Believe it or not, I have never read Pride and Prejudice. This month’s book club’s theme is Cottagecore, so it felt like the time was right.
What I’m Listening to Now: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Read by Kate Kellgren
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Author Archives: Bethlylou
Review: Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia E. Butler, Damian Duffy and John Jennings
When we decided on this month’s topic for our TBR book club, I knew this would be the book I would read. I felt a bit ashamed that I hadn’t read any of Octavia Butler’s work before. This one seems the most relevant because so much of fiction is just pattern recognition and Ms. Butler was very good at that. I didn’t mean to read the graphic novel, but I wasn’t really paying attention to the version I was checking out from the library, and I had already been on the waiting list for a month when it came available, so it had to be. I wasn’t mad at the idea and i think it did see it illustrated only magnified the story. I do want to eventually read the original novel because I feel this book needs it to be read in it’s original prose.
Lauren is an hyperempathy so not only can she feel everything around her but she also very observant. She sees clearly what so many do not or do not want to. Her narration brings the people and her neighborhood to life. I felt just as devastated for her when her family was taken as she was. I wanted to shield her from all the pain and tragedy around her but knew that I couldn’t. It’s not that she needed because Lauren is probably the most resilient, strong character I have ever read. It’s not that the events of her life did not affect her. They did and more, but she persevered and kept moving and inspired others to join her. The illustrations also brought the story alive. It was muted and sharp and gave a true atmosphere to the reading experience. This is not a feel good book. It wasn’t meant to be. It was supposed to be a warning that we ignored. We can only hope that we have learned enough to avoid the tragedies Lauren and her family endured. Time will only tell if this work of fiction will become our reality.
What I’m Reading Now: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
I am very impressed that I have avoided spoilers for the last two months. Let’s do this!
Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel by Octavia E. Butler Adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings
I am ashamed to say I have never read anything by Octavia Butler. It seems like a good time to start. This is my pick for March’s Theme. Fictional Books that should stay fiction. When I checked it out of the library, I didn’t realize it was the graphic novel. Still counts.
Review: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
This was a trip to read at this time. I read this as my monthly pick about leadership because it is based on the first Empress of China. Xetian is a girl from a small village that has turned the world on its head. At the end of The Iron Widow, she starts a rebellion and finds the last Emperor from 200 years ago. She wakes him up but gets more than she bargains for. She is forced to work with him to achieve her goals. This book was too close to home as they rebel against an oligarchic government. They are rallying the workers and people to their cause but change is hard. As a woman, it doesn’t matter how much power she possesses or what she has accomplished, she will still be seen as a woman who cannot be trusted. Even as she gets to the new Emperor, she knows she can never let her guard down because his goals are not hers. She is smart and uses the time she has to learn as much as she can to set herself up for the future. I do love a morally ambiguous heroine. She does some rather questionable things but it’s all to make the world better. For some reason, I thought this was a duology but there’s another book coming, and what a showdown it’s going to be.
Review: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Reading this, I couldn’t help thinking about the TV show The Librarians wondered which came first because they are very similar. Both are about a secret Library that sends its Librarians to alternate realities to bring back books for their collection. I think the show brought back more than just books, but you get the idea. The Invisible Library follows Irene, a junior librarian, who is given a mission and a new student after she has just returned from another mission. She and Kai head off to a different reality to find a book of Grimm’s fairy tales. They are immediately swept up in a mystery as the book has been stolen. A vampire has been killed. Fairies also want it and there are werewolves too. I really like Irene. She’s spunky and a little quirky. She’s quick-thinking and can easily adapt to any situation. She knows immediately that there is something not quite right about this mission but she is loyal to the Library so she doesn’t question it. Unlike the other Librarians, she was born into it. Both of her parents are Librarians. While she did attend a private school in Switzerland, her unusual upbringing, she is a bit awkward. I like the chemistry between her and Kai, her new trainee that she has to show the ropes. Kai is very eager to get out and start working. It’s kind of cute as to how excited he gets during their first fight. I understand why so many people like this series and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
What I’m Reading Now: Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
This month, our book club’s theme is Leadership. In honor of Black History Month and President’s Day, I decided to read Heavenly Tyrant because it’s based on the first Chinese Empress. At the end of the first book, Zeitan has taken power, but can she keep it?
