Still working my way through this one — it‘s an oddly dissociative story, which makes it easy not to pick up again right away. Yet, I enjoy it very much when reading. Maybe just a January lull? I‘ve been rereading regency romances in between times lol.
New book for the new year! Back at the office, reading on the lunch hour. A bright spot in the day😊
I‘m seriously in love with this book…I know the story is just as good no@matter what the book looks like, but…wowza this is lovely.
pickThis was a beast of a book, but so engaging that it didn‘t feel long. Rin is an excellent heroine, who grows and changes so much during this epic tale. War, gods, shamanism, friendship and everything in between, it somehow didn‘t feel like too much to digest. And a really interesting part of world history that I didn‘t know anything about before, even though through a fictional lens. Can‘t wait to start book 2!
About to dive into my favourite Xmas present, this unbelievably gorgeous Folio edition of one of my all-time favourite books. It‘s so beautiful I almost don‘t want touch it!! 😍🥰
Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe.
#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
I. Not really any Christmas Eve traditions, but always dinner with family and cookies left out for Santa.
II. Christmas dinner is always turkey, with all the fixings! Although this year I‘m hosting and am changing up the sides a little😁🎅🏼 Hopefully it goes well🤞🏻🤞🏻
#WondrousWednesday @Eggs
Time for an annual holiday read! This book is deftly clever, darkly hilarious, and an old favourite of mine😊🎅🏼
#christmas2022
This series continues delightfully weird…Strange secrets and devious plans; a surprise traitor - or ARE they?! A new and seriously creepy adult, more kids in on the secret — sort of — and a mystery in the library. So much is happening!
pickA fun and clever mystery, with lots of twists and turns — literal and metaphorical! Marion is a believable reluctant heroine, with identifiable issues and an engaging coterie of friends and enemies. I didn‘t see the ending coming, and the post-WWII setting allowed for some intriguing plot points. Will definitely pick up the next in the series!
This book gave me so many new ways to look at the world, and people, and how we think and what we are made of. It‘s a truly fascinating and deeply meaningful read.
#SundayFunday @ozma.of.oz
Threads of steam rose from the warm tarmac.
#FirstLineFridays. @ShyBookOwl
This story is super weird and I‘m digging it. Kids against demons? Mysterious overlords? Dystopic world? I‘m into it. Definitely my speed with a fever today…
pickWhat a charmer this book was. The last of the series focusing on the Raje family, this book was sweet and tumultuous, with fab characterization and lots of capital-R romance. The Emma parallels were both subtle and outright stated, which ended up being clever. Smart, funny, and emotional. This whole series is a must read, really, just totally lovely all around.
pickThis sequel to The Windsor Knot was another absolute delight. The plot managed to be both labyrinthine and engaging, and though there were a few tells, I definitely didn‘t get all the details in my own. Lots more of the Queen‘s POV in this one, which was charming and witty and clever, and of course, heavily nostalgic now. Definitely recommend for mystery lovers!
Haul from the delightful House of Anansi‘s holiday sale! Totally worth the drive across the city😁
so-soThis one has a very interesting world concept — vampires of many species all inhabiting our world and relegated to certain areas. Fighting amongst themselves seems almost inevitable… the story was solid and engaging overall, but the pacing felt uneven and that made it hard for me to keep a sustained interest. Still a good read if you like the darker side of vampire fiction.
Mystery for lunchtime! I expect this will feel a little nostalgic…
so-soI have mixed feelings. This was a quick read, and an engaging one for sure. Nora (MC) is easy to like and to identify with, and her struggles are all too familiar. But it felt, a lot of the time, a pretty heavy-handed statement, at times a little cliched, and it kept interrupting the flow for me. What tried to be philosophical seemed a little too self-help, and neat and tidy for what the character was really experiencing. Left me a little flat.
Is it bad that I picked this to read next because it was the only one left unread in the pile right beside me? 😁 Regardless, onward!
Classically, the BBC version of Neverwhere is just **chef‘s kiss** in that classic BBC kind of way. Currently, His Dark Materials is SERIOUSLY good.
#SundayFunday @ozma.of.oz
pickThis was blazingly good — a fantasy woven of fable and its own myth, promises and obligation, love and need, secrets and magic and loss. The characters live and breathe in a way almost tangible, and the story just pulses with their emotion and experiences truly exceptional, esp as a debut novel.
Two nights before she was sent to the Wolf, Red wore a dress the colour of blood.
