Elorin's reads in 2024, Volume II

Hi, I'm Robyn (with a Y please) but feel free to call me Elorin.
I am 47 and this is my first year in the 75ers.
I live in San Antonio with my wife and three dogs and three cats.

Things to know about me:
I am finishing up a re-read of the Terry Pratchett Discworld books that I started in January 2024.

This year I discovered Penric and Desdemona by Lois McMaster Bujold and Murderbot by Martha Wells and inhaled them both with delight.

I try to finish a book if I start it but I have had some DNfs in recent years, including Madame Bovary, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Octagonal Raven.

I generally love science fiction and fantasy, but with the Discworld re-read I have been a little heavy on the fantasy this year.

Here are my cats:
Moshi who adopted me in 2016, the Russian Blue matron of our home.

Rohrschach, my wife adopted in 2018, our tuxedo baby.

Jade, all black, our young little darling adopted on the same day as Mei, July 2022.

My pets are a duality, loves of my life and pain in my rear. This is them.
Mei, the youngest. She's 2.

Kenzo, our pack leader. He's 3 1/2.

Leifur, our old man at 4 years old.

Here are my reads for 2024 (the numbers don't exactly match my thread because of how I counted children's books):
January
1 Equal Rites Terry Pratchett
2 Second Stage Lensman E. E. "Doc" Smith
3 Children of the Lens E. E. "Doc" Smith
4 All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Robert Fulghum
5 The Colour of Magic Terry Pratchett
6 C is for Cthulhu 1/13/2024 Jason Ciaramella
7 Sweet Dreams Cthulhu 1/13/2024 Jason Ciaramella
8 Counting, Colors & Cthulhu 1/13/2024 Jason Ciaramella
9 The Night Before Christmas A C is for Cthulhu Holiday Tale 1/13/2024 Jason Ciaramella
10 The Light Fantastic Terry Pratchett
11 The Vortex Blaster E. E. "Doc" Smith
12 Legends and Lattes Travis Baldree
13 Mort Terry Pratchett
14 A Thorn Among Fae Joy Lewis
15 Bookshops & Bonedust Travis Baldree
February
16 Sourcery Terry Pratchett
17 Atom Bomb Baby Brandon Gillespie
18 Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes Rob Wilkins
19 Pyramids Terry Pratchett
20 Guards! Guards! Terry Pratchett
21 The Echo of Old Books Barbara Davis
22 Faust Eric Terry Pratchett
23 Moving Pictures Terry Pratchett
24 Hurt for Me Heather Levy
25 Credence Penelope Douglas
26 Reaper Man Terry Pratchett
27 Small Gods Terry Pratchett
28 The Canopy Keepers Veronica G. Henry
March
29 Men At Arms Terry Pratchett
30 We Ate the Dark Mallory Pearson
31 Wyrd Sisters Terry Pratchett
32 With Shield and Ink and Bone Casey L Bond
33 A Simple Tale of Ink and Bindings Kami King
34 Soul Music Terry Pratchett
35 A Simple Tale of Water and Weeping Kami King
36 What Hurts the Most Willow Rose
37 All Systems Red Martha Wells
38 The Beekeeper's Promise Fiona Valpy
39 Den of Vipers K. A. Knight
40 Interesting Times Terry Pratchett
41 The Dark King Gina L. Maxwell
42 Feet of Clay Terry Pratchett
43 White Whale Frank Prem
44 The Rebel King Gina L. Maxwell
45 The Lost Letters of Aisling Cynthia Ellingsen
46 Kronnus 13 James Sharkey
47 Hogfather Terry Pratchett
48 The Opium Wars Adrian Ramos
49 Jingo Terry Pratchett
50 Penric's Demon Lois McMaster Bujold

April
51 Penric and the Shaman Lois McMaster Bujold
52 Penric's Fox Lois McMaster Bujold
53 Masquerade in Lodi Lois McMaster Bujold
54 Penric's Mission Lois McMaster Bujold
55 Mira's Last Dance Lois McMaster Bujold
56 The Prisoner of Limnos Lois McMaster Bujold
57 The Orphans of Raspay Lois McMaster Bujold
58 The Physicians of Vilnoc Lois McMaster Bujold
59 Assassins of Thasalon Lois McMaster Bujold
60 Knot of Shadows Lois McMaster Bujold
61 Demon Daughter Lois McMaster Bujold
62 The Last Continent Terry Pratchett
63 The Fifth Elephant Terry Pratchett
64 The Truth Terry Pratchett
65 A Soul to Keep Opal Reyne
66 Thieves' World ed. Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey
67 Thief of Time Terry Pratchett
May
68 The Last Hero Terry Pratchett
69 Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak
70 In The Night Kitchen Maurice Sendak
71 Witches Abroad Terry Pratchett
72 Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn ed. Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey
73 The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents Terry Pratchett
74 Shadows of Sanctuary ed. Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey
75 Artificial Condition Martha Wells
76 Rogue Protocol Martha Wells
77 Exit Strategy Martha Wells
78 Network Effect Martha Wells
79 Fugitive Telemetry Martha Wells
80 System Collapse Martha Wells
81 Fourth Wing Rebecca Yarros
82 The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty Anne Rice
June
83 Night Watch Terry Pratchett
84 The Life She Wanted Anita Abriel
85 Wee Free Men Terry Pratchett
86 Monstrous Regiment Terry Pratchett
87 Going Postal Terry Pratchett
88 A Hat Full of Sky Terry Pratchett
89 Thud! Terry Pratchett
90 Spindleheart Trail of Shadow and Spool T.I. Avens
91 Wintersmith Terry Pratchett
92 Nothing Short of Odd Loredano Cafaro
93 Where's My Cow Terry Pratchett
94 Making Money Terry Pratchett
95 Haunting Adeline HDCarlton

July
96 Hunting Adeline HD Carlton
97 Unseen Academicals Terry Pratchett
98 Penric and the Bandit Lois McMaster Bujold
99 Hooked MC Frank
100 Lords and Ladies Terry Pratchett
101 Iron Flame Rebecca Yarros
102 I Shall Wear Midnight Terry Pratchett

Welcome to my second thread.

Howdee. You've more than doubled my total reads to date. Yow. Keep ON!

Happy new thread!

103. Hooked Emily McIntire
I adjusted my count to match my list.
Smut book club dark selection
A rather naive Wendy meets Hook - drug runner, murderer, and oh so sexy villain with a grudge against Wendy's father - and she's soon in over her head. But Peter's not the hero of this Peter Pan reimagining, and there's more to the story than faith, trust, and pixie dust.
Hooked was fairly dark. I liked the way side characters and locales had names linking them to the overall Peter Pan theme. The sexual tension is great and the writing is high quality. I would read another of her books.

>7 weird_O: Thank you! It's been a busy year!
>8 foggidawn: Thanks!

Happy new thread, Robyn.

Happy new thread, Robyn! Love all the animal photos :)

Happy new thread, Robyn!

>11 PaulCranswick: >12 curioussquared: >13 drneutron: thank you thank you thank you

104. Nine Tailed Jayci Lee
I may have a new favorite author.
Sunny is 132 years old and lives in Las Vegas. Her day job is a tobacco girl in a casino. She passes for 22, and her secret is her long suppressed alter ego, a lion sized nine tailed fox. Then Ethan comes back into her life...
This book was fun to read and filled with humor. The energy between Sunny and Ethan is delicious and sexy as they try to figure out what they are to each other. The Korean mythos is fascinating and fun to learn about, and the companions Sunny and Ethan gather on their journey are fun to meet too. There's definitely a sequel coming in the future (please!) but the book ends in a healthy pause not a knee jerker cliffhanger. 4.5 stars

My contract expired on Wednesday and I have run endless errands it feels like and I am already pretty bored. I have been lazily job hunting for the past few months and I am going to step up the pace sooner than planned because I don't bear sitting at home with little to do very well.

One of my errands was getting much needed bloodwork done. Which interfered with my sleep medication on Friday, so I spent more of the day snoozing than I intended. I read Nine Tailed in between naps and really enjoyed it. Seeking out more of the author's work looks like mostly romances so I am on the fence about buying them.

