My Most Anticipated 2021 Releases

 I don't typically do much research about books coming out the following year but the year 2020 was a bumper crop of great new releases. While I primarily want to read books already on my shelves, I've compiled a list of books I'm eagerly anticipating in 2021. This list is probably not complete as I don't know what will be coming out later in the year.

January:

26th- My Brilliant Life by Kim Ae-ran Translated by Chi-Young Kim

This looks interesting because it focuses on a chronic illness.

February:

2nd- The Survivors by Jane Harper

2nd- Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Both of these books interest me because I've enjoyed the authors' writing before.

March:

 9th- Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (finishing out the trilogy)

16th- The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville

April:

6th- Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson (loved her first two!)

20th- The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (finishes the series)

May:

4th- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

18th- The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

25th- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Again, have enjoyed all these authors before.

June:

1st- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

July:

6th- All Our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton (gave his first book 5 stars)

6th- The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (2nd in the trilogy)

13th- A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (yay! a new series by my fave author!)

September:

21st- Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

I "discovered" Klune this year and absolutely love him. Eager to read all his stuff.

December Wrap Up #1

 Well, my slump is still lasting but so far I've read 4 things since I last updated you.

The first was Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. This is an indigenous story of a young girl who can raise ghosts and owns a ghost dog. She finds out her cousin was murdered and tries to solve the mystery with the help of other supernatural beings. This was really engaging and I read it very quickly. I gave it 4 stars and am keen to pick up other books of hers in the future.

Then my library hold of the graphic memoir Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crews came in. This is a simply drawn story about the author realizing she was a lesbian and the multiple times she had to come to that realization. It was enjoyable but I felt it didn't offer any real insight or depth of story and the art was nothing special. I gave it 3 stars.

After that I read a copy of The New York Times Review magazine for the Read Harder Challenge. This had multiple essays in it about culture, books, politics, social justice, and art. I enjoyed a few but many were a slog to get through. I gave it 2 stars.

Lastly, I finished The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline. It was a sad historical fiction about women who were sentenced to "transport" and exiled in Australia as a result of their crime. However, many of these women were guilty of being poor, being different, or being weak. There was also a separate thread of an Aboriginal girl who was taken from her family and the English family who tried to turn her from "savage" to "civilized young woman." These stories were later entwined. Overall, a heartbreaking story but with hope and resiliency. I gave it 4 stars.

Top 12 books of 2020

 My Top 12 books of 2020

I couldn't quite narrow it down to a top 10 list so you get 2 bonus books.

12. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

11. Cottonmouths by Kelly J. Ford

10. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

9. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

8. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

7. A Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob

6. Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch

5. Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey

4. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

3. Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend

2. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

and my absolute favorite!!! 1. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Goal Check-In on the 12 Books I wanted to read in 2020

 The 12 Books I want to Read in 2020

1. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent  

I knew this was a slow book and I was never in the mood for it.

2. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  

I still want to read this but due to it's very depressing story, I didn't feel like I was in the right mental space. This year was tough.

3. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee 

I have heard more negative things about this book and have since lost interest in it.

4. The Five by Hallie Rubenfold

Still want to read but had too many library holds in November when I planned to read it.

5. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Felt daunted by its large size. Still want to give it a try.

6. You Will Be Safe Here by Damien Barr

I read the first chapter when trying to decide what to read next. Didn't really pull me in.

7. The Overstory by Richard Powers

DNF'd after 25 pages.

8. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I read this and it was alright. I gave it 3 stars.

9. Red Sister by Mark Lawerence

10. Columbine by Dave Cullen

11. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

I read it and thought it was amazing. 5 stars.

12. Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

Another 5 stars. 

Well, I did quite poorly. I read 3 and DNF'd 1.  I still will make this goal one more time and if I find that I don't do well next year, I will probably stop.

Review of 2020 goals

 This year was much different than all other years but let's see how I did on my goals:

1. Complete the 24 reading prompts for Reading Women Challenge.

I did not finish this. I had 2 challenges that I did not get: Read an Afrofuturism book and Read a book about the environment.

2. Complete the 24 reading prompts for Reading Harder Challenge.

I did complete this just under the wire. After looking at the books this list pushed me to read, I realized most were not good or merely tolerable. I plan on attempting the list next year but I'm not going to push myself when I already read quite widely and want to read really enjoyable books.

3. Read at least 5 owned books a month (for a total of 60)

I did not reach this goal. I read 45 owned books. I'm glad I made this goal and might do it again next year.

4. Re-read an average of 1 book a month (not including Harry Potter)

I nearly reached this goal. I re-read 11 books. This was a fun goal and it gave me "permission" to re-read books when I have so many unread books on my shelves.

5. DNF books after 50-100 pages if I'm not enjoying them.

I dnf'd 11 books this year. That is much higher than normal so I feel like I met this goal. 

Mini Slump

 I don't have a second wrap up for November because after that ARC I reviewed, I haven't read anything for about 2 weeks. I've recently started a new book and am hoping to turn around December but I'm doing everything I can to break it. Here are some tips of what works for me:

1. Let yourself not read. Do other things that you enjoy. Watch t.v. or movies, play games, talk with friends, etc.

2. Re-read a favorite. You know you're going to enjoy it and get attached to the characters so there's nothing new to invest.

3. Read a short or easy-to-read book like middle grade, YA, or a graphic novel.

4. Listen to a great audiobook. Something with a great narrator.

5. Read something with a fast-paced plot. Something that makes you not want to put it down. Often best for these are mystery/thrillers but others genres will sometimes work.

ARC Review of Tomorrow Will Be Better by Betty Smith

 I've mentioned before that my all-time favorite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I was interested in reading more from her, but her books are out of print. However, I recently found that they are getting reprinted so I requested an audio ARC of Tomorrow Will Be Better.

The book focuses on Margy Shannon, a poor Irish girl growing up in 1920s Brooklyn. This is a family saga that looks at the impact of poverty on family dynamics and the idea of the American Dream that if you work hard, you can be successful. Hope towards a brighter tomorrow is a constant theme running through the book.

Something that I thought was incredibly progressive for a book originally published in 1948 is the inclusion of a character is who not really interested in sex with his wife. It is unclear if this character is asexual or a homosexual but either way, that was likely a radical idea to include in this story.

This book is quite sad in parts, dealing with abuse, poverty, and infant loss but the book ends on a hopeful note that things can turn around. My only issue with the book was the pacing. Occasionally she skipped over significant events or rushed through them. While this did not replace A Tree Grows in Brooklyn as my favorite, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend the audiobook. I gave the book 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the audio ARC and this book will be published on November 24, 2020.

