Yes I have FINALLY finished a book, but to be fair life has been a little tough lately. This was a good Jane Yellowrock book as always. Yes I now have a beard, that‘s how long it took me to read a whole book - I grew a beard while it happened.

Another selfie with a book from back when I was skinny. First book in a new series I was keen to start; it feels like it‘s Faith Hunter‘s characters in Jeaniene Frost‘s writing style, if that makes sense. It was okay, it didn‘t feel very complex/sophisticated so there‘s room to develop. Its interesting having a sexually dominant female character (it‘s a good thing!). I‘m keen to continue with the series to see where it goes and if it improves.

Finished the Oz collection. I‘ve always wanted to read the Oz books. Added to TBR pile: Wicked. Apparently it‘s (finally) going to be a movie, I hear?

(Yes, selfie looks years younger and kgs lighter because I sometimes take my Litsy selfies in advance). My one complaint about this series, which promotes as its main feature a magical dog ‘Lou‘, is that the magical dog doesn‘t really do much in these books so far; more of a sidekick, and mostly inconsequential. As for a story it was okay! Predictable af, and the ending make me feel totally revulsed about the baddie, but overall not bad.

For someone who “doesn‘t like paranormal romance” I sure do read a lot of paranormal romance. This book had some pyrokinesis, hence the choice of filter. It was another good addition to the series, although soooo much drama. I much prefer the paranormal parts of PNR, not the romance parts.

Okay uni semester is over, lots has happened since I last posted. I turned 40, I gained a lot of weight, grew a beard, and FINALLY finished a book. It was a good one too, you know I love Seanan McGuire‘s work no matter what. This seems to set a lot up for later books (!!!). So I‘m going to try getting back into the exercise and reading while I‘m on winter break.

Finished reading. Not the best Discworld book but okay. I think a lot of it went over my head. Preferred Going Postal much better.

Okay this was better than Peace Talks, but the two could‘ve been one big book. It didn‘t tell an epic story, I was epic for epic‘s sake. It tried too hard to be big when it didn‘t have a big story to tell. And Butcher had to kill off my favourite character because why tf not. There are way better, and shorter, books earlier in the series. The ending was not overly sentimental and promises bigger things that I‘m not confident Butcher can deliver.

Christmas holiday reading. Start of a new (short) series. It was okay, great idea for a new type of magic (libriomancers reach into books to get magical objects, ie potions from Harry Potter, swords from Lord of the Rings) but it‘s like the author realised that it had too much potential and set lots of boundaries, just so his character could exceed them. Probably too big a book for a first in series. Didn‘t hate though.

Although I like some better than others, I never dislike a Seanan McGuire book. This is no exception, but it started on shaky ground. It felt a bit like an excuse to create an old early 50‘s/60‘s sci-fi style dimension (eg Fantastic Planet) with giant spiders to have our heroes stuck in, with the addition of zombies, but it worked out okay and I‘m glad the book ended how it did. I am glad that the POV changes character every 2 books, for variety

FINALLY got to finish a book! Missed reading any books altogether through winter uni break due to illness. I‘ve had my bookmark in this one for months and months. With so much happening in my life outside (and inside) of work and uni I just haven‘t had the chance to read a whole book. Well, I did read The Little Country by Charles de Lint. Anyway, so glad to be back, and reading. I missed it.

Again, I love love LOVE anything by Seanan McGuire and this did not disappoint! Number 13 in the Toby Daye series, and I hope this series never ends.
No filter- finished reading this by the lake on a hot summer day. As there‘s water, and the book has a very strong water theme, I had to do my selfie here.

Simon Canderous #2. I enjoyed it better than the first book, but I just don‘t understand Simon. He overreacts about the smallest things because he‘s an insecure d**k, but underreacts when big things happen - like when his powers are taken away, or when he‘s, I don‘t know, CHASED BY ZOMBIES. If he acted like a normal person I‘d like him better. Also, he barely uses his powers, and is surrounded by more powerful secondary characters. Still, enjoyed.

Here‘s why I shouldn‘t pre-judge a book by Goodreads ratings; despite the many bad reviews, I really liked it! GR‘s main complaint was MC was too lazy and indifferent to magic, I think that‘s a great leaping board for character development. Not a perfect book tho, but action packed. My main complaint: despite appearing to be about a magical dog called Lou, Lou was hardly the main star, he was barely even magical, mostly the damsel in distress.

I don‘t get it. Couldn‘t follow it. I just couldn‘t envision what was written so I‘ll watch the movie sometime. It didn‘t make sense. Do I need to read all the others for it to make sense? It‘s supposed to have Christian overtones; at first it seemed to be the exact opposite then … nek minnit … guardian angels and bible verses? The characters were so bland. I‘m sorry, just couldn‘t with this. Sorry if it‘s your favourite book. Maybe it‘s me.

I think the problem with this book is that so many readers would be expecting something similar to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but it‘s so different. This book was strange and amazing and beautiful and sad and everything in just 240 pages. I loved it SO much. The limited characters here on Litsy aren‘t enough for me to give an idea of what the book is about and how in awe I was of it‘s beauty. Definitely one of the best books I‘ve ever read.

If I read a collection of short stories, it‘s one story between other books, so it usually takes me a year to read collections. By the end I forget which stories I liked best. None of these stories were especially memorable. The last story was nice, had a gay male protagonist, yay representation. The Holly Black one was good too. Word to authors: urban fantasy is fantasy elements in urban settings, not stories set in fantasy-world cities.

I don‘t mind the Kitty Norville series, but I especially loved this one. Definitely my favourite, although not the best rated on goodreads. It leans heavily on mythology and I loved that so much. Each book in the series is a nice quick read and I think i only have two books left to go.

CONTAINS SPOILERS Another thrilling book in the Jane Yellowrock series. Like with any book some parts don‘t sit right, like the very awkward introduction of Adelaide, but I got very worried when - spoiler alert - Beast seemed to disappear after the spell to contain the raven demon was interrupted. A Jane Yellowrock book never disappoints, even if they are a tad long and a little rambling.

Another Seanan McGuire book, this time writing as Deborah Baker, the fictional author from Middlegame and this book is also the book mentioned in Middlegame. Confusing, yes. This was a “portal” story that would feel at home among the Wayward Children series. My selfie is an attempt to look like a playing card, the King of Spades/Clubs. Because there‘s a character in the book called The Queen of Swords. Yes I know it‘s tarot. Made sense in my head.

If you‘ve been following me long enough you‘d know I LOVE all Seanan McGuire books. This one in the InCryptid series has everything I‘d normally hate - romance, POV changes, and cliffhanger endings - but I still read this every spare moment I got and finished it in 2 days.
Today I offer no filter, please admire my math-themed t-shirt (very appropriately chosen for the book)

I normally love Discworld books but this one didn‘t grab me quite like Going Postal did. I did really love Where Is My Cow? - the story within a story. Where Is My Cow? stole the limelight.

Uni is over for the semester so I can start devouring my TBR pile. This book, however, I finished a few weeks ago by committing to reading a chapter of a book every morning. I enjoyed it; James Bond meets Lovecraft, what‘s not to like. Sorry about the filter but it was the best Bond one I could find in a hurry.

For someone who “doesn‘t like PNR” I read a lot of PNR. I guess I like the parts that are not romance. This one was okay, took a bit to get good. Not hating the series. Feels like Buffy+Spike wish fulfilment porn.
As for me, I‘m halfway thru semester so reading for pleasure is a rare experience, this one took 2 months. Yes I‘m bald now.

Finished reading Garrett P.I. number 10. This series is okay but it‘s less ‘urban fantasy‘ than I like, it feels a bit light on the world-building. Sometimes I forget the characters are living in a fantasy world and most are not human. There are so many bland background characters (and foreground characters) that I forget who‘s who from one book to the next.

Read this for #BookClub. Really enjoyed it, even if true crime is not my thing (and you‘d think it would be, as I‘m studying law). Loved how the story humanised all the characters in a murder that otherwise would just be forgotten to history. Classic.

Book 3 in the Jane Yellowrock series. This book introduced werewolves and, unlike most other series, the werewolves didn‘t suck (as an overused and non-scary trope). This series reminds me of the Dresden Files but a bit darker.

Kitty Norville #11 was a bit of a let down - is it me? Was I expecting more? The Kitty books are good but not sensational. Kitty is a werewolf but doesn‘t have powers to use, she saves the day using diplomacy. It‘s very character-driven, and maybe I wanted some action and peril for a change. I felt the story was weak in this one. Kitty panics over something she‘d normally take in her stride. Still giving this a “pick” rating.

Slowly getting through the Oz books, so when I finish reading them I can read the Wicked series. They‘re all very childish but also still quite fun. There‘s nothing deep to these stories, Baum just invents characters and invents areas of Oz and lets the story flow. Sometimes they get tiring due to lack of structure but it‘s fun to read the imaginative things Baum dreams up. Re image: idk what happened to this filter, it‘s one picture not two.

I love nearly everything Seanan McGuire writes, and this book - number 12 in the October Daye series - is certainly no exception. The world of the Daye books gets more intricate with each book, and although this was a lot like all the others and had a conclusion I don‘t know how to feel about (won‘t discuss, spoilers) it never got tiring to read. I just keep hoping that the October Daye books keep coming for as long as I can read them.

Another semester of uni over so I‘m BACK! This book is for book club and I would‘ve liked it better if it weren‘t entirely about a hopeless, selfish, self-absorbed a-hole who obsesses about what other people think of him and whose existence depends entirely on whether he can get his D wet. At least it was better than the last book club book (Ready Player Two - not even worth a Litsy add) so for that reason alone this book is not a pan.

How could I not read this book? There was a big buzz about it. LGBT romance in a urban fantasy young adult setting. Described as “very close to perfect” by Seanan McGuire. And yes, it was so charming and lovely and heartwarming and gave me all the feels. Beautiful in every way. Perhaps a bit too twee for some, and definitely too woke for bigots (their opinions don‘t matter anyway). Otherwise, I insist absolutely everyone should read this. Now.

RIP Anton Strout (d. 30 Dec 2020). This has been on my TBR bookshelf forever so to honour his memory I started the series. It was okay, I just didn‘t feel like it was well plotted. Maybe I‘m momentarily weary of UF? In other news, summer break is almost over and I‘ll be spending my spare time reading text books - might sneak in a kindle book while on treadmill, where I can.

UNPOPULAR OPINION: most readers hate what Granuaile did to Atticus but I think it‘s exactly what the series needed; sometimes it‘s tiring when the protag always wins, a series needs a shake-up, such as killing off a side character or even the protag (see: Changes by Jim Butcher) to bring in a new obstacle, set the protag to square one, go in a new direction. I‘m here for it in Scourged and hope there‘s a follow up! Sorry for bad Kindle selfie.

Finished reading this sequel to “A Dirty Job” - was okay, I didn‘t feel like A Dirty Job really necessitated a sequel but here it is. Moore writes characters who are all comedic parodies so it‘s hard to really like anyone in it. I think I liked Rivera but he was just a secondary character. This pic is probably the only Litsy selfie pic Ive taken that doesn‘t have a filter of some sort applied, lol.

Book 10 in the Kitty Norville series. Nice quick reads, the series has a large cast of background characters now to keep the drama going. This time Kitty, famous werewolf talk show host, goes to England to attend an International Conference on Paranatural Studies. Hijinks ensue. I like that the whole series isn‘t about wolf-pack hierarchy melodrama because that got old after a few books. These books are pleasant and not challenging at all to read.

RIP Guy N. Smith (21 Nov 1939 - 24 Dec 2020). Read this book in one day, it‘s essentially a novella very similar and reminiscent to Herbert‘s “The Rats”. It‘s been on my bookshelf forever but having heard of the recent death of Smith, today was the day to read it. Not a bad book for a quick horror read - honestly it‘s 1000x better than the Richard Laymon book I read before it.

I was excited for this book because Seanan is my favourite author & she is very proud of this book. It was nominated for a Hugo. But I found it very character driven, mostly dialogue, and for most of story I didn‘t know quite where it was leading. So unusual for a Seanan story, however if it were written by anyone else id say it was a solid book. I liked it but I like Seanan‘s other stuff better. I really wanted to love it though but I didn‘t.

Sick with the flu (yes I got tested, no it‘s not covid), but finished reading this. At first was wowed, then as the story progressed I felt Stross doesn‘t quite know how to give life to the first person narrator main character. Still, quite good and the extra short story “The Concrete Jungle” was promising.

I used a poll in a Facebook urban fantasy fan group to pick for me a series to read. The Night Huntress series was the most popular. I somewhat regret using a popularity vote to choose my reading because book 2 was awful (book 1 was tolerable). “Kickass heroine” engages in a catfight with her lover‘s ex, and wins the day by... marrying him? One entire chapter (32) was just a weird sex chapter... not my thing, but I will persist with the series.

Wanted a non-series book so picked this up, been meaning to read this for so long. WOW. Australians do not write very interesting books at all, we have no decent genre novels, but this little mystery was amazing. The writing was superb, really captured the sense of the bush in a way only Colleen McCulloch has so far impressed me, and this was no boring sheep farm drama. Incredible. Captivating. Beautiful. Australian. Masterpiece. Loved it so much.

Definitely one of my favourite Discworld books. I don‘t think it‘s better than Mort but it has been so long since I‘ve read Mort. This book was great, I love it when Pratchett writes a book that‘s easy to follow. The renowned Pratchett social satire is definitely there. This book was a treat.

I don‘t normally bail on a series but I don‘t think I can finish this one. Nothing wrong with the books, maybe it‘s just me. Maybe I feel uncomfortable about someone whose superpower is to inflict mental illness on other people. In this book there are sunglasses that can detect “highcaps” by showing a blurriness around their head (hence this book‘s selfie)

Okay book 1 in this series wasn‘t a fluke, book 2 proves this series is awesome and I have a new favourite series. Shapeshifter Jane Yellowrock, still under contract to find and stop the vampire that‘s creating new rogue vamps, discovers a plot that involves kidnapping the children of witches. This book kept me up late at night, reading - and I have zero regrets.

Okay this series is getting better with each book. Kitty Norville series book #9. The past three books have actually been quite good, the series has explored the supernatural world beyond werewolf packs and is better for it. They‘re also good quick reads.

Uni over for another semester, catching up on reading. I‘ve read a heap of TBR short stories and some horror novel I‘ve been meaning to get to. Also, finishes (sort of) this series - there was supposed to be a book after this in 2016 but it never happened. And this one ended on a cliffhanger. At least I‘m up to date. The books are well written but so much internal monologue, little action.

Another book read while I 👏 should 👏 be 👏 studying, although to be fair I read it mostly while on the orbital trainer (I can multi-task!). Book was good, I liked the police procedural mixed with urban fantasy. Only major complaint is that it felt a bit too short. It‘s the last in a series so I don‘t feel so bad about recently starting two new series.

Shouldn‘t be reading novels while I‘m studying, but I picked this up to read on the tram last Friday and what do you know, finished it on Monday. It‘s not great, but I read it rather quickly so I probably enjoyed it a little. I‘m getting a bit sick of books about vampire hunters though, but UF is full of them.

Read this because so many people rave about this series in a UF Facebook group I‘m in. First in Jane Yellowrock series. I was very excited as I started reading it because I was thoroughly enjoying it and getting excited about the prospect of a new series. She shares her body with “Beast”, a large puma, and can shapeshift to Beast at will. She hunts vampires. In the end it was ok. Probably last book for a while as uni semester starts this week.

Aaargh, cliffhangers! I am liking the Sandman Slim books better later on in the series than I did to begin with. In this, SS is engaged by his boss to find a missing child and also engaged by an angel to find out what ‘black milk‘ is, a substance that is causing havoc in heaven. And, lo, the two cases are linked. This was a little less gritty than usual, and I say I like the grittiness of this series but maybe, deep down, I really don‘t.