book reviews

Book Review: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir


A graphic showing the cover of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir next to a box that says "4 stars. A sci-fi novel that blends the thrill of adventure with a healthy dose of heart."

Book Details

Title: Project Hail Mary
Author: Andy Weir
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Group: Adult
Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com
Book Links: Bookshop::B&N::Amazon::Goodreads


Goodreads Synopsis

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

Continue reading “Book Review: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir”
book discussion

22 Reads In 2022

Hello, reader!

A couple of weeks ago over on Instagram, I shared a post about another reading challenge I want to accomplish in 2022. I picked 22 books that I want to prioritize reading this year. Now, to keep myself accountable, I wanted to bring it over to the blog, as well!

Now I tried to wiggle out of my comfort zone a bit and now choose all fantasy novels. Fantasy is definitely a significant portion of the stack, but I wanted to make sure I had a bit of variety. I’m really happy with the books I’ve chosen and I think it’ll make for an even more exciting reading year! Let’s go through my choices by genre.


Fantasy


Though I tried to choose more than just fantasy, it doesn’t mean I can’t start with my favorite genre! It also makes up the majority of my list because, being a fantasy lover and someone who loves completing challenges, I want to give myself a fighting chance of finishing this, lol. Twelve of my 22 books fit in the fantasy genre and they are as follows:

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Jade City by Fonda Lee
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

These Violents Delights by Chloe Gong
Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar
Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown

The Part About the Dragon was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson
For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Equal Rights by Sir Terry Pratchett


Mystery/Thriller


The rest of the genres that make up my stack of 22 are sprinkled throughout in smaller numbers. The next highest would be the mystery/thrillers! I found three that I’m desperate to read and I’m hoping I’ll love them! The three books I chose from this genre are as follows:

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson


Science Fiction


This is another genre that is high up on my favorites list. You wouldn’t really know it with as little sci-fi I read in a year, though 😅 I don’t know why I don’t pick it up more… I tend to really love the books I do read in this genre. Hence it being one of my favorites! I’m hoping the same holds true for the two science fiction books I picked. Although one could be considered fantasy, but I felt like it had more of a sci-fi feel. The two books I chose from this genre are as follows:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin


Romance


As I may or may not have mentioned before on the blog, I’ve been feeling the urge to read romance rising as of late. I’m not sure where this urge is coming from as I’m really not a big romance reader. No shade, it’s just not a genre I gravitate towards. I blame my generally apathetic attitude towards most rom-com movies. Lately, though, I’ve noticed that if the rom-com is in book form, then I am totally on-board! That being said, I’ve chosen two romance novels for my stack, and those are as follows:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Well Played by Jen DeLuca


Horror


There was no way I was making a list of books to read in 2022 and not including any horror novels! What would I read during the spooky season? Or whenever I feel like a good scare? Horror is a genre that can be pretty hit or miss for me, so I tend to be a little wary when I pick them up. I’m hoping that the two I chose will be hits! The two horror novels I picked are as follows:

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig


Poetry


Rounding out my list is a genre that I rarely, if ever, pick up: poetry I talked about this in a recent Book Blogger Hop, but poetry is definitely on the low end of genres I willingly choose to read. But I honestly think I just haven’t found the right poetry for me! So, though there is only one poetry book on this stack, it hopefully won’t be the only one I read in 2022. I really want to give this genre the chance it deserves. That being said, the one poetry book that made it on my stack is as follows:

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman


Did you make a list of 22 reads you want to read in 2022? Have you read any of the books I’ve included in my stack? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

cant wait wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday: Dec 16, 2020

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a meme where you get to flail about whatever upcoming book you’re excited to read. Though it is generally a new release, it certainly can be any book that’s on your TBR! This meme is currently hosted by Wishful Endings and it’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.


Hello, reader!

Usually, I fill up my Wednesdays answering what books I’m reading, what books I’ve finished, and what books I plan on reading next. I realized this week, though, that my WWW Wednesday would look exactly the same as last week’s 😅 So, in place of my usual WWW Wednesday post, I’ll be doing another post that has kind of fallen by the wayside: Can’t Wait Wednesday!

We’re on the precipice of a new year, so there are a ton of books I can’t wait to get me hands on. Today, however, I’m going to focus on one I haven’t talked about nearly enough. This is a book by an author that is one of my favorite sci-fi writers. I’ve loved both of the books I’ve read by him and one of them is one of my favorite books of all time. His writing has a wonderful blend of humor and science that I adore. His newest book features:

  • A quest in space!
  • A main character with amnesia!
  • And the fate of the world resting squarely on our main character’s shoulders!

The book I’m speaking of is…

Goodreads Synopsis:

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that’s been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it’s up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian–while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.”

Publication Date: May 24th, 2021

Pre-order here: Bookshop::Indiebound::TBD::B&N::Amazon

Why I’m Excited:

The Martian is one of my favorite books of all time. Though I seem to be in the minority, I thought Artemis was great, as well! It stands to reason that I’ll probably love whatever Andy Weir writes. Also, this sounds like it’s going to be heart-pounding in a quiet yet dramatic way, kind of like The Martian. I’m excited to devour it like I did his other two books!


What is a book you can’t wait to get your hands on? Did you do your own Can’t Wait Wednesday post? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!