Reading

 So I really biffed my reading blog, I've read tons of books this year so I'm just going to tell you about the ones that stand out, and what I've been doing to read more.

I was lucky enough to go to my local library main branch to get a new card, and I've downloaded the app Libby so that I can take out ebooks and audiobooks from the library. It's a very good app, they are often missing books or only have the ebook version but there's still tons of books that I want to read and enjoy. Higly recommend downloading the app and supporting your wallet as well as your local library. It's really helped me with my spending.

So far my favorite books of 2021 are 

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by Victoria Schwab

The Project by Courtney Summers

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Trail of Lightening and Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Lovesickness by Junji Ito

Survive the Night and Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Bouilley

Docile by K. M. Szpara

The Space Between Worlds by Macaiah Johnson

Don't Call it a Cult by Sarah Berman

Dark Horses by Susan Mihalic

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

Hot Under His Collar by Andie J. Christopher

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

It's been a lot but I've had a great reading year so far and I'm looking forward to reading even more 💕

Recent Reads

 Since I'm atrociously bad at consistency, probably due to poor mental health here are a few books I've read recently and either loved, enjoyed or felt quite blah about.

First my 5 star reads

In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

and

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

My four star reads were 

The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore

The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull

The Liar's Daughter by Megan Cooley Peterson

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

and finally books I could live without

all those damn Bridgerton books that I binged because of poor mental health.... but also ... I was obssessed, I'm happy I left that phase behind me. It only took like 14 something books that were pretty much all the same for me to get over it, but I came out on the other side, I've read some great books these last two months.

Dad's first reads 2021

My Dad has already read almost 10 books but I only have notes so far to 5 of them. I'm excited for the next batch because I gave him a few translated mysteries from other countries and that's always fun...for me. Anyways, on to the list!

 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 3.5/5 this book is told in the perspective of an 11 year Fluvia. Dad thought that the kid nerration explained it all meticulously, that it was very smart and realistic. He thought the mystery was good, suspenseful toward end, and he really enjoyed that you learned the story more  as she learned and figured it out.

Killing with Confetti by Peter Lovesy 4.5/5  He said "and I quote, "through a big fucking wrench into me... that ending." He really thought it was good, that it had started out slightly confusing but unfolded well and he loved it.

Good Girls Lie by J. T Ellison 4/5 Basically Dad's usual descriptions for books. was different, kept in suspense, mystery off the start then near middle you figure out what's going on, past and present povs, better written, etc... He still makes me want to read it. 😝

I See You by Clare MacKintosh 4/5 Once again his usual but he told me I should just read this one, so that must mean it was pretty nifty. enjoyed it, liked how it came together and surprised at ending, keep guessing over culprit, accessory and victims until very end

Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid 4/5 Dad also really like this true crime book he found it very informative, although a little dry in places hence to 4 not 5 star. My dad was also quite pissed by the end of book and I'm pretty sure that's the point. Racism against indigenous peoples in North America is extremely rampant, and it's hard to catch onto sometimes especially if you're white, which is why books like this is so important. Let's learn and do better, my father was furious and learnt a lot. Definitely recommend.

The Pisces Book Review

 The Pisces by Melissa Broder

Um, 2 stars? I think, maybe? 

Pretty much my reactions when reading this book, 

"Um weird"

"Fucking rude"

"Ok, hold the phone"

"wth"

"wtf"

"OMFG"

This book is a ride from start to finish, it's about Lucy a 38 year old woman having a crisis over her breakup with long term boyfriend and thesis, because she's pretty much breaking up with both the boyfriend and the thesis. She is unapologetic for being the biggest asshole and most self centered person on the planet while also I pity her because she's obviously struggling with severe mental health issues and extreme depression. As someone who struggles with poor mental health I don't think that gives people a right to be an asshole and disrespect others. Lucy is slightly redeemable and i have hope for her future self after the book ends, but honestly just ugh. 

So this book was marketed to me as 'merman erotica' and it did have fishy sex, but it is not erotica because I was disgusted by every sex scene in this book. It's either disappointing, gross or both. Theo was also an unhealthy mother fucker, who toyed with Lucy that I felt like she was getting brainwashed by him. Jeez, giver the girl a healthy relationship. 

