%rec: Book %key: Title %typedef: Positive range 0 5 %type: Rating Positive %type: Read date %sort: Read %mandatory: Title Author Rating Title: The Captain and the Enemy (Penguin Classics) Author: Graham Greene Pages: 224 Rating: 3 Read: Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:33:00 -0800 Review: I think I liked it but I'm not sure what to do with the ending Title: The Word for World Is Forest Author: Ursula K. Le Guin Pages: 160 Rating: 5 Read: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 03:27:55 -0800 Review: Title: Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Stories Author: Terry Pratchett Pages: 339 Rating: 3 Read: Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:20:20 -0800 Review: Delightful little tales. I'm hoping my son will enjoy them as an introduction to Pratchett's style. Title: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, #1) Author: Satoshi Yagisawa Pages: 150 Rating: 4 Read: Sun, 14 Dec 2025 14:47:59 -0800 Review: I think I need to live a few months over a used bookstore. Title: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 Author: Beth Brower Pages: 125 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 13 Dec 2025 11:16:26 -0800 Review: Lovely Austin vibes. I'm curious what the next volume will bring. Title: Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was Author: Sjón Pages: 142 Rating: 3 Read: Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:37 -0800 Review: Title: Secrets of the Purple Pearl (The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science #2) Author: Kate McKinnon Pages: 256 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 06 Dec 2025 09:29:17 -0800 Review: Kate McKinnon is so entertaining. I could listen to these all day. Title: Breakfast at Tiffany's Author: Truman Capote Pages: 76 Rating: 3 Read: Wed, 03 Dec 2025 13:38:46 -0800 Review: Quite a bit different from the movie. Strange that the movie would cut out the major plot of the book and end where the book is only half finished. Very strange indeed. Title: Dark Age (Red Rising Saga, #5) Author: Pierce Brown Pages: 704 Rating: 2 Read: Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:44:15 -0800 Review: There's a ton of action and drama, but it all felt like noise. I've not really stayed engaged after the initial trilogy. I don't think the genre shift was for me. Title: When the Emperor Was Divine Author: Julie Otsuka Pages: 144 Rating: 2 Read: Mon, 01 Dec 2025 03:57:51 -0800 Review: I expected more somehow. the sparse realities of the everyday horror were felt, but I felt myself trying to bring a lot of context that wasn't in the story, to paint it into more than it was because of the historical importance of the setting. Title: Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes Author: Karin Slaughter Pages: 119 Rating: 2 Read: Sun, 30 Nov 2025 03:13:17 -0800 Review: Didn't realize this was going to be a rape story. I should have checked the content warnings Title: The Ballad of Black Tom Author: Victor LaValle Pages: 149 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:58:16 -0800 Review: This was a really fun bit of magic, class and race. Title: The Wandering Inn: Volume 9 Author: Pirateaba Pages: 9596 Rating: 5 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:54:42 -0800 Review: Title: My Mom Ate My Homework Author: De Kenyon Pages: 17 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:53:53 -0800 Review: Title: Bad House Spirit Author: DeAnna Knippling Pages: 17 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:52:12 -0800 Review: Title: Thornhedge Author: T. Kingfisher Pages: 116 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:51:41 -0800 Review: Myth creation is one of my favorite styles of fiction. So much is packed into those symbols and roles. This one is beautiful and deep, and there are some truly striking bits of language use which made me pause. Title: Fear and Trembling Author: Søren Kierkegaard Pages: 152 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:50:58 -0800 Review: I had some difficulty really deeply understanding the Abraham and Isaac argument, but I found much more empathy for the story from Tobit. The innocence of the bride and her strength of faith as a sacrifice without any apparent reason felt more approachable. In the Ignatian way I could set myself in those scenes and put on the skin of each character. From there backtracking to Abraham gives me hints at where he's going. +Regardless, very well done and quite accessible text. Title: The Furthest Station (Rivers of London, #5.5) Author: Ben Aaronovitch Pages: 144 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:50:26 -0800 Review: Title: The Castle in the Attic (The Castle in the Attic, #1) Author: Elizabeth Winthrop Pages: 179 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:49:49 -0800 Review: This went to a far more fantasy story than I expected. It wasn't