the bookshelf

Man's Search for Meaning is a nonfiction classic written by Holocaust survivor and psychologist Viktor E. Frankl. The first part depicts Frank's experience in various concentration camps, what he observed, and how he survived. The second part brings together his experiences and observations in a field of psychology he invented called 'logotherapy'. One of the basic tenets of logotherapy is that a person's main concern is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in their life, hence the title. As long as you have a purpose to live for, you can endure the suffering and struggles that inevitably come with life. Frankl explains this by quoting Nietzche: “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.” Frankl illustrates this point by describing how, while in Auschwitz, the prisoners who didn't have a reason to live often very quickly expired. One day, they would lie down and never get back up. Meanwhile, the prisoners who had a reason to live, such as seeing family, publishing an important work, etc., were better equipped to endure the hardships of the concentration camp. This is just a snippet of what was discussed. Honestly, I feel like it's impossible to talk about this book fully without rereading it several times. There is a lot to think about in it. I read an ebook copy from the library and took notes, but I really want to get a copy of my own to annotate. I highly recommend this book to anyone! It's a really meaningful read. I loved the philosophical discussions presented in the book and would often stop to think after reading a passage. I admired how Frankl was able to reframe his experiences. There was one anecdote that really stuck with me. I don't know why, but I thought that Frankl's perspective on it was both sad and beautiful:

“Once, an elderly general practitioner consulted me because of his severe depression. He could not overcome the loss of his wife who had died two years before and whom he had loved above all else. Now, how could I help him? What should I tell him? Well, I refrained from telling him anything but instead confronted him with the question, “What would have happened, Doctor, if you had died first, and your wife would have had to survive you?” “Oh,” he said, “for her this would have been terrible; how she would have suffered!” Whereupon, I replied, “You see, Doctor, such a suffering has been spared her, and it was you who have spared her this suffering—to be sure, at the price that now you have to survive and mourn her.” He said no word but shook my hand and calmly left my office. In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”

Listened to this via audiobook, which was narrated by the author. Gathering Moss is a blend of scientific nonfiction and personal reflections. In a series of essays, Kimmerer introduces the reader to various mosses and explains how they are intertwined with the ecosystem. She frames the essays both from a scientific standpoint as a botanist but also from indigenous ways of knowing, as Kimmerer is Potawatomi. I enjoyed listening to this book, but I don't really have much to say. I knew barely anything about mosses, so listening to the information presented was really interesting.

Israel Keyes was one of the most meticulous serial killers of the 21st century and was only really caught due to sheer accident. Over the course of 14 years, Keyes would travel across the US, hiding 'kill kits' in remote locations. He would drive hours or even days to different states to kill victims with these kits before returning to Alaska to be a devoted father to his daughter. His methodology of choosing random victims across different states led him to be undetected by law enforcement for over a decade. American Predator is a true crime book that follows the events that led to his capture and eventual suicide and depicts the limitations of law enforcement and the FBI.

Listened to this via audiobook and thought it was really fascinating! It was really interesting hearing interviews about how Keyes baffled behavioral analysts at Quantico because he was unlike anything they had ever seen before. What shocked me the most was how his investigation was handled. It was riddled with mistakes and run by completely inept people. Politics and egos got in the way. It was far more important for people to chase glory and fame than get justice for Keyes' unknown number of victims. It was only due to sheer luck that he was even really imprisoned. The FBI had no solid evidence against him. If he hadn't confessed, they would have been forced to let him go. It was shocking how many blunders they made. Normally, when you hear about cases like this, you can excuse it because it happened in the past, but this case is recent! They don't have the excuse of it happening in the 70s, 80s, or whatever. He was caught in 2012! Sheesh, you have to wonder how they catch anyone if high-profile investigations get run like this. The negligence and ineptitude of law enforcement extended so far that Keyes was able to commit suicide while in prison. Despite being repeatedly warned by FBI agents, the prison guards allowed him to have access to razors in order to shave, and he managed to smuggle one into his cell to kill himself. Like, what did the guards expect? This man hid kits for him to access years later, and they just let him do whatever? FBI agents even brought this up to the prison management, saying that they were essentially being very lazy and not careful in watching over Keyes, and the management just kind of shrugged. What??? So many of the people involved in this case were inept. It's so bizarre! By the end of this book, I was just frustrated by it all.

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki is a transcription of dialogues between the author and her psychiatrist. Despite being a successful social media director at a publishing house, Baek Se-hee felt depressed, anxious, and had crippling amounts of self-doubt. Over the course of 12 weeks, she sees a psychiatrist and talks through her problems, reflecting on the behaviors and thought patterns that contributed to her poor mental health.

I listened to this via audiobook. It was alright. I admire how honest the author was about herself and how she was able to articulate herself. Considering how stigmatized depression is in South Korea, I was really impressed by this. When I was in therapy, I was very much an incoherent mess. I wouldn't have been able to pick apart and reflect on my thoughts the way she was able to.

Carmilla is the classic Gothic vampire tale that precedes Dracula by almost three decades. It follows Laura, a young woman who lives in a remote castle with her father deep within the Austrian wilderness. One day, they make the acquaintance of the beautiful and ailing Carmilla and invite her to stay with them while Carmilla's mother travels on urgent business. Laura and Carmilla develop a fast and intense friendship. However, something is strange about Carmilla, and Laura finds herself growing ill as she is plagued by horrible nightmares.

Pleasantly surprised by this! In terms of vampire classics, I definitely prefer Carmilla to Dracula. I was surprised by how much I loved the writing. The way the interactions between Carmilla and Laura were written was so beautiful. One thing that surprised me while reading this was how useless the male characters were. They felt way more passive than the female characters, and this stood out to me more when I was mentally comparing Carmilla to Dracula. Yes, Mina Harker wasn't a damsel in distress, but the men in Dracula were definitely the driving force in that novel. Anyway, if you're a centuries-old vampire named Carmilla, hit me up.

Here are some of my favorite passages from the novel:
“Sometimes after an hour of apathy, my strange and beautiful companion would take my hand and hold it with a fond pressure, renewed again and again; blushing softly, gazing in my face with languid and burning eyes, and breathing so fast that her dress rose and fell with the tumultuous respiration. It was like the ardor of a lover; it embarrassed me; it was hateful and yet over-powering; and with gloating eyes she drew me to her, and her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, “You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever.” Then she had thrown herself back in her chair, with her small hands over her eyes, leaving me trembling.” (IV - Her Habits—A Saunter)

“And you asked for the picture you think like me, to hang in your room,” she murmured with a sigh, as she drew her arm closer about my waist, and let her pretty head sink upon my shoulder. “How romantic you are, Carmilla,” I said. “Whenever you tell me your story, it will be made up chiefly of some one great romance.”
She kissed me silently.
“I am sure, Carmilla, you have been in love; that there is, at this moment, an affair of the heart going on.”
“I have been in love with no one, and never shall,” she whispered, “unless it should be with you.”
How beautiful she looked in the moonlight!
Shy and strange was the look with which she quickly hid her face in my neck and hair, with tumultuous sighs, that seemed almost to sob, and pressed in mine a hand that trembled.
Her soft cheek was glowing against mine. “Darling, darling,” she murmured, “I live in you; and you would die for me, I love you so.” (V - A Wonderful Likeness)

“… The time is very near when you shall know everything. You will think me cruel, very selfish, but love is always selfish; the more ardent the more selfish. How jealous I am you cannot know. You must come with me, loving me, to death; or else hate me and still come with me, and hating me through death and after. There is no such word as indifference in my apathetic nature.” (VI - A Very Strange Agony)

A small Oregon town was rocked by the seemingly random murders of two men. Dubbed the 'Lady Killer Murders', all that was left at the scene of the crime was a note that indicated the killer was female. Beth Greer was the prime suspect, but after no hard evidence linked her to the case, she was acquitted. Four decades later, Shea Collins is investigating the Lady Killer Murders and stumbles upon the rare opportunity to interview Beth herself. However, something is not right at the Greer manor, and Shea can't decide if Beth is innocent or actually a cold-hearted murderer.

Listened to this via audiobook. Thought that the narrator did a great job of expressing Shea's emotions. As for the book itself, it was okay. I didn't realize that this book had a paranormal aspect to it. I thought it was just a standard mystery novel, and I wasn't really a fan of the paranormal twist. I guess I like my mysteries more grounded? Anyway, the book was okay. Just okay. Nothing really notable about it for me. It was just a book that I've read. If I hadn't been listening to the audiobook, I'd probably have put it down. There just wasn't that much of an intriguing factor to it. It wasn't bad by any means, just average.

Listened to this via audiobook. The Thursday Murder Club is the first entry in the mystery series of the same name. It follows a group of four septuagenarians who meet once a week to investigate unsolved murders. When an actual murder occurs in their retirement village, this group of friends is on the case. I thought that this book was alright. I went into it with tempered expectations. I've heard that the first book isn't the best, but that the series gets really good later on. Can confirm that the first book isn't the best. Still, I didn't mind listening to it, and I plan on continuing on in the series. My favorite part was the characters. It was really entertaining to follow this group of old people who pretend to be senile in order to learn more about the murder. The elderly are constantly underestimated, and they use this to their full advantage.

The Woman in Me is one of the biggest releases in celebrity memoirs in recent history. I don't really care about celebrities, but after hearing a funny excerpt from the audiobook, I got curious and placed a hold on this. Several months later, my hold finally came in. The Woman in Me is an autobiographical memoir following Britney Spears from her childhood, to her meteoric rise to stardom, to the downward spiral into her forced conservatorship, and finally to her breaking free and learning to live her own life for the first time in 13 years. I was only a casual fan of Britney, the type whose favorite song is "Toxic" because of course. Growing up in the 2000s, it was impossible not to be familiar with her. However, I didn't follow her personal life closely and never knew the details surrounding her mental breakdown and conservatorship. Listening to this was eye-opening and appalling.

