Wow.
#Nonfiction #9/11 #History

Very cute, and very sweet. I always forget how much I love Tessa Dare's writing between books. Very much worth the low price if admission.

This one was a nope for me. The tone of voice just didn't work at all. It came across melodramatic and way too over the top.

Nope. Nope. So many consent issues. I 100% don't recommend.

This is a reread for me and I enjoyed it still. I generally do not enjoy rereads but I read this when it first released and could remember almost nothing. I'd like to finish the series so rereading it was. If you haven't read this and love dragons I 100% recommend. It's an easy, pacy read and very light as far as tone and tension go. A great jumping off point.

My hubby watched our little girl while I ran to the Library Book Sale. Thankfully it was a couple weeks ago before things went sour out and about so now I have a ton of reading for being couped in the house!
#librarybooksale #usedbooks #bookhaul

Well that was great. I'm reading physical books super slow with a newborn in the house, so the short sharp chapters of this really worked for me. The theme of growing up and family while struggling with identity were really well executed. It's definitely one I would recommend if you enjoy these types of books.
#memoir #libraryreads #nonfiction

Sometimes modern memoirs are a bit full and dry. But this one is beautifully written. Just wow.

I had no idea John Allison had a new comic series started, I feel shamed. I could be biased but I am super excited to continue this. I've read issue 1 & 2 and I'm pumped to continue. The premise is very different from Giant Days but there is a slight familiarity in premise with the mismatch of personality trope. I'm already in love with these characters.
#SteepleComic #Fantasy #SingleIssue

Anything that keeps me from stressing about being induced in the hospital overnight is a winner for me. The story only barely focuses on any romance, something unusual in YA, and instead has a great and super rich world and setup. I won't spoil the premise, but it's based on and uses Chinese mythology, so if that sort of thing tickles your fancy then grab this.
#theepiccrushofgenielo #yafantasy #urbanfantasy #favorite

I found this super fascinating! I think the editors might have gone overboard, the essays all had the same time and voice which made a few run together but the experiences and opinions were varied enough that it wasn't overwhelmingly bland.
#nonfiction #moan #essaycollection

I'm glad I got to finish this before going into the hospital, it was fantastic. It was a dark, mythic style story about family, stories, and love. I was sincerely surprised by the themes that ultimately manifested by the end of this. If you're even remotely interested in it, definitely give it a try.

This book has some stupidly lovely quotes and images to it.

#godsofjadeandshadow #fantasy

Volume 5 continued this amazing series. The artwork and attention to detail continues to be the most incredible I've seen on a manga. The history and work out into the research on the time period and real cultures is just as incredible. If I had to recommend a manga for fans of non-fiction or historical fiction this would be it.

A surprising YA Fantasy for me. My very pregnant brain has been craving these easier reads, but this one had just enough of a dark and horror edge to really tickle me. There were genuinely creepy, twisted things in here but I super enjoyed that conclusion.
#yafantasy #yahorror

A queer, magical YA. I really enjoyed pieces of this but I think the stitching together if it wasn't completely successful. I was actually convinced it was a middle grade till a little past half way when *things* happen. I think a YA ages reader wouldn't notice and really enjoy it. I would definitely try more of Katrina Leno, I think she has a lot of potential.

A so-so for me. I know it has been a big hit for a lot of folks but it didn't quite make it for me. I liked what she did with the chronic illness and Red's mental trauma but honestly once the relationship started and the sex started the book stopped working.
I've not read the word 'pussy' so many times... Ever. Their behavior in bed just felt SO different than out of it. It's a very weird thing to say but it was so very... Odd.
#romance

There were a few standouts in this collection, but more mediocre ones or ones I think I won't remember in the long run. It was nice to see a sampling of a few writers of YA I hadn't tried since I tend to not read that age range much. Added a few to my 'watch' list.
#YA #HungryHearts #shortstories

Gah, I loved this. A lot of the RE Presents have been misses for me, even the one from a favorite author, but this one was a solid win. Kwame Mbalia does a wonderful and clever job showing old and new myths plus tackling the topic of grief. I did not expect to get teary eyed half way through!
#youngadult #tristanstrong #fantasy

Look, maybe I'm behind on this but this was fantastic.
It was dark (for me) and gritty but it kept me reading. I hated putting this down for any reason. I am definitely moving forward in this series.
I would say avoid this if you're sensitive at all to any kind of triggers of the sexual variety though.
#mystery #InDeathSeries #JDRobb

Sometimes I struggle with Seanan's longer fiction because she tends to infodump when given the space, but her short fiction is fantastic. I cannot wait to get my own copy of this on Kindle to go through and highlight the crap out of it.
#shortstories #SFF #Subterraneanpress #urbanfantasy

My favorite of the three from last weekend.
Hearing Dooku's story was super interesting. The natural comparison to make is to Master and Apprentice, about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but I think this was quite a bit better. Even in a script form I did not want to put this down. It was compulsively readable and I loved it. Ventress as a frame was also amazing.
Big recommendation for Star Wars fans.
#StarWars #Dooku #JediLost #ScienceFiction

The second of three I knocked out last weekend.
A YA Fantasy! One of the first ones I've actually not DNF'd in maybe a year or more? I think the caste system really sold me, and the world felt fairly tangible and real for a YA. The romance also took quite some time to set up, which I appreciated. It took a definite back seat for most the novel, a huge win.
#YAFantasy #TheMercifulCrow #DarkFantasy

I knocked out three books in a day last weekend.
This was fascinating. I'm a huge skeptic, but I find reports and stories about stuff like this super interesting. It was amusing how it seemed she wanted to turn as much as she could into Bigfoot sightings and if she couldn't make it fit she was much more skeptical.
If you like cryptozoology or monster sightings this is pretty fun.
#weekendreads #libraryreads #cryptozoology #IKnowWhatISaw

This series really has surprised me. I can't get over how heavy some of the characters stories are, yet it manages to remain so hopeful.
The advise about overwhelming anxiety really stuck out to me in this one.

[Science-Fiction short story collection]
This book had such a hopeful tone overall without being pandering or unrealistic. I felt the stories all managed to convey that feeling of hope that a lot of times I miss in our super bleak headline culture. It was the perfect tone of a book for me.

I'm starting to pick up on the theme of this collection and so far I'm very much enjoying it.

A mostly manga library haul. Right now my 8 month pregnant brain just really wants some manga!
📚📚
#libraryhaul #libraryreads #manga #starwars #thetoll #masterandcommander

My first reaction was to giggle. Then I remembered that I know people who would have believed this.
😆🙄

'... a collection of lemons in a sack'.
I giggled so hard.

Ha! I'm not surprised, but pleased. She is probably my favorite of Austen's ladies!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/beatrizserranomolina/more-like-jane-boss-ten

A classic 'abused woman protecting her child after running away' story. This one definitely dove a lot deeper into that however, talking about PTSD and the abuses affects on a child. It got a little strong on the info dump in the second half but not bad. I appreciate what she did with it. #romance #libraryread

The idea here was fun and I appreciated the variety of options, including a lesbian romance. But the writing leaned way too often into cliches and tropes. It was on purpose but it got really tired very quickly.

This was so much shorter than I thought while I was reading it. The ebook ends at around 60%, the rest being images a d sources. I'd still recommend it, though it certainly doesn't do the fly tying community any favors. They come out looking pretty awful.

Definitely a great read if you love D&D and/or want some more history on it. The narrative style was also very unique.

Have I mentioned how much I love this series, because I love this series. The books are all easy and approachable, even if you don't normally read SF. Highly recommend this! #tor #murderbot

The hype around this book has been wild, but I loved it a lot. It takes you along a gambit of emotions and doesn't let up. If you like memoirs at all you need to pick it up.

For a book about such a unique narrator the cover on this is incredibly adorable. It's definitely not going to be for everyone as our narrator is not a normal one, but I loved it.

I immensely enjoyed the structure and message in this. So many people I know, and even I, gloss over what's around us in nature but it can be a beautiful place.

This is definitely not my normal type of read but on occasion I do enjoy a marriage/family type novel. This felt pretty solid, I got a little bored mid way through but the pacing and tension building wasn't too bad and shortly after the action started! #KindleFirstRead

An old fashioned mystery, this seemed so campy but I would up getting sucked in. Despite figuring the twist out early, I had a lot of fun.

A short, and action packed Military Fantasy. This one really hit me in the book catnip, I love shapeshifters and Brian McClellan did it perfectly.

Look at that adorably smug looking bird!
Spectacled Eiders, male and female.

A small stack of recent reads and recommendations! My first trimester of pregnancy has passed and I'm feeling much more like myself, more often. I blazed through quite a few things last week and I'd recommend all of these for those interested.

As a pregnant woman. No, thank you. I'm pleased we've grown from here. 😖

Why read horror novels when you can read medical history books?

Princess Pixel has kept me company this past weekend while I've had the flu. Blazed through a few things but now I'm taking my time with this one.
I'm enjoying the story and history but the women in this are driving me bonkers. It could just be Rachel's perspective, but they are all driven by one thing, and it isn't doughnuts.
Sticking with it though, we'll see how it works out.

I wish I could say I absolutely loved this. I had so much fun and the topic is something I'm super interested in but it was too short! You sometimes say 'it was too short, and I wanted more' and sometimes it genuinely feels like a disservice to the topic for it to be this short and this is definitely a case of the second one.
But this might be a great intro to the topic if you've not read her work before.

This was the Victorian supernatural classic equivalent of Ready Player One, but better.
The first important thing to note is that Count Dracula was not killed. Instead he has turned Queen Victoria and is now Prince Consort. The story then follows the Jack the Ripper murders and the way this world is changed.
This was fun, not perfect. It slogged a bit, especially in the middle, and I think it suffers a bit from 'first in a series' syndrome.

Has anyone else found the Kindle Daily Deals and Monthly deals irresistible? Because they've been knocking them out of the park.