Happy Friday, everyone!
Welcome to July! Can you believe half of 2022 has already come and gone? On the one hand, it feels like this year has dragged on and on forever, and on the other, it’s flying by so fast that I can barely keep up.
Like, that two-week break at the beginning of June? What happened to that?? It felt like it was over before it even began, but then again, it must have been there because
a) I went to Poland!!
b) world politics somehow managed to go from completely crazy to even more completely crazy, and
c) so many friends of mine got married that I’m seriously wondering whether I will ever be able to eat cake again in my lifetime. (And also why everyone but me seems to have their life together… 😅)
Apart from Poland, strawberries, and seeing my family and cats again, though? My June really wasn’t the greatest… And unfortunately, that seems to have translated to my reading as well because I don’t think I’ve ever had a month with as many disappointing books as this one. So yeah, prepare yourselves for loads of ranting, I guess! 😂
Fiasco by Stanisław Lem (2.5/5 Stars)
(Original Polish title: Fiasko; I read Michael Kandel’s English translation)
When Stanisław Lem was recommended to me by a Polish bookseller as one of her country’s finest science-fiction authors, I obviously had to check him out straight away! I mean, it’d be kind of rude to spend time in a country without taking a look at what its literature has to offer, right?
One of Lem’s most famous novels, Fiasco is, in essence, a first contact story with plenty of hard science thrown in. We have a centuries-old pilot revived from the dead. A deeply mistrustful crew. An expedition to an alien planet that shows just how terrible the consequences of human hubris can be.
And I have to hand it to Stanisław Lem – his world building and the moral questions he forces you to reflect on are brilliant! To say that Fiasco holds an unfavorable mirror to humanity is a massive understatement, and there are very few books that got me thinking as much as this one did.
However, I still didn’t enjoy reading this all that much. First off: THIS. BOOK. IS. SO. FREAKING. SLOW. Seriously, nothing relevant happened in the first 150 pages, and even once the expedition finally got going, the author kept going on tangents about termites or Native American legends or black holes or whatnot! What ended up alienating me even more, though, was that Fiasco didn’t really spend a lot of time exploring its characters. All of them were rather flat stand-ins for the human race in its entirety, and we didn’t really get much on their emotions. Instead, the focus is very much on physics and world-building.
Overall, though? I would still recommend this if you’re less of a character-driven reader than I am and are craving some dystopian sci-fi!
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (4/5 Stars)
(Original Norwegian title: Is-slottet; I read Elizabeth Rokkan’s English translation)
A slightly strange and disturbing book with beautifully lyrical writing in which almost nothing happens except for characters reflecting on their relationships and feeling profoundly sad? Of course I loved this!
The Ice Palace is the story of two eleven-year-old girls, Siss and Unn, who meet when Unn moves to Siss’ rural community after her parents’ death. The two of them don’t interact much; in fact, they only spend one evening in just each other’s company. The next day, however, Unn mysteriously disappears. And Siss’s world is completely shattered.
Is this book a whole lot more than poetic descriptions of snow, ice, death, grief and depression? Nope 😁 I can totally see people coming for it, complaining that it has no plot and that the friendship portrayed in here is nothing short of weird. For me, though, this worked. I was absolutely enchanted by the dark, wintry atmosphere Tarjei Vesaas paints for his readers and by how sad everything was!
That being said, though, the way Siss and Unn’s interactions were written did sometimes strike me as a little odd. I can’t put my finger on what it was, exactly, but I guess they simply didn’t always feel like the way eleven-year-olds would act. There was this weird, almost sexual undertone to them that, while adding to the lyrically grim atmosphere of everything, just felt a little off to me…
Still, The Ice Palace is the perfect dark fairy tale for cold, wintry nights. If you’re a fan of weird, poetic stories that thrive off setting and atmosphere, I highly recommend you pick it up!
Golem stiller Bruder by Mirjam Pressler (2.5/5 Stars)
(As far as I’m aware, this book has not been translated into English; the German title means “Golem, silent brother”)
Mirjam Pressler is a hit-or-miss author for me. I’ve loved some of her books (most prominently: Malka Mai) and hated others (most prominently: Novemberkatzen), so I really didn’t know what to expect going into this one. But since the premise sounded interesting, I figured I might as well give it a try!
Set in 17th-century Prague, Golem stiller Bruder retells one of the city’s most famous legends through the eyes of a 15-year-old Jewish boy named Jankel. Sent to live with his great-uncle when his father, a traveling bookseller, fails to return home after a business trip, Jankel soon gets used to life in the city. Nevertheless, Jankel isn’t sure what to make of his great-uncle. Some people say Rabbi Löw is a dark magician. Some people say he has a special bond with Yahweh. And then there’s Josef, the strange, silent man he keeps in his attic…
As intriguing as the synopsis sounded, I unfortunately found this book to be rather boring. To be honest, it felt like Mirjam Pressler had only written it to throw light on the long history of discrimination faced by Jews and forgot that she was supposed to be telling a story in the process. The portrayal of antisemitism in post-medieval Europe was well done, yes, but her characters were some of the flattest cardboard cutouts I’ve ever come across! Jankel didn’t really have any personality beyond being Jewish, having no clue about life in the city, and loving his little sister. Josef, whom I initially found most intriguing, had no complexity whatsoever and was barely even relevant until the last third of the book.
Also, Jankel’s lack of agency was truly astounding! He literally does nothing throughout the whole book except walking around asking people questions that others told him to ask, and that is the entire driving force of the plot! He never has to work for answers, but always immediately runs across someone who tells him whatever he is supposed to find out or conveniently lets him overhear it 🙄
And don’t even get me started on the writing style… Every few paragraphs, this book alternates between an omniscient and a first-person narrator and I absolutely did not see the necessity of this. The constant switching in and out of Jankel’s head drove me nuts!!!! JUST PICK A FREAKING NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVE!!!
So yeah… I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this one.
The Atlas Six (The Atlas #1) by Olivie Blake (2.5/5 Stars)
If you’ve read my full review, you’ll already know that The Atlas Six was one of my biggest disappointments of the year. Which is such a pity because its premise and the characters had so much potential!
Centered around a secret magical society headquartered in London, the novel introduces us to a world in which knowledge comes at a price. Although there are six initiates vying for a spot – Libby, Nico, Reina, Parisa, Tristan, and Callum – only five of them will ultimately be able to call themselves full Alexandrians. One of the six will have to be eliminated, and since everyone is out for themselves, things are bound to turn ugly…
Honestly? The Atlas Six reads like a book that is trying desperately to be clever, even though it doesn’t really have all that much to say. It spends forever building tension and setting the scene, but it never delivers on anything it introduces! Even after having read the whole thing, I couldn’t tell you how exactly magic works in this world. I couldn’t tell you what rivaling parties’ motives are. I couldn’t tell you what people actually DO at this super prestigious Alexandrian Society and why being a member is so advantageous.
Basically, I can’t tell you anything except that there’s next to no plot or character development, and that the only thing of significance that happens is a huge info-dumpy plot-twist at the end. Which means I’m afraid I wasn’t much of a fan of this one, either.
Tigermond by Antonia Michaelis (2.5/5 Stars)
(I read this in German, but if you’re curious, there is an English translation by Anthea Bell, titled Tiger Moon)
Since I’ve been having such terrible luck with German books this year, I figured maybe things would get better if I went for a more traditional fantasy story. Maybe I just wasn’t reading the right genres? Which is why I decided to return to Antonia Michaelis, an author I’d discovered in my mid-teens and quite liked back then.
Tigermond, however, I had never read before. Set in India during the time period of the British Raj, it follows a young girl named Raka, who is married off to a rich merchant against her will. Knowing her husband will almost certainly kill her once he discovers that she is not a virgin, Raka decides to take her fate into her own hands in the only way she can – by telling stories. For three consecutive nights, while her husband is sick in bed, Raka enchants a servant boy with the tale of a young thief, Farhad, chosen by Krishna to rescue a princess from the clutches of an evil demon king with the help of a sarcastic white tiger.
