Category: Book Round-Up

October Book Round-Up

~ lulu ~ Leave a comment

Hi friends,

I’ve missed you all!! My school transitioned to hybrid learning this past month, and I’ve been adjusting to the new schedule. I’m happy to have found some time to blog though — there’s lots to catch up on!

It snowed where I live this past weekend, and, while I have been listening to Kacey Musgraves’ Christmas album on repeat for weeks already, I was not prepared for such a drastic change in weather. So, today — though turtleneck sweaters, chocolate cream pie, and boatloads of cranberry sauce are on the horizon — I’m going to revel in orange leaves and wicked spells and take a look back on my recent October reads. We’ve still got spooky witches and magic doorways to talk about!

You can check out my October reading round-up below. Be sure to let me know what you’re currently reading or what you’ve finished, too! Recommendations are always welcome.

I continued my love affair with Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s work this month (I have her entire bibliography on hold at various libraries!!) with the 1920s-set Gods of Jade and Shadow. The book honors and incorporates Mexican folklore, and its central relationship is so lovely, I haven’t stopped thinking about it for weeks. Plus, the clothes are super glam.

My birthday was in October, and I was lucky enough to receive some new books as gifts! Among these was Leigh Bardugo’s The Lives of Saints, which has beautiful art and prose (though I would expect nothing less from everyone’s favorite witch-aunt/author!), as well as Alice Oehr’s The Art of Cake. I definitely recommend learning the history of the Grishaverse and croquembouche all at once — it’s a fascinating (and tasty!) endeavor.

I got into the spooky spirit this Halloween season with Seanan McGuire’s delightfully-weird Wayward Children series! The first two novellas, Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones ask what happens to children after they return from magical realms and fantastical worlds. The books are fast and insightful, heart-warming yet dark. They’re also totally worth your time.

Finally, I finished things off with Julie C. Dao’s latest offering, Broken Wish. It’s the first in a series to be written by four popular YA authors, and I loved how Dao both paid tribute to classic fairytales and crafted an original, feminist-tinged story. Curses and witches make for perfect October reading!

What books did you read last month?

xx

lulu

Spooky Schools, Folklore, and Books About Books: My Most Anticipated Autumn Releases!

~ lulu ~ 3 Comments

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you’re having a lovely day.

I go back to school next week, and while I’ve been busy gathering supplies and finishing up my summer work, I’m excited to settle in to a routine. And, alongside school, the fall season brings with it plenty of fun things: apple pie, my birthday (!!), and new books! Today I’m looking ahead to the rest of autumn, and I’m highlighting the books coming out that I’m most excited for. Check them out below!

Where Dreams Descend came out at the end of August, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. So, I’m including it in this round-up as well! Not only does the novel have a truly gorgeous cover, it also features magicians, a circus, and elements of Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera. Magic + theatrical France is a winning combo, I think.

I’m looking forward to new releases from some of my favorite authors! The Lives of Saints is at the top of my wishlist, as it comes out right before my birthday. Plus, I think Leigh Bardugo is at her best when crafting short stories. Julie C. Dao and Jennifer Donnelly are publishing new fantasy titles as well: Broken Wish promises witches and curses in 19th-century Germany, and Poisoned looks like a deliciously wicked twist on Snow White. 

Continuing the folklore theme, The Forest of Ghosts and Bones and A Girl is a Body of Water have both caught my eye. Lisa Lueddecke’s standalone fantasy draws on the myths of Hungaria, and Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s latest novel is a feminist coming-of-age “rich in the folklore of Uganda.” I can’t wait to read both!

When it comes to the fall, I’m always on the lookout for a good ~spooky~ book. A Deadly Education, about a magical boarding school with no teachers, seems to fit the bill.** As does These Violent Delights, a version of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai and featuring a mysterious “monster in the shadows.” Intrigue and twists are sure to abound!

Finally, I don’t pick up too much contemporary YA, but This is All Your Fault seems like my kind of read. Diverse, feminist characters? Friendship? A bookstore?! All my favorite things.

