What are you reading 2024

[Gord]

Time for that weekly update and I have some novels to talk about this week.

Snowed In -2 Stars
This was a challenge book that helped with a lot of challenges but as you can tell from the rating I did not have a good time with this one. Before I get to my criticisms of this book I do want to acknowledge that this book was not written for me. That I am very far removed from the core demographic of this book. That out of the way lets get to my criticisms of the book.

Basically young girl moves to Michigan from Texas. She doesn't want a boyfriend and only dates boys for fun. That was until she met local hot lumberjack/jock/carpenter guy and she starts feeling all tingly. The amount of repetition in this book is astronomical. I don't know how many times we needed to be reminded that it's cold outside (no duh! you're in Michigan in the winter), that she doesn't want a boyfriend, and just how hot this guy was. It was just a constant rotation of this repetitive drivel. There is also the constant flow of all the tropes that we also need to get reminded of constantly. The tingly feelings, the curling toes, the butterflies in the stomach, the flushed/hot face, etc. There is also the fact that hot guy is actually in a relationship with someone and doesn't say anything. Then when it does come out they both keep fooling around with each other. Great, cheating and it being promoted as no big deal. Then we get some extra weirdness tossed in. The parents of these two prize winning cheaters are both single. They are in the process of hooking up in this book as well. While not incest or anything it's drifting out there into that weird territory for sure. The characters have no real depth to them and are just there to fill their role in this story. Overall I was just bored and looking forward to the book finally being over.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) 1 -4 Stars
I originally found the anime of this sometime last year and devoured the first season in a couple of days. After finishing the second season I really wanted to find the source material. This is of course one of those properties that has both a manga and a light novel version. My local library carried this weird mix where they have the first few books in the series in manga form and then the later ones in light novel. After some digging I finally found a copy of the light novel version through the library system and the wait was well worth it.

This book was just so much fun to read. It's that trope where our MC gets summoned to another world to be the chosen one. When she arrives she is not alone though and there is a lot of confusion as to who is actually the chosen one. The crown prince snubs our MC and picks the other person who was accidentally summoned. Our MC is annoyed at this but convinced to stick around for at least a little bit until things are sorted out. She finds a research facility on the palace grounds that studies herbs and potions. She wants to join them and since the palace doesn't want to upset her anymore grants her permission. This is where it settles into the flow of the book as she slowly comes in to her powers, she learns more about life in this world, makes friends and allies, and finds a little bit of romance as well. This is definitely more of a slow burn on all fronts. The first book covers something like seven months and she has discovered a couple things about her magic. We the reader know that she is in fact the chosen one but the one person who can confirm this in the world is currently in a coma. On the romance side of things I like the slower pace. Both characters are busy adults who have things on the go so they can't spend every waking moment together. She is inexperienced in the romance department and the MMC is from a noble family so there is a lot of denial about everything but things are coming around. It's just a sweet and charming book that I want more of.

Now to my usual comics and manga

Tomb Raider King, Vol. 1 -4 Stars
This was a random snag from the library and it's not bad. You can definitely see the influence from things like Solo Leveling but that doesn't make it any less fun. Dungeons appear in the world, people raid the dungeons for relics, our MC is a relic hunter, he gets screwed over by a partner and left to die, gets a powerful gift that gives him a second chance. That second chance is being teleported into the past just before the dungeons became public knowledge. Using all of his experience and knowledge of what happened he moves to get these relics first. It's a simple story but it is fun to read. Seeing how he uses his knowledge, seeing how these dungeons work, etc. Now I have the usual problem with my library. They only have the one volume and I want more.

Dark Gathering, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
Man this series just keeps getting better and better. I'm loving the creepy nature of this series and we are now starting on a story arc of going out to the most cursed sites in Japan. We also see that things are truly getting harder as our MC's barely got out of this one. Of course, now that I am hooked in deep I find myself caught up and waiting for the library to get the next volume.

The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 6 -4 Stars
The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 7 -4 Stars
Yet another series that I am caught up on and wanting more. It feels like a theme this week and it's not a great feeling. Especially with this one as the series is now caught up with the anime and I was finally getting into all new material. The seventh volume ends with the location for his next quest and right before they can depart the book ends. Hurry up with the publishing already so I can get the next one.

SAKAMOTO DAYS 10 -4 Stars
In case you haven't seen the theme yet this week this is yet another series that I am caught up on, the library doesn't have the next book yet, and I want to read more. I think I need to find where the desk is for who ever is responsible for ordering things so I can go set up shop there. I can just slip recommendations out to them from under the desk as I discover new shiny things. As for this book the story arc involving the assassin school continues. Some interesting fights and chase scenes. This feels like we are now getting to some bigger story moments coming up and of course I'm back to waiting.

Komi Can't Communicate, Vol. 27 -3 Stars
The one series this week that I'm not as invested in. As mentioned before the shine of this series has definitely worn off for me. I really feel like the author has ran out of steam on this and is just making up things as he goes along. There was a big section of this book that was dedicated to a Komi version of Among Us and bleh. I have nothing against the game but all the memes and what not have run their course in my mind and this just feels like lazily tapping into what ever was popular at the time. Not sure why I am still reading this but for what ever reason the next volume will just show up for me to pick up so I read it. Spacing it out probably helps.

Here are my plans for the upcoming week.

Hell Divers
After that Snowed In book I felt the need to purge myself of it. This has been an audiobook floating around on my radar for a few years and with the second game everywhere right now I felt it was a good time to check it out.

On the physical front I have Clown in a Cornfield 2, some more Made in Abyss, some Barbarella, and a Webtoon book called Hooky. Basically, another packed week of reading as I chase due dates at the library.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Gord it sounds like you had the same terrible luck this week as me when it came to romances 😭 I'm glad the comics and manga saved it for you though

[Jo]

Finished earlier in the week, I enjoyed it on the whole but it felt like it did try to cover a little too much history in not quite enough page space, the actual polio vaccine part was barely the last few chapters of the book!

Started , very excited as it has been ages since I've read any Kate Quinn.

[Brittany]

Liliana wrote: "I finished last week and... good god I almost DNF'd it. I am so bad at DNFing books, and I wish I wasn't because this book just made me mad. This was..."

Oh no!! That makes 2 people I know who hated Raiders of the Lost Heart. I was so excited for that one, I have it loaded up as one of my next audios... Have a feeling Ill be DNFing it as that is all things I hate too.

[Brittany]

Gord The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) sounds really good! Hope it isnt too much of a wait for you for book 2.

[Brittany]

Jo I am starting Phoenix Crown right away too! I am so upset I missed the book talk here with both authors. Happened during the day while I was at work!

[Jo]

Brittany wrote: "Jo I am starting Phoenix Crown right away too! I am so upset I missed the book talk here with both authors. Happened during the day while I was at work!"

I so wish Kate Quinn would come to the UK! I love her books so much. If you wanna chat about Phoenix Crown whilst we read, I would def be up for that :)

[Brittany]

Absolutely! Ill make a thread for us :)

[Gord]

Time for that weekly wrap up and I don't really have a lot to talk about really. This was not a strong week of reading for me. I was getting rides in the morning due to the cold which cut into my audiobook time. I also had a ton of DVD stuff to get back to the library this week so it was more watching stuff this week then reading.

Made in Abyss, Vol. 3 -4 Stars
Made in Abyss, Vol. 4 -4 Stars
I love this series but man can it be rough to read at times and I'm not talking bad writing or anything. This series get pretty intense at times and the third volume is definitely where the kiddie gloves come off. I don't want to spoil anything but lets just say that there is a scene in the third volume that made me pause before reading it. I knew it was coming and I still had to take a break, prepare myself mentally, and I still needed a kick to get through it. If you know me and what I can read that should give you a good idea how intense things were. I'm not joking when I said this series gets intense and to be careful entering it. As odd as this might sound I do plan to continue on as I want to see where this series will go as I'm now into all new material.

