Cozy Sci-fi Murder Mystery set on a sentient space station

Second book in the Midsolar Murders series.

The station is acting up. Mallory's connection to the Sundry hivemind is on the fritz. There are visitors from Earth, some of whom are from Mallory's past. And, of course, another murder occurs; and all visiting humans have a motive.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#20in4 #readathon
#RushAThon @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

I'm so glad I got the #audiobook! Will Watts was great narrating this accent heavy book with a Scouse MC and 90% secondary characters from Sheffield.

Solid, Alexis Hall M/M #Romance/#RomCom.

Sam is the branch manager of a bed&bathroom store in Sheffield. He has to come to the Croydon branch to meet with the boss. Sam has an accident in the shower stall department and has to stay with his boss Jonathan because of concussion and maybe amnesia. ⬇️

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

1+2) Yes and no. The 'decoration-gene' passed me by. I'm not very skilled and keep the decorations down to fairy lights, a few pine cones here and there, a mini metal tree (cats!) and candles that are either battery operated or in jars/lanterns. I guess it's more Hygge than 🎄

3) can't think of one. Guess I'm more of a Grinch. 😬

First Christmas themed book of the season. Wasn't aware it's a 🎄 book.

I only wanted to listen to it while shopping, but I can't put it down. I loooooooove the Northern accents. My ears are soooo happy right now.

Look how the orange background fits the cover of Defiant!

Relight My Fire - ARC
Defiant - Audio

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#NovelNovember #readathon

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

1) Author's Note: "It has been brought to my attention that authors should probably start including a note at the beginning of their books indicating whether Artificial Intelligence was used in its writing."

2) Prologue: "And with a gasp, she was awake."

3) 1: "The thing about life is that it is fundamentally impossible."

All three "first lines" are good.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#NovelNovember

Www.humblebundle.com has a John Scalzi bundle going.

Unfortunately, Starter Villain is not among the books, but Kaiju Preservation Society is.

#LitsySciFiBookClub #ClassicLSFBC
#SeriesLove2023

@TheSpineView @RamsFan1963

The novella was slightly better than the first book.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#NovelNovember #readathon

This was #MoreMehThanYeah - 600+ pages of bland characters and a plot that didn't make a lot of sense, and talking cats. It was a chore to get through.

Read this #ARC because I liked Butcher's Dresden Files and because the second book in the series was published on 7th November (my next #NetGalley #ARC).

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#NovelNovember #readathon

#ihavequestions @RaeLovesToRead

Tricky questions.

1) one of my favourites is: Blood&Sugar

2) the next Veronica Speedwell

3) I don't really have a favourite trope. Locked Room is good. I also like when there's a "team" of "detectives" where each member brings a unique POV and set of skills.

Finished this cowl while listening to the tagged #audiobook.

It reminded me a lot of two three other #RomCom books I've read this year. So what stood out where the inconsistencies of the MC's character and the cringe-worthy "sex ed" lessons.

I liked the author's other two books, but this one was more: "oh, I've read that in XYZ before" & "Lady, if you're not hung up on it, why do you think about it all day?"

Just started this. The MC is a ghostwriter. Not your typical genre, but thought I should tell you anyway, @Leniverse.

---

Picture shows her feline highness, #GhostCat, sitting on the blanket I had just folded and momentarily put on top of the book cart. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Fourth secret project.

It's a bit Mad Max meets the Cosmere. I fear I should have read some Stormlight books before reading this, at times it felt like I was missing background information.

Not my favourite of the secret projects.

2/5 Stars

#NovelNovember #readathon @Andrew65

This was a bit like Night at the Museum, but with scary supernatural elements. It's set during the height of Covid.

Simon took the position as curator of paleontology at a museum in his hometown. The museum where his sister was abducted from decades ago. He hopes to find out more about what happened to her.

Meanwhile he has to put together a dinosaur skeleton and that leads him to the notebooks of ⬇️

2.5/5 Stars

London, the late 1920s.

Agnes has rooms to let and three possible lodgers to choose from. How will life at No 23 change when she decides to give the rooms to her niece Clara? Or to the banker Mr Thompson? Or the young widow Mrs Mayweather?

Each possibility is explored. Each unveils some of the secrets of the new lodger as well as the secrets of the people already living in the house. Which timeline might have the best outcome for all? ⬇️

#Two4Tuesday

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

1) we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. It's going to be just another Thursday in November. 😉

2) tagged - I'm sure it's not really embodying the spirit of Thanksgiving, but it's probably as close as I think a US Thanksgiving might look like 😜

Would you like to play, @The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead @toric?