Tomorrow is lunch with Ben and a visit to the library to see if I can get some medical records scanned since the laptop won't recognize the scanning printer I bought at a yard sale (too old).

While at the library I will figure out my library card issues with logging in online and wander through the stacks.

Meanwhile I am starting Voices Carry, an Early Reviewer memoir, and something about dragons (I just have to find it). ETA I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons and quite satisfying so far.

Lunch was Texas Roadhouse, and Ben surprised us by taking us to see Deadpool and Wolverine. The cameos were great, it was a fun movie. We went for Marble Slab Creamery after, but did not make it to the library. I'll manage that today.
I'm finishing up Snuff slowly, and loving I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons. I looked at my free ebook newsletter and picked up a few titles yesterday, too. I'm considering restarting one of my DNFs to give them another shot but haven't decided yet. If I do it will be the Octagonal Raven I think first.
I was considering subscribing to Peacock for the Olympics but the Amazon Prime yearly renewal just hit so maybe I won't. I'll talk it over with my wife.

>17 elorin: Peacock is good value, imo, because they have the NBC TV backlog as well as a ton of good movies. You could always subscribe for a month and then cancel.

105. Snuff Terry Pratchett
Vimes is going on vacation. His wife and son and gentleman's gentleman are coming along and they are spending a week in the country. What could possibly go wrong?
I don't know why Vimes is switching to snuff, instead of cigars but otherwise I loved this romp through the countryside with Commander Vimes and his family in tow. Especially meeting Miss Beedle, author of young Sam's favorite books.
There were overtones of Carcer in the villain role, or so I felt, but not too much.
Overall it was a poignantly loved book, poignant because it was the last Watch book written.

>18 norabelle414: That was the general plan. I have some promising leads so I think we'll go for it for the month.

I thought, when I undertook this Discworld reread, that I had almost all of the books. Foolish girl. I had most of the early books, anyway. I have purchased along the way a few to fill in my gaps but with I Shall Wear Midnight I settled for just having a digital copy. I was almost done, right? Well now I need Raising Steam and I don't have digital or physical copy. So begins a dilemma.

I can check it out of the library.
I can buy it new or used, hard back or paperback, digital or physical copy.
I can try to find a signed copy (I wonder how much that would set me back)
If I buy it digital, do I go with Kindle or Kobo (Kobo being how I have most of my digital Pratchett, never having figured out how to feed it to my Kindle library)
Ponder, ponder, wait and wonder

I have most all of his early work in pb, then when I could afford to I started getting HB;i dont want them on kindle, they deserv their own shelf or two or three so I can see them

>22 cindydavid4: I prefer paperbacks although I have about 10 Pratchett hardbacks counting the book club editions. I will definitely get the physical copies sooner or later, but for this read through I may have to pass.

Back to the library today to print some stuff out for a rebate. The printer situation at home is frustrating, the printer serves as a large paperweight and super slow copier.

Finished Snuff and started Caraval. I ordered it for the smut book club in person event on Saturday and I am trying to read it before then. At over 400 pages I'm not sure if I will make it.

Finally eligible to file for unemployment today, so I will take care of that later after errands.

>15 elorin: This sounds like a ton of fun! None of my libraries have it, though :(

Hope you find something in the job department soon!

I also subscribed to Peacock for a month for the Olympics. It's been worth it for me so far!

>17 elorin: oh peter beagle! read everything by him; favorite was a fine and private place but loved all the fantasys This sounds up my alley, thanks for the bb

>25 curioussquared: Oh I hope you can find it! The author seems to have been writing mostly mundane romances. I think this was her first fantasy and I really liked it!
I did end up subscribed to Peacock for the month and enjoyed watching some last night.

>26 cindydavid4: I have seen but not read The Last Unicorn. This has been a fun book so far. I'll check out more from the author when I finish it.

Caraval turns out to be a YA title so I ordered a copy of The Dark King for the bookclub event. Book 3 in the series is out so I purchased the Kindle edition. Of course, 20 minutes later I saw that Kindle rewards double points day was today so I bought too early to take advantage.

I had a coupon for alibris so I ordered both of the Terry Pratchett titles I want. Then I misremembered the coupon codes...

And for the third day in a row I will be at the library for the copier/printer/scanner. I wonder if the librarian will recognize me.

106. I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons Peter S. Beagle
Robert is an exterminator. A dragon exterminator. (Sweeping for eggs is extra.) Princess Cerise lives in a dragon infested castle. Handsome Prince Reginald of Corvinia is a wandering knight, the feather in any princess' cap. What's a girl to do?
The dilemma of the heroic task, the inevitable love triangle, the cute little vermin dragons, all worked together to make a fun story with some thought provoking situations.
The fact that the love triangle was inevitable was sad to me, though. The inherently assumed "one boy for one girl" is deeply mired in the entire book.

Happy new one, Robyn!! Good luck with the job situation and all the other paperwork you have going on. And happy August, too. : )

>30 Berly: Thank you and happy August to you, too!

The day started off with the dogs fighting. Nothing gets my heart pumping more. I thought we were past the fighting and we haven't seen any since before the New Year. I don't know what triggered it.
Once my breathing returned to normal and we verified there were no dogs needing medical attention, I turned to the better part of the day. I got a call yesterday from a staffing agency with a job offer for a short term job - 4-6 weeks. There's a metric ton of onboarding paperwork and I have spent most of my day reading and completing forms. Apparently the background check and drug screen take a while so my start date is Aug 12th.
Finished I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons and started The Vicious King while working on Voices Carry.

Ugh, sorry about the dogs fighting. My parents have two intact males (both are purebred show dogs and they had to sign an agreement with the breeders not to neuter until the breeders are sure they don't want to use them for breeding in the future) and while they're fine 90% of the time, sometimes something will trigger them and they'll get in a fight. It can be very scary -- I had to break them up once. Hope your pack is back to normal.

On the brighter side, glad to hear about the temp position!

107. The Vicious King Gina L. Maxwell
Conclusion to the Deviant Kings trilogy. Finnian Verran is the youngest brother and prince of the dark Fae helping his friend Dmitri the vampire rescue Dmitri's sister. Taryn turns out not to be a vampire but Faerie toyalty in her own right. And Finn and Taryn are soon caught up in a high stakes scavenger hunt for the sake of the realm of Faerie.

>33 curioussquared: Thank you. The beasts have calmed back down and now stare at me like nothing happened. Oh the blessings of a short memory!
With luck I will start work on Tuesday!

108. Beauty's Punishment Anne Rice writing as A. N. Roquelare
Beauty has rebelled against her Masters and Mistresses in the castle and is sent to the village in consequence. On the way she meets another rebellious slave, Prince Tristan. Tristan and Beauty each find themselves in humiliating situations and experiencing tremendous punishments, and each in their own way comes to accept their new roles and Masters and Mistresses. Until a slave raid turns their world upside down!

109. Voices Carry Raven Oak
Early Reviewer memoir
Raven Oak is a nonbinary disabled writer and former teacher. Their memoir of childhood, their teaching career, and writing includes disturbing experiences of abuse, from their own childhood as well as from parents of their students. The subject matter is enlightening and scary and a much needed read in today's world.

I found a special interest book club online but I lost track of time and now I need to read the book in 48 hours. Discussion/meeting is Tuesday at 9. Off I go to find the book (it's one I own, thankfully) and start reading. Fortunately I have read it before AND they say reading the book isn't required to participate in the discussion, AND my temp job won't start until Tuesday at noon at the earliest so I am okay to make the meeting. Yay!

110. subspace Stuart Stromin
Early Reviewer
Subspace is a collection of stories loosely gathered around the topic of BDSM/fetish. Thi is definitely an adult themed book, with trigger warnings for child abuse and illegal drug use. I found it unfortunate that so many of the stories combined illegal drug use and cheating with the consensual aspects of the plots. Nonetheless I did enjoy some of the stories especially the longer ones. I would give it 2 1/2 stars.

I was given an initial start date of Aug 12th but because I did my drug screening and onboarding paperwork so quickly I am starting tomorrow at 1 PM. It's only a few weeks but it's better than nothing while I continue to look for something longer termed.
I finished both of my Early Reviewer books and got the reviews recorded. I'm on page 74 of 209 for the book club read tomorrow night.

Good luck at work today!!

>41 norabelle414: thanks!

Hope the first day went well!

>43 curioussquared: Hi, thanks. Yes it did. It's a pretty campus and my trainer is friendly.

>32 elorin: how did you like IAYGD?

>45 cindydavid4: I liked it. I enjoyed the writing style and sense of humor, and I liked the message regarding being what you are raised to be vs. choosing your own path in life, and choosing to be what you were raised to be. And I loved all the little dragons! And the big dragons!

I'm at the halfway point for the smut book club choices for the month and about a third of the way through Caraval. Terry Pratchett is on hold until I receive my copy of Raising Steam in the mail. I have been lurking on the 75ers threads but not posting much.
The first week at the new job was good. There were patches where I had nothing to do so I sat quietly and read on my Kindle app on my phone.
The window just outside my temporary cubicle looks out over a pond with a fountain and coi fish, and there's a duck couple with babies. So cute to watch the babies paddling after Mom and Dad. It's a good place to work. Even if it is just for a few weeks.
On that front, a staffing agency talked to me yesterday afternoon and said the company has an opening for a few year project at a better rate of pay that he might be able to submit me for. That could be nice. We'll see.

Sandman: Dream A Little Dream of Me
A Hope in Hell
Passengers
24 Hours
Sound and Fury

111. The New Topping Book Dossie Easton & Janet W. Hardy
Kinky book club
A practical overview of what being a top consists of in the contemporary BDSM environment. Covers lots of considerations and topics including safe words, ethics, where to learn, what to do if stuff goes wrong, shadow play, and spirituality. Sprinkled throughout are recountings of various scenes by the authors and friends. An excellent resource and one I recommend both tops and bottoms should read.

112. Sandman Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes Neil Gaiman
I don't generally read graphic novels, but I watched some of Sandman the series and I was curious about the source material. It's good. I'm not wild about the art style but I enjoyed the stories. I won't seek out further volumes but I am satisfied with what I read. The stories match the initial episodes of Sandman and I can appreciate both mediums.

>47 elorin: I'm so glad it went well! How cute to see ducks out your window at work. My cubicle farm has no windows so I'm very jealous.

113. Sandman Vol 2: The Doll's House Neil Gaiman
After saying I wouldn't read any more, Prime informed me that Vol 2 was free so I opened it up and read it in one sitting. 8 comics form Volume 2, telling the story of Rose, a young girl and vortex. The story runs a little differently than the show did but I believe all the high points are covered by the show. Rose's story is an engaging one and I couldn't put the book down even though I thought I knew what would happen. I rated Vol 1 a three stars but Vol 2 I rated four stars.

114. Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries Heather Fawcett
This book is fantastic. Emily Wilde's story is of the adventures of a scholar researching the world of Faerie. It is filled with stories of the fae and whimsical details of interacting with them. I loved this book.

>53 elorin: I really enjoyed this one (and its sequel!) too :)

115. Caraval Stephanie Garber
I finished this yesterday.
This book is a very rich, lush experience. The story of two sisters escaping an abusive father to an elaborate, magical game where the winner gets one wish is filled with sensational descriptions of moods, emotions, wardrobe, and the island of wonder that hosts the game Caraval. The twisty clues and enchanting players that make up Caraval are unpredictable and lead to unexpected plot developments. I'm looking forward to reading the next novel and learning what happens next.

116. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England Brandon Sanderson
What do you do when you wake up in an alternate dimension with no memory, no resources, and few skills? For our fearless hero, you skulk to the nearest town and wrack your brain for slowly returning memories, and fake it until you make it. As much as you can.
This book is super fun and hard to review without giving spoilers. Suffice to say the main character pieces things together over the course of the novel while going on a daring rescue and learning a lot about the universe he's in and a fair bit about himself as well.

117. The Dragon's Bride Katee Robert
Smut Book Club
Briar meets a demon and signs a contract for 7 years in exchange for an out from her abusive marriage. She didn't know what to expect but it wasn't an auction to a dragon. A dragon who isn't abusive like her first husband and actually gives pleasure in the bedroom. Suddenly 7 years doesn't seem like very long at all.

This was a good lighthearted fantasy novel with some sexually explicit scenes, but more plot than smut. I enjoyed the read and the premise. I am curious about the next story about another of the gals at the auction and the Kraken but I don't know if I will buy it.

118. The Ritual Shantel Tessier
Smut Book Club -Dark
Lots of trigger warnings on this one - you've been warned
Ryat is an initiate of The Lords, a high powered secret society that trains new members at Barrington University. After three years of abstinence at the behest of the Lords, Ryat is coming into his own with everything that entails and that includes Blakely as his Chosen. Suffice to say Blakely has no idea what she's getting into.
This was a very dark novel with a lot of non-consensual elements. It was engaging nevertheless and well written. The 2nd half of the book had some shocks and surprises - I couldn't have predicted it.

It got to 108 degrees F here today. My wife lets the dogs run out to greet me every day when I get home from work and they turned right back around today and waited on the porch to be let back inside. Thank all the powers that be for air conditioning - in the car, at work, and at home.
I finished a slew of books and I am working on Raising Steam. My Kindle book is Warriors volume 3, edited by George RR Martin. It's slow going. I'm reading The New Bottoming Book for the Kink book club and enjoying the discussion questions being shared beforehand. I have the third Sleeping Beauty book by Anne Rice ready whenever I finish one of my physical books. I don't know when or if I will get to the last few Left Behind books. Mount TBR is virtual rather than literal but it looms.

It is 9:30 AM and 83 degrees F. It's only going to get hotter and I need to mow the lawn, but motivating myself out of bed is a struggle.

I thought I would break my Kindle streak again on Thursday but the little bit of reading I did apparently was counted. Yay! I'm reading Warriors volume 3 and the first story almost made me cry. At lunch I have been reading Raising Steam.
I have to get rabies shots for the cats tomorrow and am going out for dinner tonight with good friends. Quiet weekend vibes.

It's 97 degrees F outside and I am still grateful for the AC. Started the morning taking Moshi for her rabies shot, then delivered a bench that is being reupholstered. A little TV and we're having dinner with the next door neighbor. I feel like I didn't get enough done this weekend, but I don't know what more I want to have done.
I'm mostly reading Warriors 3, though I pulled out Raising Steam for a bit, too. Currently debating an hour nap before dinner, if I don't end up reading for the next hour instead.

Fighting a foul mood, pessimism, and frustration. Thankfully I know the cure - curl up with a book and isolate until I emerge less foul.

119. Warriors 3 ed. George RR Martin
A nice mix of stories about warriors. The first almost made me cry. I bought it for the Lord John Grey story by Diana Gabaldon. As often has happened to me with the Lord John stories, I feel like there is more to that story than I am understanding. I don't know if I am missing knowledge of the books or historical context but something is going over my head.
Nonetheless, for the sake of the other stories I thoroughly enjoyed I recommend it.

120. Raising Steam Terry Pratchett
Discworld is moving into the industrial revolution and this time the invention is steam locomotives. Dick Simnel and his steam engine Iron Girder are turning Ankh-Morpork on its head. Train spotters abound and Moist Von Lipwig is appointed to grease the wheels, so to speak, as the rail lines grow to Sto Lat, Quirm, and even Unerwald. And none too soon as the Low King's kingdom is threatened.
This book made me sad. It's location is the Discworld and it's characters are from the Discworld but it was missing the wry humor that identifies a book as a Discworld book. This is a nice enough story but missing a vital element. As the second to last Discworld novel I am sure this is evidence of the embuggerance at work. But too bad.

It's been a busy weekend. Party Friday night, girls night out on Saturday, dinner and a party last night. I'm taking the day off and reading and relaxing today.
On deck The New Bottoming Book for a book club discussion tomorrow, Maskerade for the group read this month, The Shepherd's Crown as the last Discworld book in my DW reread, and my current Kindle read Fairies: The Myths, Legends, and Lore.

ETA: Also reading The October Country as a group read.

121. Maskerade Terry Pratchett
The Ankh-Morpork opera house is home to a lot of superstition, not least of which is the belief in their resident Ghost. Perdita Nitt, formerly Agnes, from Lancre, is newly cast in the chorus and soon to learn all about it. Meanwhile, the Lancre witches Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax are headed to the big city to see about proceeds from Nanny's cookbook. They can't help but get involved, and it's a good thing Nanny brought Greebo along, too. The show must go on...

After two days of rain the sun was out today. Probably unrelated, my lower back started killing me yesterday and all day today. Some Tylenol and a lazy evening in bed will hopefully deal with it.
I'm feeling meh about reading. None of the books I am in the middle of really thrill me right now and I am trying not to spend money on books so buying a new one is off the table. I'm feeling low in general, and monitoring my mood in case I need to do something about it. What I really want is time in a hot tub but lacking the means I will settle for a heating pad. Normally I would finish that sentence with "... and a good book" but considering my lack of enthusiasm for my current reads, it doesn't flow. Although now I think on it maybe I need to reread a comfort book. After all, that's why I keep them around! Going to my shelves is definitely my next step.

I'm not wild about the smut book club "dark smut" selection this month, Her Soul to Take. I don't like the writing style at all. I haven't purchased the "light smut" selection yet. I still need to finish The New Bottoming Book although the discussion was on Tuesday.

I'm finding myself reluctant to pick up The Shepherd's Crown although I raced through Maskerade in two days.

I put away Beauty's Punishment and got out Beauty's Release but haven't cracked it open yet.

I looked at my shelves and I am torn between Anne McCaffrey and Robert Heinlein for a comfort read. So I haven't started anything yet.

I did start an ARC copy of Seduced by M C Frank that I had forgotten about and I owe the author a review. It's not bad, pretty enjoyable actually. I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends.

122. Seduced M.C. Frank
Alexei, known as Lord Hades, has a secret and a weakness for stray cats. When he sees a young boy he doesn't recognize in his club 2 days running he assumes it's a spy. When he follows the boy out of the club in possession of one of his cats, all hell breaks loose. Especially when he realizes the boy is a young girl...
This is a fun story about two broken people drawn to each other over and over again through tragic circumstances. Each one rescues the other from their past trauma and current self esteem issues. In the end they learn to keep living despite the past trying to hold them back.

123. When We Were Friends: A Short Story Jane Green
Meeting someone who becomes her bestie, divorcee Lucy quickly becomes caught up in a whirlwind friendship.
I have wanted this kind of (on the surface) friend in my life. This is a great healthy illustration of how to handle it when things aren't as good as they appear to be.

124. Making Midlife Magic Heloise Hull
The premise is entertaining enough but I didn't like the writing. Sparse and sometimes hard to follow, this book jumps from one scene to another, more fleshed out than an outline but not a coherent story. The characters are interesting and the plot points were engaging enough to get me through the whole story but it needs details and world building. I won't be reading any sequels.

My thingaversary is coming up...l'm making a list. Book club selections don't count in my mind. Going through various wishlists.
Finding Fraser
Fragile Things Neil Gaiman
I Am Mr. Spock Little Golden Book
Starless Jacqueline Carey
Stardust Neil Gaiman
Creepy Crawly Crochet
Creepy Cute Crochet

The last is out of stock so I am considering a biography of Mr. Rogers, Theodore Geisel, or one other.

125. Keeper of Enchanted Rooms Charlie Holmberg
What is a struggling writer to do when he inherits a haunted house? Move in, of course! And keep on writing.
This book is tremendously well written and full of haunted house hijinks and hair raising housekeeper adventures, too. Plus an evil wizard and a gentle romance and miscommunicating main characters. The world building and magical system are well developed and all of the secondary characters are endearing. I can't wait to continue the story.

126. The Neon Lawyer Victor Methos
Brand spankin' new lawyer lands a gut wrenching public defense case, defending an ex-military mother for shooting the confessed rapist and killer of her 6 year old.
I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. Engaging and well written, I raced through the novel in one sitting. Characterization was spot on. Legal details were described without the plot slacking off. I will definitely be reading the next installment!

127. Acorna The Unicorn Girl Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball
Three miners rescue a space pod and discover it houses a tiny humanoid infant they dub Acorna. The rapidly maturing child leads them to many adventures, finally landing for a spell on Kezdet. But Kezdet's economy is based on child labor, a practice young Acorna finds abhorrent.
This is a feel good story that lays the groundwork for the rest of the series. The writing is good, although the story jumps around a bit to cover Acorna's formative years. A fun read that leaves me wanting to know what happens next.

Missed meds led to icky withdrawals led to missing work yesterday. Led to feeling like I am playing catch up all day at work and now with my phone notifications and internet websites.

At quarter to 11 pm I'm calling it a night. Maybe I'll catch up tomorrow...(besides I have the sequel to that legal thriller to read!)

128. Mercy Victor Methos
Brigham has a murder case to prepare for and he doesn't have much time. The defendant is a father of three accused of killing his wife, pancreatic cancer patient.
Well written with emotional tugs on the heart and legal details to keep it engaging. I enjoyed it. It was not edge of my seat, breathless anticipation like I had reading The Neon Lawyer but it was good and I will read more by this author.

Currently reading:
The Shepherd's Crown Terry Pratchett
The New Bottoming Book Janet Hardy and Dossie Easton
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
Reflex Dick Francis
Heir of Uncertain Magic
and I haven't picked up Beauty's Release
Oh and I forgot the dark smut title this month, Her Soul to Take

129. Reflex Dick Francis
Philip Nore is a self employed jockey and amateur photographer. When an owner tells him to throw a race, his troubles are just beginning. An estranged grandmother wants to see him out of the blue and his friend's photographer father has died in an auto accident. It all adds up to some investigations that could change his outlook on life and his career.
I enjoy Dick Francis and I really like this novel with the photographic puzzles. It was a fast reread and one I will keep for future enjoyment.

>72 elorin: The Seuss bio Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imaginationsis fascinating. He discusses the hows of his works, his offshot for schools reading programs, how he designed his cartoons, and how he wrote his stories Such a giant in the world of childrens literature,It also looks at the recent tumult about his writing though the context of the time period. Very readable

Popping in to say Hi! Hope the job hunt yields something soon. In the meantime, enjoy the temp job. >127 elorin: Acorna sounds fun and I haven't read McCaffrey in forever. : )

130. Her Soul to Take Harley Laroux
Smut Book Club
Please check trigger warnings
Raelynn returns to the town of her birth for college. Supernatural vlogger that she is, she isn't prepared for the demon she meets the first day or the worshippers of a sleeping god.
Something about this book didn't connect for me. The premise was interesting enough and I finished reading it, but I felt like this needed some polishing and more flow from one scene to another.

Happy Thingaversary to me! I'm ordering my 7 books tonight. Yay!

Finding Fraser
Fragile Things Neil Gaiman
Starless Jacqueline Carey (Kindle)
Stardust Neil Gaiman (Kindle)
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodore Geisel biography
The Good Neighbor Mister Rogers biography

ETA: Correction, I am ordering tomorrow to take advantage of Kindle rewards 2x points day tomorrow.

>80 cindydavid4: I'm looking forward to reading it, this is one of the titles I settled on.

>81 Berly: Acorna was fun! It turns out there's 10 Acorna novels (I had no idea) so I ordered a few of the series to check them out.

131. Shattered Dick Francis
A glassblower and a jockey have an unlikely friendship. The jockey takes an unfortunate fall and passes away, and his valet delivers a VHS tape to the glassblower. As they ring in the new year the glassblower is robbed, including the VHS tape. And the trouble is just beginning.

I have loved Dick Francis books for decades and this is no exception. The characters pop, the plot is fast paced, the romance is present without being overpowering. This was my first time reading this one but I imagine I'd read it again and enjoy it.

