August 2022 Reads

I don’t even know where to start. The book started a bit slow, but that doesn’t even matter. The book is absolutely beautiful, and easily the best book I’ve read this year. It is FULL of video game stuff, but the story itself is just so beautiful. The book is about friendship between Sadie, Sam and Marx, and the way their relationship changes over nearly 30 years. Everything about this book is great. And heartbreaking. And just plain poetic. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Unexpected in a god way, History of Wild Places was a fast-paced thriller. While there were several aspects that I did not see, there were some big ones that I did. Though predicting some of the plot did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Quick middle grade read, but this is Gaiman and he can’t go wrong. I loved reading about Bod growing up in the Graveyard with the dark beginning I was worried about the end, and while it wasn’t tragic, it was a bit bittersweet.

4 Stars

Loki! Ms Marvel Kicking Butt! I’m loving watching Kamala come into her own as a superhero.

4 Stars

What a great book about being queer in a conservative environment. McQuiston really explored what it is like to be queer at a Christian School in the South. I thought it might be a bit Paper Towns but it wasn’t. I loved the characters and loved watching their journeys to discovering who they are.

4 Stars

Powerful memoir about the trauma and abuse McCurdy faced growing up at the hands of her mom. I’m really glad she had the courage to open up and share with the world everything her mom did her. I’ve already seen friends open up about the abuse they faced thanks to reading this book. Easily the best memoir I’ve read this year.

5 Stars

Beautifully written book about family and “home.” All Olivia wanted was a family, and when she goes to Gallant, despite her mom’s warning, she hopes to find just that. What follows is a story that is creepy, mysterious, touching, and heart wrenching. I closed the book with tears in my eyes.

4 Stars

Carol Danvers. The End of the World. The scene between Kamala and her mom. The Scene between Kamala and Bruno. THE ART. This volume was full of very powerful stuff. Made me cry a little bit.

4 stars

There were certainly aspects I liked – the post-virus. But there was a lot of unnecessary things, most pre-virus stuff, that I felt unnecessary. I wanted more details about life in the new world, less details about how to make a Bible.

3 Stars

This book was amazing. Barry and Helena’s love story is easily my favorite part, but I also loved this take on time travel and timelines. It was a very unique take on a well-used trope. I loved Helena – a strong, brilliant female character is always a win. I also loved Barry. I loved how chaotically it was written in part, to make it feel like you were the one being shifted through time. My first Blake Crouch, but definitely not my last. (BOTM)

5 Stars

May 2022 Reads

Wow. Cried my way through this entire book. the relationship between Greta and Conrad was so profound. The way they grew together throughout their week on the boat – I’m sorry, ship – was great. I think it was dealt with perfectly and realistically. The ending was so full of hope, it left me wanting more. (BOTM)

5 Stars

The book was okay. Nothing to get excited over. I felt the plot was really lacking due to pacing. Once everything was revealed, I wished Harris had done more with the OBC plot earlier in the book than where she expounded and revealed it. (BOTM)

3 Stars

I’m not an Outlander fan, but I’m a history fan, and I loved listening to this book. I don’t know much about Scottish history, so I found everything to be incredibly fascinating. I cried a few times and I laughed a lot.

4 Stars

Creative retelling or adaptation of Peter Pan. I enjoy these immensely, particularly when Pan is the villain. The book has all the trigger warnings, so be forewarned, and this book is probably one of the saddest I’ve read all year. However, there is also hope. My favorite thing was the way Michalski incorporated the Pan characters. I felt that there needed to be a few more details in the backstory, but overall I really enjoyed this book. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Not great. Not terrible. I feel like nothing really happed in the story. Found it hard to root for any of the characters, no one was likeable. the ending was very anti-climactic. Just left me with a general ‘meh’ feeling. (BOTM)

3 Stars

This book wasn’t what I expected – in a good way. I expected a book about a man dating three women at the same time, which wasn’t what I got. Instead, I got a book about mental health, grief and moving on. I loved every second of the book, even though it made me cry. A lot.

5 Stars

Hilarious. Oscar Wilde does it again. the play is witty and fast paced. I enjoyed it very much. Wilde’s sense of humor is timeless.

4 Stars

Edge of my seat, couldn’t stop reading. Loved the way Shepherd tld the story through multiple points of view. Never would have thought cartography could be so thrilling. The idea of this book was so unique it really kept it interesting. Loved Agloe and the whole idea of phantom towns. (BOTM)

5 Stars

I have always wanted to read this. For not liking poetry I really enjoyed it, especially the beginning and the end. Got a bit lost when Dante began listing his enemies in the middle.

