72:100 Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews

Hugh D'Ambry has been tossed out by Roland.  Roland who commanded him and was his entire universe.  Now he doesn't know what to do with himself so he drinks to keep it from hurting as much.  Then some of his lieutenants find him and tell him that his Iron Dogs are being hunted down by the necromancers of Roland.  This is probably the only thing that could shake Hugh out of his funk and start bringing him back to a semblance of his old life.

Elara has found an abandoned sanctuary and has created a safe haven for her people.  Elara has been called The Abomination for a long time but not by those in her keeping.  She has strange powers but she uses them for their good but now there is something strange and strong coming for them and she is not strong enough to save them from it.  So when Hugh and his people come along offering protection in exchange for room and board.  To make it more believable, their people negotiate a marriage between them which is not something that Hugh and Elara would have gone for normally but needs must when the devil is coming.

Nice to get backstory on Hugh.  It doesn't really make him a sympathetic character but it makes him more understandable and this is his start at redemption.  Elara is a good new character, compassionate but takes no shit while still being able to listen and learn.  While not technically a Kate Daniels book, you do need to read it before reading Magic Triumphs.  However, it's a great installment to the series and I'm hoping we do see some more stories with Hugh and Elara.

Page count: 380p/12,801p ytd/304,817p lifetime

71:100 Prudence by Gail Carriger

Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) has lived an unusual life even among the supernatural community. The daughter of Lord Maccon (a werewolf) and Lady Alexia Maccron (soulless) and adopted daughter of Lord Akeldama (vampire) was always going to something special but even more since she is a metanatural (steals supernatural powers for a brief period turning them normal).  Lord Akeldama has been training her, of course, and has now given her a dirigible of her own which of course she promptly has painted red with black spots and named the "Spotted Custard".

Now she has a crew including her best friend Primrose, her brother Percy, and Quensel.  Primrose's entire job seems to be making sure Rue has clothes to thrown on after she has ruined her latest outfit.  Quesnel seems to be decent at keeping the engines running and flirting.  Percy makes the most sense as he taught himself to navigate, is incredibly learned, and speaks several languages.  Lord Akeldama charges Rue to go to India to see about a new tea.  However, it looks like there is much much more going on of which Rue is completely unaware.

Rue stumbles through the story, not ever really realizing what is going on around her.  While it is set in India, we see very little of that culture or the people throughout the story and what there is, is done very problematically in that it is not respectful of the culture.  I LOVED the Parasol Protectorate and Finishing School series but this one was just not as much fun and really was kind of a slog to get through. Some of the side characters were interesting and some of it was fun so I bumped it up to the three stars.  I'm going to read the next book and hope it gets better.


Page count: 357p/12,421p ytd/304,437p lifetime

70:100 Saga Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

During a violent jump, Alana was thrown against a wall and her baby has died.  They have to find a way to remove the dead child before it kills her but finding someone to perform the procedure with as far along as she is and under their fugitive conditions will not be easy.  It has also had the unexpected side effect of giving Alana some Wreath magic abilities including being able to conjure up a ghost version of their son that is visible to the whole family. Unfortunately, that may just kill her if they don't do something soon.

The Will has been kidnapped by the fiance of someone he killed and they are looking to kill everyone he ever loved before finishing him off.  It didn't take long before they found out about Gwyn, Sophie, and Lying Cat.

Prince Robot needs to get back home to Squire and after his behavior with Alana, he is left of find his own way but ends up coming back and then...

Well, you just need to read it.


Page count: 146p/12,064p ytd/304,080p lifetime

69:100 Saga Vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

The ship needs fuel and the family needs a rest so they manage one last jump to a comet named Phang to try and get both while Alana continues along with her new pregnancy.  However, The March is a new freelancer trying to find them for all the different parties who want them all dead and their new home is scheduled for termination.  Now might be a good time to try and get off Phang.

The Will has reunited briefly with Gwyn and Sophie but only to try and get Lying Cat back and pick up Sophie to train her to be a freelancer like he was until he was fired but Sophie decides to stay with Gwyn and Lying Cat decides to stay with Sophie so The Will walks off into the sunset.  Pretty sure we haven't seen the last of him.

More gradual plot development in this one which was a nice change of pace after the totally action packed previous one.

Page count: 152p/11,918p ytd/303,934p lifetime

68:100 The Early Human World by Peter Robertshaw & Jill Rubalcaba

Middle-School Ancient History by Oxford Press, part of "The World In Ancient Times" series.  This is my third time reading it.  This was my previous review from 2009:

This is the first in the series of The World in Ancient Times that we are using for Matthew's Ancient History class this year and was recommended by one of his friends who is 2yrs older. I really like the format of the books. They are told in a definite story form rather than a dry "here are the facts" that so many history books do. They keep it light, interesting, and entertaining while getting the information across. They pack lots of fun little facts in which help to keep it interesting as well. I definitely learned a lot and enjoyed it and even better, so did Matthew. I think that right there is the best compliment is when the 6th grader is happy to do history when it's not normally one of his favorite subjects.

And from 2013:

Well, now I'm using it for Jonathan who is in 7th grade (we did US History for 5th & 6th since that was better for him rather than breaking it up).  He's enjoying it as much as he can any history which is about as far from his favorite subject as you can get.  I'm enjoying reading it again as there is a lot that I have forgotten since so much of it is just not something that I have to deal with in my day-to-day life.  Maybe by the time the last one reads it in a few years, I'll actually be able to retain more of it.  In the meantime, forgetting large chunks means it's a fun read when it's that time again. *big grin*

Page count: 176p/11,766p ytd/303,784p lifetime

67:100 Saga Vol. 6 by Brian Vaughan & Fiona Staples

Marko and Alana are reunited but Hazel and Klara have been taken to a detention center on Landfall.  Prince Robot has his son back but is a fugitive from his own family so is hanging out with Gus and Friendo on their planet, teaching his son the old ways.  Gwyn and Sophie have save The Will but at the cost of his sister's life for which he can't forgive them or himself. But now with her dead, the reporters who had been forced to stop working on the story of Alana, Marko, and Hazel are free to get back to it.

Alana and Marko need to get Hazel and Klara back but the only person they can think of to help them is Prince Robot.  He joins them, reluctantly, leaving his son behind with Gus.

Hazel lets her teacher know just how very special she is (being half-wing/half-horn) and her teacher understands just how much danger she is in and works out an escape plan that coincidentally, happens just as Marko, Alana, and Prince Robot show up to rescue her and Klara, but when Klara doesn't want to go, another prisoner, Petrichor, jumps through the gate.

The reporters follow the leads and end up bumping into The Will who is searching for Prince Robot to get revenge for his killing of The Stalk whom he loved.  They then lead him to the planet where Gus is watching the Princeling.

Gotta read more!

Page count: 152p/11,590p ytd/303,608p lifetime

66:100 The Wish Factor by Yasmine Galenorn

Prequel to the Bewitching Bedlam series, this is Bubba's origin story. 

Cjinn are born without knowing their name and without their magic.  As they grow, their magic does and when it is strong enough and they have control of it, they find their name.  This has yet to happen to Younger Son and he is the only one of his litter still without his name.  His mother tells him to have patience but it's so hard and now father has said they are to move to a new world.  When that happens though, what will happen to Younger Son if he does not have enough magic to know his name?

A cute little story that gives not just Bubba's origins but also more about cjinn themselves. 



Page count: 25p/11,438p ytd/303,456p lifetime

65:100 Coffee is the Life by Faye Larson

Riley is obsessed with the Van Helsing books and stayed up all night to finish the latest one and now he NEEDS to talk to someone about it but the problem is, none of his friends have finished it yet.  Ugh!!!  So when his ex-fiance, Erik, calls him up to say that he just finished the first book in the series, Riley is all too happy to meet up for coffee and at least get to talk about early Van Helsing. 

