought i would mention it.

Rating: 3.5/5

okay… didn't realize how long this was gonna be, so i'm gonna break this up into two parts. you can read the rest of my review on the books i've read this past year here.

[kiingocreative]

The Structure of Story is now available! Check it out on Amazon, via the link in our bio, or at https://kiingo.co/book

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Every author starting out will know how important reviews are. If you’re yet to be convinced, here are some fun facts about reviews*:

1. 88% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations.

2. 72% of consumers will take action after reading a positive review.

3. Positive reviews tell Amazon and Google you’re worth ranking and can boost search results for your book by feeding into SEO (reviews account for almost 10% of total search ranking factors).

So reviews aren’t just a nice to have — they’re critical to the success of a book.

Now, amongst the writers community, we talk a lot about receiving reviews, but less so about giving reviews. I enjoy writing book reviews immensely, because it makes me think about what I’m reading on a different level, and forces me to learn how to articulate that opinion. This is actually one of the main reasons why I got into professional BETA reading.

I was asked recently how I structure my book reviews (all of which can be found on my blog), so here you have it: all the secrets to how I go about writing book reviews, along with some concrete examples!

Start With Why.

The most important question to ask yourself before you even start writing a review is this:

Why do people read book reviews?

In essence, they want to know whether the book is good, what it’s about, and — more importantly — whether they should read it. They generally like some context and detail to back the review so that they feel it’s genuine and trustworthy.

If you can keep in mind what people generally want to get out of a book review, this will help you keep your review relevant and useful. It’ll help you figure out what’s worth including and what isn’t. If in doubt, ask yourself what you would want to read about in a review when you’re trying to decide whether or not to buy a book.

Some Key Questions.

Before you start writing, you also need to ponder a few things. It may not always feel natural to reflect on a book on this level of detail — it didn’t for me at first. I either liked a book, or I loved it, or I didn’t, but I rarely spent a lot of time critically thinking about why I did or didn’t like a read.

If you’re also finding this uncomfortable at first, I say stick with it. I found it extremely interesting to make myself think these things through. It’s made my writing so much better, because I’ve developed that objective evaluation muscle that activates even when I’m with my own work. It’s also made me much better at forming and formulating an opinion, which is something I didn’t use to be good at!

Here are some questions to start with before you start on your review:

• Did you like the book?

• What did you like about it?

• What didn’t you like about it?

• Are there any themes that were particularly well handled?

• Were there any characters you liked above others, and why?

• Would you recommend the book to a friend?

These few questions will start shaping your view of what you’ve read and provide the main elements of your review.

To take your critical reading to the next level, you may want to ponder the various elements of the story and the writing as a whole. Think about:

• The plot / storyline — is it strong? Consistent? Original? Enticing? Are there gaps?

• The characters and character arcs — are all characters well developed? Multi-layered? Do they make sense? Are they relatable?

• The key themes — what are some recurring topics through the story? Are they well handled?

• The pace and timeline — is the story progressing at a good pace? Where does it lag? Does the timeline make sense?

• The writing style — how was the writing style? Did it flow well? Did it feel unique or original?

• The dialogues — did they feel natural? Were they believable? Were they engaging? Did they add to the overall story?

• The editing — how was the editing? Were there any typos or formatting errors?

Example Review Outline

Once you’ve spent some time with those initial questions, you’ll find it gives you the best part of your review content. At first, you may want to note down your answers to each of these. With time, you may find you can process these in your mind faster than you did before, and you don’t need so many notes. Whichever way is right for you, once you have this, you’re ready to start structuring your review.

I tend to use the following outline (though, of course, this isn’t the one and only way to write a review!):

1. Star Rating:

It’s most common in this day and age to include a rating in your review. There are talks out there about not leaving a rating on a book, because these can be extremely subjective — someone’s three-star rating may mean they loved the book but for others it’s a negative rating, some people don’t leave five-star reviews out of principle etc.

If you’re reviewing the book on Amazon and Goodreads however, you don’t have a choice but to pick a rating out of five stars. Have a think about how that rating system relates to you. For instance: would you leave five star ratings? What rating do you use for a book you liked versus a book you absolutely loved? What kind of book would warrant a low-rating? etc.

2. Opening:

Start with a short overview of what you thought of the book. This should give the reader a concise view of what you thought of the book, in two or three sentences. The idea is that, if they read only this opening part of the review, they should know your view on the matter.

Here’s an example opening paragraph I wrote for Heart of a Runaway Girl by Trevor Wiltzen:

‘Heart of a Runaway Girl is a breath of fresh air. As far as crime and murder investigation novels go, I only ever read Agatha Christie, so my standard is high. But this book did not disappoint.’

3. Synopsis:

The next section of the review is a short summary of the book, which should give the main elements of the plot. I tend to keep that part really short because I find that, if anyone wants to know the specifics, the book blurb the author so diligently wrote for the back cover is a much better place to learn more about that. Yes, you need to give a sense of what the book’s about, but it shouldn’t be the bulk of the review.

I think this is a matter of personal preference, I’ve seen reviews out there with a much longer synopsis section, but I always find myself skipping those bits to get to the nitty gritty of the review, which is what the person thought. There again, go back to the why — people who read reviews do so to find out whether or not they want to buy a book, so the more valuable pieces to help with that (in my view) are your opinions, more than an in-depth summary which they can find elsewhere.

For instance, when I reviewed Counter Ops by Jessica Scurlock, the second opus in the Pretty Lies series, I kept the synopsis paragraph to:

‘In Counter Ops, we meet a familiar duo, Ivy and Nixon, as they face the aftermath of the Elite Auction, and each endure its painful consequences. We follow their journey as they try to escape their fate and attempt to come to each other’s rescue — in more ways than one.’

4. Highlights:

The next part is what I call the ‘highlights’. This is where you talk about what you liked most about the book, or what you thought the strongest parts of the book were. This can focus on one element of the book (a character, a part of the plot, a theme etc.) or cover multiple elements.

See, for example, the highlights I picked for my review of Age of the Almek by Tara Lake:

‘I loved the author's ability to give every character their own voice and a distinct perspective on the world around them. I loved how involved I became with every character's fate and woes. I loved the precision with which the Almek world has been created, with such minuteness you can picture it down to the finest details.

My favourite part is the portrayal of the many facets of human nature, be it through the reactions of the masses to the barbaric ways of their rulers or the individual views of the protagonists. In every Almek citizen is a piece of the great puzzle that is humanity at large, and the author has a gift for writing it as raw and real as it gets.’

5. Mitigate your view:

Right after the highlights is where you’d add anything that mitigates your view. That’s anything that wasn’t quite as strong as you’d want it to be, or anything you weren’t a fan of.

You can skip this part if there’s nothing you didn’t like about the book — you don’t have to go nitpicking if nothing comes to mind. And it doesn’t have to be a bashing of the author and their work either. Keep it constructive and explain why you felt that way. There’s never a need for insults or expletives, and these wouldn’t enhance the quality of your review anyways. Formulating constructive criticism takes practice, and requires tact and subtlety. It’s a valuable skill to have if you’re willing to invest time in honing it.

Here’s how I phrased that part of the review for Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan:

‘But - and there's a but - my qualm with this book is that, for a story that revolves entirely around Nick and Rachel... There's actually very little Nick and Rachel in it!

Yes it's all 'about' them and it talks 'of' them loads, and we're told theyare happy together and want to be together... But it's all 'tell' and no 'show'. Their intimacy is sorely lacking, so I was left missing that added colour to convince me that they, in fact, do love each other. And I'm not talking saucy passages — I 'm talking about basic things suchas them actually talking to each other and spending time together.’

6. Conclusion:

The final part of the review is a short paragraph with closing remarks, such as a short summary of your view on the book, whether or not you recommend it or some indication of what readers the book may be for (e.g. ‘if you liked… you may like this book’).

When I reviewed Collision by Kristen Granata, I ended the review with:

‘Readers used to intricate, far-fetched romance plots may find this book too straightforward for their liking. In my mind, this is what makes the book's key strength: it's real and honest, it takes the reader through difficult situations and complex emotions beautifully, and that makes it all the more relatable.

A great read overall - and the moment I finished the last page, I was on Amazon ordering the next book in the series!’

How long should a review be?

I don’t think there should be a minimum or maximum word count to a review, though I find that mine end up being around 300 to 500 words. I feel this is a good length because as a reviewer this forces me to be concise and clear in expressing my opinions, and as a reader it’s long enough to give people a sense of the book, but not too long that they’ll drop off before the end.

Final Thoughts: To spoil or not to spoil?

My view on adding spoilers in your review is simple: DON’T.