4 Stars

Reminded me of Rebecca and Haunting of Hill House, except it was how I wanted Rebecca to be – spooky, dangerous, forbidden. I loved that Beatriz did something. She found Andres, the priest/witch who was too sexy for his own good. The book was engaging, atmospheric and it was impossible to put down. (BOTM)

4 Stars

While it had a few good twists, the book was merely okay. It was trying to do too much and there were so many characters I didn’t really find myself connecting with any of them. The book felt like it went halfway with a lot of the details and really left me wanting more. (BOTM)

3 Stars

This book was just as good as the first. I really enjoyed every second of it. I am really becoming a sucker for the trope of two people falling in love so I instantly fell in love with Stacey and Daniel’s story. I thought their story was sweet and realistic. Of course, I cried. I also want to go to the Ren Faire.

4 Stars

October 2021 Reads

This book moved slower than I would have liked, I wish the romance had started a little sooner, and the break up seemed a bit contrived, but overall I enjoyed the book. I loved Lucie and Tristan together, and wish more pages had been devoted to them together rather than apart. I love how well researched these books are, and how angry it makes me to read about how little women had in so far as independence and rights in the 19th Century. It truly makes me grateful that I live now instead of then. (BOTM)

4 Stars

This was easily my favorite book of the three. I felt the romance was earned more in this one than in the other two. It may be because Hattie has always been my favorite and I was so happy for her to get her HEA. Taking Lucien and Hattie out of London and up into Scotland was brilliant, and definitely gave the story more depth. I loved all the side characters and hope to see them again of there are more books. (BOTM)

5 Stars

I wasn’t quite sure what to think starting this one, with yet another huge time leap between books and 100% new characters, however, I found myself enjoying this one quite a bit. In true Herbert fashion the book is SO MUCH set up, however, I love the way he world builds I honestly don’t care that nothing really happens for the first three fourths of the book. The ending and the revelations in the last fourth are totally worth it. I had a lot of predictions that turned out wrong, but I find myself really looking forward to the final book in the series.

4 Stars

What a great book. Everything in love in a romance and some of my favorite tropes. We had friends to lovers, game dating and only one bed all in one book. Add in a strong independent Latina protagonist I could identify with and you have a book I could devour in a day. I loved the pace of Gabe and Mich’s relationship and I loved their extended families. The book made me laugh, and it made me cry.

4 Stars

What a beautiful book. Really makes you think about the way you live your own life, what is your legend journey? What is your treasure? Are you listening to the world around you? The prose was beautiful. I was moved to tears at points.

4 Stars

Other than the fact that I couldn’t stop picturing Piper as Season 1 Alexis Rose and Brendan as Ron Swanson through the entirety of the book, which made for some interesting visuals when they started bumping uglies, this book was a lot of fun. I enjoy a good enemies to lovers book, and I love a good fish out of water book, and this provided both. The writing was smooth, the characters well developed, and I rooted for them from the first page. I’ve already put the next book on my TBR.

4 Stars

Powerful book about a horrible event in our history. Colbert does a great job contextualizing the massacre in history and bringing the event to life. Written for a teen audience, the book isn’t too bogged down by complex sentences. The history is told concisely and simply and it’s easy to follow and read.

5 Stars

This book was everything I had hoped for in a sequel. It was just as good and beautiful as the first book, and picked up the second after the first book ended. I fell in love with Ari and and Dante even more than I did before. They are so well written. And Ari’s journey was so great. I know it probably won’t happen, but I would love to see at least a short story following Ari, Dante, the girls, the parents, et all maybe like twenty years later, just to see where their lives are. If I don’t get that, I’ll be happy. The ending of this book was perfect. This book was…perfect.

5 Stars

Now THIS was a thriller. Everything that I thought would be a last minute twist happened in the first 50% of the book, and I honestly had no idea how it would end. The book kept me at the edge of my seat and I didn’t want to stop reading. (BOTM)

5 Stars

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve read a lot of these dystopian female heroes books or what, but this one just didn’t wow me. I enjoyed the book okay, but if it weren’t picked for my book club I may have set it aside. The only thing that compelled me to keep reading was the relationship between Immanuelle and Ezra, and even then there wasn’t enough there. I would have loved to see their relationship flushed out. And more of them together. The book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t AMAZING. I don’t think I’ll be reading the next book in the series.

