The Weather in Books Tag

I saw Lisa from Way Too Fantasy do this tag and it looked like a fun one! I have no idea who its creator is, so if anyone knows, drop me a note!

And speaking of weather, we’ve finally gone from Fire, Smoke, and Lung Cancer to rain–sweet, glorious rain–so that’s something! My sincerest condolences to those who lost their homes in a fire this summer. And an equally sincere F-U to a certain leader of a country who claims that Canadian lumber has been the cause of U.S. fires. Because global warming isn’t a thing, apparently, and neither is thinking. So–

*Furious cutting gestures from my imaginary assistant who’s hoisting up a sign that says ‘NO POLITICAL RANTS’*

…So yeah, tags! Fun, stress-free, non-political tags. That are about books.

Let’s get to it! 😀

 

☀️ Sunshine:  A Book That Made You Smile

I don’t know what it says about me that this one took me the longest to come up with (a lie–I’m pretty sure I know what what says about me). The McElroys never fail to make me smile and laugh and there is a lot to smile and laugh about in their graphic novel adaptation of The Adventure Zone podcast. Even though I already know the story, I had a blast reading through it. The art is super charming and adorable and captures the humour of the “story” perfectly. I’ll definitely do a review on it sometime in the near future…Hopefully. *Glumly eyes my pile of unfinished reviews*

 

🌧️ Rain:  A Book You Couldn’t Put Down

I’m finding it harder to pull all-nighters with books as I get older, but Scott Lynch’s The Gentleman Bastards series is one I have no trouble doing it with. The combination of fun, eclectic characters, brilliant worldbuilding, and the best banter makes The Lies of Locke Lamora as addicting as any drug.

 

🌬️ Wind:  A Book That Blew You Away

There are a lot of books that fit the bill, but I’ll choose this one since its sequel isn’t too far away.

I dislike economics with a passion. I hated learning about it (in the one elective class I took in undergrad) and I hate reading about it fiction. The Traitor Baru Cormorant not only made me like the economics aspect of the story, it made me invested (excuse the pun) in it, it made me chomping at the bits to know more. That’s sorcery. Pure and simple. And I would just like to know what blood sacrifices Seth Dickinson is making to which god, because I could really use some of that magic myself.

 

☁️ Hurricane:  A Tragic Book

There are books that make me cry, and then there are books that make me sob until I’m hobbling around in a state of complete exhaustion. Guess which category this belongs to?

Reading At Swim, Two Boys was like being pummeled by a rock slide and then flattened with a sledgehammer for good measure. And the funny thing is, most of the story isn’t tragic. Set in Ireland against a WW1 backdrop, it’s a tale of hope, friendship, and love, complete with beautiful characterization, heartaching prose, and quite a bit of humour. There’s nothing to suggest–Well, okay, maybe the “WW1” bit.

Anyhow, the book is a must read for all lovers of historical fiction and/or LGBTQIAP+ fiction. Just arm yourself with alcohol/chocolate/comfort food and a bucket beforehand.

 

❄️ Blizzard:  A Book You Had High Expectations For

I could write a dissertation on the sheer brilliance of the first three books in this series and then write an equally long paper on how disappointed I was with this fourth and final book. The Monstrumologist series is a 19th century gothic horror story that follows the lives of an orphaned boy named Will Henry and his ward, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man dedicated to the science of monsters. It’s gruesome, the writing is drop-dead gorgeous, and the characters are drawn with exquisite complexity.

So I expected much of the same for Book 4. Instead, I got the last season of a TV show that knows it’s getting cancelled so it tries to wrap everything up while also adding in new stuff because hell, we’re getting canned anyway, might as well be experimental.

The series is still one of my favourites of all time and I’ve listened to the audiobooks more times than I can count. I just, uh, pretend this last one doesn’t exist.

 

🌪️ Tornado:  A Book You Didn’t Like At First But Ended Up Loving

I had a bit of a hard time with this one because I can usually decide in the first 1/4 of a book whether or not I’m going to love the rest. Then I gave myself a smack and went, “Oh, duh!” Right. So this book. I bought it when I was 15 with what measly allowance money I had and got my first taste of buyer’s remorse within the first couple of chapters–“Is this even a contemporary?”; “Wha–are these kids fighting in a war?”; “What the HELL is going on???” I side-eyed the Printz award committee. Hard. I wondered if refunding it after already having read a part of it was an ethical thing to do. I didn’t think it was, so I gritted my teeth and read on. Best. Decision. Ever.

There are so many elements that make On the Jellicoe Road such a masterpiece, but at the core of it is the friendship. The book has, by far, one of the most beautiful depictions of friendship I’ve encountered in any genre. The kind that seeps into your heart and takes permanent root.

And it’s a book I even recommend to fantasy-only readers because Melina Marchetta has a gift for taking something as ordinary as a small rural town and turning it into an otherworldly place.

I TAG:

Dorine
Jennifer
Norrie
Paige

And anyone else who wants to do it! ❤

Diversity Spotlight Thursday: Pirates Ahoy!| 3 Days, 3 Quotes [Day 2]

Diversity Spotlight Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Aimal from Bookshelves & Paperbacks. Each week you come up with three book for three different categories: a diverse book you’ve read and enjoyed; a diverse book that’s already been released and is in your TBR; and a diverse book that hasn’t been released yet.

And this week’s topic is pirates! ☠️

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

The sequel to Scott Lynch’s incredibly addictive, high-octane fantasy heist debut, Red Seas Under Red Skies follows the misadventures of our beloved conmen Lock Lamora and Jean Tannen, as they end up butting heads with pirates. The captain of the pirates in question is a middle-aged black woman who also happens to be a mother, which is one of the most badass things ever. While it’s got more structural issues than the first, the entertainment value is still through the roof and I find myself rereading it time and time again.

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

I’ve been meaning to read this for a while now, because a plot that revolves around a monster-raising girl getting kidnapped by a pirate queen sounds fun, if a little romance novel-esque. I’ve heard great and not-so-great things about it, so I’m looking forward to finding out what the fuss is for myself.

Compass Rose by Anna Burke

In the year 2513, the only thing higher than the seas is what’s at stake for those who sail them.
Rose was born facing due north, with an inherent perception of cardinal points flowing through her veins. Her uncanny sense of direction earns her a coveted place among the Archipelago Fleet elite, but it also attracts the attention of Admiral Comita, who sends her on a secret mission deep into pirate territory. Accompanied by a ragtag crew of mercenaries and under the command of Miranda, a captain as bloodthirsty as she is alluring, Rose discovers the hard way that even the best sense of direction won’t be enough to keep her alive if she can’t learn to navigate something far more dangerous than the turbulent seas. Aboard the mercenary ship, Man o’ War, Rose learns quickly that trusting the wrong person can get you killed―and Miranda’s crew have no intention of making things easy for her―especially Miranda’s trusted first mate, Orca, who is as stubborn as she is brutal.

Yet another book where the protagonist falls for a ruthless captain! I first saw it featured on one of Anna’s posts, and the combination of the words “2513” and “seas” and “mercenary” made me positively light-headed with excitement. Because if there’s one thing I love more than maritime mercenaries and pirates, it’s futuristic maritime mercenaries and pirates.

Releases July 10th

For the second part of the post, we have Day 2 of 3 Days, 3 Quotes, for which I was tagged by Alyssa from Serendipitous Reads.

The Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day)
3. Nominate three new bloggers each day

“Uh, Kathy, it says right there in the rules that you have to post the quotes consecutively. You haven’t posted one in fi–”

Now onto today’s quote! (From a book that also features pirates!)

I can’t not do a quotes tag without including one from my favourite author of all time. And this one is rather timely considering how much of an unabashed dumpster fire the world is right now. One of the central themes of Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings books is how the small actions of ordinary people can snowball into extraordinary, world-shaking events. And this quote is a loud call for such action. It’s disconcertingly easy to resign to weariness and think, “I can’t change anything,” but these books remind me that every step made, however small or shaky, is a step forward. And those steps add up to a lot.

(And I most definitely did not pick pirates as this week’s Diversity Thursday theme just so I could use this quote. Not at all.)

Today I tag:
– Justine from Milkz Bookshelf
– Alexia from The Bookworm Daydreamer
– Bibi from Bibi’s Book Blog

Top 5 Wednesday – Favourite Jokesters

“Top 5 Wednesday” is a weekly meme currently hosted on Goodreads by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes, where you list your top 5 for the week’s chosen topic. This week’s topic is: favourite jokesters, pranksters, and funny characters.

This was a hard one. I had trouble remembering any comic-relief/jokey characters in books, let alone ones that I actually liked. The funny ones rarely stick in my mind compared to the broody, serious ones, unless their humour is some sort of well-crafted veneer hiding a mournful or sociopathic interior (which probably says a lot about me). So this is going to be a mishmash of books, film/tv, and comics.

1) Locke Lamora – The Gentleman Bastard Sequence by Scott Lynch

I mean, every one of the Gentleman Bastards can fit into this category–you’d have a hard time eking out a living in a decrepit crime-den like Camorr without some sense of humour–but Scott Lynch saves some of his funniest lines and scenes for the star of the show.

 

 

“Know something? I’d lay even odds that between the people following us and the people hunting us, we’ve become this city’s principle means of employment. Tal Verrar’s entire economy is now based on fucking with us.”

 

 

2) Jalan Kendeth (The Red Queen’s War trilogy by Mark Lawrence)

Jalan is who I imagine most of us would (realistically) be if we were thrown into a fantasy world full of monsters and magic–a big resounding “NOPE” and “Fuck this.” He’s the most unlikely hero, a self-professed “coward” who rarely taking things seriously. He’s also hilarious and one of the most entertaining narrators I’ve come across.

 

“Every fortune-teller I ever met was a faker. First thing you should do to a soothsayer is poke them in the eye and say, ‘Didn’t see that coming, did you?”

 

3) Sette Frummagem – Unsounded webcomic

Sette is the protagonist of Unsounded, an epic fantasy webcomic created by Ashley Cope. As the daughter of a crime lord, she’s already well versed in the art of lies, tricks, and thievery, and her antics drive her companion, Duane, absolutely insane. Cheeky, mouthy, and utterly hilarious, she’s become one of my all-time favourite female characters.

Comic by Ashley Cope

 

4) Jonathan Carnahan – The Mummy films

Okay, so pretty much everyone in the first two movies is hilarious, even the bad guys, but Evie’s bumbling brother Jonathan takes the cake. Primarily because of this scene:

 

5) Jim Halpert – The Office (U.S)

And, of course, the King of Pranks himself. Jim Halpert effectively has two job titles: Paper Salesman and Perpetual Nagging Thorn on Dwight Shrute’s Side. The pranks he pulls on his deskmate make for some of the best parts of The Office, and I could watch compilation videos of them all day.

And there you have it! Feel free to tell me some of your favourites!