ReadingAdviser_Jessica's Completed Shelf
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A Chorus RisesA Chorus Rises, Downloadable AudiobookA Song Below Water Novel
by Morrow, Bethany C.Downloadable Audiobook - 2021Downloadable Audiobook, 2021
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Aug 11, 2021
Quotations
- I'm never gonna be okay with people trying to erase the rest of who I am. Never again.
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Aug 10, 2021
Comment:
Overall, this is an action-driven story of the quest of a Greek character who was done (fairly) dirty in the original mythology. When I had time to devote to reading it uninterrupted, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favourite retelling.
Quotations
- ‘You are a gift to this world, my kataigída,’ he says. ‘A storm, calamitous and powerful. You take root where you want to, listen to no voice of command but your own.’ ‘A storm can kill,’ I say, voice barely a whisper. ‘And it can also give life.’
PumpkinPumpkin, Downloadable Audiobook
by Murphy, JulieDownloadable Audiobook - 2021Downloadable Audiobook, 2021
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Aug 05, 2021
Comment:
This is another super sweet addition to Julie Murphy's series. I thoroughly enjoy listening to these as audiobooks, and I highly recommend them, in any format.
Quotations
- When the world isn’t selling what you’re looking to buy, you just have to take it upon yourself to cut your own pattern.
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Aug 03, 2021
Comment:
Basically, I couldn't tell you what happened in the midst of these pages. A lot. And nothing. Maggie's writing is beautiful, and I will be back for book three in the hopes that it improves on this and actually focuses on characters I want to read about. But this was not a classic Stiefvater novel that took me by the heart and never let go, and that makes me sad.Basically, I couldn't tell you what happened in the midst of these pages. A lot. And nothing. Maggie's writing is beautiful, and I will be back for book three in the hopes that it improves on this and actually focuses on characters I want to read…
Quotations
- ‘You can’t hide away from the consequences of who you are,’ Bryde said. ‘Don’t laugh at me, Hennessy. How much power do you think it required to pull out all those girls with your face? You cannot do this carelessly. You’re not children anymore.’ Nightwash trickled out of Ronan’s nostril. Hennessy threw her remaining fries back over the counter. They didn’t look at each other. ‘You’re right,’ Ronan said finally. ‘Now I really do feel shittier.’ ‘Good,’ Bryde replied. ‘Lesson over.’‘You can’t hide away from the consequences of who you are,’ Bryde said. ‘Don’t laugh at me, Hennessy. How much power do you think it required to pull out all those girls with your face? You cannot do this carelessly. You’re not children…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 27, 2021
Comment:
What a scathing critique of institutional racism, with such addictive writing. I felt like our main characters kind of...didn't mesh. Like separately, they're great, and make sense, but when they work together, I just didn't feel the connection between them. However, that said, this is still a wonderful, important book. I am here for the anger and needing to get these words out into the world, to take things to an extreme in order to raise awareness and get people mad.What a scathing critique of institutional racism, with such addictive writing. I felt like our main characters kind of...didn't mesh. Like separately, they're great, and make sense, but when they work together, I just didn't feel the connection…
Quotations
- No matter what I do, no matter how much I iron down the hair that springs from my scalp, or work as hard as I can, I’m always going to be other to them. Not good enough for this place I’ve tried to call home all my life. I can ‘fix’ the kinks in my hair, but not the kinks in this whole system that hates me and Devon and everyone who looks like us.No matter what I do, no matter how much I iron down the hair that springs from my scalp, or work as hard as I can, I’m always going to be other to them. Not good enough for this place I’ve tried to call home all my life. I can ‘fix’ the kinks in my…
Last Night at the Telegraph ClubLast Night at the Telegraph Club, Book
by Lo, MalindaBook - 2021Book, 2021
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 22, 2021
Comment:
This is a taut, challenging book, but it is so full of love at the same time. It's about finding out who you are, finding representation for yourself in the people you associate with, finding love where you least expect it, even in the face of danger. I enjoyed it so much.This is a taut, challenging book, but it is so full of love at the same time. It's about finding out who you are, finding representation for yourself in the people you associate with, finding love where you least expect it, even in the face of…
Quotations
- She knew that what she had read in Strange Season was not only scandalous, it was perverse. She should feel dirtied by reading it; she should feel guilty for being thrilled by it. The problem was, she didn’t. She felt as if she had finally cracked the last part of a code she had been puzzling over for so long that she couldn’t remember when she had started deciphering it. She felt exhilarated.She knew that what she had read in Strange Season was not only scandalous, it was perverse. She should feel dirtied by reading it; she should feel guilty for being thrilled by it. The problem was, she didn’t. She felt as if she had finally cracked…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 20, 2021
Comment:
Can every YA heroine be like Alessandra please? I was SO into this book from page one, and I totally savoured it all the way through. Despite the predictability of the plot overall, I didn't actually guess at the identity of who was behind the original murders. I was so swept up in the romance between Alessandra and Kallias that everything around them swept me up too. For so many reasons, this just worked for me, and I'm so so glad it did.Can every YA heroine be like Alessandra please? I was SO into this book from page one, and I totally savoured it all the way through. Despite the predictability of the plot overall, I didn't actually guess at the identity of who was behind the…
Quotations
- This is it. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s offering me the world. He’s just not offering me himself with it. When did I start to want that?
HeartstopperHeartstopper, Graphic NovelVolume 3
by Oseman, AliceGraphic Novel - 2021Graphic Novel, 2021
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 13, 2021
Comment:
There is no way for me to rate these books as anything less than 5 stars. They're just that sweet and heartfelt and wonderful.
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 13, 2021
Comment:
This book took me by surprise. I loved the twists and turns, and the way the sisters are differentiated in terms of tone was spot on. I see the Black Mirror comparison that people are drawing, and I love that this surprised me just like BM episodes often do.This book took me by surprise. I loved the twists and turns, and the way the sisters are differentiated in terms of tone was spot on. I see the Black Mirror comparison that people are drawing, and I love that this surprised me just like BM episodes…
Quotations
- Because it was possible to love someone without fully understanding them. Possible to love parts of them, and not their whole.
The Midnight LibraryThe Midnight Library, Downloadable AudiobookA Novel
by Haig, MattDownloadable Audiobook - 2020Downloadable Audiobook, 2020
Available
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 10, 2021
Comment:
I absolutely devoured this and I have no idea how I actually feel about it. I think I loved the premise more than I enjoyed the actual book, so I'm going to go with 3.5 stars, but the predictability here made it so that I just wasn't as enthralled as I wanted to be.I absolutely devoured this and I have no idea how I actually feel about it. I think I loved the premise more than I enjoyed the actual book, so I'm going to go with 3.5 stars, but the predictability here made it so that I just wasn't as enthralled…
Quotations
- But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It's the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people's worst enemy. We can't tell if any of those other versions would of been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.But it is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It's the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people's worst enemy. We can't tell if any of those other versions would of…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 06, 2021
Comment:
I figured I’d probably love this book after how absolutely wonderful Red, White & Royal Blue was. I went in thinking it would be a quick, fun read, and though it was both, it was also so ridiculously emotional and touching and has quickly become a heart book for me.I figured I’d probably love this book after how absolutely wonderful Red, White & Royal Blue was. I went in thinking it would be a quick, fun read, and though it was both, it was also so ridiculously emotional and touching and has quickly become a…
Quotations
- How does she talk to Jane? Where does she even start? How does she explain that she used to be afraid to love anyone because there’s a well at the center of her chest and she doesn’t know where the bottom is? How does she tell Jane that she boarded it up years ago, and that this thing - not even love, but the hope for it - has pried up nails that have nothing to do with love at all? She’s standing on a New York sidewalk, nearly twenty-four years old, and she’s found herself back at the first version of August, the one who hoped for things. Who wanted things. Who cried to Peter Gabriel and believed in psychics. And it all started when she met Jane.How does she talk to Jane? Where does she even start? How does she explain that she used to be afraid to love anyone because there’s a well at the center of her chest and she doesn’t know where the bottom is? How does she tell Jane that she boarded…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 06, 2021
Comment:
I don’t know how to rate this…like, at all, so I’m gonna go for 3.5 stars. I see why people rave about it, but I just disliked some things so much that I struggled with it overall. I did devour it in a day though, soooooo...yeah. I guess that the nature of things here just wasn't my fave. The writing is evocative, but the characters just rubbed me the wrong way at every turn.I don’t know how to rate this…like, at all, so I’m gonna go for 3.5 stars. I see why people rave about it, but I just disliked some things so much that I struggled with it overall. I did devour it in a day though, soooooo...yeah. I guess that the…
Quotations
- I have wasted my entire life focusing on the wrong things and the wrong people. I don’t know how it came to be that I believed changing everything about me would change the way people treated me. I thought a polished appearance and stellar behaviour would be the passport to belonging. And when I inevitably failed at perfection, I could at least wilfully do everything in my power to be kicked out before anyone left me.I have wasted my entire life focusing on the wrong things and the wrong people. I don’t know how it came to be that I believed changing everything about me would change the way people treated me. I thought a polished appearance and stellar behaviour…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jul 06, 2021
Comment:
This one works for so many reasons. I wanted answers, yes. It's vague, yes. It's frustrating if you're expecting anything more than speculation, yes. But if you're looking for atmosphere, tension, and intrigue, you'll get that in spades here.
Quotations
- That’s how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.
Much Ado About YouMuch Ado About You, Downloadable Audiobook
by Young, SamanthaDownloadable Audiobook - 2021Downloadable Audiobook, 2021
All copies in use
Holds: 1 on 2 copies
Holds: 1 on 2 copies
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jun 21, 2021
Comment:
This was a super cozy but predictable listen. I enjoyed myself about 85% of the time, and this was a five-star read until then - but that last 15% made me insane. At the end of the day, though, this is such a cozy read. It was just what I needed it to be in an easy breezy way, and although I wish the ending were slightly different, I'm happy with where the story ended.This was a super cozy but predictable listen. I enjoyed myself about 85% of the time, and this was a five-star read until then - but that last 15% made me insane. At the end of the day, though, this is such a cozy read. It was just what I needed it…
Quotations
- I don’t want you, or anyone, to wake up in ten, twenty years’ time, and wonder what could have been. Such benign little words – ‘what if’. But at some point in life, those two words become the scariest two words in the English language.
The Okay WitchThe Okay Witch, Graphic Novel
by Steinkellner, EmmaGraphic Novel - 2019Graphic Novel, 2019
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jun 17, 2021
Comment:
What a sweet autumnal story about a girl who discovers she’s a witch after a lifetime of loving witchy things. Moth is such a great character that I really empathized with.
Not only is the story great here, but the history woven into Moth’s current predicament is so cool and interesting. I love anything Salem Witch Trials-related, and the ways that history come up in the story make it really entertaining but also educational.
This one is just really creative, cute, and comforting. I love the autumn vibes, love the self acceptance that Moth is learning, and love the characters. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but it also tied everything together nicely, and I always appreciate that closure.What a sweet autumnal story about a girl who discovers she’s a witch after a lifetime of loving witchy things. Moth is such a great character that I really empathized with.
Not only is the story great here, but the history woven into Moth’s current…
The Tea Dragon TapestryThe Tea Dragon Tapestry, Graphic Novel
by O'Neill, KatieGraphic Novel - 2021Graphic Novel, 2021
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jun 17, 2021
Comment:
This series is so absolutely wonderful. Whether you’re looking for a good old fashioned comfort read, you come for the beautiful art, or you just want a story of friendship and love that transcends it all, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
Being back with Greta and Minette felt like a cup of hot tea on a chilly fall morning. Their stories are so sweet and heartfelt, and though the tea dragons are no longer the strict focus of the narrative, the way that they’re always there for them makes my heart happy. I want to step into this world and experience it all.
This book and this series have a place in my heart forever.This series is so absolutely wonderful. Whether you’re looking for a good old fashioned comfort read, you come for the beautiful art, or you just want a story of friendship and love that transcends it all, you’ll find what you’re looking for…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jun 15, 2021
Comment:
This was so good. Emotionally resonant, culturally rich, and engaging as all get out. I was fully engrossed in this book basically from the first page. There's something about Angeline Boulley's writing that's accessible, authentic, and really just captures you and doesn't let you go. I felt like I was in Daunis's head, feeling everything she was, and a large part of that was how Angeline wrote her. I can't even put my finger on how or why, but Daunis leapt off the page for me. It dragged a bit in the middle for me, but overall, this is such a beautiful debut, and I'll read anything else this author puts out into the world.This was so good. Emotionally resonant, culturally rich, and engaging as all get out. I was fully engrossed in this book basically from the first page. There's something about Angeline Boulley's writing that's accessible, authentic, and really just…
Quotations
- Jamie is right - I know science and Ojibwe culture. I also know that I am strong enough to do this. There is one more thing I know…My definition of being a good Secret Squirrel is not the same as theirs. Maybe there isn’t one investigation taking place, but two. Theirs. And mine. I sign the agreement.Jamie is right - I know science and Ojibwe culture. I also know that I am strong enough to do this. There is one more thing I know…My definition of being a good Secret Squirrel is not the same as theirs. Maybe there isn’t one investigation taking…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jun 08, 2021
Comment:
I found this a bit predictable, but nevertheless, very enjoyable. I'll be back for the rest of the series for sure! It satisfies the desire for spice without sacrificing plot or characters, and I love that balance with my whole heart.
Quotations
- The sensation of balancing on the edge of an abyss gripped her, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. One word, and she’s take a mighty plunge. She had thought it took all her courage to build a life of her own, and now, swaying on the precipice, she understood she had to be even braver to give herself, heart and soul, into the hands of another and build a life with him.The sensation of balancing on the edge of an abyss gripped her, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. One word, and she’s take a mighty plunge. She had thought it took all her courage to build a life of her own, and now, swaying on the precipice,…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added Jun 08, 2021
Comment:
Overall, I'd call this an average debut. The writing and world-building are lackluster, the plot is interesting enough, and Jazmyne is the highlight for me. I don't think I'll pick up the sequel, but I didn't *not* enjoy my time in this world; I just wish it was...more.Overall, I'd call this an average debut. The writing and world-building are lackluster, the plot is interesting enough, and Jazmyne is the highlight for me. I don't think I'll pick up the sequel, but I didn't *not* enjoy my time in this world; I…
Quotations
- We plot until the sky begins to lighten outside, bringing dawn on soft pastel wings. And with its arrival comes a reckoning from three unlikely allies: The Obeah with lies in her eyes and poison in her heart. The Alumbrar, foolish with desperation. And the Zesian, who might snatch the entire foundation from beneath them all to take an island his country always coveted.We plot until the sky begins to lighten outside, bringing dawn on soft pastel wings. And with its arrival comes a reckoning from three unlikely allies: The Obeah with lies in her eyes and poison in her heart. The Alumbrar, foolish with…
Beach ReadBeach Read, Downloadable Audiobook
by Henry, EmilyDownloadable Audiobook - 2020Downloadable Audiobook, 2020
All copies in use
Holds: 47 on 6 copies
Holds: 47 on 6 copies
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added May 31, 2021
Comment:
I think this book deftly balances the light and the dark in a way that some contemporary fiction doesn't. It's got some spice to it, but the sweetness underlying it isn't overshadowed by those raunchier scenes. It deals with some darkness and is decidedly not a light, fun beach read (kudos for the ironic title) but I liked it more for the unflinching way it deals with some tough subjects like fidelity, death, and expectations. I don't know why, but I don't love reading about writers. There's something about it that I struggle with, for whatever reason, so that is the only reason that this one is a 4-star read. The genuine characters, the fun plot, the realness of the subject matter, all of it was really wonderful. I just like a bit more escapism than the "I'm a writer" plot can give me; I much prefer books where the characters are readers.I think this book deftly balances the light and the dark in a way that some contemporary fiction doesn't. It's got some spice to it, but the sweetness underlying it isn't overshadowed by those raunchier scenes. It deals with some darkness and is…
Quotations
- "When you love someone," he said haltingly, "...you want to make this world look different for them. To give all the ugly stuff meaning, and amplify the good. That’s what you do. For your readers. For me. You make beautiful things, because you love the world, and maybe the world doesn’t always look how it does in your books, but...I think putting them out there, that changes the world a little bit. And the world can’t afford to lose that.""When you love someone," he said haltingly, "...you want to make this world look different for them. To give all the ugly stuff meaning, and amplify the good. That’s what you do. For your readers. For me. You make beautiful things, because you love…
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added May 28, 2021
Comment:
This is a book about books, about stories, about finding your own and pursuing it for no other reason other than it feels right and you love it. It's about love and grief and what happens when the person you love the most leaves, but also, it's a story about finding hope and working through that sadness and choosing yourself, whatever that means to you. I loved it so so much.This is a book about books, about stories, about finding your own and pursuing it for no other reason other than it feels right and you love it. It's about love and grief and what happens when the person you love the most leaves, but also, it's a…
Quotations
- It seems unfair that the world is often critical of finding meaning in another person. We're allowed to find ourselves in places, books, nature, but not in another human. We aren't allowed to mourn losing a piece of ourselves for too long - especially when young - because we must learn to stand on our own two feet. But if the world must be made of car crashes and unspeaking books, let there at least be no guilt in companionship, no matter how brief. To quote Valerie, everything is silly because everything is temporary.It seems unfair that the world is often critical of finding meaning in another person. We're allowed to find ourselves in places, books, nature, but not in another human. We aren't allowed to mourn losing a piece of ourselves for too long -…
You Don't Have to Be EverythingYou Don't Have to Be Everything, BookPoems for Girls Becoming Themselves
Book - 2021Book, 2021
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added May 25, 2021
Comment:
This was a beautiful collection. I don't know what I was expecting, but this one surpassed any expectations I might've had. My preference is typically for poetry that feels natural, easy, more free verse than anything, but I found myself enjoying pretty much all of the poems here. I just let them wash over me without analyzing too hard, and that contributed to my enjoyment of them for sure.This was a beautiful collection. I don't know what I was expecting, but this one surpassed any expectations I might've had. My preference is typically for poetry that feels natural, easy, more free verse than anything, but I found myself enjoying…
Quotations
- You do not have to be good. You so not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. (Mary Oliver, excerpt)
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added May 25, 2021
Comment:
I enjoyed this, but it also dragged a loooooot, and it was missing a lot of the elements that I was looking forward to in a VA novel.
It is a solid YA fantasy, with a varied, intriguing world with a magic system that's mysterious yet also sensible; a large cast of characters that fill all the spots for tropes but also never really fade into *just* those tropes; and writing that works really well for the story getting told. But overall, there was just something missing with the characters for me. Characters are what keep me going with these big epic fantasies, and without being really invested in them, I enjoyed this when I picked it up, but I found it dragged.I enjoyed this, but it also dragged a loooooot, and it was missing a lot of the elements that I was looking forward to in a VA novel.
It is a solid YA fantasy, with a varied, intriguing world with a magic system that's mysterious yet also sensible;…
Quotations
- Half of Corayne thought this was stupid; the other half, impossible. But both sides were also in agreement. This is the best way out of here. To the horizon and beyond it. To whoever I am, in my bones. "So how do we...save the realm?"
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added May 17, 2021
Comment:
On the surface this has everything I love in witchy YA, but that’s what it all felt like to me: very surface-level.
Quotations
- It felt too simple. To move forward, carrying the weight of what she’d done without letting it hold her back. It was a delicate balance. Just like magic. Just like families and relationships and sisters who shared the same face but not the same heart.It felt too simple. To move forward, carrying the weight of what she’d done without letting it hold her back. It was a delicate balance. Just like magic. Just like families and relationships and sisters who shared the same face but not the same…
Anna K AwayAnna K Away, Downloadable Audiobook
by Lee, JennyDownloadable Audiobook - 2021Downloadable Audiobook, 2021
Available
ReadingAdviser_Jessica's rating:
Added May 13, 2021
Comment:
I liked this well enough while I was listening, but overall...it was pretty forgettable. That said, these books really are pure escapism. There is a part of me that revels in imagining doing these crazy rich person things. The grand scale of everything in this world is mind-boggling and fun, and if you just lose yourself in that sense of wonder and incredulity, they are a lot of fun to read.I liked this well enough while I was listening, but overall...it was pretty forgettable. That said, these books really are pure escapism. There is a part of me that revels in imagining doing these crazy rich person things. The grand scale of…
Comment: