What are you reading in 2023?

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

A week ago I was like 8 books behind schedule 😬Now I'm only 3! So I'm getting there! Lol

[Brittany]

Nice! You can do it!

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Liliana wrote: "It's been a while since I've done an update, so here's a quick run down on what I've read these last couple of weeks or so:

I loved this book! I actually didn..."

I'll be interested to see your thoughts on Sword Catcher, I had an ARC of it and I didn't finish it in time. It's on pause for now.

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

I've just DNF'd such a shame. I was really looking forward to that one as it was claimed to be similar to Ali Hazelwood's writing... definitely not.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Liliana wrote: "It's been a while since I've done an update, so here's a quick run down on what I've read these last couple of weeks or so:

I loved this book!..."

I'm curious too. I obviously love her Shadowhunters series, but I don't really read a lot of high fantasy, so I'm interested to see if I'll enjoy it. I'll let you guys know!

[Brittany]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "I've just DNF'd such a shame. I was really looking forward to that one as it was claimed to be similar to Ali Hazelwood's writing... definitely not."

Too bad Kay! What didnt work for you?

[Kayleigh {K-Books}, YA Fantasy Fan]

Brittany wrote: "Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "I've just DNF'd such a shame. I was really looking forward to that one as it was claimed to be similar to Ali Hazelwood's ..."

Honestly? Everything. The characters were ridiculously unlikeable and the writing was super cringey. I just didn't like anything about it.

[Brittany]

Good to know! Not one I've read so was just curiouse

[Jo]

Finished and I was a little disappointed. For a murder mystery, it took FOREVER to get around to the actual murder part of the book, it's billed as like a Bake-off cosy mystery and we get the baking sure, but the mystery seems kind of like an afterthought till right at the end when the author's like "Oh yeah, gotta resolve this". Also the characters didn't really interact much with each other till the second half of the book, and despite having a full cast audio, some of the characters sounded super similar to each other especially Hannah and Stella. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either.

Next up I'm listening to which I've been meaning to read all year!

[Gord]

This, this was a week of reading for me and I'm going to have more going forward. Lets just get into what I read this week.

Eaters of the Dead -3 Stars
The big thing I wanted to work on this week was my genre challenge for the month and this months genre was Historical Fiction which lead me to this book. I had to pick a book from a Listopia list and this was the first one that wasn't an 800 page super serious drama piece. This lead me to discover a whole bunch of things about this book that had some nostalgic ties for me. This book was the basis for the movie called The 13th Warrior starring Antonio Banderas that I rather enjoyed from way back in the day. I also discovered that the book was written on a bet to see if the author could make Beowulf interesting. Which leads me back to the book.

This book was meh at best. It's a style that I don't really see any more and I think that is for good reason. This book tries to blend historical fact and just plain fiction. To do this the book opens on a history lesson on who the MC is in actual history. Then throughout the book there are a ton of little notes as to historical context of this and that. These would have been at the bottom of the page in the original novel but for my ebook they were at the end of the chapter. This kind of layout disrupts the flow of reading in my opinion. You read a bit, pause, track down the note, read the context, find your spot again, continue reading until the next note. It takes the reader out the flow of the story and I don't really like it. I remember seeing this kind of thing a lot when I was growing up. The story itself is kind of meh and I found a lot of repetition in the story itself. I was constantly reminded of the sexual practices of the Vikings for some reason and it got a bit tiring. I really, really don't need to be reminded constantly about them openly taking a slave when ever they liked. Between the repetition, the constant history lessons, there is not a whole lot of book left for actual story and it shows. It's not a horrible book but it's not a great book either.

In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 8 -3 Stars
My first of many fluffy popcorn books this month. This book is far from anything even remotely considered great literature and I'm fine with that. Sometimes you just need a fun read to turn your brain off and sink into.

