Show Us Your Books: August 2021!

September is here, but cool weather doesn't make it's way to Georgia until Halloween at the earliest, so we're still int he middle of summer if you ask me. If you ask Target, however, it is flannel and sweat shirt season and I keep overdressing for the weather. I actually managed to read a bunch in August! So let's dive in, shall we?

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. Believe me when I say small, I do believe I've made less than $25 in amazon affiliate commissions in the four or so years I've been an affiliate member.. 

The Lions of Fifth Avenue: This book follows the lives of two women at the New York Public Library. One in 1913, and her granddaughter in 1993. I really enjoyed this, there was history and cool stories and a mystery. There was one story line that, while you could see it developing, kinda felt rushed into, if that makes sense? If you've read it, let me know, I don't want to spoil anything! 

Legendborn: OH. MY. GOD. I really loved this one, Arthurian legends, drama, good ole boy's club, secret societies, magic, PLOT TWIST, this book has it all. Literally, my *only* complaint is that it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger and I don't think we have an official pub date for book two. I highly recommend this if you're into fantasy! It's technically YA, but the author randomly has a character say "oh I forget that you're only 17" or whatever to remind you that they're kids. It's so good. 

Red Queen: I think I've mentioned before that sometimes I'll read a book and then I'll look at the reviews/see someone else post about it and it will change my mind on it after the fact? This is one of those books. Becca & I read it for our "book club" which is mainly an excuse to get together. Anyways, I saw someone who hated it and DNF'ed compare it to Hunger Games which, I can kind of see. I still really enjoyed the book, and will almost certainly finish the series. It does have some Hunger Games aspects to it, but also some magic, and betrayal! Plot twists! Love triangles! I texted Becca when I got to the plot twist because I couldn't believe I didn't see it coming. 

Dial A for Aunties: I impulse bought this book at the target after a few glasses of wine, and honestly it was worth it. It's a quick read, light and funny. I do think I cried at one point? But that might have been related to the wine. It's very funny and honestly I would watch the movie. I recommend it if you're looking for something light with hijinx! 

Ace of Spades: Starting to think maybe I should watch Get Out since I'm drawn to this type of stuff. Since I haven't seen Get Out, I'd say this has very big Pretty Little Liars meets Gosisp Girl energy. It was so good and I couldn't put it down, had to know who aces was and boy was I surprised! 

A Curse So Dark and Lonely: I think I gave this 4 stars on goodreads, but it's a solid 3.5. It's compelling and I wanted to find out if the curse would be broken, but like stripped down to the bare bones the way this was, Beauty and the Beast is a very creepy story. The MC mentions Stockholm Syndrome in like chapter three. It's creepy, the prince isn't that charming, and also like there's this whole toss away plot line of like.. 300 some odd women who have been kidnapped and they don't really know what happens to them at the end of the "cycle" and like. What. Also the MC has big "NoT LiKe OtHeR gIrLs" energy, which like, fine, but you don't have to tell me every chapter that you're not like other girls. So yeah, I don't think I'll be reading any further into this series.  

That's all for August, folks! I've already finished one book in September and I will honestly probably finish the second book before this post goes live. I'm on a roll and I'd like to keep it up. I'm playing a fall reading challenge bingo thing over on my bookstagram, if you want to play too! As always, linking up with Steph & Jana! Happy reading! 

Show Us Your Books: July 2021

BACK TO BACK MONTHS! Who is she? Will it ever happen again? Only the shadow knows. I did more reading in July than I expected to and tried (and failed) to take a fantasy break. I just can't leave it be.. So, without further ado, here's my roundup! As always, this post contains affiliate links meaning if you click through and make a purchase I will make a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Please don't feel obliged to make purchases on my behalf, it really is a Very Tiny commission.

Half Sick of Shadows: FIRST OF ALL, did I mention you can finally pause billing on Book of The Month? I hated having to quit and rejoin and now I don't have to. Anyways this was a Book of the Month Pick that I read with Becca and you guys. I don't know. I think I gave it 3 stars? 3.5? It's told in a very confusing real time/premonition/past tense way. It jumps around and the ending felt VERY abrupt. I felt very underwhelmed with the ending. I don't know. 

The Other Black Girl: Do you ever share that you've read something and then a bunch of people go "oh I read this but it took forever to get going for me?" and then you're like "wait, was that my experience too? did I just power through?" That happened to me after I posted that I'd finished this one in one day. I think though that the slow build feeling is on purpose. I know it's been compared to Get Out, which I've never seen, but it did remind me of Stepford Wives which I think might be white lady primer for Get Out. Anyways, I loved it, read it in one day. 

Shadow and Bone

Siege and Storm

Ruin and Rising

I'm doing all three of these as ONE review because I can't remember where the story stops on each one but I DO need to warn you that the ebook is over at like 45% "read"on kindle. There's like 85 pages of like. book club notes and shit. But I liked this so much that when I finished the first one from the library and discovered the wait time for the next one that I ordered the "box set" for pickup at B&N that very same day. I think this is technically YA? I didn't really know how old the characters were supposed to be, but I really enjoyed it and am now trying to decide if I want to read the Six of Crows duology before watching the TV show, does any one know if I need to do that first? 

A Darker Shade of Magic: I did an excellent job taking a fantasy breather right? I mean two whole books this time around weren't fantasy. Obviously, this isn't one of those. This one was somehow fast paced and slow? I think having read Addie LaRue and Vengeful first helped me understand the way V.E. Schwab builds her worlds and does character development. I'm interested to see how the rest of this series goes though. 

Taken at the Flood (Hercule Poirot): OKAY I figured out a murderer in this one but NOT the twist at the end. So Agatha does it again! I feel like this one did have some jarring language in there, so evergreen reminder that Agatha's books were published "in a different time" some of them have been edited but not all, and sometimes it's a surprising like, positive sounding prejudice? Anyways, that's a warning that these books don't often come with and sometimes it catches me very off guard and I'm like "oh, right, people thought that was an okay thing to say in the 50s"

That's all folks! I mean I've already finished one book in August and I am absolutely tearing through Legendborn right now but I gotta save those to have content next month! As always, linking up for fun! 

Show Us Your Books - The One Where I Start a Bookstagram and Get A Puppy

Hellooooooooo things have been VERY HECTIC around here since we last checked in and boy do I have some news for y'all. First, I decided to join bookstagram because I clearly didn't have enough projects going on (please don't ask me how the closet/office renovation is going because we're like stuck at *nearly* complete and have been for months) We also ADDED A NEW MEMBER TO OUR LITTLE FAMILY. We've been talking about getting a puppy for over a year, then Thursday the 24th I saw a craigslist post, we e-mailed them that night (after cocktails) they e-mailed back on Friday morning, Albus and I went to "just meet the puppy" and of course she came home with us. No one expected that to go any other way. We were wildly unprepared, didn't even have a crate for her. So I snagged one off of marketplace and now Albus has a baby sister, named Betty Lou. 

ANYWAYS now that we've got all that out of the way, here's what I read in June! This post contains affiliate links which means if you click trough and make a purchase I may receive a tiny commission. 

In a shock to absolutely no one: I finished the Throne of Glass Series:

Tower of Dawn: This is book 6 and it's Chaol's story! We get a handful of new characters and get to see a different part of the world they live in! I enjoyed this one, and then learned from instagram that people sometimes skip it? I wouldn't recommend that, I feel like you learn a lot of things in this one that you need for the next one? 

Kingdom of Ash: I accidentally bought this physical book twice. By accidentally, I mean I went on thriftbooks to see what their shipping time would be and it was too long, so I backed out of the order and they still decided to charge me and send the book, even though I reached out to customer service immediately, they couldn't cancel the order because it has "already entered the shipping process" then didn't ship for five business days. ANYWAYS. I wanted to pace myself through this but instead I read the entire thing, even though it's the longest of all of them, in less than a week. I devoured it. I loved it, I'll admit, I'm firmly in the Sarah J Maas fandom. Give me all  the territorial fae male bullshit. I also really enjoyed that this book had an ending? Like, yes technically there's an opening to continue this series, but it also feels finished. Would I read more books in this universe about other characters? Obviously. Also, there's a fun ACOTAR Easter egg in this one! 

The Assassin's Blade: This is a prequel of smaller stories to the Throne of Glass. It's five? novellas put into one book. I think you can also get them all separately if you really wanted to do that? I would *not* recommend reading these first. I'd say after the 4th book, because there are some mild spoilers. Things you might figure out before the characters do in the normal span of the books but things they end up telling you. Anyways, this was fun, I read the whole thing in one day.

For the Wolf: I picked this up on a whim at the register of the first Barnes & Nobel I've been inside since the Before Times. I also tore through this one. It tells the story of two sisters and fate and magic and myths and misunderstandings and oh man I tore through this one too. I highly recommend. 

Ariadne: I wanted to like this more than I ended up liking it. I loved Circe but the characters in this one just felt flat to me? I don't really know how to explain it. The overall theme is "men ain't shit" but like, it just didn't land for me. I really wanted to like it, I hated the fucking ending. 

Half Sick of Shadows: I wanted this to be so much more than it was. Back to back with the BOTM disappointment. Becca & I decided to make this a little mini book club read between the two of us and when I finished it I texted her and said "I hate that ending" I don't know if it's possible to spoil a book that keeps jumping from the present to future visions that aren't set in stone. I just finished it feeling very underwhelmed. Idk, but good news, I was able to pause my BOTM membership because I didn't really want any of the July books. 

The Other Black Girl: HOLY COW. Bookstagram made me buy this and WOW. I read it in one day. Just absolutely devoured it. I've never seen Get Out because I thought it was scary scary? Like horror movie scary? I like a thriller and boy HOWDY do we have one here. If you haven't seen Get Out, like me, it also has Stepford Wives vibes. I highly highly recommend this one. Don't let thriller scare you like it usually does to me haha

Shadow and Bone: Hello now I am elbows deep in the Grisahverse. I accidentally? read this faster than I thought I was reading it because the kindle told me I was 54% of the way done when really it was 100% because the rest was just like. previews of the next book or something? I don't know I didn't even flip through to see. I instead, immediately ordered just the entire box set for curbside pickup at B&N. I'm currently on the second book, Siege and Storm and am enjoying this universe. Obviously will make myself read them all before I start the netflix show. (also, sadly, the netflix stickers are printed on all three books. ugh.)

That's it for June! OH Question for y'all. I saw A Tiktok that told me I needed to stop using Goodreads because of Bezos (important note: there is no ethical consumption under capitalism.) and switch to Storygraph? Have y'all used that? I do love visual representations of data and it did let me import my Goodreads history. Lately I've been using both. I think they both have different values, I'm just so used to Goodreads, I'm worried? it'll be like every time we've mass joined different social media because we're over Facebook or Instagram's new updates. What do y'all think?

Anyways! Happy Show Us Your Books Day! Linking up with Steph & Jana

Show Us Your Books: I Started This Post In March So It Would Be Ready for May

AND GUESS WHAT IT IS JUNE. Whatever y'all, I'm just doing my best out here. I have to stop setting myself up for failure. Spoiler alert: I fell into another series rabbit hole. I recently learned Becca PLANS her whole reading journey, is this something y'all do too? I'm an agent of absolute chaos. I just read whatever comes off of holds or if I come across something that bookstagram or this link up is raving about. I recently, accidentally, rejoined Book of the Month (referral link if somehow you've never tried BoTM.) Every time I do it, I read that you can skip a month and like, immediately forget that the reason I quit the time before was that you can skip a month but you can't skip being billed for that month. I'm not dying to read any of the books this month so I haven't decided what I'll do about it. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase then I will receive a tiny commission.

CRESCENT CITY: Y'ALLL. I loved this. The next one comes out my birthday week next year and I CANNOT WAIT like it's 7 months out but I've already preordered it. Holy Cow. It's ACOTAR meets modern day. Fae are still around causin' problems but now there are ARCHANGELS and shifters and OTTERS WHO DELIVER MESSAGES. Y'all. Just read it. It's steamier than ACOTAR, if you can believe it! I also will honestly be re-reading it before the second one comes out, I loved it that much. 

The Memory Collectors: I won this in a bookstagram giveaway from Elle and it literally arrived in the mail the day I finished Crescent City how perfect is that? This book has it all, magic, mystery, murder, Bad Guys, sister drama, I devoured this one too. 

Throne of Glass: After A Court of Silver Flames AND Crescent City I was honestly craving more Sarah J Maas. I'll admit it. So I dove into this series, which I've learned was her first ever and she started writing it when she was like SIXTEEN? Excuse me? I've been *talking* about writing my own book since before then but the closest I've come is being a half ass blogger here. (sorry y'all) Anyways, there are two things you need to know about this one: it takes forever to really get going, I swear the last 15% of the book is more interesting than all of the beginning parts put together, but knowing what I know, I stuck it out. You don't have to. Two: it ends on a damn cliffhanger so of course, being who I am, I proceeded to drop nearly everything and pick up a seven book series where each book is 700 pages. Will I get my goodreads goal this year? Only the shadow knows. 

TL;DR: I gave this one three stars I think? (rounded up, honestly, from 2.5 because the first half was so. slow.) Then proceeded to place holds on the rest of the series. I have a problem.

Vicious: Another series I'm hooked on. The next book wasn't free at the library yet, and it wasn't as demanding as ACOTAR (we all know that's A Court of Thorns and Roses right? I'm not using jargon that's completely foreign?) Again, magic and murder. I'm deep in a fantasy trench? I don't want to say rut because I'm enjoying it. This is the same author who wrote Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and this is a COMPLETELY different adventure. I genuinely enjoyed it, I have the next book on holds, but I keep pushing it off because of Throne of Glass.

The Labors of Hercules: Poirot has never been one for the classics but decides to complete the Labors of Hercules before he retires. Did I have the muses from the Disney classic, Hercules, singing in the back of my brain every time? Obviously. Did I enjoy little Poirot's adventures? Always. I think I read this one in like. Two days. Maybe one. It was fun and not quite a collection of short stories, but kind of? I'm working my way through all of the Poirot novels and I'm honestly trying to pace myself now, since you know Agatha isn't writing any more of them.... 

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2): And Here. We. Go. This one was better than the first, but still kind of slow in the beginning. I'm not sure if that's on purpose or not. I figured out the Big Secret before any of the characters did, but cannot for the life of me decide how we're supposed to be pronouncing "Chaol" I don't want to look it up, I've been pronouncing it like someone who doesn't know how to pronounce chaos. (Cha-Ol) but it makes me think of when they had Hermoine pronounce her name in the early HP books because none of us dumb Americans knew that name. haha. Anyways, this one has a bigger? cliffhanger than the first so you won't be at all surprised that my next book is

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3): This one was ALL GAS, no brakes and the speed that I wanted. It finally got all the way up to 5 stars because things are getting interesting and there are just more twists than I can predict. Also new characters! New kingdoms! New drama! Yay! When I finished this one I was left with a choice: be a patient and reasonable adult and wait for book number four to come off of holds, or be impatient and by the e-book. Can you guess what happened next?

If you guessed that I was impatient and went ahead and bought the e-book Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) you know me well. I want to be a person who plans my reading journey but I'm just not built like that. I can predict that if I like the first book I will read all of them and I will DEMAND adaptations on tv or something, but that's jut who I am. The weather was lovely on Saturday and I spent the entire day laying on the couch, reading this book. I finished it, and immediately downloaded the next one, which I did at least walk up to the Square with Albus to read at the bar for a little bit. 

So, as of this Monday morning, I'm still reading Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, 6) and slightly worried that I think there's only one book left in the series.  As always, linking up with Steph & Jana! Maybe this time I'll remember to add my link to the linkup, time will tell..... Tell me what you're reading and if I should add it to my ever growing but never shrinking TBR list. 

Show Us Your Books: Did I Finish My 2020 Reading Goal?

I have started and abandoned this post three different times now. So, if you're actually seeing it in April, it means I finally finished it. I started it in JANUARY. I'm outstanding at time management. Here is my original intro paragraph for February's Show Us Your Books Linkup haha.

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know the answer, but if NOT then drumroll please! I did it! By the absolute skin of my teeth too. Like December 30th. And now it's already February before I'm recapping so this will be a looooong one. Not making any "will totally be blogging more" in 2021 resolutions because *gestures broadly* but I am aiming to read 60 books this year. I was ahead of schedule after a productive January, but right now I'm reading Devil in The White City and good GOD is it slow. Anyways, linking up for Show Us Your Books with Steph & Jana and this post contains affiliate links, so you know, if you click through and buy a book I may make half a penny! 

