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What I’m Reading Now: Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Larson
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Tag Archives: bethylou reads
Diverse Stacks, Diverse Lives Narrator Reading Challenge UPDATE
We are now halfway through June so I can accurately say we are halfway through the year. It’s time to check in and see how we are doing with our reading challenges. This year we decided to split up our Diverse Stacks, Diverse Lives Reading challenge into two different. One for authors and one for narrators. I’m doing the Narrators and I have to say, I’m doing pretty well. Now, I think there may be a few arguments over some of my books but who doesn’t love a good debate? Going off my list of the books I’ve read, I discovered that there were a few things we should have discussed before setting the challenge out. For instance, can you use the same book for different categories if they have more then one Narrator? I’m going to go with yes because you are getting different perspectives from different characters. So here we go.
- Book with a Queer Narrator: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan. Narrator: Apollo. Ok, so this maybe a stretch because as Kate asked me Can we apply modern categories of sexuality to ancient Gods? Well I don’t know, but in The Dark Prophecy, Apollo is currently exiled to Earth as a mortal and while being on Earth has shown equal interest in both Men and Women. So, in the context of the book, I’m counting it.
- Book with a African American Narrator: March Vols. 1-3 by Congressman John Lewis. Narrator: John Lewis
- Book with characters from various socio-economic backgrounds Silver Stars by Michael Grant. Narrators: Frangie, Rainey and Rio
- Books with Asian American Narrator: Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han and The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Narrators: Lara Jean and Daniel. I decided to count both since they are both Asian Americans but they have very different perspectives on growing up in America. Lara Jean is definitely your more typical middle class teenage girl who grew up in the suburbs. She’s also mixed because of her Dad is white so she straddles both sides. Daniel grew up in New York City and is the son of two immigrant parents. (I thought about using Natasha from The Sun is also a Star as my African American Narrator but technically speaking she’s not American as her family was living in the US illegally)
- Book with a Narrator who has survived abuse: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas. Narrator : Feyre. I really could have picked any character in this book but since it’s all from Feyre’s point of view she gets the top billing.
- A Book with a Mexican Narrator: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. Narrator: Cristina. I admit I maybe stretching it a little thin with this one. Cristina is one of six narrators in Lord of Shadows and not one of the two main characters but she is an important to the story as a whole so for now I’m counting it but it might change before the year is out.
- A Book with a Muslim Narrator: Ms. Marvel Vols. 2-4 by G. Willow Wilson. Narrator: Kamala
- A Book with a Jewish Narrator: Silver Stars by Michael Grant. Narrator: Rainey I know that I have already used Silver Stars before but Rainey is a fascinating character. I love reading her.
- A Book with an atheist Narrator: Believe Me by Eddie Izzard. Narrator: Eddie Izzard. He doesn’t go too much into his atheism but he does make it very clear he doesn’t believe in any god.
9 out of 15 is pretty good. Even if you take out the few iffy ones, I’m still over halfway done with my challenge. How are you doing?
Quick Review: Believe Me by Eddie Izzard
Phew! I did it. I only had about 48 hours to read my DRC and I just barely made it under the deadline. It helped that those last two days fell on my days off from work. I’m very glad that I got a chance to read it. Believe Me was a touching and honest memoir of man who struggled by persevered not just in his career but in his life. Eddie Izzard is mostly known for his stand up but he is also an actor and transgender. He talks openly about his sexuality and trying to identify who he is when there really wasn’t a word for it, the loss of his mother when he was six and breaking into the entertainment industry when you have no idea on how to find the door. He goes step by step throughout his life that lead him to where he is now and those who are familiar with his stand up will notice how many of his chapters are written like his shows. With a topic and then a short digression into a topic that’s related but not really related before coming back to the original thread. It’s filled with humor and grief. Hard times but good times too. He didn’t have an easy road but it wasn’t all tragedy either. He owns up to his privilege of growing up in a middle class household. How the hard work of his father not only inspired him but allowed him to be able to follow his dreams and when he wasn’t able to pay the bills, his father was there to support him. He talks about the fear of coming out and knowing that it could be the end of his career but how he had to do it. I don’t think I have ever read a more clear and detailed experience of someone’s coming out. I think most people see it as it as a one time thing. You Say I’m Gay! and that’s it but really it’s like multiple coming outs. Once to themselves, then close friends and family and then coworkers and so forth. To my LGBTQ+ friends, I hope that I have been supportive you and know that I believe that you are all brave for being you. It’s also a good demonstration that if want something you have to be willing to work for it. Eddie’s path to success had a lot of failures and a lot of unexpected detours but he used everyone of them to learn and grow and kept at it. He’s still looking for new challenges like performing his stand up in different languages to connect more with people from different cultures. Fans of Eddie will love it but I think people looking for inspiration will get a lot out of it too.
What I’m Reading Now: Seeker by Veronica Rossi
The final book on my May to-read list.