November Wrap Up #1

 In the first half of November, I've DNF'd 1 book and finished 4.

The book I had to give up on was The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe. I read 119 pages but found that the book wasn't funny at all, more wry insight to his depression. The book was part memoir and part self-help book which was just not what I thought it'd be. Super underwhelming. I told my husband I'd have named it The Slightly Amusing Book of Depression and he said that's why I'm not in marketing.

The first book I finished was Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. I read this around Halloween and it was a great creepy read. It focused on two timelines; a past timeline where two lesbians were living together running a boarding school and a current timeline where a movie was being made about the supposedly haunted boarding school. While this book is billed as "horror" I found it to be spooky/creepy but not overtly scary. There is lots of sapphic representation is this book which I liked but some of the characters felt undeveloped, especially in terms of motivations. I gave the book 4 stars.

Next, I picked up Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard by Haben Girma. This is the memoir of the first Deafblind woman to finish Harvard Law School and she is now a disability rights lawyer. She talks about her early childhood visiting Eritrea and Ethiopia (where her parents are from), going on a mission trip to build homes in Africa, parts of high school and college. Her story was fascinating but I felt like devoting only one chapter to Harvard Law School was misleading based on the title of the book. I wanted more information about her day-to-day obstacles in school. I found it well-written and easy to read and gave the book 4 stars.

Then I listened to Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. This was a hysterical memoir of his life growing up mixed race in apartheid South Africa. I learned a lot about this era and was shocked by the ending of the book . He is a natural storyteller and I breezed through this book in a mere two days. I gave the book 5 stars.

Lastly, I finished my last nonfiction book which was called Lies my Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen. This was a book that focused on the gross misrepresentation in history books, ethnocentric views, and careful censorship that textbooks go through which purposefully leaves anything "controversial" out of the books. They also present information as if it is the one true fact and that there aren't other possible causes or reasons. I found the book highly informative, although not always enjoyable. I'd highly recommend it to people interested in history or censorship. I gave the book 4 stars.

November TBR

 For the past two or three years, I participated in Nonfiction November. I am doing so again this year. I will likely not get to all of these nonfiction choices but here's what I planning to choose from:

Haben by Haben Girma

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Lies my Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen

Columbine by Dave Cullen

A Square Meal by Jane Ziegelman

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

Fictional choices for November include:

Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

October Final Wrap Up

 In the latter half of October, I read 4 books.

After loving Stuart Turton's debut book a couple years ago, I was excited to pick up The Devil in the Dark Water. A mystery happens on a boat with possible paranormal occurrences. The famous detective who could figure this out has been arrested and thrown into the brig so his bodyguard teams up with a noble lady to try to figure it out. This book read too long and dragged some in the middle. I also guessed a few of the twists but overall it was still enjoyable. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Then I read a book completely outside my wheelhouse for the Read Harder Challenge. I read It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian. This was a queer historical romance between a vicar and a sea captain. The writing was decent and sometimes steamy and the conflict felt real. I gave it 3 stars.

After that, I finished The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. This is my third Schwab book and maybe she just isn't the writer for me. I knew this was going to be long and slow but because my library hold lists was for months, I made myself read it now. The character Addie makes a deal with the devil for immortality. However, in choosing it, she isn't ever remembered. Then when she's about 300, someone finally remembers her. How and why? I figured it out so there wasn't even a solid mystery pulling me through. Additionally, Schwab constantly repeats things in threes. This became quite annoying. I gave it 2.5 stars and I'm likely not to read her again.

Lastly, I picked up my pre-order of Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. This is the third in the series and is about a magical disease that targets specific groups of people in Nevermoor. The writing is so compelling and the themes so pure and wholesome. I loved reading this book and look forward to the next one. 5 stars!

Mid October Wrap Up

 In the first half of October, I've finished/DNF'd 8 books.

I'll start first with the DNF. After 117 pages of Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemme, I put the book down. The writing was nice but the story was incredibly slow and I just wasn't in the right mood. I may pick it up again in the future but felt forcing myself to continue might put me in a slump so I decided not to finish it.

I read The Vela and wrote its own review in a previous post.

I re-read Nevermoor and Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend in preparation for the release of the third book in the series which comes out later this month. These re-reads were both 5 stars. I loved re-visiting the worlds and picked up more this second time around.

Eagerly I picked up A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. This is a fantasy set at a magical school. However, there are no adults and the school is constantly being infiltrated with harmful magical creatures/demons. Our protagonist is incredibly powerful but not well liked and she works hard to find alliances who will watch her back. I loved almost everything about this story, except the shoe-horned romance and occasional YA whininess. I gave it 4.5 stars and am excited for the sequel.

Another new library hold came in so I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The story focuses on a woman who is unhappy with her life so she attempts suicide. While in limbo between life and death, she visits a library which allows her to pick books that contain parallel lives she could've had by making different choices. I was wishing for a bit more sci-fi elements that it actually contained. This read like contemporary and was reasonably entertaining, but didn't leave much of an impression on me. The ending is sweet and the book definitely was uplifting and contained some good messages. I gave it 3 stars.

I finally picked up the poetry collection Perseverance by Raymond Antrobus. He is a mixed race Deaf poet who writes about his experiences feeling like he's on the outside. A few of the poems really impacted me and I will likely pick up future collections. His style reminded me of Danez Smith but with less grim themes. I gave it 4 stars.

Lastly, I read Allie Brosh's new graphic novel Solutions and Other Problems. This was for the most part, hilarious. There were chapters where I was literally gasping for breath. Some chapters are more serious too as she includes some of the difficult things that have happened in the 6-7 years since her last book. My only complaint is that it was a tad too long. Some chapters were just not necessary. I gave the book 4 stars.

ARC Review of The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang

 This was a very unusual ARC for me to receive. Instead of being a traditionally published book that I could buy as a physical or ebook source, this book is available via the website and app called Serial Box. I received an ebook copy to read. The book is published as a season and chapters are called "episodes." 

The story is a political science fiction focusing on a sniper called Asala who is called upon to look for a missing refugee ship. She is accompanied by the leader's adult nonbinary offspring named Niko. The solar system is in decline with many planets fighting over limited resources. As they look for this missing ship, they realize there is much more going on than they initially realized. While this is a great story on the surface, there are also important messages about refugee crises, climate change, sexual and gender identity, and racial discrimination layered in the book as well. 

It is odd for a book to be authored by four different people but for the most part it worked. Each chapter was written by one author, each of them taking turns. I could somewhat tell the differences within their writing styles but it wasn't distracting enough to take me out of the story. I gave the book 4 stars and have found out that season 2 is in the works now. I will likely read the sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

October TBR

 Again, this month I am going to keep my list short. I am still reading a book from September's list as well so I'm only going to add 5 more books to my list.

1. Nevermoor: the trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

2. Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend. I am re-reading these in preparation for book 3 which will be released at the end of the month.

3. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. I love magical schools so this sounds great!

4. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. This is a great month for a horror/mystery.

5. Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie

I have a few library holds so I may read more but I'm not committing to more than this.

September Wrap Up #2

 In the latter half of September, I read 3 books.

My favorite book of the month was Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. This was a historical fiction focusing on Shakespeare's family, specifically his son Hamnet who dies from the bubonic plague. The author does an amazing job making the characters feel real and the grief that Hamnet's mother goes through after the death absolutely made me sob. The writing is gorgeous and the pace is slow but has a way of drawing the reader in. I gave the book 5 stars and was overjoyed when it recently won the Women's Prize for fiction.

Then I finally read the third installment of The Mirror Visitor installment: The Memory of Babel by Christelle Dabos. I loved that we got to visit a different part of the world and find out even more about God and the history of the world. I really liked the scenes at The Pole, revisiting beloved characters from previous books. I wish there had been more of that to be honest. However, that ending made me gasp out loud. I'm eager to see how this series will finish off. I gave the book 4 stars.

Lastly, I read the ARC After Elias by Eddy Boudel Tan. I did a single review in the previous post so I'll just tell you I gave it 3.5 stars.

ARC Review of After Elias by Eddy Boudel Tan

After Elias by Eddy Boudel Tan is a heartbreaking novel about a man named Coen whose fiancé dies mere days before their wedding. The fiancé Elias, is a co-pilot who dies in a plane crash that also kills over 300 other people. The story is told in alternating chapters. The present moving forward after the crash and the past moving backwards as Coen examines his 8 year relationship with Elias and grapples with the fact that there was a lot he didn't know about Elias.

As you might expect, Coen is dealing with severe depression and that doesn't always make for a reliable narrator. I had very mixed feelings about this book. I liked the realistic portrayal of depression, his relationships with his friends, and the alternating timelines. Additionally, I felt the writing was beautiful without being overly flowery. Here's an example: "All they can do is try to make sense of what is in front of them. To be human is to be limited- to be hopelessly, desperately small." However, there were a few inconsistencies within the story that didn't make sense logistically and which felt placed there to artificially create an emotional moment. I gave the book 3.5 stars.

Trigger warnings for sexual assault, self-harm, attempted suicide, and death of a loved one.

This book will be published on October 6, 2020. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

September Mid-month Wrap Up

 Thus far, I've read 4 books. That's lower than normal but some of these books were longer than my typical read.

I re-read A Winter's Promise and The Missing of Clairedelune by Christelle Dabos in preparation for the third book. I enjoyed these even more the second time. I think the world building is great and I am eager to learn even more.

Then I picked up The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. This has been so hyped that I was sure I would be disappointed but it lived up to it. This is somewhat of a retelling of Passing by Nella Larsen. The book is about two light-skinned black sisters who go their separate ways. One decides to "pass" as a white person, marrying a white man and leaving her family behind. The other sister lives as a black woman and raises a dark-skinned daughter. The story is about the sisters but also about their daughters who go on to meet. I loved the very realistic characters and learned about colorism within the black community. I would've given this book 5 stars except the ending seemed very abrupt, almost like she didn't know how to end the story. Even with the unsatisfying ending, I gave the book 4 stars.

Lastly, I read Cottonmouths by Kelly J. Ford. It is set in a small rural town in Arkansas. Emily has failed out of college and makes her way back to her parent's house. She reconnects with her former best friend and childhood crush. This book is like watching a train wreck as Emily's life falls more and more apart. After a bit of a slow start, by the second day I couldn't put it down and finished it in two sittings. I gave it 4.5 stars and will definitely read anything else this author puts out. 

September TBR

Part of me wonders why I even bother making TBRs when I have a difficult time sticking to them. It does help me prioritize the new books I'm waiting on from the library but I'm definitely a mood reader. Probably even more so since the Pandemic. Here are some books I think I'll read this month:

1. The Memory of Babel by Chistelle Dabos translated by Hildegarde Serle. This is the third book in the quartet to be translated into English so I will be re-reading the first two, and then will read this one.

2.  After Elias by Eddy Boudel Tan. This is an ARC coming out in October.

3. The Vela by Becky Chambers, Yoon Ha-Lee, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang

4. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

5. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I've been on my library's waiting list for months but I think I'll get a copy this month.

I have a few others I want to fit in, but I don't feel like committing to more than this.

August Wrap Up #2

 I'm including what else I read for my NEWTs and additional books that didn't fulfill any particular prompts.

For my career as Trader of Magical Tomes:

Ancient Runes

A:  Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers.

E: Passing by Nella Larsen. 

Charms

A: How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune.

History of Magic

A: Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch. 

E:The Shadows by Alex North 

For the Extracurriculars-

Locomotive Operator:

Muggle Studies

A: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. This was a graphic novel that interwove three stories including Chinese mythology. I didn't enjoy it and felt it was even a bit racist. I gave it 2 stars.

E: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. 

Magical Shop Management

Arithmancy-

A: Spilled Milk by K.L. Randis. 

Merpeople Linguistics-

Herbology

A: A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramarian. This was a contemporary book set in India about five young girls living in a slum. It was comprised of vignettes, jumping back and forth in time. I enjoyed the stories but wished it had a more linear timeline since jumping around wasn't used for any big reveal or tension. I gave the book 3.5 stars.

E: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. 

Defense for Magical Animals-

Care of Magical Creatures

A: Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel. 

E: Stranger Planet by Nathan Pyle. 

The other three books I finished this month were:

Luster by Raven Leilani. This is labeled as "millennial fiction" which I think means that the protagonist is in their 20s and their life is still a mess. This followed a young woman named Edie who is dating a man who is in an open marriage. As her life falls apart, she becomes more entwined with her lover and his family. The writing felt ridiculous and I found her to be not only unlikable, but unrealistic. I gave it 2 stars.

Disfigured by Amanda Leduc. While I'm not a huge essay reader, I found I enjoyed the essays about media representation of disfigured and disabled people thoroughly fascinating. In fairy tales and superhero novels, disabled people either seek to get over their disability, are pitied, or are cast as the villains. She talks about how this shapes our views of disabled people right from childhood. This was incredibly thought-provoking and I would recommend this to everyone. I gave it 4 stars.

