WWW Wednesday: My Recent Reads

What am I reading at the moment? I’ve hit a major YA milestone, one that has been decades in the making and should make all fantasy fans proud. This month, I have truly travelled the globe, reading novels from some outstanding authors across the continents.

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking On A World Of Words and involves answering three simple questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Please let me know what you’re reading in the comments! I’d love to hear from you. Have you read any of my picks?

What are you currently reading?

I’ve finally done it! Young Adult readers everywhere rejoice because I’ve finally started A Throne Of Glass by Sarah J Maas. A staple of the YA fantasy genre, this book has been fuelling the teen-turned-assassin trope since 2012. Which shocked me too (on a side note: did you know the Hunger Games was published in 2008? Scary stuff).

Earlier this year, I read and reviewed Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses. While I’m a little late to Maas’ earlier works, this gives me an interesting perspective on her books, reading them over ten years after their publication in a society that’s changed since 2012. Arguably, the fantasy genre as a whole has changed too and many of the tropes I’m noticing in A Throne Of Glass are very much of the era: the assassin/redemption arc, the beautiful yet troubled girl and the challenge with competitors and ‘sponsors’ that wouldn’t be out of place in District 12…

However, I’m hoping that the novel will live up to – the decades of – hype encircling it, and that Celaena will get the fairy tale ending she (painfully clearly) wants…

…one worthy of Cinderella, who Maas has cited as an inspiration for this novel. I don’t remember there being this much archery training and capital slavery in Cinderella… but hopefully a glass slipper will turn up at some point?

What did you finish recently?

This month, I have truly travelled the globe, reading novels from some outstanding authors across the continents. The last book I read was And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. I was so impressed by the emotional depth and the scale of this book, spanning multiple continents and generations in its polyphonic narration. While almost reading like individual short stories, I loved spotting the link between each speaker. The culmination of the novel intricately wove each strand together into a rich tapestry of identity, culture and loss. The final section of And The Mountains Echoed reminded me of one of my favourite books, Evaristo’s Girl Woman Other, with a family reunification underlying the plot. Read my review here.

I also recently read Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, another novel which can only be described as an epic. It explores the lives of two Nigerian teenage sweethearts, Ifemelu and Obinze, and what occurs during and after their first love. Although rather a slow burn, coming in at over 500 pages, I can’t recommend Americanah enough for its vivid descriptions of Nigerian, British and American culture. It’s a slow burn, but by the end of the novel, it’s a wildfire.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Have you completed any of your New Years Resolutions? While there are many more on my TBR list, I’m completing my Goal to read more books about different cultures (see above!). I’m also hoping to read a translated book: namely, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. I’ve wanted to read it for ages and really looking forward to trying some Murakami.

On a slightly lighter note, I’m also looking forward to reading The Stolen Heir by Holly Black, the new Elfhame novel. Her books have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, so I can’t wait to meet these new characters. Review incoming…

What are you reading at the moment? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments!

Hedonistically Violent: McEwan’s ‘First Love, Last Rites’

While this book is mainly a portrait of the writer as a young man, I can see hints of McEwan’s later style creeping through the copious trigger warnings.

This collection of short stories was, I believe, McEwan’s first published work and you can tell. The pages are full of the macabre, the disturbed, the deranged. But perhaps the most disturbing thing is that McEwan almost makes you sympathise with the speaker. He places you inside their head, locks you within the first person pronoun, until you almost see the world through their eyes. Almost – I found that in every story there was a point of no return where I was jolted back into the depraved reality. Not exactly light reading.

I thought the first person speaker was most effective in the second story Homemade. McEwan succinctly and successfully twists the narrative to almost favour the actions of the speaker. I’m not going into specifics. Just know that all the stories are pretty grim.

In my opinion, the strongest story was The Last Day of Summer. With its pastoral, escapism themes, it strongly reminded me of Susan Hill’s I’m The King of the Castle. It had a similar prevailing sense of doom. To any other author, playing on a rowing boat in high summer would be a singularly positive activity. However, like in Hill’s novel, the reader is certain that this can’t end well. When the plot ran into more than one day, you begin to wonder if last in the title was taking on another meaning than simply the onset of autumn. McEwan can make the mundane monstrous. Especially when prefaced by the depravity of Homemade and Solid Geometry (which was a just weird more than anything), I was wincing every time I turned the page.

I thought the eponymous story, First Love, Last Rites was a bit disappointing. The beginning stories seemed keen to shock but McEwan had pretty much ticked all the boxes of grim and grimmer by this point. It was a bizarre, well written story, but I don’t think it deserved to be the titular work – although it is a cool name. Maybe that was his thinking. However, I was impressed with the setting description – one of my favourite things about his novel Atonement is that you genuinely smell the smells, taste the tastes. The settings are visceral.