bad, but definitely simple middle grade work. It might have gotten 3 stars but the kid is annoying. Title: Peter Pan (Peter Pan, #2) Author: J.M. Barrie Pages: 155 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:49:03 -0800 Review: One of the best adaptations and performances of Peter Pan I've encountered. Title: The Case of the Missing Moonstone (The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, #1) Author: Jordan Stratford Pages: 240 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:48:15 -0800 Review: This was really lovely and fun. Both characters feel unique and like respectful caricatures of their namesakes. I will read more of them. Title: Not a River Author: Selva Almada Pages: 104 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:47:36 -0800 Review: An impressive voice that can be both sparse, and say so much between the words. Title: Of Monsters and Mainframes Author: Barbara Truelove Pages: 407 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:47:03 -0800 Review: Wonderfully goofy and also pretty exciting. Title: Notes on Grief Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Pages: 86 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:46:22 -0800 Review: Title: Curse of the Arctic Star (Nancy Drew Diaries #1) Author: Carolyn Keene Pages: 188 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:45:53 -0800 Review: I wasn't expecting much and I was delivered what I expected. Title: Convenience Store Woman Author: Sayaka Murata Pages: 163 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:45:16 -0800 Review: I really enjoyed spending time in her mind. Title: The Velveteen Rabbit Author: Margery Williams Bianco Pages: 48 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:44:41 -0800 Review: Title: Number the Stars Author: Lois Lowry Pages: 137 Rating: 5 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:44:11 -0800 Review: Title: An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good (Elderly Lady, #1) Author: Helene Tursten Pages: 174 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:43:33 -0800 Review: I was rooting for this old lady's murders the whole way through. Great success Title: One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1) Author: Janet Evanovich Pages: 320 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:42:51 -0800 Review: Pretty good little crime novel. Strong characters. Title: How Do We Look: The Body, the Divine, and the Question of Civilization Author: Mary Beard Pages: 240 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:42:14 -0800 Review: Title: The Monarch of the Glen (American Gods, #1.1) Author: Neil Gaiman Pages: 128 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:41:38 -0800 Review: Title: Time of the Twins (Dragonlance: Legends, #1) Author: Margaret Weis Pages: 389 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:41:00 -0800 Review: Title: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: JavaScript Edition (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) Author: Harold Abelson Pages: 640 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:40:43 -0800 Review: Title: Small States and Shelter Theory: Iceland’s External Affairs (New International Relations) Author: Baldur Þórhallsson Pages: 241 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:40:26 -0800 Review: Title: The Tao of Pooh Author: Benjamin Hoff Pages: 176 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:39:52 -0800 Review: Great concept and good execution, but generally just entertaining. Title: The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War #2.5) Author: John Scalzi Pages: 100 Rating: 1 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:39:19 -0800 Review: I didn't really buy the author's voice with a female lead. Title: Guards! Guards! (Discworld, #8; City Watch, #1) Author: Terry Pratchett Pages: 376 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:38:22 -0800 Review: Title: The Old Curiosity Shop Author: Charles Dickens Pages: 576 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:37:59 -0800 Review: What an unusual structure. The choice to deny the obvious path of resolution creates something of a moral juxtaposition: angelic and demonic journeys. +I see the ideas in this which would later empower Bleak House. Title: The Very First Damned Thing (The Chronicles of St Mary's, #0.5) Author: Jodi Taylor Pages: 74 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:37:17 -0800 Review: Title: At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple, #10) Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 223 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:36:30 -0800 Review: Title: Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings (The Chronicles of St Mary's, #6.5) Author: Jodi Taylor Pages: 51 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:35:49 -0800 Review: Fun little story. The reading