I enjoyed this book, which I didn‘t know was a zombie book. It definitely had some I Am Legend vibes but for a new generation.
Melanie and some not so great adults try to make it to Beacon, a city of humans where Melanie might not be welcome but where she might save countless lives.
3/5 I really liked this book until the end - which I I thought was a good ending to the story but was not well explained nor well described.

One of my new favorite books! I found this book touching and beautiful, but I can see where maybe some of the translation didn‘t catch the nuance for people who aren‘t Japanese/very familiar with Japanese culture.
A retired detective runs a restaurant with his daughter. They also run a special agency that will recreate a meal based on people‘s memories.
5/5 read this for lovely descriptions of food and the power it has to change people.

This is a good system, I think better designed for puppies that really care about their people than Akitas (they are very independent) but still has some useful information and training options.
3/5 stars informative and helpful with lots of photos and exercise suggestions

I liked this way more than I thought I would. I am extremely upset that it ends on a cliff hanger and I have to wait years for the series to finish.
Evie takes a job with the man known as the Villain in her kingdom and ends up loving her job for more than the steady pay check she desperately needs. While she tries to deal with romance she will also have to catch the person betraying them all.
5/5 read for a slow burn romance & fantasy fun

This is a good introduction to Japanese horror and provided a lot of detail on the history of the cat myths as well as example stories. The illustrations were also nice.
3/5 read for good history of mythology but don‘t expect a lot of lyricism in the tales.
I finally started unpacking all of the little treasure for my living room!

This short book is very concise and covers every aspect for someone looking to buy a draft horse, but it doesn‘t provide much detail and was not very fun to read.
I wanted more about the history of draft horses, and more about the different types. I really wanted more photos.
1/5 I don‘t recommend except for a very horse obsessed girl who can‘t find other books on the topic.

I enjoyed this book, and thought the idea of the Heiress of Rosing Park being drugged into oblivion was a very interesting and unique idea for how Anne is in P&P.
Anne is drugged from the time she‘s a small baby and when she claims her independence, she discovers that she has much to learn and much to live for.
4/5 this focuses on the story before and after P&P which was somewhat disappointing but is well written and engaging.

This book is incredibly accurate - watch The Chair, read this, and you will be prepared for the hellscape that is Academia - but be warned it‘s worse than depicted.
Henry is given notice that his contract will not be renewed and this leads to the twisty and long mechanizations that build the ivory tower. Who will be caught in the web? Who will be eaten? And who will be exiled?
4/5 beautiful writing and very accurate

This book is surprisingly a good portrait of academia, even though it‘s quite old. I found this passage about certain types of students to be accurate. It‘s missing the part about how often these kinds of students get mad at us when we tell them they have to actually do the work themselves

Read to understand how democracies fail, and the many threats to democracy in the USA. Key takeaways are: political norms hold democracies in place and as polarization increases, parties lose the ability to hold to political norms and democracies die; people need to form broad coalitions; and people make the decisions that kill or revived democracy.
4/5 compelling & informative. Aloy tried to eat this book. I think unions should be considered key

I listened to this on audible, and it was really good. The narrator sang the songs and I think that helped add a lot to the story.
Seraphina must navigate being half dragon, a forbidden person who must hide constantly, when political intrigues and romances threaten not only her existence, but the peace between the kingdoms.
4/5 read for a smart, interesting MC, with light romance and complicated family. Good world building.

Joanna was an amazing woman and was one of the only women to inherit her kingdom in her own right. She brought as much peace and prosperity as her horrible husbands would allow and her kingdom flourished into a power under her strong rule after her horrible husbands died.
The book gets deep into papel politics as Joanna played a surprisingly big role in the history of the Catholic Church.
3.5/5 fascinating but bogged in church politics

This was a fun read, better than the 2nd book in the series. The characters grew a lot and while it‘s irritating that the series is kind of parallel, if you read them all at once I imagine it‘s fun.
Anne must decide if she‘s been honest with herself or if Hart, whom she loves to hate, is correct and she‘s lost herself to her mother‘s grief. Hidden families, witty flirtation through writing and horses makes this complex and fun.
4.5/5 stars

This is a lovely book, well written and interesting with character development and a good plot.
Nina is a forger by training but a baker by passion and when her brother tells her to go work for the handsome art critic who uncovered his work as a forger to protect them, she finds herself in a new world.
4.5/5 read for a well written and well researched historical romance that deals with a lot of issues but in a respectful and elegant way.

