Narilka reads and keeps 2021 colorful part 2

Second thread for 2021.

My Rating System
- Absolutely horrible, don't bother

- Meh, I finished the book somehow but would not recommend it

- An entertaining read

- Highly enjoyable, I would probably recommend this book

- Excellent! The book may not be perfect but it was perfect for me. Possibly a new favorite.

A star is given for a book that falls between those categories.

Currently Reading


Listening To

Books Read in 2021
1. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger
2. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
3. How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-world Problems by Randall Munroe
4. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
5. Assassin's Code by Jonathan Maberry
6. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
7. The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang
8. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
9. The Crown Conspiracy by Michael J. Sullivan (Theft of Swords pt 1)
10. Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
11. Space Team by Barry J. Hutchinson
12. Avempartha by Michael J. Sullivan (Theft of Swords pt 2)
13. Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
14. Magic Tests by Ilona Andrews
15. A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
16. Nyphron Rising by Michael J. Sullivan (Rise of Empire pt 1)
17. The Case of the Damaged Detective by Drew Hayes
18. Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
19. The Emerald Storm by Michael J. Sullivan (Rise of Empire pt 2)
20. Pawsitively Secretive by Melissa Erin Jackson
21. Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan (Heir of Novron pt 1)
22. Extinction Machine by Jonathan Maberry
23. Pawsitively Swindled by Melissa Erin Jackson
24. Warping Minds & Other Misdemeanors by Annette Marie and Rob Jacobsen
25. Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan (Heir of Novron pt 2)
26. Pawsitively Betrayed by Melissa Erin Jackson
27. Wisdom of Donkeys by Andy Merrifield
28. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
29. Awaken Online: Ember by Travis Bagwell
30. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
31. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
32. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
33. The Case of the Haunted Haunted House by Drew Hayes
34. Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews
35. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
36. Stuff and Nonsense by Andrew Seiple
37. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
38. Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews
39. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews
40. Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
41. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
42. Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews
43. Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry
44. Mind to Matter by Dawson Church
45. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
46. The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren
47. Sew You Want to Be a Hero by Andrew Seiple
48. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher
49. Lost Talismans and a Tequila by Annette Marie
50. The Key of Ahknaton by Graeme Rodaughan
51. Night's Gift by Camilla Ochlan & Carol E Leever
52. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey
53. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
54. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
55. City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett
56. Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace
57. Quantum-Touch by Richard Gordon
58. Damned Souls and a Sangria by Annette Marie
59. Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson
60. The Right to Arm Bears by Andrew Seiple
61. City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
62. Pears and Perils by Drew Hayes
63. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

Fun Stats
Books Read: 63
Total Pages Read: 15655
Audio Book Hours: 193h 25m
Rereads: 5
TBR Challenge: 10/12

2021 Series Stats
In progress: 16
Up to date: 10
On Hold: 6
Completed: 9
Abandoned: 3

Mount TBR
Start 2021: 211
End 2021: ?

TBR Challenge
Aiming for 12 books. I'd be thrilled if I completed more.

10/12

Primary
1. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett Completed Aug 9, 2021
2. Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan Completed March 13, 2021
3. Mind to Matter by Dawson Church Completed July 30, 2021
4. The Wisdom of Donkeys by Andy Merrifield DNF May 24, 2021
5. Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews Completed March 18, 2021
6. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
7. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day Completed Dec 27, 2021
8. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger Completed Jan 4, 2021
9. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss Completed Jan 10, 2021
10. Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey
11. Pawsitively Secretive by Melissa Erin Jackson Completed Apr 20, 2021

Carryover from 2020
1. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
2. Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
3. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harai
4. Circe by Madeline Miller
5. Never Grow Up by Jackie Chan
6. The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku
7. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
8. Wool by Hugh Howey
9. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh
10. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
11. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
12. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey Completed Sept 27, 2021
13. A Cat Named Darwin by William Jordan

My Personal Incomplete Series Challenge
Keeping my never-ending series list going for yet another year. Let's see if I complete any in 2021.

Series Stats Summary
In progress: 16
Up to date: 10
On Hold: 6
Completed: 9
Abandoned: 3

In Progress
Discworld: Rincewind - 6/8
Discworld: City Watch - 6/8
Discworld: Tiffany Aching - 2/5
Discworld: Overall - 31/41
The Dresden Files - 8/17
Temeraire - 2/9
Joe Ledger* - 6/10
World of the Five Gods - 2/3
Space Team* - 1/11
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Mysteries - 1/4
Awaken Online: Tarot* - 1/3
The Vampire Knitting Club - 1/13
Of Cats and Dragons* - 1/4
Hunter - 1/3
Manners and Monsters - 1/5
The Witchlands - 3/4

Up to date and waiting
The Band - 2/2 - #3 expected 2022
Skyward - 3/3 - #4 TBD
Innkeeper Chronicles - 4/4 - #5 TBD
The Darkwater Legacy* - 1/1 - #2 TBD
The Hidden Legacy - 5/5 - #6 expected 2022
Threshold - 4/4 - #5 TBD
The Metaframe War - 6/6 - #7 TBD
The Brackenford Cycle - 4/4 - #5 TBD
Guild Codex: Warped - 1/1 - #2 TBD
5-minute Sherlock* - 2/2 - #3 TBD

Temporarily On Hold While I Try to Reduce my TBR
The Burning - 1/2
The Folk of the Air* - 1/3
King of Scars - 1/2
The Book of the Ice - 1/2
The Goddess War - 1/2
Awaken Online* - 4/5

Completed in 2021
Finishing School - 4/4
Mistborn Era 1 - 3/3
Riyria Revelations - 6/6
Witch of Edgehill - 5/5
Enchanted Forest Chronicles - 4/4
Kate Daniels - 10/10
The Guild Codex: Spellbound* - 8/8
Threadbare* - 3/3 (original trilogy)
Divine Cities - 3/3

Abandoned in 2021
The Custard Protocol - 1/4
Hitchhiker's Guide - 3/5
The Empire Trilogy - 1/3

*Indicates series on audio

25. Percepliquis by Michael J. Sullivan (Heir of Novron pt 2)



Percepliquis is the sixth and final book in Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Revelations series. All of the characters are brought back together for one final quest to decide the fate of Elan.

After the quick pace of the previous book I was surprised at how slow this one felt. The story follows two threads: the quest to retrieve the horn and what's going on at home while the heroes are away. The quest portion was a nice nod to Tolkien and the Mines of Moria. Still, I felt my mind wandering a lot as I read, not nearly as engaged with the story as I'd hoped. For the most part the plot goes where you expect it to. Both threads come together in the final 200 pages for an exciting finish with a couple reveals (or revelations perhaps?) at the end that were great character twists.

I loved having all the characters back together again. Myron is definitely my favorite, a wonderful blend of innocence and wisdom. Degan Gaunt is and remains an ass. I feel bad for the people he's going to rule over. He didn't display leadership quality at all. Even Magnus grew on me. Arista finally lived up to her potential as did Modina. Royce and Hadrian were their best selves and I continue to enjoy their fun banter.

Overall this was a nice ending to the series. All the loose ends are tied up and our characters are left in a good place and with plenty room left open should the author decided to write more.

Rating:

26. Pawsitively Betrayed by Melissa Erin Jackson



The Here and Meow Festival finally arrives in Pawsitively Betrayed, the fifth and final book in the Witch of Edgehill series by Melissa Erin Jackson. Along with it also comes the Penhallow family's plan to regain their magic no matter what the cost is to the witch and non-witch communities. It's a lot for one witch alone to manage.

