pickWhile not my favorite of the series so far, it was still really good. There were some slow parts in the middle, but the ending was action packed. There were a couple of scenes that almost had me sobbing. I‘m still so in love with these characters, and I love that there was more development in the relationship between our MC and her sisters. I can‘t wait to see what else happens…
pickI‘m in love with these characters (especially Rhysand 🥵). The story and the characters‘ arcs are flowing well from the first book. My family judged me as I struggled to put the book down lol. I feel like this one‘s writing was infinitely better than the first one as well, but that might just be me. Once again, loved the romance and there were plenty of 🌶️ scenes, as well as a plethora of magic, humor, and action. On to book 3 😁
“‘I want them to hear your story. And know that there is a special strength...‘ As I spoke I realized I needed to hear it, know it, too. ‘A special strength in enduring such dark trials and hardships... And still remaining warm, and kind. Still willing to trust and reach out.‘”
Up next 😁
pickThis is a soft pick. The story is incredibly entertaining and sucked me in. But the writing was just okay. There are plenty of fantasy tropes and some moments that made me cringe. But I kept turning the page and I enjoyed the romance part of it. I can see now why there‘s so much hype about this series. I‘m definitely continuing to book 2.
Taking a break 🤗 (been running around since 5 AM, it‘s now after 10 here) ☕️
pickI really loved this one. At first it was like any other fantasy; beckoning us to take a closer look at this train, its staff, and passengers. But don‘t look too closely at the passing landscape. It was dreamlike. The idea of being stuck on a train in the middle of nowhere, with an ever-changing landscape with unknown creatures on the prowl, sounds terrifying. But then it turns ethereal and whimsical, full of magic. The underlying theme is greed…⬇️
“We leave new life in our wake; young vines curling around ancient houses; new shoots stirring in the soil; flora and fauna not found in any of the natural histories so far written. We leave you to find ways to live alongside it, to make the choice that faces us all—whether to turn away from the changes, to fight, to flee; or whether to welcome them in.”
“Within all things, a striving to achieve a more perfect form.”
“…though the crow is a much maligned bird—a creature cannot be good or evil, not like man, who is born good and pure, who must learn evil.”
Library haul! My hold for ACOTAR finally came in. I‘m finally jumping on the bandwagon cause several people have recommended it, but since I‘ve seen so many mixed reviews I decided to borrow instead of buy for now. Then I grabbed these other two from the library‘s writing display.
“This is why we have our rituals, she thinks. This is why they are needed—so that we can lose ourselves for a while.”
“…they take up the years of superstition, the ritual—boundaries have to be marked, after all, and what is it about a line that brings on the urge to leap over it?”
Gave myself a rest day cause it‘s been a crazy couple of weeks. Only the bare minimum for me today, and I think Luna and Sunny agree with my choices 🥰
“The human mind sees what it wants to, the Professor always says. We see faces in the bark of trees, in wallpaper patterns, because we look for ourselves in everything.”
pickThis was quite an enjoyable read. I love how scientific it gets about dragons. The world-building is fantastic and I found the characters really likable. The MC always manages to get herself into all sorts of predicaments in the name of science. There‘s a mystery she and her companions have to get to the bottom of, so her focus veers away from the dragons for a time. But the mystery ends up correlating with an issue…⬇️
bailedOfficially don‘t think LitRPGs are for me. I‘m pretty sure this is a me problem. I find it boring listening to in-game stats and it feels like it‘s interrupting the story. When you actually play RPGs you‘re more immersed in it, and the character has always been a part of the world they‘re inhabiting. I appreciate the concept of us normal people being thrown into a video game, but it‘s not as exciting as I thought it would be.
Finally learned how to use Libby to borrow e-books on my Kindle lol. I have a couple of books on hold but this one was available now 😁
“…now, with the hindsight brought by greater age, I see myself for the naive and inexperienced young woman I was. We all begin in such a manner, though. There is no quick route to experience.”
I‘m in one of those moods where I don‘t know what I want to read so I just picked one up that‘s been in my TBR pile for a while… but this looks intriguing.
pickThis is a soft pick. It‘s not a very serious read but it is extremely whimsical, cozy, and comforting. It was just the palate cleanser I needed after reading two darker stories in a row. The romance is cute and the setting is magical. The story shows us that even with all the bad life throws our way, we can lean into the good in the way of friendship, love, and the little things like a good book, a pastry and a cup of tea (coffee in my case).
So far, the two LitRPGs I‘ve tried were a bust. Hopefully this latest listen can redeem the genre for me. You would think a gamer who loves playing RPGs and reading fantasy would take to it immediately, but so far it hasn‘t worked for me.
so-soWhile the plot is good, I had a love/hate relationship with these characters. The MC could be funny/“edgy” but she could also be incredibly bratty. Her family seemed great at the beginning but as more of their dynamic is revealed, you start realizing how manipulative everyone is. But ultimately, that‘s the point of this story: every family has its drama and its demons. In the end, the MC has a great arc and I like how the story wrapped up for her.
pickTW: obviously there‘s violence, that includes themes of incest and SA. But in terms of a murder mystery, this was a page turner for sure. It was well written, so many twist and turns, with the murderer always a step ahead of our MC (a private investigator) and detectives. Every piece of the puzzle comes together in the end, and while you start to get hints about whodunnit, it‘s still surprising and shocking. There are 77 books in this series ⬇️
Up next… and look at my new bookmark 🎃❤️😁
bailed*sigh* First, none of these were scary. But the main reason I bailed were two stories that just didn‘t sit right with me. One depicted an enslaved person as the narrator and she acted like it was perfectly fine between her and the family that enslaved her, and another enslaved person made the ghost angry so they sold her. Then another seemed to sympathize with the confederates during the Civil War. So yeah, no thanks. 🤢
My next listen, I‘m definitely all in for spooky season this year lol…
pickTW: SA and abuse. This book tells the story of three Weyward women from three different eras. The Weywards are a long line of witchy women, connected to nature in such a magical way. And these women have had to endure such horrible things at the hands of men. It might be fiction, but knowing the truth in that for so many women made those scenes difficult to get through. Ultimately, the book reminds us that women are magic and they are survivors.
A bit under the weather so I‘ve spent most of the day resting… loving my new mug, and these spooky tales aren‘t scary at all so far but still fun.
I think it‘s a perfect time to read this one. I got it during our trip to the DMV area in the summer.
pickThis eerie tale starts off with a floor plan, which at first glance, seems like any other house. But a closer look hints at something bizarre. The MC is a writer who focuses on dark mysteries and the macabre, and this floor plan caught his interest. Soon he manages to unravel an incredibly creepy reason for the strange house, and he makes a bigger discovery than he could have ever imagined. A great read that kept me on edge and turning the page.
pickUzumaki means spiral in Japanese, and Junji Ito is incredibly creative to find so many different ways to make a simple spiral so horrifying. Each chapter introduces a new method for the spiral to terrorize this small town on the coast of Japan. The story kept my interest and the art was captivating. I usually read manga/graphic novels fairly quickly, but I was mesmerized and carefully analyzed every stroke of Ito‘s pen. I really enjoyed this one.
As a kid I collected stickers and Beanie Babies. Now I still collect stickers, but instead of putting them in a dedicated album I use them to decorate the covers of my journals. My family and I collect anime figurines as well.
And of course, I collect books… always have, always will.
#majicmonday @Eggs
My daughter has been wanting me to read this one. I‘m not big on horror but I‘ll dabble occasionally, especially during spooky season. Plus, the art in this one is amazing.
pickThis one was a very quick read, a story that reads like a long poem. Our protagonist is heartbroken over a betrayal by his father, and at the same time growing into a man himself. Such a short novella, with all the impacts of life woven into it: heartbreak, laughter, coming of age, and in the end; making the right decisions for the ones we love.
“Whatever you do, there‘ll always be someone trying to impose limits on you. Don‘t go looking for them on your own.”
pickThis was a soft pick. This felt like a colossal read for me, not just in its size but in its complexity. The main thing I absolutely loathed were the “casual” instances of misogyny, racism, and classism that was rarely ever called out during this era. But this was mostly a scholarly read for me, and I studied the writing carefully. Tolstoy delved so deeply into his characters, everything from their appearance, their body language… continued ⬇️
“…But that had been grief and this was joy. But that grief and this joy were equally outside all ordinary circumstances of life, were like holes in this ordinary life, through which something higher showed.”
“Energy, you say. Energy is based on love. And love can‘t be drawn from just anywhere, it can‘t be ordered.”
Library haul! The cover for the one on the right is what caught my attention, but the blurb sounds interesting too. The tagged caught my attention because of the title. I have an absentee father so I guess it resonated.
My next listen has been sitting in my Audible library for a while, but with October just around the corner I‘m in the mood for something witchy.
