My favorite genre is fantasy. I like all types of fantasy, but high epic adult is best to me. I first started reading fantasy with Harry Potter, which is YA, when I was in sixth grade. My older brother (by 7 years) has many, many, many fantasy books that I borrowed as I grew up. My memory is awful so I can’t remember exactly when I started reading his books. It must have been around junior high/high school. My brother was always my go-to when I needed new books. The main two series I fell in love with through him was The Belgariad and Sword of Truth series. The one he has that I never read was Wheel of Time.
So here are a few series I read as a teenager that I love:
1. The Belgariad series by David Eddings. Yes, I had a post recently about this, so of course it’s number one. A lot of it is nostolgia I’ll admit, but it does have a lot going for it as well. Right now I can’t find a flaw in it. Maybe during my next re-read I’ll pick some out for you.
2. The Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Haydon. This story has time travel in a fantasy world, which I don’t think I really thought much about before. The main character’s, Rhapsody, magic is based on music and names. Her travels are foretold in a prophecy. I think this universe is all that Haydon ever wrote in, unfortunately.
Symphony of Ages BOOK 1
3. Axis Trilogy by Sara Douglass. Again, this series isn’t stuck to a single series and has continuing books in separate series’. These books involve music (as well as other types) in the magic system. And has a prophecy. There are several weak point in this series, but it was easy enough to overlook them.
Axis Trilogy BOOK 1
4. Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (rest in peace). This one isn’t for everyone. Some say it’s too real world political. I don’t keep up with (or understand) politics enough for it to interfer, however. The first book could be a standalone, but it was extended to 12…13(?) more books. Plus several spin offs. It’s very dragged out for no reason. I have read it a few times anyways. I have heard a lot of people hate this series but love the spin off for Nicci – Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles.
(Shout-out out to Mistborn and all works by Brandon Sanderson. I don’t exactly remember when I read it. I think it was sometime after I graduated HS so I’m not including it, I just love it so much.)
Popular fantasy series I want to read:
1. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. It’s such a popular and well known series that I might as well give it a try. Brandon Sanderson finished the series after Jordan’s passing. I went to a signed for one and got the first one signed by Jordan’s wife as well as the current one by Sanderson. Might as well times two!! It’s so daunting so I never got around to it.
2. Dragonriders of Pern by Anne Mccaffrey. I’m actually currently reading the first one, but it’s going slow. I think it’s considered a “classic” from that era. Or just popular? I don’t remember right now. I’ll take dragons any day, though.
From my instagram
3. Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I’ve heard how good this series is and worth a read. This is the only one on the list that I don’t already have at least a copy of the first book. I can’t tell if it’s adult fantasy or children? It says children literature but I was led to believe it was high fantasy for adults?? I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out as I read it!
4. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I took a fantasy/sci-fi class in HS and for some reason we read The Two Towers, but not the others. I have read The Hobbit as well. I think I’d like to read all of them at some point. I know they can be hard to read, though.
Aren’t these beautiful editions? Photo from Joshua S. MacDougall blog.
There are so many more that I’ve never read that I’d like to. It’ll take some time to get through a backlog I need to catch up on. On top of adding some variety of different genres. What are some you’d like to read?
As I just finished up reading Shine by Jessica Jung, I wanted to plan out the remainder of 2020 – all one month and 3 weeks of it.
Currently I am working on Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery. I have only gotten like one paragraph into it so far. /shrug. I’ve heard some things about this that aren’t so good, but I know a lot of people love the Pern series. Also, I’ve had the book for a while and don’t remember how I got the first one. My grandma gave me a really old copy that has several books in one.
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik is my other current read. I heard Booktuber Elliot Brooks mention it in a recent video and thought it sounded really interesting. I don’t read a lot of alternate history’s, but when it’s got fantasy mixed in I’m up for trying it. I’m only a chapter into it and so far really enjoying it.
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson comes out on Nov. 17 so I’ll be reading that as soon as it arrives in the mail. I preordered it months ago. I’m really excited for this and getting so pumped by watching spoiler free videos on Youtube. My favorite videos have been by, again, Elliot Brooks. She has a spoiler free review video, a recap of the first 3 books video, and a favorite scenes of the first 3 ranked video. I don’t want to watch any reviews for it yet so I’ve only watched the other two videos so far.
