5 star tbr predictions wrap-up #2 + new tbr

Hi all !   I’m here today with my second wrap-up on my five-star TBR predictions. I initially made the tbr of these predictions in AUGUST of last year so it’s taken my quite a while to get through them. But I’ve not finished them all, so I’m here to share my thoughts and then share five more new five star predictions.

THE WRAP-UP

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ➤  4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The writing is so beautiful and poetic. The themes around art, creativity and passion really resonated with me, and I liked that this book asks what makes people really human. I also liked how it looked at the delicate and intricate connections between people and how these connections make a society. I think I had to pull this back from a full five stars though because, at some parts of the story, I felt a little withdrawn from it. But overall, this was amazing and definitely one I still think about often. I wrote a full review of this book on my blog if you’d like to check it out.

The Dragon Republic by R.F Kuang ➤  5 stars

This made it onto my 5 star TBR predictions because I loved the first book so much and I couldn’t imagine not loving the sequel just as much. Especially given its early reviews by people who had ARCs. I was so right, this was INCREDIBLE. While I maybe did not like it as much as the first, it is still an incredible and thrilling sequel with just so much going for it. I especially loved the character work and how much Kuang expanded on the world. I also have a full review of this book on my blog.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee ➤  4 stars

I love books about fandom and internet culture which is why this was a five-star prediction. I’ve also seen it compared to both Radio Silence and Eliza and Her Monsters which are both five star reads for me. I didn’t love this quite as much as those two but I did still really enjoy it. The parts about fandom and Tash’s love for Tolstoy were great and I liked the discussions around asexuality since Tash was asexual. But there was some subplots I didn’t love, which is why this was only a four and not a five star.

Wolfsong by T.J Klune ➤  2 stars

The only flop on this list. I put this on my predictions list because SO many of my friends loved this, and I’ve seen the character relationships and dynamics directly compared to The Foxhole Court. I absolutely did not get any of that. I hated the romance in this, mostly because of the large age gap. I also found the writing really hard to get into and the story overall a bit tedious. I did like the prominent and casual queer relationships, but besides that, I ended up really disliking this.

Maurice by E.M Forster ➤  5 stars

The final book on my predictions list is Maurice. I’ve read Forster before and liked his writing style but not so much the story (Where Angels Fear to Tread). But I thought the story in this one was much more appealing (coming of age story for a gay man in college). Anyway, I LOVED THIS. It was wonderfully written, so tender and so memorable. I think the relationships were so beautiful, and Forster’s final note about how he wrote a happy ending for the two men because he dreams of all men being able to live like that was just so… beautiful. I really need to watch the movie adaptation!

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare ➤

If there is one author I can trust to give me a five-star experience, it’s Ms Clare. Her books are, really, by no means perfect. But, I always enjoy them so much purely for entertainment.  I’ve heard some amazing reviews of Chain of Gold and I have high hopes.

Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger ➤

I don’t know a whole lot about this book, but I’ve had it recommended to me SO OFTEN and so many people who I know have really similar taste to me love it, which gives me hope. I DO know there’s a large cast with multiple perspectives in the third person which is literally … my favourite. And queerness. I think I will love this.

Jade City by Fonda Lee ➤

Similarly to the above, I’ve just heard SO MUCH about this series from people whose reviews I trust I just feel I’m inevitably going to love it. This is epic fantasy following a family war with Godfather-esque vibes which just sounds so epic and awesome.

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski ➤

This is a really recent book that wasn’t hugely on my radar (not a fan of the author’s other trilogy) but the reviews of this have me thinking I’ll like it. There is supposed to be an incredible f/f romance at the centre and that is enough to make me love a book.

Normal People by Sally Rooney ➤

I can’t explain exactly why I know I’ll love this I just feel like I will. I think its just the vibe of the book gives off the exact vibe I love in books. Not much more to say then that, it’s just a feeling (and all the rave reviews)

That is my little wrap-up and new TBR. If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to know what you thought of them. Hopefully, there isn’t such a long gap this time between posts this time. All of these books are ones I’m so eager to get to.

until next time!

 

A VERY (VERY) VERY LATE SEPTEMBER WRAP-UP

Hi all !  So it’s October 21, it’s nearly November – time to do my September wrap-up?

In all honesty, I thought I had published this post and turned out I hadn’t. I am an extremely bad blogger. That said, better late than never?

I had a fairly good reading month in September. I did manage to finish 8 books which was great considering I was so tired and busy all month. I also finished quite a lot of the books on my Structured TBR for that month which I was happy about too.

★★★

➼ Voss by Patrick White

I read this for university and I had mixed feelings on it. Some chapters were really great and exciting and others not so much.

This is about a German explorer who travels into the middle of the desert, attempting to cross the entire continent. The chapters of Voss travelling into the desert were good but I found the other narrator, Laura, so boring.

This book is also on the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die List so I’ve now ticked that one off.

 

 

★★★★

➼ The Word for World is Forest by Ursula Le Guin

This is Ursula Le Guin’s Hugo Award-winning novella about a group of Indigenous group who’s lives are upturned when aliens (humans) arrive on their planet and start logging the forest. It’s basically the exact same plot as Avatar (the blue people, not the Last Airbender)

This was a good and easy novella to read since the plot was so familiar. I’d definitely like to read more from Ursula Le Guin int he future, especially her longer works.

 

 

 

Korean cast. ★★★.5

➼ Wicked Fox (Gumiho #1) by Kat Cho

This was a book I was really highly anticipating. It was narrated by one of my favourite narrators, Emily Woo Zeller, so the audiobook was great.

This book started off amazing, a 4-5 star, but it slightly lost its way as it went on. This book felt too long, and was both bloated and sparse at the end? It felt like a lot happened, but none of it felt connected or meaningful to how the plot was set up at the beginning.

I will continue this series and give book 2 a try though

 

 

★★★

➼ Monkey Grip by Helen Garner

This was another uni read for me. This follows an Australian woman who lives in a sharehouse and sleeps with a lot of different men, but is in love with one. The one she is in love with is an addict who flits in and out of the main characters life, but whenever she tries to disentangle herself from him she gets drawn back in.

This was bleak and gritty at times. I liked the representation of urban Australia and the main character but I did feel some of the nuances of this book went over my head.

 

 

 

Gay characters. ★★★★.5

➼ Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Full Review:

This is a book I’ve really wanted to read for a long time so I’m so happy I finally got to it. This follows a range of characters living immediately after the vast majority of the world population is wiped out by flu. It explores the connection between people and the complex web of relationships that define humanity. This book also examines the intrinsic value of art and creativity in human cultures.

 

 

 

Lesbian MC. Lesbian LI. MC is a WOC. ★★★.5

➼ Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner

This book was chosen by my followers on Twitter as my book to read in September. I was excited about this choice because this is a book that had been on my TBR for years.

This is set on an island in the Pacific Ocean that sends a boat of men into the ocean to kill mermaids every year. But this year, they are sending women in the hope the mermaids won’t lure them to their death. It follows a girl who ends up falling for a mermaid and it’s such a great friends to enemies to lovers romance.

 

 

 

★★★★

➼ Dart by Alice Oswald

This is a long-form poem I read for university as well. It is set on the River Dart in England and is based upon interviews Oswald conducted, asking people about their experiences living and working on the river. It incorporates their voices amongst the voices of the river, the trees, the rocks, the water nymphs, the ghosts and more to explore the history and the cultural impact this river has had on the area. This was a really amazing poem with some amazing language use and I enjoyed it a lot.

 

 

 

 

★★★★

➼ The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

The final book I read in September was The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. This is the third book in the Gentleman Bastards series and also the most recent book to come out. So I’m finally up to date on this series!

Despite this being an unpopular opinion – this is actually my favourite of the books that are out. I really liked the political plot and the introduction of Sabetha, a character we’ve heard about a lot but not seen much of.

It could be a while until the fourth book comes out (it has been delayed a few times) but I’m looking forward to when it does release.

 

 

Books read: 8
Format: 2 audiobook, 2 audiobook/physical mix, 3 physical, 1 e-book
Genres: 2 classics, 4 fantasy, 1 dystopian, 1 poem,
Average rating: 3.68
Favourite book: Station Eleven
Least favourite: Monkey Grip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: STATION ELEVEN BY EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL

Summary:

• published by:  Knopf
• genres: science fiction, post-apocalyptic, adult fiction
• content warnings: mentions of a rape, kidnapping, suicide, religious cults, infidelity, smoking, depictions of death by a heart attack, child marriages
• read if you’re a fan of: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro & post-apocalyptic stories that focus on people rather than the ‘science’ of how the world ended generally.

Synopsis:

Set in the days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor’s early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor’s first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet.

“Survival is insufficient.”

Station Eleven is one of those books that has been on my TBR since what seems like forever. I added it back in 2014 when it came out to my shelves because I saw it in the library and loved the cover. It has sat on my Goodreads TBR ever since and got progressively bumped up due to all the good things I heard. Earlier in the year, I added it to my 5 Star TBR Predictions and now finally I’ve got to it. I was so excited to read this book which seemed right up my alley and find out what all the hype is about.

If you’ve ever sat down in a group and talked about how useful you’d be in the zombie apocalypse and had your friends say they’d sacrifice you first because being able to create art isn’t as useful as other skills – then Station Eleven is the book to use as your defence.

Station Eleven is technically a post-apocalyptic book but it has more markers of literary fiction in it’s writing then post-apocalyptic. We follow a range of characters existing on Earth after the majority of the population, easily over 90%, is wiped out within a few weeks from a deadly strain of flu. All the characters are connected in that they shared one connection in their pre-apocalyptic life. They all knew and worked with Arthur Leander, a famous actor who died of a heart attack during a live performance of King Lear the same night the flu that would wipe out the population was detected in America.

Station Eleven isn’t a book about survival in the sense of most apocalyptic books. Instead, it’s a book that asks what the quality of human life is without art, without culture, without friendship and love and without other people. We follow a lot of artists – actors, a travelling Shakespeare and Orchestra company, comic-book writers and museum curators. Station Eleven interrogates the value of art in society, examining how culture, art and creativity is essential to humanity and something people will always crave, even at the end of the world.

       "We traveled so far and your friendship meant everything. 
           It was difficult, but there were moments of beauty. 
                   Everything ends. I am not afraid."

Station Eleven is filled with beautiful writing, which is something that immediately drew me in. Mandel’s prose is lyrical and often poignant, and I appreciated her ability to communicate a lot of meaning and emotion within short sentences and a few words. To me, being able to say a lot with a few words shows the ability of a writer.

The novel follows a variety of characters who are connected through chance and circumstance, in small ways none of them realises. The intricacies of these relationships and how they reflect the intricate web of relationships people have in the modern world was an ongoing theme in this book I appreciated. Again, it was a fresh theme to tackle in this genre. Mandel was able to create the range of characters and the web of their lives with deftness, and the book forces you to reflect on your own relationships and how even chance encounters with others may have impacted the trajectory of their lives. Above all, Station Eleven poses people are important to people, and that without this web of interactions our lives become hollow and insufficient.

     “The beauty of this world where almost everyone was gone. 
If hell is other people, what is a world with almost no people in it?”

Although I can see why so many people rate this book five stars, it wasn’t so for me. First, I wasn’t wholly satisfied with the way the story wrapped up. I was looking for a bit more in terms of merging all the characters stories, and addressing how they are all connected. I was bothered particularly by how the main character never learns the true origins of her Station Eleven comics (without saying too much because spoilers) I was waiting for this revelation the entire time and felt like I missed something when it never came.

I also thought some characters and interactions could have been fleshed out further. The prophet, for instance. I understand this is told with limited perspective, making it hard to detail what happens to the characters of the narrator doesn’t know – but I am notoriously bad with open-ended books and I felt this was too open-ended in wrapping up character stories for me.

           “Hell is the absence of the people you long for.”

Overall, Station Eleven is a beautiful and unique book about people, love, relationships, hope and the power of art and stories. Station Eleven takes a new approach to the post-apocalyptic genre, positing that humans cannot just survive – humans need something else and that something is intrinsic to their survival. Whether it be art, stories, music, poetry, survival in and of itself is, insufficient.

Mandel’s beautiful prose and deftness at embedding themes within her novel make this an extremely strong novel that sat with me long after I finished it. For many readers, especially those of us who are creatives, I think this will be something that really resonates. This is a beautiful and touching novel and I’m happy to add my own recommendation on top of all the praise and love it’s already received from the literary world.

until next time