I had a big weekend.
So my book-reading count is down and this post is late.
I had a fancy Mardi Gras event in Louisiana this weekend, so my Friday post again comes on a Monday. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll find more photos than you ever wanted from the (very fun!) event. Since this post is late, I am keeping it short with just the books from the week.
Welcome to the latest issue of Reader Writer Seeker, a newsletter about books, exploring what is currently interesting to me, and my general thinker’s journal. My name is Emily, and I’d love to recommend a book. You can follow all my socials here.
Books
Currently Reading
Here is what I have going now across each format.
Hardback 📖 (I don’t currently have a hardback going!)
Kindle ䷉ As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson (Thriller. Book #3 in Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series.)
Audible 🎧 The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (Fantasy. Book #1 in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.)
Paperback 📜 The Stage Kiss by Amelia Jones (Romance. I feel like I need a palate-cleanser from fantasy for a minute.)
Non-Fiction 🤓 Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz (I am really liking this one, but I just don’t pick it up much to read, so it is slow going.)
Reviews: Last Week’s Completed Books
Argylle by Elly Conway (Thriller): This book made headlines because it was optioned and made into a movie before the book was even released AND Swifties are convinced that Taylor Swift wrote this book under a nom de plume (all those associated with the project promise Swift did NOT write it). Argylle is the title character and a vagabond turned CIA spy. He is recruited after an accidental run-in with some agents. His first CIA assignment means he is working with an already established team with some existing trust issues. As the team travels the world to keep a Russian billionaire from fulfilling campaign promises, Argylle solves problems along the way. This was a fun adventure, but it was slow to get there in the beginning. I do look forward to future books in the series, though. I read the hardback version of this book. ★★★☆☆ {completed 1.20.24}
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (Fantasy): Book #6 in the series. Book #5, Empire of Storms, left us on a big cliffhanger, so I was very anxious to pick up Book #6. Then I realized that this book covers the same time period as Book #5, but follows what happens with Chaol and Nesryn, while introducing us to some new characters. This is definitely one of the slower-paced novels in this series and I don’t love the Chaol character, so this book wasn’t a favorite for me. I read the Kindle version of this book. ★★★☆☆ {completed 1.21.24}
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Fantasy): In the early 1700s, Addie makes a deal with a literal devil to escape an arranged marriage and a predictable life in the small French village where she was born. What she didn’t realize in the semantics of the deal is that she would be forgotten by everyone she encounters throughout her now immortal life. Then, 300 years later, she meets a man who remembers her and things change for her. This book bounces us through events over the 300 years as Addie experiences historical events, lives meeting the same people over and over again, influences great artists along the way, and grows dependent on her relationship with the dark god who pops in and out of the narrative. Her life is hard and heartbreaking, but exciting and interesting. I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio version of this book. ★★★★☆ {completed 1.23.24}
Anyway…
And that’s what I was into last week and over the weekend.
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