Sadly, another round of RYBSAT is at an end. Let's see how I made out with the reading!
1. Trial By Fire (Worldwalker #1) by Josephine Angelini
2 stars. An interesting premise boggled down by mediocre writing and some troublingly problematic elements. If you want parallel worlds and universe jumping, I'd recommend Tandem by Anna Jarzab instead.
2. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
DNF. I read 50-70 pages and was already skimming along. This just didn't end up being what I expected--which is too bad, because look at that cover.
3. Fortune's Pawn (Paradox #1) by Rachel Bach
4.5 stars. Oh man I LOVED this one. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy it, but I didn't expect to like it as much as I did! Watch out for a review coming soon!
... And then I cheated a little bit.
Listen. My inter-library loan came in and they sign them out to you immediately and you can't renew them, so I had to shuffle things around a bit.
4. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
2.5 stars. I wanted to like this more than I did. The content is so important, but the writing never immersed me. I've got a full review of this one scheduled as well.
5. An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes #1) by Sabaa Tahir
2.5 stars. Another cheat since this is also a library book, but shush. Ultimately, this one let me down. I just finished composing a review for this, so watch out for that a little later on. (And read The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski instead, tbh.)
And there you have it! Not bad for only a week of reading, even if I did deviate from my shelf a bit. Oops! I love this readathon a lot, so you can bet I'll be up for round 8, whenever that is!
Have you read any of these? What did you read this past week? Let's chat in the comments!
If you didn't already know, I'm a teacher. And in case you were wondering, marking can be the most tedious thing ever. Seriously.
I've also become rather old lately, and I tend to have a difficult time listening to music with lyrics when I'm trying to multitask. I usually ends up with me stopping whatever else it is I'm trying to do in favour of lip synching along.
Put these two things together and you get to the subject of my "marking" music. What tends to happen is I go to 8tracks and search the "epic" tag. Marking eight-grade math tests is never actually epic, but I can usually convince myself I'm achieving greatness with the right soundtrack on anyway.
So rewind to a few weeks ago, the beginning of school after Christmas break--and lo and behold, marking. That's when I stumbled upon this wonderful playlist.
It is just the right mix of all the wonderful adventure-y songs. Upbeat, charming and impossible not to love. Hence why I needed to showcase it for this week's mix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten...
All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.
Oh holy smokes, I adored this. If you like fantasy-of-manners ala Gail Carriger's Soulless you should probably add this to you TBR immediately.
The writing is charming, the character voice strong and the world delightful--because even though this feels like Victorian England, it's tried and true fantasy. But enough so that newer readers to the genre won't be too put off by the learning curve. The world feels very familiar, and if you've read any historical fiction taking place in the 19th century you'll feel right at home with this one.
Isabella is an absolute delight as well. Narrating some of the exploits of her younger self, she often addresses the reader directly--sometimes to fantastic comedic effect. (She dares you to challenge her on the inclusion of some details that wouldn't be brought up in polite company and it is darling.) It also has the added benefit of being tantalizing foreshadowing sometimes.
Isabella is reckless, headstrong and determined to make more of herself than is expected of a woman of her time. And let me tell you, I am all about women defying societal propriety and expectation in order to strike out and discover something great. I love those kinds of stories, and this one did not disappoint.
That said, as other reviewers have mentioned, this ends up focusing less on the dragons and more of the memoir part of the title. Which I didn't mind at all, but I understand why some might be disappointed. Still, the dragons do feature, and I expect there will be much more of them in future books as well--which I can't wait to read!
If any of this sounds even remotely appealing, I'd definitely recommend picking this up. You're in for fantastic characters, enthusiastic discussions of science! and quite possibly a lot of capital-f Feelings about parts of that ending if you're anything like me.
So there are certain words that appear in the synopsis or marketing of a book that just make me drop everything and immediately add that book to my TBR. Sometimes this works out in my favour, other times not so much.
So for Top 5 Wednesday this week here are my 5 Favourite Buzz Words.
1. Soulmates/Soulbond
I'm a huge sucker for this nonsense in all its forms. I will go out of my way to pick up anything that even slightly has to do with soulmates. I still prefer a slow burn over insta-love in this case though; and some of the best stuff I've read works actively to explore and subvert the trope. And though this is definitely something I see more often in fanfic, you put this in your synopsis and I am so in it's not even funny.
2. Reincarnation/Past Lives Especially when it goes hand in hand with #1. Whoa-boy can I click that "want to read" button any faster? No. I cannot. I am 99.8% certain that watching Sailor Moon as a kid is responsible for this. But I can't even tell you how much I love it when there's history there... especially if there's a little bit of memory play with remembering past lives. UGH. GIVE IT TO ME NOW.
3. LGBTQ+
Okay, not a buzz word, per se, but stay with me here. Because I'm not really talking about your standard contemporary queer lit either. Not that it doesn't have it's place, it certainly does and is vitally important, but it too often ends in tragedy. No, I'm talking about your standard SFF romp (or any genre really) with queer main characters. Incidentally queer characters. A story that plays out in exactly the same way it would if it was about straight characters. More of this always please.
4. Historical Fantasy
Less of a buzz word and more of genre. I really like it when you combine a historical-ish setting with some fantastical elements. Necromancy in Tsarist Russia (The Gathering Storm), magical prohibition in the 1920s (A Criminal Magic), steampunk in the Wild West (Revenge and the Wild)... and so on! I'm in, let's do this.
5. X Meets Y Okay okay, sometimes this gets a little dicey. Because some times the publishers get is SO WRONG and some times they get it SO RIGHT. It's hard to tell. Hence why it's at the bottom of my list. But done properly there's can be just enough intrigue for me to keep going and want to read it. These Vicious Masks, for example, is marketed as Jane Austen meets X-Men and that's literally all I needed to know before adding it. On the other hand, The Young Elites was supposed to be X-Men meets Assassin's Creed (noticing a trend here, are you?) and I absolutely loathed it. So. Hit or miss.
And there you have it! What are your favourite buzz words? What did you think of mine? Let's chat in the comments!
Top 10 Tuesday is, as always, brought to you by The Broke and The Bookish. This week: Recently Added to My TBR.
I'm really bad about adding books to my TBR, and by that I mean I do it way to easily. If something sounds interesting to me, I'm pretty much in. I check the reviews sometimes, and the overall ratings, and I've tried to be more discerning about just adding whatever I want--but those stats and reviews can be misleading. I also try to see if my library has a copy or not, because I'm really trying not to buy a million more books this year.
But despite my best efforts, I still have a huge TBR list on Goodreads. It's over 300 books. Sigh.
Anyway, here are the most recent additions to that list:
1. Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel Caine
I've had my eye on this for a while now, but never officially added it to the TBR until recently. But come on, a dystopian centered around the Library of Alexandria? Please.
2. Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer
This was on a recommended list based on some other books I've added and I was intrigued by the idea of magic through song.
3. The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1) by Genevieve Cogman
With a world-jumping premise that reminded me of V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic and librarian spies, what's not to love?
4. Starflight (Starflight #1) by Melissa Landers
Sci-fi space fugitives who are distrustful of each other but have to work together in order to survive? I'm in.
5. These Vicious Masks (These Vicious Masks #1) by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas
This is pitched as Jane Austen meets X-Men and I literally didn't need to know one single other thing about this before adding it to my TBR.
6. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
This doesn't even have a cover yet... it's not due out until September. But holy smokes I cannot wait. It's set up typically--a princess is shipped off to a foreign land to marry a prince--but then she falls in love with the prince's sister instead. Heck yeah.
7. The Incarnations by Susan Barker "Who are you? you must be wondering. I am your soulmate, your old friend, and I have come back to this city of sixteen million in search of you." Done done done and done. I am here for this.
8. The Rook (The Checquy Files #1) by Daniel O'Malley
Amnesia plotlines, supernatural creatures, political conspiracies. Sounds great!
9. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
With a backdrop of the civil rights movement, this promises to be poignant and probably heartbreaking. I've heard nothing but amazing things about it.
