95:100 Shocking Elation by Stefon Mears

Cleon Johnson is an artist who creates more than a simple visual medium for people to enjoy. For those with implants, his art is keyed in to let them feel the emotions that he wants to convey in ways that mere words or images cannot possibly convey. He wakes on this morning of an artist's reception ready to face his adulation upon the opening of his newest exhibit only to find instead that he forgot to run some processes correctly and the people that went through it already have suffered horribly and the world that once couldn't get enough of his art was now ready to cancel him completely.

An interesting take on where technology can take us in the future and also how careful and mindful we need to learn to be when using it.



Page count: 22p/22,733p ytd/331,430p lifetime

94:100 Spider-Gwyn: Ghost-Spider Vol.1: Spidergeddon by Seanan McGuire & Rosi Kampe

Gwyn is generally just trying to kick it on her Earth, do band stuff, catch bad guys, the usual, when she gets pulled into another dimension and her usual transport back to her own seems to be broken. She hooks up with that universe's Peter Parker and Mary Jane only to find out that in this universe, Gwyn has turned into the Gwyn-Goblin and Peter and MJ want Spider-Gwyn to help them get their friend back.

That covers the first couple of issues in this graphic novel. The rest is dealing with the deaths of different Spiders across the multi-verse and Gwyn volunteers to help let those universes that have lost their Spiders know what happened to them so they aren't left wondering. By the end of that, she is feeling lost and deciding to stay home for a while but that's when Spider-Ham shows up and convinces her that she has to come with him.

So full disclosure, I'm not a huge comic fan (that's my husband). I enjoy the movies but really, my only true comic love has been Elfquest (seriously, go check it out. It's AMAZING!) but my husband keeps bringing stuff into the house and I've started picking out certain ones that I'm interested in. My interest is really simple; I have to have a reason to like the character before I even consider reading the comic, the artwork has to be at least reasonable (if it's too messy or ugly in my opinion, I can't get over it and will walk away without reading it no matter how good the story might be), and I tend to go for comics written by authors I like.  This means that I generally have zero idea of the other storylines that are going on with that particular character and how things all work together and I'm ok with that.

That being said, my first exposure to Spider-Gwyn was from the "Into the Spidervsere" movie.  I thought she was fun so when I saw that Seanan McGuire, a favorite author, was writing a comic series for her, I was in. I have zero knowledge of how this ties in with any other comics about Spider-Gwyn. The story was entertaining and didn't make me feel lost (which I appreciated) and the art was generally fine.  I'll keep going with this series.




Page count: 112p/22,711p ytd/331,408p lifetime

93:100 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

It's 1942, Bruno is 9 years old and is not happy to find out that his family is having to leave their comfortable house in Berlin and go to some house away from all his friends. It has something to do with his father being super important and The Fury trusting him with a super important job at Out-With.  Once they get there, it's worse than Bruno could have imagined with no one to play with and officers coming and going all the time. The he discovers the fence and there is a boy on the other side wearing striped pajamas who becomes Bruno's only friend, even if he must keep it secret.

As an approachable way to introduce some of the horrors of the concentration camps to children, this book is ok but really, it's best use is as a fantasy book.  The horrors are glossed over, Bruno acts much younger than his supposed 9 years with constant mispronunciations of things that would not have been common, especially in his own thoughts, and his sister is both too young too old for her supposed 12 years.  The fantasy is really that the commander's son would be allowed to walk right up to the fence and just have these playdates with a child on the other side with no idea why they were there and with no guards anywhere around ever. That does not seem plausible based on the books I've read by survivors.  The story itself is almost sappy sweet which, again, does not mesh with the horrors of the time and those living in the concentration camps. It's almost like it's trying to absolve those who perpetrated those horrors of their sins by making it seem like it was not so bad.  I'm glad I read it before giving it to my son to read. I don't want that history glossed over.

Page count: 216p/22,599p ytd/331,296p lifetime

92:100 Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1: Cosmic Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis

This volume seems to be bringing everyone together after something separated them.  Peter's father looks to be coordinating with some other potential baddies that want to see the Guardians, and especially Peter, dead. Earth has been declared off-limits and the Guardians and Iron Man may be teaming up to keep it that way.

A free read on the Kindle. Looked potentially interesting but not sure that it's interesting enough to want to pay for it.


Page count: 144p/22,383p ytd/331,080p lifetime

91:100 Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi

Firdus grew up poor in Egypt and learned early on that men were the only ones who mattered in society.  She wanted to go to school and her uncle helped her but she soon found out that, again, she was subject to the whims of the man her ruled her life. She was thrown out because of the jealousy of her uncle's wife and now must learn how to survive on the streets as a woman in a patriarchal society. It's not long before she realizes that without a husband, her prospects are limited and she ends up a prostitute. Rather than diminishing her though, she is able to realize her own power in that position and is able to be beholden to no one until a man comes in and decides he will now be her pimp. Firdus can only take it so long before she kills him in order to reclaim her own agency. As a result, she is sentenced to death. This is a man's world after all and her agency does not matter.

A true story told by Firdus as she sat on death row. She wanted no clemency, since to have that was to give up her agency again and she would prefer death. Firdus suffers constantly due to the men around her but because she is a woman, that is her "place".  A moving and powerful story that is too familiar to too many women around the world. I can't say I enjoyed it because it's a hard read but it was gripping and important.


Page count: 142p/22,239p ytd/330,936p lifetime

90:100 Quality of Darkness by Stefon Mears

Patreon short story.  He's a businessman about to leave on a trip when he has to grab something from the office at night.  As he's there, the lights go out, all of them, completely, and then there are screams.  Now something is in the office with him and it knows he's there.

Fun little horror story.

Page count: 22p/22,097p ytd/330,794p lifetime

89:100 Final Girls by Mira Grant

Dr. Jennifer Webb has designed a new therapy combining virtual reality, a drug cocktail, and psychology for healing past trauma by introducing new traumas that force confrontations differently.  We start with the scenario of two sisters who had become estranged undergoing treatment to heal their relationship which consists of a throwing them into a scenario where they are trying to escape a monster in a corn field.

Esther Hoffman is a journalist for a science magazine who has always been skeptical about funky new treatments and has signed up for a treatment from Dr. Webb in order to debunk her methods.  Knowing that if Esther can't do so it will mean great press, Dr. Webb agrees.  That's where things go sideways because this is a Mira Grant book.

Mira Grant writes horribly awful things in well researched detail that seem to be prescient (please go read Feed and then look at today's news cycles if you don't believe me) so I really worry about how this one will turn out in the future.  But honestly, as usual with her work, I could barely put it down and this was after my 13 year old had been hounding me to read it as he is also a huge fan.


Page count: 112p/22,075p ytd/330,772p lifetime

88:100 The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch had just been told that his pancreatic cancer was now terminal and he had less than 6 months left to live when he was invited to give a "Last Lecture".   He knew that he had to take this opportunity to leave a record of who he was for his children so he wrote his book and gave his lecture for them more than anyone else, to let them know who he had been and pass along the things he had learned and would have told them eventually. 

Randy seems like a good guy and the book definitely shows his sense of humor even in the face of everything but his stories and advise definitely come from a place of privilege without understanding it.  He had a middle class background and ended up in situations with offers and mentors that most people will never get.  He was thankful for it but most of his advise just boiled down to work hard enough and it will happen for you which is unfortunately not true for many.  I can see why a lot of people enjoy it but I felt that it was a bit tone deaf that anyone else might have different experiences.


Page count: 206p/21,963p/330,660p lifetime

87:100 Badlands Witch by Carrie Vaughn

The second book in the Cormac and Amelia spinoff.  Cormac made a lot of enemies when he was a bounty hunter and thankfully most of them are dead...but not all of them. When he gets recruited by an archaeologist for a job and Amelia seems eager, they head off.  Now someone from his past is gunning for him and instead of just killing him has managed to steal Amelia away.  This leads Cormac to understand just how close he and Amelia have grown and how much he will do to get her back.

I'm enjoying getting to return to this universe with other characters and Cormac and Amelia is such an unusual pairing so that makes it doubly fun.  I've heard that there will be more and I certainly hope so.

Page count: 83p/21,757p ytd/330,454p lifetime

86:100 The Asian World 600-1500 by Roger V. Des Forges & John S. Major

Review from 2011:
Middle School History covering China, Korea, India, and Japan from 600AD-1500AD.  I really enjoyed the presentation and learning more about this period of time in Asia.  Interesting to see how religion spread through the different areas and how it would change in accordance to the needs of the people of that region.  I found it fascinating to learn that the Korea had a movable metal-type printing machine 50yrs before Gutenberg made his movable type press.  There were lots of little tidbits like that which makes the history much more fun and accessible to the middle schooler and even to those adults (like me) who tend to find history dry and boring.


