Bookish appetites and desires

Pop the bubbly because it's that time of year again, the new year! A time for celebration, reflecting on the past year, and looking forward to the new year. Today, we'll do all of those things, so raise your glasses to what 2019 was and what 2020 will be! Celebration Let's be honest, 2019 was a pretty trash year all around. Sure, there were good parts to it, but overall it was a pretty rough year, so let's focus on the good parts. For me, it was the year I finally decided to start blogging -wow, shocking, I know-. I wanted to get back into writing and trying to be creative again, so I figured that blogging about what I'm reading and trying to make a habit of it would be a good start. It's been rocky at times, but I think I've found a rhythm so that 2020 can go a bit more smoothly. I'd like to take this moment to thank all of you for stumbling upon my little corner of the internet and supporting me so far, it's been greatly appreciated! I...

Authors: Hazel Graynor and Heather Webb    First Published: 2017 Genre: Historical Fiction    Rating: ★★★★★    Have you ever wondered what letters to loved ones and friends on the battlefield during the great and tragic wars were like? What about their correspondence back? How is it that over such great distances, love can blossom during tragedy? Well, this book is the one for you if you've answered yes to any of these, and if you haven't, then it's about time you stopped lying to yourself.  Both Hazel and Heather did a fantastic job weaving this story using letters to depict what World War 1 was really like for those involved. I love that they didn't get too gory with details, but instead let the reader have a taste of what this war did to those involved, from being naive and optimistic to bruised, broken and psychologically damaged. As the characters progress and as the war progresses you get a sense of just how desperately those in...

Author: Kim Law   Published: 2019   Genre: Holiday Romance   Rating: ★★★    Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to finally get "the one that got away" despite you trying your best to forget that they ever existed? What if that special someone used to be your best friend? What if your best friend has a traumatic past that prevents them from getting close to you despite everything? Then this just might be the book for you! Set in Montana, with little description of what Montana is like besides saying "mountains!", this feisty little holiday piece is a lot packed into a small book. Think Nicholas Sparks level of complicated and sordid relationships mixed with tragic and traumatizing events, muddled all together in a quick-to-digest book. What I'd wished from this book though is that the author had taken the time to put a little more into it. I wish she'd gone a little deeper into the traumas and past, a little more into the set...

Author: Scarlet Wilson   Published: 2016   Genre: Holiday Romance   Rating: ★★★★★    Are you a sucker for Hallmark Christmas movies and looking for a book to read? Do you love down-on-her-luck ladies who are swept away by charming and handsome European men? Then do I have the book for you! A Royal Christmas Princess by Scarlet Wilson has all of this and a little bit more for you. I'll be the first to admit that I do not enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies; they're always a little to uplifting, a little too cheesy, and a little too merry. However, put that in a book and I will gobble it up for breakfast! This book had just the right amount of cheesiness and the right amount of self-awareness of the genre and tropes to toe the line between Hallmark style ridiculousness and real world fairy tale. This is honestly a very good book to get you into the holiday spirit if you, like me, are a bit of a Scrooge. At only 165 pages this book f...

Author: Heather Morris    Published: 2018   Genre: Historical Fiction   Rating: ★★★★    Special Note: People's Choice for 1000 Views Appreciation   Have you ever wondered what it was like in the concentration camps for the prisoners who were slightly more privileged than the rest? Have you ever considered what it was like for those prisoners who've had to endure a lifetime of guilt for aiding the Nazis in any capacity in order to survive? This incredible, based-on a true story novel is the prefect book to delve into just that. Heather Morris did a wonderful job of presenting Lale, his actions, the actions of those around him, and the consequences of those actions, as incredible and astounding they may have been, in a way that was very easy to digest yet still left one feeling uneasy. She didn't write this novel in a heavy, in your face with shock value sort of manner, but rather in a way that made you empathize with Lale ...

Author: E.L. James    First Published: 2017   Genre: Erotica   Rating: ★★★★   We're back and continuing Christian's journey through his relationship with the intoxicating Anastasia Steele. This week with delayed gratification. -Yes, I've been hiding Easter eggs in my posts for people who've read the books, you're welcome.- Again, which I don't think comes to a surprise to anyone, I've rated it quite highly due to it's entertainment value and how well E.L. James was able to piece together and answer a bunch of the questions that I, and I'm sure many other readers, had from Ana's side of the story. Without getting into spoilers, here's a list of the things -in no particular order- that I was most happy to get answers about: Christian's impulsive behaviour Leila's reappearance  Mrs. Robinson v. Grace fallout To anyone who has read Fifty Shades Darker or even Darker itself, this will make a lot more sense. For those who...

Author: E.L. James First Published: 2015 Genre: Erotica ★★★★ Have you ever wondered what makes the rich tick? What it is that guides their hands in their decisions and their conquests? What if they are lascivious conquests? Intrigued? Then Grey may be the book for you. I'll be the first to admit that some of my book vices are ones that would make people roll their eyes: vampires, werewolves, cheesy romances, and -oh yeah!- Fifty Shades of Grey . I'm not one to read through a series quickly, I like to take my time and absorb the stories before moving on to the next in the series, but for some reason these book suck me in and drag me down with them.  What I enjoyed the most about this book is it is an excellent companion to the original Fifty Shades of Grey novel. Many of the questions that I'd had reading it, mostly "What the Hell is his problem?" or "Why the Hell is he reacting that way?" got answered in this book. It actually makes you e...

Author: Adam Roberts First Published: 2006 Genre: Historical Non-Fiction Rating: ★★★★★ Do you enjoy fast-paced action where governments could topple and riches could be had? How about multi-national coup plots full of chaos, intrigue and deception? What if I told you that you could have all of these things, and it'd be a real event? Welcome to the Wonga Coup. This was not a book that was on my radar because of my vested interest in oil -because that doesn't exist- but because Goodreads recommended it to me since I've enjoyed books in the past about the blood diamond industry -don't get me started, it's a whole thing-. This has been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for a short while, but I decided that since this year I'm trying to clear off my to-be-read shelf -ha!- that I should tackle this one while I have some lighter material to follow up with were it emotionally heavy. Boy, was it not emotionally heavy, but instead it was exhilarating! Adam Ro...

Author: Steve Vernon First Published: 2006 Genre: Folklore Rating: ★★☆ Have you ever stood on a pier or wharf, inhaling the fresh ocean breeze, and wondered to yourself, "Gee, I wonder who haunts these waters?" Well, if you're traveling to Nova Scotia then look no further! This book is packed end-to-end with ghost stories from all over the province, including some of the surrounding islands. As much as I hate horror movies -yes, because I'm a scaredy-cat- I do love a good ghost story, so this book to me, as a native Nova Scotian, held so much promise. That promise fell a bit short. Spooky! What did I enjoy about this book? It was an honest trip around the province, full of rich history and varying locales. From colonial and privateering times to the more recent 20th century, there's plenty of history for everyone. It paints Nova Scotia, which has an admittedly short recorded history in comparison to other areas of the world, as the place to be if y...

Author: Cameron Dokey   First Published: 1997   Genre: Fantasy   Rating: ★★★★    Have you ever met someone who was a fantastic story teller? What was it about them that enchanted you? Was it their ability to potentially save an entire kingdom from utter ruin just by telling a story? If so, your storyteller sounds like our very own Shahrazad, the storyteller's daughter. What a refreshing read this was compared to some of the books I've been reading lately. At times it was quick-witted, at times it was mysterious, and throughout the smaller stories it wove a larger tale all-together. From struggling with accepting who we are, to love, loss and betrayal, with all the heartache and self-doubt to boot, and a few stumbles and surprises along the way, Cameron Dokey has created something to pull on the heart strings. With deep, hidden messages in a larger, easy-to-read format, this is definitely worth the time, especially if you're in...

Author: Nnedi Okorafor     First Published: 2015     Genre: Science Fiction     Rating: ★★☆     Have you ever had the urge to just up and leave it all behind? Your people. Your culture. Your family. Your planet. Binti did, despite it going against the grain of everything she knew and cherished, in the pursuit of higher education. The premise of this novella is fantastic! A young woman from a technologically advanced, yet relatively reclusive and superstitious people, is the first of her people to leave Earth, motivated by the opportunity to study at a prestigious school, all-expenses paid, in the Milky Way galaxy. Despite her family and friends having forbade her from leaving their desert and their community, she snuck off into the night, arriving in time to meet her transporter. This transporter is where her dreams and nightmares collided as disaster struck and surprising events took place. Th...

  Author: M. Verano   First Published: 2016   Genre: Horror    Rating: ★★★☆   Do you remember what it's like to be a teenager? Full of life a vigor? What were your passions? What did you want to be when you grew up? Maybe a singer like Laetitia? How about possessed and tormented by evil? Or is it something evil? The way that M. Verano set up this book, doing it in blog and diary form I thought was an interesting style choice - and as someone who writes a blog, I'm a bit partial to this choice. It allowed for a sort of stream of consciousness that, given that this is all supposed to be taking place to a 15-year-old in modern times, was very appropriate. It also allowed for more of the raw chaos, panic, and emotion to show through as a bystander, which added to the intrigue of the story. With the writing itself my only complaint would be that I felt that at times there were events or characters added that, to me, added no rea...

Author: Allen Williams   First Published: 2010   Genre: Fantasy   Rating: ★★☆   Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be trapped in the dark, twisted, and enchanted kitchen of witches who have evil intentions towards you? Then this is the book for you! Welcome to The Witches' Kitchen, where everything is trying to eat or destroy you, you happen to make a few friends, and - oh! - don't forget, you're a magical toad. This book has been on my shelf -again- for around a decade, and unlike A Company of Swans I can understand why I left this one for so long. There was so much promise in the premise of this book that it did not deliver on. Everything seemed a little too convenient, a little too fast paced, and too many characters and things coming out of nowhere, many of which held no significant value to the story. While this book is considered Young Adult, I would recommend it more to children, maybe 10-13, just because of some o...

Author: Eva Ibbotson   First Published: 1985   Genre: Historical Fiction   Rating: ★★★★★ How does a girl who grew up sheltered in a loveless, cold household in England end up a beautiful and talented ballerina performing in Brazil? Through hardship, betrayal, and perseverance - and with the help of her company of swans of course. Eva Ibbotson weaves a beautiful and tragic narrative of a girl growing up in a household where she was shown no love, had no freedoms, and whose family was wound so tight and misogynistic that her future seemed very bleak indeed. That is, until fate, and a mere mention of an opportunity to pursue ballet professionally caused her to strike out on her own path and abandon her frigid family. Deep in the heart of the Amazon with her ballet company and some unexpected encounters, she transforms from a quiet and obedient cygnet to a beautiful and vibrant swan; here she finds and can be her true self. I'm ashamed to adm...

Author: Tana French    First published: 2007    Genre: Murder Mystery   My rating: ★★★   What do a young ballet dancer and a Dublin murder investigator have in common? They were both victims of crime in a small little estate called Knocknaree in County Dublin, when they were each twelve-years old. Intrigued? Until the final 100 pages or so, I was too! Following investigators Rob Ryan, Cassie Maddox, and Sam O'Neill through suspects, or lack thereof, and seeing how the details and turmoil of the case affected them all differently was, at times, intoxicating. In the case of Rob  (n ée Adam) Ryan, following his journey navigating this small town he had once called home, despite him not remembering much about it was exciting. The final 100 pages however, are the reason I've given this only a three-star rating, and why I have no intention of continuing on with the rest of the series. The author did an excellent job throughout ...

Author: Oscar Wilde   First published: 1890   Genre: Classic Literature   My rating: ★★★   Who knew that the desires of man could be so dangerous? From a beauty as pure and innocent as one could imagine, to a corrupt and tormented soul beyond reckoning, the story of Dorian Gray and his cursed painting draws one in to the outcomes of giving in too much to one's desires.  I'll be honest, I found the first half of the book to be quite slow and pedantic, causing me to look almost anywhere else for something to read. I've seen the movies though, and this story is so rich and interesting that I persevered because I knew at some point that the Dorian Gray I had seen on the big screen would come out of hiding.  Boy, was I not disappointed! Aside from a bit where Wilde went on for far too long about textiles, tapestries and, gems of all kinds, Dorian realizing his power -later to be his curse- and delving into ...