18:120 D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths by Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire

A lovely collection of Norse myths, beautifully illustrated in the D'Aulaires' distinctive style. There are some of the myths that I knew but also enough that were new to me to be fun. While written for children, it is not dumbed down for them. I read it with my 7yr old during our Viking studies course and we both enjoyed our special reading time with this book. It is not the first book we have enjoyed this way and our next will be Lucky Lief by them which is a story about Lief Erikson. If you have never read any of their books, go change that immediately!

Page count: 154p/3,564p ytd/184,557p lifetime

17:120 We Both Go Down Together by Seanan McGuire

A prequel to the Incryptid series following Jonathan and Frances Healy.  Fran is 8mos pregnant but the family has received a note from a colony of mermaids that they need help.  Jonathan is on his way but there is no way Fran is letting him go alone.  When they get there, they find out that the babies are being stolen and they need Jonathan and Frances to help them find out what is happening to them but when Frances goes into labor and delivers their daughter, Alice, they find out that the merbabies aren't the only ones in danger.

I really liked this one and yes, if something like that happened to my baby, I'd have responded the same way Frances did.  Mermaids may not be very maternal once they return to the sea but don't mess with the Mama Bears!

Page count: 30p/3,410p ytd/194,403p lifetime

16:120 Loch and Key by Seanan McGuire

A prequel to the Incryptid series following Jonathan and Frances Healy.  Jonathan and Frances are healing after the death of their son, Daniel, and Enid and Alex are taking them on a family fishing trip.  Being the Healys, they aren't going to any typical spot but a backwoods lake where a small group of plesiosours still survive.  However, when they go to pay their respects to the owners of the land, they find that things aren't quite right and the Incryptids are in danger and well, that just won't be tolerated.

I really love these short stories that we get as insights to the dedication of this family to the Incryptids as well as each other and I'm very thankful to Seanan for doing them.

Page count: 27p/3,380p ytd/184,400p lifetime

15:120 The First Fall by Seanan McGuire

A prequel to the Incryptid series following the adventures of Jonathan and Frances Healy.  In the last one, we saw their honeymoon taken a few months after the birth of their son, Daniel.  In this one, we watch as they bury Daniel who was killed at only 3 years old and see if Jonathan and Frances can figure out how to make it through this together.

This was a hard read, especially as I've lost a brother recently and have my own children.  It is not done gruesomely but if you are sensitive to such things, you can skip this one.  I sort of wish I had although I love these stories as I'm just too raw right now.

Page count: 23p/3,353p ytd/184,373p lifetime

14:120 Brazen by Kelley Armstrong

Side story in the Otherworld series taking place after book 13.  Elena and Clay want Malcolm Danvers found and have hired a supernatural detective agency to help them.  Nick has been put in charge as their contact and they have been told to simply find Malcolm, let Nick confirm his identity, and then Elena and Clay will take it from there.   Of course, that was the plan but nothing ever goes according to plan.  Instead, one of the operatives tries to get too close to Malcolm and is discovered and then the game is on.  Her handler, Vanessa, is smart enough not to jump in on her own but when Nick goes to try and confirm what is going on she is definitely going along with him.  Malcolm has his own opinions of all of this and has no intentions of going quietly.

I am so glad we continue to get these side stories even tho the main story is done as I just love these characters.  Even this one which is told mostly from Nick's POV and occasionally that of Vanessa, it's still the Pack and the characters that we grew to love.  And hey, it's nice to see that Nick has actually grown up.

Page count: 213p/3,330p ytd/184,350p lifetime

13:120 Dreams of the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

The follow-up to After the Golden Age focuses on Celia and Dr. Mentis's children and the children of the other supers who are now past their prime.  Celia West, daughter of Captain Olympus and Spark, has no superpowers of her own besides getting kidnapped but now that she's the mother of two teens and CEO of West Enterprises, she has done a remarkable job of finding the children of the city's supers and placing them all in school together so they would have each other to turn to should they have powers of their own.  After watching her own children like a hawk and figuring out that so far neither of them had powers, she was relieved and waiting to see what happened with the others.  What she never dreamed was that her oldest was actually a living compass and had already found a team of other super teens and they were practicing covertly to become the city's new superhero crime-fighting force.  What will happen when something bigger than just common thugs comes in and tries to start messing with Celia though?

This one is truly a coming of age story even if the teens in question have super powers.  It also strikes a nice balance as we see the parents side of it as well as they try to find a balance between letting their kids discover themselves and protecting them against what they know is out there.  A quick read that hearkens back to the old super hero tropes with plenty of cliches but nicely throwing in a twist here or there to keep it from being stereotypical.  In all, a fun read.

Page count: 318p/3,099p/184,137p

12:120 The Miracle Worker by William Gibson

The play based on the meeting of Annie Sullivan and the wild child, Helen Keller.  I read books about Helen Keller when I was younger and knew the basic story but reading the play was a treat and I plan on watching the movie once the teenager reads it for his book club as well so we can enjoy it together.  Simply but powerfully done from the stubbornness of Annie who is determined that this girl should learn and use the mind she clearly has to the desperation of Helen's parents who love her and don't want to cause what they perceive as further pain and torment on a child that is so helpless in their eyes.

Page count: 130p/2,781p ytd/183,819p lifetime