Slow going this week. I‘m right where I‘m supposed to be in Bandit Queens. The Will of the Many is dense, so it‘s slow going and Gryphon is my current audiobook. I‘m not loving it and I‘m tempted to bail. I think I will just switch to something else for the weekend and save Gryphon for work when it can be background noise. #bookreport

I wasn‘t going to do a fancy BINGO board, but I had to take my car to the shop. It‘s hard to concentrate on reading while sitting at home waiting for the mechanic to call with the repair estimate. So, I killed an hour in Canva. 😂#bookspinbingo

I updated my June TBR to reflect the #bookspin and #doublespin books. When I went to screenshot the double spin book, though, I discovered I‘d already read it (Oops) so I replaced it with the next book in the same series. I hope that‘s not cheating. 😳

I‘ve added a bit of pressure to myself for June with #camplitsy23, #bookspin, and #titlesandtunes on top of some library books and a June release from NetGalley. We‘ll see how it goes. I have a feeling a library book or two may get returned unread. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #JuneTBR

1. I have been overthinking this since @Andrew65 tagged me. 😂 Is this the oldest from first publication, first English translation, or the actual edition I read? If the first, the probably The Iliad. If either of the others, I have no idea.
2. As many as possible as long as the quality stays high. I‘d rather the author stop writing than phone it in
3. The tagged series when the author died. 😔
#wondrouswednesday

Based on where I am in my current reads, I think it‘s safe to say I won‘t finish anything else this month. That being said, I finished 16 and completed my Goodreads goal, so there‘s that. I LOVED Titanium Noir. It‘s going to be tough to beat for favorite book of the year. There were a couple of disappointments, but also some great surprises. Overall, a good birthday month of reading. #maystats #maywrapup

This is between a pick and so-so for me, and I‘ll round up simply because I‘m not the intended audience. As others have noted, the pacing isn‘t great, but as this is the first in the series, I‘m hoping they get better. The lessons aren‘t too heavy handed and I love that Princess Rowan recognizes kindness is better than being forceful and demanding. I‘ll read the rest since I have an ARC of book 4 coming and I‘m betting the can‘t be stand-alones.

@suvata I finished this early and I didn‘t want to forget about it, so I put it in the mail today. You should have it by then end of the week. Thanks for another fun round of #lmpbc!

FOMO is killing me this month and I‘m joining #bookspin. 😂 Took me a bit to compile my list, and even longer to make the graphic.

I love that my library system opened a new branch closer to my house. It‘s so much more convenient. I picked up two holds plus a book off the new release shelf (the Penner). I‘m starting the tagged book today since there have been outlandish claims that it rivals Red Rising. This #Howler is skeptical but hopeful. 🤔 #libraryhaul

While I ordinarily don‘t prescribe to the idea of a #guiltypleasure (if it harms no one and brings you joy, you should feel no guilt or shame), I do have one book series that I am loathe to confess to reading multiple times. I haven‘t read the tagged one, yet. Look, they are objectively bad, I know, but I can‘t help myself. They‘re comfort junk food when I‘m super depressed. The Muse song is from my favorite scene of the first (terrible) film.

This hurts to write because the book came so highly recommended. I can‘t say anything I want to for risk of spoilers. The book starts painfully slowly, and I nearly bailed 1/3 of the way out of boredom. The threads start to come together, I had a thought which turned out to be true, and that made me mad. I hate figuring out twists early. 😂 Anywho, I didn‘t find this creepy, scary, or original, but it wasn‘t dreadful either. #meh

#weeklyforecast I have no interest in the #camplitsy23 choices, and library wait times are so long I have to buy them, which irritates me, but #FOMO wins for now 🤦🏻‍♀️😂. I only read Nightmare Man in the middle of the day when it is sunny, and since we‘ve had rain for days, it‘s slow going. Up next: I won a copy of book 4 of Monster Slaying, so I am listening to the first 3 to catch up, plus 2 library holds I‘ll pick up this week.

