Gord’s Comments (group member since Apr 06, 2017)

Gord’s comments from the Vampires, Weres and Fae! group.

Now that Gord knows how to do it he also likes it.

Gord just check and book three is available, book four is on order, and book five is also on order. There is already a waiting list for both of those books

Gord is also worried that the wait for book four will be a long one.

Gord is trying to find his lost motivation with little luck. Gord wants to go home so he can read DCC, nap, and have snacks.

Gord is happy to see this silly day back again.

I'm reading book two, I'm in the big top, I need to sleep, I also need to know what in the hell Carl is doing.

Gord knows as well

Time for that first weekly update for a new month. It has been an odd week of reading for me. No audiobooks, more novels, etc.

The Pumpkin Spice Café ⭐⭐⭐
I've been seeing this book everywhere for a while now so when my library brought in a copy I decided to give it a try. After finishing the book I can understand the hype around it but it is simply not a romance novel for me. This book just tapped into to many of the tropes that I just don't enjoy from a romance story. Instalove, miscommunication, third act misunderstanding, etc. It's a cozy romance novel stuffed full of Fall vibes and if you enjoyed it, cool. As for me, I won't be continuing on with this one.

Red Sonja: Consumed ⭐⭐⭐
This was another book I spotted in the "on order" queue at the library and I knew I had to try it. I have a bit of a weird history with Red Sonja. I'm aware of the connections to Robert E. Howard, I've read most of the novels from the early 80's, but I've never really dived into the more modern stuff. A lot of it comes down to the usual issue I have with comics, where do I even start? Also, this is going to maybe sound weird, but I really don't like that stupid chain mail bikini thing that all the comics seem to love. I know why it's done, sexy woman on the cover and in the comic, but it just feels so out of place with the character I've experienced. I really wasn't sure what to expect heading into this novel. Did I need to have previous experience with the comics? How did my archaic knowledge of the character factor in? Stuff like that.

After finishing this book I can say that it was just alright. It was interesting to see something more sword and board related in a modern book. I loved several of the tropes that were used in the novel. I loved that it wasn't just another origin story but it also took the time to explain who the character was for new readers. This brings me to the main problem I had with the novel, Rod Sonja herself. Not so much with the character but how she was written. This book loved to hype her up. That she was this fierce warrior woman of legend. The mere mention of her name was enough to make kings shake in their boots. I loved all of that and that was what I wanted. The character that was shown to us though did not match the hype that we were being told. She is this warrior woman of legend who is then ambushed by small children. She is this fearsome devil who spends most of the book moping about and lamenting a lost love. It just created this incredibly frustrating feeling as I wanted to see these legendary exploits and we would just get more moping. We finally got to see it towards the end of the book but by then it was to late, in my opinion. Now, don't get me wrong, when the next book comes out I will be there to give it a read. I'm hoping that in the next book maybe things will hit their stride a little quicker and we get more of that epic adventure I like from a sword and board.

Now for the manga (you didn't really think I was done did you?)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
It felt good getting back to this series and just manga in general. This omnibus felt like it was much more focused on Koichi and his growth. Figuring out his stand, how to use it, etc. It also introduced a side character that was absolutely terrifying in my opinion and that character was Yukako Yamagishi. This young woman just hit all my nope buttons at the same time. Her stand is hair based like a Japanese ghost and she is like a mixture between a Yandere and Misery Chastain. She was terrifying and she made the second half of this story such a fun read. I really can't wait for the next one.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm really curious where this series is going to go. A big theme in the first book was her finding and capturing the cards. In this one it really feels like we are speed running the new cards and it's making me wonder what comes next. What are we going to do with these new cards? Where is the story going? I also had a moment where I had to pause and just soak in the art. The splash pages at the start of a chapter were simply amazing and I love the art style of Clamp.

Manhole Volume 1 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I saw this one at the library and figured I'd try a new manga horror series. While technically this series is a horror novel I much prefer the author's description which is biohazard thriller. It just feels like it fits this book so much better. As you can guess from my description this book is about an infection getting out into the general public and police trying to find the source of it because the release was very intentional. This book covers the very early stages of the outbreak and I'm sure it's going to only get more bleak. The manga had much more realistic art style and it just works so well with this story. I am really interested in this series and can't wait for the next volume.

