was rated as having one of the worst sex scenes in a book, ever. I can confirm it was pretty nasty tho not the worst I've ever read. However, I did spwas rated as having one of the worst sex scenes in a book, ever. I can confirm it was pretty nasty tho not the worst I've ever read. However, I did spend a large portion of the book after the scene thinking about how bad the MC's yeast infection must be
that aside, I just found this too boring to finish? Or maybe I'm just not smart enough to appreciate it. Who knows?!?
One of those books where it's like "hey, that prose sure is beautiful BUT, it's not pretty enough to trick me into not being bored"
I liked the art hisOne of those books where it's like "hey, that prose sure is beautiful BUT, it's not pretty enough to trick me into not being bored"
I liked the art history and the brief heist/art theft elements but the main two characters were boring and hard to connect to. For me, there was little memorable about their characters which is a problem in a purely character-driven novel like this
Alice Oswald interviewed and recorded people who lived and worked on the River Dart in England, and turned the stories into this poem.
I loved the useAlice Oswald interviewed and recorded people who lived and worked on the River Dart in England, and turned the stories into this poem.
I loved the use of language in this. It's playful and often beautiful with vivid descriptions.
such deep woods it feels like indoors and then you look down and see it's raining on the River" it sank like a feather falls. not quite in full possession of its weight"
The linking of the environment with the people who needed it for survival and how the river has interacted with people through space, time and literature was also interesting. I think this was such a great concept for a long-form poem and Oswald really brought the river and its inhabitants for life for me.
Poetry isn't really my *thing* but I did enjoy this one a lot and if you like poetry you'd probably love it ...more
I can't tell you why I decided to read this classic HP fanfiction from way back in the day but WOW it brought back some memories I forgot I had until I can't tell you why I decided to read this classic HP fanfiction from way back in the day but WOW it brought back some memories I forgot I had until now.
Anyway, I HATEEE how this fanfic characterises Lily and I highkey skipped most of the sections about the side characters. There is SO MUCH slut-shaming in this fanfic its wild but I guess all fanfic was kinda like that back in the day. However, there are some scenes and moments were I genuinely love what they did with it so like, I have to give that to it.
10/10 for memories brought back and nostalgia, like a 4/10 for the actual story lmao. ...more
“I heard my dad” Harry mumbled. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him” Harry suddenly realised that there were tears on his face mingling with
“I heard my dad” Harry mumbled. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him” Harry suddenly realised that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat.
“You heard James?” Said Lupin, in a strange voice.
the book that launched a million fanfiction careers
Okay - so everytime I read a Harry Potter book I'm like "this one is my favourite!" but if I'm being realistic this probably IS my second favourite after Deathly Hallows which is my everything. I LOVE the characters so much, the focus on the Marauders, and the construction of the mystery. This has the best balance of dark and light elements. Some of my favourite scenes in the WHOLE SERIES are in this book (eg. The Shrieking Shack chapter, the Slytherin/Gryffindor quidditch game for the Cup, Harry and Lupin's scenes, ANY TIME FRED AND GEORGE APPEAR) and also its REALLY FUNNY (please, Fred/George, Lee Jordan, and Draco make me laugh out loud). It also doesn't take too long to get to Hogwarts like some of the others, and I love the early scenes of Harry in Diagon Alley before he goes to Hogwarts a lot. (the irony that the only one I love more is the one where they don't go to Hogwarts even though I love Hogwarts stuff?)
Anyway, those of us who grew up on a solid and fattening diet of Marauders fanfiction can appreciate this book because every tiny mention of Lupin, Sirius and James at school together causes my physical pain (you're gonna suffer but you're gonna feel good about it you know) and I LOVE that like, Lupin and Sirius care about Harry so much because of James and Lily? BRB crying??
This book is genuinely sad in parts, Harry is my favourite character (unpopular opinion i know!) but he's so sweet and I love all the scenes of him thinking about his parents UHH my boy deserved better.
“You think the dead we loved truly ever leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly in times of great trouble?”
Anyways, we all love Harry Potter so whats the point of going on and goin here's some pics of Jim Kay's artwork (I read the illustrated edition) which are so beautiful and make this whole thing even more magical.
[image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image]
Anyways, might fuck around and read a 300k fanfiction about the Marauders ...more
“life itself is anything beyond a heartless little chimera- it is as real in its weariness and bitter heartache”
I read this book for university a
“life itself is anything beyond a heartless little chimera- it is as real in its weariness and bitter heartache”
I read this book for university and at first, I wasn't that into it but it grew on me a lot as it went on, and I particularly enjoyed the middle section. This is Jane Eyre meets Pride and Prejudice in the Australian bush. Except, Miles Franklin is kind of critical of Jane Eyre and wants to subvert your expectations of romance and the romance genre.
