Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

It’s Tuesday, and we’re back with a very interesting and kind of difficult list to assemble for TTT. I don’t know about you, but I read a lot of YA so uh, not everyone has jobs let alone exciting ones I would want.

But here goes nothing! What job would I want to potentially have, even for a moment, regardless if I am even qualified to do so?

Listing from #10 as a maybe to #1 as a hell yeah I wish I could do that…

10. Fable by Adrienne Young – Captain of a ship

I mean, who wouldn’t want to captain a ship and sail the open seas with your friends and crew mates? I think it would be a wonderful experience to have, and the bonds built between everyone must be strong because your lives are in each other’s hands. Just take a look at the crew Fable finds herself joining who become the family she’s been looking for. Though, if a giant ship wrecking storm came through, would I absolutely have to be the last one out of the ship…? Let me think about this a little longer.

9. Love, Life and the List by Kasie West – Museum/art gallery curator (amateur)

This sounds like it could be interesting – a very Night at the Museum feeling but for a living! I love looking at art and learning the stories behind its creation, but if I were a budding artist like Abby in Love, Life and the List then I might be more gung ho for a position here. Alas, my creative skills only go as far as writing.

8. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder – King’s assassin

I absolutely adored this series growing up and just starting in the YA genre. One of my favourite couples are Valek and Yelena. And if I had to choose a job between the two of them, hands down I would want to be the king’s assassin/whatever the heck Valek is told to do. I mean, sure, there would be some morally questionable things he’d have to do because his king demands it, but would you rather be the king’s taste (I mean poison) tester instead? No, I don’t think so. Give me kickass fighting skills any day (I really DO wish I had some) over the potential of dying with every meal.

7. The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon – Radio show co-host

A recent read, and I found myself in love with the radio show segments in the book. I have wanted to start a podcast with my boyfriend for relationships, but this idea is pretty awesome. Not sure I’d be on board to do one with an ex, but I love the idea of sharing stories with people and getting to interact with those I would normally not get to reach out to in my day-to-day life. I suppose it’s why I blog, so a podcast is the next best thing!

6. Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – the Face (aka smooth talker/diplomat)

I was a super shy child, but I think I’ve found my voice as I’ve grown up through the years. I would like to think I could pull off a job such as the Face in the Aurora Cycle series. After all, you just got to look pretty and know how to talk your way out of absolutely any crazy situation that comes your way. Should be a piece of cake, right?

Unless you’re being hunted by multiple groups across the galaxy, but I’m sure my life would be a lot more simple than that. Hopefully.

5. Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe / The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson – Dog walker

I love dogs, and am actually hoping to get a dog this year (fingers crossed sooner than later, everyone). While I understand that walking dogs may not be super fun after a while, I think I would enjoy it at least for a good period of time in the beginning. Both the protagonists of Charming as a Verb and The Unexpected Everything walk dogs – plural – including a potential side hustle to attract more dog owners to your business. I could get into that kinda thing. The dog walking business, not the shady side of business. Of course.

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – student studying abroad (in Paris!)

Because studying can totally be a job! I was a student for almost two decades so I would consider it practically a profession (and one I consider going back into some days…I know, crazy right?). But what I would’ve given to be able to study abroad! Trust me, if that is ever an opportunity that opens for you, take it with open arms! Especially if you go to a place as beautiful as the City of Lights, which our girl Anna here did and got to meet cute French boys. Le sigh.

3. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi – Art collector/treasure hunter

Who wouldn’t want to go hunting for archaeological finds like a modern day Indiana Jones? Though I suppose the crew in The Gilded Wolves were in the 1800s, but still. I love history and the treasure that explains so much of those who came before us. It’s fascinating and exciting to be able to piece it together, like detectives, and learn from the cultures of days past. Of course, add in an element of espionage and uh, potentially stealing precious artifacts from rivals would definitely add an extra layer to intrigue. I might be able to do without that. Maybe.

2. Influence by Sara Shepard & Lilia Buckingham – Influencer…

Everything is in its name. While the book really shows the price of social media fame, I do think learning more about what it’s like from the teen influencer author, Lilia Buckingham, has piqued my interest. I can’t say I wouldn’t love to gain a bigger platform at times, though I’m sure the more private part of me is happy I do not have such responsibility. Either way, if I had a choice, I would definitely want to try it.

1. Slay by Brittney Morris – Video game creator

But like the most kickass kinda interactive video game platform ever! I absolutely adored Slay, and had the pleasure of getting my hands on an ARC. The beauty of its black characterization and representation was everything missing in YA for so long. I learned so much from it, including video game creation/management which is what our protagonist is stuck doing even sometimes at odd hours in the night to interface with users across the world. If I could do absolutely anything, I would love to do this (though I have absolutely no technical skill to do so but let me have my fantasy).

And that’s it, everyone! What did you think about my fantasy job choices? Aside from the practicality of having the required skills, would any of you wish to be able to do these things for a living? Let me know in the comments below!

musings, wrap up

February 2021 Wrap Up and TBR

February 27, 2021February 27, 2021 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Hi friends! I can’t believe it’s already the end of February, can you? My, does time fly by quickly! Maybe it’s because this month is a shorter month, but month #2 of 2021 has already just gone by.

I hope this month has been at least a mildly good one for you. Even if you’re cooped up inside like I am, at least we always have different worlds to immerse ourselves in through what we read, hmm?

So today, I am posting what I’ve read this last month, and the ones I hope to be getting to really soon.

What have I read this month?

I would say this is a good month for me in terms of reading numbers. I find it hard to read super fast while juggling full-time work, socializing with people I care about and rest. But I definitely savored and enjoyed a number of these.

Here are the superlatives befitting some of these titles.

Favourite book: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

I never expected to love this book as much as I did. While I like Greek mythologies, they don’t hold any special place in my heart or anything. But the perfect blend of lore (aha, see what I did there?), pacing, characterization and unexpected twists just hit me in all the right places. I could barely put it down (even during my lunch breaks from work)! Review for this will be coming out REALLY soon so stay tuned!

Most surprising book: Influence by Sara Shepard and Lilia Buckingham AND Game Changer by Neal Shusterman

I couldn’t decide on which surprised me more. I thought Influence would be more chick-lit with Sara Shepard style mystery thrown in somewhere, but it’s a story about influencers after all, right? Wrong. It has so much more depth than I gave it initial credit for, with a focus on the dark side of social media fame that oscillate from truth to deception. You can find my review here.

Likewise, I thought Game Changer would be a football story since our protagonist is a football player (not hugely my kind of thing), but Neal Shusterman didn’t disappoint with his usual thought provoking rhetoric asking us to reflect on our own world today and what needs to be changed. If this was his response to 2020, I think he used the lockdown time wisely. For more of my thoughts on this book, you can check it out here.

New author book: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

This is my first Rachel Lynn Solomon book and I really liked it. It had a dynamic duo starring in the enemies-to-lovers trope that made it work, and a fun show (aptly named The Ex Talk) that tied everything else together and added that little element of fun/lightheartedness even when the emotions intensified. I don’t read nearly as much adult romances as I probably could, but I know this is a gem in the genre. You can read my full review here.

Not-so-favourite book: You Have a Match by Emma Lord

I don’t like criticizing books as much – mostly because I understand it’s an author’s hard work and I sympathize with that – but I just didn’t love this as much as Emma Lord’s previous debut novel. It’s not a rom-com as the book mostly focuses on the protagonist’s newfound relationship with a sister she never knew she had. It’s about the families you’re born into and the ones you call family. Maybe with a different mindset I could’ve loved this more, but it just didn’t work for me. My review can be found here.

Current reading list

These are the current titles I have from the library I have started on, and the books sitting on my nightstand I probably should read.

Sadie by Courtney Summers
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

These are all big titles, including one that will be our next buddy read here at Down the Rabbit Hole! I have my fingers crossed they will be as good as I hope they will be!

My TBR list

High priority books on my TBR that should hopefully be coming to me in the next few weeks are:

The Project by Courtney Summers
Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley
Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis (I will get to this one, I promise!)

Most of these titles are romantic contemporaries, a slight departure from my heavily-laden fantasy/mystery books. It’s about time I dig into this genre more. I’m also super excited for The Project with its interesting premise written by a fellow Canadian whom I had the pleasure of meeting once in my teen years. It should be exciting next month!

Let me know if you have read or want to read any of these! Or even better, what books have gotten you through this last month while the world is still dealing with a pandemic? Any good recommendations?

4 star, adult

Review: The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon’s sparkling romantic comedy debut.

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can’t imagine working anywhere else. But lately it’s been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who’s fresh off a journalism master’s program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it’s this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it’s not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.

The Ex Talk is a fun and heartwarming story about storytelling and connecting with one another. The premise follows two rival coworkers at a radio station, Shay and Dominic, who are told to host a new radio show about exes giving out relationship advice. First of all, do we trust the advice coming from people who have broken up? But then again, if this was a real podcast, I’d probably be one of the first to check it out, let’s be honest.

This enemies-to-lovers trope was super well done. It’s one of the tropes I enjoy reading about, but I find some books have too much bitterness in the initial relationship that I don’t feel the blooming love, or they were practically like friends from the start. It isn’t the case here. Shay and Dominic are very different people. She’s content with her place in life while he’s ambitiously shooting up the ladder as fast as he can, potentially stepping on a couple of toes in the process. I liked that their differences were honestly explored so that their attraction and eventual deeper feelings made sense. Otherwise, it would just be lust, wouldn’t it?

The pacing was a little slow going at first, but I learned a lot about being on the other side of public radio from these parts. We also have other focuses in this story, including Shay’s feelings about her mom remarrying after the loss of her dad a decade ago. I liked that we got so much insight into why radio was so important to her, and the ongoing struggle holding onto the one thing she shared with her dad.

Some interesting things that stuck to me from other books in the romance genre was:

A) Dominic was Korean and I loved that it’s such a nonchalant thing thrown in there. I don’t see nearly enough Asian male romantic leads who are not written by Asian authors. Plus, a bit of the Korean American culture is present when Dominic introduces his favourite Korean restaurant foods to Shay.

B) Shay is about 6 years older than Dominic, a fact that is constantly highlighted. While some people may think this is no big deal and the emphasis Shay made in her own mind about being with someone younger may seem annoying, I kind of get it, especially for people in their 20s with different milestone markers that you hit in the decade. I’m in my 20s and I empathize with what Shay is feeling. Dominic had just graduated from his masters while she had been working for several years now. Maybe he seemed a little young in that sense because he was just starting out.

It’s not quite the norm as much as older men dating women a lot younger than them or in different life stages. But that makes me like this change more because it’s not always seen, and it helps normalize this for hopefully future generations.

C) The show snippets between chapters were some of my favourites. I don’t read enough romances to know if this is absolutely unique, but I really enjoyed the transcripts for some of their episodes and fan reviews of the show. It created a little bubble of fun and airiness as a breath of fresh air even when the emotion of the story intensified.

I also liked the way Solomon went about concluding this story. It wasn’t super neat with a bow on top. There were messy feelings, real life decisions and an understanding that we may not always have it together or know where life is leading, but that’s okay. The romance felt real even with the issues that came up (um, lying to everyone on your show?). This book is definitely cute AND heartwarming, a nice dive into relationships and what makes or breaks them.

Overall Recommendations:

The Ex Talk has a fun premise about fake exes pretending to be exes to host a relationship show. As that description depicts, it’s a mix of laughter and intensity, especially when real feelings chase these rival coworkers where feelings should not exist. The pacing was steady and the emotions just ramp up as you cheer for Shay and Dominic for their show’s success but more importantly for their happiness that may only be found in each other. I liked this more than I initially thought, and it definitely left warm feelings in my heart long after the book was closed.

Author: Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Characters Whose Job I Wish I Had