What are you reading in 2023?

[Gord]

Nope, this will be my first introduction to Amelia Peabody

[Brittany]

Hope ya like it, it will likely be a bit dated but I like the setting

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

It's been a minute since I've updated, so here's what I've read recently:

I loved this book SO much!! I knew it was going to be good, but still. Lol. I just love the blend of sci-fi elements with fantasy elements, and I especially love to slow burn romance and enemies-to-lovers trope... it was all done so well!! And now I can't wait for the next book in the series even though this book isn't even out yet 😆 Oh, the problem with reading ARCs. Lol.

I finished the New Fear Street series and I really enjoyed it! I went into it a little apprehensive because these books tend to be hit or miss, but these four books were good! And most of them had a little supernatural element thrown in, which I always love in a Fear Street book!

And I just finished this one like two days ago. It's a sci-fi horror and it was LONG, but I really enjoyed it! It was definitely creepy and it was also very tense. There was always something happening, usually things worsening for the characters, which I loved. And the story was just very interesting.

And today I started . I'm only like 5 chapters in or so, but I'm really enjoying it so far! The mythology is interesting, and I'm loving the relationship between the siblings!

[Brittany]

Happy to hear Only Good Enemies was fab! I cannot wait for the release of that one.
Keep me updated on The Keeper of Night, it sounds different!

[Gord]

Time for that weekly wrap up and it will be a bit shorter this week.

Crocodile on the Sandbank -4 Stars
This was just a fun read that had a bit of a nostalgic tinge to it for me. I've never read this series before but there was just something about the flow of the story, the mystery, etc that just felt like older mysteries I used to read when I was younger. I really like Peabody as a character and the supporting cast was just as good. I will admit that I figured out the mystery pretty early on but it was still fun watching it all unfold. If there was one small criticism of the book was the portrayal of Egypt and the Egyptian people. I don't think this is the authors views and more of a "this was how it was viewed in the time setting of the novel" but it was a still a bit unpleasant to read. Don't get me wrong it didn't make me want to throw down the novel or make me want to only rate this book a one star or what not. It was more of a "well this is awkward" kind of thing. I definitely plan to read more in this series just to see where things go next. I was not expecting a two year time skip in essentially the epilogue of the novel but it did make me curious.

Yu-Gi-Oh! (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 10: Includes Vols. 28, 29 & 30 -4 Stars
I really figured that this would be the end of the battle city arc but nope there is still more after this. The next book though is definitely the final battle. There is not a lot and a lot at the same time that can be said about this book. The big thing in this book was the battle between Yugi and Kaiba. This was a masterclass battle between two people at the top of the game and a it was also a clash of personalities. Fate vs freedom, the past vs the future, friendship vs going it alone, etc. I'm still amazed that I ended up liking this series as much as I am and that I want to keep reading. If you were ever curious about this series then I would definitely recommend giving it a go.

Confessions of a Shy Baker, Volume 1 -3 Stars
This manga is incredibly similar to the What Did You Eat Yesterday? series that I talked about last week but with slightly better execution. I was still far from wowed by the series but the characters were at least likeable, the food transitions felt more smooth and integrated, and the romance felt like it at least had a little spark. Maybe it's a me thing but these manga just didn't click with me.

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 13 (Volume 13) -5 Stars
It's the latest volume of one of my favorite slice of life series and what can I say that I haven't said before. It's more of the characters doing the same but it's just such a fun and relaxing read.

Belle of the Ball -3 Stars
Another random snag from the library. I snagged this because of the potential cuteness and it more or less delivered. It's a basic high school romance. Weird nerdy girl confesses to hot girl and gets shot down. Hot girls jock girlfriend threatens weird nerdy girl to stay away from her girlfriend. Jock needs tutoring to pass their class and stay on the team so they need to get help from the nerdy girl they threatened. Friendship ensues as personalities are discovered which then leads to romance. It's not a bad story but I've got a couple of criticisms. Hot girl in the beginning has a bigger part and is kind of portrayed as scheming and not so nice light. After the tutoring she kind of just disappears only to show up in the final act with a personality make over. I would have loved to get to know more about her and see what brought about this change. Then there is the jock. This is a weird one but I just didn't like the artistic portrayal of the character. Outside of one scene where she was lounging around in her bra there was nothing artistically to show that she was a woman. Honestly, until this scene I thought she was a male character. It's weird, a nitpick, and I probably have no place to criticize but it's just my two bits.

Orochi: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 -3 Stars
This was one of those random snags from the library that just happens to help with many challenges. This was a horror manga and the comparisons to Junji Ito are unavoidable but this came before Junji Ito. I was reading the author's bio and this author was an inspiration to Ito. This is where my heavily opinionated opinion comes into this review/rant thing. I prefer Ito's work. This was good but it just didn't have the punch in my opinion that Ito does. Now I'm not saying that everything Ito does is a masterpiece but there have been so many stories that have just unsettled me. There are times where I'm reading something from Ito and the artwork is just seared into my brain. This collection of stories, or really just two stories, was good but it felt borderline more comedic than horror. That being said I definitely want to read more from this author including The Drifting Classroom.

Up next is many things as I try to get challenges done and I chase the ever persistent library due date.

The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning
This is my current audiobook and I'm about halfway through. Now this book does start out on a sour note as I've hinted at before and I'll get into those details next week during my weekly wrap up. Once past that sourness though I am enjoying this book. I just wish that part either wasn't there or handled differently.

Fractured
The next Will Trent book for me and I am enjoying it so far. I kind of forgot how intense Karin Slaughter books are and this book "gently" reminded me while "easing" me in to the story. Basically it kicked me off a cliff in the prologue.

After that I've got a couple more comics and a light novel I need to get read this week. Hopefully I can get through everything on my plate in time.

