The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim

I thought I knew who I was going to ship, and then I wasn't sure for a second, and then I was.
I love little nerd with his bearded dragon.
400 Pages

Just My Type by Falon Ballard

ARC. Publication Date: February 7, 2023
Summary
Ok but it's like... How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days but they knew each other beforehand.
fjkdal;jkldfsasjkldaa. I can't. The ship. the ship the ship the ship.
The fluff sfjdklasfjkdsdjkl.
One fish, two fish. Red fish blue fish.
We love therapists. And we don't say it enough.
I wish we had some of Seth's perspective or parts of his posts, but it might have given away the ending (even if it was obvious to everyone except Parker). Seth is obvious and I love him.
Me at the end of the book:

Heads up the boss is sus and problematic. HR should be called. The one night stand challenge made me uncomfortable, but I feel like the author handled it well.
368 Pages

TS Song: How You Get the Girl, I'm Only Me When I'm With You

For Twice in My Life by Annette Christie

ARC: Publication Date: February 7, 2023
Summary
I expected this to be a "While You Were Sleeping" and it wasn't.
.....I feel personally attacked by the description of Layla's coffee table in the first chapter....and by Layla in general, and like....the family relations....
Do I need someone to hold me back from throwing hands in regards to Layla's family....probably. But also, as a youngest sibling, I relate.
Matt is adorable and a cutie pie, and I will not be taking comments. Is it because he can bake...maybe...there are other reasons. I will protect him.
Artsy people being artsy and parents being ok with it. I'm not crying....
Also this is where I get on my soap box about how important open honest communication is, even if it's uncomfy.
I was really concerned for how they were going to wrap everything up because there was like...30 pages, but they did it, so that's good.
I kind of wish there had been like...an epilogue.
320 Pages

TS: Layla describes Matt as having James Dean vibes. Me: Style.
The Way I Loved You, and a little bit of Would've Could've Should've

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Pages:  407

"Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever."

The mystery and intrigue in this book! You cannot tell what is real and what is not. I am on the second book and I still have doubts about some of the happenings in the first one! I do not think the game ever ends. There are so many twists and turns and motivations seem to change at the drop of a hat. I hope the ending is real, I would be heartbroken for Scarlett if the act continues on through the next books.

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

So like...there's Aladdin vibes (obviously), and We Hunt the Flames vibes, and a little bit of City of Brass.
There's potential. It's a debut, so I'm going in with an open mind. The magic system (the tea magic) and monsters in the world are intriguing and have potential.
Taha is Draco Malfoy. And maybe a little bit of Nasir from We Hunt the Flame. Hi I would like more Taha content please. For reasons.
I'm suspicious of everyone. 
496 Pages

Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett

Please don't do the thing Corwin. Please don't do the thing.
Laughs uncomfortably--that got dark.
Look at all the trauma...so much.....
I just want to protect my babies...All of them.
Dallllll....
Also character growth and commentary on free will and trust. I can't.
I cannot emphasize enough how much I love Corwin because he's adorable and I will protect him. Even when he's being stupid...which isn't often.
496 Pages

Saint by Adrienne Young

Me not remembering what happened in Fable or Namesake. *looks it up.
Ohhhhhh. That kind of prequel.
I knew I loved Saint.
I don't know why, but:

*Goes to re-read Fable and Namesake for REASONS.
336 Pages

Olympic Enemies by Rebecca J Caffery

ARC Publication Date: February 7, 2023
For some reason I thought this was between an American and a Brit.....

*Insert the vine of Wake Up Sleepyhead...cause that happened
The most unrealistic thing about this book is that there's 10 seasons of Brooklyn 99.
I can't speak to the accuracy of the gymnastics because I am a peasant.
The setting is the 2024 Olympics in Paris (which is legit).
It was ok. Stuff felt rushed.
290 Pages

When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

Ah so that's why the title is the title.
Oh so this is like Mama Mia.
Ok but I love Dad.
istg if this has the ending of Mama Mia, I will be upset.
*has theory. Has theory has theory. I KNEW IT. BOTH MY THEORIES RIGHT.
320 Pages

TS Song: Welcome to New York, Never Grow Up

January Manga

Blue Period Vol. 3 by Tsubasa Yamaguchi
"There's no such thing as failure in the arts"
208 Pages

Vol. 4
It covers the first entrance exam and the prep.

208 Pages

Vol. 5
Everyone is preparing for the second exam--the oil painting exam,

and we get to see more of Ryuji....
and there's self-portrait work. 😅
210 Pages

Komi Can't Communicate Vol. 5 by Tomohito Oda
Komi's jealous, I continue to love Tadano.
190 Pages

Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun Vol. 11 by Izumi Tsubaki
Waka learning that Lorelai is Seo.
192 Pages

Vol. 12
When all the characters are realizing that they have crushes.
The shenanigans
162 Pages

Silver Spoon Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa
Ok but showing all of the farm life and the work that goes into it.
Also like...it makes me think of FFA competitions that demonstrate all of these skills. Also there are cows and horses and pigs and I love it.
192 Pages

Way of the House Husband. Vol. 6 by Kousuke Oono
Tatsu trying to join the women's association. Love it.
The SHIBA DOGE.
I love Masa.
Did I sit outside of the library in my car and cackle while I read this, and random strangers drove up and saw me....yes
168 Pages

Tim Reads - January

American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis by Adam Hochschild (432 pages)

An in-depth look at America following the end of World War I. The home front was as violent as the fields of France, from race riots to the jailing of antiwar protestors the country was learning lessons on what happens when you boil everything down to, “us vs. them”

Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution by H.W. Brands (512 pages)

A look at what causes a person to become a rebel (or a patriot depending on how you see it) and what causes another to do the opposite. Ben Franklin was one of the nation’s founding fathers but his own son saw him as a traitorous rebel. This book breaks down the battle between Patriots and Loyalists and shows how each side came to their final decisions

The Scandalous Hamiltons: A Gilded Age Grifter, a Founding Father's Disgraced Descendant, and a Trial at the Dawn of  Tabloid Journalism by Bill Shaffer (330 pages)

I could tell you that an heir of Alexander Hamilton and his con artist wife go on trial for stabbing their nurse and that’s not the whole of this book, it’s not even the whole of the first chapter. This book and its main characters, especially Evangeline Hamilton, are outrageous. Such an interesting look at this story and the reporters that managed to make it even tawdrier.  

The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism by Thomas Frank
(336 pages)

What is a populist? It seems like a simple question but the term and political movement that coalesced around it have changed. This book looks at the ever changing face of populism, the idea that the will of the people should reign supreme and shows how elites and political opposition have smeared it to make it almost unrecognizable to the people who founded the movement.

Friends, Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Gordon S. Wood (512 pages)

A lengthy look at the creation, break up, and reformation of the friendship of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. From the earliest days, these two titans had differing views about almost everything, and finally the strain of running a nation drove them apart. A look at their letter to each other (and to others about each other) show the different personalities of these two men and how they shaped the earliest history of the United States

The War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians, and the Rise of Islam by Peter Crawford (392 pages)

As the Roman Empire finally defeats its longtime foe the Sassanid Persians, something they’ve been trying to do for centuries. Time to kick your feet up and…here comes the newly founded Islamic army from the desserts of Arabia. A look at the three way dance of the ancient world that saw the two established empires, Rome and Persia, get absolutely trucked and pushed to the brink of extinction

City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris by Holly Tucker (353 pages)

 There’s a poisoner in the court of the King of France, they’ve been picking off high ranking officials and members of the nobility, send for the police right? Well this is happening in the Court of Louis XIV and there isn’t one, so it’s up to the Nicolas de la Reynie who is appointed as the first police chief of Rome to stop the killing (and clean up the streets if he has time).

The Luminaries by Susan Dennard

I have a theory. I have a theory. about the werewolf.
Also there's lots of Wednesday vibes.
Actually I have two theories.
Ok four theories. And my second isn't right, and the first probably isn't.
Ok but like...the mystery. The intrigue. The training.
also. Did I read about Jay and instantly connect him to Michael Moscovitz. Yes. Except he blonde.....He fix cars (we love Matilda), he in band...like...fjdks. Also he have motorcycle....
Like....he even said "Why me?"
Also the families are the days of the week. And it's Winnie Wednesday...like... wild.
336 Pages

The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross

I love Rebecca Ross and her writing. I don't know why, but I do.
Cartier. jklfdjsfldajksfd. I love him.
The new characters. I will protect my babies.
496 Pages

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Ok but the last story mentioned....I feel like that's relevant for the next book...for reasons....
Me not knowing what time period it's in for the life of me.....Apparently it's 1909
SHADOW. JFDSAKJFLSDFLJAKF
I thought I hated Wendell. I was wrong. I love him....Assuming my 1% suspicion doesn't come to pass....because I trust no one.
I now understand what cozy means.
336 Pages

I'm Not Charlotte Lucas by Kasey Stockton

ARC: Publication Date: February 7, 2023
I guess I thought when it said in the summary that "life seems to be imitating fiction" it meant that the story was a spin-off....it was not.
Charlie's romance was going to mirror Charlotte's.....
I enjoyed like....80% of the book. It was cute and I loved Liam but then there came a point where I couldn't stand Charlie (probably because she reminded me of myself)
I kind of want to go on a rant about how Charlotte Lucas might have married Mr. Collins for convenience, but like...she was happy... There's nothing wrong with being a Charlotte...like....
Charlie: It's me, I'm the problem.
My brain:

But also, near the end:

240 Pages

TS Song: Babe, Untouchable

The Bone House by Emily Lloyd

 Pages: 352

"Seventeen-year-old Aderyn ("Ryn") only cares about two things: her family, and her family's graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don't always stay dead.

The risen corpses are known as "bone houses," and legend says that they're the result of a decades-old curse. When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with a mysterious past, arrives in town, the bone houses attack with new ferocity. What is it that draws them near? And more importantly, how can they be stopped for good?"

I wish this author has more standalone fantasy novels. I really enjoyed the Drowned Woods with is quirky magic (and the corgi!!) and strong characters. This one was a twist of more welsh folktales with more of a horror twist and another fun sidekick/pet in the goat.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

 

Pages: 304

"Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassment - a condition which makes her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Season - but when the strange, handsome and utterly uncouth Lord Sorcier discovers her condition, she is instead drawn into dangerous and peculiar faerie affairs. 

If Dora's reputation can survive both her curse and her sudden connection with the least-liked man in all of high society, then she may yet reclaim her normal place in the world. . . but the longer Dora spends with Elias Wilder, the more she begins to suspect that one may indeed fall in love, even with only half a soul."

One store describes this novel as Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle and I cannot agree more. With such a short story, there was a lot packed in with dealings with cruel fae, a slow burn romance with scheming mothers, and a mysterious plague that is somehow connected with Dora's condition. Definitely recommend as a feel good romance.

The Crown's Fate by Evelyn Skye

*googles Russia 1825.....
"fear always flourished in the dark of night" .....Alexa play "In the Dark of the Night" from Anastasia.
I was expecting like...three different endings, so I'm not upset about the one that we got.
Nikolai. fsjkldajklsfd
432 Pages

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

It's a re-read because I don't remember what happened.
I appreciate the characters more because I actually know what's going on and why they were doing what they were doing.
There's some LOTR vibes with like...trying to make a party of people for a mission.
Also... I still love the squire.
592 Pages

Spare by Prince Harry

......I don't care what anyone says, I love him. I don't care if he's 10+ years older than me, I will protect him. I just want to hug him.
The way he says zebra, oregano, and basil: zeh-bruh, oh-ray-gah-no, and bah-sil....like...
...Head squirrels and hover monkeys.
I see metaphors. I see metaphors everywhere.
Do I want to talk about trauma and PTSD....
Laughs because the American is being American and speaking their mind and hugging people--because we might be anxious, but we hug.

I went into the book with no regard for what the media said, because primary sources > secondary sources; and people are people who have emotions no matter how famous. Some of it echoes the Netflix documentary, but we see more of his childhood and his years in the military.

410 Pages

TS Songs (yes there are songs): Time to Go, Peace, a little bit of Anti-Hero

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Darlington!!
....you can't just talk about statues and stained glass and libraries and not expect me to not obsess over it...
oh the rabbit makes sense now.
"we do what we have to. that's the job of a survivor"

TIL that these guys (Pygmy Slow Loris) are venomous:

......I'm looking up symbolism, everyone shut up.
COSMO. I LOVE HIM.
Can I make Danny Phantom jokes? Cause.... Danny Arlington
OH MI GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
496 Pages

TS Song: Vigilante Ish, Mad Woman, Labyrinth

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The re-read before Hell Bent.
Me realizing that I was distracted by all the Ivy League vibes and missed all the Trauma.
The second read was so much better.
480 Pages