2020 Weekly Wrap-Up: The Thirty-First
Greetings Bookworms,
As I write this, I’m listening to my child steadfastly refuse to nap. I will probably be crying about it in like 10 minute, but until the tears fall, let’s talk about some books. I need the distraction. And maybe, just maybe, my child will talk himself to sleep. Heaven knows he needs it. He didn’t nap yesterday and had a crappy night of sleep last night. How he managed to not pass out in his lunch is honestly beyond me. NAPS ARE AMAZING, SON. TAKE THEM. In case you’re wondering, yes, our daycare opened. However, since my job has been incredibly supportive of the whole working from home with kids thing, I’m not sending Sam back yet. The COVID cases in our local area are skyrocketing and toddlers are unbelievably gross as a general rule. Sam has started licking our appliances for no apparent reason. My child is the very definition of a super spreader. It’s a public service as much as it is my own paranoia. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself. But books. Books are nice. Let’s talk about books.
Ahem. I am still reading things! I just started the audio book of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
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during a quiet blogging period, but I absolutely adored it. The second installment, 
by Brittney Morris- For whatever reason, despite the fact that I don’t play video games (mostly because I’m abysmal at them and my hand-eye coordination is complete garbage) I cannot pass up a book about video games. So, if 
by Angie Thomas and 
by Eric Smith were put into a blender, the resulting smoothie might come close to describing 
by Ransom Riggs and/or The 
series by Seanan McGuire, this book is right up your alley. It’s cheeky and heartfelt and just absurd enough to make it the perfect escape read. You know. If you want to escape to an island that also happens to house the child Antichrist.
during a quiet blogging period, but it was fabulous in a historical fiction meets zombies meets racial injustice sort of way. The premise is that the dead started walking during the Battle of Gettysburg. The Civil War ended as a result, at least on paper, but that didn’t magically make life fair for formerly enslaved people. Instead, some nonsense is bandied about claiming that Black and Indigenous people were immune to zombie bites (patently untrue) and were forcibly removed from their homes to train in combat schools to fight the dead. Our protagonist Jane McKeene is one such girl, trained along side other Black women and girls at Miss Preston’s… A school for etiquette and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Because wealthy white ladies needed genteel attendants as well as security guards. I know, right? As this is the sequel, I don’t want to get all spoilery for book one, BUT book two finds Jane and her unlikely pal Katherine on the road again searching for a safe harbor. But the restless dead are nothing if not restless. These books are really, really freaking good. I know that as of now, the books are meant to be a simple duology, but I am hopeful there may be a third installment down the line. I, for one, very much want to see vigilante zombie fighters tackle the frontier.
last week, there was no way I wasn’t going to continue with the Playbook series. Finding herself pregnant at 16, Poppy Patterson moved to Denver to begin a new life. Or, more specifically, her jerkface parents tossed her out when they found out she was pregnant and her aunt took her in. Still, she’s managed to build a life she loves and raise her son to be a fine, upstanding 9-year-old. Who cares if she has to wait tables in a corset to fund her son’s soccer expenses? Her hours work with his schedule and she makes good money. Things are going well, until the one person she doesn’t want to see walks into her nightclub and sits at her VIP table. TK Moore, renowned playboy of the Denver Mustangs is known for his sense of humor and refusal to take things seriously. His high school sweetheart is just about the last person he expects to run into on a night out with his teammates. TK and Poppy have undeniable chemistry, but their past holds a lot of secrets. Like, a LOT of secrets. One big, giant, 9 year old who loves soccer kind of secrets. Gaaaah this book was so good! I looooove Poppy and TK together. And I love that Poppy has boundaries and sticks to them. Like, even though her kid is clearly a super talented athlete, she puts the kabosh on tackle football. Because head injuries. I am ONE THOUSAND PERCENT in support of that kind of Momming. Speaking of head injuries, this book tackles some of the uglier parts of the NFL, namely, CTE and the horrific injuries that result from sustaining concussions and, you know, being tackled all the time. TK and Poppy turned me into a literal heart-eye-emoji.
, if you’re interested, I don’t believe I ever reviewed it), so I really thought I knew what to expect. But, reader, a novella is not necessarily indicative of what an author’s full length work will hold. I thought 
by Marjan Kamali, because enough napping happened for me to listen to the audio book. It’s the only book I wrapped up this week, so let’s talk about it.
, of course. I was, however, surprised that I managed to get through an audio book so quickly. Sam had several days of good naps last week (like I said, it goes in waves) and I was super into the story. Katrina King is a former model living an intensely private life out of the spotlight. She suffers from a panic disorder and has a history of trauma. She’s also very wealthy so she has the means AND good reasons to keep a security detail. Just as she’s gotten comfortable enough to occasionally venture out in public, some random bystander takes it upon themselves to detail what they perceive to be a “meet cute” between Katrina and a stranger who chats her up in a cafe. Once the eavesdropper’s tweets go viral, Katrina is flabbergasted that her uneventful turning down of a dude who asked her out has put her safe haven in jeopardy. Oh, and she’s secretly in love with her bodyguard, Jas Singh, who is OBVIOUSLY also secretly in love with her, and let me tell you- the real love story doesn’t play out on the internet. This book was wonderful, but it also made me feel low-key creepy about ever having found amusement in one of those bystander Twitter stories. People’s breakups or hookups or whatever shouldn’t be broadcast all over the internet. It’s a a weird invasion of privacy even if you don’t have a panic disorder/are a former celebrity/are extremely wealthy.
by Courtney Milan. What have you been reading, Bookworms? And how are you all holding up?
I finished reading 
? It was the start of a series! And yes, I’m going to binge 
read the whole thing because I love Talia Hibbert so very much. I devoured the followup novel, 
is among his favorite films. It’s pretty cute that he asks for “Tangled and Gene” all the time, but if you’re wondering if you’re in an abusive relationship? Check out how Mother Gothel treats Rapunzel. YIKES. (I do love the movie, though. It’s one of the best Disney Princess movies. Rapunzel is a joy and Flynn Rider AKA Eugene Fitzherbert is one rakish love interest.)
by the wonderful Talia Hibbert. So freaking charming. And in my ears? Well, I’m still working on 
by Margarita Montimore. I’m enjoying the book, digging the whole 
vibe, but I haven’t gotten a lot in the way of cooperative naps lately. I’m about halfway through it, so I’ll get there eventually. What have you been reading, Bookworms?
