July BOTM Review - Love That Boy - Ron Fournier

Review by Coll
4 Stars

So because I don’t already have enough books to read, I joined the Book of the Month Club (I blame Tiina). Quick rundown on how it works: each month there are five judges who each pick a new book and you choose one to be sent to you. There is later a discussion you can join with others who have chosen the same book, where you can talk about your thoughts and opinions on it. Very cool and affordable, so I figured why not. Each month we plan on posting a feature review on the book I chose for that particular month. So without further ado, onto my review for my July Book of the Month, Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught Me About a Parent's Expectations by Ron Fournier.

Not going to lie, this is not a book I would have sought out on my own. I wanted to choose it, however, (not only because I already read my top book choice on the panel) but because I thought this was a good opportunity to step outside my comfort zone. Love That Boy is about a father who takes his son, Tyler, on a series of road trips to meet presidents and visit presidential libraries as a bonding and learning experience. The learning experience aspect was more for the father than the son though, because it was an attempt to learn more about coping with Tyler’s recently diagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome (also known as high-functioning Autism). Fournier previously worked as a journalist who traveled with several presidents, so he was lucky enough to have the capability to plan such trips. He wanted to do something that he knew his son would be responsive to (he loves history and presidents) to show that he not only cared about his son’s interests, but that he wanted to make him happy and learn from him.

Now this sounds, from the title, that it would be a book targeted towards parents, but it is actually good for those without children too. I do not have kids, nor do I want any, yet the book still affected me. Fournier opens the book by discussing many of the unrealistic expectations and pressures that parents put on children and the hopes each mother and/or father has that their child will be “perfect”. He is not saying every parent does this, but many do, and it is was he did with each of his children. As Tyler started to grow, they noticed something was different about him. He was incredibly smart and perceptive but also not good in social situations, he could not gauge other people’s emotions and seemed to speak out and say the wrong things at the very wrong times (all signs of Asperger’s). By the time he was diagnosed as having the syndrome he was eleven years old, and his parents realized they needed to start understanding him and his expectations instead of focusing on their own.

Love That Boy is incredibly well-written and very informative. It gives a concise explanation of what Asperger’s is and what it is like for both those suffering from it and their loved ones. The book also includes background and statistics on children’s education and mental health trends, and information on schooling systems in general. On a personal level for Fournier, the book details his journey to understand his son and accept him for who he is. It is very clinical and explanatory but I just found myself wishing for more detailed accounts from the father/son experiences as they did each of their road trips. What was included about their meetings with certain presidents though was very interesting and entertaining, and I found those moments to be some of my favorite parts and would have enjoyed more.  

What this book did most for me was it made me really think about my childhood and my parents, and wonder for the first time what their expectations of me were. It also made me realize that I was fortunate enough to have parents who did not force me or my sister to play sports against our will, or dance if we didn’t want to, or decide what colleges they wanted us to attend or what careers they wanted us to pursue. I remember my parents encouraged me to try new things, but did not push me too hard if I was unwilling, and listened to what MY interests and desires were and encouraged me to follow my own heart and mind. This book left me wanting to hug my parents and thank them, and also curious as to what they had hoped for me when I was young (maybe one day I will even ask about that). So I thank Ron Fournier for opening my eyes to this.

Overall I really enjoyed Love That Boy a lot and I am so happy I chose it. It was a fast and informative read and also quite emotional. Fournier does many things in this book. Not only does he educate the reader on Asperger’s but he also sparks thought on our education system, core curriculum, parent and child expectations, empathy, and that quite often it is the parents who end up learning from their children. 

If you want to check out the Book of the Month website and see if you are interested in it just visit their website: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/

How Not To Fall

four stars!

*I received this book via Netgalley for my honest review*

How Not To Fall by Emily Foster is a new adult romance that I at one point in personal correspondence called “a better 50 Shades of Grey but with less various beads and caning”. I still stand by that description. It is a great consensual romance story of two intelligent people - Charles and Annabelle - exploring their wants and needs. The most refreshing thing about this novel was how everything was discussed and talked through. There was never any issue of consent or lack of it. One side did not dominate over the other, and if they attempted to, they were called out on it. For instance, Charles is Annabelle’s postdoctoral fellow in the lab, and they both confess to mutual attraction, but decide to wait to act on their feelings until Annabelle graduates. It’s not often that the dominating side makes absolutely sure there can be no repercussions to either of them.

I think the main thing I loved about this book is how smart it was. First of all, it featured two academics, who may have been naïve in some things, but they never came off as dim or silly. In addition to that, the main male character was a feminist. It is slightly sad that this declaration made me so happy and was so unusual for a romance book, but I’m glad the author touched upon this subject. As the female protagonist says, “You see why I like this guy? He says it like it’s just understood that any reasonable person would identify as a feminist”. Exactly! I've read some other romances in the academic setting and this one was one of the more believable ones. The protagonists were serious about their education and the university wasn't treated as a mere backdrop or a setting.

I don’t think the book really had any big faults. I mean it didn’t fully resonate with me, but I think it may have been more about me feeling slightly slumpy than the novel. I even understand dragging out the story into a duology in this case, as it would be extremely illogical and unlikely that the tortured hero (not a spoiler, it's definitely implied right away) would find resolve in just 300 pages. Hence a slight cliffhanger warning here, but I think it was done incredibly well. Again I have to reiterate the fact that Annabelle stated some of the terms and stood by them, despite how hard it was for her or how the initial decisions were redrawn. I think it shows a great promise for the future of new adult novels. None of the characters really came off weak or fledgling, traits that can sometimes render them unbelievable and/or unlikeable.

This is a strong four, almost five, stars and I’d recommend it to anyone who prefers a steamier romance. It also had a literary twist, and was very quotable. I will definitely pick up the sequel. Can’t wait, in fact.

I turn my face to him. “Is there a book I can read about how to fight?”

He shrugs. “It’s not that complicated. The main thing is to remember that you like the other person enough to care about what they’ve done or said.”

#FridayReads - July 22

Tiina

Hello, hello, hello. Friday again! There’s a lovely heatwave here at the moment – a nice change from the constant rain – so I’m hunkered down inside a lot with a cold drink and a book. As one does. Since it’s still the Booktubeathon, I’m planning a sort of a reading sprint over this weekend. The main aim is to finish up Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On. In addition to that, I really feel like starting Elizabeth von Armin’s Enchanting April. Apparently, it’s set in an Italian villa and perfect reading for summer (despite the name!). That’s exactly what I’m in the mood for right now. I’m also thinking of reading the last volume in the Alex + Ada limited run comic series. The first two volumes were really, really good and I can’t wait to finish up the whole series. It’s sci-fi, but it takes almost no time at all to really get into it. There’s also a hint of romance, but it’s not overwhelming at all. And there’s no graphic violence or sex. That’s it. Three books. One of them is over 500 pages so that’ll tell ya how ambitious I am in my plans.

Coll

Well I went ahead and got myself a summer cold, so that combined with 95-100F (up to 37C) temperatures this weekend means lots of reading time indoors for me. This weekend I plan on finishing up The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, which is my #BookTubeAThon2016 choice for a yellow cover and book to read after sunset. This book is zombie apocalypse with a twist, where children who house the disease but are not fully afflicted by it are studied in an attempt to uncover why they are so different from the others. It is exciting, heartbreaking, and creepy and I am loving it. I also plan on reading the short novella that comes between books two and three in the Expanse series, Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey. The novella gives a quick side story about one of the main characters from book two, Caliban's War. Then I plan on starting This Bloody Mary is the Last Thing I Own by Jonathan Rendall, which is my #BookTubeAThon2016 choice for a book discovered via BookTube. It is a true story about a Las Vegas boxer and his journey in through boxing world and his exit from the scene. Finally, if possible, I hope to start on Love That Boy by Ron Fournier, my Book of the Month choice. This book is about a father's journey with his son who has Asperger's, as they visit presidents and presidential libraries in the United States. The journey is not only a learning experience for the son, but for the father as he learns more of childhood development, acceptance, and the expectations of parents and children. So there you go. I seem to have big reading plans for this weekend and might have bit off more than I can chew, but let's see how it goes. ;-)

Dark Matter - Blake Crouch

Review by Coll
5 Stars

**I received this ebook via Netgalley and the publisher, Crown Publishing, in exchange for an honest review**

Okay, so this might be a little tricky to review without spoiling anything. One wrong word could give away the entire thing, so I need to tread carefully here and I apologize in advance for any vagueness. That being said, imagine being kidnapped one night and rendered unconscious, then waking up to a world where everything you knew no longer exists. This is the nightmare turned reality for Jason Dessen. One minute he is living his normal life, the next he is thrown into a world that looks the same on the outside, but on the inside is wholly different. His wife is not his wife, his job is not his job, his son no longer exists, nothing is what it once was. Now Jason must struggle to unravel the mystery of this unknown world. He is forced to confront the dark parts of himself that he never knew existed, and undertake a dangerous and horrifying journey to put all the pieces back together, in an effort to regain his old life.

If you wanted a good example of a mind-bending book, Dark Matter is it. Within the first ten minutes of the book I remember thinking to myself “what the hell am I even reading?!” This story is so twisted and you can’t put the book down, even though you have no idea what is happening. The story is wonderfully intricate and keeps you in suspense for good chunk of the book. Then that moment comes along where things start falling into place, and your mind subtly puts everything together and BAM, you are hit head on with what is really happening and then mind=blown. I could not get over the complexities of the story and how well thought out the idea was. There were moments when I thought Crouch forgot to fully explain certain elements, but he always ended up coming full circle and brought everything together by the end.

While I did not feel a full connection with all the characters, the most important ones were highly developed and so well done and you could almost feel their emotions through the writing. You gain a sense of sympathy towards some and a pure hatred towards others, and this makes the story so much more real. This writing style is also highly visual and you are able to picture everything in your mind vividly while reading, from the people themselves to the scenery. The storytelling has such depth that you feel like you are a part of the world in the book, traveling right alongside Jason as a silent viewer to his journey.

Dark Matter is a bunch of different genres all wrapped up into one. It is science fiction with some psychological thriller, a little bit of horror, a slight love story, and a side of philosophy. To me this would be a great read for a book club because it is definitely a book that you will want to discuss with others. I read it a month before release so I have been keeping it all inside, not talking to anyone, which is basically torture for me. I remember finishing it and then promptly flipping out to my husband, so excited I was unable to even put words together that formed coherent thoughts, while trying not to give anything away (bless his heart for dealing with me). So yeah, make sure you are able to discuss this book with others because you will definitely want to. Especially when the proverbial shit hits the fan and the book throws you for the loop that I know it will.

When you read Dark Matter, make sure you are prepared to be confused, but in the best way. So many times you feel like you have no clue what is going on, and the book keeps you guessing until the very end. It is fast-paced and highly addictive and I, personally, loved every second of it. I have been wracking my brain for anything negative to say but have come up with nothing. I highly recommend this book and hope your brains are fully prepared for the complete and wonderful mind-f**k that it is. :-)

“We’re all made of the same thing – the blown-out pieces of matter formed in the fires of dead stars.” 

Interested in Dark Matter? Check it out on Goodreads.

#DoubleLettersTBRathon wrapup!

Our very own readathon is done for this year. Or, for this season anyway. Who’s to say we won’t have another one towards winter. We think it’s a great opportunity to push yourself to read books you actually own, instead of picking up library or review books. I know one of us – Tiina – gets really carried away with those! Occupational hazard, I guess!

Here’re our wrapups:

Coll

So I finished eight of the 12 books (I was reading some other books on the side), which is not bad for six weeks I suppose. So in the order I completed them, here we go! Tiina and I buddyread Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (#1) and it is my favorite read so far this year. I used it as my “book I really want to read” and man was I right to want it so badly. The story was amazing and intense, and the composition of the book was creative and so awesome. A must read! Then for the “one word title” I chose Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (#2), a graphic novel about a girl growing up in Iran during the Israeli revolution. I absolutely adored this book, both story and the illustrations. It’s a great history lesson that is entertaining and heart-wrenching at the same time. For an “ebook owned 2+ years” I read A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (#3), a re-telling of Grimm's Hansel and Gretel with a twist. I enjoyed it was just not what I expected and I felt something was missing for me.

For a “physical book owned 2+ years” I read The Buddha and the Terrorist by Satish Kumar (#4). It is a retelling of a Buddhist parable that deals with terrorism, its root, good and evil, forgiveness, and how to work towards understanding and a better world. Very moving and enlightening. For my “400+ page book” I read Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (#5). It is part of the Expanse series and you can think of it like ASOIAF but for sci-fi fanatics. It’s a kick-ass story that deals with the beginning of a war in the solar system between the three colonist groups, and a disturbing and dark discovery that could hold the fate of the universe in its hands. LOVED this book so much and I know this series will become one of my favorites. For my “book with a foiled cover” I chose The Jedi Path by Daniel Wallace (#6). This is a manual for students of the force and reads like a textbook of sorts, explaining everything from Jedi history to lightsaber combat/tactics. Every Star Wars fan should read this, but be ready to feel heartbroken that you’re not a Jedi.

My choice for “four letter author name” was Slayers by C.J. Hill (#7). This was not your typical fantasy/dragon book, and at first I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. But by the end I was loving it! It combines YA, some romance, fantasy, and action into a unique story where descendants of dragon slayers must train to fight a present-day dragon threat. Great book and I am immediately moving onto the second in the series. Finally, the book I squeezed in at the last moment to cover “four word (or more) title”, The Children of Old Leech: A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron by Ross E. Lockhart (#8). A mouthful, right? This anthology of short stories was more creepy than scary, which I didn’t mind at all, and very out of the box. Each tale pays tribute to a unique aspect of Barron’s style, many including a Lovecraftian element, yet each story still maintains its author’s particular style and talent. If there is one horror short story/anthology you read this year, make it this one. In the end I was incredibly happy with my choices for this summer’s TBRathon and, like always, I look forward to the next.

Tiina

Tiina's reads

As you might remember, we had 12 challenges in total. I sort of forgot about the fact I have to read some library and review books that I can’t count for the readathon, so I couldn’t actually get to all of them. I did finish eight books in total. First of all, I started off the readathon with a buddyread with Colleen. We read Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (#1) together and neither of us could put our emotions and positive feelings into a manageable amount of words. Hence, no review. Suffice it to say, however, that we both really loved the book.  I used that for “a book that is longer than 400 pages”. Sure, it’s cheating a bit since the pages aren’t completely filled with text but hey, I’m the boss of my own readathons! Then I finished up a war fiction book that I counted for reading something that’s “out of my comfort zone”. Fives and Twenty-Fives my Michael Pitre (#2) was definitely that! Very grim, but also hopeful in a way. It struck a nice balance, ending with a positive note after ripping my heart out. I also read Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (#3) for my real life book club and managed to cross off “a book with over four-letter title”. It was a fun literary mystery, and I’d definitely recommend it to book lovers.

Then I decided to start a new series that I’ve looked forward to reading: the Every Breath books by Ellie Marney. Every Breath (#4) counted for “a book I really want to read” and Every Word (#5) for “a book in a series” challenge. I’m on to the third one now and I can’t wait to finish off the series. These are inspired by the Sherlock Holmes universe and I really recommend them. There’s something for everyone: there’s a certain grittiness that comes with the detective novel genre – despite being YA – but there is also some steamy romance for those of us who enjoy a dash of that in our novels.

The last three challenges were the following: “one-word title”, “non-fiction”, and “author with a four-letter surname”. I really enjoyed all of these! George by Alex Gino (#6) counts for the first. It is such an important book and I would like to recommend this middle-grade title to everyone. I think it goes a long way to help cis people understand the struggles a transgender child can go through. It’s not a perfect book, but like I said earlier, it’s an important one. My non-fiction selection was Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan (#7), which is an interesting memoir about a month of madness in her life due to a mysterious illness. I swear, it read like a House MD episode; I have a review up of it on the blog!  And last but not least, a squeezed in a comic. Alex + Ada  by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn (#8) has been on my radar for  a while now and I finally took the plunge. It’s a finished sci-fi series and I’m eagerly awaiting the second and third volumes in the mail to read them during the Booktubeathon. Thankfully, I really liked all the books I read for this readathon, and I can’t wait to do it again!

Embrace Your Geekness Day 2016

Today is Embrace Your Geekness day (true story, look it up), and being a proud geek, I wanted to celebrate by highlighting some of my favorite books with geeky premises. Whether it be video games, comics, books, television shows, movies, etc., there are so many awesome and geeky things in the world that have been given proper respect in some great books. So all you proud geeks out there, this one is for you. Get ready, this is a long one!

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Oh the love affair I had with this book. The book takes place in New York City the late 1930’s/early 1940’s, right at the time that comic books were just getting started. Two cousins, Joe Kavalier (artist) and Sammy Clay (writer), decide to try their hand at comic book writing/illustration and create a group of memorable characters to work into their own comic series. The story follows their breakthrough into and journey through the comic industry, their successes, and their failures. This book was incredibly interesting and also so freakin exciting! So much happens and I had the hardest time putting this book down when I was reading it. I also love how a lot of the events that take place in the book are based off actual people in the comic industry (Stan lee, Jack Kirby, Bob Kane, etc.) and also includes numerous historical figures, with minor roles (Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, etc.). Kavalier and Clay combines comics and history into a fast-paced story set in historic time (WW2 era) and depicts the struggle and drives of artists and writers in the Golden Age of Comics.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Since I first read this book I have had a hard time putting my love of it into coherent words. I usually end up babbling about how the book is everything I am, and I’m a child of the 80s, and blah blah blah. So I am going to try to distance myself from fangirl mode for a few minutes and write about why this book is so awesome. RPO basically has anything and everything geeky that you could ever want: video games, 80s movies, anime, virtual reality, MMORPG’s, etc. Not only does this book embrace the geek and nerd culture, but it also hits the mark in terms of the human need for technology and our obsessive want for “the next big thing”, as well as our growing detachment from reality. On a deeper level the book is a wake-up call to where the human race could be heading and what some of the consequences could be. Seriousness aside though, this book is a geek/nerd’s paradise and I guarantee you will love every minute of it. I remember getting near the end of it and actually slowing down my reading speed to try to make it not end. Alas, it came to an end, but I know for a fact it is a book that will always stay with me.

Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy (not to be confused with the sequel series, Dragonlance Legends, which is also quite awesome) includes Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984), Dragons of Winter Night (1985), and Dragons of Spring Dawning (1985). The main reason this series stands out to me is because this was the first fantasy trilogy I went and sought out on my own, and oh hell did I fall completely in love with it. Aside from the fantasy aspect, I think what also classifies these books into the geek genre is that they are based on Dungeons & Dragons, which is basically one of the epitomes of geek culture. The premise of the series is a group of friends, and new companions, embark upon a journey to become Heroes of the Lance, in which they must find the Disks of Mishakal that contain the teachings of the gods of good, evil, and neutrality. Do you feel geekier just reading this? Because I sure feel geeky writing it! Seriously though, this is a great fantasy trilogy that you will fly through and has characters you will fall in love with (I still remember having a crush on one of the characters when I first read these books at the age of 16). Actually, now that I am talking about this series I think I will go back and read it again.

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner

This non-fiction book is about John Carmack and John Romero, two of the biggest names in the video game industry and founders of id Software. You may not be familiar with that company name, but you will recognize many of the games it had produced, such as Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake. The company is also known for its involvement in the creation of the first-person shooter genre. The book chronicles how Carmack and Romero escaped their lives to live the “American dream”, transformed pop-culture through video games, created one of the most notorious game franchises, and were inevitably torn apart by the things they created. Not only does this book highlight one of the biggest moments in gaming history, but it also deals with friendship, emotions, betrayal, artistry, commerce, and so, so many other things. This is an excellent book with a great story and insight, and if you are a gamer geek you will definitely want to own this in hardcopy.

Honorable Mentions

Unfortunately this post can only go on for so long, so I just want to mention a few other books that I think are worth checking out.

Neverending Story by Michael Ende

Any child of the 80s probably watched this movie religiously. The reason I am bringing this up in the geek post is because it is about a kid who gets drawn into the world of a book where he has to help save the world of Fantastica! Isn’t that something that book geeks dream about happening every time they read? Hell I know I do! I feel like it NEEDS to be read. So do it!

Console Wars by Blake J. Harris

Anyone who existed in the 1990s and was over the age of five remembers the epic battle between Nintendo and Sega. Nintendo blew us all away in the 90s and seemed like it could not be rivaled. Enter Sega, an arcade company who morphed and grew to challenge Nintendo in the battle of the video game consoles. This non-fiction book chronicles the rise of Nintendo and Sega and the ongoing battle between the two for console supremacy.

Reckoners Series by Brandon Sandwrson

Okay so if you like superheroes then you should definitely check out this series, which is comprised of the books Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity. Think of it as superheroes with a twist. The “superheroes” are called Epics and they are not mankind friendly. It is a group of ordinary humans, known as the Reckoners, who are the real heroes and fight against the Epics on behalf of mankind. Regular people serving as the superheroes? Hell yeah! Didn’t we all want to be superheroes as kids (and as adults)?

The Jedi Path and Book of Sith by Daniel Wallace

Of course I had to mention something Star Wars! The Jedi Path is the manual for students of the Force, written kind of like a textbook, which explains Jedi Order hierarchy, history, lightsaber components and combat tactics, and everything else a Jedi might need for training.  The Book of Sith is the dark side texts and details Sith ways, history, philosophy, etc. Both books are illustrated and have notes in the margins “written” by those who have used the books such as Yoda, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Mace Windu, and many more. These are a must read for ANY star wars fan and you will happily geek out while reading them.

Okay, this is my cut-off point. May the geeks of the world live long and prosper! Now go embrace your geekness! 

#booktubeathon2016 announcement and TBR!

We aren’t currently making any Booktube videos, but we do comment on others’ videos quite a bit, and I for one – Tiina - have been obsessively watching several Booktubers for nearly 2 years now. It is one of my favourite pastimes, actually. In addition to book hauls and monthly wrap-ups, readathon TBRs are one of my favourite videos to watch. As you might know, we love reading challenges around here a lot – and even hosted our own (ends on Tuesday!) – it’s about time we join in. Fair’s fair so here’s our participation announcement and TBRs.

We'll be posting on Instagram as @doublelettersbookclub

Challenge	Tiina	Coll
Book with yellow on the cover	Most probably Carry On, but if I end up speeding through the others, I might read The Girl with All the Gifts for this one instead (it’s aaaalll yellow)	For this I am going to read The Girl with All the Gifts. I have wanted to read it for a while now so this is a good push for me to do it.
Book to read after sunset	Alex + Ada, Vol 2 because I plan on finishing it one night. That is, if they arrive in the mail!	For this I also plan on using The Girl with All the Gifts because I love reading horror at night. So this is perfect!
Book discovered via Booktube	The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan as my library just got it and I think I’m in the mood for it. I think I heard it first from Jen Campbell.	So I was torn between two for this but I am going with This Bloody Mary Is the Last Thing I Own. For some reason I am super intrigued by it so I figured why the hell not.  I heard it from the Book Riot channel.
Book by favourite author	I will combine challenges and read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for this one, as well.	I think I will probably read Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. He is my all-time favorite author and this is one of his books that I have actually never read.
Book that’s older than you	The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin	Cannery Row for this too. It was published in 1945, so there you go. ;-)
Read a book and watch its adaption	Once again: The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Armin. It has a highly lauded film adaption so two birds with one stone and all that (also: figuratively!).	I feel bad using Cannery Row again but not really. The movie came out in 1982 and I am interested to see how the book translates into movie.
Read 7 books	Might not get to this as I will have the in-laws over for most of the weekend. I’m aiming towards 4 and that might be generous ;-).	Seven books huh? Well maybe if I didn’t work and video games didn’t exist I could manage this. ;-) However, in reality I am aiming for four or five books.

#FridayReads - July 8, 2016

Tiina
Hi everyone! It’s time for Friday Reads again! How is it July already?! I know I say something akin to this at the start of every Friday Reads but I mean seriously… Where IS the time going?! Also, it’s my birthday on Tuesday so I’m extra sensitive about time passing just about now. OK, drama moment over, I’ve come out of my gentle swoon on the chaise longue. What am I reading this weekend? Well, I’m glad you asked! I am not sure! All right, I know I’m definitely reading Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder for my library book club, which is about a pharmaceutical rep who goes to the Amazon jungle to find a doctor who’s gone, well, rogue. I’m liking it so far, Patchett really does have a way with words and comes up with neat little character histories. You can definitely tell her background’s in short stories – she just weaves together moments from characters’ lives into a cohesive story. Her attention to detail is incomparable. In addition to that I am reading an actual short story collection: Sweet Home by Carys Bray. I can’t say that I am enjoying the book, but I’m enjoying the reading experience. So far, the stories have all been very disturbing, but I can’t stop thinking about them. Again, as with Ann Patchett, it is unbelievable how fast these writers pull you into their narrative. You only need a couple paragraphs and you are hooked, on the edge of your seat and/or biting your nails. I think that’s going to be about it. I’d also love to squeeze in one last #DoubleLettersTBRathon prompt, but I’m not sure that’ll happen. One’s a horror book that mentions killing children in the first paragraph so I quickly put that back down. The other’s a 400+ page contemporary and I’m not sure how much reading time I’ll have due to work. That’s it for me. I wish you all a relaxing and bookfilled weekend, though!

Coll
Well, this is awkward; I am still reading some the books I talked about on Sunday so I don’t know what I have to write about here. Also, in my defense, the two books I am still reading are kinda long. I am also visiting family on Saturday so I am not sure how much reading I will be fitting in. Of course I will be working on Caliban Wakes by James S.A. Corey, as well as Slayers by C.J. Hill, which I need to finish before the #DoubleLettersTBRathon comes to a close. As far as books I WASN’T reading last time we spoke, er, blogged, I will be reading The Children of Old Leech: A Tribute to the Carnivorous Cosmos of Laird Barron. I know, some title huh? It is a book of horror short stories by various authors, and the stories are super-weird and very creepy. Needless to say I am loving every second of it. It is my bedtime reading book presently, and nope, there is nothing wrong with finding horror comforting to fall asleep reading, although Tiina begs to differ. I also want to knock off one more book for the TBRathon so I am torn between two for a five-word title. The first I am considering is Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. It is a memoir of essays from when Sedaris moved from Paris to New York. It is supposed to be quite hilarious and I have owned it for a while now so why not. The other book I am debating reading instead, is Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras & Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature by Jerome Clark, Loren L. Coleman. Don’t judge. I have been obsessed with Cryptozoology for years now, the pseudoscience of searching for creatures whose existence has not yet been proven because of lack of evidence and what not. (Maybe it is not too late for a career change.) So yeah, my five-word title book will be one of those two. Right then, I guess that is about it for this weekend. 

So we seem to be reading an odd mishmash of books and we would love to know what you are reading too!

Much of Madness - S.E. Summa

Review by Coll
4 Stars

**I received this ebook via the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Right off the bat I want to say that I am a sucker for Southern Gothic. Maybe this can be blamed on the Coven season of American Horror Story, or maybe the genre is just super intriguing to me, who knows? Ramblings on my affinity to the genre aside, that is what drew me to Much of Madness (Conexus Chronicles #1) by S.E. Summa (also holy crap what a great cover!). The story is set in New Orleans and Nashville and revolves mainly around a young girl named Seraphina Pierce. Not only does she have magic abilities but she also happens to be cursed to never be able to love someone, lest her curse kill them with one touch, and is best friends with a sin-eater (it is how it sounds, someone who can eat another person’s sins to unburden them). The only way to break the curse binding her is to acquire an ancient grimoire, a book also sought by a young man, Marceau, for his very dangerous and sinister boss. When Seraphina and Marceau meet at the auction for the grimoire, their lives collide in a drastic and dangerous way. 

My favourite thing about Much of Madness was the storyline. It was out of the box and intriguing and I pretty much enjoyed every second of it. The characters are likable (the good ones at least) and they are also all flawed, which makes relating to them (as much as you can relate to someone with magical capabilities) that much easier. Not to mention the chemistry between all the characters was just brilliantly done. Those who were friends in the book seemed to have genuine friendships, and were just like any group of people who are close in real life and get together for movie nights and take-out nights. Something about the closeness and realism between the friends in the book just made me really fall for it that much more. As for the antagonist and all his cronies in the book, man do you hate them. I am not sure about you, but when there is a character in a book who is supposed to be bad, I really want to get an aura of evil that makes me completely despise them. In the case of Much of Madness, that is how I felt about the bad guy. 

The setting descriptions were hit or miss for me. On one hand you would have an area, like the apartment or auction house, that were described so well I could picture everything in my head as if I were there. Then on the other hand you would have areas, like many of the outside spaces in Nashville, that I found the descriptions lacking and not vivid enough to give me a good visualization. The dialogue was quite good, and I adored a lot of the cute and witty banter between the characters. For the most part, the character interactions came off quite natural and the emotions they felt towards one another were easy to read. There is a romance aspect to the book but it is completely pivotal to the story and done in the right way, not overly dramatic or romancy but enough to make you care. 

As for the Southern Gothic part of this story, yeah I did not get as much of that as I had hoped. The South (especially the New Orleans area) is so deeply rooted in myth and lore (hoodoo, paranormal, the grotesque, etc.) that, when done right, can add so much to a story. Not only does it contribute history and culture, but it has a whole level of creepiness that can send shivers up your spine. Unfortunately, there was not as much of that as I would have liked in Much of Madness. I would say it is more of a YA Paranormal Fantasy book with some loose influence from Southern Gothic, and to be honest, that did let me down a bit. The book had the basic themes of the genre but I feel it would have benefited from more detailed lore in the story. My only other issue was that about 90% into the book the story took a turn that kind of came out of left field for me and it all got a little convoluted.  I felt like it was a little rushed and not explained as well as I would have liked. 

Overall I really enjoyed the book. I was torn between 3 1/2 and 4 stars, but felt it just leaned more towards a 4 star rating for me. It was creepy, smart, funny, well-written, and exciting, and I had a hard time putting it down. I found myself charmed by the story, at moments disturbed, and wishing I could hang out with the main characters in the book. It was well-done and the ending was not a huge cliffhanger, yet still left me wanting more, so I will definitely be continuing on with the series. If you are a fan or paranormal and are looking for something a little different then I would definitely recommend Much of Madness.

Interested in Much of Madness (Conexus Chronicles #1)? Check it out on Goodreads.

#SundayFunday - July 3, 2016

Tiina
Having been a slacker yesterday, I have to spend a lot of today working (the joys of freelance deadlines). However, I will fit in some reading time. At the moment I’m focusing most on Every Word by Ellie Marney. It’s the second book in the Every Breath trilogy, which is a loose retelling of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The main characters are “Mycroft” and “Watson”, instead of Sherlock. It is funny, it is kind of saucy, but it is also a great YA mystery. I finished the last one and picked the new one up right away. I think I’m really going to love the underlying romance in this trilogy. I also started listening to an audiobook during a long drive with the boyfriend. It is called Furiously Happy, which chronicles Jenny Lawson’s battles with mental illness. It is very heavy, serious, and shockingly honest, but it is also incredible funny. A real “laughing/hysterically cackling out loud”-kind of book. My next read for my real life library book club is Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder. I have really enjoyed everything else I’ve read by her: A Story of a Happy Marriage (brilliant!), and Bel Canto, so I can’t wait to dig into it. That’s about it. I think that’s quite enough. Now just to finish up that pesky work so I can hop onto the sofa and read a freaking book. I hope Coll’s holiday weekend reading plans are a bit more exciting.

Coll
So right now I am thoroughly obsessed with Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. The book is set to be released on July 26th and I was lucky enough to get an ARC via Netgalley. The book is completely and utterly mind-bending and I am loving every second of it. It is hard to explain without giving away spoilers, but the premise is a man, Jason Dessen, is kidnapped one night on his way home and when he wakes up the life he knew no longer exists. His house is not his house, his wife is not his wife, and his child does not exist. As he tries to figure out what has happened to his life, he is hunted by people who swear they know him, or at least the Jason that he has no recollection of. I just reached a huge “ah-ha!” moment and shit has really started to hit the fan, so yeah. Wow. When I tear myself away from Dark Matter I will be continuing on with Caliban’s War by James S. A. Corey, the second book in the Expanse series. It continues where Leviathan Wakes left off and follows Holden, his crew, and some newcomers, as they try to save the universe from war, as well as an even greater and terrifying threat. And since I have an extra-long holiday weekend, either today or tomorrow I also plan on starting Slayers by C.J. Hill (aka Janetter Rallison). This YA fantasy book is about a group called the Slayers, who are descendants from the slayer-knights, a group who killed off the dragons many years ago. After the dragons were killed off a select few dragon eggs were preserved and kept dormant, to keep the dragon lineage in existence. The eggs have fallen into the wrong hands and the Slayers need to find them and prevent them from hatching before it is too late. So yeah, that about covers my reading plans for today and tomorrow. I hope you all have some awesome reading plans as well

We would also like to wish a very happy Fourth of July to everyone in the US. :-)