Birthstone Book Covers: May 2023

It’s later in the month again, but I’ve been pretty busy for the past week or so, and haven’t had a lot of time. But now I do have more time, so I’m finally posting my May 2023 birthstone book covers.

Leslie @ Books Are the New Black created a fun monthly post called Birthstone Book Covers. Each month, she features book covers that are either the same color of that month’s birthstone or include the color in the title.

May has one birthstone – Emerald.

Rules:

📚 Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black) and link back to her so she can check out your post.
📚 Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
📚 HAVE FUN!
📚 Nominate people if you want!

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson — **Tress of the Emerald Sea** **by Brandon Sanderson**

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas — **A Court of Mist and Fury** **by Sarah J. Maas**

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater — **Half a Soul** **by Olivia Atwater**

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune — **In the Lives of Puppets** **by TJ Klune**

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher — **Nettle & Bone** **by T. Kingfisher**

The Other Emily by Dean Koontz — **The Other Emily** **by Dean Koontz**

Thank you so much for reading, and have a fabulous day/night!

See ya ~Mar

January 2023 Reading Wrap-Up

It’s another new month, and that means it’s to go over the previous month’s reading statistics. January Reading 2023, here we go!

Before I move on to the stats and pie charts and other assorted graphs, I want to mention how seriously happy I am with the amount of books that I combed through. It’s a huge improvement from December’s reading, and I’m hoping to read even more this month (February).

And now, on to the stats…

January 2023 Reading Stats

😐 Moods: For January, I had five moods – mysterious, adventurous, dark, tense, and challenging. No surprise there – I read a ton of either dark fantasy or horror.

👢 Pace: All of the books I read last month pretty much all turned out to be medium-paced. Most actual books are, so I’m honestly not surprised with that one, even though I did find Spinning Silver to be kind of slow, and What Moves the Dead to be generally fast-paced.

🔢 Page Number: Most of the books I read were between 300 and 500 pages, which is pretty average for me. (It’s my favorite length of book to read, after all.) What Moves the Dead was essentially a novella, or a short novel though, so it only clocked in at 165 pages.

📖 Fiction/Nonfiction: All fiction, once again. I promise that I occasionally (very occasionally) read nonfiction books, though.

🎭 Genres: I had four genres that I generally read last month. Fantasy (hello to you too, favorite genre), YA (not exactly one of my favorites, I just happen to read this one often), Horror (when I’m feeling like having a bad time), and LGBTQIA+ (What Moves the Dead had some pretty good rep).

📄 Format: I read three physical copies of books this past month, and one e-book. (Or so the chart says…)

⭐ Rating: My average rating was 4.19 stars, but that’s what happens when you read 4 books, rate two 4/5, one 3.75/5, and one 5/5.

📉 Pages Read Daily: I’m kind of all over the place in January, in terms of how many pages I read in a day, let alone a week. I peaked pretty early on, because I read the entirety of Unraveller in one day, but I read all of the other books in multiple sessions.

The Books I Read in January

Unraveller Book Review - The Blog That Nobody Knows

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

Spinning Silver Book Review - The Blog That Nobody Knows

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Deeplight Book Review - The Blog That Nobody Knows

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

What Moves the Dead Book Review - The Blog That Nobody Knows

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Wrapping Up the Wrap-Up

So yeah, I read a lot more – annnd I posted a lot more, now that I think about it – in January 2023 than I did in December. And that really makes me happy with myself, and just my ability to be proactive in general. (Especially with how hard winter can get on my mentality.)

What books did you read last month? Did we read any of the same ones? What did you think of the stuff you read in January?

Thank you for reading, and have a marvelous day/night! Tune in next post for more bookish stuff!

See ya ~Mar

LINKS: Goodreads | Instagram

“What Moves the Dead” by T. Kingfisher: Book Review

The dead don’t walk.

Mushroom Zombie Nightmare | What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher [Book Review]

★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars

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.

The Book Description Was Serviceable

This book was what modern retellings of classic literature should be: something that embellishes and expands upon the original, whilst staying true to the original material.

What Moves the Dead is a short novel (of 165 pages) written by T. Kingfisher, and published rather recently on July 12, 2022 by Tor Books. As I just noted, it’s a retelling, specifically of The Fall of the House of Usher written by Edgar Allen Poe, originally published in the 19th century.

The summary provided with the book really covers just about everything, without really spoiling the novella too much. I honestly can’t tell you really anything else without doing the same.

The Characters Were Likeable

Like the last book that I recently reviewed, the characters here were extremely compelling, and relatively likable.

Our main character, Alex Easton, is a former soldier from the (fictional) Gallacian army. They’re curious and kind, but also a bit cheeky. I really liked them as a protagonist.

Dr. Denton and Miss Potter are the aforementioned doctor and mycologist in the synopsis. Both are quite interesting characters, each with their own motivations. I think I liked Miss Potter more, and her little romance with Angus was very sweet.

“Well, I am a superstitious sort,” said Angus, and I know there is [something wicked]. It ain’t canny. The sort of place you find devils dancing on the moors.”

Angus, Alex’s batman, was probably my second favorite character (we’ll get to the favorite momentarily). He was so intolerant, but you could tell how much he cared about Alex, and see how close they were.

My favorite character in the book, though, was Hob, Alex’s horse. He was just so cute, and Kingfisher gave him so much personality, even though he was just an animal. I loved his and Alex’s little interactions.

Hob gave me the look he gives me when I am asking him to do something that he considers excessive, but he followed.

Madeline and Roderick Usher were pretty interesting characters in their own right. You never quite knew what either of them were thinking until the climax.

The Plot Was an Awesome Expansion on the Original

As I mentioned at the beginning of my review, this little novel is a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe. And it’s a pretty darn good one.

T. Kingfisher goes into her motivations for choosing to do this retelling in particular, in her Acknowledgments at the end of the book, but I’ll try to sum it up for you. She was unsatisfied with some of the decisions of the characters in the original story and the way the mysteries were resolved – or in the case of the book, weren’t.

So she decided to embellish on the original plot, and she did a damn good job with it. The inclusion of fungus zombies was unexpected but very interesting. I really liked it.

Final Thoughts

This place breeds nightmares.

This book was short, but as they say, it was also sweet. In an absolutely horrifying way, of course. Before now, I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of reading any of T. Kingfisher’s works, and I’m finally happy that I’ve done so. It was a quick little read, and anyone who’s read my reviews knows that I love retellings.

I recommend this to people that enjoy horror and can handle some body horror, and some disturbing descriptions. If you’re the complete opposite, you might want to keep away.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day/night! Tune in next time for more bookish stuff.

See ya ~Mar

LINKS: Goodreads | Instagram

WWW Wednesday #3

No Shelf Control from me this week, unfortunately, but I’m beginning to run out of books on my bookshelf/Kindle that have been languishing. (Which is probably a good thing.) (No it isn’t.) Anyway, I’m still up for WWW Wednesday, do let’s get started! I’ve really enjoyed it since I started participating in it a couple weeks ago.

WWW Wednesday is a meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!

The 3 Ws of WWW Wednesday are…

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m Currently Reading:

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles (Book #3)

Length: 552 pages

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA, Fiction

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Book Description:

The #1 New York Times Bestselling Series

In this third book in Marissa Meyer’s bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s being forced to work for Queen Levana, and she’s just received orders to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is splintered. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price than she’d ever expected. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai, especially the cyborg mechanic. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

What I Recently Finished Reading:

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

Length: 165 pages

Genres: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Fiction

Release Date: July 12, 2022

Book Description:

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.

What I Might Read Next:

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Series: The Lunar Chronicles (Book #4)

Length: 827 pages

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA, Fiction

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Book Description:

The #1 New York Times Bestselling Series

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.

What are your 3 Ws for this week? How’ve you been enjoying them lately? Have you read any of the books above? What did you think of them, if you have?

Thanks for reading! Tune in next post for more bookish things! (This time, specifically a review of What Moves the Dead.)

See ya ~Mar

LINKS: Goodreads | Instagram

WWW Wednesday #2

Look! It’s a double post! I’ve been wanting to post stuff more often, so I’ve been looking for different blog posts to take part in. I tried WWW Wednesday last week and immediately loved it, so I think it’s here to stay!

WWW Wednesday is a meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!

The 3 Ws of WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m Currently Reading:

Title & Author: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

Length: 432 pages

Genres: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Description:

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in Frances Hardinge’s latest fantasy adventure

The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever?

When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster–and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?

What I Recently Finished Reading:

Title & Author: Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Length: 466 pages

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

Release Date: July 10, 2018

Description:

With the Nebula Award-winning Uprooted, Naomi Novik opened a brilliant new chapter in an already acclaimed career, delving into the magic of fairy tales to craft a love story that was both timeless and utterly of the now. Spinning Silver draws readers deeper into this glittering realm of fantasy, where the boundary between wonder and terror is thinner than a breath, and safety can be stolen as quickly as a kiss.

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. She will face an impossible challenge and, along with two unlikely allies, uncover a secret that threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike.

What I Might Read Next:

Title & Author: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Length: 165 pages

Genres: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Fiction

Release Date: July 12, 2022

Description:

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.

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.

What are your 3 Ws for the week? Are any of these books part of it? Have you been enjoying what you’ve been reading lately?

Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic day/night! Join me next post for more bookish things, and next week for another WWW Wednesday!

~ Mar ~

Majestic Mondays Week #3: Sorcery of Thorns, Gild, A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking

It’s that time of week again, so it’s time for another Majestic Monday.

Majestic Mondays are when The Blog that Nobody Knows takes a look at some pretty book covers. That’s it, that’s what we do.

This week, I’ve decided to start doing three books, as opposed to a single book, like I’ve been doing until now. This week we’re gonna admire the covers of Sorcery of Thorns, Gild, and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Length: 464 pages

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Romance

Release Date: June 4, 2019

Book Description

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire, and Elisabeth is implicated in the crime. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Book Cover Rating: ★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars

First off, I love the emerald background with the darker green thorns, leaves and vines, swirling around on it. It’s a gorgeous backdrop. I also love the lavender roses nestled in the bottom left corner. Paired with the title, they automatically bring to mind roses and their thorns.

Speaking of the title, I adore the curling ivory font that was chosen. It keeps the “thorny” theme going, and really stands out at the same time. Elisabeth, the woman on the cover, also looks lovely. I love the blue outfit she’s wearing, and how you can see thorny vines attempting to ensnare her. And the way the red and silver sword she’s holding stands out amongst everything else is so eye-catching. What a beautifully illustrated cover.

Gild by Raven Kennedy

Series: The Plated Prisoner [Book #1]

Length: 400 pages

Genre: High Fantasy, Romance

Release Date: October 1, 2020

Book Description

By bestselling author Raven Kennedy, comes the first book in a stunning new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout.

The fae abandoned this world to us. And the ones with power rule.

Gold.

Gold floors, gold walls, gold furniture, gold clothes. In Highbell, in the castle built into the frozen mountains, everything is made of gold.

Even me.

King Midas rescued me. Dug me out of the slums and placed me on a pedestal. I’m called his precious. His favored. I’m the woman he Gold-Touched to show everyone that I belong to him. To show how powerful he is. He gave me protection, and I gave him my heart. And even though I don’t leave the confines of the palace, I’m safe.

Until war comes to the kingdom and a deal is struck.

Suddenly, my trust is broken. My love is challenged. And I realize that everything I thought I knew about Midas might be wrong.

Because these bars I’m kept in, no matter how gilded, are still just a cage. But the monsters on the other side might make me wish I’d never left.

The myth of King Midas reimagined. This compelling adult fantasy series is as addictive as it is unexpected. With romance, intrigue, and danger, the gilded world of Orea will grip you from the very first page.

PLEASE NOTE: This book contains explicit content and darker elements, including mature language, violence, and non-consensual sex. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. This is book one in a series.

Book Cover Rating: ★★★✬☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars

Okay, so even though I rated it half a star less than Sorcery of Thorns, this cover is still unbelievably gorgeous. I just preferred the other one a little bit more.

I love how all of the gold looks in front of the black background. Absolutely beautiful. I love the look of the cage in the center of the cover; how it resembles a birdcage, and the way the title weaves in and around its bars.

I also adore the way that the liquid gold looks writhing around the cage, as if it’s simultaneously trying to emerge from the cage, but also appears as if it is growing too large for the cage to contain it. Very pretty.

It should also be noted, that the other covers in The Plated Prisoner series are also absolutely beautiful, so check them out!

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Length: 320 pages

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism

Release Date: July 21, 2020

Book Description

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…

Book Cover Rating: ★★★★✬ • 4.5 / 5 stars

So, um, just pretend that eyesore of a gold circle isn’t sitting on the bottom left portion of the cover. Yeah.

Anyway, if you ignore that portion of the cover – or just look at a version of the cover without it – it’s a very pretty book cover. Honestly, my favorite types of covers are those that look simpler – like, they don’t have to have complex illustrations or anything to be beautiful. I actually prefer covers like this one, where there’s a simple background color – but a very good color – with another color or two on top of it for the title and basic artistry, to dress up the cover a bit.

I love the shade of purple on this cover. I love the golden shade of the title and decorations too, and how it looks like dough used for baking. The gingerbread man with a sword and a cute-looking, angry expression on his face is also just… perfect.

This entire cover so adorable. It’s just so nice, and it gives me the urge to bake myself. Or eat cookies.

So what did you guys think of these book covers? Are any of them making you want to read any of the books? Have you read any of these books before? What did you think of them? Thanks for reading, as always, and join me next time for some more book stuff!