My reading this past month has been particularly fantasy heavy, with some unexpected non-fiction thrown in. I’m on summer break, so my hypothesis is that my brain needs both complexity and factual reading to stay sharp and engaged, hence my reading selection.

Here are some of the highlights:

Just Friends by Haley Pham (mini-review here)

I finally read this and I don’t regret it. It’s a romance between recent college grad Blair and her high school boyfriend, Declan, after Blair returns to her hometown to take care of her sick great-aunt. One of the strengths of this book is the way that it explores grief alongside love. This is a debut by a popular Booktuber in a genre that’s very formulaic, and it’s a bit of a hyped book, but I don’t think Haley Pham deserves the flak she’s getting online. I think this was an alright publishing start and I look forward to what she writes in the future!

Like, Follow, Subscribe by Fortesa Latifi

The subtitle of this book - Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online - is what caught my attention at the library and compelled me to check it out. I read it in about two days. Latifi covers a wide range of issues related to child influencers in this book, and I thought that her opinions were nuanced, as she explored both the pros and cons to child influencing. It’s a timely book - and I think it would pair well with Shari Franke’s memoir House of My Mother.

Sailor Moon (Vol. 5 and 6) by Naoko Takeuchi

For some reason, I’ve been especially gravitating towards manga about a middle school student who discovers that she is a reborn guardian of the universe. Sailor Moon feels like my manga, I guess because I picked it up on my own without somebody recommending it. I’m surprised at how much I’m loving it and the characters since I don’t usually get this invested in mangas and I’m looking forward to reading the second half of this series. Two thumbs up.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones

This one is for the nerdy girlies. It’s like a combination of Demon Slayer, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and a tiny bit of Sailor Moon all in one in addition to being a Cinderella retelling. And all of that sounds like a lot, but imagine a strong heroine who can wield fire in a world where magic is illegal and demons must be defeated and this book is the result. Another two thumbs up: once the plot got moving, I really enjoyed it.

If you’re curious about what I read during the school year as a college student:

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: Hamburger dill pickles, shared with my 2-year-old niece. 5/5 stars because once we had finished, she picked up her little plate and said, “Oh no! Where did all the pickles go?” 😂

Current read: I don’t know if this is cheating, but my bedtime story is a fan fiction of My Hero Academia, and I’m really enjoying it, despite not being familiar with the original story. (Yesterday Upon the Stair, for those curious about the title.)

I didn’t grow up reading a lot of books that centered around mythology. There were exceptions, but by and large I was discouraged from it, in large part due to the fact that I was raised in a conservative christian environment. Since I was homeschooled through 12th grade, the result was that I didn’t get a comprehensive mythology education and I didn’t start learning about various myths until high school and college. The funny part is that, despite this, I wrote a music history research paper last semester on the relevancy of Greek mythology across centuries (in classical music) - so being dissuaded from exploring mythology as a child didn’t hinder my love of mythology as a young adult. (And maybe it even helped to develop it.)

Here are some of the mythology retellings that I have enjoyed, as well as a couple that I want to read:

Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I must confess that I only read the first book in the series, which follows main character Percy Jackson after he discovers that Poseidon is his father and he’s a demigod. He gets sent to summer camp for gods, gains some friends (and enemies), and goes on an adventure. What I loved about this book is that the Greek gods make up the large cast of supporting characters. They stay true to their characters in the Greek myths while still feeling relevant to the present day. I do want to finish reading the series, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Lovely War by Julie Berry

If you like historical fiction and want to just dip a toe into the mythology retelling genre, this is a great starting point. The narrators of this story are the Greek gods, who, during WWII, are causing mayhem. Aphrodite, a Greek goddess, tells the story of 2 pairs of young lovers during WWI to the other gods, which is the bulk of the book. I thought that the way Julie Berry combined Greek mythology, historical fiction, and romance into one book was well-done. It’s an interesting read because there’s a familiar historical setting, but with a mythology/fantasy twist.

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

These webtoons-turned-graphic-novels are perfect for adult readers who prefer graphic novels/comics over straight prose. The protagonist of the series is the innocent Persephone, whose mother is allowing her out of the house for the first time. The graphics are colorful, while the storyline itself is full of the drinking, partying, and sex that the gods are known for. The plot can get heavy sometimes, but I appreciate the author’s dedication to not cutting out the darker parts of Greek mythology.

Absolute Wonder Woman: The Last Amazon by Kelly Thompson

Here’s another graphic novel/comic option for those who enjoy superhero stories that aren’t quite as dark as Lore Olympus. This one follows Diana, aka Wonder Woman, as she’s raised by Circe, her adopted mother, to do right, even when a strange man appears washed up on their island. Diana finds out who he is, and decides to help him save Earth. This is from the line of Absolute comics and I found it quite enjoyable as a stand-alone, as I don’t have much familiarity with other Wonder Woman comics.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Susan Lynn Tan

Switching up from Greek mythology, here’s a gentle foray in Chinese mythology, which retells the story of the moon goddess. The main character, Xingyin, is the secret daughter of the moon goddess. When the emperor discovers her existence, Xingyin leaves her home on the moon to hide on Earth, where she meets a wide variety of characters and even falls in love. I wasn’t familiar with the myth of moon goddess prior to reading this book and I enjoyed the way that the author made the world feel more like a fantasy rather than a sci-fi, considering the space element to the myth.

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

I should preface this by saying that this book is the second book in the Space Trilogy - but I do think that this one can be read as a standalone. This is a retelling of the Adam and Eve story, but the way that C.S. Lewis sets it on a different planet gives it a distinct mythological feel. There, they must combat evil, alongside main character Ransom. This could be seen on a riff on the Bible story or as a story with a deeper allegorical meaning behind it. Overall, I enjoyed the sci-fi feel to the otherwise familiar Adam and Eve story.

And, to wrap up this post, here are two mythological retellings on my want-to-read list:

Circe by Madeline Miller

I did actually start this book at one point last fall, but I didn’t have the chance to really dive deep into the story before the book had to go back to the library. My recollection is that it retells the story of Circe and features a lot of characters within Greek mythology - to me, it felt more like an expansion of the myths instead of a retelling.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

I wasn’t familiar with any African deities or mythology until I took a college class that focused on music of the African diaspora, where I was introduced to some of the mythology. Learning about it piqued my interest in this book, which features the Orisha as part of its magic system.

Have you read any of these books? What are some of your favorite mythological retellings? Let me know in the comments below!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: I went to a graduation party this weekend and they had a pickle fountain as part of the meal. 5/5 stars, hands down. The world needs more pickle fountains.

Current read: Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones. I heard about this book on The Happy Writer podcast with Marissa Meyer, and I knew that I had to read it after the author described it as Sailor Moon meets the Lunar Chronicles. There’s a distinct anime feel intwined with a fairytale retelling and I’m loving it so far.

During fall break last semester, I mentioned to my sister in-law that I had seen her copy of Caravel and asked her how it was since I was thinking about reading Once Upon a Broken Heart. Caravel was much better in her opinion. In fact, she wasn’t very impressed with Once Upon a Broken Heart and told me something that bothered her was how the author was overtly descriptive with characters’ outfits, to the point that it took my sister in-law right out of the reading experience. An interesting complaint for sure, but at one point in my life, I considered myself quite the fashionable individual so I figured I could handle descriptions of outfits.

Several weeks later, once I was back on campus, I checked the book out of the library.

Oh, how I wish I heeded my sister in-law’s advice.

writing style.

• Let’s start here, because most of my beef with this book is because of the actual prose of the novel. It’s very simple writing, not particularly beautiful or descriptive. To me, it felt like a kid wrote it for other kids to enjoy. I generally enjoy reading prose that is slightly more poetic and flowy rather than simple, so the writing was a miss for me.

characters.

• Evangeline. I guess I liked that her hair was pink? I didn’t love her as a character though. It felt like she just kept on making bad decision after bad decision. She came off as…lacking in good judgment, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but when it’s repetitive? Her character growth just wasn’t evident.

• Jacks. This man is just a whole lotta walking red flags. Like I said before, the writing in this book is super simple; the prose feels like a middle grade novel. At one point I thought that I could hand this book to an elementary aged kid, but then our boy Jacks suddenly sticks his finger down Evangeline’s cleavage and I realize that I could never hand this book to a kid. He’s a fae-based character, so he’s naturally going to be mischievous, but in this book, it came off as manipulative to me and that’s…not what I want to be reading in romance plots.

• Marisol. I think she’s my favorite character. She seems like the misunderstood side character because she just wants to get married and that doesn’t work out well for her. She’s a super sweet girl, but then as you read, you realize that she’s hiding a lot. Honestly, I find her more interesting and complex than Evangeline because of her mysteriousness.

• Ultimately, I didn’t really care about the characters. I wasn’t super invested in them, and I think that took me out of the story a little bit.

plot.

• Short synopsis: Our FMC Evangeline makes a deal with the fate Jacks but he’s a fae, so the deal is never in the human’s favor. Longer synopsis: Evangeline is in love with her stepsister’s fiancee, so she asks Jacks to stop the wedding so she has a shot at marrying the poor man. Obviously Jacks has conditions that Evangeline must meet - that’s what the story follows.

• I wanted to enjoy it, but I couldn’t. Evangline just kept on making bad decisions and I couldn’t take her seriously and I couldn’t take Jacks seriously because he just kept on sticking his finger down the front of Evangeline’s dress. (Or at least that’s what it seemed like.)

• For the right reader, this story could be engaging. I did read this book across several weeks, so I think it was harder for me to stay connected to the plot and engaged with the characters. I think the concept of the plot is good but it could’ve been executed better.

setting.

• There was potential here! I really enjoyed the setting, with the two different lands and a forbidden element to one of them. It definitely gave fae vibes and there was a folklore/fairytale element that I wish could’ve been expanded more.

• The world was whimsical, yes, but it had darker undertones that I wasn’t expecting and I think perhaps that influenced the way I (negatively) perceived the book.

Why is this series so popular?

• The plot feels like a fairytale - these types of stories have a sort of timeless appeal that resonates with a wide range of audiences. I think for adult readers in particular, a fairy tale setting can provoke a feeling of nostalgia.

• Because the writing is simple, it’s easy to binge, which I think also lends to the series’ popularity.

• The tension between Evangeline and Jacks is really strong; Jacks’ unpredictability as a character keeps the reader guessing what his next move is going to be. I think the whole “how is this romance going to play out” dynamic may keep certain readers invested in the story.

What I would recommend instead:

• Heartless by Marissa Meyer - this has a similar whimsical/fairy tale world to Once Upon a Broken Heart; there's a court jester love interest; and is a Queen of Hearts backstory (from Alice in Wonderland.)

• Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - like Once Upon a Broken Heart, this has a fae love interest (but without the toxicity); plus, the second half feels like a fairytale when main character Emily Wilde lives in the fairy world for several weeks.

• Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan - instead of a fairytale world, this story is set in a mythological world. The main character, like Evangeline, has to journey to a different world and meets a royal family, where she falls in love. It’s very similar in feel to Once Upon a Broken Heart, but with a less infuriating romance.

Previous posts in this BookTok series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Fourth Wing

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: I had some sliced pickles in potato salad the other day. 5 solid stars.

Current read: I’m continuing to chip away at the Sailor Moon mangas - I’m up to volume 5 now! I feel like I’m finally able to track the different characters and who’s who, which is a great feeling.

When I was 14 years old I visited the Kennedy Space Center. It was 2019, and there was a lot of hype about it being the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

I, at 14 years old, was convinced that the moon landing was faked and therefore I didn’t pay as much attention to the programming as I now wish I had. Instead of delving into conspiracy theories to learn more about the moon landing, I instead turned to books about the Apollo missions because obviously I would be able to spot the lies to determine that the moon landing was indeed faked. Unfortunately for me, I actually changed my opinion on the whole matter, decided that the moon landing really happened, and ended up with an interest in NASA and rockets and general space related things. As a result, I have read quite a few space-related books and decided that now, at the end of the highly successful Artemis II mission, would be a good time to share a space-themed reading list. (This list includes both non-fiction and fiction!)

Shoot for the Moon by Jim Donovan

This was the first book related to NASA that I read in high school, probably because I found it to be very readable. It gives a good general overlook at the missions leading up to Apollo 11, including the Gemini missions that came prior to the Apollo missions. I wish it had covered missions following Apollo 11 more deeply, but overall, I felt like this book is a good primer to start learning about spaceflight and NASA, specifically the missions leading up to the moon landing.

The Mercury Thirteen by Martha Ackmann

Did you know that several women went through the same rigorous tests that men had to go through to qualify as an astronaut - and several scored even higher than the men? This book explores those women’s stories in greater depth and covers why exactly it took women so long to be able to apply to be astronauts. It’s a hidden part of history, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find the stories to be interesting but the situation to be enraging.

The Six by Loren Grush

Similarly to The Mercury Thirteen, The Six tells the story of the first six women to enter the astronaut corps. Learning about how these smart women overcame obstacles and willingly entered a misogynistic workplace to do what they were passionate about was inspiring. I still think about some of the individual stories of what these women endured and went through for the sake of their jobs.

Challenger by Adam Higginbotham

At almost 600 pages, this is a thick book to get through - but I found it all oh so very interesting. Adam Higginbotham discusses the space shuttle program as a whole before delving into all the details of the Challenger mission and what exactly went wrong. It provides an in-depth look into the tragic accident and covers the aftermath. Again, like Shoot for the Moon, the writing is very readable and presented in a way that it’s easily accessible to readers without being too technical or science-y.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I picked this book up solely on the cover, and I’m so glad I did. It tells the fictional story of one of NASA’s first female astronauts during the age of the space shuttle. It’s about love, and the complexity of people, and found family. Parts of this story reminded me a lot of The Six, which helped make this one feel accurate to the time period - and I’d definitely consider it to a literary romance.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

When middle school teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship, he has no idea why he’s there. Slowly, as his memory recovers, he recalls the world-ending conditions back on Earth and what his mission is to save humanity. For such a high-stakes plot, this book is very humorous and features so many loveable characters (including an alien!). I enjoyed the spaceflight setting and the themes of community and friendship.

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This book is a YA sci-fi about a group of misfits assigned to the same crew together. They just recently graduated from space academy and on one of their first missions, they stumble across a girl in deep space, frozen in cryo-sleep for two centuries. This book is funny and touching, with characters at odds that slowly become best friends. As space cadets, the characters spend most of their time together on spaceships, which gives a look at what spaceflight could be like in the future.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is the start of a 4 book series about a cyborg mechanic, who, through a series of events, ends up involved with the prince of the futuristic city of New Beijing. Things escalate to the point that Luna wages war against Earth. Each book in the series is based on a different fairy tale (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White) and has an unique futuristic/sci-fi basis - for example, Cress, based on Rapunzel, is trapped in a satellite and is a hacker for the Lunar government. The group of friends frequently end up together on a spaceship named the Rampion, where most of the hijinks of the story happen.

Do you have any favorite spaceflight books? Tell me about them in the comments below!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: Honestly…I don’t remember…but I’m sure it was A++ and a solid 5 stars!

Current read: Y: The Last Man (Book 3) by Brian K. Vaughan. I read the first two last summer and loved them so I’m trying to recreate those vibes this summer. So far, so good, I guess.

