Noisy Deadlines

readinglist

I finished a bunch of romance books this month! All of them by authors I’ve never read before, so it was an exploration month. I finished it off with some light productivity read.

  1. The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels #1) by Kerrigan Byrne, 368p: It's hard to talk about this book without spoilers. It involves orphans, friendship, life hardships, trauma and love. It starts with a story of a girl and a boy building up a deep connection. Then we meet Farah, a widow who works for Scotland Yard (the only woman in the office) and Dorian, a powerful criminal who is never caught but has a good heart. There is a lot going on in this book, and I really enjoyed it! It's mysterious and emotional. Sometimes dark but sweet. The characters are strong and survived lots of challenges. Dorian is a traumatized adult, and we see him struggle with his traumas. The romance is slow burn, and I was totally invested in it. Both main characters have secrets, and it's all revealed in the most interesting way. I want to read more into this series.

  2. A Thief in the Nude (Rushmore Brothers #1) by Olivia Waite, 126p: This was a short read with an interesting premise. Miss Hecuba Jones is trying to recover lost paintings (painted by her mother) by breaking into an earl's house. In the midst of her burglary, she meets John Rushmore (the earl's brother) who is a disillusioned artist (painter). Of course, they start an affair with conditions related to said lost paintings, and nudes. Mysteries are uncovered. I learned that Hecuba blue is a colour, and there are lovely dialogues about art and painting in this book.

  3. Shadowbound (Dark Arts #1) by Bec McMaster, 427p: This book reminded of the Dresden Files but with more romance (and steam) and a female protagonist. It definitely scratched my itch for a sorcerer themed book for Halloween. Ianthe and Rathbourne are both powerful magic users, they've met in the past and they have secrets and hidden lives. In the best enemies-to-lovers trope, they must unite to fight against the demons and uncontrollable power threatening to destroy London. It's a good series starter and I was intrigued to see what happens in the next books.

  4. How the Marquess Was Won (Pennyroyal Green #6) by Julie Anne Long, 384p: Such beautiful writing and fun banter. Phoebe is a teacher, and she has a peculiar cat. She is a very independent woman with the dream to leave England and go to Africa on a mission. The Marquess Dryden is the most popular guy in the ton, dark and charming, and he sets fashion and trends. He's all the talk on the tabloids. I loved that the writing jumps between the two points of view seamlessly. There is a whole chapter building up to describe a single kiss that is so lovely! There are class differences conflicts and a slow burn romance. 

  5. Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal, 295p: This was an enjoyable read. It presents a more positive and healthy approach to productivity which I appreciated. Some scientific research results are presented in a light way, not going too deep, but delivering the concepts behind the strategies suggested by the author. I liked his ideas on how to add more fun elements to our work and mundane activities.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 399p: I'm a fan of Ali Hazelwood and this is her first paranormal romance book. It starts with an arranged marriage between an alpha werewolf (Lowe) and an exiled vampire (Misery). The “mate” trope was a bit confusing, it didn't make too much sense to me. It is fast paced, there is some politics (vampires x werewolves x humans) and the mystery of the missing friend. It's a well done slow burn romance, but thinking about the physical logistics of werewolf and vampire anatomy love making got me a bit out of the story. I guess I'm not into the whole biting and drinking blood theme of paranormals anymore.

  2. Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood (Monstress #07-12) by Marjorie Liu, 152p: Yes, it's full of gorgeous artwork and I love the ambience. But I guess I was not in the mood for a dark complicated story. The worldbuilding is intricate and it's so, so sad! I finished it and had lots of questions. But because of the dark themes I won't continue the series. At least not right now.

  3. The Bride (Lairds' Fiancées #1) by Julie Garwood, 388p: This book is so plot-rich! There's always something going on, the heroine is so pro-active, and strong and kind. It's set in 1,100’s Scotland Highland times with an arranged marriage between an Englishwoman (Jamie) and a Highlands Laird (Alec Kincaid). Because this book was published in 1989 set in a medieval setting, there might be some issues with consent, but I think the author did her best to make it less problematic. Another interesting fact is that this romance has humour and funny situations, something that was not common in romance novels back in the 80's (there's a foreword by the author talking about it). It’s the type of writing I enjoy, where we can be inside the characters heads a lot. I enjoyed how quickly the author changed characters viewpoints within the same chapter, so we get glimpses of different characters within the action/dialogue. I thought it was pretty well done. I loved the grumpy hero with a kind heart. I loved the bold heroine standing up against ridiculous status quo (and said grumpy hero stubbornness). Lots of funny banter and there's is even a murder mystery in it. Overall, a non-stop read, super rich and interesting.

  4. The Duchess War (Brothers Sinister #1) by Courtney Milan, 316p: This one is set in England around 1863, when industrialization is becoming a thing and there are discussions regarding workers’ rights, workplace hygiene conditions and strikes. There is blackmail, scandal, sedition handbills and references to chess strategy. The female character (Minnie) has a secret she doesn't want anybody to uncover. She's clever and quiet. The Duke of Clermont (Robert) wants to make the world a better place. This a very slow burn romance and I thought there was too much politics going on that threw me out of the story. I kinda liked the side characters more, the scene in the train where Sebastian & Violet chaperonne Robert with Minnie was great. I think I would enjoy more the next books in the series with the other brothers.

  5. Team: Getting Things Done with Others by Edward Lamont, David Allen, 288p: This book brings great insights into how to use the Getting Things Done (GTD) framework within a team's setting. It's full of practical tips and real-world examples. It's amazing to know that all the original GTD concepts can be easily applied to teams. I've been using the GTD methodology for years and this book opened my eyes on how to use it with other people. The sections about communication and delegation skills were super helpful to me, and I could start applying them in my work right away. It has a nice refresher on the methodology at the end as well.

  6. The Duke I Tempted (The Secrets of Charlotte Street #1) by Scarlett Peckham, 318p: I liked the independent protagonist, Poppy, who is a successful botanist trying to get her own business going in the limited women's rights world in 1753. There is a lot of angst and communication misunderstandings between Poppy and Archer. I enjoyed the acknowledgement of the power imbalance between them, and how they both tried to close that gap with a marriage contract full of unusual clauses for the time period.  I was a bit scared at the mention of BDSM elements (which is not really my cup of tea) but it is well done and very light. So, it's definitely a slow burn romance, Archer has a dark secret and Poppy is an intelligent woman claiming her space. The writing was lovely!

  7. Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 592p: Like the previous book in the series, this one is packed with fascinating ideas.  The theme/premise remains the same: a terraforming operation in distant planets.  However, this time there are two planets involved. One hosts some alien life, while the other will be home to uplifted octopuses instead of spiders.  The story unfolds through two alternating timelines—past and present—that eventually converge in the last third of the book.  I found the pacing a bit problematic, and the back-and-forth between timelines was sometimes frustrating because they were so far apart.  A significant focus is placed on the communication challenges with the octopuses. There isn’t much dialogue, but there’s a lot of explanation and exposition of concepts and ideas. This made it hard for me to connect with the characters, as the book felt too heavy on info dumping. Despite this, the ideas presented are still very cool!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

This month I was surprised I read this much! Some books I devoured in a couple of days. I wasn’t too much in the mood for non-fiction, I just wanted some escapism. I finished 2 series: “Uptown Girls” and “Scott Pilgrim” and started two more that I want to continue reading. Great month!

  1. The Spymaster's Lady (Spymasters #1) by Joanna Bourne, 384p: When I first read this book 9 years ago, I gave it a 3 stars rating. I heard about it again in 2024 and I decided to re-read it because it sounded really good, but I didn't remember much about it. And I enjoyed it way more this second time! It's a historical romance espionage set during the Napoleonic Wars between France and England in the 1700's. The main character, Annique Villiers, is a bad-ass French spy; she has seen Napoleon’s plans to invade England and spies from all over are after her to get that information. She meets British spies, and the characters travel from France to England. The book is full of delightful plot twists with the enemies-to-lovers trope, I can't mention too much about the story because of spoilers. It was cool to notice how the author used slightly different writing styles for each character depending on the language they were speaking and their native languages. The book is written in English, but the characters speak English of varying dialects and accents, and also, they use French words here and there. It's super interesting! The prose is beautiful, the plot twists were well done, the heroine is clever. I'm curious to read the other books of this series.

  2. Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood, 379p: Rue and Eli are layered and complex characters. I love how Ali Hazelwood can get into deep emotions with her writing. The business/biotech engineering background was interesting with plot twists.  It has the enemies-with-benefits to lovers trope done in a way that I enjoyed. There are professional high stakes, and the main characters have personal issues that are believable. I liked the touch of hockey player + figure ice skating couple. This is a bit different from her previous books, the relationship is grittier and more complex, and I loved it for it!

  3. The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty, 569p: Interesting folklore inspiration from Islamic mythology, djinns and magic in Egypt. There was lots of djinn politics, and I got lost between all the different djinn factions/groups. I didn't click with the characters, and I thought it hard to know who was who and what were their relationships to each other. Another point that bothered me was the romance. Why would a 1,500-year-old Djinn fall in love with Nahri? The romance was very unbelievable and not well developed. Nahri starts as strong independent female character and then becomes the passive lady-in-distress halfway through the story. The world building is great though, and it might be a good fit for people who aren't much into character development but enjoy lush word building.

  4. The Devil of Downtown (Uptown Girls #3) by Joanna Shupe, 346p: This series is something unique because it takes place in New York City during the Gilded Age (a change from the English Victorian romances out there). And I love it for it! This last third book follows the youngest daughter, Justine. She is so sweet and strong at the same time. Justine is a do-gooder with no regard for what others thinks of her. I was afraid the male protagonist was going to be one of those alpha-male-violent mafia dudes, but not really. The hero, Jack Mulligan, is a criminal kingpin, but he is a good criminal. He has profound respect for women and becomes more of a do-gooder and helps his community. There was good chemistry between the characters, and I loved how Justine was helping women abandoned by their husbands and fighting to end cruel child labour laws. Great series!

  5. Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane #1) by Elizabeth Hoyt, 401p: Set in the 1730's I loved the “noir” feel of this one. There is a murder mystery that moves the plotline and also some mysterious characters that kept me guessing until the very end. It's a bleak reality. Temperance, the main character, is a widow and runs a home for orphans with her brother and they really need more financial support. The hero, Lord Caire (Lazarus Huntington), is grumpy and emotionally repressed with issues. He offers to help her find a new patron for the home if she accompanies him round St. Giles (a type of slum?) and helps him to uncover who killed his mistress, Marie. Despite the characters being deeply religious/conservative for my taste (lots of guilt and repentance feelings going on) I liked the story. It is a beautifully done slow burn romance. It has a type of gloominess that I enjoyed. I'm curious to read more in this series.

  6. Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour (Scott Pilgrim #6) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 234p: It was a fun ride! I liked the “living in your head” metaphor and how everyone got closure from their past traumas and fears. The final boss fight scene was cool. It's filled with cute art and funny dialogues. I loved the happy-ending and the “Maybe we just need to hold on” message.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I was all about fiction this month! I explored a gorgeous graphic novel, read a book with not enough octopuses, and continued reading a bunch of series.

  1. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, 420p: It’s full of thoughtful and conceptual ideas exploring our unknowability towards others but with octopuses. I liked the fictional book quotes at the beginning of each chapter, leaving me with some ideas about the nature of consciousness, intelligence and being human. I wish the first contact situation were more deeply explored, meaning, I wanted more octopuses! 🐙 The characters and the plot didn’t work too well for me. Sometimes it felt the dialogues were out of place with the characters doing an academic exposition on a subject to each other. The ending seemed too easy given all the complexities of the matter presented since the beginning of the story.

  2. A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove #3) by Tessa Dare, 384p: I liked the grumpy/sunshine trope in this one. Corporal Thorne is broken and sad, but he has a soft heart. Katie grew up an orphan and she is a talented music teacher and strong willed. There is an adorable puppy, hilarious incidents (like the one with the melon) and an emotional slow burn romance. There is family drama with things being unburied from the past, a ball and even a duel! I had lots of fun reading this one.

  3. When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After #3) by Tessa Dare, 376p: I loved the set up, and the introduction with Maddie's letters was really well done! It's funny and it's sweet. Maddie was super interesting:  she worked as an illustrator of insects and there were some funny bits involving lobsters. The male protagonist is a grumpy Scottish dude, but then we learn he has a soft heart. I loved how supportive of each other they were, even though the whole premise of the story starts with the blackmail trope and fake marriage. It was just excellent.

  4. Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening (Monstress #01-06) by Marjorie Liu, 208p: This is a graphic novel series that was recommended to me. Such a gorgeous artwork, it's beautiful! The tone was darker than I expected, there is lots of gore that I wasn't prepared for. I loved the cats with their wisdom, they are my favorite characters. It was very engaging from the beginning, and I am curious to dive more into this world.

  5. Turn Coat (The Dresden Files #11) by Jim Butcher, 576p: I loved the mysterious “whodunit” plot. There are some high stakes here, super powerful magical entities, great battle scenes and a clever plan to expose the murderer. I thought this one had excellent pacing, well balanced with action scenes and dialogue. Full of cool plot twists (well it starts with a huge plot twist: who'd think Morgan would go to Harry for help?). We can see Harry growing inside the White Council. We get to know the wizards HQ in Edinburg and it was nice to see Harry challenging the Senior Council. It cleverly brings previous plotlines together. One of my favorites of the series now.

  6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe (Scott Pilgrim #5) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 184p: In this one we get to see the twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi. There was less stuff happening in this one. It was fun to see Scott and Ramona living together and then having disagreements. It sets up the stage for the next ex-boyfriend: Gideon. Again, just unpretentious fun!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. The Rogue of Fifth Avenue (Uptown Girls #1) by Joanna Shupe, 400p: I liked this historical late 19th century romance set in New York. The characters were great: a lawyer with a wealthy client base and an heiress ahead of her time who wants to change the status quo and help people. There is also a side plot police procedural and trial. And feminist women gambling and playing pool. It was the first book I read from this author. I couldn't put it down, and now I want to continue this series.

  2. Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tessa Dare, 384p: I devoured this book in 2 days. I love that the premise is unrealistic: a duke and a tavern waitress. And that's what makes this story work for me. It has a kind of fairy-tale-happily-ever-after vibe, but both characters know how impossible their relationship is, and they struggle together through it. The heroine, Pauline is smart, independent, and funny. The hero, Griffin, is an adorable rake with secrets. I love that a library and books are involved. Their banter was hilarious, and I thought the pacing of the book was excellent.

  3. Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness (Scott Pilgrim #3) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 192p: We hear some backstory about Envy Adams, the pop star. And we learn about vegan superpowers! I learned about Honest Ed's store in Toronto (which I had to research) and it was this iconic wholesale dollar store before those became popular. Hilarious fight scene inside Honest Ed's. I thought the pacing of this was one was not the best, but still super fun and cute.

  4. Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (Scott Pilgrim #4) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 195p: This one was so nice because we see Scott and Ramona's relationship grow and mature a little bit. We (I mean, Scott) finally find out Ramona's age. Scott gets a job. The band start recording an album. More evil exes show up. Still cute and fun.

  5. The Prince of Broadway (Uptown Girls #2) by Joanna Shupe, 384p: A very rebellious female main character who wants to open a casino for ladies? Yes, I liked this rebellious idea in early 19th America. It is a beautifully written romance, I enjoyed Clay's (the male character) blunt sincerity and Florence's strong will and that she was not interested in marriage or children. She was focused on learning how to manage a casino and be successful. For a moment I thought there would not be a happy ending, but all ends well. I want to read the next one in the series.

  6. System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells, 256p: This one was very action packed, and I had some trouble understanding the timeline in the beginning. It starts right into an action scene, and it keeps going with more action that I thought was confusing. It gets better and more interesting halfway through. I love the Murderbot character and that's what kept me going. It's my least favorite of the series, though.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2) by Becky Chambers, 365p: I love Becky Chamber's writing style. And this one is a delightful read following the coming of age of two characters from the first book. One is a former sentient ship AI that was transferred to a synthetic humanoid body to move around and explore the world. The other is about a little girl that was born to work in a factory, barely escaping it and being taken care of by an AI. It's so beautifully written! It's focused on character development and the world building just flows with it. It touches on identity, friendship, diversity of gender and sexuality, exploitation, and oppression.  But it's all done through the lens of intimate, emotionally charged characters perspectives. Very well crafted!

  2. Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim #1) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 168p: After I saw the first season of the 2023 Netflix animation “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” I wanted to get into the original black and white material. And it's so fun! There is a direct reference to Amazon.ca, which is hilarious. Also, I loved the tea scene. Great sense of humour, with Canadian references and funny dialogues. Will continue reading.

  3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Scott Pilgrim #2) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 200p: Sweet and funny. I love the dialogues and the fight scene at the Toronto Reference Library was awesome! I like that there are so some many references to Canadian life, like celebrating the “first t-shirt day” after winter and walking around Toronto seeing a “Second Cup” café and Casa Loma in the background. I already got volumes 3 and 4 from the library to continue reading.

  4. A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys, 336p: This is not really my flavour of sci-fi, but it gets points for its unique perspective.  It's a first contact story where the conflicts are not carried in a violent, physical way. For a first alien contact situation, things go pretty smoothly. There is a lot going on here: efforts to reverse climate change, representations of different identities, gender spectrum and sexuality, diverse families, exploitative corporations, Watershed Networks, ecology, Jewish culture, parenting. There is a LOT of talking:  most of the conflicts are resolved with dialogues. The story is told from the main character's point of view, and she doesn't hide her flaws and insecurities: we get to feel them all! I thought the future imagined was too close to our time (50 years ahead) for humanity to have changed that much. Interesting read, but it was not so easy to get to the end. This was a Book Club read for me and it certainly raised intriguing discussions.

  5. Exadelic by Jon Evans, 448p: This is a very weird book. It's a mash-up of Ready Player One, with Matrix, Outlander and Assassin's Creed. Seriously there's so much going on here! Dark magic, AI's, time travel, obscure pseudoscience, cults, witches, sex rituals, post-apocalypse worlds (just to name a few). There are a lot of technical programming terms and references which I didn't get most of the time. What kept me reading was wanting to know where the story would end up and yeah, it's bonkers. The short chapters and mini cliff-hangers me helped me stick with it, but it was a wild ride. I wanted to see what the point of the story was, and I don't think I got it at the end.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0) by Travis Baldree, 339p: I loved going back to this cozy fantasy world with a younger Viv. We can see how her experiences in this book lead to her choices in the first book. Viv is injured on a fight, and she must stay in this small town to recover. She ends up making friends, helping the town people and discovered a passion for reading. I loved the bookshop being renovated! And Viv's enjoyment of romance books, it was so relatable! It's the perfect read to get out of a book slump or just have fun and relax.

  2. That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon (Mead Mishaps #1) by Kimberly Lemming, 277: This was a fun read in a medieval fantasy setting with lots of humour and romance. It's funny, whimsical and can't be taken seriously. There are demons, all kinds of shape shifters and evil witches. The language is very modern and full of slang.  I gotta say that there were some violent deaths that were dissonant with the book vibes. It's not a book you read for the plot, you read it for the laughs and feel-good vibes.

  3. The Getting Things Done Workbook: 10 Moves to Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, Brandon Hall, 224p: This was a re-read for me. I got out of the GTD wagon, and I just needed a quick workbook to get back to the basics. I realized there were some issues with my capturing habit and that I was overcomplicating things. It’s a nice GTD refresher.

  4. Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport, 256p: Interesting ideas about knowledge work, and how to adopt a slower pace while doing relevant things. It's perfect for people who have lots of autonomy towards their work. I didn't feel I could use all the suggestions presented. Even though I'm a knowledge worker, I don't really have that much control over my working hours to be able to work at a natural pace or really do fewer things. I enjoyed the story about how Jane Austen got to write her books (it was NOT by writing a few words here and there in between house chores). Maybe because I've been listening to the author's podcast, I didn't find the book to be ground-breaking, and I already knew most of the stories he uses as example or inspiration to the slow productivity principles. It was not a hugely impactful book for me if compared to his previous ones.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

I was sick in the beginning of the month, and I experienced fatigue and headaches for most of it. But I managed to do a quick refresh on Morning pages, powered through a romantasy, explored some Buddhist philosophy, and finished with an interesting read about attention span and technology. Overall, not bad at all.

  1. The Miracle of Morning Pages: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Most Important Artist's Way Tool by Julia Cameron, 52p: This is truly short and it's like a Q&A with the author giving more details about the Morning Pages. It was okay. I just wanted something short to read and this was on my TBR.

  2. The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness by Pema Chödrön, 145p: This book brings concepts from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and focus on Bodhichitta and how to become a bodhisattva or warrior, in the sense of nonaggression and being open. I don't have a deep knowledge of Buddhist and some ideas were very abstract. It emphasizes the importance of having a meditation practice. The message is finding ways to nurture compassion for us and how to deal with fear. I might have to go back to this book to grasp the concepts more deeply.

  3. A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout, 626p: I didn't enjoy this one very much. I could have stopped reading it, but I really wanted to see where it would go, because it's a prequal to a series I've already read (Blood and Ash). I thought it was quite repetitive and it didn't make me want to continue reading the series. Note to self: I'm tired of dark vampire-like stories for now.

  4. Attention Span by Gloria Mark, 770 pages: This was a very interesting read presenting various research results on how we use our attention with our digital devices and how much our attention span has been diminishing as a society. I enjoyed the chapter about the Framework for Attentional States, in which she identifies how we have several types of attention depending on how challenging or boring an activity is. There are lots of insights in how we need to vary our attention states throughout the day. We can't be focused all the time, and we need downtime to replenish our cognitive resources. She debunks these myths that we could be “in flow” for extended periods of time, or that mindless activities like playing Solitaire are bad. It's recognizing that we need breaks, especially if we are being constantly bombarded with information nowadays.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

  1. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood, 362p: This book made want to learn how to play chess! I didn't know anything about the world of professional chess, so it was interesting to learn. I loved that the characters show intellectual admiration for each other, instead of just physical attraction. There is friendship and love, although it starts with a competitive vibe to it. I wish the ending were longer, I wanted to know more details about their final chess tournament. Overall, I had lots of fun reading it, and it triggered feel-good emotions in me, I loved it!

  2. A Master of Djinn (The Dead Djinn Universe #1) by P. Djèlí Clark, 431p: Interesting world building: alternate history Egypt with magic and djinn in 1912 Cairo.  It's a murder mystery but I enjoyed the world building more than the characters. The main character, Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She is investigating the murder of an English Basha, who is the Member of a Secret Brotherhood. The world is super rich with the Djinn having become integrated into society and magic allowed Egypt to become a powerful prominent economy. I figured out the murderer at about 60% and that made the book drag for me in the rest 40%. So, it was a bit annoying that Fatma was still going after false clues, getting lost in her search, while I already knew who the murderer was. Anyway, nice read but not one of my favorites.

  3. Beach Read by Emily Henry, 361p: Somehow the title of this book didn't really match with the story for me. I don't know why that bothered me. The main character is dealing with grief, and she inherits her father's house by the water. It's meta in the sense that the two main characters are writers, and they struck a deal for each one to write a book out of their comfort zone. The woman is a romance writer who tries to write literary fiction, and the man writes literary fiction and attempts to write romance. I thought the pacing was terribly slow and the book didn't keep me always interested.

  4. Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross, 368p: I loved this book! It was a five-stars read for me. I loved the idea of enchanted typewriters that can send letters! The two main characters are adorable, and it is such a lovely story about friendship, hardship, and love. So beautifully written without being excessively flowery. I felt a full range of emotions while reading this book: sadness, joy, grief, compassion, anger. I cried and I laughed. It just a sign of a really good book: when it can touch me so deeply without being depressing. I sympathized with the grief portrayed in this book, and it helped me deal with own feelings of grief that were buried deep inside. The love story is amazing! So adorable and so authentic! I loved the whole thing about exchanging letters, like unknown pen pals that somehow connect using words. I can't wait to read the second book! (it's a duology!)

  5. Practical Meditation: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide by Giovanni Dienstmann, 185p: I enjoyed most of this book, it gives an overview of meditation practices from different traditions. There are gorgeous graphics inside explaining key concepts. I loved the “Mindful Mind Flow” diagram! One thing that I missed was an audio companion to the book (I read the e-book version). There are instructions on distinct types of meditation, but it is best to have listened to these instructions while we are meditating. Good reference book as an introduction to meditation, but I think it’s hard for a beginner to start without an audio guiding the meditations.

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.

1. I Didn't Do the Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt to Embrace the Hidden Value in Daily Life by Madeleine Dore, 304p: This was a nice read to start off the year. There were some good things to think about, the main message being: it's okay to not be perfect, we don't have to do it all. It was a nice reminder, although I felt the ideas were quite repetitive throughout the book. It's full of the author's own ruminations about productivity and her discoveries. It doesn't have anything too ground-breaking if you've been reading the most recent productivity books (such as Four Thousand Weeks). Nice read focusing on not feeling productivity guilt.

2. When Beauty Tamed the Beast (Fairy Tales #2) by Eloisa James, 384p: The first time I heard about this book I thought it was going to have some fantasy elements, since it's supposed to be a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast tale.  It's more like a re-imagined version in Victorian England:  Piers Yelverton (Earl of Marchan) lives secluded in this castle, he has an injured leg, he is grumpy and works as a doctor (very much like  Dr. House from the TV show); and Linnet Thrynne our heroine, is extremely beautiful but disgraced in the ton because there are rumours saying she is pregnant (outside of a married relationship). Long story short, Linnet becomes betrothed to Piers (who actually doesn't want to marry) but Piers father thinks her “pregnancy” will solve the heir problem. And then it's all about banter between Linnet and Piers and how they fall for each other against all odds. Fun and lighthearted.

3. The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling, 322p: This is a cozy-spooky book: a nice comfort read with witches. I liked the premise: witches trying to counteract a hex placed years ago with some hilarious consequences. I loved the cat “Sir Purrcival” and I wish there was more going on with it. The resolution felt too easy. The plot made me believe the curse had high stake consequences but by the end it was too easily solved, I think. A light, fun read with a second chance witchy romance.

4. Capture the Sun (Starlight's Shadow #3) by Jessie Mihalik, 432p: This is the third of this series, and I wasn't too thrilled about it. I think it has the same formula as the previous books and it was the weakest of the series. There was a lot of unnecessary info-dump, as I felt some world building elements were already explained in previous books. It's a fun series overall, with sci-fi and romance, but the ending in this one was kinda meh.

5. Artemis by Andy Weir, 335p: I had fun with this book! The main character (Jazz) is very resourceful, and she is not afraid of taking risks. Sometimes I would think to myself “No, Jazz, that's too risky, don' t do that!” but she has a way of analytically thinking through a situation and concocts a plan that might work (with pros and cons). I loved the maps showing Artemis and how the bubbles were connected. Andy Weir has a way of skilfully explaining scientific ideas within the characters dialogues, it's super well done!

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By Noisy Deadlines Minimalist in progress, nerdy, introvert, skeptic. I don't leave without my e-reader.