#liz's dnf list

[read-chill-wine]

💀 The DNF List 💀

I used to say death before DNF, but with the rise of BookTok, I am learning there's a reason we use the phrase DNF. Here's my growing list of DNF books. If asked, I can always do reviews or 5 point reasons why I didn't finish them.

Also, since this always needs to be said, just because I DNF a book does not mean you should not pick it up or try it out. It doesn't mean you are wrong it you liked it. It just means I didn't.

Court of the Night King by Natalie Barry

Infinite Country by Patricia Engel

In an Instant by Suzanne Redfern

Credence by Penelope Douglas

[self-made-cages]

Morgan’s 2024 Reading List

Jan 2: The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah (4 stars)

Jan 10: Eragon - Christopher Paolini (re-read)

Jan 12: Eldest - Christopher Paolini (re-read)

Jan 15: Brisingr - Christopher Paolini (re-read)

Jan 19: Inheritance - Christopher Paolini (re-read)

Jan 26: England - Rick Steves (not rating)

Jan 30: Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (2.5 stars)

Feb 16: The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang (1.5 stars)

Feb 18: The Good Part - Sophie Cousens (4.5 stars)

Feb 26: Trust - Hernan Diaz (4.5 stars)

Mar 5: Part of Your World - Abby Jiminez (2.5 stars)

Mar 12: Murtagh - Christopher Paolini (3.5 stars)

Mar 15: The Things We Cannot Say - Kelly Rimmer (3.5 stars)

Mar 31: NW - Zadie Smith (3 stars)

Apr 8: The Sun Sets in Singapore - Kehinde Fadipe (1.5 stars)

April 17: How To End a Love Story - Yulin Kuang (4 stars)

April 30: The Club - Ellery Lloyd (4 stars)

May 5: Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt (3 stars)

May 11: Funny Story - Emily Henry (4.5 stars)

May 16: The Husbands - Holly Gramazio (4 stars)

June 1: House of Earth and Blood - Sarah J. Maas (3 stars)

June 2: The Women - Kristin Hannah (2.5 stars)

June 11: House of Sky and Breath - Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)

June 15: When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn (re-read)

June 22: House of Flame and Shadow - Sarah J. Maas (3 stars)

June 22: God Spare the Girls - Kelsey McKinney (1 star)

June 25: In Cold Blood - Truman Capote (not rating)

June 25: The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah (1.5 stars)

June 29: Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake - Alexis Hall (4 stars)

July 3: Bad Summer People - Emma Rosenbaum (2.5 stars)

July 6: Widowland - CJ Carey (2 stars)

July 12: What’s Mine and Yours - Naima Coster (2 stars)

July 23: The Gifted School - Bruce Holsinger (4.5 stars)

July 29: All the Summers in Between - Brooke Lea Foster (dnf)

Aug 2: Cover Story- Susan Rigetti (4.5 stars)

Aug 7: Family Family - Laurie Frankel (5 stars)

Aug 17: Plays Well with Others - Sophie Brickman (4 stars)

Aug 23: Class Mom - Laurie Gelman (1.5 stars)

Aug 31: The Guncle Abroad - Steven Rowley (2 stars)

Sep 2: Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi (4.5 stars)

Sep 15: Twilight - Stephanie Meyer (re-read)

Sep 16: New Moon - Stephanie Meyer (re-read)

Sep 20: Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer (re-read)

Sep 22: Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer (re-read)

Sep 24: The God of the Woods - Liz Moore (3.5 stars)

Sep 30: The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah (2 stars)

Oct 12: Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate (2.5 stars)

Oct 16: Lies and Weddings - Kevin Kwan (4 stars)

Nov 1: How to be Eaten - Maria Adelmann (1.5 stars)

Nov 2: Home Front - Kristin Hannah (2.5 stars)

Nov 7: The Rom-Commers - Katherine Center (3 stars)

Nov 20: Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas (1 star)

[badger-bear]

Hiiii, 3 and 12 for the book asks please? 😊📚

3. What were your top five books of the year?

Beasts of the Briar series by Elizabeth Helen

The series isn't completely done, in fact the third book came out today! It's a why choose fantasy beauty and the beast retelling and I'm obsessed with it.

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde

Ryan Shay is the ultimate cutie patootie book boyfriend. This book is a fake dating romance. It absolutely delighted me! There are two others connected with this one but they aren't necessary to read and this is the best one.

