This intergenerational story about family secrets, sisterhood, the masks people wear/the roles they play, reputation, & family honor never quite came together for me. In Korea, 105 year-old Hak Jeonga receives news that has her, & much to her dismay her sisters, rushing to America to deal with some family problems. At stake is the revelation of long held secrets that could shake the family. A low pick for me—I just wanted more from the story.

Today‘s reading…

This first book in a fantasy trilogy is not without its flaws—solid, not great writing, a predictable storyline with familiar characters, an over reliance on various types violence—and yet I was entertained and will undoubtedly continue with the series. Sometimes you just want to escape into another world, even one filled with danger, betrayal, secrets, and death. This one worked for my brain right now. A fast, fun read.

Started this one yesterday. So far I am entertained.

Such a gorgeous edition—particularly the illustrations that are scattered throughout the book. Unfortunately, the story is not as compelling as the artwork. The biggest problem, for me, is that the relationship at the center of everything is not believable & because it isn‘t, the story loses emotional depth. A lot of action takes place off the page which also doesn‘t work. It‘s the author‘s debut & there‘s potential but this was just ok.

Long weekends are made for reading…

I think this may be one of my favorite covers of the year.

Fantastic maps, illustrations throughout. This is a gorgeous edition. Hopefully it‘s an entertaining read too.

This ponderous, philosophical exploration of love, academia, rivalry, existence, magic, science (& more) will likely be a love/hate it read for many people. And then there will be those in the middle like me— it‘s well-written but in the story of Alice‘s journey to Hell to find the professor she killed, Kuang is more focused on philosophy & esoteric discussions than she is character development & emotional depth. In the end, a low pick for me.

First, let me just say this book is really pretty. Gorgeous edition.

It‘s also really good. Kuang is a fantastic writer & 70 pages in, this is great…except for one thing that is really annoying. She borrowed the name of an object from another really well-known IP for something in her book & it is hugely distracting, pulls me out of the story distracting. It‘s not quite as bad as having the characters armed with lightsabers but it‘s close. Sigh.

Books about assassins doing what assassins do shouldn‘t be this fun or entertaining but Isaka‘s gift is making you care about them as characters—or at least definitely pick a favorite that you root for & who you hope will survive. As in Isaka‘s other books, the body count is high, the laughter more frequent than it probably should be, & the pace frenetic leaving characters very little time to make life & death choices. Very entertaining read.

Next up. Isaka‘s books never disappoint so I‘m anticipating another entertaining read. 🤞

The king‘s daughter is dying & no one knows why. Many suspect it‘s poison which is why, Healer Anja looks up from her work one day to find the king standing in front of her. She reluctantly agrees to help him & soon finds herself in a world of adventure, danger & intrigue. With a pair of guards to keep her safe, a talking cat, & a defiant Princess, Anja finders herself surrounded by friend & foe. The solution is entertaining & this is a fun read.

A “dark reimagining” of Snow White by T. Kingfisher? Yes please!

(Also, this green is amazing!)

Wow, this book is filled with vile, absolutely horrible people & I couldn‘t put it down. Historical fiction (when there was a king) set in Newfoundland, this book reminded me of Withering Heights & what happens when pure unbridled passion, envy, jealousy, & anger permeate a character‘s every moment, every motivation. The story starts with a power play that sweeps everyone along towards an inevitable, devastating end. Moody, dark, excellent.

Vol 6 in fact…which isn‘t in Litsy. 🤨🤷‍♀️ Or maybe it is & I just didn‘t see it…either way, a little extra reading time this afternoon is helping me make progress on my TBR stacks. From team competition, this volume moves onto individual competition which you have to win if you want to stay in Blue Lock. Isaki is more than ready for his test but what comes after, if he makes it, might be even more difficult. Another great, tension filled volume.

Actually Vol. 13…

Fantastic, heart-pounding, world-on-the-edge-of-total-destruction conclusion to a great series. Jinwoo Sung has one last battle to fight and it‘s going to take everything he has to save the people he loves…oh yeah, and the world too. Epic battles, snarky bad guys (lots and lots of them), and tough decisions. Super fun read and best of all the story is going to continue with a new generation. Can‘t wait to read more!

Just started this. It‘s the first book I‘ve read by this author…I can already tell, it won‘t be the last. Really enjoying it so far.

As always, Krueger‘s talents as a storyteller are on full display in this stand-alone mystery about a man looking back on one of his childhood summers when death stalked his small town. It‘s not my favorite of his books but I did really enjoy it. Family, community, prejudice, acceptance are prominent themes. Great characters, fantastic setting, & secrets which are slowly revealed leading to a devastating conclusion. Another good read.

I think it‘s just time to admit that I really enjoy sports manga—even when I don‘t particularly like the sport at the center of the story. 😬🤷‍♀️ This series continues to be very entertaining as a group of young soccer players compete in a series of team & individual challenges in order to become the best striker in Japan. Surprisingly tense, filled will rivalries, betrayals, camaraderie & more this is a fun, really readable story.

Saturday morning reading

While I didn‘t enjoy this one quite as much as the first book in the series—its uses some tropes I‘m generally not that fond of—it does hold its own with the promise of more to come (& it does give you enough reason to keep reading). The trickster god Seokga is biding his time going to therapy when he isn‘t brooding while he searches for his lost love. When he finds her…it‘s complicated…then there‘s a murder…overall, an entertaining read.

Nothing better than a little reading before the family wakes up. I really enjoyed the first book in this series and am excited to see what happens next.

Two decades after her parents were murdered, Saffron Killoran gets her chance at revenge. But at what cost? She‘ll have to give up everything she knows, leave everything behind, become the very thing she hates to be. And it won‘t be easy because everyone, friends & enemies, has secrets which could change everything if revealed. First in a new series, this was a fun read. Interesting world, good characters plus danger, adventure, mayhem…

Anya is the best—so much fun spending time with these characters, it almost doesn‘t matter what‘s happening. The good news is, however, lots going on with this one—the Forgers get snowed in & have to deal with a murderer, Anya wins a stella, she competes for the right to dance with Damian, and we learn more about the headmaster‘s backstory. Love this series and am, needless to say, looking forward to vol. 15!

Starting this one tonight

Love discovery new bookstores—especially while on vacation. Visited Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis on a friend‘s recommendation. Fabulous store. I picked up the tagged book and The Adversary by Michael Crummy. Definitely worth a visit.

Ray Bradbury mysteries for some weekend reading…

Just as soon as I started this one, I knew it would be a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. As much as I liked the first one, I liked this one even more. If you like your fantasy with a healthy dose of murder & mayhem & mystery solving, you‘ll likely enjoy this series. Fantastic setting (really great world building) & two absolutely wonderful characters who bicker & complain & sleuth their way to the truth make this a really fun read. Can‘t wait for the next one!

Ultimately this book is less about silk than it is about the men & women who chased all over the world collecting & studying the moths that produce it. It does provide a good overview of that & you do meet lots of interesting characters. But… the author makes some choices that reveal important gaps in her research & understanding of the regions/time periods covered in her book which is disappointing. As a result, I can‘t recommend this one.

I really liked the first book in the series and am excited to start this one.

My first book in this series (although it‘s not the first book in the series) & I have to say I really enjoyed. Fantastic setting (Iceland), great characters, loads of family issues providing distraction from the crime itself and getting it solved. The crime itself has deep roots and solving it will require delving into and exposing some long hidden secrets. I‘ll definitely be reading more books in the series.

Today‘s reading for work…

This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy (with an ending that leaves room for a spin-off series). Stakes couldn‘t be higher, trust couldn‘t be in shorter supply, & there couldn‘t possibly be any more corners for betrayal to lurk behind. Corland‘s series, inspired by Korean myth & legend, is a fast-paced entertaining read with an interesting setting, intriguing magic system, & great characters. I‘ll read more by this author.

Beautiful design (my favorite of the three books) for the concluding volume of this fantasy trilogy. Just arrived and of course I have to dive right in!

Just starting the third book in the series but after reading the first two, it‘s easy to see why this series is so popular. Much like Fence (a comic about a high school fencing team), this series ratchets up the rivalry, tension, drama (you name it) as a group of three hundred teenagers compete to become Japan‘s next great striker (who, it is hoped, will lead them to a World Cup championship). Great cast of characters, entertaining story.

Just as the NYT said, this is a super fun summer read. When her estranged (billionaire) father dies, Alice Storm returns to the viper pit that is her family home for the first time in 5 years—so you know this is going to be a whole lot of no fun. A handsome stranger & an unforgettable night is all she has to fortify herself ahead of a week of squabbling family, secrets, her father‘s ridiculous will & more. Don‘t overthink it, just enjoy the read.

The NYT review of this book made it sound like the perfect summer read…and so far (three chapters in) it is. Entertaining so far.

This one had me a little tiny bit teary—Higashino does an excellent job of getting you invested in the lives, emotions, motivations (you name it) of his characters & because he does, as the story unfolds & secrets are revealed, it‘s impossible not to care. The truth in the is one hits hard…in the best way. Pacing is deliberate, it‘s a character study more than a murder mystery. If you want lots of action, this isn‘t the book but it‘s a great read.

I‘ve probably seen this cover before?!? I don‘t know, maybe not…regardless, it caught my attention today and I thought I‘d share it because no matter how many times you see it, it‘s a cool cover.

Murder and mayhem in Japan tonight…

From the moment Sheriff Brody Dern sees the body of Jimmy Quinn, he knows something isn‘t right. Suicide, murder, accident—everyone has a different theory but if it was murder, everyone knows who did it. Or thinks they do… Unraveling the truth of that night will expose secrets, reveal simmering prejudices, & pull in the innocent & not so innocent. Another wonderful story with a fantastic setting & wonderful characters. Krueger never disappoints.

Started this today and I just have to say, Krueger always comes with the hook—immediately—that makes the book impossible to put down. Anyway, yeah, it‘s off to a great start.

This book is the title—it is ALL about want, longing, envy, jealousy, passion & how those emotions shape friendship (between best friends Ye Lian & Luo Wenyu) & love/marriage (architect Song Chen & his wife Fan). None of the characters are particularly likable but the author provides just enough reason to keep turning the page. Commentary about social media runs throughout the story which also tackles displacement & belonging. A solid debut.

Starting Monday with this one…

Kept distracting myself with other things this past week which meant it took a little while to read this book…Even more entertaining than I expected, I enjoyed this story about Gabriel de Leon, the last of the silversaints, who is forced to tell his story to a jailer desperate to pry some very important information from him. Lots of action (and death), vampires, betrayal, adventure, love, danger—as I said, an entertaining fast paced story.

Vampires today…

An entertaining read. It‘s a familiar story—a pair of best friends, one is murdered & the survivor soon becomes the main suspect but is never charged due to insufficient evidence. A true crime podcast decides to investigate the case & maybe now the truth will come out. Plenty of possible culprits, including the surviving friend, leave you guessing until the end which, if I have a complaint, wrapped up quickly & a little easily. Fast, fun read.

😂

Me! I have the patience for reading…although in truth, the rule for my irl book club is you don‘t have to read/finish the book but you do have to be ok with spoilers…

I enjoyed this story although entirely too many words were used to tell it—I skimmed sections of it without losing any of the plot. Elliott is an excellent world builder, something on full display in this fantasy about a deputy courier who must escort a prince on a journey fraught with danger, secrets, & murder. Entertaining but occasionally dense, this is the first in a duology. I liked it enough it‘s a pick & to look forward to the next book.

Finished building the Balrog book nook yesterday. I imagine it will be folded up on a shelf (exactly where it‘s supposed to be) most of the time but it is also designed to open up…and I have to say, the Balrog looks super cool when it‘s open. This was a fun, fast build. I hope Lego decides to do more book nooks. I would definitely find space on my shelves for them. 😂

Today‘s reading…