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seventhstar · 2 years

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reading update 5/8/2022

Very close to hitting my goal :) Have been in a bit of a slump but I'm hoping to pick up the pace.

Currently Reading:

The Way Spring Arrives And Other Stories edited by Yu Chen

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae

I know it looks like a lot, but I can explain. Two short story compilations, which I try to read slowly so that I can enjoy each story. Tyrant is 656 pages long; I would be surprised if I got it finished before it has to go back to the library. I will probably just buy a copy before I have to give it back to the library. Dracula I'm reading via the newsletter everyone and their mother is signed up for now, but I figured it was a good idea to mark it on GR so that I wouldn't forget to log it. And The Atlas Six was an impulse pick up at the library. My threshold to DNF it is very low, because hyped YA fantasy has failed me too many times already.

This is the second time I have checked these out. We'll see if I actually read them!

Ten Book Shortlst:

The Councillor by E. J. Beaton

The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun

Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

Still need to add a book to this list to bring it back to ten, but I'm waiting until I move because right now I have so many library books, etc.

Reviews:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saentz

5/5. This was a recommendation from a friend, which I'm glad I accepted because I really enjoyed this book! It's heavily character-driven and really engaging. Very few coming out stories appeal to me these days, but this one stole my heart. My only complaint is that the parents sitting Ari down at the end of the book to tell him he was in love with Dante felt...highly forced. In general that's a trope I dislike.

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

5/5. An annual read and one of my favorite books ever. I love Valancy with my whole heart, and her jounrey from downtrodden wallflower to a sparkling, witty adventress is wonderful to read every time. Sometimes I open this one up just to read Barney's confession at the end. One of the few romances I have read with a believable third act break up. Recommended to everyone.

The Monster Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

4/5. Oof. This is a very good book that is losing one star for having a problem I think a lot of second books have: you know it's going to end badly, somehow, and that makes the protagonist's constant suffering so much worse, because you have no hope it'll ever be relieved. The worldbuilding in this book is incredibly strong, and the plot is still engaging, but it's such a trauma conga that it took me two months to read. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Baru in book 3 (and book 4, if we ever get book 4).

Learned Reactions by Jayce Ellis

4/5. This was an impulse buy that I kind of regret? It's a romance between two childhood friends who are now in their 30s and successful, but have always had some underlying tension because they're mutually pining to each other. Add a dollop of fake dating and a sudden adoption and you've got this book. I really enjoyed the two leads, and I felt like their connection was great. I also enjoyed reading a book where characters communicate in an adult way. However, I felt like the middle of the book sagged and the conflict felt kind of contrived--these guys are grown adults, why is it taking them so long to get their shit together--and it also has a trope I hate, "every side character is there to tell the leads to hook up" syndrome. Including the adopted kids!

I'm giving this 4 stars because I think my complaints are all pretty subjective and another reader might really enjoy all the stuff that bogged the book down for me. The actual writing is great.

Four Aunties and a Wedding

2/5. Man, these 2022 releases are disappointing. I really enjoyed Dial A for Aunties, and was looking forward to the sequel. But this fell flat for me. It's a retread of the first book but this time there's no internal conflict for any of the characters to overcome. Nathan is a nonpresence, Meddy doesn't change at all and hasn't retained any of her character development from book 1, and the aunties feel like caricatures. There are so many opportunities in this book that go missed. Without any emotional scaffolding to hang them on, the constant hijinks of this book feel forced and cringey. I skimmed the last third or so because I just wanted to know if the ending would be good. It wasn't.

#jellyfish reads

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