Sweet story that continues right where the other one left off. Romance definitely seems to be brewing but there are a couple of different directions is could go and I like that it isn't getting rushed.


Page count: 51p/11,413p ytd/303,431p lifetime

64:100 Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

Moon Shadow has heard fabulous tales of his father, and especially the kites that he makes, but has never met him.  His father left for America before he was born and for 8 years all Moon Shadow has known of him has been his letters that he sends with money for them and the stories his mother tells him. 

Now his father has sent for him to come to America, the land of the white devils.  Of course Moon Shadow will go but he has no idea what to expect.  He and his father get to know each other and it is revealed that his father has had an important dream, to build an airplane and fly.  Windrider is willing endure much to make this dream come true even if no one else believe in it, but Moon Shadow believes and will be there to help him see it through.

We read this for my 7th grader's literature and enjoyed it.  It definitely put more emphasis on how Chinese and white people perceived each other in the early 1900s but also showed how people can move past prejudices when they are open to getting to know someone.  It showed the power of family and belief which is not limited to any one culture.


Page count: 317p/11,362p ytd/303,380p lifetime

63:100 Hounded by Kevin Hearne

First book in the Iron Druid series.  Atticus O'Sullivan is one of the last Druids and currently enjoying a quiet life in Arizona.  Unfortunately for him, there is an ancient Celtic god who has wanted the sword that Atticus wields for centuries and has found him now so this the time to make his move and get his hands on it.  Seriously, even against a god, what Druid is going to stand for that?!

My oldest enjoys this series and it's been in my to-read pile for a while but other things kept getting pushed in front of it until it got picked for my book club.  If you enjoy Dresden, you'll enjoy this one.  Same snarky main character but on the Celtic mythos side of things.  There are some rough spots in the writing but I believe this was the author's first book so it makes sense and I'm guessing it will smooth out in future ones.  I do plan to find out.



Page count: 304p/11,045p ytd/303,063p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 4th Quarter 2018

My usual disclaimer:

Let me state, this is really based on authors or series that I'm already reading since those are the things I follow.  I'm not paid to write this blog nor do I have any affiliations with any publishers so I don't receive free books or advance notice of things except what I glean off Facebook from people who do have those contacts or what I research on my own (which again, leads back to authors that I'm already reading).  Maybe someday I'll be one of those who has the contacts and gets ARCs but it's not today.

So things on the job front settled for the summer and without the kids' school stuff, I was able to get some time to breathe and even read some.  I'm still behind to make 100 books read for the year (and I'm pretty sure my new author and page goals are laughing at me in a serious way) but I have gotten a little less behind.  Now though, school has resumed and while this is my last year with two students, I still have two students and all the reading that entails and there is an election coming up so yeah, reading time is again disappearing but I'm still hopeful that I will be able to find more time here and there and might at least be able to pull off my books read goal (even if there are a lot of graphic novels and short stories on the list).

So with that being said, here is how I plan on increasing my "To Read" pile this quarter (thankfully only with a few this time):

A new Pern installment by Anne McCaffrey's daughter?!  Dragon's Code looks like it could be amazing as Gigi McCaffrey is playing with her mother's characters in their usual stomping grounds so it's all characters we know and love.  Piemur's story of what happened to him while he was in Southern?  Yes, Please!

Release date - October 2

I really enjoyed N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Gate (although I still need to read the rest of the series...sigh...time) and I'm starting to work on picking up more of her work. How Long Til Black History Month is a compilation of short fiction stories that look to be amazing.

Release date - Nov 27

The year finishes out with a new standalone by Mira Grant, Kingdom of Needle and Bone.  What happens when the diseases of the past have been beaten, or so people think, and so vaccination rates die down as no one believes how bad they were any longer?  In a Mira Grant universe, it can get so very bad.