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune. As you might've guessed, I am a fan of TJ Klune now and am seeking to read all of his works. I don't typically read YA but this was a fun romp about a fantasy world that is nearly identical to the real world, except "extraordinaries" exist. They are like superheroes but have less traditional powers. The protagonist is infatuated with one and makes it his mission to try to become an extraordinary. There is also a M/M romance subplot which I actually enjoyed as it was rather cute. There is also ADHD and migraine representation. I gave it 4 stars.

August Midpoint Wrap Up

 I was a bit bummed that this was the last N.E.W.T.s and that there wasn't any participation on twitter. However, I joined the Discord group and felt encouraged by others' participation and joined in the 24 hour in 48 hour mini readathon which helped me finish a lot of prompts. Here's what I've finished so far:

For my career as Trader of Magical Tomes:

Ancient Runes

A:  Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers. It fulfilled the prompt "author whose name starts with "B." This was a re-read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm bummed there is only going to be one more companion novel set in this world as I love how the world-building expands with each book. I gave it 5 stars.

E: Passing by Nella Larsen. This was a classic about light-skinned black women who tried to "pass" as white. One passed so well for white that she was able to marry a racist white man who was none the wiser. The story is so short to say much more would give it away. I gave it 4 stars.

Charms

A: How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune. This was the book I read for the "humorous prompt" and it definitely lived up to that. After reading another book by Klune earlier this year, I was keen to pick up another. This tells the story of Gus who lives a very rigid life and how it is shook up by a new man moving to town. I will definitely be picking up another of his books soon. I gave it 4 stars.

History of Magic

A: Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch. This was a historical fiction set in 1911 focusing on a family of Irish immigrants trying to make their way in NYC. I loved this story as it reminded me of my favorite book of all time; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I do wish it had been a bit longer or at least had an epilogue but enjoyed it so much I finished it in one sitting. I gave it 5 stars.

E:The Shadows by Alex North which fulfilled the black cover prompt. This is a spooky thriller about a man who goes back to his hometown where a murder occurred during his teenage years. Now in a nearby town, similar murders are happening and how are they linked? I don't want to tell anything more because there are so many good twists and turns that I'd hate to spoil it for someone. I gave it 4 stars. 

For the Extracurriculars-

Locomotive Operator:

Muggle Studies

A:

E: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert. This is the companion novel to Get a Life, Chloe Brown which I read earlier in the year. This book focuses on the second sister Dani, who gets into a fake relationship after a video goes viral of the security guard rescuing her. This book had some situations that felt a little bit contrived, but overall a realistic and lovely story. I gave it 4 stars.

Magical Shop Management

Arithmancy-

A: Spilled Milk by K.L. Randis. This is based on a true story of the author's experience with domestic and sexual violence by her father. It was hard to read because the scenes were graphic but also because the first 5-6 chapters, it was unclear how much time had passed. In one chapter she's 6 but by the next chapter, she's in third grade. Once she was older, the timeline became much clearer. I'm so sorry she had to go through anything like that. I gave the book 4 stars.

Merpeople Linguistics-

Herbology

A:

E: My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. Ooh boy. Another one about sexual abuse. This book has two timelines, the current day in which her former teacher is being accused by many former pupils of sexual abuse and the past when young Vanessa was in a sexual relationship with this teacher. In the "past" chapters, she is incredibly naive and thinks that they're in love and this is a romantic relationship but in the current chapters, she starts to realize she was just one of many whom this teacher groomed and abused. My only complaint is the author really did make it seem like Vanessa's fault in the beginning by having her actively pursuing this relationship which felt really icky. Of course he definitely groomed her for it and let her think she was in control but it quickly spiraled. I gave the book 4 stars and will pick up another book by this author whenever she publishes something new. 

Defense for Magical Animals-

Care of Magical Creatures

A: Firefly: The Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel. So I apparently didn't have any books with "fire" in the title so I picked up this cookbook from the library.  I loved Firefly the show and this cookbook is written mostly from Kaylee's perspective, although the recipes are contributed by every member of the team. It really had a plausible reasoning why they would put forth certain ideas. The thing that made me angry though was each recipe was marked as gluten free, vegetarian, and/or vegan. As someone who has been gluten free nearly 8 years, I was shocked that many of the recipes that were marked gluten free were in fact, NOT gluten free. Just for the record, soy sauce, barley malt syrup, and cous cous- all contain gluten. I was angered that the author didn't do even a little bit of research before marking the recipes. I gave the book 2 stars (mostly for the great pictures)

E: Stranger Planet by Nathan Pyle. This was a cute compilation of comics featuring aliens doing typical human things and pointing out the humor in those situations. It was cute and enjoyable so I gave it 3.5 stars.

Just two more reads to finish my extras! I've read a ton this month and I'm pleased that most of the books have been really great.

August TBR (last N.E.W.T.s readathon)

This August is going to be the last round of N.E.W.T.s before G changes the readathon. 

I've decided to aim for the career of Trader of Magical Tomes which has 5 books required. I'm also going to take the extracurricular options of Locomotive Operator, Magical Shop Management, Defense for magical animals, and merpeople linguistics. In total, I will need to read 12 books.

Trader of Magical Tomes:

E in Ancient Runes-

Book by an author whose name starts with "B"- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

A Classic- Passing by Nella Larsen  

A in Charms-

A humorous book- How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune

E in History of Magic-

Historical Fiction-Crippen by John Boyne

A book with a mostly black cover- The Shadows by Alex North

Locomotive Operator:

E in Muggle Studies

A comic- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

An author of a different race- Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Magical Shop Management:

A in Arithmancy- 

Read a nonfiction- Spilled Milk by K.L. Randis

Merpeople Linguistics:

E in Herbology

Flowers on the cover- A People's History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian

An impactful book- My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Defense for Magical Animals:

E in Care of Magical Creatures

Fire on the cover or in the title- Firefly the Big Damn Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

Something Short- Notes of a Crocodile by Miaojin Qiu

I may sub out a few of these because they have long wait lines at my library and I may not get them in time. Or it could be a matter of mood. Either way, this is what I want to read.

July Wrap Up #2

In the latter half of July, I have read 8 books.

I was in the mood for a fast paced thriller and found it on Hoopla. I decided to read The One by John Marrs. This was a slightly futuristic thriller about an app that can match you to your soul-mate using DNA. The story followed five people/couples and how the app affected their lives. The plotlines weren't always realistic but very compelling to keep reading. I gave the book 3 stars.

