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.