December 2021 Goodreads Update Pt. 1
Look, I realize it's only been 10 days since the last update, but I have been adding books like a madwoman. All the award winners are coming out. All the end-of-year best of lists are coming out. It's only going to get worse from here, so I thought I'd save both of us by maybe doing 3 of these this month. Get comfy.
The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl - I love a good vampire story. In this one a girl was turned to a vampire in 1987 by a man who promised to love her always. But he didn't. Now she's stuck at 16 with 80s crimped hair for eternity. Then she meets 2 other girls he turned over the last century who want her to help kill him. She's not into it until she falls for the girl he's planning to turn next.
Cackle by Rachel Harrison - I have heard a lot about this book recently. Like, the summary sounds just kind of okay, but all these people are raving about it, so I added it. Annie gets dumped by her long-time boyfriend, so she takes a teaching job in an idyllic upstate NY town. She meets Sophie who seems like the most elegant and captivating woman and she wants to be Annie's best friend. And she might be a witch?
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman - This is book 2 to another book I have on my TBR - The Thursday Murder Club. For some reason I decided to add this one before I read the first one. Oh well.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley - I have a problem. My problem is that even though I haven't read a book by an author, I think I will like their work, so I add books by that author willy nilly. This is an example. My sister found this one and I realized the author was that of another book on my TBR, and I got all excited and added it. In my defense that cover is stunning.
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott - This book I've never heard of just won the National Book Award. It must indeed be a hell of a book. I watched a booktuber who read all the books on the shortlist and this was her favorite. That's enough for me. On the list it goes.
Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies: And Other Rituals to Fix Your Life by Tara Schuster - One of the planner girls I follow on YouTube said this is her favorite book. I could stand to fix my life. I'm interested.
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask - I noticed a very long time ago, like in middle school, that I could make assumptions about people based on their addresses in Tulsa. An address in North Tulsa indicated either a blue color white person or a black person. I have a Broken Arrow address which says a certain thing or two about me. I even know a thing or two about addresses in other cities. Like Overland Park, Kansas. I'm interested what this author has to add to my observances.
The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur - This was on our award reading list, but it didn't make the cut, so I moved it over to my personal TBR. I loved the first book by the author and I'm still interested in this one.
Squad by Maggie Tokuda Hall - Becca transfers to a tony new high school and (to her surprise) is immediately adopted into the cool girl clique. Turns out, they're werewolves who kill rapey boys. Eventually, the cops start to think there's a serial killer. Oops! Also, it's a graphic novel. Yay!
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Another vampire novel? Say less. The return of the vampire is a thing and I could not be happier about it.
The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History - This one really excites me! It's like a revue of the Review! Exciting!
Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day by Clemency Burton-Hill - The author includes information about the composer and the piece itself. There are playlists available on all the music outlets. I'm really excited for this, too!
This is Ear Hustle by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods - Once upon a time I listened to a fascinating podcast called Ear Hustle. It was produced inside San Quentin prison and was hosted by Nigel Poor, a journalist, and Earlonne Woods, a prisoner. Nigel, a white woman, would enter the prison every however often and they would record this podcast. The podcast stopped producing when Earlonne was released from prison. I'm so glad they kept working together to produce this book!
Oddball: A Sarah's Scribbles Collection by Sarah Andersen - I love Andersen's goofy little cartoons about life in the world when you're awkward and introverted and overthink life.
If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich - I love both of these authors. When I read the summary, I was ready. I recently read another book about a boy band and I liked it. In this one, the band is mega famous and the management is tyrannical. One of the guys is gay, but can't come out. Then he and his best friend, also a band member, fall for each other. They want to come out, but the management will not support them.
Fools In Love: Fresh Takes on Romantic Tales Edited by Ashley Herring Black and Rebecca Podos - I heard about this on a podcast yesterday and felt like I might enjoy it. It's YA romance, sure, but it's authors taking basic tropes and messing with them. Also, most of the stories are about queer relationships, so that's interesting.
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi - Firstly, I like to be subversive. Secondly, it's Azar Nafisi! Not only did I love Reading Lolita in Tehran, she also got her doctorate at the University of Oklahoma. So there's that connection.
Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters edited by Jessica P. Pryde - Unlike the last anthology I added, this is a book of essays on black romance, not romance stories. I actually recognize a couple of the authors, so I'm stoked to be introduced to more.
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn - If this looks similar to a cover from yesterday's post about books that exceeded my expectations, that because this is the sequel to Legendborn. It doesn't come out until July, though. sigh
Between the Lines: Stories From the Underground by Uli Beutter Cohen - I heard this author on a podcast yesterday and was entranced by the idea of this book. Basically, she broke all the rules of society on the subway by talking to people who are reading and asking them about their books. This is a collection of those interviews. It's like People of New York, but bookish. Love!
Floaters: Poems by Martin Espada - This randomly won the National Book Award for poetry, so I thought, "Hey, somebody thinks this is great. Guess I'll check it out."
Fangs by Sarah Andersen - Remember up there a ways when I said I loved Sarah's Scribbles? Yeah, then I found out that she wrote this, too. It's a vampire graphic novel. Further proof that vampires are back!
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe - This is not a vampire book except in the most figurative sense. The Sacklers are the ones who made and marketed Oxycontin which started the opioid crisis.
My Name is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story, Our Way by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin - I did not know this existed. I love Jason Reynolds, so I need to track this down.
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman - I saw this on Goodreads and realized I hadn't added it to my TBR. I mean, I own and actual hardcover copy, so it should definitely be there.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - Green is usually a YA author, but this is a collection of essays for adults. It is just essays about the world. They are pretty short and kind of a good way to escape for a few minutes.
And that's the last one for today! See what I mean about how nuts I went? Well see what happens over the rest of the month. There may be more of these coming. See anything interesting?