nmuglia22
avid reader trying to read a little bit of everything! fave genres are romance, fantasy, and anything cozy or whimsical
2976 points
nmuglia22 is re-reading...
8h
Ninth House
Leigh Bardugo
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
I was intrigued by the concept of this one! Unfortunately, I don't think it held up in practice. There was a lot of talking to people and not a lot of crime solving (even if a lot of crime solving . . . is talking to people). I thought the characters were rather flat and one dimensional, and hinged more on us knowing who they were instead of crafting fictionalized versions of those characters. So, I don't think this one leaned into the concept as heavily as it should in order to have been as engaging as it could have been.
What a wild ride of a book. I picked this one up totally randomly today, not expecting to finish it at all, and then found it was impossible to put down. The Boston Globe described this one as "deceptively simple, and simply wonderful" and I (simply) must agree. That is genuinely the best way to put it, I think.
I loved the structure of this one: each chapter is a month of the year, leading with a recipe for a dish that is a symbol or a plot device for the chapter. I also really loved how the novel played with time. I felt like it wasn't taking either of these things entirely too seriously, and yet by really sticking with them, it made for a powerful story by the end.
Speaking of the end, what a rollercoaster. I laughed out loud in disbelief at one point, but then was so happy that in the last few paragraphs we got clarity on the structure of the book.
The magical realism elements were also so fun and sharp to me. I appreciated the very matter-of-fact storytelling related to them; it all felt believable for this world to me because the narrator doesn't give us any space or room to be taken aback by the rules of the world at any point. It just is what it is because that's the way it is! The way food was also part of this was awesome to me, as just a statement to the power of food and community gathering around food.
There was so much more between these pages that I could dive into here—about the revolution and women's history and agency—but just know I felt all of it and absolutely can see why this one is a classic.
nmuglia22 finished a book
1d
Like Water for Chocolate
Laura Esquivel
Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico blends poignant romance, bittersweet wit, and delicious recipes. This classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother’s womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef, using cooking to express herself and sharing recipes with readers along the way.
nmuglia22 started reading...
1d
Like Water for Chocolate
Laura Esquivel
Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico blends poignant romance, bittersweet wit, and delicious recipes. This classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother’s womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef, using cooking to express herself and sharing recipes with readers along the way.
nmuglia22 finished a book
1d
Fishbone Cinderella
Elizabeth Lim
A bracelet. A curse. And golden fishbones to be returned to the sea ...Guangdong, 1940. When Ha Yut Ying narrowly escapes Japanese soldiers by turning invisible, she knows her new-found magic must be kept a secret. But her mother, whose dreams foretell the future, suspects her daughter has changed, and warns her of a curse upon their family. For her protection, she gives her a gold bracelet whose links are shaped like fishbones.After the war, Ha Yut Ying is sent to live with her father and his second wife, who have become wealthy factory owners in Hong Kong. Her stepmother, jealous of her beauty, forces her to work in the family's shoe factory.But when Yut Ying collides with a boy on a bicycle on her way to work, she loses her bracelet. The boy is Tommy Yeung, scion of a local soymilk tycoon. And their encounter will change both of their destinies forever...
nmuglia22 started reading...
3d
Fishbone Cinderella
Elizabeth Lim
A bracelet. A curse. And golden fishbones to be returned to the sea ...Guangdong, 1940. When Ha Yut Ying narrowly escapes Japanese soldiers by turning invisible, she knows her new-found magic must be kept a secret. But her mother, whose dreams foretell the future, suspects her daughter has changed, and warns her of a curse upon their family. For her protection, she gives her a gold bracelet whose links are shaped like fishbones.After the war, Ha Yut Ying is sent to live with her father and his second wife, who have become wealthy factory owners in Hong Kong. Her stepmother, jealous of her beauty, forces her to work in the family's shoe factory.But when Yut Ying collides with a boy on a bicycle on her way to work, she loses her bracelet. The boy is Tommy Yeung, scion of a local soymilk tycoon. And their encounter will change both of their destinies forever...
nmuglia22 finished a book
3d
Into the Blue
Emma Brodie
'The truth is there's no such thing as a normal life. There's just the time you get and how you spend it.'In the summer of 2000, seventeen-year-old AJ Graves dreams of being a writer; instead, she's stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her small town and large family. Then in walks the enigmatic and intense Noah Drew, of the infamous Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep bond first as friends, then as acting partners, until the day Noah disappears without a word. Seven years later in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob. As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago - and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together. Blending explosive chemistry, devastating emotion and unforgettable characters, INTO THE BLUE is an extraordinary novel that asks you to believe in the power of telling your own story, even if you know how it's going to end.
nmuglia22 started reading...
5d
Into the Blue
Emma Brodie
'The truth is there's no such thing as a normal life. There's just the time you get and how you spend it.'In the summer of 2000, seventeen-year-old AJ Graves dreams of being a writer; instead, she's stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her small town and large family. Then in walks the enigmatic and intense Noah Drew, of the infamous Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep bond first as friends, then as acting partners, until the day Noah disappears without a word. Seven years later in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob. As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago - and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together. Blending explosive chemistry, devastating emotion and unforgettable characters, INTO THE BLUE is an extraordinary novel that asks you to believe in the power of telling your own story, even if you know how it's going to end.
Laura I missed you and your mind! Sorry I've been so absent, I've just been so afraid of approaching the end that I forgot just how much fun I have with your books (actually that's not true, I know exactly how much fun I have with your books, which is part of my dread for getting closer to the end).
I had a really hard time being normal about this one in public. The revelation that he was actually a marquess had me sitting bolt upright on the beach, I was shocked so bad. It was a good thing I read the last third of this book entirely in my apartment so I could say out loud "oh no" or "what the f*ck" or "please no" or "I can't watch" whenever I pleased—which happened quite a lot, as that was a very twisty ending we embark on towards HEA.
The Hidden Heart to me was like Seize the Fire's younger, more danger-prone, less haunting sister. They both share the sort of pirate element, the man who has been charged to protect the woman and is fighting desperately not to fall in love with her as they face innumerable dangers. Seize the Fire goes maybe harder into the trauma of that kind of life/relationship (which makes sense, given what Kinsale said she was exploring for that book), whereas this one definitely has its dark moments (I mean, hello, Stephen? Laura, that was so dark!) but the epilogue was actually so freaking adorable it was like, did I dream some of those moments for real.
Also, Gryf is just baby boy. Like of course he's scared of love, he's scared of that risk, he's just a little traumatized!! (sobbing emoji) I wanted to give him a little hug when he was just holding the baby and the parrot was on his shoulder and he was crying! I actually felt like crying too. THAT MAN DESERVES EVERYTHING, if I were rating Laura's MMCs alongside the books overall, Gryf would be at the top of the list, in fact he'd be tied with Christian.
"He despised what he was doing, and he fell more hopelessly in love with Tess Collier every passing day." Something about this hit me in the chest. I want the world for him (he doesn't even exist).
E, our animal companion this time around was (you guessed it) a green parrot!
My updated ranking:
- Flowers from the Storm (obviously)
- Uncertain Magic
- The Hidden Heart
- Seize the Fire
- My Sweet Folly
- Midsummer Moon
- Lessons in French
nmuglia22 finished a book
5d
The Hidden Heart (Victorian Hearts, #1)
Laura Kinsale
Raised by her late father in the jungles and tropical forests, Tess Collier reluctantly agrees to return to England and boards the ship of captain Gryphon Meridon, whose promise to protect her evolves into feelings of passion. Reissue.
