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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

  

The Sunday Post #274

 

 

 

 

On The Blog Recently

 

• I showed off the June book releases I’m excited to read.
• Give me book recommendations!
• I shared the books I’m going to read in the next few months.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

Have you ever read the perfect book at the perfect time? That happened to me! I was craving something unsettling and escapist, and I found it!

The novel was The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert. I enjoyed the heck out of this story. I guess it’s an Alice in Wonderland retelling? The main character is named Alice, and she ends up in a fantasy world full of vicious characters. If you like Seanan McGuire’s Every Heart A Doorway, you need to check out this book. Alice’s grandmother is an author, and terrible things happen to the people who read her books. When Alice’s mother disappears, she sets out with a friend to confront her grandmother and uncover the mystery of her grandmother’s scary little book. The Hazel Wood is a compelling mystery with tons of twists. Alice is not a likeable character, but she’s a believable teen, and her behavior makes sense when her family secrets are revealed.

My only complaint is the pacing. It takes an eternity for the characters to reach the fantasy world, and then we race through it so quickly that there isn’t time for world building. The fantasy world is superficial and confusing. But, that didn’t stop me from immediately requesting the sequel from the library. This story entertained me so much that I can forgive its problems. Hopefully we’ll get more world building in the sequel.

Unfortunately, my next read was less awesome. I read a historical fiction book called Longbourn by Jo Baker. It’s another retelling. This one retells Pride & Prejudice from the point-of-view of the servants. The Downton Abbey vibes are strong. While Elizabeth Bennet is falling in love with Darcy, the employees at Longbourn are dealing with their own heartbreaks and scandals. It’s Pride & Prejudice, but . . . with more dirty laundry. (Literally and figuratively.) There’s less glittering romance. Fewer posh upper-class people. I love the gritty atmosphere and seeing familiar characters from new perspectives. My problem is that I kept comparing it to Pride & Prejudice. That book is iconic because of the characters. They have memorable personalities. Longbourn is a watered down version of Pride & Prejudice. Even the author’s own original characters are bland. I was entertained by the shocking plot while I was reading it, but unlike Pride & Prejudice, the characters quickly faded from my mind.

Then I read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I know this book gets mixed reviews, and I was nervous that I’d hate it, but the complete opposite happened. I loved it! It’s a composite novel, so you can’t go in expecting a traditional linear narrative. It’s a collection of linked short stories that start in 1700s Ghana and follow a family up until modern times. Each story focuses on a generation of the family. The book starts with two half-sisters. One stays in Ghana and marries a powerful man. The other is captured by slave traders and shipped to America. The writing is stunning. There are scenes that will stick with me forever, especially the ones set in prisons and mines. They’re very visceral. I like that the book doesn’t solely focus on well-known bits of history. I read a lot of history, but there were a few moments where I went, “Oh, I didn’t know about that.” Then I had to do some Googling.

I guess my only complaint is that it’s too short! I loved the characters so much that I was disappointed when the chapters ended. I wanted to know what happened next instead of jumping forward to a new generation. I will happily read more of Yaa Gyasi’s work. I know she has another book that came out recently. I’ll have to pick it up.

 

Right now, I’m reading The Night Country by Melissa Albert. It’s the sequel to The Hazel Wood. I’m interested to see where it goes because I don’t think The Hazel Wood needed a sequel. It was (mostly) fine one its own.

 

  

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy recently:

 

1. The Nutrisystem diet is working. I’m losing weight.
2. I ordered Chinese takeout when I couldn’t stand Nutrisystem food anymore. It was delicious. (Shhh, don’t tell Nutrisystem.)
3. I unfollowed a bunch of people on social media. That probably shouldn’t make me happy, but my feeds are much less overwhelming now. I’m actually seeing stuff that interests me! (I may have gotten a bit too excited about slapping the “unfollow” button. If you read this blog, and I unfollowed you, please let me know so I can re-follow. It was a mistake, I swear! I had to re-follow a few people who I accidentally unfriended. I blame the insomnia.)
4. I signed up for Giftmas In July. It’s Secret Santa, but in July! Sign-ups are closed now. I’m stoked to start shopping.
5. I was too anxious to sleep (that did not make me happy), so I took the dog for a walk in the dark. We saw raccoons! Lots of them! I love raccoons! (Even though they spread disease, kill people’s chickens, and throw trash everywhere. Those are just tiny flaws.) Raccoons are awesome.

 

 

Sorry If I Unfollowed You. Let's Be Friends Again.

 

 

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!