Review: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
**This Review May contain some Spoilers**
I read a lot of fantasy novels and lately many of them have been relevant to what’s currently going on in our world. I would say that some of it is a reaction to today’s political and cultural climate but books and art have a history of being predictive. The Handmaid’s Tale was written over two decades ago and is just if not more relevant today then it was then. Cassandra Clare’s The Dark Artifices might be her most political and timely series out of all her Shadowhunter series but it was years in the making first set in motion 10 years ago with the release of City of Bones. One of the main threats in Lord of Shadows comes from within the Clave itself. At the end of the The Mortal Instruments Series City of Heavenly Fire, the Clave started the Cold Peace. A harsh punishment against Fairies for their involvement in the Dark War. This has lead to anti-downworlder’s sentiment to spread among Shadowhunters. Once again proving that people, even supernatural people do not learn from their own history. Less then five years ago, they defeated Valentine, who’s group wanted to bring back the “golden age” of shadowhunters by ridden the world of downworlders and now the Cohort, a group of Shadowhunters are asking for downworlders to be registered and put into camps. They movements should be marked and controlled. Does that sound kinda familiar? It shouldn’t surprise any of you that the downworlders, particularly fairies are not happy and plan in invasion. While all of this is happening, the Blackthorns and Emma are dealing with their own issues. With each new book, they get more and more complicated with so many story lines that Clare is almost at George R.R. Martin level but not as many deaths. I’m not sure all are necessary but it does make for interesting reading. That being said to me the most interesting character is Julian. Here’s a guy who at seventeen runs the LA institute. He takes care of his younger siblings and is utterly ruthless. He will do anything for his family and his Parabati, Emma. Who he is also madly in love with as she is with him but that’s forbidden and for good reason. Parabati bond is pretty strong and only enhances strong romantic love to the point it drive them crazy. Yikes. As for the ending, I knew the character was going to die as soon as she admitted she was going to be friends with another character. It sounds silly but the way it was written it sounded so final as her arc was over at that moment. I was sorry to see that character go but boy there will be hell to pay now. Too bad we have to wait 2 years to find out what happens next.
What I’m Reading Now: Believe Me by Eddie Izzard
I have this as DRC (digital Review Copy) and I have less then 24 hours to finish it before the license is up. Wish me luck!
I have
What I’m Reading Now: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
699 pages of Shadowhunters, Fairies, Warlocks, Werewolves, Vampires and a whole lot of teen angst.
Quick Review: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
I keep waiting for Rick Riordan to write a bad book. The Dark Prophecy is not that book. He just keep coming up with fresh and different ideas of making these old stories relevant and fun. Whoever is the God or Goddess of story telling, Rick Riordan is their son. When we last left Apollo, he’s reeling from the betrayal of Meg, a new prophecy sending him to Indianapolis and the reappearance of Leo and Calypso. That’s a lot for a former God turned mortal teenage boy to handle but handle he must. When Apollo, Leo and Calypso arrive they are greeted by some very polite monsters because of course the monsters that inhabit the Midwest would be polite. they are rescued by two former Hunters of Artemis Emmie and Josephine who tells them that their daughter is missing. She had gone to the dark oracle for help from the second Emperor who has made Indianapolis his home. Of course this Emperor Apollo has personal history with making everything more awkward. As the crew tries to figure out how to defeat Emperor Commodus and get the next prophecy without going crazy they experience the same mythic hi-jinks of the other books. Yes, these book can at times feel be formulaic but it never feel feels like that. They are just fun, witty and refreshing. Rick doesn’t shy away for the more uncomfortable stories from Greek and Roman mythology or tries to wash them out either. Many of these stories are not happy or fun but then again neither is life and yet Rick never lets it get to dark. He is always able to find the absurdity in them. Bring on the next one.
What I’m Reading Now: Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
I’m excited and nervous for this one. I thought the last book was the last book in the series and I thought it ended on a good note. I hope this one will too.
Quick Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas
This is a story of how people deal with abuse. No seriously. Yes, they are mostly fairies and there is magic and takes place in a land full of both of those things but deep down it’s about the effects of abuse and how we deal with it. Almost every character has suffered some kind of abuse one way or another. In A Court of Mist and Fury, the second book of the series, I talked about Feyre’s recovery from not only what happened to her at the end of the first book but emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of Tamlin but Feyre’s not the only one. Maybe one of the reasons why she and Rhys get along so well, besides that they are mates, is because he also has been abused. Mor, Cassian, and Azriel all have suffered through emotional, physical and sexual abuse. They all continue to deal the invisible scars left from it. On the outside they seem okay but in private with each other, they can share their pain. It’s this reason that this series is important because it doesn’t shy away from these uncomfortable topics but faces them head on. We struggle through them as the characters struggle with them. I also think that is why I love Rhys so much. This is a guy who would do anything for his family, his friends. Submit himself to such tortures. Allow the world to see him as a monster. All to protect his people but he still came out of with hope for a better future. He took Feyre in knowing she was his mate but never pushed her. Never forced it on her because he knew what she was going through. Knew the pain that she was feeling. Knew how important choices are and never wanted to take that away from her or anyone. The compassion he shows to Feyre, Mor, Cassian, Azriel and to his people is remarkable.
As for the book itself, it is possible to love a series and book but also not really like it. I experience that with the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses. I originally felt it was too long and should have ended long before it did or at least be split in two books. It wasn’t until I read the sequel did I understand what I really didn’t like about it and why it was written the way that it was. A Court of Wings and Ruin, I thought it had the opposite problem. It started off slowly for me and really didn’t pick up until more then halfway through. I felt there was a lot of unnecessary maneuvering as they prepared for war with Hybern. I will admit that in the end all of that turned out to be important to the finale of the book but it felt tedious at times. However, when it got it groove back, it was unstoppable. It one epic battle at the end and it also brought us more of Feyre’s sister, Nesta, who is the Ice Queen we have always wanted but didn’t know. The ending felt more like a ending of a series then a transition to the next book. It definitely tied up some loose ends but there are enough left for another book but I just not seeing how there could be a bigger threat then Hybern. I guess I will have to read the next book to find out.
