thebookocean

[thebookocean]

I just reached the third act conflict in this holiday romance and I already wanna yeet myself into the sun on behalf of these people

[thebookocean]

i’ve been thinking a lot about ursula k. le guin’s introduction to the left hand of darkness (which the above is from) as i read asimov’s i, robot now. when reading older sci-fi set in what ends up being present day for us i think it’s probably inevitable to have a bit of a reaction like “oh haha that’s what they thought the future would be like” but le guin’s point (throughout the whole introduction) has been a very interesting counter to that

[thebookocean]

so one of my long term reading goals is to read more classic 20th century scifi, because while i love scifi i haven't really dived into the classics

this year i've picked up ursula k. le guin (the left hand of darkness, absolutely fascinating from a sociological and gender pov even if the writing itself felt a little dull to me),

octavia e. butler (kindred, LOVED this book, it's incredible to me that it's 40+ years old, and i definitely need to pick up more of her straight-up sci-fi works),

ray bradbury (fahrenheit 451; i didn't enjoy it as much as the martian chronicles which i read years ago and really liked, but i'm glad i read it),

and right now i'm finally reading some isaac asimov (started with i, robot and i think that was a good choice, the short stories are very digestible and the ideas of robotics are what i'm most interested in re: his writing)

i still have a few more authors i intend to get to, samuel r. delany for one and a few more, but like i said this is more of a long term goal that i'll chip away at for a while.

and i think it's a good way to appreciate current scifi and where it draws from. i can definitely see the thread that connects arkady martine's teixcalaan duology (one i loved this year) to the left hand of darkness as sociological scifi about diplomacy, or kazuo ishiguro's klara and the sun to asimov's short story robbie being about robots designed to be companions for children. it's fascinating to see the genre's development.

[thebookocean]

finished cultish: the language of fanaticism yesterday and i thought it was a really interesting experience. i know very little about cults in general but the idea of analyzing the language they and other 'culty' groups use to gain influence and ascendancy over their members was particularly intriguing.

there was a lot in it that i found interesting (for example, i wasn't familiar with the concept of thought-terminating clichés before reading about them here) even if, overall, i thought the linguistic aspect was a bit surface-level. as someone with a linguistics background myself that was kind of to be expected, but there were points when i felt the book would have majorly benefited from going slightly more in depth, perhaps taking a look at specific speeches or language samples to better drive its points home.

there were also some instances that had me going 'hm. not sure i like the way this reads', especially with regards to 'brainwashing'. i appreciate what montell was trying to do in demystifying the concept (i.e. it's not some sort of mystical mind control, it's language and manipulation and it's perfectly mundane) but at certain points i almost felt like it was saying 'well if they Really didn't want to fall for it they wouldn't have'. it wasn't constantly there but it definitely made me pause at a couple points.

that was my only real gripe with the book; overall, though, it was a really interesting read and i feel like it also gave me some interesting insights into how 'culty' groups create their influence. and i'm really happy to be reading some nonfiction—i'll try to keep that up over the next year for sure.

[thebookocean]

my next read is gonna be a nonfiction book (haven't decided which one yet, i have a few options) because i desperately want to learn something new, i realized it's been ages since i've actually learnt anything and it's driving me up the wall

[thebookocean]

finished the elements of cadence duology by rebecca ross today and that was a lovely time. i find it really funny that the romances were presented to me as the selling point though (i really wanted to read a romance when i started this) because i cared far, far more about the plot in both of them.

the mystery in a river enchanted completely drew me in and the worldbuilding was charming and very very enjoyable. both books felt like folklore and like being told a folk tale, i could so easily imagine the magic coming from the pages. a fire endless took a bit longer for me to warm up to (ha), it was fine but i wasn't enjoying it as much as the first until about the 60% mark when it really, really took off. i finished it today and i kept bursting into tears in the last 20%!

the story in both was really really nice and i really enjoyed the characters. the romances, again, did feel a little lackluster to me? especially jack and adaira, i enjoyed their individual arcs but never really bought them as a couple until the later part of a fire endless unfortunately. torin and sidra felt much more real and i enjoyed their dynamic more, and them as characters as well. torin's growth in particular felt quite well done to me.

there were some plot threads in a fire endless that kind of felt dropped out of nowhere and that could have been resolved better (rab pierce anyone?) but overall, this was a really really nice time.

[thebookocean]

Contender for my favorite tweet of all time

[thebookocean]

A River Enchanted, Rebecca Ross

[thebookocean]

this book is speaking to a very specific part of me and i'm having many thoughts and feelings

[thebookocean]

a dowry of blood is like.. gothic gothic. both in vibes and especially in themes, which makes an incredible amount of sense for a vampire book but it still amazed me a little. (it's so gothic there's even a crumbling mansion that goes up in flames at one point). jokes aside though, it's fully a book about domestic abuse and violence and manipulation and freedom, and i think it does a really good job at tying that in with the monstrosity and allure of vampires and in particular dracula.

it feels a little detached sometimes but i think that also makes sense considering we're covering centuries of life, and if anything i think that adds to the vibes of the book. because, again, the vibes are just as gothic as the themes. the longevity, the sensuality, the allure of vampires that mixes both fear and attraction, the monstrous devotion (the catholic imagery via constanta's enduring faith), it's all super present in the writing (and the writing was lovely. every single bite scene in this book is a 10/10).

this one was four stars, a very good read that went a long way in scratching that itch for good, proper vampire fiction. and i'm very much looking forward to s.t. gibson's carmilla reimagining too.

[thebookocean]

the haunting of alejandra.......

man what a book. this is the second of my five stars for this year that centers heavily on motherhood, which is kind of a funny thing considering the strength of my own choice to never have children. and because i don't have children i know there's a lot in the haunting of alejandra that i can't directly relate to, but the way it's written made me feel like i understood at least a little bit. i feel like it somehow bridged a little bit of the gap between me and the people around me whose experiences i've never been able to connect to in any way.

i feel like if i'd been any younger reading this book it wouldn't have hit as hard? having people my age around me talking, even obliquely, about how difficult motherhood has been on them was definitely a factor in me loving the haunting of alejandra so much. the way it deals with womanhood and motherhood and the way those two connect felt very raw and emotional, and the approach to generational trauma was incredible.

the supernatural horror aspect almost felt like it took a backseat for me? even though it was satisfying, this book definitely uses the horror to explore its themes and not the other way around.

idk man, it was honestly incredible and one of my favorites of this year so far. sometimes i felt like the dialogue wasn't the most realistic thing in the world (who speaks like that) but it didn't even bother me as a literary device because that's what it is and it worked really well.

[thebookocean]

The Haunting of Alejandra, V. Castro