Which releases are you most excited about this fall? 

xx


lulu

**Update as of October 2020: I still have not read A Deadly Education, but I would be remiss if I did not address other bloggers’ justified complaints regarding the book’s poor depiction of nonwhite characters and cultures. (Asma’s review on Goodreads lays things out well.) The book is no longer on my TBR list. If you do choose to read the novel, I urge you to do so with a critical mind.

August Book Round-Up

~ lulu ~ 10 Comments

Hi friends!!

It’s September! Which means it’s almost fall! Yay!

I adore the cooler weather, spooky stories, and Dave Malloy music that accompany autumn, but I also feel like summer blew by. Whew.

Today though, we’re staying in the realm of ice cream cones, mini dresses, and sunshine. I’m looking back at the books I read in August, and while I didn’t get around to as many books I hoped to this summer, I did discover some of my new favorite novels. There were haunted mansions, talking gorillas, and fiddles galore!

You can check out the books I read last month, plus some brief thoughts, below.

Atonement was one of my summer reading assignments for school, and I was enamored with McEwan’s classical use of language! The book is an interesting treatise on the nature of writing, though the middle section – describing a soldier’s life during WWII in great detail – wasn’t my cup of tea.

This was my second time reading Americanah, and Adichie’s novel is well worth revisiting! It was a summer reading assignment as well, and I really enjoyed analyzing my favorite passages and quotes. I’m eager to pick up Half of a Yellow Sun, too.

Mexican Gothic, I think, is one of my favorite books ever. Noemí is such a stylish, witty protagonist, and the mystery freaked. me. out. As the title suggests, things get Jane Eyre-style spooky. I won’t spoil. But it’s real twisty. (And have you seen the accompanying paper doll? Silvia Moreno-Garcia understands my desire for literary-based crafts and I appreciate it. I also recommend you check out her FAQ on Goodreads, in which she explains how Mexican Gothic calls out HP Lovecraft and Arthur Conan Doyle on their racism.)

I mentioned how much I enjoyed The One and Only Bob a couple posts ago, but I really do love Katherine Applegate’s verse-like writing and canine protagonist. It’s a heartwarming story, and a fitting follow-up to The One and Only Ivan. Both reduced me to a big mass of tears.

After loving The Downstairs Girl and Outrun the Moon, I checked out Stacey Lee’s debut novel, Under a Painted Sky. It skews to the younger side of YA, yet I’m sure it would please history buffs of any age! I really appreciated the novel’s central friendship; Sammy and Annamae were so freakin’ cool. Plus, it’s a diverse western! Stacey Lee is the best.

What books did you read this August?

xx

lulu

Top Ten Books That Make Me Hungry! {Top Ten Tuesday | September 1}

~ lulu ~ 15 Comments

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Today I’m participating in That Artsy Reader Girl’s TTT prompt: “Top Ten Books that Make Me Hungry.” I love to bake (and have far too many cookbooks!) so I’m quite excited about this week’s theme. Below, I’ve chosen five of my favorite recipe books, plus five novels that feature cooking, baking, or delectable descriptions of edible treats. Hopefully they’ll inspire you to create something in the kitchen, or at least eat a cookie. After all, cookies are great!

Twist by Martha Collison

The Great British Bake-Off is mandatory viewing in my household, and I eagerly seek out recipes from my favorite former contestants. Martha Collison’s debut cookbook, Twist, is a standout (its five minute recipe for a brownie-in-a-mug is both dangerous and amazing), and I also have my eye on Cheeky Treats by Liam Charles and Christmas with Kim Joy.

Baking With Less Sugar by Joanne Chang

I mentioned this book in my last post about blueberry nectarine pie, but it’s worth mentioning twice! My sister and I are frequent visitors to flour, Chang’s bakery in Boston, and some of our favorite treats are featured in this healthy(ish) recipe collection. It’s a great book if you’re looking to experiment in the kitchen!

Back in the Day Bakery: Made With Love by Cheryl and Griffith Day

This recipe book won my heart the minute I discovered it had a section devoted to “Everyday Cake.” From those pages, I discovered my go-to birthday treat: chocolate chip cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. It’s amazing, so easy, and so yummy. The whole book would be worth it for that one recipe, but there are plenty of other cakes and pies I recommend, as well!

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

Deb never steers me wrong, and Smitten Kitchen might be the website I visit more than any other. Many of my favorite recipes of hers are online (zucchini quesadillas, for example, are so gosh darn tasty!) but her debut cookbook is just as reliable and accessible for home cooks like myself.

Kids Baking by Abigail J. Dodge (for William Sonoma)

This book is out of print, which is DEVASTATING to me, but you can still find it second hand around the web. The ideas are easy and big on fun-factor; I’ve used its recipes for muffins since I was little. (And I’m a muffin snob!!)

All Four Stars by Tara Dairman

This one is a bit of a cheat, as All Four Stars is still in my TBR pile, but my sister gave it high praise back in 2015, and the adorable cover makes me want a cupcake. Besides, the adventures of a pre-teen food critic? Amazing.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

I expect With the Fire On High is on a lot of bloggers’ lists today, and with good reason! The book is so moving and the writing so descriptive; it’s one of the best YA contemporaries of the past few years. Plus, look at that cover! There’s fruit! Lavender! A beautiful color palette! It’s an ode to food, if I’ve ever seen one. (The art was done by Erick Davila.)

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless is my favorite novel by Marissa Meyer, and it makes me hope she’ll write more stand alone books! The protagonist longs to be a baker, and while reading, I continuously craved a macaron. (There’s plenty of twists, too, if colorful sandwich cookies aren’t your thing.)

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

It’s been quite a few years since I read The Candymakers, but it has some of my favorite things: multiple perspectives, supernatural candy-fueled powers, and a mystery! Plus, Wendy Mass rules.

I’ll Have What She’s Having: My Adventures in Celebrity Dieting by Rebecca Harrington

This book made me hungry out of sympathy. Author Rebecca Harrington tried out more than a dozen celebrities’ diets – quirks and celery loaves included – and maintained a detailed account of the experience. Harrington’s writing is delightful, and she maintained a similar column online at The Cut, if you’re interested!

Now, I’m off to grab a snack, but I’d love to know your favorite cookbooks and books-tangentially-related-to-food. I’m also curious: do you, like me, believe ice cream elevates every meal? (A key question!!)

Let me know, and enjoy the rest of your day!

xx

lulu

July Book Round-Up

~ lulu ~ 1 Comment

Happy August everyone!

We’re in the midst of a quite toasty summer up here in New England, and I’m constantly in search of ice cream, air conditioning, and excuses to go swimming. (I work in an ice cream store, so that first one is rather easy to come by. Those latter two vestiges of warm-weather fun, though, they always manage to elude me!) July was a big reading month for me, as well, and I still hope to salvage the sad remains of my 2020 Reading Challenge. 

I kid, I kid. But I got to nine whole books! That’s almost ten! Read-a-palooza!! 

My favorite book this month was Julie Berry’s (AMAZING!) All the Truth That’s In Me. Berry, my love, writes the novel in second person, and the narrative device comes across as lyrical and poetic rather than clunky. The book has strong Scarlet Letter vibes, but it also is feminist as heck.

A close second was Rita Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea, a multi-perspective narrative chronicling the 1945 sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. It’s a heavy read, but an important one, and Sepetys’ research and love of history shines. (Her debut novel, Between Shades of Gray, was also one of my July reads. I recommend it as well!)

If you, like me, were wowed by Julie Andrews’ iconic performance in The Princess Diaries films as a child, may I recommend Rachel Hawkins’ Prince Charming or Casey McQuiston’s Red, White, and Royal Blue? Hawkins’ novel is sweet for a younger YA audience (though I still prefer its companion, Her Royal Highness!) and McQuiston’s debut will charm anyone who has binged both The West Wing and The Crown. 

As a longtime fan of the SGE books, I was disappointed with One True King. Still, it was nice to return to the favorite series of my youth! I elaborate more in my Goodreads review, if you’re interested.

My love of historical fiction grew this July with Stacey Lee’s Outrun the Moon and Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society. Both were moving and comforting depictions of friendship.

I finished this month off with Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor. (The book was a summer reading assignment, and I adjusted my expectations accordingly.) A bit dry and limited in perspective, but with some good insights!

What books did you read this July?

xx

lulu