Continuing education, reading about the icon of #kidlitillustration. Took me a long time because I was taking so many notes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins 🎧
I am usually not particularly fond of villain origin stories. But I enjoyed this book. It raised questions of choices, and of being too much inside own‘s head. The descent from sincerity into selfishness felt a little too steep to me. Music is a central theme in this book. This book gave a lot of context to what happened in the original trilogy and made sense of certain obsessions.

Soft pick. The second romance by Megan Clawson was a bit underwhelming. I didn‘t like the main characters at first and it was a bit slow. But then it picked up and there was character growth even if a bit choppy. I enjoyed the second half of the book a bit more.

Reread, on audio. Always a treat, but especially this year, as I listened to it walking around Italy, even if I didn‘t make it to Portofino, and the castle that inspired the book, there was still wisteria and sunshine.

This was such a cute and fun read. Sweet little “will they won‘t they”. (Also a proof that a romance book can work without spice in it) Sure there were snags, but I‘ve read way worse. Most importantly I learned SO MUCH from this book. I had no idea people lived within the walls of the Tower of London, all the fun facts, a glimpse to the inner workings of it all, absolutely fascinating.

The premise seemed interesting, and the book definitely wasn‘t. There was not enough difference in characters‘ voices, their personalities kept shifting, they behaved like middle schoolers, and wrote like middle schoolers. Lots of telling, not nearly enough showing of anything. Unconvincing romance. Cringey sex scenes. I felt the author was writing what she thinks a romance reader would like, so the story is all over the place. Mature content.

My #weekendreads
1. Anna Karenina (reread)
2. Mort by Terry Pratchett (reread)
3. The Enchated April (reread on audio)
4. Not In My Book by Kait Holt

My quest towards a meaningful change continues. This book had some shaky examples and some of author‘s ideas might seem a bit extreme, but the overall idea is pretty attractive to me right now. Making space in my home and in my head becomes more and more of a priority. The book ties well with The Art of Frugal Hedonism which I‘ve read a while back. Perhaps I can find that balance and freedom I crave

Orbital by Samantha Harvey follows six astronauts inside the space station as they go around the Earth in the span of 24 hours. This book doesn‘t really have a plot, nor action, just life. And love, so much love for our planet, and for people. It felt like I was reading poetry and my heart felt a little bit more at peace after.

Kokoro by Beth Kempton. I expected something lighter and more self-help-y and fun-fact-y. In reality it was a very personal journey through a midlife malaise and profound grief. It came to me just when I needed it, however different my challenges are. I have a lot of things to ponder, as I navigate my current crossroads. This book helps.

The second book of Strange the Dreamer duology. I enjoyed it very much. More background on the magical system. Dynamic resolutions. There were more snags and some questions went unanswered, and I can‘t believe I‘m saying this but the romance felt a bit much and I thought it was getting in the way of plot. BUT I still loved it and would love to see more from thjs world. I will definitely read Laini Taylor‘s other works.

Recommended by my daughter. A fun spin on a familiar tale, with a dash of romance we all wished was in the movie. The only hiccup was that the story tended to go in circles, some repetition in conversations too. Otherwise I enjoyed it. 1/2 read on paper, 1/2 audio 🎧

Finally got to Strange the Dreamer, and it was an excellent read. Well-developed characters, delightfully constructed romance, vividly imagined world. On to the second book!

January is such a struggle. Hence this comfort reread

Finished reading this one on Christmas morning. A bit of a mixed bag, but I enjoyed most of the stories. My absolute favorites are: Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan, Krampuslauf by Holly Black, and The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor.

Finally finished Murtagh a year after I bought it. Enjoyed it! I‘m glad I reread the entire Inheritance saga beforehand, even if it wasn‘t strictly necessary. New adventures, new dynamic plot. Sort of a redemption arc for Murtagh and Thorn, plenty of background info. A set up for, hopefully, more books about this duo.

Powerful, raw, terrifying, beautiful. So many parallels with Educated, so many things I now realize slip through in conversations and little casual things. Terrifying how many people would be totally ok with this becoming a reality for our daughters.
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Discworld marathon continues! 2/41, The Light Fantastic. Reread almost 10 years since the first read. Enjoyed it tremendously. Just so much fun to watch the book universe form. Though it‘s still not quite as polished as later works, it was great fun.

I‘ve loved this book when I was a kid. And bought it in English a while ago, but reread it for the first time only now. And it was amazing. Very vivid depiction of the Canadian wilderness (I even looked up the places), gripping adventure, gorgeous romance. The dog‘s POV was masterfully woven into the narrative. I am immensely thankful for that ray of literary light in a truly horrible week that just passed.

Book 50 of 2024! 🌟 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame in beautiful Folio edition. strangely enough it was my first read of this charming story and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Reread as a part of my Discworld marathon (1 down, 40 to go!). Turns out my first read of this novel was 10 years ago, how symbolic! I enjoyed this reread tremendously. Yes, this book is indeed very chaotic, I forgot how wild a ride it is, but oh, so much fun!

Dual POV Romantasy set in 16th century Germany. Sadly, mostly a disappointment. Not a total loss due to some action in the middle but overall not for me. Mild spice. There's a second book which I won't be reading either.

I very much enjoyed this collection of short stories. The prose is lovely, Gina Chung is a master storyteller for sure. I don‘t normally like reading short stories, but in this case I found myself engrossed in each - be it a slice of life, or a magical tale. Would definitely read more by this author.

A quick and super fun read about an apocalyptic event and people being people in it. Scathing social commentary. As the situation was getting more and more absurd, I couldn‘t help thinking “yep, that‘s EXACTLY how it would go down”. Reflection on personal choices. Solid book, and I would watch a movie if there is ever one.
Oh, and for those of you who do an alphabet challenge, here is that coveted title with letter Z!

Finally finished this reread! It took me a really long time but I enjoyed it. I noticed convenient plot resolutions and infodumps much more than I did 12 years ago when I read it first. But it this time around I actually liked the ending, it made sense. The part I liked 12 years ago I still liked a lot. I am now ready to read Murtagh, which I bought last November omg. Excited for the continuing story and curious to see the author‘s growth.

Finished this space opera novel today. It was cute at times, at times cozy, overall entertaining. It‘s very diverse when it comes to characters and relationships. We never really dove too deep in any of those and I didn‘t feel there was a clear conflict/problem, but it was a fun read and I am simply glad I was able to finish a book this month, even if it didn‘t blow my mind. It‘s a genre I don‘t often read, so it was nice to branch out a little.

DNF at 57%. Things started to stir a little bit at last but at this point I don‘t even care anymore, and the world building was too watery to pull me in. This is not my author I guess, which I kind of felt with another book of hers I couldn‘t finish a while ago. Oh well.

40% in and nothing happens.
We‘re still establishing roles and gingerly getting to know the characters. I am getting antsy.

Came across this early graphic novel by Hayao Miyazaki. It‘s a retelling of a Tibetan folk tale, about a search for golden grain in a land of god-people. This graphic novel was published two years before Studio Ghibli was formed. The main themes of Miyazaki‘s stories are prominent here: a search/quest, sacrifice, fantastical land, disconnect- both societal and environmental. Beautiful watercolor work. Definitely recommend to fans of Studio Ghibli.

A comfort reread, never fails to make me smile

That was an absolutely absurd combo of a victorian romance and pirate romance (with magic). A funny read, with some pretty sweet enemies to lovers worked in. Some mature content surprisingly. Overall it was amusing, but at the same time a tedious read, maybe because the plot points were surrounded by all the frills, maybe because pirate romance was never my thing. Soft pick.

That was a very good read. An author explores what drives us to keep making the choices that don‘t serve us and avoid those that do. I liked how personal it was for the author. It was an encouraging read. The answers are not something most of us haven‘t heard before but that makes them all the more true. I think I‘m on the path of positive changes and learning why things weren‘t working before from the evolutionary point of view was super helpful.

Another romance, randomly picked up from a library shelf. A very soft pick.
It was alright, though I almost quit it twice. I liked the family storyline, and the travel philosophy bits were compelling. I didn‘t like the main leads, the relationship was ok but also a bit flat. There were books in the same universe preceding this one, though it‘s a stand alone but maybe if I‘d read prequels I would like the heroine more.

A book about cognitive biases and how they shape our life. About 20% information and the rest — author‘s musings. Not bad but somewhat underwhelming, perhaps because there was very little new information for me.

It was a good one! Sweet romance, solid friendship, but also a deep dive into childhood trauma. Mixed bag but it worked. Just a smidgen too long for me, but otherwise pretty perfect. Mild mature content.

The treasury of Mary Oliver‘s life work. Each poem selected by her before her passing. Bookmarks on every other page. The way she expressed her spirituality- in profound gratitude, in marveli, in love.

A pretty sweet summer read, excellent small town set up, funny banter. A pretty vibrant story. Dual POV though, both first person. A little too long and editing occasionally puzzled me. Spicy scenes read like they‘re afterthoughts but that‘s ok. Mature content.

Final book of May - a sweet little romance. It‘s set in Ireland so a lot of charm is in the atmosphere of the book. The romance is a bit of a slow burn, mature content while there, is modest compared to most of the mainstream reads. I felt that romance was secondary to the heroine‘s personal journey. I enjoyed it, but it could be a little bit faster paced.

🎧 📖 : our road trip read - The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien. Brilliant performance by Andy Serkis! He did voices that sounded remarkably like the actors‘ from the movie and in general was such an engaging narrator.
Our only complaint is that the sound mixing is weird -the loud parts are blaring and the quiet parts are so very quiet. We constantly had to adjust the volume. In the car and headphones - same issue.

Bailing at 20%, not for me. Cringed on every other page.

Hm. 18% in and I‘m getting too many eye-roll moments. Should I persist, or drop it…

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park. YA. Interesting concept mix of post apocalyptic society/hunger games/Truman show. Twists and turns along the way. I did feel it started to fizzle out towards the end, but since it‘s a part of duology, I expect it will pick back up in book 2. It doesn‘t come out until the next spring so who knows what of the first book I will remember . But it was a fun read overall.

Finally I‘ve read this very important book. So much sorrow from each tale, each personal tragedy. From the inability of humanity to learn and get better. Almost 40 years passed and we are no better off.

Well, look who went after another cheap thrill of a quick romance read! 🤡 the latest from Emily Henry. I liked two of her books and couldn‘t stand Happy Place after a few pages.
This one, though it had cute moments, heartwarming bits about the importance of libraries and communities, felt half-baked.

This reads like the romcom “Set It Up” but in slightly different setting. I liked that mental health was such a huge part of the story. It really was a pretty cute romance. A few wrinkles, but nothing too glaring. Breakup felt silly to me. What I did notice though is that mature content 🌶️ matches the one from the book I‘ve read prior, down to the sequence and details. This book came out 2 years earlier, it is now the trend, I guess.

Romance reading seems to be my coping mechanism of choice this month. Not sure it‘s working though.
“How to End a Love Story” by Yulin Kuang. An enemies to lovers complicated by a shared tragedy. Really lovely romance, very interesting tidbits about screenwriting for a TV show, compelling atmosphere. I really have no complaints, it was a page turner. Mature content throughout.

Finally read the first installment of The Daevabad trilogy. It was fun, different flavor from most of the fantasy I‘ve read lately. It seems to be focusing more on elaborate world building and personal development of the characters rather than romance, (though I still hope there will be some). I am a bit lost in the political intricacies and not fully grasping all the tribal differences, but I‘m curious enough about what‘s going to happen next.

Since the sequel is so short, I ended up reading it in a couple of hours. Soft pick. I felt it was more messy than romantic, and I was getting impatient while characters trudged through the murky waters of their feelings. Wrapped up too conveniently. While it was fine, it would have been fine to stop at first book too. Or make it one book. I didn‘t hate it, but I doubt I will be rereading it.

Epistolary novel. A pretty easy read. It is a story of how an accidental email turned into a pretty intense emotional affair. Was it a romance? Was it a warning that the line between flirtation and “too far” is invisible? Was it an invitation to look outside of one‘s bubble? To reassess a longterm relationship? I can‘t tell yet. The ending was logical. Apparently there is a sequel, I don‘t know if I care enough to read it.