Ali The Hag
Reading this was like watching No Reservations, a show I’ve watched through over & over & over again. In my head, Anthony’s voice read to me. It felt so good to hear his voice again, even if it was just to me.
I think the most interesting part of this book was just how many people gave Bourdain a helping hand. Countless people, good, bad, & ugly, helped this wiry junkie navigate the restaurant world. And for what? They must have seen *something* in him to help him while he was still a shithead.
The biggest thing I’ll take away from this book is: Passion. In order to be good at something, you have to have passion. I’ve always known this (being a very, very, passionate person), but to have it written so graphically, so true, was very validating.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In is the sweetest, most disgusting book I've ever read. John Wiswell's story of a eldritch monster stumbling into a fantasy romance is, somehow, both heartwarming and foul.
The way Wiswell weaves romance into a human-eating monster's psyche is truly remarkable, and a testament to himself as a storyteller & character builder. I loved Shesheshen immediately, relating greatly to her repulsion of social courtesies & disregard to pointless societal standards. Following her into love & danger was a journey I'm so thankful I got to experience.
While this novel spends most of the time laughing at its own absurdity, there is also a deeper, bigger, gentler message about grief, abuse, & the uniquely human terror of Being Known. This story is moving, compassionate, & made with lots of love.
One of my favorite reads of the year. A wonderful, fantastical story about magic books, love, loss, pain, time travel, & friendship. Truly such a joy to read, & definitely will be in my rotation of comfort reads.
Special thank you to my friend Atheena, who got me this book for my birthday this year. I wouldn't have gotten to experience it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you
This book has so much potential. The world Reid paints is haunting & beautiful, but ultimately seems rushed & unfinished. The culture of Llyria seems to be rich with lore & fictional history, but Reid doesn't bother to tell us about most of it.
Reading this book is like catching up in a race you didn't know you were running in. I found it hard to care about high stakes because i didn't know they were high until the moment had already past.
Did you like Coraline? How about the movie Monster House? This book is a creepy weird awkward heartbreaking hopeful realistic fiction masterpiece. Such an endearing read. While the buildup is slow & can sometimes seem arduous, the whimsy that Harrell spreads throughout her novel keep you hooked & hoping.
It kinda hurts to write this, because The Atlas Complex was one of my most anticipated reads of this year. Unfortunately, the end to Olivie Blake's trilogy is a long, overly preachy, repetitive, albeit beautifully written conclusion to the six magical lives first introduced to us in 2020.
For the first 3/4 of this book, literally nothing happens. We jump from character to character, listening to their condescending inner monologue as they trudge around in circles...waiting. Waiting for what, exactly? Waiting for their shitty mentor to turn up & tell them what to do, to come home? Waiting for someone else to break their moody, pretentious silence between one another?
I love these characters. I still do. They are what Blake got so, so right in The Atlas Six, & they're still here in the Atlas Complex. Still the fucked up dysfunctional toxic little guys we all grew to love, but they're just NOT DOING ANYTHING.
I did finish this book (although I considered DNFing at least 7 times), & even the ending was preachy & boring. I don't know what else to say, except this book made me want to read the first one again, & then stop myself from waiting & pining over this book's release.
Ah well, onto the next!
If you're looking for a gothic, intense dystopian novel full of vivid worldbuilding, look no further than The Bone Season. I read a 2023 revision of Samantha Shannon's 2013 novel & was sucked in to the stark, dangerous world she paints. I loved the inner conflicts endured by the main character, Paige, & how they reflect the terrifying world she is forced to inhabit.
According to the cover sleeve, Shannon is working on revising the other novels in this series, set to come out this year. I await their release eagerly, desperate to learn Paige's next steps.
One For My Enemy is a dramatic, convoluted web of a story about intense love & aimless, shallow animosity. And I had so much fun reading it. Olivia Blake knows exactly how to keep you hooked, despite the plot becoming undefined & nonsensical at times.
Reading this book reminded me a lot of If We Were Villains - another story that leans into its shakespearean tendencies & takes itself perhaps a bit too seriously. Romance, lust, lies, wrath, violence; it was all hands on deck for this Urban Fantasy.
I would recommend this book if you're looking for a wild ride through a mafia-like, witchy romance. It's fun, quick, & exciting.
Weyward is an intriguing story of 3 women spread throughout time & their discoveries of the connection between nature, womanhood, & each other.
Although the plot & characters seem a little rushed & two dimensional in the beginning, Weyward surprised me with how the events that unfolded within these pages captured my attention. I finished this book in about a day, eager to get from one chapter to the next to see what was in store for the Weyward women.
The descriptions of the world around these characters brightly outshine the characters themselves, & the plot compels you through the chapters like bait on a fish hook. I thoroughly enjoyed the read & recommend it to anyone who's looking for a entry into feminist, witchy fiction.
Another favorite of mine. Great story with great characters that I can read over and over and over again.
This is one of my favorite books. Very grounding and touching. I read it whenever I'm having a rough time in life, and it puts everything in perspective for me.
This is the first book of Oliver's that I've read, and I want to read more of her! Great summer beach book.
This was a reread, but I still love it all these years later. Sarah Kay was a huge inspiration to me in my college poetry days. It felt good to go back & read this book when I'm so much older.
I had to read this for class an it really did a great job on shedding light on PTSD, which is becoming more and more of a problem. I'm glad to see a book that puts a mental disease first.