I said it before in my review the previous installment and I'll say it again: the Witch of Edgehill is so much more than your typical cozy mystery series. Emotional, suspenseful, heartwarming, laugh out loud humor - this ending was everything I could ask for and more. Amber is in over her head and I was genuinely worried for the characters being able to both survive and solve the mystery in time. It's a good thing Amber has friends and family she can rely on. I've grown attached to these characters and I'm sad I have to say goodbye for now.

This was an exciting and satisfying ending to the series. It's one I could see myself rereading in the future.

Rating:

27. Wisdom of Donkeys by Andy Merrifield



DNF at 20%

Unfortunately the author's meandering, stream of consciousness style prose just wasn't for me. The narrative constantly wanders to whatever seems to be on the author's mind in the moment he was writing it and not enough on his travels with his donkey Gribouille. As always, your mileage may vary.

Rating: N/A

Happy new thread!

Thanks for the warning against the donkey book. It sounds like there are not enough donkeys in.

>8 Sakerfalcon: Happy to help. I'd still like to read a memoir featuring a donkey so I'll have to do some searching.

I also reached a milestone. >7 Narilka: is my 500th review!

Happy new thread.

>5 Narilka: I enjoyed reading your review of the final Riyria Revelations book! I think my general expectations if/when I go back to this series will be a fun and non-challenging series that is enjoyable, but not amazing. I think I remember you said that you’d read the prequel series (Riyria Chronicles)? How did that one compare for you to this series, enjoyment-wise? Any plans to read any of the other related series?

>9 Narilka: Congrats on your milestone!

>11 YouKneeK: I read Legends of the First Empire last year, which is set several thousand years before Riyria. I think I enjoyed it a tad more though I'd have to go back and compare. It moved me emotionally where Riyria didn't. Writing wise, they're about on par. I'd call them both lite epic fantasy. Enjoyable but not amazing I think is a fair description though there are sooo many people that love these series to death. At this point I'm thinking to wait for next year before tackling Chronicles.

>9 Narilka: try Saving Simon: How a Rescue Donkey Taught Me the Meaning of Compassion by Jon Katz.

>12 Narilka: Helpful info, thank you! Your plan to wait a year before Chronicles sounds like a good plan. I think, whenever I decide to tackle the whole thing in print, I might take longer breaks between the subseries than I typically would.

>13 fuzzi: Adding that to my wish list. Thanks!

Congrats on your new thread and your 500th review!

>10 quondame:, >16 Karlstar: Thanks!

>15 Narilka: you're welcome!

What >16 Karlstar: said! That's quite the milestone!

>19 clamairy: Thanks!

May series update!

Started: 4
Guild Codex: Warped
Awaken Online: Tarot
Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Hitchhiker's Guide

Progressed: 1
Witch of Edgehill

Brought up to date: 1
Guild Codex: Warped

Completed: 2
Riyria Revelations
Witch of Edgehill

Reviews pending: 3

28. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede



"Well, I'm not a proper princess, then," Cimorene snapped. "I make cherries jubilee, and I volunteer for dragons, and I conjugate Latin verbs-or at least I would if anyone would let me. So there!"

A princess who refuses to be proper and runs away to live with dragons? Sign me up! Combine this with turning fairy tale tropes on their head and a dash of humor and you have Dealing with Dragons, the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. I wish I'd discovered this series as a kid. It would easily be a childhood favorite.

I never knew I wanted to be Cimorene when I grew up. She doesn't let society's expectations of what a princess should be get in the way of living the life she wants. Organizing her dragon's treasure, cooking and fencing are much preferable to being a damsel in distress to be rescued by knights. In fact Cimorene has to keep turning the knights away so she can stay a dragon's princess. They are such a nuisance! Cimorene is courageous, witty, a creative problem solver and learns how to work as a team to accomplish her goals. It's a great message.

Plot wise, there is a mystery to solve. As a story aimed at a middle-grade audience it's not overly complex though Wrede manages to add a couple twists that keep things from being too predictable. There is plenty of action, the story is fast paced and plenty of sly humor to go around.

There is something magical about Dealing with Dragons. It's one of those books that as soon as I finished I couldn't wait to read it again. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Rating:

>22 Narilka: That sounds awfully similar to the plot of Zog - a lovely little film.

>22 Narilka: This was one of my daughter's favorite series when she was young. I keep thinking I should read it but I wonder if I'm too old. Some YA works for any age, but much of it does not.

>24 clamairy: If it helps, I "just" read this back in '17 and adored it.
(sigh, I didn't realize it was that far back. Feels like just last year)

>23 -pilgrim-: Never heard of Zog. That does look cute. There's a trailer here if anyone is interested: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9109620/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
You seem to be filling up my "to watch" list :)

>24 clamairy: You should try it. It's a super fast read too. Pretty sure I finished within 24 hours.

>25 BookstoogeLT: Reread time? :D

>26 Narilka: That WAS my re-read :-D So probably another 6-10 years before I dive into it again.

>25 BookstoogeLT: & >26 Narilka: I might give this a go. I have to admit I'm getting a bit tired of the over-complicated political and societal struggles in the sci-fi and fantasy I'm reading lately.

29. Awaken Online: Ember by Travis Bagwell



I admit I was a bit irritated when I first learned that the author was taking a break from Jason's story to write a short spin off series for Awaken Online. Seeing that Awaken Online is my current LitRPG series of choice it was only a matter of time before I downloaded Ember, the first in the Awaken Online: Tarot series. How does it compare? It is both familiar and different in an intriguing way.

The story revolves around Finn Harris, a retired software programming genius who survived a horrific accident that left him in a wheelchair. Finn's wife died in that accident and he blames himself as he was the one who created the software that failed, causing the autonomous car they were riding in to crash. Locking himself away from the world, Finn's daughter intervenes, forcing him out of his grief and into a new virtual reality game called Awaken Online. She believes something unusual is going on in the game world and wants Finn's help to figure out what is is. Finn has no idea what to expect from the game but it certainly wasn't to be dropped into a school for mages where the students are pitted against each other in Battle Royale-style duels to keep from being expelled. What is going on here?

Fans of Awaken Online should enjoy this new branch to the series. Ember is Finn's origin story and introduction to the game world. It reminded me a lot of Catharsis in that Finn goes through a highly customized introduction where the game's AI picks up on Finn's emotional state and memories to help define what class his character will be. Also like the main series the game appears to be trying to help Finn work through his emotional issues and be a better person, though its methods feel questionable at times. The similarities end there as Finn is immediately dropped into a magic school that feels a lot more like a prison. Finn makes a friend along the way, who I hope gets some more page time in the future. Kyle is a great strategist and pays a high attention to detail. Finn's daughter, Julia, also plays a role in game. All three of them have highly complementary skills that could take them far. I also have to mention that Bagwell's sense of humor carries through to the quest updates which are snarky and hilarious.

I liked that the story focused mostly on the game world, providing a lot of depth to the magic system, and and helping Finn deal with his grief. Unlike the main series, there isn't much of a real world story thread. I could see that changing if Finn manages to work out what the AI is doing. Which brings me to the one thing I didn't like. Finn creates an AI assistant within the game world. That has a high probability of being unbalancing in the future.

I listened to the audio book narrated by David Stifel. He continues to do a good job.

While Finn's story is a 3 book arc, I'm already wondering how his inevitable meeting with Jason will go once the two stories merge in the main series. At least that's where I assume this is heading. Only time will tell.

Rating:

30. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams



Reread May 2021: It's always fun to take a trip around the Galaxy with Arthur and Ford. Silly and irreverent as ever, the story still holds up. Initially I was only planning to reread the first book but I think I'll do a whole series reread as the last time I did that was in 2010. Original review from 2016 below.

-------------------------------------

DON'T PANIC

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first of five books in The Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy by Douglas Adams. Yes, you read that right: the series is a trilogy in five parts. This is the novel adaptation of the radio series of the same name. The book begins with a rather mundane start: Arthur Dent finds his home about to be demolished to make way for a bypass. Arthur's best friend, Ford Prefect, takes him to the local pub to drown his sorrows and deliver earth shattering news: The planet is about to be destroyed. Vogon's have arrived to demolish the entire planet to make way for a space bypass. Ford and Arthur hitch a ride on the Vogon's ship in the nick of time and so starts one of the quirkiest trips around the galaxy.

This was a group read on another forum and a reread for me. I last read it in 2010. I had definitely forgotten many of the details. The book has aged quite well. It has some very British humour, which I enjoyed immensely. The book is quite quotable:

"Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans."

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."

"The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question How can we eat? the second by the question Why do we eat? and the third by the question Where shall we have lunch?"

The book also introduces several great concepts, some of which are still used in pop culture today: The answer to everything is 42; the Improbability Drive; Babel Fish; always know where your towel is; humans are only the third most intelligent beings on the planet.

It's a fun, irreverent scifi classic. One day I need to download and listen to the original radio broadcast.

Rating:

Surprised HHGttG has aged well, although a lot happens away from earth I'd have though some of the attitudes/jokes would be dated by now.

>29 Narilka: catharsis is still on my wishlist. I quite like gamer fantasy (SF?) I'll get around to it one day.

>30 Narilka:, >31 reading_fox:

I remember listening to the original radio series when it was first broadcast.

But whenever parts come up on Radio 4 nowadays, I can't work out how they relate to what I remember.

(I also remember the horrible TV adaptation and even worse film.)

>32 -pilgrim-: >30 Narilka: Narilka >31 reading_fox: reading_fox

I quite liked the TV adaptation of HHGTTG, but the movie only had one good thing, which was Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent. Otherwise it was made by people who completely missed the point.

>32 -pilgrim-: I listened to bootleg taps which were played at our SF club in the 80s. Or maybe a tad earlier - I don't recall how long it took for our local fan to share them.

>31 reading_fox: I agree that since Hitchhiker's focuses more on the jokes and commentary on humanity than the technology is a big part of why it still works. The Improbability Drive is still such a great idea :D I hope you enjoy Catharsis when you get to it.

>32 -pilgrim-:, >33 tardis: It's been so long I barely remember the movie any more. I know I saw it when it released and that's about it. Probably says something about how I felt about it.

>32 -pilgrim-:, >34 quondame: I should search Audible. Maybe they have the original radio series. Hmm.

Audible does have the radio series, digitally remastered and broken into 5 parts :\ A copy of the original recording is also available but it got bad reviews for sound quality. It's something to think about.

>22 Narilka: argh, Book Bullet!

>28 clamairy: agreed. I read partly to escape, don't need Real Life in my bedtime reading.

>37 fuzzi: Hope you enjoy it when you read it :D

>38 fuzzi: >39 Narilka: Re reality:

... we have normality, I repeat we have normality.” She turned her microphone off—then turned it back on— with a slight smile and continued: “Anything you still can’t cope with is therefore your own problem.”

>36 Narilka: And an audio BB for the radio dramatisations!

>40 haydninvienna: Ooo I hope you give them a try. I'd love to read your thoughts the dramatizations.

>41 Narilka: I first heard the radio shows very early in their history, when the Australian National radio broadcaster picked them up. That would have been about 1980. I thought they were brilliant then and still think so.

Audible appears to be having a site wide sale as part of Prime Day for members.... this could be dangerous :)

>43 Narilka: (and I just noticed the number of my previous post): You definitely got me. I have just joined Audible for 99p and spent my first credit on the Primary Phase.

>44 haydninvienna: 42 hehehehe That's a great price. I saw your post in the deals thread. Even if you decide to cancel and wait for a similar deal in the future, 3 months at 99p isn't bad at all!

>45 Narilka: Now listening to episode 1. First unexpected chortle: that Ford Prefect buys 6 pints and gets what is apparently rather a lot of change out of £5. Six pints in my local as of now would cost about £30, depending on what the pints were of.

>46 haydninvienna:
I remember the outrage when the students’ union bar increased the price of a pint from 33p to 35p. Of course, had you bought a pint in a public bar at the time it could have cost you as much as 40p.

>47 pgmcc: Ach, you pre-inflatiion boys! A pint in my Student Union was c. £1 (depending on choice of beer... or of cider).

>40 haydninvienna: IIRC, the radio plays significantly pre-dated the books.

I first heard of THHGTTG in my postgrad days. A friend mentioned that they were recording the broadcasts and mentioned some phenomenal number of C90 cassettes they needed. I believe it was a retransmission of the series.

>48 -pilgrim-: I knew that. As I said above, I first encountered the radio plays on the ABC somewhere about 1980. The plays were first broadcast on the Beeb in March 1978. The ABC in Australia would have got them soonish after that. My second wife and I were married in December 1979 and we heard them together.

>50 pgmcc: My husband remembers parties stopping to listen to KUSC on Saturdays 6mo or so after the original broadcasts.

>50 pgmcc: I had it on cassettes as well.

Mrs H just wanted to know why I was laughing and I said “I just got to the bit where they get told the Answer was 42”. She cracked up.

>52 quondame: and KUSC is still a fine radio station, which I would be listening to now were it not for HHGttG.

>51 haydninvienna: Sorry if I misunderstood. I took "dramatisation" to refer to the process of making a drama version out of a book.

>46 haydninvienna: I have a bad feeling you're going to convince me to download the radio dramas :)

>55 Narilka: I would recommend it

>55 Narilka: Me? Never! Anyway, plenty of other sharpshooters in the Pub.

Now finished the first Audible ebook. The last hour or so is a special on the making of the radio series and what came after, and there’s a sentence or two in one of the comments from Douglas Adams which throws a light on why the film (and to some extent the TV series) were less than satisfactory. His comment was that the radio scripts were about the words, and that for film a lot of the words had to go. Obvious when you think about it.

>58 haydninvienna: I remember there were a couple of funny moments in the film and that it was sort of recognizable as the book, but otherwise not that memorable. I am tempted to watch it again, just because there's very little on to watch right now.

31. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher



They can hear you think.

Portals to other worlds can be fun. Unfortunately Narnia is not where Carrot and Simon end up in The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.

Recently divorced, Kara (nicknamed Carrot by her Uncle) finds herself facing the mundane horror of how to pick up the broken pieces of her life. Uncle Earl offers to let her come live with him in the museum of oddities he runs, which Carrot gladly accepts. As Carrot begins to catalog the massive collection, she finds an odd hole in the wall near one of the museum's displays. Kara asks Simon, the barista at the coffee shop next door, to help her patch the hole. Things start to get weird when the hole leads to an impossible hallway instead of plaster and drywall. Then things even weirder, if that's even a word.

Pray they are hungry.

Horror is highly individual. I'm not normally a horror fan so it's always interesting when I find one that works for me. The Hollow Places read as incredibly atmospheric and creepy, more cosmic horror than jump scares or gore. Toss in some of T. Kingfisher's trademark humor, likeable characters and a heart pounding ending and it felt almost more like a scifi thriller with horror elements, which I enjoy. Or perhaps it's a cosmic horror with thriller elements. Hmm.

Carrot is a an entertaining lead, easy to empathize with, even if I did want to shake her a few times for missing some very obvious clues in an oblivious, horror movie kind of way. Her method for dealing with not thinking about the bad things had me laughing out loud. I could've given Simon a hug, he was so great throughout the story. Beau the cat was also excellent. The resolution is fitting and explained enough to be satisfying.

This was a read that kept me up at night because I found the story so engaging and didn't want to put it down. I'll have to pick up T. Kingfisher's other horror novel one of these days.

Rating:

June series update!

Started: 1
Threadbare

Progressed: 3
Enchanted Forest Chronicles (x2)
Kate Daniels (x2.5)
Hitchhiker's Guide

Brought up to date: 1
5-Minute Sherlock

Reviews pending: 8. Work ate my brain. Luckily the project went live yesterday and I can get back to normal again. Here's hoping I can catch up on reviewing over the long holiday weekend.

>60 Narilka: I really enjoyed this one as well. I slightly preferred it to The twisted ones, but both were exciting, disturbing reads.

32. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede



Continuing in the same style of a fairy tale that turns fairy tale tropes on their head, Searching for Dragons is the second book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. This sequel does exactly what I was hoping for. It takes what we already know of the Enchanted Forest and builds upon it. Only this time the story is told entirely from Mendanbar's point of view.

Dead zones have started appearing in the Enchanted Forrest and Kazul, King of the Dragons, has gone missing. Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, and Cimorene are determined to figure out what's going on.

Mendanbar is a decent protagonist. He's young and feeling a tad overwhelmed with running a kingdom so jumps at the chance to start his investigation if only so he can relax a little from his other kingly duties. The journey Mendanbar and Cimorene go on is rather convoluted and they meet some interesting characters along the way. I found it funny how they pointed out common sense solutions to some typical fairy tale problems, like the giant who is fed up with "Jacks" always stealing from him on a regular schedule.

"They always do the same thing - come in, ask for a meal, hide, and then run off with a harp or a bag full of money the minute I fall asleep," Dobbilan said. "And they're always named Jack. Always. We've lived in this castle for twenty years, and every three months, regular as clockwork, one of those boys shows up, and there's never been a Tom, Dick, or Harry among 'em. Just Jacks. The English have no imagination."

Their solution to his problem is quite practical. Mendenbar and Cimorene end up working well together.

While just as charming and fun as Dealing with Dragons, I found myself missing Cimorene as the main pov character. This, of course, sets a trend. I wonder whose point of view the third book will be from.

Rating:

33. The Case of the Haunted Haunted House by Drew Hayes



The World's Greatest Detective and his Watson take on their very first case, The Case of the Haunted Haunted House, the second book in the 5-minute Sherlock series by Drew Hayes. The two are hired by a young lady to investigate a local "haunted" house attraction where some of the haunts have gone off script and the otherworldly interference is suspected. Sherman and Watson are on the case!

This was a fun, quirky caper. It gave me a sort of Scooby-Doo vibe as Sherman and Watson began their investigation. The manor was built by a genius and is rumored to contain a hidden treasure for any who can survive and solve the traps that guard the house inside and out. I wonder if the author was inspired by the Winchester Mystery house at all. It was great to get to know the supporting cast and it even looks like Watson could have a potential romantic interest in the future. Best of all is how Sherman and Watson's friendship and understanding of each other grow throughout the book.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Scott Aiello. Again Aiello does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.

I'm looking forward to the next case that Sherman and Watson take on.

Rating:

34. Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews



Magic Shifts is the eighth book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. The implications of the ending of the last book play off in spades in this installment. There is so much going on and it all weaves together brilliantly. The impact of Kate's claiming is starting to be revealed, how the Pack is handling their shake up plus where Kate and Curran take their life next, all combined with the breathless action and interesting mythology that I love about these books. This far into the series I still have no idea how the writers manage to pack so much depth into less than 350 pages.

Kate and Curran are relationship goals. For whatever reason pop culture tends to portray unhealthy relationships on tv and in movies more often than not. It is refreshing to have two main characters who love each other for who they are, embracing their strengths and weaknesses, work together on their problems, are supportive of each other through the bad and good, and do it all in a, for this world, healthy manner. Both characters have grown through the series and they've done it together.

This is easily my favorite book in the series so far. About the only thing missing was more of Roland. Somehow I doubt that will be an issue in the remaining two books.

Rating:

35. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams



The last time I read this book was back in 2010 which was before I started writing reviews. As this is my first reread since, it's time to correct that. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe picks up right where the first book ends, with our group of misfit characters on their way to the most famous restaurant. We're dropped right into the middle of some action as our dont-want-to-be heroes are attempting to survive an attack.

This one feels like a more cohesive story even as the plot meanders around. The asides and snippets from the Guide are hilarious. Yet again, this book is quite quotable. Some of my favorites:

"Reality is frequently inaccurate."

"To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem."

"The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we eat?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch?"

Just as fun and irreverent as the first book though missing some of the newness factor. This book also has the best use of a seance I've ever read. Nothing like call up dearly departed great grandad to ask for advice in the middle of a battle!

Rating:

36. Stuff and Nonsense by Andrew Seiple



Adorable +1

Stuff and Nonsense, the first book in Andrew Sieple's Threadbare series, is the most unique and adorable LitRPG I've read. That's right, adorable. As a bonus it also has a healthy dose of humor. The story follows Theadbare, a toy teddy bear golem, and his little girl, Celia. The book begins as Threadbare has just gained sentience and is starting to learn about the world around him.

Threadbare gets into a lot of innocent trouble while initially leveling, though he doesn't know that's what he's doing at first. Celia helps him out significantly as does Pulsavar the family cat. The story doesn't stay completely innocent though part of me wishes it had. I could easily have enjoyed a slice of life story with Threadbare, Celia and Pulsavar. There ends up being a lot more going on than it initially appears and is revealed as the story progresses. The pacing is spot on throughout.

Unlike other LitRPG's I've read this one is not a human player logging into a virtual world to play a game. Instead the characters live in a world that has stats, levels and classes along with some rules that govern how they work. It's a refreshing take on the genre. Telling the story mostly from a teddy bear's point of view adds on to the uniqueness. Even though Threadbare technically doesn't have a mouth to speak with, that's the type of stuffed toy bear he was created from, he has his own "voice" and we get his point of view through his thoughts. It was great learning about how the world works right along with him. This little teddy bear has a lot of depth to him.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds tells the tale masterfully, giving it a story book feel that matched the writing wonderfully, even during the action scenes. When I reread that last sentence doesn't seem like should work but it does.

Thanks to my friends at the Vagabond Treehouse for the recommendation. Work it! I'm looking forward to continuing Threadbare's story soon.

Rating:

37. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede



A ha! I had been wondering whose point of view we'd be treated to next. Calling on Dragons, the third book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, is told from Morwen's point of view. The wizards are at it again, threatening the Enchanted Forest with their latest devious scheme. It's up to Morwen, Cimorene, a couple cats and Kazhul to figure out what's going on and find a way to stop them.

I like how each book is from a different point of view. Morwen and her cats are a great pick. You just knew in the first two books the cats were saying things and now we finally get to understand. It was worth the wait. The cats tend to steal the scenes they are in with their fun banter. Morwen is practical and efficient. I enjoyed her point of view and learning a little more about magic in this world.

Then there's Killer, the enchanted rabbit found eating in Morwen's garden at the beginning of the story. Good lord he's annoying! There was also less of the fairy tale aspect to the book, which was a shame. Even with less twisted fairy tales involved, I love Wrede's take on Rapunzel.

Between my two complaints, this entry didn't captivate me as much as the first two. It also ends unresolved. Still the story remains a nice, light read. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.

Rating:

38. Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews



Derek and Julie got a novella! Ok ok, technically it's Derek's novella since he is the point of view character. And technically Magic Stars is the start of a possible spin off series titled Grey Wolf though the story fits directly between books 8 and 9 of Kate Daniels. It also is one of the rare times I'll say the novella is an important addition to the main series as it provides some key information that seems like it will be important.