December 2020:

A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Frost and Starlight

I need y'all to know I tore through the ACOTAR books, ended up buying some because I didn't want to wait for library holds, and preordered the one that would come out in February. WHICH DID Y'ALL SEE THE NEWS? IT'S BEING ADAPTED FOR TV! I am so pumped. I recommend these to anyone who likes fantasy, it's such a cool world, don't let the maps and character charts intimidate you haha

The Year of The Witching : This was good, it's described as "The Handmaid's Tale for a new generation" (not that we really need that, when we're basically living in the early days of that world...) This was very entertaining and a little heartbreaking, but very captivating. 

Evil Under The Sun: Another Hercule Poirot, which I felt was almost cheating? To hit my goal? Then I remembered it was an arbitrary goal I had set and I loved the book anyways. This one I had a hunch who the murderer was, but only because I'd watched a different Christie novel  in movie form and it hinted the same level of Bad Guy. As always, totally recommend Hercule Poirot every time. 

January 2021:

A Splendid Ruin: This one kept me guessing, y'all. There are three very separate sections of the book. Features some outstanding gaslighting and story telling, lots of adventure and revenge at play.  I didn't see the middle twist coming at all. 

The Last of the Moon Girls: Hesitant Witches! Y'all know I'm a sucker for a witch who's hesitant to use her powers. This one falls into that vein, she doesn't want to take over the family farm, then her grandmother dies, she has to go back to settle the estate, and gets drawn back into her life before the big city. It's a little, cliche? Fits very well into the category it belongs to, but it's well written and a good story. 

Circe: I couldn't put this one down either. Circe loves her some mortals. I didn't know a lot of her backstory, only some of her part in the Odyssey, so it was cool to read about Circe herself. 

Atomic Love: I rage finished this one. I was predictable and terrible and the story didn't have the legs. I don't recommend it. It was my last BOTM. You can skip this one. 

Our Time Is Now: This book was timely as I read it during the Georgia Senate Runoff and it's relevant again now as the state legislature is passing sweeping voter suppression laws! 

The Duke & I - Okay, I read these because everyone was raving about Brigerton the TV show and I felt left out and like, there is a very specific plot point in this one that could have been completely left out or at the very least dealt with better. Not sure if they handle it better in the show, I haven't made it that far. I don't seem to have the attention span for TV (EXCEPT WANDAVISION, I had the time for that one) lately. BUT ALSO I low key hate how they did Daphne AND her older brother who's name starts with an A but escapes me now, because they were definitely better characters in the books than in the first two or three episodes. So.

The Viscount Who Loved Me: I liked this one better than the first one, but it was the last one for me. These are fine, and I thought they'd be more my vibe than they ended up being. Just not for me, but I did try to read the third one and... 

DNF: An Offer From A Gentleman: this felt like it was torn directly from Cinderella, I don't need another Cinderella in my life when Ever After and Cinderella Story and the one with Brandy all exist. Thanks. 

February 2021:

The Devil in the White City - I admit that I put this one on hold because I saw some suburban mom so mad about it being included on some high school reading list. (She was mad because she assumed it was about racism, not America's first serial killer and his MURDER CASTLE.) And good LORD does Erik Larson take forever to get to a point. I was honestly disappointed in this, it was a LOT OF information about the World's Fair, lightly seasoned with murder. I guess that's a dark take since it's non-fiction but like, come on. I was there for H.H. Holmes, not the budget committee's meetings with congress.

The Once and Future Witches: This one was CAPTIVATING, I couldn't put it down. It's set in Salem in a time where there used to be witches, and men are the worst. There's an overlap between the suffragette movement and how they didn't really want votes for all women, there's unfair labor practices, men who deserve to be turned into frogs. It's great y'all. 

A Court of Silver Flames: THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE SO FAR. You need to read the other ones to understand it, but it just came out and I literally returned books I had borrowed without reading them so I could read it. It's definitely steamier. It follows Nessa & Cassian and tackles some mental health issues and survivors guilt and just like. The character development is incredible. I was so sad when it was over. I can't wait for the next one AND THE TV ADAPTATION. So pumped. 

March 2021:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: Everyone loves this book, so I was scared I wouldn't. It is important to note that it takes forever to get going. It's very slow at the start, but I think that's on purpose so you're feeling some of what Addie feels. I don't know if I can describe anything else without it being a potential spoiler but y'all it's good, worth the hype.  

The Hollow (Hercule Poirot #26): This Poirot novel, I figured out the killer, but then all of the clues convinced me I was wrong, so I felt vindicated at the end haha. I hope that's not a spoiler. 

The Girl With The Louding Voice: I have a hard time with stories written in any kind of dialect, my brain works to hard to try to make it sound like I speak rather than letting me hear the accent, if that makes sense? So that made this one a little harder for me to get through, also the anticipation. You know something is coming but you can't figure out what and then BAM. The ending really made up for the long way it takes to get going.  

The Book of Lost Names: WWII here, this one had me SOBBING. Just sobbing. I haven't read a WWII novel in a minute because they're exhausting and lately I've been looking for more escapist stuff but whew. It's good, but I would skip it if you try to avoid books about WWII/The Holocaust. 

Currently Reading: House of Earth and Blood

FINALLY linking up for Show Us Your Books with Steph & Jana. I've missed y'all! 