Britney begins the memoir by describing her family, stating that in her hometown, it was well known that the men in her family didn't treat women right. Her grandfather was abusive, and he had his wife imprisoned in an asylum. Her grandmother would later commit suicide. History would repeat itself a generation later, when her own father would lock her into a conservatorship and send her away to a treatment center. Her father was abused by his father, and in turn, he was abusive towards his children. He was an alcoholic and would push Britney's older brother to the point of injury in sports practice. Britney was conceived in an attempt to salvage her parents' marriage, and she recounts listening to screaming matches between her father and mother growing up. Singing and dancing were her solace. She later described her experiences as a child actor. Even at a young age, she was sexualized, being asked as if she had a boyfriend while on Star Search. From here, she talked about her adolescence and her burgeoning music career, signing a record deal at age 15. The memoir is structured so that one anecdote is told after the other. She might pause to reflect on a story before continuing on. Other times, she would mention something in one sentence and move on to the next event. The way the memoir is written is slightly stilted, something that it's commonly criticized for. It sometimes feels like Britney would mention something completely offhand, for no particular reason. However, while listening to this audiobook, I got the sense that every story was told with a purpose. Some stories seemed random at first, but over the course of the book, they helped illustrate how she was sexualized and ridiculed throughout her entire life, constantly being nitpicked and poked fun at. Everyone loved Britney's music while simultaneously loving to tear her down. It was as if they loved her so much that they couldn't stand her. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't get the feeling that Britney was trying to illicit sympathy while telling these anecdotes. Nor did I feel like she was wallowing in a 'woe is me' sort of way. The writing is very direct, almost to the point of being curt. There simply isn't enough 'fluff' in the writing for her to be wallowing. And is it really pity-baiting if it is a true account of events that actually happened? She is a victim of misogynistic abuse. Even at the peak of her career, she was treated differently than her male counterparts. In interviews, she would be asked about her love life, if her hymen was still intact, and if her boobs were real. Britney states that she wanted to be herself, to be valued for her work, but she felt suffocated under the weight of the media.

Later, Britney would describe her relationship with Justin Timberlake. She genuinely loved him and ended up being used by him to further his solo career, something that would happen again later with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline. I never really liked Justin Timberlake. I was a Backstreet Boys girlie, and didn't really care for NSYNC. I hated his ugly ramen hair, and after the Janet Jackson debacle, I really didn't care for him. Listening to Britney's memoir makes me feel even more justified in my dislike. He treated her like shit, implying that she had broken his heart when, in reality, he was constantly cheating on her. Britney admits to cheating once, when she just kissed someone, but that has nothing on Justin, who was sleeping with multiple women. Disgusting! What's even more egregious was how, instead of actually comforting her, he just awkwardly strummed his guitar while Britney was curled on the floor, crying and in pain, after aborting the fetus they accidentally conceived. The abortion was a mutual decision, but imagine being in the bathroom in pain while your ugly, ramen-haired boyfriend plays his guitar. He's lucky she didn't hit him over the head with the guitar! Shortly after this, Justin broke up with her. He would later release "Cry Me a River", which implies that Britney cheated on him and broke his heart. Britney would be shamed and reviled for this, while Justin would get away scot-free. What a disgusting, manipulative little man! Later, her father and three men sprung a surprise interview on her—the infamous interview with Diane Sawyer. Britney had no idea what to expect. Diane grilled her on her relationship with Justin, asking what she did to him, causing Britney to essentially breakdown on live TV. Diane was awful for that line of questioning, and her father was complete scum for surprising and forcing his daughter to do that interview. She didn't know why she had to do it, and it was like as if her father wanted her to be humiliated. If there's one thing to be learned from this memoir, it's that the men in Britney's life are complete shitheads.

Moving on, Britney talks about her marriage with Kevin Federline. She ended up having two sons with him, and she absolutely adored her boys, repeatedly saying that she would do anything for them. When her relationship with Kevin began to disintegrate, with Kevin using her to try to launch his (failed) career in rap, he would use her sons as leverage against Britney. If she wanted to see her sons, she would have to do so-and-so, like go to rehab. Kevin portrayed himself as a family man, saying that being a father was the best thing to happen to him, but Britney commented that he was almost never around. Instead, he was obsessed with gaining fame for himself, devoting his hours to his rap music. Britney was eventually forced to be the one to file for divorce. Kevin didn't want to. And because she was the one divorcing him, she was shat upon in the media. After her beloved aunt passed away and Kevin wasn't letting her see her sons, Britney decided to shave her head. I remember this happening when I was in elementary school. The pictures of a bald Britney were plastered everywhere in the media. She was absolutely crucified for this, being viewed as crazy and unhinged. I remember it being the type of situation where you would watch and laugh. Everyone thought her humiliation was hilarious. The paparazzi were practically slavering at the time, absolutely giddy with malicious delight as they documented Britney's meltdown. I remember one of my friend's moms being a big Britney fan. After this happened, she took all of her Britney CDs, placed them on the driveway, and ran them over to destroy them. Looking back, that was an absolutely insane response to Britney's supposed breakdown. (To be fair, my friend's family was kind of weird. They were Mormons, and I feel like even for Mormons, they were strange.) I've since lost contact with that friend, but I wonder if her mother has read this memoir and how she feels now, knowing the context of Britney's actions. As I mentioned before, Britney was viewed as being totally unhinged, but I feel like her response wasn't crazy at all. In abusive relationships, the abuse victim often seems to be the aggressor because they are constantly antagonized until they finally lash out. I feel like it's the same in Britney's case. At this point, anything she did would be criticized. The paparazzi were constantly hounding her; she lost her aunt, and she had her babies taken away from her. Really, it's impressive that she didn't lash out more. She recounts a moment where she was asked over and over by a paparazzo how she felt about not being able to see her kids. The paparazzo was smiling as he did this. Britney snapped and attacked his car with an umbrella. She admits that she shouldn't have done this, but all I could think was that if I were in her place, I would have probably attacked the paparazzo.

In this last part of the memoir, we enter the conservatorship portion of Britney's life. Conservatorships are supposed to be for people who cannot function without outside help. They were created with disabled people in mind, who needed someone to help manage their finances and schedule their lives. Britney was nowhere near this. She was struggling with grief, but she was still a functioning adult. This is something she would repeat, pointing out that she could perform on an insanely packed schedule during her residency in Las Vegas but was still viewed as incapable of handling her own life. Her father set up a conservatorship for Britney as a means of control. This way, he could control every aspect of her life and, more importantly, be in charge of her money. This was done without her consent. He ended up moving into her house, and Britney describes the start of her conservatorship as her dad setting up his office, sitting at his desk, and saying, "I'm Britney Spears now." At this point, I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook. Britney wasn't allowed to choose what she ate, what she wore, when she slept, and more. She even had to be accompanied to the bathroom. Every hour of her life was supervised. Britney talks about how she mentally regressed during the conservatorship to being almost like a child due to the way she was treated. She wanted to keep her head low and do what she was told so that she could see her kids. She constantly reiterates that everything she did was for her kids. She was willing to spend years suffering if it meant that she could see her sons. Any attempts to get help from family members failed. They brushed her off. Britney mentions that during this time, she genuinely felt like her family wanted her dead. Whenever she pushed back, she was punished. Once, when she was shown some choreography for a show, she asked to remove one dance move because she felt like it would be too hard for her to perform at her age. Just this one thing resulted in her father sending her to rehab, threatening to take her to court and humiliate her if she didn't comply. Britney mentions the Free Britney movement. She states that after years of being told 'no' and losing the ability to believe in herself, seeing people on the outside advocate for her meant the world. She thanks everyone who believed in her, saying that they saved her life. She talks about how scared she was when she called 911 for help and later when she gave her statement during her court hearing.

The book ends with Britney recounting recent events. It was written before her breakup with Sam Asghari, so hearing her gush about him and how much he means to her was a little awkward. She mentions briefly her weird posts on social media, which I thought was funny. Britney explains that, yes, they're weird, but it's a way for her to express herself freely after so many years. Frankly, after listening to this memoir, I think that she should do strange little dances while twirling fake knives to her heart's content. It's the least she deserves after so much suffering. Overall, I really enjoyed her memoir. The audiobook was fantastic. Michelle Williams does an amazing job narrating it. I'd highly recommend listening to it if you get the chance. One thing that stuck out to me while listening to it was that often times Britney would preface statements with things like 'you might not like this' or 'you might think bad of me because of this'. After being under scrutiny her entire life, it was like as if she was hyper-aware of any potential criticisms and felt the need to preemptively apologize for her existence. As I mentioned before, a common critique I see of this memoir is the writing. I'll admit that the writing style isn't the best. It could be pretty repetitive. Going from one anecdote to the next made it feel almost like a list, in a way. However, I think I didn't have as much of an issue with this because I listened to it. Perhaps reading it would be more annoying? Anyway, I'd recommend this memoir. I think it's worth the read. I'm not a Britney stan by any means, but after listening to this, if I ever see Jamie Spears, Justin Timberlake, or Kevin Federline, it's on sight!! They better watch their backs!

The Light Fantastic is the second book in the Discworld series and second book in the Rincewind arc. It follows Rincewind and Twoflower doing stuff. Or something. I'll be real, I'm writing this review nine days after finishing this book and I remember nothing about it lmao. I do remember thinking that it was slightly better than the first book, but still maintain the opinion that you could just skip these two entries.

Earthlings is a short novel that follows Natsuki, a young girl who spent her summers up in the rural mountains of Nagano. She dreams of another planet called Popinpobopia and believes that she has magical powers granted to her by her hedgehog plushie, Piyyut. She uses these powers to cope with terrible events in her life and makes a pact with her cousin Yuu to survive, no matter what. Now an adult, Natsuki struggles to conform to society and when everything comes to a head, she returns to the mountains of Nagano and recalls her pact with Yuu.

Well this was a bizarre book. I knew going into it that it was dark but uhhh.... huh. You have to admire the audacity of Murata lmao. Similar to Convenience Store Woman, Earthlings examines themes of alienation and conformity in society. However, Convenience Store Woman feels very tame in comparison to this book. Convenience Store Woman is like driving along a country road. It's not paved and a little bumpy, but still mostly straightforward. Meanwhile, Earthlings is like taking a hard left and driving off of a cliff. It explores societal expectations and what 'taboo' really means. What makes something taboo? Is it the action itself or society's reaction to it? For instance, pedophilia is taboo, but many people turn a blind eye to it or make excuses, while raising more of a fuss over a woman in her mid-30s who doesn't conform to (Japanese) society's expectations. Pedophilia obviously should be more taboo, but people are uncomfortable with confronting it and the horrors of reality, and so will do their utmost best to ignore it. Instead, they will focus on what is easier to confront. Murata contrasts the absurdity between characters constantly nagging Natsuki about having children with the lukewarm response to her confession of being sexually abused as a child, with most people outright denying that it ever happened.

I gave this a 3.5 in terms of enjoyment. However, I can easily see myself raising the star rating later. Although it was very heavy-handed in its themes, I found it to be pretty thought-provoking. I think of the two, I prefer Convenience Store Woman just because I related to the book more, as a weirdo who used to work at a convenience store. However, Earthlings has given me more to think about. I listened to this via audiobook and thought it was fine. Although the ending of this book is pretty shocking in terms of content, I actually found the first half of the book more uncomfortable to listen to. The ending with Natsuki and friends live laugh loving in the Nagano countryside is technically more 'gross' but the scenes with Natsuki and her tutor disturbed me infinitely more.

