I'm a stressed out mom that works way too much and uses reading as my escape time. I've been really enjoying picking up books that I know absolutely nothing about other than the title and giving it a go. This book roulette has been helping me push my boundaries and read books I likely never would have picked up before.
My rating system: (100% of my reading is through my library or online content, for reference) 5 - I absolutely loved it and will be buying a copy for my bookshelf! 4 - I really enjoyed this and will pick up a used copy from somewhere to share with others. 3 - This was pretty good, I can see why people like it. 2 - This just really wasn't quite for me. 1* - This should have been a DNF...
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Lucky and her husband, Krishna, are gay. They present an illusion of marital bliss to …
This story follows two friends that enter into a lavender marriage to appease their parents and still be able to live their lives as they choose in the background. I felt like this was well-done and was surprised that I enjoyed it so much with it being a random library shelf pull.
Isma is free. After years spent raising her twin siblings in the wake of their …
The start of the book was a little slow with the introduction of multiple POVs. I did find some of the POVs more interesting so some dragged even worse. That's one of the main reasons I couldn't give this 5 stars.
This book was not an easy read, but it was a good read. It has a lot of heavy topics between British Muslims dealing with racism and seeing how a young boy was radicalized to join IS. The family dynamics throughout are a major point, with the characters having to decide what they're willing or able to forgive while tackling their own demons. The characters felt real with all their flaws and characteristics.
The ending was absolutely insane. This book obviously has a lot of dark themes that run throughout, so I would recommend just making sure you're in a good mindset before picking it up.
The start of the book was a little slow with the introduction of multiple POVs. I did find some of the POVs more interesting so some dragged even worse. That's one of the main reasons I couldn't give this 5 stars.
This book was not an easy read, but it was a good read. It has a lot of heavy topics between British Muslims dealing with racism and seeing how a young boy was radicalized to join IS. The family dynamics throughout are a major point, with the characters having to decide what they're willing or able to forgive while tackling their own demons. The characters felt real with all their flaws and characteristics.
The ending was absolutely insane. This book obviously has a lot of dark themes that run throughout, so I would recommend just making sure you're in a good mindset before picking it up.
The second novel in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, the international publishing phenomenon—now in a …
I liked Liz's attitude through this. Definitely felt too similar to the first book but with way less plot. But Liz made up for that a bit.
I liked Liz's attitude through this. Definitely felt too similar to the first book but with way less plot. But Liz made up for that a bit.
Kira plans on remaining single on this alien planet—she doesn't want a mate. At least, …
Aehako is the best. That's all.
But also, I really liked Kira. Her fears based on health concerns was legitimate and not falsely added on to try to tack on drama. I laughed so hard many times through this one. The courting gift had me wheezing every time it was brought up.
This was a very sweet story and I really appreciated that Ruby didn't just skip over the details like Harlow's translator that was embedded into her ear. This one lacked on the spice because there was not resonating at the get-go and Aehako actually courted and wooed Kira. I really enjoyed this one.
Aehako is the best. That's all.
But also, I really liked Kira. Her fears based on health concerns was legitimate and not falsely added on to try to tack on drama. I laughed so hard many times through this one. The courting gift had me wheezing every time it was brought up.
This was a very sweet story and I really appreciated that Ruby didn't just skip over the details like Harlow's translator that was embedded into her ear. This one lacked on the spice because there was not resonating at the get-go and Aehako actually courted and wooed Kira. I really enjoyed this one.
It’s enemies to lovers in this sexy and delightful holiday mash up that pairs the …
Where the first book, you were focusing on Coal and Hex and had a surprisingly large plot running in the background, this one got slogged down with too much going on. Everything that happened between Kris and Loch felt so rushed because you had the bleed-over from the plot of Nightmare Before Kissmas continuing to impact the story. It was still sweet and cute and a fun read, but it wound up feeling too rushed with everything going on.
Teo never thought he could be a Hero. Now he doesn't have a choice.
…
After loving The Sunbearer Trials, this one fell flat for me. Which was a disappointment with the character growth that occurred (but mostly in the last quarter of the book). It dragged on in parts to the point that I almost wanted to DNF it, but I wanted to see how the duology ended since I loved the first book. There were just too many "side quests" that they popped into on their way to Los Restos and those could have been slimmed down a lot to get the same points across. I think it's still worth a read if you liked the first one.
After loving The Sunbearer Trials, this one fell flat for me. Which was a disappointment with the character growth that occurred (but mostly in the last quarter of the book). It dragged on in parts to the point that I almost wanted to DNF it, but I wanted to see how the duology ended since I loved the first book. There were just too many "side quests" that they popped into on their way to Los Restos and those could have been slimmed down a lot to get the same points across. I think it's still worth a read if you liked the first one.
A warm and hopeful story of a lonely witch consumed by grief who discovers a …
This book surprised me a bit. It gave cozy vibes but still tackles the large issue of grief and how there's no such thing as just moving on. There is not much world-building, and I would have liked to have a better grasp of things, but I understand wanting the focus to be on the characters and their grief. Contains found family, LGBTQ representation, and flawed characters.
This book surprised me a bit. It gave cozy vibes but still tackles the large issue of grief and how there's no such thing as just moving on. There is not much world-building, and I would have liked to have a better grasp of things, but I understand wanting the focus to be on the characters and their grief. Contains found family, LGBTQ representation, and flawed characters.
Residential schools have been a hot topic lately, and rightly so. This book shows not only the horrors that existed in those schools, but also the repercussions that those who were forced into these schools had to cope and deal with. You get a wide variety of actions through the different characters, so you do get some light through the darkness. Definitely one I would recommend. Took me by surprise.
A SEARING AND PROFOUND SOUTHERN ODYSSEY BY NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER JESMYN WARD
In …
I was not expecting the emotional roller coaster going into this book. The turn that the book takes about half way through that suddenly throws some magical realism into the plot threw me off a little. I would recommend this, but just make sure that you're up for a pretty bleak book.
I was not expecting the emotional roller coaster going into this book. The turn that the book takes about half way through that suddenly throws some magical realism into the plot threw me off a little. I would recommend this, but just make sure that you're up for a pretty bleak book.
Norris Black • Amber Blaeser-Wardzala • Phoenix Boudreau • Cherie Dimaline • Carson Faust • …
This was a mix of traditional and modern Indigenous dark fiction stories. As with most anthologies, there are some stories that I found to be more enjoyable than others. Overall I would recommend this book to others.
However, I am not comfortable with giving this book a rating because I cannot say if the stories that felt flat for me were just not my style, or literally just not written for me as a white person who has not had much exposure to Native culture and may have not grasped what some of the tales were getting at. This is something that I am going to see about diving into soon to try to have a better understanding.
Candace Chen, a millennial drone self-sequestered in a Manhattan office tower, is devoted to routine. …
This was not a revolutionary novel by any means, but I really appreciated how Ling Ma incorporated a lot of social issues created by capitalism throughout this book. She touches on immigration, worker's rights, outsourcing jobs, etc. It hit a little close to home at times "post-Covid" and honestly I was surprised to see that it was written before that. This is one of those books that you only see things from Candace's perspective, so as she's dealing with things or escaping scenarios, you don't get well-rounded endings for everything. Things happen, and the story moves on along with her life. If you don't llike loose ends, probably not one that I would recommend.
This was not a revolutionary novel by any means, but I really appreciated how Ling Ma incorporated a lot of social issues created by capitalism throughout this book. She touches on immigration, worker's rights, outsourcing jobs, etc. It hit a little close to home at times "post-Covid" and honestly I was surprised to see that it was written before that. This is one of those books that you only see things from Candace's perspective, so as she's dealing with things or escaping scenarios, you don't get well-rounded endings for everything. Things happen, and the story moves on along with her life. If you don't llike loose ends, probably not one that I would recommend.
From debut author Malia Maunakea comes a sweeping fantasy about a part-Hawaiian girl who must …
I really enjoyed this one. I'm always a little wary when it comes to middle grade books due to an overdoing (understandably) of hand-holding and explaining. This one didn't do much hand-holding and instead, Malia went full force in sharing the language and mythology and just explained along the way.
The whole book is completely filled with mythology, action, and growth encircling our FMC as she struggles with finding her place in the world and accepting the beliefs of the Island. This is one that I will be pushing my kids to read. If you're ever up for a middle grade read, pick this one up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I really enjoyed this one. I'm always a little wary when it comes to middle grade books due to an overdoing (understandably) of hand-holding and explaining. This one didn't do much hand-holding and instead, Malia went full force in sharing the language and mythology and just explained along the way.
The whole book is completely filled with mythology, action, and growth encircling our FMC as she struggles with finding her place in the world and accepting the beliefs of the Island. This is one that I will be pushing my kids to read. If you're ever up for a middle grade read, pick this one up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
The House …
I held off on this one for a while due to the length, but I'm glad I finally gave it a go.
There are a LOT of character introductions throughout the book, and listening to this on audiobook, I had to frequently pause to try to remember who was who. I would probably recommend pairing with the book itself to help with tracking if that's usually an issue for you as well when listening. It got a lot easier once some of the characters started dying haha.
I'm not usually one for high fantasy just due to the overall reading time that is usually involved. But I really appreciated that you have the whole story wrapped up in this book. While it is a part of a trilogy, this is very much a standalone book. I think if I had realized that, I would have picked it up …
I held off on this one for a while due to the length, but I'm glad I finally gave it a go.
There are a LOT of character introductions throughout the book, and listening to this on audiobook, I had to frequently pause to try to remember who was who. I would probably recommend pairing with the book itself to help with tracking if that's usually an issue for you as well when listening. It got a lot easier once some of the characters started dying haha.
I'm not usually one for high fantasy just due to the overall reading time that is usually involved. But I really appreciated that you have the whole story wrapped up in this book. While it is a part of a trilogy, this is very much a standalone book. I think if I had realized that, I would have picked it up sooner. Definitely glad that I gave it a chance.
From one of Japan's most brilliant and sensitive contemporary novelists, this speculative fiction masterpiece envisions …
#SFFBookClub read for August 2025.
This is not a book I think I would have picked out for myself outside of the book club, but I found it to be a surprisingly good read. It was a little hard to see the overall picture at first due to each chapter occurring with completely different characters and situations. It made it difficult to track when you would see the names of previous characters brought up in later chapters.
Everything kind of came together in the end and for me, and even the disjointed stories made sense. For me, at least. I'm not sure if this is one that I would regularly recommend to others due to the overall vibes. I don't know a lot of people that really enjoy Japanese dystopian stories with this structure.
#SFFBookClub read for August 2025.
This is not a book I think I would have picked out for myself outside of the book club, but I found it to be a surprisingly good read. It was a little hard to see the overall picture at first due to each chapter occurring with completely different characters and situations. It made it difficult to track when you would see the names of previous characters brought up in later chapters.
Everything kind of came together in the end and for me, and even the disjointed stories made sense. For me, at least. I'm not sure if this is one that I would regularly recommend to others due to the overall vibes. I don't know a lot of people that really enjoy Japanese dystopian stories with this structure.
From one of Japan's most brilliant and sensitive contemporary novelists, this speculative fiction masterpiece envisions …
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