NYTBR came out with their Readers Choice list of the 100 best books of the 21st century, and this feels much more in line with what books people actually read. I have a problem with calling a list “the best” when it includes so many obscure selections (how can they be the best when hardly anyone has read them outside academia/publishing?). The original list I only had read 9 from, but this list I have read 53/100! Just in the top ten I‘ve read 7!

Very surprised by the selection of books in this list. First, why are we already canonizing the best books of the 21st century after only 25 years? Second, I get that the NYTBR is very high brow compared to the taste of the average reader, but I was still confused by the not insignificant number of books in translation that were originally published prior to 2000, but translated after.

Plus, The Goldfinch was ranked way too low in my opinion!

Honestly, now that I‘m writing a review, I can barely remember what this book was actually about? But I did binge it in 3 days, so it was entertaining and cute enough to engage me. FMC Niamh is a magical seamstress, who ends up falling for the Prince she has been hired to create a wedding wardrobe for. I already can‘t remember what the rest of the plot conflict is about (something about magic and Royal politics). I do love the illustrated cover.

I got both of these from Libby and binged them in just a couple days. Premise is sort of a YA Silence of the Lambs meets Mindhunter, following two young FBI recruits who are assisting on an investigation connected to both of their pasts. While some aspects did strain credulity (18 year olds being sent to interview juvenile serial killers), the tenuous but burgeoning relationship between the main characters makes me excited to continue the series.

I liked this book. Sager is no literary genius, but he does deliver consistently entertaining mystery/thrillers. Considering this is a genre I read very little of, the fact that I keep coming back for his trope-bending books is notable. The crime trope being riffed on in this book is the missing/abducted child phenomena, especially prominent in the 1980s/90s (the book flips between dual 1994-present day timelines).

This was a cute rom-com, exactly what I‘ve come to expect from Christina Lauren. The premise is very silly (a marriage of convenience during college leads to unintended consequences 5 years later) and some of the plot contrivances did make me roll my eyes (one of the love interests just happens to come from a family of billionaires), but it was entertaining and the developing romance worked for me.

I was pretty disappointed with this. I did enjoy when it focused on the actual premise (cultish language), but the author goes on a lot of tangents with personal anecdotes that really distract from that in an only 300 page book. The author also seemed more interested in vilifying cultish aspects of MLMs like AmWay & making a connection to subcultures like SoulCycle and CrossFit than exploring the cognitive dissonance inherent in true cults.

I‘ve felt ambivalent about the 3 Awad books I‘ve read. I appreciate her commitment to truly bonkers plots and skewering of niche subcultures (MFA programs in Bunny, skincare/wellness industry in Rouge, theatre kids & chronic pain in All‘s Well), but the magical realism elements didn‘t work as well in this one. Absolutely love the cover/title, reflecting both the college Shakespeare production & FMC‘s debilitating invisible pain.

July #BookspinBingo board all ready! My #Bookspin is Not in Love and my #Doublespin is This Time Tomorrow. I have a lot of books in progress currently, so I am hopeful to make a dent on the bingo board this month!

I‘ve had a strong first half of the year in reading. If I‘m able to keep up this pace, I should be back on track to finish 100 books again this year, after a dip in my reading in 2023.

My favorite reads in 2024 so far have been:

Mistborn
Ruthless Vows
Bright Young Women
The Shepherd King Duology
A Letter to the Luminous Deep
Emily Wilde‘s Map of the Otherlands

I finished 9 total books in June, including my #DoubleSpin All‘s Well. I was not enjoying my #BookSpin (tagged), so I DNF‘d at 6%. I might pick it up again someday, but I couldn‘t get into it, and it‘s a very long book, so I might need to be in the right mood.

I can‘t remember the last time I actually had a bingo LOL.

Additionally, I not only forgot to post my June #BOTM, but also I did not read any of these last month.

My #BOTM choice for July. Sounds great!

Loving the new monthly wrap up collage from Storygraph! I ended up having a strong end to the month, finishing 9 total books, although only a couple of my June reads were standouts. Need to post individual reviews still for everything I read this month!

Serious question: does this book get better?

I am 6% in, and that much was a struggle. This is a 700+ page book, so I need to know if it‘s worth powering through. I bought it on a Kindle deal, so while I‘d like to not let it go to waste, I also wouldn‘t feel that bad about DNF‘ing if it‘s not actually worth it.

This was a huge improvement from Sanderson‘s 1st book Elantris. It starts out as a pretty typical fantasy heist story, but through the intricate plotting, extensive world building, and complex but endearing characters, the book becomes an excellent first entry into a fascinating new fantasy series. The very unique magic system is physics based, which adds a lot of dynamism to the fight scenes. There were also some genuinely surprising twists!

I absolutely adored this book! Told in epistolary format (through letters, diary entries, text excerpts), a (supernatural?) mystery unfolds and a lovely relationship develops. The underwater society was such an interesting world to explore, and major kudos to the author for their incremental world building. I can‘t wait for the sequel to this book and to spend more time with this fascinating world and the endearing characters.

Thank you Suzanne Collins for giving us what we want!

June #BookspinBingo board. This month‘s #Bookspin is Empire of the Vampire and #Doublespin is All‘s Well. I have a couple of longer books still in progress, so to be seen whether I am able to start and finish another really long one before the end of the month.

Final May #Bookspin board. I finished 9 books in May, including my #Doublespin (Educated). I DNF‘d Yellowface at about 30% because I couldn‘t force myself to listen to the insufferable and un-self aware main character narration any longer.

This made for good beach reading. I love a cheap mass market paperback that you don‘t have to worry about getting beat up. I‘ve been reading this as a #buddyread with @hclaird and tracking our progress on Storygraph (awesome buddy read feature now!).

Allende‘s prose style is really beautiful, but the Dickensian coming of age story focuses less on an overarching plot and more on character sketches and episodic adventures in the MC‘s life.

Enjoyed a lovely week of reading on the beach! I finished Eva Luna in paperback and read 3/4 of The Seven Year Slip on my Kindle!

The best EH since Beach Read! Even though the premise and tropes seem a bit unrealistic at first glance, I thought that Henry somehow made the forced proximity, opposites attract, fake dating romance really work. I was rooting for the unlikely relationship between Daphne and Miles. The side characters are all so unique and add a lot of color to the story, and I even got a bit teary eyed towards the end!

This was an extremely well-written and self-reflective memoir. It was truly heartbreaking to read about the level of abuse and neglect that Tara and her siblings experienced due to their survivalist, fundamentalist Mormon parents (one of whom seemed to have severe mental illness). This just missed being a 5 ⭐️ read for me due to a few inconsistencies. While the author very effectively describes her childhood in vibrant detail, 👇🏼 (cont‘d)

I had zero expectations going into this audiobook, but found myself really enjoying it. The audio format worked really well with the narrative: alternating narrators for the dual POV and podcast excerpt sections. The romance was a bit rushed, but the tension and relationship still worked for me. The true crime Serial-esque podcast plot & coinciding road trip investigation was interesting to follow along with.

I wanted to like this book more than I eventually did, but overall still enjoyed it. Listened to the audiobook through my Spotify subscription. Being inside the mind of a sad, self-pitying 35 year old struggling comedian, who is reeling from a recent breakup, for 10 hours was frustrating at times. Probably what I appreciated most was the accurate depiction of mid-30s millennial life, when everyone around you is getting married and having babies.

I‘ve been a fan of Anthony Bourdain since the No Reservations days and have read all of his non-fiction (including a couple co-written with this author), so this has been on my Kindle TBR for ages. I was a bit disappointed with the Roadrunner documentary, so I was happy that this book delved a lot deeper into Bourdain‘s life before Kitchen Confidential and the early TV days before he was a household name. Unfortunately, 👇🏼 (cont‘d)

This was a fun palate-cleansing read. There‘s a lot going on for ~300 pages: pirates, assassins, flying houses, cartoonishly evil villain, secret identities, and extensive literary references to the Brontës. Based on what I was expecting from the cover and blurb, it had a surprising level of spice (which was pulled off well). While I had a fun time with this, it only gets 3.5 stars due to cramming in a bit too much plot for such a short book.

I enjoyed delving back into the world of literary criticism, reading and annotating this book, but I think my enjoyment was probably hampered by not being familiar with Smiley‘s books (which she references A LOT) and the inclusion of a sizable number of rather obscure novels. Smiley had a lot of insightful things to say about the art of novel writing & reading, but I did skim a lot in sections about books I didn‘t have personal experience with.

Finally put together my May #BookspinBingo card. Looks like I have two nonfiction in the queue for this month‘s #Bookspin and #Doublespin!

Final April #BookSpinBingo card. I finished my #Bookspin (tagged) and read 7 total books last month.

On paper, this should have been a 5 star read for me: historical fiction, lovely prose, siblings separated by WWI, PLUS fantasy & romance. While I did end up rating it 4 stars, there were a few things that didn‘t quite work for me in execution: Faland & his magical mystery hotel, the slowest slow burn romance(s) that don‘t come to fruition until literally the final chapters of the book, and some of the plot logistics of the climax and dénouement.

I never felt like the author had anything really all that insightful to say about the female character archetypes she sought to examine in this book. There were some sections more interesting to me than others, but I did find myself skimming a lot in some parts. The author‘s inclination to dissect historical/period characters from an intersectional/2024 modern feminist lens was flimsy at best and disingenuous at worst.

I had high expectations for this one because I have loved all of Kate Quinn‘s feminist historical fiction. The setting around the San Francisco earthquake was so intriguing to me, but unfortunately this one fell flat in execution. The romantic subplots didn‘t work for me at all, so it was hard to feel invested in the way they tied into the broader plot. On audio, I felt like the book went on ~2 hours too long. Listened using my Spotify account!

Both of these just edged into Pick territory for 3 ⭐️ reads. I appreciate that Ali Hazelwood is finally branching out from the (now very) repetitive trope formula established in The Love Hypothesis (Grumpy/Sunshine, extreme height difference). Check & Mate still featured a very nerdy subject (professional chess) and Bride‘s FMC is a Vampire Princess-in-STEM, but exploring new genres (YA, Paranormal Romance) has breathed new life into her writing.

These contemporary western romances were cute enough, but the prose was far too simplistic (bordering on juvenile) to really enjoy the reading experience. The romance/plot felt a bit more developed in the 2nd book, but they are both so short that any strong character development was impossible. I do love the pulpy western-style covers (definitely what convinced me to try), and I could see them being adapted into Hallmark/Netflix-style Rom-Coms.

3 stars, but more So-So than Pick for me. Entertaining enough for me to finish the 1st duology, but I won‘t be continuing. I was curious since A Fate Inked in Blood by the same author is a BOTM on my upcoming TBR (still excited for). This feels incorrectly marketed as romantasy - yes, there‘s a steamy romance, but no magic or fantasy elements (unless you count characters‘ inexplicable ability to run/climb/swim/fight while fatally wounded).

I should have loved this book, and I had high hopes based on my previous experience with Cinemaps by the same artist/author. This one was disappointing because the books featured in the illustrations were overwhelmingly obscure. Even with an English degree, I found myself skipping about half of the books, since there were so many I hadn‘t even heard of and had no context for. Highlights were the “maps” of Pride & Prejudice and A Wrinkle in Time.

I really enjoyed this duology; the fact that it‘s a complete duology was a big factor in its favor. While I definitely preferred the first book, overall it had a satisfying arc. A really good combination of gloomy, gothic vibes, a truly unique magic system (although I have some questions about the total # of Providence Cards), engaging action scenes, and a swoony romance.

Well, while it‘s still snowing at home, I‘ve found a couple nice, warm, sunny spots to read while on a work trip further south in Alaska, and I am loving soaking up the vitamin D. I had a yummy mocha earlier and now sipping on a strawberry basil smash canned cocktail. Wishing I had packed sunglasses today!

Stopped by this sweet bookstore in Sitka, AK while I was visiting for work. They had a great selection of books (I resisted) and store merch (couldn‘t resist a cozy crewneck and tote bag).

April #BookspinBingo card! My #Bookspin is Bourdain (excited to finally have the impetus to read this Kindle book I bought on a deal ages ago!) and my #DoubleSpin is Green Dot (an ARC I won from a Goodreads giveaway a few months ago).

I did finish my #Bookspin for March, but didn‘t get to my #Doublespin. I came very close to hitting a bingo, but as usual my mood reading distracted me from focusing on that. I did read 10 total books in March, and I have a couple that I am almost done with to get April off to a good start. Overall, I did a good job of balancing reading books from my TBR and those new releases that pull me in from Libby.

I just wasn‘t that interested in the options this month. There were a couple I would maybe get from Libby if/when they become available, but I am trying to be more judicious about only choosing something I really want to read. I have way too many BOTM books that are still on my physical TBR.

This was the appropriately named brewery in Charlotte, NC that I hung out at yesterday!

In Charlotte, NC for a work trip this week, and yesterday I spent some time at a local brewery with the book I brought. Book accompanied by a yummy pretzel and tasty Plum-Rosemary-Orange Sour Ale. I was impressed, you can really taste the rosemary in this drink!

Side note: any Charlotte/Raleigh Littens around? I have one more day here (I have to drive back to Raleigh tomorrow from Charlotte) and would love a good bookstore recommendation!

This sequel really lived up to expectations! It is everything you could want from the cozy academia fantasy romance corner. Even though it leans into the cozy genre, there are still serious stakes for Emily & Wendell. Emily is following up her encyclopedia with a a mapbook of the Otherlands, and Wendell tries to return this kingdom while avoiding his stepmother‘s assassins. The faerie world is broadened and endearing new characters introduced.

Sneaking in some reading this morning before I jump into chores for most of the day. Hoping to finish this book today!

I have been so pleased with this sequel; fans of Encyclopedia of Faeries will love this one too!

I kept seeing this series hyped for romantasy readers and thought I‘d give it a chance. It was free on Kindle Unlimited, so I signed up for a free trial to try it out. It wasn‘t any worse than the average romantasy (it felt very ACOTAR meets Hunger Games), but I found its utter mediocrity and tropey-ness to be a turn off. I skimmed A LOT to finish this one, and won‘t be continuing with the sequel, despite a vague interest in knowing the ending.

Turned in my winter reading challenge bingo card to the local library today; I got 6 entries to the final giveaway, 2 coupons for a personal pizza, and 3 cute stickers (I declined the bookmarks because I already have far too many), but resisted checking out any physical books, since my physical and Kindle TBR are already overflowing.