I like lists and make them a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t always follow through with them. I already started Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I liked part 1, then I got bored. So for the time being I am putting that on hold; probably going to pick it back up at a future date. I wanted to theme each month by genre or theme; October was for Halloweeny type books, November ended up being new releases since that’s a majority of what I wanted to read, with December being possibly winter themed.
Spreadsheet of my TBR
Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson is a novella set to take place before Rhythm of War. Sadly it’s not on wide release until about December. Only those who backed the Kickstarter for the leather-bound edition of Way of Kings got it early. ($100 for a leather-bound of his books might just be worth it but I can’t afford that.)
Several of the books are on hold at my digital library so who knows when I’ll actually get to reading those. I am probably going to have to find replacements for them. I am very much a mood reader as well. So, we will see what I actually end up reading, but this is my goal for now.
I’ll write another post later on about 2021 and how the rest of 2020 went. Of course, with reviews in between. For now, I’ll see you next time!
Warning: Rambling may occur. I’ll try to keep it short and simple.
Jessica Jung; model, singer, fashion designer, now author. Shine was released on September 29, 2020 to be a fictional look into the K-pop trainee life. Already a movie is in the works and a sequel novel is titled; Bright. I have followed Jessica during her Girls’ Generation days since 2011, so I looked forward to this book mainly out of support and curiosity.
Jessica promoting her book.
Shine is a melodramatic romantic, sometimes comedic, K-Drama as a book. There are some light hearted moments and some pretty heartbreaking moments, along with some sweet first love moments. This book is best enjoyed without expectations of shade and spilled tea. As much as Jessica claims there is truth about trainee life in Shine, there is just as much fiction that keeps the reader from knowing the difference too easily. In other words, you’d have to really be paying attention and looking for it on top of knowing K-pop really well beforehand.
Jessica pre-debut
Rachel Kim is a Korean-American girl from New York City that moves to Seoul, South Korea to train to become a K-Pop idol at the age of 11. 7 years later, Rachel is put into situations that lead to heartbreak and love to ultimately debuting (shocker). She gets bullied by Mina, played with by Jason (not entirely his fault), and finds her confidence along the way.
Everything in the book paints the K-pop world to be extremely dark and unforgiving. As much as that’s not wrong (diets, rules, harsh execs), I don’t think it was entirely true (hello fiction). It shows Rachel having only one friend in DB who she blow off time and time again, only in part due to the situations she has no control over. Everyone else is catty and mean to her. I hope, in any case, that not all of that is true. If every member who become the new girl group in the end hates Rachel, is Jessica implying that all of Girls’ Generation hated and bullied her, one in particular? We know that does and can happen (T-ara, AoA), there is often hints of it if you look. We do see some issues towards the end of the 7 years, however. Enough of that! Back to the book itself.
I enjoyed the book enough to finish it and I look forward to Bright. It might have some actual shade and tea, but I genuinely hope not. I will read it strictly as fiction and just enjoy something from member (formerly) of my favorite group. I had a few issues now and then with it, though. Mainly when I was trying to see fact from fiction. When I stopped doing that and just read it like any other book it was a lot better. The prose was simple, no biggie. The characters could use a little work, why does every single K-pop person have to be catty and mean? The plot wasn’t complicated, it’s YA so that’s fine. Overall it was an alright book.
Trigger Warning: mentions of suicide and abortion.
The Guest List is a thriller murder mystery set on a remote island just off mainland Ireland.
It revolves around a high profile wedding of Jules (a successful online magazine owner) and Will (actor of a successful survival reality show). We get POVs from several different people and Jules; the bridesmaid (Olivia), the best man (Johno), the plus one (Hannah), and the wedding planner (Aoife pronounced Effie according to audiobook).
In between the first person chapters of these characters leading up to the wedding are chapters narrating the present moment of the actual mystery in third person.
Maybe the most interesting aspect of those story is how you don’t even know what the mystery is at first. All that’s stated in the beginning is that the lights went out at the reception, there is a scream, and then the waitress says she saw so much blood after finding her voice. Blood indicates it’s a murder without saying so. This is a thriller mystery after all.
