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review: the ten thousand doors of january by alix harrow

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

by Alix Harrow

Pages: 374

Publisher: Redhook
Publication Date: September 10th, 2019

Cover Comments: 

Pretty cover, but not really indicative of the wonderful story that lies within. The door could be more door-esque for sure.

First Lines: 
"When I was seven, I found a door."

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Review

“I hope you will find the cracks in the world and wedge them wider, so the light of other suns shines through; I hope you will keep the world unruly, messy, full of strange magics; I hope you will run through every open Door and tell stories when you return.”

Started off 2021 with a stunner! Ten Thousand Doors of January centers on January Scaller, a girl who stumbles upon a Door to another world and begins a journey. January is a fantastic protagonist - interesting, smart, and courageous, but in a realistic and relatable way. She’s stubborn, and often makes stupid mistakes, but ultimately grows into her own sense of self in a very satisfying way.

The rest of the characters that populate this world are nuanced and fascinating as well, from January’s wealthy caretaker Mr. Locke, to the companion sent by her father, Jane, to her childhood friend and all around cute boy, Samuel. Last but CERTAINLY not least, the bestest boy ever, her dog Sinbad, is a super sweet loyal companion who bites racists. We love to see it.

The writing style is sort of flowery and breaks the third wall often:

“Companions. See the curve of that C like a pair of outstretched arms? It implied the sort of friends who might slay dragons or go on hopeless quests or swear blood oaths at midnight.”

I quite enjoyed this writing style, though it won’t be for everyone. Harrow does a great job at painting the various settings in a gorgeous way, and I could see them all clearly: the large Locke House where January grows up, the salt-spray smell of the first world she crosses over into, and the vast plains of the farm where we meet another traveler were all vibrant.

It was interesting to read a story that is full of so much possibility, set in a time period where women of color like January and Jane are often constricted by society and the men around them. The portions of the book where January is held back by her “role” in society were the most upsetting. The mythology of the Doors revolves around the idea that Doors allow the passage of ideas and change to go from world to world, and certain characters in the novel would rather keep to the status quo (to no one’s surprise, these are old white men). I loved the idea that the inspirations, inventions, and revolutions in various worlds were born of other worlds.

“The will to be polite, to maintain civility and normalcy, is fearfully strong. I wonder sometimes how much evil is permitted to run unchecked simply because it would be rude to interrupt it.”

I loved this book so much. It gave me a lot of hope and wonder; highly recommend.

☆☆☆☆

Goodreads丨 Amazon

February TBR

 

Another month, another unrealistic TBR! These are the books I'm trying to get to this month (covers link to Goodreads):

Leftovers (to finish from previous months)

1) Ashes (Seeds of America #3) by Laurie Halse Anderson

This was on my 2021 reading list for January, and I didn't quite finish, so we march on! It's great so far.

2) Empire of Sin: A Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans by Gary Krist

I have a list of places, people, and subjects I want to learn more about, and this year's focus place in New Orleans! I got this book while I was in NOLA last year, so I thought this was a great place to start.

3) Transcendant Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

I'm pretty close to finishing this one, and it's very moving so far. It got bumped up on my list because it was featured in a book club I follow on Goodreads as January's pick, and I'm so glad it was.

4) White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

This was my anti-racism pick for January, and I expect to finish it in the next few days. I wanted to take my time with it, because there's a lot to unpack and think about. Very useful book for me.

5) Lore by Alexandra Bracken

This one hopped up on the list because it's the pick for a book subscription box I subscribe to. I love Greek mythology, so I'm super excited about it! Only about a chapter in so far.

6) The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

I've been reading this book since JULY!! I'm not sure exactly what my roadblock has been; it's just not super engrossing so far. I want to finally finish this month though.

7) A Blade so Black (The Nightmare-Verse #1) by L. L. McKinney

My current library read! The return date is soon, so hopefully that will motivate me! Only a few pages into this one so far.

Books from my 2021 list

I make a list every year that has books from a variety of categories: 1) seasonal reads (reflecting the month or season of the year, i.e. winter or January); 2) back list reads (the oldest books on my to-read list on Goodreads); 3) holiday reads (if a holiday occurs in that month, a book related to it, i.e. romance for Valentine's); 4) series that I can finish by reading one more book; 5) books by or about my focus person, place, or subject (this year, it's Jean Paul Sartre and New Orleans); 6) nonfiction book; 7) nonfiction anti-racism book or fiction by a person of color.

1) Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

My seasonal pick for winter, and also one of the oldest books on my TBR.

2) Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

I thought Sweethearts would be cute for a Valentine's Day read. Somehow, I've never read a book by Sara Zarr, so this will be my first!

3) White Oleander by Janet Fitch

This is the oldest book on my TBR, shelved on Goodreads in January of 2010. I hope it's worth the wait!

4) Escape from Disaster (Antartica #2) by Peter Lerangis

Reading this book finishes a duology that I started when I was smol. It's based on the true story of an early voyage to the South Pole.

5) Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession with Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It by Garth Davis

I've been working on reducing my meat intake for the last few years for several reasons. February is my health-focused month as far as 2021 goals go, so I wanted to beef up (ha ha ha) on the research behind the meat industry and health.

6) Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

I'm really interested in the people and ideas behind the 20's/30's era in Paris (Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Picasso, Dali, Ernest Hemingway, surrealism, existentialism,  etc.). Sartre is my 2021 focus pick, so I'm reading his works and biographies written about him. This is the first of the year! I also have a copy of No Exit in French, so I might read that as a French language exercise sometime as well.

7) The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I can't believe I haven't read this book yet. It's my book this month written by a person of color, and I'm excited to finally dig in.

---

So yeah, this list is insane and will most likely look very different from what I actually finish, but it's fun to dream! What are you reading this month?

January Roundup

 

I haven't quite accomplished my reading goals this month, but I did get a few books finished, which is pretty good for me nowadays! Here are the books I read in January (covers link to Goodreads):

 1) The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

"I hope you will find the cracks in the world and wedge them wider, so the light of other suns shines through; I hope you will keep the world unruly, messy, full of strange magics; I hope you will run through every open Door and tell stories when you return."

We started with a stunner! Ten Thousand Doors of January was such a beautiful and magical book. It centers on January Scaller, a girl who discovers doors between worlds, and learns more about herself and her family in the process. It also includes lots of underdogs fighting against old, evil rich men which I am always here for. I read this book this month because it had the word 'January' in the title, and I loved the section where January's learns why she is named after such a normally dreary month.

4.5/5

2) Little House (Little House, #1) in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

“She thought to herself, "This is now." She was glad that the cozy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.”

I recently got the book The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books, so I decided to read the series alongside this book focused on the landscapes, practices, and history behind Wilder's real life. It's been quite a delightful experience, not only to dive back into a childhood favorite, but also to learn more about real frontier life.

5/5

3) The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

“The only glory to be had was the glory of surviving.”

This story centers on Carrie McGavock, a woman whose home is taken over as a hospital for Confederate soldiers after the battle of Franklin. Carrie is portrayed in this novel as quite grim, fairly selfish, and taken to fits of violence, it seems. I think this characterization does a disservice to the real Carrie McGavock. I could attribute my dislike for this novel to this or many other factors. For one, I've rarely been a huge fan of novels or nonfiction books set during war time. I picked this one up because it's set in Franklin, TN, and as a native Tennessean, I've been through there before. However, the setting wasn't much of a factor, other than being the place where the real-life story behind this novel took place. The romance in this book was super weird and felt forced. And, it's told from a white, Confederate/indifferent perspective, with the only Black voice in the book being somewhat of the "loyal slave" archetype. The novel seemed to be really pushing the futility and meaningless of war, portraying both sides as the same, and I just couldn't sit with that. I can still say I'm happy I finally read this, as it was the oldest book on my to-read shelf on Goodreads, added in 2010!! 

1/5

4) The Burning (Guardians of Ga'Hoole, #6) by Kathryn Lasky

"Set your wings upon the sea wind

Set your eyes upon the stream

Feel the billow of the updraft

And believe in your dream"

Guardians of Ga'Hoole is a series I started many moons ago when I was obsessed with owls and the Warriors series was no longer doing it for me. It's pretty enjoyable, but the ending was abrupt. The confrontation the whole series was building up to happened with little incident. I won't be continuing the series, which I call a big win for myself since I usually have to finish every series I start (it's a sickness). However, the rest of the series follows another arc and a new main character, so I'll allow myself to stop off here. Good series for middle schoolers obsessed with owls.

3/5

5) What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller

"Being alone is not the most awful thing in the world. You visit your museums and cultivate your interests and remind yourself how lucky you are not to be one of those spindly Sudanese children with flies beading their mouths. You make out To Do lists - reorganise linen cupboard, learn two sonnets. You dole out little treats to yourself - slices of ice-cream cake, concerts at Wigmore Hall. And then, every once in a while, you wake up and gaze out of the window at another bloody daybreak, and think, I cannot do this anymore. I cannot pull myself together again and spend the next fifteen hours of wakefulness fending off the fact of my own misery."

I think this book breaks the record for most terrible people in one book. I was trying to think of one character that I like, and I haven't been able to come up with one (except maybe Ben, though he was barely in the novel). The word that comes to mind to sum up this book is uncomfortable. Okay, the word I'm really thinking of is squeamy, which is not an actual word but hopefully you get the gist. Every relationship in this novel made me squeamish. Obviously, Sheba's relationship with her student was unsettling, but so was the narrator Barbara's obsession with Sheba, Sheba's abusive relationship with her surly daughter, and the dismissive nature of her husband towards Sheba. I didn't like much about this novel, but I did find Barbara's depiction of her own loneliness as very striking and honest (see passage above). There are some great, thought-provoking reviews for this book that tell me that this might be a case of 'just not for me'.

1/5

6) The Clue of the Tapping Heels (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #16) by Carolyn Keene

"What!" Mr. Skank cried out."

^ No notable quotes from this book, just the amusing insertion of this character name.

I've been reading through the Nancy Drew series for a while now, and always find it interesting, and often hilarious. Clue of the Tapping Heels has one of the more ridiculous plots, in which tap dancing in Morse code is a feature. In this one, Nancy is, of course, an expert at tap dancing, Morse code, and catching Persian cats. Very enjoyable. The most enjoyable thing is this cover. The cover designer was like, "yes, cats, tap dancing, understood" = malevolent demon cat forcing Nancy to tap dance for all eternity.

3/5

7) The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees

"Training yourself to become more selective is the single most effective thing you can do to upgrade your wardrobe. Try to think of your closet as an exclusive, members-only club. Only pieces that you love and are truly excited to wear get an invite."

I really enjoyed this book! It gave me a lot of ideas for how to build my wardrobe intentionally, avoiding the trap of trends and fast fashion. The steps are concrete and could work for anyone, with any style. I got this from the library, but I might buy it so I can refer back to it. Very fun read.

4/5

That's it for this month! I'm hoping a better combination of quality over quantity next month, fingers crossed.

my favorite holiday reads

It's time for a well-deserved holiday season! Snuggle up with one of my favorite holiday reads (covers link to Goodreads):

1) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens. It was first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation resulting from a supernatural visit by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain, a period when there was strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions together with the introduction of new customs, such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.

It's a classic for a reason! This short and sweet story is great for a quick plot that you'll almost certainly be familiar with, and could double as an easy way to make your reading goal for the year, at just under 100 pages.

2) Let it Snow (anthology)

The weather outside is frightful, but these stories are delightful! When a huge blizzard (that doesn't show signs of stopping) hits, Gracetown is completely snowed in. But even though it's cold outside, things are heating up inside, proving that the holiday season is magical when it comes to love. In three wonderfully (and hilariously!) interconnected tales, YA stars John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson create a must-have collection that captures all the spirit of the holiday season.

