What I Can’t Wait to Read in 2016

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Bethlylou

It’s 2016! Happy New Years!! A new year means new books! And we love new books even if they just add to our TBR pile. So here a 10 books that I’m super excited to read in 2016!

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater- The final book in the Raven Cycle and I couldn’t be more excited and dreading at the same time. It is well documented about how much I love the series and Maggie as an author. I can’t wait to see what will happen to Blue and the Boys but at the same time not ready to say goodbye.
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan – The first book in Rick’s new series The Trials of Apollo is going to be good. I just know it. For one thing Percy is back! That’s really all I need to know. I also hope it means that Leo is also back and happy and in love with Calypso. That would be the best.
Untitled by Sarah J. Maas – So the next book in the Throne of Glass series doesn’t have a title but hasn’t dampened my excitement for it. Aelin has all but declared her intentions and now heading for home. The real fight for Erilea is abou to get real.
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir – An Ember in the Ashes was one of the books that I loved the most last year. A mixture of historical fiction, dystopian and fantasy it was truly something refreshing. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
The Last Star by Rick Yancey – The final book in the 5th Wave series should be interesting. The 5th Wave was full and real but the The Infinite Sea was a intriguing but not as entertaining. Now that we know that who the aliens are and not things are really going to go down. Not to mention the movie for the first book comes out soon and I’m quite interested to see how it transitions from page to screen.
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard – The Red Queen was the other book by a new author in 2015 that I really loved. The other was Ember in the Ashes. It was quite a debut. I can’t wait to see what Mare will do now.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – It’s been over a year since Cassandra’s last series ended. She has filled the void with her novella series Tales from Shadowhunter Academy it hasn’t been the same. Now we are moving from New York City to LA with Emma Carstairs and Julian Blackthorne five years after the end of The Mortal Instruments so of course the world is once again in peril and it’s mostly the Clave’s fault. I do hope it’s better then the last 3.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – I’ll admit that I was only so so on the first book but I think this series has real potential and I’m willing to give it a go.
The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan – Magnus and friends stopped Ragarnok from happening at least for now and now he’s going to have help from his cousin Annabeth. (Annabeth is going to be very busy this year) We know from the last book that Thor lost his hammer and judging by the title that is going to be a major part of this book but he won’t be the only God as we also know that Loki has been pulling strings for a long time. Things should get interesting.
The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon – Now I’m not sure if this book is really going to come out this year or not but according to Goodreads, it’s scheduled for 11/3 so *crosses fingers* Paige has taken over the syndicate only to be betrayed by her former boss. It’s time to start a revolution against Scion but I have a feeling they won’t go down without a fight.

And so many more books I want to read and not to mention try to complete our reading challenges. It’s going to be a busy reading year. How about you? What books are you looking forward to reading this year?

Books that Rocked My Face Off in 2015

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Kate

Beth has given you her list and so I am here giving you mine. As with last year, I’m going to give you my top faves and my most dislikeds. I feel it is important to remember when celebrating the end of something that there were terrible parts, too.

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I read this book on my phone in two days. I loved it. I loved Cath, I loved Wren. I loved Reagan. I loved Levi. I loved Cath and Wren’s father. I loved the little bits of fan fiction that got mixed in. No, I haven’t yet gotten to Carry On but I am looking forward to it.

2. The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Raise your hand if you are surprised Maggie Stiefvater is on this list! You there! In that back! You should probably read the blog more often! This is the second in the 4-book Raven cycle. There was some much needed character development in this book, which just made me love the raven boys even more. I cannot wait for the fourth book to come out in 2016!

3. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

I will definitely be reading more of Okorafor’s books in the future. This was such a neat world that she created, full of things that were beautiful and tragic. Onye, the main character, is such a badass and the supporting characters were interesting and thoughtful and lovely.

4. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

The second of Rainbow Rowell’s book on my list, it was adorable and touching. Set in a pre-2000 newspaper in Omaha, Nebraska, this novel is full of wonderful characters, awkward situations and really touching moments.

5. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

I really enjoyed Beauty Queens because Bray created a funny and ridiculous situation into which she put a bunch of interesting characters. This novel is like Lord of the Flies if it were only beauty queens on the island and if the island was actually a secret base for a company trading with a country that is under sanctions. It was interesting, funny and fun.

6. Revolution by Russell Brand

Russell Brand talks about love, spirit, the planet, and what we could all be doing to make the world a better place. That’s a terrible description because it was a really enjoyable book. Brand is his usual self (which I find funny) and he presents on a wide range of topics that were interesting and thought provoking.

7. What if? by Randall Munroe

Randall Munroe is a smart guy and he’s also hilarious. I love the concept of this book. He takes a hypothetical (often ridiculous) question and answers it with everything he knows about science (which is a lot). Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a mole of moles? Well, stop wondering and read this book.

8. Fledgling by Octavia Butler

Best vampire book ever. Social commentary, interesting characters, beautiful writing. Perfect.

9. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

We read an award winner before it was an award winner! I loved Marie Laure and Werner and their families. This was such a beautiful book.

10. The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK! This book, this book, this book. I finished this book and immediately re-read The Bone Season and then came back and read this one again. (Stuff like this is why I’m perilously close to not finishing this year’s book challenge.) Paige is one of my favorite heroines. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s determined and she’s a good person trying to do good in the world. This is a spectacular book.

And, now that we’ve seen the Top, here are the bottom:

1. The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

I can see what she was trying to do with this book but it was so poorly edited and full of unanalyzed views and positions that I couldn’t get behind it. To quote past-Kate, ” It was like reading someone’s notes or inferring a deeper meaning from a series of pinterest posts.” Ugh. It was awful.

2. Blood and Absinthe by Chloe Hart

There was nothing good about this book. Also, it made me so angry because of how it didn’t seem to know what consent is at all.

3. Adultery by Paulo Coehlo

I am Bill Nye and this book is every woman who thinks the universe is sending them messages.

That, right there, is better than this book.
4. Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan

I actually had to break out the Nopetopus for this review, that’s how much I disliked this book.

5. Live it! by Jairek Robbins

This is the book that has convinced me that next year’s This Month in Reality needs to be about something other than self help. So, good job, Jairek Robbins?

Books that Rocked My Face off in 2015

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Bethlylou

This year it was hard to narrow it down to just 10 books as there were so many books I really loved this year. So to narrow it down, I had to ask myself which ones was I still thinking about even after I started reading the next book? Those are ones I choose for the list. (These are really in no particular order

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray – This book I really wish I read when I was a teenager as so many of the messages I could have really used. You would almost think that a book about teenage beauty queens stuck on a desert island would be caricatures but they weren’t. They were very like girls I know or were me. I could pretty much identify with all of their struggles. Plus it was a lot of fun.
Winter by Marissa Meyer -I am really going to miss this series so much. Cinder, Scarlet, Cress and Winter made me laugh, cheer, angry ( on their behalf) and proud of all of them. Winter was by far the longest book of the series and it was non-stop action. There wasn’t any filler or time to relax. It was the perfect ending.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell – A little bit Harry Potter and a little bit of fanfiction. It was a great final book to an imaginary series. I was surprised by many of the twists and turns and touched by the romance.
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray – I loved the first book in the series and so I was nervous this one wasn’t going to be as good. It was better. Now my only complaint is that she doesn’t write fast enough.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard – It was fun, tense and very interesting. I thought I knew where things were going and then I didn’t. I’m looking forward to what lays in store in the next book.
Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow – This wasn’t anything like I thought it would be. It was surprising. It was fresh. It had the sassiest A.I. in the history of A.I.’s. For that reason alone, you all should read it.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir – It was sorta historical fiction with a dystopian vibe and boy did it work. It was brutal and it was tense but entertaining.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – This was very much an Ocean 11’s style caper with a little bit of a magic and darkness in only the way that Leigh Bardugo could do it. It’s set in the same world but after the events of her last series but a completely different vibe.
The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson – This is the third book in the series so the stakes are so much higher and it didn’t disappoint. It’s full of humor, action and ghosts. What else can I say.
The Rose Society by Marie Lu – This is the second book in the series that tells the story from the villainess point of view (though I’m not convinced that Adelina is the real villain but whatever) It was intense and was surprising, maybe a little problematic but worth the read.