The main characters then describe their backgrounds and the days leading up to the reception starting the day before. It’s very long winded for being only two days, but you get overlapping points of time when switching perspectives. Also, the chapters aren’t numbered, just the name and role of whose POV it was. I listened to audiobook and it was a full cast so each character with a POV had a different voice. That was pretty nice. I would have liked numbers to the chapter as well. I like seeing my progress through them.
I was continually guessing who was going to be victim and who the killer. Everyone have a motive to kill someone it seemed. I also thought maybe it would go the route of Murder on the Orient and it was a group effort. In the end it was totally unexpected and out of the blue. I didn’t suspect Aoife up until the reveal. None of her chapters indicated she might have any connection to these people other than as their wedding planner. I applaud that. Lucy Foley did a good job. I did suspect the victim a few times. Will is just the worst. He kills a young boy, causes a girl to kill herself, gets his friend removed from their tv show, and knocks up a girl much younger than him and ghosts her, ending up with her older sister by chance. She has zero remorse for any of this. Of course everyone wants him dead.
The most sympathetic characters are Olivia and Johno. Olivia is just a young girl (19) who had to go through some traumatic stuff all alone. She had her mom, but as we see her mom isn’t getting the World’s Best Mom Award anytime soon. Olivia cares so much for her sister, Jules, that Olivia doesn’t want to hurt her and tell her the truth. Jules treats Olivia so poorly out of jealously. Johno is portrayed as a jerk and slob at first until we find out that he has been dealing with a lot of guilt and self-loathing for years and years. It’s hard to not feel bad for him once he explains what happened and how it’s affected him. These two characters keep getting the short end of the stick.
Charlie’s problem is a bit immature. The guys were dreadful to him on the stag, but it wasn’t that bad in comparison. Hannah is lonely and neglected by her husband the entire time then learns a shocking secret about him and Jules sleeping together while Hannah is healing from childbirth. Charlie is the second biggest jerk in this book. I do feel bad for Hannah at times, but her reaction to what Charlie did is to go dance and flirt with some random guys who coincidentally happen to be the ones with information about her sister that pushes her even further into a spiral of shock and misery. Hannah is always going on about needing to feel sexy and is attracted openly to Will because he’s nice to her. As the only mother in this group, I can understand some of her frustration. However, she goes about it poorly. There is a lot of peer pressure going on due to the boys’ rowdiness.
The boys that all went to school together. Often mentioned is how they have a herd pack mentality when together. Always bringing up their school days as if it were yesterday. Sure, it’s nice to reminisce, but that’s not exactly what’s going on. It causes all sorts of problems, much to all the women’s frustration. Other than Will and Johno, these boys kind of take a back seat to the story. None of them have POV’s.
Jules and Will. Why is there so much awkward sex going on in this book. Awkward for all their guests at least. Everyone can hear it. All the time. It’s great it’s going so well for them, but could they be more considerate to the people in the house? Jules is a bit of a bridezilla. Most of her problems are superficial and selfish. The biggest thing is a letter she got telling her Will is a bad person. It nags at her the entire time. Later she finds out about Olivia and Will, after the wedding. Understandable anger and emotions here. Will, on the other hand, is the worst. It’s almost satisfying that he dies in the end (I did say spoilers in the title, guys). I would have been more satisfying if it had been a group effort like in Murder on the Orient Express. Like, maybe they all found out each other’s connections and Will being behind it all so they come together and take turns stabbing him. Everyone had a motivation so why not. I wasn’t expecting it to be the wedding planner.
Aoife the wedding planner only spoke of her observances the entire book. She was the other outsider looking in. We didn’t get a connection to all the guests until the very last moment. We hear about the boy Will kills (that he continues to deny which just makes it worse), but I never thought about a relative to the boy being apart of the story. The twist and surprise of this was done well. I hadn’t suspected a thing. I almost wish the actual scene of the reveal had been a bit more dramatic. It felt a little underwhelming.
We also got a bit about Johno finding the body and taking the knife and everyone suspecting it was him so he gets arrested, but he was innocent the whole time. Johno wants to go to jail for the little boy so he doesn’t put up a fight. Poor guy. I was confused about this initially. I couldn’t easily go back and listen with audiobook like I would have with a physical book. The way it was done was a little sloppy for the readers.
All in all it was a pretty good book. I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries or even would like to try one out. I give a 4 Stars since here were a few things I would have liked done differently. I really enjoyed it anyways.
Being spooky season and only having a week left of October I thought some short stories would do nicely. Edgar Allen Poe is famous for his dark short stories, this one in particular. Also seems fitting that he died in October.
I remember reading this in English class back in high school. Even though it’s short, I didn’t remember much as it’s been so long. It took about 20 minutes to listen to the audiobook.
Simply put the story of Cask of Amontillado is about a revenge murder. The narrator mentions some vague insults as his reasons for this revenge against this nobleman in a jester hat. The narrator leads Fortunato (the fortunate one) to the catacombs under the pretense of tasting some Amontillado wine. Instead he chains him to a wall and bricks him up, thus burying him alive.
I think I would have liked to know what the insults were that justified burying someone alive and not just stabbing him. Poe was alive during the 1800s. It’s always neat to come across stories so old and see what life was like then. A little more of that would be nice. Perhaps if I read more of his stories for that. I do have a large book of his stories that I should get to reading as well. Otherwise, it was a good story.
Thought I’d do a little post on what series is my favorite of all time. I have many series that I love and will reread many times over. Most books I read tend to be part of a series. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Mistborn, just to name a few. However, my most favorite is even older than all those.
The Belgariad by David Eddings (1982)
This series is an epic fantasy, spanning 12 books split into two series of five (Belgariad and Mallorean) and two “stand-alones” (Belgarath and Polgara). It contains sorcerer’s, magic, royalty, gods, a quest, magic object, and prophecies. It’s very Tolkien-esque. The first book is Pawn of Prophecy.
A magnificent epic set against a history of seven thousand years of the struggles of Gods and Kings and men – of strange lands and events – of fate and a prophecy that must be fulfilled! THE BELGARIAD
Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil God Torak sought dominion and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.
But that was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the dark man without a shadow had haunted him for years. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved – but did not know? For a while his dreams of innocence were safe, untroubled by knowledge of his strange heritage. For a little while… THUS BEGINS BOOK ONE OF THE BELGARIAD’
I first read this a long long time ago, maybe early teens. I don’t fully remember when. Every now and then I reread it. I can’t pinpoint what exactly I love about this series, I just do. It’s a lot of nostalgia at this point. Maybe it’s the characters. A little cliché but being an old book they weren’t cliché yet at the time. I don’t want to give too much away and spoil anything. I want you to read it for yourselves. I want you to enjoy something traditional. At this point, a lot of younger people aren’t reading the old stuffs anymore. Other than Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire (which was first released in 1996 so isn’t as old at LOTR and Belgariad). If those two hadn’t been made into movies and tv shows they might not be AS popular as they are. Not that they don’t deserve to be, but the exposure and reach is much bigger when put into several different mediums. So, I don’t blame anyone or anything for Belgariad being less known. However, I do think it needs to be considered by those of you who love fantasy but haven’t heard of or tried this amazing series.
There is nothing deep, or meaningful about the story. It’s simply just enjoyable. The tale of a young boy who becomes a man on this adventure that he’s had no control over. He finds family when he thought he had none. He finds friends, power, a kingdom.
The books themselves are relatively short. 320 pages on average. So 12 books isn’t as daunting as it sounds. The two standalones, Belgarath and Polgara, cover their lifetime which starts before the events of Pawn of Prophecy and end with the ending of the series, giving different perspectives to Garion’s and you get to see what they were doing during events mentioned but not seen.
I suppose now I’ll use the formula to review Pawn of Prophecy that I mentioned in my last post. Setting, Characters, Story, Favorite, and Least Favorite.
1-Setting: It’s set in it’s own world. I don’t think the world itself has a name, but it’s split into two continents with many different kingdoms and lands. Each place is unique to itself, like the jungles of Nyssia, the grasslands of Algaria, the Alaskan-like Cherek, etc. It’s nice to see so much variance, that not all the places look exactly alike or the people being exactly alike. The clear differences help keep track of where you are in the world throughout the story. When the characters enter a new country the beginning chapter has a map of the land, zoomed in. I do love a good man in fantasy. I need to be able to see where things are in relation to each other during the travels. It helps me keep track of things and follow along better.
2-Characters: Over the course of the series we gain more and more main characters. Garion is always the central character we follow, but his companions grow and grow. There are 16 companions by the end. It never feels overwhelming, though. Each companion has a purpose, a role to play, as told by the prophecy. Therefore, no two characters a like. Silk is sarcastic and nimble, Barak is like a viking, Ce’Nedra is fiery and spoiled, Durnik is handy and serious, etc. The variety is great. The 7 Gods each rule a kingdom with their different traits, which reflect the people of that kingdom. When I write I find myself trying to follow the formula Eddings used here. Which is very similar to LOTR, but smaller with new races. I need to read that still.
Artwork by K-Hud on DeviantArt
3- Story: The story isn’t overly complicated so it’s not hard to follow along. The prologue dives in too deep and is hard to understand, but a reread after finishing the series helps clear it all up easily. It’s one of those “OH!!” moments. I don’t want to give away too much of the story or spend too much time going over the plot. I’ll just say I enjoyed it thoroughly. There was no part that I wanted to skip or rush through.
4- Favorite Thing: Magic system. I love a good magic system. The Will and the Word is full of power and conscience. There is a limit so that the user isn’t overly powerful and able to kill enemies willy nilly. Sure, you can set a guy on fire. You can turn into a wolf or a bird. You can’t just destroy/unmake anything or you go bye bye instead. It’s the ideal type of magic system and not done the same away in anything else.
5- Least Favorite Thing: Maybe just how ignorant and naïve Garion is. Mainly in the beginning. He can’t read. He doesn’t know anything outside of the farm and Polgara (known as Aunt Pol to him, she raises him). Why didn’t Polgara give him any sort of education? What good was it to leave him illiterate? Yeah it gave him and Ce’Nedra the bonding experience of her teaching him, but that wasn’t really necessary. And yes leaving him ignorant of the world he comes from gives the readers a chance to learn with him, but I would have liked it to be a little bit different. I would have liked to see Garion much smarter. He isn’t stupid, he’s a very bright boy. He’s just uneducated and it’s a shame. End rant.
Obviously I rate this a 5 stars. Even if it has flaws, I love it. Perhaps during my next reread I’ll give a more play by play review. I don’t know when that’ll be, however. If you want a stand alone novel by David Eddings as an intro I’d suggest Redemption of Althalus. It’s in a different world but is also just as amazing. I’ll leave you to discover that one more on your own for now.
My first read of October was Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I purposefully chose a mystery for the spooky-dook season. I don’t normally go for mysteries, but Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery so I figured this was a good place to start. Besides, I have seen the movie already so I knew what I was getting into. It had been long enough that the details were fuzzy and reading it was still just as exciting. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job.
Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.
Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer—in case he or she decides to strike again.
5 Stars! I really enjoyed this book. I’ve decided to stick to a “formula” of sorts for reviewing books. I picked 5 key points to talk about; setting, characters, story, favorite thing, least favorite thing. This might change up as I get more experienced and eloquent at reviews. I’m still new to this.
1-Setting: On a train in Europe, mainly Yugoslavia, in 1934. The train begins in Istanbul and the destination London. It’s winter, the train has been stopped by the snow storm making a block in the tracks. What I like about this setting is the majority of the book is in the small carriages of a train. It’s unique and I assume would be hard to write. Agatha Christie does it really well. I forget they are stuck on a train the entire time until someone mentions it again, which they do a few times throughout the book. So the killer is stuck on the train with them. How scary can that be!? The killer could strike again at any moment and you don’t know who it is. It could be the person sitting right next to you sipping their tea and talking casually of the snow. What?!
2-Characters: There are a total of 12 suspects, Poirot, the train director, a doctor, and a handful of train employees and conductors. In all, a total of 15/16 important people. And yes, every one of the 12 passengers are suspects, everyone. It’s told from mainly Poirot’s perspective in third person. Poirot himself is a great character. He is soft-spoken, brilliant, patient, and kind. The opposite of Sherlock Holmes who is, of course, the more famous high-intelligent detective.
3-Story: A passenger is killed during the night. Poirot must investigate to find the murderer. He interviews everyone and examines everything over the course of a single day. The doctor and the train director get frustrated and impatient with the proceedings. In the end, Poirot figures it out when it seems impossible, even to the reader. That’s what’s so interesting. As a reader even I didn’t know how he was going to solve it. The clues didn’t seem to go anywhere of note. But it all ties together neatly in a bow by the end. This is why Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery. I can’t wait to read her other books, especially the ones involving Hercule Poirot.
