Month: May 2018
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
5/5
TW: death
As a warning, this is going to be a very rambly review that’s mainly me talking about my future and life experiences. So, if that sounds utterly tedious to you, just go ahead and stop reading now!
The Cliché Book Tag
We didn’t get tagged for this, but saw it a while ago and decided we liked the questions, so here we are. Thank you to Catherine @ thisoneisforthebooks for doing it so we could see it! So we’re totally going to go with it that you tagged us in this.
Caidyn will be in blue.
Chantel will be in purple.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words.
A Book That Wasn’t Or Couldn’t Be Better Than The Movie.
This isn’t a movie, but the whole Hannibal Lecter series pales in comparison to the TV show, okay? Okay. I also think the same issue will happen with Killing Eve (book series is Codename Villanelle).
Having recently re-read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I’d have to say that all of my good memories of the story come from the movie. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time and unfortunately, the book pales in comparison.
The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side.
A Rags To Riches Or Riches To Rags Story.
I really had to think hard about this one since I don’t really read many of these stories. At least, ones that stood out to me. But, finally, I came up with Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
I know Rags to Riches is a cliche, but I honestly can’t think of a story like this. I wonder if it’s a lot less common than it used to be in fiction.
Actually, I lied. I’m ashamed to admit that this book didn’t cross my mind before because it’s MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR, but ladies and gentleman how could it not be The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
The Apple Does Not Fall Far From The Tree.
A Parent Child Relationship That You Love
I could totally just go with the Weasley family but that’s too easy and it wasn’t the first book that came to my mind. What did come to my mind was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I love the relationship Liesel has with Rosa and Hans. It’s perfect and touching even when you start off the book worrying it will be anything but.
I struggled a bit before settling on Scout and Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I chose this relationship because we see it evolve over time. Over the course of two books we see Scout looking at her father with such devotion to her finally seeing who he truly is and not liking it. It’s definitely a fascinating relationship, one that Caidyn and I discussed in a post last year.
You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover.
A Great Book That Needs A Better Cover.
Since I don’t really pay attention to book covers when I choose a book (the description matters more to me), I’m drawing a blank. But I don’t like the original Harry Potter covers. I prefer the newer ones.
I usually only focus on great covers and don’t really remember ones I don’t like. I do judge books by their cover (GASP HERETIC) but rarely do I dislike covers.
You Can’t Please Everyone.
A Book You Hate That Everyone Loves.
LET ME COUNT THEM.
Seriously. There are so many.
But those are the top three for me.
I don’t hate many books. I do hate one book in particular but I don’t think it’s a widely loved book, thank goodness. However, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an abomination and I don’t understand why so many people hate it.
It makes me feel icky.
What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger.
What’s A Book That Made You A Better Person For Having Read It.
I don’t know if a book has ever made me a better person, but it’s made me feel like one. But that’s another topic for another time. I’m taking this more as books that made me feel deeply. Aka, a few of my favorite books.
I’m going to choose an author for this because frankly, she makes me want to be a better writer.
I’m talking about Madeline Miller who is the author of A Song of Achilles and Circe, and I’m only about halfway finished with Circe and I know it is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It is about her and her life and I think those are my favorite kinds of books honestly. The writing is gorgeous and I don’t even think I can say how wonderful some of her lines are. You just have to read her work yourself.
Love Is Blind.
A Book With A Disabled Character Or Actual Blind Love.
The closest I can think of is Every Shade of Red by Elliot Wake, which is a short story in All Out.
It was a perfect story that was a queer retelling of Robin Hood where Robin Hood was a transman and his love interest (the one telling the story) was a deaf cisman. It was amazing. I adored the shit out of it.
I think I have to go with The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. I don’t know if it’s a spoiler to point out what the disability is, but if you’ve read the book you know who I’m talking about and if you haven’t, well go read it and find out.
Ignorance Is Bliss.
A Book That Is Bad But You Just Don’t Want To Admit It.
I have no problem saying a book is bad so this question doesn’t exactly pertain to me.
I’m guessing this is similar to a guilty pleasure and while some books might be objectively bad, if I like it then I don’t care if it’s good or bad.
There Is No Time Like The Present.
What Is Your Favourite Contemporary Book?
Funny enough, I’m not a huge fan of contemporary fiction. I read nonfiction, mystery/horror/thriller, or sci-fi or fantasy. I’m not a contemporary sort of guy. The closest books I can think of are Wenny Has Wings (which I loved as a child) and The Heart’s Invisible Furies (which only takes place in 2015 for, like, a chapter).
I would say there are three YA contemporaries that are my favorites and all featuring queer ladies. I would highly recommend all three of them and all three of them are very different. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake, and Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli.
I read all three of these books this year and I’ve loved all three of them. I know these are only three books out of hundreds, but it gives me hope that YA is stepping up it’s game with featuring queer ladies as main characters.
Better Safe Than Sorry.
A Book You Don’t Want To Read In Case It’s Bad
Tbh, basically anything by Schwab or Bardugo or Laini Taylor. I’ve had distinct misses from all of those authors and I just don’t want to read them because they’re popular and I tend to have very unpopular opinion of them. Schwab, wasn’t a fan of her magic series. Bardugo, never liked anything by her. And Taylor, I liked Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (probably wouldn’t if I reread them) but found Strange the Dreamer completely unoriginal.
I’m so hesitant to read Vicious by V.E. Schwab. I adore her on Twitter and Instagram, but I’m not a fan of the Shades of Magic series. I want Vicious to be good, but perhaps it’s just her writing I’m not a fan of not the story necessarily.
Tagging anyone? I don’t feel like it.
Mini reviews: Good Omens, Mythos, and Lock In
Look, I love mini reviews. I’ve done these for classics and other books when I had something to say, but I didn’t have a lot to say. It just works out well so I don’t ramble on like some idiot while trying to make some huge point about a book that doesn’t have a lot to talk about.
Today, I have three mini reviews for you all, two books and one podcast, so let’s get this shit going. Continue reading
Our little update!
Going under construction
Hello all!
This weekend (between Saturday and Sunday) we’re going to go under some much needed reconstruction for the blog. So, if you come on here and things look funny, that’s why!
When we finish up, we’ll definitely have some announcements about what’s changed!
Thank you for your patience since it could take a bit.
The Soundtrack of My Life – Track 3
Track 3: Love My Way by The Psychedelic Furs
Written by Vince Ely, Tim Butler, John Ashton & Richard Butler
Since I’m having trouble reading, I thought you guys would like to hear about another song that I adore. I mean, I don’t want you guys to forget about me.
The next song on The Soundtrack of My Life is one that I discovered recently. It’s one of those songs I’ve heard before but never knew what it was called or who sang it. I’m sure that even though the title might not sound familiar, you’ve probably heard it too. Especially if you listen to 80’s music. Personally, I love the music from the 80’s. It has a lot of cheesiness but is also very genuine. Ever heard a cheesy 80’s love song? I’m sure you have, but that perfectly describes 80’s pop music in my opinion. The song I’m talking about today is the epitome of 80’s cheesiness and it’s called “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs.
I have to upfront about something. I only know about this song because of Call Me By Your Name. Let me be frank, I hated that movie. I don’t want to get into it now because I could easily start ranting if I don’t contain myself but I’ll try not to. The only reason I bring up Call Me By Your Name is that this song is featured in a scene featuring some hilarious white boy dance moves from Armie Hammer. I’m not exaggerating when I say this scene was my favorite. In contrast to Armie Hammer’s inability to dance, Timothee Chalamet is smooth as he practically glides across the dance floor. This scene stood out to me with brief scenes in the trailer and in the movie it stood out even more when placed with “Love My Way”.
I looked up the song immediately after seeing the movie as it was the one highlight. From the opening notes, everything in my body feels lighter. Like I’m dragging around a weight constantly and the only thing which can lift it is this song. I would describe the music itself as light and airy. I listen to a lot of music which is slow and heavy, but this song is anything but. I don’t blame anyone who wants to dance to this song, no matter their skill level.
Actually, this is pretty much how I dance.
Now, why does this song belong on the Soundtrack? It doesn’t have anything to do with the lyrics honestly. It has more to do with how danceable and singable the song is. If I’m at home and this song comes on, my body moves and my mouth sings. Neither of which I am good at, but when I’m alone it doesn’t matter. Instead of causing an emotional reaction in me, this song causes a physical reaction and that alone is enough to land it on The Soundtrack to My Life.
First Lines Friday
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
Caidyn will be in blue.
Chantel will be in purple.
It was a nice day.
All the days had been nice. There had been rather more than seven of them so far, and rain hadn’t been invented yet. But clouds massing east of Eden suggested that the first thunderstorm was on its way, and it was going to be a big one.
The angel of the Eastern Gate put his wings over his head to shield himself from the first drops.
“I’m sorry,” he said politely. “What was that you were saying?”
“I said, that one went down like a lead balloon,” said the serpent.
“Oh. Yes,” said the angel, whose name was Aziraphale.
“I think it was a bit of an overreaction, to be honest,” said the serpent. “I mean, first offense and everything. I can’t see what’s so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil, anyway.”
This is a book that everyone’s read but me. And I’m so glad that I’m able to finally read it even though I’m pretty late to the party. Part of this is brought on by it being made into a TV show, part of this is pure opportunity to read it.
It is…
I’m doing a buddy read with Michael from Goodreads and I’m really excited about it. I’ve been laughing so far, which is always a great sign!
This would be one of those days, I could tell. One of those days when clients would underpay me, the hot water would run out before I could shower, or some masc would decide I’m looking at him funny and bust my lip to teach me a lesson. It was the stink in the air, that acidic humidity. Made people irritable.
This is a book I heard about on a podcast in which one of the hosts is Austin Chant, a trans writer whose books I’ve read and reviewed. I enjoyed them very much and thought it was interesting to hear him talking as a trans writer who writes trans characters. On that podcast, a science fiction book was mentioned and the world immediately intrigued me. A world where “women” or feminity did not exist. I do believe it’s a romance novel, but I’ve read plenty of those in my day. I’m definitely not opposed to queer romance.
Y Negative by Kelly Haworth
This book is part of the reason I enjoy science fiction. It takes an idea and makes it a part of that world. I love it. Just like Ursula LeGuin wrote about a world where gender does not exist, I love seeing the dynamics of gender explored in science fiction.
120 followers!!
We did it!
We’ve reached 120 followers!
Thank you all for following us. We have no idea why you put up with our weirdness and very odd taste in things (more Caidyn’s than Chantel’s), but thank you! All the support you’ve given us is so, so, so appreciated!
The Lazy Historian’s Guide to the Wives of Henry VIII by Jillianne Hamilton
(Caidyn)
5/5
Copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not effect my rating.
At long last, I’ve found a book that I can give for a recommendation to people who want a good starting point in Tudor history. It’s a lot of history and a lot of years, along with a whole bunch of names as people go in and out of favor.
This is a very small book. It ends on page 173 and then there are about twenty pages after it of family trees, sources/book recommendations for each wife and the general topic of Henry’s wives, and a glossary of important people and places. All of those things are very important for a handbook like this. It’s an easy reference to draw from.
The life of each wife is covered from birth to death. A lot of their lives somewhat tangle together, but Hamilton keeps them very separate. In each section, she keeps to the specific wife without getting into too many things about the next one. That’s appreciated because you can turn to a specific section and you know it’s going to be only about that one wife rather than somewhat about her and also waxing on about a later wife.
At times, I kept wanting a little more or wishing there had been more ideas explored — especially in Catherine Howard’s section — but I had to take a step back to remind myself that this is just a handbook. It’s not a tell-all about that wife. It’s nailing down the important historical things and not every little detail. If I want all the little details, then I’d go to the back to see any book recommendations that were there.
When I glanced back at the sources used/book recommendations, part of me cringed seeing Alison Weir included. But then there were so many other books included — some I had read, some I hadn’t, but most I had heard of in some way — that it gives a better picture of the topic.
The humor really worked in this book. Sometimes I thought it was because I’ve already read a lot about Henry’s wives, but then I also think that it just worked. If you’ve wanted The Tudors, it plays on that and, at times, vocalizes the things that you were thinking while watching it.
I highly suggest this book to those who are Tudor history beginners or who want a refresher on what can be a very dense topic. Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy!
BW Reviews 
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