Some Books on My Shelf that I Actually Need to Read - Max B-M.

    I have quite a large reading list, and a large collection of physical books collecting dust on my shelves. I am a very slow reader and lack the time to read as much as I would like to. 

    Many books on my shelves are ones I have read, but the majority are ones I’ve picked up over the years. I am horrendously guilty of picking up books based on the covers, and often buy books simply for aesthetics. I do usually read the summaries, however, and all the books are ones I genuinely find interesting.

 

    These are some of the books I hope to find the time to read (hopefully sometime before college): 

    The Hill by Ali Bryan

    This book doesn’t exactly fit into my intro because my father actually bought it for me a few years ago, and it’s been collecting dust on my shelf since. It’s 293 pages long and takes place after the fall of humanity. In the summary included in the cover, it describes the setting as “the remains of a world destroyed by oppression, overconsumption, and exploitation.” I think this description fits the current world greatly, with many reasons for the end of the fictional world plaguing the real world for us. The book follows a group of girls living on “the Hill,” an island landfill they’ve lived on since infancy. They follow “the Manual,” which instructs them on how to rebuild society on the mainland. “Men and boys spell danger” is the “cardinal rule” of society. The story seems so interesting, and it will hopefully be my next read. 

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 

    This novel is well-known, to say the least. It’s been recommended to me by so many people, and I recently bought it. It centers around Pecola Breedlove, a young girl who prays daily for beauty. She’s mocked for her dark skin and curly hair, differentiating her from her peers. She hopes for blue eyes and blond hair, thinking that they’ll let her fit in. The summary describes it as “a brilliant examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity.” I think it seems like an extremely powerful story, and I’d love to read it in the future. 

    The Merciless by Danielle Vega 

    This book is 279 pages, and it definitely has a different vibe than the other two novels I’ve talked about. It’s described as “Mean Girls with an occult twist,” which I find to be a wonderful and hilarious description. The summary in the book starts off strong, describing a girl tied and gagged in blood, in a basement. The story is about Sofia Flores, who befriended the popular girls, not expecting them to believe a fellow student is possessed. The new friends perform an exorcism, but it’s “closer to torture than salvation.” I think it sounds really cool and something with a good amount of horror. 

    These are just three of the many books that I need to read at some point. They all seem to be stories I would enjoy; I just literally need more time. 

Ten books, ten times I wonder if I should find a new favorite author. The answer is no.

 

    It’s been one year and ten Pratchett books. Thud!, Snuff, Equal Rites, Wyrd Sisters, Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, Carpe Jugulum, Mort, and Reaper Man. I’ve spared everyone from me making a post about each and every one, but now I’ve decided as a final hurrah that I’m going to go through each and give a few reasons why you should read each of them. This hyperfixation isn’t going away anytime soon.

Thud!: A story about trolls and dwarves, and how religion changing causes harm between people. It’s an incredible look at how religion in the UK has affected the laws for much too long, told through a recovering alcoholic's eyes. The peace that canna’ be bracken.

Snuff: The final book in an incredible sub-series, Snuff goes about how the main character deals with his own bias both as a policeman and as a citizen of Ankh Morpork. Also his wife is awesome, long live Sybil Ramkin.

Equal Rites: The first in the Witches series, following a girl named Esk who was mistakenly given a wizard's staff at birth (clearly, a man’ job). It follows Granny Weatherwax, one of the best characters on the disc, and Esk trying to get to Ankh Morpork and get Esk into Unseen University, the wizarding school

Wyrd Sisters: A funny Macbath parody with three witches, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick try to remind the citizens of Lancre that witches were there long before some duke that tries much too hard to be a king. The fool is quite some help too.

Witches Abroad: Mirrors are never good, but now it’s worse. Magrat was given a fairy godmother’s wand, with the explicit orders to go against the story. Granny and Nanny are told explicitly not to come along, so of course they do. Never tell a Weatherwax what to do.

Lords and Ladies: Elves. Ironically, this is a parody of Midsummer Night's Dream, so you all can understand the jokes (Tailor the Weaver, Weaver the Thatcher, and Thatcher the Tailor). It’s great, funny, and Margat is more than a wet hen.

Maskerade: They need another witch, and Perdita “X” Nitt would be perfect. If she didn’t run off to Ankh Morpork to be an opera singer, that is. Thanks to that and a coincidence of name that ends with Nanny rich and Granny angry, they’re off to Ankh Morpork to find Perdita Nitt, and eventually stop this strange Phantom in the Ankh Morpork Opera House.

Carpe Jugulum: The final book of the witches series, this book follows the witches trying to stop a group of vampires from invading the kingdom (they were invited, though). Not only are they vampires, but they can eat garlic, bury themselves in crossroads, and cross running water! Granny uses The Quite Reverend Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om Oats, also known as the religious fanatic Mightily Oats, to defeat them.

Mort: The first in the Death series. At the stroke of midnight on the day of apprentices, death makes on his new apprentice: Mortimer. Of course, on just his third job, Mort messes up. He saves Keli, a girl he finds attractive. Now reality has changed, and Mort must learn to deal with Death’s annoying daughter Ysabella so they can figure out how to fix this mess.

Reaper Man: I’m currently reading this, about halfway through. Death has been nervous, and when his servant asks why, Death pulls out someone's hourglass to look at their time left. It’s his. It’s strange to think of the mortality of Death, as he must take every one. He becomes a farmer, simply killing instead of taking. Windall Punes is a casualty of this, being unable to reincarnate into a different body. So, of course he reincarnates into himself. We know this process as zombification.

This is insane, I need new authors. To paraphrase a reddit user on r/discworld: I don’t want to oversell Sir Terry Pratchett’s work, but his series changed my life. It's shocking how a series about a flat world, on the back of four elephants, on the back of a turtle flying through space can have so much of an affect on me.

-Elanor

Fairy Tales: Their Influence Over Modern-Day Media

    Pretty much everyone has heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood or Jack and the Beanstalk. They’re kids' stories. Ones passed down long enough that they’re almost unrecognizable compared to the Grimm’s fairy tales that most originated from. But the stories almost always hold a lesson. Something that teaches the new generations to be “better” than the countless others that have ignored the basic human decency taught by these stories. 

    Many of the morals are applicable in solid stories today. Little Red Riding Hood teaches not to talk to strangers, and Jack and the Beanstalk teaches to reach for opportunity. So many stories have values that many could benefit from learning, but books catered to older audiences usually keep these as a theme. 

    Even if it isn’t through the moral, many modern novels take inspiration from classic tales but twist them into something enjoyable for teenagers and up. How to be Eaten by Maria Adelmann shows twisted and modern versions of classic fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella). She keeps the basic story of each fairy tale in her novel, but makes the stories far more intriguing for adult readers. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, however, provides a dystopian version of fairy tales. I know someone else has reviewed them in blog posts, but I quite enjoyed these books. They were interesting (albeit cringey) and an intriguing take on the older stories. Ash by Malinda Lo is yet another retelling of a classic tale. It is a saphic rendition of the Cinderella story and is, once again, a generally good book. 

    So many stories are even loosely based on old ones. That’s how literature works. No idea is completely and truly original. It’s important to recognize the stories that came before the ones today. Even if the inspiration is subtle, I still think it’s very interesting how much literature is wrapped around the so-called “children’s stories”. Maybe your favorite movie took an idea from The Sleeping Beauty, or you have to solve a riddle in a game (like Rumpelstiltskin). No matter what media you're consuming, it has to come from somewhere. 

    So yeah, fairy tales are kind of part of everything we consume. I think it’s pretty cool, but I also think fairy tales are pretty cool. I any of y’all like fantasy, look at the original Grimm Brothers’ stories, a lot of them are far more interesting than the watered-down Disney stories we were raised on. 

Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories

 

I have already written a blog post about Wonder, written by R.J. Palacio, a few months ago, but now I am reviewing the companion of it, Auggie & Me. 

Auggie & Me is actually three short stories—The Julian Chapter, Pluto, and Shingaling. Each is told from the perspective of someone who’s crossed paths with Auggie. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about reading more from side characters and I expected it to be more repetitive because it is three sides of similar stories. However, each one brought something fresh. 

Julian’s story was probably the most unexpected to me because he was portrayed as the main bully in Wonder. Based on his actions in the first book, I didn’t think I’d feel any sympathy for him, but seeing his backstory gave me a new light and view. In his chapter, the readers learn about his fears, insecurities, and the pressure he felt from his parents. Especially, his grandmother’s story about her own childhood experience during the Holocaust helps him realize the importance of kindness and acceptance.

Christopher’s story (Pluto) was kind of heartwarming and possibly relatable to people; it was about old friendships and how the dynamics changed as Auggie and him grew up. Christopher and Auggie had been best friends since they were little, and they shared a lot of good memories in Wonder. But as they got older, especially when Christopher moved to a new town and started a new public school, their bond started to fade a bit. It wasn't because they didn’t care about each other, but because life naturally pulled them in different directions.

Then there’s Shingaling, told by Charlotte; I loved how it explored the middle school social scene. It reminded me how complicated being a kid can be, especially when you’re trying to do the right thing in a world full of cliques, unspoken rules, and drama.

Overall, I liked that the book didn't feel like an unnecessary afterthought or just a spin-off. It seemed like the author, R.J. Palacio, wanted it to feel intentional; she really wanted us to understand that everyone has their own background and story. It introduces mature themes to elementary and middle school kids and is a great lesson. I definitely recommend reading this book!

-Chloe L.

Rereading Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

 

Since Holy Terrors, the third and final book of Maragret Owen’s Little Thieves trilogy, came out two weeks ago, I decided I should reread the second book, Painted Devils, to catch up on the story. This blog post will have spoilers for the end of Little Thieves. 

After they had overthrown a tyrant, cleared Vanja’s names, and reinstated the true Gisele von Flabrig you-get-the-idea as Margravine of Bóern, everything returned to how it should be. Or it should have. Because, after overthrowing a tyrant, clearing her name, and reinstating the true Margravine of Boerne, after having the chance to have a normal life, Vanja ran away. Because that’s all she knows how to do.

Vanja disappeared to a small village called Hagendorn, where she started a cult and became a prophet for a god that doesn’t exist… all by accident. Now stuck in this town who worships the Scarlet Maiden, a being she made up from some old drunkard’s song, it seems her life just can’t get any worse. But of course, it does, because turns out, if enough people believe in something for long enough, it becomes real. And then claims that junior prefect ex-boyfriend you-ran-away-from-at-the-end-of-last-book-because-you’re-scared-of-attachment as a sacrifice. Forced to break the claim, Vanja must wander back into her past, reunited with shadows of her memories, and face the devils painted on the walls. 

I have read Painted Devils three times (I don’t have a problem I swear), and trust me when I say it gets better every time I read it. This series is one that I believe can never get old, I have loved it every time I’ve read it. I really do recommend this series for anyone who likes fantasy, or anyone who thinks they would like fantasy, because these books by Margaret Owen are just that good. However, I would proceed with caution if you’re uncomfortable with the mentions of sex, because while this is not a smutty novel, the characters do talk about the idea of sex a fair amount. But that’s enough from me, until next time (where I will probably be gushing about Holy Terrors), and thank you for reading.

Innocent until proven guilty, or is it the other way around?

Recently, I’ve been reading a book that a few other people on these blogs have been talking about. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is written by Holly Jackson and published in 2019! I just realized coincidentally that it was published on my birthday, too (WOW). This book has 400 pages that I’ve been reading over the past few weeks. A heads up there will be some context given before I yap about my thoughts! (If you want to skip the context go to the second to last paragraph).

To begin, we have 2 primary characters that are named Pip (Pippa), and Ravi. There are many other characters as well but the story is set in Pip’s perspective with Ravi as her partner. In 2019, the murder of Andie Bell made headlines in the area of Fairview Connecticut. A slightly off-topic fact, but it is solely in the U.S. copies of AGGGTM that it is set in Connecticut. Everywhere else the story takes place in a fictional town in England. Ravi’s younger brother, Sal Singh, was convicted of Andie’s murder. Between Pip and Ravi, both are trying to gain justice for Sal. Many of the residents living in Fairview believe that Sal is a murderer and they also drag that along with Ravi as well. Simple things such as them saying he is a murderer’s brother take a toll on Ravi because he truly believes his brother would never murder someone.

Pip builds a friendship with Ravi and over time more people are aware of her project, Pip introduces herself often to question people who may have been involved or even have any information about the case. The storyline follows this process incredibly well saying that the reader is quite literally reading Pip’s project as she types it. There are quite a few twists and turns within this case Pip is studying, but a lot of information is revealed concluding Andie had everyone around her fooled about the person she is. 

Now that I’ve given some basic information about the idea of this book, it’s time for me to talk about my thoughts. Overall the book had me sitting there flipping page after page, I believe this is one of my favorite reads from this year! Following Pip’s life along with her project was thoroughly written, with lots of additional details discluding the project. I’d like to say if you enjoy reading mystery mixed with crime, then you would like this book!! A lot of my friends recommended it to me which overall led to me reading it so I’d also say it is pretty well-liked by a bunch of people. 

To sum it up, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a thoroughly detailed book. I think everyone should get a chance to read at least a little bit of it at least once. Holly did a very good job at writing this book with plenty of detail that draws a reader in. Additionally, I’d give it a 9.5/10! I believe that’s everything I have to say for now, so I’ll see you guys in 5 weeks! Bye!!

-Chloé B. 🦆