The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 12 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My final manga of the week and it's one I don't have a lot to really say about this one. It's more of what I would expect from this series and it was just a quick fun read. I really need to get around to reading the novels at some point.

Now, what is next
Before Your Memory Fades This is my next audiobook and if I'm being honest here, I'm not sure if I'm really in the mood for it. This is a really emotional series and I just don't know if I have it in me this week.
Carl's Doomsday Scenario I am so excited for this one
The Moon on a Rainy Night Vol. 6 This is also coming due this week

I've totally not been bitten by the DCC bug, nope, not at all...

Congrats and good luck

I only had one five star book in February and that was

Dungeon Crawler Carl

I didn't have anything super bad either but if I was to pick a worst read then I'd have to say

The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child Vol. 1

As for what I am most excited for next, well, there is only one answer

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Books, lots of books. My plan is to catch up on my library pile and then promptly order another one.

I'm going to get started on this early so I can get to my new reads.

Death in D Minor -3 Stars
I recently joined a team challenge and this week was the first week. Of course nothing I had from the library worked for the first week and that is what lead to this book. I kind of remember the first one in this series and I feel that this more or less kept the same kind of beats. Small town Ireland, ghosts, fine arts, etc. The one thing that was a little odd with this one, and I think a first in my reading experience, was that the fine arts was embroidery. Specifically the collection of historical pieces of it. A lot of this mystery revolved around forgeries before the inevitable bodies start to pile up. It was another cozy mystery, it wasn't horrible but it also didn't rock my world either. This series will now go back on the shelf until the next time I need it for a challenge.

Hide and Seeker -3 Stars
A middle grade horror novel based around the game of hide and seek. This novel started out pretty strong and immediately got into establishing a strong group of friends and, of course, the spooks. I was actually surprised how quickly this escalated straight into the horror aspects of this novel. This book remained pretty good until the ending and the ending itself wasn't horrible but it left me with a lot of questions. I feel like a lot of the horror aspects just weren't really explained and it was just there to be spooky which isn't horrible but my lore loving ways wants to know more. How did this start? Why did it start? What are the rules? What about all the hints to other things? This was also a book that could have used an epilogue as there were a couple plot points that I felt never got a proper conclusion, in my opinion. Also, I'm not a fan of the "sequel baiting" kind of ending either. Where the piece of entertainment ends in such a way as to hint that it all might not actually be over. Again, there is a time and a place for it, but not in a stand alone novel on top of the unresolved plot points I mentioned before. Honestly, the more I've thought about this book since I finished it the more I've kind of soured towards the ending.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes -4 Stars
I've really come to love this weird little subgenre of books that I stumbled into. The stories are, being honest here, rather repetitive in their structure, but I love what it is doing. In this series we have a restaurant that offers a detective service for those looking to track down a particular dish. Someone comes in, they enjoy a wonderful meal, we get an explanation of what dish they are looking for and why, cut forward two weeks, customer returns for the dish they asked for, the food is served with an emotional explanation of the dish. That is the essential setup for each and every story but these stories do such a wonderful job capturing the memories and joys of food. Not the joys of food as in how a fancy five star dish can excite the senses or what not but how nostalgia and the smaller aspects of food can excite a person. This could be a local twist on the dish, how it was served, how it was prepared, the setting it was served in, etc. A lot of these stories revolve around family and nostalgia and the simplicity in how these stories are told is such a treat. You know our MC's will find the dish, you know the dish will be exactly what the client was looking forward to, but it's the explanations, the personal connections, the simple joy tied to that dish that just makes this special. This type of book is not for everyone but man I am loving my experience with them. Them being spaced out due to publishing dates and library holds also helps. This is not something like DCC where you want to marathon the books because of how exciting they are. This is the type of book that is enjoyed once in a while in smaller portions.