[Jo]

Finished and it was fun, though it was more anecdotes of the author's time on tour and you didn't get to learn as much about the bookshops as I had hoped. But anyway, ultimately a fun read.

Moving on to my next book (another audio of course), . I've not read that much historical so far this year and I was feeling in that kind of a mood after a few non-fics in a row. I'm looking forward to this one, there seems to be so many WWII (or around that era anyway) books about books that have come out in the last few years, it's obviously something publishers have been really going for recently and I can't say I'm mad about it!

[Brittany]

Gord Im happy you enjoyed Peabody. I agree some of the thoughts on Egyptians do get a bit on the awkward side.

[Brittany]

Jo too bad it wasnt more about the bookshops but glad it was fun anyway!
Agree there have been lots of WWII fiction with books lately. Let me know how this one is

[Jo]

Brittany wrote: "Jo too bad it wasnt more about the bookshops but glad it was fun anyway!
Agree there have been lots of WWII fiction with books lately. Let me know how this one is"

Will do!

[Gord]

This week is going to be something a little different. It will be more novels than manga/comics. It's just the way things worked out for me.

Fractured -4 Stars
There is just something different about a Karin Slaughter book. It's a mystery novel that just doesn't fit with the usual mystery rules. They are just oddly intense and engaging. It's hard to fully explain but there is just something about these novels that just grabs you by the throat and pulls you into this dark and disturbing world. This takes place in Atlanta and involves the kidnapping of an upper crust teenage girl. Our MC is pulled into the case quickly after discovering the massive mistake that was made by the Atlanta PD. The novel spans only three days as the MC and others desperately try to track down this missing girl. For the first couple of days there are a lot of clues but there is no context for them. You're not going to be sitting there piecing together who the killer is before the main character does. Then we hit the third day and things start getting revealed as the clues start lining up and revealing the truth. You are then dragged along on this horrifying whirlwind as everything that has been established over the last couple of days is ripped apart and the truth is revealed. The icing on the cake though is over these three days is the personal lives of the characters involved in all of this. You get to learn more about Will, you get a glimpse into the life of this new character, Faith, you get just a slight glimpse into the enigma of Amanda. After two books I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of Will and Amanda and that there is this vast ocean of secrets just waiting to be explored. I'm just loving these books and the experience of the story.

The Royal Ranger: A New Beginning-4 Stars
Alright, time to talk about this book. This was something I was dreading and all because of one event. This was the start of a new spin off series that is also part of the original story line. Basically this novel picks up 15ish years after the short story volume that was the end of the series. Halt has retired, several other characters have advanced in life with retirement, death, promotion, etc. Will is dealing with some personal grief that is driving him down a dark path so the solution is to give him an apprentice. Someone that he can't say no to and someone that can help pull him out of this funk. On paper this sounds great. How this author went about doing this though is something that just doesn't sit well with me. This is going into full on spoiler territory and I'm not hiding anything. Over the course of the series a relationship between Will and Alice has developed. Alice was getting built into this interesting character that as an excellent partner for Will and his adventures. At the very end of the Lost Stories novel Will and Alice got married in a very short off handed blur which I didn't really like. In this book Alice got the whole Women in Refrigerators trope treatment and I just did not like it. Shortly before the beginning of this novel Alice is killed off page in this horrible event. She is returning for her Courier duties and is staying at this inn where this bad guy shows up. In an attempt to escape the law on his heels the bad guy lights the inn on fire. Alice initially escapes but goes back into the fire to save some children where she is killed when the inn collapses on her shortly after helping the children escape. This horrible off page death is the motivator for Will to set off on this dark path of revenge and self destruction that he needs to be saved from. I'm not saying that Alice didn't have to die but the way that this went down was something that just didn't right with me. It could have been a separate book unto itself where Will and Alice are on an adventure and the book ends with the tragic death of Alice. This would give the reader a chance to see these characters as adults, a chance to reconnect with them, you could have established the villains, etc. Basically there could have been this whole story arc showing Will progress to where he is at in the beginning of this novel. This whole thing called character growth. Instead we just get tossed in with this dark and brooding Will.

Alright now that I have that out of my system I can actually get to the novel. As much as I hated how things started and the motivation behind everything that happened I rather enjoyed this novel. Maddie is the daughter of Cassandra and Horace and is the god daughter of Will. She is essentially a spoiled bratty princess. She initially thinks that this whole apprenticeship will be a fun little adventure with her uncle Will who is always nice to her. Seeing her coming face to face with reality and her growth from spoiled brat to a Rangers apprentice is an interesting trip. She of course has some natural talent but it needs to be honed. Where the growth comes in is just in her personal growth. Seeing what life is like outside of the castle, the pampered and easy life she had. Maddie is an interesting character with flaws that makes mistakes. I'm now back to really wanting to see where this series goes and how much more development we will get with Maddie. I just really wish the beginning of the novel was handled differently.

Pablo Escobar: My Father -4 Stars
I initially was going to read this for a challenge but I didn't read the fine print of the challenge and it doesn't actually work. I am able to use this for other things though. Outside of that though I was rather curious about this book. Pablo Escobar is just a name that I am aware of through pop culture and real world things. Every once in a while his name will pop up in the news once again. Not that long ago I remember hearing something about his hippos on his estate and the problems they were causing for the local ecosystem. That being said I don't really know a lot about the actual story of Pablo. This was written by his son and a part of me was worried about a certain level of bias because of his relationship to Pablo but I think he did a good job with this book. He didn't shy away from the absolutely horrible things that Pablo did but there were also these very human moments as well. Things like a memory of a birthday or Christmas with his father that just created these personal human moments. It just added this different feel to things. That being said this book was a wild ride. Seeing Pablo coming up, how opulent things were when he was at his peak, and then the inevitable downfall. Columbia sounded like a horrible place in the late 80's into the 90's. Everyone, including the government, were doing what ever they wanted and there was violence everywhere. It really shows the cycle of violence and how self destructive it is. There were moments in the beginning where things could have gone differently but when everyone's response to everything is just a never ending escalation of violence things have a rather inevitable outcome. Since this was from the son it also gave us a glimpse into the life of those around Pablo and how his actions affected them. This was especially evident in the first couple of chapters and the epilogue that dealt with life after Pablo's death. There was the one moment where the author was at an airport when he was 16 or 17 and couldn't calm down. He was constantly on the look for threats, for someone coming to kill them or kidnap them and it was just a built in instinct after living a life where he was almost always on the run. This was just an interesting read.


