June Wrap Up Part 1

 I've read a ton of short things so I wanted to do a wrap up of what I've read so far.

The first short story I picked up was Randomize by Andy Weir. I love Weir for his great characters and humor but sadly, there just wasn't enough time to develop the characters much. It focuses on technology and gambling but the ending surprised me so I gave it 3 stars.

I read Pet by Awkaeke Emezi. I loved their writing but similarly felt this book was too short. I wanted more character development and world building. The story focuses on Jam, a 17 year old trans girl whose mother's painting comes to life. The painting, known as "Pet" has come alive to fight a monster in Jam's best friend's house. While this wasn't my favorite, I really did like the writing style and will pick up more from this author. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I reread Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. I paired the audiobook with the graphic novel for a fun immersive experience. I love the humor, the artwork, and the three central characters. I gave it 5 stars!\

I listened to the audiobook of Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx. Her descriptive writing was beautiful but I wished we had more time with the characters to make the ending more impactful. I guess I'm picky about short stories. I gave it 3.5 stars.

Lastly, I've read the comic Bingo Love by Tee Franklin. I read this for a Read Harder challenge but I'm so glad I did. This focuses on two young black girls who meet and become best friends and girlfriends. When their religious parents catch them, they are separated but reunite nearly 50 years later. The story is of their second chance love and I absolutely loved it. 5 stars!

June TBR

 It's Pride Month so I wanted to focus on queer books this month. I will likely be squeezing in some other books as well.

1. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Or one of their other books)

2. Pages for You by Sylvia Brownrigg

3. We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

4. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden 

5. The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket by John Weir

6. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

7. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

8. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (re-read)

May Wrap Up

 Well, the slump hit hard and I didn't finish anything until the second week of the month. I have read 5 books.

The first was For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor. Yes, I was drawn back into the Bobiverse. This is the second book in the series and I loved it. There was first contact with aliens that were destructive and the Bobs join together to defend the humans and other intelligent beings in the universe. It was lovely with its dry humor and wit. I gave it 4 stars.

Then my library had in my hold of Blood Sugar by Sacha Rothchild. This is a mystery book following the main character who has killed three people, but when her husband ends up dead, she was not responsible. There wasn't a huge amount of intrigue because her husband died of his illness and it was more to see if she would be held responsible or not. There is one twist, which I thought was good but overall, not super memorable. I gave it 3 stars.

Afterwards, I picked up my ARC of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. I wrote a dedicated review for that so I'll just sum up by saying I gave it 3 stars as well.

I read Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. This is eir graphic memoir of growing up with gender dysphoria and struggles with eir sexuality. The author identifies as nonbinary and asexual. I found the art to be simple but nice. The story was mostly well put-together until the end. It ends abruptly. I gave this 4 stars.

Lastly, I squeezed in one more listen in the month. I listened to The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, The Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes. I knew nothing about this series but was drawn in by the intriguing title. It follows Fred who has turned into a vampire, but is still the safe, boring, work-focused person he was before. He goes to his school reunion and meets a real monster hunter. They get involved and his life is suddenly full of parahumans. It is dry, witty, and laugh out loud funny. It's almost a satire of paranormal stuff and I really enjoyed this book. I gave it 4 stars and was eager to realize it's a 7 book series. Looking forward to more!

ARC of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

 I received an ARC of The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill. The book starts off with a letter from a beta reader who is helping the author with her book. The story within a story starts with our four main characters in the library when they hear a woman scream. They didn't know each other previously, but are bonded by the mystery of the scream. When they later find out a woman was found dead in the library, they are curious and try to find out more. 

At first, I felt like the framing device (letters from the beta reader) was unnecessary but it eventually became apparent why the author chose this. I did like the letters quite a lot as they helped build a sense of dread. The mystery of who killed the woman in the library was intriguing but there were several moments that I just didn't find believable. For example, a character falls in love with someone whom she's known for less than a month, when she finds out a big secret, she doesn't immediately tell the police or her friends, and some pieces of the story were just not wrapped up. The conclusion was fast and chaotic. For these reasons, I gave the 3 stars. Overall enjoyable but likely not memorable. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy. The book comes out June 7, 2022

Slump

 Well....I guess having a good reading month in April was short-lived. I'm hardcore in a reading slump and keep picking stuff up only to set it back down again after less than a chapter. I really loved We Are Legion by Dennis E. Taylor and want to read the next book in the series but my library doesn't have it and I don't want to buy it.

Will it break my slump? Should I just re-read a favorite? Focus on non-reading hobbies?

I'll keep you updated. So far 7 days with little to no reading. I will at least read my ARC but I waiting until I'm in a better mood so I don't taint that experience.

May TBR

 I've decided that starting this month, I really need to focus on books I own. I am allowing myself up to two non-owned books since I am still reading for challenges and do not own books to qualify for every challenge. Also, anything I'm super excited about can also be included.

Additionally, I've decided to add a tiny element of randomness by using a random number generator for my shelves. This month I picked shelf 13. I let my husband pick a book from that shelf and he chose The Unseen World by Liz Moore.

Here's what else I'm planning to read:

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (ARC for June)

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David von Drehle

Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia

A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers

Kindred by Octavia Butler

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

April Wrap Up

 Wow, this month has been a fantastic reading experience. I have read 13 books. I finished all 6 prompts for Archmage. I look forward to continuing the career in August.

I read Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. This book was about clone iterations on a colony planet made for doing the most dangerous missions. I wanted more info about the life on the planet rather than the conflict of having more than one clone active at one time. Still it was interesting and I gave 3 stars.

I listened to Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby. After seeing her Netflix special, I knew I had to pick up this book. She is autistic and incredibly blunt and talks about her struggles with mental illness, violence because she is lesbian, and her journey into comedy. So much of what she talks about is triggering but such an impactful read and at times, hilarious. I gave it 5 stars.

For my short-story prompt, I read The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. I don't typically like short stories because as soon as I am attached to the character, the story ends. However, these were really well written and I enjoyed almost all of them. I gave it 4 stars.

I finally read 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. At the risk of offending some, I don't really see the hype with this book. It just a collection of letters between a reader and a bookstore owner from the 1960s &70s. I gave it 3 stars.

I finished an essay collection called Between Certain Death and a Possible Future edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore. Some of these essays were incredibly powerful, some were repetitive and poorly written, and others didn't seem to really need to be included. People wrote about their experiences growing up queer during the AIDS epidemic. I gave the collection 3.5 stars.

I was eagerly awaiting the release of True Biz by Sara Novic. It was set at a Deaf boarding school. Both are tropes I love! There was some really important discussion of cochlear implants, lack of language skills when Deaf can't sign, and the importance of accessibility. The book focused on three characters which showed different sides of Deaf life. The ending was not what I expected and was a bit of a bummer. I gave it 4 stars.

I finished the Wizards of Once series by reading the fourth book Never Forever by Cressida Cowell. This was a fun casual read that was improved by David Tennant's narration. I gave it 3.5 stars and found it to be a satisfying conclusion.

For my romance prompt I read The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann. This was an entertaining story of two asexual best friends and their foray into relationships with others. It was easy to read and shed light on the asexual spectrum. I gave it 4 stars.

On a whim I listened to Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. This was a complete impulse check out of the library. While this was completely unbelievable, I found myself laughing and enjoying it. A writer and stay-at-home mom is paid to kill an awful man, mistaken for a hitwoman. A plan coalesces and she is drawn into organized crime. I gave it 3.5 stars.

After hearing a ton about Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro from Jen Campbell I finally read it. It was very slow and not at all what I was expecting. However, the last 30 pages really make the story and tie together things that didn't seem related at first. I gave it 4 stars because I'm still thinking about it.

I picked up another new release about Deaf people and culture called The Sign for Home by Blair Fell. This was about a Deafblind man who gets a new interpreter who shows him he's capable of more than what his caregivers let on. They are deeply religious and intentionally cut him off from accessibility. I was excited to learn about the different forms of accessibility are available to the Deafblind community and felt compelled to keep turning the pages. 4 stars.

I listened to Wil Wheaton's annotated memoir I'm Still Just a Geek. This is an update of his memoir where he addresses his problematic thinking and also is more honest to his real feelings. He focuses on his abusive relationship with his family, his mental illness, and how he navigated his young life. There are times when he literally cries from addressing trauma or when talking about departed friends. It felt authentic, like I really got to know him. However, the writing is often chaotic, his apologies go on too long, and some of the material was repetitive. I decided not to rate it because of my mixed feelings. I'm glad I read it but be forewarned, it can be triggering.

And barely under the wire, I finished We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. This is a fun space opera series where a human is given eternal life by being programmed into an AI. He makes several copies of himself (although they do differ) and he tries to help humanity find a livable world. This book was narrated by Ray Porter who also narrated my favorite Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Because they are both the same voice, similar humor, and focus on first contact with aliens, I would think many who enjoyed Weir will enjoy this too. I gave it 4.5 stars because a few of the perspectives were not as exciting but I'm hoping the next three books will be 5 stars.

Orillium Readathon and April TBR

 This year is my fourth year participating in Book Roast's Magical Readathon. The six prompts I will be taking to earn my place as an Archmage are as follows:

1. Read a book with romance: The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

2. Read an intimidating read: Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro

3. Read an Earth setting: Invisible Child by Andrea Elliot 

4. Read short stories or essays: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

5. Read a book with a trope you like: True Biz by Sara Novic

6. Read a book with a source of light on the cover: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

I will likely try to squeeze in a few more. Here's what I'm hoping to get to:

1. Between Certain Death and a Possible Future edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (currently reading)

2. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

3. Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby

4. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

March Wrap Up

 This month I read 10 books. I'll discuss the 4 middle grade books first.

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani. This was a story about a little girl in India who must make the treacherous journey to Pakistan during Partition. I found it a compelling story, but would've liked more explanation of how these decisions were made and more facts. I enjoyed it and gave it 3 stars.

I love listening to the Wizards of Once series and enjoyed the third entry: Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell. I found some of it a bit unbelievable but really enjoyed the deepening lore in the magical world. I rated it 3 stars.

Another book I listened to was Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horowitz. This was a fun story turning tropes on their head. She was the daughter of a Dark Lord and is understandably, not liked. She has to save her father from a curse and finds friends along the way. 4 out of 5 stars!

Lastly, I read Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. This was a spooky book about children who are sent to a parallel world where scarecrows can move and do the bidding of their master. I love Katherine Arden but only felt this was fine. I gave it 3 stars.

I picked up Girl at War by Sara Novic. This focused on the Yugoslavian civil war in the 1990s. It had a non-linear sequence which I felt was unnecessary but I found the book informative and enjoyable. I awarded it 4 stars.

After re-reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, I decided to pick up his short story collection The Egg and Other Stories. These were mostly really short. Some were good and some forgettable. I gave it 3 stars for one story that I felt was phenomenal and wish it had been longer.

One brand new release I was excited for was The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James. She writes good paranormal mysteries. This one focused on a true crime blogger who gets to interview a potential serial killer who was acquitted of the crimes. This had the makings of a excellent story but the "ghostie bit" was not really believable or necessary. I assigned it 3.5 stars.

Another new release I wanted to read was The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd. I loved her first book with that crazy good twist so I went in with high expectations. It's a story about maps and paper towns and somehow the paper towns become real. None of the magic bits are explained which felt a bit lazy. I predicted the first twist, didn't see the second, and guessed the third. It's probably my fault for having such high expectations but my enjoyment was worth 3.5 stars.

After waiting three months for my inter-library loan, I was able to read Doreen by Barbara Noble. This is a forgotten classic about World War 2 in London and how children were sent out to the countryside to keep them safe from the bombings. A mother sends her young daughter to live with a family but regrets it when her daughter forms close bonds with her temporary parents. I gave it 4 stars.

Saving the best for last, I want to tell you about What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris. This is a coming-of-age story for a young black girl named KB in the 1990s. After her father has overdosed and died, her mother drops KB and her sister off at her estranged grandfather's house to focus on her well-being. That summer KB learns so much about family history, racism, and relationships. This felt like an instant classic. I gave it 5 stars and can't wait for the author to write some more books!

March TBR

 I'm participating in Book Roast's one week readathon this month as well as Krista's middle grade March.

Here's what I plan to read:

1. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani  

2. Bread and Roses, too by Katherine Paterson

3. When the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

4. Girl at War by Sara Novic

5. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

6.  Doreen by Barbara Noble

7.  We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker

8. The Bosnia List by Kenan Trebincevic

9. 438 Days by Jonathan Franklin

10. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

February Wrap Up

 I had an awesome month reading-wise. I've read 12 books!

Randomly I decided to listen to The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson. This is a domestic thriller about strangers making a plan to kill the man's wife. Some twists and turns. While this was compulsive, there wasn't that many twists and turn and relied heavily on coincidence for the plot. I gave it 3 stars.

Then I picked up the graphic memoir Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder. This was a graphic memoir chronicling a young woman's life when her mom died. I didn't feel like it needed to be a graphic memoir and didn't really care for the art style but was interested enough. I gave it 3 stars.

Craving David Tennant's voice again. I picked up Wizards of Once: Twice Magic by Cressida Cowell. It was good though a little angsty. 4 stars.

Another challenge book, Poet's Corner compiled by John Lithgow. I enjoyed the audiobook with several narrators for the poems. I even found a few poets I want to read more from. I gave it 4 stars.

I reread a favorite The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. Yay. I love to be back in this universe. 5 stars.

In the mood for memoir, I picked up Golem Girl by Riva Lehrer. This is about a woman who has spina bifida. She shares an honest account of the difficulties of her life and the blatant ableism directed towards her. I found it incredibly illuminating. I gave it 4 stars.

Next I read How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. This was more akin to an interconnected short story collection. In a near-future dystopian, an Arctic plague has killed so many. It follows many people and how they are affected. Some of the sections hold less of my interest but there was a section that so perfectly summed up how I felt during this pandemic that I had to give it 4 stars.

Getting in another nonfiction, I picked up A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury. This was very interesting and I was very interested in the stories of the crimes but the actual science-y info was dryer and more dull. I gave it 3.5 stars.

For one of my reading challenges, I picked up Party Monster by James St. James. I had already seen the movie a bunch of times but there were definitely bits that didn't make it into the movie. It wasn't well written, but it was a compelling read. It's about the Club Kid scene in the 80s and 90s and how the "club king" murdered his drug dealer and went to prison. The people are more likeable in the film so I prefer that, but I gave the book 4 stars.

A front list book I was excited to get to was Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it. It's about a man who is on death row for serial murder. The story is told in flashbacks from women who knew him. There was no tension, no mystery, and I felt like it was a slog to get through. It really should be considered literary fiction. I gave it 2 stars.

Then, a book hyped by British booktubers, I read The Appeal by Janice Hallett. This is a murder mystery comprised entirely of emails, text, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous print. We don't even know who the murder victim is until 60% of the way through the book. I found this to be an interesting gimmick but once the murderer is revealed, I felt they only had tenuous circumstantial evidence and it fell flat. Overall, I gave it 3 stars for a very compelling first half.

Lastly, I re-listened to a favorite book from last year; Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. despite being near 500 pages, I polished this off in 2 days. I loved it just as much as the first time. I see connections I didn't before. 5 stars easy!

February TBR

 I have so many books I'm excited for, I don't know where to start. Here's what I'm hoping to read in February.