Cormoran Strike is a broke private detective down on his luck. A few months earlier, famous model Lula Landry fell to her death from her apartment balcony. Her death was ruled a suicide by police. However, her adopted brother believes that she was murdered and he turns to Comoran to investigate.

After rereading Harry Potter this year, I decided to move on to Rowling's other works. One of my fellow book club members is a big fan of the Strike books, so I was excited to give them a try. I'm happy to report that I liked it! The Cuckoo's Calling is a fair-play mystery, although I wasn't able to solve it while reading. Admittedly, I wasn't trying too hard and was having fun pointing fingers at anyone and everyone. Anytime anyone said anything vaguely suspicious, I was like, ">:O !! They're the murderer!". The book was a bit different from most other mysteries I've read, where there wasn't really any sense of urgency until the end. Most of the book is just Cormoran wandering across London to interview people. However, I enjoyed it and liked the way Rowling characterized Robin and Cormoran. I really like it when authors take the time to describe a character's more mundane actions. It gives the story some time to breathe and lets readers sit with the characters and get a better sense of them. Although I once heard someone describe this series as Robin being Rowling's self-insert and Cormoran being her ideal husbando, so that made me scrutinize all of their interactions lol. I don't really see the appeal, but good for her I guess lmao. I'm excited to continue on with the series. I've heard one of the later books deals with internet subcultures and fandom bullshit, which sounds highly entertaining.

Lillian and Madison were roommates and best friends at an elite boarding school until a scandal sent Lillian packing her bags for home. Since then, they've kept in touch as pen pals. Lillian's life has languished while wealthy and successful Madison became even richer and more successful following her marriage to a Tennessee senator. One day, Madison sends a letter asking for Lillian's help. With nothing better to do, Lillian travels to Madison's estate and learns that Madison wants her to act as a nanny for her two step-children, Roland and Bessie. Lillian readily agrees before she learns that Roland and Bessie aren't like other kids. When they get upset, they catch on fire. Lillian must learn how to connect with these kids all while keeping their secret safe, as Madison's husband is at the peak of his political career and can't afford any controversies.

Listened to this via audiobook. Originally, I liked this book but after thinking more about it, it has soured a little in my mind. It's one of those cutesy quirky books whose primary themes are of family and acceptance. The story goes exactly the way you'd expect it to. The kids are cute but overall, the characters felt pretty one-dimensional. The writing was kind of repetitive but easy to read. It's an okay book, however a few things about it annoyed me. For one, the ending felt too abrupt, easy, and saccharine. It was very rushed and wrapped things up a little too neatly for my taste. Additionally, I was a little annoyed by the relationship between Lillian and Madison. Minor spoilers, but basically the reason why Lillian gets kicked out of school is because of Madison. Lillian grew up poor with a neglectful mother. Meanwhile, Madison is incredibly priviledged and wealthy. Even if she got into trouble, she could easily fail her way to success because of her family's wealth and connections. Lillian didn't have this sort of safety net, so her taking the fall for Madison pissed me off. Lillian and Madison have a conversation about this, but it felt very unsatisfactory. In my opinion, it didn't really resolve much. Maybe it says something about me as a person, but I would 100% be a bitter bitch about losing out on opportunities because a dumb rich girl decided to act like a dumb rich girl. Instead, Lillian acts like an absolute simp, constantly going on about Madison's beauty, despite the way Madison has hurt her.

Equal Rites is the 3rd book in the satirical fantasy Discworld series. Within this world, only men can be wizards but after a mixup at her birth, young Eskarina receives a wizard staff. Under the watchful eye of local witch Granny Weatherwax, Eskarina grows up, not aware that she's a wizard. Instead, Granny tries to mold Eskarina into a witch, as women can't be wizards, after all. Magical mishaps ensue and Eskarina learns that just because something has always been one way, doesn't mean that it always should.

Pleasantly surprised by this book. After the slog that is the first two books, Equal Rites feels like the first 'proper' Discworld book. (Honestly, you could probably skip the first two Rincewind novels.) The Rincewind books have some male gaze-y aspects to them, as expected from older fantasy, so I was surprised by the feminist angle of this novel. I liked Esk and Granny Weatherwax and appreciated that Pratchett explored the ways both men and women gatekeep women. I feel like sometimes books brush over the fact that women often enforce patriarchical values against other women. And usually, they are a lot more vicious about it in comparison to the way they act around non-conforming men. It's a 'crabs in a bucket' sort of mentality, I suppose. Anyway, I liked watching Granny Weatherwax grow from trying to force Esk to be a witch to changing her mind and helping Esk on her journey to become the world's first female wizard. I listened to this via audiobook, so I missed out on some of Pratchett's clever wordplays, but overall I enjoyed the book's humor and thought it was a fun read.

Well, this was certainly a book that I read. I don't really have much to say aside from a shrug and 'Eh, it was fine'. The Phantom of the Opera is a romance/gothic horror classic that follows the tale of opera singer Christine Daaé, Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, and Erik, the mysterious entity believed to be haunting a Parisian opera house. It's more well-known for its various musical and film adaptations, probably for a good reason because the book itself was... fine? Not underwhelming, not overwhelming, just a very 'whelming' experience. It took me a bit to track down the translator of the novel. Apparently it's because the translation is now in the public domain, and according to this site, it's also the worst translation lmao. Oops? Although, I'm not sure if a different translation will make me feel any different about the story. Perhaps, perhaps not. I didn't like how passive Christine was and thought Raoul was an obnoxious, selfish brat. I thought he was annoying the moment he first appeared but when he freaked out at Christine and started calling her a whore, he was dead to me. I was rooting for Erik push him down some stairs or something but alas. Erik himself was more interesting. A weird, proto-incel sort of character. He was absolutely pathetic, constantly clinging to Christine's legs, crying and begging to be loved. Maybe that's why The Phantom of the Opera girlies like him so much. If you like melodramatic pitiful men, maybe you'd find him appealing. That is, if you're able to overlook him being kind of a psychopath.

Godkiller is (allegedly) an adult fantasy novel. I say allegedly because this reads like poorly written YA. Anyway, this mess of a novel is told from four different POVs. After her family was murdered by the followers of a fire god, Kissen becomes a godkiller, and roams the lands killing gods for pay. Inara is the young heir to a noble house and has a small amnesiac god, Skediceth, bound to her. Elogast is a former knight commander turned baker, seeking to move on from his past. All these characters meet to travel on a journey to the abandoned capital city as they are hunted down by monsters and a conspiracy to restore the gods to their former glory unravels.

This book is kinda dogshit. The writing is ass. The characters are ass. The story is incomprehensible and falls apart if you take a second to think about it. And the worlbuilding is also ass. I was scrolling through reviews on Goodreads and was absolutely baffled by the amount of reviews praising the story and writing. Like, did we read the same book? The prose is so clunky! The characters are simultaneously one-dimensional but also inconsistently written. I don't know how the author managed to do this, but she did. Take Kissen for example. She's supposed to be the lone wolf with a heart of gold but flips back and forth between somewhat grumpy and quippy. Her characterization doesn't fit with her supposed past. She doesn't 'feel' traumatized or like her circumstances had any impact on her character. She doesn't feel like an experienced mercenary, but rather like a Tumblr post personified. She has that same smug aura of a Tumblr user who mistakes sarcasm for intelligence. She smirks a lot and is super good at fighting despite having a prosthetic leg. I'm all for disability rep, but come on. I originally assumed she was a lesbian because she was flirting with a female barkeep near the beginning, so I thought I was safe from a romantic subplot between her and Elogast but alas. It turns out she's bisexual and the author forced a romantic relationship between them because of course she had to. Neither of them had any chemistry and there was zero buildup to their relationship. One chapter they're enemies, the next they're super horny for each other. Normally, I don't mind a romantic subplot but this was egregious. The sex scene also came out of nowhere and was incredibly awkward. I formally petition all authors to stop describing the clitoris as a 'nub'. Thank you.

As for the other characters, Elogast had the personality of a cardboard box. He felt incredibly innocent and inexperienced for a former knight commander. Inara was there for her plot convenience powers. I wasn't sure how old she was supposed to be because the author isn't good at characterization. Skedi was the most interesting of the bunch and even then, there was very little depth to him. Each chapter is told from a different POV, but if it weren't for the chapter headings, I wouldn't have been able to tell whose POV I was reading from. Instead of focusing on the perspective of one character, the author would also describe the feelings and actions of other characters. I feel like she should have either limited the POV to one character, or learn what 3rd person omniscient is and just write from that perspective.

The plot was dumb and didn't really make much sense. Things happened because the author needed them to happen to move along the story. The worldbuilding was very shallow. The author sets up the world as having all these gods, but she does nothing to explore the impact of these gods, why they exist, or how they are formed. Like, are they essentially tulpas or did they exist before humanity? Humans can 'create' new gods through their devotion, and she does nothing to explore this. The level of technology in the world was confusing. On one hand, you have wheelchairs and very advanced prosthetics. On the other hand, you have people riding horses and dumping their chamberpots out the window. Technology can progress at different rates in different areas, but it felt like the author didn't really think things through. Shouldn't the living gods have an impact on technology? Why is there a god of broken sandals but not a god of wheelchairs or whatever?

I read this for book club and our consensus was that it was bad and needed to be edited more. (I argued that an editor couldn't have saved this book, what with all of the logical inconsistencies, poor characterization, and nonsensical plot. I saw a review describe this book as reading like a high schooler's first draft, which is accurate. This story should have stayed on Kaner's hard drive.) I'm not even sure if this book was edited. There was a point when Inara met Kissen and Inara knew Kissen's name before she should have. Like, how do you miss that?? Anyway, this book was bad. Wouldn't recommend. The only good things about it are the cover and short length. The best part was when it ended.

Since it was October, I felt like it was the perfect time to finally read Dracula. For some reason, I never realized that Dracula was an epistolary novel. Even though I've heard of Dracula Daily before, I never made the connection. Epistolary novels aren't my favorite, but I enjoyed Dracula overall. It's nice to have finally read the book and see how it's influenced vampires in pop culture. It was pretty interesting to see how the Victorian views on gender and sexuality are explored within the book. Dracula and his brides threatening to suck Jonathan's blood? And he's all too willing to submit to the brides? My oh my, how scandalous! I thought that the dynamic between Mina Harker and the men were interesting, where she was simultaneously infantilized but also was used as a mother figure of sorts to comfort the men during their distress. Normally I'd be annoyed by this sort of dynamic, but I think the men constantly praising Mina and emphasizing how much they wanted to protect her offset any annoyance. They genuinely wanted to shield her from Dracula but circumstances kept forcing her involvement. I was pleasantly surprised by how much influence Mina had on the plot overall. I was expecting her to be a damsel in distress, but she was highly intelligent and brave, and she even accompanied the men to Dracula's castle.

After reading Guns of the Dawn, I was in the mood to reread Pride and Prejudice and had a great time. I forgot how funny this book can be. The scene between Lizzy and Mr Collins was hilarious and I enjoyed how headstrong Lizzy was during the confrontation with Lady Catherine. I forgot how infuriating Lydia was. She's an absolute idiot, but I almost felt bad for her by the end of the book. Almost. This is the one and only book I've read by Jane Austen but I'd like to read her other works in the future.

Guns of the Dawn is a flintlock fantasy following gentlewoman Emily Marshwic of Lascanne. After revolutionaries in the neighboring country of Denland assassinate the Denland king, conflict breaks out between the two nations. At first, all seems well and like the conflict will be resolved in a matter of months. But as the war draws on, more and more men and boys are conscripted until there are none left. And so the unthinkable happens: Lascanne women are conscripted to fight for their country. Emily joins the military to serve her country. Between deadly battles and marches through unending swamp, Emily fears for the lives of her loved ones and begins to doubt her country's cause. As the swamp presses in around her, it seems like the only thing that keeps her sane is her strange correspondence with an old family enemy, Mr Northway.

Really enjoyed this! It's my first Adrian Tchaikovsky, and it certainly won't be my last. I read this for book club and everyone liked it. It was my pick, so good job me! I first heard about this book being pitched as 'Jane Austen meets flintlock fantasy' and was instantly intrigued. The most standout aspect to this book is the atmosphere. Tchaikovsky does an amazing job in depicting the oppressive, drowning heat of the swamp. One of the book club members actually complained that he was too good at it. She was excited for summer to finally be over but reading this book made her feel hot lol. I really loved Emily as a character. When people try to make 'strong female characters', she is what they wish they could make. She is highly intelligent and quick to adapt to situations, but is also vulnerable and not without her own weaknesses. I really admired her sense of justice and how 'genteel' she was. Typical aristocrats are posh selfish assholes, but Emily truly wants the best for her country and to protect and serve the interests of her people. Emily joins the army out of a sense of duty, instead of sending a servant to die in her place, like the other wellborn Lascanne women. I enjoyed her humor and wit. Her verbal spars with Mr Northway were hilarious. Speaking of which, I also really liked Mr Northway. He is unapologetically not a great person. He's pretty manipulative but is always honest with Emily and strives to do better for her. At the beginning of the book, you dislike him as much as Emily does but by the end, he becomes a character you sympathize with.

I appreciated the way Tchaikovsky examined what would happen if women were suddenly conscripted into a male-dominated army. He doesn't shy away from the bad aspects, but in a way that doesn't feel voyeuristic. This might be unfair of me, but I usually expect the worst when it comes to male authors writing women and women's issues, so I was pleasantly surprised while reading this. I also liked the way he examines power and corruption, and how it's always the poor majority that suffers from the decisions of a rich minority. The book's pacing is very slow, but I didn't mind. It's very much a slow-burn, especially the first quarter of the book. If you're fine with that and are looking for a chunky standalone fantasy, I'd recommend!

Listened to this via the Jim Dale audiobook. And so concludes my reread of the Harry Potter books! I had a great time, and it was so nostalgic to revisit the entire series for the first time since I was a child. As for the 7th book, I liked it overall. I felt like the last 3/4 of the book was particularly strong, notably from when Harry views Snape's memories to the walk to Voldemort. I felt like Rowling did a great job of showcasing Harry's emotions as he confronted his impending death. This book felt a lot different than all of the other books. Obviously, because it's not a school book, but also the pacing felt a little odd. There was an ebb and flow to the story. Some parts dragged while others, like the Malfoy Manor part, felt almost rushed. Although, I suppose overall, this book was pretty fast-paced. I think things mainly felt slow because of all of the infighting between the trio.

Reading this a second time, the deaths weren't as shocking. It was the anticipation that was the worst. Although I was a little shocked by how many people died in this book. Like yes, thinking about each individual character, I remembered who died, but all together... jeez! Voldemort has nothing on Rowling's kill count lmao. I'm more sympathetic to Dumbledore this time around, but I still don't like him. Rowling did an amazing job with him. What a complex character! Ron was atrocious. He's always been my least favorite of the trio, but he was such a whiny manchild in this book. Truly pathetic! I don't like that he and Hermione ended up together (because I don't like him), but aside from that, I don't really have any thoughts towards the infamous epilogue. I feel like the reaction to it was overblown. I understand why Rowling ended it that way, and I felt like it did a decent job showing the world healing and moving on.

Aaaaand that's a wrap on my reread! I probably won't touch any of the extra books in the HP universe, and I'll continue to pretend that the Cursed Child doesn't exist. Here's my final ranking of the series, in order of most favorite to least favorite: HP2 > HP3 > HP1 > HP4 > HP6/HP7 > HP5.

The Old Woman with the Knife follows an aging assassin, or 'disease control specialist', named Hornclaw. After a lifetime of hardships and contract killing, she's nearing the end of her career. However, while out on a job, she makes a mistake that may prove fatal and endanger not only her, but an innocent family.

I thought that this was solidly okay. I wasn't really invested in the plot, but I enjoyed reading it as a character study of an older Korean woman. Hornclaw can be abrasive and is painfully aware of how her aging body is starting to fail her. She lives a mostly detached lifestyle but has some personal quirks that round out her character. I enjoyed the commentary on how Korean society treats the elderly, especially old women. The elderly are expected to blend in and not get in the way. Acting in a way that draws the attention (or more likely the discomfort) of other people is considered 'shameful'. Hornclaw uses this perception of the elderly to her advantage, all while matter-of-factly observing the way younger people recoil from her just because she's old. South Korea in general is a shit place to be a woman, but especially an old woman (see: the high poverty and suicide rates amongst the elderly).

The Color of Magic is the first book in the Discworld series and follows the wizard Rincewind on a series of mishaps and adventures. I had my expectations tempered going into this book. I've heard that this book wasn't that great, but I still wasn't impressed. It's a pretty mediocre start to such a well-regarded series. The plot wasn't that coherent, the humor was lacking, and the characters weren't interesting. The only thing truly interesting about this book was the worldbuilding. I can definitely understand why it isn't recommended for new readers to start here. I'd definitely recommend starting with "Guards! Guards!" like I did. Anyway, I'll still be continuing on with Discworld in publication order. I'm hoping to get "The Light Fantastic" over with quickly so that I can move on to "Equal Rites", which sounds more interesting.

Listened to this via the Jim Dale audiobook. I was pleasantly surprised upon finishing this book. I remember it being my least favorite, mainly because I was devastated by Dumbledore's death as a kid lol. I liked this book a lot better on a reread. It focused a lot on character relationships, which I enjoyed. I liked Harry and Ginny's relationship more this time, and I found the dynamic between Fleur and the Weasleys to be pretty funny. Ginny was actually pretty entertaining. The movies did her dirty. I also liked the exploration of Voldemort's past and how he and Harry are foils. During the scene between Harry and Snape after Dumbledore's death, Harry repeatedly called Snape a coward. I remember in the 7th book, he eventually ends up naming his son after Snape (named after the two bravest men he's known or whatever), which I think is a nice callback. I will say that overall, I found this book to be pretty repetitive. It was mainly just Harry chasing after Malfoy like a dog after its own tail, and everyone being like "No, Harry, you're just being weird for suspecting Malfoy and Snape". For me, it's the 2nd weakest book, with the 5th being the weakest so far. Curious to see how book 7 will rank. I only read it once, when it first came out.

The Last Word is a thriller following a woman named Emma Carpenter. After a traumatic event in the past, Emma has decided to house-sit a remote beach home with her golden retriever, Laika. She spends her time reading, communicating with her enigmatic neighbor, Deek, over whiteboard messages, and contemplating suicide. One day, she reads a horribly written horror novel by indie author H. G. Kane. After posting a 1-star review on Amazon, she gets into an argument with Kane online. Following this incident, she starts to notice creepy things at night and wonders just how much of Kane's books are fiction and if the author has decided to hunt her down.

Listened to this via audiobook. I originally heard about this book being pitched as a 'reverse Misery' of sorts, so I was instantly intrigued. This book won't be for everyone, but I found it to be highly entertaining and surprisingly funny. The author doesn't take this book too seriously, and neither should you. As long as you can suspend your disbelief, it's a fun time. Normally, I often critique characters in thrillers. They tend to be pretty weak but in The Last Word, I felt like they were all developed. Emma was a resourceful protagonist and Laika was the goodest girl ever. The 'conversations' Emma would have with Laika were really cute. H. G. Kane was absolutely hilarious. Can't say I've ever read a book featuring a fedora-wearing, katana-wielding incel, but Adams made it work. The book is filled with twists and turns, and while some of the twists were predictable, overall the book was really fun. Adams does a good job of building up suspense, especially in the beginning, when you're just waiting for shit to hit the fan. The ending did drag a little, not because it was boring but because things kept happening. Still, I found the ending to be satisfying overall. I would highly recommend the audiobook for this. The book is split into two different narrators: a woman for Emma's perspective and a man for the book being written about the events. The two narrations interact in funny ways, either by contradicting each other or dropping a twist that affects the other. Both narrators did an excellent job. The little lilt the woman narrator would have while saying 'm'lady' made me giggle every time.

The Honjin Murders is a classic Japanese locked-room mystery first published in the 1940s. It follows amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi as he is called to a remote village to investigate a grisly crime. The Ichiyanagi family is a wealthy and prestigious family in the village. The Ichiyanagi son is set to be married, but on the night of his wedding, it is discovered that both the bride and groom have been murdered in a seemingly impossible crime. A bloody sword is found outside in the snow, and yet there are no footprints nearby. With the exception of a few bloody fingerprints, there seems to be no trace of the killer and no real leads for suspects, aside from rumors of a strange three-fingered man spotted earlier.

I thought this was fine. If you like locked-room mysteries, then consider picking this up. My favorite aspect of the book was the setting. It takes place in the 1930s in rural Japan. Reading about Japan pre-globalization was interesting and I enjoyed the exploration of the social anxieties of the time period. As for the actual mystery, it was alright I guess. I can't really say how 'solvable' this book is because I didn't make any attempt to solve it while reading lol. I was definitely 'no thoughts, head empty' while reading this. I thought the reveal was a bit silly, but I got the feeling that the author wasn't taking this book too seriously. It's more of an homage to classic mysteries and the author name-drops quite a few.

Braiding Sweetgrass is a collection of essays by Potawatomi botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer. The essays primarily focus on the environment and humanity's relationship to nature and are part philosophical, part environmental, and part memoir.