I need to stop reading IG recommended books 🤬I am mad I wasted money on this as the characters were shallow, selfish, and dumb. The story was also boring.
Gwen and her brother must decide whether to be true to themselves or met the expectations of their parents and their kingdom.
0/5 stars, good narrators, but the story was as shallow as the characters

I didn‘t like the disjointed timeline and thought it didn‘t read as horror. The story is impactful, and it‘s an important topic, but I didn‘t really care for the way the story was structured.
Anna deals with school bullying, a reservation that is dealing with casino wealth and meth, and a sister who will do anything to try to be popular. When girls go missing, it‘s Anna who finally bring the community together to search.
2/5 stars, writing is OK

This was not what I expected - the idea of how time travel might be regulated and abused was way more of a theme than the romance - and I enjoyed it except for the somewhat ambiguous ending.
After a national scandal, Ada uses a time travel dating service to try to find love but discovers that even when no one knows your past, it still shapes you.
4/5 read for a time travel romance that is a great balance of social/ political commentary & romance

Extremely disappointed in this book. It doesn‘t have any real adventure a la Indiana Jones until the last couple of chapters and is just plain boring.
Corrie is brought in as the expert on a dig by Ford, who she blames for her career being slower than she wants. A bunch of whinny dialog and sex happen and then a tiny bit of adventure to secure their big archeological find.
1/5 stars. I‘m really mad that I bought this

This is a very enjoyable read, with actual character development and a plot that makes sense.
Viv is stuck in a small town recovering and learns to love reading through the efforts of the local bookstore owner. Romance (no spice), magic, books and a love for pastry all make Viv‘s life more complicated while she learns to be where she is and not mourn a life she doesn‘t want yet.
5/5 stars excellent. Read for a fantasy that focuses on emotions

This closed door mystery on a ship was more interesting than I expected and while it dragged a bit in the middle, it was a really good read once everything was set in place.
Charolette must figure out who killed a passenger before they get within reach of land while completing an assignment that is supposed to help create a layer of protection for her to return to her life.
3.5/5 stars read for the mystery and the series

This audio book was well acted. The author took a lot of random asides which weren‘t always useful or helpful.
Lafayette was a teen, rich and newly married, when he snuck away to go fight in the revolutionary war. He and Washington developed a close relationship and he proved himself very capable. He returned to the USA after surviving the Terror and was very popular and well received.
3/5 read for a better understanding of Lafayette in the USA

This book wanders a bit and I don‘t know that I believe the authors assertion that the specific poem that the book focuses on has as much of an impact as the authors claims, but it is well written and interesting.
The book follows the life of a papal secretary who rediscovered and made available through his copies a book the author claims jump started modern science and thought.
2.5/5 interesting and well written but weak in arguments sometimes

This started off really well, but it got really bogged down in the later part of the book. I think Lackey tried to cram too much in and got lost trying to make some things work.
The business of setting up a kingdom eventually forces someone to become king, and Valdemar‘s new king is gifted Companions through an alliance of gods. Then they must establish that Companions are good and fight some evil.
2/5 disappointing but not awful.

I decided to give historical fiction a try & this one is fast paced, & well researched. I am impressed by the way the author wrote the MCs.
Maria fights to serve her country in WW2, and earns her way to Portugal where her microfilm skills are needed to collect Nazi publications. She works with a Portuguese freedom fighter who runs an underground Jewish network, and serves as a double agent to the Nazis.
3/5 read for a good story based in history

This is a good book, written with some excellent training suggestions and examples. I am particularly excited to try the barking reduction technique as Castle is extremely barky for an Akita.
The author does tend to wander a bit in subject matter and some of the research he uses is outdated, but his theory and suggestions are sound.
3.5/5 read for a very thorough book on dog language and how to better communicate. I recommend this book 😊💜🐕

I absolutely hated Rosie - just because she‘s a book lover doesn‘t mean she gets a pass to be self centered, self absorbed & completely uncaring about the consequences of her actions. I liked Vance, he grew into a more self aware, forgiving, and trusting person and quite frankly is too good for Rosie.
A bratty girl ruins a book in the library of a Hollywood bad boy and while she works off the debt, they supposedly act out P&P.
2/5 read for Vance

I enjoyed the way the author brought the painful realities of employment in a satirical way highlighting that most people don‘t want to kill their employer but due to the unequal power structures they find they must.
When he fails at murdering his employer Cliff is brought to a school that will give him, and his classmates, the skills to delete the awful man.
3.5/5 read for more satire than murder, with light social commentary.

10 years later, I‘m finished thanks to the audible version. The 1st part was interesting & scary, the 2nd part went really into the weeds and into horrors, the 3rd part was kind of confusing. There is a lot of bureaucracy & a lot of horrible things described, but it‘s very important to see that these evil people aren‘t masterminds, and to know it can happen again. The author met some of the Nazis as a journalist and that was interesting.
3/5 stars

This is one of two friends to lovers romance books I‘ve ever enjoyed. It is believable because the female MC was believable.
Lizzy moves into a small town and starts volunteering at a local indie bookstore to try to restore herself. Her best friend since childhood is trying to find a new path for himself and to figure out how convince Lizzy to fall in love with him.
3/5 believable romance, believable characters, and a whole lot of love for books

I really wanted to like this book, the concept really appealed to me, but I just didn‘t care for the writing. It felt disjointed to me, like it was a high fantasy world but written more like an urban fantasy and I just couldn‘t get into it.

Fascinating way to learn a little about a lot of various science. This book collects submitted tattoos that are scientific in nature and then provides short and succinct background on the scientific context of the tattoo. Really good writing, I learned a lot.
3/5 read to see some really impressive tattoos and to learn a little about a LOT of different topics.

I wanted to like this, but it really dragged on in most places and while the plot and concept are fun, it was not very engaging and I skimmed a lot of it.
A dead body is accidentally taken to a fancy wedding and the Aunties must figure out how to hide the body, save the wedding, and set up Meddy with the handsome and rich Hotelier.
2/5 read for a fun storyline but prepare to skip through a lot of circular dialogue

This is a fun book, a light romance with hints of magic and lots of tea but it is not super well written.
Charlotte is a baker who wants to publish her murder story, and when a magic tea pot connects her with a man who might be perfect, Charlotte has to decide what she wants and who she wants to be.
2.5/5 stars read for a light, kissing only, romance with hits of magic and some intrigue. Some weak writing, but a fun story.

I liked that this book was written and set in 2000-ish (oh the days of the internet being new), and that there was equal levels of financial power. I didn‘t like the MC all that much, but it was a cute story.
A mysterious handy man running from his past meets and falls for a chocolatier in a small coastal CA town.
2/5 fun but both MCs are not as flushed out as I would have liked & I want more about the chocolates! Read for some 2000s nostalgia

This was a my first seasonal romance. I really liked the way the author wrote about a Jewish woman who writes Christmas romances but now must try to write a Hanukkah romance. I thought the parts about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome were mostly well done, but I thought the way the plot twist for the romance was handled was really lame and not well thought out.
3:5 stars, read for a holiday romance with an annoying miscommunication troupe

Fast and easy read. Provides a lot of detail on how Stella learned to talk using an assistance device - voice buttons. It seems almost too good to be true, but the dog research I‘ve read over the years indicates it‘s possible that Stella (and other dogs) have higher neurological functions that we thought. 3/5 stars - cites Speech Language research, but almost no canine research so a lower rating.
Also, welcome Aloy - our rescue puppy!

Liked the narrator a lot, but the story was not for me. The MC was very irritating but maybe I‘m just not a good reader for this book.
Echo, adopted and not really a part of the human world anymore, is sent on a quest to find the Firebird and must work fast to find the Firebird before anyone else.
1/5 read if you like teen books with main characters who are way too fast to judge and don‘t think things through

Super sad not to get the pretty cover, but this was a fun book, great for enemies to lovers fans and for Pride and Prejudice fans.
Kitty must marry for money, and when she uses a spot of blackmail to protect & advance herself, she plunges into the upper crust and must try to decide if she wants love or money while shouldering her family‘s fortune.
3.5/5 stars weak writing in some places, but an engaging plot and I really enjoyed the characters.

It seems like the MC powers develop differently in other books in the series that isn‘t explained well in this book (the only one she‘s the main character) which I‘m not thrilled with.
Ash has unique power and while recovering from the great battle of New York, she comes to terms with the power and starts to learn how to use it to her advantage as she and Janvier hunt a murder who might also be a city wide threat.
3/5 stars good for the series

I really enjoyed this book, probably my favorite in the series. So much world building and so much character growth all in the same book, this book gave me a book hangover, the first ever from a romance book.
Family history is revealed, archangels are gaining scary new powers, and Elena and Raphael develop a joint power, but will it be enough to defeat the archangel of death and her zombies?
4/5 read for a giant battle and cool magic development

This was a fun read, I liked to learn more about Jason and it was good to learn more about another powerful archangel in this world.
Jason takes a blood oath to help the Archangel of India to find the killer of her consort, and is drawn to the adopted daughter of the Archangel and pulled into a centuries old feud.
3/5 stars read for more world development as well as more character development in the series.

My least favorite in the series so far. I did not feel that the plot made a lot of sense and was disappointed with how the female MC was treated by the author.
Dmitri, Raphael‘s toughest vampire, meets Honor, a hunter with only a wisp of Hunter blood who can help him hunt down an ancient evil he thought he destroyed.
2/5 stars, read for the series, but expect it to be more of a filler for series

I found this narrative history to be a good introduction to this amazing woman.
Cixi arguably laid the groundwork for modern China, she was a moderate reformer who made hard decisions but was not a harsh ruler. She accomplished a lot while working around centuries of tradition and laws that made it difficult for even the most talented women to lead.
3/5, read to learn about this amazing woman, & what the author thinks about Cixi

This is a surprisingly good book, and it‘s a stand alone. This is Harry Potter set in the world of From Unseen Fire with Hunger Games vibes. It‘s dark, gory, and political without lots of rape.
Alka is a wizard raised by terrorists, and she is willing to die to break the systems of oppression her country struggles under. She is tasked with burning it all, but as she learns and grows at the Academy, can she find another way?
4/5 stars

I keep trying cozy mysteries & hoping to find one I like. This is pretty good. The non-detective investigation makes much more sense than any other cozy I‘ve read and that made me happy. Also, just gorgeous writing about the joys of reading.
When a suspicious death occurs in a small town filled with ppl escaping their past, 4 outcast women work together to solve the crime their sexist sherif won‘t.
3/5 read for the love of books

Another good world building book, and while I don‘t care for the Romance parts of the book, the fantasy parts of the book are really interesting.
An ancient power wakes, bringing with it madness and climate disasters, but will it become a good or bad force in the world once it fully wakes? More on the background of the Seven also helps this book.
3/5 read for a surprising Big Bad and more character development for the series.

I almost bailed, the first chapter wasn‘t very good, but I‘m super glad I kept reading because this book was excellent!
A man who has hidden his past from the town he loved hopes to win the heart of a woman who refused him before - she wanted him to be committed, and he returns ready to be so, but can they get over their past to forge a new future together?
4/5 read for a historical romance that deals with race in a realistic and hopeful way.

This book surprised me - fun sci-fi, but a strange cozy mystery vibe I wasn‘t expecting.
Amaryllis is sanctimonious and believes all the good about the founders, holding herself to their “standards”, but when her beloved mentor‘s death starts to seem suspicious to her, she‘s willing to do anything to solve the mystery, even work with a man she can‘t have.
3/4 - read if you like sci-fi and even if (like me) you don‘t like cozy mysteries.

Much better than the first book, lots of interesting world building and myth and the romantic logic was a bit better.
Elena is thrust into a new world and very dangerous politics and must learn to defend herself from many angels who want to end her.
3/5 stars, good world building, read if you a unique fantasy with a touch of urban

I liked the story and the world building, and even the characters, but the way the author focused so much on how strong and brutal Raphael was and how helpless Elena was and how that made Elena mad, was disturbing to me. It didn‘t really make sense how love could come from that for me.
Elena is guild Hunter who must learn to work with Archangels to try to stop a horror from killing more innocents.
2/5 stars, romantic logic was lacking