We went to the fall home and garden show today. It was lots of fun. I got watermelon aguas frescas, tons of candy and giveaway free pens and bags and koozies, and I found a mask for my collection that I think I will hang in the cats room.
The temptation to adopt one of the puppies or kittens in the adoption corner was potent, but I resisted. I did get to pet a bunch of cute babies though.
Home to relax for a few hours and then a party tonight, if my wife's back is up for it.
I'm almost done with another Dick Francis novel (this time it's 10 Lb. Penalty) and I am debating what to start next or force myself to finish another I am in the middle of.

132. 10 Lb. Penalty Dick Francis
Benedict Juliard loves to race horses, but he's accused of sniffing glue and dismissed from his trainer's stables. His father, never close before, asks for Ben's support in a political election in the wake of the dismissal. Ben agrees and learns about the election process while getting closer to Dad. But someone is out to stop his father's election and they could be in as much danger as a jockey falling in a bad jump.

I learned a little about the UK election process and enjoyed watching Ben grow up. A slower thrill than some Francis books I've enjoyed but still enjoyable.

133. Heir of Uncertain Magic Charlie Holmberg
Merritt Fernsby has a recently discovered legacy of magic to learn about. Hulda Larkin has a missing director and a group of British magicians from LIKER to cope with. It's a lot of stress on a young romance but with all of their support and family, nothing these two can't handle.
Engaging and interesting, I loved the return to the magic and wonder of Narragansett Bay. I look forward to continuing the series.

134. To the Hilt Dick Francis
Wierd Alexander lives in the Scottish mountains in a bothy, where he paints, happy in his solitude. Until one day he returns from a supply run and interrupts 4 thugs ransacking his home. After being beaten and thrown down the side of the mountain, Al reluctantly heads to London to support his mother in a time of need. Things continue to spiral out of control.
I really like Alexander and the cast of characters in this book. My favorite character is the private investigator. This was a fast, delicious read and I am keeping it for a future reread.

Currently reading:
The Shepherd's Crown Terry Pratchett
The New Bottoming Book Janet Hardy and Dossie Easton
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
Light smut title for September The Magic of Discovery
Fairies: The Myths, Legends & Lore

Series to pick up the next book
Heir of Uncertain Magic sequel
Beauty's Release
Acorna book 2 (I think it's Acorna's Quest)
Whatever my next Dick Francis title is
Another Victor Methos book maybe

I don't think I will finish the Shepherd's Crown until after the group read of Carpe Jugulum in November.

135. Food Fight: Tales of Tolari Space Christine Meierz
Short story about Tolari station.
Okay story, probably makes far more sense after reading longer stories set in the same universe.

136. The Edge Dick Francis
An undercover agent of the Jockey Club travels to Canada to follow a suspect aboard a transcontinental race train.
This was not as edge of my seat thrilling as I am used to from Dick Francis, but it was still good reading and an exciting story.

I'm in a reading funk. Nothing seems particularly appealing. I have books I've started that I don't want to work on and books I want to start because of the series they are in that don't inspire either.
Currently reading-ish:
Beauty's Release - Anne Rice to finish the series
The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett (waiting to finish after the Carpe Jugulum group read to finish my Discworld reread)
Acorna's Quest - Anne McCaffrey Acorna series
Longshot - Dick Francis
The October Country - Ray Bradbury group read
The Magic of Discovery - Britt Andrews September light smut
The Sweetest Oblivion - Danielle Lori October Dark Smut

Do I pick up another book or muscle through to finish a title already started?

>93 elorin: Sometimes when I'm in this kind of funk, it helps to pick up something easy and short that I know I can finish and doesn't take much effort. A comics collection? A shorter graphic novel? Doesn't always work, but sometimes it kind of jumpstarts me...

I agree with Laura! Picking up something short I can read in one sitting often works for me*. Or listening to an audiobook when I don't usually listen to audiobooks. I'm not a big fan of trying to make myself read something I'm not in the mood for.

(*But I've also been in years-long slumps despite my best efforts, and that's fine too.)

>94 lycomayflower: I think I will try something I don't normally read. Maybe that will work.

>95 norabelle414: I agree with something short. I'll look at my shelves.

137. Longshot Dick Francis
A fiction writer gets the chance to write a biography of a well known horse trainer.
This was back to what I expect from Dick Francis. Exciting and definitely thrilling, especially near the climax. 4 stars

138. Comeback Dick Francis
Returning to England with the Foreign Service, Peter gets entangled with a horse vet and his threatened reputation. Determined to clear the slate for his new friend, Peter uncovers memories of his childhood and chilling details of dying horses on the operating table.
Exciting from the first chapter, I enjoyed the story from Miami to Cheltenham. The quiet romance was sweet and full of potential. The denouement was nail biting.

139. Wild Horses Dick Francis
Thomas Lyon is directing a film about a tragedy from 26 years ago in the horse racing world. Violence ensues when the guilty fear their misdeeds will come to light.
This was an edge of my seat thriller from the first page. The unusual knives peppered the narrative with intrigue. I loved it. 4 stars.

Looks like you're reading again! When I'm in a slump I like to go back to an old, super familiar favorite that never disappoints.

140. The Sweetest Oblivion Danielle Lori
Smut book club, dark smut
Elena's family is part of the New York criminal underground. She finds herself attracted to her sister's fiance until her sister ends up pregnant - when Elena winds up engaged to him!
It was okay. Not poorly written but not inspiring for me. Not my normal fare.

>101 curioussquared: Dick Francis is absolutely comfort reading, even the ones I haven't read yet.

141. The October Country Ray Bradbury
Group read
A selection of short stories. I liked most of them. My favorite is Homecoming.

142. Acorna's Quest Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball
Acorna leaves with Calum to search for the home of her people, but gets derailed. Crossing paths with a warning ship from her people!
I didn't enjoy this as much as I was in a reading funk. I finished it and will try the next one though.

Hi Robyn.

>1 elorin: and >2 elorin: Wow. 6 fur babies. I love their names.

>36 elorin: I found the 3-volume set at a used thrift store in the early 2000s and was happily surprised. *smile*

>83 elorin: Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel by Richard H. Minear is a great companion book, not cheap, but my public library had it. It’s also on Kindle Unlimited.

>85 elorin: I love Dick Francis, too. Shattered is the first book by him that I entered into my catalog in 2007.

143. Dead Cert Dick Francis
Finished 10/29
Unsavory jockeys sometimes fix a race to keep a favorite from winning and clean up on bets for the second favorite. When a leading jockey gets tangled up in a fix, it leads to his death. Alan York, his best friend, is determined to get to the bottom of it all.
A short novel, I gobbled it up on my sick day. It led to the strangest places - taxicabs, a horseback manhunt - but it was a good book and exciting.

144. Rat Race Dick Francis
Matt Shore is a taxi pilot who flies a load of passengers to the races. All goes swimmingly until he puts down early with a safety concern... and a bomb goes off! No one is hurt, but Matt is on the trail of the mystery bomber.
Matt Shore isn't my favorite Dick Francis hero. He just didn't appeal to me. The book felt rushed, especially the ending. A good read but not my top 5.

145. For Kicks Dick Francis
Dan Roke goes undercover to investigate an undetectable horse doping scheme. Getting a job as a stable hand isn't too hard, but getting a job at the right stable takes a bit more work. Then there's the case of getting back out...
I thoroughly enjoyed Dan Roke and his undercover personality. The metamorphosis from stud farm owner to slightly seedy stable lad was remarkable. Lots of risky thrills and hair raising moments in the climax and aftermath.

146. In the Frame Dick Francis
Artist Charles Todd paints mostly horses. But he arrives for a weekend away at his cousin Donald's to find the house burgled and Donald's wife murdered. A suspiciously similar story at the races leads him to Australia on the trail of the murderous burglars.
This was a fast read. Lots of travel and changes of scenery. I didn't get as much a sense of the main character as in others. Still, a pleasure.

>106 karenmarie: Hi, thanks for dropping by. The baby beasts are one of my delights. We named all but Kenzo who came with his name.
I like the Beauty series and I am determined to get to read #4, which has been on my shelf for a while.
I'll keep the companion book in mind if I can find it.
My mom introduced me to Dick Francis and I am on a reading streak now.

147. Driving Force Dick Francis
Ex-jockey Freddie Croft owns a fleet of horse vans, operating out of Pixhill. All is going well until one of his drivers picks up a hitchhiker who turns up dead on arrival, and then his mechanic is found dead, too. Suddenly life is full of danger as he tries to solve the puzzle before anyone else loses their life.
I had read this novel previously and remembered enough details to dull the excitement. But the book was still well written and enjoyable even so.

148. Outcaste Christie Meierz
ARC
This is book 6 of the tales of the Tolari, an offshoot of humanity that is romantically, sexually, and genetically compatible with humans. This is what I wish I had known going into the story.
This was my first read in the Tolari universe, so I felt a little lost at first. The narrative covers two main characters whose story arcs finally converge midway in the book, so I was having a hard time tracking the entire story. But the two main characters DO meet and the story became much easier for me to follow with the background I had on hand for each of them.
It's an interesting tale of two very different individuals from very different backgrounds coming together for a common purpose. I definitely enjoyed the story once I straightened out my early confusion and I would like to read the series from the beginning.

149. Carpe Jugulum Terry Pratchett
Witches group read
If a vampire has to be invited to enter your home, what does it mean when a reigning monarch extends an invitation to vampires to attend a christening? King Verence does that very thing and brings the Lancre witches out in force to protect their country, with the help of the Omnian priest Mightily Oats, Shawn Ogg, Jason and Darren Ogg, and everyone's favorite falconer, Hodgesargh.
One of my favorites, mightily satisfying. A happy re-read.

150. Field of Thirteen Dick Francis
Thirteen short stories collected from various publications.
I particularly liked "Song for Mona" and "The Day of the Losers". They were great to read in short spurts, and just as excellent as Francis' longer works. Interesting to me were those that took place in the USA, rather than the normal UK of most Francis books.

151. Beauty's Release Anne Rice
Adult, Sexually Explicit
Beauty is kidnapped from the village and taken by boat to the Sultan's kingdom where she meets the Sultan's harem and brings her own vigorous sexual energy to her experiences there. Tristan and Laurent are exposed in the garden of male delights and all of the kidnapped slaves delight in the sensual Eastern pleasures of the Sultan's kingdom.
But their delight is challenged and short lived when the Captain of the Guard rescues them back to Queen Eleanor's court.
I didn't feel comfortable bringing this to work to read so it got buried on my bedside table for a while. I like this the most of the trilogy because of the challenges Laurent faces as a switch and the proposition of what happens after the slaves are released.

152. Drop Dead Sisters Amelia Diane Coombs
Silly and funny if wildly improbable. A little wholesome family coming together and a lot of keystone cops shenanigans. Cute.

I broke my Kindle reading streak and I guess it has hit me harder than I realized. I wanted to get to 365 days and now I'm starting over.
Politics is rough. The reality of 4 years facing the racist, trans and homophobic agenda in power scares me, a woman married to another woman. I am exhausted just thinking about it, but sticking my head in the sand won't solve anything.
Mei went on a tear tonight and nothing would calm her down. It's been a long time since she was this triggered, and Rorschach hiding behind the couch and growling didn't help matters. Despite spray bottles, calming treats, half the shrimp from my stir fry, and other snacks and endearments, she was still barking for about 30 minutes straight. I finally gave up and came to bed. She went outside to bark at the boys for about 10 minutes then came inside and passed out at my feet. Meanwhile my nerves are well and truly frayed.
I finished Beauty's Release and now I am starting Beauty's Kingdom. I haven't picked my next Kindle read, but I have plenty to choose from.

153. Odds Against Dick Francis
Sid Halley is a depressed ex-jockey working for a private investigation agency. His father-in-law puts him on to a possible racecourse takeover to jolt him out of his malaise. And then Sid takes off!
I enjoyed this novel not least of which because I know there are more Sid Halley novels to enjoy. It was thrilling but gut wrenching with the brief torture scenes.

Hi Robyn!

>111 elorin: A 4th? Well. By 2015 I wasn’t looking for a new entry in the series. If I see it at a thrift shop or when sorting books for the Friends, I’ll grab it.

More Dick Francis, sorry about Mei going nuts, extremely sorry about the next four years – as you know, my daughter and her now-wife got married last week to give Hwan as much legal protection as possible for the next four years. I’m scared, too, about what's going to happen, and I’m straight and cisgen.

154. Whip Hand Dick Francis
Sid Halley returns. In company with Chico from Odds Against Sid is an investigator specializing in Britain's world of racing. But sometimes being good at what you do can be too much of a good thing. Looking into 2 year old horses that don't live up to their potential, syndicates with seedy organizers, and his ex-wife's con of an ex-boyfriend is a lot to juggle, but he tackles it all with aplomb.
I liked the story. It had a lot going on but it wasn't too much. I really appreciated the exploration of Sid's emotions and how he faced fear head on.

155. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands Heather Fawcett
Emily is off on another expedition with Wendell, searching for a mysterious nexus that may unlock the entrance to the Silva Lupi. Accompanied by Emily's niece Ariadne, Emily's faithful dog Shadow, and a contentious dryadologist, they hike to the Alps in search of faerie doors.
I liked this second novel, with favorite parts being Emily's enchanted pencils and Wendell's cat Orga.

156. Trial Run Dick Francis
Randall Drew is asked to go to Moscow by the Prince. The unspoken brotherhood of horses opens doors in the USSR that otherwise would remain closed, and uncovers a dangerous series of clues.
Dated, cold war Moscow, but illuminating nonetheless and a quick read.

157. Does it Hurt? H. D. Carlton
Dark Smut book selection Adult, Sexually Explicit
Please read trigger warnings
Conwoman Sawyer steals Enzo's identity, then makes the mistake of seeing him a second time. Despite their undeniable chemistry, nothing protects them from the coming storm.
I liked the writing style. There were definitely disturbing elements. I felt like it was 50-100 pages too long.

>120 karenmarie: Hi Karen.
I'm looking forward to Beauty's Kingdom - from what I have read so far it will be a different perspective.
Mei goes on a rampage every so often, but far less frequently than in the past. I try to see the bright side of things but it is not always possible for me. Still every day is a new day.
I'm glad your daughter is able to provide for her wife that way. I'm doing the best I can not to focus on the fear, and take each day as it comes.

Robyn, it has been such a pleasure to have your company in the group this year.

Have a lovely long weekend.

>126 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul, it's been a pleasure being here with others who love reading.

158. Equation Hubert-Richard Clarke
Early Reviewer
The premise of an equation controlling behavior was fun and exciting. The editorial flaws distracted from the story. I found the constant flashbacks choppy. Nevertheless it was an interesting story and I finished it.

159. Miranda Fights Gail Ward Olmsted
Early Reviewer
Legal professional Miranda Quinn stumbles across evidence of missing young girls and pursues the trail.
Slice of life but also legal mystery. Engaging topic, interesting plotline and good writing. I would read the first two or number 4 if I got a chance.

160. Birth of a Goddess Tristan R. Waters
Early Reviewer
This is a story with lots of potential to be an epic fantasy. But I felt like Syry's story was glossed over just to write it down and the writing did not do her justice. The length of the appendices versus the storytelling makes me feel similarly.
There were a few editorial/word choices which jolted from the spirit of the book (grooves? I think it's groves) but overall I give three stars for potential and I would read a sequel.

>122 elorin: I can see the Emily Wilde books being future comfort reads for me, as I've enjoyed them so much. Excited for the next one to come out!

161. Boy of Chaotic Making Charlie N. Holmberg
Whimbrel House book 3
While this is the story of Hulda and Merritt getting married, this is for me mostly Owein's story. Owein as a house was a terror and Owein as a dog was loyal and brave. Being 12 years old for so very long had to have been frightening, but being shoved into the short-lived body of a terrier even more so. I can't wait to see where the story takes Owein next.

>131 foggidawn: I really loved them both. I want enchanted pencils! I look forward to rereading them.

162. Twice Shy Dick Francis
The Derry brothers both face a criminal, Angelo, and each one handles him a bit differently. Two shorter stories with a common thread.
I enjoyed the stories but felt they were lacking some of the thrilling elements I expect from Francis.

I spent so much of the Thanksgiving holiday reading, and then a quiet day at work reading and another evening tonight reading...is there a word like waterlogged or supersaturated specific to consuming written media? I can't decide if I am pleasantly full with room for dessert or overfull and anything else would feel unpleasant.

163. The Shepherd's Crown Terry Pratchett
The last book in my 2024 Discworld re-read. Tiffany is faced with elves again and musters all the witches to help repel them.
I didn't cry like I did the first time I read it, but it was quite sad. It's missing a lot of the signature Pratchett humor that makes Discworld distinct. A hollow joy knowing it was Terry's last Discworld novel.

164. The Answer is No: A Short Story Fredrik Backman
A silly short story about Lucas and the frying pans and happiness.

>136 elorin: that first part with Granny had me bawling my eyes out.

>138 cindydavid4: The first time I read it I bawled like a child. Not so this time.

165. Come to Grief Dick Francis
TW: animal abuse
This is the second time I've read this Dick Francis novel and I had forgotten how brutal it was emotionally. Come to Grief is Sid Halley #3, and Sid is on the case looking for someone who has been cutting a foot off of horses, in almost every case leading to the horses being put to death. His prime suspect is a long-time friend and fellow ex-jockey. Meanwhile Sid's young friend Rachel has had a leukemia relapse.
This novel was hard for me to stomach at times and extremely emotional. It was supremely well written and I definitely give it 4 stars. Powerful stuff.

166. The Silent Watcher Victor Methos
A gripping legal thriller/murder mystery linking two sets of home invasions/murders. Piper is the guardian ad litem for Sophie, whose mom and brother were brutally murdered. Lazarus is the cop on the case, trying to catch the bastard that did it.
This was an exciting thriller with who dun it elements and courtroom drama. Very enjoyable.

The dogs got into a fight two weeks ago and Kenzo ended up in an ecollar. Which triggered more fighting, so we had to keep the dogs separated until it came off, then re-introduce the dogs to each other. That made for a stressful two weeks, but yesterday we brought them back together to no problems, so the household is back to normal.
In other news I have been enjoying my dice Advent calendar, one die per day in lovely colors and swirls.
I have two Dick Francis books left on my shelf and then I am not sure what I will be reading for comfort reads. Maybe Split Infinity , or some Anne McCaffrey. I'm almost done with Beauty's Kingdom, and about to pick up Acorna's People when that's done.

167. Spellbreaker Charlie N. Holmberg
Elsie is an unregistered spellbreaker, abandoned as a child by her family, guided by unknown people she calls the Cowls to use her powers for the greater good. Then one day she gets caught and everything changes.
I like Elsie despite her emotional hangups. I like Bacchus. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Hi Robyn. Just a quick hello. Congrats on so many books read.

>135 elorin: Booklogged?

168. Spellmaker Charlie N. Holmberg
The return of Elsie the spellbreaker, Bacchus the spellmaker, and the rest of the cast is a rewarding and enjoyable read. Elsie's skills at unwinding spells as they are cast come into use as she trains to be a licensed spellbreaker. I thoroughly loved this satisfying duology and hope there may be more stories of these characters in the future.

>144 karenmarie: Thank you Karen!

169. Crossfire Dick and Felix Francis
Tom Forsyth comes back from Afghanistan sans one foot. On leave for 6 months he goes to the one place they have to take him in... home. But the world of horseracing isn't as simple as he thought it would be and before he knows it he is up to his neck in danger.
I had read half of this book once before. I can't imagine why I didn't finish it. It was entertaining and a fun read with little military tidbits sprinkled throughout. A pleasure.

170. Kidnapped by the Krampus Emily Shore
Dark smut reading selection. Sexually Explicit
I enjoyed parts of this story, but for the most part it rubbed me the wrong way. I don't vibe with the author's writing style and choice of vocabulary. The story seemed to take too long to wrap up for my tastes, too.

Glad to hear the dog situation is back to normal! Dealing with that kind of thing is never fun.

>149 curioussquared: Thanks! It was pretty stressful and I am so glad things are back to normal.

171. In the Likely Event Rebecca Yarros
Sexually Explicit
What a way to start a relationship! First survive the plane crash and get separated for three years...
This novel was an excellent tale of chance encounters and stolen moments. The erotic tension is just right and the twist at the end was eye opening. A great tale.

I recorded my top 5 books of the year and thought I would put them here. In no particular order:
Nine Tailed
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries
Legends and Lattes
Keeper of Enchanted Rooms
Penric's Demon

And then I realized I left off Fourth Wing which I really enjoyed.

Series in the top three for the year are Discworld, Penric and Desdemona, and Murderbot.

172. Still the Sun Charlie N. Holmberg
Pell digs. Wells or graves, she's good at digging. She also tinkers with recovered pieces of Ancient machinery. And one day someone comes to her door.
I found this story challenging, with the flashes of memory and just the style of the writing. I enjoyed it but I think I would enjoy it more a second time around.

Today is my anniversary, 6 years since my wedding day with Raine. We celebrated a good friend's birthday on Friday and spent an exorbitant amount on the car yesterday so today was pretty low key. We went to BJ's for dinner and Sally Beauty afterwards. Her gift came yesterday - a new sewing box she'd been wanting. I got 9 skeins of yarn to finish the lap blanket I have been working on. The pink was the wrong color, but to get the right color I need to buy 4 more skeins. I'm up in the air about what to do about that.
Reading Acorna's People and The Secret Witness and stalled on Beauty's Kingdom because I don't want to bring it to work and it's a hardback so not as easy to hold up to read. I want to finish it before the new year so I'm considering seeing if I read it if it is in the living room.

Happy anniversary!

173. The Secret Witness Victor Methos
Solomon is a retired prosecutor. Billie is the sheriff who asks him to work on a case as a favor. The Reaper is the serial killer who was never caught and seems to be killing again. Is it him or a copycat killer?
I enjoyed this legal thriller/murder mystery, and the ending was very satisfying. It was a little more graphic than I expected and so unsettling in parts.

>155 drneutron: Thank you!

174. Acorna's People Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Acorna gets to visit the new homeworld of her people. There's some culture shock as the conservatives don't embrace her differences. Acorna tries her best to learn the ways of her people.
I wasn't wild about this book. I enjoyed Acorna but haven't enjoyed books 2 and 3 in the series. I bought more of the books all at once so I may read more of them but I don't see myself keeping any but the first book.

175. Fairies: The Myths, Legends, and Lore Skye Alexander
A somewhat dry recounting of Fairy tales and lore from around the world. It has a bibliography and references other works and I learned about lore I had never heard of before but I didn't really like it. I won't be reading anything else by the author.

Today was a decent work day. I have come to accept there's not enough work to keep my team busy 8 hours a day and our boss is okay with that. I'm getting a lot of reading done in between times and have chosen not to feel guilty about it.
Today I started The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the Hunger Games prequel) and I am enjoying it so far. At home I am almost done with Beauty's Kingdom and I went ahead and unearthed the next Acorna book from the coffee table pile. Quiet night, surfing on my phone and reading.

>154 elorin: Congrats on your anniversary!

>161 figsfromthistle: Thank you. It was a good day.

176. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Suzanne Collins
Coriolanus Snow is supposed to be graduating from the Academy after mentoring a tribute for the Hunger Games. Little does he know how the 10th annual games will change his life.
I couldn't decide whether to like Snow or not at the beginning. There was empathy for his situation and hardships. But over the course of the book my empathy slipped away until finally the villain was wholly revealed in all his misery.

177. Beauty's Kingdom Anne Rice writing as A. N. Roquelare
Adult, sexually explicit
15 years after Beauty and Laurent left Queen Eleanor's realm of erotic slave hood, a messenger comes. Queen Eleanor's boat has shipwrecked with all hands lost and it was her wish that Beauty and Laurent take over as king and queen of her kingdom in the case of her death.
Beauty and Laurent accept and bring innovation to the kingdom and new life with the practice of all slaves being volunteers and opening the slaves' positions to more than just royalty. With the help of characters from the earlier books like Tristan and Dimitri, and the introduction of new characters like Brenn and Sylvia, Beauty and Laurent revitalize "Beauty's Kingdom" with a freshness and energy from the lowest slave to the new rulers.
I enjoyed reading about the exploits of the next generation so to speak. My favorite part was the preparation and running of the female pony. It was an interesting close to a story from the past.

178. Acorna's World Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Acorna is out in space again when she intercepts a Mayday. Aari, Becker, RoadKill and the KEN unit are off to see if they can help when they encounter 2 Khleevi after the same wreck.
This story appealed to me more than the last two Acorna books. It felt more coherent somehow. I liked it.

I'm reading almost a book a day at work and I have tried to let my boss know how little we have to do but I am afraid if I push too hard I will lose a team member. I started the next Acorna book yesterday and a Kindle self help title Rediscover Your Sparkle. After reading the Hunger Games prequel, I am hunting down my copy of the Hunger Games today, but I will need to buy books 2 and 3 to read them all, or go to the library.
Got up early to zip tie the bumper to the frame - the damage is a lot worse than I thought and I will have to prioritize getting it into the shop, probably have to get a new bumper. Hopefully the zip tie solution lasts for a little while.
Maybe get the tree up today and a Christmas day menu and shopping list made.

179. Acorna's Search Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Acorna has chosen her lifemate. Aari, the only surviving victim of Khleevi torture, has been reunited with his little sister Maati and his parents. Together with many more Linyaari they undertake a survey of the original Linyaari homeworld, previous to terraforming it back to its prior glory. Until people start disappearing without a trace, including Aari.
The writing took another nosedive. It's really not very sci-fi, but not too fantasy. The storyline was clunky in my opinion. I didn't enjoy it.

No decorations went up but we made the early trip to the grocery store and the ingredients for Christmas dinner have been obtained.
I finished yet another subpar Acorna book and I would be done with the series except I already own the next book. When I finish it I will have to debate buying the last title, and I own two of the Acorna's Children books (vols 1 and 3). At this point, if Acorna's Rebels is a bomb for me I will just pull all of them from the shelf for the donation pile, including the unread "children" books.
On the ebook front, I started one of my Thingsversary purchases and I am loving it - Starless by Jacqueline Carey. I was hesitant because I didn't like Banewreaker at all but it is great so far.

Hi Robyn and happy Christmas Eve!

>148 elorin: My sister wanted to watch a Christmas movie when I last visited in 2016 and chose Krampus. We had no idea who or what Krampus was and were seriously wigged out well before the end, but she wanted to watch the whole thing. Next year I bought her the blue ray DVD of it, and we’ve been exchanging it every Christmas since then. *shudder*

>154 elorin: Happy Anniversary!

>168 elorin: Yay for getting your Christmas Dinner ingredients. Everything else will either happen or not – decorations are fun but not critical, as I learned in 2021 after my heart attack.

180. Starless Jacqueline Carey
Khai has been raised to be the shadow of the youngest princess of the Ageless. Khai has learned to fight with and without weapons, to pick locks, to walk in silence. And Khai has learned to listen to the wind of the gods to aid in all these things. Khai must pass the god's test and then meet the princess and learn to survive at court.
I have not always loved Jacqueline Carey's writing, but this is a definite win. The only regret I have is that I didn't get to know some of the characters better. The writing is excellent, I love the world building, I was engrossed the whole way through.

>169 karenmarie: Thank you for dropping by! I have not seen Krampus although I was familiar with who he is before I read the book club selection. Exchanging the blue ray is a fun silly tradition.

I just hope everyone likes dinner this year. I'll make sure the table is festive at least.

181. Acorna's Rebels Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Acorna, Becker, RK, Mac, Nadhari, and the two Wats splash land on a nearby planet and have to be rescued to the nearest Federation outpost on none other than Nadhari and RK's home planet. Where a mysterious illness is threatening all of the temple guardians. Acorna, of course, insists on helping heal wherever she can.
I found the story more consistent than the other volumes I have read recently. The temple cat theme is a fun one and it was great to see Nadhari shine. I liked this one enough to find a copy of the next volume (but check if it is at the library first).

Thinking of you at this time, Robyn.

>173 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul!

One of my favorite memories from childhood Christmases was waking up to an overflowing stocking at the foot of my bed. Stockings weren't just filled with candy, but also fruit, nuts, little gifts, breakfast cereal and oatmeal packets, hot chocolate mix, candy canes, chapstick, and always a new toothbrush. As kids, we were responsible for showering, getting dressed, and getting our breakfast before we were allowed to wake my parents and explore what was under the tree. But if it was in the stocking it was fair game. I realize now that Christmas tradition was designed to give my mom a few more moments of sleep after a late night of decorating and wrapping last minute gifts. But I still cherish the memories of swapping Carnation instant breakfast packets with my brother and sister, opening tiny packages, and cracking nuts from my stocking while we opened presents.
Nowadays if you have Christmas dinner at my house you get a stocking, and I still put a new toothbrush in every one. I can't find Carnation instant breakfast packets anymore and after the year an abandoned stocking molded I don't do fresh fruit anymore. ChapStick got nixed when I found so many unopened sticks I could supply a small classroom during a bathroom reorganization.
This year, stockings is about the only decorating we did, but I stuffed them full with a toothbrush atop each one. And bounced on the bed excited until my wife opened hers. She appreciated the things she got and I am thrilled.

182. Acorna's Triumph Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Library e-book
Aari returns without his memories of Acorna. She tries not to feel ungrateful but something's not right.
This storyline is okay, not amazing but not clunky like early volumes about Acorna. I wouldn't mind owning the paperback but I am not going to run right out and buy it.

I almost forgot about the 75ers book swap. When it came in my wife checked to see if it was wrapped and said "You're going to love it!" and set it on the hearth.
After dinner I saw the envelope and went "Oh yeah!" and got the envelope. My wife is right. I love it.
I got The Discworld Coloring Book, drawn by Paul Kidby. It's gorgeous, thick paper and spot on illustrations. How do you know who is who? asked my wife. Trust me, I know, I told her.
The first page I will color will be Greebo. I am so excited to have gotten this!

I also got three Kindle books in the book swap, and I look forward to reading them. Off Leash , Snowblind , and The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher . Off Leash looks especially fun.

183. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
Re-read
In a dystopian future, the Capitol of Panem holds a yearly Hunger Games with one female and one male representative from each of the 12 districts. 24 "tributes" duke it out in a last man standing battle to the death for the entertainment of the ruling class. Katniss Everdeen stands with the other 16 year old potential tributes to find out who will be selected this year. It's not her. It's even worse.
The Hunger Games was a terrific book the first time I read it and it only got better on this reread. Putting the sophisticated methodology in contrast to the methods used in the prequel made them even more horrific and barbaric.

184. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins
Re-read, library book
Katniss is living the life of a Hunger Games victor, preparing for the Quarter Quell, a 75th anniversary "special" version of the games. But what makes it special is terrifying.
This is a wonderful, short follow up to the Hunger Games and a great read.

185. Mockingjay Suzanne Collins
Re-read, library book
After the 75th annual Hunger Games ended without a victor, all of Panem is in revolt. In the underground safety of District 13, Katniss is wanted as the face of the revolution, the Mockingjay. But it soon becomes obvious they will have to bring the battle to the Capitol.
I was afraid Mockingjay would be disappointing, but it is the perfect finish to the Hunger Games. Edge of my seat anticipation altered with serious realizations of the consequences of war.

Today I have been a slug, alternating reading and sleeping. I finished Mockingjay and started one of my bookswap titles Off Leash. Lazily started my 2025 75ers thread. I need to get my laptop out to finish it.
Now that I have started borrowing books from the library (ebooks), and I know I have the right login information, I am going to go ahead and read the three Acorna's children books, too. It's a relief to know I can access them without buying all of them. Financially and emotionally, buying books I don't think I will keep is exhausting.
Thinking about my reading for 2025, chunksters are coming to mind. Outlander is a series I haven't picked up in a decade or more. The Wheel of Time begs to be re-read with the third season on the way. Clan of the Cave Bear screams to be re-read. I will pick one of those series with lighter fare to read interspersed in between.