Hooky -3 Stars
This is another Webtoon adaptation and I wanted to like this one. It's a magic world where witches and normal people are clashing and there is a history of bad blood. At the center of the are two twins from a long standing family of powerful witches. They were supposed to be going to magic school when they miss their bus. Instead of facing their parents they go on the run basically. I enjoy the two main leads, I enjoy the side characters, the world is interesting. I think my biggest problem with this book is just the story. It really felt like the story had a hard time committing to something and was more interested in teasing the reader along. The story would set up a story line and instead of giving us a clear direction of where it's going it just keeps dragging it out. A little misdirection, a little teasing things along is all fine but at some point it just gets frustrating and I want story points to be settled so that we can move on to the next thing. I'm going to give the next book a shot but I really hope the story starts to pick up at some point.

Barbarella: Woman Untamed -DNF
I blame my reading mood on this comic right here and be forewarned this is probably going to turn into a bit of a rant. Barbarella is a name that has come up a few times for me in my life. It's from the 60's and is about the super sexy space lady having adventures and I was always kind of curious what it was all about. This book popped up in the new arrivals at the library and I figured I'd give it a shot. This comic turned out to be a shining example of my issue with Western comics. See I'm new to Barbarella and I want to know more about the character and the franchise so I pick up the first book in a series and I'm absolutely lost. The book tells me nothing about the character, nothing about the world it's set in, just nothing at all. I'm dumped into the middle of a story line and expected to know everything already. I have no idea who Barbarella is, I have no idea what motivates her, I have no idea why she is doing these things, and yet I'm supposed to be invested in her plight. Same with the world. We are introduced to these revolutionaries but there is no explanation outside of this super generic "were fighting against big corpo" kind of spiel. Who are these people, what are they rebelling against, what is their goal, why should I care? Needless to say it didn't take me long to simply get bored with things. I just wasn't invested in anything or anyone and I didn't care about what was happening. I got maybe a third of the way into this book before simply tossing it.

As for what is next..., yes, that is all I read this week. It hasn't been a good week for me.

Hell Divers
I'm a little over halfway into this book and I'm really enjoying it. This is scratching an itch I've had for a long time and was never able to find the right book to scratch it with. I'll get into it more next weekend after I finish this book.

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives
I'm a little over 60% into this one and it's not bad but I'm not blown away either. I feel like I'm simply marking time until the clowns show up and people start dying.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives
This is the other novel I need to get to this week so I can get it back to the library next weekend. Outside of this book I have a few volumes of manga to get to as well. Hopefully next week is a better week of reading for me.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Brittany wrote: "Liliana wrote: "I finished last week and... good god I almost DNF'd it. I am so bad at DNFing books, and I wish I wasn't because this book just made ..."

Everyone I have talked to has had the same feelings about it 😭 One of them was stronger than me and actually DNFd it. Lol. It just had so much potential! I'm curious to hear your thoughts if you actually read it. Good luck! 😅

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

This week I finished two books! That's more than my usual one 😂 The first one I finished was which was such a nice palette cleanser after Raiders of the Lost Heart (still mad about that one). But this is Marissa Meyer so I knew I was going to like it. It was really fun and cute and I loved how geeky it was!

Then I read which I also enjoyed. I started this series ELEVEN years ago, and I'm only just finishing the series now 😂 But I liked it! It was really fun! I liked the mysteries, the characters, the world, and all the mythos!

[Brittany]

Gord it must get crazy intense to have that kind of reaction for you. Be neat to get into the new material though Im sure.
Slower reading weeks happen!

[Brittany]

Lili it sounds like I need luck to try and read it lol! If I didnt have the audio out already I probably wouldnt but im just curious at what level of terrible it is!
Also yay for finishing a series you've had waiting for 11 years!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Oh girl, you're going to need both luck and patience! 😂

[Brittany]

Haha! Bets on how far I get before I dnf it?

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Ooh, I think before 50%. That's the point where I almost DNFd it. Lol. It didn't get better 🫠 Lol

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

I'm currently reading which is a book I beta read in January... the finished copy is so different. It's exciting to see some of the changes based off my feedback though.

Also still reading Not going to lie, it's a struggle for me. I've read half of it physically and switched to audio to see if I can finish it. I am liking the audio a little bit more.

Honestly I'm feeling super slumpy. Even though I am loving my current read I just don't feel motivated to pick anything up right now. I'm getting through audios much quicker than physical books right now, which is weird for me.

[Brittany]

That is super cool to see changes based on your feedback in a finished book like that Kay! I assume its so different in a good way from the beta read?
I was hoping you'd like Lightning Thief but it is so middle grade Im not super surprised you are struggling with it some.
That is an odd thing for you with audios. Hopefully you get out of the slump feeling.


Im in a I'd rather look at books to add to my tbr then actually read anything mood.

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

I am liking The Lightning Thief more on audio, so it might be a series I do audios for. I think I'd have loved it if I'd have read it when I was younger, but I may have left it just a little bit too late.

[Brittany]

I think so too. Even though I have the nostalgia from them, I read the original ones at 19ish, I now struggle some to continue in the world. After reading the Jason series I decided I probably wouldn't continue. Glad you are enjoying it more on audio though!
I just finished season 1 of the tv series. Now to see if there will be a season 2.

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

That's why I'm determined to finish the first book at least. I want to read it before I watch the TV show.

[Elena]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "I am so glad you loved The Prison Healer. It's one of my favourite series"

Indeed! I've also added it to my all-time favorites and will even re-read at some point.

[Elena]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Just a small update from me this week. I didn't read much with me being back to work.

- read this for my book club and I'm so glad this was chosen. I absolutely ..."

I'm glad you loved Spoiler Alert. My favorite part in the book were also characters. I usually prefer to read about normal people, not all those ideal women in their 18-25-ish with perfect bodies etc. That's great that nowadays authors write more about not perfect, but adorable, kind and interesting personalities.

[Elena]

Liliana wrote: "I finished last week and... good god I almost DNF'd it. I am so bad at DNFing books, and I wish I wasn't because this book just made me mad. This was..."

So sad you didn't like the first book, but the second one sounds so good! And I'd love to hear your thoughts on Patient Zero when you finish it.

[Elena]

And a small update. I recently finished some interesting books and even re-reads.

5 stars. That book destroyed me for the whole day. I’ve read it in one sitting, I just couldn’t not to. The whole time it keeps you on edge, waiting and waiting for something really bad to happen. And when it happens, it’s like glass, thrown on a marble floor from a very high building, when all that’s left is just dust, particles of glass. That’s how I felt after reading it.
4 stars. That was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t like the first 3 books, but the fourth is only slightly related to the series. The main characters are different and there are no nasty dirty smut scenes, which makes the romantic story extremely cute and wholesome.
5 stars. This book for me is an iconic fairy tale, it has everything. Witches, stars, magic, heroes and of course romance, lots of romance. Even re-reading the book for whoever knows how many times, it’s still charming, calming and captivating. Like my personal happy cozy place.
4 stars. I read the first book a while ago and kinda liked it, though it wasn’t the best. To be honest, I love the second one more. It’s more complex, well-crafted, and the author's skills drastically improved. There is also more depth to the main characters, more dimensions to the secondary ones. I love how the other gods are introduced… and oh that moon god!

[Brittany]

Loving your reactions to the Prison Healer series Elena! Great description of your feelings for Gilded Cage.
Seems like you had some really good reads

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

I've been very meh about my reading lately but I did finally finish:

- Honestly I liked this book. Did I love it as much as everyone else does? No. It was sad but I didn't think it was as sad as everyone makes it out to be. Like of course it was going to be tragic, it's Greek Mythology.I rated it 3 stars.

This was fun but I do feel like I've left it too late to read it as it was only okay for me. It was cute so I gave it 3.5 stars but I didn't LOVE it as most people do.

[Brittany]

Oh I agree it was going to be sad its Greek Myth. I just loved the portrayal of the story from another point of view and how prideful and flawed the characters were as well as leaving Achilles as such a selfish hero. More important though for me was that Patroclus became so much more than just Achilles lover.
Totally fair that you didn't love it though! Glad you still liked it

Hope you find something you really love next!

[Brittany]

Alright, I've started lets see how quickly this gets unbearable. 8% in so far and its okay

[Brittany]

im in chapter 4, 20% in. Feels like so little has actually happened. The setting idea is great but the characters all kinda suck

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Elena wrote: "Liliana wrote: "I finished last week and... good god I almost DNF'd it. I am so bad at DNFing books, and I wish I wasn't because this book just made ..."

