Hi Friends,
It’s been a little over a year since a global pandemic struck. I’ve been silent on my blog for a lot longer than that. I can be a forgetful creature. And this year, I’d like to change that. So, I am going to take a fresh approach.
Practicing one’s craft is essential in being able to develop it, however studying it can be a significant source of inspiration. I’ve challenged myself in the past three months to read more and stream fewer films and series. Not that those can’t be a source of inspiration or a how to example for a good plot line.
Below you will find a list of all the books I have read since January 1st, 2021. I’ve separated them by age group and by genre. I hope that this list brings you all a little inspiration. If you have any books, you want me to check out don’t be afraid to comment below.
Young Adult
Historical Fiction / Fantasy / Horror
Dread Nation & Deathless Divide - a duology written by Justina Ireland featuring a Black Protagonist in a post Civil War era with zombies. Need I say anymore.
Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, Racism, Death, Trauma, Violence
Fantasy / Paranormal
Queen Of Air And Darkness by Cassandra Clare
The third and final instalment in The Dark Artifices trilogy. Set in the same Shadow Hunter world we know and love through The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.
Trigger Warnings: Racism, Transphobia, Trauma, Violence, Death
The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams
A babysitter discovers she has magical powers. Powers she must use to in protect the innocent and the world from evil. Note: This book reads more like middle grade than it does Young Adult.
Trigger Warnings: Memory Loss, Anxiety, Asylum, Mental Illness, Trauma
Fantasy
Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron
A young girl wanting to live up to her family name and expectations. An unexpected betrayal. A beautifully crafted story with its roots in African folklore and mythology. Easily one of my favourite reads of the year already.
Trigger Warnings: Trauma, War, Mind Control, Manipulation/Toxic Relationship, Death/Murder.
Adult
Fantasy
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
A brilliant story focusing on the members of society that are forgotten. A London beneath London. This novel had its hooks in me and I could not put it down.
Trigger Warnings: Death, Death Threats, Violence, Homelessness.
Sicarius by Anne Robillard (French Novel)
A secret society working on stopping the Antichrist from taking over the world. Lizard people secretly among us. Book #4 in the A.N.G.E. series further delves into the background of one of the side characters showcasing that character’s strength and how it’s never too late to change.
Trigger Warnings: Death, Violence
Manga / Horror
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
What happens to a town contaminated by spirals? How can a simple shape cause so much chaos, death and destruction? Uzumaki is not for the faint of heart but lives up to its description of a “bizarre masterpiece of horror.”
Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Animal Abuse/Sacrifice, Anxiety, Blood, Gore, Graphic Injuries, Death, Murder, Hallucinations, Delusions, Kidnapping, Paranoia, Mind Control, Violence.
Tomie by Junji Ito
A woman that cannot die. Those who’ve killed her driven by madness. Who is at fault here, the men or the woman who’s unearthly beauty is a weapon against them?
Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Murder, Death, Violence, Mind Control, Blood, Gore, Paranoia, Hallucinations, Delusions, Kidnapping.
Horror
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Described as “A tale of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition.” There is no other way to describe this novel. Except I will never doubt traditions again.
Trigger Warnings: Racism, Animal Death, Murder, Hallucinations, Paranoia, Death, Violence, Hunting, Manipulation, Anxiety.
My reading goal for April is two books. I currently have four on the go. Excessive perhaps, but I have learned that I don’t tire of them as quickly. Almost like how one would watch a certain show on one night and another the next. My April To Be Read (TBR) are the following;
Happy Reading Friends!
Amalia
