let-me-read-books

[let-me-read-books]

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Okay, listen, I was enjoying it in the beginning and parts of the middle, but I don't know. I do know I'm not reading the rest of the series.

It's an adult fantasy romance book between a witch and a vampire, which sounds great right? Eh. I'm a slow burn kind of girl and they're basically married after a month. There's some weird territorial bullshit that I hate and it seems like she's his child that he has sexual tension with.

The end is super specific and complicated and I had such a terrible time getting through it. My eyes skimmed because it was so boring.

There was a lot I enjoyed, though. I like Diana's storyline and all the witches. I like the group that ends up coming together. The lore is all pretty interesting. Basically the world and the surroundings are all pretty awesome.

It feels like a 2 or 3 star read. I want to say 3 because I remember really enjoying reading parts of it, but I don't like the main relationship as much as I should and I don't care about all the specific historical stuff that feels over-explained. I put 3 on my goodreads, so I'll go with that for now.

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This isn’t a reading update, I just thought this picture would go well here.

Also I’ve been on the same book since October. Hopefully, now that school is on break I can finish it.

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I have three modes of reading

Dont read

Read a 500 page book in a day

Read only fanfiction until my eyeballs drop out of my skull from exhaustion

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Literary Events

I’m halfway through the semester and I haven’t read nearly as much as I’ve intended. Classes are difficult and so my personal reading has gone down. I have, however, been to a few literary events around the city. My city just finished a book festival that had a lot of literary speakers, readings, and other related events some of which I attended.

One significant event was a 10 part presentation by Anthony Doerr who wrote All The Light We Cannot See and, more recently, Cloud Cuckoo Land which is what he presented on. Doerr is a historian and you can tell, both in how he writes and how he speaks about the topics of his novels, both historical fiction. He also talked a lot about interconnectedness because no human is wholly independent and the moral obligation that comes with that and the overview effect, which is a perspective shift that a lot of people who visit space experience where they start seeing Earth as small and fragile when it feels so large to us tiny insignificant humans. I got a signed copy of his new book at this event, which is exciting.

My favorite and most recent event was and Edgar Allan Poe event where a local actor played Poe in a one person performance on his life and works, reading all of the chosen ones from memory. It was partnered with my university special collections which had certain Poe novels from the collection on display. It was all very impressive and I had a great time. I enjoy Poe’s work a lot even if he is problematic. It was a great introduction to the spooky season and there’s nothing quite like an atmospheric reading of Poe to get you in the Halloween mood.

I wish I had gotten some pictures, but I didn't think about it.

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“how to read more” “how to read faster” “how to read daily” STOP STOP stop STOP this is not a competition. read slowly, read when you’re in the right state of mind, really savour it, read for pleasure, read for yourself. don’t read for performance, stats or to compare yourself to others

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15. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

I’ve finally finished The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It definitely took longer than I thought it would, not because the books are difficult to read, but because I wanted to take my time with them. Think about them as I read. I remember the first time I read this series, I flew through and I probably didn’t comprehend the material in any significant way.

One thing I noticed about rereading was that we didn’t really get much of our main character’s emotional state. He felt like a blank slate for the reader to imprint themselves on and in some ways that succeeded. Somehow, even without the strong presence of a character that I’ve gotten in other books, Percy still individuates himself throughout the series. This last book has a surprising amount of development, but it focuses almost exclusively on Percy in a way that previous books haven’t necessarily since the first book. This kid is leading a war and learning to see his enemy in a different light. He trusts his friends despite the presence of a spy.

This reread has cemented the series as a personal favorite, probably for the rest of my life. It’s been a decade since I first read the books and my love has never once staggered or faded. I will always carry a part of this world with me no matter how old I get.

Percy Jackson is the best children’s fantasy series and I hope Disney + does it justice.

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14. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter is a book of short fairy tale retellings. The first and longest of the stories shares the name with the collection and is a retelling of Bluebeard, which I read for the first time in a class during my spring semester.

These stories were refreshing and insightful. It went against purity culture rather than perpetuating it. There is commentary on the nature and shortcomings of man. All that and with fantastic imagery I'm definitely going to reread and possibly annotate this book.

That said, there are some weird ass words and crazy ass parts. Why would I ever use the word tintinnabulation? Also, there is so much sex. Not smut or anything but weirdly causal mentions of sex and there's some necrophilia and rape. Some times sex starts and it's hard to tell until it's over. I've never read anything like it so it was strange to me.

Overall, this book is definitely a new favorite and deserves the 5 star rating I'm giving it.

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13. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

As I finished the fourth book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, there's definitely a lot to think about. I think this book has the most call backs in the second series than any of the other books, which is pretty interesting.

I've also thought a lot about Annabeth and Percy's relationship and their dynamic. This book sees Annabeth and Percy's first kiss that's immediately followed by a brief possibility of a secondary love interest. Not to mention the reintroduction of one Rachel Dare. Let me just say, jealousy is not a good look on Annabeth, but I get it, Percy is so oblivious to anyone who could possibly have a crush on him.

Let's not mention the serious progress Percy has made in using his godly abilities. It's amazing to watch and think about how much he ends up progressing in future books.

For me, this book is definitely a 5 stars for me, but that may just be the whole series. I'm thinking of doing a ranking of each book in the series after I've finished. It could be interesting.

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12. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Titan's Curse is the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. This book was my favorite when I first read it and I can remember why.

There was a lot of character development and fleshing out in the book. Percy and his relationship with Annabeth. Annabeth and her relationship with her estranged family. Thalia generally recovering from her time as a tree. Grover and his life long ambition of finding Pan. A ton of interaction with different gods. The quest itself was an important part, but for me it was definitely secondary to the characters.

