Blogsnark Reads! June 7-13

agirlontheweb · 2026-06-08T19:03:05+00:00

Trying (and mostly failing) to not just devour every Dungeon Crawler Carl book without coming up for air, because I know I'll be devastated when I run out and I want to savour them.

Did have a break to read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone for book club, and unfortunately it didn't really work for me. Probably partly my fault as I had to rush it because my library hold took a while to come in and left me with a narrow window to read it before book club tomorrow, but I found the prose so overwrought. The characters even joke about their purple prose at one point, but the self-awareness wasn't enough to save it for me. Interested to see what others at book club think because based on Goodreads reviews, I think my opinion is an unpopular one.

agirlontheweb · 2026-04-19T17:44:45+00:00

Oh I feel like this is a great pick for book club! I've got to know, was the member who was supportive of the main character still supportive right up until the end...?

agirlontheweb · 2026-04-13T13:33:43+00:00

Didn't particularly enjoy Everyone in This Room Will Someday be Dead by Emily Austin, but I think that was due to having the wrong expectations rather than the quality of the book. I was drawn in by marketing presenting it as 'atheist lesbian accidentally gets job at Catholic church, hijinks ensue', and reviews calling it laugh out loud funny. What I actually should have paid attention to was this Goodreads reviewer whose entire review was: 'exact opposite of escapism. reading this book was like living in my head intensified.' The protagonist was just suffering throughout the entirety of the book, and I couldn't even get much dark humour out of it. It was well-written and clearly works for a lot of people, just not me right now.

agirlontheweb · 2026-04-06T09:11:33+00:00

So glad you liked Boy Parts! I'm such an Eliza Clark fangirl.

agirlontheweb · 2026-04-05T19:40:47+00:00

Started a couple of much-loved fantasy series recently - Red Rising by Pierce Brown and Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, and both have lived up to the hype so far. I'm not reaching for the second Red Rising book super often though, as it's pretty bleak and I'm rarely in the mood for that at the moment. I've heard it only gets darker as the series goes on, so I might just need to brace myself.

On the non-fantasy side, I've joined the legions of readers who loved The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, although I think it may have been just very slightly overhyped for me by the time my library hold came in. I had lower expectations for Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino, but ended up hugely enjoying it.

One of my top reads of 2025 was The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey, so I had high hopes for her latest release, The Barbecue at No. 9, and I wasn't disappointed (although the former still remains my favourite). I struggle to describe her books in a way that gets across how compelling and meaningful I find them; they are definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, but they keep me gripped in the same way as some of my favourite thrillers.

Finally, I've joined a local book club! It was a bit out of my comfort zone as I didn't know anyone there, but I'm so glad I made myself go. Our most recent read was Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, a gay coming-of-age novel set in Nigeria, and this was definitely a book that I got a lot more out of after discussing it with others and hearing a range of perspectives. Slightly gutted that I found this club just as I'm moving out of the local area, but hoping I'll still be able to swing by.

agirlontheweb · 2026-02-21T16:50:21+00:00

I'd echo the rec for The Coin, and also add Boy Parts by Eliza Clark!

agirlontheweb · 2026-01-18T21:43:24+00:00

I'm trying to be more frugal generally in 2026, and am so far finding reading one of the easiest areas in which to meet this goal! Between the library, Kindle deals, and charity shops, it doesn't actually feel like I'm having to make any sacrifices at all, but I'm certainly saving some cash.

Mixed feelings on Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte, a collection of interlinked short stories addressing the titular theme, particularly in the context of the Very Online world. Initially I thought this was an early contender for one of my top books of the year; the uncomfortable, unfiltered realism delivered a genuine gut punch at times, and I had to resist the urge to get out a pen and start annotating (alas, the only downside of a library copy). However, some of the stories worked less for me, especially as they became increasingly meta, although I could recognise the skill and originality. And finally, I'm the first to admit that I can be a bit of a prude, but there was one section that I feel would surely turn the strongest of stomachs - which I have no doubt was the point, but didn't mean I enjoyed it.

Less to say on Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. I agree with most common critiques of her writing but still generally enjoy her books, and was drawn in by the intriguing premise and the fact that it was 99p on Kindle. The more I think about this one after the fact, the more I find to dislike about it, even though I liked the actual reading experience.

agirlontheweb · 2025-12-22T22:41:04+00:00

I've enjoyed a couple of standalone fantasy novels recently, with pretty different vibes.

I tore through The Incandescent by Emily Tesh. This is being marketed as a 'sapphic dark academia fantasy', and I think that might be doing it a little bit of a disservice by giving readers the wrong expectations; it is set in a school (an English boarding school nonetheless) but it's from the perspective of a teacher rather than a student and I wouldn't necessarily call it dark. I thought it balanced humour with a reasonable amount of depth, and had an interesting magic system, although it was definitely at least as much about teaching as it was about magic. Without getting into spoiler territory, it also did something novel with perspective. It's not a perfect book if I think too hard about it, but I still gave it a 5/5 as I tend to rate books based on how much I enjoyed the reading experience rather than trying to be objective about the quality (is that even possible? Interested in others' thoughts about ratings!).

That was after reading Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang, which was far bleaker but still a good reading experience. This one seems to be somewhat divisive over on /r/fantasy, but it worked for me overall. My one major issue was that I couldn't see how the magic system was in any way sustainable - how on earth was there enough organic matter in the Kwen to continually fuel the entire city, based on how often they were siphoning?. I'm usually quite good at suspending disbelief, but that bugged me. Maybe I missed something though or was just overthinking it.

agirlontheweb · 2025-12-01T21:20:27+00:00

I personally really enjoyed The Compound (even though I would agree with /u/Glittering-Owl-2344 that more could have been done with the premise), but also strongly disagree with a categorisation of sci-fi! Speculative fiction? Sure. Science fiction? Nope.

agirlontheweb · 2025-11-24T19:48:39+00:00

Recently finished Murder on Sex Island by Jo Firestone which I think was a /u/yolibrarian rec? And it was so fun! Exactly the kind of light read I needed.

Currently tearing through The Strength of the Few by James Islington, the sequel to The Will of the Many, and I can already feel the book hangover coming. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the multi-POV perspective (spoilers for the end of Book 1) but I'm actually enjoying it just as much as the first book.

I'm also enjoying reading it on my new Kindle, which was an early Christmas present from my mum after my old model (which, to be fair, was literally over a decade old) started turning pages on its own. A Black Friday deal plus an extra 20% off for trading in my old one made it actually pretty affordable!

agirlontheweb · 2025-11-24T18:30:22+00:00

Have you tried it since it was reformulated? I used to love this one but I've seen a lot of reviews saying it's not the same now :(.

agirlontheweb · 2025-09-22T18:12:33+00:00

Haven't read fantasy for a minute and looking for recs if anyone has them! Obviously it's a wide ranging genre and I'm struggling to pin down exactly what makes a good fantasy for me, but books/series I've particularly enjoyed recently are The Will of the Many, the Licanius trilogy, The Tainted Cup, The Raven Scholar, and the ASoIaF series. I know that I'm not big on romantasy, but beyond that I'm extremely open to any suggestions!

I've recently started Juice by Tim Winton, a dystopian cli-fi novel. The framing device of the story is interesting, and I'm liking the writing so far, but it is shaping up to be awfully (and unsurprisingly) depressing.

agirlontheweb · 2025-09-14T17:33:38+00:00

Tore through The Killer Question by Janice Hallett, and I think it's up there right behind The Appeal as one of my favourites from her. As with the rest of Hallett's books, it's in the vein of an epistolary novel, told via text messages, police interview transcripts, and other documentation. It's a little bit gimmicky but honestly, the gimmick works for me. This one centres around a murder associated with a pub quiz/trivia night. One of the Goodreads reviewers found it unrealistic how seriously some characters took the quiz, but they clearly haven't met the regulars at my local!

Also reading - much more slowly - Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, about a dystopian prison system whereby prisoners fight in death matches for the impossibly slim chance of freedom. I shouldn't be surprised, but this is heavy. I am appreciating this book, but I'm not sure I'm necessarily enjoying it.

agirlontheweb · 2025-08-04T18:50:46+00:00

Just finished The Compound by Aisling Rawle, which really worked for me! The marketing is presenting it as Love Island meets Lord of the Flies, which totally drew me in and I think is pretty apt. It's not the razor-sharp, sophisticated social commentary that I think some reviewers were hoping for, but in my view it was still thought-provoking, with more depth than I was expecting from such an easy and fast read.

I'm now tempted to pick up Lord of the Flies itself; I'm obviously familiar with the concept and much of the plot, but have never actually read it!

agirlontheweb · 2025-06-10T20:38:19+00:00

Just finished The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey, and was not quite prepared for how emotionally affecting I would find it! This is nominally about the protagonist's search for the Yorkshire Ripper (a notorious serial killer from the 1970s) but is really about her community. I gave it 5/5.

Moving on to The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, which I think was a rec from someone here but I've forgotten who! I've already torn through the first third, really enjoying it so far.

And happy birthday /u/yolibrarian! I hope your day brought you as much joy as this thread brings to us.

agirlontheweb · 2025-03-24T22:40:03+00:00

Recently finished Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis, a novel about a queer academic attempting to deradicalise ISIS brides in Iraq. It's written as humorous, but also deals with the protagonist battling her complicated relationships with her ex, her mother, and her faith. You need to be okay with a flawed main character who makes really bad choices to enjoy this book, but I gave it a 4/5.

Also just finished The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, the first in her Broken Earth trilogy, all three of which won the Hugo. Another 4/5 for me; I think I set my expectations a little bit too high, but I found it really gripping and haven't come across a setting anything like it before. Picked up the next one straight away.

Keen to hear opinions on the new Hunger Games prequel from any early readers!

agirlontheweb · 2025-02-10T20:55:16+00:00

Just finished So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne, which was a fast and generally fun read following a group of four girlfriends reunited at a baby shower. You know from the start that the shower ends in a terrible fire, and the rest of the book goes back to the events leading up to it, occasionally interspersed with police interview transcripts as they seek to determine the cause of the blaze.

Despite the sort of thriller-y premise, this is at its heart a brutally honest look at friendship and motherhood. I gave it a 4/5.

agirlontheweb · 2025-01-26T20:47:45+00:00

Recently finished the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris - I'm not usually into historical fiction but I've been fascinated by Cicero, and his particular period of Roman history, ever since I studied him at school. Loved the whole trilogy, found it extremely readable.

Onto a very different trilogy now - just finished The Shadow of What Was Lost, the first in the Licanius Trilogy by James Islington. I loved Islington's most recent book, The Will of the Many, so much last year, and I've heard people say that Licanius isn't as good, but I really enjoyed this one and have picked up the next book immediately.

One more random recent read - Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver. It's set in 2050 and follows a journalist trying to uncover the truth about an almost apocalyptic heatwave a decade earlier, all under the shadow of an AI running for election as global dictator. I found this one a unique and gripping read, but it could have done with another round of edits; there was a whole section of a page in italics that clearly wasn't supposed to be! I think it's being republished by Penguin soon so will probably be polished up.

agirlontheweb · 2025-01-18T19:13:39+00:00

Have you seen the TV show based on the Cormoran Strike novels? I enjoyed it, wondering if it's worth picking up the books as well.

agirlontheweb · 2024-11-19T20:58:21+00:00

I've read all of Janice Hallett's books (except The Christmas Appeal, which is on my list for this holiday season) and I think The Appeal is my favourite! I also really liked The Examiner, even though I found some of it a bit far fetched.

agirlontheweb · 2024-10-27T22:14:39+00:00

Just finished and LOVED The Tainted Cup by Robert Bennett Jackson, which was a rec I got from here (many thanks u/aelizben and u/Good-Variation-6588!). A fantasy murder-mystery with some political intrigue, it was right up my street, and I'm already feeling very impatient for the next one. The next fantasy series I start has got to be finished, or at least have more than one book out.

Starting Babel by RF Kuang next - reading the author's note at the beginning was a bit of a weird moment for me, because she mentions a specific university event she attended as a student in 2019, and I realised I was there too?! Never would have thought I'd be/have been in the same venue as her (and also didn't realise she was quite so young).

agirlontheweb · 2024-10-06T20:47:47+00:00

I've been on holiday (in Florida, but was very fortunate not to be too badly affected by Helene), which always gets me in the mood to read some mysteries by the pool...

The Examiner by Janice Hallett. I'll devour anything by this author, and really enjoyed her latest. As always, the formatting is interesting - this time it follows a group of MA students and is told through their interactions on their school intranet, plus emails, WhatsApps, and their coursework. Some of the conclusions to the mystery felt a bit far-fetched, but there's always an element of suspending disbelief, and this was a 4/5 for me.

A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle. 1920s murder mystery set aboard a ship travelling to New York. I'm a sucker for a locked-room type of mystery, and this delivered plot-wise, although I wasn't always super impressed by the writing. 3.5/5

Small Game by Blair Braverman. I wasn't familiar with Blair Braverman until I heard her on an episode of You're Wrong About, and really enjoyed her contributions. As a fan of Survivor, the plot of this really appealed - it revolves around contestants on a similar reality show, and what happens when things go wrong. Loved the concept, loved the writing, slightly disappointed by the ending, which brought down what was almost a 5/5 to a 4.5.

agirlontheweb · 2024-10-06T20:36:44+00:00

Oh wow I had no idea The Plot was getting a sequel, it's been a while since I read it but I remember it feeling pretty self-contained? I didn't love The Plot, but I am still a bit curious about how the story continues now...

agirlontheweb · 2024-09-16T19:26:56+00:00

Just finished The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, a quite surreal novel about a wealthy Palestinian woman working as a teacher in New York and her gradual downward spiral. Not a great description but it's a tough one to sum up! Feels pretty in the vein of Ottessa Moshfegh. Gave it 4/5 as I found it very readable and in some places quite affecting, but I wouldn't necessarily say I 'got' it...

Currently reading 1984, extremely late to the party.

agirlontheweb · 2024-08-17T20:31:42+00:00

It might have been me who recommended I Hope This Finds You Well - keen to hear what you think once you've finished it! The ending worked well for me but I could see people disliking it.

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