Review: Heir by Sabaa Tahir
I will admit that I didn’t realize that this was a companion series to Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series. I wasn’t made about it. I enjoyed that series. I also didn’t realize it was a duology. I guess I should be grateful it is only two books. Heir takes place twenty years after the end of the previous series. It is told from the perspective of three people. Quil, the Heir to the Martial throne and nephew to the Empress. Aiz, an orphan with some anger issues from a Keger and Sirsha, an outcast hired to track down a killer.
A Few Spoilers for both series ahead.
Laia, Elias and Helene from the An Ember in the Ashes series all appear but as minor roles. This story is about their children or nephews. Quil is the son of former Emperor Marcus and Livia Aquillius and he doesn’t want to be Emperor for fear he will become like his father. Laia and Elias’ son Sufiyan is one of Quil’s closest friends. In a neighboring country, Keger attacks the Martials and Quil must escape to find Tas, his friend and spy to fight back. On the way, he meets Sirsha, a tracker who has been hired to find a killer who is plaguing the Empire. Their objectives align. Aiz is an orphan from Keger, a small country in the south with little connection to the rest of the world but obviously will collide with the other two. I do appreciate an angsty hero and a witty protagonist. Quil and Sirsha are such a great couple. Good Chemistry. About halfway through the book, it is revealed that one of the POVs is not happening in the same timeline as the other two but in an earlier time frame. As soon as I realized that, I knew exactly where the story was going. I wasn’t completely right but I did figure out who the murderer was based on the reveal and clues about this character that I have already learned. I didn’t mind it because the writing made the journey to get to that destination fun. I wanted to know how they turned. My one critique would be that I thought It was a little too long. It kind of dragged on a bit for me but left enough of a cliffhanger that I am looking forward to the next one.
What I’m Reading Now for our TBR Project Book Club: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
As you know we started a book club on Fable called the TBR project. Our first monthly theme is new beginnings. I am interrupting it has starting a new series. This book has been on my TBR list for years now. No better time to read it then now.
If you haven’t already, join us. Let’s attack our TBR piles. One month at a time.
Review: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
It has been hard for me to get into the holiday season this year. I have a feeling that I am not the only one. I had a coupon that was about to expire, and that is how I stumbled on this gem. You can say I didn’t know I needed it until I found it. Maggie is a mystery writer who is having the worst year and Christmas is coming and that never makes her feel any better. Her husband left her for her best friend and took half of her money. Things might be turning around. She’s been invited to spend Christmas with her “biggest fan”. Too bad Ethan Wyatt is also invited. She can’t stand Ethan. He always calls her the wrong name and is just too perfect. When they arrive, they find out that their host is Eleanor Ashley, maybe the most famous mystery writer of all time, and the reason that Maggie wanted to be a writer in the first place. The first night they are there, Eleanor disappears and it’s up to Maggie and Ethan to solve the mystery.
Right off the bat, I loved both Maggie and Ethan. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers trope. Though it is pretty obvious that the loathing is really one-sided let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Maggie is the ultimate Eleanor Ashley fan so she first thinks this is just a test for her to solve but as twists and turns start to happen she starts to doubt herself. Like so many successful women I know she has been warned down by so many people belittling her and making her doubt herself. Ethan starts out as your typical alpha male type that everyone is drawn to. His first book is a best seller and is being turned into a movie. Things just come naturally to him. However, there is more to him than that. His charisma is more a defense than anything else but one thing is for sure. He’s down for whatever Maggie wants to do never questions her and is the steadying force for her. As they go through the usual suspects and work the case, they grow together. I found the reason why he always called her by the wrong name to be touching and sweet. This was the perfect quick, fun read that I needed this season. Sure, the plot is pretty typical of Agatha Christie’s set up but it works and it doesn’t matter that it’s not that original. It doesn’t have to be. It just needs to be fun and entertaining and it was. Happy Holidays everyone!
2 Women, So Many Books 