I’m a little torn on this one, honestly! I thought it was a bit slow for my tastes, mostly at the beginning, and I would have appreciated a bit more wallowing in emotions, but I also understand this is a book designed in part to ape Victorian conventions and mores, so perhaps I was never going to get the version of this book that would have pleased me best. And what a strange little book it was! This is an alternate history/speculative take on quite […]
Old movies and Settlers of Catan
My CBR holiday gift exchange package arrived at just the right time when Alex, Approximately was exactly what I was in the mood to read. A young adult romance with emotions running high, life lessons, and swoony romance was just the thing to get me out of my post-Christmas funk. Essentially, this book is a modern, young adult take on The Shop Around the Corner story, but different enough that it doesn’t feel like a perfect retelling. There were little nods to its origin, but […]
Starting the year off right
3.5 stars. It’s always nice to start the year off with something good, so I’m pleased to report that this one actually mostly lived up to the hype. I’ve been meaning to read Leigh Bardugo for years and finally got around to it. Six of Crows ended up being great company to ring in the new year with. Essentially, this book is about a gang of criminals pulling off a high stakes heist. Picture a teenage, fantasy version of Ocean’s Eleven and you’re close. Except […]
Who knew running away to nerd-camp could be so complicated?
From Goodreads: Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn’t going to do this summer. 1. She isn’t going to stay home in Sacramento, where she’d have to sit through her stepmother’s sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest. 2. She isn’t going to mock trial camp at UCLA. 3. And she certainly isn’t going to to the Air Force summer program at her mom’s base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender’s Game, Ellie’s seen three generations of […]



