Just Give Up

Do you finish every book you start? I know some people are really particular about that. I read so many books, so quickly, that I absolutely just toss books aside for the smallest, pettiest reasons. I do not suffer a fool(ish book) gladly.

I admire people who finish what they start, reading wise. I don’t have the patience or the tolerance for books that don’t jive with me right away. There’s some magic to reading, you know. It’s just words on a page but the right combination catches you, grabs your attention, and holds on to you till you finish the story. If I don’t find that special magical something within the first 50 pages or so, I DNF (did not finish) that sucker. And I rarely go back and give a book a second chance. There are so many books in the world and I want to read them all! I don’t have time for second chances. 

I’ll admit, I am a mood reader. If I am not in the mood for a particular story or genre or character, I dip out. My library puts new books on a 7 day lending period, so they circulate faster. 7 days to read a book is simply not long enough to accommodate my moods! I may have the best of intentions but when faced with actually picking up the book, I often fail. Yes, I do want to read that book, but I don’t want to read it now, are you kidding me? And I am not the type to try and persevere. In kindergarten, the teacher wrote about me, “she won’t start a game unless she knows she is going to win it” and that is still true to this day. If I don’t want to do something, if I can’t “win” at whatever it is, I don’t do it.

My library also got rid of overdue fines, so now there is no compelling reason to return the book by the end of the 7 day period except for my extreme librarian guilt. Imagine being a librarian with an overdue book! I have been that person and I can tell you, it’s awful. I slink up to the book return and surreptitiously slide the book into the slot, hoping no one can tell I am the biggest cheating cheater who ever lived and kept the book past its due date.

So, all of this is just to say, give up on books. It feels good to say “this book is not for me at this time” and put it aside. Try it! Life is too short and brutish to read things you don’t enjoy. Some books are not for you, and that’s ok. Not every book has to enlighten or guide you into a better way of living. Some books are snacks and some are hearty meals and sometimes, you are simply not that hungry. 

To the Books!

Books Added to my Wishlist

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews: Andrews is a pair of authors for whom I will absolutely read anything they write. And now! They are publishing an isekai and portal fantasy!

All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan: I fell in love with the first book in this fantasy series, so much so that I went back and read it all over again after finishing it the first time. I’m waiting impatiently to get my grabbers on this sequel. 

Once Was Willem by M. R. Carey: This dark Medieval fantasy appeals to me as a history geek and fantasy lover. 

Books I Read

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie: A motley crew of monsters must get a thief-turned-princess to the throne of Troy to save the world. 

By the end of this book, I was thoroughly engaged and enjoying myself. It almost made me forget how much of a slog I found the first half. At times, the book was a rollicking good adventure story, but it also spent quite a few words on the scenery, the characters, the history, etc., which made it feel uneven and impacted the overall pacing. Eventually, I got swept up in the story and gave in to the book’s unique rhythm. 4 stars. 

The Blacktongue Thief by Chrisopher Buehlman: A thief with a debt to pay to his guild and a knight with secrets team up on an epic adventure through man-eating goblins, vengeful krakens, blistering magic, and more.

I loved it. I LOVED IT. The tight pacing, the amazingly twisty plot, the compelling characters. All of it came together so well. The Devils gave me a bit of difficulty, but reading The Blacktongue Thief was easy as pie. If you’re looking for a gritty fantasy adventure that is also emotionally impactful, this is the book to read. 5 stars.  

You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue: The colonization of Mexico by Spain as told through the first meeting of Moctezuma and Hernán Cortés. 

This is one of those books where I wasn’t quite sure if what I read was what I read. It was weird, but not in the way I expected. I thought it would be a feverish delirium of a colonial revenge story and instead got a comedy of manners on shrooms. And yet, I enjoyed it. I think. 4 stars.

Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis: A woman recovering from a horrible accident has to start her life, and love life, all over again. 

Do you ever just need a good cry? A real boo-hoo? I did. So I picked up a Shalvis novel. To me, Shalvis is a reliable romance author who writes good emotional drama with just the right amounts of angst, humor, and spice. 4 stars. 

Books I Gave up on

Dirtbag Queen: A Memoir of My Mother by Andy Corren: I wasn’t in the mood for non fiction about a horrible mother and her feral children, no matter how funny it was supposed to be. 

Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare: I got about 25 pages in and it was delightfully cute, maybe even borderline twee, and my brain said, “Absolutely not.” I will try again down the road. 

Cat Pic of the Month

Fiona and Wallace don’t get along very well but they sure are photogenic together. Fiona is insanely jealous of any time I spend with Wallace. If he jumps up on the couch with me, Fiona follows. If I brush Wallace, I better start brushing Fiona real quick, too. It’s actually kind of tiring and I often get impatient with Fiona’s neediness. Then I feel like a real jerk, because Fiona is just a cat with a brain the size of a walnut and I’m being mean to her.

Show Me the Noods!

Spaghetti Sunday was just spaghetti and meatballs, she says, as if spaghetti and meatballs wasn’t one of the all time classic meals.

In Conclusion

We’re more than halfway through the year and this little experiment in newsletters. Is it fun for you? It’s really fun for me. I truly enjoy talking about myself every month! I hope you enjoy reading about me as well.

Love, Marcella