100/100 A very different view of the ancient world. Instead of looking at the Roman, Greek and Egyptian empires from their centers, like Rome and Athens, this is a view of those kingdoms from the civilizations that were on the edges, some that intermingled with the empires and some that came into direct conflict with them. 4/5 ⭐ #Read2025

I hope that you will forgive me for saying so, the minarch says, but this is all a bit...underwhelming. - The Fourth Consort

He was in my light. - The Book of Swords "The Best Man Wins" by K.J. Parker

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

The Fourth Consort - Edward Ashton
The Book of Swords - Various Authors
The Far Edges of the Known World - Owen Rees

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

99/100 I'm not sure why, but i didn't enjoy this as much as i thought I would. I thought the premise was interesting, a plague that keeps people from sleeping, but i found the execution lacking. I kept feeling like the author was trying to impress me with his vocabulary and the way he painted scenes, it got in the way of my appreciation of his story telling. It is a creepy book, watching civilization crumble as people go insane from ⬇️

Hi everyone!! I'm very sorry that I've dropped the ball the last two months with the #ClassicLSFBC. Between work and some recent health issues, I haven't been on Litsy as much as I'd like and things got away from me. Unless someone else wants to take over, I figured we'd let the book club pause the rest of 2025, and start anew in January. Let me know what's the general consensus. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving (a little early)

98/100 This took me longer to finish than the average audiobook, not because its not well written, it's just that the book recounts an ugly, brutal part of American history. I've always had a low opinion of Woodrow Wilson, and nothing here changed that. Wilson was a bigot and a hypocrite, who betrayed his so-called progressive idea. While preaching liberty, freedom and Democracy for the rest of the world, his administration was jailing ⬇️

It's getting harder and harder to tell the living from the dead.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

97/100 I've always thought Harry Harrison was a very underrated author, he doesn't get the mentions other writers of his era does. James "Slippery Jim" diGriz is his best creation. Con man, thief, smuggler and rogue, he knows how to fight but would rather think and talk his way out of bad situations, also he tries never to kill anyone unless its self defense. This book contains 3 of his short novels, and is a great introduction to

96/100 Horror isn't my usual genre of choice, but I've enjoyed the author's work on Batman, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Walter invites a group of his friends to a beautiful house on the lake, for a week to relax and reunite. Walter isn't who or what they thought. No spoilers, I liked the build up, the flash backs how each character met Walter. I don't know if the library has vol.2, but I'd be interested to see where the story goes. 4/5 ⭐

I guess John Grisham isn't an author for me. I found this kind of tedious, and I wasn't invested in finding out how it ended. Moving on.... #hailthebail

95/100 I guess if I had read the Absolute Power storyline before this, it would have made more sense, but even without that, it's still a solid story. I liked most of the art, but the section on Darkseid's creation of the Absolute Universe had some of the ugliest art I've ever seen in a DC comic. It looked like very crude Jack Kirby imitation. 3.5/5 ⭐ #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

94/100 I usually enjoy a good dystopian story, but this was pretty bland and tedious. The characters were hard to keep straight, they were dull and interchangeable. I'm glad it's done and I can move on to something more entertaining. 2/5 ⭐ #Read2025

When the office door opened suddenly, I knew the game was up.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

93/100 For such a short book, it definitely packs a wallop. It's a beautiful, lyrical fairy tale of love, loss, grief, revenge and redemption. Unlike Automatic Noodle, which was too short and left me wanting more, this is just the right size for the story the author wants to tell. 4.75/5 #Read2025

92/100 Interesting first contact story, undercut by a disappointing ending. It had potential, but ended up being pretty meh, with too much left unexplained. 3/5 ⭐ #Read2025

91/100 I guess I'll be generous since I finished this on my birthday, but it could easily have been a Pan. The conclusion to Future State: Gotham is so confusing, everyone is friggin Batman!! Bruce is Batman, Nightwing is Batman, Hush is Batman, Jace is Batman, and Damien is Batman. The art doesn't help because often they all look the same wearing similar costumes. Disappointing end to a series that started strong. 3/5 ⭐ #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

90/100 Even though I knew a twist was coming, when it happened, I still had to slap my head and say why didn't i figure this out sooner?! Taking place right after Holmes & Moriarty's fatal battle at Reichenbach Falls, PInkerton Agent Chase and Scotland Yard Detective Jones hunt a dangerous American criminal whose come to take Moriarty place in England's underworld. Nothing and no one is who they seem to be, and the shocking ending totally ⬇️

89/100 Ann Leckie is one of the handful of authors who has never disappointed me with anything I've read by them. This will definitely end up as one of favorite books of 2025, and probably the best audiobook I've listened to this year. This collection of short fiction ranges from science fiction, to fantasy to folk tales, and each as unique in it's own way. Her imagination and writing skill leaves me in awe, so much heart, so much emotion, so ⬇️

88/100 I didn't like this one as much as the previous volume, and it's mainly because of the Next Joker character. He's a big, nearly indestructible beast, with jagged teeth, who likes to bite people's heads off. He has none of the original Joker's style, he's more like the Next Bane. 3.5/5 ⭐ #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Does anyone really believe what happened at Reichenbach Falls?

