Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Ok but the Elphaba and Nessa vibes....
I stan characters who see themselves as cruel monsters who are irredeemable. Characters who see themselves as nothing more than a sacrifice. Characters who don't inherently hate themselves, but they don't like themselves...And I stan broken characters being broken together and accepting each others flaws rather than forcing each other to change. Characters who don't idealize themselves or the people around them.
I love Beauty and the Beast...like I just... I'm fine.
I love Shade.
I live for sassy snarky relationships that are kind of problematic... They're quotable.... Two cons trying to con each other. What a beautiful dance.
I love the house, the imagery, the box. The box the box the box.
368 Pages

Incomparable by Brie and Nikki Bella

Summary:  "A raw, honest, and revealing co-memoir by Brie and Nikki Bella: twin sisters, WWE Hall of Fame inductees, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and stars of the hit E! shows Total Bellas and Total Divas."

The Bella twins have kept me company throughout quarantine. From watching Total Bellas to reading their book, it's been a nice escape. 

In this book, I appreciated their open and honest discussion of their terrible childhoods, fighting for what they want, supporting other women, and fighting against the pressures of society. 

The inside look into the world of WWE and how it has changed for women was particularly interesting. Wrestling in the WWE is no joke, it requires a great deal of strength, fitness and courage. They literally can break their necks!

(I also now know where this gif comes from, and I couldn't be happier. Bryan is the sweetest man alive. Be like Bryan! YES! YES! YES!)

233 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

Moment of Truth by Kasie West

Summary: "At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is -- a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. Totally worth all the hard work, even if her aching shoulders don't agree. So when a guy dressed as Hollywood's latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn't amused. Instead, she's determined to make sure he doesn't bother her again. Only she's not sure exactly who he is. The swim meet isn't the first event the imposter has interrupted, but a little digging turns up a surprising number of people who could be Heath Hall, including Hadley's ex-boyfriend and her best friend's crush. She soon finds herself getting caught up in the mysterious world of the fake Heath Hall."

Moment of Truth is the third book in Kasie West's "Love, Life, and the List" series/shared universe. The first book is still my favorite, so it's nice to see Abby and Cooper pop up in these later installments. Events in this book make a bit more sense now that I've read the second book...:D

341 pages

MOBIUS| goodreads

Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss by Kasie West

Summary: "Lacey Barnes always dreamed of being an actress, and get an opportunity to star in a movie during her senior year. But life in the spotlight isn't as picture perfect as Lacey imagined. She has trouble bonding with her costars, her father hires Donavan Lake to tutor her, somewhere along the way she loses her acting mojo. And it looks like someone on set is deliberately trying to sabotage her. It seems the only person she can count on is Donavan--even as he becomes another distraction in her life."

The second book in Kasie West's series "Love, Life, and the List," which I accidentally read out of order! I didn't realize she had created a series with a shared universe. Kasie's books are simple & sweet, which makes for an easy read. I love to read her books while on vacation in Minnesota. I hope she writes for a long time!

375 pages

MOBIUS| goodreads

Now I Rise by Kiersten White

When you hear the name Cyprian and you're like...is it THAT Cyprian...from Eucharistic Prayer I...and it's not... cause that Cyprian was in the 200s not the 1400s.... we good...My Catholic is showing...
It doesn't help that the story is set in Constantinople, so I just have "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" essentially on repeat in my head.
You know when there's a cinnamon roll who is too pure this world and he's being used...yeah I'm adopting him.
Also I don't know how to feel about NAME because my baby Radu
...All of the Les Mis vibes... And LOTR vibes...
...Babe....just....be selfish for once; everyone else is.
aaaaand now there's an Anakin moment...oof
512 Pages

Ruthless Gods by Emily A Duncan

The witch made me think of the witch from Brave
Anastasia vibes (cause forged papers...)
....Soooo Rei Kylo connection (please don't get me started on the last movie)
"It's so exhausting feeling things all the time"...Most accurate sentence ever...
So this book was definitely better than the first one.
544 Pages

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

So I went on a Spring Break mission trip to New Orleans...and I love New Orleans and the atmosphere and the food... I miss it y'all. Louisiana is so pretty. ugh.
Ok because this is historical fiction and Catholic things are happening.. Imma be over here Catholicing... Don't mind me over in the corner checking for historical accuracy (I did this with the live action Beauty and the Beast, it's normal, I'm fine).
Ursline sisters? I know one of those!
Tangled dance gif
Ok but thanking someone for sharing their secrets and hard to tell truths. Yes! Acknowledging that some things are hard to share, and that you're honored to have them shared.
Ok so the commentary on how sin is kind of a grey area...yes.
Snaps for all the words of wisdom.
And all the action happened real fast.
My ship...I'm fine. I'm torn...Two ships...Which one will I go down on...
448 Pages

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

Ok so every time they bring up "Nightbringer" I think of Night Man from It's Always Sunny...
Elias:


Arwen from LOTR seeing her future..
Elias:

...Elias really is Rose from Titanic...
and some Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End vibes for very specific reasons...
...Like I said...Lord of the Rings...ghosts.. the battle speeches, the battle in Two Towers (minus the rain)
....Ok but Hamilton has ruined me, because now every time there's a battle I hear Right Hand Man, Stay Alive, Guns and Ships, or Yorktown depending on the situation....

...ok but the narrator's name being the person's identity...like "Blood Shrike" vs "Helene Aquilla"... That might ruin me.
480 Pages

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

This book was awesome. Lovecraftian horror infects two families in Chicago during 1950s Jim Crow era.  Tentacled rock monsters, a secret cult society of alchemists, mechanical clockwork space machinery, ghost mansions, demon dolls, and those aren't even the really scary parts. Set up as a collection of interrelated short stories, it makes for a really fun yet thought-provoking read. Also, I hear it is being turned into an HBO series soon!

Fun, social-commentary filled horror.

372 pages

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

I will always doubt a character death if they die out of sight, and even if they die in front of the main character, I still might not believe it. I done been wrong too many times.
Kind of gives me Three Dark Crowns vibes...which is stressing me out....
and my brain thought of LOTR.
Ok but to be human is to have darkness and try to overcome that darkness....
Can we just..... I'm stressed... like...y'all are making romantic relationships too complicated and problematic.... you better stop.
When you're reading a book and you can just tell that everything's gonna go to ish

And then you have a crack theory about a lost friend's identity
aaaaand all the phantom of the opera point of no return references
aaaaand I've got a bad feeling about all of this...

Y'all.... None of this ish would happen if all y'all would just be honest.
496 Pages

And I Darken by Kiersten White

Clapback for all of the wonderful examples of people who are religious and not complete jerks.
Two bros vine...
Ok but baby brother is giving me Finnick vibes...
...I'm just gonna be over here in my corner.....yeah...
512 Pages

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

So this musical is all of the Broadway gifs in my brain
...So yeah I heard Theodosia and I instantly thought of Hamilton....
.....The wardrobe.....Tangled....Narnia....
that one part in Phantom of the Opera:



...I just realized that gif can be applied to multiple moments...
The "cat fight" in Wicked in the cornfield.... yeah that happened.
.....There's that moment in Ella Enchanted with the mirror room....

Yeah I loved this book and I love my little ocean boy.
464 Pages

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Summary: "Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin: from inexplicable mishaps to a recent layoff, her life seems to be almost comically jinxed. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion...she even managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a slew of contests. Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas. Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren't affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there's a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo...."

This was too fun!

400 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

The King's Men by Nora Sakavic

So I was stressed when the stressful thing happened in the middle of the book....
I'll just be over here in the corner watching my baby suffer...
#foundfamily
365 Pages

Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game by Chris Grabenstein

Maybe it's cause I read a lot...and I'm an (gag) adult, but them bragging about reading the entire Harry Potter series in a weekend...
Escape room vibes....
Redemption may haps...
304 Pages

Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan

I really liked the concepts of the different types of magic in this book.
Also....saints y'all... I love saints and martyrs (like yeah this book is about like a pantheon of gods) but SAINTS.
Serefin... I love him... He needs therapy, and he needs to be adopted, but I love him.
...Maybe it's cause I'm tired and I listen to books on triple speed now because I can (and I was listening to it over lunch)
Insert gif of Plankton Maximum Overdrive
I'm no quitter, so I'm hoping the series gets better...or I'm caffeinated when I listen to the next one.
416 Pages

Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein

Ok so does anyone else feel like Missouri is getting called out/attacked or is that just me....
Hey look a research librarian...which is like one of my dream jobs...
Check your facts, check your sources. Yaas.
304 Pages

The Tanakh, New Jewish Publication Society Translation

I've been wanting to read the Bible since I was a little girl. I remember sitting in church, reading through Genesis, convinced I could get through it if I kept reading it every week. Needless to say, eight year old me never got past Exodus. As an adult, I've tried to read the Bible cover to cover multiple times, but always gave up a couple hundred pages in. I thought instead I would try and start with the Hebrew Bible, and I finally did it! This has been a work in progress since last July, reading just a few chapters every day. I also enjoyed reading a different translation (JPS) than I have in the past. Regardless of your beliefs, there is so much in here that serves as a foundation for Western literature and thought.

1622 pages

Books to Get Lost In

The Enterprise War by John Jackson Miller

This was definitely not the best Star Trek novel (and I know, they are notorious for being kind of bad...), and it really dragged on. It was nice to read about the chaos of the Pergamum Nebula, but the distance it placed itself from the main plot of Discovery made the story feel a bit inconsequential. I liked the old tech space pirates, and we do get to see Spock go mad-a direct tie in to the series-but other than that, I wasn't impressed.

432 pages




The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

I'm so glad I am rereading these. I remember how much I loved this series growing up, and it's nice to return to them. I forgot about the creepy spectres, and how much the witches played a role in the plot. I think I also just love multiverse stories and playing with portals and magic.

326 pages






Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe

The third in the Tufa series, in which two star crossed lovers, Bo-Kate Wisby and Jefferson Powell, both banished from Needsville, find that the curse has been lifted, and return to reak havoc on their homes once more. Meanwhile, Byron Harley (a twist on 1950's rock star Bill Haley) escapes from being locked in fae time for 60 years, and Mandalay begins to come into her own power. I have loved this series! The idea of hillbilly fairies in the Smoky Mountains is such a magical combination.

382 pages




Queen's Peril by E.K. Johnston

I absolutely loved Ahsoka and Queen's Shadow, and this one did not disappoint! We get more backstory of each of Queen Amidala's handmaidens, and I love how Johnston was willing to fully flesh out each one. I really enjoy Star Wars novels that focuses on galactic politics instead of just swoopy starship battles. Padme is amazing and one of the most underrated star wars heroines. It was also so cool to see how the handmaidens pulled off the wardrobe switches between the queen and Sabe.

288 pages

Book Club Reads

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

A story of class and race in suburb America. Valerie clashes with the entitled local celebrity Brad over losing her beloved oak tree. Meanwhile, their children are beginning a forbidden relationship. I loved this one, it kept me interested all the way through. I was rooting for Juniper and Xavier the whole time, and cried a bit by the end of it.

311 pages




Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Rue is a midwife, healer, and conjurer trying to hold her community together in the aftermath of the Civil War. Meanwhile, she has to deal with a charismatic traveling preacher and keep the secrets of her former plantation owner's daughter. I really liked this one for the rich depiction of root work and spirituality during the period of slavery. Although it was a bit difficult to follow the shifts between pre- and post-Civil War, the story was totally worth it!

400 pages



All Adults Here by Emma Straub

Astrid basically has a three-quarter life crisis when she witnesses an old friend being struck and killed by a school bus. Now she regrets how she raised her children, and decides to open up about her relationship with her hairdresser. This was a good family drama, and I really liked the story of Cecelia and Robin's friendship. If you are looking for a lighthearted, fun read, that isn't completely devoid of wisdom and insight into modern families, this is your book.

356 pages



The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The identical Vignes twins dramatically diverge as adults, with one woman eventually returning to her local black community, and the other secretly passing as white in California, her husband and friends knowing nothing of her past. Yet their story intertwines, across the generations and the decades. This book was really great! I enjoyed the contrast between Stella's life and Jude's in late 1970's LA.

343 pages

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

fdsjsfdajklfdsjklsfdjklsfd
I'm fine. Someone help me. I'm really stressed out for my babies...cause they deserve the world....I love Elias. I would kill everyone for him.
When people don't listen to their instincts and you just want to Gibbs slap them for being stupid...but maybe that's just dramatic irony. Laia I could have told you that was going on...
I just loved the plot for Elias. I'm stressed, but I live for angst. I love angst and suffering.... I'm mean... But can he please just get to take a nap for once.

480 Pages

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

I had to listen to this book a second time cause I wasn't focusing the first time.
Tristan is a precious baby and I'm adopting him.
Indiana Jones + National Treasure + representation
"God doesn't make mistakes in crafting our hearts" ok so this line, coming from a seminarian... Yes. I could get on my soapbox about how God forms our hearts certain ways, and that we're called to use that for the benefit and good of others.
"Scars are scuffs left by sorrows fists" oof
The trail of cookies
416 Pages