This Christmas anthology features three inter-connected stories by some of the superstars of YA. Netflix even adapted the stories for film last year, so this is a nice pairing: read the book, then watch the movie with a nice mug of hot cocoa for the perfect winter night.

3) Ex-mas by Kate Brian

Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith's parents just left for vacation, and Lila's all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.

Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler's older brother, Beau, a.k.a. Lila's musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.

It'll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love...all over again?

A super cute and fluffy read, this book follows two exes who band together on Christmas Eve to track down their brothers. It involves road trips, hate-to-love relationships, and adorable siblings.

4) Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

"I've left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please."

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a cosmic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

This is one of the more adorable books I've read, possibly ever. Who wouldn't love to meet someone through a book and ensuing scavenger hunt in New York City?? This is another one that Netflix has snapped up for a movie as well.

5) My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories (anthology)

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

Another super cute anthology, and this one is a bit more inclusive, with stories featuring Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and New Year's. With twelve stories, there are some that I didn't love, but some of the standouts made up for it, like the stories from Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins, and Laini Taylor.

december tbr

2020 is FINALLY ending, and I'm trying to go out on a high note with this rather ambitious TBR. These are all books I've already started, so fingers crossed that I can make it!!

1) The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in eighteenth-century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age—her tyrannical father has made that much clear.
As Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true—but his help may cost her everything.
In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

2) Little Weirds by Jenny Slate

Hello and welcome to my book. Inside you will find:

The smell of honeysuckle Heartbreak A French-kissing rabbit A haunted house Death A vagina singing sad old songs Young geraniums in an ancient castle Birth A dog who appears in dreams as a spiritual guide Divorce Electromagnetic energy fields Emotional horniness The ghost of a sea captain And more

I hope you enjoy these little weirds.

Love,

Jenny Slate

3) Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

If you could change your story, would you?

Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”

What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.

4) A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who held sway over and age of enforced peace are dead...victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky—a comet the color of blood and flame—six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard’s son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King’s Landing. Robert’s two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers.

A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and wartime. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors.

5) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace centers broadly on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the best-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves behind his family to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman, who intrigues both men. As Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy vividly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

fable by adrienne young - the one where there really should be pirates but sadly there are none

Fable

by Adrienne Young

Pages: 357

Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 1st, 2020

Cover Comments: 

This bighead cover is mostly redeemed by the cool ship graphic in Fable's eye.

First Lines: 
"That bastard was leaving me again." 

               Goodreads丨 Amazon

For seventeen-year-old Fable, the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home she has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one, and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.

But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him, and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.

Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue, and adventure.

Review

I’ve now read Sky in the Deep, The Girl the Sea Gave Back, and Fable, and I am disappointed to say that Adrienne Young is very hit or miss for me. Sky in the Deep was great; The Girl the Sea Gave Back was my least favorite Young novel, and Fable hits somewhere in the middle. I was attracted to Fable for the same reasons as many others: a sea-faring adventure is usually fun and the idea of traveling the oceans during the time of quarantine is very enticing. However, sailing is pretty much all that happens in this book until the last quarter. Would a pirate battle have been too much to ask? Fable is a pretty standard YA main character. She’s capable, with a troubled past and a stubborn streak, and she has a special gift that she tries (poorly) not to reveal. She’s basically on her own, with a father who left her alone on an island and a mother who died years before. The other characters are similar trope-y types, especially the brooding and mercurial West. The single coolest part of this story happens pretty far into the book, and involves a map being revealed under mysterious circumstances, and a bit of a treasure hunt. This is where I began to be pulled into the story, only to immediately be thrown off by a relationship taking a turn with no indication that it was going that way (the Fable/West kiss, COMPLETELY out of nowhere). I liked the direction, but the lack of build-up made the moment rather lackluster. Finally, the story ended with a twist, but unfortunately, it was one that I wasn’t particularly interested in. I’ll read the sequel because I am a completionist, but I wasn’t blown away by this first installment. I would recommend Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller for a similar vibe that is better executed. 

☆☆

*Thanks to Wednesday Books and the author for the chance to read Fable before its publication date.