#jackie reads siege and storm

[literateish]

books i’ve read in 2023

astrid parker doesn’t fail by ashley herring blake

anxious people by fredrik backman

shadow & bone by leigh bardugo

lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus

siege & storm by leigh bardugo

red dragon by thomas harris

ruin & rising by leigh bardugo

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare

convenience store woman by sayaka murata

small things like these by claire keegan

alice’s adventures in wonderland by lewis carroll

black widow: shield’s most wanted

black widow: the name of the rose

the history of mary prince by mary prince

brighton rock by graham greene

hook, line, and sinker by tessa bailey

five survive by holly jackson

ethel and ernest by raymond briggs

the midnight library by matt haig

all of you every single one by beatrice hitchman

hamlet by william shakespeare

set on you by amy lea

if we were villains by m. l. rio

the woman in white by wilkie collins

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society by annie barrows and mary ann shaffer

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

the interesting narrative and other writings by olaudah equiano

vicious by v. e. schwab

confessions of an english opium eater by thomas de quincey

november 9 by colleen hoover

a thousand ships by natalie haynes

open water by caleb azumah nelson

the necessity of stars by e. catherine tobler

exes and o’s by amy lea

alice in wonderland by lewis carroll (reread)

on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong

the little prince by antoine de saint-exupery

the bell jar by sylvia plath

the web of black widow

black widow: deadly origin

up at the villa by w. somerset maugham

black widow: the ties that bind

black widow: i am black widow

black widow: die by the blade

the death of captain america

black widow: welcome to the game

the death of captain america 2

winter soldier: the longest winter

the death of captain america 3

winter soldier: broken arrow

winter soldier: black widow hunt

winter soldier: electric ghost

black widow: the name of the rose

frankenstein by mary shelley

black widow: kiss or kill

black widow: itsy bitsy spider

young avengers: complete collection

twelfth night by william shakespeare

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare

drunk on love by jasmine guillory

trespasses by louise kennedy

fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury

icebreaker by hannah grace

captain america: symbol of truth

captain america: sentinel of liberty

northanger abbey by jane austen

the wrongs of woman by mary wollstonecraft

the history of mary prince by mary prince

swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski

brokeback mountain by annie proulx

fourth wing by rebecca yarros

arthur and teddy are coming out by ryan love

black widow: the finely woven thread

black widow: the tightly tangled web

zodiac academy 1 by caroline peckham

black widow: last days

zodiac academy 2 by caroline peckham

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid

zodiac academy 3 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 4 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 5 by caroline peckham

zodiac academy 6 by caroline peckham

athena’s child by hannah lynn

legends and lattes by travis baldtree

the burning chambers by kate mosse

jeoffrey the poets cat by oliver soden

the retreat by sarah pearse

zodiac academy 7 by caroline peckham

twisted love by ana huang

medusa by jessie burton

the housekeeper and the professor by yōko ogawa

the hike by lucy clarke

beautiful world where are you by sally rooney

fix her up by tessa bailey

love theoretically by ali hazelwood

the american roommate experiment by elena armas

hester by laurie lico albanese

the definitive black widow by stan lee

sense and sensibility by jane austen

civil war by mark millar

transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi

hamnet by maggie o’farrell

wuthering heights by emily brönte

a room of one’s own by virginia woolf

northanger abbey by jane austen

the grasmere journals by dorothy wordsworth

things fall apart by chinua achebe

the adoption papers by jackie kay

sense and sensibility by jane austen

just like home by sarah gailey

pride and prejudice by jane austen

chéri by colette

zodiac academy 8 by caroline peckham

nervous conditions by tsitsi dangarembga

persuasion by jane austen

new animal by ella baxter

mansfield park by jane austen

the night watch by sarah waters

zong by marlene nourbese philip

chronicle of youth by vera brittain

faces in the water by janet frame

iron flame by rebecca yarros

beloved by toni morrison

fen by daisy johnson

regeneration by pat barker

#each book has a link to the review that i’ve posted about it on here! #this will be updated every time i finish a book #like i did last year #han reads books

[archidrews]

mal tracking an animal: perfect. flawless. silent as the night

mal being tracked BY humans: uses his own credit card right after faking his own death

#they paid w the fuckignf gold hairpins #i get it desperate times n all but it’s so fucking funny #of COURSE they caught up to you within the first 20 pages #jackie reads grishaverse #jackie reads siege and storm #mal oretsev #siege and storm #sab #book tag

[voxvulgi]

#// not to be dramatic but i’m reading siege and storm #// and this is a Big Jackie Mood #mood. jacqueline

[nomadpunkv]

Some note on canon divergence on this blog, I’m gonna go into some in depth stuff regarding the ending of the game as well so PLEASE! If you have not finished the game yet DO NOT READ; spoilers are head ( this post will also be tagged with the spoiler tag) !

CANON DIVERGENCE MASTERLIST ON THIS BLOG

1. Vance does not have the relic by default. In his primary main verse tagged as “ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᶜᵃⁿ ˢʰᵒʷ ᵐᵉ ʰᵒʷ ᵗᵒ ˡᵒᵛᵉ; ⁱ'ᵐ ᵍᵒⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ʷⁱᵗʰᵈʳᵃʷᵃˡˢ* ( main I )” he comes to Night City to find his twin sister, Vera, written on @streetpunkv​ is the one who meets Jackie first, goes on the heist job and ends up with the relic & Johnny Silverhand in her head. The reason Vance can SEE and HEAR and FEEL the effects of the Relic as well as Johnny Silverhand is because he and Vera are NEURALLY LINKED via a cyberware tattoo that the two of them got when Vance first reunited with her so they’d ALWAYS be together. So while by default Vance doesn’t have the relic in his head, he can FEEL it & see & hear Johnny.

2. I DO have a verse where Vance has the relic tagged “ˡᵒᵒᵏ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʸᵒᵘ'ᵛᵉ ᵈᵒⁿᵉ;ⁱ 'ᵐ ᵃ ᵐᵒᵗʰᵉʳᶠᵘᶜᵏⁱⁿ' ˢᵗᵃʳᵇᵒʸ* ( main II )” where he ends up with the Relic and it essentially swaps Vera & his place in the story and sees him being the one suffering the effects of Johnny and the relic with Vera being the one watching & feeling without actually suffering.

3. Vance is TECHNICALLY a “nomad” lifepath V, but he and his twin sister grew up in a gang out in the badlands until Vera was roughly 13 and she decided to leave to go to Night City. Vance stayed with the clan until he was 26 and decided to leave to find Vera again after he got tired of Nomad Life and being apart from his sister. This follows the baseline Nomad opening for the game, with Vance rolling into the town outside the Border of Night City in his Galena Rattler, getting comms up and running and then running his job for Jackie. However the tweak to this is during the time they’re together, Vance actually tells Jackie he’s looking for his sister, Vera. He hasn’t seen her in 13 years but he knew she set out for Night City. Jackie, having known Vera ( now going by V at this point ), discreetly calls her during their drive into the City, and this leads to Vance & Vera reuniting for the first time in 13 years. From there the 1.5 year time skip is Vance-centric in that he sticks with Jackie & V and their friends to set up roots in Night City

4. Vera is CANON across all Vance’s timelines as he’s the ENTIRE reason he’s in Night City to begin with, so she’ll come up in threads often even if it’s with OTHER Vs, but it should be assumed that she’s in existence if VANCE is in existence.

5. Vance does NOT go by “V”. He never has, and he never will. If referred to as such he’ll correct the other person.

6. Vance cares deeply about Jackie and the entire Welles family, however he chose to take VECTOR as his last name as he didn’t really have a father figure growing up and while he admires Mama Welles, Vance was closer with Viktor than anyone else and began viewing him as a father figure to the point where he eventually ( albeit quietly ), starting telling people his name is ‘Vance Vector’ and he affectionately ( and jokingly ) refers to Viktor as “the ‘ol man”.

From here on out now we’re getting into spoiler territory with the ENDINGS:

7. In Verses where Vance HAS the Relic: He does storm Arasaka with the Aldecaldos after helping Panam and their clan with as much as he does. He isn’t named an OFFICIAL Aldecaldo, but he’s an honorary member and he actually pulls a bunch of strings to help get them out of Night City once they’re ready to leave. He regularly messages Panam to see how things are going with the Aldecaldos and makes sure they know if they ever roll around town again that they’ve got a friend in the City.  Per Rogue’s Request: Vance KILLS Adam Smasher, and as a reward for doing so, takes over the Afterlife for Rogue becoming a fixer in her place so she can retire and live out a somewhat normal life now that Adam is gone, but he remains in very close contact with his sister.

