Laughter at the Academy – ARC review

Author: Seanan McGuire
Publication date: October 31, 2019
Genre: short stories, fantasy, science fiction
My rating: 5/5 stars

Most of all, this book is for all those fools who laughed at me in the academy. I may not be raising the dead yet, but I still know where my shovel is.

– Introduction

It’s no secret that I think Seanan McGuire is pretty great. I’ve only read a few of her books, but I’ve massively enjoyed them all. I knew she was great before I started on this collection, but boy howdy, she has outdone herself. Twenty-two short stories, all filled with her signature wit, wistfulness, and love for all things strange and disturbing.

Wayward Son – review

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Series: Simon Snow (Book #2)
Publication date: September 24, 2019
Genre: YA fantasy, road trip
My rating: 2.5/5 stars

I’m having such a hard time assembling my thoughts on this book, but really, the characters did not deserve the mess that was this unimpressive sequel. Simon deserved better. Baz deserved better (though Baz deserves the whole dang world, if we’re being honest, and nothing will every be too good for his precious, anguished soul). Penny deserved better. Heck, even Agatha deserved better, and I don’t even like her that much. 

Writing book reviews still makes me anxious (or, insecurity in the book blogosphere)

Okay, folks, time to talk blogs and recommendations and big-time insecurity. I started writing this ramble a few days ago and realized that maybe, just maybe, some of y’all have had similar thoughts from time to time. And, as yesterday marked my 50th post here (!!!), this seemed like an apt time to wax philosophical.

Top Ten Tuesday 10/22 – Titles that are worse than this one

You know the drill! Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is “Books I’d Give Different Titles To (and tell us what title you’d pick!)” Given that last week was on “Extraordinary Book Titles,” this was extra fun.

Fireborne – ARC review

Author: Rosaria Munda
Publication date: October 15, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Until I started reading this book, I had forgotten a) how much I love books with dragons, and b) how long it had been since I had read one. With a fantastic blend of politics, questions of personal allegiance, dragon fights, ethical quandaries, and a dash of romance, Fireborne ended up being everything I hoped it would be.

Top Ten…Thursday? – Titles that are better than this one

Yes, yes, I know the meme is Top Ten Tuesday, not Top Ten Thursday,  but I already had a scheduled post for a blog tour on Tuesday, so I figured I might as well put this one up now. Last week was crazy, now I’m getting sick, and this is about the best I can manage, so…sorry if the quality is subpar.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed post hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is “Extraordinary Book Titles,” which was a challenging choice for me, because…well…there are a lot of good book titles out there? It’s hard to find ones that really stand out. For this list, the first half is books with great titles that I’ve actually read, and the second half is ones still on my TBR. Let’s go.

WWW Wednesday- 10/16 (or, why am I so indecisive?)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly post hosted by Taking On a World of Words. Every Wednesday, the posters present their answers to the 3 W’s:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

What am I currently reading?

Spotlight: The Memory Thief (book tour + GIVEAWAY)

I’m so excited to be taking part in my first-ever blog tour, hosted by the Fantastic Flying Book Club. This post is a promotion/spotlight feature on the book, so hopefully you’ll go check it out! At the end, there is also a link to a Rafflecopter for a giveaway of a shiny, brand-new copy of this book (and, honestly, the cover is gorgeous and would look great on your shelf).

Leigh Bardugo, Ninth House tour – notes, quotes, and pictures

Yesterday, my local bookstore, Anderson’s Bookshop, hosted Leigh Bardugo as part of her tour for Ninth House, and I was lucky enough to snag a ticket. The entire house was packed–sold out show, plus extra people who only got tickets for the signing line later–and everyone was super into everything she had to say. I figured I would share a few of my favorite takeaways from her presentation and answers to questions: the funny, the weird, and the downright awesome.

Fall Favorites: an only-partially-bookish compendium

I’m in the middle of several books right now (and just had a DNF, which was disheartening), so I don’t have a review for today, nor is it Tuesday, so I don’t have a list I’ve been preparing. The past couple weeks, it has finally started feeling like autumn outside here in Chicagoland, so I figured that, instead of a typical bookish post, I would give a quick rundown of some of my favorite things this fall so far. Some are bookish, some are totally random. Let’s go.

My Name is Michael Holbrook

After 4 years, MIKA finally has a new album out, and it is everything I hoped it would be. It has a satisfying blend of upbeat tunes and heartfelt slower songs, chronicling a scattered sense of identity and the tiny things that lend beauty to this crazy world we live in. My current favorite track is “Platform Ballerinas,” a sweet and highly danceable ode to the girls who don’t always act girly…and how that doesn’t matter or make them any less. Other favorites of mine include “Paloma,” a heartbreaking and beautiful song about an accident his sister had years ago (also in my favorite key signature, which is always a plus), and the infectious, introspective bop that is “Dear Jealousy.”