Try as I might, I can’t fathom what could be gained from adding spoilers to a review. Once again: back to the why. Someone reads a review to find out if they want to read the book themselves. If you ruin the plot for them in that review, what’s the incentive to pick up the book?

It just hurts the author’s chances of making a book sale, and it robs a fellow reader of the joyful rollercoaster of finding out those plot twists at their own pace. Don’t do it, it’s just rude.

*Sources:

www.bookmarketingtools.com

www.searchenginewatch.com

www.dealeron.com

[musingsonbooks]

The House in the Cerulean Sea: Review

5/5 Stars

A wonderful story about looking past appearances, found family, and love. T.J. Klune does an excellent job world building in The House in the Cerulean Sea with all its magic and monsters and bureaucracy. Still, even in Linus's regular government job, there is a fantastical air of whimsy. In what world is there a Department in Charge of Magical Youth? In what world are your bosses referred to as Extremely Upper Management? For the reader, it gives the story that childish, exciting edge that it excels at - though, for Linus, it's just another part of his boring day to day.

Linus Baker is nothing special. He's a lonely middle-aged man working a government job but even middle-aged men can change the world and The House in the Cerulean Sea shows us that. It was an absolute treat to follow his story as he traverses out of his dull, grey city and into the great wide (colourful!) unknown.

At first, you feel sympathetic for Linus. At work, at home, in every aspect of his life he seems belittled. The bus is always late, the weather is always bad, and despite the magical presence that saturates Klune's world you start to empathise, because we've all had the same struggles. And then Linus gets a mysterious classified case far out in the country, and that's where the plot kicks in.

I adored the quirky, colourful cast of children that we got to meet - if there's anything that Klune is good at, it's writing kids. All of them felt unique, spunky, and full of that childish bullheadedness that children are full of. Despite their different pasts and personalities, all the children melded together well and you begin to see them as siblings despite who (and what) they are.

Which is the message of the book, really. Don't judge people by their looks, by their pasts, by their parents. Every child is special, every child deserves a chance. It's a lesson that more people need to hear, from the cruel people of the village to even disconnected Linus. You either stand with the oppressed party or you stand against them. The children aren't bad for having magic - even if one of them is the Antichrist. And similarly, Linus isn't bad for his ignorance. In the end, it comes down to your actions, whether you choose to willingly cause harm to another.

In many ways, I'm reminded of The Good Place (and Klune's generous references to Kant and philosophy probably don't help the comparison), the idea that morality is not static, that all people can improve. Of course, Klune has something The Good Place is lacking, which is a group of ragtag magical children to steal your heart.

And then of course there's Arthur. It was beautifully refreshing to see a gay relationship like theirs, one that's soft, sweet, slow. Seeing them fall in love captured my heart. Arthur and Linus aren't young, they're not following their bodies, and for some reason it makes their love all the more raw, all the more compelling.

This is a book I would highly recommend everyone read, it's witty, sweet, and with just the right dose of politics that I love in a story. Who could ask for more?

(Also on Goodreads)

[reading-writing-redhead]

Carve the Mark

Veronica Roth

5/5 STARS

Favorite Quote: “There was a hunger inside me, and there always had been. That hunger was stronger than pain, stronger than horror. It gnawed even after everything else inside me had given up. It was not hope; it did not soar; it slithered, clawed, and dragged, and it would not let me stop.

And when I finally named it, I found it was something very simple: the desire to live.”

Goodreads Summary:

In a galaxy powered by the current, everyone has a gift.

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is the son of a farmer and an oracle from the frozen nation-planet of Thuvhe. Protected by his unusual currentgift, Akos is generous in spirit, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost.

Then Akos is thrust into Cyra's world, and the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. Will they help each other to survive, or will they destroy one another?

Carve the Mark is Veronica Roth's stunning portrayal of the power of friendship—and love—in a galaxy filled with unexpected gifts.

My Review Spoilers:

This is one of my favorite books of all time! I cannot recommend it enough. Before I get into the review, I will say I have seen some other comments on the book that weren’t exactly positive. First, that it has a race element, but personally, I never saw it until I read the other comments. I think Veronica Roth was just trying to differentiate between the two countries on the planet. And I don’t even remember her ever describing skin tone. (I will say, I am white so I may have just not of noticed anything.) Secondly (and this one I’m not sure on either), I saw comments that there should have been a trigger warning for self harm. In the culture of one of the countries, it is tradition that for every person you kill, you Carve the Mark (title of book, but you cut a line on your skin and dye the scar to make it stand out) out of respect. Let me know what you think.

Alright, now onto my actual review.

I will say it was slightly slow at the beginning, but it was important to help build the world and define the characters. I enjoyed the completely different dynamics of the two main characters. They seemed to be opposites in almost every way. They’re from two different world (metaphorically because they’re from the same planet, but are two different people/countries). This is one of the reasons I really liked the back and forth POVs with the two main characters. The romance is the definition of a slow burn and I am living for it! The anticipation was killing me and was the best part. Eager to see how it continues in the next book.

[gladiates]

Books Read in March

I saw a few people post a list of the books they read this month, so I thought I would too! Here they are.

Simone Weil - Waiting for God: I really enjoyed this book, and it resonated with me a lot as someone who's exploring different religions and spirituality right now. Weil's ideas are so interesting, and I really recommend it if you're curious about similar things! 4/5 (more like 9/10 but they only have 5 stars on Goodreads LOL)

Alfred F. Young - The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution: I'm taking a class on the American Revolution, which I didn't think would be that interesting, but this has become one of my favorite history books I've read. It's a little difficult to explain, but it explores the historical memory of the American Revolution through subsequent decades in the US by focusing on one ordinary man who briefly became a celebrity as the last living participant in the Boston Tea Party. 4/5

Simone Weil - Gravity and Grace: This is more abstract and less accessible than Waiting for God, so I'd recommend starting with that one if you haven't read Weil before. But I ended up really enjoying it nonetheless. 4/5

Alan Taylor - Colonial America: A Very Short Introduction: I don't know if you all are familiar with these, but I always see them sold in campus bookstores and the like. They're small, around 100-page guides to different intellectual subjects. What's both good and bad about them in my opinion is that they tend to focus on higher-level aspects of the subject, such as the changes in scholarship on it over time, which is really intriguing if you already know the basics, but isn't really an effective introduction if you don't. But since I do know a fair amount about colonial America (I'm American), this one ended up being really helpful to orient me as I explore further scholarship. 4/5

Clay Risen - The Bill of the Century: The Epic Battle for the Civil Rights Act: This is another book that I read for a class but ended up really liking. You can probably tell what it focuses on by the title, but something that I liked was that it explores different figures within the Johnson administration, not just LBJ himself. Because it's focused on politicians, it doesn't really emphasize the role of ordinary people, though, which I also think was very important, so I'd recommend not only reading this book if you want to learn about the Civil Rights Movement. But if you're looking for information about LBJ or his administration, this is really compelling. 4/5

Francis J. Bremer - Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction: See my general comments about the VSI series above. This is great if you already have some knowledge about Puritanism (I grew up in Massachusetts, so we learned about it a million times), and I liked that it focused on both sides of the Atlantic rather than just the American perspective. 4/5

Nathaniel Philbrick - In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown: The only book I didn't like! I have no interest in military history and I really don't care about George Washington, so I was uninterested from the start. It was for a class, though, so I did read it all. I don't think it's objectively a bad book or anything, but it's definitely not the sort of history I enjoy. 2/5

Yunte Huang (editor) - The Big Red Book of Modern Chinese Literature: Writings from the Mainland in the Long Twentieth Century: Like any anthology, this has stronger points and weaker points, but it was really enjoyable overall. I read it because I wanted to learn more about China and Chinese literature and I think it definitely helped me in that mission. 4/5

Cherríe L. Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa (editors) - This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color: Though I ultimately enjoyed this anthology, I did have mixed feelings about it. Some of the contributions are absolutely brilliant (especially those of Audre Lorde, Anzaldúa, and the Combahee River Collective statement), but others seemed just okay. This anthology was originally published in the 1980s, and while I read the 2002 edition, I'm not sure how much of the content was actually updated. Obviously, a lot has changed in feminism in the last 40 years, so while the basic issue of feminism needing to center women of color more is still very relevant, some of the ways of discussing it seemed dated to me. But I understand that it was extremely important at the time it came out, and it's absolutely worth reading for the highlights (and even the weaker parts are still interesting.) 4/5 (probably more like 7/10)

[shipatfirstsight]

Favorite Books of 2020*

*being books I read in 2020, for the first time, rather than only limited to books published in 2020, and in no specific order, except for probably by author because I tend to read an author’s whole backlog when I ~discover~ them

**These are also, exclusively, books I gave 5 stars to. Didn’t intend it, but here we are.

Did this for my own gratification to sift through all the books I read this year, but thought it could serve as a recommendation list too! I pretty much exclusively read Historical (Regency) Romances, so that’s what this is. 

