Friday April 12th Reading

[Vespasia]

Happy Friday! We've missed a few weeks so I wanted to start this before I forgot.

What have you been reading recently?


QOTW: What new release are you looking forward to in the next few months?

[charlatti]

I’m reading The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo. I generally like her stuff, and this one is good — historical + magic, not too heavy.


QOTW: The fourth book in the middle grade Nevermoor series is supposed to finally be out this fall after many delays. I’m very excited about that one.

[travella]

I finished Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash (3.5*- I loved the first part, the second and third part were focused more on the romance and didn't interest me as much).

I'm currently reading No Ordinary Assignment by Jane Ferguson. I should finish it tonight. I found her experience as a war reporter interesting.

QOTW: I'm looking forward to:
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Burn by Peter Heller
Your Presence is Mandatory by Sasha Vasilyuk

[CrazyLucky]

I am Reading You're Not From Around Here, Are You? I'm disappointed so far. It's non-fiction, about a lesbian couple living in a small town in PA. I expected it to be mostly about dealing with small minded people but so far it's about 75% about their IVF journey. I'm hoping it gets more interesting.

I love the Julia Spencer Fleming Series and I'm hoping she writes another book.

[Vespasia]

Finished:
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. I liked it but thought there were some pretty big plot holes, particularly in the older period mystery. I will still read the next book though.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez. The premise was so good - magic, Egyptology, a mystery - but it was incredibly disappointing. The magic is an afterthought, the writing is meh, and there is no resolution to the plot and yet somehow the cliffhanger for the next book is annoying and anticlimactic. I will be skipping future books.

I am currently reading The Black Girl Survives In This One, a horror anthology by Black femme authors. Some stories are better than others but I've yet to find one I didn't enjoy.

QOTW: Children of Anguish and Anarchy comes out in June and I'm hoping it redeems the trilogy after a disappointing 2nd book.

Unfortunately my most anticipated book isn't due out for another year. ☹️

[dearprudence]

Finished The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years, The Bad Ones, and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. I was disappointed in the first two - they were fine, but The Djinn was more depressing than I expected, and The Bad Ones was too similar to her other works. I was pleasantly surprised by Hart and Mercy.

Currently reading Bacchanal about a carnival run by a demon and a girl who can communicate with animals.

Currently listening to Gallant about a girl who returns to her family home and discovers some dark secret.


QOTW: What new release are you looking forward to in the next few months? Looking forward to Beastly Beauty, Jennifer Donnelly's book coming out next month.

[mrspez07]

I just finished Happy Place
Listening to Moloka’i, rereading A Breathe of Snow and Ashes right now. I’ll probably dig into North Woods this weekend.

[krystee]

travella I totally agree with you on Beyond That, The Sea.
Vespasia what is the one year out book?

I read:
Expiration Dates, which was fine (3.5).
The Husbands, which I almost DNFed 60 pages in because it was too repetitive, but then it got better and I liked it (4).
The Stationery Shop, which I loved (5)
The Other Valley, which I liked, but I’m not entirely sure I understand what happened at the end (4, maybe?)
DNFed Under the Willows

QOTW: I’m excited for The Guncle Abroad, God of the Woods, All the Colors of the Dark, and the sequel to House on the Cerulean Sea.

[Vespasia]

krystee it's Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen. I finally got around to reading the first book in the series earlier this year and absolutely loved it and the sequel.

[wawa]

finished off the House Witch series, by Delemhach 

And I rounded out my "I'm stressed and just want brain junk food" jag with Just Stab Me Now by Jill Bearup, who is somebody I've seen on reels/tiktoks, originally when she was posting on costuming and stage combatant stuff.  She started the story as a series of skits with the author of a story talking to her characters who won't do what she wants, and it turned into a whole thing. I believe she self published it?  It was delightful.  a little laggy in parts, but overall very cute, and probably more fun for people who watch her video content because I'd seen the skits and other work on the believability of various novel/movie scenes with fighter women so I got all the callouts.  (can you hide a sword in that kind of dress, can you fight in that kind of dress, how many knives CAN you hide in various eras of clothing, etc etc)

I'm also listening to Sanctuary of the Shadow by Aurora Ascher, which was chosen entirely because it was available without a wait from Libby and the cover looked cool.  Romantasy with an as yet very foggy world building that feels like it'll become clearer soon, but it's getting pretty far in to have no idea what's happening.  I turned it on yesterday while in a semi-public place (washing a boat in a marina) and it was IN THE MIDDLE of a vivid sex scene.  I'd forgotten where I left off....

I do not think the 60 year old man in the boat next to mine heard it, but....lols if he did I guess.  Need to remember my headphones next time.

Most anticipated - I dont' know.  I erase all knowledge of my pre-orders from my brain once they're made so they're like fun little surprises when they appear on my kindle.
(I mean, not actually, but my memory is very out of sight, out of mind.)  I'm 34th in line for Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao on Libby.  Looking forward to spending Alecto the 9th still having no idea what's going on.  errr...I'm sure there are others.  I have no idea.