Tag: fiction

September reads, 2025

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September was a month with one birthday party (and baking for it) and one Sunday spent fully with my (adult) kids, a bit of shopping, eating and a concert in the evening. A regular reading month, though “only” 11 books, but some rather long ones in the mix, like Murakami’s Kafka and 1Q84 books 1-2 (one volume).

  • Midnight in Everwood, by M. A. Kuzniar – a retelling of Nutcracker, quite enjoyable, while maybe not exquisite
  • A Dark and Secret Magic, by Wallis Kinney – witches and warlocks, secrets and danger, love and courage, the perfect mix for a rather perfect book
  • Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami – maybe Murakami’s best known book, been in my library for some years, waiting for me to be in the mood. Great read, with its parallel universes kind of magical realism that only slightly twists the brain, but not too much
  • The Queens of Renthia trilogy: Queen of Blood, The Reluctant Queen, The Queen of Sorrow, by Sarah Beth Durst – where the spirits are torn between wanting to build and wanting to kill humans, only a powerful queen can keep them in control. A story with tragedy, love, hope, and deception. Loved it💜
  • 1984, by George Orwell – I was surprised by how much I liked this despite my prejudices. Excellent book about politics, power greed and human psychology
  • The Witch is Back, by Sophie H. Morgan – first of a series, a witchy romance. Cozy sweet read.
  • 1Q84 books 1-2 and book 3, by Haruki Murakami – inspired by 1984, though the connection is very loose. Magical realism, the best of Murakami in my opinion, excellently woven parallel stories with just a bit of mind twisting and suspence
  • Accomplice to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer – just can’t get enough of Evie, Trystan et al! The mystery of the prophesy unravels slowly, as does the romance between Evie and Trystan, but there is more deception and destruction to come! One more (at least, you never know with these nincompoops, as the author stated) book to come, need to wait a year for it 😭

Sept. 13, I’m halfway through George Orwell’s 1984. I don’t exactly know how I avoided it in school, but I did, and it really never interested me; I was sure it would just infuriate and disgust me so I’ve been avoiding it until now. I’ve had a copy in my library for some years now, though, and the reason I’m reading it now is the reason I bought it to begin with: Murakami’s 1Q84, which is now next up on my TBR. So gotta read 1984 first.

I’m actually finding it an intriguing read. It resonates but is sufficiently distanced from reality that it reads like any dystopia, no more sinister than that even though a whole lot of the stuff IS reality to some extent. I found myself thinking that e.g. the Cancel Culture people should read it – but then immediately thought, just like Winston: they wouldn’t listen to him. I can relate to Winston in his musings on many levels, and he puts my ultimate feeling in words with the notion: “I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY.”

I think I wouldn’t have known how to appreciate the book when I was young. I think it’s better I didn’t get to it until I had a few more years behind me.

Sept. 20, At the end of 1984, I still did not understand the WHY. “Power” as a “why” makes zero sense to me. Anyway, it surprised me a bit how much I liked the book, despite my heavy prejudices. Those prejudices had leaked somewhat to my expectation of Murakami’s 1Q84, due to the connection, but at least that slate was wiped clean, then. I had put off reading 1Q84 for twofold reasons, fueled by its 1984 connection: 1) I “needed” to read 1984 first, 2) it’s long and what if I can’t stand it? I hate to DNF books.

Well, now I’ve finished book 1 of 3, and I have to say it is probably my favorite work of Murakami’s. The parallel universe twist is subtle enough to tickle the brain while not fully twisting it, the two stories are being woven together masterfully, one tiny strand at a time, and it is highly intellectual and intelligent, a real treat to one’s mind. The connection to 1984 is more inspirational than a real connection, but having read it, helps understand many of 1Q84’s nuances that might otherwise be lost on the reader.

As it goes, I select the books I read at any given time purely by mood, current interest, feeling, inspiration – and it pays off to listen to that and not try to push. Time was ripe for these two works now, and I am fully enjoying my experience!

Sept. 27, ”Someone once said unless you have those kind of opportunities [being in jail or having to hide out for a long time], you can’t read the whole of Proust.” – 1Q84, book3 (Haruki Murakami)

Well, I’ve certainly never even looked at Proust, doubt I ever will, but I definitely am enjoying these 3 books of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

July reads, 2025

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July, the summer vacation month. 4 weeks off work, and while I did a whole lot of stuff (we even had a guest for two weeks), I still found more time to read than during work days. So 16 books, a bit shy of 6000 pages. More print than digital (because more time to read during daytime since I read Kindle mostly in bed), a bit more non-fiction than average, a bit more in Finnish than average, multiple first books of a new trilogy/series. A good reading month all in all.

  • Helikopterilääkäri, by Heini Harve-Rytsälä – my goddaughter-colleague (whom I don’t know, though have met maybe a few times when we were kids) is a first-responder doctor on a medical helicopter and this is her book about what it’s like. Emotional, wonderful, heart-wreching book. I look at the yellow chopper zooming accross the sky above us multiple times a day with different eyes now, silently wishing “good luck, Heini!” every time it passes, for I know she’s on board that one on her shifts.
  • Enchantra, by Kaylie Smith – book 2 of the Phantasma trilogy, and kinda like more of the same, but not quite. A surprising ending, did not see THAT coming! Enjoyable, dark and sinister read.
  • The Baby Dragon Cafe, by A.T. Kureshi – had to take on something lighter after those previous books and this fisrt book of a magical realism (with dragons 💜) romance series was just the thing. I loved the sweetness of the book! For once people were who they said they were and families were supportive not manipulative, and you know, a hopeful and positive story with HEA.
  • Wishes Most Foul, by Emma MacDonald – dark academy with lots of magic in it. Also begins a series or maybe a trilogy, even though the book comes to a satisfying end and the next book seems to be a fully new mystery related but not dependent. Liked this one a lot.
  • Ystävänä jänis, by Chloe Dalton (orig. Raising Hare) – such a heart-warming true story of Dalton raising and befriending a baby hare without trying to tame it; she strives to maintain the hare’s ability to return to the nature. And how it all changed the way Dalton looks at the world and nature.
  • Servant of Earth, by Sarah Hawley – a fay story, kinda the usual where a young human girl ends up in the fay world one way or another and, well, you know. Needs to strive, conquer and become something more than mere human to survive. Book 1 of a trilogy, left me hanging for sure!
  • The Rushworth Family Plot, by Claudia Gray – book 4 of the Jonathan Darcy & Miss Tilney Austen-inspired mysteries. Very Austeny, witty and enjoyable, and really: will those two ever get each other??
  • Unnatural Magic, by C.M. Waggoner – we have a highly British society in a fully made up world where trolls are at the top of the food chain, and a girl whose magic it too much for the traditional men, but she doesn’t let it stop her. Also, the troll who doesn’t quite fit in, and an army deserter, and the mystery of troll killings. Curious and intriguing, verbally playful and fun.
  • Miksi lakkasimme lukemasta? by Riie Heikkilä – an academic study about the reasons people (of lower classes) don’t read (so much) anymore, and/or what they DO read. Interesting sociological study, which left me thinking and even questioning some of the study which in my opinion was still a very highlevel bare scratch of the surface, so I wrote a whole blog post about it.
  • The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry, by C.M. Waggoner – loosely connected to Unnatural Magic, as in the love interest of the protagonist is the daughter of the troll and the soldier from the first book. A completely stand-alone mystery, which I actually liked way more than that first book.
  • The Undoing of Violet Claybourne, by Emilie Critchley – a gothicy story of tragedy, manipulation, and the need to fit in, to be accepted. Sinister and full of dark secrets and ruthless schemes, that make for a story that holds you in its grips to the very end. Yes, I enjoyed it very much.
  • Karvaisia kohtaloita, by Mikael Ilves – Ilves was a veterinarian (and actually treated my grandma’s dog too and once gave a full check-up to my stuffed doggo too 😄) who saw so much that he compiled a couple books with stories of pets he treated during his career. Some of them sweet, some of them tragic (the humans!), some of them simply outrageous!
  • Book Lovers, by T.B. Markinson (and Miranda MacLeod) – literary themed story about finding love and yourself. Sweet and cute with a twist or two and a HEA, but somehow the book was constructed in a way that every 20% I was wondering how the book can still go on instead of wrapping up in a chapter or two. So maybe not exactly the most thrilling of books, but nice, to use the bland word intentionally.
  • When the Moon Hatched, by Sarah A. Parker – definitely thrilling, on the other hand. Also begins a trilogy, and left off on a cliffhanger. I have high hopes that I might enjoy the next book(s) even better, since this was one of those cases where I love the book while really not liking the protagonist much; she starts to unravel a bit in the end so maybe she’s less annoying in the next book.
  • Upon a Frosted Star, by M.A. Kuzniar – the cursed woman and the smitten artist. Loosely based on the Swan Lake. I loved the story, the slow unraveling of the history and mystery of the swan lady, but if it had been a print book, I’d have thrown it in the end. Friggin’ ending killed me! And still I went and dowloaded another book by the same author…
  • Ariadne, by Jennifer Saint – a retelling of the story of Ariadne and a bit her sister Phaedra. Of the Minotaur and Theseus, mingled in with Dionysus and a bunch of other Greek mythology. the way the stories weave into each other. Excellent book, ethereal and dreamy while full of godly mischief and tragedy.

July 6, Popping into our local bookstore yesterday I found this book, Ystävänä jänis (orig. Raising Hare) by Chloe Dalton. I have always been a huge fan of rabbits of all kinds; our home is full of them in all different forms (items, that is, not live ones; I’ve a couple live bunnies too, when I was young). Such a lovely book this is 💜🐰 a bit of an interlude between my fantasy-gorging 😄

February reads, 2025

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I had my winter break again in Feb and a friend asked if I read a book a day again. Nope, not this time. H was on vacation too, and I had some other little interests and things to do almost daily in addition to reading – some arts and crafts, going out to see my kids, helping H with the furniture building etc. Perhaps 14 books is a bit more than a regular month, especially when it’s a shortie month, but more or less a normal reading month for me.

  • Started the month with the sweet middle schooler story The Lost Library (by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass). It was, well, sweet. A story of books and friends and family. And a bit of mystery.
  • Nicole Scarano’s Autopsy of a Fairytale series was the obsession of the month – absolutely devoured it!
  • Murakami is Murakami. Norwegian Wood surprised me as it has nothing paranormal in it, whereas Dance Dance Dance obviously is one of the bizarre Murakamis, though not as the first book of the duology, the mindbending as The Wild Sheep Chase.
  • Emily Wilde trilogy came to its finale in the Compendium of Lost Tales, a delight, as expected!
  • Brynne Weaver’s Butcher & Blackbird dark romance series was, well, I don’t know. I think I gave them four stars – I liked them, while not the mentality of vengeance and vigilance so much.
  • The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw was spellbinding, I recommend!
  • Fred Astaire’s Steps in Time is definitely worth reading; an intriguing tale of showbiz from theaters to the movies, in a time so different from ours
  • The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, by James Patterson, ended the month promptly at 21:30 on the last evening of February. A collection of stories from a myriad of people working with people and books, books and people.

After reading the sweet middle schooler story “The Lost Library”, I switched to something a bit darker: Nicole Scarano’s Autopsy of a Fairytale, which starts a series that goes by that same name. Deliciously dark, in an intriguing and not at all cruel or ugly kind of a way despite the theme, the unreal crimes and whatnot. I mean, if a story has an important dog, a pitbull, it can’t be unlikeable. Though dogs didn’t remedy John Wick for me. Still. So anyway, I started the first book, took a liking, and went and bought the three next ones plus book #5 that will come out in March.

Feb 11, I finished book #4, that ended in a goddanmn cliffhanger and I need to wait for several weeks (but hey, at least not a year) to continue the story of Bel and Eamon!

On the other hand, the long-awaited book #3 of the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett arrived in my Kindle today, so perfect timing for that!

Feb 28, I finished Patterson’s The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians. So many times while reading these accounts, I wondered if I should be a bookseller. My dream is to own a book café – books, coffee & tea, cozy living room away from home – but I don’t think that’ll ever happen unless I happen to win the lottery (and I don’t even buy the tickets 😀 ).

The only thing that mystified me throughout the book was all them patrons TALKING with the sellers and librarians, interacting and forming relationships. As a teen, I devoured everything in the local libraries, popping in to return read books and check out a pile of new ones weekly, if not multiple times a week. I have no recollection of speaking with any librarians, like ever. At least not beyond any necessities at the counter or so. Same when I visit bookstores.

And then, just today, I realized there are at least SOME exceptions to this for me, too, when I returned to the bookstore I frequent on my way home from work. They have recently done some amazing reorganizing of the store, with a bigger and more enticing English books section, a little sofa nook next to it, and the overall look and feel is more spacious and alluring now. I just HAD to tell them this – and ended up discussing the Belladonna series I was holding in my arms with the clerk too. She hadn’t read it yet, and we agreed that the covers were beautiful, hopefully a true reflexion of the story, “you should come back and tell me how you liked it”. I found myself mumbling that I will (seriously, got me confused, not knowing how to respond), and thinking to myself, oh ok, this kind of interaction actually DOES happen for real!

January reads, 2025

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I ended up reading a lot more than I expected what with all sorts of other stuff going on during weekends and a busy month at work.

  • Holly Black was a bit of a disappointment – I expected more enchantment, but the books were all deception, scheming, violence, and ugliness (meaning the atmosphere etc.).
  • Deanna Raybourn – Lady Julia Grey was not quite as fabulous as the Veronica Speedwell series was, but excellent reads in their own right.
  • Emily Henry is nothing if not guaranteed feel-good.
  • Paris Hilton’s story is, I don’t know. I have no words. Just read it.
  • Lola Glass’s supernatural smutty romance stories were quite fun.