Finished The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch bc I kept seeing it pop up on this sub. Honestly, I kept having to put the book down because it stressed me out so much. I love heist movies, but even though this book was marketed as such, I'd say maybe the majority of the book wasn't heist-y, and filled with other conflicts. But I loved it!! I especially liked the food, and that Lynch took care to describe the smells of things, and that the female characters were also strong or cunning or clever. The formatting was great, with the interludes at the end of every chapter.

Currently reading Code Girls, by Liza Mundy which is about women in the US who were hired as civilians for code making and code breaking in the 1940s. I thought I'd really like it but I'm about 30% in and thinking of putting it on hold/DNFing it.

Also, just starting The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden.

I'll talk about last week first. It was really good! I finished three books:

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden (I can't wait for the third one, man, but it'll still be several months!)

The Changeling, by Victor Lavalle

So that's good!

This week:

Planetfall, by Emma Newman and After Atlas, by Emma Newman

City of Stairs, by Robert Jackson Benett (I know I'm late, the hype is over)

And if I can top my three from last week, I'll add a fourth:

The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey. Phew!

Finished:

War, by Laura Thalassa - This book was embarrassingly bad and I’m mad at myself for wasting time on it

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng - Spectacular writing with some of the most unsympathetic characters I’ve read in a long time. I’ve got her next book,Little Fires Everywhere, on audiobook that I might start this week.

Started:

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

I haven't commented in three weeks so here is what I finished since my last comment:

• Chronicle of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Interesting story and I was surprised to read the sentence "he grabbed my pussy."
• The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden - This was my second time reading it to recap before moving onto the second book. I still really like it and I would have loved this series when I was a teenager.
• The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden - My favorite of the three.
• The Winter of the Witch, by Katherine Arden - At this point I was tired of reading variations of the phrase "May God be with you" (or whatever). A nice conclusion. I hope Arden revisits the trilogy in the future with Vasya's niece.

Started:

• Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut

Usual disclaimer that I'm a teen librarian and mostly read YA and advance reader copies (ARCs).

Finished:

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden - 4/5

I didn't like this quite as much as the first one. The Bear & the Nightingale was so sweeping in scope, as it takes place over so many years, and then this whole book takes place in a few weeks (if that) and in mostly one location. I didn't think Moscow had the same magic as Vasya traipsing through the woods of Northern Russia. I did like the end though.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton - 5/5 (reread)

This is one of my favorite books of all time! It's super weird and I love every word of it.

Currently Reading:

The Winter of the Witch, by Katherine Arden

I'm almost done with this, and so far this is by far my favorite out of the trilogy. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a 5 star read from me.

Kingdom of Souls, by Rena Barron - ARC

I'm only a couple of chapters in, and so far I'm just confused. I can't keep all the characters straight!

I finished more books than I expected to:

A River in Darkness, by Masaji Ishikawa It was interesting to read about life in North Korea during the 70s-early 90s.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, by Fredrik Backman This book was cute.

Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny I loved the writing style. It was well done.

The Language of Thorns, by Leigh Bardugo I really liked this one, but I love retellings of fairy tales, so that's not really surprising.

I started a few:

All the Names They Used for God, by Anjali Sachdeva

Aru Shah and the End of Time, by Roshani Chokshi

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

Finished The Gunslinger, by Stephen King

I think I might be in the minority that just doesn’t like his books. I’ve tried the Stand, the Shining and this one. Is book 2 worth a shot? I just get so bummed that all of his characters are the worst versions of themselves.

Started The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

Still reading Guns, Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond Fascinating stuff. I’m surprising by how engaging this is.

So actually I finished the book last night. /U/ below me was right, the second half was much easier than the first, and though I wanted to read only to 60%, the book just took me and swept me through to the end close to midnight. I guess this means I'll be starting the sequel, The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden today! Hehe.

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

I started reading the second of the Winternight Trilogy, after really loving the first book, The Bear and the Nightingale. I'm not sure why but I just really didn't like this one as much. It had less of the Russian folklore to it, which I think charmed me and made the first book so unique. I will still read the third book that just came out but I might not get to it right away.

Daughters of the Winter Queen, by Nancy Goldstone

I listened to this as an audiobook and I had a hard time turning it off. Goldstone did a great job of describing the world in which the events of the books take place. Some people may find it as getting off track of the main subjects, the daughters of Elizabeth Stuart but I feel like these descriptions are really useful in understanding the history. Goldstone also provides some humour, which I think made this non-fiction more enjoyable (after talking about how one princess named her daughter the same thing as her, she quipped that no wonder people found this time of history so confusing).

Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield

This book took me a little to get into. The prose is wonderful but the first half, following the initial events of the book, is a bit slow. However, I'm glad I stuck with it - the second half of the book was fascinating and well crafted. Definitely recommend.

Usual disclaimer that I'm a teen librarian and mostly read YA and advance reader copies (ARCs).

Finished Last Week:

A Heart So Fierce and Broken, by Brigid Kemmerer - ARC

3.5 - I liked it, but not as much as the first (A Curse So Dark & Lonely). It takes a wildly different turn, and I felt like the middle was kind of boring? I put it down for a few days and wasn't super compelled to pick it back up.

There Will Come a Darkness, by Katy Rose Pool - ARC

3.5 - I think this book is super over-hyped in the YA community, but I think the series and the author has a lot of potential. The first 250-300 pages were really boring, and this whole thing felt like an "Avengers, assemble!" type book so the gang of characters can do important and interesting things together in the next book.

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden - 4/5

I was pretty bored for the first 20%, but I loved the rest of it. I tried to do this on audio, and I think this book is much better read than listened to. My enjoyment increased exponentially once I switched over to my kindle. Lots of fairy tale elements layered with historical fiction (takes place in 1300s Russia... I now know more about traditional Russian stoves than I ever thought I would) and some really great characters. I jumped immediately into the sequel.

Currently Reading:

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern - ARC

This book makes me super emotional and I haven't been in the headspace to pick it back up, but what I've read is fabulous.

I started re-reading The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Ardern.

I finished two books this past week:

The Spirit of Catholicism, by Karl Adam. It was a good book that really did capture the essence of what it means to be Catholic, but it's a bit odd to read a book written before a lot of the major changes in the Catholic Church during the 20th Century because some of the things he takes for granted (like the Latin Mass being the norm) aren't true anymore.

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden. I am really enjoying this series. I don't know what it is with all these fantasy novels being setting largely in alternate versions of historic Russia lately, but the authors are doing a good job with their stories, so I'm not complaining about it being overdone.

I started reading a few others:

The Wicked Deep, by Shea Ernshaw. Not sure how much I'll like this one. I'm not that interested in purely romantic plot lines, and it sounds like it's going to be one of those.

Honor Among Thieves, by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre. I'm interested to see how the co-authoring worked out in this case. Some co-authored books work. Some really don't. We'll see.

I just finished The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. Looking forward to the new book.

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

Finished quite a few this week:

A Ladder to the Sky, by John Boyne

I really loved this book. The main character is a Mr. Ripley of sorts and the book changes POV in a way that perfectly tells whichever part of the story is being told. Disturbing as you realize how far the main character would go for literary fame, with each part getting progressively darker- but you never know fully what's happening until it hits in those final pages. 4.5/5

The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Arden

I'm obsessed with this series. This is the second book in the Winternight Trilogy, the first one being the acclaimed The Bear and the Nightingale. I love love love Russian folklore as it mixes into fantasy. The main character is amazing- one of the best ones I've read in YA. Also, I think technically this book is YA however adults can read it and immensely enjoy it- my mother loves it. It's beautifully written. 5/5

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

This is my nonfiction choice. Really interesting and a quick read, as the title would suggest. Some parts flew definitely over my head, but I think that just comes with the territory. There were some funny anecdotes and I enjoyed the book. 4/5

Started reading:

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

I'm about 20% in and I'm LOVING it so far. The story is so well written and paced incredibly well. Really hard to put it down.

Current Audiobook : The Bishop's Pawn, by Steve Berry

Current actual book The Girl in the Tower, by Katherine Ardin

Not loving the Steve Berry, but its more white noise for me while I am doing chores and walking dogs.

I am really enjoying this trilogy from Ardin.