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:

Tourist Season by Brynne Weaver

Title: Tourist Season (Seasons of Carnage #1)

Author: Brynne Weaver

Publisher: Slowburn 2025

Genre: Horror Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Seasonal Winter - Romance; Romanceopoly - Secret Stacks Club (Plot Twist Pages); Cover Lover - Weapon from the board game Clue

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 6

Welcome to Cape Carnage! Visit Once, Stay Forever.

You can hide in the farthest reaches of the deepest hell, and I will still drag you out. Even the devil can’t save you from me.

Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colorful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. With tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won’t let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary—and her aging mentor with a fading memory—at any cost. Troublesome tourists don’t check out of Carnage. They compost beneath Harper’s award-winning flowerbeds.

But Nolan Rhodes isn’t your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. On every anniversary of the hit-and-run accident that fractured his life, Nolan slays another target. And he’s saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. The problem? Harper isn’t the monster he expected. And she won’t go down without a fight.

When an amateur true crime investigator comes to Cape Carnage on the trail of a long-lost serial killer, Harper and Nolan strike an uneasy truce. If Nolan helps Harper protect her town, she’ll keep quiet about his hunting habits . . . for now. But their alliance soon spirals into obsession, one that threatens to shatter every secret in Carnage—including their fragile love.

Not quite to the level of the Ruinous Love trilogy, but I did thoroughly enjoy this book full of more murder than spicy scenes. I enjoyed the strange cat and mouse game the leads played throughout the chapters. We get to see two very broken people deal with traumatic pasts and find romance along the way. The murder scenes were delightful. My favorite was the hands clapping. Morpheus the murder bird was a great addition to all of those scenes. I loved the interactions between Harper and Arthur. The few spicy scenes were very strong. But I felt that the chemistry between Nolan and Harper was lacking a bit. I would have liked some more conversations and/or pining from either of them. The ending does have a cliffhanger, but Nolan and Harper gets a HEA or at least a happy-right-now. I will definitely be picking up the next book when it releases in June.

Seasons of Carnage

• #1 Tourist Season

• #2 Harvest Season

• #3 TBD

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Author: Megan Bannen

Publisher: Orbit 2022

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Historical (sorta)

Where I Got It: Rainy Day Books, Kansas City, MO June 2023

Spice Rating: 5

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.  

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. 

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.  

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

This is a very loose retelling of You’ve Got Mail, which honestly did not encourage me to read this book. I was not a fan of the movie and hesitated with this one. Thankfully the book is a very loose retelling with a lot more fantasy plot. I wasn’t quite sure about our main characters at first, but they quickly grew on me. I loved Mercy and her take charge attitude and drive. I loved her care for her family and the business. Hart was a little less likable, but he really started to warm up after being paired with Pen for work. And boy does this book have some great side characters. Zeddie and Pen were definitely my favorites, but there’s also something to be said for the nimkillin. Loved them! And throughout the interpersonal relationships and a bit of romance, we get a big mystery of the increase in drudges. I loved finding out all the threads were interconnected. After the success of this volume, I may just have to pick up the other two in the series.

Hart and Mercy

• #1 The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

• #2 The Undermining of Twyla and Frank

• #3 The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon

Title: Bingsu for Two

Author: Sujin Witherspoon

Publisher: Union Square & Co. 2025

Genre: YA Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Foodie; She Reads Romance - New Adult

Where I Got It: Library

Meet River Langston-Lee. In the past 24 hours, he’s dumped his girlfriend, walked out of his SATs, and quit his job at his parents’ cafe in spectacularly disastrous fashion—even for him.

Somehow, he manages to talk his way into a gig at a failing Korean cafe, Bingsu for Two, which is his lucky break until he meets short, grumpy, and goth: Sarang Cho. She’s his new no-BS co-worker who’s as determined to make River’s life hell as she is to save her family’s cafe.

After River accidentally uploads a video of his chaotic co-workers to his popular fandom account, they strike viral fame. The kicker? Their new fans ship River and Sarang big-time. In order to keep the Internet’s attention—and the cafe’s new paying customers—River and Sarang must pretend that the tension between them is definitely of the romantic variety, not the considering the best way to kill you and hide your body variety.

But when Bingsu for Two’s newfound success catches the attention of River’s ex and his parents’ cafe around the corner, he faces a choice: keep letting others control his life or stand up for the place that’s become home. And a green-haired girl who’s not as heartless as he originally thought . . .

