Narilka reads in 2023

Happy new year! Here's hoping a fantastic year of reading in 2023.

My Rating System
- Absolutely horrible, don't bother

- Meh, I finished the book somehow but would not recommend it

- An entertaining read

- Highly enjoyable, I would probably recommend this book

- Excellent! The book may not be perfect but it was perfect for me. Possibly a new favorite.

A star is given for a book that falls between those categories.

Currently Reading


Listening To

Books Read in 2023
1. The Buddhist Enneagram by Susan Piver
2. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
3. The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell
4. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
5. Big Trouble by Andrew Seiple
6. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
7. Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews
8. The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross
9. Freddy's Magic Garden by Angelina Dayan
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
11. Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. Watt
12. At Large by Andrew Seiple
13. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
14. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
15. Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by JK Parker
16. Going Rogue by Drew Hayes
17. Well Done by Andrew Seiple
18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
19. Cold Days by Jim Butcher
20. Gobbelino London & A Contagion of Zombies by Kim M. Watt
21. Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell
22. The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
23. Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Fun Stats
Books Read: 23
Total Pages Read: 6619
Audio Book Hours: 72h 17m
Rereads: 3
TBR Challenge: 3/12

2022 Series Stats
In progress: 21
Up to date: 15
On Hold: 7
Completed: 1
Abandoned: 1

Mount TBR
Start 2023: 216
End 2023: ?

TBR Challenge

A new year, a new list - happy 2023! I'm (mostly) freshening up both my lists this year. Aiming for 12 read.

3/12

Primary
1. Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. Watt Read Feb 8
2. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
3. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross Read Jan 20
4. Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson
5. Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix
6. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant
7. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
8. Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
9. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
10. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
11. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher Read Feb 20
12. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Secondary
1. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh
2. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
3. A Cat Named Darwin by William Jordan
4. Someone Like Me by MR Carey
5. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
6. Thud! by Terry Pratchett
7. You Are the Placebo by Joe Dispenza
8. By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates
9. Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
10. Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan
11. Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
12. My Life in a Cat House by Gwenn Cooper

My Personal Incomplete Series Challenge
Keeping my never-ending series list going for yet another year.

Series Stats Summary
In progress: 21
Up to date: 11
On Hold: 6
Completed: 1
Abandoned: 1

In Progress
Discworld: Rincewind - 6/8
Discworld: City Watch - 6/8
Discworld: Tiffany Aching - 3/5
Discworld: Overall - 32/41
The Dresden Files - 15/17
Temeraire - 2/9
Joe Ledger* - 6/10
World of the Five Gods - 2/3
Space Team* - 4/11
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Mysteries - 1/4
Awaken Online: Tarot* - 1/3
The Vampire Knitting Club - 1/13
Of Cats and Dragons* - 1/5
Hunter - 1/3
Manners and Monsters - 2/5
Nathaniel Cade* - 2/3
King of Scars - 1/2
Spells, Swords and Stealth* - 3/5
Sanderson's Secret Projects - 2/4
Harry Potter - 4/7
Gobbelino London, PI - 2/5

Up to date and waiting
The Band - 2/2 - #3 expected 2023
Skyward - 3/3 - #4 expected 2023
The Darkwater Legacy* - 1/1 - #2 expected 2023
The Metaframe War - 6/6 - #7 expected 2023
The Brackenford Cycle - 4/4 - #5 TBD
5-minute Sherlock* - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Witchlands - 4/4 - #5 TBD
World of the Others - 3/3 - #4 TBD
Mystwick* - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Locked Tomb - 3/3 - #4 expected 2023
Cradle - 11/11 - #12 expected 2023
Aurelia Ryder - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Innkeeper Chronicles - 5/5 - #6 TBD
Kate Daniels Wilmington Years - 1/1 - #2 TBD

Temporarily On Hold While I Try to Reduce my TBR
The Burning - 1/2
The Folk of the Air* - 1/3
The Book of the Ice - 1/3
The Goddess War - 1/3
Awaken Online* - 4/6
The Siege - 1/3
Trader Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper - 1/?

Completed in 2023
Small Medium* - 3/3

Abandoned in 2023
Laundry Files - 1/12

*Indicates series on audio

Plans for 2023...

I am looking forward to several new releases this year, including:

• Waybound - the conclusion to Cradle
• Alecto the Ninth - the conclusion to the Locked Tomb
• Defiant - the conclusion to Skyward
• Starter Villain, which I'm hoping is as much fun as KPS was
• Brandon Sanderson's Secret Projects (bought the Kickstarter)
• Magic Tides - a new Kate Daniels novella

Luckily 3 of those will let me finish off some of my many series in progress too, which I did a poor job of in 2022. I'd like to try to finish a few more series this year.

I also expect to push through what's available of the Dresden Files and Murderbot! I'll be continuing Spells, Swords and Stealth with my husband on our road trips, though I expect those to be further between this year. Maybe I'll finally get through the Discworld, though I've been dragging my feet on these since Pratchett's death so maybe not lol I also need to pick a series to reread.

It will be interesting to review this list at the end of 2023 and see if I stuck to my plans :D

Are there any other new SF/F books expected to release this year you all are looking forward to?

Happy New Year, happy new thread!

Happy New Year!

What Jim and Hugh said.

Happy reading in 2023!

>5 Narilka:

Ooh! ...

Whalefall
Translation State
Some Desperate Glory
The Water Outlaws
Pod
The Mimicking of Known Successes
Nocturne
World Running Down
On the Nature of Magic

>5 Narilka: Brandon Sanderson's Secret Project Kickstart supporter myself. I haven't quiet figured out how I'm going to read them because if the book are way too nice to take to work I might read them at home or see if I can upload the PDFs to my phone to read it at work from them. Due to looking at a small screen most of the day at my old job, physical books are a way better reading experience for me.

Happy New Year and wishing you success in your TBR Challenge.

Happy New Year, and happy new thread. Hope your reads are all wonderful.

>5 Narilka: & >10 mattries37315: Me, too! Just got the email that I can download the first book. I'm assuming the hardcover will arrive soon, but I'm giving that to my daughter.

I'll be starting Secret Project 1 just as soon as I wrap up my current read :D

>9 libraryperilous: I haven't heard of a single one of those. I have some books to look up. Fun!

>13 Narilka: I think I'm jumping ship on my current read and starting this now!

I'm looking forward to reading your take on the Dresden Files books as you read them, along with others. Cheers! and Very Good Health to you for 2023

Happy new year's thread Gale!

Happy New Year, Gale!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful wishes for the new year. This is part of what makes this group and LT feel like home :)

1. The Buddhist Enneagram by Susan Piver



My introduction to the Enneagram was through one of those quizzes "Which Enneagram Number Are You" you can find floating around online. So I took it and found the results interesting. Then I took another quiz and got completely different results, which was confusing. So when I saw a giveaway for this book, I entered and am glad I won a copy. Thank you GoodReads giveaways!

Enneagram is a philosophy to help us understand ourselves better and to enable us to travel from confusion to wisdom. It is more deep and complex than I was initially thinking. Susan Piver's passion for the Enneagram is felt on every page. Her writing is engaging and I liked her style of pairing what she was saying with a story to help with understanding. While I can't say I fully understand Enneagram, I do feel I have a much better foundation than I did from just a couple online quizzes. Pairing Enneagram with Buddhism was a interesting as it also helped me better understand some Buddhist principles at the same time. I suspect this book will be even better on future rereads should I decide to continue to deepen my knowledge of Enneagram.

Rating:

Next up...