Well, I finished my June #LMPBC book today. 😳 This is a reread for me, and I think I loved it even more this time. It‘s a beautiful book with found family, precocious children, a delightfully naughty adult (I love Ian), and other truly wonderful, special characters. It‘s a warm book hug and I love it.

Thanks to C.J. Box and month end close, I got through a lot of books this week. I‘m hoping to finish one more today, since it‘s a dark, rainy day. I enjoyed everything I finished and bailed on one other book this week. I find bailing on everything I‘m not enjoying to be a very nice thing. 😂 It‘s also nice to have enough finished books to do both a #bookreport and separate #weeklyforecast. 🤣🤣
#bookreport

Joe Pickett once again gets himself caught in the middle of something that crosses the line between Game Warden business and the Sheriff's responsibility. I like Joe and his family, and I enjoy watching him spar with local law enforcement while getting himself into sticky situations. I look forward to reading more of the series.

This is a fun, quick read. Caroline Montgomery and the Duke of Hayworth find themselves shipwrecked on an island while the rest of their party lands on an island 2 miles away. Whatever shall they do while they wait for rescue? While it‘s pretty low on heat, this novella is filled with some of my favorite things in romance: banter, shenanigans, laughter, and real, mutual CONSENT. (Yeah, I‘m still mad about the Byrne novel)

The one thing I insist upon with romance novels is true consent. Even though Millie agrees to “pay” Argent with sex for not killing her and instead taking on a role as her protector, it‘s coercion not consent. I kept hoping he‘d change his mind, that the love story would develop, and then they could be physically intimate, but no. He gets his payment and I‘m out. I‘m done with this author.

This was a good mystery/procedural in a setting I don‘t typically encounter. Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming who gets embroiled in politics and murder when a local hunter turns up dead in Joe‘s woodpile. The investigation that follows uncovers conspiracy and corruption in the small town, and it all leads to an epic showdown. This was a fun listen, with a good audiobook narrator, and I‘m looking forward to reading more of the series.

Once again, I‘m a little worried about my state of mind. I found this nonfiction history of poisons, assassinations, accidental poisonings, gruesome death by natural causes blamed on poisoning, conspiracies, and conspiracy theories to be delightfully macabre and informative. 😳 It was a fun listen with a good narrator.

I expected to DNF this, but after @BethM review, I had to try. I‘m a sucker for Peter Pan versions where Pan is a villain and Hook is sympathetic. The author insists this is not a retelling or a HEA fairytale. Whatever you call it, it‘s steamy & fun. Hook is a villain that remains a criminal to the end & Wendy‘s a bit of a freak. I don‘t know what it says about me, but I didn‘t consider it particularly dark. 😳🤷🏻‍♀️

This is #4, but the 1st I‘ve read. It works fine as a standalone. I never felt like I was missing important background. The writing was decent, although there were little things that annoyed me, like the way every witness was described as “hiding something”, like the author tried too hard to create red herrings. The pacing was good. I didn‘t love it, but it‘s good enough that I‘ll read more of the series.

Last week was garbage, today is a 🤬 dumpster fire, and I will leave it at that. Maybe I‘ll finish my current reads this week. Maybe I‘ll just hide under my bed and sleep all week. At this point, it‘s anyone‘s guess. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#bookreport #weeklyforecast

This is on its way to you, @suvata I believe it should arrive no later than Saturday. I sent it out yesterday.

#lmpbc #round17 #groupw

This is a bonkers novel - absurd and delightful. It has a slow start, but once the shenanigans begin, this becomes a laugh-out-loud riot of a book. There are multiple stories that all converge in one section of the Everglades, with characters and plot tripping all over each other. Barry delivers a quintessential Florida tall tale, complete with gators, pythons, buried treasure, and so much more, and I am here for it all!

Good Omens is my listen-while-I-crochet book and Poison is my work audiobook. I just started Swamp Story for some home state nostalgia and laughter. I think I keep hesitating on Puppets because I‘ve been looking forward to it for a year and am now nervous it won‘t live up to the anticipation. Plus, I‘m sure it will make me cry. So, I may opt for a new horror novel instead. 🤷🏻‍♀️ #weeklyforecast

I‘ve been combining #bookreport with #weeklyforecast for a while because I haven‘t had much to post even with the combination. This week, I finished a lot and bailed on even more. 🤪 Titanium Noir was my favorite. American Predator was disturbing. The Nature of Witches was surprisingly entertaining. The Princess & the Rogue was disappointing and Saga was Saga. IYKYK Here‘s hoping next week‘s reading is as satisfying. 🤞🏻

#63 was kind of boring filler, but as expected, Saga bounces right back. Lots more trouble for the kids, baddies still on the hunt, and a mom just trying to survive. The only thing that vexed me is this issue has more Esperanto than they‘ve used in a while and having to read with Google Translate is annoying.

I burned out on YA tropes a few years ago and have avoided them as much as possible, so I was prepared to hate this book club pick before I even started. It has many of the things I dislike-a whiny, misunderstood teen protagonist, a sickly sweet romance, the savior who just wants to be normal, and sociopathic adults in positions of authority. But, I ended up enjoying the story and watching our heroine come into her own. Grumble, grumble. 😂

Israel Keyes is probably one of the scariest serial killers you've never heard of. The descriptions of his activities, how random they seem, is terrifying. It's also disturbing how much of the investigation into his movements prior to his arrest has not been released due to "national security concerns". This book was well-written and researched. It's a little dry, but informative. The audiobook narrator is also pretty good.

The chemistry between Seb and Anya is great, steamy and believable. The plot moves quickly with some fun dialogue, but even for HR, the storyline was utterly ridiculous. I almost threw the book across the room at the big twist.

Bateman‘s books have gotten better over time (the Ruthless Rivals series is far superior to this one) so I‘ll be on the lookout for new books, but I won‘t be digging further into her backlist.

I loved this. It has all the grit, dark humor, and violence of a Raymond Chandler novel or early 1940s Humphrey Bogart noir film, with a Sci-Fi twist to keep it fresh. The Sci-Fi element gave a different flavor to the mafia-esque characters, and a little more room for the author to play with the noir tropes. It‘s a fast read, well-plotted and executed, and highly entertaining. If you‘re a fan of classic noir, don‘t miss this one.

It‘s been a sleep-deprived migraine-y week, so I accomplished little beyond bailing on even more audiobooks. I listened to half of American Predator on Friday, though, so I might actually finish that one. I‘m still plugging away at Titanium Noir. It‘s odd and interesting, but my brain wants to just be done with it so I can read Puppets, which makes it harder to pick up and finish for some reason. Brains are weird. #bookreport #weeklyforecaset

I plan to read the tagged book this month, and I‘m stretching the #titlesandtunes #islandvibes theme to include the island of Ireland. And if your book is set in Dublin, you kind of have to pick a U2 song, right? “I Still Haven‘t Found What I‘m Looking For” seemed like a great song title to accompany a mystery. 😂

Aardvark finally got me. I‘ve resisted all of their selections so far, but it‘s my birthday this month and I grew up in Florida and Dave Barry makes me belly laugh. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 🎶Happy (very early) Birthday to me🎶

#aardvarkbookclub

#MayTBR Two books carried over from April, LMPBC, a couple of NetGalley ARCs, one miscellaneous book, a horror novel that comes so highly recommended that I don‘t want to wait, a book recommended by a bookseller that needs to be bumped up my TBR, and one of my most anticipated new releases: PUPPETS!!!!! Seriously, y‘all. It‘s so hard to make myself finish what I‘m currently reading because all I want to do is read In the Lives of Puppets.

I didn‘t like any of the PicCollage layouts for 7 books, so I had to read one last book for April. The Red Rising graphic novel brought me to a total of 8 books and a much more visually appealing graphic. 🤣🤣 The top three and the Deanna Raybourn were excellent. The rest were disappointing.

The art style isn‘t my favorite, but I love that the dialogue boxes for all of the characters are the same color as the character (i.e, Fitchner‘s speech is gold, Ryanna is red, etc). It‘s the little details that make this prequel to the Red Rising series truly special. I have loved getting Ares backstory, and it reinforces the fact that I am not emotionally ready for Light Bringer. 😭 Per aspera ad astra Howlers. 🐺

I finished one very disappointing book this week and I‘m glad I checked it out from the library instead of buying it. The digital ARC of Titanium Noir is pretty interesting so far and An Unexpected Peril is a good listen for the work day. Up next is my LMPBC book. I might finish the audiobook this week, but I probably won‘t actually finish anything else. Making progress will be enough. #bookreport #weeklyforecast

Meh.

This started off with such promise, but was let down by the formatting. It tried to be clever and creepy by building a story using journal entries and scripts of “raw video footage”. Instead, it‘s a jumbled, disconnected mess of a narrative that was never scary. There was little real tension and by the end, I just wanted everyone to hurry up and die. The very end is just eye-roll inducing.

It‘s #indiebookstoreday so I had to make a run to my happy place. The tagged book was a recommendation from Halli, one of the booksellers at Park Road Books. I know nothing about it other than Halli said it scared her so badly she couldn‘t take her dogs outside at night. Yes, please. 😂😂 (Not pictured is the new Veronica Speedwell that I bought for my mom). The ARC of Fairies was a gift-with-purchase. 🥰

Finished two books for which I had high expectations and both of them let me down immensely. I‘m hoping to finish Episode Thirteen this week and get back to my insane NetGalley queue, starting with Titanium Noir. I have no idea what to listen to for my next audiobook. It‘s month end close week at work, so I may just listen to music. I haven‘t decided. 🤷🏻‍♀️#bookreport #weeklyforecast

I enjoyed Bateman‘s Ruthless Rivals series immensely, but I‘ve been underwhelmed by the Bow Street Bachelors. While this has plenty of snarky banter, there‘s an excessive amount of whiny, angsty internal dialogue from both MCs, much of which felt like filler to make a word count. I would have preferred more of the cat-and-mouse game between the MCs and less of the internal angst. The side characters are great, though.

I‘m always a little heartbroken when an Akashic Noir anthology doesn‘t work for me. Akashic‘s first noir collection of 2023 is a disappointment. I only enjoyed 3 stories. I loved the characters in Stunts by Ace Atkins. Amanda Moore‘s Reflections was delightfully twisty, and Amy Gentry built a complex tale with a great ending. The rest is filled with mediocre writing, boring plots, and terrible endings. Overall, this is a big miss for me.

@suvata I forgot to post yesterday when I took the tagged book to the post office. You should receive it Saturday.
#lmpbc #round17 #groupw

Ordered myself a little something to tide me over until Light Bringer releases in July. 😍 #bookmail

The Christmas short stories are bite sized TCoSM snacks and I love them. They are utterly delightful, with all of the wacky adventure and humor of the full length novels but typically without significant, heavy heartbreak. Major Guthrie‘s last jump takes our team to the Battle of Bannockburn in June, 1314. It‘s typical St. Mary‘s mayhem. Zara Ramm is as impeccable a narrator as always.

I can‘t believe I just learned of Anne Perry‘s passing today. I know the teenage murder conviction and subsequent movie cast a shadow over her career, but I loved her early Thomas & Charlotte Pitt books and the William Monk series. The conspiracy plot lines in both got old around the 20-30th books , but I think I may need to reread the first few again now.

Witch‘s Guide was uneven and ultimately unsatisfying. Hope for the Best was highly entertaining. St. Mary‘s has only let me down once and I‘m not the only reader traumatized by that installment. Working on Austin Noir and Episode Thirteen this week. I figure crime at bedtime and the horror during the day. 😂 My next audio will either be the next St Mary‘s short or Hecate. #bookreport #weeklyforecast

I love St Mary‘s and I love Zara Ramm‘s narration of this series. She‘s perfect. This is another well-written episode featuring the Time Police, Mary Tudor, and yet another visit to the Cretaceous Period. As much as I adore Max, I wish the rest of St Mary‘s staff had more page time. I‘m also annoyed that we might not have seen the last of one character, but I love the time spent with Max and Matthew.