Sonja's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 22 Apr 2025 13:49:18 -0700 60 Sonja's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Night Eaters, Vol. 1: She Eats the Night]]> 60656255 The first volume in a new graphic novel horror trilogy from Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda—the creative team behind the New York Times bestselling series Monstress

Chinese American twins, Milly and Billy, are having a tough time. On top of the multiple failures in their personal and professional lives, they’re struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Luckily their parents, Ipo and Keon, are in town for their annual visit. Having immigrated from Hong Kong before the twins were born, Ipo and Keon have supported their children through thick and thin and are ready to lend a hand—but they're starting to wonder, has their support made Milly and Billy incapable of standing on their own?

When Ipo forces them to help her clean up the house next door—a hellish and run-down ruin that was the scene of a grisly murder—the twins are in for a nasty surprise. A night of terror, gore, and supernatural mayhem reveals that there is much more to Ipo and her children than meets the eye.

Eisner Award–winning and bestselling author Marjorie Liu and illustrator Sana Takeda have crafted a wild and wicked tale that will leave readers hungry for more. She Eats the Night is the perfect start to The Night Eaters trilogy, which is a combination ofMonsters by Barry Windsor-Smith and Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan.]]> 208 Marjorie M. Liu 1419758705 Sonja 3 3.25 out of 5 stars.

� I read this in one sitting in the New York Public Library (the one on Fifth Avenue)

� I would give the illustrations by Sana Takeda five stars!!! The art was absolutely stunning.

� Unfortunately, I didn't find the story itself that interesting.. There just wasn't enough substance for me.

� I might honestly read the next volume just for the beautiful artwork :')]]> 4.07 2022 The Night Eaters, Vol. 1: She Eats the Night
author: Marjorie M. Liu
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/22
shelves: graphic-novel, horror, fantasy
review:
3.25 out of 5 stars.

� I read this in one sitting in the New York Public Library (the one on Fifth Avenue)

� I would give the illustrations by Sana Takeda five stars!!! The art was absolutely stunning.

� Unfortunately, I didn't find the story itself that interesting.. There just wasn't enough substance for me.

� I might honestly read the next volume just for the beautiful artwork :')
]]> Freshwater 43268788
"[A] witchy, electrifying story of danger and compulsion . . . Freshwater recounts the ‘litany of madness� suffered by Ada in a serpentine prose that proceeds by oblique, hypnotizing movements before it sinks its fangs into you . . . As striking and mysterious as the ways of the gods who narrate it." � Wall Street Journal

Longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction]]> 230 Akwaeke Emezi 0571345409 Sonja 5 Freshwater is the first book to have that honour lol

Akwaeke Emezi's prose is so stunning. I need to read all of her books!!!

I definitely want to write a more thorough review of this book, so full review to come, hopefully hehe

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This was very different from what I was expecting! I don't really know how to feel about it to be honest, I'm going to need a few days to let it marinate...

My rating might go up later (or down, who knows at this point lol)]]> 3.98 2018 Freshwater
author: Akwaeke Emezi
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: queer, debut, read-for-uni, diverse-books, magical-realism, contemporary, coming-of-age, magical-writing, psychological
review:
I have never before in my life given a book 3 stars initially, and then later raised it to 5 stars. Freshwater is the first book to have that honour lol

Akwaeke Emezi's prose is so stunning. I need to read all of her books!!!

I definitely want to write a more thorough review of this book, so full review to come, hopefully hehe

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pre-review
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This was very different from what I was expecting! I don't really know how to feel about it to be honest, I'm going to need a few days to let it marinate...

My rating might go up later (or down, who knows at this point lol)
]]> <![CDATA[A Red Boyhood: Growing Up Under Stalin (Volume 1)]]> 2998616 264 Anatole Konstantin 0826217877 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 3.85 2008 A Red Boyhood: Growing Up Under Stalin (Volume 1)
author: Anatole Konstantin
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty]]> 59727522 The New York Times bestselling author of Dear Senthuran, the National Book Award finalist, and "one of our greatest living writers" (Shondaland) reimagines the love story in this fresh and seductive novel about a young woman seeking joy while healing from loss.

Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.

It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now � an artist with her own studio, and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.

She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the dangerous thrill Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person in the house who is most definitely off-limits. This new life she asked for just got a lot more complicated, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all � how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?

Akwaeke Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing, and the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds.]]> 288 Akwaeke Emezi Sonja 5 nothing I did not enjoy about this book. This was just f*cking excellent.

The manner in which Akwaeke Emezi gave life to all of the characters felt so incredibly nuanced and realistic; they all felt so real, like you're not convincing me that Feyi is a fictional character, because she is very much alive in my mind. The characterisation was just stunning.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty truly lived up to its beautiful title (and cover!!) for me. The book has been categorised as a romance, and while that is not wrong, I would say it is more of a literary fiction novel with romance (the distinction really only matters for your expectations going in).

Needless to say, I highly recommend this book!!

[longer review to come]]]> 3.78 2022 You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
author: Akwaeke Emezi
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/12
shelves: queer, steamy, romance, diverse-books, love-this-so-much, magical-writing, that-plot-twist-though, adult, too-many-feels, contemporary
review:
I loved this book so much!!!! There is honestly nothing I did not enjoy about this book. This was just f*cking excellent.

The manner in which Akwaeke Emezi gave life to all of the characters felt so incredibly nuanced and realistic; they all felt so real, like you're not convincing me that Feyi is a fictional character, because she is very much alive in my mind. The characterisation was just stunning.

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty truly lived up to its beautiful title (and cover!!) for me. The book has been categorised as a romance, and while that is not wrong, I would say it is more of a literary fiction novel with romance (the distinction really only matters for your expectations going in).

Needless to say, I highly recommend this book!!

[longer review to come]
]]> Things Fall Apart 239272
But he also has a fiery temper. Determined not to be like his father, he refuses to show weakness to anyone - even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists. When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan, Okonowo takes violent action. Will the great man's dangerous pride eventually destroy him?.
(back cover)]]> 197 Chinua Achebe 0141023384 Sonja 0 diverse-books, to-read 3.77 1958 Things Fall Apart
author: Chinua Achebe
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/07
shelves: diverse-books, to-read
review:

]]> The Sense of an Ending 38313161 Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize

A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single sitting, with stunning psychological and emotional depth and sophistication, The Sense of an Ending is a brilliant new chapter in Julian Barnes' oeuvre.

This intense novel follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he has never much thought about � until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance, one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. Tony Webster thought he'd left all this behind as he built a life for himself, and by now his marriage and family and career have fallen into an amicable divorce and retirement. But he is then presented with a mysterious legacy that obliges him to reconsider a variety of things he thought he'd understood all along, and to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

By an acclaimed writer at the height of his powers, The Sense of an Ending extends a streak of extraordinary books that began with the best-selling Arthur & George and continued with Nothing to Be Frightened Of and, most recently, Pulse.]]> 162 Julian Barnes Sonja 3 3.84 2011 The Sense of an Ending
author: Julian Barnes
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/05
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves: read-for-uni, that-plot-twist-though, adult, disappointing
review:
this was an interesting read, for the most part, though it was not mind-blowing in any way. how did this win the booker prize???????
]]> On a Woman's Madness 61244744 A classic of queer literature that’s as electrifying today as it was when it originally appeared in 1982, On a Woman’s Madness tells the story of Noenka, a courageous Black woman trying to live a life of her choosing. When her abusive husband of just nine days refuses her request for divorce, Noenka flees her hometown in Suriname, on South America's tropical northeastern coast, for the capital city of Paramaribo. Unsettled and unsupported, her life in this new place is illuminated by the passionate romances of the present but haunted by society’s expectations and her ancestral past.

Translated into sensuous English for the first time by Lucy Scott, Astrid Roemer’s intimate novel—with its tales of plantation-dwelling snakes, rare orchids, and star-crossed lovers—is a blistering meditation on the cruelties we inflict on those who disobey. Roemer, the first Surinamese winner of the prestigious Dutch Literature Prize, carves out postcolonial Suriname in barbed, resonant fragments. Who is Noenka? Roemer asks us. “I’m Noenka,� she responds resolutely, “which means Never Again.”]]> 265 Astrid H. Roemer 1949641430 Sonja 0 to-read 3.34 1982 On a Woman's Madness
author: Astrid H. Roemer
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.34
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Book of Disappearance 209141112 What if all Palestinians vanished from their homeland overnight?

Alaa, a young Palestinian, is haunted by his grandmother’s memories of being displaced from Jaffa and becoming a refugee in her homeland. Ariel, Alaa’s neighbour and friend, is a liberal Zionist, critical of the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza yet faithful to the project of Israel. When he wakes up one morning to find that all Palestinians have suddenly vanished, Ariel begins searching for clues to the secret of the collective disappearance; that search, and his reaction to it, intimately reveal the fissures at the heart of the Palestinian question. Between the stories of Alaa and Ariel are the people of Jaffa and Tel Aviv against whose ordinary lives these fissures and questions play out.

Critically acclaimed in Arabic, spare yet evocative, intensely intelligent in its interplay of perspectives, The Book of Disappearance is an unforgettable glimpse into contemporary Palestine.]]> 224 Ibtisam Azem 1916751024 Sonja 0 to-read 4.24 2014 The Book of Disappearance
author: Ibtisam Azem
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Hunchback 214986269 A bombshell bestseller in Japan, a provocative, defiant debut novel about a young woman in a care home seeking autonomy and the full possibilities of her life.

Born with a congenital muscle disorder,Shaka spends her days in her room in a care home outside Tokyo, relying on an electric wheelchair to get around and a ventilator to breathe. But if Shaka's physical life is limited, her quick, mischievous mind has no boundaries: She takes e-learning courses on her iPad, publishes explicit fantasies on websites, and anonymously troll-tweets to see if anyone is paying attention (“If I were to live again, I’d want to be a high-class prostitute�). One day, she tweets into the void an offer of an enormous sum of money for a sperm donor. To her surprise, her new nurse accepts the dare, unleashing a series of events that will forever change Shaka's sense of herself as a woman in the world.

Hunchback has shaken Japanese literary culture with its skillful depiction of the physical body andunrepentant humor. Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, it's a feminist story about the dignity of an individual who insists on her right to make choices for herself, no matter the consequences. Formally creative and refreshingly unsentimental, Hunchback depicts the joy, anger, and desires of a woman demanding autonomy in a world that doesn't aways grant it to people like her. Full of wit, bite, and heart, this unforgettable novel reminds us all of the full potentialof our lives, no matter the limitations we experience.]]> 112 Saou Ichikawa 0593734718 Sonja 0 to-read 3.51 2023 Hunchback
author: Saou Ichikawa
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Undying: A Meditation on Modern Illness]]> 50389559
Her investigation of the quackeries, casualties and ecological costs of cancer became an exploration of illness, from the present day back to the insurrectionary lepers and dream diarists of the ancient world; and her exploration of illness in turn grew into 'a profound and unforgettable document on the experience of life itself' (Sally Rooney).

Furious, courageous, endlessly surprising and deeply humane, The Undying is an Illness as Metaphor for the 21st century: a truly brilliant thinker and writer's acclaimed meditation on cancer, the cancer industry, friendship, community and the sicknesses and glories of contemporary life.]]> 306 Anne Boyer 0141990856 Sonja 0 reading this for uni ~ 4.14 2019 The Undying: A Meditation on Modern Illness
author: Anne Boyer
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: currently-reading, read-for-uni
review:
reading this for uni ~
]]> Lost Children Archive 40624441 From the two-time NBCC Finalist, a fiercely imaginative novel about a family's summer road trip across America � a journey that, with breathtaking imagery, spare lyricism, and profound humanity, probes the nature of justice and equality in America today.

A mother and father set out with their kids from New York to Arizona. In their used Volvo � and with their ten-year-old son trying out his new Polaroid camera � the family is heading for the Apacheria: the region the Apaches once called home, and where the ghosts of Geronimo and Cochise might still linger. The father, a sound documentarist, hopes to gather an "inventory of echoes" from this historic, mythic place. The mother, a radio journalist, becomes consumed by the news she hears on the car radio, about the thousands of children trying to reach America but getting stranded in the southern border, held in detention centers, or being sent back to their homelands, to an unknown fate.

But as the family drives farther west � through Virginia to Tennessee, across Oklahoma and Texas � we sense they are on the brink of a crisis of their own. A fissure is growing between the parents, one the children can feel beneath their feet. They are led, inexorably, to a grand, unforgettable adventure � both in the harsh desert landscape, and within the chambers of their own imaginations.

Told through the voices of the mother, her son, as well as through a stunning tapestry of collected texts and images � including prior stories of migration and displacement � Lost Children Archive is a story of how we document our experiences, and how we remember the things that matter to us the most. Blending the personal and political with astonishing empathy, it is a powerful, wholly original work of fiction: exquisite, provocative, and deeply moving.]]> 401 Valeria Luiselli 0525520627 Sonja 2 3.79 2019 Lost Children Archive
author: Valeria Luiselli
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves: read-for-uni, boring, disappointing, contemporary, adult
review:
this book truly felt never-ending
]]> Happening 41579200 In 1963, Annie Ernaux, 23 and unattached, realizes she is pregnant. Shame arises in her like a plague: understanding that her pregnancy will mark her and her family as social failures, she knows she cannot keep that child.

This is the story, written forty years later, of a trauma Ernaux never overcame. In a France where abortion was illegal, she attempted, in vain, to self-administer the abortion with a knitting needle. Fearful and desperate, she finally located an abortionist, and ends up in a hospital emergency ward where she nearly dies.

In Happening, Ernaux sifts through her memories and her journal entries dating from those days. Clearly, cleanly, she gleans the meanings of her experience.]]> 77 Annie Ernaux 1910695831 Sonja 5 What a book!!!! 4.46 2000 Happening
author: Annie Ernaux
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: read-for-uni, non-fiction, memoir
review:
What a book!!!!
]]> Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4) 17305367 ‘Seek and ye shall find.�

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.

With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance � sculptures, paintings, buildings � to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat�

Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-against-time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book.]]> 465 Dan Brown 0593072499 Sonja 3 3.71 2013 Inferno (Robert Langdon, #4)
author: Dan Brown
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories]]> 48721639 In the unsparing clarity of his writing, Kanafani offers the reader a gritty look at the agonized world of Palestine and the adjoining Middle East.

This collection by novelist, journalist, teacher, and Palestinian activist Ghassan Kanafani includes: the novella Men in the Sun (1962), "The Land of Sad Oranges" (1958), "'If You Were a Horse...'" (1961), "A Hand in the Grave" (1962), "The Falcon" (1961), "Letter from Gaza" (1956), and an excerpt from Umm Saad (1969).

Born in Acre (northern Palestine) in 1936, Ghassan Kanafani was a major spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and founding editor of its weekly magazine Al-Hadaf. His novels, short stories, and plays have been published in sixteen languages. He was assassinated in a car-bomb explosion in Beirut in 1972.]]> 118 Ghassan Kanafani Sonja 0 4.40 1999 Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories
author: Ghassan Kanafani
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: currently-reading, read-for-uni
review:
very interested in reading this!
]]> Homegoing 30070018 Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader's wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow.

Taking us from the Gold Coast of Africa to the cotton-picking plantations of Mississippi; from the missionary schools of Ghana to the dive bars of Harlem, spanning three continents and seven generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel - the intimate, gripping story of a brilliantly vivid cast of characters and through their lives the very story of America itself.

Epic in its canvas and intimate in its portraits, Homegoing is a searing and profound debut from a masterly new writer.

'This incredible book travels from Ghana to the US revealing how slavery destroyed so many families, traditions and lives - and how its terrifying impact is still reverberating now. Gyasi has created a story of real power and insight' � Stylist, the Decade's 15 Best Books by Remarkable Women

A BBC Top 100 Novels that Shaped Our World
Selected for Granta's Best of Young American Novelists 2017
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best First Book
Shortlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction
Shortlisted for the Beautiful Book Award 2017]]> 315 Yaa Gyasi Sonja 0 finally picked this book up today, after wanting to read it for literal years :')

I'm around 50 pages in so far and Yaa Gyasi's writing is stunning.]]> 4.39 2016 Homegoing
author: Yaa Gyasi
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: diverse-books, currently-reading
review:
I finally picked this book up today, after wanting to read it for literal years :')

I'm around 50 pages in so far and Yaa Gyasi's writing is stunning.
]]> Simple Passion 57371655 80 Annie Ernaux 1913097552 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 4.06 1991 Simple Passion
author: Annie Ernaux
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1991
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Perfume: The Story of a Murderer]]> 7790524
But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume"—the scent of a beautiful young virgin.

Told with dazzling narrative brillance, Perfume is a hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity.]]> 263 Patrick Süskind 0141041153 Sonja 0 to-read 3.86 1985 Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
author: Patrick Süskind
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1985
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 2024 on ŷ 195342176 2024 on ŷ should make an interesting and varied catalogue of books to inspire other readers in 2025.

For those of you who don't like to add titles you haven't actually 'read', you can place 2024 on ŷ on an 'exclusive' shelf. Exclusive shelves don't have to be listed under 'to read', 'currently reading' or 'read'. To create one, go to 'edit bookshelves' on your 'My Books' page, create a shelf name such as 'review-of-the year' and tick the 'exclusive' box. Your previous and future 'reviews of the year' can be collected together on this dedicated shelf.

Concept created by Fionnuala Lirsdottir.
Description: Fionnuala Lirsdottir
Cover art: Paul Cézanne, The House with the Cracked Walls, 1892-1894
Cover choice and graphics by Jayson]]> Various Sonja 0 year-in-review Wishing all of you a very happy new year with many amazing reads and joyful moments! ]]> 4.15 2024 2024 on ŷ
author: Various
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: year-in-review
review:
Wishing all of you a very happy new year with many amazing reads and joyful moments!
]]> <![CDATA[After the Fire (Maeve Kerrigan, #6)]]> 24909778 Arson, accident or murder?

After a fire rips through a North London tower block, two bodies are found locked in an 11th floor flat. But is the third victim that ensures the presence of detective Maeve Kerrigan and the murder squad. It appears that controversial MP Geoff Armstrong, trapped by the fire, chose to jump to his death rather than wait for rescue. But what was such a right wing politician doing in the deprived, culturally diverse Maudling Estate?

As Maeve and her senior colleague, Derwent, pick through the wreckage, they uncover the secret world of the 11th floor, where everyone seems to have something to hide…]]> 496 Jane Casey 0091948320 Sonja 4
description

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May 4th 2015

I need this book. . . in my life. in my bookshelf. And in my hands.

description]]> 4.18 2015 After the Fire (Maeve Kerrigan, #6)
author: Jane Casey
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/06/17
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: contemporary, thriller, advance-reading-copy, netgalley, holy-shit-that-cliffhanger, too-many-feels
review:
OMG. I RECEIVED THE ARC THROUGH NETGALLEY. YAAAAAAS. SO HAPPY.

description

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May 4th 2015

I need this book. . . in my life. in my bookshelf. And in my hands.

description
]]> Beach Read 216374829 A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really.]]> 373 Emily Henry Sonja 5
my first five star read of 2025, and it's all thanks to Queen Emily Henry ]]> 4.02 2020 Beach Read
author: Emily Henry
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/05
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves: steamy, contemporary, adult, romance, love-this-so-much
review:
THIS WAS SOOOO GOODDD

my first five star read of 2025, and it's all thanks to Queen Emily Henry
]]> <![CDATA[Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter]]> 35175186 As the seas rise, the fight intensifies to save the Pacific Ocean’s Marshall Islands from being devoured by the waters around them. At the same time, activists are raising their poetic voices against decades of colonialism, environmental destruction, and social injustice.

Marshallese poet and activist Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner’s writing highlights the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, the legacy of American nuclear testing, and the impending threats of climate change. Bearing witness at the front lines of various activist movements inspires her work and has propelled her poetry onto international stages, where she has performed in front of audiences ranging from elementary school students to more than a hundred world leaders at the United Nations Climate Summit.

The poet connects us to Marshallese daily life and tradition, likening her poetry to a basket and its essential materials. Her cultural roots and her family provides the thick fiber, the structure of the basket. Her diasporic upbringing is the material which wraps around the fiber, an essential layer to the structure of her experiences. And her passion for justice and change, the passion which brings her to the front lines of activist movements—is the stitching that binds these two experiences together.

Iep Jāltok will make history as the first published book of poetry written by a Marshallese author, and it ushers in an important new voice for justice.]]> 86 Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner 0816536120 Sonja 4 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A truly beautiful poetry collection written by an indigenous Marshallese author.

rtc. ]]> 4.33 2017 Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter
author: Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves: read-for-uni, poetry, diverse-books
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.

A truly beautiful poetry collection written by an indigenous Marshallese author.

rtc.
]]> <![CDATA[A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2)]]> 40864030
They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.

Becky Chambers's new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

They're going to need to ask it a lot.]]> 152 Becky Chambers Sonja 4 4.25 out of 5 stars.

❝What if it’s enough to just be…❞

Mosscap might actually have become my favourite fictional robot (sorry Murderbot <33)

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was a really enjoyable and beautifully written read! Having this as my last read of 2024 was truly a great way to close off the year ]]> 4.40 2022 A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot, #2)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: queer, diverse-books, science-fiction, fantasy, novella, adult, feel-good
review:
4.25 out of 5 stars.

❝What if it’s enough to just be…❞

Mosscap might actually have become my favourite fictional robot (sorry Murderbot <33)

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was a really enjoyable and beautifully written read! Having this as my last read of 2024 was truly a great way to close off the year
]]> <![CDATA[House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)]]> 123247704
Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.]]> 852 Sarah J. Maas Sonja 4
1.) House of Earth and Blood � 3.25 stars
2.) House of Sky and Breath � 3.5 stars]]> 4.40 2024 House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: steamy, adult, fantasy, romance
review:
the ending was hella cheesy but it was cute soo it's fine :')

1.) House of Earth and Blood � 3.25 stars
2.) House of Sky and Breath � 3.5 stars
]]> The Art of Flying 23346614 When published in 2009, The Art of Flying was hailed as a landmark in the history of the graphic novel in Spain for its deeply touching synthesis of individual and collective memories.

A deeply personal testament, Altarriba’s account of what led his father to commit suicide at the age of ninety is a detective novel of sorts, one that traces his father’s life from an impoverished childhood in Aragon, to service with Franco’s army in the Civil war, escape to join the anarchist FAI, exile in France when the Republicans are defeated, to return to Spain in 1949 and the stultifying existence to which Republican sympathisers were consigned under Francoism.

The Art of Flying is immensely moving and vivid, beautifully drawn by Kim. It was highly praised in Spain on first publication, where it was compared to Art Spiegelman’s Maus. It went on to win six major prizes, including the 2010 National Comic Prize.]]> 208 Antonio Altarriba 022409937X Sonja 5
Highly recommend it!!]]> 3.97 2009 The Art of Flying
author: Antonio Altarriba
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/21
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: read-for-uni, graphic-novel, non-fiction, historical, adult
review:
A beautiful, moving graphic novel about a normal man's life � and his experience of the Spanish Civil War and its fascist aftermath.

Highly recommend it!!
]]> Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2) 34019110 Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell.

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex� Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies� most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.]]> 484 Leigh Bardugo 1250313112 Sonja 3 4.20 2023 Hell Bent (Alex Stern, #2)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/07
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: buddy-read, adult, contemporary, fantasy, dark
review:
sadly, this was a disappointing read...
]]> Funny Story 194802722 A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it... right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex... right?]]> 400 Emily Henry Sonja 4 4.21 2024 Funny Story
author: Emily Henry
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/28
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: buddy-read, adult, romance, contemporary
review:
this book brought me so much joy... my serotonin levels were truly skyrocketing
]]> Notes on an Execution 173051352 Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours.

He knows what he's done, and now awaits the same fate he forced on those girls, years ago. Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood.

But this is not his story.

As the clock ticks down, three women uncover the history of a tragedy and the long shadow it casts. Lavender, Ansel's mother, is a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation. Hazel, twin sister to his wife, is forced to watch helplessly as the relationship threatens to devour them all. And Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, is devoted to bringing bad men to justice but struggling to see her own life clearly.

This is the story of the women left behind. Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes On An Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our cultural obsession with crime stories, and asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the minds of violent men.

Waterstones Exclusive Edition with an exclusive essay.]]> 320 Danya Kukafka 1399614592 Sonja 4 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This is, without a single doubt, the most beautifully written crime/mystery novel I have ever read.

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
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I was in the mood for a thriller so I decided to pick this up! So far, it's a really compelling read!!]]> 4.14 2022 Notes on an Execution
author: Danya Kukafka
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/29
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: mystery, contemporary, dark, magical-writing, adult
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.

This is, without a single doubt, the most beautifully written crime/mystery novel I have ever read.

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
══════════════�

I was in the mood for a thriller so I decided to pick this up! So far, it's a really compelling read!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories]]> 32295221 Ken Liu is one of the most original, thought-provoking and award-winning short-story writers of his generation. This is the first collection of his work � sixteen stories that invoke the magical within the mundane, by turns profound, beguiling and heartbreaking.

Contents:
Preface � essay
The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species � (2012) � short story
State Change � (2004) � short story
The Perfect Match � (2012) � short story
Good Hunting � (2012) � short story
The Literomancer � (2010) � novelette
Simulacrum � (2011) � short story
The Regular � (2014) � novella
The Paper Menagerie � (2011) � short story
An Advanced Readers' Picture Book of Comparative Cognition � short story
The Waves � (2012) � novelette
Mono no Aware � (2012) � short story
All the Flavors � (2012) � novella
A Brief History of the Trans-Pacific Tunnel � (2012) � short story
The Litigation Master and the Monkey King � (2013) � novelette
The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary � (2011) � novella]]> 437 Ken Liu 1784975699 Sonja 0 currently-reading
A few years ago, I read one of the short stories from this collection and it literally made me cry. It was one of the best short stories I had ever read, so I'm very much looking forward to reading more!]]> 4.39 2016 The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
author: Ken Liu
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:
Very excited to dive into this!!

A few years ago, I read one of the short stories from this collection and it literally made me cry. It was one of the best short stories I had ever read, so I'm very much looking forward to reading more!
]]> <![CDATA[Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route]]> 85683 Lose Your Mother, Saidiya Hartman journeys along a slave route in Ghana, following the trail of captives from the hinterland to the Atlantic coast. She retraces the history of the Atlantic slave trade from the fifteenth to the twentieth century and reckons with the blank slate of her own genealogy.

There were no survivors of Hartman's lineage, nor far-flung relatives in Ghana of whom she had come in search. She traveled to Ghana in search of strangers. The most universal definition of the slave is a stranger--torn from kin and country. To lose your mother is to suffer the loss of kin, to forget your past, and to inhabit the world as a stranger. As both the offspring of slaves and an American in Africa, Hartman, too, was a stranger. Her reflections on history and memory unfold as an intimate encounter with places--a holding cell, a slave market, a walled town built to repel slave raiders--and with people: an Akan prince who granted the Portuguese permission to build the first permanent trading fort in West Africa; an adolescent boy who was kidnapped while playing; a fourteen-year-old girl who was murdered aboard a slave ship.

Eloquent, thoughtful, and deeply affecting, Lose Your Mother is a powerful meditation on history, memory, and the Atlantic slave trade.]]> 288 Saidiya Hartman 0374270821 Sonja 0 to-read 4.30 2007 Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route
author: Saidiya Hartman
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wij slaven van Suriname 56780956 In 1934 publiceerde Anton de Kom Wij slaven van Suriname, zowel een literair meesterwerk, persoonlijke en algemene geschiedschrijving als een felle aanklacht tegen racisme en uitbuiting.

Het was het eerste boek waarin de Surinaamse geschiedenis beschreven werd vanuit antikoloniaal gezichtspunt, door een afstammeling van slaafgemaakten die de gevolgen van de koloniale overheersing aan den lijve had ondervonden.

De Kom vertelt hoe het Nederlandse koloniale bewind het land en zijn inwoners onderdrukte, en hoe verschillende Surinaamse bevolkingsgroepen daartegen in opstand kwamen. Met grote eruditie schrijft hij over de verschrikkingen, maar ook over moed, zelfrespect en vrijheid.

157 jaar na de officiële afschaffing van de slavernij en 86 jaar na publicatie heeft het boek, en zijn boodschap, niets aan zeggingskracht ingeboet.

Deze nieuwe editie bevat drie nieuwe bijdragen van Mitchell Esajas, Tessa Leuwsha en Duco van Oostrum, waarin ze het boek in zijn context en de huidige tijd plaatsen.

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here]]> 213 Anton de Kom 904504109X Sonja 0 We Slaves of Suriname (in Dutch) for uni ~]]> 4.40 1934 Wij slaven van Suriname
author: Anton de Kom
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1934
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: currently-reading, read-for-uni
review:
I'm reading We Slaves of Suriname (in Dutch) for uni ~
]]> <![CDATA[A Week to Be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)]]> 56606068 When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin…Time is not on their side.

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove’s confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be…anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week to
� fake an elopement
� convince family and friends they’re in “love�
� outrun armed robbers
� survive their worst nightmares
� travel four hundred miles without killing each other

All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don’t have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble. And maybe . . . just maybe . . . love.]]> 363 Tessa Dare Sonja 4 4.25 out of 5 stars.

❝A woman like this could ruin him. If he didn’t ruin her first.�

This is romance done right!!!!

A Week to Be Wicked is definitely one of the more unique historical romances (headstrong scientist x rogue viscount) I have read; I really enjoyed this!!

This truly warmed my stone cold heart ]]> 3.83 2012 A Week to Be Wicked (Spindle Cove, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/14
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves: steamy, adult, historical, romance
review:
4.25 out of 5 stars.

❝A woman like this could ruin him. If he didn’t ruin her first.�

This is romance done right!!!!

A Week to Be Wicked is definitely one of the more unique historical romances (headstrong scientist x rogue viscount) I have read; I really enjoyed this!!

This truly warmed my stone cold heart
]]> <![CDATA[The Seine Was Red: Paris, October 1961]]> 5855508 Leïla Sebbar's novel recounts an event in French history that has been hidden for many years.

Toward the end of the Algerian war, the FLN, an Algerian nationalist party, organized a demonstration in Paris to oppose a curfew imposed upon Algerians in France. About 30,000 Algerians gathered peacefully, but the protest was brutally suppressed by the Paris police. Between 50 and 200 Algerians were killed and their bodies were thrown into the Seine.

This incident provides the background for a more intimate look into the history of violence between France and Algeria.

Following three young protagonists―one French, one Algerian, and one French national of Algerian descent―Sebbar takes readers on a journey of discovery and comprehension.

Mildred Mortimer's impressive translation conveys the power of Sebbar's words in English and allows English-speaking readers an opportunity to understand the complex relationship between past and present, metropole and colony, immigrant and citizen, that lies at the heart of this acclaimed novel.]]> 145 Leïla Sebbar 0253220238 Sonja 0 Contesting the Past course]]> 3.36 1999 The Seine Was Red: Paris, October 1961
author: Leïla Sebbar
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.36
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: currently-reading, read-for-uni
review:
:: reading this for my Contesting the Past course
]]> <![CDATA[Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, #1)]]> 62047992 The moving international sensation about new beginnings, human connection, and the joy of reading.