1. The Captive by Grace Burrowes- Absolutely moving book, my new standard for hurt comfort 

2. The Traitor by Grace Burrowes- ~villain~ from book 1 on this list as the MC and also super moving and just generally Great

3. Andrew: Lord of Despair by Grace Burrowes- I read the summary. I was not interested. I decided to read the first 10 pages before bed. Read the first 190 pages. 

The rest of the list is under the cut, 29th entry has a spoiler so just be pre-warned.

4. Darius by Grace Burrows- I hate the trope this book covers, and yet I loved this book

5. The Seduction of an English Scoundrel by Jillian Hunter- So funny, actually I loved this whole series and since it is 15 books long, I won’t list them all. Just know I loved them. Most of them. 

6. Teresa Medeiros. Seriously almost all of her books. Specifically, though: The Vampire Who Loved Me, After Midnight, One Night Of Scandal, Charming the Prince, and Thief of Hearts

7. Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros- This one was so good, it needs its own spot even though I also loved the ones above. This book though.

8. The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith- love people already married who come back together and fall in love, and this one delivered

9. The Markham Hall Series by Sierra Simone- erotica, Good book, I reread favorite scenes all the time

10. Duke I'd Like to F... and Naughty Brits- Two anthology that had to be read for their titles alone, liked all the stories which is all that really matters to me with anthologies 

11. Two Rogues Make a Right by Cat Sebastian- so sweet, another hurt/comfort

12. The entire Sebastian St. Cyr Series by C.S. Harris- murder mysteries set after the Napoleonic Wars. LOVED. Also nice to see a love story play out over several books.

13. Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh- I’m going to be honest: I love everything Mary Balogh writes. Her books just work for me.

14. The Deadly Hours- another anthology, but I really only liked Susanna Kearsley and C.S. Harris’ stories. Still, worth it for me!

15. The Will Darling Adventures Series by KJ Charles- these boys. Charles makes me feel her books viscerally in a way I like.

16. Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean- Another villain (sort of) turned MC for this one. MacLean makes me like characters I don’t expect to like, and I would legitimately like anything she wrote so here we are.

17. A Dark and Stormy Knight by Kerrigan Bryne- I hated the MC of this book in the rest of this series and now I like him, so again, here we are

18. The Earl of Christmas Past by Kerrigan Bryne- healed my pain from the Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and that is all I will say on the matter

19. All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Bryne- I think its clear that I just like Bryne’s books. 

20. Marry in Scarlet by Anne Gracie- I was so excited for this book and it managed to exceed by expectations. 

21. Amanda Quick- Just, all of them yet again. I literally gave most of them 5 stars and cannot reduce them to my favorites. I liked all of them. You can message me for specifics cause they do cross genres ect., but just know that I loved them all.

22. The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham- as a person with a complicated relationship with religion, this book appealed to me, and you know ~I hope that didn’t awaken anything in me~

23. The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham- loved the thesis of the book (if you can call it that in a fiction book). Thought it was really well done.

24. Something Wicked by Jo Beverly- it has been months since I read this book and every time I think about it, I’m like, damn that was a good book. Enemy-ish characters and like....my stomach hurt when I was reading it? I was that emotionally distressed. This book made me feel some kind of way.

25. That Scandalous Evening by Christina Dodd- young woman sculpts crush, gets the proportions of his....manly bits wrong because she’s an innocent, he’s embarrassed, she’s ostracized for 10 years! and then they meet again and its great and hilarious

26. My Favorite Bride by Christina Dodd- I’m 1000% sure this is a The Sound of Music retelling and it’s Perfect

27. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas- I just think it was Neat. World building, characters, Maas, I liked it.

28. Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas- there was a scene cut from a previous book in this series about the characters in this book and it appears in this book, but someone posted it and every so often, I would read that scene over and over because it was so good and the full book did not disappoint me.

29. The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo- ok, this is a well written book but it has low ratings on goodreads for its ****SPOILERS**** psuedo-incest between two step-siblings. ***END SPOILERS*** I think its a little unfair, because it is a good book, and I love Choo’s writing, but I mean I understand that it can be a problematic read for some people.

and finally

30. Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase- I’ve been waiting 3! years! for this book and boy was it worth that wait. I’m not even done with it yet, but yeah, it’s working for me.

[moghedien]

Could you recommend some adult sff? Love your blog btw!

Thank you! 

And ok, I could give you better personalized recs if you give me some idea of what you’re looking for or what you like, but I’m gonna give you some general recommendations. Also I only really feel comfortable recommending books that I have personally read, and there are tons more out there than what I have read. If you want to find more, looking at recent Hugo nominations over the past few years might be helpful. Also one of the reasons why I know anything at all about the SFF world is that I’ve been listening to the Sword and Laser podcast for like, a decade. I never really mention that podcast, but its literally why I started reading at all and also they have a pretty active goodreads group as well. 

So recommendations: 

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie: 

This is one of my favorite books period. This is a far future space opera about an artificial intelligence who used to be a spaceship and now is only one human body, and she is ANGRY ABOUT that. I don’t really want to say more than that, but if you like AI shenanigans and being sorta confused as to what is going on the entire time, then this is the book for you! It’s the first book in a completed trilogy.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan: 

Obviously I’m gonna recommend the Wheel of Time. This is the first book in a 14 (actually 15) book series and if you need something to do with the next 1-5 years of your life *motions toward EoTW*. 

So the Eye of the World, I think is uniquely good as a book if you kinda want to get into adult fantasy for a few reasons. For one thing, its kinda considered to be one of those “classics” of the genre but its not too old to be offputting to some readers. It’s a 30 year old book, so its not reflective of the genre now, but you can definitely see its influence all the place, even outside of just books. The Eye of the World specifically, also goes out of its way to make readers comfortable. It leans heavy on Tolkien references and tropes at first without being a straight up copy of Lord of the Rings like some classic fantasy books are. Its done very purposefully, in my opinion, to make the reader feel like they have some idea of what’s going on, and the series quickly drops the Tolkien references as soon as its established itself enough. 

Also the Gandalf parallel for the series is a smol bi lady and there is 24 year old rage healer who wants to fight everyone with her own two fists.So many women to stan. 

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

This is the first book of the Expanse, which is a nearish future space opera that takes place in our solar system. Mars has long ago been colonized and is a completely separate government entity than Earth, and conflict between the two planets has been stirring. The Asteroid Belt has also been colonized and have long been little more than tools of corporations that run their colonies. A group of ice haulers working in the outer planets get in the middle of one of the biggest secrets in the solar system and find themselves in all kinds of trouble. 

I don’t really want to say more than this, but this is probably the only SF series that I actively keep up on when a new book comes out. There are 8 books our currently, and the 9th and final book will be out sometime in the near future. There are also several short stories and novellas set in the world, and there’s a TV show that I really like though I need to catch up on it. 

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Hello, this book comes with content warnings for literally everything, but it is such a good book/trilogy. This is book about a woman trying to find her daughter again in the middle of the apocalypse. Definitely a heavy read but absolutely brilliant. The world has a magic system based on geology and the people that can use that magic....saying they’re discriminated against is an understatement. I don’t want to say much more about it, but if you have any kind of content you can’t read for whatever reason, I’d check before picking this up. This is the first book in a completed trilogy

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

So this isn’t really super SF heavy and is actually sold as a literary book, but it takes place after a flu pandemic has wiped out a large portion of the population...so maybe this is a bad time to read this book, OR its the best time to read it. Depends on how you’re dealing with *motions at the world*

The book flashes back to before and during the pandemic a lot, but is largely about art’s importance and is actually quite optimistic in its messaging, and this is another of my favorite books ever. But yeah, might be a bad time for you to read it of you can’t deal with the content now. 

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

I just remembered that this book also has a plague, but its a subplot and not the major thing. So this is a big ol’ chonky standalone book that is high fantasy, deals with multiple cultures having to interact and work together, and has dragons. Also there’s a genunine slow burn f/f romance and *chef’s kiss*. I can’t really say much else, mostly because I struggle to explain this book, but its very good and probably my favorite book from last year. 

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal 

In this house we stan Mary Robinette Kowal, ok? 

So this is a science fiction that is more an alternate history that poses the question, hey, what would have happened if an asteroid slammed into the east coast in 1952 and the world had to scramble to colonize Mars so that everyone didn’t die on earth when the climate got catastrophic, because that’s the inciting action of the book. The main character is a Jewish woman who was a WASP pilot in WW2 and is a computer for the space program when all this happens. The book deals with sexism, and racism, and xenophobia, and all the social issues that are gonna come up with it being set in 1952, but Mary Robinette doesn’t flinch away from addressing social issues in any of her books, even when it makes her main characters look bad. (Also if you like Pride and Prejudice, she has a series that is just Pride and Prejudice with magic and like, yeah, its good). 

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

This is a book which poses a question, what if dragons were like weird animals that were real and an eccentric woman spent her entire life traveling the world to study them and then told the stories of that in her memoirs when she was too old to care about the consequences of publishing all her scandals. That’s what the book is about. This one is probably actually the weakest in the series, just because it deals with so much set up. It’s a great series to get on audio because Kate Reading is a fantastic narrator, and the prose works so well as audio, because it’s just someone telling you her life story. There are five books in the series. 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

So this is a novella and is the first in the murderbot series. Basically a killer robot gets addicted to television shows and accidentally became sentient. I haven’t read the others in the series, but I really need to reread this one and get to the others. 

Jade City by Fonda Lee

This is a fantasy set in world sorta inspired by the early 1900s but is in a fantasy world. It’s like a mafia movie and kung fu movie had a baby and it was this book. The sequel is out currently, but the third book is set to release next year.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon 

This is another heavy read. This is a SF story set on a generation ship that has a society very heavily inspired by the antebellum south. There’s class issues, race issues, gender issues, mental health issues. All kinds of things intersecting here. Its fantastic, but a heavy read.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

This is another fantasy classic, and is the first of the Farseer Trilogy. The title is sort of also a description of the book, so like. I’m not sure what else I can say. I haven’t read further into the series, but people I trust love it, and honestly I need to reread this and read more of the books. 

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

So if you think that Station Eleven might be a bad book to read at the time, then this is THE WORST POSSIBLE BOOK TO READ RIGHT NOW. Or, maybe the best. Depends on how you cope. This is a book about time travelers based in Oxford and the main character accidentally gets stranded in the past right as the Black Plague is about to hit. And it hits. The book is horrific. The second book in the series is much funnier. This one ain’t funny, but is good. Just, oof. 

Mistborn or Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

So if you want to get into the Cosmere, which is a series of series that interconnect and will ruin your life, then then my personal opinion is to either start with Mistborn or Warbreaker. People might not agree with me, but that’s my personal opinion. 

Warbreaker is currently a standalone (a sequel will come out eventually but its not set up for a sequel so you can 100% read it as a standalone). The magic in this world is based on colors, and the story revolves around two sisters. One of them is betrothed to the horrific God King of their neighboring kingdom. The other sister ends up being sent in her place because their dad hates her. I adore Warbreaker so much. It has it all. Two women discovering their true places on the prep/goth spectrum. Talking swords. Vivenna. Everything you can need right there. 

Mistborn is a trilogy that is very emo and will ruin you. Its about people who swallow metal to get magic powers and live in world where the dark lord won already, so they’re all emo. And that was the worst description of Mistborn I ever could have written, but I find it too funny to change. 

So if you’re interested in the Cosmere, but are afraid to commit long term, pick up Warbreaker. If you want to get into a series right away, pick up Mistborn. 

[bookology]

The Truants

My first visit to a bookshop after the lockdown in November was a special one. I had been fantasising about the feeling of peace you get amongst the shelves, and was excited to just simply be there after several months away. I didn’t go with a plan of books I wanted, a rare occurrence for me, instead I wanted to truly explore. 

The Truants by Kate Weinberg was one of the first books that called to me. It promised a thrilling adventure set on the backdrop of University experience. This was what drew me in the most. I find it is quite difficult to find books written about this middling age between teenage experience and adult life. The last book I had thoroughly enjoyed was also a book set at University and I had found myself full of nostalgia for the whole thing. Weinberg’s novel also promised Agatha Christie style intrigued, which was another appealing factor to me as I had recently been craving that absorbing nature of a good mystery novel. The Truants went straight into the To Buy pile. 

The Truants is a novel about a young woman, the relationships she forms at University, and the consequences of them. It has a foreboding atmosphere that compels you forward through its pages, searching for the mystery and then searching for its answers. I will be discussing numerous plot points in this review, and as such if you do not wish to know I will say my general thoughts now. The Truants was a book that filled a gap for me, it provided a story about the transition that happens to many at University. At some points, I think it got a bit beyond itself and made it difficult to relate to its characters, which wasn’t helped by the problems with pacing that were present in the middle. I recommend this book for those looking for an engrossing, character led read, rather than those who are looking for an Agatha Christie style mystery. 

I did like this book, I found it very difficult to put it down. However, by the end I didn’t feel satisfied. Ultimately, it feels like there’s an act missing from the middle of the book. The first half weaves a delicate base for the novel, establishing Jess and her friendship with Georgie, her obsession with her tutor Lorna, her relationship with Nick, and her lust for Alec. The tension builds as her feelings for Alec threaten to surface, and she grows closer to Lorna. As I read, I found myself trying to predict the fallout, who would face the repercussions of their actions. However, when the tension was released, I felt it came too quickly. It felt undeserved, and I felt let down almost by the answers that were presented. 

Away from this pacing issue, I felt that there was something slightly uncomfortable about the way that wealth was woven throughout the novel. Jess is from a very wealthy family, with all the trappings and comforts, and often uses very unattainable things to compare herself to the even wealthier character of Georgie. She steals because she can, for fun, in a way that I found very uneasy. This is a novel that focuses on the 1% and portrays it like its normal and that we can all relate. There’s an inherent poshness to it all. 

To set the book outside of these hegemonic backdrops of Oxford or Cambridge was something fresh for me, but for the portrayal of University experience to still revolve around the quite outdated or exclusive idea of intensely personal relationships with tutors from day one was a bit disappointing. It made the events seem unbelievable to me, that a lecturer would start asking a first year student about her diss, for them to be comfortable enough to invite her over, it was a very alien idea of undergraduate. 

Some aspects of the writing were incredibly repetitive, such as the image of drinking hot drinks out of a styrofoam cup, or using sleep as a break in the narrative. There was also the constant assertion that Jess was the pinnacle of intellect, yet she never displays anything that justifies so many of the characters being so obsessed with her. 

The Truants is a novel that I thought about after I finished, and one that I would like to read again. It built its narrative so beautifully in the first half, and as a result I was desperate for answers. The answers, if disappointing, did not tarnish the careful writing and craft that went into it. I would be interested in reading another novel by Weinberg, and I recommend this novel to those who wish to escape with a quick read. 

I gave this book 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I am reading: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/19640225-holly-bookology

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[obligatorilypretentious]

Review for: The Grief Keeper, By Alexandra Villasante

link to Goodreads review

format:

1st section: general gushing or hating

2nd section: spoiler-filled details

3rd section: final words

general:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: 5/5 stars

I will never not recommend this book, everyone I meet in person will have ears talked off about how they need to read this book. By the gods. Another one of my I-read-this-in-a-day, sobbing-loudly, im-queer-and-sad, favs. The ways this book deals with mental illness, privilege, anger/numbness, immigration, and queerness, both comfortably queer and in places where queerness is feared and hated. I would write a whole essay on this, but really all you need to know is to read it, cry some good healthy cries, hug your loved ones or strangers, maybe clean your space, and remember grief comes in many forms, and observe your grief. Deconstruct it, let yourself feel your grief, maybe get angry at it. Treat your grief like an angry cat, shoo it away when it gets somewhere it's not supposed to, let it sleep with you, across your chest. Grief is a human companion, and whether you feed it or not, it will always be there, so get comfortable with it, and grief does not have to be held alone. spoilers ahead: -Liliana: a seriously tragic character. I've met a Liliana- I've BEEN a Liliana. When growing up in a place of such hatred for who you are- for her El Salvador, for me deep southern Texas, it is so, so hard to be anything but disgusted with yourself, your actions. Even when you get to experience queerness so innocently and lovingly, like with Marisol, there is this, acidic, bile gurgling at the bottom of your heart, a hatred that has been shoved into your brain. You don't want it to be what it is, you don't want to be the "problem." So you shove your queerness away and you get so trapped in the shoving that you don't ever look at where your queerness, or who you've shoved, even falls. -Pablo: I wanted to hate him. I wanted to hate him for the things he did to Gabi, to Marisol, to their mother, who waited in the kitchen and cried, but I can't. Not when you have a boy, just a kid, become a product of his environment, the people that help him keep the pain medication on the table for his mother. The imagery of the purple too was particularly painful to me, along with how Marisol experiences her half-grief for him. -Ray: particularly, the obvious as well as subtle show of her privilege throughout. One line that got me, made me full-body cringe and hide under my covers, was the line about how she never knew the maid's names. You have these people, come into your room every day, but you treat them like ghosts, like the shadows left behind after nuclear bombings, you see the impact and never see the person. Made me quite mad at her for a while I'm not gonna lie. Definitely with Marisol on the whole anger at that one. -The Imagery: really I don't have much I can say because to put my feelings about this on paper would effectively be a key stash- but it was just beautiful. The personification of luck, the smell of lime, the whole trauma around "Manteca", just breathtaking. -I'm conflicted on the ending, but I feel this is certainly just a me problem. It was just, so hopeful at the end, when Marisol gets that interview, getting to tell her own story, without the practiced lines of before. This really made me sad. Many people don't get that ending, don't get that second chance, don't get the coin flip. Very bittersweet, but this is a book, and sometimes, we get to see happy endings, and I think it really wanted, no, needed to see. To see this tragic character get the girl, and get that good, sweet, hopeful ending, was like sitting in the sun. looking at you nonqueer mr. bury-your-gays-writers final notes: read it, so help me god read it. then go hug someone, kiss someone, tell a stranger they are beautiful, make one of those "I love humanity" Tumblr posts, pet a cat, and let yourself grieve. For small things, for life-changing things, for everything in between. Because we must let our grief be held by others, just as we hold it.

[pendingproductivity]

2020 READING RECAP!

This year sucked ass in so many ways, but it might be the best year of reading I’ve ever had. I discovered so many new favorites, revisited some old favorites, and even read a few books multiple times. In this post, I’ve listed my top five favorite books from this year in the order that I read them because I don’t think I could possibly rank them against each other. They have all become some of my favorite books of all time. I’ve also included a few honorable mentions which are ranked with my favorite listed first. And lastly, I have two notable rereads of some old favorites. I also added links to each book on goodreads and bookshop so you can easily add anything to your tbr or buy it! This is going to be a long one, so buckle up. Without further ado, here is an overview of the books I read in 2020!

.

s t a t s :

reading goal: 30

total books read: 31

new (to me) books read: 22

average rating: 4.2/5 stars

.

t o p   f i v e   f a v o r i t e s : 

Beartown and Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

(Yes, I know I’m kind of cheating by counting this as one book but just roll with me here) Beartown takes place in a tiny community in rural Sweden which is defined by their hockey club. When the junior hockey team has a chance at winning the national championships, the entire town throws their full support behind them. The burden of the pride of their community rests on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. For one, the pressure boils over and he commits an act of violence that leaves a young girl traumatized, and the entire community divided. 

Late one evening toward the end of March, a teenager picked up a double-barreled shotgun, walked into the forest, put the gun to someone else's forehead, and pulled the trigger.

This is the story of how we got there.

These two books were downright spectacular. Over the course of this year, I’ve completely fallen in love with Backman’s writing style (we love a good onomatopoeia) but more than anything else I just adore his characters. Each one is multidimensional, and even the most infuriating residents of Beartown have their redeeming qualities. I also love the attention he gives to even the side characters whose motivations shape the story even if they only appear for a few scenes. These are stories about right and wrong, courage and fear, and most of all, humanity itself. I laughed and cried and felt more emotions than I thought was possible. Beartown was amazing, but I actually thought that the sequel, Us Against You, somehow surpassed it, so make sure to read both!! (TW: rape/sexual assault)

goodreads - bookshop (Beartown)   goodreads - bookshop (UAY) 

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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Paul Kalanithi was thirty-six years old and on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training to become a neurosurgeon when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. His memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, follows his journey from being a naïve medical student, to a brilliant neurosurgeon at Stanford, to being a cancer patient and a new father confronting his own mortality.  

I began to realize that coming in such close contact with my own mortality had changed both nothing and everything. Before my cancer was diagnosed, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. After the diagnosis, I knew that someday I would die, but I didn’t know when. But now I knew it acutely. The problem wasn’t really a scientific one. The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live.

This memoir caught me completely by surprise. It was assigned reading for an English class and I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it let alone completely reevaluate my perception of the world around me because of it. Kalanithi discusses learning, medicine, life, and death as he seeks to answer the age-old question, “What makes life worth living?” and the unique perspectives that he offered fascinated me. When Breath Becomes Air is an unfinished manuscript, since Kalanithi died in 2015, but the epilogue written by his wife might just be the best part of the whole book. To tell you that I was sobbing while reading it would be an understatement. The reason why this book made this list is because I finished it in March, but I still think about it relatively often. When Breath Becomes Air has left a lasting impact on my life, and I highly recommend it!

goodreads - bookshop

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Evelyn Hugo was a Hollywood legend, but after her sudden departure from show business in the late 80s, she completely fell out of the public gaze. Now she is finally ready to tell the true story about her scandalous and glamorous life and she has specifically chosen Monique Grant, a virtually unknown magazine reporter, for the job. For Monique this exclusive is the opportunity of a lifetime. Evelyn tells her story of ambition, friendship, love, and of course each of her seven husbands. However, it becomes evident that Evelyn’s life has intersected with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.

This. Book. It was absolutely captivating. I’m honestly not even sure what to say here without giving too much away. The plot is truly a wild ride as Evelyn leads Monique through the story of her life. There are so many twists and turns: some that I saw coming and others that completely blindsided me. And that not even to mention Evelyn Hugo herself who is one of the strongest, smartest, most compassionate and deeply flawed characters I’ve ever read about. All the characters were complex and layered, but she was really something else. There were so so many emotions and so many tears and I really don’t know what else to say. I’m begging you to read this book; it will blow your mind.

goodreads - bookshop

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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Ove is a curmudgeon whose life is turned upside down when a young, vivacious family moves in next door. That’s it. That’s the synopsis.

Death is a strange thing. People live their whole lives as if it does not exist, and yet it's often one of the great motivations for living. Some of us, in time, become so conscious of it that we live harder, more obstinately, with more fury. Some need its constant presence to even be aware of its antithesis. Others become so preoccupied with it that they go into the waiting room long before it has announced its arrival. We fear it, yet most of us fear more than anything that it may take someone other than ourselves. For the greatest fear of death is always that it will pass us by. And leave us there alone.

You’ve seen the Pixar movie: grumpy old man meets young person who shows him life is worth living and they become buds etc. etc. Sure, you could essentially boil down A Man Called Ove to that simple plotline but it is so much more than that. It’s heartbreaking and hopeful and you’ll laugh and cry while reading it. This was the most wholesome story I had read in a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed every last bit of it. I’ve already explained my love of Backman’s unique writing style, but this novel in particular does a beautiful job of tackling deep themes such as grief and purpose with a generous serving of humor. I also just adored the ending. While this book isn’t at all fluffy or entirely lighthearted, it gave me all of he warm fuzzy feelings I was craving. I cannot possibly recommend it enough!

goodreads - bookshop

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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters must find wealthy husbands because upon their father’s death, the entirety of his estate will be passed on to a male cousin, leaving them penniless. Conveniently, a wealthy gentleman called Mr. Bingley moves into the neighborhood, bringing along his even wealthier although most unpleasant friend, Mr. Darcy. 

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.

I definitely didn’t think that I was going to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did. The story truly is timeless, and I absolutely adored Elizabeth and Darcy. The biggest surprise I had while reading is that the humor is still funny today and of course Lizzy is fucking hilarious. She is confident, principled, and more than happy to roast the shit out of anyone who deserves it. And then there’s the matter of Mr. Darcy being so sweet and kind (after he stops being an asshole of course) and greatly contributing to the unattainable standards I have for men. It was also nice to have a socially awkward male lead, and in many ways I related more to him than to Lizzy. This book is everything I want from a romance novel plus class criticism and feminism and Elizabeth being an absolute badass. Enemies to lovers is my all time favorite romance trope and I loved reading one of the OGs. Also, I’d just like to add that Mary is the most underappreciated character of the whole novel because she’s really just trying her best. Mostly I was just completely impressed with how this novel has withstood the test of time and it has become one of my favorite classics! Please please give this book a chance even if you don’t typically enjoy classic novels!!

goodreads - bookshop - barnes&noble (this is the edition I have and it’s just so gorgeous I had to include it!)

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h o n o r a b l e   m e n t i o n s :

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is one of the first people to ever walk on Mars, and now it seems like he’ll be the fist person to die there. A raging dust storm forced his crew to evacuate without him and he finds himself alone on the red planet with the entire world believing him to be dead. This book just barely missed being one of my top five of the year, but it was absolutely amazing. I love reading about people finding clever solutions to problems and that is basically what this entire story is. I maybe understood half of the technical science jargon if I’m being generous, but the story is plenty enjoyable even without extensive scientific knowledge. I adore Mark’s wit and mindset, and I loved watching him wriggle his way out of impossible situations with the odds completely stacked against him. The Martian is a story of perseverance and humanity, but it’s also absolutely hilarious. I highly recommend this one if you haven’t picked it up!!

goodreads - bookshop

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Shaker-Heights appears to be the perfect place to raise a family. It’s progressive, has low crime rates and is all around an idyllic bubble. This all begins to change when a single mother and her daughter move into town with a disregard for the status quo, and a custody battle erupts, dividing the community. This was a great book that ended up being surprisingly thought provoking, and I particularly enjoyed the novel’s criticism of liberal idealism. The story itself was entertaining and I think it’s definitely worth a read! 

goodreads - bookshop

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Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the first son of the United States who finds himself intertwined in a damage control PR stunt with his sworn nemesis, Prince Henry. They have to pretend to be best friends to ensure that their confrontation at the royal wedding doesn’t get in the way of American/British relations. I’m sure you can guess where this is going. This is totally a feel-good love story, but it also finds the time to tackle real issues surrounding politics and societal expectations. I loved this book so much that I read it twice this year (the second time because I was so stressed about the election and I needed to distract myself with the fictional 2020 election that takes place in the novel) and also I’m just a sucker for enemies to lovers. (sidenote: the turkey catastrophe is one of the greatest scenes in literary history and you cannot convince me otherwise) 100% would recommend!

goodreads - bookshop

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n o t a b l e   r e r e a d s :

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

The Jim Dale audiobooks are my ultimate self-care tool when I’m stressed or sad; I just find them to be so comforting and I can’t explain why. Because of this I probably listen to at least one of the books every year, but it’s usually just whichever one I happen to be in the mood for. But it’s been so long since I’ve listened through the entire series, and this year seemed to be the perfect time to do so! 

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Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This used to be my favorite book of all time. I’m pretty sure I first read it in sixth or seventh grade and I’ve reread it so many times since. I’ve been planning on rereading this book my first year of university for such a long time, and the time finally came! The book especially hit hard this semester because Cath feels disconnected from everyone at school because she doesn’t want to go to parties or make much of an effort to find friends, and because of COVID, I ended up in almost the exact same situation, (except unfortunately my roommate doesn’t have a cute ex-boyfriend who hangs out in our room). This was definitely another comfort read like the HP audiobooks and it made me feel a bit better about being stuck in my dorm room. 

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If you actually made it to the end of all that, wow, you’re a real one. I hope you got a few new book recs out of this! If you want to see the thirteen other books I read this year, you can check out my 2020 reading challenge. I read so many amazing books this year I had  hard time narrowing down my favorites, so there are still plenty more great reads that aren’t included in this post. If for some reason you feel like keeping up with the books I read in 2021, follow my goodreads account for dramatic and ranty book reviews. Happy New Year, and here’s to 2021 being full of wonderful books!

[natreviewsbooks]

Fly For Both of Us Review- FFBOU Book Tour

This is another book tour I’m incredibly honored to be a part of. When I first started working at Turn the Page Book Tours, I hadn’t imagined the world that would open up in terms of reading. We have so many amazing tours that we’ve had the pleasure of working on, and the ones that are coming down the line are just as amazing! If you’re looking for ways to get involved, please give us a shout! We’re always looking for hosts to promote the amazing books that come our way. 

Most of you know that I tend to post about fantasy, with a few romantic stories sprinkled in between. This happens to be one of them! It’s a cute and romantic story about a nerd and a model, but before I botch a summary, let me just insert this summary here: 

Goodreads Summary: 

“ Fifteen-year-old Ben Leung can’t believe a girl like Kai Gupta would want to be his friend, let alone his girlfriend. They have absolutely nothing in common. He’s Chinese; she’s British Indian. He’s a Star Trek nerd; she’s a model. When Kai is offered a modeling career that requires her to move overseas, she persuades Ben to come along. They hatch a plot. They pinky promise. Everything is running according to plan… until it isn’t. Can a young love survive 7,235 miles between Hong Kong and Los Angeles? Theoretically, it can. Theoretically… From the author of MY LEA and I WON’T BREAK comes a geeky and tender story about falling in love, fulfilling family duties, and chasing dreams.”

I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a story that will make you laugh and smile. 

Review

I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to laugh as hard as I did when I started reading this book. It’s told from Ben’s perspective and later from Kai’s, but it was Ben’s which I found refreshingly dorky and smitten. There’s quite a few nerdy references throughout the book, especially if you’re into Star Trek...but I digress. Despite the fact that Ben is male, I really identified with him more than I did with Kai. I wonder if it has anything to do with our similar interests, hahaha!

First person perspectives tend to turn me off of stories (usually in fantasies), but I really liked the way that it worked in Fly For Both of Us. The timeline also worked out for me, because I felt like it didn’t fall into this stereotypical mold where the protagonists share this once in a lifetime romance over the span of a month, but it takes a few years. 

While I can’t speak to the authenticity of the characters nationalities, I did like the way their family relationships were explored. It definitely went into more detail than I was expecting, and I liked Ben’s relationship with Ava quite a lot because it’s rooted in a lot of love, and I can’t even begin to say what I want to without spoiling it but you should definitely pick this book up if you can! 

For all of the laughing I was doing, the second half of the book does become quite serious and somber, and explores some of the harsher aspects of both long distance relationships as well as just life in general. It’s very matter-of-fact, but also handled with care. Ben and Kai are growing, albeit in some very different ways. 

Overall, this story was quite unexpected for me and I loved it quite a lot. This story is a 5/5 for me! 

[elliepassmore]

Lady Rogue Review

5/5 stars Recommended for people who like: fantasy, Dracula, supernatural, mysteries The story follows Theo, daughter of a treasure-hunting historian, as she and her father's assistant race across Romania and Bulgaria trying to find him after he goes missing on a find. I will admit, I was expecting the story to go a little differently in terms of Dad-Theo-Huck relations, but the way Bennett has it written works for the story she's telling. I also think the book could be part of a series pretty easily, though I don't believe Bennett has any plans for that at the moment (I also think if it was written only slightly differently it could very easily become one of those series where each book is an 'episode,' but maybe doesn't follow a specific timeline). I thought Theo was a pretty interesting character. She's traveled the world, speaks multiple languages, can break codes, and is something of a supernatural enthusiast. She also has a ridiculous penchant for winding up in trouble and I think I would be satisfied if Bennett gave us a companion novella with a bunch of different Theo-related incidents, no supernatural or anything, just Theo getting into trouble, because holy shit does she get into some interesting situations. I understood her frustration at being left behind in hotels while Huck and her dad did the interesting stuff, but I also thought it was interesting that 1) most of her skills are cerebral, and 2) she doesn't seem to have made a concerted effort to develop skills that are not cerebral...so while I understand why she was upset with the situation, I also think that it was probably smart of her dad to have her do the research and whatnot. I mean, she ended up fairing pretty well once she was out and about, but I also think there are some skills she could stand to pick up if she wants to be in the field more often...like how to use a weapon or rock climbing or any sort of survivalist training. She was good when it came to questioning people though, which seems to be a skill her father lacks, so at least she one-ups him there. Huck was a decent character too; he's adorable in a puppy-kind of way. Since he worked with Fox for so many years, he does have a lot of the skills and know-how associated with treasure hunting and mystery solving. However, I did find his initial naivete when it came to escaping Sarkany a bit weird. He makes up for some of these initial blunders by being good at lock-picking and just generally going along with Theo's mad schemes. I appreciated how he was trying to be the voice of reason for a lot of the book but eventually just said "fuck it" once things started getting too weird. I thought it was good to see a more rational character balance Theo out, but still be someone who got spooked by ghosts and witches and who could turn rational, practical knowledge into things that worked with the occcult. Their relationship is a bit odd, in terms of how things go. It's obvious something happened between them about a year ago, but we don't really figure it out until halfway through the book. Basically, it turns out to be this huge orchestrated misunderstanding and everything turns around and is peachy. I'd be fine with this if all the answers about the misunderstanding were given. Like, for instance, when Theo and Huck are on the Orient Express the first time and Theo reveals Huck didn't respond to any of the letters she'd sent the first few months he was away. In the scene it seems like he's going to say something and decides against it, and I assumed it would come up again, but once the air is cleared neither of them mention the letters again. So...what happened there? Did the letters not arrive because of poor mailing conditions in 1937? Did Huck see the letters and decide not to answer because it hurt too much? Because he was angry? Did his aunt confiscate them? Did he write back but those letters were confiscated by Fox? Did Fox prevent Theo's letters from being sent in the first place? Like...what the hell happened with them and if everything was a misunderstanding, why didn't Huck respond? Some people mention in other reviews that it was kind of weird they were brought up siblings but became romantic but...they were 10/11 when Huck was brought into the household and 16 when things turned romantic, which is 5-6 years, but also is far enough into childhood development that I doubt they really saw each other as brother-sister but more of best friends. And besides, there are plenty of fantasy novels were people actually think they're siblings and are romantic ( Mortal Instruments) or where people actually are siblings and are still romantic ( Game of Thrones) and no one bats much of an eye about that, so I'm not too concerned about Huck and Theo. As for Fox...I'm going to say he's problematic. I get some of where he's coming from, protecting Theo, because his wife died on a treasure hunt, but at the same time there's a difference between protection and abuse. Keeping her in hotel rooms while he hunts treasure? Annoying, but protection. Sending her best friend and lover across the ocean the day after her birthday and giving both kids different reasons for why? Abuse. Same with how he "never apologizes" or how when he's with Huck he only praises Theo but when he's with Theo he only praises Huck. There's definitely some sketchy emotional abuse going on with this guy. I thought his job and his character were fascinating, but he has issues. Also, he brings up another question that was never answered. In one of his journal entries, he says he should've let his friend Jean-Bernard be more a part of Theo's life and he's a coward for not doing so...but why Jean-Bernard should be a bigger part of her life, why he isn't, and why Fox is a coward for making it that way are never addressed. Is Jean-Bernard her real father? Is he her mother's half-brother? Does he just think he would be a good influence on her? The side characters were excellent as well and created far fewer questions than Huck or Fox. Lovena was my favorite of them, though she did give off some weird vibes at first. She has a pretty traditional witchy vibe about her that's fun to read. I would've liked to see more of her in the book, as she's a pretty minor character even though she plays an integral role. The Zissu Brothers were also fun to read. They reminded me a lot of the chimera in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but they were also a bit reminisce of the talking animals in Narnia in Prince Casper in the sense that they're powerful but very concerned about surviving in a hostile world to the point where they're more interested in hanging back and letting things play out to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Outside of the characters, I really enjoyed the supernatural aspects of the story. I just read Dracula in the spring, so it was nice to actually know some of the references being made about the fictional account, though you definitely don't need to have read the other book to enjoy this one. Likewise, I'm a fan of history, so I liked seeing all the different historical fact about Vlad III and Romania. Back to the supernatural stuff, I thought it was good how Bennett included the mythos and stories of different creatures in the book, and I also thought it was refreshing to see a different side to the vampire/strigoi and werewolf/wolf people dynamic that's usually in paranormal books. All the components of Dracula + history + supernatural make for a right creepy book and I really loved the spook-factor, which was fantastic because that was the one thing I was wary about coming into the book. I'm not a fan of horror and even reading Dracula earlier this year gave me the creeps even though it's not too terribly scary, so the horror factor was definitely on my mind going into the book. I think if you're not a fan of scary things, this book should work fine. If you're a fan, it should also work fine so long as you're ready for more 'creepy' and 'spooky' than 'scary'. I will note that, despite the book taking place in 1937, no one talks like it's 1937. I noticed something was off about the dialogue while I was reading but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was until I read another review that mentioned the characters all speak with relatively contemporary inflections and vocabularies. I don't really think it's that big of an issue, like I said, I noticed something was up with the dialogue but it didn't impact my reading experience and it was pretty easy to gloss over, but it's something to think about. It's definitely a good book and I would recommend reading it. There's a good balance between mystery and creepy, with some light fluffy stuff thrown in to build up relationships and whatnot. Fox is definitely a problematic favorite and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about Theo and Huck staying to put up with his shit, but Bennett did leave the book with Fox changing a little, so I don't know how things would play out in a sequel, but be warned about Fox going in. While there is Dracula inspiration behind this I think there's more of a focus on Vlad the Impaler, the supposed historical inspiration of the famous vampire and Romanian folklore and history. I think this could very easily turn into a YA paranormal version of Nancy Drew or something, but as of right now I don't think Bennett is going down that path, so oh well. As a final note, despite the Goodreads synopsis calling this "The Last Magician meets A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue," there isn't any queer romance in this (I did read between the lines a bit w/ Fox and Jean-Bernard, but that's some very light subtext and could just entirely be me), so if you're reading this because of that, you're definitely going to be disappointed.

[cctinsleybaxter]

2019 in books

The year’s contenders for the good, the bad, and the rest. I used to make a list of the ten best books I read all year, a tradition encouraged by my mom as far back as high school, but out 2019′s twenty-six mediocre offerings it didn’t really come together. Instead I’ve decided to break my ‘honorable mentions’ category into three subsections that I hope you’ll enjoy. In order of when read, not in order of affection:

Honorable mentions [books I liked; 3+ star material]

The Fifth Season by N.K Jemisin was given to me as a Christmas present last year, and I wasn’t sure how much I would like it since I don’t really do high fantasy. Rules need not apply; I loved the world building and narrative structure, and the characters were so much better than I’m used to even when their arcs seemed familiar at first glance. I guessed what was going on with the formatting maybe a little too quickly, but even then it was emotionally engaging and I was eager to keep reading and see what happened next. Haven’t devoured a book that way in years.

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi has been on my list for a while; as a memoir told through short stories it’s hit-or-miss, but so worth it. I especially loved getting to read his early attempts at fiction, and the chapter Phosphorus regarding his first real job as a chemist in 1942 (his description of his absolute disgust at having to work with rabbits, the feel of their fur and the “natural handle” of the ears is a personal favorite.) This excerpt is one I just think about a lot because it’s full of small sweet details and so kindly written:

“[my father] known to all the pork butchers because he checked with his logarithmic ruler the multiplication for the prosciutto purchase. Not that he purchased this last item with a carefree heart; superstitious rather than religious, he felt ill at ease breaking the kasherut rules, but he liked prosciutto so much that, faced by the temptation of a shop window, he yielded every time, sighing, cursing under his breath, and watching me out of the corner of his eye, as if he feared my judgement or hoped for my complicity.”

Slowing Down from Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin is a one-page short story, but I’m including it because it’s the best in the book and one of the better stories I’ve read in general. I won’t spoil it for you since it’s more poem than anything else (and you can read the whole thing here.)

A Short Film About Disappointment by Joshua Mattson deserves to be lower in the order because it’s like. Bad. But I couldn’t help but have a self-indulgent kind of love for it, since it’s a book about white boy ennui told through movie reviews. It definitely gets old by the end (one of those things where you can tell the author lost steam just as much as his leading man), but parts of it are so well-written and the concept clever. 80+ imaginary movie reviews and psychosomatic possession by your traitorous best friend. 

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway has one of the greatest twists I’ve ever read in a novel, and no that’s not a spoiler, and yes I will recommend it entirely on that basis. It does its job as a multi-year sci-fi epic; reminds me a lot of Walter Moer’s early stuff in that it’s a bit Much(tm) but still a good mixture of politics and absurdity and absolute characters. Tobemory Trent was my favorite of the ensemble cast (but also boy do I wish men would learn how to write women.)

My Only Wife by Jac Jemk is a novella with only two characters, both unnamed, a man describing fragmented memories of his wife. It has me interested in Jemck’s other writing because even though I didn’t love it she writes beautifully; reading her work is like watching someone paint. The whole thing has a very indie movie feel to it (no scene of someone peeing but there SHOULD be), which I don’t think I’ve experienced in a story like this before and would like to try again. 

Mentions [books I really wanted to like but my GOD did something go wrong]

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou is the most comprehensive history we have of Elizabeth Holmes and her con-company Theranos. It’s incredibly well-researched and absolutely fascinating, but veers into unnecessary pro-military stuff in one chapter (’can you believe she tricked the government?’ yes i can, good for her, leave me alone) and carries an air of racism directed at Holmes’ partner and the Pakistani people he brings onto the company. Carreyrou works for WSJ so I don’t know what I expected.

Circe by Madeline Miller was fun to read and goes down like a glass of iced tea on a hot day, but leaves a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste. It says a lot of things that seem very resonant and beautiful but ultimately ring hollow, and the ending is too safe. Predictable and inevitable. 

I was also bothered about Circe’s relationships with Odysseus and Telemachus as a focal point, not because they’re father and son (Greek mythology ethics : non-committal hand gesture) but because it’s the traditional “I used to like bold men but now I like... sensitive men.” Which as a character arc feels not unrealistic but very boring. You close the book and realize you’re not nine and reading your beat-up copy of Greek Myths, you’re an adult reading a New York Times Bestseller by a middle aged straight white woman.

Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor could have been the best thing I read all year and I’m miserable at how bad it ended up being. The concept is excellent; a thirteen-year-old girl goes missing in a rural English village, and every chapter chronicles a passing year. I knew it would be slow, I like slow, but nothing happens in this book and it ends up it feeling like Broadchurch without the detectives. Plus, McGregor, you know sometimes you can take a moral stance in your story and not just make everything a grey area? Especially with subplots that deal with things like pedophilia and institutional racism?

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor is about a twenty-something who moves from Iowa to San Francisco in the 90s and explores gender and sexuality through shapeshifting. It was something I really thought I would like and maybe even find helpful in my own life, but I couldn’t stand a single one of the characters or the narration so that’s on me! It does contain one of my favorite lines I’ve read in a long time though:

“And anyway, weren’t French boys supposed to be like Giovanni, waiting gaily for you in their rented room and actually Italian?”

Dishonorable mentions [there’s no saving these fellows]

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson was supposed to be a fun easy-to-read thriller and what can I say except what the jklfkhlkj;fkfuck. It very quickly goes from ‘oh hey I read books like this when I was 15’ to ‘oh the girl who intentionally gets kidnapped by a wealthy serial killer is accidentally falling in love with his son and can’t stop talking about his eye color now huh.’ I felt like I was losing my mind; why did grown adults give this 5 stars on Goodreads.

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips is supposedly surrealist horror fiction about working an office job in a new town, and reminded me of that rocky third or fourth year when I really started hating Welcome to Night Vale. All spark no substance, and even less fun because you know it’s going nowhere. I’ve also realized this past year that I cannot stand stories about women where their only personality trait is the desire to have children. People will throw the word ‘Kafkaesque’ at anything but here it was just insulting. 

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai alternates point of view between Yale, a gay man living in Chicago in the late 80s and watching his friends die, and Fiona, the straight younger sister of one of those friends now looking for her erstwhile daughter in 2018. It was nominated for the 2018 Pulitzer, and part of my interest was in wondering how we were going to connect the plot lines of ‘the personal cost of the AIDS crisis’ with ‘daughter lost to a cult.’

The answer is that we don’t. The book is well-researched and acclaimed beyond belief, but it is SUCH a straight story. Yale’s arc is fueled by the drama of his boyfriend cheating on him and infecting them both, Fiona is painted as a witness to tragedy and encouraged to share their stories with her own daughter. “You’re like the Mother Theresa of Boys Town” one of the men complains bitterly of her, and the claim goes undisputed. It’s a story that makes a lot of statements about love and families and art that I feel we’ve all heard before to much greater effect.

[patheticphallacy]

This is the first in my Graphic Reading Wrap Up series.

I read enough manga, comics and graphic novels that I figured I’d be better off doing separate wrap ups so I don’t find myself having to cram a shit ton into my reading wrap ups every month. I want to spend more time actually talking about what I read, especially graphic fiction/non-fiction, which I get through so much of that I feel like I don’t spend enough time explaining my thoughts.

If you would like longer reviews of anything I talk about in this post, let me know. I have some P L A N S for Christmas blogging to make up for what will be a smaller November upload month.

#1 is my first wrap up after my September wrap up, if you want to see what else I’ve read.

Assassination Classroom Volume 5 by Yusei Matsui

I’m very fond of this series, and the growth of its characters. The prioritisation of developing the students and their self esteem is so incredible: rather than beating his students down, Korosensei works them towards improvement, and it’s interesting seeing so many layers of characters who aren’t strictly good or evil. This volume has the end of the baseball arc, a fight against the new PE teacher, and the next arc is another assassination attempt on Korosensei, which is exciting.

Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu

I’ve been reading this webcomic since 2016, so finally being able to pick up this volume now I have money has been a long time coming. I hold every character deep in my heart and I know pretty much every chapter/episode like the back of my hand, so reading this was more like revisiting an old friend than something new. I HIIIIGHLY recommend this webcomic, and I will only discuss it with you if you also rate it 5 stars and love it unconditionally!

The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited by the McElroy’s (especially Clint) and Carey Pietsch

This is my favourite arc in the podcast, so I was expecting to love it more than I did. It feels like some of the humour isn’t translated as well over to these graphic novels, but I think changes made are important to fit the format. I think this works well for people who are fans of the podcast, but I’d definitely recommend the podcast first for other people, just to understand the characterisation and the D&D self-inserts Griffin has. But I will say…. Angus McDonald is still my baby boy and I love him.

Momo to Manji Volume 1 and 2 by Sawa Sakura

A very heavy series, while still being cute. Momo to Manji is set during the Edo Period and follows a male prostitute who is taken in by another man after growing too old to still serve. It has confusing moments, and has very dark material– some violence, obviously prostitution, as well as incest and very young characters having sex with adults– but the relationship between the two main characters is very endearing, and I really grew to care about Momo especially.

Welcome to Wanderland #4 by Jackie Ball (not pictured)

Finally got to read issue 4! A very quick and fantastical series, and I think the new artist did a great job helping finish up a series that was very dear to the hearts of the writer and the original artist. I was satisfied with this conclusion and I think I’ll end up re-reading it, maybe next year, just to experience the full story in all its glory.

Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito

This is a solid 3 star collection. None of the stories really lingered with me other than Gentle Goodbye, which is now one of my favourite short stories. It’s a beautiful and incredibly moving story for me, even if that wasn’t Ito’s original intention when writing it as a horror story. There’s something to be said about generational horror and ghosts, and what family means to different individuals.

Dissolving Classroom by Junji Ito

My new favourite Junji Ito manga! There’s a focus on body horror, as there always is, but this felt more… fun. Chizumi is a nightmare child, I think she’s so great and definitely up there with my favourite children in horror now. I know the ending will be hit or miss with other people, but it’s not like Uzumaki, where I waited 600 pages to be disappointed at the end.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Volume 1, 2 & 3 by Kore Yamazaki

A series I’m very much in the middle about. I’m enjoying the fantastical elements, but the setting and time period are so confusing to wrap my head around in terms of modernity. It very much reminds me of Lore Olympus in that regard, but that webcomic is more straightforward in explaining, so I just don’t know with this manga. There’s also something stopping me for completely loving the characters. I’m not a fan of age-gap romances that don’t spell out what’s going on: is this romantic, or is it purely platonic? If I don’t know where I’m supposed to stand, I can’t feel at ease reading it.

The Avant-Guards #7 & #8 by Carly Usdin

This series is so good! Great cast of characters who are believable in their love for one another and their basketball playing. There’s a genuine wholesomeness to this series that really reminds me of Check, Please! and Haikyuu!!. What is it with sports stories and exclamation marks? Anyway, I highly recommend this series, I’m glad it’s been longer running than Usdin’s other stories. Also, did you see the Heavy Vinyl graphic novel announcement? SICK.

Lovely Complex Volume 2 by Aya Nakahara

This series is getting better by volume. It definitely draws on cliches and tropes of the genre, but I really enjoy that, and I’m still attached to the characters and the slow burn complexity of the feelings between the two leads. It’s easy reading where the conflicts never linger and isn’t at all difficult to get through, which is definitely something I need more of in my reading.

Parasyte Volume 1 by Hitoshi Iwaaki

Meh. For some reason, I was really expecting to love this– a dude learning to live with a parasite who controls his arm is a great premise– but there was something about the writing that stopped me from feeling compelled. I can’t really feel any risk, and that’s something I like in my horror. The body horror is also not too great, which was one of the selling points for me. Sad! Not sure if I’ll carry on with this series, honestly.

Out of Skin  by Emily Carroll

Another freaky short story from Emily Carroll, who honestly does no wrong in my eyes. Amazing art– character design, colour palette, all of it, amazing– and the eerie story at its heart. I love Emily Carroll’s focus on more feminine voices and stories, it never feels exploitative of women and draws on violence towards women without feeling nasty or targeted.

Teen Dog by Jake Lawrence

The ULTIMATE graphic novel. Literally, one of my all time favourites. It’s the perfect balance of silly and existential, and I genuinely love every moment of reading this. It was my second read through and I just smiled the whole time.

Are you a fan of this new recapping format? I found it a lot more easy to only talk about manga/comics/graphic novels, and doing this means I don’t put myself under pressure to get wrap ups out at the same time every month and have about 40 things to get through in one go!

I’d love some recommendations in the comments.

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Graphic Reading Wrap Up #1 This is the first in my Graphic Reading Wrap Up series. I read enough manga, comics and graphic novels that I figured I'd be better off doing separate wrap ups so I don't find myself having to cram a shit ton into my reading wrap ups every month.