Listen, I don’t really know what happened in May, but I read too many books. I also did a lot of rereading. So I’m going to try and get through this post in a quick and timely manner, but let us all pray that whatever was going on with me in May chills out in June. Anyway, let’s talk about those books, shall we?
Series Binges
Psy Changeling Books 11-15
These books are some of my absolute favorites in the series, but all I will say is that at this point in the series 12, 13, and 14 all have Psy heroes. I don’t want to disclose their identities because I think you really need to read them all to get the masterpiece of book 12. And then book 15, Allegiance of Honor is this full cast sort of look at where we are in the world, where the world is going, and just lets you spend time with all of your favorite characters. I will always want more time with Hawke and Sienna so obviously I loved this book. I actually feel that way about pretty much all of the characters so I really do like Allegiance of Honor. Anyway, love these books! I need to reread the novellas for the series too, but we’ll get there.
Zodiac Academy Books 1-6 and 2 novellas
Y’all, I don’t even know. The graphic audios of the first two Zodiac Academy books were everything to my brain to the point that I then proceeded to devour the first six books in the series and I did two of the novellas that you “need to read.” I beg to differ on that point. Anyway, I stopped book seven about three chapters in because things were tentatively okay in that very moment and I decided that I needed a break for my mental health. So I have not yet resumed my journey, but I am sure I will eventually. But if you’ve read them, you know how much suffering there is!!! Also, if you’ve read them, I need you to tell me everything will be okay in the end because otherwise, I’m going to need to make this temporary pause a permanent one. Okay, thank you. (Also, I don’t recommend this series. It’s either for you or it’s not and I kind of hope for your sake that it’s not because this series was AGONY.)
The Wolves of Ruin: Books 1 & 2
I absolutely adored Dire Bound last year, but I wanted to re-read it just to make sure I was totally ready to go when Fury Bound came out. I went and picked up Fury Bound at my local Indie the minute I left work and I was so happy! And I really liked Fury Bound a lot. The very end had me kind of like, ummmm…. I would like book three now? And I do think the pacing at the very end was a little off. HOWEVER, I liked everything about the expansion of the world and I had so much fun with book two that like, who cares about a little pacing issue? These days that’s just par for the course. (Is that too mean? Maybe. But for real, has anyone else noticed pacing issues all over the place?) Anyway, these were two very fun reads.
The Santillian Triplets: 1-3
This is my favorite series of Kate Canterbary’s, which is saying something because of how much I love her books in general. I was actually surprised to see how long it had been (a year) since I re-read Boss in the Bedsheets because I feel like it’s a comfort read that I’ll just slip in between some other books randomly on the regular. There’s something about Ash and Zelda that just delights me. But also, I love Magnolia! So much. And Jasper and Linden were my favorite book of whatever year their book came out! So reading these three back to back was just perfection. Highly recommend. The rotary of Kate Canterbary is one of the best places to be.
Books by Rating
5 Stars
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H was one of the best memoirs I have ever read. It has gorgeous writing with so many moments that just hit like daggers, but I also really, really loved the way this book took stories from the Quran and applied them to the author’s life. This book talked so much about religion and queerness and religion and social activism. It talked about falling in love and loneliness and so, so much. I listened to it from my library, but I think I need a physical copy to annotate the crap out of. A really fantastic read.
The Other Side of Now by Paige Harbison is one of those books that plays with the idea of what would have happened if you had made a different decision at one point in your life, which is a type of book that I seem to adore. This one was no exception. Please do not go into this book thinking that it is a romance. That is inexplicably the first tagged genre on Goodreads and… this is not a romance. Now, the romance in it is a large aspect of the plot and I do really like what Harbison did with it, but this book is not about the romance and most importantly, it doesn’t really fit the genre conventions. This book is a grief novel. And here’s the thing, Meg, our main character, is not the best at being a person. She’s an actress who is constantly being told that she needs to be skinnier and she’s in a relationship with a man she doesn’t really like who she’s pretty sure is cheating on her. But Meg doesn’t really have a ton of willpower to change her situation. She does spontaneously book a trip to Ireland and there slips through the door into what her life would have been like if she’d gone to college at Avalon in Ireland. It takes a bit, but she realizes that she has made a mess of things there too, but her best friend in this timeline is alive. This book could have gone deeper into so many aspects and I would have been delighted, but honestly, I was happy with what we got. I really loved this book and will probably try her upcoming release Destination Funeral.
Echoes of Insurrection was a reread, this time as an ALC (an audiobook), and I had an even better time than I did reading it with my eyeballs. This is not really because the audiobook is fantastic, but because something about this sci-fi series makes more sense to me audibly, I think. Regardless, I have since purchased a copy of the audiobook for myself to keep forever and ever since I have no doubt I will be rereading this series.
Score by Kennedy Ryan was fantastic, but are we really surprised? Verity, a bisexual woman, is diagnosed with Bipolar 1 following a really great and then really bad semester and a half at Kennedy’s fictional HBCU. I love the way KR wove Verity’s bisexuality throughout this novel, from having Verity have a girlfriend on page, to so many casual mentions throughout. I also saw Kennedy on her book tour in Greensboro, NC and let me tell y’all, that was a blast. Also Kennedy is such a good human. I just loved listening to her talk. Anyway, I also loved being back on set of Dessie Blue, which feels like it should be italicized even though that’s a fictional thing, idk, and learning even more about the Harlem Renaissance through the snippets of film script we got to see. I loved, loved Verity and Monk finding their way back to one another even if it took them way too long to get there. Anyway, another hit from Kennedy and I’m already looking forward to whatever comes next!
4.5 Stars
Since I have just posted my reviews of Out of Her League and Chaos, all I’ll say here is that I obviously really enjoyed them both and will definitely keep reading from the authors in the future. As for Remarkably Bright Creatures, I really loved this book. I wound up reading so much more of this with my eyeballs than I was really expecting and I had a great time. I’m excited to watch the movie now. The only reason I don’t think it’s a full five star is because I have so many questions and so maybe that’s unfair, but I just want a little more.
4 Stars
I could actually see The Art of Loving You by Natasha Bishop moving up over time, but it took me so long to read it that for now, I think it’s where it needs to be. I’ve also written my review of it, so I won’t belabor any points other than to say, I read a lot of grief books this month, but I liked that this book really turned recovery from the initial horror of grief into a romance plot line and handled it well. Also this book is a tonal shift from Only for the Week, so definitely check out reviews to make sure you’re prepared for what you’re walking into.
Fever Dream is a book I picked up mostly because Elsie Silver always delivers a fun book and I wasn’t quite ready, emotionally, to start Score, so I picked up Fever Dream instead. I really did enjoy it, but I don’t think it’s Elsie’s best. However, the first book in her other three series are also not my favorite books in their respective series, so I don’t know that this is unusual. It did make me want to reread Reckless though and the fact that I resisted is actually remarkable.
How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh was really lovely, but also frustrating, and I wanted… something more from it, I think. That said, it’s a good time so I definitely recommend it if you’re on the road like I was and want a read to keep you going.
King of Gluttony by Ana Huang was not my favorite in the series, but it was a really good installment. I could actually see it moving up on my rating scale in my mind over time too, but for now it feels like a good but not everything read so I’m leaving it where it is. This one is “enemies” to lovers, but the two of them are really attached to one regardless of their rivalry. I really liked it and I like how Ana Huang keeps sprinkling in a dash of romantic suspense just for the drama.
3.5 Stars
Okay, so there are ARC reviews posted for The House of Now and Then and The Summer of Lost Things and I would still recommend them both for different people. I just wish The House of Now and Then had been longer than it was. I think it needed more space to breathe.
For the Record by Emma Lord is an ARC for a book that I received last year from the publisher and a review is forthcoming. I did enjoy it. Mostly. It just took me a while to get into it. This book had another issue I feel with pacing where the beats are there, they just aren’t structured quite right. But I had a good enough time. I think my expectations were also too high because I see the words single dad and I’m like, 5 stars, so when it isn’t, that makes me sad. Anyway, a fun time! Full review is coming.
Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese is just on the good side of being aggressively fine. It doesn’t have the same charm as her Bergman books and I’m not sure why. These two silly people get off on the wrong foot because they’re both socially awkward for their own reasons (autism and social anxiety respectively) and they make assumptions about one another based on inaccurate information. This is a Shakespeare retelling of… a play that I think I’ve read. A Midsummer’s Night Dream maybe? I’d look it up, but Love Island comes on in six minutes so I simply do not have the time. Anyway, read it if you want!
3 Stars
I’ve posted my review of Good at Being Alive so I’ll not say much here besides warn you that there are too many Harry Potter references in it. As for Total Dreamboat, I received an audio review copy last year via Netgalley and I just read it because I’m terrible. Unfortunately my expectations were sky high so it’s good that I waited for those to calm down. However, the lowering of expectations to reasonable levels ultimately didn’t help because this book was… fine. Funny sometimes. But mostly melancholic in a way that just didn’t speak to me. I think if you really liked Honey Girl by Morgan Richards but want something lighter than that as an overtone, this book could work for you. That may not be the best comparison so keep an eye out for my full review, which will hopefully be to you in a few days.
Closing Thoughts
I think my favorite book of the month was probably Hijab Butch Blues, which is pretty exciting, but I did read some truly fantastic books this month. What are your thoughts on books that are aggressively fine? Do you tend to finish them? I feel like I do more than I maybe should. I’d love to know your thoughts! But now, I’ve got to get to Love Island. Bye for now!
xx
firewhiskeyreader 