Honestly, at one point in the book our mc Lucy just pretty spirals down into non-existence and makes terrible decisions with REAL consequences, which she seemed to learn from but it was a little late. I don't want to spoil this book if you decide to read it, if you need spoilers hit me up on my instagram @booksontuesday

I did give this the 2 stars because I do think it showed how mental health affects us, and how we can become so obsessed with ourselves that we become out of control. And honestly I think maybe that's part of the point of the book but also by 3/4's of my way through it I only finished it because I craved closure from the story. And I NEEDED, not wanted, to write this review to let my very complicated feelings out which also means that maybe this is a good book? Because I can't stop thinking about it... 

Or maybe it's so bad that it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

I need a stiff drink. 

May the odds be ever in your favour.

Also putting the trigger warnings slightly down because they often spoil parts of the story, read at your own will.

#thepisces #thepiscesbookreview #melissabroder 

Otherwise the trigger warnings are animal abuse/death, graphic sex, depression, suicide and talk of suicide

My Most Anticipated books 2021

• In the Ravenous Dark by Strickland
• The Project by Summers
• Gilded Serpent by Jensen
• Blade of Secrets by Levenseller
• Daughter of Sparta by Andrews
• Six Crimson Cranes by Lim
• Lost in the Deep Dark Woods by Thomas
• Bridge of Souls by Schwab
• Crown of Gilded Bones by Armentrout
• Ariadne by Saint

This is a very short list but I want all these so much!!!! 

Top 2020 reads

 My List

• Mooncakes
• 
  The Shadows Between Us
• The Black Witch and Iron Flower
• From Blood and Ash
• Dark Shores and Dark Skies
• This is How You Lose the Time War
• The Song of Achilles
• My Dark Vanessa
• Fable
• Mexican Gothic
• Queen of Nothing
• Watch Over Me
• Spoiler Alert

My Dad's List

• Hunting Whitey
• The Last Time I Lied
• The Guest List
• Murder in the Crooked House
• Hunted
• In the Cold Dark Ground
  

Man it was a great reading year! Tell me your favorite book that you read in 2020?

Dad Reads Winter Edition 2

Once again I have no strenght or will power to make my notes coherent, nobody reads my blog anyways 😩 so here are my dads thoughts on books he read at the end of November and throughout December.

 Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd 3.5/5 well written, in some suspense, slightly dragged out, good mystery tag line "what goes around comes around"

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger 3.5/5 pretty good, kept wondering, you just have to read it to know

The Residence by Andrew Pyper 3/5 a little fucked up "it was," ending didn't make much sense, one extreme to another different level, maybe would read his other books 

Watching from the Dark by Gytha Lodge 3.5/5 drawn out, was ok, past and present perspectives and had him stumped

The Last Thing to Burn  by Will Dean 4.5/5 well written, thriller suspense mystery and a bit of a mind fuck, really stood out from other novels

Once again some of these are arcs and aren't released yet. Keep your eyes open for them, there's definitely a few I really want to read.

December 2020 reads

 Holy crap, why can't I read this many books in one month all the time? Because sleep, slumps and honestly probably just those two reasons.....

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 4/5 So I finally read and finished Ninnth House, honestly maybe it's more of a 3 stars but it was really boring. I love supernatural mystery so I thought for sure I would love this. I didn't love it, and my favorite character was Darlington and if you've read it well you know. The twist was out of left field there was no real buildup and I wouldn't have guessed and now I'm left with a very unsatisfying story but I'll probably still read the next one.

Strangelands vol 1 5/5 This is a great graphic novel and I would love to keep reading more of this series. It's got great potential, plus it's indigenous ownvoices with one of the creaters at least, Little Badger who recently released Elatsoe which I'm looking forward to reading as well.

Snow Day by Julie Lipson 4/5 This audiobook is short, sweet and cute. It' was really well done, I was impressed.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco 4/5 sigh I wanted this to be 5 stars so badly and I loved the romantic relationship aka banter, because it's not really a relationship....yet....? Anyways, it's really interesting and I'm really intrigued to read the next one but the pacing was really off. Like really, really off, it takes place over weeks, or months I guess? I don't even know, but our main character was lacking a bit, I'd rather have read from the other twins life, ours is a bit boring and plain and slow to take action. I think I would have understood her bad decisions more if she hadn't literally had long periods of time to think about things. 