Show Us Your Books - What I Read in October/November

Hello friends! I'd like to start this out with a dumb complaint: if you're sending me an email with an invoice in it, SEND THE LINK TO PAY THE INVOICE AS WELL. Why are you making me go search on your website for how to pay you? Help me to help you please. I'm feeling very irritated about all of these end of year bills I need to pay and how much work I'm having to do to pay them. Just take my damn money, good lord. 

OKAY so here we go. Let's round up what I read in November! I'm writing this on December 1st and it snowed last night (not okay) and I have 6 books to read to hit my Goodreads goal. Do y'all think I will make it? 

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click through them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: Y'all, I was Very Upset that they started out trying to get me to like President Snow. So if that's where you are in the book, keep going, it gets better. This was really good. It made me want to read all the books again, and I did end up watching the first movie after I finished it. It's a bit long, but what else do we have to do in the cold months anyways? I definitely recommend it if you enjoyed The Hunger Games. The Games are terrible but it was interesting to see how they really got to where they were by the 75th annual... 

Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A holiday murder mystery! Secret identities!  A granddaughter from somewhere warm and exotic! This one has it all! I know y'all know I've been working through the Poirot stories, and that I love them all. So once again, I didn't guess the murderer, Hercule scooped it! 

Conjure Women: I didn't understand the artwork on the cover of this book until I was about halfway through, and I thought that was really cool. I don't really know how to explain this one, so here's a blurb from Goodreads:

 Like her mother, Rue is an all-knowing midwife, healer, and conjurer of curses on the plantation of Marse Charles. Moving back and forth in time between the years before and after the Civil War, Conjure Women tells the story of Rue, the families she cares for, and the mysteries and secrets she knows about the plantation owner's daughter, Varina.

I enjoyed this because it didn't really follow the stereotypical bell curve most books do, if that makes sense. It wasn't like a slow build to a big climactic event then the wrapping up of a story. It felt more like a chunk out of the middle of a bigger story. I don't know if that makes any sense to y'all. There were big events and drama and mystery and a relatively "neat" ending if you will, but it was a very good read. I am doing a bad job of explaining it.  

Sad Cypress:  BACK to Poirot. We have three in here. Oh man. This one was good. It had a Very Christie twist, but only one you can see coming after it's happened. If you've been here for more than one reading recap, you'll be very familiar with my current task trying to read through every single Poriot novel. I'm making pretty good time, very excited to move onto Miss Marple once I'm done with our mustachioed friend. 

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: For some reason, goodreads was CONVINCED this was an audiobook, it was not, but I thought that was very weird. Anyways. This one was one where I thought I knew who the murderer was at the end of each chapter, which we know Agatha does on purpose. There were more twists and turns than normal in this one and I couldn't put it down! 

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot: I saw a meme the other day about how anti-racism work isn't self improvement for white people & doesn't end when you feel better about yourself. I understand why that was a meme, lookin' at you, white women voting for Trump, but at the same time thought "how do you ever feel better about yourself?" because everything I read and everything I learn and every new thing that I come to understand just makes me more mad. So, now that I've made this review about me, in true white lady fashion, I highly recommend this one. It's informative and connects the dots on a lot of things and made me feel more radicalized and more sound in my understanding of how feminism should work. 

They need feminism to recognize that everything that affects women is a feminist issue, whether it be food insecurity or access to transit, schools, or a living wage.

That's it! I have to read 6 books in December to hit my 2020 reading goal, so wish me luck! Linking up for Show Us Your Books! Tell me what you've been reading! Have you read any of these? I'm currently reading (er, devouring): A Court of Thorns and Roses and I've already borrowed the second book of the series because I am enjoying this one so much. 

Show Us Your Books: What I Read in September

Full disclosure: I'm currently writing this while not paying attention to a zoom call that I apparently misunderstood the content of. I don't do a lot of zoom stuff for my full time job, just my real estate stuff, and so I haven't been on a call like this in a while and lord do I not envy a single one of y'all that has to do this regularly. In the before times this meeting would have at least come with snacks. SO here's what I've been reading lately. This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click through one of these links and make a purchase I will earn a small commission. 

The Warmth of Other Suns : When everyone was making the Anti-Racism Reading Lists, I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting perspective of other white people. I can safely tell you that I did not learn anything about the Great Migration when I was in school. It was smoothly glossed over. This book is FIRST PERSON stories. It was so cool, I learned so much, and it broke my heart. 

Caraval : After I had a whole ~moment~ about the Discovery Of Witches series, someone recommended this tribology to me, and as you can see below, I tore through it too. I think it took me one weekend. Hello, my name is Kasey, and I have no self control. Anyways, this trilogy is set in a land of magic and I don't know if I could explain it if I wanted to without giving away some things. But it's the tale of two sisters as they make their way through said world of magic. It's very good and honestly keeps you guessing until the very end, which leaves us with a cliffhanger into the second one!

Legendary : This is the second of this trilogy, it's set obviously after the end of the first one (wow, hire me to write all of your book reviews y'all) but you have a base understanding of the world as the sisters get deeper into it. They've learned their mom has a connection to this world aside from the little bit they knew. This one is told more from the perspective of the other sister. Feels very much like a middle novel, if you will? Like there are a lot of storylines that aren't dropped or completed but you know there's a third book so you're not worried?

Finale: This one is aptly named. There are A LOT of moving parts and it's told by BOTH sisters. I don't know if I could pick a favorite of the three, because unlike some multi book series, this one almost felt like it could have been one, very long, book? (Kasey, do you think maybe that's because you read all three of them in one weekend?) If you're a fan of magic and action and light fantasy, I think you'll enjoy this series. I know I did. 

The Paris Hours: The ending of this book made me very mad. Mad isn't the right word. But if you've read it, maybe you can sympathize with me. It has that vibe of like. Love Actually? or those movies in the early 2000s where there are like 10 characters and their stories seem disconnected then they're all at some kid's Christmas play. It was very good story telling, I just have FEELIGNS about the end. 

Between the World and Me: I read The Water Dancer sometime either earlier this year or last year (tbh I don't know what time means anymore) and I really liked the writing style so I wanted to see other things written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This book is written in the form of letters to his son and just, the way he speaks to him both warmed and broke my heart. It also felt very... intimate? Almost like I was snooping in someone's mail or something. Also, there's a part where he talks about a trip to Paris and it made me cry more than it should have because he so acutely describes travel and what I miss about it. 

Currently. I'm reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I will almost certainly finish over the rainy weekend, but like I said, I'm writing this mid zoom call I'm not paying attention to, so it'll have to be in my November SUYB. What are you reading? What have I missed? How have you been? 

What I Read In February & March

I don't know what the weather is like where y'all are but it has been raining in Georgia for what feels like my entire life. We'll have one MAYBE two days of sunshine and then just pouring rain. There's just a constant puddle in the driver's side of my Jeep (please send me all of your soft top leaking tips and tricks.) Lots of rain means lot's of time to sit on the couch and read. Someone asked me the other day how I have so much time, I realized it's because we cut cable and I'm overwhelmed trying to choose something to watch on TV, so instead I sit on the sofa and read. If you missed what I read in January, check that out here! It includes a book about the 1918 Spanish Flu which is now a thing we should all know more about.

So, that was my intro for the February post, which clearly I did not get posted. So hold on to your butts guys, this is going to be a double month post! I honestly thought I'd read more with the whole "social distancing" and "shelter in place" situations but I'm having a super hard time focusing on any specific task. Are y'all having that trouble too? I think it's just like my baseline anxiety is so much higher now that everything is out of whack. I just ordered tie-dye supplies, so that'll be a fun thing. Also we've been working on our victory garden, which I will absolutely be blogging about once we get everything in the ground. Without further ado, here are a bunch of books I've read since February!

This post contains affiliate links.

The Man In The Brown Suit: I picked this up at a used book store. Apparently finding Agatha Christie books at used bookstores is what I do now. This isn't even a Poriot novel, so at least I was branching out? This one got me. I thought I knew who the killer was, then there were twists and turns and at the very end I was right after all! I still don't consider it figuring out the murderer, because it didn't end anywhere like I thought it would. 

Killers of the Flower Moon: I had this on holds FOREVER. It was one where I kept forgetting it wasn't a work of fiction. Truth is stranger than fiction and this was wild and terrible and heartbreaking and I think you should read it. 

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek : I actually found this one from this linkup and where everyone was saying to read this instead of a bigger named author who almost certainly plagiarized it. I was so mad this one ended. I didn't want it to end. I would read like 6 more novels about this lady. I didn't know about the pack librarians OR that the blue people of Kentucky weren't a thing made up for this story. It was a wild ride and I loved it. I'm sorry I just used wild in back to back reviews.  

Ask Again, Yes: I had this one on my library holds for a while, long enough to where I'd forgotten why I requested it.  It reminded me a little of Little Fires Everywhere in a good way - the way the timeline was structured and the way it's told from multiple character POVs. I enjoyed this one and when I got to the end I went to turn (swipe) to the next page and realized I was at the end, literally said "oh, that's the end" out loud. I apparently could have kept reading about these characters forever. 

The Water Dancer: I enjoyed this story but I didn't at the same time? I felt like there was potential for so much more to have happened, I felt like the ending and everything was lacking, but it was an interesting story nonetheless. I have to say, I don't know if it was worth waiting as long as I did on the holds? Like, if it had been something I really wanted to read, not something that I had just put on hold and forgot about, if that makes sense?

The Sun Is Also A Star: I almost immediately forgot this was YA once I started it. You know how sometimes it can feel like it's specifically written for teenagers who think the worst thing EVER is not having a date to prom? Maybe it's sadistic, but I genuinely enjoy when kids take on adult problems in their own way. I like to see the kids do better than the adults, maybe because I was raised on Harry Potter. This story tackles some grown up stuff, but it's a fun read. I tore through it. Highly recommend.

Dumb Witness: Hercule Poirot strikes again! This one passed the time just fine, it's not one of the best Hercule stories, but it kept me entertained.

An American Marriage: This was an interesting story, it had more twists than a mystery novel, but it wasn't a mystery novel. I didn't really like most of the characters? I wasn't really rooting for anyone (well, Roy Sr. I liked him) but the ending wasn't really what I expected either. It took me a while to get through, partially because I can't focus and partially because I didn't really feel like I needed to get anywhere with this story? I feel like this sounds like a wishy washy review. I enjoyed the story but didn't feel strongly about any of the characters. It's well written, plenty of twists, worth the read.

His Dark Materials Trilogy: I somehow missed out on this trilogy as a kid? But I'm kind of glad I read it for the first time as an adult? I tore through the entire trilogy in a little over a week. I'm excited to watch the HBO Miniseries next. I loved this whole series, and I don't care if it's cheating to review them as one. I don't know that I could pick a favorite book of the three. If you're into fantasy and what not, I'd recommend it. It is a little dark, but I don't feel like that should surprise anyone since it's literally called "His Dark Materials" but that's just me. Traveling between worlds, daemons, witches, bears that talk, villains and anti-heroes, it's got it all!

Currently, I'm reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo, another book I put on my holds list from this linkup! I'm excited for another Show Us Your Books readathon this weekend, hope to see all y'all there!

Linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books! 

What I Read In January!

"I'm going to try to blog about things other than what books I read" - me, in December. Me through the entire month of January: I am exhausted. I have the SADs real bad. I always struggle a little more in the winter than summer months, but this winter has been tough. I've been taking a lot of things personally and essentially hibernating because I don't want to deal with it. So, rough month for mental health, but I did get a lot of reading done! If you missed what I read in December, you can catch that here. Linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books!

This post contains affiliate links.

The ABC Murders: Again, another month with lots of Poirot novels. I regret nothing. I've started looking for Agatha Christie novels in used bookstores. I'm turning into a monster. I love it because I have yet to figure out the murderer. Cannot get enough. Highly recommend all of them.

Cards On The Table: This Poirot novel taught me about Bridge. A card game I didn't realize I might be interested in until reading about people playing cards. I think, aside from never being able to guess the murderer, I also love how quick these reads are. I can never put them down. 

Where the Crawdads Sing: I'd had this on library holds forever. To the point where I thought maybe I wouldn't ever get it or it wouldn't be as good as everyone said. I enjoyed this one, the main character really broke my heart. I saw someone on instagram say it was unreasonable that they were always going to Asheville instead of like. Charlotte or Raleigh. and I agree. I don't know anything about the history of North Carolina but I do know where Asheville is in relation to the coast. Anyways, this was a good one, kind of stressful, gets a little slow but not so slow you're like "ugh will this ever end?" just slow enough where you're like "okay I don't feel bad stopping after this chapter."

Murder in Mesopotamia: Poirot strikes again! I feel like I'm not giving good reviews of these because I love them all for the same reasons. There's different characters and new things I learn in each of them but like, again, baseline: I love that I can't guess the murderer and that I can breeeeze through them. 

Death on the Nile: I read this entire book during the Show Us Your Books Readathon and I regret ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I liked that I technically had an excuse to read all day and not feel guilty or like I was avoiding dealing with something (reader, I was avoiding some things.) I even won one of the prizes for playing along, and I never win things! Anyways, this one is on a boat (obviously) and made me want to go on a river cruise up the Nile. I didn't guess the murderer but this time it was because they worked so hard to make me believe it wasn't who I thought it was! (maybe I have an Agatha Christie addiction forming)

The Last Town on Earth: I found this one from this linkup! It's a part of American history I didn't really know much about. I feel like I should remember the Spanish Influenza outbreak, but I really don't think we studied it. This one made me cry and feel all sorts of things for the main character. The author kind of lost my attention for a little bit, but I wanted to know how it all ended. I realize that I didn't give any stars up until this point,  but I give this one 4. Maybe 4.5. It was an interesting story and like, timed well with the whole flu situation going on now.

That's it! That's everything I read in January! I've set my goodreads goal at 50 this year, so hopefully I can keep this pace up. I've been trying to read a chapter or two every morning instead of mindlessly scrolling through twitter, because man is twitter making me feel tired all the time. Now I'm currently reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, which I learned about when I found out a bigger name author had basically stolen her premise and work! 

What I Read in December

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL. I actively set my 2020 reading goal for 50 books, and I've already read 4 so hopefully that's a thing I can accomplish. Who knows, best laid plans and everything. December was insane and I'm pretty sure it really only lasted about 15 minutes. We took all the decorations off the tree this past Sunday but we aren't taking the tree itself down. I'm not ready to part with it yet and we're having a bonfire next Saturday soooooooo. Anyways. If you missed What I Read In November, you can catch up there! Maybe I'll blog about more things than books this month, who knows.

This post contains affiliate links.

I didn't take any book pictures so here's one of me in sunny Cancun where I'd very much like to be right now.

A Woman Is No Man: I'd had this on holds since April, which is insane.Then I absolutely devoured it. It broke my hear a little, but I also felt like I learned a lot? It's told from the point of view of three different generations of women and it will open your eyes to a different experience than the one you may have. Also, one of the character's favorite books is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which is actually my favorite book too. Maybe I'll re-read that one. I've lost my original copy though, which really bums me out. ANYWAYS. A Woman Is No Man, I recommend it. 

Educated: This is another one I've had on holds since I got my library cards and discovered I could check out ebooks from the library. I felt a lot of ways about this one. There's a lot of stuff I feel like I can't really talk about without spoiling it? I honestly didn't love it. I didn't hate it? But I didn't love it either.

Death in The Clouds: Another Poirot novel! Y'all, spoiler alert for What I Read In January -- I've already finished three more Poirot novels. NBD. I love it. This one features an implausible murder on a plane, that sounds like it's made up even to the characters in the book! I've said it once, I'll say it several times more, I never see the real murderer coming. Every time I think, oh man I've figured this one out and I am always wrong. I love it.

Three Act Tragedy: Again, Poirot. I'm reading them all in order, which you really don't have to do, it's just an easy way for me to decide which one comes next!

It wasn't a big reading month for me because December was crazy with holiday things and more holiday things. Linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books! What have you been reading lately? Anything I should pickup? I'm currently reading Murder in Mesopotamia, told y'all I was all about Poirot... 

What I Read in November

This winter weather has been so weird, one day it's 38 degrees and raining, the next day it's 74 and sunny. It's aggressive. November was a crazy month for me, but I FINALLY worked through all of my library holds, just in time to place a bunch more that will probably all hit at the same time. If you missed what I read in October, you can find that here! November was a crazy month for me, so I didn't read as many books as I would have liked to. I also got bogged down in one of them..

This post contains affiliate links.

