Reading Envy 246: Unsettling Endings with Yanira

Yanira shares why she deleted Goodreads and how it's improved her reading life, and we talk about rereading books before we dig into books we've read and liked lately.

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Reading Envy 246: Unsettling Endings

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Books discussed:

 

Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso
End of the World House by Adrienne Celt
A Very Nice Girl by Imogen Crimp
The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe, Yohanca Delgado, Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, and Sheree Renee Thomas
Joan is Okay by Weike Wang

Other mentions: 

A House of My Own: Stories from My Life by Sandra Cisneros
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Hating Game (film)
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Conversations with Friends (tv adaptation)
Bridgerton (Netflix)
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette
The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Dirty Computer (album)
Dirty Computer [Emotion Picture]
Chemistry by Weike Wang
Either/Or by Elif Batuman
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
The Possessed by Elif Batuman
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, read by Miranda Raison

Related episodes: 

Episode 070 - Words Like Weapons with Yanira Ramirez
Episode 096 - Not Without Hope with Yanira Ramirez
Episode 108 - Venn Diagram with Yanira Ramirez  
Episode 141 - Profound and Tedious Work with Yanira Ramirez
Episode 181 - An Awkward Woman with Yanira Ramirez

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy


All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 240: Air Quotes with Chris Carey

Chris visits the podcast for the first time, where we discuss web comics and where they live, book clubs and book goals, book slumps and book challenges. We also manage to discuss several debut novels across a wide range of genres, but all with strong representation!

Download or listen via this link:
Reading Envy 240: Air Quotes

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Books discussed:

The Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
Islands of Decolonial Love by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, performed by Tantoo Cardinal
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Other mentions: 

Gotham Outsiders
Thirsty on Toon
Talking Comics
My Gentle Giant
WEBTOON
Batman: Wayne Family Adventures
Wattpad
Reading Glasses Podcast
Reading Glasses Challenge
Heaving Bosoms Podcast
Heaving Bosoms' Reading Embrace
Big Bad Wolf Series by Charlie Adhara
Gail Carriger
Nagamatsu playlist at Largehearted Boy
Stiff by Mary Roach
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
Sunshine Cleaning (film)
The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnosteinrom
Indigenous Reading Circle in Patreon
Noopiming by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Bojack Horseman (tv show)
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix
Woman Eating by Claire Kohda
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
The Employees by Olga Gavn, translated by Martin Aitken

Related episodes: 

Episode 060 - A Good Era for Communists with Rose Davis
Episode 148 - Multiple Lives with Jeff
Episode 191 - Stealthy yet Sparkly with Gail Carriger
Episode 231 - Psychological Terrorism with Reggie

Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Chris on Twitter


All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Review: The Love Hypothesis

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

I've talked on the podcast a few times about the number of books featuring grad students in the sciences, well here is one more and it is a delightful fake relationship trope between a grad student and a professor (but at Stanford he's not her direct advisor so it's fine.) I'm not sure if it was deliberate but I pictured a young Snape as the professor.

And then Erin in Instagram said,

"Apparently this book is re-packaged Rey/Ben Solo fan fiction and the dude is Adam Driver…so Young Snape isn’t too far off IMO"

I had no idea but it does really work now that I know. It didn't feel shoehorned or suffer from the awkwardness of similar attempts in my opinion, so kudos to the author.

And I know this isn't the intent of #scienceseptember but it might be as close as I get this year.

I had a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and it comes out September 14, 2021.


View all my reviews

Reading Envy 216 - Eloquent and Elegant with Kala

Kala and Jenny meet again about a year after our previous conversation to chat about books we've read lately, from presidential memoirs to romance to books that haven't had enough attention. We tackle backlogs and bookstacks along the way.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 216: Eloquent and Elegant.

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Books discussed: 

 

A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon
The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard
Telephone by Percival Everett
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Other mentions:

Becoming by Michelle Obama
Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama
Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton
We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon
The Talented Ribkins by Ladee Hubbard
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
Untraceable by Sergei Lebedev, translated by Antonina W. Bouis

Related episodes:

Episode 096 - Not Without Hope with Yanira Ramirez
Episode 143 - Reading the Pain with Kala
Episode 151 - The Stories They Tell with Karen
Episode 184 - Theme Night at Book Club with Kala
Episode 213 - Funicular Reads with Bianca

Stalk us online:

Kala on Twitter
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Kala on Facebook
Kala's blog, Reader then Blogger
Kala is @ReaderthenBlogger on Instagram
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 213: Funicular Reads with Bianca

Bianca returns to talk about last year's reading, new goals, and comfort reads like found families and historical romance. There are a lot of geeky and nerdy characters in this episode as well.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 213: Funicular Reads.

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Or listen via Stitcher
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Books discussed: 

Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
White Ivy by Susie Yang
One by One by Ruth Ware

Other mentions:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
#readwhatyouown
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge
Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV
The Backstagers by James Tynion IV
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop by Kelly Thompson
Comixology
The Guild (tv show)
Magic the Gathering
Read or Dead podcast
Article about Spotify
It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

Related episodes:

Episode 094 - House Arrest with Libby Young
Episode 127 - The Sadness Between Books with Bianca Escalante
Episode 145 - Things Get Dark with Bianca Escalante

Stalk us online:

Bianca is @bianca on Litsy
Bianca at Goodreads
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors. I link to Amazon when a book is not listed with Bookshop.

Reading Envy 211: Rereads and Romance with Kim

The first regular episode of 2021 kicks off with a new guest - Kim. She talks about how she made it through 2020 by doing a lot of rereading books with disaster magnets, rich brothers, and fire cats. Jenny pitches in with one recent and one deep backlist title. We may fawn over Portland a little as well.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 211: Rereads and Romance.

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
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Or listen on Google Play
Or listen via Stitcher
Or listen through Spotify 
Or listen through Google Podcasts


Books discussed: 

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
The Blue Jay's Dance: A Birth Year by Louise Erdrich
Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid

Other mentions:

Powell's Books
Annie Bloom's Books
Silvia Moreno-Garcia (the book referenced is Mexican Gothic)
Book Riot - Get Booked Podcast
Currently Reading Podcast
From the Front Porch Podcast
Home Cooking Podcast
Pop Sugar Reading Challenge
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge
Valdemar Series by Mercedes Lackey
Quan Barry makes a powerpoint
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
Willa Cather
Knitting in the City series by Penny Reid
Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid
Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey
Burke's Law by Brian Burke
The City of Brass by S.A. Charkaborty

Related episodes:

Episode 119 - Bread and Butter Writing with Paula
Episode 181 - An Awkward Woman with Yanira Ramirez
Episode 184 - Theme Night at Book Club with Kala
Episode 190 - The Good Life with Alex

Stalk us online:

Kim at Goodreads
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

All links to books are through Bookshop.org, where I am an affiliate. I wanted more money to go to the actual publishers and authors.

Review: Simmer Down

Simmer Down by Sarah Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nikki relocates to Maui after her father's death to help her mother run a food truck serving Filipino food, and has an encounter with the new (hot, English) food truck owner who parks in her space.

I like the foodie elements and the location, the tension between the characters, but sometimes it's like the author gets sidetracked (random trip to London! Luxury resort!) and adds elements to the story that actually detract from the central romance. I also do not like epilogues especially in romance. Give me my happy ending and walk away!

Still when I needed something to read during election week insomnia, this was a fair distraction.

I had a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley; it came out October 13, 2020.

View all my reviews

Books Read September 2020: 229-257

This was a strange reading month because I started out refocusing on my 2020 reading goals, plus reading challenges from Instagram to read your own books, read books about science, and read Latinx heritage books (which goes September 15 - October 15.) But the eARC backlog started to feel overwhelming, and you can almost see the shift in my list. I also had to give myself permission to bail on a few books I was stuck on, and that freed up my reading flow. I don't know why I can't learn that lesson better; it's one I learn over and over again. But this month I found a lot of great reads, particularly in non-fiction, which is unusual for me. I read a lot of one-word title books, which was just a strange thing I observed. I also read books from the library for the first time since March (that I hadn't already checked out or accessed electronically) - I utilized curbside pickup. I hope doing so is in support of wanting my libraries to do what they feel is safe and not putting anyone at risk There are a lot of conflicting opinions about this topic.

 

Pictured: 5-star reads for September

229. Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
230. Whale Day by Billy Collins, read by Billy Collins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy audiobook; my review)
231. The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hadeyat, translated by Naveed Noori ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
232. Blizzard: Poems by Henri Cole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC in Edelweiss; my review)
233. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC in NetGalley; my review)
234. Hurma by Ali Al-Muqri, translated by T.M. Aplin ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
235. Earth Almanac by Ted Williams, illustrated by John Burgoyne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC in NetGalley; my review)
236. Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz, narrated by Almarie Guerra ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
237. Glory and Its Litany of Horrors by Fernanda Torres, translated by Eric M.B. Becker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
238. Homesick by Nino Cipri ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy; my review)
239. Before You Say I Do Clare Lydon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
240. Eat a Peach by David Chang and Gabe Ulla, narrated by David Chang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (review copy audiobook; my review)
241. Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (library book; my review)
242. Tides by Jonathan White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
243. Igifu by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Jordan Stump ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
244. Bestiary by K-Ming Chang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
245. Iwigara by Enrique Salmon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
246. No Offense by Meg Cabot ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
247. A Highlander is Coming to Town by Laura Trentham ⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
248. Guillotine by Eduardo C. Corral ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from publisher; my review)
249. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow, narrated by January LaVoy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy audiobook; my review)
250. What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
251. The Selected Works of Audre Lorde by Audre Lorde ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (print galley from publisher; my review)
252. The Writer's Library by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from NetGalley; my review)
253. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (library copy; my review)
254. Our Women on the Ground by Zahra Hankir, ed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)
255. Headscarves and Hymens by Mona Eltahawy, narrated by Mona Eltahawy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Hoopla audiobook; my review)
256. Farewell, Ghosts by Nadia Terranova, translated by Ann Goldstein ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (eARC from Edelweiss; my review)
257. Nine Moons by Gabriela Wiener, translated by Jessica Powell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (personal copy; my review)

Books read: 29 

Audiobooks: 5
eBooks: 13
Print books: 11

Library: 4
Personal: 8
Review: 17

Challenges
LatinxHeritage 2
readwhatyouown 9
scienceseptember 3
readtheworld21 2

Goals
Middle East 5
Indigenous writers 3
Around the World 13

Genres
Fantasy 2
Foodie 2
Horror 2
Memoir 2
Poetry 4
Romance 2

Review: Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book in The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbett, and I might have enjoyed this one even more than the first (Get a Life, Chloe Brown.) Danika is a somewhat witchy academic who is NOT a relationship person, until she meets Zafir, who rescues her from a building and they become a hashtag. He is a romance fan in more ways than one. If you are a fan of people speaking frankly and directly (even in steamy situations) this is for you.

It looks like there will be a third book in this series, but I'd also like the stories of some of these side characters - Scorcha, Fatima, etc.

What I'm not expressing well is how much this made me laugh, sometimes cackle. If this wasn't a review copy I would be quoting some MAJOR HILARIOUS PASSAGES.

I had a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss but it comes out Tuesday the 23rd! You don't need to have read the Chloe Brown book to enjoy this one.

View all my reviews

Reading Envy 191: Stealthy Yet Sparkly with Gail Carriger

Author Gail Carriger sits down with me at the Reading Envy Pub, and we discuss her voracious reading habits, and topics in books ranging from little squiddies to magical chocolate pots. Ms. Carriger must have a happy ending, and Jenny is content with fragmentary reads.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 191: Stealthy Yet Sparkly

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New! Listen through Google Podcasts


Books discussed:

 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton
Sorcery & Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
On Lighthouses by Jazmina Barrera, translated by Christina MacSweeney
Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

Other mentions:

Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger
Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger
Meat Cute by Gail Carriger
Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs
Wolfsong by TJ Klune
Court of Fives by Kate Elliot
LitHub The 50 Best Contemporary Novels under 200 Pages
The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish
My Enemy the Queen by Victoria Holt
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Grace Draven
Taji Beyond the Rings by R. Cooper
The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger
Earth Fathers are Weird by Lyn Gala
White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Related episodes:

Episode 015 - The Time for Exclaiming Over Costumes with Jean and Karen
Episode 060 - A Good Era for Communists with Rose Davis
Episode 187 - Sentient Snails and Spaceships with Paula


Stalk us online:

Gail Carriger website (includes more social media links)
Gail Carriger on Twitter
Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Reading Envy 184: Theme Night at Book Club with Kala

Kala returns and this time she just started a new book club, so we chat about that before moving on to other reads we've experienced lately. A little romance, a little comedy, a little history, a little reading in translation.

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 184: Theme Night at Book Club with Kala

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts by clicking: Subscribe
Or listen through TuneIn
Or listen on Google Play
Listen via Stitcher
NEW! Listen through Spotify


Books discussed:



If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid
These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card
b, Book, and Me by Kim Sagwa, translated by Sunhee Jeong
Don't Put the Boats Away by Ames Sheldon


Other mentions:

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Sugar in the Blood by Andrea Stuart
The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Mina by Kim Sagwa
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Loving Donovan by Bernice McFadden
The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar
The Last Taxi Driver by Lee Durkee
Knitting the Fog by Claudia D. Hernandez

 
Stalk us online:
Jenny at Goodreads
Kala on Twitter
Jenny on Twitter
Kala on Facebook
Kala's blog, Reader then Blogger
Kala is @ReaderthenBlogger on Instagram
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy

Reading Envy 170: Permission to Read with Joshua Greer

Joshua Greer has known Jenny since he worked for her in the music library as a new college student, and since then has gone on to become a librarian. We have been talking about having him on the podcast for a while, so I'm glad it finally worked out!

Download or listen via this link: Reading Envy 170: Permission to Read with Joshua Greer

Subscribe to the podcast via this link: Feedburner
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Listen via Stitcher
Listen through Spotify


Books discussed:

 

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
Crossing by Pajtim Statovci
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Blue Sky by Galsan Tschinag
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate


Other mentions:

Beaufort County (SC) Library
Bahni Turpin (narrator)
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Frazer Douglas (narrator)
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller
Tuvan throat singers
Russian Doll (tv show)
Circe by Madeleine Miller
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Jim Dale (narrator)
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
The Guardian Books podcast interview with Lucy Ellmann
Booker Prize Podcast


Related Episodes:

Episode 099 - Readalong: The Secret History
Episode 100 - 100 Reasons Why
Episode 139 - Stocking Stuffer (Best Reads of 2018)
Episode 162 - Heat Rating with Sara DeSantis
Episode 167 - Book Pendulum with Reggie


Stalk us online:

Jenny at Goodreads
Jenny on Twitter
Jenny is @readingenvy on Instagram and Litsy
Joshua at Goodreads

Some of these links are Amazon affiliate links, where I do get a minor kickback when people click on them. Since I never beg for donations, I don't feel too bad about it.