What are you reading in Q2 of 2025?

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Please let us know what you’re reading during the 2nd Quarter of 2025 (April, May, June). What are you enjoying, or maybe not enjoying?

All genres welcome here!

[Christina]

I have been doing a few re-reads, which might have been what I needed. I just finished Iron Kissed and Bone Crossed. I have read all of the books in the Mercy Thompson (except the most recent) and Alpha and Omega series. I had forgotten how emotional Iron Kissed was, but it was still a good read.

I'm almost done with The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi which I'm really enjoying. There is some good humor in it as well as a good story. I'm listening to that in audio and it's well done too.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

So far in April, I’ve only read a couple things—another Charlotte & Thomas Pitt historical mystery, Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry, 7/10, and Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott, book 1 in her Crossroads trilogy, 7.5/10.

I’m getting closer to finishing my current audiobook, The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis, and I’m reading Shadow Gate by Kate Elliott.

[Christina]

The Keeper of Happy Endings looks interesting.

I finished The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi which I would give 4/5 stars to. And a small review for those considering it: This is an interesting tale of a female pirate who is searching for a girl that was supposedly kidnapped. It starts off with a "getting the band back together" vibe. There are some fantastical elements to the story as well as evidenced by the giant octopus attacking the ship on the cover. Overall, I did like the book even though I thought it fell flat in some places. It has also set up the book for a sequel which should be interesting. While I'll most likely read it, it won't be one that I rush to buy as soon as it is released.

On to something a little easier of a read: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. Her and Emily Henry are becoming two of my favorite non-fantasy authors at the moment.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

I finished reading Shadow Gate by Kate Elliott, book 2 in her Crossroads trilogy, 8.5/10. Complex plot, interesting variety of characters & cultures. Book 3 is a heavy hardcover so that will have to wait till I return from traveling.

I finished listening to The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis, 7.5/10. A few too many coincidences that really stretched credibility, but still, it was a heart-warming story of love, courage, resilience, & perseverance.

I listened to a novella, Everywhere You Look by Liv Constantine, 5/10, predictable & yet far-fetched. I also expect to finish listening to Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite before the end of the month.

I will be traveling over the next 2-3 weeks & I’m taking along several out of genre books: True Evil by Greg Iles, Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, & These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall—all good for airport & airplane reading, & I can leave the books behind when I’m done. (Well, one of them is in the Kindle app on my iPad…)

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Wow, it’s already the last day of the second quarter of the year, so I guess I’d better update what I’ve read!
Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite, 4/10. I was very involved in the story & the narrator was very good, but it ended too abruptly!

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, 6/10. The author says, in her Acknowledgments, that this book (before revisions) was “either brilliantly bizarre, or just bizarre.” I would go with the latter. Very contrived, pretty creepy, no likable or “normal” characters other than Paul (Laurel’s ex) & his wife Bonny and maybe Ellie. Still, it was compulsively readable, and the changes in POV and voice (first or third person) were used very effectively.

True Evil by Greg Iles, 8.25/10. A complex thriller. I found it a little hard to follow at times, mostly because I had trouble keeping some of the secondary characters straight. But it was absorbing and a fast read overall.

These Toxic Things by Rachel Howzell Hall, 6.5/10. I figured out the mystery or guessed several of the “twists” relatively early on, but still, the story moved right along. The author did a good job of evoking the fear, tension, and relief that the main character felt at various times.

Midnight at Marble Arch, Death on Blackheath, The Angel Court Affair, and Treachery at Lancaster Gate, all by Anne Perry. These are books from the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series of historical mysteries that I’ve been reading. My ratings for these range from 6/10 to 8.5/10.

Slow Burner by Laura Lippman, 8/10. Totally fooled me. Quick story, effectively told using texts & first person narrative.

