March TBR

On March 2, 2023March 2, 2023 By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRsLeave a comment

Hi all!

It’s another month, and time for another TBR! As usual, I played mini-golf to decide what to read in the month of March, and if you’d like to watch this in video format, you can see this below.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Two friends meet across three dinners.
In the back room of a pet shop, they snack on dried shrimps and discuss fish-breeding. In a remote new home in the mountains, they look for a solution to a weasle infestation. During a dinner party in a blizzard, a mounting claustrophobia makes way for uneasy dreams. Their conversations often take them in surprising directions, but when one of the men becomes a father, more and more is left unsaid.
With emotional acuity and a wry humour, Weasles In The Attic is an uncanny and striking reflection on fertility, masculinity, and marriage in contemporary Japan.

The first prompt I pulled out was orange cover, and I immediately chose Weasels in the Attic by Hiroko Oyamada. Mark bought this for me in Daunt Books the other week, and I’ve had my eye on it ever since. It also has a very bright, very orange cover, helpfully!

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Meet Nora Hughes – the overworked, underpaid, last bookish assistant standing. At least for now.
When Nora landed an editorial assistant role at Parsons Press she thought it would be The Dream Job. But after five years of admin and taking lunch orders, Nora has come to the conclusion: Dream Jobs do not exist.
With her life spiralling and unable to afford her rent, Nora does the only thing she can think of and starts freelancing for a rival publisher.
But when Andrew Santos, a bestselling author (who also happens to be quite attractive), is thrown into Nora’s life, she must decide where her loyalties lie, and whether she’s ready to choose herself and her future over her job…
Your next book club read touching on mental health, happiness and the ups and downs of being a young woman trying to figure it all out.

The next prompt was author debut and I picked up Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson! This one was gifted to me by Harper Collins (as were most of the books in this post!) and I’ve wanted to pick it up ever since they sent it – I’m especially drawn in by the quote from Taylor Jenkins Reid on the cover.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.
So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.
So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.
But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

The next prompt was one word title and Yellowface was the first one to catch my eye! I feel so honoured to get a copy of this one, also from Harper Collins. This sounds so interesting and I’m very excited to pick it up before the release in May.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

A pirate of infamy and one of the most storied and scandalous captains to sail the seven seas.
Amina al-Sirafi has survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.
But when she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse, she jumps at the chance for one final adventure with her old crew that will make her a legend and offers a fortune that will secure her and her family’s future forever.
Yet the deeper Amina dives the higher the stakes. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savour just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.

The next prompt was more than 400 pages, which is daunting but allowed me to pick up another anticipated release from Harper Collins, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty! I’ve never read anything by this author, but this one sounds so interesting and I can’t wait to pick it up.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Clarissa Wong at HarperCollins/HarperAlley has acquired, at auction, world rights to Firebird, the debut YA graphic novel by Sunmi, in a two-book deal. Firebird follows Caroline as she crushes on Kim, an older student she tutors, and their friendship through their varied experiences as queer children of Asian-American immigrants. Publication is scheduled for 2022; Susan Graham at Einstein Literary Management handled the deal.

The last prompt was cozy reading, and I always see graphic novels as cozy because you can often read them in one sitting. I picked up another anticipated release from Harper Collins, which is Firebird by Sunmi. Thank you to Harper for fuelling my TBR for March!

Which books are you hoping to read in March?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/thebooksareverywhere

January Wrap Up | 10 Books Read

On February 13, 2023February 10, 2023 By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRsLeave a comment

Hello and welcome back to my blog! Today I’m going to be posting my January wrap up. I read 10 books in January, which might be a lot less than I read in December, but I’m still pretty happy with.

I’m hoping to read 100 books this year, and I finished January ahead of schedule, which I’m happy about.

If you’d like to see me discuss the books I read in January in video format, you can watch the video below.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Most days, Ellie Pillai is somewhere between invisible, and not very cool – and usually she’s okay with that. But suddenly, Ellie feels different. Maybe it’s the new boy at school who makes her brain explode into rainbows every time she sees him (and also happens to be going out with her best friend), or maybe it’s her new drama teacher, the one who seems to have noticed she exists. Suddenly, her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and all that getting lost in the music in her head seem to be okay too. Because maybe standing out isn’t a bad thing after all.

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Jamie Rambeau is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who likes nothing better than hanging out with their two best friends Daisy and Ash. But when the trio find out that in Year Seven they will be separated into one school for boys and another for girls, their friendship suddenly seems at risk. And when Jamie realises no one has thought about where they are going to go, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and sort it all out once and for all.
As the friends’ efforts to raise awareness eventually become a rooftop protest against the binary rules for the local schools, Jamie realises that if they don’t figure out a way forwards, they might be at risk of losing both their friends forever.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Ajay is a Mumbai railway kid, a newspaper seller, but his great dream is to be a journalist. His dream comes true when he and a gang of friends create their own newspaper – but what is the cost of uncovering the truth?

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Jamie and Andrew are strangers, and two of the last people left alive.
After a catastrophic event wipes out most of the population, Jamie finds himself alone in a cabin in the woods.
He’s learned to fear other desperate survivors, but when he meets the injured Andrew, Jamie is compelled to help. As they step out into this strange new world together, their friendship begins to feel like something more…
Jamie and Andrew are hoping for safety, for shelter, for community. But ahead of them is a perilous journey through a world torn apart.
They don’t know what they’ll find on their perilous journey … but they may just find each other.

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Murder is a very simple crime. But at the hands of a maniac, a serial killer, it becomes a very complicated business.
With the whole country in a state of panic, the killer is growing more confident with each successive execution – Mrs Ascher in Andover, Betty Barnard in Bexhill, Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston… But laying a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just be his first mistake…

★★★★
4 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn’t seen her sister June for two years. And now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months’ time, she and her mother decide that it’s time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past. Along with Aisha’s Chinese boyfriend, Walter and his parents (and Fleabag the stray cat), the group take a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan – to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Baek Sehee is a successful young social media director at a publishing house when she begins seeing a psychiatrist about her – what to call it? – depression? She feels persistently low, anxious, endlessly self-doubting, but also highly judgemental of others. She hides her feelings well at work and with friends; adept at performing the calmness, even ease, her lifestyle demands. The effort is exhausting, overwhelming, and keeps her from forming deep relationships. This can’t be normal.
But if she’s so hopeless, why can she always summon a desire for her favourite street food, the hot, spicy rice cake, tteokbokki? Is this just what life is like?
Recording her dialogues with her psychiatrist over a 12-week period, Baek begins to disentangle the feedback loops, knee-jerk reactions and harmful behaviours that keep her locked in a cycle of self-abuse. Part memoir, part self-help book, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki is a book to keep close and to reach for in times of darkness.

★★★★★
4.5 out of 5 stars

I’m really proud of myself for buddy reading the whole of the Deadly Education series in January with Alex, but sadly they turned out to be my least favourite books of the month. My favourite read of the month was tied with Jamie and The Cats We Meet Along the Way.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

February TBR

On February 10, 2023 By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRsLeave a comment

Hello readers!

It’s a little late for my February TBR but here we are! As usual, I picked my monthly TBR by playing mini golf, and you can see the video below.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

When the Bat’s away, the Cat will play. It’s time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .
Two years after escaping Gotham City’s slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.
Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing’s undoing.

The first prompt I received from my mini golf game was the book that’s been on my TBR for the longest. It’s hard to find the exact one, and a lot of the books I’ve owned for the longest are part of a series, but Catwoman: Soulstealer is the standalone that has been on my physical TBR for the longest – I think! I’ve been waiting to read this whole (companion) series together, but we’ll see if I manage to do that or not!

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

One morning at Styles Court, an Essex country manor, the elderly owner is found dead of strychnine poisoning. Arthur Hastings, a soldier staying there on sick leave from the Western Front, ventures out to the nearby village of Styles St. Mary to ask help from his friend Hercule Poirot, an eccentric Belgian inspector. Thus, in this classic whodunit, one of the most famous characters in detective fiction makes his debut on the world stage. With a half dozen suspects who all harbor secrets, it takes all of Poirot’s prodigious sleuthing skills to untangle the mystery–but not before the inquiry undergoes scores of spellbinding twists and surprises.

The second prompt just happened to be oldest book released, or the oldest book on my TBR. This one worked out to be one of the most recent books I’ve actually bought, and this edition was only released in November 2022. I’ve read a few Christie books recently and I’m looking forward to reading the first Poirot.

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Romance book connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men—all of whom dumped her because of her “stage-five clinger” tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead, thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.
Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.
The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily ever after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?

The next prompt I got was most recent purchase, of which I could choose between this one from the January Illumicrate Afterlight box (unboxing video here) and Like a Curse as I received them on the same day. Thank you to Knights Of for my copy of Like a Curse! I can’t wait to read more from Elle McNicoll, but I fancied a romance for Valentine’s Day, and Exes and O’s sounds so good.

Storygraph | Waterstones

Beloved for the simple grace of its artwork as much as the poetic elegance of its text (adapted by Midori Motohashi), The Garden of Words begins with a chance, rainswept encounter between Takao, a young man who dreams of becoming a shoe designer, and Yukari, an enigmatic woman he finds sitting alone, nursing a beer on a park bench. The spare interaction of these two lonely souls sparks a spiritual transformation for the young man, and perhaps the woman as well. As this intriguing, understated story unfolds, their lives will become further intertwined amid rain, beer, school, and shoe cobbling. Words are not often necessary, but in this case just a few words can make a difference in one’s heart.

I then picked up the prompt of favourite author, of which I chose to read The Garden of Words by Makoto Shinkai and Midoiri Motohashi. I am trying to make my way through everything Shinkai produces and I’m a big fan of his films, especially Your Name. I can’t wait to read this manga!

Storygraph | Bookshop.org

Lewis has a few things to say to his younger teen self. He knows she hates her body. He knows she’s confused about who to snog. He knows she’s really a he and will ultimately realize this… but she’s going to go through a whole lot of mess (some of it funny, some of it not funny at all) to get to that point. Lewis is trying to tell her this… but she’s refusing to listen.

And the last prompt was quick read, and I chose the graphic novel Welcome to St. Hell by Lewis Hancox. I’ve actually already read this one, and I can confirm it was absolutely brilliant and so well done. It’s a quick read due to the graphic novel format, and Hancox does an amazing job of making such a difficult subject so full of heart, warmth and humour.

Which books are you hoping to read in February?

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: The Balloon Thief (#1) by Aneesa Marufu

On October 22, 2022October 18, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

For Khadija, the only escape from her father’s arranged betrothal is the sky. When she spots a rogue hot air balloon fighting against its ropes, she leaps at the chance for adventure.
Khadija soon finds an unlikely ally in a poor glassmaker’s apprentice, Jacob. But Jacob is a hāri, and Khadija a Ghadaean.
The hāri are oppressed and restless―their infamous terrorist group, the Hāreef, have a new fearsome leader. And the ruling Ghadaeans are brutal in their repression. Soon, a deadly revolution threatens their friendship and their world. The Hāreef use forbidden magic, summoning jinn―wicked spirits made of fire―to enact their revenge, forcing Jacob and Khadija to choose what kind of a world they want to save…

Thank you to Chicken House for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in from the very first page, and I really loved the concept and focus on hot air balloons. It was such a unique idea and I love how the world building centred around the balloons from the very start.

I listened to the audiobook, which at the start of the book really drew me in and I enjoyed Khadija’s chapters a lot. The concept of her escaping her possessive and controlling father gave an added layer to the story that felt really important and well written. We also had a POV of Jacob, a Hari, who were looked down upon by society.

The unlikely friendship struck between these two meant the prejudices and divergences between the two characters were faced head on and discussed throughout the book. I really enjoyed seeing the divisions dissolve between the two main characters and this felt like an important theme.

However, this book did start to let me down in the second half, as more and more started to happen. We went from a story focusing on family, friendship and prejudice, to a highly complex world including terrorism, Jinn, protests, attacks and dark magic. There was an introduction of a large amount of characters that left me feeling confused and struggling to focus on the story.

Overall, this book started so strong and I really loved the concept throughout, but lost me as it became overly complex and seemed to drift away from the original plot and point to the story. A solid debut with great world building, but I most likely won’t be continuing with the series.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton and Faith McClaren

On October 17, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book ReviewLeave a comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

When the YouTube-famous Ghost Gang—Chrissy, Chase, Emma, and Kiki—visit a haunted LA hotel notorious for tragedy to secretly film after dark, they expect it to be just like their previous paranormal huntings. Spooky enough to attract subscribers—and ultimately harmless.
But when they stumble upon something unexpected in the former room of a gruesome serial killer, they quickly realize that they’re in over their heads.
Sometimes, it’s the dead who need our help—and the living we should fear.

I spotted this one earlier in the year at Forbidden Planet, and decided to pick it up for spooky season. The cover drew me in, the concept gripped me and I liked the idea of a shorter read (this one clocks in at just over 200 pages).

The best part of this book was that it was a quick and entertaining read, but I sadly don’t feel like it achieved much more than that. I got through it very quickly and read most of it in one sitting, and I did like the concept and wanted to read on.

It’s nice to have someone who knows you that well

However, I do feel like several aspects of this book let it down. It’s not often I comment on the writing, but this one did feel like a debut, especially at the start. The writing seemed quite underdeveloped to me. The characters were also all pretty unlikable and didn’t feel like they had distinct personalities.

Although I didn’t try to guess who the killer was, it was the most obvious choice for a murderer and didn’t have any kind of shock factor. There was a lot of gruesome parts and gore, but I also didn’t find this as creepy as I wanted or expected to.

and still wants to see your face every day.

Overall, this was definitely fun and entertaining and I enjoyed the ride enough to keep turning the pages, which is why I’m still going to give it 3 out of 5 stars. But if you’re looking for anything more than entertaining and fast paced, you might want to give this one a miss.

★★★
3 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

On September 16, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

Goodreads | Bookshop.org

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

I had a feeling from the very start that I would fall in love with this book. There is something about a love story that isn’t about romantic love that drew me in from the start, and I knew I would be able to relate to. Days after finishing Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, I am unsure how to talk about it. The way I feel about this book and the topics it spans is very difficult to truly explain in words. It hit me in every single way I expected it to, and more. It broke my heart into little pieces and warmed my heart, too. It gave me hope, and it gave me hurt too. The audiobook was also a masterpiece.

“What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow centres games and game development, which I loved reading about and found fascinating to read about as a gamer myself. You definitely don’t need to have a love of games to appreciate this book for what it is, but I also felt like I could relate to it on a more personal level because of my love and appreciation for games.

My favourite part of this book was definitely the writing. There was constantly quotes that I wanted to save and shout from the rooftops, and I am already considering buying another edition just to read again and highlight. This book is quite long and has some interesting writing styles, which on paper feel risky but I fell in love with every time. I’ve never annotated a book before, but this one makes me want to start. I treasured the experience I had reading this book, and I just want to experience it over and over again. And I feel like with each re-read, it will become even more of a favourite. Even re-reading quotes and thinking about this book a week or so after finishing it is making me emotional.

The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

To say that Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel about games would be as limiting as it is infinite. I believe that games have the power to be life changing and world altering, carrying strength and hope and love and friendship. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow both showcases and includes all of these themes. It is a novel about games. But it is also a novel about the world. A novel about love, beauty, greed, wealth, friendship, hope, self-reflection, disability, motherhood, gender identity and Super Mario. It is a reflection within a reflection. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I get the sense I will carry it with me always.

★★★★★
5 out of 5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

August Wrap-Up

On September 15, 2022October 3, 2022 By Beth JonesIn Wrap-Ups + TBRsLeave a comment

Hello all! I’m a little late, but I really wanted to do a monthly wrap-up this month as I read so much in August and I’m really proud of myself for how much I managed to read. I read 21 books, and even though a lot of those were graphic novels, I still think that’s a really impressive number!