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.]]> 150 Satoshi Yagisawa 0063278677 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 3.67 2010 Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, #1)
author: Satoshi Yagisawa
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke, #3)]]> 43869647 They call him the Duke of Ruin.
To an undaunted wallflower, he's just the beast next door.

Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society―and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn't take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing―and attractive―new neighbour demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?
And a two-legged dog.
And a foul-mouthed parrot.
And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog...

Soon, cold-hearted Gabriel, who wouldn't know a loving home from a workhouse, is covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable animals, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she's set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.]]> 384 Tessa Dare Sonja 3 3.7 out of 5 stars.

❝The past, the future... none of it mattered. There was only this moment, this man. This one heartbeat, and then the next, stringing together to make this life. A life that belonged to her. At last.�

This book made me smile so much!! I really enjoyed it. If it had been a tiny bit less cliche, it could have been a full 4 stars read ]]> 3.94 2019 The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke, #3)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves: steamy, adult, historical, romance, cliche
review:
3.7 out of 5 stars.

❝The past, the future... none of it mattered. There was only this moment, this man. This one heartbeat, and then the next, stringing together to make this life. A life that belonged to her. At last.�

This book made me smile so much!! I really enjoyed it. If it had been a tiny bit less cliche, it could have been a full 4 stars read
]]> The International 24497045 Saturday, 28 January 1967. It is a day like any other for eighteen-year-old Danny, pulling pints behind the bar of the International Hotel in Belfast, watching the comings and goings of the eccentric clientele.

But ordinary days like this are almost over. The hotel has already been witness to the city’s dark tendencies � Danny’s job was only secured after another barman was shot. And with the inaugural meeting of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association the following day, Belfast is on the cusp of changing forever �

Widely praised by writers and critics, including Colm Tóibín and A.L. Kennedy, The International is ‘the best book about the Troubles ever written.�

The book also contains an essay by Glenn Patterson and a critical essay by Anne Enright. Glenn Patterson is also the author of Burning Your Own, Fat Lad, and The Third Party, all published by Blackstaff Press.]]> 270 Glenn Patterson 0856408735 Sonja 2
If this hadn't been required reading for uni, I would never have started (let alone finished) this book at all ]]> 3.81 1999 The International
author: Glenn Patterson
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: read-for-uni, queer, adult, historical
review:
Hmm I don't know how to feel about this book... Some of it was boring, some of it interesting.

If this hadn't been required reading for uni, I would never have started (let alone finished) this book at all
]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Sonja 5
╔═══════════════�
pre-review
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super excited to read this!!! it's my first time reading anything by r.f. kuang

buddy-reading this with my dear friend lara ❤️�]]> 4.17 2022 Babel
author: R.F. Kuang
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/08
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: buddy-read, favourite, historical, fantasy, love-this-so-much
review:
THE ENDING WAS SO PERFECT

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
══════════════�

super excited to read this!!! it's my first time reading anything by r.f. kuang

buddy-reading this with my dear friend lara ❤️�
]]> Lolita 6048235 Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is a dark and daring story of obsessive love and transgression.

Humbert Humbert's lust for his pubescent step-daughter, Lolita, shocked readers when it was first published in the 1950s; yet the novel was also celebrated for its beautifully lyrical writing.

Almost fifty years after its first publication, Lolita remains a powerful tale of perversion and love gone wrong.]]> 361 Vladimir Nabokov 0141037431 Sonja 4 Nabokov's prose is absolutely stunning...

It's gonna take me a while to fully process my thoughts about Lolita, so review to come in December most likely.]]> 3.82 1955 Lolita
author: Vladimir Nabokov
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: read-for-uni, classics, adult, 20th-century, that-plot-twist-though
review:
Nabokov's prose is absolutely stunning...

It's gonna take me a while to fully process my thoughts about Lolita, so review to come in December most likely.
]]> Fire and Ash (Spitfire) 63028631 A quick and dirty hookup with the hunky mechanic I just met is bad enough.
But when that God-like twenty-year-old turns out to be a student in my English class, I know it’s about to get much worse.
Pax Smith isn’t just the star player on the rugby team at Florence U and the hottest man I’ve ever been with. He also has a dark sordid past, and it’s written in the deep scars all over his face.
Not to mention—he’s in the closet.
Which means I have his secret. And he hates that.
What started as a one-time thing has turned into something neither of us were ready for.
And I’m not ready to let this wounded bully go.]]> 142 Sara Cate Sonja 3 3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝You’re going to break my heart, aren’t you?�

The character development in this novella could have been better executed; it needed more gradual build up. Apart from that, Fire and Ash was a nice and quick read!]]> 3.81 2022 Fire and Ash (Spitfire)
author: Sara Cate
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: contemporary, steamy, adult, romance, novella, queer
review:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝You’re going to break my heart, aren’t you?�

The character development in this novella could have been better executed; it needed more gradual build up. Apart from that, Fire and Ash was a nice and quick read!
]]> The Predator (Dark Verse #1) 48591178 What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object in the field of death?

In the dark underbelly of the mob, Tristan Caine has been an anomaly. As the only non-blooded member in the high circle of the Tenebrae Outfit, he is an enigma to all - his skills unparalleled, his morality questionable, and his motives unknown. He is lethal and he knows it.

As does Morana Vitalio, the genius extraordinaire daughter of the rival family. What Caine does with weapons, Morana does with computers. When a twenty-year old mystery resurfaces, Morana infiltrates Caine's house, intent on killing him, unaware of a tie that binds them together. Hate, heat, and history clash together with unexpected sparks.

But something bigger, something worse is happening in their world. And despite their animosity, only they can fight it down.]]> 374 RuNyx Sonja 3 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This was a very quick read! It was a bit repetitive, but it was still fun.]]> 4.04 2020 The Predator (Dark Verse #1)
author: RuNyx
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: dark, contemporary, adult, steamy, romance
review:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

This was a very quick read! It was a bit repetitive, but it was still fun.
]]> <![CDATA[Heart of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #3)]]> 124945845 The only reason I made it this far is to reign.
Nothing and no one will stop me.
Or that should’ve been the plan.
Now, my only goal is to get back the woman who belongs to me.
Sasha thinks it’s all over, but we’re only getting started.
She’s my woman. My partner. My wife.
Mine.

This book is the final part of a trilogy and can't be read on its own.

From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

This is the special edition print of Heart of My Monster. To find the ebook and audiobook, please look for the main edition.]]> 320 Rina Kent 1685451055 Sonja 3 3.7 out of 5 stars.

This was honestly a pretty fun and entertaining trilogy! It was slightly too long though.]]> 4.04 2023 Heart of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #3)
author: Rina Kent
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: dark, steamy, contemporary, adult, romance
review:
3.7 out of 5 stars.

This was honestly a pretty fun and entertaining trilogy! It was slightly too long though.
]]> <![CDATA[Lies of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #2)]]> 123208761 From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

In our brutal world, there’s no such thing as the truth.
Lies overflow until they become a reality.
But I’m determined to uncover what happened to my family.
One problem, though.
My monster, Kirill.
We are not the same anymore.
It’s become hard to trust one another.
But it’s downright impossible to stay away from each other.
It’s mad, chaotic, and wrong, but it’s us.
And we might have to pay for it with blood.


This book is part of a trilogy and can't be read on its own.]]> 302 Rina Kent 168545111X Sonja 3 3.7 out of 5 stars.

WHAT. what a f*cking plot twist ]]> 4.06 2023 Lies of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #2)
author: Rina Kent
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/26
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: that-plot-twist-though, dark, steamy, contemporary, adult, romance
review:
3.7 out of 5 stars.

WHAT. what a f*cking plot twist
]]> <![CDATA[Blood of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #1)]]> 86246890 From the USA Today bestselling author Rina Kent comes a new dark mafia romance.

I’m out for revenge. He’s out to rule the world.
Kirill and I are as different as day and night.
We shouldn’t have been in the same frame or universe.
But we meet under the strangest circumstances.
He’s my superior in the military and the man who’ll introduce me to carnage.
His charm and exterior perfection shouldn’t have tempted me.
Behind the smokescreen lurks a manipulative emotionless monster.
And that monster might find out all my secrets, including the reason why I’m pretending to be a man.
He might also lure me to the point of no return.

This book is part of a trilogy and is not a standalone.]]> 338 Rina Kent 1685450423 Sonja 3 3.5 out of 5 stars.

it's giving mulan but then dark romance version lmao]]> 4.05 2023 Blood of My Monster (Monster Trilogy, #1)
author: Rina Kent
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: dark, steamy, contemporary, adult, romance
review:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

it's giving mulan but then dark romance version lmao
]]> <![CDATA[Consumed by Deception (Deception Trilogy, #3)]]> 61038760 My husband. My monster.

The truth isn’t always what it seems.
Lia doesn’t realize that, but she will. Soon.
I chose this life. This road. This twisted arrangement.
For her, I made a deal with the devil.
For her, I toyed with fate and death.
There’s no going back.
I stole her and like any thief, I won’t return her.
Lia is my addiction. My obsession. My love.
Mine.

This book is the final part of a trilogy and is not standalone.]]> 284 Rina Kent 1685450830 Sonja 3 3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝I’d rather die a thousand times over than put you in danger.�
]]> 3.97 2021 Consumed by Deception (Deception Trilogy, #3)
author: Rina Kent
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/02
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: cliche, dark, steamy, adult, contemporary, romance
review:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝I’d rather die a thousand times over than put you in danger.�

]]> <![CDATA[Tempted by Deception (Deception Trilogy, #2)]]> 61038749 My husband. My villain.

We started with death and blood.
We started with games and carnal pleasure.
Adrian and I shouldn’t have been together.
He’s wrong. I’m wrong.
What we have is the epitome disaster.
Yet, it’s impossible to stop.
My husband will either destroy me or I’ll destroy him.

This book is part of a trilogy and is not standalone.]]> 346 Rina Kent 1685450814 Sonja 3 ❝[T]he devil is always beautiful, isn’t he?�
This book was wayyy too long...

I did enjoy the backstory though!]]> 3.78 2021 Tempted by Deception (Deception Trilogy, #2)
author: Rina Kent
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/29
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: dark, steamy, adult, contemporary, romance
review:
❝[T]he devil is always beautiful, isn’t he?�

This book was wayyy too long...

I did enjoy the backstory though!
]]> <![CDATA[Vow of Deception (Deception Trilogy, #1)]]> 61038735 My husband. My tormentor.

The most notorious man in the city offers me a job.
Act as his dead wife.
Adrian Volkov isn't the type of person who takes no for an answer.
He commands with an iron fist and all his orders are met.
When he approaches me with the offer, I have two options.
Go to prison or put myself under his wrath.
I choose to have a roof over my head. What's so hard about acting, right?
Wrong.
The moment I step into his wife's shoes, everything spirals out of control.
My only way of survival is through Adrian.
Or is it?

This book is part of a trilogy and is not standalone.]]> 296 Rina Kent 1685450792 Sonja 4 3.8 out of 5 stars.

❝People say death is the end. For me, it’s only the beginning.�

This Russian mobster needs psychological help lmao

His son was cute though <3]]> 3.67 2021 Vow of Deception (Deception Trilogy, #1)
author: Rina Kent
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/21
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: dark, steamy, adult, romance, that-plot-twist-though, contemporary
review:
3.8 out of 5 stars.

❝People say death is the end. For me, it’s only the beginning.�

This Russian mobster needs psychological help lmao

His son was cute though <3
]]> The Silent Patient 40396699 Promising to be the debut novel of the season The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive�

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....]]> 362 Alex Michaelides Sonja 3 buddy-read, disappointing
rtc

]]> 4.18 2019 The Silent Patient
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/20
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: buddy-read, disappointing
review:
the ending kinda redeemed the book for me tbh

rtc


]]> <![CDATA[Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries, #6)]]> 53205854 No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!]]> 168 Martha Wells 1250765374 Sonja 4 ❝No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall, for f*ck’s sake.�
This was yet another great Murderbot read. If you’re looking to read a whodunnit space opera, look no further!

This was a very entertaining & quick read; I actually finished the book in one sitting, which is a rare occurrence for me. I just really love Murderbot, and Mensah!! <33
]]> 4.25 2021 Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries, #6)
author: Martha Wells
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: science-fiction, adult, novella, thriller, mystery
review:
❝No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall, for f*ck’s sake.�

This was yet another great Murderbot read. If you’re looking to read a whodunnit space opera, look no further!

This was a very entertaining & quick read; I actually finished the book in one sitting, which is a rare occurrence for me. I just really love Murderbot, and Mensah!! <33

]]> <![CDATA[Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5)]]> 53317443 The New York Times and USA Today bestselling Murderbot series exploded onto the scene in 2017, and the world has not been the same, since.

Murderbot returns in its highly-anticipated, first, full-length standalone novel.

You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you're a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you're Murderbot.

Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century.

�

I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.

When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.]]> 352 Martha Wells 1250229855 Sonja 4 science-fiction, adult ❝I just really like you. Not in a weird way.�
I could honestly read these Murderbot books forever and ever <33

I read around half of this book with my physical copy, before eventually switching to the audiobook � and that was definitely the best decision I could have made at that point, because the audiobook was so fun to listen to!

I'm so happy Murderbot is getting adapted to a TV series!! These stories are truly perfect for TV/streaming. I can't wait for more people to discover Murderbot and its top-notch humour hehe

[spoilers removed]

1.) All Systems Red � 4 stars
]]> 4.46 2020 Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5)
author: Martha Wells
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/14
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: science-fiction, adult
review:
❝I just really like you. Not in a weird way.�

I could honestly read these Murderbot books forever and ever <33

I read around half of this book with my physical copy, before eventually switching to the audiobook � and that was definitely the best decision I could have made at that point, because the audiobook was so fun to listen to!

I'm so happy Murderbot is getting adapted to a TV series!! These stories are truly perfect for TV/streaming. I can't wait for more people to discover Murderbot and its top-notch humour hehe

[spoilers removed]

1.) All Systems Red � 4 stars

]]> <![CDATA[Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead]]> 42983724 WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .

A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? it asks. Who is worthy of a voice?]]> 274 Olga Tokarczuk 0525541330 Sonja 0 to-read 3.92 2009 Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
author: Olga Tokarczuk
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mansfield Park 18300262
"The most perfect artist among women, the writer whose books are immortal." � Virginia Woolf

The Vintage Classics Austen series is designed by the writer and illustrator Leanne Shapton and introduced by some of our finest contemporary writers and Austen fans: Alexander McCall Smith, Lynne Truss, Amanda Vickery, Francesca Segal, P.D. James and Andrew Motion.]]> 560 Jane Austen 0099589281 Sonja 2 buddy-read
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pre-review
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Buddyreading this with my dear friend Lara ]]> 3.66 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1814
rating: 2
read at: 2023/09/13
date added: 2024/11/07
shelves: buddy-read
review:
this book truly seemed never-ending... rtc

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
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Buddyreading this with my dear friend Lara
]]> <![CDATA[Breaking Dawn: het officiële boek bij de film]]> 13274009 144 Mark Cotta Vaz 9000303974 Sonja 4 3.50 Breaking Dawn: het officiële boek bij de film
author: Mark Cotta Vaz
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2012/12/31
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Highest Bidder (Salacious Players' Club, #5)]]> 179947373 320 Sara Cate 1728282179 Sonja 3 3.3 out of 5 stars.

❝She’s home, and everything feels right again.�

This was a pretty fun read, but the ending did feel a little rushed.

1.) Praise � 3.7 stars
2.) Eyes on Me � 3.5 stars
3.) Give Me More � 4 stars
4.) Mercy � 3.2 stars]]> 3.73 2023 Highest Bidder (Salacious Players' Club, #5)
author: Sara Cate
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/30
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: steamy, adult, contemporary, romance, cliche
review:
3.3 out of 5 stars.

❝She’s home, and everything feels right again.�

This was a pretty fun read, but the ending did feel a little rushed.

1.) Praise � 3.7 stars
2.) Eyes on Me � 3.5 stars
3.) Give Me More � 4 stars
4.) Mercy � 3.2 stars
]]> <![CDATA[The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)]]> 8597727 They open a door and enter a world...

NARNIA... The land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy... The place where the adventure begins.

Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever.]]> 171 C.S. Lewis 0007323123 Sonja 3 ❝I feel I am going to roar. You had better put your fingers in your ears.�
I really don't recommend reading Narnia for the first time in your twenties (or at all lol). I think I would have enjoyed this book way more if I had first read it when I was ten or something rather than twenty-five lmao

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is definitely an easy read, but I still don't get the hype?? There are way better children's books out there.

Also, the casual sexism in this book?? ]]> 4.09 1950 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1950
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves: disappointing, childrens, fantasy, classics, the-sexism-is-killing-me
review:
❝I feel I am going to roar. You had better put your fingers in your ears.�

I really don't recommend reading Narnia for the first time in your twenties (or at all lol). I think I would have enjoyed this book way more if I had first read it when I was ten or something rather than twenty-five lmao

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is definitely an easy read, but I still don't get the hype?? There are way better children's books out there.

Also, the casual sexism in this book??
]]> Haroun and the Sea of Stories 11094157 Haroun and the Sea of Stories inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. In this captivating novel, Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.]]> 216 Salman Rushdie Sonja 3 3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?�

I read this for my South Asian Literature course, and I was honestly expecting to love it more... Unfortunately, the middle dragged too much for me. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a children's novel, so obviously I'm not the target audience for this story ]]> 4.01 1990 Haroun and the Sea of Stories
author: Salman Rushdie
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: childrens, fantasy, read-for-uni
review:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?�

I read this for my South Asian Literature course, and I was honestly expecting to love it more... Unfortunately, the middle dragged too much for me. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a children's novel, so obviously I'm not the target audience for this story
]]> Half Wild (Half Bad, #2) 24577299 416 Sally Green 0141360143 Sonja 4 8.25/10
I'm . . . it's like there's someone, something else living in me. And he comes out and takes over. But I know he's still me, another part of me, a completely wild, uncaring me.

'Half Wild' is truly better than 'Half Bad' in my opinion. There's more world building and amazing character development. Marcus felt more life-like than in the first novel. In the first novel he read like a paper cut-out. Now he read like the MC's father and a somewhat evil person.

I also liked the way Nathan developed as a character. He gets to know himself and his Gift. And he really grows as a character.

I definitely disliked Annalise - the MC's love interest - more in this novel. Nathan was just so obsessed and thinking so much about her till the point that it got quite annoying. Also, Annalise does something unforgivable near the end of the novel. So, yeah. I think she's an idiot.
description

I LOVE GABRIEL. He's an amazing character. And he deserves the world and more.
I'll stay with you always; go where you go always. I don't want to be anywhere else. I couldn't stand to be anywhere else.

description

I loved the whole wild/animal concept. It was interesting to see all kinds of characters thoughts on it.
You killed him like an animal would. I know that might not be a comfort to you now but the animal acts on instinct. An animal isn't evil, isn't good or bad.

Wild is an interesting word. We imagine wild to be untamed and out of control but, of course, nature isn't like that; nature is controlled, ordered, extremely disciplined by all its elements.

It was also very fascinating to see the thoughts of good vs evil by supposedly the most evil Black Witch in history.
The point of being good is doing it when it's tough, not when it's easy.

Some people will always be prejudiced against. 'Half Wild' shows this clearly. It's the same for the society we live in today. Some people will always be judged for something their families did, or for their past. 'Half Wild' shows all of this from a fascinating angle. I am looking forward to reading the third and final book in March 2016. *sigh* It seems so far away.
I recommend 'Half Wild' to people who'd loved 'Half Bad' because then they'll surely love this one. Also, to people who'd like to see good vs evil concept being challenged by the the wild/animal concept.

I received an ARC of this novel thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks for the opportunity.]]> 3.88 2015 Half Wild (Half Bad, #2)
author: Sally Green
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/14
date added: 2024/10/25
shelves: fantasy, young-adult, advance-reading-copy, netgalley
review:
8.25/10
I'm . . . it's like there's someone, something else living in me. And he comes out and takes over. But I know he's still me, another part of me, a completely wild, uncaring me.

'Half Wild' is truly better than 'Half Bad' in my opinion. There's more world building and amazing character development. Marcus felt more life-like than in the first novel. In the first novel he read like a paper cut-out. Now he read like the MC's father and a somewhat evil person.

I also liked the way Nathan developed as a character. He gets to know himself and his Gift. And he really grows as a character.

I definitely disliked Annalise - the MC's love interest - more in this novel. Nathan was just so obsessed and thinking so much about her till the point that it got quite annoying. Also, Annalise does something unforgivable near the end of the novel. So, yeah. I think she's an idiot.
description

I LOVE GABRIEL. He's an amazing character. And he deserves the world and more.
I'll stay with you always; go where you go always. I don't want to be anywhere else. I couldn't stand to be anywhere else.

description

I loved the whole wild/animal concept. It was interesting to see all kinds of characters thoughts on it.
You killed him like an animal would. I know that might not be a comfort to you now but the animal acts on instinct. An animal isn't evil, isn't good or bad.

Wild is an interesting word. We imagine wild to be untamed and out of control but, of course, nature isn't like that; nature is controlled, ordered, extremely disciplined by all its elements.

It was also very fascinating to see the thoughts of good vs evil by supposedly the most evil Black Witch in history.
The point of being good is doing it when it's tough, not when it's easy.

Some people will always be prejudiced against. 'Half Wild' shows this clearly. It's the same for the society we live in today. Some people will always be judged for something their families did, or for their past. 'Half Wild' shows all of this from a fascinating angle. I am looking forward to reading the third and final book in March 2016. *sigh* It seems so far away.
I recommend 'Half Wild' to people who'd loved 'Half Bad' because then they'll surely love this one. Also, to people who'd like to see good vs evil concept being challenged by the the wild/animal concept.

I received an ARC of this novel thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks for the opportunity.
]]> The Hungry Tide 21457537
In this place of vengeful beauty, the lives of three people collide. Piya Roy is a marine biologist, of Indian descent but stubbornly American, in search of a rare, endangered river dolphin. Her journey begins with a disaster when she is thrown from a boat into crocodile-infested waters. Rescue comes in the form of a young, illiterate fisherman, Fokir. Although they have no language between them, they are powerfully drawn to each other, sharing an uncanny instinct for the ways of the sea.

Piya engages Fokir to help with her research and finds a translator in Kanai Dutt, a businessman from Delhi whose idealistic aunt and uncle are longtime settlers in the Sundarbans. As the three launch into the elaborate backwaters, they are drawn unawares into the hidden undercurrents of this isolated world, where political turmoil exacts a personal toll as powerful as the ravaging tide.

From the national bestselling author of Gun Island, The Hungry Tide was a winner of the Crossword Book Prize and a finalist for the Kiriyama Prize.]]> 353 Amitav Ghosh 0547525206 Sonja 5 4.5 out of 5 stars.

❝[I]n the tide country, where life was lived on the margins of greater events, it was useful also to be reminded that no place was so remote as to escape the flood of history.�

I really enjoyed reading this book!! Ghosh� writing is so immersive, I felt like I was there with the characters in the Sundarbans.

The Hungry Tide is comprised of lively, nuanced characters that truly jump off the page! I loved the story’s pacing as well, the short chapters paired with the alternating povs kept me hooked! The audiobook, read by Ranjit Madgavkar, was fantastic too.

The Hungry Tide is a historical fiction novel, set in India, that deals with the urban-rural divide, issues of class and caste, and the at times paradoxical nature of environmentalism � and does it all masterfully.

In his novel, Ghosh touches on the human cost of protecting wildlife, weaving in real historical events in which thousands of innocent people were forced to lose their lives in order to “protect� the environment.

❝Who are these people, I wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them?�

The book explores the harmful consequences of trying to protect the environment at all costs, while at the same time also acknowledging the devastating impact of anthropogenic climate change.

Earlier this year, I read a chapter out of Ghosh’s non-fiction book The Nutmeg's Curse for my Critical Ecologies course, and now I want to go back to that book and read it in its entirety. I feel like it’s quite rare to find authors who can write both fiction and non-fiction in an interesting and compelling manner. This definitely won’t be the last book I read by Amitav Ghosh!

(Also, I very rarely round up my ŷ ratings to 5 stars, but I’m doing it this time because it feels right, and Ghosh deserves it.)

[spoilers removed]]]> 4.29 2004 The Hungry Tide
author: Amitav Ghosh
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: historical, adult, diverse-books, read-for-uni, that-plot-twist-though
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.

❝[I]n the tide country, where life was lived on the margins of greater events, it was useful also to be reminded that no place was so remote as to escape the flood of history.�

I really enjoyed reading this book!! Ghosh� writing is so immersive, I felt like I was there with the characters in the Sundarbans.

The Hungry Tide is comprised of lively, nuanced characters that truly jump off the page! I loved the story’s pacing as well, the short chapters paired with the alternating povs kept me hooked! The audiobook, read by Ranjit Madgavkar, was fantastic too.

The Hungry Tide is a historical fiction novel, set in India, that deals with the urban-rural divide, issues of class and caste, and the at times paradoxical nature of environmentalism � and does it all masterfully.

In his novel, Ghosh touches on the human cost of protecting wildlife, weaving in real historical events in which thousands of innocent people were forced to lose their lives in order to “protect� the environment.

❝Who are these people, I wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them?�

The book explores the harmful consequences of trying to protect the environment at all costs, while at the same time also acknowledging the devastating impact of anthropogenic climate change.

Earlier this year, I read a chapter out of Ghosh’s non-fiction book The Nutmeg's Curse for my Critical Ecologies course, and now I want to go back to that book and read it in its entirety. I feel like it’s quite rare to find authors who can write both fiction and non-fiction in an interesting and compelling manner. This definitely won’t be the last book I read by Amitav Ghosh!

(Also, I very rarely round up my ŷ ratings to 5 stars, but I’m doing it this time because it feels right, and Ghosh deserves it.)

[spoilers removed]
]]> Human Acts 30091914 A riveting, poetic, and fearless portrait of political unrest and the universal struggle for justice by the acclaimed author of The Vegetarian.

In the midst of a violent student uprising in South Korea, a young boy named Dong-ho is shockingly killed.

The story of this tragic episode unfolds in a sequence of interconnected chapters as the victims and the bereaved encounter suppression, denial, and the echoing agony of the massacre. From Dong-ho’s best friend, who meets his own fateful end, to an editor struggling against censorship; to a prisoner and a factory worker, both suffering from traumatic memories; and to Dong-ho's own grief-stricken mother, their collective heartbreak and acts of hope tell the tale of a brutalized people in search of a voice.

An award-winning, controversial bestseller, Human Acts is a timeless, pointillist portrait of a historic event with reverberations still being felt today, by turns tracing the harsh reality of oppression and the resounding, extraordinary poetry of humanity.]]> 218 Han Kang 1101906723 Sonja 0 currently-reading I am so happy that Han Kang has won the Nobel Prize in literature!!!

So I decided to finally pick up Human Acts, after wanting to read it for years. I started reading it last night, and so far it has been such a hard-hitting read. It's definitely going to become one of my top reads of the year!

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══════════════�

January 28, 2018:

My favourite musician, RM of BTS, talked about books he's read recently, and he mentioned this book � and he said that it's great, so now I need to read it, too.]]> 4.26 2014 Human Acts
author: Han Kang
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/12
shelves: currently-reading
review:
I am so happy that Han Kang has won the Nobel Prize in literature!!!

So I decided to finally pick up Human Acts, after wanting to read it for years. I started reading it last night, and so far it has been such a hard-hitting read. It's definitely going to become one of my top reads of the year!

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
══════════════�

January 28, 2018:

My favourite musician, RM of BTS, talked about books he's read recently, and he mentioned this book � and he said that it's great, so now I need to read it, too.
]]> <![CDATA[A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)]]> 40864002 ASIN B08H831J18 moved to the more recent edition

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?]]> 151 Becky Chambers Sonja 4 ❛Mosscap's hand remained outstretched. ❝Come on,� it said. Its voice was easy, steady, used to sharing space with wolves and bears and small, frightened things.�
This was such a lovely read!! I truly, truly love it when a book cover actually perfectly encapsulates the vibes of a book! Both the cover and the story itself just radiate Ghibli vibes � Miyazaki would for sure love this novella, too.

The novella's dedication is ❛for anybody who could use a break�, and that is just so apt. If you need a break (from anything at all, really), do yourself a favour and pick up this wonderful, little novella. You won't regret it.

❝You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don't know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don't need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live. That is all most animals do. �

This is my first time reading anything by Becky Chambers, and it definitely won't be my last! This was a surprisingly funny read; it made me smile a lot, and forget about impending uni deadlines for a bit :')

The reason why this is "only" a 4 star read is that I didn't exactly love the beginning of the story. It starts out kinda slow, and there's a bit too much world building for my taste.

The book became a hundred times more enjoyable once the robot, Mosscap, made its appearance! I'm not a misanthrope but I, too, would love to just run away from human society and become friends with a kind, sentient robot.

❝It's very odd, isn't it? The thing every being fears most is the only thing that's for certain?�

]]> 4.25 2021 A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2024/10/05
shelves: novella, science-fiction, fantasy, queer, adult, feel-good, magical-writing
review:
❛Mosscap's hand remained outstretched. ❝Come on,� it said. Its voice was easy, steady, used to sharing space with wolves and bears and small, frightened things.�

This was such a lovely read!! I truly, truly love it when a book cover actually perfectly encapsulates the vibes of a book! Both the cover and the story itself just radiate Ghibli vibes � Miyazaki would for sure love this novella, too.

The novella's dedication is ❛for anybody who could use a break�, and that is just so apt. If you need a break (from anything at all, really), do yourself a favour and pick up this wonderful, little novella. You won't regret it.

❝You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don't know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don't need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live. That is all most animals do. �

This is my first time reading anything by Becky Chambers, and it definitely won't be my last! This was a surprisingly funny read; it made me smile a lot, and forget about impending uni deadlines for a bit :')

The reason why this is "only" a 4 star read is that I didn't exactly love the beginning of the story. It starts out kinda slow, and there's a bit too much world building for my taste.

The book became a hundred times more enjoyable once the robot, Mosscap, made its appearance! I'm not a misanthrope but I, too, would love to just run away from human society and become friends with a kind, sentient robot.

❝It's very odd, isn't it? The thing every being fears most is the only thing that's for certain?�


]]> <![CDATA[The Duke Undone (Duke Undone, #1)]]> 55249948 An artist stumbles upon a naked duke and an unlikely love story begins in this captivating Victorian historical romance.

When Royal Academy painting student Lucy Coover trips over a naked man passed out in an East End alley, she does the decent thing. She covers him up and fetches help. Trouble is, she can't banish his muscular form from her dreams as easily. She finds herself compelled to put every detail down on canvas. What she doesn't know is that she's painting the infamous Duke of Weston, and that her life will never be the same.

A second son, Anthony Philby thought he could flee his brutal family legacy and become his own man. Forced back to London by his brother's death, he inherits a fortune... with strings attached. One scandal will sink his bid for independence. It's in his best interest to burn Lucy Coover's shocking painting and pretend he never met the bewitching young artist. Instead, he finds himself offering a devil's bargain. He'll save her aunt's dressmaking shop from ruin, if she'll seek out his missing sister, Effie.

As they work together, an unexpected passion ignites between them. But the hunt for Effie leads to unexpected danger, and soon they find themselves risking everything... for a love that might destroy them both.]]> 382 Joanna Lowell 0593198298 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 3.81 2021 The Duke Undone (Duke Undone, #1)
author: Joanna Lowell
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mask of Mirrors (Rook & Rose, #1)]]> 53343033 The Mask of Mirrors is the unmissable start to the Rook & Rose trilogy, a dazzling and darkly magical fantasy adventure by Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, writing together as M. A. Carrick.

Fortune favors the bold. Magic favors the liars.

Ren is a con artist who has come to the sparkling city of Nadežra with one goal: to trick her way into a noble house, securing her fortune and her sister's future.

But as she's drawn into the elite world of House Traementis, she realizes her masquerade is just one of many surrounding her. And as nightmare magic begins to weave its way through the City of Dreams, the poisonous feuds of its aristocrats and the shadowy dangers of its impoverished underbelly become tangled…with Ren at their heart.]]> 688 M.A. Carrick 0316539694 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 4.13 2021 The Mask of Mirrors (Rook & Rose, #1)
author: M.A. Carrick
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2)]]> 57059501
The year is 1927, and Shanghai teeters on the edge of revolution.

After sacrificing her relationship with Roma to protect him from the blood feud, Juliette has been a girl on the warpath. One wrong move, and her cousin will step in to usurp her place as the Scarlet Gang’s heir. The only way to save the boy she loves from the wrath of the Scarlets is to have him want her dead for murdering his best friend in cold blood. If Juliette were actually guilty of the crime Roma believes she committed, his rejection might sting less.

Roma is still reeling from Marshall’s death, and his cousin Benedikt will barely speak to him. Roma knows it’s his fault for letting the ruthless Juliette back into his life, and he’s determined to set things right—even if that means killing the girl he hates and loves with equal measure.

Then a new monstrous danger emerges in the city, and though secrets keep them apart, Juliette must secure Roma’s cooperation if they are to end this threat once and for all. Shanghai is already at a boiling point: The Nationalists are marching in, whispers of civil war brew louder every day, and gangster rule faces complete annihilation. Roma and Juliette must put aside their differences to combat monsters and politics, but they aren’t prepared for the biggest threat of all: protecting their hearts from each other.]]> 509 Chloe Gong 1534457747 Sonja 5 this book quite literally destroyed me... it made me cry so much i am not okay ]]> 4.13 2021 Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2)
author: Chloe Gong
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/17
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: diverse-books, advance-reading-copy, netgalley, buddy-read
review:
this book quite literally destroyed me... it made me cry so much i am not okay
]]> In Ageless Sleep 34218098
But when a vital component of the ship's cryostasis system malfunctions, the only person who can keep the unconscious passengers alive is the woman Mal was sent to kidnap. Alone together on a ship of silent sleepers, Mal must remember that she and Aurora are enemies—or risk them becoming something much more dangerous.]]> 52 Arden Ellis 1620049929 Sonja 0 3.86 2017 In Ageless Sleep
author: Arden Ellis
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: sapphic, queer, science-fiction, novella, maybe-to-read
review:

]]> The Lorax 7784 "Unless someone like you... cares a whole awful lot... nothing is going to get better... It's not."

Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's natural beauty.

His classic cautionary tale is now available in an irresistible mini-edition, perfect for backpack or briefcase, for Arbor Day, Earth Day, and every day.]]> 72 Dr. Seuss 0679889108 Sonja 4 classics, childrens ❝UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.�
The Lorax truly speaks to the mindset certain people have of “you don’t owe the world/society anything�. Like, no, you actually do. We owe each other basic kindness and respect. "No man is an island� isn’t just a pretty line from a 17th century book.

The Lorax touches on so many current topics � it's actually crazy to think about the fact that it was first published in 1971 (53 years ago!). I love the book's message about caring for the environment and the importance of sustainability.

❝I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.�

This book really is one of those books I wish I had read when I was younger. I didn't grow up reading Dr. Seuss so I feel like I’m very late to the party lmao
]]> 4.35 1971 The Lorax
author: Dr. Seuss
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1971
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: classics, childrens
review:
❝UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.�

The Lorax truly speaks to the mindset certain people have of “you don’t owe the world/society anything�. Like, no, you actually do. We owe each other basic kindness and respect. "No man is an island� isn’t just a pretty line from a 17th century book.

The Lorax touches on so many current topics � it's actually crazy to think about the fact that it was first published in 1971 (53 years ago!). I love the book's message about caring for the environment and the importance of sustainability.

❝I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.�

This book really is one of those books I wish I had read when I was younger. I didn't grow up reading Dr. Seuss so I feel like I’m very late to the party lmao

]]> Bet on It 59548803 "Jodie Slaughter is must-buy author, and Bet on It is a perfect example of what makes her writing delicious. Aja and Walker’s story is hot, sweet, and utterly unique, with a rock-solid emotional core." - Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author of Act Your Age, Eve Brown

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.

A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this�thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored.

Jodie Slaughter's Bet on It is a heart-stoppingly fun, emotional romance that will have readers falling in love until long after the last page is turned.

�Bet on It reads like the first rays of sun on your face after a long winter. I loved Aja and Walker's story about two genuinely good people who are playful and sweet to each other, helping one another heal, while also having incredibly hot sex. With standout portrayals of beautiful, generous friendships in addition to the love story, this is a book to be savored.� - Rosie Danan, author of The Intimacy Experiment and The Roommate]]> 315 Jodie Slaughter 1250821835 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 3.70 2022 Bet on It
author: Jodie Slaughter
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Midnight Heir (The Bane Chronicles, #4)]]> 17334074
This is one of ten eBook short stories in The Bane Chronicles, a series about the enigmatic warlock and fan favourite Magnus Bane from Cassandra Clare’s internationally bestselling series The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments.]]> 64 Cassandra Clare 1442495596 Sonja 4 short-stories, fantasy, queer 4.5 out of 5 stars.

❛Love was love; there was no spell to cure a broken heart that did not also destroy that heart's capacity for love forever.�

I loved this short story so much!! It left me wanting more.. This could honestly have been a full-length book, and I wouldn't have been mad.

It was so lovely to see Tessa, Will & Jem again.. I had missed them ]]> 4.15 2013 The Midnight Heir (The Bane Chronicles, #4)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/15
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: short-stories, fantasy, queer
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.

❛Love was love; there was no spell to cure a broken heart that did not also destroy that heart's capacity for love forever.�

I loved this short story so much!! It left me wanting more.. This could honestly have been a full-length book, and I wouldn't have been mad.

It was so lovely to see Tessa, Will & Jem again.. I had missed them
]]> A Lady for a Duke 63828927
Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.]]> 384 Alexis Hall Sonja 3 3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝He wanted to look at her like he wanted to breathe, like she was breath and he was drowning, and every moment of his not looking was a struggle towards the thing he most needed.�

I had really high hopes for this one but, unfortunately, it was a bit of a let-down.

The pacing was all over the place. The romance, especially, felt rather rushed. A Lady for a Duke has a lot of beautiful quotes but, alas, beautiful writing alone does not a good book make.

It could easily have been one hundred pages shorter. There was literally no reason for it to be this long. The middle dragged so much.

There's also a conflict that happens near the end of the book that felt quite contrived and unnecessary. [spoilers removed]

Having said all of that though, I really loved the epilogue. I'm glad the book at least ended on a high note! I just wish the middle was executed better...

❝I love you with my soul, as some reserve their faith for absent gods. I love you as I believe in what is right and hope for what is good. I love you with everything I am and ever was—and if you will only let me, with every day that comes, and every self that I could ever be.�

Buddy-read this with Lara ]]> 3.79 2022 A Lady for a Duke
author: Alexis Hall
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/08
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: buddy-read, historical, adult, romance, diverse-books, queer
review:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

❝He wanted to look at her like he wanted to breathe, like she was breath and he was drowning, and every moment of his not looking was a struggle towards the thing he most needed.�

I had really high hopes for this one but, unfortunately, it was a bit of a let-down.

The pacing was all over the place. The romance, especially, felt rather rushed. A Lady for a Duke has a lot of beautiful quotes but, alas, beautiful writing alone does not a good book make.

It could easily have been one hundred pages shorter. There was literally no reason for it to be this long. The middle dragged so much.

There's also a conflict that happens near the end of the book that felt quite contrived and unnecessary. [spoilers removed]

Having said all of that though, I really loved the epilogue. I'm glad the book at least ended on a high note! I just wish the middle was executed better...

❝I love you with my soul, as some reserve their faith for absent gods. I love you as I believe in what is right and hope for what is good. I love you with everything I am and ever was—and if you will only let me, with every day that comes, and every self that I could ever be.�

Buddy-read this with Lara
]]> <![CDATA[Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)]]> 36153880 Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah's SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.]]> 150 Martha Wells 1250185432 Sonja 4 science-fiction, novella ❝They were all annoying and deeply inadequate humans, but I didn’t want to kill them. Okay, maybe a little.�
This was yet another fun instalment of The Murderbot Diaries! I'm really enjoying this series!! Murderbot is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourite characters ]]> 4.40 2018 Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)
author: Martha Wells
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/18
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: science-fiction, novella
review:
❝They were all annoying and deeply inadequate humans, but I didn’t want to kill them. Okay, maybe a little.�

This was yet another fun instalment of The Murderbot Diaries! I'm really enjoying this series!! Murderbot is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourite characters
]]> <![CDATA[A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2)]]> 21528377 'There are two sorts of people. The players and the pieces... Every man's a piece to start with, and every maid as well. Even some who think they are players'

The Starks are scattered. Robb Stark may be King in the North, but he must bend to the will of an old tyrant if he is to hold his crown. And while his youngest sister has escaped the clutches of the depraved Lannisters, Sansa Stark remains their captive.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, the last heir of the Dragon King approaches Westeros with vengeance in her heart.]]> 554 George R.R. Martin 0007548265 Sonja 5
"Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next."

This book is pure genius. It made me wince in pain when a few of my favourite characters were murdered. It made me dizzy with joy when my most despised and hated character was murdered. And it made me feel all the little things in between during the whole span of A Storm of Swords.

"Weddings have become more perilous than battles, it would seem."

I loved the way A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold surprised me. I never expected people to die in the manner they did. I love the fact that even though so many people die it still hurts. George R.R. Martin makes me feel too many feels while reading. One moment I think the characters are safe and the tone is light and happy, and the next moment: everybody is dead.

description
All men must die.

One thing that I absolutely loved about this book was the character development! I learned a lot about the characters' backstories, intentions and true feelings. I started liking Jaime more and more as I continued reading. And Sandor Clegane as well.

"which is more dangerous, the dagger brandished by an enemy, or the hidden one pressed to your back by someone you never even see?"

I love the way treachery is portrayed in the book. The reader is shown the intricate and delicate ways people can play the Game of Thrones. In A Storm of Swords I got a better insight on the way people try to manipulate and control each other to win the Game of Thrones.

"Smoke, sweat, and shit. King's Landing, in short. If you have a good nose you can smell the treachery too."


A Song of Ice and Fire (Book Reviews)
1. A Game of Thrones: 5 Great First Stars
2. A Clash of Kings: 5 Royal Stars
3.1 A Storm of Swords Pt. 1: 5 Red Stars
4. A Feast for Crows: 5 Westerosi Stars]]> 4.58 2000 A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2015/05/07
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: fantasy, adult, awesomesauce, favourite, love-this-so-much, magical-writing, pure-genius, that-plot-twist-though, too-many-feels
review:
"Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next."

This book is pure genius. It made me wince in pain when a few of my favourite characters were murdered. It made me dizzy with joy when my most despised and hated character was murdered. And it made me feel all the little things in between during the whole span of A Storm of Swords.

"Weddings have become more perilous than battles, it would seem."

I loved the way A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold surprised me. I never expected people to die in the manner they did. I love the fact that even though so many people die it still hurts. George R.R. Martin makes me feel too many feels while reading. One moment I think the characters are safe and the tone is light and happy, and the next moment: everybody is dead.

description
All men must die.

One thing that I absolutely loved about this book was the character development! I learned a lot about the characters' backstories, intentions and true feelings. I started liking Jaime more and more as I continued reading. And Sandor Clegane as well.

"which is more dangerous, the dagger brandished by an enemy, or the hidden one pressed to your back by someone you never even see?"

I love the way treachery is portrayed in the book. The reader is shown the intricate and delicate ways people can play the Game of Thrones. In A Storm of Swords I got a better insight on the way people try to manipulate and control each other to win the Game of Thrones.

"Smoke, sweat, and shit. King's Landing, in short. If you have a good nose you can smell the treachery too."


A Song of Ice and Fire (Book Reviews)
1. A Game of Thrones: 5 Great First Stars
2. A Clash of Kings: 5 Royal Stars
3.1 A Storm of Swords Pt. 1: 5 Red Stars
4. A Feast for Crows: 5 Westerosi Stars
]]> <![CDATA[The Man with the Compound Eyes]]> 19186378
Across the sea, Alice Shih’s life is interrupted when a vast trash vortex comes crashing onto the shore of Taiwan, bringing Atile’i with it.

In the aftermath of the catastrophe, Atile’i and Alice retrace her late husband’s footsteps into the mountains, hoping to solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance. On their journey, memories will be challenged, an unusual bond formed, and a dark secret uncovered that will force Alice to question everything she thought she knew.]]> 304 Wu Ming-Yi 0099575620 Sonja 4 ❝No beach, no matter what the island, can hold the waves.�
This was a really interesting and thought-provoking novel!! The Man with the Compound Eyes deals with the catastrophic and violent impact of climate change, through the lives of ordinary people in Taiwan and a neighbouring indigenous (fictional) island called Wayo Wayo.

❝You must love the land, my children, and ring it in with your love. For the land is the most precious thing on this island. It is like rain, like the heart of a woman.�

I really enjoyed the writing! The story is beautifully translated by Darryl Sterk.

My one minor complaint about the book is the alternating POV chapters; it was a little hard for me to get into the story at first because of them.

❝The sea cannot be taught. You learn it with your life,�

[read this for my Critical Ecologies course]
]]> 3.72 2011 The Man with the Compound Eyes
author: Wu Ming-Yi
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/30
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: read-for-uni, diverse-books, magical-realism, fantasy, that-plot-twist-though
review:
❝No beach, no matter what the island, can hold the waves.�

This was a really interesting and thought-provoking novel!! The Man with the Compound Eyes deals with the catastrophic and violent impact of climate change, through the lives of ordinary people in Taiwan and a neighbouring indigenous (fictional) island called Wayo Wayo.

❝You must love the land, my children, and ring it in with your love. For the land is the most precious thing on this island. It is like rain, like the heart of a woman.�

I really enjoyed the writing! The story is beautifully translated by Darryl Sterk.

My one minor complaint about the book is the alternating POV chapters; it was a little hard for me to get into the story at first because of them.

❝The sea cannot be taught. You learn it with your life,�

[read this for my Critical Ecologies course]

]]> Venomous Lumpsucker 61375685 A dark and witty story of environmental collapse and runaway capitalism from the Booker-listed author of The Teleportation Accident.

The near future. Tens of thousands of species are going extinct every year. And a whole industry has sprung up around their extinctions, to help us preserve the remnants, or perhaps just assuage our guilt. For instance, the secure archives of DNA samples, from which lost organisms might someday be resurrected . . . But then, one day, it’s all gone. A mysterious cyber-attack hits every biobank simultaneously, wiping out the last traces of the perished species. Now we’re never getting them back.

Karin Resaint and Mark Halyard are concerned with one species in the venomous lumpsucker, a small, ugly bottom-feeder that happens to be the most intelligent fish on the planet. Resaint is an animal cognition scientist consumed with existential grief over what humans have done to nature. Halyard is an exec from the extinction industry, complicit in the mining operation that destroyed the lumpsucker’s last-known habitat.

Across the dystopian landscapes of the 2030s—a nature reserve full of toxic waste; a floating city on the ocean; the hinterlands of a totalitarian state—Resaint and Halyard hunt for a surviving lumpsucker. And the further they go, the deeper they’re drawn into the mystery of the attack on the biobanks. Who was really behind it? And why would anyone do such a thing?

Virtuosic and profound, witty and despairing, Venomous Lumpsucker is Ned Beauman at his very best.]]> 337 Ned Beauman 1641294132 Sonja 4 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Now this is how you write satire! I can't believe this book has less than 5k ratings on ŷ, Venomous Lumpsucker deserves way more popularity. If you love reading sci-fi, you will definitely love this!

Venomous Lumpsucker is set in the near future, in a world where numerous non-human species are going extinct at unprecedented rates. The novel grapples with the consequences of such mass extinction and biodiversity loss and with performative environmentalism, and it does so in part through the use of satire.

❝Evolution was a monstrous maker, a blind heedless thing inching along in no particular direction, the whole disaster fueled by spilled blood and wasted effort, Amazon rivers of both.�

The writing, the wit, the humour � all of it was exactly my style. I enjoyed Venomous Lumpsucker so much more than I was initially expecting! It actually made me laugh multiple times, and that's saying a lot considering the book's depressing subject matter :')

❝The endangered and the extinct, the remnants and the endlings. The only living things that really mattered to her. She would lie there, uncomplaining, as they ate her flesh.�

Immediately after finishing the book, I was unsure how to feel about the ending. It felt kinda anticlimactic to me. But now, after several months have passed since I finished the book, I wouldn't wish for a different ending! Perhaps it is a bit of a fatalistic ending, but at the same time I think it is also very realistic.

❝Probably some little drone was already on its way to check what had happened. These days you were always under surveillance wherever you went � what a heavenly time to be alive.�

[read this for my Critical Ecologies course]]]> 3.97 2022 Venomous Lumpsucker
author: Ned Beauman
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/25
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: read-for-uni, science-fiction, dystopia, adult, that-plot-twist-though, satire
review:
4.25 out of 5 stars.

Now this is how you write satire! I can't believe this book has less than 5k ratings on ŷ, Venomous Lumpsucker deserves way more popularity. If you love reading sci-fi, you will definitely love this!

Venomous Lumpsucker is set in the near future, in a world where numerous non-human species are going extinct at unprecedented rates. The novel grapples with the consequences of such mass extinction and biodiversity loss and with performative environmentalism, and it does so in part through the use of satire.

❝Evolution was a monstrous maker, a blind heedless thing inching along in no particular direction, the whole disaster fueled by spilled blood and wasted effort, Amazon rivers of both.�

The writing, the wit, the humour � all of it was exactly my style. I enjoyed Venomous Lumpsucker so much more than I was initially expecting! It actually made me laugh multiple times, and that's saying a lot considering the book's depressing subject matter :')

❝The endangered and the extinct, the remnants and the endlings. The only living things that really mattered to her. She would lie there, uncomplaining, as they ate her flesh.�

Immediately after finishing the book, I was unsure how to feel about the ending. It felt kinda anticlimactic to me. But now, after several months have passed since I finished the book, I wouldn't wish for a different ending! Perhaps it is a bit of a fatalistic ending, but at the same time I think it is also very realistic.

❝Probably some little drone was already on its way to check what had happened. These days you were always under surveillance wherever you went � what a heavenly time to be alive.�

[read this for my Critical Ecologies course]
]]> <![CDATA[De Reis om de Wereld in 80 Dagen]]> 13577653 'De reis om de wereld' verscheen oorspronkelijk als feuilleton in een Franse krant en al spoedig leefde de hele wereld mee met de spannende avonturen van Phileas Fogg, zijn trouwe knecht Passepartout en de knappe Aouda.
Verdacht van een grote bankroof en op de voet gevolgd door de detective Fix moeten de reizigers gebruik maken van alle beschikbare vervoermiddelen in een spannende wedstrijd tegen de klok.
Phileas Fogg is met zijn recordpoging een klassieke figuur in de wereldliteratuur geworden en het verslag van zijn reis is nog altijd een van de beroemdste en meest gelezen boeken van Jules Verne.]]> 212 Jules Verne 9062134203 Sonja 4 classics <b>4.5 out of 5 stars.</b> 4.20 1872 De Reis om de Wereld in 80 Dagen
author: Jules Verne
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at: 2011/08/01
date added: 2024/08/31
shelves: classics
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.
]]> Work for It 206344178 For men like us, trust doesn't come easy.

In this village, I’m an outcast: Griffin Everett, the scowling giant who prefers plants to people. Then I meet Keynes, a stranger from the city who’s everything I’m not: sharp-tongued, sophisticated, beautiful. Free. For a few precious moments in a dark alleyway, he’s also mine, hot and sweet under the stars� until he crushes me like dirt beneath his designer boot.

When the prettiest man I’ve ever hated shows up at my job the next day, I’m not sure if I want to strangle him or drag him into bed. Actually—I think I want both. But Keynes isn’t here for the likes of me: he makes that painfully clear. With everyone else at work, he’s all gorgeous, glittering charm—but when I get too close, he turns vicious.

And yet, I can’t stay away. Because there’s something about this ice king that sets me on fire, a secret vulnerability that makes my chest ache. I’ll do whatever it takes to sneak past his walls and see the real man again.

The last thing I expect is for that man to ruin me.]]> 274 Talia Hibbert Sonja 4 4.5 out of 5 stars.

He stares at me some more. ❝If I thought I deserved it,� he says, ❝I’d probably kiss you.�

Talia Hibbert never misses. Her writing always makes me feel so much. She is truly my #1 favourite romance author.

Her books never fail to evoke the warmest, fuzziest feelings. There's just something about her writing and her characters that I absolutely adore.

It's a rather sad prospect that I'll run out of Talia Hibbert books one day. I've tried to slow myself down, but I can't help myself � her books are so good that I just want to devour them all :')

I guess I can always reread my favourite stories of hers, once I've read them all. At least, that is something to look forward to...

❝When he kisses me, all I can feel is perfect.�

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
══════════════�

when in doubt, read a talia hibbert romance! ]]> 4.10 2019 Work for It
author: Talia Hibbert
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/03
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: diverse-books, queer, steamy, adult, romance, contemporary, feel-good, love-this-so-much, too-many-feels
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.

He stares at me some more. ❝If I thought I deserved it,� he says, ❝I’d probably kiss you.�

Talia Hibbert never misses. Her writing always makes me feel so much. She is truly my #1 favourite romance author.

Her books never fail to evoke the warmest, fuzziest feelings. There's just something about her writing and her characters that I absolutely adore.

It's a rather sad prospect that I'll run out of Talia Hibbert books one day. I've tried to slow myself down, but I can't help myself � her books are so good that I just want to devour them all :')

I guess I can always reread my favourite stories of hers, once I've read them all. At least, that is something to look forward to...

❝When he kisses me, all I can feel is perfect.�

╔═══════════════�
pre-review
══════════════�

when in doubt, read a talia hibbert romance!
]]> People We Meet on Vacation 54985743 Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together.

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven’t spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?]]> 400 Emily Henry 1984806750 Sonja 5 4.8 out of 5 stars.

❝I still have a lot to figure out, but the one thing I know is, wherever you are, that’s where I belong. I’ll never belong anywhere like I belong with you.�

I really, really loved this book!!! Alex and Poppy were everything together. Their friendship, and just their entire relationship, was so sweet. I can't believe it took me so long to read this!

After reading and loving Book Lovers, I was honestly kinda afraid and hesitant to pick up Emily Henry's other books, because how could any of them ever compare? Book Lovers is literally one of my all-time favourite books � I get the (almost) uncontrollable urge to reread it again, every time I see it on my bookshelf. If I had no self control, I would only ever reread my favourite books ]]> 3.85 2021 People We Meet on Vacation
author: Emily Henry
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/31
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves: adult, contemporary, romance, favourite, love-this-so-much
review:
4.8 out of 5 stars.

❝I still have a lot to figure out, but the one thing I know is, wherever you are, that’s where I belong. I’ll never belong anywhere like I belong with you.�

I really, really loved this book!!! Alex and Poppy were everything together. Their friendship, and just their entire relationship, was so sweet. I can't believe it took me so long to read this!

After reading and loving Book Lovers, I was honestly kinda afraid and hesitant to pick up Emily Henry's other books, because how could any of them ever compare? Book Lovers is literally one of my all-time favourite books � I get the (almost) uncontrollable urge to reread it again, every time I see it on my bookshelf. If I had no self control, I would only ever reread my favourite books
]]> A Little Life 25334922 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship� (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST � MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST � WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE �

A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves.]]> 720 Hanya Yanagihara 1447294823 Sonja 0 buddy-read, on-hold
:: buddy reading this w my friend monica ]]> 4.28 2015 A Little Life
author: Hanya Yanagihara
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: buddy-read, on-hold
review:
will this book make me cry?? stay tuned to find out hehe

:: buddy reading this w my friend monica
]]> <![CDATA[A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 1 of 2)]]> 21528372 'All mean are fools, if truth be told, but the ones in motley are more amusing than the ones with crowns'

The Seven Kingdoms are divided be revolt and blood feud. In the northern wastes a savage horde is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown.

Throughout Westeros, the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the Wall is breached, no king will live to claim it.]]> 624 George R.R. Martin 0007548257 Sonja 5 time slept when swords woke I'm loving the way the series progresses. There is not a single boring moment. I'm off to Part 2. Ciao.

P.S.
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series that won't disappoint. It only gets better and better. Promise. If you can't accept that as a fact of LIFE then all I've got to say to you is this:
"You know nothing, Jon Snow."

A Song of Ice and Fire (Book Reviews)
1. A Game of Thrones: 5 Great First Stars
2. A Clash of Kings: 5 Royal Stars
3.2 A Storm of Swords Pt. 2: 5 Bloody Stars
4. A Feast for Crows: 5 Westerosi Stars]]> 4.35 2000 A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 1 of 2)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2015/05/04
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves: fantasy, adult, favourite, magical-writing, awesomesauce
review:
time slept when swords woke
I'm loving the way the series progresses. There is not a single boring moment. I'm off to Part 2. Ciao.

P.S.
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series that won't disappoint. It only gets better and better. Promise. If you can't accept that as a fact of LIFE then all I've got to say to you is this:
"You know nothing, Jon Snow."

A Song of Ice and Fire (Book Reviews)
1. A Game of Thrones: 5 Great First Stars
2. A Clash of Kings: 5 Royal Stars
3.2 A Storm of Swords Pt. 2: 5 Bloody Stars
4. A Feast for Crows: 5 Westerosi Stars
]]> <![CDATA[The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles, #5)]]> 18085096
The immortal Magnus Bane is making the most of his time in the Roaring Twenties: He's settled into New York society and is thriving among the fashionable jazz set. And there is nowhere better to see and be seen than the glamorous Hotel Dumort, a glittering new addition to the Manhattan landscape. But a different type of glamour may be at play...]]> 44 Cassandra Clare Sonja 2 ❛It wasn't a bad life. It wouldn't last, but nothing ever did.� The Rise of the Hotel Dumort is honestly a pretty pointless story. I kept on reading the story wondering when something interesting would happen; and eventually when something out of the ordinary did happen, it was executed poorly..

Also, the ending was really abrupt?? I'm so confused by this short story.. Like why does it exist? It feels like it wasn't edited or looked over with a critical eye at all.

The last Magnus Bane short story I read was so great, and this one is just rubbish in comparison. Also, Shadowhunters are arrogant and annoyingassholes, but what else is new?
❝When have I ever claimed not to be a fool?�
____________________
I read this in The Bane Chronicles ]]> 4.03 The Rise of the Hotel Dumort (The Bane Chronicles, #5)
author: Cassandra Clare
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2020/03/28
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: fantasy, disappointing, short-stories
review:
❛It wasn't a bad life. It wouldn't last, but nothing ever did.�
The Rise of the Hotel Dumort is honestly a pretty pointless story. I kept on reading the story wondering when something interesting would happen; and eventually when something out of the ordinary did happen, it was executed poorly..

Also, the ending was really abrupt?? I'm so confused by this short story.. Like why does it exist? It feels like it wasn't edited or looked over with a critical eye at all.

The last Magnus Bane short story I read was so great, and this one is just rubbish in comparison. Also, Shadowhunters are arrogant and annoyingassholes, but what else is new?
❝When have I ever claimed not to be a fool?�
____________________
I read this in The Bane Chronicles
]]> <![CDATA[A Dance with Dragons: Dreams and Dust (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5.1)]]> 21528349 'The Night's Watch takes no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms. Our oaths are sworn to the realm, and the realm now stands in dire peril'

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, new threats are emerging from every direction. To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone - a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Jon Snow has been elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. But Jon has enemies both inside and beyond the Wall.

And in the east Daenerys Targaryen struggles to hold a city built on dreams and dust.]]> 624 George R.R. Martin 0007548281 Sonja 5 "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." A Dance with Dragons Pt. 1: Dreams and Dusts is so good! I've missed Daenerys' and Tyrion's POV chapters, they're fantastic!

I'm off to Part 2.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Book Reviews)
1. A Game of Thrones: 5 Great First Stars
2. A Clash of Kings: 5 Royal Stars
3.1 A Storm of Swords Pt. 1: 5 Red Stars
3.2 A Storm of Swords Pt. 2: 5 Bloody Stars
4. A Feast for Crows: 5 Westerosi Stars]]> 4.28 2011 A Dance with Dragons: Dreams and Dust (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5.1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/22
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: fantasy, awesomesauce, love-this-so-much, favourite, adult, magical-writing, political-intrigue, pure-genius, that-plot-twist-though, too-many-feels
review:
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one."
A Dance with Dragons Pt. 1: Dreams and Dusts is so good! I've missed Daenerys' and Tyrion's POV chapters, they're fantastic!

I'm off to Part 2.

A Song of Ice and Fire (Book Reviews)
1. A Game of Thrones: 5 Great First Stars
2. A Clash of Kings: 5 Royal Stars
3.1 A Storm of Swords Pt. 1: 5 Red Stars
3.2 A Storm of Swords Pt. 2: 5 Bloody Stars
4. A Feast for Crows: 5 Westerosi Stars
]]> <![CDATA[World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)]]> 17849112 Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans, where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

]]> 320 Susan Ee 1477867287 Sonja 4 8.5/10
Because she looked like a monster, that's why. And it never occurred to me that monsters might feel pain.
description
Oh my angels. This book. . . This book is just WOW. I love this book. SO much. I WANT MORE RAFFE. Like, seriously, they don't even kiss. I NEED MORE RAFFE. I started to like 'World After' 10x more when Raffe was present. Cuz he's an amazing drop-dead gorgeous angel. And he's witty and just all the good things in the world. . . *sighs*
description

The plot was generally action-packed, full with surprises and lots of new information about the past and the world. The pace of 'World After' was great, but I felt that it didn't move fast enough to the part where Raffe showed up (*swoon*). There was some amazing world building. We got a closer look at Rafael's past as an Archangel and at Clara's storyline. I loved reading about her. It was very powerful.
She was strong enough to survive a scorpion attack, strong enough to crawl out of being buried alive and escape from monsters on Alcatraz. But having her little girl scream at the sight of her would shatter her into so many pieces that nothing could glue her back together.

I love the characters, but sometimes certain situations just felt a bit too convenient and a bit too perfect to be plausible. Certain characters were at the "right" places for the plot to move along, and for there to be a "huge" reveal. Sometimes it felt just a tad orchestrated. Despite of that the writing was, just as in Angelfall truly amazing.
"A true warrior would have retrieved her sword first before doing personal business."
"I'm all about personal business. Every battle I have is personal."

The ending leaves me wanting more. Raffe just came into the story. AND then the story ends. *grumbles angrily*. (I feel like this whole review is about Raffe - whooops 0_0) I can't wait for the third and final novel of Penryn & the End of Days trilogy to get released. Because I'm going to devour it. I recommend 'World After' to people who'd loved 'Angelfall' because then they'll surely love this wondrous piece of amazingness. And I recommend it to people who'd like to read a trilogy with an awesomesauce second book and a badass who knows-her-shit heroine.
It's a new day in the World After.

I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks for the opportunity.]]> 4.09 2013 World After (Penryn & the End of Days, #2)
author: Susan Ee
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/20
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: netgalley, oh-my-angels, young-adult, apocalyptic-or-post-apocalyptic, romance, fantasy, dystopia
review:
8.5/10
Because she looked like a monster, that's why. And it never occurred to me that monsters might feel pain.
description
Oh my angels. This book. . . This book is just WOW. I love this book. SO much. I WANT MORE RAFFE. Like, seriously, they don't even kiss. I NEED MORE RAFFE. I started to like 'World After' 10x more when Raffe was present. Cuz he's an amazing drop-dead gorgeous angel. And he's witty and just all the good things in the world. . . *sighs*
description

The plot was generally action-packed, full with surprises and lots of new information about the past and the world. The pace of 'World After' was great, but I felt that it didn't move fast enough to the part where Raffe showed up (*swoon*). There was some amazing world building. We got a closer look at Rafael's past as an Archangel and at Clara's storyline. I loved reading about her. It was very powerful.
She was strong enough to survive a scorpion attack, strong enough to crawl out of being buried alive and escape from monsters on Alcatraz. But having her little girl scream at the sight of her would shatter her into so many pieces that nothing could glue her back together.

I love the characters, but sometimes certain situations just felt a bit too convenient and a bit too perfect to be plausible. Certain characters were at the "right" places for the plot to move along, and for there to be a "huge" reveal. Sometimes it felt just a tad orchestrated. Despite of that the writing was, just as in Angelfall truly amazing.
"A true warrior would have retrieved her sword first before doing personal business."
"I'm all about personal business. Every battle I have is personal."

The ending leaves me wanting more. Raffe just came into the story. AND then the story ends. *grumbles angrily*. (I feel like this whole review is about Raffe - whooops 0_0) I can't wait for the third and final novel of Penryn & the End of Days trilogy to get released. Because I'm going to devour it. I recommend 'World After' to people who'd loved 'Angelfall' because then they'll surely love this wondrous piece of amazingness. And I recommend it to people who'd like to read a trilogy with an awesomesauce second book and a badass who knows-her-shit heroine.
It's a new day in the World After.

I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks for the opportunity.
]]> Toward Eternity 199392376 What does it mean to be human in a world where technology is quickly catching up to biology?

In a near-future world, a new technological therapy is quickly eradicating cancer: The body’s cells are entirely replaced with nanites—robot or android cells that not only cure those afflicted but leave them virtually immortal. At the same time, literary researcher Yonghun teaches an AI how to understand poetry and creates a living, thinking machine he names Panit, meaning "Beloved," in honor of his husband. When Dr. Beeko, who holds the patent to the nano-therapy technology, learns of Panit, he transfers its consciousness into an android body, giving it freedom and life. As Yonghun, Panit, and other nano humans thrive—and begin to replicate—their development will lead them to a crossroads and a choice with existential consequences.]]> 256 Anton Hur 0063344483 Sonja 0 currently-reading 3.81 2024 Toward Eternity
author: Anton Hur
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: currently-reading
review:
Super excited to finally start this!!
]]> Three Swedish Mountain Men 62334000 Three ripped, gorgeous men. One secluded Swedish mountain cabin. It looks like my vacation is about to heat up�

After my ex-boyfriend makes me the target of a cruel online hate campaign, I know I have to get away. The last thing I expect on my trip to Sweden is a moose standing in the middle of the road � or the mysterious, bearded ranger who pulls me from my wrecked car.

Now a storm’s brewing, and I’m being carried into a secluded mountain cabin by a Nordic God rippling with muscle. Inside, I’m greeted by three sizzling-hot Swedish mountain men:

Riven, the cool, collected doctor with the muscled arms and the impeccable bedside manner.
Eli, the flirty ski instructor with the charming smile and dimples I’m dying to kiss.
And Cole, the rugged blonde ranger with the ice-blue eyes and a hammer to rival Thor.

Trapped inside the cabin, we only have the roaring fire—and each other—to keep warm. And things heat up fast. All three men are fiercely protective over me. They look like Vikings, kiss like angels, and best of all, they love sharing me. It feels too good to be true.

But I’m not who I say I am. When my mountain men find out my true identity, will they be able to forgive my lies and love the real me? Or will my dark, painful secret shatter our relationship to pieces?

THREE SWEDISH MOUNTAIN MEN is a scorching stand-alone reverse harem romance, filled with love, adventure, and three sinfully gorgeous heroes. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and HEA guaranteed! ]]> 332 Lily Gold 1739586700 Sonja 4 ❝I f-feel like I missed you all my life,� she whispers.
This was such a sweet romance!! Really enjoyed it ]]> 3.79 2021 Three Swedish Mountain Men
author: Lily Gold
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/05
date added: 2024/08/05
shelves: steamy, contemporary, adult, romance
review:
❝I f-feel like I missed you all my life,� she whispers.

This was such a sweet romance!! Really enjoyed it
]]> <![CDATA[Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)]]> 13519397 Librarian note: Older cover of 9781408832332.

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?]]> 404 Sarah J. Maas Sonja 0 July 2017 � I will not be continuing this series.

March 2015 � ★★★★� (original rating)

THIS BOOK IS . . . AMAZING. Sarah J. Maas' writing is clever and wonderful.

description

At the start I liked Chaol more than Dorian . . . but Dorian has won my heart. He is just *sighs* . . .
She was something out of a dream—a dream in which he was not a spoiled young prince, but a king.

description

Dorian and Celaena together are dreamy and swoon-worthy. Can I just say that I love the fact that Dorian loves reading books more than getting better at fighting. I LOVE DORIAN.
Something was brought to life and laid to sleep in his gaze.

He is prince charming, while Chaol is Celaena's knight in shining armour. Not to forget: Nehemia aka Badass Rebel Crown Princess. I love her! She is a loyal and kind friend. ^ ^

The characters are altogether incredible! The character development is exciting and simply wonderful. I loved the way the characters grew as the plot progressed. I recommend Throne of Glass to people who'd like to read about a badass chick and her journey to try to win a tournament to be the King's Champion.

description]]> 4.08 2012 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2015/03/07
date added: 2024/08/03
shelves: fantasy, young-adult, romance, debut
review:
July 2017 � I will not be continuing this series.

March 2015 � ★★★★� (original rating)

THIS BOOK IS . . . AMAZING. Sarah J. Maas' writing is clever and wonderful.

description

At the start I liked Chaol more than Dorian . . . but Dorian has won my heart. He is just *sighs* . . .
She was something out of a dream—a dream in which he was not a spoiled young prince, but a king.

description

Dorian and Celaena together are dreamy and swoon-worthy. Can I just say that I love the fact that Dorian loves reading books more than getting better at fighting. I LOVE DORIAN.
Something was brought to life and laid to sleep in his gaze.

He is prince charming, while Chaol is Celaena's knight in shining armour. Not to forget: Nehemia aka Badass Rebel Crown Princess. I love her! She is a loyal and kind friend. ^ ^

The characters are altogether incredible! The character development is exciting and simply wonderful. I loved the way the characters grew as the plot progressed. I recommend Throne of Glass to people who'd like to read about a badass chick and her journey to try to win a tournament to be the King's Champion.

description
]]> Burn for Me 59931580 I ruined his life.

It was my investigation that sent his father to jail. It was my fault his mother killed herself shortly after. I've regretted it every day since. When he shows up in my Journalism class, I know I'm in trouble.

Cullen Ayers wants to make me pay.

His torment becomes my life, and I endure every moment because I deserve it.
What started as revenge quickly turns into lust. He's only eighteen, and I should be ashamed of how good this feels when we're alone, but I can't help myself. I'm in too deep.

I'm starting to discover his family's secrets go far deeper than I first thought. The more I uncover, the more ways he finds to punish me.

Cullen wants to ruin me for life, and I'm afraid he already has.

Warning: This is a dark, bully romance with explicit content that may be triggering to some readers, including dub-con, abuse, and murder. Cullen Ayers is covered in red flags, but the bigger the bully, the better the redemption.

This title was previously published in the Tangled Sheets anthology as Spitfire but has a new title, cover and added content.]]> 292 Sara Cate 1956830073 Sonja 4 ❝I hate you too, baby.�
This was a super quick read! The age gap was actually insane though ]]> 3.26 2021 Burn for Me
author: Sara Cate
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.26
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/11
date added: 2024/08/01
shelves: dark, steamy, adult, romance, contemporary
review:
❝I hate you too, baby.�

This was a super quick read! The age gap was actually insane though
]]> <![CDATA[The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)]]> 121122
Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.]]> 454 Dan Brown 0593052447 Sonja 4 mystery 3.52 2003 The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)
author: Dan Brown
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2012/11/09
date added: 2024/07/10
shelves: mystery
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brutal Vows (Queens & Monsters, #4)]]> 59652129 An Italian mafia princess with a dark secret.
Two enemy empires joined in sacred marriage vows.
Let the hating games begin.

Reyna
If this arrogant Irish mobster my brother sold my niece to thinks I’m going to play nice over this arranged marriage BS, he should think again.
I don’t care if this match with the Mob will make my brother capo of the Five Families.
I don’t care how much money, territory, or power it will gain us.
I especially don’t care that the Irishman is the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
I won’t allow my innocent niece to suffer the same way I did.
Even if I have to kill him.

Spider
I’m supposed to marry sweet, beautiful Lili. So why can’t I stop thinking about her swamp witch of an aunt?
Reyna who hates me. Reyna who challenges me. Reyna with the guts of a Viking, the body of a fertility goddess, and the attitude of a feral cat.
Nothing good can come of what I’m feeling for a woman who’s not the one in the wedding contract I signed.
A woman I want so much, I’ll have to burn the whole world down to get.
If she doesn’t kill me first.

Author's Note:
There is a thirteen-page epilogue set in the future not included in the ARCs that will be in the digital and paperback versions.]]> 394 J.T. Geissinger Sonja 4 3.8 out of 4 stars.

❝[O]nce a heart has been hollowed out by knives, it can withstand anything.�

This was an addictive read! Rounding it up to four stars because Quinn and Reyna were so cute together <33

1.) Ruthless Creatures � 4.25 stars
2.) Carnal Urges � 3.25 stars
3.) Savage Hearts � 3.5 stars]]> 4.30 2022 Brutal Vows (Queens & Monsters, #4)
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/27
date added: 2024/07/01
shelves: steamy, adult, contemporary, dark, romance
review:
3.8 out of 4 stars.

❝[O]nce a heart has been hollowed out by knives, it can withstand anything.�

This was an addictive read! Rounding it up to four stars because Quinn and Reyna were so cute together <33

1.) Ruthless Creatures � 4.25 stars
2.) Carnal Urges � 3.25 stars
3.) Savage Hearts � 3.5 stars
]]> <![CDATA[House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)]]> 44777687
Two years later, her job has become a dead end, and she now seeks only blissful oblivion in the city's most notorious nightclubs. But when the murderer attacks again, Bryce finds herself dragged into the investigation and paired with an infamous Fallen angel whose own brutal past haunts his every step.

Hunt Athalar, personal assassin for the Archangels, wants nothing to do with Bryce Quinlan, despite being ordered to protect her. She stands for everything he once rebelled against and seems more interested in partying than solving the murder, no matter how close to home it might hit. But Hunt soon realizes there's far more to Bryce than meets the eye-and that he's going to have to find a way to work with her if they want to solve this case.

As Bryce and Hunt race to untangle the mystery, they have no way of knowing the threads they tug ripple through the underbelly of the city, across warring continents, and down to the darkest levels of Hel, where things that have been sleeping for millennia are beginning to stir...

With unforgettable characters and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.]]> 823 Sarah J. Maas Sonja 3 3.25 out of 5 stars.

❝Through love, all is possible.�

I really loved the exploration of grief in this book. It was beautifully done and truly touched my heart. House of Earth and Blood actually made me cry twice, which is not something that happens often lmao

I went into this series completely blind � I literally had no idea what the story was going to be about, and I think that was the right decision.

House of Earth and Blood is quite different from other SJM books I have read; I really loved the slow-burn relationship build-up in this one. This might actually be my fav SJM main couple?? I wasn't expecting that!!

[spoilers removed]]]> 4.57 2020 House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
author: Sarah J. Maas
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/19
date added: 2024/06/26
shelves: buddy-read, steamy, adult, fantasy, romance, that-plot-twist-though
review:
3.25 out of 5 stars.

❝Through love, all is possible.�

I really loved the exploration of grief in this book. It was beautifully done and truly touched my heart. House of Earth and Blood actually made me cry twice, which is not something that happens often lmao

I went into this series completely blind � I literally had no idea what the story was going to be about, and I think that was the right decision.

House of Earth and Blood is quite different from other SJM books I have read; I really loved the slow-burn relationship build-up in this one. This might actually be my fav SJM main couple?? I wasn't expecting that!!

[spoilers removed]
]]> <![CDATA[Savage Hearts (Queens & Monsters, #3)]]> 57101804 Savage (adjective):
1) Not domesticated; wild and untamed
2) A brutal or vicious person
3) Malek Antonov

He’s a myth. A ghost. A legend.
A Bratva assassin so feared, some won’t even dare to speak his name.

He comes in search of vengeance for the death of his brother, but what he finds instead is me.

A girl he thinks is someone else.
Someone unrelated to the man who killed his brother.
Except I am.

And when he finds out my true identity, he decides to take me as repayment for what he lost.

Now, I’m a little bird trapped in a cage, and the only way to survive is to make friends with the monster who captured me.

Except friendship isn’t what the monster has in mind.
]]> 392 J.T. Geissinger Sonja 3 3.5 out of 4 stars.

❝Please be quiet. My inner demons are demanding that I kill you, and I want to hear what they have to say.�

Fictional Russian men >>>>>

I flew through this book! I really loved all the different POV chapters. And I liked that this was more of a slow-burn romance!

If it weren't for the overly cliche moments, this book could easily have been a full four stars... Also, [spoilers removed]]]> 4.28 2021 Savage Hearts (Queens & Monsters, #3)
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/13
date added: 2024/06/25
shelves: steamy, adult, contemporary, dark, romance, cliche
review:
3.5 out of 4 stars.

❝Please be quiet. My inner demons are demanding that I kill you, and I want to hear what they have to say.�

Fictional Russian men >>>>>

I flew through this book! I really loved all the different POV chapters. And I liked that this was more of a slow-burn romance!

If it weren't for the overly cliche moments, this book could easily have been a full four stars... Also, [spoilers removed]
]]> Euphoria 40543891
As the men wander through this destroyed human landscape, Euphoria's nameless narrator reveals only small, shocking details - a crashed helicopter, a boy sitting impassively beside his murdered parents, a provincial nightclub full of charred bodies. Seeking food and fuel for the fire, but finding only the pointless remnants of their suddenly vanished world, the men realise that all they have left is their lives. And are those really worth anything in a world where their future has crumbled away, their past remains only as an empty taunt and their present is reduced to the monotonous trudge of animal survival?

An austere, troubling tale of how quickly men become beasts, Euphoria explores the repressed savagery of human nature and the disturbing meaningless of a world run free from society's restraints.]]> 224 Heinz Helle 1781256896 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 0.0 2015 Euphoria
author: Heinz Helle
name: Sonja
average rating: 0.0
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/23
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2)]]> 38728593 The addictive Regency read from the New York Times bestselling author that’s perfect for fans of Bridgerton!

The accidental governess...

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart . . . without risking her own.

The infamous rake...

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling . . . and he’s in danger of falling, hard.]]> 385 Tessa Dare 0008268258 Sonja 3 3.7 out of 5 stars.

❝[D]o not ever waste your breath again with more of that ‘lost cause� nonsense. Consider yourself found.�

I flew through this book. It was such a quick read, which was a really nice change from all the dense texts I have to read for uni :')

I really loved Chase, Alex, and the kids � though I do wish there were more found family vibes. [spoilers removed] That would have been really lovely.

1.) The Duchess Deal � 4 stars
]]> 3.90 2018 The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2)
author: Tessa Dare
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/09
date added: 2024/06/11
shelves: steamy, historical, adult, romance
review:
3.7 out of 5 stars.

❝[D]o not ever waste your breath again with more of that ‘lost cause� nonsense. Consider yourself found.�

I flew through this book. It was such a quick read, which was a really nice change from all the dense texts I have to read for uni :')

I really loved Chase, Alex, and the kids � though I do wish there were more found family vibes. [spoilers removed] That would have been really lovely.

1.) The Duchess Deal � 4 stars

]]> Love in the Kingdom of Oil 42262751
When the woman finally reappears, there is a blurring between the men in her life, as she leaves one to join another, then returns to her first husband who has since taken a new wife. She is trapped in a man-made web, unable to escape from a male figure who continually fills urns that she must carry.]]> 144 Nawal El Saadawi 086356626X Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 2.70 1992 Love in the Kingdom of Oil
author: Nawal El Saadawi
name: Sonja
average rating: 2.70
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> The Stolen Bicycle 36208444 308 Wu Ming-Yi 192541079X Sonja 0 to-read 3.77 2015 The Stolen Bicycle
author: Wu Ming-Yi
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Sea and Summer 17394804 364 George Turner 0575118695 Sonja 0 maybe-to-read 4.03 1987 The Sea and Summer
author: George Turner
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/14
shelves: maybe-to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Carnal Urges (Queens & Monsters, #2)]]> 57101782 Dark, sexy mafia romance where the fast-paced tension of John Wick meets the high stakes love of Romeo and Juliet.

Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me

The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.

He blames me for starting a war. Consorting with his enemies. Getting his men killed. Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh. With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.

But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.

When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.]]> 356 J.T. Geissinger Sonja 3 3.25 out of 5 stars.

❝One thing’s for sure. If she doesn’t love me, I’ll find out fast. The minute she buries a knife in my chest.�

This was sadly not as fun as the first book in the series. Some of the dialogue felt more contrived, and the two characters fell for each other wayyy too fast.

1.) Ruthless Creatures � 4.25 stars]]> 4.23 2021 Carnal Urges (Queens & Monsters, #2)
author: J.T. Geissinger
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/05
date added: 2024/05/05
shelves: cliche, steamy, adult, contemporary, dark, romance
review:
3.25 out of 5 stars.

❝One thing’s for sure. If she doesn’t love me, I’ll find out fast. The minute she buries a knife in my chest.�

This was sadly not as fun as the first book in the series. Some of the dialogue felt more contrived, and the two characters fell for each other wayyy too fast.

1.) Ruthless Creatures � 4.25 stars
]]> Permafrost 55058814
Full of powerful, physical imagery, this prize-winning debut novel by acclaimed Catalan poet Eva Baltasar was a word-of-mouth hit in its own language. It is a breathtakingly forthright call for women’s freedom to embrace both pleasure and solitude, and speaks of the body, of sex, and of the self.]]> 131 Eva Baltasar 191150875X Sonja 0 to-read 3.96 2018 Permafrost
author: Eva Baltasar
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Blazing World 45314061
Originally published in 1666, The Blazing World was written by Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle and a prolific writer who made thriving ventures into the male-dominated fields of politics, science, philosophy, and literature. This science fiction prototype is also a romance, an adventure story, and even an autobiography, with a cameo appearance by the Duchess herself. A pioneering vision of a feminist utopia, it offers a fascinating firsthand view of the ideas that powered the Scientific Revolution.]]> 96 Margaret Cavendish 048683803X Sonja 2 DNF at 40%

The Blazing World is one of the most boring books I have ever read, and nothing could ever compel me to finish it.

This book has been referred to by some as a "feminist utopia" which is a clear misnomer; there is nothing feminist about it. Sure, the book was written by a woman and published in 1666 under her own name, which is of itself certainly remarkable, but that doesn't make her work automatically or inherently feminist.

Calling The Blazing World a "feminist utopia" is honestly an insult to feminism.]]> 2.88 1666 The Blazing World
author: Margaret Cavendish
name: Sonja
average rating: 2.88
book published: 1666
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/05/04
shelves: did-not-finish, boring, read-for-uni
review:
DNF at 40%

The Blazing World is one of the most boring books I have ever read, and nothing could ever compel me to finish it.

This book has been referred to by some as a "feminist utopia" which is a clear misnomer; there is nothing feminist about it. Sure, the book was written by a woman and published in 1666 under her own name, which is of itself certainly remarkable, but that doesn't make her work automatically or inherently feminist.

Calling The Blazing World a "feminist utopia" is honestly an insult to feminism.
]]> <![CDATA[Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon, #1)]]> 578587
A devastating new weapon of destruction.
When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy -- the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.
Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.]]> 620 Dan Brown 0552150738 Sonja 5 thriller 9.5

'Angels and Demons' is the first Dan Brown novel featuring Harvard professor Robert Langdon.

I love the story line of the novel. It is mysterious and very interesting. The novel is written in such a way that even after I have finished reading the book I am still thinking about and wondering about it. It's not a novel you'll soon forget.

I definitely recommend this novel to people who love exciting thrillers and page-turners. Also, for people who like to read a novel that leaves them wondering and wanting for more!]]> 3.82 2000 Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon, #1)
author: Dan Brown
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2012/06/29
date added: 2024/04/23
shelves: thriller
review:
9.5

'Angels and Demons' is the first Dan Brown novel featuring Harvard professor Robert Langdon.

I love the story line of the novel. It is mysterious and very interesting. The novel is written in such a way that even after I have finished reading the book I am still thinking about and wondering about it. It's not a novel you'll soon forget.

I definitely recommend this novel to people who love exciting thrillers and page-turners. Also, for people who like to read a novel that leaves them wondering and wanting for more!
]]> Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) 43301737 The mesmerizing adult debut from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex� Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs� are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.]]> 476 Leigh Bardugo 1250313082 Sonja 4 ❝You couldn’t keep sidling up to death and dipping your toe in. Eventually it grabbed your ankle and tried to pull you under.�
Ninth House was a really atmospheric and compelling read! Leigh Bardugo's prose is stunning; I highlighted so many sentences!

This is my first time reading anything by Bardugo that is not related to the Grishaverse, and it did not disappoint. It is really interesting to see how her writing has changed and matured over the years. This book can get quite dark at times, so it might be wise to check the trigger warnings before picking it up.

�We are the shepherds. The time for that was done. Better to be a rattler. Better to be a jackal.�

I really loved the protagonist of Ninth House, Alex Stern, she is such an interesting character! I was also a big fan of the nonlinear narrative. The alternating timelines and pov chapters kept things fresh and helped the pacing, too.

The one thing that I am not a huge fan of is the ending. I like the ending of the book but I don't exactly love it, because it just feels a bit anticlimactic to me? I am very excited to pick up Hell Bent soon though! [spoilers removed]

❝While the Garden of Eden may be closed, Hell is always open.�

:: buddyread this with my dear friend lara ❤️‍]> 4.13 2019 Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: adult, contemporary, mystery, fantasy, that-plot-twist-though, dark, buddy-read
review:
❝You couldn’t keep sidling up to death and dipping your toe in. Eventually it grabbed your ankle and tried to pull you under.�

Ninth House was a really atmospheric and compelling read! Leigh Bardugo's prose is stunning; I highlighted so many sentences!

This is my first time reading anything by Bardugo that is not related to the Grishaverse, and it did not disappoint. It is really interesting to see how her writing has changed and matured over the years. This book can get quite dark at times, so it might be wise to check the trigger warnings before picking it up.

�We are the shepherds. The time for that was done. Better to be a rattler. Better to be a jackal.�

I really loved the protagonist of Ninth House, Alex Stern, she is such an interesting character! I was also a big fan of the nonlinear narrative. The alternating timelines and pov chapters kept things fresh and helped the pacing, too.

The one thing that I am not a huge fan of is the ending. I like the ending of the book but I don't exactly love it, because it just feels a bit anticlimactic to me? I am very excited to pick up Hell Bent soon though! [spoilers removed]

❝While the Garden of Eden may be closed, Hell is always open.�

:: buddyread this with my dear friend lara ❤️�
]]> We 60176585 What happens when feelings get in the way of order? What is the price of perfecting society? Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, like many of the dystopian novels that came after it, plays on our fears of being watched and controlled, of human emotions being criminalized. A lively critique of authoritarianism, We holds the honor of being the first book banned by the Soviet government. Zamyatin managed to get a copy of his novel to the United States, where it was published in 1924.

We is set in a future world where there are no individual names—only numbers. The book opens with D-503 sharing the news that the spaceship he’s been building is complete. The United State, which rules Earth, can now find other planets with which to share their “mathematically infallible happiness.� But then, D-503 meets I-330, and despite not being assigned to her, he falls in love. It makes no sense: I-330 smokes, drinks, encourages imagination—all very illegal acts that would result in public execution. So, what will D-503 say when I-330 asks for help with mounting a rebellion against the United State?

Pick up a dystopian novel that predates bestsellers like 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Brave New World.]]> 262 Yevgeny Zamyatin Sonja 4 4.5 out of 5 stars.

❝But, dear readers, you must think, at least a little. It helps.�

This was a really interesting dystopian novel! I have always loved reading dystopian fiction, so I was very excited to finally read this classic. I am so glad it did not disappoint me, it was actually better than I was expecting!

George Orwell's 1984 is very clearly inspired by Zamyatin's We. Like it's almost plagiarism lol If you love 1984, you will definitely love this book as well! The whole "freedom is slavery" theme is especially prominent in We.

We is set in a world where everything revolves around work and usefulness for the United State (which in some other translations is referred to as the 'One State'). People no longer have names, but are instead designated with numbers; and nonconformity is considered an illness, and so is having a soul.

❝Yes, it is too bad. Apparently a soul has formed in you.�

A soul?—that strange ancient word that was forgotten long ago....

❝Is it ... v-very dangerous?� I stuttered.

❝Incurable,� was the cut of the scissors.

The United State controls nearly all aspects of its citizens' lives. Even the amount of times you have to chew your food is mandated by the State.

It was really interesting to follow the 32-year-old protagonist as he slowly unraveled himself from the collective 'we' of the State and became an 'I'.

❝If I only knew who I am. Which I am I?�

The translation (from Russian) by Gregory Zilboorg was also really great. And I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook narrated by Kyle Tait. Both the ebook and the audiobook are free on Apple Books!

One negative thing to note is that there is, unfortunately, some unchallenged racism in the book. There is one Black side character in We who is always described in a very racist way...
]]> 3.27 1924 We
author: Yevgeny Zamyatin
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.27
book published: 1924
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/31
date added: 2024/04/20
shelves: read-for-uni, dystopia, 20th-century, classics
review:
4.5 out of 5 stars.

❝But, dear readers, you must think, at least a little. It helps.�

This was a really interesting dystopian novel! I have always loved reading dystopian fiction, so I was very excited to finally read this classic. I am so glad it did not disappoint me, it was actually better than I was expecting!

George Orwell's 1984 is very clearly inspired by Zamyatin's We. Like it's almost plagiarism lol If you love 1984, you will definitely love this book as well! The whole "freedom is slavery" theme is especially prominent in We.

We is set in a world where everything revolves around work and usefulness for the United State (which in some other translations is referred to as the 'One State'). People no longer have names, but are instead designated with numbers; and nonconformity is considered an illness, and so is having a soul.

❝Yes, it is too bad. Apparently a soul has formed in you.�

A soul?—that strange ancient word that was forgotten long ago....

❝Is it ... v-very dangerous?� I stuttered.

❝Incurable,� was the cut of the scissors.

The United State controls nearly all aspects of its citizens' lives. Even the amount of times you have to chew your food is mandated by the State.

It was really interesting to follow the 32-year-old protagonist as he slowly unraveled himself from the collective 'we' of the State and became an 'I'.

❝If I only knew who I am. Which I am I?�

The translation (from Russian) by Gregory Zilboorg was also really great. And I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook narrated by Kyle Tait. Both the ebook and the audiobook are free on Apple Books!

One negative thing to note is that there is, unfortunately, some unchallenged racism in the book. There is one Black side character in We who is always described in a very racist way...

]]> <![CDATA[Stories of Your Life and Others]]> 18626849 Stories of Your Life and Others delivers dual delights of the very, very strange and the heartbreakingly familiar, often presenting characters who must confront sudden change—the inevitable rise of automatons or the appearance of aliens—with some sense of normalcy.

With sharp intelligence and humor, Chiang examines what it means to be alive in a world marked by uncertainty, but also by beauty and wonder. An award-winning collection from one of today's most lauded writers, Stories of Your Life and Others is a contemporary classic.

Contents:
Tower of Babylon --
Understand --
Division by Zero --
Story of Your Life --
Seventy-Two Letters --
The Evolution of Human Science --
Hell is the Absence of God --
Liking What You See: A Documentary --
Story Notes.]]> 285 Ted Chiang Sonja 0 to-read 4.30 2002 Stories of Your Life and Others
author: Ted Chiang
name: Sonja
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Veldt 59807523 The advanced technology of a house first pleases then increasingly terrifies its occupants.

A wealthy couple builds the ultimate virtual playroom for their spoiled children. This electronic nursery comes complete with an African savanna and man-eating lions. It is so real, you can even smell the lions' last meal.]]> 13 Ray Bradbury Sonja 4 ❝The lions were coming.�
This short story touches on very current themes, namely technological advancements and their (sometimes dire) consequences. I can’t believe it was published in 1950! If you told me it was published yesterday, I would believe you.

The themes of this short story are still very much relevant today; perhaps even more relevant now than they were 74 years ago.

I highly recommend checking out The Veldt! It’s only around a dozen pages, and yet it manages to leave behind a mark.

I will definitely read more of Ray Bradbury’s short stories in the future!]]> 3.80 1950 The Veldt
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Sonja
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/08
date added: 2024/04/08
shelves: classics, science-fiction, dystopia, short-stories, 20th-century
review:
❝The lions were coming.�

This short story touches on very current themes, namely technological advancements and their (sometimes dire) consequences. I can’t believe it was published in 1950! If you told me it was published yesterday, I would believe you.

The themes of this short story are still very much relevant today; perhaps even more relevant now than they were 74 years ago.

I highly recommend checking out The Veldt! It’s only around a dozen pages, and yet it manages to leave behind a mark.

I will definitely read more of Ray Bradbury’s short stories in the future!
]]> The New Atlantis 54562139 In New Atlantis, Bacon portrayed a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind.

The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendour, piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of the mythical Bensalem.

The plan and organisation of his ideal college, Salomon's House (or Solomon's House), envisioned the modern research university in both applied and pure sciences.

New Atlantis is an incomplete utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published posthumously in 1626. It appeared unheralded and tucked into the back of a longer work of natural history: Sylva Sylvarum (forest of materials).]]> 45 Francis Bacon 1504063821 Sonja 2 This was sooo boring 2.93 1626 The New Atlantis
author: Francis Bacon
name: Sonja
average rating: 2.93
book published: 1626
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/07
date added: 2024/04/07
shelves: science-fiction, utopia-dystopia, read-for-uni
review:
This was sooo boring
]]>