Wahala / Traveling Cat Chronicles / Binding

Vote for my February read 😊

Welcome to my first book-battle blog!

First off, let me be clear that I’m not here to trash any books at all. In fact, I have respect for all of them, and both books 1 and 2 mention in the back that they were optioned for television. I think all books have their own sort of magic, which is why I love them.

My aim is to reflect on what appeals to you and me, and why. What is that mystical little something that makes us pick up one book over another?

Also, full disclaimer: I have not been asked by anyone to write reviews for these books, opinions are entirely my own, and this is supposed to be fun, people, so don’t take any of it too seriously. Plus, I don’t know anything about any of these books, so I’m going in for the full discover-it-off-the-shelves library experience. Remember those days? Times when you walked into a room full of books without the judgment of thousands of likes or insults rumbling around in your head, so you just grabbed whatever you wanted to read because it looked interesting? That’s what this is, all algorithm-free.

Book 1: Wahala by Nikki May

Cover first impressions: The bold colors are what I loved first. When you zoom in and see that she’s got the word “trouble” literally written on her lips, that excites me so much🤩Without looking up the genre, it feels to me like a contemporary thriller.

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Book 2: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

Cover first impressions: So I have a thing for cats. The minimalist style is a tribute to Japanese traditions, and it seems fitting then that the quote on the cover is thus only one word: “Heartbreaking.” It’s compelling, but now all I can think is, “So the cat dies at the end?” Hoping not, but…

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Book 3: The Binding by Bridget Collins

Cover first impressions: It’s a gorgeous focus on the symbolism of one thing: a key, surrounded by what looks like falling leaves. The combination feels magical and mysterious. I’m sure the phrase “binding” conjures up a lot of vivid imagery for many people😉but somehow it doesn’t feel like that kind of novel?

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Voting is open for 3 days!

Just in case no one votes, I went ahead and took a starter poll from two of my writer groups.

If you don’t vote to change the future, then so far the winner will be The Binding, but it’s a tight race:

Wahala: 1

Cat: 2

Binding: 3

Vote now.

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Cheers, Joy