I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so absolutely RIVETED by a book.
I avoided this book for so long because I thought it was overhyped, but I jusI can’t remember the last time I’ve been so absolutely RIVETED by a book.
I avoided this book for so long because I thought it was overhyped, but I just finished a Game of Thrones rewatch and desperately needed more dragons in my life. This ended up being everything I was wanting, and it kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish....more
This is a GOOD read. I went into it with very little expectation, but everything about it is right up my alley and I couldn't put it down!
The writingThis is a GOOD read. I went into it with very little expectation, but everything about it is right up my alley and I couldn't put it down!
The writing is spectacular - the characters feel real and the tension of the scenes is palpable. The feeling of a NYC Summer Friday is perfectly captured and the nostalgia of the AOL Instant Messenger days hits just right.
I read this book while vacationing in Iceland and I couldn’t imagine a better place to sink into this bI am all-in on the cozy fantasy vibe right now!
I read this book while vacationing in Iceland and I couldn’t imagine a better place to sink into this breathtaking fairytale than the actual land of the mythical Huldufolk. Being surrounded by majestic snow-covered Icelandic mountains in every direction heightened my enjoyment of this novel and truly made me feel as if I was there in Ljosland alongside Emily & Wendell.
Mysterious dark fae, a harsh Scandinavian landscape, endearing characters, and a slow-burn romance - this book had everything I want in a fantasy novel. I’m so excited to jump into the sequel!...more
This was an absolute joy to read. I’m new to the subject but this was the perfect introduction. It’s written in such an accessible and relatable way, This was an absolute joy to read. I’m new to the subject but this was the perfect introduction. It’s written in such an accessible and relatable way, sharing practical rituals to incorporate into your daily life for everyday magic.
The book takes you through the basics - journaling, creating a magical altar, casting spells, and divining meanings from tarot cards. The included journal prompts allow for introspection and provide an immersive experience. I can see how journaling can be a beneficial practice and great habit to add to the daily routine!
Tarot reading, something I previously considered intimidating, is broken down into easy-to-understand steps. The spells in this book are simple and revolve around positive affirmations, self-love, and empowerment. While I did not have all of the necessary items on hand at the time of reading, I still enjoyed this very much and I’m excited to put these ideas into practice.
I recommend this book for anyone looking for ways to be more intentional in their everyday life. I’m certain this is a book I’ll come back to more than once, and I’m eager to read more of Lovelace’s work!...more
This is an incredible memoir. Compellingly written and deeply researched, Meg Kissinger shares her story of growing up in a family that fought mental This is an incredible memoir. Compellingly written and deeply researched, Meg Kissinger shares her story of growing up in a family that fought mental illness behind closed doors in an era where such struggles were not to be talked about openly. Everything was hush-hush, swept under the rug, and left to fester. It’s ultimately a devastating story as she shares that two of her siblings took their own lives. It is heartbreaking to read how little support and understanding there was leading up to their deaths, and the ripple effects that this had on the rest of the family. Throughout her lifelong career in journalism, Meg has brought to light the reality of the ways we treat people with mental illness and by sharing her story hopes to continue the fight for change.
This was a very hard review to write as Meg’s family’s story hit very close to home for me. She is close in age with my parents, and the world she grew up in is so familiar to me from hearing my parents’ own childhood stories. Mental illness runs in both sides of my family and it’s something that my parents still battle and struggle to open up about. I have always wondered what it was like for them growing up and how it shaped them into who they are, and this book gave me a peek into what it might have been like. My mom herself has said that my dad’s family just “didn’t talk about their feelings” and I can’t imagine how alienating that must have been as a struggling young adult. It was a lot to examine and wrap my head around as I read this book.
Beyond the topic of mental illness, there are so many interesting threads of history in this book that I’m dying to unravel further - the 15,000 pilots in training that died on american soil, the boom of pharmaceuticals, the “twilight sleep” that was induced upon pregnant women, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s unrealized dream of better mental healthcare. While nowadays we talk more openly about feelings of anxiety and depression, there is still a long way to go in how we treat people with mental illness and in some ways it seems as though we have regressed. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Why, after all these years, can we as a society still not figure this out? Why can’t we do better? When did we stop trying?
This is not a light read by any means, but an important one. It was thought-provoking in so many ways, and the story of Meg’s family is one I won’t soon forget. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC....more
Yellowface is my second R.F. Kuang read of the year, and I think I’ve found a new fave! This might possibly be my top book this year.
