Just a random note #Hugonuts but noticed how animalistic Quasimodo‘s movements and actions are being described, even small details. I‘m curious if this will become a bit more humanized as the novel goes on 🤔
And fun fact, first chapter in part II is a Greek reference usually referring to choosing between two unideal scenarios, as it refers to Charybdis and Scylla from Greek mythology!

I cannot believe it took me so long to read this. The concepts were creative and much darker than I would‘ve understood if younger. Lyra was an endearing protagonist with flaws and still likeable. And even if you‘ve read it before I would STRONGLY suggest this audiobook version, it‘s fully casted and obsessed with the Mrs. Coulter voice! Just a solid read and exceeded expectations!

Absolutely loved this, the characters were pretentious but also complex, leaving the reader constantly guessing motivations. There‘s a huge theme of beauty and tying it to danger. Slow to get into but the second half flew by. Was incredibly impressed by this read, it sucked me in, I didn‘t want to put it down, and would love to see an adaptation of it!

1. Yep! Count my four years at college,
2. Graduation, probably therapy too because spent a lot of college coping with depression
3. A Song if Ice and Fire with how elaborate the world building is from history of Westeros to the religions and politics and culture.
4. I love a lot but have to bring attention to classical vibes of my current read, the secret history, “beauty is a terror”
5. @Jinster @mldkennedy @the_book_hoarder

#wondrouswednesday

A fascinating read about funerary cultures around the world and viewpoints on death. May sound morbid but endlessly interesting written in a pretty journalistic style, with some personal sentiments and voice from the author. Makes me want to venture into even more nonfiction

I absolutely loved Daisy Jones, especially in how it was similar to Evelyn Hugo! The interview style made for a quick read and was creative. I liked being able to get snippets of everyone‘s POV and how it allowed the reader to try and figure out what really happened, because everyone has a different truth! And I love how Spotify has a playlist! #booked2019 prompt for about a musician! @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

#HelloThursday / @wanderinglynn this is a cute one 😊
1. Once in a while but no dream journal, though I still remember the very strange ones by heart
2. Okay I want a Direwolf from ASOIAF and I‘d name her Sansa tbh
3. Either Sansa Stark from A Song if Ice and Fire or Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter
4. Hogwarts, no question
5. 🧚🏼‍♂️🧚🏼‍♂️🧚🏼‍♂️✨✨✨

Really glad I decided to trust the hype for this book. The story of “Marsh Girl” Kya was a fascinating one. The descriptions of nature was beautiful, you could really feel Kya‘s loneliness, and I‘m always partial to a good court trial scene. Especially couldn‘t put it down during the second half!

It was difficult to get into in the beginning because of all the terms and the setting and names, but it‘s worth the push through, eventually you just fall into this world with familiarity. The concept is fascinating and the history of the seasons left my thirsting for more. An amazing read and held up my love for N.K. Jemisin‘s writing and storytelling.
Also my #booked2019 prompt for cli-fi
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft

This is a pick for a lighter/more summer read. I really enjoyed the setting of the Scottish Highlands and the love in which books are treated. It was very cute, not amazing or mind blowing but a fluffy feel-good read. Did have to approach it trying not to be too nit picky though when it came to writing style and content. But a perfect read before my Scotland trip!

Absolutely loved this novella of vignettes about Esperanza, a Hispanic girl growing up in Chicago. It really hit on my weakness for coming of age and didn‘t shy away from mature topics as well. A quick read with beautiful writing and flow of words. Fulfilled prompt : novella for the #readingwomenchallenge

Between a So-So and a Pick. Backman is an incredible story-teller, especially with characterization. While the fantasy aspects were clever, it didn‘t do it for me, might have been the audio format which made it hard to keep it straight. It was cute, but I didn‘t find myself as emotionally moved as I think the book was aiming for.

Pachinko was a fascinating study of culture and the relations between Japan and the Koreas through the 20th century. The book approached many viewpoints within a family with fairness and involved themes of blood/family, the suffering of women and identity. A book more about the journey than the destination. Only complaint would be how detached it could feel stylistically.

1. Been working on this one slowly, loving it so far 😊
2. Not sure yet, maybe go out to eat with my mom 🤔
3. Don‘t think I‘ve been that lucky 🍀
4. Not yet! One day hopefully. Have done England and soon Scotland, following that pattern it must be coming soon!
5. Most recent was @Lydsters wishing you lots of luck!

#HelloThursday @wanderinglynn

For some reason I had a hard time getting into it. I did enjoy the setting and loved the characters. The dynamics really raised this book up for me, both the romantic and platonic ones. It would make a really good adaptation and very excited to see what will be done with it! Not sure if I am going to continue or not though 🤷‍♀️ I think how overhyped it was brought it a bit down for me.

Also my book for #readingwomenchallenge a book in a series

Beautifully written, in love with the flow of the words and how hard they hit. This memoir is short yet holds an impactful, honest, and real punch. Heart Berries represents such an underrepresented voice of a Canadian-indigenous woman and paints a picture of mental health that was bravely raw and honest. This was my pick for #booked2019 and #readingwomenchallenge for indigenous author
@4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen

A very impactful read on the perseverance and hope of these women who changed public health forever along with the public understanding of the dangers of radium. Using this for my #readingwomenchallenge for women in science, in this case doomed by science but irreversibly changing it. A heartbreaking read but a story that should never be forgotten, not after what they went though.

I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. The concepts were creative and original, there were so many stories which really had an impact and shook me to my core. Jemisin is an amazing storyteller, a fantastic writer, and certainly an author I‘ll have to read more of!

A lovely Sunday, reading the tagged book from the library, got the other two for $6 each 🙌 and I love my quiches :‘)

This is a hard one for me to even rate. It started off very strong for me, loved the concept and the world-building of this dystopia. But as the story continued there were just a lot of plot points I was not a fan of and the ending felt like there was still a lot left to be explained. It‘s a shame the second half of this book fell flat for me because I loved the first half.

1. The books, definitely.
2. Sirius, Fred and George, Book!Ginny and Neville, so hard to choose!
3. Umbridge
4. ✅
5. Transfiguration, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Potions (as long as Snape didn‘t teach it, no matter the “redemption” he was still a terrible teacher) just all the classes!
#frideas @SailorMoon

New week, new books bought. Got an official permanent offer for the temp job I had so consider it a celebration 🎉 🎉🎉 and all of these had some sort of discount so I don‘t feel too guilty.

The illustrations were beautiful, the book cover was aesthetic perfection, and some of the poems were fabulous, particularly some of the twists in the retellings. Unfortunately, some fell flat and came across a bit cringey.
But hey winter is now over for my #booked2019 with the last prompt of #fairytaleretelling 😊🙌🙌 on to spring days 🌸🌷🌸

Absolutely loved this. The characters and dynamics between them were delightful, the book left me a lot of interesting concepts and thoughts. And I loved how Towles really set up the time period. The concept of a man under house arrest at a hotel over decades and watching those around him and the times change may not sound like an engulfing read, but I found myself really into his storytelling!

This was a hard read, but incredibly well put together. A series of essays by various contributors who have all been victim to a form of sexual assault.There doesn‘t need to be a lesson or moral in each chapter, these stories don‘t exist for our pity, they are here for these women to tell their stories and for someone to listen. That is all there is to it and that in itself is important.

I really enjoyed this listen. I loved the growing dynamic between Fabiola and her cousins as well as the glimpses into Haitian Culture. From a story standpoint I did have some issues with the narrative, particularly the intense shift with the ending climatic sequence. And the themes and messages the book seemed to try and portray didn‘t pack as much of a punch, some plot lines should‘ve been focused more on. But still, I‘ll give it a pick ☺️

A retelling if King Lear focused on his daughters. It had a lot of game of thrones vibes which I loved but also kept me comparing the writing which did harm the reading a bit. It was a slow start but eventually the story sucked me in, I feel like it was one I would‘ve enjoyed more if I had read King Lear but I also liked the surprise of going in blind. Definitely suggest if looking for a nice, one-off fantasy novel.

This book really lived up to the hype. It was well written and read the way teenagers would actually talk. The character of Starr and an identity split between environments and the people around her was interesting. It covers a hard and incredibly real topic with a view that needs to be heard. And throws in wonderful light moments with humor that did actually make me chuckle. Incredibly relevant and a great read. It‘s one that will stay with me!

This quote really stood out to me seeing as I went to a college just like this and it is so painfully real.

Recently widowed Pival leaves India at 60 and road trips across America with a young Bengali tour guide and an American aspiring actress. These unlikely characters bond and change each other‘s lives through different perspectives. Each are flawed and grow, though I feel some plot points were a bit convenient/random. I am taking it with a grain of salt though seeing as the author is not Indian so not sure on how accurate the culture is.

It was a really cute book, with an interesting concept of one choice creating two branching timelines. Though there was one timeline (aka Henry >>> Ethan) I preferred. There were some issues with the story, it could be a bit cheesy, too much cinnamon roll content, and the characters weren‘t super rounded. The voice for the male dialogue on the audio book was also very cringey and grating. But it was a really cute read and I enjoyed it.

I can tell why it has gotten mixed reviews. I think Burns does write beautifully and it gives that sort of trapped feeling to the reader that the narrator is feeling by circumstance in her Irish town and by the slow developing depression. But It left me confused even on my own feelings for it, don‘t hate it but didn‘t love it, most I can say is I appreciate what it pulled off.

This is my #Booked2019 prompt for Irish author/set in Ireland

Going to try finish Milkman by Anna Burns during the football game (watching the commercials but ignoring the game 😂) and Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid on audio before bed.
And some options of my planned reads for #blackhistorymonth ; any of these you littens really loved?
An American Marriage, American Street, Not That Bad, Maid, I know why the caged bird sings , the hate U give

Somehow I manage to resist and only check out two books at a time from the library...

So we got #januarywrapup, it was a strong month, the collage app I used only allows 10 pictures so chose top 10 but even that was hard, I had a solid first month kicking off the year!
Total: 21
Nonfiction/essays/memoirs: 7
Fiction: 14
Audiobooks: 5
Ebooks: 9
From my shelf: 2
Library: 4

It‘s a shame McNamara didn‘t live to see this published or the man caught. I loved the narrative beat to her writing, the insight into the Golden State Killer and the insight into McNamara‘s own life which became obsessive in her search for this man of mystery and darkness.

Using this for #Booked2019 related to a podcast, McNamara had her own and this book has been mentioned on other true crime pods!

I have a weakness for underrated women in history so this was a great pick. A multitude of women are covered, many of which I will probably continue to research on my own. Each section opens with a maturity rating (which is great seeing as the author doesn‘t want to shy away from the darker realities even if kids may read) and a representative illustration true to an animator! It‘s a great start if looking to learn about many broadly!

A book read in one day because work is slow, and it was a very quick read. Thrilling and kept me intrigued throughout, with some social commentary here and there. It‘s a good one if you‘re looking for something quick and a bit dark. Between a 3.5 and a 4 for me.

I absolutely fell in love with this book. Listened to it on audio and it was perfect! Took me back to the poetry slams I would attend in college and get lost in. A narrative told through spoken word poetry, a unique concept with beautiful delivery for a beautiful story!

An incredible read, a custody case shakes a whole town while the narrative weaves a setting which absorbs the reader. Most of the intrigue comes from family secrets and a story behind why the black sheep of the perfect Richardson family set little fires all over one of the family‘s home! Celeste Ng is definitely an author I intend to read more of!

1. Tagged book, I‘ll be gone in the dark, and a little of Mary queen of Scots each night
2. Ravenclaw
3. My Brilliant Friend!!
#weekendreads
Also hoping to get a new phone tomorrow, dropped mine and shattered but got to get through my Libby loans before due date 😮 let‘s hope little glass shards from my phone doesn‘t lodge in my fingers 🤞🏻🤞🏻

A story about a woman spy during 1960s in Argentina. I liked the historical aspects of this book, aka the political intrigue of Argentina. I do appreciate the attempts at characterization, the set up shifts between the events of her mission and her childhood to paint an image of Vera. But the plot was sort of anti climatic and while good elements are there I didn‘t find that it came together as well as I would hope.

#20thingsaboutme @LibrarianRyan

Hopping on here because this was cute and I like to talk about myself once every five years 😂 tagging everyone who wants to do this!!

What an incredible woman whose genius was lost to time and only recognized for a pretty face. I really enjoyed learning about her life through the narrative style and intend to do some more research on Hedy Lamarr because just wow! The writing could‘ve been stronger but the content was very enjoyable. Very excited to have a book discussion about it.

Honestly speechless for all Jeannette had to endure but she managed to write it in such a way that I could still get through and read it. I am amazed by the resilience of the Walls children throughout their life and am so glad they made it out of the conditions they were raised in!

#readingwomenchallenge prompt: a book set in Appalachia (which Welch, WV sounds like a nightmare)

📚 the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo
🎥 a star is born
🎵 Starman - David Bowie

#manicmonday #🤩 @JoScho

Reading the tagged book 📖 So I can try and meet people through that Barnes and Noble book discussion feb 3rd I believe? I‘ll be under a fuzzy blanket, make myself a chai latte, and later watch HBOs adaptation of my brilliant friend!
#SundayFunday @sebrittain

Dear Annie Spence,
your book was charming, a complete delight, and made me feel warm inside with a yearning to read even more and adding more to my TBR. You gave me cute quips and relatability in your pages, you were simply, adorable. Thanks for the smiles and the memories!
With love-
Eleni