Well hello everyone! And how are we doing today? I treated myself to a movie yesterday and went and saw Tick Tick Boom!. The movie musical based on Jonathan Larson’s (the guy who wrote Rent) life, and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. If you don’t know, Larson’s life was tragically cut short and he died the night before Rent began previews on Broadway. He wrote Tick Tick Boom! before he wrote Rent, and it just so happens to be an autobiographical musical. If you like musicals, and you like Rent, I encourage you to see it.
As for my Mental Health this week, it’s doing pretty good. My life has been consumed by Animal Crossing though, so I have been slacking on my reading. That’s filling me with dread. Oh well. The month’s only halfway done. I have time.
Today is WWW Wednesday! WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. WWW Wednesday asks three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
What are you currently reading?
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
I started this one last night and only got a few pages in before I realized how late it was. I will be continuing this as the first few pages seem really good. Plus it’s on my TBR for the month, and I’ve been wanting to read it for a while.
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
I know, I was reading this two weeks ago, but in my defense, I really didn’t like the way the one character was voiced on the audiobook. So yeah, I stopped listening to it for a week. I just picked up the Kindle version the other day and have been reading that since.
What did you recently finish reading?
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
I finished this just last night and I still don’t know how I feel about this book. Was it an interesting read? To be sure. But was it a good read? Eh. I felt it fell more middle-ground for me. This is a book that commands your presence but it leaves you wanting more, and not in a good way. So yeah. I gave it three stars Goodreads.
What do you think you’ll read next?
The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso
This has been on my TBR pile for a year! A year! To be fair, I’ve had lots of books on my TBR for that long. I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and will be happy to see how it concludes.
Well hello, beautiful humans! I am currently sitting here with my cup of tea listening to YouTube videos trying to figure out how to write this topic. Why? Because I’m terrible at book recs. Friends ask for recs and I give the same five recommendations every time.
It’s probably five.
I’m so gonna fail at the “Ten” part of “Top Ten Tuesday” this week.
If You Love Sherlock Holmes You May Like The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall
This one is kind of cheating, but I feel that not enough people talk about this glorious tome. This book is directly inspired by Sherlock Holmes. In fact, the main character is Sherlock Holmes if Sherlock Holmes was a woman…and a sorceress. It was so good. And it has queer rep in it! It really is a fabulous book.
If You Love Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson You May Like X-Men: The Age of Apocalypse Omnibus
And if you like Mistborn you may like AOA. Both deal with what happens when the world is ruled by an all-powerful seemingly immortal tyrant and the rag-tag group of rebels that try and overthrow him. Age of Apocalypse came out 26 years ago, and I picked up every single issue of that series. I absolutely loved it. Keep in mind, AOA is a comic book epic that sprawled at least 5 different titles, so it does take a while to read, but it’s worth it. Mistborn is a wonderful fantasy epic that has three books…that I haven’t finished yet. But I will for sure finish reading it…eventually.
If You Love The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead You May Like The Perilous Order of Camelot by A.A. Attanasio
Both of these Arthurian retellings are amazing. If you have read one and not the other, I highly suggest you pick up the one you haven’t read. The Perilous Order of Camelot is a little darker than The Pendragon Cycle, but it is so good. I mean, it starts with the creation of the universe! What a crazy and amazing way to start a story about King Arthur!
If You Love The Gilmore Girls You May Like Payback’s A Witch by Lana Harper
So I had to think real hard about this one because it was a toss-up between Payback’s a Witch and The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, and Payback won out. The reason it won is that I could just see Emmy being like Rory and being pulled into all the town events, even against her will. Which, let’s be honest, does kind of happen to both of them. But both have that “small-town girl with big city dreams” vibes. The biggest difference is that Payback’s a Witch has positive queer rep, which we love to see. Oh, and witches.
If You Love A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin You May Like Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot
These two book series started coming out right around the same time, but only one of them is finished. That’s a not-so-subtle dig there. The Crown of Stars series is a sprawling epic where, just like in A Song of Ice and Fire, no one is safe.
If You Love Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris You May Like Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
Okay, so hear me out. I know both of these heroines are very different. Sookie likes to think of herself as a southern lady and Mercy, well, isn’t. But both involve some pretty decent (and multiple) love interests, supernatural creatures, unknown family history, and both have resolved (eventually) those love interests. Also, both of them have quite a few books in their respective series, so you’ll have plenty to read.
And here is where I lost, well, me. My brain short-circuited at about this point and I never could get the recommending mojo back. I was worried that would happen.