Overall, this was probably the best one out of all the awful books I read this month, but that’s pretty much the only praise I can give 😅 I liked the Arabian Nights-style plot, I liked how much the author drew from Indian mythology, and, in spite of how eye-rollingly bad it was, I liked the ridiculous banter between Farhad and his tiger Nitish.
But the rest? Not so much. If it hadn’t been for the very graphic sex and gore thrown in every once in a while, I could have sworn this was a rather simplistic adventure story targeted at seven- or eight-year-olds. The plot mostly consisted of Farhad and Nitish walking around India, encountering obstacles, quickly solving them, and then traveling onwards to the next place. The few storylines that were stretched out throughout the whole book were extremely predictable. Nothing about this really blew me away.
Which means that, unfortunately, I am still on the lookout for a good German book to read this year. If you have any recommendations, let me know, because I’m really getting kind of desperate here!
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin (4/5 Stars)
Me reading Everybody in This Room Will Someday Be Dead actually came about by accident. Completely frustrated by my apparent inability to pick out books I would like, I decided I might as well see what Scribd’s recommendation feature had to offer. Worst came to worse, I’d have another terrible book to add to my already lengthy 2.5-star streak… Anyway, I saw this book on Scribd’s list, was intrigued by the title, started reading, and the rest is history! BECAUSE I LOVED THIS!!! 🥰 SO, SO MUCH!!!
Everybody in This Room Will Someday Be Dead is an adult literary fiction novel about a young Canadian woman named Gilda, who suffers from severe anxiety and depression. Just having lost her job and desperate, Gilda finally plucks up the courage to seek help – little knowing that the free therapy sessions she saw an advertisement for take place at a Catholic church. Even worse, when Gilda arrives at St. Rigobert’s, Father Jeff assumes she is there for a job interview – and Gilda, too anxious to tell the truth, doesn’t contradict him. Which is how a devout lesbian atheist suddenly finds herself working as a church secretary and investigating the mysterious death of her predecessor…
Oh my God, guys!! (Yes, that pun was intended 😜) I adored this so, so much! Everybody in This Room Will Someday Be Dead managed to make me feel the full spectrum of emotions. There were times when I was sniffling into my tissues because Gilda’s depressing thought spirals were so scarily relatable that I just wanted to hug her. There were times when I was grinning at her awkwardly cute exchanges with her girlfriend. There were times when I almost choked from laughter, because Gilda’s sense of humor is just so on point. This book is hilariously funny in the most morbid way possible, which meant that I was basically predestined to love it.
A complex protagonist, excellent mental illness representation, mystery, toxic family relationships, humor – Everybody in This Room Will Someday Be Dead has it all. The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is because, in my opinion, the ending wrapped things up rather quickly, and I just wanted more! Especially in terms of the murder mystery and Gilda’s relationship to her church colleagues and estranged brother.
Overall, though, I very highly recommend this!
Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tags excluded – I generally love those, so we’d be here forever if I mentioned them all – there was a bunch of greatness around the blogosphere this past month! Unfortunately, I was so abysmally bad at blog hopping that I probably still missed out on a ton, but here are some of my favorites among the things I did read!
- Rachel @ A Bookworm’s Paradise discussed how Pride & Prejudice does enemies-to-lovers differently than modern-day YA books. As a massive fan of anything Jane Austen – Mansfield Park excluded – and the enemies-to-lovers trope, I absolutely adored this! 🥰
- Anoushka @ Dipped in Ink ranted about how much she hated Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Since I, too, despised the book, I felt enormously validated! 😈
- Pippin @ The Pigeon wrote a guide to reading and enjoying Shakespeare! I mean, yeah, I’ve already read all of Shakespeare’s works, but still! This includes so many good tips, as well as a recommendation for an A Midsummer Night’s Dream production that I haven’t seen yet! 🎭
- Mint @ Mint Loves Books started a discussion about bloggers telling people they know in real-life about their blog. I found it fascinating to see in how many different ways other bloggers deal with this! (Particularly since I personally try to avoid telling people my blog exists and am always astounded when others readily advertise theirs! 🤯)
- Ahaana @ Windows to Worlds returned to the blogosphere after an almost one-year hiatus with a really fun Q&A! Honestly, Ahaana, you have no idea how much I missed seeing you around! 🤗
- FangirlFlax wrote a tribute to all the writing research trips she’s loved before. And guys: I ADORED THIS!!! I mean, it was both travel and book content at the same time, so what do you expect? 😍
- Emily @ Frappes and Fiction generated some more AI conversations for us! Besides the fact that the results were absolutely hilarious, I am now severely doubting my own writing skills… Because let’s face it: The AI’s might be better 🤫
- Line @ First Line Reader celebrated her birthday by investigating how well books recommended for her zodiac sign fit her reading tastes! ♋ Her results definitely have me itching to try this myself!
- Jan @ Inkspun Tales told us which things she’d like to see more of in books. I couldn’t agree more! 🤗
And that was already it for today! And for July, too, I’m afraid…
(Yes, I am sneakily announcing a hiatus at the very end of my wrap-up because I’m too lazy to write a separate post for it. I already told you I’m evil, so what do you expect? 😜 Besides, I feel like the only people who are going to miss me are those of you who read this until the very end anyway, so I figured my lazy logic is perfectly justified…)
I’m sorry!! It’s just, I really think I need some time to myself at the moment, and the only way I see myself getting that is by putting blogging on hold. I’ll probably still read some of your posts here and there – I’d miss you too much if I went completely off-grid! 😭 – but other than that, don’t expect to hear from me until August.
Which means now is your chance to talk to me while you still can! Have you read any of the books I mentioned in this post? If so, what did you think of them? Did you have a better reading month than I did and find any new favorites that I should check out? I would love to know!
A Book Owl's Corner 
Aaah wow thank you so much for featuring my post! LOVE encountering a fellow Shakespeare nerd, and I’m so thrilled to have rec’d a production you haven’t seen before! I aspire to have read them all one day, too 💕
Loved the glimpse at the June highlights; the Poland-as-books post is such a fun idea as well! Wishing you an excellent July in books to come 😌
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Of course! That Shakespeare love has to be shared, so you’re obviously very welcome! 🤗🎭🤗 I hope you have a great time reading the rest of his works, and if you stumble across any more great productions, definitely let me know! 🙃 A great July to you as well! 💙
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I haven’t read any of the books you read this month, but Everybody in this room will someday be dead sounds really nice!!
And oooh, Poland sounds super amazing!
And ahh, disappointed to see you going on a break, but of course, that’s alright- will eagerly be awaiting your comeback! Hope your hiatus is productive and restful!
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Yes, Everybody In This Room Will Someday Be Dead is awesome!! 🥰 I’d definitely recommend it – especially know that you know how trustworthy my recommendations are 😜😇
And thank you! I don’t think my hiatus is going to be all that restful, unfortunately, but I’ll still take the productiveness! 😁
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Thank you so much for linking my post! I so enjoyed talking about it with you 🥰
But oh no–I was hoping your reading month would’ve improved after your disastrous experience with The Atlas Six! I hope you get to read a lot of books you enjoy more over your hiatus, rest up as much as you need, and look forward to seeing your content again soon 🥰
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I had so much fun reading it, so thank YOU! 🥰 I loved all the pictures, and you’ve certainly made me want to visit Wales even more badly…
But yeah, unfortunately, my talents at picking out books really sucked this month 🤣 On the plus side, though, I really don’t see myself having such bad luck two months in a row, so hopefully, some amazing books are waiting around the corner!
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I really, really hope you do (and then tell me all about it, because I will take ANY excuse to talk about Wales, aha!)
It’s just bad book luck, I’m sure it’s them and not you, haha! That’s the spirit 🤣
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I need to apologize for commenting so late but I also figure you should have known I was busy today of all days 😁 (I’m not going to be home all weekend so I needed to watch both episodes of a certain show before I could do anything else).
Anyway, I think you might have had a worse reading month than me which I’m pretty sure that’s the first time that’s ever happened 😂 I’m glad you at least loved the Emily Austin one!
I’ve only read The Atlas Six and you know all my thoughts on that already.
And I’m obviously super sad to hear about your hiatus!! 😭 I wouldn’t say it comes as a huge surprise but I’m still going to miss your posts terribly! I hope it ends up being good for you though and that it makes you feel less stressed about everything ❤️
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Well, I didn’t really check my comments last night anyway – because guess what I was doing? 🤣 (In other words: I’m with you on the Will theory now, and every single scene with him in it basically had me ten times more emotional than the death that the rest of the fandom is probably going to be most hung up on 😭😭)
But yeah, my reading month really was… something 🙈 Though I guess it’s only fair that you have the upper hand for a change – let’s just say I am now even more sympathetic in light of all the terrible books you ended up reading last year!! 😂
And thank you! ❤ I will try my best to make up for it by returning with some more creative posts once I actually have the time to put into writing them – but if you miss my content too much in the meantime, I guess one way out is to finish Fool’s Fate 😜 There’s still lots of word vomit on that that you can read, and besides, I’m just so curious about what your verdict is going to be!! 🙃
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I’m so mad there wasn’t more Will!! Especially after that first scene in the car that had me crying! 😭 Noah Schnapp just killed it in every scene he was in! However, I also think there was so much bad writing in terms of the characters that I no longer know if it makes sense to have theories about them 😕 Like, that death was such a cop-out!
Right, I still have the Fool’s Fate comments to look forward to! However, at this point, I’m 300 pages in and hating the book so much that I’m considering taking a break from it to read something else 😬 I probably won’t because I also just want to be done with it but I’m not going to be fast.
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Yes, we were robbed of those Will scenes!! The car scene also had me close to tears, but the one that really got to me was the one with Jonathan in the pizza place 😭😭 Though that might’ve been due to me being overly emotional due to tiredness at that point, not necessarily the scene being sadder than the first one 😅 Although I still very much appreciate it for being the one moment in this season were Jonathan showed some personality other than being stoned… Like, seriously, they did him and Mike so much injustice!! Why were they suddenly so bland and boring??
I’m not too bothered by that death, though. Rather, I think I’m bothered by the lack of death 🙈 It’s not that I really wanted one of the original characters to die, but I really think it would’ve hit so much harder! At this point, the characters are surving all this shooting and all the upside-down shit way too miraculously… And also, how can Eleven just save Max without any repercussions and without us getting to see how she did it?! 😤 I wanted more consequences!! Still, nothing has changed about my obsession with this show, and I need Season Five desperately! 😂
And I guess that doesn’t bode too well for Fool’s Fate 😅 I must admit, I was also a bit impatient with the first third because the Fool wasn’t in it very much, but then we got a ton of Thick and Outislands stuff, so I was willing to forgive a lot! 🤗 I’m still furious about the ending, though (and, in retrospect, I’m actually wondering whether I might’ve rated the book a bit too generously because of all the amazing scenes that came before it), so at least if you don’t end up liking the rest, we can rant about that 🤣 I really hope the book picks up for you, though, and that you’ll end up enjoying it a lot more than you currently are! Because, in my opinion, there is still a lot of good stuff headed your way, too 🙃
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Stranger Things spoilers incoming for anyone else reading!
The pizza place scene was also good and if Will had opened up, I would definitely have cried! I hoped he would just so we could have a concrete confirmation of what we’ve all suspected for four seasons now. I don’t think there was any reason to drag it into season five. But seriously, Mike in this season was horrible! He ends up saying that the best day in his life was the day Will vanished, just because he also met El that day. Will was right next to him when he said that!!! And he’s supposed to be the “heart” of the group?? WTF!
I’m also not too bothered about him dying but more how it was done and how it was done too avoid killing any regulars. I’m never a fan of killing a character that was introduced that same season because then they’re just there so they have someone to kill. Also, that it happened so unneccesarily! It was such a stupid plan they had, and then none other than Dustin acknowledged that he had died! It was so weird! But yes, El saving Max was also not done right. I get setting something up for season five but you gotta give us something to work with before leaving us for two years.
And for Fool’s Fate, the ship has sailed on me giving that book anything more than two stars and it’s gotta be more amazing than what I think Hobb is capable of to even reach that. I mean, the Fool has appeared but I can’t even make myself care because I’ve lost all faith in Hobb’s ability to handle the potential of her characters. It’s now been two and a half books of wasted potential. I can safely say that Hobb isn’t among my favorite authors anymore 😞 I just need this book to be over.
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I don’t know… Will not opening up, even to Jonathan, actually hit me in the feels way harder, I think 😭 And I’d definitely call what we have at this point concrete confirmation!
I do agree with you on Mike, though 🙄 I hadn’t even thought about how that statement would sound to Will, but you’re so right!! Besides, Mike was just horribly shitty at picking up on anyone’s feelings this time around… He had no clue what was really going on with Eleven and blindly believed all of those weird sounding letters of hers, and then he never wrote to his best friend and completely ignored him when he came to visit!! Heart of the group might’ve applied in Season 1, but in this one, I’m skeptical… And I’m not buying the chemistry with Eleven much, either 😅
Also, yes, that death had such bad writing! Particularly since they made it out to be this heroic thing where Eddie finally didn’t run away, and I was just thinking HOW IS THIS HEROIC??? Cycling into a whole cloud of those bat things that will kill you within like a minute is not going to help anyone!! That sacrifice had no point whatsoever! The only word that defines that action correctly is “stupid”, not “heroic”! And yeah, the fact that everybody else didn’t even seem affected was super weird…
Still, I actually did really like that we got a few ties back to the mindflayer and that Vecna wasn’t defeated just like that. It was nice to not get an “Eleven is able to solve everything with her powers” ending for a change! And I absolutely fell in love with Max this season, so there’s that 🥰
AND NOOOOOOOOOO, POOR FOOL’S FATE! 😭 I mean, it has issues, but there are still a ton of things I love about it, and I am never giving up on these characters!! 🤩 I do have very specific thoughts on their development though… but you’re going to have to wait on those until you’ve finished the whole thing. I guess that can at least be your incentive to keep reading? 😅 Though I’m really sorry you hate it so much! 😢
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It’s just not really conformation until he says it out loud. They can’t really do much with his story arc until he has said that to someone and I guess I really hoped we would get it out of the way here in season four (because it’s so obvious to everyone), so that we don’t have to spend time on it in season five. There is so much other stuff they could do with Will in season five!
And that’s also what I’m saying with the bad writing because I also think the writers forgot what that statement of Mike’s meant to Will 🙄 And yes, the chemistry between Mike and El is nonexistent.
And no, Eddie was in no way heroic! I also fail to see what their longterm plan was when they decided that drawing the bats to the one place where they can escape. Wasn’t it obvious to them that they’d need to do something to draw the bats away from that place again? How was the Steve crew going to get back?
Uhm, how about poor me for having to read Fool’s Fate? 😂😬 And I’ve never liked all the other characters in those books, and then when Hobb refuses to make The Tawny Man about the tawny man, I don’t see how you don’t get angry about that. So I guess you should prepare yourself for a very painful commentary post from me 😅
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Well, I guess I’m simply too much of a fan of quiet suffering 😅 I’m not sure if Will admitting those feelings out loud could be done in a way that I wouldn’t find incredibly cheesy and out of character, so I think I prefer leaving things as they are…. Although I also want a Will storyline that has more content in Season Five! Can’t we get the heartbroken pining after Mike plus Will actually doing stuff again for a change??
Don’t ask me that bat question, though – because I have absolutely no clue why cutting off their escape route was a good idea, either 🤔
And, well, I think if you can survive all of The Fool’s Fate gushing in my post, it’s only fair if I endure your painful commentary in return 😂 Although, if it makes you feel better, there’s actually a considerable amount of ranting in my post as well… It’s just that I loved all the characters too much to pay too much attention to the stuff I disliked 🥰 But you are still going to get quite a bit of complaining, too! And as for The Tawny Man being about the tawny man, I’ll give you my thoughts once you’re done with the book 😜
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I think Will has to open up to someone at some point because right now he thinks he’s all alone with this knowledge of himself even though WE know other people suspect. But yes, Will just doing something would be a nice change 😄
I’ll look forward to the ranting in your post then although I can’t return the favor because there’s absolutely no gushing in mine 😬 But I’m very confused why you think you can’t give me your thoughts on Hobb’s Fool-baiting now 🤔 Oh well, it’s probably just me who has such a strong resentment towards baiting. It’s just really high on my list of inexcusable things an author can do.
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Well, all I can say is that my thoughts on the whole Fool-situation are very much tied to how Robin Hobb decided to end that particular arc within the trilogy… So I’m afraid you’re just going to have to wait! 😁
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Hmm, I’m very adamant about the ending being irrevelant to this problem but sure, I’ll wait.
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oh no i’m sorry to hear june wasn’t the best for you naemi 😔 i’m glad that you were able to travel though! taking european history this past two semesters has turned me into a polish history enthusiast and so your trip to poland sounds incredible!!
i can’t stand overly slow books either so i completely get where you’re coming from for the atlas six and fiasco, though i haven’t read either of them 😭
i really hope july treats you better both reading-wise and just in general ❤️ we’ll miss you but take all the time you need naemi!!
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Yes, the Poland trip was amazing!! 🥰 I’m still bummed we only went for a long weekend because there was so much more I would’ve wanted to explore… But I guess I’ll just have to go back in the future!
And actually, I usually adore slow books! 😂 IF they have great character development, that is… Unfortunately, that didn’t really apply to The Atlas Six or Fiasco, though 🙄
Anyway, thank you, Abby! 💙 I guess it’s somewhat ironic that I’m leaving just as you’ve come back – but I still hope you have a wonderful July ahead of you!!
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If it hadn’t been for the very graphic sex and gore thrown in every once in a while, I could have sworn this was a rather simplistic adventure story targeted at seven- or eight-year-olds
😂😂😂Omg lmaooooo this books sounds ahem…i don’t even know
But wait Naemi, i hope this break works for u. I felt pretty sad when u said felt like you’re the only one who hasn’t got their life together. We’ll miss you so much. Tbh i haven’t been able to write much either, despite the fact that I’m back to blogging. I’m literally not getting the time. And when ideas come into my head I’m just too stressed about other stuff to focus on having the patience to write something. 😭 I can’t remember the last time i even wrote a sarcastic or humorous post. I was just reminded of this when i read all the bookish recommendations in your post. People have been writing and returning from their breaks I’m just lost when it comes to blogging 💀.
😭 So yeah sorry just wanted to rant.
🙂 This comment really overshadows my evil side but ok…
Anyway, you did read some bad stuff this month it seems. I really hope the break helps u. And you better be back 😤. People who read your posts till end need you 🤩
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“I don’t even know” pretty much sums up my thoughts on that book – and I actually read the whole thing! 🙈😂🙈 Seriously, what did I do to deserve so many horrible books last month??
But please, Nehal – don’t be sorry for your very non-evil rant!! 💙 Trust me, I feel you on everything you said. Like, so much!! My last true sarcastic post that I really liked was that book cover designing one, and that was months ago… At the moment, I just have so much on my plate that I feel like I have no time or energy to come up with anything creative, either. (Well, unless you count super depressing German poetry about how meaningless life is and that I never thought people would actually try to read, but shhh 🤫😅) So rather than forcing it, using up the little spare time I have left, not sleeping, and being even more stressed, I’ve decided a hiatus is probably the best option – but you bet I will be back!! Things should be so much better in August because then, I will actually have free time again! So you bet I will do my very best to spoil you with very long and very weird posts that you will have to read all the way till the end 😜 And of course, I really hope you find a way to become a less lost blogger again, too!! 🥺💙 I’ve really missed your sarcastic and humorous content!!
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😂 you know i have this longpostophobia you evil human beanie! And yet!
But it’s fine, my phobia might have some exceptions lol.
And yeah, thanks a lot! I hope to feel back in blogging soon too!
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But long posts are the best ones! 😇 Thy phobia is most definitely a true mark of thy evilness 😜
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Thank you for featuring my post! I’m glad you had a great time in Poland and hope your July will be better than your June. Take the time you need to rest up and recharge!
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Of course! Your post was great and has one of the most fascinating comment sections ever! 🤩
And thank you! I am actually pretty sure my July will not be restful at all – hence the hiatus 😅 – but I have very high hopes for August! (I’d still like to have that better July as far as books are concerned, though! 😁)
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HOW IS IT JULY ALREADY??? Very weird indeed.
And there’s no such thing as too many Poland pictures ;))) STRAWBERRIES!! Those look FANTASTIC!! And I hope your hiatus goes well ❤ we’ll miss you!!! ❤
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So weird, definitely!! The year only just started, and now, there are somehow six whole months missing! 😱🤣
I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures, though, Suhani, and hope you have a great July while I’m away! 💙
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omg june literally flew by 😭😭 i cannot believe it’s already july!! your poland pictures are all so gorgeous i’m so happy you had fun on your trip!! HAHAHA your cat sounds so cute 🥺 oh god there are so many books on this list you didn’t like HOPEFULLY JULY IS A BETTER READING MONTH FOR YOU!! ❤️ i’ve heard the best things about the atlas six though – so that was definitely the most surprising to me on this list!!
everyone in this room will someday be dead sounds like THE perfect book i need to pick it up right now it genuinely sounds so amazing your convincing skills are the best 🥰 AWWWW naemi i missed you toooooooo 🥺💕 hopefully things will get ~less hectic~ on your (very sneakily mentioned) hiatus (very funny that you’re leaving as soon as i’m back I SWEAR I’M NOT MEANING TO CHASE YOU AWAY)!! have a lovely julyyyyy <33
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I really hope July will turn out better as well! Seriously, I didn’t think it was possible to read this many mediocre books in a row! 🙈🙈 But Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead was so awesome that it quite possibly made up for the rest, so I guess things could still be worse… I definitely highly recommend you go read it! 🙃🥰🤗
And lol, yeah, it IS kind of ironic that I’m leaving just as you’re returning 🤣 Don’t let me deter you from posting, though, because I fully intend to keep up with what you’ve got in store for us!!! Have a great July as well, Ahaana!! 💙
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hope you had a great month !!!
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Thank you! I hope yours was great as well! 💙
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I sympathise with you regarding Stanisław Lem’s Fiasco. Normally I am into sci-fi, but I have always found it hard to get into Lem’s books in general. I loved Lem’s Solaris and only because of its film counterpart, and its emphasis on world-building and physics was for once more interesting for me in that particular plot than any action.
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I’m happy to hear I’m not alone! 😂 I might have to give Stanisław Lem another chance though – particularly since you said you enjoyed Solaris. That was also the book of his that the bookseller I talked to in Poland recommended to me, but since Scribd didn’t have that one, I decided to try Fiasco instead and get a first taste. I’m still intrigued by Solaris, though, and if you say the film is worth watching, I might have to check out that adaptation as well!
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Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Solaris is “slow” (like most of his films), but it is a definite masterpiece that I’d recommend, yes, and especially since you study (studied?) Russian, I am sure it will be worth your time.
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I’ll have to check it out, then! Especially since, yes, I’m always looking to improve my Russian! I never studied it as a main subject or anything, but I did take several classes at university (and would like to say that I’m still dutifuly studying on my own, but, unfortunately, I kind of feel like I’m forgetting things at a faster rate than I’m learning new ones 😅😂)
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