Selma:
I consider it THE original blueprint for EVERY enemies-to-lovers story written ever since this one was first published 200 years ago. Literally, a timeless classic! I read it or watch any of the versions, when I need some serious pick me up or when dramas/books are a disappointment! I know that this one will never let me down! I still have to find another story featuring the same trope that can be just as good (impossible to be better!)! Do you know of any?
I wish there was something as good as this, but there isn't and most probably never will be...
Did not finish any books in April, but I started and finished a book within the first three days of May..... hahaha
All Systems Red is a novella by Martha Wells. I didn't know much about her except that I've seen people reading her books for a while now. My currently reading list is constantly more than 4 or 5 books long, and it's a little tiring, so I decided to switch things up by reading a novella. It was satisfying! I think I'll try reading novellas every once in a while from now on. I kind of want to take a break from longer books, but my TBR and my PTR lists are already too long with actually novel-length books. I want to at least finish my currently reading and one more book before I make a dramatic switch to only reading novellas. We'll see, we'll see.
I found this book in the sales bin of my local bookshop and since I'd heard a lot of positive things about it I decided to finally read it. I had no idea what it was all about: I thought it was a YA fantasy sci-fi novel, with magic and monsters...that was the vibe the cover image and the title were giving me!
Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a BL novel about a couple of teens growing up in Texas in 1987.
Well, I ended up reading it all in one evening and, halfway through I was getting really bored. I know I am not the target audience for this book. This is definitely a book for the 21st century kids, who are growing up stuck to screens and with ever diminishing attention span: the chapters and the phrases are short. On the other hand, I think that the author managed perfectly well to write the first person account in the language of a 15 yr old. I did not like the ending though: I wish that Ari came to conclusion all by himself.
I would have preferred this book to be less superficial but since it was told from the point of view of a teen I guess I should not expect more!
And I think I found there is a word missing in one sentence. Right?
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Only *just* discovered this thread so here's my first recommendation for you all. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but I happened to come across Dr. Jung's work through this article she wrote on the amnesia trope and I found it so interesting I had to get her book. I ended up loving it! This book is part media analysis, part memoir and Dr. Jung's writing is super accessible. I especially recommend it for international fans of kdramas, as the author takes the time to provide cultural and historical context when discussing the different shows. A great read, def recommend it for kdrama fans!
MAY Reads |
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Mistborn Era 2: Mistborn's always been fun to me but it's never gone beyond that. The finale of this quartet changed that. . When nods were given to the previous era, I found myself wistful in nostalgia or sinking with goosebumps with no in-between, making evident that I cared for the series more than I believed. When cosmere connections were bolder than they've ever been, love I had for other stories translated to Mistborn for though always so, it truly became a sequential part of them. Finally but most importantly, when Wax and Wayne's arc reached its conclusion . . . it was a beautiful one and has been (unwillingly) on my mind since.
Flame in the Mist: A reread. One I did because I've suspected I should unhaul the duology for some time now and needed confirmation. I was right. I don't want to talk about it T^T
I finished a book about women in western history to the 1800’s which was an excellent read. It’s used as a text book so it was dense.
I also read a book by a Japanese author that was translated about a woman who worked in a convenience store. She was “different” and didn’t fit societal norms which caused issues with her family and friends while she was perfectly content with her job and lifestyle. It was a quick read. The author had thoughtful comments and also used a bit of humor.
I also didn't get through my April book in April - just finished it a couple weeks ago. War Trash, by Ha Jin.
So this was super interesting, though the writing style (written as a memoir of one of the characters, so in his voice/from his POV) was kind of flat, I thought (though it makes total sense in the context of the story). Subject matter-wise, though, this was one of those books that makes me feel so woefully uneducated about certain corners of history. It covers the later years of the Korean War, but takes place almost entirely in POW camps in South Korea, where Chinese troops (from still relatively newly established Communist China) were held by South Korean and US forces. So, very based in fact but obviously fictional. A lot of the book is really about the conflicts between different factions of Chinese troops, reflecting Chinese politics at the time, rather than conflicts between POWs and their captors (though there's some of that too). Not something I had ever thought about at all, really. So I can't say this was a fun read, but it was well-written and definitely educational.
My May book, which I will also not be finishing in time, is Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger. Non-fiction book about a football-crazy Texas town in the late 1980's is pretty much the opposite of what I just read. I'm about 1/3 through, good so far, even though I am not a football person (at all). (But I have seen the movie adaptation, and I absolutely loved the TV adaptation of this book, so I'm probably primed to like it to some extent.)
In addition to finishing All Systems Red by Martha Wells, I also finished two other books. The first was a book I'd been reading for months on and off, which is Heaven Official's Blessing volume 8. My friends and I were watching the donghua, which helped me finish this volume (otherwise I might have dropped it). With this read, I've officially read the main stories for all of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's published works! What a feat! Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is still my #1, but this was very sweet. Personally, I struggled with how many different directions the story would go with its wide cast of characters. The main storyline was really good and my eyes did wet on reading the final chapter :') Also enjoyed the bonus chapters.
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I also read 2hua! A few years ago I remembered this being really popular and I wanted it to be the next xianxia series I read after finishing Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's books. I ended up not liking it too much by the end of the first volume. I'm just not a fan of angst relationships where self-sacrificing and silent endurance is a love language (SIFENG! SIFENG!!!). We haven't even started the relationship and they're already taking it to the max here. It was fine in The Untamed because it was something that happened off-screen, and even in Heaven Official's Blessing I didn't mind it too much (maybe because Hua Cheng wasn't a pov character?), but to have it all in my face in 2hua is just... I ended up skipping pages. I also have an aversion to student-teacher relationships. Yes I know technically Mo Ran is a 35 year old man or something, but its just not a trope I enjoy.
However.... despite the romance not being my style, the story is really interesting in other ways. It has 3 plot points that by the end of the book I want answers to! For some reason there are no spoiler-heavy summaries online (???? how??????) so I went to the MyBookList feeds in hopes for spoilers, but instead @Estelll has tempted me to continue reading . I know it's too much to hope for the romance style to change, but I need answers lmao Plus... the covers for this series are so damn beautiful it's just unfair T_T I also enjoyed the humor of terrible puns haha... just makes me giggle lol
Just finished the Emily Henry books and have now started in on the newest one from Ali Hazelwood. I didn't enjoy the Emily Henry books as much as I thought I would but they both had their moments. Still early days on the Ali Hazelwood one but it has already hooked me and I doubt I don't finish it within this week.
GreenApple:
Just finished the Emily Henry books and have now started in on the newest one from Ali Hazelwood. I didn't enjoy the Emily Henry books as much as I thought I would but they both had their moments. Still early days on the Ali Hazelwood one but it has already hooked me and I doubt I don't finish it within this week.
Which of the two Emily Henry books did you prefer? I'm not into romance books but even people who don't generally read the genre seem to enjoy her title. So my curiosity is high but I have no clue where to attempt it with her first.