3 Stars

This was a fun book to read during October. I really liked the Jones girls and I liked how magic was just a thing in the world. And I really like Rhys. I’m a sucker for a Welsh man. (BOTM)

4 Stars

This book was okay. I wanted to love it more, but I just couldn’t get into the way it was written. Too many pop culture references, not a lot of character development, which I know can be difficult in a novella, but can be done. Maybe I was walking into this expecting something different, but whatever I was expecting, this wasn’t it. It just didn’t draw me in. 

3 Stars

August 2021 Reads

A Rom Com set in Belize, The Layover was a perfect summer “beach read.” The banter between Jack and Ava was top notch. This was a fun, light read, and I loved every second of it.

4/5 Stars

A You’ve Got Mail type book, To Sir, With Love was another fun rom com I read in August. This time set in New York in a champagne store. This one was fun, but the romance was way too slow of a burn. I wish they had gotten together quicker.

4/5 Stars

There are no words I can use to describe how much I loved Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. This is a book that will stay with me for years. A story about coming of age and coming out, the book read like prose. Narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the book was perfect. He made Aristotle come to life. He made me fall in love with Dante.

Saenz wrote a book about teenage boys who had a beautiful relationship with each other and with their parents. Everything about this book made me so happy.

5/5 Stars

My book club’s pick for August, Transcendent Kingdom is a wonderful look into the life of a woman struggling with her brother’s death, her mother’s depression and father’s abandonment. This is a story of strength and faith in tragedy. I’m not usually fan of lit fic, but I really enjoyed reading this book.

4/5 Stars

The Personal Librarian tells the story of JP Morgan’s personal librarian, a Black woman, Belle de Costa Greene, who passes as white. The book does an amazing job at bringing you into Gilded Age New York City. The fact that I needed to keep Googling key players really slowed down this read, but I really liked it, and it made me wish they deviated a bit from the history just slightly. If you read it, you’ll know what I mean.

4/5 Stars

It’s always sad when a series comes to a close, and it’s even sadder when it feels like the series really could continue after the end of the final book. Any Way the Wind Blows ends Rainbow Rowell’s Simon Snow series, something that started off as a parody Harry Potter story that someone was writing fanfiction about in Fangirl.

I will say, if we have to say goodbye to Simon, Baz, Penny and Agatha, this was the way to do it. If you’re like me and have been waiting TWO BOOKS for just nothing but Simon and Baz being in love, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! The book ended with everything being wrapped up nicely, but not too nicely there couldn’t be possible continuations, and I for one am hoping Rowell chooses to write something more with my favorite boys.

5/5 Stars

I love alternate history books, and I love mysteries, and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union combined both of those things. My favorite things about this book were the fact that I honestly had no idea who committed the crime until it was revealed, and the fact that Michael Chabon just sprinkled in the alternate history and didn’t just bombard you with it. This book was a really good read.

4/5 Stars

What a disappointing read The Plot ended up being. I had been looking forward to reading this book ever since NPR did a piece about it at the beginning of the summer, and then Jimmy Fallon picked it for his summer read. Once I finally got my hands on it, I was looking forward to this thriller. However, the book turned out to be very slow, very predictable, and I really didn’t like the ending.

3/5 Stars

Everyone should take some time and read The Reading List. A beautiful book which reflected my love of both reading and libraries, it was at once both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Aleisha and Mukesh were amazingly written characters whose growth you rooted for throughout the book. Even as tragedy struck about three fourths of the way through the book, you couldn’t help but root for them to succeed. Plus, this book caused my TBR to grow just a little.

5/5 Stars

A sweet love story set in a small village in England, you can’t help but fall in love with Roane right along side Evie. Not only do you root for the main couple throughout the book, you fall in love with the village and all of it’s inhabitants. A wonderful feel good read.

5/5 Stars

July 2021 Reads

Northern Spy is billed as a thriller, but that wasn’t the book I read. I went in expecting a spy thriller set in Northern Ireland. What I got was a story about a woman experiencing motherhood for the first time, and maybe a little about being a spy.

The setting was also suspect. I had to actually Google the IRA and whether it was still active today, it isn’t. All around the book was a bit of a disappointment, even though it was well written.