8. In Verses where Vance DOES NOT have the Relic: Vance helps siege Arasaka alongside his sister and again per Rogue’s request decides to kill Adam Smasher with Vera’s help. When all is said and done and Vera returns back from splitting with Johnny’s persona and what Vance does from there is DETERMINANT upon what Vera does. 

IF VERA LEAVES NIGHT CITY: Vance doesn’t give it a second thought and absolutely goes with her regardless of what anyone tries to say, he is dedicated to staying with her and while he’ll miss people and even offer to have them tag along for the ride, he ultimately doesn’t try to force anyone to come with them on their next adventure.

IF VERA STAYS IN NIGHT CITY: As aforementioned in Vance’s relic verse, he takes over the Afterlife from Rogue ( or Vera takes over from Rogue ), after she retires and they stay TOGETHER in Night City continuing to live out their lives as they try to undermine corpos and make as many eddies as possible to become Night City Legends.

9. Vance as the Owner of Afterlife: Also another real important thing to note is Vance as the owner of Afterlife actually works WITH other Fixers from time to time. Not always of course, but from time to time he does. He also doesn’t entirely give up being a merc. Everyone in the Afterlife makes it a point to be secretive about who is in charge at the Afterlife after that and Vance is very careful to craft a narrative that makes leadership of the Afterlife elusive and mysterious to A) prevent a target from being put on his back B) make it so he doesn’t have to be completely taken out of the action with being as young as he is.

#ᵃˡˡ ʳᵉᵈ ˡᵃᵐᵇ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵗᵉᵃˢᵉ ʸᵒᵘ; ᵃʰ; ⁿᵒⁿᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ᵗᵒʸˢ ᵒⁿ ˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᵗᵒᵒ; ᵃʰ* ( study ) #cyberpunk spoilers

[cover2covermom]

Goodbye March, & hello April!

March wasn’t a very productive blogging month due to the flu hitting my house & a vacation, but it was a decent reading month!  I was able to read 13 books in March: 5 counted towards #MiddleGradeMarch, 3 in honor of #WomensHistoryMonth, and 3 counted for #YARC2019.

Let’s see what I read in March…

» Moloka’i (Moloka’i #1) by Alan Brennert

Moloka’i is an amazing historical fiction set in Hawaii that spans decades.  Moloka’i is about the leprosy settlement of Kalaupapa located on the island of Moloka’i.  This book blew me away.  It will definitely make my “top books of 2019” list.

You can read my mini review here ⇒ Mini Book Reviews: March 2019 (Part 1)

» The Serpent’s Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1) by Sayantani Dasgupta

#MiddleGradeMarch #YARC2019

I listened to the audiobook for this one and I think that was a mistake.  The narrator went a little too overboard with the whiny pre-teen voice.  The Serpent’s Secret had some wonderful things going for it.  I can’t help but feel I would have enjoyed this much better in print form.

» Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

*4.5 Stars*

Set in a small Southern town in Alabama, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is an endearing story of friendship, family, love, community, and good food.   This book is guaranteed to give you all the warm & fuzzy feels.  I was NOT expecting that dark twist.

» Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

#WomensHistoryMonth

Loved learning about all these influential women in the STEM fields throughout history!  I listened to the audiobook format, but will request this book from the library to check out the illustrations.

» Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

An important book that should be required reading for high school aged kids.  Speak portrays the trauma that victims of sexual assault can experience.

» Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win by Rachel Ignotofsky

#Women’sHistoryMonth

Another excellent collection of mini biographies.  This collection focused on female athletes.

» Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another powerful & important book by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Wintergirls is a raw depiction of eating disorders, specifically anorexia.

» Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

*4.5 Stars*

A heartbreaking WWII historical fiction book about the Wilhelm Gustloff.   I am appalled that I didn’t know anything about this horrific event.

» The Sky at Our Feet by Nadia Hashimi

#MiddleGradeMarch #YARC2019

A lovely middle grade book about a young boy born in the United States to an illegal immigrant.

» Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

*4.5 Stars*

#MiddleGradeMarch

A middle grade novel about a deaf girl on a mission to communicate with a whale.  This was a beautiful “coming of age” story.

» A Boy Called Bat by Elena Arnold

*3.75 Stars*

#MiddleGradeMarch

A lovely middle grade novel with a main character on the Autism spectrum.  I feel the representation was very well done.  The plot could have been a little more complex, there wasn’t much to it.

» Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World by Katherine Halligan

Another collection of mini biographies of influential women throughout history.

» Game of Stars (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #2) by Sayantani DasGupta

#MiddleGradeMarch #YARC2019

The second book in a MG fantasy series rooted in Indian folklore & mythology.   Unfortunately, I feel like this series will most appeal to those that are familiar with Indian culture & mythology.  Since I was not familiar beforehand, I feel like many of the wonderful aspects about this series went over my head.  It also felt forced & cheesy at times.

Goodreads Challenge Update:

I’m currently 11 books ahead of schedule towards my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books in 2019.

#YARC2019 Update: 6 books read in 2019

Year of Asian Reading Challenge TBR + Progress Tracker #YARC2019

I read 3 books in March that counted for #YARC2019:  The Serpent’s Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1) by Sayantani Dasgupta, The Sky at Our Feet by Nadia Hashimi, and Game of Stars (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #2) by Sayantani DasGupta

2019 Goals Update:

» 80% NetGalley feedback ratio = 15 backlist ARCs ⇒ 4/15 complete

I didn’t read any NetGalley backlist books this month.  #Fail.  BUT I am up to a 64% NetGalley feedback ratio!

» 30 physical TBR books ⇒ 8/30 complete

I read 3 books off my physical TBR.  I read Moloka’i (Moloka’i #1) by Alan Brennert, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

» No buying new books ⇒ Fail

As you will read below, I did end up buying a few books this month.  I have zero regrets 🙂

» Complete mini reviews for all books read ⇒ Still going strong!

I’ve posted mini book reviews of all the books I’ve read through February.  I will be posting my mini book reviews for my march reads in April.

» Two creative blog posts per month ⇒ Fail

I didn’t really post any new creative content in March.  Hard fail.

» Read long books I’ve been putting off ⇒ 0/3

While I have not picked up any of the long books that I had originally wanted to get read this year, BUT I did start Black Leopard, Red Wolf which is 620 pages… I consider anything over 500 pages a long book, so I am at least reading longer books right?

February 2019 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up

March 2019 TBR

Books I Read for #BlackHistoryMonth 2019 + Mini Book Reviews

Book Recs: Mini Biography Collections to Read for #WomensHistoryMonth

Book Review: Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Kids’ Corner: Children’s Picture Books for #WomensHistoryMonth

Mini Book Reviews: March 2019 (Part 1)

I did buy a few books this month.  In my defense, only 2 of them were not exceptions to my 2019 book buying ban.   I was ordering a few books for my daughter for Easter off Book Outlet, and I needed to hit the $35 mark to get the free shipping… My hands were tied 🙂

Physical Books:

» Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

I attended Laurie Halse Anderson’s book tour for Shout, so I received a signed copy.  Exception to my book buying ban.

» Keeper of Lost Cities (Keeper of the Lost Cities #1) by Shannon Messenger

One of the books I ordered off Book Outlet.

» Akata Warrior (Akata Witch #2) by Nnedi Okorafor

The other book I ordered off Book Outlet.

» A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1) by Deborah Harkness

Bought this on a visit to The Book Loft with Jackie @Death By Tsundoku.  Again this was a special circumstance and an exception to my book buying ban.

» The Grisha Trilogy Boxed Set by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising)

Also purchased on my visit to The Book Loft.  This boxed set was on sale for $12.99.  How could I say no to that?

» March Boxed Set (March #1, March #2, and March #3) by John Lewis

Also purchased on my visit to The Book Loft.  I picked up the March graphic novels for $24!

» The Winter of the Witch (Winternight #3) by Katherine Arden

I couldn’t resist a signed copy of Winter of the Witch that I came across in a book store in Savannah.

Which books did you read in March?

Have you read any of the books I read or hauled this month?  If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books?  If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

Today I share my March #reading & blogging wrap-up + my #BookHaul. #BookBlogger #Bookworm #BookBlog #Books #AmReading Goodbye March, & hello April! March wasn't a very productive blogging month due to the flu hitting my house & a vacation, but it was a decent reading month! 

#Am Reading #Bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Book Haul #Book Nerd #Book Worm #Bookish #Books #Bookworm #Reading #Wrap Up