“Lucie Esnault Reading a Book” (c.1905), Jacques-Émile Blanche (French, 1861-1942). 

by myfashionbreak

T H E   A R T   O F   R E A D I N G

The private library of Núria Amat Barcelona, Spain @Ana Viladomiu

I wanted a book rec - I'm looking for something similar to ACOTAR I think not sure which genre that is or anything. If you've read it do you have any ideas of which book I should read

Hey! Okay for Sarah J Maas fans I think Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone series are pretty similar within the Fantasy/Romance genre. Both series from her are decent/comparable to Maas.

If you don't mind the wordier novels, give The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty a try! ALSO if you haven't read Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi... get on it asap her series is tragically slept on as well and has quality world + character building

xx M

A few Actual Quality Romances of 2020 (don't come for me)

Okay I'm aware that there are tons of Buzzfeed-like articles with lists like this. And it's a really broad genre, so it's hard to know where to start. I'm telling you that there are very few lists out there that actually have really good books on there. So of course I had to sort through the *meh* and the Actually Bad to find the gems. These are some of the gems of 2020. All are, of course, HEAs :) Life is hard enough.

Lighthearted but full of heart:

The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley: UK author but guys! This book was really great. Haven't read anything else by her so was glad I came across this one.

Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams: this whole series is alright (3-3.5/5 starts on average for me) but this one I was pleasantly surprised to find that it topped the lot of them imo. Really heartwarming.

Historical Romance with actual history :o (lol):

Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas: tbh this genre can be chock full of frustratingly corny novels that you finish wishing you'd just passed it up - Kleypas has always been among the best novelists in the Romance genre and this one didn't disappoint. It's part of a series though; hopefully you have a library card!

Contemporary without drowning in angst:

Beach Read by Emily Henry: I'm always skipping her books for whatever reason but I'm so glad I read this one. The hype was actually well deserved! The tension of a quality novel but without the angst that makes you not want to bother finishing.

Honorable Mentions for quality Romance authors:

Talia Hibbert: I wasn't as thrilled with her 2020 book but she is a fantastic author in this genre that is tragically slept on all the time and I'd still recommend checking her out if you're into contemporary romance

Sally Thorne: Also wasn't all that excited about her 2020 novel but everyone and their mother knows The Hating Game is an A+ contemporary romance read. And she's just a quality author in general. If you haven't read it - what are you doing stop and read the book

Sophie Kinsella: Ugh she's a classic humor/contemporary romance novelist, and I always belly laugh (startling random people who are minding their own business) while reading her books. Didn't absolutely love the newest one, but her older books are must reads.

As always if I haven't mentioned a favorite of yours, let me know! I have limited free time tbh so maybe I just didn't read it. Particularly in this genre, I'm really selective about the books I choose to spend my free time on. Hope you enjoy these reads!

xx M

3 SciFi authors I discovered this year!

1. Leigh Bardugo, author of the Shadow and Bone series

2. NK Jemisin, author of The Fifth Season and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

3. Frank Herbert, author of Dune (yes because the movie came out lol)

xx M

5 solid historical fiction novels that I loved in The Year of 2020 ~

1. The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Itrube, Lilit Thwaites

2. The German House by Annette Hess, Elisabeth Lauffer

3. The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

4. A Dangerous Act of Kindness by LP Fergusson

5. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

xx M

Hey!

Im looking for a book recommendation. I love the mystery genre and have explored a multitude of James Patterson-esque storylines!

Hi there,

I think you'd enjoy David Baldacci's The Innocent. It has a couple of books following it, but it doesn't hang on a cliffhanger if you don't want to keep going. He's a Patterson esque writer in general, so you might like his other series/trilogies. Neal Shusterman's Scythe trilogy is also fantastic. JD Robbs In Death series is also a high quality mystery series. Let me know if you read/enjoy any of these!

xx M

All the light we cannot see (Doerr): A Review

Just putting aside the recognition this book has received from goodreads and its readers... this book was so... it was just... really good. This author's talent, his writing is almost exactly what I've always wished my writing would grow to become. The diction isn't overly wordy or falsely complex, because the story and characters have more than enough complexity (although his vocabulary is on point lol). About the story itself: I'm probably not going to read it again. I will remember this story for almost forever without having to do more than pick up the book and stroke the cover. It's one of those stories that are too profound, too heartbreaking, way too truthful to re-read. I was very hurt (almost offended but that's not the right word) by the shortness of Werner's and Marie-Laure's relationship, although it's not difficult to imagine why Anthony decided to write their love story that way. I personally reread love stories that are resonant and personal and beautiful, ones that last for a long time, but this love seemed to only be so great for Werner, which was nice for certain reasons (that would have been a ridiculous spoiler sorry) but not so much for Marie. I loved the realness of the story, could somehow taste the humanity and the great, terrible beauty of human nature, of our most horrifying propensities... Think Hosseini's Kite Runner in that sense. Of course this author does it differently but it is hardcore profound and relatable in an unsettlingly resonant way. UGH WELL DONE DOERR WELL DONE It's too sad to read again but it will always, always be a part of me, and for that I thank you <3

Quotes from iroh

sometimes life is like this dark tunnel, you cant always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place.

Its time for you to look inward! and begin asking yourself the big questions, who are you!! and what do you want!?!

SUMMER READING: Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkarraman

Fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of going to college - an unusual aspiration for a girl living in Britishoccupied India during World War II. Then tragedy strikes, and Vidya and her brother are forced to move into a traditional household with their extended family, where women are meant to be married, not educated. Breaking the rules, Vidya finds refuge in her grandfather’s library. But then her brother does something unthinkable, and Vidya’s life becomes a whirlwind of political and personal complications. The question is, will she be strong enough to survive?