WWW Wednesday: January 29, 2025

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

Open Season by Ben CrumpThe Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

OPEN SEASON by Ben Crump: I drafted this post early, so I’m not sure if I’ll have this book finished by the time this WWW Wednesday goes live. Either way, though, this is an important look at how Black people just can’t “win” in the legal system. The cases highlighted are jaw droppers. So was the flip flopping of states vs Federal law trumping each other just so southern states could drag escaped enslaved folks back into slavery from northern states.

By that I mean an enslaved person escaped to Pennsylvania, where the state law said no one could take that person back into the south for slavery. I think this was in the 1840s when state law had precedence over Federal law. However, a case ruled Federal law trumped the state law, and thus the person could be taken back into slavery despite having escaped to a free state. Kind of ironic now considering the whole states rights movement in the US by the right as a guise to actually take away freedoms. Anyway, this isn’t a post about politics, so I’ll move on!

THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES by Julie Leong: I have a gorgeous Fairyloot copy of this that I started on Sunday. I’m not super far along, but I like what I’ve read so far. As a result I don’t have too much to say yet aside from the fact that the writing is approachable, but not simplistic. “A wandering fortune teller finds an unexpected family in this warm and wonderful debut fantasy, perfect for readers of Travis Baldree and Sangu Mandanna.

Recently Finished

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. MaasThe Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas: Yay, I finally read THRONE OF GLASS!! I don’t plan to write actual reviews for this series. However, I’ll try to briefly recap my thoughts here. Overall, I liked it a lot! It wasn’t a five-star read for me mainly because the emotional stakes weren’t so high. But this is a great start to the series and I look forward to the next book.

THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS by Pip Williams: While the feminist premise intrigued me, I made it to 100 pages before I DNF this book. The writing is totally fine. But the pace was slow and I was starting to skim it. I figured that wasn’t a good sign, so I moved on.

Reading Next

Maya and Natasha by Elyse Durham

MAYA & NATASHA by Elyse Durham: This is a February ARC, so once I finish THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES I plan to start this one. It’s about ballerinas, which always catches my eye. “This stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken.

What’s everyone else reading this WWW Wednesday??

24 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday: January 29, 2025

  1. Good to know about the pace of the Pip Williams book. I’ll have to keep it for when I’m in the mood for a slow read.

    1. Yep, definitely take that into consideration when you get around to it! For me it just didn’t quite grab my attention enough to want to continue with the slow pace.

  2. That non-fiction sounds intense but like a very important read. I think reading about all the injustices would probably have me fuming, lol. 🫣 I’m keen to see what you think of Small Fortunes after you finish it. It’s been on my radar and sounds so wonderfully cosy! Maya & Natasha has such a gorgeous cover—I hope the story is just as great! Happy reading 🙂

    1. It’s definitely an important read. I didn’t pick up Small Fortunes last night, but I have made it a little farther and I still like it. I think it’s what I need right now: a relatively calm, medium-paced, relatively light read. I’m sure there’ll be some conflict at some point, but I’m just enjoying its lowkey-ish vibe.

    1. It seems like a lot of folks want to get to THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES soon! Maybe I’m just ever so slightly ahead of the curve. 😛

    1. Excellent! So far I’m still enjoying it, though I’m only about a quarter of the way through. Still waiting for the cat to come into the picture…or, the cover has a cat so I assume there’ll be one.

  3. Sorry that the Pip Williams didn’t work for you. I really enjoyed it but I tend to like books with a slower pace. I’m glad that you’re enjoying the Teller of Small Fortunes. I’m sure I will buy a copy at some point. Maya and Natasha sounds brilliant so can’t wait to see what you think of it.

    1. Did you read the Pip Williams book, then, and like it? If so, that’s great! I just don’t have the attention span for slower-paced reads, I guess…or maybe the content just didn’t interest me enough to keep reading. Either way, on to the next! I’m definitely looking forward to Maya & Natasha…I can’t even think of a book I’ve read that took place during the Cold War. But the ballerina aspect is what hooked me.

      1. I enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words but I actually loved the second book more – The Bookbinders of Jericho. I liked the characters better I think and the WWI setting.

    1. Yay! A lot of folks in the comments are looking forward to reading THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES soon, it seems. I hope we all like it!

  4. I really want to read Teller Of Small Fortunes sometime too. I love the sound of the premise and the cover instantly leaves you wanting to pick it up. I think I have the DNF on my TBR somewhere (unowned though). And I’m thrilled that you enjoyed TOG. I hope the series continues to interest you 🥰 it’s wonderful when a hyped book ends up being enjoyable.

    1. If you like slower-paced reads set at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, you might like this one. It didn’t hook me enough, though, so I DNF it. I’m sure TOG will continue to interest me…if it doesn’t I’ll be super surprised!

      1. I’ll probably give it a chance sometime as I don’t want to rule out reading it. It’s not a priority at the moment though. And I’ll be interested in learning how you find the rest of the series 🥰

Leave a Reply