Hello, everyone! It’s Wednesday! That means it is time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words. I’ll be answering the following questions:

1. What did you read last?
2. What are you currently reading?
3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky – 4⭐ – I enjoyed this Christmas romance and thought the two leads had good chemistry. It honestly felt like it would make a great Hallmark movie. If you are a fan of the ‘spoiled, rich city boy falls for the small town guy’ trope, you’ll probably like this book. It also had enemies to lovers and plenty of forced proximity. The mental health rep was also quite good, and I liked how much the main character grew as a result of the relationship and his time with his family in the small town.

Malicious Compliance by E.M. Lindsey – 5⭐ – I went on a bit of a romance binge this week thanks to my new Kindle Unlimited subscription. I saw someone recommend this book over on Mastodon and couldn’t resist the cover. 🙂 I loved this novella. It was enemies to friends to sort of lovers. One of the main characters lost everything after a bad breakup and had to return home to New York. He moved into a run-down basement apartment owned by his uncle and quickly got on the nerves of the neighbor in the next building. It turned out they could hear each other through the wall, which started out annoying to both of them but eventually led to them becoming friends. I loved every second of this short read and was on the edge of my seat waiting for them to meet face to face for the first time.

Just One Tent by Jaqueline Snowe – 4⭐ – This was another romance novella I’ve had my eye on thanks to Dini. It was a steamy best friends to lovers story with lots of hot forced proximity when the two friends had to share a tiny tent on a camping trip. I also really loved the emotional component of the story and how the two characters eventually figured out how to recognize and express their true feelings for one another. If you’d like more info about this book, check out Dini’s awesome review!

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki – 5 ⭐ – I both love this book and think it’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever read. It’s simultaneously sweet, quirky AF, super queer, and a bit devastating. The blend of Sci Fi, fantasy, and contemporary elements is odd and a bit jarring at times but also incredibly fascinating. There was probably one too many threads to this story because it got a little unwieldy by the end, but I still enjoyed every minute of it and was moved by the love of the found family & the spotlight on the experience of living as a trans person.

I also finished my last two BBNYA reads this week. I eventually got into them a bit more. One ended up being 3⭐ and the other 4⭐. So, it wasn’t too bad in the end. I’m just happy to be finished because I was stressed about getting them done on time.

What was my favorite of the week? Probably Light From Uncommon Stars. It was just so weird and unique that I never wanted to stop reading it.

What are you currently reading?

I have a lot more books going than usual right now… I’m scrambling to try to get through quite a few before the end of the year so that I can reach 200 books. Hopefully I can make it!

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell – I’m finally reading this book. I’ve heard so much praise for it and even had it on a few TBRs earlier this year, but I never got to it. I am enjoying it so far. The anxious/nervous person paired with the easygoing/self-assured one is right up my alley. The relationship dynamic reminds me a lot of A Taste of Gold and Iron and A Strange and Stubborn Endurance.

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper – I decided to re-read this book since it is perfect for this time of year. It is probably THE favorite book of my childhood, and I always love re-visiting it.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson – I’m not really feeling this one for some reason. I almost DNF’d it after the first chapter, but I’ve decided to push through a bit more to see if I can get into it. The internal monologue of the main character just isn’t really working for me, and I was put off by the main character referring to himself and others as ‘the homosexuals.’ That word just feels super clinical to me and seemed weird being used in this context. Luckily, it hasn’t been used much since the first chapter, and I am beginning to like the antagonistic dynamic between the two love interests.

The Dark Queens by Shelley Puhak – After reading Celeste’s wonderful review of this nonfiction book, I couldn’t not pick it up. I love French history, and the early medieval period is one I haven’t studied much. I haven’t gotten very far yet, but I’m super curious to read the story of these women that helped shape the Middle Ages.

What will you read next?

I honestly don’t know. I’ve got so much going on at once right now that I haven’t thought much about what comes next. Maybe Chain of Gold or another overdue ARC from NetGalley? I’m only one away from my 100th NetGalley review, and that would be a nice way to end the year. So, we’ll see.

I hope you’ve all had a great week! What have you been reading? Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? Let me know in the comments!