I love middle grade fiction! I find middle grade novels to be so wholesome. I don‘t have to worry about a middle grade novel going too far and I often find them way more creative than adult fiction. I‘ve started leaning away from YA because I get tired of the tropes, but I find YA to have way more diversity than adult fiction. I get a good mix of middle grade and adult fiction with some YA once in a while.

#SundayFunday @BookmarkTavern

I received my fall swap (top left) and sent mine out (bottom right)! #FallingForFallSwap 2023 @Kshakal @Avanders @Chrissyreadit 🍁🍂🥮🎃

1. Definitely a black cat with a cliché name like Salem or Jinx ?‍⬛
2. Slewfoot by Brom - the ultimate feminist rage and revenge novel set in Puritan America
3. I was Marty McFly in high school
4. I love fuzzy cute socks ? I‘m a size 7
5. This is a tough one! I think Ichabod Crane (it definitely needs a make over but I love The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
6. Caramel apples covered in nuts ??
#HauntedHollowSwap @wanderinglynn

#HauntedHollowSwap #HHS23 @wanderinglynn

#HauntedHollowSwap #HHS23 @wanderinglynn my spooky Pinterest board: https://pin.it/3YuBFLu 🎃👻💀🦇☕️

I loved the 1995 Sense and Sensibility with Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon. There was not nearly enough scenes between Marianne x Brandon to flesh out their romance more like I was hoping Lauren Lane would add to the original book.

What an incredible book. It‘s a very accessible read, written beautifully and explaining the turbulent history of one of the most critical nations in our current world affairs. Figes explored Russian history through its attachment to historical myths from the Kyivan Rus to the present day. He didn‘t shy from tackling Russia‘s unprovoked war on Ukraine, either. I‘d love to have coffee with Figes and chat about the ideas in his book.

I got exactly what I wanted. Jane Austen‘s Persuasion + 🌶️🌶️🌶️ No more and no less lol. Now it‘s on to the wild and wanton edition of Sense and Sensibility!

When I was working at B&N, I frequently lied when customers asked me if I read and liked certain books they were thinking of buying. It was usually Colleen Hoover or Sarah J Maas, and it would‘ve been really awkward if I was honest and told them I despise Colleen Hoover and I‘ve tried Sarah J Maas and didn‘t like her. So I would say positive things instead and it made the customer happy with their choice 🤷🏻‍♀️#SundayFunday @ozma.of.oz

My two friends and I took a trip to Duluth before I start grad school and another joins the youth conservation core. I‘m in love with boats and the Great Lakes (so clear!) that I‘m having a blast. So many fun maritime and boat books, time on the beach, and in the water. Found a delicious gf and vegan restaurant as well. It‘s a must to live on a coast sometime in the near future 🌊 My fav part so far is watching giant boats come and go!! 💗 ⬇️⬇️⬇️

I had my last day as a bookseller before I transition into a grad student! I‘m going to miss being surrounded by books all the time and all of the knowledge I gained about the book publishing world. I‘m not going to miss the constant temptation to buy books! I‘m looking forward to starting my studies in August though!

💐I also decided to go for a more fun username. I changed from @MadelineMccrae to @RosePressedPages 💐

My first adventure into a sapphic romance! It had just the right amount of spice and interesting characters. I would have to say this was more of a soft pick because I found Herrera‘s writing to be very repetitive. I think that‘s why I‘ve struggled with reading romance recently is that there‘s just not enough plot to keep me focused and I ended up skimming the last 30 pages. I‘m honestly not sure how I feel about the ending resolution though.

I was excited when I saw this was being released since I‘m very unfamiliar with the Slavic pantheon. This ended up being a little disappointing because it very briefly went over some Slavic gods and then instead focused on folktales. The folktales selected were very repetitive in that they were different variations of the same story most of the time. I love folktales, but it can be hard when hatred towards women is so prevalent in each story.

1. Unequal Affections
2. The Late Mrs. Willoughby
3. Fourth Wing
4. Inanna by Emily H. Wilson
5. Tolstoy by Rosamund Bartlett
6. Kakuriyo by Waco Ioka
7. Andrey Kurkov
8. Tatsu from the Way of the House Husband
9. Only Mostly Devastated
10. The Fairy Tellers by Nicholas Jubber
11. War and Peace B&N leather bound edition
12. Between Savage Tides by Anela Deen (can‘t wait for it to be published!)
#MidYearBookFreakOut

I‘ve always been so curious what drug use was like before people realized drugs are very bad for you and no, cocaine should not be used to treat sinus issues... Ohler answered all my questions by examining drug usage in the third reich and it was just as wild and dark as you would expect. It was well researched, written, and I learned a lot. The background is a poster advertising meth. Apparently meth chocolates were a thing…💊🍫

This was so good I read it in one sitting. The title caught my attention and the plot sounded super interesting. It wasn‘t until I finished it that I found out it‘s a modern queer retelling of Grease (it didn‘t click for me 🙈). I loved the main romance, the character growth, and the tearjerker side plot. It wasn‘t perfect but I just loved it so 5 ⭐️‘s. I‘ve struggled to enjoy romance novels for a long time, so I highly recommend this one!

This was quiet but stark lit fic about a man living in the grey zone of Ukraine and his journey to find a place for his bees to pollinate. It reminded me of Fredrik Backman‘s writing. I really loved the MC Sergey Sergeyich for his soft and observant soul. We see how Sergeyich reckons with the war in his relationships with his frenemy neighbor Pashka, the Ukrainian soldier Petro, his ex-wife, the Tatars he meets in Crimea, and his beloved bees 🐝💛

1. Edinburgh (City of Bones by Victoria Schwab) and I did! Someday, Ukraine.
2. I just finished Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov and it was so good. I definitely recommend if you‘re looking for a new lit fic
3. Mesopotamia by Serhiy Zhadan
#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈 I‘ve only recently learned about my own identity as queer/bi & acespec, so it was very meaningful to read about someone else‘s journey and challenges. I could connect with Maia‘s experience being asexual, and it was powerful to see how em came to terms with eir gender identity. My reading has been super slow, but I‘m hoping to read more queer books and learn more about other LGBTQIA+ experiences and my own 💗

1. No, but I would love to get a book signing from Fredrik Backman, Yangsze Choo, Katherine Arden, and Rick Riordan
2. No, but I‘ve forgotten I already added a couple books to my tbr and then “discovered” them again only to find out I‘d already done so
3. Narnia, Hogwarts, and I‘d love to live in a world where mythology and folklore blended with reality, like in Arden‘s or Riordan‘s books
#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

None of these people were sane. Not. A. Single. One.

I wish I had read Voroshilovgrad with a book club because there is just so much to unpack. Zhadan‘s prose were gorgeous. I loved the magical realism and that we couldn‘t always trust what Herman (the MC) or the secondary characters were seeing/saying. I also thought Herman sucked (such a perv). However, there was so much striking symbolism and the ending hit hard and was hilarious. I‘m looking forward to trying more Ukrainian lit! 🇺🇦

1. I want to say This Business of War by William LeDuc. It was written in the 1800s but I could only find the recent re-publication date. I think it was first published in the early 1900s after LeDuc died in 1917.
2. Around 3. For Manga a lot more since they are so short. I‘m not a fan of series.
3. Kakuriyo. It‘s not necessarily over, but the most recent is book 8 and I‘m still waiting for the next one.
#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

Manco‘s multidisciplinary look at the peopling of Europe was fascinating! She relies on genetics, archaeology, and linguistics to piece together the migration patterns starting from first settlement to the Vikings. I don‘t have much knowledge of genetics, so it was hard to visualize terminology like “haplogroup R1a.” However, I took this book as more of a starting point on the subject and I‘m excited to read other works.

1. Eastern Europe
2. Maybe the Ocean or anywhere in Europe
3. Narnia or Hogwarts. I also just love some lush worldbuilding that includes mythology/folklore
#Wondrouswednesday @Eggs

I can‘t stand 1st person narrative most of the time. Mainly because it comes off as immature and a lot of tell and no show. There‘s a reason English teachers get picky about it😂 It just ends up sounding choppy and I can‘t get invested in the story. I‘ve only read a few books where the author pulls it off but mostly I find it annoying and avoid it.
#sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

1. History ❤️📖
2. I Kissed Shara Wheeler!! I usually don‘t read books with high school characters because I can‘t connect with any of them, but this one about queer characters in the Deep South actually hit deep and I loved it
#two4tuesday @TheSpineView

I first learned about the Galveston hurricane on an episode of the podcast Morbid, and was taken aback by the gruesome descriptions. Naturally, I had to learn more! I happened on Larson‘s narrative while shelving at work and immediately put it on hold at the library. Larson does an excellent job weaving an intriguing narrative with fact, and I was enthralled. However, Isaac Cline and his brother Joseph had major main character syndrome! 🙄

A soft pick. The art and the information about yōkai were fun, but I think plot and character development were sacrificed. It had a lot of potential, but was left largely unfinished with loose ends. I still enjoyed it.

I decided to make this a pick because of the sheer volume of research Bartlett put into this book. It‘s kind of mind blowing and super impressive. I recently bought a gorgeous edition of War and Peace, but I thought I should learn about Tolstoy‘s life before I dived in. That was a mistake…the more I read about him, the more I found myself disliking him. While I understand the profound impact he had on Russian culture and language ⬇️

This was recommended as a similar Manga to Kakuriyo with a romance and lots of ayakashi. It was ok; there just wasn‘t a real reason for Koharu and Iori to develop feelings for each other. Still a fun and fast read.

A scary Yakuza known as the immortal dragon turned doting and intense house husband? I couldn‘t get enough! My library had volumes 1-6 and now I‘m anxiously in search of 7 and 8. Tatsu is precious and hilarious 💛

These were so good I need more!!!😭 They are very reminiscent of Studio Ghibli‘s Spirited Away but with a romance as a major theme (which I‘m dying for it to develop a little faster…). I love the characters, especially the Ōdanna and I can‘t wait for Aoi to catch some serious feels because the Ōdanna‘s flirtations are cracking me up! I know the anime was never completed so I‘m desperately hoping the same fate won‘t befall the manga. I‘m obsessed!

1. I was dead set on being a veterinarian. I even had a lab coat, stethoscope, and I would shadow my aunt at her vet practice.
2. Today, I‘m entering a PhD program for political science! I‘m planning to enter a foreign affairs analyst type career.
3. I listen to a mix of classical and the Red Hot Chili Peppers 🌶️ I‘m seeing them in concert on the 8th!!!
@Eggs #Wondrouswednesday

Another fun collection of themed folk tales of Britain and Ireland!

This was my first dive into Manga after a coworker insisted I give this series a try. Manga has never appealed to me before, but I ended up loving this cozy romance fantasy. I can‘t wait for book number five to be released in May!

Question for Manga-Reading Littens:

What are some Manga series you recommend with a similar vibe? I enjoyed the unique story, world-building, and romance. I‘m a huge fan of Studio Ghibli if that helps? Thank you!!!

This novella was from the perspective of Agent Hamed, who was a minor character in A Master of Djinn. Siti also makes an appearance as a secondary character, giving more background to her character. I liked the mystery of what exactly was wrong with tram car 015, the backdrop of Egyptian suffrage, and the plot twists. I‘m always excited for more of Clark‘s dead djinn universe :) 💛

P. Djèlí Clark‘s second short story in his Dead Djinn Universe was a peak at how the lives of other Cairenes are changed with the return of magic into the world because of Al-Jahiz. This short story was written in second-person, which was very different but an interesting perspective to experience Aliaa‘s desperation in seeking out the Angel of Khan el-Khalili. The ending was a twist I wasn‘t expecting and quite devastating. I‘m itching for more!

I loved getting to read how Siti and Fatma met! The “angels” were so creepy! 😖 I‘m looking forward to reading the other short stories Clark has for his djinn filled Cairo universe!!❤️

A queer detective of the supernatural in an alternate, steampunk Cairo full of djinn in 1912!? Yes please!! Most of the main characters were women of various backgrounds and religions striving to succeed in a Cairo thrown into modernity by the the mysterious Al-Jahiz. I loved Fatma, Siti, and Hadia!! They were all complex characters and the romance was amazing. The angels were so disturbing! Looking forward to Clarke‘s other works!!

I can never turn down a book on shipwrecks, and this one delivered! It was fun to listen to as Jamieson covered shipwrecks in media, the history from the very first known account of a shipwreck in ancient Egypt to today, and maritime archaeology today. I learned a lot, and I got to relearn about some familiar ones :) 5/5 🌟‘s

1. A Master of Djinn (paperback), Animal Folktales of Britain and Ireland (audiobook), and The Dragon‘s Bride (ebook)
2. Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Yangsze Choo, and Jane Austen
3. Women Warriors: An Unexpected History by Pamela D. Toler

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

This book was incredibly unique. It was completely in verse, something I wasn‘t expecting. I loved how Romero drew from her own experiences as a Jewish Latina when writing Ilana‘s story. The verses were so beautiful, some of them could‘ve been stand alone poems. I liked how Romero drew from folklore when writing Wasserman‘s character. Romero‘s story was a love letter to Jewish people everywhere and their struggles/persistence throughout history.

1. Fall 🍁
2. Coffee and something sweet ☕️🍰
3. Pink 💕
4. Black eyed Susans 🌻
5. Any kind of medieval society intermixed with folklore or mythology 🐲
6. San Pellegrino 🇮🇹
7. Clue 🕵🏻‍♀️
8. The Ruling Families of Rus
#Wondrouswednesday @Eggs

After reading Claudia Gray, I‘ve been on a bit of a Jane Austen binge. I found this title on Goodreads as a pride and prejudice retelling asking what would have happened if Elizabeth had accepted Darcy‘s first proposal. I was a little shocked this book started off as a fan fiction, it reads to me like a literary piece. I finished it in one sitting it was so good, with a lot more sexual tension and character growth for both than most retellings. ❤️

#Wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1. Escapism and building knowledge/curiosity
2. Tash Hearts Tolstoy (Asexual representation!)
3. It‘s not my favorite genre, but I recently tried Claudia Gray‘s Austen-murder mystery series and I loved it. I‘m going to try more of her books now!

Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC! I really enjoyed Gray‘s first book in this series, but I LOVED this one. Gray does such a phenomenal job making her writing feel like you‘re reading another Jane Austen novel, just with murder included. I always liked Marianne and Colonel Brandon‘s romance, but Gray gave them such depth and character growth that I think they‘ve become my new favorite Austen couple. Jonathan and Juliet are such a delight ❤️

#ihavequestions @RaeLovesToRead
Since I love history so much, I‘ve thought about what historical figures I‘ve read about I‘d want to meet. I‘d invite Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Pirate Queen Ching Shih, General/Queen Fu Hao, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, Joan of Arc, and Queen Boudicca. I would have an assortments of foods from each of their cultures and we‘d spend the night chatting about their lives (so I can be a history nerd and record all of it :)

I was hoping for a well researched and comprehensive analysis and narrative of the history of Eastern Europe and its complex relationship with nationalism and ethnic identity. Instead, Anne Applebaum delivered a rather heartless travelogue of her journey through the former Soviet Union. Her comments on people‘s appearances are prejudiced, condescending, and derogatory. She continuously fat-shames people to the point where I almost dnf‘d the book.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham was a fun mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. Mr. Wickham‘s death certainly wasn‘t tragic, but the idea of any of Austen‘s protagonists going to the gallows had me a nervous wreck while reading it. I loved Gray‘s originals characters Juliet and Jonathan. Gray did an excellent job of making the story feel as if Austen wrote it herself. The middle dragged a little but I‘m absolutely pumped for the sequel!