Release date - Dec 31 

62:100 Saga Vol. 5 by Fiona Staples & Brian K. Vaughan

Dengo has the baby Prince Robot, Hazel, Alana, Klara, and Izabel captive in the treeship and has called in The Revolution to help him get his message out across the Universe.  Big surprise, The Revolution isn't on his side and they all underestimate what a mother and grandmother will do to save their child.

Prince Robot IV, Marko, Gus, and Yuma are trying to find them using Gus's ability to know where the animals in his herd are since toddler Hazel fell in love with one of them, Friendo, and he is on their ship.  However, the Robot Nation is also looking for Prince Robot IV and they aren't the type to ask nicely for him to come along.

The Brand, Gwyn, and Sophie are on a faraway planet trying to get a spell component to save The Will's life but there is only one male dragon left and it won't be a cakewalk to get what they need and not all of them will make it back to save him.

And it just keeps getting better!

Page count: 152p/10,741p ytd/302,759p lifetime

61:100 How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger

Faith has been sent away from her family in America as being damaged goods in their eyes and told to find a werewolf husband in London where that type of thing is tolerated.  She debarks the airship and is almost immediately having her possessions searched by a werewolf, a Major Channing, who is in pursuit of contraband which she does not have but he does find her rock collection that she has brought with her across the sea.  Combine unusual interests, a forthright attitude, and a pair of lovely blue eyes and Major Channing starts wanting to forget that he is damaged goods.  Throw in a meddling Alpha and London cousins who see this as a good match with two people who enjoy each more and more as they get to know each other and what else can you expect to happen?

This is the kind of romance I enjoy, where there is something that interests both parties about the other and they want to know more, not just the man sees the girl and wants to jump her bones.  Seeing Major Channing send her a rock is true romance.


Page count: 191p/10,589p ytd/302,607p lifetime

60:100 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Review from 2015:

Gatsby is the mystery millionaire that every one wants to be seen with but no one actually seems to know anything about.  He throws lavish parties but without actually seeming to participate in more than a cursory way.  Nick Carraway moves into a small shack next door and Gatsby makes it a point to get to know him.  It doesn't take long for Nick to learn why.  Gatsby fell in love with Daisy (a cousin of Nick's) years ago and has done everything he could for the past several years to put himself in a position to try and woo her away from her husband, the brutish Tom Buchanan.  Now that he has Nick in his court, he feels like his dream is finally on the threshold of becoming reality.  Unfortunately, not all dreams end with a Happily Ever After.

It's interesting because I've been reading about this time in US History as part of our high school history course and excess is the big thing they keep talking about in that book and it is readily apparent in this as well.  Excess is everywhere with no regards to consequences.  It's sad to see and sadder to see how little we've learned since then.  It definitely seems like a cautionary tale of the time and one that seems to be misunderstood by many who just watched the movie.  Speaking of the movie, I want to find time to watch it so I can compare.  Yeah, yeah, I know it won't be as good as movies so rarely are but there can be good adaptations and I'm curious.


Page count: 180p/10,398p ytd/302,416p lifetime

59:100 Saga Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

It's been decided that they really need to have an income if they are going to survive so Alana gets a job working for the The Circuit, a live action "television" program that runs all day.  Unfortunately, that is not the most healthy place and soon Alana starts using Fadeaway.  Marko and Alana fight and need some time apart to cool off.

On another planet, Prince Robot IV's wife has given birth to a healthy baby boy.  Unfortunately for her, the custodian has an ax to grind due to the death of his own son so he kidnaps the boy in an effort to get the royalty to listen to his demands.  Prince Robot IV knows nothing of this as he is still recovering after his visit to Mr. Heist's home by spending all his time at a brothel for days on end.  When he does find out, he does not take the news well.

The custodian, Dengo, has found that while the baby Prince is a good hostage, Hazel is even better, and now he has them both.  Meanwhile, The Will's sister has found Gwen and Sophie, and everyone's paths are looking like they will soon collide.

Again, I'm really enjoying the depth of the story and the characters and I can't wait to see what happens next.


Page count: 152p/10,219p ytd/302,236p lifetime