Page count: 176p/21,674p ytd/330,371p lifetime

85:100 Kingdom of Needle and Bone by Mira Grant

So many people had been immunized that herd immunity became taken for granted. Then the anti-vax movement came and the herd immunity weakened and we started seeing diseases we thought had been wiped out forever make small comebacks.

Then came Morris's Disease which was new but presented like measles even in an immunized little girl who had a pediatrician for an aunt.  A little girl who became ill while visiting DisneyWorld with her parents and didn't want to miss out on a second of her last day so didn't let them know her throat hurt or she felt bad.  A little girl who then flew home while she was burning up and ran into her aunt's arms at the airport.

A little girl who died after infecting who knows how many people.

After the pandemic has spread and the dead mourned, the living are trying to put things back together again and that's when the awful truth starts coming out about the side effects of Morris's Disease and Dr. Isabella Gauly, the aunt of the little girl, is one of the first to be told.  She has a plan that may not be entirely legal or ethical but may give the human race a chance for survival and herself a chance for atonement.

As always, Mira Grant knocks it out of the park in doing the research and adding in the medical details to make this truly horrifying in a "this shit could really happen" kind of way with characters that are both sympathetic and complex and that twist at the end to drive things home.


Page count: 128p/21,498p ytd/330,195p lifetime

84:100 Dark Divide by Carrie Vaughn

A spin-off set in the Kitty Norville series but focusing on the strange relationship between Cormac and his new mental guest, Amelia, since he got out of prison and Kitty's arc is over. 

Cormac and Amelia have been asked to come to Donner Pass to investigate the death of one of the docents who starved to death in a cabin full of food.  It certainly seems to have a possible supernatural cause but is it merely some type of haunting based on the tragedy from the past or something even more sinister.

I thought that the twining of Cormac, a supernatural bounty hunter, and Amelia,a deceased witch, taking up residence in his head was a great idea when it first happened in the Kitty series and I really enjoy that Ms. Vaughn is now giving us stories of the two of them as they learn how to navigate the world and exploring how they can work together.


Page count: 94p/21,370p ytd/330,067p lifetime

83:100 Urban Enemies Anthology by Various Authors

We finally get to hear from stories from the Villains point of view in this new anthology.  17 of them in fact.  These are all from existing series with established worlds, most of which I didn't know previously or only in passing.  I bought it primarily for the stories from Kelley Armstrong and Seanan McGuire with interest in the ones from Jim Butcher,Kevin Hearne, Carrie Vaughn, and Faith Hunter and because I will usually get introduced to at least one or two new authors that look interesting.

To that end, I really enjoyed the two stories that I bought it for.  I felt that they did a great job of giving stories that enriched the worlds but at the same time served well as stand-alone introductions to them.  Butcher's didn't fare so well as even though I have read all the Dresden files books, I could barely remember this villain and didn't care about him or this story that much.  Kevin Hearne's from the Iron Druid is with characters that are later in the series than I have read but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the tale.  I enjoy the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn and maybe this serves a nice intro to newbies of the series but it just fell flat for me but really enjoyed Leo's story from Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series.  However, I do feel that one might be harder for readers not familiar with the world to get into.

The new author that stood out to me from this anthology was Diana Pharoh Franics with a tale from her Horngate Witches series.  Never heard of the author or the series before but definitely want to check it out based on this story. 

Other than these, none of the other stories really stood out for me.  Many of them were simply meh and just didn't interest me at all, some were total slogs to finish, and a few were ok but not interesting enough to me for me to go out and read more by that author.  So in all, 5 of the 17 were worth the price of the book, a few more were fun, but I'd say that at least half of the book was just not my cup of tea which was definitely disappointing.

82:100 Emergency Landing by Seanan McGuire

Another day, another flight, a woman wondering what her seat mates are going to be like this time and if they will leave her alone so she can nap.  A routine take-off until she sees missile-like objects falling on Atlanta and feels the plane jolt like it's being pushed off the group.  Now they are up in the air and the reports from her colleagues who work with the CDC are coming in and the news is devastating.  She alone on the plane understands what is happening down on the ground and now she must decide where they go from here.

Absolutely terrifying tale of something that seems all too plausible these days.

Page count: 22p/20,836p ytd/329,533p lifetime 

81:100 Duel or Die by Stefon Mears

Charles is driving over the hill to the beach to look for some spell components when his car just dies in the middle of a nowhere stretch of road.  Then a cloaked and hooded figure approaches which turns out to be his girlfriend's ex who is demanding a duel to satisfy his honor (gee, why would a woman ditch someone who wouldn't believe that she would do so unless compelled by magic?!).  Charles doesn't want to do this but given the choice between a duel to summon demons or being shot by  gun, well, he takes the duel.  And Charles has been around long enough that his dueling path will not be an expected one.

A fun tale with a nice twist at the end.

Page count: 22p/20,814p ytd/329,511p lifetime

80:100 The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

Nassun is heading to Corepoint to take control of the Obelisks and end the Earth.  Essun is heading to Corepoint to open the Obelisk Gate and bring Father Earth's child, the Moon, back into alignment to end the Seasons.  Neither knows the other is heading there but it wouldn't matter as they both feel in their hearts that their decision is the only correct one.

Woven between their journey's is Hoa's story from the time before, a time without Seasons.  We finally get the history of the world and how it came to be in the state that it is now.  How humankind found the magic inside of all living things and attempted to harness it to serve them without ever considering the consequences.  How he and the other stone eaters were made, how the orogenes came about, how Father Earth lost his child.  All of it is revealed and how all of those things have led up to the confrontation between a mother and her child for the fate of the world.

Absolutely amazing finish to the series and I could barely put it down and basically didn't for the last 100 pages.  Such a rich world with incredibly complex characters that are so human that it's easy to relate to them, to hope and fear with them, even the ones that you can't like you can still at least empathize with to some degree.  No one fully good or evil, but all a mix, so human.


Page count: 445p/20,792p ytd/329,489p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 1st Quarter 2020

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.

Yep, trying to balance it all is seriously impacting my reading time to the point where I'm hoping to get my 100 books in for this year.  I have read more pages than I originally set out for so I guess that's something but still, it's been hard finding the time for reading (and this is made more aggravating by only reading half of some college books or just having to read tons of articles so I can't count them).  Not that it's slowing me down much on my book buying.  LOL

The new year rings in big with the fifth installation in the Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire.  The last couple have not really focused on the events from the first book but now we see what has happened to Jack since she left to go back to the Moors with Jill's body after those events.  Can't Wait!

Release date: January 7

Next up, we get to return to the Whisper Hollow series by Yasmine Galenorn that was on hiatus for a while.  Phantom Queen picks up with Kerris realizing that something is very wrong and going to speak Veronica, Queen of the UnLiving, who has been causing trouble in town.  When Veronica is worried, everyone should be.

Release date: January 27


Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire is the latest in the Incryptid series and in this one, we have Sarah as our narrator.  After she saved Verity, Sarah has been in a very dark place and not safe to be around anyone but maybe that's about to end.

Release date: February 25


Just a few weeks later Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs comes out.  The 12th book in the Mercy Thompson series, a Fae is loose in the Tri-Cities area, one who can look like anyone and if it bites someone it can control them as well.  Mercy has said that the area was under her protection but even after everything she and the Pack have been through because of that statement, nothing could have prepared them for this.

Release date: March 10

Last we get Wolf's Curse by Kelley Armstong, the second in the Kate and Logan YA duology set in the Women of the Otherworld universe as they try to survive the week at supernatural leadership camp after everything has gone to hell in handbasket.

Release date: March 31

79:100 The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Bobbie, Peter, and Phyllis have had a lovely life as a middle class family in the early 1900s.  Father works but spends time with them in the evenings, mother is always around and making up stories and playing with them, and there are servants that attend to the mundane tasks.  Until one evening some men come and father goes away with them and the next day they have to pack up and move away from the city.  Now there are no servants and mother tells them that they are poor and she must write and hope to sell her stories to keep them fed and there are many days where there is just toast and jam to eat. Now the children don't go to school and must find ways to amuse themselves so they explore this new town of their and are constantly drawn to the Railway which provides many adventures and surprises along the way.

