Terlu broke the law and was turned into a statue as punishment so it was quite a surprise when she woke up in a snowy forest six years later.
Terlu was sent to the island of Belde, home of an enchanted greenhouse that is failing and the gardener who hopes she can save it.
So cozy and sweet, with a found family of sentient plants and learning that you are worth sticking around for.

Told as the last letter from Mata Hari, it covers her childhood, her ill-fated marriage, then her life of freedom in Paris. When war loomed, her shift from entertainer & courtesan to double agent lead to her downfall.
While interesting, I didn‘t like the tone of the book. Her side was very matter-of-fact with little emotion or deeper insight into her character. The most sympathetic part of the book was the letter the lawyer wrote at the end.

Sibling Dex needed a change in their life so they left the monastery & took up the life of a traveling tea monk. After a few years, they needed another change & leave the designated human zone into the wild. They were not expecting to meet Mosscap, a robot who has decided to survey humans and find out what they need. The pair travel to a long-abandoned monastery and learn about each other and the world they didn‘t know.
Cozy and thought-provoking.

Jimmy “Prop” Propfield joined the army with his best friends Billy & Hank to get out of his hometown and to forget his first love. Unfortunately, that found him in the Philippines on the eve of Pearl Harbor.
The three friends soon find themselves taken captive and forced onto the Bataan Death March and into a POW camp. They spend the next few years just trying to survive the camp, heavy labor, a prisoner ship, and torture.
Good but heartbreaking.

Paranormal noir mystery set in prohibition Chicago sees magical detective Helen Brandt take one last job, to find the White City Vampire, before the demon who owns her soul comes to collect.
It doesn‘t take long for her to realize she is far more connected to her quarry than she thought, as is her employer, her brother, and the woman she loves.

Quick read but oh so good.

And because I think everybody deserves to see the alternate cover featuring Jester and Fjord as Guinevere and Oskar.

Starting as a one-off comment during Critical Role‘s second campaign that quickly turned into a series-long running gag, Guanzon turned Tusk Love into a funny, sweet, spicier-than-I-expected romance between a merchant‘s daughter and a half-orc blacksmith as they cross the continent to return her to her parents and her fiancé.

Maud Blyth is on a mission to help her brother save the magical world but things go wrong almost immediately when the old woman she is escorting across the Atlantic is murdered.
Maude recruits help from magician and stage performer Violet Debenhan, former magician Lord Hawthorn, and journalist Alan Ross to find the second piece of the last contract and discover the murderer all before the ship docks in England.

As a brand new posh resort opens in an old manor house, the past rises up to crash the festivities to the ground. Part Midsommer, part Hot Fuzz, the twists keep twisting.

Told from four POVs: Francesca-the owner, Owen-her husband, Bella-a mystery guest, and Eddie-kitchen employee, the story flips between past, present, and future (in the POV of a detective) as they try to solve a disappearance without rousting the anger of the mysterious Birds.

When Benny helps build a mysterious tank, he‘s offered a job at a Coney Island amusement park, he just has to help capture the creature to go into the tank. Nothing prepared for it to be a merman.

Benny does what he can to make life more tolerable for the merman, eventually forming a friendship that developed into deeper feelings.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read, physically (the author also illustrated it) and the story.

Annabelle wakes up in a river and is adopted by a strange group of teens who live in the ghost town on top of Resurrection Peak. She can‘t remember what led to her ending up in the river but she returns to her life with the mission of finding out.

It was frustrating watching Annie miss all the signs that she was dead for so long, not to mention the multiple potholes, and how horribly she treated Sam.

I really wanted to like it but it didn‘t blow me away. And I think that‘s all on me.

It was written really well & the characters were three dimensional and unique, but I can‘t help but feel that I would‘ve liked it better if it was just from Altha‘s POV.

Either way, I‘m glad to have read it. I really enjoyed Altha‘s storyline & it was interesting to see the hedgewitchyness of each woman manifest in different ways.

Hannah‘s cancer diagnosis was fatal so she decided to go out on her terms. She picked a date and started planning the best end-of-life rager her retirement community has ever seen.
Told in segments from the day of her party with flashbacks to her childhood in Montreal, starting a company with her best friend, and her time with the one who got away.

Funny, bittersweet, and queer set in a world ravaged by the effects of climate change.

To deal with the rise in misogynistic violence, the government shipped the offenders to an island to fend for themselves. Five years later, NB Mankiller Jones is sent in to retrieve classified information that was stored on the island. Things turn violent almost immediately in the most ridiculous ways possible as Mankiller dodges cultists, cannibals, and the “nice guys.”

Definitely a WTF read but fun nonetheless.

Jamie sets off on a cross-country road-trip with her boyfriend, cat, and dog to try the iconic hot dog offerings in the south, the East coast, and a quick jaunt into the Midwest.
She also covers the history of everybody‘s favorite tubed meat and its rise in popularity in addition to its current role in American culture. Dealing with the Covid pandemic and personal trials adds a personal touch to the book.

Taking place after Artificial Condition, we see ART and its crew investigating a corporate station. Meanwhile Iris tries to get to the bottom of ART‘s new friend and just what its feelings for them are.

What happens when your dnd party is TPK‘d but there‘s still a job to do? The NPCs who find your bodies take on your quest.
Four nobodies from Maplebark adopt the adventuring parties roles of rogue, barbarian, wizard, and cleric to prevent the temperamental king from destroying their town, but their lack of adventuring experience actually helps them succeed.

Such a fun, light read for dnd and fantasy nerds.

Every D&D party ever 🤣

Charlie is in a really shitty place in life when he hears his super wealthy, estranged uncle died. Then, his uncle‘s assistant shows up on his doorstep to ask him to host the funeral.
This sets off a series of events that Charlie could never imagine including spy cats, guard dolphins in the middle of a labor dispute, and a secret society of villains who all know his name.

Audiobooks narrated by Wil Wheaton are always a yes for me.

Based on The Adventure Zone podcast, the McElroy brothers learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons with hilarious results.
In the first installment of the series, fighter Magnus, wizard Taako, and cleric Merle are on the mission to deliver goods and rescue Merle‘s cousins but cause a whole bunch of damage as they murder-hobo their way through the countryside.

Jules is still trying to bounce back from her horrible breakup and broken engagement so when awkward Will, her neighbor‘s college friend, admits he needs help finding a wife, she thinks he‘s the safe choice to practice with to help her prepare to start dating again.

Neither of them anticipated being perfect for each other.

It wasn‘t bad but it felt kind of anticlimactic. Christopher still gives me the ick.

The 6th level takes the crawlers to the Hunting Grounds, where the universe‘s wealthiest families and organizations can send members to kill crawlers with abandon.
But they‘ve never met Carl before. He makes it his personal mission to kill as many hunters as possible, which paints an even bigger target on his back and makes things uncomfortable when crawlers and hunters meet at the Butcher‘s Masquerade right before the floor collapses.

A look at the funny side of death including historic funerary practices, unhinged obituaries, unusual funerals, and out-of-pocket deathbed confessions.
If you‘re a fan of Caitlin Doughty, you‘ll enjoy this book.

A reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from Jim‘s point of view, it brings to the forefront how enslaved people were treated in the pre-Civil War era south.
When Jim finds out he‘s to be sold, he runs away. After a series of encounters with strangers (some good, most bad), he returns home just to find out his family had been sold. This changes his mission from escape to rescue.

Everybody should read it at least once.

The queen of crime takes the closed door murder mystery to a whole new level when all nine people trapped on an island are found dead, all from different methods and at different times.

Even with the explanation, I‘m still not 100% sure I know what happened. Absolutely masterful.

Stein traveled around the world to document the last keepers of traditional crafts and knowledge. From the last 19 people who know how to make sacred mirrors in India, to the 3 women who make the most intricate pasta ever in Sardinia, to the handful of people who keep their bees informed of family events. Sadly, the craft may be lost in the next generations but the fact they existed will be saved.

An absolutely incredible book! I learned so much.

Michelle‘s mother always had the highest expectations of her and it often caused tension between them but the one thing they always bonded over was food.
When her mom was diagnosed with cancer, it changed Michelle‘s relationship with nearly everybody in her life and with food. When her mom passed, it forced her to find a new path for herself and come to terms with her relationship with her mom.

Read with tissues.

Amazing fairytale about two sisters whose bond is so strong that they are still connected even beyond death.
The magic in their music keeps the willows alive that guard the portal to the realm of the Fairies and brought one sister love. Their music would bring them together again and supply justice.

Definitely listen to the audiobook. The narrator has a wonderful singing voice supported by the author and her own sister on harp and flute.

The youngest of the Brown sisters tends to bounce from one occupation or hobby to the next but when a wedding she plans goes wrong, her parents cut her off until she finds a job and sticks with it.
While on a drive, Eve stumbles upon a b&b in need of a chef. When she accidentally hits the owner with her car and breaks his arm, she gets the job by default.

Really great autism rep, lots of laugh out loud moments, and fun enemies-to-lovers romance.

Threadmender Edira has the ability to cure nearly any ailment but she must keep her skills a secret so she is not taken by the Evers, a group of powerful magical immortals. When the leader of the Fernglove Evers discovers her secret and asks her to help him cure the incurable blight that has infected her brothers and his grandmother, she‘s thrown into games that are well beyond her.
Gothic and atmospheric vibes cranked up to 11.

Dani Brown is hardworking, driven, and has no time for relationships, but when her super hot, anxious, rugby-playing security guard friend Zaf asks her to be his fake girlfriend to help his charity, she takes it as a sign to scratch a particular itch with no strings attached. She didn‘t count on falling for him.

Such great characters all around and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

This hilarious epistolary novel is full of snark, literary references, and a surprising amount of heart.

Jason Fitger is a lit/creative writing professor at a small college and he is plagued with requests for letters of recommendations for students and colleagues. He is also on a mission to get his star pupil published, get in his ex-wife‘s good graces, and make everybody hate the economics department as much as he does.

Danny is a struggling musician when a barfight ends with him waking up in a magical land far from home. With the dubious guidance of Screenie and supportive, yet often confusing, friendship of Curr, Danny is on a mission to get his magic lute back, stop the undead hoard, and finally figure out how the hell his stats work.

Another fun example of the litRPG genre.

Kris, youngest son of the Christmas king plays a prank on a fellow student at Uni. He‘s the most surprised when that student turns out to be Lochlann, the prince of St. Patrick‘s Day. When he goes to Ireland to apologize and investigate who is stealing Christmas‘ magic, he wasn‘t expecting to fall in love.
Fewer politics than the first one and much more sibling/friend dynamics which I enjoyed.

In a post-World War 1 world, the KKK is rising in power spurned on by unworldly demons. Using Birth of a Nation to bring more people to their cause, the Klan has big plans for humanity.
Standing between the demons and world domination are Maryse with her magic sword, sharp-shooter Sadie, and explosive expert Chef, they‘re tasked with doing everything they can to stop them.

Oof. This book was eye opening and I learned so much from reading it.
Looking at American politics through the lens of women‘s anger and how women have been able to use that anger to shape their future.
Traister spent most of the book examining the 2018 election and it was eerie how much we did not learn from that during the 2024 election.

Marigold leaves everything behind to join her grandma on Innisfree to train as the next honey witch to protect the island from the mysterious ash witch.

Overall it was delightful but the pacing seemed off and the magic and conflict didn‘t feel as thought out or deep as it could‘ve been. It felt like something was missing.

I found this book about the six women rulers of Egypt very interesting, although at some times it felt a little tilted rather than neutral fact.
It, of course, covered the more well-known women like Nefertiti, Hatshepsut, and Cleopatra, but I really enjoyed learning about the lesser known women rulers: Merneith, Neferusobek, and Tawisret.

Simi is Mami Wata, a mermaid who serves one of the goddesses of the sea and her mission is to save the souls of those who die on the slave ships. When she breaks the rules and rescues a living boy, it tosses her more into the world of the divine and makes her the target of the messenger of the gods.
Beautiful tale utilizing African mythology and interesting characters. Cannot wait for the sequel.

I liked it overall but there was basically nobody in it who wasn‘t a raging, horny bisexual. It really leaned into that stereotype for nearly every character except Orla who was thankfully faithful to her wife.
The travel and food portion was interesting but the characters were kind of one-dimensional.
If all you want is a light, spicy romp around Europe, this is for you, otherwise look elsewhere.

Fictionalized rise and fall of Giulia Tofana from abused child to successful entrepreneur to prisoner of the church.

2.5/5 right in the middle. I liked the history of it and the distinct personalities each woman had but I don‘t think the style of writing itself was for me. It was a lot of internal monologuing and I kind of got bored with that after a while.

It also needs a child SA trigger warning

This collection of articles Douglas has written for various publications over the years includes such mysteries as the dead lake high in the Himalayas, possibly cannibalistic prehistoric Native Americans, the Dyatlov Pass, and, of course, the lost Egyptian tomb.
Such a good read for those interested in archaeology, anthropology, and historic mysteries.

Green explores a number of British villages that have disappeared from history. Some from natural causes such as floods, earthquakes, and the rising sea. Some from more human causes like corporate greed.

“Our actions are judged by men in hoods who represent a church that does not recognize us except as sinners and she-devils.”

On the morning that Hanna takes over running her family‘s magical pawnshop, she wakes to find it ransacked and her father missing. With real-world physicist Kei in tow, Hanna sets off to find her father, find the truth about her mother, and return what her father stole.
Traveling by puddle, dream, paper crane, boat, among others, the pair follow her father‘s path through different worlds while being chased by the Shiikuin who also seek her father.

Like a plot out of a 1950s noir film, Rail investigates the man exposed by a group of connoisseurs as the absinthe forger.
Using his knowledge of pre-ban and modern absinthes, Christian managed to blend various vintages and herbs in his own recipe that was a good dupe for a pre-ban absinthe that he bottled and sold as originals.
I learned so much about absinthe and all the legalities around the “green fairy.”

Cathy works as a grim reaper for SCYTHE, the corporation that collects the souls of the dead. When one of her natural death cases refuses to come with her and convinces her he was murdered, she goes against her nature and does everything she can to help him all while dealing with a divorce and an unplanned pregnancy.

I couldn‘t help but compare it to First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones and how Charlie did it better.

Coal is the Christmas heir but also the family fuck-up, no matter how much he tries to clean up his act. When Santa forces him into an arranged engagement with his BFF, the Easter princess, he didn‘t expect his rival would be his drunken mystery kiss from years earlier, who is also Hex, the Halloween prince.

Way more political than I was expecting but it was cute. Very Hallmark Christmas movie meets Red White & Royal Blue and Boyfriend Material.

Sue Black is kind of like the Scottish Bones but with fewer near-death experiences.
As a forensic anthropologist, Black‘s job is to read human remains and tell the story of the decedent‘s life and death. Going part by part, she talks about how the human body is formed, how they‘re affected in life, and what they can tell her after death.
Incredibly interesting but it made me terrified of the human body. 😅

When monk Brother Nicephorus has a dream about St. Nicholas, his superiors take it as a sign to bring the saint‘s remains back to Bari, Italy. Relic-hunter Tyun is hired to lead the expedition and the party races against hunters from another church to reach the blessed bones first.
Heist and hijinks, religion and slight sacrilege, I really enjoyed this kinda true, kinda queer tale.