Down the Rabbit Hole

Leslie @ Books Are The New Black created a fun monthly post featuring book covers that fit the birthstone of the month.This can be the color of the cover or the color in the title.

Anyone can join, just give credit where it’s due.

This month has been a bit of a stressful one for me and hasn’t been all that great mental health wise. But I’m taking it bit by bit so praying this obstacle will also come to pass.

Onto a brighter note. The beautiful topaz is this month’s stone and I thought a mix of beautiful yellow or orange covers

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discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – Books that You’re Grateful For

November 25, 2022November 25, 2022 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

November 25: Books That You’re Grateful For

Prompts: What are some books that you’re grateful for? What books have had the biggest impact on your life? How did you discover them?

Welcome everyone to the last LTB of November! Today’s topic is great, and I believe it is either suggested by Aria herself or perhaps someone anonymous? I have never thought about what books I am “grateful” for, so this ought to be interesting.

I think books that I am grateful for often have a huge impact on me and end up becoming some of my favourite books. It may not change how I necessarily act or think, but most of the time it does give me perspective or at least affect a little bit my opinion of similar books.

When I was young, I really enjoyed a book called The Supernaturalist and honestly I hardly remember what it was even about or why I liked it. But I definitely remember that I liked it. Later I read Memoirs of a Geisha, and I think that really changed the way of how books affected me. Is a pattern starting to appear? Finally, in this new age, my new favourite impactful book has been The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

I think the pattern are these big melodramas, with realistic scenarios with heartbreaking choices and decisions no one could make. Something about the way that even as a third person omniscient, there was just almost no right answer, and everything is just a choice and a path you take, and you can’t look back. I really admired the persistence of all the characters as well, despite whatever obstacles life threw at them (and there were many).

I think all of these books were really just randomly discovered. Two were suggested by friends, and I believe one was given (donated) to me! I really don’t know if there’s any rhyme or reason as to why I ended up reading these books, but I think that’s the beauty of it too. When you are looking for a book to change your mind, that already alters your perception of the book. I think it’s impossible to try and do that intentionally; rather it just happens when you read books that resonate with you.

Which books changed your lives or perspectives? Let me know in the comments below!

4 star, adult

Review: A Cosmic Kind of Love by Samantha Young

November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Space is the last thing an event planner and an astronaut need in this charming new romantic comedy from New York Timesbestselling author Samantha Young.

When event planner Hallie Goodman receives party-inspiration material from the bride of her latest wedding project, the last thing she expects to find in the files are digital videos from Darcy’s ex-boyfriend. Hallie knows it’s wrong to keep watching these personal videos, but this guy is cute, funny, and an astronaut on the International Space Station to boot. She’s only human. And it’s not long until she starts sending e-mails and video diaries to his discontinued NASA address. Since they’re bouncing back, there’s no way anyone will ever be able to see them…right?

Christopher Ortiz is readjusting to life on earth and being constantly in the shadow of his deceased older brother. When a friend from NASA’s IT department forwards him the e-mails and video messages Hallie has sent, he can’t help but notice how much her sense of humor and pink hair make his heart race.

Separated by screens, Hallie and Chris are falling in love with each other, one transmission at a time. But can they make their star-crossed romance work when they each learn the other’s baggage?

Overall Recommendation:

A Cosmic Kind of Love shot me straight into space from the start with its cute romance and interesting protagonists. Hallie is an empathetic character and Chris has such interesting points of view (sometimes literally from above in space). The pacing and plot started off so well but felt by the 75% mark to be longer than necessary. The romance is definitely still worth reading, but it wasn’t the 5-star reading I anticipated.