4-Favorite thing: the complexity and the simplicity of everything. Woven so well. Poirot himself. It’s hard to pick one thing I loved about this book, it was all good.
5-Least Favorite: That one is tough since I just said I liked it all. I don’t think I would change a thing about it. Except maybe how the ending was abrupt. There was the big reveal and then the end. No epilogue or breather of everyone leaving the train and going on afterwards, so to speak. Most books tend to have a little bit of what the characters are up to after everything. Like in Harry Potter how there is the final grand hall meal with the point delivered out, the goodbyes and boarding the train. (oh look, another train. I did not do that on purpose.) I would have liked a little something like that here.
All in all it was a tremendous story. The narrator of the audiobook did a really good job with all the different voices and accents. I would listen to more by him as well as read more Agatha Christie. Death on the Nile is the next movie to come out with Kenneth Branagh. He did really well with the 2017 movie. Guess I’ll read that one next before the movie!
Hi, I’m Rachel. I work part time and mother full time. When I’m not spending time with my wonderful daughter and husband I love reading, watching good movies, and exploring the world.
I’m not so savvy at the aesthetic photography
5 Bookish facts about me:
Favorite genre: Fantasy
Favorite author: Brandon Sanderson
Favorite series: Belgariad by David Eddings
Number of books read in 2019: 7 (oh that’s sad)
Number of books I hope to read in 2020: 15 (to start off)
I started the blog after discovering booktube which inspired me to work harder to read more as I wasn’t reading quite nearly as much as I had liked. After failing the ability to make videos for booktube, due to the lack from time from such a young baby and working, I decided a regular blog might suit me better. Much easier then trying to find a decent time to film videos around an increasingly active baby and household.
My goals for this blog is to just spread the love of reading through reviews and recommendations. It’s all so new that things might change and grow over time. It’s a new adventure so we will see where this goes! I hope you join me and have fun with this as well.
I love to read. My favorite genre is fantasy. Magic, wizards, dragons, oh my! The biggest struggle I deal with is finding something new to read. I fall back on the same things over and over again; I love to reread! Most of my life was spent having my older brother recommend me book and using his bookshelf as my library. I got most everything from him. Any younger things I got from the actual library. When I wasn’t able to have my brother give me things to read I had a hard time deciding on new books, scared of not liking them.
Last month, September, I stumbled upon Booktube! Youtube for book readers. Reviews, recommendations, opinions, etc. from many people. I discovered so many new books and got all their opinions. It opened a whole world of new books for me. I just had to be apart of it. I made lists, I started reading, even tried filming my own. It’s incredibly hard for me to find the time to film and edit videos, however, when I have a job and a small baby. So, along with Instagram, I am starting a blog! Simple, easy, and accessible for me…so far!
I might attempt to go back to recording videos for Booktube later on; when I get the hang of things a little better perhaps. Still, I watch my favorite Booktubers when I can. I really want to venture out of reading only fantasy, so I use these guys to gather lists of books of different genres that they recommend. A few of my favorite booktubers are:
What I read in September! I read a total of 3 1/2 books. 1/2 because I didn’t finish one and still working on it into October. I don’t have a lot of time to read between working and a baby, but I try hard to read when I can. I take advantage of audiobooks when I am driving and while working. It gets difficult with the loud noises at work, however. All the books I did finish were audiobook. I’ll review them all in one post since it’s already October and I’m playing catch up here.
The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes by Suzanne Collins- 3.5 Stars
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
As the book is split up into 3 parts, I’ll review it in the same way. 1. Pre Game 2. Game 3. Post Game
Part 1- Snow, his classmates, and the tributes are introduced. The most notable characters besides Snow are Sejanus and Lucy Gray Baird. Lucy Gray is the inspiration for the talent and showmanship we see 64 years later with Katniss. She sings, she is colorful, she’s memorable. I liked her, but she also felt generic. The connection and “romance” between her and Snow was forced and predictable. Sejanus is the District 2 now Capitol kid who is predictable as well. He’s likeable for the reader to some extent, but also frustrating in how his attempts to do what he thinks is right ends up making everything harder for Snow. Snow denies being friends with Sejanus but also helping him out and saving him. Why would you do that if you don’t like him, Snow? The fact that Snow is Capitol born and bred, even though he is technically poor, explains his behavior as entitled and arrogant towards Sejanus and possessive and a means towards Lucy Gray. It doesn’t excuse it by any means. He is simply just a brat. There is nothing redeeming or empathetic about him. The most interesting aspect of part 1 was seeing everything post war.
Part 2- The game itself. It was all from Snow’s perspective so for once we get to see what it’s like from the watcher’s view rather than the tributes. It was a little more boring compared to being in the arena, but it also makes sense to be. There isn’t the same amount of grandeur yet. Announcers, bets, food from drones are all brand new and with many flaws gave this part it’s flavor. Many mishaps from tributes and mentors dying beforehand to mentors entering the arena, the tributes didn’t have to kill 23 other tributes in order to win. So much going wrong in all the right ways. This part was fairly short in comparison, not as much meat to it, but enjoyable enough.
Part 3- I won’t comment as much on this part so as not to spoil it. It starts off with Snow being sent to District 12 as punishment for cheating. He becomes a Peacekeeper, along with Sejanus for other reasons. For a time nothing much happens. Then it all goes downhill out of no where. The last few chapters felt out of place and rushed. I haven’t heard anyone yet who liked the ending. We’ll leave it at that.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan- 4 Stars
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home happens to look like a palace, that she’ll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back.
Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick’s formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should–and should not–marry.
The biggest reason this wasn’t a 5 stars was all of the info dumps. The entire book is spent describing how rich these Asians are. Okay, that’s the name of the book, but show me, don’t just tell me. It was all flashbacks and descriptions like a biography. Very little time was spent in the present day part of the story. I personally could have used more about Nick and Rachel currently and less about the cousins past. Between Nick and Peik Lin, it felt like a Cinderella story at times (which I thoroughly enjoyed). Peik Lin may have been my favorite character. She’s so funny! Then, my least favorite character was the mother, Eleanor. She was written so well as that annoying controlling mother, which is why I don’t like her.
Overall the story was good even if it was all over the place with how many perspectives we got and flashbacks. It was a bit unnecessary. It could have used an epilogue, the ending was also abrupt. It didn’t feel like an ending. I know there are more books in the series, but I don’t think they follow this same storyline. I probably won’t read the rest of the series.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber – 4 Stars
Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.
I read this because of my husband. He told me he didn’t like his book and wanted something new to read. So I got the idea to find a book for each other read based on our likes. I gave him The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It had a good rating and reviews. He recently finished it and thought it was boring. Oh well! Better luck next time. Caraval was what he gave me to read. I loved it. The world was vibrant and unique. The romance, however, was predictable. Scarlett was kind of a dummy about her own sister who was supposedly her best friend. I can forgive panicky fear and situations for misplacing logic. Who would have a level head in her situation?
The blurring of reality for Scarlett was blurred just as much for the reader. I didn’t know what was real or part of the game either. I loved that. I plan to finish the trilogy eventually. I have plenty of other books lined up before that, however.
I recommend this to anyone who loves circus’, magic, sisterly bonds, romance, and a little bit of mystery.
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson – 5 Stars
Dalinar Kholin’s Alethi armies won a fleeting victory at a terrible cost: The enemy Parshendi summoned the violent Everstorm, which now sweeps the world with destruction, and in its passing awakens the once peaceful and subservient parshmen to the horror of their millennia-long enslavement by humans. While on a desperate flight to warn his family of the threat, Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with the fact that the newly kindled anger of the parshmen may be wholly justified.
Nestled in the mountains high above the storms, in the tower city of Urithiru, Shallan Davar investigates the wonders of the ancient stronghold of the Knights Radiant and unearths dark secrets lurking in its depths. And Dalinar realizes that his holy mission to unite his homeland of Alethkar was too narrow in scope. Unless all the nations of Roshar can put aside Dalinar’s blood-soaked past and stand together–and unless Dalinar himself can confront that past–even the restoration of the Knights Radiant will not prevent the end of civilization.
This is technically reread for me in anticipation for Rhythm of War in November. I haven’t finished it yes since it’s soooo long and I don’t have it on audio. I am a little over half way as of now. I’ll update with my review once I am done. I rated it a 5 stars the first time around.
I do recommend this if you love unique magic systems and complex characters with real flaws.
Rachels Books 
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