What Makes a Worthy Book

I cross posted this on Medium.  I think this debate is important. 

 There is always this debate that crops up in the book world. What makes a book worthy and valuable.

There is the classic lit vs modern lit, romance vs all books, YA books vs adult books, and so on, and so on.

It seems that the two areas that crapped on the most are YA and romance. People don’t view them as worthy or valuable and don’t think that people should even be reading them. Let me tell you, as someone who reads both YA and adult romance, and YA fantasy, both YA and romance are worth being read by anyone who likes those types of books.

Something I want to remind you of here is this:

• YA books are NOT a genre in and of themselves. They are books that describe the general age range they were written for. YA books can be romance, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, and any other genre that exists.

Now, let’s move forward. When people decide to wholly state that they don’t think romance is worthy, or that YA books aren’t worthy, or that any other type of books are not worthy, most of the time they haven’t actually read books in any genre or age range that they are venting about. Yet these people feel qualified to say that X book is not worth reading.

Think about what this says about books and reading and all that entails. When you say X,Y,or Z book is not worthy, and doesn’t fit the standard, you’re are saying that readers of those books are not real readers. They aren’t living up to some arbitrary standard set by snobs, so they must not be real readers.

But when someone picks up The Fault in Our Stars, or The Ex Hex, or Act your Age, Eve Brown, they are picking up a book where they may learn about what cancer does to your body, or what it’s like to help people learn to love who you are as much as you do, or what can happen when one little spell goes awry. That last one is just for fun — but hopefully you’re getting the idea. Books can be for learning things, for growing, or, frankly, just for fun.

We don’t always need to read highbrow lit that’s going to teach us tons of things just to be taken seriously as a reader. We read because we love books, and some books are going to resonate with certain readers more than they do with others. And that’s okay. I love romance books. I love them! I also love fantasy books. And occasionally, if I’m in the right mood, I love a good cozy mystery. (This seems like the perfect time to plug Mia P. Manansala’s books! They’re fantastic.)

If you love classic lit, that’s great. If you absolutely love romance, that’s amazing. If you only read mystery’s, perhaps you can help me solve the mystery of how to fit more books on my shelves. Because at the end of the day, we are all readers, and all books are worthy. Don’t look down on a certain of book just because you wouldn’t read it.

Vespertine - Margaret Roberson

 

Title: Vespertine
Author: Margaret Rogerson 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 Stars 

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The dead of Loraille do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

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I loved this book -and there's going to be a series!!!  There are not enough words to describe how much I loved this book, but I'll try (and I'll even throw in some gifs and memes just to really show you what I think.

The possession aspect: Hello! Who doesn't love a story about a good potential possession.  Watching Artemisia struggle with the revenant inside her and learn to hone who she was was AMAZING.

The characters were great. Artemisia was my favorite character, but the revenant was a close second.  I know, I know - the REVENANAT?! What am I thinking?  Well, I mean, it did try to possess Artemisia.... And it was well spoken, well written, and fairly devious. 

All the characters were great - well written and not as upstanding as you'd think considering they were nuns and a priest.  That made the story very intriguing and definitely added that extra air of fantastic and depth to the characters.  

I really enjoyed the writing and the narrator.  The author did a fantastic job weaving together a story filled with twists, surprises, and story points that really fit in well, and the narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job bringing it all to life.  I'm really excited to see where the rest of the series goes.  There was a lot of tension, a lot of humor (surprisingly), and just overall some great writing. 

The book had more than enough twists and surprises, and Artemisia had a lot of great personality and a great ability to mess with her peers but also befriend them at the weirdest of times.  There's a reason she's my favorite character in the book. I'm trying really hard not to spoil anything, so let me just say: the sarcasm is ripe in this one. 

Overall, I personally cannot think of anything I didn't like about this book. It was great and I am hooked.  

If you've read this book, let me know what you thought in the comments!  

If you haven't read the book - what are you waiting for?!

September Wrap Up

Hey reader friends!  Welcome to OCTOBER.  I feel like, once again, this year has flown by.  Anyway, I am here to share how September went for me.

I read a lot, and most of the books I read last month I really enjoyed.  Let's see if I can remember everything I read:

1. Vespertine - 5 stars, totally FANTASTIC.  This was one of the last books I read in September, and it was a great ending to the month.  (I'll have a review up soon.)

2. A Dark and Starless Night - 5 Stars again!  I LOVED this book.  You can find my review here. 

3. Hopepunk - 3 Stars - a good book that will both break your heart and make you deliriously happy. 

4. Back in the Burbs - Avery Flynn - 3 Stars.  Totally cute and sweet romance.  

5. The Comeback - Lily Chu - 3 Stars.  This was a great romance, and the characters were delightful.

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Were there any fantastic books you read in September that you want to share?  Let me know in the comments!  And if you've read any of the books I did, let me know what you thought!