Zombie Tramp: Year One Hardcover Risque Variant -3 Stars
Yup, you're seeing that right. This was a snag from the library after I saw it on my timeline and discovering that my library had it. Yup the library had the risque version and that warning bar is most definitely not there. I was intrigued by this after reading through the reviews and seeing a constant flow of "this is trash", "this is nothing but gore and nudity", etc, etc, etc. After reading this they're not necessarily wrong but our reactions are a bit different to it. I thought that this was a rather run read. Yes, it was incredibly gory and yes, it tons of nudity but it's a book called Zombie Tramp. What else would you expect from this book. This book was essentially a few stories from this universe. It gave you the Cole's note version of her origin story then threw you into it. This comic really gave me strong Hack/Slash vibes which is a huge plus. I love Hack/Slash and it's been difficult, near impossible, to find similar comics that had the same vibes. This had the sexiness, the humor, the gore, the stupid over the top action. Now I would love to read more but from some poking around and they are not easy to find. The library has no more of these which I can't say I'm surprised on. Print ones seem to be hard to find. You can buy them online but it's $6 for a single volume and I'm not sure I'm willing to pony up that kind of cash for this. There are over 70 volumes out so that is a fair chunk of change.

Now what is next

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax
I was poking around for a niche challenge and stumbled across this oddity and I just had to check it out. It's about a 60+ year old granny who is a spy for the CIA during the cold war. I think you can see why I was hooked in.

Dark in Death
Working my way through this now and it just feels good to return to this series.

After that I am back to my never ending pile of comics and manga from the library.

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

It's been going crazy on BookTok but I finished yesterday and I absolutely loved it! If you liked Divergent back in the day then I highly recommend this one. It's absolutely amazing. It's like Divergent, with a hint of How To Train Your Dragon and the high stakes of Game of Thrones. I absolutely adored it.

[Brittany]

Interesting update Gord! Glad your Rangers book got better after the not great start. I totally agree with your frustrations there. The Pablo book also sounds interesting! Definitely something different and also not someone I really know about either.
70 volumes at that price is definitely pricey but seems like something that was right up your alley with the zombie tramp

[Brittany]

Since you loved Fourth Wing so much Kay I will probably give it a try! Im a little hesitant with how hyped it is

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

Brittany wrote: "Since you loved Fourth Wing so much Kay I will probably give it a try! Im a little hesitant with how hyped it is"

I personally think it's worth the hype. It was so good!

[Elena]

I was so long since my last update :D I've finished quite a lot. Probably will update in chunks.

- 2-3 stars. Somehow the series becomes a bit better, more interesting, engaging and the writing style improved. But I decided to take a break here and switch to something else as a light read.
- 4 stars. Oh I loved the nature, the setting, the element of suspense and adventure. Reminded me of the trip to Grand Canyon and how great it was.
- 5 stars. Well, one more world I'm going to miss. Loved all three books dearly. One of my favourite series for sure. Probably I'll even re-read at some point.
- 4 stars. I loved the first book more, but the sequel is also good.
- 3 stars. To be honest, I expected more character development, more drama, just more. And it's just average.
- 3 stars. I definitely loved the new era more. The final book in the first era is just meh. Like as if author grown with the books.

[Brittany]

Since you loved Caraval series make sure to try the spin off series too Elena!
Agree completely about Dragon's Promise, first book was better. I wanted more dragons!

[Elena]

Brittany wrote: "Since you loved Caraval series make sure to try the spin off series too Elena!
Agree completely about Dragon's Promise, first book was better. I wanted more dragons!"

Thanks for the rec, actually I've already read the first book in a spin-off and its as fantastic as original series if not better. Loved it!

[Gord]

This has been a great week of reading for me with one exception and I will get to that in due time.

Dark in Death -5 Stars
More of this great series and the characters that I love. This mystery was a bit more chill in my opinion. Somewhere between a low threat cold case and a high stakes active threat kind of situation. What I found interesting was the book aspect of this, well, book. It involves a fan of a popular author and the series that she wrote. This is the second time this year that I've had the author peel back the book setting and give us a glimpse into the things behind the book. It's weird but not in a bad way. With this one here when Robb is talking about the stuff behind the scenes you can be pretty certain that this is some first hand experience and not just a researched subject. It just adds this dash of reality to things and like I said it's just a good weird feeling.

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax -5 Stars
I originally discovered this book while searching for something to fill a super hard task. The way the task was originally worded made it a super difficult task that required a lot of digging to find anything to fill it. The mods then reworded it to a normal difficulty but I had already done the digging and, well, I'm stubborn and sometimes like that super hard challenge. Any way on to the book. This is a Cold War spy thriller mixed with a cozy mystery and while it sounds like a bizarre combination it really works. The main reason it works is because of the main character, Mrs. Pollifax. I wasn't sure about this book in the beginning to be honest. There were humorous moments for sure but I wasn't sure how this was all going to work. Once Mrs. Pollifax was abducted though her character really started to shine for me. To put it simply she was this charming old lady. She is facing down this man who wants to torture her for information and she remains polite and yet subtly cheeky. There were more than a few moments where she found herself in situations where she was in over head, out of her element, scared and yet she was able to dig deep and reveal this inner steel she had. She is just such a fascinating and charming character that really carries the entire book. I really want to read more in this series and I discovered that there was a 1999 made for TV movie that was loosely based on this series and starring Angela Lansbury. I watched a few minutes of it and she really seems to fit the character. If you are even slightly curious about this series then give it a try.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Volume 4 -4 Stars
After the massive events of the last book this one took a step back to breathe a bit. It took time to process the events of the last book while also setting up the next big story line. I'm really excited to read more in this series and see what happens next.

Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
These manga are a great example of why I love reading. This manga is about a young man who lost his leg in an accident of some kind. Before the accident he was an upcoming soccer star in the first year of high school. Him and his friend were on track to be on the first line when he lost his leg. The story is kind of split into two aspects. What happened to his leg and the events are slowly getting revealed. At the same time you have him in the present time rediscovering sports with track and field. This book gives you a glimpse into the trauma that someone experiences while losing a limb. It also not limited to the person losing a limb either. In the second volume you get a glimpse into what the mother experienced at the time. The big thing of the book though is the glimpse into the world of sports prosthetics. This is something I've seen in clips on TV or on the internet but never really thought about. It gets into what is needed to make the prosthetic work and how they have to be fitted. How the athlete needs to learn how to run again. It's just this glimpse into this interesting world I know little about. I've already requested the next two volumes.

Amazing Fantasy -1 Star
Now we get to the bad and oh boy was this a stinker. If you have been reading my weekly updates for a while you know that I have some pretty mixed feelings about Marvel and DC. A lot of it comes down to their nebulous story telling method designed to sell more comics. Just not a fan of it as I like my stories more self contained. This comic popped up on the New feed at the library and I was drawn in by the cover art. It's that old school fantasy art setting and the synopsis kind of sold it as such. The cool old school fantasy art though is limited to covers and splash pages. The actual art of the comic is not what the cover shows. Alright, I kind of get it. It's not an easy art style to work with and it's not like the art in the comic itself is bad. Then we get to the story or should I say "story". I'm just going to get to the point here, the story is nonsensical gibberish. In the beginning I had no idea how any of the different stories were even connected. Then the middle part is "ok" as it works to the conclusion. Then there is the ending where it just feels like the author started flinging random ideas at the wall trying to find something cool and it just made no sense at all. Then it threw in a prologue at the end that just added more confusion to the muddled mess and random gibberish. At this point I was starting to feel a touch salty towards this comic and I started to get annoyed with the cover/splash page art. I just felt like it was trying to tap into that nostalgia feeling. Remember this cool print well here is our version but with a Marvel character in it. Then the final nail in the coffin was when I was recording this into my log of books. This book costs $45 dollars. $45 dollars for this hot mess of a comic that was only 144 pages. Just nope, don't recommend, don't like it, don't want anything more to do with this.

Now, what am I reading next.

Wyrd Sisters
This is my next audiobook and I'm rather excited for it. I've only dabbled in the Discworld series a couple times but I've heard nothing but great things about it.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon
Not sure how this popped up on my radar but I figured I had to give it a read.

Besides these two I have my usual stack of manga and comics I need to get done as well.

[Brittany]

Nice update Gord. Run on your new legs sounds really neat. Ill look out for that one.

[Gord]

Time for that weekly update and I feel this week needs some explanation. My internet died last Sunday and my computer is my main source of entertainment. With that offline I was left with nothing to really do except read which is a dangerous thing. Now this only lasted a few days before my internet got sorted but oh boy did I get some reading done in those few days.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon-4 Stars
I'm not sure how this popped up on my radar but it did and I discovered that it was available through the local ILL service so I requested a copy. After reading this book I can safely say that this is a perfect popcorn book. It's short, making it a quick read, it's got an interesting story, and it has some sexy times for those that want that in their fantasy. With it's length it didn't get lost in complex and deep world building but what it did give was pretty well fleshed out and a solid base for future books to grow on. A couple little nitpicks from me. The world that the book is set in calls all nonhumans "demons". Now this wasn't established from the beginning and I thought that what we were dealing with were actual demons. Instead we've got dragons, werewolves, lamia, centaurs, minotaurs, etc. On one hand it's great to see so many different types of monsters in a book but did we really need to muddy the water by calling them all "demons"? My other nitpick is the sexy times in this book. I have no problem with smut being in a book but the sexy times in this book feel like a super harsh tonal change when they happen. Most of the book feels like a popcorn fantasy and then suddenly sexy times. The curse words suddenly multiply to the nth degree, it's got some mildish BDSM, etc. It just feels like the intensity of everything got ratcheted up by 1,000% compared to the rest of the book. It's far from the most intense sexy times I've ever read but it just feels so tonally different from the rest of the book. It's just a little odd. The book was interesting enough that I've already requested the next book in the series.

Solo Leveling, Vol. 6 -4 Stars
This series is just a blast to read for me. This book is definitely setting up the next big story arc and establishing our MC's power level compared to the other Hunters in this world. I don't want to get into to many details because spoilers but things are definitely heating up. I also have to say that this series is really great at building up those hype moments. Those moments where you can't help but be on the edge of your seat and fully engaged in the book because you don't dare look away.

Wyrd Sisters -3 Stars
I feel like I need to go into protective custody after posting my thoughts on this book. I know that the Discworld series is incredibly well loved and has many passionate fans so not giving this book full stars is going to get me put on some list somewhere. Now don't get me wrong I can see the good in this book. The characters were interesting, the humor was on point and had me laughing out loud several times, the setting was absurd and interesting but there were just several times throughout this book were I just felt bored and not engaged. It felt like this book was just disappear into this tangents that had little to do with the story and I would just unconsciously clock out. For instance, towards the end of the book The Fool got talking about his upbringing and his time in Fool School. This section just seemed to go on and on and on and on. It helped flesh out the Discworld but I just could help but wonder what this had to do with the actual story line and by the end of the book it turned out that it really didn't have anything to do with the story. Sure it fleshed out the character a bit and of course established things about Discworld but none of that really had a direct impact on the story. Now I want to mention some good things. Death, loved this character and the narrator that voiced him. Especially his scenes towards the end of the book. The relationship between Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax was amazing. This genuinely felt like two people who had been friends/rivals for a lifetime. They bickered, they helped each other, they understood each other, and it was just fun to see the two different personalities feed off of each other. Fear not Discworld fans this will not be the last time I return to this world. I just wasn't the hugest fan of this particular book.