In this collection, you can already see the power of McEwan’s writing, even if in some places it appears youthfully uncontained, almost hedonistically violent. Read this book knowing what you’re getting yourself into.

It’s fair to say that McEwan achieves impressive gut-punches from such truly short stories.

The ‘Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream’ Book Tag

Which books are as sweet as these ice cream flavours?

Who doesn’t love Ben and Jerry’s ice cream? Thank you so much for Madeline over at The Bookish Mutant for tagging me… albeit quite a long time ago! But Christmas is the perfect time for eating too much ice cream – and reading too many books!

VANILLA CARAMEL FUDGE: pick a light, fluffy contemporary

It’s not Halloween anymore but the Ex Hex should be read all year round. It’s so fun, the characters are fully realised and the magic original. Not to mention the romance…

MINT CHOCOLATE COOKIE: a new release that you wish everybody would read

Becky Albertalli never fails, and Imogen Obviously is no exception. I loved the blend of college life and queer friendship – a rom com about finding your place that shouldn’t be missed. Find out why in my review here.

CHERRY GARCIA: an ending that was bittersweet

Doerr’s All The Light We Cannot See is the definition of a bittersweet read. Matching the urgency of the plot, I was expecting a tighter and more abrupt writing style. However, like his prose, Doeer wants the reader to slow down and consider moments in history that light doesn’t often touch. Read why I found the novel a beautiful waste in my review here.

BOSTON CREAM PIE: a book that had you turning pages late into the night

My love for Holly Jackson is no secret and I’m painfully excited for the BBC Adaptation of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. The cast looks incredible and I’m sure Jackson’s impeccable gift for timing and suspense will translate well onto the big screen.

CHOCOLATE THERAPY: a book that makes you feel better after a long day of life

It’s not the obvious choice but The Colour Purple was one of the best books I read in 2023. It’s such a hopeful, empowering read and the exploration of the relationship between God and Nature was fascinating.

COFFEE, COFFEE, BUZZBUZZBUZZ! : a book not yet released that you can’t wait to get your hands on

Leigh Bardugo is releasing a new book! I repeat: Leigh Bardugo is releasing a new book! Spanish history, a female lead, magic (of course)… I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Find out why I loved one of her other adult novels, Ninth House, here .

I TAG:

📚Who Needs New Years Resolutions?📚

Are New Year’s Resolutions a good idea? Are they productive, inspiring a fresh start, a new outlook for a new year? Or is it an example of how society always wants us to change, to be better than we already are? It can be hard to keep up with the spring cleaning frenzy of the New Year. To be honest, I feel enough already.

It’s a New Year – we’re tired. It can be hard to keep up with the frantic joy and consumerism that Christmas is associated with in the media. My goal for 2024: to slow down.That doesn’t mean taking my foot off the gas. But I’d like to try and appreciate the smaller things more, to let them build up the bigger picture rather than focusing on larger goals.

As one iconic deliquant once said: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look. around once in a while, you could miss it.

However at the same time, if resolutions work for you, that’s great! Everyone’s unique. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

This is a post is to celebrate and commemorate the New Year. Which can’t be done without reflecting on last year – and my Goodreads Reading Challenge 2023. I’m delighted to announce that I read…

56

books read last year! I’m so proud of it, and have read some truly incredible books. Check out my top 23 reads of 2023 here!

As for my 2023 blogging goals, I managed to complete most of them – my biggest achievement has to be surpassing my goal of reading a book a week, and continuing to grow my site and community of readers.

I couldn’t have done it without you, so thank you so much. To every person who reads my posts, to every blogger and to every reader out there, I wish you all a wonderful 2024.

2024 Blogging Goals

1. Read 52 books. As I learned last year, a book a week will certainly challenge me!

2. Continue to support Own Voices and Indie publishers. Especially foreign books – I’d love to read more translated works as well. What’s your favorite translated book?

3. Reach 700 followers on this blog. Can you help me reach this target? Every like, subscribe and comment is very much appreciated!

Do you have any 2024 blogging goals? Let me know in the comments!

My Top 23 Books of 2023

The moment has finally arrived: to reveal my Top 23 Books of 2023! We made it! This year has been an interesting one for reading – I’ve tried to meet my 2023 resolution to read more from Own Voices and Indie publishers.

