Reading Wishlist: March 2015

 March 3

The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

Genre: YA Fantasy
 The sequel to The Winner's Curse.

Death Marked (Death Sworn #2) by Leah Cypress

Genre: YA Fantasy
Sequel to Death Sworn.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Genre: YA Contemporary

Kin (Tales of Beauty and Madness #3) by Lili St. Crow

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

Genre: Fiction

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Genre: YA Contemporary

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson


Genre: Historical Fiction

Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran


Genre: Historical Fiction

The Suicide Exhibition by Justin Richards


Genre: Science Fiction

Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss


Genre: Horror

The Sellout by Paul Beatty


Genre: Fiction


H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald


Genre: Non Fiction

March 10

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA Contemporary

Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2) by Rachel Hartman

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Orphan Queen (The Orphan Queen #1) by Jodi Meadows

Genre: YA Fantasy

Burning Kingdoms (The Internment Chronicles #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Confess by Colleen Hoover

Genre: New Adult

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

Genre: Non Fiction

The Tusk that Did the Damage by Tania James

Genre: Fiction

March 17

The Wilderness of Ruin: A Tale of Madness, Fire, and the Hunt for America's Youngest Serial Killer by Roseanne Montillo

Genre: True Crime

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

Genre: Fiction

Wolves of the Northern Rift by Jon Messenger


Genre: Fantasy

The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Tyrant Who Created North Korea and The Young Lieutenant Who Stole His Way to Freedom by Blaine Harden


Genre: Non Fiction

March 24

Half Wild (The Half Bad Trilogy #2) by Sally Green

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Genre: YA Fantasy

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Genre: YA Contemporary

Manwhore by Katy Evans

Genre: Romance

March 31

The Wicked Will Rise (Dorothy Must Die #2) by Danielle Paige

Genre: YA Fantasy

King (The Dragon King #3) by Ellen Oh

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Voyage of the Basilisk (Memoir by Lady Trent #3) by Marie Brennan

Genre: Fantasy

The Unleashing (Call of Crows #1) by Shelly Laurenston


Genre: Paranormal Romance

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen


Genre: Historical Fiction

So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson


Genre: Non Fiction

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on Their Decision Not to Have Kids by Meghan Daum (Editor)


Genre: Non Fiction

2015 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for books. It's only March and look how many great books are coming out in this month alone! Let me know what books you're adding to your TBR pile this month in the comments below! Happy reading, everybody!

New Video: Review of Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Yes, I did it. I read the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey, the first book in E.L. James' erotic trilogy. To be perfectly honest I did attempt to read this book when it first debuted in 2011. But I just couldn't do it. I got maybe halfway through before I gave up.

Now that the movie version has just been released, I resolved to read the entire book before I saw the film. And my review can be summed up in a single sentence:

This book woudn't be so bad if everything about it was completely different.

Don't get me wrong: I love erotica. I've been reading it since I was a teenager. For me, good erotica should be fun, sexy, and titillating. Unfortunately, Fifty Shades is not any of those things.

Let's start with the two main characters: Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Ana is the most naive character I have ever come across. She doesn't seem to know anything about sex. She's never kissed anyone, touched herself, touched anyone else, or even had a wet dream. I'm not against innocent, virginal characters but this is just ridiculous. In the 21st century, even if you're a virgin, it is almost impossible to go through puberty without at least thinking about sex. Sex is everywhere in our culture. The only explanation for Ana's innocence is that she time-traveled from an earlier era. Like the Victorian era. 

But of course, that all changes once she meets billionaire bad boy Christian Grey. Now I know that there are a lot of women (and I'm sure some men too) who think Mr. Grey is the epitome of the tortured, romantic male hero. I just don't get it. He's misogynistic, abusive, controlling, and emotionally unavailable. Everything is about him and his needs. Ana spends the entire book trying to please him, trying to figure out how to give him what he wants and he never seems to consider her needs at all. She protests the expensive gifts that he's giving her; he tells her she's overthinking things and should just be appreciative. She wants to have a serious discussion; he shuts down or distracts her by fucking her brains out instead. 

I'd like to point out that I have nothing against the BDSM community or people who like to experiment with their sexuality and express themselves in different ways. But this book is not about that. A sexual relationship between two (or more) adults should always be consensual. In Fifty Shades, Ana is unsure about the kind of lifestyle that Christian is into but she tries it because she wants to be with him and she's decided that it's the only way she can be with him. She's not doing it because she wants to. It seems Christian always has to coerce her into it. He says that she can walk away at anytime, but when she thinks she might leave (or even jokes about leaving) he immediately shows up and fucks her into submission. 

As far as plot goes, there really isn't one. It's basically Ana trying to decide what kind of relationship she wants to have with Christian and crying a lot because Christian doesn't care what she wants or needs. Oh, and there are a lot of repetitive sex scenes that aren't sexy. There was maybe one that I liked. 

The only thing that kept me reading was Ana's laughably bad inner monologue (or should I say dialogue since it consisted of her, Ana's 'subconscious', and her inner goddess.) But even the entertainment factor of the bad writing isn't enough to cover up the fact that this is a book about a woman being emotionally and physically abused by an emotionally stunted asshole. After a while it stops being funny and just becomes depressing. 

I will go see the movie because I am intrigued to see how this story will translate onto the big screen. And I will probably read the other two books in the series out of curiosity. Love it or hate it, Fifty Shades has become a cultural phenomenon and I think it's important to explore the message that this book sends out to readers. 

Reading Wishlist: February 2015

 Feb. 3

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Genre: YA Horror
What It's About: Micheline Helsing is a descendant of the famous Van Helsing - and she follows in her ancestor's footsteps by slaying monsters in the modern world. (Can I just say that I love that creepy cover?)

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Genre: Historical Fiction
What It's About: A tale of two sisters living in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy/Short Stories
What It's About: A brand new collection of short stories from one of the modern masters of fantastical fiction, Neil Gaiman.

Love in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Judd Trichter

Genre: Science Fiction
What It's About: Set in a near-future LA, a man falls in love with an android.

In Search of Lost Dragons by Elian Black'mor

Genre: Fantasy
What It's About: A tale of dragon encounters complete with full-color illustrations! I am so excited for this book!

Daughter of Gods and Shadows by Jayde Brooks


Genre: Fantasy
What It's About: Eden Reid, a 24-year old woman living in Brooklyn, discovers that she is an ancient god.

Dark Intelligence (Transformation #1) by Neal Asher


Genre: Science Fiction
What It's About: A man is brought back to life 100 years after a devastating war between humans and aliens.

Feb. 10

Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: In this new trilogy, the common Reds are ruled by the Silvers, an elite race with god-like powers.

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: Lex is left reeling after her brother commits suicide. In the devastating aftermath, she tries to piece her life back together.

The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopian
What It's About: Aya, along with a small group of women, is on the run from men who would auction them off for their breeding rights.

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: Sixteen-year old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death.

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger

Genre: Thriller
What It's About: Ian meets Megan, a sweet beautiful girl who makes him want to change for the better. The only problem is his troubled ex-girlfriend Priss doesn't want him to move on. 

Feb. 17

Half the World (Shattered Sea #2) by Joe Abercrombie

Genre: Fantasy
What It's About: The second installment in Abercrombie's Shattered Sea series.

Dendera by Yuya Sato


Genre: Fiction
What It's About: Elderly Kayu is abandoned by her family on a snowy mountaintop. Instead of passing into the afterlife, she discovers a utopian society of other old women who take her in. The only threat to their peaceful community is a hungry mother bear.

Feb. 24

A Wicked Thing (A Wicked Thing #1) by Rhiannon Thomas

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: A retelling of Sleeping Beauty which explores what happens after happily ever after.

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Genre: YA Contemporary
What It's About: Skylar is determined to leave her small town and go to art school - but her plans are derailed when her mother loses her job.

The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter #1) by Melinda Salisbury

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: Seventeen-year old Twylla lives in a castle and is engaged to the prince. But she also serves as the royal executioner.

The Art and Making of Hannibal by Jesse McLean

Genre: Entertainment
What It's About: The title is pretty self-explanatory. I just had to feature it because I am a huge Fannibal.

A Darker Shade of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab

Genre: YA Fantasy
What It's About: Kell is a Traveler - a rare magician that can move between parallel universes.