What are you reading 2024

[Brittany]

Having Eclectic tastes is just more fun

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

Brittany wrote: "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, settin..."

I'm going to have to read this. Kelley Armstrong is going to the event I am going to in September.

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

Feel like I am finally getting out of my slump.

Finished which I loved. I actually beta read this one and it was so cool to see the changes that were influenced by some of my comments. I gave it 5 stars.

Also finished which is a prequel novella for J Bree's current epic fantasy series. I really enjoyed this one and gave it 4 stars. Currently reading the second prequel novella now before I go on to the first book in the series.

[Brittany]

Kay I hope you enjoy it! And enjoy seeing Kelley in person. She's such an awkward introvert but loves meeting with fans. Shes just fabulous.

[Brittany]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Feel like I am finally getting out of my slump.

Finished which I loved. I actually beta read this one and it was so cool to see the changes that were influ..."

That's awesome you are leaving the slump behind!

Will the love triangle annoy the hell out of me for Rise of the Melody?

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

Brittany wrote: "Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Feel like I am finally getting out of my slump.

Finished which I loved. I actually beta read this one and it was so cool to see ..."

No. I don't really see it as a love triangle. At least it didn't come off that way to me in this first book. I can't say whether it's going to go in that direction in the next book.

[Brittany]

Okay thanks Kay! I trust your judgement on that completely. Ill add it to the tbr and see if I can get it from the library

Currently listening to and loving

[Gord]

Time for one of my weekly updates and this has been an interesting week of reading. I was kind of stepping outside of what I normally read and had a great time doing so.

Role Playing -4 Stars
This was another one of my random snags, probably from something I saw on Goodreads. I was a bit hesitant heading into this as I wasn't sure if this was going to be a romance I enjoyed or one I loathed reading. As you can tell by my rating I enjoyed this one. I was a little hesitant in the beginning as it was setting up both characters and their stories as I still wasn't sure what type of romance it was going to be. Once it got going though I quickly became charmed with the characters and their romance. There was no instant fated romance, there was no love triangle, there was none of that negative stuff. The FMC was 48 and the MC was 50 which is a massive positive as it wasn't the usual teens or early twenty something romance story. Both had their own history, hangups, and responsibilities as one would expect from a longer life. This isn't a massive spoiler or anything but I loved that the ending wasn't "they kissed/had sex/what ever and the world was perfect and there was never any problems again". It was just another step in life. Some things changed, some things didn't. I also have to say that I loved the representation in this book. I won't spoil anything but someone in this book has a different sexuality and it's not treated like it's the their defining character trait. It's merely part of who they are. Part of many other things that makes them a person.

With the Fire on High -5 Stars
I snagged this one up to help with a challenge that I was stuck on. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary novels as a rule but the synopsis sounded interesting enough. This book is a shining example of why I love reading. This book is about a young teen mom from one of the rougher neighborhoods in Philly. She is in the final year of high school and is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Does she pursue her passion for cooking? How? Does she do college? Go straight into the workforce? How will she make this all work with a two year old child? Her experience is something I know little about and this book was essentially a peek into a foreign world for me. The book was well written and was an emotional experience from start to end. There were times where I just wanted to hug the MC as she has already seen so much in her young life. There were ferociously nostalgic moments when it was dealing with the uncertainty of what comes next after graduation. Seeing her struggle, her uncertainty, her support network that she has. It was just an emotional and well written book. I think I was about a quarter of the way into this book and I was already checking out other things from this author as I wanted more.

Beauty and the Feast 09 -3 Stars
My opinion of this series really hasn't changed in a while and honestly if this was much longer I would probably consider dropping it. As it stands though I only have a couple more books left and I'll see it through to the end. It's just this weirdly conflicting message with one element really throwing everything off. On one hand you have a slice of life manga that revolves around cooking food. This element of the book is great. There is the weird romantic element that the author doesn't seem to want to fully commit to but teases throughout the series. The MMC is in his teens and the FMC is 29. You could maybe downplay these elements if it wasn't for the sexy splash pages between chapters. I don't know, this series started out promising enough and then it just kind of got weird as time went along.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 9 -4 Stars
More of Frieren's journey to the North. This one is setting up a new big baddie and I'm fully on board with things. It's a little bittersweet as the first season of the anime just ended. I've got rather used to Frieren Fridays and now I have to wait for the next season.

What is up next?

One Dark Window
I started this audiobook yesterday as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'm about an hour into the audiobook and I have some mixed feelings so far. I don't hate it but I'm not sure if it's pulling me in either. Now part of that could just be me as I wasn't in a good mindset when I started this. I've just got a lot of things on the go currently.

A Tempest of Tea
This is my next novel that I need to get back to the library. I requested it earlier this year because it sounded pretty interesting. Outside of this I have some more manga and another book to get done this week for the library.

[Brittany]

Great update Gord. Always wonderful when you step outside the comfort zone and find a fantastic read like that!

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Last week I finished and I really enjoyed it! This was a true adventure romance and I really appreciated how well those two aspects were balanced. Plus, I really liked the romance! It was cute and the characters actually took the time to get to know each other! That's the type of romance I like! And I really liked the story as well! I love a good spy mission, and this one was pretty well done! I think I'm done with romances for a while though 😅 I've read 3 so far this year when I usually only read 1 a year... and it's only March. Lol.