was much better than what I was struggling with on earlier books. Maybe I'll go back to the series. Title: Alone with the Stars Author: David R. Gillham Pages: 2 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:34:58 -0800 Review: This has a good premise and the character work was solid, but it leaves us flat at the end. Title: The Ashford Book Of Carding Revised Edition (Ashford Craft Series) Author: Jo Reeve Pages: 108 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:34:21 -0800 Review: It's got everything! Ahhh! I'm so excited to card and then spring. Title: Nemesis (Miss Marple, #11) Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 213 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:33:22 -0800 Review: This was one of my favorite Ms Marple stories. The callback to a previous acquaintance started this out strong. The characters were memorable and there were a couple legitimate twists. Title: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Author: Kate DiCamillo Pages: 228 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:32:46 -0800 Review: This fits in very well with a specific type of young literature that I'd hope to find on a middle school reading list. Julie of the Wolves, Hatchet, The Indian in the Cupboard, etc. Worth the brief time. Title: A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple, #9) Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 224 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:32:01 -0800 Review: Title: Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple, #12) Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 242 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:31:33 -0800 Review: Title: Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem Author: Patricia Newman Pages: 56 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:30:56 -0800 Review: Title: A Rare Book of Cunning Device Author: Ben Aaronovitch Pages: 5 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:30:23 -0800 Review: Title: The Time Being Author: Antonia Honeywell Pages: 1 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:29:48 -0800 Review: Title: 4:50 from Paddington (Miss Marple, #7) Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 286 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:29:14 -0800 Review: Title: The Moving Finger (Miss Marple, #3) Author: Agatha Christie Pages: 299 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:28:34 -0800 Review: Title: The Spellshop (Spellshop, #1) Author: Sarah Beth Durst Pages: 377 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:28:06 -0800 Review: Quite cozy with sly world building that creeps up on you. I really enjoyed the playful tone and silliness. Low stakes, no spice. Title: Life on Svalbard: Finding Home on a Remote Island Near the North Pole Author: Cecilia Blomdahl Pages: 256 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:27:52 -0800 Review: This reads like a high school essay. I was hoping for more introspection. Still, informative about the biggest town in Svalbard. Title: The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction Author: Ursula K. Le Guin Pages: 5 Rating: 5 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:26:14 -0800 Review: This is quite profound in its tiny little way. It'll stick with me as I write my own stories. Title: The Butcher's Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #5) Author: Matt Dinniman Pages: 732 Rating: 1 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:25:12 -0800 Review: I can't do this series anymore. I really tried, but it's just a grind. Title: The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4) Author: Matt Dinniman Pages: 586 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:24:05 -0800 Review: Title: The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #3) Author: Matt Dinniman Pages: 534 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:23:08 -0800 Review: Title: Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #2) Author: Matt Dinniman Pages: 364 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:21:49 -0800 Review: Title: Agent to the Stars Author: John Scalzi Pages: 286 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:20:53 -0800 Review: Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Stories Author: Oscar Wilde Pages: 331 Rating: 3 Read: Sun, 19 Oct 2025 10:01:17 -0700 Review: Title: The Wandering Inn: Volume 8 Author: Pirateaba Pages: 9311 Rating: 5 Read: Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:58:12 -0700 Review: Title: The Wandering Inn: Volume 7 Author: Pirateaba Pages: 6790 Rating: 5 Read: Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:57:57 -0700 Review: Title: How to Spot a Fascist Author: Umberto Eco Pages: 51 Rating: 4 Read: Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:54:02 -0700 Review: Solid, upsetting. Title: The Book of Doors Author: Gareth Brown Pages: 418 Rating: 2 Read: Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:53:35 -0700 Review: It started really strong, but at some point I was spending more time yelling at the stupid characters over complicating their plans than enjoying the book. I took a very long pause before reading the conclusion, and I probably should have DNF'd it. Title: Gateway (Expeditionary Force, #18) Author: Craig Alanson Pages: 444 Rating: 4 Read: Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:53:15 -0700 Review: Title: Blood of Liscor (The Wandering Inn, #8) Author: Pirateaba Pages: 1684 Rating: 5 Read: Tue, 29 Apr 2025 01:39:12 -0700 Review: Title: Rains of Liscor (The Wandering Inn, #7) Author: Pirateaba Pages: Rating: 5 Read: Mon, 28 Apr 2025 04:51:11 -0700 Review: It's so hard to wait for the audio books when I know the written story is so far ahead. It's worth it though. Title: Garden of Sanctuary (The Wandering Inn, #15) Author: Pirateaba Pages: 1215 Rating: 5 Read: Sun, 13 Apr 2025 10:54:07 -0700 Review: Happy to be back in the inn. I wanted more Erin chapters, but it was a good mix overall. Title: The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds, #1) Author: Micaiah Johnson Pages: 336 Rating: 3 Read: Sat, 12 Apr 2025 06:47:41 -0700 Review: This was pretty good. The premise is simple and the exploration of theme decently complete. The only issue I had was with pacing. The story felt over halfway through the book and then it dangled for quite a while before picking back up the momentum. Title: The Convenience Store by the Sea (Convenience Store by the Sea, #1) Author: Sonoko Machida Pages: 304 Rating: 5 Read: Sun, 06 Apr 2025 05:21:03 -0700 Review: This hit the spot. So cozy, so relaxing. I've been having anxiety lately and this was the perfect balm. It's a great intro into the genre as well. Title: Zero Hour: And Other Modern Stories (Cambridge English Readers) Author: Michael Swan Pages: 144 Rating: 3 Read: Sun, 30 Mar 2025 12:04:50 -0700 Review: This is an interesting collection. I didn't realize it was meant to teach English when I picked it up. The story choices are good and I bet it would make for excellent classroom discussion. The vocabulary annotations are a bit distracting, though I suppose quite functional if you're the target audience. Title: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga, #1) Author: Andrew Peterson Pages: 290 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 29 Mar 2025 06:57:25 -0700 Review: Nothing really stood out for me. The tone was inconsistent. Sometimes the names of things and the nonsense made it sound fun and silly but that wasn't matched by the action or characters. Title: Murder by Memory (Dorothy Gentleman, #1) Author: Olivia Waite Pages: 103 Rating: 3 Read: Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:19:56 -0700 Review: There's a lot of world building crammed into this tight little mystery. The main character has great energy and a clear voice. I'd be interested in reading more. Title: The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore #1) Author: Amanda Foody Pages: 304 Rating: 2 Read: Wed, 26 Mar 2025 18:40:11 -0700 Review: This is a pretty basic story which had potential to be a cute adventure but sort of gave up. Instead we got a half-assed magic school/magic trial without the world building to pay it off. The biggest issue is the whining characters, though. Really quite annoying. Title: The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science (The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science #1) Author: Kate McKinnon Pages: 244 Rating: 5 Read: Mon, 24 Mar 2025 04:39:36 -0700 Review: This is a pure delight to listen to, and it definitely deserves to be listened to. Kate McKinnon's performance is remarkable and carries the same whimsy as the story itself. The Porch sisters deserve to become classics. I'm going to pass this book on to my son who I hope will enjoy it as much as I did. Title: Tigana Author: Guy Gavriel Kay Pages: 676 Rating: 3 Read: Mon, 24 Mar 2025 04:34:52 -0700 Review: Lowering this to 3-stars upon re-read. The language is flowing and flowery, sometimes poetic and sometimes nauseating. The story is compelling and the themes thoroughly explored through a variety of characters. The pace of the book is glacial, however. The motivations of some characters seems unfounded as well. Certainly there is a great deal of passion for those who lost their homeland and its cultural identity, but for others, including one of our main protagonists who have no memory of the place their passion and self-sacrifice seems unearned. Sadly, the majority of the characters are also quite flat. We meet them after they have transitioned into their new mindsets, not before. When we do see a change in action it's sudden and hollow. +I liked this book, but that's all. Title: The Maidens Author: Alex Michaelides Pages: 337 Rating: 2 