This is my first time doing a Reading Bracket. It's harder than I thought to get the pic of the book just right. Anyway, Henry V was by far my favorite of January. I always learn new things when I read a Dan Jones book.

12/100 Its been a long time since I read this, back in high school, but I'd forgotten how sad this book is, how melancholy the whole world was, even in the lighter moments. Sometimes Bradbury leans too much into the poetic for my tastes, but his vision of a Mars that will never be, definitely stays with the reader when its finished. 3 ⭐⭐⭐💫 #ClassicLSFBC #Jumpstart2025 #Read2025

One day Trurl the constructor put together a machine that could create anything starting with N.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

11/100 A different take on traditional murder stories, more the how and why than the who, since it's often the murderer themselves who are narrating the story. Several of the tales are even funny, in a very dark and morbid sense. This is the first book I've read by P.D. James but I'd definitely like to read more. 4⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Jumpstart2025 #Read2025

10/100 Its hard to find a better, more informed writer, when it comes to English History, than Dan Jones. This makes a good companion book to his recent Henry V. Picking up with the disastrous reign of Henry VI, it follow through with various Henrys and Edwards, as different families fought for the crown, ending with the Tudors of Henry VIII. Very informative and entertaining. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
#Jumpstart2025 #Read2025

I found the yo-yo the day before Christmas Eve, in the way one does come across these long forgotten relics of the past, while I was tidying up some of the unexamined papers which clutter my elderly life.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

09/100 I think I liked this one even more than the first volume. The character development is excellent, I loved the flash backs filling in some of Violet and Hannah's history (especially her relationship with Sawyer), I wish here was one for Betty too, I'm sure it would be hysterical. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 #Jumpstart2025 #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

Hello everyone!! I hope you're doing well in the first month of 2025, not too snowed in like we are in West Virginia. Of course, bad weather is just another good reason to stay inside and enjoy a good book. I hope everyone was able to find a copy of The Martian Chronicles, and has enjoyed reading it. Just to remind everyone, February's selection for #ClassicLSFBC is The Zero Stone by Andre Norton. Good luck and good reading.

08/100 Imagine Star Trek filtered through Douglas Adams, with a splash of Gilbert & Sullivan, an a huge dollop of the misunderstanding tropes from Three's Company. That's what this book was, the worst kind of slapstick silliness, it even has a pie fight between the Federation and the Klingons!! Amazing that this tripe comes from an author as good as John M. Ford. 2 ⭐⭐
#Jumpstart2025 #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

The Officers' Mess of the starship USS Enterprise was a small, rather cozy room, with comfortable chairs, moderately bright lighting, and a food-service wall with four delivery slots, no waiting.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

07/100 I'm happy to say Book Three of the Prof. Croft series was just as enjoyable as the previous two. With each book, he reminds me less of John Constantine and more of his own character. The Mayor of NYC has decided to purge the city (thus the title) of all supernatural creatures, and Croft is enlisted to help. It's all a trap, of course, and he soon finds himself in the middle of a four way battle between werewolves, vampires, the fae, ⬇️

David Lynch has passed away at the age of 78. I know his movies weren't to everyone's taste, but I loved Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and even his version of Dune. I remember being totally obsessed with Twin Peaks, until it all fell apart.

06/100 One reading goal for 2025 was to try more non- superhero graphic novels. A friend recommended this, and I'm glad she did because it was great. I love the Rat Queens, I love the world they live in, I love the violence and the gory bloodshed. The art by Roc Upchurch was truly amazing. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 I look forward to reading more of the series.

05/100 Dan Jones never fails to entertain and educate. If you want to understand English History this is the author to read. Like Mary Beard with Roman History, Jones work is full of details, from major events like the Battle of Agincourt to seemingly minor things that had a big impact of Henry before he became King. Henry V was a complex man, full of contradictions, he was pious and religious, but he was also cruel, easily angered, and vengeful.

"Svelare" The word vibrated from my mouth, dispelling the magical veil over my floor to ceiling bookcase.

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

04/100 Castle has always been one of my favorite TV shows, so it was fun to return to the "alternate" version with Rook and Heat. I still prefer the pairing of Castle and Beckett to Rook and Heat, but both have their enjoyable qualities. Heat seems almost superhuman at times, too cool under pressure, less human than Beckett. All in all, a good mystery that kept me guessing until the end. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#Jumpstart2025 #Read2025 #SeriesLove2025

03/100 It's time to crank up some Blue Oyster Cult and read a Godzilla story. This one is kind of unusual, it's not so much about Godzilla as it about Ota Murakami, a man who faces Godzilla in 1957, and spends his life chasing and trying destroy him. If you like Kaiju, then this book is for you, in addition to Godzilla we also get Rodan, Mothra, Hedorah, King Ghidorah, Gigan and several others. The artwork is amazing, full pages of ⬇️

The final two books of 2024:
November - The Bound World by Megan O'Keefe was the end of The Devoured Worlds trilogy, and while I didn't think it was as good as the first two books, the ending was satisfying and we even got a happy ending.
December- Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. What can I say about Gladwell that hasn't been said before? He's an automatic read author for me.
#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

02/100 I bought this several years ago when I thought Discovery was going to be my new sci-fi obsession. Sadly my interest burnt out after the first season, which is why it's taken me so long to get around to reading it. All in all it's pretty average, middle of the road Trek. It follows the classic formula: a little mystery, a little moral conflict, plenty of action, on and off the planet, some self-discovery, and a dash of humor. 3 ⭐⭐⭐

Goddamn it. What now?

