Spells of the Apocalypse by Vivian Wagner. My poetry book of the month. A re-read and I’m SO glad I spent more time with it. So many of these poems are so good that I have to re-read them as soon as I finish them, then sit with them and soak them in.
Mothman Is My Boyfriend by McKayla Coyle. I love cryptids and thought this sounded like a fun collection. It seemed like a romance version of Nothing Much Happens, meant as a compliment - it was a cozy escape from reality. Many stories definitely seemed like a slice of life or start of something longer and, as someone who loves flash fiction with a complete story told within specific constraints, that was a bit disappointing. The last story wrapped things up nicely enough where I’m semi-satisfied on that front, though.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan. I didn’t think I’d like this series but my kid recommended it, so I started it and fell in love! It’s not my usual story but it’s really compelling and I read this one so quickly. We’re going to read the whole series together and watch the show as well.
Apple & Palm by Patricia Henley. Absolutely loved this one. It was enjoyable to read for pleasure, but also felt like a masterclass in writing - specifically regarding backstory and description. See my full review here.
Total F*cking Godhead by Corbin Reiff. Overall, this book delivered what I expected. It begins with a disclaimer that interviews were hard, or impossible, to get, or perhaps fizzled out after legal issues sprang up with Cornell's widow, Soundgarden, and probably many more parties. So as much as I love a juicy tell-all, it's understandable that there was no way that would happen here. Full my review here.
The Land and Its People by David Sedaris. I love David Sedaris, have read everything, seen him multiple times, so that’s just a disclaimer that this is probably a biased review. However, I loved this essay collection. It felt familiar, clearly Sedaris, but also new (with the exception of one I heard him read at my last show!) He’s definitely getting older, a bit out of touch, and showing his privilege a bit, but it’s still an enjoyable read because he’s so absurd in places but then can turn it around for an emotional gut punch.
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven. I liked the premise of this book - it made me feel like something Taylor Jenkins Reid would write but… at the risk of sounding like a jerk, I think she would have done it better than Niven. This book felt like it was moving at a snail’s pace despite having so many interesting characters alternating chapters. The potential to play up the drama fell flat and I feel like there was a lot of talking around women’s issues from back then (also STILL TODAY) without it feeling like it was something the characters felt truly passionate about. If this was an early draft, I would be excited for its potential. But overall, it just fell flat for me.
The Uncool by Cameron Crowe. I went into this book thinking it was a memoir of Crowe’s life and was REALLY looking forward to the parts about Seattle and Nancy Wilson, so I was disappointed that it was just about the parts that inspired Almost Famous. However, that’s on me for not reading the blurb (I checked out the ebook and just saw the name and title and was in). I thought it was a bit uneven with how it would really stay with a certain band/artist/period of time for a while and then jump forward, and sometimes it was tough to keep the timeline in order, but it was interesting overall. Just too much like Almost Famous, for me. It didn’t feel like I was reading anything new, it almost felt like him trying to convince me everything in the movie did happen to him. And then the focus on the musical, and his mom. I almost wish the whole book was framed around his relationship with his mom since she factored in so heavily at the beginning and end and the middle was just kind of lost. Focusing it on his mom would have also made it feel new and interesting, instead of just more Almost Famous stuff. I did think it was weird that he touched a bit on his movies, but not Singles (I think that was only mentioned in his bio at the end?!) although I guess the argument is that Fast Times is also somewhat about that time in his life, so it belongs there. All this to say… it was ok, but I want a book about his Seattle time and Singles.
Say Everything by Ione Skye. This one felt a bit too surface level for me. Everything I learned that felt personal or interesting was about the men Ione dated instead of her - or even the women she dated! I understand she could have been showing parts of herself (or the lack of herself) by how she acted around them, but overall I came away feeling like I still didn’t know Ione Skye. She touched on her artistry with her painting and murals, but even much of that was framed around Adam Horovitz's studio, so it was a “meh” read overall for me.
The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan. I still love the second book best of those I’ve read, but this one definitely kept the story going. I feel like a lot of series have a laggy book that you wish you could ignore but so far (knock on wood) this series is going strong for me. I love that so many previously mentioned characters are coming back, and (as an adult reading this) I think whatever is going on with Percy's mom is a nice background storyline.
Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah. Read this for June’s Cozy Mystery Book Club so I’ll write a longer review after that. But I really enjoyed this one overall, as evidenced by me already starting the second!
Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah. I’m not really a Christmas person, so while I know many readers love holiday installments of their favorite mystery or romance series, those typically aren’t my cup of tea. However, this one was really fun, and I love Hannah’s magical elements at play in this series.
A Screaming Life by Kim Thayil. I love a good celebrity memoir, especially from rock stars because I’m fascinated by the art of making music. Thayil’s book is probably going to be one of my favorites. See my full review here.
Inside Fictional Minds by Stephanie Carty. My writing book of the month. I’ve read this before but apparently didn’t review it. It’s an amazing book; I see how it can apply to any writing, but it seems especially helpful for short stories and novels, when you have more room to get to know the characters. However, it’s still crucial to know your characters in flash. It’s also really interesting on a personal level, reading about characters and understanding how it applies to you and people you know as well…
The Lightning Thief by Robert Venditti. I’m hooked on the Percy Jackson series and thought the first book worked really well as a graphic novel.
The Sea of Monsters by Robert Venditti. I feel like I wouldn’t have been able to follow the story based on the graphic novel alone. I understand there needs to be some jumps because not every scene can be drawn, but I think if I hadn’t read the novel, I wouldn’t understand this one completely.
The Titan's Curse by Robert Venditti. This one didn’t work as a graphic novel for me. The art was cool but the story was just not there in my opinion. If I hadn’t read the book, I don’t think I would have understood what happened. Too much jumping around and, without narrative to fill in the gaps, I feel like I “missed” a lot that was in the novel itself. Murder at the Blueberry Festival by Darci Hannah. This series just keeps getting better. This was my favorite so far. I love that the mystery was light-hearted to some degree… and the end was really touching. It’s my favorite kind of cozy series because I feel like I’m getting to know the characters so well.