Corrupted By You by Marzy Opal

Arranged marriage mafia romance 😍🥵 need I say more??? I rated this book 5 stars. Zeno Gianni De La Croix is my mafia boss book husband and everyone better put some respect on his name. There is a religious element in the smut which I typically don't like but this book made it work. I know I have only talked about the sexiness of this book but I did like the plot as well lol

Master of Salt and Bones by Keri Lake

The entire time I read this book I couldn't tell if the main male character was actually bad/morally grey or not. The setting of this book felt like one of the characters. I don't remember all of the plot but I am including it on this list for the feelings alone.

The Librarian of Souls by Ash Raven

I went into this book thinking I was going to have a good time reading smutty scenarios with the sandman. But I finished the book in love with the characters, the world in which they live and the setting. The plot was a little easy to figure out in parts but I really, really enjoyed it. I genuinely think about this book every few days.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

Yes, I have a tiny list.

Pucking Around by Emily Rath. DNF'd because of normalizing abuse. I wanted to like it because why choose/hockey romance!!!!

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. DNF'd because it felt like a culmination of the most popular books in the mid2000s and not in a good way. I kept wanting to like it but I was bored and I pushed myself further than I normally do when I think I'm going to dnf a book. I wanted to like it because I like fantasy books.

Credence by Penelope Douglas. It's saying something when the worst part about a book isn't the incest. This book romanticized abuse, specifically domestic abuse. I love a good taboo romance but this wasn't it.

[orlissa]

February reading summary

Another month has passed, so it’s time for another book round up :)

In February I managed to read 8 books (and had one DNF). Altogether, altogether, I’m at 16 individual books read this year, which is pretty good considering that my goal is 50 books by the end of December.

But now let’s see what was on the menu for this month:

Rob Sears: The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump -- Just to make it clear, this is not a poetry collection written by Trump XD No, it’s a poetry collection edited together from stuff he has said, which is nothing short of brilliant. Like, the author(s) when through everything he has said, and rearranged them in a way that they mean something (every line is annotated, bwt). It’s just simply funny and even poignant at some places -- a “poem” especially stayed with me, where what he said in the Access Hollywood Tape (”grab them by the pussy”) was juxtaposed with a pre-prepared speech about the horrors of domestic abuse and rape.

Jenna Evans Welch: Love & Gelato -- Overall a nice coming of age story about a girl, who, after the death of her mother, moves to Italy to live with her father she’d never even met before, and then discovers Florence through her mother’s diary written the year before she was born. I love Florence, so it was a treat to me in that aspect, but I did feel like that author didn’t really know the place (the characters were complaining about the lack of AC, lack of American fast food, bad internet...), and I think the present-day romance was a bit stupid (the author clearly wanted to parellel the past/the mother’s romance with the present/daughter’s romance, to make the point that the daughter is not making the same mistake, but that wasn’t exactly what she ended up doing). Plus I read the Hungarian edition, and there were some seriously issues with the translation.

Mary McMyne: The Book of Gothel -- Easily my favorite book this month. I went in expecting a Rapunzel-retelling from the witch’s POV, and I got so much more, a lamentation on wise women’s situation, on magic, the occult, Christianity, and Christian mysticism in the 12th century Germany. Wow. Absolutely recommend.

Liz Braswell: What Once Was Mine -- DNF. Sigh. So after The Book of Gothel, I decided to go with the other Rapunzel story on my list. This book belongs to the Twisted Tale series, which is basically standalone novel of Disney What ifs with a dark twist. I read the Mulan one some time ago, and that was absolutely phenomenal (in that one Shang gets injured in the mountains instead of Mulan, and as he is dying, she goes down to the underworld to bring his soul back), so I had high hopes for this one. Yeah... it didn’t work out. The whole book is framed as a 16 years old guy telling the story to his twin sister while she is getting chemo, the language/narrative stlye is all over the place (sometimes it’s all jokey, sometimes it very serious and old timey, but nothing like how a 16-y-o kid would speak), we keep switching back to the hospital room which breaks the rhythm, and for some reason it takes place in the real world, and apparently Elizabeth Báthory is the bad guy? Yeah, I gave up after about 10%

Cory O’Brian: Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes -- There were only two reasons why I finished this book: 1, I didn’t want to have two DFN’s right after each other, and 2, it was a quick read. It is supposed to be a funny, modern retelling of myths (not just Greek, but from all around the world), making them widely accessible and weeding out the classism aspect surronding them, and it even started out promisingly when the author talked about Joseph Campbell’s work in the preface. But then... Sigh. It’s endless dick jokes, misogyny, and low-key racism (e.g. the African section has three myths, and in the section preface the author talks about how hard it was to choose these three, because there are just so many different myth. Yeah, dumbass, because Africa is a whole continent with a bunch of cultures. He could have just chosen to focus on, let’s say, Yoruba myths, he could have avoided this).

