The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Who Fears Death (Who Fears Death #1) by Nnedi Okorafor + 50/50 Friday
On Friday's I take part in three weekly link ups - The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader, and 50/50 Friday is a new weekly link up and it is hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books. For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook. Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post. As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader. Then, for 50/50 Friday, every week there's a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts blogs.
This week I'm spotlighting one of my current reads for Book Riot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge, Who Fears Death (Who Fears Death #1) by Nnedi Okorafor which will fulfill the task to read a book of colonial or post-colonial literature. I'm not all that far into it yet, but I've already been hooked by this post-apocalyptic fantasy set in post-colonial Africa.
Beginning:
My life fell apart when I was sixteen. Papa died. He had such a strong heart, yet he died. Was it the heat and smoke from his blacksmithing shop? It's true that nothing could take him from his work, his art.
56:
After that day, it seemed I saw Mwita everywhere. He often came to our house with messages.
50/50 Friday: Ugly Cover With the Best Story/ Gorgeous Cover With the Worst Story
Gorgeous Cover with the Worst Style - Firstlife (Everlife #1) by Gena Showalter - This cover is so cool and detailed, but the story flopped so hard for me that I ended up DNF'ing it after the second chapter.
Ugly Cover With the Best Story - Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen #1) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock - This is an excellent YA contemporary, but I have no idea what's going on with that cover! None of the covers for this book or the series do the story any kind of justice.
What are you reading this Friday? Have you read any of these books? As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!
That ugly cover is kinda charming. Love the Firstlife cover, though. Nice excerpts too. I'm featuring Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides today.
ReplyDeleteYou aren't wrong. Thanks for sharing, Bev!
DeleteI love the covers for Who Fears Death and Firstlife. I'm sorry the story behind that gorgeous cover didn't work out for you!
ReplyDeleteI really wished it had....
DeleteI've had Who Fears Death on my TBR for a while and you've reminded me I need to track down a copy and read it soon!
ReplyDeleteI just finished it and it was marvelous!
DeleteWho Fears Death isn't one for me. Post-apocalyptic stories give me nightmares. Love the cover of Dairy Queen. But then, I have a thing for cows. :-) I'd love for you and your readers to check out my book for this week! https://tinyurl.com/LisaKsBookReviews82418
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, Lisa! :)
DeleteCows are pretty cute.
Wicked cover and interesting snippets! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Freda!
DeleteLove your 50/50 Friday post!! Great picks!!! Happy reading to you. :-)
ReplyDeleteDairy Queen would make me curious after seeing that cover. It makes it effective for me perhaps because it isn't pretty. This week I am featuring Second Chance on Two Love Lane by Kieran Kramer from my review stack. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI can understand that. :)
DeleteThanks for coming over, Kathy!
I love DAIRY QUEEN, too. BUT the cover OMG. What mistake. My Friday Quotes and review of SPEAK
ReplyDeleteYou said it!
DeleteThe Dairy Queen cover is . . . interesting. Haha. I do love the cover for Firstlife though. It's too bad the book wasn't better.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover of Who Fears Death. I hope you love it!
I just finished it and it was great. I definitely need more from that author.
DeleteFirst Life cover is awesome. I have read a couple of Showalter's books and wouldn't hesitate to read another.
ReplyDeletesherry
@
fundinmental
I do want to try her Zombieland series - that one sounds pretty cool to me.
DeleteWow Dairy Queen IS a bad cover!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up!
All of the covers for it are pretty terrible actually... that one though takes the cake.
DeleteI'll have to keep Who Fears Death in mind for my post-apocalyptic book club. I agree with you on the covers. See what I'm featuring at Girl Who Reads
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a great pick for a book club.
DeleteThanks for sharing!
Ack that's a bummer about First Life! And who Fears death looks amazing- set in post colonial Africa. I'm glad that fantasy is getting more diverse with its setting.
ReplyDeleteExactly - and it really blew me away too. :)
DeleteSounds interesting. Hope you'll continue to enjoy it as you read more.
ReplyDeleteI really did!
DeleteI haven't read Nnedi Okorafor yet, but I'm really looking forward to her books. Happy reading, Lauren!
ReplyDeleteSince I've finished it now, I can definitely say I need more of her work. :)
DeleteI've had Dairy Queen on my kindle forever. And it sounds like such a cute story, but that cover. Oh man lol! I guess I need to give it a shot, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteJen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog
It's a fantastic story- just a crap cover.
DeleteThanks for coming over, Jen.
Ugh yes Dairy Queen's cover is just bleh. I actually took the dust jacket off of my copy so now it's just black with pink lettering and it looks so much better on my shelf (now if only I could reread it and actually write a review...). Thanks for linking up, Lauren!
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
I can't say I blame you! :)
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