And this week I read . I also enjoyed this one. The plot was very interesting and engaging. But I tend to enjoy all of this author's books, so that's not surprising. Lol.

And right now I'm re-reading because my mood randomly decided it wanted some Percy Jackson. Lol. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that random because I had just finished watching the last episode of the Percy Jackson TV show. Lol. I specifically wanted to re-read the Heroes of Olympus series and honestly, I am having so much fun! I love these books!

[Gord]

This has not been the greatest week of reading for me. Part of it is because I'm trying to finish season one of MacGyver so I can get it back to the library. Part of it was because of my audiobook kind of killing my vibe to read.

A Tempest of Tea -3 Stars
I spotted this when flipping through the new books at the library and the cover intrigued me. After reading the synopsis I was hooked in and I ended up getting a copy a whole sooner then I expected. Basically this is a heist book set in a fantasy world based very loosely on the British Empire. The world building was rather interesting in this one as the country that this is set in is obviously supposed to be England. They had traveled the globe colonizing other countries to get supplies that they needed/wanted. There was the equivalent to the East Indian Trading company which played a part in the novel. Outside of that and some other smaller things the author really did what they wanted with this frame work and it's interesting way to do things. There was a heist, heist are always fun, enough said there. I also felt that the end of the book had a lot of really unexpected twists that I didn't see coming. That leads me into what I didn't really like though.

The ending of the book went on for a lot longer than I felt was needed. We had the heist which I expected to be the big climax of the book. Then the book just kind of kept going for a bit and it ultimately made the climax of things feel rather pointless and in some ways most of the book. I liked the ending but I think it overstayed it's welcome at the same time. I also wasn't a fan of the MC in this book. I felt like I was getting two different versions of the character. There is the character we were told about that I was really interested in and then there is what we actually got. The character we actually got only had moments where they matched what we were told about and the rest of the time they felt like someone else entirely. Then we get to the part of the book that really wore me down. The romance. I think I'm just done with this type of romance and it's something I just associate with a lot of YA books. It's the romance where nothing really happens but there are a lot of side glances, the tingly feelings, the flushed faces, oh I can't tell the other person how I really feel. It's pointless and just boring. What really wore me down with this book was that there were two different couples and we changed POV between three characters. As a result I felt like it was just a constant bombardment of the same repeated phrases and feelings every few pages. I wanted more heist stuff and instead I got side long glances, smirks, tingly feelings, and what not. Like I said this just all feels pointless as well. After a book of this stuff we might get a kiss as a payoff. This kind of stuff might be fine in smaller doses but when it starts to overtake the main story it just starts to get annoying.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1 (Volume 1) -4 stars
She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 -4 Stars
I have been wanting to read this series for a while and I was so glad to discover my library finally got them in. This is a slice of life based around food with a splash of romance. There will be an inevitable comparison to Beauty and the Feast and I've seen a few comparisons already. My hot take is that this series is better already. A lot of that just comes down to the fact that the series doesn't have that weird element to it that I've mentioned before. The set up for this is simple. These two women are neighbors. One loves to cook but doesn't eat a lot so she only cooks small dishes. She dreams of being able to cook larger dishes but cant justify it until she meets her neighbor who loves to eat. This woman loves to eat and as the reader I love watching her joy when eating a great dish. They start out as strangers and slowly, very slowly, start to become more. I don't want to spoil anything but there is a moment in the second volume that I don't think I've ever seen explored in a manga and it was really interesting to see. I've got the third volume as well and I can't wait to get to it.

Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 2: Includes vols. 4, 5 & 6 -4 Stars
More Dragon Ball and it's fun. This sees the conclusion of the first big tournament in the series with the big fight between Goku and Jackie Chun. Yes, if you're not aware that is a play on Jackie Chan. The book then gets into the next search for the Dragon Balls and the Red Ribbon Army. It's a fun read and I can't wait for more.

What is next.

One Dark Window
Still working on this audiobook and I'm not sure why. I think it's a combination of stubbornness and spite that is keeping me going at this point. I'll get into this more next weekend after I finish this thing but I am just bored. All that romance stuff I mentioned above in the first book, this book has it by the bucket load. Then there is the fact that this is just not a style of fantasy I enjoy. I'm more about the adventure and this book is more political scheming. I'm nearly 60% of the way into this book and it has probably been 59.99% talking up to this point. Just so much talking. Everything that happens needs about 20 chapters of talking before anyone can lift a single finger.

Murder by Lamplight
I'm starting this hard cover sometime today and hopefully it's better than the my other new book attempts I've had lately.

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

Brittany wrote: "Okay thanks Kay! I trust your judgement on that completely. Ill add it to the tbr and see if I can get it from the library

Currently listening to and loving "

I am so glad you're loving it. It's definitely my fave of the year of what I've read so far.

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

Gord wrote: "Time for one of my weekly updates and this has been an interesting week of reading. I was kind of stepping outside of what I normally read and had a great time doing so.

[bookcover:Role Playing|6..."

Gord I didn't like One Dark Window. I think I rated it 2 stars, and I'm usually a super generous rater. I just didn't get the hype with that one unfortunately. The ending was very good though.

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

This week's update is smaller that I wanted it to be. I've been off work so had planned to read loads but I've been sick with the flu and I couldn't even read much. However I did finish one novella and a full (chunky) book.

Finished which is the second prequel novella for her new fantasy series. I really enjoyed this. I gave it 4 stars. This one is the back story for the male main character and I'm really glad I read it before book 1 of the series.

Also finished and I loved it. I gave it 4.5 stars. Knocked half a star off for how much the male main character irritated me however I am so so glad I read it. I've felt like I have been losing my love on fantasy for the past year and this reminded me everything I love about a good fantasy series. Book 2 is out in April and I cannot wait!

I'm currently listening to but honestly tempted to put it down for now. I started it when I was slumping and honestly I couldn't tell you anything that has happened so far and I only have 6 hours left. I feel like I've been listening to it and not taking any of it in so I might leave it for now and go back to it later starting it from the beginning again.

I'm currently reading

[Gord]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Gord wrote: "Time for one of my weekly updates and this has been an interesting week of reading. I was kind of stepping outside of what I normally read and had a great time doing so.

[bookcover:R..."

I'm bouncing between a 2 and a 3 star rating right now. It's not entertaining enough for a proper 3 star rating but I don't dislike it enough for a 2 star rating. I'll have to see what this ending is all about as I've heard good things about it but to be honest my expectations are not that high.

[Elena]

Oh I see that lots of you already read or started reading Bookshops and Bonedust. Which one did you enjoy more? Legends or Bookshops?

[Elena]

And here is a small update:

3 stars. So I finished Crave, it has a very distinct resemblance to Twilight. Same insta love, same worries, but without that creepy obsession, at least it didn’t feel like that. I also love that though there are some hints of a love triangle, it’s not as cringy as it is in Twilight. Better version of Twilight, if you wish.
5 stars. Recently I was craving a good dystopia, but not too overwhelming and decided to re-read Scythe. Indeed it was a great idea and the book is still surprisingly good. I forgot some events, though it doesn’t surprise you as much as when you read the book for the first time, it’s still comforting and interesting.
5 stars. It’s been a while since I’ve read the second book and was more than happy to read the third. Again I’m completely in love with the writing style, it’s so easy to follow and at the same time pretty complex and beautiful. I’m definitely going to miss Evangeline and Jacks. So far it’s one of my favorite couples.
5 stars. That was brutal! The beginning was devastating, I was so glad that there was hope though. The middle broke my heart and in the end I was finally happy, crying because of happiness, because the story ended and I wanted more and because it was so emotional and exhausting. And yes, I enjoyed every page, every chapter of the book.
5 stars. One more excellent sci-fi, perfectly crafted, with lots of layers and a vast interesting universe. I was thrilled to learn more about navigators, because there is not much about them in the original story. I also love the pacing, when it’s just enough not to get bored and at the same time not overwhelming.

[Gord]

Elena wrote: "Oh I see that lots of you already read or started reading Bookshops and Bonedust. Which one did you enjoy more? Legends or Bookshops?"

I'd lean more towards Legends as I just liked the story and its setup more but I still enjoyed Bookshops.

[Brittany]

Liliana wrote: "Last week I finished and I really enjoyed it! This was a true adventure romance and I really appreciated how well those two aspects were balanced. Plus, I really..."

Yay for enjoying a romance! Enjoy your heroes reread time!

[Brittany]

Gord wrote: "This has not been the greatest week of reading for me. Part of it is because I'm trying to finish season one of MacGyver so I can get it back to the library. Part of it was because of my audiobook ..."

Too bad about Tempest of Tea
Sounds like a cute food manga!
Sucks that you've been having such bad luck book wise lately

[Brittany]

Elena wrote: "Oh I see that lots of you already read or started reading Bookshops and Bonedust. Which one did you enjoy more? Legends or Bookshops?"

Both for different reasons! But I think it'll be better to read them in published order not chronological. Love them and want more

[Brittany]

Elena wrote: "And here is a small update:

3 stars. So I finished Crave, it has a very distinct resemblance to Twilight. Same insta love, same worries, but without that creepy obsessio..."



Glad you loved Curse for True Love, I struggled with the pacing in it but still enjoyed it. I just wanted more magic for the end of their story

The Blood Traitor was such a good finish to the trilogy! First book was still my fave though. Maybe there will be a spin off some time!

[Brittany]

I've read a bunch of things and will update soon? Maybe? Hopefully? Trying to catch up on everything, its been a crazy start to the month

[Gord]

Not a lot of really lot to talk about this week. Just life, other hobbies, and the never ending library list.

One Dark Window -2 Stars
There is a little bit of backstory to this and it's kind of funny. I saw this in one of my book club groups and it came highly recommended. I was between audiobooks at the time so without reading the synopsis I threw it on my hold list and forgot about it. Many, many months later it showed up so I threw into the cycle of things to get through from the library. I only listened to an hour or so of this book and I knew I was in trouble. I can appreciate that a lot of people are really into this book but it's just not for me. This is a YA gothic romantasy novel. First, I really don't like this new buzz word of romantasy. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man but that word just rubs me the wrong way. Second, I'm not a huge fan of the type of romance that makes its way into YA fantasy novels. Third, this book is far from anything related to action or adventure. Instead this is more of a political scheming kind of novel which translates to pages and pages of talking and nothing much else. Yeah, I was in trouble very early on. I'm really not sure why I kept listening to this book honestly. Maybe it was spite, stubbornness, or just sheer stupidity. Now lets get into this book specifically.

As you can tell by my rating and my little spiel above I did not like this book. The book was just lots and lots of talking about everything with very little going on. If a character needs to walk from one room to another room that will take about 20 chapters of everyone talking about it before it can actually happen. There are some action scenes but man they are very few and far between. The first big one that I can think of probably didn't happen until almost halfway through the book. Then we get to romance/characters. I'm lumping these two together as they are closely connected. I can't stand this type of romance. The whole "I like the other person but I can't tell them that or they just don't like me" thing just gets boring and frustrating. Then there was just the never ending flushed faces, tingles, butterflies in the stomach, blah, blah, blah. The constant reminders of what the MMC's mouth is doing. I don't need an update every time the guy smirks alright. Then we get to one of the scenes towards the end. It's trying to be a spicy scene but remain YA so it was a lot of metaphors about what is really happening. By this time I was deep into the realm of not liking the book but the possibility of three stars was still on the table. This one scene alone buried this book firmly into the two stars range and would never be allowed to leave. As for the characters, I'll be honest, I don't think there was a single character I actually like in this whole novel. The MMC was the stereotypical brooding, mysterious bad boy and I just could not care about his character. The FMC was completely useless. She had this cool setup and potential with this monster inside of her but then that got nerfed and basically anytime something action related happened she just cried. Alright, maybe she did more then that but it sure felt that when ever things hit the fan you count on the crying and the complaining from her. Outside of that the story was meh, the world building was meh, and I was just bored and annoyed with this novel. If you enjoyed this book, power to you, but I'm done with this series and will not be back for the second.

Murder by Lamplight -4 Stars
Now on the other side of the spectrum we have this book and man was this a treat to read. It's an adult murder mystery set in 1866 London, England. I wasn't 100% certain what I was getting myself into with this book before I started it. I wasn't sure if this was going to lean more towards a cozy mystery, an action/adventure kind of mystery, or something else. This was a slow boil murder mystery where we follow two MC's. On one side we Julia who is a female doctor taking over her grandfathers practice. It's through this that she is called out to the first murder scene and her involvement with this case started. The other MC is the inspector in charge of the case, Richard. A lot of this book is finding clues and checking them out. The thing that I like was that Julia never really fell into that trope of "I'm the main investigator on this case and will solve it all by myself". She was involved with her medical input, she passed on tips as they came to her using her position in her clinic and in the surrounding neighborhood. Most of the mystery though is solved by Scotland Yard and a lot of man hours chasing down clues. As for the killer, I legit had no idea who it was and was shocked when it was revealed. The reveal of the killer made sense and the explanation made sense. Outside of the mystery there was also a romance/friendship brewing between the two leads but it never felt like it overshadowed the main story. I am ready for the next book in this series and I'm excited to see where things go.

Ghost Roast -4 Stars
Another random comic I snagged from the library and a great fun read. This is about a teenage girl who can really see ghosts. Her father runs a ghost busting business and she is sent to work for him during the summer after she gets arrested for trespassing. It's during this time that she discovers her new abilities. This is a lot about her figuring out her abilities, the history of this ghost at a haunted site, her social standing in a high school setting, and just being a teen. One thing I am really glad this book didn't do was go the whole Mean Girls route. When her friends discover who her father was there was a lot of teasing and what not and I was really worried it was going to turn into something mean. Instead they remained her friends even after giving her a hard time and was there to support her when she needed it. Overall this was just a feel good comic that was a fun read.

As for what is next:

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England
I'm about 60% of the way into this book and it's alright. I'm liking it, I've chuckled a few times, but I'm not exactly blown away either. It's an alright book.

Outside of that I have a giant stack of manga to get back to the library for next weekend.

[Brittany]

Sorry it was so bad Gord, dont know why you suffered through the whole thing! But onto something better I hope
Murder by Lamplight sounds like fun! Sadly my library doesnt currently have the audio though.
I dont remember, have you read other Sanderson books Gord? I think that one is the least fave of the secret projects by most people. Im so behind on his stuff though.

[Gord]

I've dabbled in some Sanderson before. I've heard that it wasn't well received. It wasn't bad but it just wasn't up to his usual stuff.

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

Elena wrote: "Oh I see that lots of you already read or started reading Bookshops and Bonedust. Which one did you enjoy more? Legends or Bookshops?"

I think I loved Bookshops and Bonedust more. It made me cry at the end but not in a sad way, just in a happy emotional way.

[Brittany]

Finished books while away from a computer and now Im procrastinating writing reviews....

[Gord]

I figured I would post this early as I actually have a fair bit to talk about this week. It was a manga heavy week but I'm nearly at the point where I am fully caught up on my library backlog which is so nice.

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England -3 Stars
Just to be clear before I get into this book, I am not comparing this to other books by Brandon Sanderson or the other Secret Project books. This is just my opinion on this book by itself. Alright, that out of the way I thought this book was a perfect three star book. It kept me entertained, it made me chuckle a time or two, and I don't really have anything super negative or super positive to say about this. It really makes it hard to talk about though as there's not a lot for me to talk about. I love the premise for the book and it definitely gave me some Hitchhiker vibes especially with the parts of the book that was dedicated to the corporate handbook. I heard that for the physical and ebook editions there were a ton of cool doodles in the margins of the book but I listened to this on audio so I missed out on that.

The Boxer, Vol. 5 -5 Stars
I love this series and I love the shift that we've had the last couple volumes. The story shifted away from the MC and is now focused on those that are challenging him. It's shifted the MC from the focus point to this scary end boss and it just works for this story. Especially as the MC is not the most emotive individual. We got treated to two different fights in this book and both were just that, a treat. I'm now back to "patiently" waiting for the next volume to come out in a few months.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 3 (Volume 3) -5 Stars
The first two volumes did a great job hooking me in but this was the volume where everything just clicked for me and I have no idea where or how to even talk about this. The roster of characters gets expanded and it allows us to start exploring the characters, their backgrounds, and see how they interact with others. This series really tackles diversity but from a Japanese POV (which makes sense considering it's a Japanese manga written by a Japanese person). I'm really liking this series and can't wait for the next volume.

I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! Vol. 3 -3 Stars
I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! Vol. 4 -3 Stars
This is just more dumb isekai fun and it was a what I need yesterday. Our hero befriends Death who of course gets a bit of a Yandere crush on him which is hilarious. It's dumb but I'm in for more.

Mr. Villain's Day Off 01 -3 Stars
Mr. Villain's Day Off 02 -3 Stars
This was exactly what I expected. It was cute, it was funny, it's what advertised on the cover. I've also come to the conclusion that I am just not a fan of gag manga. This was cute and fun but I just wanted more. Having nearly every chapter start out the exact same way with the exact same wording gets a little stale shall we say. I doubt I will continue with this series as I've already got the joke hammered into me but at the same time I would tell you give it a try if you're curious.

Cursed Princess Club Volume Two -3 Stars
I have some pretty conflicted feelings about this series. This was a WEBTOON comic that was brought over to the printed page and the influence of internet humor is kind of obvious to me. As a result a lot of the jokes in this just kind of fell flat for me. I just didn't fun them funny. There was one particular joke towards the end though that did make me laugh out loud but I'm sure I'd laugh out loud regardless of what it was in. Then there is the chapter dedicated to the Princels which is exactly what you think it is. They are princes who are not a pretty as the standard prince and have become incels. This whole chapter just left a very bad taste in my mouth. I get the joke but I just don't find it really all that funny and I just don't think incels need any more light shined on them in any fashion. They just need to go away. Outside of that the story is more of the same. There are some good moments, some bleh moments, etc. The problem is that there is just enough story that I'm kind of curious enough to want to read the next volume. We get the back story to how the Cursed Princess Club started and its founding member and it kind of intrigued me. I might give it one more volume to see how it goes. I'm just not looking to more of the Princels as they are getting set up to be a kind of running gag and bleh.

As for what I am working on next...

White Trash Warlock
This is my current audiobook and it's not bad. It's not blowing my socks off or anything but it's not bad. It's shaping up to be another solid three star book so far.

The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters
This is one of two physical novels I'm working on and so far it's interesting. Some of these are eyebrow raising and some of this are clearly someones drunk/stoned relative seeing things with others cashing in on the temporary popularity. It's great for a 50 states challenge for sure.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) Vol. 2
I can't wait to get to this one. This one of the last legacy books from last month and I just want more from this series but haven't had a chance to get to it due to other library obligations.

[Brittany]

Nice update! Im sad the library here doesnt have She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat at all. It sounds like a fun read.

Ive started White Trash Warlock on audio too. How far in are you?

[Gord]

I just checked and I'm 36% of the way into the book.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Elena wrote: "And here is a small update:

3 stars. So I finished Crave, it has a very distinct resemblance to Twilight. Same insta love, same worries, but without that creepy obsessio..."

I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying the Stephanie Garber books! I got Caraval not too long and I'm excited to read it eventually lol

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Books I finished recently...

I've read this book 3 times now, so I obviously loved it. Lol. When I read The Lightning Thief back in December I was surprised to find that I didn't love it as much as I once did, so I was a little nervous going into this one. But it was great! I honestly think Rick Riordan's writing has gotten better over the years, so that might be why.

And then I went back to Fear Street. I only have two more Fear Street series left to read, but unfortunately they are the ones where the books are very hard to find. And I'm starting to wonder whether it's even worth looking for them because these books tend to be hit or miss. Lol. I liked this book for the most part... Up until the end. I did not like it at all. It was supposed to be a classic Fear Street ending, but it just didn't make sense for the character.

And I also got back into the Grishaverse after a month break. I really liked this! I love the world building and the characters. Though I gotta be honest, the villain that showed up at the end... I'm over them. I thought we were done with that. Lol. I'll still read the sequel, but I didn't love this as much as SoC. I am liking it more than S&B though, so there's that 😆

And right now I'm reading . I have some other books I need to read, but it is so hard to put this down 😆 It's not like I don't know what's going to happen... I have also read this one twice before lol

[Brittany]

Lili yes to the villain in KoS. Was the worst part for me but otherwise such a cool book.

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

Only a small update this week.

Finished which I loved. I forgot how much I loved this world and how much I enjoy cosy fantasy. It was a quick read for me.

Also finished which I really enjoyed. Think it was one of my favourites so far. I loved that it was a Cinderella type story.

Currently reading: on audio and reading an arc of on kindle.

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Brittany wrote: "Lili yes to the villain in KoS. Was the worst part for me but otherwise such a cool book."

Glad to see that it's not just me. Lol.

[Brittany]

Definitely not just you Lili!

Nice update Kay! Love Bookshops and Bonedust I want another book in that world so badly. Cozy fantasy is just so lovely.
Nice that you're enjoying the Bridgerton books too. Ive meant to try them and to try the show for that matter and just never gotten around to either

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

I'm really enjoying the audiobooks for Bridgerton. I'm not sure I'd like them as much physically reading as historical just isn't usually my thing but I do like the audio editions.

[Brittany]

Makes sense. I quite like my historicals on audio

[Gord]

Alright, going to be responsible and do this early so I can back to my mini vacation and my reading. I took Friday off and got a ton of reading done this week. I'm actually done my backlog of books and now the oldest thing I have from the library is only a week old at this point. It feels so freeing to read something that isn't decided by due date at the library. Anyway, enough rambling, lets get to the books.

The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters -3 Stars
This was a fun little romp across the US looking at the various cryptids that inhabit it. You have your usual suspect such as Bigfoot, The Jersey Devil, and Chupacabra but you have a lot of other ones as well. Some of these are inspired by Native American mythology and some of these are downright strange. There is one that I would say is entirely possible and that was the story of a giant turtle from prehistoric times found in this pond/lake. I'm thinking just a really old snapping turtle combined with a fisherman's ability to embellish a tale of what they saw. Some of these were clearly hoaxes and some were created for the sake of tourism and drawing strangers into town. It was an interesting romp across the States getting the most basic glimpse into some local folklore.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) Vol. 2 -4 Stars
I found myself in a weird spot when I finished this book. If this was a normal book I would have given this a three star rating at best as just not a lot of anything at all happened in this book. Since it's a light novel it was sitting at about a 3.5 stars and then I kicked it up a half point because I like the series. So yeah, not a lot really happened in this book. Basically Sei is confirmed to be The Saint which we already knew, she starts her magic training, and goes on her first expedition. Here are the things that I found interesting that the anime just never really touched on. We get a glimpse into the Aira situation and how it all played out the way it did. It really added a lot more context to that situation. I also love how we got to see a lot more of the trials behind the magic. Sei trained a lot and practiced a lot with her magic to get better at it. There was also the experimentation side of things. Where we get to see her try to figure out how this new magic works, how it compares to what we would consider magic (video games , etc), and test what she is capable of. It's a very chill type of book but I had a fun time with it.

White Trash Warlock -3 Stars
This was another solid three star book and a solid start to a series. It was definitely not I was expecting heading into this. With a title like White Trash Warlock I was figuring more of a humorous take on an UF novel that would be set in a trailer park setting. In many ways this was much more of a standard UF novel set in a big city with a MC who is from small town Oklahoma. I found the MC interesting, the world building interesting, and the story to be solid. There just wasn't anything there that blew me out of the water. This is a group read and I will definitely be continuing with the next book.

Now for all the manga

Made in Abyss Vol. 5 -4 Stars
Made in Abyss, Vol. 6 -4 Stars
Jumping back into this series after a month plus break was a bit odd. Especially as I was kind of right in the middle of a story line when I stopped last time. This was an odd read as I feel like it has really started leaning into the body horror part of things. Well, horror in general would be a much better description. We get down to the sixth level and there are "things" down there. This section was oddly uncomfortable. There are all these things and they have their own language which is not translated. I don't know why and I don't think I can describe it but there was just something unsettling about all of this. Maybe the author is tapping hard into the whole "fear of the unknown" but everything is just so alien that it's unsettling. I'm curious about where we are going next with this story and what else is down there in the Abyss.

Beauty and the Feast 10 -3 Stars
Beauty and the Feast 11 -3 Stars
I finally made it to the end and I find myself feeling rather conflicted and a lot of it comes down to the conflicting messaging that the author puts across. There is a part of me that still enjoys the comfy, feel good, slice of life food part of it all but it's all jumbled up with the ecchi splash pages and the maybe, sort of, budding romance between the two. Since this is the end of things I'm throwing up a spoiler wall for the ending.

(view spoiler)[
In the end we have at least a one year time skip, no more than I'd say two and it feels like little has changed. Everyone gets back together for one last panel of everyone being there and that's it. I don't think they are together yet but there is a romance budding. It just all feels weird as they met when he was probably 16 and she was late 20's. I know this is not her first relationship with this kind of age gap but it just feels weird. From what I understand this relationship age gap thing is popular in romance in Japan. I'm not saying that people that have 10+ years in age gap can't have relationships but when it starts when one of them is a teen it just feels weird. Also, what does she do for a living? She ran out of money and got a job but that didn't work out so what is she doing? Is just idling through life now doing nothing? I'm not sure that is a great role model as the senior in that relationship especially with that weird age difference. I don't regret reading this series but its tone is very confusing. (hide spoiler)]

Fullmetal Alchemist (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1 -5 Stars
This is one of those series that I wanted to reread and my first book has finally come in. It has been many years since I last read this and it feels really good to pick it up again. It's interesting to come back and see how the characters, their motivations, the villains, and the story are all set up for the reader. Especially as now that I am viewing it as a reread and with some more experience on the writing process. It really makes me appreciate the start of this book a whole lot more. This book also contains probably one of the most hated characters in manga/anime, Shou Tucker. Just seeing this guy appear on the page brought my mood down a notch or two. Not that he is poorly written character, or he is hindrance to the series. It's his actions in the story that make him so reviled. It's interesting to see how little time he actually gets in the story but how large his impact is on the MC's and the fandom in general. I really can't wait for the next one.

The Apothecary Diaries Manga, Vol. 10 -4 Stars
More MaoMao and that is never a bad thing. It really feels like the story is building to something big which makes reading a single volume of manga every couple of months or so very difficult. I just want to sink into this world and see where all of this is going but before I know it I am done the volume and waiting for the next one.

What is next?
The Fellowship of the Ring
I've started this on audiobook and to say that I am excited would be a slight understatement. This is not my first rodeo with the LotR series but it is my first time listening to the audio version. I have the Rob Inglis version and so far it has been a treat to listen to. I forgot about the massive history lesson at the start of this book but I have no complaints. It really shows the depth of world building that Tolkien put into his creation. Right now I have to listen to two hours a day to complete this into time and my stance on that is "Oh no, please stop, please stop twisting my arm and making me do this horrible thing". In case their is any doubt floating around, that is said with a mountain of sarcasm.

I'm not sure what I'm tackling in regards to physical books next. For the first time in about a month, month plus, I'm not chasing a library due date and I can read what I feel like and not what is due next. It's kind of a nice feeling honestly.

[Brittany]

Yay for not chasing library due dates! Great update. Everyone seems to agree White Trash Warlock was a solid 3 star book. I may have to do a LotR reread on audio one of these days its been over 20 years since I read it. Also yay for Maomao! I wish I had access to all the manga.

[Gord]

I wish I had access to the light novels so I can truly go down the rabbit hole. The manga is definitely good but I would love to get right to the source material.

[Brittany]

Gord wrote: "I wish I had access to the light novels so I can truly go down the rabbit hole. The manga is definitely good but I would love to get right to the source material."

Oh absolutely! Light novels would be even better

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

A couple of books I've read recently:

This was so much fun! I just love these cozy sci-fi mysteries. And this one had dinosaurs! Lol.

I loved this book 😌 I am really enjoying my re-read of the Heroes of Olympus. Originally, I wasn't going to re-read the entire series, but now I think I am. Being back in this world just makes me happy. Lol.

And this one... I really liked it, BUT the freaking "Monk..." Ugh. And then we got his POVs... I was over him. He absolutely did not have to be in this series. It annoyed me. But aside from that, I enjoyed this book! Lol. I really liked the world and the magic system, and I loved most of the characters. Lol.

This was another good one! I have been missing Ellie so I was so glad when I got an ARC of this book! It was spooky and I really enjoyed the setting of this one! I always enjoy the cases in these books.

And right now I am just about halfway done with which I am loving! One thing I remember specifically about this book is the cliffhanger ending, but aside from that I have forgotten pretty much everything else, which is kind of nice tbh. Lol.

[Brittany]

Lili yay for dinosaurs! They do make everything better lol. Also yay for enjoying your reread. And having forgotten big parts of it makes the reread more fun I think
I agree with the monk in RoW my least fave part too and totally unnecessary. But the rest of the book is so good I forgive it.

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

Finally finished It took me a while but I loved it. Gave it 4.5 stars. It was slow in places but honestly such a great read.

Also finished which was a great romantic suspense. I always forget how much I love romantic suspense until I read one and I'm like oh yeah... I love this!

I probably won't finish anything else before the end of the month so I'm a bit sad I only read 4 books but Shadowstitch was a chunk! Goodreads says its 400 pages but my ARC was 669 pages so definitely a bit incorrect there.

[Gord]

I didn't get as much reading done this week and that is mostly because I was super focused on getting my audiobook done. Alright, focused is one word for it, enraptured, hooked, etc are also good words.

The Fellowship of the Ring -5 Stars
This is it, this is the audiobook that had me hooked this week. I am actually kind of impressed with myself. I was a bit worried heading into this one, not because of the book itself, but because of the run time. This audiobook is 20 hours long and normally I have about an hour to an hour and a half each day that I set aside for listening. Basically, my morning walk to work. I finished this book in about a week which is a crazy pace for me. I didn't speed it up or anything like that. I just let myself get pulled into the world and enjoyed the ride. This is not my first time reading the book but it is my first time listening to it. I know the one I have posted says that it's the Andy Serkis version but the one I listened to was the Rob Inglis version and it was simply amazing. I could get lost so easily in this book. There was the one morning where I was listening to this book while playing Powerwash Simulator and before I knew it an hour had gone by. I didn't want to stop as I was totally hooked. The crazy thing is that what I was listening to was essentially Frodo and Gandalf taking about current events and world history. Probably the most boring subjects out there but it was engaging for some reason.

As for the book itself, what is there that I can say that hasn't been said by countless other people? That's why I think I'll share some thoughts about just general things but won't get to far into the weeds. It's been about a decade plus since I last read this book and in that time I've read a lot and learned a few things along the way. Coming back to this book as a more seasoned reader just makes me appreciate it so much more. Especially when it comes down to the world building. Tolkien put so much effort into his world building that I can't help but be a bit overwhelmed at times. It also makes me laugh when I reflect on books where the world building is "this book takes place in The Town which is near The Woods which are dark and scary". Yes, the book is slow paced and for the first half of the book or so there is not a whole lot that happens but I don't really mind that so much. It gives a chance for that that world building to happen and I like the escalation of things. Where it starts out as a simple adventure with very little threat to actively being hunted at every turn by the end of the book. I'll always appreciate this book and the influence it has had on the genre of fantasy. That's about it I guess, I loved it, will probably always love it, and can't wait for the next one.

Now for the manga because the above book basically consumed my entire week.

Case Closed, Vol. 1 -3 Stars
I'm finally getting around to this series. I've been wanting to read this series for a while but have been procrastinating a lot. A lot of the earlier books have a long wait list at the library and the series is nearly 100 books currently and still being published. It has been going since the mid 90's and has become a juggernaut in its own right. While not as popular here in the west as say something like One Piece or Naruto this series does have a pretty dedicated fan base. As for the book it's about a young boy detective, 16 years old, who crosses a shadowy organization that tries to poison him with an experimental drug. The drug fails to poison him but it does shrink his body down to that of a six year old. From there he continues to solve cases while looking for this shadowy organization. The plot is kind of irrelevant after that honestly. The overarching story never really progresses and it's merely a series of cases that he solves by using the adults around him. It's a fun mystery series and it's interesting to see him solve the cases using his observations and deductions. It's a series that I'm not in a massive rush to read. I'm just going to take my time working my way through the books so I don't get burnt out.

The Great Cleric (Manga) Vol. 8 -4 Stars
This is the latest edition that has been released in English and the story took a turn that I wasn't expecting. The last book ended with a book clue for the next big story plot point was supposed to take place. Instead of following that story line it did a bunch of administration work and then returned to the starting location for the series. I'm not really complaining though as it is wrapping up some unresolved story stuff from there and starting something new. I'm really curious where things will be going from here.

Mimi's Tales of Terror -4 Stars
This is an odd one. As you can probably tell from the cover this is another Junji Ito collection of short stories but it's not an original collection. This is Ito taking a favorite book that was a collection of urban myths and putting his on Ito spin on it in a manga form. One big difference is that every story in this collection shares the same MC which raises some questions. The main character and her boyfriend see some really weird, and spooky, things which makes it utterly baffling latter in the book when the boyfriend says he doesn't believe in all that paranormal junk. How? After everything you have been through up to this point and you still don't believe. Is your trauma that strong that you are just straight up in denial? Overall I liked this one and the stories were spooky especially with the usual Ito flair to help out.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition 4 -4 Stars
I really don't know what to say about this series anymore. It just doesn't really feel much like anything else I've read including other slice of life series. It's almost like a photo album catching these brief moments in this world. Some moments are sad, some moments are thoughtful, some moments are weird and spooky. It's more of an emotional vibe when reading this book. I know this ramble isn't the most helpful but I really don't know how to describe it.

As for what is next, I don't know. I wasn't expecting to be done LotR so soon so I don't have an audiobook picked out yet. I've got to take a look this afternoon and see what I can find for a challenge that is available for immediate download. As for physical books I just went and got a giant stack from the library so I have a lot of options currently.

[Brittany]

Kayleigh {K-Books} wrote: "Finally finished It took me a while but I loved it. Gave it 4.5 stars. It was slow in places but honestly such a great read.

Also finished [bookcover:Indigo Ridg..."

Always great when you read a genre that isnt one of your regulars and you're like oh yeah these are great!
Yeah sometimes the page counts are very different. At least they were good reads!

[Brittany]

Gord I love how much you enjoyed listening to LotR! Its the best when an audio book takes hold like that and time just flies away.
Nice manga update too of course

[Liliana, YA Paranormal Lover]

Brittany wrote: "Lili yay for dinosaurs! They do make everything better lol. Also yay for enjoying your reread. And having forgotten big parts of it makes the reread more fun I think
I agree with the monk in RoW my..."

It just made me so mad every time it switched to his POVs. I was so over him. Lol. But yes, it was still good! Although I still very much prefer Six of Crows over the other two series.