I also ticked off reading a translated work (even if Camus’ Etranger was a bit of a slog!) and finished off some favourite series. In 2023, I’ve read some books that did not meet my expectations (check out my reviews of Aurora Rising and She Gets The Girl). However, there’s also been some stunners. And here are the top 23…

How many have you read? What were some of your top books of 2023? Let me know in the comments!

December

November

September

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January

A Beautiful Waste: Pace in ‘All The Light We Cannot See’

Matching the urgency of the plot, I was expecting a tighter and more abrupt writing style. However, like his prose, Doeer wants the reader to slow down and consider moments in history that light doesn’t often touch.

Name: All The Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Published: 2014

Whilst watching the trailer for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of All The Light We Cannot See, I was reminded of the chilling beauty of this book. The childish marvel. The curiosity. However, a movie adaptation may be more effective than the book itself, as it removes its sprawling nature. A film has time restraints where a book can be intensely detailed, and a writer can indulge in petty conversations where a film maker can’t.

Doerr’s prose is enticingly beautiful but languid. Self-indulgent. In a word: slow. There were moments of striking beauty, however I think the urgency inherent to the plot was drowned by his writing. Urgency and panic is everywhere: from a Hitler Youth training camp, Paris in the first days of the Occupation to a trans-Europe scavenge for lost gems and the final days of the Nazi regime. Typically, you’d expect a tighter and more abrupt writing style. However Doerr perhaps want the reader to slow down and consider moments in history that light doesn’t often touch.

Honestly, I had never before read about a character supportive of the Hitler Youth, or considered the perspective of Germans remaining in Berlin during the Russian occupation. They’re both subjects I’ll research more after reading this book; Schulpforta was darkly fascinating. Similarly with Marie-Laure, it’s rare that a blind protagonist takes center stage in a historical novel, nevermind one living one of the last German-held towns in France. I loved when Marie-Laure’s fiery cook and her friends created their own Résistance. The intricate dedication Doerr has put into his research shines through and my favourite part of the novel was the historical settings.

Can you tell that I’m trying to avoid simply condemning the novel’s pace as boring? Another possible redemption of the writing style is the way it highlights Marie-Laure’s blindness. In a way, the reader lives as she does through lavishly description of smells, tastes and textures. Nevertheless, I must admit that the middle of this book dragged for me. Werner didn’t have a character development more than a character leap – it felt like there was no backing to his ultimate decision. Time speeds by, yet there’s no sense of Werner and Marie-Laure changing through adolescence in such a small cast. It was only in the last fifty pages that I felt myself pulled again into the world, and what had been factual became fiction once more.

The finale of this book is worth whatever issues of pace there may have been previously. The different strands of story had only previously been tenuously linked by a 30 year old, educational radio show. However, Doerr effortlessly weaves them together into a devastating tapestry of love, loss and the absurdity of life. Devastating in its humanity.

Finally, I want to add that this is not a love story. In any way. I’ve read newspaper reviews calling it ‘girl meets boy’, and yes, a girl does meet a boy and while they may have a connection, they do not pursue that. They can’t. Given the historical context, it would be implausible. I think that it’s ridiculous to market it as such, when it is not a romance. It’s so much more than that.

I’m interested to see if Doerr writes more on the 21st century, because I loved his descriptions of social media (the newest form of light we cannot see). However, the analogue focus of the book, on radios and rationing and the senses, is inherit to its style and incredible exploration of the moments in history that light doesn’t often touch.

Tuesday’s Top Ten Spooky Reads

Are you still chasing that Halloween feeling? If you’re not ready for spooky season to end, check out these recommendations…

This great tag was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish but is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Have you read any of these books? What’s a book you’ve read that defied your expectations? Have you tried this Top Ten Tuesday? Let me know in the comments!

1. The Ex Hex

This book has all the perfect ingredients for a spooky spell: romance, a curse and badass witches. I wasn’t expecting how much I loved this book – it’s just so fun. I can’t recommend The Ex Hex enough. Both protagonists are independent and fiery (plus one of them is Welsh), which really makes the romance shine. And coming in at just over 300 pages, it’s the perfect book to curl up with on an autumn night.

2. Ninth House

Whilst certainly a different vibe to feel-good romance The Ex Hex, Ninth House still centers on curses. Alongside secret societies, college sororities and a darker kind of magic. I love Leigh Bardugo, and while Ninth House couldn’t replace the Grishaverse in my eyes, find out why I was fell head first into this complex, dark academia novel in my review.

