books – The Mint Girl Blog

January Top Reads

Here are my top reads for January!

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This was a sequel to “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” and I really enjoyed it! I loved the prose and the way that we got to see so much character development and love from Aristotle (Ari). It was such a sweet and beautifully written book and I really loved reading it!
Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian
This book was amazing! Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatrix have been raised since birth to be the perfect queens. Not to rule, but to stop the rulers, bringing down the monarchies of each of their nations so that their mother can claim more land. I really enjoyed this book and each character!
The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales
I really enjoyed this book! It was wholly based on fanfiction, which I absolutely enjoyed. Ivy is looking forward to having the house for herself, but when she wakes up with her favorite character from her favorite tv show, everything spirals out of control. Suddenly, her fanfics start coming to life! I really enjoyed this book!
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Death-cast tells people when they’re going to die. And so, when Mateo and Rufus get the call, they know they have to live their last day perfectly. And so, as they find each other, they live out their last day together. This book was perfectly sweet and sad and I really enjoyed it!
Zhara by S. Jae-Jones
This was a really good book! I loved meeting Zhara and learning about who she is and what she would do for her loved ones. It was amazing to see her character development and how that bled into her becoming the strongest version of herself. I can’t wait to read the next book!

This month I read 15 books!

Top Books of the Year

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
This was such a good book! Teo is just a Jade, so he’s ready to sit back and watch The Sunbearer Trials while the Golds participate. But when he and another Jade get selected, suddenly his life is torn apart. Teo has to learn to believe in himself and who his real friends are while trying not to get last and be sacrificed. This was such an amazing book and I can’t wait to read the next one!

I really enjoyed this book because of all the representation and the way that mythology was re-imagined.

Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith
This was such an amazing book! We get to see 3 different perspectives, Mary’s and her parents’. I loved the style of writing and the way poetry was eloquently used to tell the story of a French-Greek girl struggling to fit in. The author also included many beautifully written lines that still stick with me. It’s an amazing book!

I really enjoyed this book because of the amazing writing and the quotes that stuck out to me. It was a great read told between dual perspectives.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
This was such an amazing book! I’d heard about it for a really long time and so when I was able to get it, I was really excited! This book is about Queen Clytemnestra, one of the most infamous characters in Greek mythology, as she murdered her own husband after watching him kill their daughter as a sacrifice. I loved the way Clytemnestra was portrayed in the book, especially as we got to see her early years and how that led up to who she is. It’s a great story!

I especially enjoyed this book because of my love for Greek Mythology, especially the character Clytemnestra. I’d heard of this book for a while before it’s publication and I was so happy to be able to get it once it released and it definitely lived up to my expectations.
Medusa’s Sisters by Lauren J.A. Bear
I adored this book! It takes the tale of Medusa, one that’s been told many, many times, and reimagines it from the perspective of her two sisters- Stheno and Euryale, who remain virtually unheard of. It takes the story of the Gorgons from the very beginning- since they were born. We learn who they were as they grew up- what made them happy, how they each changed to fit their environment, and so on. I really enjoyed this book and totally recommend it to you!

Medusa is another character in Greek Mythology who’s often painted as the villain and there have been so many retellings of her story. This one was one that I hadn’t seen before and it instantly captivated me.
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington
This was an amazing book! I loved the way that Adina grew, as she chose to make her own destiny and rules instead of falling in line with tradition. I loved the whole story and the stereotypes that it turned on its head. It was an amazing book and I totally recommend it to you!

I loved the diversity of this book and the idea of making your own life- which was what this book was all about! It was filled with high stakes and competition and I really enjoyed it!
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
This was such an amazing and fun book, filled with dragons and daring. I really enjoyed the premise and the book didn’t disappoint! Reading about Violet was incredible and I enjoyed her journey with her dragons, Adarna and Tairn, the whole time. This was a great book!

This book was amazing to read, especially with all the worldbuilding! It was a perfect blend of fantasy and romance and I really enjoyed it!

Top Books of January: click here
Top Books of February: click here
Top Books of March: click here
Top Books of April and May: click here
Top Books of June: click here
Top Books of July: click here
Top Books of August: click here
Top Books of September and October: click here
Top Books of November: click here
Top Books of December: click here

Dystopian Societies

In my new high school, they’ve assigned us summer work. Part of our English work was to read one out of four dystopian books and answer some guiding questions about them. I ended up reading The Grace Year by Kim Liggett and Feed by M.T. Anderson. These are the questions and answers for those two books!

THE GRACE YEAR:

Q: What things in this society seem wrong to you? Why?

A: In this society, women are valued even less than they are in today’s world. They are treated as devices, used only for giving birth. Women are also considered to have “magic”, which on further inspection turns out to be the result of hallucinations caused by poisoned well water.

Q: What things in this society might be similar to the world we live in?

A: This society expands on the sexism often seen in the world we live in. While the society seen in this world is incredibly exemplified, our world too, often faces problems of not being accepting and open-minded enough.

FEED:

Q: What things in this society seem wrong to you? Why?

Everyone in this society relies on a stream of information called The Feed that is constantly being streamed into their brain. It tells them everything they need to know and is how most people function in this society.

Q: What things in this society might be similar to the world we live in?

A: This book seems to take people’s total reliance on the internet to an exemplified level in this society, drawing on how some people can base their whole life off of what they find online.

What are some good dystopian books you’ve read?

Top Books of April and May

Here are my top reads of April and May! April’s books are the first 2 and May’s are the last 3.

The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
This was a great book about one of the “heroes” from Greek mythology! Perseus is commonly known as the only hero with a happy ending, but this fails to consider the women in his life. I loved the way the story flowed and its plot! I also enjoyed how we got 3 POVs from the most important women in his life- Danaë, his mother, Medusa, the woman he killed, and Andromeda, his wife. It was such a great book and I really enjoyed it!
The Cobra’s Song by Supriya Kelkar
I loved this book! When Geetanjali gets stage fright for the first time in her life, she’s sure it’s over. She can’t stand up for her friends and now, she might be at risk of losing her best friend. Not only that, her usually kind and caring neighbor is now cold and distant-possible possessed by the snake gem. I really enjoyed the story and the way that the book’s characters were developed! I totally recommend it to you!
Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White
I really enjoyed this book! When Theo, Alexander, and Wil are suddenly told to go spend the summer with their mysterious Aunt Saffronia, they aren’t sure how to react, especially when their aunt decides to deposit them at the Fathoms of Fun waterpark, a waterpark that looks more like a nightmare zone. Then comes the problem of all the staff suddenly changing their personalities…This was such a great read and I totally recommend it to you! I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series!
Family of Liars by Emily Lockhart
This was the prequel to We Were Liars! In this book, Caroline’s own story comes to life during the summer that the boys arrived. The island is their own safe haven and soon, the boys both help build that up and break that down. Carrie falls for Pfeff, though he doesn’t seem to reciprocate the same feelings. As Pfeff shows just how much he doesn’t care for Carrie, their relationship splinters, to the point where she hates him. I really enjoyed this book and the way it defines the book after it! I totally recommend it to you!
The Ojja Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio
This was a graphic novel about two misfits in a “perfect” town. They’re terrorized by a bully, but find solace in each other and their small projects. Until one of those projects accidentally awakens a demon who takes over their town and makes their bully the center of it all. Only the two and their friends are spared. But the ritual to recapture the demon is tricky and they have to learn that sometimes, violence isn’t always the answer!

My Top Books of Feb ’23

Here are my top books for this month!

Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
Seven has been waiting her whole life to be sorted into coven and so when the sorting ceremony comes, she can’t wait. But when she doesn’t get sorted and becomes a Spare, she’s distraught. Along with her worst enemy and the new girl, Seven must battle the monster that’s been plaguing their town to stay alive. This is an amazing book and I totally recommend it to you!
Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie
This was such an amazing book! I really enjoyed getting to read all the different stories- some that were serious and some that were fun and light. All the stories had different plots, different characters, and overall, different fun experiences to dive into. This is a great book and I totally recommend it to you!
Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith
This was such an amazing book! We get to see 3 different perspectives, Mary’s and her parents’. I loved the style of writing and the way poetry was eloquently used to tell the story of a French-Greek girl struggling to fit in. The author also included many beautifully written lines that still stick with me. It’s an amazing book!
Curses by Lish McBride
When Merit refused to marry the suitor her mother picked for her, she was cursed and transformed into a beast. A few years later, her 18th birthday is coming up and if she doesn’t marry soon, she’ll be a beast forever. However, she’s found a band of criminals who promise to help her meet her match. I really enjoyed this book!

Top Books of January: click here

2023 goals

2023 is hopefully going to be a big year! I’m graduating middle school and moving on to high school, so that’s a pretty big milestone for me. I’m also hoping to work on things I’m passionate about and get much better at them.

Dance:

Dance, especially Bharatanatyam, is already a huge part of my life and I want that to continue through the new year. I hope to practice a lot more, learn many new items, and get more opportunities to perform.
This year, I’ll also get to perform in my school’s Spring Show, where I’ll be able to perform 4 dances in front of parents and friends. This is something I’m really excited for and I can’t wait to grow my contemporary dancing skills as well!

Writing:

I really want to work on my writing, as well as my use of vocabulary. Writing is already a huge passion of mine and I definitely want to grow that this year. I’m also auditioning for a creative-arts school in the category of writing!

Art:

Along with my writing, I would like to get better at my art skills! Currently, I might not be the best artist, however, I definitely want to practice a lot this year and hopefully learn more about art and develop an art style (or any semblance of one)

Books:

This year, I’m going to be trying to “read my bookshelf” more and get through many of the books on my bookshelf instead of always getting new ones. I hope to maybe finish more series and discover a lot of good books!

School:

This year, I’ll be going into high school and I hope to find my footing quickly. I’ll definitely keep working hard in my new school (and for the rest of middle school).

What goals do you have for 2023?

Tag: books