simoneandherbooks

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Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes // Book Review

I’m kind of in that rare place where most of my bookish friends have read a book like this when they were in high school, but not me. I blame this one English teacher who focused more on plays than prose, which caused me to miss out on fundamental reads like this incredible sci-fi story of a man who undergoes a medical procedure to increase his intelligence level. Written in the epistolary…

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Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab // Book Review

“Bury my bones in the midnight soil,Plan them shallow, water them deep,And in my place will grow a feral rose,Soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.” Why is it the books I loved the most, I have little to say about them? Ok, well, this book turned out to be one of my favorite reads of the year so far! Wow! I had a hard time putting this book down and when I did, I tried my best to find the…

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The Devils by Joe Abercrombie // Book Review

Have you ever read a book that’s simultaneously the longest book in the world (in feel, not by actual length) and also a pretty good intro into Joe Abercromebie? That’s what I got from Joe Abercrombie’s latest offering. The Devils follows a rag-tag team of monsters who are forced to escort the recently found princess (former thief) across the country to take up the throne she’s been destined for…

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Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman // Book Review

LitRPG. It’s a thing. I didn’t know about this thing until recently, but it’s been around for quite some time and if you’re a fan of RPG video games, Dungeons and Dragons, and quirky characters with feline companions, then this is going to be right up your alley. Dungeon Crawler Carl is the first book in what looks to be an epic series about a guy named Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess…

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The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig // Book Review

If you’ve ever seen those statues and busts of women with veils over their faces (also, wow, that stonework is quite incredible), and you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to have an entire fantasy story centered around it, then this is the book for you. The first in a new series from the author of The Shepherd King duology, The Knight and the Moth is entirely different from what Rachel…

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Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez // Book Review

I never tire of Abby Jimenez. When you’re down about the world and just want to get a little dose of dopamine in your life, then pick up any of her books. There’s a few hallmarks that you’ll always get with a good Abby Jimenez book. 1) She’ll always mention Nadia Cakes (the cupcake bakery she owned before becoming an author). 2) She will always feature Minnesota. 3) Her characters will always be…

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The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi // Book Review

I’m a huge fan of time travel stories. Ever since I was a kid and I read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells for the first time, I was in love with this idea of traveling to the future or the past. Over time, my love of the genre continued to grow and I love exploring all concepts of portal jumping, time distortion, parallel universes. It’s definitely an interesting concept for me and when I heard…

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The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami // Book Review

I’ve got to be honest, I really wanted to like this one and it was good and interesting, but it didn’t really blow me away. The story follows Sara Hussein, a retainee at the Madison facility where folks who are accused of committing violent crimes in their dreams are kept for a minimum of 21 days to ensure that these machinations never see fruition. In its simplest form, this is what the book is…

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Red Dragon by Thomas Harris // Book Review

There’s nothing more intimidating than a super muscular demon on the book cover to represent the horrors of the villain within its pages. In this review, I dive into my thoughts on Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, the first book to feature Dr. Hannibal Lecter and before the even more famous The Silence of the Lambs. Having watched the movie (Manhunter, not Red Dragon) before reading the book, I…

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Hello, reading slump, my old friend.

Well, I don’t know what did it this time but I’m stuck in a reading slump this week. And instead of going without a blog post for another week because I’m not crunching out the books reviews, I thought I would write about it. I’ve been pretty mindful of my book slumps in the past. I never know what book causes it. In fact, I was on a streak of some 5-star reads so I’m a little upset this has hit…

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Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi // Book Review

I’ve been on a weird kick lately reading a lot of books featuring demons, possession, the fight between heaven and hell, good and evil, etc. It’s a weird little kick and I think I’ve reached the pinnacle with Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi. The book takes place in a small orphanage somewhere in the Delaware valley right at the turn of the 20th century. For all intents and purposes, this…

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How Mickey 17's trailer made me read Mickey7

It’s a weird “chicken and egg” moment in a reader’s life when they come across a book through the trailer of a movie. What came first? Interest in the story because of the synopsis or because Robert Pattinson is starring in the Bong Joon-ho adaptation of said book? While I do know I have a deep appreciation for both Pattinson and Joon-ho, it was the premise that finally got me picking up a copy…

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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao // Book Review

If you’re looking for something that whisks you away to a Ghibli-inspired world of dreams, paper cranes, cloud hopping, and more, then this might be the book for you. Here’s more about Water Moon A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy…

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When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi // Book Review

Did I have that song “That’s Amore” stuck in my head every single time I picked up this book? Yep. I’m a huge fan of John Scalzi and his latest work he begs the question “how would the world react if the moon turned into cheese?” Here’s more about When the Moon Hits Your Eye From the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain comes an entirely serious take on a distinctly unserious…

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Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan // Book Review

I picked up Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan because I was absolutely enthralled by her first duology Daughter of the Moon Goddess. And as a standalone romantasy, I felt the need to check it out. Here’s more about the book A stunning, standalone romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, of a young ruler who fights to protect her kingdom, from bestselling author Sue…

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Battle Royale by Koushun Takami // Book Review

I had originally read this book back when I was 23 and commuting via bus to work. It got a lot of interest from people who had read it before and absolutely adored it and honestly, that boosted my confidence that I would enjoy the book as well. And lo and behold, I did. I remember the violence, the brutality of these students, the sheer primal need to survive. But that was pretty much all I…

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James by Percival Everett // Book Review

“I am the angel of death, come to offer sweet justice in the night. I am a sign. I am your future. I am James.” Well, I’m so glad I’m able to add another favorite of 2024 to my list before the year ended. This is the retelling of Huck Finn through the eyes of James, the enslaved Black man who follows Huck throughout the story. However, instead of whatever sense of adventure you’d get in Huck…