Books to Read in Quarantine (ft. some amazing bloggers)

Almost all of us are stuck in quarantine right now, unable to work, go out, or do anything other than sit at home and worry. I have been doing a lot of baking, watching Netflix for hours on end, writing, and reading. Honestly, there isn't a better time to get some reading done than right now. I decided to reach out to some fabulous book bloggers and ask them to contribute a quarantine book recommendation! So without any further ado, here is a list of books you should read during quarantine from some of my favorite bloggers. 

The Song of Achilles Made Me Cry

In 2019, I read and loved Madeline Miller's newer release, Circe. It was one of my favorite books that year and frankly, of all time. I am a huge classics nerd. It started off with reading the Percy Jackson series as a child and had developed into a fascination with all things ancient. My minor in university is classical studies. So I was obviously stoked to pick up The Song of Achilles, which is Madeline Miller's debut novel. I expected to love it, of course, but I didn't expect it to make me emotionally unstable. 

Fictional Worlds I Want to Visit

Sometimes I read a book so vibrant and rich that I am transported to another world entirely. The words pop off the page and pull you in so deep that when you finally manage to drag your eyes away from the page, you are shocked to find yourself in your bedroom or on the train. Some fictional worlds stick with you more than others and I would give my heart to be able to visit them. However, there are some books that I love dearly but would never wish to be transported into, whether that's due to a tyrannical society or a doomed fate. But others resonate with your heart so much so that you feel like you belong there. Do you every feel like fiction is more of a home than reality? 

Kingdom of Ash Spoiler Review (It's FINALLY Over)

I finally finished the Throne of Glass series. When the first book was released, it was cool to obsess over the series. Nowadays, it's more "cool" to hate it. I have always fallen awkwardly in the middle: I don't hate it, but I certainly don't love it. I find Sarah J, Maas' books to be enjoyable and digestible but I can't help but notice the glaring flaws and issues with things like plot and representation. This book was no exception and I found it equally entertaining and frustrating. 

My Favorite Book Villains

Who doesn't love a good villain? Villains can make or break a story and are often the most iconic characters. Everyone knows Darth Vader and the Wicked Witch of the West. In my opinion, the best villains are ones that are undeniably human. Caricatures of manically-laughing criminals are far less intriguing than ones who show depth and motive. 

Book Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River was an impulse buy at the bookstore one day. I spotted it sitting on the shelf and immediately wanted it. Not only is the cover gorgeous, the story inside is a winding, whimsical tale set on the Thames River in the late 1800s. The story centers around the river itself and features a mystery of a girl found dead who mysteriously comes back to life. The ambiance of this book is so beautiful that you will want to sink right into the story yourself.

Spring TBR

For as long as I can remember, Spring has been my favorite season.  Although this might have something to do with my birthday being in April, it's also the flowers, the rain, and the warm weather that has yet to become unbearably hot and humid.  Maybe I'll even take my reading outside for once...

Libraries and Why They are Awesome

I love the library.  Free books, free magic, and free stories? Um, yes, please.  Most of the books I read, I get from my local public library.  If they don't have it, I request it from another branch in the county and it is sent directly to the library I visit. There is also the e-book library app I have on my Nook.  Without a doubt, libraries are one of the best places in this universe.  So why are they supposedly going out of fashion?  They are magical and under-appreciated creatures. That's ridiculous, so here are some reasons why libraries are truly awesome.  

1.  Books Cost Money

As much as I adore staring longingly at gorgeous shelves of beautiful books, that is sadly never going to be my bookshelf.  For one, books?  They cost money.  Even when I have money, I don't like spending it.  So if a book is at the library, I will get it there, rather than purchasing it.  Sure, some books I wish I could own, but realistically, I don't need to own them to survive (however, reading books is key to my survival).

2.  What if...?

A horrible, awful, abysmal thing I do is being totally indecisive and uncertain about buying books.  What if I don't like it?  What if I hate the characters?  What if I regret it?  With the library, I don't have to regret anything because I don't have to invest any money in what I think of as a "risk".  (Yes, I do realize how ridiculous that is, but would my mind accept this?  Nope).  Library books can also be returned.  Hated that book?  You never have to see it again.       

3.  Wi-Fi

Libraries have free Wi-Fi.  Enough said.

4.  Librarians

Have you ever talked to a librarian?  They are pretty cool, if you ask me.  You like books, they like books, and they can help you find new books to be obsessed with.  What's not to like?  

5.  Free Information

Libraries make books and information available to everyone. Imagine, all those worlds, all those thoughts, right there for the taking?  (Or checking out).  To get rid of libraries would to be limiting access to new information, which is something that should never be done.  I mean, we have all read those dystopian books that do things like that, right?

6.  Atmosphere

The atmosphere of a library is different from a bookstore.  At the library, you see books that other people have read and loved.  I like my books pristine and pretty, too, but there is something about seeing a page that has been dog-eared by someone else and finding out what they loved about that book.  

7.  Magic

Libraries are magical, just like bookstores, and books in general.  I suggest checking out your local library and getting a glimpse at all the awesomeness hidden inside, because they really are some of the happiest places on Earth, right up there with Disney World and Hogwarts.   

Travelling With Books

I clearly love books.  I wouldn't run a blog dedicated to them if I didn't.  And, obviously, I cannot venture out of the comfort of my home without at least one book.  This isn't usually an issue.  I mean, sure, reading at a restaurant and while walking in stores isn't the easiest task, but if I leave my book at home I may very well drop dead.  

This is what I look like on a typical day out.  Only without the singing.  

And the sheep.  But if someone offered to buy me a sheep, I wouldn't refuse.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date:  September 17, 2013
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
Series:  The Raven Cycle #2
Pages:  439
Genre:  Supernatural
Synopsis:  If you could steal things from dreams, what would you take?

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.

One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams.

And sometimes he's not the only one who wants those things.

Ronan is one of the raven boys—a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface—changing everything in its wake.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Love to See as Movies/TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish, and the theme this week is to list the top ten books I would love to see made into movie/TV show adaptations.  Now, I am a firm believer that not all books need to be made into movies or shows, but there are a few I would honestly kill for (just kidding).  

Recap: May 2015!

All in all, May was a pretty good reading month, which is odd, since it has been so hectic.  I do find, however, that I tend to want to read most when I have less time.  How inconvenient.  Anyway, I finished a total of eight books this month, a Shakespearean play, and three Russian stories.

Hexed by Michelle Krys

Rating:  2.5 Keys

Hexed (which I reviewed here) was mediocre.  It had decent writing, but had abhorrent characters.  The plot wasn't as bad, but the book as a whole was a total cliché.  I think it is safe to say that I didn't like this one.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Rating:  2.5 Keys

The Girl on the Train was a disappointment.  It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be.  The mystery was fairly standard and it isn't very exciting, for a thriller.  Again, the writing was enjoyable and the characters were absolutely appalling.  I had high hopes and they fell flat.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Rating:  4 Keys

I had much better luck with my first Gillian Flynn novel, Sharp Objects.  This book is sickening, in a good way.  A brilliantly written murder mystery with rich characters and settings.  The only downfall is the obviousness of the killer.

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Rating:  3 Keys

Splintered is an Alice in Wonderland retelling.  While I am happy this book stayed true to the original story while also maintaining a fairly original plot, I felt it was just a little all over the place.  Full review to come.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Rating:  5 Keys

As you can tell, I have really been loving the mysteries this month, so I would finally read a book by the Queen of Mysteries herself, Agatha Christie.  I loved this book, I'm not going to lie.  The writing is very crisp and clear and it keeps you guessing until the end.  My dad actually recommended this to me, and I couldn't be more grateful.  Full review to come.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Rating:  4.5 Keys

I only just finished this book a handful of hours ago, on the last day of May.  I don't understand why I waited so long to read this sequel to The Raven Boys.  It surpassed even the first book in the series, which was quite a feat.  It's no secret that I love Maggie Stiefvater's gorgeous, lyrical writing, and this book did not disappoint.  Full review to come.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Rating:  3 Keys

I'm not generally a fan of Shakespeare, but I have to admit that I didn't hate this one.  I liked the themes presented and the story wasn't horrible, all in all.  I won't be doing a full review of this play, as I don't review the books I read in school.  This is simply because I am already predisposed to dislike anything I am forced to read, and it wouldn't be fair to the books themselves to give full review that would be admittedly biased.

The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima

Translated by Meredith Weatherby

Rating:  1.5 Keys

Oh, my, how I hated this book.  Again, I read this for school, so I am not perfectly objective, but I stand by my opinion.  The story was utterly pointless.  Nothing meaningful happened.  I am not sure if this is because of the translation, but the writing was also quite choppy and full of grammatical errors.  If I hadn't had to read it for class, I would have put it down after the first chapter.

I also read A Problem and The Proposal by Anton Chekhov; and How Much Land Does a Man Need?  by Leo Tolstoy for English class, all of which I found perfectly pleasant.  Like I said, May was a pretty good reading month and I hope June will be equally as fantastic.   

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Publication Date:  January 15, 2015
Publisher:  Riverhead Books
Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  336
Genre:  Mystery 
Synopsis:  Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Hexed by Michelle Krys

Publication Date:  June 10, 2014
Publisher:  Delacorte Press
Series:  The Witch Hunter #1
Pages:  384
Genre:  Supernatural 
Synopsis:  If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid. 

Paper Towns by John Green

Publication Date:  September 22, 2009
Publisher:  Speak
Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  305
Genre:  Contemporary 
Synopsis:  Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew... 

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Publication Date:  July 8, 2014
Publisher:  Henry Holt
Series:  The Remnant Chronicles #1
Pages:  492
Genre:  Fantasy
Synopsis:  She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love. 

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Publication Date:  January 13, 2015
Publisher:  Little Brown Books
Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  328
Genre:  Fantasy
Synopsis:  Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?  

5 Book Series I Won't Finish

I hate not completing series, finding out what happens in the end. But there are some series I just can't force myself to finish, no matter how hard I try.

1.  Maze Runner

I read halfway through The Scorch Trials before I couldn't do it anymore.  Simply put, I became so bored with the book that I stopped reading it altogether.  I tried, so hard--harder than I should have--to push through and finish it, but watching paint dry would have been more entertaining.  

2.  Fallen

It was not fun in any way, reading these books.  It got to the point that I was forcing myself to read these only because I wanted to know how it ended, not because I enjoyed the writing or characters or anything about this series.

3.  House of Night

  
I was obsessed with this series a few years back.  I really liked these books, despite the issues, but those problems just became worse as the series progressed.  Mostly, there is just too many books left and I don't have enough interest to read them all.

4.  Pretty Little Liars

This series dragged on, and on, and on, and I couldn't do it anymore.  It became the same plot, the same mystery over and over again, and it started to feel like the author only kept the series going for money.  There are too many books in this series, and it isn't worth it anymore.  

5.  Asylum 

I actually did a review of Asylum a while back, and it was no very positive.  I was disappointed by the writing, the plot, the characters--everything.  Unless you are holding me at gunpoint, I will not continue with this series.  

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Publication Date:  June 18, 2013
Publisher:  William Morrow Books
Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  181
Genre:  Fantasy
Synopsis:  Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Publication Date:  August 14, 2014
Publisher:  Dutton
Series:  Anna and the French Kiss #3
Pages:  352
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Synopsis:  Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.