Y’all, I do not remember the last time I read a book over 500 pages, let alone 800 pages- maybe back in my Harry Potter days?! Low Key was intimidated. I have been trying to read more of my physical books than Kindle since I have a growing TBR list of physical books. One of the ways I have been able to read more is by combining it with working out. I go to the gym, put the treadmill on an incline, set the speed, put in my headphones, find a chill vibe music playlist, and pop open the book. An hour later, a couple of hundred calories shed and a chapter or two read, I accomplished both my goals- staying fit and reading. I love the habit stacking. I do not enjoy running or walking without listening to either an audiobook or a podcast- so being able to read, work out, and sit in the sauna is a win-win situation.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara 4/5
This book is not for those in a bad mental state. I mean that. It’s a book that’s heavy on trauma, multiple traumas. It’s real. It’s messy. It is authentic and chaotic. I had a friend who read it, and she was like this is an over exaggeration nobody can go through all that- sadly, I know firsthand through my job how much one can go through, the childhood trama, how it effects them as an adult- their thoughts, their emotions, relationshiips their very being in life- its not an over exaggeration. It’s real. That’s why this book was so hard to finish. I had to take breaks, and if I am being honest, I started reading this back in January and now finished it 7 months later- I took so many breaks in between. I had to be in a good headspace to read it, and there were weeks, months when my work did not allow that space. Read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book.
It’s about four college roommates and their friendships over the years. You start to slowly realize the main character is Jude, and man, does Jude have a life.
The book is highly “readable”. It doesn’t use fancy words or long paragraphs where you’re trying to think if there’s a double meaning here or something. The writing is great, and honestly, it’s a book that once you start reading, you want to keep reading because you want to know what happens next.
SO when you’re ready, I highly recommend this book. It’s one of a kind and worth the read.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart 3/5
I have been seeing this book all over BookTok- why, I will never know, because this book is not worth all the hype. It’s once again a filler book, or in my case, a palate cleanser for when I want to not think too much about what I am reading, and don’t care about the writing, the lack of character development, and the storyline. This book could have been better. I don’t know if I want to read the next book because half of me is wondering why this book fleshed out better.
It is a fast and easy read. It has an enemies-to-lovers trope, which is honestly the best part about this novel. I think with fantasy novels, that’s half the battle- to make the book believable, you have to write and have to write out your world- what do you see, description of everything and everyone. Sure, you can write a portol, but what does that feel like to cross one? How do you cross one? Who opens it? Etc.