books, books, and books, and books....
all hail the gods of Goodreads
Sometimes I wonder what I’d do with all my free time if I hadn’t been introduced to Percy Jackson in the 6th grade. I used to read before that, more than everyone my age, but it was Percy Jackson and reading “I didn’t want to be a demigod” that started my obsession with reading. It just so helped that I had a home library at the disposal of my literary needs. What started off as a “casual” pastime has now turned into a rather regular part of my routine — akin to brushing my teeth, watering my plants and buying bananas for Nugget.
Thanks to my Kindle and z***, I have been able to read books at a frequency that frightens me. So, here’s a list of 6 of my top (current) books from all the books that I have read until now (I am 20 books into my 50 books Goodreads challenge. So, suck it!):
The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund - Honestly, I simply have no words for this book. I am speechless. Please, please, please read this, irrespective of your preferred genre of reading. I couldn’t even properly explain the plot to Aditya, who is, in many ways, doing the Goodreads challenge with me by listening to the audiobook versions of everything I am reading (its me — I am the audio book). This is a murder mystery, love story, tragic tale of war, psychological triller all wrapped in a Swedish meatball.
The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir - So so creepy and so well written. I liked that there was barely any explanation and most of it was left to our imagination - in the best way possible. I had a heavy feeling while I finished it, and barely any horror book has been able to do this. I felt cold, scared and alone through the entirety of this 200-page book. One of the best horror books I have ever read.
The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson - I mean???? Once, again, no words. Female rage, folklore, sisterhood, horror, and HORSES all rolled in one is what Unmothers is. Part investigative mystery, part folk horror. Horse lovers, men haters, and fans of sacrifices, weird rituals, and freaky things that follow you in the woods, will find lots to sink their teeth into here. I felt like I was in that town, and a big part of me wants to be in that town, and watch it all unfold as it normally does.
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark - This made me feel so MUCH that I don’t know if I finished the book or if it finished me. It was slick, dark, unreliable, and I wasn’t sure what was happening 10% of the time. It was like roadkill (not in a bad way), but just in a way that I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. I loved it but I wouldn’t read it ever again.
Charlie and The Great glass Elevator by Roald Dahl (recommended by Aditya) - This was read after finishing a really heavy novel and it just got me out of my funk. Like a glass of orange juice after a night of heavy drinking. A day after finishing this book, I discovered that space glass elevators can actually be a thing so it made the entire story EVEN better.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison - BANGER that I devoured during a flight.
SO GOOD. There’s a reason why I love vampire fics and this was it. I really really really need this book as a TV show, so I can enjoy it with a HUGE tub of popcorn and an even larger glass of wine. It’s like Sisterhood of Travelling Pants x The Originals, and I wish there’s a sequel to this book.
I do realise that a big chunk of what I have read is mystery/horror/thriller but I just can’t help but pick up books that are going to scare the shit out of me, or at the very least confuse me. I think
I have enjoyed myself alot through these books, though I have also read some super shitty books (IMO) and I plan to make a list and talk shit about them just so I can vent everything out. But, but but, I do think that writing and publishing is an act of bravery itself, so I will try to be as polite as possible about some dogshit prose and predictable endings.
Up next: Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. + The Victorian Chaise Longue by Marghanita Laski ++++ many more.
xo,
e