17 and 25 for the book ask!
answering this finally thank u for ur patience~!
17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?
the hazard & somerset series by gregory ashe. i went in having read a few series by ashe already, so i figured i'd enjoy these, but they really blew me away.
i can't point to just one book because they build off each other so much, and the impact is really in the whole thing more than one individual title, but holy moly i liked this series a lot. there are, uh, like 20 books over three consecutive arcs. and i did read them all. in like a month. so that's another reason why i can't call out a single book: they've kinda blended together.
but yeah the work, the *growth*, these characters undergo is so well done, and the relationship between the two titular MCs is one of the best i've ever read. and tbh i think it's bc they get like 20 books plus spinoffs to really develop -- like, what does a relationship look like after you finally hook up? after you've been together for months? after you get married? how do the small stresses of every day, and the major catastrophes, affect that relationship? how do you fight, and fight to stay together? these books have it all!!
(and also lots of, er, gruesome murders and other truly horrific things bc they are murder mysteries after all, but but but -- the love!!!!!!)
25. What reading goals do you have for next year?
i want to read more books by people of color. i read 22 different titles by poc authors this year, and 16 different authors who are poc, but there's so many folks i haven't read yet. i'd like to read, maybe, 20 different poc authors in 2025! that seems both doable and a good stretch for me!
book meme (and yeah i'll still answer 'em, i love talking about books!)!