Lauren James – The Bookish Mutant

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

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.

Concluding my collection of spooky books for this October, here’s one from an author that I haven’t read in quite a while. The only book by Lauren James that I’ve read is The Loneliest Girl in the Universe (although I have several books of hers on my TBR), but I’m interested to see how she handles the paranormal genre!

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (10/25/21) – THE RECKLESS AFTERLIFE OF HARRIET STOKER by Lauren James

Amazon.com: THE RECKLESS AFTERLIFE OF HARRIET STOKER: 9781406391121: JAMES LAUREN: Books

Blurb from Goodreads:

“Congratulations, new kid. Welcome to the afterlife.”

What if death is only the beginning?

When Harriet Stoker dies after falling from a balcony in a long-abandoned building, she discovers a group of ghosts, each with a special power.

Felix, Kasper, Rima and Leah welcome Harriet into their world, eager to make friends with the new arrival after decades alone. Yet Harriet is more interested in unleashing her own power, even if it means destroying everyone around her. But when all of eternity is at stake, the afterlife can be a dangerous place to make an enemy.

So why do I want to read this?

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Oh, this is promising…I’m getting a distinct found-family vibe from it; I haven’t seen it done before with ghosts, and I can’t wait to see how it’s executed! Death and being undead seems like something that would instantly bind people together as ghosts.

Plus, ghosts with powers? Of course I’m interested. The blurb doesn’t specify what kind of powers that we’re dealing with, so I’m intrigued by the possibilities that this book’s paranormal world and laws could hold.

What I remember from The Loneliest Girl in the Universe was that it did suspense and plot twists very deftly, and I’m hoping the same applies to The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker. That kind of plot aspect is almost a given in most paranormal novels, so I’m interested to see what kind of curveballs Lauren James will throw our way.

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That’s it for this week’s Goodreads Monday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

goodreads monday header.jpg

Happy Monday, bibliophiles!

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’ve had a small taste of James’s work (The Loneliest Girl in the Universe), and I have a few other novels of hers on my TBR (The Quiet at the End of the World, The Next Together), and this one sounds like it has an absolutely fascinating premise.

Let’s begin, shall we?

GOODREADS MONDAY (3/30/20)–THE STARLIGHT WATCHMAKER by Lauren James

Blurb from Goodreads:

Wealthy students from across the galaxy come to learn at the prestigious academy where Hugo toils as a watchmaker. But he is one of the lucky ones. Many androids like him are jobless and homeless. Someone like Dorian could never understand their struggle – or so Hugo thinks when the pompous duke comes banging at his door. But when Dorian’s broken time-travel watch leads them to discover a sinister scheme, the pair must reconcile their differences if they are to find the culprit in time.

So why do I want to read this?

Man, I wish that this book was published a few years earlier…I remember being in a bookstore with my mom at some point, and I said something about wishing that there was a subgenre (not my exact wording) that was in between middle grade and YA. The Starlight Watchmaker seems to hit that sweet spot, just where I wanted it. Not that I don’t want to read it now, or anything, I’m all in on this one.

Also, robots! I haven’t seen too much YA/MG from the perspective of robots (save for LIFEL1K3, parts of Heart of Iron and The Illuminae Files), so I’m excited to see how the POV of Hugo is fleshed out. That, along with a dash of time travel and classic sci-fi, seems like the recipe of a novel I’m sure to enjoy. Plus, props to Ms. James for making the format of this book ideal for dyslexic people, especially dyslexic youth! I’m not sure of the details, but James said that “it’s designed to be really readable for struggling readers” and part of the blurb describes it as “particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 13+”. Good for her! 💗