3 Stars

Project Hail Mary was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, and it really didn’t disappoint, it actually exceeded my expectations. Science Fiction, emphasis on the science, Hail Mary tells the story of Grace, a scientist sent to the edges of our universe to try and solve the problem of our dying sun.

Full of twists and turns and edge of your seat action, this book diverges from Weir’s The Martian by bringing in a surprising ally to Grace, and turning the story into one of not only survival but to one of unlikely friendship and hope.

This book is easily my favorite book I’ve read so far this year. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Well Met was such a fun romance set in a small New England town and their annual Renaissance festival. Simon and Emily’s enemies to lovers story was absolutely fantastic, and I loved every second of their banter.

I enjoyed this book so much that I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. And I also really want to go to Faire. (BOTM)

4 Stars

The Lost Apothecary is probably the book I was most disappointed with this month. Billed as Historical Fantasy, I just didn’t see any sort of fantasy elements, at least not until the very end, and even that was a stretch. The inside flap also implied time travel, but again, there was none of that.

The dual storylines were okay, but they were so loosely tied together I often wondered what the point was.

Overall, the book left a lot to be desired and was nothing what I expected it to be. (BOTM)

3 stars

This. Book. The timeline through Alex and Poppy’s relationship was an absolutely stunning way to tell their story. Their friendship was beautifully told, and the slow realization of Poppy’s feelings for Alex was so realistic.

This is a book that I will definitely be keeping on my shelf in order to re-read. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Sometimes when you go into a book with low expectations, you’re pleasantly surprised. I loved Daniel. He was hilarious and very relatable as a person. The story flowed perfectly from beginning to end. And it even got suspenseful near the end, which was something I really wasn’t expecting! Overall if you want a fun Rear Window type book, this is the book for your. (BOTM)

4 Stars

I highly recommend listening to Born a Crime on audiobook. Listening to Trevor Noah tell his own story is compelling and powerful. And I think it helps inject humor into the story, with his voices and inflections. I learned more about Apartheid from this book than I ever did in school.

5 Stars

I think I went into One Last Stop with high expectations since Red, White, and Royal Blue was one of my favorite books I read last year, so I was let down just a little. I still really enjoyed the book, but I didn’t immediately go to Pinterest and start pinning fan art of it either.

I really enjoyed the concept of the book, and I LOVED August and Jane, their chemistry was undeniable, and they were so cute together. I also loved the theme of found family.

I can’t put my finger on what fell short with me preventing me from giving this book five stars, but I really loved this book, just not as much as I had hoped I would. (BOTM)

4 Stars

I chose this book because I needed a debut to finish off my Book of the Month challenge and earn my free socks. We Are the Brennans was a huge surprise. I LOVED this book. It reminded me of Parenthood, one of my favorite tv shows.

The characters were all flawed, but that just made them more endearing. I loved this book so much I’m really hoping Lange will write more books about this family. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Brave New World was my book club’s pick for July. This was my third time reading it, and I have to say I still loved it the third time around. The commentary about consumerism and society is still spot on nearly ninety years after its publication. While the characters are not super strong and just a means for pushing the plot forward, Mustapha Mond and John still have one of the most iconic pieces of literature I’ve ever read. If you haven’t read this classic, you should.

4 Stars

I think I was expecting a little more thriller in The Maidens so I was a little let down, but the book still pushed me through and I couldn’t put it down. Starting out a bit slow, once Marianna really started investigating the mystery, the action picked up and I really didn’t want to stop reading. The ending really made up for the slow beginning. (BOTM)

4 Stars

A fun summer Rom Com set in a beautiful setting, Shipped was the light reading I needed after a month of heavy books. Graeme and Henley were a match made in Rom Com heaven, and their enemies to lovers relationship was to die for. Not only did this book have a wonderful love story, I really enjoyed the focus it had on ecotourism and the plight of women working in a male dominated industry.

4 stars

February 2021 Reads

This book was the perfect book to kick off Valentine’s month. It was fun and cute and perfectly hit all the romance beats. I loved Daisy’s Avenger’s obsession, it made her so much more relateable. Loved how sensitive Liam was. And it was the perfect friends to enemies to lovers trope. Their shared history is what made the book so much better.

I ended up reading this book in one sitting, and I have no regrets. For a book I picked out just because the cover was pretty, I think I did a good job. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

This was our book club pick for February, and I will admit, I wasn’t sure about this. I had heard good things about it though in many of the book groups I’m a part of, so I gave it a chance.

Matthew McConaughey is a storyteller. He knows how to weave a tale. And he has certainly lived an exciting, and different, life. However, one couldn’t help but wonder as you’re reading, how much of this is an exaggeration? How much is he using his storytelling to push forward something by bending the truth just slightly? Either way, I really enjoyed reading this book. And now I want to watch all of his movies.

4/5 Stars

This was a beautiful story. Therapist finds a suicidal man on the side of a bridge ready to jump and saves him. She brings him into her life for a weekend and both of their lives are changed forever. I never wanted this book to end. I could have stayed in their world for at least 200 more pages. Everything about the story Cross-Smith wove was beautifully done. The book moved me to tears several times over. Did I like the ending? It wasn’t one I expected, but it was realistic and just like the rest of the novel, perfect. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

What can I say about this book? This is my favorite read of February. I’ve had this book sitting in my TBR for a few months, and I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it. Azere and Rafael are serious couples goals. My favorite thing about this book was how it was a traditional romance, and hit all the traditional romance beats, but it also interwove this complex story about being an immigrant and having to try and balance maintaining your own culture and trying to fit in with your new culture.

Everything about this novel was beautifully written with ease. I predict that I’ll be reading this book over and over and over again. (BOTM)

5/5 Stars

After beginning the series a year ago, I am finally done, and I have to say, the series has a fairly satisfying ending, although I can see why they made the video games.

The book was very long, and dragged at times, and I felt a lot of it was unnecessary, however, it was a really good end for Ciri. Her story wrapped up very nicely, and I loved seeing her come into her own, become a Witcher, and have a mostly happy ending.

4/5 Stars

This. This was a fun read. I love, love, LOVE retellings of popular stories. Especially when they’re taken from their typical setting and placed in a completely new one.

Pride takes Pride and Prejudice from Regency Era England and plops it down in 21st Century Brooklyn. And the story just…fit. I loved the new time bending and race bending of the characters, and their relationships. Zoboi fit it all in. Everything. But updated. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, then you should definitely give this book a try.

4/5 Stars

Well, this was definitely a book that was well outside of what I would normally read, but I’m so glad I read it. Clarke is a master at storytelling. When the novel begins, it’s very unclear what is happening. But slowly, things start to get revealed, and once you know what is going on, the novel just becomes even better. The build up of the mystery of what exactly was happening to Piranesi made me want to keep reading. I won’t say anymore, because this is a book best to go into cold. But I will say, if you do pick it up, keep reading. You won’t regret it.

5/5 Stars

The second book I read this month in one sitting. My second Christina Lauren book, and just as the first I read (In a Holidaze), I loved it so much I couldn’t stop reading. A romance that hits all the romance beats, and featuring one of my favorite tropes (enemies to lovers), The Unhoneymooners is hilarious, swoonworthy, and tear inducing. The banter between Olive and Ethan was enviable. I hope I can write banter that good. There was absolutely nothing I didn’t like about this book.

5/5 Stars

I didn’t think I would be reading this book so soon, I was on a very long wait list at the library. However, I was lucky enough to score a skip the line copy, and I’ve never been so happy.

A prequel to The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose is Maverick’s story when he was Seven’s age. It begins with him learning he’s Seven’s dad, and moves through about a year in his life. Prequels are usually hit or miss, and sometimes they can ruin a character for me (I’m looking at you Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) however, this book was not that. This book made me love Maverick even more.

I loved the relationship between Maverick and Seven, and between him and Lisa as well. Everything felt fluid, and made me want to re-read The Hate U Give.

5/5 Stars

This book, I really don’t know what to say about it. I think I’m still trying to process what I read. Written as a satire of tech startups, Black Buck is a commentary about race in the tech world. And race in the world in general.

Saying all of that, this book was weird. Not bad weird, just weird weird. You have to remind yourself that the book is satire so when it goes off the rails, you still keep reading. I will say the pacing was a bit clunky, and this is the book that took me the longest to read all month. However, I enjoyed Buck’s story, and never was tempted to abandon the book. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

The shortest book in the Dune series, and I listened to this book for 9 hours, and I can probably summarize what happened in just a few sentences.

But while not much happened plot wise, I really enjoyed it. I’m sad about the fate of Paul, but he also had one of the most badass scenes out of either of the books I read, so I guess I will forgive him for the choice he made at the end.