I really enjoyed Patient Zero! It was very informative! If you're interested in nonfiction books that are more medical science in nature, Patient Zero is a pretty good one! I enjoyed Quackery by these same authors as well!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Elena wrote: "And a small update. I recently finished some interesting books and even re-reads.

5 stars. That book destroyed me for the whole day. I’ve read it in one sittin..."

Oh I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed The Empress of Time more than the first book! I read The Keeper of Night last year and I really liked it! I've been meaning to read the sequel for a while now, but my mood hasn't cooperated lol

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "I've been very meh about my reading lately but I did finally finish:

- Honestly I liked this book. Did I love it as much as everyone else does? No. It was..."

I loved The Song of Achilles, but I'm not gonna lie, when I re-read Percy Jackson this past December, I didn't love it as much as I did the first time I read it either. I think for me now it would probably be a 4-star read? Which is still not bad, but I definitely did not love it as much as I once did.

I hope you get out of the slumpiness soon and find a book you really love because slumpy moods are never fun 😩

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Brittany wrote: "im in chapter 4, 20% in. Feels like so little has actually happened. The setting idea is great but the characters all kinda suck"

A whole lot of nothing happens in this book tbh. If you're wanting action and adventure, you're gonna be disappointed... like I was lol. But the idea of the setting was nice! I was also very intrigued by all the Aztec stuff!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Today I finished and I really liked it! It was very informative and easy to read. I think I like Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by these authors more just because the writing in that one was a little more sassy. Lol. But I get why the writing in Patient Zero was more serious since it was dealing with, well, serious topics. But it was all very interesting and I enjoyed learning about where certain diseases came from and how these diseases were initially perceived and treated and how medicine and science have evolved over the years.

Next I'm going to be starting , another romance, surprisingly. Hopefully this one will be better because it sounds so good!

[Brittany]

Lili I agree a whole lot of nothing. It wasnt good but didnt find it terrible. Then I hit the 54% mark and now I think I'm done. I was listening at 2.25 so it was easy enough to ignore some of the douche comments and things but ugh. (view spoiler)[ the whole im the boss stuff and their ridiculousness after the kiss. Just the whole "hate" dynamic isnt working for me. Both characters are awful. I wish the snake bit her and then him and put everyone out of their misery. (hide spoiler)] Wanna just tell me if anything interesting happens and well how the dig ends since you suffered through it?

[Brittany]

Liliana wrote: "Today I finished and I really liked it! It was very informative and easy to read. I think I like [book:Quackery: A..."

Glad Patient Zero was good. It does sound interesting!

Good luck with your next romance. It has similar ratings so hope its better?

[Brittany]

Brittany wrote: "Lili I agree a whole lot of nothing. It wasnt good but didnt find it terrible. Then I hit the 54% mark and now I think I'm done. I was listening at 2.25 so it was easy enough to ignore some of the ..."

Also I've never read an Ali Hazelwood book but now Im hesitant to try with her name on the cover with a quote.

[Elena]

Liliana wrote: "I really enjoyed Patient Zero! It was very informative! If you're interested in nonfiction books that are more medical science in nature, Patient Zero is a pretty good one! I enjoyed Quackery by these same authors as well!"

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check those two out as I am indeed interested in medical science in nature and all the natural ways to cure yourself.

[Elena]

Liliana wrote: "Oh I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed The Empress of Time more than the first book! I read The Keeper of Night last year and I really liked it! I've been meaning to read the sequel for a while now, but my mood hasn't cooperated lol"

Haha, exactly the same as I felt at first, but the book was free to take in my library, so I just went for it and didn't regret. Author's writing and storytelling skill definitely progressed.

[Elena]

@Lili @Brittany I wonder why you guys even picked Raiders of the Lost Heart :D For me everything in this book screams 'DON'T READ ME!' From the title to the description and the cover, so cheesy and and not in a good way. 😂

[Brittany]

Elena wrote: "@Lili @Brittany I wonder why you guys even picked Raiders of the Lost Heart :D For me everything in this book screams 'DON'T READ ME!' From the title to the description and the cover, so cheesy and..."

Lol fair! But I thought there was so much potential in the setting and I like tomb raider! But alas, it's terrible

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

@Brittany I saw that quote by Ali Hazelwood too and it makes me reluctant to read her books as well. Which is a shame because they actually sound like they would be decent.

But yeah, literally nothing happens in that book. Well, things happen, but they're dumb things. Lol. (view spoiler)[The third act conflict I saw coming as soon as it was brought up in the beginning that whats-his-face (I already forgot his name lol) basically stole this expedition (and the apprenticeship all those years ago) from Corrie. She finds out and she is rightly upset. HOWEVER, she forgives him so fast! Why? Because he's hot and wanted to have sex with him again 🙄 And she felt bad about his mom. She actually ends up paying for his mother's living situation during the time when she's "mad" at him.

As for the sad excuse of a plot, the action didn't show until 91% into the book. 91%!! It turned out that the guy who was funding the expedition was a smuggler and he didn't actually get them the permits to dig there. So then they're dealing with the Mexican authorities PLUS a couple of the bossman's men. Oh! They did end up finding the remains and the knife. It was anticlimactic. She is not descended from the guy and she was sad but I didn't care. Lol.

Anyway, the bad guy steals the knife and he and Ford somehow end up in the river. Remember how it is constantly stated what a badass Corrie is and we hadn't seen any of that badassery at all?? Well, I was like, "Here we go! This is her time to shine!" The bad guy is holding on to Ford in the river and it looks like they're not gonna make it so she comes in and gives the guy a kick or two until he lets go of Ford and that's it. She pulls Ford from the river (not before he was stabbed). But that's the extent of her badassery. To say I was severely disappointed is an understatement. Anyway, Ford is lying there dramatically, "dying." I almost cried during this scene. Not because Ford was supposedly dying, but because this scene made me cringe so bad and I just wanted it to be over! It was like a bad telenovela... actually, not even. Telenovelas can actually be good and entertaining, and this was not 😭 And then the epilogue a year later... it was ridiculous. The way it was written, trying to make us think that Ford died... I rolled my eyes so hard they almost fell out of my head. He was just on another expedition and she just missed him 🙄 (hide spoiler)]

As for The Spy and I, it's actually really good so far! I read about half of it yesterday and I am enjoying it! The romance is cute and they're actually taking the time to sit down and get to know each other! I could cry 😭 Lol. But we'll see how the second half goes. But so far so good!

@Elena, that is EXACTLY why I picked it up! 😂 The cover and title sounded really fun and cute! But it was neither fun NOR cute 😒 I could've dealt with cheesy, I don't mind cheesy, but this book was just not good 😬

[Brittany]

Lol! I am so glad I quit. It actually gets worse by the sounds of it. Thanks for giving me the little that happens!

Glad Spy and I is good for you so far!

[Brittany]

Speaking of good romances, it isn't officially out until June but I just finished and quite enjoyed it. Solid 4 stars. Good premise, great first line, setting is beautiful in the Yukon. The characters are fleshed out and actually talk and are realistic. Recommend. I was a bit worried of her writing something so different than her normal but I shouldn't have been.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Kelley Armstrong wrote a romance??? I did not know this! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it though! All we ask is for characters that are fleshed out and know how to communicate... that's it! Lol.

[Brittany]

Yes! Its her first one and you should totally read it when it comes out in June!!

[Gord]

Time for another weekly update and this week I have novels to talk about.

Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives -3 Stars
As many of you probably know I was a fan of the first book in this series and I have been meaning to read the second for a while now. Thanks to a buddy read I finally got around to reading it and meh. It tried to capture the feeling of the first book and just ended up feeling kind of lackluster. By the end of the book I can kind of see what the author was trying to do and see the message but I think there was something that just kind of fell apart in the execution. The drama between Cole and Rust felt pointless and ate up way to much page space. The character motivations didn't make sense at times. Then there is the big epic climax. In the first book it felt great with all sorts of twist and turns that just kept the reader engaged. In this one, as mentioned above, it tried to do that but it just didn't have that same "wow" factor. There were a couple reveals that I just didn't care about, very little action, and then it just kind of ended. Stepping back from the book and seeing that there is a third and the author is talking of maybe even more in the future I think this book also suffers from middle-book-itis. Especially the ending where it's more of a set up for things to come then an actual conclusion to anything. The book was still entertaining at least and I'm here to buddy read the third one when it comes out later this year.

Hell Divers -4 Stars
One of the formative series for me growing up was the post-apocalyptic series Deathlands. No, it's not peak literature or anything. In fact they are cheap pulp novels about a post nuclear world but it really helped shaped what I pictured a post-apocalyptic world to be. That gritty and unforgiving world full of all sorts of horrors both human and monstrous. These were basically men's adventure novels full of guns, action, and women. These type of novels just aren't really made now a days and I've never really found something that quite scratched that itch until this series. This is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity lives on floating airships above the earth. To keep these ships afloat brave men and women dive to the planet surface to find supplies. Simple premise but man is it oh so satisfying to read. There is tons of action, tons of adventure, and just a fun read. This book was also great at setting the stakes. I swear the climax of the book started at about the 50% mark and just kept raising the stakes from there. I don't want to spoil the ending but it was a twist that I never saw coming and I'm very curious about the next book.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives -5 Stars
This was a random snag from the library and was a surprise hit for me. It's tagged as a cozy mystery and I guess it fits in a very broad sense. This is not a mystery in the sense that there was a crime that was committed of that there is some sort of bad guy running around. It's a simple story about a father and daughter connecting people with long lost food dishes. The story is a collection of loosely interconnected short stories all centered around the Kamogawa restaurant. This is not a place you could easily find on your own as there is no signage up outside and the only advertising is a single sentence in a gourmet magazine. The owner simply believes that if you find his place then it was meant to be and neither him or his daughter want anything to do with all that online weirdness. They have no menu and don't charge for their detective services. They simply provide you with an account and you can pay whatever you feel the services were worth to you. The short stories all have the same format where we follow the guest for the story and are split into two parts. The first part is the guest finding the place, eating some amazing sounding food, talking to the daughter about what they want found, and setting up a return date. The second half is them coming back, trying the dish, an emotional reveal, and them leaving. Broken down like that it sounds really basic and simple but the execution is simply wonderful. In a very short time you get a great feel for the guest character and their story. A few of the big emotional reveals at the end had me in tears. It felt unique and cozy even while sometimes dealing with heavier subject matter. It was just one of those books that felt special and made me glad that I read books.

His Majesty the Demon King's Housekeeper Vol. 5 -3 Stars
More fantasy housekeeping. It sounds odd but it's a fun little read.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 3—Stardust Crusaders, Vol. 3 -4 Stars
Where do I even start with this one. This had some of the weirdest fights I've probably seen in a really long time. In particular the fight between Joseph Joestar and the Empress stand. This felt like the most bizarre and over the top version of a childhood game of "stop hitting yourself" except your controlled hand isn't trying to hit you, it's trying to kill you. I don't know how else to explain it other then that. It was so strange and yet amazing. This might a bit early but I don't feel like the main JoJo, Jotaro Kujo, is the strongest character or JoJo we've seen yet. He is just kind of this brooding character in the background that really doesn't do a lot. That might be because of the larger cast of side characters but he just kind of feels like he is there and not much else.

Here is where I get to talk about what is next for me.

With the Fire on High
This is my next audiobook and so far it has been interesting. It's a challenge book and kind of outside the realms of what I normally read. Hopefully it continues to be good and I have great things to say next week.

Role Playing
This was another random snag from the library and probably the biggest question mark in my current library pile. On the plus side it's a nerdy romance with older characters then I normally see in romance novels. I'm just wondering if this one of those romance novels that I'm just not a fan of or if it will be one of those ones that I really get into.

Outside of these two I have a monster stack of library books out, more than I can read in the allotted time really, and so I'm just going to be finishing up ones that I can't renew and go from there.

[Brittany]

Great update Gord. Glad you found something to scratch that post-apocalypse itch.
Role Playing is supposed to be a good romance! Very different books from your normal right now.

[Gord]

Brittany wrote: "Great update Gord. Glad you found something to scratch that post-apocalypse itch.
Role Playing is supposed to be a good romance! Very different books from your normal right now."

This week has been a highlight of my strange reading habits. Killer clowns, post-apocalyptic action adventure, cozy food based book, JoJo.