It almost isn’t Tuesday anymore, but Happy Tuesday anyway! It’s been almost two months, but I’m back participating in this post!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Books Set in Snowy Places.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get started!
Winterspell by Claire Legrand
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawsett
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle
Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer
A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos
Do you like books with a snowy setting? If so, what are your favorite ones? What kinds of books do you like to read during the early winter?
As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope that you have an amazing day/night!
Helloooo everyone! Happy Tuesday! It’s been awhile since I’ve participated in Top Ten Tuesday – there’s been a lot going on lately, outside of the blog – so I’ve been a bit iffy with my posts for the past few weeks. But I decided it’s been way too long since the last time I properly engaged with this post, so here I am again!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Satisfying Book Series. This one was surprisingly a bit difficult for me, as I haven’t really read – or at the very least finished – too many series in the last several years. So most of this list is gonna be YA, both because I still read it pretty often even as an adult, and also because I read about half of these series that I’m about to list as a teenager.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get started! In no particular order, here are some of my favorite book series (when I read them, at least – some of them might not hold up for adult me, lol)!
The Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima: Definitely one of my favorite high fantasy series – absolutely of the best I’ve ever read. I also think it’s Chima’s best work personally, considering I ended up DNF-ing her other series before I could finish them, haha.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: And for this one, I mean the original trilogy – I haven’t gotten around to the standalone prequel novels yet! (It doesn’t help that I also see the prequel books as supplemental and sort of an ancillary part of the series, especially considering both came out over a decade later.) But I think that the original trilogy is a super solid set of three books; they’re some of the best written books I’ve ever read period.
Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness: I’m always gonna adore this trilogy. No crappy movie adaptation – of which I will never ever see but am unfortunately very aware of – can ruin it.
Emily Wilde Series by Heather Fawsett: This trilogy is just fantastic. It’s so well written and is such a wonderful and refreshing take on faerie stuff.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: I love fairytale retellings and this series is the pinnacle of that, and with a bit of a sci-fi twist to boot. Admittedly, I haven’t gotten around to reading the prequel novella nor the book of short stories, but again, I see them as supplemental and ancillary to the original series. And the original quadrilogy is solid.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan: What can I say – I adored these books as a teenager. Technically, this series is ongoing again, but since these five books have their own overarching-but-self-contained story and the three new books that Riordan is writing have their own overarching-but-self-contained story, I kind of consider them to be two separate things, and supplementary and companion novels to the original five books. Even if they’re technically considered part of the same series. The new books have been solid so far, though – for once I’ve actually read them, lol.
Fablehaven by Brandon Mill: I loved this when I read it like fifteen years ago, and I loved its sequel series Dragonwatch when I read it over the last few years. This is a very engaging and well-written middle grade fantasy series.
The Summoner Series by Taran Matharu: Very solidly written trilogy. It’s not super unique in regards to high fantasy, but I still enjoyed it, and it does stand out a little compared to a lot of the stuff I usually see in the YA section. It’s also one of the few series I’ve actually read and finished in the last decade, so there’s that too. Once again, I have not yet read the prequel companion book, but we all know how I feel about those by now, so I’m not gonna repeat myself. I’m thinking about re-reading this trilogy, honestly, it’s coming up on the tenth anniversary for when I read the first book and I’m feeling nostalgic.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: For what it is, it’s fine. Is it the most well-written fantasy ever? No. Did it start a writing trend and genre that I hate but love making fun of? Yes. But I ate this entire series up when I read it (which was over several years, but I did read the first two books in the original years they first came out). And the original trilogy is decently solid, which is what I’m basing this list on. The novella and the Nesta book are technically supplemental.
The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong: Some of her earlier work, and the only novels of hers that I’ve ever read. I liked these a lot as a teenager, even to the point of re-reading them once or twice. They’re very fast-paced, but the plot and characters aren’t sacrificed in order for the books to be that way, which is also great. I know that technically there’s another trilogy of Armstrong’s that falls under the Darkest Powers umbrella, but the two trilogies are still considered separate to a degree, so I’m going to consider them separate as well.
What are your favorite and most satisfying books series? Do you like or want to re-read them?
As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope that you have an amazing day/night!
It’s that time of year again – the time of year where I recommend books for the season! My recommendations of autumn books of 2024!
It’s unfortunately a bit later than I had intended it to be this year (I had planned to get this post out yesterday or the day before), but it’s still October so it’s not too late. (Though it’s definitely later than when I did this post last year.) Also, because it’s spooky month I might also recommend some spookier books and not just books with that are autumn themed or have fall vibes in general.
I usually try to make this a list of five, but we all know how that goes. Especially since I’ve read such perfect books for this list in the past year or so!
A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.
When I read this book last November (and its sequel in January when it came out), I was immediately drawn to the impeccable autumn vibes that it had. Like, they were absolutely perfect – everything felt so cozy. I loved it.
It also helps that Encyclopaedia also takes place in the fall – that’s right everyone, this book’s got a fall setting as well! The epistolary nature of the novel also brings out the cozier vibes even more. Not to mention just about everything about this book is perfect on its own. Just. Read it.
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.
What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.
Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.
This one’s gonna be one of my spookier recs on the list. I really enjoyed how unsettling What Moves the Dead ended up being. Not to mention, it was an excellent retelling.
I should probably note that its sequel, What Feasts at Night, also has a few of the same vibes, but I ultimately preferred book one. It just does everything better.
Perfect for fans of everything from Lockwood & Co. to The Haunting of Hill House, this gothic graphic novel follows a young medium with the gift—or curse, as some might say—to communicate with the dead. This ghost story “powerfully, tenderly, and empathetically examines death, grief, and the afterlife” raved Kirkus in a starred review!
Dorian Leith can see ghosts. Not only that, he listens to their problems and tries to help them move on to the afterlife. It’s a gift that’s made him an outcast to everyone in town. That is except for his dearly departed grandmother, who he’s partnered with to turn this paranormal ability into an honest living, and the local bookshop owner, who seems to be the only non-deceased person willing to give him a chance. But it’s all worth it to Dorian, who feels like he’s been given a bigger purpose. A chance to save those who cannot save themselves.
Then one day, the key to Death’s Door is stolen, trapping all the ghosts in the land of the living. Since he’s only one who can see them, the spirits rely on Dorian to retrieve the key before it is too late. If they can’t move on, they’ll soon be consumed by a ghostly rot that has begun to plague them.
As it continues to fester and spread, and the ghosts become desperate for relief, Dorian must do whatever it takes to find a way to bring peace to the restless dead—even if that peace comes at the cost of his own….
I feel like I’m cheating a bit with this one, because it’s also gonna go on the next list that I do, but I can’t not put it here either. Ever since I read it this past summer, I’ve known that The Ghostkeeper absolutely belonged on my Fall Recs List for 2024. The autumnal vibes are just too perfect.
It also works as a spooky recommendation as well. There’s just so much ghostly activity going on here, not to mention the gothic and gaslamp fantasy aesthetic it has going on. Like it said – it’s too perfect not to include here.
High Fantasy with a double-shot of self-reinvention
Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.
However, her dreams of a fresh start pulling shots instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune’s shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners and a different kind of resolve.
A hot cup of fantasy slice-of-life with a dollop of romantic froth.
Including Legends & Lattes here also feels like cheating, but for a different reason than above. Confession: I actually DNF-ed this book. Yep. That’s why it feels kinda disingenuous to me.
BUT! But, but, but – even though I stopped at 20% I’d read enough of it to know that it has the right kind of vibes for this season. Like, it totally already felt like a Fantasy Coffee Shop AU, and there’s really no better fall feeling than that. And honestly, I adored this aspect of the book. (It was the pacing that was the problem for me, and only the pacin. So freaking slow, ugh!)
A family flees the crime-ridden city—and finds something worse—in “a brilliantly imagined horror story” by the New York Times–bestselling author (The Boston Globe).
After watching his asthmatic daughter suffer in the foul city air, Theodore Constantine decides to get back to the land. When he and his wife search New England for the perfect nineteenth-century home, they find no township more charming, no countryside more idyllic than the farming village of Cornwall Coombe. Here they begin a new life: simple, pure, close to nature—and ultimately more terrifying than Manhattan’s darkest alley.
When the Constantines win the friendship of the town matriarch, the mysterious Widow Fortune, they are invited to join the ancient festival of Harvest Home, a ceremony whose quaintness disguises dark intentions. In this bucolic hamlet, where bootleggers work by moonlight and all of the villagers seem to share the same last name, the past is more present than outsiders can fathom—and something far more sinister than the annual harvest is about to rise out of the earth.
Credited as the inspiration for Stephen King’s Children of the Corn, Thomas Tryon’s chilling novel was ahead of its time when first published, and continues to provoke abject terror in readers.
Everything about Harvest Home screams fall. The setting, the corn festival, the vaguely unsettling atmosphere in the background. Everything.
I really can’t say anything else because I don’t want to spoil anything about this book (because I like it so much), but just know that it has both the fall vibes and the spooky vibes. (Also, it inspired Stephen King to write Children of the Corn guys. Come on.)
France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman named Adeline meets a dangerous stranger and makes a terrible mistake.
As she realizes the limitations of her Faustian bargain-being able to live forever, without being able to be remembered by anyone she sees- Addie chooses to flee her small village, as everything she once held dear is torn away.
But there are still dreams to be had, and a life to live, and she is determined to find excitement and satisfaction in the wide, beckoning world-even if she will be doomed to be alone forever.
Or not quite alone-as every year, on her birth-day, the alluring Luc comes to visit, checking to see if she is ready to give up her soul. Their darkly thrilling game stretches through the ages, seeing Addie witness history and fight to regain herself as she crosses oceans and tries on various lives.
It will be three hundred years before she stumbles into a hidden bookstore and discovers someone who can remember her name-and suddenly, everything changes again.
In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is by a New York Times bestselling author
V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.
Addie LaRue has it all guys. Demons, magic, curses, and cozy Bookshop AU vibes. It is yet another book perfect for fall reading. And just a good book in general.
Of course the vibes are there, but it’s also just all in the novel’s atmosphere as well. Just. Yeah.
#1 New York Times best seller Booklist Editors’ Choice 2015 – Youth Named a Best Book of 2015 by Time Magazine, School Library Journal, Barnes & Noble, NPR, PopSugar, The Millions, and The News & Observer
Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.
Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he starts something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around, wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here–it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story – but far, far more monsters.
Honestly, dark academia in general always feels right to read in the fall. And Carry On is certainly no different in that regard. It helps that at least half of the novel takes place in autumn.
It also helps that there are quite a few supernatural goings on. ‘Cause not only does it feature witches in the form of mages, but ghosts show up too. And we can’t forget about the vampires too, of course. So, once again, we don’t just have autumnal vibes here, but spooky ones, too.
What books have you been reading this fall? Have any of them had any autumn or spooky vibes? Do we share any of the same favorites?
And if course, thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope that you have an wonderful day/night!
This tag looked awesome and was a ton of fun. I’m so glad that Leslie @ Books Are the New Black tagged everyone. Welp, here I go!
Rules:
📚 Mention the creator (one’s peculiar) 🏷️ Answer the questions 📚 Tag as many people as you like 🏷️ HAVE FUN!
👸 The Lost Princess 👸 A book/series you lost interest in halfway through
So, full disclosure: I went into Serpent & Dove kind of planning to hate-read it. But then I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Sure I had a lot of problems with it – and it was a bit of a trashy romantasy novel – but I had fun with it. Enough to continue with the sequel, at least. No, Blood & Honey is where the real problems lie. I despised that book, and it completely turned me off from finishing the trilogy.
🛡️ The Knight in Shining Armor 🛡️ A hyped book/series you were swept up by
The Emily Wilde series sank its claws into my with Encyclopaedia and I fell further in love after reading Otherlands. I’m absolutely frothing at the mouth waiting for book three, I’m so excited. I absolutely adore this series.
🧙♂️ The Wise Old Wizard 🧙♂️ An author who amazes you with his/her writing
V.E. Schwab. Every book I’ve read of hers, from like three separate series and one standalone, has been a book that I enjoyed.
♍ The Maiden in Distress ♍ An undervalued character you wish had a bigger storyline
When reading The Girl With No Reflection and writing its review a couple weeks ago I felt that Prince Zhang was somewhat underutilized as a character, and that the narrative of this novel would have benefited if the POVs were split between him and Ying. I still feel this way now. Also, Ying’s handmaidens may as well have not been there for all their storylines mattered to the plot.
🗡️ The Magical Sword 🗡️ A magical item/ability you wished authors used less
Hmmm… This one is a bit tricky. I can’t really think of any specifically that bother me, but when stuff like time travel isn’t done right or written well, it pisses me off. So I guess magical items and abilities that are written badly.
😈 The Mindless Villain 😈 A phrase you cannot help but roll your eyes at
There are a couple. “Like calls to like” got to me a bit after some time while reading ACOTAR, “a breath she didn’t know she was holding” makes me almost physically angry, and I absolutely cannot stand the phrase/descriptor “pillowy lips.” I. Hate. That. Phrase.
🐉 The Untamed Dragon 🐉 A magical creature you wish you had as a pet
The Flames (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) from the Charlie Bone series. Three adorable, hyper intelligent, immortal, magical fire cats? I mean come on, who wouldn’t want them? And there’s three of them.
🥠 The Chosen One 🥠 A book/series you will always root for
Murderbot was a character I fell for instantly and was immediately rooting for. I absolutely devoured this series when I first discovered it, and I think it’s something that I’ll continue to follow for a long time.
Sooo… Since I don’t really know anyone or have any blogging connections, everyone who reads this gets tagged! The fantasy tropes book tag was a fun one, so if you’re interested, you should totally do it!
As always, thanks to everybody so much for reading, and I hope that you have an awesome day/night!
I’ve wanted to join in on Top Ten Tuesdays for a long time now, and I’m finally taking the plunge! It’s always seemed like a bunch of fun, so I’m excited to participate!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Ten Things I Loved About [Insert Book Title Here] – basically pick a book and mention ten things you loved about it!
The book I chose is Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. (I feel like I’m always bringing this one up somehow, even though I’m not. There’s just so much to love about it though!)
Emily Wilde: She’s such a unique and refreshing protagonist, and I found her intelligence endearing, and her tendency to hyper fixate relatable.
Wendell Brambly: He’s just so… you know.
The banter and romance: It’s sooo good – I just can’t gush about it enough! And Emily and Wendell’s chemistry is amazing.
That the story is told in journal entries: It’s something I don’t see often (or at all) in books I read nowadays. (The only other recent book I read with consistent journal entries/letters was Lydia Bennett, Witch.)
The atmosphere/tone: Fawcett absolutely nails this. It’s perfect – especially for a fall read – and it always felt cozy sitting down to read the book.
The cover(s): The cover – and the alternative Barnes & Noble edition (that I have) – are both gorgeous and eye-catching. I love them both, but I think that I love the B&N just a little bit more. I love the blue and purple and green on the white background.
The way that faeries are portrayed: So many books focus on the smuttier aspects of fairy stuff nowadays, and ACOTAR (as much as it’s guilty pleasure trash for me) really encouraged the publishing landscape to focus on the elf-like with big 🍆 that it kinda invented. It was a breath of fresh air to read about more traditional and lore accurate things.
The plot itself: I would be remiss to finish off this list without mentioning one of the most crucial parts of the book. The plot is fantastic.
The footnotes: I loved the option for extra information on faeries, magic or lore that were frequently at the bottom of pages. It made more descriptions available if one wanted to read more, but made them optional for those who wanted to opt out. Plus, they meant that the paragraphs weren’t over cluttered with information and drawn out.
The ending: The ending is simply *chef’s kiss*. 🧑🍳💋
When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her infuriatingly charming fellow scholar Wendell Bambleby.
Because Bambleby is more than brilliant and unbearably handsome. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers.
She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.
But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.
My Review
Assassins are a monstrous breed. Either they attack when you are at your worst, or they are having a go at you on your birthday. I have never known a more dishonourable profession.
Sooo… This review has been a long time coming. I’ve still been in a terrible reading slump, though, and it’s been really sucky. Sorry. But you’re not here to read my excuses – you’re here to read my review for Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands.
This book was good, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first Emily Wilde book. I’m not really sure why. I think it’s because I wasn’t really into the secondary plot. This particular part of the story isn’t mentioned in the summary, but it’s a huge part of the novel: what happened to the dryadologist Danielle de Grey.
I just didn’t find de Grey interesting. Like, at all. I never really cared about her past exploits or what might have happened to her, but Emily talked about it nonstop for long sections of her narration. And I wasn’t really into it.
The thing I found myself more invested in was what the synopsis advertises: saving Brambleby and finding the door to his realm. And I also (wrongly) assumed from this that we’d spend most of the book in faerie, but that didn’t end up happening, so I was a bit disappointed about that. I’m hoping that’s book three, then.
I really liked the characters, however. Emily and Wendell’s continuing romance and banter was still absolutely stellar, and I really enjoyed the new main characters introduced. It was nice to see more of Emily’s family in her niece Ariadne, and more about how things are with the faerie department in Cambridge, which we didn’t see at all in the previous installment. Professor Rose was also an interesting addition, and I really enjoyed reading about the slowly developing friendship between him and Emily.
So yeah, all in all, I really liked this book though it wasn’t quite on par with Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I still highly recommend it to fans of the first book, though! And to fans of faerie stories similar to the works of Holly Black.
Favorite Quotes
“Can’t you sense what enchantments are stored in the stones?” I demanded.
“No!”
I threw my hands up in frustration. “Then why do you keep on breaking them?”
“Because you told me to, you lunatic!
Rose asked me why I was not more surprised by your feat. He does not understand you as I do, Em, but as you seem to consider him a friend now, I told him the truth: in order to be surprised, I could not have known already that you are capable of anything.
I leaned close, breathing in the smell of his hair— the salt of sweat; smoke from the fire; and the distant smell of green leaves that never left him.
“My answer is yes,” I whispered in his ear.
He winced. “Yes, this is an inconvenience—but I feel much better than I did. It’s clearly the sort of poison meant to confuse my magic, but these”—he glanced about the compartment—“effects should fade soon enough.”
“That’s remarkably unspecific.”
“I’m sorry. I have never been poisoned before, so I find the symptoms difficult to predict.
It’s been… a while. Sorry. Winter is sometimes a hard season for me. But this year, my spouse and I have both been dealing with some stress, and I’ve also just been dealing with a lot of different stuff. That, and I also haven’t felt like reading books lately. So I’m still in a bit of a reading slump.
But Valentine’s Day is like right here, and I should’ve posted January 2024’s Monthly Reading Wrap-Up last week, so I’m posting it right now. I didn’t do much novel reading last month, but I did read, so I’m doing this.
So here’s my stats from The StoryGraph from January 2024.
January 2024 Reading
I read 1 book and 339 pages
So, there’s not a lot here, unfortunately. It’s better than December 2023, as I actually finished a freaking book, but I still only read one book. And my StoryGraph statistics reflect that.
I still have three different Moods though – Adventurous, Mysterious and Funny. My pace was pretty medium, the book I read was between 300 and 499 pages and the book I read was fiction (as seems to be the usual with me).
Still not a lot here – courtesy of my reading habits last month. But there is stuff here. The novel I read – Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett – had two genres applied to it: Fantasy and Historical.
The format of this novel was print, as in, a physical copy as opposed to an ebook. I rated the book four stars but I didn’t do any reading until the end of January.
So yeah. I didn’t really do a lot of reading last month, unfortunately. (Well, technically I read a lot of fanfiction, but I don’t count that here.) The only thing that I really want to do for February is read at least two books. Anything’s better than last month.
Regarding my poor, neglected reading blog, I’m hoping to post a little better. I don’t really have any specific posts in mind for the rest of February at the moment – save one or two – but I am planning on posting a few.
Anyway, thank you to anyone who still checks out my blog. I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
Sooo… It’s been awhile. I know I kind of did this post for the first time right before Christmas and then left you guys hanging. Sorry.
But I’m finally back with another Reading & Recipes. For this post, I’m going to be posting a recipe I used recently along with a picture of the finished product, as well as discussing a book I was reading the same day a little bit. Annnd that’s it, that’s pretty much the post.
Recent Recipe: Stir Fry w/ Udon
Unlike the recipe in my last post, this one is entirely a Mar original. Stir fry isn’t something that I really grew up with, until high school when my dad started making it with rice. I love rice, but I love noodles even more, so use them instead.
Stuff I Put In It:
2 pkgs Kame udon noodles
1 pkg beef stew meat
2 chicken breasts, cubed
2 broccoli florets
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
I put this stuff in my stir fry this time, though it always varies. One time I did beef and shrimp, another I did beef, chicken and pork, and one time I did beef on its own. You can really put anything you want in it, even tofu if you want a vegetarian option.
You don’t even have to use udon if you don’t want to. Like I said, my dad uses rice. Either white or brown works great. But if you want to use noodles but not udon, a variety are available. You can use hokkien noodles, soba noodles or Thai ribbon noodles.
What I Put In the Sauce I Stir Fry it In:
Soy sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Sesame oil
Ginger (ground)
Garlic powder
A pinch of salt
A dash of sugar
I don’t bother to measure my amounts for my stir fry sauce. I just keep adding stuff I like, until I have a flavor I like. I typically use a lot of sesame oil and ginger though. You can pretty much put whatever you want in the sauce though.
How I Cook It:
Turn the surface heating on high
Put on the wok (I don’t have an electric wok – if you do, DO NOT put in on the burner!)
Pour in the sauce after it heats up
Put in your meat / seafood / tofu first
After they’re mostly cooked, put in your vegetables (if you’re using any)
Add the noodles last, mix them in and cook them for two minutes
Take stir fry off heating and ladle into portions
Like everything else, this can be super varied. You can really put in whatever you want to stir fry, and you can prepare it how you want. You could even cook it over a skillet or pan fry it, and it works pretty well (this is what I did before I got a wok).
When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore—she just wrote the world’s first comprehensive of encylopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Folk on her adventures… and also from her fellow scholar and former rival, Wendell Bambleby.
Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, and in search of a door back to his realm. So despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and danger.
And she also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by Bambleby’s mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambley’s realm, and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans.
But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.
This has been my most anticipated read of 2024 so far, and it hasn’t disappointed. I love Emily and Brambleby, and I love their banter. I love the world that Heather Fawcett has created.
I know that the year has just started, but I think this is going to be one of my highest rated books over 2024. Of course, I’m also still excited about what other novels might be coming out soon, as well.
So what books have you been reading lately? What have you thought of them? What’s your favorite meal or dessert?
Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you all have an awesome day/night!
I’m a(n unintentional) day late, but I was busy preparing for a medical procedure today and it… kinda slipped my mind. Sorry. Anyway, let’s get to the weekly wrap-up.
This past week was… pretty underwhelming regarding my blog. But it was better than the weeks preceding it, so I’m counting it as a win. I’m planning (hoping) to do better this week.
But yeah. Let’s get on to the post.
Friday 1/26: Spell the Month in Books
Last Friday, I participated in Spell the Month in Books for January. For later than I probably should’ve, and definitely far later than I had intended to. But I finally did it.
Spell the Month in Books is a really fun monthly post created and hosted by Jana @ Reviews from the Stacks.
Yesterday, I finally, finally posted my contribution to Birthstone Book Covers for January 2024. Yet another post that I had intended to participate in earlier this month, but never got around to for various reasons.
Birthstone Book Covers is a really fun monthly post that’s created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black. January’s birthstone is garnet, so red book covers were all front and center.
So yeah, last week wasn’t up to par either. But I really feel like I’m starting to get back into the groove again. I even started, and am definitely planning on finishing, a book a day or so ago.
But just because I kind of, sort of, maybe stopped reading House of Earth and Blood after the first few pages, doesn’t mean I DNF-ed it. I stopped it so early not cuz I didn’t like it. That’s not the case at all – I was super stressed out last week because of the work stuff combined with thinking about the medical thing I had today. And an 800+ page book was just too much for me last week. And this week.
Yesterday, however, I started reading a new release and sequel that I was really excited about: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. I really enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries when I read it a couple of months ago, and absolutely couldn’t wait for the second book. And I’m really enjoying EWMOTO so far. I’m about a third of the way through and am planning on finishing it by tomorrow night.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night!
So, um, the title of this post is a little misleading. Technically, this is almost a “three weeks-ly” wrap-up. But that sounds dumb, so I’m still gonna call this a Weekly Wrap-Up.
Anyway, I haven’t really been too active on the blog this month. December is always a busier month for me, and to be honest, as much as I adore it, the holiday season stresses me out. Just a tiny bit. So I kind of took it easy this month. Sorry.
Anyway, let’s talk about the stuff I have done on the blog, since my last weekly wrap-up.
Wednesday 12/6: WWW Wednesday
Two and a half weeks ago, on Wednesday, I finally participated in another WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.
Two Saturdays ago, I participated in Spell the Month in Books for December 2023. Spell the Month in Books is a monthly post created and hosted by Jana @ Reviews from the Stacks.
Thursday 12/21: Birthstone Book Covers / Reading & Recipes
Two days ago, this past Thursday, I ended up double posting. The first post that I did was Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a monthly post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.
The second post that I did on Thursday was a new thing that I thought up a few weeks ago. It’s called Reading & Recipes, and for it I showcase the thing I baked or cooked most recently and discuss the book I was reading at the time a little.
Friday 12/22: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries Review
Yesterday I finally, finally, finally posted my review for Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. I absolutely loved the book and I gave it ★★★★★.
So yeah, I haven’t been all that active so far this December. I’m hoping to post more than I have been next week, but no promises. Also, I probably won’t be posting tomorrow or the next day, as they are Christmas Eve and Christmas, and I want to spend all my time with family and friends. Plus, I’ll probably be tired from holiday stuff. I’m already pretty boned now actually – I’ve been busy making a ton of cookies these last couple days! (Not to mention wrapping presents the day before that!)
And… that’s kind of it for this wrap-up. I don’t have as much to say this time, I know, but like I said: I’ve been busy the last few days. I’ll probably end up reading books I get for Christmas next (if I get books for Christmas), and then I’ll read something else.
But yeah, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night! Also, to everyone who celebrates, Merry Christmas!! 🎄❄️🔔🎁
