What Storm, What Thunder

Jun 3, 2022

What Storm, What Thunder

Myriam JA Chancy

“We all know however, it is we will ourselves to move through this: afterward, the terrible thing never goes away. It dims but remains, lurking, an uninvited guest, a leech. The more you try to forget, the more it hangs on. One side of the scissor to the other, back and forth, conjoined, not able to leave. The feeling uniting a dream and pain lasts eternally, but you yearn for the return to a blank space, the in-between suspension between the two before they came to be jointed. You yearn for the sweet, open-eyed innocence, the comforting warmth of the blankness, to never become aware of the jointing itself, of then having to live in the after, always, remembering the before.”

Is it too early to name your best books of the year? This novel is deeply affecting. It forces you to slow down. Chronicling the lives of Haitian people affected by the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010, it hits you right in the gut. Powerful and astute, nothing I say here will even come close to doing it justice. Myriam J.A. Chancy has created something truly special here, and I think everyone should read it.

[ID: The novel What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam JA Chancy, resting against green succulents. The novel features two hummingbirds on the cover. It half blue and half black]

#WhatStormWhatThunder #Novels #BestBooksOfTheYear #Haiti #Earthquakes #BooksAboutNaturalDisasters #AlwaysReading #ShortStories #InterconnectedStories #ImportantBooks #BooksEveryoneShouldRead #LibraryGlareDontCare #ReadMoreBooks #Succulents #plantsandbooks

She Who Became the Sun

Jun 2, 2022

She Who Became the Sun

Shelley Parker Chan

This is definitely a book that snuck up on me. I went into it thinking it was going to be action packed, but it is actually more of a character study. The marketing on this one does it a huge disservice. Zhu Chongba and Ouyang are two characters I have not been able to shake. They are deeply complex and both have so much to lose, yet they persist with unwavering intensity because what else can they do. Their destiny calls, and they will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. Definitely two of the most interesting characters I have come across in an epic in a very long time. I’m glad I was able to unpack this with others (thanks to @cherreadssharereads and @nerdtasticnoms ), because once I adjusted my expectations I found it very enjoyable. This is not a fantasy novel, this is a historical fiction epic. It’s dense and slow paced. A lot of the action happens off page, but the political intrigue is definitely juicy. I find myself thinking about this one a lot and wondering how the heck it will all end. I will definitely be checking out book 2.

[ID: The novel She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan resting against green plants and yellow flowers. The cover has a bright orange sun with a person riding a horse.]

#SheWhoBecameTheSun #ShelleyParkerChan #AltHistory #HistoricalFictionNovels #ReadMoreBooks #AlwaysReading #LosAngelesReads #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Novels #Fiction #BookPictures #lovereading

Currently Reading

Jan 21, 2022

Currently Reading

Just some books I have read this month that I really loved and appreciated for all very different reasons. More thoughts on these soon, but I now have a book hangover. Does that ever happen to you? After reading a good book (or several in row) you just need to catch your breath?

But, HAPPY FRIDAY FOLKS. I hope you all read some good books and find space to relax this weekend! I’d love to know what you plan on reading this weekend! I DNF’ed THE MIDNIGHT BARGAIN because I sense it’s a summertime read. I also had to DNF These Violent Delights. I was looking for a messy romance, but there was far too much monster, not enough messiness. Now I’m onto PIRANESI, and it is delivering what I need.

[ID: The three books CLOSER TO NOWHERE, SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN, and PARADISE resting on a white wooden fence. It is very sunny and you can see some green plants in the background.]

#Paradise #ClosertoNowhere #SheWhoBecameTheSun #CurrentlyReading #ReadMoreBooks #MiddleGradeLit #NovelsInVerse #NonFictionBooks #CAWildfires #AltHistoryBooks #AlwaysReading #Bookstagram

amari and the night brothers by b.b. alston

Seven Days In June

Jan 13, 2022

Seven Days In June

Tia Williams

In today’s edition of #BookstagramMadeMeDoIt we have Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams. I really enjoyed reading this book. Tia Williams is hilarious and the characters she wrote all had me hooked. I was rooting for every single one of them. I was taken by surprise by the heavy subject matter covered in this book. It is an exploration of how past traumas can continue to haunt and infect every area of your life, and the ways in which people try to overcome. Sometimes we are successful and sometimes not, but learning and growing does not take place on a linear timeline. I was expecting just a “typical” romance (a genre I rarely read, I prefer my romances on the silver screen). But this one felt different from ones I have read in the past (which again are very few, so I’m not the best judge of whether or not this one is truly unique). An enjoyable read that kept me warm during some cold days over winter break. I would love to see this one adapted into a movie or limited TV series.

(Spoiler so stop reading if you haven’t read the book yet: I felt bad for Ty. I felt like he was collateral damage to Shane’s growth and that sucked, I wish his story could’ve ended differently.)

[ID: The book Seven Days in June, by Tia Williams, being held by Viv with a colorful painting as the backdrop]

#RomanceNovels #ReadMoreRomance #SevenDaysInJune #Bookstagram #BooksBooksBooks #AlwaysReading #LosAngelesReader #bookstagrammer

Mexican Gothic

Jan 7, 2022

Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno – Garcia

Mexican Gothic was a perfectly good book that I read in October. It was exactly what I was in the mood for. Some horror, mixed with a creepy house? Sold. Badass female lead? Yes, please. I am a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, having read Gods of Jade and Shadow. I enjoy her writing style and the heroines she creates. (Slight spoiler ahead) I do feel like I could’ve done without the love story, it didn’t bother me so much that I disliked the book, although it did feel kind of thrown in. I really do wish sometimes stories just ended with no romance. I can think of a few movies, tv shows, and books where I wish the heroine just ended up by themselves at the end of the story. But I say this as a married person, so who am I to judge?

I will say mushrooms were a bit hard to look at the same way after reading this. Hehe, IYKYK.

[ID: The book Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia resting on a brown table.]

#SilviaMorenoGarcia #MexicanGothic #HorrorNovels #SpookyNovels #SpookyBooks #bookstagram

Toni21Readathon

Dec 22, 2021

Toni21Readathon

I started the year hoping to participate in the #Toni21Readathon, they read her books in chronological order. I made it past Tar Baby. After that I needed a break. Toni Morrison commands attention in a different way compared to, well, everyone. I could tell I was rushing through her work instead of sitting with it, it felt like too much of a blur, and after Tar Baby I needed some time to let it rest in my brain. But if you did finish it this year, kudos to you because that is amazing. I do want to read more of her works, but I will make my way slowly and more suited to my pace. She is in a league of her own. Sula and Song of Solomon are some of my favorite novels now. I know I will reread them one day. The Bluest Eye and Tar Baby are also phenomenal (the dialogue in Tar Baby is truly next level and The Bluest Eye, haunting. I can’t believe it was her first novel). Her ability to write such interesting and complex characters that never leave your mind is truly unmatched, and the way she is able to create such a sense of place and time makes her books unforgettable. No sentence is wasted. There is meaning in everything. The smallest detail about a place or a character can reveal so much.

If you have read multiple books by Toni Morrison, which is your favorite? If you haven’t, which one would you like to start with?

Also special shoutout to @ibingebooks for being the organizer of the #Toni21Readathon, you are a rockstar in this community.

[ID: The books The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon resting on a black glass table, with plants in the foreground on top.]

#ToniMorrison #GOAT #TheBluestEye #SongofSolomon #Sula #TarBaby #ReadMoreBooks #Novels #Fiction #Bookstagram #losangelesreader