The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting -4 Stars
Full disclosure, I picked this book up because of title alone. Yes, I am that shallow at times but you got to admit there are times where the title is enough to just sell you on the book. Sometimes you get something good, sometimes you question your taste in titles. This one was definitely one of the good ones. It's a YA book about a secret world of talented individuals living amongst us. These talents are strength, speed, accuracy, explosion, and the super rare, and feared, defense. These are obviously not the names that the book used but that is basically what they are. Our MC is one of those with the defense talent and has been living a secret life since her parents were assassinated. Hiding her powers while training for revenge kind of idea. All of this gets flipped on its head when a babysitting gig our MC is dragged into goes sideways and she finds herself stuck with an infant and on the run. This of course had similarities to her own experiences and led to massive discoveries within this secret community. This entire book gave me strong Jennifer Estep vibes which is not a bad thing for me. I find her books to be the perfect popcorn style of books. I'm actually kind of surprised that this book was a standalone as there is enough there that you could probably make a series, or take the events and make them into a trilogy, or something. At the same time I also appreciate that it was a standalone.

Alright, that's it, no manga or anything else but it has been a busy week. I don't remember the last time I crushed out four novels in a week. As for next week, it's even crazier. I have a giant stack of things that I can't renew at the library that I need to complete. I don't think I will have time for an audiobook this week which feels kind of weird. I haven't had a week without an audiobook for years now. I'll see how the week goes and what comes in from the library. Maybe I'll grab something short to listen to while I work.

The Pumpkin Spice Café
Red Sonja: Consumed
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 2
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 10: Includes vols. 28, 29 & 30
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 4—Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 2
Manhole Volume 1

Just ranting a bit here about the weather.

I'm so fucking tired of the cold at this point. This is something like week three of this stupid cold snap and I am just done with everything right now. The only place I am truly warm is when I am at home and that is because I have my thermostat set to tropical. I go outside, it's cold. I get to work, it's cold. Work has the bay door open for 3 hours straight, I'm really fucking cold. I go outside to head home, once again, I am cold. I feel like my bones are developing a layer of permafrost on them at this point. I now today is the last day of this cold snap and then we start warming up but I am still just done with everything right now. I want to curl in my blanket fort/cave and just not be a human for a while.

You guys are getting the snow and we are getting the cold. We are dropping to -40 with the windchill tonight. That being said we are getting up to 8c/46f by the weekend.

I don't have a massive amount to talk about this week as it has been a thing the last week.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 4: Dabit Deus His Quoque Finem -3 Stars
In this volume we finally get the start of the Eastern front and the entrance of the not-Soviet Union into the war. We got the initial shots of the war, Tanya's invasion of not-Moscow, and the fall out from that. This book was fine but I think I am done with this series, at least for now. I love the concept of the book, I love the setting, I love the characters, but the writing in this book just turns everything into a giant slog. I can even appreciate what the book is trying to do with the writing style itself. How the book is trying to be more of a journal of the conflict then an actual novel. The problem is that it really makes for a dry read and I'm not sure if the perspective matches the goal. This is supposed to be a journal of Tanya but we spend so much time looking at the perspective of everyone else. For instance, the invasion of not-Moscow, this is supposed to be this big event in this world, a game changer for the world and a slap in the face to the not-Soviet Union. We do spend some time seeing what happened from Tanya's point of view but also spend a ton of time seeing the point of view of the command headquarters, not-England, not-Soviet Union, etc, etc, etc, etc. It just makes for this really weird pacing. Tanya gets the green light to proceed with the mission and instead of immediately cutting to that we then spend several chapters getting the point of view from all this other places before the big action. We then spend a chapter or two covering the invasion and then several chapters seeing the fall out from point of views of all these other places. Outside of that this book was just jumping all over the place. We had the start of the war, the invasion of not-Moscow, another mission, then suddenly Tanya is getting court-martialed, then we are suddenly on the Western front attacking not-England, back in the rear, it just kept jumping all over the place all while maintaining the plodding pace the entire time. Like I said, I'm done for now, maybe I'll come back later but from what I've read the writing never really changes.

Forbidden City -4 Stars
The next book in the City Spies series and it's another solid book. We have a defecting North Korean nuclear scientist, chess games in Russia and China, boy bands, and of course Umbra. I'd say my only real criticism of the book was yet another conflict between Brooklyn and Sydney. It's a super minor thing and is more of sub-subplot but it just felt like covering ground the series already covered in the previous novel and just why did it have to be these two again. It's super minor and didn't take a whole lot of book space but it just felt weird. I'm looking forward to the next one as usual and can't wait for it.

