Book Memes – LairOfBooks

WWW Wednesdays 10/28/2020

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words and to participate all you have to do is answer the three W’s listed below. Once you’ve posted your WWW, drop a link to your post in Sam’s comments <3’s!

The questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

Don’t mind me, I’m just riding a high from a weekend I truly did NOT want to end and so this week has been a bit blue. The upside however is that I’m wanting to get my hands on all the books to read which hopefully means I’ll squeeze in another book before the month is over. My end of the month wrap-up is going to be a mixed bag of books read & hiking trails I’ve had the chance to explore so far. What I don’t have much of are movies watched so if you have any good recommendations please share down below. Also, what good books have you read OR are reading this week?

SPOILER ALERT BY OLIVIA DADE

I’m 30% into Spoiler Alert which is a contemporary romance with a plus-sized MC who writes fan fiction for a super popular show, think along the lines of Game of Thrones. Alexis has been writing erotic fanfic for 2 years and during that time has met a fellow fan fiction writer she’s teamed up with for revisions and constructive criticism. Marcus is her go-to for all things Aeneas and Lavinia (characters from the show). What she doesn’t know is that Marcus is the lead role in the show since he uses an alias to write fanfic for these characters that otherwise would pose as a conflict of interest to the show runners. At the 30% mark I’ve just entered the fun & flirty stage where things are beginning to get more interesting. I’m enjoying seeing excerpts of their conversations on the Lavinia server. Marcus writes his fanfic much more broody and angsty which Alexis loves to tease him about. It has the potential to be a new favorite *fingers crossed*

BLACK SUN BY Rebecca Roanhorse

I have a full spoiler free review coming over the next few days (burning the midnight oil here LOL) and so I really don’t want to go into too much detail. This is the start to a new adult epic fantasy series featuring multiple POV’s with excellent character development, distinct voices & personalities. Tons of political intrigue, a prophesy at the core, rich culture and multi-layered world building topped off with an adventure at sea. This book is also beautifully queer & features a matriarchal society.

fable by adrienne young

I actually finished this audiobook on my commute home this evening & I’m still sorting out my thoughts & feelings. For now I’ve settled on a 4 star rating since I truly am a sucker for found families. My only issue if you’d call it that is that I felt it had some pacing problems. The last 30% of the book is where the action takes place & the story truly peaks but all throughout we’re sort of just waiting for the climax. There’s a great cast of characters we get introduced to and Fable is really a fun character to read from. I have a lot of questions but I’m grateful to have Namesake, the sequel in this duology to read as an arc from the publisher.

sacrifce by katee robert

Katee Robert won me over with Desperate Measures (Wicked Villains #1) & Your dad Will Do (A Touch of Taboo #1), I immediately signed up for her newsletter. When I saw the email for Sacrifice come through, I’ll be honest…I saw the words vampires and click clicked away for my pre-order of this novella. Coming in at 156 pages, this one will be a one sitting read tomorrow.

the invisible life of Addie LaRue by v.e. schwab

I’m mentally preparing myself to go into this one by palette cleansing with Spoiler Alert & Sacrifice. Coming in at 448 pages, this one is a chunky one I want to be in the mood for & for that reason alone have held off on reading. I have caught wind of positive reviews from some of my favorite bookish humans which further amps up my interest. Stay tuned…

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FRIDAY READS & THANGS…

Happy Friday Book Lovers! I’m a little all over the place today but I’m stoked to get the weekend started. This weekend I’ll be flexing my newly found green thumb skills as I expand my at home window garden. I really thought this was something I sucked at smh since my past experience with plants were TERRIBLE. Whelp! (many things I thought I would suck at have turned out to be quite the opposite, never doubt yourself luvs) I have managed to keep my succulent Leo alive since the start of this year. Many will ask themselves (like my good friend Taylor @Nerdnarration), how do you kill a succulent? well it happened to me 2 years ago & I was set on never letting it happen again. Leo is now ready for siblings & my BFF IRL is bringing me a seedling from his very own garden! excited for this & have already ordered a few things for their arrival. On the bookish front, I have started a contemporary set to be released in 2 weeks & a few single issue comics. I also have plans for some outdoor activities with my tiny humans in a safe social distancing space.

The Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow #2) by Margaret Owen– I had no idea this was a duology but I’m so satisfied with how everything wrapped up! The world was further fleshed out as was the magic system & our MC’s were put through the wringer. I did NOT expect to finish it with tears in my eyes but it sure happened to be that way. I have a full review coming next week.

Wynd Issues 1 & 2 by BOOM Comics! – If you’re a fan of all things Fae then this will be one to keep an eye out for. I’m already craving more from this story & appreciate so much the plus size rep as well as there being POC characters. Wynd is a Fae Queer boy living in Pipetown where all with magic in their blood have been exiled. Wynd is in hiding, he was taken in by a family when he was just a baby left behind in a basket. The family has taken great risk in hiding him while the King has hired help to eliminate any found within his kingdom. There’s also talk of a land where those with magic live freely, can’t wait to read more!

A Man Among Ye Issues 1 & 2 by Image Comics– I love all things pirates but its the female pirate stories that have given me LIFE! this comic is based off of the real Irish Pirate Anne Bonny. We get a female MC who is very confident & just a bad a**! aboard Captain Jack’s crew. Other than Jack who may be a love interest, the crew is very sexist & anti Anne. Mutiny is definitely afoot. Now I’m not sure if she will remain on his crew or venture off based on how issue 2 left off. I am absolutely in need of issue 3 cause it seems we will be getting more female POC Pirates. I have a feeling this will be a favorite & I’m really hoping it gets a trade paperback *fingers crossed*

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

House Rules:
Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

This was about all I had read from the Goodreads Synopsis before I clicked on request on Netgalley. So far its been receiving really good reviews & I can see why. Since starting it last I found myself quickly going through the pages with no real want to put it down except for the much needed sleep. I’ve heard it’s a very sex positive read & that one of the MC’s has a profession not typically seen in books…I’m intrigued 😉

“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power tells the tale of Adora, a teenager who can transform into the heroine She-Ra and leads a group of other magical princesses in a rebellion against the evil Lord Hordak and his Horde.”

I’ve just started watching friends & can’t stop! thank goodness for slow work from home days amiright? haha! there are POC & plus size characters that I have absolutely been charmed by. These characters have quickly become faves! Final thoughts will be in my August Wrap-up.

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TOP 5 TUESDAY: TOP 5 SERIES I WANT TO START…

Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Shanah the Bionic Book Worm, every week there are bookish prompts that cover a wide variety of themes. I wish I had checked in earlier in April because Shanah had posted topics with the current Pandemic/stay home initiative in mind. Many of us have either found ourselves struggling with reading & adjusting to the circumstances OR quite the opposite. Some are finding themselves rapidly going through that once upon a time intimidating TBR. I was one who struggled for a few weeks with the state of the world & found comfort in non-bookish things. This month I’m very happy to see that I tackled the books on my TBR & enjoyed those reads. That being said, there are many series I’ve had on my shelves for quite some time that I will be prioritizing…

LADY MIDNIGHT BY CASSANDRA CLARE – I’m wayyyy overdue with starting The Dark Artifices series that follows the Shadowhunters of L.A. I’m ready to dive back into this world & see how Emma and Julian have matured since I last I saw them.

CITY OF BRASS BY S.A CHAKRABORTY – I went out of my way to order the U.K. editions of this series & they are STUNNING! but besides having amazing covers, there’s a djinn warrior and a MC who is a skillfull con woman. Ever since I can remember, stories with genies/djinn have always intrigued me. I will go as far as saying I think this will make my top 20 of 2020 🤞🏽

NEVERNIGHT BY JAY KRISTOFF – The hype is Nanas on this trilogy, I haven’t started this series but I sure have heard a ton about Mia Corvere. Mia’s reputation is pretty bloody & I’m hella intrigued by this assassin who made waves & has continued to do so these past couple of years. This is also a series I know I’m going to love (just a hunch) & so I went ahead and ordered the U.K. editions. Being that I miss Arya Stark something fierce! I have a feeling Mia may just fill the void Arya has left in my soul 🤞🏽

THE FIFTH SEASON BY N.K. JEMISIN – I’ve purposely stayed away from Goodreads Synopsis but there’s no evading the praise this book has received. It won so many awards & there’s very few people I know personally who’ve disliked it. Complex world building (glossary included) inspired by Ancient Egypt & amazing multi-faceted characters who are nearly all black. The time has come to stop sleeping on what may easily become my FAVORITE Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

THE POPPY WAR BY R.F. KUANG – Features a MC who is accepted into a elite military school. Here our MC is met with a ton of adversity because of gender, color, and socioeconomic status. When the MC discovers their aptitude/gift for shamanism. Discovering she is able to communicate with the Gods who were once thought dead may be the key to mastering her gift & survival within the school. I’ve heard this one is very trigger heavy, that being said I am very much looking forward to finally stepping into this world.