Visited a new local bookshop and chatted with the guy who runs a local writers group there. And of course got a few new books! I can never resist.

I've been doing a lot of reading this weekend because I tested positive for covid womp womp. Thankfully it's been very mild so far, and I'm mostly just tired with low energy so lots of audiobooks and crocheting on the couch. #WeekendReads

Reading with foster kittens 😍

My favorite book of April- and the year so far-- is definitely A Taste of Gold and Iron. I didn't even have to think about it. Hope I read something equally good in May. #ReadingBracket2024 @CSeydel

My first ever #bookspinbingo ! I'm excited to try out this laid back challenge for May and see if it increases my reading. My #bookspin and #doublespin are Swordcrossed and The Last White Man @TheAromaofBooks

I saw @sebrittainclark working on her May #bookspinbingo today and decided I wanted to give it a try. Here's my list with a lot of library books and arcs I'd like to catch up on @TheAromaofBooks

An elf colonel is banished and captured by the fae, who all the elves thought were extinct, after inadvertently killing a prince. It took me a moment to get into this fantasy novel and I wish more time had been taken to develop the world, magic and especially the romantic relationships, but I did enjoy reading it. It's one of those books that should've been longer but I believe it's going to be a series so maybe there will be more development.

My favorite book of the year so far! A prince trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his sister, the sultan, finds himself falling for his stoic new bodyguard who initially hates him. This was such a delicious enemies to lovers slow burn. It's not an action packed book, so it may not work for everyone. Readers are just taken along for the journey. But Rowland could've kept on writing this story forever, & I would've been content to follow along.

A genderfluid alien trawls dating apps to find potential meals, reforming their body into whatever shape the victim will find most appealing before meeting up with their victims. But blending in is a constant drain that requires even more sustenance to maintain. This was a really unusual novella that explored otherness through both an alien and queer lens.

Let's play review catchup!

It took me long enough to get into this one that I considered DNFing despite the spectacular title, but the beginning was, in fact, somewhat boring. But the story picks up once Brian realizes his new werewolf life coach is no good. At that point it got a lot more interesting and really turned around for me. Basically a college student turned werewolf working as a batista gets suckered into a self help pyramid scheme.

My #weekendreads : one audiobook and one physical library book. I'll probably start an ebook this weekend too, maybe an arc.

Sunday reading vibes

My #WeekendReads are both historical fiction this week

#WeekendReads

New book + baby snuggles

Love a colorful library stack 😍

Baby snuggles + reading = 😍

Spent the night at the hospital with my sister and her newborn so I'm thrilled, exhausted, and will probably be reading is spurts the next couple weeks as I alternate helping with my toddler nephew and newborn nephew #WeekendReads

#WeekendReads

What a great SF Little Mermaid retelling! A scientist who devoted her life to studying a species of underwater beings seeks out a man who purports to be able to turn humans into "mermaids," and after rescuing one and going on the run from the government, she's desperate to find some way to learn more about them again. Sticks devastatingly close to the original fairy tale.

Reading with my foster kittens

This stunning alternate history novel takes first place for my reading in March @CSeydel #BookBracket2024

I didn't realize until the author's note at the end that this was based on true events which made me love it even more! A middle aged woman frustrated by her inability to help with the war effort becomes England's first female saboteur, forming an effective network of spies, couriers, and sabotage agents in Nazi occupied France. Yvonne / Jacqueline was fierce and determined and just an all around incredible woman.

Starting a new arc on my crack of dawn flight this morning

Generations of a Cheyenne family grapple with the legacy of a massacre and a residential school alongside the institutional racism that results in severe generational trauma even as they strive to come together and protect each other. This was my first Tommy Orange book and I definitely want to read There There now, specially since the two books are interconnected.

My audiobooks for the weekend #WeekendReads

#WeekendReads

I literally lost track of time finishing this fascinating book today. Enrigue reimagine the Spanish conquistadors (Caxtilteca) arrival in Tenoxitlan in the early 1500s, following a large cast of characters with complicated and clashing motivations, all leading up to a surprising conclusion that changes the historical narrative.

My #WeekendReads . Also hoping to start A Sweet Sting of Salt.

#bookmail

Look, is every Ali Hazelwood romance *kind of* the same? Yes. Do I enjoy them regardless as a fun little treat? Also yes! Sometimes it's nice to know exactly what you're getting, and in Not in Love we got another closed off woman in science who is oblivious to the feelings of the man she's made fall head over heels for her. And I loved every second of it.

I cannot get over this view

Two very different books planned for this weekend's vacation #WeekendReads

Advances in weaponry and medicine left WWI soldiers with unprecedented injuries, and those of the face and jaw were particularly horrifying, not just in their devastation but in the public reaction to them. But pioneering doctors leading the field of plastic surgery worked tirelessly to give them their lives back after the horrors of the war. A fascinating read. Honestly with it had been longer and gone even more in depth.

I loved this book so much! A woman learns she starred on a mysterious children's television show with a cult following, but she has no memories of her childhood-- including the younger sister who apparently died on set. So what do her cast mates want with her now? So much mystery and intrigue wrapped up in this book and one of the most interesting premises I think I've ever read.

A Japanese girl puts all her passion and attention toward a J-Pop idol, her "oshi," whom she adores even after he hits a fan and refuses to offer any explanations. When he unexpectedly announces his retirement, what will she have left? This was an interesting read, though it's possible some of the cultural contexts were lost on me. It was a good character study, and I could definitely relate to some of the aspects of finding solace in fandom.

Once again behind on reviews so let's play catchup!

I think this novella would've benefitted from being a full length novel. I was really interested in the worldvuilding, especially the elements of Zoroastrianism, but it never felt like we got to get deep enough into the story and how the ruhkers train before being paired wirh their rocs. An interesting read but I wanted more.

Forgot to post my top read of January, but here's my 2024 bracket so far! Mister Magic is in the lead

#ReadingBracket2024 @CSeydel

Book mail

Not exactly the most serene sick reads for someone on day 5 of an upper respiratory infection, but I did get another story from Uranians read yesterday and really enjoyed it. Might start something lighter, too. #WeekendReads

What are your #WeekendReads ? Share and tag me!

The comparisons to A Knights Tale are perfectly apt for this irreverent medieval rom com. Years after King Arthur, a princess betrothed to the person she loathes most discovers they share a secret that might just bring them together: neither of them is straight. And as they try to woo their crushes and withstand threats to Camelot, they realize they might not hate each other as much as they thought. Enemies to lovers friend edition!

I love books about books, and historical books about books are particularly great.

https://bookriot.com/historical-fiction-books-about-books/

Went to a speed dating night at my local bookstore and treated myself to some books after

I've been wanting to read this for a while & was motivated to get a move on from #AudLangSpine & @julesg , & I'm so glad because it was wonderful. An academic writing an encyclopedia on faeries travels north for research and is followed by her overeager--& quite possibly magical--colleague. Emily is so delightfully stoic and socially inept, & Brambelby is her perfect foil. What a fun read! Definitely going to have to read the sequel.

@monalyisha

Now we're ready for a road trip home from Kansas City. Audiobook for the road tagged.

The #WeekendReads for this weekend are a speculatibe short story collection and a historical fantasy audiobook

Gotta love a multi story used book store

This queer, feminist retelling of a Chinese classic follows a master arms instructor whose life is destroyed by a corrupt official. But when a band of outlaws save her, she discovers a new way of living she's never let herself imagine before. If you love martial arts movies/ books, this is definitely for you.v

A difficult read in the sense that it is so real in the way it depicts colonial and Indigenous history, but very much worth it. A girl finds a dragon egg and becomes the first nampeshiweisit in generations. Unfortunately, the Anglish colonizers require her to go to an Anglish dragon school, otherwise she risks losing her dragon forever.