Reading Recap September 2024

 Books I read in September!

Crank by Ellen Hopkins: A very sad story, told in verse, about a girl who becomes addicted to drugs and ends up with the very much wrong crowd, with pretty awful consequences. There are many more books to this series and I'm scared what ELSE is ahead for this character! Does she ever get her act together? It appears maybe not! Anyway... so sad. I'm giving it  ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ because of the beautiful and compelling writing. 

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell: I re-read this for book club and loved it. Again. Maybe even more than I loved it the first time. It's about the story of how Eleanor and Park get together and bond over their common nerd interests. And I find it to be such a sweet, happy, heartwarming romance. The disturbing part of this book is how Eleanor has to deal with her abusive stepfather. It made me anxious every time she has to go home. And then there's Park with his lovely happy family, which I also appreciated. (Because sometimes I think writers are scared to write about a good happy family.) We had quite the discussion at book club because people either loved it or hated it. It was interesting to see what made people end up in each of these camps. But it is hard for me when I love something like this so much, to try and understand why someone else hates it so much. I struggle. But it's also fascinating to realize how different we all are! And that's what makes book club discussions interesting. Anyway, it's a definite ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for me still.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: My sister in law mentioned this book one day, so I ended up reading it to see what I think. The idea is that if you get up just a little bit earlier than you have to, and you do these six things, your life will change. The six things: meditation, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading and writing. And you just spend 5 or 10 minutes on each one. The thing that I need to change in my life is negative thinking, so this whole affirmation thing will be my struggle, but might be the thing that changes everything. I started it once October hit, so I'm only a few mornings in now.  We'll see how it goes. He says you need to do it for 30 days before you decide! Giving it  ⭐⭐⭐⭐  simply because of the happy, pep talkiness of it! 

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: The second book in the Darker Shades series. I loved the first one and have been anxious to get to this second one ever since. It wasn't as great as the first one, but I still love the writing and the world and the mystic. So so awesome. I really truly needed more interaction between Kell and Lila though.... maybe in the book 3? I will be reading that one soon I hope. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Forever by Judy Blume: I read this one because it's on the banned list our state just put out last month... to be taken off the shelves of school libraries. (One of 13 on this most recent list... a list that oh boy, is certainly making the waves in  a lot of bookish circles! You'd think no other state has ever banned a book!)  Anyway, I wanted to know about it, so I grabbed it from the library. And yeah, um. It's about sex, but not love. Which...for me... I like when the two are together. It was so unemotional and clinical, and just made me grimace. I just... need some EMOTION, you know? So, in the end, I'm going to prove my friends wrong and finally give a book a one star. Which I don't even know what that technically means, but in my world, it means I did not at all like it. But I finished it anyway. ⭐

For October, I'd like to:

• read The Passengers for book club
• read House of Leaves for my spooky month book
• read The Invisible Life of Addie Larue that I randomly checked out of the library
• maybe start book three of Darker Shades
• hopefully keep going in To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
• read Fahrenheit 451 with the city wide "book club"
• listen to Making It So when I go to Las Vegas for a concert

I think that's plenty for one month's goals!

Links to the Channel from the past month:

September Check In (the above list, but I'm talking instead of writing!)

Ten Books That Made Me

Weekly Vlog (including two author events: Liane Moriarty and TJ Klune)

Books I'm Excited to Read (a tag)

Reading Recap August 2024

 Books I read in August of 2024!! Wow, I'm so late! (I've had this post up for weeks trying to finish it... AHH!)

My goal this month was to finish up the Big Book Summer challenge, and then participate in YA'ugust. I think I succeeded! Two for each challenge!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: amazing story, heart wrenching story about a kid who suffers through the foster care system in rural West Virginia and ends up in the drug abuse cycle that plagues his family and everyone else. This book has an amazing voice and you really feel like you are living this crazy life right along with Demon. I thought it was just a nod to the themes and etc in David Copperfield, but am told that it in fact does follow some plot lines and so is a sort of re-telling too. I need to re-read David Copperfield I guess! But I loved it this one despite the harshness of the subject. Demon was hard not to love, even if he makes some crazy bad choices.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo: A needed light and fluffy after Demon, and this one was perfect. Our girl gets in a fight with her nemesis at school and they are both "punished" by having to work in her dad's food truck all summer. She ends up loving it, making friends with the other girl, and falling love with the adorable dude who is working at the coffee shop near where they park their truck. I loved reading about so many places I've actually been.  Cute and fun book, just what I needed! ⭐⭐⭐

