I’m finally out of my reading slump! I have been slowly finishing the multiple books I have started. As my reading habits have changed, I realized I can’t read more than one book at once. It ends up slowing me down. If I end up not liking a book or not getting into the book right away, I need to be better at putting it away and reading something else. With that being said, I credit Wolf Gone Wild as one of the books that helped me move out of my slump. Wolf Gone Wild is a fantasy romance centered on a witch trying to break a hex placed on a stubborn werewolf.

Evie Savoie is a hex breaker. Evie is one of the older sisters in her witch’s coven. Based in New Orleans, Evie and her family run a variety of businesses, including a storefront and a bar. During a shift, she’s sought out by Mateo Cruz, a werewolf who’s been unable to change into his wolf, and it’s causing him stress. Mateo has to constantly fight off his wolf persona daily, which is interfering with his art commissions. Evie agrees to help Mateo, which leads to them getting closer, along with uncovering the mystery of who placed the hex on Mateo.

While Wolf Gone Wild is technically a romance, I felt that there were enough fantasy world-building elements within the story. Wolf Gone Wild introduces Evie’s family, along with each of Evie’s sisters and their magical abilities. I liked that while the romance is the center of the story, many other interesting aspects kept my attention throughout the book. As far as the characters themselves, I liked Evie. She’s independent, she doesn’t take any bullshit from anyone, and she has her own hobbies that keep her busy. She’s a comic fan, and it’s shown through several scenes that she’s trying to make her own comic. I thought Mateo was an interesting character, too, but I felt I didn’t know as much about him as I did about Evie.

I liked Wolf Gone Wild. It wasn’t my favorite book this year, but I’m glad I read it. I think Wolf Gone Wild sets up the series as the future romance books focus on Evie’s siblings. I want to read Jules’s story as she is the oldest sister, and it’s hinted that she has a fling with a vampire. I rated Wolf Gone Wild four stars on Goodreads.

I have been in a little bit of a reading slump. I tried to read too many things at once, which dragged me down. I’m getting through it slowly, but surely. While my reading has been a hit or a miss, I have been reading a lot of single-issue comics lately. I wanted to talk through a few series that I have loved reading this year.

Captain Carter – McKelvie, Cresta, and Arciniega

Captain Carter exists in a world where Peggy wakes up after being frozen instead of Steve. As she reenters the world, she works with S.T.R.I.K.E in Westminster, London. Peggy has been working on preventing potential terrorist attacks plotted by Hydra. As Peggy gets more involved, she realizes that there might be a double agent working amongst her team.

The best way to describe this Captain Carter comic series is if Captain America: The Winter Soldier starred Peggy instead of Steve. This feels like a James Bond or Bourne Identity comic series, and I love it. Each issue is action-packed, and there are several guest appearances by other Marvel heroes. Captain Carter is a limited five-issue series, which I hope could be a full series later on because I loved it.

She-Hulk – Rowell, Maresca, and Renzi

She-Hulk left the Avengers and is starting over as an attorney in New York. She reunites with Jack of Hearts, whom she believed to be killed in a previous Avengers mission. Jack of Hearts doesn’t remember much, and She-Hulk is committed to helping him figure out what happened to him, along with getting his life back on track.

Reading the She-Hulk series, it feels like a continuation of the show. Rainbow Rowell does a great job of making Jen relatable to any young working professional. The covers of each issue are done by Jen Bartel, and they are beautifully done. This series alone is worth buying to collect the covers. I would say if you weren’t a fan of the show, you may not like this series.

Bettie Page – Ani-Mia, Celor, Nurmalia, Mangual, and Idelson. Covers by Linsner, Burns, Roux, and Ani-Mia Cosplay.

Bettie Page is a pinup model who stars in her own comic series. Bettie is an academic and archeologist of sorts, and she teams up with Sofia and Young-Ja to travel the world and find clues as to the locations of hidden artifacts.

This series is so fun to read. I liked reading about Bettie and all the locations she travels to. She can hold her own when things get a little dicey. The story is simple and easy to understand. I don’t read a lot of comics from Dynamite, but now Bettie Page is a series I am keeping tabs on.

I always read a lot of comics throughout the year, and it helps that I try to visit my local comic book store every other week. Let me know what comics you’re reading in the comments down below.

I read The Killing Code by Ellie Marney a week or two ago, and I’m still thinking about this book. I am not usually drawn to historical fiction or romance, but the premise of this book drew me in. The Killing Code focuses on the women who helped break coded phrases and messages during WWII. Combining this premise with a murder mystery, I knew I had to bump this up to the top of my reading list. The Killing Code is a wonderfully written, historical thriller focusing on the women who helped the war effort.

Kit Sutherland is a code breaker working at Arlington Hall, helping to break codes from enemy lines. While Kit works for the war effort, she uncovers a string of murders that seem to be targeting girls who work for the government. Kit teams up with her supervisor, Moya Kershaw, Dottie Crawford, and Violet DuLac to review the evidence and find out who’s behind the murders.

I loved everything about this book! I loved the setting in Virginia and how they work in the same compound near Washington DC. I liked how, in each chapter of The Killing Code, there were quotes from actual codebreakers in the war. I thought it added to the aesthetic and setting of the book.

As far as the characters, I thought Kit’s backstory was really interesting, and I liked how it tied into the reveal of the killer. I can’t go into it in detail without spoiling the book. Kit and Moya develop a romantic relationship throughout the book, and I adored them together! They have very different personalities, but I thought they complemented each other. Dottie has personal attachments to the case as she knew one of the girls who was killed. Finally, there’s Violet, who faces racism throughout the book, along with contemplating whether she wants to submit her college application. Each of the characters had their own journey, which I thought helped define them and made them memorable.

Once I started The Killing Code, it didn’t take me long to finish the book. I looked forward to completing my day so I could get back to reading the book. While I think this book was written as a one-off, it would be interesting to see a sequel. It could focus on a different portion of history and on where everyone went after the war ended. The Killing Code was so good, and I will be on the lookout for Ellie Marney’s other books. I rated The Killing Code five stars on Goodreads.

I picked up Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare back in April at Independent Bookstore Day earlier this year. I was planning on reading this book in the month of October, but I ended up reading it earlier than I anticipated. Go Hex Yourself was a fun, spooky read, but I couldn’t help but want more from the story.

Reggie Johnson needs a job. She applied for a job in the paper, and in her eyes, she thought it was a position working for her favorite card game, “Spellcraft: The Magicking.” Instead, Reggie uncovers that she ended up applying to be a witch’s familiar. Reggie decides to take the job and is quickly introduced to Ben Magnus, who is the cousin of the witch Reggie is working for. Ben tries to put distance between himself and Reggie, but ultimately, a situation arises where Reggie and Ben are forced to work together to break a curse that was set upon someone close to them.

I adored the setting of Go Hex Yourself. It was hinted that this book takes place somewhere outside of Boston. I thought this worked well with the story as I kept picturing brick roads, gothic houses, and trees with changing leaves. Reggie ends up staying at this mansion while she works, and it’s described in detail what a witch’s laboratory looks like, and all these vials for potion making. I thought it helped me click with the story more as I could picture the environment Reggie is working under.

As far as the romance was concerned, I didn’t love Reggie and Ben together. It’s been hinted that this book is a “Reylo” book. For those who are unfamiliar, Reylo is a group of fans who believe that Kylo Ren and Rey from the Star Wars movies should be a romantic pairing. Ben is described as moody, having darker hair, and overall looking similar to Adam Driver, while Reggie has long brown hair, she’s quiet at certain times, and she comes from a rough background. I’m not a Reylo fan personally, and I think that had to do with the romance. I felt at times that Reggie and Ben weren’t made to be together, and I couldn’t help but think if they would actually last after the book ends.

I enjoyed reading Go Hex Yourself simply for all the spell casting and the story of how witches exist in the present day. Go Hex Yourself is part of a series, and I’m looking forward to the next book because that book stars Penny, someone Reggie interacts with in Go Hex Yourself. I found myself liking Penny more than Reggie at times, so I think the sequel will be something I will enjoy more than the first book. I rated Go Hex Yourself three stars on Goodreads.

To get into the mood for fall, I had a few books on my TBR that I specifically picked out for September and October. I have had The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling on my TBR since last year. I originally planned on reading this book last year, but with getting married and going on our mini-moon, I ran out of time. The Ex Hex was right up my alley; it’s the perfect book to read leading up to Halloween.

Vivienne Jones is heartbroken. As such, she drinks vodka in a bubble bath, contemplating her former relationship with Rhys Penhallow. As a joke, Vivienne’s cousin Gwyn helps Vivienne cast a curse on Rhys. They both laugh it off as they clearly didn’t intend for a curse to actually be placed. Nine years later, Rhys returns to Graves Glen, Georgia, and finds that he’s fallen under a bit of bad luck. Vivienne slowly comes to terms with the fact that Rhys is still as charming as ever, but also that her curse actually worked.

Vivienne and Rhys had great chemistry together. I liked Vivienne as a character; she’s intelligent, and I love that she teaches courses at the local college in town. Rhys is written as a bad boy type, but there is a lot more to his character, including how he doesn’t agree with his father and the way he does things.

Besides the characters, I liked the way the curse was described. I think it would have been way too easy to let the curse fall to the wayside to support the main romance. There was a lot of thought into what type of curse it was, how to break it, and why Vivienne was able to cast it in the first place. It also ended up revealing some backstory about Graves Glen, which I really enjoyed.

I’m a little shocked that The Ex Hex has an average rating of 3.55 stars on Goodreads. That feels too low. The Ex Hex was such a fun read, and I’m already looking forward to re-reading this again. I rated The Ex Hex five stars on Goodreads.

CW: HIV diagnosis, suicide (I won’t go into this by any means, but this is more content warnings for the book itself)

Would you want to know the date you die? That’s the premise behind The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. The thought of having the option to find out the date you die is terrifying to me. I think it would cause me way too much anxiety, and I would constantly stress over whether I was doing enough in my life before my date approaches. This anxiety is seen throughout the characters in The Immortalists. While I liked the book, I’m not sure if I would ever read it again.

Four siblings: Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon find out that there’s a woman nearby who can predict the date of their deaths. They’re fascinated and decide to visit her. Once the siblings hear their dates, they find that it does sway their lives. Varya and Daniel stay in New York to continue their studies, with Varya specifically studying longevity. Klara and Simon flee to San Francisco to follow their dreams, no matter what. The siblings all share the fear of whether the woman was right all along.

I thought The Immortalists had an interesting premise. I will say that what I was expecting going into this book was not what the book turned out to be. As a fair warning, this is an emotionally heavy book. I found myself crying throughout portions of the book. I wasn’t anticipating this, so I did put up content warnings for those who feel they need an idea as to what The Immortalists dives into.

Out of all the siblings, I found myself drawn to Klara. I admired Klara because she went against her family traditions and was ambitious in trying to be a successful performer. She received a lot of criticism from Daniel and Varya. Klara is in a lot of emotional pain, and I just wanted to reach out to her and give her a hug. Out of all the siblings, I found myself the most annoyed with Daniel and Varya. They seemed to constantly judge others, yet they couldn’t reflect and find the hypocrisy in their lives.

I don’t have any regrets about reading The Immortalists, as I think there were some interesting discussions throughout the book. I think my expectations as to what I wanted from the book versus how The Immortalists was written is why I didn’t love this book as much as I wanted to. I rated The Immortalists three stars on Goodreads.

July was a busy month for me. I had a lot going on with my birthday and our trip to Austin. That’s why it was so surprising to me that I had read three books, three short novellas, and three graphic novels this month. I’m confident that this past month was the most successful reading month I have ever had! Instead of writing separate reviews, I wanted to group everything I read last month into this post.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Everyone knows Evelyn Hugo. A film star who made her breakthrough in the 1950s and built her career in Old Hollywood. In the present day, Evelyn picks Monique Grant to interview her. Evelyn will not let anyone else interview her but Monique. Monique is stunned. Why her? As Monique sits and listens to Evelyn’s story, she realizes so many things about her own life and how Evelyn’s life is imperfect and tragic.

This book captured me right away. The imagery of Hollywood in the 1950s, Evelyn’s story, along with how it’s played out in the press, and the truth behind all of Evelyn’s marriages. Evelyn reveals her one true love, and there was a purpose behind each marriage. Evelyn’s story is tragic and provides clarity as to how corrupt Hollywood was during her time period of being an actress. I rated The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo five stars on Goodreads.

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

Five friends make their way back to the illustrious Duquette University for their ten-year Homecoming tradition. As they socialize at the gathering, they are lured by an acquaintance who wants justice for Heather Shelby, a friend in their group who was murdered during their senior year. Secrets are unearthed, and they slowly realize that they clearly do not know each other as well as they thought.

Each character in this book is so conniving. I think it’s easy to hate them all, yet I find myself understanding why they are the way they are. I loved the setting! I kept picturing Asheville, North Carolina, as I read through the book. When the final reveal happened, I kept thinking back to Scream 2, as that slasher film takes place on a college campus. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is the dark academic thriller I have always wanted. I rated this book five stars on Goodreads.

Revolver Road by Christi Daugherty

Harper McClain is investigating the disappearance of Xavier Rayne, a local musician who made it big. Harper buys her trust with Xavier’s three friends, Cara, Allegra, and Hunter, to figure out if they had a motive to want Xavier gone. As Harper begins her story, she’s being hunted by an unknown person who might have something to do with her mother’s death. Revolver Road builds up to a terrifying conclusion, and finally, Harper gets the answers she’s looking for.

This is the third book in the Harper McClain series. Throughout the books, Harper has been investigating her mother’s murder. Revolver Road finally reveals what happened to her mom. Part of the appeal of this series is reading about Harper’s life in Savannah, Georgia. I went to Savannah in March on my first road trip this year, and it made reading this book so much better since I could truly picture Harper’s life. I rated Revolver Road five stars on Goodreads.

The STEMinist Novellas #1 – #3 by Ali Hazelwood

The STEMinist Novellas are written by Ali Hazelwood, who wrote The Love Hypothesis, a book I adored when I read it last year. While Ali is writing her second novel, she has released these three short novellas centered around three friends: Mara, Sadie, and Hannah. Each novella centers on one of the three friends. On average, I rated each novella three stars. I liked them; they were short and perfect to read while on vacation.

The Ice Cream Man Volume #1 Rainbow Sprinkles by W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo

The Ice Cream Man is a horror graphic novel that takes place in a typical suburban town. Each issue tells a different story, yet somehow the Ice Cream Man is at the center of it. It’s unclear where Ice Cream Man comes from. Does he come from a different planet? Is he a demon? I’m not sure if this will ever be answered.

The whole time I was reading this, the artwork kept reminding me of Beavis & Butthead. It’s not a bad thing; I just couldn’t get it out of my head that this was what the art was reminding me of. Some of the stories I liked more than others. I’m not sure if I plan on continuing this series, but I’m glad I read it. I rated The Ice Cream Man three stars on Goodreads.

For Goodness Sake Volume #2 and Volume #3

For Goodness Sake centers around Rayne as she travels in her makeshift bus with her dog, Copilot. She meets Thatcher and sees that he has a curse placed upon him. Rayne decides to help, and a friendship forms between Rayne and Thatcher. In Volumes #2 and #3, Rayne learns more about Thatcher, and Thatcher realizes why the curse was placed upon him, to begin with.

I LOVE this series. It’s easily one of my favorite graphic novel series of all time. I love Rayne and Thatcher’s friendship. I think it would be easy to pair these as a romantic pairing, but I think at the heart of this is their friendship. I’m a big fan of K. Lynn Smith’s art. I have said this before, but I like her style. I can pick out her art because it’s unique. I rated For Goodness Sake Volumes #2 and #3 five stars on Goodreads.

I’m impressed if you made it to the end of this post. I had to take multiple breaks as I wrote this. As for August, I’m focusing more on fantasy novels, but my TBR is a lot smaller since I have a few weekends booked up as it is.

CW: Sexual Assault. One of the tropes I mention references sexual assault in books, but I don’t discuss it in great detail.

As a voracious reader, I am coming to terms with the types of books I like reading. I tend to read more thrillers and romance books than any other genre. I have been paying more attention to the types of tropes I have been seeing in the books I have been reading. Tropes aren’t always bad, as there are certain tropes I tend to gravitate to. Instead of sharing the best tropes, I wanted to share a few tropes that aren’t for me.

Thriller & Mystery – Unreliable female protagonist with a drinking problem (Examples include: Girl on a Train, The Woman in the Window)

This is so commonly used, and I’m over it. It’s usually a woman drinking red wine, and she mixes her wine with Xanax. She somehow can get up and do productive things after a night of binge drinking. I’m not a fan of this trope as it’s always the same. There has to be a better way to convey to the reader that something isn’t what it seems without the use of alcohol.

Romance – Love interest stems from cheating (Examples include: Anna & The French Kiss, One to Watch)

I despise cheating in romances. To me, it cheapens the romance. There’s a lot of emotional damage that comes with cheating, and I can’t fathom why you can’t break up with that person if you are interested in someone else. It still hurts, but at least it’s honest. Part of the thrill of romance books is that I want to root for the couple to last. When a romance is built on cheating, I have a hard time believing the romance will last, and it ruins it for me.

Thriller & Mystery – Using sexual assault as a twist (Example: The Good Daughter)

I wrote about this topic a few years ago, but I think the use of sexual assault is overdone. Sometimes it’s thrown into a backstory of a character for no good reason. In The Good Daughter, there’s a “plot twist” where it’s revealed that one of the characters was sexually assaulted. It felt gross to me. I would rather it had been revealed right away, rather than in the middle of the book. I think sexual assault can be used in a story in a powerful way, but when it’s so overused, it starts to become a bit too much.

Non-Fiction – Not having reference pages (maps, character lists to reference, etc. (Example: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition)

This isn’t a trope per se, but a preference. I’m reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent. While I’m enjoying it, this book is detailed. There are so many key players in passing the prohibition amendment, and there aren’t any reference pages. It can be difficult to remember everyone who’s been introduced. It’s a stark contrast to League of Denial: The NFL Concussions and the Battle for Truth. In League of Denial, there was a full character sheet with important people who were discussed. It was nice to be able to reference throughout the book.

While I’m not a big fan of these tropes, I try not to let them ruin the book I’m reading. If anything, it has helped me narrow down or eliminate books I’m not interested in reading because they contain these tropes. This helps me find books that I know I will love.

Last month, I devoted my reading month to non-fiction. I read two books and one non-fiction graphic novel. One of the books I read, Missoula Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, was a book review I posted a few weeks ago. I wanted to discuss the other book and graphic novel I read this month, as I felt proud of myself for sticking to non-fiction books.

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Columbine is a non-fiction book about the Columbine school shooting in Colorado on April 20th, 1999. Dave Cullen paints a picture of what happened during the shooting with an emphasized focus on the school shooters and why they committed this atrocity.

I originally read Columbine back when I was in high school. Reading Columbine now versus ten years ago was a different experience. This is partly due to the world that we live in, but also, I felt that my opinion about this book is different. Columbine puts a huge focus on the school shooters, which I wasn’t interested in. In these violent acts, the media often talks about the killers and less about the people impacted by the shooting. I still cannot name all thirteen of the victims, and I even looked at the back of the book and saw that one of the victims wasn’t listed at all during the book. It could have been because Dave Cullen might not have had permission to interview his family. However, I don’t see why there wasn’t a page included of all the people who were killed.

I think this book was extremely well written, but I just think it emphasized too much on the wrong portion of this event. I rated Columbine three stars on Goodreads.

March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

March: Book One is a non-fiction graphic novel detailing Congressman John Lewis’s story and how he became an active member of the Civil Rights movement. From being raised on a farm in rural Alabama to sneaking away to school, and how he was trained for nonviolent protesting, John Lewis is most certainly a hero.

I’m thrilled to see more non-fiction graphic novels being published! Reading non-fiction can feel like a chore depending on the author. I loved everything about March: Book One. It is an easy-to-follow story. The graphic novel opened with John Lewis attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration. It shows how far history has come, but also how much change still needs to happen.

One of the most interesting parts of the story was how John talks about training for nonviolent protesting. John works with Jim Lawson, one of the leaders of nonviolent protesting. During this training, each person had roleplays where they practiced yelling awful things, so the people participating in the sit-ins were practicing sitting in peace. It’s awful that the world was this way, but how brave these individuals were for standing up for equality.

The artwork in this completely coincides with John Lewis’s story. Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell use black & white to tell the complete story. I think it works for the imagery that they are working with. I thought the images were interesting to read and helped portray the darkness of the time period.

March: Book One was such an engaging read. I rated March: Book One five stars.

It was such a successful reading month for me! I have one more non-fiction book I’m reading now that I plan on finishing by the end of the year. As far as July, I’m sensing it’s going to be a mystery or thriller type of mood for me, but we shall see.