I wish I could've connected to the new characters more. I did like Bianca, she was fine, but her parts were brief and I feel like she shouldn't have been on the quest compared to other options. I know we'll see more of Nico in the next book and I am excited to reread that.

We also get Blackjack the pegasus, who was introduced in the last book, but it's easy to miss because there was a gender change. Percy freed a black female pegasus from Luke's ship in Sea of Monsters, who turns out to be Blackjack, a male pegasus that Percy bonded with.

Some of our characters literally held the sky, but I don't anticipate that the road is going to get any easier from here on out. This book is a 5/5 stars.

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11. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

If you want a good cry, this is the book for you. They Both Die at the End is a cute little romance novel based on the idea of learning that you die the day of and the complications and adventures that could come out of that.

The two main character's are Last Friends, who don't know each other, but need company on the day they die. Obviously, they both die, but the development of their friendship on the way is worth the read.

There are some side plots with other characters and their experience with Death-Cast (the program that knows who is going to die that day) that I enjoyed and thought added to the book.

I thought this was a 4 star read because while I enjoyed it, I didn't vibe with parts of it. I don't particularly enjoy the phrase "Decker" and don't really understand where it came from. There's also some conflict that I felt was unnecessary, they're already about to die, can't they catch a break?

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10. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

I just finished reading the second book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the main thing I seemed to have forgotten about before starting my reread of this series was that Thalia had a presence even before the end of this book. Percy had a dream about her in both the first and second book and it makes me wonder what they're going to do about her for the series.

I enjoyed the characterization and transformation of all characters, including Clarisse, and Luke's major transformation in this book signifies him revealing himself as the enemy.

There were moments of dialogue that made me laugh and there were moments where the emotions of the characters overwhelmed me. Rereading these books remind me of why I love reading in the first place.

5/5. I absolutely recommend this book. I'm excited for the next one because I remember The Titan's Curse being my absolute favorite in the series.

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9. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an old favorite of mine. I read the series in middle school and since then it's been something I go back to time and time again. I've had this shirt for so long and one of the only pieces of merch I've ever bothered to buy. It's probably goes without saying, but this series will always have a place in my heart.

I'm rereading this series, once again, to celebrate the development of the Disney+ series that we all hope will make up for the terrible movie adaptations that only those who didn't read the books can enjoy.

The Lightning Thief is a great first book in this series and sets the reader up for the great experience in the world of Percy Jackson and greek myths. This is a middle grade series, so there is some didacticism that I know some older readers get tired of, but it's not something that would ruin the book.

In my biased opinion, this was a 5 star read.

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8. Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

I read the entire series of Heartstopper on WebToon and I can confidently give the series as a whole a 5 star rating. I did like some volumes better than others, but that doesn't detract for my love of the series.

I read all of Heartstopper and watched the entirety of the show on Netflix all in the same day. Since then, I've rewatched the show three times because I can't help myself.

I can certainly recommend this, but there are some triggering topics in certain volumes that may be hard to read, though I believe they are handled well and with sensitivity. There were always warnings on the chapters on WebToon for those sensitive topics.

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7. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

I was recommended Good Omens because I'm a fan of the T.V. show Supernatural. I completely understand that recommendation and appreciated it. I really enjoyed the novel. It had interesting characters with fun dialogue. I don't think I completely understand how the conflict was resolved, but I'm okay with that.

I do believe this is a four star read, but I'll have to confirm that when I reread it because I did kind of rush through the end. I was ready to move on to a childhood reread, which I will be doing next.

I think I might watch the show because what I read seems like it would make a great watch.

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A Comprehensive List of Assigned Readings for Spring Semester

This list is in roughly the same order I read them and doesn't include supplementary readings online. (Not all are photographed because I don't have physical copies).

Dubliners by James Joyce

The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar

An Introduction to Religion and Literature by Mark Knight

Children's Literature by Seth Lerer

The Cambridge Guide to Literature and Religion by Susan M. Felch

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers

We the Animals by Justin Torres

The Book Against God by James Wood

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

A Certain Ambiguity by Gaurav Suri and Hartosh Singh Bal

Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Lila by Marilynne Robinson

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

There are some great books on this list. I highly recommend Louise Erdrich, who is a Native American author. Both books of hers I read were really enjoyable. I also enjoyed Wind in the Willows, The Road, and Dew Breaker.

Ones I didn't enjoy as much were Dubliners and A Certain Ambiguity, the latter mostly because I didn't become an English Major to read about math.

My Three Favorites

(Hilariously, there's one from each class)

The Hound of Baskersville by Arthur Conan Doyle

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

(P.S. I got my grades and I'm pretty happy with how I did)

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6. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit is a classic that I unfortunately had never read until now. This book is absolutely one that I recommend, especially as an audiobook. I didn't listen to it as an audio but it has a quality to it that would make it beautiful to listen to. It's safe to say this is a five star read.

i watched the movies years ago and it absolutely makes sense to me now why they decided to make three movies out of one book. There's a lot of content and a lot to be explored. It makes me really want to watch them again and also read The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Who knows if I'll do either one, but I want to and that's what matters.

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5. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles is Madeline Miller's debut novel and she really did come out swinging. It's a beautiful novel, but for me it felt dull until the second half. Maybe it's just me as a reader and my preferences. The second half is what made this a 4 star read rather than 3. It was a pretty quick read so I do recommend it, but I don't know if I quite get the hype around this book. I definitely thought Miller's book Circe was better, but that's just my opinion.