Tag: goodreads

WWW Wednesday | 2-9-22

WWW Wednesday | 2-9-22

by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words that asks us to answer the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading: I picked Kingdom of the Wicked up again this week. I’m about 25% through, and I’m still unsure how I feel about it. I love the atmosphere so far, but nothing has really hooked me yet. I think maybe I’m not super into witches. I was reading at work and had to stop to end my shift–pretty sure I was about to get to the good stuff. Taking a flight on Friday, so hope to get some good reading time in then!

Recently finished: I spent the first week of February reading How High We Go in the Dark. I enjoyed it, but it was definitely hard to get to. I found myself putting this one down a lot just because of how dense it was. Ultimately glad to have gotten through it and onto something new.

Reading next: I got approved for an ARC of Kelly Piazza’s Don’t Overthink This. I think by the time I finish KOTW, I’ll be in the market for a good hard-hitting romance, which should be exactly what this one is. Not many reviews for this one yet, but the ones that are out are overwhelmingly positive, so I’m excited! I might even get to this one this weekend if I have some good reading days at work.

[REVIEW] How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

[REVIEW] How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

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This is one of those subjectively-objectively good books that I could not possibly rate lower than four stars.  The story, spanning space and time of life on and off Earth, was at times both touching and disturbing.   

I picked this one up because it was pitched as a story similar to Cloud Atlas.  While I didn’t enjoy Cloud Atlas as much, I did appreciate the story format, and this book’s premise was much more promising to me. The story format of How High We Go in the Dark was very similar, and I did end up enjoying the actual storyline more. 

The writing was really moving.  Sequoia is really great at driving home the feeling of connection across space and time.  I felt a strong connection through his writing to societal issues we are dealing with today, with the pandemic and aside from it.  I had chills reading the final piece of this story.  So, objectively, this was a very beautiful book, and I would recommend it to all interested in literary fiction. 

The reason I could not give this book 5 stars is because of the focus these kinds of stories have on the plot.  Sequoia did a good job of fleshing out characters in the limited time we have with them and connecting them to others in the story, but it was obviously very hard to feel connected to these characters with the time-jumps every chapter.   

This issue comes with the territory when telling the story of many different people at different times, and others will likely be more interested in a story that is plot-focused. 

For me, I need to have a deep or growing connection to characters to care about the plot, which just was not going to happen in this story.  I found myself putting this one down often when the middle especially became too dense with different characters and plot points.  This does not mean an issue with the book—I just have different reading preferences. 

Despite this, I can appreciate the story and am glad I read it. 

Rating: ★★★★

Find How High We Go in the Dark at a local bookseller here.

[REVIEW] Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

[REVIEW] Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

by louisereads ♥ 1 Comment

This is one of those books that I just fell in love with. I have nothing bad to say about it.

I listened to the audiobook of this. I’m not sure if the audiobook had something to do with how much I loved this book, but all I can say is Emily Woo Zeller is a fantastic narrator. Narration aside, I really loved Shiori and her story.

Shiori’s story was not a passive one. She really took charge of her own fate which I could not appreciate more. I loved the story so much for the decisions she made in the face of everything that had happened to her.

I’ve seen a lot of people say the story was predictable, but I really didn’t see the end coming. Well, maybe I did, but I could not say exactly what the motivation for each of the characters was. Even if I could have, this story was very character focused. When this is the case, I don’t feel like I need a super unique plot to follow. The characters are enough.

My favorite aspect of this book was the relationship’s Shiori had with different characters: her brothers, Kiki, Raikama, Seryu, and Takkan. Lim did such a beautiful job of making me care about each of these connections. I also think a spectacular love triangle is shaping up for the next book which I am surprisingly not mad about. Both Seryu and Takkan have my heart, and I cannot wait to see how this duology finishes up.

I haven’t been reading much YA Fantasy recently–many of the ones I’ve tried haven’t really spoken to me in any deep way. This one, though, made me rethink my distance from YA Fantasy.

Rating: ★★★★★

Find Six Crimson Cranes at a local bookseller here.

[REVIEW] The Moonstone Girls by Brooke Skipstone

[REVIEW] The Moonstone Girls by Brooke Skipstone

by louisereads ♥ 1 Comment

I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. Queer girls, 60s/70s culture, and a road trip to Alaska? Sign. me. up. It had everything going for it in the summary.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at about 65%.

What I liked:

  • Obviously, I love the queer girl representation. This book actually made me reflect a lot about my own queerness and my gender presentation. I think there is a lot of value to a story that discusses issues of identity.
  • There were parts where I really did like Tracy’s character and her story, especially at the beginning where she is exploring her newly discovered identity.

What I really didn’t like:

  • There was a lot of very uncomfortable comparison between the oppression faced by queer people in the United States and the oppression faced by Black Americans. Tracy would casually say things that suggested she thought life was much easier for Black Americans at the time than for queer people. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a commentary on white feminism where Tracy is able to confront and correct her past remarks, but I highly doubt this happens in the short amount of pages left from where I DNF’d. I just did not see why this comparison was necessary.
  • The dialogue felt incredibly stilted and awkward. Every time Tracy had a conversation with someone else, especially with people in her family, it felt so incredibly forced. I can’t picture anyone saying most of the things Tracy and her family say to each other.
  • The pacing also just seemed… off. It felt like things were happening so fast with no pause to really get the full impact of the events. I get that it’s supposed to seem like Tracy is telling the story from the present and is going through the events of her life, but it just really did not work for me.

I’m definitely in the minority with my feelings on this book. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but I gave it two stars for the queer representation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skipstone Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★

WWW Wednesday | 2-2-22

WWW Wednesday | 2-2-22

by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words that asks us to answer the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading: The Moonstone Girls by Brooke Skipstone

For some reason, I don’t often find books that take place in the 60s-70s which really is tragic. When I saw this book had that setting and followed a queer girl, it was hard to turn down. I’m about 23% into this one, and I’m really enjoying the story so far, though the dialogue seems stilted at times. I’m looking forward to really getting into Tracy’s journey to Alaska. Hoping to finish this one up this week, for sure.

Recently finished: P.S. I Hate You by Sophie Ranald

This was a cute romance, but nothing to write home about. Getting ARC Romances from NetGalley can definitely be hit or miss. I prefer more smut and tension in my romances, but this is definitely solid for those who like less of that!

Reading next: Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerry Maniscalco

I originally started reading this one a few days ago, but put it on hold to read the ARC of The Moonstone Girls. What little I did read of it really captured my attention. I really loved the atmosphere. So, this one will be next. Along with the fact that I’ve had this checked out from the library for over two weeks now lol. Sorry for anyone waiting to read this after me!

What is everyone else reading on this snowy Wednesday?

January Wrap-Up

January Wrap-Up

by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Books read this month: 12

Average rating: 4.25 stars

January was a good reading month for me. I went into 2022 wanting to really ramp up my reading habits for the year. Last year, I read a total of 76 books, a big increase from the 43 I read the year before. This year I want to go even bigger with my total if I can. So, January consisted of me trying to fit in time to read every day which I mostly succeeded at. Something that I’ve always wanted to make a good habit of is reading before bed so that I’m not on my phone right before I sleep.

My partner gave me a new Kindle for Christmas which I was over the moon about (my old one was from 2013). Reading on my Kindle has made it so much easier to read before bed while my partner sleeps and it motivates me to check more books out from the library through my Libby App, books I maybe would not have picked up at the bookstore for myself.

Now that my work and grad school have picked up again, my reading has slowed down. I still make sure to read before bed, even if it is just for a few minutes. I also have a few more shifts working at the library this semester, which gives me more time to read at the desk.

I feel good about my reading in January and hoping it sets a good precedent for February! 🙂

Favorite January reads:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

So many people have raved about this romance, but I need to repeat what they’ve all been saying. This book is. SO. Good. Possibly one of my favorite romances of all time. Women in STEM and fake-dating trope are always a yes for me. So, so looking forward to Hazelwood’s next release!

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

I’ve been a little wary of Young Adult Fantasy recently, but this one was so much more than I could have ever expected. So many twists in the story and Shiori really took action–she was not a passive character in the least. This book had everything I need in a fantasy–good characters, brilliant plot, and a cute budding romance. Full review still to come on this one!

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

This is one of those epic tales I feel like everyone needs to experience. The story jumps back and forth in time from Marian, a pilot in the early 20th century, and Hadley, the girl who plays Marian in a new film. There is so much to this story that I can’t fully describe what it is or why it is so good. Mostly, I think it does an incredible job of capturing the human condition and life for queer women. It is a historical fiction novel, but Marian and Hadley’s lives really spoke to me. Definitely won’t forget this one for a while.