Gulp by Mary Roach

Title: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

Author: Mary Roach

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. 2013

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 348

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader - Science

Where I Got It: Library

“America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: the questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis? In Gulp we meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks of―or has the courage to ask. We go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a fecal transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal. With Roach at our side, we travel the world, meeting murderers and mad scientists, Eskimos and exorcists (who have occasionally administered holy water rectally), rabbis and terrorists―who, it turns out, for practical reasons do not conceal bombs in their digestive tracts.

Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies.

Another book full of Mary Roach’s dry wit and interesting science stories. I will admit that this one made me a bit uncomfortable a few times. Reading about the alimentary canal can get gross sometimes. But the interesting facts and the stories are so involved and fascination that I got over my gag reflex. I will be continuing to slowly make my way through all of Roach’s books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Through Gates of Garnet and Cold by Seanan McGuire

Title: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear (Wayward Children #10)

Author: Seanan McGuire

Publisher: Tordotcom 2026

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 149

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Speccy Fiction - Published in 2026; New Releases

Where I Got It: Library

After Nancy was cast out of the Halls of the Dead and forced to enroll at Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, she never believed she'd find her door again, and when she did, she didn't look back. She disappeared from the school to resume her place in the Halls, never intending to return.

Years have passed. A darkness has descended on the Halls, and the living statues who populate them are dying at the hands of the already dead. The Lord and Lady who rule the land are helpless to stop the slaughter, forcing Nancy to leave the Halls again, this time on purpose, as she attempts to seek much-needed help from her former schoolmates.

But who would volunteer to quest in a world where the dead roam freely?

And why are the dead so intent on adding to their number?

I didn’t realize that this series was continuing until I saw it on a featured Goodreads list. I immediately put a hold on it from the library. In this volume, we get to revisit the Halls of the Dead and solve a mystery of the hunger ghosts along with some character favorites. I loved see the ragtag group piece out the mystery and learn exactly who was behind the killings. Those parts were fun. My big complaint was that it felt like nothing was really resolved between the characters. Rather than a complete novella, it felt more like an intermediate chapter. Wondering if we are going to get another book and who it will focus on.

Wayward Children

• #1 Every Heart a Doorway

• #2 Down Among the Sticks and Bones

• #3 Beneath the Sugar Sky

• #4 In an Absent Dream

• #5 Come Tumbling Down

• #6 Across the Green Grass Fields

• #7 Where the Drowned Girls Go

• #8 Lost in the Moment and Found

• #9 Mislaid in Parts Half-Known

• #10 Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear

• #11 Through Gates of Garnet and Gold

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 4

Title: Death Note Vol. 4

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 204

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

With two Kiras on the loose, L asks Light to join the task force and pose as the real Kira in order to catch the copycat. L still suspects Light and figures that this is the perfect excuse to get closer to his quarry. Light agrees to the plan in order to have free access to the task force resources. But when Light manages to contact the new Kira, he discovers that his rival is anything but as expected. Will Light escape from love unscathed?

I am left a bit out of sorts at the end of this volume. What happens to the new Kira? I really don’t want that storyline to be shelved… I’m hoping she plays a part in the upcoming power struggles between L and Light. And we get to see more from the various shinigamis.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 3

Title: Death Note Vol. 3

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media 2006

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 193

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light is chafing under L's extreme surveillance, but even 64 microphones and cameras hidden in his room aren't enough to stop Light. He steps up the game, but before the battle of wits can really begin, a family emergency distracts him. But even though Light isn't using the Death Note right now, someone else is! Who's the new "Kira" in town?

Oh who’s this new “Kira”? I am very intrigued by this turn of events. We get more back and forth between L and Light and their cat and mouse game that only Light knows for certain that he is playing. We get more information about the Death Note and more rules explained. Some of the scenes get a bit long-winded, but I’m still very much into the storyline.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke

Title: A Short Walk Through a Wide World

Author: Doublas Westerbeke

Publisher: Avid Reader Press 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; BOTM Cleanout

Where I Got It: BOTM April 2024

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her backpack that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she starts to bleed to death.

When medical treatment only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realizes that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. So begins her lifelong journey on the run from her condition, which won’t allow her to stay anywhere for longer than a few days—nor return to a place where she’s already been.

From the scorched dunes of the Calanshio Sand Sea to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and ultimately, to truly live. But the longer Aubry wanders and the more desperate she is to share her life with others, the clearer it becomes that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s...

Fiercely independent and hopeful, yet full of longing, Aubry Tourvel is an unforgettable character fighting her way through a world of wonders to find a place she can call home. A spellbinding and inspiring story about discovering meaning in a life that seems otherwise impossible, A Short Walk Through a Wide World reminds us that it’s not the destination, but rather the journey—no matter how long it lasts—that makes us who we are.

There’s so much promise in this book. I wanted to follow Aubry as she travels around the world and tries to unravel the mystery of her illness, the puzzle ball, and the libraries. But the book never gets to any of that. Instead, we are constantly jumping around in time and place focusing on how she hunted for food or inappropriate conduct by adults towards children. We meander but the meandering is full of banal activities and no real message. The only saving grave for this book was Aubry herself. At times she is a fascinating study in character, but somehow still doesn’t really connect with the rest of the world. Such a disappointment.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 2

Title: Death Note Vol. 2

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media 2004

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 197

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light thinks he's put an end to his troubles with the FBI--by using the Death Note to kill off the FBI agents working the case in Japan! But one of the agents has a fiancée who used to work in the Bureau, and now she's uncovered information that could lead to Light's capture. To make matters worse, L has emerged from the shadows to work directly with the task force headed by Light's father. With people pursuing him from every direction, will Light get caught in the conflux?

Still into this story. I love the inclusion of a new character and giant wrinkle to Light’s plans. That was fun while it lasted. I’m interested to see where the story goes next…

Next up on the TBR pile:

More Deadly Than War by Kenneth C. Davis

Title: More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War

Author: Kenneth C. Davis

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. 2018

Genre: Nonfiction - History, Science

Pages: 304

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader; Winter TBR

Where I Got It: Library

2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the worst disease outbreak in modern times: the Spanish flu, a story even more relevant today. This dramatic narrative, told through the stories and voices of the people caught in the deadly maelstrom, explores how this vast, global epidemic was intertwined with the horrors of World War I―and how it could happen again.

Complete with photographs, period documents, modern research, and firsthand reports by medical professionals and survivors, More Deadly Than War provides captivating insight into a catastrophe that transformed America in the early twentieth century.

Arthur was covering World War I for history and I had an urge to read a Spanish Flu book to go along with. I grabbed this one at the library and it was okay. Even though this was listed in the adult section, it reads like a young adult nonfiction book. I found some of the passages to be elementary and repetitive. I fully admit that I know more than the average person when it comes to the Spanish Flu and WWI. This felt more like a primer on the subjects than a deep dive in epidemiology. I even skipped an entire chapter that was just covering the broad strokes of the war. The second half got a little more interesting with more first hand accounts of the epidemic. But it wasn’t enough to really save this one for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Death Note Vol. 1

Title: Death Note Vol. 1

Author: Tsugumi Obha

Publisher: VIZ Media 2004

Genre: Manga Horror

Pages: 195

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects--and he's bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal...or his life?

Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?

This series has been on my TBR list for years now. I finally got around to actually starting it this week. We jump right into the story and immediately I was intrigued by the characters and ethical questions. Light thinks of himself as a good person and a hero in this story, but is he really? The audience definitely has some questions about his behavior. I am very interested in seeing how he grows and changes throughout this story. And Ryuk is such a great “devil on his shoulder” for Light. I cannot wait to learn more about the Death Note and the rules that haven’t been revealed. I will be continuing reading this series.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Darkest Night

Title: The Darkest Night: Chilling Stories from the Biggest Names in Horror

Author: Various

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books 2024

Genre: Horror Short Stories

Pages: 305

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR - Snowy Setting

Where I Got It: Library

From some of the biggest names in horror comes an Advent calendar of short holiday horror stories perfect for the darkest nights of the year.

Edited by award-winning author and anthologist Lindy Ryan and with contributions from masters of horror like Josh Malerman, Eric LaRocca, and Clay McLeod Chapman, this horrific anthology will chill you to the bone.

A very uneven collection of horror stories. A few are great, but most are very short and lacking horror. I was looking forward to horror, but I really don’t think short stories are my format.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Title: The Everlasting

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Publisher: Tor Books 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 320

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Top 100; BOTM

Where I Got It: Book of the Month October 2025

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives―and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend―if they want to tell a different story--they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

Oh my goodness… this was a complete mess for me. I was so incredibly excited about a new Harrow book. I have really enjoyed her previous books. The first chapter was fascinating and I was very excited to read this knight tale. But then the actually story started and I hated it. The style is very strange. Told in a very repetitive and oddly constructed way that found be very annoying throughout. I truly hated the weird second person point of view that came and went. Plus there was so much telling and not much showing. I really dislike books that focus on telling and not showing. And the characters were so hard to like! Owen was a stiff board most of the book. He was such a stereotype that I could not find him interesting. Una was just so mysterious and standoffish. Even when they started to actually open up a bit, I was bored by them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

Title: Blood Over Bright Haven

Author: M.L. Wang

Publisher: Del Rey 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 428

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal - Random Library Pick; Cover Lover - Alliterative title

Where I Got It: Library

For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.

When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome—and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power.

At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first.

The opening chapter to this book was amazing and sucked me in immediately. I wanted deeply invested in what was going to happen in the city. But then, the story started to get bogged down. I found the explanation of the magic system to be tedious and long-winded. I was willing to look beyond that to focus on the bigger themes and the characters. But those also let me down. The themes of colonialism, propaganda, and misogyny were shoved down our throats over and over until all the factions and thoughts felt like caricatures of themselves. The main character had to stand in for so many different kinds of people and ideas. I couldn’t really connect with either of them. Thomil was the better of the two, but I still couldn’t really connect with him. I think the book would have benefitted from chapters in his POV. Overall, I was pretty disappointed in this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

Title: Lights Out (Into Darkness #1)

Author: Navesaa Allen

Publisher: Slowburn 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Dark Psychology (Mirror Wing: Stalker romance or romantic thriller); Cover Lover - Minimal cover art/design

Where It Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

I want someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I want things most people don’t, craving darkness and depravity instead of light and love.

Josh Hammond has spent his life avoiding the limelight, but his online persona is another story. At night, he posts masked thirst traps for his millions of fans to drool over, but one follower has caught his eye: Aly. After reading a comment begging him to break into her house wearing a mask, he decides to take her up on her offer.

Together, Aly and Josh live out their darkest fantasies, unaware that Aly has captured the attention of someone else. Someone with far more sinister intentions than a little light stalking. As Josh turns from predator to protector and the stakes heighten, he must ask himself how far he’s willing to go for the woman he’s obsessed with.

I have seen this book absolutely everywhere, which of course made me very suspicious that it was any good. I finally picked it up after a friend confirmed that they liked it. We dive right into a stalker romance with two very strong leads. I immediately fell for Aly and her dark humor and resilience. It took a bit more for me to warm up to Josh, but that was mostly due to the constant reminders of his insecurities. Once he started opening up, I was all in. The conceit is a bit ridiculous and definitely leans fantasy as opposed to realistic romance. But, I was all in for the fantasy this week. I loved the push and pull between the lead characters. The tension and play was perfect. I will admit that once we get the mob involved in the storyline, I ended up taking off a star. The story almost turned into a comedy and I wasn’t loving the tone shift. I still really enjoyed this one and will read more from the author.

Into Darkness

• #1 Lights Out

• #2 Caught Up

• #3 Game On

Next up on the TBR pile:

Voices in the Snow by Darcy Coates

Title: Voices in the Snow (Black Winter #1)

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press 2019

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR - Snowy Setting; Cover Lover - Ice in some form

Where I Got It: Library

Clare remembers the cold. She remembers abandoned cars and children's toys littered across the road. She remembers dark shapes in the snow and a terror she can't explain. And then... nothing. When she wakes, aching and afraid in a stranger's gothic home, he tells her she was in an accident, a crash in the snow. He claims he saved her. Clare wants to leave, but a vicious snowstorm has blanketed the world in white, trapping them together, and there's nothing she can do but wait.

At least the stranger seems kind... but Clare doesn't know if she can trust him. He promised they were alone here, but she sees and hears things that convince her something else is creeping about the surrounding woods, watching. Waiting. Between the claustrophobic storm and the inescapable sense of being hunted, Clare is on edge... and increasingly certain of one thing:

Her car crash wasn't an accident. Something is waiting for her to step outside the fragile safety of the house... something monstrous, something unfeeling.

