Space Station Mir

 When I saw this TTT topic, I wasn't sure how many of these there would be since I don't worry too much about focusing on hot new reads each year. However, if I look back at my seasonal TBR lists from 2023 (excluding winter 2023-2024, since that's technically still not over!), there are some reads I haven't gotten to yet, as well as a lot that I did, or that I've already finished in 2024, like My Goodbye Girl. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books I Meant to Read in 2023 But Didn't Get To What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama--I started it, but had to return it to the library before I finished, so waiting to get it again! Deacon King Kong by James McBride--Still listening to the audiobook; two more discs to go! Twelve Past Midnight by Tiffany Alexanderson (Fall 2023 TBR)-This one's a review book from LibraryThing. The premise, an ensemble timeloop in a fantasy world sounded interesting, but I didn't get pulled in right away, so I put it asi...

  My Goodbye Girl by Anna Gomez This book was a surprisingly wild ride--I was expecting a "they-meet-up-every-few-years" -type romcom like One Day or A Lot Like Love . Instead, their global meetups are relatively close in time--and then there's a huge shake-up more than 60% of the way through the book that changes everything. The first part of the book was focused on the relationship conflict--she doesn't want commitment, he does; she's a traveler/pantser, he's a planner. The author skillfully evokes each global setting (Chicago, NYC, Hong Kong, Boracay, Santorini, etc.) in a short amount of time, sending the characters to local restaurants and reminiscing about their histories with each place. However, for me, the story truly acquired depth and stakes at that 60% point, and created a need for the characters to find a poignant and nuanced way back to each other. Normally, how I feel about a book 50 pages in is how I'll feel at the end, but this one was a...

 I'm excited about my reading and other goals for 2024. In 2023, I did a lot of set up reading-, writing-, and life-wise, and now I feel ready to keep improving and having fun with my goals. I've already made headway on some of these goals, and I can see myself making them happen! I didn't post this on Tuesday, but here's the TTT link. Bookish Goals for 2024 Read 42 books--I again wanted to go a little easy on myself, but feeling up to this since my goal last year was 36 and I read 48. Read 11 (25%) books by authors of color, from this specific list (below)--I haven't been doing well with this goal in the past, so instead of the more vague "25%" goal, I'm defining 25% of my reading goal and actually creating a list of books I want to read that fit this criteria to choose from. If you're interested, my list below includes books that have been on my TBR awhile, including some literally on my shelves. Read and review all the books I've accepted fo...

A Vision in Crimson by Kathryn Troy Release Date: January 23, 2024 (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!) Preorder Here *Edited 1/23/24 to add* Now on sale here I loved Kathryn's Troy's epic fantasy novel The Shadow of Theron , which I reviewed last year, so I was thrilled to accept when she invited me to review an ARC for her upcoming novel, A Vision in Crimson (Frostbite #1) . This one has an entirely different premise: star-crossed witch and vampire lovers from opposite worlds of a portal fantasy. Troy's writing, however, is equally luscious and inventive, with literary homage spanning the gamut from Greek mythology to  Dracula to The Chronicles of Narnia. The male protagonist, Luca (derivative of the Stoker novel), is a dhampir--half-vampire, half-human, although in this lore, he functions more like a vampire except he can subsist on his own blood and is universally reviled. The female protagonist, Kate, is also from Earth, but Victorian era, when she and her brothers fell into a por...

 I missed TTT the past couple weeks, and I'm more interested in reflecting on last year's reads, since, per usual, I'm not planning to read a lot of new releases this year. I read my most favorite books of 2023 toward the beginning of the year, probably since that's also when I read my most anticipated reads for the year, but a few sleeper hits snuck in at the end. Overall, it was a good and occasionally great reading year--toward the end there were some more mediocre reads, but I still don't regret them because I learned something from them and I also enjoy the experience of reading to discuss with other people at my book clubs.  Link to  Top Ten Tuesday! Favorite Books I Read in 2023 Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree--I love how I had to request my library to purchase this in 2022, and it won the Nebula and the Hugo in 2023--very deservedly! I am loving the era of cozy fantasy! S easparrow by Kristin Cashore Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Ande...

 I finished the ARC of  A Vision in Crimson (Frostbite Book 1)   in December, and spicy romantasy fans will be VERY satisfied! Please enjoy this sneak peek--my full review is coming next week! Release Date: January 23, 2024 (Two Weeks from Today!) Preorder Here. You can find the author, Kathryn Troy, @BathorysCloset.

 It's that time of year again--the end of the year. And with it, the dilemma--do I post this before the end of the year and risk missing something, or later and have it get caught up in all the 'best of' lists? Well, I guess I blew right past this and forgot to post it till now, so enjoy! Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds--Cute Hanukkah romance with the added bonus of a unique setting--winter in Nantucket--and an archaeological/anthropological mystery.  The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman--Book club read, about two Jewish sisters who work at an armory in Boston during WWII--it's...fine, not a book I would have picked, but if you're interested in the historical setting, I'd recommend it.  The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer--Read this for a new book club (that brings me up to 3 😉)--I was apprehensive since it was compared to Eleanor Oliphant, a book that devastated me, but thankfully was unwarranted. It's a truly meaningful alth...