Now for all the manga and comics
Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon Vol. 4 -4 Stars
This was the conclusion to this series and it stays on brand. There is some big character growth, feelings are admitted, and things are the suitable level of sweet that I've come to expect from this series. If you are looking for a chill adult yuri romance then I'd give this a recommendation.

Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger Vol. 1 -3 Stars
Speaking of chill romance we have this manga. This was another blind snag from the library and meh. I grabbed it because food, romance, soft and fluffy vibes. First, not a romance but I could see how some could consider this yaoi bait. It's about two guys who like to hang out and eat food together. There isn't really a whole lot else here. This manga just didn't click with me and I think a lot of it just comes down to the fact that it felt like it had no direction. The "story" just kind of bounced around doing whatever the author felt like but it had no coherent direction. For instance, everything in this world was an animal and then there was just one random human character. Why? No idea as nothing is explained at all. There is supposedly all this tension between Curry Tiger and his older brother. Why? Again no idea. It's not really explained and there isn't a story line to explain it. We just get random little glimpses of things and then it's off to something else. I just didn't feel a connection with this manga and have no plans to read on.

W.I.T.C.H. Part I: The Twelve Portals, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
Listen, I can't really explain why I like this series but I do. It's my first time reading this but it just feels nostalgic if that makes any sense. The story arcs, the character tropes and designs, everything feels like stuff I have consumed and enjoyed before. It takes me back to that late 90's early 2000's time and it just feels fun to read. It sounds like there is one more book in this story arc and then we get into a new one. Regardless, I've requested my copy of the next volume.

Tombs -4 Stars
This is another collection of Junji Ito shorts and I think it's well established that I enjoy Ito's stuff by this point. His stories are never full explained but that just adds to this creepiness of things. Why does everyone in this one little village turn into tombs when they die? Who knows, it just happens. Why does this little remote village have a massive systems of veins underground that randomly drains the blood of the local villagers to replenish itself? No idea, it just is. Why did this girls tongue turn into a slug? Why knows but dear lord it's a disgusting and horrifying thought. There is just something with his stories, his art, that just feels creepy as hell and I love every minute of it.

I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 5: Gert's Inferno -5 Stars
This was the big surprise of the week. I loved, LOVED, the original run of this series. It's that blend of weird, violent, cute, trashy, all rolled into one weird ugly ball of awesome. I figured that at the end of series that was it. The story had traveled it's course and had a satisfying ending. I was browsing Hoopla and saw this pop up. I wasn't sure what the heck it was and after some poking around I found out that the author had returned to this series and oh man was I excited. This book was an absolute blast to read. It hit all the things that I loved about the original series while leaving the door propped open for more stories to come. All I'll say is that Gert is back and Fairyland is not prepared for her return.

Now, what is next?

Dead Things
This is my next audiobook. I'm reading it for a challenge and it sounds interesting enough. After that I've got a bunch of nonfiction audiobooks lined up for challenges this month.

Leverage in Death
I'm reading through this currently and to no ones surprise I am enjoying it. I just wanted more In Death after the last one I read. After that I have some more manga to clean up and then I'll probably be starting Deal with the Devil

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on Dead Things, Gord! I literally just added that one to my tbr a week or so ago lol

[Brittany]

I didnt know there was another I Hate Fairyland book either... hmmm, maybe Ill look for it. Nice update though Gord! I too am interested in your thoughts on Dead Things

[Brittany]

I've read some lately and I hope to update soonish! Its just been a crazy couple weeks with going home and everything

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

An update on what I've read lately:


is about a half-reaper, half-shinigami just trying to find her place in the world. I really enjoyed this one too! I loved the Japanese mythology aspect and just the general mythos of this world. It was very interesting and it even had some creepiness throughout it that I really enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this! It was beautifully written and just a good retelling of a myth that I feel doesn't get a lot of attention.

I read the New Fear Street series last month and ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. Fear Street Nights though, didn't quite love it. It wasn't bad, but I didn't love it as much as I was hoping I would. That's the problem with these books: they can be very hit or miss. But I did like that the Fear family and curse were a major part of the overall trilogy, which I really appreciated. I always love when the Fear family makes an appearance!

These are solid Greek mythology retellings in the form of graphic novels. I really enjoy them. Plus, they're super short and really help me out in my reading challenge (which I have fallen terribly behind in 😆)

[Jo]

Liliana wrote: "An update on what I've read lately:


is about a half-reaper, half-shinigami just trying to find her place in the world. I really enjoyed this one too! I lo..."

Glad to hear you enjoyed Galatea Lili, I've somewhat avoided it because the price of the physical book just felt like too much for something that short but it's on Audible (and apparently read by Ruth Wilson!) so I think I'll try it there!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Jo wrote: "Liliana wrote: "An update on what I've read lately:


is about a half-reaper, half-shinigami just trying to find her place in the world. I really enjoyed th..."

Yeah! I was looking at the prices and they're honestly kind of ridiculous for a short story. Luckily, my library had this one, so I borrowed it from there. Lol.

