I‘ve loved this book when I was a kid. And bought it in English a while ago, but reread it for the first time only now. And it was amazing. Very vivid depiction of the Canadian wilderness (I even looked up the places), gripping adventure, gorgeous romance. The dog‘s POV was masterfully woven into the narrative. I am immensely thankful for that ray of literary light in a truly horrible week that just passed.

Book 50 of 2024! 🌟 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame in beautiful Folio edition. strangely enough it was my first read of this charming story and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Reread as a part of my Discworld marathon (1 down, 40 to go!). Turns out my first read of this novel was 10 years ago, how symbolic! I enjoyed this reread tremendously. Yes, this book is indeed very chaotic, I forgot how wild a ride it is, but oh, so much fun!

Dual POV Romantasy set in 16th century Germany. Sadly, mostly a disappointment. Not a total loss due to some action in the middle but overall not for me. Mild spice. There's a second book which I won't be reading either.

I very much enjoyed this collection of short stories. The prose is lovely, Gina Chung is a master storyteller for sure. I don‘t normally like reading short stories, but in this case I found myself engrossed in each - be it a slice of life, or a magical tale. Would definitely read more by this author.

A quick and super fun read about an apocalyptic event and people being people in it. Scathing social commentary. As the situation was getting more and more absurd, I couldn‘t help thinking “yep, that‘s EXACTLY how it would go down”. Reflection on personal choices. Solid book, and I would watch a movie if there is ever one.
Oh, and for those of you who do an alphabet challenge, here is that coveted title with letter Z!

Finally finished this reread! It took me a really long time but I enjoyed it. I noticed convenient plot resolutions and infodumps much more than I did 12 years ago when I read it first. But it this time around I actually liked the ending, it made sense. The part I liked 12 years ago I still liked a lot. I am now ready to read Murtagh, which I bought last November omg. Excited for the continuing story and curious to see the author‘s growth.

Finished this space opera novel today. It was cute at times, at times cozy, overall entertaining. It‘s very diverse when it comes to characters and relationships. We never really dove too deep in any of those and I didn‘t feel there was a clear conflict/problem, but it was a fun read and I am simply glad I was able to finish a book this month, even if it didn‘t blow my mind. It‘s a genre I don‘t often read, so it was nice to branch out a little.

DNF at 57%. Things started to stir a little bit at last but at this point I don‘t even care anymore, and the world building was too watery to pull me in. This is not my author I guess, which I kind of felt with another book of hers I couldn‘t finish a while ago. Oh well.

40% in and nothing happens.
We‘re still establishing roles and gingerly getting to know the characters. I am getting antsy.

Came across this early graphic novel by Hayao Miyazaki. It‘s a retelling of a Tibetan folk tale, about a search for golden grain in a land of god-people. This graphic novel was published two years before Studio Ghibli was formed. The main themes of Miyazaki‘s stories are prominent here: a search/quest, sacrifice, fantastical land, disconnect- both societal and environmental. Beautiful watercolor work. Definitely recommend to fans of Studio Ghibli.

A comfort reread, never fails to make me smile

That was an absolutely absurd combo of a victorian romance and pirate romance (with magic). A funny read, with some pretty sweet enemies to lovers worked in. Some mature content surprisingly. Overall it was amusing, but at the same time a tedious read, maybe because the plot points were surrounded by all the frills, maybe because pirate romance was never my thing. Soft pick.

That was a very good read. An author explores what drives us to keep making the choices that don‘t serve us and avoid those that do. I liked how personal it was for the author. It was an encouraging read. The answers are not something most of us haven‘t heard before but that makes them all the more true. I think I‘m on the path of positive changes and learning why things weren‘t working before from the evolutionary point of view was super helpful.

Another romance, randomly picked up from a library shelf. A very soft pick.
It was alright, though I almost quit it twice. I liked the family storyline, and the travel philosophy bits were compelling. I didn‘t like the main leads, the relationship was ok but also a bit flat. There were books in the same universe preceding this one, though it‘s a stand alone but maybe if I‘d read prequels I would like the heroine more.

A book about cognitive biases and how they shape our life. About 20% information and the rest — author‘s musings. Not bad but somewhat underwhelming, perhaps because there was very little new information for me.

It was a good one! Sweet romance, solid friendship, but also a deep dive into childhood trauma. Mixed bag but it worked. Just a smidgen too long for me, but otherwise pretty perfect. Mild mature content.

The treasury of Mary Oliver‘s life work. Each poem selected by her before her passing. Bookmarks on every other page. The way she expressed her spirituality- in profound gratitude, in marveli, in love.