Completely by chance I happened upon this book at the library. And I’m so glad that I actually checked it out and dove in a few days ago. This is a typical angsty teen romance, but it also has a lot of heart and great banter in between ridiculous situations. The book reminded me of Emma Lorde’s Tweet Cute, but even more updated for today. We get two teens trying to find their own identities through the process of saving a family coffee shop. The characters are cute but also very real and relatable. They make mistakes but also grow and change for the better throughout the story. Witherspoon has crafted a cute story with propulsive writing that kept me turning the pages. I’m excited to see what the author writes next.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lore Olympus Vol. 9 by Rachel Smythe

Title: Lore Olympus Volume 9

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Inklore 2025

Genre: Fantasy Comic

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

Where I Got It: Library

“The Underworld has a queen!”

Persephone and Hades are finally reunited when the banished goddess of spring returns to the Underworld to claim her rightful place as queen. Now that Hades and Persephone have defeated and imprisoned the power-hungry Kronos once more, nothing can keep them apart, and years of being separated have only made their desire for each other grow. But the other Olympians can’t help but meddle, pushing the pair to make things official with a coronation—and a wedding.

Ignoring the others who try to define their relationship, Hades and Persephone choose to take things at their own pace and focus on rebuilding the Underworld. They begin by investigating how Kronos was first able to escape, and they learn the horrifying truth that he has captured a powerful young god whose abilities help Kronos project his thoughts outside of Tartarus—thoughts he uses to plague Hera’s every waking moment. Though Kronos’s physical form is locked away, Olympus will never be free until they can rescue the child from the furious Titan’s grasp.

To save the realms, Persephone must figure out her fertility goddess powers and embrace her role as Queen of the Underworld—even as it takes her further from her mother’s expectations and her former place in the Mortal Realm.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

This volume collects episodes 207–233 of the #1 WEBTOON comic Lore Olympus.

Still really enjoying this series. I loved seeing Persephone start to come into her power and role as Queen of the Underworld. I loved seeing her take confident steps towards a full relationship with Hades. I loved seeing her stand up to some of the other characters, especially her mother. My biggest complaint is the seemingly confusing timeline. Some of the chapters are definitely not in linear order and it was a jarring transition to follow. I wish they had been labeled better. But I will keep reading this interpretation of the Greek myths. Only one more volume to go!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Lodge by Kayla Olson

Title: The Lodge

Author: Kayla Olson

Publisher: Atria Books 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read Around the USA - Vermont; She Reads Romance - Romcom; Cover Lover - Wintery Scene

Where I Got It: Library

Spice Rating: 2

Alix Morgan just got her big break as the ghostwriter of a memoir by Sebastian Green, a former member of the boy band True North. And when he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to work far away from her noisy, cramped apartment.

Her career as an entertainment journalist has been building toward this dream job—after all, she used to cover True North and was one of the last people to interview former front man Jett Beckett before he disappeared. As she combs through her client’s voice memos, the specter of the missing lead singer remains, and fans are desperate to know the full story.

But Alix also has time for some fun at this glamorous resort, where she begins ski lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. As Alix and Tyler fall in love on the slopes, Alix’s work takes a complicated turn—and the mystery of True North’s downfall may be hers to solve.

Completely random holiday romance from the library that actually kept me interested and entertained. I didn’t even realize until the end that this book is essentially a closed door romance. I usually don’t read anything lower than a 5, but this one slipped through. Thankfully Olson has created a compelling story with some vivid characters and enough mystery to keep me picking it back up. I was sucked into the mystery of what happened to Jett and how as Alix going to ghostwrite Sebastian’s memoir. I was with the story until the third act. I was slightly annoyed by how Alix handled (or didn’t handle) her sister and then her sister’s photo leak. I felt like there needed to be a much more serious confrontation. But maybe that was just me. Overall, I enjoyed this snowy romance.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Title: Is a River Alive?

Author: Robert Macfarlane

Publisher: WW Norton & Company 2025

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Library

Hailed in the New York Times as “a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler,” Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.

Macfarlane takes readers on three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places: to the miraculous cloud-forests and mountain streams of Ecuador, to the wounded creeks and lagoons of India, and to the spectacular wild rivers of Canada―imperiled respectively by mining, pollution, and dams. Braiding these journeys is the life story of the fragile chalk stream a mile from Macfarlane’s house, a stream who flows through his own years and days.

The second Macfarlane book I’ve read, and while it’s not quite as good as Underland, it’s still an engaging piece of nonfiction science writing. This one is about rivers (of course given the title). He visits three river systems to try to understand the importance of rivers and their place in our world. I enjoyed the sections where he dive into the science behind the different rivers. The three chosen are vastly different and it was nice to dive into those differences scientifically. I loved learning about water systems and how they recycle and reuse the material around them. I enjoyed the history of each river system and learning how humans have altered those systems. Where the book started to fall apart were the longer sections at each section’s beginning where he spends more time telling you the history of a specific person. I’m sure they are all lovely people, but I wanted to get to the science and the nature. Overall, it’s a good read connecting humans and nature. I do want to keep picking up books by Macfarlane to sprinkle into my reading.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch

Title: The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Royals and Romance #1)

Author: Sara Raasch

Publisher: Bramble 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 357

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Romanceopoly - The Holiday Spectacle (Holiday Theme)

Where I Got It: Library

Nicholas “Coal” Claus used to love Christmas. Until his father, the reigning Santa, turned the holiday into a PR façade. Coal will do anything to escape the spectacle, including getting tangled in a drunken, supremely hot make-out session with a beautiful man behind a seedy bar one night.

But the heir to Christmas is soon commanded to do his duty: he will marry his best friend, Iris, the Easter Princess and his brother’s not-so-secret crush. A situation that has disaster written all over it.

Things go from bad to worse when a rival arrives to challenge Coal for the princess’s hand…and Coal comes face-to-face with his mysterious behind-the-bar hottie: Hex, the Prince of Halloween.

It’s a fake competition between two holiday princes who can’t keep their hands off each other over a marriage of convenience that no one wants. And it all leads to one of the sweetest, sexiest, messiest, most delightfully unforgettable love stories of the year.

A random library find to bridge Spooky Season and Holiday Reads. Thank goodness it worked out. We get an alternate reality where all the holidays are embodied by ruling families. We meet the Princes of Christmas and Halloween and the Princess of Easter. From there we get some great situational romance opportunities and an underlying conspiracy. I loved the romance aspect. Seeing Coal and Hex get together was oh so cute and delightful. My issue came from the underlying conspiracy. Things just didn’t get revealed or come to a head until the last 20 pages. And then the book left off at a bit of a cliffhanger. I am interested in continuing to read the series with the sequel. Hopefully some of that plot line gets resolved in the next book.

Royals and Romance

• #1 The Night Before Kissmas

• #2 Go Luck Yourself

Next up on the TBR pile:

For We are Many by Dennis E. Taylor

Title: For We are Many (We are Bob) (Bobiverse #2)

Author: Dennis E. Taylor

Publisher: Worldbuilder Press 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 311

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: COYER

Where I Got It: Our server

Bob Johansson didn't believe in an afterlife, so waking up after being killed in a car accident was a shock. To add to the surprise, he is now a sentient computer and the controlling intelligence for a Von Neumann probe. Bob and his copies have been spreading out from Earth for 40 years now, looking for habitable planets. But that's the only part of the plan that's still in one piece. A system-wide war has killed off 99.9% of the human race; nuclear winter is slowly making the Earth uninhabitable; a radical group wants to finish the job on the remnants of humanity; the Brazilian space probes are still out there, still trying to blow up the competition; And the Bobs have discovered a spacefaring species that sees all other life as food. Bob left Earth anticipating a life of exploration and blissful solitude. Instead he's become a sky god to a primitive native species, the only hope for getting humanity to a new home, and possibly the only thing that can prevent every living thing in the local sphere from ending up as dinner.

I finally dove into the second book in the series. We jump right in with no hesitation. Immediately I was right back in each of the storylines from the various Bobs. We get to see what happens to the Deltans, people on Earth, and even encounter a newly discovered sentient life on another planet. These books are definitely a high-paced ride. A little less philosophy in this one and more action, but still highly enjoyable.

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:

A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig

Title: A Land So Wide

Author: Erin A. Craig

Publisher: Pantheon 2025

Genre: Horror

Pages: 352

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; I Read Horror - Cryptid

Where I Got It: Library

Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious lumber merchant, the village is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.

Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Determined to rescue Ellis, she figures out a way to defy Mistaken’s curse and begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But there, Greer is hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding and her own origins.

