Ab. So. Lu. Tely. Incredible.
Seamless world building, a window into a beautiful cultural celebration, and such an important perspective on self, acceptance, and love.
If I could give this a thousand thumbs up, I would.
And a DEBUT novel? I can‘t wait to see the places Aiden Thomas takes us 😊

“So much of anxiety was anxiety about having anxiety. Would it come tonight? Would it suddenly wrap its fingers around her neck and warp the world, now, at the moment when she should be happiest? Would the universe crunch itself into a ball and ping itself right between her eyes?”
For a murder mystery series, the periodic examination of anxiety disorders are spot on, and all the more timely, what with :gestures at the world:.

After 22 days, I‘m finally feeling like I have free time, and starting to work my way through the large number of ARCs in my TBR stacks. Tonight was definitely well spent on The Boneless Mercies.
A beautiful twist on Beowulf, we see Frey and her companions redefine themselves through trials, tribulations, and loss. The concept of two sides to every story features prominently, which leaves so many different directions for the next book to go in.

Poignant reminder these days 😕
I‘ve found it‘s difficult to read, for the most part. I‘ve only read two books, and two graphic novel trades from DC Ink, Shadow of the Batgirl being one of them. The refreshing style, the color palette, the Cassandra‘s uncertainty and journey of self development and discovery- just what I needed.

Finally diving into the books I picked up in Denver last summer, I loved exploring Tattered Cover!
This one is a hard pill to swallow. I definitely suffer from 90s nostalgia, and it‘s making me take a hard look at my memories. But. It‘s fascinating to see how things permeate and ripple through our culture, decades later. Depressing, but fascinating.

I‘ve compulsive sometimes, just have to get a book based on the cover.
Was it Shakespeare? No.
Did it hold my interest? I finished it in one sitting, so heck yeah.
Easy read, a nice change from Disney-fied mythical creatures, and ENCOURAGES SAFE SEX!! YA usually skips over the actual sex scenes, Ringle made a point to at least go as far as a condom being fetched 🙌🙌🙌

It‘s been a rough week. Monday, the ax fell company wide at my career home for the past ten years. Tuesday was occupied by a dog who ate a whole bag of chocolate, and when I finally had a moment to hop on social media on Wednesday... another school shooting. So I‘ve retreated, mentally anyway, into some old favorites. My first non-trilogy series, where good is good and Evil is evil and everything makes sense.
Be kind to each other.

You find yourself completely absorbed in Lilliet‘s world, as she goes from surviving to getting by to enjoying to... here‘s where I started to get frustrated. She becomes so convinced of this “curse,” she molded her life to it. After modeling herself to her various surroundings for her entire life, why did she create these self imposed limitations? Do she and her composer end up together? Things I‘ll never know... 10/10, would happily reread.

I can‘t help it, I always end up wrecking the spines of paperbacks. I like to think of my books as “well loved” instead 😊 It‘s a beautiful day, and I‘ve some time to kill before hiking, so why not dive into a book from my TBR stack?

Because I really need to start reading another book 🙄 I love this universe, and finally getting to see a new set of families, a new setting, and what happens after the Cold Peace? I couldn't help myself...

"When it began, it began as an opera would begin, in a palace, at a ball, in an encounter with a stranger who, you discover, has your fate in his hands. He is perhaps a demon or god in disguise, offering you a chance at either the fulfillment of a dream or a trap for the soul. A comic element - the soprano arrives in the wrong dress - and it decides her fate." If that doesn't grab you, I don't know what will.

"The night was cold but gentle like an X-rated metaphor."
"Kerri's hand was warm and white and so rarely soft like one of the only three species of flowers native to Antarctica."
These descriptions... not sure if it'll get old, but they're pretty spectacular on the first read ? Really enjoying this so far, it's definitely not what I expected - but in such good ways!

Just finished the arc I got my hands on months ago, and wow. The parallels to our reality are timely, unflinching, and devastating. With a female protagonist learning to navigate the racism and classism of her world, there's loads of foreshadowing but little comes to fruition - more than enough reasons to anxiously await the next book in this series! Light fantasy, full on political, I believe I've joined the Resistance against Gardenia.

"Every generation wants to be the last. Every generation hates the next trend in music they can't understand. We hate to give up those reins of our culture. To find our own music playing in elevators. The ballad for our revolution, turned into background music for a television commercial. To find our generation's clothes and hair suddenly retro." Man, this book is endlessly quotable.

"Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother's busy holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed. He's making sure your imagination withers. Until it's as useful as your appendix. He's making sure your attention is always filled." Truth ? for the ages.

So excited to dive back into this world!!!

"... everyone has their own David Bowie. So many Bowies: how do you keep up with them in a book, and try to keep him inside the pages as he constantly, provocatively moves somewhere else and becomes someone else?"
Finally diving into this tome, and I can't wait to learn about the different facets of the man I fell in love with as the Goblin King.

Minna and Ada Everleigh of Chicago's Everleigh Club, enterprising women who actually (unintentionally and by way of their practice of "white slavery" (by which I mean owning and operating a brothel)) helped found the FBI... Dive in for a fun ride through the late 19th/early 20th centuries in Chicago. Not the same style as Erik Larson, but Abbott's voice keeps you just as entranced. #brothelbooks #funhistory #USHistory

Newest Owlcrate book, and I couldn't put it down. The descriptions are, simply put, delicious to the mind. Following a female protagonist, with a contrasting female character possessing an opposite set of strengths, the reader is truly swept away. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up 😊

Super excited for another installment in the Mistborn world 😍😍

Just started, and I already feel like I've got a good grasp on the state of the Graceling universe. Cashore does a great job of bringing you up to speed on the politics and balance of the world without just listing factoids. I can't wait to see where this series goes ^.^

Genuinely adore this series. Easy read, laugh out loud, and totally rereadable. ❤️

Talk about a "tell me more!!" first sentence.. Glad I pulled this from the bottom of my to-read pile ?

A fine addition to the series, and it's Domino approved to boot!

So much of this book was setting up the series, it felt almost generalized instead of complete. I was interested enough in the characters to finish, but I'm having trouble justifying sticking with it after the fact. Overall, extremely disappointing, especially when I had such high hopes.

Oh my glob. If you ever feel that desperate need for the 90s, which I do on the daily, this is your one-way ticket to flannel glory. Part memoir, part interviews, part nostalgia motherload , this is one of my favorite autobiographies to date. 💯❤️🙌

After a long, on-and-off rainy and generally crummy day, this book is exactly what I needed. It's everything you look for in a cozy mystery: easy to read but hard to put down. Sprinkled with classic literature and mystery references, a nice relaxing read.

I could reread these stories forever 😍

My current purse book is slowly but surely becoming my favorite nonfiction read of the year. It can get nonfiction-y dense, which I anticipated, but the content is both dear to my heart and written in a way that keeps you interested. Love it!