Winter Reading Recommendations | Blogmas Day 2

Hi everyone! It’s blogmas day 2 and I have another recommendations post for you. If you missed it yesterday I shared some Christmas & Winter Romance Recommendations. Since winter is almost here, I thought it would be good to share other books that I think are perfect to read during this season.

When thinking about perfect books to read in the winter 3 things come to mind for me:

1. Introspective books
2. Chilling thrillers and horror books
3. Character-driven SFF

So today, I have 4 book recommendations for each of those categories:

Introspective Books

Hunger: A Memory of (My) Body by Roxane Gay

This is mainly a book about Roxane Gay’s relationship with her body, her weight, and food, and how those relationships are linked and shaped by her experience with rape. This book is made up of essays and they are personal, raw, and honest. This is a very hard book to read, but it is so powerful because it talks about her experience as a fat woman in a world not built for her and others like her.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

In this book, Machado does an amazing job of looking into the history of abuse in sapphic relationships and also addressing her own experience with it. This book has a very unique structure, there’s even a part of the book that it’s told in a follow your own adventure structure which was interesting and different from other memoirs. Also, the writing is beautiful.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

This is a book about Queenie, a Jamaican British woman struggling with her mental health, and it depicts the way mental illnesses are not taken seriously by certain cultures. Queenie’s voice is incredibly captivating even when her life is spinning out of control. She makes terrible choices throughout this book until she gets help and goes through a journey to get better and it was a beautiful journey to witness.

We are Okay by Nina LaCour

This is a quiet book about grief and it’s so powerful. It’s told in alternating timelines, in both of the timelines the main character goes through loneliness, hurt and grief in different ways. This book also explores the hardships and awkwardness of second chances, of rebuilding relationships and trust. This is set during Christmas break, and the cold winter definitely helps build the atmosphere of the book.

Chilling Thrillers and Horror Books

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

This is an isolated closed circle mystery set at a hotel in the mountains during the winter, the main characters get stuck because there’s a storm and then people start to get killed. One of the great things about this book is that the main characters seem like real people, which makes the book feel more realistic overall. This is intense and atmospheric and the twist at the very end was so satisfying.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

This book is full of twisted, dislikable characters, basically everyone but the protagonist, who is not perfect and has a lot of issues. This book balances the mystery at its core, which is about the murder of girls in a small town, with an exploration of Camille as a character and it dedicates quite some time to show her trying to deal with all her issues after returning to her hometown. The revelation at the end is pretty disturbing.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is an eerie and spooky book that makes you feel unsettled and doubt what’s real and what isn’t. It’s a very bizarre book, full of intriguing but not very likable characters, an unreliable narrator and a creepy house.

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

This book is very disturbing because it makes cannibalism seem like something that could actually happen. Bazterrica identifies all the things we do with animals (we eat them, hunt them for fun, use their skins to make clothes, test drugs and procedures on them) and she incorporates all that to the story but changes the animals for humans and explains how everything is done or how it happens. It really is a disturbing and chilling story.

Character-Driven SFF

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

This is a captivating and thought-provoking book about the crew of a spaceship who create wormholes to distant planets. It’s a book full of adventure that includes so much diversity in an interesting and thoughtful way; there are different species, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, body types, cultures, religions and so much more. This is character-driven, beautifully written and tackles important themes.

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

This is the story of a group of scientist that are trying to figure out the mystery behind a giant metal hand that was found buried. This is one of those books where you slowly discover alongside the characters something that changes everything. The best part about this book is that it addresses important discussions related to science, politics and power and how they are all connected. This is thought-provoking, full of unlikeable yet compelling characters and told in an interesting format.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

This is the story of Fitz, a royal bastard who is accepted into the royal family and trained to become the royal assassin. This book does a great job of establishing Fitz as a protagonist and making you feel for him and root for him. There’s also a lot of fascinating side characters, the world this story takes place in is fascinating and the political intrigue aspect is very cleverly done.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

This is the story of a girl who accidentally resurrects her brother and her journey to becoming a bone witch. This is a slow, character-driven story, it has a fascinating world and magic system. The story is told in two timelines, which works really well for the story because there are glimpses of where the characters are going to end up, but you don’t know how they get there and it becomes this very intriguing element.  

What type of books do you think are perfect for the Winter? what books would you recommend for this time of the year?

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Ranking all the books I read this month aka My August Wrap Up

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to talk about the 20 (!!) books I read this month, especially since I really enjoyed most of them. But before getting into the books I just wanted to share that I JOINED BOOKSTAGRAM!!!! It has been a little less than a month but I’m havig so much fun. If you have a booktagram account, let me know in the comments so I can follow you or follow me there so I can check out your account. My acocunt is Bookish Wanderess.

Now, without further ado, here is my August wrap up:

*Click on the title of the book to go to the Goodreads page + the amazon links are affiliate links which means I may get a small commission if you decide to use them, it doesn’t affect the price of books* 

My Least Favorite Books of the Month

My least favorite books this month were a really disappointing romance book and a frustrating one.

20. Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera: The characters are so hot and cold, towards each other, they switched from liking each other to being angry or mean to each other constantly. They really didn’t spend more than 5 consecutive pages without fighting in the entire book. And still, they ended up falling in love.

The writing as always with Adriana Herrera was really good, the sex scenes were very well written and I liked the way this book the different relationships that both main characters had with their culture. They were both Dominican but, while Kiskeya lived most of her life in the Dominican Republic, Sully lived in the States and that made their experiences and their feelings towards their culture very different. (Amazon)

19. Scoring the Player’s Baby by Naima Simone:  The main characters in this book have a lot of chemistry and the sex scenes are steamy. But I was very frustrated with some of the hero’s comments in this book. He talks about losing his Man Card all the time and anytime he does something even remotely linked to femininity he “is acting like a p*ss*”. There were a lot of gender normative comments and I was annoyed. (Amazon)

The”Just Ok” Books

These can be books that 1) I had issues with, but I don’t have a strong negative opinion about them 2) had good elements but bored me or didn’t really impact me in any way, the meh books.

18. The Grownup by Gillian Flynn: the main character has a strong and clear voice that’s very captivating from the beginning. The start of the story – plot wise- is very meh, but then the twist happens and it’s so messed up but so cool! And then the ending happened and I’m not sure what to feel, it wasn’t disappointing but it was at the same time. (Amazon)

The “I Mostly Liked Them, But…” Books

These are books that I had significant issues with, but they had redeeming qualities that made me mostly enjoy them:

17. Most Eligable Bachelor by Annika Martin: This was ok. My issue with this book is that the change from we distrust and dislike each other to we are absolutely infatuated with each other was very abrupt and it made the relationship not feel entirely believable. Also, the dialogue was kind of cheesy and I think I noticed more because I listened to the audiobook and the narrators weren’t great. Nonetheless, the sex scenes were steamy, and overall this was a quick and entertaining book. (Amazon)

16. Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon: This was ok. It’s a very short book that covers basic topics about gender and specifically the gender binary. Its particular focus is refuting some of the misconceptions that a lot of people have. This book addresses the subjects it covers in a very superficial way and sometimes the author makes some comments that needed a bit more nuance. (Amazon)

15. Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayce Lee: The characters had chemistry, there were interesting side characters (which made me excited for book 2!) and I really loved the way that Garret’s family welcomed Natalie. My main issue with this book was that there were weird time jumps and I felt like important scenes were skipped and the book felt kind of choppy. Also, the real reason behind the third act conflict was silly and the ending felt rushed. (Amazon)

14. When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare: Very early on the main characters started to like and care for each other and I couldn’t see or understand why and that was my main issue with this book: I had trouble believing in the relationship between the main characters. I liked the second half of this book a lot more than the first, I think the relationship ended up being really sweet. (Amazon)

The Ones I Liked

The ones I liked are books that I had really small issues with, but after I finished them I had mainly positive feelings towards them:

13. Daugther of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller: This series is entertaining and fun. Even when this book was a bit darker than the first one, it was still a lighthearted read overall. While the romance was a big part of the book, this sequel has a lot more plot than the first book and I enjoyed that about it. It’s very action-packed and fast-paced which makes it a quick read. (Amazon)

12. Engagement and Espionage by Penny Reid: I enjoyed this mainly because I love Cletus and Jenn and I loved getting more of them and their relationship. Also, seeing the rest of the Winstons was lovely. Nonetheless, I wasn’t a big fan of the mystery aspect of the book, I mean it was ok but I wasn’t wowed. I feel like the mystery was a bit forced and a lot of convenient things happened. Still, I will obviously continue with the series. (Amazon)

11. The Black Flamingo by Dean Etta: This is a story told in verse about identity and belonging. I think this covers a lot of different and important topics in a powerful and beautiful way, but also a bit superficially. There’s so much the book tries to cover and it’s such a short, quick read that there’s no time to explore any subject very deeply. I enjoyed this a lot, I think I just wish there was more of it. (Amazon)

10. Finding Joy by Adriana Herrera: This was cute and low angst. I really liked the romance between the two main characters, Elias was adorable and Desta was just chaotic. (Review + Amazon)

9. Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews: This was my first Iliona Andrews book and I really enjoyed it. I loved the main character, the world and magic system are fascinating and complex and the mystery was really engaging. My issue with this was the romance, it felt like Alessandro was pretending or acting the entire time and even Catalina mentions it at some point. We only got to see very small glimpses of the real him and it wasn’t enough for me, I need more to really get on board with him as a character but also with the romance in the book. (Amazon)

The Ones I Really Liked

I consider books I really liked the ones that stay with me and that I recommend all the time, but they are not new all-time favorites:

8. The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar: This book tells a powerful and heartbreaking story and I had a lump in my throat the entire time I was reading it. The poetry in the book is so evocative and the fact that it’s a little girl, who doesn’t entirely understand what’s happening, the one that tells the story of deportation and family separation makes it even more effective in transmitting how devastating the whole situation is. (Amazon)

7. Category Five by Ann Davila Cardinal: the characters were very complex and layered, which I really enjoyed, and the different relationships between them were compelling. The mystery was intriguing and I really liked the way the author integrated what has happened in Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria. (Review + Amazon)

6. Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory: I really liked this one! the characters were great, flawed but likable, and I could see why they liked each other. I really enjoyed that we actually got to see them get to know each other and fall in love. My issue with this book is that it did drag a little for me once they went public with their relationship, but overall it was still really enjoyable (Review + Amazon)

5. The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite: This was cute and interesting and the romance was just SO SOFT! The plot revolves around sexism in STEM back in 1816 and I was so invested!!! (Review + Amazon)

4. The Switch by Beth O’Leary: I enjoyed this books a lot. I loved the journeys each main character goes on and the changes they both experience. I think the way this book addresses grief was very realistic. The secondary characters were captivating and adorable. I really liked the romances even if they were a bit rushed. (Review + Amazon)

3. Headliners by Lucy Parker: Sabrina and Nick were adorable together and the best part about this book is that they both acted like adults, who TALK to their significant other. There is no miscommunication in this book, and even more, the opposite of that trope is in this book. Also, Lucy Parker does something so refreshing with the ending! (Review + Amazon)

2. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: the two main characters go through so much character development in this book and I loved it. Luc and Oliver’s romance has just the right amount of angst and seeing them be there for each other and slowly fall in love is so heartwarming. They are adorable together. (Review + Amazon)

My Favorite Book of the Month

My favorite books of the month can have different ratings depending on how good a particular reading month was. This month I read an amazing roamnce book that quickly became one of my favorite romance books of the year:

1. You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria: I LOVED THIS! It’s so rare for me to like both main characters in a book equally, but Jasmine and Ashton were both amazing and they had so much chemistry! I liked that they also had a strong emotional connection. (Review + Amazon)

What were your favorite and least favorite books you read this month? Have you read any of the books on this wrap up?

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May 2019 Wrap Up: Romance Books & My Favorite Latinx Book of the Year So Far

Hi everyone! May was really busy, hard month for me because of school stuff, but I’m so glad I still managed to read 12 books in the middle of everything else. I’m also excited about the fact that with this post I’ll be up to date with my wrap ups…yay!!! 🎉🎉🎉

Without further ado, here are the books I read in May:

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes (3,6 stars): I really liked this book, it’s fun and entertaining and it has great characters. It was written by a latinx author, it has latinx characters and it’s based on Mayan mythology, which is amazing. I just had issues with the amount of internalized ableism.

Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno (5 stars): This book made me sob, it was so good and so bittersweet, the writing was incredible and the book took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. One of my favorite books so far this year.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (3,6 stars): I finally read one of Flynn’s book and I actually enjoyed it. Not a lot happens, I was expecting more investigation and discovery, and all the reveals are at the end, but it’s short and captivating enough.

The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in this One by Amanda Lovelace (3 stars): I didn’t really find any poem in this that was particulary especial or that resonated with me. They were all just ok.

ROMANCE 

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (4 stars): This is probably my favorite Christina Lauren book. It’s a enemies to lovers, fake dating romance, with a ridiculous premise that works so well. There’s so much tension between the characters and there whole time in Hawai is fun and entertaining and when they are no longer in Hawaii things get a bit more angsty, but the story is still great.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (3,7 stars): This book has #ownvoices autistic rep, which I appreciated. But I had a few issues with the book, the main character, Esme, frustrated me a lot and also the secrets and the power imbalance in the relationship didn’t sit well with me. The story ended up having had a sweet ending that I liked and I enjoyed the huge vietnamese family in this book, their scene were really entertaining and funny. 

Grumpy Fake Boyfriend by Jackie Lau (3,6 strars): More fake dating romances because they are my faves. Great chemestry between the characters, VERY grumpy hero, really steamy book.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (4 stars): The whole concept of this book is so unique and entertaining. I loved the stick notes that the characters used to communicate and how they got to know each other through them. But more than the sweet romance, I was impressed by the way this portrayed the experience of  someone coming out of an emotionally abusive relationship. Trigger warnings for gaslighting, emotional abuse and stalking. 

Rookie Movie by Sarina Bowen (3,8 stars): Second chance romance with an amazing hero that doesn’t play games, he’s honest and sweet. Amazing chemestry between the characters and swoon worthy romance. Trigger warning for mention of sexual assault.

Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen (3,7 stars): The relationship between the characters in this book is so interesting and captivating. There’s the perfect amount of angst and indecision about getting together. I really liked the way flashbacks were used to show their relationship through the years.

Joy Ride by Lauren Blakely (3,7 stars): I loved both of the main characters, their chemestry and the sexual tension. This was a fun, steamy read with a enemies to lovers, kind of second chance romance.

Hard Wood by Lauren Blakely (3,5 stars): The characters were sweet, but the chemestry wasn’t completely there and the obstacules they faced were minimal. Also, there are chapters told from a cat’s perpective, which is a bit weird and it doesn’t entirely work with the story.

Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Did you enjoy them? Do you want to read any of them?

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Spooky Books I Didn’t Read in October, But I Still Want to Read

I was planning to read some spooky books in October, but unfortunately that didn’t happen, which doesn’t surprise me, because everytime I make plans related to my reading, I fail to actually go through with them. I was hosting the Latinx Book Bingo until October 15th and my idea was to read the spooky books during the last half of the month, but I had forgotten that Kingdom of Ash was coming out the 23rd of October and that it was 900 freaking pages long, so I spent the last days of the month reading this huge book that was the final installment in one of my favorite fantasy series and there was no time for spooky books 😞

Now, the reason I’m writing this post is because for a lot of people, me included, October is THE month to read spooky books, but I don’t want to wait until next year,  I still want to read the books even if October is over, so here’s a list of some spooky books that I’m hoping to read soon:

Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray

This is the third book in The Diviners series, which it’s set in the twenties and follows a group of people with different abilities that have to solve mysteries and face ghosts, curses and evil spirits. 

The Diviners series is one of my favorite paranormal series of all times and I can’t wait to read the next book. The only reason I haven’t read it already is that I’m a bit nervous because we don’t even have a release date for the fourth book yet 😭 WHAT IF THE THIRD BOOK ENDS IN A CLIFFHANGER?!

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

Long ago, a village made a bargain with the devil: to ensure their prosperity, when the Slaughter Moon rises, the village must sacrifice a young man. Only this year, the Slaughter Moon has risen early. 

I have been hearing everyone and their mother talk about this book and people seem to love it, so I want to know what all the hype is about. Also, the premise sounds creepy and it has me intriged.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming. 

I have been meaning to read a Gillian Flynn book for years and I always thought that I would read Gone Girl first, BUT I love Amy Adams and I want to watch the adaptation of Sharp Objects where she plays the main character, so it seems I’ll be starting with this one 🤷🏾‍♀️

 

Miss Peregrine’s House for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 

A family tragedy sets Jacob journeying to a remote island, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive.

I never had any intention of reading this book, I watched the movie and thought it was just alright, but I recently met someone who loves this series and it’s their favorite series of all times, so I kind of want to give it a chance.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Cass can see ghosts and when she goes to Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead and she tells Cassidy that their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her mission, but she knows the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world.

I’m a huge fan of Victoria Schwab and this sounds like a fun and fast read. Something like Ghostbusters in a middle grade version. I’m here for it!

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 

 It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

I had never heard of this book and I haven’t watched the movies based on it, but the Netflix show was released recently and I want to watch it, so I thought I could give the book a chance as well.

Have you read any of these books? Did you like them? What spooky books would you recommend? What spooky book are you looking forward to reading?  

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