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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 Authors (or books by authors) Who Live In My State/Country (submitted by Jennifer @ Funk-N-Fiction)
I currently live in Canada but I am from Malaysia and I absolutely love today’s topic because I am able to promote a couple of my favorite authors and also discover some Malaysian authors I haven’t read! I didn’t love all the ones I’ve read, but I hope that sharing them here anyway will help the right audience find them. Clicking the link on their names will bring you to their author page on Goodreads.
Top Ten Tuesday Malaysian Authors
Yangsze Choo – My absolute favorite Malaysian author, she has written The Ghost Bride, The Night Tiger, and The Fox Wife, all of which I’ve read and loved! Her first two books are steeped in Malaysian Chinese folklore and have wonderful fantastical elements. The Fox Wife is not set in Malaysia, but has the same beautiful storytelling. I recommend these books to as many people as I can. In fact, The Ghost Bride is my in-person bookclub’s current book of the month!
Zen Cho – My next favorite Malaysian author, although I have only read The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water. She writes sci-fi and fantasy and has a good number of successful books. I loved The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water and I keep meaning to pick up more of her books.
Tash Aw – He grew up in Malaysia but has since moved to England. There was a lot of hype around The Harmony Silk Factory when it came out, and I’ve read it but don’t remember very much about it except that I was underwhelmed, unfortunately. I haven’t read any of his other books.
Vanessa Chan – The most recent Malaysian author whose work I read. I really wanted to like The Storm We Made but unfortunately couldn’t because I’m a character-driven reader and some of the characters’ behaviors in the book was just not believable for me. I was quite disappointed with the book but others have liked it and regardless of my own feelings about the book, I always wish success for my fellow Malaysians and hope they find the right audience.
Vanessa Len – She is nationally Australian but has Malaysian Chinese roots. Her Monsters series has been quite successful, but unfortunately I dnf’d the first book of the series. It wasn’t for me but I hope others might find her and love her.
Hanna Alkaf – I just found her through researching for this post and I am very excited about reading her books. It looks like she’s got several books with great ratings; I’m most excited about The Weight of Our Sky because it’s historical fiction set on May 13th, 1969, the day there was a racial war between the Chinese and the Malays in Malaysia. I grew up hearing about it as a cautionary tale but was never given details so I’m very curious to read this book!
Tan Twan Eng – Another Malaysian author I just found out about and whom I’m excited to read. He writes The Gift of Rain and The House of Doors. These books are historical fiction set in the early 1900s in Malaysia. I’m just really starting to appreciate the intricate history of Malaysia/Malaya during the British colonial times, a lot of which we were never taught in school, and I’d love to read more about it!
Sue Lynn Tan – She is the author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior, two books in the Celestial Kingdom series. I have these books on my TBR but I haven’t gotten around to them yet. I don’t think I knew the author was Malaysian, but now that I do, I’m moving them up the TBR list. These are fantasy books about Chinese mythological figures, something I’m very excited to dive into!
Rani Manicka – She has written four novels, two of which are set in Malaysia. The Rice Mother is her first book and is about a girl who moved to Malaysia for an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen and had several children by the time she was nineteen. She grows up quickly and takes care of her family through WW2 and the Japanese occupation. It sounds absolutely fascinating!
Selina Siak Chin Yoke – The author has written two books in the Malayan series; The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds and When the Future Comes Too Soon. Historical fiction set in British colonial times in Malaysia, which I’ve mentioned I’ve become more appreciative of. These books weave many of the different, rich Malaysian cultures into the story and I love seeing multicultural aspects of Malaysia being represented so I can’t wait to read these books too.
Have you read any of these books and/or authors? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 with the Word “[Insert Word Here]” in the Title
I am unfortunately writing this post after a sleepless night laying in bed tossing and turning until 5am this morning. My brain can’t brain and the only thing I’m thinking about is sleep. So I’m choosing books with the word “sleep” in the title for this prompt.
