I had surgery in the middle of August, so I read a few more physical books as well as audiobooks!
Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler
You know I will recommend any Octavia E. Butler book I can get my hands on. An intense, centuries-long exploration two different perspectives on who we are as people.
The Girl with The Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
A book I’ve had on my physical TBR forever and I figured I might as well read it. As much as I’ve been enjoying historical fiction lately, this book was…okay. It was fine! Would not read again.
Day by Michael Cunningham
This definitely deserves a reread, that’s all I have to say. Very lyrical, beautiful writing, and super heartbreaking.
Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis
I have long been a fan of Ellis’s work, especially his graphic novel Fever Nights. While I am not the biggest fan of horror (though I am slowly starting to watch and read more horror), I couldn’t resist Bad Dreams in the Night. I also loved Ellis’s little notes after every comic story, as we got to see his thought process behind the stories, or even just a funny anecdote. My favorite was “Better Kate Than Never,” as well as “Murder Party.”
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Okay, I have a confession. I listened to the audiobook version of The Princess Bride, however it was incredibly, INCREDIBLY abridged. It practically felt like a novelization of the movie, not the original source material. Needless to say, I’ll definitely need to reread the print version.
On Writing by Stephen King
I have never read any Stephen King work (I know, what a shame), but I found On Writing to be both very enjoyable and full of a lot of valuable writing advice. While not every piece of advice will stick with everybody, it’s still a great collection of writing advice and work ethic.
The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller
I honestly love reading queer books where the main characters are like my own friend group or people I would see on a day-to-day basis. And this book felt just like that! It’s so fun reading a book where the conversations are like the ones you’d have with your friends. Also I LOVE the motivations of the characters and the fight scenes too!
Life is Strange: Heatwaves by Brittney Morris
As much as I love the Life is Strange series and the previous novel Steph’s Story, I regret to say that this entry wasn’t the best. There were typos and inconsistencies that were distracting to the overall story, and the main character’s intentions didn’t make any sense unless you made those choices in the original game (taking away a character’s anger, wanting to help people, etc.). While I did love seeing Alex and Steph be together, it felt like there wasn’t enough time dedicated to it. The ending felt like a rush with everything falling a little too easily into place. There were some parts I enjoyed, a lot of the mistakes were too glaring for me to ignore.
Body Grammar by Jules Ohman
This book grabbed me by the neck and shook me until I couldn’t read. Definitely an engrossing, slice-of-life read.
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
My second Alice Oseman book! I have been looking for a copy for a long time, and I was so thankful to find one at my local bookstore. This one has always been on my TBR list, since finding acespec books and characters was very rare (but now, thankfully, it’s not!). A lot more tense than I imagined it to be. Also, it was
Every Time You Hear That Song by Jenna Voris
Y’know what they say: never meet your heroes. Or rather, don’t look too deep into the backgrounds of your heroes that are your special interest, otherwise you’ll find things you won’t like. I definitely love all the complex characters in this book, and the characters’ complicated relationship to each.
E. A. Young Writes 