I'm Back!
Wow it has been a minute since I been active but I am more than happy to be back at the Novel Nest. A lot occurred over the month of August that I had to focus on but I am now back ready to talk about some of my favorite reads!
I actually got to take a vacation this past month and that means one thing: BEACH READS! Now normally when I'm at work, I am happy to hand sell a beach read, but they really just aren't my thing. For me a beach read is a great mystery/ thriller that I don't put down until I'm red from the sun and need to go cool off in the ocean. It is not that super light beach town one week excursion riddled with the miscommunication trope all throughout the plot. Ok maybe I am being a bit hard on them because I live on the beach, but I'm getting off topic so let's talk about some books.
Beach Read Recap:
Ok so technically I finished the first of the three pictured books on my flight down to the beach, but I can't help it, it was too good! All three of these were five star reads so let's get into why:
The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell: The story follows a three, formerly four, headed dragon who initially wants to take down the humans for enslaving their species but has a change of heart after reluctantly bonding with an overlooked girl destined to be a dragon rider. I think this book shined with its characters and dialogue especially between the dragon heads. My two favorites were definitely the Lower Head and Upper Head of the dragon, it felt reminiscent of Pinky and the Brain from the Animaniacs and it was super fun.
Killer Vibes by Jack Friday: This book is the first of a new series that I will definitely continue to follow. We see a recently evicted Peter Key get handed what is basically a golden ticket. He is given the keys to the house that belonged to his uncle that he barely knows, which sets off the events of the book where he begins to uncover what actually happened to his estranged relative. I've gotten into a lot of police style procedural shows so seeing Peter work through everything and seeing his process was really interesting. Plus I have to give it a bonus star right off the bat for representation. Peter is a bisexual male which made me feel a little more seen. I feel like I talked about this in a previous post but bisexuals in general are underrepresented in fiction despite being one of the largest percentages of the LGBTQ community.
The Book of Luke by Lovell Holder: I do want to talk more about this book in its own post, so I don't want to give away too much. All I will say was this book felt like it was made for me. It was the perfect beach read, fun and engaging with great characters and I want a sequel already. It was definitely the best read while I had my toes in the sand.
Now in terms of reading goals, I have completed a few already, as I have already read 100 books for this year. I have also read all my books from 2025, the very last one from last year was actually Book of Luke by Lovell Holder. Which considering that was a five-star read, what a way to end that "reading year!" Now we can talk about what I'm excited for the rest of this year and 2027 in the world of books!
What Comes Next:
Listening and Loving: I have definitely been loving how audiobooks can fit into my daily routine and will definitely be enjoying them as the year continues to go on. I recently just finished the Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, which was another five-star read, or in this case listen. It was absolutely excellent and I cannot wait to listen to some more great stories. Audiobooks have been how I found some of my favorite authors and I can't wait to find more.
New Releases from Favorite Authors: Well I just mentioned him once, but his books are so nice I'll mention him twice. Stephen Graham Jones has a new release, Off the Reservation and I cannot wait to read it. This is meant to serve as a sequel to The Only Good Indians which is actually the first book I read of Jones's work and I am beyond excited. I of course could also not talk about favorite authors without mentioning R.F. Kuang!! Kuang's new book Taipei story is already out and I have snagged a copy. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts in a review soon.
Expanding the Lore: Many of my favorite franchises are getting older and while I love rereading some classic tales, but I also love originality and expanding into a new unexplored part of the lore. I of course speaking about Ryan Parrott and his Power Rangers comic series. The series follows the original rangers on a new outer space adventure with a new unlikely ally in tow. In real time, the original red, yellow and black rangers left the show due to a financial dispute, so it's really cool to see Parrott's take on what these characters were up to after their time on the team.
I'll stop here for now so I can get back to my TBR but it feels really freaking good to be back and posting on a semi-regular basis. See everyone soon!
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