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

87/100 This was very different from the usual DC story collection, but I enjoyed it. The artwork is in black & white and very Japanese manga influenced. Batman is dead (yeah right!) and Gotham is under martial law, where wearing a mask, as hero or villain, will get you arrested. Red Hood has turned traitor and joined the Magistrate in hunting masks. It's a dark and gritty story, lots of action and fight scenes. I'm interested to see how it plays

Amazon's destruction of James Bond has begun. They released a series of posters of the actors who've played James Bond. Do you notice anything odd? They have photo shopped the pictures to remove the gun from Bond's hand and even in his shoulder holster. Rumor has it they also plan to remove the iconic gun symbol from 007. A small thing with all that's wrong in the world, but I'll be interested to hear the reason behind the changes #notbookrelated

I really wanted to like this, the premise was very interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. After almost a month, I've only finished 100 pages, so it's time to quit. I'll hold on to it and maybe take another run at it in 2026. #hailthebail

86/100 This started as an interesting first contact story, but kind of lost the plot in the middle, before ending with a rushed and unsatisfying conclusion. If it was just that I'd give this a so-so rating, but the MMC was so distasteful that I have to pan this. He's greedy and manipulative (he uses people because he can sense their emotions), and his opinions of women, especially women scientists, that they are too irrational and emotional

"Part of how they make you obey is making obedience seem peaceful, while resistance is violent. But really, either choice is about violence, one way or another"

This is how I feel about America today. If you roll over and comply (Bezo, Zuckerburg, ABC, CBS) with the wishes of a would be dictator, you're heroic, peaceful and good. If you try to resist (Portland, California, Chicago, NYC), then you're violent, dangerous, and you need to be

85/100 I've always thought that James Patterson was a hack, and this didn't do anything to change my opinions. I found the premise interesting, three private investigators named after two fictional detectives and one mystery writer, but I quickly realized that it was mostly character sketches instead of fully developed characters. Also, almost no one in this overly melodramatic story acted like a rational human being, from the cops to the

84/100 Not one of my favorites, seems more confusing than even the usual Dick novels. A creature named the Glimmung has gathered together a group of people from various planets, to come to Plowman's Planet to help it raise a sunken cathedral called Heldscalla. Seems a pretty straight forward plot, but it has the usual Dick touches about reality, predestination, metaphysical theories on good and evil. I found the ending vague and confusing, and

83/100 Its been 10 years since the last Old Man's War novel, The End of All Things, but Scalzi drops the reader back into this universe as if it was yesterday. We're quickly brought up to speed on the tenuous relationship between the Colonial government, the alien Conclave, the Consu, and the Earth. While there is plenty of snarky humor in this book, I wouldn't label it as humorous, like Starter Villain or When The Moon Hits Your Eye, it's more ⬇️

82/100 This book is hard to pidgeon hole into a genre, it's definitely sci-fi, but it has elements of fantasy, with orc and magic, spy thrillers, zombie horror, and heavy military action too. The pacing was a little off, as it switched from genre to genre, but the conclusion was solid and the characters, especially Bitsy the cat, were memorable. 4/5 ⭐ #Read2025

81/100 Did I need to read yet another Thanos story where he courts Mistress Death and seeks the meaning of life? Not really, but I'm a big fan of Jim Starlin, as writer and artist, so I went in for another round. Typical Thanos, seeking power and coming with a new perspective as to what he really wants. The art was excellent, especially the more psychedelic parts, but the story was only so-so. 3.25/5 ⭐ #Read2025

80/100 I found this delightful, both in the characters and the world building. My only complaint is it's too short, it's only scratched the surface of the characters' histories and the wrecked world they live in, before it suddenly over. If the author wanted to do a series of novellas, like the Murderbot Diaries, with these characters, I'd be very interested to read more about the Automatic Noodle restaurant. 4/5 ⭐ #Read2025

79/100 I've always been a big fan of The Shadow, and I loved The Green Hornet TV series as a kid, so this team up was right up my Alley. Its 1939 and The Shadow's arch nemesis, Shiwan Khan, is working with Hitler to keep the US out of the upcoming war by crippling America's industrial complex. Khan approaches The Green Hornet, believing he is a crime lord, to aid in this endeavor. As with any team up, at first our heroes are at odds ⬇️

I feel like I've had this conversation before. 🤣🤣🤣

78/100 I know this is a biography of Lorne Michaels, not a book solely about SNL, but I found the book slow going until we got to the part dealing with the show. The behind the scenes glimpse of how a show comes together, what decisions go into keeping or dumping sketches (don't call them skits!) was endlessly fascinating. Creating SNL, Michaels is obviously a comic genius, but also a very reserved, private person. I recommend this ⬇️

With long strides the swordsman walked across the desert.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

77/100 What an amazing book!! I can't believe it took me so long to read this series, I'm kicking myself. Jasper Fforde never disappoints, his writing is so clever, so witty and just fun to read. It's a crazy idea, being able to enter works of fiction, but he makes it plausible and exciting. I've never read Jane Eyre, but I like the new ending better too 5 🌟 read. #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

September's selection for #ClassicLSFBC is Philip K. Dick's Galactic Pot Healer. I confess I'm totally unfamiliar with this book, so it should be interesting going in totally blind. Being PKD, I'm sure it's going to be wild and weird. I hope everyone enjoyed August's selection, The Left Hand of Darkness. I think it's one of LeGuin's best novels, and a totally unique world creation.
#ClassicLSFBC @bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView

It's still two weeks away, but I've pre-ordered John Scalzi's new novel, the 7th book in the Old Man's War series. I'm so happy he's returning to this series, it's one of my all time favorites. #SeriesLove2025

I hate writing bad reviews. I know the author's put their time and effort into something they hope people will enjoy. That said, this is not a good book. It's very generic fantasy, very back & white, good vs. evil type of story. I could have dealt with that, but the authors had a bad habit of telling the story instead of showing it. Celedant, the main character, is a great wizard, a prodigy in fact, but we never see any of his time at the ⬇️

My father had a face that could stop a clock.

Jasper Fforde really knows how to start a book 🤣

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

75/100 I'm not a devoted Holmesian, but I thought this was a delightfully supernatural take on the Holmes & Watson stories. I liked Dr Doyle, a more intelligent and far less bumbling version of Watson, and I have to admit their secret caught me totally by surprise. Crow, the stand for Holmes, was witty and innocent, not nearly as caustic as Holmes could be at times. I hope the author plans a sequel, since the ending ⬇️

74/100 It is a coincidence that I purchased this right before learning of the death of Jim Shooter, editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics in the 80's and 90's. After leaving Marvel, he cofounded Valiant Comics, and later Defiant Comics. Shooter co-created this with artist Dave Lapham, and wrote the stories. It's a hot mess actually, full of wonderfully weird, gross and psychedelic ideas, it never comes together to make any sense at all. The art by ⬇️

73/100 This is a collection of stories written by fans of Star Trek, with some of them going on, like Dayton Ward, to write other Star Trek novels. It covers the OG Star Trek, Next Gen, DS9 and Voyager. The stories vary in quality, but there's not a clunker in the bunch, they're all entertaining, if not all memorable. 4 ⭐ #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

72/100 I've seen all 3 movie adaptations of this, I think the Vincent Price one, The Last Man On Earth, is the best, but I have never read the original story. I enjoyed it very much, but I see why the movies had to be different, the book has a much slower pace, as Neville struggles to hold his sanity while destroying the "vampires" who hunt him at night. The other stories were either creepy or darkly humorous, but pale beside the main tale. ⬇️

71/100 If you are a fan of the Tom Clancy novel of the late 80s - early 90s, this is the book for you. I felt such a wave of deja vu, it was like discovering a lost Clancy novel. The book is a chunkster, 692 pages, but it's worth the time. There's two stories intertwined: A mIlitary general stages a coup to overthrow the Russian government and replace the president with military dictatorship, while his cohorts plan to crash the American ⬇️

70/100 What a bizarre little book, covering some of the strangest villains in comic book history. Most of them were one shot villains, never meant to be a threat to the hero, some were terribly racist and sexist, some were just stupid, like Brickbat, who threw poison filled bricks at people, or The Jingler, who was an evil poet who killed people and left poety beside the bodies. 3.25/5 ⭐ #Read2025

69/100 This had the makings for a really unique first contact story, with truly alien aliens. Unfortunately, the story is bogged down by so much scientific jargon that it's hard to tell what's going on most of the time. I feel like a need a degree in biology, neurology and psychology to really grasp what is happening. There's so much talking, endless dialogues about complex scientific theories ⬇️

The #ClassicLSFBC selection for August is Ursula LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness. I've read this not long ago, so I'll probably pass on the reread, but those who haven't read it are in for a treat. September's choice is Galactic Pot Healer by Philip K. Dick. It was a tie between this and Software, so I flipped a coin and GPH won. Happy reading everyone!!
@Bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView @BookmarkTavern @wanderinglynn @Readergrrl

So, we only have three nominees for August's #ClassicLSFBC selection. As usually, the book with the most votes will be August's read, the runner up with be the selection for September. Voting is from now until Sunday, I'll announce the winners on Monday. @Bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView @BookmarkTavern @wanderinglynn @Readergrrl @Johanna414 @Lizpixie @BookBelle84 @Larkken @julesG

My first chunkster of 2025. 692 pages. It definitely gives me Tom Clancy vibes, especially The Hunt for Red October (obviously) and Red Storm Rising. I didn't see the movie, but I might try after I finish the book.