July Wrap-Up

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It's the end of the month, which means it's wrap-up time. I didn't expect to read as much as I did in July, nor was I expecting to have such a wide array of genre. Now, let's get into the books.

Books I Read and Reviewed

God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert- 1.6 Stars

The Unblessed Child by R.J. Kaldanis- 3.2 Stars

Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King- 1.5 Stars

Sea Witch* by Sarah Henning - 3.4 Stars

Books I Read, Only Reviewed on Goodreads

The Eye of the World* by Robert Jordan- 4 Stars (Goodreads review)

When I Was You by Minka Kent*- 2 Stars (Goodreads review)

Android Chronicles: Origins*- 3 Stars (Goodreads review)

Midnight Wings by Arielle Sieling- 4 Stars (Goodreads review)

Dudley and Friends: Nouns by Lori Brown- 4 Stars (Goodreads review)

From Here to Infinity* by John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin- 3.5 Stars (Goodreads review)

A Small Fiction by Mark James Miller- 3 Stars (Goodreads review)

Chronicle of A Death Foretold* by Gabriel Garcia Marquez- 3.5 Stars (Goodreads review)

This is How You Lose the Time War* by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone- 4.5 Stars (Goodreads review)

Polar Bear and UFO by Cynthia C. Huijgens- 5 Stars (Goodreads review)

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer* by Fredrik Backman- 5 Stars (Goodreads review)

Genres Read

Fantasy: 3

Science Fiction: 5

Thriller: 1

Children's: 2

Classics: 1

Non-Fiction: 1

Anthology: 1

Literary Fiction; 1

Figures

Number of DNFs: 0

Total Books Read: 15

Pages Read: 3,740

Average Rating: 3.4 Stars

What did you read in July? Any recommendations? Did you read any of these books?

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June Wrap-Up

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It's the end of the month, which means it's wrap-up time.  Now, let's get into the books.

Books I Read and Reviewed

Warrior of the Wild* by Tricia Levenseller- 4.2 Stars

The Enixar: The Sorcerer's Conquest by Mikkell L. Khan- 2.7 Stars

Empress of All Seasons* by Emiko Jean- 3.4 Stars

The Knight's Daughter by S. H. Cooper- 3.1 Stars

Chaos of Stars* by Kiersten White- 3.6 Stars

Books I Read, Only Reviewed on Goodreads

The Tablet by Robert Thomas Minsky- 4 Stars (Goodreads review)

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring* by J. R. R. Tolkien- 5 Stars

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts- 4 Stars (Goodreads review)

Woman by V.P. Evans- 3 Stars (Goodreads review)

A River of Darkness* by Masaji Ishikawa- 4 Stars (Goodreads review)

From A Shadow Grave by Andi C. Buchanan- 2 Stars (Goodreads review)

Genres Read

Children's Books: 1

Fantasy: 7

Thriller: 1

Contemporary: 1

Non-Fiction: 1

Figures

Number of DNFs: 0

Total Books Read: 11

Pages Read: 2,641

Average Rating: 3.5

What did you read in June? Any recommendations?

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May Wrap-Up

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It's the end of the month, which means it's wrap-up time. May wasn't a bad month, although it wasn't a record-breaking month. I did join a new book club, re-read an old favorite and was introduced to new authors. Now, let's get into the books.

Books I Read and Reviewed

The Summoned Ones by Darryl A. Woods- 3.9 Stars

The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon- 2.7 Stars

White Elephant by V. E. Ulett- 3.4 Stars

Galactic Mandate: The Sccream by M. R. Richardson- 1.9 Stars

Books I Read, Only Reviewed on Goodreads

The Hobbit* by J. R. R. Tolkien- 5 Stars

Happy &You Know It *by Laura Hankin- 3 stars (Goodreads review)

The One & Only Dylan St. Claire* by Kamen Edwards- 5 Stars (Goodreads review)

Ella Has A Plan by Davina Hamilton- 5 stars (Goodreads review)

The Hollow Gods by A. J. Vrana- 3 Stars (Goodreads review)

Batman: Court of Owls* by Scott Snydrer- 4 Stars

Genres Read

Children's Books: 2

Fantasy: 4

Science Fiction: 1

Thriller: 2

Comic Books/Graphic Novels: 1

Figures

Number of DNFs: 1

Total Books Read: 10

Pages Read: 2,415

Average Rating: 3.6 Stars

What did you read in May? Any recommendations?

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April Wrap-Up

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April was a very good month for me. I was able to get a ton of reading done and discovered the works of plenty of new authors. I've compiled a list of all the books I read throughout the month.

Books I Read and Reviewed

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman- 2.9 Stars

Ubiety by Grzegorz Kunowski- 2.3 Stars

After Alice by Gregory Maguire- 1.7 Stars

The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith- 3.7 Stars

Books I Read, Only Reviewed on Goodreads

American Crumble by Lawrence Jay Switzer- 4 Stars (Goodreads review here)

Green Arrow: Year One* by Andy Diggle- 4 Stars

The Girl of Hawthorne and Glass* by Adan Jerreat-Poole- 4 Stars (Goodreads review here)

The Redwood Con by Reagan Keeter- 3 Stars (Goodreads review here)

Wonder Woman Vol 2: Year One* by Greg Rucka- 4 Stars

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman- 4 Stars

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year One* by Tom Taylor- 4 Stars

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year Two, Vol* 1 by Tom Taylor- 4 Stars

Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year Two, Vol 2* by Tom Taylor- 4 Stars

Deep Space by Milo James Fowler - 3 Stars (Goodreads review here)

Genres Read

Comic Book/Graphic Novel: 5

Fantasy: 3

Science Fiction: 1

Thriller: 2

Literary Fiction: 2

Mythology: 1

Figures

Number of DNFs: 0

Total Books Read: 14

Pages Read: 2,801

Average Rating: 3.47 Stars

What did you read in April? Any recommendations?

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March Wrap-Up

For the last two months, I wrote a wrap-up post going over the books I read but didn't review in a given month. I've decided to stop doing that, since it ends up being more work for me and it was getting overly complicated. So, instead, I'm going to go over all of the books I read in March, because that's just easier for me. Now that I've explained all of that, let's go over the month of March

Books I Read and Reviewed

Until All Curses Are Lifted by Tim Frankovich - 3.9 Stars

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert- 3.9 Stars

Eve: The Awakening by Jenna Moreci- 2.3 Stars

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi - 4.8 Stars

Tying the Leaves by June Toher- 3.6 Stars

Books I Read, Only Reviewed on Goodreads

Alexandra Forever 2337 by D.W. Richards- 4.5 Stars (Goodreads review here)

Animal Farm by George Orwell- 3.5 Stars

Mad Max Fury Road by George Miller, Illustrated by Mark Sexton- 4.0 Stars

A Day in the Garden by Su Kim- 5.0 Stars (Goodreads review here)

The Sea by Sophie Jupillat Posey- 2.5 Stars (Goodreads review here)

Genres Read

Comic Book/Graphic Novel: 2

Fantasy: 2

Science Fiction: 2

Literary Fiction: 3

Children's Book: 1

Figures

Number of DNFs: 1

Total Books Read: 10

Pages Read: 2,292

Average Rating: 3.8 Stars

What did you read in March? Any recommendations?

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The February Short List

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

The Short List is the list of books that I read in a given month, but for one reason or another, I didn't write a full review for. I still wanted to be able to talk about these books, and I've found that this format is the easiest way to do so.

The Devil In the White City by Erik Larson

Blurb: Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

My Thoughts: This was a re-read for me, so the story wasn't able to surprise me. That being said, this feels like it's two separate books. One accounting the story behind the World's Fair in Chicago, and another about H.H. Holmes crimes as one of America's first serial killers. It's understandable why both stories could be told together, but they do feel a bit disconnected. The writing itself is good and Larson did an extensive amount of research, but this wasn't my favorite read. It's an interesting read, even if the two plots feel disjointed at times.

Gheist by Richard Mosses

Blurb: After losing a card game to Las Vegas gangster Danton, Kat McKay is kidnapped, her heart removed from her chest. Bizarrely, Kat wakes up with a newfound power: she can see the dead. Together with a motley crew of criminal ghosts, including mobster Clint, stage magician Melchior and hitman Jack The Knife, she sets on a quest to restore their freedom - and her heart. But who is worthy of her trust, and can she regain what was taken from her?

My Thoughts: This book has a great premise but not a good execution. From the description, I thought it would be more interesting than it was. The story was slow to start off, and even after the inciting incident, things moved slower than I would've liked. There was a great deal of focus on side character's backstories that I didn't feel were that important. I was expecting Ocean's Eleven, but with ghosts and instead, the story was a normal heist story with very little supernatural elements thrown in.

  

Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant #1 and Crisis on Infinite Earths Giant #2

Summary: Between December of 2019 and January of 2020, the CW's Arrowverse had its big crossover event, Crisis on Infinite Earth, which they've been building towards for six years. These two comics are a tie-in for that event, with two all new stories, and are also a reprint of some issues from the original Crisis on Infinite Earths event.

My Thoughts: I'm a big comic book fan. I'm also a big fan of Arrow. While I have some strong opinions about the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" television event, I did enjoy these two comics.



E=MC2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis

Summary: This book outlines the history of Einstein's famous formulation, which was overlooked when he released it in 1905, and delves into how groundbreaking such a simple equation has been, the discoveries made as a result of its application and what it means to our understanding of the universe and the future of said universe.

My Thoughts: This was a re-read for me. I first read this book in high school and remember thinking how cool it was that E=mc² led to such a diverse range of discoveries. Reading it now as a college graduate with a degree in math and having taken higher-level physics courses, I can fully both understand and enjoy the content of this book. It's an interesting read, especially for anyone with an interest in physics, and poses some thought-provoking questions towards the end.

Those were all of the books I completed in February but did not write a full review for. What are some books that you read this months? Any recommendations?

Blogtober Day 31: Wrap-Up

Today is October 31st, as you most likely know. Unless you're reading this in the future. Anyway, since its the last day of the month, and the last day of Blogtober, it's Wrap-Up Time! I've never written one of these before, so I'm sorry if this is lame.

First, I did Blogtober!

I won't lie, I half-expected I wouldn't make it through the month, but somehow I have. Writing content and posting every day isn't easy, but I did. I'm not sure if I'll do something like this ever again, but at least I tried it and I had fun with it.

Now, onto the books I read

I read four books in their entirety this month. I planned on reading five, but the last book, A Secret History of Witches, which was on my TBR, I struggled to get into. I still plan on reading it, but every time I sat down to read it, I didn't have enough time to really get into the story. I'm still going to read it, so be on the look-out for a review of that.

The four books I read are:


The Scarred God - Review can be found here

I gave it a ranking of 3.9 stars because I enjoyed the story and the world, but felt like a little more detail was needed. I'm definitely going to read the next book if/when it's released.


Nightmare Escapade - Review can be found here

I enjoyed this anthology but I'm not sure if it truly counts as horror, since I didn't find myself being scared by any of the stories within. The author clearly has talent, though, and I look forward to seeing more works from him.


Anomaly - Review can be found here

I thought this story was fine. There were some pacing issues, its length also worked against it. The climax didn't entirely make sense and I would've preferred an ending that wasn't obvious sequel-bait.


The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror - Review can be found here

I enjoyed the collection. I named my favorite short stories in my review, but they were great, creative horror stories overall. There were a few that didn't fit the genre in my opinion, but overall the collection is good.

Even though I wasn't able to read as many books as I had planned this month, it was a pretty good month. I liked all four books I read. There were some disappointments, but overall, I'm gonna put this month in the "Win" column and start planning for November.

I hope your October and Halloween have been amazing and you've enjoyed the month as much as I have.