A pretty sweet summer read, excellent small town set up, funny banter. A pretty vibrant story. Dual POV though, both first person. A little too long and editing occasionally puzzled me. Spicy scenes read like they‘re afterthoughts but that‘s ok. Mature content.

Final book of May - a sweet little romance. It‘s set in Ireland so a lot of charm is in the atmosphere of the book. The romance is a bit of a slow burn, mature content while there, is modest compared to most of the mainstream reads. I felt that romance was secondary to the heroine‘s personal journey. I enjoyed it, but it could be a little bit faster paced.

🎧 📖 : our road trip read - The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien. Brilliant performance by Andy Serkis! He did voices that sounded remarkably like the actors‘ from the movie and in general was such an engaging narrator.
Our only complaint is that the sound mixing is weird -the loud parts are blaring and the quiet parts are so very quiet. We constantly had to adjust the volume. In the car and headphones - same issue.

Bailing at 20%, not for me. Cringed on every other page.

Hm. 18% in and I‘m getting too many eye-roll moments. Should I persist, or drop it…

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park. YA. Interesting concept mix of post apocalyptic society/hunger games/Truman show. Twists and turns along the way. I did feel it started to fizzle out towards the end, but since it‘s a part of duology, I expect it will pick back up in book 2. It doesn‘t come out until the next spring so who knows what of the first book I will remember . But it was a fun read overall.

Finally I‘ve read this very important book. So much sorrow from each tale, each personal tragedy. From the inability of humanity to learn and get better. Almost 40 years passed and we are no better off.

Well, look who went after another cheap thrill of a quick romance read! 🤡 the latest from Emily Henry. I liked two of her books and couldn‘t stand Happy Place after a few pages.
This one, though it had cute moments, heartwarming bits about the importance of libraries and communities, felt half-baked.

This reads like the romcom “Set It Up” but in slightly different setting. I liked that mental health was such a huge part of the story. It really was a pretty cute romance. A few wrinkles, but nothing too glaring. Breakup felt silly to me. What I did notice though is that mature content 🌶️ matches the one from the book I‘ve read prior, down to the sequence and details. This book came out 2 years earlier, it is now the trend, I guess.

Romance reading seems to be my coping mechanism of choice this month. Not sure it‘s working though.
“How to End a Love Story” by Yulin Kuang. An enemies to lovers complicated by a shared tragedy. Really lovely romance, very interesting tidbits about screenwriting for a TV show, compelling atmosphere. I really have no complaints, it was a page turner. Mature content throughout.

Finally read the first installment of The Daevabad trilogy. It was fun, different flavor from most of the fantasy I‘ve read lately. It seems to be focusing more on elaborate world building and personal development of the characters rather than romance, (though I still hope there will be some). I am a bit lost in the political intricacies and not fully grasping all the tribal differences, but I‘m curious enough about what‘s going to happen next.

Since the sequel is so short, I ended up reading it in a couple of hours. Soft pick. I felt it was more messy than romantic, and I was getting impatient while characters trudged through the murky waters of their feelings. Wrapped up too conveniently. While it was fine, it would have been fine to stop at first book too. Or make it one book. I didn‘t hate it, but I doubt I will be rereading it.

Epistolary novel. A pretty easy read. It is a story of how an accidental email turned into a pretty intense emotional affair. Was it a romance? Was it a warning that the line between flirtation and “too far” is invisible? Was it an invitation to look outside of one‘s bubble? To reassess a longterm relationship? I can‘t tell yet. The ending was logical. Apparently there is a sequel, I don‘t know if I care enough to read it.

Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley
I‘ve enjoyed this one. A sweet romance AND I learned a little bit about the business of guided tours. I like when a light and fun read is also educational. Little snags here and there, maybe a tad too long. Mature content wasn‘t vulgar, third person narrative helps with that, I find. I would read it again.
It made me miss Scotland, I really hope to go back one day for a more thorough visit.

That was…mediocre. I liked The Magic of Ordinary Days a lot, and this is the same author, but 15 years later. With the same set of stylistic tools, clearly passionate about WWII, and yet, it was merely tepid everything from the setting to romance. I read it in one day, and wondered the whole time if I should drop it. I hoped for a different ending, briefly, but alas.

Finished my rereading of “Le Petit Prince” after a really long time. And here I am, with my heart completely in pieces. The loneliness, the enchantment, hope and despair is a potent mix.

“The Magic of Ordinary Days” movie was my comfort watch for years, but I‘ve never noticed it was a book.
I decided to read it now because we just drove through southern Colorado. Also Camp Amache recently became National Historic Site. I really enjoyed the book. Historical context was fascinating. I loved the romantic story line as well, but I felt it wrapped up a little too quick . The book is darker than the movie, but there‘s beauty in that.

Finally completed this reread. To be honest, I struggled a lot. It seemed too slow and there was too much dwarf politics for my taste. But I made it. The world-building is meticulous, but I wanted more action. I love the imperfection in the characters though, and it‘s fun to see the author grow book to book. One more reread in this series and then to the new one!

“I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith. Reread after I don‘t know, 10 years? And just as beautifully heart-wrenching, but also delightfully comical, and sweet as it was when I first read it. I only wish I‘ve first read it when I was 17. Complicated family dynamics, social commentary, coming of age, first happiness, and heartbreak! All set to the backdrop of English countryside. I love this book so much. Planning to rewatch the movie soon as well.

My romance fix for March. Like a bag of candy eaten in one sitting, it‘s good while it lasts, but also not craving any more any time soon.
It was a fun read overall. The characters were amusing, the banter in Manchester accent kept me reading. There was more spice than I expected, but somehow it was explicit without being super vulgar. Some character inconsistency here and there, some repetition. The usual. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury was a fascinating read (the author is related to Cadbury family, but not the chocolate-making branch). Meticulously researched, this book talks about process of creating chocolate as we know it today, and Quacker values that were the foundation of the company. The author touches on Hershey and Mars companies as well. And finally we arrived to acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft. Five stars.

This is a new author for me, and it was a pretty fascinating read. The story starts as a random encounter of two lives which slowly converge without ever really touching. Lots of beauty but also ugliness, peace and horror, pain and love. Just like life, I guess. The author is zen priest so the influences were very interesting. I will need to digest this book for a while.

My children‘s book read (or rather a listen) of February. I have an art challenge for this book coming up and I don‘t think I have ever read the full book, only abridged versions. So it was nice to follow the story all the way through. It‘s charming and absurd, just what I needed.
Lesa Lockford narrated it beautifully.

Soft pick. It was fine. I was entertained.The plot thickened somewhat, but I felt underwhelmed when it came to the character development . It could have been 250 pages shorter without taking away from the narrative too. Mature content felt a bit gratuitous. But it hit all romantasy checkboxes and I will likely read the next installment when it comes out, but not quite craving it yet.

Finally got to this super popular book. It has all the things a fantasy book needs to have to be a roaring success — dragons, acboarding school but for adults, action, intrigue, and romance. Not without cliches, but entertaining nonetheless. Mature content. Only two books out of goodness knows how many is out, so I‘m looking forward to the second one. Colorado author.

Another Terry Pratchett, another absolutely brilliant story of growing up, taking responsibility, and choosing to live on your own terms. Funny, and sharp, and sad. I will be thinking of it for a long while, as it always is with Pratchett‘s books.

My contemporary romance fix for this month. It was ok, cute enough, the chemistry was sweet. It hit all the checkboxes of the genre - miscommunication, daddy issues, inevitable jealousy. Mature content again, was predictable enough. (Can we please stop calling condoms “foil packets”? I immediately think of Sarah Millican‘s “that‘s a weird time for a KitKat”.) Overall I enjoyed that, cheesy bits and all. Grateful for the third-person narrative.

“The Winter of Our Discontent”, technically it‘s a reread but because it‘s been more than 20 years it read almost like a new story. A story of a man lost between a glorious past of his ancestors and brutal present of not only his diminished status, but also a struggle to gain his place in the world. He finds out he can take certain steps to make gain but nothing comes without price. I loved this book before and I loved it now.

Devoured the final Emily book in one day somehow. It was very very good. The relationships, the growth, and especially creativity struggles were very well written. The only drawback for me was probably the way the ending was wrapped up, but still it was a very good conclusion of the trilogy, and the saga was a pleasure to read.

First read of 2024. Second installment of Emily of New Moon. This is a coming of age book, and it takes us on a journey through Emily‘s high school years, first attempts at serious writing, and even shows little bits of first love. I enjoyed the romance of it, but also the darkness. Interesting how the relationships are portrayed. For instance Emily‘s friendships with Perry and Dean (still creepy). I am looking forward to the final installment.

Final book of 2023! I really enjoyed it. A lot of things overlap with the beloved “Anne of Green Gables” saga, the setting, the inclination to writing and romance in the heroine. And yet, it‘s darker, the set up, the loss, the issues around her, some really unhealthy adults - from obsessively jealous or criminally neglectful parents, to creepy groomer relative. Made it more relatable. Can‘t wait to read the next book.