#monthly book reviews

[jjspina]

Books Read and Reviewed in January 2025!

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of January of 2025. Here are the 7 books I read and reviewed for January. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews. I love sharing my eclectic…

[violetsonnets]

fall tbr

[theflyingpimphat]

With one vote for it, I guess I will. It will be one post covering one month, starting from the beginning of this year. Titles will be above the cut to save space, reviews below. Might contain spoilers.

January 2024

Alien Chronicles - The Crystal Eye; Das Arkonadia-Rätsel

Alien Chronicles - The Crystal Eye, Deborah Chester

Language: English

Synopsis: Ampris, former pet of the emperor's heir, retired gladiator and survivor of medical experimentation, mostly just tries to survive with her gang of freed slaves and her children. But the ongoing drought and environmental deterioration bring them to the capital, where the final rebellion against the Viis and their empress is mounted.

Review: The final book of a trilogy, I found the conclusion rather lackluster. The methods used to "convince" the Viis to let the slaves go didn't appear to be particularly efficient and seemed to harm the rebels more than their enemies. Also, there are the implications of what happens to what is left behind, as the most likely outcome is that all the slaves not on the escaping ship will just continue to be enslaved while the Viis empire either might get its shit together, or fall apart completely. It would have been nice to at least see that part instead of just "chosen lucky group managed to escape their opressors forever and can build up a new life".

Das Arkonadia-Rätsel, Andreas Brandhorst

Language: German

Synopsis: Jasper and Jasmine, two biologically altered humans working for the galactic government organisation Omni, are tasked to examine an anomaly periodically appearing on Arkonadia and disabling all technology in its wake, resulting in wars for power that hinder the planet's societies from progressing. At the same time, Zirzo, an aged tool-builder is forced to accompany a general who wants his son to succesfully enter the anomaly and reach its centre, as this would make him the planet's regent, and the tools are essential for surviving the anomaly.

Review: The second novel of a series, the first one of which I hadn't read. It worked perfectly fine as a standalone novel as well, as anything important was explained. It's well-visible that the author is skilled and the story is well-crafted; I did enjoy Zirzo's plot and the anomaly. The only minor complaints I have is that if Balthasar's story was true, it would have made Omni more ambiguous rather than having it be the white-vested, good organisation, which would have made for a more interesting narrative, and that it was once again the bug aliens who got done dirty.

With me trying to reduce my ever-growing literary pile of shame by finishing at least two books per month, is anyone interested in me doing brief reviews of them? It's sci-fi and fantasy for the most part.

[literatureaesthetic]

june '24 favs:

a storm of swords ; george r r martin — third book in the 'a song of ice and fire' series, and it may just be my fav instalment yet. i was left utterly speechless over the plot twists in here. one of the best examples of modern fantasy.

the lost daughter ; elena ferrante — it's elena ferrante, of course it's on this list. an intimate character study of leda, a divorcee who suddenly finds herself with zero responsibilities after her daughters move away. a poignant, visceral look into motherhood (girlies with mummy issues, tread with caution😭)

giovanni's room ; james baldwin — the iconic gay, parisian classic. this was my first baldwin, and it's definitely not going to be my last. i haven't been this enthralled by the writing in a classic since 'the picture of dorian gray'. beautiful, gut-wrenching, a must-read for anyone into the classics!!

[blottyink]

My August Reads Ranked

1. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig: This was by far my favorite read this month. I love this book. I love it more than I love The Folk of the Air. More than the Dark Rise series. More than Captive Prince. Because it has EVERYTHING. The plot, the magic system, the characters, the writing, all of it is as equally good as the rest. Even though at the ending there’s a twist that’s sad, I was still EXCITED to see what happens next (more hype than sad). I root for the Nightmare too. “Long live the King.” The writing is show don’t tell and I fucking LOVE IT. I FUCKING LOVE IT. I am so tired of seeing a lot of telling in story books, and all my favs serve show.

2. Bunny by Mona Awad: This wasn’t as dark as I thought it was going to be, but it won me over with the writing. It’s clever, dark and hilarious. Samantha’s dilemma with the bunnies was relatable for me, especially the first smut salon she attends. It was a fun ride, and I enjoyed this book for reasons I wasn’t expecting to. The way Awad describes feelings is spectacular.

3. The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black: It was good to be back in Elfhame. I liked Prisoner’s Throne more than Stolen Heir because, of course, Jude and Cardan. I thought Wren and Oak’s story was cute and I had a fun time reading it, but I’m not over Jude and Cardan yet and that’s all I want.

4. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black: At first, I was a bit put off by how Jude-like Wren was, and how Cardan-like Oak was, but I had a good time. If Black wants to go back and write scenes showcasing Jude and Cardan falling in love, I’m all for that. Would love to see the two of them snuggling by a fire.

5. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: I knew I’d like this because every time I watch King speak, he’s fun. He’s fun to listen to, he’s fun to read. He’s at his best when he’s shooting the shit. This was a good time.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: I love the dialogue in this, it can be interpreted in different ways and it’s exciting to think about. I’ve never read anything as quotable as this book. I lived for every time Dorian threw himself on a couch in a fit of angst.

7. The Corsair’s Captive by Ruby Dixon: Dixon never lets me down. It’s another cozy, fun sci-fi romance with the big blue dudes. I have to read her shifter smut; it’s going to be everything.  

8. The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr: I appreciated how blunt this book was, and the information provided was interesting. If you’re looking for a book about why humans tell stories as well as scientific reasons why you should have an existential crisis. This is the one.

9. Victor by Brianna West: The most egregious offense to me was the smut. Because. How are you screwing an Angel, and it’s vanilla? No mention of where his wings are? Nothing special about his equipment? Only fucks in missionary? They could fuck in the air, but we’re going to sidestep that? Other than that the world-building wasn’t there for me, and the writing was a whole lot of telling. The adverb intense descriptions didn’t land for me, and I didn’t care about any of the characters. The fmc was annoying.

10. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton: Zade is so Neil Breen coded. Like, if I found out Breen wrote this character for Carlton, it would make a lot of sense. I hate this book. I don’t know why I do this to myself.  

The books I'm most stoked to read in September are: Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig.

[garadinervi]

Amilcar Cabral (September 12, 1924 – January 20, 1973)

(image: Return to the Source. Selected Speeches of Amilcar Cabral, Edited by Africa Information Service, Monthly Review Press, New York, NY, and London, with Africa Information Service, (1973-)1974

[the---hermit]

2024 reading wrap up

books I read (rereads in green):

Nature Human Nature And Human Difference by Justin Smith

Resurgir curated by Lorenzo Incarbone

Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman

The Pornographer by Restif De La Bretonne

Storie Brutte Sulla Scienza by Barbascura X

Only Dull People Are Brillian At Breakfast by Oscar Wilde

A Day Of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

The Ballad Of The Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde

Notes On Camp by Susan Sontag

The Prince And The Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Oh! Il Libro Delle Meraviglie by Leo Ortolani

Dubliners by James Joyce

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

Il Grande Ratolik by Leo Ortolani

Emmeline Pankhurst by Mariapaola Pesce and Paola Zanghi

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Her Body And Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

The Vampyre by John William Polidori

Passage On The Secret History Of An Irish Countess by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

The Daughtest Of Salem by Thomas Gilbert

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Mysterious Study Of Doctor Sex by Tamsyn Muir

Apt Pupil by Stepehn King

Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Nona The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Miti E Leggende Dei Celti by Mila Fois

A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers

The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Quando Muori Resta A Me by Zerocalcare

Storie Di Merda by Barbascura X

Richard II by William Shakespeare

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Norse Mythology graphic novel volume 1

Norse Mythology graphic novel volume 2

A Prayer For The Crown Shy

short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Something Is Killing The Children volume 7

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Life Isn't Binary by John-Meg Barker and Alex Iantaffi

Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

L'Idea di Medioevo by Giuseppe Sergi

Due Racconti di Vampiri - shoet stories by Frederick Cowles

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

The Fall Of The House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

The White People by Arthur Machen

The Road - the graphic novel adaptation by Manu Larcenet

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

What Fiests At Night by T. Kingfisher

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

L'Importanza di Chiamarsi Oscar Wilde by Licia Cascione and Tommaso Vitiello

Questioni di un Certo Genere by il Post

The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Storia Degli Stati Sabaudi by Andrea Merlotti and Paola Bianchi

I Belli Hanno Rotto Il Cazzo by Barbascura X

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

This Is How You Lose The Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar

Re:Dracula

The Adventures of Amina Al Sirafi by Shannon Chkraborty

Genderqueer by Maia Kobabe

The Forbidden Harbor by Stefano Turconi and Teresa Radice

Sacred Bodies by Ver

Seghe Mentali Cosmiche by Barbascura X

Costituzione by Maurizio Floravanti

Bi by Julia Shaw

Governo by Paolo Colombo

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

A Babbo Morto by Zerocalcare

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

A Dog's Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov

the books I have dnf-ed:

The Last Man by Mary Shelly

Venerdì 12 by Leo Ortolani

The Dreamchatcher by Stephen King

Night Man by Leo Ortolani

La Donna Senz'Ombra by Hugo von Hofmannsthal

[gcantread]

December 2024 reads

[loved liked ok nope dnf bookclub*]

A Memory Called Empire • Jade City • Saga (Vol 2) • Saga (Vol 3) • Saga (Vol 4) • Saga (Vol 5) • Garlic and the Vampire • Beauty*

Remember when I imagined that December was gonna be "sci-fi epics and finishing ongoing series" month? As if I've ever had spare time to read in December? Yeah, file that away under "hilarious jokes by G."

In between all the family obligations and grass-touching (SO much grass-touching) I did manage to read 4 volumes of Saga, so... sort of managed to keep to the sci-fi epic theme? I also had a very bookish time at the Denver Art Museum's exhibit on Maurice Sendak (10/10 definitely recommended if you can get to it; so much creative inspiration and insight on storytelling + art!)

Saga (volumes 2-5) ★★★★☆ - Continues to deliver. I feel like every single character design started out as a "wouldn't it be cool if?" And the answer is yes, yes it would be cool if. Story-wise, it's going in directions I never expected—I can't believe how many more volumes there are. How is that possible when Hazel is aging faster than frickin Renesmee? Here's hoping we follow her well into old age and get nursing home drama.

A Memory Called Empire ★★★★1/2 - Everyone told me it was good and y'all were right. Thematically, conceptually, philosophically, I was picking up everything this book was putting down. Since when are plots so engrossing that the lesbianism is just a nice little bonus? I want a dozen more of these.

Garlic and the Vampire ★★★★☆ - A cute little middle-grade graphic novel I picked up after spotting it in Beastly Books in November. Not much to say other than "it was cute!" I like how tiny the vegetable characters are.

Beauty ★★★★☆ - A reread for book club! I think I liked it better this time around? At least, after reading Rose Daughter, I can appreciate the relative succinctness and tighter plotting (relative term) of Beauty. My favorite part is still the regular ole cottagecore struggles of being the Village Blacksmith's Family. Like yes girl tell me more about how you learned to bake bread or whatever

DNFs: I tried to read Jade City at the beginning of the month and just couldn't get into it—a combination of being too busy and having my attention span shot to hell, I think. I've tentatively shelved it as "maybe some other time when I'm in the right mood." What do you guys think, is it worth picking back up?

December superlatives

Next up:

I started January off with a vacation involving many planes, car rides, and lounging around the beach because the waves were too rough to swim—ideal reading conditions! I doubt I'll beat last January's total of 14 books, but then again I'm already 7 books in (and just started #8, The Lies of Locke Lamora), so... maybe? We'll see if I get snowed in again lol

previous months:

july august september october november

[rlbookreviews]

What book are you currently reading now? I need to add some more books to my TBR list.

[wearethekat]

November Book Review Overview

The Dallergut Dream Department Store (Miye Lee)

Feast While You Can (Mikaella Clements)

The Wolf Hunt (Gillian Bradshaw)

A Magical Girl Retires (Seolyeon Park)

Monstrous Nights (Genoveva Dimova)

Rose/House (Arkady Martine)

Sargassa (Sophie Burnham)

Only Mostly Dead (Allie Temple)

The Bloodless Princes (Charlotte Bond)

The Teller of Small Fortunes (Julie Leong)

Misery Hates Company (Elizabeth Hobbs)

The Pairing (Casey Mcquiston)

Shorefall (Robert Jackson Bennett)

Heaven Official's Blessing, vol. 8 (Mo Xiang Tong Xiu)

Echoes of the Imperium (Nicholas Atwater)

Point of Hopes (Melissa Scott)

The Chatelaine (Kate Heartfield)

A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (Stephanie Burgis)

The Twice-Sold Soul (Katie Hallahan)

The Courting of Bristol Keats (Mary E Pearson)

The Legacy of Arniston House (TL Huchu)

Interstellar MegaChef (Lavanya Lakshminarayan)

The Muse of Maiden Lane (Mimi Matthews)

Alibi (Sharon Shinn)

The Last Hour Between Worlds (Melissa Caruso)

We Shall Be Monsters (Alyssa Wees)

The Ten Percent Thief (Lavanya Lakshminarayan)

The Sirens Sang of Murder (Sarah Caudwell)

Locklands (Robert Jackson Bennett)

The Moonstone Covenant (Jill Hammer)

A Trinket for the Taking (Victoria Laurie)

The Husbands (Holly Gramazio)

[she-karev]

📚July Book Review📚

4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“But the truth is, also, simply this: love is indomitable.”

For the month of Independence Day I thought a romance with themes of our country might be a good book to read. And boy was it ever. This is the perfect comfort read for the entire queer community. It's got humor, it's got romance and it's got a little angst in it to keep you at the edge of your seat. We all love a rivals to lovers trope and seeing it between the First Son of The United States and the Prince of England is Chef's kiss. The main characters are enchanting in their own unique way and their chemistry ignites in the pages. The supporting characters are interesting as well as they provide humor that made me laugh. The world the book is set in has a more optimistic and liberal atmosphere than the real world but there's behind the scene politics that are accurate to what we hear on the news. All in all this book begs the ancient question, 'Can love conquer all?'

[jjspina]

Books Read and Reviewed in December 2024!

Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of December of 2024. Here are the 9 books I read and reviewed for December. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews. I love sharing my eclectic…

[violetsonnets]

my tbr pile for june! i got a concussion this weekend and haven’t been able to read the last couple of days so i’ve been cranky.

[fictionadventurer]

Many men had offered her many things in the past, love and friendship, luxury and jewels, entertainment, dogs, amusements, homage--some she had accepted, some refused, but no man before had offered her work. Peter had offered her that, he had offered her a share of his--not noble or inspiring or fascinating work, just his work, what he had. He had offered it her, called her great energies into play, and set her to work beside himself in a furrow. And she was glad; for some reason she found it very good.

--Desire by Una Lucy Silberrad

[literatureaesthetic]

march '24 favs:

• those who leave and those who stay & the story of the lost child ; elena ferrante — the final two books in the neapolitan novels, a tetrology recording the lives of two girls in naples from childhood to old age. gutting, beautiful, layered, and complex. this series is a masterpiece, elena ferrante is everything to me <3 (please read it!!)

• sirens and muses by antonia angress — following an array of characters at an art university as they navigate life, work, academia, relationships, and being an artist in a capitalist world where everything is commodified. the depth of characters paired with the nuanced discussions of art, class, and politics left me so pleasantly surprised. (it's also extremely gay and perfect for all you tumblr users with mummy/daddy issues)

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

August Wrap-Up

The Bright Sword (Lev Grossman) ★★★★

Vengeful (V.E. Schwab) (audio) ★★★1/2

Hopeless (Elsie Silver) ★★★

She's Not Sorry (Mary Kubica) (audio) ★★★★

Tress of the Emerald Sea (Brandon Sanderson) ★★★★

I Hope This Finds You Well (Natalie Sue) (audio) ★★★★

Night of the Witch (Sara Raasch & Beth Revis) ★★★1/2

What Have You Done? (Shari Lapena) (audio) ★★★★

Not In Love (Ali Hazelwood) ★★★★

Fangirl, The Manga Volume 4 (Rainbow Rowell & Gabi Nam) ★★★★

The Prisoner's Throne (Holly Black) ★★★

Not a five-star read to be had this month which is disappointing for me! Usually I am pretty generous with my ratings. Here's hoping for better as we head into the best months of the year. Find me over on Goodreads (linked) for more detailed reviews.