Bookish Musings: My Current Bookish Infatuations

 
 

This post is completely random. I just felt like talking about the things I’m super into right now.

Is this post pointless since I’ll probably end up doing recommendation posts for all these topics at some point? Will I ever do one of these posts again? Will it become a feature? Will these things turn into long-lasting, passionate bookish love affairs, rather than mere infatuations? Maybe even happy bookish marriages? Who knows! I guess we’ll all find out together the answers to all these questions 😉

But for right now, here are my current bookish infatuations!


Werewolves

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones*Gasp!* I know. This one is still surprising to me because I’ve never much cared for shifter books unless they were uncommon creature shifters, like unicorns. But lately I’ve realized it’s just the sexy shifter PNR (paranormal romance) kind that I don’t like. I mean, I don’t necessarily mind the sexiness 😉 I just don’t care for all the alpha males, fated mates, and pack politics. (Nothing wrong with liking those, they’re just not for me!) Anyway, lately I’ve been in the mood for some stories about werewolves that are still urban fantasy rather than horror, that are still about the werewolves as main characters, but that are grittier, more vicious, more classic. So far I’ve enjoyed Pack by Mike Bockoven [GR | Am | Review] and Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones [GR | Am | Review], both of which were gritty and just as much about family as about werewolves. On my TBR is The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan [GR | Am], which I recently won in a giveaway.

 
 

Djinns/Jinn

Djinn City by Saad Z. HossainI mentioned recently that I had tried some djinn books years ago but didn’t really care for those portrayals of djinns. Two were in a series about a guy who was bound to grant wishes (a slave), but he didn’t have any powers. Three were in a series about a girl who survived when djinns created an apocalypse, and the djinns were basically just elementals. But lately I’ve done some reading about the Arabian and Islamic mythologies/beliefs, and it turns out djinns are really fascinating! So now I really want more stories based more on those mythologies. So far I’ve enjoyed Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain [GR | Am | Review], and I’m really looking forward to The Djinn Falls in Love & Other Stories [GR | Am], City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty [GR | Am | Review], and Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton [GR | Am | Review].

 
 

Frankenstein Retellings

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi LeeThis one is nearly as surprising as my interest in werewolves! I didn’t like Frankenstein in high school, and I didn’t even love it when I reread it recently, but I did love the idea behind it. It was so interesting and thought-provoking that it just seemed rife with potential for retellings. So I’ve been totally into those and trying to find as many as I can. So far I’ve enjoyed This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee [GR | Am | Review], Cadaver & Queen by Alisa Kwitney [GR | Am | Review], and The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein (duology) by Kenneth Oppel [GR | Am]. On my TBR, I have Fraulein Frankenstein by Stephen Woodworth [GR | Am] and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White [GR | Am].

 
 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

What's one of your current bookish infatuations?
Do you have any book recommendations for my current infatuations?

 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

50 thoughts on “Bookish Musings: My Current Bookish Infatuations

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  1. Greg

    Yay for werewolves! I remember you not being keen on shifters but reading your thing there, I agree- I like a little more classic, werewolf as opposed to “shifter” thing (that would make a great post- the differences between those two) so thos three you mention I will look up. See it’s a recommendation post already?!? I do need more werewolf stories that are not necessarily horror.

    Djinns are another creature that fascinate me, and I love the concept of the City of Brass. I need to read more of that too.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I know, it basically is a rec post, just about three topics instead of one lol. Yeah, in my mind I’ve started kind of referring to them differently, the one kind as shifters, the other as werewolves. Although the ones I mentioned kind of fall in the middle, I would say.

      Djinns are just super fascinating to me, and I really do need to get to those djinn books on my TBR already!

  2. Annemieke

    I like the idea of Frankenstein but did not enjoy the classic nor did I enjoy This Monstrous Thing as much as I would haved liked to. But I am super curious about Kiersten’s White interpertation.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah I hated Frankenstein in high school, but there’s so much retelling potential! Glad you liked This Monstrous Thing too 🙂 And yes, Mongrels was amazing!

  3. Molly @ Molly's Book Nook

    Right now, mine is totally pirates. Or any sort of scoundrel character based story. I loved To Kill a Kingdom & I’m currently reading Daughter of the Pirate King!

    Also, HI! How are you? I haven’t been around that much and miss all my blogging friends <3 Hope you've been well

  4. Kathy @ Pages Below the Vaulted Sky

    Twilight kind of negatively coloured my views on werewolves stories back when it was all the rage, but now I love them. Specifically because I’ve been seeing more queer versions of them lately. So when I hear people going, “Werewolves/vampires stories are dead!” I’m like, “Uh, excuse me? We haven’t had our turn yet.” 😛

    1. Kristen Burns

      I think Twilight may have been my first read about werewolves. Maybe that’s why I ended up never being a fan lol. But seriously, people need to stop saying all these things are dead or back or whatever. They never left! And marginalized groups are finally getting stories for all these things!

  5. Di @ Book Reviews by Di

    It’s always great to chat about the things we’re into! And it’s never pointless to do that. 🙂

    Werewolves huh? Well that’s awesome! I don’t have a thing for them as such, but I do really enjoy some books with them featured. I liked seeing them in Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter books and I obviously loved the way JKR handled them too…

    I love Djinns, although they’re not heavily featured. I didn’t mind the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine and Rebel of the Sands is an amazing series. City of Brass is on my TBR.

    I’m currently into daemons (still heavily in my S&S reread) most notably Draconians and Incubi (or just a certain Incubus TBH…) I also want to try a few more shifter stories because I’ve never had great luck with those… But my reading schedule is pretty heavily packed at the moment. One thing I’m really happy about is the mermaid/siren/pirates themes happening this year so I’m excited for those in my TBR!

    1. Kristen Burns

      That is a very good point!

      I forget all the time that Remus was a werewolf lol.

      I think djinns are starting to get more attention! Idk if I’ve heard of Weather Warden. I’ve heard great things about Rebel of the Sands and City of Brass though!

      Tbh, I don’t actually know what a daemon is, other than it’s what the creatures are called in Annette Marie’s books lol. And she includes things like incubi (which I generally consider demons), djinn, nagas, harpies, etc., which are all their own things. But I think it was cool that she found a way to include all these different things but give them this common grouping. I think I got sidetracked lol. Yeah, I think sometimes the problem isn’t even the topic, it’s just choosing books that don’t end up working for us. But yeah, there do seem to be more mermaid and pirate books! I totally need to read a book about pirates!

  6. S. J. Pajonas

    I’m hearing lots of people talk about Djinn lately! I think you’re not alone in that obsession. Right now I’m really loving scifi romance with aliens, which is something I never thought I’d ever say, but there ya go. Lol.

    1. Kristen Burns

      That would be great if they’re getting popular! More books to choose from! I’ve only read a couple books about aliens, and I don’t think any were romance, but it sounds fun! It’s funny sometimes the things we get interested in reading even though we never thought we would lol.

  7. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I love Frankenstein retellings and of course, and all about werewolves but I understand how you feel about wanting them grittier and not PNR. That’s how I like my vampires. It’s great that you’re shaking things up some. I was never able to finish The Last Werewolf but technically it’s not a DNF because I didn’t get that far. Maybe you can inspire me to give it another chance. I think there is a sequel too.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, I’ve seen you talk about the type of vampires you like. It does sound like you like your vampires kinda like how I like my werewolves lol. I’ve seen some really negative reviews for The Last Werewolf, but I’ve also seen some really positive ones, so I decided to just go for it and see for myself!

  8. Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight

    Ooooh this is fun! Okay so super randomly, Henry VIII has been a new “thing” I had no idea I was interested in! LOVE the cover of Djinn City by the way! I had one period where I had a ton of Jinn books, totally unplanned, just review books that happened to be about Jinn stuff all at the same time!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh wow, Henry VIII is a really random thing to be into! I love that though! The cover for Djinn City is awesome! It’s funny how that happens sometimes w/ review books.

  9. Tessa

    I recently re-read Frankenstein for a class and I really enjoyed it (again!). To me, it is one of those classics that you can think about forever and still have things to think about. And then I remember that it was all written by a teenage girl and I fall in love with it all over again. However, I have never picked up a retelling of the story. I was a little bit worried that the story would be twisted into more of a cheesy horror story than a renowned classic. But, with your recommendation, I am definitely going to add This Monstrous Thing to my TBR and see how it goes!
    There was a point in my childhood when I was obsessed with all things djinn, mostly due to the middle grade series The Children of the Lamp. Unfortunately, my infatuation with djinn faded since I couldn’t seem to find many YA or NA books featuring them. But, with the help of your list, I am going to try and get back into their magic!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yes! Although I didn’t love Frankenstein, it was really thought-provoking, and that’s the reason I feel like it’s so perfect for retellings. There’s so much that can be explored! And none of the retellings I’ve read so far have been cheesy horror. They just use ideas from the original and make something new and interesting 🙂

      I hope you’re able to get back into the djinn magic!

  10. Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra

    I’m into The Little Mermaid retellings at the moment, but I have to admit that your last few reviews have me curious about those Frankenstein retellings as well. I like this post idea, by the way. I think it’s fun to share what you’re into 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Ooh Little Mermaid retellings! I haven’t read many of those. Have you read Drown by Esther Dalseno? It’s based on the original fairytale though, not the Disney version. Thank you! It is fun talking about things we’re into 🙂

  11. Lola

    I remember you saying you weren’t a big werewolf fan, so that’s great you found some books you liked with them in it. I read a book about djinn a few years ago that didn’t quite work for me, but haven’t read many others I think. There don’t seem to be as many djinn books around. Glad to hear you found a good one. I don’t think I’ve read Frankenstein or a frankenstein retelling ever. I didn’t even realize there were so many retelling of that out there.

    I am currently a lot into sci-fi, especially sci-fi that takes place on other planets or in space. And mermaids, I read a great mermaid series recently and picked up two new mermaid books recently that I hope to start soon.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yep, it turns out I am a werewolf fan now! I didn’t think to mention in the post, but my interest in both werewolves and djinn both started because of the research I did for my werewolf and djinn sims characters that I want to write about lol. There are some djinn books out there, but not a ton, so there’s less selection to find the ones that are right for you.

      Space! I do like sci-fi space adventures, I just am not in the mood for them super often. And ooh mermaids, I’ve been meaning to read more mer books since it’s been a while since I’ve read any!

  12. ShootingStarsMag

    Fun post! I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve read a werewolf novel…I read the first one in Molly Harper’s series and really liked it and I need to finish the rest. I think the idea of Frankenstein is great, like you said, even though I didn’t really care for the original. Therefore, re-tellings are awesome.

    -lauren

    1. Kristen Burns

      Werewolf books are turning out well for me! Exactly, the original was really wordy and kinda hard to get through, but it was such a thought-provoking idea that it makes for good retellings!

  13. Crystal @ Lost in Storyland

    I’ve been getting into older reads recently. My TBR list keeps growing. My goal this summer is to read books that I’ve been wanting to read for a while. Most of these reads are fantasies featuring supernatural creatures.

    I haven’t read a good werewolf story in a while, so I don’t have a recommendation for you. I’d love if you could share some of your favorites though! 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Does anyone’s tbr ever stop growing? Lol, we’re all doomed. I definitely support your goal of reading these books with supernatural creatures though!

      So far it’s just the two listed here, but maybe I’ll find some more great werewolf books soon!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh, it is on my TBR! I just totally forgot to include it in this post because I was always so focused on the golem part (uncommon creature!) that I kinda forgot it also had a djinn lol.

  14. Brooke Lorren

    I don’t know of any books that are just about werewolves of jinn, but there are werewolves in The Mortal Instruments series, and there are jinn in An Ember in the Ashes series. I just read the first 3 books of Ember in the Ashes (the fourth will come out next year) and I’m on the waiting list at the library for the second book in the Mortal Instruments series (currently 7th on the waiting list, which is better than 57, which is where I am for Tower of Dawn).

    Don’t think there’s currently anything I’m infatuated with at the moment.

    1. Kristen Burns

      That’s cool that they’re getting included in more books, even if they’re not the main characters. Oh, yikes, 57th is pretty bad as far as library waiting lists go??! I only borrow ebooks, and there’s usually only 1 or 2 people ahead me, if any!

  15. Becky@ A Fool's Ingenuity

    Huh, the things which put you off sext shifter PNR books are the things which I enjoy. I mean, the fated mates thing can kind of go either way as a trope, but the pack politics part I love. I don’t know what it is but I love seeing folks navigate the weird complex hierarchy. I do find myself rolling my eyes at the whole alpha thing but it can be interesting to read.

    I’m glad you’ve realised that djinns in fact are interesting. I do think the history and mythology surrounding them is really interesting and with books like City of Brass coming out how can I not love it? I do want to read more djinns books so I’m going to trust you to read the good ones and I can try and blast through them all.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I love that though, that everyone has different tastes. That’s why I’m always trying to stress to people about negative reviews—what one person hates, another may love! I kind of like vampire politics, but that’s pretty different from shifter pack politics. And idk, I just don’t care for the shifter version!

      I’m glad too XD It’s all thanks to my sims! My interest in werewolves and djinn, since I started researching both of those so that I could write my sims-based characters. But yeah, I’m definitely going to read City of Brass, and I’ll let you know what other good ones I find 😉