Today I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit to bring you some short and sweet reviews of what I've read in the past month. For longer reviews, you can always find me on Goodreads.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: This lived up to the hype 1000% for me. It was absolutely everything I wanted — flirty banter, deep and heart-wrenching feels, amazing side characters, realistic diversity, and a plot that was predictable enough that I didn't get stressed out but still had plenty of extremely satisfying surprise twists.
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed: I liked this a lot, but I was hoping for more from it. It was clear that Albertalli and Saeed set out to write a book to encourage teenagers to get involved politically and then layered a romance on top of it. I love Albertalli's books in general, but I've found that her collaborations are not my favorites.
The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay: I love this book so, so much. It had me completely in tears by the end, even knowing how it would end. I love how the main characters are both mature for their age and also extremely messed up. This book is staying on my favorites list for sure.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin: This was my third read of this, and I won't say that I've ever ended this book gushing about how good it was, as it is definitely slow and complex and takes a while to get to the feelings at the center of it, but it never fails to pull on my heartstrings and leave me thinking about the characters and their choices. Whether you read it for the sci-fi world building or the feminist messaging, I hope you also find something to take away from it.
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd: I had high hopes for this one, but it ended up being a bit too bleak and unsatisfying for me, plus I had a really hard time keeping all the side characters straight. I didn't hate it, but in the end it wasn't for me.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys: I can't believe the ratings are so high on this, except that people tend to conflate "I didn't know anything about X before reading this book" with "This book about X is good." The writing was simplistic, the characters were one-dimensional, and the plot was scattershot. No thank you.
Paradise Lost by John Milton: I don't think I would particularly recommend this for a modern-day reader just for general enjoyment, but if you are at all interested in the development of literature or the English language over time, or you want to see what theology woven in story looked like in the 17th century, it's worth making it through this.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families and Storytelling with Data
Five years ago I was reading: Angle of Repose and Finding Your Own North Star
Ten years ago I was reading: About Face
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