Wow, we are finally finished with 2020, and now we get to start it all over again. I’m back again with my bookish and not so bookish goals. They’re going to be very similar to the goals I had in 2020, since 2020 was quite a mess of a year. Anywho, here are my goals for 2021!
Bookish Goals
Read 100 books
Read 1 nonfiction book a month
Read a wider variety of genres
Have consistent and steady growth on my Blog and my Instagram
Post at least 5 posts/photos a week.
Use my library more
Spend less money on books
Read all the unread books on my shelves before buying more (fat chance)
Not So Bookish Goals
Graduate College (!!!!) This is one from last year, as my graduation had to be pushed back a semester.
Keep up with daily (unbiased) news
Pay off $3k in student loan debt
Travel to at least -one- new to me place
Get back up to Maine (once COVID is over, hopefully in the Autumn)
What are your goals for 2021? How do you plan on attaining them?
King Shrewd is dead at the hands of his son Regal. As is Fitz—or so his enemies and friends believe. But with the help of his allies and his beast magic, he emerges from the grave, deeply scarred in body and soul. The kingdom also teeters toward ruin: Regal has plundered and abandoned the capital, while the rightful heir, Prince Verity, is lost to his mad quest—perhaps to death. Only Verity’s return—or the heir his princess carries—can save the Six Duchies.
But Fitz will not wait. Driven by loss and bitter memories, he undertakes a quest: to kill Regal. The journey casts him into deep waters, as he discovers wild currents of magic within him—currents that will either drown him or make him something more than he was.
This was a pre-scheduled post, but before it goes up, I wanted to add something.
Before my review I want to have a short chat:
As crazy as the world has been, I hope that everyone knows how much their lives matter. With that being said, all lives will not matter until black lives matter. I was incredibly saddened by the murder of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor that occurred over the last month or so. If you haven’t please sign the petitions here:
Another note: Don’t donate to change.org petitions as that money does not go to the victims and instead goes to the website. There are some places to donate below!
Find ways to speak up about senseless violence, racism and police brutality in your communities, and in your social networks. Don’t let this pass us by with nothing changing. This has gone on for long enough. I hope for the safety of all the protesters and activists who are on the front lines. Use your voices to make a change. If you can, there are ways that you can help monetarily, but obviously this is not something that everyone can do, but if you are able, I have included links to many different organizations and the GoFundMe for the families of three of the victims below. (I couldn’t find one for Tony McDade).
Want to donate, but can’t afford to? Watch the video linked here. Watch the ads, as the ad revenue will be donated to Black Lives Matter.
Like I said, not everyone can donate, and not everyone is in a position to protest, especially given the fact we are in the middle of a pandemic, but please know that there are many things you can do to help. I am using my platform here to talk about it. If you can do nothing else, talk about it, and vote for politicians who abhor police brutality and violence. Stand up against racism when you see it. Don’t let this be something that continues past your generation. Enough is enough!
MY REVIEW
Okay, so this is the third book in the Farseer series, and because of that, there will be spoilers for the first two. Fitz has gone through it. His life, to put it bluntly, sucks. He was almost killed at the end of the first book, was ACTUALLY, but only technically, killed at the end of the second book, only to be resurrected by Burrich and Nighteyes at the very beginning of this book. Fitz has decided that he is going to enact his revenge on Regal and wants to kill him. His quest takes him to many distant places, including past the Mountain Kingdom and into territories that have not been seen by humans for generations, all in his search for Verity.
Here’s the thing, I loved the first two books. I really did. One thing that I will say they are slow at times. They are not all action-packed all the time. In fact, they take their time and are very character-based for the most part, but I love that about these books. When it’s action-packed though, it is ACTION-PACKED. Robin Hobb has developed characters and a world that feel real, and that are both fully fleshed out. Everyone has a very unique voice, and she writes her villains well. Regal was a petulant child and I loved to hate him. The world of the Six Duchies is flesh and bone, real to the touch and unlike anything I’ve read before. I loved all the characters, Kettricken, Nighteyes, Burrich, Molly etc.
Robin Hobb has a very simplistic writing style. It’s not overly flowery or adorned. It gets it’s point across well, and typically I’m a fan of flowery writing and prefer it, but in this story, it doesn’t need it. The simplistic, straight to the point language and style really does the story well. As I said, the plot can be a little slow at times, but in this one, you can see why it needed to be that way.
The ending of this one was satisfying although I have some unanswered questions left. I guess I will have to continue with the next series in her Realm of the Elderlings world. Have you read this? What did you think?
Spoilers? Vague spoilers for the first book in the series, Vicious
A Brief Description
The sequel to VICIOUS, V.E. Schwab’s first adult novel.
Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance.
Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.
As a review of what the first book in the series: Vicious is about Victor Vale and Eliot Cardale. They started out as roommates, they became something close to friends. They were researching near death experiences and if under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities and become and EO (ExtraOrdinary). It also follows them 10 years later, when Victor has broken out of prison and he is determined to catch up to his once friend, now his foe. He is aided by Sydney, who has a stunning ability, and Mitch who is an expert hacker. Meanwhile, Eli is seeking EOs to eradicate every single last one. That’s all I can really say without spoiling book one. Since this is a review of a sequel, if you have not read the first book, proceed with caution, as there may be vague spoilers for Vicious.
Okay, to begin, after the ending of the first book, I was terrified for this book. The characters, Victor specifically, had been through so much already. I loved the first book in this duology. Vicious is dark and it doesn’t shy away from it. It does not pretend to be anything but. The second book is darker. These are dark, morally gray characters that justify atrocities and death to get to their own goals, but damn does V.E. Schwab make you root for them. You WANT them to succeed, at whatever costs necessary.
Speaking of the characters, there are so many, and not one of them is truly good. Every single one of them is… not evil, but human. They feel so real. They make mistakes, they commit sins and they do everything they can to protect those that they care about, themselves included. There were some new characters included that I would like to step on me, but that’s neither here nor there. (Marcella Riggins for any who are curious) I still love Victor Vale, he was one of my favorite characters in Vicious, and that didn’t end with Vengeful. He really did everything he could to protect Mitch and Sydney.
The plot of this book was explosive, it really keeps you guessing, and throw unexpected wrenches in, just to make you keep reading. I read this book in 3 days, just sitting and reading 150 or so pages a day, because anything less felt like a crime. There were parts of this book that were extremely gruesome. It doesn’t shy away from describing the icky and well… vicious… parts of humanity. There were parts that made my skin crawl, for example, if you don’t like medical or surgical descriptions, there is a chunk that might make you uncomfortable. Otherwise, I found the plot engaging. The ending was WILD and left my heart pounding, although I will say that the ending to the first book was stronger overall.
With all of this in mind, I loved this book. I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars, easily. I loved every single moment of it. I recommend this book to anyone who likes comic books, superheros or villains with hearts. Have you read this book? What did you think?
Now that we are a day into 2020, I have a list of my bookish and not so bookish goals for the year. I want to be able to look back on this and see if I was able to actually accomplish any of these. I won’t be upset if I don’t accomplish one of them, but these are just things I want to get done in 2020.
Bookish Goals
Read 100 books
Read 1 nonfiction book a month
Read a wider variety of genres
Have consistent and steady growth on my blog and
consistent and steady growth on my bookstagram as well
Start a reading journal
Start writing more concise reviews
Use my library more
Spend less money on books
Read all the unread books on my shelves before buying more (fat chance)
Not So Bookish Goals
Graduate College (!!!!)
Finish writing my First Draft of Blood and Stars (working title)
Keep up with daily (unbiased) news
Pay off $3k in student loan debt
Get that coveted internship spot
Keep up with my bullet journal
Get a job that relates to my degree (web and software development)
Travel to at least -one- new to me place
Brew coffee at home more vs buying coffee out every single day (oops)
What are your goals for 2020? How do you plan on attaining them?
Whew! 2019 is almost over! I cannot believe that this is the end of a decade! I’m excited for whatever 2020 will bring and that definitely includes some of the amazing releases we’re getting. Note that this is not all of the books I’m excited for as there are many, but these are just the few that I can remember and that I found online.
Woven in Moonlight
Author: Isabel Ibañez Release Date: January 7th
A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history.
I’m always happy to read more latinx books, and this one sounds wonderful. This cover is also gorgeous!
A long petal of the sea
Author: Isabel Allende Release Date: January 21st
From the New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits comes an epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents, following two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a new place to call home.
I’ve been super interested in all book that take place during or after the Spanish Civil War. The Francoist regime and it’s tribulations is such an interesting and little talked about time in history. Not to mention that Isabel Allende is world renowned and I have loved some of her previous works
the stars we steal
Author: Alexa Donne Release Date: February 4th
Engagement season is in the air. Eighteen-year-old Princess Leonie “Leo” Kolburg, heir to a faded European spaceship, only has one thing on her mind: which lucky bachelor can save her family from financial ruin?
But when Leo’s childhood friend and first love Elliot returns as the captain of a successful whiskey ship, everything changes. He seems determined to make Leo’s life miserable. As Leo navigates the glittering balls of the Valg Season, she finds herself falling for her first love in a game of love, lies, and past regrets.
The Sound of Stars
Author: Alechia Dow Release Date: February 25th
Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity? This road trip is truly out of this world!
Aliens take over Earth and ban all forms of art, books and creative expression. MoRr1s, who was born in a lab was raised to be emotionless, but he finds the main characters illegal library. The trouble is, he finds himself drawn to music, and in desperate need of more.
House of Earth and Blood
Author: Sarah J. Maas Release Date: March 3rd
House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.
This is Sarah J. Maas’ new series. It’s supposed to be adult, and I’m excited to see what she does with a new story and new characters.
It has angels and demons which is not something that has ever really called to me, but I’m interested to see what Sarah does with a new setting and time period, at least compared to her previous books.
Saving savannah
Author: Tonya Bolden Release Date: March 3rd
This is about an African American girl from an upper class family in America. This takes place in the early 1900s.
Savannah feels suffocated by the structure of society, until she meets a working-class girl named Nell who introduces her to suffragette and socialist movements which inspires her to fight for change.
The Electric Heir
Author: Victoria Lee Release Date: March 17th
Since this is a sequel, I’m not going to go in to details on what this one is about but the first book in this series is about magic, immigrant and refugee rights and the fight for equality.
I just read The Fever King (which is the first in this duology) and loved it. I NEED his book. Read my review of TFK here.
Girl, serpent, thorn
Author: Melissa Bashardoust Release Date: May 12th
A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse…
This is about a girl who is poisonous to the touch and the cover is just gorgeous!
The Doors of Stone
Author: Patrick Rothfuss Release Date: August 20th (???)
So this book has not gotten an official release date from the author, but this is the date listed on both Amazon and Book Depository. I’m definitely hoping that it does get released, but honestly? I don’t think it will. Here is to hoping!
Stormlight Archive Book 4
Author: Brandon Sanderson Release Date: November 17th
I haven’t even read any of the other Stormlight Archive books, but you better believe that this is on my most anticipated 2020 releases list, as every Sanderson book will ever be.
What are some of the books that you are excited for? Are any of the books on my list on yours? That being said, I hope you guys are excited for all the new amazing books that are going to be released.
In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive.
Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other.
With sharp prose and gritty realism, The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls, the women they eventually become, and the difficult decisions they make in-between.
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett is pitched as a pinch of The Handmaid’s Tale, a bit of Hunger Games and a feminist Lord of the Flies. While I see all of these elements, I feel like it falls a little bit short of being “feminist”, at least for me.
I’m conflicted, because I really wanted to love this story, but parts of it fell flat for me.
In Garner County, girls who turn 16 are thought to possess the magic to entice grown men and make older women jealous, so to combat this, they are sent to an isolated camp to release their magic into the wild for a year. Some will return, and when they do they are considered purified and ready for marriage.
The story follows Tierney James, a girl from Garner County during her grace year. Tierney is known as “Tierney the Terrible” in her group of grace girls. She has never really fit in, and in Garner County this can be incredibly dangerous. Women are only seen as possessions, property to their husbands. Right before being sent off for their grace years, many of the young girls are married off to other men in the community. Many times, these men are significantly older than the young girls they are marrying. The girls also have no say in -who- they marry. All is chosen by the men in the county and their fathers. Not only that, but being “veiled” is seen as the upmost priority. If you are not veiled you will return to the county and work in indentured servitude in other areas of the county, which is seen as ‘less-than’ when compared to being a wife.
So we have a very oppressive government, filled with men who seem to believe that they own the women around them. Women are not allowed to do anything without the permission of their husbands. Husbands are allowed to accuse their wives of indecencies, use of magic, of anything really, and condemn them to death if they see fit. All of this done in the name of religion. Women in the county must be pure and subservient above all else.
You get the picture.
Tierney, not really liked by the girls in the county has one male friend named Michael. On her “veiling day” she does not expect to get a veil, but does, from Michael, who of course has always loved her. She takes offense to this, as it is not what she wants. She even -told- Michael that she did not to be a wife and had resigned herself to never getting married. Tierney was a little bit bone-headed and didn’t really think of things before she did them. She would think “maybe I shouldn’t do this thing” and then she would do the thing, and wonder why it blew up in her face.
To add to this, it throws a gasoline on to the fire due to Michael having promised to marry one of the other girls who is a grace girl with Tierney. Her name is Kiersten, and she almost seemed like a caricature mean girl. I don’t understand why she hated Tierney, and all the other girls for that matter as much as she did. She was mean, petty and caused the death of multiple other girls, just for funsies. Kiersten was just a villain to be a villain. While Tierney was attempting to help the group of girls survive, Kiersten attempts to sabotage every single one of those attempts which just led to chaos. I just can’t fathom why this girl would destroy buckets that Tierney made for the purpose of collecting rain water. I just…
Whew.
Okay…. so the story itself, the world, nothing was really explained… at all. You were thrown in and were told nothing about what time period the story takes place in, why they think women have magic, why poachers chase the young girls -yep-, or why the poachers take women apart, piece by piece, to be used as “fountain of youths” by the others in the county. I think the author was trying to add an air of mystique or mystery, but it just ended up seeming like it wasn’t fleshed out enough or like the plot itself was hazy.
The plot makes it seem like you’ll have girls rising up against this oppressive county that has been keeping them down for so long, like you’ll have women finally rising up, and like -some- revolution should be taking place. That happens, at the very end of the story, and it happened in such a way that it was entirely unexpected, but in a good way. I tacked on that extra .5 stars because of the ending if I am being completely honest. The ending was executed in a way that it all came together just right. But…here’s the thing though, the rescues that took place in the book were all by men, one man in particular.
A poacher named Ryker, who Tierney ends up in an insta-love relationship with. Half of the time that Tierney and Ryker spend together are after Ryker rescues her and nurses her back to health on a promise that he made her father a year earlier. The moment she knows she wants to “be with him” are after he sees his face. Not to mention that Ryker is a man who was literally HUNTING her and the other girls with her. He refers to her as -prey- for 100 pages of a 400 page book. And it was insta-love and had absolutely no build-up at all. It just didn’t feel like the love was ratcheted up correctly. It felt rather hazy and almost like the romance was just tacked on after the rest of the book had been written.
This book had so much potential, but it just fell flat for me unfortunately.
Have you read this? Did you like it? What were your thoughts? Let’s discuss below!
A portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship.
Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.
Includes vintage media reports, oral history commentary, photos, and more.
Okay. The atmosphere in this book was pretty great. You could feel the cold hand of Franco’s reign wrapping tighter around the characters as you read this.
The story of Ana, Puri, Daniel and Rafa really sticks with you.
Daniel Matheson, son of an American oil tycoon and a Spanish immigrant is an aspiring photographer who is visiting Spain with his parents. He comes with these ideas of what Spain is, mainly what the Francisco regime has told Americans and the world what Spain is, but finds a very different Spain exists for its inhabitants. One of the inhabitants of Spain is a young girl, a maid in the hotel he is staying in, named Ana.
Ana, a girl with secrets, works at the Castellana Hilton hotel, meets Daniel when she is assigned to his family.
Rafa, Ana’s older brother seemed almost… like a caricature? He has an interesting past, and has a friend who wants nothing more than to be a torero, a matador… but again, I feel like his character was very much a caricature.
Puri, Ana and Rafa’s cousin, is a nun who works at an orphanage, who begins to uncover some very unflattering things that are being done by the Franco regime involving children.
While all the characters were given colorful histories, I felt almost as if the surrounding areas were put on the back burner. The author captured Francoist Spain very well. The juxtaposition between the “American quarter”, or what I would describe as the “tourist area” of Spain and the area where tourists visited versus the areas where Spaniards actually lived very well. The tourist areas were described very richly, and had vibrancy, while the areas where natives lived were rundown and very crowded.
The author used snippets and clips of propoganda that was used in Francoist Spain to subjugate the people. For example, the Sección Femenina, which is the Women’s Section, told women that they were inferior to men and that they belonged in the home and in the role of being a mother. This is based mainly on extremist religious and Catholic beliefs, but this is what guided Franco. No other religions were allowed to be practiced in the open. This included weddings and funerals. Any Republican (those that were aligned against Franco and his government) were tortured, imprisoned, killed, or all three.
That being said, where was the flamenco? Where was the music? Where was the bright Spain that I grew up hearing about from my mom? (Who also grew up in Franco’s Spain).
In addition, this story was slow. It took a while for the characters to get to where they needed to go and the story almost seemed to end abruptly and it left me hanging with quite a few story strands.
All of this being said, I enjoyed this story and would recommend reading this if you have any interest in Francoist Spain, or even if you just enjoy historical fiction!
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
What am I currently reading?
The Grace Year- Kim Liggett
I just started reading this, so I don’t have many thoughts on this one quite yet. Have you read it yet? What did you think?
What have I just finished reading?
The Fountains of Silence- Ruta Sepetys
I enjoyed this one, but it left some things lacking. I’m going to go more into this when I review it. Look out for my review soon!
What am I going to read next?
The Fever King- Victoria Lee
I’ve heard so many good things about this book, and I am beyond excited to start it. I’ve had it on my shelf for a while, and the cover is amazing!
What books did you just finish, start, or are in the middle of currently reading! Did you participate in WWW? If you did, please link yours in the comments!
Much love, have a great day, and as always, keep reading.
I’ve posted on my blog previous about tropes I love so I figured it was time to talk about some of the ones I dislike. I should add a disclaimer here and say that just because I dislike these does not mean that you can’t love them. I just want to be clear that these are tropes that *I* don’t like to read. If you have any recommendations for books that might change my mind, please recommend them! ❤
The Love Triangle
I realize that this is a very popular, I just don’t enjoy the drama of it. I want to read a story that has romance as a part of it, not necessarily follow the dramas of a “him/her, but no him/her too?” romance? Does that make any sense?
The “Abusive” Romanticized Boyfriend/Girlfriend
Do I need to explain why I don’t like this one? This is the trope where the romantic partner, usually a boyfriend, is very controlling, rude, yells, and is generally and abusive ass-hat, but it is seen as romantic. He is seen instead as caring and protective, and passionate. I particularly don’t appreciate the fact that there is a large portion of young-adult and new-adult romances that feature this trope.
Soft Magic Systems
This is magic systems that doesn’t have hard rules. The magic is just willy nilly. Someone uses some magic that you never knew they had, that they just used for the first time, right in the nick of time, and they succeed? Soft magic system. Someone has unlimited power, with no checks, and no practice? Soft magic system. I like magic systems that have rules and that sticks by those rules, even if it makes life hard for the characters. I feel like this also makes it so that the character has to really think outside of the box on how to overcome their obstacle.
“I’m Not Like Other Girls”
This trope is one I dislike because it feels like a “pick-me.” It feels like a girl saying “Oh, I don’t like dresses” or “I don’t like pink” or “I don’t wear makeup” or whatever other things the author thinks are, first of all, only something women can enjoy, second of all, are something that makes someone less-than due to that enjoyment. You like pink? Cool, you can still be an interesting character. You like makeup? Cool, you can still be an interesting character. You like fashion? Cool! You can still be an interesting character. Same goes for you as a person by the way.
These are just some of the tropes that I dislike. What are some tropes that you dislike, and why? Do we share any of those?
I want to reiterate: Just because I don’t like these does not mean that you can’t. We can love and dislike different things.
I have been MIA recently. I’m sorry. I’ve been rather busy with work and school, and to be honest, my mental health took a nose dive for a bit. I needed some time to myself and I think I’m ready to come back to posting content. I wanted to start with something positive and talk about something that I have been loving lately. It’s called “Caravan Clubs”
Have you guys heard of Caravan? Caravan is an online browser app that works in tandem with Discord (which is an online community that allows you to host group chats etc). On Caravan’s website, you can sign up to be a group chat with others who are also reading that book. This lets you have online book clubs with friends or with new people!
There are many different groups going on at a time. It’s something that I highly recommend looking in to if you have every wanted to be a part of a book club.
Let me know if you want to read a book together! I would love to get more involved in the community! Have a wonderful day/night, wherever you are, and as always, keep reading. ❤
Cosmic Lattes and Books 