anja_a
i read lots of queer, mainly lesbian, books. love: translations, (gothic) horror, contemporary, character-driven novels, social topics. no star ratings, bc i struggle keeping ratings consistent.
277 points
anja_a finished reading and wrote a review...
This one was interesting. I think it does a lot of things that I have never before seen in YA. I'm just not sure it does them entirely well? I wouldn't call anything in here bad or a miss, it just feels like a lot of it could be interrogated even more. Sometimes I feel like especially books geared towards a younger audience struggle with portraying topics where anyone involved can be described as a victim of abuse, because there's this pull towards making it unambiguously clear what it means to be a victim and that the other person was undoubtedly bad. That in itself isn't necessarily wrong - there are a lot of scenarios where something like this is clearcut! - but for novels like this, that want to interrogate such a relationship dynamic further, it feels like it weakens what it has to say. There is a scene in here that can be clearly identified as the scene intended to showcase the abuser having some complexities of her own, but it's a fleeting moment and it's almost blink and you miss it. I'm not sure this lived up to what it attempts to be.
0anja_a finished reading and wrote a review...
I might just have to accept that Anna-Marie McLemore's books are not for me, and that is okay.
0anja_a finished reading and wrote a review...
That was so so good. It took me a minute to get into it, but once it had me, I really couldn't and didn't want to stop. Due does such a fantastic job in constructing the plot and narrative. Double POVs set in such different circumstances (even if of course very tangled) often lead to readers heavily favoring one over the other and feeling some level of impatience whenever their less liked one is on page, but I felt this book is such a prime example of really balancing the dynamic intrigue of both. The character work also is absolutely fantastic. Blue especially, what an amazing character. This book really gripped me, it was entertaining, smart, devastating, painful, full of heart while never shying away from the brutality that unfortunately exists in this world. Due has become an instant to-read. Highly recommend.
0anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I have a few reading goals I have been slacking on! I'm working on r/Fantasy Book Bingo, only 5/25 so far so I need to pick up on that! I also have a list of recommendations from friends that I am way behind on, 4/36 lol (I've shoved a lot into bingo mentioned above so hopefully I can catch up!). I am also reading books from the Wainwright Prize longlists, and I hope to read at least 10 of them this year. Tell us your reading plans for the latter half of 2025 and we can cheer each other on!
75anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Thought it might be fun to do our own versions of the mid year freakout tag. Copy the questions and pop your answers in the comments! 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2025? 2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2025? 3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to? 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2025? 5. Biggest disappointment? 6. Biggest surprise? 7. New favourite author? 8. Newest fictional crush? 9. Newest favourite character? 10. Book that made you cry? 11. Book that made you happy? 12. Most beautiful book you bought so far? 13. What books do you need to read before the end of the year?
73anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
After almost no reading in 2024, I'm really getting back into it this year but I'm struggling big time sticking with nonfiction, even though I have always enjoyed reading theory. I want to slowly work through my nonfiction shelves and I've noticed the best way to get to it is to buddy read and chat about the nonfiction I'm reading with other people. Anyone interested in picking up some book with me? :) Here is a selection of what I have ahead of me: Tithi Bhattacharya - Social Reproduction Theory Laura Miles - Transgender Resistance Rox Samer - lesbian potentiality & feminist media in the 1970s Silvia Federici - Caliban and the Witch (I would read this one in german, but happy to chat about it in english ofc!) Not necessarily looking for an academia-worthy discussion, since some of these topics are newer to me as well, but even just low stakes chatting about what I've read often helps both motivate me and understand more/have it stick in my memory. I'm imagining a chapter by chapter buddy read where we are open to take as much time as we need (though for me personally deadlines are helpful). Anyone interested? :)
16anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Thought it might be fun to do our own versions of the mid year freakout tag. Copy the questions and pop your answers in the comments! 1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2025? 2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2025? 3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to? 4. Most anticipated release for the second half of 2025? 5. Biggest disappointment? 6. Biggest surprise? 7. New favourite author? 8. Newest fictional crush? 9. Newest favourite character? 10. Book that made you cry? 11. Book that made you happy? 12. Most beautiful book you bought so far? 13. What books do you need to read before the end of the year?
73anja_a wants to read...
Bolla: A Novel
Pajtim Statovci
0anja_a finished reading and wrote a review...
Super informative, majorly depressing. Split up into two halves, the first gives a lot of input into the current landscape + the way we got here, and the second half offers concrete suggestions of what to do next. It has some quite technical parts that may be difficult to follow, but I thought they did a great job making the topic accessible. I learned a lot in the first half, and it has really strengthened a lot of my beliefs about how capitalism is truly ruinous to the most human instincts of it all - to make art. I had more troubles keeping up with the second half; it may have been attention span flagging, or being more technical at points, or just the depression kicking in thinking about how dire so much of this is. I want to look into that again when I had some distance from the first half of the book. Recommended read!
0anja_a finished reading and wrote a review...
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0anja_a finished reading and wrote a review...
I had a good time reading this and it was a super fast read. Not really "thrilling" in the way that I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a classic thriller novel. Summerhouse is mostly about Fehmi and Şener's relationship, and they're definitely both complicated characters, who aren't necessarily the most loveable. It's a bit too short to really be a strong interrogation of their characters though, so at times it felt a bit rushed. Overall, I enjoyed this read, but it will probably not stick in my mind for all too long.
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Love, lust, blood, seduction...stories old and new centering literature's most (blood)thirsty women.
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For when you're craving a good sapphic story, a collection of books that feature sapphic characters and/or a sapphic romance.
0anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
What language or languages do you read in? Do you read in your native language or another one? If you read in another language then your native one, why? I read in English, but my main language is French. I have read books in French and in German, although not by choice. And the reason being I associate both those languages with school and learning, and when I read I just want to distance myself from all the studying I had to do for books I didn't want to read, so I stuck with English! Also books in English are cheaper at the bookstore 💀
29anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I have a few reading goals I have been slacking on! I'm working on r/Fantasy Book Bingo, only 5/25 so far so I need to pick up on that! I also have a list of recommendations from friends that I am way behind on, 4/36 lol (I've shoved a lot into bingo mentioned above so hopefully I can catch up!). I am also reading books from the Wainwright Prize longlists, and I hope to read at least 10 of them this year. Tell us your reading plans for the latter half of 2025 and we can cheer each other on!
75anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
We all want a never ending TBR and this is my way of trying to expand it! What are your favourite books that you rarely see anyone talk about? Books with only a few reviews so it feels like you are raving alone in a room, listening to your own echo. Give me books which you really loved that I’ve probably never seen on any social media platforms! 🫡🫡 Mine are definitely the Unholy Island series by Sarah Painter! Loved them so much!
13anja_a commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
curious as to how often people take books off of their tbr, and decide that they’re not going to read a book? Does anyone do a spring cleaning of theirs? I usually review my tbr at least a few times a year and take off books that have been on it for a long time and I’ve lost interest in, or that I feel like I’m just never going to read. I also do this cause it’s easy for me to get overwhelmed if I think my tbr is too long
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