Happy Monday, Boozie Book Nerds!

This is your weekly reminder that black lives matter. Also, #StopAAPIHate

Minda’s Update

Traveling to New Haven, CT this week to spend time with my sister-in-law. I’ve never been so very excited to visit.

What Minda is reading now:

• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown – “While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.” A re-read as part of Husband and I’s book club where we read books-turned-movies and read and watch together!

What Minda Finished:

• How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway – “After one dick pic too many, Mel has had it. Using her brilliant coding skills, she designs an app of her own, one that allows users to log harrassers and abusers in online dating space. It’s called JerkAlert, and it goes viral overnight. Mel is suddenly in way over her head. Worse still, her almost-boyfriend, the dreamy Alex Hernandez–the only non-douchey guy at Hatch–has no idea she’s the brains behind the app. Soon, Mel is faced with a terrible choice: one that could destroy her career, love life, and friendships, or change her life forever.” Big fan of Kristin Rockaway and glad I picked this one up!

Ginny’s Update

I may have splurged way too much this weekend… BUT I have some really amazing dresses that came from it, so…

What Ginny Finished:

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• A Phoenix First Must Burn by Various Authors: This is a book of short stories centered around black women in fantasy, and I finally finished it! There were a few stories that didn’t hit me quite the same way other ones did, but goodness, there are a few I’m still thinking of. My two favorite stories were Melie by Justina Ireland which is about a young witch who is working to get training and the other was Tender-Headed by Danny Lore about a young woman who doesn’t realize there is a kind of magic that can be done through doing hair.
• The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik: This is the second Scholomance book (the first was A Deadly Education) and I’m so bummed I have to wait another year for the next one (considering this book doesn’t come out for a bit…). El is in her senior year of school and working for her graduation, but there are some weird things going on in the rest of the school. El remains bitingly sarcastic, and the mysteries in this book are so well foreshadowed that I got hints of what was to come before the reveals and I legitimately yelled when the book ended.
• Satisfaction Guaranteed by Kerlia Stetz-Waters: This book is about a straight-laced accountant for her free-spirited, artist parents inheriting half of her aunt’s sex shop, the other half of which goes to a free-spirited ex-artist. And boy was this a fun read. The relationships developed in a way that felt natural, and the various rocks in their relationship didn’t feel shoe-horned in the way that they can sometimes.
• Faith, Taking Flight by Julie Murphy: This book has some really great stuff to it! Faith is a fat high school girl who was (basically) kidnapped over the summer and survived treatments to awaken some superpowers. At home, she’s dealing with her friends being weird, her favorite tv show moving to town, and animals/people starting to go missing. This book is kind of the ideal YA, however, I feel like there were probably one too many plotlines and the book felt over-stuffed. It could be that was the intention b/c from a teenager’s life everything feels overstuffed, but I think it meant we didn’t have a chance to sit with some of the more important changes. Overall, still a fun book!

What Ginny is Currently Reading:

• Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid: I’m reading this for a book club and really all I feel like saying about it is that this book is pretty far outside of my current streak of comfort reads.

Sam’s Update

Hope you all had a great week! I sorta read a bit, but not as much as I’d like. I’m tired.

What Sam Finished:

• These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong: So this is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet but in Shanghai in the 20s? I think? There is talk of flappers so me thinks yes. Listening on audio and I will say that I only half pay attention and I’m still getting it, so… that’s not high praise at this point.

What Sam is Currently Reading:

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• Half-Sick Shadows by Laura Sebastian – This is an Aurthurian retelling that we got an ARC of. It’s from the perspective of Elaine the Mad, which is been really interesting so far. It’s following a normal arc, Arthur is returning to Camelot cause his dad died, but Mordred and Morguase are making trouble. Gwen and Lancelot are there, though, I’d be surprised if that story line develops like normal. Anyway, it’s been an easy read for me so far, looking forward to the rest.
• The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho – this is a translated novella about a nun who joins a gang of bandits. I’m listening on audio and its been cute so far! The major plot point reveal just happened and I didn’t put it together, which is always a treat.

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

— Sam, Ginny, and Minda