Katharine & Elizabeth Corr: Daughter of Darkness -- Solid YA fantasy based on Greek myths (but not a retelling of them). In a world where the tyrant Orpheus reigns over most of what we know as Greece today, some people are being marked by the gods--they get a fraction of the power of the god who marks them, which mark appears in early childhood, after which they are brought to and raised in Houses; after their training is complete, they are to work there for forty years as indentured servants. Deina, our protagonist is marked by Hades, and there is nothing she wants more than freedom--which seems to be within reach when Orpheus is looking for volunteers for a quest, which turns out to be going down to the underworld to retrieve his queen’s soul. I really enjoyed the early/worldbuilding parts, and the last couple of chapters after the twist(s), but the middle part--where the characters were traipsing through the underworld--did drag a little. The characters were generally very interesting, and although the authors built a bit too much on secrets and the twists coming from these secrets being revealed, and the romance aspect felt a little weak, and it went really dark, and I mean really dark by the end, I actually enjoyed it a great deal. It was the first part of a duology, with the second one coming out in July I think, and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna read it.

Karen Cushman: Katherine, Called Birdy -- I downloaded this book when I saw the trailer for the movie back in like September, then promptly forgot about it. Anyway, so it’s the fictional diary of the daughter of a 13th century English knight, on the cusp of adulthood, chronicling her daily life for a about the span of a year. It’s delightfully medieval and modern at the same time, in a sense that the narrative focuses on the realities of everday medieval life, while Birdy... well, Birdy is being a teenager with an attitude that that reflects the attitudes of modern teenaged girls. Really funny and thought-provoking, an absolute delight.

Natasha Bowen: Sould of the Deep -- Sigh. Nope. No comment on this one. 

Sasha Peyton Smith: The Witch Haven -- YA fantasy set in New York, 1911, with the driving force behind the narrative being the murder of the protagonist’s brother. It started out really strong (like, it’s almost as if the first two-three chapters were written by a different author), but the rest is a little (a lot) all over the place. The book is somehow about too much and too little at the same time, trying to virtue signal and address everything, but in the process making most of the characters unlikable and just underdeveloped, swmming in a mess of a plot. But I did like Oliver, the protagonist/her brother’s childhood friend, who depicted as a model of gentle masculinity. Also a duology, but I don’t think I’ll read the second book.

[whentherewerebicycles]

here’s a little angel! I slept horribly last night but what can you do. got up at 5 because there’s nothing worse than continuing to toss and turn in bed after a night of fragmented sleep. worked in a focused way from 5:30-7:45 and am now taking a little coffee & lounge break before I shower/get ready/get back to it.

here’s the workday:

8-8:30 coffee, lounge, email volunteer coordinator back

8:30-9:30 shower, get ready, work on course (try to finish the last couple graphics)

9:30-10 AS mtg

10-10:30 CH mtg

10:30-11 make LF changes

11-12:30 work on course—try to finish the key documents section. work on acronym list & glossary if I need a break.

and the afternoon/evening:

gather up my tax documents

work time with liz (1-2 hrs? gonna try to use this to finish the pod)

finish first pod edit

gym for 35 min

read today’s section of SFAH

walk for an hour & discuss SFAH with liz

finish this unbearably cloying book on motherhood so I can be done with it yuck. I am unwilling to DNF it because I want credit for it on my reading challenge goddammit

tonight: work on recipe planning & habit tracking for feb—if I’m dragging my feet on pod editing I can use this as a carrot/stick lol.

phone away by 8:30, bed by 9:30

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

I started August on a roll, enjoying every book listed below up to and including T. Kingfisher then had to DNF three new releases that didn't work for me. I was able to get back on track with the help of Elizabeth Hoyt and the incredible, unhinged Duke of Sin, Valentine Napier and after that, it was all good again. I'm off Kindle Unlimited again so everything came from Hoopla and Libby except for What is Love?, which I got free through Prime First Reads, and the super cute and sexy A Walk in the Park, which I listened to with a brief Audible trial.

Looking at my stats, my average time to read is skewed because I started What is Love? in April and just now finished it. It was fine but I kept having to stop because the FMC was giving too much Nadia from Russian Doll and it was taking me out of the story. I'm eagerly looking forward to StoryGraph implementing a pause feature for books you want to leave on hold instead of DNFing.

The Bound Worlds (The Devoured Worlds #3) - Megan E. O'Keefe

A Walk in the Park - Rebekah Weatherspoon* **

The Cull Vol 1 (The Cull #1-5) - Kelly Thompson, Mattia De Iulis**

The Earl's Mistress (MacLachlan Family & Friends #10) - Liz Carlyle

Queen of Dreams (Bound to Fire & Steel #2) - Kit Rocha

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins - P. Djèlí Clark* **

A Sorceress Comes to Call - T. Kingfisher

Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane #10) - Elizabeth Hoyt

Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) - Elizabeth Hoyt

Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane #2) - Elizabeth Hoyt

Sharing Shane - Hannah Murray

Saga #68 - Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

The Hunger and the Dusk: Book Two #2 (The Hunger and the Dusk 2.2) - G. Willow Wilson, Chris Wildgoose

Second Chances in New Port Stephen - TJ Alexander**

Scandalous Desires (Maiden Lane #3) - Elizabeth Hoyt

What is Love? - Jen Comfort

* = author(s) of color

** = main character(s) of color

[laraleecupcake]

11/50 - Pop Sugar Book Challenge 2021

Read / Currently Reading / To Read

Can’t repeat books, no Big Finish or dramatizations

Popsugar’s Reading Challenge for 2021!

A book that’s published in 2021 - “Ready Player 2″ by Ernie Cline (read by Wil Wheaton)

An Afrofuturist book

A book that has a heart, diamond, club or spade on the cover

A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign

A dark academia book

A book with a gem, mineral or rock in the title

A book where the main character works at your current or dream job - “Mistress Shakespeare” by Karen Harper

A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction - Song of Achilles or Hamnet

A book with a family tree

A bestseller from the 1990s

A book about forgetting

A book you have seen on someone’s bookshelf (in real life, on a Zoom call, in a TV show, etc)

A locked-room mystery

A book set in a restaurant

A book with a black-and-white cover - "Down and Out In Paris and London” by George Orwell

A book by an indigenous author

A book that has the same title as a song - “The Invisible Man” by H.G. Wells (read by Wil Wheaton)

A book about a subject you are passionate about

A book that discusses body positivity

A book found on a Black Lives Matter reading list - The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

A genre hybrid

A book set mostly or entirely outdoors - “At The End of the Orchard” by Tracey Chevalier

A book with something broken on the cover

A book by a Muslim American author

A book that was published anonymously

A book with an oxymoron in the title

A book about do-overs or fresh starts

A magical realism book

A book set in multiple countries

A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021

A book by a blogger, vlogger, YouTube creator or other online personality

A book whose title starts with Q, X or Z

A book featuring three generations (grandparent, parent, child) - “Snow White, Blood Red” by various authors

A book about a social justice issue

A book in a different format than what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels) - “Divorce Horse” by Craig Johnson

A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads - “Splitting Heirs” by Lawrence Watt-Evans and Esther M. Friesner

A book you think your best friend would like - “A Whole New World” by Liz Braswell

A book about art or an artist - “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Chronicles I: Art & Design” by Daniel Falconer

A book everyone seems to have read but you

Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar reading challenge (A book set in the 1920s) - 

ADVANCED: The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list - Lord of the Rings trilogy

ADVANCED: The shortest book (by pages) on your TBR list - Creativity by John Cleese

ADVANCED: The book on your TBR list with the prettiest cover

ADVANCED: The book on your TBR list with the ugliest cover

ADVANCED: The book that’s been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time - “Shades of Grey” by Jasper Fford

ADVANCED: A book from your TBR list that you meant to read last year but didn’t - “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo’” by Zora Neale Hurston

ADVANCED: A book from your TBR list that you associate with a favorite person, place or thing

ADVANCED: A book from your TBR list chosen at random

ADVANCED: A DNF book from your TBR list

ADVANCED: A free book from your TBR list (gifted, borrowed, library) - “Now We Are Six Hundred” by James Gross

[willreadforbooze]

Hello fellow boozie readers!

If you haven’t heard about #Booziebookathon, it’s our week long readathon we host every year! AND ITS RIGHT MEOW!! Check out all the details here! Shout out to Linz and Melinda for doing ALL of the planning for it. You’re the best. Be sure to follow our readathon twitter for sprints!

Sam’s Update:

I got a lot of reading done this week, which is surprising, considering how busy it was. But Booziebookathon started on Saturday, and got a bunch done. I’ve decided that I’ve failed at Medieval-a-thon…. cause I definitely didn’t read what I said I would. The NEWTs start on Thursday (our TBRs scheduled to drop on Thursday), so I gotta finish up these books so I can start my Metal Charmer career!

