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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books I Was Assigned to Read in School
I grew up in Malaysia and our schools didn’t have assigned reading so I’m just going to adapt this topic for books that are set in schools. There are a lot of great books set in schools but I suddenly can’t think of them now that I’m trying to make a list out of them!
Top Ten Books Set in Schools
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster – I’m sure I’ve talked so much about this book that everyone is tired of hearing about it, but it’s set in a boarding school so I had to have it on the list.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – I love Charlie and Nick and I would die for them! I love how heartwarming the whole series is!
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – My guilty pleasure! I recognize the tropes and cheese but I still love it.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I loved this one. Lara Jean and her family are so cute and fun to read about.
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan – Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators but she also writes books and this one is set in an educational institution. This one was so heartwarming and I loved it!
The Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal – I devoured this series as a child and have very fond memories of reading SVH from morning to night during my school holidays!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – It took me too long to pick this up because I loved The Hunger Games and wasn’t convinced I needed a story from Snow’s POV. It turned out to be brilliant though!
Matilda by Roald Dahl – I love Matilda! I was Matilda! Minus the magical powers and the over-the-top abuse from her family, and I didn’t have a Miss Honey, and I’m not half as smart as Matilda… I guess I’m not very Matilda except that I love reading. That counts, right?
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson – This one hurts but it’s such a powerful book and I loved it.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik – I loved the idea of this series, and the first book wasn’t bad, but the books got progressively worse for me and I ended up really disappointed in the end.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Slow Progress Is Still Progress
I had another busy week last week and didn’t get a lot of reading done; I finished two books and that was it. I’ve been working on a project for a long time and it’s very close to being done, hopefully in the next 2-3 months, so I’m trying to push as much as I can. It has been slow going before due to a lot of unforeseen issues that cropped up, but as long as nothing else unexpected happens, I feel like we’re good and we’ll finish strong!
The Conqueror Challenge
I did pretty good on The Conqueror Challenge last week but I ended up hurting my knee on Thursday in the second km and walked the rest of the way home. I was also going to try walking 8km this morning but I got tired and only did 5.7km.
I’m still ahead of my goal, so there’s that, even though I’m walking some of the time instead of running, and I did get in almost 20km this week. I find myself trying to hit certain milestones in order to get the virtual rewards offered in the app, and they are fun, but I really want that physical medal as the ultimate reward!
There’s still a long way to go but I’m already excited about the prospect of finishing this challenge and getting that medal. And then I’m anticipating the next challenges and the next medals! This thing is seriously addicting and I don’t know yet if that’s a good or bad thing! 😂
All the happy things:
It’s my birthday on Monday and we’re getting my favorite Sichuan food to celebrate!!
I also got myself a one-year subscription to Audible as a birthday present to myself!
And I got it at a discount!
I made some yummy chicken wings in the air-fryer and they were so good!
Feeling very optimistic about finishing my work project soon. 🤞
Really enjoying my online bookclub, not just for the buddy reads and book discussions, but the chats and jokes as well. ❤️
Despite my setback hurting my knee, I’m very happy with The Conqueror Challenge keeping me motivated to walk/run now that the weather is getting cooler.
I’m really enjoying seeing the Halloween decorations popping up bit by bit around my neighborhood. 👻
The Books
Books I read last week:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler – It was a good book with a good story but it turned out a little preachy and I didn’t like that.
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth – It wasn’t the best mystery but I really enjoy the way the author writes about familial relationships, and especially something as complicated as the relationship between mother- and daughter-in-law.
Book(s) I’m reading:
Exhalation by Ted Chiang – There are 9 short stories. I finished 6 and have 3 more to go. It’s all been very thought-provoking so far.
The Shining by Stephen King – It’s a reread and a buddy read. I’m at 20% so far and loving it.
Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes – I started this audiobook because I listen to audiobooks to fall asleep and I needed something not scary (ie. not The Shining!). It’s actually pretty good so far!
I’m anticipating another busy week (plus it’s my birthday!) so I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to read but I really, really want to get started on Never Whistle At Night if I can!
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
A twisty, compelling novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in murder…
From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.
That was five years ago.
Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.
But the autopsy finds no cancer. The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation. Who could possibly want Diana dead? Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?
With Lucy’s secrets getting deeper and her relationship with her mother-in-law growing more complex as the pages turn, this new novel from Sally Hepworth is sure to add to her growing legion of fans.
I was in the mood for a mystery thriller and I’ve previously enjoyed another one of the author’s books.
The Quotes
“I worked hard for everything I ever cared about, & nothing I ever cared about cost a single cent.”
“Some people jumped in and tried to save someone who was in trouble; others did anything they could to save themselves.”