Love and Luck by Jenna Evans Welch: This is a companion book to Love and Gelato, one I read years ago and really enjoyed. I didn't like this one quite as much. I was looking for a fluffy road trip romance, but there wasn't much of a romance. This one is more about the relationship between our main girl and her brother. It takes place in Ireland after they are there for a family wedding. Our girl is supposed to meet her friend, the main character of Love and Gelato, in Italy, but stuff happens, and she doesn't go, but ends up driving around Ireland with her brother and his cute Irish friend. It was fun and easily readable. I have the next book (Love and Olives) up and ready to read any day!  ⭐⭐⭐

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: I kept hearing things about this book so put it on hold and became available, so then I devoured it. I thought it was a newer book, but I guess I'm several years behind! This one is about a guy who wakes up in space, alone on a space ship, and can't remember why. Slowly his memory comes back to him ( we get to see flashbacks as that happens) and he realizes he has a huge problem to solve. Now, if only he had someone to help him....   oh my word, I loved it! So so so much science that went right over my head, but it didn't matter because the HEART of this story is what's so great. I do love the space stuff though. Anyway, pretty sure this author can do no wrong and I'll read all his stuff. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Plans for September are to re-read Eleanor and Park for book club, and then to get to all the books that are becoming available from holds I've made, and maybe read some banned/challenged books. There's just so much I want to get to!

How did your month go?

Reading Recap June and July 2024

 

I got a little behind so here is two month's worth of reading from the summer!

Books Read in June

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen: A crazy fun fantasy about an angel and a demon trying to get the apocalypse going. Lots of fun banter, and lots of silly culture references, some I got and some I didn't.  There were spots I got bogged down, but for the most part I enjoyed the experience. ⭐⭐⭐

Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton: Listened to this one on the road tripping and loved all the behind the scene stories for Harry Potter. And all the interactions he shares with all the main leads from the movies. He seems like he had a fairly normal life despite being in such huge movies, but still had the rock bottom alphol infused drop. Sad, but fairly quickly recovered.⭐⭐⭐⭐

Guts by Raina Telgemeier: Read this one "with" my 8 year old granddaughter. She devoured in in one sitting. A sort of middle grade graphic memoir about the authors struggle with OCD and massive anxiety in 4th grade. Much to relate to for those of us suffering anxiety things. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Radical Love by Zachary Levi: Another listen on the road, where Zachary shares his life long struggle with depression and the issues he's had with his family particularly his mom. He's so raw and honest and emotional. So good, and heart-wrenching. But also very hopeful. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Books Read in July

Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper: Another road trip audio book, this one more of a history lesson than a memoir, though the author has many personal stories to share too. We learn about how the Vanderbilt's got their money and all the struggles they've had to keep it as the years have gone on. Such elaborate wealth that it's hard to even imagine. But lots of sadness throughout the years too. Too bad these sorts of stories don't come without the sadness and corruption.⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Measure by Nikki Erlick: Finally read this popular one about what would happen if we all knew when we were going to die. How would that affect everyday life and our dealings with each other. Very telling and very eye opening. It follows the stories of 8 or so different characters and how they all had to come to terms with their fate.⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Little Free Library Book by Margret Aldrich: A fun beautiful book about the story of how Little Free Libraries got started, and the story of many many LFL around the world. Lots of ideas on how to be steward for one, with lots of pictures and plans for how to get started. So fun!⭐⭐⭐

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton: A book I've had on my shelf forever that I finally got to! This one a subtle gothic story that flashes back and forth between the years of 1992 and 1940 when our main character is trying to figure out what happened to the three girls who live in the castle back during WWII. A very slow book, but so beautifully written with a crazy story that little by little unfolds.⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Unwedding by Ally Condie: The first adult novel by a local author favorite that was in fact chosen as a Reese Witherspoon book club book! It's a mystery, nodding to the classic tales of Agatha Christie, where our main character ends up stuck at a resort on the coast of California after the groom of the wedding that was meant to happen there, turns up dead. She gets involved in solving it all, whether she wanted to or not!⭐⭐⭐