What Sam finished this week:

Recursion by Blake Crouch: I adored Dark Matter and Ginny and Parker both adored this one so I picked it up on audio. About half way through and loving it, I need to know how it ends.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: WOWOWOWOWOW. I couldn’t put this down. I flew through it, only to be SO SAD that this isn’t a series. I seriously need to know more. RUDE.

What Sam’s reading now:

Booziebookathon Gin: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Oh holy shit, whyyyy did I think this book was over-hyped? It is perfectly hyped. I’m listening on audio and LOVING IT.

Booziebookathon White Wine and Smirnoff Ice: Demon in the Whitelands by Nikki Z. Richard: This had a slow start, but basically this is a post-apocalyptic story where all technology is banned. The bastard son of a cleric, Samuel, is basically thrust into the role of being a caretaker to what the mayor calls a “demon”. A child, albiet violent child, with one arm and doesn’t speak. His job is to befriend it/her. I’m enjoying it now… that I’m 2/3 the way through, but I don’t feel the urge to pick it back up each time…

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad: Buddy reading with Ginny and Liz and also for book club. It’s taken an interesting turn but I don’t want to say too much here, because we still have to discuss as a group.

Ginny’s Update:

Currently Reading:

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad: This is still for a book club, I’m still reading it slowly. There was a pretty big twist and I’m enjoying seeing it ripple out.

Leap Days: Chronicles of a Midlife Move by Katherin Lanpher: this is one of my books for Boozie Bookathon and it fulfills my Gin challenge (book on tbr forever). So far Katherine has moved to New York and is talking about how weird it is… yup. It’s gonna be that kind of book.

The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman: IT’S THAT TIME! I’m reading the fifth book in this series that I adore. Irene is being called in to act as mediator in a conversation between the Dragons and Fae. Her boss for the job is a major dick (and I’m pretty sure it’s going to turn out he’s even more sinister). Ugh, Loving this! (If you’d like to start at the beginning, my first review is here.

Finished

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah: Welp, Trevor Noah had a very interesting childhood. It’s interesting to read this book to see a completely different perspective of growing up. I’m used to hearing mostly Americanized, or at least overtly Western points of view, so to hear this story that was completely outside of what I consider the norm was endlessly interesting. I wasn’t super fond of the jumping around in time. I found it a little confusing at times, talking about his stepdad and then, chapters later, talking about how his stepdad came into his life. Overall, I still thought this was a strong narrative and would definitely suggest this to someone who likes biographies. 4.5/5

A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan: This is a novella that goes in the Brothers Sinister series. Gonna be honest, I don’t even remember who’s parents these are supposed to be and just read it as a standalone. It’s still charming. Dr. Grantham was there when as a teenager, Lydia was told she would never be in society becuase of a teenage pregnancy. He was also there years later as she wanted nothing to do with him. He’s quirky and she’s been hiding from things she hasn’t wanted to think about and it’s pretty damn fucking cute. I really enjoy the way Courtney writes her characters, there’s always depths. 4/5

Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon: Yup, definitely back on my romance novel kick. This book was delightful as, as the author says, it’s pretty much just pure fluff. the kids are cute, and speak the way children do. Rafe was ridiculously attractive and a family man throughout. Sloan is ridiculously competent, dealing with a shitty ex-husband and just wants someone to make her life easy… Fortunately Rafe makes it very hard… that was terrible… I don’t apologize.4/5

An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole: Welp, Alyssa Cole is one of those always gonna read authors. I accidentally skipped book 2 (don’t worry, I’ll get back to it). This follows Elle’s friend from the first book Daniel, who is dealing with some emotional and psychological scars. Janeta Sanchez is trying to become a double spy in order to save her Southern beau and her family. Except, unsurprisingly, that beau is a jackass. But they’re in the Loyal League and trying to get some information. It’s interesting to read Daniel’s perspective and I liked getting both the internal and external perspective on him. Alyssa Cole is a phenomenal writer and ugh, so many good words. 4.5/5

The Soldier’s Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian: Well, Cat Sebastian is apparently another author where I’ll read everything. This is a delightful romance between Jack, who handles scandals behind the scenes, and Oliver, an ex-soldier who is worried that her sister has been scammed by Jack. They’re immediately attracted to each other but have to solve a mystery together for… reasons? REgardless, I really enjoy the way that Cat brings characters who might be outside of what is currently considered the norm, and shows the ways they could have lived in the past. She shows their struggles but makes sure they have a happy ending, and I just really enjoy that. Both of these characters are kind of dicks in their own way, but I enjoy their moments of earnestness. 4/5

