Happy Saturday, everyone!
October has come and gone, we’ve made it to the penultimate month of the year, and at least here in Central Europe, fall has arrived in full force. The leaves have changed color, the valleys are swathed in fog, and the first mountain tops are already covered in snow.
Putting it briefly, my October was a mix of ups and downs. I solved my car problems, but any free time I gained by no longer having to ride my bike everywhere or make frustrating phone calls was swallowed by my exploding workload. I had a very enjoyable teachers’ choir concert debut, but a rather less enjoyable parent-teacher-conference debut. I spontaneously decided to take a seven-hour train ride home for the long Halloween weekend – All Saints’ Day (November 1st) is a public holiday in Germany – and got to see my family and cats, but the week leading up to it was so awful that I’d rather block its existence from my memory entirely.
Reading-wise, though? My October was better than anticipated. First off, having this past week off for fall break meant that I actually managed to read things! And second, none of those things were awful! Granted, I didn’t have any five-star reads either, but it could definitely have been worse… So let’s get into the books, shall we?
When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord (3.5/5 Stars)
(I listened to this as an audiobook; the narrator was Jesse Vilinsky.)
With my October off to a tremendously stressful start thanks to all of my car troubles, I decided I needed to turn to an author whose quirky romance novels never fail to cheer me up – and Emma Lord did not disappoint. While When You Get the Chance might have its fair share of cheesy plot conveniences, I enjoyed every minute of it!
Our protagonist Millie Price is a theater nerd through and through – she has always dreamed of becoming a Broadway star, and when she gets accepted into a prestigious artsy pre-college, she’s sure her dreams are about to come true. The only problem? Millie went behind her dad’s back when applying, and it turns out he’s not as on board as she thought… Millie, however, is not to be deterred, and when she accidently stumbles across her dad’s embarrassingly moody college LiveJournal, she thinks she might be able to find an ally. Aided by her best friend Teddy, Millie sets off on a quest to find the mother who abandoned her at birth. And while stalking getting to know the three women she’s narrowed her search down to, she may even be able to pick up some valuable acting skills. If she can stop squabbling with her drama club rival Oliver, that is…
Overall, I had a lot of fun with When You Get the Chance. Even though it was incredibly predictable, I couldn’t help but enjoy Millie’s spunky personality, her back-and-forth banter with Oliver, and how much love for musical theater radiated from this story. I really appreciated the attention to detail and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cheer-me-up!
That being said, I don’t think this is necessarily a book that will stick with me for long. The romance, while adorable, follows a very foreseeable pattern, a lot of the conflicts in this book stem from very plot-convenient miscommunication issues, and the cheesy way everything is resolved in the end was a bit too simplistic for my tastes. To truly become a new favorite, When You Get the Chance would have needed less generic quirkiness and a bit more depth.
Still, I wanted easily digestible and cheerful, and that was exactly what I got!
Dracula by Bram Stoker (3/5 Stars)
(I listened to roughly the first third of Dracula in audiobook format, but in spite of Gerry O’Brien’s engaging narration, I ended up switching to an e-book copy. I was just so engrossed that I needed to know what would happen more quickly than audiobook speed allowed! 😁)
Although I am the biggest scaredy cat ever and don’t tend to read a lot of horror, I have always made an exception for one of its subgenres – I absolutely adore Gothic fiction! Frankenstein is one of my favorite classics of all time, and to say I am obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe is a massive understatement… So obviously, it was about time that I remedied the embarrassment of not having read what is perhaps the most famous Gothic classic out there!
Published in 1897, Dracula is an epistolary novel following multiple characters. There’s Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor invited to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula, for a business trip. There’s Harker’s betrothed, Mina Murray, and her best friend Lucy Westenra, who are anxiously awaiting Jonathan’s return home and having eerie nightly adventures of their own. There’s Dr. John Seward, who is nursing a rejected marriage proposal by throwing himself into his work at a lunatic asylum. There are Arthur Holmwood, Quincy Morris, and Professor Abraham van Helsing, who might’ve got a bit more than they bargained for when they first met Mina and Lucy.
Overall, I’m glad I finally got around to this! Dracula was the perfect October read – dark, mysterious, and autumnal. However, I also can’t deny that my feelings on the novel are a bit mixed.
Its first half, I adored. It was incredibly atmospheric, full of creepy Gothic vibes that immediately drew me in, and the eeriness of the characters trying to figure out what was going on made the story un-put-downable despite my already having been thoroughly spoilt for it by my literature degree and a stage adaptation I’d seen several years ago. I loved the characters, the writing, and the plot, and was sure this would end up becoming a new favorite classic of mine.
Then, however, came the second half… The characters had finally figured out what was going on and proceeded to talk. And talk. And talk. Not that I have anything against communication, but these conversations went in complete circles! The plot dragged on and on like nobody’s business, I was extremely annoyed that a very prevalent character death barely seemed to affect the protagonists emotionally – With all that talking, there should at least have been some grieving! – and when we finally got some action, the big showdown was over in about two pages. I mean, it wasn’t a terrible ending or anything, but after the amazing first half of the story, I had expected so much more!
Still, I recommend checking Dracula out! While the second half could have been better, it was nevertheless an engaging tale, and I can definitely see why it became so famous!
A Conspiracy of Truths by Alexandra Rowland (3/5 Stars)
When she described A Conspiracy of Truths with the words “The book is super boring… but I really liked it?” Line @ First Line Reader had me thoroughly intrigued. I needed to know how a book could possibly be boring and like-worthy at the same time! Besides, I’d heard that it was supposed to be very political, and if there’s a genre I love above all others, it’s political fantasy.
Following an elderly traveler arrested on charges of witchcraft in a foreign country, A Conspiracy of Truths certainly delivers on the political front. Our protagonist is soon caught in a tangled web of corruption, intrigue, and scheming as he tries to manipulate the country’s leaders to rule in his favor. Because if there’s anything he’s learnt from being a storyteller, it’s that words can sometimes be a very powerful weapon.
My verdict? I wouldn’t necessarily say I really liked the book, but I did enjoy a lot about it! I loved all the politicalness and the scheming, I loved how A Conspiracy of Truths delved into the power of words, and I loved how our protagonist, who is simultaneously the story’s narrator, had me suspicious of his motives throughout the entire thing. I was never fully sure whom to trust, which words I could take at face value, and which details might help me form a bigger picture.
That being said though – “super boring” also isn’t far off the mark. For a book with little plot, A Conspiracy of Truths unfortunately also had very little character development. Its whole allure consisted entirely of figuring out the political situation, but since there was nothing that enticed me to care about the characters all that much, I never got that invested in the politics affecting them, either. I was appreciative of the political twists, but I didn’t really care about the outcome of anything. If anything, I found the ending to be almost underwhelming.
So yeah, would I recommend this? I honestly have no idea… If you like action and intricate plots, you’re probably better off steering clear, but if you’re looking for something unique with a strong voice and lots of politics, A Conspiracy of Truths might be the book for you!
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon (3.5/5 Stars)
When I stumbled across An Unkindness of Ghosts in one of Rabeeah’s wrap-ups, I immediately knew that I had to read it. It was set on a starship! It tackled heavy themes in a new and interesting way! It was supposedly very lyrical! Even better, once I mentioned I was reading it, loads of other people mentioned how much they’d liked it. I didn’t see how this could possibly go wrong, and thankfully, even though An Unkindness of Ghosts didn’t quite make it into my favorites category, I did end up really enjoying it.
Set in a dystopian version of the future, An Unkindness of Ghosts transports the reader onto the decks of the HSS Matilda, a space vessel that departed from Earth hundreds of years ago in order to ferry what was left of humanity to a mythical Promised Land. However, along the Matilda‘s hazardous journey, the ship’s societal structure has slowly morphed into a totalitarian regime eerily reminiscent of the US Antebellum South: Dark-skinned passengers are considered less than human and forced to slave away on the lower decks under appalling conditions, while the upper-deck white elite enjoys a life of comparative luxury. Aster has always taken her way of living for granted – but when a medical examination of the ship’s dying sovereign reveals a link to her mother’s suicide over twenty years earlier, she realizes there might be a way for change. If she’s willing to fight for it.
There’s no other way to put it – the concept of An Unkindness of Ghosts was beyond cool. The societal questions it posed were fascinating, there was so much nerdy science, and you got to stumble around in total confusion for the majority of the book before you finally figured out what was going on! Plus, I loved how the author had no qualms about showing the scope of the brutality going on aboard the Matilda and how they gave us such a unique perspective to read from. Aster and several of the other characters are heavily hinted to be on the Autism spectrum, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen outside of contemporary fiction.
Still, something about this book kept me from being completely engrossed. It’s really hard to explain, but it was like I connected to the aestheticism of the story way more than I connected to the actual story itself. Sometimes, I felt like themes were thrown in solely for shock value and diversity reasons but never explored in great depth, and the ending also came about so suddenly that it felt a bit unbelievable. Particularly the scientific aspects of it. I guess, generally, I just would’ve liked a bit more. An Unkindness of Ghosts has a very novella-esque feel to it, and I just was a bit disappointed we never got to explore this world more fully!
Babel, or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by Rebecca F. Kuang (4/5 Stars)
The minute I heard about Babel, I knew I needed to read it. A book set in a fantasty version of Victorian Oxford? A book dealing heavily with language and translation? A book written by the author of The Poppy War? Yes, please!
Set in a world where silver-working and linguistic knowledge have enabled technological progress of magical scope, Babel follows a Cantonese boy who goes by the name of Robin Swift. Brought to England by the mysterious Professor Richard Lovell after his mother’s death, Robin is given a rigorous education in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Mandarin – training he will need if he is to successfully enroll at the prestigious Royal Institute of Translation in Oxford.
My predictions weren’t wrong – for the most part, I absolutely adored this book! Almost everything about it was straight up my alley. It was wonderfully nerdy, filled to the brim with linguistic trivia from countless languages. It had the exact type of pretentious university discussions and environments I adore reading about. It had a simultaneously cozy and gloomy atmospheric setting that I couldn’t help but be sucked into. Robin’s friend group was characterized by complex dynamics that made these characters seem real. The magic system was incredibly unique and intriguing. The plot engaging and twisty. The writing style lyrical and firmly rooted in Victorian tradition, giving Babel an even stronger sense of setting. For the first two-thirds of the novel, I was certain this would end up being a five-star read.
But it wasn’t. As much as I loved Babel, the last third of the book made it impossible for me to ignore what had already slightly bothered me in the beginning: Its discourse on colonialism and racism has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. While R. F. Kuang’s exploration of these themes was interesting, well-researched, and multi-faceted, it simply did not have any nuance whatsoever. Babel bombards the reader with footnotes pointing out how racist some of the practices and literature of the time were. ALL interactions Robin and his friends have with white university students are full of micro-aggressions, and, with one possible exception, ALL white characters in the story whole-heartedly support the British Empire’s imperialist views and anti-foreigner sentiments. Although Babel does dive into the complexities of imperialism quite a bit, the way they were conveyed was just a bit too on the nose and black and white for my tastes. Particularly towards the end, I felt like parts of the story were being pushed aside in favor of a manifesto of POC-empowerment that any reader with a brain of their own shouldn’t have needed. You don’t have to spell everything out for us, R.F. Kuang! We can piece together information from details just fine!
Nonetheless, Babel is an ode to linguistics, beautifully written, and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I would still highly recommend it to any dark academia fans and language lovers out there!
Die Judenbuche by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (3/5 Stars)
(I read this book in the German original, but in case any of you are interested in giving it a try, there are several English translations, titled either The Jew’s Beech or The Jews’ Beech Tree. And nope, my random apostrophe usage is not an accident! Neither the German title or the story make it clear whether “Jew” is supposed to me singular or plural here, so I guess the translators decided to take the fair route and use both options 😜 Also, to give credit where it’s due: I listened to the first half of this as an audiobook while carving pumpkins – the narrator was Sven Görtz – but then switched to reading a physical copy as soon as my hands were no longer covered in orange muck…)
I suppose writing my End of the Year Book Tag was the push I needed to guilt me into reading something German… I’m still a far cry away from my yearly goal, but hey, at least I finally picked up something in my native language that I did not end up hating!
An extremely famous German classic, Die Judenbuche is a novella spanning several decades in an 18th-century Westphalian village. Central to the story is a boy named Friedrich Mergel, who is raised by his mother after his drunkard father dies out in the woods during a snowstorm. However, Hermann Mergel is not the forest’s only victim. Set several years apart, two brutal murders take place near the very same beech tree that Friedrich’s father is said to haunt… and nobody knows who did it.
Overall, I loved how atmospheric and mysterious this story was. The nature descriptions are phenomenally uncanny, kind of reminiscent of a Gothic horror story. There are weird doppelgängers, possible ghosts, and strange family secrets that no one wants to talk about. Even at the end, you aren’t entirely sure what happened, and I love how that got me thinking!
On the other hand, Die Judenbuche is also frustratingly mysterious at times. Sometimes, we get these sudden jumps in place and time, with characters appearing out of nowhere without any sort of introduction, and it confused the heck out of me! Plus, while I do like a well-written open ending, this one was just a tad unsatisfying. I mean, couldn’t we have gotten a few more clues? Couldn’t you have given me a bit more to work with, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff? I need some sort of basis to start theorizing, and your rather flat characters just didn’t give me enough!
Yeah, I didn’t really get around to doing much blog hopping in October, either… You should probably just accept that as a given fact for school months in the future 😅 But I do still have a handful of posts that are worth checking out!
- Wildwood Reads provided with us her own Dracula-inspired paprika chicken hendl recipe! Although I’m not sure I approve of calling this dish “chicken hendl” when “hendl” is already the Bavarian word for chicken, it looks positively delicious, and I definitely want to give it a try at some point! 🍖
- Mint @ Mint Loves Books dissected whether book bloggers are obliged to support authors and got a really interesting discussion going! 🧐
- Line @ First Line Reader continued her Trope Discussion series by sharing her thoughts on found and dysfunctional families. This was incredibly interesting, particularly since we don’t see eye to eye on everything! 👪
- Sophie @ Me & Ink read a bunch of hyped dark academia books and gave us her two cents on them. While I don’t see eye to eye on everything with Sophie, either, I loved reading all of her opinions! 😁
- Even though her mathematical enthusiasm and copy/paste skills could still use some work, Nehal @ Quirky Pages earned my undying love and eternal gratitude by being the first person – apart from its humble creator 😎 – to do The Functions Book Tag! 🧮
- FangirlFlax showed us that she isn’t just creative when it comes to books and shared her homemade Halloween decor with us. Her candle-making skills have me beyond impressed! 🎃
So yeah, that was it for today! Let me know down below how your October was, and whether you’ve read any of the books in my wrap-up! I’d love to hear where you agree and disagree with me!
Also, just a fair warning: It is highly possible I might switch to biweekly posts in November or go on full-on hiatus 😅 I haven’t completely decided yet, but it is extremely likely that I won’t have a lot of time to write… So brace yourselves for that possibility and don’t panic if there aren’t any life signs from me next week!
A Book Owl's Corner 
I’ve seen a lot of reviews of babel and they all seem to have the same problem you had with the book! That being said, I must really start reading the rest of rf kuang’s books, because the poppy war was quite amazing.
Hope you have a good month ahead, and post whenever you’re comfortable, we’ll be here!!
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Oh, interesting! Every review I’ve seen so far has wholeheartedly praised Babel, so I was beginning to worry whether I might be unnecessarily picky… 😅 It’s kind of nice to know I’m not alone! But yeah, I still enjoyed it a lot regardless and would highly recommend it! 🥰
And a great November to you, too, Jan! Maybe we can both get a move on reading R.F. Kuang’s books because I really need to read The Burning God as well 🙃
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I was obviously so excited to hear your thoughts on A Conspiracy of Truths! 🤗 And I’m so relieved that you didn’t hate it! 😅 I’m with you on feeling underwhelmed about the ending because that was also why I took a star off. I really wanted Rowland to be more clear about the fact that we’ve read an entire book from the point of view of an unreliable narrator who is also kind of a terrible person. I understand it was hard to do with him telling us the whole thing but I feel like there was something that could be done to drive home the point. And also give the book a proper climax. I didn’t notice a lack of character development though, and I was too into all the political implications of everything to need to care about the impact on the characters. And when you said you didn’t care about the characters, I assume you meant with the exception of Ylfing 👀😁
But you still have me confused about Babel! I absolutely hate it when a book does that kind of commentary without nuance because if I wanted to read that, I’d just open Twitter instead of reading an entire book about it. And yeah, I hate it so much that I doubt the good stuff in the book could outweigh it 😕
And congrats on finding a German book you didn’t hate 😂 Although I don’t feel like you’re recommending this one too strongly either.
Thanks for sharing my post! 🥰
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Yes! After spending the whole book being suspicious of the Chant, I wanted more pay-off! Sure, a bunch of people died because of his political meddling, but we never really got to see the true repercussions 😕 And quite honestly, I didn’t really care about any of the characters all that much… 😅 But Ylfing was by far my favorite one, if that makes you feel better!
Unfortunately, though, I can’t help you with Babel – I’m still extremely torn on it, too! I loved everything else about it so much that it would easily have become my favorite book of the year if it had handled the diversity discussion better – but this way, its preachiness just annoyed me to no end! I don’t even know how you deal with having Twitter and seeing this kind of discourse on a regular basis 🙄
And yeah, I think I’m still on the lookout for that new German favorite 😅 But if the books keep steadily improving, maybe I’ll get there eventually!
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I’m still not sensing the appropriate amount of love for Ylfing but I guess I have to accept this 😒
And I deal with Twitter by not being on there very much because I don’t have to read it 😅 Can’t really use the same approach with a book I chose to read. But I can see Scribd has the audiobook so maybe if I run out of stuff to listen to it will be added to my cue.
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Sorry to hear about your exploding workload. I hope that it improves soon.
I completely agree about Dracula. The first half is so good but then the second part loses all the tension and the death seems to be completely overlooked.
I’m currently reading Babel so will be interested to see how I feel about it by the end. I’m really enjoying it at the moment. I will get around to doing the tag but the questions are hard 😃😃😃
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I hope so, too! I really want to get some relaxation in before Christmas break, if possible 😅
And I’m relieved I’m not the only one with this opinion on Dracula! I’ve mostly heard of people either hating or loving it, so when it started out great, I was so sure I’d be in that second camp, too 😥
Also, have fun with Babel! I’m already really excited to read your final thoughts on it! 🤗
And no worries about the tag – I always do mine months (or years 😅) later, so you’ve got plenty of time!
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I’m glad you liked Dracula, even if the eneding didn’t quite live up to the first half for you 😊
I also really want to read the first book on this list, I love musical theatre and want to read more books including it but hadn’t heard of this one before (that I remember 😅)
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Yeah, the beginning of Dracula was epic! I can definitely see why you love it so much 😉
And When You Get the Chance is a great pick of you love musical theater – it really does that part of the story justice! 🥰 I hope you enjoy it if you do end up reading it!
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Awesome😆 that sounds great!
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Wow that sunset photo is beautiful 😍 the perfect placement!
It sound like October was an intense month, I hope you are able to find enough downtime in the upcoming months!
I’m glad you liked An Unkindness of Ghosts. I found the end to be the weakest part of the book as well, but I do have an overall fondness for the characters and concept. I have seen it called similar to a novella, but now you’ve said it, I can 100% see that too.
Interesting to hear your thoughts on some of the gothic fiction, I’ve yet to read this subgenre but I would like to experience it at some point in my life.
Thank you sooo very much for sharing my post (even with my opinions 😂😉) Have a great November ❤️
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I’m glad you approve – I must’ve spent a full ten minutes anxiously hoping the swans would stay long enough for the sun to be perfectly positioned right between those two mountains 😂 Which is way more effort than I usually put into pictures!
And I’m also really happy we both enjoyed An Unkindness of Ghosts 🥰 You’re right, the concept was just so unique and cool! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Rivers Solomon writes next!
Also, I can only highly recommend Gothic fiction! I really hope you find some that you like! 🤗 Maybe that could be your next project, after the dark academia? 🙃😂 I would read all your opinions, no matter how unpopular!
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Sorry to hear you’ve been overwhelmed with work! I hope things are easier for you this month 💛 loved hearing your thoughts on Dracula and Babel – I’m planning to read both (I’ve been stuck at 50 pages into Babel currently) and I’ll keep your thoughts in mind. Have a lovely November ❤️
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Haha, well, I’m actually expecting things to be even more chaotic this month 🙈😂 But I’m hanging in there and will hopefully have some great books to keep me company!
And I’ll be looking forward to your thoughts on Dracula and Babel! Fingers crossed you’ll end up loving them both; they’re definitely perfect for fall time! 🍂
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The only one I have read is Dracula. That one is creepy but it kept me wanting to read it. SOOOO MUUUCH TALLLKING!!! Aghhhhh!!!aghajsksksksk!🤣
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Yes, I think the creepiness is precisely what made Dracula so compelling! 🧛♂️ I also couldn’t put it down, especially during the first half!
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I did peeter off during the second half as well🤣
I read it through digital book.
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Aw.. It was worth it 😍
Oohh it would be cool to do a gothic fiction project 👀
Thank youuu 🥺
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Thank you so much for the links! I love what you did with your pumpkins. And it’s so interesting that you read Dracula–I’ve been following an email service that sends each entry out on its corresponding real-life day, but October would be the perfect time to read it whole.
Also, I’m so sorry to hear you had a rough October! I hope November’s being kinder to you.
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I’m glad you approve of the pumpkins – coming from someone with your decorating skills, that’s high praise indeed! 🎃
Oooh, that email service sounds really interesting! I’ve never heard of anything like that, but it must be such a unique way to experience the story! Although I would probably get really impatient waiting for the next installment and then forget to read it when it does finally appear in my mailbox… 😂
And thank you! Unfortunately, November is looking very chaotic as well, but I’m hanging in there and already super excited for the Christmas season, so I guess that’s a bonus! 😁
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You are too kind!
I think they’re running it next year, too–it’s called Dracula Daily, and it’s the first Google result! I wish I’d known, because I completely spaced on reading it this year, and saved all 110 emails to start from next May, when the book starts. Oh well! (We do have that anti-strategy in common, haha!)
Hopefully November is a fun sort of chaos for you, and you get some rest over the Christmas season!
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I REALLY need to read when you get the chance- I’ve heard the most amazing things about it!! AND BABEL!!! So glad you enjoyed it ahh!! And of course the language trivia was extremely fun :,)
Loved this!!!
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When You Get the Chance is definitely really fun and wholesome, so if you ever need some cheering up and loads of music references, I highly recommend it! 🎼 🙃
And ahhh, yes, Babel was so much fun!! The language trivia made my nerdy heart beat with joy!! Although I’m still really frustrated there wasn’t a bit more nuance at the end 😭 This could otherwise easily have become my favorite book of the year!
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Parent-teacher conferences sound terrifying!!! I really want to read Babel; it sounds like everything I would love.
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Yeah, they’re not exactly my favorite, either 😂 Although they actually weren’t as terrifying as I had imagined beforehand, so I guess that’s something!
And I’d love to hear your thoughts on Babel! There were so many things about it that I absolutely adored, so I really hope it’ll be up your alley, too!
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I know I’m horribly late to this buttttt…
My copy pasting skills are completely alright, okay?! 😤😂
And hey, my mathematical enthusiasm is getting better day by day…i guess 🤧🤧
Also I haven’t heard of most of these books (what’s new). Though i do feel like i can relate to your views on an unkindness of ghosts. I’ve also felt sometimes that i liked the theme of a book more than the actual book lol. It’s a sad feeling.
Amazing wrap up, as always!
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Hmmm, I wouldn’t know about that… 🤔😂 But I’m happy to hear that your mathematical enthusiasm is increasing! 😇
Yeah, it’s such a disappointing feeling when you realize a book theoretically has everything you want but you still aren’t really connecting to it! I still don’t know why I didn’t love An Unkindess of Ghosts more 😭
But thanks for stopping by, Neigh-hal, and have a great rest of the month! 🙂
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Evil 😂🙂
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🙂
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That sunset photo 😍 I love it so, so much it’s so beautiful. Share more photography please? ahah 😍
Happy you enjoyed When You Get The Chance, even if it wasn’t so memorable. I really liked this author’s previous books and need to read this one. I always find her stories to be these kind of feel-good, quick, fun reads that warm your heart! 🙂
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Thank you! 🥰 Alpine sunsets are definitely something I’ll miss once I no longer live here, so I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s obsessed!
And yes, Emma Lord has also become one of my go-to authors when I need cheering up 😊 If you liked her other books, I’m sure you’ll love When You Get the Chance, too!
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GOSH NAEMI I’VE MISSED READING YOUR POSTS AND LEAVING RIDICULOUSLY LONG COMMENTLY-THOUGHTS ON THEM SO MUCH!!! 😭 also all the photos are amazing AND THE WAY YOU DESCRIBE FALL MAKES ME FEEL LOWKEY SAD ABOUT NEVER GETTING TO EXPERIENCE IT IN MY OWN COUNTRY 😅😅 yayy on solving the car problems though (YES, I DID READ THAT POST OF YOURS BUT ACCIDENTALLY NEVER ENDED UP COMMENTING I’M SO SORRY) (LIFE HAS BEEN EXCRUCIATINGLY ALL-CONSUMING LATELY 😭😫) but i’m so so sorry on that terrible week,, SENDING YOU SO MUCH LOVE AND ALSO KEEPING ALL MY TEN FINGERS CROSSED THAT THIS MONTH AND THE REST OF THE YEAR MAKES UP FOR ALL OF IT BY BEING ENDLESSLY AMAZING <333 (also. on that note. HOW ARE YOU??? AND ALSO YOUR NOVEMBER??? pls feel free to bombard the comments with all the details I SWEAR I SHAN'T BE HUMILIATINGLY LATE IN REPLYING THIS TIME)
also YES emma lord books are so HAPPY AND AMAZING AND ENTERTAINING!! none of her three books have been favorites of mine, BUT I REALLY REALLY ENJOYED THEM!! when you get the chance was probably my favorite and i've always had a suspicion that the fabulous audiobook narration had something to do with that 👀 (honestly haven't listened to such an amazingly narrated audio since the audible version of anne of green gables IT WAS PHENOMENAL OK) millie's personality is SO SO FUN I LOVE HER!!! but also completely agree with all the rest of your thoughts on it all.
also the entire combination of "dark, mysterious, and autumnal" SOUNDS TOO TOO GOOD TO JUST GIVE UP LIKE THAT?? i desperately need to catch up with all the gothic fiction + classics THEY SOUND SOOOO GOOOOD?? but am sorry about the excessive amounts of talkin they did in the second half of dracula THAT SOUNDS SLIGHTLY TORTUROUS.
GOSH THAT DESCRIPTION OF A CONSPIRACY OF TRUTHS IS KIND OF THE WORLD-ACKNOWLEDGED BEST EVER MARKETING STRATEGY??? line's a genius like that. BUT ALSO THE WAY YOU DESCRIBE IT MAKES IT SOUND SO SO INTRIGUING AND UNRELIABLE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE ALWAYS FUN. excuse me while i rush to read it RIGHT AFTER being done with typing this.
oh but wait. AN UNKINDNESS OF GHOSTS SOUNDS SO SO GOOD TOO APPARENTLY?? look. maybe part of that's because of the ghosts in the title BUT ALSO THE SYNOPSIS SOUNDS INTRIGUING. AND AM ALWAYS UP FOR MORE AUTISTIC REP PLEASE. WE NEED MORE OF THAT. HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME LOOK FORWARD TO AN ENTIRE EVENING OF CONTEMPLATING WHETHER I SHOULD START MY NIGHTLY-READINGS-BECAUSE-THE-DAYTIME-IS-UNIMPORTANT-APPARENTLY WITH THIS ONE OR CONSPIRACY OF TRUTHS?? HOW DARE YOU NAEMI 😭
dude how dare you just simply throw around all the 'wonderfully nerdy' and 'pretentious university discussions' phrases WHEN I'M ALREADY STUCK DECIDING BETWEEN TWO BOOKS FROM YOUR POSTS ALREADY??? NIGHTS AREN'T THAT LONG, NAEMI 😫 but also your whole discussion on it all was SO SO INTERESTING TO READ and honestly makes look forward to it even more??
NAEMI THE JEW'S BEECH (TREE) SOUNDS SO SO GOOD TOO my life is confusion?? honestly though. I LOVE ALL THESE RECS AND AM SERIOUSLY EXCITED OK?? THANK YOU FOR ALL THE RECS AND ALSO THIS MASTERPIECE OF THIS POST.
HAVE A GREAT MONTH NAEMI!!!!
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ANOUSHKA!!! I’VE MISSED READING YOUR RIDICULOUSLY LONG COMMENTLY-THOUGHTS ON MY RIDICULOUSLY LONG POSTS!! 🥰🤗🥰 But no worries, I totally feel you on those excruciatingly all-consuming life circumstances 😭 I actually haven’t written a blog post in weeks and am barely on top of my comments, so you’re not the only one being absent around here… 😅
An aaahhhh, I’m so glad you enjoyed When You Get the Chance, too!! 🤗 It always makes me so happy when books feature music and do it justice, so it really was the perfect feel-good novel!
And I’m very not sorry for putting you in such a conundrum about your TBR 😁 I mean, can you be a true book nerd without eyeing about a million more books than you could ever possibly read? I’m just helping you develop that part of your identity! 😈
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I’m definitely adding Conspiracy of Truths to my reading list, it sounds very intriguing!
I’m glad you gave An Unkindness of Ghosts a go, it’s such a unique novel, which is difficult to write these days! However, I get what you mean about the ending (and I agree, I could definitely have read much more set in this world!).
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I hope you enjoy A Conspiracy of Truths! It’s certainly very different from anything I’ve read before and great if you’re into politics and untrustworthy narrators 😉
And thanks again for recommending An Unkindness of Ghosts! Even though I thought some aspects of the book could have been done better, I was thoroughly intrigued while reading it, and it really got me thinking!
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