Fredrick Backman casually figured out the meaning of life actually. He’s got it down. Read his books. Watch as this nice old man deconstructs human behavior time and time again in a harrowing yet hopeful way.
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once you read Beartown you can never go back to a state of never having read it
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January 2024 Reading Wrap
First wrap up of the new year! I read 8 books this month, and I'd say it was a strong reading month overall. I read some new releases, caught up or finished series, and read some good stuff! I read 6 fantasy books, 1 nonfiction, and 1 regular fiction. 6 books I read physical copies, and 2 audiobooks.
1.A Winter's Promise (Mirror Visitor Quartet 1) by Christelle Dabos. 3/5 stars. This is a book I've been wanting to read since before it was translated into English. This book didn't quite live up to the expectations I had of it, but I still overall enjoyed it. I plan to continue the series, possibly quarterly. Young adult fantasy.
2. A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. 4.5/5 stars. Another great Allison Saft book, and this one is possibly my favorite so far. This is exactly my type of fantasy romance and I was very invested in reading this. It's about a young magical seamstress who is commissioned to make the royal wedding clothes for the kingdom's prince. Young adult fantasy.
3.Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. 3/5 stars. This was a fun read, but not the most exciting or great as it had the potential to be. The story has a fun cast of characters, and enjoyable world, but not a whole lot happened in this book. I can def see Aveyard's LOTR inspirations in this. I plan on continuing this series soon.
4.The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake. 2/5 stars. This was a disappointing end to a series and was very lackluster and fell apart at the end. Disappointing because of how much I loved book 2. There were some redeeming moments, but much of this book felt unnecessary or frustrating. Adult fantasy.
5.Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. 5/5 stars. This is a collection of essays by the author about the world around us, life, nature, and the way we interact with the world. Absolutely my new favorite thing and much of Kimmerer's teachings in the book resonate with me very deeply. Read on audio- which I highly recommend. Nature/essays.
6.Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde 2) by Heather Fawcett. 5/5 stars. This was just as good as book 1, and I loved the new adventure and learning more about fairies. Emily and Wendall are my favorite, and I can't wait to see how this series concludes.
7.Beartown (Beartown 1) by Fredrik Backman 4.5/5 stars. I read this book in less than 24 hours and it emotionally abused me throughout. I'm late to the game in regards to this book (no pun intended) but I'm glad I finally read it. Backman never disappoints, and I plan to continue the series soon. Fiction.
8. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children 9) by Seanan McGuire. 4/5 stars. This felt like the continuation of Antsy's story from book 8, but with some of our main cast of characters on a new quest. Very enjoyable and another solid installment in the series. Is the last time we see the "main cast?". Read on audio. Fantasy.
That's it for January! I am currently reading my TBR Pick of the Month, The Throne of the Five Winds, but I am only still in the first half of the book, so I will have to finish it up for Feb. I also started a new nonfiction audiobook, but am still in the first half of that as well.
February TBR:
finish The Throne of the Five Winds by SC Emmett
Crescent City 3
Nonfiction Audiobook (finish)
Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher
TBR Pick of the month
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (?)
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Ove had never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have answered that he didn't.
He would have told them that he never lived before he met her. And not after, either.
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
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So David drives home, puts his hand on his girlfriend’s stomach, and pretends he’s crying about the baby. His life will be successful, he will achieve everything he’s ever dreamed of—career and success and titles—he’ll coach unbeatable teams at legendary clubs in several different countries, but he will never let any player in any of them wear number “16.” He will always keep hoping that Benji is going to turn up one day and demand his jersey.
Beartown by Fredrick Backman
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Is anyone on this app as obsessed with Fredrick Backman books as I am? Please I’m so alone 😭 I need someone to tell me they’ve read his books and highlighted every page too😭 My friends don’t like slow paced stories that are 90% unhinged comedy and 10% metaphors for the human condition and it destroys me every day😭
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Most books leave me feeling a whirlwind of emotions - sort of like I was dropped in the middle of a thunderstorm. Then end of story feels like the thunderstorm ended and I feel the loss around me keenly.
Backman though - I have only read 3 of his books and all 3 left me feeling .... complex. Like I was stood there, waiting for the rain I can see coming. A rain like the kind you see in anime funerals of a beloved character - cold * sad, yet gentle & steady. Like I can't bring myself to go back inside - so I stand there, getting drenched. And then the rain ends, and sun peeks out. I am still soaked - from rain and tears both, there is a feeling of tragedy, but also peace as I close my eyes and tip my face to the sun. That's the feeling it gives me.
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