I missed my monthly reading wrap up post in April (pretty sure I was recording and/or mixing an album in the middle of the literal night when that post was due :sigh:) so today’s post covers my reading from the middle of March to now. This semester has been the most challenging one yet, both academically and personally, but I did manage to fit books here and there in between mix sessions in the studio and pit orchestra rehearsals/performances and music history research, among the other assortment of homework assignments and classes.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

This book is a YA historical fantasy about Mozart’s older sister, Nannerl, who was a performer and composer until she turned 18, when she was pulled from the public spotlight as her younger brother became more famous. In The Kingdom of Back, there are two worlds: the historically accurate world and then a fae-based world that Nannerl and Mozart occasionally go to. I’m a music history nerd and wrote a research paper last semester on Renaissance and Baroque-era female composers, so this book delighted me. And as a longtime fantasy girlie who is starting to lean into fae stories, I loved how Marie Lu combined that element with the historical world. She also included things like the Queen of the Night (from The Magic Flute by Mozart) into the fae world, which were fun easter eggs to spot. Very very good.

Carrie by Stephen King

This book is about the titular Carrie, a high school student who is bullied by her classmates, and the telekinesis powers she gains after she gets her period for the first time. It’s told through multiple POVs, newspaper articles, academic papers, etc. I’ve been meaning to read Stephen King (I want to read IT after watching the recent movie adaptations), and this book seemed like a good place to start, since it’s King’s first novel. I was intrigued with how Carrie’s powers onset at first menses and how King, as a man, would write about the topic. I think I also liked this story because of the similarities of Carrie’s powers to El’s in Stranger Things. Part of the story is about how Carrie grew up in religious extremism and how that affected her, which was also interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed this book: I found it engaging and unsettling but not particularly scary.

Spider-Woman: Shifting Gears. Vol. 1, Baby Talk by Dennis Hopeless

This comic is about Jessica Jones aka Spider-Woman, and her journey trying to navigate balancing becoming a mom with being a superhero. I first heard about this comic from the book Searching for Feminist Superheros, and I finally bought this volume during a solo date while I was on spring break. I’m so happy I did. As a long-time sci-fi fan and recent convert to comics who also is interested in women’s health issues, a story featuring a pregnant superhero and set in an intergalactic maternity ward was surprisingly right up my alley. I’m hoping to get my hands on the next volumes so I can see how the story continues.

Famished by Anna Rollins

If I’m going to pick up a memoir, it’s probably related to evangelicalism and/or purity culture. This one, with the subtitle “On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl,” felt unique to me because it draws comparisons between purity culture and diet culture as the author, Anna Rollins, grew up immersed in both. This memoir wasn’t always an easy read, but I feel like it ended on a hopeful note. I find it particularly interesting how Rollins was able to deconstruct evangelism but still have a faith practice. The book itself is also the perfect size to add to my book bag, and I definitely read a sizable chunk while waiting for classmates to finish a quiz during class.

The Martian by Andy Weir

I spontaneously checked this out of the library one day, knowing that the last thing I needed was another book that would be added to my TBR shelf. But once I finally picked it up, I was hooked. The Martian tells the story of a NASA astronaut who is unintentionally left behind on Mars and has to survive the terrain as he waits to be rescued and returned to Earth. It’s funny, has multiple POVs, and was so riveting that at one point it had a dedicated spot underneath my seat while I was playing in the pit. Plus, I watched the movie adaptation with my family afterwards - we all enjoyed it and I thought it followed the book fairly closely. After reading this and Project Hail Mary, I must know: is Artemis worth reading?

Let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: I’ve been desperately trying to finish a jar of pickles I have in the mini fridge before I return home for the summer. I’m not sure if I’ll be successful, but the least I can do is try. They’re of the bread and butter variety and delicious, but I crave tuna whenever I eat them, which isn’t good because I don’t have any tuna with me. So I guess 3.75 stars because no tuna.

Current read: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. It’s hefty, I’m around 150 pages in, and it’s finally holding my attention and I’m trying to finish it when I’m not studying for finals (or, more accurately, reading it when I should be studying for finals.)

Why would I, a somewhat straight-laced individual who enjoys reading quality literature, ever pick up Fourth Wing?

The short answer: my then-boyfriend made me.

We went to the library together at one point in early summer 2024 and he checked out Fourth Wing. I had never heard of it but he had (through TikTok, obvs) and he wanted to read it. I was pretty shocked that he was going to go for it because the book is like 500 pages long with teeny tiny font and he wasn’t much of a reader. I was even more shocked when he proceeded to read the whole thing and then recommend it to me. He even went on to read (literally everything but the last two chapters of) the sequel, Iron Flame.

So of course I had to see what it was all about.

I read Fourth Wing later that summer and then Iron Flame (after two DNFs) during spring break the following year. I haven’t read Onyx Storm (and I’m not planning on it either). Here are my thoughts:

plot(s).

• I found the plot of the first book (Fourth Wing) to be engaging and page turning. I was definitely captivated. Basically, our MC, Violet, is going to school to become a dragon rider in her country’s military force but it’s like a really dangerous school and her mom is a military commander who’s really cold toward her daughter and there are different trials and things Violet has to overcome before she can even start to train with dragons. Then there’s a whole bonding process the rider has to go through so they can communicate through their thoughts with their dragon. (I liked the dragons. Dragons are cool. Two thumbs up.)

• The second book (Iron Flame) I enjoyed but it was far too long. I feel like it definitely could’ve been condensed into 200-300 pages less. Plot-wise, it picks right up where the first book left off. There’s more depth to the politics going on, which I appreciated, but overall, it just felt like too many pages. Some things also just felt unnecessary, like a side plot featuring Xaden’s ex because drama :eye roll:

characters.

• Violet, in Fourth Wing, is a very admirable heroine. She’s tough, wants to do what’s right, and tries to be a good friend. She began to annoy me a bunch in Iron Flame because of the way she refuses to sleep with Xaden and then dropped all her morals and feelings to sleep with him anyways because…horniness. Like girl, stand true to your standards.

• Similarly to Violet, I found Xaden to be tolerable in the first book and…less so in the second. Like buddy, I know you’re worried about Violet and the dangers that she’s in, but please, for the love of God, let her do her thing without getting angry at her. She can take care of herself, buddy.

• (I have a low tolerance for their relationship; it’s one of the reasons why I don’t want to continue reading the series)

• Other favorites: Liam, I loved him because he was always whittling an animal or something out of a piece of wood. He and Violet had the best platonic relationship and I hate the fact that he had to die (sorry spoilers). Jesinia gave us both librarian vibes and Deaf representation, both of which I really appreciate.

• I don’t really remember anyone else lol

• OH THE DRAGONS. Violet’s dragons (Tairn and Andarna) in particular were my favorites. They’re so snarky with each other and Violet which felt so unexpected and fun to me.

setting.

Dragon school is a pretty cool setting! Two thumbs up :)

romantasy as a genre (+ spice in these two books)

There are plenty of Substack think pieces on romantasy as a genre and sexually explicit content in books. I don’t really have anything super intellectual to add to the conversation, but for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts:

• It feels like everything is romantasy right now. When I picked up Marissa Meyer’s new book, The House Saphir, I was disappointed that it was described as being in romantasy in the description - but after reading the book, I feel like it was just described that way to attract certain readers. There wasn’t really in spice in the book - just a few kisses that were descriptive, but nothing sexually explicit, which I feel like is a romantasy trademark. And aside from having no spice, I also didn’t feel like the romance was central to the plot; rather, it was more of a side plot. So I feel like romantasy is more of a marketing ploy and buzzword than anything else at this point.

• I also feel like a book shouldn’t be devalued just because it has sexually explicit content. Fourth Wing gets a lot of flak, and I think some of that is granted because these books are fluffy as heck, but I don’t think the books should be devalued just because they have on-page sex scenes. Sex is part of the human experience, after all, and I do think that there’s a place for it to be portrayed in novels.

• This might be a hot take but: I really don’t think that there are that many sex scenes in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Like Xaden and Violet only have clothes-off on-page sex three times in Iron Flame. And I found all of it to be cringey. Instead of spice, there’s just a lot of lusty passages where they’re yearning for each other’s bodies but nothing actually happens. When I started Iron Flame my boyfriend told me there were more sex scenes in it than Fourth Wing but there…really weren’t? The sex definitely isn’t as excessive as some people think.

• I’m not upset that this series is spicy, but I don’t think that sex is portrayed in the most healthy way in these books. Again, this doesn’t necessarily upset me, but I know that there are people who will read these books and think that the way sex is portrayed is the norm. Every single time Violet has sex, it’s this mind-blowing experience, and while I get that sex can be a crazy insane good experience, I don’t feel like that’s representative of every sexual experience, you know?

Fourth Wing as a Brand

You know how Disney is a brand? And how Taylor Swift is a brand like Disney because she keeps on remaking things the same way Disney does? (For example, remaking older editions of her albums the same way Disney remakes older animated films.) Fourth Wing is a brand in the same way. Walk into Barnes and Noble and you will see different editions of the books (remakes, essentially), in addition to custom bookmarks and journals covered in dragons. This series is now so popular that it has become a brand in of itself with products separate from the books. It’s capitalism at its finest, and that’s when I personally start to feel like the books are less of an art form and more of a product designed to make as much money as possible. Personally, that’s a turn-off to me.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I would recommend the first book if you’re interested in a fluffy fantasy that features a strong heroine, dragons, and a spicy romance. Once the plot got going, I definitely was engaged with the story. The pages were turning. After all, there’s nothing wrong with a little dessert, and to me, Fourth Wing is an airy cake smothered in sweet frosting. It’s yummy, but there isn’t much substance. Some people will argue that it’s bad for you, but others will say that it’s good to consume sweets in moderation, so take that how you will. Do I think that these books will become classics? Nah, but if you’re looking for a page-turning and engaging fantasy with female rep then it’s an alright story. And if you end up invested, there’s plenty of fodder to enjoy through the sequels.

Have you read Fourth Wing? What are your thoughts on the series? Let me know in the comments!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: okay, so this is kinda a long shot but the dining hall was serving dill pickle chicken tenders tonight and I was like, I gotta try those. I don’t even like chicken tenders that much but I had to try them. I was thinking that it would be like a fried pickle chicken combo, but in actuality the breading on the tenders had some sort of pickle seasoning on it. It was actually pretty good? 3.75 stars. Would eat again.

Current read: Sailor Moon! I started Vol. 4 last night. I’m not a huge manga reader but I feel like this might be a series that I actually complete.

This past month of reading has been particularly slim for me; taking 19 credits this semester and working 14 hours a week keeps me pretty busy without large chunks of time that I can devote to reading. I do try to pack a book to take around campus with me, so I’ve been trying to read in the odd minutes before class starts or in the library after I’ve finished homework.

Without further ado, some of my recent reads:

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

This is an older book that won the Newbery Medal; the illustrations gave me a nostalgic feeling because the author of this book illustrated the Betsy-Tacy books. I remember reading the first chapter or so of this book as a kid but never making it the whole way through. When I picked it up as an adult, my impression was that it was a story about a girl who spent her summer picking strawberries and learning how to play the organ. That description seemed pretty whimsical to me, and as a longtime pianist who would love to learn organ, I was intrigued by that element. In actuality, the story is about a girl growing up on the Florida frontier (which I didn’t realize was a thing) and how her family deals with unpleasant neighbors. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn’t what I expected. There was some strawberry picking and I kept on waiting for the organ learning but it never really happened until the very end of the book. Overall, it was a delightful read and reminded me a lot of the Little House on the Prairie series.

Sailor Moon, Vol. 1

I’m not super obsessed with anime but I do enjoy reading manga every now and then. The only one I’ve read through the whole way is Your Lie in April (highly recommend, btw!) I’ve been meaning to pick up Sailor Moon because it might be the most popular anime/manga out there, so when I saw it at the library I decided to finally read it. I ended up loving it more than I expected - I relate to an unexpected FMC who just wants to sleep, I liked all the mythological elements, and the solar system element and the way different guardians are associated with different planets (making it feel like sci-fi just without spaceships and aliens). There’s a clear good vs. evil storyline, which is one of my favorite tropes. Also, an intelligent cat species. I’m feeling like this might be the second manga series that I finish.

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

Any book with a music industry-esque setting will pique my interest because I’m majoring in a music industry adjacent degree. A lot of people compared this to Daisy Jones and the Six, which I (mostly) enjoyed but didn’t love so I hoped that this book would maybe stick with me better. Spoiler: it didn’t. This book didn’t know if it wanted to be literary fiction or a romance and I felt dissatisfied with the ending. I wanted FMC Percy to either become a music producer, working from the ground up with little musical knowledge but a good ear, or to use that good ear to work for A&R for a label. She didn’t really do either. That being said, some of my favorite elements were the 2000s setting (both 9/11 and the presidency of Obama are covered), as well as the lengthy timeline - basically following Percy through the entirety of her 20s.

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: My 2 year old niece and I enjoyed some German style gherkins this afternoon. The one I had was tart, crunchy, and not too big but not too small; plus, having a little snack buddy makes everything better. Solid 4 stars.

Prospective reads: I’m on spring break (!!!) and I’ve already been to the library once and probably will go several more times before I go back to campus. Right now I’m eyeing either The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu (because Mozart) or Just Friends by Haley Pham (because Haley Pham.)

Cozy fantasy feels like a new and upcoming genre to me. I personally love the combination of a low-stakes plot set in a world different from ours. On this list I have 2 very popular cozy fantasies and 2 not very well-known cozy fantasies. I feel like the market is a bit oversaturated with cozy fantasy stories that are knock-offs of the 2 popular ones on this list. If the plots are anything similar to these ones, I usually skip the book because I like to read original stories. This list feels thin, so please feel free to recommend cozy fantasies in the comments!

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

This is the cozy fantasy book. I think it made the genre and helped define what “cozy fantasy” is. I initially was a little bit hesitant to read the book because of all the hype surrounding it, but then I was at Barnes and Noble and this book was part of their buy one get one 50% off sale, so I decided to purchase it. No regrets. I don’t think this is overhyped at all. Our MC is a former bounty hunter orc (yay D&D world!) who wants to start a coffee shop, so she does. The whole story is basically how she does that. I really loved the entrepreneurship vibes, the characters, and the sense of community present in the book.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

I bought this at the little bookstore in town back in September, but waited to read it until the snow started falling. It ended up being the perfect snowstorm seasonal read for February. Our MC, Emily Wilde, is a professor who spends her time cataloging faeries for an encyclopedia she is going to publish. This book takes place during a winter in the early 1900s on a Scandinavian island and is told through Emily’s journal entries. I really loved the setting, the gentle romance subplot, and the fae element.

Moon Soul by Nathaniel Luscombe

This book leans more towards the cozy sci-fi genre, as the setting for the story takes place on a desert moon. Our main character, a young adult woman, decides to quit her job so she can focus on herself and her needs. This book isn’t very long, but it’s an excellent, gentle exploration of adulting, working through trauma, and forming connections and friendships. Like most of the books on this list, some of my favorite elements of this book were the setting and world building, as well as the way the MC grows throughout the book.

Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson

I picked this one up because cozy fantasy and dragons. Our MC is a spinster woman who lives with her sister as a nanny for her nieces and nephews. This unsuspecting woman inherits a dragon egg from her uncle, and the result is the (mostly) humorous account as the MC navigates this situation with her new friend, the preacher down the street. I found myself laughing out loud while reading. The setting is Victorian England, which helps create that comfy cozy element. The prose in this book reminds me a lot of the classics and it took me a second to really get into the story, but once the action picked up, I loved every bit of it.

Have you read any of these cozy fantasy novels? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations? Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: I feel like I say this every other post, but I had a pickle spear from the deli at the dining hall last night and it was soooo good. I ate it right away and it was perfectly crunchy and tangy. 4 stars.

Current read: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. I’m maybe 60 pages in and did you know some people consider this cozy fantasy? I’m not getting the cozy vibe, that’s for sure. The writing style feels a tad juvenile to me and the story isn’t quite gripping me so I might send it back to the library. We shall see.

I’ve read through the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson at least twice, which, for BookTok, I guess is pretty good for me. I frequently see this series pop up in BookTok/BookTube videos, as well as in popular books displays at bookstores. I figured that A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was a good place to start my this post series since I’ve read through all 3 books more than once.

To begin, I do want to say that I didn’t pick up this book because of BookTok necessarily - I just saw it being recommended in book lists. I don’t remember the exact circumstances of reading it, but apparently I first picked up A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder in 2020, so I’m sure it made for an engrossing covid read.

the characters.

• Pip. I like her detective mind, how she wants to help people who have been wronged, and I can appreciate the lengths that she goes to in order to solve cases. Also, she’s like a manic runner in the last book, As Good As Dead, and I find something relatable about moving your body to tackle trauma. Pip goes through some scary stuff throughout the series, and I applaud Holly Jackson for including the PTSD element into these books. All that being said, I have always felt uneasy about the way that Pip would confront people while recording them without their consent. Also, she lies all the time, especially to her parents and that irked me a little. I guess it gives her nuance to some extent, but personally I prefer my characters to have slightly higher moral standards.

• Ravi. He’s Pip’s boyfriend and sorta features as the sidekick character. This guy is probably one of my favorite contemporary YA boyfriends - he doesn’t reek of toxicity, he’s kind and caring to Pip, and supports her no matter what. I think it’s worth noting that there isn’t any sex in these books even though Pip and Ravi are in a relationship for most of the series. Their relationship is (shockingly) wholesome for a BookTok book.

• Various side characters from the small town: basically, everybody knows everybody and there are the same recurring characters in each book, from family members to classmates to the young adults. Across the three books in the series you meet and get to know a lot of the community members (both the good and the bad.) I especially like how minor characters in the first book are more fully fleshed out in the second and third book.

the setting.

• The Americanized version (which I read) is set in a small town in Connecticut. Like many contemporary YA novels, it feels like a generic town with various neighborhoods, a school, downtown area, etc. The original versions were published and set in England and while I haven’t read those, I wasn’t impressed with the Netflix adaptation that stuck with the England setting.

the plot(s).

• I find the first and third book in the series to be most engrossing. The end of the second book is fast-paced, but I find the middle to be a bit lackluster.

• In the first book, Pip decides to tackle a murder case as her senior thesis project. The murder involves high school students and happened around 5 years before the book takes place. Pip presents her findings in a podcast format, and the transcript is in the book, which I think is a fun detail that I personally found to be engaging.

• The second book, Good Girl, Bad Blood, tells the story of a kidnapping of a young adult from the town. Pip revives her viral podcast and asks the public for help in solving the case; at the same time, she discovers that there’s a catfishing situation going on at school and so she’s trying to figure out both situations at the same time.

• The third book, As Good As Dead, is (imo) the scariest of the three. Pip is dealing with the fallout of having a viral podcast and getting nasty messages online. She’s dealing with PTSD and she’s concerned about messages that seem more sinister than the others. She has to decide between trusting her gut or trusting everybody who’s telling her that the things that are happening are just coincidences. I found this conflict (and how it ends) to be the most engaging of the series.

Overall, I do think that this series is worth reading if you enjoy mysteries (especially true crime.) Personally, I found the plots to pique my curiosity and keep me turning the pages. I remember staying up late to finish As Good As Dead, and being petrified to go to bed that night because the story had unsettled me that much. It is definitely a contemporary YA series though, so bear in mind that some characters do very dumb things and there’s some drinking, drugs, and language present (although, imo, it isn’t gratuitous.)

Have you read this series? Any thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: I’m not 100% sure but I’m pretty sure I ate a hamburger the other day with pickles on it. Again, it was just dining hall quality so nothing super great but I guess it made the burger better so…3 stars?

Current read: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. I’m considering pursuing a career in the music industry (and majoring in a related degree) so I’m enjoying the songwriting/song analysis element. I guess I’m not sure about the romance? I’m only halfway through hopefully things get wrapped up cleanly.

I feel like my reading this past month has been pretty solid. Winter break at home + lots of winter weather on campus = a lot of time to read. Especially since at the start of the semester my little college town got pummeled with almost four feet of snow in about four days, so a lot of my classes were canceled and I didn’t have much homework to do. I’m not expecting to get as much reading done this next month now that I’m into the thick of things, but I feel like my Jan-Feb reading roundup is pretty well-rounded. Without further ado, the books:

Beartown and Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

• I read the first two books in the Beartown trilogy this January. Beartown was a reread, while this was my first time through Us Against You. Beartown is a seasonal read for me; the rough, rugged Scandinavian setting in this book feels like its own character. It’s a heavy book, but personally I find a lot of hope in it. Us Against You, I was slightly disappointed to find out, is set during the summer, so it didn’t hit the “seasonal read” checkbox. This book is the continuation of the story from Beartown and deals much more with the politics going on in the little town. It touches on themes present in the first book, like family and grief and moving through trauma, with a much greater focus on corruption and how the internet can be used for ill.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

• I think this solidifies John Green as one of my favorite YA authors. This is the third book that I’ve read by him and I think what I love about his books is the way that he writes about deep topics, like philosophy and religion and relationships and sexuality. This one has a boarding school setting, with a main character with a penchant for people’s last words who ends up in love with a mysterious and sexy classmate. I went into this completely blind and so while I knew the book was separated into “before” and “after,” I didn’t know what event transpired for the story to be divided like that. Also, it was a book from my personal collection, so brownie points for that.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

• I bought this book last fall at the local bookstore in my college town and originally started it then, but after the first chapter, I decided to wait until it was truly winter to finish it. I think that this was a great seasonal read. Major cozy fantasy vibes, set during the early 1900s, again in a rough and rugged Scandinavian landscape. I loved the quiet but smart female lead. I haven’t read many books in the “fae” subgenre of fantasy and I really enjoyed that element because it felt fresh and new to me. Something about the writing style did feel like a slog to get through at certain points, but I did ultimately enjoy the story and am interested in picking up the sequels.

Please feel free to let me know some of your recent reads in the comments! And if you’ve read any of the books in this post, tell me what you thought of them :)

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: I ordered a salad in the other night and the restaurant offered a pickle as a side. I thought it would just be a spear or two, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole dill pickle alongside my salad. I sliced it into thick pieces and ate it with a fork. Delicious. 4.5 stars.

Current read: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski. Our heroine is growing up on a strawberry farm and wants to learn how to play organ. There’s nothing not to love.

In curating this booklist, I wanted to cover a wide range of books - especially in reading level, plot, and setting. I also wanted to only include books that I’ve personally read (with one exception), so I’m going to acknowledge now that many of these aren’t “5-star” reads for me - I just want to share some stories that I liked and I think others will enjoy too :)

MG pick:

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

This is the ultimate enemies-to-lovers book that flipflops the enemy and the lover at the onset of the book. It’s a perfect bridge from MG to YA, making it appropriate for a variety of ages. There are chickens and trees and themes of forgiveness, growth, and starting anew.

YA picks:

Instant Karma and With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer

This set of YA companion books follows twins Pru (Instant Karma) and Jude (With a Little Luck.) Both have a hint of magic realism and are set in sunny California. A lot of Instant Karma takes place at a rescue center for sea animals, while With a Little Luck is full of nerd stuff, like DND and records. Both of these books are just *vibes* and are a cute option if you’re looking for a clean teen romance.

When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao

Think: a (happy ending) Romeo and Juliet retelling, a Chinatown setting , and lanterns. There’s the rival families/forbidden love element, but also themes of grief and family and supporting one another. This isn’t the epitome of a well-written novel - but it’s still worth a read for the plot and character development.

A note on the “door” ratings for the adult fiction: Closed door means that sex takes place off scene, while open door means that there are sex scenes present in the book.

Adult picks:

A Five Letter Word for Love by Amy James

If you like Wordle and romance novels, read this. There’s a quiet yet blunt mechanic male interest, a cast of primarily elderly folks, and a female lead with niche interests and it’s so easy to root for her. This book is about chasing your dreams, happiness, and finding fulfilling work. Open door.

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Here’s your book if you want a quick, spicy read for Valentine’s Day. The female protagonist is a ghostwriter who basically gives sex lessons to her client when she’s not writing his book. That's the whole plot. There’s a lot of traveling across the states while the male lead is attending cons which honestly is one of my favorite settings. Open door.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

This one isn’t *strictly* a romance so I’m including it for those looking for a fun romantic relationship-esque premise that isn’t a stereotypical romance. Our female main character comes home and somehow, she’s married. And then she discovers that every time she sends her husband into the attic, a different one comes down. Closed door.

Classics pick:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This is my Valentine’s Day read. I’m not very familiar with the plot and I haven’t seen any of the film adaptations the whole way through, so I’m looking forward to becoming acquainted with the story.

Do any of these books pique your interest? Or do you have your own Valentine’s Day recommendations? Let me know in the comments!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: the dining hall was serving chicken patty sandwiches for lunch the other day, so I went to the trusty deli for some sliced pickles to add to the sandwich a la Chick-fil-a. The pickles sorta achieved that goal, but the slices were really thin and the seedy middles were missing on some. 2 stars.

Current read: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. It’s cold and snowy in my current climate, so it felt like an appropriate read. I am also intrigued by the fae element as I haven’t read many fae books.

I’m Simone Ryans, a twenty-something college student who likes, among other things, books and pickles. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to create some form of bookish content and I guess this is the year that it finally comes to fruition. For now this will be a sort of side hobby, but with the way literacy rates are falling I’d love for my little Substack to become a place that inspires others to read.

For now, I’m planning on posting:

• personal reading wrap-ups

• book lists

• book review series (focusing particularly on Booktok and banned books.)

I’m aiming for weekly posts (fingers crossed!)

In 2026 specifically, I’m challenging myself to read more books from my personal collection. I’ve always been an avid library user which means that many books that I personally own have been neglected for far too long. I also am trying to prioritize reading books that people have recommended to me.

More about me: I went to community college for two years after being homeschooled K-12. This past fall, I transferred into a four-year state university. Moving away from my home on the little farm by the city was a big adjustment, but now the campus by the lake is also my home. I intend to write first and foremost about books, but I think that my sense of self and place will also come through in my writing.

Again, welcome, and if you feel so inclined, please introduce yourself in the comments and tell me about one of your favorite books and/or pickles!

Coda:

Last pickle eaten: Was a generic dill pickle spear from the deli at the dining hall. Pretty crunchy, just the way I like ‘em, but a little warm after sitting under a heat lamp with my grilled cheese sandwich. Solid 3/5 stars.

Current read: Looking for Alaska by John Green. I herald John Green as one of the best YA authors, but I’ve only read The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down, so we’ll see if this book makes or breaks that pronouncement.