Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Review: Insert Groom Here by K.M. Jackson

Title: Insert Groom Here
Author: K.M. Jackson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 2016
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Confession: I love reality dating shows. Specifically, I'm talking about The Bachelor and its' many spin-offs. I live for the cheesy catch phrases, the over the top dates, and, of course, the interpersonal drama. So I was ready to take a break from all of the intense and enraging news blowing up my Twitter feed after the ascension of a sentient Cheeto, and read some contemporary romance inspired by reality TV.

Insert Groom Here follows Eva, a successful, accomplished, driven young woman who wins the wedding of her dreams on live TV. Her potential groom, however, throws a wrench in the plan when he decides to break the engagement, on air, without any warning. The usually composed Eva loses her shit and, incensed by the live broadcast of embarrassment and her failed relationship, ends up getting physical with Aiden Walker, son of the head of the TV network. Of course, Aiden is hot, a playboy, and finds Eva's assault of him amusing instead of terrifying, and luckily Eva's character improves from this first impression. From there, Aiden campaigns to get Eva her own dating special to find Mr. Right, whom she will have to marry on live TV. Due to her overly-involved PR firm-running mother, Eva agrees if only to get some better publicity to make up for her on screen meltdown. The book follows Eva's string of dates as well as her love-hate relationship with Aiden Walker.

First, I have to say that, despite me not being into her kneeing someone in the balls in the beginning of the book (violence is never the answer), by the end of this book, I was ride or die for Eva. She is everything! She doesn't let herself get pushed around by the TV producers, she doesn't try to change who she is for her suitors, and she knows when to put someone in their place (verbally, she doesn't get violent again after the first meeting with Aiden). When one of her dates tells her that he loves "breaking" women (like a horse, essentially) and tries to figure out if she's one of the ladies who swooned for Christian Grey in 50 Shades, Eva's response is pretty amazing: "for the record, I'm fine just as I am and don't need a man like you to bring out any hidden depths. And side note, just because there was a popular book that eluded shades of bondage, not every woman fantasizes about being broken. It's called fiction for a reason." Yassss!!! She's just the best. Another favorite line: "Just as she thought, here was another man thinking he could somehow change her life with the magic of what he had between his legs."

Which brings me to Aiden, the love interest. Aiden's whole hang up is that Eva is the talent, and it would be unprofessional to start something with her, and he hates being 'tied down' (of course) and can't wait to get back to traveling and investigative reporting once his punishment of working for his dad is over. Even though he is cast as a womanizer, Aiden is extremely respectful of Eva's feelings and tries to be clear with setting boundaries. The tension between Aiden and Eva is very well done, and they both had quite a bit to learn from one another. I love the sort of rivals to lovers trope in romance, so I was definitely cheering for them to get together in the end, especially since Eva's dates were painfully dull.

Overall, this book was a lot of fun and featured some excellent critiques of the double standards that men and women face when it comes to marriage. Eva was also an extremely confident main character, which is always a lot more fun to read about than a doormat, and Aiden was a good combination of playboy and respectable, woke dude. If you like your romance with a healthy dose of humor and self-awareness, this is an excellent pick.


Monday, January 30, 2017

Flashback Reads: The Baby-Sitters Club


As a 30-something woman who grew up in middle class America, it should come as no surprise that my favorite books growing up were The Baby-sitters Club books. I read them in elementary school and I made it until the point when Abby was introduced and I was like “I just don’t know you anymore, Baby-sitters Club” and I happily moved on to California Diaries. Plus, in California Diaries, there were super dramatic issues like eating disorders and abusive relationships, and since I loved drama as a tween, I was all about it. 

Anyway, like many sane people, I listen to and love the podcast The Babysitters-Club Club, and it inspired me to dig up some of my old BSC books and re-read them along with the show. I didn’t have them all in sequential order anymore (I think my mom donated them to the library, which has instilled a bitterness in me that will never dissipate), but still had a few essentials and I may have secretly ordered a few (original covers only!) on Amazon to fill in some gaps. And, after re-reading about ten last year and a few more in 2017, I was so happy that they held up! Sure, there are some cringe-worthy descriptions that would hopefully not fly in contemporary YA and middle grade, like describing the only Asian character as “exotic”. Also the casual racism in Stoneybrook, CT that Jessi Ramsay and her family encounter is horrifying, and Mallory's little sister Claire has apparently only seen African-American people when they come to clean her house which is...unsettling, to say the least.

Although, the Ann M. Martin-penned books were written during a time when pop culture representation of African-Americans and Asian-Americans was really terrible (Long Duk Dong, anyone?), so I think the goal was to expose kids to some more positive representations of POC that were their age. Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part because I hold these books in such high regard, so despite those missteps and the horrifying outfits that the girls wear and describe in minute detail, the BSC books are still extremely entertaining, well-written, and memorable. I was surprised when I remembered the names of random pets that the girls or their charges own, or that I distinctly remembered specific passages and was transported to being in fourth grade and reading those same lines and connecting with them. So far, I’ve re-read books between book #4 Mary Anne Saves the Day and book #14 Hello, Mallory, then jumped ahead to book #29 Mallory and the Missing Diary because my other childhood books in between were missing. Below, a few impressions of the BSC members 20 years later in no particular order. Note: if you’ve never read these books, I’m sorry because I don’t explain who any of these characters are because how dare you.


Thursday, January 19, 2017

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Nightingale-Novel-Katherine-Arden/dp/1101885939/ref=s9_simh_gw_g14_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=T12V649K6MSM6JW9XHPW&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=a6aaf593-1ba4-4f4e-bdcc-0febe090b8ed&pf_rd_i=desktop
Title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Genre: Historical/Fantasy
Release Date: January 2017
Rating: 5/5 Stars 

One of my favorite areas of study when working on my history undergrad was medieval Russia. Russia has a medieval period so unlike the rest of Europe, having been settled largely by Scandinavian invaders who took over the land from the native Slavic population. Meanwhile, influences from the Byzantine Empire and the Mongols permeate throughout medieval Russian culture. Plus, the political system of sons inheriting the title of Grand Prince, and the super complicated familial murders that occurred because of this system, make it a fascinating area of study. Russian folklore, meanwhile, is full of dark, creepy creatures that are at home in the wintery landscape. Debut novel The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden manages to capture this world, wavering between the real and the unreal, as well as creating memorable, likeable characters and a compelling plotline.

Taking place during the reign of Ivan II, the Fair (1353 - 1359) and his subsequent death, this story follows the lives of a lord’s family living on a remote estate surrounded by forest. Pyotr, the patriarch of the family, married Marina, a half sister of Ivan II, whose mother was a mysterious but beautiful child of the woods. They have a healthy brood of children (three sons and a girl) when the youngest member of the family, Vasilisa, or Vasya, is born. Marina longs for a magical daughter to live in her mother’s image, and claims that Vasya is that promised daughter. Pyotr would prefer to have his wife rather than a magical daughter, but he’s a good father and dedicated to his family so he supports Marina’s decision to have this baby even if it risks her life. From there, Arden weaves a spellbinding tale following Vasya throughout her girlhood into womanhood, as her connection with the magic of the land grows alongside the religious fervor building in the nearby village.

Much of the magic throughout the book will be familiar to readers of folklore and fairy tales, but you may encounter new words for some of these supernatural creatures. There are rusalkas, forest guardian spirits, vampires, and a cast of spirits of the hearth that guard homes and stables. These creatures live in an invisible plane that most mortals cannot see, unless you are born with the sign. Surprise, surprise, our heroine possesses the sight, but she’s not the only one, and not all possessors of this gift view it as a positive power. The magic in Vasya’s world feels very real, making this book border on fantasy and magical realism in my reading. The idea of magic in the medieval world is a fascinating one; most believed it to be real, an explanation for what could not be seen, and a companion to the answers provided by Christianity.

Throughout the book, we grow up with Vasya as she faces different challenges, and she is supported by her brother Alyosha, and the magical spirits that she defends. Since Vasya is a girl throughout most of the book, I've seen some call this Young Adult but I don't think it really falls into that category at all. I don’t want to explain too much about the plot in order to avoid spoilers, but the overall feeling this book gave me was hands-down five stars. The writing casts a spell over the reader, compelling you to keep turning the pages in order to stay in this beautifully rendered world. When I came to the end of the book, I almost didn’t have any words and it took me a little while to formulate my review. I think that this would appeal to readers of magical realism works, like The Night Circus, as well as historical fiction lovers. It also reminded me a bit of The Book of Speculation, which also features Eastern European folklore, but I thought that this book executed its plot much better. A wonderful new release to start of 2017!

Friday, January 13, 2017

Review: Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin


Title: Dearest Clementine
Author: Lex Martin
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Release Date: July 2015
Rating: 4/5 stars

In Dearest Clementine, college student Clementine Avery is dealing with a lot as she turns twenty-one. A creative writing major and writer, Clementine was published her freshman year after writing a YA novel inspired by a past romance, and is struggling to follow up with a new novel. Meanwhile, she accidentally signed up for a course in Romance Novel Writing instead of Young Adult Novel Writing, and her issues with love and intimacy make this class a struggle for her. It doesn't help that her wealthy mother cut her off and she's working as hard as she can to cover her expensive college tuition, take care of her anxiety, and heal from past traumas. Luckily, she has two close friends, Harper and Jenna, and a new roommate, Dani, to support her.

To protect herself from experiencing the heartbreak of her past, Clementine is determined not to date and hides behind a bitchy (but hilarious) exterior. She doesn't give any guy the time of day, until she meets handsome journalism major Gavin. With the urging of her friends and the support of Gavin, Clementine learns how to move on from her past, deal with forgiveness, and determine what type of person she wants to be. There is quite a bit of drama in this book, but there's just enough comedy not to make the reading experience feel too heavy, allowing the story to be a quick and engaging read.

I really enjoyed how, unlike in some romances, the introduction of a super hot guy (with, we can assume, a magical penis) is all it takes to heal the broken heroine and carry her into her happily ever after. Instead, Gavin is simply supportive and empathetic, and he's not the only source of support for Clementine. She has a flawed twin brother who messes up but means well, three awesome girlfriends, and she even learns to befriend people she viewed as her enemies before. She also understands that sometimes professional help is necessary and knows when it's time to contact a therapist. Clementine suffers from anxiety and a home life that was less than nurturing, and therapy and self care are a big part of her recovery.

The romance in this book was also really well-done. It's kind of a slow burn, because Clementine has a lot of work to do on herself before she's ready to be in a relationship. Gavin, meanwhile, is part of that coveted class of "book boyfriends" (which is referenced in this book, and that is awesome), who are handsome, smart, understanding, sensitive, and have killer abs to top it off. He and Clementine have great banter back and forth, and he appreciates in her what others may view as flaws, plus he's not afraid of her constant state of resting bitchface in the beginning of the book, so he's got some conviction. This was definitely a fun, well-written New Adult read, and starts off a series of standalone books set in this world.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Review: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton


Title: Rebel of the Sands
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: October 2015
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars


Rebel of the Sands follows the story of Amani, a girl gunslinger in a remote desert town. Amani dreams of fleeing her oppressive family and doing something more with her life. While competing in a gun shooting competition with the hopes to win enough money to leave her small town of Dustwalk behind, she meets a mysterious foreigner named Jin, who draws her into an adventure that's bigger and more complex that she could have dreamed. This book has been widely reviewed and is known for being a mix of a classic Western and a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy, with a mix of Wild West gunslinging and train robbing, plus djinni and other magical desert creatures.


This book was hard for me to determine a rating for, as there were aspects of it that I loved and other aspects that really lost me. Overall, I enjoyed Amani as a character. She was flawed and made mistakes, but learned from them. She was often unsure and had to learn how to survive in the new world that Jin introduced her to rather than being preternaturally gifted right away. Plus, her sassy interactions and dialog, especially with Jin, were a highlight of her character. A few of the side characters, who appear later in the story, are also well-drawn and easy to connect with. I also thought that the setting was well-described and I could see how this story could be seen as immersive, if only it was better executed.


This unique setting was one of the aspects of the book that I struggled with. The story starts as a spaghetti Western, turns into a 1,001 Nights fantasy, then into a political military uprising. It was like the author couldn't decide which story to tell so they just included everything. The blend is unique, but not entirely believable. Miraji, the imagined country where the story takes place, reads like a mix of medieval Islamic culture and occupied India. Characters and places have a blend of Arabic and Persian names, there are calls to prayer and prayer rugs, a dash but then there are also gun factories and I swear Amani is wearing a cowboy hat in the beginning of the book. The characters aren't Muslim (there aren't any named religions as far as I can tell), but there are elements of Islamic culture that exist within the world. It just felt a bit off to me, and I had trouble buying into this kind of world.

The world was clearly inspired by reality and imbued with magic, which I think would have worked fine if this story could just decide what it wanted to be. Instead, it felt like two separate worlds mashed together, with well-written characters unfortunately drawn into it. This may be because it's a debut and this lack of cohesiveness will improve throughout the series. I'm hoping that the world building matures, because overall the writing is good and the characters are great; if so, I could see subsequent books being four or even five star reads.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

2017 Reading Challenges TBR List!





Challenge: Historical Romance Challenge
Why I Signed Up: I love historical romance but want to challenge myself to read more and to expand outside of the typical regency universe.
# of Books: 2/50 (Queen)
Categories: Victorian, Diverse, Western, Pirate, Regency, Time Travel, Medieval
TBR: Check it out on my Goodreads shelf here!



Challenge: Contemporary Romance Challenge
Hosted By: Andi's ABCs
Why I Signed Up: To me, contemporary romance is like comfort food and it's my go-to genre for when I need to decompress and relax. I want to challenge myself to read more in this genre as part of my self-care mission for 2017!
# of Books: 2/20 (Home Run)
TBR: Check out my Goodreads shelf for the challenge.


Challenge: Around the Year in 52 Books
Hosted By: Goodreads
Why I Signed Up: I attempted this challenge last year and read 49/52 planned books. This year, I took more care selecting the books for each category so that I wouldn't give up on books that I didn't enjoy. It's a fun challenge because it takes you outside of your comfort zone.
# of Books: 3/52
TBR: This is a long list! View on my Goodreads shelf.

Challenge: Modern Mrs. Darcy Challenge
Hosted By: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Why I Signed Up: I love Anne's blog and podcast, and I thought her categories were perfect for selecting books that I own and need an excuse to finally read.
# of Books: 0/12
TBR: The shortest list by far, and mostly books that I own.

That's it for now! I really need to stop signing up for challenges, but I really cannot resist. I love making the TBR lists. I'll keep updating this post as I read more books for each challenge, and will keep my Goodread shelves updated as well. Looking forward to a diverse reading life for 2017!

Friday, January 6, 2017

Review: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers



Title: A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Author: Becky Chambers
Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: July 2014
Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars
 
Although space opera is one of my favorite subgenres, I admit that sometimes fiction written in that vein can be hit or miss. Sometimes the world building is off, or there isn’t enough believable characterization, or the story draws too much upon genre tropes. A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, however, is like a breath of fresh air and a must-read for space opera fans who are interested in character development, well-drawn world-building, and drama and adventure that falls squarely on the warm and fuzzy side. Following a connecting web of characters, this novel takes place in a future where humans have become a spacefaring species and cooperate with a diverse array of alien races. The focus of the tale is the crew of the Wayfarer, a civilian tunneling ship that digs tunnels through space-time to allow for galactic travel. Headed by Captain Ashby, the crew consists of endearing techies Kizzy and Jenks, pilot Sissix who belongs to a free-loving reptilian-esque alien race, a personable AI named Lovey, a multi-limbed alien named Dr. Chef who patches up the crew and prepares their meals, a mysterious, spiritual navigator, and a pink human that nobody really cares for. We meet the crew just as Rosemary Harper, their newest addition as clerk, is joining their adventures.

The standouts of A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet are definitely the ways that the characters interact, and the means that Chambers conveys information about the world. The crew is diverse and each member has their own unique backstory contributing to how they ended up on the Wayfarer and why they view the world the way that they do. Rosemary, as the newest member, is our means to get to know them, learn more about the alien races and their cultures, and learn more about the world in general. Instead of an info dump, Chambers reveals history about different alien races through conversations, logs, and revealing interactions. This provides an immersive reading experience that allows the reader to fully commit to this world and accept its fantastic elements.

Characters in Chambers’ Sci-Fi are also non-traditional and the development of the human race is believable. Humans appearing Caucasian is a maligned novelty, as most humans have become multiracial. Although each alien species has their own cultural standards, there is an overall acceptance of a spectrum of sexual orientation, gender identification, and cross-species interaction. Certain species are bisexual and uninhibited about mating; other species belong to both male and female genders across their lifetimes; some species are matriarchal while also militaristic; and humans have their own hierarchy of class and issues with upgrading their race to perfection. One crew member is a little person who some in this world of perfectly tailored humans would view as being lesser due to his size, and he chooses to augment his body in other ways through tattoos or wearable tech. Still, he never wants to completely change the way that he was born despite how society may view him. There are some interesting philosophical discussions raised throughout the book, like issues of cloning and monogamy, without taking away from the light, feel-good tone of the story.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough! If you played and loved Mass Effect, or if you wish there were more seasons of Firefly, this is the book for you. The second book set in this world, A Closed and Common Orbit, is a stand-alone sequel and was just released in October. You better believe I’m reading that next!

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

2017 Reading Resolutions


  1. Read what I want when I want to
Sometimes I get caught up in planning my TBR lists and selecting books that fit specific challenge criteria, and I end up having a pile of books to read that I’m just not in the mood for. In 2017, I want to give myself permission to not worry about reading a certain pre-planned list of books so much as reading what I want when I want to. This past week already, I have three more books left to read for a challenge but I’ve only been wanting to read space opera Sci-Fi, so that’s what I’ve been reading and I’ve been loving it.
  1. Read more fiction with LGBTQ romance
Looking back at what I read in 2016, only a handful of books featured LGBTQ protaganists, and none of those were straight up romances. In 2017, I want to expand my reading life to include reading about relationships different than my own, and hopefully being exposed to new-to-me writers in the process.
  1. Read a few classics I probably should have read by now
I am a rarified reader in regards to never having read the Harry Potter series, and also never having read Jane Austen. Crucify me now, I know. I don’t really have a desire to read HP (no offense), but I am making it a priority to read some Jane Austen books this year. I also want to pick up a few of classic high fantasy reads that most people read in their teens/early twenties but that I somehow missed out on.
  1. Read more books that I already own
This resolution is something I always say that I’m going to do, but never manage, mostly because there are just so many books that I want to read! Still, I’m going to try to use books that I already own to fulfill reading challenges this year and hopefully make it through a few impulse buys. Meanwhile, I’m hoping this will save me money on buying books as well.
  1. Continue my mission to read outside of my comfort zone
In 2016, I read books that I never would have picked up normally, and I actually enjoyed them! In 2017, I hope to continue to challenge myself and not get too comfortable in my reading life. I hope to read long books that always intimidated me in the past, books by debut authors, books published by indie presses, books in translation, and books from genres I don’t usually choose.

That’s all for my 2017 reading resolutions! We’ll see how I measure up in twelve more months.