I keep forgetting to post the wrap ups, so I had an idea. Instead of one a month that I am always forgetting. I'm going to start posting them once a quarter. I don't really read too much during the month....February was the odd child out of the bunch where I read a lot of manga. They are quick to get through, so that boosts the number of books up to unfathomable for me to read.
With no further adieu, let's get into the wrap up! For the second quarter of 2019, I read a total of 11 books: 2 in April, 4 in May, and 5 in June. Here are my thoughts on each one of them in order of how I read them:
#1: Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace James
Brings together a magnificent selection of stories from all parts of the Land of the Rising Sun. Drawing on a richly imaginative folk tradition and set against the backdrop of Japan's mythic past, the tale are suffused with the essence of this magical land. Combining the exoticism of the Orient with a touch of the macabre, these are tales in which fantasy can unexpectedly shade into supernatural terror. The imaginative art of the Japanese fairy tale is amply celebrated in this beautifully illustrated edition. All readers with a fascination of folklore and of fantastic tales need look no further than this excellent edition.
This was just beyond random. None of the fairy tales had any resolution. They seemed to almost just stop in the middle of a thought. A good number of the stories left me with a sense of "...and then...?" as I finished them. My favorite stories were the Kwannon one and the fox. The others made little to no sense to me. I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I would. Giving this one a 3/5. Not picking it up again.
#2: Wicca by Harmony Nice
Welcome to Generation "hex"--an era where young Americans know that witchcraft isn't about devil worship and spooky curses, and instead are openly embracing meaningful Wiccan rituals that can enrich our lives in real-world ways. In Wicca
, 21-year-old Harmony Nice--a YouTube and Instagram star with 700,000 followers--offers modern readers a guide to overcoming obstacles and maximizing happiness. She offers practical guidance on: using crystals, wands, tarot cards and magical tools; setting up an altar; introductory spells for health and protection; finding your own witchy path--solitary or with a coven. With beautiful illustrations throughout, Wicca
offers readers spiritual authenticity, a hint of glamour, and a perfect guide to infusing their lives with spiritual purpose, confidence, and resilience.
It was okay. You will really enjoy it if you are a beginner and you follow Harmony on YouTube. I'm not a beginner myself. I'm more of intermediate bordering advanced, but that's fine. I liked how she was in depth with hat she did describe, but I wish she would have described more. Overall, it was good and I was glad I picked it up.
#3: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco
Bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life? Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend. But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.
I really enjoyed this one. There were twists that I didn't see coming. Some things were obvious, some things were not. Radu still intrigues me. I wish we knew more. This novel takes place in Romania in the fall/winter of 1888, somewhere as beautiful as it is cold. Audrey Rose has been granted a rare permission, to study at a premiere forensic university in Romania. In the infamous Bran Castle just outside of Brasov. The castle of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia. More commonly known as Vlad the Impaler or Prince Dracula. Of course Audrey Rose doesn't believe in the legend of Dracula. Though that changes when they find a body on their train from Bucharest to Brasov. The smell of garlic is on the body. I knew something was up here. Why was a random passenger on a train the target of an attack? I was intrigued at how Audrey Rose all but forgot about the victim from the train when they reached the castle. They don't even talk about it again until they discern the cause of death for someone else completely. She didn't even put together that they were connected until they talked about the smell of the deceased. She isn't doing well so far. I accidentally read a spoiler that told me who the murderer was. Without that information already in my head, I likely would have remained clueless as to who was behind it. I thought it was someone else entirely. I really didn't think it could have been the person that it was. I liked everything about the book except the not-so-subtle romance between Audrey Rose and Thomas (don't get me wrong, romances are fine). She would get herself into such a tizzy over the IDEA of Cresswell doing indecent things to her that she was either missing the obvious or forgetting clues altogether. It drove me mad that her chief concern while in danger was how her Aunt Amelia would react to the idea of Cresswell seeing her in her underclothes. Not Cresswell. Nope. She had dirty thoughts of him. Like touching his face without her gloves on. The scandal! I think the pacing could have been better. Glossed over a few of Audrey Rose's monologues about Cresswell. Still a 5/5 and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series,
Escaping from Houdini.
#4: Queer Magic by Tomás Prower
Queer Magic provides nourishment for LGBT+ souls and their allies who are interested in learning about the significant presence and influence of queer folks throughout history. Explore fascinating insights into queer relationship and spiritual practices from different regions of the world. Learn about deities, heroes, and historical figures who embody the power of the queer spirit. Discover inspiring contributions from contemporary LGBT+ Pagans, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and others as they share personal stories of their experiences as well as spells, prayers, and meditations from their own practices. With practical suggestions and enlightening perspectives, this book is a unique resource for LGBT+ spiritual seekers who want to experience the sustaining energy and strength of the worldwide queer community.
Being an LGBT+ witch myself (shocker, I know), I felt drawn to this book. It was good. Very good. I loved how it spoke of various tribes and people all over the world. It gave me a lot to think about as the realization hit that 75% or better of the world's homophobia comes from Christianity with only part of it being native hyper masculinity. I wish the book would have been longer, covered more, but I can always use the internet or local libraries/bookstores for information on the cultures that intrigued me. I loved the inclusion of stories from the LGBT+ folk and the spells and prayers they provided. A few of the spells/prayers will get copied to my personal Book of Shadows. Others will likely not. This will be going on my likely-to-reread list. Well written.
#5: Best Gay Erotica 3 by Rob Rosen
In the world of man-on-man erotica, the best just keeps getting better! Best Gay Erotica of the Year, Volume 3
feature the absolute hottest stories around. From tales of dominant men going after the lovers they lust for, to suave men charming their sweethearts into the bedroom, to sweat-inducing masculine quickies, this collection will leave you in a state of absolute bliss!
I bought this because I love how badly this sort of thing is written. I swear most of the stories were simply everyone trying to describe a penis and anus as graphically as they could. There were a few I enjoyed, and one ("Emissary") that I loved. Ironically, they were all by women. I gave this a 5/5 because it was just that funny. I could read it again for the comedy.
#6: Living Gay by David Langley and Don Mieson
Here is the book all about being male and living gay in today's world--a book certain to contain new information, new concepts, and stimulate new ideas about the many and varied homosexual lifestyles of this decade. Entire sections deal with such subjects as how gay men find each other, the different kinds of temporary and permanent relationships and how they develop, and the pleasures and pitfalls inherent in each. One graphically illustrated segment is a virtual manual containing dozens of varied male-male lovemaking techniques. On a day by day basis, the book tells how to live gay in a predominately straight world, dealing with the government, the law, religion, and a career. From such topics as coming out, dealing with parents, gays with physical disabilities, health, the drug scene, AIDS, even personal economic strategies unique to gay living, the emphasis throughout is on the upbeat, the practical, the realization of personal worth and integrity--all while enjoying to the maximum every aspect of Living Gay.
This one was interesting. Mostly because it was so outdated. The book was originally published in 1976 to really be a guide for men to live a fulfilling homosexual life. I don't think it did that. Perhaps in the late 70s to early 80s. Not in today's world. I like how they more or less advocated drug use in one section. There wasn't really any useful information, but the pictures were nice. And random. I would suggest only reading this with all levels of seriousness gone. It's horribly outdated. If you want to laugh, go for it.
#7: Black Butler #1 by Yana Toboso and Tomo Kimura
In the Victorian ages of London, the Earl of the Phantomhive house, Ciel Phantomhive, needs to get his revenge on those who had humiliated him and destroyed what he loved. Not being able to do it alone, he sells his soul to a demon he names Sebastion Michaelis. Now working as his butler, Sebastian must help the Earl Phantomhive in this suspenseful, exciting, thriller manga.
I
loved this. I loved how it was so different from the anime. Ciel is
far less brutal in the manga (right now). A scene from the anime was
not in the manga that I saw and I'm not sure if I like that or not.
This volume introduces us to a good number of characters. Sebastian
of course. The head butler of the Phantomhive household, and a demon
contracted to work for Ciel Phantomhive. Ciel Phantomhive, head of
the family and president of Funtime Toys. He is working for the queen
and goes on undercover missions of sorts for her. I enjoyed the way
that we are slowly introduced to the characters and not just suddenly
chucked into the story like some manga and anime do. We meet more of
the house staff and sort of meet a few people that will be involved
later. I can't wait for the next volume and find out more.
#8: I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
When
Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they're thrown
out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older
sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met.
Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents'
rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist
and try to keep a low profile in a new school.
But
Ben's attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are
thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides
to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan's friendship grows,
their feelings for each other begin to change, and what started as a
disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to
start a happier new life.
Holy
shit. I love this book. It was a great read. Mason delivered exactly
what we need for this generation with their book. I'm not entirely
sure if they should be the subject of my wrath or not. Like most
others, the book hit me right in the feels. Benji definitely did not
deserve the parents they had. I felt horrible. Benjamin De Backer has
a secret. They are nonbinary. Benji does not identify as either male
or female. Shit goes down when they tell their parents, culminating
with Ben being kicked out of their house. I would have accepted them
right away. Their parents pissed me off. You two have raised this
beautiful soul and when they aren't what you want them to be, you
abandon them? For shame! Ben ends up moving in with their older
sister, who (thankfully) fully accepts them without hesitation. They
start a new school and accidentally make new friends. It made me
happy to see Ben overcoming what their parents did. I'm also happy
they found love with someone. The two words I think Ben was after
early on in the book were either pansexual
(sexually
attracted to people of any/no gender) or androsexual
(sexually
attracted to male/masculine people). Those are the two that came to
mind. I really hope Mason Deaver continues to write so I can have
more books by them.
#9: Behind the Gates by Eva Gray
In
a terrifying future world, four girls must depend on each other if
they want to survive. Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a
boarding school -- but she's excited, too. And she has her best
friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be
twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure! Country
Manor School isn't all excitement, though. Louisa isn't sure how she
feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and
everything's-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away
from home, quiet and worried all the time. Still, Louisa loves CMS --
the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn't even miss not
having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It's for
their own safety, after all. Or is it?
This
is one of those books where you want to like it, but it just ends up
sort of meh. 3/5.
Very predictable ending. Of course they would be an
Allegiance....Alliance....I don't remember....training school. The
severity of the regulations was the first big clue. Then basically
teaching them guerrilla warfare tactics? How did people miss this?
I'm sort of interested in getting my hands on volume 2, Run
for Cover,
because I just want to know what happens to the girls now that they
are on their own. I don't care for it beyond being concerned for the
girls. These
girls are 13 years old. Far too young to be learning to fire a rifle
or bow and arrow.
#10: The Wife by Meg Wolitzer
Meg
Wolitzer brings her characteristic wit and intelligence to a
provocative story about the evolution of a marriage, the nature of
partnership, the question of a male or female sensibility, and the
place for an ambitious woman in a mans world. The moment Joan
Castleman decides to leave her husband, they are thirty-five thousand
feet above the ocean on a flight to Helsinki. Joan's
husband Joseph is one of Americas preeminent novelists, about to
receive a prestigious international award, and Joan, who has spent
forty years subjugating her own literary talents to fan the flames of
his career, has finally decided to stop. From this gripping opening,
Meg Wolitzer flashes back to Smith College and Greenwich Village in
the 1950s and follows the course of the marriage that has brought the
couple to this breaking point one that results in a shocking
revelation. With her skillful storytelling and pitch-perfect
observations, Wolitzer has crafted a wise and candid look at the
choices all men and women make
in marriage, work, and
life.
I
rated it a 3/5. Joan made me laugh. She was so cynical throughout the
book, then we find out why
she
was like that. Joseph Castleman, popular award-winning author, only
ever wrote one very shitty short story. Every other story and novel
he'd ever written was actually done by his wife, Joan. I wonder how
it must have felt. Knowing your wife is the more talented of the pair
of you and still taking the credit for her achievements. Was Joe
ashamed of himself? Did he care that he was basically killing any
hope his wife had of a writing career while also airing their dirty
laundry? One of the things that I wish had happened was that Joan had
left her husband years ago. She deserved so much better of a husband
than the one she got. She was a sweet woman and he was a horrendous
pig. I could hardly believe it. From page one we are told over and
over again how much Joan hates her husband. Yet she has stayed with
him at least 40 years to have a 40-odd-year-old daughter and still be
married to the guy she had her with. I didn't much care for this
book. I didn't think it was bad either. I was just relatively
unimpressed by it. Why did Joan continue to put herself through the
marriage? For the kids? Stupid. Utterly stupid. I'm going to give Meg
Wolitzer another try, though, because I loved The
Female Persuasion back
when I read it.
#11: The Crucible by Arthur Miller
"I
believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of
one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history,"
Arthur Miller wrote of his classic play about the witch-hunts and
trials in seventeenth-century Salem, Massachusetts. Based on
historical people and real events, Miller's drama is a searing
portrait of a community engulfed by hysteria. In the rigid theocracy
of Salem, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the
town's most basic fears and suspicions; and when a young girl accuses
Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch, self-righteous church leaders and
townspeople insist that Elizabeth be brought to trial. The
ruthlessness of the prosecutors and the eagerness of neighbor to
testify against neighbor brilliantly illuminates the destructive
power of socially sanctioned violence. Written in 1953, The
Crucible is a
mirror Miller uses to reflect the anti-communist hysteria inspired by
Senator Joseph McCarthy's "witch-hunts" in the United
States. Within the text itself, Miller contemplates the parallels,
writing, "Political opposition... is given an inhumane overlay,
which then justifies the abrogation of all normally applied customs
of civilized behavior. A political policy is equated with moral
right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence."
I
gave it 3/5. I didn't like the way it just stopped instead of ending.
You would think it would keep going and explain more about Proctor on
the gibbet. No...we are given an afterword about the lives of the
rest of the Salem inhabitants years after the incident. Including the
fact that Abigail's a prostitute (supposedly) and Elizabeth got
married 4 years after she was supposed to have died? Was she not also
on the roster to be hanged six months after John? It
was stupid, really. All of this started because girls band together.
I think the screen adaptations always make these girls 13-14, but
Abigail and Mary Warren were both 17-18. They certainly weren't
children. They were old enough to know better than to do this. The
perpetrator behind it all was just a jealous, mentally unstable
person. She was in love/lust with someone and was willing to condemn
an entire town just to have her way. It's no wonder that she ended up
a whore in another town all together after the one person she wanted
to live died. I'm totally still going to buy more Arthur Miller books
and plays. Maybe something else would be better.
