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Lazy City

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Rachel Connolly proves the “messy girl” trope can still shine with some nuance and empathy. 

Lazy City follows Erin, an au pair (a title she reluctantly accepts) taking a break from school due to a major loss in her life. Erin drinks, meanders, thinks about her future, and slowly ponders the effects of her loss. She does this with a sobering and often humorless clarity (despite rarely being sober). 

I particularly enjoyed how in control she appears to be from the outside, something the messy girl trope often fails to achieve in its own goofiness. Erin binge drinks and does drugs, but there’s nothing particularly cool or out of control about it. She’s simply lost, and it seems her peers are as well in their own different ways. If they recognize her grief, they don’t know how to openly talk about it. When one acquaintance bluntly reveals important information, she squirms, but recognizes the possibility of a deeper friendship. I loved her internal voice and the quiet way she shifts forward. It’s a slice of life story that feels deeply real. I enjoyed it’s quiet moments, but also the vivid portrayal of Irish friendships and dynamics. I think fans of Fleabag and Sally Rooney will find a lot to love here. 

#book #book blog #book review #reading #arc #booklr #lazycitybook

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Will They or Won’t They

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

The hype won for this one, but I'm glad my FOMO anxiety was used for good this time! I'm pretty open about my dislike for "rich people romance" - no billionaire love stories for me. And thankfully, there are no billionaires to be seen here, but successful celebs carry their own brand of privilege that usually doesn't appeal to me in book form. That was quite the opposite case here. I'm a sucker for the classic TV trope this novel is named after, so I was immediately intrigued, but throw in some enemies to lovers and I'm ready to rumble. 

The story follows two successful TV actors, Lilah and Shane. Lilah is back on the show that made her famous after leaving for a few years for more prestige projects. Shane stuck around and held his own. Neither of them want her back. But their connection is palpable and unavoidable, and an important aspect of what made the show famous. Wilder does an excellent job of honoring the trope itself while keeping it fresh. She balances playful humor and the realities of 21st century fame that feel endearing and real rather than focused on the glitz of wealth. It's not that it's invisible, but the focus really is on their relationship in this landscape - which makes it interesting rather than cheesy. Lilah and Shane each have their own intense and relatable struggles, and Ava writes them with aplomb. A was surprised by how both riveting and sexy this was. This should be the romance read of the summer! And yes, it should also be adapted. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

#will they or won't they #book review #book #read #reading #romance #love #arc

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Silver Nitrate

⭐⭐⭐/5

Here's one for the mystery-thriller reader who thinks they've read everything! Silvia Moreno-Garcia has crafted a uniquely atmospheric supernatural thriller with a perfect sense of place for fans of mystery and horror. Moreno-Garcia dives into the world of Mexican horror B-Movies, and the two friends who grew up watching them. Taking place in the 90s, the stories and traumas of war aren't quite as distant, and any fringe subjects can only be found in books and memories. Montserrat works as a struggling audio engineer when her friend and childhood crush Tristán tells her his new neighbor is legendary B-movie director Abel Urueta. They quickly dive into a world of intrigue and horror after agreeing to dub an unfinished film that Urueta was involved in, without knowing the explosive risks. I particularly loved the "science" of the occult that Moreno-Garcia has created here. She perfectly blends history and supernatural in a way that feels fully realized. The time and place are sharply imagined and saturated in the realities of the past, from Nazi occultism to racism in the film industry and beyond. I would be psyched to see this adapted someday. There's a cozy undertone to the whole story specifically because of the food and spaces that are so vividly represented. This is my first time reading something by Silvia Moreno-Garcia but definitely not the last. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

#book #bookreview #read #silvernitrate #books #mystery #love #horror

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Albert Bierstadt, 1863, "Cascading Falls"

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Albert Bierstadt, 1863, "Cascading Falls"

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The entire, original handwritten manuscript of Anne of Green Gables is now available to page through online - thanks to a scholar from Duluth, Minnesota. Read all about it in the News Tribune.

Photo: Jean-Sébastien Duchesne

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The Fetishist

By Katherine Min

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

A shocking and stunning story with a perfect blend of intrigue, The Fetishist is an absolute force that hooked me from the start. It begins with musicians and a mysterious revenge murder plot. Following a few characters and the windows into their various interconnected pasts, if you enjoy stories with multiple perspectives this one is a unique treat. The most prevalent theme throughout is the pervasive fetishization of Asian women (in this case, in the music industry.) And Katherine Min doesn't hold back. The way Min writes anger is especially remarkable - it completely drew me in. The anger explodes from the page, and it's so beautifully realized that I had to pause and let it sit. She balances this force with humor and charm. I was particularly enamored with Alma, the love interest of the character the book is named for, and the true main character in my opinion. Through the fetishization of the character of Alma, Katherine Min confronts self worth and personal value. By showing multiple angles of self confrontation, she creates a conversation that allows different facets of pain to flourish. It's a perfect blend of literary fiction and thrills, which is a favorite combo of mine. Despite what I've mentioned here, this book is also about love. Love for music, for places, for people. It is being published posthumously by Min's daughter - but the care and love that made that a reality is obvious too. I can't think of novels I can compare it to, but if you gravitate towards dramatic stories with humor and introspection this is not one to be missed. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

#book review #thefetishist #katherinemin #read #books #book blog #books & libraries #booksbooksbooks

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Blue Ticket

By Sophie Mackintosh

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spring finally feels like it's here and I'm planning my garden (zone 4 gang rise up!), so I kept visualizing chili peppers while reading this. The kind that deeply burn your mouth but keep you coming back for more. This book wrecked me - but I had to keep going. Calla's fate is decided by lottery once she hits puberty. If she chooses a blue ticket, she is "free" from having children and is forced to receive a copper implant. If she chooses a white ticket she is allowed to have children eventually. Calla is initially happy with her blue ticket. Within the hour of receiving it, she is released with a few supplies to make her way alone to the nearest city. As an adult, Calla enjoys her lifestyle, but she begins to feel something new. She decides to remove her implant and try to get pregnant. Once she is discovered to be pregnant, she is again released into the wild - but this time with the hope of crossing the border where she can safely keep her child. Mackintosh is strategic in what she shares with us. Details are revealed sparingly and without humor. It's a dark and uncaring landscape. The gaps I filled in were equally cheerless, but carried a pathos that can be applied to our own contemporary failures. Calla has little choice, but also little understanding of what physically awaits her, for she was never taught. What she lacks in knowledge, she has in sheer determination and anger. It's a haunting journey, one that culminates in an equally haunting ending. One that I won't soon forget. It's a provoking rumination that had my heart racing with every chapter. I received my copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday!

#book review #read #book #blue ticket #book lover #book blogger

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Enchanted April (1991) | dir. Mike Newell

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Intimité, 1901. Details.

Edmond Aman–Jean (French, 1860–1936)

Oil on board

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Something something murder hornets and now this? 

Kidding! I can’t say I enjoyed this series, but I won't deny that my college roommate and I had a blast seeing the movie in theaters without any irony. I still watch them occasionally for comfort viewing too. 

#stephenie meyer #young adult #twilight #books #culture #read #ya #reader

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Exciting Times

By Naoise Dolan 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do you marvel at clever sentence structure when encountered in a book? Do you take delight in words like "gormless"? Do you re-read witty comebacks to try and bake them into your mind should you ever need them? If you, like me, answered yes to all three of those questions, then you're in for a treat.

Exciting Times is a clever and biting story following Ava, a young woman in a foreign country trying to figure her life out - and maintain a semblance of coolness while doing so. It's also a story of girl-meets-boy, and girl-meets-girl, and girl-hides-boy-and-girl-from-each-other. It's a refreshing take on friendship and love, but also otherness, politics, and money (and power, which often mingles with money). Dolan's writing is funny and clever like a spark - despite their faults I found it hard not to love these characters.

Many are comparing her to Sally Rooney, and it's a fair comparison. Dolan has a knack for an expertly delivered wit amongst her characters. It's enough to make you envious of them, or of her for creating them. I was particularly fond of Ava's evolving relationship with Julian. Though Julian is possibly the most frustrating and cruel character in a lot of ways, they both struggled to be vulnerable with each other beyond the banter, which I found more interesting than Ava's relationship with Edith - even though I was rooting for the latter. These dynamics made for a refreshing (and complicated) new take on finding yourself through other people. Throughout all this it's clear that Ava is admired by the people around her, yet she's determined to see otherwise. She's her own unreliable narrator, and it's extremely relatable.

A strong and witty debut. I can't wait to see what Naoise Dolan does next. Also, her instagram is just as witty and fun as her debut. I followed her immediately.

I received my copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Ecco!

#book #book review #arc #reading #love #bookaholic

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#movie #book to screen #book news #hunger games

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René-Xavier PRINET - Jeanne Prinet lisant

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SAMUEL MELTON FISHER (British, 1859 - 1939). “Young woman reading” 1902

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Making my way through the Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist!

Currently reading Dominicana but I don’t have an opinion yet. 

Anyone else do book spreadsheets? I happened to leave my reading journal at work before the stay-at-home order so I decided to keep track on my computer in the meantime. I looks soooo neat though...I don’t know how I’ll go back to my sloppy af journal. I have the worst handwriting. 

The orange represents the recently announced shortlist by the way! 

#womensprize #longlist #reading #ocd #spreadsheet #read #books #love #literary fiction #fiction

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KATE BECKINSALE  as Emma Woodhouse in EMMA (1996)