10 Series to Finish in 2020

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 Hadeer9 Comments

I’m really terrible at finishing series. Mainly, it’s because my memory is garbage, and so by the time a sequel comes out I’ve forgotten absolutely everything and have to re-read, and I’m really lazy about re-reading. Plus I have a short attention span and 99% of the time I prefer standalones or companion novels. But, mainly the memory thing, and because of that, I made the executive decision not to read series until they are complete, or nearly complete. So, I’ve been waiting and waiting on some of my favorite books to finish up so that I can finally get the payoff I’ve been waiting for.

Here are some of the series I plan to get to this year, in order of how likely I am to get to them! Continue reading “10 Series to Finish in 2020” →

end of year: best books

Best Books of 2018

December 31, 2018December 31, 2019 Hadeer9 Comments

I read 92 books this year, the closest to 100 books a year that I have ever gotten in my adult life!!! It’s been quite interesting, as I’ve tried several new genres and some of my faves are quite surprising! So let’s get started!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Honorable mentions, in no particular order, include: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Freshwater by Akwake Emezi, Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills, One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus, Policing Egyptian Women: Sex, Law, and Medicine in Khedival Egypt by Liat Kozma, A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena, and Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor.

And now for the countdown!!!

#10

spinning silver

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik: This is a spellbinding, gorgeously written book that takes various elements of the Rumpelstiltskin story and weaves it into an enchanting winter tale. Though slow-paced, it is never dull, and is told in multiple different perspectives, each of which has its own unique voice. The romances in this book are subtle and oh-so-slowburn.

#9

sawkill girls

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand: This little horror story is written so viscerally that it will make shivers crawl down your spine. I couldn’t even formulate a proper review for this because I loved it so much. It’s incredibly atmospheric and does a superb job balancing cosmic horror with modern-day teen friendships. And it’s sapphic.

#8

the poppy war

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: This is one of the best fantasy books of the year. It features superb worldbuilding and a plot heavy on war and military drama, and yet it’s incredibly fast-paced. Its main character is one of the best female heroines (or anti-heroines) I’ve seen in a long time. The magic system is innovative. It’s a dark book that doesn’t shy away from depicting horrific violence and its effect on people.

#7

heart's invisible furies

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne: This was such a surprise. I never expected to love this book, because it’s so outside of what I usually like. It’s a contemporary bildungsroman featuring a male character. But it turned out to be a darkly comedic and even absurd story interspersed with real tragedy. It’s also incredibly compelling despite its oddly episode plot structure; I couldn’t put it down.

#6

creatures of will and temper

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: I’ll just quote from my original review: “This book cleared my skin, harvested my crops, nourished my soul, and added ten years to my lifespan. It simultaneously defied all of my expectations and yet gave me everything I wanted anyway.” It’s basically lesbians and demonic cults in Victorian London, superbly written and twisty. It’s so much fun and I absolutely adored it. And that cover, Lord.

#5

silent companions

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell: This book is everything I ever wanted from a neo-Victorian Gothic horror novel. It’s gorgeously written, atmospheric, female-led, truly creepy, and features witchery, semi-demonic entities, supernatural forces, gruesome murders, and shocking family secrets. And I couldn’t put it down.

#4

if we were villains

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio: This was one of the first books I read in 2018, and that it’s stuck with me till now says a lot, especially considering this is not my usual genre. This is such an emotive book; it was definitely an emotional rollercoaster for me. The prose is gorgeous and rich, creating an autumnal, claustrophobic atmosphere that ensnared me. And surprisingly, it touches on the havoc wreaked by toxic masculinity and winds up subverting the reader’s normative expectations. It’s quite a delightful surprise.

#3

crimson petal and the white

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber: This gargantuan historical fiction tome is a neo-Victorian classic with an unusual narrative device that shatters the fourth wall. With a 19-year-old prostitute as its linchpin, it is brimming with period details; it mimics Victorian novels not only in its narrative form but in its style and content as well. 19th-century London comes roaring to life in this novel. It’s also surprisingly hilarious and compelling; it’s over 800 pages but I couldn’t put it down. And with so many hat tips and allusions to Victorian literature, it feels like a love letter to the entire period.

#2

home fire

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie: For me, this is the biggest surprise of the year. I mean, a literary fiction novel coming in at second place?? But this book absolutely destroyed me. It made me feel so strongly in a way that few books do. A modern-day retelling of Antigone set in England with an all-Muslim cast of characters, it is a nuanced examination of the effects of Islamophobia, corrupt states, imperialism, and alienation. The writing is quietly beautiful. And then there’s the ending. The ending of Home Fire is probably the most memorable, tragic, beautiful, and fitting ending I’ve ever read. It fucking wrecked me.

#1

godsgrave

Godsgrave (and Nevernight) by Jay Kristoff: Do you know the sort of book that just makes you happy to read? Like you genuinely look forward to when you can sink back into the world because it just fills you with indescribable joy? That was Godsgrave for me; I legit looked forward to my commute and didn’t want it to end so that I could keep reading. This is such a strange fantasy series in many ways: it’s written weird, it has footnotes, and it’s really, really funny (and dark, too, quite dark, but also funny). But what sets it apart for me is its worldbuilding, which is so very dense and rich with minute details. Not only is our main character fantastic, but the series is full of minor characters with their own arcs and vivid personas, and there’s an amazing f/f relationship!!! Honestly, this is just such a thrilling book (and series) that I could just gush about it forever, but I’ll stop now.

end of year: best books

Best Books of 2018 (So Far!)

July 17, 2018December 31, 2019 Hadeer4 Comments

We’re about halfway through July, and I’ve read 56 books. I’ve read a lot of good books that I’ve enjoyed, but I would say that my overall reading year has been pretty lackluster in general. There are certainly a few standouts, but most of the books I’ve read have been forgettable, even if they were super enjoyable. I gave a lot of books five stars because I loved them in the moment, but as I think back, I find that I’m not as attached to them as I thought I would be. But as I said, there are a few books that stand out, and those are the books I’m going to talk about here!

I’ve never done a best books so far type of post before, but I’ve been seeing it going around here and on Booktube. I suppose it would be interesting to see which of these books makes it to my Top 10 Books of 2018 list and which are knocked off. To make things easier on myself, I’m going to order them first read to last read, no rankings involved.

So, without further ado, here are the best books I’ve read so far in 2018!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

This books stands out because of its subversion of normative expectations, its heady atmosphere, and its gorgeous prose. Somewhat similar in plot to The Secret History, it is about a group of theater students who are rather close-knit until one of their number is killed.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I finished this book in a few hours, then a month later I bought it, and now I’m strongly considering re-reading it. It was just so fantastic on so many levels. It’s hilarious, with witty dialogue and standout characters, and it’s fast-paced and fluffy and sweet.

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

This book has its problems, but I loved it all the same. It’s about a Parsi girl living in Saudi Arabia and struggling with its misogynistic norms and religious guidelines. It’s tragic and nuanced and made me feel very deeply. Having lived in Egypt for three years as a teenager, I related to it on a very personal level.

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

This book was a revelation told in gorgeous, profound prose. It’s about a young Nigerian woman who is mentally ill – or is she? Her mental illness seems to be a group of gods possessing her – but is it? At its core this book interrogates our perceptions and interpretations about the self and mental health. It was absolutely mindblowing.

Policing Egyptian Women by Liat Kozma

The only non-fiction book on this list, this is a book that discusses various groups of Egyptian women’s relationships to the burgeoning state in 19th century Egypt. It might sound dry, but it’s because of this book that I learned 19th century Cairo had a school for training female physicians that recruited mainly slave girls and street orphans.

Nevernight Series by Jay Kristoff

Because of this series, I was reminded of my love for adult fantasy. The richness of Kristoff’s worldbuilding is astonishing, but so are his characters, the relationships he crafts, and the twisty plots he seems to pull out of thin air. Reading these two books was a genuinely thrilling experience.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

I did not expect to absolutely love this modern-day retelling of Antigone with an all-Muslim cast of characters. But it won me over quickly; I read it in one sitting. I was drawn in by the characters, the steadily rising tension, the quietly beautiful prose, and the immensely tragic ending.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Based heavily on the second Sino-Japanese War, it’s about a young girl who fights to be taken seriously in the military academy she has gained entrance to. Soon enough her country is embroiled in a violent, vicious war. The magic system here is fantastic – you get high, summon gods, and use their powers. But it comes at a cost. It is so damn cool.

Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aaminah Mae Safi

This is a very slow, character-driven book, and it took me some time to get through it. And yet there’s something about it. It’s about a half-Iraqi, half-white girl living in Texas. It’s about her relationships with her family and her female friends. It’s about her coming to terms with herself and her heritage. It is incredibly clever and witty, and I connected to it on a personal level.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne

This is the seventy-year long saga of a gay man growing up in Ireland. It’s a dark comedy, taking us through heartbreaks, similarities, madcap coincidences, surreal happenings. Despite its length and lack of coherent plot, I couldn’t put it down, and it affected me deeply.

Well, that’s it! What are some of your favorite books of the year so far?

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Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 Five-Star Predictions

April 24, 2018 Hadeer12 Comments

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the fantastic Bionic Bookworm. This week’s topic:

APRIL 24TH – Top 5 Five-Star Predictions

This is something I’ve seen Rachel do a couple of times, and I’ve been tempted to give it a shot myself, so now that it’s a Tuesday topic I guess the universe is compelling me to go for it.

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff: I made no secret of just how much I absolutely adored books one and two in this series. I don’t expect that I will feel any differently about the conclusion to the trilogy, even though conclusions are often controversial. Still, at the very least I expect Kristoff will wrap up loose ends and reveal everything about Mia’s powers. I expect Kristoff’s trademark snark and twists and turns and I have no doubt it will be a wild ride from start to finish.

Leah On the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli: I’ve read two books by Albertalli, and I’ve adored both of them. There’s something about this light, contemporary style that I adore. I can usually breeze through books like this super quickly because not only are they fun and engaging, but they’ve got this nebulous quality that makes you feel right at home. Leah is the snarky, fat, bisexual heroine I’ve been waiting for, and she is, unfortunately, in love with her best friend’s girlfriend, which promises some dramatic shenanigans. Plus it’s been said we’re getting more Simon and Bram!

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: Okay, first of all, I need y’all to understand the inordinate amount of admiration I have for this cover. Just. Look at this cover. Look at it. Look at its intricacy and detail, its classic artwork, its borders, its fonts…I just. It looks like a 19th century painting. It looks like an illustration straight out of a demonology encyclopedia. I actually just purchased this book and it arrived yesterday and I spent like ten minutes just staring at this cover because it is so beautiful. But aside from the cover, the story reads like something made for me: Victorian London, a female fencer, demons, an underground society fighting said demons. I mean. Can you say custom-made?

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: This book has been getting a lot of hype in adult fantasy circles, and rightly so! First off, the author is younger than I am, in her very early twenties, and is a 2018 Marshall Scholar. Second, though a fantasy, it deals intimately with the violence of the Sino-Japanese War, particularly an frequently forgotten event called the Rape of Nanking, which I actually wrote my undergraduate thesis about! I won’t link to information, but you can look it up if you so choose; just know that it is one of the most horrific wartime acts ever committed. The sheer brutality of it is overshadowed only by the fact that it was completely forgotten in the aftermath of the war, and to this day there are segments of Japanese society that continue to deny it ever happened. That should tell you something about what to expect from this book. All reviews coming in so far say that this is a topic that Kuang handles deftly and intelligently.

American Islamophobia by Khaled Beydoun: I really admire Beydoun’s work and scholarship. In particular, he’s written a lot about the odd classification of Middle Eastern and North African folks as “white” on the US Census, and the history of that and the ramifications of a potential MENA category on the 2020 census. I think he’s a brilliant and incisive scholar, and given that this book was just published a couple of weeks ago, it promises to be timely and relevant to today’s political situation. This is generally the type of non-fiction book I tend to love. Given that I myself am Middle Eastern and come from a Muslim family, I think the book will also resonate with me on a personal level. I am so confident I will love this book that I am strongly tempted to buy it so I can have it on my shelf to highlight and make notes in.