This book is exceYellowface is my second R.F. Kuang read of the year, and I think I’ve found a new fave! This might possibly be my top book this year.
This book is excellent - the writing is masterful and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything else quite so meta. The layers of an Asian woman writing about a white woman who has stolen the work of an Asian woman kinda blew my mind. I was riveted the entire book and couldn’t put this down!
Seeing June whitewash and hack away at Athena’s original work was like watching a train wreck. I cringed at every change she made to the story - there were moments where I had to re-read entire paragraphs because I just could not believe the audacity June had. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her to get what she deserved.
Kuang really captured how the online book community discourse can be, to the point where I felt like I had my popcorn.gif ready as I watched the drama unfold. This book was an incredible and unique undertaking, as well as an interesting and timely social commentary on the state of publishing and the writer/reader community....more
Oh, this was wonderful! It’s been a minute since I so thoroughly enjoyed a book, and I’m pleased to have found this absolute gem in a local Little FreOh, this was wonderful! It’s been a minute since I so thoroughly enjoyed a book, and I’m pleased to have found this absolute gem in a local Little Free Library (thank you, kind neighbor). I read this entirely in one sitting!
At first this seemed a little too dorky for me, but the more I continued to read the more I got sucked in. The awkward virtual dating scenes were so silly and entertaining, it felt like a love story right out of Black Mirror. The book continued to grow on me and warm my heart as Mariam’s world expanded beyond just her obsession with her ex, to her wholesome family life and growing friendships. It was lovely to see Mariam mature and come into her own outside of her romantic relationships throughout the story.
A great coming-of-age novel with the happiest of HEAs. Oh, and I totally agree with Mariam - train rides were made for crying....more
I didn’t want this adventure to end! This was everything I wanted from a pirate novel and more.
Amina is fierce, capable, hilarious, and it is impossibI didn’t want this adventure to end! This was everything I wanted from a pirate novel and more.
Amina is fierce, capable, hilarious, and it is impossible not to love her. She had me smiling to myself in chapter one and again at the very end - and in between I felt fear, horror, and excitement. The world she travels in this book is alive, vast, and full of magic.
This was some very incredible storytelling. I can’t wait to read more of Amina’s adventures with her crew!...more
I really loved this! I couldn’t put it down, and it’s safe to say that this is one of my new favorite fairytales. I’m very torn between wishing it wasI really loved this! I couldn’t put it down, and it’s safe to say that this is one of my new favorite fairytales. I’m very torn between wishing it was longer and more fleshed out, and feeling that it’s perfect as-is.
I love Toadling with my whole heart. While there is a dark side to this story, I agree with the author that it really is quite sweet.
This is the one. This is the book I think of most when I think of the Harry Potter series, and it is by far my favorite of them all.
I have such good mThis is the one. This is the book I think of most when I think of the Harry Potter series, and it is by far my favorite of them all.
I have such good memories of reading this one as a kid. My grade-school best friend & I had read the first three books and were total Potterheads already by the time this one came out. We were eagerly anticipating the fourth book, scouring the internet for any morsel of information we could find (which, in those days before social media, was like a treasure hunt across the web to discover new independent fan sites and forums). I entered a contest to win a copy of the book, and was so thoroughly convinced that I was going to win that I told my friend’s mom not to purchase one for me when we went to the midnight release at Barnes & Noble. She of course knew I was just being a silly little kid so she bought one for me anyway and we proceeded with our release-night sleepover (during which no sleep was had and we stayed up all night reading our new books). In the morning, the phone rang at my friend’s house and it was my parents calling to tell me that, guess what, I won the giveaway and a copy of the book had arrived at our house! I KNEW IT!! This was the first thing I had ever won and it wouldn’t be the last, because the taste of victory spurred a lifelong obsession with entering any giveaway I come across. Not that I’ve ever won anything big nor has any prize ever felt as good as that first one. I was the smuggest kid alive that day.
Nostalgia aside, this book is amazing from start to finish. It’s more than double the size of the previous books and packed with detail. Re-reading this now, knowing how the series ends, it’s incredible to see the little foreshadowing hints here and there. Towards the end of this book is where the series starts to take a darker turn that somehow hits so much harder reading this as an adult than it did when I was a kid.