Then I read the graphic memoir about a young Korean woman who was forced into sexual slavery during World War 2. It was called Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim and was a devastating story. I gave it 4 stars.

I wanted something a bit lighter after that so I picked up Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. A light story about a young Indian woman living in England teaching a community of Punjabi women how to write, which turns into writing erotica. I gave the book 3.5 stars because it started kind of slowly.

Next I listened to the audiobook of The Test by Sylvain Neuvel. It is a novella so I will only say that it is a sci-fi story about a man taking a citizenship test. It was very compelling and I gave it 4 stars.

Completely on a whim, I picked up ...And Then You Die of Dysentery by Lauren Reeves. I thought this would be a collection of essays about the early computer game called The Oregon Trail but it was literally a picture book with some short memes and pictures pixelated to look like they came from the game. It was a waste of time and I don't know why anyone would publish it. I gave it 1.5 stars.

I was recommended Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha translated by Larissa Helena. It's a YA contemporary story of three young men living in Brazil and dealing with HIV. I think it is an important topic that still has a lot of stigma and misinformation and I pleased to learn Brazil has a good healthcare system in place to treated those affected. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Next I picked up Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen. This was such a fun book to read and helped me understand that people literally has "snake oil salesmen" at one point in history. It was well written and each chapter focused on a different "cure." I did think it ran a tiny bit long at the end, which had less interesting content and the authors' sarcasm and snarkiness become a bit much sometimes. I gave it 4 stars.

Lastly, I finished the short story collection Exhalation by Ted Chiang. I absolutely loved the first short story and a few others included but others were only "okay." I now understand which it is often referred to as "literary science fiction" as some stories has very little science fiction elements and focused more on universal truths. I really enjoyed his writing and feel confident I will pick up his other short story collection. I gave this one 4 stars.

ARC Review of Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

I received an ARC of Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica and translated by Sarah Moses. The premise is a dystopian world where animals are contaminated with a deadly virus forcing humans to eradicate them and look toward a new protein source; humans raised for slaughter. With that description in mind, I knew this would be a dark book but I was not fully prepared for how nauseating and vile this book would be. I literally felt like throwing up every time I picked this book back up and the ending was so shocking that I burst into tears.

Content warnings for cannibalism, graphic animal violence, rape, branding, slavery, and dismemberment.

The story follows Marcos who is floundering after the death of his infant son. He works in a human processing plant and justifies his job because he needs to money to look after his ailing father. He looks down on people who eat "special meat" and feels morally superior. However, midway through the book, he starts making awful choices (including eating people) that show he is no better than the cannibals. I felt the author was sending incredibly mixed signals. As a satire, it would've felt stronger if Marcos would've made consistent choices.

Something I felt missing was the option to be vegan. It is mentioned in passing that there are some "veganoids" but because that option wasn't really explored, it made it harder for me to buy in that people would immediately resort to cannibalism.

The writing was very simple. "There are trees outside the cage, and he leaves it to walk beneath them. It's a hot day and the sky is clear. The trees provide a bit of shade. He's sweating." Oftentimes, the author (or translator) chose to use pronouns instead of names, making it confusing who they were referring to. I had to reread paragraphs using context to figure out who she was referring to.

Because the writing wasn't strong, the descriptions were horrifying, and the satire message was muddled, I ended up giving the book 2 stars. I feel this book should be marketed as horror rather than dystopian. People who like to read terrifying books might be the only ones who would enjoy this story.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. This book will be published August 4, 2020.

Mid-Month Check In

So far in the first half on July I've finished 4 books. I find I don't read quite as much when I don't have a TBR but I've also been distracted with more t.v. and movies lately which factors into it.

I picked up The Child Finder by Rene Denfield. This was a mystery about a woman with a mysterious past searching for lost or kidnapped children. She herself had been abducted at some point and escaped at age 9-10 but had no memories of that time. While the story focusing on the present was good, I wanted to know more about her past. There is a sequel that I'll eventually be picking up. I gave the book 4 stars.

Then I picked up Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman. This is such a delightful story about high school romance between two boys. This volume specifically also addresses eating disorders and self harm which wasn't presented in any sort of a preachy way although it could've used a bit more attention. I gave the book 4 stars and will pick up Volume 4 whenever it eventually comes out. 

Since I had been in a mood for more non-fiction, I then chose Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. The author focused on a slum in Mumbai, India and the daily lives of a few families and individuals who were working so hard to improve their lives. There is focus on the corruption in the police and politicians, the tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and poor families tearing down other poor families due to envy. It was utterly heartbreaking to read and so compelling I had to remind myself that these were all true events and real people. I gave the book 5 stars and would highly recommend!

Next I reread A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers. I loved revisiting this world and these characters. There are two timelines, Pepper's childhood and the present-day. They eventually intertwine but I definitely preferred the past storyline. After finishing I really wanted to pick up the next book but have so many other new books to read I have to just wait a bit longer. I gave the book 4 stars.

I am currently reading two others which I hope to include in the end of month wrap up.

July TBR

I participated in a readathon in June and I'm planning to participate in another readathon in August so for July, I'm going to solely focus on mood-reading. I do have 1 ARC I need to read but other than that, I'm going to see what I'm interested in.

The ARC is Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica.

Books I've DNF'd in the first half of the year

These are all the books I started and chose to quit this year. I'm a mood reader and sometimes I'm just in the wrong mood for a book. Others just don't grab me or are terribly written. I'll give a quick reason why I DNF'd each of these.

1. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Basically, I tried to read this on two separate occasions. I think her writing was really boring but I also don't like short story collections so a total miss for me. I got about 45% into it.

2. The Girl with No Names by Serena Burdick
I felt this book was mis-marketed and I wasn't getting the book they described. The characters were flat and one-dimensional. Gave up about the 40% mark.

3.The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman
I read the first book and thought it was okay and eager to see where it picked up. Definitely wasn't the right mood for such a slow book. Only read about 20% before quitting.

4. The Illness Season by Clare Beams
I didn't give this a real chance, probably only 15 pages but I didn't get on with the writing.

5. Bossypants by Tina Fey
Another book that I gave two separate chances but just thought it wasn't funny. Her stories seemed to lack direction and I didn't care.

6. The Vanderbeekers at 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
I picked this up recently just wanting a light fluffy middle-grade and had heard some good stuff on Youtube about it. It just didn't grab me and I know I wasn't the target audience so I put it down after about 60 pages.

7. The Overstory by Richard Powers

I might try this again but I read about 25 pages and felt like nothing was happening. The focus was so much on setting and skipped over what I thought would've been interesting. It was not the right timing so I'll try when I want a much slower book.