I started The Wizard's Butler as my non-road trip audio book. From the first 30 minutes: Ex-military medic Roger Mulligan needs a job after leaving the Army so he answers an ad to be an elderly man's assisted living helper. Having received medical training during his time in the army, Roger figures this is something he can manage. During the interview, the family members doing the hiring sweeten the deal by offering $5k a month salary, in addition to room and board, plus a $1 million bonus if Roger can last a year. Suspecting a trap he asks what the catch is. The catch, it appears, is that the old man thinks he's a wizard and that they'd like Roger to act more as a butler than anything. Given the title, I'm pretty sure Roger takes the job. This set up shows a lot of promise for some fun situations.

I'll be starting Tress of the Emerald Sea later today as my regular book.

Happy New Year! I hope your 2023 reading brings you joy, interest and whatever else you wish from it.

Tress of the Emerald Sea I am loving the story book style. It gives me the feel of a fairy tale. I choose to read the epub version on my kindle and noticed there is some artwork in the book. My Kindle being black and white, I downloaded the PDF to check it out on my computer. Not only is there beautiful artwork, there are also color accents throughout the text. This is going to look amazing in hard back.

Through Ch 16 Oh! I didn't realize that Hoid was our narrator. That's interesting. And he explains his... quirks. Huh.

Collecting cups and knitting socks reminds me of a T Kingfisher book :)

I learned something new - fluidization! Or relearend something I forgot from science classes lol So neat. I had to look up a youtube video :D

Spores that create crystals... I am put in mind of TwoSoul. Are the spores perhaps called Aether in another part of the world? Are we seeing his planet or is this a different link? Are there other people like TwoSoul who can use the other spore types in their magic? TwoSoul did need a lot of water to create his crystals which matches up with what has been explained and we saw with the smuggler ship. TwoSoul is from The Lost Metal. No need to have read it, just a neat link for those of us who have.

I'm glad Tress has a friend in Huck. Everyone needs a talking rat.

I found it hard to put the book down and go to sleep last night :)

>23 Narilka: It is wonderful so far. It reminds me of Stardust, as so much of it is humorous. Did you know you can just download the color artwork to a separate file?

>24 clamairy: In my haste to get the book to my Kindle I didn't even look at any of the other available downloads lol I'll go back and look at that. Thanks for the tip.

>21 Narilka: Taking the first bullet of the year on The Wizard's Butler...

>1 Narilka: found and starred!

>26 Marissa_Doyle: Yay! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

Just stopping in to wish you Happy New Year and lots of good reading and success with your goals.

>23 Narilka: I downloaded that yesterday. I'll probably be a while getting to it just because I've so many library books due so soon - a result of reading and re-reading Victoria Goddard's books over the last weeks.

The Wizard's Butler around 25% - I am really enjoying this. It's a cozy slice of life style fantasy. I can't believe it's taken Mulligen so long to start to believe that fairies and pixies are helping keep the grounds and house clean lol I hope, once he's fully on board, he can help the old man with the curse.

Tress of the Emerald Sea through Ch 28 A minor link to Mistborn! Very cool how the metals push/pulled the rosiette to grow in different directions. Also a lot of confirmation about how the magic works in the Cosmere with Investiture. That captain is quite scary. Is that what TwoSoul had only for a different spore type?

Happy New Year - that's a great list of prospective title in >3 Narilka: hope you enjoy them as much I did.

Will add Tress to the wishlist already, bullet #1 first day back on LT.

Happy New Year! Looks like you are already off to a good start!

>23 Narilka: I resisted the temptation of the Sanderson Secret Projects but having read your reaction so far I am regretting that.

>32 reading_fox: >33 Sakerfalcon: According to Sanderson's website, the ebooks and audio books will be hitting retailers about mid month for non-backers. Print books are on a three month delay currently for non-backers. It's not a long wait :)

>34 Narilka: Have you heard when we're getting our hardcovers? I was hoping my copy would be here by the time my daughter visits on the 14th.

>30 quondame: Another Victoria Goddard fan! Yes!!

>35 clamairy: I don't think they've shipped yet. We're supposed to get tracking info when our physical copies ship and I haven't seen one in my email yet.

A bit of old history: I participated in the 75 book group Santa swap for Christmas, and my Santa sent me 4 books plucked out of my wishlist. I just finished the first of those, and it was put on the wishlist by one Narilka back in 8/19. I don't remember what you said about it then but I thoroughly enjoyed this cat-centered cozy mystery, The Cat, the Quilt, and the Corpse, so thank you, Gale.

The Wizard's Butler was my first Lowell as well, but I moved on into his space operas, a lot of fun. Also a Goddard fan.

>37 Narilka: Thanks for the info. I'll keep my fingers crossed that they ship soon-ish.

>38 ronincats: Oh cool! That cozy mystery series stays at the same quality throughout should you choose to continue. And good to hear that Lowell's other books are also enjoyable. Though I do hope he writes more in the Wizard's Butler series soon :D

Everyone keeps mentioning Goddard. I think I'm going to have to check her out at some point.

Tress of the Emerald Sea Through Ch 44 Hoid confirmed the Kandra theory for Ulaam. I highlighted the quote lol "The Stupid shapeshifter was enjoying this. I swear, they've all been getting weirder ever since Sazed released them." So it seems we'll see more kandra throughout the Cosmere. Now I'm wondering if his skin/eye color combo is an affectation. Can't they make themselves look however they want to a point?

The give and take between Tress thinking she has the upper hand and then realizing she isn't as clever as she thought is pretty realistic. I am very interested to see where her tinkering with explosives goes. And she discovered that other forms of aether, not just the midnight blob, can form a bond and be less harmful. I'm confident this is going to be very important.

I love how the chapter headers have changed now that we're on a new sea.

I'm just over 50% on The Wizard's Butler. I'm still loving it. What may have started as "just a job" as turned into a way of life for Mulligan. I love how it has been beneficial for both him and Shackleford. Mulligan truly cares for the old man and I'm sure would do the job without the $1M bonus now.

I laugh each time Shackleford interacts with Naomi and deliberately antagonizes her, though possibly it cause those fire bombs at the warehouse. He may have some memory problems but he's not that bad off yet.

I am irritated a little with Mulligan. They have internet in the house. Why isn't he searching about that curse and amulet?? He seems to be believing more now, especially after they basically teleported after dropping off the antique cars.

I also half hoped that Mulligan would be adopted and be named heir, at least temporarily, to make Naomi back off even though he doesn't appear to have magic. Mulligan would make sure the residence was kept up and treated with respect. It's going to be interesting to see where this heir lead goes.

I finished Tress of the Emerald Sea. I absolutely loved it. It's the perfect mix of adventure, comedy, a dash of romance and a lot of heart. Plus the classic Sanderson twist at the end that I totally didn't see coming but absolutely should have. It contains lots of Cosmere connections for fans though I think it would also be a good entry for new readers. Full review to come.

Next up is Side Jobs.

>43 Narilka: Just read the marketing synopsis about this. Sold!

>43 Narilka: Another one added to my wishlist.

>44 libraryperilous: & >45 MrsLee: I hope you both enjoy it should you give it a try :)

Around 75% on The Wizard's Butler I have noticed that Shackleford seems to have his worst episodes around Naomi now and they don't seem entirely faked. Is she part of the curse somehow or doing something else to enhance it? Hmm. The new family members show promise.

Side Jobs I like that Butcher provides an introduction to each story so far with a little background about how/why he wrote it and also where it fits in the series.

I finished both A Restoration of Faith and Vignette and liked both. I didn't think the first was as bad as he made out in the intro. It's not perfect but for his very first writing about Harry, it helps show his character. Vignette made me chuckle. I like this banter with Bob. As if Harry could add "boobs" to his ad in a non-trashy way haha

I finished The Wizard's Butler. Initial thoughts: I absolutely loved it. I burned through a 12 hour audio book in a week, which is unusual for me. This is the kind of "slice of life" fantasy that I enjoy. All the characters are likeable and I found the story both engaging and relaxing. I'm very happy where everything ended and can't wait to see what the author has in store for these character's next. Full review to come.

