The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries by Donald R. Prothero

Title: The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries: The Evidence and the People Who Found It

Author: Donald R. Prothero

Publisher: Columbia University 2020

Genre: Nonfiction - Science

Pages: 376

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Where I Got It: The Nook, Cedar Falls IA

The theory of evolution unites the past, present, and future of living things. It puts humanity’s place in the universe into necessary perspective. Despite a history of controversy, the evidence for evolution continues to accumulate as a result of many separate strands of amazing scientific sleuthing.

In The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero explores the most fascinating breakthroughs in piecing together the evidence for evolution. In twenty-five vignettes, he recounts the dramatic stories of the people who made crucial discoveries, placing each moment in the context of what it represented for the progress of science. He tackles topics like what it means to see evolution in action and what the many transitional fossils show us about evolution, following figures from Darwin to lesser-known researchers as they unlock the mysteries of the fossil record, the earth, and the universe. The book also features the stories of animal species strange and familiar, including humans―and our ties to some of our closest relatives and more distant cousins. Prothero’s wide-ranging tales showcase awe-inspiring and bizarre aspects of nature and the powerful insights they give us into the way that life works.

I grabbed this last summer from the used bin at a bookstore (The Nook) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I was hoping for a fun adventure through what we know about evolution. And that’s exactly what we got! I love how every chapter is its own mini book. You can do a deep dive into a variety of topics within evolution in this one volume. I was especially fascinated by chapter tracing animal lineage. We get to see exactly how our understanding of topics have changed over the decades. I loved it so much that I had to pass it on to a friend. And I will be adding it to Arthur’s required reading in high school. In the end, I will be putting Prothero’s other texts onto my TBR pile.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen

Title: The Kingdom of Sweets

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: Dutton 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 354

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Fairytale Retellings; Spooky Season - J

Where I Got It: Unread Shelf

Twin sisters, divided by envy and magic, set against one another on a fateful Christmas Eve

Light and dark—this is the cursed birthright placed upon Clara and Natasha by their godfather, Drosselmeyer, whose power and greed hold an entire city in his sway. Charming Clara, the favorite, grows into a life of beauty and ease, while ignored and unloved Natasha is relegated to her sister’s shadow.
 
But the opportunity for revenge announces itself one Christmas Eve, when Drosselmeyer arrives at their family gala with the Nutcracker, an enchanted gift that offers entry into an alternate world: the Kingdom of Sweets.
 
Following Clara into the glittering land of snow and sugar, Natasha discovers a source of power far greater than Drosselmeyer: the Sugar Plum Fairy, who offers her own wondrous gifts . . . and deadly bargains. But as Natasha unspools the truth about a dark destiny crafted long before her birth, she must reckon with forces both earthly and magical, human and diabolical, and decide to which world she truly belongs.

A bit of a mess of a book. I was very intrigued by the Nutcracker retelling and loved the first act. We set the stage and add in a mystery twin to Clara. Act 2 was even a lot of fun twisting around the idea of the Kingdom of Sweets. But then the book started to lose me. Clara and Natasha are both terrible. Their entire families are terrible. Conrad is a wet blanket. Why should I care about any of these people? The person I cared the most about was Anastasia the cook. She at least seemed like a real person. The rest were caricatures; all black and white without the gray that real people have. I was ready for the Sugar Plum Fairy to take them all. Overall, the book really lost me after the second section and the ending was downright confusing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

Title: Mistress of Rome (Empress of Rome #1)

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: Berkley 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 470

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Unread Shelf

First-century Rome: A ruthless emperor watches over all—and fixes his gaze on one young woman...

Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia. Now she has infuriated her mistress by capturing the attention of Rome’s newest and most savage gladiator—and though his love brings Thea the first happiness of her life, their affair ends quickly when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

Remaking herself as a singer for Rome’s aristocrats, Thea unwittingly attracts another admirer: the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But the passions of an all-powerful man come with a heavy price, and Thea finds herself fighting for both her soul and her sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor’s mistress.