Something desperately hungry.

I wanted something wintery. I wanted something propulsive. I wanted something creepy and maybe even a bit scary. I got everything I wanted in this book. I loved the mounting tension through the majority of the chapters. We really do not know if Clare is a reliable narrator for almost the entire time. It created a sense of unease that I ate up! And Dorran was such a mystery. I kept going back and forth about him until the end. As it stands, the creepy appearances were perfectly creepy. My only complaint was the reveal of who was controlling the “people.” I didn’t love that. But I will keep reading in this series.

Black Winter

• #1 Voices in the Snow

• #2 Secrets in the Dark

• #3 Whispers in the Mist

• #4 Silence in the Shadows

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Mate

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Publisher: Berkley 2025

Genre: Romantasy

Pages: 457

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Nightshade Society Club (Full Moon Fever); Cover Lover - Mythical creature

Spice Rating: 6

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…

I really enjoyed Bride when it came out and was hoping the same level of plot and romance. Unfortunately, this one disappointed me. My biggest issue was the romance. What romance exactly? For most of the book, the main characters have no interest in each other. Even after they start having sex it’s because of Serena being in heat, not because they really want to. I never bought them actually being into each other at all. I really really dislike the being in heat trope for werewolf stories. Come to think of it, I really dislike werewolf stories. I dislike the power dynamics and misogynistic undertones to every interaction. I much prefer the vampire dynamics. As to the plot itself, so much was left unresolved. What happened to the bounty? Who was behind the bounty? What about Serena’s disease? Did sex magically cure that? What about the cult and all the weird things surrounding that? And even beyond the plot holes, there was so much unresolved trauma in this book. Not everything needs to be tied up in a neat bow, but my goodness, they never even addressed the trauma. So bad.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Title: Overgrowth

Author: Mira Grant

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2025

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 469

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter - Speculative Fiction

Where I Got It: Library

This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has believed her.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

I was so disappointed in this book… I have loved Grant’s previous books, especially Drowning in the Deep, but this one was boring and lacked any punch or horror. I was pulled in by the comparison to Day of the Triffids and Annihilation. It is neither of those things. Instead, we get almost 400 pages of Anastasia warning of the invasion and people talking about how weird she is. That’s about it. The actual invasion seems super anti-climatic after all those pages. I wanted action. I wanted horror. Instead, this read like a young adult novel where the main character repeats how unlikeable they are and how people don’t understand them. I was thoroughly bored.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Hooked by Emily McIntire

Title: Hooked (Never After #1)

Author: Emily McIntire

Publisher: Bloom Books 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 397

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Romanceopoly - Velvet Room (Dark romance with walking red-flag love interest); Fairytale retelling - Peter Pan

Where I Got It: Under the Cover, Kansas City, Retreat Weekend 2025

Spice Rating: 6

James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.

Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.

I picked this up last Bookish Retreat at the romance book store, I do love a morally grey love interest and a romance filled with dark themes. I was excited that this was a Hook centered romance. But somehow I completely missed that this was a straight romance, no fantasy elements at all. Thankfully I still really enjoyed this one. Hook is out for revenge and thinks Wendy is going to be the perfect tool to achieve that revenge. Instead, Hook finds himself drawn to Wendy. On the other side, Wendy breaks out of shell and figures out what she wants. I loved the twists and turns and all the murdery bits. I love the combination of murder and romance. I think the genre mashup is my sweet spot. This volume ends with a HEA, but I’m excited to keep reading McIntire’s redone fairy tales.

Never After

• #1 Hooked

• #2 Scarred

• #3 Wretched

• #4 Twisted

• #5 Crossed

• #6 Hexed

Next up on the TBR pile:

What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher

Title: What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier #3)

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Nightfire 2025

Genre: Horror

Pages: 179

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Winter TBR - Horror; Cover Lover - Compound word in title or author’s name

Alex Easton does not want to visit America.

They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.

But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin―who went missing in that very mine―well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do...

Another really good novella featuring the indomitable Alex Easton! This time finds our hero deep in an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia searching for a friend’s cousin. Of course Easton is going to find something creepy and probably dangerous down in that mine. I love how Kingfisher can ramp up the tension throughout the chapter until the big reveal to Alex and the audience. This one wasn’t quite as terrifying as the first one or as atmospheric as the second one, but it was definitely a solid horror novella. I cannot wait to see what Kingfisher dreams up next for our favorite Sworn Soldier.

Sworn Soldier

• #1 What Moves the Dead

• #2 What Feasts at Night

• #3 What Stalks the Deep

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sphere by Michael Crichton

Title: Sphere

Author: Michael Crichton

Publisher: Ballantine Books 1987

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 371

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal - Leftover from 2025; Cover Lover - Does not include the words “and” or “the”

Where I Got It: Library

A classic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton, Sphere is a bravura demonstration of what he does better than anyone: riveting storytelling that combines frighteningly plausible, cutting-edge science and technology with pulse-pounding action and serious chills. The gripping story of a group of American scientists sent to the ocean floor to investigate an alien ship, only to confront a terrifying discovery that defies imagination, Sphere is Crichton prime - truly masterful fiction from the ingenious mind that brought us Prey, State of Fear, and Jurassic Park.

It had been probably 20 years since I had read Sphere. I had decided that 2025 was the year to reread but never got around to it. Finally accomplished it this week. This is definitely in the top of Crichton books. It’s no Jurassic Park. or The Andromeda Strain, but it’s still a very solid scifi adventure story. Crichton is definitely an ideas man with his books. I don’t come for the characters or the dialogue. I come for the interesting questions he raises through adventure stories. In this one, we get an interesting take on reality and power with some great twists and turns. J and I rewatched the movie. till holds up!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Title: Binti (Binti #1)

Author: Nnedi Okorafor

Publisher: Tordotcom 2015

Genre: Scifi

Pages: 96

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Speccy Fiction - Speculative Novella

Where I Got It: Library

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself ― but first she has to make it there, alive.

Our book club selection for January and it was a novella. I was glad for the shorter length after a frantic holiday season. We are dumped into a very strange world based partly on our own history and partly on imagination. It took me a few pages to get my bearings, but once there, I really enjoyed this short story about a woman discovering herself and the world outside her planet. I loved watching Binti transform in just a short amount of pages. She truly feels like a new character but also the same by the end. I am interested in seeing where this series goes. I may just pick up the other two books soon.

Binti

• #1 Binti

• #1.5 Sacred Fire

• #2 Home

• #3 The Night Masquerade

Next up on the TBR pile:

All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: All These Worlds (Bobiverse #3)

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Publisher: Worldbuilder Press 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Speccy Fiction - Scifi with Spaceship or Space Station Setting; Cover Lover - X, Y, or Z in author’s name

Where I Got It: Our server

Being a sentient spaceship really should be more fun. But after spreading out through space for almost a century, Bob and his clones just can't stay out of trouble.

They've created enough colonies so humanity shouldn't go extinct. But political squabbles have a bad habit of dying hard, and the Brazilian probes are still trying to take out the competition. And the Bobs have picked a fight with an older, more powerful species with a large appetite and a short temper.

Still stinging from getting their collective butts kicked in their first encounter with the Others, the Bobs now face the prospect of a decisive final battle to defend Earth and its colonies. But the Bobs are less disciplined than a herd of cats, and some of the younger copies are more concerned with their own local problems than defeating the Others.

Yet salvation may come from an unlikely source. A couple of eighth-generation Bobs have found something out in deep space. All it will take to save the Earth and perhaps all of humanity is for them to get it to Sol - unless the Others arrive first.

And with this book, we come to the end of one arc in this series. I was definitely wanting to know what would happen with the Others, the Deltans, the last Earthlings, and every other random storyline. This book wraps many of those stories up with plausible endings. There’s no big deus ex machina here, just realistic space battles and human (Deltan, etc) failures and triumphs. I don’t think I love this series quite as much as J, but they are good fast-paced space centered scifi. The audio is well done and I can read one of these in a weekend while cleaning, organizing, or crafting. I will probably keep going after a short ear break.

Bobiverse

• #1 We are Legion (We are Bob)

• #2 For We are Many

• #3 All These Worlds

• #4 Heaven’s River

• #5 Not Till We are Lost

Next up on the TBR pile: