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.