I cannot tell you how many years this book has sat on my Unread Shelf. I know that I got it before we moved back from California, so at least 6 years. I’ve read many of Kate Quinn’s later books, but never this series. We picked it for our November book club selection and I finally dove in. Overall, I really enjoyed this look at Ancient Rome. The first 150 pages are fairly slow, but once we get past those, the story really gets going. We have to establish our world and our characters before we get to the meat of the story. Thea was a great outsider character left to navigate the treacherous and unjust world of Rome. I was rooting for her right from the beginning. Marcus was fascinating and I really wanted to see more of him that we got. Lepida was horrid and I really wished she has faced a more terrible end, but at least she did face her end. I liked the interplay of the storylines and the different levels of Roman society depicted. We got a little of everything, even a few real historical people. I just wish it had been about 100 pages shorter with some extra slow and long sections trimmed down. Still, I have the rest of the series and will put them in my TBR short pile.

Empress of Rome

• #1 Mistress of Rome

• #2 Daughters of Rome

• #3 Empress of the Seven Hills

• #4 Lady of the Eternal City

Next up on the TBR pile:

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Title: Assistant to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain #1)

Author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Publisher: Entangled 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 342

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Under the Cover, KC June 2024

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

I got very excited when a book club member chose this slightly spooky romance that I bought while at the retreat in June. Unfortunately, I am not able to make the meeting. Such a shame, as I absolutely loved this very slow burn romance full of action and adventure. Evie stumbles into a new job working for the evil villain of the forest. Of course, we meet the Villain and realize that there’s more going on than meets the eye. As Evie settles into her job as an assistant, the Villain starts to realize just how important she is to his entire world. I loved the increasing sexual tension in the itneractions between our main characters. Beyond that, I really loved the overall mystery of who the mole is. I’m really finding a mix of romance and mystery to be my jam right now. My only issue with this book is the ending. We are faced with a pretty big cliffhanger! Ugh! I put the next one on hold from the library. I cannot wait to see what happens between Evie and Trystan.

Assistant to the Villain

• #1 Assistant to the Villain

• #2 Apprentice to the Villain

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

Title: Unbury Carol

Author: Josh Malerman

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month October 2023

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors.

It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.

After her grandmother’s death, June discovers a series of cryptic clues regarding her mother’sdecades-old disappearance, except they only lead to more questions. But could the door she once assumed was a hallucination be the answer she’s been searching for? The next time it appears, June realizes she can touch it and walk past the threshold. And when she does, she embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but also uncover the lingering mysteries of her small town and entangle her heart in an epic star-crossed love.

I read Young’s previous book, Spells for Forgetting, and enjoyed the atmospheric slightly spooky story. We picked her newest book as our book club selection for October. I immediately fell into the Farrow family lore and wanted to know more about their history. As June’s life becomes unraveled, I really started rooting for her to get her happiness. Once we are transported back in time, the storyline really gets moving and I was desperate to figure out all the secrets. I sped through the book and let out a contented sigh at the end. This was a great slightly magical book about a woman finding her place.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Title: Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Author: Emma Törzs

Publisher: William Morrow 2023

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 416

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month June 2023

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements—books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .

I was so very excited about this book when I bought it and then it just sat in my room for months… I finally cracked it open this Spooky Season and was ultimately disappointedly. The story and the reveals moved so slowly at times that I put the book down and would forget to pick it up. I wanted more. More movement, more growth, more magic. At times, the sisters were written and acted like they were teenagers instead of their actual ages. Their immaturity really got to me at times. I wanted to see two slightly lost women reconnecting with each other and finding a place. But they spend most of the book just flailing around. I think I might have reached my fill of incapable characters.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

Title: The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love (Love’s Academic #1)

Author: India Holton

Publisher: Berkley 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf RC; She Reads Romance - Only One Bed (repeated!)

Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024

Beth Pickering is on the verge of finally capturing the rare deathwhistler bird when Professor Devon Lockley swoops in, stealing both her bird and her imagination like a villain. Albeit a handsome and charming villain, but that's beside the point. As someone highly educated in the ruthless discipline of ornithology, Beth knows trouble when she sees it, and she is determined to keep her distance from Devon. 

