On the heels of one of the more average fantasy novels I've read recently, I picked up one of the most unique fantasy novels I've ever read. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty follows the titular character, a 40-year-old mother who is both a pirate and a devout Muslim, as she comes out of retirement for one last job. I spend time detailing the many unique facets of this novel, talk about the pacing, and discuss the role religion played in this book.

Rounding out my vacation reads is The Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen. This YA/NA fantasy novel follows Meren, a secret princess, after she is kidnapped prior to her sister's coronation. I explore the one innovative plot idea in this book, pose multiple questions about the curse that makes no sense to me, and explain the standard fantasy tropes we see in this book that are used all the time.

I finally got on the Tessa Bailey train and picked up her newest novel Secretly Yours. It follows Hallie as she reeks havoc on a wine tasting business and writes secret admirer letters to her high school crush Julian. I talk about reading a Tessa Bailey book for the first time, go over why I thought this book was a blast, and complain about the cover.

I finally read one of my most highly anticipated books of the year: A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross. This book is the conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology and follows Jack, Adaira, Sidra, and Torin as they try to heal a mysterious illness and bring balance back to the island. I break down the character development of each of the main characters, express my joy at being back in this world, and provide a critique of the climax of the novel.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on Talia Hibbert's highly anticipated YA debut novel Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute. This book follows Celine and Brad friends turned enemies as they compete in a camping expedition for a college scholarship. I provide an overview of the great representation in Hibbert's books, explain my conflicting feelings about Celine's character, and discuss aliens and conspiracy theories.

When I found out Cinda Williams Chima was starting a new YA fantasy series, I couldn't wait to read it. Children of Ragnarok follows Eiric, who is trying to sail to a magical island with his sister Liv, and Reginn, who is a magic user working to uncover buried secrets. I spend too much time talking about Chima's other books, make predictions for the next books, and discuss the shady things going down.

After searching tirelessly for months, I finally found a copy of Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P Manansala. This cozy mystery follows Lila as her untrustworthy cousin Ronnie moves back into town and becomes a murder suspect. I talk about my difficulty finding this book, discuss the guessability of this mystery, and wonder where the heck Jae was in this book.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin has been absolutely everywhere and winning all the awards. This book follows Sam and Sadie the ups and downs of their friendship and career as video game creators over 30+ years. I complain about the false advertising, and dig into my main qualms with this book, and touch on the redeeming qualities.

Back-to-back episodes where I cover two books at once! This time I cover Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti and In 27 Days by Alison Gervais. I uncover two random similarities between the books, detail how I found In 27 Days, and explain my feelings about both books.  

Over Thanksgiving I read The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I'm way behind on my posting schedule, so that means I'm finally getting around to the books I read over Thanksgiving at the very end of January. I give an actually short plot summary for each and then do a deep dive into my thoughts and opinions on both books!

I've finally caught myself up to my concussion wrap up episode. It only took me two months to get there. In this episode, I provide brief overviews and opinions on five of the seven books I read during my concussion hiatus. The books include The Final Gambit, Sign Here, Beach Read, For Butter or Worse, and The Rose Code.

I finally finished the third and final book in Kerri Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked series. Kingdom of the Feared follows Emilia and Wrath as they navigate their betrothal, Vittoria's betrayal, and the disappearance of Greed's general. I discuss the secrets that were revealed and my questions that remain, explain my feelings on Vittoria's actions, and predict what future books may look like.

It's time for my favorite episode of the year! I review my reading year looking at how many books I read, the genre breakdown, and a few other fun statistics. I also discuss my favorite and least favorite books of 2022. 

I return to historical fiction with a book lent to me by my aunt. West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge tells the story of two giraffes who survived a hurricane in 1938 and were then driven across the U.S. to become the first giraffes at the San Diego Zoo and touch the hearts and lives of all who come in contact with them. I parse out fact from fiction, ponder the quiet tragedy of this book, and explain the appeal of this historical fiction novel.

Happy Holidays everyone! This year I tried Book of the Month's Christmas romance selection for the third time, and for the first time it actually hit! Alison Cochrun's Kiss Her Once For Me follows Ellie a broke bisexual who agrees to marry her landlord only to find out that his sister's is the woman she had a one night stand with last Christmas. I fangirl over the amount of Taylor Swift references in this book, explain the messy drama that I was living for, and break down the fabulous representation in this book.

I couldn't help myself. I had to read the much anticipated follow up to The Love Hypothesis. Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood is a steminist enemies to lovers romance following Bee and Levi as they try to build a neural helmet for astronauts. I discuss whether Hazelwood's two books use the same plot and tropes, express my enjoyment of the full circle nature of the epilogue, and explain my minor gripes about some convenient plot points.

If you love character driven stories, then this is one for you. Sarah Addison Allen's Other Birds follows the residents (both human and ghost) of an apartment complex following the death of one of the residents. I discuss how there's not a lot of plot, ask if you believe in ghosts, and spend a good deal of time talking about my family's ghost encounters.

After a few weeks off, I'm back with the second installment in Kerri Maniscalco's new "YA" fantasy series. In Kingdom of the Cursed, Emilia arrives in hell to marry Pride but must battle her conflicting feelings for Wrath as she tries to solve her sister's murder. I explain the two different ways I was tricked by this book, discuss second book syndrome and whether this book falls into it, and ask a whole bunch of questions about where things are going.

I loved Katherine Center's newest book so much that I picked up one of her previous releases: What You Wish For. This book follows elementary school librarian Sam as she butts heads with her former crush and new principal Duncan due to their opposing views on how to run their school. I spend a lot of time discussing the benefits of joy and color theory, reveal my own opinions on uniforms, and act as a mediator between Sam and Duncan's school safety arguments.

Like the title says I literally read this book TWICE in a row despite my initial hesitation to even pick it up. Jillian Medoff's novel When We Were Briefly Bright and Beautiful has the sister of an accused rapist tell the story of his trial but something darker lurks under the surface. I discuss my initial hesitation and the MANY content warnings for this book, express my surprise at the plot twist despite the majority of Goodreads figuring it out themselves, and question which characters knew which secrets.