I went into this book completely blind and was so grateful for that fact. I didn’t even read the summary on the back past the first paragraph. Something told me to just wait and dive in! Ultimately, I really enjoyed this creepy adventure tale. We get a strange village in a strange land (it’s never revealed exactly where although I have some suspicions). where “things” lurk outside of the Wandering Stone. What happens outside of those stone? And what does it have to do with Greer? I really enjoyed following the slow reveals of the mysteries of Mistaken. I called a few of the twists, but not all of them. I do enjoy when a book pleasantly surprises me. Be advised that this book does involve death, some gory moments, and body horror aspects.

Next up on the TBR pile:

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

Title: This House is Haunted

Author: John Boyne

Publisher: Other Press 2013

Genre: Horror

Pages: 291

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Library

This House Is Haunted is a striking homage to the classic nineteenth-century ghost story. Set in Norfolk in 1867, Eliza Caine responds to an ad for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall. When she arrives at the hall, shaken by an unsettling disturbance that occurred during her travels, she is greeted by the two children now in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There is no adult present to represent her mysterious employer, and the children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, another terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong.
 
From the moment Eliza rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence that lives within Gaudlin’s walls. Eliza realizes that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall’s long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past. Clever, captivating, and witty, This House Is Haunted is pure entertainment with a catch.

Another random pick from the library shelves. I’m always up for a good ghost story and this one certainly delivered. We get a first person narration a la an 19th century work. I definitely got shades of Dickens and Poe in this volume. We follow Eliza as she deals with her grief and changes in life, but of course things are not quite as they seem. I loved how the story slowly unfolded with little incidences here and there ramping up the tension and suspense. There are not many creepy scenes, but we get a lot of fun scenes and circumstances. The story finally comes to a head in the last 25 pages. And it’s a doozy.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Heartless by H.G. Parry

Title: Heartless

Author: H.G. Parry

Publisher: Subterranean Press 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 141

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairytale Retellings - Villain

Where I Got It: Library

At the age of seven, in a London workhouse, newly-orphaned James meets ten-year-old Peter. Mysterious, mercurial, thoughtless to the point of cruelty, Peter nonetheless takes a liking to James. The two forge a strange friendship, bound together by theirshared love of stories...But one fateful night, Peter vanishes from his bed, and in the morning James is found lying alone and broken in the courtyard outside...Over twenty years later, on the deck of a whaling ship in the frozen wastes of the Arctic...James's obsession with finding his childhood friend will lead him to mutiny and murder, beyond the edges of the world, and finally to an island that shouldn't exist.

I always enjoy a villain retelling usually because the villains of fairy tales are much more interesting than the heroes. In this slim novella, we get the story of Peter Pan told from the point of view of James who becomes Hook. We see the creation of Neverland and the birth of the story we know while understanding the sacrifices James made to survive. I really enjoyed this one. The overall tone of this book is very emotional and sad but it was a good fit for my mood this week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Carrow Hunt by Darcy Coates

Title: The Carrow Hunt

Author: Darcy Coates

Publisher: Poisoned Press 2018

Genre: Horror

Pages: 379

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spooky Season; Quarter of a Century - 2018

Where I Got It: Library

Some houses are merely haunted. Carrow House is something else entirely.

Dark corridors. Whispering walls. A history soaked in blood. In The Carrow Haunt, USA Today bestseller Darcy Coates delivers a pulse-pounding tale of isolation, terror, and the secrets we invite when we chase the dead.

Remy, a tour guide for the notoriously haunted Carrow House, hasn't seen any proof of the paranormal―yet. But when she's offered a week-long residency alongside a handful of guests and a professional medium to investigate the home's disturbing reputation, curiosity wins. Finally, a chance to prove―or debunk―the chilling legends she's been sharing as truth.

At first, it's everything they dreamed of. Mysterious sounds. Cold spots. Doors that creak open on their own. But when a storm cuts them off from the outside world and one of the guests dies under bizarre circumstances, fascination gives way to dread.

As panic spreads, Remy can no longer ignore the chilling thought that something once human is still here… and it remembers how to kill.

I’m always up for a quick spooky Darcy Coates story in the fall. She writes fast-paced thrillers always with lots of creepy scenes. I really enjoyed this whole locked room style ghost horror story. I care less about the characters and more about the plot with these ones. We start strong with a tour of the haunted house and then dive right into the actual plot. My favorite scenes were the ones including the seances. Perfectly creepy and suspenseful. Coates’s books aren’t high literature. But they sure are fun to read!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 5

Title: The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 5

Author: Kyouka Izumi

Publisher: Seven Seas 2022

Genre: Manga Romance

Pages: 192

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

Despite being sent to another world as a Savior, Tsukina has managed to stay out of the spotlight and run her book cafe. With her marriage to her fiance Il on the horizon, Tsukina is looking forward to their peaceful life together. But one of the regulars at the cafe seems to have other plans for Tsukina, and for all the Kingdom of Othel! Will Tsukina get her fairy-tale ending?!

We get to the end of the story and thankfully it ends on a happy note. I figured that this series wasn’ going to be too serious or angsty. It manages to wrap up the main storyline with little conflict, but lots of good feelings. Overall, I really enjoyed my reading of this quick series.

The Book Savior’s...

• Volume 1

• Volume 2

• Volume 3

• Volume 4

• Volume 5

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 4

Title: The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 4

Author: Kyouka Izumi

Publisher: Seven Seas2021

Genre: Manga Romance

Pages: 162

Rating: /45 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

Tsukina has been keeping her great magical powers under wraps, content to spend her time with her book cafe and her fiancee, Il. And now that a new Savior, Youta, has arrived, she figures she can leave all the heroics to him. But when Youta develops a crush on Tsukina, it throws everything off balance! When monsters attack, Youta sees it as his chance to shine.. but is he up to the challenge?

So much happened in this one. I cannot wait to see how the story ends. I’m hoping Tsukina gets her happy ending, Youta finds his place, and Othel is protected against monsters and enemies. But I am concerned about Bran and the strange occurrences.

The Book Savior’s...

• Volume 1

• Volume 2

• Volume 3

• Volume 4

• Volume 5

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 3

Title: The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 3

Author: Kyouka Izumi

Publisher: Seven Seas 2021

Genre: Manga Romance

Pages: 168

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

After being transported to another world by an orb that calls itself "God," Tsukina used her newfound magical powers to open up a cozy book cafe. Now that she's settled in, she's started dating Il, a handsome soldier. However, Tsukina can't relax just yet. Othel's powerful neighboring countries are making some suspicious moves, and as tensions rise, a new savior arrives at the castle. Is he there to help the kingdom, or is he a new enemy for Tsukina to worry about?

This middle volume really does shift the story a bit. We get a new savior in Othel, a mysterious visitor to the cafe, and threats from a neighboring country. I really enjoy how much plot we get this in part. I’m really interested in seeing how Youta and Tsukina interact in the rest of the story.

The Book Savior’s...

• Volume 1

• Volume 2

• Volume 3

• Volume 4

• Volume 5

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 2

Title: The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 2

Author: Kyouka Izumi

Publisher: Seven Seas

Genre: Manga Romance

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

Since being transported to a new world Tsukina has made a cozy life for herself, doing magic and running a book cafe. She's even grown closer to Il, a handsome soldier who also loves reading. But Tsukina is keeping a huge secret from him: she is a Savior, sent to this world to help protect it. By hiding away in her book cafe, is she neglecting her duties? And will Il hate her for it when he finds out?

Such big developments in this volume! We get to see Tsukina and Il grow closely (even if most of it occurs off the page) and she grows in her own powers and confidence. I think that there might have been too much throw into this volume. I would have liked to see the story drawn out a bit more. But I still enjoyed this section of the story. The volume redeems itself with a great ending.

The Book Savior’s...

• Volume 1

• Volume 2

• Volume 3

• Volume 4

• Volume 5

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 1

Title: The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World Vol. 1

Author: Kyouka Izumi

Publisher: Seven Seas 2019

Genre: Manga Romance

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Finishing the Series

Where I Got It: Library

Tsukina is a single, thirty-something office worker who's favorite thing is curling up with a good book. When a god tells her that she must go to another world to become its magical savior, Tsukina isn't interested. She has zero desire to go on some grand hero's journey. So when she arrives in this strange new land, she decides to use her magical powers to create a cozy little book café instead. Her first customer is a handsome soldier who loves reading almost as much as she does. But when a fellow "savior" starts causing trouble, Tsukina might have to play the hero after all!

Another completely random pick from the library shelves. I love this meta-story about a woman traveling to another world but rejecting her savior status in favor of a quiet life. Of course, that life is not going to be as quiet as Tsukina wants. I sped through this story and loved the break from angsty stories I’ve been reading lately.

The Book Savior’s...

• Volume 1

• Volume 2

• Volume 3

• Volume 4

• Volume 5

Next up on the TBR pile: