Recent favourite reads – May 2018

Turns out that I read a lot. That’s always been true but thanks to Book Riot Insiders I am turbo-charged. In April I hit my yearly goal of 52 books; as of writing I am at 56. I’m now aiming for 100 books in 2018 though I’m not too worried about hitting it.

Since I’ve read way too many books it makes sense to share some recent favourites. In no particular order here they are:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

You know when you pick up a book and it’s exactly what you need at that moment? That was this book. It’s a light read but full of intense, vivid characters and a satisfying conclusion. At heart it’s a deep look into the lives of two women a generation apart and how so much (and yet very little) has changed.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

AUUGH. INCOHERENT RAMBLINGS IS ALL I CAN MANAGE FOR THIS GLORIOUS BOOK. Genetic engineering. A romance between a dolphin and a crab. Drugs. Good and evil. Gods and their morality. Robots. AI uprisings. WHAT. HOW IS THIS ALL IN ONE BOOK. HOW IS THAT BOOK STILL AWESOME.

White Tears by Hari Kunzu

It is difficult to tell you why I enjoyed this book because to do so gives away too much and will take away from your enjoyment. Let’s just say that this book isn’t what you expect it to be and that it is written in an absorbing, beautiful, stark style that hits you right where it hurts.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Here’s one of those buzz-worthy books of recent times. Turns out it’s worth the hype. Circe is a daughter of Helios, the sun god, but she doesn’t discover her own powers for a long time. By that point she is already shunned by her family and though she ends up in exile, she becomes a central part of many stories in Greek mythology. In this book we don’t follow those stories; Circe is at the centre for once. She is not an easy character to love but Madeline Miller has a way with building up obnoxious yet endearing people.

 

What books have you been enjoying lately?

February Wrap Up

Despite the fact it felt like a bad reading month, I still managed to read 14 books in February. I used to read 2 books a month on average.

My reading this month was sporadic and a bit random, but here is a summary of my reading for February. Some of the books already appeared in this post about queer reads, but most I haven’t yet shared.

Bad to Mediocre Books (1-3 stars)

The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One by Amanda Lovelace

I was so excited about this poetry book that I preordered it. As soon as I got it, I read through. Only two of the poems jumped out at me and the rest fell flat.

The book isn’t bad, exactly. I rated it 3 stars. It’s not aimed at me where I am in my life, though teenage Polo would have been all over the witch imagery. Worth a try if you’re into poetry, but nothing stellar.

Books I’ve pre-ordered for 2018

The start of the year is an exciting time for us readers. We begin the new trek around the sun with list upon list of new releases coming our way, aligned with our newly set-up reading goals (or, if you’re like me, a Goodreads Challenge).

It’s exciting to get packages at any point of the year, but especially when they’re new releases of excellent books. So for your consideration, here are the books I’ve currently pre-ordered for 2018.

Warning: these are in no particular order, since chronological brains are not found in my head. I also cannot account for the level of cishet people in these books. I may love the queer books, but I’m branching out into other waters.