Listened to this via audiobook, which was narrated by the author. Would highly recommend 'reading' it this way. She has a really soothing voice lol. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The writing was very beautiful. I enjoyed listening to Kimmerer's perspective as a Potawatomi Native American, and I appreciated her realistic yet optimistic take on environmentalism. I thought the anecdotes about her family were sweet, and I appreciated her discussion of motherhood. I really liked her conversation about how indigenous culture and knowledge are disregarded by science for being 'unscientific'. Indigenous ways of knowing are viewed as 'lesser' and 'primitive', and yet this knowledge is based on millennia of observation and testing. She provides an example of how indigenous tribes would harvest certain plants and burn certain areas in order to promote healthier growth. But because the land is no longer being tended in this manner and because of industrialization, the health of forests, grasslands, and marshes has deteriorated. Even rewilding efforts led by scientists have fallen short of mimicking the biodiversity of the past. However, by adapting indigenous methods of cultivation, the overall success of rewilding could be improved. Kimmerer acknowledges that getting the land back to the state it was pre-industrialization is probably impossible, but combining indigenous knowledge with western science would benefit the environment and humanity's relationship to it.

I've seen some other reviews complain that this book is repetitive. I suppose it is, in a way. A lot of the essays deal with similar topics and are structured in similar ways. However, while the overall subject of the essays is similar (usually about the environment in some way), the 'focus' of each essay is different. Some focus on motherhood, others on consumerism and capitalism, and others on the history and treatment of indigenous peoples. Personally, I didn't find this book to be repetitive, but I can see why some might. Anyway, I highly recommend this book. Ignoring rereads, this is the first 5 star I've given this year and it's definitely my favorite book so far. After constantly being inundated by environmental doomerism, reading this book was almost a healing experience.

Killers of a Certain Age is a thriller following a group of old ladies. After devoting their lives to being assassins, they are finally ready to retire. However, while on a cruise, they are targeted by another assassin who works for the same group they did. It seems like their old organization has placed a hit on them, and it's up to them to figure out why before it's too late.

I listened to this via audiobook and thought that it was fine overall. Entertaining but nothing too special. I mainly wanted a quick summer read, and this book fits the bill perfectly. My favorite part of the book was the discussion around aging and ageism, particularly for women. After a certain age, older women become invisible in society's eyes, something that the characters used to their advantage.

Read this for a book club. Shuna's Journey is an 'emonogatari' or illustrated story (so not quite a manga or graphic novel), published by Hayao Miyazaki in the 1980s. It was translated into English recently. Inspired by a Tibetan folktale, Shuna's Journey follows the titular character, Shuna, as he travels to distant lands in search of a fabled golden grain to feed his people. I'm not super familiar with Studio Ghibli movies, but according to other members of the book club, you can see precursors to Miyazaki's later works in this story. The story itself was okay. It was neat learning about folklore I'm unfamiliar with, and the themes of slavery/imperialism were interesting. My favorite aspect of this book was the watercolor illustrations. This book is pretty light on text and relies primarily on pictures to tell the story. You can definitely tell that Miyazaki envisioned this as a movie first before adapting it to comic form. I also enjoyed the creativity in Miyazaki's worldbuilding and the strangeness of the land of the gods. I'd recommend checking this out if you're a fan of Miyazaki's work. It's a really quick read.

I have a confession to make. Self-help books are a guilty pleasure of mine. Are they all kind of the same? Yes. Do they all generally talk about things that are common sense? Also yes. Will I keep reading them? Unfortunately, yes. Daring Greatly is a self-help book that examines vulnerability and shame, two things that I struggle with. It's what attracted me to the book in the first place. I thought that this book was fine. A bit too fluffy. Like most self-help books, it's also way too long. This definitely could have been a nice article or something. I feel like the first part was the strongest but then it dragged on and on. I will admit that I liked the parenting chapter. Not a parent, nor do I plan to be one anytime soon, but I found the author's anecdotes about her children to be really sweet.

Author June Hayward has a complicated relationship with Athena Liu. Athena is everything June wants to be: pretty, well-liked, and most importantly, wildly successful. After June's debut novel flops, she harbors a simmering resentment towards Athena. So when Athena accidentally dies, June makes the impulsive decision to steal Athena's manuscript for her next novel. She passes off Athena's work as her own and allows her publisher to rebrand herself as the more ethnically ambiguous Juniper Song. The book becomes an instant bestseller and June revels in its success. However, Athena's ghost seems to follow her wherever she goes. June faces increasing scrutiny as she must protect her secrets or risk losing the success she so desperately desires.

Yellowface is an entertaining satirical contemporary novel (perhaps it might even count as a thriller?). When compared to Babel, I feel like the character work here is leagues better. The book is a fascinating character study of June Hayward, and depicts an entitled white liberal woman whose inherent belief that she is a good person blinds her to her own bigoted failings. I've certainly met people like June in real life and Kuang does an excellent job of showing the mental gymnastics people will go through to justify their actions. The book is written in 1st person from June's POV. At times during her narration, she does such a good job of rationalizing her actions that, for a second, I could sympathize with her until I took a step back and remembered just how unhinged and delusional June was. Watching her dig herself into a deeper hole was both frustrating and entertaining. It was like a train wreck you couldn't look away from. June's narration was by far the highlight of this book. I also enjoyed the critique of the publishing industry and Kuang's poking fun at bookish social media (primarily Book Twitter, which is an absolute mess). As someone who used to keep up with drama in the bookish community, I found her parody to be very amusing. Although if you're not as terminally online, I'm not sure how much you'll get out of her satire. Like Babel, Kuang's commentary is very heavy-handed and on the nose but in this case, I didn't mind. It fit the setting and Kuang did an excellent job replicating the ouroboros-like nature of Book Twitter, where the users rabidly eat each other in perpetuity.

However, aside from June, I felt like the other characters were one-note, bordering on caricatures. Character work is still one of Kuang's weaknesses, which is unfortunate because I am a character-driven reader. Sure, you could make the argument that one-note characters are common in thrillers but still, I wish Kuang would have done more with them. Characters still very much feel like mouthpieces to illustrate points made by the author. While I liked the meta aspect in relation to the publishing industry and social media, I also felt a little mixed about it in other regards. Athena Liu felt like a representation of R.F. Kuang herself. Like Kuang, she's a rich Chinese Yale graduate who is one of the biggest Asian authors in the publishing industry. Other Goodreads reviews do a better job of explaining this but in the book, some criticisms levied against Athena resembled criticisms Kuang herself has faced. Whether or not those critiques are valid is debatable but in the book, these critiques are generally dismissed as being made by jealous, uneducated white people whereas in real life, it's usually other Asian people making the critiques. This aspect of the book felt really weird to me. Using characters to acknowledge and then disregard criticism that mirrors her own felt borderline... egotistical. I'm not quite sure if 'egotistical' is the word I'm looking for, but it felt like Kuang couldn't separate herself from the text which soured the satirical meta element for me. Despite these faults, I decided to give Yellowface 3/5 stars because ultimately I found it to be an entertaining read. However, I don't think R.F. Kuang is the author for me. Unless I get serious FOMO or something, I'll probably skip her future releases.

Edit: I've decided to drop this down to 2 stars. After a few months, the negatives of this book have ultimately stuck with me.

Following the end of WWI, Rin and her circus travel across the midwest to perform and provide joy in an increasingly bleak world. Rin's circus is no ordinary circus. Its performers are all 'Sparks', or people with mysterious magical abilities. Rin herself has a Spark that allows her to travel across great distances and time. All seems well until one of Rin's friends, a woman with the ability to view potential timelines, foretells of an oncoming war to rival that of the Great War. Rin and her friends seek to stop this war, all while being hunted down by Rin's enemy, the cruel Circus King.

Another book read for book club and another flop lol. It was a 50/50 split between people who gave this 2 stars versus 3 stars. We all weren't that impressed. I found the characters to be very boring and the plot to be kind of stupid. The book is split into two timelines, one during WWI and one before WWII. The first timeline was the most interesting but the second one is the primary focus of the book. In general, I hate 'we have to stop WWII!' plotlines. At best, I find them to be silly and at worst incredibly insensitive. This book lands more on the silly side of the spectrum. Rin and her friends want to stop WWII but no matter what they do or when they jump in time, nothing stops the oncoming war. By the end, they just kind of... give up? It makes the storyline seem incredibly pointless. The ending itself was pretty dumb. I don't hate happy endings by any means but it felt incredibly forced, especially considering that the characters know that WWII is imminent and that millions will die. I understand what the author was trying to say with the ending. 'To focus on every passing day and not worry about the future you have no control over' or whatever but it seems gauche given the context of the book. It felt like the author wrote herself into a corner.

Anyway, as I mentioned before, the characters were incredibly bland. They all felt one-note and like props to either assist or hinder Rin. Rin herself was exhausting to read from the perspective of. She had zero self-esteem and was constantly thinking about how horrible she actually was. This book was just chapter after chapter of Rin being miserable and it was just so tiresome and repetitive. The writing itself wasn't great either. The author was trying to be whimsical and elegant, but her writing came across as over-written and clunky. She was trying to do too much for a 336 page standalone novel. This book would have benefited greatly from substantial editing.

The worldbuilding was pretty nonexistent. In theory, I like historical fantasies but I absolutely hate it when authors introduce a fantastical element that has zero effect on history, culture, or civilization in general. It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine (see: Babel). I feel like if a bunch of people suddenly gained magical abilities, the world would absolutely change. Governments would be chomping at the bit to exploit these magical people and WWII would have probably been accelerated if Germany had control of people with super-strength or the ability to see the future or whatever. Instead, people with Sparks are (for some reason) left alone due to a peace treaty. Like that would ever happen in real life. You could make the argument that things might be different given that this is an alternate history, but considering that literally everything is the same aside from a few budget X-Men running around, I disagree and will continue to be pedantic about my historical fantasies, thank you very much. Speaking of pedantic, this is a nitpick but the language in this book was far too casual for the early-mid 1900s. Some of the slang and swear words used wouldn't be common until later in the 1900s.

Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a nonfiction book about the gaming industry. It follows the making of 10 different video games and illustrates the sheer amount of work and effort it takes to make a single game. From incompetent management, soul-crushing crunches, and technological mishaps, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels demonstrates how it's practically a miracle that any game comes together.

