I wanted to like this book, but it was way too much teen romance angst and not enough cool magic. It was interesting to read about the gaikokujin experience in Japan, but I will not continue the series.
Katie moves to Japan and gets invoked with boys who have the magic to control ink and make ink drawings real. The romance and foreigner in Japan are the majority concepts of this book.
1.5/5 stars read for the beautiful illustrations

I love the beautiful edges on this book, and the book was also excellent! A gender swapped gothic novel set in a fantasy world with lots of room for world development.
When the fountain pen collecting Duke escapes his abusive father in law for the witch queen, a case of mistaken identity leads him to be the new Librarian for the dark queen.
5/5 read for slow-ish light spice romance in an interesting fantasy world

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but the writing was confusing. The mystery part was OK, but some of the character actions didn‘t make a lot of sense.
On their honeymoon, a talented engineer and a retired detective must rush to solve multiple murders before the murders are pinned on them.
2/5 read for a fun space close door mystery but expect a lot of gender politics and confusing writing.

The narrator of this edition has a very nice voice - relaxing but not sleep inducing. I don‘t want to hold this book to modern expectations- it‘s two hundred years old. I appreciated learning more about important female figures such as Xenobia, even if the writing was condescending. I think the author had the empire last longer in his history than it actually did.
2/5 stars listen rather than read this for a classic historical work

I wanted a book that described the various animals that were supposed to be highlighted, instead it‘s a lot of philosophical stuff and I‘m not into that. I love random facts, but not belly gazing.

The mystery was well done but the main character is SUCH a wet blanket.
A scholarship student faced racism and classism at a fancy elite boarding school and when someone starts killing people she and the other scholarship student have to solve it so they can keep their scholarships and for reasons.
1/5 I don‘t recommend it, I think there are better versions of this kind of story

Combines a lot of regency tropes with some interesting American focused issues and ideas and builds on the magical world Lackey originally set around WW1 England.
Amelia and her cousin come to England to help expand the family business and learn about Regency England customs while meeting eligible magicians.
4.5/5 read for a regency magical romance that‘s more focused on social issues than romance. Lackey packs a lots into this book, expertly.

A retired detective and his daughter run a successful food recreation restaurant and the new customers bring forward stories of loss, love, misunderstandings and valuing the gifts you have along with painfully good descriptions of food.
5/5 stars, read for a collection of short stories that will remind you of the power of food to shape one‘s life. I also really enjoy the traditional food ware described, it‘s fun to look each piece up for images.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but there were too many plot holes and the main character was extremely irritating.
Jayne is recruited by the CIA‘s magic book division when her magic is activated during her work as a librarian. She‘s rushed to Ireland in hopes that she‘ll bound with an ancient book that holds an a powerful magician and prevent a terrorist organization from getting it first.
1/5 read for a poorly executed good idea.

This was a fun read, I was surprised by it in a good way.
Roger was killed and the list of suspects is long, but a H. Poirot is requested and delivers his unique brand of mystery solving in a timely and detailed manner with a pop at the end.
4/5 stars. Well written, good characters and a good story. I didn‘t get the twist until it popped in the book.
I am not a huge Disney fan; but this Lego villains set was super fun and 90s kid nostalgia won

This was good, but lacked some character development - expected with a more YA style of writing.
Mina must navigate being a stepmother to a girl whose father wants a copy of the dead wife he loves and Lynette must learn to be who she is while both must battle other‘s expectations and dark magic.
3/5 Read for a tale of family trauma and family you build with light amounts of magic

An interesting take on fairy tales and the power of the belief and magic. Interesting writing and ideas, not too dark but definitely a fairy tale.
The woodcutter must try to solve the mystery of where the magic is going and restore balance to the world.
3/5 read if you want a more abstract tale of the magic of belief and the power that secrets can hold.

I finished for a buddy read and I have to say I really didn‘t care for it. Anything that starts with a spoiled rich person who is bored with their life is going to be hard for me for to like and this is one of those books.
Spoiled lady with a rough family uncovers what may or may not be many secrets and plots with some ties to ecoterrorism and the end of the world-ish.
0/5 Read if you like spoiled rich people who are nihilistic.

This book was way too caught up on the will they, won‘t they, they can‘t and it really derailed the story and made it difficult to remember what the characters are trying to accomplish.
Sage decides to step into the role of Apprentice, discovers family she thought was lost, and her feelings for the Villain deepen.
2.75/5 Some good side character development, but not enough movement in the plot. Will still read the next book in the series

I wanted to like this book, but I felt that the characters were two dimensional and the story wasn‘t very interesting. I did appreciate that the author didn‘t follow the typical 3rd act upset for the plot.
A baker and a bookstore owner are forced to share a workspace which leads to them realizing their feelings for each other.
1/5 read for a cute concept and if you want boring characters

Probably the best YA book I‘ve read-good writing and digs DEEP into current issues facing humanity and I was shook about how good this book is.
In a perfect world created by a benevolent AI, humans must still die, and humans are the ones who choose who and how other humans die-The Scythes are the only human controlled organization left. Two teens chosen by an old guard Scythe must contend with the rising corruption.
5/5 read this book

Another excellent book but I will be so mad if this is truly the last book in the series. This book doesn‘t finish all the plots and I really want that!
Charolette will pull together a lot of diverse threads to bring about the reunion of people that are loved by her clients, friends, and family and to avoid going to prison for murder.
4/5 I need to reread the series in order for this book and I really really don‘t want the series to end this way

I liked this better, but if‘s not as good as the first book. The MC is more realistic and pragmatic than some of the other MCs in the series which I appreciate.
Catriona is confronted with a man who wants to repatriate historical artifacts that her father helped to review. She must decide how much to give to the Cause and if she can find a man to lobe who will accept her as she is.
3/5 stars read for historical accuracy and interesting characters

This is a very sweet book about a librarian who flees the city where she worked protecting spell books with a crate of books back home to a remote island. There is a lot of growth for the introverted MC and the argument about freedom of information is a bit heavy handed, but it‘s still nice to read.
4.5/5 well written and full of positive things while still having a good story.

This book is incredibly well written, super believable character, including a librarian with actual research skills, and a lovely story of the damage families can do and how people can learn to heal. Beautiful and I‘m buying a ton of the authors other books.
Hired to work as an authors assistant and bookstore employee, Emily is starting a new life with a new perspective and meets her love and family on three way.
5/5 read for emotions

A high fantasy romance novel that is a little too romance for this to be a great book for me, but it was a good read and a very interesting world.
A cursed prince falls for a cursed stepdaughter of a vassal king. They must try to break their curses while avoiding the plots of demons and empresses.
4/5 read for a high fantasy romance that is more realistic about the skills needed to be an assassin than most female assassin books.

This book force feeds academic theories with little evidence beyond the authors‘ opinions. I wanted a close look at the Matsutake mushroom, instead I got many long theory papers without proper citations.
Read for a biased look at the social & cultural world of Matsutake & for even more bias around the science. Some basic mushroom biology is included
1/5 Skim this book if you want to learn about Matsutake mushrooms; read for academic theory

This was a fascinating world, obviously written by yet another person scarred by Academia. The format of letters and emails about letters written by other characters was hard to read and while I appreciate Neuro-diverse representation those parts made the letters very boring and too long.
Two siblings decide to create an archive to try to understand why their two siblings are gone.
2/5 read for a fascinating world, with scifi & steampunk vibes

This starts slow but gets very good. The author makes very interesting worlds while also developing the characters.
Else is a child of a written world, and when her mother is captured and taken to Earth, she flees to one of the only people she trusts, who takes her to a home for children with abilities & makes friends slowly and develops a plan to save her mom.
4/5 stars, read for a unique book based story with smart characters.

This was an interesting read, I appreciated the translation of old English and the call numbers of the books cited.
The book provides a lot of information about manuscripts and the people who requested, paid for, made, and saved them.
4/5 stars, read for a mix of medieval history, history of the book, and an exploration of the British Manuscripts currently available

Another good book, but you have to read the book before this to pick up on the plot threads. I didn‘t care for the time jumping, but it was only in short interludes so I guess that OK.
Mercy‘s brother shows up under a curse and she and Adam go to try to convince the power that cursed him to release him, which leads to a major Norse Myth inspired snowed-in mystery-ish.
4/5 dense but good-great characters, good plot, good world building.

I just can‘t with this book. If you are Sansei and from CA how do you NOT know about Internment? The author totally skipped over concentration camp experience and ensuing generational trauma and I am NOT ok with that. If the MC was Shin-Sansei, that would make sense, but she‘s not. Also, the MC is maybe 18 and dating someone who is at least 23. Not cool.
1/5 I wouldn‘t recommend reading this. Comments continued below.

This book packed a whole lot into a single book and the ending was not very satisfying, but overall a good read.
El learns the very dark secret of how the enclaves that protect wizards from monsters are made and meets the woman who is the dark sorceress she‘s tried her whole life to NOT become leading to unexpected and painful revelations.
4/5 a good finish except for the kind of lame ending.

This book suffered from middle book problems but was still interesting and well written, just not as much as the first.
El wants to save all the students at the school and decides to work with unexpected allies to make the world safer.
3.5/5 read for more world building, LOTS of character growth, but not much movement plot wise compared to the 1st and 2nd book. Warning : Cliffhanger ending get the 3rd book at the same time

This is a younger book than normal for me, so maybe better for younger reader. I appreciated that the author didn‘t try to add in a bunch of silly things about twins, which I‘m told by twins is very frustrating.
Penelope and Persephone must contend with their first season as their governess and magic teacher goes missing. Dark plots are afoot and they must save their teacher and hopefully meet Princess Victoria.
2/5 younger readers might enjoy

I loved this book, I really related to the MC and throughly enjoyed the authors take on a Magic School.
El must try to navigate a school filled with monsters and monstrous teens as she denied her destiny and tries to be a good person. Relationships form, alliances are made, and lots of monsters are killed.
5/5 read for a first person narrative of a deadly school where magic is both burden and power

I felt like there was a lot that could have been edited in this book, but the writing was descent and the world was OK.
Lor is taken from her prison to compete in the Sun Queen trials and no one will answer her questions as to how and why. She must survive against Fae who‘ve trained for this even their whole lives and succeed so she can rescue her siblings.
2/5 MC was realistic but not very interesting and the story was rushed in some odd places

I 💜 this book so much, it‘s a true fantasy book but written with such a wonderful emphasis on the development of a healthy relationship between the characters that it was almost frustrating because I want a relationship like that but will never have it.
A former queens guard and the most powerful mage in the world escape to a small town to open a tea and bookshop. 5/5 Dragons, politics, love, and friendships combine like a warm reading blanket

I wanted to like this book and I wanted this book to be helpful and/or interesting but it was mostly just name dropping and personal experiences which is not what I wanted. I wanted to understand why people like authoritarianism, but the author kept complaining how her former friends wouldn‘t speak to her so she doesn‘t understand why they like authoritarianism.
0/5 stars, didn‘t learn much of anything and only finished in hopes that I would

This was much better than I expected and went really far into a pretty cool world of demons. I imagine if you‘re a fan of Buffy this would be right up your alley.
When students at her school start to act strange and her best friend becomes unhealthily obsessed with the new librarian, Cynthia learns that she‘s immune to demon influences and decides to fight for her friend.
4/5 good plot, interesting characters and good world building

The depiction of academia in this book is sadly accurate, but it‘s even more mean in real life.
Olive fake dates a tenured professor and is just shocked when things get complicated for her at work. I really didn‘t like how toxic her friendships seemed to be and I didn‘t like Olive either. Adam was a super researcher which I loved, he was the only character I liked.
2/5 stars read for accurate academic setting but lame characters

This was a bit repetitive and could be a bit slow in places, but it was really interesting and I learned a lot. I think it‘s a great introduction the intersection of psychology and anthropology.
Main take away: People are emotional creatures who are group focused and republicans are way better at appealing to that than democrats.
3/5 read for a dense psychological look at human behavior and American political habits

I enjoyed the dog world focus is this book, but it was just too slow for me. It‘s a first person narrative, which I don‘t read a lot of, set at the beginning of the internet which I enjoy reading about, but I need a faster paced book.

I enjoyed this book, which I didn‘t know was a zombie book. It definitely had some I Am Legend vibes but for a new generation.
Melanie and some not so great adults try to make it to Beacon, a city of humans where Melanie might not be welcome but where she might save countless lives.
3/5 I really liked this book until the end - which I I thought was a good ending to the story but was not well explained nor well described.

One of my new favorite books! I found this book touching and beautiful, but I can see where maybe some of the translation didn‘t catch the nuance for people who aren‘t Japanese/very familiar with Japanese culture.
A retired detective runs a restaurant with his daughter. They also run a special agency that will recreate a meal based on people‘s memories.
5/5 read this for lovely descriptions of food and the power it has to change people.

This is a good system, I think better designed for puppies that really care about their people than Akitas (they are very independent) but still has some useful information and training options.
3/5 stars informative and helpful with lots of photos and exercise suggestions

I liked this way more than I thought I would. I am extremely upset that it ends on a cliff hanger and I have to wait years for the series to finish.
Evie takes a job with the man known as the Villain in her kingdom and ends up loving her job for more than the steady pay check she desperately needs. While she tries to deal with romance she will also have to catch the person betraying them all.
5/5 read for a slow burn romance & fantasy fun

This is a good introduction to Japanese horror and provided a lot of detail on the history of the cat myths as well as example stories. The illustrations were also nice.
3/5 read for good history of mythology but don‘t expect a lot of lyricism in the tales.
I finally started unpacking all of the little treasure for my living room!

This short book is very concise and covers every aspect for someone looking to buy a draft horse, but it doesn‘t provide much detail and was not very fun to read.
I wanted more about the history of draft horses, and more about the different types. I really wanted more photos.
1/5 I don‘t recommend except for a very horse obsessed girl who can‘t find other books on the topic.

I enjoyed this book, and thought the idea of the Heiress of Rosing Park being drugged into oblivion was a very interesting and unique idea for how Anne is in P&P.
Anne is drugged from the time she‘s a small baby and when she claims her independence, she discovers that she has much to learn and much to live for.
4/5 this focuses on the story before and after P&P which was somewhat disappointing but is well written and engaging.

This book is incredibly accurate - watch The Chair, read this, and you will be prepared for the hellscape that is Academia - but be warned it‘s worse than depicted.
Henry is given notice that his contract will not be renewed and this leads to the twisty and long mechanizations that build the ivory tower. Who will be caught in the web? Who will be eaten? And who will be exiled?
4/5 beautiful writing and very accurate

This book is surprisingly a good portrait of academia, even though it‘s quite old. I found this passage about certain types of students to be accurate. It‘s missing the part about how often these kinds of students get mad at us when we tell them they have to actually do the work themselves

Read to understand how democracies fail, and the many threats to democracy in the USA. Key takeaways are: political norms hold democracies in place and as polarization increases, parties lose the ability to hold to political norms and democracies die; people need to form broad coalitions; and people make the decisions that kill or revived democracy.
4/5 compelling & informative. Aloy tried to eat this book. I think unions should be considered key

I listened to this on audible, and it was really good. The narrator sang the songs and I think that helped add a lot to the story.
Seraphina must navigate being half dragon, a forbidden person who must hide constantly, when political intrigues and romances threaten not only her existence, but the peace between the kingdoms.
4/5 read for a smart, interesting MC, with light romance and complicated family. Good world building.

Joanna was an amazing woman and was one of the only women to inherit her kingdom in her own right. She brought as much peace and prosperity as her horrible husbands would allow and her kingdom flourished into a power under her strong rule after her horrible husbands died.
The book gets deep into papel politics as Joanna played a surprisingly big role in the history of the Catholic Church.
3.5/5 fascinating but bogged in church politics