A Cuppa Cosy Reads – March 2023

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the month of March really dragged by. I’m not sure what it was about it, but it was just slow moving…and not in a good way! I honestly don’t know what to really say about my reading- it was alright, but I feel like none of my ratings are really sticking- they may change over time, they may not. But here we are- I read a total of 7 books and gave an average rating of 3.43 and wow is that average beyond average. Let’s get into it. 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas – 3.5 Stars This was my second time reading this and once again, I found it alright. Having read her other works, I can definitely tell this is a debut (and to be honest- I only set out trying to read this series as to how it will potentially tie in to her other two series). I enjoyed it, but I will say- I DNF’d the second book in the series and I don’t know that I’ll be trying again…in all honesty I’ll probably watch some review/spoiler videos/blog posts to get my information about this series at this point. 

The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell – 3 Stars. This was ok- standard fantasy romance, not quite enemy to lovers, but along those lines. I will say- as of writing this review, I read this book not quite a week ago and I’m struggling to remember any further thoughts about this book. So maybe that says something.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano – 3 Stars I feel like this series had a strong start, a stronger second book, but has lost readers a bit in this third book. I enjoyed it, but also felt bored at moments (this is a theme for the first half of the month I suppose). I’m glad I got it from the library and while I will probably check out the fourth book when it comes out, I don’t think I would go much further past that. It’s losing steam across the board. 

A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers – OOF I don’t know what I rate this one. I was so intrigued by this book, and it started off so strong, but then it just…withered and died- like our main character would do I imagine. There was just so much…I don’t know, dynamic missing in this whole book. It felt so flat, and I don’t know if that is because we are reading from a self-proclaimed psychopath or if the author was not able to engage the reader in a meaningful way- as we should have had such a great book from this premise.  

Planning Perfect by Haley Neil – 4.5 Stars – I really enjoyed this book. This is a YA contemporary romance that features a Jewish main character on the ace spectrum with an anxiety disorder. To be honest this felt very much like if Gilmore Girls was Jewish and queer. I loved it. I’ll have more to talk about in a Jewish Literature Edition, but again- a big hit! 

Skyward Flight by Brandon Sanders – 4 Stars Oh Brandon Sanderson has me wrapped around his finger. At this point, I just pre order whatever it is that he’s publishing, and I ask questions about those decisions later. This is a collection of short stories that are set in the Skyward world. I love Skyward and I loved this collection and being about to read other perspectives from some of my favorite side characters. And it got me back in to the world- now eagerly waiting for the next full book in the series!

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murder by Jesse Q Sutanto – 4 Stars I’m really liking the adult comedy of error stories that Jesse is publishing. She really has a way with them that allows them to be funny, for the reader to suspend their beliefs, and just enjoy the ride. This is the third that I’ve read now, and I’ve loved every single one. 

And that’s it! I did DNF two books, though one I do plan on picking back up (when it’s not just me in the house). I DNF’d Simone St. James Silence for the Dead- I think this was on its way to being great, it just wasn’t quite doing that for me. Especially after reading The Book of Cold Cases, which was much eerier and dread inducing. I also DNF’d Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. I hope to pick this one back up once my husband is back- as it is definitely unnerving, but also because I need to wrap my head around the main characters POV. So, all in all I think a good month, if not as strong as my prior ones. Looking forward to April, which has already been strong!

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A Cuppa Cosy Reads – February 2023

Wow oh wow did February just blow me out of the water. Not only was it a busy one in real life, but it was a busy reading month too! I somehow managed to read a total of 10 books (insert a woah face here). Not only was it a whopper of an amount, but my average rating was a 4.125. Not too bad for a month I’ll say! I’m really hoping that this is a sign of a continued good reading year ahead of me- I was excited about every book I picked up, intrigued to read them, and just devoured books in a way that I haven’t in a long time. Let’s talk about them. 

Small Game by Blair Braverman 3.5 Stars – This is a book about contestants that are on a wilderness challenge game show. Think…oh I don’t know The Challenge or Naked and Afraid, but the production and camera crew just disappear halfway through. You follow the contestants as reality well and truly starts to set in. I enjoyed this one, even if I had this weird incomplete sense while and after reading it. 

Crave by Tracy Wolff 3 Stars – I picked this one up and while I don’t regret it, I definitely think that this…story didn’t end up working for me. I don’t know if it was too much of the play off of Twilight, or if it was just an overall feeling of “too much” for me, but it just didn’t work out. We are following a girl who has lost her parents as she relocates to a school where…not everyone is human. 

Chain of Thorns by Cassandra Clare 5 Stars This concluding book to this trilogy was incredible. Such highs, such lows, such a ride from start to finish. The past few months has seen me really fall back into Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter World and I’m not mad about it- especially with these later novels and trilogies. 

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn 4 Stars I picked this up on a whim- I wanted to see if I would even enjoy the books- as Bridgerton the show is one of my favorites, but I was pleasantly surprised. I feel like the romance came on a bit suddenly, but it’s all in good fun. There definitely was some spice too, which I don’t know if I thought would be there – I figured Netflix embellished, but nope. 

*** The next three books I read as part of a read 3 books in a 3 day weekend challenge- you can read a little snippet HERE or catch the full “vlog” on my Instagram (@acuppacosy)***

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna – 5 Stars This was like a cozy cup of good tea- just a wonderful way to spend an afternoon) and yes, I read it in an afternoon). I heard someone say this was a “soft place to land” and I couldn’t agree more. This is just a good one. 

Radiant Sin by Katee Robert 4.5 Stars Wow oh wow, somehow, I go into each one of these wondering…what can we do this time and each time it stuns me. I highly recommend these if you need something a little (or a lot depending on your preference) spicy, quick/captivating, and fun to read. Modern reimagining’s of Greek myths (heavy on the re-imagining).

Finley Donovan Knocks Em Dead by Elle Cosimano 5 Stars Ok, wow what a difference book two makes in a series! I found the first book to be OK- in fact the main character just irritated me for a third of the book, but that was not the case in this second book. I loved it! I don’t know if it was actually better, or if we just didn’t need all the groundwork that the first book provided. 

I Survived the Nazi Invasion by Lauren Tarshis & I Survived the Nazi Invasion Graphic Novel by Georgia Ball NR I read both this one and the next for a middle grade/juvenile edition of Jewish Literature (hence the no rating) and found these to be alright. I don’t really know what to expect from middle grade literature as I feel like it’s so catered to each individual child and their own concepts of reality- as well as the parents and their parenting philosophies. As a Jewish child, I was intimately familiar with a lot of aspects of The Holocaust that I would venture to say my non-Jewish peers were not. So, while these were good and they do tell a story of a part of The Holocaust (and a good one for children to read), I don’t know that I would rely on this to teach or talk to my children about The Holocaust. 

Linked by Gordon Korman NR I’ll keep my thoughts on this brief, but I found this to be such a good read- age appropriate, content appropriate, and very good at tying history, to modern life, to children, to society and to Judaism. This book is a great jumping off point for a wide variety of conversations, not just about Judaism and Jew Hatred, but also about racism, history, and people. 

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton 3 Stars This book was…ok. It was fine. A woman’s society of pirates, with flying houses, dry humor, and a tie to the Bronte’s? Sounds great! I don’t know what about this missed the mark for me, but it was a combination of probably a couple of things (the romance not being swoonish, the ending seemingly dragging, the plot being second…second to what though I couldn’t tell you). 

And that’s it! Like I’ve already shared- these first two months of the year have me really excited for what this year will hold for me in books and reading.

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