Reading Through The Chaos

This month I kind of read less due to the derecho that happened on August 11th. Being offline and limited on wifi for two weeks this month put me behind in the books I wanted to read, which were the following: 

The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey 

The Chemistry Test by Georgina Frankie

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

If Books Could Kill by Kate Eberle

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel

I only had access to books I could download. I am hoping to get through these within the next three months. That said, I was able to read nine books, which is still pretty good considering my chaotic circumstances. 

Books I have read this month: 

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer

Moss’d In Space by Rebecca Thorne

The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Social Animals by Camille Perri

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Out of the above, three made a great impression on me. 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah: 5 Stars

This is by far one of the best books that I have read this year, and I am grateful to Katie Garcia for introducing it to me (You guys should check out her page. I have loved the majority of the books that she has picked this year and have taken me out of my comfort zone). It sheds a light on domestic violence and PTSD in the early 1970s. Women and veterans were vulnerable during that time frame and had limited choices for help. 

It is sad when you think about it that laws didn’t come into place to protect those disenfranchised groups until the 1980s and 1990s. That is around 40 years, which is a short period of time in the scheme of things. I like books like this one because it illustrates an important aspect of our history. We need books like this one so that we don’t fall back into harmful habits. 

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune: 5 stars

This one had me heartbroken in a different way. It is about a couple who decided to take a road trip before the world ends in a couple of weeks. It is really thought-provoking on the topic of mortality. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is going to die someday. However, it is surreal to know that everything, including civilization, is dying along with you. 

When we die, there are often reminders of the life we built: diplomas, pictures, graves, memorials, video recordings, songs, and the list goes on and on. It is very depressing to know that if other aliens or humanoid travelers reached the location of Earth, there would be nothing there to inform them about human civilization, like the books we read, the shows we watch, the food we consume, the difference between the cultures that share the planet, etc. It makes you wonder if it is more important to leave behind something for people to remember you or if the most important thing is to live your life to the fullest with no regrets. 

A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher: 4.5 Stars

Dread always makes people uncomfortable. Usually it comes when you’re about to face something you dislike or are afraid of. We see how the immense dread affects the characters in the book. Hester senses something wicked coming her way, and Cordelia doesn’t know how to stop her mother from controlling her literally and her trail of destruction. Hester and Cordelia’s sense of dread against Cordelia’s mother is fascinating to watch because they have no idea how to fix the situation they are in. They know that Cordelia’s mother is a sorceress, but neither has information on how to deal with the supernatural or where to look for answers. I think it is a good reflection of real life. We face things all the time that we haven’t dealt with before, and sometimes we have to throw random things at a problem to see it get resolved. 

I haven’t reviewed Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer, Moss’d In Space by Rebecca Thorne, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, and Social Animals by Camille Perri yet. I will have reviews for them in an article or a note later on this month. 

Backlog Reviews From Books Read In July

I also reviewed several books that I read from July this month: 

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

Out of those three, one reigned supreme: 

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett: 4 Stars

Honestly, this book had me with the word cat. I was hoping for talking cats due to the title, but got something with a much deeper meaning: charity. Agnes fought for a population that she felt needed her the most: cats. Many couldn’t survive on the streets, especially in the wintertime, and she fought tooth and nail to save as many cats as she could. She even enlisted the help of her landlord, Havelock, to help with her mission even though she dislikes his association with magic. 

I like that the book showed the realities of charity. They are hard work, cost a lot of money, and you have to market them to get people involved. However, Agnes rises to the occasion on all three issues and doesn’t let anyone stop her. I wish we could all be as generous as Agnes. 

Worst Book This Year

One of the worst books that I had the chance to read this year is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. I remember a little while ago that the main actor from Eureka, Colin Ferguson, said that you can have a show with different tones, but people have to be able to follow along. I believe the same thing applies with book topics. There is something that should be said about the trad wife fad and whether it is a harmful stereotype or if it is something in the middle between threat and beneficial. 

I had hopes that Yesteryear would give a nuanced approach to the subject matter. However, it presented us with Natalie, who was not only a horrible person (using her “Christian values” to mock people and enforce unhealthy stereotypes on herself and others), but she hates everyone, including her husband and children. Don’t get me wrong. It is possible to like horrible characters like Regina/Evil Queen in Once Upon A Time and Dr. House in House. However, Regina and House have something that Natalie doesn’t have: layers. Regina and House show the viewers different aspects of themselves, and through that we are able to follow along despite their horribleness because we get to learn more about the character.

Natalie is one note of pure hatred. Nothing around her pleases her, and it is hard to care for a character when there is no aspect that you want to learn more about them or want to follow their story. Anne Hathaway is producing a movie on this book, and I am curious to see if she is able to elevate the character of Natalie somehow. On paper, Natalie is a horrid person, but maybe using film can enlighten viewers on an aspect of Natalie that gives her charisma and makes you want to join along for her journey. 

DNF

There are two books that I lost interest in this month: 

Lovers XXX by Allie Rowbottom: I couldn’t make it past the first chapter. The main character was hard for me to relate to because of her recklessness. 

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde: It was hard for me to follow because of the different points of view. 

TBR for September 

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman

Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas 

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 

Etna by Paul Yoon

The Women In White by Sarah Pekkanen

Time To Play by Erin Ampersand

Tropesick by Lauren Okie

Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu

My Dear You by Rachel Khong 

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

A Very Special Episode by Camille Acker

Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein

The Franchise by Thomas Elrod

Which ones am I looking forward to?

Etna by Paul Yoon: I have been curious about military working dogs due to Dino’s page. I am curious to see how this book approaches the subject. It is already unique because the story is told from a dog’s point of view. 

Tropesick by Lauren Okie: A book about two writers writing a romance book together based on different tropes while dealing with their own past romantic entanglement. Sounds interesting, and looking forward to seeing if it subverts the different romance tropes or not. 

Time to Play by Erin Ampersand: Think of Dungeon Crawler Carl, but it focuses on a family (a mom and her 3 kids under 10) being forced by aliens to play a game. It sounds like it will be a riot lol.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick: What if everyone got a box of string that shows how long they have to live? I am looking forward to reading about the fallout and chaos from this. 

That’s it for this month. I had a good time reading everything and look forward to the books for next month. If you have a book that you want me to review or a suggestion for the buddy read for September or October, let me know in the comments! October is spooky season, so I am hoping to read horror and thriller books all month long.