>48 Narilka: That one sounds like fun, though I haven't peeked at the spoilers.

>43 Narilka: I'm glad this one finishes as well as it starts. I'm about 2/3s of the way through, and I have to say that it's quite wonderful.

>50 clamairy: I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

Side Jobs - Something Borrowed felt more like one of the books condensed down too. I always wonder why they don't keep a piece of iron handy. Fairies infest enough of Chicago, seems like that would be good to have as simple self defense.

It's My Birthday, Too. Ahh, brotherly love. I'd forgotten just how grotesque the black court are since the recent books have been so focused on white and red courts. Thomas LARPing a vampire had me chuckling. That bit at the end about the present was touching. Too bad Harry forgot to bring it with. So far, this is the most satisfying of the stories to read.

Heorot. Obviously, or obvious to me, was Gard being a valkyrie. I think it's confirmed in Changes. What I find interesting is that since this short story was written much earlier that Harry seemly didn't know until meeting with Gard's "employer". This confirms for me that we can't take any of these stories as cannon for the main series. I think Butcher writes the series without assuming fans have read all the short stories, which is probably wise.

Day Off had me laughing. So much trouble in such little time and in such a tiny apartment!

Side Jobs - Backup. I liked getting a new POV. It's easy to forget that the secondary characters, like Thomas and Murphy, have lives outside of what we see in Harry's books. I liked seeing a bit of Thomas' struggle with his demon. It re-emphasized for me what he lost to that damn skinwalker. It also gives a reason to keep at least the White Court around. Stupid vampires.

The Warrior. This one feels the most relevant to the books so far, in a "what happens after" kind of way. Its funny because after what happened to Michael, while I thought it very sad, it was also happy in that he can FINALLY enjoy his family without any worry about being called away. It was a form of HEA.

I know Harry worries but Michael's not helpless, never mind that the family has Molly and Charity as backup.

Something that nagged in my mind on this one... are the swords really stealable in the manner Father Douglas wants? Don't they choose their wielders? The swords taken up by the wrong person or willing given to the wrong person would have the potential to put them out of the fight permanently. I think Father Douglas let his zeal get in the way of rational thought.

Last Call Was a nice link back to Heorot. I feel bad to Mac though, that had to hurt.

Love Hurts was complicated. Was it nice they got to feel that way ever for a little while or cruel? I did like the Red's idea though. Definitely outside the box thinking to battle against the White Court. That idea could be picked up again in the future.

Aftermath. Made me a tad sad. I love how capable Murphy is. And I loved that she has job offers from both Marcone and Odin LOL Not bad for a mere mortal.

I liked how she's staying stubbornly positive. I know Harry isn't gone considering how many books are left to read and for Butcher to write. The question only being how he makes his comeback.

And that finishes that one. Next up is The Atrocity Archives though I'll be cycling back to Dresden soon I'm sure.

The last week has been like a whirlwind. I've been interviewing and ended up with a job offer that I've accepted. So while that's kept me busy, I've also been reading and completed 2 books and a novella lol

I finished Big Trouble on audio. It's a companion series to Threadbare, set in the same world with different characters. I had a lot of fun getting to know Chase and her family. The story expanded on the game world in interesting ways. I'm still not sure how I feel about adding players to the world so we'll see how that goes in the next two books. I'm very glad Tim Gerard Reynolds stayed on as narrator. I love his character voices.

I finished The Atrocity Archives. This is a thriller/horror with a premise that advanced mathematics & physics can open portals to other dimensions that lets cosmic horrors through to our world. I liked the set up a lot. The execution.... oy. So much techno babble info dumps! It made the book hard for me to get into and muted the horror aspect of the story. It eventually turned into a decent thriller by the end. My copy also includes a short story which I plan to read and see if that makes me want to continue the series.

But first I needed something I knew I'd enjoy. Ilona Andrews just released Magic Tides which I devoured in 24 hours lol It's a new Kate Daniels novella that was a lot of fun. The length was perfect - it was both satisfying and left me wanting more. I enjoyed getting some POVs from Curran and Conlan too. Conlan is such a sweet boy from what we get to see. Keeping a low profile just isn't in Kate's dna :D Hopefully we get more stories from the Wilmington years without too long of a wait.

>54 Narilka: Congratulations!

Well congratulations on the new job. I hope it's a positive move!

A new job! Great! Best Wishes!

>54 Narilka:
Congratulations on the new job. That is great news.

>54 Narilka: Well done on the job!

>54 Narilka: Congrats on teh new job.

Shame The Atrocity Archives didn't work out for you. The 2nd book was better for me but it still has elements of what you didn't like about this one.

Hope the job is terrific! Such a relief when you no longer have to be looking.

>54 Narilka: Congrats, I hope the new job is perfect.

>54 Narilka: Happy New Job!

Thanks for the well wishes everyone! I'm excited and nervous :)

>54 Narilka: Best wishes for your new job!

>54 Narilka: Congratulations!

Congrats on the new job! May it be everything you hope for.

>54 Narilka: Congratulations and best wishes on the new job.

I liked Magic Tides as well.

>54 Narilka: Congratulations on the new job! I hope you'll have interesting duties and friendly colleagues.

Thanks again for the well wishes :) It's just a matter of wrapping up paperwork now. Fun fun.

We took a short road trip this week so we made progress on Going Rogue and am about 2/3rd through now. I like where this is headed. With the Grand Quest about to start, it seems that both groups of players and our favorite party of NPCs may end up crossing paths. This has the chance to be very very interesting indeed. And if the module updates for the players on the fly...

I'm glad Eric got rogue training (title). I'm curious if they'll also cross paths with Allura (Ellora? Not sure of spelling) again before the end of the book.

>54 Narilka: belated congratulations on the new job!

>54 Narilka: Congratulations!

I finished a reread of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Looks like I'm going to do the full series after all. It's been a while! I'd completely forgotten that Hagrid was implicated with the monster both times and that was what had him expelled. Poor guy. Also, Tom Riddle is such an under utilized villain. Plus he monologues too much lol

I started Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries. Through Ch 4 The whole dentist scene was hilarious. I love the different reactions to the talking cat! Obviously that ex-husband is an ass lol I don't feel bad that they are essentially going to rob him though I think there's more to the book than what has been revealed so far.

I'm about 75% through Small Medium: At Large on audio. All the puns and pop culture references have been enjoyable and pretty funny. They ran the "Gimli Maneuver" which is exactly what you think only with a halfling! lol There is more being added to the mystery of the players. Now I want to know how did they get stuck in this world?? I'm also enjoying how Chase is using her Medium and Oracle abilities. Very creative.

2. Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson



As explained in the author's note at the end of the book, the idea for this book is based on the question: What if Buttercup from The Princess Bride had been active in Wesley's rescue instead of waiting passively for him to return? Tress of the Emerald Sea gives us a possible answer. As a huge fan of both Brandon Sanderson's writing and The Princess Bride I enjoyed this book immensely.

Tress is happy living the simple life on her little island in the middle of an emerald ocean of spores, collecting cups from sailors as they pass through ports and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. All is going well until Charlie's family takes him on a voyage to find a bride and he is apparently lost at sea. Tress is determined to find out what really happened to Charlie even if it means she must sail across the spores to the edge of the Midnight Sea itself.

Tress reads like a fairy tale. It straddles the line somewhere between YA and "adult" fantasy though generally leaning to the younger side. I loved the character's voice who narrates our tale. It feels like you are listening to a tale being told around a campfire or at night before drifting off to sleep. Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge.... It's the perfect mix of adventure, comedy, surprisingly insightful wisdom, a dash of romance and a lot of heart. Plus the classic Sanderson twist at the end that I totally didn't see coming but absolutely should have.

I had a great time getting to know the characters. Tress makes for a determined heroine, with quiet confidence and empathy for those around her. The supporting cast was all great, even the villains. I'm not going to say too much more about them for fear of spoilers.

While technically it is a standalone novel in the Cosmere, there are plenty of connections for long time fans. The easter eggs for the parts of the Cosmere I've read were a lot of fun to discover and discuss with friends who are also fans. That said, I think this would be an excellent entry for new readers too as everything you need to know is contained within the story.

I am greatly looking forward to the rest of the Secret Projects this year and can't wait for my hard back copy of Tress to arrive.

Rating:

I finished Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries last night. It was a lot of fun! Snarky feline private investigator with his human side kick is a great combo. Thank you sakerfalcon for the BB. I'm going to continue with this series.

I also finished Small Medium: At Large today. I liked how things ended. Chase really leaned in to her new and unusual jobs. I also enjoyed the side characters a lot. Bastian was easily my favorite. I'm looking forward to finishing off the trilogy soon.

Next up I'll be continuing the Dresden Files with Ghost Story. When I'm ready to start a new audio, it will be the 3rd Small Medium book.

Started my new job this week. It always takes a little bit to adjust to a new place. I think I made the right choice. This is going to be a good group to work with.

>74 Narilka: I mostly enjoy reading Sanderson, well I'm not a fan of Skyward, but don't remember enough of any book, even the ones I've read twice, that I can collect any Easter Eggs.

>76 quondame: You might be surprised ;) It also helps if you read a few closer together, which I accidentally did due to the Nov release of The Lost Metal. For example, There's a chance that if you see metals pushing and pulling against things on a new world you'd remember that was the basis for Mistborn's magic system. That's an easter egg.

>75 Narilka: I'm glad you enjoyed Gobbelino! I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.

Ghost Story. I did not get very far last night, only through ch 2. Still, that was a very strong beginning. Very philosophical. Life is hard. Dying's easy. That's two great openers in a row. I also encountered a new word - obstreperous.

Ghost Story From Ch 6, I love this quote:
"Okay," Mort echoed, evidently speaking mostly to himself. "I mean, it's not like I'm trying to join the Council or anything. It's one hour. Just one little hour. What could happen in one hour?"

And that's how I knew that Mort was telling the truth when he said he wasn't a hero.

Heroes know better than to hand the universe lines like that.

hehehehe

Ghost Story Ch 9 Yeah. Total facepalms with the Carpenter children. Molly has some questionable things in previous books and now Daniel is talking about the swords in mixed company. Seems like not an ounce of common sense with them. I know I wasn't perfect as a teen but surely I wasn't that stupid either - I knew the important stuff. I guess I expect more from them since they come from a family completely aware of the supernatural and the war of good vs evil.

Ch 16 & 17 In some ways I'm glad Harry was unsuccessful against the lemurs though that's a pretty horrible way to die a second time. It was starting to seem it was too easy for him. I should've known better that Butcher wouldn't let that happen lol

YAY Butters!! And Bob!!! The real Bob :) I'm highly impressed with how far Butters has come. And the explanation for "dark" Bob has some very interesting implications. I really like how working together they've managed a way for everyone to hear and see Harry.

The Scoobie Gang's "to do" list keeps getting longer. Solve Harry's murder, reign in evil Bob, rehab those kids, save the world...

Ch 18 Muprhy sparring with ancient Nordics lol As if she wasn't bad ass enough already.

And some general commentary to this point. This story is oddly slow for a Dresden novel. It is definitely feeling like a reboot of sorts. It's interesting how Harry has to relearn basically everything which means we are relearning too. What I want to know is why does he seem different to the other ghosts? Is he not dead dead, but only mostly dead? Since there are several more books either he resurrects fresh or his old body is on ice somewhere waiting for its wandering spirit to return home.

I finally finished Ghost Story. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I was bored a lot during this one, enough so that I skipped reading it some nights. How the heck can a Dresden novel be boring?? It did have an intriguing ending, so that's good. I think the author needed to do a redo of the series or something as this felt a bit like a reset. Or the biggest transition novel of all time. I just wish it hadn't taken 500 pages to get interesting.

>82 Narilka: I think I have Ghost Story as being amongst the worst of the series but don't worry too much, things pick right up again in the next one.

>82 Narilka: I know what you mean about that one, it was a slow one for sure. When I reread it, it didn't seem as bad to me the pace seemed to fit the condition/place Harry was in. Sort of a paused universe.

>83 AHS-Wolfy: For my money, the worst one in the series was Fool Moon with all the werewolves coming out of the woodwork , it seemed very corny or spoofy to me.

>79 Narilka:
I had a teacher who would regularly call boys obstreperous, usually when he was sending them to The Dean of Discipline to be caned.

>85 pgmcc: I'm reading Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. You are making it sound like he isn't exaggerating.

>86 MrsLee: I did not love that book. I did not hate it, either.

>82 Narilka: I think I am going to stick to doing these as audiobooks, then... I have a lot to catch up on. :o(

>87 clamairy: I am on the fence, with about that same feeling.

>83 AHS-Wolfy: & >84 MrsLee: - Hopefully it's just a bump in the road. I can live with that. Honestly, any follow up after Changes was going to have a hard time of it. I just did not expect so much filler.

I've decided to continue on with my Harry Potter reread so it's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for me. I only got through Ch 2 last night and two chapters of the Dursley's was more than enough lol

>86 MrsLee:
I have not read Teacher Man. When I was at school, both primary and second level, corporal punishment was still a thing. At primary school teachers had s leather strap for dealing out slaps on the hand. Christian Brothers were well known for their enthusiast use of the strap.

At second level some teachers had straps that they used themselves. Most teachers referred boys to The Dean of Discipline, a priest, who used a bamboo cane to deal out justice.

>90 pgmcc: Lovely. :o( I had Dominican nuns, who used rulers, pointers, their hands and a wooden paddle. I also had lay teachers, and oddly enough I never saw a single one of them strike a student.

>90 pgmcc: "Christian Brothers were well known for their enthusiast use of the strap."

Interesting. In Pretoria I had a colleague who had been through the Christian Brothers mill there, which he reported as being pretty brutal. I wonder if that is a worldwide characteristic?

>90 pgmcc: >92 hfglen: I remember hearing similar stories about Christian Brothers schools in Australia.

The English Benedictines were no slouches with the paddle either. I remember one of my classmates being told that if he couldn't learn to behave, he (the headmaster) would beat it into him. We used to keep a running tally of whacks; I believe my class might have set a school record. By my senior year we had a new, more laid-back headmaster.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban through Ch 6 I like Lupin a lot. And it's about time they have a competent defense against the dark arts teacher.

I even like Professor Trelawney. Her Divination class is a nice foil for Hermione's perfectionism. Ron is right, she doesn't like being bad at something for once. Growth opportunity!

I love the running clues about what's happening with Hermione's schedule. It all went over my head the first time through. This time I can see it and it's so clever :D Very well done Ms. Rowling!

>90 pgmcc: >91 clamairy: I had nuns and priests and lay teachers but no corporal punishment, the ruler was just a threat.

3. The Wizard's Butler by Nathan Lowell



Roger Mulligan, an ex-Army medic and certified EMT, needs a job. He answers an ad to be an elderly man's assisted living helper. During the interview, the family members doing the hiring sweeten the deal by offering $5k a month salary, in addition to room and board, plus a $1 million bonus if Roger can last a year. Suspecting a trap he asks what the catch is. The catch, it appears, is that the old man thinks he's a wizard and that they'd like Roger to act more as a butler than anything. Roger takes the job. How hard could it be looking after a "wizard?"

I loved this slice-of-life fantasy. I burned through a 12 hour audio book in a week, which is unusual for me. I kept making/finding excuses so I could keep listening I enjoyed it so much.

All of the characters are likeable. Mulligan has quite an adjustment to make as he realizes that magic is real, as are the fairies and pixies that help keep the mansion and its grounds maintained, and that there may be more than meets the eye to the dementia episodes that Mr. Shackleford is experiencing. Mulligan grows to enjoy his new role as a butler and it seems to suit his personality well.

I'm happy where everything ended and can't wait to see what the author has in store for these character's next.

Rating:

4. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher



Side Jobs is the first collection of short fiction in the Dresden Files. Stories range from Harry's humble beginning to the aftermath of Changes. I liked having two stories from different perspectives in addition to Harry. Butcher provides an introduction to each story so far with a little background about how/why he wrote it and also where it fits in the series.

A Restoration of Faith - 3.5 stars - Harry's very first outing! Written before Storm Front it is an origin story of sorts. No, the writing isn't perfect, yet it manages to show off Harry's character well.

Vignette - 4 stars - A short snippet of Harry and Bob being Harry and Bob. Lots of fun Bob banter.

Something Borrowed - 4 stars - A wedding almost interrupted. This one reads like one of the full books only condensed down. I do wonder why Harry and crew never keep some iron on them since they run into faeries so often. Seems like that would be handy.

It's My Birthday, Too - 4.5 stars - Ahh, brotherly love! It's Thomas' birthday and Harry wants to get him something special. Too bad vampires get in the way. It has great balance of humor and action which is one of my favorite things about the series in general.

Heorot - 3 stars - Someone messed with Mac's beer! Harry and Gard are on the case.

Day Off - 4.5 stars - Harry's days off really aren't days off are they? How can so much mayhem happen in such little time and in such a tiny apartment? Plus this was downright hilarious.

Backup - 4 stars - Told from Thomas' point of view, we get a short story with some insight into things going on behind the scenes in Harry's world. I also liked how we see Thomas struggle with his demon. This one made me wonder if we'll see anything from this story in a future novel.

The Warrior - 4 stars - A follow up on how Michael is doing after Small Favor. Even though what happened in Small Favor was rough for Michael, I also sort of saw it as his HEA as he can devote his time to his family now. This story bears that out nicely.

Love Hurts - 4 stars - Love spells are complicated. It made for an interesting investigation. I enjoyed seeing how Harry and Murphy could possibly have been together though it was cruel it was all fake.

Aftermath - 4 stars - The story that happens right after Changes as told from Murphy's point of view. Murphy works a supernatural case without Harry. This story could have interesting impacts to the future of the series.

Rating:

So I just noticed that LT recommended The Oxford New Russian Dictionary to me LOL I wonder what I read that triggered that rec.

>97 Narilka: I'm going to have to read this! So many people here have praised it.

Yes, I took a bullet, too. But it's not available to borrow as an ebook. So I will have to wait until it is.

I may have taken a near miss (at least) on it as well.

Me too, though I think someone else here recommended it previously.

>101 clamairy: Yep, not available from the library but, when I look at it on Amazon.com, it shows as a Prime item - with a 'Read for free' button.

>104 ScoLgo: Oh!!! Thank you!!! When I looked for it yesterday I landed on the paperback copy, and the box for the Kindle copy showed up as $4.95. (It still does, but only if you're on the page for the paperback.)

>104 ScoLgo: Oh nice!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban the Firebolt chapter Is there a plot hole? Hermione was just able to waltz into the boys dormitories on Christmas. Isn't that supposed to be blocked by magic to keep the kids in their own dorms?

CH 17 Ahh yes. Now I remember that thing about the Marauder's Map. Lupin spotted his old friend Peter hanging around, even though he was supposed to be dead. I'm surprised that the Weasley twins never noticed that there was a Peter constantly with Ron. Assuming they bothered to look for their little brother in the last two years. Maybe not.

And finished. That was a highly enjoyable read. Much better plotting and pacing than the first two. You can see JK grow as a writer.

Next is Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City. 3 chapters in and I'm enjoying the main character/narrator's voice. That dry sense of humor is going to make for an entertaining read. I suspect that enjoyment of the book will depend highly on if you like Orhan's voice or not.

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City Ch 11 now I'm getting some light Project Hail Mary vibes. Orhan reminds me of Stratt - needing to make the hard decisions that will save humanity (or the City in this case) that seem insane at times yet perfectly sensible when explained. Just with a lot more humor.

Through Ch 21 Orhan accidentally declaring himself emperor is going to have ramifications later. Maybe he can abdicate if they all live through this. It did serve its purpose though - it was just outrageous enough to stop a gang fight and remind everyone of priorities. You know, the whole being under siege thing. People. Go figure.

They managed to resolve the problem with the lost Seal fairly easily. Already had a perfect fake just waiting for use. It does make you wonder if it was already stolen and maybe the Themes had the real one and a fake with the Emperor.

I find it continuously funny how he refers to the enemy helping him most and strangers a close second lol

I'm liking the blend of showing just enough of the horrors of war and offsetting it with Orhan's humor. This would be a depressing read without that.

I read the first couple pages of Ch 22 and am pretty sure this is the turning point. Things are going to get bad fast. I'm also not confident that the navy will arrive in time to save the day. Wasn't there something in the beginning about them being decimated chasing pirates? Must keep reading.

Through Ch 26. I did not see that coming. Talk about emphasizing his very complicated relationship with friends and enemies! And enemies who were friends? I can't tell where the status of that relationship is at the moment lol Having the besieging army led by his childhood friend is a great twist.

All I kept thinking through this section was how Ogus had a lot of specific information from what's gone on inside the City so there are obviously spies and some way out/in through supposedly impenetrable walls. Especially if the people who stole the stole the seal then smuggled it out so Ogus could return it. Yet this doesn't seem to cross Orhan's mind all. Perhaps it will in a few chapters.

Also, it would be pretty easy for Ogus to just send assassins in through that secret passage if he wanted, kill Orhan and a couple other key people, like the Theme bosses and other leaders, and let chaos reign in the City. Then he could march his army in and clean up whatever resistance was left easily enough after the gang war ended. There's too much book left so I'm assuming that also never crosses Ogus's mind or if it does Orhan gets a lucky again. Or Ogus could kidnap and smuggle Orhan out, then do the rest and sack the city. Conversely, if Orhan can figure out those passages, he could do similar and send his own Theme assassins out to murder a bunch of officers and Ogus in the army, leaving the army in semi-chaos and buy the City a lot more time for the navy (if it's out there) to arrive.

I hope I don't end up disappointed with the ending due to there being some really easy solutions staring them right in the face.

>108 Narilka: I keep hearing about this one, I'll have to put it on the list.

>109 Karlstar: It goes on sale for Kindle a couple times a year so keep an eye out.

In other news... I received my March Year of Sanderson box. It's the Cytoverse! I have Doomslug ice cubes in progress in my freezer now lol And my M-bot figurine is on my desk :) Also included were some Go Fish playing cards I haven't opened yet and the monthly pin of Steris.

>110 Narilka: Oh, nice! (I didn't opt for the loot boxes, just the hardcovers, ebooks and audios.)

>111 clamairy: I'm still waiting for my hardback of Tress. How about you?

>112 Narilka: I got mine quite a while ago! During the last week of January, I believe.

>113 clamairy: Oh, nice! I'm envious :)

You inspired me to reread The Wizard's Butler--I needed to cleanse my palate as the three "cozy" fantasies I've read after the Tea Princess series have not been very good.

>114 Narilka: I didn't realize they were behind on the shipping. It's still sitting in the box because my daughter is getting the hardcover. I got the audio and the ebook.

>115 ronincats: Awesome! I know I'll reread it in the future too :)

>116 clamairy: Those poor books have hit nothing but delays. Most recently it was something with the foiling process for the covers. At this point I might receive Secret Project 2 before Tress.

>117 Narilka: That's too bad. I did see all of the apology emails, but I thought that last one said they were caught up. Were there different versions of the hardcover? I just went back and looked, and they said they were still boxing up the premium copies to mail. Perhaps mine was the pedestrian copy! LOL

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City Ch 27 and there's my answer for my Ch 26 spoiler lol Sending the seal out by carrier pigeon is pretty funny.

Ch 34 It seems that Orhan and Ogus are going to play a game of chess with their maneuvers against each other for who will win the City.

Ch 36 I liked the little background tidbit that he's Aichma's father. That gives their relationship a different lens. I was actually thinking there was going to be something romantic there but not any more. It also reframes those conversations where he's proud of her intelligence. Then the whole story about his friend's wives... I think I'm more annoyed that Orhan is so willing to cuckold his friends rather than the wives are faithless. And he wonders why his enemies seem to help him out more than his friends do lol

Orhan is a unique lead. He's pretty unlikable when you really think about it yet you can't help but like him for his pure moxy and creative brilliance at how he is keeping the City alive.

Finished. Very abrupt and unsatisfying ending. But he died so it's not like he could continue his dictation.

In some ways I think I liked the Translator's Note afterward the most. Questioning the validity of the text over a thousand years as there is no other historical record of Orhan or the events he relates.

While skimming over all the spoiler posts I thought "Narilka redacts her reads in 2023" ...bwahaha!

>120 fuzzi: That's hilarious! I may have to change my thread title when it's time to create another lol

5. Big Trouble by Andrew Seiple



Once upon a time there was a halven named Chase Berrymore. Chase has dreamed of adventure her whole life with the hope of leaving her tiny village, Bothernot. And then one day adventure finds her. Not being one for violence, Chase is going to have to use her wits and the power of words if she hopes to save her friends and family from a new form of beings called "players."

Big Trouble is the first in the Small Medium series by Andrew Seiple. Set in an entirely different corner of the land of Generica, it sure felt good to be back in the Threadbare-verse. While this story does not rely on any prior knowledge of the world, you may want to read the original Threadbare trilogy first as this contains some minor references and links back to that trilogy.

Chase Berrymore and her sister Gretta are halvens which are this world's version of halflings. They live in a pastoral village where everyone knows everyone, eat multiple meals a day to keep their stamina up and Chase makes it her business to know everyone else's business. This uniquely prepares Chase to become an Oracle once the excitement starts. I love just how well she uses her talking skills and her innate sense to know people to navigate her village through the trouble they've found themselves in instead of the traditional method of fighting everything. It makes for a very different style of adventure story. Chase makes some friends along the way, my favorite of which is Remy a toy golem. There are plenty of nods to RPG-style games as well as some pop culture references and silly puns to go around. I found the humor to my taste.

I am intrigued at how Seiple decided to expand upon the world. The addition of "players" adds a whole other spin on the world I thought I knew. I hope this mystery is explored further as they seem be stuck in the game somehow.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. He's an amazing narrator and voices the characters brilliantly. I'm glad he stayed on for this sequel series.

Rating:

6. The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross



Bob Howard is a computer tech who works at a super-secret government agency, the Laundry. Bob is finally offered the opportunity to escape his boring desk job for a night by taking an active-duty op to retrieve some information and does an unfortunately good job - so good it gets him noticed by his superiors and put on full active duty. Now he's off to save the world one physics theorem at a time.

The Atrocity Archives is the first in The Laundry Files by Charles Stross. I'm having a hard time rating this. It took me almost 3/4 of the book to feel engaged. The concept is pretty cool - advanced mathematics can open portals to other dimensions where some not so nice things live and people do this accidentally. The execution though... so much technobabble info dumps! It eventually smooths out into a decent thriller by the end. I'm glad my book club encouraged me to push through.

My copy also contains a short story I plan to read before deciding if I'm continuing the series.

Rating:

7. Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews



I smiled. Curran and I had agreed to maintain a low profile after moving. Think normal suburban thoughts. How hard could this be, right?

Some things never change. Kate, Curran and their son Conlan have moved from Atlanta to Wilimgton in an attempt to have a normal life. This being Kate, it's not long before she hears of a kidnapping and must go find the missing child.

Magic Tides is the first in the Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years series by Ilona Andrews. If this initial book is any indicator, this is going to be a series of novellas about the couple's entirely normal, low profile life after having saved Atlanta from Roland. Perhaps I should put "normal" and "low profile" in quotes as this family isn't normal by any means and keeping a low profile just isn't in Kate's DNA. It make for a short, fun adventure with some favorite characters. I found the novella length just right - it was a satisfying read while leaving me wanting for more. Kate meets some new/old friends along the way, which makes for an interesting set up for future novellas. Forming a new pack maybe? I also enjoyed that we got a couple chapters in Curran and Conlan's POVs. Conlan is such a sweet boy from what we get to see of him. I'm looking forward to future novellas in Wilmington.

Rating:

My current read is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I remember this being my favorite in the series when I did my original read through way back when. I'm about 40% in and am astonished at just how much was cut from the movie. It's such a shame. Especially the World Cup. Sure, it would've added a little length but still. What a missed opportunity!

I had completely forgotten how hilarious the Weasley's arrival to pick up Harry from the Dursleys was.

I feel bad for Harry and Ron at the moment. It's obvious that Harry did not put his name in the cup at how distressed he is. And I can see why Ron is so upset. I just wish Ron would get over it faster. Harry needs his friend right now.

Rita Skeeter is quite the slimy journalist.

Doing this series reread is making me want to watch the movies again.

>125 Narilka: There was too much going on to fit it all into one movie. I guess they could have done two films like they did with the seventh book... Perhaps someday they will make a very long mini series out of these books. I don't think they could improve on the acting at all, but the special effects weren't always the greatest.

>123 Narilka: I've enjoyed, well appreciated, the novels in that series though I'd have preferred a somewhat slower acceleration into the outright chaos - though looking at the series, it really did take some years and a respectable number of volumes. Well, I guess any coming of what the last ones have been would have been too soon to suit me.

>123 Narilka: I read that just last year and liked it enough (with caveats) that I was interested wnough in the series to read the 2nd book this year. It goes all James Bond in the 2nd book if that helps you decide to continue or not. I did rate the 2nd higher than the 1st and am looking forward to continuing the series at some point in the not too distant future..

>126 clamairy: Yeah, the longer the books the more they had to cut from the story in the movie. It helps me appreciate what Game of Thrones achieved with the TV show before it went off the rails. Perhaps we'll get more book to tv series in general in the future.

>127 quondame: So the series improves and gets rid of the info dumps?

>129 Narilka: Agreed. GoT was awesome, until they ran out of source material.

>129 Narilka: I really can't say - I don't think infodumping was an aspect that I registered. I did find that it features really twisted takes on dark fantasy, which is not usually my thing, but one of the Lovecraft tribute streams I can tolerate.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Ch 22. Apparently there are things worse than dragons. Girls! More specifically, having to ask a girl to the dance :)

And Ch 23. They survived! I think the Ball should almost be challenge 1.5 lol Having to dance in front of the whole school to kick off a ball is not for the faint of heart. Harry and Ron are pretty bad dates. At least Hermione had some fun with Viktor.

>132 Narilka: Apparently there are things worse than dragons.

Having been in that situation I know I would rather have fought a dragon. Much more certainty and win-or-lose you're a hero. No room for humiliation and embarrassment.

I finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was a satisfying read. The aftermath of Cedric's death got me right in the feels. It's also a turning point in the series, setting the darker tone for what's to come.

Next up is Cold Days. Time to find out what is next for Harry Dresden.

I wanted something cozy so I'm hoping one of Nathan Lowell's other series will tide me over until the sequel to Wizard's Butler releases so I started Quarter Share. Apparently there is quite an art to making coffee that I never knew though good for Ishmael for cleaning the darn thing out properly first! I'm not a coffee drinker and I really don't want to think about what a restaurant does or doesn't do with their machines lol That happens in the second chapter I think so not really too much of a spoiler.

Cold Days I was looking at the cover and wondering why Harry is holding a shotgun instead of his staff. Then I read Ch 1 Mab is messed up! Though he did get his reflexes and strength back...

Cold Days Through Ch 5 I'm feeling a little like Alice having fallen down the rabbit hole. Harry in the Winter Court is definitely different.

Go figure. Santa is a winter fae lol

Ch 6. OMG He quoted Pratchett!!! Hahaha I love it.

Ch 7 That was exciting I never want to visit a faerie court. And finally!! Sarissa did the one thing I've been wondering why no one ever does and that is keep some iron on her when around faeries.

How the heck is Harry supposed to kill Maeve? That's an interesting set up.

Through Ch 14. I'm glad Harry's back in Chicago and didn't spend too much time at court. I also find it very interesting he now seems to have an allergy to iron as the Winter Knight. I seriously thought it was a physical characteristic from being an actual fae, not something that also went with the magic and title. At least that's how that section read to me with the description of the nails burning him. Did I misread it?

It's so awesome that Toot Toot and the guard are still on the job! Also kind of worrying at how much Harry is going to owe Lea lol

Harry absolutely should've expected that response both when he retrieved Bob and from Thomas. I mean, it's like the ghost thing all over again, explaining no he's not dead after all. /facepalm

>137 Narilka: Are you telling me that I should start reading the series again so I can answer your questions? ;) This would not bother me at all.

>138 MrsLee: Definitely :D

Cold Days I'm really enjoying this one :) Through Ch 30, so much happening. Ok, there's a hint about Mac being a "watcher" of some sort. And Outsiders? I know they were in a previous book since Harry mentions it but I really don't remember. And the Nemesis reference. Any relation to the Greek myth? Guess I'll find out soon-ish.

Plus I feel like we're in Fight Club - can't talk about the disease because you'll catch the disease if you talk about it with someone who has it. Or something.

Funny that the terror fighting them was a female Little Folk. A potential romantic interest for Toot?

I did like seeing what happens when the mantle is revoked. It proves a couple things. First, that Harry is still badly beat up and would need many months/years to recover from that broken back still. Second, it can be taken away and potentially given to another without having to kill him. I've been wondering if Harry will weasel out of his Knighthood somehow. Since they're fae, possibly find some loophole to take advantage of.

At this point I don't know which is worse - killing Mab or killing Maeve.

Cold Days Through Ch 36 Those were important chapters. I wonder if Harry caught that Rashid kept calling him THE Warden, not A Warden. Seems Harry's job with Demonreach is that important.

Also seems that killing Mab is a very very bad idea right now, even if she is infected with Outsider disease.

Very happy to reunite with Mouse!

I finished. I didn't want to put those last 150 pages down. Yeah I'm annoyed by the Harry/Karrin relationship tease. Damn you Jim Butcher! lol At least Karrin seems open to the possibility now. I also get her POV but also she shouldn't worry given the timelines she talked about. Her and Harry could have something for the rest of her natural life and if Harry decides to do something with Molly, they're going to have many many years to figure it out after anything he has with Karrin. Karrin is sadly not in the long lived section yet. Perhaps Butcher will give her something else like that or perhaps not. Like deciding to be a Knight of the Cross and taking up a sword. Who knows.

I have to think about Mab's theory that Harry set up Molly to be his apprentice since he first met her. Given all the books previous, it doesn't seem like Harry set up anything. It just sort of happened after Molly set herself up to be taken out by the White Council for breaking the law. If she hadn't broken the law, would she still be Harry's apprentice? Can't really say. I seriously doubt he nudged her to messing with her friend's minds though. I was thinking Mab was sort of prepping her to be the Summer Queen, with Lea acting as another mentor, to have an ally of sorts over there but... Do we know of any other Winter Court roles available for someone like Molly?

I caught the "starborn" reference and wonder what the heck that means.

I like a lot that Butcher is making connections to all the previous books now. I don't know if that was his original plan or if he worked it out later. Either way, it adds another layer and I could see why a series reread after this would change your perspective entirely.

It's pollen season and allergies have been leaving me so tired that I fall asleep quickly instead of my typical reading before bed. I did make it through Gobbelino London and a Contagion of Zombies which was a lot of fun. Not quite as enjoyable as the first book, mostly because I'm not the biggest zombie fan, but how can you go wrong with a reaper and even more snarky, talking cats?

I started The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, also known as Sanderson's Secret Project 2. I made it a whole 2 chapters last night. It's an amnesia story! Our main is some sort of spy or other sneaky type and it's apparently a scifi/fantasy crossover/blend. So far, so good. Spoiler tagged for anyone who want's to go into the story blind otherwise you basically find that info out in the first couple pages.

I think we're almost at the end of the worst of the pollen. I can't wait to get back to my regular reading cadence.

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England Ch 3 - OMG The Nebraska Proof LOLOL And Sanderson was able to reference his Magic hobby too!

Through Ch 5 The mistaken identity is hilarious. Are they trying to call him an elf??

Through Ch 15 I wasn't sure if the spirit thing was just superstition or real. Seems that's been answered and they are real. I'm having a slightly hard time with the misspelled Norse myths lol I'm not strong in these myths to begin with and it's throwing me off a little. Are there wights and wraiths in that mythos? Because my fantasy filled head has different definitions for those than what the characters seemingly think.

I do like his continuous reviewing through the book. Its funny. (4 stars, mostly witty commentary)

End of Part 2/Ch 22 John has his memories. Yes!! It's a sad scenario but I think he's going to prove himself the hero in the end. He did just save Ealstan and helped them get Wyrm back.

I'm pretty sure John's wraith spoke to him during that fight too. Helped give him courage. Did anyone else catch that while they read?

I'm looking forward to him catching up with his old "friend."

Speculation - I wonder if John helps bring back the power to the skops on the island. I was surprised when Sefawynn admitted her power was waning and she was basically pulling a grift herself, sort of. With their runes weakening, seems it could be related. And since he's not afraid of writing...

I started Dragon Hack as my next audio book. It's another series in the Threadbare verse. I'm through Ch 5. It has a bit of a rough start that is both juvenile and darkly depressing with the dystopia setting. Entering into the game world is a breath of fresh air. I find I miss Tim Gerard Reynolds's narration. Not that Nick Podehl is bad, it just feels weird to get the in game stats and updates in a different voice.

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England Through Ch 27 I am surprised that I'm enjoying the "marketing" interludes from the Frugal Wizard company. What a weird business! I mean of course they'd have some gauntlet "sports" versions to enter and a lot of other things to address lol

I find it interesting that folks from upstream dimensions are poisonous/toxic to this dimension's magic. Makes me sad to know that either Johnny will have to leave at the end or know he's ruining a whole unique ecology.

8. The Concrete Jungle by Charles Stross



The short story The Concrete Jungle was included in my copy of The Atrocity Archives. I enjoyed this story more than first book.

An extra cow is discovered at local concrete art exhibit and the Laundry sends Bob over to investigate.

While there were info dumps, I found they blended into the story much better as they took the form of case files on the phenomenon that Bob reads through on his way to the investigation. This fit the story nicely as prep work any investigator would do before they entered a situation. And quite a situation it is! Once Bob lands at the site, the story turns into a fast paced thriller. Bob ends up working with local law enforcement who handles the high weirdness very well. Laundry should recruit her. I liked idea of weaponizing the Medusa's gaze (gorgonism) with technology a lot! Talk about potential. I'm really glad nothing exists like that in the real world... right?