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

My picks for September and October were the easiest. The whole series, so far, has been excellent, although I liked Harrow the Ninth less than the other two.
#12Booksof2024 #September #October @Andrew65

01/100 Its a definite sign of a great writer, who can quickly draw you back into the story, even if it's been months since you read the last volume. There's too much going on here to explain to those not reading the series, but Saga is probably one of the best comics I've ever read, and I highly recommend it to everyone. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
#YearEnd #20in4 #OutWithTheOldInWithTheNew #JumpStart2025 #Read2025

My favorite book for August was the start of yet another trilogy. I know a lot of people were turned off by the romantic elements of this book, and I admit it was eye rollingly heavy at times, but I enjoyed the characters, the world building and the interesting villain.
#12Booksof2024 #August @Andrew65

This was a Christmas present that I bought for myself. I wanted to wait until the new year before diving in. Dan Jones is one of my favorite history writers.

A day late and a dollar short, the story of my life.

1. I'll make reading goals on Storygraph, for both printed books and audio books.
2. Non-Fiction: Henry V by Dan Jones, Source Codes - My Beginnings by Bill Gates, Mark Twain by Ron Chernow, The JFK Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer
Fiction: Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland, it's the sequel to Five Broken Blades
#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Has anyone had trouble with Storygraph tonight? I was in the middle of looking at my 2024 Wrap-Up, when it suddenly blinked out and said Bad Gateway. Since then, I haven't been able to get the site to open. I guess everyone came to the site at the same time to look at their 2024 stats and cause the site to crash. I'll check it again in the morning.

The voting is done, and here are the winners. The Martian Chronicles will be January's #ClassicLSFBC selection, and The Zero Stone will be the pick for February. The Martian Chronicles should be available at just about any public library, and I've seen The Zero Stone available on Ebay for as low as $5 dollars. Good luck & Happy New Year!!
@Bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView @BookmarkTavern @wanderinglynn @Readergrrl @Johanna414 @Lizpixie

The sequel to Cascade Failure was my favorite book of July. The crew of the Ambit is forced to work with their worst enemy to save the life of one of their family members.
#12Booksof2024 #July @Andrew65

118/150 My last non-fiction book for 2024. Informative and enlightening, I'm embarrassed how little I know about African history, especially more recent 20th century events. I'm not usually a fan of authors reading their own books, but Faloyin has a pleasant voice. 3 ⭐⭐⭐💫
118th book finished for #Readaway2024 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65

I was so busy yesterday that I didn't do my book for May, so I'll play catch up now.
May - The Demon of Unrest. Any new book by Erik Larson is a reason to rejoice. I don't think this is his best, but it's still very good, very educational and enlightening.
June - Red Side Story. Not only is this my favorite book for the month, it just might be my favorite book of the year.
#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

I read two amazing books in April, the tagged book and Way Station by Clifford Simak. Either could have been the best of the month, but Rabbits was such a mindf**k that its stuck with me more, months after reading it.
#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

I had three 5 🌟 reads for March, but by far, the best one was Cascade Failure. I loved everything about it, the found family aspect, the word building, the action and the snarky humor. I highly recommend it, even to those people who claim they're not really fans of science fiction.
#12Booksof 2024 @Andrew65

117/150 It took me awhile to get into this book, I thought it dragged terribly in the beginning, but once Kiven was able to talk and interact with the people in the past, the story got much more interesting. Usually with dual storyline books, I find one part more interesting than the other, but Willis kept both the past and present stories gripping, so I didn't mind when it flipped from one to the other. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

I didn't have a five star read for February, but this one was my favorite of the month. People today don't realize what a radical shift this country went through, changing from Hoover to FDR, and its lasting ramifications that are still affecting us today.
#12booksof2024 @Andrew65

I only had one 5 🌟 read for January, and that was Patrick Stewart's excellent memoir. Although I did discover some disappointing things about his personal life, a bit of a womanizer and a cheater, I still admire his talent and his ability to overcome such a hard upbringing.
#12Booksof2024 @Andrew65

116/150 When books have co-authors, I'm always curious who contributes what. Lee Goldberg, co-author of the first 5 books in the Fox & O'Hare series, must have been in charge of snappy dialogue, clever innuendo, and sexual tension. This book, written without Goldberg, is missing all of these things. What happened to Nick & Kate's relationship? They've been on five assignments together, he's saved her life, she's saved his life, and they've ⬇️

So we have our five nominated books for January, and February, #ClassicLSFBC selection.
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
The Zero Stone by Andre Norton
All good choices for sure. Voting starts now until 12/30, with the winner announced New Years Eve. The runner up will be our selection for February.

115/150 The final volume of the current Bounty Hunters series. Too bad it ties into the silly (IMO) Dark Droids storyline, but it's a fitting end to Valance's storyline. Everyone get their HEA, and the story is left open for further adventures with the Bounty Hunters. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
115th book finished for #Readaway2024 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65

114/150 A new book by Gladwell is always a treat, the way he sees the world, using big data to enlighten the reader to some ideas that might seem kind of radical. 5 🌟 read
114th book finished for #Readaway2024 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65

Hi Everyone!! I'm trying to be better with my mid-month check-in for #ClassicLSFBC. I hope everyone was able to find a copy of Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, either in print, ebook or audiobook. Now is the time to make nominations for January's #ClassicLSFBC selection. As usually, the book with the most votes will be January pick and the runner up will be for February. With it being a new year, with a new presidential administration, ⬇️

113/150 I'm glad I read this. I don't need to be starting a new series, but this was a lot of fun. The "rag-tag gang of misfits" is one of my favorite tropes, and I liked all the members of this crew, they all had distinct personalities, quirks and special skills. Also, although its Book 1, it doesn't leave you with a cliffhanger, so you can stop and enjoy one adventure with this crew. 4⭐⭐⭐⭐?
Book 113 finished for #Readaway2024

112/150 Finally finished November's #ClassicLSFBC selection. I first read this when I was around 17 and thought it was a great adventure, but looking back on it 44 years later, I see the more obvious flaws. I still enjoyed the Ringworld as an amazingly imaginative construct, something that would take multiple books to fully explore and understand, but the characters annoyed me more this time than before. Louis's attitude toward Teela, and all ⬇️

111/150 This is one of the weirder graphic novels I've read this year. Originally published in National Lampoon magazine, this is a spoof of children's comic strips. The art makes you think of Little Nemo or Little Orphan Annie, but the stories are definitely adult. Sex, drugs, nudity, perversions, violence and a dark sense of humor. Bonnie is 13 trying to understand what it means to be a teenager, as her body changes, and her much more ⬇️

For those who don't know, December's selection for #ClassicLSFBC is Connie Willis' Doomsday Book. Originally published in 1992, it should be available in most libraries. The audiobook, which is a staggering 26 hours long, is available free on Spotify & Audible, if you have premium accounts. Good luck and happy reading.
@Bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView @BookmarkTavern @wanderinglynn @Readergrrl @Johanna414 @Lizpixie

110/150 I expected to like this more but it was a bit of a slough. Taking place through three different timelines, it's the story of one man's obsession with immortality, and his run-ins with the crew of the Enterprise on the different time lines. Some Star Trek authors can take events from the TV series or the movies and blend them with their stories, so they seem to develop organically, but I felt like this author was just checking off names ⬇️

Hello everyone!! Sorry I'm so late with November's #ClassicLSFBC check-in. It's been a really hard month for me, the company I work for filed bankruptcy, so I'll be out of a job just in time for Christmas. Not feeling the holiday spirit for sure. Anyway, I hope everyone got a copy of Ringworld and has enjoyed it (despite the 70s sexism). Remember December's selection is Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.
@Bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView

109/150 I didn't like this one as much as the first book, the humor was pulled back in favor of a more mainstream kind of sci-fi adventure. Isaac learns more about his past while looking for the person who stole the best idea in the universe, while also dealing with an intergalactic war, the destruction of his robot partner/lover, and the return of a villain thought despatched in the first book. The book does commit one unpardonable sin, ⬇️

108/150 If you've ever had the pleasure of reading Jeff Smith's Bone series, you'll know what delights this graphic novel has in store. I'm not the Big Red Cheese's biggest fan, but this was so much fun. The artwork is amazing, and the story was lighthearted, whimsical, and had tons of heart.
4 ⚡⚡⚡⚡

107/150 This was a nice change of pace from the gloomy audiobooks I've listened to recently. Isaac Steele is an agent for the Department of Clarification, kind of a cross between a government employee and a private eye. He also drinks too much, swears a lot, does drugs, has illegal sex with his robot partner, and is a general pain in the ass. He's also good at his job, which is why he is sent to capture the serial killer known as The Forever Man.

Finally starting Ringworld for #ClassicLSFBC and I hope to finish the Malcom Gladwell book this weekend. The Audible Original, Isaac Steele & The Forever Man, has been a nice change of pace from the recent bleak books I've listened to.
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain