Week 4: Readers' Square

I may have got too many books and am now speed reading them. Book Lovers has been a great patio read this morning with a cup of coffee. 

Presque terminé le tome 3 de Bridgerton: Benedict de Julia Quinn. Je l'ai dévoré en 3 jours. Malgré son début un peu trop similaire à un certain conte, je l'ai adoré et je le recommande. J'adore la façon qu'elle écrit, qu'elle amène les émotions des personnages mais surtout,  avec sa fin romantique. 

I just finished the book Strange New Paradise and really enjoyed it.  The prose was easy to read, but it really made you feel a lot.  Next I'm starting Accordian Crimes by Annie Proulx. It's been great weather for reading outside :)

Halfway through Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. This is a dark fantasy with a hilariously sarcastic lead character. I honestly don’t know how to summarize this book in a few words, but if you love science fantasy with a mysterious plot, necromancers, a gothic palace and political maneuvering, you might enjoy this book! 

I dove back into an old high school favourite of mine and am re-reading the Glasswright's series by Mindy L Klasky. I think these books were originally published in 2000, and was one of the first fantasy books I read. I remember loving the series so I decided to refresh my memory. I finished book one and am onto book 2, and really enjoying the adventure. 

Read a whole book this weekend!! Nothing complicated but I loved the descriptions of the Scottish highlands & the uplifting way that books themselves  played into the book! 

I'm keeping in the Jennifer Donnelly theme and starting Deep Blue.  I'm hoping it will turn into a new series to read on the porch.

I'm having a hard time settling on a book to read this week. I've started The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins and Boy Parts by Eliza Clark. I'm a little further along in Boy Parts but still only in the beginning. So far it's an interesting read, I'm looking forward to seeing how dark and twisted it'll be (haha, I'm clearly a horror fan). Does anyone else start multiple books at the same time? 

This week so far I have finished If We Were Villians by M.L. Rio which had a really heartwrenching ending. It was a book that kept you on your toes the entire time. I then read All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue. I knew this book was witchy but what I did not know was that it was queer witches in Ireland. It was soooo good. I have already started The Gifts that Bind Us which is the sequal. I thought it was really cool and coincidental that it was based in Ireland and talked about the religous, political, and legal history of Ireland because I'm going thier for a two week exchange in October so this was a really cool introduction to the country. I have also been learning tarot passivley for the last year and a half and this book had a really straigt forward understanding of each card so I am now revistiting my undertsnading and teachings around tarot.  

I started this book on Monday and I'm loving it. I love swimming and I feel like I'm one with the characters of the book. I love the writer's way to describe the diverse backgrounds every character has and how they become part of the same group once they are in the pool. I'm just a few pages in, but it seems to be very promising.

I am reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel which so far it is amazing and so cool! I am only on page 35 which is again pretty slow but I had a busy week so I’m glad I got some reading done. This book is absolutely mesmerizing but I don’t want to give away too much. The way the author paints the setting and plot feels very real. If this is the type of book you like I know you will love station eleven. If you can please read it!!

A friend loaned me a copy of Hungry Ghosts, since I was considering buying it for another friend. It was fine. Some cool art, but I was expecting it to be a little more tied to both the food and the Japanese folklore thing. Plus I guess I just prefer long-form horror.

This week I finished reading 'The Paper Girl of Paris' by Jordyn Taylor. It is a blend of historical fiction and a present-day narrative as a young girl tries to discover more about her Grandmother's family after her passing. 

This book has a 4 star rating on goodreads and I very much recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction!

I'm about half way through this book about Agatha Christie's unexplained disappearance in 1926. There is a second story about a girl forced to go to an Irish Maternity Home and forced to give up her baby. The 2 stories intertwine with some interesting twists. This book goes from really interesting to some really slow parts. I'm on the fence if I like it or not.

Just finished reading Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz and have to say that it is the most relatable book from a disability and chronic illness perspective that I have ever read.  Would absolutely recommend it to everyone as it gives insight great insight.  

Finished River of Teeth, which is a western with hippos, in an alternate US where this crazy plan to import hippos into the Mississippi river to raise on ranches for meat, actually came to fruition. A team of hippo wranglers now have to remove dangerous ferral hippos from the swamps. Super quick read, very fun!

My reading update for July 10, 2022

At this time, I was around page 150/525, so about a good chunk of the book was done. I am not gonna lie the beginning started out really strong but soon it became kinda dull or expected. I guess sometimes that happens with first books as they introduce more characters. Still enjoyable to read at night!