#studyblr w/ knives reading challenge: mellis reads

[melaschnie]

studyblr w/ knives: winter reading challenge

find what I’ve been reading for the prompts and short(ish) reactions below the cut (this post will be updated along the way and is spoiler free)

links: original challenge post || challenge on storygraph || my storygraph

in chronological order, i read these books for the prompts:

recommended by a friend, main character of colour, and enemies to lovers: all for the game (trilogy) by nora sakavic

these books? hello there! i totally get why people get absolutely hyped about them and end up reading nothing but fanfic for years after having read them which would obviously never happen to me heh nooo. i really loved the books and many of the characters and i can’t wait to buy physical copies to annotate and tab the shit out of them!

book about friendship, published more than 5 years ago, lgbtq+ main character, and fantasy or magical realm: the raven cycle (series) by maggie stiefvater

i am still not quite at a point where i can say what That(tm) was about honestly, but i did enjoy the experience a lot! a big learning i took away from this series (sabrina you’ll be happy to hear this) is that sometimes reading with your brain just doesn’t make sense and will only drive you crazy. i think i still enjoy books that are mostly logical over those where you can’t predict anything, but sometimes just reading based on vibes and going with whatever is happening is a nice way to go too

poetry or non-fiction: norwegen der länge nach by simon michalowicz

this is a german book that a friend lend to me. the author writes about his journey from the south of norway all the way to the north cape. it is written incredibly real and authentic. he doesn’t glamorise the hardships he faced and some of the stories he tells made me very emotional. i don’t think he’s a professional writer so there are a few things that.. could be better, but overall i wouldn’t want to go back to not having read this. not being a person who enjoys camping and not having security in where you will stay or what will happen next myself, seeing someone having a route that long but still being aware that there are so many factors impacting the journey was very impressive

[melaschnie]

Studyblr w/knives: summer reading challenge

(find the original post here!)

What I’ve been reading for the prompts (this post will be updated along the way and is spoiler free): 

In chronological order, I read these books for the challenge:

published this year: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

After having read rwrb last year and especially after hearing Hannah scream about this book, I obviously needed to start reading it myself. A lovely story that really captured me (it took a bit, but it did) and made me root for the characters!

poetry or non-fiction: Will my cat eat my eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty

An incredibly well-written book that brings the reader closer to the topic of death and what happens when our time inevitably comes. Accompanied by amazing illustrations, Doughty answers questions asked by kids and does so in good humour while educating us and creating several what-the-fuck-moments - at least for me.

by an author of colour: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

A book that gave me a hard time in the beginning, maybe because I needed to get used to the completely different style it is written in? It tells an impressive story and is just so real in a way that ordinary, everyday life is. Not the real life as depicted in movies. And while it doesn’t contain any explicit descriptions, I’d advise looking at trigger warnings beforehand if there is anything you don’t want to read about at all. 

mystery or secret identity: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I read this book mostly because I wanted to watch the movie but hey turns out I did in fact already watch parts of the movie and that’s why parts of the book seemed so incredibly familiar lmao. Overall, a good book and it makes a nice read but I don’t think it is one that I will ever read again. At least for now. 

disabled character: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Excuse me, hello, yes, I finally made it to this awesomeness of a book! Over the summer, I’ve first read the trilogy (Shadow and Bone etc.), and I’ve found a wonderful reading partner for soc in Sabrina (bulletnotestudies). I’ve had so much fun reading this book even if uni said no <3 at some point and I had to take a two week break from reading, and nothing will stop me from actually buying this book once I’m not a student anymore. Yes, I’m currently reading Crooked Kingdom too but no, I’m not making steady progress here either lmao. 

a book recommended to you by a friend: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I think I wasn’t quite in the right mindset when I read this book to really appreciate it (actually, I only read the first couple of chapters while still in Germany, I finished it by listening to the audiobook which.. wasn’t the best choice for me personally). So, I’ll have to give it another try at some point in the future because it wasn’t so bad, I think I’d enjoy it if I showed it an appropriate amount of attention!

one word title: Educated by Tara Westover

This is a book that I didn’t anticipate to be quite as good as it was (one of my 5 star reads this year!). It’s non-fiction and it had the perfect mixture of making me angry and sad and just go wild over it. I have to say that there are a few topics that can make people uncomfortable so it’s not a book for everyone, but it’s most definitely worth checking it out!

non-romance centred: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

A book that tells the stories of mothers and daughters, which got better the more it progressed. It didn’t really manage to hold my interest for long amounts of time but I think I’m glad I’ve read it - even though I expected more going in.

title containing a number: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

This one was the other way around, I didn’t expect too much going in but I ended up liking it a lot! In fact, it’s one of my favourite books of the year, mostly because it actually captured me and made me want to continue reading. Would definitely recommend :)

a retelling or historical fiction: The Chinese Garden by Rosemary Manning

*sigh* yet another book that I expected more of. An all-girls school and a (slightly) lesbian storyline but it didn’t really convince me. I don’t really think I have the proper words to describe it anymore but it wasn’t really My Thing. 

trans main character: I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

Alice Oseman my beloved! I really enjoyed this book, it was a very easy read and just had a flow that I didn’t want to interrupt. Sure, there are a lot of topics brought up that partly don’t get enough attention but overall I really enjoyed reading this. I’ve heard there’s a follow-up book planned for this? Let it be known that I Am Looking. Very respectfully.

on your TBR for over a year: In the Company of Liars by David Ellis

This book. Oh god, this book. It started out slow and I didn’t quite know how to deal with it, mostly because it’s in reverse chronological order. But it had me so focused and hyped once I reached the February chapters (you’ll know when you read it). I’m pretty sure that I’ll reread this and get a physical copy, this was an amazing book!

main character of colour: Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Very solid read, but it includes heavy topics that are certainly not for everyone. Please check trigger warnings beforehand! Overall, the book got better and better over time, but mostly I just wanted to shake the characters agdjf. For reasons. Reasons that you’ll know if you read this book.

sci-fi or urban fantasy: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Um, let’s just say that I went in with the expectation to enjoy this book even though I knew about certain critiques regarding some portrayals. Turns out, these were actually so annoying (to me) and I didn’t really get into the plot as much as I wanted to that I debated dnf’ing the book. I pushed through in the end, but let’s be honest I’m not sure how much of the plot I could still get together and (at this point) it’s only been a week since I finished it. So, I’m sure lots of people enjoy this book, but it wasn’t for me.

(dark) academia setting: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

AAAAAAAAH. People(tm) can attest that this book had me in tears. I loved it. Well, mostly. A little bit too much Shakespeare for my taste but I’m also not a literature student or a theatre kid (sadly). Likeable characters, not so likeable characters, technically a tiny bit predictable but that didn’t take the emotion to seeing it written out away. The only thing that made it better (after it got so much worse) was the epilogue. I thought it gave me the final push but then at the last second there was a rope thrown after me that I latched onto. Anyway, I’m still alive to tell you that I loved the book and that this should (and hopefully will) become a knife gang classic.

fake dating: Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Last but not least, I finished the year (and the challenge) with some nice fake dating! It’s been a nice read and the short chapters made it pretty easy to read. I didn’t expect anything groundbreaking, I didn’t get anything groundbreaking, so everything is fine. There were some aspects that I didn’t enjoy but overall it was pretty enjoyable and a nice way to finish the challenge!