Hi Everyone!
Welcome to Read or Roast: a monthly post to forcehelp me to reach my goal of having a maximum of one hundred books in my Goodreads TBR by the end of 202223.
As you can tell, it’s been going super well, and I definitely haven’t added to the hoard since last time. Ignore the heavy undertones of sarcasm, I’m sure it’s completely unrelated.
Every month I’ll go through my TBR and pick one book I want to read, and one book to roast in Dragon Fire!* You can check out the last post here.
*Important Disclaimer: absolutely no books will be burned in making of this meme. I’m a book dragon not a monster.
Read or Roast…?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
THE VERDICT…..?
This one’s a bit out of my usual comfort zone, but maybe that’s why it appeals to me so much. And in general, I just can’t resist any tale that promises mystery, glamour, intrigue and forbidden love.
Definitely a keeper, and one that I can hopefully get my hands on this year!
Read or Roast…?
The Magicians
By Lev Grossman
Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he’s still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.
He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn’t bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin’s fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart.
THE VERDICT…..?
This is another title that everyone seemed to be talking about for a while, and it did originally strike me as interesting. But looking at it now, I’m just not in love with the premise.
Maybe I’m tired of miserable genius main characters, maybe I’m tired of magical academia, or maybe I’m tired of having that reoccurring nightmare where I fail all of my midterms despite the fact that I’ve been out of school for years.
Either way, I think I’ll pass on this one.
Current Number of Books in my TBR: 273.
Clearly, my goal is sight and definitely not farther away than ever.
At least there’s always next month.
Thanks for reading everyone!
Here Be Dragons 
You won’t regret keeping The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo on your TBR! Hope you get to read it soon.
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