Look at me, posting my monthly reviews on time! And good thing too, because I have a whole lot to talk about.
Books I finished in May:
- Spinning Silver (1/16 – 4/30)
- Winter read/Empowering Read
After what feels like forever, I finally finished this one up (technically on April 30th but I won’t tell if you won’t). I won’t spend much time on this book because, in the end, it just wasn’t for me. If I wasn’t trying to hold myself to these reading challenges it would have been a DNF based on personal taste.
The overall quality, however, I felt was very good. The characters were well defined and you certainly felt for each one of them and the situations they found themselves in as women in that time. I’d definitely recommend it as an empowering read for someone who enjoys that fairy tale reimagined vibe.
- Redshirts (4/26 – 5/8)
- Red Cover
I first heard of this book several years ago while listening to the Legendarium Podcast and was really intrigued by the concept. It sounded fun and meta and that sounded awesome.
I was not prepared.
Scalzi seemed to pause every thirty pages and ask if this was meta enough and say: “No, we need to go deeper.” Then he does. Again, and again, and again. And I know that sounds like a criticism but the truly insane thing is, it works. I loved this book so much it makes me angry.
It’s a love letter to campy sci-fi that pokes fun at the flaws of the genre while also studying the relationship between stories and storytellers. As someone who writes themself, I’ll be revisiting this book and taking notes (in between laughing fits) for years to come.
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros (5/8 – 5/15)
- Book everyone is talking about
I feel like there are going to be two camps of reactions to this book. The first will bemoan how it’s derivative of other stories and if they want dragon riders they’ll go read something something something. The others are too busy riding the unstoppable hype train to care and with a 4.71 on Goodreads after north of 40k ratings, I’m thinking that camp has won out.
And that doesn’t mean the first group is necessarily wrong. It is tropey, and derivative and *there is nothing wrong with that*. I’ve seen some posts where people get frustrated with any number of qualities and as I read them, I just shrugged and said, “yeah but it’s fun.”
For me, the book took hold in the very first chapter and simply refused to let go. Some people may take issue with that sort of pacing but I’m here for it. I found Fourth Wing refreshing and exciting and just goddamn fun.
Hard recommend.
- The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson (4/10 – 5/15)
I wanted to love this book so bad. From the moment I heard the description from the kickstarter, I knew this book was right up my alley. And when I started reading it was…
Okay enough, I guess.
This is largely a casualty of my own expectation but the first third or so was just really tough for me. Eventually, I pushed through and the latter half was excellent and most certainly up to what I would expect from Sanderson.
However the recurring FAQ joke about sentient bananas was fabulous right from the start and never stopped being funny. Fight me.
- Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (5/16 – 5/23)
It took blasting through this book for me to truly decide that listening to the Dresden Files with James Marsters narrating is the superior way of consuming the series. I’ve been reading the series on and off since 2017 and it’s been a mix of formats but this one finally locked it in.
The irony of all this is I have a vague memory of some reviewer saying this was one of the weaker Dresden books. Maybe that sent me in with somewhat lower expectations but I had an absolute blast.
Harry’s development as a character has been fascinating and I think by this point Butcher worked out how to write him as a bit misogynistic without making the book *feel* misogynistic. I’ve never disliked the series but it’s never been much of a hype train for me.
Blood Rites finally turned that around.
- On Lavender Tides by Travis M. Riddle (5/1 – 9%)
If you think I can be sold on a book by simply saying “it’s Pokemon but fantasy” you’d be absolutely right. I started this one up at the beginning of May when I was unsure what mood would take hold. I haven’t quite tabled it, but it isn’t my go to right now.
The early setup was a bit on the dense side but I’m still very much on board with the style and concept.
- Redwall by Brian Jacques (5/16 – 21%)
Redwall is purified nostalgia. The very first book I ever read, and the story that got me into reading. The inspiring tale of a little mouse hoping to protect his peaceful home from a malicious rat.
I’m still in the early stages of the story but it’s been a delightful trip down memory lane.
- Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (5/23 – 23%)
Oh Harry, what mess are you caught up in this time? So far it’s just getting a feel for the players of the book and learning what’s what but I’m really excited for where things are headed.
Tabled Books: These are the books that I started at some point and still want to finish but I can’t quite get into them right now.
- Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes
- I LOVED this when I picked it up. Then I got distracted and it seems like they’re caught in a slow point of the story. I’ll finish it for sure. Just not yet.
- The Coward (Stephen Aryan) & City of Stairs (Robert Jackson Bennett)
- These two books were started in an attempt to climb out of a rut but ultimately didn’t stick. I’m still very excited for them and fully expect to read them soon.
My Immediate TBR:
- Born A Crime by Trevor Noah
- The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan
Ongoing Manga:
- Do Retry
- New Series. Post WWII Japan follows a street urchin who is trying to pay for his sister’s medical bill through a Yakuza boxing system
- One Piece
- My Hero Academia
- Black Clover
- Kaiju No. 8
Already Published Manga:
- Black Butler (Volume 1)
- This one has had my eye for years and I’m finally digging in a bit.
- Boruto
- Ironically, I never read Naruto. I watched the whole thing through a while back and read so, so many negative things about the show that I never tried it. Eventually, I saw a couple recommendations to read the manga and avoid the show because the issues are filler based. So far so good!
- Dragon Ball Z
- Nostalgia over 9000
- Dragon Ball Super
- An absolute blast. I’m really enjoying the developments. It’s definitely not perfect but at this point, who cares?
- Vinland Saga Book 1 (Volumes 1 & 2)
- Still early, but I’m really excited for this one. Vikings are a fascinating culture already and to read that through a manga lens (particularly with the praise the series has received) should be amazing.
- Record of Ragnarok
- This was recommended by a coworker and I’m pretty hyped about the concept.
No Strong Opinions 