Traveling The World Through Books

Goal: Read at least one book from every country. I will happily accept recommendations. Current Read: “The Lovely and The Lost” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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My Favorite Quick Reads

My Five Star Reads

My Library - My current collection of books.

Books Reviewed: 101

Countries: 24/197

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A Song To Drown Rivers by Ann Liang ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history, and whatever flickered between us felt so terribly fragile compared to the immovable weight of mountains, of kingdoms, of war.

So long as we continue to put mortal men on thrones and hail them as gods, sacrifice our lives to their legacies, history will repeat itself.

Genre: fiction, fantasy, historical

Country: China, Australia

Review:

This book surprised me. It also devastated me, but more on that later. This book was inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the four beauties of China. Xishi agrees to become concubine to the enemy king to get information and manipulate him so that her kingdom can stage an attack. It spans years and I definitely feel like we see her grow throughout the book. I liked the characters, some of them much more than I anticipated and I felt sorry for them. The ending did leave me with mixed feelings

Would I recommend this book?: I definitely would!

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Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“No one wants the darkness—they want the stars.”

“This is the universe, and just because they have tamed a small portion of it does not mean it will remain dormant forever—reality is older and longer and braver than humanity will ever be.”

Genre: fiction, romance, science fiction

Country: USA

Review:

I haven’t really seen anyone talking about this book and I find that a little surprising. I initially bought this book because it was pretty and had a review from Xiran Jay Zhou. It definitely kept me entertained and I found the pacing to be pretty good. I was very intrigued by the world that Wolf created. This book definitely bends genres. The romance is definitely not at the forefront of this book, maybe it will be more prevalent in the sequel. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good read and I’m excited to read the next one.

Would I recommend this book?: if you enjoyed Iron Widow, then I think you’d enjoy this book.

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My Spooky Season recommendations for 2024!

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami - A serial killer targeting sex workers in Tokyo’s red light district and a local guide caught in the middle of it all.

World War Z by Max Brooks - Remember that movie of the same name? It’s based on this book, but like usual, the book is better.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw - I was appalled by how much I liked this novella given the amount of violence and gore, which is not usually something I like to read.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher - A retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher.

What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher - A follow-up to What Moves the Dead with references to Romanian folklore.

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda - A modern vampire just trying to make it through life.

Starling House by Alice E. Harrow - Less creepy than the other books on this list, but possibly my favorite on this list. Appalachian mining town being haunted by its dark history and romance.

Devolution by Max Brooks - A Sasquatch horror. Loved the amount of research that went into the book that made it a little extra spooky.

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Tomb of the Sun King, Book 2 of the Raiders of the Arcana series by Jacquelyn Benson

You all may remember how excited I was about Empire of Shadows and its audiobook. Well, Tomb of the Sun King, the second book in the series is out today!

It’s so good! I love Neil and Constance joining them on this adventure. I absolutely adore all the characters in this series (excluding some baddies, of course, albeit very well written baddies). And as a someone who had an Egyptology phase as a kid, this one was really extra special! Highly recommend.

And if you haven’t read the first book yet, you should definitely do so! It’s such a fantastic read and one of my favorite books!

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I’m so excited about this! I had the joy of getting an ARC of the audiobook edition of Jacquelyn Benson’s Empire of Shadows. I read the ebook and absolutely adored it. It’s almost like a feminist Indiana Jones. It’s funny, beautifully written, full of great characters and fun banter and I love it. The narrator has a great voice and I enjoyed her reading of this book! Highly recommend and I’m so excited about it!

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Do you accept non-fiction recs? Apples Are From Kazakstan is a travelogue, but it reads very easily, and it definitely felt like I was "visiting" a country by book.

I absolutely do! This book sounds really good too. It might take me a while to acquire it. Unfortunately, my local library doesn’t have it in any form, but I’m gonna be on the lookout for it. I’ll check with some of my local bookstores. Thank you so much for the recommendation!

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My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: fiction, contemporary, crime, thriller

Country: Nigeria, England

Review:

I found this to be a very easy read and I loved the way it was broken up, it reminded me of poetry. I found the story to be interesting and well-developed. The characters weren’t necessarily likeable, which is to be expected given the context, but they were interesting. The ending left me feeling disappointed though and I can think of so many other endings that I would’ve preferred over this one.

Would I recommend this book?: yes, it’s an easy quick and entertaining read overall.

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Starling House by Alix E. Harrow ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

…and I think dizzily that I know exactly why Icarus flew so high: when you’ve spent too long in the dark, you’ll melt your own wings just to feel the sun on your skin.

How selfish, how fundamentally silly, that he should start wanting to live right when he ought to die.

I know it’s not much, but maybe it’s enough, because maybe home is wherever you’re loved. The worst thing about cheesy slogans is they’re mostly true.

Genre: fiction, fantasy

Country: USA

Review:

I loved this book!

I was drawn originally by its beautiful cover, but then I saw it had a review by Olivie Blake and I adore her writing so I thought she has to have good taste in books, right? Confirmed, she does.

I love the setting, Kentucky, coal mining town. It just feels like Appalachia. There’s enemies to lovers. There’s trauma. There’s monsters. There’s a living house.

I loved the characters. Opal is a great female lead and I found her to be surprisingly relatable. Arthur just holds a special place in my heart

And to top it all off, it’s so beautifully written!

Do I recommend this book?: 100%. It’s such a great

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The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To appreciate beauty is to experience humility—to recognize that something larger and more powerful than oneself is at work in the environment.

Genre: nonfiction, biography, history

Country: USA

Short Summary:

This book follows the journey of Sarah Graves from her home in Illinois to California. She was part of the Donner Party, a group of pioneers who found themselves trapped in a snowstorm in the mountains and took extreme measures to survive.

Review:

This book is so well researched and it truly shows. I also love that the author followed the route the Graves family took and visited various locations so that he could see them and better describe what they may have seen or experienced on their journey. He writes in a way that pulls you in and helps you better understand the lives the pioneers led and the hardships they faced.

This is such a fascinating story!

Would I recommend this book?: 100%

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Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: fiction, contemporary, literary

Country: USA, Ireland

Quick Summary:

Review:

I almost didn’t read this book because of all the bad reviews. Most of them about how terrible of a person the author is, but it’s fiction and it’s just a character study. (Or maybe it’s not? Who knows?) Not every character gets or even deserves a redemption. Not every villain needs to have a backstory that makes you understand him. The point of this book is not for you to understand or forgive the main character, it’s for you to realize that he’s a terrible person and there is no reason for it other than he just is and I think the author was successful in this aspect.

I liked the writing style and overall found this to be an entertaining read.

Would I recommend this book?: It’s complicated. It’s not for everyone.

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Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood (DNF)

Genre: fiction, fantasy, young adult

Country: USA

Quick Summary:

Andromeda is a debtera (exorcist) unable to get her license because her mentor kicked her out. To make ends meet she takes a job in a cursed castle that no other debteras have been able to cleanse.

Review:

I went into this expecting a lot more horror and this novel definitely started off strong. I loved the plot and the unique “ghosts”, but then it turned into more of a cringey romance and ultimately lost me. I didn’t like the romance between Andromeda and Magnus at all. Had their relationship been a little different, I might have stuck around. This book had so much potential and I wish it could’ve lived up to it.

Would I recommend this book?: Probably not

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Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: fiction, contemporary, romance

Country: USA

Quick Summary:

After her divorce, Helen decides to go on a survival expedition to turn her life around and prove to herself how strong she can be. Things don’t go exactly as planned when her younger brother’s best friend turns out to be going on the same trip.

Review:

I actually enjoyed this book so much more than I’d anticipated. I’m not going to say it’s perfect because it’s definitely not, but it was such an enjoyable and easy read.

Would I recommend this book?: Yes, I would.

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He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: fiction, fantasy, historical, lgbtqia+

Country: China, Australia

Reviews:

This book was as beautifully written as the first. However, I feel that it’s much darker and overall, it was a struggle for me to get through.

Would I recommend this book?: if you’ve read the first, you definitely need to read this one.

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Pocket Nature: Beekeeping by Ariel Silva

Genre: Nonfiction, Nature

Country: USA

Short Summary:

This is fun little book sharing facts about bees and beekeeping.

Review:

The overall tone of this book is very soothing and I honestly think that I would even enjoy an audiobook version.

It’s not an exhaustive amount of information but it’s very good information. I think it’s great for someone who is is interested in keeping bees or just curious about them. Even as someone with a lot of prior bee/beekeeping knowledge there was a fact or two that I didn’t know. It was a fun read for me!

Would I recommend this book?: Definitely. I actually might have to buy a few copies to give to friends who are interested in beekeeping and maybe some neighbors too.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube by Blair Braverman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: nonfiction, memoir, sports, travel

Country: USA, Norway

Review:

This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was still so good. I anticipated more information about dogsledding, but this book is more of a journey of healing. There were some parts of this book that were hard for me to read, but the ending and it’s joy and hopefulness made it worth powering through.

Would I recommend this book?:

I would definitely recommend this book, but with caution as the author does discuss sexual assault and emotional abuse.

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Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: fiction, fantasy, historical, romance

Country:

Review:

Loved it. Honestly, what’s not to love about this book? The characters are solid and likable. The plot was unique and interesting. The slow burn romance is sweet perfection. The banter is top notch. This book has everything that I could’ve wanted. It was the perfect blend of adventure, action, and romance and it made me so happy. It will be a struggle to wait for the next installment.

Would I recommend this book?:

100%. I’ve already recommended this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Crimson Fox Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.