When stating how reluctant I was to let go of Halloween and head into Fall, I did not mean I was interested in the immediate jump into Winter. Though I am gladly counting down the days for Thanksgiving break, where I can read books without worrying over an assignment deadline (I’ll instead be worried about finals). One of my favorite book-ish content creators, MouseReads, hosts an end-of-year readathon with prompts to promote reading books you already own rather than buying new ones. And every year, I attempt to join the readathon and go into a reading slump. So I want to challenge myself to read at least 10 books before the year ends h even though I’m not reading as much as I used to. Starting with these 4.
The Everlasting – Alix E Harrow
[Adult Fantasy]
Historian Owen Mallory follows the tales surrounding the legend of Sir Una Everlasting. Over time, as he goes through the stories, he finds himself in the past to ensure that Una plays her part.
Sometime last year, I read Harrow’s short story “The Six Deaths of the Saint” on my Kindle and thought it was a strange little read. So when she announced a full-length novel that complements the elements I loved from the first story, I immediately ordered it. And yet, despite having knights, time loops, and the ideas around how a legend is built, it has not left my nightstand. Which is something I hope to change soon.
Light From Uncommon Stars – Ryka Aoki
[Adult Science fiction Fantasy]
Shisuka Satomi has a deal to fulfill. Get one more person to sign away their soul and then the accomplished violinist can somewhat rest before the devil takes hers too. Katrina, a trans runaway could very well be the newest violin prodigy to add to Shisuka’s list. All the while, a donut shop owner, Lan Tran, may be able to help with Shisuka’s curse. Or deal with her own issues as a retired spaceship captain.
I started reading this book almost three years ago, highly enjoyed the first 100 pages, and then just stopped reading. Now if I want to pick this back up to complete the story, I’ll need to start at the beginning all over again. I’m not too upset about that because any element with space, violins, and weird family dynamics are something I’m always interested in reading about.
Not Quite Dead Yet – Holly Jackson
[Adult Murder Mystery]
Jet Mason has seven days to solve her own murder. After an attack on Halloween, she was told that her head injury will trigger an aneurysm within the week, giving Jet a very limited timeframe to find out who did this, and why?
The Reappearance of Rachel Price was one of my favorite Holly Jackson reads last year, and with this being her adult debut, I really wanted to try this one out. However, this is going to be sad since the main character is slowly dying. So, I’ll take my time getting to this one.
Needy Little Things – Channelle Desamours
[Young Adult Speculative Mystery]
Sariyah Bryant has a gift for helping others. When they need something, whether small or useful, she can find it. But after her friend Deja goes missing, Sariyah questions if her gift is actually helpful since this isn’t the first person to go off the grid after she helped them.
This was almost an automatic buy for me. Because Sariyah’s brother in the story has Sickle Cell. Which I rarely see mentioned in mixed media, I think in the last few years, I’ve come across it in three young adult books. Also this cover is beautiful.