Been meaning to read this for years and I finally got around to it! For those who don't know, the author, Jason Schreier, is a well-known and well-regarded video games journalist. I've been following his work for years and it's all solid stuff. Would recommend keeping an eye on him if you're interested in games or the video games industry. Anyway, this book is really solid! I was mainly interested in the two sections about Dragon Age: Inquisition and Stardew Valley, but the other parts were also fascinating. I always knew that the development of DAI was a mess, but this was a nice (or maybe not so nice) refresher on it. I guess my only complaint is that by the end, the anecdotes about the games were blurring together. Although this isn't really the fault of the author. Fumbling management, meddling execs, technical difficulties, and grinding crunch seems to be depressingly common throughout the industry. I'd love to see a sequel eventually where Schreier tackles the stories behind Overwatch 2 and Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (whenever that releases). I'd recommend this book if you're interested in video game development or if you, at any point in your life, thought that a video game developer was 'lazy'.

Witch King is a new standalone fantasy novel by Martha Wells, famous for her sci-fi novella series, the Murderbot Diaries. If you go into this expecting it to be anything like the Murderbot Diaries, then you are in for a world of disappointment. Witch King follows Kaiisteron, or Kai for short, a demon prince and the eponymous Witch King. The book starts with him waking up in an underwater tomb with his best friend, Ziede. Neither of them know how they got there or how long they have been trapped. After rescuing a girl named Sanja from being sacrificed in a ritual to bind Kai, the three set out on a journey to discover what has happened to them and to find Ziede's missing wife, Tahren. The book is told between two timelines, the past and the present. In the present, Kai works to unravel a conspiracy and figure out who betrayed him while in the past, you learn about Kai's origins and the revolution he was a catalyst for.

I thought that this was solidly okay. It's one of those books that is well put together but nothing about it stands out. The length was a little weird. I feel like it would have worked better if it was either shorter or longer, like in a series. The author tries to work a lot of plot threads and characters into a single book. I think it would have been better to either cut some plotlines and characters out to shorten the book, or give the story room to breathe by expanding everything into at least a duology. As is, it feels like you have a bunch of different characters constantly being thrown at you and you need to be on your toes to keep up. I mean, the dramatis personae has over 30 characters listed for a book just over 400 pages long.

The book is slowly paced, but picks up past the middle. I personally didn't mind the slow pacing. The writing is pretty dense so I think the slower pacing helped to acclimate the reader to the world. The author does not hold your hand in regards to worldbuilding. She throws you face first into the world and expects you to pick up on things as the story progresses. A lot of readers might find this to be confusing, but I love books like this. I find it fun to puzzle together the world just from context clues. However, if you aren't a turbo nerd like me, then you might find reading this book to be a confusing and frustrating experience. While I didn't mind these three aspects, I think a lot of readers won't jive with this book. With the slow pacing + dense, distant writing style + no handholding with worldbuilding, I feel like this book does not have mass appeal. A smaller audience will certainly adore this book, but the broader audience that loves the Murderbot Diaries will probably be disappointed.

All in all, I think that Witch King is a decent book. From a technical standpoint, it's a solidly constructed story. Unfortunately, nothing about it really resonated with me and I don't think I'll think about this book again within a few months.

When the Moon Turns to Blood is a nonfiction book focused on the ongoing Lori Vallow/Chad Daybell case. It examines the backgrounds of the two individuals, their families and friends, as well as the insidious culture of paranoia and religious fanaticism that lurks on the fringes of Mormonism.

Listened to this via audiobook, which was read by the author. I thought she did a good job in narrating. During the pandemic, I went through a brief true crime phase and was obsessed with this case. I first heard about it before the bodies of Tylee and J.J. were found, and have been following it ever since. Overall, I enjoyed this book. However, if you are searching specifically for a true crime book about the case, then this book probably isn't for you. The author spends a lot of time detailing Mormon theology and examining Mormon culture. It's all very interesting but also very dense. If you aren't already familiar with the case, then you might find the book confusing as she jumps back and forth between narrating the incidents leading up to the murders and going on tangents about fundamental Mormonism, cults, doomsday preppers, and more. Plus, the case in and of itself is pretty confusing. There are a lot of people and relations to keep track of.

While I'm not sure if I'd recommend it from a true crime aspect, I greatly enjoyed the way the author set the crimes in context of Mormon history and the dark fundamental/anti-government undercurrent to Mormon culture. I thought the combination of Mormonism and New Age woo-woo to be super fascinating, as well as how the author explained the delusions of Lori, Chad, and their friends. Truly bizarre and interesting. I also appreciated how the author pushed back against people dismissing Lori as being a psychopathic 'murder mommy' by pointing out that plenty of parents in cults have murdered their children, not because they were psychopaths but rather out of twisted love. Now, does this apply to Lori? Who knows, but I really dislike it when people diagnose horrible killers as psychopaths. It's a little hard for me to explain, but it feels almost dismissive and like they're excusing the crimes. Lori may very well be a sociopath or a psychopath but I'm not going to armchair diagnose her as such. Plenty of 'normal' people have committed awful crimes. I also appreciated how the author spent an equal amount of time focusing on Chad Daybell. I feel like a lot of people focus solely on Lori due to the sensationalism of it all. A man murdering kids is just regular news. But a woman, and especially a former beauty pageant queen and a mother? Now that's interesting! They're both sick, delusional freaks but a lot of the coverage focused more on Lori rather than Chad. Anyway, I would recommend this book if you know about the case and are fine with a more sociological study on fundamental Mormonism and religious fanaticism. Oh, another thing I should note is that this book was published in 2022. The case is still ongoing, so it's obviously not all up to date. Lori Vallow Daybell has been found guilty on all criminal charges and faces life in prison. Her sentencing is at the end of July. Chad Daybell has yet to be tried. His trial is set for spring next year, and he might face the death penalty.

Foundryside is the first book in the Founders Trilogy and is set in the city of Tevanne. Sancia is a thief on a job: to steal a mysterious package from a heavily guarded warehouse at the docks. However, she is soon in over her head when she realizes that she actually stole a powerful magical relic that could change the world if it falls into the wrong hands. Someone powerful is after her and the relic, and she must find allies and learn the secrets behind the relic before it's too late.

If I didn't have to read this for a book club, I wouldn't have finished it. All of the book club members were pretty mixed on it. We all agreed that the book had good ideas but poor execution. I appreciated the exploration of themes of exploitation and expectations/learned helplessness. However, I am not a very themes-driven reader and while I liked the conversation around these topics, it didn't make up for a largely mediocre book. The writing wasn't great. The dialogue was bland, which was excruciating because this book is dialogue heavy. Additionally, all of the characters' voices sounded the same. If it wasn't for dialogue tags and paragraph spacing, I wouldn't be able to tell which character was saying what. They all had obnoxious Marvel-esque dialogue filled with "witty" quips. As for the characters themselves, they were incredibly superficial and boring. The romance was poorly done and came out of nowhere. It felt like the author just slapped it in so that he could get brownie points for sapphic representation. The ultimate antagonist of the book was such a caricature that it almost felt offensive. I'd rather take a stereotypical moustache-twirling villain over the antagonist. While I appreciate authors that try to write outside of their lived experience, some (male) authors should just stay in their own lane as they simply cannot write women.

The worldbuilding was strangely info-dumpy and yet shallow at the same time. The author would spend paragraphs upon paragraphs talking about the city but I never really got a feel for it. It simply didn't feel like a fully realized city but rather a vague sketch of a setting. The constant info-dumping about the magic system was annoying and entirely unnecessary. It didn't really add anything to the book and it wasn't even interesting. The book could have been a lot shorter if these info dumps were removed, and the pacing was a lot tighter.

Something that I found to be absolutely aggravating was the use of fake swears. "Scrum" is the book's in-universe alternative to fuck. And holy shit was it sooooooo annoying. First of all, scrum sounds stupid. Just use fuck. It's okay. The author was already using swear words like shit and damn so why not fuck? Second of all, he overused scrum. It felt like every page, I would see that wretched word at least once. By the time I reached the end of the book, my eye was practically twitching whenever I saw it. Also, this is a nitpick but the author used words like "hell" and "goddamn" but as far as I could tell, there wasn't a religion present in the book. Overall, I didn't like this book, wouldn't have finished it if I had the choice, and will not be continuing in the series.

Edit: Dropped this down from 2 to 1.5 because this book wasn't any better than Godkiller.

Listened to this via the Jim Dale audiobook and was pleasantly surprised. I remember being gutted by the ending as a kid, but it actually wasn't that bad this time around. I have a pretty different perspective on things now that I'm older. I felt bad for Harry, but have mixed feelings in regards to Sirius. He was a pretty flawed character, and I really didn't like that he used Harry as a stand-in for James. But, he was also the closest thing Harry had to a father so it made Harry's desperation at the end all the more tragic. All in all, I enjoyed this book, but it definitely isn't my favorite. I think it might be my least favorite book so far. Still good, maybe a 4 or a 4.5/5 if it weren't for Umbridge. She bumps it up to a solid 5. What a fantastic villain! She's so infuriating lol. She's one of those characters you love to hate. Jim Dale did a great job with her voice. Harry was very frustrating this book— impulsive, stubborn, and with anger issues. Not a great combo. Meanwhile, Hermione is the true main character and is always right. Shout out to my girl Hermione. She carried her much stupider friends through the story. Ron was forgettable, but he generally is. Poor lad. Fred and George were great. I remember really disliking Cho when I first read this in elementary school. Not that surprising since a lot of the relationship stuff went over my head. Being a dumb elementary schooler, I didn't understand why she was acting the way she was. I remember really hating the relationship drama in this book but as an adult, I didn't mind it at all. I'm a lot more understanding of Cho and Harry, as well as everyone else. When the book ended, I just felt bad for Cho. Harry was just so clueless and insensitive. Poor girl, she's had a rough two years.

Listened to this via the Jim Dale audiobook. As a child, this was my favorite book in the series but now, I'm not so sure. Knowing what happens kind of removes the excitement from the tournament. Still, I had a good time. I had forgotten that in the book, Dobby is the one that gives Harry the gillyweed. In the movie, it's Neville, which is a change that I like better. It makes more sense since Neville gets the Herbology book from Moody. It was a little amusing noting all of the plot points Rowling was sprinkling in for future books, something that was largely not present in the earlier books. From the end of this book onward, the tone of the series becomes darker. I remember not being a fan of this tonal shift as a kid, so I'm curious to see what I'll think on my reread.

Ancillary Justice is the first book in the Imperial Radch trilogy. It follows a woman named Breq on a remote, icy planet as she searches for something. However, Breq is no ordinary woman but was once the Justice of Torens, the AI for an enormous warship. The book is split into two timelines, where you follow Breq in the present day, and Breq of the past, as the Justice of Torens, as you learn what Breq is searching for and why she is fractured and stuck within one human body.

