Tiny Navajo Reads: The Girl Who Reads on the Metro

This was…a choice I made. I will admit, the title of the book pulled me in than I thought it would. But it shouldn’t have surprised me, books and reading and bookstores tend to be my favorite types of books to read. But here we go!

The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury

The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury

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Like I stated above, I like books about books, reading, bookstores, libraries, things like that. And when a book has that just on its front cover, I’m most likely going to read it! Very rarely do I not read it. This one, I probably could have skipped reading though.

For Juliette, our main character, she lives a perfectly normal life with a perfectly normal job and trying to just make it through life like a lot of us. She loves her commute though, her ride on the metro where she gets to read and daydream about the others on her commute and they’re reading and what their lives are like.

I think the main reason why this book didn’t strike as hard with me as other books about books and bookstores have is because of the characters themselves. Juliette, Soliman, Zaide, while they all have interesting characteristics, they don’t feel like people, or characters even. They feel more like vehicles for the story, more than anything else. There’s no real life, or feeling, or like there’s anything really going on in their lives. But if there is not going to be a lot going on plot-wise, which I don’t mind(!) mind you, there better be more going on character development wise. Which there was not. The story, the idea, was there…execution was not able to support and follow up though. Which makes me a little sad.

Stories like this, where I can see the story and how fun it could have been, make me want to write my own stories. but I know that I won’t get to that point, so I just read and enjoy what I can. And daydream about writing my own story that is inspired by stories I read that just fall a little flat.

What stories make you want to write your own? Why do they make you want to write your own?

Tiny Navajo Reads: Sleepless, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Sleepless, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by Sarah Vaughn, illustrated by Leila del Duca

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*Published July 10, 2018 by Image Comics and March 19, 2019 by Image Comics*

I saw this comic series floating over on Tumblr and it looked and sounded intriguing so I put it on hold and finally read it! I will say that I highly enjoyed it!

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Sleepless Vol. 1 and Sleepless Vol. 2 by Sarah Vaughn, illustrated by Leila del Duca

Sleepless Vol. 1

Lady “Poppy” Pyppenia is guarded by the Sleepless Knight Cyrenic, but becomes endangered when an assassin threatens her life in the new king’s reign. As Poppy and Cyrenic try to discover who wants her dead, they must navigate the dangerous waters of life at court, and of their growing feelings for one another.

Sleepless Vol. 2

Nearly a year later in the court of Harbeny, Lady Poppy and Sir Cyrenic must forge ahead without each other. Cyrenic adjusts to life after being released from the Sleepless Vow. And though Poppy has allies old and new, she buckles under the pressure to marry Lord Helder. The future looks bleak, but both Poppy and Cyrenic are fighters. Either they will claw their way out of the darkness, or take as many enemies with them as they can. This second volume of SLEEPLESS concludes the story of Poppy and Cyrenic.

I love the world that was set up in Sleepless, a world where a oath and a potion can keep people awake for all time. Being very honest, that is the best part of this world, and one of the most interesting parts of the world. A world where you can have a guard that will never fall asleep, that will always stay awake and keep you safe. There is the problem of this eventually driving people crazy, but it seems to be a small percentage of the those who take the potion and oath.

For Poppy and Cyrenic though, they have been connected this way for over three years. Three years Cyrenic has been awake and guarding Poppy, keeping her safe after she was nearly assassinated before Cyrenic took his oath. The three years are starting to show their toll on Cyrenic though, as he is starting to “drift,” a condition the Sleepless have where they start to have waking dreams because they cannot sleep. This combined with the fact that someone is trying to kill Poppy once again, things start to unravel.

It all comes to a head when Poppy’s uncle wishes her to marry his nephew in order to secure an alliance and bring legitimacy to her place in the family and his ruling of the kingdom. As Poppy and Cyrenic struggle to find a way out, not only to keep Poppy safe, but to try and explore their feelings for one another that are not longer just guard and guarded, but possibly romantic, they find that there is more going on than either thought.

I love this series and I love that there is a POC princess and she is not disfavoured because of her skin tone (as much as I could tell), but because she wasn’t necessarily considered legitimate in her father’s country. I loved that there was a world where you could take a potion and swear and oath and then no longer sleep. There are side affects and consequences to be sure, but the Sleepless would be a good guard. There are also the usual political intrigue as well as distrust that goes on in court. I do love that Poppy and her uncle’s niece actually become friends throughout the series, they don’t alway snipe at each other and strive to cause grief. Poppy truly wants to be only her friend and has no desire to take the throne from her succession. It shows that two girls, who happen to be royalty can truly be friends, not matter what other forms of media say. Love it!

I also loved Cyrenic and Poppy’s interactions. They are cute, they speak to how long they have been connected and it speaks to the trust the former king had in this knight to protect his daughter, swearing his oath to her, rather than to him and the guard and having him be part of a rotating guard for Poppy. There is a trust there that isn’t really seen anywhere else, and you can feel it! Love this series and would love to read more comics in this vein.

Tiny Navajo Reads: Skyward, Vol. 3

Skyward, Vol. 3: Fix the World by Joe Henderson

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*Published August 27, 2019*

The last in the Skyward series, we see what happens when the Willa is able to figure out all that her father wanted her to know and what it means for everyone else in the world. As Willa makes her way to Kansas City, she learns a little more than she planned on.

Willa’s faced terrifying storms, giant man-eating bugs, a deadly rebellion and a whole lot of heartbreak but nothing can prepare her for this. It’s time for Willa to fulfill her father’s last request. Time to fix the world. But a revelation will rock Willa to her core and test her in ways she never imagined possible.

SKYWARD VOL. 3 collects issues 11-15 of the hit ongoing series from writer JOE HENDERSON (showrunner of Netflix’s LUCIFER) and artist LEE GARBETT (LUCIFER, LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD).

I do believe that my review over on Goodreads sums up this last volume really well.

Okay, this series was really good, but it felt like it ended far to quickly and far to easily. I love that Willa figures out what her father wanted her to find in Kansas City, I love that Willa was able to figure out how to save Chicago from the farmers that were coming to take over it. And while I truly love all of these features, everything was really rushed in the fast chapters of this series. So, while an excellent series, the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it could be.

The only thing that I would end is that I truly wished we could have explored the ideas of the Earth losing gravity and what that actually meant for the people and the animals of the world. We got some idea of what it meant for the people in Chicago, and it was somewhat terrifying but also something I would like to experience. Granted, giant bugs are not my forte, but I’d just say in the city. But I would like to see more of the world this story is a part of. What does it mean for the Earth to lose the majority of its gravity?

 

Tiny Navajo Reads: Skyward, Vol. 2

Skyward, Vol. 2: Here There Be Dragonflies by Joe Henderson

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*Published March 5, 2019*

This second volume of Skyward picks up just about right where we left off, with Willa now trying to make her way out of Chicago to try and make her way to Kansas City. Hopefully.

Now a fugitive, Willa leaves Chicago and goes on the run! But when she takes refuge with some low-G farmers, she stumbles into a plot to attack the city. Oh, and on top of all that: giant, man-eating bugs! Maybe we should have led with that.

SKYWARD VOL. 2 collects issues 6-10 of the hit ongoing series from writer JOE HENDERSON (showrunner of Fox’s LUCIFER) and artist LEE GARBETT (LUCIFER, LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD).

Okayokayokay….giant insects!!! It makes sense, but giant insects that wish to eat me! Nopenopenope, get me out of here; I no longer wish to be a part of this world, I resign.

Okay, granted, I don’t think giant insects will ever come back, at least if the gravity doesn’t turn off here on earth, but if it does, I will be staying in the city, I will not be venturing outside of it for any reason. Unfortunately for Willa, she doesn’t have a choice. If she wants to restore gravity to the way it was, then she needs to make her way out of Chicago and try to figure out where it is her father wanted her to go. On her way to wherever she is supposed to be going, the trains stop. The trains aren’t supposed to stop and for good reason. Something which Willa and Edison find out once the doors are pushed open to see if people can figure out how to get the train moving again. INSECTS!!!! Flippin’ giant INSECTS!!!! (as you can probably tell, I have a thing for bugs that are not in their proper realm of tiny and not in my house…)

But it’s here that Willa, and we as her audience, find out more about how the cities are being kept alive now that there are giant insects roaming around the world outside of cities, and how much the cities are and have been relying on farms outside of their skyscraper realms. Only this seems far worse to me as the farms were left on their own to defend against the giant insects, something that no one in the cities really know about due to the isolation that the lessened gravity seems to have naturally enforced.

At the giant farms, a revolution seems to be brewing and it starts with taking back Chicago. By attacking Chicago with said giant bugs. Willa, being the woman that she is, decides that she can’t condone this, nor let it happen, so she does what she can in order to stop it. It convince those that live there that those in the city don’t know what’s going on out there and that there is a different way to go about this.

What I will say about this volume though is that the story seemed a bit more rushed in this volume, like things were moving far to fast to make any logical sense. Not that this is always a bad thing, but there was too much happening for it to be going in the direction it seemed to want you to think it was going. Other than the odd pacing issue, which  may be more my fault that anything, this volume is wonderfully action-packed and I do kind of wish to visit this world where gravity is low enough to fly. Though I could do without the giant bugs. Please no giant bugs!

What aspects of alternative worlds do you enjoy? What do you wish you could experience? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Listens: Manners and Monsters

Manners and Monsters (Manners and Monsters #1) by Tilly Wallace, narrated Marian Hussey

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*Published June 12, 2019*

I was desperate for another audiobook to listen to during the time my state was in shelter-in-place orders, and so thankfully my email showed me audiobook deals and I was able to get this one for a steal!

A lady never reveals the true extent of her decay…
Hannah Miles lives a quiet existence, helping her parents conduct research into a most terrible affliction – until a gruesome murder during her best friend’s engagement party pulls her from the shadows. With her specialist’s knowledge and demure disposition, Hannah is requested to aid the investigation.

Except Hannah discovers her role is to apologise in the wake of the rude and disgraced man tasked with finding the murderer. The obnoxious Viscount Wycliff thinks to employ Hannah purely as a front to satisfy Whitehall, but she’ll have none of that.

The two must work together to find the murderer before the season is ruined. But the viscount is about to meet his greatest challenge, and it’s not a member of the ton with a hankering for brains.

I love this story! I love the way that it’s written, I love Hannah and her thought process, and I love this world where zombies are definitley a thing in this world. It’s a world where magic and mystery combine to bring a world where zombies are part of the upper class; specifically upper-class women and mages.

I also love that this is a bit of a Pride and Prejudice situation almost. Hannah is called upon to chaperone a Viscount Wycliff as he investiages the murder of a servant at a the engagement party of Hannah’s best friend. It was a murder that definitely screams “zombie” what with the brain scooped out and missing. Hannah finds that she tends to apologize and mitigate the rudeness of Wycliff as he storms the homes of those women afflicted with this magical illness that kills them and then brings them back.

I love everything about this story, I love how Marian Hussey brings all the characters to life, and I love how we are kind of just dropped into the story, yet it still feels like we are able to follow along with what is going on without too much exposition. It’s a well written story, and I have fallen in love with Tilly Wallace’s writing style and characters and Marian Hussey’s way of narrating as well. I’m excited to see what she has next in her series!

What types of zombie stories do you enjoy? Which has been the best integration of zombies into “real life?” Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

Yes, I do know that I am late, but I have been doing chores around our new house and I tend to get sucked up in what I’m doing and forget the time. But here is a post! And I hope that all you guys have found something to occupy your time in isolation as well so that you’re not going completely stir crazy!

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

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*Published July 9, 2019*

This book caught my eye as I was looking for different books to read and to add to my Beat the Backlist list, and while I don’t normally do contemporary books, this one sounded just up my alley enough for me to contemplate reading it.

The author of Other People’s Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone’s radar.

Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own…shell.

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all–or mostly all–excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

I loved Nina and how much I connected with her and her love for books and being alone. I loved that she suddenly discovered her long lost family and how much she is actually like them and that she can have a family and still be Nina. I liked quite a lot about this book, but I don’t think it’ll be a book that I’ll remember much about after a few days. Still wonderful, but not game changing.

All in all, Nina and I seemed to be very similar people, at the start. If I wasn’t married, I would most likely be living in a small apartment, with all of my books, and either working in a bookstore or library. Granted, my library job right now is quite amazing, if I do say so myself. But! I would be a bit self isolating, as in I wouldn’t go out partying or clubbing all that often. I would most likely be doing what Nina is doing. At the same time though, that thought scares me just a little bit. Nina isolates herself just a little bit too much, and that is why I am actually quite glad that she finds a new family through her father’s side. She is forced to interact in some ways with all of her new family members and they, along with her persistent suitor, pull her out of her shell just a bit at a time.

Nina is an interesting character; she reminded me a lot of me, or a me that could have been at least. I will say that I read this book at the beginning or the year, or pretty close to it. I didn’t really remember much of it, and I had started writing this review once I had finished this book…a couple of months ago. And I am really glad that I did, because that it how much of an impact it didn’t leave on me. It was cute, it was fluffy, it was nice to read almost like a comfort food. So, what books are comfort books to you? Like, you just enjoyed reading them because they were fluffy and easy to read? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Bloodlust & Bonnets

Yes, I know…I said that I would let you guys know when I would miss a day of writing, but I literally just…forgot to write yesterday. So, I’m sorry! Now, onto the review!

Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern

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*Published September 17, 2019*

I was so excited when I heard that this book was coming out! I love My Life as a Background Slytherin, a webcomic written and drawn by Emily McGovern and they are just so ridiculous and I love it! YES!!!

From the creator of the hit webcomic My Life As a Background Slytherin comes a hilarious graphic novel pastiche of classic Romantic literature led by a trio of queer misfits—and several angry vampires.

Set in early nineteenth-century Britain, Bloodlust & Bonnets follows Lucy, an unworldly debutante who desires a life of passion and intrigue—qualities which earn her the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a local vampire cult.

But before Lucy can embark on her new life of vampiric debauchery, she finds herself unexpectedly thrown together with the flamboyant poet Lord Byron (“from books!”) and a mysterious bounty-hunter named Sham. The unlikely trio lie, flirt, fight, and manipulate each other as they make their way across Britain, disrupting society balls, slaying vampires, and making every effort not to betray their feelings to each other as their personal and romantic lives become increasingly entangled.

Both witty and slapstick, elegant and gory, Emily McGovern’s debut graphic novel pays tribute to and pokes fun at beloved romance tropes, delivering a joyous, action-packed world of friendship and adventure.

I love the whimsy and the ridiculousness of this graphic novel! It was fantastic and I love the three main characters, Lucy, Lord Byron, and Sham. All three are queer and all three are ridiculous and all three are trying to hunt vampires. These Regency loons are just trying to get through this world while trying to figure out what they actually want to do.

If you have ever read My Life as a Background Slytherin, then I highly recommend you read this graphic novel. It’s very similar in style (obviously), as well as just how many shenanigans and hijinks everyone gets involved in. Lucy wants to be a vampire, but she is also with Lord Byron and Sham who wish to end vampires. Lord Byron is just confused ALL  the time, he’s even confused on who the main character of this graphic novel is. Sham is lost; Sham is always lost and they seem to take this out on those around them.

All three are flawed characters, and these flaws make them relatable people. I love Lucy I want to punch Lord Byron in the face (though, this seems to be normal reaction to Lord Byron), and I want to be like Sham just a little bit. Emily McGovern is fantastic about conveying emotion and expression on nearly expressionless characters and I love it! Her art style is so unique, so it may not be your favourite. Give this book a chance though, and I do believe you’ll make a new friend, in book format.

Can a unique art style throw you off of a graphic novel? Are you able to move past it, or does it ruin the graphic novel for you? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads: Thursday Three Books Coming Out in November

Oh. My. Gosh! There are at least three books that are coming out this month that I’m very excited about! Today’s Thursday Threes are about those books!

 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

I’ve been waiting for these books for a while! And I’m super excited to be able to read them soon! What books are you waiting for this month? Will you buy them or borrow them from your local library? Comment below and let me know!

Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: Whispers of Shadow & Flame

Whispers of Shadow & Flame by L. Penelope

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*Published October 1, 2019*

I received this ARC from NetGalley. This in no way affects my thoughts on the book or the following review.

This was so good! And it’s the second in a series, which I did not expect to be able to understand, but it’s enough of a stand alone that it can be read without any previous knowledge.

The Mantle that separates the kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall. And life will drastically change for both kingdoms.

Born with a deadly magic she cannot control, Kyara is forced to become an assassin. Known as the Poison Flame in the kingdom of Lagrimar, she is notorious and lethal, but secretly seeks freedom from both her untamed power and the blood spell that commands her. She is tasked with capturing the legendary rebel called the Shadowfox, but everything changes when she learns her target’s true identity.

Darvyn ol-Tahlyro may be the most powerful Earthsinger in generations, but guilt over those he couldn’t save tortures him daily. He isn’t sure he can trust the mysterious young woman who claims to need his help, but when he discovers Kyara can unlock the secrets of his past, he can’t stay away.

Kyara and Darvyn grapple with betrayal, old promises, and older prophecies—all while trying to stop a war. And when a new threat emerges, they must beat the odds to save both kingdoms.

An excellent introduction into a world where people have Songs that granted them the ability to manipulate the elements, Darvyn and Kyara are on opposite sides of a war, where Songs are prohibited and stolen from the people to augment the powers of a corrupted king. As Darvyn works to free his people and stand up against those who are oppressing the commoners, Kyara is the king’s top assassian, a woman whose Song is so very different from those around her. Instead of life, her Song creates death. And without full control, Kyara’s Song has catastrophic consequences.

As they come together and work to free each other from their chains, we see the world through the eyes of others and how the very minutiae of this world’s political aspects has devastating consequences for all those involved.

This book was so good, and it being the second in a series, I had no troubles or issues following along with the story, the world that was created, or the characters. I loved how well-rounded Darvyn and Kyara were, as well as being able to see the world through the eyes of others who are involved in some way, shape, or form. They don’t all interact with one another, but you do see a ripple effect come through when a character does one thing that affects another.

Because of this book, I do wish to read the first one now, as well get my hands on whenever the third one comes out.♦

Tiny Navajo Listens: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, narrated by Ari Fliakos

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*Published October 2, 2012*

I love this book and the world it invokes that is focused in this one small hole-in-the-wall bookstore. It’s fantastic!

A gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life—mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.

I love this story, about a millennial looking for a job, any job really, that will pay for rent and get him some work experience. And when he finds one by walking the streets, it’s in a front desk job at a small little indie bookstore. It’s also more than a bookstore…it’s almost a cult, with weird customers showing up at the most random points of the day requesting books from the “Way Back List,” as Clay, our main character calls it. But when he starts to dig into what the “Way Back List” is and why these weird characters come in requesting these just plain weird books, he finds a lot more than he originally planned.

This book and thus the characters the books they share in a technology driven world pull you and refuse to let you out until you acknowledge that without books, we wouldn’t have technology as it is today. We wouldn’t have Google, and it plays a huge, and I mean HUGE, part in this book. I love Clay, I love Mr. Penumbra, and I love his 24-hour bookstore. I truly truly want to own his bookstore, or at least work in it! GAH! So much happiness! And I love Clay and the lengths he goes to make his employer, his friend, happy.

I love just about everything about this book and I love how Ari Fliakos brings the characters to life. I want to get to know Clay and his friends, I want to work for Mr. Penumbra and get to know his bookstore. I want to live in San Francisco and walk the hills to find little bookshops like this one. I want to do all of these things. That is what Robin Sloan’s books do to me, they make me want to charge out of my apartment in Oklahoma and find adventure in the great wide somewhere!

What do books make you want to do? How do they ask you to find adventure in your life? Comment below and let me know!