Lists: TBR Building

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, booknerds!

And I mean that in the most inclusive way possible. There are 11 holidays celebrated this time of year by people of all different backgrounds. And that’s just what I know of. It is completely possible that there are more celebrations that I’m ignorant to.

The point is, that to me, it doesn’t matter what you celebrate this time of year, I just want your holidays to be everything that you want them to be. I want you to wish people whatever lovely greeting you choose to and I want you to be happy and loved.

For me and my little family, we are celebrating Yule/Saturnalia. And I need my Yule to include some goddamn murder!

That’s right, I said it. With the stress of shopping and wrapping and getting the house in order for family and friends, I like to wind down at the end of the day with some dead bodies and a big mystery to unravel.

Nothing says “Christmas” like blood in the snow.

So, if you’re anything like me, maybe you’re looking to build your TBR in December around some winter holiday themed crime fiction. And because I love you all so much, I’ve put together a list of what I think are your best bets to add to your pile, just to start you off.

Here’s my fucking list of the top holiday-theme books to quench your thirst for death this season!

Continue reading →

I’ll be honest, I enjoy YA fiction under specific circumstances. I am obviously no longer the targeted demographic for such novels, and sometimes that’s painfully obvious when I try to read them and find myself agreeing with the adults over the teen protagonist. And that’s why I try not to review them too much around these parts. They aren’t written for me anymore, like for ~~almost two decades~~ …a while. You know what, let’s not get into specifics about ages and dates. Those are all technicalities.

Sometimes, I can feel a bit weird when I’m interested in reading a YA novel. A sense of “I know I’m 30-something, but please don’t judge me for reading this” can wash over me. But then I remind myself that all books are for all people because books are how we experience situations we might otherwise never be in; that expands our empathy and worldview. It’s probably why right-wingers really don’t read. But I digress…

I try to let myself like what I like. The term “guilty pleasure” shouldn’t really exist because if it brings you pleasure why do we need to feel guilt about it? Unless, like, what brings you pleasure is something really fucked up on the dark web or whatever. Stop that. Get some therapy.

Anyway, I remain dedicated to my search for an amazing YA mystery-thriller that I will LOVE the same way I LOVE some adult thrillers. One that feels honest and genuine and manages to pull some real twisty punches has so far been hard for me to find. But in honour of #YAWeek, I’m going to be taking a look at the YAnovels floating around my TBR pile, giving me good vibes.