#firstlinefridays
This felt like a good fall-winter read, but boy am I sorry I picked it up over my lunch hour. Kickstarts right into the main action of the story, and is immediately compelling. How I am supposed to pay attention to work now is beyond me🤣
pickAlthough this took me a long time to read, please don‘t take that as an indication of its quality — just my up-and-down reading life. A fantastical journey through a world just a sidestep from our own in the surface, full of magic, dragons & doomsful prophecy on the surface; a heartfelt examination of the struggle, hubris & true magic of being human underneath. Patrick Ness always makes me feel things, and this engaging book was no exception.
pickA blast of a book, with entertaining characters, an twisty little mystery, and just enough nostalgia to make it enjoyable. The author‘s portrayal of a teen with severe anxiety really hit home, as the mom of a similar teen. I thought it was particularly sensitively handled and well done. A short read, just right for a short trip!
pickNot quite as quick a read as the first book, at least not for me, but still a killer story. A lot more character development, and a deeper exploration of the universe‘s magics, with more death, destruction, plotting and mayhem. The main characters are somehow BOTH tragic figures, and the drive to see just what will happen to them is what really pushes the story along. A truly excellent read.
Liberated from an airport bookshop because I just couldn‘t resist…wonder if the 3 hours I have left on layover is enough to finish it😂
#travelreads
pickThis book was so good I just rolled into the sequel (Fevered Star) without stopping to review! Top notch world building, with a manageable host of characters of a wide range, a bit of mystery, bit of magic, and enough action to drive the fast-paced plot to a breathtaking conclusion. This is high fantasy done right, people. All the stars.
bailedI left this for a week or so to see if my interest would pick up, and it just…didn‘t. I found the characters either flat or downright dislikable, and there isn‘t really a plot to hang onto since it revolves completely around the MC. I did think some about WHY I didn‘t like it, and if it made me uncomfortable because of societal mores and women‘s “place”, but I don‘t think that was it. I just plain didn‘t care for it.
“Today he would become a god. his mother had told him so.”
#firstlinefridays
pickDefinitely a walk on the dark side of fairy tales, where everything has a price. MC Marra is essentially, keenly relatable, and there is plenty of creep factor, with a side of wry humour to keep things from being too weighed down. The plot is fast paced and engaging — I stayed up again reading, lol. I should know better…but a definite emphatic pick on this one!
Current Kindle read — so far, a dark fairy tale, exploring what happens AFTER the happy ever after…and it‘s not good. Compulsively readable. Does it count as a Halloween read?
pickWhat a finely crafted series this was. A circle rather than an arc, with complex characters who grew and changed, particularly the MC, stories that curved and twisted only to link back together neat as a pin. The third book, especially, had a strong creep factor that kept me reading. Pip‘s (MC) development was fascinating, and everything wrapped up in a believable-to-life sort of way. I mean, more or less. Big recommend on all three books!
pickPHEW! This sequel was faster paced and more intense than the first book — I stayed up til the wee hours last night finishing it, even though I know better. Lots of action, thoughtful mysteries, and some interesting, in-depth character development. Maybe a couple more obvious clues than the first, but that didn‘t detract from the experience. On to book 3! (So glad I don‘t have to wait!)
pickWhat a ride! An absolute roller coaster of a book, stuffed with secrets and riddles, and a mystery that‘s as tangled as any I‘ve come across. Pip (MC) is likeable and appealing, and it is easy to see why she becomes compulsively wrapped up in this story. On to book 2!
Current Kindle read…I wasn‘t sure I loved the framework at first, but it‘s growing on me. It certainly allows for a lot of development. Just starting to get creepy…
I‘ve been reading the Gunnie Rose series on Kindle and thoroughly enjoying it, but not moved to review. They‘re fun books with twisty plots and engaging characters. I dunno. Worth a look if you like a dystopian future with a little magic lots of hijinks.
pickA clever, moodily atmospheric mystery, with a solid creep factor and engaging characters. Inspired by Agatha Christie‘s And Then There Were None, this story travels its own unique path, with its own puzzles and complications. The solution is simple and elegant, even if I was so involved in the story I didn‘t figure it out. A really great read.
It‘s mystery time! A twist on the classic whodunit from Japan, for lunchtime at the office…
pickA complicated, earnest, lovely, touching, and sometimes funny, exploration of difference in society. Touching on issues like media representation, sexualization, dating, art, employment, parenting, and more, this book feels incredibly important as our world becomes more and more divisive. I thoroughly appreciated this book and will be thinking about it for a while…
so-soI‘d pan this book, but I DID finish it, so there was a spark there. My main issue was a shaky premise, which made the whole story sort of unbelievable. And for a story that hinges on sympathy for the MC, you hardly get to know her at all. Very MEH, in the end.
Picked this up at the OLA conference…um…some years ago now and thought it might make a good next read. Thrillers aren‘t my usual kind of thing, but with fantastical and fairytale and mystery elements, it sounds intriguing…
pickWhat a read. Challenging, difficult, unsparing, immersive, powerful. Far more than a story about school bullying, this is an unflinching look at systemic racism and how it can affect the vulnerable and strong alike. As well, an exploration of relationships and how we can lie even to the ones we love most. This book was affecting and thought-provoking and stimulating — highly recommend.