Mid-year Check in with Goals

Now that 2020 is halfway over (will it ever end?) I wanted to check in with my goals to see how I'm doing and recommit myself to ones I've forgotten about.

1. Complete the 24 reading prompts for the Reading Women Challenge.
I've read 17 of the reading prompts which means I'm ahead of schedule.

2. Complete the 24 reading prompts for the Reading Harder Challenge.
I've read 20 of the reading prompts which means I'm considerably ahead of schedule.

3. Read at least 5 pre-2020 owned books each month (for a total of 60)
I've slightly adapted this to just be owned books as I've not kept track of books I've received this year. If I own it, I'm counting it and thus far, I've read 25 books that I own. Definitely need to step this up since I'm behind.

4. Re-read an average of 1 book a month (not including Harry Potter)
I have re-read 5 books so I'm slightly behind. While this has been an enjoyable task, there are so many intriguing new releases that vie for my attention but I know some that I want to re-read at a specific time that will help me fulfill this challenge.

5. DNF books after 50-100 pages if I'm not enjoying them.
 I'm actually doing pretty well on this challenge. There have been a few I've pushed through that I hated but I was either reading them as an ARC (which I feel compelled to finish) or they fit some challenges and I felt another book that fit the prompt wouldn't be any better. I'll post my DNFs in the next post.

June Wrap Up #2

I achieved my goal of fulfilling 7 prompts for the Hogsmeade Readathon. I also was able to read 2 additional books outside of the readathon.

Obtain the map out of Hogwarts (read a book with a map)- Dare to Disappoint by Ozge Samanci

This was a graphic memoir of Ozge's childhood growing up in Turkey. I found it very engaging. 4 stars

Three Broomsticks (read a book in a trilogy)- March Book 1 by John Lewis, Scott Aydin, Nate Powell

Another amazing graphic memoir of John Lewis' time and involvement in the Civil Rights movement. The artwork sometimes made the text difficult to read but the story was fascinating and incredibly relevant all these years later. 4 stars.

Madam Puddifoot's Tea and Cakes (start a read with a cup of tea)- Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

This was such a cute graphic novel about an openly gay boy who becomes friends with a seemingly straight boy. They start crushing on each other and the butterflies they feel are nearly palpable. This made me smile. 4 stars

Hog's Head (read a book with less than 10,000 ratings on GR)- The Girl Aquarium by Jen Campbell

This was a poetry collection that I just didn't connect with. The author is British and writes several of her poems in a British slang/accent that made it difficult for me to understand what was being said. There were two I really liked, but the rest didn't move me. 2 stars.

Honeyduke's (read a book with a pink or green cover)- The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson

I was very excited to pick up this new graphic memoir because I loved Noelle Stevenson's graphic novel Nimona. However, this read more like diary entries over what has happened the last few years. She touches on some important and heavy topics, but then doesn't dive any deeper. I felt if she was going to write about her life, she needed to really analyze and examine it. I gave it 3 stars.

Shrieking Shack(read a horror or thriller)- The Southern Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

This was pitched as bored houseswives in the south take on a vampire plaguing their neighborhood. And I suppose that is definitely true. However, there is so much sexism, racism, and gaslighting that by the end of it, I didn't just want to vampire to die, I wanted several other characters to die too. I gave it 2 stars because it was a compelling read but it was not a great choice and I probably would've dnf'd it if it didn't fulfill a challenge. 

Owl Post (read the last book added to your TBR)- Dead Trees Give No Shelter by Wil Wheaton

This was a short story that I listened to on audiobook. Wil Wheaton is a fabulous narrator and a great writer too. This was a story about a man who goes home to witness the execution of his brother's murderer and gets caught up in the monster legend of the town. I do wish it was a bit longer and more fleshed out but overall, a creepy read that I gave 4 stars.

After the readathon I picked up Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick. A play focusing on a gay man named Jeffrey living in the 1990s in New York City at the height of the AIDS crisis. He decides to give up sex due to his fear but then falls for an HIV+ man. It was interesting but ultimately I wanted more character development and time to connect. I gave it 3 stars.

Lastly, I picked up Heartstopper Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman. The continuation of Nick and Charlie's relationship is so cute. I love what a positive example this is for queer teens. I gave it 4 stars.

Visit to Hogsmeade Readathon

Book Roast is hosting another magical readathon, this time for one week. It's a trip into Hogsmeade and has a total of 10 prompts. The first is mandatory but the rest are optional.

To get out of the castle and into Hogsmeade: Read a book with a map

Three Broomsticks: Read a book that is part of a trilogy

Madam Puddifoot's Tea and Cakes: Start a read with a cup of tea

Hog's Head: Read a book with less than 10,000 ratings on Goodreads

Honeyduke's: Read a book with a pink or green cover

Zonko's Joke Shop: Read a humorous book

Shrieking Shack: Read a horror or a thriller

Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop: Read a book by a P.O.C.

Owl Post: Read the last book added to your TBR

Dervish and Banges: Read a steampunk book

My goal is to read 7 books, mainly by picking graphic novels and shorter books.

Mid-month Wrap Up

Thus far, I've read 8 books.

Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong which received it's own review. I gave it 4 stars.

Defending Jacob by William Landry. This was not the book for me. It's about a lawyer whose son is arrested for murder of another kid. There are long drawn-out court interrogations, there is only a slight twist which I saw coming, and generally did not thrill me at all. I wish I would've quit but I kept expecting something to surprise me. I gave it 2 stars.

The Attack by Loic Dauvillier. This is a graphic novel set in Israel about a doctor who works on a suicide bombing case and the victims. He later finds out that the bomber was his wife and he looks for clues that he missed that she had been radicalized. I thought this was deftly handled and intriguing. I gave it 4 stars.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This is a favorite for this year! It is about a man called Linus who works as a social worker checking on magical children in orphanages. He is chosen to go to the most extreme orphanage on an island to report on it and ends up finding people he really cares about. The romance is very light but so heartwarming! 5 stars

Penance by Kanae Minato. I read her first book last year and loved it so much I decided I had to read this one. Everyone warned me that it isn't as good, and while that's true, I still gave it 4 stars. It's a psychological thriller about revenge on a young girl's death. Things were sometimes unbelievably convenient but it still had me hooked.

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum. This was a compelling non-fiction about the birth of forensic science in the early 1920s, specially focusing on poisons. I learned so much and loved how the author weaved in interesting anecdotes about the poisons and criminals. I gave the book 4 stars.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. This was a funny graphic memoir about random stuff the author has gone through. Most of the time, they were wacky incidents with how much she loves animals but she also delves deeper into mental health issues. I gave it 3.5 stars and I'm looking forward to her follow-up which comes out in September.

Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a non-fiction book about the Irish "Troubles" between the 1960's-1990s focusing specifically on certain members of the IRA. I learned a lot about what was basically a civil war between Ireland and Northern Ireland. It also provided a little bit of information on why creating a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland due to Brexit would be harmful. The audiobook narrator had a lovely soft Irish accent and I enjoyed listening immensely. It would occasionally bog down in too many details but overall a good read. I gave it 3.5 stars.

ARC Review of Disability Visibility Edited by Alice Wong

Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong is a collection of essays relaying personal experiences of disability and how they are still ignored and treated as less than. I learned so many things about the disabled experience in the United States and was often shocked by how far behind other marginalized groups they are in gaining and enforcing rights. For example, a "1927 Supreme Court case ruled that sterilization of people with disabilities is constitutional." This has still not been overturned and is sometimes even used as an "incentive" toward release from incarceration. Additionally, I learned that while prisons are legally required to provide Deaf prisoners with interpreters for counseling sessions, meetings with their lawyers, and education classes, they often do not.

There are many types of disability represented in this collection from Deafness, blindness, wheelchair users, and the chronically ill. Not only that, but there are several essays focusing on the intersection between disability and of LGBT+ communities and ethnic minorities. Some talk about their struggle to accept the label "disabled" as they were previously able-bodied and still have ingrained ableism. Others talk about how they could do more, if only our society gave more allowances and adaptations to help meet them where they are. A few essays gave examples of how these authors are succeeding because of the creative ways they approach problems.

These essays were not only illuminating to understand the struggles and conditions disabled people have on a daily basis, but I felt seen as a person who has a chronic illness. The majority of the essays either taught me something or made a deep impression on me. Alice Wong writes in the introduction, "Collectively, through our stories, our connections, and our actions, disabled people will continue to confront and transform the status quo." I feel that's exactly what this essay collection does. I gave this book 4 stars and highly recommend to everyone.

This book will be published June 30, 2020. Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy.

June TBR

I did really well last month by setting a small TBR which left room for mood reading. I will do the same this month.

1. Disability Visibility edited by Alice Wong (ARC)
2. Defending Jacob by William Landay
3. A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister
4. The Fire Never Goes Out by Noelle Stevenson
5. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
6. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

May Wrap Up #2

Since I've last updated, I've read 6 books.

Since I've been in a mood for fast-paced books, I decided to pick up the thriller Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh. The tag line is "The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury..." This is less of a "whodunit" and more of a "whydunit." There are alternating perspectives between the serial killer and Eddie Flynn, the defense attorney. I found many of the elements unbelievable but still a very compelling read. I gave the book 3 stars.

Next, in preparation for the Hunger Games prequel, I decided to reread the trilogy. I thought it was really engaging and felt it stood up over time. I've heard many people say that Katniss is an unlikable protagonist, but I really related to her. I think her reluctance to be the chosen one is an interesting twist on the trope. I gave each of the books 4 stars.

I read Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Damaged Hospital by Sheri Fink. This was an account of a New Orleans hospital during and after Hurricane Katrina. The first part of the story was exciting and vividly painted the bleak scenes of taking care of patients without electricity or running water. However, the second part followed an investigation of whether the doctors euthanized patients. The author goes into boring and pain-staking details about the investigators, politics, and way too many backstories. At over 500 pages, this book really needed some editing. Additionally, the author was incredibly biased and presented her opinion as fact. I gave the book 2 stars.

Lastly, I read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. I feel very mixed about this book. For a good chunk of the book I was enjoying learning more about Snow, Panem, and the early Hunger Games and how different they were in the beginning. However, Snow falls in "love" with his tribute, a girl from District 12, and it felt so disgustingly wrong. He had all the power and I felt the author didn't address the toxicity of this "relationship" well enough. Additionally, the pacing was super slow until the very end which went at a breakneck speed. The last part was definitely the most interesting but I don't really like open-ended finales in books. There will likely be at least a sequel, if not more as Collins left some loose ends. The audiobook narration was excellent. I gave the book 3 stars.

Review of ARC You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

You Exist Too Much is a book about a Palestinian American woman who has a toxic relationship with her emotionally abusive mother. The fact that our protagonist is bisexual, further drives a wedge between them. From the blurb, I thought this book was more about merging her religious and sexual identities in a positive way to accept herself. In actuality, it's much more about the protagonist cheating on her partners, idolizing unattainable women, and sowing distrust with her manipulations. The main character was extremely unlikable because she recognizes these unhealthy patterns but continues to make these kinds of choices. Additionally, the story jumps around a lot in time and place; making it feel unorganized. However, the writing was beautiful and the main character felt like an actual person.  I gave this book 3 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an early copy. This book will be published on June 9, 2020.

May Wrap Up #1

Well, quarantine is helping me read a lot. However, I'm definitely noticing a change in my reading tastes right now. I'm enjoying more plot-driven books rather than slow character based stories. These are the five I've read so far.

The first story I read was a short story called Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey. This focused on some backstory for Bobbie and her family after the events of book 2. I love this series so much already and it was neat getting a peek into Mars life. It was a bit too short though as it ended right at the climax. I gave the book 3.5 stars.

Then I picked up The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco. This was a retelling of a Japanese folklore that the movie The Ring is based on. It was creepy and paranormal. It kept me turning the pages as I wanted to learn all about this vengeful spirit and why it had decided to protect a specific boy. I gave it 4 stars.

I decided I wanted another page-turner so I picked up Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel. This was a psychological thriller based on a true story. A mother is found guilty of poisoning her daughter over the years to get attention from others; a condition known as Munchhausen by proxy. The story starts when the daughter, now a grown woman, picks her mother up from prison after her five year sentence. The mother is expecting revenge but definitely doesn't see what's coming for her. I found the mother and daughter both equally fascinating and kept waiting for the twist. I definitely didn't see it coming. I couldn't put the book down and finished it in one day. I gave it 5 stars.

Afterwards, I read Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. The premise is a woman gets to relive her life over and over again, making changes or improvements. It is historical fiction, set in the early 1900s. The writing was beautiful and compelling, but that's where my praise ends. The reason for reliving life is never explained and she is only a tiny bit aware of her former lives. She gets panicky at a point in time where something bad happens and tries to avoid it. Sometimes she remembers full details of conversations or places with no real distinction of why it is that way. Towards the middle, I thought I knew where they were going with the reliving gimmick. However, they went there, and then she died and was reborn again and all her efforts were undone. It ends abruptly, with no real closure or sense of purpose. Additionally, it was incredibly repetitive as she relives some scenes identically. The author literally copy and pasted whole paragraphs. It felt unnecessarily padded out and I awarded it 2.5 stars.