Lots of people seem not to like Sybylla but I did. She's got a lot of flaws and the way she constantly changed her mind frustrated me, but I liked her strength of character. I also liked what Franklin did with her character at the end - it's what I constantly whine about saying Jane Eyre should have been and it's nice to actually see that, happen. Harold Beecham, the love interest, was also actually genuinely sweet which is kind of crazy for a classic.
Franklin also has beautiful writing, the descriptions of the Australian bush were vivid and the emotional language she used allowed you to enter these characters minds with ease.
Overall I really enjoyed this, I could actually see myself rereading it in the future which isn't always the case with classics. ...more
I'm sorry I just don't .......... get the hype. It was okay but honestly BORING. Too much walking around doing random things and not nearly as much ofI'm sorry I just don't .......... get the hype. It was okay but honestly BORING. Too much walking around doing random things and not nearly as much of the court politics which was the main thing I liked about book one. I also just, don't understand this ship. I just couldn't get into them - a scene would happen and I'd be like ... I think I'm supposed to be shipping this? buuuut
And my feelings on the worldbuilding are complex and hard to explain without doing a full review I can't be bothered writing right now. I also am not a huge fan of the writing - so many times I wasn't exactly sure what was happening based on how vague some of the descriptions were at times.
That said, I enjoy the characters and the added depth that was added, especially to Laurent. There were some good twists and battles that happened I enjoyed, which pushed the action forward a lot. Some of the reveals were really well set up and then pulled off which was great. The political/military scheming and the tactical maneuvering was fun too because I love those parts of military fantasies. Much like the first book, this ended on a cliffhanger than had me intrigued for book three.
A few years ago I think I might have liked this more but I honestly just think there are so many political/military fantasies that are written SO much better than this one oop. Sorrryyyy I know all my friends love this book...more
I love this book because when you read it's bad reviews, it's just adults who haven't spoken to a teenager in 50 years crying because via this book thI love this book because when you read it's bad reviews, it's just adults who haven't spoken to a teenager in 50 years crying because via this book they discovered teenagers do, in fact, have sex with each other.
Jack of Hearts is the unapologetic queer book we've all been waiting for - it said FUCK your sanitisation of YA and teenagers lives and just decided to showcase a sex-positive, self-proclaimed gay slut as the main character. L.C Rosen did sex-ed more comprehensively in 340 pages than my entire catholic school upbringing managed and for that, I have to salute him. 4.5 stars
“I just need to get out of here. I'm doing what I have to do to survive. I'm not signing up to set things on fire.”
This book was chosen by my twit
“I just need to get out of here. I'm doing what I have to do to survive. I'm not signing up to set things on fire.”
This book was chosen by my twitter followers as my book to read this month and I actually ended up enjoying it A LOT more than I thought I would
We Set the Dark on Fire is a wlw, latinx inspired YA fantasy that incorporates modern-day political concerns, especially those emerging in the Trump era, and explores poverty, sexuality, misogyny and race and how these identities intersect. It is comparable to works like The Handmaids Tale or Girls of Paper and Fire - but is also distinct from these, primarily in how it more strongly deals with politics, protest and the impacts of poverty and race. We follow Daniela Vargas, who is graduating from the Medio School for Girls at the start of the novel. This school trains women to be the wives of important political men, a tradition originating from a cultural folktale that says the salt god required two women for his wives and further, that the people who live beyond the borders of the Salt God's realm are of lower importance and value to society.
While many of the elements are familiar, such as the heteronormative society, the sexist society and the 'women as submissive and subservient' ideas, I do think this book tries to do something new. First, the incorporation of an f/f romance subverts the expectation of the romance and is posited as a form of protest against the patriarchal, sexist society. The protest and the resistance are also much more active here and I really liked how protest and resistance are such a large part of this book. Finally, many of the ideas and themes can easily be linked to contemporary political concerns. One of the main villains wishes to build a wall in between the inner city and the outer borders, the book deals with sexism and misogyny that infuses contemporary politics and poverty and how it links to race and class is a central tenet of the book.
“In a battle between two men trying to control her, she'd chosen herself.”
My favourite part of this was the inclusion of the resistance, and the f/f romance between Carmen and Dani. At the start of the book, Daniela is blackmailed into becoming a double agent working for the resistance. I really liked the political intrigue the inclusion of this group gave, and it was what surprised me. While I expected this to be 'woman deals with her horrible sexist husband for 400 pages', it was much more about Dani becoming embroiled with the resistance and the politics of tjat group.
I also LOVED the relationship between Carmen and Dani, it's slow burn and is so satisfying. The girls have a lot of chemistry and they're so sweet and I loved the development of their relationship throughout the whole book. The next book is from Carmen's POV AND I CANNOT WAIT. This is one of my favourite f/f ships I've read in a while, I was literally yelling in my car in some of their scenes.
“On the outside, she was frozen, but inside her, whole cities were being razed to the ground. Explosions were shaking the walls of her stomach. People were screaming in her throat.”
This book definitely wasn't as intense or pulse-pounding as it could have been. There's some good political tension and mystery elements but sections and reveals were a little predictable. I did like it for how it drew out the political threads, but some of the scenes that were supposed to be nail-biters didn't hit it for me.
I also thought the writing was a bit corny at times. Some of the metaphors and similes used were a bit ... strange. I thought sometimes the author was trying too hard to make something sound pretty and she just ended up using some words that don't actually mean anything. It wasn't horrible, I just noticed a few too many times something being likened to something else that didn't make sense.
“You have a big heart, a strong mind, and you will find a way to make a life you love. No matter how different it is from the one you left.”
We Set the Dark on Fire has a lot of elements that might tempt people to give it a miss. The sexist/heteronormative world and the 'Handmaids Tale' elements might be something people are growing tired of. However, I do think this is worth the read. It deals with a wide array of issues and presents new perspectives on these issues. It does more to be intersectional and explores more issues, especially class and poverty. It also has a central f/f romance that is amazing and includes more 'plot' in the resistance/political machinations and a more active main character than some similar works.
I am so glad I gave this a chance. I really enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I can't wait for the sequel ...more
I really liked the first half of this but then the plot became overstuffed and meandering. Kat C
“Night and darkness made a believer of everyone.”
I really liked the first half of this but then the plot became overstuffed and meandering. Kat Cho tried to pack too many events and themes and character moments into this, and it ended up leaving me unsatisfied. I wish she'd just shaved down this book and nailed it, and then saved some of the plot for the next book. I also HATE books that wrap-up and then introduce some random element that wasn't part of the first book as the sequel, and this is what the epilogue of this book did.
I did enjoy the characters and their interactions quite a lot. The setting (Seoul) and the incorporation of South Korean mythology into this book was also something I liked a lot. The romance was a little insta-lovey but I enjoyed it nonetheless and thought they had a fun and cute dynamic.
Full review to come. Actual rating 3.5 stars...more
man idk if I just don't like romances in general or if I just find straight horny people to be incredibly boring or what it is but these hyped up romaman idk if I just don't like romances in general or if I just find straight horny people to be incredibly boring or what it is but these hyped up romance novels keep letting me down
The first half wasn't bad - it follows Olive, who's twin sister Ami is getting married. When everyone falls sick after the wedding from eating shellfish, everyone except Olive and Ethan, Ami's new husband's brother. Olive and Ethan don't like each other but in the interest of getting free shit they decide to pretend to be married to go on Ami and Dane's honeymoon. The premise was fun and even if it was slightly ridiculous, I enjoyed it.
The first 50% is essentially just Olive and Ethan getting to know eachother better, sorting out some misunderstandings between them and pretending to be married. Some truly ridiculous shit happens (Ethan's ex AND Olive's new boss both happen to be there) and while it was unrealistic, I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
I guess where this book falls apart is I didn't get the CHEMISTRY. these two people are way too horny for their own good, and all they really do is make horny jokes and their entire relationship is based off of Ethan thinking Olive has good titties and Olive thinking Ethan has good abs. And it's not that I can't necessarily get behind that, but I did find it boring here. I felt I was reading it like 'yep, that sure is another paragraph about how he's hot' but there was no spark or real connection that made me feel anything about it. I also found a lot of their banter cringey and their characterisation was so predictable (she's an awkward klutz who says silly things before thinking, he's a stoic brooding type with a heart of gold ect)
That said, the majority of the first half was fun and silly and I liked the progression of their relationship and the things they had to do to avoid getting caught out as not being married. And the massage scene did kind of slap.
The second half, however .... this is where my rating dropped from a "it's not great but it's a three star because I'm liking it" to a "god, I liked it at first but can it end already" two stars. It's hard to talk about the second half without spoiling everything but lets just say it was non-stop heterosexual nonsense, misunderstandings, and people Doing Bad Things that shouldn't have been forgiven as easily as they were.