Top Ten Books with the Word “Sleep” in the Title
While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark – I read this book in 2012 and gave it 3/5 stars but for the life of me I can’t remember anything about it, and the fact that I rated it 3 stars gives me so much indecision about whether it’s worth a reread. I do enjoy mysteries and thrillers so I might just read other books by the author that I haven’t already tried.
Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey – I remember binging on a whole bunch of fairytale retellings years ago and coming across this book, but I don’t remember if I ended up reading this one. I still love fairytale retellings so I might binge a whole bunch of them again!
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel – This was one of the first books I listened to on audio and I remember being blown away by the production. It’s the first book in a series and I loved the first two books but was unfortunately disappointed with the last one.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving – This is one of those stories that we see so much in pop culture that I feel like I know the story already even if I haven’t read the book. It’s still on my TBR though and I do intend to read it one day.
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson – I read this book back in 2012 and remember enjoying it. I gave it 4/5 stars but wrote nothing else about it. I’m a bit mad with my 2012 self, tbh, lazy ass not writing reviews, or at least some notes, for me to refer to, especially knowing how forgetful I am.
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King – This is the sequel to The Shining, which is probably the more popular book but I personally think it’s a strong book in itself and it holds it own. I loved both, and I loved Danny in both.
The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois – I have not read this but it looks interesting and I want to try to get my hands on a copy. It’s middle grade, poetry, historical fiction (it’s crazy to me that 9/11 events is now classified as historical – it doesn’t seem that long ago), and that’s a combination that I hardly ever read but I’m sure I would enjoy.
While the World Is Still Asleep by Petra Durst-Benning – This book intrigues me. The cover intrigues me. The subject matter intrigues me. It’s historical fiction based in Germany in the 1890s and it’s illegal for a woman to ride a bike. I am so intrigued.
Sleeping with the Fishes by Mary Janice Davidson – A paranormal romance about a mermaid. I had this book on my radar some years ago but never got around to it. Now that it’s crossed my path again I’m adding it back to my TBR.
Where Children Sleep by James Mollison – This is an art photography book of children’s bedrooms all around the world with stories about the children and how they live. I would really love to take a look but my library doesn’t have a copy. I’ll keep looking.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 that Surprised Me
Books are constantly surprising me all the time in so many different ways. Today I’m choosing to go with books that surprised me in a good way and these are some of the more recent ones.
Top Ten Recent Books That Surprised Me
All The Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell – I have a morbid curiosity about death and dying and I thought this would be interesting. It’s nonfiction and I expected an impersonal book filled with facts, but it ended up feeling more like a memoir of the author’s experience while researching the book. It got emotional and personal, and in a couple of instances maybe a little judgemental, but I was surprised by how deeply invested I got into the book.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon – I had no idea this was historical fiction and based on real people and events at first, and I also didn’t expect to love it so much. It was so well-written and I found myself googling the actual people.
Shark Heart by Emily Habeck – It was waayyy more profound and heartwrenching than I expected. I thought it was going to be something fun and campy because of the subject matter, and I’ve even joked about it with friends who had read it, but it turned out so surprisingly emotional.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick – This book literally surprised me by appearing on my Shelf in my Libby app out of nowhere. I do not remember borrowing it or putting it on hold, nor even hearing about the book before! It just turned up on my shelf! However, the narrator is Julia Whelan and I love her, so I decided to read it anyway.
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – This one definitely caught me by surprise! It was supposed to be a light-hearted YA read for me, like a snack that you read and enjoy in the moment and never think about again, but I love it so much and now I’m obsessed with it! I need the next books!
The Terror by Dan Simmons – I don’t really know what I was expecting with this one. Maybe something more like The Indifferent Stars Above for the Donner Party, but for Franklin’s expedition. I didn’t realize it was fiction and was often confused by what was real and what was not. I was surprised by how invested I got in the characters in the end and how much it affected me!
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong – I didn’t expect to like this book, much less love it. It was a bookclub BOTM that I don’t think I voted for, and I ended up being blown away by how beautiful it was.
Heartstopper the series by Alice Oseman – This is one of the best things that ever existed and we must protect it at all cost! I was not interested in this series at all because it’s about high school boys and I didn’t think it’d have anything I could relate to, but I ended up loving it so much and loving the boys too! The best surprise!
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – So I was lucky to not be exposed to the hype around this book. I had no idea it was even popular at all and fully expected it was going to be another snack-like book I would forget after reading. I ended up enjoying it so much and I was surprised to find out that most people thought it was overhyped.
Sooley by John Grisham – I love legal thrillers so of course I’ve read several of John Grisham’s books and that’s how I came across this one. However, this book turned out to be about sports and sportsmen, which I’m usually not interested in but it was so good and I loved it and I guess I love reading about sports after all.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 My Unpopular Bookish Opinions
I’ve had so many opinions I thought were unpopular that turned out to be quite common and I felt a bit pressured to think of more, so I’m just going to cop-out with an easy alphabetical prompt. Here are some books I’ve read beginning with C.
Top Ten Books Beginning with C
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood – I’ve talked about this book several times because it’s one of my favorite books; it focuses on the friendships between women and the way we are pitted against each other and taught to see each other as rivals. It’s been a while since I read it and I desperately need to reread.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Another favorite that I’ve read many times but never get tired of. If you’re daunted by its size, I promise it’s really fast paced and easy to read once you get into it!
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black – One of my favorite vampire stories although I can’t remember why! I guess I need to reread this too!
Carrie by Stephen King – I’ve read this before and I mean to read this again soon for my Stephen King Reading Challenge. It has been on my mind lately because of the buzz about Mike Flanagan adapting it. It’s very exciting!
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein – It’s a WW2 spy story and I remember feeling all the feelings when I read it more than ten years ago. In my Goodreads review I mention that this is a book I need to reread. I think I need a separate TBR list for rereads!
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – This book is on this list purely for bragging purposes. 😂 I read it, it was okay, it mostly felt like a fever dream, but I read it relatively recently and I wanted to make sure everyone knew how much of an intellectual I am. 🤓
Circe by Madeline Miller – I would read anything by the author, and yes, I loved The Song of Achilles too, but I loved this one more. I love how relatable Circe is as a woman, goddess, witch, person. Another book I really want to reread!
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid – I also would read anything by TJR, every book she’s written is gold! But I have a few favorites and this book is one of them.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer – I love the whole series! I love fairytale retellings in general and I always seek them out, but this one was special and different when it came out and I just loved how creative it was and how the overarching story brought everything together.
The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan – This is one of my most favorite, most underrated authors I have ever read. I love every single one of his books but his most popular book only has about 20K ratings. It’s a shame because they are all so good. This book was my first and it’s about a man who has been frozen in ice for a century and wakes up in current times. All his books have been 5 stars for me, and I would reread them over and over again.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 with Springy Covers
I couldn’t come up with a creative spin on this topic so I just went with books that had the word “spring” in the title. I ended up a pretty good list, I think, and unfortunately, more books added to my TBR! 😂 I hope you enjoy these!
Top Ten Books with Spring in the Title
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson – This book has been on my TBR forever! I keep meaning to read it but haven’t gotten to it yet. It sounds like a very important book to read about the environment and I can’t believe it was written 50 years ago!
Rumours of Spring by Farah Bashir – This is a memoir about a girl in India and I must say I am intrigued! I came across it as I was looking for books for this list and it just caught my attention.
Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews – I’ve seen this author’s name everywhere and I thought I must have read at least one of her books but apparently not. Maybe it’s time to remedy that.
Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – This is the third book in the Dragonlance Chronicles that I’m trying to do a reread on this year! I cannot wait to get to it!
Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie – Written under her pseudonym Mary Westmacott, it just reminds me I’ve still got many of the author’s books on my TBR!
The Spring of the Ram by Dorothy Dunnett – I have heard good things about the author when it comes to historical fiction. I had a few of her books on my physical shelves at one point but I moved and had to give away a lot of books so she’s still on my TBR!
Black Spring by Henry Miller – I’m not sure I’m interested in this book, but the cover is very attention-getting and I had to include it.
Spring Fever by P.G. Wodehouse – The second book with this title on my list, but it sounded good, and I’ve been curious about the author’s works so it’s on the list!
Dragon Springs Road by Janie Chang – Historical fiction set in China with magical realism! I must read it!
A Spring Without Bees by Michael Schacker – This one is another one about the environment and I’m simultaneously wanting to read it and scared to. I think it’s important to educate ourselves though.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 You’d be a Fool Not to Read
I had some trouble with this topic, I won’t lie, it’s too hard to pick from all the great books out there! But I hope you’ll find some good ones on this list and I hope you’ll enjoy them if you choose to read them.
Top Ten Books You’d be a Fool Not to Read
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber – I read this book almost ten years ago but I still think about it occassionally. It sticks with you. It’s a story about a missionary who leaves his wife behind (for years) to go to a new planet and spread his message to the aliens living there, but it’s the exploration of human nature and humanity that struck me. I need to reread this sooner rather than later.
Biting the Sun by Tanith Lee – Another book that delves into the human psyche and what it means to live a hedonistic lifestyle. If nothing is important, then what is it that makes life meaningful?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – This trilogy is marketed under YA and launched a whole trend of dystopian YA books, but it is honestly in a league all its own. It still holds up after all these years, and again, the exploration of human suffering and what it means to be human is the thing that gets me.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Another exploration of human suffering, with a vengence! Literally. I know this is a thick book and can be daunting but it’s so fast-paced and thrilling that you don’t even notice it once you get started. There are so many exciting twists and turns, especially if you’re reading it for the first time, but even after a dozen rereads, I still get excited reading it again.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah – This is one I’d recommend listening on audiobook because the author reads it. His performance is a work of art and you really feel like he’s a friend having a conversation with you and telling you his stories. I’m a huge fan and I have so much respect for him for so many reasons.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – I’ve only read a couple of books in this series, but it’s so fun and different that I can’t not include it on the list. It’s so rich and funny, and yet, also poignant in some ways. You’d be a fool not to at least try it, really!
Life of Pi by Yann Martel – I love the fantastical elements of this story as well as the exploration of our religious beliefs and spiritual values. You could say they actually go hand in hand in many ways. This book made me think about why I believe what I believe.
11/22/63 by Stephen King – Honestly, you’d be a fool not to read at least one book by Stephen King. It doesn’t have to be one of his big horror books, in fact, his non-horror books are some of my favorites. If you don’t know which one to pick, I’d recommend this one, but he’s just got so many good ones! I may be biased, but I’m also right! 😂
Circe by Madeline Miller – You might have heard about The Song of Achilles by the author, and it’s good, but I think this one is better! For some reason, I never wrote a review for the book, but impressions stick, and I remember feeling all my feelings for a while after reading the book.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly – This is a well-known classic but it’s popular for a reason. The more I think about this book, the more impressed I become. I love how this story came to be, I love how insightful the author is about the topic of human nature and monsters, both literally and figuratively. It is a haunting story.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 Did Not Finish
There are many books I dnf’d because I didn’t like them but there were also some books that I think I might like but just wasn’t ready for. Today’s list is a mix of those I didn’t like and will never pick up again, and some that I know I want to try again one day.
Top Ten Books I Did Not Finish
Dracula by Bram Stoker – This one is a funny story because it’s not that I didn’t like the book, it’s that I listened to it on audio and somehow thought it would be a good idea to listen while sleeping. I was frightened awake by a nasty, scary, loud voice – Dracula’s voice, I presume, I didn’t wait long enough to find out. I quickly turned it off and hid under the covers and I just haven’t picked up the book again. I will eventually! Maybe on print and not before bed!
You, Me, and the Colors of Life by Noa C. Walker – I read up to 52% of the book. I don’t know what happens so this isn’t a spoiler, but I got the impression that things wasn’t going to end well for the MC. She has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which is the same cancer I had when I was 19, and I couldn’t keep reading thinking that she was going to die from it.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber – I had really high hopes for this book and I think I got all the way to 90% of the book and then rage-quit because it kept getting worse for me. Here’s what I said in a review: “It was all so juvenile and nonsensical, and there were so many holes in the plot. I didn’t like any of the characters at all, and even Julian, who was supposed to be the most appealing and was portrayed as such, didn’t appeal to me at all. A lot of the book was repetitive and annoying, and I really didn’t like Scarlett and her sister Donatella.”
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton – This one came highly recommended and I really wanted to like it but I just didn’t. I love the idea, but the execution was disappointing. There was too much narration, too many big words, too much telling, too much effort going into trying to convince us how smart the crow was. I just didn’t care about the characters or the story. I dnf’d about 35% in.
I Fell In Love With Hope by Lancali – The language was beautiful but it was too much purple prose. It became not about the story but about the word-crafting, which is fine, but that’s not what I thought I was getting into. I dnf’d maybe 10% in, probably less, because I just couldn’t get through the story, I got so stuck on the words.
We’ll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida – I only read two “chapters” but it looks like each chapter is an individual story about different people who were prescribed cats. They all seem unrelated to each other except for the cat thing, I can’t say for sure since I dnf’d, but I realized that maybe slice of life stories just aren’t for me. I was mostly bored.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson – Here’s my review from when I tried reading it in 2016: “I couldn’t get past the first 15%. It started so confusing with the characters names and change in POVs, but then I started to get it and it seemed promising. Then came pages and pages of descriptions about how Kelsier was using Allomancy… all the talk of Pushing and Pulling, and IronPush, PewterPull, etc. It’s much worse than what I’ve described here, it was just too tedious and boring.” Don’t come at me, Brando Sando fans! I’ve enjoyed his other books, and I’ve since read the first three books of the Stormlight Archives and loved them. Maybe 2016 me was just not ready for Mistborn but I’m open to trying again!
Stories of Your Life by Ted Chiang – I borrowed this book because I wanted to read just that one story that the movie Arrival was based on – Story of Your Life. I loved it and intended to read the rest of the book, but didn’t get to them before I had to return the book. I’ve since read Exhalation by the author and loved it so I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this one!
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion – I initially thought this book was about magical living, you know, the whimsical happy life kind of thing. I picked it up in 2016 when my father was sick and I needed something whimsical. It turned out to be a book about grief and I just couldn’t do it then because it was too close to home. One day, eventually.
Only A Monster by Vanessa Len – I try my best to support Malaysians where I can, so I got excited when I found out this story has a Malaysian MC and the author has Malaysian roots. It sounded like a great story and I was looking forward to reading it but unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the book. I couldn’t relate to the characters or the story, but I love that others seem to like it and I hope that adding it to my list might help it find other readers.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 on My Spring 2025 to-Read List
I haven’t done a very good job of reading from my TBR so far this year, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have books on my TBR. It’s a symbol of hope. That I’ll actually read these books. We shall see. 😂
Top Ten Books on My Spring 2025 TBR
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst – I’ve posted this book on a few TBR lists already and I still haven’t read it! I don’t know what’s the holdup but I hope I’ll get to it this spring!
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman – The third book in the series; I read the first two months ago and I desperately want to continue the adventure. It’s so much fun!
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros – I didn’t like the second book as much as the first, and I’ve heard mixed reviews about this one, which scares me, but either way, I feel like I have to see it through.
The Lost Tarot by Sarah Henstra – The gorgeous cover reeled me in, and I love stories about divination, so it found its way into my TBR!
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston – Another one that’s been in my TBR for ages. It’s got good reviews so I really want to read it.
The Terror by Dan Simmons – I’m quite excited about this one. I’ve had it on the waitlist since December last year and it’s supposed to get to me soon! Fingers crossed!
Rose Madder by Stephen King – I’m on a personal Stephen King reading challenge and I heard great things about this book. It will be my first time reading it. I’m excited!
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore – I love mystery thrillers and this one intrigued me. I also heard a lot of good things about the book and author so I thought I’d try it.
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett – I loved the first book, was a little disappointed with the second, but I love the characters and want to visit with them again!
The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard – This one is so interesting; it’s a scifi with a time element, which I always love. Can’t wait to get to this!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these 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 that Include/Feature…
Not exactly a plot device but definitely a sort of theme; I decided to go with books that feature divination. It made me realize that for someone who loves learning about divination tools, I don’t read a lot of fiction that features divination. Maybe some minor mention here and there, but not many that have divination as a main plot point.
I’m not sure that all the ones listed below do either because I haven’t read many of them, but searching for books that fit the theme certainly made me interested in reading them!
Top Ten Books that Feature… Divination
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick – One of my favorite series, it features a form of card divination, but the beauty of the books are the characters and the relationships between them.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware – This one features tarot cards. I remember not really liking the story very much but being impressed with the accurate portrayal of tarot cards.
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick – Featuring the I Ching. I haven’t read the book but I watched the tv series and loved it. I don’t remember the I Ching in the show though.
The Darksword Trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – I have these books on my physical bookshelf but haven’t read them. They feature a form of tarot cards, but not exactly the same as real tarot I think. I love the Dragonlance series by these same authors!
All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue – The main character is a tarot reader who goes to a Catholic school in a conservative Irish town. I am hooked! It’s YA and looks like it’d be an easy read so maybe I’ll get to it soon.
Fated by Benedict Jacka – I haven’t read this one but I’ve heard some good things about it and I’m intrigued. The main character is Alex Verus who is a mage diviner and uses many different forms of divination. This is the first book of twelve.
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig – I’m not sure if I’d consider this one a form of card divination, but it does have cards with magical powers.
The Lost Tarot by Sarah Henstra – I borrowed this from the library because of the title and the gorgeous cover. I don’t know what this is about except that it features tarot.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – I have been wanting to read this series forever but never got around to it. I also love that there’s an actual tarot deck you can buy, my only issue with it is that I didn’t like the orange color, but I’m starting to change my mind about the color so we’ll see.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman – The alethiometer is the divination tool here, which is great because it’s different. I’d love to get my hands on one and figure out how it works if it was real. It sounds so fascinating when you read about it in the book and watch the film adaptations.
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.
Missing You All
I don’t like that I haven’t been posting Sunday Posts. I just feel like I haven’t done very well with reading recently, and/or being organized, and taking the time to visit everyone’s blogs and replying comments. However, I’ve missed catching up with everyone and reading about what I’ve missed, and I really want to make an effort to check in with you all. And even if it’s only a couple of times a month instead of every week, I think it’s better than missing you all for months!
The weather has been warming up, which is great because I’ve been missing my runs outside but there have still been some snowy days and it looks like this week is mostly overcast. I’ll try to get it in whenever there’s a nice day. You have to take it when you can!
Crochet One thing that I have been doing better at recently is crochet; I’ve made some wearables but not many and I haven’t really worn any of them much because they don’t fit right. I’ve started getting better (or just more stubborn) and made a few I really like. I redid them over and over until I got them right, I think I frogged the first one (on the left) three times! I’m not sure yet that I like the last one (on the right). It’s not the best fit so I might redo it.
I also learned that blocking makes a huge difference! It’s such a game changer! I used to be too lazy to block but I’m going to be better about blocking my projects in the future. Unfortunately, I’m still too lazy to swatch. If you’re a more experienced fiber artist, how important is swatching, really? Do I need to change my lazy ways? 😅
The Books
Books I read last week:
Vengeful by V.E. Schwab I only finished one book last week, but it was pretty good. I enjoyed the first book in the series and I liked this one too especially towards the end. The jumping timelines were a little annoying and there were certainly some issues with convenient plotlines, but I still cared very much for the characters and was very invested in how things turned out.
Books I’m reading:
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson – A huge book I’m listening to whenever I get the chance. It’s 55 hours and I’m at 22 hours at the moment. Not sure if I’ll be done by this time next week, but I’ll try!
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – Just started. Literally. Like, I’m on the first page. But it’s been on my TBR for ages and I really hope it lives up to the hype!
I’m hoping to finish at least two books this week. It used to be no problem to read more than that even with the huge Brando Sando books, but it’s been a struggle recently so I’m just aiming for at least two now.
How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!
