Book 7/13 of birthday haul, October 2024

I liked this book. I liked that the protagonists were older women. I liked the awakening of powers. Set in the current time, I like that the village of Myrtlewood is hidden from prying eyes and seems a place out of time. I like the relationship that is forming between Declan and Delia.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I am a fan of Yvie Oddly. This memoir touches mostly on her emergence as a drag queen through her time on RuPaul's Drag Race. As much as I enjoyed reading this, I feel this memoir will mostly be of interest to Drag Race or Yvie Oddly fans. The writing is just ok, and the chapter breaks aren't really interesting. But I'm glad I read it.

NetGalley pub 1/28/25

This is a sci-fi/fantasy/romance mash up. The storyline was unique. Jenn and her 2 children are spending the summer on the island where Jenn grew up. Jenn is trying to escape a bitter divorce and her husband. Things take a weird turn when sea monsters show up, along with a childhood friend of Jenn's that went missing years ago. I liked how Jenn became a "go with the flow" type of person as the story progressed.

A cute novella detailing Vero's life before she meets Finlay. She comes across as extremely smart, more so that I got in the main series. She needs a better life than being Finlay's sidekick. The beginning of the book was very heavy on exposition. The pace picked up towards the second half as Vero tries to discover who is stealing money from the bank. Overall this was a sweet look into her life and provides some background to her story.

I liked this. The story starts out in London, but transitions to a secluded island off of Norway. I really liked the elements of Nordic folklore in play here. The little people were a great addition. I am always fascinated with stories that take place in an isolated area so I loved the setting. There were some great characters here that I was rooting for.

A great murder mystery set at an elite high school boarding school. I loved the format of the story, told in alternating chapters between Amy, the roommate of the murdered girl, and Liz, a school newspaper reporter. As all eyes turn to Amy as a suspect, she and Liz both work on finding the real killer. The pacing was great. There was more than one suspect to make the reader question what happened. I enjoyed this one.

A really cool book about the inspiration for Dracula. Valtu is a centuries old vampire when he meets Dahlia, who just may be the reincarnation of his lost love. This book is very spicy and I was rooting for the two of them to get together. The story alternates between Valtu's and Dahlia's points of view. With a few flashbacks to Valtu‘s lost loves. This was a great read.

Creepy science fiction horror that seems very plausible. I would totally see this scenario happening in the future. Scientists looking for rare minerals dig too deep and unleash a contagion upon the world. They then try to stop it from reaching the rest of the world. Well written and disturbing. This was fast paced.

Bentley Little is one of my favorite authors. This one features two high school students, Penelope and Dion, as they learn they are destined to bring about the return of an Ancient Greek god. There is a lot of violence and sex in this book, so much so that I became kind of numb to it. The first half of the book was great with a good plot. The second half was where most of the action was. I recommend this book to fans of the author.

The opening chapter is the end of the book. We learn everybody is dead or missing. It takes away any sense of urgency to the story. Just waiting to see how everyone will die. And listen to your dogs. They know when you shouldn‘t be somewhere.

Book 1/13 of my birthday haul.

3.5 stars. Sometimes good sometimes boring. I liked the parts with Rudyard the mad scientist the best. Not my favorite of his books. A lot of graphic body horror.

I really want to like Stephen Graham Jones but so far I haven‘t been impressed. This is a book of short horror stories. It started out pretty good and I enjoyed the first few stories. Then it went downhill and I really didn‘t like the last few stories. I was disappointed.

I liked this book. not quite as much as the first one, but still enough to want to continue the series. I love the sarcastic tone and the comedy to the story. She only kills people who deserve it, like rapists and pedophiles. I like the way she frames other people for her crimes, but it seems like it is all going to fall apart on her soon. I did not like that she was pregnant. I liked the way the ending set up for new adventures.

I received a free copy from the Cozy Mystery Review Crew. I voluntarily wrote a review.

A nice cozy mystery set in the Deputy Donut Coffee Shop. I really liked Emily and her husband Brent‘s relationship. The main characters were likable and there were a lot of suspects. It almost became too much towards the end trying to keep all the suspects straight. It felt like the ending was a bit rushed. Overall this is a series I am happy to continue.

From chapter 1, this book disturbed me. These people have space travel and have colonized the moon, yet still treat the women like crap. This book had a lot of big ideas that fascinated me. I wanted the story to keep on going, so I could learn more of Veronica's metamorphosis. I liked the exploration of memories and how easily they can be changed.

