Short stories from major South Korean author Kim Young-ha, with an amazing translation by Krys Lee. I thought the title story the strongest. An aging serial killer with Alzheimer‘s is convinced his daughter‘s boyfriend is also a killer. Tightly written with many surprises.

And cheer up. We‘re about to embark on a killing spree accompanied by massive property damage. Try to have fun.

I felt like both the action and the dialogue dragged in this mystery. I didn‘t find it a page turner and struggled not to DNF the book. I felt the characters received a superficial treatment. The murder investigation was less investigation and more an impulse of a bored, well-to-do woman. I like a good period mystery but was disappointed by this work.

This book came up in a podcast, and since I am trying to add more ethnic diversity to my reading I looked into it. I was surprised to find I purchased and read the book 9 years ago.

During the reread I remembered nothing. The overall of characters, plot, motivations and descriptions seemed superficial. I liked the integration of Egyptian gods, the hints of the secondary characters, but not a strong urban fantasy novel.

Girl meets injured panther-shifter, ends up embroiled in his messy life, discovers she is a quarter fae, and girl and shifter fall in love. Pretty standard paranormal romance. The pacing of the story was slow for my taste. My first time with this author; probably won‘t seek her out again.

#paranormalromance

This book reads like an academic thesis revamped for the general public. The author posits that since so much of the conspicuous consumption products can be readily acquired be the middle class, it no longer serves it purpose. It has been replaced by aspirational culture and inconspicuous consumption (for example, housekeeping services or exotic experiences). While the author makes some valid points I am not sure I buy her overall premise.

I love this book. It is a great catalog of female authors, containing just enough biographical info and book summaries to help me determine who I wanted to look into further. If you read this, expect your TBR list to grow! Lots of new names to me, especially authors from more recent decades. So much fun.

I am on a mini Nora Roberts binge read. The Search is several years old, but I missed it when it came out. A solid read but not one of Roberts‘ best. The main character is targeted by a serial killer but the fear/tension didn‘t come through. Maybe too many secondary characters? Lots of attention on training dogs especially for Search and Rescue. A nice read for a quiet weekend.

Nora Roberts is so prolific, I don‘t read everything she publishes. A booktuber I follow recommended this one, so I dug in. It was a great read. More romance than thriller, I enjoyed the main characters, their relationship, and the setting. My favorite aspect may be the secondary characters. The main character‘s uncles and brother and the relationships. Now I want to move to the west coast, pay someone to rehab an old house, and learn to cook.

Book 49 in the JD Robb series. It is always good to visit Eve Dallas and the family she has created. Not one of the most complex cases she has worked, but I found it satisfying nonetheless. A killer with a mission and a comparison of justice inside the boundaries of the law and outside.

My SO and were walking around a bookshop in Ireland a few months ago and he pointed to Dread Nation and said he had heard good things about it. Zombies always capture my attention, so I grabbed a library copy when I got home.

Ireland created an interesting alt history around the American Civil War, and she put a fascinating spin on the continued racism. Vaguely reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Looking forward to the sequel.

A straight forward urban fantasy featuring vampires, djinn, and necromancy. I felt like a lot of time was spent on investigating threads that were left hanging or creating backstories. I prefer a faster pace. The main character seemed to lust after all the males in the book at some point; I prefer a bit more discernment in my main characters. I didn‘t feel like the characters actually connected with each other.

I didn‘t get far into this book before I bailed. The characters‘ behavior was off putting from the start, and I couldn‘t imagine spending with them.

I like anthologies like Predatory as a way to check out new-to-me writers and visit familiar friends. This book met that criteria. Pretty uneven for my taste. Loved the Diane Duvall story; decided I didn‘t care for Nina Bang‘s style; the others were middling.

#paranormalromance #vampires

Have you noticed how all one‘s library reserves come in within days of each other? My long weekend will be spent reading as many as possible.

First completed is the most recent Lady Darby mystery. This time the focus is more on the way Lady Darby and her husband deal are handling her past when the scandal threatens to return. The mystery is takes a back seat these threats.

One element of the story is the “Italian Boy” and the resurrectionists.

Rarely do I hold paper books in my hand (or photograph them), but the physical copy was the only way to get it from the library. This is a delightful book with stories from a woman who both loves to read and to cook. Definitely worth a Sunday afternoon flipping through stories and recipes. And I have added a few books to by TBR list.

If I actually make any of the recipes, be shocked. I am a 5-ingredients or less woman.

