#onceuponabooklr

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Got my new BOTM box and I'm trying to decide which book I should read first: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein (I'm saving Normal People for a day when I'm feeling moody, haha). What do you think?

Btw, if you're interested in trying out Book of the Month, you can use this referral link to get your first book for $9.99.

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@bigdreamsandwildthings What did you think of Anna K? I have it on hold at the library and am supposed to get it in a couple weeks!

June 2020 reads 🖤

[bibliophilecats]

Microreview Round 8: Spook-tober

Thank you @flamingmirrorbookish and @baldursgatekeeper for tagging me. And I am not too late this time (so a migraine is good for something, at least).

To play: answer the prompts and tag your friends to do the same. Optional: use #microreview and check out @microreviews for “rules,” reviews, and more!

What do you like in a spooky book? Slow burn? Ghosts? Monsters? Zombies? Serial killers? I seldom read spooky books but sometimes, I do enjoy a good scare. Since I scare easily and need to be in control, I hardly read any new spooky books but stick to the ones that scare me yet I still know what will come. Once thing I really find scary is ordinary situations being twisted just a little and/or being the only one who realises something is wrong. Some books I find scary (yet enjoyed) The 5th wave by Rick Yancey, 

What’s your favorite Halloween read (be it horror, thriller, graphic novel, etc.)? Halloween isn’t big in Germany, although it has changed in recent years. And, one thing I really like to promote: All Hallow’s Read. A great excuse to gift books! I think this year I might read Dracula by Bram Stoker again. Or listen to the fantastic radio play I have. Oh, or I will read Carmilla (Robert Sheridan le Fanu) which is even older and also a vampire story.

What about it makes it your favorite? I enjoy the writing and the book is not too scary. You get a glimpse into a different time (did they really travel by train from the Netherlands to London and back in one day? The amount of train journeys amazes me).

What’s a good horror or scary movie to pair it with? I have not yet seen a Dracula movie adaptation I liked. Also, I am living alone at the moment and really scary movies, books or audiobooks are out of the question.

Thinking about it, I have more scary books than I thought. It was fun. And check out All Hallow’s Read - even if you can’t find anybody to exchange book gifts with, you can find great book recommendations on their site.

I tag @hobbitella @books-are-portals @biblioshark @imafangirlforalways @onceuponabooklr and everyone else who wants to do this!

[zonfatima]

20 Questions Tag!!

I was tagged by @cleo-queen-of-pirates Thanks Fi!

Rules: Answer these 20 questions, and then tag 20 people.

Name: Zon (pronounced Zone as in ‘danger zone’)

Nickname: Never had one but I tried to get my friends to call me Z for a good week lol

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Height: 5′5′’

Nationality: Pakistani American

Favorite Fruit: Mango

Favorite Season: Spring

Favorite Flower: Rose

Favorite Scent: White Lily (not sure if it still exists)

Favorite Book: DON’T ASK ME THIS

Favorite Color: Red, gold

Favorite Animal: Lion

Average Hours of Sleep: 5-6

# Blankets You Sleep With: One

Dream Trip: anywhere, tbh

Blog Created: January 2015 (apparently)

Morning or Night: either, I never sleep anyway

Dream Job: Astronaut

Reading or Writing: BOTH!

Best Feeling: chillin

I tag: @freckledchick-vk @moonlightmountain @stephsuzanna @gingerbookblogger @rhyskripsikee @feanli @foodbookandteablog @lost-in-books94 @life-full-of-books @bookbabe1 @onceuponabooklr @banginbookblog @middle-earth-and-more @kafeixo @pilotscoutartist @shiveringroses @my-flourish-and-blotts @b3tar3ad3r @rain221bakerstreet @thatnerdyblackchic @tatethereader

Have fun guys! ZON OUT.

[movingshelves]

Strange because I’ve also begun reading science fiction (one at a time) two years ago and I’ve only been reading women writers.

If you don’t mind me asking, what have you been reading so far ?

May I talk about some of them you might be interested in ?

First, you could follow some recommendations on Goodreads once you’ve found a female author you like. r/printSF has some threads about female writers with plenty of titles to read, too.

Personally, I’ve begun by reading Born in Conquest, by C. S. Friedman, which was heavily character-driven and if I wouldn’t necessarily recommend, I still hold it dear. Lois McMaster Bujold and her Vorkosigan Saga is great. Fun to read, most of the time, but she does write about societies which are being changed and touch on subjects like disabilities, contraception, gender norms... On gender norms or sexuality, the way societies perceive it, there is The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin and she wrote some other scifi books. Then, there is Karin Lowachee whose novels (only read Warchild so far) is ... engaging to say the least. Lastly, Octavia E. Butler also wrote at least a short story about the human species being used as surrogate mothers of an alien species.

Weekly Bookish Question #54 (December 10th - December 16th):

Is there a genre you haven’t given a chance yet, but would really like to? Which genre and what’s keeping you?

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Short Reviews of Books I Read Last Weekend

5 STARS: This book made me laugh harder than any book in the past couple years. THE LAUGHS WERE SO UNEXPECTED THAT I SNORTED. Before WNTY, I knew that Irby's essays were popular but didn't know enough about them. Her takes on culture and social phenomena are so fresh and amusing. It was a joy to read - I am a lifelong fan now. This book also got me interested in reading more essay compilations in the near future.

2.75 STARS (let’s round it up to 3 for Goodreads’ sake): I DNF’ed this one 22% of the way in. I wasn’t relating to the characters at all and didn’t find the mystery compelling. A lot of the characters fit tropes common to YA historical fiction: the bookworm/studious daughter, popular/pretty daughter, misfit love interest, strict maternal figure, etc. Although I was interested in the setting, I have read more interesting books about the Gilded Age. Even though I DNF’ed it, I am hesitant to give it one or two stars because I may have just caught this book at the wrong time. I would be interested in reading it again in case my tastes change. 

4.75 STARS (let’s round it up to 5!): I loved this book and read it in one sitting on a Saturday night (this seems like a less pathetic statement now that everyone’s cooped inside because of the ‘Rona). I did not foresee most of the twists. The characters felt super realistic to me even though the two disappearances we follow throughout the book are sensationalized, in line with other books in the domestic thriller genre. The authors’ thoughts on certain social dynamics are not necessarily new to this genre and that’s why it’s not a perfect 5 star read for me. However, this is a super entertaining read that I highly recommend.

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I'm back again...and I'm reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.

I'm not obsessed with it, but this book is pretty entertaining and provides you with some (I imagine because of it's author) realistic insight on 21st century fame.