The Curse of the Pharaohs -4 Stars
Reference above note about historical fiction. I had some reservations heading into this second book. I saw some reviews stating that it just wasn't as good as the first and other issues and I can happily say that is not an issue in my opinion. This takes place some five or six years after the first one. Amelia and Radcliffe are married, they have a child now, and have withdrawn from doing digs to raise their young son. A new dig comes up and they are once again lured back to Egypt leaving their son in England for the winter. While in Egypt they deal with opening a tomb and solving a murder mystery. This was good mystery that kept me guessing up to nearly the end and did a great job with its red herrings. What really sold me on this book though was the MC and her relationship with her husband, Radcliffe. These two are going down onto my favorite couples list. Both are incredibly smart, headstrong, and competitive individuals that just work well together. While they are always trying to one up the other they also have each others backs when it counts. It's just so different then the usual Victorian era man dominate, woman submissive kind of relationship you might normally see. These two are a riot together and it just makes reading about them so much fun. Also, sex. These two are frisky as hell but the book handles it very well. There are no explicit sex scenes in the entire book but there are numerous, and I do mean numerous, hints and implications that these two have a very active sex life.

Now for the comics and manga

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2—Battle Tendency, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
Again, see above note about Historical Fiction. This book is just pure fun. These super buff handsome men battling with each other using essentially super model poses is just weird and yet somehow engaging. There are very real stakes to these battles and I am here for all of it.

How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? Vol. 5 -3 Stars
How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? Vol. 6 -3 Stars
I think these two books are a great example of why I'm just not the biggest fan of pure gag manga. I was ready to drop this series but there was a hook at the end of volume four that made me want to read on. It was the silly idea of a punching strength contest and knowing Hibiki's hidden talent I had to see how it played out. This contest only took a few pages and then we are moving on. Another interesting idea and we are already moving on. It just feels like this series is ricocheting from one idea to the next without ever actually exploring anything. I'm not expecting the deepest exploration in a gag manga but I'd like to see more than a page or two on some of these ideas. I'm done with this series and ready to move on.

Call of the Night, Vol. 1 -3 Stars
Call of the Night, Vol. 2 -3 Stars
I was curious about this series as I've heard rumbles here and there about it. I don't know if it was the mood I was in or what but man I just wasn't feeling this. The basic premise of this series is we have a 14 year old boy who suffers from insomnia. He goes out at night and discovers the joy of the world late at night. The silence, the openness, it's just a different world. Along the way he meets a female vampire and a friendship starts. Alright, I can appreciate the idea of it being a different world late at night. For myself I'm an extremely early morning person (I'm awake any time between 2 and 4 AM) and I can agree with that idea. The world is slower, quieter, and just has a peaceful feel to it. What doesn't work for me though is all the emotional stuff and the relationship between the two of them. The MMC want's to become a vampire to get away from all his problems. By being a vampire he can embrace this night life and leave all his problems behind. It's not just a simple bite though. He has to be in love with the vampire before that bite can change him. Until then it's just something physical. For me, this felt like a veiled message for sex especially with several of the conversations that took place in the second volume. This makes the age dynamics of this a little weird. It never states how old the FMC is but she is older than the MMC. While in some ways she is still rather immature in many ways she feels not only much more mature but straight up manipulative of this young boy. I know that there are all sorts of "odd" relationships in anime/manga. Some of it works and some of it doesn't. For me this is one that just doesn't. Maybe I wouldn't be as weirded out if the MMC was even 2-3 years older. Regardless, I'm done with this series and ready to find something else.

The Boxer, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
I finally got the fourth book in the series and I just devoured it. I have no idea what it is about this series but it just pulls me in hard. I'm not really a fan of boxing or combat sports in general. About the only combat sport I watch is sumo. This book just does a great job capturing the training, the fights, the feel of everything. The fight in the beginning between Jean and our MC where Jean just stops seeing his opponent as even human. He is just this monster in the ring with him that is far beyond his skills. The debut fight in the second half that just has you on the edge of your seat while reading it. These books go by way to quickly and it's way to long until the next one is published.

As for what is next, I'm not really sure. I have basically a month off work and nothing but time to read. I need to find my next audiobook today for my daily walks and I'm debating between a challenge book and more fluff. Outside of that I started last night which is an exploration into the action hero stars of the 80's. So far we have mainly focused on Stallone and Schwarzenegger but it looks like the book will touch on Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Dolph Lundgren. I spent a lot of time watching these men when I was growing up and it's kind of interesting getting a chance to peer behind the curtains a bit.

[Brittany]

Jo too bad it was disappointing. Hope this next read is a good one for you!


Gord I love that you are enjoying Amelia Peabody. I agree those two are a great couple. Looks like lots of manga this week, and lost that you've had enough of the series.

[Elena]

@Jo I wonder how City of Nightmares turns out. The description sounds interesting, but that statement 'Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer[...]' is too ambitious.

