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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 #358

On The Blog Recently

• Best January - June 2024 Book Releases
• Best January - June 2024 Young Adult Book Releases
• I Read 200+ "Best Books Of 2023" Lists
• February 2024 Book Releases
• Best Short Novels

In My Reading Life

Did I spend the entire week watching Love Is Blind: Brazil instead of reading books? Yes. Does that TV show cause brain cells to commit suicide? Probably. Do I have regrets? Absolutely not.

I did finish a book! It was a cozy fantasy where faeries casually decapitate one another. It's Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. <-- I had to look up how to spell pretty much every word of that title. This book is for spelling bee champions only because people like me can't find it on the internet.

Anyway, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia Encyclopaedia is historical fantasy about Emily Wilde, a university professor who travels to a remote island to study the fairy faerie population. She plans to spend months alone in the wilderness, but then her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, shows up on the doorstep of her decrepit cabin. Wendell is also there to study faeries. (Or so he claims.) At first, Emily is irritated, but then she realizes that she might have a crush on her rival. And the feeling might be mutual.

I feel like I've been searching for this book for years. (Not just because I can't spell the title.) I've been craving a medium-stakes fantasy book with fun characters and a world that doesn't require my whole brain to understand. This is the exact novel I wanted! I loved it!

The book has cozy vibes like a small town rom-com, but there's still danger because the faeries are unpredictably violent. They torture humans for fun. It's not always a light, whimsical story. However, it's not a stressful story either. That's probably because it's written like a diary. You know that Emily and Wendell are alive and safe because they're writing diary entries about the scary stuff they experienced. Dead people can't write. (I don't think . . .)

Speaking of Emily and Wendell, they're brilliant university professors but also too stupid to live. They don't know how to survive on the island in winter. They can't even work an ax! At first, I found both characters annoying, but as the plot progressed, I started to appreciate them. Their banter is funny. They have distinctive personalities and use their research to help humanity. They're just so wrapped up in the academic side of things that they overlook the practical stuff. I understood them better as the story went on.

You should believe the hype about this novel. It's a fun time. I'll be reading the sequel.

In The Rest Of My Life

Three things that . . . um . . . happened last week:

1. Sometimes skunks dig burrows under my house. I always know when they're under the house because skunks smell horrific all the time. Also, I see their footprints in the snow.

A few days ago, I woke up at 3AM because I had a boxing class at 5AM. When I looked out the door, there were skunks everywhere. It was a distressing quantity of skunks! I was like, "What the heck? I thought you guys were solitary animals!" Then I banged on the door to scare them away. They all tried to run under the house, but the hole they dug was so small that they had to line up to escape from me. It was hilarious. They looked like drunk girls waiting for the bathroom at a club. They were snapping at each other and falling all over the place.

I did research and discovered that skunks share burrows in winter. Up to 20 skunks can live in the same hole. So . . . basically, there's an entire cuddle puddle of skunks under my house right now.

Luckily, my dad showed up like a hero with skunk repellant and a motion-activated strobe light. Either the skunks will be scared away, or the yard will look like a club for real. I'll let you know.

2. I get to keep my park ranger job. My job is weird because I have to re-interview for it every year. After the interview, my supervisor decides if he wants me for another season. I was pretty confident I'd get rehired, but I also realized I wouldn't be sad if I didn't.

Some parts of the job are cool. I love the educational programs, search and rescue, and the behind-the-scenes stuff. I hate dealing with the public. I die inside whenever someone screams, "You ruined my vacation!" after I ask them to do something reasonable. (The stuff I ask: "Buy a day pass to use the park," "Put your dog on a leash," "Put your car on a road," "Put a lifejacket on your child." All of those are state laws. I'm helping them avoid a ticket.)

Then they scream, "My taxes pay your salary! You can't make me do anything! I'm your boss!" Then I notice their car is covered in blue lives matter stickers because they (allegedly?) respect laws and law enforcement. The public is fun.

3. It was Brooklyn's birthday. She's five now. (Can you tell from the photo that she's five? She acts like she's five.) I can't believe we've had her for five years. It simultaneously feels like forever and not very long.

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