I liked the narrator but I just couldn't get into this story. But I don't read many mysteries so I'm sure it's not the books fault. It was given to me by an aunt who meant well.

Overall I'm glad I read it. There is some controversy surrounding the author but I'll let you Google that for yourselves. Parts of it were excellent. I really liked how he incorporated history outside of the characters lives as well. This was originally sold as non-fiction but I think it would be historical fiction at best. Because even if the events were true you can never know a characters internal thoughts. I will be digesting this for a while.

I'm planning on starting this series soon. I've only heard good things, and I want to replace HP in my brain for obvious reasons. I'm pretty excited about it. (This is the replacement book they sent. Sadly some of the pages are folded but I didn't trust getting a better copy given their track record.)

This was much better than I was expecting it to be. Likely written for ages 12 to 14 it doesn't talk down to the intended audience. It had a really engaging story line. It does have both a happy ending and a cliffhanger. Fortunately I have book 2 already waiting in the wings. (Pun intended.) And yes, I did buy them because of the covers.

My husband ordered me a book he knew I wanted from Amazon. This is the condition it arrived in. You cannot convince me that whoever boxed it didn't know it was damaged. Or maybe they damaged it themselves. Luckily returns are easy. But another reason why brick and mortar stores are better. Can I get a moment of silence for this poor book though.

I guess if everyone is sharing book shelves I'll join the fun. This is just part of the 2 bookcases I have in my living room. (They flank the tv.) I have more in the hall, and in my "fortress of solitude" room. I live in a small space or would have more. Even so by recent count I do have just over 500 books in my space. (Not counting those on my kindle.)

I had to do it. Happy Star Wars Day!

My #independentbookstoreday purchase. I have heard good things about this one.

This is such an interesting look at gender & culture. It is amazing that it was written in 1969 considering how relevant the themes still are. I did have to Google some words so be aware that is a thing in the writing. Overall I'm glad I read this & will read more by her. I saw an article where she did say she would have used neutral gender pronouns instead of he/him as the default if she had written it more recently. I highly recommend.

More bookmail: This was the other one Booktok made me buy. A retelling of Pride and Prejudice but with dragons. I'm in!!

Bookmail! Booktok got me. Even though I don't read many series overall, this sounded good to me. Maybe it was the librarians apprentice part.

"A man wants his virility regarded, a woman wants her femininity appreciated, however indirect and subtle the indications of regard and appreciation. On Winter they will not exist. One is respected and judged only as a human being. It is an appalling experience." Note: this sounds great to me. Definitely not appalling!

My dog is cute. #smoothchow

Goodwill find. I had not heard of this series or author, but it turns out she co-wrote The Legacy of Blood module for Dungeons and Dragons in 1987. Which I admit I didn't know until I googled her info. This book was written in 1997. This is the 9th book in a 15 book series, though is considered the 1st in the 3rd act. I bought it because I love these covers. Plus it was only a dollar.

Why the ever loving h e double hockey sticks would a publishing company do this in a series? WHY???

I'm always amazed at how much story can be packed into a novella. That is a sign of great writing though. I loved the re-imagining of history. Set in New Orleans it has elements of steampunk, sci-fi, magic and adventure. I really enjoyed this one.

The other sci-fi fi book I bought solely for the cool cover.

These give me The Cat from Outer Space vibes, which is one of my favorite old Disney movies. I believe there are 2 more in the series as well.

I finished this today. It was really interesting. I thought it was a great concept. Parts of the story felt like poetry. It spans generations of the wajinru and humans alike. It is sad, but ultimately the story of family and love. *TW for suicidal ideation.* My tea snack today was homemade biscotti made by my daughter and it was delicious.

I found this at Goodwill today for only 2 bucks. Score!!!

One can never have too many D&D books. Right?

It's just past midnight but I finished it. I got engrossed and didn't want to stop. Luckily I have tomorrow off so it's fine. I liked it. It's interesting seeing the job from a different field perspective. Some of the client issues are exactly the same. (No surprise there because... blah humans.) Plus I learned a few things. Most notably her work with Dr. Platt DVM and the ground breaking laminitis treatment he pioneered. This was interesting.

A completely fictional imagining of how horses got to Iceland. It follows a man named Kyvind and his travels and choices. For example the journey of the story begins due to his choice to avoid conversion to Christianity. It has magic, myth, superstition, a ghost story as well as loose elements of religion and war. I found it fascinating. It is a very short read but packs a lot into it. I loved it.

This is a novella by the same author who wrote Binti that I read recently. It had a really interesting story that was much different from Binti, though had a similar theme in some ways. I thought it was very well written. I felt bad for the main character. It left me with some questions, but not in an annoying way. It will be interesting to see if she continues this story down the road.

Not only did I save my orchid from the brink of death, (She was down to only 2 leaves.) I got her to bloom! NOT an easy feat! Orchids are not easy to keep alive long term. And I've never had a green thumb so that didn't help either. Thanks to some fb groups I figured out what worked. For me it was going to full water culture. Anyone else out there orchid fans? I did read the tagged book and enjoyed it. Though I found it sad too.

My newest audio book choice. I've been wanting to read this for years. Since I only listen in the car, and this is 30 hours, I anticipate this is going to be a long adventure. I'm already loving the writing and the narration though so it bodes well.

Excuse the old Halloween photo. I finally finished this on my kindle which has a boring cover. I liked that even though I had seen many movie versions, I still didn't always know what was going to happen. Was it a little verbose in spots? Yes. But overall I thought it was well done. It was a bit stress inducing at times, which for a horror book is actually a good thing. I'm glad I read it. It was a classic that didn't disappoint.

I really enjoyed this one. It reminded me why I love sci-fi books so much. The world building was incredible. I've read that hulu is making an adaptation. Which will be interesting to watch if only to see how they manage to portray some of the characters. (It's gonna cost them a buck or two for sure!) I will definitely be reading more by this author and I hope they do a good job with the hulu show or movie. (NASA YouTube TV for the background.)

I loved this adventure. I just can't believe it took me so long to read this series. There is SO much more to the story than the movies showed! Which isn't a surprise since that is quite common for movie adaptations. It is such a great story of friendship and love. It will be interesting to see what they do with the prequel TV show coming out.

When I saw these in a bookstore recently I just had to have them. The circle is a cut out and the cover underneath is different and fabulous. I've been a fan of his since his glee days and have heard good things about his writing. I look forward to reading this series.

The natural progression from finishing Kith and Kin is of course these graphic novels. They tell the beginnings of the whole Vox Machina group. Even though I plan on watching the show I couldn't resist getting this for my collection. The art in it is beautiful. No regrets.

I loved this. Great adventure, lots of backstory, and all the feels. Even if you're not into Critical Role/Vox Machina, or D&D, if you like fantasy books I think you'll enjoy this one. It is also a very inclusive world as well which is refreshing to see.

Now I have all 4 books in the series. This one is even signed. Though I know it is a tip in I'm still happy to have it. I love this author. Thanks ebay!

Due to a huge reading slump right in the middle, it took me forever to finish. It is interesting to read this knowing the broadstrokes of the story thanks to the movies. Seeing all the details, and the complete story is added adventure which I am loving. I'm just sorry it took me so long to read this series.

I stumbled across this at a resale shop recently. It was a favorite series of mine years ago. Not only was it only 50 cents, the spine looks like it has never been read. I just couldn't resist. Such great cover art too! It is listed as fantasy but has elements of sci-fi too.

Did I buy this book just for the cover art. Maybe. No regrets.

A great new addition to my D&D library. Unfortunately I'm struggling to find a date everyone will be available for our next session. Coordinating schedules is literally the hardest part of D&D as an adult.

We had Christmas early due to family schedule issues. This is my D&D book haul. These will keep me busy for a while for sure. Anyone else out there play?

The only downside to reading in front of the "fire" (thanks YouTube) is that it makes me sleepy sometimes.

Wrapped this to be a gift and definitely now need to add this to my tbr pile.

Check out my new Chiltern Classic book. It was a gift from a friend. Isn't she stunning? I am in love with this publishing company and will be collecting more of their books.

This is an amazing book! It makes it into my top 5 for sure. I definitely need to read more by this author. I loved the world building, and the non-binary representation. Such a great look at the question of purpose and humanity. And given the main character is a tea monk it made me crave a good cuppa. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was super excited to find this at my local library. I listened to act 1 a bit ago and it was nice to not have to wait long for act 2. I do love me some Neil Gaiman.

Found in my library resale shop. Bought 100% for the cover. Zero regrets. I've not read anything by Hobb yet but I've heard good things.

I couldn't find the actual book to tag so I tagged another. This will be a gift for my brother. It is a signed numbered special edition by his favorite author. I found it on ebay. Giving books to people who love them is one of my favorite things to do.

I did some Christmas shopping on small business Saturday. Snagged 2 copies of this one at my favorite indie bookstore. One is for my daughter and the other is for an aunt. I just love this cover. I'll likely buy one for myself after the holiday because it sounds like an amazing story.

I thought this was really well done. I loved the use of multiple narrators too. It legit made me want to store water in my house. I think it was a realistic look at humanity in crisis mode. It was also surreal to read this during a pandemic considering some of those human behaviors are being seen now. (Excuse my kitty sticker over the library address.)

Just because I'm in a reading slump doesn't mean I can't buy books for when I've recovered. I've heard so many good things about these I couldn't resist the deal. Even though I think Amazon is the devil. Consider me corrupted I guess.

I'm in the worst reading slump right now. I'm in the middle of all of these books and my brain just doesn't want to work. It is getting annoying. What, if anything, do you do to jolt yourself out of a slump?

I'm currently in a reading slump. So here is a book I read some time ago. I had one of the most amazing experiences with this one. I was reading in a loud gym and was transported right into a scene so deep it was like literal magic. Has that ever happened to anyone else? I'd love to do a re-read of it but don't want to ruin that memory. Holly Black has yet to disappoint me.