“Why bother having a child, if you’re not going to stick around and enjoy her?”
“Being poor and having to survive without my parents was the single most defining thing I’ve ever done. It showed me what I am capable of. As a mother, I think this is the most important gift you can give to your children. Unlike money, it can’t be taken away or lost.”
The Narrator(s)
Barrie Kreinik. I enjoyed her narration very much, I got very engrossed in the story.
My Thoughts
I’ve only read one other book by the author, The Soulmate, but I feel like she’s got an amazing grasp of the dynamics in familial relationships and the potential miscommunications that can arise between family. There’s nothing quite like family drama from having to interact with people who you don’t get along with but can’t avoid because family.
As with The Soulmate, nothing is quite as it seems, and I very much enjoyed the journey towards discovery. I feel that the beauty of this story isn’t in the mystery though, but in the family relationships. I loved reading about Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana. I loved reading from their different POVs and looking at things from each of their perspectives. I don’t think either of them, or the other characters in the book, are necessarily people I would like, but it was interesting to read about them anyway.
I didn’t like this book as much as The Soulmate for satisfying my mystery craving, but it was still an enjoyable read.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
We are coming apart. We’re a rope, breaking, a single strand at a time.
America is a place of chaos, where violence rules and only the rich and powerful are safe. Lauren Olamina, a young woman with the extraordinary power to feel the pain of others as her own, records everything she sees of this broken world in her journal.
Then, one terrible night, everything alters beyond recognition, and Lauren must make her voice heard for the sake of those she loves.
Soon, her vision becomes reality and her dreams of a better way to live gain the power to change humanity forever.
All that you touch, You Change. All that you Change, Changes you.
I’ve been wanting to read Octavia E. Butler and this was a buddy read!
The Quotes
“The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren’t any other kind and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees.”
“That’s all anybody can do right now. Live. Hold out. Survive. I don’t know whether good times are coming back again. But I know that won’t matter if we don’t survive these times.”
“Freedom is dangerous but it’s precious, too. You can’t just throw it away or let it slip away. You can’t sell it for bread and pottage.”
“We’ll have to be very careful how we allow our needs to shape us.”
The Narrator(s)
Lynne Thigpen. No complaints, I enjoyed the narration.
My Thoughts
I am conflicted on what I think about this book. On the one hand, it was a really great story and so well-written. I’m also discovering that I love on-the-road stories. I also love that it was first published in 1993 but set in our current times. It’s so interesting to see what the author thought 2024 would look like, and frankly she wasn’t far off. I loved most of the story, I loved the characters, I love seeing how everyone and everything changed as they went, to the theme of the story. It was brilliant!
On the other hand, it went into preachy territory for me and I don’t like that. To be clear, I have no issues with the beliefs presented in the book, in fact, I agree with a lot of them. I also have no issues with religious and spiritual preaching being a part of the story for the purpose of the story, but I don’t like when it feels like the story was written for the purpose of the preaching, unless the story is upfront about it, that is. As it is, it feels like a bait and switch; promise me a good story but preach me a sermon instead.
As mentioned earlier, it is still a good story and I have to give it props, and to be fair, this book isn’t the worst offender for preachiness – it just barely straddles the line – but that makes me conflicted and I guess I don’t like it enough to overlook the preaching and continue with the next book.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. It’s a good story and well-written.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space-and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe-in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.
I’ve read this book before and loved it. And it’s a buddy read in my online bookclub so I thought it was a great time to reread!
The Quotes
“Acting all sanctimonious while spouting bad info was a terrible way to win a debate, but a great way to piss people off.”
“No good can come from a species at war with itself.”
“That’s such an incredibly organic bias, the idea that your squishy physical existence is some sort of pinnacle that all programs aspire to.”
“Do not judge other species by your own social norms”
The Narrator(s)
Patricia Rodriguez. She was great! I got really immersed in the book.
My Thoughts
I want to share my review from my first read of the book in February 2021:
You know what I love most about this book? The way the people in this world handled race relations. The whole time I was reading this book and watching how the different races interacted with each other, being respectful of their different customs and um…body parts, asking questions when they weren’t sure, educating each other about their respective cultures and beliefs so patiently… I was thinking, this is the way.
Of course there were also hostile people and races in the story; I’m not so naive and/or ethnocentric as to think that there wouldn’t be those who believe in violence/war as part of their culture, but the point is that there is something important to be learned from this book. In fact, there were so many profound things that could be learned from this book, on so many different levels.
I just finished reading a book where I did not connect to the characters at all, and this book is the total opposite. I loved ALL the characters. The whole crew of the Wayfarer was just… they are now my people. My feather family. And that says a lot (both about this book and the other) because we’re talking about a crew of not just humans, but also three other “alien” races, AND an AI. I loved how different they were, the dynamics between them, how they fought and got on each other’s nerves but also stood by each other and had each other’s backs, because at the end of the day, they were a family. I related to them so much, and I loved them all. I grieved when they grieved, I loved when they loved, and seriously, to have a family like this would be my privilege.
There are other books in the series, and of course I’m going to read them all, but from what I understand, they are standalones in the same universe. That’s fine. I’m looking forward to getting to know more interesting people in this universe. You can never have too much family.
Reading this book a second time. I feel the same way, and even more so. The thing I remembered most about the book was how great it was at portraying interpersonal relationships between people of different cultures, beliefs, and species. And I continue to love it this time around, but I also paid a little more attention to the conflicts that arose because of the differences in opinions, beliefs, and cultures. Not just between the characters on the Wayfarer, but between worlds and species in the galaxy as well. It won’t surprise anyone to know that wars happen when there is an inability to accept each other’s beliefs and cultures or to be respectful towards people who are different from you. And feather family happens when you choose to love and respect each other despite your differences.
I still love this book, more now than ever, and it continues to make an impression on me.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.
But be careful what you wish for. . . .
Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.
For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.
It’s a bookish book and I heard this was a smart one with riddles and puzzles.
The Quotes
“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”
“Always be quiet when a heart is breaking.”
“They tell us taking care of children is the most important job you can do, and then they pay us like it’s the least important.”
“Always remember that the only wishes ever granted are the wishes of brave children who keep on wishing even when it seems no one is listening because someone always is.”
My Thoughts
This book was disappointing, but to be fair, it’s because I had such high expectations. I had heard that this was a smart book with lots of riddles and puzzles and solving things, and it does, but not in the way I expected where the reader has to do some of the work to solve the mystery. Most of the puzzles were solved on the page by the characters and they’re all quite straighforward and done quickly. Which is fine, but just not what I had in mind when people say it’s a smart book. Especially since it’s categorized as adult fiction.
This book reads more like a middle grade novel, and I think I would’ve tempered my expectations more appropriately if it was categorized as such, and I think it’s amazing as a middle grade novel. I don’t know if it was mis-categorized, but it seems too simple and basic for an adult mystery. I expected DaVinci Code levels of puzzles but got middle-grade level of book. I don’t even remember where I heard it from, so I can’t go back and see if maybe it’s my own fault for misunderstanding what was said!
Having said all that, it’s really not a bad book, and I think that I would’ve liked the book more if it wasn’t for the misrepresentation.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Bookish Brags (or Confessions!)
I’m not sure that I have anything book-related worth bragging about, tbh, other than I love reading chonky books. So this week I’m just going to go with a list of chonky books I’ve read. These are the chonkiest books I’ve read and they are 800 pages and above. Some of these are my favorite of favorite books, but there are also many less chonky books I’ve loved more than others listed that are only here because they are chonky. Most of these are worth reading though!
Top Ten Chonky Books
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – 1276 pages. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I’ve read it many times and loved its chonkiness every time because I never want it to end. It’s so intense and engrossing that I finish it very quickly despite its size, and then I want to reread it again!
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell – 1037 pages. Another favorite I’ve read several times. I haven’t read it in a while though, because while I swooned over the romance as a child, I realize now as an adult that it was such a toxic relationship. I still think it’s a work of art as a historical novel though.
The Stand by Stephen King – 1152 pages. There are so many Stephen King chonkers I’ve read and loved; It, Under The Dome, 11/22/63, and many more, but I thought for the sake of this list I’d stick to one per author, otherwise this whole list would be saturated with Stephen King’s books!
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin – 835 pages. Technically, every book in this series is a chonker, and this one is the smallest one compared to the others, but it’s the first one so it’s the one chosen to represent them all!
Swan Song by Robert McCammon – 956 pages. I don’t remember much about this book except that it was compared to Stephen King’s The Stand, and I rated it 4 stars. I’ve forgotten much about it though, and it’s only here because it’s a chonker I read.
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb – 897 pages. Another book I don’t remember much of but I’m haunted by this one and another book by the author I’ve read. I remember loving them and having my heart broken, and I rated them both 5 stars but I can’t bring myself to reread them just yet because I’m not sure I want to get my heart broken like that again. I need a little more time to heal! I also really want to read his other books, but same reason for why I haven’t yet.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey – 1040 pages. It was hard to get into at first, but it got really good later. Not sure that I like it enough to continue the series though. It’s a relatively recent read so I haven’t decided what I want to do with it.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens – 882 pages. Another relatively recent read that I loved! Especially because I had just finished Demon Copperhead not long before.
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber – 922 pages. I actually love another book by this author – The Book of Strange New Things – more, but it was only 500 pages. I rated The Book of Strange New Things 5 stars, and this one only 3 stars, but this one is rated higher on Goodreads, so take what you will from that. I would highly recommend The Book of Strange New Things though!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings.
Valar Morghulis
Well, this has been a busy week!
One of the biggest highlights of my week is that I signed up for The Conqueror Challenge! It’s a virtual running challenge (or any activity, really) with lots of fun virtual rewards, and a real medal you get in the mail when you complete the challenge, and they had challenges that corresponded to quests and adventures in The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and other real and fictional places!
I hadn’t been doing as well with my running as I would’ve liked in the last few weeks, and as the weather gets colder, I’m afraid that I might lose motivation to go outside and run, so when I came across this challenge I thought that maybe it might help keep me motivated.
I was hesitant at first, but apparently one of my friends has finished two challenges with them and spoke highly of the experience, so that made me excited too and I ended up signing up for the Game of Thrones challenge!
So far it has worked very well, because I’ve walked and ran a total of 23.31km last week, 8.14km of them from just this morning! It makes me excited to get out more and get as many kms in as I can. It pushes me especially when I see how much more I have to go to reach the next checkpoints, but I’m also trying to pace myself because I don’t want to finish the challenge too quickly!
I’m just so delighted about this because it combines my new-found love of running with my existing love for Game of Thrones (and other stories)!
I’m also no longer apprehensive about when real winter comes (Winter is coming!) and probably not feeling like running at all. I have less motivation to run at home on a treadmill, but I think I’d be able to convince myself to get in some kms for the sake of moving forward in my GoT adventures!
Zoo We also went to the zoo last week. It’s been a couple of months since we last went and I’ve missed the animals. It’s also a great place to walk and get in my kms! You bet I counted them for my challenge!
The penguins were the star of the show this time around. One of them kept swimming up to us and checking us out. I wanted to pet it so badly, it was that close, but of course we weren’t supposed to so I didn’t.
Inside Out 2 One more thing I have to talk about; my husband and I finally watched Inside Out 2 last week, and that portrayal of Anxiety made me cry because of how accurate it feels like for me.
I have had many sleepless nights and anxiety attacks and although my husband has always been loving and patient with me even at my worst times, I don’t think he’s ever understood what it felt like, and I love that the show was able to show him in a way that I was never able to articulate.
It’s been so much better for me recently; Anxiety has taken a back seat and Joy is leading the way a lot more, but it was just so cathartic to watch this show and feel so seen and realize I’m not alone. I love the first movie, and I love this one too!
All the happy things:
So very happy about my virtual running challenge!
And about my renewed motivation for running/walking in order to get the kms!
And about the fact that I got in 23km this week!
I even got my fastest pace at 8min/km! I’m usually at about 10min/km. Of course, I was exhausted after, and I don’t think I want to kill myself like that again for a while, but I was still very happy about it.
The zoo visit made me very happy too, especially since we haven’t gone in a while, and we’re not sure when we’ll be going again.
It’s a new month so we got KFC last week! We only get KFC once a month as a treat, and it’s such a happy treat!
I baked a new batch of cookies!
I’m starting a new crochet project with some gorgeous yarn and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
The Books
Books I read last week:
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer – It didn’t live up to expectations but it wasn’t bad. It’s categorized as adult fiction but it feels like it might be better suited for middle grade.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – This is a reread and a buddy read. It’s been a while since I read it the first time so I didn’t remember much of the details except that I loved it and I thought it was such a great example of interpersonal connections and acceptance of other cultures and beliefs. Reading it a second time made me love it more!
The Girl from the Other Side Volume 9 by Nagabe – It ended on a cliffhanger that’s making me very anxious to find out what happens next! Most of the other volumes end on cliffhangers too, but this one makes me wonder how it’s going to move forward.
I Fell In Love With Hope by Lancali – DNF. I’d been trying to read this book for weeks and I just couldn’t get into it. I finally realized that it’s just too purple prose-y for me. Too much style and not much substance. The writing is beautiful and it might’ve been good if done in poetry maybe, but as a story it’s a struggle to read.
Book(s) I’m reading:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler – I am 70% in and I am loving it! It’s my first Octavia Butler book and I’ve heard so much praise for this book but I’ve never known what it’s about. Now I am totally invested!
Last Week on The Blog
I didn’t do very much on the blog last week. I’ve got some book reviews to catch up on!
I gotta get on the book reviews because I don’t want them to pile up on me. I’m also going to try to get a start on Never Whistle at Night, and/or The Glass Chateau.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction to share our monthly wrap-up posts that summarizes our month in books, our favorite books of the month, what we did on our blogs, and anything noteworthy we want to share.
September 2024 Wrap Up
It was a pretty good reading month! I read from my September TBR, and I finished all my reading challenges except two! I’m not sure that I’ll finish the other two though; they’re both about finishing series, but series that we started before this year, and I’m currently embroiled in new series and I’m not sure what to do! 😅 I can’t resist the shiny new books!
My September 2024 TBR Intentions
I read all the books in my September TBR Intentions! Woot! I was kind of conservative with it with only five books on the list, and I do have more motivation when they are buddy reads and BOTMs, but still!
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Cujo by Stephen King
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I’m just realizing that all of them are darker-themed and there were several other dark books I read in September too. Setting up my intentions for next month, I’m going to try to get in more balance for the light and the dark. I know ahead of time there are some horror stuff coming because October is Halloween season, but I can definitely add more fun stuff to my book diet too!
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky I’m very proud of having finished this chonker! I’m not sure that I liked it, but at least I finished it!
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah This was amazing and might be my favorite book this month! I love listening to Trevor Noah’s stories and I love his humor and wisdom.
Cujo by Stephen King This is a reread, and I think I got a lot more out of it this time around than I did the first time. I love the buildup of the story, and I love the insight we get into such different characters in the book. Stephen King is truly a master at his craft.
It’s October and that means Halloween, and guess what? My irl bookclub’s BOTM is Pet Sematary by Stephen King. And my online bookclub’s BOTM is The Shining by Stephen King! I’m not complaining, because I love Stephen King!
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
The Shining by Stephen King
Dear Enemy by Jean Webster
Never Whistle at Night by various authors
The Glass Chateau by Stephen P. Kiernan
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
I Fell in Love With Hope by Lancali
I’ve got so many books I hope to read this October, some have been on my TBR for ages. Let’s hope I can get to them all!
How was your month in September? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful October with lots of great books!
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books I Read/Avoided Because of the Hype
I don’t usually avoid books because of hype; I am much more likely to get taken in by the hype because I am very easily influenced and I have BIG FOMO. Even if I don’t think I’ll like the book, sometimes I read it just because I need to see for myself, and maybe give it the benefit of the doubt. The ones listed below are just some of the ones I can think of. I didn’t like them all, but I did read them because of the hype.
Top Ten Hyped Up Books I Read
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins – This is the latest one I finished, and I am torn. On the one hand it was very well-written and plotted; on the other hand, I feel like the message at the ending ruined the whole thing for me. In terms of the hype, it’s true that this book is very different and definitely entertaining, but I’m not sure if I can get behind it.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett – Honestly, with or without the hype, I would’ve read this because “Encyclopedia of Faeries” just calls to me. I enjoyed this book very much, but I’m just a tiny bit disappointed it wasn’t an actual encyclopedia of faeries.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – This wasn’t a bad book but I don’t think it was worth the hype, and I think the octopus’ role in the story is a little misrepresented.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune – I loved this one. It was hyped up but I didn’t know what to expect going in and so I was pleasantly surprised.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman – I feel like this one isn’t hyped up enough. I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t very interested in this series at first because it’s about a bunch of teenagers and teenage love and I thought it would be a lot of high school drama. But I was so, very, very wrong. It is about teenagers and teenage love and high school drama, but it’s also about real life issues, and real love, and family and friendship. It’s so wholesome and heartwarming, and it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – This is a guilty pleasure for me. Do I think it’s the best book ever written? Definitely not, there are so many problems with it. Do I love it anyway? Yes, very much! It’s that very bad, very unhealthy fast food that I love to gobble down!
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells – It’s not about what happens in the books, it’s about who the book is about. I love Murderbot. I love getting to know it, reading its thought processes, seeing humans through its eyes. It’s just a wonderful character.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree – So worth the hype for me! I love stories about found families and I loved how cozy this book (and Bookshops & Bonedust) was. I love Viv and her friends. I would read a dozen books about her.
Verity by Colleen Hoover – Not worth the hype. I wish I had dnf’d it but I’m just too curious about the hype for my own good sometimes.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – I loved it when I read it, but it was a while ago and I don’t remember much of it now anymore. If I recall correctly though, I read this before it got even more hyped up (because of the movie?) and then it started getting cheesy because everyone was quoting it and getting “Okay” tattoos. Maybe I should reread because the memes have overtaken my actual memories of the book.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
