This was such a good week, I’m so ready for the spooky, Halloween vibes this year. (also I got a new episode of The Magnus Protocol so you know I was in a good mood this week).
Started off by accidentally reading the second of a series, I had no idea it was a series, and was confused (naturally). I had fun though.
Bloodless We Go Buried by Daniel Firth Griffith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley for free; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series until I was so far in that it was too late, so… c’est la vie. I really liked the atmosphere of this book, and the concept was quite original. And while I knew it was probably gonna be heavy just from the cover, it was pretty chock full of themes of grief, bloody mythology, and post-apocalyptic oppression.
The prose has a sharp dreamlike quality, which is beautiful, and so frustrating -I wanted to pitch my Kindle across the room several times. That said, a bit of my frustration is my fault, and the setup of the first book would likely help (who would have thought?). A bit of confusion is on purpose, but that, on top of my missing the fact that this was the second in a series, really made this a difficult read for me.
If you have read the first book, you probably want to read this one; if you haven’t and want to read this book, learn from me and read the first one.
Followed that up with a lovely nonfiction, I have no idea why I enjoyed it so much but I guess that speaks to the author’s talent, because I was intrigued and entertained despite a lack of previous interest in the topic.
KIN: Childhood, Parenting, and the Making of Civilization by Nam Nguyen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I usually am not that big on nonfiction, and I’m not a history buff either, so believe me when I say that this is a pretty darn good book. Nam Nguyen really surprised me and kept me interested.
My favorite thing about this book is the tone/style it’s written in; it’s in just the right zone between clear knowledge and a clear ‘voice’ – what I’m trying to get at here is that it doesn’t read like a boring textbook.
Nguyen traces childhood and parenting from early human communities right up to the present. This is an even greater hurdle that further confuses me about why I liked this book so much, as I don’t have children and certainly don’t plan to have any soon.
I recommend it to anyone who is into how we raise the next generation, or who likes looking at history through different lenses.
Followed that up by a primer that now makes me want to read a series, something I usually don’t really want to do.
The Nod/Wells Timelines – A Primer by Michael Shotter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received an advance review copy of this book from a GoodReads giveaway for free; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I am not a previous fan of The Nod/Wells Timelines, so I picked up A Primer because it is billed as an introduction to the universe. While I found myself a little confused at times, I genuinely enjoyed each of the short stories.
The first story Academic Displacement, was my favorite. The quiet, unsettling way the story unfolds and the subtle shift that completely changes the main character’s world made it stand out for me.
The second and third were both entertaining as well, and I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series.
Followed up by a nice ARC (I got a paperback!) from a goodreads giveaway. Light on the closure, but heavy on all the other good parts, so I forgive it.
A Glacier’s Guide to Dying: A Novel by Michelle Porter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received a copy of this book from a GoodReads giveaway for free; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
I really liked the blended tone of this one, the way it moves between sharp humor, tenderness, and something darker without ever feeling forced. Every character lands as a full person rather than a type; even the side characters feel lived-in and contradictory in ways that ring true.
The mental-health threads especially worked for me. They’re messy and unresolved, which is exactly how they often are in real life, and the book doesn’t flinch from that. I have no personal connection to Métis identity or experience, so I’ll leave those layers for others to speak to, but the family dynamics and the questions around inheritance, absence, and what we carry felt solid.
What kept it at four stars instead of five is the ending. (view spoiler) There are a lot of loose ends. I actually appreciate that the book refuses a neat resolution, it feels more like life that way but, it also left me a little frustrated. Toward the end things take a nastier turn that had me closing the book and just sitting with it for a while.
Still, I finished feeling haunted and unsettled in a good way, with a small, genuine note of hope in (view spoiler).
It’s not a tidy book, and that might be both its strength and the reason it doesn’t quite reach five stars for me. Recommended if you want something that lingers and doesn’t hand you easy answers.
This one. This one is part of a little experiment my cheap ass decided to do on a whim last Sunday. I have not read this series, I’m going to now, obviously. When I finished How to Spare a Dragon by this author I knew I wanted to read more of his work, so I did the only natural thing, and stalked him all over the internet, and on Amazon. I saw some short stories listed for free and figured, hey – those are usually for when you finish a series and want more, so I started reading them. In a crazy twist I didn’t see coming, the author noticed either my reviews or my stalking and ended up sending me the first book of the series for free (I also bought a paperback of The Slumber of Consciousness that I am super excited to read – be prepared for the fan-girling because I am officially obsessed with this universe, and you suckers are gonna have to read about it).
Rational Element by Alex O. Harb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A quick note that I’m doing this whole short story thing backwards and still haven’t read the actual book/series. I’m having a lot of fun with it, and while I am reading the main book now, I hadn’t started it when I read this. I like it this way.
Wonderful, quietly powerful work. One of the strongest pieces in the Azoria short stories for me.
Rational Element is just beautiful. Somehow it covers nearly a man’s entire life in a relatively short space without ever feeling awkward, rushed, or thin. I understood every one of Theon’s decisions even when I wouldn’t have made them myself. His slow realizations land with real weight.
The portrayal of leadership feels accurate (take that with a grain of salt: my main experience is as a retail manager), and the ambition is painfully real. I’ve had plenty of experience with that drive, even if mine has never gone as well (as bad?) as Theon’s. The tone worked perfectly for me, the pacing was solid, and the emotional weight especially hit hard.
I finished it and didn’t know whether I wanted to cry or scream or what to do with myself. It put me into a full day-long book hangover. This is something that almost never happens to me, since I usually crack open the next book immediately.
And after nearly 3 weeks we have this beauty, my second book from BookSirens. I have no words. A debut that is this good is nearly criminal. Petition to make this required reading somewhere, I don’t really know where, but it should be required.
Not by Sword by A. E. Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
** I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSirens for free; my review is my own, and I leave it voluntarily.
This is a debut novel. I… I actually don’t believe it. It’s far, far better than any debut has any right to be at all. Gimme another, like, right now-please and thank you.
I enjoyed this one thoroughly. The plot was strong and the worldbuilding was excellent. Full space-opera atmosphere: spaceships, politics, battles, and a final showdown. The characters are all believable and feel like actual people, with more than one character trait. The main character doesn’t feel like a caricature or a stereotypical holier-than-thou chosen one, he acts like a teenage boy (because he is one).
I also love that this book doesn’t hold your hand too much, many of the debut novels that I have read try to hard to help the reader understand them: going on for paragraphs upon paragraphs of exposition or having characters go into long conversations about things that they should know already. (view spoiler)
Sometimes the lore got away from me a bit, but I do largely think that is on me (sleepy student brain). I didn’t even clock the King David vibes until after I finished it.
The only, tiny complaint I have has to do with the timeline. I know almost all books do this but it felt like all of the events were going by really quickly, I mean, a war starts in the beginning chapters of this book, ends a few months later. I know some actual wars have done the same and I’m not up on my biblical story knowledge so maybe it’s to do with that. This is by no means a strong complaint and I moved on from it swiftly.
Overall, this is a solid, engaging read that I will be happily recommending. Also, where is the next one?
Overall I had a good week (reading-wise at least). So excited for the titles to come, and hopefully they do, as my personal and school life are making active attempts on my life.