Now for the manga.

Case Closed, Vol. 2 -3 Stars
After a stupidly long wait, not getting into why, I am finally back to this series and it was what I expected. Some classic mystery tropes, some classic gadgets, and some weirdly intense action scenes. I did not expect to see Ran drop kick a man in the head through the glass window of a car. That was fun. Much like old One Piece this has the Western versions of the names, Ran becomes Rachel for instance, and I wish they hadn't done that but I understand that it was a different time. Just a fun read and now that the library issues are sorted out I can continue on with this massive read through.

SAKAMOTO DAYS 15 -4 Stars
The latest issue in this series and more great assassin action adventures. It really feels like the series is finally building to a big climax which then makes me wonder what comes next. This entire series has been essentially this one long story line and what happens when it is done? Is that it for the series? Will there be a new threat revealed? Will the author be forced to keep writing it because of popularity? It's still far from done but it feels like it is being positioned for the end game. Regardless, it's still fun and it's back to waiting for the next volume to come out.

Heroine? Saint? No, I'm an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! (Manga) Vol. 1 -4 Stars
This, this right here is a great example of why I love manga. Some manga I read for the amazing story, some for the amazing characters, some for the amazing art, and some for a combination of those things. Then there are manga like this and I can only describe this manga as dumb. Pure dumb fun. Let me see if I can describe this manga in such a way as to to do it justice. Yes, it is another Isekai manga. Our MC is a reincarnation of a child prodigy from our world but not just any child prodigy. No, this child prodigy was also a massive maid otaku and wants to be a maid. She actual dies on a plane trip to England to start her maid training. She then wakes up in another world that is medieval in setting, because why not, and of course maids are in high demand. After several years her new mother dies, because of course, and on her death bed reveals that she is the secret love child of nobility and she has a choice. She can either track down her father and live a comfortable life or become the best maid ever. Guess what option or MC chose. This is an Isekai though and she can't be just any maid she has to be the greatest maid ever and she of course, conveniently, has super magic abilities. Not just any magic though, no, she has more magic power then anyone in this world and could crush entire kingdoms if she wanted. The things is she has no idea about any of this and just uses her new magic abilities to be a super maid. But wait, there is another twist, and you wont see this one coming, this world is also inspired by an Otome game. Why? Because their were otome game fans on her plane that crashed and that influenced this world. So she is also a path in an otome game story line now. This manga feels like the author just took a bunch of their favorite elements, tossed them in a blender, and hit blend. I love this thing, I love it so much. It's just so much dumb fun. I really, really, want to find the light novel this based on as I feel that it will be right up there with things like Kuma Bear and Bofuri for me.

Now, what is next. Honestly, the next few weeks are going to be chaotic as I try to keep on top of all my library books and participate in a team reading challenge I signed up for.

Hide and Seeker My current read
Death in D Minor My team challenge book
The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting Due date is coming soon
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes Another due date coming soon

Time for that weekly update and this has been an odd week of weirdness and exciting books.

Dungeon Crawler Carl -5 Stars
It has been a long time since I've been this hype for a book and I'm so glad that it lived up to the hype for me. This book has been on my radar for a while now but it was inaccessible for me because it was indie published. Recently this series got picked up by a traditional publisher and got a wide rerelease which means libraries could get it as well. It was about this time that the book started popping up on my radar in a really big way. The more I was seeing about this book the more hype I got. I set aside a full week to read this book as it was 450 pages and I devoured it in two days. Some sleep may have been sacrificed along the way. This is one of those books that just felt like it was written for me. I clicked with this book very early on and I was fully onboard for the ride. The humor was weird and absurd (llama meth), there was some great world building, and there was some great foreshadowing. At it's core it is a silly dumb action novel using video game logic but there is just so much more to this and I really can't wait for the next book. Also, I'm really hoping that this is the Legends&Lattes moment for the LitRPG genre and we start seeing more of these books get picked up by traditional publishers.