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard I really hesitate to rate this book because it's literally a memoir written by a woman who was kidnapped and kept in captivity for over 20 years. It was heartbreaking and beautiful and I can't believe Jaycee Dugard had any hope and survived this trauma. I hope for the best for her, her story is important and inspiring, if Jaycee Dugard can survive under her circumstances I can handle the shit show of 2020.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley 5/5 I know that some aspects of this story were predictable but I loved it. It was atmospheric, and I was fascinated by the how of these characters connecting.

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer 5/5 This was so cute, I'm still crying. It follows a stereotypical ya rom-com plot but with sea rescue and learning and character growth and um, ya. I just loved it, I didn't think I would especially because I didn't like the main charcter but I read it in one night. Highly recommend.

Hunting Whitey by Casey Sherman 4/5 This true crime book follows mob boss Whitey Bulger after he goes on the run as an old man. It also covers the last bit of his life while he was in prison. I enjoyed this book, it was well written and was kind of fascinating to get a glimspe into this man's life. He was racist, and homophopic and well a murderer but also there was a lot of grey area to his life. He was extremely loyal, loved animals and became a type of father figure to many people. Anyways it's prettty messed up, highly recommend. Also just a side note, the poor police.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley 4/5 This was basically the Hutning Party but more predictable and I still loved it.

One by One by Ruth Ware 3/5 Um, this was very easy to see through and honestly kind of annoying. IT was fun though, I liked it enough for 3 stars I guess.

The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda 3/5 I liked this one too but also it didn't have any ooumph for me. 

The Viscount Who Loved me by Julia Quinn I fell into the Bridgerton hole as soon as I saw the show. I skipped the first book becuase it pretty much follows the first season and I didn't need to relieve Daphne. Anthony did not disapoint and this is probably my favorite.

An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn cute

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn my other favorite in the series.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson 4/5 I wasn't expecting this to be as good as it was but it was really fricking good. Highly recommend.

Living-Room Matsunaga-kun vol 5 4/5 Just a cute rom-com with questionable age gap roamnce but I don't care because I'm 29 and trash.

Dad Reads Winter Edition 1

Alright in my usual or less usual fashion, my dad is a man of few words and so here are my notes, because I've been working on being behind on blog posts for a few months now. 😓 So here y'all go! 

Lake Crescent by J. J. Dupuis 3.5/5 screwed him up, kept intrigue up and well written but slightly drawn out

The Rope by Alex Tresniowski dnf'd boring and couldn't get into it

The Day She Died by S.M Freedman 4/5 it fucked him up, you'd have to read to understand, wild ride

Unspeakable Acts  curated by Sarah Weinman 3/5 some of it very good, some not so much

The Woman Outside my Door by Rachel Ryan 4/5 well written, kept him guessing, good story

The Drowning Kind  by Jennifer MCMahon 4/5 kept in suspense, kept guessing, but supernatural aspect to it

Although he mostly enjoyed all these books, nothing super stood out to him during this reading selection.

Also to be noted, my dad reads tons of arcs because none of my coworkers seem to read much in terms of mystery. So some of these aren't released yet.

Murder at Brightwell by Ashley Weaver Review

 4/5 stars

I recieved an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although I did recieve an arc, I also thought it would be a good audiobook, and guess what it was! I read this using both my digital copy and the audio and it was perfect. Murder at the Brightwell follows Amory Ames, the wife of a wealthy man. She is struggling in her marriage and is completely unsure about what to do about it so she ends up following an old flame to the seaside to help him convince his sister that she's marrying a rake. Instead of convincing the sister not to marry a rake, she ends up sleuthing to find out who commited murder. I'm not going to say much more just because I really don't want to spoil anything.

I loved this book, it was a lot of fun, I loved our main character and honestly there's not much I can say about it. Just I really liked it, it was a bit slow moving pacing but it started picking it up and I loved it. If you like cozy, historical mysteries, this is a perfect book for you!

