Rouge TBR additions || Friday Reads

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:10]Welcome to a Friday reads where I talk about what I read, what I'm reading, what I hope to get to next. And uh it's cold again, so I'm wearing a sweater again and I'm not happy about it. I have finished two things. I'm almost done with my audio book and I think I know how I'm finishing the month. and I went to Indie Bookstore Day and so I'll show you guys some of the books that I bought. So, let's start with I finished Jawbone. So, I was talking about this last couple weeks. It is short, but it took me some time because the writing style is like I I think I keep talking about it. It's very voicy. It's sometimes just like a lot to chew on, I think. um because it can get very like meta in your head like talking about types of horror, talking about anxiety.

[00:00:56]Some of the character perspectives are a little more cyclical in their brains. Um this is very impressive. Do I love it? I don't think so. Not as much as I wanted to, but like I really appreciate it and I'm really glad that I read it. Um and I'm really glad it's only the short.

[00:01:13]Okay. Um, I really also think I land on liking the ending, but I was starting to feel a little fatigued near the end just cuz like there were kind of like, for lack of a better word, like monologue type things happening.

[00:01:29]Um, and if like this was like a movie, it would be a very good like psychological liinal space sort of horror thing. Like this is I think incredibly wellcraftrafted. If you like the horrors of coming of age, um you want anxietyridden individuals making horrible mistakes, it was very misery, pretty little liars, like I don't know.

[00:01:52]It had a lot of things all over the place and it's its own thing. Um, yeah.

[00:01:57]I I'm honestly so impressed. And like I read the translator's note and like how this came to go from the original Spanish to English while still being like so unique in its voice and like obviously this is the translator trying to bring over the voice of the author.

[00:02:17]Um, so yeah, I'm definitely going to read more by them because I think they are fascinating in the sandboxes in which they're playing. It's not my favorite. Like this was not my favorite thing, but like I still really appreciated it. Yeah. And they're born 1988, so they are a millennial. Um, and I don't think I've gotten to read too many works by millennial authors in translation cuz sometimes translations only happen when they, you know, they've like proven their worth. And this is also an author from Ecuador. So if you're looking for a South American country that you don't get to read from author, it's definitely one to look at.

[00:02:52]And the author's translator, Sarah Booker, is from North Carolina. It is a similar age, which is cool. As of the publishing of this book, she's a doctoral candidate. So I hope for her sake, cuz I know it's been a few years since this has been out, she has gotten her PhD.

[00:03:08]Um, speaking of other translated works, I'm not finished with it yet. Now, I'm actually curious if they put the name of the age of Mariana Enriquez in here.

[00:03:15]They don't, cuz maybe she could be a millennial. I don't know. I don't know when Mariana Enriquez was born, but she's like the first chapter in here is 1997 and she's like probably early 20s.

[00:03:27]So, she's probably Gen X. I'm going to say Marian is probably Gen X. Um, I am almost done with this. I just got to Where am I? Here. I just saw a scene there. has some she really like when she chooses to give little life anecdotes, she just goes for it. I need to go through and actually look at the pictures in here cuz sometimes I'm not very good at visualizing. Like I'm going through and I'm seeing some of the pictures I haven't gotten to yet. So I am this far. I will finish it tomorrow.

[00:03:55]So I will be finishing it. I don't think the ending is going to change my thoughts on this non-fiction. Um it's still part memoir, part history, part travel vlog. Um, my favorite parts are the history followed by the memoir and I think the travel vlog. I I really do think you know how like some people read fantasy books because they really love the descriptions of going to places when with my affantasia it doesn't work when it's just descriptions. Um, when she chooses to describe the atmosphere of a place when she compares it to things then I'm in the scene. But when it's just and then I saw this archway with the blah blah blah, like I don't see that in my head, which is why I'm really appreciative of the pictures in here.

[00:04:40]Um, there's just also so many names, places, people, and dates. So, I'm learning things, but also when I don't have like a framework for it, I can sometimes find myself glazing over and having to rewind and reintegrate myself.

[00:04:52]That's a me problem. Also, since it does do history, I'm really appreciative at all the corners of the world we're going to that like aren't your standard fair.

[00:05:01]So, let me look here if I can get you guys a smattering. So, we obviously have a bunch of places in Argentina cuz that's, you know, where she's from, but it's not like I think there's only one Buenos Cyrus, and that's actually the chapter I haven't read yet. Um, we've been to the United Kingdom in Edinburgh and London. We've been to Prague. Uh, we've been to Paris. We've been to Barcelona. Okay, the Paris one was kind of wild cuz like she's just a it makes so much sense the fiction she creates based off the person she is while she goes on vacation. Like also things I never thought about before picking this up is how cemeteries work.

[00:05:45]Um, yeah. And how often you get to like different cemeteries have different rules for how long you get to keep the plot and then they'll throughout history they've dug up plots so they can reuse them. Like all of that was just stuff I had never thought about that you kind of also learn about in this. So I think as a project I really love that it exists.

[00:06:05]Is it really clicking with me 100%? No.

[00:06:09]But a lot of that's just my learning baggage and where my brain's at right now. And you know, I'll keep it on my shelf and maybe one day if I'm visiting any of these places, I'll pull it out and learn about the cemetery. But I'm also like cautiously want to give this to my grandmother.

[00:06:25]My grandmother and her best friend always end up in cemeteries by accident whenever we go on trips. Like they ended up in one by accident in Spain somehow.

[00:06:36]And I just I don't know. I don't know how much she'd like it or not like it, but I cautiously want to give this to her to read. So, um, and then there was one other I finished that wasn't like on any TBRs. You guys could not have known that I was going to read it, but my a my maid of honor s not maid of honor, bridesmaids romance book club. Um, we were reading first time caller and I've read Lovelight Farms and I was feeling some sort of way on Friday. I don't remember why actually now I do. Yeah, I was feeling some sort of way and so I'm like I cannot think right now. I was not going to read Jawbone. I was not going to read Malazin. I was like, I need silly romance fluff. Maybe with some steamy scenes. Let's go. Q. First time caller. Now, if you remember, Love Light Farm's first book I liked but didn't love because that main character was too dumb to exist. Um, this one, it's dual POV. Already my favorite. Two dual POV means twice the yearning. I love the yearning. especially love the yearning from the male perspective when an author does it in a fun way. I just really like it. Um the premise stupid. Oh my gosh, it makes no sense. Don't like it took way too long to get things going. Like it's so interesting. I truly think the first 200 pages are three stars at most, but the second 200 pages are like five stars, so I guess it's a four-st star book. I really like the second 200 pages. Like I spent like a day and a half reading the first 200 pages, which is fast for any other book, but for me in contemporary romance, kind of slow, but then once we hit 200 pages, we were singing. It was good. The yearning, the will they, won't they, the baggage. Ah, I really enjoyed it. Um, so yeah, that that's something I've consumed. Um, and now I kind of want to read the second one in that series because like yes, I find that sometimes the ramp up or sometimes the non-romance parts of her books don't always work for me. I do really like how she does chemistry like banter. I really like how she does physical chemistry. I really like how she does different perspectives. Like I did not like the first love light arms books main character, but I loved the best friends to lovers execution in that book. It was so deliciously fun. So, yeah, I think I'll be trying a few more of hers out.

[00:09:03]She's not a favorite, but she does get some things right. Um, and so to finish out the month, I'm going to finish Memories of Ice. I probably won't finish it exactly April 30th. I told my friends that I would, but instead today, I went to go see a movie. And let's be realistic, even though I only have three and a half hours left. Three and a half hours of a Molassin book when I only have like tonight and then tomorrow morning and tomorrow night. Nah, cuz I filmed this on Wednesday. So, like by the time you're seeing this video, you're like, "Angela, April's over."

[00:09:32]Correct. I still have some April left.

[00:09:35]Um, you know, sorry to break the illusion that this is live. But you all, you all know this isn't live. So, that's like my main plan. And then audiobook, if I end up needing another one, I'm probably going to actually I caved and I bought from Audible because I still have some credits from Audible from my last Christmas present a year and a half ago.

[00:09:52]And you do have to use them before they expire. I got Satonic by Brandon Sanderson because I did start reading it and I didn't mind it. It's just when the action scene started I was like I don't want to read these with my eyeballs. I simply do not. What I am impressed by me with and impressed with the book with is I have not read Starite in six years in a very long time. And I'm like screw it. I'm not going to look at a synopsis. I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to dive on in.

