July Reading Update
Aug. 5th, 2023 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penwallaAnother beefy month! I had to travel and spent 30+ hours on a plane + 20ish hours in the airport/hotel between flights. Got plenty of reading done, so onward!
Currently Reading:
"You Just Need To Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon
I keep forgetting about this one. Eventually I'll finish it but I am not in a rush.
The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart (Drowning Empire 3)
On hold. May end up DNFing, honestly, I have no desire to pick it up again.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
I've read three chapters and had to stop because it was getting heavy. But I'm enjoying it and definitely will return to it once I've had a palate cleanser.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Rereading this in preparation for A Restless Truth, which has been sitting forlorn on the shelf for too long.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Hatereading this for the meme. You can see my chapter by chapter complaints elsewhere on this blog.
New Reads:
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
5/5. Very much enjoyed the story within a story narration of this, and the way it all comes together at the end. Tight, suspenseful, makes good use of every word. Has that fairytale vibe I so enjoy.
Berries and Greed by Lily Mayne (Deep Earth Monsters 1)
3/5. This is a new romcom series by Lily Mayne. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I wasn't already a fan of her work, and honestly, I didn't really enjoy it very much. That said, I think it's a solid romance that many others would enjoy.
Cons: I found Greid to be very cringey. Like I personally could never be attracted to him (he seems like a nice and supportive partner! He's not a bad guy!) and that made this a very hard novel to get in to. I can read books where I wouldn't date either love interest but I have to at least believe someone would date Greid and I...don't. To be honest I also am not really into femdom, so that aspect didn't hold me, either.
Pros: Worldbuilding is fun, this is a low conflict romance without any forced third act drama, and I think the femdom + male sub + vaginismus without any penetrative sex for the vagina-having partner is great rep.
Lesbian Lumberjack by Kitty Jones
4/5. Tropey forced proximity wlw romance. Look, there's nothing special about this one, but butch woman? in cabin? seducing a fat femme? This is not a hard sell for me. I enjoyed it, it's readable, it's hot. 0 chance I will read anything else because apparently the series is called "Lesbian Billionaires" and I think making a billionaire a love interest should be a crime.
The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements & Onjal Datta
5/5. This is a romance, but also an intricate and fascinating look into navigating celebrity as a woman of color. I really enjoyed it a lot and felt like it managed to make the problems of the rich and famous interesting again.
Flux by Jinwoo Chong
4/5. This is a 3 star read but it gets an extra star for ambition. It's a slow, ambiguous novel that holds all its cards until the last minute, and to be honest i don't know that I really enjoyed it. I think the conceit undercuts the emotional impact in portions. Worth picking up if you want something original and challenging.
Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle (Villainous Things 1)
3/5. This is a weird. I'll start by saying...I'm not a gay man but this does feel distinctly like a novel about gay men written by a woman. It has a distinct tone and style that you're either going to love or hate (for example, the hero is literally saying shit like "fudge" and "sugar" mid-coitus.) It has some tropes that I love, like identity porn and fated mates, but the worldbuilding is boring and honestly the styles gets cringey and boring very quickly. The sex scenes are...fine. i skimmed most of them because they were not doing it for me.
Honestly, if you desperately want a superhero/villain romance, just open AO3.
We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian
4/5. This is nonfiction and it is harrowing. Roxanna treats the subjects with empathy and grace, and does a good job of centering the families whose children are taken and the suffering those children endure, instead of the adoptive/foster parents. I wish there was more of a call to action at the end of it. A solid read if you want to learn a little more about the tragedies Black children in the USA endure due to CPS.
Gentlemen Prefer Villains by C. Rochelle (Villainous Things 2)
3/5. Sequel to the first, featuring a different couple. Yeah, I didn't enjoy this at all. None of the tropes I liked, which makes Rochelle's schtick unbearable to read. I have no desire to pick up any further installments.
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malika Older
5/5. If you want a plottier, less cozy Monk & Robot, this is for you. Set in a relatively hopeful future, it features a detective and a scientist trying to solve a crime. I really enjoyed the world Older built, and I thought the hopeful, sweet romance was a nice counterpoint to the grittier, bittersweet setting and ending.
Sanctuary with Kings by Kathryn Moon (Tempting Monsters 3)
3/5. The weakest installment in the series, in my opinion. It wraps up the plot nicely, and there are some good individual scenes, but it has the least interesting romances and the least interesting protagonist. I think it's a real cop-out to make your traumatized ex-sex slave a literal magical nymphomaniac. Like that feels like Moon's way of sidestepping all the trauma in favor of hot sex. And while I appreciate the poly dynamics here, it feels like having Evanthia be multiple men's fated mate should be a bigger conflict than it is. (Actually, I would have loved to see one of her love interests bow out because he didn't want to be in her harem.) Frankly some of her love interests have more chemistry with each other than her.
Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa
5/5. A great historical romance! I'm been seeking out more romances that actually address all the historical context of the time, and thought this really did a great job of balancing social commentary with romance. If you're looking for some nonwhite historicals that have the feel of a Regency, this is for you. Despite the marketing it's not really "marriage of convenience" at all, but it doesn't need to be. And it has an actual, reasonable problem keeping the love interests apart that they can overcome with discussion. If you're looking for rep, the heroine is from Mexico (from an indigneous population) and the hero is biracial and the grandson of a freed slave.
Hamlet, Prince of Robots by M. Darusha Wehm
5/5. This is a shot for shot Hamlet retelling but with androids, where the kingdom is a corporation. I like Hamlet, so I enjoyed this -- I think the change in setting brings something new and interesting thematically to the table, and it's short enough that the conceit doesn't outstay its welcome.
Rereads:
The Murder on the Links by Hercule Poirot
4/5. This is one of the earliest Poirot novels, featuring Hastings and his future wife, the redhead. Overall it's solid, without too much weird racism or sexism. I think this is one of the more solvable mysteries, too--you can figure it out if you read carefully.
Currently Reading:
"You Just Need To Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon
I keep forgetting about this one. Eventually I'll finish it but I am not in a rush.
The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart (Drowning Empire 3)
On hold. May end up DNFing, honestly, I have no desire to pick it up again.
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
I've read three chapters and had to stop because it was getting heavy. But I'm enjoying it and definitely will return to it once I've had a palate cleanser.
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Rereading this in preparation for A Restless Truth, which has been sitting forlorn on the shelf for too long.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Hatereading this for the meme. You can see my chapter by chapter complaints elsewhere on this blog.
New Reads:
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
5/5. Very much enjoyed the story within a story narration of this, and the way it all comes together at the end. Tight, suspenseful, makes good use of every word. Has that fairytale vibe I so enjoy.
Berries and Greed by Lily Mayne (Deep Earth Monsters 1)
3/5. This is a new romcom series by Lily Mayne. I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I wasn't already a fan of her work, and honestly, I didn't really enjoy it very much. That said, I think it's a solid romance that many others would enjoy.
Cons: I found Greid to be very cringey. Like I personally could never be attracted to him (he seems like a nice and supportive partner! He's not a bad guy!) and that made this a very hard novel to get in to. I can read books where I wouldn't date either love interest but I have to at least believe someone would date Greid and I...don't. To be honest I also am not really into femdom, so that aspect didn't hold me, either.
Pros: Worldbuilding is fun, this is a low conflict romance without any forced third act drama, and I think the femdom + male sub + vaginismus without any penetrative sex for the vagina-having partner is great rep.
Lesbian Lumberjack by Kitty Jones
4/5. Tropey forced proximity wlw romance. Look, there's nothing special about this one, but butch woman? in cabin? seducing a fat femme? This is not a hard sell for me. I enjoyed it, it's readable, it's hot. 0 chance I will read anything else because apparently the series is called "Lesbian Billionaires" and I think making a billionaire a love interest should be a crime.
The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements & Onjal Datta
5/5. This is a romance, but also an intricate and fascinating look into navigating celebrity as a woman of color. I really enjoyed it a lot and felt like it managed to make the problems of the rich and famous interesting again.
Flux by Jinwoo Chong
4/5. This is a 3 star read but it gets an extra star for ambition. It's a slow, ambiguous novel that holds all its cards until the last minute, and to be honest i don't know that I really enjoyed it. I think the conceit undercuts the emotional impact in portions. Worth picking up if you want something original and challenging.
Not All Himbos Wear Capes by C. Rochelle (Villainous Things 1)
3/5. This is a weird. I'll start by saying...I'm not a gay man but this does feel distinctly like a novel about gay men written by a woman. It has a distinct tone and style that you're either going to love or hate (for example, the hero is literally saying shit like "fudge" and "sugar" mid-coitus.) It has some tropes that I love, like identity porn and fated mates, but the worldbuilding is boring and honestly the styles gets cringey and boring very quickly. The sex scenes are...fine. i skimmed most of them because they were not doing it for me.
Honestly, if you desperately want a superhero/villain romance, just open AO3.
We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian
4/5. This is nonfiction and it is harrowing. Roxanna treats the subjects with empathy and grace, and does a good job of centering the families whose children are taken and the suffering those children endure, instead of the adoptive/foster parents. I wish there was more of a call to action at the end of it. A solid read if you want to learn a little more about the tragedies Black children in the USA endure due to CPS.
Gentlemen Prefer Villains by C. Rochelle (Villainous Things 2)
3/5. Sequel to the first, featuring a different couple. Yeah, I didn't enjoy this at all. None of the tropes I liked, which makes Rochelle's schtick unbearable to read. I have no desire to pick up any further installments.
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malika Older
5/5. If you want a plottier, less cozy Monk & Robot, this is for you. Set in a relatively hopeful future, it features a detective and a scientist trying to solve a crime. I really enjoyed the world Older built, and I thought the hopeful, sweet romance was a nice counterpoint to the grittier, bittersweet setting and ending.
Sanctuary with Kings by Kathryn Moon (Tempting Monsters 3)
3/5. The weakest installment in the series, in my opinion. It wraps up the plot nicely, and there are some good individual scenes, but it has the least interesting romances and the least interesting protagonist. I think it's a real cop-out to make your traumatized ex-sex slave a literal magical nymphomaniac. Like that feels like Moon's way of sidestepping all the trauma in favor of hot sex. And while I appreciate the poly dynamics here, it feels like having Evanthia be multiple men's fated mate should be a bigger conflict than it is. (Actually, I would have loved to see one of her love interests bow out because he didn't want to be in her harem.) Frankly some of her love interests have more chemistry with each other than her.
Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa
5/5. A great historical romance! I'm been seeking out more romances that actually address all the historical context of the time, and thought this really did a great job of balancing social commentary with romance. If you're looking for some nonwhite historicals that have the feel of a Regency, this is for you. Despite the marketing it's not really "marriage of convenience" at all, but it doesn't need to be. And it has an actual, reasonable problem keeping the love interests apart that they can overcome with discussion. If you're looking for rep, the heroine is from Mexico (from an indigneous population) and the hero is biracial and the grandson of a freed slave.
Hamlet, Prince of Robots by M. Darusha Wehm
5/5. This is a shot for shot Hamlet retelling but with androids, where the kingdom is a corporation. I like Hamlet, so I enjoyed this -- I think the change in setting brings something new and interesting thematically to the table, and it's short enough that the conceit doesn't outstay its welcome.
Rereads:
The Murder on the Links by Hercule Poirot
4/5. This is one of the earliest Poirot novels, featuring Hastings and his future wife, the redhead. Overall it's solid, without too much weird racism or sexism. I think this is one of the more solvable mysteries, too--you can figure it out if you read carefully.