Definitely a book from another era so I tried to read it with that in mind and leave the bulk of my modern day thinking out of it.  The children wandering all over the town so much by themselves were fine and I do think the bits about the general kindness of the people there was appropriate given the time but having the old gentleman from the train solve all the problems and just happen to be the grandfather of the boy they rescue....a bit too deus ex machina for my tastes but I know that was common enough in these types of tales at the time.  In all, a sweet story of a bygone age.


Page count: 156p/20,347p ytd/329,044p lifetime

78:100 Only Sheepdog on the Moon by Stefon Mears

Cole retired to Ganymede after his military service and now runs a bar out of an old shuttle there.  The locals know him and things are going pretty ok for the moment until one day when out for a walk, he sees an orange flash of something breaking the atmosphere.  Realizing that with very little news of what is going on with the rest of the galaxy and that not everyone out there is friendly to humans, he decides to take a closer look and boy, are the rest of the people on Ganymede glad that they have someone like Cole to watch out for them.

Fun little space military short story.

Page count: 22p/20,191p ytd/328,888p lifetime

77:100 Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

Read for my college film class.

Sydney Lumet is a director whose movies have been critically acclaimed and watched by millions such as 12 Angry Men and Murder on the Orient Express.  In this book, he breaks down how movies are made, specifically the way he does it of course, including insights into certain films he made and stars that he worked with.

I found it an interesting and very accessible read.


Page count: 220p/20,171p ytd/328,866p lifetime

76:100 The Story of Kao Yun by Peter S. Beagle

Kao Yun was considered one of the most, if not the most, honorable judge in China.  He is so honorable, that sometimes the unicorn comes to his court and when he cannot trust his own senses he will let the unicorn decide.  But now, as he goes on his round, for the first time in his life, a woman enters in his court as a criminal but he is captivated by her beauty and his honor is now at stake.

An interesting take on a Chinese fairy tale keeping to the traditional characters and their roles.



Page count: 28p/19,951p ytd/328,646p lifetime

75:100 The European World 400-1450 by Barbara A. Hanawalt

Review from 5 years ago now.  It still holds up and still manages to hold their attention as much as history ever does.

<i>Here's my review from 3 years ago:

Middle school history. This covers the basics of what was happening in Europe between 400-1450CE. While there were a few interesting tidbits of political and religious points that affected things that I learned, the rest was a decent covering of the era without any new major insight although I think that is due in part because it's an era of history I actually enjoy studying. Thankfully my 7th grader enjoyed it and learned lots and that is what really matters.

Can't really add much to it.  It does it's job decently enough.</i>


Page count: 192p/19,923p ytd/328,618p lifetime

74:100 Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Hmmm...this was my review from 5 years ago.  Current kiddo is having an easier time with the slower parts and it is definitely interesting to see what each of them gets out of the books as they have all read them at about the same age.

<i>A group of hobbits, a wizard, a rouge, an elf, a dwarf, and a human go walking into the woods....

Yeah, I know, you've heard this one before.  This is my third time reading this book since 2008 and at this point, with the movies having been out for so long and the new Hobbit trilogy currently going strong I really kind of figure that everyone knows the plot of these books and if they don't, it's because they really don't care in the slightest.

Once again, I'm reading these for my 8th graders literature course and once again, they are managing to draw me with the language.  He is having a bit harder time with it but I'll bet anything that his interest will pick up more as we hit Two Towers and things really get moving.  That seems to the be way of it with the 13yr old boys of my house (and hey, I wasn't all that enamored of them when I was a teen either).

Here's a previous review of them I did when I first reread this in 2008 with my oldest:

I last read these books back in 1991-1992, something like that.  I remember enjoying them but also being put-off by the intense descriptive scenes which didn't seem to move the plot along (please, no flames on this, I was like 16 at the time, teenagers are stupid).  I've moved them several times and always meant to give them another chance, especially after the movies, but there always seemed to be something new to read or worlds where I didn't remember being so bored so I kept putting it off.

Until that is, I found the LOTR curriculum and went "Wow! This is way cool! I gotta do this with Christopher!"  And I'm of the mind that if my kids are reading something for school, well, since I'm their teacher I should read it too.  So we are reading it together.  I stay about a chapter ahead of him and then stop (which surprisingly is starting to annoy me LOL).   Now that I'm enjoying it with him and reading it with better appreciation for literature, I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  I can't add much to what has already been said about it by so many thousands of other people in the world except that if you tried it years ago and found it dry, try it again.  Don't give up on it.  It's truly worth the read.  And even better, read it with someone you love and enjoy discussing it together.  It just adds to the experience.

Honestly, this still holds true.  I'm glad I have an excuse to read them again every couple of years with a fresh pair of eyes to discuss them with.  It just adds something to the entire experience.</i>


Page count: 398p/19,731p ytd/328,426p lifetime

73:100 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

It's 1952 and a meteorite has just struck the ocean outside of the Eastern Seaboard wiping out Washington DC, New York, and pretty much anything else within a few miles of the coastline.  Elma York and her husband were on a weekend getaway when it happened, far enough away that they felt the shockwaves but far enough away that they were able to get to their small plane and escape when so many others couldn't.  Now the world is trying to rebuild and the conclusions coming back are frightening.  While things will settle down in the short-term, global warming (a term never before heard of) will happen in a few decades due to all the particulate matter thrown up in the atmosphere from the meteorite.  What used to be a fun idea of getting into space is now imperative for the survival of the human race and Elma York, a mathematician and WASP pilot, is determined that women will be included in the program, especially herself.

An interesting idea, fairly well executed, although I could have done with a little better explanation as to what was actually up with Elma and her anxiety earlier in the story and a lot less of how much she and her husband are into each other. 


Page count: 432p/19,333p ytd/328,028p lifetime

72:100 Winter's Web by Jennifer Estep

A novella between Venom in the Veins and Sharpest Sting.  Owen has won tickets to go to the local winter Ren Faire and Gin, Bria, Finn, and Sophia are all coming along and have been talked into volunteering for part of the time.  Gin notices a lot of giant guards around and that raises her suspicions, especially when a trio always seems to be camping out near her.  However, after she draws them away and deals with them in her usual way, she finds that they were just trying to get her out of the way so their friends could snatch Owen.  Gin is not about to let anything happen to him and she has the skills to make sure Owen will walk away and the others won't.

I read it out of order but it didn't really matter.  A fun Ren Faire story set in that world but no actual character development or critical insights for the main plot of the books.



Page count: 86p/18,901p ytd/327,596p lifetime

71:100 Sharpest Sting by Jennifer Estep

The 18th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin has a name for the leader of The Circle, Mason, and even more than that, she knows that it's her uncle although she knows nothing else, not even his last name.  Now she has to find a way to stop him and keep her friends safe but she also needs to get her bridesmaid dress for the wedding of Stuart & Malloy.  An assassin's job is never as simple as it seems but during the fitting, her sister Bria is kidnapped and Gin and Lorelei are as well when they intervene to try and save Bria.  Gin has so many enemies even she can't figure out which one it is until they end up sitting across from Uncle Mason.  He wants something that Fletcher stole from him and he wants Gin to find and return it or else.  She's got a few short days to find something she has never seen and has no idea where it might be or her friends will start dying in horribly painful ways. She's the spider and has always found ways to win before but this one may break her heart in ways she never imagined.

Less of the constant, repetitive internal monologue (although we get a bit at the beginning in case anyone is picking up book 18 and reading before any others I guess) but this has now been replaced with constant adoration of Owen and their sex scenes which are basically the same in every single book. I'm not a prude and I don't have a problem with sex scenes but these are not particularly well written and are almost identical to the ones in previous books so they are just boring, especially the line in every single one about how she takes the pill but they still use a condom.  Every. Single. Time.  Get back to the killing scenes.  Those descriptions are better.  Heck, I enjoy the pages of what she is cooking as they make my mouth water and I would love Fletcher's super secret bbq sauce recipe as well as some of the others that are mentioned but please, stop trying to shove the sex scenes in.  They can just have a look, a kiss, and close the door and that is just fine.


Page count: 351p/18,815p ytd/327,510p lifetime

70:100 Coffee & Treason by Stefon Mears

Basic spy v spy short story.  American spy gets a lead on a Russian spy who may be getting some state secrets from a White House intern and he's in position to try and get the info to send everyone to jail but things never work out quite like you plan.

Page count: 21p/18,464p ytd/327,159p lifetime

69:100 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Richard is a bland, ordinary person.  He works at a bland, ordinary job and lives in a bland, ordinary flat.  Until the day that a woman falls completely out of nowhere at his feet, bleeding everywhere.  Nevermind that Richard's fiance is furious that he would want to get involved, Richard wraps the mysterious girl up in his coat and takes her to his apartment to see how he can help her.