There was two books that I enjoyed so much that I read the other books in the that were out in the series this year too. So I thought they would get their own category.

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas – For those looking for a Game of Thrones fill in until George publishes the next book, I recommend this. It was has all the twists and turns and is not afraid to kill of a character or two. I’m never really sure where it’s going to take us next but I know it will be well worth the ride.
Talon series by Julie Kagawa – It has a little bit of everything. A Romeo and Juliet Love, a love triangle, a betrayal and yeah dragons. Who doesn’t love dragons? Ok, the idea isn’t that original but I do love it anyway.

What I’m Reading Now: Endure by Sara B. Larson and The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Bethlylou

I don’t normally read two books at once but I got Endure an ARC downloaded to my iPad and well my iPad and case doesn’t fit in my new purse. I need something to read on the train to work. This is a must. So it came down to this, move everything into a new bag so I can take my iPad with me to work or find another book to read on the train and read this at home.

So that’s what I decided to do. The Royal We was on sale a couple of weeks ago and since I follow both the authors on twitter and love their blog, Go Fug Yourself, and I have been looking for more romances, I thought I would give it a go.

So these two books will end my reading experience for 2015 and bring me into 2016. What are the last books you are reading this year?

Review: Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Bethlylou

With all of our talk about whether or not to reread previous books before starting the latest book in a series, this should have been one that I did that. This series has so many characters, subplots, locations and so many dead characters it’s hard to keep track. It’s very Games of Thrones like that. Which is actually what I think it’s trying to be or at least the teen version or it. While not as ambitious, it’s the same concept of multiple parties fighting over thrones and kingdoms but also looking for the mysterious kindred that grant to the owners with unprecedented powers to rule them all. So there is a lot going on. *Spoilers* Continue reading →

Diverse Stacks, Diverse Lives Reading Challenge.

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Kate

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Beth and I have done a lot of talking about the kinds of things that reading can do for a person. It really is a magical thing. It can transport you to different worlds. It can imagine new history. It can see potential futures. Studies have even shown that reading literary fiction can help you relate better to other people. So, with this in mind, we’ve put together our first reading challenge. Inspired by #weneedmorediversebooks, we’ve come up with a challenge to make us think about who we are reading and what we are reading about. Our challenge has three sub-challenges: one related to characters, one related to authors, and one related to books themselves. Each sub-challenge is only ten books long, so you can do any of the sub-challenges without changing how you read for the whole year. As a reader, you can tackle the whole challenge or one or more of the sub-challenges.

I will be maintaining a page here on this blog full of possible books to fulfill the challenge that I find in my reading travels. Of course, any suggestions will be helpfully added to the list. Part of what makes diversifying your reading difficult is that you don’t always know something is diverse going in. We are going to endeavor to make that easy by keeping a separate page of suggestions.

Since this challenge is only 30 books, we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of diversity in literature and in life, but we hope that this list and the books that are read because of it will create interesting and thoughtful discussions. We hope that you will consider taking the challenge and reading along with us in 2016!

