Some nights you just feel like 🧟‍♂️

Finally have some time for reading & I‘m making up for a slow few weeks/months😬…Anyway, Byrd is back in Hawaii with another mystery to solve—this time two casino operators are fighting &, perhaps, sabotaging each other…unless someone else is actually to blame. Gotta love a hard-boiled detective mystery in a comic book set in Hawaii. The art is solid—not my fav—& the colors are fantastic. Story is appropriately convoluted with some good reveals.

The K-pop drama continues as a new, upstart group goes up against industry leader Shax…& holds their own. The relationship at the center of the story is not entirely believable yet so I‘ll have to see how it progresses. The strength is the depiction of life as a k-pop idol, the industry behind the scenes & while this is specifically about K-pop, I can‘t imagine it would ever be easy for anyone to live in the spotlight. Entertaining read.

Super excited about today‘s book mail. Just out, this book takes readers through a decade by decade history of houses, architectural styles, the Chicago grid, and much more. With fantastic illustrations throughout, this is going to be a fun read. I‘m looking forward to learning more about the city‘s houses and neighborhoods.

Book club on Monday means I better start reading the book…😬

This is a fun middle grade book full of magic, secrets, night markets, monsters, & a pair of siblings you can‘t help but root for. Juniper is an enchanter & is forced to leave her twin brother behind when she is sent to study magic. Unwilling to be separated from her, her twin Rafferty begins an apprenticeship near the academy where Juniper is studying. Needles to say, things get complicated & with the promise of more, this is a solid first book.

This is a pick for me on the strength of the art which is dark & moody & sinister throughout. It is, however, very text heavy so it‘s not a fast read. Wickey has written a thoroughly researched retelling of the Salem Witch Trials, how neighbors turned on each other, how people were not given fair trials, how rumor, innuendo, & suspicion overwhelmed the truth. That story is juxtaposed with descendants of participants & the lingering trauma.

Did I know Bradbury wrote crime fiction before this book caught my eye in the bookstore? Nope, sure didn‘t. This is an entertaining collection of stories. Some are better than others, as is usually the case, but together they are more entertaining than not. Great plot twists, diverse settings, fantastic range of characters from thugs to circus performers to ventriloquists & more, the supernatural. Bradbury‘s crime fiction is a good read.

It was fine…and then the author used a device after which there was no chance the story was going to recover in the way it would need to in order for that choice to work. And honestly, I didn‘t see that happening. Most likely an unpopular opinion because my daughter tells me this book is super popular but I didn‘t have enough confidence in the story to keep going. My TBR is too unruly to not put this one down and move on.

Excellent poetry collection which originated, Olivarez said when he spoke about it last night, out of his desire to talk about friendship & his friends who have always been there for him. Olivarez also dives into being a person of color, Mexican, American, capitalism, perception, the weight of history, prejudice, racism, love & much more. Powerful, punchy, poetry that speaks to the world we are living in right now. This was a great read.

Attended the CPLF Carl Sandburg Literary Award Dinner tonight & it was awesome being a room full of people supporting books, libraries, & authors. Olivarez read a defiant, unpublished poem about resisting fear & intimidation, masked men & the streets of Chicago. Percival Everett talked about his book James, about why fascists burn books & fear knowledge & about who gets to tell stories. People had a lot to say about the power of words tonight.

I‘m eyeballs deep in a project that isn‘t leaving me much time for reading but I did manage to squeeze in a quick read of this comic which, truth be told, drew my eyes because of the awesome cover. Four sisters, a mysterious letter warning of danger, a magical artifact, & a psychedelic evil carnival—yes, you read that correctly—make for an interesting if uneven read. Remender is always entertaining & this was good enough I‘ll probably continue.

Just as chaotic and angsty as expected…which is to say, I was entertained. I like the art and while the story was a little choppy, and didn‘t always quite make sense, but it‘s off to a solid start. On to Volume 2!

I am so here for all the K-pop drama because sometimes you just want something fun and silly to read…I don‘t remember how I came across this but I‘m anticipating lots of angst. Anyway, this is a manhwa from South Korea…

This narrative work of poetry, envisioned as a modern epic poem, details the discovery of a crime, the investigation, and the resolution though the eyes of Agent K who is tasked with solving the crime. Poetry is well-suited to expressing the jarring, and world-upending (loss of innocence) dissonance of stumbling up a crime, the emotional toll for those the crime touches, and the lingering power of history, secrets, memory. A good read.

Reading a Bram Stoker Award winning collection of poetry today.

This book is a legit doorstop…I can‘t remember the last time my arm got tired holding a book. 😬 I definitely blame the book, not age! 😂 It‘ll all be worth it though if it proves to be an entertaining read! 🤞

With The Summer War Novik returns to the realm of fairytales, a nice departure from her Scholomance trilogy which never really quite worked for me. This book is a novella & aspects of it are arguably underdeveloped—some things are introduced & left as they are with little additional explanation—but this quiet book about family, love, sacrifice, & learning from one‘s mistakes is more satisfying than not. I enjoyed it.

I don‘t know about anyone else, but my reading brain is all over the place these days…that being said, this was a fun one. Haruka sakura transfers to Furin High School which has a reputation for being filled with degenerates. He‘s ok with that because he wants to fight his way to the top, be the strongest of the strong. Except, the students aren‘t the worst. They‘re protecting their neighborhood & Haruka is about to become a member of the team.

A graphic novel about the Salem Witch trials a decade in the making?!? Perfect read as we head into autumn… 🍂🍁🍂

The fact this book is nonfiction is both heartbreaking & maddening—not to mention a national embarrassment. Ackerman writes with raw intensity—he served in Iraq & Afghanistan—about trying to help Afghani support staff (interpreters, other who worked with the US military, their families) leave Afghanistan when the US pulled out in 2021. Chapters about his service in the Marines are likewise intense. A difficult, powerful read.

This is one of those “it‘s me, not you” moments. The book has been getting really great reviews &, generally speaking, I like Ross‘ writing but this one, about a mortal & immortal falling in love never came together for me…perhaps because the relationships between the immortals, while not the main narrative thread, were far more interesting than the love story. Interesting setting, dark, brutal, & compelling but ultimately this was good not great.

I‘ll read anything Lepore writes and her latest, out today, which is about the constitution feels especially timely. I know she thinks originalism is deeply flawed (she‘s right) and that our inability to amend the constitution is a threat to our democracy (again she‘s right). Can‘t wait to read more. I m expecting an informative, compelling and occasionally frustrating/maddening (because politics!) read. Top of the nonfiction pile it goes.

I don‘t often reread nonfiction but this was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me several years ago. Talked my book club into reading it & the excuse to reread it is a definite bonus. Two chapters in & it is every bit as good this read through as it was the first time. As much a biography, if you will, of A Portrait of a Lady as it is Henry James, this book offers a fascinating analysis of the author, the book, & the world in which it was created.

This book has a great premise—daughter receives word her father, accused of a terrible crime, is in fact innocent. To prove it, she‘ll have to infiltrate the Otherwhere Post & train in scriptomancy—a magic which allows people, long story short, to travel to different worlds. Fascinating magic system, intriguing world, & a story that could have made better use of both, particularly if the characters were a little more dynamic. Good maybe not great.

Sneaking in a few pages while dinner is cooking…

This intergenerational story about family secrets, sisterhood, the masks people wear/the roles they play, reputation, & family honor never quite came together for me. In Korea, 105 year-old Hak Jeonga receives news that has her, & much to her dismay her sisters, rushing to America to deal with some family problems. At stake is the revelation of long held secrets that could shake the family. A low pick for me—I just wanted more from the story.

Today‘s reading…

This first book in a fantasy trilogy is not without its flaws—solid, not great writing, a predictable storyline with familiar characters, an over reliance on various types violence—and yet I was entertained and will undoubtedly continue with the series. Sometimes you just want to escape into another world, even one filled with danger, betrayal, secrets, and death. This one worked for my brain right now. A fast, fun read.

Started this one yesterday. So far I am entertained.

Such a gorgeous edition—particularly the illustrations that are scattered throughout the book. Unfortunately, the story is not as compelling as the artwork. The biggest problem, for me, is that the relationship at the center of everything is not believable & because it isn‘t, the story loses emotional depth. A lot of action takes place off the page which also doesn‘t work. It‘s the author‘s debut & there‘s potential but this was just ok.

Long weekends are made for reading…

I think this may be one of my favorite covers of the year.

Fantastic maps, illustrations throughout. This is a gorgeous edition. Hopefully it‘s an entertaining read too.

This ponderous, philosophical exploration of love, academia, rivalry, existence, magic, science (& more) will likely be a love/hate it read for many people. And then there will be those in the middle like me— it‘s well-written but in the story of Alice‘s journey to Hell to find the professor she killed, Kuang is more focused on philosophy & esoteric discussions than she is character development & emotional depth. In the end, a low pick for me.

First, let me just say this book is really pretty. Gorgeous edition.

It‘s also really good. Kuang is a fantastic writer & 70 pages in, this is great…except for one thing that is really annoying. She borrowed the name of an object from another really well-known IP for something in her book & it is hugely distracting, pulls me out of the story distracting. It‘s not quite as bad as having the characters armed with lightsabers but it‘s close. Sigh.

Books about assassins doing what assassins do shouldn‘t be this fun or entertaining but Isaka‘s gift is making you care about them as characters—or at least definitely pick a favorite that you root for & who you hope will survive. As in Isaka‘s other books, the body count is high, the laughter more frequent than it probably should be, & the pace frenetic leaving characters very little time to make life & death choices. Very entertaining read.

Next up. Isaka‘s books never disappoint so I‘m anticipating another entertaining read. 🤞

The king‘s daughter is dying & no one knows why. Many suspect it‘s poison which is why, Healer Anja looks up from her work one day to find the king standing in front of her. She reluctantly agrees to help him & soon finds herself in a world of adventure, danger & intrigue. With a pair of guards to keep her safe, a talking cat, & a defiant Princess, Anja finders herself surrounded by friend & foe. The solution is entertaining & this is a fun read.

A “dark reimagining” of Snow White by T. Kingfisher? Yes please!

(Also, this green is amazing!)

Wow, this book is filled with vile, absolutely horrible people & I couldn‘t put it down. Historical fiction (when there was a king) set in Newfoundland, this book reminded me of Withering Heights & what happens when pure unbridled passion, envy, jealousy, & anger permeate a character‘s every moment, every motivation. The story starts with a power play that sweeps everyone along towards an inevitable, devastating end. Moody, dark, excellent.

Vol 6 in fact…which isn‘t in Litsy. 🤨🤷‍♀️ Or maybe it is & I just didn‘t see it…either way, a little extra reading time this afternoon is helping me make progress on my TBR stacks. From team competition, this volume moves onto individual competition which you have to win if you want to stay in Blue Lock. Isaki is more than ready for his test but what comes after, if he makes it, might be even more difficult. Another great, tension filled volume.

Actually Vol. 13…

Fantastic, heart-pounding, world-on-the-edge-of-total-destruction conclusion to a great series. Jinwoo Sung has one last battle to fight and it‘s going to take everything he has to save the people he loves…oh yeah, and the world too. Epic battles, snarky bad guys (lots and lots of them), and tough decisions. Super fun read and best of all the story is going to continue with a new generation. Can‘t wait to read more!

Just started this. It‘s the first book I‘ve read by this author…I can already tell, it won‘t be the last. Really enjoying it so far.

As always, Krueger‘s talents as a storyteller are on full display in this stand-alone mystery about a man looking back on one of his childhood summers when death stalked his small town. It‘s not my favorite of his books but I did really enjoy it. Family, community, prejudice, acceptance are prominent themes. Great characters, fantastic setting, & secrets which are slowly revealed leading to a devastating conclusion. Another good read.

I think it‘s just time to admit that I really enjoy sports manga—even when I don‘t particularly like the sport at the center of the story. 😬🤷‍♀️ This series continues to be very entertaining as a group of young soccer players compete in a series of team & individual challenges in order to become the best striker in Japan. Surprisingly tense, filled will rivalries, betrayals, camaraderie & more this is a fun, really readable story.

Saturday morning reading

While I didn‘t enjoy this one quite as much as the first book in the series—its uses some tropes I‘m generally not that fond of—it does hold its own with the promise of more to come (& it does give you enough reason to keep reading). The trickster god Seokga is biding his time going to therapy when he isn‘t brooding while he searches for his lost love. When he finds her…it‘s complicated…then there‘s a murder…overall, an entertaining read.

Nothing better than a little reading before the family wakes up. I really enjoyed the first book in this series and am excited to see what happens next.

Two decades after her parents were murdered, Saffron Killoran gets her chance at revenge. But at what cost? She‘ll have to give up everything she knows, leave everything behind, become the very thing she hates to be. And it won‘t be easy because everyone, friends & enemies, has secrets which could change everything if revealed. First in a new series, this was a fun read. Interesting world, good characters plus danger, adventure, mayhem…

Anya is the best—so much fun spending time with these characters, it almost doesn‘t matter what‘s happening. The good news is, however, lots going on with this one—the Forgers get snowed in & have to deal with a murderer, Anya wins a stella, she competes for the right to dance with Damian, and we learn more about the headmaster‘s backstory. Love this series and am, needless to say, looking forward to vol. 15!