That's when everything starts getting weird.

Door isn't from London Above and people are out to kill her. She talks to rats who apparently bring her messages, two shady looking men come to Richard's apartment looking for her but when they barge in she is nowhere to be found while they are there but as soon as they leave she emerges as if she had been there all along, and the friend that Richard drops her off with doesn't seem quiet like any person Richard has ever seen before.

But now Richard is ready to get back on with his bland, ordinary life except that now no one can see him.  Cabs don't stop, the subway train doors try to close on him, his apartment is rented out while he's standing in it, his office stuff is packed up while he is asking what is going on.  Even his friends and fiance don't recognize him at all.  Stunned, he goes back to where he left Door to see if she can help him regain his life.

And then things get really weird as he is lead to London Below. An entire city beneath the one he thought he knew with strange people and even stranger creatures and where nothing works the way he thinks it should.  But Door is still in danger and Richard finds the strength and courage he never knew he had in London Below.


Apparently this is one of Mr. Gaiman's early works and there have been a few editions where things have actually been changed to create the one he really wanted to release.  The version I read is from 2001 so I don't think it's that one.  Still, it was a wonderfully fun read although I found the ending a bit too predictable and pat. 


Page count: 370p/18,443p ytd/327,138p lifetime

68:100 War and Marketing by Stefon Mears

Derek has always been shy and quiet but he also has a special gift for finding things.  What that means in practical terms is that he has made a nice living finding paintings or other items that people want and will pay nicely for which makes him a comfortable living.  However, recently Earth has been at war with an alien species and Derek wants it to stop before this planet is destroyed.  So he starts asking himself the question, "what do the aliens want?" and his gift finds him the answer as always.

A fun little story about how things aren't always as they seem.


Page count: 21p/18,073p ytd/326,768p lifetime

67:100 The Ancient American World by William L. Fash & Mary Lyons

My review from 5 years ago (which includes a review from a few years before that:

<i>Middle-School Ancient History.  Here's my review from a few years ago:

<i>This covers the MesoAmerican, Incan, Maya, and other cultures of South and Middle America from 5000BCE to the Spanish conquistadors of the 1400 & 1500s.  There were chapters on several cultures I don't remember having learned of before and it was amazing to see the incredible art and ways they came up with to not only survive but thrive and what rich cultures came and went during that time.  As always, the more I read this series of history books the more impressed I am with them.  Much more detail in these than even my high schoolers World History text.

This time had the added bonus in that a few years ago, my family and I took a trip were we got to see some of the ancient Maya ruins and speak with some of their descendants so that part of the book definitely had a deeper resonance with me this time around in a very wonderful way. </i>


Page count: 176p/18,052p ytd/326,747p lifetime

66:100 Skydiving to the Gods by Stefon Mears

Eric Jarlsson was a thrill seeker.  You name it and if it was dangerous, a chance he may not walk away, he was down for it.  When he met Janice doing base jumping in New York, he thought he had found the perfect woman.  And for three years, it was perfect up until their third anniversary when she came up with the perfect way to kill him in a skydiving accident...the only problem is that there was no way for her to know the secret that might save him since he did not yet know himself...

Fun story playing with old Norse mythology in a modern tale.


Page count: 41p/17,876p ytd/326,571p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 4th Quarter 2019

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.

Well, adding school to my already hectic life has definitely been challenging.  I'm still trying to figure out how to balance work, homeschooling, college, housework, all the kid activities (bowling, archery, soccer, and gymnastics currently), family life, social life, and down time for things like reading.  Not gonna lie, it's been hard but there are always books to look forward to that I will some day find the time to read.

Starting this list off with what looks to be an amazing anthology of women writers spinning tales of witches and witchcraft, both the good and the evil with Hex Life.  It caught my attention since it has Kelley Armstrong and Rachel Caine whom I enjoy and of course, opens me up to several new writers as well.  Can't wait!

Release date - October 1

Next up is Sharpest Sting by Jennifer Estep, the 18th book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin is still trying to figure out what the heck is up with the Circle and dear old Uncle Mason but as she digs deeper, she will uncover secrets that may have been better left off buried.

Release date - October 8

October is just filled with fun stuff coming out as Kelley Armstrong releases Wolf's Bane which is the first of a YA duology featuring Kate and Logan Danvers.  The twins are now 16 and have been sent off to a supernatural teen leadership conference but of course, something is terribly amiss and the twins are going to get to the bottom of it.  I'm excited to return to this universe.

Release date - October 15

I'm so far behind on the Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter but I'm still looking forward to Shattered Bonds because it lets me know that Jane is still going strong and waiting for me to find time to read her adventures.  The synposis doesn't look good with her going off to the mountains to grieve the loss of friends (please not Molly!) and sick from a disease brought about by her magic though.

Release date - October 29

And the month wraps up with the biggest present ever from Seanan McGuire with Laughter at the Academy.  A collection of tons of her short pieces from all different genres spanning more than a decade. I love her patreon stuff (even if some of it scares the crap out of me) and I'm super excited to read what she has put together.

Release date - October 31

This list ends with the release of Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer.  This book looks incredibly bizarre with a messianic fox, a huge fish, band of rebels, a homeless woman, and many more unlikely characters trying to save Earth but I'm very intrigued.

Release date - December 3

65:100 The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

The 2nd book in the Broken Earth Trilogy.  Now we know who Essun was and how her choices have shaped her over her lifetime.  She has come to Castrima and found Alabaster again and he has a task that he cannot complete and will ask her to do for him. He will train her to be his weapon, to return the Moon to Father Earth and end the Seasons and change the world forever in ways they can barely contemplate.

But what of her daughter, Nassun, who was taken by her father after he killed their son?  Essun still longs to find her but fate has had other plans.  Nassun walked in on her father, Jija, as he was standing over the body of her brother, Uriche, and she had almost no time to make a choice and she chose to live.  That meant going off with her father wherever he led, learning to read his moods and how to manipulate him so he wouldn't kill her too for the crime of being as she was made, an orogene.  Their path led them eventually to the Antartics where Jija had heard that there was still a functioning Fulcrum and a cure to make orogenes normal.  What they found instead was a damaged Schaffa, who had been Essun's Guardian, who only partly remembered who he was and what his job as a Guardian was along with a small group of orogenes and few more damaged Guardians working with them.  Now Nassun has a place to belong with people who can accept her for who and what she is, and Schaffa who will love her as she feels her parents should have but didn't.  But this is a Season and everything is changing and there is no staying still and no going back, even to the child that Nassun was before this all began.

Wow!  More compelling than the first one.  Shifting between Nassun and Essun, seeing how alike they are but how time and different choices have shaped them.  Beautifully woven and the characters are so rich and deep that it's hard to put down.  Can't wait to read the next one.


Page count: 410p/17,835p ytd/326,530p lifetime

64:100 Halting State by Charles Stross

An in-game bank robbery in a virtual world with the potential for severe real world consequences.  It's not really what an every day detective is trained to handle.  Nor, for that matter, an every day forensic accountant.  But that's who is trying to solve this mystery along with an out of work gamer and game developer.  Of course, when they start digging into the mystery further and further, they find that it goes much deeper and involves much bigger players than they first imagined and they are in way over their heads.

I thought the premise was interesting but the execution lacked a lot.  It went too far into technical jargon when it wasn't necessary just to try to be geeky but the characters were generally shallow and boring and the plot overly complicated but then everything wrapped up simply with a bow at the end.  I've heard good things about Charles Stross's writing so I'm not sure if this was not a good example or if he's just not my cup of tea.



Page count: 380p/17,425p ytd/326,120 lifetime

63:100 This Man Who Calls Me Brother

Set in the time of slavery in South America by the Portuguese, there are those that do not understand the desire for freedom until a choice is given, taken away, and then given again.  When someone holds their bloody hand out to you, what do you choose?

A simple tale of choices and why we choose.

Page count: 27p/17,045p ytd/325,740p lifetime

62:100 Spell Burnt and Sleepless by Stefon Mears

Venya had always been told that courier work was for suckers and she knew that to be true but sometimes you take the work you get which is why she is on her horse, by herself, on the road with a bunch of important papers.  When the ambush comes, the bandits are about to learn why she was the courier and why they should have stayed home.

Another fun little world building short story that makes me want to know more about this world and the magic that Venya used.


Page count: 18p/17,018p ytd/325,713p lifetime

61:100 Whistling the Water by Stefon Mears

Mahru is of the Nare tribe, a tribe of water whistlers. He is on the cusp of manhood but he can't yet whistle the water to obey him, to make him a home, or any of the other things that he should be able to do on his own.  His aunt says it does not matter.as the new people from the sky, the Awnu, are showing them new ways.  But Mahru does not trust the Awnu, and neither does his father, so he continues to work on his water whistling hoping to become proficient before he really needs it.

The base plot was predictable but the world building was wonderful and I would love to read more about Mahru and his tribe.


Page count: 24p/17,000p ytd/325,695p lifetime

60:100 In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Elliot is the nerdy, unlikable, smartass, totally obnoxious 13yr old kid is in his class.  His mother left him and his father when he was young and his father has paid almost no attention to him ever since.  Today, he is on a field trip with his school to some place he is sure will be boring and he couldn't be more wrong.  They are in a field when he sees a wall that none of his classmates can see and when he goes to climb it (as that seems like the most logical thing to do), he finds himself in the Borderlands, a world where technology doesn't work and is populated by all the creatures out of our fantasies including, to Elliot, mermaids.  He's not so sure about the rest of the world though since it seems that the human guards that he would be entering into is mostly about weapons and fighting which are definitely not to Elliot's taste but then he meets Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elf and the most loveliest creature he has ever set eyes on.  Right then, he decides to stay and his life turns upside down. 

Honestly, I really wanted to like this book.  I thought the premise was great and was looking forward to it despite how obnoxious Elliot was because I was figuring we would see character growth and development and he would turn into, if not a fully likable character, at least one that didn't just make me want to slap the crap out of him constantly.  That never happened.  He was always an obnoxious, insufferable character with moments of not being that but then he would revert back to form.  Add in the fact that we constantly have to hear about his supposed superior intellect but yet he speaks in small words and repetitive phrases constantly!  My 13yr old had a larger and more imaginative vocabulary when he was 8yr.  The other characters had more character growth but it still wasn't great and I found the over-the-top sexism of the elves horrendous as well.  The world building was solid but the characters populating it made it a slog to read.


Page count: 432p/16,976p ytd/325,671p lifetime

59:100 Stone Dead by Stefon Mears

A robbery gone wrong and now Stone and Karlsson are on the run but before getting the hell out of the city, they turn on each other to try and see who screwed it up.  But in cases like these, there's always more than one person selling everyone else out.

Written well but just not something that I typically find that interesting.


Page count: 21p/16,544p ytd/325,239p lifetime

58:100 Computer Concepts published by Parsons

A decent enough overview of the basics of computer concepts. Just could have done with a lot less (and I do mean a LOT less) of the "Go try to find some of this ancient technology and see just how primitive it was" when those were the toys I played with when I was young.  Gee, thanks for making me feel freaking ancient.  This book must have been written by early 30-somethings.

Page count: 632p/16,523p ytd/325,218p lifetime

57:100 Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Where Hercule Poirot goes murder seems to follow.  This time he is on a train from Istanbul heading home (or to his next case as he gets a telegram on the train) when one of the passengers has been murdered, stabbed to death many times over but luck is with him as this happened on the night when the train has been stuck in a snow storm and no way for the murderer to escape so Poirot waxes his mustache and sets to work to find out whose done it.

This was my first Agatha Christie novel and I don't know if it's because at this point it's not a novel ending or because so much of what Poirot lays out at the end is not really revealed through the course of the investigation.  You can't go back and go, gee, of course that is how it all fits together, and that type of "mystery" doesn't really appeal to me.  I'm not sure if her other books all follow this same thing but I'll probably give another one a try at some point to find out.


Page count: 265p/15,891p ytd/324,586p lifetime

56:100 Microsoft Office 365: Excel 2016 Comprehensive by Freund, Starks, & Schmieder

A decent enough textbook that went over a lot of the different things you can do with Excel.  My main issues were that this is a bit outdated so a few things didn't work correctly in the newest version of Excel which I was running, it didn't do enough to explain some of the error messages that could come up and why that might be so you could have a better idea of how to fix it, and my biggest complaint is that there was a lot "Just go do this" step by step for more complex things but without any actual explanation of what you were doing or why which makes it harder to then apply to your own material.


Page count: 816p/15,626p ytd/324,321p lifetime

55:100 Lost Souls by Kelley Armstrong

A man driving on a lonely stretch of highway sees a woman in white in need of a lift who directs him to her friend's house that is just a patch of forest in the middle of nowhere and then vanishes.  It's a familiar enough tale but something is odd this time so Patrick brings it to Gabriel to investigate hoping that Gabriel will use it as an excuse to try and patch things up with Liv since she loves a good mystery and weird ones even more.  But this case will have Gabriel facing more than white specter who gets people lost in the woods. He will have to realize and face how lost he has become.

Read this one out of order, not that it matters much.  It was an interesting tale and always fun to get more insights into these characters.

Page count: 190p/14,810p ytd/323,505p lifetime

54:100 Cruel Fate by Kelley Armstrong

Olivia is finally getting what she has wanted since she found out the truth about her past, her father's release from prison.  Unfortunately, not everyone is so happy to see Todd freed and while he was innocent of the crimes that sent him to prison for the last 20 years, he does have one murder on his hands, the one that kicked off everything that came about afterwards and someone is laying the clues out for him to go back to jail with no possibility of being found innocent this time.  Liv is hovering over her father like a nervous mother hen and when she starts hearing about this trail, she will do everything in her power to make it go away including using her position as Matilda as well as calling in her Arwen and Gwynn. 

My biggest disappointment is that this is the last planned novella for this series and I would love to continue reading all about Liv, Gabriel, and Ricky.  This was a good note to end on with the wrapping up of Todd's story and how things got started so many years ago.

Page count: 200p/14,620p ytd/323,315p lifetime

53:100 Patternmaster by Octavia Butler

Patternmaster - Seed to Harvest #4

Set far into the future, at a time when civilization has moved backwards towards a more agrarian based community, non-telepaths (Mutes) are basically slaves, and those with psychic powers have all been combined into the Pattern which is held by Rayal.  But now Rayal is old and dying and a new Patternmaster will be needed.  Of course, Rayal's most powerful child, Coransee, has positioned himself to be the one to take Rayal's place.  Teray has just been apprenticed to a new house but before he can take his place there, he is taken by Coransee and placed as the lowliest member of his house instead.  Teray is powerful but it comes out that Coransee is his half-brother, both of them sons of Rayal, and Coransee wants no challenge to his plan to become the new Patternmaster.  So of course, Teray runs away and heads straight for Rayal with the help of a powerful healer who has been staying with Coransee but is not part of his house.  On the way, there are many dangers for them to face but the biggest is the Clayarks, the non-humans who run in a pack and are a constant threat to mankind.

This book was the first written in the series and it shows.  I enjoyed it but it was definitely the weakest of the series.  Similar themes of self-determination and enslavement by the powerful are woven throughout but they are much more stark in this one with the characters and the whole novel written in a much more simplistic style.  None of the subtlety and nuance that is present in Wild Seed.  The Claryarks that she spent an entire novel building up as a species that is trying to hold onto its humanity are portrayed as simple animals for the most part through this one although with having read Clay's Ark first, you definitely wonder if there is more to them than is being shown here but if you had read this first, they are definitely written as just another obstacle for the protagonist and one that he learns quickly and easily how to mow down in cold blood.

I've enjoyed this series a lot and after reading it, it's hard to know which order is the best to recommend to people (chronological world order or published order).  The books written later are definitely stronger and better written but even the early ones are rich with strong themes and intriguing world building.  No matter what, I definitely will be reading more of Octavia Butler's books and recommending her writing to others.

Page count: 208p/12,420p ytd/323,115p lifetime

52:100 Closing the Zoo by Stefon Mears

"Snake" may be living off the royalties of his one big hit but music is still his passion and he never wants it to end.  So when his band mates come in, late again, for practice and tell him that it's over, Snake is determined to find a way to hook them back in.

A lovely little story of what happens when your passion for the music remains long after the rest of the world has moved past your sound.


Page count: 26p/12,212p ytd/322,907p lifetime

51:100 Rough Justice by Kelley Armstrong

Liv as Matilda has made her choice which is to not choose.  Tonight marks her first night leading the Wild Hunt in a true Hunt where someone will be brought to Justice.  Ioan has given her the name and said she should do her research but she wanted to just trust but once she was there with the man having judgement passed, she found that she was not clear enough in her mind.  The Hunt was called off and Liv started researching the case to try and put her mind at ease but what she found was much less clear cut than she was lead to believe would be the case.

Good to see Liv truly embracing her role as Matilda and seeing how things are going now that the choice has been made.  Really enjoy the fact that Ms. Armstrong gives us these extra stories that don't fit into the main story arc but add so much depth to the world.

Page count: 190p/12,186p ytd/322,881p lifetime

50:100 Rituals by Kelley Armstrong

The conclusion to the Cainsville series.  Things are coming home to roost, not just the legendary fae trio but Liv's mom, Pamela, and Gabriel's mom, Seanna, and the third fae group that has been silent up until now but has been manipulating things with designs upon getting Liv onto their side since she was a baby, the sluagh, dark bogeyman of the fae.  Now Liv must fight, not just for herself and her right to choose her own fate but also for Ricky and Gabriel as well.

This series has been a fabulous ride and the ending was everything I could wish for.  Watching Liv, Gabriel, and Ricky grow and evolve to embrace their fae sides while keeping their humanity and being able to make their own choices was a treat.  I'm very glad that Ms. Armstrong is continuing to write stories in this world as she has done for the Otherworld series so we don't have to say good-bye quite yet.


Page count: 471p/11,996p ytd/322,691p lifetime

49:100 Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Lois Clary is living the Bay Area start-up "dream". She is heavily invested in her job and enjoys it but it leaves her with no time for anything outside of work, even eating.  She has been starting to live on Slurry, a nutritionally dense but flavorless goo, when she sees a flyer for Clement Street Soup and Sourdough with the most unusual menu.  You could pick spicy soup, spicy sandwich, or combo (double spicy).  She called and placed an order for the double spicy and it changed her life.  The food was amazing and the bread was nothing short of heavenly.  Soon she was ordering constantly but when the brothers who ran the place had to move, they presented her with the sourdough starter and a copy of the music that needed to be played for the start to work its magic.

Now Lois instead of doing nothing but programming a robotic arm at work is learning how to bake and everyone is commenting on how amazing her bread is.  It's so good, she tries to get a place at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market but instead of getting in there, she is instead invited to join a different, more secret market.  Now she is mixing her programming skills for the robotic arm, the music, and the sourdough and creating something truly special...or is she?

I enjoyed this book soooo much!  The story was fun and light but with darker undertones and the characters were well written and engaging.  I didn't realize this was the same author who had written Mr. Penumbra's 24-hr Book Store which I also loved but I think I will now be following him to grab anything new he writes as I've loved everything I've read so far.



Page count: 272p/11,525p ytd/322,220p lifetime

48:100 Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

Graphic novel of the story of the author's great-uncle's final days.  A lifetime of memories after he decides to give up living upon the destruction of his beloved instrument.  A future lifetime of memories he will not share with his children.  Last hellos and good-byes.  A poignant tale of love and music and life.


Page count: 84p/11,253p ytd/321,948p lifetime

47:100 Lucky Day by Stefon Mears

Carl is just a hitchhiking college student on his way back home for break.  He was so thankful when she pulled over to offer him a ride.

Next thing he knows, he's hanging by his wrists in chains with no memory of what happened to him or the lady who picked him up.  A car accident?  But where is he and why?

A fun little suspense tale.


Page count: 24p/11,169p ytd/321,864p lifetime

46:100 Saga Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!!!!!!

And did I mention NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Seriously, I can't give any other review to this.  It's fabulous but heartbreaking and I many never be okay again.

And then it's going to be who knows when before we get the next installment.  I just can't.


Page count: 152p/11,145p ytd/321,840p lifetime

45:100 Clay's Ark by Octavia Butler

Patternmaster - Seed to Harvest #3

Earth but set into the future.  A father, who remembers a time before, driving with his two daughters, one of whom has incurable cancer, in a world where few people drive outside of their city neighborhoods and now that they've been abducted, he fully understands why.  But in this case, their abduction is nothing like he could have imagined in his wildest dreams.

Clay's Ark was a ship that went into space on a mission of discovery and that crashed back home with no survivors, or so everyone thought.  There was no way to know that Eli did survive but that he is no longer fully human but instead a hybrid host with a parasite from another world that is intent upon survival and spreading itself far and wide.  It is virulent, tenacious, and single-minded of purpose and initiates almost uncontrollable procreation instincts upon those it infects.  Eli has tried to maintain some parts of his humanity but really, the best he can do is keep himself and those he infects as isolate as possible to not doom the entire planet.  To transmit this to another human only requires fluid transfer and they continue to look human which makes it that much easier to continue to transmit but then the children are born and there is no way anyone could mistake them for human but the urge to keep them safe and make more is such a strong compulsion there is no resisting it.


This was written last in the Patternmaster series and it's inclusion here is strange.  I figured out pretty quickly that the Clay the ship is named from is Clay Dana from Mind of My Mind but he's not actually present.  There aren't any people from Doro's line which we've been following the last two books.  I'm sure it will make sense once I read Patternmaster but right now it seems like it belongs to a totally different universe, an interesting universe mind but just not this one.

Page count: 224p/10,993p ytd/321,688p lifetime

44:100 Betrayals by Kim Harrison

The 4th book in the Cainsville series.  Street kids are being murdered and someone is working hard to pin the blame on Ricky.  Of course Liv is going to start investigating which means that Gabriel will eventually end up on the case even if they are having personal issues between them at the moment.  However, the street kids aren't human but lamia, a Greek fae, who don't really fit in anywhere any more and they desperately need help and Liv can't just turn away from them no matter the risk to her personally. 

If the last book was all about the love triangle between Olivia, Gabriel, and Ricky with the ending being a somewhat forced break in even the friendship of Olivia and Gabriel than this book is much more a mystery with the romance angles taking the backseat.  Gabriel manages to get over himself and his insecurities enough to actually talk to Liv and she, in turn, gets over all of her hangups about his hangups to really open up and talk to him.  Bout freaking time is all I can say there.  Liv and Ricky are really starting to learn more about their powers, how they work, and are coming into their own realizations of the legendary figures that they are the reincarnations of.  In all, I don't know how much this advanced the resolution of their reincarnated issues but it was a good installment in terms of character growth and development along with more playing in the world that has been created than previously which is always fun to read.


Page count: 416p/10,769p ytd/321,464p lifetime

43:100 The City Born Great by N.K. Jemisin

Human habitations start out small, they turn into town, and then maybe into cities.  Once a city is big enough though, it must be born through the efforts a midwife who will sing it into being.  It's a sacred trust as there are forces out there that can't stand the thought of new life being created and will do everything possible to stop it and the midwives are few and do not always know their own power.

An interesting concept and world building short story.


Page count: 26p/10,353p ytd/321,048p lifetime

42:100 Blood Crime by Kim Harrison

The 2nd graphic novel giving us some backstory on Ivy and Rachel before we meet them in "Dead Witch Walking".  When your usual collars are two-bit, petty criminals it definitely seems strange when you start having several close calls with death while on a case but that is just what is happening to Ivy and Rachel.  Somebody is definitely trying to stop them and they need to figure out why before their luck runs out.

Always nice to get the backstory on favorite characters and this is definitely a fun medium for that.

Page count: 150p/10,327p ytd/321,202p lifetime

41:100 The Final Survey of Andrei Kreutzmann by Stefon Mears

Andrei is an explorer and surveyor.  He's just come across a planet that looks rich enough to set him up for the rest of his life, get his shipped spruced up, and he's hoping maybe even repair his relationship. 

And then he's ordered to do a suicide survey in the middle of an enemy fleet.  Some days it just doesn't pay to answer your comms.

A space-military short story.  Ok for what it was but not my taste in genre.


Page count: 20p/10,177p ytd/321,052p lifetime

40:100 On the Side by Seanan McGuire

The racists have won (hopefully temporarily) but for now, any culture other than what those people have deemed as "American" has been banned slowly but surely.  Clothes, cuisine, arts, anything that they don't feel is white-bred American is out.  Trying to stamp out the culture since they hadn't yet been able to actually stamp out the people themselves. Of course, that just means that it is hidden (and those white-bred racists don't get to enjoy it).  Enter in the covert food trucks like the one that Avi and Preeda run.  Buying forbidden ingredients to make forbidden dishes and bribing the police with free food (even if that food is technically illegal).  Maybe some day things will get better but in the meantime, you can still get a good curry if you know where to go.

A bleak outlook at the kind of America some people want and how much of our identity we stand to lose if these ideologies are taken to extremes.



Page count: 20p/10,157p ytd/321,032p lifetime

New Releases I'm Looking Forward To: 3rd Quarter 2019

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.

Well, school is finally over for the kids and I'm now looking to my own schooling beginning as I start college classes this summer.  We will see what that ends up meaning for my reading time.  It shouldn't have a huge impact this summer and I'm almost caught up to where I should be for making most of my goals so here's hoping I can keep it up. 

Only a few books this quarter and mostly in series that I'm not caught up in but it starts with Reticence by Gail Carriger, the fourth book in the Custard Protocol series.  I've only read the first one so far and had a hard time getting into it which is probably why I've got the others sitting on my shelf not read but I've been so thrilled with Ms. Carriger's other series that I'm hoping that this will get better and Percy's story may be the one that really pushes it over if I can get through the other ones first.

Release date: August 6

Next up is another book that is the fourth in a series but of which I've only read the first one, Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews.  This is part of the Hidden Legacy series but the first one that doesn't have Nevada as the main voice of the story.  I read the first one and was intrigued by the world building but have just had so many other books to read (and that stupid life stuff) that this series got kind of pushed to the side but I'm really looking forward to finishing Nevada's arc and learning about Catalina.

Release date: August 27

Last up is the latest book in the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, The Unkindest Tide.  The Sea Witch is calling in Toby's favors as she goes to tell the Selkie that the time for them to pay up for their mistakes is at hand.  Toby has no choice but do as the Luidaeg demands and even though that is not a simple task, this is Toby so of course there is more going on with Dianda being taken prisoner and a Selkie woman stripped of her skin and then murdered.  I really can't wait to read this one!

Release date: September 3

39:100 Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Sally and Gillian Owens were orphaned at a young age and were sent to live with the aunts in a large house with few rules but teachings about plants and ancient lore.  The aunts were rumored to be witches and one night, a woman came to the backdoor and the girls, instead of going to their room as they were instructed, watched and learned that the rumors about their aunts were true.  Then they saw how the woman's deepest desire came true and the misery that came from it and they both determined that they would not get caught up in the mess.  Gillian ran away with a boy and went from boy to boy and from man to man, never able to settle down.  Sally found love, had two beautiful daughters, and then lost her love to the death beetle's curse. She broke down and moved away to live as normal a life as possible, far away from the aunts and everything they stood for.

And then Gillian came back and she was in trouble.  She had been living with a man who was evil in ways she was both attracted to and repelled by and now things had gone too far and he was dead and she was scared so she came to Sally to fix it.  But some things aren't so easily fixed and some times the dead don't rest so easily and that's when you need to call your aunts.

I really enjoyed the movie so when I found the book on Freecycle a few years ago, I grabbed it.  It's not quite what I was expecting as the feel is much darker than the movie and there were a lot of differences but it was enjoyable as it's own thing.


Page count: 244p/10,137p ytd/321,022 lifetime

38:100 Mind of My Mind by Octavia Butler

Patternmaster - Seed to Harvest #2

Doro has been trying to create a master race for thousands of years and with this newest child, Mary, he sees a great deal of potential in her but also a lot of anger and emotions that could cause him to have to destroy her.  The most dangerous part will be her transition when her powers awaken but before she has any control.  Emma (Anyanwu from Wild Seed) could help but Mary will not accept it which means she is alone with the one who has been chosen for her to mate with and while he is powerful, he can't stop her when her transition causes her to take over his mind and forge a link with him that neither of them can understand, control, or break.  And he is not the only one.  Her power reached out and forged links with a handful of other people at the same time, no one near her, no one she knew, but they are now on their way to where she is under a compulsion they can't deny.

Doro isn't sure if he is thrilled by this or if it's a threat to his plans but his curiosity is aroused as it has not been in ages.  Mary has a power he has never seen or even imagined so he allows her to live and to see how these forged links work under his supervision.  But Doro is not part of the pattern and there are things that he cannot know about it.

This book was written second in the series, after Patternmaster, and is second in world chronological order and that is interesting to note since I'm reading in world chronological order which places this after Wild Seed which is Doro and Anyanwu's story (seriously wish Anyanwu had kep that name and played a more prominent part of this story since I really enjoyed her in Wild Seed).  Doro does not come across nearly as evil and understanding of human nature as he did in Wild Seed which makes him a less interesting antagonist this time around.  I'm not sure if he would have seemed stronger if I had not read Wild Seed first where he was so powerfully attuned to everything.  I found the concept of the pattern intriguing and the characters well developed but the writing definitely wasn't as rich as Wild Seed and was sort of jarring in that respect although still good.

Page count: 224p/9,893p ytd/320,778p lifetime

37:100 And Thrice Again by Seanan McGuire

Backstory of Simon Torquill back when he was married to Amandine and father to August.  Before things changed him.  We get to see his romancing of Amandine, his loyalty to Patrick, and a bargain made that will likely prove to be his undoing.

Simon may be one of the most interesting characters in this universe and at this point, if you've read everything so far, it's basically impossible not to pity him to some degree.  Yes, he did much of it to himself but I'm guessing he had only the slightest idea of what he was getting himself into.

Page count: 30p/9,669p ytd/320,554p lifetime

36:100 United States Government: Democracy in Action by Richard C. Remy, Ph.D.

Review from 2016:
High School government text book.  Provides a good well-rounded grasp of our system of government and it's various influences, how bills become laws, how laws can be challenged up to the Supreme Court, how the system of checks and balances are supposed to work.  Includes details on how things work at the local level and how parties work. Unfortunately, it was written before our government got as completely broken as it currently is so offers no insight on our current state of affairs or how normal people can actually affect real change, not that I was expecting it to but that's definitely something I think people should be educated on as well.

Page count: 898p/9,639p ytd/320,524p lifetime

35:100 Blood Work by Kim Harrison

A Hollows graphic novel detailing the meeting of Ivy and Rachel and how things did not go so well when they first met and how their friendship started to develop.

I miss Rachel, Ivy, Jenks, and the Hollows in general so it was nice to return for a little bit with this.


Page count: 169p/8,741p ytd/319,626p lifetime

34:100 Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

Patternmaster - Seed to Harvest #1

Doro has been wandering the Earth for over a thousand years and knows of no others like him so he has taken to setting up breeding towns from those who show a touch of power like his to try and create a master race.  He can be patient since he has mastered the technique of moving his consciousness to a new host body at any time making him effectively immortal.  But then he meets Anyanwu who is like but not like him.  She has also lived far longer than a normal human but she is able to do so because she can completely control her body at a molecular level which means so long as she has the time, she can heal from anything.  She is powerful in ways Doro isn't and can't be and he craves her subjugation and the mingling of their powers to bring more stability to his line.  And while she believes his lies at first and is intrigued to be mated to one who has powers at least similar to hers and as long a life, she soon learns that Doro is not who she first thought him to be and she is stronger than he thought.

Such an incredibly powerful book.  The theme of eugenics was not one I was comfortable with nor enjoyed but the relationship between Anyanwu and Doro, watching the shift and play of their power struggle, and the eventual conclusion was fabulous and so richly done.

I choose this book for my book club read this month because I learned that it will be adapted for TV and Octavia Butler has been on my list of authors to check out for a bit now.  It's interesting to note that this book was the fourth book written in the series although the first in world chronological order (and one of the books has since been disowned by the author).



Page count: 320p/8,572p ytd/319,457p lifetime

33:100 The Ancient Roman World by Ronald Mellor & Marni McGee

My review from a few years ago:
Covering from the legends regarding the founding of Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire.  There were some famous people like Archimedes that didn't get mentioned so won't be heard of at all in this entire series which I find to be a shame (time to pull out some other books and rectify that) but on the whole a good installment for this series and for middle-school history in general.  It is very difficult reading this one while at the same time reading the "a-g approved" high school Glencoe as it makes Glencoe look absolutely horrid for all the glaring omissions.  This series is just so much richer and goes so much deeper than what is given to our high school kids.  Just continues to go to my point that we should stop worrying about quantity and worry more about quality because what they are being taught in high school really isn't worth anything when it's so shallow the bottom of your shoe barely gets wet if you step in that puddle.  

Here's my review from a few years before that:
Part of "The World in Ancient Times" history series for middle school by Oxford.  I learned a lot with this one starting from the beginning as they had more than one version of the founding of Rome.  Weird since all I had ever heard about previously was the story of Romulus and Remus.  There was also a fair amount on the emperors that came after Augustus, how they were chosen, how they ruled, etc.  There was a chapter on the Jews and their history as well as a chapter on how Christianity started and spread.  In all, I felt it was a good well-rounded history book that presented a lot more than just what seems to be typically known and explained the findings that told us these things.