3. Gideon The Ninth

Are you on a sugar crash from all the Halloween sweets? Would you like your head to hurt even more? Welcome to the world of the Locked Tomb, where nothing is as it seems. Ever. In any way. If you think something finally makes sense, don’t worry because that feeling won’t last for long. However, it’s that exact complexity and the series horribly dark characters that make it my favourite science fiction series. And with even more badass, lesbian bone nuns in the second and third books, this is a series that will keep you busy until at least Christmas.

4. Jane Austen Investigates

I was lucky enough to be provided with an ARC copy of the first and second books of this series and was immediately in love with the idea of a young Jane Austen and her friends solving murders in a (slightly anachronistic) country manor house. While aimed at a slightly younger audience, this book is still incredibly fun and deals with several hauntings… of an undetermined nature. Find out why in my review here!

5. Afterlove

If you’re chasing a book centered around a different celebration, look no further. I read Afterlove every New Year’s Eve because it perfectly encapsulates the restlessness and liminality of the celebration. Plus, it’s really, really sad! When Ash dies on New Year’s Eve and becomes one of many badass, girl reapers, her new ‘life’ is centered around seeing her first love Poppy again. Even for a moment. Dead or alive…

Whilst spooky enough to read just after Halloween, I’d also strongly recommend this book in the lead up to New Year’s celebrations!

Have you done this week’s Top Ten Tuesday? Have you read any of these books? What’s your favourite spooky read? Let me know in the comments!

Worth The Hype? A Court of Thorns and Roses Review

It’s a testament to Maas’ world building that ACOTAR is still hugely popular ten years on. But it might be time to look to new YA fantasy books with greater representation and less cliché characters.

Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J Maas

Published: 2015

I feel I can’t describe myself as a Young Adult reader without reading A Court of Thorns and Roses. So, I have dipped my toe into the Sarah J Maas Cinematic Universe and finally read ACOTAR to see if it’s worth the hype…

The biggest thing that struck me whilst reading is how old this book was?. This book is nearly ten years old which feels very strange to say, and speaks volumes for Maas’ world building ability seeing as how popular the series still is. However, it also made the novel sociologically interesting as almost a time machine back to views on gender roles in 2015. With monsters and fairies.

The mid 2010s: a golden age of Divergent and Hunger Games-esque female heroines enjoying hunting, archery and multiple love interests. Feyre is often criticised in reviews I’ve read for being quite flat. While I grew to like her in when she showed initiative, she didn’t have any characteristics that stood her apart from any other heroine of the era.

Maas exaggerated the power dynamics between Feyre and Tamlin for sexual tension, but some of the comments Tamlin makes wouldn’t slide in 2023. The power dynamics felt stereotypical and predictable and oh so… heterosexual. In a fantasy world of monsters and fairies, can’t we leave romantic gender roles in the dust?

Don’t get me started on Feyre and Lucien’s relationship. It made my skin crawl; there were countless other ways Maas could have showed Feyre’s desperation without turning her into a drugged dancer – and then have Feyre feel grateful that Lucien didn’t abuse his power further. Ew.

Like Feyre’s drugged state, time moved strangely in this book. Months would go by in a matter of sentences and there were jumps in place and location that were too fast to be believable. This was a shame because breaking a realistic timeline (well, as realistic as a fantasy book could be) detracted from the excellent plotting.

I normally don’t like fairytale retellings because its obvious what’s going to happen. It’s a retelling. With ACOTAR, the first half of the book felt like a point for point exchange of Beauty and the Beast…which is fine. Average. Nothing particularly original. However, once Feyre went to Under The Mountain, I sat up. Things got interesting.

The Under The Mountain section was like a depraved Hunger Games, full of gruesome challenges. If the first section was tame-ish young adult fiction, the latter half certainly merges into adult fiction. Maas doesn’t hold back. She broke every unspoken rule of YA literature and it’s GRUESOME. Unexpected. Such a contrast from the predictability of the first half. It was here that I finally understood the hype around this series… but was it too little, too late?

So, for a book thats nearly ten years old, it’s a testament to Maas’ unexpected plotting that ACOTAR is enjoyed by readers globally. However, it might be time to look to new YA fantasy books with greater representation, more independent and less cliché men and women. Because men with personalities are equally needed! If that’s the kind of thing you’re interested in, check out my reviews of Carry On, King Of Scars, Gideon the Ninth and Crier’s War by clicking on their titles.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Defied My Expectations

Some of these books weren’t as weird as I thought they’d be! The same cannot be said about some of the others…

1. Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

Not as weird as people say it is and truly beautiful writing. A great summer read!

2. Imogen Obviously by Becky Albertalli

I love everything that Becky Albertalli writes and this was no exception. However, I hadn’t realized how reflective the plot is of the author’s personal life and that changed my perspective of the whole novel.

3. A Million To One by Adiba Jaigirdar

Defied my expectations… by being incredibly disappointing. I loved Hani and Ishu’s Guide To Fake Dating (find my review here) but I think that Jaigirdar should stick to contemporary romance. The heist was full of plot holes and the impression that this was the Edwardian Era failed when characters said hey and what’s up 😬

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This is one of those books that you have to read… eventually. I was hesitant to read it in case it didn’t live up to the incredible things I had heard. However, as often is the case, all of these amazing reviews don’t come from nowhere. Witty, political, so funny and a little crazy, this was one of the best books I’ve read all year.

5. A Court Of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

I hadn’t expected how violent this book was. I feel like it began very much as a staple Young Adult book, but by the end it was verging into dark adult fantasy. This wasn’t unwelcome, however I thought it could have done with a trigger warning before people start to get executed in gruesome detail.

I also found it fascinating find changes in high fantasy from 10 years ago compared with high fantasy released this year say. I genuinely think these books reflect the society surrounding it.

Have you read any of these books? What’s a book you’ve read that defied your expectations? Have you tried this Top Ten Tuesday? Let me know in the comments!

Heartstopper Author Is Hit Or Miss: ‘Solitaire’ Review

After Radio Silence, I began with Oseman’s books that are ‘hits’. But Solitaire? Unfortunately, for me it was a ‘miss’.

Name: Solitaire

Author: Alice Oseman

Published: 2016

I absolutely adored Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. I thought that it was beautiful, timely, gorgeously written without throwing it in your face. That’s why I was so excited to read Oseman’s first book, Solitaire, and hopefully discover a new favourite author. But instead I discovered that she’s very hit or miss.

Solitaire follows Tori and her life at Sixth Form… the same Tori who is Charlie Spring’s sister from Heartstopper! I had no clue that all Oseman’s books are interlinked and thought that was so clever. Apparently, her other books, novellas and graphic novels share settings and characters which I LOVE. As with Becky Albertelli’s Simonverse, I find it so wholesome to create a little community of all your fictional characters.

Did you know that Oseman wrote this book when she was only 17? While that’s super impressive, I think it’s what sets the book apart from Radio Silence. You could tell that this was her first novel. It has a less polished, less structured finish – which, fair enough. She has had a lot more writing experience between the books. But, Oseman has said she used to write a lot of fanfiction and I think you can see those influences in stylistic choices in the novel…

For example, take Michael. He is very much a manic pixie dream boy, the likes that haunt One Direction tumblr blogs and Twilight Y/N Oneshots. I immediately linked him to Alec from Radio Silence, who feels like a toned down version of Michael. A character that is still a little absurd but not enough as Michael to be removed from reality (into the dark depths of fanfiction).

For someone who admittedly used to read a lot of fanfiction, I can also recognise tropes in the structure that overlap with that genre. The plot felt unrealistic, with the fireworks, the elaborate plotting, the abandoned houses, for a book meant to reflect ‘normal life’. I know that Oseman has edited some aspects of Tori’s character recently to make her less sensationalised but there were sections that I thought felt very dramatised, especially to do with her relationship to other characters. I couldn’t for the life of me work out her relationship with Lucas and Michael. Nor was I happy with the ending of the book (no spoilers!) but I didn’t think the pairing had any grounding, and felt like a bolted on romance for the sake of an ending. I’m glad Oseman’s characters in Loveless and Radio Silence have stronger romantic/self love journeys.

“As far as I’m concerned, I came out of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain.”
SOLITAIRE

I also found it difficult to connect with Tori. Which, especially if it’s YA written from first person, can make or break a book – check out my review of the Aurora Rising series here. I understand that she goes through a lot during the book, but it’s written in first person and I didn’t think I was getting any insight into how she feels or why she speaks as she does to some people.

I love reading about people who are my age. In Solitaire, Alice Oseman is well on the way to capturing the Sixth Form experience and there are some beautiful flashes of teenage life and the power of true friendship. However, I think she does it far better in Radio Silence, which is beautiful but still grounded in reality. I’m still going to read Oseman’s books (I Was Born For This has a very intriguing premise, if not one stolen from a One Direction fanfiction… but maybe that’s the point?). I have found it interesting that you can truly track the progress of Oseman’s writing development through her books; I was lucky enough to begin with her books that are ‘hits’.

But as for Solitaire? Unfortunately, it was a ‘miss’ for me.

Have you read Solitaire? Or any of Alice Oseman’s other books? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!s