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.