Parisian Phoenix Publishing

I’ve seen people post a lot of goals and themes for January: dry January, Veganuary, and all the hopes of better lifestyles, more exercise, and creating healthy habits that can mean anything from sleep hygiene to flossing your teeth.

I’ve pledged to read more— and to read beyond my typical genres, to read popular books and to read every day. And we all know, I do read every day. But for too long, I’ve let the life of a publisher and author interfere with my commitment to read everything.

I’ve used Booktok as a good excuse to read outside my comfort zone and to read books I might normally consider vapid. I have a broad academic background, and my preference in what I prefer to read can be heavy, and literary, or worse… educational.

So as a complete about face, let’s look at books I have completed in 2024 to date (excluding Parisian Phoenix books releasing soon because that’s cheating):

1. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, the keynote speaker at the GLVWG conference in April. This is technically a dystopian, zombie YA and one of my daughter’s favorites. I gave it 4/5 stars, and I ordered copies of books two and three of the series because of some questions the first book raised.
2. Bad Luck Vampire by Lynsay Sands, book 36 of the Argeneau series. I hated this book and gave it 2/5 stars. I got it from the shelves of my local public library because it was a brand new book and has vampire in the title and a naked man on the cover. On Goodreads, this book has a total rating of 4.5/5 stars from all readers, which totally kills my theory that Goodreads readers are more discerning than Amazon reviewers.
3. Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Lord by Celeste Connally, another find on the new release/new arrival shelf at my local library. I gave this 5/5 stars. Historical fiction, mystery, the main character is a female Sherlock Holmes in the early 19th Century with an ending that drew me in even deeper than the story had.
4. Caraval & Legendary by Stephanie Garber, the first two books of the Caraval series and popular on BookTok and with my daughter. This dark fantasy series is full of purple prose and tropes, but I gave the first book 4/5 and the second 2/5. I need a break before trying the third as Stephanie Garber’s pacing is difficult for me. The books feel rushed in some places and laborious in others.
5. The White Enchantress by Caitriona Drexler, first in a series. A local author with a presence on Tiktok. I gave it 3/5 stars, in part because I found the writing inconsistent in some places (strange wordy phrasing with caitrunneeded prepositions, young characters who seemed moody, and an ancient character with modern sensibilities that I struggle to believe). I feel this author has much unlocked potential and I will be purchasing the next book.
6. The Cloisters by Katy Hays. 5/5. The suspense nature of the plot and the inclusion of tarot made me happy. The depiction of the museum and the environment of academia gave an eerie yet true-to-life setting for these characters who all occupied the same space but from different perspectives.

follow me on TikTok and/or Goodreads to keep closer tabs on my reading habits.