4/5 Stars

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but it wasn’t what I got. If you are loooking for a great feminist Western, this is your book. I didn’t expect alternative history, nor did I expect for the reason why the gang was formed, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The book drew me in with its amazing first line, and kept me there. I’m not quite sure I liked the ending. It felt very abrupt. But it didn’t ruin the book. I really liked Ada and The Kid, and the rest of the Hole in the Wall Gang. I just wish I had some more closure at the end. I was instead left wanting more. (BOTM)

4/5 Stars

February Reads

The Boy Next Door, Meg Cabot

Told in a series of e-mails, I read The Boy Next Door in one day. I couldn’t put down. It’s been a long time since I had read a book where I just wanted to site and binge it all at once.

Telling the traditional boy meets girl, boy lies to girl, boy and girl fall in love, girl learns the truth, they get together in the end formula, this book is funny, light, and even though you know in the end they’ll end up together, it is a romance after all, you keep wanting to read and find out what happens.

I have loved Meg Cabot since I first started reading The Princess Diaries over a decade ago. She does not disappoint with this book. Even though everything is told through the confines of e-mail exchanges, you still get to know and love all the characters in the book.

The Call of the Wild

February’s book club pick was Call of the Wild. I had remembered vaguely reading this while I was in middle school, but I also couldn’t remember if we had read this or White Fang. It was this.

This was very difficult to get through at first. The writing is full of dry, complex language, and is told through the perspective of the dog. My friends recommended listening to the audiobook. I had it done in two days.

This book, while it was easier to listen to than read, was still hard to listen to. As long as you go into it only attaching yourself to Buck, you’ll be fine. While it was interesting to listen to the dog adapt from a spoiled house dog to a fully wild dog, the descriptions of the violence was really off putting.

The Last Wish

So, after I read Blood of Elves last month, I learned The Last Wish is technically the first book in The Witcher series. And I can see why.

The Last Wish introduces Geralt and explains who The Witcher is, along with giving us many adventures (it’s a collection of short stories) to get to know him in. If you have watched the Netflix series, this book is pretty much all of the Geralt portions.

The fun part of this book is noticing that each story is basically a popular fairy tale retelling. I had fun figuring out each story and which fairy tale it was tied to.

The best part of this book was getting to know Geralt better, and really seeing his personality show through, since he was barely in Blood of Elves. And if you’ve only watched the show on Netflix, you’ll be surprised by how funny and verbose he is.

January Reads

Wayward Son

First book of 2020 was Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell. I had been looking forward to this book for over a year when I learned it was being release. And I wasn’t let down.

A sequel to the book Carry On, Wayward Son deals with the aftermath of being a child soldier, and what to do after your destiny is fulfilled.

The book moves between the points of view of Penny, Simon and Baz as they embark on a road trip across America to rescue Agatha, who has moved to San Diego to just get away from everything.

Fast-paced, and often heartbreaking, Rowell explores PTSD and depression as Simon and his friends struggle with their post-Chosen One life.

If you read and enjoyed Carry On, you will love this book.

Good Omens

Good Omens was the book my book club picked for the month. It was a light, funny read, and I enjoyed it, but, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t watched the mini-series on Amazon Prime first.

Dealing with the Apocalypse, Crowley and Aziraphale, a demon and an angel respectively, try and find a way to stop it, because they love earth too much.

The book is full of humor and absurdity, and doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and I love that about the book.

You could tell Gaiman helped adapt the show for television, and was in fact the screen writer, as the books was very faithfully adapted, and the show follows not only the plot, but uses all the same dialogue.

The Blood of Elves

After bingeing the Netflix series with my husband during Christmas break, I absolutely fell in love with the high fantasy universe of The Witcher. I immediately put myself on the waiting list for the first book of the series at the library.

The book came in much quicker than I thought and I dove right in. Only to learn, this is in fact NOT the first book in the series, it’s technically the third (or second, depending on which list you look at). I didn’t let that deter me, I kept reading.

This book assumes you’re already familiar with the characters and the universe and just dives right into the conflicts. It is a quick read, full of lots of back and forth dialogue. Geralt is not featured heavily in the book, but Ciri and Yennefer are.

When Geralt is in the book, he is easily likeable, and there is always a fight scene that plays out so cinematically that I found myself holding my breath.

Now that I’ve finished this book, I’m waiting on pins and needles for the books that come before this one to arrive at the library for me to read.