Book review Archives

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.

February 10, 2016

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.

This book is: excellent and strange.
Other elements: God(s), destiny, the true power behind the universe, fate, knowledge, fatherhood, love, lions.
Read it: if you like the idea of a really well-written story that is like nothing you’ve ever read before.
Overall rating: 8.5/10

So, this Library at Mount Char is really good. But it is also BANANAS. I knew going into it that it wasn’t just about a library, but it’s REALLY not just about a library.

My husband kept asking me what I was reading and I had to give answers like “I think it might be sort of about…God? Or people who are almost Gods? I can’t tell yet. But it’s good.”

Goodreads has Library at Mount Char categorized as Fantasy, Horror, Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy > Paranormal, Thriller, Contemporary, and Science Fiction Fantasy. I think that those are all fairly accurate.

What’s amazing about Library at Mount Char is that it draws you so completely into this insane story that you don’t even mind that you’re not sure what the rules are. You trust that it’s going to unfold at its own pace, and you want to stay in it and see what happens next. It’s constantly surprising – it’s one of those books where as soon as you feel like you have a handle on what’s going on, the picture shifts slightly and you realize that actually everything has been completely different all along.

It’s a fast-paced, completely whackadoo, excellently executed book that is unlike anything I’ve read before. And I think if a book is unlike any other book – in a good way, like this one is – it’s definitely worth reading.

Warning: not for the squeamish. Violent and dark.

For more reads anytime, check out my Amazon recommended books store. This post contains affiliate links.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

January 20, 2016

Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

This book is: simply wonderful.
Other elements: Wizards, politics, the dark desires of humankind, love, misguided impulses, being yourself, power.
Read it: if you love a good story, the feeling of a real fairy tale (the scary kind) and strong female heroines.
Overall rating: 9.5/10

I should tell you that I spent the month of December of 2015 reading through all of Book Riot’s favorite books of the year. As such, I read an usually high number of excellent books in one month. I also read an unusually high number of books: 30 books in 31 days.

I could have finished 31 books in 31 days, but I was unwilling to rush Uprooted. I started it in the afternoon on December 31st, thinking it would be light, somewhat enjoyable fantasy and I could plow though it. But it immediately became clear that Uprooted is one of those rare books that makes me want to read more slowly. It was rich and glorious, and I wanted to let unfold gently before me at its own pace. I wanted to savor it.

So I did.

The story itself contains an essential relatability that I think is the root of all the best fantasy writing. Yes, it takes place in a world where things are possible that are not possible in our world. But at the end of it all, the same driving forces motivate the characters and even the most arcane of developments comes back to something understandable. Greed. Love. Fear.

I’ve told you almost nothing about the story, but I’m going to leave it that way. Do you want to read an impeccably crafted, deeply enjoyable work of fantasy with a strong heroine at its forefront? Here you go. Doesn’t sound good to you? Your loss.

For more reads anytime, check out my Amazon recommended books store. This post contains affiliate link

The best books I read in 2015.

January 6, 2016

Good morning, my darlings!

As I confessed last year, I read a great many more books than I ever manage to review. Sometimes it’s because I can’t think of anything to say, sometimes it’s because I would just rather read another book instead of writing about the one I just finished.

In the year 2015, I read a little more than 160 books.

(That’s my Goodreads count, but I’m not the best at remembering to put things in Goodreads. And I love to reread, which GR doesn’t account for.)

A lot of my 2015 reads were okay, some of them were terrible, and several of them were excellent.

Here are the best books I read in 2015, in no particular order:

1. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

I just reviewed this, so please see that post for a much more articulate discussion of my love for this book.

2. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig.

Beautifully written, fantastically creative fantasy novel about a unique family who travel time and space by navigating into the worlds they find on maps – even fictional maps.

3. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy.

I am so happy for the young women of the future that Dumplin’ now exists to warm their hearts.

4. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen.

This book is wonderful. About a teenage girl and her mother, who discover together that the word is wider than they thought.

5. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

So in Rainbow Rowell’s book Fangirl (a superfavorite of mine) the main character is writing an epic fanfiction novel about a Harry Potter-esque character that exists in her world, named Simon Snow. Carry On is a real book that Rainbow Rowell wrote to tell the story that Cath was writing about the doubly fictional Simon Snow in Fangirl.

I don’t mind telling you that I was skeptical about Carry On – I wasn’t convinced it could turn out as something worth standing on its own. But I love love love loved it. I’m going to buy my own copy and read it a hundred times.

6. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo.

This comes out in the spring, and you should order it now. A book about a trans girl written by a trans woman; this piercingly genuine story should be a must read for everyone.

7. Winter by Marissa Meyer.

I loved the first book of this series, but found numbers 2 and 3 to be less amazing (still good, though). This is the fourth and final book in the series, and it was so amazing that it made love the rest of it even more.

8. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare.

I usually love Tessa Dare’s romances, but this one is extra amazing. I just read it for a second time and I’m pretty sure I need to own it. It’s a heaping helping of glorious nonsense. Warning: contains sex.

9. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

It’s so boring of me to recommend a book that everyone’s already talking about (this was Obama’s favorite book of 2015) but I can’t deny that Groff hit it out of the park on this one. Raw and beautiful.

10. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older.

When I reviewed this, I gave it a 7/10 . I actually was really surprised when I went back and saw that – I would definitely rate it higher now, based on how it’s stayed with me (and how much I liked the author when I met him at Book Riot Live). This book is something unique, and that matters.

11. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson.

This book – a Printz award winner – is bright and vivid and gorgeous and I loved it. It’s about love and family and art and truth.

12. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel.

This is one of the ones that doesn’t come out until 2016. It’s Science Fiction – which you know I don’t normally like – but it’s so well done I couldn’t resist it. Creative and brilliantly written.

I just realized that every single one of these except for Shadowshaper was written by a woman.That wasn’t intentional, but I like it.

What about you, my dears? What are the best books you read in 2015? I’m always looking for more.

For more reads anytime, check out my Amazon recommended books store.

This post contains affiliate links.

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