[00:10:23]trust the process. And honestly, within the prologue and first chapter, it gave me enough clues to like piece together where we are at. Like I remember the end scene of Starside. It's pretty like dramatic. Um, but like I didn't remember all the politics or minutia or what we had learned about the science magicness of it all. And so I feel like I'm actually primed to do pretty well. And it's just a first person narration, so I think that'll be better with audio. And I don't think I'm going to hate the narrator. It just sucks that it's Audible exclusive. So, I think that'll be my next audio book. I don't know what my next physical book would be. I thought that would be Satonic and then it wasn't. So, we'll just have to find out. And I need to put together my May TBR anyways. So, we have a TBR spin this Sunday and so next week that's what you're going to see. I haven't put it together yet. And added to the potential pile are these books that I bought from the bookstores. All right. So, if you don't know, Cleveland has like a boatload of bookstores. and I went to a bunch of them that were in the Cleveland Heights area. And so this is Loganberry.

[00:11:26]Um Logan Berry I always find is like kind of hit or miss for me in like my taste in science fiction and fantasy. Um but once and and also I don't know how many people have actually been to Loganberry. It's a very good bookstore.

[00:11:38]Very large. Sometimes there's a cat. Um and somehow there is always a ladder in front of the sci-fi fantasy horror section and I don't know why. So once that ladder was moved, I was able to actually find last minute cuz I've been searching and I've been searching cuz when I I know this seems like we a weird problem to have, but when I go to a bookstore for indie bookstore day or on vacation, I'm like I have to leave this place with one book that I want. And it's not easy for me. There are plenty of books that I can easily get for free other places or from the library. I try to be just like cognizant of like what am I discovering here that is part of like my scavenger hunt of like book collecting and I just really wasn't finding anything that spoke to me. Um unfortunately there was a book I would have bought but it was still in hardback and my collection's in paperback and you know that's my that's my own neurosis.

[00:12:30]But last second, I found a used copy of Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst, which is a standalone that my friend Jesse, I don't even think she posts videos anymore, but has been raving about forever. Um, so I have it now. And like, yes, it's used, but it's like it's a good flop and it wasn't too expensive.

[00:12:49]And I love that it literally has a metal lion on it. I don't know what it's about. Um, oh, it has a race in it. So maybe it could be for like that competition trope for Reddit. And I don't know if they cheat or not, but it's now on the TBR. Um, there's also a new bookstore that opened. So, we used to have I actually have the bookmark for it. We used to have Apple Tree Books, but the owner um retired and I think originally didn't have anyone to sell the bookstore to. And then I guess within a year someone did purchase the place to open their own bookstore. So, now we have the checkered bookstore.

[00:13:22]Yes, checkered bookstore. I keep my bookmarks in my books so I remember where I got them from. This one was harder because this bookstore seems to actively not want to shelf the genres of books I read. I'll give them this for their romance section. Um, they put little like bookmarks in them to tell you their spice level, which my friend who loves romance books found amazing. And they have a lot of literary books um and stuff like that. It just in terms of genre didn't have a whole lot. Um, but I did find on one of the shelves Maria the Wanted and this cover just looked so good. Um, and then I read the back of it and it's like I don't know. She's wanted by an Aztec trafficker, a cartel boss, the people she fights for, and now the devil she can't resist, a wouldbe immigrant turned vampire. I don't It seemed like there would be a lot of fun here. This seemed like it would be fun and so I picked it up. Um, and also this author is an expat to the UK, I believe, from Mexico. Oh, and is a two-time Bram Stoke award nominee. And so, yeah, I just figured, you know, I was reading a lot of my works by Latinos and I needed to add more onto my shelf, so this worked out. I also went to, of course, Hexagon Books, where I get all my books.

[00:14:43]I'm also starting a book club there. So, if you're local and you ever want to see me in person, Hexagon Books is your best bet and we're going to be starting a book club um that we're calling Awards and Snubs, which basically means we can read whatever we want, but it sounds fancier than it is. Um our f first book will be Niohor's Death of the Author.

