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@asunnylibrary

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"A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic” - Carl Sagan
Horror, fantasy, sci-fi, graphic novels & some other stuff 🩷💜💙

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📚 Vacation Book Haul 📚

We took a trip out to British Columbia to see family over the long weekend and it was really hard to come home afterwards 🥲 Don't get me wrong, I love the prairies. They're beautiful in their own way (not called 'The Land of the Living Skies' for nothing), but the mountains are just so damn majestic.

We hit two bookstores while we were there - The Book Shop in Penticton and Mosaic Books in Kelowna. I picked up:

- Firestarter by Stephen King
- The Dark Half by Stephen King
- Interior Chinatown by Charles You
- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
- Recursion by Blake Crouch

We got to go on some stunning drives and even visited a haunted corn maze 🌾 Beyond that, we spent our time with family doing a whole lot of talking and eating!

This was my first trip on my new medication and it was rough on my body. Sitting on an airplane is difficult with bone pain in your legs, and even more so when they keep shrinking the available leg space. I'll be doing a lot more planning for any future travel so I'm not stuck trying to just recover for most of the trip.

I'm happy to be back home with the pup and cats now though! Not so happy to get back to regular, non-vacation life 😭

Where would you prefer to live - by the majestic mountains or under big prairie skies? taken in Penticton, British Columbia by @asunnylibrary

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11 hours ago

OFF THE RESERVATION by Stephen Graham Jones

Happy (one day late) pub day! 🎉

This book picks up five years after the events of The Only Good Indians. It follows Nate Yellow Tail and a few others as they go on a cross country road trip to Carlisle Indian Industrial School to repatriate the bones of a Blackfeet boy who was sent there. Once they get the bones though, they realize something terrible has escaped with them.

Hooooooly, what an adventure this was! The character work was excellent, especially for Nate, Mooch and Christian. There were some solidly creepy parts and a whole lot of gore (in typical SGJ fashion). I really enjoyed SGJ's take on possession horror - he repeatedly does a fantastic job at taking these tropes and making them his own.

Shit really hit the fan about halfway through and I couldn't put the book down after that. There were some parts where I was confused but everything came together nicely in the end.

Though this is a sequel to The Only Good Indians, you don't have to have read it first to read Off the Reservation. It works as a stand-alone and you can read them in any order. Do make sure to read the acknowledgements!

Also, I won't be able to look at an Icee again without thinking of this book 😂

A huge thank you to @netgalley & @simonschusterca for the eARC!

What's your favourite road trip snack? taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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a day ago

THIS B JUST WON’T DIE! by Tanya Pell

Barbra is best known for her role as a final girl in the Mirror franchise. Twenty years later and now in her 40s, she's trying to figure out how to break free from her scream queen image and move on in her life and career. Just as an opportunity comes up for Barbie though, a real life serial killer starts murdering her fans in ways that mimic the kills from her movies.

This book was really fun and I loved every bit of it! It's a very meta/tongue-in-cheek look at slashers and how the movie industry (and honestly, most of the world) treats women as they get older. I think it's going to be in my top reads for this year.

Barbie was such a relatable character and I really enjoyed following her growth through the story. The gore was heavier than I expected, but worked well with the book. The pacing was good and I laughed out loud MANY times. And the ending?! Perfection. I also loved the little slasher/horror Easter eggs throughout the book.

If you're a fan of slashers or like your horror with a side of dark humor, make sure to give this one a read. I can't recommend it enough! I'll definitely be picking up more of Pell's books.

A big thank you to @netgalley & @gallerybooks for the eARC!

Do you think you have what it takes to be a final girl? I'm sure that I would die pretty quickly 😂 by @asunnylibrary

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3 days ago

🍂 Fall Stack 🍂

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Snow is starting to fall in some parts of the province, but thankfully Regina is still safe and we can enjoy the fall for a little bit longer.

Thanks to @samstory_86 for the tag on this challenge 🫶🏾

What's everyone reading right now? I'm just over halfway through Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones and almost done A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer. Dracula will be up next - I'm determined to read it this month 🧛🏾 by @asunnylibrary

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5 days ago

GAME CHANGERS SERIES by Rachel Reid

I'm a little late to the party on this series but damn, am I ever happy to have picked them up! I flew through all six pretty quickly and enjoyed every moment.

I did them all as audiobooks and they were great except for the first one (Game Changer). The narrator did Kip so dirty with that horrible voice 🫪

I went in expecting them to be centered around the spice but discovered that they're so much more. These are very sweet queer stories that repeatedly hit me hard in the emotions.

I laughed, I cried and I fell completely in love with Ilya. I'm really excited for the seventh book that comes out next year!

My book ranking:

1. Heated Rivalry/The Long Game
2. Game Changer
3. Role Model
4. Common Goal/Tough Guy

Do you play any sports or did you play any growing up? by @asunnylibrary

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6 days ago

PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON Vol 7 & 8 by Naoko Takeuchi

These two volumes covered the Dream arc. We’re introduced to the Asteroid Senshi through the Dead Moon Circus, Helios and Eternal Sailor Moon.

I really enjoyed this arc! I think it’s usurping the top spot from the Infinity Arc tbh.

We get Moon Kingdom lore (way more than we have otherwise gotten up to this point I think) and everyone gets awesome power ups.

We get to spend more time with each of the inner Sailor Guardians, which was what really made this arc stand out to me. I loved getting to know each of them more as individuals. Some beloved characters who left before came back, which made my heart happy (I don't want to spoil anything by saying who). Chibiusa and Mamoru also show a lot of growth and annoyed me much less 😂

The artwork continues to be amazing and their outfits are constantly on point. I'm sad that there's only two volumes left 😭 I've had a blast looking for flowers around town to match the books.

Have you ever been to a circus? 🎪 taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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7 days ago

✌🏾 Two for Tuesday ✌🏾

- The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes -

This book follows a group of childhood friends in Copacabana. To make some much needed cash, they start hosting secret dinners that serve “special meat” for the elites of Rio de Janeiro.

LOVED IT. The story was disturbing and unhinged, and I hated basically all the characters. I didn't see the ending coming at all, though in hindsight I think I should have 😂 I have a soft spot for cannibalism books (idk why, let's not look too closely at that) and this is probably one of the best I've read so far. Montes does a fantastic job at pulling you into the story. I didn't want to put it down until I hit the end!

- Dreamland by Olivie Blake -

This book follows aspiring actress Anya Morris as she takes a strange job with a Hollywood icon. In exchange for access to the Hollywood elites who could make her a star, she has to spend time with his reclusive son and heir, Jude.

I adored the gothic mansion setting, with the backdrop of a Los Angeles summer fueled by wildfires and Santa Ana winds. It made the whole book feel almost like a fever dream. The main character, Anya, was fantastic and really well written. There were other things that I didn't like so much. The romance with Jude felt rushed and there didn't seem to be any depth to it. The occult side to things was interesting but needed to be more fleshed out. I'm also still confused about the pigeon? I think the base ideas for the book were great but it just fell short for me.

What's your favourite dinner? I go through phases but right now I could happily eat shawarma every night 😂 taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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9 days ago

We made a day trip out to Toon Town (aka Saskatoon) this last weekend and had an absolute blast!

🦬 Our first stop was at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. The Indigenous Artisan Market was going on and I picked up beaded Ghostface earrings that I'm now obsessed with. We also checked out the museum and the art gallery, which was featuring a beautiful exhibit by Adele ᒪᐢᑿᓱᐤᐃᐢᑵᐤ Arseneau that hurt my heart. We wanted to walk some of the trails to see the bison jump but I've been having trouble with longer walks lately. Next time though!

🍕 Next we hit Thirteen Pies for some horror themed pizzas. We got The White Walker and The Hitchcock, which were delicious 🤤 We explored downtown a little bit to walk off the pizza.

📚 Then the book store crawl started! We hit two used book stores - Peryton Books (picked up two Dark Tower books and Carmilla) & Westgate Books Inc (picked up Schrader's Chord and Candy Cain Kills). And then I made my first visit to McNally Robinson, which blew me away! It's probably the best book store I've ever been to. I picked up The Sorceress of Sky Serpents and a t-shirt from here (limiting myself to these took a lot of self control).

☀️ Lastly, we stopped at the waterfront for a bit to enjoy the views before heading out of town.

We'll definitely be making this trip again, if only so I can hit all the awesome book stores again and the trails at Wanuskewin.

Do you like to do day trips? What's the last trip that you went on? taken in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan by @asunnylibrary

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10 days ago

CLOSED - It's the first day of Banned Books Week so we're doing a giveaway!

According to the ALA, 4235 titles were challenged in 2025. This is the second highest number documented by them, with the highest being in 2023. To no one's surprise, a good chunk of those are books that speak to experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ people.

Whoever wins can pick one of the following challenged books as their prize:
🔹The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
🔹All Boys Aren't Blue by George M Johnson
🔹Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
🔹Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

TO ENTER:
🔸Follow me (and stick around)
🔸Like, repost & share this post to your stories (don't forget to tag me!)
🔸Comment which book you'd like to win
🔸Tag 2 friends in a seperate comment

Good luck and read banned books!

**Must be 18+ and only open to residents of Canada & the USA. A winner will be randomly drawn within 48 hours of the giveaway ending (ends at midnight on Oct 10). I will only contact you from this account and you must be willing to provide your mailing address.** taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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12 days ago

THE MISTBORN TRILOGY by Brandon Sanderson

My brain is working with one brain cell today so this is not going to be an in depth review or anything like that 😂

I've been wanting to pick up something by Sanderson since joining bookstagram. His name always pops up on all the “must read” fantasy lists, so my expectations going in were pretty high.

Let's start with the good. I LOVED the magic system and world building. The metal-based system was incredibly interesting and I don't think I've ever read anything like it before. The first and second books had great endings that made me want to reach for the next book right away, and the entire trilogy was wrapped up really well.

Then the not so good. I adored Sazed, Kelsier and a few others, but our main heroine and her beau kind of drove me up a wall. I don't think writing realistic teenage girls is up Sanderson’s alley. The books also felt a little heavy on the tropes and were more YA than I expected. With how much hype they get, I was just expecting more.

But I did eat all three of them up in less than a month so clearly I enjoyed them to some degree! I'm attributing 75% of that enjoyment to the magic system, 15% to Sazed and the remaining 10% to other characters + plot 😂

Have you read this series? What did you think? I still can't decide if I loved them or not 😂 taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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13 days ago

✨ September Wrap-Up ✨

How did the summer feel so long but fall is going by so quickly? I can't believe it's already October. I'm happy, but I'd also really like to slow time down right now.

Anywho, it was another good reading month! The Game Changers series clearly had its hooks in me 😂 I tried to finish Sailor Moon but I have one more to go in October.

Audiobooks
- Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
- Shattered Gods by Katee Robert
- Rapport by Martha Wells
- Tough Guy by Rachel Reid
- Common Goal by Rachel Reid
- Role Model by Rachel Reid
- The Long Game by Rachel Reid

Ebooks
- She's A Doll by Barbara Truelove
- The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes

Physical Books
- Dream Land by Olivie Blake
- Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Vol 6-9 by Naoko Takeuchi
- The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
- The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

Have you read any of these? What was your favourite read from September? taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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14 days ago

PRETTY GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON VOL 5 & 6 by Naoko Takeuchi

These two volumes cover the Infinity Arc, where we're introduced to the Outer Guardians - Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Saturn. We also get Super Sailor Moon!

I think this is my favourite arc so far. Students at the elite Infinity Academy are being turned into monsters and new enemies are trying to get their hands on the Silver Crystal. The villains were really villain-ing in this arc - they were very powerful and very creepy.

The Outer Guardians were interesting additions to the team and I liked how they changed the dynamic. I loved Sailor Saturn’s storyline, but really wanted to kick her dad in the face. I also loved the introduction of queer characters! Sailor Uranus is gender fluid and in a relationship with Sailor Neptune. Considering that the manga was released in the early 90s, I'm pretty impressed with Takeuchi for doing that. Less impressed that they were censored into cousins in the English-dubbed anime release 😑

This arc felt a lot more serious and I'm excited to see where things go from here! The characters have grown so much from the first volume.

How do you prefer to watch your anime - dub or sub? 🤔 taken in Saskatchewan, Canada by @asunnylibrary

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16 days ago