Crooked Kingdom

I finished Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo about 3 minutes ago. Mikie is only moments behind me. This book was equally as amazing as, if not better than Six of Crows. 

Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo

Picking up exactly where the first book left off (thank goodness, because that was a MISERABLE cliffhanger), Kaz Brekker and his crew have even more amazing and ridiculous and unimaginable stunts lined up for this story. I'm constantly in awe of Leigh Bardugo's mind for having created this world and the characters in it. I spent the majority of the book debating if things that had happened were part of the plan, or if things were going wrong again, and if they WERE going wrong again, how the heck did Kaz intend to get them all out of it. 

These books are works of genius, and I know for a fact I will revisit them. I can't wait to read Bardugo's Grisha trilogy, although we're not going to push our list back any further to do those ones at this moment, we are potentially going to add them in later during the year. She created a world that I feel a part of - it's a fantastical world, that has just enough of our reality to make you feel like you belong there, too - and I'm not ready to leave it. (PLUS: Leigh Bardugo just announced another book set in this world to come out soon, and I CAN'T WAIT.)

-Cat

P.S. our next book is Soon I Will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman.

OH. YOUR. GOD.

I think the highest praise I can give Bardugo is the solemn vow that I will champion Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom to every lover of books I come across. I've already begun. I know I'll come back to these books in the future, and I shall explore her other works in this same world (The Grisha Trilogy and an upcoming book of short stories) as well.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom introduced me to a world and a group of characters that quickly became new favorites. These two books have burned literary memories into my mind that I shall hold dear and recall fondly in the years to come.

Do yourself a favor: read these two books.

--Mikie

Adulthood is a Myth

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen

This is technically book #3 in this year's #52BooksIn52Weeks challenge, although it stretches the so-called "rules" of the challenge ever so slightly (there is no narrative arc to this collection of whimsy).

I have seen many "Sarah's Scribbles" comics on the Internet in the past, but this is the first time I've read an entire collection of them. I enjoyed it so much that I pre-ordered the next set on Comixology.

--Mikie

While in Cambodia earlier this year, I started reading Adulthood is a Myth, and thought it was adorable. The book is, as Mikie said, a collection of Sarah Anderson's comics, but it's very fun and quick to read. The comics take real situations and provide a way of looking at them with a sense of humour. They're cute and often hilarious. 

I recommended that Mikie read it, especially since we're a week behind on our challenge (Six of Crows is so looong), and though it may not count as a 'book', it's still worth talking about!

Well worth the read, especially if you enjoy Sarah's Scribbles at all! 

-Cat

Six of Crows

Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows is amazing. Genuinely and truly amazing. I have enjoyed every moment of this book. It's a heist novel, set in a brilliant new world, filled with magic and adventure. The characters, in Leigh Bardugo's own words:

A convict with a thirst for revenge
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager
A runaway with a privileged past
A spy known as the Wraith
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes 

feel real and relatable.  They've each got their own reasons to be a part of Kaz Brekker's crew and involved in the heist, but they don't all like each other. Somehow, though, the fate of the world is relying on them...

I thought I'd end the novel able to say who my favourite character was, and why - but I grew so fond of all of them, that I couldn't pick. The story is written so well that every revelation about the characters makes you more fond of them, and they come at exactly the right moments. 

Mikie and I enjoyed the book so much that we're postponing our next book (Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman) in order to read the second book in the sequel, Crooked Kingdom! 

-Cat

FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! Oh, now I definitely feel like I'm off on the right foot for this #52BooksIn52Weeks challenge. "Six of Crows" does so many things right: world building, character development, storytelling. The blending of fantasy tropes with elements usually not a part of fantasy (firearms, neckties) creates a world which is both familiar and fresh. After reading a quarter of the book I knew I'd want to read its sequel, and now that I've finished it I'm looking forward to reading The Grisha Trilogy at some point down the road.

-Mikie

Rebirth: War of Shadows

Our first book was Rebirth: War of Shadows by Tyler Golec. Tyler is a friend of mine, and so we decided to start the year off with this book.

Rebirth had an amazing premise. It was a world of magic set in our world in some potential future. The world had fallen apart and war had torn everything apart. The USA was divided into New America and the RUSA (Republic of the United States of America), and the two factions were at war. The main characters are discovering magic, and dealing with the Civil War. 

The story is interesting, and the idea is great, but the book could benefit from a lot of revision and editing. It's definitely a first draft, and I'd love to see an edited version. -Cat

It's a shame that the revision this book sorely needs most likely is not coming, because I really like the story concept. It's a brilliant idea bogged down by mechanical errors and missed opportunities. That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it, just that I could have enjoyed it quite a bit more.-Mikie

The next book we're reading is Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, we start today! 

2017 Challenge

Hello any and all, and welcome to Cat and Mikie's book blog!

Starting the first week of January, 2017, Mikie and I will be attempting the 52 book challenge! We've already selected our 52 books, and we're going to try to post blogs about the books we read, to keep us accountable!

The first four books, for January, are:

1. Rebirth: War of Shadows, by Tyler Golec
                  Chosen by Cat: This is my former coworker and friend's published book!

2. Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo
                  Chosen by Cat: Six of Crows is a book I've been eyeing for months, but haven't gotten around to reading.

3. Soon I Will be Invincible, by Austin Grossman
                   Chosen by Mikie: A Superhero novel written entirely in prose.

4. In the Beginning, by Virginia Hamilton
                    Chosen by Mikie: Creation stories from all over the road.

I'm pretty excited about the books on our list, and I'm looking forward to getting back into really doing some reading! I'll try to keep posting little updates like this at the beginning of each month, so if anyone is interested in keeping up with us, or reading any of the books we're looking at, you'll be able to follow along with us!

-Cat
               
Y'all:

Mikie here. I started the #52BooksIn52Weeks challenge in 2016 because, though my love of reading has remained strong, my actual consumption of books has declined over the years. What a year of reading it has been!

At the time of this writing I'm wrapping up book 31 of 52--in other words, I've fallen short of the mark. Being the "it doesn't matter if it's half full or half empty, as long as there's something delicious in the glass" kind of guy that I am, I'm totally excited that I got through so many interesting and varied books this year (you can check that out here).

Now I'm super-stoked that Cat is also getting in on this. It's going to be an awesome year of reading!

--Mikie