High fantasy is very much not my thing- nonsensical world building and uninspired characters and plot lines abound- but Sabriel was a treat. Unnerving and creepy, with engagingly original and detailed fantasy elements. Garth Nix's world absorbs you in the best way possible, and Sabriel herself is tough, competent, and refreshingly human. Fascinating, romantic, and compelling. Also peep that gr8 cover ☠️📚✨

The best of the best- a tightly wound narrative about a straightforward revenge story in lawless Oklahoma territory, as told by the peerless Mattie Ross, ft. some beautiful weighty themes on debt, God, and the cyclical nature of vengeance. All time fave, basically what every Western should be.

Wordy, ponderous, maddeningly circuitous sometimes, occasionally a little gross, but deeply felt. An erotic slow-burn about falling in love and dealing with the aftermath- a lifetime after the fact. Best read on slow summer days, or possibly in Rome to get the full effect. 🍑

A fascinating and strangely calm narrative, and an innovative combination of science fiction and fictional slave narrative- an exploration of a familiar story in a new frame. The sci-fi element is largely unexplored and unexplained, but not to the book's detriment. Instead, it echoes the story itself, as inevitable and tragic as the conclusion to Dana's own experience.

What is this, a socially progressive manifesto FOR ANTS???

My first foray into the romance novel & the first time I've grappled with my own problematic biases against the genre. Venetia was a light & easy joy to read- like a saucier Jane Austen, surprisingly frankly sexual, feat. an opinionated, liberated heroine and stark condemnation of societal mores. Cons: the narration is EXTREMELY BIZARRE sometimes. Pros: everything else. 💕🔜📖

Sometimes I'm disturbed by the way Flynn writes about women- as vacuous, shallow people, deeply toxic, excepting, of course, the protagonist herself- but I can't deny this is a visceral, compelling mystery. Occasionally a little meandering and the timeline for the story is frustratingly vague, but the plot is nightmarishly vivid, and the final twist cuts deep. #litpuns

Things that are better than casually keeping up with popular reads- keeping up with them for a class! Non-fiction is a genre I rarely interact with, and Larson's too-personal narration unfortunately reminds me why— it comes off as a confusing amalgamation of novel and historic treatise. But this story is nothing if not engaging and I'm eager to see where it goes. Also #largeprintforlife 🙌🏼

Such an engaging & intriguing book- part mystery in reverse, as we learn Honey's identity and her motives, part societal satire of life abroad in the early 60s, and part softcore psychological horror, as we watch two sociopaths circle each other in the friendliest way possible. Like the older, chillier spiritual successor to Dundy's The Dud Avocado- and every bit as good. 👓📖

I'm grateful to have read this one- it's a quiet, mundane sort of narrative told through five different perspectives which navigate, in turn, struggles of race, poverty, disability, adolescence, isolation, loneliness, and the miscommunications of the well-intentioned human heart. A great period read, southern classic, and humanistic masterpiece. The kind of book you read in a snowstorm and think about for days afterward ❄️📖

I love this book. I love the rambling, aimless way it's written, its deeply human, deeply funny protagonist, the narrative punch and timeless voice, its innate understanding of people and their often contradictory wants and wishes. This book is like falling asleep in a gin-soaked cashmere arlotta and waking up next to someone you love- and still being able to laugh about it.

Also I cry at the end every time so 10/10 would recommend.