I thought that this was solidly okay. Not quite sure why it won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, as nothing about it was particularly extraordinary. I enjoyed the split timeline, where the author would smoothly weave both timelines simultaneously into the narrative structure to add tension. I also liked the exploration of identity, with Breq vs. Justice of Torens vs. One Esk. All three individuals are the same 'person' and yet are different. The characters were a little bland and the writing a bit repetitive. The book attempts to explore the concept of gender, with Breq belonging to a culture that doesn't differentiate between genders and refers to everyone as 'she'. However, aside from adding a little flavor to the worldbuilding, I'm not quite sure what the point of this was. I saw other reviews refer to it as a 'gimmick', and that's similar to how I feel. There is no further commentary on the concept of gender, and if you read a little more carefully, it quickly becomes apparent which characters are a man or a woman, regardless of how Breq refers to them as. While reading, I was just a little confused by what the point of it was. It doesn't really add anything to the story or the themes. All in all, this was a solid book. However, I'm not really interested enough to continue in the series.

Ronan Farrow is an award-winning journalist and one of the journalists who first broke the story surrounding Harvey Weinstein. Catch and Kill is about the events leading up to the story, and how widespread intimidation and cover-ups allowed Weinstein's abuse to fester. Additionally, Farrow touches on corruption within NBC, Matt Lauer, and Donald Trump.

Really enjoyed this book! It's nonfiction, but is written in a way so that it almost feels like a thriller. I mean, to be fair, some of the events recounted by Farrow could be right out of a spy thriller novel except that they actually happened. I think this is a good book for people that don't read a lot of nonfiction to try. It isn't dry and the writing is approachable. I listened to this via audiobook and thought that Farrow did a good job narrating it. I will warn that since this book is about Harvey Weinstein, it deals with sexual abuse and manipulation. However, I feel like Farrow handled it in a respectful manner.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the 4th book in Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot series and the 2nd Christie book I've read. I really enjoyed this book! Initially, I wasn't sure how I felt about the ultimate reveal at the end but after thinking about it, I really, really liked it! Agatha Christie is such a clever author! Christie is considered to be a 'fair' mystery author, meaning that if you pay attention, then you should be able to figure out who the killer is. However, most people probably won't be able to solve this mystery the first time around (I certainly didn't!). The twist is brilliant, especially for a book first published in the 1920s. This is one of those books that benefits from a reread and after finishing it, I immediately wanted to read it again to see what I had missed. I ultimately held off on rereading it, but I think once I do, this could easily become a 4.5 or 5 star book.

A very solid book about figure drawing and constructing the human body. Although some of the information presented might be overwhelming to beginners (such as the basic musculature info), I think both beginner and intermediate artists can benefit from reading this book. The book primarily focuses on figure drawing, with an emphasis on gesture, but also includes a small section on folds/drapery and lighting at the end. If you're looking for a very practical book about figure drawing, I'd recommend this one.

The Aosawas were a family of respected doctors living in a Japanese coastal city. On the day of a large birthday gathering held at their estate, seventeen guests died by poisoning. The entire Aosawa family was wiped out with the exception of one survivor: the enigmatic daughter, Hisako Aosawa. She was present while her family died around her but cannot provide much evidence as a witness as she is also blind. A police investigator suspects Hisako committed the crime but is unable to prove his hunch. The only evidence left is the crate of poisoned drinks and a mysterious poem. Months later, a man is found dead in his apartment with a suicide note confessing to the crime. Despite there being nothing else that links him to the murders, he is declared the killer and the case is closed. Decades later, The Aosawa Murders recounts the events surrounding the crime through interviews, and it is up to the reader to untangle the events and deduce if Hisako is truly guilty.

Really enjoyed this! The book is a bit of a puzzle, as the narration is nonlinear and told through the perspectives of different characters. Each chapter switches to a different character and you have to keep track of names and relations. The ending is a bit ambiguous but after thinking about it, I feel like I got the gist of what 'really' happened. I enjoyed the author's descriptions of the city. You really get a sense of the oppressive summer heat. I also enjoyed the way the story explores the concept of responsibility. My only gripes with the book is that Hisako is labeled as 'guilty' from the get-go. I would have preferred more of a mystery around who the perpetrator was, rather than if Hisako was the one who did it. If you don't like (somewhat) ambiguous endings or books written in a semi-obscure way, then this isn't the read for you. However, if you are fine with that and in the mood for a mystery, then I'd highly recommend The Aosawa Murders.

Well, this took forever to read. Not because the book was bad by any means, but things just kept getting in the way. Also the book is very long. Perhaps too long. I can't really say much about the plot of this book as Assassin's Quest is the final book in the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. You see the ramifications following the second book's explosive ending, and follow Fitz as he embarks on a journey to distant lands to save his people and serve his king.

I like the way this trilogy wraps up and thought that the fates of the characters made sense. That being said, I think Assassin's Quest is my least favorite book in the trilogy. I'm not the biggest fan of quest books. I find them generally to be a bit of a slog to get through. I thought that the plot of this book was repetitive at times. It felt like for most of the book, it was Fitz traveling → something bad happens → so he has to travel more. By the end, I was a bit exhausted. Although, I do have to give Hobb credit. She does an excellent job in making the reader feel as tired as Fitz does during his travels. Another complaint I have is that I hated how much of the plot in the last quarter of the book hinged on miscommunication. Miscommunication is, by far, my least favorite trope. It was incredibly frustrating to see how characters would flat out refuse to explain things to Fitz because of reasons. A good portion of the trouble Fitz gets into is because one particular character stubbornly refused to explain anything to him until the end. I really liked this particular character in the beginning but by the end of the book, I had definitely soured on them. It's a shame because we don't get many characters like them in fantasy.

Complaints aside, I did overall enjoy this book. I love Fitz as a character, even though he is a big dummy. I loved his reunion with the Fool and seeing them interact was delightful. Nighteyes was also great and Burrich was the absolute MVP. Hobb's writing was lovely as always and I love the way she develops her characters. I'm looking forward to continuing on to the Liveship Traders trilogy later this year.

Listened to this via the Jim Dale audiobooks. Revisiting these books has continued to be a delight. I'm trying to decide which one is my favorite so far but I have no idea. I feel like Rowling's writing is strongest when she is writing a mystery like in the second book. The first book has the weakest plot, but will always have a special place in my heart because of nostalgia. As for the third book, I've always loved the time travel sequence and I found a new appreciation for Lupin's relationship with Harry. The poor boy desperately needs a parental figure of sorts and at least for a little bit, Lupin filled that role. I was surprised by how bittersweet I found this book to be. Upon finishing, it had me wondering how things would be if they turned out differently. I feel like the tone of this book is different from the first two. It's a lot more melancholic, with things escalating with the Dursleys to the point that Harry runs away, to him having to stay behind during Hogsmeade visits, and finally him losing two parental figures (Lupin and Sirius) in a short time. The poor weather at Hogwarts during this book, in addition to the oppressive presence of the Dementors adds to this darker tone. I was also shocked by how awful Snape is in this book. In the previous two, he was at least also a little funny but in this book he's just nasty and straight up bullying middle schoolers. What a pitiful man. I am looking forward to revisiting his backstory in later books, but that doesn't excuse his actions in the slightest.

Guards! Guards! is the 8th book in the Discworld series and the 1st book in the City Watch arc. The story takes place in the grimy city of Ankh-Morpork. The Night Watch is in charge of patrolling the city at night but as the years have passed, the Watch has diminished in its prestige and importance to the city. In the present day, the Night Watch is only staffed by three people: the often-drunk Captain Vimes, the semi-unreliable Sergeant Colon, and the shifty Corporal Nobbs. However, a new volunteer named Carrot has arrived to bolster their ranks and just in time, as a secret brotherhood has managed to summon a dragon and plans to overthrow Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, and install a puppet king.

This is my first Discworld book so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I thought that this book was very charming. I loved how Pratchett played with language. I've read many books with many different styles of prose, but I haven't come across one that manipulates language quite like Pratchett does. His writing is very clever. I enjoyed the jokes interwoven throughout the narrative, although some of the pop culture references went over my head. I think my favorite part of the book was the characters. Each character felt distinct and purposeful, and added some aspect to the overall story. My favorite character is Lady Ramkin, although I also liked Vimes, Nobby, and the Patrician. Errol was very adorable as well. I liked how the city was a character in and of itself. I loved the way Pratchett described it, such as how he mentioned that you were more likely to suffocate in the river than drown. His descriptions are very unconventional, but provide a clear picture of what he wants to depict. I also enjoyed the way Pratchett did commentary in this book, where he would offer perspectives and allow the readers to think and come to conclusions for themselves. (Babel I'm looking at you.) He had various characters representing various viewpoints, such as Vimes and the Patrician, which made his commentary feel balanced. Vimes and Vetinari view the world in entirely different ways but each of their perspectives had good points and were relatable. Anyway, I had a blast reading Guards! Guards! I think the Discworld books will make good 'palate cleansers' when I'm in the mood.

Here are two of my favorite quotes from this book:
“They avoided one another's faces, for fear of what they might see mirrored there. Each man thought: one of the others is bound to say something soon, some protest, and then I'll murmur agreement, not actually say anything, I'm not stupid as that, but definitely murmur very firmly, so that the others will be in no doubt that I thoroughly disapprove, because at a time like this it behooves all decent men to nearly stand up and be almost heard...
No one said anything. The cowards, thought each man.”

And:
“Down there - he said - are people who will follow any dragon, worship any god, ignore any inequity. All out of a kind of humdrum, everyday badness. Not the really high, creative loathsomeness of the great sinners, but a sort of mass-produced darkness of the soul. Sin, you might say, without a trace of originality. They accept evil not because they say yes, but because they don't say no.”

My Year of Rest and Relaxation follows a wealthy and beautiful unnamed protagonist as she lives in New York during 2000/2001. She attended college at Columbia University, where she majored in art history and met her best friend, Reva. During her freshman year, her father died of cancer and her mother died soon after by suicide. Now, she lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. After being fired from her job at an art gallery, she decides to sleep for an entire year in order to reset her life. With the help of disreputable psychiatrist Dr. Tuttle, she spends an entire year in a drug-induced haze, sleeping the time away. However, her rest does not go the way she intended.

Listened to this via audiobook. Overall, I enjoyed the book. None of the characters are 'likable' and I liked them for it. Our protagonist is self-absorbed, apathetic, and cruel at times. She is clearly depressed and projects her worst qualities onto Reva, who is vapid and envious. Both are deeply unhappy, and express this unhappiness in different ways. From a brief look at other reviews, it seems like a common complaint is that the characters are unlikable and unrelatable. But personally, I found the protagonist's desire to sleep for a year to be very relatable. I've suffered from depression in the past and during that time, I wanted nothing more than to put my life on pause and sleep. If I could just get enough rest, then surely I would feel better and my problems would be solved.

The author does a great job in depicting the tedium and lethargy that comes from depression. This book isn't a thriller by any means, but there is a sense of tension throughout the book. It takes place in 2001 in New York and the Twin Towers are mentioned casually a few times. So, as the book progressed, I was waiting with slight dread. Although I liked the bittersweet ending, I felt like it was a bit rushed. The author spends a lot of time depicting the protagonist's drug-induced year of rest but the ending was quick and rather sudden. I would have liked it if more pages were dedicated to the protagonist getting readjusted to living normally and her character development.

Continuing my reread (relisten?) of this series with the Jim Dale audiobooks. I'm not sure if he did his whiny tone less or if I just got used to it, but his voices for characters like Hermione and Draco irritated me less this book. Speaking of Hermione and Draco, I'm trying to figure out why a significant portion of the old fandom used to ship Dramione because good lord Draco is absolutely awful to poor Hermione in this book. I don't get it. As I mentioned in my other review, these books are incredibly nostalgic for me so I can't really give an unbiased review. Is this book and the first one worthy of 5 stars? Don't know, but I still love them! This will be my first reread of the entire series since whenever the last book came out so I'm curious to see how I'll feel as an adult. Already, my opinions of some characters are different now that I'm older. When I was a kid, I absolutely loathed Snape. Now, I think he's pretty hilarious. I mean, he's kind of shitty for being so mean to a bunch of middle schoolers, but he is very funny.

I can't really give an unbiased review of this book because of how nostalgic it is for me. Objectively, I could probably find some faults with the plot and worldbuilding, but reading this book is always a joy. 5/5 stars. This was my first time listening to the audiobook version. I listened to the American version narrated by Jim Dale. The audio quality was surprisingly good, considering how old it is. I thought that Dale did a great job in narrating overall. However, I'm so used to the voices from the movies that hearing his take on characters was a little strange. He mispronounced a few names (such as Voldemort) but I heard he fixes this in later books. I wasn't the biggest fan of his voice for Malfoy and I didn't like the whiny tone he would sometimes use while voicing lines. He would use this tone while narrating many of Hermione's lines and it was a little annoying. But despite these nitpicks, I overall enjoyed the experience. I'm excited to listen to the other books and have a new way of experiencing the series.

Babel follows a young Chinese man named Robin, who is raised by an English professor so that he may one day study at the prestigious Babel Institute of Translation at Oxford. There, he befriends three fellow students named Ramy, Victoire, and Letty. As they pursue their education in translation and the mysterious magic of silver-working at Babel, Robin is contacted by a mysterious society that opposes Babel and the British Empire. Robin uncovers secrets and a plot to instigate a war against China, and he must decide just how far he is willing to go to fight against oppression and colonialism.

Well, this was a disappointment. Babel is one of the longest 500-something page books I've read in a while. Reading this book was like chewing cardboard. The first 2/3 of it was pretty boring and although it picked up in the end, I'm still lukewarm towards it. The characters were flat and one-note mouthpieces for the author. Although I agree with Kuang on all her points, by the end I was getting annoyed by her constant soapboxing. I don't mind commentary in books. In fact, I usually quite like it. Well done commentary will often elevate a book for me. However, I prefer the commentary to be more subtle. Rather than telling you how to think, I like it when the author leaves you to come to your own conclusions. Kuang's subtlety is like me taking a sledgehammer to a ceramics shop. Additionally, the worldbuilding was really bad. I'd prefer that Kuang had written this as historical fiction, because the worldbuilding clearly wasn't thought through. Or better yet, she should have written this as nonfiction, because this book felt like an essay in novel form.

The last half of the book especially reminded me of an essay. Much like how I would rush to the end of an essay while writing it for class, Kuang rushed to conclude this book and the arguments she was presenting. Initially upon finishing the book, I thought that the pacing was very slow. Upon reflection, I realized that the only way it felt like that was because I was bored throughout the majority of the story. In reality, the book's pacing is actually quite rushed. Kuang breezes through the characters' time at school. I mean, it takes pretty much no time for Robin to become radicalized and join what is essentially a terrorist group.

The worldbuilding doesn't really make sense and I get the feeling that Kuang didn't fully think things through. What I don't get was what was the point of making this a fantasy novel? What was the point of silver-working? The existence of magic should have ramifications and consequences on the course of history and the structure of society, religion, economy, and culture. However, the existence of silver-working literally did nothing to change Britain's history or the history of the entire world. If the magic didn't affect anything, then what was the point of it? The magic system itself wasn't great and left me a little confused. I'm fine with soft magic systems where things aren't explained and just work. However, Kuang constantly kept trying to explain the magic system and it didn't really make sense to me. For instance, magic can only be done by people intimately familiar with languages and only 'real' languages, spoken by people, work. However, there was mention of an experiment where scholars locked themselves away to learn old English, to use it for their magic. If they could use old English for match pairs, then why couldn't they use a fake language that was well-studied and used under similar circumstances? For all intents and purposes, old English would be equivalent to a fake language, as pretty much no one could speak or understand it.

I think my biggest issue with this book is the characters. The characterization was very shallow and I didn't really feel like the characters developed much over the course of the book. They predominantly served as vehicles through which Kuang delivers arguments and observations that she wants the reader to hear, regardless of whether or not it makes sense for that character to think that specific thing or make that specific observation. The viewpoints held by many of the characters didn't make sense, especially in a historical context. They felt very modern. For instance, given his upbringing, it didn't make sense that Robin was so anti-colonialism and anti-racism (at least initially), considering that he was adopted at a young age and raised in upper class British society. He was immersed in British culture and surrounded by Englishmen espousing pro-British pro-colonial ideals all the time. And yet, even as a young man, he could identify racism and succinctly observe the racist power structures around him. It would have been far more interesting for him to have been blind to these things, and perhaps even defend it, while other characters like Ramy and Victoire could offer different views. This would have made the characters more interesting and created conflict for them to develop as characters. Instead, Robin found himself with a cohort of like-minded individuals who had very modern takes on racism and colonialism. This also applies to Victoire and Letty, who were bashing sexism from the get-go. In reality, the concept of feminism would have been vastly different at that historical time period, and women's suffrage wouldn't really pick up until decades later in England.

This is a minor nitpick, but I don't really get why the footnotes were included. They were largely unnecessary and felt like a crutch for Kuang to either cram in some extra commentary about colonialism, or a way for her to cheat and provide insight to character motivations that we would never get from Robin's limited perspective.

The one thing I did like was the argument that Kuang was trying to make. I agree with her belief that violence is necessary in order to enact change, especially when it comes to systemic oppression and racism. Although 'violence' might not be the right word. I don't think that anyone has to be hurt or killed, but I do agree with her that disruption is required for actual change to occur. Unless people are inconvenienced in some way, issues will most likely be brushed over and ignored. It is only when people are forced to confront problems that they address them.

Anyway, I thought that this book was pretty mediocre. Everything in the novel felt like a way for Kuang to make the points she was trying to make, not to tell a story. This is especially frustrating for me because I agree with her viewpoints and would love to read a good novel that explores these themes in a compelling way. Unfortunately, Babel was not that novel.

I listened to this via audiobook. The content was very interesting, if a bit dry. A lot of the information covered isn't new to me. However, for some parts, I only knew the basic gist so I appreciated the more in-depth analysis provided by Ehrman. I think that this is a pretty good starting point if you're interested in learning more about the inconsistencies and historical veracity of the New Testament. Ehrman is very even-handed and fair in his analysis of the Bible, and he treats the text and Christianity as a whole with respect.

This isn't a book I'd normally gravitate towards. I was raised Christian but sometime around middle school, I realized I didn't believe in any of it. Afterward, I started having some serious issues with the religion and its followers, and distanced myself from it. Now, I consider myself an agnostic atheist. For part of my life, I avoided anything to do with Christianity and was a bit of an edgy atheist in high school lol. But recently, I've started to become interested in learning about the historicity of the religion. How Christianity developed as a religion is utterly fascinating, and it boggles the mind how much modern day Christianity differs from early Christianity, and how Christ the religious figure differs from the historical Jesus of Nazareth.

This specific author first came on my radar after I heard an amusing anecdote about him. He is a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and apparently, people at that university will hold prayer circles for students that are taking his classes. It's not unusual for students to question their faith after taking his class, and so Ehrman has developed a rather notorious reputation amongst the religious at Chapel Hill.

Nettle & Bone is a fairy tale-esque novella following Princess Marra on her quest to save her older sister, Kania. After her eldest sister Damia mysteriously dies following her marriage to Prince Vorling of a neighboring kingdom, Marra is sent to live at a convent as a nun and Kania marries Vorling. However, Marra learns that Vorling is abusive towards Kania and she fears for her sister's life. And so, Marra decides to try to save her by killing Vorling. Along the way, Marra recruits the help of the dust-wife, an enigmatic and powerful gravewitch, an undead dog made of bones, an ex-knight, and an elderly fairy godmother.

I thought that this novella was fine. Just fine. I did have some issues with it though. I think my biggest complaint was that the pacing was inconsistent. Despite its relatively short length, the pacing dragged at times, especially in the middle. According to the author's note, this novella initially began as a short story, and you can kind of tell. I didn't particularly care for the romantic subplot between Marra and Fenris, and felt like it was pretty bland. There were a few times in the story where I got confused, as something would be revealed but I thought that it had already been revealed earlier. For instance, Fenris confessed to Marra that he knew about her secret identity as a princess. But she was still a little surprised, even though just before, she had announced that she was a princess when they found Agnes. Like girl, the man has ears. Why are you surprised?

The world building wasn't the best but I'll cut it some slack since it's a novella. It just feels a little lazy. Tonally, the novella was a bit strange. The writing was quirky at times (perhaps too quirky for my taste), and it felt like the author couldn't decide if she wanted the story to be a cozy fantasy or a dark fairy tale with horror elements. Because of that, the tone felt very uneven, where it was trying to be eerie and spooky while also warm and lighthearted. In the end, it didn't really achieve either.

In terms of characters, Agnes and the dust-wife were the standouts for me. There's a severe lack of old women in fantasy, and both of them were delightful. Fenris was very generic and forgettable, much like his romance with Marra. As for Marra herself, she was 30 years old but acted very much like a young adult. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as naive and clueless 30 year olds certainly exist, but it felt like Marra could have easily been a teen rather than an adult. It felt like the author just aged her up to make this novella an adult story, rather than YA. I understand that this novella is meant to be fairy tale-esque, but the motivations of the characters felt a little weak for me. They were all risking their lives to complete this quest, but I had trouble believing that they would all be onboard to sacrifice their lives. None of them really knew Marra or Kania (and Marra wasn't even close to Kania), so I didn't find it truly believable that they were ride or die to save Kania when ultimately they had no stake in the outcome.