For his part, Devon has never been more smitten than when he first set eyes on Professor Beth Pickering. She's so pretty, so polite, so capable of bringing down a fiery, deadly bird using only her wits. In other words, an angel. Devon understands he must not get close to her, however, since they're professional rivals. 

When a competition to become Birder of the Year by capturing an endangered caladrius bird is announced, Beth and Devon are forced to team up to have any chance of winning. Now keeping their distance becomes a question of one bed or two. But they must take the risk, because fowl play is afoot, and they can't trust anyone else—for all may be fair in love and war, but this is ornithology.

A new series from India Holton! I must have it immediately! And thankfully this one was just as delightful as her previous series. In here, we get a colleagues and competitors to romance story. It’s not quite an enemies-to-lovers tropes but a bit more gentle than that. Devon and Beth are thrust together by their own choices and the machinations of a pair of black-clad gentleman for a madcap adventure to capture a rare bird. Along the way we encounter some peril, multiple one-room-in-the-inn situations, competing ornithologists, some protective French fisherman, and a whole lot of swoony moments. I loved seeing Beth and Devon succumb to their mutual admiration and attraction. Overall, a delightful adventure romance with equal parts. I can’t wait until Gabriel’s story!

Love’s Academic

• #1 The Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love

• #2 The Geographer’s Map to Romance

Next up on the TBR pile:

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

Title: Phantasma (Wicked Games #1)

Author: Kaylie Smith

Publisher: Forever 2024

Genre: Fantasy; Horror

Pages: 461

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024

Spice Rating: 5

Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

Wicked Games

• #1 Phantasma

• #2 Enchantra

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

Title: A Sorceress Comes to Call

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Books 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 336

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project

Where I Got It: Book of the Month September 2024

Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.

But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.

When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.

Loved loved loved this book! I have loved almost everything that T. Kingfisher has put out. I love her blend of horror, fantasy, and fairy tales. The blend makes her book shave a great atmospheric quality mixed with solid plots. For this book, I wasn’t sure what we were getting at first. I was not super excited to spend 300+ pages with Cordelia as our narrator. Thankfully, we are introduced to Hester pretty quickly and from then on we get two narrators. Much better! I loved seeing the story and the situations play out from each perspective. The suspense ratchets up throughout the first half of the book leading to some great scenes. And then the plot kicks into high-gear and we get one long adventure leading to the conclusion of the book. I loved it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Book of Night by Holly Black

Title: Book of Night (Book of Night #1)

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Tor Books 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Spooky Season

Where I Got It: Book of the Month May 2022

Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make.

She's spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall.

Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie's shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies.

Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world—all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.

So very disappointed by this book. I was intrigued by the summary and interested in reading a dark magical story featuring a scrappy protagonist. What I got was a meandering, boring story featuring a highly unlikable main character. Charlie lies, cheats, and steals, even to and from those she loves to accomplish some very unspecified goals in life. I never found myself connecting to her. I also was very annoyed by those surrounding Charlie. Posey is terrible in her own way. And I hated that Vince keep everything important secret. I’m really sick of books where every character keeps very important information from the people who need it the most. All for a perceived gift for another character. Very annoying. As for the storyline itself, I was continuously annoyed by the interlude chapters about Charlie’s past. I really didn’t need all those long chapters detailing her past transgression. We get it. I would have cut most of those and focused more on the present.

Book of Night

• #1 Book of Night

• #2 Thief of Night

Next up on the TBR pile:

The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry

Title: The 22 Murders of Madison May

Author: Max Barry

Publisher: G.P Putnam’s Sons 2021

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Book Flood November 2021

"I love you. In every world."

Young real estate agent Madison May is shocked when a client at an open house says these words to her. The man, a stranger, seems to know far too much about her, and professes his love--shortly before he murders her.

Felicity Staples hates reporting on murders. As a journalist for a midsize New York City paper, she knows she must take on the assignment to research Madison May's shocking murder, but the crime seems random and the suspect is in the wind. That is, until Felicity spots the killer on the subway, right before he vanishes.

Soon, Felicity senses her entire universe has shifted. No one remembers Madison May, or Felicity's encounter with the mysterious man. And her cat is missing. Felicity realizes that in her pursuit of Madison's killer, she followed him into a different dimension--one where everything about her existence is slightly altered. At first, she is determined to return to the reality she knows, but when Madison May--in this world, a struggling actress--is murdered again, Felicity decides she must find the killer--and learns that she is not the only one hunting him.

Traveling through different realities, Felicity uncovers the opportunity--and danger--of living more than one life.

I finally picked up this book that’s been sitting on my shelves for a few years. We chose it as a book club read this fall. I was very intrigued by the multi-dimensional murder mystery aspect. I wanted some thriller, some science, and maybe some trippy nonsense. And I got part of that. I enjoyed the chapters that followed Felicity as she attempts to understand what exactly is happening and how to save Madison May. I loved her slow unraveling of the truth. I even loved the quiet moments when she examined her own life and the small changes made each time she moved. And I really enjoyed the dichotomy between Felicity and Hugh. So much potential to explore their frenemy vibe. But the main reason that I knocked off two stars is due to the lengthy sections focused on Madison May. After the first murder, we get it. I don’t see the point of spending many many pages on her point of view as she is killed again. Those sections really drag down the plot and pacing. And it’s not like we as the reader gain any new information. We know Madison is going to die. Sitting around and watching her go about her life in this dimension for many pages before it happens is just boring.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Restraint by Katee Robert

Title: Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus #7)

Author: Katee Robert

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 320

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Male Virgin Hero

Spice Rating: 6

Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She's betrayed her father—and his dangerous benefactor—and now she's left to rely on Olympus' questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there's only one man she's ever wanted—a man she fears just as much as she desires.

The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos's plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word—at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She's meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.

Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur—she's all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he's done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn…

I’m really not have any luck with my reads this week. I adore Katee Robert and usually find her books, even the ones I don’t absolutely love, to be engaging and interesting. I appreciate how she explores different types of people and relationships. But this one really missed the mark for me. I just couldn’t get over how incredibly controlling and “alpha” The Minotaur was throughout. The sex scenes didn’t demonstrate enthusiastic consent or even mutual respect. I never did buy Asterion and Ariadne as a couple. Really, I kept reading this one for the background storyline about the coming war between Circe and Olympus. Those sections kept me from putting this one down and walking.

Dark Olympus

• #0.5 Stone Heart

• #1 Neon Gods

• #1.5 Hades and Hades

• #2 Electric Idol

• #2.5 Zeus and Hera

• #3 Wicked Beauty

• #4 Radiant Sun

• #5 Cruel Seduction

• #6 Midnight Ruin

• #7 Dark Restraint

• #8 Sweet Obsession

• #9 Untitled

• #10 Untitled

Next up on the TBR pile:

Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz

Title: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age

Author: Annalee Newitz

Publisher: WW Norton 2021

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Nonfiction Reader

Where I Got It: Afterword in Kansas City June 2024

In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes readers on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around the world, Newitz explores the rise and fall of four ancient cities, each the center of a sophisticated civilization: the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Turkey, the Roman vacation town of Pompeii on Italy’s southern coast, the medieval megacity of Angkor in Cambodia, and the indigenous metropolis Cahokia, which stood beside the Mississippi River where East St. Louis is today.

Newitz travels to all four sites and investigates the cutting-edge research in archaeology, revealing the mix of environmental changes and political turmoil that doomed these ancient settlements. Tracing the early development of urban planning, Newitz also introduces us to the often anonymous workers—slaves, women, immigrants, and manual laborers—who built these cities and created monuments that lasted millennia.

Four Lost Cities is a journey into the forgotten past, but, foreseeing a future in which the majority of people on Earth will be living in cities, it may also reveal something of our own fate.

Usually history books annoy me as they are so incredibly surface level. I get bored as I know the surface level facts about a ton of history. Thankfully, this one was focused enough to deep dive into four “lost” cities highlighting a ton of new information and discoveries. We get sections on Angkor War, Catalhoyuk, Cahokia, and Pompeii. I found each section to be very interesting and full of information that I was excited to learn. Newitz takes a much more nuanced approach to teaching about each civilization. The author focuses on a different aspect of the civilization. I was extra fascinated by the section on Cahokia. The shift in understanding from trade center to center for religious and spiritual gatherings was eye opening for me. I took my time through this book, but enjoyed every page of it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Title: The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)

Author: Robert Jackson Bennett

Publisher: Del Rey 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 413

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Bliss Wine and Books in Kansas City June 2024

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Oh wow! This may be my favorite book that the Nerdy Bookish Friends have read so far. I really fell into this intimate murder mystery set among a fantasy world where people can get alterations made from the blood of terrifying kaijus. That is a big strange sentence, but it really encapsulates the summary of this book. We follow Dinios Kol as he attempt to learn to be an investigator under a very unusual lead investigator. While a larger plot line is raging outside, Din needs to help Ana solve a very unusual murder. Of course, this isn’t a simple murder, but something much larger that points to other problems in the empire. I loved following along as Din reveals more clues and starts to put the pieces together. My favorite parts were the conversations that he has with Ana. She’s an amazing character and I really want to be her when I grow up. The book contains a fascinating group of characters. It reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel where you start to suspect anyone you meet could be the murderer. Even though this is the start of a series, the murder mystery wraps up nicely by the end while leaving the larger world to be explored in further adventures. I can’t wait to discuss at book club on Sunday.

Shadow of the Leviathan

• #1 The Tainted Cup

• #2 A Drop of Corruption

Next up on the TBR pile:

Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver

Title: Leather and Lark (Ruinous Love #2)

Author: Brynne Weaver

Publisher: Zando 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 416

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; 52 Book Club - Musical Instrument on Cover

Spice Rating: 5

Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.

And they can’t stand each other.

Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them.

There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep.

And this one has come for blood.

After the amazingness of the first book in the series, I had to snatch up the second and immediately read it. Unfortunately Lark and Lachlan aren’t my favorite couple in the romance world. This volume is much more of a slow burn romance than the first. We really draw out the story here focusing on their relations with the families instead of each other. I didn’t need them to really get going in chapter 3, but waiting until practically the end was a bit much. And I did wish for more banter and smoldering than what we actually got. Still, I’m really enjoying this series and cannot wait for the last in the trilogy to be released.

Ruinous Love

• #1 Butcher and Blackbird

• #2 Leather and Lark

• #3 Scythe and Sparrow

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Book of Scandal by Julia London

Title: The Book of Scandal

Author: Julia London

Publisher: Pocket Books 2008

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 360

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Second Chance

Spice Rating: 4

Nathan Grey, the Earl of Lindsey, is infamously known as the Libertine of Lindsey for his scandalous ways with women. But when he hears gossip that his estranged wife, Evelyn, is about to be named in The Book of Scandal, he has no choice but to remove her from London to protect her and himself from charges of treason -- even if it calls for abduction! While Evelyn has no legal recourse against the man who broke her heart years ago but is still considered her lord and master, she is no longer the immature girl Nathan married. Her enforced homecoming quickly turns into a battle of wills that tears down her husband's defenses and lays bare the passion that still burns between them. Before it is too late, Nathan must confront powerful adversaries as he convinces Evelyn that she is not only his wife, but the one woman he will love for all time.

Another absolute dud of a book for me. This has been sitting on my Unread Shelf for a few years. I finally dive and absolutely hate it. This is a second chance romance that I could have gotten behind if not for how the infidelity was handled. Now cheating is one of my deal breakers. The setup of why it was introduced in this story I understood. It was the reconciliation that I hated. Evelyn thinks about maybe cheating with a man and spends the rest of the book begging and pleading Nathan for forgiveness. Nathan actually has sex with multiple women and absolutely nothing. It’s just swept under the rug because apparently not having an emotional connection with those women makes it okay and you know “men have needs.” Nope nope nope. I am very much out of this series. Removing the other two from my unread shelf. Done.

The Scandalous Series

• #1 The Book of Scandal

• #2 Highland Scandal

• #3 A Courtesan’s Scandal

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd

Title: Book of M

Author: Peng Shepherd

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Speculative Fiction

Pages: 489

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; 52 Book Club - Told in Non-chronological Order

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

One afternoon at an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears—an occurrence science cannot explain. He is only the first. The phenomenon spreads like a plague, and while those afflicted gain a strange new power, it comes at a horrible price: the loss of all their memories.

Ory and his wife Max have escaped the Forgetting so far by hiding in an abandoned hotel deep in the woods. Their new life feels almost normal, until one day Max’s shadow disappears too.

Knowing that the more she forgets, the more dangerous she will become to Ory, Max runs away. But Ory refuses to give up the time they have left together. Desperate to find Max before her memory disappears completely, he follows her trail across a perilous, unrecognizable world, braving the threat of roaming bandits, the call to a new war being waged on the ruins of the capital, and the rise of a sinister cult that worships the shadowless.

As they journey, each searches for answers: for Ory, about love, about survival, about hope; and for Max, about a new force growing in the south that may hold the cure.

After reading Shepherd’s later book, The Cartographers, I wasn’t sure that I would like this one. But a ton of people thought I might, and they were right. This is a very thought provoking and moody tale. It reminds me of The Road and The Walking Dead but without the absolute bleakness of those stories. The story starts out pretty straight forward, but becomes weirder and weirder as we go along. At some point, the reader just has to accept the weirdness and keep moving forward. Many aspects of the shadowless are not explained, but that’s not really the point here. The point is an examination of how memories make us, how memories create our identities and allow us to live in the world. I found myself wondering about all the things that make up me. A much more thought provoking book than her later works.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Title: Rules of Civility

Author: Amor Towles

Publisher: Viking 2011

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 335

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Decades - 1930s

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.

This has been on my shelf for years and yet I kept putting it off. I’ve even read other Towles books before this one. I finally picked it up during my reading retreat and it just didn’t land for me. I was very interested in the time period and entire set up of the book. Unfortunately the best character in this book is the setting. The glimpses we get of NYC in 1937 were dazzling. But there’s where my real enjoyment of this book ended. I couldn’t care about any of the actual characters. I never truly felt like I understood Katey. I really didn’t get her motivations and background. Things that I thought Towles would focus on ended up bing a line here or there. We never really got into the meat of the character. While A Gentleman in Moscow is destined to be one of my favorite books of all time, this one will be quickly forgotten.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Title: Just for the Summer (Part of Your World #3)

Author: Abby Jimenez

Publisher: Forever 2024

Genre: Romance

Pages: 432

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Romantic Comedy

Spice Rating: 4

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work. 

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Another satisfying contemporary romance. Abby Jimenez is one of my go-tos for the simple fact that she writes real people. I feel like I could go and get coffee with any of her characters and it would feel real. I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between Emma and Justin. They are an effortless couple when together. I loved seeing them connect and then work through the hard parts. I loved Sloane’s friendship with Maddy and seeing them grow as friends. I absolutely hated the way that Emm’a mother treated her throughout her life. Truly not a good person at all. I had to take off a point for the absolutely bonkers twist/connection to other books. I thought it was very clunky. Still, I’ll try another Jimenez publishes.

Part of Your World

• #1 Part of Your World

• #2 Yours Truly

• #3 Just for the Summer

Next up on the TBR pile:

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

Title: Isaac’s Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

Author: Erik Larson

Publisher: Vintage Books 2000

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 323

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Nonfiction Reader

September 8, 1900, began innocently in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas. Even Isaac Cline, resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau failed to grasp the true meaning of the strange deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Mere hours later, Galveston found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people—and Isaac Cline found himself the victim of a devastating personal tragedy.

Using Cline's own telegrams, letters, and reports, the testimony of scores of survivors, and our latest understanding of the science of hurricanes, Erik Larson builds a chronicle of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude.

In my reading of all of Larson’s books, I somehow his first big book. A reader can tell that this is one of his earlier books. We don’t have quite as robust of a story weaving together plot lines and bringing everything together. As to the story itself, this is a fascinating look at a natural disaster. I loved finding out more about the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Apparently, I have a thing for natural disaster books. I do wish that we had got a bit more insight in Isaac, but I was with all the people of Galveston as they dealt with a horrific tragedy.

Next up on the TBR pile: