Roundup: 2021 DNF List

I’ll be honest, it took me a long time to get comfortable with the idea of just not finishing a book. I guess I was still in that mode of classroom assigned reading. Those are hard habits to break, but I’m getting there. I have so many books on my TBR list, I know I’ll probably never get to them all, but I definitely won’t if I’m wasting time reading books I really don’t like.

Life’s just way too short.

Last year, I read a lot of books. Probably the most I’ve read since grad school, if I’m honest, so there were quite a few books to choose from for this post. I won’t say I don’t recommend these books, because they might be the perfect fit for a different reader! They just were not my cup of tea.

Roundup: October #FridayReads

This month, I’ve been focused on posting my favorite spooky/scary reads for the Halloween season. Some of these books I’ve read recently, and others are books I’ve read months ago or more. And thanks to COVID restrictions, I’ve been home a lot more, which means I’ve made a sizeable dent in my TBR list. Taken together, all this means that I’ve finally built myself a decent buffer between what I’m currently reading and what I’m posting reviews of.

So this month, I’ve been reading some new selections that I haven’t gotten to post, and some of them fit the season so well that I didn’t want you to miss out on them! This month’s #fridayreads post is a quick roundup of what I’ve read recently and what I’m reading now, to give you some inspo for your own TBR. These won’t be fully fleshed out reviews, though, as many of these books are destined for dedicated weekly review posts of their own.

Review: The Family Plot, Cherie Priest

This week’s review will be the last full review prior to Halloween, and I’ve saved the best for last. Cherie Priest already had one entry this month, you may recall, but her Southern Gothic The Family Plot is one of the most chilling books I’ve read. In honor of the horror holiday, I’ll be rereading this book this week, and if we start now, we’ll have just enough time to finish this book up on the spookiest day of the year. (Well, it is 2020 so there’s a lot of competition for that title, I suppose.)

Tuesday Reviews Day: Night of the Dragon, Julie Kagawa

Do you know the feeling when you finish watching an intense action film or boxing match? That feeling of secondhand exhaustion and emotion, the mix of amazement and maybe a little sadness for the things that didn’t quite go how you wanted them to?

That’s how I feel after reading Night of the Dragon.

It’s shorter than the first two, but don’t let it fool you. This book is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will wring you out. I lost count of how many times I openly cried (at least three) though it isn’t all sadness and exhaustion. Like the books before it, Dragon has enough lightness to push back the dark, enough victory to make the struggle worth it.

Tuesday Reviews Day: Shadow of the Fox, Julie Kagawa

Lately I’ve been feeling a little … convicted, I guess, about the massive number of unread books I have both on shelves and in boxes, tucked into random corners of my home. Considering that I don’t have anywhere to go right now, really, I figure I might as well start whittling down this TBR list into something a little more manageable. I picked up Julie Kagawa‘s Shadow of the Fox from a shelf in my library recently because I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction lately and I was ready for something imaginative. I had tried reading a book recently that seemed like it might have been similar to Shadow, but I really didn’t enjoy it, so I was a little nervous. Turns out that was unnecessary.

I’ve had it since October 2018, when I got it in an Owlcrate subscription box. I liked that sub pretty well; I haven’t done and probably won’t do a full-on review post of it, but mainly I cancelled because I just got tired of the bits and baubs that came with the books, though they do an amazing job at curation.

But now, on to the main feature: the review.

Friday Reads: So It Begins

Grad school classes begin on Monday, and it appears no one has informed my anxiety disorder. So far I’m pretty calm about it, maybe even excited. I spent some time this week reviewing my syllabus for Literary Theory, and I’m beyond stoked for this class. The entire month of November will be spent on Feminist Theory and Gender/Queer Theory, which I am considering an early holiday gift from my professor. He also informed us that skimming most of our assigned readings is acceptable and expected, so we’re friends now. It’s fine.

I haven’t heard anything from my other professor yet, but I’m not worried; class doesn’t actually begin until Monday so there’s still time.

Tuesday Reviews Day: Never Let Me Sleep, Jennifer Brozek

I really wanted to enjoy this book. The blurb was amazing, and the guest post I read by the author on Chuck Wendig’s blog really pumped me up. It seemed like it was going to fling itself into my Top 10 YA books, which is hard to do (especially considering most of the list is filled with heavyweight trilogies).

This book was … disappointing. I do not enjoy writing bad reviews so I’ll keep this short and as painless as possible. I almost hope Brozek doesn’t read this.

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Melissa Allen, a teenager in a small town in South Dakota, goes to sleep. She wakes up the next morning to find that everyone in the state has mysteriously died in their sleep, her sister and brother-in-law included. On top of all this, Melissa is on house arrest, she’s supposed to be at the doctor soon, and her meds are almost gone …. is it possible she’s to blame for her family’s deaths, and the rest of it is just all in her head?

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Literally the only thing I liked about this book was the main character isn’t the picture of perfection; she’s on probation and suffers from mental and emotional disorders, but even that isn’t well-executed (not to mention, based on the cover art, she’s still a gorgeous blonde with perfect skin and a runway-ready body that I seriously doubt belongs to a 14-year-old). There’s a LOT of telling, not much showing, and I really hate that phrase so I’ll go into what I mean here. The main character (whose name I literally already forgot, she’s so flat) explains a couple times what happens to her during her episodes, which is interesting and seems well-researched. When she has to explain to someone else the need to go back for her lost meds, though, it seems like she’s reading from one of those old-school Pill Books that lists all the side effects and interactions of every pill. It felt like reading Wikipedia, not like listening to a 14-year-old explain something she finds obvious to someone who should know better.

The story never really touches on what caused her to develop these conditions, even though it’s implied that she wasn’t born with them. (Also, why the hell was she in juvie in the first place? Did I miss that part, or… ?) The one traumatic event in her life is explicitly stated to have exacerbated but not caused the problems. And the twist hinted at in the blurb (Is the apocalypse real? Or did she kill her guardians and hallucinate it all?) is only barely mentioned, certainly not mined to its full potential. It comes into play only in the last five pages or so, and is quickly hand-waved aside.

Finally, the horror reveal comes too early and is too obvious. By the time you ‘see’ the monster, you basically already know what it is, and honestly, it’s kind of stupid. It’s so implausible and what explanation we get is reaching and still comes up thin and unlikely.

I didn’t even bother purchasing the second two books.

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How I found it: Guest post on an author blog
Genre: Young adult; sci-fi; horror
Does it pass the Bechdel test? No
Is it a standalone? No
So what worked? You can tell there’s a tiny morsel of a good idea buried in here, and I wanted so badly for the author to reach in and grab it and run with it, but she never did. This story has massive potential, none of it realized.
What didn’t work? The utterly flat main character (for several reasons), the unconvincing monsters, the thin veneer of resolution, the pacing, etc. etc.

Overall: I haven’t been quite so disappointed in a book in awhile. It’s also the first trilogy I’ve utterly given up on. I can’t with this book. The author makes an effort at the quick pacing of many popular writers but it seems to get away from her. The main character is not well developed and it seems she was only given a mental illness in an effort to perform diversity, but it comes across as pandering and patronizing. This one is a definite skip.

Happy Fangs-giving!

New Release from Molly Harper, writing as Jacey Conrad and Gia Corona: From Russia With Fangs! The companion novel to the best selling From Russia with Claws, this time we hear sister Irina’s story.

Synopsis: Between her family’s drunken antics and vicious verbal attacks from her so-called friends, Irina Sudenko Volkov is having the worst night ever. And that’s before she’s widowed.

Volatile, cheating, no-good Sergei’s death-by-assassin unleashes chaos in the werewolf criminal underground. Irina’s panicked Papa assigns Beta wolf Viktor Zhukovsky to Irina’s security detail until her husband’s killer is found. As Irina’s world crumbles around her, the perfect princess mask falls away and Viktor meets the sharp, passionate woman underneath. Their initial chemistry gives way to a deeper attraction when Irina begins to see the decency underneath Viktor’s gruff, tattooed exterior, despite his insistence that it doesn’t exist.

Their tendency to find themselves semi-nude and in enclosed spaces is a source of amusement to her sister, Galina, but each of them knows of the deadly consequences if their relationship is brought to light. Things get even more complicated when Papa Sudenko begins to match-make Irina and Andrey Lupesco, who also happens to be in a secret relationship with Galina. Family dinners are awkward. With danger closing in on all sides, Irina has to find her claws and learn to howl.

In the much-anticipated sequel to From Russia with Claws, readers get a new perspective of the lusty exploits of the untameable Sudenko family. Gia Corona and Jacey Conrad craft a delightful tale of the anything-but-average human Irina and the libidinous lycanthropes in her life.

Buy it on Amazon! http://amzn.to/216ghmu
And here’s Book One: http://amzn.to/1PQ5Hea
Buy it on Barnes and Noble! http://bit.ly/1NFMIhH
Add it to your TBR: http://bit.ly/GRFANGS

And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

About The Authors:

Jacey Conrad is a sushi-loving, pop culture nerd living in the South with her high school sweetheart.  She delights in horribly made mutant shark movies and watching Sean Bean die in his various cinematic incarnations.  To keep up with Jacey on twitter, go to twitter.com/JaceyConrad

Gia Corona loves boots, boys, and bourbon, not necessarily in that order. When she’s not actively stalking Michael Fassbender and his abdominals, she’s watching questionable television or reading comics. You can find her at twitter.com/Gia_writes

Top Romantic Movies, According to Jacey Conrad and Gia Corona

Gia and Jacey have very different ideas of what constitutes a good romantic movie, mostly because of Jacey’s tendency to see romance where there is none and ship ALL OF THE THINGS. So they sat down to list their top five “watch when you’re feeling sappy and need romance in your life” movies. 

Sliding Doors – I’m assuming this is a romance, there’s a romance in it anyway. I adore this movie because of the one liners and because John Hannah is utterly, ridiculously cute in it. Also because of the line, “I’m a woman! We don’t tell you what we want! But we reserve the right to get pissed off if we don’t get it. It’s what makes us so fascinating. And not a little bit scary.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Beauty and the Beast (Disney) – Seriously, you have to ask? He gives her a LIBRARY. Every book nerd girl had their ovaries explode when the Beast did that. Don’t lie, you know it’s true.

The Quiet Man – Oh Maureen O’Hara. The vibe of this movie is just so perfect. It’s Ireland (which has a special place in my heart because I went there on my honeymoon) and the townspeople are terrifically zany. And the romance between O’Hara and John Wayne is lovely. Also that brawl at the end is epic.

Sense and Sensibility – Alan. Rickman. As Colonel Brandon. Dear God, that man. When he’s staggering across the hills with Kate Winslet in his arms and his absolutely wrecked reading of “Give me an occupation, Miss Dashwood, or I shall run mad”—SWOON! It just cemented my love of Alan Rickman that not even Love Actually could turn aside.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) – I will always love the Gold Standard Colin Firth version, but if you don’t have eight hours to devote to watching a move, this is an excellent second choice. The music is absolutely gorgeous. I like the “earthier” interpretation that actually allows for the fact that people were living without running water or paved roads, so occasionally got dirt on their cheeks and clothes. Matthew MacFayden is not as polished as Firth as Mr. Darcy, but he has an aggressive, grumbly charm that I find very approachable and sexy. And he and Keira Knightley have chemistry to spare. I love that you get a little glimpse into their post-married life and the movie ends on a very sweet note. (PS, I’m actually shocked as hell that we both had a Jane Austen movie on our lists.)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Maybe not the most TRADITIONAL choice in romance movies, but SO real in its depiction of a break-up and what happens when a relationship runs out of steam. To the point where it’s kind of uncomfortable. It was really refreshing to see a director/actor let a character be almost unlikeable in his wallowing and attempts to move on with his life (or not.) And when Peter (Jason Siegel) risks getting the crap beat out of him to take down the topless photo, without expecting any sort of “my hero” reward, you know that he’s grown as a person and a potential partner.

The Princess Bride – No list would be complete without it. It is an action movie. It’s an adventure. It’s a magical story. But all of those elements are rooted in the belief that true love is worth fighting for, no matter what form it takes. And reading Cary Elwes’ memoir about making the film, AS YOU WISH, makes me want to watch it over and over to see the things that I missed.

Moonstruck – “SNAP OUT OF IT!” Being married to someone whose personality is very different from my own, I always love seeing how Loretta’s pragmatic, sensible soul clashes but ultimately melds and merges with Ronnie’s intense but misguided passion. He helps shake off her grumpy old widow persona and her enjoy life’s pleasures. She helps him become less of a drama queen and connect with real life. They change each other for the better and the people around them are better for it.

Ever After – It’s nice to see a fairy tale rooted in the tiniest bit of plausible reality. Danielle is spunky and smart, making the best of the hand she’s given. Henry is a prince not-yet-charming, but he’s willing to learn with guidance from the people around him. Yes, magical mice and glass shoes are wonderful, but seeing Leonardo DaVinci stepping in as fairy godmother was a unique take I really enjoyed, plus the costumes are gorgeous. Angela Huston is delicious as the evil Baroness. And the happily ever after features a self-rescuing princess, which is something I loved sharing with my daughter.

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Buy From Russia With Fangs on Amazon! http://amzn.to/216ghmu
And here’s From Russia With Claws: http://amzn.to/1PQ5Hea
Buy it from Barnes and Noble! http://bit.ly/1NFMIhH
Add it to your TBR: http://bit.ly/GRFANGS

Tuesday Reviews Day: The Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol Ostow

This week features one of the two books from the third Book Riot YA subscription box. I haven’t yet started reading the second book from that selection, mainly because after two horror novels back to back, I need a break.

The Devil and Winnie Flynn looked interesting from the start, and the neat temp tattoos that came in the box just piqued my interest that much more. The cover gives credit to a brother-sister duo; Micol wrote the novel while her brother David created the illustrations.

Author Micol Ostow (L) and illustrator David Ostow (R)

I was pretty stoked to read it, especially with the cover blurb boasting that it will haunt me long after I finish reading (sweet!).

But first, the spoiler-free summary.