So did I fail this week’s Top Ten Tuesday. Yes, absolutely. But was I going to miss the chance to talk about some of my favorite books? Absolutely not.
My copy of You Feel It Just Below the Ribs, by Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson, was provided by NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks. In return, I will provide them with an honest review. The publication date is November 16, 2021.
Now that we have the particulars out of the way, you’re probably wondering what I’m thinking about this book. Warning, this is going to be a short review.
To be upfront, I realized something as I was reading this book. See, I wasn’t liking this one and I couldn’t narrow down why. I started to think about it and it hit me. It’s dystopian. Apparently, this is not my genre of storytelling. It does nothing for me.
So, as you can surmise, I didn’t enjoy my reading experience. In fact, I DNF’d it. I will say this though, the writing style was great, the faux memoir concept was fantastic, and I liked the pacing. A big plus in its favor, you couldn’t tell where one author started writing and the other ended, they flowed together so well. I just couldn’t get past the whole dystopian thing, which is a shame.
I know there is an audience out there for this book. And I know people who would enjoy it, but it just wasn’t for me.
Hello beautiful humans! How are y’all doing today? Me, I’m doing great. A little behind on my reading, unfortunately. My currently reading stack sits at four and my completed reads stack sits at zero. This is bad because it’s the 12th and I feel like I’ve barely gotten started on the month.
I blame Animal Crossing and TikTok.
I’ll do better, I think.
On to First Lines Friday!
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
The Lines:
“Sarah Huff needed a gun. A gun of her own. She wouldn’t tell her mom about it. She wouldn’t tell Anna about it. If they knew she had a gun, they would just freak out and make the whole situation worse. She went to a strung-out 22-year-old named Bryce, who loitered around the same abandoned corner in the free zones of Rockville every day, selling black market shit to anyone who needed it.”
Intruiged?
Point B by Drew Magary
When the corporate monolith PortSys brought porting to the masses, CEO Emilia Kirsch and her son Jason accomplished what every other startup company had failed to deliver. They really did change the world. They reversed climate change. They created a multitrillion-dollar industry out of thin air, curing economic woes across the globe. They made it so that anyone could be anywhere simply by touching a screen…
…including the man who murdered Sarah Huff.
Now Sarah’s 17–year-old sister, Anna, is determined to hunt the bastard down. But there are a few problems. She doesn’t know who the killer is, or where in the world he may be at any given moment. Also, she’s stuck at prestigious Druskin Academy, where PortPhones are banned and any student who attempts to port off-campus is immediately expelled.
It gets stickier. Anna’s also fallen in love with her dazzling new roommate, who just so happens to be Emilia Kirsch’s daughter, Lara. The dean of students wants Anna dead, perhaps literally. And she has only two friends to confide in: one a reckless alcoholic and the other a bizarre fussbudget. Oh, and now she also needs to find Lara, who has mysteriously disappeared from campus.
I read The Postmortal by this author and gave it 4 stars. But I also read The Hike and DNF’d it. So this book sits kinda middle ground on my TBR pile, which is terrible, because it means I don’t want to get to it anytime soon, but I still want to read it. The burdens we bear as book readers. Do you have a book you’re worried that will disappoint you?
Happy November everyone! Are you excited about the month of ritual sacrifice? You know, the month when we offer up a Turkey to our ancestors and hope that the things we are thankful for remain the same or get better.
Yeah, ever since that episode of Buffy where Anya calls Thanksgiving a day of sacrifice I have never been able to look at it another way again. Not gonna lie, I kinda like it that way.
I would like to say I have a themed TBR for you this month, but alas, I do not. So on to the books!
The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso
While winter snows keep the Witch Lord Ruven’s invading armies at bay, Lady Amalia Cornaro and the fire warlock Zaira attempt to change the fate of mages in the Raverran Empire forever, earning the enmity of those in power who will do anything to keep all magic under tight imperial control. But in the season of the Serene City’s great masquerade, Ruven executes a devastating surprise strike at the heart of the Empire — and at everything Amalia holds most dear.
To stand a chance of defeating Ruven, Amalia and Zaira must face their worst nightmares, expose their deepest secrets, and unleash Zaira’s most devastating fire.
I read the second book in this series last year and then just never made it to this one! I hope it’s good, especially because I have ordered her two most recent books. So, here’s hoping!
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
Jamie woke up in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to his identity, but with the ability to read and erase other people’s memories—a power he uses to hold up banks to buy coffee, cat food and books.
Zoe is also searching for her past, and using her abilities of speed and strength…to deliver fast food. And she’ll occasionally put on a cool suit and beat up bad guys, if she feels like it.
When the archrivals meet in a memory-loss support group, they realize the only way to reveal their hidden pasts might be through each other. As they uncover an ongoing threat, suddenly much more is at stake than their fragile friendship. With countless people at risk, Zoe and Jamie will have to recognize that sometimes being a hero starts with trusting someone else—and yourself.
This book has been on my TBR cart ever since I picked it up from Book Of the Month earlier this year. I’ve really wanted to get to it and just haven’t. Shame on me. It sounds so good!
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novick
I decided that Orion Lake needed to die after the second time he saved my life.
Everyone loves Orion Lake. Everyone else, that is. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep his flashy combat magic to himself. I’m not joining his pack of adoring fans.
I don’t need help surviving the Scholomance, even if they do. Forget the hordes of monsters and cursed artifacts, I’m probably the most dangerous thing in the place. Just give me a chance and I’ll level mountains and kill untold millions, make myself the dark queen of the world.
At least, that’s what the world expects. Most of the other students in here would be delighted if Orion killed me like one more evil thing that’s crawled out of the drains. Sometimes I think they want me to turn into the evil witch they assume I am. The school certainly does.
But the Scholomance isn’t getting what it wants from me. And neither is Orion Lake. I may not be anyone’s idea of the shining hero, but I’m going to make it out of this place alive, and I’m not going to slaughter thousands to do it, either.
Although I’m giving serious consideration to just one.
Another one I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. I’ve never read anything else by the author, though I do have Uprooted by her.
The Night Country by Melissa Albert
With Finch’s help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother’s dark legacy. Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in New York City, where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life. But something is stalking the Hinterland’s survivors—and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose. Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Finch seeks his own adventure, and—if he can find it—a way back home…
I really enjoyed The Hazel Wood, so I have high expectations for it’s sequel.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
The first novel in C.S. Lewis’s classic sci-fi trilogy which tells the adventure of Dr Ransom who is kidnapped and transported to Mars In the first novel of C.S. Lewis’s classic science fiction trilogy, Dr Ransom, a Cambridge academic, is abducted and taken on a spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra, which he knows as Mars. His captors are plotting to plunder the planet’s treasures and plan to offer Ransom as a sacrifice to the creatures who live there. Ransom discovers he has come from the ‘silent planet’ — Earth — whose tragic story is known throughout the universe!
I’ve wanted to read this since I found out that C.S. Lewis wrote a sci-fi book. In fact, I bought the whole trilogy without reading the first book. I have a bad habit of doing that.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?
Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as The Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere. But The Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to obey: Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn–but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.
I have heard such good things about this book, I’m hoping it lives up to all the hype surrounding it.
Pirinesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls, an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
This is a book club pick for the Literarily Wasted book club I’m in. You can find them on Facebook. I love it when I get to read a book I already own for book club!
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend.
One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.”
Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?
This is another book club pick (yes, I’m in two). It won by a landslide, which is crazy.
Why, oh why am I trying to read 8 books this month? I have no idea. Also, this seems to be the month of books I’ve been meaning to get to for a while. Pray for me, cause I’m gonna need all the help I can get.
Welcome! Wednesday is a Mental Health Check-In day for me. I mean, we should be checking in on our mental health every day, but I find that when my mental health is in a good place (like it is right now), a once-a-week check in is good. It helps to take stock of our various mental health issues and make sure that our needs are being met. Needs like drinking our water, taking our meds, checking in with friends and family, or talking to our therapists.
I don’t have a therapist yet, but I’m working on it.
Today is also WWW Wednesday! WWW Wednesday is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. WWW Wednesday asks three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
What are you currently reading?
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
My book club that meets twice a month has a book club meeting tonight! And this is the book of choice for the month. We read up to the start of a chapter that makes halfway-point in the book and then discuss the first half of the book at the first meeting. So far the book is interesting. That’s all I’ll say. Yeah, interesting works.
What did you recently finish reading?
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
I started this book a while ago and didn’t get to finish it before the library took it back. It seems I have hit a reading slump. This is not good given the length of my TBR this month. What I read of the book before it went away was pretty good, and I have already signed up to borrow it again. It’s going to be a little while though.
What do you think you’ll read next?
We Could Be Heroes by Mike Chen
This book is actually on my TBR for the month. Does that mean I’ll actually get to it? No. But it is sitting in my TBR cart next to my couch, so I’m hoping I’ll grab it when I’m done with Piranesi. We shall see!
I hope everyone has a good Wednesday and remembers to take care of themselves!
Hello and welcome! I have a confession to make. I found this week’s Top Ten Tuesday challenging. Why is it a challenge, you may be asking? Well, it’s because I can never remember if a quote I like is something a character says or thinks! So I decided to include both. Also, I don’t remember the actual characters that said the quotes.
I’m bad at remembering things like that. Chalk it up to a disorganized mind. Thanks ADHD.
“Just because something seems impossible doesn’t make it untrue.”
Written by Deborah Harkness in A Discovery of Witches. I have made no secret of my love for this series. I will continue to sing its praises for years to come. Is it perfect? No. There is no such thing as a perfect book. And that’s okay. Hmm, getting a little preachy there Lauren. Moving on!
“Don’t cry about troubles that haven’t yet come.”
Written by Patricia Briggs in Moon Called. This is part of a longer line, but the advice from this part of it is sound. I have generalized anxiety so I tend to do worry about future problems that haven’t happened yet. This quote is a good reminder not to.
“Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is an ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.”
Written by TJ Klune in Under the Whispering Door. This book is infinitely quotable. Seriously. Another quote I love is “It’s never enough, is it? Time. We always think we have so much of it, but when it really counts, we don’t have enough at all.” I mean, come on! I’m only going to count the one above though, because reasons.
“You can’t change the past. You can’t change other people. You can change you though. You narrate this story. So start to write a new chapter.”
Written by Matt Haig in The Comfort Book. This book is full of good quotes and memorable chapters. It helps that it’s a self-help book, kinda. It’s mostly thoughts, feeling, blurbs and musings by the author that make him feel better when he is feeling lost himself. I highly recommend you check it out if you suffer from depression. It won’t cure you, but it might make you smile.
“What’s the purpose of me?” “You’re here to learn about people.” “That’s something I’m doing. That’s not my reason for being. When I am done with this, I will do other things.”
Written by Becky Chamber in A Psalm for the Wild Built. This conversation between the two characters is extraordinarily deep. It opened up a whole new avenue of thinking for me, and it might for you too. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to think this much in a story between a robot and a monk.
“People without depression won’t understand that, but the fatigue of mental illness makes your very body a prison.”
Written by Jenny Lawson in Broken (in the best possible way). I will always recommend anything by Jenny Lawson. Her memoirs about mental health resonate with a lot of people. It’s hard sometimes to find writers that truly encapsulate the mental health struggle, but she manages it.
“It’s something small, but I think the smaller things can be just as important.”
Written by TJ Klune in The House in the Cerulean Sea. You didn’t think this list was going to happen without this book on it, did you? This book really spoke to me earlier this year and I can see myself reading it again when I need a hug. I know, I have the Hubs for actual hugs, but I meant figurative hugs.
“Kindness is what brings true pleasure in life.”
Written by Jeff Guinn in The Autobiography of Santa Claus. I love Christmas, and this book was just filled with the holiday spirit. It’s a great book to read with your older kids (meaning not toddlers, because there are depictions of war), but for your middle-grade readers, this could be a fun read. It’s got 25 chapters, so a chapter a day until Christmas!
“I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites.”
Written by Martha Wells in All Systems Red. Murderbot is the best, aren’t they? I haven’t finished this series, having only read the first one. I need to fix that. But there is something wholesome about a robot that just wants to watch its shows and calls itself Murderbot.
“Inexperience can be overcome, ignorance can be enlightened, but prejudice will destroy you.”
Written by Mercedes Lackey in The Black Gryphon. My love for Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar set books runs deep, and this prequel to those books is no exception. Her books are riddled with lines like these. You’ll find yourself nodding along in agreement with them quite often.
Honorable mention: “In my experience, everybody hurts everybody. The trick is picking the kind of hurt you want to live with.” Written by Alexis Hall in The Affair of the Mysterious Letter. Cause ouch.
Well, there you have it. Ten memorable quotes where I can’t remember the person who said them! Oh well. At least I had quotes. Did I have to dive into the furthest recesses of my mind and then google them to make sure I got them right? Yes, yes I did. It’s that disorganized mind thing again.
The beginning of October is when I celebrate my birthday! Huzzah! This year I was wisely presented with gift cards and books as birthday offerings. It was great. I may have gone overboard.
Maybe.
Definitely.
I tried to stick with books that I have wanted for a while so I was able to stretch those gift cards out a little bit farther. It worked…as you will be able to see.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.
This was an actual gift from the Hubs. I legit squealed when I got it. Still haven’t read it yet. Gotta fix that.
Quicksilver Court by Melissa Caruso
Ryxander, the Warden of Gloamingard, has failed. Unsealed by her blood, the Door hidden within the black tower has opened. Now, for the first time since the age of the Graces, demons walk the world.
As tensions grow between nations, all eyes—and daggers—are set on Morgrain, which has fallen under the Demon of Discord’s control. When an artifact with the power to wipe out all life in a domain is stolen, Ryx will do whatever it takes to save her home from destruction. But success may demand a larger sacrifice from Ryx than she could have imagined.
Is it bad that I bought the sequel when I haven’t even read the first one yet? I love the authors writing and am very happy to add this one to the collection!
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
Cecilia Bassingwaite is the ideal Victorian lady. She’s also a thief. Like the other members of the Wisteria Society crime sorority, she flies around England drinking tea, blackmailing friends, and acquiring treasure by interesting means. Sure, she has a dark and traumatic past and an overbearing aunt, but all things considered, it’s a pleasant existence. Until the men show up.
Ned Lightbourne is a sometimes assassin who is smitten with Cecilia from the moment they meet. Unfortunately, that happens to be while he’s under direct orders to kill her. His employer, Captain Morvath, who possesses a gothic abbey bristling with cannons and an unbridled hate for the world, intends to rid England of all its presumptuous women, starting with the Wisteria Society. Ned has plans of his own. But both men have made one grave mistake. Never underestimate a woman.
When Morvath imperils the Wisteria Society, Cecilia is forced to team up with her handsome would-be assassin to save the women who raised her–hopefully proving, once and for all, that she’s as much of a scoundrel as the rest of them.
This was an option for voting for one of my book clubs a few months ago, and while it didn’t win, I have been intrigued by the premise ever since I saw it.
The Ruthless Ladies Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner
Dellaria Wells, petty con artist, occasional thief, and partly educated fire witch, is behind on her rent in the city of Leiscourt—again. Then she sees the “wanted” sign, seeking Female Persons, of Martial or Magical ability, to guard a Lady of some Importance, prior to the celebration of her Marriage. Delly fast-talks her way into the job and joins a team of highly peculiar women tasked with protecting their wealthy charge from unknown assassins.
Delly quickly sets her sights on one of her companions, the confident and well-bred Winn Cynallum. The job looks like nothing but romance and easy money until things take a deadly (and undead) turn. With the help of a bird-loving necromancer, a shapeshifting schoolgirl, and an ill-tempered reanimated mouse named Buttons, Delly and Winn are determined to get the best of an adversary who wields a twisted magic and has friends in the highest of places.
This one has been on my to-buy list since January. I am so looking forward to reading this. This means I probably won’t get to it until 2023.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Elatsoe—Ellie for short—lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant groups. She can raise the spirits of dead animals—most importantly, her ghost dog Kirby. When her beloved cousin dies, all signs point to a car crash, but his ghost tells her otherwise: He was murdered.
Who killed him and how did he die? With the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elatsoe, must track down the killer and unravel the mystery of this creepy town and its dark past. But will the nefarious townsfolk and a mysterious Doctor stop her before she gets started?
Yes. All of this. and the cover under the jacket is so pretty. That’s not why I bought it, I promise. It was totally the story.
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point of View by Various
On May 21, 1980, Star Wars became a true saga with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. In honor of the fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from The Empire Strikes Back through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains, to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists:
• Austin Walker explores the unlikely partnership of bounty hunters Dengar and IG-88 as they pursue Han Solo. • Hank Green chronicles the life of a naturalist caring for tauntauns on the frozen world of Hoth. • Tracy Deonn delves into the dark heart of the Dagobah cave where Luke confronts a terrifying vision. • Martha Wells reveals the world of the Ugnaught clans who dwell in the depths of Cloud City. • Mark Oshiro recounts the wampa’s tragic tale of loss and survival. • Seth Dickinson interrogates the cost of serving a ruthless empire aboard the bridge of a doomed Imperial starship.
Plus more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from: Tom Angleberger, Sarwat Chadda, S.A. Chakraborty, Mike Chen, Adam Christopher, Katie Cook, Zoraida Córdova, Delilah S.Dawson, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Christie Golden, Rob Hart, Lydia Kang, Michael Kogge, R. F. Kuang, C. B. Lee, Mackenzi Lee, John Jackson Miller, Michael Moreci, Daniel José Older, Amy Ratcliffe, Beth Revis, Lilliam Rivera, Cavan Scott, Emily Skrutskie, Karen Strong, Anne Toole, Catherynne M. Valente, Django Wexler, Kiersten White, Gary Whitta, Brittany N. Williams, Charles Yu, Jim Zub
All participating authors have generously forgone any compensation for their stories. Instead, their proceeds will be donated to First Book—a leading nonprofit that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to educators and organizations serving children in need. To further celebrate the launch of this book and both companies’ longstanding relationships with First Book, Penguin Random House will donate $100,000 to First Book and Disney/Lucasfilm will donate 100,000 children’s books—valued at $1,000,000—to support First Book and their mission of providing equal access to quality education.
So I loved the A New Hope volume in this series. I love that this is a book where the publisher is giving back to charity. Especially to a charity that works with children in need.
The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford
Teagan Frost is having a hard time keeping it together. Sure, she’s got telekinetic powers — a skill that the government is all too happy to make use of, sending her on secret break-in missions that no ordinary human could carry out. But all she really wants to do is kick back, have a beer, and pretend she’s normal for once. But then a body turns up at the site of her last job — murdered in a way that only someone like Teagan could have pulled off. She’s got 24 hours to clear her name – and it’s not just her life at stake. If she can’t unravel the conspiracy in time, her hometown of Los Angeles will be in the crosshairs of an underground battle that’s on the brink of exploding . . .
Telekentic powers? Mysterious murders? Strong Female Protagionist? Sign me up!
Monstress Vol One by Majorie Lui, art by Sana Takada
Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steampunk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.
I’m not gonna lie, I bought this Trade Paperback for the cover art alone. When I got it I flipped through it and the art is just incredible. I hope the story is just as good.
A Natural History of Dragons (a Novel by Lady Trent) by Marie Brennan
You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .
All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.
I saw this one on YouTube and was like “yes, I need that” because dragons!
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation. Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications. When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will. Most of them.
I bought this one because of BookTok. It’s been making the rounds. Which is impressive for a self-published book. It’s done so well it got picked up by Tor. I actually hope to read it soon, because if I like it, I will pre-order the Tor version. Gotta support those who self-pub.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere… else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced… they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up toNancy and her newfound schoolmates to get to the heart of things.
No matter the cost.
Another one I bought because of BookTube. I watch too much YouTube. Also, it sounds good. Plus it’s short, so it should be a quick read.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.
Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.
Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.
Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.
I loved this book back when I read it in July. But that was a library copy and I wanted a copy of my very own to love! I did give it 4 stars, btw’s. It kept me entertained the whole time I read it!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark
An epic clash between the forces of light and dark, between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, between brave heroes and brilliant villains, the fate of the galaxy is at stake in the Emmy Award-winning animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In this exciting anthology, eleven authors who are also fans of the series bring stories from their favorite show to life. Gathered here are memorable moments and stunning adventures, from attempted assassinations to stolen bounties, from lessons learned to loves lost. All of your favorite characters from The Clone Wars are here: Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, Darth Maul, Count Dooku and more!
Can you tell I like the Star Wars anthologies? Because I do. I really need to read the 5 million other books in the Star Wars canon (not the legacy books, I’d be here for years, although, Mara Jade.)
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso
“They called me the Bitch Queen, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and exiled my king the night before they crowned me.”
Born under the crumbling towers of her kingdom, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves. It nearly tore her nation apart. But her arranged marriage to the son of a rival clan heralds peace.
However, he suddenly disappears before their reign can begin, and the kingdom is fractured beyond repair.
Years later, he sends a mysterious invitation to meet. Talyien journeys across the sea in hopes of reconciling their past. An assassination attempt quickly dashes those dreams. Stranded in a land she doesn’t know, with no idea whom she can trust, Talyien will have to embrace her namesake.
So, I already own the Kindle version of this one. Didn’t know that until I looked today. I bought the physical copy on Amazon, but you know how you type something into the search bar and it gives you the option of kindle, audiobook, or paperback? Well, I picked paperback and never saw that I had already purchased this. Oh well. Now I have two copies.
Revenger Trilogy by Alastair Reynolds
Revenger is a rocket-fueled tale of space pirates, buried treasure, and phantom weapons, of unspeakable hazards and single-minded heroism. . . and of vengeance. . .
Adrana and Fura Ness are the newest crew members of the legendary Captain Rackamore’s ship, using their mysterious powers as Bone Readers to find clues about their next score. But there might be more waiting for them in space than adventure and fortune: the fabled and feared Bosa Sennen, in particular.
The galaxy is filled with treasures. . . if you have the courage to find them.
This is a set I picked up at the used book store near us. I don’t know if it’s good or bad that the whole series was there, but we got them. But the Hubs was interested, and I was interested, so score!
Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner
Set in 1991, just as Star Trek: The Next Generation has rocketed the cast to global fame, the young and impressionable actor Brent Spiner receives a mysterious package and a series of disturbing letters, that takes him on a terrifying and bizarre journey that enlists Paramount Security, the LAPD, and even the FBI in putting a stop to the danger that has his life and career hanging in the balance.
Featuring a cast of characters from Patrick Stewart to Levar Burton to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, to some completely imagined, this is the fictional autobiography that takes readers into the life of Brent Spiner and tells an amazing tale about the trappings of celebrity and the fear he has carried with him his entire life.
When I saw that Brent Spiner had written a book, I knew I had to buy it, so I did. It was a birthday present to me from me!
The Awakening by Nora Roberts
In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…
When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father—and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.
This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny…
I was wandering through Costco, as one does, when I stumbled across this one. Will it be good? No idea, But I’m going to find out. Eventually.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.
But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.
Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.
Picked this one up for one of my book clubs last month and I was disappointed. Sorry Book! I had to DNF you!
Vampires Never Get Old edited by Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.
Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.
Vampires Never Get Old includes stories by authors both bestselling and acclaimed, including Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.
I read this YA short story compilation and thought it was good. I gave it four stars because it had one bad story but the rest were pretty good! Also, I picked it up on Bookshop.org for $0.50 more than it was on Amazon. That’s not always the case, but it’s worth checking out.
Anywho, there is my massive book haul for the month. I think I’ll be okay with only buying the books I need for the book clubs next month. Maybe one more. Maybe. Let’s see if I can actually do a book buying ban for the month of November, shall we?
If you’re reading this, I am hip-deep in the newly released DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If I miss a post or don’t read as much this month, this is why. This is a game that I have managed to play almost every day for over a year and a half, and I still haven’t put as many hours into the game as some people I know. It’s crazy. I do be loving Lucky, though. He’s my favorite villager. Well, him and Raymond.
Anyway, you didn’t come here for a treatise on AC: NH. You came here for First Lines Friday!
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author, or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
The Lines:
“I haul my sister’s luggage down the stairs, letting the suitcase strike every step. The noise reverberates into the house and joins with the echoes of thunder in a foreboding rhythm. Nevertheless, I feel a sliver of pleasure whenever I drop the wheels onto the undeserving hardwood.”
Intrigued?
That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare’s Most Notable Works Reimagined Edited by Dahlia Adler
West Side Story. 10 Things I Hate About You. Kiss Me, Kate. Contemporary audiences have always craved reimaginings of Shakespeare’s most beloved works. Now, some of today’s best writers for teens take on the Bard in these 15 whip-smart and original retellings!
Contributors include Dahlia Adler (reimagining The Merchant of Venice), Kayla Ancrum (The Taming of the Shrew), Lily Anderson (All’s Well That Ends Well), Melissa Bashardoust (A Winter’s Tale), Patrice Caldwell (Hamlet), A.R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy (Much Ado About Nothing), Brittany Cavallaro (Sonnet 147), Joy McCullough (King Lear), Anna-Marie McLemore (Midsummer Night’s Dream), Samantha Mabry (Macbeth), Tochi Onyebuchi (Coriolanus), Mark Oshiro (Twelfth Night), Lindsay Smith (Julius Caesar), Kiersten White (Romeo and Juliet), and Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (The Tempest).
Apparently, I just like short story collections. You can’t tell me, or my pocketbook, otherwise. Is this book on my TBR for this month? Nope. Do I want to read it? Absolutely. Sigh. The things I do to myself.
Last month went by fast. I read 11 books! 11! And if I had kept up my momentum I would have read 14. Alas, I got distracted by the fanfiction corner of the internet. Meaning AO3. I spent 4 days on AO3.
And then my cat got sick and had to have surgery. I spent so much time being worried about her that I couldn’t focus to read. She is currently wearing the cone of shame.
Yeah, KoKo doesn’t like it either. I had to buy her a new feeding dish and switch her to wet food to get her to eat, because cone of shame!
My poor baby.
But before I got distracted by the world, I read these 11 books!
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
“Never mix vodka and magic.” When Vivienne gets dumped, she gets drunk with her cousin and curses her ex, but it shouldn’t take if you use a Bath and Body Work candle, right? 9 years later, handsome and successful, Rhys returns to town only to find out that he has been cursed. Together he and Vivienne have to work together to break the curse before he, and the town, end up dead.
