⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was one of the most beautifully written books. The language is almost poetic, but it is still accessible as a “popular fiction” novel. Hearing the myths retold from Circe‘s point of view was really interesting, & I‘m excited to discuss this at (my first ever!) book club on Wednesday. I mostly listened to the audiobook, and it was fantastic. Highly recommend this one.

Finally finished this one on a little road trip today. And UGH. The first 75% of this was fun & interesting - not as good as Da Vinci Code or Angles & Demons - but good Robert Langdon fun. Then in the last 25% Brown clearly had A. Lot. To. Say. about science & religion and it was like a physics lecture & so much exposition that it made the book not worth it. I‘ll still read future Robert Langdon books, but this is one to skip.

This is a great graphic novel for middle grade readers. Similar to Amulet,though in my opinion not quite as good, it‘s a fun, quick read with beautiful artwork. There are so many great ideas in each frame,it‘s clear this is something that Aldridge took many years & creative hours to bring to life. One of its main themes is building your “found family” and all the different ways that can look.Would recommend for a favorite 5th grader in your life.

This book accomplished two things for Maas‘s work: 1. It was a set up for the books that are continuing the series, giving the side characters starring roles. And 2. It showed how all the characters were coping with the trauma of everything they had gone through. I‘ve never read an “after the brutal battle & seemingly happy ending” book before, and the way Maas handled the guilt, sadness, relief, emptiness, etc. was so interesting to read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was a great end to the series! If book 2 hadn‘t been so fantastic, this may have been a 5-star read from me, but as it is, I don‘t know that I‘ve read such a standout part of a series in quite a while, and it makes the other two pale, ever so slightly, in comparison. The series was such a blast, and I‘m sad it‘s over.

I read this over 600 page book in 2 days. This book is FANTASTIC. Reading book 1 there was a...problematic...(i.e. asshat) character that I was *positive* Maas was going to put in his place and Hot. Damn. She did that and then some. Aside from just being a beautiful piece of feminist teen fantasy, it was a fun, sexy, surprising story & I am really sad the book is over but so ready to jump into book 3. (Who am I kidding? I already have 😂🎉)

Hosted a book swap at our local Starbucks today - so much fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ By chapter 2, I was hooked. Maas knows how to write the books I want to read. There is magic. There are twists & turns. There is strength from unlikely places & side characters that I just *know* will be playing a bigger part in books to come. I am so excited to read book 2!

I finally finished this series!! There were a lot of extenuating circumstances that slowed me down, but this series was so interesting & fun, it never should have taken me so long. I‘m not sure that I‘d fully recommend this series because the writing style took me about 2.5 books to really get in to; however, it was so unlike anything I‘ve read before, and I do feel like it will stick with me & be a series I remember.

❤️ Illinois
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💛 Administrative Assistant for University English & Spanish departments
💚 Married
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💜 Same as my Instagram #gettingtoknowyou

I couldn‘t finish it. It is descriptively well written. It‘s an interesting world. But it‘s so slow & there is no character development in the first 150 pages, so I‘m just calling it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is the first book in the series that has really kept me wanting to read! I don‘t know if it‘s because I‘m getting used to the author‘s writing style or because I‘m finally interested & invested in the characters‘ lives & choices. Either way, I‘m excited for book 4 to see how it all concludes!

I liked this book, I didn‘t love it. It‘s hard to explain because the characters are compelling, & some I even like, and the story line is different from anything I‘ve read before. But I think Stiefvater‘s writing style is difficult for me to really get lost in, so these books may be destined to always be a so-so from me.

I have a bookstagram over on Insta if anyone is interested in following 🤗🤗

1. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater 2. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 3. Continuing The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater & The Reign of the Kingfisher by TJ Martinson #weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

My answer: A Wrinkle in Time! I never understand how it gets banned. What would you say?? #bannedbooksweek

Overall I really liked the story of this book, but did not love the way it was told. I kept feeling like I was missing something, like the author was withholding information for effect but withheld too much, and that made it hard for me to always follow what was going on. Even with that said, I know many people love this story, and I‘m excited to read book 2!

Love my daughter‘s new Harry Potter bow!! Always on the lookout for things for bookish babies!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you like Agatha Christie, you will love this book. It has the most intense frame story I‘ve ever read & both the frame & the book-within-the-book are great whodunnits!

I didn‘t expect to like this book as much as I did, but it was super engaging & super sexy.

It‘s rare that I want to re-read a book as soon as I finish it, but that‘s what happened here. November 9 is anything but a straightforward love story. The main characters are both relatable, and my only issue is that when the book starts they‘re 18, and to me they act & interact about 5-10 years older than that. Otherwise, it‘s a pretty perfect book. Super engaging, strong plot, believable romance. I‘m here for it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This was a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy & each of the 3 storylines we‘ve been following ended well & answered all the questions we‘d been asking on the journey. I‘m so glad my friend told me about this series! Definitely one I would recommend to fantasy readers!

In true second book fashion, a LOT happened in this book, but at the end of the day we‘re still journeying to our final goal. A family vacation & starting a new job made this a longer read than it really should have been, but I really enjoyed it & was always glad to pick it back up - what a great find!

“They dug a grave for her and a pit for the assassins.” 😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 This is the kind of book I will always enjoy. Magic? Check. Journeying? Check. Hints of Romance? Check. It helps that this was well written, and it‘s always nice to read one for adults instead of teens (I love teen books, but there‘s significantly less angst here than there would be if our characters were a decade younger). If you like fantasy trilogies, this seems to be the beginning of a good one!

This was a super fast read & a really cute book. It‘s storyline is a pretty basic, though well told, teen romance story, but it‘s heart comes from the Indian-American culture that was interwoven. My favorite part was that Menon didn‘t overly explain everything. I was glad the author didn‘t feel like she had to fully cater to her non-Indian audience. This book is set in the summer, so if you need one more fun summertime read, I recommend this one!

I loved this book! Like book 1, this book continually shifts perspectives between the 6 main characters, and again the author builds a cohesive story where nothing feels left out & delivers a fantastic adventure! By the end of these two books I feel like I know these characters so well, and I will miss them! This book was over 500 pages, & I wish it had been twice as long. If you‘re wanting a fantasy adventure, this is it. Absolutely loved it.

You don‘t need to have read Bardugo‘s Grisha trilogy, but I do think it would help to give more background of the world. This had a kind of Ocean‘s 11 feel to it as the main “crook” gathered 5 others to work together to complete an impossible sounding job. I was most interested in the interpersonal relationships, which the author developed well & revealed slowly. Of course it ended with a cliffhanger, so I‘m excited for book 2!

By the end I loved this book but it took me awhile to get into it. Eleanor is very similar to Temperance Brennon on Bones, except while Bones‘s lack of social grace & understanding is caused by her hyper-scientific mind, Eleanor‘s is based firmly in childhood trauma, so it is not easy subject matter. There were certainly funny moments, and by the end there was so much heart, growth, & healing, I found it to be a gorgeous story.

Though I love historical fiction, I don‘t think I have read anything set in Renaissance Italy before, so this was a new setting for me. This book did hold some surprising twists, which I didn‘t anticipate, & focused a lot on religion & art, which seems fitting for the time & place. It did end up being more about sex than I was expecting, but it was well written & kept me engaged the whole way through.

This was such an enjoyable read! It was an interesting story because it often felt like nothing was happening but at the same time I couldn‘t put it down. The only reason it‘s 4 stars instead of 5 is because I thought there were a couple relationships in the book that were very important, but we didn‘t really see the growth, it was just implied. So I would have liked more than that. Still really enjoyed it & would recommend it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The author put together a captivating, fast paced story all told through quick snippets of interviews. Very impressive writing style, very engaging story. I‘ll definitely be recommending this one quite a bit.

#unpopularopinion: I didn‘t love this book.Part of the problem is that I began by listening to the audiobook version & found it difficult to follow.There are no chapters and there are SO many characters that it hopped around to, I couldn‘t keep track, & that made me not care about the story.However, I read the last 80 pages & liked it better.There were funny parts & I‘m excited to watch the show, but it‘s not the favorite I thought it would be.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This was quite similar to Percy Jackson books in story & pacing with main character Min getting into one scrape after another. But what made it more enjoyable for me than PJ & the Greek gods was that I‘m not familiar with the Korean mythology system, so I couldn‘t tell where the story was going as soon as a new character was introduced. It is a fun, middle grade read, and I‘m excited for the other books in the Rick Riordan Presents series!

Love this!!! What a great way to use his fame platform - not only celebrating other cultures‘ stories but their authors as well!

I did enjoy some of the stylistic choices the author made: a lot of 1940s slang made its way in, & she did a lot of capitalizing of Very Important Things to show emphasis. But I overall don‘t think it was written that well? I told one friend that I enjoyed it but was confused for a lot of the book. Things that I think were supposed to be surprising were predictable, & something that was made into a Very Big Deal seemed pretty inconsequential to me

Now I understand how my friends who read a lot of romance novels get through so many books in a year! I barreled through this one in basically two sittings. Although it was incredibly unrealistic & overdramatic, it was also fun & flirty & sexy, so I think it covered all the romance bases!

#currentlyreading This is one of the very rare times I am detouring from my list & reading something that is no where on there. The library where I work is about to start letting patrons check out pre-loaded genre-specific Kindles (so cool!), and I volunteered to take one & see what reading on it was like. I have the romance Kindle, & The Hating Game was the first one listed, so here we are! Hoping for a fun, flirty eRead!

I really wanted to like this book, but something about the execution just did not draw me in. The main character was, confusingly, the least developed. I could tell you more about her 4 friends than her. My other main issue was the way the historical setting was achieved. Here it felt very “told & not shown.” Even with all that, though, I did find myself emotionally connected to some of the women & did enjoy reading the second half of the book.

I really enjoyed this book! It is not a straightforward story - there is a lot of jumping around to many different characters & different times, but all centering around a flu pandemic that wiped out 99% of the world‘s population. If you‘re looking for a unique take on post apocalyptic fiction, I highly recommend this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New @outofprint t-shirt! #fightevilreadbooks

Jessie is a junior in high school whose mom died & who had to move across the country with her dad to where she knows no one. I was first worried that her mom dying would only be the reason they moved, but Buxbaum delivered more than that and explores teenage grief. As someone who also lost a parent in high school, I saw a lot of myself in Jessie. Aside from all that it‘s a fun first-love romance as well, and I am sorry it‘s over.

Road trip listen!

It‘s no wonder that Shana Abé wins historical romance book awards - she is good at writing this stuff! The book was really interesting: at nearly 600 pages it was essentially 3 books in one telling stories from different parts of the Siren‘s line. The first was in AD 531, then 1721, & finally 2004. This is not a “tame” romance as there are certainly some racy parts, but they are well written, & I definitely recommend Abé! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on the multiverse theory, this book looks at two very different directions Hannah‘s life can take based on one decision she makes. It‘s a great premise, & it ended up not being a romance like I thought, though it has some of that in it. Sometimes the language was a little annoying (lots of modern “I love you, bro,” type stuff which always gets on my nerves). But I definitely am interested to read more from Reid in the future! ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This takes place right at the end of WWII, and is about 3 widows & their children who end up living & surviving together. There are quite a few flashbacks to their lives before & during the war, and even a few dramatic turns I didn‘t see coming. Reading about the war from female perspectives is always interesting but from German female perspectives was fascinating, and all three of them had very different views & responses to what was happening.

I enjoyed reading it, but felt almost no emotional connection to the characters. There were some things that felt added simply to show “yep, this is how it was in 1916 Iowa.” It covered a lot more ground than I was expecting but also didn‘t deliver on aspects outlined in the summary. It felt like an old Hallmark movie: easy & straightforward storytelling with a little historical preachiness thrown in. ⭐️⭐️💫

I don‘t think Chokshi‘s writing could ever get old. This book tells the story of a magical competition where the winner gets a wish. It differs from the first book in the companion set in that it‘s told from 3 different perspectives, but I think that added to the story, especially when the third narrator joined. It is beautifully written, intriguing, fun, & adds a new layer to my growing knowledge of Indian myth.

Absolutely gorgeous writing. The whole thing felt like a prose poem. And I loved hearing stories based in Indian folklore, something I know almost nothing about. Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️