And there we have it. (Yes, I am going with 9 instead of 10 just so I can have nice groups of 3, shush.) Have you read any of these? What are some of the books you've most recently added to your TBR? Let's chat in the comments!
The title of this is going to throw people off, so let me explain.
From The Smiths song Rubber Ring:
But don't forget the songs that made you cry And the songs that saved your life Yes, you're older now, and you're a clever swine But they were the only ones who ever stood by you
I started listening to The Smiths in earnest in 2004. More specifically, my first year of university. And for whatever reason, those lyrics stuck with me. For a number of years, after my spring semester was over and I was getting ready for summer break, I made a lengthy playlist. My "Rubber Ring" playlist--the songs that I'd discovered during that school year that I listened to over and over. Songs that I couldn't believe I'd only just started listening to, because it seemed like I'd known them for so much longer than just one school year. Songs that "saved my life", or at the very least, my sanity.
Music has always been important to me. And though I can't always have it on a background noise any more (or, at least, not if it has lyrics) there are still songs that have shaped my year.
So here's a slightly different Monday Mix for you. A list of songs that I started listening to in 2015 that are important to me.
Ingrid Michaelson - Can't Help Falling in Love
Just a gorgeous and haunting cover. There are a lot of Ingrid Michaelson songs I could put here as well, but this is the one I'm drawn back to over and over.
Alison Krauss - If I Didn't Know Any Better
Sometimes I listen to Songza to help fall asleep--and one night this came on. I haven't been able to stop listening to it since.
Fall Out Boy - Centuries
Catchy as all get out, I always turn up the stereo in my car when this one comes on.
Bear's Den - Agape
I just adore this song. The chorus just gets me every time.
Walk The Moon - Shut Up and Dance
I really like catchy pop songs, can you tell? There's a reason this is my ringtone.
Sleeping At Last - Light
Picking one song from this collection was really tricky. All of his songs are so gorgeous. Please do yourself a favour and listen to Atlas: Year One in its entirety immediately.
Lord Huron - The Night We Met
I heard this first on a Shepard/Garius mix on 8tracks and immediately fell in love with it. The melody is so haunting and I just cannot get over the perfection of the way the chorus descends with each line.
Taylor Swift - Bad Blood
Aka my favourite music video of all time. But also a song that I will absolutely drop everything in order to dance in my kitchen when it comes on.
Seth Glier feat Crystal Bowersox - If I Could Change One Thing
Another song that came up on Songza as I was trying to fall asleep and I've just never stopped listening to.
Lorde - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
I have a lot of feelings about those characters I was telling you about from high school when I listen to this song. It was pretty much on repeat the last few days of December because I could not get over how well it fit the villain.
Birdy - Words As Weapons
Another Songza discovery. I just love it a lot. It almost made the cut for my "Like Weapons" playlist, for obvious reasons.
Jasmine Thompson - Stay With Me
This cover is just so so good. Just listen to it. Ugh. I adore it.
Elizabeth & the Catapult - Wish I Didn't
(Warning for NSFW language) Another Songza discovery. The first line immediately captivated me and here we are.
Phew! There we go! Hope you enjoy. Let me know what songs you can't stop listening to!
They say the world used to turn. They say that night would follow day in an endless dance. They say that dawn rose, dusk fell, and we worshiped both sun and stars.
That was a long time ago.
The dance has died. The world has fallen still. We float through the heavens, one half always in light, one half always in shadow. Like the moth of our forests, one wing white and the other black, we are torn.
My people are the fortunate. We live in daylight, blessed in the warmth of the sun. Yet across the line, the others lurk in eternal night, afraid... and alone in the dark.
I was born in the light. I was sent into darkness. This is my story.
The first three books in this series were on sale for something like $0.99 in mid-2015, and because I was intrigued by the premise, I bought the collection on iBooks and read bits here and there when I was out by myself or waiting on a friend.
And it should tell you something that I never picked this up in between those times. That I've been sitting on this since approximately May 2015 and couldn't be bothered to read more than a few chapters at a time.
This book is, quite frankly, terrible. The writing is juvenile and overly simplistic. The characters are barely two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs of people and that's being generous. The conflict is overly exaggerated and boring. And let's not even start on the offensively poor portrayal of women (which is saying something, given that there are only like two named female characters in the whole thing thus far).
There's no depth. No soul. It's boring and bland and not something I would ever recommend anyone wasting their time on. Truthfully, I'm not sure why I never DNF'd it, maybe it's because it was too much like a train-wreck I couldn't look away from, but here we are.
Read-Your-Bookshelf-A-Thon (aka RYBSAT) Round 7 runs January 19-25 and was started by Miranda @ BooKss101. (See the official twitter here as well.)
The idea is simple: pick a spot on your bookshelf and start reading. Once you finish a book, pick up the next one in order and continue throughout the week. You can skip over sequel books in a series if you need to though.
It's such a fun idea for a readathon and I've participated quite a few times in the past, so I knew I had to give it a go again this time around.
I took a good hard look at my shelves to try and decide where to start, and I think I've figured it out.
I'm going to start off with Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini. I've had this book on my shelf for a while now and it's just time to get around to it. Plus, I really like the idea of alternate worlds, so I hope this ends up being fun.
We're skipping the Everworld books because I've read them already and moving on to Life After Lifeby Kate Atkinson. The premise here seems to be sort of reincarnation/time travel/something? I'm not entirely sure, but it sounds intriguing!
Then I'm going to try out Rachel Bach's Fortune's Pawn. I've heard good things about this one and I'm in the mood for some exciting sci-fi, so hopefully this hits the spot!
I doubt I'll get to The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, but you never know. This is post-apocalyptic speculative fiction set in the same world as his Ship Breaker duology, which I read book one of and thought it was okay. I've heard there's more done with the world here, so we'll see!
And that's my TBR! I'm hoping to read at least two books this week, maybe all four if I'm really ambitious, but I'm not sure. I'm suffering from a dreadful cold right now and it's sapping all my energy.
Have you participated in RYBSAT before? Are you giving it a go this time around? What books do you want to get to next on your own shelves? Let's chat in the comments!
Top 10 Tuesday is, as always, brought to you by The Broke and The Bookish. This week: 2015 Releases I didn't get to!
I meant to read these in 2015, I promise!
1. Winter (Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer
Starting off big on the S H A M E here. I am just not ready for this series to be over. I'll probably cave and read this in January, though.
2. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
The hype surrounding this one was huge. Now that it's died down a bit, I really do want to check this out.
3. Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
I keep hearing mixed things about this one and it actually made me take this back to the library before I'd read it because I was so nervous. Ugh.
4. Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Another one I'm probably going to pick up soon. I've heard really good things and I'm digging the unique way of storytelling.
5. The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski
I'll admit, I'm procrastinating on this one too. I've heard it's heartwrenching and maybe ends on a cliffhanger. I might wait until I have book 3 in my possession to give this a go.
6. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
I just got this for Christmas, so I'll definitely be able to read this ASAP.
There are a few others that should probably be on this list, but these are the most shameful ones, I think. Let me know if there's something I missed!
What 2015 releases do you still need to get around to? Have you read any of these? Let's chat in the comments!
Okay, so remember all that explanation from last week? Good, that's the context for this mix too.
Except these are two different characters.
Right at the beginning of the story there's transportation to another world, right? Well, before we were told we were Chosen, we got shipped off to magic school. Not like Harry Potter though, the magic was elemental based and...
Anyway, you don't really care.
One of the characters we meet at magic school becomes the love interest for the character based off my best friend. It's sort of a will-they-won't-they kind of deal that doesn't get a chance to turn into much because destiny awaits and we break out of magic school and leave him behind.
So there's some pining and angst, and who doesn't love that?
There were complicated plans "down timeline" for what happens in between, but there were plans for them to be reunited. Not without complications, of course, but these two are also endgame FIGHT ME.
Anyway! The tags for this are: angst, mutual pining, first love