Reading Recap May 2024

 Books I read during May 2024

My focus this month was the Asian Readathon. (Something that is run by a very big youtuber, and I feel like is a pretty big event... but I don't see anyone else doing it at all. Weird. May is AAPI month, so it seems like a perfect time to stick in a few Asian books, so I tried.)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: The first in this very popular romantasy series where we meet our girl Violet as she is about join the riding school in order to be a dragon rider... that is if she passes all the tests and physical challenges.... alive. And stay away from the dude who is an enemy to her family. And that might be harder than staying alive. ⭐⭐⭐

Shine by Jessica Jung: The story of what it's like being a kpop trainee and dealing with all the rules and restrictions. And dealing with your family not believing in what you want. And dealing with falling in love with the most famous kpop star. Written by a former kpop star so it makes all the things more real since I'm sure it's based an many of her own experiences. ⭐⭐⭐

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer: A unique Beauty and the Beast retelling where our girl is kidnapped from the contemporary world and brought to this fantasy world with the hope she will fall in love with the prince. He's not currently a beast, but he will turn into one if the curse is not broken and kill her and everyone around her. Does she finally break the curse? ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Namjoo Cho: A strange little book about a girl who is going quite crazy at the beginning and then we flash back and relive her whole life to see what might be the cause. She has struggled at every turn with misogynistic attitudes from everyone around her. It's written with a very detached style that was sometimes okay and sometimes boring. But when you get to the end, it all seems to make sense in a very mind blowing way. ⭐⭐⭐

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park: A middle grade bordering on YA book that tells the story of this Korean family during the Japanese occupation and then during WWII, and how they had to bow down to every whim of the Japanese government, but still somehow survive it all. Beautifully and simply told.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Heartstopper Vol 1 by Alice Oseman: The first book in this very popular graphic novel series about the romance between two high school boys. Everyone said it's a sweet story, and they were right. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi: The first in this YA fantasy series by one of my favorite authors, based on Persian mythology complete with a jinn main character. It also has a lot of Cinderella vibes. Our girl is jinn and there's a prophecy that she is destined to free her people and become their queen. But an encounter with the prince makes everyone VERY complicated and now neither one of them is sure about anything. Ah, this one is SOOO good and my favorite read of the month! Can't wait to have time for book two! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And in case you are interested, here are some videos I uploaded to the channel this month:

May Monthly Wrap Up 

Review for This Woven Kingdom

Review for When My Name Was Keoko

Review for Shine

Big Books I want to read during summer

Best and Worst Books from Book Club

Party Prepping for the 20th Anniversary for Book Club

Little Free Library Hunting

More Little Free Library Hunting

Review for Fourth Wing

A Cozy Writing Vlog

Reading Recap April 2024

 Here's what I read in April!

The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu: The craziness that began in Three Body Problem continues in this book two. We have the Wallfacers who are trying to figure out a solution to the alien forces that will arrive in 400 years time. They all come up with great solution, but none of them work. Except one. Maybe. With this book I am officially invested in this crazy intense hard core science fiction story and I now need to see what happens with the next one, which I understand is a parallel story to this one. WAH! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This was the book club choice for April. I struggled through, mostly because it was really about nothing except this tennis players desire to regain her title. I felt no investment in it at all. I did enjoy her relationship with her dad, which made those bits somewhat interesting. And it was overall an easy read. I don't know... I don't get the hype! ⭐⭐⭐

Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham: We got this book at a Lauren Graham book signing earlier in April. An essay memoir book full of her funny stories of the business and life in general. She is awesome. And it was a blast to see her. You can check the channel for clips from the experience. I'll post channel links below. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter: I read this for Dewey's Readathon which was on April 13. So much fun! This is a great romcom where our girl gets in a bit of a Groundhog Day loop, only it's Valentines Day... and she is determined to make it the best day ever, but things just keep getting worse and worse! And then she just decides to forget it and let it all loose. LOL! I loved it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves: This one is a YA regency romcom... where we have two sisters and their cousins coming to London to make their debut and join the "season" for the first time and find their husbands. They expect it to be all fun and games, but of course, everything goes wrong! Another fun enjoyable book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tree.Table.Book. by Lois Lowry: At the end of the month we got to go to a Lois Lowry signing and we bought this book there. It's an adorable middle grade story about the friendship between Sophie who is 11 and Sophie who is 88. The younger Sophie is very worried about the older Sophie because she thinks her family is about to take her away to put her in a old folks home. She is determined to make her remember stuff, but she ends up learning a ton more about Old Sophie than she expected. Heartwarming in all the ways. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It as a lovely reading month! In May I plan to make most of my books be for the Asian Readathon in celebration for AAPI Month. 

Here are some channel links from the past month if you want to go check them out!

Review for The Dark Forest

Memories of going to the library

Lauren Graham signing

Dewey's Readathon Prep

Dewey's Readathon Vlog

Review for Carrie Soto

Book Club Choices for 2024-25

Lois Lowry Signing

May TBR Plans

Review for Tree.Table.Book

April's Monthly Check In

Reading Recap March 2024

 I didn't read much this month, but I here's what I DID read!

Beartown by Fredrik Backman: A story about a town and a hockey team, and how that town LIVES for the hockey team, and how that all falls apart one day. Told from many points of view from many different townspeople, and how they all deal with the situation in their own many and different ways. Another great book by another great author! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Flippin' Skaters by Teresa Richards: I was hoping for a cute sort of YA story, but it wasn't as cute as expected. Something happened, and our girl doesn't even know what, but suddenly she is getting cyber bullied, and she has to figure out how to deal with that, and to also figure out what actually happened. As the title suggests, she ends up skating as her distraction to real life. ⭐⭐⭐

Fairy Tale by Stephen King: What a fun readalong book this was! Crazy that it's over already! This is the story of our boy Charlie who discovers something in the shed of his neighbor. It takes half the book to lead up to us finally finding out what's in there, but the build up to that was lovely. This book definitely lives up to its fairy tale title with many nods to fairy tales, and a general fairy tale vibe. It was a very enjoyable reading experience. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Plans for April:

• I'm deep into The Dark Forest and will hopefully have that done this weekend!
• I'll be reading Carrie Soto Is Back for book club.
• I've started a YA called An Improbable Season by Rosalyn Eves.
• I'm hoping to participate in Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon this coming Saturday...for the first time in years! Hopefully I'll some light fun easy books in my stack for that.
• Maybe I'll keep working on my Count of Monte Cristo re-read.

Fairy Tale Read-Along Week Three: Chapters 17 to 24

 

How's everyone coming along in this book? Are you still with me???

I'm still really enjoying it and am able to get through the assigned sections pretty quickly and easily. I'm glad that we are one the last week now this coming week so I can just finish it and see what happens!

Here are some thoughts and a couple of random questions! (Beware spoilers for up to this point!)

• Just like I expected this took quite the turn as soon as Charlie got to the city!
• I'm staring to worry about a happy ending. I want a happy ending!
• This city is CREEPY... and when Charlie describes it, I get dizzy too just like he's feeling.
• This whole thing about Charlie actually physically changing is very strange. I did not expect that tidbit!

Some questions for all you that are reading along:

1. What do we think is happening with Charlie and do we think he's going to be able to save the land and the people?

2. What interesting/crazy thing about the city stood out to you? 3. Is anyone else worrying about Radar and what's become of her? I hope we get back to her story soon!

I can't wait to finish this one. It's been a fun read along. Thanks for joining me. I think we'll be doing a LIVE on the channel talking about the whole book this weekend, probably on Friday evening at 5:30 MDT. That seems to be the best for everyone. Check over on the channel for final info on that! (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5o015Klju9s3FGv4MaQwwg)

Fairy Tale by Stephen King Read-Along: Week Two Discussion (Chapters 10 to 16)

 

Well, and so Charlie's adventures begin!