Traitors' Gate by Kate Elliott, 9/10
This book wraps up Elliott’s Crossroads Trilogy, and while I have a few quibbles, overall it was excellent.
What I liked: complex characters who kept evolving (leading to some surprises!), a balance of action & calm (reflection, domesticity, humor, plotting), several interrelated plot lines. The characters were mostly realistic, with blurred lines between “good guys” and “bad guys” and mixed motivations for most of them.
What bothered me: I would have liked more information/interaction with the races other than Humans: Firelings, Delvings, Wildlings, Lendings, Merlings, Dragonlings, & Demons. We see a bit of the Firelings, Lendlings, & Wildlings and glimpses of the Delvings, and I admit, the books were already pretty long without adding anything, but my curiosity was certainly piqued!
I also would have liked a fuller picture of the people who were corrupted Guardians beyond Night & Lord Radas. We do see some more details of Yordenas & Brevard, but I wanted more on how they were corrupted. And of course, what happens at the end? (view spoiler)[Four cloaks are united with Guardians (Marit, Joss, Kirit, & Jothinin, with Jothinin being a longtime Guardian, then Marit, Kirit, and Joss as the newbie). But the other 5 cloaks are free to find new Guardians… and I so wanted to know who was chosen , etc. (hide spoiler)]
I’ve read that Black Wolves was meant to start a new trilogy set in the same world, but after the first book came out, the publisher cancelled the rest. I would have definitely read those!

The Gift by Alison Gaylin, 6.5/10. A well-crafted story, a tad predictable but still good—kept my interest while listening during my walk. The double meaning of the title was a nice touch.

Snowflakes by Ruth Ware, 7.5/10. Overall, this was a sad & unsettling story. Well-written, a quick listen.

The Mask by Dean Koontz, 6/10. Kind of creepy, with some tense (and intense) moments. The characters were interesting & individual, each with their own strengths & flaws. Any book that relies on the supernatural & paranormal requires the reader to suspend belief & accept things that have no explanation. I sometimes had trouble doing that since the author so clearly wants to place the story in the realm of real life in the late 1970s.

The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin, 6.5/10. Written in 1976, 20 years before Dolly the sheep was cloned, the premise of this book could almost be seen as science fiction at that time. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, but the story was interesting and thought-provoking.

King of Morning, Queen of Day by Ian McDonald, 5/10. There are basically 3 stories in this book, with 3 female protagonists, written in 3 very different styles. Emily, Jessica, and Enye are interesting but not always very likable. The ideas of “nesting” realities that can intersect with each other at times, and that the “demons” we battle are born within ourselves, are not new but are given an unusual treatment in this book.
It was the unanswered questions that bothered me the most—and maybe I just didn’t read carefully enough. (view spoiler)[Who raped Emily? What was Bell’s Comet/the Altairan space vessel really, and what caused the massive power outage? Were any of the otherworldly creatures “real”—the ones Emily took photos of, or Tiresias & Gonzaga? Was the drug that Enye took actually a drug? (hide spoiler)]
It did seem that the “faeiries” became more malevolent as time progressed through the book.
So I am left with very mixed feelings about the book. It certainly was not what I was expecting. Parts of it were excellent and other parts baffling, at least to me.

Boy's Life by Robert McCammon, 10/10. This is an excellent book on so many levels! Exquisite prose, unique and engaging characters, a baffling mystery, a portrait of life in a small southern town in 1964. The pages hold wonder, humor, terror, ugliness, harsh realities amid nostalgia, magical realism, friendship and love and the small joys of everyday life. This story will stick with me for a long time.

With the Lightnings by David Drake, 7.75/10. First book in a series of space military science fiction. Main characters are engaging and, once all the “set up” was done, the action moved right along. I hope Adele Mundy continues as a MC in the series since I liked her even more than Lt. Leary. Nothing earthshaking in terms of the science or the fiction (although “sponge space” is a new-to-me way of looking at interstellar travel), but certainly an entertaining read.

[Kathi, There’s no such thing as too many books!]

Squeezed in one more book tonight: When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal, 8/10.