I don’t ever expect to have these done on time because of the state of the world and my general ‘idk what to do with this blog’ moods, but here’s my wrap up for March and April of 2022!
CURRENTLY READING
I still have not read much of The Big Book of Science Fiction, mostly because if it is something that’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, and I’ve just recently moved it to my nightstand again so I can finally get this done. I’ve been picking at it for so long it’s absurd! Disorientation is getting a lot of good reviews from people I follow, and the concept/premise/cover have drawn me in. Sistersong was an arc I started a bit ago and then let fall to the wayside, but I am enjoying the lyricism in the writing. I have also been meaning to read more ‘contemporary classics,’ so Vonnegut is on the list! I will likely read Slaughterhouse Five after this. I’ve only ever read a few of Vonnegut’s short stories!
📚 bookshelf pick | 📓 physical review copy | 📱 digital review copy | ⌛️ library/borrowed | 💾 ebook | 🎧 audiobook | 💞 reread
📚 The Big Book of Science Fiction – edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
⌛️ Disorientation – Elaine Hsieh Chou
📱 Sistersong – Lucy Holland (thank you, Redhook!)
⌛️ Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut
FINISHED READING
I read 6 books in March! With unpacking and the stress of having my things delivered, I had very little brainpower to do much of anything. I focused more on horror and romance this month, and I think I’m getting more comfortable with the genre as a whole?? Which is weird to say because I’ve never gravitated toward horror/horror-adjacent books as I have within the last year.
📚 bookshelf pick | 📓 physical review copy | 📱 digital review copy | ⌛️ library/borrowed | 💾 ebook | 🎧 audiobook | 💞 reread
📚 Never Kiss a Duke – Megan Frampton (3.5/5 stars)
📱 Comfort Me With Apples – Catherynne M. Valente (4/5 stars, thank you, tordotcom!)
📚 A Duchess a Day – Charis Michaels (3/5 stars)
📓 Tripping Arcadia – Kit Mayquist (4/5 stars, thank you, Dutton Books!)
⌛️ Revelator – Daryl Gregory (4.5/5 stars)
📚 House of Hollow – Krystal Sutherland (4/5 stars)
I read seven books in April! All of it is so varied, and I read a few ARCs/review copies (physical and digital) to try to actually be on time with things for once, and then read a couple of things of my shelf as well. I’ve also been trying to use my library more to read newer things that I’m interested in rather than straight up buying everything to save money! A Marvellous Light was the library book I read in April, and it was a very warm romantic fantasy.
📚 bookshelf pick | 📓 physical review copy | 📱 digital review copy | ⌛️ library/borrowed | 💾 ebook | 🎧 audiobook | 💞 reread
📚 Star Wars The High Republic: Light of the Jedi – Charles Soule (3/5 stars)
📱 Time is a Mother – Ocean Vuong (3.5/5 stars, thank you, Penguin Press!)
⌛️ A Marvellous Light – Freya Marske (5/5 stars)
📓 The Agathas – Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson (4/5 stars, thank you, Delacorte Press!)
📓 Portrait of a Thief – Grace D. Li (3.75/5 stars, thank you, Tiny Reparations Books!)
📱 Woman, Eating – Claire Kohda (3/5 stars, thank you, Harpervia!)
📚 Brain Rose – Nancy Kress (3/5 stars)
ON THE HORIZON
Darling Girl is a reimagination of the Peter Pan story and looks like something I’ll enjoy! I won Scorpica in a Goodreads giveaway, and a matriarchy in a fantasy setting is always one of my favorite things! Counterfeit sounds like a fun summer novel!! Cherish Farrah has gotten some wildly different receptions from people I follow, and it’s from the library so I should check it out. And Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is a BN Pick of the Month that I’ll be buying soon! The concept and cover is so cool! She Who Became the Sun was one of my most anticipated reads for a long time, and it’s time to actually read it! I’ve also been meaning to read Red, White, and Royal Blue since I bought it when it first got popular on social media (before the weird stepback best seller piece was added!!). Sundial is another library book I need to finish and looks delightfully creepy for a summer read. I’ve just started paging through Lapvona even though I’ve never read another Moshfegh book!! I’m also continuing my ABC Challenge of 2022 with Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured (that has also been on my active TBR for literal years).
📚 bookshelf pick | 📓 physical review copy | 📱 digital review copy | ⌛️ library/borrowed | 💾 ebook | 🎧 audiobook | 💞 reread
📓 Darling Girl – Liz Michalski (thank you, Dutton!)
📓 Scorpica – G.R. Macallister (Goodreads giveaway, thank you, Saga Press!)
📱 Counterfeit – Kirstin Chen (thank you, William Morrow!)
⌛️ Cherish Farrah – Bethany C. Morrow
📚 Her Majesty’s Royal Coven – Juno Dawson
📚 She Who Became the Sun – Shelley Parker-Chan
📚 Red, White, and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston
⌛️ Sundial – Catriona Ward
📱 Lapvona – Ottessa Moshfegh (thank you, Penguin Press!)
📚 Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured – Kathryn Harrison
WHAT I ACQUIRED
I want more wlw mass market historical romances, and the cover of Erica Ridley’s The Perks of Loving a Wallflower has all of my favorite colors omg. Misrule is my highly anticipated follow up to Malice, a favorite of mine last year! I loved Iron Widow, so naturally I had to see what Xiran Jay Zhao’s middle grade release was all about!! I had requested a copy of Phasers on Stun and I’m pleased to see it encompasses a lot! As soon as I saw House of Hunger, I had to download it to read it even though I know I’ll purchase a physical copy once it releases.
📚 bookshelf pick | 📓 physical review copy | 📱 digital review copy | ⌛️ library/borrowed | 💾 ebook | 🎧 audiobook | 💞 reread
📚 The Perks of Loving a Wallflower – Erica Ridley
📚 Misrule – Heather Walter
📚 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor – Xiran Jay Zhao
📓 Phasers on Stun – Ryan Britt (thank you, Plume!)
📱 House of Hunger – Alexis Henderson (thank you, Ace Books!)
ON SCREEN
GAMING: I’ve been playing a lot of World of Warcraft lately, and I’ve really gotten into playing a Demon Hunter!! Now that the next expansion was released, I’m excited to get caught up on a few things and see as much endgame content as possible.
TV: I feel like I’ve watched a lot of TV lately, and I’m really enjoying The Essex Serpent, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I’m excited for the fourth season of Stranger Things!
MOVIES: Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness was a lot of fun to watch visually, but I wasn’t too fond of the treatment of the Scarlet Witch?? Men was weird, and Everything Everywhere All at Once is a contender for my favorite movie of the year!