Series I said Goodbye to in 2015

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Bethlylou

For my last Series You Should Check Out post of the year I thought I would do something different. In the spirit of Award Shows In Memoriam segments. I thought I would take the time to highlight and say goodbye to the series that I loved that came to their conclusion this year. It was only 4 and I know that I have highlighted them once (or many times) before but all good things need a proper send off. So without much further ado. Here are the Series that I said Goodbye to in 2015.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
What can I say about this series that I haven’t already said? I am truly going to miss this it. The mix of fairy tales and sci fi was perfect. It never felt forced. How Miss Meyer was able to incorporate this familiar stories into her own new world and combine them with such ease was truly impressive. It all came off naturally and fun. It was full of romance, action, wonderful heroines and even a little social commentary on how we treat those who are different and the difference between tyranny and freedom and the lengths one goes to lead. Next year Meyer will release a collection of short stories that revolve around reverse perspectives of important scenes and even a wedding for one of our couples but it had the perfect ending for a fairy tale. They all lived happily ever after.
Penryn and the End of the Days by Susan Ee
This series was very different in it’s look at Angels. As they are not all that angelic like at all or at least how we have come to think of Angels to be like. It touched on two major trends in YA of late with both it’s dystopian and fantasy elements and they blended nicely. It also had a strong lady protagonist in Penryn. She was brave, smart and fierce. She had flaws though. She had to get over her own fears and even prejudice to truly win the fight. It was an uneven trilogy as the second book wasn’t as strong as the first but it was still a great read. I’m curious to see what Susan Ee does next now that Penryn has come to a very satisfying ending.
The Goddess War by Kendare Blake
Greek Gods and Goddesses living in the modern world is not a new idea. We all know of Rick Riordan’s work but this was a little different. Instead of Gods and Goddesses that live on top of the Empire State Building overseeing what is going on in the world. These Gods and Goddesses actually live in it though barely does anyone know who they really are. It was a twist on the Greek Champions. Instead of them being the children of the Gods, they are the original Champions, reborn. Once again, we are introduced to Odysseues, Hector, Achilles, Cassandra and more. Instead of reliving the Trojan War they make their own paths to save the Gods and Goddess of Olympus. It was fun, a little romantic, action packed and a new take on everything we have grown to love about Greek Mythology.
Finishing School by Gail Carriger In this steampunk version of England there is a girls finishing school that not only teaches girls to be the finest women in all of England but also the deadliest. Sophronia is the best student at Madame Geraldine’s. Through four books she has drove every teacher banners with her constant curiosity and always in the thick of things. She knows every square inch of the ship that is her school and every secret there is to know in England. From the inter-workings of vampire hives and werewolves clans to evil secret society of the Picklemen. She has thwarted evil plans and made friends with those all over the class spectrum. From the charming Soap who is black and one of the sooties who works on the ship to the devilishly handsome Felix who is a Duke’s son. She may be a women in Victorian England but she is anything but helpless. More then once she uses her own skills and intelligence to save the realm from treasonous acts. It’s funny so funny and filled with action and excitement that I’m sorry it’s ending but good news is that Gail Carriger has other series set in this world.

So those are series that ended that year that I love. What series did you love that ended this year?

Review: Live it! by Jairek Robbins

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Kate

I don’t want to be a soda can. Metaphorically speaking, whether or not that can is full or empty, I don’t want to be it.

I have to stop buying self-help books. There was nothing new or interesting in this book. There was a lot of dialectal behavior therapy stuff and with some magical thinking thrown in. But, you know, DBT without any of the psychological support that you’d get from doing DBT with a therapist. But, if you don’t need the support and you think you can get by on 30 day challenges from an author alone, then do it. This book might be for you! Get in there! Or, something

It wasn’t for me. I picked this up in a BOGO sale from audible and I’m happy to report that I actually liked the other book I picked up with it so this wasn’t a total waste. This book, however, is dull and unoriginal. I even managed to doze off while listening to the part where the author describes his own personal brush with death. I don’t know if that makes me an exceptionally callus human being or if it makes him a bad storyteller?

Plus, Robbins reads the book as if Every. Sentence. Is. The. Most. Important. Sentence. In. The. Book. It irritated me. And, it made it hard to focus on what actually have been important.

I’d give this book a 2/10. I wouldn’t recommend it but if you read it and loved it I wouldn’t ruin your gushy good mood by telling you how much I hated it.