There was also some frankly questionable choices made regarding representation, like the plus-sized rep really only there when it was convenient for the plot, and the queer rep ..... well the stereotypical gay side character and the discussion about lesbians ....... yikes. It was unnecessary and made me wince. The final grand gesture scene was also so cringe-worth I had that visceral second-hand embarrassment reaction and I DON'T enjoy feeling that way.
“The problem with lying about relationships is that humans are fickle, fickle creatures.”
special mention to the part where the MC makes a harry potter joke and the LI replies with a harry potter joke and the MC is like "omg ... I knew he liked reading but he likes THE SAME BOOKS AS ME ........... the perfection of this man" like first of all calm down everyone knows harry potter Ethan isn't indie he isn't special .. you're living in america everyone understands harry potter references. second of all since when is 'harry potter' a type of book like skfksk. this shit made me roll my eyes so hard.
So there we go: I didn't really love reading this super hyped romance book and its like a 2.5 star for me purely because I Did genuinely have fun with the beginning to the middle even if it was ridiculous.
Do I dislike romance in general, is this a bad book, are horny straight people annoying, or am I just so tired of hetero people writing books about hetero nonsense? chime off in the comments...more
I honestly can't believe I'm dnf'ing this because it should've been right up my alley but I just can't get into it. I've tried physical DNF @ page 200
I honestly can't believe I'm dnf'ing this because it should've been right up my alley but I just can't get into it. I've tried physical and audio and its not happening. I really dislike the framed narration of the story and the dual timelines, and the inclusion of footnotes. I also don't like the main narrator's voice? They're supposed to be that quirky quippy character but because I don't find them that funny it doesn't really work for me
If this book was shorter I might have pushed through but I don't want to read 500+ more pages. That said I wouldn't NOT recommend this. If you like books with dual timelines, footnotes, a quippy main character and a strong twist on the chosen one trope you might like this. It just isn't for me ...more
reread may 2020 me @ nina varela: HEY QUEEN! girl, you have done it again. constantly raising the bar for all of us .... and doing it flawlessly. I'd reread may 2020 me @ nina varela: HEY QUEEN! girl, you have done it again. constantly raising the bar for all of us .... and doing it flawlessly. I'd say I'm surprised, but I know who you are. I've seen it up close and personal. Girl, you make me so proud . and I love you .
I AM A MESS!!! This book is everything. I have wanted this for so long. A TRUE slowburn angsty enemies to lovers where they're REAL ENEMIES who want to KILL EACHOTHER and its so beautiful.
The entire set up of this world? the plot?? amazing. We're in a world where Automae, created by humans, ended up overpowering and subjugating them. And it has so many fantasy tropes I love - like hidden/secret/forgotten histories and well constructed political intrigue. And SO MANY POWERFUL FEMALE CHARACTERS!! AND LOTS OF PLOT TWISTS!!
Anyways the ending destroyed me I cannot BELIEVE we now have to wait for book 2 when Nina Valera did me like that in the end
I didn't really have many expectations going into this except that I had heard a few good things about it on Booktube. But it's a book I ended up tellI didn't really have many expectations going into this except that I had heard a few good things about it on Booktube. But it's a book I ended up telling everyone I know about as I was reading it.
This follows Lori, a therapist who goes to therapy herself after her boyfriend breaks up with her and she finds herself unable to cope with it. What was supposed to be one or two emergency sessions leads into Lori discovering her grief over the break-up might have more root issues than she expected. Told partly as Lori goes through her therapy, and partly through the therapy of her own patients, this was a really unique and human memoir.
I saw a few reviews saying they didn't get the point of this memoir but I think it didn't necessarily need a point. For me, it was just a really nice book that demystified therapy and attempted to show how every person has similar issues, struggles and fears and how even the most difficult of clients can find something of value in therapy. I thought it was a book about humanity and all the different shades of people, but how we are all connected to eachother through human relationships and interactions. The way the experiences of Lori's clients are mirrored with her own in therapy really drove home this idea for me. I also thought this was just a really interesting book about a therapy and how it actually works and some of the psychology behind it, and utilised by, therapists.
Anyway, overall I really liked this. I found myself super attached and invested in the stories of Lori's clients and I would genuinely describe this as illuminating. Both in how it illuminated the inner lives of people and the things all people have in common, but also in showing the process of therapy from a personal and meaningful standpoint. ...more
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