[Elena]

Ok, at this point with all the life and moving I'm so long overdue with weekly updates, so I'll just try to catch up at some point :D

- 3 stars. I read a book some time ago but had no time for recap or a proper review. The thing with the series is that it starts childish and average but with each new book becomes better and more complex. There is still the hero complex, but strangely enough, not really annoying.
- 2 stars. I messed up the order here. So I basically read this book after finishing the 15th one. And you can feel the difference, author progressed a lot, the writing style is much better in her latest books. Though I still enjoyed the atmosphere of small cozy town.
- 4 stars. That’s a rare case, when I enjoyed equally all the books in the series, the second book maybe even slightly more. I’m so into strong female MCs.
- 4 stars. I hesitated to read the book for a long time, the description screamed that it’s definitely not something I’m going to enjoy. But it was fun, interesting and extremely captivating, sometimes it’s nice to go out of your comfort zone.
- 3 stars. This retelling turned out to be a bit boring, nothing new, the story is very linear, some characters are lacking depth, though the narration is not bad. Overall I enjoyed some parts of it, but not the whole book.

[Gord]

Time for that weekly update.

Leverage in Death -5 Stars
Yet another In Death book and to no ones surprise I loved it. This was about an extreme get rich quick scheme. After 47 books there really isn't a lot that I can say about this series anymore. I simply enjoy the ongoing story, the characters, and the over arching world building.

Dead Things -3 Stars
This was a recommendation because I needed a book set in LA. Honestly on the difficulty scale for challenges it's a pretty easy one but there are just so many options that it gets overwhelming. I snagged this book because it was available on audiobook and sounded interesting. This book scratched an itch that I didn't know I needed scratched. That grittier male MC urban fantasy series. I see a lot of comparisons to Dresden in the reviews because Dresden is of course the big dog on the block but in my opinion this felt closer to Sandman Slim. The setting, the level of grit, etc. This book just reminded me more of that series. Regardless I had fun with this book. It wasn't perfect but it was a great popcorn book. Yes, the F bomb is dropped liberally throughout this book. According to one review, 182 times in 256 pages and this only the one swear word. Also, the MC gets beat up, constantly, pretty much every action scene results in our MC getting smeared across the floor, the walls, the ceiling, what ever is close and on hand. The MC is also not the most likable guy either. Now I know that this sounds like a lot of negative but there is some really interesting things in here. The hidden world of magic, the books portrayal of magic, and of course Santa Muerte being the higher power of choice. There is enough going on here that it makes me want to keep reading for now. Especially as I now need another book set in LA. Yup, that is just how some challenges happen.

On a side note I also wanted to discuss the narrator for the audiobook. His portrayal of the MC felt really good and spot on to what was put forward by the book. His other voices though ran the gambit from alright to "please just stop what ever you are trying to do". Especially his attempts at female voices. For instance the voice of Santa Muerte. At the start I was like "alright, this isn't to bad" and then it just descended into this horrible attempt at some sort of Spanish accent. I know that she is supposed to have this generic Spanish sounding voice but this voice just felt off, like really off.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life -2 Stars
Entertain me here for a second. Look off into the far distant horizon. You see that little tiny dot out there? That is the edge of what I might normally read. That is the literary fiction, the contemporary romance, the magical realism books. My wheelhouse of horror, fantasy, and mysteries can't even be seen here from the land of self help books. This was a for a couple of different challenges that needed me to read a self help book and I was not looking forward to this one. I've never read a self help book in my life and just had no interest at all in doing so. If you like reading self help books this is no shade at you. It's just not a genre that I have any interest in reading. Lets just say that this book did nothing to help with my preconceived notions of a self help books. I'll start by saying some of the messages in this book are not a bad thing. The problem is that this message comes wrapped in a frat boys level of swearing. Just to be clear, I have no issue with swearing. I swear like a sailor at times. I'm former military and have had entire conversations where the primary word used was the F bomb. Swearing can be an effective method of communication if done right. Here though it just felt like a gimmick. A way to garner attention.

Now I knew I was in for a rough ride pretty early on. I felt like I got the basic gist of things by the 20 minute mark. I then realized that I had five more hours of this book to slog through. I got pretty bored quickly after this point. This is one of those rare books that I sped things up to 1.25 speed and then eventually 1.5 just so I could get through things. While I do agree with some of the messages in this book I think that the author over simplified things several times. I don't feel that the world is black and white like that. That whole idea of "if you do this thing you are good and if not then you are bad" just isn't right. There is a grey in this world. A lot of nuances and circumstances that just doesn't fit into simple little boxes. For everything there is an exception. Hell, probably a lot of exceptions if I'm being honest. By the end, even sped up, I was just bored and wanted this book to be over. This was not a good experience for my first foray into self help books and I doubt I'll be back unless I really have to be.

Princess Jellyfish 2-in-1 Omnibus, Vol. 6 -4 Stars
This volume rather surprised me honestly. I thought that I had an idea where this story was going and this volume just tossed a lot of those ideas out the window. Or changed how I thought those ideas were going to unfold. This is an older book but I don't want to spoil anything. This book just took an unexpected turn and there is just this... how do I explain it... this real melancholy kind of feeling to things. Plans failed, life takes unexpected turns. Honestly, I was not expecting Tsukimi to do what she did. I just didn't think she had it in her and it feels out of character and yet somehow in character. I'm really looking forward to the next volume because I want to know what comes next.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 23 -4 Stars
This single volume highlights everything I love about this series and everything that I dislike about this series. When this series puts aside the silly gags and what not it has a great story. It's incredibly emotional and is a great read. The art work is amazing and I am here for what I am reading. Slight side note, this volume solidifies why Manbagi is the best character in my opinion. That is all I'm saying about that. Then this volume also shows the lows of this series. Basically, Yamai. I'm not a fan of this character and I think she is the absolute worst part of this entire series. After all the highs this book was hitting this nut bar shows up and just tanks everything. I get it, she is supposed to be a gag character but I just don't like her at all.

The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 7 -4 Stars
This series is just a treat to read and I'm glad I picked it up. I'm really looking forward to the anime that is coming out this fall for this.