When a family he considers friends is murdered, Derek Gaunt takes it upon himself to hunt down the killers and make sure they can't hurt anyone else ever again. Julie Lennart, stubborn as ever, joins him in his quest for revenge.

Derek and Julie make a great team. Julie is growing up! There is the hint of a possible romance in the future. I never imagined who her mentor would be though it makes complete sense. This is a great set up for her own series. Hopefully both possibilities are explored in later books.

Rating:

July series update!

Progressed: 2
Hitchhiker's Guide
Joe Ledger

Completed: 2
Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Kate Daniels

Abandoned: 1
Hitchhiker's Guide

Reviews pending: 6 - I'm such a slacker. Just haven't been in the reviewing mood.

>67 Narilka: Threadbare sounds wonderfully charming. I came across LitRPG recently through Tao Wong who has a couple of different series. I'm still not sure if I like the concept, but some of the books are quite good.

>71 reading_fox: If you give it a try I hope you enjoy it. I just started book 2 of Threadbare's story. So far so good. It goes into the world in more which is interesting.

39. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews



An angel of death, god of terror and dark volhv walk into a bar... hehehe. Magic Binds is the ninth and penultimate book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. The happy day is finally here: Kate and Curran have chosen a wedding date. It happens to align with a day of wild magic, Ivan Kipala. What could possibly go wrong?

If book 8 was pure awesome, book 9 is pure hilarity. Kate ends up in some of the most absurd situations leading up to her big day. While the plot was a bit all over the place, it had me laughing out loud the whole time. You can never go wrong with action packed hilarity! I was happy that Roland had more of a role. He sure has odd ideas about what it means to be a "good father" to his daughter.

While this event for Kate and Curran has been a long time coming, this entry felt like a set up for the grand finale to come. I admit some apprehension for the final book as these last two books have been excellent reads.

Rating:

40. Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams



Reread July 2021: It was an entertaining read though not as hilarious as the first two. I did not find myself laugh as much as my old review mentioned. I don't feel much like continuing to books 4 & 5 so I'm calling my reread done for now. Original review from 2012 below.

-----------------

"Just believe everything I tell you, and it will all be very, very simple."

Life, the Universe and Everything begins where The Restaurant at the End of the Universe left off with Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect trapped on prehistoric Earth. Just when Arthur decides he will go mad Ford shows up to inform him about strange goings on in the Space-Time Continuum. And it's not just another game of Krikkit, err cricket.

The plot on this one meanders and completely strays off course quite often. Those tangents are still clever and some are laugh out loud funny to read.

Rating:

41. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede



Talking to Dragons is the fourth and final book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. The story goes back to its fractured fairy tale roots and is told entirely from the first person point of view of Daystar, Cimorene's son.

His mother always taught him to be polite to dragons. It's particularly good advice when one day his mother hands Daystar a magic sword and sends him into the forest on a quest with no further instructions than to seek out Kazul, someone who can presumably explain everything. At least Daystar hopes so.

According to a forward by the author, this story was written first in the quadrilogy several years before Wrede was persuaded to turn it into a series. I can see exactly what inspired the first chronological book and I devoured this title in 24 hours. While I still enjoy Cimorene's story best, this installment brought back all the things I loved about Dealing With Dragons and made for an enjoyable read.

Daystar is such a nice, polite and fairly clueless young man. He has a strong determination to do the right thing, even if he's not quite sure what that is. Daystar is joined on his quest by Shiara, a young fire witch who doesn't know how to use her magic, and a dragon who is trying to prove itself to the clan. It was a lot of fun hanging out with these youngsters and re-discovering the magic of the forest all over again from a fresh perspective. While the plot is not overly complicated, I kept cheering for our heroes and was delighted in meeting old characters again.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I know I'll be revisiting these books again in the future.

Rating:

42. Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews



Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end. Magic Triumphs is the tenth and final book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Nine books to build up to the final confrontation between Kate and Roland and...

...and it was ok. The book follows a familiar formula where Kate has a mystery to solve while the world (or at least Atlanta) is facing the apocalypse. Conlan, Kate and Curran's child, is absolutely the best thing about the book and steals every scene he's in. Maybe we'll get some stories of Conlan's adventures in the future, that would be hilarious.

I digress. There wasn't anything overly bad about this installment. There's plenty of over the top action and snark to go around. Julie has some great scenes and I'm genuinely happy that Kate and Curran found their HEA. The epilogue is fantastic and leaves a great hook for the future. Now that I think about it, I feel like Roland really got the short end of the stick. He's such a fantastic villain and it felt like his ending was rushed. Such a shame. Luckily the authors have left themselves some wiggle room there in case they want to do more in the future.

Overall, it's been a great urban fantasy series with a lot of characters I've enjoyed getting to know across 10 books and several novellas. If you're new to UF and wonder what the genre is about, you can't go wrong giving Kate Daniels a try.

Rating:

43. Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry



If Joe Ledger was a TV series, Code Zero is that episode mid-season where the producers try to save money by revisiting previous episodes and using flashback scenes to fill up time. That's not necessarily a bad thing as Code Zero does a good job of tying the previous five books together as Joe and Echo Team must face their past as someone calling herself Mother Night is reviving old horrors.

Unfortunately, this splits the story's narrative in two as we get present day Echo Team trying to figure out what's going on and all the flashbacks to previous events to help fill in the history on Mother Night. Also unfortunately, I just didn't like the Mother Night part of the story, which felt like it takes up half of the book. Since I listen to the audio book, I can't tell for sure if Mother Night's back story really took that long or just felt that way because I didn't like her character much. She is wicked smart and I can see why she'd be recruited by the DMS. What I don't get is how it took so long for people to catch on to what she was doing before they kicked her out and didn't think at all that she might have survived her "death". It was a very creative use of her hacking abilities though to thwart Mind Reader.

The present day portion of the story is engaging. You just can't go wrong with macho man Joe Ledger doing his thing to save civilization from psychopaths and weird science experiments! I also liked that we got more into Church's character and STILL he's able to remain fairly mysterious. Very well done Mr. Maberry!

Hopefully this is a temporary lull in the series and the next installment will be back to giving us a new threat for Joe and the DMS to overcome.

Rating:

August series update...

Started: 1
The Vampire Knitting Club

Progressed: 3
Threadbare
Discworld
Dresden Files

Reviews Pending: 5

I think I'm in a mini book slump as well as a reviewing slump. Though I was able to get those 3 reviews out just now, I've run out of steam again.

>78 Narilka: hang in there, I just got free of a terrible slump, having only one read in August!

>78 Narilka: The reviews are never as important as the reading. I'm hopeful you will find something to knock you out of the reading slump.

>78 Narilka: I hope the slump is short. Maybe time for a comfort re-read?

>79 fuzzi: >80 clamairy: Thanks

>81 Karlstar: I was thinking the same thing earlier today. It might just be time.

44. Mind to Matter by Dawson Church



One part scientific studies, one part metaphysics, in Mind to Matter Dawson Church seeks to explore the idea that thoughts shape reality. The human mind and consciousness is an amazing thing, one that has not been researched nearly enough. Some of the concepts highlighted in the book are:

• Healing cancer with energy (yes, an actual scientific study)
• Quantum physics of the observer effect, entanglement and more
• Coherence
• Synchronicity
• How meditation changes brainwaves

I can see how if someone is not into "New Age woo" could be turned off by this book as Church uses a lot of that style of langage, especially in the first chapter of the book. If you can push past all that, Mind to Matter makes for a thought provoking read. I need to check out further reading on this subject as I find it fascinating.

Rating:

I'm finally pulling out of my book slump. Going to see if I can play catch up on some of these reviews!

>84 Narilka: yippee!

>83 Narilka: As a former physicist with terminal cancer, I have a very low tolerance for New Age-y exploitation, particularly on that subject.

But if there are references to the relevant scientific paoers, could you please postvtgr details, so that I can follow them up?

>86 -pilgrim-: I highly recommend you stay away from the book. You won't get through the first chapter. I'll go back through the references later and pull out some of the studies for you.

45. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett



Night Watch is the 29th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series and the 6th of the City Watch sub-series. Sam Vimes goes on a timey-wimey adventure into Ankh-Morpork and the City Watch's past landing in the middle of major historical events in the city.

"And so the children of the revolution were faced with the age-old problem: it wasn’t that you had the wrong kind of government, which was obvious, but that you had the wrong kind of people.

As soon as you saw people as things to be measured, they didn’t measure up."

Time travel is one of my least favorite tropes in fantasy. Thankfully that is not the focus of the story, though there is plenty of fretting over changing the future by altering the past. Instead it is the story of the events that shaped young Sam Vimes into the old Sam Vimes we've grown to love over five previous books by, err, himself. Or something. There's definitely a time loop involved.

That bit of head scratching logic aside, this is a surprisingly poignant read and not the story I was expecting for a Watch novel. Pratchett has some insightful things to say about society, policing, government and duty that feels extremely relevant in these trying times. I don't know how Pratchett does it. This story is both disturbing in how real it is and comforting for the hope it provides.

Rating:

46. The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren



The Vampire Knitting Club is exactly what you expect from the title: a paranormal cozy mystery featuring vampires, a witch and a lot of knitting. Lucy Swift is on her way to visit her grandmother in Oxford. Gran owns a knitting shop, the Cardinal Woolsey, and has a little apartment above the store where Lucy hopes to stay for a few days. Finding the store unexpectedly closed, Lucy heads to a neighboring shop where she finds out that her Gran is... dead? How is that possible? And why has she seen someone who looks a lot like her Gran walking outside the shop?

This is a fluffy and fun start to a paranormal cozy mystery series. The story pretty straight forward and goes where you expect based on the title. Lucy is likeable enough. Besides, who wouldn't want an adorable magical kitten familiar as their familiar? There is also knitting references that I did not get at all due to me not being a knitter. That aside, it made for a light and easy afternoon read. I'll likely give the second book a try before making a decision around finishing the whole series.

Rating:

47. Sew You Want to Be a Hero by Andrew Seiple



Once upon a time there was a teddy bear who had lost his little girl.

And so starts Sew You Want to Be a Hero, the second book in Andrew Sieple's Threadbare series. It's been five long years since Threadbare's little girl was taken away from him and he must travel the kingdom to find her. Luckily, he has his voice now and is learning how to use all the neat skills he couldn't access before.

Turns out those skills are a lot of fun and pretty darn powerful when used in the right situation. You can tell Seiple is enjoying expanding the world he's created and the classes and skills for the characters. Threadbare skilling up his modelling job by putting on the oddest fashion show in history had me laughing out loud. Turns out the model job is surprisingly useful, especially for a golem. Threadbare (literally) makes several friends on his journey and each plays a role on the party. At this point I'm not sure which of the side characters is my favorite because I love them all.

We are also given a few chapters from Celia's point of view. Celia has had a hard time of things in the five years since they've been apart. It makes her chapters a little uneven as there's a lot of background info to be filled in that slows the pace slightly.

Tim Gerard Reynolds continues to knock it out of the park with his audio narration. He has so many different, distinct voices for the characters that sometimes I forget there isn't more than one person narrating the story.

I have completely fallen in love with Threadbare, the misfit toys and Pulsivar. Saving the world is just a bonus at this point. Fair warning, this story ends on a cliffhanger. I'm glad the trilogy is complete so I don't have to wait to see how it all ends.

Rating:

>87 Narilka: Thank you for the warning. I look forward to the references.

>91 -pilgrim-: Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol 14, No 3 - The Effect of "Laying On Hands" on Transplanted Breast Cancer in Mice - full article: https://www.scientificexploration.org/docs/14/jse_14_3_bengston.pdf

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol 13, Iss 3 - Healing by Skeptical Trainee Healers - full article: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/epdf/10.1089/acm.2007.7032

The FASEB Journal - Electromagnetic field interactions with biological systems - abstract and full article: https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fasebj.7.2.8440406

Distant Healing Intention Therapies: An Overview of the Scientific Evidence - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.7453/gahmj.2015.012.suppl

Several of these are older. I hope they are useful. Seems there isn't a lot of money in finding non-pharmaceutical solutions to health problems. If nothing else, the book made me curious to learn more. I went down the quantum experiment rabbit hole which was very interesting lol The placebo effect is real. I'm planning to read a book on the placebo effect and McTaggert's Intention Experiment next year.

>88 Narilka: One of my favorite Discworld books, maybe the favorite. It's got twice the Vimes.

>92 Narilka: Thank you. I have begun reading.

And likewise to you!

48. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher



Proven Guilty is the eighth book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. In this week's episode... Horrors from the big screen start coming to life at a local horror movie convention. Harry needs to investigate this one fast as it appears that black magic may be involved and a family friend has been caught up in the chaos.

I am impressed with how far Harry has come in eight books. Sure, there are horrors to fight and possible black magic to be stopped. The real focus of the book is Harry's relationships with some important women. Without saying too much, Harry and Charity are FINALLY forced to review their animosity and come to terms with each other's differing world views, even giving each other mutual (if grudging) respect and tentative friendship. Murphy continues to be the ultra bad ass. I really enjoyed getting to know more of Michael's family during this installment, primarily through Molly though others make an appearance too, though missed the big guy himself. Considering just how archaic Harry's views of women were at the start of the series, this is amazing progress.

As if that isn't enough, Harry is learning to adjust to his new role in the Council. Given the cause and resolution of the events at the convention, I think this is going to Give Harry some serious challenges in the future.

Proven Guilty is an engaging read. Given the main set up, there is plenty of horror and gory action to go around. It would make for a great Halloween read. Overall the book feels like a transition for Harry and the series. I'm not sure I see Harry as a teacher/mentor. This is an interesting set up for future books.

Rating:

49. Lost Talismans and a Tequila by Annette Marie



All the story threads started six books ago finally come together in Lost Talismans and a Tequila, the seventh and penultimate book in the Guild Codex: Spellbound series by Annette Marie. It's about bloody time! Tori continues her personal mission: Save Ezra from his demonic fate. Was it worth the wait? Yes it was.

Lots of action and magic to go around. The build up to that relationship for Tori which has been hinted at for three books is finally starting to pay off. Talk about a slow burn romance.

At this point I have to admit that I haven't read the Demonized sub-series and part of me wishes I'd read Robin's story in the proper publication order along with Spellbound. At the same time I'm super excited at all the things I learned right along with Tori about demons, demon mages and the differences in their magic. The final plot twist left me stunned. This is easily my favorite book in the series. I can't believe there's only one more book to go.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Kris Dukehart and Teddy Hamilton. That's right, there are some chapters from Ezra's perspective and a separate narrator for them. Talk about an unexpected surprise! Guess I'll pay more attention to the Audible descriptions in the future.

Rating:

50. The Key of Ahknaton by Graeme Rodaughan



Chloe fans, this book is for you.

Before getting started with The Key of Ahknaton, the book opens with a short story out of Chloe's past titled The Enforcer. Set at the end of WWII, the story features Crane sending Chloe on a mission to obtain a very special child. All is definitely not what it seems. In typical Rodaughan fashion, there is plenty of Ramp master, Vampire and Red Empire action to go around and for the first time we see the true potential of the Metaframe in action, with a side of cosmic horror for good measure. While technically you could skip over this and start book five immediately, you'll be missing out on one heck of an action filled short story and some additional insight into Chloe's hatred of Crane.

After that side trip into Chloe's past, The Key of Ahknaton picks up immediately where The Crane War left off. I thought that book 5 blew me away. Book 6, this one, was just as engaging. There are so many twists and turns it's hard to review this book without spoilers so I'm going to be a bit vague. The world building and character arcs continue, some in surprising directions, giving a lot of new information to process. The big convergence at the end has taken this story in an unexpected direction that in hindsight I can now see was hinted at as a possibility all along.

I can't believe there is only one book to go. I'm excited to see how what remains of the Order of Thoth saves the day. Things aren't looking very good for humanity at the moment.

A big thank you to the author, Graeme Rodaughan, for inviting me into the Beta read with the fine folks in the GR's group Castle Dracula.

Rating:

51. Night's Gift by Camilla Ochlan & Carol E Leever



When I saw this book in the Audible Plus catalog, I knew I had to give it a try. Who wouldn't want to read a series titled Of Cats and Dragons? Night's Gift is a fun middle grade adventure about two new friends who are simply touring the city when a pick-pocket steals a family heirloom and they accidentally ending up on a quest that lands them squarely in the night arena in the city of Hex in an attempt to get the jewelry back. The situation ends up out of control quickly.

The story is a slow build that takes about half the book to really get going. It's worth the wait. It was fun getting to know Omen and Templar. Omen is a psionic who is still learning to control his powers and it leads to just the kind of mischief you'd imagine. Templar is a bit more like his namesake and provides a nice balance to Omen's magical abilities. Once they meet Tormy mayhem ensues just as you'd expect with a talking cat. Yes, I definitely would love to have my own Tormy!

I listened to the audio book narrated by P. J. Ochlan. I'm not sure I liked the odd accent he gave to Tormy but the rest of the characters were just fine.

I am looking forward to continuing the series.

Rating:

52. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey



Hunter is Mercedes Lackey's entry into YA dystopia. It's the first book in a trilogy of the same name. If you've read any books from the genre in the last 5 to 10 years, like Hunger Games or Divergent, then you've likely read a version of this story before.

A series of catastrophes have left the world in a post-apocalyptic setting where magic and monsters are found right along with technology. Joyeau Charmand is marked as a Hunter, one who has mystic glyphs that allows her to cast spells and summon hounds to help her hunt the monsters that threaten human civilization. It's not long before Joy is summoned to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the largest remaining human city. Joy proceeds to uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just Apex City but all of mankind.

See what I mean? You've definitely heard this one before. While treading a lot of familiar ground, Lackey comes up with some unique concepts that keep the story interesting. Joy is a reluctant hero, not wanting to leave her village but knowing she must since she's been summoned. I liked the various types of "hounds," some of which aren't very hound-like at all. Also the variety of different monsters pulled from mythology was fun.

What bugged me the most was deliberate misspellings of familiar words to add flavor to the world. Such as "diseray" instead of "disarray". The first 20% or so is also filled with a lot of info dumps that drag the pacing down. Things pick up once Joy arrives at Apex City.

Assuming you can get by those issues, it is an entertaining story. I'm unsure if I'll continue the series or not.

Rating:

>101 Narilka: Yep, same rating. I'm into Briarheart now. Lackey is almost always readable at least.

>102 quondame: She stuck with YA? That's interesting. Is that one any better or about the same?

>103 Narilka: It's maybe a bit better. There may be a few books of hers I haven't read, but it seems like I've read hundreds. I started with her first and have pretty much kept up. I guess if a bit of soft graphic sex rules out YA then Fairy Godmother isn't YA. The Wizard of London was really bad.

>104 quondame: I'll have to watch and see if it goes on sale.

2021 year end stats!

2021 General
Books Read: 63
Total Pages Read: 15655
Audio Book Hours: 193h 25m
Rereads: 5
TBR Challenge: 10/12
Reviews pending: 11

I'm going to keep this thread going and attempt to finish those reviews. Seems like I get on short reviewing rolls so I have hope I'll finish this month lol

Genres

Bio & Memoir: 1
Business: 1
Fantasy: 45
Horror: 5
Mystery: 5
Recent Fiction: 1
Romance: 8
Science & Nature: 8
Science Fiction: 7
Suspense & Thriller: 2
Young Adult: 9

Ratings

Average: 3.9

Apparently I was generous in my ratings this year!

The 5 Star List
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Never SPlit the Difference by Chris Voss
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede

2021 Never Ending Series
In progress: 16
Up to date: 10
On Hold: 6
Completed: 9
Abandoned: 3

Completed in 2021
Finishing School - 4/4
Mistborn Era 1 - 3/3
Riyria Revelations - 6/6
Witch of Edgehill - 5/5
Enchanted Forest Chronicles - 4/4
Kate Daniels - 10/10
The Guild Codex: Spellbound* - 8/8
Threadbare* - 3/3 (original trilogy)
Divine Cities - 3/3

Abandoned in 2021
The Custard Protocol - 1/4
Hitchhiker's Guide - 3/5
The Empire Trilogy - 1/3

Mount TBR
Start 2021: 211
End 2021: 213

I'm impressed! I didn't buy as many as I thought this year.

Other Random Stuff according to GoodReads
Shortest Book: Magic Tests by Ilona Andrews, 32 pages
Longest Book: The Enchanted Forrest Chronicles Omnibus by Patricia C. Wrede, 1120 pages

Average Book Length: 347 pages

Most Popular: The Hobbit 4.4M shelved
Least Popular: The Key of Ahknaton 38 shelved

Reading plans for 2022?
Fingers crossed to not be hit by a book slump this year. It was very frustrating not being able to just sit and read! As far as actual plans go, I'm planning to read the Cradle series by Will Wright, Mistborn Era 2 by Brandon Sanderson to time with the final book's release in November, The World of the Others series by Anne Bishop, and the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. I need to finish up the Chalion books which puts The Hallowed Hunt in the list and I took a heavy BB by Meredy for Entangled Life. I need to get back into reading classics again and so will need to pick one out.

Hope everyone has a great year of reading in 2022!

Thread for 2022: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338328

>112 Narilka: I love The Hallowed Hunt but don't expect it to be Chalion. I think that expectation spoils it for some people. But it's beautifully plotted and the characters are really interesting and fun in their own right. And there's the ice bear. It just places a whole lot of absurd hilarity in what could have been a wrought and heavy story.

I love the graphs...wow...impressive, MOST impressive.

>115 fuzzi: The graphs are the new graphs built into LT :) I just took screenshots of the ones I wanted to use. Head to your profile and then click on Charts & Graphs in the top sub-menu.

>116 Narilka: thanks!

>116 Narilka: I'd completely forgotten those existed.

53. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett



I went into City of Stairs completely blind. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't a spy thriller/mystery set in one a highly imaginative fantasy interpretation of what seems to be late 19th century India and Russia.

Welcome to Bulikov! Once home to gods and their miracles, the now-conquered city is a shade of its former self with its citizens subjugated and its history suppressed. Officially, Cultural Ambassador Shara Komayd has been sent to the city to investigate a murder. Unofficially? Shara has her work cut out for her to figure it all out.

The story is a slow burn. Bennett takes his time setting the stage and introducing us to his characters. Each step along the way is revealed slowly and deliberately as we gradually learn that there is a lot more going on in the city than first meets the eye. The story eventually gains momentum and it turns into one long roller coaster ride with a few unexpected twists and drops in the second half.

What impressed me with the setting is how much history and age the author was able to give to Bulikov. As I wandered the city with Shara and her, ah, secretary Sigurd, it feels like I'm wandering the streets of a city that's been around for hundreds of years.

I liked the main character, Shara, and her secretary immensely. Shara and Sigurd make for an odd pair that work together fabulously. Shara is highly intelligent and plays the spy game as a master. Sigurd is a bit of an enigma with an interesting skill set and I hope we learn more about his character in the rest of the trilogy.

This story could be read as stand alone as all major plot points are tied up by the end. I like these characters and this world enough that I'm looking forward to finding out what is in store for Shara next.

Rating:

54. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien



Reread Nov 2021: I think I've read this more times than Lord of the Rings at this point. It continues to be one of my favorite books. This time I listened to the audio book narrated by Andy Serkis. He is fantastic! Highly, highly recommended.

Rating:

>119 Narilka: I enjoyed that series! Maybe I check out some more of Bennett's books.

>120 Narilka: He nailed it, right? He managed so many different 'voices' that I thought I was listening to 20 different people.

>122 clamairy: Totally! Plus, his Gollum can't be beat ;)

>123 Narilka: Ha!

55. City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett



Second verse same as the first? In many ways City of Blades, the second book in Robert Jackson Bennet's Divine Cities trilogy, feels a lot like City of Stairs. Stylistically both books are ultra slow burns where the author takes his time setting the stage while introducing us to an all new set of characters and fleshing out Mulaghesh who was only part of the supporting cast in the first book. We are given enough information that theoretically you could read this book before City of Stairs, though you'd miss out on some nods to the first book. Where the stories differ is in theme. City of Blades is a soldiers tale about war, promises both broken and kept and, oddly enough, love.

Welcome to Voortyashtan! Once home to the god of war and the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels, the city is mostly in ruins and a place where rebels hide, plotting and enacting frequent uprisings. Its only redeeming feature is a harbor that, if it can be restored, will unlock trade for the whole continent and bring wealth back to the city. General Turyin Mulaghesh has been drinking her way to an early grave in her retirement. Before she can fully self destruct, Mulaghesh is called to serve the Empire one last time and take a "tour" of Voortyashtan if she wishes to keep her pension. It's just one last undercover mission to investigate some worryingly miraculous... things... happening near the city.

I admit I was a tad disappointed when I first started the book and found out it had both a 5 year time jump from the previous story and a new main charcter. That disappointment didn't last long. Mulaghesh was an interesting supporting character in the first book and she's a fantastic lead in this one. I'm impressed at the depth of character building Bennett is able to do in his stories. Mulaghesh is bitter and cynical and tired of war, yet she seems to be constantly forced to revisit that part of her past and solve problems others don't want to. The supporting cast is just as interesting, especially Signe Harkvaldsson. I think I would read a short story about Signe's college days and how she got to be in her role in charge of the harbor project.

Same goes for Bennett's world building. The history and depth Bennett is able to give to Voortyashtan makes me feel like I'm there in the streets with Mulaghesh. The city feels just as alive as Bulikov did.

RJB sure knows how to write exciting endings. The final third of the book is one heck of a roller coaster ride. All the slow and steady story telling builds up to one surprising conclusion. The story is all wrapped up by the end, though one supporting character has an unknown fate that I think is the hook for the final book.

As much as I enjoyed Mulaghesh's story, I found myself missing Shara. I hope some day the author writes a short story or two of what Shara was up to between books.

Rating:

56. Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace



I picked up Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace while looking for something to fill the "fantasy of manners" void I've been feeling since finishing up the Gail Carriger series.

A curse has been placed on British upper-class women by diabolical French scientists. Hannah Miles spends most of her days helping her parents research the terrible affliction. When a gruesome murder is committed during her best friend's engagement party, Hannah realizes she must help with the investigation as it appears one of the afflicted may be suspect. If only the horrible Viscount Wycliff wasn't also assigned to the case!

Overall Manners and Monsters is a nice, light paranormal mystery with a hint of potential romance. I'm glad the author didn't go the obvious route with zombies as it seems so hard to do something new with these monsters. While not as quirky or clever as the Gail Carriger books, the story is enjoyable and Hannah is a competent heroine. I also liked that the romance is going to be a slow build. I'll likely give the second book a try.

Rating:

>125 Narilka: I will say it again... I loved this series enough that, after I borrowed the e-books from Overdrive, I bought them in print for future re-reads. It's only been a couple of years but I'm ready for another go soon. I too was initially surprised at the shift of main character but Mulagesh, as you say, was a fantastic choice for protagonist of City of Blades. I look forward to reading your thoughts on City of Miracles whenever you get to it.

The only other two series that I have read recently that were as memorable were Emma Newman's Planetfall, (still not concluded after four books), and Nora Jemisin's The Broken Earth. Oh, and Cherryh's Foreigner - but that one is currently 21 books long (with more to come!) and requires quite a commitment... ;)

>127 ScoLgo: Am I the only person who didn't know the N stood for Nora? Did she use initials like a lot of women fantasy and sci-fi authors do to keep her gender vague? I like to think it's improved quite a bit, but I've been told in the past that certain males won't buy fantasy or sci-fi books by women authors.

>127 ScoLgo: I already finished City of Miracles and just need to write the review. It's my favorite of the trilogy. Bennett grew as a writer over the whole series and it really showed in the final book. I need to check out some of his other works.

>128 clamairy: I'm glad I'm not one of those 'certain' males! I have been enjoying books by women authors for decades. In fact, the book that put me on the path of reading SF/F way back in 3rd grade, was A Wrinkle in Time. A few years later, (post-Tolkien), I was also captured by Le Guin's Earthsea. My top five authors list contains three women and two men; in no particular order... Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Caroline (CJ) Cherryh, Tim Powers, and Gene Wolfe. I do know that Cherryh originally obfuscated her first name with initials to hide the fact that it was a woman writing the books. If that's what it took to get her published, then I'm glad I guess, because she is a phenomenal - and prolific - author that has turned out some amazing work.

Regarding Jemisin's use initials, she talks about it in this Twitter Post.

>129 Narilka: I thought the third volume did a great job of wrapping things up. For me, it was one of the more satisfying conclusions to a series in many a long moon.

>130 ScoLgo: I'm glad you're not one of those people either, and I like to think there aren't many of them left. Thanks for the link!

Just making sure everyone, well a few people, have heard Brandon Sanderson's news.

>132 quondame: Sweet cheeses! I'm signing up, just need to decide which option.

>132 quondame: I did, thanks! And just threw my money at him lol

>134 Narilka: I have to talk to my daughter about which choice to make. I would be happy with just the ebooks, but she likes physical books for her shelves. And I'm intrigued by the swag boxes, but I'm not sure I want to fork over that much.

>133 clamairy: >134 Narilka: Yeah, I just went straight to Kickstarter for the e-books. I don't think I own any non WoT Sanderson in paper. Mostly I check out from the library. My only worry now is that Sanderson has raised so much money that managing it will at a minimum cut down his writing time and it may subvert his impetus to write, though this is rather an indication that it won't, and not all writer-moguls take the money and run.

>136 quondame: He's obsessed. It's as if he cannot not write!

Can someone summarize? I'm not willing to sit through a 15 minute video to find out

>138 jjwilson61: He wrote 5 books with only his family knowing. 3 are Cosmere books and one is YA, and the other is more of a mystery. He has a very successful Kickstarter up for those who want the 4 adult books in multiple formats. His presentation is amusing.

>136 quondame: He has people to manage that stuff. I supported the Way of Kings Kickstarter and am very happy with my fancy copies :) I think this won't hinder Sanderson's writing at all.

>140 Narilka: I'm sure he has a pretty extensive support network. My daughter and I were discussing this last night. We were both in awe of his writing not one but five books during the pandemic, while the most of us were just trying not to go bonkers. Then she said she realized he has a lot of people around him that do the things the rest of us have to, so he can just write.

>139 quondame: Thanks for the summary!

Ooops! Wrong thread lol