Read: Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:26:05 -0700 Review: This started out decent enough, but it became quickly clear that we weren't going to get any real character development. Story elements seemed scraped together from the author's personal experiences, which isn't bad in itself, but they didn't really fit with the story being told. Such a deep connection to Greek myths and geography for a story set in a school in England? I dunno, it just didn't mesh. The real harm here is the plot holes. The story just didn't work. Title: Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) Author: Hugh Howey Pages: 509 Rating: 3 Read: Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:28:27 -0700 Review: Pretty enjoyable. The greater story builds exposure at a decent rate and there's a few legitimate surprises. Mostly, though, the main character squeaks by through luck more than agency, which is a pet peeve of mine. Still, I'll do book 2. Title: The Lost Metal (Mistborn, #7) Author: Brandon Sanderson Pages: 507 Rating: 4 Read: Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:08:17 -0800 Review: An effective ending to era 2 that leaves us feeling both completion and a sense of unease for what's coming next. I liked the Wayne story best. Title: Mistborn: Secret History Author: Brandon Sanderson Pages: 149 Rating: 3 Read: Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:06:59 -0800 Review: Nice way to fill in the missing bits of Kelsier and shed light on a couple mysteries. I'm not sure it needed to be a book though. This could have been interludes in era 2 or something else. Title: The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6) Author: Brandon Sanderson Pages: 455 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:31:18 -0800 Review: Another read and I think I'll stick with the 4-stars on this one. Sanderson is getting stronger in his writing at this time and not just on the plot points. His characters have more depth. Steris is a great example. Things round out and the worlds feel lush and real. Title: Beware of Chicken 4 (Beware of Chicken, #4) Author: CasualFarmer Pages: 748 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 22 Feb 2025 04:29:46 -0800 Review: Back to the cozy farm with out lovable cast of characters. I really enjoy spending time with them even when not much is happening. That's the point, though, isn't it? It's extra fun when there's big events swirling in the background that you know won't actually be a big problem when they come for our heroes. Cozy to the max. Title: The Moons of Jupiter and Other Stories Author: Alice Munro Pages: 233 Rating: 4 Read: Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:18:15 -0800 Review: Each story is a juicy but of fruit popping and filling your mouth with a familiar tartness of a branch in the woods, hinting at sweetness but complex and raw. She's so good at this. Title: [Images and Symbols: Studies in Religious Symbolism (Mythos: The Princeton/Bollingen Series in World Mythology)] [Author: Eliade, Mircea] [June, 1991] Author: Mircea Eliade Pages: 0 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 15 Feb 2025 07:44:12 -0800 Review: This is a fantastic little book outlining universal (I know, I know!) symbols. There's summer fantastic arguments for how we can think about these archetypes to better understand ourselves beyond plain old historicity. Title: The Night Watch Author: Patrick Modiano Pages: 160 Rating: 4 Read: Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:01:47 -0800 Review: I liked this more than I expected to. The writing really does give the sense of the occupation as something of a fever dream. I'm reminded of early cartoons where the figures are distorted and grossly proportioned, and never cease their movement. The Gestapo parties felt like that and it gave the casual cruelty an unnatural sense of reality. The characterization is likewise a strange success. A character we clearly shouldn't sympathize with grows with the struggle to find an identity. Traitor or more? This feels very personal on some levels and the feeling it captures of this time and life is also so unique for works about the time period. Worth a read, even if I had difficulty following references and language changes occasionally. Title: Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5) Author: Brandon Sanderson Pages: 376 Rating: 4 Read: Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:55:42 -0800 Review: My review holds. A four star start to the era 2 trilogy. Some great twists and surprises at the end, and a real gut punch for our hero. Title: The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4) Author: Brandon Sanderson Pages: 325 Rating: 3 Read: Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:52:03 -0800 Review: Yeah, still a solid 3. This one isn't up to the level of Sanderson's normal works at this time, but it makes sense. It was a writing exercise that got away from him. A good time, but not a super memorable one. Title: Midnight at the Blackbird Café Author: Heather Webber Pages: 336 Rating: 4 Read: Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:06:04 -0800 Review: There's some real charm in this small town, and a whole lot of family pain to work through. Thankfully a good piece of pie can work magic. Title: Fire Study (Study, #3) Author: Maria V. Snyder Pages: 441 Rating: 1 Read: Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:05:03 -0800 Review: This is where the series really seems to lose its way. More hodgepodge of action that makes less sense the more you think about it. I think it's a shame since there's some interesting world building, it's just not well plotted. Title: Time Travelling with a Hamster Author: Ross Welford Pages: 400 Rating: 5 Read: Mon, 03 Feb 2025 04:17:34 -0800 Review: Beautiful, personal. This is an absolute delight. Title: Blood & Steel (The Legends of Thezmarr, #1) Author: Helen Scheuerer Pages: 550 Rating: 1 Read: Sat, 01 Feb 2025 17:52:24 -0800 Review: I should have stopped it after the fourth time the main characters celadon eyes were mentioned. This book was terrible. Trope filled, predictable, with obnoxious petulant characters. The main characters have no chemistry and feel like young teens yet are in their twenties and thirties. The romance angle doesn't work and the special girl who craves becoming a legend works even less. Title: Magic Study (Study, #2) Author: Maria V. Snyder Pages: 392 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 01 Feb 2025 17:35:20 -0800 Review: This second book in the series really suffered for the lack of planning. It felt aimless throughout. Significant sections were rushed while unimportant ones stretched on. There are still some interesting characters but motivations for several made no sense. I'm pressing onward hoping book 3 shows more promise, otherwise I think I'll be done with the series. Title: Poison Study (Study, #1) Author: Maria V. Snyder Pages: 427 Rating: 4 Read: Sun, 26 Jan 2025 13:06:36 -0800 Review: I'm giving this an extra star on this second reading. There's plenty here to enjoy. It's not masterfully crafted or written, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. I'm really excited for book 2. Title: Commerce Emperor Author: Maxime J. Durand Pages: 498 Rating: 1 Read: Tue, 21 Jan 2025 17:28:26 -0800 Review: I was duped by the really high ratings. This is one of those wish-fulfillment overpowered main character stories. Not only that, the main character is pretty awful. Title: The Warehouse Author: Rob Hart Pages: 368 Rating: 1 Read: Sat, 18 Jan 2025 10:31:48 -0800 Review: DNF. +So... someone spent some time working an an Amazon warehouse and thought, "This is dystopian! I should write it as a book." Everything is so basically surface-coded. There's a lot of awful, but it's too on the nose to present reality for my tastes. Title: The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore Author: Evan Friss Pages: 416 Rating: 4 Read: Sat, 18 Jan 2025 10:29:08 -0800 Review: One of those stars is for my own personal nostalgia for spaces where I spent so much of my youth, but the other three are easily earned by a rich historical story explored with energy and interest. If you're a book person--and you are because you're reading this--you'll probably enjoy this book. Title: Raven's Ruin (The Keeper Origins, #2) Author: J.A. Andrews Pages: 728 Rating: 2 Read: Sat, 18 Jan 2025 10:27:09 -0800 Review: This one turned into a slog. The main character's choices seemed to come less and less from a place of self-motivation and more in reaction to nonsensical actions of those around her. The activity that underlay the first book sort of fizzled out here and I lost a sense of urgency or importance in actions. There's a lot here left unexplored because our cast was too busy having miscommunications from not speaking when the opportunity was present. I'm not sure if I'll do number three. Title: The Hidden People Author: Alison Littlewood Pages: 374 Rating: 2 Read: Wed, 01 Jan 2025 08:48:35 -0800 Review: Very good scene painting, world building, and vibe creating. Very weak pacing and character development. There's a relationship at the heart of the story I just didn't buy into. It wasn't properly developed and it sat wrong the whole time. I think if we never saw the characters as kids at all it might have been better off than what we witness. Instead of filling in the blanks on a close relationship they used to have, I have to take what I have seen and try to believe Albie's take on it. +I'll also be honest, the title made me think of the Icelandic hidden folk. This changling representation from English folklore didn't fully scratch that itch, and the attitudes of the people in the story felt over the top as well. I guess it added to the gothic feel, but it never quite added up for me. .