Tag Archives: book review

Weekend Reads: Cottage Core Vibes

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Welcome to April! I can’t believe it is already April. Time waits for no man, eh? It’s a new month and the end of the week, so I’m back with another weekend reads that has suggestions for this month’s TBR Project Book Club on Fable. The TBR project is our book club with a twist: everyone reads their own selection! The catch is that it has to be something off your TBR. Every month, we pick a theme, you pick a book, and we cheer each other on and discuss our picks (no spoilers) on Fable.

After last month’s theme of Stories that were meant to stay fiction a.k.a. it was a story, not a suggestion, we thought this month we’d shoot for something lighter. I was thinking something Springy, maybe something pastoral and Beth suggested Cottage Core. The idea here is to pick something that is home-centered, chill, maybe a little bucolic, maybe a little slice-of-life. This is a good theme for that classic you’ve always wanted to get to but never had or that one romance novel you’ve been saving for just the right time. If you needed a sign, this is it! So, without further ado, here are four picks for you to consider.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

An all-time fave here at Stacks, Beth and I have both read this multiple times. It follows the adventures of Heathcliffe as he meets a girl, loves a girl, loses a girl, and then proceeds to mess up both his life and hers! It is terrible people doing horrible things to each other and I know that doesn’t sound like a recommendation, but it is. If you like messy people, reality TV, and gossip columns and you haven’t read this yet, this is a classic for you.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

This one has already made an appearance in weekend reads, but I’d be remiss in not mentioning it because it is my pick for this month! Beth read it an age ago and lent me her copy, and it is time I read it, too. I’m promised adventures, romance, hijinks, flying houses, and piracy. It is not necessarily the pastoral notion I first envisioned, but from the cover it seems like it’ll fit the bill. (And, yes, I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but… I’m also judging it by Beth’s recommendation. So, I think I’m all good.)

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

If you’re feeling the pastoral, country vibes of the theme, but you’re not excited for something soft and romantic, then I’d like to recommend some gothic horror to you. Set in the time after Mexico’s war for Independence, Beatriz moves to the countryside to her new husband’s pulque-producing estate. She has big plans about being the lady of the house and making her mark, but house itself has some other ideas. Interesting characters, good atmosphere, chilling and creepy moments. This is a fun one.

Get a life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Last but absolutely not least, if you’re feeling the slice-of-life, soft home vibes, but you aren’t feeling the country aspects of the theme, try Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. Part of the Brown sisters series, this installment follows eldest sister Chloe Brown as she decides to get a life. Chloe is thoughtful, hardworking, and serious and so she makes herself a to-do list of life-getting goals. This book was so cute. Chloe is wonderful and relatable. Red is also great. Chloe’s family are a hoot. I absolutely love this series and I think you will, too.

So, there you go. Some recs to start your weekend off right. Let us know what your favorite books with cottage core vibes are in the comments!

Weekend Reads: Body Parts

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This theme just popped in my head and I couldn’t tell you why. I thought it and it made me giggle and now here we are. So, without further ado here are some recommendations for your weekend that all share a common theme, they involve bodies.

The Vagina Bible by Dr. Jen Gunter

Image of the cover of the vagina bible by Dr. Jen Gunter. Shows an open pink zipper with the title written over the top

Dr. Jen Gunter is (was? now that twitter is no longer twitter?) twitter’s doctor, especially when it comes to downstairs parts. This is a good resource to keep around. It dispels myths and gives you clear and forthright information about the vagina, vulva, uterus, and other bits.

Head On by John Scalzi

Black and White Cover showing a human figure missing its head and circle. The text reads "John Scalzi" and "Head On"

This is a standalone novel by John Scalzi related to another of his novels, Lock in. Set in a world where people with Haden’s disease become locked into their bodies and have to interact with the outside world through android, Chris Shane is an FBI agent and a Haden who is called in to investigate a Haden-related crime. This book was so good. There was mystery, politics, betrayal, characters you loved and characters you loathed. This is definitely something you can finish in a weekend. And you’ll want to. It was hard to put down.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

You know how I said that I had no idea where this theme came from? I think I have solved my own mystery. I assigned Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to students taking a general humanities course about the modern world, which means I’ve recently re-read it. This is a classic for a reason. Science, madness, reason, love, hate, what does it mean to be human? What do we owe each other? There is so much in this classic.

Okay, so there you have it. Selections of pieces and parts. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are you planning on reading this weekend? Sound off in the comments!

Weekend Reads: Your New Dystopian Fave

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I know, I know. It is Sunday Scaries time, the weekend is over, why I am even bothering? For starters, I’m trying to make a commitment to this new regular feature. And, secondly because we announced this month’s theme for the TBR project and I want to recommend some books!

The TBR project is our book club on Fable. Unlike regular book clubs, where everyone reads the same book, the structure of this club is a bit different. We pick a theme and everyone picks something off their TBR that has been hanging out there for awhile and fits the theme. We then share our choices, our struggles, and we cheer each other on towards a TBR that is one book shorter!

This month’s theme is Fiction that was meant to stay fiction a.k.a. It was a story, not a suggestion. So, now is the time to find the dystopian classic that is feeling a little too real for a lot of people and dive in. The theme is meant to be interpreted as broadly or as narrowly as you’d like, so I imagine you could also go for that non-fiction book about something historical that shouldn’t have happened. Without further ado, here are some of our suggestions. If one of these is on your list, March might be its month!

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

Image of the book cover of the Poppy War

This is the first book of a trilogy that is unflinching. R. F. Kuang’s writing often deals with themes of colonialism, trauma, and racism. This one also deals with war and sexual assault, and doesn’t shy away from depictions of violence. The story follows Rin as she goes from a poor orphan to a member of the army. Beth loved this, and you might, too, but keep in mind it may contain upsetting descriptions

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Cover image of Children of Blood and Bone

Another first book in a series, Children of Blood and Bone follows Zelie, who has a chance to bring magic back to Orïsha after it has been brutally wiped out by the monarchy. She and her friends must escape from the crown prince and stay a step ahead of him because if he wins, magic will be gone forever. These books are so good and a film based on them is now in production!

The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy

The cover image of the Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy

I hadn’t intended on picking three books that were first in a series, but I have. The Sapling Cage is the story of Lorel, a trans character who joins the witches in the place of her friend Lane. She must protect her identity to keep herself safe, but also help solve a mystery that has the power to be tragic not only for herself and witches, but for the entire world. Magic is being taken from the land, leaving it barren and dead. The witches have to figure out what is happening and stop it before they are blamed and hunted to extinction. I loved this one so much. Lorel is such a wonderful character and the side characters were also very fun.

So, here are three to get you started. Let us know in the comments what your favorites are. And, if it sounds like fun, join us on fable!

Quick Review: I am Your Judge by Nele Neuhaus (read by Robert Fass)

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Back again with another Bodenstein and Kirchoff mystery. Like the previous books, this one also involved multiple murders and a race against time. But unlike the previous books, there were secondary and new characters that I thought were really well written and compelling. At least compelling enough to mention that they were good in my review.

This story follows an sniper as he picks off people in what starts off as appearing completely random. But, as the bodies pile up, a pattern emerges that points to a really devastating motive. Kirchoff and Bodenstein investigate with the help of the daughter of one of the early murder victims. As they uncover a pattern, she uncovers some really sketchy behavior that implicates her father and others in a vast conspiracy.

I am Your Judge really made me sad. Not only were the deaths themselves absolute bummers, but the underlying motivation for the murder spree was horrifying. I think this is the best of the four, but it was also incredibly heartbreaking. It was a tale of vengeance served cold. Of the four of the novels in this series, this is probably the one I’d be the most likely to recommend, but only if you were looking for a detective story that was a serious downer.

Quick Review: Bad Wolf by Nele Neuhaus (Read by Robert Fass)

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Oof. So, if the previous two Bodenstein and Kirchoff mysteries were dark, this is right in line with them. A body of a young woman washes up on the shore of a river and a suspect, a disgraced former district attorney, is implicated in the crimes by the current district attorney. But, as Pia Kirchoff and Oliver von Bodenstein dig deeper into the murder, they find other, more sinister connections.

Content warning and spoiler alert: this novel is about a child molestation ring. It was sad. It was intense. It was scary in places. And it was dark. I recommend these, as long as you know going into them that they are not light and even if “the good guys” win, you might not feel great about it.

Review: Babel by R. F. Kuang (Read by Chris Lew Kim Hoi and Billie Fulford-Brown)

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This is an alternate history set in a world where magic exists and it can be spoken into existence by translators who find the magic in spaces between what words mean in 2 different languages. If you’ve ever learned another language, you are aware that exact translations where a word has the same meaning and connotations in two different languages are uncommon. The magic in this alternate history is based on that idea. Truly fluent speakers of languages can find the magic in pairs of words and they can do all sorts of things, like make carriage rides smoother or trains faster. Our hero, Robin Swift, is rescued from cholera that took his mother and the rest of his family in Canton by Professor Lovell, who takes him back to England and takes him on as a ward. Robin lives with the professor and learns Greek and Latin, all one day hoping to get to study at the translation institute at Oxford, where he will learn how to do magic.

This is a story of student revolution, the problems of colonialism, and resistance. It was thoughtful and poignant and I absolutely binged it. Robin must decide if he is going to continue to support the world as it is or if he is going to fight for a world that is fairer and more equitable. This was staggeringly good and I cannot recommend it enough.

Review: How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr (Read by Luis Moreno)

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This is a history book written for a general audience and it is about the United States and its territories. It explores why we have expanded, when we have expanded, how we’ve viewed territories, and the consequences of the views for both the people in the territories and the people at home.

I learned a lot reading this. I was aware that the U.S. still holds territories and that it has held more and different territories in the past, but hearing about how different territories have been treated and its connection to things like race and immigration rules was eye-opening. Thinking about things like citizenship has consequences for things like voting in national elections, so even if we don’t currently hold the all the territories we’ve historical held, this part of our history is still important because it does still impact us today. (If you’ll recall from the previous Presidential election where some of our citizenry were surprised to find that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but they can only vote in the presidential election if they live on the mainland.)

So, this was good and I would recommend it. I also recommend getting it as an audiobook. Luis Moreno’s narration is engaging and it carried me through places where dates and details may have stopped me if I had been reading if off a page.

Review: This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron (Read by Jordan Cobb)

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This was so good! While This Poison Heart, book 1 in the series, was a bit of a mystery, this one is more of an adventure. Leaving where the first book left off, they are on a race against time to restore all the pieces of the deadly Absyrtus Heart in order for Briseis to save her Mom. In order to do this, Briseis must rely on blood relatives she didn’t know she had.

These books weave myth in with the modern I absolutely loved them. Briseis is a smart and thoughtful hero and I cheered for her the entire way. I absolutely recommend these! They were so good!

Review: Heir by Sabaa Tahir

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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.

Quick Review: The Ice Queen by Nele Neuhaus

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This one was a bit of a wild ride. So, our detective friends are called to a crime scene where a man, a longstanding pillar of the community and a Jewish Holocaust survivor, is found executed in his own home. Pia Kirchoff and Oliver von Bodenstein find out during the autopsy that the murder victim was not what he appeared. For one, he may not have been Jewish. They are left to ravel this mystery as more murders pile up.

What I liked about this one was that not only was the main narrative full of twists, but there were a number of interesting subplots that wove themselves around the main narrative. I was interested in the bigger picture question but also the interpersonal matters that arose in the narrative. However, the one thing that is stuck in my craw a bit is that these books don’t appear to be in their original order. This is listed as book 2 on audible and Snow White Must Die is listed as book 1. The narratives are mostly self-contained, but some of the character development and relationships are out of order. It was an annoyance, but overall it didn’t too badly impact my enjoyment of the story.

If you like detective stories and you are interested in tales about (fictional) international scandals, this was pretty good.