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now i'm curious

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I read A Botanical Daughter and it changed me profoundly as a person. Sometimes family is an evil scientist, an autistic dandy, a lesbian in a waistcoat, and a fungus 🩷🌺

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Finally getting some cooler weather in the mornings! Gonna spend the next hour in bed with my coffee and coles bakery danish

I've just started reading The Next Big Thing by James Colley.

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This is my current read. I’m gripped and I’m only at chapter 2!

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What's in a Name Stack: Titles that feature the name of the main character ~

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10/04/24

My most surprising read so far of 2024?

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

I was so surprised by this one! It was a Spin the Wheel pick from my “Need to read soon” wheel. I actually enjoyed this so much; it was fun, quirky, a little emotional. There was some plot twists that I wasn’t expecting, but it was also very predictable from the start of who was going to be the murderer. But actually getting there was fun and unexpected. I ended up giving this one a 4 stars, almost a 5 star rating.

My only gripe with it was that’s it’s listed as an Adult novel when it’s more of a New Adult, mostly YA vibes. The main character was very immature and content wise wasn’t very adult either in my personal opinion.

This version of the book is by @illumicrate from their January box Murder Mystery.

Have you read Voyager of the Damned?

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march book haul 🍊

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Not gonna lie, Hopeless Aromantic was a disappointment. It had been on my radar for a while and i'd pre-ordered it. I was thrilled that there would be a book focusing on aromanticism, especially after reading Aro And Ace Journeys last year. Unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.

I found it less of a guide to aromanticism and more just a cobbled together collection of the author's personal experiences. It is poorly researched - most of the references are to wikipedia and reddit - and very surface level. Like there was a bit about institutional arophobia and the author literally said it was something she'd never heard of and then moved onto the next bit. Why bring it up then? Even better, it would have been an ideal place to talk about how society is built on the assumption that everyone will be partnered etc and two minutes of reading websites other than wikipedia would have given her some great starting points.

It was repetitive, wishy washy and felt half assed. Not worth reading when there are other books that will give you clearer, better researched information about the aromantic spectrum (and they manage to do it whilst also talking about the asexual spectrum)

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My second Christie of the year - The Secret of Chimneys

This one is a little different to most of the Christies I've read. It was more of a political thriller than a straight murder mystery, and a little on the farcical side at times. I really like the lead character, Anthony Cade. He was charming and fun and a lil bit flirty.

I did find myself a tad confused over the politics a couple of times but I think that was probably because I wasn't reading it as consistently or as closely as I usually would. Honestly, I think I was slumping a little bit while reading this so it's one I'd really like to revisit in the future.

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Hi, everyone. It's been busy recently but spring is here. I love all the different spring blossoms I see around town. Do you have a favorite spring flower? I really like the blooming magnolia trees. They are so pretty with the big blossoms.

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Hey, how has your week been so far? Have you been reading anything interesting? I finished reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It was a little bit different from the books I've read recently so it was a nice change. It's a science fiction story that plays around with quantum mechanics.

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Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson

You rarely get answers to questions that you don't ask.

Well, damn...

Lost Man's Lane is a whopper of a coming-of-age story. The nostalgia that fills these pages is overwhelming, and the wisdom with which it allows this book to explore the harsh truths of entering adulthood is as effectively specific as it is undeniably universal. Pairing this coming-of-age tale with a supernatural mystery allows Scott Carson (pen name of Michael Koryta) to ingeniously analyze the fluid line between fact and fiction without ever diminishing the book's overarching coming-of-age themes; family, friendship, responsibility, home and identity.

Fiction or fact is actually up to the reader. The right novel at the right time might tell a deeper truth than a biography.

Carson's prose is effortlessly readable, putting us straight into the shoes of our main character, Marshall Miller. I love a good, small-town coming-of-age story to begin with, but having been only three years younger than Marshall, in 1999, made the nostalgia hit home significantly harder, and created a staggeringly immersive reading experience. Add onto that a cast of immensely likable characters and a high-concept, wholly unpredictable supernatural murder mystery? I found it extremely hard to step away from this book, even for food or sleep.

A lot of the most important things occur to you too late.

Seriously, Carson has created something truly special with Lost Man's Lane . While this is primarily a coming-of-age story, the supernatural thriller elements are so effectively and economically delivered that the change of atmosphere is only ever jarring in ways intended, filling the pages with an unbearably suspenseful dread that strikes with a venomous bite.

The haunting power of any ghost relies not on entrances into our world but on almighty absences from it.

Despite the plotting not always going in the direction I was hoping it would, it always goes in the direction the characters take it, staying true to them and their world. And the supernatural elements, while occasionally unclear, also fit the world of the book, and the thematic resonance that lies within them hits like a truck in the final act, giving Marshall and those around him closure that's as honest as it is complete.

"Nobody is promised a second chance at getting home safe. You will learn that."

9.5/10

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

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I'm very behind in posting what I've read this year lmao

The Ex Hex was my first book of Feb and I really enjoyed it. I picked it up ages ago when I was trying to get more into romance, without really knowing anything about it, so I was a little nervous when I realised it was a second chance romance which I generally do not see the appeal of. But the way it was done felt reasonable and not too hard to believe.

I did find it a little harder to get through than I'd thought I would but I think that was more to do with me (it was the middle of summer which I hate and work had just gone back so i was exhausted), rather than any problem with the book. The minute I picked it up and started reading I had a good time.

The two leads had good chemistry and I really enjoyed their relationship, the witchy vibes were fun, and the background characters were all interesting. It was cute and I would definitely consider reading the next book in the series.

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I think we need to get more comfortable with the idea that sometimes shitty, racist, homophobic, bigoted people are still incredibly talented.

I feel like every time I see a post addressing someone’s shitty behavior the post also takes the time to mention that they’re not even good at [x] anyway. And that’s just not always true? Equating being good at a skill as being morally good is just not necessary. Someone can be a fantastic writer, can have a beautiful singing voice, can create breathtaking artwork, and still be a horrible person.

I know part of this is probably just the instinct to dislike everything about a person when you dislike them, but I also think this mindset leads to people defending creatives way past where they should, because if bad people create bad art, then if this person creates art that I like and resonates with me, then they can’t be a bad person!

And you know. That’s just not true. Those two things are simply completely unconnected and I think it’d be healthier if we all started disconnecting them in our heads.

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I need to get something to hang on the wall above the chair but for the moment my new room set up is done!

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Okay it has taken the better part of today but i think i've finished rearranging things and omg i cannot convey how much i love my bookshelf set up

Still got to put a bunch of Things and Clutter away and the sun is setting so probs wont get pics done til tomorrow

Aquired a winged armchair and a new bookshelf so now i have to rearrange my room to create a reading nook