Beware spoilers if you haven't read this far yet! (Halfway through the book up to Chapter 16)

Random thoughts:

• This new place feels at once both cozy and creepy. How is that possible? LOL. Like it does feel pretty storybook-y but also very very weird.
• Wow but the first section we read, and this section have totally different vibes. 
• I'm finding it interesting that I'm able to picture these gray people quite well. How's everyone else doing on that?
• I'm still really quite loving Charlie as a character. He did notice though when he sort of addressed the question I had last time, and let us know he doesn't think he's that "good" of a dude.
• I still feel like this book could totally be a YA fantasy. 
• I'm find this to be very easy reading so far, which is a good thing for keeping up with the read along! LOL!

Some official questions:

1. Any thoughts about all the comparisons to different fairy tales? Are you feeling these connections or is it a stretch? What's your favorite fairy tale connection so far?

2. Do you think this new place is a parallel universe? Or a completely different place altogether?

3. Speaking of this, our reading segment this time ends with Charlie saying that his world is the make-believe one and that this world he's in now is the reality. What does he mean by that?

4. From all the new people that Charlie is meeting, who is your favorite so far?

5. Are you feeling invested and anxious about Charlie's mission? Or do you feel it's still quite "tame" and easy so far? 

6. What thing are you worried about most for Charlie's future? The giant Hana? The night walker things? The sleeping something in the city? The gray disease?

If you are reading along, please answer in comments! Or check out the booktube channel and answer there. (Or the Storygraph page...I've got it going everywhere!)

Fairy Tale by Stephen King Read-Along: Week One Discussion

My thoughts and some questions on our first week's reading for this Fairy Tale read-along. There will be spoilers for the first section which is Chapter 1 to 9. 

My random thoughts:

• This ended up being the perfect ending spot for our week one! It's almost like I planned it, lol! (I literally just divided it into four equal chunks!) I feel a huge shift coming! Should we be nervous?
• I am dying to know what's on that tape recorder and what's in that shed! What do you all think is going on with the shed? 
• Very anxious about our dog... but I'm also really wondering if she has something to do with the mystery.
• So far this has read like a sweet YA book... which is not at all what I expected. I am nervous though that it's all going to change.
• Charlie seems like the sweetest dude, yeah? I didn't picture him so big until it was revealed he is 6'4". Wow.
• Does anyone have any predictions of what's up with Mr. Bowditch? I am terrible at figuring things out. 
• The murder of the jeweler dude seems like it might come to be important.

Some official questions:

1. Do you agree that so far this is very different from what we typically expect from Stephen King? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

2. What are your feelings about our main boy, Charlie? Do you think he is as "good" as he seems to be?

3. Assuming you are going into this book cold and have no idea what's going down, what are your predictions about what's in the shed? And what do you think Mr. Bowditch is hiding?

4. What are your feelings about Radar, the dog? Does she have something do with the weirdness? Do you think she's really going to die as Charlie continues to foreshadow?

5. Speaking of that, are you annoyed at Charlie for randomly throwing out spoilers to us the readers? Do you hate or like that as a writing device?

6. Is the promise Charlie made to God a likely reason he was so motivated to help Mr. Bowditch? Or do you think he has other motivations?

7. Do you think Mr. Bowditch is actually FROM a fairy tale? If so, which one?

8. Also, Mr. Bowditch is giving off vibes of a character from another popular and well-loved book, can you guess who I'm thinking of? 

I think that's good for now! If you are reading with us, let me know in comments what you are thinking about this first bit of reading. Can't wait to see what everyone is thinking so far, and I'm excited to keep reading. It has me hooked for sure!

Reading Recap February 2024

 Wow, it was an awesome reading month! Here are the books I read in February:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky: This is a book I feel like I've been meaning to read forever. Glad it finally happened. It's about our boy Charlie, who is a bit different, and his first year in high school. He's sweet and smart and funny, but many people brush him off as not really any of those things, which allows him to observe everyone in all their glory. Some stuff he sees is not that great, and some stuff he ends up doing is also not that great. But he learns from it all. It's a sweet, heartfelt, coming of age story. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Weight of Everything by Marcia Mickelson: Our girl is struggling with her mother's death and especially the fact that her dad has pretty much checked out. (This seems to be the theme in so many books I'm reading lately!) She has to take care of her bother and work to get money for the bills. AND do school. She ends up with an assignment that helps her to feel close to her mother and learn a lot about her heritage. These also a sweet romance with a dude that feels almost too good to be true. It was a nice story, but hasn't been especially memorable. ⭐⭐⭐

We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu: We drove a LONG ways to get to a wedding one weekend in February and I listened to this one on the way. SO GOOD! I loved loved loved hearing his back story, his amazing parents who always had struggles with as a teenager, his desire to be on the stage and perseverance to get there. I cried, I laughed, I feel in love. He's great and this story just confirms it. (He is the star of Marvels Shang Chi, and also a Ken in the Barbie movie if anyone needs a reminder, lol!) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson: The next weekend we drove the long long drive to get to the grandkids for the President's Day holiday. I listened to this one on the way there. I love this very funny author and hearing his experiences growing up in the 50s was awesome. So many stories, and lots of historical tie ins. Perfect for road trip listening! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: This was a really quick listen for the drive back home. A book I've heard so much about over the years, so I thought I'd see what it's all about. Which is basically our human natures to follow a trend. Something small and insignificant suddenly becomes a huge thing, like the pandemic of virus! It was fun to hear all the different ways we can apply this to our lives. I'm thinking YouTubing specifically for me! ⭐⭐⭐

Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly: I feel like the title (and maybe its author?) turns people away from this book, but I found it fascinating to learn about the history and culture of the era around Jesus' birth and death. And to learn the back stories of all the Roman emperors of the time and etc. Wow, but it was a ruthless time to be alive. These leaders were awful! The descriptions do get a bit graphic so warning for anyone who might have an issue with that. Anyway, I really enjoyed this historical perspective of a story I've learned about my whole life. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: Another Emily Henry book! I enjoyed this one a bit more than Happy Place (from January's reading) but not as much as The People we Meet on Vacation. I'm thinking maybe this author is not for me after all. I find the stories to be very surface level and end up not really loving the characters much. And I feel they are driven more by the physical of the relationship than anything about connecting with each other as actual people. This one did have some great banter though. So that saved it. And the bookish topic I suppose! ⭐⭐⭐

Overlap: The Heart of Happiness by Trevor J Petersen: This is a fabulously well researched look into how we can become happier. Which is, bottom line, to connect with people, and whatever else we deem a living thing. Lots of ideas, lists, suggestions to help us get there, and ways to overcome the obstacles we feel are in our way. I did a full review of this one in another post, so check it out if you missed it!  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Four books I read, and four I listened too! Wow! And THREE five stars? I'd say it was a pretty great reading month. How did everyone else do?

Reading Recap January 2024

 Oh man I'm already behind! Here are the books I read in January!

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson: Great way to start out the year with this fun whimsical fantasy about a girl who is off to rescue the boy! And the sea is lethal, but also magic. There's pirates and witches and zombies and a talking rat. It's got it all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: I heard so much about this book last year so was excited to read it for our book club pick in January. And wow, but it lived up to the hype. Just my kind of book with the focus on characters, a tiny mystery, heart warming relationships, and yeah, a thinking smart octopus added in! It was great and earned my first 5 star of the year. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham: This is an interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast where our girl has been abused by the character we will recognize as Gaston. And when she finds the beast, she is terrified of much more than the fact that he is a beast. Most of the story is familiar but with that added element that our girl has to overcome. I really enjoyed it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Place by Emily Henry: This is a book I waited months for and it finally become available so I jumped right in. Sadly, it wasn't as great as I hoped it would be, in fact, it pretty much made me crazy. One of those romances where the people aren't together for reasons we as readers can't understand. Like I still don't get why. And wow, but everything was so sad and depressing. Not a happy place at all. ⭐⭐

The Trial by Franz Kafka: Pretty sure this was my first Kafka read and now I know what everyone is talking about regarding him. WEIRD stuff! This is a story about a dude who is accused of a crime and has to go to trial for a year. He has no idea what he did, or why this is happening, and no one else does either. But he does all the stuff he needs to, which is very complicated and confusing. It's obviously a statement to the bureaucracy we have to deal with in this world.  It was... an experience reading it. ⭐⭐⭐

I feel like this was a pretty good start to the year! Books ranging all over the place!