1.Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

2. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

3. Poet's Corner compiled by John Lithgow

4. The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin

5. Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

6.  How High we Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

7.  The Appeal by Janice Hallett

8. Know my Name by Chanel Miller

9. Golem Girl by Riva Lehrer

January Wrap Up

 In January I read 8 books. What a great start to 2022 even though only 5 of them were planned!

I started with Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. This was one of the oldest books on my shelves. It's a YA story about a young girl who loses her favorite uncle to AIDS, and then secretly befriends his boyfriend. This was a case of the right book at the right time. I grew so attached to the characters and ended up sobbing at the end. I gave it 5 stars.

Next I picked up the graphic novel The Magic Fish by Trung le Nguyen. This was a beautiful story about a young immigrant boy who is gay but doesn't know how to communicate with his mother. There were beautiful weaving of fairy tales into his story to tell his journey. I gave it 4 stars.

Then I read the ARC Cost of Living by Emily Maloney. I've written its own separate review but I gave it 4 stars.

Afterwards I read another ARC The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart. Again, it has its own review and I gave it 4 stars.

On an impulse, I decided to listen to Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell. This was narrated by David Tennant, whom I love. It was a bit slow but picked up quite a lot. I really enjoyed the story and the narration. I gave it 4 stars.

I read Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. This is a memoir of a young man growing up in absolute squalor in apartheid South Africa during the 1960s-1980s. His story about being treated like a fourth class citizen and the fear of whites due to the excessive violence was absolutely eye-opening. He finds a way out and is one of the lucky ones. I gave it 4 stars.

Another whim, I decided to pick up David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. This was my second Dickens novel and I really enjoyed it. It focuses on the life of David Copperfield (based on Dickens himself) growing up and becoming a writer. While it definitely dragged some in the middle, I enjoyed this more than I expected and gave it 4 stars.

And lastly I read Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore. This was a fluffy fun story about a woman who time travels every year on her birthday to a different year of herself. On her 19th birthday, she suddenly wakes up in her 51 year old self. She attempts to change her future but ultimately accepts her weird quirk. Nothing serious but fun so I gave it 3 stars.

ARC Review of The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart

 The Saints of Swallow Hill focuses on two people working at the same turpentine camp during the Great Depression. The first perspective is Del Reese who is a single man who treats "negros" with respect and draws the ire from his racist boss. The second perspective is from a young woman named Rae Lynn who goes into the camp pretending to be a man. They strike up a friendship and we follow what happens afterward. The treatment of these desperate people during The Great Depression was awful and most likely illegal. This was incredibly eye-opening. I gave the story 4 stars because while I enjoyed most of it, I felt the ending was a bit saccharine. I was given this as an advanced audiobook copy by Netgalley for my honest review. The book is released today, January 25th, 2022.

ARC of Cost of Living: Essays by Emily Maloney

 I received an advanced audiobook of Cost of Living: Essays by Emily Maloney. This is a book of essays detailing her medical experiences as a patient and also when she worked in the medical industry, It starts with her suicide attempt at age 19 and the medical debt that followed her. She then worked a variety of healthcare jobs to try to pay off that debt. I thought this was going to be more about what it costs to live, getting medical care in the United States but that was just a small part. She also talks of the excess in the pharmaceutical industry, spending money to advertise and hold conferences. I found her thoughts on chronic pain patients and how insurance creates a dependency on medications, rather than seeking out alternative therapies interesting and enlightening. Overall, I enjoyed this collection, even though it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I gave it 4 stars and would encourage anyone interested in medicine or disability to seek it out. She narrates the audiobook herself which I enjoy with nonfiction. The book will be published February 8th, 2022. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Best Books I read in 2021

 I read a total of 59 books in 2021. While quite a bit less than usual, I did find some really great books. Here's my top 10 list:

10. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

9. The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

8. The Prettiest Star by Carter Sickels

7. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers

6.  In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

5. All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks

4. Broken (In the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

3. The Bear and the Nightingale (trilogy) by Katherine Arden

2. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir