#lulu reads nettle and bone

[libraryleopard]

Adult fantasy novel

Dark fairytale about a princess-turned-nun/midwife who sets out on a quest to kill her sister's abusive husband with the help of a necromancer, a disgraced knight, a fairy godmother, an undead dog made of bones, and a demonic chicken

Feminist rage and sinister magic alongside a motley crew of characters and an understated romance

Main character of color

#okay a gripe: WHY is the lady on this cover white when marra is described as being brown-skinned!! #okay but the actual book is quite good #deeply angry but also at times funny and inventive #loved the cool old women with magic #(they are lesbians do not @ me) #took a bit for me to get into it until the nonlinear beginning smoothed out #i wish there had been a tiny bit more of the complicated sisterly relationship #very creepy magic puppets ahhhhhh #but yeah everything i've read by t kingfisher has been great and this is no exception #i have heard this compared to the d20 campaign neverafter so perhaps people who enjoy that dark fairytale quest vibe #would enjoy this #nettle and bone #t kingfisher #books #lulu speaks #lulu reads nettle and bone #2023 reads

[insomniac-dot-ink]

Mid-Year Reading Freak-out Tag

I saw some book blogs doing this and thought I’d do my own!

Amount of books you’ve read so far: 18, which I think is better than most of my years so far at the half-way mark 🤗

Best book you’ve read so far in 2022: I’ve read some really great books this year, but I’m obsessed with House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. It was like eating a good meal, a book written for me specifically, and just really fun to get lost in a story again.

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022: hmm, I’ve only read one sequel this year since I’m rarely that big on series in general. I finished Jade Legacy which is the last book in the Green Bones Saga by Fonda Lee. I still adore the series overall, but I was a bit disappointed by the pacing and focus of the last book.

Still excellent though!

New release you haven’t read yet but want to: I just bought Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher which released a month or so ago and I’ve heard really great things about. I love a good dark fairy tale, definitely my jam. 

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: I am vibrating with excitement for the release of Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir later this year *grabby hands*. 

Biggest surprise favourite new author (debut or new to you): I’ve been meaning to read Ashley Herring Blake for forever now since I’ve heard good things and Delilah Green Doesn't Care fully lived up to my expectations. Really emotionally intelligent and fun Sapphic romance!! 

 Also, super hyped for the next one Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail.

Newest fictional crush: I didn’t enjoy the writing of this book, but I did thoroughly enjoy Talia from Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper. I love a spooky hot witch lady.

Book that made you cry: I listened to the audiobook of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and the part where **SPOILERS** his mother got shot by the ex-husband had me crying, Trevor just loves his mom so much and the situation was so frustrating and heartbreaking and he’s a really good story teller.

I cried even more when she was okay, thoroughly moving book overall. I also cried while reading the next book below, Why Fish Don’t Exist. 

Book that made you happy: Not a happy book per say, but I found the book Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller to be deeply soothing and philosophically comforting. I’ve always been the type of person filled with doubt and Chaos if you will, and the conclusions of the book gave me a sense that doubt is good. There is a holiness to doubt, fish don’t exist, we make up categories, and the important part is not to divide ourselves, but care for each other.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): I’ve got to go back to House of Hollow for this one, absolutely stunning cover. 

What books do you need to read by the end of the year? I’ve reread the first chapter to Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail by Ashley Herring Blake several times now so I am absolutely hyped to read that later this year along with Nona the Ninth.

I’ve also been meaning to read The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri which looks very cool, though I’ve found myself less drawn to stories with royalty of late. I dunno, I’ve gotten kinda sick of the monarchy in fiction, can’t characters be blacksmiths or merchants at this point? lol

Feel free to friend me on Goodreads too! You can see my book reviews there and I’d love to see what other people are reading as well. What’s been YOUR favorite book so far this year?

I saw someone else doing this, so feel free to take it as an invitation! :)

#booklr #midyear book update #IA reads #am reading #mid-year book freak out #bookblr

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

May Monthly Recap:

Like April, I read a whole lot of books in May! I read 17 books, 3 of which were DNFs. I also read a lot of books I loved - I devoured the Paradox series by Rachel Bach, had many feelings about Unclaimed by Courtney Milan, and learned so much from Fuzz by Mary Roach. I also tried to prioritize AAPI reads, and did pretty well - 8 of the books I read this month were by AAPI authors.

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher: 4.5/5

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso: 4/5

Ice Cream Lover by Jackie Lau: 2.75/5

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho: 4/5

The Ippos King by Grace Draven: 2/5, dnf

Wanted and Wired by Vivien Jackson: 2/5, dnf

Unveiled by Courtney Milan: 4.75/5

Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach: 5/5

Honor’s Knight by Rachel Bach: 5/5

Heaven’s Queen by Rachel Bach: 5/5

Unclaimed by Courtney Milan: 5/5

Dawn by Octavia E. Butler: 3.5/5

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge: 2/5, dnf

Fuzz by Mary Roach: 5/5

The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu: 2.75/5

First Comes Like by Alisha Rai: 3.75/5

Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller: 1.5/5

Edit: more goals!

22 in 2022: 8

Read 100 Books: 64

Read 40% AOC: 39%

Completing Series: 9 series completed/caught up vs. 9 started

Translated Works: 1

Books in Spanish: 0

Numbered TBR: 5

Discworld: 0

Books by an Indigenous Author: 1

Physical TBR: 8

Storygraph Recs: 3

#monthly recap #may 2022 #book review