I should have posted some of this last week, really, but I just wanted to post some pictures here.
I decided last week that I wanted a little change of pace concerning my bookshelf. After consulting a few friends of mine, I ultimately decided to rearrange my books in rainbow order!
Sorry, this photo isn’t as good…the lighting on this side of the room isn’t as bright as the other
I also tried to arrange my Pop! Figures in rainbow order as well! Starting from the top, we have Starfire (Teen Titans Go!), Liz Sherman (Hellboy), Yoda (Star Wars), Beast Boy (TTG!), Abe Sapien (HB), Elisa Esposito (The Shape of Water), Eleven (Stranger Things), Batgirl (DC), Raven (TTG!), The Vision (Avengers), Rey (Star Wars, K-2SO (Star Wars), and Maleficent (Disney). While rearranging everything, I listened to The Bends (Radiohead). It was a lovely way to spend my afternoon. 🙂
Now, fast forward to today. After finishing up online school today, my day got exponentially better upon discovering that Aurora Burning had come in the mail! I preordered it a few months back, and I was counting down the days until its release. So, naturally, I decided to mess around with some Instagram filters and do a photoshoot. I don’t have a bookstagram or anything, but this is the closest I’ll ever get, seeing as I already spend too much time on there, anyway.
And because I find the orange and teal filter oh so satisfying…
A A A A A A A A A
I haven’t yet read Aurora Burning (I would have started it, but I had already started Girls in the Moon), but at this point, I think it’s guaranteed that I’ll adore it. We’ll see. But from what I can tell, I’ll have to have my tissues at the ready. Either way, I’ll definitely review it next week! 😉
Today’s song:
I’d forgotten about this one until it came on my shuffle this morning. I already loved the other version, but with the underlying cover of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and the choir towards the last thirds…needless to say, I got goosebumps. I think it might be my favorite song at the moment.
That’s it for this random post! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
I forget exactly when I put this one on my TBR, but it was…fairly recently? I’m not sure. Anyway, I dug it up again for Goodreads Monday a few weeks ago, and I was once again fascinated by the premise. I’m happy to say that The Invisible Library blew me out of the water–perfect for anyone who appreciates the value of a good story!
Enjoy this week’s review!
The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)
In the gap between dimensions lies the Library, which houses books from all manner of alternate realities. Their Librarians are responsible for the preservation and retrieval of these novels from dangerous hands, putting their lives on the line to protect rare fictions.
Irene is one such Librarian, tasked with one mission–to bring a copy of Grimm’s Fairytales to safety at the Library. This copy is not only hidden deep in the heart of an alternate London, a world filled with airships and mechanical beasts. To make matters worse, many sets of powerful hands seek to snatch the copy away, and by the time they’ve made it to London, the Fairytales have already been stolen. With the help of her new assistant, Kai, and a detective who’s suspected them from the beginning, Irene must retrieve the book, before it falls into the wrong hands–again.
First off: you had me at “library.” As a library volunteer and a lifelong lover of books, I always love to delve into adventures involving books, literature within literature. It’s a subgenre that’s rarely done well, but in this case, Cogman pulls it off spectacularly.
Beyond that, The Invisible Library has everything that you could possibly want in a great adventure novel. Faeries, vampires, dragons, and werewolves? Check. Mechanical insects? Check. Detectives? Another check. Evil entities? Check. Espionage and airships in a pseudo-steampunk version of Victorian London? Check, check, and check. (Oh, and there’s a few crocodiles thrown in as well. Can’t forget the crocodiles.) You’d think that with all of those elements crammed in, there’d be little room for plot, and the story would needlessly jump from place to place with no sense of direction. Wonderfully enough, this novel pulls off having all sorts of fantastical elements mixed in, while still making for a wild mystery through an unfamiliar London.
And can we talk about Irene? I LOVED HER. She’s absolutely no-nonsense, fiercely intelligent, and can hold her own against ALL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED WEIRDNESS. Beyond that, she has the unmistakable love and respect for good books, and the places that a well-written story can take you.
Kai, on the other hand…he was totally set up to be the love interest, but Irene’s dealing with it is HYSTERICAL. The whole time, everyone seems to be setting them up, but Irene can go on a mission with a member of the opposite sex without romance interfering, thank you very much. She’s much an independent, logic-ruled character. Judging from the amount of books that come afterward, there’s a good chance that they’ll get together, but I’m personally hoping that they stay friends. Guess that’s just me, fed up with insta-love.
All in all, an absolutely wild, adventurous ride, and a love song to libraries and the books they house. 4.75 stars, rounded up to 5!
The Invisible Library is the first in a series of seven (!) books, including The Masked City (#2), The Burning Page (#3), The Lost Plot (#4), The Mortal Word (#5), The Secret Chapter (#6), and The Dark Archive (#7, expected to be published in December of 2020). As of now, I’m not sure whether or not this will be the end of the series, but…whew, we’ll see…
In the meantime, I still have The Masked City on hold, and I eagerly wait its arrival…
Today’s song:
That’s it for this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Happy Monday, bibliophiles, and more importantly…MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!
I plan to re-watch one of the movies sometime tonight…not sure which one, but I’m doing it…
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.
I figured I needed a book fitting for Star Wars day, so I picked out one of the many Star Wars books on my TBR.
“This is where the fun begins…”
GOODREADS MONDAY (5/4/20)–LOST STARS by Claudia Gray
Eight years after the fall of the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire now reigns over the known galaxy. Resistance to the Empire has been all but silenced. Only a few courageous leaders such as Bail Organa of Alderaan still dare to openly oppose Emperor Palpatine.
After years of defiance, the many worlds at the edge of the Outer Rim have surrendered. With each planet’s conquest, the Empire’s might grows stronger.
The latest to fall under the Emperor’s control is the isolated mountain planet Jelucan, whose citizens hope for a more prosperous future even as the Imperial Starfleet gathers overhead…
So why do I want to read this?
Since we’ve gotten the fact that I’ll read almost anything Star Wars related out of the way, let’s talk about the other major selling point for me: Claudia Gray.
This book in particular was recommended to me by a friend in my high school’s book club, and a fellow Star Wars fan (as you might have suspected). According to him, it provides a really interesting insight into the Empire’s perspective of things–not quite Palpatine or Vader, but the workers on the Death Star. After so many years of focusing on the Rebel Alliance or the Resistance, it sounds fascinating to see things from the losing side’s perspective. Oh, and apparently there’s a good sprinkling of forbidden love. [rubs hands together] Oooh…
Today’s song:
You all knew this was coming. You knew.
“Oh, it’s…beautiful…”
That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Thanks for (barely) tolerating all of my references! Have a wonderful rest of your day, take care of yourselves, and May the Fourth be With You!
It’s been like this for a while, but the feeling of all of the weeks blurring together has really started to set in. Things that feel miles away only happened a matter of weeks ago, and the few dates I’ve either dreaded or have been really excited for have really started to creep up. It’s a quarantine blessing and a curse, really.
That being said, other than the general monotony of online school, it’s been a good week. I listened to a lot of music (both actually new and new to me), read some good books, and reached–and surpassed–my Camp NaNo WriMo goal of 110,00 words! I also finished Fargo [incomprehensible screeching] and watched Rear Window, and the weather’s been wonderfully spring-y. Can’t complain. And there’s only TWO DAYS until Aurora Burning arrives! I preordered it a few months back, so hopefully I’ll get it in the mail sometime next week…
Those of you who’ve been following this blog for a while know how much I love Car Seat Headrest. Ever since…oh, maybe 7th grade (?), their songs have never failed to enchant me and pull me in. So naturally, I was absolutely over-the-moon when I found out that they were releasing a new album in the form of Making a Door Less Open. After a few listens, however, I’m not quite disappointed, but I think I set my expectations too high. That isn’t to say that it isn’t a decent album, but I think they released all the good singles first.
Anyway, let’s get on with the review, shall we?
TRACK 1: “Weightlifters”–8.5/10
WOW.
Now that is what I can an AMAZING start to an album. With the slow-burn effects, combined with Will Toledo’s signature, introspective lyrics, this is an absolute stunner of a first track. Probably my favorite of the songs that weren’t released as singles beforehand.
TRACK 2: “Can’t Cool Me Down”–10/10
This was the first single that was released, back in…March, I believe. A vastly new direction for Car Seat Headrest, but one that I enjoy thoroughly. Well-written and eternally catchy. Definitely the highlight of the album for me.
TRACK 3: “Deadlines (Hostile)”–8/10
This feels like something straight off of Teens of Denial, and if we’re talking about that album, it’s always a compliment. Lyrically poignant and musically pleasing, this one 100% contributes to the album’s strong start.
TRACK 4: “Hollywood”–8.5/10
Here we veer into a briefly punchy and screamy direction for CSH, and it’s in no way a bad thing. I’m interested to see that Andrew Katz (drummer & producer of this album, correct me if I’m wrong on the latter) is starting to contribute vocals, and though I didn’t care for it as much at first, but it meshes well with the overall feel with the song
IT’S KINDA GROOVY
TRACK 5: “Hymn (Remix)”–5/10
Eh…this is where the album starts to go downhill for me. It’s like they were trying to go more in the synthy direction of “Can’t Cool Me Down,” but it…didn’t work. Not much in the lyrics department, and a wholly unnecessary slathering of autotune and weirdness that ultimately sullies Will Toledo’s gorgeous voice.
God, I know I sound snooty, but personally, this is the worst song on the album…
TRACK 6: “Martin”–8.5/10
(First off, thank you to Will Toledo/Trait for retaining clean habits during these uncertain times…)
Such a sweet love song, with Toledo’s signature, beautiful lyrics. Catchy and unusually bright, considering most of the subject matter of…a good 75% of the rest of their discography.
TRACK 7: “Deadlines (Thoughtful)”–7.5/10
I feel like this is the weaker of the two “Deadlines,” but that’s not to say that I don’t like it. Though some of the effects don’t bug me, the a capella ending (starting at about 5:37) really manages to tug at my heartstrings.
TRACK 8: “What’s With You Lately”–7.5/10
Short and sweet just as depressing as you’d expect any CSH song to be. A tender meditation on creativity and seeing other people imitate your work. Also, we haven’t really heard Ethan Ives (guitar) contribute any other vocals other than backing vocals, so it’s cool to see him doing lead vocals on a song.
TRACK 9: “Life Worth Missing”–7/10
Certainly a decent song, and wonderful lyrically, but musically, it’s bordering on…spineless? With a song like this, it kind of needs punchy guitars throughout, and it almost gets there in the second half, but not quite enough to be potent.
TRACK 10: “There Must Be More Than Blood”–8.5/10
Another strong point on the album, this feels reminiscent of some of their older, longer songs, especially ones like “Famous Prophets (Stars)” and “Cosmic Hero”. Potent and tender, this one’s definitely one of the more memorable songs off of this album.
TRACK 11: “Famous”–6/10
Afer such a beautiful song as “There Must Be More Than Blood,” “Famous” feels like a letdown of an album closing. If not for the effects layered on the vocals, I probably would have liked it a lot better–the lyrics are incredible, but they almost get lost in all the discordant autotune layered over them. Eh.
I averaged out all of the song ratings, and it narrowed down to about a 7.7/10. I’d say that’s accurate–it’s certainly not a bad album, but it’s not nearly as mind-blowingly good as Teens of Denial or Twin Fantasy (Face to Face). There’s certainly a multitude of strong points (“Can’t Cool Me Down,” etc.), but the more mediocre tracks only serve to weight it down. A daring exploration into a new kind of sound for Car Seat Headrest, but one that had its highs and lows.
Since this post was an album review, you can…pretty much just consider the whole album for “Today’s song”.
That’s it for this album review! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
I found this tag over at Leigh Hecking’s blog, and I figured it would be a good tag for right now–since we can’t travel in quarantine, why not travel to all sorts of amazing places in books?
Okay, I know how corny that sounded, but really, I swear books have a property to magically transport you anywhere, if the writing’s good enough. I was reading The Black Witch yesterday, and I swear that the imagery made me smell freshly fallen rain on the grass. OOH.
I’m fully aware that I’m fairly late on this bandwagon of sorts, but I figured that we could all use a few book recommendations for when we’re feeling low and lonely. I haven’t been able to find any good fluff lately, and even though I’m personally feeling okay with the quarantine situation, I still want a nice, fluffy, low-drama book to raise my spirits. And I figured that you would all need something similar. So, I’ve compiled a few feel-good book recs for your casual viewing and reading. 🙂
Get it? Feel Good? Feel Good Inc.? (Why am I like this…)
I have particularly fond memories of this one; my mom got it for me one day when I was sick and confined to the couch for most of the day. Since we’re all holed up at home (at least, I hope you are…please stay home…), we could all benefit from channeling our inner Cassandra Mortmain.
I know. Seasonally, this choice is way out of whack. But emotionally, I can’t think of a better novel–or graphic novel, I should say–to lift you out of any kind of sour, sad, or lonely mood. So cute 💗
Though not all of the stories here are the greatest, there’s enough adorable fluff and sweet love stories to make up for the ones that don’t shine as bright. My personal favorite, from what I can remember, was Emery Lord’s Oomph. (And not just because of the Marvel references.)
If the premise of a sweet, mlm romance with lots of pop culture references doesn’t convince you, then I give you the GLORIOUS first line of this novel…
“I am not a New Yorker, and I want to go home.”
If that isn’t a massive mood, that I don’t know what is.
Today’s song:
Sorry for putting two David Byrne & St. Vincent songs in a row, but I’m kind of obsessed with Love This Giant right now…
Do you have any favorite feel-good reads? Let me know down in the comments!
That’s it for this post! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
After re-reading The Final Six recently, I knew I had to get my hands on the sequel. Though I was worried that it wouldn’t be as good as book 1, The Life Below ulimately surpassed its predecessor, making for a complex sci-fi novel that had me on the edge of my seat!
WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS LIKELY RIFE WITH SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL SIX.
If you haven’t read The Final Six and plan on doing so, I suggest you don’t yet read this review. For now, if you want to read my review of book 1, click here!
Enjoy this week’s review!
The Life Below (The Final Six, #2)
After the tumultuous choosing of the contenders for the Final Six, Naomi is set on a course for space, heading to Europa with five other contenders–including her archrival, Beckett. Bemoaning the fact that she may never see Leo again, she boards the ship with suspicion. But as they fly closer to Europa, she discovers that there may be even more secrets that the International Space Training Camp may be hiding. Secrets that may mean the difference between life and death.
Crestfallen at losing his place on the Europa mission, Leo is summoned by Greta Wagner, a scientist responsible for constructing the backbone of the Europa mission–that was fired before the Final Six fought for a place on the mission. Her intel on the mission and the ISTC puts Naomi and the others in danger, and they only have one option to save her and the other five crew members–and that’s running their own Europa mission.
Will their paths collide in time for the truth to be revealed?
Fresh off of reading The Final Six, I was worried about book 2 for the first third of the novel, or so. The plot seemed to be going nowhere, and I was desperately worried that $11 had hopelessly gone down the drain. But lucky for us, The Life Below picks up in a heartbeat, cranking up the volume and turning the stakes up to the next level. In the end, it was even better than book 1–a positively pulse-pounding, intergalactic thrill ride.
First off, CHARACTERS. Now that the Final Six had been narrowed down, I was fascinated to get a glimpse at some of the characters that were just background noise in book 1. I liked Sydney, in particular–she had a vital place on the mission, and she was generally just a very human character. I liked returning to the minds of Leo and Naomi, and though their romance still felt a bit forced at times, it was ultimately a good choice.
Now that everyone’s been thrown out in space, the stakes are ten times higher. This was where the book picked up for me; the results of everything from the Athena supply run to exploring the RRB bacteria had often frightening repercussions and conclusions, making for a novel that had me on the edge of my seat.
My personal favorite part was one of the main subplots, in which Naomi and the rest of the crew figure out a decoded message in the form of the musical structure of Radiohead’s “Sail To The Moon”. Besides the fact that I’m a total nerd for Radiohead, it was such an inventive way to make and figure out a cipher. Honestly, a heartfelt thank you to Mrs. Monir for blessing us with all these Radiohead references.
All in all, a thrilling sequel with all of the elements of a solid sci-fi novel. 4.5 stars for me!
The Life Below is the second in the Final Six series. From what I can tell, it’s a duology, but…ugh, the ending made it seem like there would be another book…CURSES! 🤬
Anyway, we’ll see how that goes…
Today’s song:
That’s it for this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a wonderful rest of your week, and take care of yourselves!
Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme created by Lauren’s Page Turners. All you have to do to participate is pick a book from your Goodreads TBR, and explain why you want to read it.
I haven’t given realistic fiction/contemporary books as much love on my Goodreads Monday posts, so I figured this book would be a good shift to that dynamic. Plus, I’d forgotten that this novel existed for a little while…
Let’s begin, shall we?
GOODREADS MONDAY (4/27/20)–QUESTIONS I WANT TO ASK YOU by Michelle Falkoff
Patrick “Pack” Walsh may not know exactly where he’s going in life, but he’s happy where he is. He’s got a girlfriend who gets him. His single dad is his best friend. After graduation, he has a desk job lined up at the local crossfit gym, maybe he’ll even work his way up to trainer. He can’t see himself ever leaving the small town of Brooksby, MA. And he’s fine with that.
Then, on his eighteenth birthday, a letter from Pack’s mother changes everything.
Pack hits the road, searching for a mother he’s never known and a family he had no idea existed until now. His journey unearths questions about both of his parents that he never saw coming. And by the end of the summer, Pack has a whole different understanding of his past—and most importantly, where he wants his future to lead.
So why do I want to read this?
First of all, even though the book is written by a woman, it’s nice to get a male perspective in a subgenre of YA that usually features more female protagonists. It’s always good to get that perspective.
And speaking of different perspectives, this seems like a fascinating journey–not only on the road to discovering the long-kept secrets of Patrick’s long-lost mother, but a journey in a mind that is wildly different from mine. It should be interesting to see how this character deals with this trek of self-discovery–a common theme in YA literature, but one that looks like it’s going to be dealt with in an inventive way.
Plus, the color scheme of the cover is *incredibly* pleasing, I love that cover art…
Today’s song:
[ahem] So I just finished the first season of Fargo last night, and I’ve all but lost the ability to form anything close to a coherent thought…AAAAAAAAA
That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!
Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope today finds you safe and healthy.
Whew…not sure why, but this week just flew by, for no reason in particular. Just…[Thanos snap] like that. Bam. No rhyme or reason to it.
And now, I’m dealing with the consequences of last year’s highly successful reading week. After finishing Hellboy II: The Art of the Movie, I DNF’d not one, but TWO books in a row, and after that, I haven’t read anything higher than three stars this week. Oof…
Hey, at least we got more new Car Seat Headrest this week, their new album comes out in less than a week, and Aurora Burning is almost here, too! At least I’ve got that to look forward to in the next few weeks. I’ve also been watching Fargo (almost done with season 1), watched Dogma (ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL), and got to 200 pages on my WIP for Camp NaNo WriMo! I now only have 2,000 words left until I reach my goal of 110,000 words!
The Bookish Mutant 