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@martasreads

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the literary half of @themartalisa
a post-MFA gal with a kindle & a crush on Lord Byron

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After a long hiatus, I’m back with my thoughts on the novel everyone is talking about 👀

Rhysand girlies rejoice, Fourth Wing’s love interest is ACOTAR’s leading man in more ways than one, but the world he inhabits is much less complex than SJM’s. Tired of thumbing back to the complicated fantasy map at the beginning of Booktok’s latest rec? Though there is one, you won’t need to use it—Basgiath, the fictional war college grounding our story, is relatively easy to imagine, and the rules of world-building here are fairly simple. Military recruits. Ruthless training. Dragons. Personally, this didn’t bother me! Sometimes less is more in fantasy.

Overall, this was an interesting, well-paced read. When I want to get swept up in something, I choose fantasy. This book delivers on that promise—about 10 pages in, I didn’t want to put it down, and I reached the last few pages at a breakneck pace.

Now for my gripes, because I cannot read anything anymore without criticism (I blame 5 years of workshop). The romance could have used more restraint. I’m a Fitzwilliam Darcy stan, okay, I want angsty looks from across the room, mysterious life debts, and a hand flex in retreat. I want the tension to build as the enemies CRAWL towards becoming lovers. I’m also a bit tired of the Tiny Petite Woman Meets Behemoth War God Man trope. Can’t they be closer to the same size? Why does the female protagonist have to be the size of a Polly Pocket to convey her physical disadvantages, especially when she is already chronically ill/frail?

What was my favorite element? Obviously, the dragons. I’m here for any human-animal bond in real life or fiction, furry or fire-breathing.

If you’re a fan of SJM or Naomi Novik, you’ll probably enjoy this. I’ll be tuning in for the sequel this November!

🌶️🐉⚔️ by @martasreads

FULL SPOOKTOBER RECAP COMING BUT… Instagram has kept me in carousel post jail for two days now 🙃

You by Caroline Kepnes 💀 I had a You hangover after finishing season 3 of the Netflix show this month, and a sample of Santino Fontana’s reading of the audiobook absolutely chilled me. He and Penn Badgley sound almost identical when verbalizing the perverse thoughts of Joe Goldberg. For everyone who has watched the show and experienced a mild crush on the psychopathic protagonist, I highly recommend taking a cold plunge into the original novel—Joe is much more disturbing and less empathetic on the page than he is in the show. And the ending… 😬 Let’s just say that in this case, I’m grateful that the on-screen version spares the viewer some details. If you’re looking for the full-body-chills experience, go for the audiobook. Hans from Frozen’s (yep, same actor) inflections are terrifying when his temper flares. Go figure. by @martasreads

October has been a delightfully busy reading month! Here’s the first thing I finished this spooky season.

Love and Fury by Samantha Silva 🖋a fictionalized account of the life of Mary Wollstonecraft, as relayed to her newborn daughter Mary (Godwin, then Shelley), is just the type of historical fiction that I devour restlessly. If you know me, you are well-acquainted with my very specific fascination with the Romantics and their roots. When I first read one of my now-favorite nonfiction books—Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon—I was struck by the detailed account of Mary Wollstonecraft living in Paris during the French Revolution, falling in love with an American, and birthing an illegitimate daughter. A dramatized, first-person account of that journey, as well as what came before and after, was more than completely satisfying. Do you ever come across a book or show that caters completely to your interests? I am 100% Love and Fury’s target demographic. Technically, this wasn’t a ~spooky~ read, but since Mary Wollstonecraft’s daughter basically invented modern horror (and science fiction), I’m going to say it counts. by @martasreads

A long overdue catch-up post! Since I haven’t posted in a while, here’s everything I’ve read of late:

A Double Life by Charlotte Philby 🍷 when I’m in a reading slump, I check out the new arrivals (online) at Daunt Books. A fast-paced mystery (of sorts) set in London was exactly what I was looking for. A fun, late-night read to indulge in alongside a liberal pour of wine.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley 🔪 I’m fairly certain I read this entirely in one Saturday night. Exciting and atmospheric, with a robust cast of characters.

Beach Read by Emily Henry 🌊 I’ll be honest, I did not expect a book entitled Beach Read to be set by a lake. This may be my own geographic bias, as a California native, taking root here. Despite the fact that I couldn’t picture the actual beach described, I found this as fluffy and soothing, with the same delightfully predictable plot elements, as any good romance.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry 👙 I read (or listened to) this book prior to Beach Read, and I think I prefer it out of the two. It employs one of my personal favorite genre tropes, and since I was listening to it on long, very hot walks in July, I found the descriptions of desert heat very apropos. Emily Henry is very of-the-moment right now, and I’m here for it.

I’m currently juggling about 4 different titles simultaneously, as usual, but since tomorrow is October 1st, I may just toss them all aside in favor of some spooky season reads. Here for your recommendations! by @martasreads

I will read any book set in one of my favorite places in the world, and I will also use any excuse to share one of my thousands of photos from said place.

I’ve been waiting for this book for months. A murder mystery with a female protagonist, set in Cambridge, featuring prevalent allusions to Greek myth (particularly Persephone), and quotes from Tennyson? Did someone read my 2013 diary or...?

This book has very mixed reviews, and I think those are valid. There were a few red herrings that did not seem to serve a larger purpose beyond misdirection. There were some characters who I still have lingering questions about. But for me, the atmosphere did a lot of heavy lifting. I listened to this one on Audible, and highly recommend that medium for this title—the voice actors added a lot of suspense and drama to the text. As anyone who reads any of my posts knows, I love inhabiting the world of Greek mythology, especially when I learn about something new—and The Maidens introduced me to the Eleusinian Mysteries, which I’m now fascinated by. Tapping into Tennyson’s well-known grief and status as a famous alumna of the university was a clever way to explore our protagonist’s own experience. And honestly, I’ll read a thousand descriptions of someone creeping around the nooks and crannies of Cambridge at night.

It’s going to be a yes from me, dawg. by @martasreads

I am woefully behind on posting the books I’ve read—in large part because I’ve been too busy enjoying them!

This novel in particular was an absolute page-turner. I found the protagonist, Nella, strikingly real, smart, impassioned, and easy to root for. The careful building of suspense, the clumsy and calculated micro-aggressions and subtle power plays of the famously insular NYC publishing scene, and the delicious, highly symbolic and almost Russian-lit-reminiscent twist were a delight to tear through 🤌🏼✨ by @martasreads

🐍 Repeat after me: we love occult fantasy. We love authors who hit their stride after transitioning from YA to A.

I will suspend my disbelief for hundreds of pages if I am amply supplied with ghosts, magic, and mysterious deaths. Like, I’ll do it.

This one took a little while to come together for me, but when it did, I was hooked. And now that it’s over, all I want is to throw myself full force into something similar, despite the ever-growing TBR stacks accumulating by my bedside and within my kindle library. by @martasreads

I spent last week/this weekend indulging in my lifelong love for YA fantasy and reading the Shadow & Bone trilogy.

Although these books came out while I was in college (💀), I hadn’t heard of them until binging the Netflix show last weekend. Naturally, I wanted to know what happens next.

Overall, they were a fun, brief read each. I did not *love* the ending of the third novel, but I am extremely picky about character arcs, so this is to be expected. The world-building was neat and there were definitely some twists that I didn’t see coming. Am I a Darkling stan? Yes. Was this trilogy a fun way to escape reality? Yes. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

Also, these photos are out of order but I liked the second cover the best so here we are. by @martasreads

🩸I binged this🩸

I have been obsessed with the Theranos story since I first heard about it. I’ve devoured every podcast, documentary, and news article about it. I thought I knew every detail there was to know, up until I downloaded this.

What particularly struck me were the passages revealing the toxic culture inside Theranos. While Elizabeth Holmes waxed poetically about saving lives on television and rubbed elbows with both sides of the political aisle (Joe Biden visited Theranos headquarters while he was VP!), her COO/partner Sunny led a workplace dominated by fear, secrecy, and a perverse sense of control. He watched security footage to monitor how long employees spent at their desks, rewarding those who put in the longest hours—even if they didn’t have anything to show for it. One employee who departed on bad terms even suggested Sunny and Elizabeth watch The Office to improve their management skills.

Overall, a very juicy and thought-provoking read on narcissism, start-up culture, and even women in tech. 💉 by @martasreads

💀TWs abound💀

This was a ~very~ hard book to listen to. I found myself wanting to attack the abuser, whose manipulation and blatant narcissism were difficult to swallow. I found myself impatient with the (unreliable) narrator and protagonist, Vanessa, whose denial of the realities of her past was, honestly, exasperating to this reader. And painful. Then I would ask myself, “Is this victim blaming?” I appreciated the psychological complexity of the text, and the way the reader is drawn in as an unwilling bystander.

I recall an interview with the author in which she mentions part of the idea for the book spawned from her frustrations with Lolita, and its depiction of abuse. As our narrator frames her understanding of her experience around Lolita, studying the text almost as if it will give her guidance in her life, I thought this was a very interesting anecdote. It almost makes me want to try reading Lolita—but it’s just so creepy I cannot get past the first ten pages.

As a side note, I also really appreciated the references to Pale Fire throughout the book and alluded to in the title. A skillful, subtle way to incorporate some of the thematic elements slowly developed throughout the novel, including the way Vanessa is groomed to see herself.

Have you read this one? What did you think? by @martasreads

Finished this enthralling, inspiring, and very upsetting (TW: abuse) listen. Typically, I know if Julia Whelan is reading something on Audible, I’ll like it. This was no exception.

This memoir wrecked me. I found myself feeling angry with the extremist parents and the villainous brother for most of the book. My ears perked up when I recognized the Cambridge summer program and familiar descriptions of King’s College (and Googled “Tara Westover Pembroke King’s Programme” at midnight). I felt emotionally attached to the educational triumphs of the protagonist, empathetic towards the enduring love she felt for her family despite the degree of trauma they inflicted upon her.

All in all, there’s a reason this was on the bestseller list for two consecutive years after its release, and I’m glad I’ve finally experienced it! by @martasreads