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami: I’m not a runner. I don’t ever think I’m a runner. But I think it’s fascinating to read running books and learn about what drives other people. It seems that so often running helps them quiet their minds. This book was interesting and I enjoyed a peek into an authors/runners mind. 3.5/5

Captain Marvel: Volume One by Kelly Sue Deconnick (there’s a bunch of people on this but my read list is already 7 books long and there’s just a limit to what I have the patience and energy to do): This was delightful. I’m not super familiar with Captain Marvel but I met Kelly Sue at Bookcon and really enjoyed meeting her (I’ve also read Bitch Planet, which if anyone wants to read a dystopian comic I highly suggest this one). I loved the mystery of what was causing the illness, and the way she could read between the lines. Ugh. This is what I wish more comics were. 5/5

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes: Probs gonna write a review on this one. Wait and see.

Temporary Break for BoozieBookaThon

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown: Gonna be honest, I don’t remember much from the original series but I used a random number general and this is what came up. I’m like two pages in so I’m mostly just confused.

Minda’s Update:

What Minda is reading now for Booziebookathon (and soon NEWTs):

The Liar’s Daughter by Megan Cooley Peterson – An ARC from ALA, out 9/10, for the Beer challenge. About a girl who was brainwashed by her father and his cult.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick – As the winner of the 1963 Hugo Award, meets the Whiskey & Champagne challenges.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells – Following the longest, I thought I’d read the shortest for the Shot & White Wine challenges.

The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon – I’ve borrowed/returned/renewed this title eight times, which I think means it’s been on my list for awhile. This fulfills the trifecta: Vodka, Gin, and Red Wine challenges.

What Minda finished before Booziebookathon: 

Tiger Queen by Annie Sullivan – I actually finished this at the start of my trip. This was good—the world building was especially inventive since it came out of a short story with an open ending. Review to come.

All the Water in the World by Karen Raney – This book was super sad and really tugged at the heartstrings—at least for the first half. Drops in early August! Stay tuned for review.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert – Listened to this one on audio during my flights… so many flights. But this book was super captivating! I would highly recommend reading the audiobook because of the writing style—it really feels like an old woman is telling her story to you. Also will review.

Clear My Name by Paula Daly – Crime fiction focused on a UK version of the innocence project. Edge-of-seat type stuff with an end twist I didn’t see coming. Also also will review!

Linz’s Update:

I was on family vacation–which we all know isn’t actually vacation–and still managed to get some reading done.

What Linz read:

No Judgments by Meg Cabot: One of the many Bookcon ARCs, this romcom-y book was…not great. The protagonist was pretty dumb and kind of shallow, the romance felt a little forced, and the resolution was really telegraphed.

Sophia, Princess Among Beasts by James Patterson: Woof. Basic. DNF.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia: Girls are raised to be sisterwives in this dystopic, Latin-inspired first of a series. The concept is actually pretty good and I loved the love story twist, but the worldbuilding left me wanting.

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo: I liked this more than I thought I would. The protagonist is a monster, but I just spent the week with teenage relatives so it’s not inaccurate. Goo’s take on diversity is interesting and thoughtful. There is also a foodtruck and I was starving while reading.

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay: My first finished book for booziebookathon AND MY HEART COULD NOT TAKE IT. Authentic, on point, emotional rollercoaster.

What Linz is currently reading:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: WHICH I AM BACKBURNER-ING BECAUSE OF BOOZIEBOOKATHON BUT I AM GOING TO CLAW MY FACE OFF UNTIL I CAN PICK IT BACK UP IT IS SO GOOD

– *About* to start Slay by Brittney Morris, but imma need a minute after finishing Patron Saints of Nothing

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Melinda, Linz, and Ginny

Weekly Wrap-Up: July 22-28, 2019 Hello fellow boozie readers! If you haven't heard about #Booziebookathon, it's our week long readathon we host every year!

[marascout]

What I Read in 2017

Just a round up of what I read, with the only caveat being that I decided I was going to read 90% female writers. Here’s the list, in no particular order:

The Bollywood Bride, by Sonali Dev -- It’s Sonali Dev, so it’s lush and sweet and makes you really want Indian food.

A Bollywood Affair, by Sonali Dev -- See above, but with wedding preparation fun.

Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly -- Fascinating and important, do I really need to summarize?

