Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
I went into this blind and enjoyed the journey immensely. A coming of age tale that toes the line of tragedy and euphoria beautifully. I sympathized for Kya while envying her life of exploration, creation, and solitude. The perfect read to get completely lost in.
★★★★★
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
This book was largely a tease; Each time I thought it would take off I was let down. I had a hard enough time investing in the protagonists that I regularly forgot who the supporting characters were when they reappeared. It finally got going a bit for the last quarter of the book, but even that was underwhelming for me. I'll be going into the next with lower expectations.
★★★
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
Although this didn't quite make a five star read for me, it made vast improvements upon the first book. It introduced more layers to the world and more character development. There were certain points in a storyline or two that I didn't love, that introduced an overused and obviously foreshadowed trope that makes a complete idiot of a protagonist. (Just for my personal taste.) I'm not overly eager to jump into the next book but I look forward to continuing the series after a break.
★★★★
Dune by Frank Herbert
I really didn't know what exactly to expect with this one, but it piqued my interest a handful of pages in and kept me engrossed for the entirety. Set in the future on an almost uninhabitable planet, Dune toys with themes varying from the always relevant politics and religion to the timely environmental crisis and prejudice. It handles these things with subtlety notwithstanding the consequence or impact of them. I have a very deep appreciation for large books that make good use of their length and never cause me to tire, and this did just that. Although Dune can be treated as a standalone, I'm interested in reading more of this series.
★★★★★
I followed a reading prompt for the first time ever, the Medieval-a-thon. I'm not active enough on different social media sites to enjoy these things to their full potential, but they can be fun when looking for ideas. In the end, I read 4 books, reaching the level of Countess and completed 6 smaller goals to obtain the Breastplate, Leggings, Cape, Sword, Daggers, and Axe.
I can't see myself doing one of these again anytime soon, but I recommend checking them out if you thrive under goals and are more social media savvy than me.
I can't see myself doing one of these again anytime soon, but I recommend checking them out if you thrive under goals and are more social media savvy than me.
Different Seasons by Stephen King. I am more than halfway through this, but I really lost steam after the first short story. I enjoyed Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption but was less than thrilled to find that Apt Pupil was about a young boy with a fascination for the Holocaust. I heavily relied on audiobook for that story and was still happy when it was over. It really put me off of domestic disturbance, hence losing steam at the start of The Body. I'll definitely finish soon, just not as enthusiastically as I'd hoped.
There were pros and cons to having an already chosen TBR last month. I liked having an idea of what I would move on to and having them ready when I was ready to start something new. I didn't love having to stick to what I'd chosen when I was ready for a change or became excited for a new book that wasn't on my list. Obviously, there are no real rules and I can do whatever, but I like the idea of having a plan. And whether I decide to fully follow that plan will depend on how it stunts or improves my reading habits.
For now, this is what my TBR looks like:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
+ or - Whatever I feel like
Happy Reading!xx
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