[00:15:02]But while I was there, I'd been eyeing this because somebody else had requested it cuz he's great with requests. He'll like you request a book, he buys two copies, so you get one and then he puts one on the shelf. So like the bookstore truly like evolves with all of us who purchase from him and it's just really cool. And so somebody else had purchased Automatic Noodle and it was also he was giving like 20% off hard cover. So that almost made this novella like a reasonable price and I like supporting them. And this cover is cool. I really hope I like it. Like I really really hope I like it. It's on every novella list. Every novella list. I am cautiously optimistic. This is the hexagon book bookmark by the way. It is based off a Borhees short story if you were wondering. So yeah, I have that because I knew I'd be reading it. I know it's going to be in the packet soon, but I figure support the local bookstore.

[00:15:54]Um, and then I went to Max Books, which is in Coventry, and it is moving across the street soon, I heard, which will be cool. It'll have a bigger space. It'll also be sad because it used to be right next door to Tommy's, and I kind of loved the buy a book, walk into Tommy's, get a milkshake. sort of pipeline. And you know what? It is actually their fault that I'm buy I bought this book because I've seen this book. I've seen people talk about it. The Red Winter um by Cameron Sullivan. People have been talking about this book. I have had no interest. This screamed like The Red Winter. Like the way it's formatted, it was screaming to me a song of ice and fire. It was screaming European fantasy in a way that did not interest me. But they shelved this in the horror section, which maybe that's incorrect. But then I read the the inner flap, but it is about like a monster hunter and it is dark and atmospheric. So it's it's genre blendy and it's like historical retelling, I think, of eras I'm not used to. And I'm honestly a little more interested in European things now when they're like a little more historically grounded than I was say 10 to 15 years ago. And it's pretty um so I bought it. Um, like it it it's it's pretty like it's a pretty book. Um, do I And also, this is really where I ended up buying it. I still need my Australia book for Hercad.

[00:17:18]He's from Australia, so that works. Um, so yeah, I I'm excited. I'm hoping I like it. I am hoping it's a standalone and that I love it and it can go on my shelf and be really pretty. Uh, so those are the books that I purchased. And I did see Yumi and Tuscany just now. I decided to treat myself after work. Um there was a not a matinea. It was still full price like 420. Um and I went and it's a little hallmark for me, but it was a good amount of time to just not be on my phone. It is why I like going to the theaters. I like sometimes forced time to consume media and not be on my phone. I was almost the only person there. Not quite. Um so I did that and I might I I've been looking at times. I think after work Monday I might go see Drama, the drama and eventually I'm gonna see The Devil's Worst Prada. So, apparently I'm just feeling the movie theaters lately. I'm just I'm feeling that. And in terms of TV, still watching The Pit, still loving The Pit. Season 2 is great. Um I'm like a third of the way through. I can't remember. I am making good progress. I'm in the afternoon.

[00:18:23]I'm in the afternoon of this shift. Um, I really like the wrinkle in the day that they've added. I really like most of the characters. Yeah. Yeah, it's good. Um, I like how the time jump is utilized between the first two seasons to both continue character arcs and also kind of fast forward development offscreen, but still look at compelling points of that development. I think it's just really well-paced TV to the point where like I watched an episode of Plurabus yesterday because we Ryan's finally back, so we're getting back into watching Plurabus. And I just got so annoyed because to my taste, the momentum in that show is so glacially slow. Like it's just like the episodes are long. You spend a lot of time looking at things and it's kind of pretty. And I got annoyed because then at the end of the episode I was watching it was like and cliffhanger and I'm like no you're going in timeout. I am not watching the next episode right now. You have upset me. Um you can do that if you're a well-paced show like the pit.

[00:19:26]But it's not a well-paced show. Like it's a good show. It's well made. I think it's obviously intentional in what it's doing but I don't have to like it.

[00:19:35]So I'm still on the fence about Plurus.

[00:19:37]We're going to finish it. Um, but you know, it's just it annoyed me a little bit last night. I'm sure I'm going to watch the next episode like right now because I do actually kind of want to know the answer.

[00:19:49]But yeah, um, so that's my Friday Reads.

[00:19:52]If you want to let me know what you're reading, doing, watching, I'd love to hear. If you just want to leave an emoji to let me know you're here, um, leave a phone for first- time caller. And otherwise, like if you liked it, subscribe if you want to. And I'll see you in the next one. Bye.