This Year in Reality 2015

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Kate

When Beth and I decided we were really going to get on this thing and use this space and do some writing, we decided that we both needed a recurring series. Beth has been doing the Series You Should Check Out. These have been enjoyable to read (and have definitely put books into my TBR pile) and they’ve even gotten us a couple of author retweets. (Which, I have to say, was super exciting for both of us!) I decided to go in a different direction and review at least one non-fiction book a month. I flippantly titled this recurring series This Month in Reality. And, while not getting us any retweets, it has at least gotten me the personal satisfaction of engaging in some topics that I’ve had an interest in but have maybe not have made time for. The books that I read this year can probably be divided into three categories: Self help (dating advice,exercise, etc, New Years resolutions and Mesoamerican History! *only self-help for me because I study Mesoamerica*. ) Pop Culture Interest (the life and times of Kim Gordon, Piper Kerman and Orange is the New Black,Pop Physics,Travel as a metaphor for personal growth, Oscar winners ) meditation (Meditation and Science, meditation and practice, meditation AND pop culture). I’m so proud of my accidental consistency. I plan to continue this column in the coming year and I will also endeavor to be consistent, although more intentionally so. I’ve spent a lot of time in the past year considering who holds space and who is asking for it in our society, so expect to see books that help me meditate on and answer that question in 2016. But, before we get to 2016, I’d like to say goodbye to 2015 to revisiting my favorite reads/listens in reality this year! So, in no particular order:

<a href=https://stacksexceedlifeexpectancy.com/2015/07/31/this-month-in-reality-love-and-revolution/> Revolution by Russell Brand</a>.

This book hit me right in the feels. In a moment of synchronicity, I listened to this book at the exact right time for me because the messages of his book, that love is important and should be cherished and cultivated and that if something isn’t working we have to try something new and endeavor to make it better, were both things I needed to hear. It feels a little trite to say that a celebrity known for being a dirty hippie who once did a lot of drugs said the things that I needed to hear (especially when those things are stuff like, “your reality is the result of your attention and intention” and “sometimes you have to realize that the only power you have in a situation is the power to make it worse”) but it’s true so I might as well own it. I think Brand is a funny dude and I think the ideas he discusses are worthy ideas. So, if you’re feeling despairing and fed up with what the world looks like, take a break and hang out with this squirrelly English dude. Maybe he’ll say what you need to hear, too. (Or, maybe you’ll hate it and it’ll be one of those hate reads which is also cathartic. I don’t know. You do you.)

I wanted so badly to hate this book. No, really. I wanted to hate this book because knowing barely anything about Elizabeth Gilbert (except the general plot of this story) I had decided that Gilbert was a selfish person who does what she likes and (mis)uses foreign cultures to justify her self-serving decisions. Now, maybe my original judgments about her are true and maybe they aren’t. But, try as I might to hate this book, I just couldn’t. I found this book to be tremendously enjoyable. In the book someone suggests to her that every person and every city has a word that sums them up. When you find the city that you match, you’ve found your home. This is a clue to her that it is time to move on. I really liked this idea and I spent a long time considering what my word is. I just went back through a bunch of text messages with a friend who loved the book to see if I had come to a decision about my word. I think it might be “chameleon”. But, I’m still not sure. This book was a beautiful, painful, wonderful read. I’m so happy I picked it up!

<a href=https://stacksexceedlifeexpectancy.com/2015/10/31/this-month-in-reality-mesoamerican-history/>Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed by Professor Edwin Barnhart</a>

I picked up this lecture series from audible because I thought, “What the hell? You know practically nothing about the historical context that gave birth to this language context you study, what could it hurt?” Nothing, I decided. And, I’m so glad that I picked it up. It covers the Toltecs, Olmecs, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Tarascans, Aztecs, and Mayans: all of whom had empires in Mesoamerica prior to the arrival of Columbus. Did you know that? Prior to reading this audio book, these were names I knew, but I didn’t realize the the history that these names conveyed. These were huge empires that had sweeping impact on the culture, the people, and the land. How cool is that? Audible has an entire series of lectures, so if you’re interested in learning a little about anything, you might find something that will capture your interest! I, of course, recommend starting in Mesoamerica.

I hope that you have enjoyed learning a little this year along with me and that 2016 will bring us more knowledge about this cool and exciting world we live in!