Wow, look at me, three days in a row of posting! Don’t get used to it! As usual, I’m juggling between several different books, just like last week. I read a lot last month and don’t really expect to slow down any time soon since I’m also a judge for the SFINCS competition. WWW Wednesday is a nice way for me to recap some of what I’m reading in real-ish time.
WWW Wednesday was revived and hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. The idea is to answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses.
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
Currently Reading
INVISIBLE LABOR by Rachel Somerstein: Yes, yes, I’m still reading this one!
HOMEGOING by Yaa Gyasi: After seeing this pop up time and time again, I took the plunge. I’m currently 36% through the audiobook. This is a story that spans multiple generations. One storyline is that of descendants of someone who stayed in Ghana. The other is about the descendants of someone captured and sold into enslavement and shipped to the U.S. So far a big takeaway for me is I didn’t realize different empires in Ghana at the time were essentially selling each other’s people to the British for enslavement. I can’t remember if I learned that in school.
THE CITY OF STARLIGHT by Georgia Summers: I’m not too far into this yet, just 10%, but I already love the writing. It makes me feel like I’m reading a fairytale. This Penelope character gives me some serious Professor Umbridge vibes. Can’t wait to find out what’s going on!
Recently Finished
ODD SPIRITS by S.T. Gibson: This is a prequel novella in The Summoner’s Circle series, of which EVOCATION is the first book. I read ODD SPIRITS pretty quickly over the weekend. Now I just need to write up my review since it hits shelves next Tuesday! Overall I liked it a little more than EVOCATION, probably because the focus is on mending a relationship. It’s more intimate, in a sense, than EVOCATION.
FORGET ME NOT by Julie Soto: I picked up this backlist book after loving the author’s latest, NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG. While I overall enjoyed it, I didn’t like it nearly as much as Soto’s second book. It just didn’t grab me as much for whatever reason.
A NEST FOR CELESTE by Henry Cole: I think I found this on the front page of my library’s online catalogue. Naturally I became intrigued when I saw my name in the title. It’s a middle grade book that’s historical fiction with some fantasy-esque elements, namely the talking animals. It occurs in the early 19th century on a plantation at which Audubon resides while he finds birds to sketch. The titular character is a mouse and the whole story is from her point of view. It was an interesting way to introduce a real person to young children. The art in it is lovely. My only gripe about it is there was no mention of enslavement of Black people, which I kind of expected when reading about something in a plantation setting.
Reading Next
Next I’ll probably choose a SFINCS novella to read. I try to make every other book a competition novella. But when it comes to a novel-length book, I might pick up THE BLACK HUNGER.
THE BLACK HUNGER by Nicholas Pullen: I’m kind of craving something a little different, and this book might fit that bill. “A spine-tingling, queer gothic horror debut where two men are drawn into an otherworldly spiral, and a journey that will only end when they reach the darkest part of the human soul.“
I’m very curious about Odd Spirits and might try it next. Plus it’s short 😁
It is! I just saw on your blog that you read it, well done!
I hope that you enjoy City of Stardust. It was a bit of let down for me. I loved the writing but never really connected with the characters.
The writing in The City of Stardust is absolutely lovely. I’m 25% in and enjoying it so far. I don’t have any quibbles yet. I like how the author is withholding details and drawing out the mystery…I’m so intrigued!
I agree, Soto’s second book was better than her first! Have a great week!
Oh, I’m glad you thought so, too! I was encouraged to read FORGET ME NOT after I expressed how much I loved NOT ANOTHER LOVE SONG, but it didn’t hit me in the feels nearly as much.
No.. it definitely didn’t hit the same. It could be bc the first was her debut.
I’ve heard amazing things about Homegoing. I hope it turns out as good as everyone seems to say it is! Happy reading!
Homegoing is definitely an epic…about 2/3 of the way through it now!