What can I say about House of Earth and Blood that has not already been said? The Internet made me do it, and I am glad I did! I would agree with the assessment that the world building in this crime thriller fantasy (sort of a departure for the author) is like drinking through a firehose for a few hundred pages, and at times seems unnecessarily complex. (How many power rankings do we really need here?)
But! I know many readers don’t like to hear the opinion that you have to get through a certain number of pages, etc. to really enjoy something. Though, for a lot of books and series, I believe it to be true. Many things in life take a little effort to enjoy the payoff.😁 Would I have thought the last quarter or so of the story was as impactful if I didn’t get the info dump from the beginning? Obviously that’s impossible to say, but I’m thinking not. And what an ending it was! #lightitup 💥
Maas has a unique talent for shock, awe, and creating authentic worlds and characters that you can’t help but root for.
I took this picture at a weird angle because I am trying to convey the magnitude of this paperback clocking in at 800 pages. I now remember that I really dislike paperbacks and thankfully the digital copy came through from the library just after I cracked it open - hence the pristine condition.✨
Of course I plan to read House of Breath and Sky, but after reading some shorter fare first!

It’s unpopular opinion time. I really wanted to love this book about nerds doing nerdy things, paper towns, libraries and magical realism. Alas, the characters were so underdeveloped and obtuse, and the story chock full of plot holes. For a book heavy on plot, it should make some sense and not be so convoluted. Literally NOTHING made sense to me - what the characters were doing, why they were doing (supposedly ahmazzzing revolutionary?) things, and the contradictory rules of the magical realism were beyond frustrating.
There were also too many relationship dynamics and none are explored in any meaningful way. This novel could have been about an inseparable father daughter duo torn apart, or it could’ve been about a group of college friends and the dynamics that broke them apart, or it could have been a story about love interrupted and found again. Alas, I wasn’t invested and it draaaaaaged.

“The weeks dragged, each one more strange. It seemed like that summer passed in an instant, a surreal, horrible blur that could have been just a single day, and also never ended.” 🎯

I am speaking in very broad generalities as I wouldn’t want to give any spoilers, because there are apparently people who really enjoyed this book. Your mileage may vary!

I had heard good things about this nonfiction account of a writer who stumbles upon an unlikely story about a major heist at the London Natural History Museum, and goes down a rabbit hole learning about the unique world of fly-tiers. And as with any book about a new-to-me subject, it was fascinating learning about the skill and cost that goes into this very niche hobby. But after a while, it became repetitive and lost my interest: if I heard the words Indian crow, bird of paradise or blue chatterer ONE MORE TIME, I might’ve screamed. I became somewhat invested again by the last quarter of the book when I thought the author was going to expose the true criminals and how this heist was pulled off. Alas. There is no real resolution, but I suppose the journey is learning all about this crazy world I knew nothing about and how these people are still grifting the natural history Museum.

Read this book just under the wire for #middlegrademarch and what a lovely one at that! It’s especially cool that it’s a bookstagram buddy who published her first novel!
Thank you so much Laura aka @laura_at_the_library for thinking of me and sending a copy my way. I can no longer get my kids to read what I tell them to, but *I* loved following Clare’s coming of age journey.
After witnessing the death of her beloved grandfather, she must spend the whole summer at his cabin, to put it on the market and spread his ashes at the lake. Despite going every summer for two weeks, Clare is not looking forward to having to spend the entire summer away from swim team and friends while in the company of her bickering mother and grandmother.
I love the ‘bummer summer’ trope in kids books, and despite the heavy themes on grief, the tone is one that is perfectly balanced with the seriousness called for, as well as buoyant hopefulness. It was especially poignant to me as someone who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, on the swim team, with a single mom, and family up in Wisconsin.❤️
Definitely put this in the hands of the MG reader in your life, particularly if they enjoy realistic fiction and friendship stories!

This sci-fi romp was everything I hoped it would be: full of wry humor, adventure, quests, political intrigue, a love interest and scrappy protagonists. It’s a great take on the ‘hero’s journey’ and I love that captain Alyssa Farshot has such a strong and singular voice. I also love that Coffindaffer deftly writes on a range of topics (toxic masculinity, economic inequality, LGBTQ+, power and privilege) without ever getting bogged down by them.
Also worth noting, it ends with a major cliffhanger and I am picking up the second book this week from the library. Though it feels like I’ll just be finishing ONE book, since I finished Crownchasers in half the time it takes me to read most books!

How to be Perfect is an utter delight! I feel like I should start by saying that you do NOT need to have seen The Good Place (a wonderful comedy series created by the author, Michael Schur) in order to enjoy this book. Nor do you need to remember any freshman year philosophy 101. But it was fun for me to re-ignite some of the far corners of my brain to ponder the many schools of thought on morality and being a good human (especially with regard to current times and the societal issues we face today - Covid is DEFINITELY discussed!) and to learn about more current philosophies that incorporate equity and fairness. (Being cognizant and take into consideration that many of us are “born on third base“ - yet, do we need to be charitable in the same way as, say, Jeff Bezos?)
This book is SOOOOOO GOOD on audio, read by the author and all the main actors from The Good Place. Listening to Ted Danson read each chapter heading was hilarious. “Do I REALLY have to return the shopping cart when I am done using it?“
There is also a little bit of inside baseball about the other beloved comedy shows Michael Schur was involved in producing: The Office and Parks and Rec.
Now I am tempted to do a rewatch of The Good Place, knowing everything that went into it, making for a much richer philosophical experience. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to @librofm for the influencer copy and the BEST place to purchase audiobooks!

I do love a good graphic novel, and this one did not disappoint. I especially love one that incorporates lots of fascinating scientific information in a palatable way. This analysis on how loneliness is affecting us all in the modern world was eye-opening, as well as relatable.

This was a really sweet and wholesome novel I gobbled up in a few days. If you are a fan of books described as whimsical, magical, heartfelt, epic journey, then this one ticks all of those boxes. Weylyn is an unforgettable character, and sort of gave me Owen Meany vibes, so I was all in. I really enjoyed his journey, all of the colorful characters he meets the way, and how it came together: perfectly poignant and uplifting.

I adored both of Lily King’s VERY different novels, writers and lovers as well as euphoria, so I figured I would love this short story collection. Maybe it was because of my high expectations, or that I listened to it on audio, or that I’m used to short story collections that center on a theme, but I thought Five Tuesdays in Winter was a little uneven. At first I thought a connecting theme woven throughout was the angst of adolescence. The stories that did include characters in that stage of life were absolutely my favorite, as was the titular entry. So if you have a penchant for teen angst, but written from an adult perspective (similar to Curtis Sittenfeld) I would definitely recommend for those stories within this collection.

I’ve been sitting on this review, as I am still at a loss for the right words. The description of the book grabbed my attention with what sounds like magical realism. It’s about a boy who survives a curious encounter with sharks, and comes away changed, perhaps with special “powers.” But, it is only used as a small vehicle to incorporate the history and mythology of ancestral Hawaiians.
Sharks is not light reading, it is not page-turning. Dense, cerebral, visceral and haunting, it is the portrait of a family as it slowly falls apart and knits back together. The multiple POV chapters contain mostly internal monologue, and lay bare the affects of Hawaiian colonization, and the complexities of racism for Hawaiians.

“My time as a mother was the same as those last gasping breaths of the owl, and soon enough you’d have to gently sit down my love, fold it up into the soil of your childhood, and move beyond.”

I didn’t always feel compelled to reach for it, but parts of it took my breath away and I’ll never forget it.
Traveling to Hawaii during the pandemic, albeit later after we had all been vaccinated and boosted, still gave me pause. (It was the reason we postponed our trip for 2 years - feeling it was the least we could do to keep the people of Hawaii safe, as well as ourselves.) The pandemic has opened our eyes to so many problems and inequities in society, as with the ways Hawaii can be exploited. (Ooof, watching The White Lotus, too.)
We made sure to visit visit a national park and put extra money in the collection box, tipped those in the service industry generously, and did not include our car in the the traffic on the quiet and remote road to Hana. I am glad that some legislation is beginning to crop up: Maui County is an acting a two year mortorium on new hotel and lodging construction, for example. I am not sure when, or if, we will return to beautiful Hawaii. But, in the interim, we have made a donation to @ohana_kulaniakea and would encourage other visitors to find a charitable organization to support, too.