[Elena]

And here's my recent update, the month is busy with all the festive preparations and planning, and I still managed to fit in some chunky reads.

- 5 stars. So far this is my favourite book of the series. I have a weak spot for magical markets since I’ve read Stardust by Neil Gaiman. New doorway, new magic world, the same seamless transfer from ordinary to magical and back. I just adore the writing style, it’s very lyrical, easy to follow, at the same time very unique and rich. The atmosphere is eery and there is always a catch.
- 4 stars. I like authors writing style and the idea behind the series. Seems like this genre has grown on me with her books. I appreciate the innocence, the absurdness, the passion and love in the different scenes. The whole series is slightly connected, so you can read in any order, which is a huge plus for me at the moment. And so far Lillian is my favourite character.
- 4 stars. I waited to read this one for a long period of time. Though it’s not the best in the genre, it is indeed a well-crafted sci-fi book. The whole idea is crazy and hilarious, and it’s handled brilliantly. This instalment is really funny, the characters are likeable and the writing style is so suitable!
- 3 stars. It’s fine, expected totally different experience. I wanted something unique, strong on cultural aspect and colourful. Though what I got was mediocre, ordinary and a little boring. The main theme is being with the right person vs being with the wrong one, but there are so many issues! Miscommunication is one of them, even between sisters, who as the book states were really close and loved each other. And… there are lots of references to Little Women, I didn’t like that at all.
- 4 stars. The series started really strong. I loved the perspective and the whole concept, where the story is told from the POV of a robot. The way he’s trying to adapt to the new life is so funny and naive.
- 5 stars. Wow! That was epic! Enjoyed every part of it. The world is so well crafted, the characters are very complex with the precisely measured level of development. The story unravels at the perfect pacing. Though it’s pretty complex, at the same time very easy to follow.

[Gord]

Time for a random update. I'm on vacation and my only plans involve reading as much as possible. As a result my updates will be a bit random for the next 2-3 weeks.

The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage -3 Stars
I saw this in the list of books that the library had on order and I wanted to give it a read. I grew up in the 80's and 90's on this action movies so I was interested what behind the scenes kind of things I could find out. Overall this book wasn't that bad but by the end I was looking forward to it finally being done. It kind of felt like it overstayed its welcome a little bit. This focused on eight big stars of the 80's and 90's with that being Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Dolph Lundgren, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Bruce Willis. Most of the focus of the book seemed to be on Arnie and Stallone though with small detours for the other actors. The other thing I noticed is that the book never really dug that deep into anything. It gave a bunch of surface level details on a certain topic before moving onto the next thing. It hinted at a few scandals for the stars but again just never really went into a lot of details. I think that's why I was glad it was over by the end. I wanted a little bit more depth and I just wasn't getting it. That being said I did learn a few little interesting tidbits along the way. I think the one star I wanted to know more about was Jackie Chan and it felt like the book really overlooked a lot of his stuff.

In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 9 -3 Stars
The next book in this popcorn series. I feel like this book actually moved a few different plot points along while giving us hints on some of the bigger plot points in the series. Again, it's not high literature but it's a fun popcorn read.

Dark Frost -4 Stars
I feel like I might have been a bit harsh on this series the first time I read it. I've been bumping up my ratings as I've been reading through these. They are not five star reads by any means but they are fun. This one here continues the story with Reapers and Loki, the love story between Gwen and Logan. As I've said before Estep is great at writing popcorn reads and that is exactly what this is.

Mall Goth -3 Stars
I have some mixed feelings about this book. I am not the core demographic for this book and while that is not something I normally worry about a lot, I think the core demographic would get more from this book then I do. The MC is a young 15 year old bisexual girl trying to figure out, well, life. She is dealing with a lot in her life. She moves to a new small town with her mom, her parents are having issues at home, she is struggling with her sexuality and finding acceptance, she is struggling with dating. Oh and one other thing, her English teacher at school is flirting with her. This last plot point shifts it from what I would call regular teenage angst and exploration into something much, much heavier. The "dating" plot point also deals with some heavier issues as the there is lying and exploitation involved. I don't know, I think this book was just a lot heavier than I anticipated and just not written for someone like me. Maybe someone in similar spot in their life would get a lot more from this book then I ever would.

They Called Us Enemy -4 Stars
A solid read about George Takei's first hand experience in the Japanese internment camps of WWII and how that shaped his life afterwards. Just a very interesting and emotional read about something that I don't think is talked about much. Either in the US or here in Canada.

Are You Lost?, Vol. 2 -3 Stars
Are You Lost?, Vol. 3 -3 Stars
Now that The Last Action Heroes and They Called Us Enemy are done my reading schedule is full of nothing but fluff and fun. That includes these two books. Like I mentioned last time these books are about four girls lost on deserted island trying to stay alive. This is some more peak popcorn reading that I want right now.

What is next?

You Sexy Thing
This is the audiobook that I am listening to on my walks right now and so far I have some mixed feelings. I'm a little over half way into this book and I feel like I'm just marking time until something exciting happens. I think part of my problem is just my own expectations. For what ever reason I went into this expecting something like Kings of the Wyld. The old folks in a job where you normally die young being dragged out of retirement kind of trope. I feel like we are a step or two from getting that and the book is just spinning me along. I just want things to finally kick off and give me what I want.

Outside of that I am just going to keep working through my stack of library books.

[Gord]

*Crawls out of his cave and throws out an update for the people before scurrying back into the shadows*

Bitter Fruit -3 Stars
I was talking to some one about Gold Eagle and it got me wanting to read some cheesy action adventure stuff. There is not a lot I can really say about this that I haven't said before. It's another Gold Eagle novel in the Deathlands series. The only thing really different about this one is that it is set in England instead of the US like they normally are. It's just a book where you turn off your brain and look at the pretty explosions.

You Sexy Thing -3 Stars
This book, this book I have many things to say about it. This is a real low three star rating, getting close to the 2.5 star territory. I think there are a lot of interesting ideas in this book but the execution just fell flat for me. Now part of it could have been my expectations heading into this book. I was heading into this book anticipating something like Kings of the Wyld where these dangerous and grizzled old veterans come out of retirement for one last adventure. What I really got was essentially a character piece with a couple of action scenes tossed in that were really just them running away from things. Which could have been interesting enough but only a three maybe four characters were actually focused on instead of the whole crew. There are a couple things I want to talk about but they are from the end of the book so spoiler wall.

(view spoiler)[
The first thing that I want to talk about is the torture scene towards the end of the book. Now in the grand scheme of torture scenes that I have read this was pretty mild in regards to content but it was the length. I listened to this audiobook while out for my daily walk which is usually a little over an hour long. For the entire time on my walk, and a bit more afterwards, it was just the constant stream of mental abuse and some physical abuse from the big bad guy. It just got to be tiring and a bit uncomfortable after a while. I'm not even sure what the entire point of it was either. It was already pretty well established that the bad guy was ruthless and bad by that point. Even if you want to use these scenes to really hammer that point home do you need it go on for over an hour? It also really clashes with the pacing and tone that the rest of the book had already set. This happens in the last third of the book and it just feels so out of place. Then there is the ending. It's revealed that the big bad guy is still alive and gunning for them. With everything else from the end of the book it felt like everything that I read was essentially pointless. There could have been a couple tweaks at the beginning and we would have been in the exact same place as we were at the end. It's not a great feeling when you get to the end of a book and it all felt pointless. That everything you read was essentially for nothing because you are basically back to where you were at the beginning of the book. Combine that with the lengthy torture scene and I was just left feeling frustrated by the end. (hide spoiler)]

I know that I have been pretty critical of this book but there is one thing I really want to praise and that is the world building. The creatures, the world, the history, everything was super interesting and I wanted to know more about this world. In the crew alone you have a four armed alien, a bird creature, a chimp, a squid creature, and twin werelions. There is also this blend of various sciences and magic to make everything work The world building just made this book feel like it was a world full of so many super interesting things to explore and eat.

The Mimicking of Known Successes -4 Stars
This brings me to this book. This book was an absolute joy to read and it left me wanting more. I'm not sure if I can wait until February for the next one. On the surface this book is a mystery set on Jupiter. So you are obviously pulling from those two different genres but there is so much more than that. The mystery feels like a blend between a cozy mystery and a historical mystery. The book felt like it was set in Victorian era England but with the occasional reminder that it was in fact a sci-fi set in the depths of space. Now this could have just been my imagination but I also got a faint hint of steampunk vibes as well. Nothing concrete but just a kind of vibe I was getting. On top of this there is also a sapphic romance in the novel as the two main characters are ex's seeing each other for the first in years. Like so many other things in this book this was also subtle and not up in your face. By the end there was definite romance but it took some time to build up to it. The mystery was solid, the romance was cute, the world building was amazing, the characters are great. This was just a treat for me. There was more than a few times I just wanted to crawl inside the book so I could explore some of these platforms that were being talked about. This book not only got me wanting the next one but just more cozy books set in space. Not sure where to go looking for that though.

Now for all the comics and manga

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Volume 12 -4 Stars
More TMNT and it's still fun but the shine is kind of starting to dull a wee bit. I just feel like there are two many things going on making the story feel kind of disjointed. I also wasn't a fan of the Bebop/Rocksteady special either. Like the last one in a previous volume it starts out alright but then quickly over stays its welcome. I'm nearly caught up on this series though so that is nice.

Sorceline -3 Stars
This book has me feeling rather conflicted. On one hand the art work in this book is amazing and every page is just a feast for the eyes. The world building for the book is great. This secret island where those specially chosen can come to learn crypto-zoology is interesting. Combine that with how you get chosen and the creatures on the island are all cool. The story on the other hand is like watching paint dry. I struggled to stay engaged with this story. The worst part is I'm not sure if this is the authors fault or if it's a translation issue. I'm going to lean towards it being a translation issue. There is one more book and I'm going to read it just to see the conclusion but my expectations aren't that high.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2—Battle Tendency, Vol. 3 -5 Star
It's kind of spooky how fast I read this book. I started reading it figuring I'd get a few pages in while having a coffee. Next thing I know I'm two thirds of the way through the book with half a cold coffee left over. This book had a couple of great fights in it while also building to the conclusion of the story. I really cannot wait for the final volume.

His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper Vol. 3 -3 Stars
His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper Vol. 4 -3 Stars
More cute cleaning in a fantasy world with a super hot demon lord. It's mindless popcorn fluff that is entertaining.

The Nightmare Brigade #2: Into the Woods -3 Stars
I enjoyed the first book but this one kind of lost me when it started doing the whole dream within a dream within a dream within another dream story line. It just kind of got a bit confusing. The final story with the werewolf though was pretty good and I kind of wished that was the next story line and not the whole dream in a dream one. I don't think this is the last one in this series and I'll come back if more is ever published.

Unfamiliar, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
More of this cute blend of cute things, horror, and fantasy. I think this is the end of the story which is kind of a bummer as this is just a fun read.

As for what is next

The Twisted Ones
This will be my next audiobook that I'm listening to. Yes, I'm listening to a horror novel at Christmas time, don't ask.

Outside of that I just have this never ending stack of things from the library.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Nice update, Gord! I hope your vacation is going well! And horror novels at Christmas time is literally me every year 😆 So listen away. Lol.

[Gord]

My vacation has been super relaxing so far. Lots and lots of reading which shouldn't be a big surprise.

[Brittany]

Elena I love that you read the first Murderbot! Hope you continue and love it.
Interesting that Absent Dream is your favourite of the Wayward Children so far. I loved parts of that book, especially the setting but I wanted something more from it. I think really I just wanted a longer story though.

[Brittany]

Gord, yay for vacation time! So many books.
Too bad about You Sexy Thing, all the things you mentioned would bother me too.
The Mimicking of Known Successes, you had me at cozy sci-fi mystery in space. I think Ill have to check this one out.
Also nothing wrong with horror at christmas time

[Elena]

Brittany wrote: "Elena I love that you read the first Murderbot! Hope you continue and love it.
Interesting that Absent Dream is your favourite of the Wayward Children so far. I loved parts of that book, especiall..."

I'm currently reading other books in the Murderbot Diaries and have some mixed feelings, will share when I finally collect my thoughts into something that makes sense 😅

Actually I get the point you're missing in the Absent Dream and I also agree that it would be nice to have a longer story. But at the same time I love it even though it's considerably short.

[Gord]

Brittany wrote: "Gord, yay for vacation time! So many books.
Too bad about You Sexy Thing, all the things you mentioned would bother me too.
The Mimicking of Known Successes, you had me at cozy sci-fi mystery in sp..."

I think that is the thing that I love the most about The Mimicking of Known Successes. If you let your mind wander for a second or two you can almost thing you were in a Victorian era mystery until there is a casual reference to the rings of the planet or some other subtle reference to it being on a planet. The book just clicked with me and I loved it.

[Gord]

Time for another update and apologies in advance for the length. I was going to update earlier but then I got sick and all my plans went out the window.

Fish for Dinner: Tales of Newfoundland and Labrador -3 Stars
I snagged this to fill a particularly challenging task and out of curiosity. Growing up I enjoyed books like this and just learning about various folk tales. As an adult though I just found this book to be alright. If you have ever read any books like this you know what you are going to get. The morale's that they teach, the cautionary tales passed on, it's all pretty much the same just with different characters and settings. It was interesting to see the tales being pulled from various groups and not just the usual European ones. Interesting little Canadian book about some Canadian history.

The Twisted Ones -3 Stars
This book was one that caught my attention and vanished into my TBR pit. For what ever reason I requested it this year and then promptly forgot all about it as it took a few months to get my copy of it. This book started out so strong in my opinion. It's a simple enough premise as well. A woman ends up heading to the backwoods of North Carolina to clean out her grandmothers house after she passes away. While there she finds some weird things in the house and starts encountering some weird things out in the woods. The first part of this book did such an amazing job of establishing the characters and the setting while there was very little going on. The MC, Mouse, and her dog Bongo are great characters who you can't help but relate to. The supporting characters, mainly Foxy, are amazing as well. While nothing major is happening there is just the right amount of tension established through foreshadowing. In a way that I normally don't like but just works so well here. The whole "everything was going so well for now...". I loved how the main character was ignoring the spooky signs in a very realistic feeling way. She wasn't a TSTL kind of character she was just a real person. Sure that thing that happened was odd but I'm not from here, it only happened once, and I've got other things to deal with right now. So what happened to the book to tank the rating after all this praise? Basically the author showed us, the readers, the monster and it just fell apart. The MC does something, that in my opinion, is completely out of character and then we get to see the monster. From that point on the book just fell on it's face. The monster stopped making sense, there was no motivation behind it, there was no explanation for what was going on, and then it just ended. I felt so let down by the ending, especially after the stellar start that the book had.

Crimson Frost -4 Stars
Definitely loving this series more the second time through or I'm just a whole lot less picky then I was before. Regardless, this is the fourth installment in this series and the stakes are getting raised. I don't have a lot to really say, these are just fun to read for me and I am enjoying my reread of this series.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers -4 Stars
This book has me feeling very conflicted. I snagged it for challenge purposes and it sounded like a pretty interesting murder mystery. That right there brings me to my first massive problem with this book. The mystery in this book felt like it was a side character to a side character. It would show up every once in a while when it was needed but it was far from the main focus of the book. This was basically a literary fiction book about finding a new family with a very light sprinkling of mystery somewhere in the general vicinity of the book. It's about five strangers coming together over the death of one person and becoming a found family along the way. Watching these five bound over their experiences was by and far the highlight of this book. Followed closely by Vera herself. My other big complaint is that there were a few times where I just wanted everyone to sit down and talk to each other instead of getting close to saying something and then backing off. It wasn't high school romance manga levels of poor communication but it sure felt like it was getting close at times. Overall it was a bit of a mixed bag. There were times I was borderline bored and times I was borderline in tears.

The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 8 -5 Stars
Man, do I love this series and especially the MC, Maomao. I was a little bit lost reading this manga as it has been months since I last read this series, it takes the library forever to get some books in that are on order, and I am also watching the anime as it's coming out. Where I am at in the manga and where I'm at in the anime are very far apart. Reading this was a blast but it really makes me want to start over again but with the novels.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World, Vol. 6: The Name of the Pharaoh -4 Stars
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Millennium World, Vol. 7: Through The Last Door -4 Stars
After a month and a half of running around I finally got these two books and my final step in the Yu-Gi-Oh journey. As I mentioned before I never expected to read this series let alone actually like it but here we are and this was a very satisfying ending. It might have felt a wee bit rushed in places but I get why the final fight was the one that it was and it was a very satisfying conclusion to the arc and the entire series. I don't think I'll be reading any of the spin off stuff though. I feel that the conclusion wrapped up the story and the stuff I'd be most interested in. I think the spin off series will be more about the card game than any larger story arc like this one was. Still, if you were ever curious like I was about this series or my reviews made you curious then give this a spin.

Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More Vol. 5 -4 Stars
The latest installment in this chill, slice of life, fantasy series about basically a magical inventor. We get some more business, some more inventions, and some more very slow burn romance. Just a fun popcorn series to read.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2—Battle Tendency, Vol. 4 -5 Stars
The exciting conclusion to the Battle Tendency story arc with Joseph Joestar. This was a wild over the top adventure with the Pillar Men being a genuinely scary threat. I can't believe how quickly I read through this series and now I am ready for the next part, Stardust Crusaders.

Basil and Oregano -3 Stars
This was an interesting comic about romance and a magic cooking school where students learn to cook with, well, magic obviously. It's an interesting idea and really cute but it never felt like it reached it's full potential. This next thing might be a bit controversial so hopefully I articulate myself well enough. I am all for representation in media but I think this is an example of taking it a bit to far. It felt like nearly every character in this book had to be some sort of representation. To the point where the characters started feeling less like people and more like check boxes. Instead of this being Dandelion, a third generation magical chef, who specializes in cooking mushrooms and reading horror novels it's reduced to this is Dandelion, the trans character, or the gay character, or the Muslim character and that is the depth of their characterization. The latter does not make for a fun read in my opinion. I'm not saying every character needs a back story either but they should be there for more than the purpose of checking off something. Hopefully that was expressed clearly enough.

Dinosaur Sanctuary Vol. 3 -3 Stars
More scientific facts about dinosaurs while seeing how a small dinosaur sanctuary would be run if Jurassic Park actually happened. An interesting little series that makes for a quick read while learning some interesting little facts along the way.

Spy x Family, Vol. 3 -4 Stars
The next installment, for me anyways, in this series. It takes a long time to get some of this manga series, especially if they are super popular, so it's taking me some time to get through this one. I totally understand why this series is so popular though. The characters are great, the gags are funny, and it's just fun to read. Now I wait for the next volume. There are only 31 people ahead of me who are also waiting.

As for what is next... well, I need to update a week and a half of vacation reading into my various challenges *shudder*.

Bookshops & Bonedust
The Hobbit
I have both of these audiobooks downloaded, both I'm equally excited for, and I can't choose which one I want to start next but it will be one of these two.

For non audiobooks, not sure, back to hitting the library stack as usual.

[Brittany]

Great final update of the year Gord! Lots of manga!
Bookshops and Bonedust was so good, hope you love it too

[Jo]

Elena wrote: "@Jo I wonder how City of Nightmares turns out. The description sounds interesting, but that statement 'Gotham meets Strange the Dreamer[...]' is too ambitious."

I'm really enjoying it so far! I was hoping to finish reading it before the end of 2023, but I still had 5 hours left yesterday and that's far too much for me to listen to in one sitting, I tend to listen in shorter bursts.

[Jo]

The end of my year involved me reading a lot of comics to meet my Goodreads Challenge which I did have to revise down from 20 to 15 because I did not read as much as I hoped to this year and I didn't want to rush to meet something unachievable. But as is tradition for me at the end of the year, I read a lot of VE Schwab comics, I finally finished the last arc of The Steel Prince Comics, and I've read the first three ExtraOrdinary comics (well the #0 one and #1 & #2).




I was a little disappointed by the ending of the Steel Prince comics, I enjoyed them well enough but I felt the ending was kind of anti-climactic. On the other hand, I'm really enjoying the ExtraOrdinary comics, I like the art style better and the story is really exciting, I may actually not save the final two for when I'm inevitably behind on my Goodreads Challenge at the end of next year because I really want to find out what happens next!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Jo wrote: "The end of my year involved me reading a lot of comics to meet my Goodreads Challenge which I did have to revise down from 20 to 15 because I did not read as much as I hoped to this year and I didn..."

Jo I was in the same boat as you lol. I read a bunch of novellas and graphic novels at the end of the year trying to catch up on my reading challenge 😅

[Jo]

Liliana wrote: "Jo wrote: "The end of my year involved me reading a lot of comics to meet my Goodreads Challenge which I did have to revise down from 20 to 15 because I did not read as much as I hoped to this year..."

I've set mine for a little lower initially this year in the hopes that I won't be doing the same again come December!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

I did too! I set mine at 52. It'll be interesting to see how many books I can read organically without rushing at the end of the year. Lol.

[Jo]

I've started at 20 so we'll see how that goes! I've always been willing to adjust up/down throughout the year, the challenge I first set isn't usually the number I end up reaching at the end of the year, one way or the other!