Currently Reading and my TBR for September!

Now that I finally have internet connection and life has settled down I can start posting again! For those of you that do not know, I just started my first year as a PhD student in Political Science and I am working as a TA. The reading is insane but I am loving it so far. Later in the semester I will post about some of the books I will be reading (there are fifteen so far for my courses and one for the course I'm TAing).

In the meantime, I am attempting to keep up with my own personal reading and writing. I am working on two separate manuscripts that I started earlier this year on top of the second book in my fantasy series. One is a contemporary YA novel while the other is developing into a high fantasy. I am so excited about both of them! I'll try to write some fiction writing posts before the end of the year.

Here are the books that I plan on getting to in the coming month.

Title: Nevernight
Author: Jay Kristoff
Page Count: 427
Keywords: Magic, Cats, Murder
Genre: Fantasy
Younger Readers: Not for young children. Some sex and language present so far. Teens and older would likely be the appropriate audience.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escaped her father's failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father's former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic--the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she'll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church's halls, the bloody secrets of Mia's past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let along her revenge?

Thoughts so far:

I am only about 10% into this book so far but it is AMAZING! It is highly addictive and enchanting. I've already cried once. I understand why so many people have been raving about this one!

Title: It
Author: Stephen King
Page Count: 1156
Keywords: Magic, Fantasy, Classic, Adventure
Genre: Horror
Younger Readers: Classic Stephen King with language, sex, and other adult content

Synopsis from Goodreads:

To the children, the town was their whole world. To the adults, knowing better, Derry, Maine was just their home town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part. A good place to live.

It was the children who saw - and felt - what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes IT reached up, seizing, tearing, killing . . .

The adults, knowing better, knew nothing.

Time passed and the children grew up, moved away. The horror of IT was deep-buried, wrapped in forgetfulness. Until they were called back, once more to confront IT as IT stirred and coiled in the sullen depths of their memories, reaching up again to make their past nightmares a terrible present reality.

Thoughts so far:

I have read the first couple of hundred pages and it is definitely enjoyable. Creepiness and thoughtful backstories abound. However, it is just going very slowly. I'm hoping to finish up soon since I started reading this one in May.

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Page Count: 705
Keywords: Magic, Fantasy, Revenge, Family, Soulmates
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Younger Readers: Based on previous novels in this series, sex and language are present

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.


***I also have about a two hour commute every day so I have been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks read by Jim Dale. I just started Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire***

You by Caroline Kepnes

Title: You
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Page Count: 422
Rating: A
Keywords: Thriller, Stalking, Mystery, Twisted
Genre: Fiction
Younger Readers: Absolutely not for children. Sexual content, drugs, stalking, and language.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

My Review:

This book was dark, twisted, and absolutely disturbing. That being said, it is also addictive and completely intriguing. It is better to go into this one without knowing too much about the plot. Just know that this is not even remotely appropriate for children and will probably make you uncomfortable at least once!

I read this book at the beginning of 2017 while on vacation with my now fiance (yay!). He would read passages over my shoulder and be completely weirded out but also grudgingly interested. That says a lot. He is typically a self admitted high fantasy genre only reader. This is one of the most awkward books to recommend to someone because the content is so intense at times but completely worth the roller coaster of emotions.

Characters are all flawed in extreme ways and Carline Kepnes does an amazing job of writing them so fully that they feel real. Joe's mental state is never played up too much that it feels comical. She perfectly maintains a feeling of realness that will have you afraid to walk alone for weeks.

If you enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and truly engrossing books check out this novel. You will be sucked in immediately and feel very awkward recommending this to your friends and family. But you totally should.

Bonus, Lifetime is developing this book into a television show with Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley playing Joe Goldberg. Check out the book before you watch the show.

Mystery Monday! Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

Title: Career of Evil
Author: Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)
Page Count: 492
Rating: A
Keywords: Private Investigator, Amputation, Serial Killer
Genre: Mystery
Younger Readers: Stalking, murder, sexual assault, and language all present

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Cormoran Strike is back, with his assistant Robin Ellacott, in a mystery based around soldiers returning from war.

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them…

Career of Evil is the third in the series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A mystery and also a story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.

My Review:

Oh goodness gracious I loved this book! We get to see so much more of Robin in this book and, no surprise really, but she is a complete and total bad ass.

Sometimes mysteries are clear cut from the beginning. As you read along it is possible to pick out whatever the answers are before the big reveal at the end. These can be satisfying at times, or just plain boring at others. Boy oh boy this book was the polar opposite. In the nearly 500 pages I thought I had figured out who had sent the severed leg at least half a dozen times, only for my theory to be completely destroyed several paragraphs later.

Along with playing with your own personal sleuthing skills, this book is great at messing with your own emotions and perceptions. Any time I would think I knew exactly how I felt about a certain topic, then something would be written that just left me completely confused. 

While The Cuckoo's Calling and The Silkworm both possessed darker elements that verged on creepy, this book is on a whole other level.

If you are looking for a truly engaging read that will consume your life, give this one a go. 

Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Wicked
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Page Count: 300
Rating: A
Keywords: New Orleans, Fae, Supernatural, Apocalypse
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Younger Readers: Detailed sexual content, older readers only

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

My Review:

If you are familiar with Jennifer L. Armentrout's books then you know that you are in for a fun read. The stories are always fast paced and engaging with intriguing paranormal elements throughout. Wicked did not disappoint in the regard at all.

Ivy is a relatable character that never comes across as whiny. I felt that she was a fun mix between the romance stereotype of helpless girl and the steely hard heroine I would expect in some dystopian. She has her moments, but she is far more kick-ass than a damsel in distress.

Our male leads are the hot but troubled Ren and the feisty pixie Tink. No, this isn't a love triangle. Both characters add to Ivy's character is delightful ways, showing her strength and compassion. Tink also is a great source of comic relief for the potentially heavy story line of the apocalypse.

Last week I reviewed Fifty Shades of Grey and mentioned that the sex scenes were surprisingly awkward for the book being such a popular erotica novel. Wicked has fewer full sex scenes but the build and tension between Ivy and Ren was far sexier than I would have expected.

If you are looking for a fun read and maybe want to start a trilogy you should definitely give this book a try. It is fun, fast paced, and hot.

Mystery Monday! The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

Title: The Silkworm
Author: J. K. Rowling as Robert Galbraith
Page Count: 455
Rating: B
Keywords: London, Writers, Murder, Sadism
Genre: Mystery
Younger Readers: This is not Harry Potter. Sex, murder, drugs, alcohol, and other inappropriate content is pervasive. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Private investigator Cormoran Strike returns in a new mystery from Robert Galbraith, author of the #1 international bestseller The Cuckoo's Calling.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning that there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.

When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before...

My Review:

I will fully admit to being obsessed with The Cuckoo's Calling a few years ago. That was an amazing start to a new series and restored my faith in J. K. Rowling's ability to write engaging fiction for adults. I had previously attempted to read her novel A Casual Vacancy. That attempt was several years ago and my bookmark is still sitting at the halfway point.

When I picked up this sequel I had high hopes and this may have been why I did not rate The Silkworm as highly as its predecessor. The mystery was twisted and creepy, a trait that I adore in my mysteries. Cormoran kept the story alive and continued to fill his role well. The real change for my reading experience was his assistant, Robin. Not only does she feel more present throughout, but her growing interactions and relationship with Strike added interest to the story and quickly made her my new favorite character.

For what I did not like, this mystery was just so drawn out. I was engaged and desperately wanted to know who the murderer was and how it had even occurred that I sped through the chapters. However, I began to notice that there certainly were not enough pages left to wrap it up satisfyingly. And sure enough the ending left something to be desired. All questions were answered too quickly. It was just plopped in front of the reader, wrapped in a pretty bow. I wanted more investigation, more of a slow reveal. This was my main complaint.

If you have read The Cuckoo's Calling and enjoyed it, then by all means pick up this sequel. It is satisfying enough and great fun to read that it is unlikely you'll regret the journey. If you have not read The Cuckoo's Calling get to reading! It is truly an amazing mystery series and fully illustrates Rowling's world building capabilities and skill with character development.

Check back next Monday for my review of Career of Evil, book three in Rowling's Cormoran Strike series. Hint: it was amazing.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey
Author: E. L. James
Page Count: 530
Rating: C
Keywords: Twilight, Love, Sex, BDSM
Genre: Erotica Fiction
Younger Readers: Not for children, check the genre

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

My Review:

Alright...this book came out when I was in high school and plenty of people raved about it when I was an undergrad. A friend even loaned me all of the books at one point to try and get me to read them. I stubbornly resisted until this year. After watching the movie adaptations of the books I found myself curious enough to give the books a try.

I am sure you have heard that this started out as Twilight fan fiction. I absolutely loved Twilight as a teenage girl. It was my obsession. Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely similar in a lot of aspects but I almost found it harder to get into this book. The first one hundred pages or so were a bit on the boring side and the writing felt amateurish. Part of me wanted to just give up but I kept on reading.

Luckily, the writing did improve and I actually came to like some aspects of the book. Anastasia was awkwardly entertaining with her internal goddess, and there were even moments where she was weirdly relatable. At times the romance between her and Christian was interesting, but overall the scenes that were meant to be steamy just felt awkward and a bit much. Even with my very limited experience reading romance and erotica, I have seen much better romantic scenes.

I certainly did not love this book but I by no means am going to discourage anyone from reading it. With how many of my friends loved this book, I think it is definitely worth checking out. If you loved Twilight, or are just looking for a somewhat predictable book then check this one out. I am still debating reading Fifty Shades Darker. I have heard it was better and incorporates a mystery. I'll keep y'all updated if I do.

Reading List for School

As some of you may have noticed by now, I am a grad student! I graduated last month with my MA in International Security. Grad school comes with endless reading, constant writing, and many exhausted days but I am studying something I find completely fascinating and so it brings me great joy.

I decided to share the two books that I had to read for one of my favorite courses. First, the class was about emerging powers in the international system and how shifts in the system can alter world order. We focused on many different countries that are rising in power and influence, but I always gravitated towards writing about and researching Russia. If you're new here, Russian culture and language are sort of my passion.

So here are two books that we read and a few notes on them if you're interested in international relations or any related fields. And just because I have read these books does not mean that I agree with the authors' views. Political Science involves exposure to many different views and evaluating them on your own.

Title: World Order
Author: Henry Kissinger
Page Count: 374
Younger Readers: Just note that this was read for a graduate level course. Content was not graphic in any way but it could be difficult for a child to comprehend both the vocabulary and scope of the subject matter.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Henry Kissinger offers in World Order a deep meditation on the roots of international harmony and global disorder. Drawing on his experience as one of the foremost statesmen of the modern era—advising presidents, traveling the world, observing and shaping the central foreign policy events of recent decades—Kissinger now reveals his analysis of the ultimate challenge for the twenty-first century: how to build a shared international order in a world of divergent historical perspectives, violent conflict, proliferating technology, and ideological extremism.

There has never been a true “world order,” Kissinger observes. For most of history, civilizations defined their own concepts of order. Each considered itself the center of the world and envisioned its distinct principles as universally relevant. China conceived of a global cultural hierarchy with the Emperor at its pinnacle. In Europe, Rome imagined itself surrounded by barbarians; when Rome fragmented, European peoples refined a concept of an equilibrium of sovereign states and sought to export it across the world. Islam, in its early centuries, considered itself the world’s sole legitimate political unit, destined to expand indefinitely until the world was brought into harmony by religious principles. The United States was born of a conviction about the universal applicability of democracy—a conviction that has guided its policies ever since.

Now international affairs take place on a global basis, and these historical concepts of world order are meeting. Every region participates in questions of high policy in every other, often instantaneously. Yet there is no consensus among the major actors about the rules and limits guiding this process, or its ultimate destination. The result is mounting tension.

Grounded in Kissinger’s deep study of history and his experience as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, World Order guides readers through crucial episodes in recent world history. Kissinger offers a unique glimpse into the inner deliberations of the Nixon administration’s negotiations with Hanoi over the end of the Vietnam War, as well as Ronald Reagan’s tense debates with Soviet Premier Gorbachev in Reykjavík. He offers compelling insights into the future of U.S.–China relations and the evolution of the European Union, and examines lessons of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Taking readers from his analysis of nuclear negotiations with Iran through the West’s response to the Arab Spring and tensions with Russia over Ukraine, World Order anchors Kissinger’s historical analysis in the decisive events of our time.

Provocative and articulate, blending historical insight with geopolitical prognostication, World Order is a unique work that could come only from a lifelong policymaker and diplomat.  


Title: The Second World- How Emerging Powers are Redefining Global Competition in the Twenty-First Century
Author: Parag Khanna
Page Count: 341
Younger Readers: This one would be easier to grasp than World Order with easier concepts and language. However, references to prostitution and other illegal activity might not be appropriate for young children. High school age should be fine, perhaps some mature middle school aged children.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In The Second World, scholar Parag Khanna, chosen as one of Esquire’s 75 Most Influential People of the Twenty-First Century, reveals how America’s future depends on its ability to compete with the European Union and China to forge relationships with the Second World, the pivotal regions of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South America, the Middle East, and East Asia that are growing in influence and economic strength.

Informed, witty, and armed with a traveler’s intuition for blending into diverse cultures, Khanna depicts second-world societies from the inside out, observing how globalization divides them into winners and losers–and shows how China, Europe, and America use their unique imperial gravities to pull the second-world countries into their orbits. Along the way, Khanna explains how Arabism and Islamism compete for the Arab soul, reveals how Iran and Saudi Arabia play the superpowers against one another, unmasks Singapore’s inspirational role in East Asia, and psychoanalyzes the second-world leaders whose decisions are reshaping the balance of power.