While I know the general outline of the story from this point, my memory of the next three books is fuzzy. When book five came out three years after this one, I was in junior high school and way more concerned with fitting in than I was with Harry Potter. I’m really excited to re-discover these next few books!...more
Doing a re-read of the Harry Potter series! It’s probably been 20 years or so (gosh that makes me feel old!) since I last read them, but these books hDoing a re-read of the Harry Potter series! It’s probably been 20 years or so (gosh that makes me feel old!) since I last read them, but these books hold such a special place in my heart, and always will. I grew up reading them as they were released and some of my fondest childhood memories are of going to midnight releases with my grade school best friend and staying up all night reading together. We cried when we turned 11 and didn’t get our Hogwarts letters. When it was announced that the movies were being made, we sent in audition tapes (never mind the fact that we’re Americans and had never acted before).
Once the series ended, we grew up and drifted apart and away from the fandom. I don’t think I ever even watched all the movies. It was the release of the Hogwarts Legacy video game this year that got me back into the wizarding world. The game captures the magic of this world so well, and made me want to re-visit Harry’s story. I started with watching the movie, which gave me all the feels, but of course the book is always better.
Cozying up to this book during a snowstorm over the past few nights made for the ultimate nostalgia read. I am surprised at how well it holds up after all these years. I’m equally impressed by how well-paced this is and how much world-building is packed into this rather short book. It never feels rushed and feels longer than it is without ever being tedious. That’s so much more than I can say for many books I’ve read in recent years!
All I can really say is, the magic is still here....more
I really loved this! I’ve been a huge fan of Simu since seeing him in Kim’s Convenience, and was pumped when he was cast as Shang-Chi. I’ve really enjI really loved this! I’ve been a huge fan of Simu since seeing him in Kim’s Convenience, and was pumped when he was cast as Shang-Chi. I’ve really enjoyed seeing his rise to stardom! He seems like a stand-up guy, even if he is a bit of a bro.
This book was a pretty dense almost 300 pages - it really takes its time with the narrative, stopping at times to fill in histories and backstories. It can be difficult to get through at times but it’s so worth it! I really liked the “crash course” on the Chinese Cultural Revolution. I’ve read books and novels that have touched on it, but never had it spelled out or explained-like-I’m-five the way it was here. It’s something I definitely want to learn more about!
This was an entertaining and emotional read from start to finish. Immigrant stories are inspiring and important, so I’d recommend this to anyone - Marvel fan or not!...more
Can’t quite find the words to explain why I loved this so much. I’m not a fan of historical fiction nor dark academia, so I’m surprised at how much thCan’t quite find the words to explain why I loved this so much. I’m not a fan of historical fiction nor dark academia, so I’m surprised at how much this exceeded my expectations. The writing is absolutely phenomenal and it was so easy to lose myself in the world of this story, Hours passing me by without realizing. Going to be thinking about this one for a long time....more
More stories like this please! Not every fantasy book needs to be about saving the entire kingdom (or world!). Sometimes they’re just about following More stories like this please! Not every fantasy book needs to be about saving the entire kingdom (or world!). Sometimes they’re just about following your dreams and the amazing things that can happen when you open yourself up to other people.
The coffee shop setting was lovely and really came to life - I could just FEEL its warm embrace on every page! I loved the entire cast of characters and I enjoyed the lighthearted slow-burn romance....more
I fully fell deep into this story and did not come up for air - hours were passing in real life and I couldn’t have known.Oh my GOD I loved this book.
I fully fell deep into this story and did not come up for air - hours were passing in real life and I couldn’t have known. At one point I looked up and it was 3AM!
The writing is just beautiful, it has this gorgeous cinematic quality that really captures the magic of storytelling in video game format. A gamer myself, I felt at home in this book. I loved all of the characters, they had me feeling all the feels. At one point I was absolutely moved to tears.
I don’t have much to say about this book beyond gushing about it, because it’s rendered me speechless. It’s earned a place on my favorites shelf for sure....more
Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve been blown away by a book like this. This was a magical whirlwind of a story, such a perfect summer/vacation/beach rWow, it’s been so long since I’ve been blown away by a book like this. This was a magical whirlwind of a story, such a perfect summer/vacation/beach read!
This quintessentially New York City story uses social media to weave together a huge ensemble cast of characters. The internet of 2015 is so different from the internet of today, and this book was the perfect nostalgic snapshot.
Chapter 11, The Doctor was so achingly beautiful that it brought me to tears (it also totally scratched my chronic Black Mirror itch). I basically sobbed for the remainder of the book after that, I was so not prepared for all the feels.
Yes it’s a long and meandering book but the payoff is so worth it in the end....more
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