Skydark -3 Stars
Now we start getting into the weird. This is a series that I have been slowly picking away at for a few years now. I treat them like junk food and pick one up when I need a break from my normal reading. I really don't have a lot to say about this book in general as it is yet another book in this super long series. There are guns, explosions, mutants, adult language, and people just generally being the worst of humanity. Now what was weird about this book is that it felt really familiar. Like I read this book before levels of familiar. I'm not sure if this might have been one of those books I read as a teen or if they recycled the plot which is a possibility. The story isn't 100% what I remember and I'm not sure if that is just my faulty memory or those are just the elements they changed from another book.

Now for the manga

The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child Vol. 1 -3 Stars
Brace yourself, I read one volume of this manga and I'm dropping this one. I know, I know, this is a weird thing to see happen when it comes to me but I'll explain why. This manga can be broken into three parts for me, the good, the mid, and the ick.

The good, the artwork in this manga is amazing. The armor design, the monster design, the character design, all of it was just amazing.

The mid, the story itself. This was more like a collection of little vignettes about the relationship between the master and her apprentice. After reading this though I just don't feel like I know anything about anyone or the world. We get some basic stuff but there is just so much that is just left unexplained.

The ick, oneexshota. Nope, not explaining that one for the normal folks. Listen, this book isn't explicit in anyway or do anything really bad but man does it give some really ick vibes to it. It's the power dynamic in their relationship. The master and apprentice thing, the blushed looks she gives him, etc. It's not even every chapter either. Some chapters are just wholesome training moments or what not. Then we have some chapters that just give me the icks. This alone is the biggest reason why I'm dropping this series. Not yucking anyone's yum but this is not for me.

The World After the Fall, Vol. 1 -3 Stars
Brace yourself, this is another new series that I am dropping after only one volume. After Solo Leveling and Tomb Raider King in the last year I've had a certain itch for exploring some more Korean Manhwa and stumbled across this one at the library. It kind of started with a story element I've come to expect from a Manhwa series. Mysterious towers suddenly appear all around the world and certain people are selected, with video game interfaces, to be tower walkers. People who go into these towers to fight the monsters and save humanity. At this point I was all on board. Then it felt like the story hit the fast forward button and I was just left confused and lost. We are suddenly on floor 90 something of the 100 floors in the tower. Most of humanity is gone, most of the tower walkers are gone. A few pages later it's just the MC left, then ten years blow by, then a few more, then we are at the top of tower. What is even going on? Then we get to all the talking at the top of the tower with the big boss and I'm even more lost. A lot of this conversation started to feel like it was taking on some super edge lord elements as well. If I don't belief hard enough I can break the system and awaken my own powers free from the system. What? Just, what? I don't think this is a bad idea or a bad story but the delivery was horrible. My library doesn't have any more in this series which helped me decide to drop this one but there is a chance I could return. Maybe a reread will help me understand things better?

Tomb Raider King, Vol. 9 -4 Stars
More in this series and more relics. Not a lot to really say except that there was a certain scene in this one that really stretched the suspension of disbelief. Enough for me to put the book down and go "what?". Not enough to drop the series or anything but enough to give me pause.

Don't Call it Mystery (Omnibus) Vol. 11-12 -4 Stars
This single volume really was a great slice of what this series is. We have elements that advanced the overarching mystery, we had small little self contained stories, and then we have the next big mystery arc. Of course this volume ends right in the middle of said big mystery arc leaving me hanging until the next volume comes out in June and then I am fully caught up for now. I am so invested in this series now and I just want to keep reading more. There are so many story elements that I am hooked into and want answers for. June is a long way off alright, and then I have to wait for my library to buy a copy.

As for what is next.
Forbidden City My next audiobook and the next book in the City Spies series
The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 4: Dabit Deus His Quoque Finem Finally time to tackle this beast.

I'm not sure how long Tanya will take me to get through so that is all I'm committing to for now. If I finish early then I have a few manga from the library I need to read.

That sounds like so much fun

Tracy wrote: "My need to be informed is currently at war with my want to stay sane."

I can relate to this so much right now

Not that it will be much of an escape considering some of the rhetoric about the 51st State lately