I really liked this book. I reviewed it last month so you can see my full thoughts about it here, but I thought it adorable. I gave it 4 stars.
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow
Zinnia, having the last birthday she will ever have due to an illness, is thrust into the world of sleeping beauty. But all is not as it seems. Can Zinnia save the day? This short novella was great. I really enjoyed the plot, characters, and writing in this little story. Also, some positive LBGTQ+ rep for you. I gave it 4 stars and have already pre-ordered the sequel.
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
Thomas delivers a book, and that opens his life to the occult. This novella was interesting, but it was only a three-star read for me. Even the ending, which was really great, couldn’t make up for the rest of the book.
Noor by Nnedi Okorafo
After tragedy strikes each of them, the augmented AO and herdsman DNA must make their way across the unforgiving Nigerian desert, which has undergone its own cataclysm. This African Futurist novella was great. I really enjoyed the world-building here and the character writing was top-notch. I have a full review here. This was a 4 star read!
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
Noah’s dad sees monsters. Noah and his family run the horror park his dad built. The difference between Noah and his dad? Noah lets the monsters in. I’ll be honest, I didn’t like this one. I couldn’t connect with the story and the writing was just kinda meh. I DNF’d it.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
Imanuelle is the outsider of outsiders in her puritanical society where the Prophet’s word is law. When an accident causes her to go into the woods she has been forbidden to go in, she finds her mother’s diary and finds out she had taken refuge there herself. The secrets the diary unlocks may be the only thing that can save Imanuelle, and Bethel. I DNF’d this one too. The way the author described even mundane things made me cringe. No one in my book club liked it. So I don’t feel too bad.
Child of Light by Terry Brooks
Auris escape the prison she has lived in since she was 15, which is as far back as her memory goes. Her desperate escape takes her deep into the wastelands and straight into Elven hands. Oh, and she might be an Elf? I wrote a review for this one. You can find it here. I had to look up my own review to find out the synopsis because I had blocked it out. This book was so bad that, even though I had been sent the book to review through Net Galley, I had to DNF it.
Breach of Peace by Daniel B Greene
Officers of God are called to investigate the horrific bothering of an imperial family. What they uncover is a conspiracy that runs far deeper than murder. This novella is the first offering from YouTuber Daniel Green and I think it turned out pretty well. Well enough that I gave it 4 stars.
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite by Various
A YA short story collection that is all about vampires. It covers everything, from becoming a vampire to reflections to vampires in the modern era. It had some good stories, some great ones, and a bad one. That being said, I gave this intriguing collection 4 out of 5 stars.
Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper
Emmy Harlow hasn’t been back home in years, but she’s been called back to do her duty as the arbiter of the town witch’s tournament. Of course, that’s when she finds out that her high school ex was dating her best friend, Linden, and was cheating on her with Talia, both of whom are children of powerful with families. Naturally, the scorned women hatch a revenge plot. I really liked this book. I think I’m getting into contemporary romance. Go figure. 4 stars.
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Silver Borne is the 5th book in the Mercy Thompson series. This one involves an ancient fae relic and an angry fae. I won’t go into more detail because it would spoil the last book. But it should come as no surprise that I love this series. 5 stars.
As far as my TBR for the month is concerned, I only missed it by two books. That’s not bad considering there were 7 books on there. I seem to have read every book but those two though. Oh well. It happens.
On to the stats!
It would appear that, as always, my mood was adventurous. By 8 books.
I’m never exactly surprised by this particular stat. It always seems to match what I think the pace of the book actually is.
If you are surprised I read 10 fantasy books, then it’s like you don’t even know me and I’m gonna take that personally! Just kidding, it’s fine if you are surprised, it just means you’re new here. Welcome!
I find it weird that I very rarely ever give a book a 2 star rating. Oh well. But this was the month of 4 star books. I’m not mad about that.
I must admit, I thought I read more books over 300 pages than I did. 6 seems small.
You can tell where I slowed down my reading last month. I started the month off so strong, and the just stopped. Oh well. There is always this month!
I love sharing my stats with you. It’s one of my favorite parts of the month. If you want to see your stats, you can start using The Storygraph. It’s based out of the UK, so if you are an American user, the page counts are usually off by about five to ten pages, but other than that, it’s great! You can also upload your Goodreads library to it, so it’ll have your stats for months or years past, as long as you updated Goodreads regularly. I did not before I started blogging, so that was my issue. This is not a sponsored post, I just really love this site.
Lauren Corcur 