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?

It’s been two months since I participated in this meme, and I miss getting to talk about everything I’m reading. So, I’m back to it. I can’t promise I’ll participate every week, but I’m hoping to get a post written up more often than not. Now… On to the books!! 🙂

What did you read last?

Desert Echoes by Abdi Nazemian – 4.5⭐ – This was another beautiful story from this author that packed in a ton of emotion. The focus on grief was compelling to read, and the depiction of the experience of growing up as a queer Iranian American was such an interesting perspective. I liked that the story was split between the past and present. The reader got to slowly see the buildup of the relationship that the main character was grieving in the present. It worked really well.

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden – 4⭐ – I love Arden’s writing style so much. It created the vibes of a dark fairytale perfectly. I liked the characters and the themes explored, especially how the main character was an avatar to discuss living as a woman in a world dominated by men. I do wish the plot had been less meandering. At times, the story just seemed to have no forward motion at all, but I did like where it ended up. I’m curious to see what ends up happening in the sequels.

What are you currently reading?

A Whisper in the Walls by Scott Reintgen (8%) – I’m reading this one so that I can put the book up for sale on my Pango shop. lol. I didn’t love the first book. It was fine, but I just didn’t find the plot super interesting. I had this one pre-ordered before reading the first one because apparently I’m dumb and a sucker for a pretty cover. lol. It is fine so far. It seems to be setting up some interesting stuff. So, we’ll see how it goes.

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson (25%) – I’m enjoying this book so far. I like the mystery of the dead/missing parents. The introduction to the faerie world has also been really fascinating, and I’m very curious about the history of the characters and how they are all intertwined.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (28%) – That’s right! I’m finally reading, well listening, to this book that has been on my TBR forever. I’m taking it in small chunks. The mythology is just so captivating, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to learn about the creation of Middle Earth and the birth of the conflicts that ultimately result in The Lord of the Rings, which is one of my favorite fantasy reads ever.

What will you read next?

These are all ARCs that I really need to get reviewed. Hopefully, I’ll pick at least one of these up in the coming week.

The Black Hunger by Nicholas Pullen, The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow, The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart

I hope you’ve all had a great week! What have you been reading? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments and feel free to link your WWW Wednesday posts there, as well. I’d love to see them!