Picked this one up for a book group read. It is the story of a 9 year old Italian girl who is losing her sight. She is also struggling with other losses and changes in her life. It seems targeted to middle school age children more than the YA I expected.

#booksintranslation #italian

I am still binging on the Lady Darcy mysteries. A Study in Death has the main character dealing with the powerlessness of wives during the early 19th century. The main character is the widow of an abusive man and the book focused on how conditioned the society was to turn a blind eye or even consider it the norm. This attitude impacts/impedes the investigation.

The fun info graphic was generated by my latest bookish app download - Bookly.

I just discovered the Lady Darcy series by Anna Lee Huber, and I became instantly addicted. The series is set in 1830‘s Great Britain. The main characters have great chemistry, the plotting is well done, and the historical details really add to the series. I finished the first two books in 2 days, and I am feeling grateful it is a 3 day weekend. Highly recommend.

Just a quick note that I am happy to be back at Litsy. The interface now works with my phone. I feel like I won a prize.

While I liked the story and the characters, especially early in the novel as the talk about the books they read, I had some problems with the tone in the letters. No matter who wrote them, they had the same voice. Only the subject matter indicated the writer.

A period mystery, set after WWI, in which the War is part of the storyline. It captures a shift in roles of the aristocracy and the common people. Maisie is bright, and the cast of characters around her are intriguing. I look forward to jumping into the next book in the series.

Picked this one up for a book club discussion, so I tried to stick with it. But it was dragging. Main character is an agoraphobe who, while looking voyeristically in her neighbors‘ homes, thinks she sees a murder. Over medicated, alcoholic, and unable to leave her home - slow moving and I just found the main character annoying.

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Shelley's Frankenstein, the college where I work invited Charlotte Gordon to speak. Her book Romantic Outlaws is a biography is Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley. As a speaker, Gordon was EXCELLENT. A true storyteller. I immediately placed a hold on the book at the library . Her book Anne Bradstreet was available, and I grabbed it. I'm finding her as entertaining in print as she is in person.

My SO and I met in an online book group. While we often read the same books, we do so when the mood strikes. We‘ve decided to do a “buddy read,” and he choose this book based on a recommendation from Neil Gaiman. It is a fantasy novel that has been around since 1926, but it is definitely new to me. I am looking forward to it.

I have seen this book on several lists of favorites over the years and thought it was time to give it a try. It simply wasn‘t to my taste. Well-written but the pace was glacial. I kept comparing it to Sontag‘s Illness as Metaphor, which approaches illness with a similar blend of personal experience and research, and Didion didn‘t have the same ability to move me forward through the experience. Had to bail.

I needed something light this week, so I grabbed Slouch Witch from Kindle Unlimited. It was just what I needed. A quirky, independent and self-proclaimed lazy heroine and a hot, if stuffy, love interest. Magic misadventures and mysteries ensue. I‘ve spent the week binging on the series and am disappointed I am cracking the cover on the last one. #urbanfantasy #paranormalromance

In Libriomancer, books are literally a source of magic. Isaac, a disgraced field agent for secret society protecting us from the magic pulled out of books, is brought back into action when the leader of the organization is missing and a madman is trying to expose the book magic and its creatures. The author‘s love of books comes through clearly.
#urbanfantasy

I love books that talk about the relationship between reader and book. Alberto Manguel is one of my favorite authors in the subject. Here he re-reads a book each month, sharing his thoughts/ memories about the work and using the books as catalysts to process (then) current events.

Manguel always introduces me to new authors. I am not sure the book has aged well because of the events-9/11 and it‘s immediate aftermath-do not have the same urgency.

Manguel on borrowed books.

Alberto Manguel writing about Sept 11.

I wanted to like this book - zombies, mfm relationship, road trip. It just didn't quite get there. It needed stronger world-building and a little insight into the thinking of the female character and some overall character development. Very "in the now" with little background.

The latest Jane Yellowrock arrived on my Kindle before I left on vacation. I enjoy Faith Hunter's writing, and the recent story arc built to this novel. I expected massive battles against baddies, but instead, the attention was on Jane's emotional turmoil. I was disappointed in the way the duels against the European vampires were written, and the story‘s ended had me scrambling to the author's website to see if it was the final book in the series.

I‘ve been a long-time Sherrilyn Kenyon fan, though I dropped off after Acheron. The storylines had become a bit too predictable. I was happy to see her take on a new series, and this set up is great fun because PIRATES! Dead pirates, but pirates nonetheless. Some great world building, some mythology I‘m going to need to look up, a good dose of humor, and some romance.

I spent most of April packing up my apartment and moving (I may own too many physical books - more than 40 boxes). Anyway, the latest Patricia Briggs became available from the library so I take some breaks to read it.

Slower paced than most of her works, this book provided a backstories for several characters and set the stage for a new story arc that has been bubbling up. As always well-written but not a standalone.

I'm recommending this book to everyone. It breaks down how habits are developed, and it examines how we can tweak habits once we see the triggers and outcomes. We need habits so we don't exhaust ourselves making decisions every second, and the brain does not differentiate between good habits and bad. It simply needs habits. #personalimprovement

Re: Running Wilde, Book 9

The Immortal Vegas series has grown on me. It started a bit bumpy, but the world building has solidified and the secondary characters are engaging. I'm pleased to see the main character evolve and mature as her powers do. She gains a worldview in which she is not the center. I'm impatient for the next release. #urbanfantasy

The Drafter, Peri Reed, alters timelines. She isn‘t the only one with this talent, but it is uncommon. She rewrites time by backing it up and altering it as it plays out again. Unable to hold multiple timelines in her head, the Drafter losses chunks of memory. Anchors partner with Drafters and can hold the multiple timelines. They rebuild the Drafters‘ memories. This assumes the Anchor and the organization they work for are ethical…

What a great read. A female Sherlock dealing with the challenges of being a woman in Victorian England. Looking forward to seeing how some of the secondary characters evolve.

If you like Tomb Raider this series may appeal. Sara Wilde is psychic, guided by her Tarot cards. She hunts psychic artifacts for The Counsel, whose role is to keep the balance between light and dark magic. Sara hunts to earn money to help save other gifted children targeted by dark practitioners. Solid world building, interesting secondary characters, a bit of conspiracy and a kick-ass heroine. The 0-3 boxset is currently free on Amazon US & UK.

The really love this series by JC Daniels. Great world building with a variety of supernatural races. It reminds me, superficially, of Ilona Andrews‘ Kate Daniels series. The main character evolves over the course of the series. While the novels stand alone, they also build on a story arc that makes me impatient for the next book.

My only complaint is the sometimes poor copy editing.

I was on a Christine Feehan kick. Shape shifters. Swamps. Alpha males and feisty women who have a lot of baggage to overcome. Feehan stuffs a lot of action into the series, and tying shape shifting into a mafia storyline to is interesting.

Like JD Robb, Christen Feehan has a very long-running urban fantasy series. It is a challenge to keep things fresh after so many books, and sometimes Feehan misses. Not the case in this book. Lots of action and tying up of some storylines. And a nice launch pad for a new arc.

I really don‘t enjoy JC Daniels/Shiloh Walkers writing so I tracked down this earlier work. For some reason it didn‘t work for me. I couldn‘t connect to with the characters. I ended up bailing on it.

I finished Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. He was the keynote speaker at a conference I attended a few years ago, and I liked his message of showing your working and connecting with others to keep you creative. I enjoyed the book, mostly the way Kleon presented his ideas. He made it clear he was practicing what he preached by sharing the inspiration for most of his ideas.

I love this series - the characters and their relationships, the world building, and the writing in general. There are dozens of books in the series, some stronger than others. For me this falls in to the high/middle range. I enjoyed it but because of the nature of the murder case, the fact pace was a bit slow. Robb used the breathing room to give us glimpses into some of the more routine aspects of Dallas‘ life.

I am with Dallas on this one. I don‘t enjoy autumn because I am busy dreading winter.

During vacation I spent less time with my nose in books and more looking out at the world. But I cannot go without reading completely! I‘ve been working my way through the 3013 sci-fi/romance/erotic series. Several authors writing in the same universe. Surprisingly good world building and storylines. (In other words, the series is much more than just racy sex.) Quick reads, spunky heroines, alpha male aliens. Perfect for vacation reads

On week two of my vacation. Mostly light, short reads, but I am interspersing them with this book. Stepping away from routine (I haven't checked work email since I started vacay) is a good time to contemplate a Life Plan.

I have found a new digital cataloging system - libib.com. It is a website and an iPhone/Adroid app, which you can use to scan barcodes. I figure if you are on Litsy, you are as much a book geek as I am and might want to check it out.