I enjoyed this story although entirely too many words were used to tell it—I skimmed sections of it without losing any of the plot. Elliott is an excellent world builder, something on full display in this fantasy about a deputy courier who must escort a prince on a journey fraught with danger, secrets, & murder. Entertaining but occasionally dense, this is the first in a duology. I liked it enough it‘s a pick & to look forward to the next book.

Finished building the Balrog book nook yesterday. I imagine it will be folded up on a shelf (exactly where it‘s supposed to be) most of the time but it is also designed to open up…and I have to say, the Balrog looks super cool when it‘s open. This was a fun, fast build. I hope Lego decides to do more book nooks. I would definitely find space on my shelves for them. 😂

Today‘s reading…

Much to my surprise, in the end I liked this one but I didn‘t love it. Definitely my least favorite Cosby book. As always, it‘s a great setting, characters are flawed & all sorts of interesting, the writing is excellent—and for all those reasons the book is still a pick for me—but by the end I was ready for it to be over. This one is dark & keeps getting darker with each page turned. Still a huge fan of Cosby & I‘ll keep reading his books.

#5JoysFriday

1. Getting lost in a good book
2. Rainy morning
3. Flowers in full bloom
4. Afternoon walk
5. Having both kids home

@DebinHawaii

You know how you sometimes try to sneak in a little reading before starting your work and then that book is so good you keep telling yourself “just one more chapter and then I‘ll get to work…” and then four or five chapters later you realize you won‘t be able to put the book down and it‘s a good thing you have a flexible schedule…yeah, this is one of those times…

From the moment she could talk about this book, Schwab called it her toxic lesbian vampires book & that is just about the most succinct, accurate description I‘ve ever seen about a book. These vampires don‘t sparkle—they are hungry, angry, wanting, & how their lives intersect is revealed slowly before reaching an inevitable conclusion. Told from three perspectives, this one gripes you from the beginning & keeps building. I enjoyed it a lot.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Tagged. So excited to read this one—the reviews I‘ve seen, unsurprisingly, are very positive.

2. Yes! 😂 I will preorder a stand alone or book in a series by an author I know. Also, an author I haven‘t read before if I see good reviews or am otherwise intrigued although I do this less frequently.

@TheSpineView

Anders writes about relationships—mothers & daughters, wives with each other, students & teachers, rivals—with great nuance, compassion, & acceptance & it‘s her investigation of those relationships, with each characters strengths & flaws on full display which drives this narrative about a graduate student investigating a 300 year old text while also interrogating gender, magic, love & more in the present. Political, very of the moment read.

A fun, entertaining installment in this story about a young man trying to protect his father‘s legacy. Chihiro Rokuhira‘s father was a master swordsmith, the enchanted blades he made unbeatable, key to ending a lengthy war. Then sorcerers stole them hoping to harness their power & murdered Chihiro‘s father. Now Chihiro wants to retrieve them so they aren‘t ever used as weapons again. Of course there‘s lots of adventure along the way.

When the book arrives a day before its official release…I sorta feel like it‘s a sign I should start reading it… 😂😬😀

Hanagaki Takemichi is watching the news when he learns his junior high girlfriend—the only girlfriend he‘s ever had died, caught in a gang feud she didn‘t have anything to do with. When he‘s in an accident, he finds himself 12 years in the past with an opportunity to change things & save his girlfriend. Along the way he meets one of the gang leaders, & likes him, & soon finds there are more people he wants to save. An entertaining read.

#WondrousWednesday

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

1. Such a good question…I‘d say, to be true to yourself & to treat others with respect and compassion

2. 😃🤓😋

3. This morning my husband showed me work by an artist who puts butts on everything—and by everything I mean tacos, Yoda, oranges, trucks…you name it. Most ridiculous thing ever & impossible not to laugh at. 😂

@Eggs

Today‘s book mail is a Goodreads win. I was expecting an ARC but it‘s actually a finished copy.

Volumes 10-12 actually…

Can. Not. Put. It. Down. The enemies are more dangerous, the battles more devastating & at least we come to the truth about who Jinwoo Sung really is & what he is meant to do. The pace is frenetic in these three volumes—so much going on even as Jinwoo tries to spend a little time with a friend. Only one more volume (out in August) to go! This is such a fun read—eager to see how it ends but really, I don‘t want it to end.

Actually Vol. 9 but it‘s not in Litsy…I think it‘s probably obvious from my reviews but I‘m officially a fan…in fact, such a big fan I‘m buying stickers to put on my laptop. 😬 This is straight up a fun read & clearly that‘s what my brain wants right now. Who am I to argue?!? This volume sees Jinwoo back where it all began & the truth about who is behind everything, what they want, & who Jinwoo is begins to emerge. Can‘t wait to see what happens!

Time to reread the book I recommended to my book club…since we‘re discussing it on Monday…😬

I read this several years ago and really liked it so I‘m looking forward to revisiting it.

Better & better & better…so hard to put down.Jinwoo Sung is simply something more—yes he‘s technically a Hunter but he‘s a Hunter with powers most others haven‘t ever seen much less wielded themselves. When Jinwoo saves Korea from the latest monster, those powers are finally revealed & now everyone is trying to recruit him for their guild. But Jinwoo has plans & it‘s clear there‘s more going on than anyone knows. Love the art, love the story.

SOOOO excited about this! Love, love, love that Lego is doing book nooks. And the Balrog and Gandalf?!? It also opens up for a fuller view…so freaking cool.

I saw this and preordered it just about as fast as possible. I hope we get more! I can think of a lot of book nooks I‘d want.

Once you start reading, it‘s hard to stop... I really enjoy this story about an underdog who absolutely refuses to give up in a moment when he has every right to. And because he doesn‘t he is leveled up for reasons/purposes we don‘t yet fully understand. The “system” has plans for him. What he does know is that he wants to stay under the radar as long as possible because once others figure out what he can do, everything will change. A great read.

#Two4Tuesday

1. Favorite book in May was The Raven Scholar (I‘m looking forward to the sequel)

2. Tagged book is one I‘m excited to read in June—Schwab is an automatic buy and I‘m hoping this is another great story.

@TheSpineView

This manhwa (also an anima show which did really well in the Crunchyroll awards) is just a fun read—each volume as good as the last. Sung Jinwoo was the lowest (& weakest) rank Hunter in the world until everything changed. Now he‘s reawakened & quickly gaining strength & power. Tasked with helping his sister‘s friend he must keep her & several other low-ranked Hunters alive…without drawing too much attention to himself. Another great read.

The only thing better than a new Charlie Jane Anders book is wining an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway and getting an early look at it. Excited to start reading!

Stopped by a Barnes & Noble and just wandered until something caught my eyes. Today‘s winners were the tagged book—I‘m not even sure I knew Bradbury wrote crime fiction—and a middle grade fantasy, the first couple of pages were very entertaining. Looking forward to the long weekend and some good reading.

Dug deep in the TBR stack for tonight‘s reading. I honestly don‘t remember how long this one has been sitting on my shelves but it‘s a really long time. 😬

This fast-paced middle grade adventure is a great choice for young readers who like riddles, lost treasure, a mysterious island, and a chance for someone who has never had anything to have it all. Benny has only a few weeks to solve the riddles and inherent a fortune. Time isn‘t on her side but with the help of some new friends, she just might be able to right an old wrong…and save a life or two in the process. First book in a new MG series.

I don‘t know what it is with me & books these days but I‘m having a hard time finding ones to connect with. Case in point, this story about the digging of the Panama Canal & the people involved, one way or another, tackles an interesting & needless to say important moment in history. And yet, the multiply storylines didn‘t coalesce the way I hoped & things felt rushed making it difficult to connect with the characters. Just an ok read for me.

In the end, this third and final book in the series simply didn‘t hold my attention. It started slow (and a little repetitious) and then by the time things really got going, I just didn‘t really care—scenes that should have dripped with emotional depth fell flat, the characters weren‘t convincing & things resolved themselves pretty easily. First book was definitely the best, the remainder of the series was never quite as good.

#Two4Tuesday

1. I would choose to learn Hieroglyphic.

2. And if I was going to read a book in that language, it would have to be the tagged one. Beyond that, I‘ve read a number of books in translation recently and two great ones are Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 (originally published in Korean) and The Devotion of Suspect X (originally published in Japanese).

@TheSpineView

Daughter was home for a whirlwind weekend between the end of the semester and leaving for a couple of weeks of storm chasing (she does the coolest things in the summer) so I didn‘t do much reading the past couple of days. Going to try and find some time to start this one today.

A fun read which has me excited for the sequel (due out later this year). It‘s a generally familiar story—girl living on the margins (stealing to survive) has unexpected powers & finds herself thrown into the midst of a war centuries in the making. Near death, she is saved by an angry, damaged but yet honorable fae warrior…& then things really get going. As familiar as things are, the story is well told, the characters entertaining. I enjoyed it.

Reading this one and enjoying it even more than I expected to…a nice surprise…

#Two4Tuesday

1. Two authors (I‘m sorry I couldn‘t choose just one!) I‘ve discovered recently—and whose books I‘ve been reading about as quickly as I can get my hands on them—are Keigo Higashino and William Kent Krueger. Both write mysteries, albeit very different ones, and I can‘t get enough.

2. Tagged book is fantastic. Took me way too long to get around to reading it.

@TheSpineView

If you‘re a fan of epic fantasy set in a world on the verge of an industrial revolution—even as magic lingers—there‘s a lot to like about this story told from three POVs as a looming war collides with a spreading plague and perhaps the end of everything (not because of war but because of something to do with magic). I enjoyed this although found the story wandered occasionally. It‘s an interesting story but I‘m undecided on continuing the series.

Found this come on the sale shelf at my local LCS on Free Comic Book Day—caught my attention because it‘s about a detective working in Hawaii. Read that and I immediately thought of Magnum P.I. As you do… It‘s an entertaining mystery with an hard-boiled detective, mobsters, mistresses, and more. And for a bonus, I discovered it was signed by the writer—somehow missed that when I bought it. Entertaining and I‘ll read the next volume.

Nothing like picking up a hardcover book (tagged) for $11…added the middle grade book (it has good reviews) just because.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView !

1. Most recent book purchase was the tagged book (which I really liked) along with The Floating World (also good) and Grave Empire (good so far).

2. I do enjoy reviewing books and do so either on Litsy or at my book club where I always give a rundown of what I‘ve read, recommend and why.

#Two4Tuesday

1. I prefer reading sitting down but honestly, I‘ll read standing up, laying down, occasionally on the stationary bike (when I should really be focused on the exercising, not the reading…😬), leaning against a wall, you name it…so pretty much any which way I can.

2. Just started the tagged book last night. So far it‘s intriguing. Epic fantasy seem to be working for my reading brain right now.

@TheSpineView

This YA steampunkish fantasy moves along at a fast clip, things falling into place quickly & often predictably. This story about a young woman with mysterious powers, the assassins sent to eliminate her, & a long-ago friend who tries to help her (in spite of himself) is nevertheless entertaining & likely to be a hit with young readers looking for adventure with a healthy dose of humor & a dash of romance. First in a new series.

It‘s been forever & a day since a book so thoroughly captured my attention (which would surprise the reviewers I‘ve read who describe the pacing as very slow). A fantasy that relies on many familiar tropes, it nonetheless entertains & keeps you guessing with big reveals upending everything. I disliked the protagonist but couldn‘t get enough…best of all, I have an idea about where the story might go & it will be great if it does. Entertaining read.

Starting this one today…

New books! Because somehow I don‘t already have enough…😬😂🤦‍♀️

This one was a lot of fun. Miles Warren comes from a family of psychics so when he starts seeing a mysterious boy he doesn‘t know every time he looks in a mirror, he knows something is up. When the boy turns out to be from a rival family his parents really really dislike, he knows it probably means big trouble—especially since the visions warn of the boy‘s murder. Warring families, magic, secrets, friendship, romance…an entertaining YA read.

So far I‘m enjoying this one a lot…

This is very much a middle book—the board was set (in the first book) & now it‘s time to split the group up &, ultimately, leave the heroes hanging by a thread…which is to say, Rollins uses a very familiar structure replete with all the tropes you would expect to find in an epic quest. Occasionally gripping, the story is also overly long with uneven pacing. Still, it‘s engaging enough I‘ll finish the trilogy.

#Two4Tuesday

1. I do—best room in the house! I have about 3,000 books give or take. Most can be found in the library although I have books in just about every room.

2. Tagged—second book in the Morrigan Crow series more than lived up to the potential of the first.

@TheSpineView

This is one of those books…I like it (& am definitely going to read the third) but I had moments while reading it when I asked myself if I really liked it or not. My guess would be that it‘s a pacing issue and when the book would occasionally get dense, & it did, I would get impatient…I kept reading though because the characters are interesting, it‘s a fascinating world, & because the plot is just complex enough. Entertaining…for the most part.

Finished a reread of the first book in this series so now it‘s on to this one and then the third (and final I think?!?) book in the series…

In the end, I was totally fixated on the obvious fact the main character was poorly suited for her job—something when the author undoubtedly wanted the reader to know but probably not fixate on—and that distracted me from the story which was okay but ultimately not that compelling. In a story about relations—with lovers, friends, colleagues—I somehow didn‘t find myself really caring about any of them. Fine, just not particularly memorable.

Trying to be better about reading books when I buy them (so that they don‘t languish on my shelves until I lose interest 😬). This one caught my eye yesterday so it‘s up next.