2020 goals and NetGalley catch up

 I've been approved for many Netgalley books, I was sad and poor and reading lots so I decided to go trigger happy and apply for every book that peaked my interest even a sliver and then because I'm a mood reader...I read none of them.... sigh I did it to myself, so here I am catching up and my 2020 monthly goals is to read at least 2 books that I've got ARCs from each month. ARCs given in exchange for honest review

So far in January I've read, 

Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan by Gaku Kuze This was a very fun manga, the story follows a group of audlts who are actors/characters in a young children's tv show. Uramichi is very cynical and you can just tell how beaten down he is. I laughed and cringed reading this, it was everything I feel as a failed adult even though I know there's no time limit to completing my goals and progressing/growing as a human 😓 Anyways I highly reccomend this series, I think it's fun and relatable.

and of course the best book so far this year, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E Schwab I'm absolutely bewildered by this incredible story, it was beautiful. I can't believe a human wrote this, it was perfect and I just want to pick it up and read it again, immediately. The characters, the descriptions, the story were perfect. It's a slow burn that keeps burning even after you turn the last page. 

November reads 2020

This was such a good reading month for me, I enjoyed everything I read and I'm very satisfied. I feel like I had such a full month!

 The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black 5/5 I'm not crying, you're crying! I can't believe but I loved this book, it was honestly a perfect ending in my opinion.

I Hope You're Listening by Tom Ryan I enjoyed this one and the format half podcast, half first pov is one of my favorites but this story did fall a little flat forme. Mostly because the secondary characters were all under developed and completely unnecessary for the plot. 

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this one, apparently it's loosely based off the real life slender man true crime but I would never have guessed. Overall it was a lot of fun to read and I'm shocked at how everything played out even though I did guess some of it. Highly recommend. 

Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour is probably one of my favorite books from this year. It was dark, and filled with the processing of grief, and trauma. I really loved this book and don't want to say too much, but it's worth reading and honestly going in blind really made it it an incredible experience. Nina LACour is now an autobuy author for me.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is my favorite romance novel this year. The fat representation really resonated with many of my insecurities about life. It was very relatable and I also appreciated the dyslexic representation as well. I loved how they solved problems as adults and they used their communication skills to progress. I just loved this book and can't recomend it enough. The only part that was a little much for me was that a 40 year old actor was writing quality fanfiction 😜 

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a mystery that transcends generations. The question being repeated throughout history. Was she asking for it? Victim blaming and rape culture is the big topic surrounding this story and I felt like the author did a good job at pointing out the injustice and work that needs to be done to improve rape trails, and prosecution (or lack thereof...). Also I listened to this as an audio book and the quality of the story really shone through, the format of half story and half podcast is always one of my favorites especially for mysteries. 

The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter Ummmm, yes I'm still reading these. I can't even... but also I'm addicted to reading about that tension right before characters have sex in romance novels... You know? They spend half the book with pent up emotions and feelings while they're still trying to complete their goals and this series is doing really good at that.

The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter Once again these books do feature quite toxic relationships and I still don't quite get the possessive mate hype in romance but meh, I'm honestly having fun with these. But they really aren't very good so ya. 

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James I actually loved this book, I loved that there was some paranormal aspects but that it didn't center on the actual mystery, it was bonus. I loved that, so even if the story was slightly predidctable this really made the story for me. I loved how the author blended past and present, true crime and paranormal. I honestly can't wait to read more of this author.

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White Maybe it was the fact that I read this as an audio book but I was really disapointed. Like 2.5 or 3 stars out of 5 disapointing. First things first, it was worth reading but maybe try the physical copy? Because I listened to the audio it was painfully obvious that the narration, that Guinevere was obssesed with Arthur. Which is just gross, I think the author should make the love interest with either Lancelot or Mordred. Arthur is just boring... and this book except for the very last end of it was honestly just soooo boring. I don't even know how the author put all the scenes into a coherent story, a lot of it felt really random. I could say more but those are the gist of my feelings.

Dad Reads Fall Edition

As we all know by now my dad is a man of few words and lots of grunts but here we be still collecting books he's read recently.  I'm extremely behind on posts obviously since it's January so here are my jot notes instead of full real sentences.

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger 4/5 kept him wondering, good ending, well written, liked characters

Blood World by Chris Mooney 4/5 was intrigued what next, very well written, nothing bad, some slow sections but interesting

Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture & Killing of America's Most Wanted Crime Boss by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge 5/5 loved it, lots of interesting info, gave you info like story, super well written, really enjoyed, really gave you insight into his life

Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent3/5 was interesting with the 3 different povs, how their lives unfolded, just wanted to know all three perspectives, was boring in a lot of places and could've been better but wanted to know what happened

No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez 3/5 interesting, written ok, characters ok, and little dragged out

Bonus Book 

My mom read Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter by Beth McMullen she loved it. It's an upcoming middle grade that I grabbed because archaeology and history and Indiana Jones is life. 

