Simone and Her Books

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  • February 2019 Wrap Up

    February 2019 Wrap Up

    I’m so glad February is over. It was an exciting month with a lot happening, but it wasn’t my best reading month. I read seven books.

    I always end up putting too much pressure on myself to read and when I don’t read “enough,” then it feels like I failed. Don’t you hate that feeling? Well, now it’s a new month and my goal is to read as much as I can. I hope that also means I’ll be able to post as much as I can too.

    Since my mid-month checkin left me with one book read, I’m going to share all the books I read here instead of culling back to the middle of the month and repeating myself. Here’s what I read in February:

    The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin

    I finally finished The Broken Earth trilogy. This was such a spectacular series which a strong female lead in our not-too-distant future. I cannot gush enough about this book. I honestly thought it was much better than the rest of the series with an ending that will make you cry. Definitely pick up this series if you ever want to get into science fiction.

    On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

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    The book that broke my slump. I want to personally thank Angie Thomas for helping me break away from the slump I was feeling all month and still feeling right now. On the Come Up was an amazing story about a young girl with dreams to be a rapper, but living in a place that requires a little bit more reality than dream. This book really made me think about the prejudices African Americans face everyday because of where they grew up, who their parents were, and how they represent themselves sometimes. Freedom of expression isn’t so free when people judge you for it.

    If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

    This book was my read for Words Between Worlds this month and it was an incredible read. It was one of those books I had to sit down and think about before I could come up with my full thoughts. At first, I didn’t like the book so much and I think it’s because I’ve inundated myself with a lot of similar stories this month. But as I think about it, my mood changed because the power of James Baldwin’s words started to deepen my thinking. It won’t hit you right away, but once you think on it then you’ll understand why this book was so powerful, moving, and tragic.

    Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

    I received this book for a giveaway next month, but I also saw the movie over Galentine’s Day. It’s always fun to watch a movie before you read the book, but in this case the book and the movie were so synonmyous with each other that I highly doubt you’ll end up liking one over the other. I’ll mention this in my review later this month, but I thought the book was verbatim the movie. Even some of the lines were the exact ones the actors said while I was watching. I think the only thing a book can provide that you don’t really see in acting is the internal dialogue. If anything, watch the movie and then read the book to hear what Will and Stella were thinking through some of the moments that happened. I’ll get into more of the themes and bigger storylines in my review.

    My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

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    I read this one hoping that it would be a quick and fun read. This was definitely both of these things. The story is about a young girl named Winnie who knew exactly who her husband would be because a prophet said she would marry a man who buys her a silver bracelet and who’s name starts with the letter R. I think when I was a kid, I did so many different things to find out who my soulmate was. I cast spells and tried fortune tellers. I wanted to know and that’s what drew me to this book. What happens when you know and you’re a little disappointed? What happens when you know and there’s another prospect who could be them too? It’s a definite throwback to my high school days when love was all I wanted and finding my true love was on the top of my list.

    The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

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    You all know how I felt about The Underground Railroad. I loved this book so much and I loved Colson Whitehead’s writing that I’m going to try and sneak The Nickel Boys (Colson Whitehead’s newest novel out this June) in this month. I know I need a little break from the historical fiction, but I can’t help but fangirl for Colson Whitehead.

    Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

    I won’t go into my review of this book because I’ve already read it. I’m deep in a reread of this trilogy to prep for my big read of King of Scars. Now that I’ve said that, I should get back to reading!

    Comic Books

    I also read some comic books this month because I wasn’t in the mood to read books without words. Here’s some of the comics I read (which I strongly recommend because they were excellent):

    Paper Girls Vol 5 by Brian K Vaughan

    I wanted to read Volume 5 of Paper Girls in January, but my library’s put such a short limit on digital books that I was literally barred from reading it until February. Naturally, it was the first thing I read when the month began because I was so desperate to find out what happened to the girls in this trippy science fiction story. Time travel and girls who run your neighborhood’s paper route means a ton of action and adventure.

    Saga Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan

    Saga was probably the most twisted piece of writing I’ve ever read in science fiction. This beats Dune, which is one of my favorite sci-fi novels of all time. People with TVs for heads, a young couple from opposite sides of a war falling in love and having a kid, and a baby with a mysterious past you’ll be finding out while you read Saga. It’s an incredible story and I do plan on reading the rest of this series eventually.

    The Umbrella Academy Vol 1 by Gerard Way

    I read The Umbrella Academy mostly because I saw the new Netflix show was out and I wanted to check it out. Of course I’m going to read the graphic novel it’s based on before I go watch the show. While the graphic novel was a bust, I will say the show is super dynamic with a lot of action and character development. I might not read Volume 2, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for Season 2.

    Alright, here’s to looking towards the future for a bright and happy March!

    Simone

  • My Thoughts On The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

    My Thoughts On The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

    I didn’t think I would like this book at first. Books with a lot of hype, a lot of readership, and a few awards scare me. What if I read it and I don’t like it? What if it’s all my writing pet peeves? I’ve disliked a lot of Pulitzer Prize winning novels over the years and tend to stay clear of them. But, my online book club picked The Underground Railroad for our monthly book and so I read it. I absolutely loved it.

    The back of the book describes this story as a Gulliver’s Travels type, but instead of some dude traipsing through a fantasy it’s a slave woman trying to find herself freedom during the height of slavery in America.

    Cora, our main character, is the focus of this story. It starts with her decision to run away with her friend, Caesar. You get a small glimpse of the life she lived before that question arose. She was a slave on a massive cotton plantation exposed to whippings, sexual assault, abandonment, and fear. There wasn’t anything remarkable about her. She was actually considered an outcast for having a mother who successfully ran away and abandoned her there. While it was hell, she thought life on the plantation was good. That is, until her master died and someone else took up the helm. This was when she decided to leave.

    Ceasar and Cora escape to the Underground Railroad, which in this book is an actual train going underground. I seriously was imagining it as a metaphor and not an actual train, but when they got into the small boxcar it only seemed logical to have an underground train. I was so happy for Cora to get out of the Randall plantation and seek out her freedom, but this book made me really realize that the journey to freedom was never easy.

    At each stop Cora made, she found herself in some deeper level of Hell. Each place she visited while did take her further and further from her plantation was just wrought with some terrible thing for Black people. Cora would feel safe for a small amount of time until something disrupts her peace and sends her running again.

    On top of every stop she made, there was a slave-catcher hunting her down. Not only was she landing in these cities that eventually crumble her hopes of freedom, but she also has to run from a man trying to take her back to Georgia. I loved her ability to survive through all of this and still hope to gain her freedom, but I can’t imagine the emotional, physical, and mental burden she takes on as she loses friends on her trip.

    As for Colson Whitehead’s writing style, I actually loved it. I was afraid it would be overwrought or dry, but he wrote with brilliance including actual advertisements for runaway slaves. Those little snippets really pulled the story together and made it much more real to me. This was such a great book and I loved it.

  • Writer’s Block – February 20, 2019

    Writer’s Block – February 20, 2019

    I’m a tad bit blocked recently and in more ways than one. Not only am I stuck with what to read next or enjoying my reads, but I’m also stuck creatively with my writing. So, I’ve decided to write about it. There’s nothing better than writing about your issues than thinking about them.

    Perhaps these writer’s block moments will be a nice life update instead. It might be a little bit boring, or it might be fun. I don’t know, but hopefully it’ll help break this writing spell I’m under. Let’s see what’s been happening with my life.

    It’s been pretty cold in LA

    I moved to LA because I wanted to get away from the cold and desolation of New York. I’m not an entertainer or someone who wants to get famous, so my life in this city is a little less stressful than those who are trying to make it. The last time I visited here during the winter it was 90 degrees and super sunny. I was expecting this when moving here, but the weather has been…different. In fact, it’s been more rainy than it has been in New York. While the temperature isn’t as frigid, it feels that way when you’re not prepared for winter. We still have our puffy coats, gloves, hats, and mittens, but I’ve refused to take them out. This is not the city of puffy coats, but it doesn’t feel like the city I was expecting. I can’t wait until the Spring when hopefully it’ll be warmer.

    I’m going to San Diego next month

    I’m really excite about this. Bucky and I were discussing how we’ve been getting the travel itch lately. We went out with some friends to a local Irish pub to listen to music and while we were there, we talked about traveling. I know I never look excited about traveling, but I am. I just don’t chirp for joy and only think about logistics; hotel, airplanes, car rental, what to do, what to eat, what to see, etc. Having plans to visit San Diego really help with the travel itch. It’s only three hours away from us, plus we have friends out there. Bucky’s best friends will be coming out to SD too, so it’ll be a big fun affair. Have you ever gone traveling with another group of people? I’ve never done it. I usually travel alone or with one other person. It’ll be fun to see all the same faces, but in a different city.

    I’ve rearranged my desk to include my TBR

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    Recently I moved all the plants off my desk to a brighter spot in the house. They weren’t looking so great and I just love having books from my TBR sitting on my desk. It gives it a sense of dimension; if the dimension was some universe where books rule my life. Oh wait.

    But now that I have books on my desk, it feels fuller. I would love to get a little shelf right above the books on the right. It’ll have more books on it, but maybe even some trinkets that didn’t make the desk. That’s right, having this many books on your desk means less cute stuff.

    I’m starting a new workout regime tomorrow

    I’m a little nervous today because I’m going to the gym tomorrow for the first time in over nine months. When I first made working out a priority, I felt super great. But with the move and finding a gym, it’s been tough. Tomorrow I’m starting weight training, which isn’t easy but it’s also easier than many other workout regimes. Bucky thinks it’ll be good because I’m a lazy person who wants to eat anything I want and believes this will be the best workout for me. It’s an hour in the gym lifting weights and then back home to sit down and let the soreness subside. And somehow it lets you stay fit for the rest of your life. Who knew!

    I randomly want February to end

    I think I’ve been a bit beat up this month. Reading was a bust. Writing was terrible, so I’m ready for February to end and for March to begin. Only 28 more days.

    How’s your February going?

     

  • My Thoughts: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

    My Thoughts: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

    Let me tell you how I’m not happy about breaking my TBR to fit this book in, but I will say that I’m happy I read it. I loved Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, and I knew I would love On the Come Up.

    If you’re looking to find The Hate U Give Part 2, you’re looking in the wrong place. Different family, but same world. Bri is a young teenager looking to make a name for herself as a rapper. Her father was a rapper because he was murdered by a rival gang. Her mother was devastated by his death and turned to drugs for a little while. Her family isn’t doing well to keep the lights on. As you can tell, there’s a lot of stuff happening in Bri’s life and she feels the need to help in some way. So she tries to make her rapping dreams come true.

    First off, let me talk about Angie Thomas’s writing style. This book reads like a teenager wrote it. Not to say that it’s full of slang that you can’t tell what’s going on, but it’s enough to make it relatable to many young people today. On top of that, it really brings the story together. The neighborhood Bri is from, the people in her life, these tiny mannerisms like they way they talk or carry themselves really brings these characters to life. I can picture what was going on very well and I could feel how Bri felt in all of her circumstances.

    Which made it easy for me to see the slight “micro aggressions” Bri deals with everyday. Bri lives in a world where she’s constantly underestimated. The first big incident in this book is watching Bri get thrown to the ground with a knee in her back. The security team at her school stops her “randomly” and she refused.

    I loved her mom. Jay sacrificed a lot so that Bri and her brother, Trey, had a good education and didn’t have to worry about money. She was also eight years sober from drug addiction, which says a lot about her mindset and how she wants to be there for her kids. She really was an amazing person and I wish she knew it. You can sense Bri gets a little tired by her mom, but she never says it and she never loses her patience. I think that also says a lot about her given that she flies off the handle quickly and gets angry.

    When Bri records her first rap song, I was so happy for her. I don’t know much about rap music, but I can imagine it being a great song with lyrics that really speak to the world Bri lives. The song alone is a huge metaphor for the rest of the book. I kept thinking to myself about how the world expects Bri to be this hardened criminal when she wasn’t and putting herself in danger to perpetuate that persona to the world. It’s so sad.

    I felt like the big theme of this novel was prejudice. There’s prejudice towards rap music. There’s prejudice towards African Americans living in a certain area. There’s prejudice about gangs and gang affiliation. I feel like Angie Thomas covered a lot of ground in this book and she did it in a way that really made sense.

    I can relate a lot to the prejudice Bri faces. While I don’t consider my life and hers a reflection of each other, I face prejudice a lot. People asking me how I learned how to speak English so well. People asking me when I moved to America. No one wants to believe that I grew up here, that I learned English the same way they learned English. They want to believe that I’m an immigrant and learned English by watching American TV.

    The funny part about the prejudices in this book is that they were coming from everyone. Not only did certain white characters think Bri was a “hoodlum” or “ratchet,” but certain Black characters wanted her to feed into that rumor for the sake of making money.

    Playing with gangs and affiliating yourself with them are no joke, but it feels like it’s the persona people want to see from Bri. Because she’s a rapper from a father who quasi-associated with some neighborhood gangs, the only logical solution for her is to do the same? From what we’ve learned about Bri, it doesn’t make sense. She’s a good kid trying to make her dream come true and faced with the gangster rapper persona. It’s disheartening and Bri saw right through that.

    And throughout the novel, you get the sense that Bri is just your average teenager. She has a crush on a guy. She’s studying for the ACT. She loves Star Wars, Black Panther, and eating junk food with her friends. She doesn’t have a stable home life and she wants to help change that, but her mom wants her to have a good education and graduate from high school.

    The ending was definitely a happy one for everyone and I’m glad of it. It all comes together pretty seamlessly and makes sense with the story. I would have hated if somehow Bri sold herself out for some money or got hurt or in trouble. I would have hated if she got everything she wanted within a short period of time. I loved that it ended the way it did. You can’t stop her on the come up, nope nope!

    Find On the Come Up on Amazon.

    Find my review on Goodreads.

  • February 2019’s Mid-Month Checkin

    February 2019’s Mid-Month Checkin

    I hate to admit it, but February hasn’t been kind to me. We’re now in the middle of the month and my reading hasn’t been going so well. I’ve read…one book.

    In some small way, I’m angry. I’m angry at myself for not focusing and reading as much as I can. I’m angry that I’ve put down two books this month and struggling to get through another book right now. What is with me?

    As a book blogger, there aren’t many breaks you can take. You take a break from blogging and it’s like you didn’t even exist. You take a break from reading and the books just keep piling up on your nightstand before it all tumbles down. So taking a break feels a little cumbersome.

    As a reader, this frustrates me. I want to read. I sit down with my tea and snacks and my book and I make a concerted effort to read, but I end up on my phone. I end up talking to my husband. I end up playing video games and the book goes another day without a page being turned.

    I know I should be kind to myself, but if I’m being honest I haven’t been in a good space mentally for a month now. I’ve been stressed from finding a job and it’s put me off from reading books. I’m not a control person, but I do try to keep myself together. I feel like someone who put buttercream too soon after the cakes came out the oven. I’m melting in a way and just trying to push myself together and it’s not working.

    So right now my slump is looking pretty disastrous and I wanted to be honest about that here. Things aren’t going as planned and my brain just needs the rest. I’ll be back next week, I think.

    What have you read this month so far?

  • Three Love Stories for Valentine’s Day

    Three Love Stories for Valentine’s Day

    I’m not a big Valentine’s Day person. I’ll usually buy myself candy and watch some romantic movies at home, but my husband and I aren’t fans of the big day. We don’t go out and do something. We don’t celebrate our love since we do that on the regular. So Valentine’s Day is a day for me to chill out and read some love stories.

    While I’m an occasional reader of romance, I’m a sucker for a love story. It doesn’t need to have a happy ending. It doesn’t even need to have the love story be the central part of the book. I love love stories because it combines love and real life. For that, I’m grateful to be reading these three stories this month in appreciation of the biggest day for love; Valentine’s Day.

    I know there are a ton of love stories out there and I could have gone with, but these were on my immediate TBR and I can’t not read them now!

    If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

    If you want both a book celebrating Black History month and a love story, then you might be interested in If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. This is the story of young love caught in the middle of injustice. Tish and Fonny love each other and Tish is about to give birth to Fonny’s child. While the couple wants their child to get the best, Fonny is arrested and imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Mind you, this is also a time period where there was a lot of racial injustice. Funny how this book was written 1974 and the same issues are applicable to today. SMH. You can already imagine the kind of heartbreak this story will give you from the beginning to its ending. I’ve included the trailer for the movie in case you wanted to know more about it:

    My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

    I’m currently on an Instagram tour with My So-Called Bollywood Life, but it was one of my most anticipated releases for 2019. I’m a huge sucker for books of representation. I will forever be promoting these books because people need books that have them as their main character. It’s about a young girl named Winnie who is destined (by the stars) to marry her boyfriend, Raj. But when she finds him cheating on her, how can she go against destiny? Then she meets the nerdy Dev who loves Bollywood movies as much as she does and he encourages her to find someone that isn’t written in the stars and written for her. I think this is going to be a fun one, for sure.

    Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

    My friend, @readwithkat, is reading this one this month for her online book club. Funnily enough, I also went to see an early screening of the movie and listened to an entire audience cry throughout the movie. It was one emotional rollercoaster so I know this book will be the same.

    The story is about a young couple, Will and Stella, who both suffer from the same incurable disease; cystic fibrosis. Just like any YA novel, their personalities set them apart despite suffering from the same disease. They’re required to stay “five feet apart” from each other to avoid infection. How sad is that! Kat chose this book because she herself suffers from CF and she wanted to share this story with her followers. I was more than happy to read this one especially since it’s in support of a friend. Also, this book cover is exquisite with a pair of lungs shaped into floral vines. You can also watch the trailer for the movie below:

    What kinds of love stories will you be reading on Valentine’s Day?

  • When You Have An Unpopular Opinion

    When You Have An Unpopular Opinion

    So you just finished that widely-loved novel and…you hate it. Well, not hate it but you just don’t get why everyone else loves it.

    No, it’s not even that.

    Every time I finish a book and my opinion is different than everyone else, I feel like a salmon going upstream while everyone is going downstream. It’s like you force your brain to like it even though your brain is telling you no. And now, you need to face the public. You have to tell people what you think. It might be at your book club meeting. It might be your review for Goodreads, but somehow you’re going to have to go against the grain even though you wish for otherwise.

    What do you do? Do you admit to not liking this book? Do you cover it up? How do you manage an unpopular opinion?

    Unpopular opinions have one big word in it; opinion. When it comes to an opinion, immediately your first thought should be that what you believe and what you think is entirely yours. Dogs you like, political statements, food preferences, beer choices, everything you’ve ever enjoyed and liked and didn’t like in this world all boil down to this:

    And opinions are important. We live our world around our preferences and what we think. Our opinions shape who we are and what we believe in. However, it isn’t the truth. It’s your truth and it can possibly be the truth for someone else.

    So what do you do now? How do you express your unpopular opinion?

    Well, the first thing I can tell you is don’t lie. Don’t say you liked a book when you didn’t because the chances there will be someone else who picked up on the things you didn’t like and can relate to your review. Don’t say you hated a book because everyone else did. If you like a book that everyone thinks is bad, there might be something there that everyone is missing.

    Secondly, when it comes to books regardless if you liked it or not, it’s me and not you. Don’t fault the book for being bad for you. Don’t hate yourself for loving what other people consider bad. Can you see if the book will be good for other people? Did the book open your eyes? Do you know if others will enjoy it despite your unpopular opinion? Are there any merits in the book that you can agree were good?

    Finally, encouragement. Encourage others to read it and being honest will help them to be honest too. Encourage this opportunity to talk about the points in the book. Dissenting arguments aren’t the end-all of a book opinion. It could foster some amazing conversation with others (in a respectful manner) and it could also change your mind about the book. However, the end game with encouragement is to share your thoughts and have some pretty decent conversations.

    In the end, unpopular opinions don’t mean that the book is terrible or amazing. It just means it didn’t work for you. You can be honest and share your thoughts without the feeling that you’re about to have stones thrown at you. And if there is a stone cast, well, we all know what happens next.

  • Reading Nonfiction: Heavy by Kiese Laymon

    Reading Nonfiction: Heavy by Kiese Laymon

    In an effort to make myself more accountable this year, I’m going to be sharing some reviews and stories to my blog. This includes a category dedicated to nonfiction. As I might have written in the past, nonfiction is just one of those things that slips below my radar every year. I make an effort to plan out nonfiction reads, but I always pass it over for something else.

    My first blog post for this new series will be for a book I read last month. Do you recall me reading Heavy by Kiese Laymon? Well, I wrote a review for it on Goodreads and I’m here to share it with you now. Mind you, this is my first time reviewing nonfiction, so I wasn’t fully sure what to include. I’ll probably improve upon this in the future.

    By the first page, I already loved this book for its honesty. The first page was a warning at sorts; that you’re not going to get the uplifting heartfelt attempt at overcoming the throes of reality. Instead you get the very real and very “heavy” life Kiese Laymon lives.

    The book is written like an open letter to his mother, a letter I know I would never write to my own mother. If I took the time to write out all the feelings and thoughts I had throughout the time she raised me, it would be pretty savage. Kiese Laymon writes with the eloquence and love he had for his mother expertly.

    His writing style is beautiful. I wouldn’t say poetic because I’m not a fan of lyrical writing, but it does have a rhythm to it. It’s easy to read and easily digestible. I honestly would love to read more of his work in the future because he’s such a prolific writer.

    I loved his usage of the word “heavy.” It’s describing his world and how the weight of his world sits squarely on his shoulders; the metaphorical Atlas. However, it also discusses his issues with his weight which bounced from over 300 pounds and then down to 159 pounds and everywhere in between. The book felt like a cycle of hatred towards yourself, your race, your class, and even your gender. However, it’s the reality of his life that he wanted to share with us. In that respect, this book actually feels uplifting.

    Because everything he came across, he tried to handle the best way he can. Perhaps it wasn’t ideal every single time, but you get the sense that he’s trying. I would imagine a world like his would lead to some more self-destructive things, but you don’t see him down a bunch of pills or even do a lot of drugs and drinking. That doesn’t mean he didn’t do anything self-destructive. There was a lot of that, but in a different form. I think for him, it was his obsession with food, his writing and his work, and a little in the relationships he keeps.

    Funnily, I kind of felt what he felt growing up. His mother was very adamant about his education; being a better Black person and even going above and beyond the bar for white people. In this way, I felt that kind of pressure to be the best. It makes me think back to that discussion my mom had with me about my school performance. “You have to work harder than everyone else, Simone,” she said to me. I thought she was just talking about my grades, but sometimes I wonder if she was talking about her struggle to fit into a predominantly white society.

    And I think many POC can understand that and will draw them to this book because of that. My parents standards for me were ridiculously high and there were points where I couldn’t manage it. I was the one that was supposed to be a doctor or a lawyer. I was the one to be successful and send money back to my parents every month. I was the one to excel beyond the stereotypes people have put on my race. As a kid, this kind of pressure is debilitating. Most can handle it, but there’s the few that can’t.

    Kiese and I come from two very different worlds, so I won’t be comparing myself anymore to him. Being an immigrant’s kid is different than being an African American’s kid and our lives were very different. But that sentiment is still the same; that we need to keep pushing ourselves and constantly proving we’re just the same as everyone else.

    While his experience growing up as an impoverished Black kid in Jackson, MS might be specific to him and the people around him, the sentiments of this book can resonate with others. I feel like that’s the connection here and that’s what brings us closer together as humans. Leveling the playing field and sharing a real story that isn’t spreading stereotypes about African American families brings a sense of reality to everyone’s world.

    I received a copy of this book from Scribner for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

  • All My Thoughts on The Broken Earth Series

    All My Thoughts on The Broken Earth Series

    When I first started this series, I thought this was going to be a Dune-style story of a future where the world is covered in sand, people are trying to live and not doing a good job at it, and the politics is a little funky. What I got was nothing close to that and I’m grateful for it.

    NK Jemisin decided to write The Broken Earth trilogy after thinking about the future of our world. What would happen if we continue to move the way we have? Well, that answer is a terrifying one where the Earth takes out its revenge on its surface and all the living creatures on it.

    We open the first book, The Fifth Season, with Essun finding her son’s been murdered by her husband. She also finds that her daughter has been taken by him and now she’s on a mission to find her. However, Essun isn’t her first name. As you continue to read the story, you find out more about Essun. It feels like the entire first book is dedicated to Essun’s story and it’s not a short one.

    As a personal story, I absolutely loved the first book. It really gets into the world you’re about to dive into and shares the story of its main character. I thought this was genius; you learn about the world (albeit with a ton of questions) and you learn about the main character’s life. Essun’s real name is Damaya, which she abandoned when she was taken from her home and turned into an Orogene solider. Then her name was Syenite and she was a bad ass with her Orogenic powers.

    While not a lot of questions about the powers is answered in this book, you get a sense that Essun is important. She’s not just important because she’s looking for her daughter, but she’s got incredible power. In this world, there are some gifted humans called Orogenes that can kill thousands of people with a blink of an eye and cause a cataclysmic fissure in the earth just by thinking it. In this world, they’re dangerous people because orogene is difficult to manage. If you’re not careful, an orogene kid with a temper tantrum can take out the whole town.

    This is kind of the extent of what you get in the first novel. I was still a little upset that I had no clue how the Earth came to this reality and what an orogene was and how they got their powers.

    The second novel, The Obelisk Gate, felt more like the world building that I was looking for, but at the same time a little stale. Honestly, it felt like the second novel was a lead up to the third novel. But the parts that were important to the story were really important to the story. For example, we get to hear more from Nassun (Essun’s daughter). She meets an old friend of her mother’s when her father finally settles on a community that promises to dispel orogenic powers from people. LOL, what a joke.

    At this point in the book, I’m more intrigued by Nassun’s story than by Essun’s. Essun is just sitting in some underground community waiting to see her mentor and lover, finding out more about the stone eaters (another human form with extraordinary powers), and planning a battle with another community. Ok, she’s doing more than that, but it felt a little dry.

    Nassun’s story and meeting Schaffa is so much more intriguing. You find out about Schaffa in the first novel and immediately you think he’s the bad guy. But then he kind of warms to you even though the entire time I was waiting for the knife behind his back to make an appearance. But despite Nassun’s story being interesting and more of the world being revealed, I wasn’t as thrilled to read The Obelisk Gate as I was for The Fifth Season. 

    The third novel, The Stone Sky, was the best out of all three. There’s a few different reasons for that. First, there’s the story of Essun finally finding Nassun (her daughter) and reuniting. While the circumstances aren’t in their favor and a whole lot of stuff goes down, they do find each other so that’s a fun treat. Then, you learn about Nassun and her abilities. Oh, she’s got abilities and it’s way more than what Essun has. Finally, you learn way more about Hoa and the other stone eaters. In this whole book, I thought it was humans vs. humans, but the real story is humans vs. the earth.

    That’s right, Father Earth (in this book) is the actual villain in this series. Once you find out more about the origins of the stone eaters and orogenic people, then you realize that what’s happening is that the Earth is a little mad about what has happened to it. This is where NK Jemisin’s original question gets answered. What would happen to the Earth if we keep going the way we have? Self-destruction.

    This was quite a series and will definitely keep you thinking more deeply about how we treat the Earth, how we treat each other, and the possible consequences if we keep going the way we do. When you think about all the efforts we make that seem small like recycling or not using plastic straws, think about an Earth that won’t hesitate and wipe out every living thing like an ongoing deadly plague except the locusts are bugs with boiling blood that burst and burn you.

  • My Most Anticipated Reads Publishing in February 2019

    My Most Anticipated Reads Publishing in February 2019

    I’m bringing this back because I love displaying for you all the books I’m excited about publishing. I’m going to take it different this time. Instead of copy and pasting all the syopsis, I’m going to share why I want these books. I think that’ll be fun (and more work, but I’m trying to break my habit of being super lazy).

    Here’s what’s been published and what’s publishing this month that I need to get my hands on:

    On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

    • Publishing Date: February 5, 2019
    • Publisher: Balzer and Bray
    • Genre: Contemporary YA/Diverse YA

    The MOST anticipated novel from Angie Thomas after her crazy success with The Hate U Give. Reading the synopsis, this sounds like it’s going to be much different from The Hate U Give, which I’m totally fine with. I love books that have a big social message and share the concerns many girls Starr’s age dealt with, but I also love good representation. I just ordered this one on Amazon, so I’m now doggedly waiting for them to arrive.

    I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella

    • Publishing Date: February 5, 2019
    • Publisher: Random House
    • Genre: Contemporary Romance

    The last time I read a book by Sophie Kinsella was back when I was in college and reading the Shopaholic series. Let me tell you how refreshing it is to read a contemporary romance when you’re stuck taking endless philosophy classes. But that was the end of my reading dance with Sophie Kinsella. Suddenly, I find my dance card filled again and I can’t wait to read this one. I might add this to my March TBR because all these heavy reads are aching for something lighter.

    The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

    • Publishing Date: February 26, 2019
    • Publisher: Bloomsbury
    • Genre: Adult Fantasy

    Let me tell you right here, right now that I have already preordered this book. All this book needed to say was “dragons.” I feel like I’ve been promised dragons so many times with fantasy and I have yet to receive my dragons. Let this be the book. I fell in love with Samantha Shannon’s first series, The Bone Season. I think it might be my first fantasy series outside of Twilight, which makes it doubly special for me. I was a little disappointed when that series didn’t take off as I thought it would. However, Samantha Shannon is back and I can’t wait to read this one. While I would have loved to receive a copy of this book, I’m afraid I’ll be spending my hard-earned money on it. That’s okay with me! Take all my money, Samantha. Take it ALL.

    Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

    • Publishing Date: February 5, 2019
    • Publisher: Riverhead Books
    • Genre: Adult Fantasy

    I finally finished reading Black Leopard, Red Wolf, but sadly my opinions of this book are a little unpopular. Don’t get me wrong, I thought this book was incredible and the story was one of those ones where I couldn’t get enough. But I honestly don’t like the way Marlon James writes. It really pains me to review a book because of something as technical as its writing style. But I think writing style is super important when it comes to a good book. For Marlon James, it felt like he didn’t know when to stop writing. I think that was evident in the 600 pages of writing that could have honestly stopped around 450-500 pages. I would strongly encourage people to read this one if they don’t mind the writing style. If you can get through it, you’ll be a lucky recipient of an amazing fantasy novel.

    The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

    • Publishing Date: February 12, 2019
    • Publisher: Flatiron Books
    • Genre: Historical Fiction/Magical Realism

    This book has already been making the rounds in the community and it has one more week before it’s out! And I’m not talking about people just promoting the book, but actually reading it and blown away by how good it is. You have to give props to a story that’s able to generate buzz before it’s fully published. I’ve had a copy of this sitting on my desk and I didn’t take the opportunity to read it (but that’s also because I’m like eight years behind on my TBR). I’m ecstatic about this book because it’s a blend of fantasy and reality. I have this feeling it’s going to carry the vibe as a story like In the Mood for Love. I’m also totally into stories using old myths and legends and making them come to life.

    The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

    • Publishing Date: February 19, 2019
    • Publisher: Berkley
    • Genre: Contemporary Fiction

    To be honest, I don’t know much about this book, but when a synopsis says it’s a combo of An American Marriage and The Mothers, then I’m sold. I also love strong family stories and this one follows a family of sisters. When the oldest gets arrested for mysterious reasons, the family needs to prepare themselves for the fight of their life. I think I’m going to absolutely love this one.

    The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

    • Publishing Date: February 12, 2019
    • Publisher: Tor Books
    • Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

    I’ve heard of Charlie Jane Anders for a few years now and for some reason I never took the time to read All the Birds in the Sky. Now, she’s about to publish their second novel and I’m super excited about this one more than her first. Set on a different planet with its own set of rules and regulations to live by, it reminds me a lot of an episode of Star Trek. Unlike an episode of Star Trek, this one gets dark and there’s no one to help them out. I can’t wait to get lost in this new epic science fiction novel! I hope it’s just as good as Dune. Please be just as good as Dune!

    Enchantee by Gita Trelease

    • Publishing Date: February 5, 2019
    • Publisher: Flatiron Books
    • Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

    I will admit, I was interested in this book because the name and the French flag all over the front. But now that I’m looking at the premise, I can definitely see myself reading and really enjoying this book. It’s got magic and Versaille and a girl who has to do what she needs to survive. I can’t resist a good story like this.

    Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

    • Publishing Date: February 12, 2019
    • Publisher: Knopf
    • Genre: Contemporary/Literary Fiction

    I think this book is going to be a good one and for a few reasons. First, it’s the story of a young family making their way across America in a beat up Volvo. It also talks about the children who were detained and imrpsioned at the US/Mexico border. And the final piece is the documentation and text it’ll supply sharing the stories of migration and displacement. I might be reading this one with my book club later this year, but I might also sneak this onto my TBR next month.

    More Than Words by Jill Santopolo

    • Publishing Date: February 5, 2019
    • Publisher: GP Putnam and Son’s
    • Genre: Contemporary Fiction

    While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jill Santopolo’s first book, The Light We Lost, I did come away with that book as a fan of her writing. More Than Words is her second adult novel and I couldn’t be more excited. While she’s mainly a children’s book author, I love authors who branch off and write something for someone a little older. It begins with the loss of her father and how that pain kind of moves towards everything else in her life. It’s categorized as a romance, but knowing what happened at the The Light We Lost, I’m thinking this is going to be another love story without a happily ever after.

    Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

    • Publishing Date: February 19, 2019
    • Publisher: Riverhead Books
    • Genre: Historical Fiction

    Similarly to The Night Tiger, I’m looking to read more Asian authors that don’t specifically come from Korea. I love Korean and Korean American stories, but I also feel like they’re dominating the diverse publishing world right now. This sounds like several different stories happening at once all during post-WW2 Thailand. Not only are the stories from various people, but from various parts of the country and the world. I honestly know nothing about Thailand or Bangkok, but I have been there. I know that the country is vibrant and rich with culture and when I went there, it was one of my favorite places to be. I can’t wait to dive into this one especially since it’s not another Korean story.

    What books are you excited about this month? Any of these on your radar?