Rating:

9. Freddy's Magic Garden by Angelina Dayan



Freddy's Magic Garden is an absolutely charming collection of cat stories as told by Freddy the cat and his friends with occasional help from his human mum. It's not that mum had wanted to live with 15 cats, plus the occasional and permanent garden visitors, but sometimes that's just how life ends up. The stories are well told and uplifting, occasionally making me teary eyed at some of the challenges the kitties had to over come before they made it to their forever home. This is definitely a collection for cat lovers though I think any animal lover would enjoy these rescue stories.

I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

Rating:

10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling



Reread Feb 2023: Almost as enjoyable as the first one. Gilderoy Lockheart is so hilariously awful! I like the mystery the kids need solve. I had forgotten that Hagrid had been implicated both this time and in the original Chamber opening. Also that this was what had him expelled back in the day. The only things I don't like are Dobby and Tom Riddle's monologueing. Riddle was under-utilized as a villain.

Rating:

>143 Narilka: I am glad to see that you are enjoying this! It didn't grab me when I tried to start it a week or so ago, but I had just finished an Australian murder mystery and the contrast was too jarring. I will try to jump in again as soon as I am done with the non-fiction I am reading now. Should be a better transition.

>147 Narilka: I love Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it is one of my very favorites of the series. But I agree about Riddle! He remains oddly pale and passive.

>148 clamairy: I hope you have better luck the second time around.

>149 MissBrangwen: I haven't reread the series in so long I'd forgotten just how great the books are.

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England finished! That was a lot of fun. I did not make the connection that Thokk was a god (Logna) at all lol When I was trying to match up names between Norse and this world, is Logna... Loki? I'm not sure lol And she's reading the laptop at the end. Leaves it open for more stories if Sanderson wants.

It was kind of an eye roll that Jen was still alive and obviously cheating with Ryan. I mean, why not.

I'm glad John decided to stay and keep roaming with the bard doing puppet shows. That's a fitting ending.

Next up I'm continuing the Dresden Files with Skin Game. Looks like I'm in for a heist story. This should be great :D

Skin Game through Ch 3 Harry doing parkour around the island is hilarious. That last creature he encountered on his way out I bet plays a part later. If not this book, then sometime in the future.

Harry and Mab have an odd relationship. So does this mean Mab will let Molly remove the parasite after he finishes his mission?

I love a good heist :D Robbing from Hades should be very interesting!

Teaming up with Denarians doesn't sound good. Will Lasciel be back? Reading and finding out.

>153 Narilka: That scene with parkour was one of my all time favorites as well.

Skin Game MrsLee, maybe you'll know this one. Ch 5 specifically Wasn't Karin always blonde before? Suddenly she has golden brown hair at the start of the chapter.

Through Ch 9 Getting some Ocean's 11 vibes :) I like! It's going to be funny when everyone starts to try to double cross everyone. At least that's my guess of what will happen later.

Dragon Hack around 25% The apparent conciousness swapping between player and character is very interesting. I wonder if this happens to all players of GO. If so that has profound implications for the characters from Small Medium, especially after the players got locked in. It also seems Rich may be figuring it out soon and getting his Cultist class on lol

>155 Narilka: I think you are correct, perhaps it is darkening as she ages. ;) In my mind she is always a brunette.

Skin Game Through Ch 22. That dream with Karrin was yet another dirty trick by Butcher. Damn you messing with our emotions!!!

I'm glad Harry went to visit Michael. He needed that.

I'm very curious about what kind of shape shifter Grey is. I hope we find out by the end.

And we just went all Indiana Jones on a Grail quest! hah

>158 Narilka: I remember rather liking the Dresden Files up to and possibly including Skin Game but since that was all pre-LT I haven't any ratings or reviews before Working for Bigfoot. I still read them, but I can't say I'm a fan.

>159 quondame: That's a short story right?

>160 Narilka: I have it as a collection of stories, but no memory of it.

Skin Game Through Ch 33 Uriel "healing" Michael is interesting. I suspect this has implications farther down the road. Not that I think Michael will use the power for evil and cause Uriel to fall. I just never really considered what could happen if an angel could imbue a human with its divine essence.

Butters is really embracing his inner super hero. Him and Bob are a pretty great combo. I like how he's exploring what a non-magical person can do with magical toys. I thought that Murphy should've been trying this several books ago. Not that we the reader are as connected to them any more but it would've given the folks on SI another tool to help them. Assuming they could get through the political implications I suppose.

Sad that Murphy just got the crap beat out of her and is out of the rest of the book's action. Michael is not a bad substitute. I mean he just walked into the den of evil in his holy warrior outfit lol What could possibly go wrong lol

Skin Game Finished! Whew, I read those last 200 pages in a day and was seriously annoyed when I got interrupted so much. There's a lot to unpack in this book. I did not see Butters becoming a Knight of the Cross. That's awesome! And he has a light saber :D Hilarious that he's Jewish lol Not that it matters - faith is faith.

Since Harry birthed his intellect spirit and it went into the house he'd built for Bob, does that mean Harry owes Bob an upgraded house still? And the new little one needs a name.

Cerberus is a good boy!

Plots within plots for Mab. It seems in a very short time that Molly is less human - enough to use a cell phone. I'm not sure if that's good or bad or what.

I'm a bit peeved that they couldn't deal with Nicodemus permanently but I suppose you still need a known Denarian for book 20. I do believe that for the two that were killed in the Underworld those coins may be out of commission for a very long time if not permanently. So that's a bonus. I found it interesting that Nicodemus thinks he's in control over his demon. Somehow I find that doubtful.

Yay for Harry making the first move with Karrin!!!

I find it interesting that Butcher has gone the route that many myths share the same origin or face. Like Odin/Santa. Now Mab/Persephone. I hope we see more of this.

>163 Narilka: Skin Game is probably one of, if not the favourite book(s) of the series for me so glad you liked it too. Just wanted to let you know that I'm also enjoying your thoughts on the series as you read your way through.

>164 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks for that. I'm never sure if anyone's reading or I'm just talking to myself ;)

>165 Narilka: I always read your reviews, but I'm not much into the Dresden series. I do think I read a short story that contained part of this content, since I recognize some of it. I hear he has a new series coming up though which looked interesting to me.

>166 Karlstar: Butcher has two other series I'm aware of, one that's complete, Codex Alera, and one that he is releasing book 2 of later this year, The Cinder Spires. They are in my "after I catch up on Dresden" list.

I started The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms next. I wasn't expecting the YA tone so scanned some reviews and yep, it's more YA. I have to shift my expectations a bit then. Hate when that happens. So far, so good though by Ch 3 there's potential for insta-love already. Maybe I'll be surprised and it's just insta-lust. I find the setting interesting and the world mythology is giving me Greek myth vibes which I like. Still waiting for more of the MC's personality to make a decision on her.

>167 Narilka: Two this year!?! Oh goodie. I hope. I am so caught up with Dresden.

>167 Narilka: Thank you, I wasn't aware there was 2 books already.

>166 Karlstar: You know I'm reading your thoughts on Dresden files. It's the next best thing to reading the books, and I love your enthusiasm! :)

For the record, I will skip posts when people are talking about books I don't want to read or books I want to read, but haven't.

>165 Narilka: Sorry. I don't always reply, but I do read. :o)

>169 quondame: >170 Karlstar: - It's due out Nov 7th. Here's the very short blog post: https://www.jim-butcher.com/posts/2023/the-olympian-affair-comes-out-november-7t...

And he's writing the next Dresden so with any luck we'll have a Dresden release next year :D

>171 MrsLee: You are in luck as I intend to keep pushing through the series :)

>172 clamairy: Thanks! I get it. I'm like that too where I read threads but don't always reply. That reminds me I should try to just say "hi" once in a while.

This thread is getting long. I'll spin up a part 2 later today.

>173 Narilka: Thanks. I was hoping you'd implied that he had 2 of The Cinder Spires books in the queue.

>174 quondame: Yes, he does. It's titled The Olympian Affair and due out in November.