It's been nearly a month, but I've finally reached the end of Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series! Following The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven, the series closes with The Labyrinth of the Spirits. At over 800 pages, this is not only the longest book in... Continue Reading →
For the past few weeks I've been working my way through the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by the lateย Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn. Followingย The Shadow of the Wind andย The Angelโs Game, the third novel is The Prisoner of Heaven. In contrast to the other books in the series, this one is fairly short, at only 278... Continue Reading →
Finally, this strange year is just about to its end. But before we turn the page to a new (hopefully better) year, 2020 has a few more enchanting new books to offer. Whether you're looking for gifts this holiday season, need some fun reads for the cold months, or are getting a head-start on your... Continue Reading →
I'm currently in the midst of reading Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn's Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. Following my reread of his beloved The Shadow of the Wind, I've now just finished the second book in the series, The Angel's Game. While it has much in common with the first book, The Angel's Game is also wholly... Continue Reading →
I first read Carlos Ruiz Zafรณn's The Shadow of the Wind four years ago. At the time, it felt like one of the most magical, immersive stories I'd ever read. It wasn't until a couple of years later that I found out it was the first in a series, and my mom was kind enough... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I finished the excellentย One By Oneย byย Ruth Ware. To further indulge my love of everything Ruth Ware, I decided it was the perfect time to check out her two recent short stories. Following her new ebook, We Will Be Watching, I just listened to her recent audiobook, Snowflakes. This short story is part of a... Continue Reading →
I just finished Ruth Ware's excellent new novel One By One last night. Since my brain is still in Ruth Ware mode, I decided now is the perfect time to check out her two recent short stories. First up, I read her new ebook, We Will Be Watching. (Stay tuned for my review of her... Continue Reading →
Ruth Ware is one of those authors whose books are an auto-buy for me. She renewed my love for thrillers with The Woman in Cabin 10, and I've since collected and loved all her other novels. Her latest is One By One, another locked-room mystery, but this time with some new themes and twists. I... Continue Reading →
I've devoted the past couple of weeks to reading Asian fantasies. Following Song of the Crimson Flower and The Night Tiger, my trilogy ends with The Library of Legends by Janie Chang. Published earlier this year, I discovered it when it was announced as a Book of the Month selection in April. Its magical description... Continue Reading →
As we move into election season and the holiday season, don't forget that we still need to escape with a good book every now and then! Though November is often a slower month for book publishing, there are still plenty of new gems to be found. This month, these 34 books being published in November... Continue Reading →
A few years ago, I read Yangsze Choo's first novel, The Ghost Bride, and adored it. So when her second book, The Night Tiger, came out, I was excited to get my hands on it. It ended up being one of my first purchases from Book of the Month after I joined in January 2019,... Continue Reading →
It's only in the past year or so that I've reintroduced YA novels back into my life, and I'm so glad I have. It's opened the doors to so many amazing books! One YA book I picked up early in my rediscovery process was Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao, which I... Continue Reading →
I've said it before, and I'll probably keep saying it: My favorite thing about Book of the Month is how it introduces me to new books that weren't on my radar. Last month, one of their main September picks was The Last Story of Mina Lee, the debut novel by Nancy Jooyoun Kim. I didn't... Continue Reading →
I admit, I'm not much of a rereader. There are so, so many books I want to read that I feel like there's no time to revisit the ones I've already read. In all honesty, besides childhood picture books, I can only think of three instances in which I reread a book: Heart of Darkness... Continue Reading →
I recently joined a book club with my sister, and I'm so glad I did. In my second month, it's already introduced me to an incredible novel that I hadn't heard of before: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. My sister picked this one, and I flew through it in... Continue Reading →
Okay guys, here's the deal: I am so tired of politics and the Trump administration at this point. I just want it to end already. Or, better yet, I wish we could turn back time and have a different president right now. Alas, we can't change the past, only the future (PLEASE VOTE). But thanks... Continue Reading →
Six years ago, I was living in Lima, Peru with my fiancรฉ (now husband). He's Peruvian, and in addition to spending nearly a year living in his country, getting to know his family, I also wanted to learn more about Peru through books. One of the newest novels I'd found online was Chasing the Sun... Continue Reading →
Autumn is officially here, and it's the best season for cozying up with a good book. What's better than sitting by the fire, nestled under a warm blanket with a hot beverage in hand, as you read a great book with only the rain outside as your soundtrack? That's what I thought. This fall, I... Continue Reading →
Like so many people these days - and perhaps especially among my generation - I've suffered from burnout. For me it comes and goes, and at those times when it's impacting me, I seek answers. That's how I discovered the audiobook The Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen last winter. I downloaded it months ago,... Continue Reading →
A couple of years ago, I picked up Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. She's released two more books in this series since then, and has already announced another due next spring, and I knew it was time to finally settle in and give this novel my attention. That this month (from September 15... Continue Reading →
This summer, I started hearing great things about a new contemporary romance, You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. I was instantly interested, in part because it highlights Latinx characters. My husband is Latino - Peruvian, specifically - and while it wasn't quite love at first sight, we at least became friends at "hola."... Continue Reading →
Last year, I read and loved Evie Dunmore's debut novel, Bringing Down the Duke, the first in her A League of Extraordinary Women series. I could hardly wait for the second book to come out, and I was thrilled when it was included as a Book of the Month pick for September. As soon as... Continue Reading →
I've always loved September: Summer fades into fall and students head back to school. One of my favorite parts of preparing for each school year (and in college, each quarter) was getting the books I'd need for my classes. Yes, I was that nerd. And yes, I still am that nerd, even though it's been... Continue Reading →
A new book has been on my radar for the past few months: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaaa Gyasi. This upcoming release led me to want the author's first book, Homegoing, which was first published in 2016. While I thought about adding it to my bookshelves soon, fate stepped in to speed up the process: The... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 