The Summer Book by Tove Jansson REVIEW

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

4.14 out of 5 Stars

** Originally posted on The Broke Wanderlusty Reader **

The Summer Book is a collection of vignettes that provide a look into the life of Sophia, a small child, and her Grandmother who live on a Finnish island. It was, undoubtedly, one of the most heartwarming things I have ever read. Sophia is a little bit of a bratty child, but not in an obnoxious way. More like in a child-that's-learning-the-world kind of way. Nothing bad, but a part of her age. And the Grandmother is a bit tired, but there are glimpses of a really strong spirit within her that are great when they come to the surface. 

The dynamic between these two was just so, so sweet. They really just purely love and care about each other that I didn't even care there wasn't a main plotline because it was all about them and their love and that was perfect. 

I think my favorite short story was Playing Venice, where Sophia receives a postcard from Venice in the mail and the next handful of days are filled with her and Grandmother recreating their own Venice out in the forest. When a storm comes through and drowns it all, Sophia freaks out and Grandmother goes out for her to find Venice and save it. Of course, she can't find any of it. But then to calm Sophia down, she recreates the main structure where the Venetian mother lived (Sophia's own is dead) before Sophia wakes up. Sophia can't tell the difference when she wakes up and is so happy that Grandmother had "saved" it. 

The stories do a fantastic job of describing the setting as well. Holy cow, I want to see the forests, the islands, the Gulf of Finland, the Three-Country Cairn and then just generally a lot more of any wilderness that Finland has. The stories really take place on an island somewhere near or in the Gulf of Finland, and that alone was so much to take in. Jansson did such an amazing job of describing the wilderness that Sophia and Grandmother explore and live in with lush greenery and strong winds and pockets of forests where they could build their own creatures and little worlds. It was insane and it is definitely something I would love to see in person one day. 

Also, this was just turned into a movie??!?!! With Glenn Close?!?!?! I was just googling a cover of the book and was asked if I wanted results for the book or for the movie and the shock there was a recent movie out was crazy. It came out like, a couple months ago. It looks like it's not available for streaming yet, which is sad, but hopefully it will be out like that by next spring. I think this would be a really good book to reread or movie to watch around that time of the year. 

This was such a great collection of short stories. I really really enjoyed them and it definitely helped take me to Finland. 

Thanks for reading!

My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci REVIEW

My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci

3.22 out of 5 Stars

**Reposted from The Broke Wanderlusty Reader** 

Mmmmm... I have NO idea where to start with this. For one thing, it's literary fiction, which is not my go-to genre. But then also, I didn't look up anything about this book before reading it. And it's a bit whack when you go into it without knowing there's magical realism involved. I straight up thought the dude was tripping and I was operating on that assumption for way too long before I realized the cat was a literary device.  

First things first though, I didn't realize half of the story took place in Yugoslavia. Like I said, I didn't read anything about the book before I dove into it. It came up in a lot of lists about Finnish literature, so I felt like an almost obligation to include it. I don't really have a list of places or foods or anything from Finland that I can add to a master list of things I would hope to experience in Finland in-person some day. Culture-wise, all I really got from this book was a general coldness and hostility toward immigrants and the LGBTQ? I really hope that the Finnish culture isn't actually so cold because I've actually read a ton of articles and such about how it's welcoming and inclusive. This book is hardly a ringing endorsement of those things though. 

On the whole, I enjoyed the book, but my enthusiasm for it is as flat and simple as that statement is. The magical realism was a bit too much at times and there were really important themes and ideas that were introduced, but then nothing was ever really fleshed out or brought into the limelight. 

Characters

There are two main characters, Bekim and his mother Emine (side note - I love her name), whose stories take turns with each other. While they are the only two main characters, I unfortunately need to mention the influence of Emine's husband Bajram, who is just a constant negative presence throughout the whole thing. For a quick second, I actually liked him because I thought he was going to be good for Emine. And then it's like a flip is switched and I wanted to gouge his eyes out. And you can see the trickle effect of his immaturity and anger and cruelty because there is an undeniable impression that he has on the development of Bekim and Emine. 

Bekim and Emine themselves were alright. I was frequently frustrated with both of them, but then the further along you go and the more you learn about Bajram, the more their frustrating qualities make sense. It's not excusable, but it isn't out of nowhere either - it makes sense. 

Plot

This is where literary fiction tends to lose me... there was almost no plot. Like, at all. The whole book was the development of these characters and the exploration of their environments and their subconscious. Which is a kind of plot. But to me, I prefer more active events in a plot. Here, there's Bekim meeting a cat and buying a snake and traveling back to Yugoslavia and then meeting a guy at the end of the book. And for Emine, there's a bit more of a plot because it follows her meeting Bajram and getting married and raising kids and eventually breaking away. But, as much as my heart bled for her, it's also a basic storyline that didn't captivate me too much. 

Writing

Simply put, the writing was beautiful. I really deeply appreciate the skill that Statovci has in creating a story with these long extensive metaphors that reveal so much about the characters and the setting. The damn cats and snakes... really great use of these animals and their specific meanings, but I wish it had been better executed from the beginning so that the effect began earlier and carried stronger throughout the rest of the book. By the end of the story, I could fully understand the importance of handling snakes and the profound meaning of what a cat represents to the country, to Bekim, and to Emine. But those things weren't drawn out until the damn near end of the book when suddenly it's being explained that Bekim used to have nightmares about snakes and cats are unwanted in Yugoslavia. Those are such small details that carry SO much weight, I wish that they had somehow been introduced earlier in the story. The emotional punch of their role would have been so much stronger. 

Finland Travels

Like I said above, I've got nothing to really add about Finland itself based on this book. There's mention Helsinki, but other than that there's really no locations or foods or events or anything that I can add to a description of "traveling" to Finland. 

SOMEONE please tell me though that Finland isn't so cold and judgemental? Please? 

*Shrugs*

Thanks for reading!

Xo

Highest Bidder Collection by Lauren Landish and Willow Winters REVIEW

Highest Bidder Collection by Lauren Landish and Willow Winders

3.59 out of 5 Stars

Okay, so it's been a minute since I wrote a review, so... give me a minute, lol. :) Plus, on top of that, this is a review of a collection. Chaos may ensue. The whole thing will be Spoiler Free however, so if you're curious about them, you're safe from anything being ruined. 

This four book collection contains stories that could be standalones, but they have common characters which, for me, means I tend to enjoy reading all of them in publication order as they reference prior things later on. 

They are ALL dark romances with BDSM and some other pretty heavy themes. They also all have typos (only one or two and nothing major), so if you're absolutely unable to get over those, don't engage and bring the vibes down because of that tiny detail. 

TW: SA

** Continue below if you are okay with that TW **

Bought (Dahlia x Lucian)

3.72 out of 5 Stars (Second favorite for me)

Dahlia is a young professional looking for some extra money to get her through a tight period and Lucian is struggling to get over his hang-ups with having a new sub after his relationship with his wife ended disastrously. She is introduced to Club X, where rich dudes and women members can safely indulge in their fantasies, and early in the book gets into a relationship with Lucian. I really liked them together! Dahlia's character development was shaky, which bothered me a bit, and overall I wish the story was longer, but on the whole it was very enjoyable. (Side note: All the books were short and could have used more plot development.) 

I need to strongly preference something at this point -- and this applies to all of the mini-reviews: I am not a psychologist or mental health professional or any other kind of medical professional, so I may be completely off the mark here. But, what I really appreciated in this book especially is how Dahlia's past of SA is not brushed off. Furthermore, it's something that becomes part of the relationship she has with Lucian and he wants to help her heal from her experience and achieve the goals that she has set for herself in the healing process. I just really appreciate that because it isn't treated like a drama-enhancer or is reductive. Their story explores some of the nuance of how a past experience affects a present experience and how the present can help heal the past, which not every story does. 

Sold (Katia x Isaac)

3.5 out of 5 Stars (Third favorite for me)

Katia is simply trying to build a normal life for herself after surviving a worst-nightmare history and she captures Isaac's attention when she goes to Club X. They really fit each other's needs and Isaac's goal also becomes to give Katia what she needs to process and heal. The best part about Isaac is that he's suuuuuper protective of Katia. But, I actually think I liked Isaac the least of all the MMCs though. I just didn't entirely like his attitude or his approach to the FMC. It's not like he's an asshole per say, but it just wasn't for me. Katia was a pretty good character, but also a bit plain? I'm not quite sure how else to describe it, other than it seemed like she was kind of just filling in the role of FMC.

Owned (Lilly x Joseph) 

3.26 out of 5 Stars (Least favorite for me) 

Lilly is completely new to the BDSM lifestyle, but from watching and taking her time to learn everything, she is ready to explore that side of herself and has a good idea of what she wants. Joseph on the other hand, knows exactly what he needs and, like a good one, gives Lilly room she needs to explore what she wants and is ready for her when she decides to make that leap. However, his past comes knocking and throws a deep wrench in their happiness that he needs to sort out. 

Lilly is the only FMC of these four books that doesn't have a history of some sort of SA. I'm not mentioning that because I think it adds or takes away from the story, but because in case someone is looking for one of these without the trigger warning, it's this one. 

The reason why this one is my least favorite is simply because I felt like it was the one with the most potential for development, and it actually had I think the least amount. When you're loving something so much, you want it to be done well! And then when it falls short, it is the most frustrating thing in the world. Compared to Katia and Isaac, I liked Lilly and Joseph's relationship way more, but I feel like they weren't done justice, so I can't rank this book above the others. Like, Lilly's subplot alone could have been woven in so much better and used to heighten their dynamic, but... *sigh*.

Given (Arianna x Zander) 

3.88 out of 5 Stars (Favorite for me)

Arianna has a shitty POS abusive partner at the beginning of the book. He's manipulative, and gaslights, and is a definition of bad BDSM etiquette. I can go on a full rant, but I won't because this review is small. Zander (not the POS) is one of those MMCs where he portrays himself to the world one way, but then really he's super intense and people who know him know not to mess with him. I LOVE characters like that. Zander actually from the get-go has issues with Arianna's POS partner due to business beef, and it becomes part of the reason why the two get together. From there, there is a sort of dance between these three characters as business gets dealt with, the relationship between Zander and Arianna grows, and tensions with the POS relationship explode. 

One of the things that I really loved about this book wasn't just the dynamic between Arianna and Zander, but was how there is a clear moment where Zander realizes what has been happening between Arianna and Danny and is like, "Hell no, this is not okay and will never happen again." Which, I would like to think that a man stepping up to protect someone is a low bar, but maybe it isn't anymore because I'm totally obsessed with this moment that Zander has. We love to see it. :) 

*** *** ***

I forgot how much I love doing these reviews! They're a bit of brain-work as well when I'm not absolutely fangirling over a title, but still worth it. 

Thanks for reading!

(And I guess welcome back??)

Reading the 2024 Goodreads Romantasy Choice Awards (and my own rankings of them)

Reading the 2024 Goodreads Romantasy Choice Awards 

(and my own rankings of them)

This may be absolutely bonkers of me considering how many reading goals I've set for myself going into the end of the year and into early next year (for reference, I started a second blog about traveling via books), but as of writing this, the Goodreads Choice Awards Nominees of 2024 have been released and it has been ages since I feel like I've done a deep-dive into what is out there in terms of romantasy. And I've been reading romantasy since before it was called that! (To the younger readers and newer readers of the genre -- yes, "romantasy" is a relatively newer term.) 

I also always just love a list of titles for awards because I find it can be easier to read than looking at blocks of book covers, so I wanted to make this list putting them all in one spot. 

Here's to me reading all the romantasy nominations "so you don't have to" (said with saccharine sarcasm). And then I'm going to do a subsequent post, which will likely be finished early next year, where I do my own rankings of these books. I'm going to update that list of rankings though as I go along so that it is as complete as possible. Cheers!

** In the below list of titles, I've noted when the nominee is not the first book in the series. If there is a note only about that, that means I'm up to speed on the series and will be reading the nominee. If I'm not up to speed, I'm only going to read the first book because if I don't like that one, I'm not going to continue with the rest of the series. **

The 2024 Goodreads Choice Award Nominees for the Category of Romantasy

1. Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
2. A Touch of Chaos by Scarlett St. Clair (Not book 1) 
   
3. A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden (Not book 1 -- I'll be reading A Dawn of Onyx)
4. Zodiac Academy: Restless Stars by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Not book 1 -- I'll be reading The Awakening) 
   
5. Fate of the Sun King by Nisha J. Tuli (Not book 1 -- I'll be reading Trial of the Sun Queen)
6. Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (Not book 1 -- I'll be reading Assistant to the Villain) 
7. Quicksilver by Callie Hart
8. Gold by Raven Kennedy (Not book 1 -- I'll be reading Gild)
9. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
10. The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
11. Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
12. 
    Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas
13. Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Not book 1) 
14. Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields 
15. House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas (<-- This one's going to win. Calling it now. Not book 1)
16. A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
17. The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee
18. A Crown this Cold and Heavy by Stacia Stark
19. When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
20. A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

My Hesitations & Concerns:

Lots of other reading goals

I already referred to this in the beginning paragraph, but I started a second blog where I plan on reading books that can mentally take me to places I want to travel to, but can't afford to. I'm really looking forward to that blog as much as I love this blog! Starting up a new blog though, while also returning to writing in this one, is honestly very intimidating. I've kept up reading, so I'm not ~very~ worried about that... but it's the writing these blog posts that can take quite a bit of time and I don't want to skimp on these posts because then that's shit quality and I don't want to be that person. 

     Some of these titles I already know I don't love

Oof... I don't know if people are going to come at me because of this but... I already tried to read the Zodiac Academy once and I just struggled with the first half of it so bad that I put it down and didn't return. But there's a HUGE fan base for it so there must be something there. Maybe at the time I was reading I was just really distracted or simply not in a good place? If a book couldn't hold me through a time like that though, especially a romantasy book, I still hold some reservations about it. 1000% still willing to give it another shot though!

Scared some are just riding the coattails of successful trends, which annoys me

Over the years, this has REALLY become one of my biggest pet peeves -- books where you can tell they're really just trying to benefit off the success of other titles or the tropes in them. And then they're half-baked or over-marketed and heralded as "the next Sarah J. Maas" or "the next Jennifer L. Armentrout." I really, really get annoyed by this and I'm incredibly worried that with the reductive readership of online popularity that there will be titles in this list that I simply will get frustrated with because of a lack of true originality.

On the whole, I'm looking forward to this! I can't wait to see how this turns out! 

Thanks for reading!!

Xo

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater QUICK REVIEW

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

4.36 out of 5 Stars

 

This is like a lite Bridgerton mixed in with some faeries -- in other words, absolutely cute as can be. It was perfectly sweet and charming, without being ridiculous and I LOVED the characters. They were a bit simple, but it's not like I was expecting Rhysand of the Night Court from a >300 page book. No, these characters were distinct and, while simple, developed just enough to make the story indulgent in the whimsical romance that it is.  

 

Quick little blurb for a quick little read. Definitely worth it! 

 

Thanks for reading!

The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell REVIEW

 

The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell

3.78 out of 5 Stars

 

The Dark King is described on the cover as being, "Neon Gods meets Fifty Shades . . . Deliciously dark and sexy!" -- #1 NYT Bestselling Author Helen Hardt. Bryn Meara is sent a promotional offer to stay at the most high-end hotel and casino in Vegas which is owned by Caiden Verran, who is also the king of the Dark Fae. None of the early events that led Bryn to Vegas, or to her and Caiden's marriage, have been purely organic, and as Bryn and Caiden grow closer, they also realized that they have been thrown together by someone with ill intent toward the Dark Fae and Court. 

 

I really liked this book! It was a bit on the simple side, but sometimes, that's not too bad when the character development is really good, which is the case for this book. It's a little edgy, a little sexy, and a little sweet. For anyone looking for a romance book like this, which, I can definitely see the similarities to the romance books compared to in the blurb, definitely check out the full description on the back of the book or online to see if it sounds like something you'd be interested in. If so, I'd say go for it! The Dark King is the perfect romance novel escapism for a handful of hours.

Plot:

Beyond the scope of the romantic development between Bryn and Caiden, there is a legitimate plot about the politics of the fae world with actual stakes that are in addition to the longevity and health of the romantic relationship. We love to see it, but we really only started to see it until the middle of the book. The first half of the book, suspicious things took place, but the were more just oddities and didn't raise any suspense like the developments in the second half of the book. For the overall development of this story-line, I think I would have liked those earlier moments to be more ominous or sinister in tone instead of just curious so that this story-line had more room to grow and breathe properly. 

The romantic plot was spot on perfect. The development was gradual, with each character reaching their own mental internal progress about the relationship by reasonable increments, and together, they meshed really well without one overpowering the other at all times. 

Characters: 

I really liked all the characters, but, the dialogue was waaaaayyyyyy too cheesy at times, mostly in the beginning of the book, and damn near entirely with Bryn's dialogue. Everything else about the characters was fabulous, but why why why could the dialogue have not been solid at all times? It feels like cherry picking for flaws, because it really is, but the cheesiness was off the charts to where it took away from the book for me.

Writing:

This is definitely a book about the characters, and the author does an excellent job writing them. On the whole, I think the writing was nice and smooth, which is great, but nothing really about it stood out (excepting the dialogue moments mentioned above). The character development is great though, including for a handful of key minor characters. So if you love reading for the characters, this is definitely one of those books you'd enjoy. 

A nice little new romance! I think I came across this title from the online marketing, which looking back on it, may be a little exaggerated in tone compared to the actual book, but hey, I still found a copy of this book to read, so marketing did their job right. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a romance with this description!

Thanks for reading!

Book Blitz: In the Shadow of the Apennines by Kimberly Sullivan

 

In The Shadow of The Apennines
by Kimberly Sullivan

~ Book Blitz with Xpresso Book Tours~

Giveaway at the end!

 

Publication date: October 21st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Women’s Fiction

An American divorcée. An Italian shepherdess. Separated by a century, united by common dreams.

The sleepy little Abruzzo mountain town of Marsicano seems about as far as Samantha can flee from her failed marriage and disastrous university career. Eager for a fresh start, Samantha begins to set down roots in her Italian mountain hideaway.

At first, the mountain retreat appears idyllic, but an outsider’s clumsy attempts at breaking into the closed mountain community are quickly thwarted when the residents discover Samantha’s snarky blog ridiculing the town and its inhabitants.

Increasingly isolated in her mountain cottage, Samantha discovers the letters and diaries of Elena, a past tenant and a survivor of the 1915 Pescina earthquake. Despite the century that separates the two women, Samantha feels increasingly drawn into Elena’s life, and discovers startling parallels with her own.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

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SNEAK PEEK:

Pescina, Italy

25 April 1914

Where do I begin? Mamma blames it all on Father Ignazio. She says if only he had left me to the chores I was employed to carry out at San Berardo and the parish house, my cooking and cleaning would be much improved, and I would not be constantly scribbling on any piece of paper I could find and begging for books to read.

She worries I will never find a husband.

“What man wants a wife who only cares about book learning, when she should be tending the goats, washing the clothes, and baking the bread?” Mamma warns me every day.

Mamma says no peasant girl should study beyond the first years of elementary school. Writing the letters to sign your name and computations for simple transactions are more than enough for a female in our region. She calls it getting above oneself. To mamma, this is the worst sin.

Of course, we weren’t always peasants. We used to have some money, back before papà lost his property. It was never much, but our lives were so much easier back then. My brothers and I even had a tutor to teach us to read and write and to know our history and literature. Those hours were the highlight of my day. My tutor was very pleased with me.

It was hard on us when we lost everything. Only mamma said maybe it was for the best – at least for me. Now she could insist I concentrate on what was most important for girls.

I suppose I am lucky it was Father Ignazio who insisted I keep up with my learning. Mamma may often speak her mind, but she will never argue with our parish priest. She respects him too much, and she worries about punishment in the afterlife if she talks back to a priest. So mamma, who is quick to speak her mind on every occasion, bites her tongue until she draws blood whenever Father Ignazio praises my learning to her.

Papà is proud of my reading and writing. He is the one who bought me this diary and the pen and ink for my birthday. Yes, I can hardly believe it, but today I am sixteen.

Mamma is probably right that a girl who reads and writes would scare off the local boys. Boys in Pescina mostly work the land like their fathers or tend the sheep. But even if I am now sixteen and townspeople consider me a woman, I still feel like a little girl.

All my friends talk about getting married, about preparing their wedding chest and living with their husbands. They make eyes at the boys returning with the sheep, the same boys we scrambled over the mountaintops with just a few years ago.

My friend Concetta even has a sweetheart. She always goes to the fountain to gather the water at the same hour so that she can meet Domenico on his way back to town after a day working in the fields.

Sometimes I see them together walking on the path back to town, the ruins of the castle watchtower above them in the distance. They look so happy in one another’s company, laughing and talking, finding excuses for their hands to brush together.

When Concetta and I are together, sewing or baking bread, she always seems to have a far-away look in her eyes, and I sense that she does not hear what I say, that her thoughts are only for Domenico now. Mamma says one day I’lll feel that way about a boy, too, but I wonder if I ever will.

Author Bio:

Kimberly grew up in the suburbs of Boston and in Saratoga Springs, New York, although she now calls the Harlem neighborhood of New York City home when she’s back in the US. She studied political science and history at Cornell University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, from Bocconi University in Milan.

Afflicted with a severe case of Wanderlust, she worked in journalism and government in the US, Czech Republic and Austria, before settling down in Rome, where she works in international development, and writes fiction any chance she gets.

She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and The Historical Novel Society and has published several short stories and three novels: Three Coins, Dark Blue Waves and In The Shadow of The Apennines.

After years spent living in Italy with her Italian husband and sons, she’s fluent in speaking with her hands, and she loves setting her stories in her beautiful, adoptive country.

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