Nice Dragons Finish Last, by Rachel Aaron

One Good Dragon Deserves Another, by Rachel Aaron

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished, by Rachel Aaron -- Guys, these three books are like EVERYTHING I love in a story. Okay, so there’s no werewolves, but DRAGONS. And dragon politics, and magic, and cute mages, and seers, and Amelia the lush, and BOB. OMGoddess BOB. And Julius is the single most adorable cinnamon roll dragon I’ve ever encountered. I listened to these on audible and Vikas Adam is a FANTASTIC narrator. (Okay, he can’t pronounce Himalayan, but that’s only come up once.) I own the fourth book, but I'm going to wait a while, space out the awesome. (and wait impatiently for @fearsomebeastie to catch up with the series)

The Duke and the Domina, by Jenn Leblanc -- Okay, but not awesome

Bollywood and the Beast, by Suleikha Snyder -- Beauty and the beast, with Bollywood and a m/m subplot. What’s not to love?

Forbidden, by Beverly Jenkins -- Eddy is a feisty, badass heroine and I love her. 

Breathless, by Beverly Jenkins -- Honestly, the last 25% of this one was a slog. Good, but none of the complications were up to Miss Bev’s usual quality

My Fair Concubine, by Jeannie Lin -- Super fun! My Fair Lady, in Tang Dynasty China! Classic grumpy, stoic hero with the burden of responsibility and honor. Also, LI BAI SHEN. Can he have his own book? Do I have to learn about Tang Dynasty theater and write it myself? Because I WILL.

Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman -- Well, duh.

Re-Reads: 

Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert -- When you feel like you’ll never do anything artistic again, spend a few hours with Liz Gilbert and you can take on the world.

All the Single Ladies, by Rebecca Traister -- Super fascinating information and stories about the unmarried women changing the landscape of the country. 

Born With Teeth, by Kate Mulgrew -- Kate Mulgrew is a badass, that is all.

DNFs:

Hate to Want You, by Alisha Rai -- I wanted to love this one, but I just don’t buy the forbidden love thing in a modern setting where you can just go to a different town and do whatever the fuck you want. I’m not going to even attempt the sequel, thought the cover dude is quite yummy.

The Hundredth Queen, by Emily R. King -- Apparently I can’t stand first person present, especially when combined with some  really annoying YA tropes

A Change of Heart, by Sonali Dev -- I adore Sonali Dev, but this one was too dark, and it made me kind of never want to go back to the Bollywood Affair, knowing what happens after. Less black market organ trading in my romances, please.

[booksboxesandbaubles]

Another month down, another billion or so words sacrificed to the god of literature! Check out our offerings for July and see how we did!!

Kayla:

Books Read

    Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain   ★★★☆☆ Review Happily Ever After (Cinder & Ella #2) by Kelly Oram ★★★★☆ The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore ★★★★☆

      Salem’s Curse (Book 1) by Sydney Bristow ★★★☆☆ Review How Innovation Really Works by Anne Marie Knott ★★★★★ Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant ★★★★☆ Review

      Enlightenment by Liz Keel ★★★★☆ Review The Elementals by Francesca Lia Block ★★★★☆ Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown ★★★☆☆ The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon ★★★★★

  DNF

The Midnight Omen by Marti Melville ★★☆☆☆

  I’m pretty excited with how it turned out. 10 Books and 1 Dropped!  It was a nice mix too.  If I had to pick one favorite it would be The Secret of Happy Ever After (I keep wanting to type happily). It was one book I was actually most reluctant to pick up but turned out to be amazing!  I’m probably going to try reading more of her books.

Buddy Read

  Readathons

24Hourathon by Kelly BookSpill

24in48 Readathon by Rachel

Neko: 

Books Read

  Hopcross Jilly (Graphic Novel) by Patricia Briggs Night Broken by Patricia Briggs  Hollow (S.S.) by Patricia Briggs  Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs  Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs 

  Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan  Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan  Eternally Yours by Cate Tiernan  The Miseries of Mr. Sparrows by Matthew A.J. Timmins 

  The Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter  The Darkest Angel by Gena Showalter  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter  The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter  The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter  The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter  The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter 

DNF

The Martian by Andy Weir Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Just had a hard time getting into either book… I’m going to give them both another go when my head is in a different place.

Total Read: 18, though two were short stories and one was a graphic novel. I did okay on my TBR list for the month, the problem was I got a few extra books from the library to try and had to finish the series or the world would end. This in turn kicked out other books I was going to read 🐱 bad kitty and as always reviews are coming I promise!

  So how did everyone else do? Read any of our books? Got any recommendations? Tell us in the comments!

End of the Month Wrap-Up for July! Another month down, another billion or so words sacrificed to the god of literature! Check out our offerings for July and see how we did!!

[read-chill-wine]

✨️Let's Review...✨️

Started - 8/27/24

Finished -8/30/24

I just wanted to put the update that I finished this book. I need like 48 to process it. Then I will update..

I will say, if you considered reading it but haven't, give it chance. But bring tissues when you do.

[read-chill-wine]

✨️Let's Review...✨️

📖 Book Reviews Masterlist 📖

Warnings - Reviews may contain spoilers

Peep @tsunami-of-tears for the cutest dividers 💕

Started 8/25/24 Finished 8/26/24

I bought this a few years ago on a whim, and I don't regret it.

Man, Fuck This House is a mock horror novel focused around a family with a young super genius son who lacks human emotion and a fairly normal teenage daughter. Brian tells the story of this family and their move into a new home by using humor and so many references to iconic horror novels and the supernatural.

For those of us who love the horror genre, but are casual readers and die hards, this book is hilarious and shows we aren't alone when we are asking, "Seriously" when we read or watch something so far out there that we can't believe it's either "based on true events" or it kills the vibe in a book for us.

The plot follows the family as they move to a new town and into a house that seemingly comes to life with affection towards the mother figure (a reference to A Haunting on Hill House) driving the family apart at the seams.

The House itself is a living entity adjusting to each member of the family while keeping an almost parasitic relationship with the mom who struggles with feelings of having settled in her marriage, feeling she is no longer attractive, and struggling as she believes her young son is an actual demon sent to ruin her life.

It is full of many predicated twists that just add to the air of humor, some lines that had me laughing so hard I began to cry, and it is a fun read for those who are in a slump and needing a quick fix to get them back into the reading groove.

Overall, I might be generous, but I'd give this 3.5 to 4 stars. It was what I needed to get me into a good spot to start Babel.

[read-chill-wine]

Credence dnf?

Warnings- SA, sexualization of minors, grooming, and other sexual abuse related topics, suicide, loss of parents, parental abuse, spoilers

This is the newest member of my DNF List, and if you are in some groups with me on Discord, you got to read as this happened in real-time.

I bought Credence on a recommendation from a friend. I thought we had *very* similar tastes in books. I am going to say that picking up this book is my own fault. I did not look further into it than, "Liz, you need to read this." I DNF'd at page 75.

Credence centers around Tiernan, a 17 year old girl who just recently lost her parents to suicide. The first 10 pages are info dumping that, in my opinion, is so poorly done. We find out she had a poor relationship with her mom and dad, who had her out of expectations and not love. This relationship was somehow so poor, Tiernan didn't even know her dad had an aggressive form of cancer that wasn't responding well to medications. This led to her parents committing suicide and her finding out she has a step uncle, Jake.

Tiernan, the 17 year old girl, proceeds to move to Colorado in the mountains to live with her step uncle and 2 step cousins, and shit gets weird right away. The sexual tension between this 45 year old grown ass man and this 17 year old girl who needs a therapist is concerning.

I am capable of acknowledging fiction is not reality, and these characters aren't real, but there comes a point where our morals are something we have to stand by, even in fictional literature. I tried so hard to look past it due to how popular this book is in TikTok, and due to my friend recommending it, but I can't look past a 17 year old in a fragile state being set up for sexual relationships with 3 people who are meant to be caring for them.

That's called grooming. It's illegal. It's a form of sexual abuse. It does not matter that she is "almost 18." In no real world application where age limitations are set does being "almost *insert age*" mean you are that age.

Had Tiernan been say a depressed mid 20s college student instead of 17 and in high school, I might have been able to look past the writing style and finished this. However, from my understanding, the book just spirals from this point and becomes a game of Tiernan gaslighting herself into being okay with being SA'd, almost raped on several occasions, and she settles for a relationship with an actual psychopath, who at the point I DNF'd had nothing going for him.

Overall, this is one on my DNF List I will not be reattempting. If it's your cup of tea, I'm happy for you, but it is not my shot of Whiskey.

[read-chill-wine]

✨️Recommendations Masterlists✨️

While this side blog was originally intended to be a place where I made masterlists of the fanfiction I was currently reading, it has become a place where many of you are messaging me more about the books I am reviewing.

I will still definitely be making Masterlists of my favorite fanfiction, reblogging them, and reblogging fanart, but so many of you are reaching out for recommendations and reviews that it feels like this blog may better serve that purpose 💕

📖 Book Ratings 📖

The DNF List

The Banned Books

What Liz is Currently Reading

^forever rotating and changing 😀