Month in Review: December 2023

Hello there and Happy January! December flew by as the months seem to do lately, but such is life. It was a quiet month for me in terms of reading, but I did get a lot of knitting done for Christmas gifts, etc. which is nice. Sometimes it’s nice to take the time to do something with my hands. This is actually one of the things that I told myself I would prioritize when I quit my second job earlier in the year, but didn’t actually do until December – in that I’m happy to have finally spent some time working with my hands. Anywhoodle, let’s get to it.

This Month I Read:

This was a very quiet reading month, mostly because I wasn’t listening to audiobooks while I was knitting. I completed one book and am currently working through two others.

I finished:
Coach by Devney Perry – yes I know this was not on my end of year TBR, but sue me. No one actually believed I would stick to it 100% anyways.
I am currently reading:
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women’s Lives by Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux
These two are both on my end of year TBR so there’s bit of success in it for me!

This Month I Hauled:

I picked up a few books this month between extra book of the month credits and sales and gift cards. After all, I’m always happy for an excuse to book shop.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear
How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World by Deb Chachra
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Weyward by Emilia Hart
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Women’s War by Jenna Glass
Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Emperor’s Blades by Brian Staveley

Non-Bookishness:

I already mentioned the knitting that sucked up most of my free time in December, but what else did I do while I was knitting away you ask? Watching Stargate SG1 of course! This is my first start to (hopefully) finish watch of the show and I’m kind of grossed out by how much of it I’ve watched in the last month, but I do so enjoy it. So continue I shall as I work on completing my current project.

How was your December? Any good books or big accomplishments?

Until next time, Happy Reading!

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Publisher: Saga Press, Scribd e-book, 209 pages

“All good stories travel from the outside in.”

Red and Blue are agents on opposing sides of a war that crosses time and space. Both are fighting to ensure victory for their side, that there is a best future for themselves and their people. Yet, just one message left for the other on the battlefield is enough to change the course of past, present, and future.

This is How You Lose the Time War is one hell of a book. It is beautiful and confusing and addictive and there is so much whatthefuckery, but you can’t put it down because you are hooked. I have never read a book like this before, and I’m not certain I’ll read another book like it again. There is just something about it that is so compelling even though I spent most of the book wondering what was going on. In fact, the first note I made when I started this book, that sums up my reading experience perfectly: “This book is strange, but good strange. I think. So far.”

It’s not just the story of these two agents, but how they communicate to each other. The messaging was so inventive and the language was beautiful. I may not have known what was happening, but I knew how they felt and what their concerns were. I knew I was looking forward to the next message because I was curious what shape it would take. Sometimes feathers, others lava, but it’s never the same way twice. The relationship they developed and the form it took, it didn’t make sense and yet, it made every sense. There was just something about this one and it’s hard to discuss without giving anything away.

I’ll admit, I spent a good portion of this book wondering if it was too smart for me. That said, I’m glad I stuck it out because it ended up being very worth the ride. Definitely recommended, particularly for those who enjoy unique takes on sci-fi stories. 4/5 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Winter 2024 TBR

Happy Tuesday! It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday and another TBR that I’m going to pretend that I’ll actually stick to. My TBR for the end of the year is already decided, so this is more of a Winter 2024 TBR. Below are some of the books I’m currently interested in reading, some are books I already have out from the library (even though I’m not able to read them for a few more weeks), and there is one January release that I am quite anticipating.

1. Lightless by C.A. Higgins
2. Warchild by Karin Lowachee
3. The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey
4. Talonsister by Jen Williams
5. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

6. Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
7. The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien
8. Heartstone by Elle Katharine White
9. Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
10. Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Have you read any of these? Anything I should move to the top of the list? What’s on your Winter TBR?

Until next time, Happy Reading!

The Taker by Alma Katsu

The Taker by Alma Katsu
Series: The Taker Trilogy #1
Publisher: Saga Press, Paperback, 436 pages

Dr. Luke Findlay is back home in Maine, where nothing ever really happens. Certainly not strange things in the middle of the night. However, when the police bring Lanore McIlvrae into the emergency room in the dead of night, Luke is going to find out just how strange the world he lives in can be.

The Taker was an interesting reading experience for a couple of reasons. First, while it is catalogued as horror this is not a traditional jump scare horror story. Instead, it’s all in the atmosphere and vibes. It gets almost unsettling at times, but it made for a very immersive reading and listening experience.

Second, I didn’t actually like any of the characters. Luke grew on me a little bit eventually, but I spent the majority of this book actively disliking the characters. My dislike though did not translate to disinterest – instead it was the opposite. I was invested in their lives, their histories, and I was compelled to keep reading. I find that this is due to the fact that I really enjoyed Lanore’s voice as a narrator, even if I didn’t like her, but also how it was written. The way that Katsu wrote this book and the language used grabbed my attention in a way I wasn’t expecting.

As a whole, I think this book really came together in some unique ways. I, as someone who generally needs to be connected to a character to keep reading a book, ate this up even though I did not like the characters. The book follows a couple of different timelines, but it did it in a very meandering way. The book took its time and it almost made it about the individual stories themselves as opposed to the collective whole. I haven’t read anything quite like it before. I also need to shout out the audiobook. I jumped back and forth between reading this book physically and listening to the audiobook and I found the audiobook to be very well done. It definitely suited the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book. There were definitely some uncomfortable moments throughout, but I thought a lot of it was handled well. I found it to be unique and while I’m not sure how two more books will play out, I do know that I will read on. 4/5 stars.

The Taker Trilogy:
1. The Taker
2. The Reckoning
3. The Descent

November 2023: Month in Review

Happy December! 2023 is coming to an end and I’m getting ready to read my little heart away for the end of the year. I want to enjoy books, and maybe I’m trying to meet my Goodreads goal while I’m at it… At least I’ve got my end of year TBR to focus on! In all seriousness, we are gearing up for the holidays, work is both crazy busy and not which is a fun dynamic to manage, and I’m just trying to stay awake long enough at night to get some decent reading in. I’m really much too young to be this old…

This Month I Read:

November was, with one exception, quite the reading month for me. There’s a little bit of everything here and I am quite pleased with the turnout.

1. To the Advantage of Both by Lory Lilian, 4 stars
2. The Many Faces of Fitzwilliam Darcy by Margot McNeil, 3 stars
3. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, 2 stars
4. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett, 5 stars
5. Her Sisterly Love by Lucy Marin, 4 stars
6. Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson, 5 stars
7. Stay With You by Melanie Shawn, 4 stars
8. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, 4 stars

This Month I Hauled:

This was certainly a decent book shopping month, if nothing else. This is mostly the result of driving up to New Hampshire for a weekend. I stayed in a town pretty close to Dartmouth so there were a couple of very cool independent bookstores in the area that I just had to check out.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Life is Everywhere by Lucy Ives
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland by Fintan O’Toole
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey – this was 100% a cover buy. The premise sounds fun, but truly, go check out the cover of this book if you haven’t seen it. It’s SO bright and wild.
Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Lone Women by Victor Lavalle
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead – Not pictured here because, let’s be real, I forgot it downstairs and I was MUCH too lazy to go get it. 🙂

Non-Bookishness:

Nothing too exciting here. I recently purchased a new mountain bike that I haven’t had a chance to take out yet unfortunately, but I’m very much looking forward to that before it gets too cold to be out all day. As far as what I’ve been watching, I’ve continued with my Fall Gilmore Girls rewatch and I’m into season 5 now. I also, after debating the science of zombies with a coworker for 30 minutes recently, decided it’s past time that I finish up the Resident Evil movie franchise. I got two and a half movies in so far, but I forgot that they really could have stopped with the first (which I actually still quite enjoy). We’ll see if I don’t manage to finish these up in December.

How was your November? Any wins to share? Anything you’re looking forward to in December?

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Series: Maple Hills #1
Publisher: Atria Books, Nook Edition, 435 pages

Anastasia Allen has spent her entire life working towards one goal, making the US Olympic Figure Skating team. When the reality of that goal suffers a terrible blow, Nathan Hawkins captain of the university hockey team swoops in to save the day. Little does he know he’s going to be pushed to his limits, in more ways than one.