I didn't take any book related pictures this month, so here's a picture of Albus & a beer.

The Vine Witch - I got this one AND The Dressmaker's Gift from the Kindle First reads? Sometimes that newsletter ends up in my junk filter and I'll forget it's a thing for a while. You can also read this one on Kindle Unlimited, if you're using that! I really enjoyed this one. As I mentioned last week, I've been in a little bit of a rut with WWII books. Rut isn't the word, I just can't think of a better one. It's like you read one, then the library is like "oh you liked that, here are four more like it!" and I just stay upset.  Anyways. This was a fun switch. There are witches making the wine, which like, hello magic and wine? Sign. Me. Up. I'd like to be a vine witch. When I was pulling the link for this one I noticed it's been amended to "Vine Witch Series #1" so I'm excited to read the next book in the series too! I definitely recommend this if you're looking for something light with a little bit of a twist at the end!

The Dressmaker's Gift: This one also came from Kindle First Reads annnnd is on Kindle Unlimited. I thought I was out of WWII but I picked this one back in September, apparently. It was fine. It drags on a little bit, there are some things that are total stretches, and weird timelines that are a little hard to follow. I think I gave it four stars? It was a good story or whatever, I just couldn't get into it. It was well written and told, it's one of those things I can't put my finger on. It passed the time just fine. 

Three Act Tragedy POIROT IS BACK. We watched the new Murder on the Orient Express a couple weekends ago so I snagged another Poirot novel from the library. I love them all. I don't care if it makes me sound like an 80 year old grandma. I really thought I'd figured this one out, man. I thought I knew the motive, and then towards the end, I thought I knew who it actually was (that is to say, that I thought my original guess had been wrong but I'd guessed correctly the second time) and I DIDN'T. I was still surprised. I think that's why I love the Hercule Poirot stories so much. I never guess the outcome. So obviously, I give this one all the stars.

That's it for November, I just downloaded A Woman Is No Man which I'd been on the holds list for since April. I hope to take it extra easy in  December (lol) and maybe get some more reading done. As always, linking up for Show Us Your Books! What are you reading right now? 

What I Read In October

Y'all! October was a very big month for me. I landed my very first listing as a real estate agent, decided to take on the brunt of social media marketing myself as an agent (lol, but thanks Canva!) AND I LEARNED HOW TO LET PEOPLE SKIP ME IN LINE FOR MY DIGITAL LIBRARY HOLDS. This is a big deal to me, as you know, I always end up with too many library holds and not enough time to read them all. So now let's check in on what I read in October! Head here if you missed what I read in September!

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on one of the links and end up making a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

The Girls of Atomic City: I rated this all the stars on goodreads, but I'm not sure I stand by that after having time to really digest it. I liked the personal stories about the real people and I learned a handful of new things too. It might be that I've been spending too much time in the WWII era. This tells the stories of a handful of the women who worked in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a secret city developed by the US Government to help with the Manhattan Project. I'd recommend it if you're into the actual history behind stuff, even though it kind of reads like a bit of fiction. 

City of Girls: I honestly can't remember how this one got on my library holds. When they're on hold for like 35 weeks I kind of forget why I wanted to read them. I also have a copy of Big Magic that someone gave me for Christmas and I just haven't picked up yet. I've heard great things about it or whatever, so maybe I will. ANYWAYS. I honestly almost didn't finish this one. I did not like the narrator one bit. She reminded me a little bit of Daisy from The Great Gatsby because she's just this poor little rich girl gallivanting around with no real consequences for her actions. The story is written as though she's telling it to this girl, Angela, who wants to know what she (Vivian, the narrator) to her father. It takes 400 pages for Vivian to get to her father. FOUR HUNDRED PAGES. The book is only 450 pages. I feel bad for Angela who had to go on this long ride with Vivian about her charmed life to finally get to the part she had asked for.

I don't recommend this one, but it might have just been me, hating Vivian. 

We Were the Lucky Ones: I think this might be my last WWII novel for a little bit. This one was SO good, I was even more shocked when I realized it was a true story. I think maybe everyone else knew that going in, but I have no idea until I read the epilogue or whatever. It's one of those stories that you almost don't believe until you realize it really did happen. That's what I clearly haven't gotten over. It's almost a feel good story, because even when everything is terrible horrible no good awful, there are good stories. It stuck with me, so I gotta take a break from the devastation.

Daisy Jones and The Six: This one has such a specific review from the SUYB linkup, either you love it or absolutely hate it. I was a little nervous to pick it up, but by adding it to my digital holds the library was just like "heeeey this book has been automatically downloaded to your kindle" I confess: I didn't love it. I didn't hate it? It was just fine. It was an easy airplane read and a nice break from all of the WWII drama I've been stuck in. It just felt very much like the movie Almost Famous and in the thank you portion, I learned it was loosely based on Fleetwood Mac recording Rumors. I don't know, I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads, maybe more of a 3.5 but I always round up.

I think it's a good read, probably worth checking out if you've been thinking about it, just maybe manage your expectations? The ending kind of pushed me over the edge towards the 3.5 stars, but I don't wanna spoil it for anyone.

Currently reading: The Vine Witch : Every month, Amazon sends out an e-mail to Prime members where you can get "Amazon First Reads" and you get a free book, presumably because they want reviews or maybe they're trying to reward us? Who knows, but that's where I got this one. It's very different from most of what I've read this year, because I somehow took a fantasy break and over indulged on WWII.

That's it for October! As always, I'm linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books! What have you been reading lately? Anything I should add to my list OR anything that everyone says I should add that's just really not worth it?