I read fifteen books this month and I’m not even sure how I managed it. Most of them were great while a few disappointed me.
All images below link either to my reviews or to the book’s Goodreads page.
March TBR
March is going to be an exciting month because Children of Blood and Bone is coming out! I am so keen to read this book but so anxious too. I’ve waited so long for an African inspired fantasy that I started writing one, and now I can’t help being a little nervous that my book will seem like a cheap knock off of. Silly writer’s fears, you know? I read fifteen books this month and I’m not even sure how I managed it. Most of them were great while a few disappointed me. All images below link either to my reviews or to the book’s Goodreads page. March TBR I didn’t get round to reading Things Fall Apart in February so I’m going to try to get to it in March. I also want to read Through a Glass Darkly. Although I intend to snatch up some of the amazing books due for release this month, I really want to focus on my goal to read more literary and classic fiction before I get into new books.
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New books are exciting. Their pages hold the conclusion of a series you love, a story you’ve waited months for, or an old favourite in a gorgeous new cover. New books are the peak of bibliophile thrills. Their spines are smooth beneath the fingers and their pristine pages smell of new adventures and love.
Holding a new book in your hands is like the giddy rush of talking to your very first crush for the first time. Old books are like meeting that same crush again in your twenties or thirties and discovering you still have chemistry. Old books have been cherished before, and thoughtlessly abused. Their bindings are a bit loose and some of the pages might be missing. The pages occasionally have scribbled notes on them, or dog-eared corners. Old books have been around; they’ve seen shit. They know places you’ve never been and not all of those were pleasant. Their pages tend to smell funky, like morning breath or somebody else’s stale laundry. Each has their value. There’s few literary pleasures as keen as a new book while paging through an old book is a precious comfort. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
There are no specific books I’ve lost interest in (for any reason) so this post is going to be about certain elements in books that either make me roll my eyes or want to DNF. The petite and delicate female MC: As a woman who stands a little over 6ft in my heels, I find it irksome when books make it seem like a woman is only attractive if she’s made to appear small and vulnerable. And have you ever noticed that when the book requires a woman who’s a warrior, she’s always tall? The default handsome fellow and his hard muscles: This is mainly a question of personal taste because muscly guys make me break out in hives. One of the aspects I loved most about Nicholas Rinth’s The Drowned Tower is that the lead male character is a skinny, gangling boy. The pseudo Europe fantasy world The aliens always invade the USA: And even if they do plan to take over the entire world, the central characters live in the US so that’s the only POV you get. Where’s the alien invasion of China, or the U.K? One of the reasons I love the movie District Nine is because it breaks all the tropes. Zombies and Vampires: A writer has to do something hella original to keep me interested where zombies or vampires are concerned. Nerves of Steel does it with vampires, but the only decent zombie book that comes to mind is Zombiecorns. Sexism in general: This doesn’t necessarily apply to books set in sexist societies, such as Song of Ice and Fire or The Handmaids tale. It’s more for sexism that seeps into the book and limits the characters Love must be romantic to be valid Her love will fix him: Do you have any idea how many male love interests are characterised by symptoms of Type B personality disorders? It is frightening AF that these men are firstly being idealised as romantic partners, and secondly, that it is implied in any way that love will fix this issue. That's only eight, but it's a long enough rant for one day. Do you agree with any of the points on my list? Or have your own to add? |
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AuthorCaitlin has loved fantasy from a young age. She started writing in earnest because she couldn’t find the book she needed to read. |