Mexican Gothic

 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is now officially an autobuy author for me. I loved reading this lush, acidic trip through an old mansion in Mexico. I learned some history but for me it descriptions and our main character that really made me fall in love. The writing started the story off slow with our main character traveling to visit her cousin to check their safety after some troubling letters.

I really don't want to spoil any of it and I think it's a book that better if you go into it fairly blind. The only really important thing to know is that it's gothic horror thriller, and it's best to expect some triggers if you're a senstitive reader.

My October reads 2020

I actually read a ton of books in October for me, especially since I've gotten into audio books but also I've just gotten into the reading groove. So here they are and I'll mention a few things about specific books but the ones where I just give a rating will have dedicated posts about eventually....

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 4 stars

Torso Brian Michael Bendis is a true crime graphic novel that really encapsulated the times when this case was happening. It was honestly more historical than true crime. it was really good but I'm more interested in the actual crime versus that specific time period. It's a little too modern for me.

Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts This was really well done I thought. I was expecting it to be more genius but it ended up just being a fun spooky food graphic novel. I don't know if I'll reread it for the stories or just for it's aesthetics which are beautiful.

To Catch A Killer by Sheryl Scarborough I listened to this on audioe and overall the narrator did a great job, the overall story was a bit predictable but fun. I rated this as less stars and almost didn't finish it because the main character swooned over her love interest too much. It was so ridiculous I rolled my eyes constantly. Just ugh, gross and I live for romance.

Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf by Hayley Kirscher I feel like this topic is important to explore within ya especially. So much rape culture is fostered young starting with kids, middle ages and teens. It's important to instill healthy ideas about consent and sexism for all genders starting from a young age. Overall I really enjoyed this book, I read it very fast because the writing hooked me in.

Monster Vol 1 by Naoki Urasawa This series has a bunch of my friends fawning over it and so I really wanted to see what the hype is, and although I liked it and will be continuing on with the rest of the series, I did find this first volume a little hard to get into and slightly confusing. I perservered and was rewarded with by the story getting better and better. 

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden This short middle grade horror was actually horrifying for me. I read it in one night because I couldn't go bed thinking about the story. I really loved this book and look forward to reading the next one and then the 3rd when it's released. 

Dryad vol 1 by Kurtis Wiebe I recieved an earc from netgalley in exchange for review. This graphic novel was very well done, I was hooked on the characters and the story. It was very different and not at all what I thought it was going to be. Definitely worth reading, although I'm not sure if I'll continue the series because it ended up not being what I wanted from the story. I struggle to enjoy stories that have both classic fantasy and sci-fi elements. Idk I'm weird.

A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe  I recieved an earc from netgalley in exchange for review and this was very much a 3/5 star for me. It was good, but also meh. 

The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco I was hoping this book would be scary but the scary elemnts fell really flat for me. I did enjoy the story overall though, but reading it felt awkward.  I know the author is Filipino and probably has a very good understanding of Japanese culture but maybe she wrote this book so that a younger teen could enjoy it as well. It just wasn't scary at all even though I feel like the stories about thelegends this book was based on feel scary. It's hard to explain, but it was good.

Dare You to Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch This was by far my favorite read of October! It was pretty much Veronica Mars in a ya book format and I had so much fun reading it. The pacing and voice were addicting and I read it in one night. And I'm excited because people tell me that the second book is even better!

The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter Um, don't read this series unless you enjoy toxic masculinity and romance involving the trope mates, instalove, and smut. Although I would not recommend to most (if not all) of my friends the actual plot develops is interesting ways and I'll probably make my way through all 15 books because I'm trash for trash. It's 2020 and I can't handle anything remotely serious anymore.

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes This made a really interesting audio book and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. TW for natural animal death which brought me to tears. Now that I'm writing this, I think this book is way better than I originally thought and if more books appear with these characters I'm going to read them.

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano I realy enjoyed this overall but I think I wanted it to be better than it was. This concept has been used before by authors and was doing good with it but it fell downhill with the forced romance and awkward characters. I may read the next one eventually.... but also I don't know if I care enough.

The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter see Darkest Night write up above and know that I'm fallen....

#octoberreads #thelovelyandthelost #thedarkestnight #smallspaces #dryad #somethinghappenedtoaligreenleaf