Icebreakers was a fun read and it was the perfect palate cleanser I was looking for when I picked it up. While this fulfilled a lot of the things I wanted to get from it, I have one big gripe. Without getting too spoilery, most of the characters are athletes. I have such a hard time believing that an athlete that is SO in control of everything all the time is going to be so unaware of how their eating is impacting their life and body. While I understand the points that were made to address how this happened throughout the book, I simply could not shut off the part of my brain that was in doubt. I feel like basically any other conflict or struggle would have fit in better here.

I liked the characters in Icebreakers, aside from the one obvious exception. That said, Stassie got more time than Nathan did which I was kind of bummed about, and I think that may have done this book a bit of a disservice. However, I am looking forward to seeing more of the characters in Icebreaker in future books.

Overall I did enjoy Icebreaker. I went into this book wanting a fun, low stakes read. For the most part that is exactly what I got from it. While there were a couple of things that bothered me while reading this book, I will still read on in the series. 4/5 stars.

Maple Hills Series:
1. Icebreaker
2. Wildfire
3. Daydream – Expected publication June 4, 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Space

Happy Tuesday y’all! This weeks Top Ten Tuesday is all about books set in a particular location and I’m stealing one right from the list – Space! I’ve been reading a lot more Fantasy in the past few years, and my reading of Science Fiction has definitely taken a back seat as a result. So, I’m going to share ten books set in Space, or a planet other than Earth, that I would like to read (or, should have already read). I got excited enough to put a couple of holds in at the library while compiling this list, so I may end up reading some of these sooner rather than later!

1. The Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: I know, please don’t stare me down over this one.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
3. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
4. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
5. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

6. The Martian by Andy Weir
7. Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
8. Warchild by Karin Lowachee
9. Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
10. Lightless by C.A. Higgins

Do you have any favorite or anticipated space books? Do share!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

End of Year TBR: Part II

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m sharing Part II of my End of Year TBR. This is the second half of the ten books I have to read before the end of the year in order to keep my reader card and self respect. The below books are all newer to my TBR, but they are books I was super excited about once I found or heard about them and I just had to buy them immediately, or on release day, and still haven’t read.

1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
2. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
3. The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis
4. A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
5. The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas

With this, it’s time to get on to the reading. There’s only about 5 weeks until we find out if I’m hanging my head in reader shame, or not. Best of luck with your end of year reading plans!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell

Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell
Series: Lychford #1
Publisher: Tor, Paperback, 144 Pages

Judith Mawson has been around a while, and she knows the truth about Lychford. It’s simply not just a quiet and picturesque English village, no matter the vibes it gives off. When greed threatens the boundaries of two worlds, Judith will do anything to prevent it. After all, she’s the one who understands what the others are capable of.

Witches of Lychford ticked a lot of boxes for me. It was super atmospheric while also being not quite right which I appreciated. I really liked our three leading ladies, Judith especially, because she gives zero shits and she’s going to say what’s on her mind. I loved the dynamics between Judith, Autumn, and Lizzie. Yes they’re an unlikely team, but they complement each other so well and it was a lot of fun to see some of them become awakened to the world around them.

My biggest gripe reading this was that it didn’t feel finished. I wanted more, in fact half of the notes I wrote about this book were that it wasn’t enough for me. For such a short story it inspired a lot of questions about what was happening on a grander scale. There were certain things being alluded to, but I knew there was no way we would have enough time to get to them all. I was happy to find out once I finished this book that it’s actually a series, so perhaps I’ll get some of those questions answered after all.

All in all, I found this novella to be quite enjoyable and it certainly sparked an interest in what comes next. Definitely recommended for a quick fantasy read. 4/5 stars.

Lychford Series:
1. Witches of Lychford
2. The Lost Child of Lychford
3. A Long Day in Lychford
4. The Lights Go Out in Lychford
5. Last Stand in Lychford

End of Year TBR: Part I

Happy Monday Ya’ll. Today is Part I of my end of year TBR, or the books I have to read before the end of the year to keep my reader card and self respect. My plan is for 10 books before the end of the year which with a few long weekends, one of which I have the house to myself, is totally doable. This first part is books I put on TBRs earlier this year and never got around to. Part II will be up next Monday once I narrow my choices down to five!

1. Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson
2. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
3. The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women’s Lives by Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux
4. The Shadow of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga #1) by John Gwynne
5. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

What’s on your end of year TBR?

Until next time, Happy Reading!