This is the fourth book by Myke Cole I've read in about six months. This is also his fourth published book. Not only have I been enjoying great stories, I have also had the privilege of experiencing how an author develops his craft, going from good in the debut to excellent in this one. If you haven't read Myke Cole yet you should. He is well worth checking out.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I read it for work and the topic is pretty specialized so it might not be for everyone. One interesting thing I got out of this book, which I didn't expect, was a new perspective on the stag as Harry Potter's patronus.

According to the allegories found in medieval bestiaries, beavers were hunted for their testicles. To escape the hunters the beaver would bite off his own testicles and leave them behind for the hunter to retrieve. Ow ow ow!

How about a little bit of light reading? 😁Started this yesterday and I'm truly enjoying it so far.

I've read The Odyssey several times now because I teach it in class and for each time I get more and more intrigued by how unreliable narrators both Homer and Odysseus are. What _was_ Odysseus up to during all that time it took him to return to Ithaca from Ilium?

Delivered from Barnes & Nobel today. I had no idea I bought one of the signed copies and that also includes a deleted scene.

Sometimes I just love my job. I'm actually getting paid to read this.

Gorgeously written about sisterhood, friendship, abusive mothers, magic, and the exhilarating anxieties of being an artist. Still it didn't move me, and towards the end I found myself indifferent to a situation of life and death.

Wesley Chu's TAO series is being developed for TV by the same people who brought us Agent Carter. Can't wait!

Love this! Beyoncé, Destroyer of Worlds.

This has been on my TBR ever since it came out. Starting it now.

Sequel to AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, which I tore through in only a couple of days. That's why I was surprised to find that this story failed to grab me. At times the writing felt tired and aimless, as if Tahir was losing steam and direction. The use of genre tropes were such that I could predict certain developments pages in advance. Still I ended up enjoying it and would recommend it.

I'm about 100 pages in and the story just doesn't grab me. Anyone else experience this?

Starting!

Of the three in the series, this is by far the best one. Dense writing filled with suspense. Characters from earlier books were given additional depth. The ending felt a bit sudden but other than that a very enjoyable read.

I'm at the point where I want to keep reading because the book is so good and at the same time I don't want to keep reading because that means the book will end.

A 100% accurate You May Also Like from Barnes & Noble. I guess that means they do exist.

Started the third and final part of Cole's Shadow Ops series yesterday. Although I have come to realize after I started reading this series that Cole has, in fact, pulled a George Lucas and that this is part five but parts one and two weren't written until this so-called part three was published.

N.K. Jemisin is one of my favorite writers! So of course I enjoyed this one immensely, even though the narrative structure is conventional for a Jemisin novel. Especially in comparison to The Fifth Season, which just blew me away in every way possible.

#Bookmail! Which one should I read first? You decide.

Learning about the Luttrell Psalter (c. 1320-1340) while it's thundering outside.

I love Leonard Cohen. And I thought I had read all the books I have about him. Then I found this slim volume tucked in between two bigger Cohen books.

A memoir more than an autobiography. Written in anecdotes, the purpose of some not immediately obvious, if at all. Don't expect to learn much about The Who. This is Townshend's book where he focuses on his efforts to get through life more or less in one piece.

Following @Liberty 's lead. Goodbye, Gene Wilder.

TIL In the 1980s Pete Townshend worked as an editor for Faber & Faber. He also published a collection of short stories.

Whenever I attempt at describing The Who I say that their genius lay in turning the typical rock band upside down. I say that in The Who the bass was the lead instrument while the guitar held down the rhythm and the drums provided fills rather than a steady beat. Based on this statement it would seem that Townshend agrees with me. 😁

Since I tore through THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING in only a couple of days I'm starting this now. The Who's TOMMY was an incredibly important album in my teens. Over the years my respect for and interest in Pete Townshend as an artist has grown and I now consider him one of the most interesting artists of the past 50 years. In other words, I'm really looking forward to reading this.

Although I was hesitant at first and although the inspiration drawn from J.R.R. Tolkien is a bit too obvious at times, I really enjoyed it. And I'm really curious to know more about the world they're living in.

Am reading.

Fantastic read although a bit long even for a book that sets up a series.

Impression so far: If Alexander Chee's THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT were a fantasy novel. 👍

By popular demand 😁 I'm starting this tonight.

I read this in three days so it's definitely a page turner. However, it lacked that personal touch that I have come to associate with Chu's characters and much of the writing felt superficial and mechanical.

Which one should I read first?

Starting this one now. So far I haven't read anything by Wesley Chu I didn't like.

Part 2 of a trilogy. The book is dedicated to J.R.R.Tolkien and I definitely got a feeling of The Two Towers when I was reading. Just like TTT, this is an in between book, taking you from part 1 to part 3. And again like TTT, it's good but not as good as the book that preceded it.

I'm BORED! This novel better pick up because the only reason I'm reading it is so that I can get to part 3 and see how the whole thing ends.

I'm BORED! This novel better pick up because the only reason I'm reading it is so that I can get to part 3 and see how the whole thing ends.

Started this yesterday. Second part of the Shadow Ops series. Don't let the cheesy covers fool you. These books are actually really good.

What an amazing book! Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. The first person present tense narrative robbed the story of some of its suspense but that is a minor criticism in an otherwise wonderful book.

Started this 2 days ago and I'm nearly halfway through. I'm really enjoying it. Can't put it down.

By popular demand (@Matilda! 😁) I'm starting this book tonight.

#bookmail! Which one should I read first?

Military fantasy where US special forces conduct warfare in Magic Land with parallels to US involvement abroad. This is Cole's debut from a few years ago and it shows in places. Still I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I already have part two ready to go.

#Recommendsday According to Virginia Woolf, every woman who is a writer owns a debt of gratitude to Aphra Behn (1640-1689), the first woman in the Western world known to have supported herself only as a writer. Behn's Oroonoko is considered the first abolitionist novel.

#recommendsday I know that HST is an acquired flavor for some but I absolutely adore him. I read this book 2 yrs ago and I keep coming back to it over and over.

Started this one last night. The only reason I put it down was because I needed to get up this morning. Good stuff.

Excellent and fun read. Not so much new information about the Roman Empire. Rather a critical view on what we already know and why we think we know it.

I only buy books that I immediately intend to read, usually in batches of three or four. However, I get nervous when I start the last book of my latest book haul without having a backup. So I bought myself a backup. This will be my next read.

Today is July 4. 240 years ago this year this book caused quite a stir.