2021 Reading: A Study in Emerald

 #6 A book with a gem, mineral, or rock in the title

Okay, this has me way more intrigued than I thought it would. After reading this, I want to know who these characters are. I mean... John Watson was the accomplice with the Rache which makes Sebastian Moran the side-kick for the Detective... Does that mean that the Rache is Sherlock? Or is it Moriarty? I am so interested! Is there more to this than just this one book?!?! I need to know more!

2021 Reading: Jacob's School Play

This book was adorable and I love it as the next installment to the Jacob series.

2021 Reading: Evil Thing

 #37 A book you think your best friend would like

Not only did I just want to finish off this series of books, but I also think that my friend would just really enjoy reading this book.

This book was very different from the others. Most notably because of the lack of magic in the story but also just the sheer downward spiral of the main character. This truly is the story of mental illness coming into being for this person. I don't really know why, but I think this one might have been my favorite out of all of the Disney Villain series.

2021 Reading: In a Dark, Dark Wood

 #29 A book with a black-and-white cover

Once again, I went into this with no knowledge of the plot or anything (I like doing that sometimes, it spices things up). I expected some intrigue, some backstabbing, maybe some mystery...

...What I was not expecting was the most cliche book ever written about teenage female drama ever. The plot was lackluster and predictable. The "action" was bizarre, over-the-top, and unnecessary. And the conclusion was disappointing and unfulfilling.

I checked on some sites to see what other people had to say and I found that many people shared my opinion of the book. It was well-written, but there was just something lacking when it came to plot and characters that could have made the story so much better.

Can't all be winners, I guess.

2021 Reading: Almost a Psychopath

 #3 A book that has a heart, diamond, club, or spade on the cover

This book was really very interesting to read. It read very much like a text book and I suppose that makes sense since it was written by two people from Harvard Medical School. It was very easy to follow (for a layman) and I learned some new things along with being reminded of some things that I had already learned in the past when I have studied (albeit on my own) psychopathy and sociopathy.

2021 Reading: Kissing Doorknobs

I read this book once when I was in middle school, I think. I remember that my friend Willow recommended it to me and I remember being so wowed by it. This book and the subject matter stuck with me for such a long time and I don't think I ever read a book that quite took on the subject matter of OCD like this until Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.

I don't know what reminded me of this book, I just know that it came up in conversation while I was talking with a coworker and I wanted to reread it so badly that I had to inter-library loan it from somewhere else because we didn't have a copy at our library. It's so heartbreaking but also hopeful and eye opening especially when you remember that it was written so long ago that the concept of having a name and proper diagnosis for OCD was still uncommon and the fact that it made such an impact for me after all this time really speaks highly.

2021 Reading: The Odd Sisters

 #48 A book from your TBR list chosen at random

I am determined to finish this book series this year. I love it so much so far. This book was just a tad confusing, I must admit. There were twists in here that I was not counting on and so much was revealed that it's going to take some getting used to in order for it all to make sense in my head. SO MUCH HAPPENED IN ONE TINY BOOK! I honestly don't know how it is going to go on from here or how they are going to resolve it. Or if they even can. I know the next book is about Cruella DeVille, but is there even magic in her story? How will it tie in with the rest of them? What will become of Circe and the triplets? I am so confused and yet so ready for more that I have no idea what is going through my head at any given moment when I think about these books anymore.

Can't wait!

2021 Reading: Not My Father's Son

 #4 A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign

I love Alan Cumming as an actor but I had no idea the trauma that he went through growing up. He seems like such a happy individual (and he is) that hearing the things from his past just breaks my heart and makes me grateful for my own childhood. I'm also glad that he was able to overcome it and go on to live his life and do what he wanted to do. Like I said, I'm a big fan and I hope he plans to do more in the coming years.

2021 Reading: Different Seasons

 #23 A book set somewhere you’d like to visit in 2021

I know at some point I attempted to read 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' but I don't think I ever read any of the other stories, so I figured this would be a good time to dive into this book as a whole. And since there will be no traveling at all this year, why not indulge in a fun fantasy that I will visit Maine one day and pretend that I am in a Stephen King novel.

It amazes me how the film writers turned Shawshank Redemption from this short story into a movie. I guess I can say that about most of the stories. I'm always amazed at things like that. I've never seen the movie for 'Apt Pupil' but I'm sure that it is just as good as the others.

2021 Reading: Of Human Bondage

 #41 The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list

Surprisingly, I have owned this book as well as the movie adaptation starring Bette Davis for THE LONGEST time, but have never once picked either up until this year. Now that I am done with the book, I plan to watch the movie as well and then I can scratch both off of the list.

There was a particular passage in this book near the beginning that really struck me and I knew that I needed to get it down so that I remembered it.

"[...]It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost

it; but the youth know they are wretched, for they are full of the truthless

ideals which have been instilled into them, and each time they come in

contact with the real they are bruised and wounded. It looks as if they

were victims of a conspiracy; for the books they read, ideal by the ne-

cessity of selection, and the conversation of their elders, who look back

upon the past through a rosy haze of forgetfulness, prepare them for an

unreal life. They must discover for themselves that all they have read

and all they have been told are lies, lies, lies; and each discovery is another

nail driven into the body on the cross of life." (pg. 106)

I also kept thinking about the Persian carpet that Cronshaw gave to Philip in Paris and said that it held the answer to the meaning of life but it he had to figure it out for himself otherwise the answer would be meaningless. I wracked my brain about that for so long until I suddenly, and out loud, said "IT REALLY TIED THE ROOM TOGETHER" and then immediately face-palmed with my fist. *sigh*

Despite my wanting to smack the main character in the face for his constant indecision and lack of self preservation in the face of toxic women, I really enjoyed this book.

2021 Reading: Pet Semetary

 #46 A book from your TBR list you meant to read last year but didn’t

This has actually been on my TBR list for a very long time. I watched the movie as a part of my "Shitty 80's Horror Movie" review series that I used to do for this blog (which I should totally get back into, BTW) and I knew that I wanted to read it so that I could compare them. Now I guess I have to watch the new one that came out a few years ago.

 I love King's writing so much. There's just something about it (his older stuff anyway. I've heard some things about his later stuff that make me think I wouldn't like it as much) that draws you in and makes it so you don't think you can put it down.

2021 Reading: Mother Knows Best

 #27 A book about a social justice issue

Alright, let's see if we can BS our way into making this book about social justice... Hmmm. Well, there's the part about the mother enslaving the dead to do her bidding like slavery? No? Or keeping her young daughters captive in the forest away from the rest of the world like a weird cult away from the rest of society? Still no? How about the oppressive nature of being not only a woman, but a witch in the times surrounding these types of stories where females were thought to be weak-minded and frail, unable to fend for themselves?

Yeah, I give up. Let's just say I stretched it a bit just so I could fit this book in because I wanted to read it, and I didn't really want to read a serious book about social justice issues that might bum me out because I've had enough serious shit to deal with lately as it is and I just wanted something fun.

Yeah. Let's go with that.

2021 Reading: Mistress of All Evil

 #36 A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads

I can't believe this book doesn't have more reviews. This is a fantastic book and I was hooked the moment I picked it up. Of all the villains, I think this one is the one that interests me the most and I know that the movies are out there, but I just like this storyline so much better. The way the stories are interwoven with all the rest of the Disney characters and how they all feed off of one another is fascinating. I can't wait to move on the next one and find out more.

2021 Reading: A Storm of Swords

#49 A DNF book from your TBR list

This one was originally on my 2019 list as "#34 A book that includes a wedding"

Hahahaha! See what I did there? "Includes a wedding"?

I'm hilarious.

This one took me such a long time to get through and I think it was just a bunch of medical stuff on top of another semester of school starting and I was just NOT in the mood to read at all until nearly the end of February. It was a pretty blah time. And then it was April and the show came back and I didn't want to read, so that delayed it even more I ended up reading one or two chapters while I sped through other books just to make progress on the list since I was so far behind.

Fast forward and I completely just ended up not reading anything in 2019 because of school and work and a thousand other things that kept me occupied.

But I'm finally done now... Two years later. And I am so damned confused.

2021 Reading: I Left the House Today!

 

This book feels like it was written about me. Especially for how I have been feeling lately about everything. I never want to go outside or talk to people and just getting up the energy or the wherewithal to do anything that involves any kind of exertion on my part is simply too much to bear.  

2021 Reading: Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered

 #35 A book in a different format that what you normally read (audiobooks, ebooks, graphic novels)

This book was on my reading list last year and I was so upset that I didn't get to it that I knew I needed to read it this year somehow. This seemed like the perfect way to do that since I tend to listen to podcasts or audiobooks in what little time I spend in the car or sometimes even in the shower.

I found myself laughing hysterically at this book (especially the parts that they got Paul Giamati to read). It was a bit more somber than I was thinking it would be, but considering who the authors are and the context of the stories they chose to tell, I'm not surprised. Either way, I really enjoyed it and I'm glad that I got the chance to hear them tell it in their own voices like I always do on the podcast every week.

2021 Reading: Poor Unfortunate Souls

 #31 A book that has the same title as a song

I know that I have read this book before, but since I am reading the rest in the series, I knew I wanted to read this one again so that I could have more context for the story and also have this one fresh in my mind as I go on to the rest of them. I'm very excited.

2021 Reading: Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

 

I'm really loving these cute little books that play into the destruction of gender norms with children and I am so happy that my library (with as many problems as it has) is letting our children's librarian order these books. So very happy. This was a cute story and I hope that we get even more like it as time goes on.

2021 Reading: The Beast Within

 #20 A book about do-overs or fresh starts

I have read several versions of this tale and this is one of the most interesting. I like the idea that the curse for the Beast came on gradually as his actions caused others pain so he slowly turned into the creature. Once again, the Odd Sisters play a huge part in this story and the outcome for all characters. It’s interesting that all of these tales not only take place in the same universe, but also share characters and plot lines that are important to the over all story of all the tales. I believe that’s why the Odd Sisters are so important.

2021 Reading: Hello, Red Fox

 

I had never seen this book before, but one of my coworkers told me that it was cute and that I should take a look. Totally adorbs.