Four of My Least Favorite Books So Far This Year

By Jay Flood Last week I shared my four favorite books from the first half of 2023, so this week I thought I would share my four least favorite. I have read 46 books so far this year and most of them are rated three stars. However, when I was looking through the list...

Red London, White London, Black London, Grey London

By Jay Flood In the summer of 2021, I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab for the first time and fell in love with her writing style. I learned she had other published books that many people enjoyed, so I decided to read more of her books. I couldn’t...

My Top Four Reads from 2023 So Far

By Jay Flood June is behind us, which means we are halfway through 2023. I have read 46 books so far this year, so I thought I would give a recap and list my top four favorites of this year, so far. According to Storygraph, I have read 46 books, which is 15,966 pages...

Four of my Favorite Comfort Reads 

By Jay Flood Rereading books is something I do quite often. Getting to go back into a world I love with characters I love and knowing what will happen is the most comforting thing. Rereading books can remind me why I love them and sometimes can show me a new way to...

Poetic Prose, Love Letters, and Time-Travel

By Jay Flood Before I read this book, I didn’t realize it was possible to be so confused and still love a book so much. I genuinely don’t think I ever knew what was happening, but I knew it was the most beautiful, captivating book I have ever read. If someone used...

Four Fantasy Books with Unique Magic Systems

By Jay Flood The fantasy genre is one of the best genres to read if reading is a form of escapism for you. Leaving the real world to fly with fairies, swim with mermaids, and fight with dragons is magical. However, it can get old fast if every fantasy book has the...

A Review of a Book About Not Falling in Love

By Jay Flood It’s rare to find a book written about college students that captures the experience so well. Loveless by Alice Oseman is about belonging, accepting yourself, and growing to love your community. I truly did not expect this young adult contemporary fiction...

Four Ways to Intentionally Diversify Your Bookshelf

By Jay Flood Of the many benefits reading contributes to your quality of life, empathy arguably ranks as most important. Reading books allows you to experience the world through the eyes of others who are different. Reading about people with lives completely different...

Four Things that Ruin Would-be Five-Star Books

By Jay Flood As a reader, it is so disappointing when a book has the potential to be five stars but falls short due to a choice the author made. Reading five-star books is exhilarating and reminds us why we love reading so much. When you’re raving about how great the...
A Monk and a Robot Share the Meaning of Life

A Monk and a Robot Share the Meaning of Life

By Jay Flood It’s difficult to imagine that a duology about a robot and a monk could make you so emotional in a positive way and make you really think about the meaning of life, but A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers did just...