Page count: 192p/8,252p ytd/319,137p lifetime

32:100 Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza has an envious life.  The only child of a rich ranch owner in Mexico, doted on by her parents, lots of pretty dresses, education, servants, etc.  Yes, it is an idyllic life and one Esperanza can't imagine changing until one day it does. Her father is murdered by bandits and according to her uncle, everything but the house is left to him.  Her mother has the house but without the income from the ranch, there is no way to keep it so her uncle, her father's brother, says he will marry her mother but both she and her mother know that he is a cruel man and they would be separated.  So instead, they choose to run and hide all the way to America.  Some of the family servants are going and offer them a place with them and their family that has already been established in CA working as crop pickers.  It will be a hard life, harder than either of them has known, but at least they have the chance to stay together and free.  They had no way of knowing that they were immigrating right during the start of what would later be known as the Great Depression.

A beautifully done tale of heartache and love, despair and hope, telling a tale that too often goes untold of why people immigrate and the hardships they face.  This is something I think there needs to be greater visibility and discussion of and let us remember that first of all, these are humans who are deserving of respect and compassion.

Page count: 304p/8,060p ytd/318,945p lifetime

31:100 Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs

Mercedes had no idea what she had signed herself and thus Adam's pack for when she stood on that bridge and declared that her territory was safe ground.  Being who she is she could not have done anything different and she thought only of basic things like hunting down the occasional misbehaving monster from time to time once it was explained to her.  She had no idea that it would mean constant calls dealing with things like zombie goats, black witch families, or hosting diplomatic envoys for negotiations between the Grey Lords and the humans and dealing with those that do not want those negotiations to take place.  But now that these are happening, Mercy, Adam, and the Pack must find a way to keep all these people safe or die trying if their word is to stand.  This time, it's a much taller order than anyone could have ever expected.

Another spectacular installment in the Mercy Thompson series!  Ms. Briggs does a wonderful job of building the tension while weaving in touching or funny moments and Mercy's snark.  My biggest complaint is how long we have to wait between books (although, with how many favorite authors I have, there is almost always another fabulous book waiting for me to pick it up sitting in my to-read pile and I wouldn't want to give them up either LOL).


Page count: 358p/7,756p ytd/318,641p lifetime

30:100 Love in the Last Days of a Doomed World by Seanan McGuire

Sharon is the smart one, the good child but not the good girl, and her parents treated her as such. Her brother gets the comic books from their dad but he doesn't think to bring them for her.  When she asks her brother about them, she learns about how Superman came to earth after being placed in a rocket from Krypton when their planet was dying.  Not very realistic she thinks. So when a stranger who seems familiar comes up to her at the library and drops a piece of paper on her book and walks away, she looks at it and finds an equation.  Now that is something she can sink her teeth into.  That equation leads her to places she could never have imagined but now that she has started down that path, she can understand Superman's parents better.  The planet is dying and there is no rocketship to save any of them....or could there be?

A patreon short story by Seanan McGuire and one of her more depressing ones as I look around at our world today.



Page count: 20p/7,398p ytd/318,283p lifetime

29:100 Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks

A collection of short stories written by the award-winning actor, Tom Hanks.  I was excited by this as I love him as an actor, enjoyed listening to interviews with him, and was intrigued by what he would do with his stories.

I was disappointed, big time.  There were a couple of the longer stories that were good but the majority were boring and pointless.  Nothing happened.  I read a lot of short stories and even though they are short, you can still build a new world or make interesting characters that the reader wants to know more about or a plot that grips the reader.  That was not the case here.  It was really more like sitting around listening to your grandfather tell boring old tales of people he knew in his youth that you don't know and don't care about and the stories just ramble for no reason and most of them have the same basic premise so you don't even get any type of departure from type.  My dad is 90, trust me I'm really familiar with it and that's not what I want to read.



Page count: 416p/7,378p ytd/828,263p lifetime

28:100 A Great Task of Happiness: The Life of Kathleen Scott by Louisa Young

Kathleen Scott was the widow of Captain Scott who died in Antartica and has been a largely misunderstood footnote for her husband and their son, Peter Scott.  Louisa Young, the author, is the granddaughter of Kathleen Scott and wanted to show the world a different side of her.  Her unwavering devotion to seizing life and all it had to offer and to always choose happiness.  The author does stress these points at every opportunity as well as giving long lists of the famous people in whose company she was often found but it felt more like laundry lists than anything else.  While I admire the things that she did accomplish, especially as a woman during that time, I felt that much of the more interesting accomplishments were given very short mentions.

This is a huge issue with this book.  The depth is lacking in so many areas.  Places where it would have been really interesting to know more about.  Her helping with recreating the faces of wounded soldiers.  Her relationships with so many of the artists that she knew.  But it was just mentioned and then quickly moved past.

I also found that the fact that there would be years in the chapter titles and then stuff from all over the place would get mentioned in that chapter so it was jumping time all over the place regularly very frustrating.

And then there is Kathleen Scott herself.  I understand that the author wanted to help get better information about her out there but honestly, she came across as a misogynist, self-centered, and emotionally needy and controlling to me.  I was mostly frustrated and just didn't find her likable at all.  Apparently in real life she was but this book did not bring that across to me.



Page count: 320p/6,962p ytd/317,847p lifetime

27:100 Becoming by Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama's autobiography was a fabulous read.  I greatly admired her as First Lady (and her husband as President) but getting to hear about her childhood, growing up, school, meeting Barack, and the subsequent rise to becoming First Lady was fascinating.  The writing was fresh, open, honest, and made it feel like we were just sitting having tea and chatting.  Listening to her struggles as she tried to figure out what she wanted to be doing with her life, as a politician's wife which she hadn't really wanted to get into, balancing family and work and politician's wife responsibilities, making mistakes, learning from them, and trying again.  You know, being real, and it only increased my respect and admiration for her reading this.


Page count: 426p/6,642p ytd/317,847p lifetime

26:100 Bounty Hunt by Kelley Armstrong

Reese hasn't wanted to talk about his past with anyone but that doesn't mean that his past has forgotten about him.  The Australian pack wants him back for their own reasons especially since they can use this to try and get their hands on the daughter of a non-pack member as well.  Reese will have to learn to trust his new pack if he wants to survive this.

Story was ok but nothing amazing.  I'm not a fan of this artist's style and had a really hard time telling the different North American pack members apart.  I like that authors are branching out to tell new stories via comics but this one just needed something a bit more to make it memorable.


Page count: 80p/6,216p ytd/317,421p lifetime

25:100 To Be a Slave by Julius Lester

From 2014:

In this small book are tales of slavery told by the slaves themselves.  Tales of heartache and pain and subjugation that I never read in any of my history books.  Slavery is awful and that is something that I've always felt in my bones but reading what they went through, in their own words with just the narrative of Julius Lester to weave the tales together is gutwrenching.  Families broken apart we knew but infants torn from their mother's breast to later be drowned.  The absolute lack of any type of  compassion for another living thing, much less another human being.  How the horses were cared for better than the people.  To hear of the beatings in their own words.  Even after reading this I can't imagine how so many endured it for so long and my heart breaks for what they went through and for those around the world today that are still not free.  While this is written as a children's book, I do find the subject matter to be very heavy and am glad that our curriculum did not include this until high school but I definitely feel that it is a book that everyone should read to better understand the history of our nation from the side that wasn't in charge.

Page count: 160p/6,136p ytd/317,341p lifetime

24:100 Black Panther: Avengers of the New World Part Two by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Really hard to summarize this series as there are plots and subplots and just a lot going on.  I'm reading slowly trying to catch it all.  In order to not give stuff away, I'm going to just use my review from the first volume for all subsequent volumes.  Know that I'm really enjoying them but I think the way they unfold means they are best experienced fresh.

I have so much to say about this but it's hard to nail it all down.  Having read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and completely loved the Black Panther movie, I was super excited when I saw that Mr. Coates would be writing for the comic.  I was not disappointed.  The story was a bit slow in this as it was the first installment but that is because there was so much being set-up.  There is a lot of depth to T'Challa (from my understanding drawing from many different comic versions of the character), the "villains" are ones that are understandable even sympathetic, the questions being asked are not simply answered and force T'Challa to question so much of what he thinks he knows and understands.  Layers upon layers.  On another note, I also really enjoyed the art which I tend to be incredibly picky about (or why I don't read tons of comics).

Page count: 144p/5,976p ytd/317,181p lifetime