The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Title: The Queen of Zombie Hearts (White Rabbit Chronicles #3)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2014

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 459

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: A to Z - Q; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Great Friendship

I thought I had nothing left to give. I thought wrong. They started the war. Now I will end it.

Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

I sped through this volume just like the first two. I can't get enough of Ali and Cole and all the assorted fun characters. I am right there for the big mysteries. These books are just so much fun to read. I don't want to put them down and can't wait to see what happens next. This particular volume had some very interesting developments. We finally get to meet the head of Anima and see some big developments in Ali's abilities. Lots of fun. Can't wait to pick up the next one.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bedwyn Saga #4-6 by Mary Balogh

Title: Slightly Tempted (Bedwyn Saga #4)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell 2003

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Finishing the Series

Young. Ravishing. Exquisitely marriageable. From the moment he spies Lady Morgan Bedwyn across the glittering ballroom, Gervase Ashford, Earl of Rosthorn, knows he has found the perfect instrument of his revenge. But wedlock is not on the mind of the continent’s most notorious rake. Nor is it of interest to the fiercely independent Lady Morgan herself…until one night of shocking intimacy erupts in a scandal that could make Gervase’s vengeance all the sweeter. There is only one thing standing in his way: Morgan, who has achieved the impossible—she’s melted his coolly guarded heart. For Gervase, only the marriage bed will do, but Morgan simply will not have him. Thus begins a sizzling courtship where two wary hearts are about to be undone by the most scandalous passion of all: glorious, all-consuming love.

Eh. I wasn't the biggest fan of this volume. Morgan and Gervase's entire relationship had its issues. I just didn't love how everything played out.

Title: Slightly Sinful (Bedwyn Saga #5)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell 2004

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Finishing the Series

As the fires of war raged around him, Lord Alleyne Bedwyn was thrown from his horse and left for dead—only to awaken in the bedchamber of a ladies' brothel. Suddenly the dark, handsome diplomat has no memory of who he is or how he got there—yet of one thing he is certain: The angel who nurses him back to health is the woman he vows to make his own. But like him, Rachel York is not who she seems. A lovely young woman caught up in a desperate circumstance, she must devise a scheme to regain her stolen fortune. The dashing soldier she rescued from near-death could be her savior in disguise. There is just one condition: she must pose as his wife—a masquerade that will embroil them in a sinful scandal, where a man and a woman court impropriety with each daring step...with every taboo kiss that can turn passionate strangers into the truest of lovers.

Oh my. I really loved this one. Rachel and Alleyne were so much fun to follow. I loved every bit of their relationship. Definitely the winner of the series.

Title: Slightly Dangerous (Bedwyn Saga #6)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Delacorte 2004

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Finishing the Series

All of London is abuzz over the imminent arrival of Wulfric Bedwyn, the reclusive, cold-as-ice Duke of Bewcastle, at the most glittering social event of the season. Some whisper of a tragic love affair. Others say he is so aloof and passionless that not even the greatest beauty could capture his attention. But on this dazzling afternoon, one woman did catch the duke’s eye—and she was the only female in the room who wasn’t even trying. Christine Derrick is intrigued by the handsome duke…all the more so when he invites her to become his mistress.

What red-blooded woman wouldn’t enjoy a tumble in the bedsheets with a consummate lover—with no strings and no questions asked. An infuriating lady with very definite views on men, morals, and marriage, Christine confounds Wulfric at every turn. Yet even as the lone wolf of the Bedwyn clan vows to seduce her any way he can, something strange and wonderful is happening. Now for a man who thought he’d never lose his heart, nothing less than love will do.

With her trademark wit, riveting storytelling, and sizzling sexual sparks, Mary Balogh once again brings together two polar opposites: an irresistible, high-and-mighty aristocrat and the impulsive, pleasure-loving woman who shows him what true passion is all about. A man and a woman so wrong for each other, it can result only in the perfect match.

Not as excited about this volume. It had its entertaining parts, but overall I wasn't that excited. Not quite as weak as the volume featuring Freyja, but still not my favorite at all.

Bedwyn Saga

#0.1 One Night for Love
#0.2 A Summer to Remember
#1 Slightly Married
#2 Slightly Wicked
#3 Slightly Scandalous
#4 Slightly Tempted
#5 Slightly Sinful
#6 Slightly Dangerous

Next up on the TBR pile:

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Title: Sourdough

Author: Robin Sloan

Publisher: MCD 2017

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Involving a Heist; I Love Libraries

Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers close up shop, and fast. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her—feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it.

Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves daily to the General Dexterity cafeteria. The company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market, and a whole new world opens up.

When Lois comes before the jury that decides who sells what at Bay Area markets, she encounters a close-knit club with no appetite for new members. But then, an alternative emerges: a secret market that aims to fuse food and technology. But who are these people, exactly?

Overall, I really enjoyed our book club selection this month. I loved Lois's adventure with the sourdough starter. I loved all the descriptions of the starter and the bread it created. I loved the relationships Lois cultivated at General Dexterity and the Marrow Fair. I even enjoyed hearing about the other residents of the Marrow Fair, especially Horace. What I didn't love was the weird pseudo-corporate espionage that happened in the last 30 pages or so. I didn't like the characters involved and I certainly didn't like the outcome. Plus the way it was written made the ending seem very forced and abrupt. I would have liked a bit more to draw the conflict out. Oh well. At least most of the book was very entertaining.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Mad Hatters and March Hares

Title: Mad Hatters and March Hares

Edited by: Ellen Datlow

Publisher: Tor 2017

Genre: Fantasy Short Stories

Pages: 332

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Animal in Title; Share-a-Tea; I Love Libraries

From master anthologist Ellen Datlow comes an all-original of weird tales inspired by the strangeness of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There.

Between the hallucinogenic, weird, imaginative wordplay and the brilliant mathematical puzzles and social satire, Alice has been read, enjoyed, and savored by every generation since its publication. Datlow asked eighteen of the most brilliant and acclaimed writers working today to dream up stories inspired by all the strange events and surreal characters found in Wonderland.

As with every short story collection, the results are a bit mixed. But this collection really redeemed itself with a few key stories. My favorites:

"Mercury" -- Love the twist on the Mad Hatter idea. The twist at the end was definitely the best part.
"Alis" -- Hands down the creepiest story I have read in a very very very long time. I seriously had a nightmare about it the night after I read it. And I have avoided mirrors for awhile. Horrifying...
"All the King's Men" -- This was such a weird little story. I might just have nightmares about little Humpty Dumpties.
"In Memory of a Summer's Day" -- Love the idea of Wonderland turned into a tourist attraction. And yet, Wonderland is still a very dangerous place.
"Sentence Like a Saturday" -- What if a creature from Wonderland got stuck in our world? And grew up, but never really became a part of our world? Oh... I am here for this story.
"Eating the Alice Cake" -- Hmmm.. I wasn't expecting this story, but loved the twists and turns.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Little Book of Feminist Saints by Julia Pierpont and Manjit Thapp

Title: The Little Book of Feminist Saints

Author: Julia Pierpont and Manjit Thapp

Publisher: Random House 2018

Genre: History; Women's Studies

Pages: 190

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries

In this luminous volume, New York Times bestselling writer Julia Pierpont and artist Manjit Thapp match short, vibrant, and surprising biographies with stunning portraits of secular female “saints”: champions of strength and progress. These women broke ground, broke ceilings, and broke molds—including

Random pick off of the library's new books shelf. I am surprised that I have at least heard of every single woman featured. I did learn more about a few of the women (mostly non-Americans), but overall enjoyed reading each entry. Plus, the illustrations are just beautiful.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Walking Dead Vol. 28

Title: The Walking Dead Vol. 28: A Certain Doom

Author: Robert Kirkman; Charlie Adlard; Stefano Guadiano; Cliff Rathburn; Dave Stewart

Publisher: Image 2017

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

In the aftermath of The Whisperer War--ALL IS LOST as Rick and all of Alexandria fight for survival against the largest horde of walkers they’ve ever faced.

Collects THE WALKING DEAD #163-168.

I was wholly not prepared for this volume. I assumed that the residents of Alexandria would deal with the zombie hoard and be done with it. I didn't expect one specific death and it gutted me. The last few pages reminded me of the first few pages of the entire series. No need for words when the images are so detailed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

Title: Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2013

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 478

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: A to Z - T; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Read a Book While Eating Chocolate

Zombies stalk the night.
Forget blood and brains. These monsters hunger for human souls.
Sadly, they've got mine…
Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong.
After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things.
She's never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her…from everyone. Now, with her best friend, Kat, at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole's secret and learn to fight the darkness.
But the clock is ticking…and if she fails at a single task, they're all doomed.

This is exactly what I needed to read this weekend: a fun, sometimes horrifying young adult fantasy. I devoured every word, reading this one in only two days. I couldn't get enough of this fast-paced adventure. I was desperate to see what happened to regular Ali and Zombie Ali. I kept yelling (in my head) at Cole to get his shit together. I speculated on the identity of the spy and actually got it right for once. I can't wait to pick up the next volume.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile:

Circe by Madeline Miller

Title: Circe

Author: Madeline Miller

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 394

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Share-a-Tea

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

My Book of the Month selection for April and I definitely picked the right book for me. This is a wonderful retelling of the myth of Circe told from her perspective. I'll admit that the book started out a bit slow. Once Circe was exiled to her island, I really dove into the book and loved every word. Miller tells a compelling story with a gorgeous voice. Miller makes her fair share of changes and expansions of Circe's story, but every choice made sense. I really loved the twists and turns. Overall, a great read!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman

Title: The Dress Lodger

Author: Sheri Holan

Publisher: Grove 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 322

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: TBR Pile; Popsguar - Given as a gift; Seasonal Series - Flower as bookmark

In Sunderland, England, a city quarantined by the cholera epidemic of 1831, Gustine, a defiant fifteen-year-old beauty in an elegant blue dress rented from her pimp-landlord, sells her body to feed her only love: a fragile baby boy. When she meets surgeon Henry Chiver, who has recently been implicated in the Burke and Hare killings, in which beggars were murdered so the corpses could be sold for medical research, Gustine begins working for him by securing cadavers for his ill-equipped anatomy school. It is a gruesome job that will soon threaten the very things she’s working so hard to protect.

One of those books that has been on my shelf for years it feels like. I finally dove in and it's middle of the road. It's not a bad book, but I found myself fairly bored by it. I wasn't super connected to any of the characters. The setting and background story is interesting, but not enough to carry me through the entire book. I was not a fan of the weird third person narration and jumps between stories and characters. The book felt unconnected. Overall a very meh historical fiction novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

Title: The Emerald Circus

Author: Jane Yolen

Publisher: Tachyon 2017

Genre: Fantasy - Short Stories

Pages: 281

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy - Favorite Author;A to Z - E; I Love Libraries

A Scottish academic unearths ancient evil in a fishing village. Edgar Allan Poe's young bride is beguiled by a most unusual bird. Dorothy, lifted from Kansas, returns as a gymnastic sophisticate. Emily Dickinson dwells in possibility and sails away in a starship made of light. Alice’s wicked nemesis has jaws and claws but really needs a sense of humor.

In Jane Yolen’s first full collection in more than ten years discover new and uncollected tales of beloved characters, literary legends, and much more. Enter the Emerald Circus and be astonished by the transformations within.

I have loved many of Jane Yolen's books and couldn't wait to pick up this collection of Short Stories. They are perfect for this fan of fairy tale retellings. Once I started reading, I couldn't put this collection down. Every story was on point! Of course, a few of the stories really stood out to me.

"Lost Girls" -- Loved this story of a new visitor to Neverland who shakes up the status quo.
"Tough Alice" -- Alice in Wonderland is one of my all-time favorites and this new visit involving the Jabberwock was lots of fun.
"Blown Away" -- I also have a weakness for Wizard of Oz stories. This one focused on the farmhand's experience of the twister and aftermath. Interesting take.
"Rabbit Hole" -- Here we see Alice's visit to Wonderland as a old woman. Loved it!
"Sister Emily's Lightship" -- Emily Dickinson was such fascinating character in history. I loved this spin on her afflictions.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore

Title: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of American's Shining Women

Author: Kate Moore

Publisher: Sourcebooks 2017

Genre: History

Pages: 496

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - Nonfiction Adventure; Mount TBR

Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the "wonder" substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives...

Our book club selection for April. I've been super excited to read this history and it did not disappoint. I was horrified reading the trials all of these "radium girls" had to suffer through during their (in most cases) very short lives. I knew their stories weren't going to necessarily end well, but holy cow, it was even worse than I imagined. The devious dealings of the various radium companies and lawyers depressed me. However, the strength shown by the women involved was amazing. A very fascinating history of a little know story. I can't wait to discuss at book club.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Jennifer Government by Max Barry

Title: Jennifer Government

Author: Max Barry

Publisher: Doubleday 2003

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 321

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: A to Z - J; I Love Libraries

Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card--as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale--and everything must go.

A recommendation from J to give me something a little lighter to read while making my own through The Radium Girls. This book was depressing in a different way. Barry takes us into an interesting not-too-distant from our own world ruled by corporations. Oh my. I do not want to live in this world. There are no really good people and definitely no good corporations. I didn't root for any of the characters, but I did find the world to be very interesting.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lost Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Area by Sylvia Linsteadt

Title: Lost Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Area

Author: Sylvia Linsteadt

Publisher: Heyday 2017

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries

In this coffee table book of luminous essays accompanied by an array of images, award-winning writer Sylvia Linsteadt brings to life the many microcosms that once flourished in the San Francisco Bay Area: from the farthest reach of the Russian Empire at Fort Ross, to acres upon acres of apricot blossoms in what is now known as Silicon Valley, to the Coney Island of the West on the Alameda shoreline, to San Francisco's bohemian Barbary Coast. For every lost world, Linsteadt reconstructs the setting in lyrical prose supported by extensive research into each epoch. Vintage photographs, maps, and paintings combined with neo-Victorian design accentuate the words, immersing us fully in the nuances of each reality, whether mining quicksilver at New Almaden or shopping underneath the rotunda of the palatial Emporium. A book both dazzlingly beautiful and sensitive to the complexities of portraying bygone eras, Lost Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Areacelebrates the ephemeral and, in reminding us of the many moments of humanity threaded through the past, makes our understanding of the present moment that much more rooted.

Another interesting collection of local history essays. I loved that this one covered different material than the Lost San Francisco book. This volume included 25 essays from around the Bay Area. I especially loved the essay about Neptune Beach that used to exist on Alameda. Fascinating subject material! And of course, there were a ton of great photographs included.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bedwyn Saga #1-3 by Mary Balogh

Title: Slightly Married (Bedwyn Saga #1)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell 2003

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Finishing the Series

Like all the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart—and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought Colonel Lord Aidan to Ringwood Manor to honor a dying soldier's request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man's sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection…nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart. And when a relative threatens to turn Eve out of her home, Aidan gallantly makes her an offer she can't refuse: marry him…if only to save her home. And now, as all of London breathlessly awaits the transformation of the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, the strangest thing happens: With one touch, one searing embrace, Aidan and Eve's “business arrangement” is about to be transformed…into something slightly surprising.

This one was a treat. Really loved the story of Aidan and Eve.

Title: Slightly Wicked (Bedwyn Saga #2)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell 2003

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Finishing the Series

With his laughing eyes and wild, rakish good looks, Lord Rannulf Bedwyn is a hard man to resist. To Judith Law, a woman in need of rescue when her stagecoach overturns, Rannulf is simply her savior, a heroic stranger she will reward with one night of reckless passion before she must become a companion to her wealthy aunt. Imagine Judith's shock when the same stranger turns out to be among England's most eligible bachelors…and when he arrives at Harewood Grange to woo her cousin. Certainly, they had made no vows, no promises, but Rannulf never did forget his uninhibited lover…nor did she forget that one delicious night. And as scandal sets the household abuzz, Rannulf proposes a solution…but when Judith refuses to have him—in love or wedlock—Rannulf has only one choice: to wage a campaign of pure pleasure to capture the heart of the woman who has already won his.

Hmmm... I enjoyed reading this one, but it was a bit much with their "relationship."

Title: Slightly Scandalous (Bedwyn Saga #3)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: Dell 2003

Genre: Historical Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Finishing the Series

Growing up with four unruly brothers has made Freyja Bedwyn far bolder than most society ladies. From feisty manner to long, tumbling hair, Lady Freyja is pure fire, a woman who seeks both adventure and freedom.

Adventure soon finds her on a visit to Bath, when a handsome stranger bursts into Freyja's room and entreats her to hide him. His name is Joshua Moore, Marquess of Hallmere, a man with a hell-raising reputation of his own who is quickly intrigued by the independent beauty. So intrigued, in fact, that he makes her a surprising request: to pose as his fiancée and help thwart his family's matchmaking schemes. For two people determined to be free, it's the perfect plan…until passion blindsides them both. For as Joshua sets out to achieve his complete seduction of Freyja, a woman who has sworn off love is in danger of losing the one thing she never expected to give again: her heart…

Even after reading this decent romance, I've decided that I really don't like Freyja at all.

Bedwyn Saga

#0.1 One Night for Love
#0.2 A Summer to Remember
#1 Slightly Married
#2 Slightly Wicked
#3 Slightly Scandalous
#4 Slightly Tempted
#5 Slightly Sinful
#6 Slightly Dangerous

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lost San Francisco by Dennis Evanosky and Eric J. Kos

Title: Lost San Francisco

Author: Dennis Evanosky and Eric J. Kos

Publisher: Pavilion 2011

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries

Aspects of lost San Francisco that are examined here include the Victorian Alcatraz, Cliff House Hotel before it burned down, the early Embarcadero, the devastation of the 1906 earthquake, horse-drawn streetcars, the grandeur of the Sutro Baths both outside and in, the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition buildings, the changes made to combat a possible Japanese invasion during World War II, and some of the key hippie stores on Haight-Ashbury before the area became more upscale.

I randomly saw this book for sale at a local museum's gift shop. Thankfully our library had it. I am always up for learning about local history and right now the local means San Francisco and the Bay Area. I loved reading about all those lost buildings and places from San Francisco's past. Lots of informational tidbits here and there. The essays were great, but the pictures were amazing. I love poring over old photographs and this volume did not disappoint. Great pictoral history of the Bay Area.

Next up on the TBR pile:

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

Title: River of Teeth (River of Teeth #1)

Author: Sarah Gailey

Publisher: Tor 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 178

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Under 300 pages

In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true.

Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.

This was a terrible plan.

Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.

This is one of the books that has been getting random buzz around the book blogs. Randomly I saw it on our library's New Books shelf and snapped it up. I ripped through this slim novella with the speed rivaling those feral hippos. I love the combination of alternate history and western-style dime novel. So much fun! Unfortunately this volume ends on quite a cliffhanger. Guess I'll just have to find the second volume.

River of Teeth

#1 River of Teeth
#2 Taste of Marrow
#3 ???

Next up on the TBR pile:

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin 2012

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 404

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - YA Retellings; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Character Growth

She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever. Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next she would have laughed. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her father was right. The monsters are real. To avenge her family Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own and if Ali isn't careful those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.

This series has been sitting on my virtual TBR shelf for years now. I'm always a sucker for Alice in Wonderland adjacent books and movies. Most of them are super dumb, but I watch or read anyway. Thankfully this one was delightful. I sped through this volume in just over a day. I couldn't put it down. I loved the references here and there to Alice. I loved the zombies (gotta love the zombies). I loved the various side characters that added a bit of flavor to the story (Kat is hands-down my favorite). And I very much loved Ali and Cole. My one little issue is the over done trope of characters withholding important information "for their own good." Seriously there would be a lot less conflict and heartache in books if people were just upfront with information and their thoughts. But I know, being honest doesn't make for good conflicts in books. Oh well. Still really loved this one and can't wait to grab the next volume from the library.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile:

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Title: NOS4A2

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow 2013

Genre: Horror

Pages: 720

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsguar - Meant to get to in 2017; Seasonal Series - Read while listening to the rain

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

Holy hell was that a creepy book... Definitely a winner. I finally picked this one up and started to read it after the book sitting on my Kindle app for at least a year. Don't know why I waited so long. Hill has taken a ton of pointers from his father (Stephen King), but has made the horror genre his own. I was sucked into this very creepy story right from the beginning. I eagerly ripped through the pages (actually clicked through as I read it on my iPad) desperate to find out what happened to Vic and Wayne, horribly anticipating the appearance of Christmasland, and hoping for some kind of explanation for all the weird events. I loved the cast of characters (especially Maggie) and the various settings of the book. The descriptions were just enough for my mind to create a vivid landscape.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

Title: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2)

Author: Stephen King

Publisher: Plume 1989

Genre: Horror

Pages: 406

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mount TBR; Popsugar - About Mental Health; Seasonal Series - Read a book while sitting outside

Beginning just less than seven hours after The Gunslinger ends, in the second installment to the thrilling Dark Tower Series, Roland encounters three mysterious doorways on a deserted beach along the Western Sea. Each one enters into a different person’s life in New York—here, he joins forces with the defiant young Eddie Dean, and with the beautiful, brilliant, and brave Odetta Holmes, to save the Dark Tower.

Picked up the second volume in The Dark Tower series. And seriously, this is one weird book. We travel with Roland into three different time periods in our own world meeting three travelers along the way. I was totally on board with Eddie. Very straight forward story. But then later we meet Odetta and things get even weirder. This is only a story of Stephen King fans. Thankfully I like his weird storytelling. Very interested in where this crazy adventure is going...

The Dark Tower:

#0.5 The Little Sisters of Eluria
#1 The Gunslinger
#2 The Drawing of the Three
#3 The Waste Lands
#4 Wizard and Glass
#4.5 The Wind Through the Keyhole
#5 Wolves of the Calla
#6 Song of Susannah
#7 The Dark Tower

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman

Title: Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure

Author: Amy Kaufman

Publisher: Dutton 2018

Genre: Nonfiction - Media

Pages: 310

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - Nonfiction Adventure; Seasonal Series - Lemonade; I Love Libraries

Bachelor Nation is the first behind-the-scenes, unauthorized look into the reality television phenomenon. Los Angeles Times journalist Amy Kaufman is a proud member of Bachelor Nation and has a long history with the franchise--ABC even banned her from attending show events after her coverage of the program got a little too real for its liking. She has interviewed dozens of producers, contestants, and celebrity fans to give readers never-before-told details of the show's inner workings: what it's like to be trapped in the mansion "bubble"; dark, juicy tales of producer manipulation; and revelations about the alcohol-fueled debauchery that occurs long before the fantasy suite.

I heard Amy Kaufman do an interview on Here to Make Friends (a Bachelor podcast). I was intrigued by the premise of the book even more than the books written by former contestants. I dove into this one headfirst and didn't stop reading until the end. In speaking to a ton of people formerly involved in the show, she gained a very interesting perspective. I was at times horrified and intrigued. A very interesting take on the show.

Next up on the TBR pile: