Susan’s Book Blog

  Glitterland (re-release) Alexis Hall 5 🪩 out of 5  My original review from Dec 2020: This book was so much more than I expected. It’s title and cover do it little justice.  The characters are written with depth and tenderness, the relationships are dynamic and engaging, but the real beauty of this book comes in the passages detailing the main character’s bouts with his mental illness. The author’s descriptions of bipolar depression display an on-the-nose, “been there” authenticity. That said, there were also many moments where I found myself laughing out loud. Alexis Hall is as adept at profound sadness and beauty as he is with lighthearted comedy and romance. He writes stunning prose and the most endearing dialogue. Is there nothing this author can’t do? ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ It was so great revisiting this one again. I had forgotten about so much of what originally made me love it. It’s truly beautiful in both content and writing. I’ve never read such a beautiful character as Da...

 In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune Available April 25, 2023 ✨4 stars out of 5✨ When I started this, I knew next to nothing of what it was about other than having heard vague rumblings about it being a Pinocchio retelling? All I knew: TJ Klune wrote it, which means I want to read it.  Initially, the story/plot wasn’t that interesting to me but I immediately loved the characters with my whole heart. I fell in love with them and they kept me coming back. By the climax of the book, I was fully invested and eagerly awaiting the emotional wallop that Klune has become so masterful at delivering.  Victor, a lonely scavenger, his elderly father Gio, a guileless anxiety-ridden roomba named Rambo and a sociopathic medical robot are the main cast in this little fairytale. And like most fairy tales it is melancholy but hopeful and has important lessons. It is filled with Klune’s signature humor and pathos. It is poignant, thoughtful, charming, hilarious, insightful and WEIRD. It is ...

  Spare by Prince Harry // 5 stars out of 5 // 🎧: Audiobook read by Prince Harry This book was everything I’d hoped it would be and more. It brought tears to my eyes more than once. I’m baffled by anyone who has trouble understanding Harry’s position. He’s been nothing but reasonable, rational, open and thoughtful in his desire to create a safe space for himself and his wife and children. He has been willing to admit his mistakes, regrets, privilege and biases. This isn’t a salacious tell-all. What he offers here is a scathing and relentless censure of the press, but also a pulling back of the curtain on a privileged institution that has benefited from its unquestioned authority for centuries. Whenever a group of people consider themselves above reproach, above questioning, bad things happen. Transparency is vital. When lights are turned on, roaches scatter. And Harry is turning the lights on.  👑   ‘Spare’ corroborates a lot of feelings and theories I’ve had about the B...

  Today is the day! Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is OUT NOW!  You can read my full review right here  and be sure to check out author Heather Fawcett’s Instagram for a fun (and gorgeous) artistic rendering of a page from Emily’s journal!  Please check this book out if you enjoy historical fiction, gentle fantasy about the faerie realm, and sweet romances. You won’t be disappointed!

  I made Benji for another dear friend, Raluca (@hedonicbooks on Instagram) for Christmas. One of her favorite books is Beartown and Benjamin Ovich is a beloved character from the book. (He was definitely *my* fave.)  I went back and forth on which logo to use but ended up deciding on the Swedish version that reads Björnstad since the book takes place in Sweden and was originally written in Swedish. I ended up going a little darker on his hair than I’d planned but Benji’s physical attributes weren’t too strongly focused on in the book as far as I could remember (and kindle searches didn’t help a lot either) so I figured it was fine. Benji’s head: Guy Lafleur (which is also the same head they use for TJ Oshie and one other, I think, but can’t remember which one.) Benji’s body: Jonathan Huberdeau (which I used the head for another project so it made it an even better deal!) I painted the uniform according to the colors as described in the book, using a little artistic license....

  My newest custom funko pop project was a Christmas gift for my dear friend Ditte (@booksaboveeverything on Instagram). We both adore this book and I was inspired to make the main characters when I found some pops that looked like they could make good versions of them. Above is Kadou, holding a hold coin as he does on the cover.  Below is Evemer, wearing his dark blue kahyalar uniform and sword.  Here are the Pops I used to create them: Below : The body of House of the Dragon’s Viserys Targaryen was a good match for Kadou. I thought his medieval style robes made a good kaftan with the length and the gold edging. He also made it easy to swap out his hand for one that holds a gold coin. (See further below.) Below : Daemon Targaryen provided Kadou’s head and Evemer’s body. I bought it primarily for the body but the head had long hair so I figured why not use it. Below : the Box Lunch exclusive Yennefer from Witcher is holding a gold coin so I cut her hand off and superglued...

So according to Storygraph, I read (not counting DNFs) 73 books (including shorts) this year. It was about 40 books shy of my 2021 total, but considering how this year went it’s more than I would have expected. I never really did find my reading mojo again this year after I found out my mom was dying. It’s kind of all been downhill since then. I was able to find some steady footing again later in the year but my ability to stay focused and read swiftly had been obliterated. I’m interested in seeing where 2023 takes me.  Meanwhile, here are some charts provided by Storygraph illustrating how my 2022 reading journey went. (Feel free to find and friend me on there if you like!  https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/soozn  )  

I’m starting to get into holiday reads now that we’re halfway through December. These are a few I read last year and I loved all three!  🎄 In a Holidaze is a trippy and magical time loop romance with a cozy cabin setting and big happy family vibes.  🎄 The Holiday Swap is a sweet Hallmark-style identical twin life swap with bakery goodness.  🎄 The Geek Who Saved Christmas is a sweet ‘n fluffy grumpy/sunshine enemy neighbors-to-lovers after-40 romance. I highly recommend all three if you’re looking for some cozy holiday reading!  ❤️💚 What’s on your holiday to-read list, if you have one? (I’m hoping to get to The Plight Before Christmas and A Merry Little Meet Cute.)

  Stuffed by K. Sterling If you don’t want the magic of Christmas forever sullied by images of a horny Santa Claus who brings tidings of joy and three-ways, stop right here.  This was utterly bonkers, but brilliant. I was NOT expecting what this turned out to be. I went from What the hell am I reading, to OMG THAT IS SO SWEET IM GONNA DIE. This is in turns ridiculous (in the best way), sexy (read: absolutely filthy), and incredibly sweet and heartfelt. The tone is largely tongue-in-cheek and chock full of corn and cheese - until it gets seriously (and rather unexpectedly) sincere. I don’t know how Sterling pulled this off but it WORKS. It uses every porny cliché out there but doesn’t take itself seriously, which I think is precisely why it works.  A hilarious prologue sets the stage for a series of vignettes in which Santa grants people’s Christmas wishes. There are sexy shenanigans in them all but each of the stories has a very sweet, heartfelt happy ending. (Also? Santa...

 2022 was a year where I spent a great deal of time reading and reviewing ARCs (advance reader copies). I didn’t always get all the books I requested (Edelweiss is particularly brutal) but I did get approved for a truly amazing selection of great books.  Pictured below are most of the ARCs I received this year from NetGalley. [NetGalley only; I didn’t include the one I was sent via Edelweiss ( You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty ) or the one I got directly from an author ( Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots ).] All told, if my counting is right, I left reviews for a total of 30 books in 2022. I DNF’d (Did Not Finish) a total of 5 of them. I’m hoping to pull back on how many I request in the coming year because reading and reviewing on a deadline, no matter how much time I’m given, becomes like work and I’ve found that reading obligations put me in a reading slump. I’m much too much of a mood reader to be able to read and review to someone else’s timeline.  If you request ...

  📚  Fave Reads of 2022 Countdown  📚   🥁   🥁   🥁   🥁   🥁 #1   Something Fabulous   &  A Lady For a Duke  by Alexis Hall  I grouped these two together because I don’t know if one deserves to be ranked above the other. For me, these books are Alexis Hall doing the best work of his career. They’re very different books - SF is a hilarious, over-the-top love letter to Regency romances while ALFaD actually IS a Regency romance. (ALFaD is profoundly beautiful. And it has a declaration of love in it that rivals Darcy’s for Elizabeth Bennett.) But both books exhibit everything Hall excels at and in the most entertaining ways.  3️⃣  2️⃣  1️⃣  🎊 What did you think of my Top Ten (or thirteen) choices? Have you read any of them? Will they be on your TBR for 2023? What are some of your favorites this year?

📚 Fave Reads of 2022 Countdown 📚  #2 Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo This might actually be the first horror novel I’ve ever read and it absolutely blew me away. The writing was subtle and masterful. It was so atmospheric you could almost smell the dirt and feel the humidity in the air. The characters were so believable and well drawn it made the supernatural elements even scarier because it all felt so real. I want to read more by Lee Mandelo!!!!