I've got a book hangover
A SJM update, plus what I've been reading to fill the void.
Hi! We’re officially 1/12 of the way into 2024 and my biggest accomplishment thus far (besides making it to the gym in the freezing snow) is finally finishing the Throne of Glass series. That’s right: eight books and eight weeks (ish) later, I’m fully caught up on the SJM universe. I think I can say Throne of Glass might be my favorite series of the three and it’s given me a total book hangover.
Here are my thoughts (somewhat spoiler free):
Assassin’s Blade first > > >
The Tower of Dawn/Empire of Storms tandem read saved my life.
Manon and Dorian deserve the world.
Chapter 99 will make you scream (IYKYK).
I started Crescent City 3 this weekend and will have *plenty* of thoughts when I’m done, but here’s what I read in between to cure my post-TOG hangover.
Come & Get It by Kiley Reid
Reid is a brilliant writer and her newest novel might even be better than her beloved Such a Fun Age. I just checked the reviews on Goodreads and am frankly shocked by some of them! Reid manages to make the banal lives of college kids feel like walking a knife’s edge. Everything is taut with tension, from RA Millie’s scandalous relationship with a visiting professor to the innermost fragilities of the inhabitants of a college dorm. I listened to the audiobook and savored every second of it.
Good for people who like: novels set in college, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, multiple POVs
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
I am a big fan of Emezi’s writing, so I’ve been making my way through their back catalogue, but unfortunately this one didn’t do it for me. It was gorgeously written and emotionally poignant, but perhaps not long enough to have time to really connect with the characters. Vivek and their friends are an interesting cast of characters to follow though, and the setting is rich and vivid. Definitely be prepared with tissues!
Good for people who like: books that make you cry, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, queer coming-of-age stories
Open Throat by Henry Hoke
A friend recommended this weird, short, and very LA-centric book and it definitely checks off all three of those boxes. It follows an unnamed (and nongendered) mountain lion in the hills of Los Angeles as it traverses the metaphorical and literal dangers of being a wild animal in a big city. It’s both tender and terrifying and a bit mind boggling as you’re reading from the perspective of an actual animal (they call the city “ellay”). It captures the feeling of loneliness in a perfectly devastating way.
Good for people who like: books about queer loneliness, the absurd, Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Yes, I couldn’t leave the SJM universe for long. I decided to reread the fourth
ACOTAR book (for…reasons…IYKYK) via the dramatized audiobook adaptation and WOW. I am usually not a fan of listening to romance books (too many cringey sex scenes) but having a full cast, music, *and* a narrator made the entire thing like watching TV for your ears. Highly recommend these if you want to binge the ACOTAR series!
I will no doubt finish Crescent City 3 on my way to Mexico this week, where I’ll be sitting by a myriad of bodies of water while reading (and drinking) voraciously. So my next hurdle is deciding what vacation books to bring! Ideally something engaging, fun, and unputdownable — any recommendations? Comment them below!
xoxo,
Kirby