#NovelNovember #readathon @Andrew65

The plan, as usual, erode #MountARC. I'll definitely read the 4th instalment of the Stranger Times series (ARC).

I might bail on The Sunlit Man - I'm willing to give it another chapter.

Shall we read The Confidence Men before #NonFictionNovember is out, @Caroline2?

#LitsySciFiBookClub @TheSpineView

Wow, Newitz has quite the imagination! So many great ideas. And also ideas that I found mildly disturbing.

The thing I didn't like about the book, the three timelines. The timelines were connected, but I wanted to spend more time in each of them and felt ripped out of the story when the next part started.

Really looking forward to our discussion.

Soft pick for me.
3/5 ✨

Maybe it's me, but this didn't age well.

I managed about 40%. Just didn't like any of the characters.

I liked Gaiman's introduction. 😜

Second book in The Band series. It can be read as a standalone, though.

Bloody Rose and her band are travelling north to fulfil a contract, instead of fighting The Hoard which is threatening the kingdoms again. The band, Fable, has a new bard who cannot decide whether she wants to be a bard or a merc.

It was interesting being back in the realms of this series, but I liked Kings of the Wyld a bit more.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author.

1) this is tough, there are so many 😂😂😂 I guess my weird sense of humour - being able to see the funny side even if things are tough. (my kids would say this is one of my most annoying quirks, just like being nerdy and geeky)

2) Is it okay to say a neurodiverse character is quirky? If so, then the Cassandra is quirky.
Otherwise, a Pratchett book 😉

Tag, you're it! 😁

Finished earlier this week.

It was just as good as the first book in the War Arts Series.

Spoiler free content summary: The young heroes keep on bumbling about on their way to glory, while the old masters fart about and definitely know better.

Like in a Chinese martial arts film, the fight scenes are epic and beautifully choreographed.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Did you think I'd just put this in a drawer and not read it first?

Well, partly right. I put the signed edition into a drawer, it's a 🎁 after all, and read the eBook. 😁

Read in less than 24 hours. Do I need to say any more?

Okay, it's the prequel story to Legends&Latte. It's about how Viv got her great-sword and found out that a quieter life might suit her.
The epilogue is 'chef's kiss'.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Fresh in.

#BookMail

Going to be a 🎄🎁 for my son.

#OokBOokClub

Just a friendly reminder that next month we'll be reading #TheTimeTravellingCaveman! Dig out your books, put in your library holds, or place your orders! The next Discworld adventure continues on December 8th! Woohoo!

If anyone wants to be tagged/untagged for future posts please let me know! Happy to oblige!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyread

Perfect timing for this book, don't you think?

#OokBOokClub-ers, our Discworld adventure continues TODAY with #FatherChristmasFakeBeard!

Looking forward to our discussion next month!

Happy reading!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyread

#OokBOokClub-ers the lovely @jenniferw88 sent me this picture moments ago.

Not sure about you, but I'm definitely guilty. 😁

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyread

Hello friends! Open discussion is in the FOLLOWING POST marked as spoiler. Find the #TheWitchsVacuumCleaner post & tap "show me" on the spoiler tag to join in the discussion. Join in whenever you can! Today. Tomorrow. Next month! The post will always be up so just tag each other & we'll jump in to discuss with you. Feel free to chat about anything!

#Discworld #SirTerryPratchett #TerryPratchett #PratchettPosse #ReadAlong #BuddyRead #EpicBuddyread

Another #NetGalley #ARC off the #MountARC backlog.

A Christmas-y romance novel that is set mostly in Miami and Columbia. A collaboration for a song brings Cara and Javi together. Both have baggage, of course, which leads to some drama and an eventual HEA.

I didn't care much for either MC. What was interesting though was the insights into the music industry and how Christmas is celebrated in Latin American countries.

Working on my #NetGalley #MountARC - this was published in 2022

This was a #MoreMehThanYeah read for me. I thought the main characters were too much like teenagers who held a grudge against each other for no apparent reason. That's what made the book dreg on for me. The eventual HEA felt weird.

Weekend plans!!!

Thank you, @TrishB! 😘😘😘😘

Waterstones Exclusive Edition

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Grump-Sunshine or even Enemies-to-Lovers sounded good, but this book missed the mark by legions.

Poppy, a matchmaker for a very exclusive agency has to try and find a wife for Tristan, who needs to be married within the next month. So far it sounded plausible. ⬇️

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Inspired by #LittensLoveRomance I pulled out my copy of the tagged book. @StayCurious - unfortunately I didn't get tagged for this book.

It was good. I liked the MC and her family. I wouldn't mind diving back into this universe to read the stories of the secondary characters.

Strangely it has the same bare bones as a 120k story I wrote about a decade ago on a dare (see comments if you're interested).

Thanks for the tag, @kspenmoll

Since I can't list Litsy etc...

Not exactly favourites, but most used/visited.
📱: Gmail, WhatsApp and my Calendar App 😬
💻: Alles-für-Selbermacher (craft supplies, fabric mainly), NetGalley, Google

@dabbe
#TLT

Dr Frederick Albert Cook, son of German immigrants (family name used to be Koch).

" 'Dr. Cook, [...] has a lucky gift of being able to make good and useful things out of strange materials.' "

As a German citizen, born and bred in East Germany, I am reminded of the phrase that someone from East Germany can turn ? into ??. Meaning, the people are resourceful and handy.

Extended #20in4 #readathon @Andrew65

Wanted to write #ARC reviews on #NetGalley to erode #MountARC, but #GhostCat has other ideas. Guess I have to browse NetGalley and request more ARCs. ?

Good thing the laptop can play an #audiobook. Listening to the tagged "Graphic Audio" - was just released.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#20in4 #readathon

Read while having a nice cup of tea.

Enjoyed the artwork of Snider's "Reflections on Mindfulness..."

#GraphicNovel

#20in4 #readathon @Andrew65

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to read all 138 #ARCs on my #NetGalley #MountARC, but I'm hoping to get through a few at least.

Third of the Sanderson secret projects.

A romance, Sanderson/Cosmere style. Not my cup of tea.

#20in4 #readathon @Andrew65

I thought this was going to be a witchy #Romance. It was more spicy chick-lit, though. With a dash of time travel (to the Great Fire of London) and witch politics.

The FMC, Poppy, was supposed to be quirky but felt random to me.

The man-bun wearing MMC, Alex, seemed to pile on backstory the further we got into this.

The saving grace, in my opinion, was Iris, Poppy's landlady, who managed to bury several husbands.

⬇️
#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC

Another #AudioSorbet / #PalateCleanser

Dennis meets his soulmate in a dark alley while she's trying to rescue a kitten from a dumpster.
Ana needs a rebound, but Dennis turns out to be Mr Right. Shame she feels she needs to ghost him when she finds out she's pregnant only three days after their perfect night.

Bonus: a sugar glider named Magic

Book 4 in the series. The day called for it.

#RomCom

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

Found my copy, @Caroline2!!! It was not where I thought I'd left it. Double stacking books can be a curse sometimes. 🙄🙄🙄 It's in a prime position now.

We could make it a part of #NonFictionNovember.

A palate cleanser #RomCom.

Third book in the series. Very slow burn romance, the two MCs knew each other from childhood, but it took them 19 years and a nearly fatal accident to finally find each other. But still it's not easy for the two of them to be together. There's a curse on each of them. There's a teenager who doesn't want another step-parent. There are younger brothers with an opinion. 🙄

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

It dragged a bit in the middle, but I really liked Grace's pilgrimage through London and her memories.

And I'm out. I wanted to like it, despite the rather basic style of writing (reads like a script was turned into prose), but I cannot deal with the historical inaccuracies.

I've checked twice, the book is set in 1579+ with flashbacks to 1560s (childhood and early slave years of the protagonist), it reads like set in the late 18th century.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

I should be reading the already published #ARCs
📚 Hex and the City
📚 Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead

I'm also listening to
🎧 The African Samurai

To borrow from @CSeydel - But what I'm actually doing right now is watching the 13th series of Doctor Who and knitting.

I love the cover. I liked the book. Would have liked to see more of Luna, but it was an 'Alex needs to work on his character arch and chess pieces need to be moved in position' story. So, Alex joins the Keepers as an auxiliary trying to outsmart Richard's behind the scenes moves.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65

#RaisingReaders

He pledged his allegiance two hours ago, now he's reading the tagged short story. I'm proud of the man I've raised.

Just a few pages, but great.

Murderbot before All Systems Red. Murderbot hates planets, hates interacting with humans, just wants to watch Media. Unfortunately the humans around Murderbot might start killing each other any minute now.

#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView @Andrew65