Books. Cats. Nonsense.
I was immediately drawn to the concept of The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart -- it seemed like it had everything I wanted. Time travel! Brooklyn! Women-led fiction! The 80’s! Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but I think that’s because of my own expectations going into it and confusion as to where this books falls in terms of genre.
I’m not much of a horror reader, however lately I have been dipping my toe into the genre and am loving what I’ve been read so far. Having recently finished My Best Friend’s Exorcism, I was so excited to pick up Hendrix’s new book, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. His trademark wit and humor balanced the truly horrifying elements of the book, making it a thrilling, hilarious, and fast-paced read that kept me up long past my bedtime.
Greetings from isolation! March has obviously been a super weird month for all of us -- it's not every day you get locked indoors due to a global pandemic. Lockdown did, however, mean I read lots of books and despite so much anxiety, I managed to keep up with my usual rate of reading in March!
I recently signed up to Scribd in order to listen to more audiobooks while homeworking. I was so pleased to discover that they had a few Tor.com novellas that I had been interested in reading, but couldn’t justify the cost (especially for the audiobooks!). Below are two mini reviews for Tor.com novellas that I recently listened to while in self isolation.
I had been dying to get my hands on Wilder Girls ever since it came out in the US in 2019. I’m not much of a horror reader, but I’ve started becoming more and more interested in the genre and thought this would be a great way to get into body horror -- a subgenre that I’m particularly nervous to read. However, this book was a big flop for me and I’m so disappointed!
My interest in Into the Drowning Deep can be summarised in two words: killer mermaids. Add on the fact that Mira Grant is a pen name for Seanan McGuire, the author of the Wayward Children series, and I knew this was a book I had to read. Ultimately, I was left a little disappointed -- while Into the Drowning Deep had fantastic bits, the overall book just didn’t quite work for me.
If you’ve been around here for long, you may realise that Pine is not the kind of book I typically pick up -- I tend to lean toward science fiction and fantasy rather than contemporary-set books. However, I was drawn in by its stunning cover and mysterious description. I took a chance and bought a copy and I’m so thrilled I did! Pine is a gorgeous, literary ghost story that will make the hair on the back of your neck rise.
God of Jade and Shadow caught my eye when it released last July -- I mean, look at that cover! Being buried under a pile of books -- as per usual -- I never got the chance to look into it until I asked a friend about books featuring Mexican mythology. She recommended this book and I snapped it up, once again proving that I have amazing friends with great taste in books. I can’t believe I had nearly let Gods of Jade and Shadow pass me by!
The Fifth Season is one of those books that I'd had sitting on my shelf for years, just waiting for me to decide it was the right time to read it. I knew I would love this book, so why didn’t I pick it up sooner? I have no idea. Fortunately, a friend recently convinced me to pull it off the shelf, and I’m so happy she did. For me, The Fifth Season more than lived up to the incredible hype and prestige it has gained over the years.
Hello pals! Where January felt like it lasted about 12 years, February absolutely flew past! I had a great month -- including celebrating my one-year wedding anniversary (!!!) and going on holiday -- for books and for life in general! Take a look below to see what my month in books was like.