I knew I wanted something quick and compelling after that so that I wouldn't go back into a book slump. I decided to continue on with the Dresden Files series with Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. It was a similar set up as the first book. Murders happen, police call in Dresden, he tries to protect them from the supernatural by omitting info, they get suspicious and arrest him, he gets away and tries to clear his name and save them from the baddie. However, the lore they introduce on werewolves was super interesting, more depth is added to the crime boss Marcone, and the sassy and witty banter just made this super pleasurable to listen to. It definitely helps that it is also narrated by James Marsters.

May TBR

I'm not quite out of my slump yet, but the Magical Readathon definitely helped. I am going to keep this list fairly short to allow for some mood reading.

1. You Will Be Safe Here by Damien Barr
2. You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat (ARC)
3. Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
4. The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco
5. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
6. Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey

    

Reading Update #2

I have now finished the 5 remaining prompts for the O.W.L.s readathon.

Transfiguration (a book with shape shifting)- The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling 3.5 stars
This was a re-read of Rowling's book of fairy tales set in the wizarding world.. I listened to the Audible full cast audiobook and really enjoyed it.

Care of Magical Creatures (a beak on the cover)- The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware 3 stars
I don't typically pick up mysteries or thrillers so I was hoping for a suspenseful page-turner with lots of twists. This was not that. There was very little suspense, and the very few twists that existed, I guessed. The writing style was well done but the characters' motivations were thin. I might even downgrade it to a 2 stars.

Ancient Runes (heart in the title or on cover)- In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick 4 stars
This is the true story of a whaleship being sunk by a whale in the 1800s This sinking is what inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. This is a story of survival of nearly 3 months in the open ocean and it was incredibly readable for a nonfiction.

Defense Against the Dark Arts (set at sea or on the coast)- Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis
I cannot rate this book. My head space when reading it very likely affected my desire to pick it up. It took nearly two weeks to finish because it was grim and I was having difficulty connecting to the characters. However, the ending made me cry. I finally felt something for the characters. I think I would've loved this book if I had read it at a different time. It's about five lesbian women in 1970's Uruguay who are living through a dictatorship and must hide their true selves.

Divination (randomly chosen)- Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison  2 stars
I love Bastard out of Carolina by the same author so I decided to pick up her memoir. I learned that the novel was largely autobiographical. However, this memoir reveals very little and is written in as more of a philosophical essay rather than a narrative style. She endured abuse and decided to rise above but we don't get any actual stories. The whole thing is chaotic, lacks focus, and is nonlinear. At 94 pages, I felt she could've written much more.

Reading Update Part 1

So far I've completed 7 O.W.L.s. They aren't all the original choices because I'm a mood reader but this is what I've read so far.

Astronomy(read at night)- Sachiko by Caren Stelson  2 stars
I didn't really care for this. This is about a young girl who experienced the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. The chapters alternate between factual information about the war and bomb dropping and her personal story. Even though this is YA, it felt more like middle grade. It got overly moralistic and had a very shallow telling of the politics of World War 2. Additionally at 144 pages, it still felt too long. Definitely could've been a short story.

Arithmancy(read outside your fave genre)- Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
4 stars
I read Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson recently and wanted some more zany essays about her crazy life. This is her first book and unfortunately. it shows in the writing. I still found it funny but the essays were a tad formulaic where she tells an outrageous lie, and then scales back to the truth. Additionally, there were a lot more transcripts of conversations with her husband which also felt a bit repetitive.

Charms (white cover)- The Whisper Man by Alex North 4 stars
This is a thriller about the Whisper Man. He was caught abducting and murdering young boys 20 years ago but now its happening again. Is it a partner, a copycat, or something more sinister? This was a page-turner and very creepy. I finished it within 2 days.

Herbology (starts with "M")- The Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindu 3 stars
I had really high hopes for this book. It is about Lucky, a Sri Lankan woman who is a lesbian and in a fake marriage with a gay Indian man. When she finds out her best friend and former lover is getting ready to marry a man, she must make a decision. Unfortunately, I felt she didn't have much agency in this book and generally just went with the flow, even when it wasn't in her best interest. I also felt the other characters were pretty flat. However, the writing was excellent and taught me some of Sri Lankan culture.

History of Magic (includes witches/wizards)- Storm Front by Jim Butcher 4 stars
This was great. It hooked me from the first chapter. It is set in Chicago and follows a wizard detective who works with the police to solve inexplicable crimes. There is humor and lots of action. I'm definitely planning to continue the series.

Muggle Studies(contemporary)- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert 4 stars
This was an odd book for me to enjoy. I don't tend to like romance because I feel the conflict is contrived and unbelievable in many cases. However, this was a slow burn romance with characters who had real difficulties and their conflicts were almost always believable. Additionally, the protagonist Chloe has chronic illness which felt authentic. It was refreshing to see representation for chronic illness because I felt understood.

Potions (under 150 pages)- The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S.A. Corey 5 stars
This is a short story set before the first book in the Expanse series. It was great back story on Fred Johnson, whom we meet in the first book. I loved it and am even more excited to continue with the series.

I have qualified for Culinary Sorcerer and am now continuing my exams to get as many as I can.

April TBR/ O.W.L.s Magical Readathon

It's that time again where I must sit my O.W.L.s at Hogwarts. Due to a slump, I've decided to go for a career that will have only 4 required exams although I've assigned a book choice for the other prompts if I get to them.

The career I plan to go for is Culinary Sorcerer. This requires 4 subjects.

Arithmancy (a book outside your favorite genre) - Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson


Charms (a book with a white cover)- The Whisper Man by Alex North


Potions (a book under 150 pages)- The Butcher of Anderson Station by James S.A. Corey



Herbology (a book starting with "M")-  Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindu



The other prompts that I will do if time allows:

Ancient Runes (a heart on the cover or in the title)- The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Astronomy (read a book at night)- Sachiko by Caren Stelson
Care of Magical Creatures (a creature with a beak on the cover)- The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Divination (a randomly chosen book)- Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison
D.A.D.A. (a book set at sea or on the coast)- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
History of Magic (a book with witches or wizards)- The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Muggle Studies (a contemporary)- Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Transfiguration (containing a shape shifter)- Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud