@Clwojick #pantone2023
This series! I absolutely love this series.
Liu and Takeda have created a very intricate and vast web of different arcs that involve such a wide cast of characters, plots, treasons, reasons, and emotions that create some amazing moments in the series and I am living for it!
The amount of reveals that I got in this volume was just amazing as is the continuing world building that Liu is working on as we're at the Dusk Court!

@Andrew65 I'm calling it here for #20in4!
And I'm pretty proud of what I managed in between work, cleaning, laundry and running errands since Friday.
Better than I thought I finished 2 reads, more than halfway through on another and I I caught up with some fanfiction so all in all, much better than I thought.

I love when one books ticks off so many reading challenges!
This book was highly detailed, well written and the alternate chapters between mother and daughter really sets the pace to see the similarities between both women even when they didn't have each other at their sides.
Kudos to Gordon for writing a fantastic memoir to both women, highlighting their lives and work and how we almost lost them to history.

@Clwojick #pantone2023 #23in2023

I completed my first book bingo last year and just caught it!
Beyondthedustjacket over on Tumblr had this book bingo going on last year that I decided to join
This reminds me I have books to review and rate 🤣

Overall the story had some great potential but what bothered me, and right from the beginning, is that the MC has been working at the library and "adores" it but it's not until it's threatened, felt a need to do something for it!

The narrator was great. She had a great warmth about her that showed across all the characters and different tones and characterizations as she voiced the whole cast but she couldn't save it.

I've read and listened to this one and it's a favorite to reread!
This full cast version was quite honestly beautiful to listen to. Highly recommend to anyone and all.

It's easy to say that I want more of Gwendolyn Christie and this narration she did has just made me fangirl some more. It's a well done narration from the entire cast and I loved all 57 minutes of it. SO much that I wish there was more to listen to.

For years I honestly thought it was a stand alone within the same universe, years apart from The Three Musketeers, that's what I get for not reading the book blurb 🤣 thanks @SerialReader for this one!
Here are older heroes, showcased in their ages with wisdom, loyalty, and friendship, grounded in that very realism as I heard their weariness as well as their bodies failing them here and there throughout some fight scenes.

#pantone2023 @Clwojick

I should preface this with my love of werewolves. I don't know what it is exactly but I just love books with them and this was no exception!

The duo perspective between Mateo and Evie was great as I got to be in both of their shoes throughout the story and read how they fall for each other through their witty dialogue, quirky and nerdy one-liners, their heartfelt conversations, and getting to know each other for a slow burn shifter romance!

Daphne took me for some twists and turns and even now, to be honest, not sure what to think about the evolution that the MC went through. By the halfway mark, as Daphne started to let her darker thoughts get the better of her, it felt like whatever progression made was for nothing, and Daphne regressed and almost gladly, let go of the pretense of intimacy.

Maybe falling in love isn't for all and Boast explored that in this debut book.

My first Nikita Gill read on my much loved Greek Myths and it didn't disappoint!

I enjoyed all of the poems but nothing brought me such joy as reading her take on Hephaestus 💕

Koutarou, my dude, boundaries!
The boy had never heard of the word, much less its definition, because although Asako is hyper-aware and ashamed of her body odor, it drives Koutarou just batty in the "Where is that scent coming from?!? I need to KNOW!" because rather than drive him away, it entices him.

Which works out because Koutarou is a perfume genius and his run in with Asako leads them into quite a bit of a thing ??

I loved this from the minute I opened the book! The opening illustration had won me over with the depiction of varying body types and people that are so much closer to real life.

Love did a great job of highlighting body shapes and differences as the illustrations do the bulk of the talking here as we watch Julián and his Abuela in a slice of life moment that ensures his imagination.

I found this memoir to be such an eye-opener. I had no idea about her growing years or background aside from being a Latina and the voice behind Cruz in Pixar's Cars 3, which I loved, so listening to her narrate her memoir is a bit heartbreaking to hear.

I really got to know more on Cristela than I ever could have anticipated and I just want to give her the biggest hug after listening to this.

Harris wrote a very magical book that hooked me from the opening paragraph with its lush descriptions and details.

The characters were an interesting mix of views and traits that were real and fantastical within the word building of this sleepy town.

The awkwardness that Linda Šejić created in her Hades character is just precious and I love him. I mean he's been in love with a girl for two centuries and has had made no moves or intentions towards said girl whereas said girl has been crushing on him back and has no idea of his name or who he is, much less that he's Hades so it's beautiful, and realistic, and they're just precious.

It was well written and beautifully inspired by Jane Austen.

Jenner has a beautiful way of writing that depicted different characterizations that reminded me, in some instances of Austen's work, but not to copy or be in comparison of, but just like a nod to them, while creating great depth and characterization to each one that I just couldn't help but find loveable - Except for Jack.

Well done in terms of the back and forth between present and past as well as the character perspectives that shaped how the story unfolded. Foley kept me on my toes trying to guess who it was so the reveal was very well done and I liked that it was presented further in the story, right towards the end.

I absolutely loved reading this one the first time that I went out of my way to go get my own copy.

Howl is just sooooo and then Sophie is just enough of her own person so be able to just deal with him that they work together. Even when they're arguing, there's this undertone of appreciation and respect for the other that I missed the first time but noticed on the re-read.

Out of the whole series, this was probably the funniest one, and that's all due to Vinnie being just Vinnie.

He's a little outrageous, funny, and such a cinnamon roll under all that muscle that I enjoyed reading him fall in love with a woman so the opposite of him, not just in age but characterization.

My second favorite book of the series, hands down!

I read this thinking I was going to get more Angelo or maybe a quick novella featuring him and his first wife, Marissa, but it was a different thing all together.

This was an odd mishmash of the Gallo family and an introduction to their cousins and that side of the family.
This one felt like a throwaway to me. It introduced another branch of the Gallo family that I'm not gravitating towards, so I might look for more of Bliss' work at my library.

finally got around to reading this one! It only too me forever to get to it but that's on me and not the author. I needed to be in the mood for a quick, insta-love kind of book and I was finally in the mood.
Never having read anything by Bliss, I wasn't sure what to expect but the book sounded like a quick read with a damsel in distress trope, sprinkled in with a cinnamon roll of a man that could kill and some flirting and I was sold.

It's been a long time and a lot has happened, all not great so I took the time needed away to get a handle on it and reading was my escape so fair warning I have a lot of books to review and very little pics taken so that's what I'll be doing.

Sorry that I was away for as long as I was but sometimes it's needed. I've missed this community so much 💕

I was super psyched to realize that this was Angelo's book - It was his time to lead one.

I fell in love with Angelo back in book one, Maneuver, and watched him on the sidelines come across as this stoic, quiet guy, which he is, this man has layers! Layers!

Angelo is by far my favorite Gallo, and I am a tad jealous of Tilly. That's a problem since she's fictional, and he's fictional, but there it is.

Chelle Bliss, I can feel, is gonna be one of those authors I can go to when I'm looking for a quick-paced romance.

Not a big fan of the mafia family trope, but this was a solid read with the opposites attract trope added in.

I came into this book because I loved Stjepan's other comics like Sunstone and Death Vigil so I knew what I could have expected in this volume, and he didn't disappoint but what I wasn't ready for was the cameo appearance which was such a fun surprise.
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#pantone2022 #popsugarreadingchallenge #ReadHarder

⭐⭐⭐⭐
It starts at the end - a tragic end that the writer unravels in reverse for us to read as Kurniawan sets the story of two families, interlocked onto each other that we only understand the further into the book we follow and by then we're back at the ending.

This was such a different book from what I usually read that I couldn't help but be drawn in.

So it's been a while since I posted anything, and that was me taking time away to handle some things and mourn. A lot has happened, and it's been slow going for months, but I'm getting there.

And I have a lot to post and some books to review, and I will but slowly. So coming to the end of March, and this is where I'm at...
February wasn't a great reading month, and March was better, so hopefully, April will pick up.

This volume collects all five single issues, but it feels like there's essential buildup missing. I can't help but feel that from issue 1's, this might be a haunted house idea, to issue 4 in which the house isn't haunted as the MC, finds out since she's not just sharing the space with this entity but maybe dating him? It? Them?

I liked where it was going, but I do feel that a few more issues to create buildup and tension would have helped.

What a different take on this genre and I can't help but just cheer Maude on! She's a great character - a no-nonesense, woman in her late 80's, enjoying life and all it has to offer and has no problem with a little murder here and there.
Such a bold a low-ley devious woman that I never want to cross but somehow admire because of it. These short stories have got me interest in more about her, her misadventures and the fools trying to stop her.

Told from two different perspectives in the third person POV, that right from the start what I think won't work, does and it's intriguing as the story develops and the differences between them is just what the other characters needs without realizing it. What I thought was a small connection between them, is so much grander than I could have expected, which in turn made everything else more interesting and reminded me of Allen's other books.

This sounded like a run of the mill regency romance in which there's a wallflower spinster who happens upon a mysterious man with a past but the blurb never once mentioned that A) the heroine is a lock pick 2) the dialogue between the couple is just delicious, like the darkest of chocolates 3) Felicity Faircloth is not a wallflower spinster she is so much more and once Devil sees her for who she is...well no wonder bargains are made 😉

4⭐

I came into this book all thanks to Fangirl. The small hints and opening chapters in that one book intrigued me to know what it was about Simon Snow that had Cather writing for hours and ignoring everything.
She gave me a great Chosen One story that had adventure and magic, but it had great dialogue, which I loved the best! It feels familiar but not, new and yet old. This was a story worthy of Cather writing fanfics of.

I managed to read 18/24 books from my tbr this year which is amazing considering sometimes I only read 1 or 2 in a year!

So I'll be uploading those before the year ends but I managed to beat my reading goal of 75 books so reading-wise, I did better than I expected 😁🎉

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year and wishing everyone a better 2022 and good things to come 🎉

Coming to this from watching the films, there are so many differences, especially in terms of the Lost World. Man, were we cheated terribly in that film adaptation. Cheated!! Sarah Harding was such a badass in the book.

Much like Crichton, a lot of scientific details to make it all plausible and natural within the scope of the fantasy without losing the reader. Both books were entertaining, detailed, and yes filled with science and dinosaurs.

This was pretty good.
Not going to lie - I am older than the intended demographic for this but I wanted more pirating!

Overall it was fun and wrapped up the story arc nicely as well as answered some questions from the first book but I do think it's a shame the the last 3 chapters captivated me more than the entirety of the book.

This was just the perfect mix of a standoffish grump and sunshine, black coffee and hearts on the sleeve, and it was everything I wasn't expecting and found loving it. The storyline was solid, the details were great, but what I loved the most were 1) the body positivity as the MC is a plus-size woman, 2) older representation in romance, 3) Consent and communication!!!

I'm kicking myself for having had this in the shelf for so long! How dare I?

I fell in love with the detailing and the dialogue between all the characters. I just can‘t believe that the dragon set himself to be a grumpy princess, what with him hiding in a tower and all, but this goes to show that even dragons need rescuing.

I was promised portals and dragons and the author delivered on both! A but of a slow start but after a few pages, I was totally entertained. Pretty good start of a new series.

Big thanks to Brett Salter for this fun middle grade read.

This time around it seems that she has something that is wanted by a mysterious fae who will do anything to get it, including hurting people that Mercy loves. On top of that, Mercy is still struggling with her feelings towards Adam and the pack from the last book, giving her something else to think about.⁠
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Like I said, trouble loves Mercy.⁠
. . . . .⁠
#21in2021 #fromthetbr

I had more moments that I was rewinding because something would happen that I just needed to pause my work but what a good story. Gailey created characters that I cared about and by the first chapter I was hooked. This was such an interesting take on a western.
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My only complaint is how quick this really was and that it ended too soon but it was a great listen.
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#popsugarreadingchallenge #ReadingWomenChallenge

Solid 3.5 read
Zitkála-Sá writes with such poignant honesty, poetically highlighting her heritage. It's both a memoir and yet poetry to read.⁠
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Reading her work has me interested in learning more about her, her body of writing, and her position within and out of her tribe and in general more indigenous authors.⁠
. . . . .⁠
#popsugarreadingchallenge

I'm a fan of Acevedo's work, listening to her narrate her work along with Melania Luisa Marte, this was taken to another level.⁠

Each one brought out the emotion in each chapter, and with each character owning a chapter at a time, even overlapping. And I do mean literally overlapping as Acevedo and Marte had stanzas in which they matched breathe and tone. ⁠

⁠#popsugardreadingchallenge #readingwomenchallenge

Kate Bishop is back in the hot seat in this volume, and it got me thinking"aww, no" at different moments throughout the volume.

I still love Kate; her whip-smart answers, eye on the prize attitude, and love of purple keep me coming back. Not to mention all the unanswered questions this one brought up! Got to find the next volume at the library!

I can't believe how easily I was sucked back into this world of Guillermo del Toro's thanks to the voice narration of Luis Avila!!

He captured the wonder and magic of the film that I loved so much!
. . . .
#popsugarreadingchallenge

Can I just say I love the first person POV for this comic? It just works for the inner monologue that is Kate Bishop, and it had me laughing.

The art style and writing is almost as good as when I read Clint's series, which I also enjoyed. The guest appearance of Jessica Jones was a surprise and a treat.

I walked into this knowing the little that I knew from the Netflix adaptation but the book was definitely better.

Once I got into reading this and having Willowdean in my head, I stayed way past what I should have to finish it because there is definitely more to this book than the tiaras and pageants. She is such a voice, aware of herself and her shortcomings, loves with all her heart, and like many wonders where she fits in the world.

I knew of Thunberg but I had never heard a full speech, so it was nice to have them collected.

I read a speech a day so while it did get a bit repetitive, it's also driving the facts that difference needs to happen and now more than ever. Not only that but to trust the science, believe in the knowledge that they are presenting and to make these changes both locally and globally.

#readingwomenchallenge

All are off to college or starting jobs, and there is that everyday humdrum of that in this book which was a nice change of pace between Anne's interactions with everyone. Not to mention the new introductions of characters that round out this book's cast.

But I'm not going to lie. I came into this with the full intent of more Anne x Gilbert and I got it.
Thanks to @SerialReader for having this one available.

This book covers not just racism, and sexism, but how the healthcare system is a failure for women of color, most noticeably black women as well as sexual themes and misconceptions of women, in a way that not only I related to but in some cases had first hand experience in, while in others have heard about from other women. It's a read that gave me a lot to think about.

#readingwomenchallenge #readharder

This was a hard book to rate because it's rating an author's life and memories.

Here is a memoir that depicts all for the murky grey that people can be. This was angry and had every right to be and in that anger, there was a glimmer of something burning brighter.

......

#popsugarreading #readingwomanchallenge #readharder