Lose Yourself in the World of Books
Tales from the Kingdom #3 I completely fell for the cover of this book and I'm a sucker for dark fantasy adaptations. This book (and series) fit the bill quite well. Synopsis Once upon a time... in a kingdom far, far away, a handsome prince sets out to find a lost castle, only to discover… Continue reading Beauty by Sarah Pinborough
I had wanted to read Station Eleven for quite a while, since I first saw it sitting on a table in a bookstore. I picked it up regularly in stores and contemplated purchasing it before finally doing so two years ago. And then it sat in my to-be-read pile for far too long. So when I decided… Continue reading Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Last Crossing of the Lusitania Every month, the Modern Readers discuss what types of books we collectively would like to be reading. In February 2016, one of our number mentioned that Erik Larson would be doing a talk in a nearby town, so we figured Dead Wake would make a great book club choice! This is… Continue reading Dead Wake by Erik Larson
A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook Seven years ago I made a remarkable discovery - Anthony Bourdain. I was, by America's standards, ten years late to the Bourdain party, but at least I got there eventually. I have now obsessively watched just about every episode of No Reservations, The Layover,… Continue reading Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
Six of Crows #1 / Grishaverse #4 It's been nearly two years since I read my first Leigh Bardugo book, Shadow & Bone, and was introduced to the Grishaverse. I enjoyed it greatly, but when I was reading it, everyone was talking about her newest book, Six of Crows, and how spectacular it was going to be.… Continue reading Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Wrath and the Dawn & The Rose and the Dagger The Wrath and the Dawn was a book I picked up after seeing/listening to a panel about diversity in books. Along with Sabaa Tahir, Marie Lu and Aisha Saeed, Renee Ahdieh shared some very insightful points about diversity in books. I've now covered three of… Continue reading The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renee Ahdieh
Uprooted came to me highly recommended by a former coworker - she and I have very similar tastes (we call each other book-twins), so I figured it would be a sure thing. Synopsis Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border,… Continue reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Remnant Chronicles #1 If I had to pick a favorite genre of of the past year, it would be Young Adult Fantasy. It is the genre I go to when I just want something to read that will keep me occupied and be a fun and enjoyable read. Lately I've strayed more towards (auto)biographies, but… Continue reading The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth In January 2016, I went with my boss to an ABA (American Booksellers Association) event called "Winter Institute." It is the biggest gathering of independent booksellers and my boss reminded me that in addition to learning lots about the book world and being starstruck by all the authors present, I… Continue reading My Holiday in North Korea by Wendy E. Simmons
DC Icons #1 When I first saw the trailer for Wonder Woman, I couldn't wait to see it. When I found out that Leigh Bardugo was writing a YA adaptation, I was even more excited about it! As as new-ish fan of Wonder Woman, I have been keen to get my hands on anything relating to my… Continue reading Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
Celebration of Books 