This was fun to read. I devoured the last third of the book, as the twists kept coming. I had three different suspects for the murderer, changing my theory as new information was received.

Written in a conversational style that is easy to read. The story was very frustrating, that Charlie was able to kill so many people for so many years and get away with it. When he was finally captured, it was a relief. The ending chapters felt a little rushed.

I liked this collection better than Cursed Bunny. I liked all the stories except Your Utopia and To Meet Her. Your Utopia was boring, and To Meet Her was confusing. The rest were interesting and thought provoking.

3.5 stars.

First off, I would not classify this as horror. This is a mystery story mixed with historical fiction. I liked the chapters set in the past more than the current ones. This is the story of the Red Grove community, a safe haven for women and children. It feels very much like a commune and seems like a great place to live, but also a place of secrets.

This book was so fun to read. The Icelandic setting was wonderful and the descriptions were beautiful. The mystery was a good one too. It kept me guessing until the end. I liked the main character Julia.

Based on the title, I thought this would be about street walkers. Turns out a Painted Lady refers to the old Victorian style mansions in town. So Alex, the main character, is fixing up one of the Painted Ladies. Also there is a murder mystery and some missing diamonds. This was a fun read and I liked the main characters. I liked the big reveal of the murderer at the end.

Marlene is not the most likable person, but truthfully, I don't know if I would have done any better than her in the beginning. Why are they alive when so many others are not. They are close enough to a town that proximity should not have had any bearing on whether they lived or died. And WTF was that ending. Marlene did not come across as noble, just stupid. It ruined the book for me.

There were a few good stories, but most were not that great. Maybe it's time to admit I don't like Lovecraftian fiction.

3.5 stars

Loved this book but thought the ending was a little rushed. The paranormal investigation team was a surprise I was not expecting. The head of Strident house was a very complex person with many layers. This book held my interest all the way through.

And a surprise appearance by Walter!

8-31-2024
My second read through. Since the first time, I have become a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. I really enjoy his show No Reservations. I feel very bittersweet watching it, knowing that he committed suicide. This book is well worth reading.

1-9-2016
I enjoyed this book. It was definitely a shocking look into the restaurant business. After reading about Anthony's experiences, I am surprised that anyone wants a career in the culinary arts.

I have never seen this movie, but I was aware of it. This book was great. I heard it follows the movie really well. I liked both the science fiction and the horror aspects. The visualizations of Dren were wonderful. Human enough to recognize, yet alien enough to bring about an uneasy feeling. I enjoyed reading this.

3.5 stars

I liked this more than I thought I would. All the men in Ji-won's life are jerks. When she starts killing them and eating the eyes, I had more of a feeling that they deserved it, rather than feeling sorry for them. The ending felt unnecessarily complicated, which caused more questions than answers.

An interesting queer fantasy romance. It started out slow, but by the middle of the book I became invested in the story. A love story intertwined with a mystery of who is counterfeiting the coins of the kingdom. The Prince has an anxiety disorder and seems very unsure of himself. This became a little tiresome after a while. His bodyguard/love interest helps him work through everything and become a better version of himself.

This book was going along fine. Trying to find out the truth about Lenore. Then the ending happened. So convoluted, it became too much for me. I wish I had liked this more. The little obituary at the end was cute.

Parts of this book I enjoyed. Parts of this book were boring. This book would be great if I knew all the people he was talking about. But I barely recognized any names, so I didn't really care how they act or if they are jerks. This felt more of a book for industry insiders rather than the general public.

I am a sucker for books about amusement parks, so of course I had to read this as soon as I saw it. This has a good mystery to it. Young Wonderland employees are going missing. And there's a new Deputy Police Chief on the case. I was surprised by how many people in the book have actually killed another person and got away with it for years. I did enjoy this book and was surprised when the killer of the boys was exposed.

A lovely little book about people abandoning their old lives to find peace and happiness in a new city. Also, there is magic and dragons. This is the first book in a new series, and it was a lot of fun to read. The main characters open a book and tea shop in a small town. I was surprised at how successful they are right away.

I went in expecting a horror novel, but this is more a thriller. Dylan is a pizza delivery driver. We come with him on his deliveries and meet his customers as we go. Despite being a wealthy area, there are a lot of weird people. The ending brings together a few of them in a strange way. This book was far to long, but it was also interesting. I give it 3.5 stars.

This book follows two timelines, Louie's story in the mid eighties and Noemi's story in the present day. Of the two my favorite by far was Louie's. There was mystery and supernatural happenings, mixed in with Native American folklore. I would have been happy if that was the whole book. Noemi's story was a more basic tale of grief.

Crusty‘s Penny Arcade. A short read that is a lot of fun. An old man lures people into his creepy arcade and changes their lives forever. I never had time to get bored. Short fiction that is available on Amazon.

This started out slow. It was interesting seeing what had to be done to survive on the moon but nothing really happens for quite awhile. The last half turns into an adventure story with a grand heist. I became more invested in the story towards the end. Overall this was enjoyable.

Entertaining. The main character, Fallon, was a little too one note in her obsession with Prince Dante. How can a woman who works at a brothel/tavern be so naive that she believes the prince will marry her. She even goes on a quest because a woman she doesn't know tells her she will become a queen if she finishes the quest. I did find the Crow people to be the most interesting part of the book. I would like to know about their civilization.

I enjoyed this very much. I am a sucker for books where the killer uses her powers to rid the world of criminals. I like the thought of people being punished for their bad deeds. The beginning was great. The middle portion slowed down quite a bit. After she kills a man on impulse, the book became all about disposing of the body. I feel that this book shows enough promise that I would happily read another book by this author.

I read the kindle version of this. 6 individual short stories that make up 1 novella. I loved the setting, an isolated, snowy mountain. A plane crash with a group of deadly mercenaries surviving. They come across a mysterious structure with a strange box inside. Of course someone has to open the box and all hell breaks loose.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. the writing is very descriptive and eerie, but not a lot happens. The disappearance of the boy referenced in the description happened in the past. I was hoping this would be more of a mystery story, but it was not. There is a lot of talk about the divide between the rich and the poor. It was hard to know if there were real spirits haunting the house, or if the women were mentally ill.

I liked this book much more than I thought I would. The description didn't sound that great to me, but the story ended up being very compelling. Although I didn't understand why the adult kids decided to go back to the mother after she was such a monster growing up. Seriously, I would have written her out of my life. This was well written with a truly horrific villain. There was resolution at the end which I appreciated. Fairly short book.

I received a free arc from NetGalley and the publisher.

I give this 3.5 stars. I absolutely loved this book up until Ruby got possessed. After that the story felt a bit meh, until the finale. The finale was good. Ruby was pretty annoying. I didn‘t like her attitude. Luckily she found some emotional healing at the end. After all the events I wonder if she will be able to have any sort of normal life.

3.5 stars. Beautiful setting. A wonderfully cozy hotel. Norwegian Christmas traditions. The mystery wasn‘t really very mysterious. A nice little holiday book. I enjoyed the setting and I liked learning about the traditions of the area.

I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher. I voluntarily wrote this review.

In the beginning Jun is impulsive and selfish. We watch as he gains maturity.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the tournament. This book doesn't shy away from violence and death. Some of the scenes are pretty graphic. I found the first few chapters a little slow, but the action soon picked up. I thought the breathmarked was a very interesting and creative idea. It will be interesting to see where the 2nd book goes.

Reading this, I get much the same feeling as I did when reading Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk. I'm feeling like the story is pulling me in and I'm just along for the ride, going wherever the story takes me. Both books are considered queer, gothic horror, so maybe it's the genre? Probably not.

I liked this book. Not scary, but definitely creepy. I wasn't expecting much from this, but I'm glad I enjoyed it.

NYT 100 Best Books of the 21st century I have read 6 and have 1 on my TBR. Not really interested in the others on the list.

A very graphic werewolf novel. We have time to get to know the characters before everyone's life is ripped apart by a werewolf attack. Some people are killed, some survive, and some become werewolves. This becomes incredibly graphic at times but there was never a boring moment. I also approved of the ending. 4.5 stars

This is the book that immediately came to mind. What a wonderful book!
#sundayfunday

I have only read books 4 and 5 of this series, but I enjoyed book 4 more than this one. The mystery was pretty interesting, but I felt that everything came too easy for Lila. People were falling over themselves to give her information. The aunties were hardly in this book, seemingly thrown in like an afterthought. This book was entertaining, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.