Narilka redacts her reading in 2023 - part 2

Time for a new thread as the old one was getting long. Thanks Fuzzi for inspiration for the title :D

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 2023
1. The Buddhist Enneagram by Susan Piver
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
3. The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell
4. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
5. Big Trouble by Andrew Seiple
6. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
7. Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews
8. The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross
9. Freddy's Magic Garden by Angelina Dayan
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
11. Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. Watt
12. At Large by Andrew Seiple
13. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
15. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by KJ Parker
16. Going Rogue by Drew Hayes
17. Well Done by Andrew Seiple
18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
19. Cold Days by Jim Butcher
20. Gobbelino London & A Contagion of Zombies by Kim M. Watt
21. Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell
22. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
23. Skin Game by Jim Butcher
24. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin
25. Dragon Hack by Andrew Seiple
26. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
27. Brief Cases by Jim Butcher
28. Waybound by Will Wight
29. Magic Claims by Ilona Andrews
30. Peace Talks Jim Butcher
31. Friends with Bunny Feets by Andrew Seiple
32. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
33. Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
34. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson
35. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
36. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
37. 14 by Peter Clines
38. The Metaframe Adept by Graeme Rodaughan
39. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
40. The Fold by Peter Clines
41. Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson
42. Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer
43. Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
44. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
45. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
46. The Dream, The Journey, Eternity and God by Sara Landon

Fun Stats
Books Read: 46
Total Pages Read: 13805
Audio Book Hours: 138h 23m
Rereads: 6
TBR Challenge: 6/12

2023 Series Stats
In progress: 20
Up to date: 14
On Hold: 7
Completed: 4
Abandoned: 2

Mount TBR
Start 2023: 216
End 2023: ?

TBR Challenge

A new year, a new list - happy 2023! I'm (mostly) freshening up both my lists this year. Aiming for 12 read.

6/12

Primary
1. Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. Watt Read Feb 8
2. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
3. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross Read Jan 20
4. Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson Read Aug 20
5. Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix
6. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant
7. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
8. Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell Read Aug 31
9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Read Aug 13
10. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
11. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher Read Feb 20
12. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Secondary
1. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh
2. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
3. A Cat Named Darwin by William Jordan
4. Someone Like Me by MR Carey
5. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
6. Thud! by Terry Pratchett
7. You Are the Placebo by Joe Dispenza
8. By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates
9. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
10. Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan
11. Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
12. My Life in a Cat House by Gwenn Cooper

My Personal Incomplete Series Challenge
Keeping my never-ending series list going for yet another year.

Series Stats Summary
In progress: 20
Up to date: 14
On Hold: 8
Completed: 4
Abandoned: 2

In Progress
Discworld: Rincewind - 6/8
Discworld: City Watch - 6/8
Discworld: Tiffany Aching - 3/5
Discworld: Overall - 32/41
Temeraire - 2/9
Joe Ledger* - 6/10
World of the Five Gods - 2/3
Space Team* - 4/11
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Mysteries - 1/4
Awaken Online: Tarot* - 1/3
Of Cats and Dragons* - 1/5
Hunter - 1/3
Manners and Monsters - 2/5
Nathaniel Cade* - 2/3
King of Scars - 1/2
Spells, Swords and Stealth* - 3/5
Sanderson's Secret Projects - 3/4
Gobbelino London, PI - 2/5
Blasphemy Online - 1/3
Threadbare Pt 2* - 1/3
Threshold* - 2/4
Murderbot - 2/6

Up to date and waiting
The Band - 2/2 - #3 expected 2024
Skyward - 3/3 - #4 due Nov 2023
The Darkwater Legacy* - 1/1 - #2 expected 2023
The Brackenford Cycle - 4/4 - #5 TBD
5-minute Sherlock* - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Witchlands - 4/4 - #5 TBD
World of the Others - 3/3 - #4 TBD
Mystwick* - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Locked Tomb - 3/3 - #4 expected 2024
Aurelia Ryder - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Innkeeper Chronicles - 5/5 - #6 TBD
The Wizard's Butler* - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Kate Daniels Wilmington Years - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Dresden Files - 17/17 - #18 TBD

Temporarily On Hold While I Try to Reduce my TBR
The Burning - 1/2
The Folk of the Air* - 1/3
The Book of the Ice - 1/3
The Goddess War - 1/3
Awaken Online* - 4/6
The Siege - 1/3
Trader Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper - 1/?
Inheritance Trilogy - 1/3
Spellslinger - 1/6

Completed in 2023
Small Medium* - 3/3
Cradle - 12/12
Harry Potter - 7/7
The Metaframe War - 7/7

Abandoned in 2023
Laundry Files - 1/12
The Vampire Knitting Club - 1/13

*Indicates series on audio

I think I fixed all the touchstones now.

Happy new thread! I hope you'll have lots of good books to talk about!

Dragon Hack at just over 50%. This is definitely for fans of the Threadbear-verse. It's interesting getting a look at the early days of this world. I'm still very interested to know how it is that Rich and the dragon swap consciousnesses when Rich enters the game yet it doesn't seem like others players have that happen so far. Does it happen to anyone else or is Rich unique? The thing I was waiting for finally happened where the dragon side in normal reality finally got in trouble. This promises to be super awkward. I was taking a look at the next book on audible and it appears that there is a change in narrators. That person is getting some poor reviews. Note to self - listen to a preview before deciding to download the next book on audio.

Happy New Thread! I also was unaware that The Inheritance Trilogy was YA. Might make better Summer reading for me then.

Happy New Thread, and how exciting about The Olympian Affair! I really enjoyed the first book.

Happy new thread!

>8 clamairy: At first I thought you were referring to the Inheritance Cycle and I was confused.

Happy new thread!

I did know that Butcher had one new book in The Cinder Spires coming, and I --incorrectly-- skimmed >167 Narilka: hoping there were 2 new Cinder Spires books ready for publication instead of just 1, The Olympian Affair. Dyslexia still strikes me from time to time.

>11 Karlstar: And when I first tagged it with triple brackets it brought up a third trilogy I'd never heard of!

>13 clamairy: Time to retire 'Inheritance' as a trilogy title.

>6 Sakerfalcon:, >8 clamairy:, >9 ronincats:, >10 Karlstar:, >12 quondame: Thanks!

>12 quondame: Oh! That makes more sense now :) Two books in one year like he did for Dresden's Peace Talks & Battle Ground would have been awesome.

A little behind things here, but happy new thread!!

>16 jillmwo: Thanks!

The One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms Through Ch 10 The human politics are starting to fill in. I find the god dynamics more interesting though. And of course this is the chapter with more lust lol So it's a YA PNR of sorts. At least I can accept insta-lust. It's the insta-love trope that irritates me every time.

I received my May Sanderson box. It's Mistborn themed! I love the Soonie pup :) My desk is going to be covered in Sanderson swag by year end lol

>19 Narilka: Nice! I still didn't get my hardcover of the April book. From the email updates it looks like they should be shipping soon. I guess it was a fluke that I got the January book in the actual month of January.

Can you >19 Narilka: or >20 clamairy: expand on what kind of thing gets put in a Sanderson box? Just curious as I've never joined one of those subscription type deals, although I understand they're quite popular.

>21 jillmwo: This is a brand new way for an author to do things. Sanderson did a Kickstarter, with no publisher getting a cut. I only opted for hardcover, ebook & audio copies, delivered once every 3 months for the year. You could just get the ebooks or just the audio for less. There was a deluxe option with monthly swag boxes. The only physical package I have gotten so far came back in January, and contained a gorgeous foil stamped hardcover of Tress with things like bookmarks, pins and other goodies. (All of which my daughter absconded with.) I do not know what has been in the swag boxes.

>20 clamairy: Yeah, you were very fortunate with Tress. I didn't get mine until March hah Hopefully the April book is a little sooner.

>22 clamairy: and >23 Narilka: At the time, I was so busy listening to what the publishers thought about Sanderson going independent and what self-publishing might mean for them, I didn't pay attention to what the Kickstarter included or the pricing. I do hope you'll let us know what you get when the April package arrives Narilka!

>21 jillmwo: In this instance it's referring to Sanderson's Kick Starter from last year. I went for the "Year of Sanderson" because I'm nuts which includes a box a month. 4 of the boxes are premium copies of the books with a pin and something small (Tress came with two book marks). The remaining months are themed based on Sanderson's work. The May box is Mistborn themed. It came with Mistborn Era 1 book ends (assembly required), Reversible Soonie Pup (it's a plushie of Tensoon in dog form only adorable), Mistborn Era 1 sticker pack and the monthly character pin which was Wax. Spoiler tagged to not ruin it for anyone still waiting on their box :)

April's box is the Secret Project 2 book. March was Cytoverse and Feb was Hoid. The monthly themes are up on his website if you're curious. Each month they order a extra boxes in case any of the backers boxes are damaged. Anything left over his his web store, which I see the Feb and March boxes up still if you wanted to check out their goodies.

Hoid: https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/collections/featured-products/products/hoid-fan...
Cytoverse: https://www.dragonsteelbooks.com/collections/featured-products/products/cytovers...

I'll post a photo of the plushie in a few. I've never subscribed to any other book related subscription service so can't speak to those. Perhaps others in the pub can?

Here's the plushie. It's reversible so you can have whichever version you prefer showing by turning it inside out which is wildly appropriate for a kandra. I should've taken photos of the back so you could see the cute little tail and back ribs too. You get the idea hah



Alas you cannot spoiler tag a photo so sorry if this spoils anyone's box!

>22 clamairy: >25 Narilka: I went for the basic of basics, just the 4 ebooks. I don't think I'd do even that again as I really prefer Kindle format. I seriously do not need goodies or hardbacks.

>27 quondame: You didn't get an option for the Kindle format? When they sent me the ebook link I had a choice.

>26 Narilka: That is adorable, even though I have no clue what it is.

>28 clamairy: Hmm, I may not have negotiated getting the file onto my Kindle in the best possible manner. There doesn't seem to be equal treatment for books not loaded directly from Amazon.

>29 quondame: You can email the epub or PDF to your Kindle using the email address associated with your Amazon account. That's how I read my copies. It's pretty easy.

- To find your Send to Kindle email address, go to Manage Your Content & Devices> Preferences > Personal Document Settings.
- Only approved email addresses can send files to your Kindle library. Before sending, make sure the account you'll use is on your Approved Personal Document E-mail List in your Personal Document Settings.
- Send your file as an attachment to your Send to Kindle email address. You don't need to include a subject line.

It processes in a couple minutes. Then you can go to the Manage Device page on Amazon and send it to your Kindle for download.

Alternatively, it looks like you could upload directly from your PC now too - https://www.amazon.com/sendtokindle/

>30 Narilka: Thanks. I've done the send to e-mail thing several times, it just seems that books that arrive on the Kindle that way aren't quite "equal" to books that come directly from Amazon.

I just used your link to transfer a Sprang reference and am happy to see it did in fact go to my Kindle and, well, not yours, or at least I hope not.

Ah, the catch: Max File Size: 200 MB!

>30 Narilka: Thanks for the instructions.

I finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Initial thoughts: It felt a lot like the telling of a myth and I enjoyed the ending. The plot is fairly straight forward: a girl is summoned by her grandfather, the ruler of the world, to the ruling seat of the kingdom to be named one of his heirs and told she's now in a weird 3-way duel to see who will be the true heir. Yes, it has a YA feel to it and the plot is slow moving. The narration style told primarily by the main character is a bit jerky, which was a little confusing at first but makes much more sense half way through after the first reveal. The ending seemed to tie up the story nicely and I think could be read as stand alone. I'm not entirely sure where the second book would go next unless it's more like a trilogy of loosely related stories instead of one story arc in three books.

Next up - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I'm looking forward to it!

70% through Dragon Hack. So now Rotgoriel and Richard both know about each other (sort of). I wonder if Rich will figure out a way to pass the dragon messages so they can work together better. Also, he really needs to figure out the sound for his offline recordings. Hearing that conversation Rotgoriel had with the shaman would've been very important in his understanding.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix This one gets to the action pretty fast. Through Ch 3 I love how Petunia gives away her secret, that she knows a lot more about the wizarding world than she lets on and that she may not be as disapproving as she appears.

This is also the one time I genuinely feel bad for Dudley, the attack from the Dementor.

I finished Dragon Hack. Fantastic ending, both in game and out of it. It's great that Richard and Rotgoreal were able to meet and help each other out. There's no way either would've survived their situations otherwise. I feel bad for Richard. The real world seems the worst of the two - or the place he lives does. I really hope Rotgoreal picks to keep his dragon form during his molt. Time to go listen to a sample of book 2 to see if I'm continuing on audio or switching to ebook.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Through Ch 10. Whew Harry's been found not guilty and will be back off to Hogwarts. I've completely forgotten if Fudge is just a rube wanting to bury his head in the sand about Voldermort being back or if he's a death eater. I think it's the first one. Guess I'll find out by book's end.

First look at Umbridge. Yep, she's creepy. Talk about a great upcoming villain.

Draco as a Prefect lol Ron too though for vastly different reasons.

Another addition: Luna!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry's detention with Umbridge talk about diabolical! She basically gets the student to torture themselves and feel so bad about it they don't turn her in. Yet practicing defensive spells is wrong and hurtful. My god I could see this logic playing out in modern society very easily. That's what makes it even more frightening.

I only read the later books once and same for watching the later movies - only once. It's making for a fun read as I remember the overarching plot but have forgotten details.

A lot has happened! I'm through Ch 22 now Ministry over reach into Hogwarts is pissing me off. It's too realistic. I can't wait for Umbridge to get her comeuppance though I think it's not until the final book. If I remember right, she ends up in Azkaban by the end.

I love how the kids formed Dumbledore's Army! Great naming and pretty insightful. Just what the Ministry fears most.

Hagrid's back and worse for wear. I think we get the explanation for his injuries by end of book right? It wasn't just his time with the giants if I'm remembering correctly.

I'd completely forgotten about Arthur Weasley getting attacked by the snake. Bad for him - good for story progression. It's showing Harry's continued connection to Voldemort.

I'm realizing this time through just how complex this story really is. It's fun to see how Rowling has grown as an author.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Through Ch 24 It's nice Harry got to spend Christmas and extra time with Sirius considering what's coming.

As soon as I saw the Occlumency chapter I realized I'd forgotten this and also remembered what happens lol Wow, the way memory works is weird. I'm looking forward to the shock he gives Snape. Given Harry's anger issues this lesson important on several levels.

In other news, Audible is having a 2 for 1 sale. I picked up Beware of Chicken and A Deadly Education, both of which came highly recommended from one of my book clubs. Those will rotate in sometime later this year.

Right now I choose Friends with Bunny Feets for audio. I was impatient to get back to Threadbare's story proper, not just stories in the same world. It's nice to be with the teddy bear again though it seems we're heading into difficulties right off the bat. Not a very deep spoiler since I'm only a couple chapters in stupid politics. Wrecking fantasy and real worlds alike. I'm looking forward to see when the characters from Small Medium and Dragon Hack show up and which ones they'll be!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Finished! I had misremembered what happened to Umbridge badly lol Completely forgot all about the centaurs. Heck I also though she was in the next book but maybe not? It's kind of fun being surprised again :)

That final battle in the Ministry was epic. It's everything I could want from a battle with wands. Poor Sirius and Harry :(

Harry's anger shadowed the whole book didn't it. Can't say I blame him at all but it did make some parts hard to read. I felt bad for Dumbledore at the end there with all he was telling Harry and yet also extra bad for Harry to have this all dumped on him at once right after Sirius' death. No good way to have that conversation by that point. Growing up is hard.

Next up is Brief Cases which is 12 short stories in the Dresden Files. If the last collection is anything to go by, this will be fun :)

>41 Narilka: Will you be moving on to the rest of the Potter series? I'm mixing up what happened in the movies with the books.

>42 Karlstar: Yes. I'm planning one a month so I should be cycling back to Potter the second half of June.

Brief Cases starts with "A Fistful of Warlocks" which is a weird western from Luccio's POV. She teams up with Wyatt Earp to hunt down some warlocks. The story is preceded by a note from Butcher that he had an idea that could be a 5 book arc of which this short would be the opener. I hope we get to see it some day as it would be fun though we sort of know the ending since Kemmler features prominently in a Dresden installment.

Brief Cases "B is for Bigfoot" was a sweet little story. That also explains the reference in the last book about him helping a Bigfoot in the past and contrasts just how horrible the one in Skin Game was. 4 stars.

"AAAA Wizardry" had an interesting style format, a very fast back and forth between present day in a class room Harry's teaching and a past case he was using as an example. Not sure I'd like a whole book like that but for a short it worked well enough. 3 Stars.

"I Was a Teenage Bigfoot" It's nice to go back to the same characters. Once he figured out what was going on I was pretty sure it was the head doctor. Hilarious that it was so he could grow hair lol But still, not cool to steal life force from a kid.

Audible is having a site wide sale. Most titles are 50% off though I've seen some in the 80% off range. I think it lasts through the weekend.

They just gave me $10 last week, and I just spent it on The Beatles, but I need to go see what else is on sale.

Brief Cases "Cursed" might be my favorite so far. I actually googled that curse and it was real! Go figure lol Great way to work that in and another type of fae too. I loved how they ended just watching the game and knowing the curse would fade eventually anyway. 4.5 stars

"Even Hand" Another POV I thought we'd never see. I liked this look into Marcone's thought process. And that little reveal at the end was a nice touch. He knew about Justine's role all along. Makes sense when I think about it in hindsight. 4 stars

"Bigfoot on Campus" was great. I liked that mini 3 story arc. So funny, but not unexpected, that campus security didn't believe Dresden lol Nice of them to give him a peaceful place to sleep :D And that explanation Harry gives Connie is priceless... "Wizard... Bigfoot... Son of Bigfoot... Vampire. Seriously." had me cracking up. 4.5 stars

"Bombshells" Ahh, Butcher's nod to Charlies Angels and Molly's POV. Seems she really did love Harry and not just teenage infatuation. It also explains how Molly came by her apartment between books. Lea is one hell of a teacher. 4 stars

>48 Narilka: I love those short stories so much because they answer many questions I never thought to ask, but needed to know!

>49 MrsLee: Agreed! That thought made it into my review. Normally I'm not big on short stories but these collections have been fantastic. Which brings me to...

Brief Cases "Cold Case" - That was a rough one, lots to unpack Another Molly POV. I do not envy her new role as the Winter Lady. That is a hard, hard job. Molly is not in for an easy life. And since I think her role is like the Winter Knights and there is currently only one exit strategy... Depressing. It also explains why the Winter Lady ends up semi insane.

"Jury Duty" - Law seems to be quite a series theme. Not a bad story but probably my least favorite in the collection so far. Harry goes on traditional Jury Duty.

"Day One" BUTTERS POV!!! OMG so exciting. So great that the Almighty speaks to his knights in language they understand so Butter's gets a World of Warcraft-style quest lol Seems he's going to do just fine, especially with training from the Carpenters.

And finally, "Zoo Day". Such a sweet story about a daddy/daughter day. It's nice to see the different POVs. Not sure I'd want a whole book like this but it worked for a short story. Mouse is still the best boy ever :) What are the odds of Maggie not having power? LOL

And that wraps that up.

Next up, Waybound.

Friends with Bunny Feets I'm around 50% currently. The first third or so was all about set up and the current political situation in Cylvania. I have to admit with some disappointment in the beginning as it didn't feel like a Threadbare book at all. Plus it seems like things had gone downhill since we last were with our favorite teddy bear. Then that part completes and we're off on an adventure. The story returns to more of what I was expecting. Then the reunions start and dammit if I didn't get teary eyed :) Especially reuniting with Pulsivar.

Waybound Oh boy does it feel good to return to Cradle. I had completely forgotten where the previous book ended and had to do a little refresher for myself. Then... Through Ch 2 And we're right back to training of course lol It's amazing how everyone still underestimates Lindon. Especially his friends!

Ch 5 Ahh Eithan, there is truly no other like you :) Such a poke at Makiel by hiding his weapon literally under old Makiel's nose lol I'm guessing that giving him the scythe is part of the plan and won't go as Makiel intends.

Again Lindon is underestimated. Good. Shen is too full of himself.

Waybound Oops. I haven't been keeping up. I finished a couple days ago :) Ch 11 Lindon overcoming all of Reigan Shen's best defenses and defeating Northstrider in a duel was satisfying. Summoning the shade of Ozmanthus was unexpected and awesome :D

Yerin attempting to have heart to hearts with her team mates is also heart warming :)

Now we get to see how the other slow Shen down long enough for Lindon to get back. Or maybe pull off an impossible victory of their own. This book seems to be about underestimating those that you deem weaker than yourself. Which is also a series theme now that I think about it.

Ch 16 I am blown away by Orthos and Little Blue. Their progression is astonishing.

I loved the battles Yerin, Ziel and Mercy had helping Clan Aurelius out against Shen's armies. Shen needs a lesson in humility and seems he's getting it in spades. The Oracle of the Thousand Eyes is impressive.

Then I binge read. Through Ch 27 :) O M G! Everyone has a Dross!!!! I love it lol I wonder if their personalities will diverge over time as they customize to their hosts. That's going to be fun to explore in a sequel series. The power of 6 Dross's working in unison is only going to get better and better. I mean he acted as a presence for the Malice battle.

I feel bad that the team had to kill Malice. She'd have been such a benefit to the Abidan but... At least they got Northstrider to ascend. I think they'll have to kill Shen. I don't see a problem with Emriss or the Eight Man Empire.

Eithan is going to be so proud how everyone is taking aspects of him into themselves as his disciples. Nice that Yerin hit Monarch with the Death Icon and Reaper-like technique. Mercy is about manifest the Joy Icon. Wasn't that one of Eithan's personal goals? Lindon needs no explanation with how far he's grown and that he's living Eithan's crusade to bring all his friends up together as a team. Zeil's going to get his with his mastery of time I'm sure. Eithan better survive long enough to see everyone ascend since I'm 99.9% confident the team will work out how to get around Lindon's current issue.

What's funny is that while the book definitely needs more Eithan, I get irritated when we switch to the Abidan for a few pages because I want to keep reading about the events on Cradle lol

I loved this book so much. It's a fitting end to the series. I laughed so hard in many places. I mean Lindon brought along the whole freaking Labyrinth for crying out loud lol Loved the reunion with Fury and where all the characters ended up. It's a great set up for the sequel series. And even if Wight opts not to write it, I'm ok. Lindon & Yerin got a HEA!

Fury's joke that Eithan will turn the Crypt into the shape of a hairbrush lol OMG yep, that's very Eithan.

Next up is Magic Claims. Or Magic Clams as the fans keep saying ;) Ch 1 ha! So much for low profile! Awfully convenient to have that big plot of land come right after Erra gave Kate her task list.

I'm starting to wonder if the Wilmington novellas are a bridge to a full second era of Kate Daniels. I don't remember if this was explained on the author's blog or not.

Ch 2 & 3 Kate playing with the vampire was pretty damn funny.

I have no idea what kind of creature it was that was described. The only elephant inspired myth I know of is Ganesha and I'm pretty sure that's not him being described lol

>52 Narilka: Okay, I'm curious. In this particular post, you comment on just 3 chapters (11, 16, and 27). Were those particular chapters specific high points in the narrative structure? Or were they the ones that engaged you the most? How did you decide those were the ones most worthy of comment?

>54 jillmwo: It's mostly stuff that caught my attention and I enjoyed. These spoilers tend to be more random thoughts I have as I read and jot down some notes for when I'm ready to review, which I've been terrible at keeping up with this year. Since I don't want to accidentally ruin the enjoyment for someone who may read the book in the future, I spoiler tag it.

The comment around Ch 1 is based on the first novella in the Wilmington series, which I read earlier this year and even managed a regular review of (https://www.librarything.com/work/29475218/reviews/232927157) followed up by a plot point I noticed that seemed to be a tad on the convenient side. Erra (Kate's aunt) warns Kate that they can't stay "low profile" for long and will need a laundry list of things to protect themselves - land, connections, money, etc. A few pages later they're approached with a job that will pay them with many many acres of land and potential for connections, the first two items on the list.

For Ch 2 & 3, this spoiler requires understanding world in general and then that specific scene in particular. Jill, I don't remember if you're a series fan and I don't think I saw them in your library after a quick scan. Apologies if this is too much foundational info :) For just the first sentence - The vampire comment is based on how vampires are controlled in Kate's world. Vampires are mindless beasts that go on killing sprees if not controlled by a navigator, a person that can control a vampire with it's mind. The navigator skill takes years to master and in the main series Kate takes a couple books to get good at it. In this scene, Kate took over a vampire from another controller to make a point and proved how finely tuned her control is by having it mime out "I'm a little teapot" and then make ballet spins, all while the other guy is attempting to retake control over the creature. It's to prove a point to a side character she encountered in the first novella and will likely have to deal with in future novellas while helping out a third side character with a problem. I'm really not sure if I did the humor of the scene any justice.

Specifically speaking to the second sentence, a theme with all Kate Daniels books is each plot is focused on some aspect of world mythology. Sometime it's only one, sometimes it's multiple. The author's are highly creative in their research. I am not an expert on myths by any means and like to see if I can guess anywhere close to the target. I'm often wrong since the only ones I dove deep into at all were Greek, Roman and Egyptian. The rest... not so much :) The description of this creature from the book "A big animal stood in the grass. It looked like an elephant, and yet it clearly wasn't. It had an elephant's trunk and elephant's ears, but the ears were too small and its trunk was too long. Very short beige fur covered it, reminiscent of a horse's pelt. It's legs seemed wider apart than an elephant's, and it's profile was wrong, too. Elephants had high foreheads, and this beast's cranium sloped. But the tusks were the most obvious. They were massive and long, as long as the trunk, pointed down, and spiral shaped." As you can see from my spoiler above, I was pretty clueless as to the inspiration. It's revealed later and oh boy was I way, way off lol

Speaking of...

I finished Magic Claims. That was fun! I'm liking the novella format of these books. They're just the right size to be satisfying. While there were a couple things that seemed very convenient, the story was just so much fun I didn't mind too much. I like the plans Kate and Curran have for their new life. It leaves so many directions for the story to go. Perhaps this will act as a bridge to another full series.

I'm going to attempt to write some reviews for books read earlier this year. First one up...

11. Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. Watt



Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries is the first in the Gobbelino London, PI series by Kim M. Watt. The story is told entirely from Gobbelino's point of view. Gobbelino is a cat detective who, as we learn as the story progresses, is attempting to keep a lower profile so he doesn't have any other run in's with this world's magical police, the Watch. Still, a cat's got to eat. Gobbelino along with his human, Callum, run a private investigative agency as a way to make ends meet. Cases have been sparse lately so when a mysterious woman wearing Doc Martens and too much perfume offers them a paying job, the detective duo really aren't in a position to turn the work away. The job: recover a stolen book from the woman's ex-husband.

I really enjoyed having the story told from the cat's perspective. I like how the author didn't make it easy for Gobs, being realistic about the difficulties his size and lack of thumbs provides. And the advantages a cat has too. The snarky humor was right up my alley as I found myself chuckling many times as I read. Gobbelino has a poor grasp of human idioms. Callum is a good partner for Gobs, being a genuinely nice guy and has the thumbs that a cat lacks. Callum has a history I hope we learn more of as the series progresses. They make a great duo.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the shenanigans that ensue shortly after our crack pair of investigators take the case so I'll keep it brief. The book features a snarky feline humor, a dubious client, a dentist, a feral book, pastel rats, reality bending buildings, a horribly pleasant old lady and a kraken in a sink. This book was right up my alley. I look forward to continuing the series.

Thank you sakerfalcon for the BB.

Rating:

12. At Large by Andrew Seiple



Once upon a time there was a halven who desired adventure. And she got her wish. After saving her village from a necromancer, Chase Barrymore joins Tomasi and Remy on a trip to the big city. It's not long before Chase finds herself with a werewolf problem. Mysterious entities calling themselves "players" also keep popping up, bringing chaos in their wake. It's a tricky situation for one small halven with no combat skills to solve.

At Large is the second book in the Small Medium series by Andrew Seiple. I am really enjoying where Seiple is taking Chase's story. Since I read a lot of action oriented fantasy it is refreshing to have a character without combat skills having to manage these types of situations using mostly her brains with other people's brawn from time to time. It put me in mind of the planning for a clever heist though there is no heist involved.

The situation in the city is more complicated that it appears at first with the mix of Italian-style mafia family politics along with the werewolf threat and the chaos the players. I love how Seiple continues to mash unique classes together for his main characters to embrace that, with a lot of creativity, work out fabulously. I also can't believe it took me a book and a half to understand the joke behind the series title. Small. Medium. hehe

Even better than Chase herself were the additional characters we meet along the way. Bastien the Muscle Wizaard is easily my favorite. I also continue to enjoy the punny jokes. Operation Gimli! More about how "players" work is revealed though the greater mystery of why they're here still remains. I am looking forward to where Chase's story takes her next.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. He gives a phenomenal performance as always.

Rating:

13. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher



"Okay," Mort echoed, evidently speaking mostly to himself. "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to join the Council or anything. It's one hour. Just one little hour. What could happen in one hour?"

And that's how I knew that Mort was telling the truth when he said he wasn't a hero.

Heroes know better than to hand the universe lines like that.

Ghost Story is the thirteenth book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. I think any sort of synopsis would be a big spoiler for this installment, especially for those going through the series the first time, so I'm going to skip it. Let's just say that the title is very accurate.

Harry's unique situation gives this installment a very different framing than we're used to seeing in the series so far. It's a lot more introspective and philosophical and includes many flash backs to Harry's past. It also shows us the impact Harry's had on Chicago's supernatural scene and with his friends which makes his absence combined with the power vacuum left from the Red Court's demise profound. Yet, I can't believe I'm going to say this... I was bored a lot reading this one. How the heck can a Dresden novel be boring?? The story has an intriguing ending which helped though the book felt like a series reboot. Or the biggest transition novel of all time. I just wish it hadn't taken 500 pages to get interesting.

Rating:

14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling



Reread Feb 2023: That was a highly enjoyable and satisfying read. The plotting and the pacing were near perfect. You can see how Rowling has grown as a writer since the first two books. I also love how realistically the kids are growing up. I can see how Hermione was managing her course load went completely over my head on my first read through and now I see the hints that we were given that I had missed. I'm not a fan of time travel stories in general and it had felt like a deus ex on my original read.

Rating:

>57 Narilka: That book was a blast. I will definitely be reading more, as well.

Next up, Peace Talks! Ch 1. I think I've forgotten something. How is Justine pregnant? With the whole "physically touching true love burns white court vampires" thing, I vaguely remember Justine coming up with a sort of solution... I just don't remember the solution. MrsLee do you remember off hand? I'm hesitant to internet search for fear of spoilers.

>62 Narilka: Justine brought other women to Thomas to feed on because him having sex with someone he doesn't love apparently breaks the true love curse thing. I can't remember if that was told us in one of the novels, or in a short story. Sounds like a bit of a lame cheat on the universe that made the rules though. :)

>63 MrsLee: Ahhh ok. Yeah, I'd completely forgotten that! Thanks, much appreciated :)

Peace Talks General comments through Ch 11 This is a heck of a lot going on for some supposed Peace Talks.

Thomas is either being set up or caught in a job for his side-gig that put him in a bad light. Why do I think that this could be something Lara asks, for Dresden to get Thomas cleared of charges or whatever.

Lara has 2 favors coming from Winter?? Oy.

I'm on the fence if Harry should tell Ebenezer about Thomas. Ebenezer is very stuck in his ways and not the best family member. I can't decide if Thomas is better off without the connection or not. Maggie is already terrified, poor little girl. Yay for Harry sticking up for being a dad!!

What I really want to know is how Thomas (supposedly) caused so much damage in a place specifically designed to protect against it. Even protected from errant Wizard aura.

Outsiders attacking. Not good. Doesn't seem that the two of them are enough fire power for the one never mind a whole pack of outsiders.

And that first scene in Ch 1. Harry was standing in Bigfoot footprints wasn't he. Maybe that's where help will come from in this fight leading into Ch 12.

Peace Talks Ch 12 & 13 I admit I'm a bit bummed that Bigfoot didn't come save the day during that fight. That said, I'm not disappointed at all at the info on being Starborn and how that's going to really expand Harry's horizons. Also, Ebenezer is a bad ass.

Oh my Butters! You lucky knight lol

I'm through Ch 23 and curious Will we see any more of the "peace talks" in this book? Seems like other than the gala it's been about everything BUT the talks. For someone who is supposed to be part of security Harry isn't engaged in that part much.

This is pretty dumb of Murphy to push her body before it's healed. Maybe she will just run tactics and strategy in the planning phase and not engage physically. I know that's a long shot lol

It was nice seeing Goodman Grey again. Too bad it's not him in action. Maybe in another book.

I called it. On to Operation Rescue Thomas!

Peace Talks Through Ch 27 and I'm loving the Mission Impossible-ness of it all :)

Peace Talks I'm somewhere around ch 32/33 and had to look up Ethniu. Seems Butcher has pulled her straight out of Irish mythology. So are the Fomor, which I'd also never looked up before. He's stuck true enough to the myths. I wonder if I just accidentally spoiled Battle Ground a little lol And I guess that was Ethniu's footprint at the beginning and not bigfoot's.

I finished. I enjoyed this one a lot. Once I noticed they were taking Thomas to Demonreach I had a feeling Harry was going to put him in stasis. It really is the best result to buy them all time while they deal with the current end of the world. I hope Lara can see this after all is said and done. She really is a good frienemy for Harry.

I feel bad about Ebenezer. He's let his hate run away with him. I don't really expect anything much here other than him being a royal pain in the ass. Maybe I'll be surprised and he will come around eventually. I am glad the truth is out on that too. Nothing complicates things like family!

If they had to break it into two books, I like where this ended. The stage is well set for Battle Ground without really being a cliff hanger. The only thing missing is Lugh of the Tuatha if Butcher is going to keep following the myth. I wonder of someone will use a slingshot on Ethniu or if that will be modernized lol

Next up is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I'll be back for Battle Ground and Sanderson's Secret Project 3 after that.

>69 Narilka: I still haven't received my hardcover of Secret Project #2. :o(

>70 clamairy: I got mine a couple weeks ago. Its gorgeous! Almost every page has art on it, which the epub just couldn't replicate. It makes me want to reread it already lol

>71 Narilka: Oh good! I know they were running behind on getting this one delivered too, so I won't contact them in a panic just yet.

I finished Friends with Bunny Feets on audio. The first third is rough with heavy politics and a tad depressing after how hard Threadbare and crew worked in the original trilogy. Then it moves on into a nice adventure and the second half feels like a Threadbare novel again. It ends with an interesting twist for the toys and hopefully something to help Celia out.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Boy have I forgotten a lot! Through Ch 4 and I'm barely remembering anything about this book. Even though I know generally where this ends, as well as the big surprise at the end with Dumbledore, it's almost like reading for the first time :)

I decided I needed something a little different and chose The Murder of Roger Ackroyd for my next audio. I'm through Ch 3 and Poirot just met our narrator. That was so delightful and hilarious! They think he's hairdresser hahaha and he was tossing vegetables! Plus Poirot is letting everyone mispronounce his name ON PURPOSE! Such a wily detective.

>75 Narilka: This Christie is awesome. Enjoy!
(I think the only one I like better is Murder on the Orient Express.)

Excellent choice, >75 Narilka: It's a remarkable piece of work.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Through Ch 12 Huh. Rowling hinted at Harry's future with Ginny pretty early in the book. Nicely foreshadowed.

Harry's obsession with Draco is kind of funny. He's not wrong to be suspicious though I don't remember what Malfoy is actually up to..

I think I remember that the Half-blood Prince is Snape so we will see if my memory is reliable at all hah

I loved seeing Fred and George's joke shop. Man a short story with those two would be so much fun.

I finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince yesterday. Some additional thoughts. Through Ch 20 All of the insights into Voldemort's character and transformation have been very interesting. I wonder if his mother had lived to raise him if he'd turned out differently at all or if it's just his nature.

Lavender and Won Won is just... cringy funny lol I'm surprised that Harry hasn't picked up on Hermione's feelings either but at the same time find that absolutely believable.

This is definitely the book about deepening the characters.

Funny how this story is a slow burn yet doesn't feel slow, though I'm reading kind of slow lol

Final thoughts at the end... This ended up being a satisfying read. Even with remembering how the book ends it still caught me by surprise I was so caught up in the story. I think this might be the most emotional of the entries so far. It definitely hit me right in the feels. I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion in a few weeks.

Next I started Battle Ground. I finally found a book that's brought my reading mojo back, yay!!! At 20% in my thoughts are, in order...

1. How the heck am I going to keep up with a death tracker lol
2. Maybe I should call in sick to work today so I can just read lol

Through Ch 8 Now I'm super curious as to what the kraken saw in the soulgaze to have that giant monster terrified of Harry. Loved the back and forth between Murphy and Harry at the end of this with Harry's "worst day ever" because he almost got eaten vs Murphy's "best day ever" because she got to blow up a Kraken with a Valkyrie lol Perspective is everything isn't it.

This is already an interesting flip to the series. Humanity's sensibilities are about to take a severe beating and so many enemies having to work together. I loved Mab's explanation to Ebenezer for her choice in Harry and also getting one over on him with the whole "it was his choice" thing.

I hate Murphy being sidelined but it really is for the best.

And now Harry and Bigfoot are charging straight into the fray against everyone's better judgement lol So very Harry.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Ch 7 & 8 I love how Poirot first butters up the local police right before he starts his investigation and immediately finds things that were over looked :) Not that it stops the locals from "finding" their suspect and attempting to close the case too fast.

Battle Ground through Ch 18. OMG so much has happened. Rudy and Bradley. I don't understand how Rudy can just play pretend even after everything. Maybe the actual apocalypse will turn him around a little. Bradley seems like a good cop, I wonder what he saw in the soul gaze. I bet it's different now that Dresden is the Winter Knight.

I'd be Ok never seeing Drakul again. He seems unbeatable at the moment. I'm sure that means a set up for before series ends though. Can't leave that kind of bad guy just hanging out. That fight was completely bad ass though, seeing both Bigfoot and Listens to Wind in action! Sad about the loss of the 3 Wardens.

Marcone is continuing to level up. Gentleman Marcone > Baron Marcone > Lord of Chicago. And he takes his responsibility to/for the city seriously. It's not just about his own personal gain. I like that he's a complex villain.

I really hope we get payoff for all the starborn stuff. Dropping random hints that just don't seem connected yet is just as frustrating for us as it is Harry. I wonder if it's one of those things that will be a big "duh" in hindsight. It's not like Harry hasn't used "stars and stones" as a phrase the whole dang series. I'm guessing that's not an accident.

Well they've gone and enraged Ethniu. That Eye is seriously strong. I like the explanation we get from Bob for that. Speaking of...

It's great to have the gang all together. Bob, Butters, Sanya, Murphy, the wolves, Toot. I like how Harry is using the Almighty's ability to have his knights in the right place as part of the strategy on who goes with whom. Harry's connection to Winter is deepening and becoming scary how he can just order Winter's beasties into battle. I wonder if it's the situation or if that will be a permanent feature.

That drive through town in the aftermath of Ethniu's rampage was depressing. I'm looking forward to when she's taken down.

Even with all the heaviness, this has been so much fun to read. I get where River Shoulders is coming from lol

Battle Ground Through Ch 28. Butcher has officially put me through the emotional wringer and I still have 30%ish to go. I can't believe how much he's packing in to this story. OMGOMGOMGOMG the Rudy scene. Fuck him. I'd be ok if one of the denarians wanted to use him as a play toy and torture him for all eternity. That was so not cool. I can't believe Butcher actually wrote that in. He's been a bad egg since the beginning. I actually hope we don't see anything of him for the rest of the book so I can play out my denarian torture fantasy in my imagination. Words I never thought I'd type lol

The whole aftermath made me tear up. Harry being stopped by Butters. Mab giving Murphy full honors. All of it.

But a battle is no place to mourn. Good god I'm sick of the Fomor. I really hope this book follows the myth and this is the last we'll see of them. Loved seeing Mab in full combat action. I laughed out loud when Mab was struck through the neck with iron, Butters is all "not again" and Harry rolls his eyes with "just take it out, she's immortal, she'll be fine" lol

Emotions are all over the place.

>83 Narilka: Oh the feels! I hated turning the pages in that book, but there is no way out of it. Can't stop.

>81 Narilka: Poirot generally exemplifies good manners to professional colleagues. He may know that he's better at the job than they are, but he's too much of a gentleman to run their noses in it. And he does realize he's a newcomer and a foreigner insofar as the village is concerned.

>85 jillmwo: Yes. It's refreshing to have a story with such professionalism. Not my normal fare.

Battle Ground Through Ch 31 I was wondering when Odin would join the fight. It was sadly anticlimactic, over too soon.

The fae have been vastly under represented in the series until now. Never thought I'd say that. Seeing Summer and Winter in their full glory gave me chills as I read. Mab standing up to Eithniu and surviving the eye. Titania wiping out all the excess magic in the air with rain. Molly's army and her personal power. Now the Summer Lady is taking the field along with everyone else.

I'm impressed with Marcone yet again. It was implied he's generated a banner similar to the Winter Knight's. That's damned impressive for just a regular human.

Butters is the real MVP here. The freaking Almighty spoke through him and wrapped him in protection so he could stand long enough for Harry to recover. That's pretty bad ass. I keep waiting for angels to take the field but seems they might not be necessary.

I know there's a lot of pages left but I'm ready for them to corral Ethniu over to the lake so Harry can trap her and end the battle.

Half way through Ch 32 I think Butters is the embodiment of Faith at the moment.

End of Ch 32. Oh. Spear of Destiny. That should get through the Titan bronze nicely. Also nice to have his own two knights of the cross as his wingmen :D Butcher is keeping it thematic.

>87 Narilka: Do you know how hard it is for me not to skip ahead and read whatever Dresden you are reading? Such fun seeing it through your eyes.

Battle Ground Ch 33 I laughed so hard at:

I staggered over to Marcone's body. Broken neck didn't kill you right away.

Nobody ought to die alone.

And when I got there, he sat up.

I fell back with a manly high-pitched scream.

Dresden screaming like a girl in the middle of the big boss fight OMG so funny.

Serious future implications though. If Dresden does take on Marcone... huh. Or perhaps they team up to finally take down Nicodemus? So many possibilities. It's interesting that Marcone must have been a Denarian for a few books now and been using some very clever obfuscation to hide that fact.

I was thinking more about Ch 33 and that reveal. The visuals of that are stunning. You have Harry and the Knights wielding the power of the Almighty and virtue in battle right along side a perversion of it in Marcone. Even using the thorns and the thorny crown as imagery as an almost mocking version of Christ. Pretty interesting over all.

I'm thinking more and more that there will be a showdown between the two. That's going to be an exciting book.

Finished. Some random thoughts. And I thought Changes changed everything! This is even more fundamental of a shift in the story now that humanity, at least in Chicago, knows some of the truth.

I'm glad the White Council booted Harry. He's been at odds with them since the first book and I can't say that the Council as a whole has been very supportive of him. Their demands that he keep a low profile are garbage and they know it. I think they just want to take him out and now have their excuse. Good luck. I could see Harry vs the White Council in a future book. Not sure how that would go as both are from Accorded nations. Sure some entities Harry's pissed off over the years will probably take a shot but a lot won't due to his Winter Knight gig.

Harry's starting to think like a fae. His dancing around the issue of where the Eye went was interesting.

I hope Harry follows through on getting some actual magical training again. Marcone showed him up after only a couple years of dedicated training. Sure it's with the Denarian of magic but still!

So did Bob end up with Harry again at the end or is he going back to Butters?

The scene at the end with Molly being so nervous to explain her new role and the Carpenters being like, oh we already knew, was so sweet :)

My paperback also included a short story about Christmas. It was quite touching :)

I jotted a lot of those notes down between yesterday and today. Man that book was a roller coaster of emotions. I'm glad you enjoyed reading along MrsLee :) I'll be popping in and out of your thread too as you go through your reread.

>89 Narilka: I'm afraid my comments aren't nearly as interesting or fun as yours are! I have thoughts, but get lazy and don't type them in my thread due to using my phone instead of my laptop for most posting.

>90 MrsLee: I doubt I could do this on my phone so completely understand :)

I'll be reading Sanderson's Secret Project #3 next - Yumi and the Nightmare Painter. Looks like they're on top of this one shipping this month too though I'll be reading the epub since I'm impatient :)

>92 Narilka: I've already started it. It's wonderful. I still haven't gotten secret project number two in the mail!

>93 clamairy: Yikes. Looks like they have 7% remaining to ship of #2. Hopefully yours is in that or you'll have to contact Kickstarter to see what happened. Good to hear #3 is wonderful so far.

>94 Narilka: Yes, I have my fingers crossed.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter This is going to be interesting. I'll be noting some Cosmere things in along with just general story commentary as I go because I like that stuff :)

Through Ch 4, mostly Cosmere notes The description of "hion" remind me a lot of the aeons in Elantris though I'm pretty sure that this is a different part of the Cosmere as there is some mention of Virtuosity as the shard.

The backgrounds of both our characters lives and worlds are an interesting contrast so far. I wonder how long until they end up together.

Through Ch 6 - I noticed right away but didn't think to mention that this has a very similar voice as Tress. And yep, Hoid is our narrator. How the heck lol Hoid the coat rack lol Hopefully we get background on this latest curse. He seems to be cursed a lot.

I suspect I really need to read Stormlight. I have a feeling that Design is something from Stormlight.

Through Ch 8 I had a suspicion that the planets these two were on were in the same solar system. It's nice to have confirmation.

The story has been pleasant enough so far. I'm glad the characters have come together. Painter in Yumi's body has the potential to be pretty hilarious given just how different Yumi's role on her world is and what expectations come with it. Like how the heck is he going to balance stones on the first try?? Never mind all the other rituals.

Edit to add, Cosmere thoughts Sanderson seems to have a thing with spirits. Had them in Secret Project 2 also which kinda remind me of the ones Yumi is interacting with. Does Stormlight feature similar spirit entities? I need to read Stormlight. I think this is going to be my mantra for this book.

>96 Narilka: I am almost ½ through, and I am enjoying it. The only thing that is confusing me so far was the use of (highly) and (lowly) in the middle of dialogue between characters. I suspected those words in parentis are there to indicate nuances of language, and I had to go back to find an explanation. I think the first time I read that section I was probably dozing... LOL

Was this before or after Hoid was a cursed pirate in Tress? LOL

>97 clamairy: Yeah, the explanation was in the first chapter or to. It's definitely a different way of thinking. Also good question in the spoiler. I have no idea :) There's nothing to indicate where each sits on the timeline that I can tell so far. At least he wasn't frozen in Tress lol

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter And there it is. Ch 13 Epic failure in stone stacking! We all saw that coming, right? And since he passed out immediately after... I wonder if they'll try to take Yumi to their version of a doctor or what.

This is an interesting twist on fish out of water with a bit of Freaky Friday.

clamairy - a friend of mine also reading this right now said that the (highly) and (lowly) thing is part of Japanese and maybe Korean culture. She says you can see it in some anime, how characters interaction in a casual setting vs formal.

>99 Narilka: Ahh! That makes perfect sense. I did notice that (lowly) almost always follows a comment that's a bit snarky.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd through Ch 13 I love how the good doctor kept a list of everything and even with his recap I still have no idea who the murderer could be. Just not the poor guy that it's pointing to since the start since that's too obvious. Maybe one of the ladies.

>101 Narilka: Remember what Dwight Schrute said on The Office! It's never the person you most suspect. It's also never the person you least suspect. It's the person you most medium suspect. :o)

>102 clamairy: lol that's probably true :)

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter through Ch 20 I'm noticing that I'll think of some question and then it's being answered in the story pretty fast. For example I was very curious if Design would be able to see Painter when Yumi went to the noodle shop and yep! I did not expect that detailed explanation either lol I definitely need to read Stormlight for that to fully make sense.

The whole back and forth experience these two are sharing... I wonder if all of this will help Painter rekindle his love of art again. And give him an actual sense of responsibility. Conversely I hope this lets Yumi lighten up a tad.

I had wondered if stacking is the only art that will summon spirits in Yumi's world. And Yumi did answer it was the one they liked the most. I wonder if Painter tried a painting if he'd have more success.

Too funny that ended on Robots to make art. AKA AI art. Nice of Sanderson to poke fun at that current RL trend.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter Speculation I think Sanderson is playing it straight in that it is a local spirit to this solar system that spoke to Yumi while a friend thinks that somehow Hoid was the voice of the spirit. More specifically I think it's something to do with the shroud around Painter's planet, that is spirit based and likely the cause for the nightmares come to life. Perhaps they'll figure out how to remove the shroud, bring sun back to Painter's planet and end the nightmares? Or something lol

>105 Narilka: Oh, I also that they end up removing the shroud. I had not thought about the possibility of the trapped spirit being Hoid. Very interesting!

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter Through Ch 28. The whole reform movement /facepalm I should totally have seen that coming - that keeping Yoki almost like a prisoner wasn't normal. I can't believe I missed guessing that lol

So... does freeing the bound spirits mean breaking the Hion? Now that we know that Hion comes from spirits/soul-stuff., does that mean that Painter's planet used to be like Yoki's and changed when they bound spirits to provide for their energy needs??

I definitely feel more compassion for Painter now that we know his back story. I think it's unfair, but understandable, why everyone is mad at him and doesn't believe him. Everyone knows how great an artist Painter is so... yeah. Too easy to think he's slacking on the job.

I loved the time at the fair. They both finally just got to be themselves, no expectations or extra stress.

And now the run into the fully formed shadow. I wonder perhaps that's what called out to them. I mean, it tracked them down deliberately. Stupid work day interfering with my reading lol I ended on a mini-cliffhanger ;)

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter Finished! I was on the right track with the whole local spirit and the freeing being tied to the shroud and nightmares. But other than that I was wildly off in speculation lol

I liked how Painter started painting the nightmares as people and it nullified them. It's fortunate he started getting all that practice in with the villagers when he was in Yumi's world.

It was a little odd for Hoid to basically just tell what was going on at the end. I get that neither of our characters had a clue so that was the only way at that point so I don't know how to change it? It's just odd.

Hilarious how fast Hoid and Design got out of there after he un-petrefied lol

The ending got a tear from me. It seemed pretty perfect for our characters. A nice little HEA.

Next up is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Time to finish the series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Ch 3 Aww, Dudley was actually appreciative. That was nice.

Through Ch 7 I'd forgotten about the early deaths in this one. Poor Headwig and Mad Eye. In hindsight, I'm surprised Harry didn't let Headwig fly herself to the burrow ahead of time. Yes, she's an easily identifiable bird but she'd have had a better chance not being trapped in a cage.

Good old Dumbledore planning ahead. Loved how the kids are just as baffled and it irritates the Minister when no one understands the reason for their gifts at first. I'd forgotten Hermione got the book.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd about 75% through. As Poirot teases out everyone's little secrets he seems to be clearing the suspect list. At this point it's going to come down to Dr. Sheppard or his sister!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I'm half way through Ch 12 A pity the wedding reception was interrupted by Death Eaters. Very interesting conversation Harry was having with that old lady at the time.

I'd completely forgotten that a little kindness went a long way with Kreacher. It also gives them a lead on that locket. I knew Umbridge was in this book at some point lol Even if only by name.

Off to the Ministry we go.

I finished The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I surprised myself! I can't believe I guessed correctly in that offhand comment! Really great detective work by Poirot. If it hadn't seemed that he had basically eliminated everyone I'd never have suspected Dr. Sheppard. It's a rather sad story overall though. And completely unforgettable.

Next I'll be rereading 14 on audio. It's time for a good scifi/mystery/thriller :D

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Through Ch 18 The whole Ministry scene was hard to read. At lest they got the horcrux. Like Umbridge needed to be wearing something to make her more horrible!

I feel bad for the kids. My memories of the story are coming back as I read. The general level of frustration, Ron walking out similar to book 4, Harry being tricked by Voldemord again. That was a very close encounter with Nagini. I'm glad Hermoine's stuck around.

I remember the importance of the wand though I don't remember how the story gets there. It's rather bleak at the moment.

>111 Narilka: I had suspected the sister from the beginning in the TV production. Possibly because of the actress who portrayed her. Really didn't get it until the final bit.

Oh I love 14! Enjoy!

>112 Narilka: By a curious coincidence, I discover that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released on this day (21 July) in 2007. Your timing is impeccable!

>115 hfglen: Now that is interesting!

>113 MrsLee: How old is that TV production? I was thinking this would make a great movie. Perhaps some day...

It was a BBC production. Pretty sure David Suchet was Poirot. Ummm, early 2000s?

>118 MrsLee: I may go look that up.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Through Ch 25. Stuff is starting to happen. Ahhh Harry needed the time at Malfoy manner to find his inspiration. I feel bad about Dobby. Hermione got over the torture kinda quickly or at least it wasn't mentioned much in the story. I see why Voldemort will have problems with that wand since he didn't win it. Technically it's Snape's isn't it? If I remember right, and based on the title, I think they do recreate the Hallows. I'm glad things are speeding up. Off to Gringots!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I finished earlier last week. I liked that ending for the most part. I wish that Rowling had planted the idea for the Hallows a couple books back, like she did the Horcrux, to let the idea build. Seems like a lost opportunity or something she thought of as she was writing.

I love how Neville has grown! Talk about completely different from the small, shy boy in year 1.

I'd forgotten about all the deaths, both on page and off. Fred, Tonks and Lupin.

It almost makes me want to rewatch the last movie just for the battle of Hogwarts. That was epic.

I started Piranesi. I'm 27% in. It's interesting so far but not really grabbing me. The setting reminds me of Gideon the Ninth a bit - a big mystery house/labrynth on an island in the middle of a sea with no idea what's going on yet.

Piranesi I finished part 2 which is 38%. At first I thought this might have been some simulation gone wrong. Now I think our poor narrator is caught in some sort of experiment. He's obviously being watched/monitored by Other and, even before Piranesi finds the portal it, was obvious that Other has a way in and out of the labyrinth because he always has different clothes and can bring Piranesi necessities to help him survive. Plus the mention that Other had only been there for 55 minutes that one trip. So why doesn't Piranesi just exit?

>121 Narilka: This was my first experience with Clarke, and I found it very surreal but enjoyable.

>122 clamairy: I'm putting it on hold. I just got an ARC of The Metaframe Adept from the author and am going to read that, then come back to Piranesi. I hope the little break makes my brain work on the mystery in the background and gets me more excited to pick it up again. I do want to know what's going on and see if my guess is anywhere close to correct but I just don't feel like picking the book up. It's taken me almost a week to get through 38% of a 240 page book. That should probably be my clue to DNF but I'm stubborn :)

>123 Narilka: I am sure I felt the same way... curious but also frustrated.

What a work week! A lot of work hours ate my mental bandwidth more than I'd prefer. Luckily since I had a couple longer drives, I pushed through 14 nicely. I'm almost done :D Here are my general comments so far. I noticed that my audio book is only counting chapters in multiples of 10 in the app (10, 20, 30, etc.) so I have to pay closer attention to the narration in order to post spoilers.

Man I've missed Ray Porter's voice. He does such a great job with this series.

Last time I listened to this was in 2018! Feels like it wasn't that long ago lol I think I remember the plot pretty well so we will see!

The last chapter I remember hearing was 4 so not a huge spoiler but just in case... Mysterious stuff right off the bat! Slowly, slowly ;)

I'm somewhere in the 30s and enjoying this reread immensely. It's a very slow and deliberate reveal. I just passed when they discovered all the math on the walls behind the paint. Poor Oscar lol He has no idea just what's coming, poor guy.

In the 40s That little journey to the center of the earth was a fun. It would be neat to follow tunnels like that to ancient, still working, geothermal machinery.

And in the 50s And there's the first bit of horror! RIP Mrs. Knight.

I remember a lot of the book. Apparently the story has stuck with me. I'm still really enjoying it!

I'm in the 60s, roughly 75% in, and at this point I'm starting to feel the tension. The main event has to be soon. Not enough of the book left to go! I had thought it started by now. As freaked out as the characters are, they haven't seen anything yet lol

Nate and Veek's romance was very sweet after all that happened.

Finding the 100 year old corpse would be very disconcerting. I'm not sure if I'd want to sleep in that apartment again either.

Somewhere in 70s. Shit has officially hit the fan! Amazing how fast the Family royally messed things up. While I appreciate the Scooby gang going to peek at this new world, it was a Very Bad Idea lol

The Metaframe Adept prologue This is a fascinating set up. With all of the gods freed, it has a lot of potential for things to sideways. Hopefully one of them will ignore Set and see the huge portal expanding outside the ship and take action. I'm assuming that this little bit is only a snippet and we're going to be seeing more of this ship and crew. The author responded that this prologue relates back to the prologue of book 6, which is an interesting connection.

Ch 1. Some thoughts. Since I'm reading an ARC my commentary is directly to the author and it reads a little oddly here. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I found Rosie's meeting with Li slightly creepy. This is a compliment as I think an AI, even a sophisticated one, would have a bit of other-ness to it and I think you've captured it. The whole appearing as a little girl in a red hood asking "will you be my friend" out of nowhere definitely gave it a horror movie vibe. If this was your intent, you nailed it. If it wasn't your intent, you nailed it anyway lol

"The new vampire form stood immune to silver and sunlight, and obedient to her voice, but looked like something out of a low-rent horror movie when ready to feed." LOL

I absolutely LOVE how you've made Chloe's use of the Metaframe have unexpected consequences. The nod back to the classic Bram Stoker style vampire is pure awesome. The whole "risk of 'blind obedience'" is also brilliant. Chloe has a lot of very smart people that hate her that she's controlling. The fact that her commands don't wipe out peoples emotions and thoughts is, again, fantastic. I'm sure loopholes will be found.

Almost all the players are in motion. The only ones missing so far are the Chameleons.

Ch 2. Louise Wesson is pretty great. Hopefully she can execute her plan and divert Chloe enough to let Team Wu get to their destination with Rosie's help.

Ahh, William Slayne. Good that you're going to close the loop on that from book 1. Poor guy. I wish him well figuring out how to resist Chloe's commands.

The guy with the note for William. Seems SET is still trying to interfere. Interesting that he can reach random people and send them on mini missions.

>125 Narilka: Which Ray Porter narration is this? I scrolled back and still can't tell. Sorry about your rough work week!

>127 clamairy: For Peter Clines' 14. It's really easy to miss the book title in that block of text :)

>128 Narilka: Thanks. It was impossible to spot on my phone. LOL

I finished 14. It was just as enjoyable this time around as the first. I'm surprised at how well the story has stuck with me over the years as I remembered most of it. I do think I'll go on to The Fold as my next audio. I love this weird world. It's a pity the author has decided to focus on writing other things for the time being as I'd love more Threshold installments.

The Fold Through Ch 6 That's a sneaky hook Mike's friend used to get him interested lol

I forgot how addicting this book is :D Through Ch 23 All the effort Mike is putting in lol Oh boy. Just wait until he finds out the actual reason.

Poor Bob. Horrific for him and traumatizing for everyone else.

Also Mike's explanation to Jamie in the bar about his memory and how he deals with death. That would be beyond awful. This makes me glad to have a "normal" memory.

>131 Narilka: I think your touchstone needs to be corrected, it is going to Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind.

>131 Narilka: Thanks! Fixed it.

The Metaframe Adept Ch 3 "James looked up from the president's twitching body and said in a half-ironic tone, "There's a vampire in the White House."

Lovely nod to Nathaniel Cade :D I know this is one of the author's inspirations.

A brief smile flashed across Chloe's face. "For now, I still need the media. I'll never need a lawyer."
"Food?"
"Indeed."
James shrugged. "Fitting."

OMG this had me laughing so hard. I agree with the vampires!

Ch 4. Anton vs William was awesome. I wonder if with practice William will get better at resisting Chloe's commands. Seems plausible if he's willing to take the pain. Not like his incarceration in the silver tube didn't give him an expert course in withstanding pain.

I'm not sure Chloe sees the irony of her freeing herself from Crane's curse to turn right around and subjugate the entire vampire nation with her voice. I'm not sure I feel sorry for them at all but it's an interesting character insight.

The Metaframe Adept Interlude 1 That's a lot of people Chloe is converting. Does her voice work as a recording or does it have to be "live", either actually live or over a phone?

Ch 5 Very very interesting discovery by William. He does have a lot of latitude with the commands he has. I don't doubt he'll continue to use that loophole. The question is whether he'll figure out how to get Anton to turn him back human with the serum or if Anton will be forced to take the Metaframe, if that's even possible for him.

Very good job on Anton to confirm the cure works too. I was wondering that myself.

Interlude 2 answered my Interlude 1 question.

The Metaframe Adept Ahh Ch 7 answered my question from Ch 5 It would be too easy to spoof her voice if it could just work from a recording. Imagine that chaos lol

Ch 9 I feel bad for Anton. He just can't catch a break with the whole killing family thing. At least William was able to give warning as he died. And his death brought him peace.

Ch 11. The grand finale has started :D

I love how Ulysses has co-opted her commands lol Unintended consequences indeed.

Chloe's run through the other realm is pretty interesting. It seemed almost like she realized just how in over her head she was but also that she didn't.

Dwayne sure is enjoying his time as a vamp. I wonder if ramp masters will still exist after they fix everything, assuming this doesn't all end in tragedy, and if perhaps he could become one.

Also finished Ch 12 And the tragedy is complete. So ends the line of Slayne.

Unless moving the timeline back to pre-vampire restores everyone. That's been my hope for a few chapters now. Reading and finding out!

And done! Not entirely what I expected. I like it! I'm glad you figured out how to save Anton through Chiara. That felt appropriate. It's also nice to still have ramp masters in the world. Something people can aspire to.

Chloe turning into a dragon also seemed right given her love of those swords. Nice and open ended if you ever felt like writing about the living darkness realm again either by itself or in connection to another story.

Even Rosie got a good ending. She's free to travel as she wants. Or not!

I'm going back to finish Piranesi now.

The Fold Through Ch 38. So much happening!! I think I'd be a bit freaked out too knowing I was from/in another dimension. At least they ripped the bandaid off the big secret that no one knows how it works lol Mike had basically figured it out already. The confirmation was good.

Loved the connection in the last chapter to room 14. It's much easier seeing the connections reading them back to back like this. Last time I took more time between books.

Piranesi @ 50% It's pretty obvious now that the titular character is stuck in a kind of pocket dimension and it's affected his mind.

I finished Piranesi. I feel conflicted about the story. I liked the setting and enjoyed the mystery. The reveal though... it was also an uncomfortable and sad read. I found myself ok with putting it down to do other things. Probably going to be 3 stars.

I'm starting Thunder Dog next.

The Fold I kind of went on a listening binge I love this story so much. Ch 52 - super spoiler Holy shit it's Andrew! I'd completely forgotten!! I expect to finish this up today :D

Yep, I finished The Fold :D That was satisfying. I sure hope Clines returns to writing in this universe some day. No idea what audio book I'll start next.

I was talked into trying Beware of Chicken as my next audio. It's supposed to be a parody of progression wuxia fantasy so hopefully it's funny. Fingers crossed.

I finished Thunder Dog. It wasn't what I expected based on the subtitle. Yes, it does relate how a blind man and his guide dog made it out of the WTC during 9/11. It weaves this with other stories from the author's life so what I thought was the main focus ends up only being a bit over a third of the book. It doesn't make it bad. I just had some mismatched expectations is all.

Not sure what my regular reading book will be next. Guess I'll figure it out tonight.

>142 Narilka: Wow, that was a confusing rabbit hole. I had no idea what progression wuxia fantasy was, so I asked my friend Google. I'm still not sure I know what it is, but at least I understand what progression fantasy is. :P

>143 MrsLee: Oh my lol I discovered it when reading the Cradle series. There's a really great blog post somewhere with good definitions. If I can dig it up I'll post it here.

I finished 4 chapters of Beware of Chicken and I was surprised that the chicken is a POV character! It was pretty funny so I hope it continues :) I mean it is the title so... :D

Beware of Chicken through Ch 15 I wasn't expecting a romance. At least it's sweet and not annoying so far. I think the chicken's POV is hilarious, though not sure it was good he let the rats on to the farm. Seems to me that Jin's way of farming is building his cultivation skills pretty well even if he doesn't realize it.

Something I'm not entirely sure about though... is this a game world? Jin talks about his other life a lot. He doesn't need to log in/out so perhaps it's just an alternate dimension and he's there permanently? I'm not sure how it works. Hope it gets explained.

I also finally started another regular book after taking a couple day break - Spellslinger. So far, so good. Through Ch 7 I think this is set in another area of the Greatcoats world though I need to verify that. It is quite different so far, being YA and focused on a kid who should be able to cast spells, from a highly magical family, and currently can't. It's an interesting set up.

Does Kellen's sister even feel bad about nearly killing him? It's kind of hard to tell. She seems more upset that dad might lock down her magic for her being so irresponsible than the harm she caused. So far this society is a huge bunch of jerks lol I hope my initial impressions are proved untrue or it's just Kellen's current odd circumstances.

Edited to add more thoughts on Spellslinger. I also confirmed it's set on another continent in the Greatcoats world.

I am going to attempt to catch up on some of my very late reviews. Boy have I been a reviewing slacker this year.

15. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by KJ Parker



"Everyone keeps telling me what I can't do, but they're wrong. The only thing I can't do is nothing."

The City is about to be under siege and the only one left of any military rank is Orhan, the colonel of engineers. Orhan has done more bridge building than he's done city defending, he's a liar and a cheat, his enemies have done more for him than his friends and he prefers working with things over people. He's also all the City has if it hopes to survive the siege to come.

I never thought I'd enjoy a fictional book based on engineering but here you have it. This is a historical military fiction novel told from the point of view of the City's equivalent of the army corp of engineers. It definitely offers a unique perspective. I think I ended up liking Orhan, he's brilliant and creative in how he saves the city, has a snarky sense of humor, even though his personality has so many unlikable flaws and it shouldn't work yet it does. I don't know! That ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying. I understand why, but still.

Also, even though this is commonly tagged as fantasy, the only fantasy element is that one of the races of people has blue skin and they're using different names for the Byzantium/Constantinople inspired City under siege. This book will likely appeal to lovers of historical fiction

Be sure you read the Translator's Notes at the end. Mine were after the Orbit logo on my Kindle so I thought they weren't part of the story but they are. Not sure if it's placed this way in other versions or not.

Rating:

16. Going Rogue by Drew Hayes



Going Rogue is the third book in the Spells, Swords and Stealth series by Drew Hayes. Turns out that being adventurers is pretty expensive. Our group of former NPCs only have a few gold between them and their armor is in need of repair. So it's off to the Alcatham's capital of Camnrael where it is known that adventurers can take quests in many levels of difficulty in return for coin. What our group of heroes doesn't know is there is more going on in the city that meets the eye and that a Grand Quest is about to be offered to all adventurers who qualify, the reward of which is a mysterious artifact that sounds just a bit to familiar to be a coincidence.

I am enjoying where Hayes is taking this story. Hayes continues to add depth to all of the characters and has the character building well balanced with the flow of various plot threads. As the title suggests, Eric's training as a rogue is one of the main focus points and fairly important for the party's progression as adventurers. Through an unlikely series of events the party is temporarily joined by a rogue of great skill who agrees to help train Eric. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her in the future. I am liking the mystery around Mr. Peppers and hope we get more information about this in the next book. Gabrielle's latest... enhancement... is interesting and highly unusual.

The overarching plot between what's going on in the campaign and in our world continues to be fascinating. That ending was everything I'd hoped it would be. I'm very interested to see where this heads next. So many questions!

I continue to listen to this series on audio narrated by Roger Wayne. Wayne gives another great performance as narrator.

Rating:

Beware of Chicken Listening to this on audio, I have no idea how any of the names are spelled. However... through Ch 20 That he named one of the pigs Chunkee (chunky) had me giggling. I like that he kept the little rat too and named her Rizzo. He's also explained that Jin was from Canada which I'm guessing is where the author is from. Initially the references to our world hit me as off but now I think I'm in the flow. Also, a friend pointed out that the book and series acronym is BOC hahaha BOC BOC BOC! This is turning into a fun and relaxing slice of life.

Spellslinger though Ch 16. This is turning into a decent YA adventure. I still don't like the Jan'Tep society. They are mostly a bunch of jerks.

Since the masks new Kellen's name, I'm not sure if I think they're villagers disguised or if they really are Madhek with a spy on the inside.

I am curious as to what Kellen is unknowingly doing to the mages around him. Seems they're feeling sick. I thought it might have been from Ferius at first but I don't think so. Is this a sign Kellen may have some power after all but it's that undesirable 7th kind?

What is interesting is reading these two together. They are an accidental mirror and contrast. Jin has rejected a society very similar to Kellen's because of what I put in my spoiler but Kellen feels stuck due to his age and family influence. Witnessing both at he same time, I'm much preferring Jin's choices to Kellen's. Time will tell if Kellen can turn things around.

I'm going to attempt a couple more reviews today. We will see how far I get.

17. Well Done by Andrew Seiple



Once upon a time there was a halven who pursued her freedom, regardless of the risks, and paid many prices to gain the life of adventure she wanted. Having uncovered dark secrets, secrets that could shake the world if they got out, Chase and her friends finds themselves being hunted by those who want those secrets kept buried. Taking matters into her own hands, Chase and friends head off to the City of Gnome searching to find Tomasi before the Inquisition does. One thing Chase doesn't know - here there be dragons.

Well Done is the final book in the Small Medium trilogy by Andrew Seiple. What started out as a fun, litRPG adventure has turned unexpectedly deep. Sure, it still has a light, funny tone with plenty of nods to pop culture, classic online gaming and oracle shenanigans. With the reveals we get the story also turns into an interesting exploration of sentience. There is definitely more going on than meets the eye in Generica.

The thing I'd been waiting for finally happened. Part of this book has a direct tie back to the original Threadbare trilogy. It was great seeing old friends again.

While this provides decent closure to Chase's story, it is definitely not the end. There are plenty of hints into where the second half of Threadbare's story could go next. I now have more questions that need answers given some of the things revealed in Small Medium. Before heading to the final trilogy, I'm going to give the prequel books a try. They seem to be an origin story of sorts for the world these characters live in.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. Reynolds' narration is a joy to listen to.

Rating:

18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling



Reread 2023: That ending gets me every time. Such a turning point in the series! The aftermath of Cedric's death hit me right in the feels. I enjoyed meeting wizards from other countries, loved the Tournament in general and now that element of horror has been added, setting up the rest of the books to come. Good thing Harry has Ron and Hermione as friends. He's going to need friends badly. The movie really did not do this book justice at all.

Rating:

>151 Narilka: Definitely a turning point! And you are correct. As much as I enjoyed the movies, they don't really convey the constant emotional rollercoaster ride the way the books did.

>152 clamairy: It really is from book 4 on wards that the movies just can't keep up with the books.

Beware of Chicken I'm through ch 31 and am loving this book and characters. This is the series I didn't know I needed right now :)Where I'm at. They just saved that cultivator who was trying to hunt down the evil sword bastards and was in bad shape herself. I'm waiting for her surprise upon waking up to the situation she finds herself in and even more when she learns the fate of the sword guys hehe

I'm finding myself making excuses to listen I'm enjoying the story so much. I was hoping this would get me to the release of Starter Villain but I think I'm going to finish faster lol

>149 Narilka: Every time someone here mentions Spellslinger, I immediately think instead of Spellsinger, though it seems they have nothing in common except the 1 letter different title.

>154 Karlstar: What a difference that letter makes though!

I finished Beware of Chicken. Who knew farming could be so relaxing? I enjoyed the heck out of this book. It seem I really needed a slice-of-life fantasy right now and this fit the bill. I'm moving straight on to Volume 2. Hope it's just as entertaining.

>156 Narilka: I decided to check out the reviews for that book to see if it was something I might be interested in. And there aren't any!

>157 clamairy: Perhaps try goodreads? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60888209-beware-of-chicken

I finished Spellslinger. I liked it and it shows promise for the series to come. I will likely seek out the remaining books in the future.

Next up, Murderbot! Since I never read past the first novella, I'm going to reread it and then the rest of the series. Here we go All Systems Red.

>159 Narilka: Oh! I can't wait to see what you have to say about all of the Murderbot books.

All Systems Red I got through Ch 2 and it's just as I remembered. Socially awkward robot, check! Desire to ignore the job and watch dramas, check! Pretty quick to the action, check! :)

Ahhh, LT is stable again. Huzzah!

I finished All Systems Red. Murderbot had gone it's own way but didn't remember why. I like how Mel put it - Murderbot asserting its full autonomy. I'm hoping that at the end of the series Murderbot goes "home" and at least checks the farm out.

I also went ahead and started the second novella :D

Artificial Condition Through Ch 2 I wasn't expecting this to be about Murderbot's learning to make friends with a ship! Very interesting. I think the experience should teach Murderbot a few things.

It amuses me to no end that other bots/ships like to just watch series too lol

Ch 3 I'm surprised Murderbot went through with the surgery. I suppose if it wants to learn to appear to be more human this ship has plenty of references for it to practice with.

>167 Narilka: re: Ch 3 I don't think Murderbot wants to look more human so much it has to look less like a security bot

>163 quondame: I think you're right.

>163 quondame: Yes. I recall it trying to fly under the radar more easily, so to speak.

>162 Narilka: glad you're enjoying Murderbot. I always smile/grin as I read.

It was a very long week at work which left me mentally exhausted each night. Luckily, I managed to finish Artificial Condition. Yay for novellas! Ch 3 I'm surprised Murderbot went through with the surgery. I suppose if it wants to learn to appear to be more human this ship has plenty of references for it to practice with.

Through Ch 7 This is a very interesting read. Murderbot learning to blend better with humans is fascinating and possibly heroic in the sense of it moving past the discomfort and fear of the situation to continue it's own personal mission and that of its clients. I've really enjoyed having ART along.

I finished. I'm going to miss ART. I hope we run into that ship again in the future.

Interesting commentary on what it is to be human. For a novella this was surprisingly deep. I enjoyed it as much as the first.

I finished a short book on spirituality that I'm not going to go into here so I don't clash with pub rules. Now I'm back to Murderbot with Rogue Protocol.

This thread is long. Time for a new one.