Happy belated bookish Valentine's Day everyone!
Just had to share my Valentine's book haul from my sweetie!
And how was I able to have the shelf space available in the photo? Part of my gift was also a new bookshelf!
I may be just a teeny tiny bit spoiled. 😳😆
pickY'all. Katherine Arden is just...magical. So...what if ghost stories and folktales associated with war were real (i.e. what if a fiddler really was on that roof?) This book, like all her books, beautifully weaves folk stories and reality, and I CANNOT get enough of her!
pickI really wasn't deliberately avoiding a #BookSpinBingo, but at this point, it's too funny -- I'm trying to keep it up until any book I read would be an inevitable bingo.
Drake Hall is the second book in a series; I enjoyed the first book, but wondered how it was going to handle Edith's Jewish heritage (if at all), whether it was just using it for exoticisation purposes, etc, given that she's very Christian. This book somewhat answered that worry.
It's been two weeks and 17 books since I read a book with dragons. Time to enjoy the third book in the Miss Percy's Guide series.
Book not in database, I've tagged the first book in the series.
#SeriesLove2025 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView
pickThat was incredible. I‘m shook at the ending. I loved this story for its prose.
Just to get it off my chest, this is not history; yet the retelling of the legend of Xishi.
The way this story is told… it‘s just *chefs kiss* beautiful. So romantically tragic, all the way through. I cried when the mission came to an end. I don‘t have the words to express how much I loved this story.
(2022) It's a historical fantasy set in the ninth century, following the travels of an Icelander across Europe, looking for horses to bring back to Iceland to make his fortune. The author is a medievalist, and brings her knowledge of the time and its literary forms to the story. I am not a medievalist, but do know she delivered a mesmerizing story that feels authentic about ambition, social change, and (of course) horses.
pick3.8/5 ?
"So long as we continue to put mortal me on thrones and hail them as gods, sacrifice our lives to their legacies, history will repeat itself."
A departure from my usual reads, but I enjoyed it. While some parts felt a bit clichéd, the overarching message about men, power, and legacy was poignant and well delivered. Overall, an enjoyable read.
2024 was kind of an odd reading year for me in terms of headspace for large portions of the reading year. And while I‘m hoping to feel more connected and present in my reading in 2025, I still read some absolutely fabulous titles. Did any of these make your top reads of 2024 and what were your favorites?
More thoughts: https://youtu.be/fCvaUqADor0
pickInspired by the history of 15th century West Africa and the myth of Persephone, this well-plotted and rivetingly-told historical fiction is for fans of women‘s rights—but more importantly women‘s wrongs, troubled mother-daughter relationships, court intrigue, and underdogs who bite back. I do wish we‘d gotten more of Òdòdó‘s backstory so her character development was deeper and richer.