Robyn Hood, Volume One -3 Star
I was bored at work on Friday. I was done my work and was essentially marking time until my vacation started so I hit up Hoopla for something to read. This is one of those "superhero" books where the female lead somehow finds the most revealing outfit possible to wear. Seriously this costume makes sense. She gets teleported into a magical version of Robin Hood. When she shows up she is wearing jeans and a hoodie and while it sticks out a bit in the setting it makes sense. She came from our timeline and it fit the character. Then the series has a time skip, the art takes a massive dip, and she suddenly has this "outfit". Where in the hell did she find it? No one else wears anything even remotely like it. She has been supposedly living in the woods for the last year so where the hell did this modern day stripper outfit come from? Considering how little fabric maybe she had it folded up in her back pocket but even then why the hell would she have it? Putting the outfit aside this was some generic violent fantasy retelling. I have to say that the whole archery thing kind of bugged me a bit. So she suddenly becomes master of the longbow but it never feels like the longbow is used as an actual longbow. A longbow has a range of 450-1000 feet yet every action scene has here using this thing from like 10 feet away or less. She would shoot someone from 10 feet away and the arrow would just barely pierce the skin. Either that bow is the weakest bow in existence or something is seriously off here. This series is just kind of meh. I might read the next one, I might not.

Now what is next? I'm on vacation for the next week or so and have a lot of things lined up.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
I'm currently listening to this on audiobook and really enjoying things so far. Plus it's actually narrated by Anthony Bourdain which just adds to the experience.

For physical books I'm not sure where I'm starting. I have a giant stack of manga that I just got from the library. I've also got Deal with the Devil that I need to get started so I can return it on time. I also have No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War I want to get read this week as well.

[Brittany]

Nice update Lili! I doubt Ill get to Galatea with it being such a short book, definitely wont pay for it but maybe from the library. Anyway, glad you liked it! I'm still torn on The Keeper of Night, I like the idea of it though!

[Brittany]

Elena, glad you enjoyed stepping out of your comfort zone! Mostly it looks like you have been reading good books. I completely agree about Hunted though, it wasn't very good.

[Brittany]

Gord great update as always. I really appreciate your thoughts on Dead Things! I'm still not sure about it though. Think I'll see how you like book 2.
Enjoy your vacation time!

[Elena]

@Lili, I'm glad you loved The Keeper, I also enjoyed the Japanese aspect and the creepiness made the book a little bit spicy. And your review of Galatea made me add it to my TBR :D

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Dead Things overall, Gord! But I think I'm gonna stick with Brittany and see what your thoughts on book 2 are first. Lol.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

@Brittany and @Elena: Yes, the library is definitely the way to go with Galatea. I really enjoyed it, but not as much as I did The Song of Achilles. But it was pretty good for a novella. And the mythology and world in The Keeper of Night was probably my favorite thing! I actually just got the sequel from the library so I'll probably be reading it soon! Which I am excited about because that ending was something. Lol.

[Elena]

@Lili yep, I've also found it in my library, so when I'm ready for Galatea, I'll just borrow it :D And I hope you'll enjoy the sequel.

[Brittany]

I finished my audio and Im not sure which one to start next. So many choices! I am trying to listen to some of the books I have on audible instead of just ones I get from the library. See how alternating between the two works for a bit. Anyway these are the one's Im thinking currently, any recommendations which one I should start?
I just listened to the first one a few days ago and quite enjoyed it
sports romance for a change of pace
Also a sports romance
romance and humour
romance and humour also
I've been meaning to read this forever... I'm just not sure I'm ready for tears!
sci-fi for a change and its Scalzi so I'm sure Ill love it, plus I love that Wil Wheaton narrates so many of his books.


There's so many more but I think I'll keep the list to this. As you can see I'm undecided genre wise! Do I want something light with a romance? To feel all the feels and cry? Enjoy a space opera? Continue with a fantasy series that reads like a fairytale?
Help!

[Jo]

I quite like the sound of the fairytale fantasy series!

[Brittany]

Thanks Jo! I think that is what I am going to read

[Jo]

Enjoy!

[Brittany]

I will! Love her writing and the audios for these are so good!

[Elena]

I totally agree with you both. Tower of Thorns is probably magical as her other books. As I recall, she also has very lyrical descriptions of nature.

[Brittany]

She really does Elena. I love the fairy tale feeling I get reading them.

[Gord]

I'm doing a bit of an early update this week. I'm on vacation and have been reading a tiny wee bit. I'm also going to an anime convention for the next few days so I'll be pretty busy over the weekend.

Deal with the Devil -1 Star
Let's get this stinking dud out of the way first shall we. One of the groups I'm a part of was planning buddy reads for this year and this was one of the candidates on the list. The series name hooked me in hard and then seeing comparisons to Ilona Andrews made me justifiably intrigued. The series name is Mercenary Librarians and I'm sure you can see why someone like me would be intrigued by that name. My brain conjures up all types of ideas about battle hardened librarians braving the wastelands to bring back scraps of information from the old world. What I got was this boring romantic drivel about perfect people having perfect sex and generally just being perfect unless the author needed them to suddenly be as dumb as a post for a specific story beat. It's your bog standard paranormal romance with a very slight sci-fi paint job. I have so many complaints about this book so lets get started.

This author either can't write action or didn't want it in her action series. Early on there is a scene where our main party is overwhelmed by bandits and it's looking tense. Then conveniently all the bandits happened to have the same old tech and our party just happened to have this "device" that could disable this old tech. One wave of this McGuffin thingie and the scene is done and we are back to driving through the country. The worst example though is a little after this. The main part finds themselves in a situation where two of the men have to participate in a cage fight. Now this is a perfect time for some brutal action as you have two jacked up super humans beating the ever living tar out of each other in a steel cage. Instead of this bone rattling action we get the MC's holding hands for the first time and all the tingly feelings. Then another character gets their romantic set up, outside, away from the cage match. Every time the book would pan over to the cage match it would then quickly pan away to something else and it was so frustrating.

Then the book itself just felt pointless. The whole set up for deceit and backstabbing amounted to nothing when the big reveal was basically wrapped up in seconds and then everyone was BFF's. The big treasure hunt/heist was a nothing burger when it's revealed that the thing was Atlanta all along. I don't care about spoiling this either as we don't even get a resolution to this story point until the epilogue. This super important trove of information that everyone has being searching for since the end days and it's hand waved away in the epilogue. Oh, oh, oh, one other thing. Gothic villain eyes. No idea what that means? Neither do I but it was used half a billion times to describe one of the love interests.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly -4 Stars
Now we can get to the better stuff. I'm on a bit of a nonfiction kick as this is the genre selected for a monthly genre challenge that I'm participating in. I'm familiar with Anthony Bourdain from his TV shows and I rather enjoyed watching them. When I saw this book on one of the lists I had to pick from it seemed like an easy choice. One of the nice things I found with this audiobook is that it was narrated by Anthony Bourdain himself. It just added this level of connection to the story. Instead of someone telling you a story about Anthony Bourdain it was him telling you his story. Combine that with his voice and his story telling abilities and it was just a great experience. I got to learn a bit more about the man, his early career, and the food scene in New York.

No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War -4 Stars
Last week I ranted a bit about the not so good self help book that I had to read. The one nice thing that came from that book was that it led me to this book. Don't get me wrong the self help book was still bad and his portrayal of this man was frustrating but it led me to something interesting. This is the memoir of Hiroo Onoda, one of the last Japanese hold outs at the end of WWII. He continued fighting in the Philippine jungle for 30 years until he finally stood down in 1974. It was an interesting glimpse into what they had to do to survive, the struggles they faced, and how they justified the continuance of the war. It's so easy to look at it with modern eyes and modern standards like that self help book did and judge them harshly for what they did. I feel like it's a lot more of a complicated issue involving different times, different cultures, and different ideologies. Now I will admit that the book glosses over things or downplays them. For instance the author talks about merely shooting near the locals to scare them away. It's well documented though that he and the others he was with murdered a lot of people. At least 30 people from what I've read. I'm definitely glad that I found this book and gave it read.

Princess Jellyfish 2-in-1 Omnibus, Volume 7 -4 Stars
I'm coming up on the end of this story, two more omnibus editions, and it kind of feels like it. It kind of feels like things are moving into place, maybe. I'm just trying to figure out Kai and what his scheme is. I'm not sure if he is the "villain", a love rival, just a greasy dude, a sympathetic character, some combination of those. Regardless I've requested the last two volumes and I'm going full steam ahead.

Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 3 (Volume 3) -4 Stars
Run on Your New Legs, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
This series is just such an interesting glimpse in the world of para athletes and what is involved with it. It's also a glimpse into what life was like during the big C in Tokyo. I discovered though that this series is only 5 books long and that is a bummer as I feel like it's just getting started. I know it's not the story that can go on and on like One Piece or Case Closed but I feel like there is still stories to be told here.

As for what is next that is a billion dollar question.

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century I've started this one on audiobook and so far it's a bit dry but interesting.

Broken Souls I think this might be the next audiobook I work on this weekend while waiting in line.

As for stuff that is not audiobooks *shrugs* I am really not sure. I've got a bunch of manga from the library, as usual, but I'm not lugging those around with me at the con. I'm thinking of just downloading some light novels and reading them on my phone.

[Brittany]

Nice Gord! That No Surrender book sounds interesting. Not someone I really know anything about.

[Elena]

A small catch-up update :D Still more books left to recap and review.

- 4 stars. What I really like about the series is the magical world and the atmosphere. And with each new book the writing style improves, there is more depth to the characters, more maturity and the plot also becomes more complicated.
- 3 stars. The book has charm, the romance is pretty good, but there are issues with the tech lines. Though tech is the major part of the book, it actually feels off. Probably not enough research on the topic, I had the same issue with most of the romantic stories with a major tech topic involved.
- 3 stars. First book was slightly better, but overall both are average. With a setting like that, strong female character, lots of secrets intrigues, plus asian culture and one of the most interesting stories to retell, I expected more.

[Brittany]

Elena I get that feeling you have with tech topics as I feel the same often with medical based settings.
Too bad about the Flame in the Mist series and not meeting expectations. I've heard that from a few people.

[Jo]

I think we all feel that way to some extent with our areas of expertise, I've definitely felt that way a lot when people make basic historical errors in their historical fiction (though I tend to find historical fiction authors do way more research that it seems writers for period dramas on TV do because WOW, sometimes they really do get the most basic things wrong). I've not read too many books featuring journalists but the ones I have read have definitely had some basic errors around ethics and had their characters do things that would mean real journalists would lose their jobs.

[Elena]

@Brittany, @Jo Yeah, probably for each sphere it's the same. Because of tech being a pretty new line in romance, I was lucky not to bump into those discrepancies much.

[Brittany]

basic historical errors are the worst Jo.

[Elena]

One more update, I'm still trying to catch up with those, it's hard.

- 3 stars. It was a nice romantic story, very cute, uplifting and heartfelt. The timing was perfect as I really needed to slow down and get some rest at the point when I was reading the book.
- 5 stars. I’ve started the series in March 2020 and it took me almost 3 years to finish the series. I even re-read the first 2 books at some point and yeah, all of them were good!
- 3 stars. Classical case of the mediocre sequel. I loved the first book for it’s great world-building, cultural aspects, interesting ideas and confrontation. The build-up set in the first book was good and I expected something interesting to come. Probably as usual, the expectations were high and the second book never met them. Though the writing style is beautiful and very descriptive.
- 3 stars. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the plot much, the writing style was average and the characters very bland.