36:100 Half a Pound of Magic by Stefon Mears

Xorek is a legendary warrior, demon-binding warlock, and wielder of Shadowcarver.  It has taken some time but he now knows how to free his Lady from her curse but it requires a material not easily obtained and the one who has it won't give it up to the likes of Xorek, especially after having sent a pack of murderers to kill him as he prays. 

Unfortunately for him, Xorek tends to take things like that a little personally.

A fun fantasy romp that was over much too soon.


Page count: 37p/6,903p ytd/298,924p lifetime

35:100 Wandslinger by Stefon Mears

Mitom has been wandering the land with his stick of holly on his saddle, unsure of what he will do next, when he comes across a raiding party who promises to pay him well if he will wizard on their side.  The price is right so Mitom agrees. 

He just didn't know exactly what he was agreeing to.

It's like the Old West meets Wizards on the Emerald Isle.  Fun!


Page count: 23p/6,866p ytd/298,887p lifetime

34:100 A Goblin Peace by Stefon Mears

Goblin clans have always been at war with other Goblin clans.  This is just how it is. Grik imagines a different future, a better future, where Goblins work together against the humans, the elves, everyone,  to have a better life.  In order to try and make that future happen, he has to start somewhere so he sets up a meeting with one clan to reach out and try to start the process. 

Goblins do not trust other goblins and they do not understand the concept of peace.  Grik must find a way to change that.

A fun short story about a race that is frequently overlooked when maybe they shouldn't be.


Page count: 19p/6,843p ytd/298,864p lifetime

33:100 How Many Angels by Stefon Mears

It's 1962 in San Francisco and Theodore Smith, call him Dore, is a big man, he is simple, and has simple pleasures. Like chocolate covered licorice from Mr. Lee's.  Now this man is offering him the money to buy his licorice chocolate and if he comes back in 2hrs, he'll get $20 as well. But he has to go now, in broad daylight without his raincoat.  Dore can't figure out why but maybe someone else can.

A fun little historical mystery.


Page count: 20p/6,824p ytd/298,845p lifetime

32:100 The Angle Between Worlds by Stefon Mears

There are other worlds. This is a fact that Daniel has known for years. He used to think there was something wrong with him when he could see things or people that no one else could see until the first time he interacted with what he saw and brought an object back to this world with him. He is just thankful that these moments of seeing other worlds are typically brief.

At least they were until today. Daniel is doing a stunt where he is 4 stories up when he looks down and realizes that the safety airbag is gone and in it's place is hard, sharp rocks and a couple of hungry creatures.  Now he needs to try and find his way home.

A fun read.


Page count: 26p/6,804p ytd/298,825p lifetime

31:100 The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

Radium was the latest craze after Marie Curie discovered it and business was keen to get in on finding as many applications for it as possible but for the most part, it was too expensive for the everyday person but painting dials for fancy watches or aircraft?  That was just the ticket for a couple of the big radium corporations.  And for young girls, some as young as 14, trying to help their families make ends meet it was such a simple job.  Lick, dip, paint the number on the dial.  Lick, dip, paint some more.  If you were one of the lucky girls, you worked at the factory where you were allowed to play with it and see just what kind of a glow you could get when painting it on your teeth, nails, clothes, etc.

Except every time they licked their brushes to get them to the proper point, they were ingesting a little more radium paint..every.single.time..usually for years.

And then they started getting weird health problems. Abscessed teeth but the jaw wouldn't heal when the tooth was removed. Teeth just getting loose and falling out. Limbs shrinking. Tumors.

But the companies refused to admit any wrongdoing, even after reports were coming out that it was the radium.  Most lawyers refused to take their cases.  The laws at that time did not adequately cover radium exposure.  It was a fight of the people vs. big corporations and it was a fight that many did not think they could win.

Some didn't.  Some died before they knew what was happening to them. Some died before they could get a lawyer to accept their case. Some died while trials were going on. But there were many who fought and kept fighting.  Some won their cases and some lost. Some won settlements that were truly helpful and others won only a pittance.  Some were shunned by their communities but they kept fighting. 

And laws were changed.

Not as many as needed. Some of these factories were still operating with similar procedures into the 1970s but things did change although it took many years and many of these shining women did not live to see it.  May we learn from what they went through as big corporations continue to thrive on the backs of their workers whom too many see as disposable commodities, easily replaced.

Many books have chronicled the court cases and looked at the story from a more technical perspective but this one tried to give the girls a voice about who they were, what their hopes and dreams were before this happened to them, and also after when they realized what was happening. It's a little too chipper at times and the voices of the girls tend to blend into one homogenized voice rather than hearing them as individuals but it's well researched and a very accessible read.

Page count: 496p/6,778p ytd/298,799p lifetime

30:100 The Great Orc Cook-off by Stefon Mears

The Chief of the Broken Tooth Clan of orcs has come to the realization that their Clan is too small in numbers to keep fighting with the other two local clans.  One of the other clans is also too small to keep up these fights especially as the third local clan has not been participating seems to be waiting for these two to become ripe for the picking.  So now Pawk, the Broken Tooth Clan Chief has bargained with Harek, Chief of the Splintered Spear Clan, to join their forces under one Chief but which one will it be?  A contest must be held to determine who will lead.

That contest... a cooking contest!

Each tribe will prepare one dish, the best their best cook can offer, and serve it to a panel of judges made up of the chiefs of each tribe and selected members.

Pawk has an ace up his sleeve, one of his best fighters is also an amazing chef.  Now Gorek has just a few days to go out in search of the perfect ingredients to make a dish to elevate his tribe, and just maybe himself as well.

A fun, perfect short story.


Page count: 26p/6,282p ytd/298,303p lifetime