Tim Reads November

Death in the Air: The True Story of a Serial Killer, the Great London Smog, and the Strangling of a City by Kate Winkler Dawson (368 pages)

What’s worse than a thick smog hanging over the city of London? How about a killer using this disgusting fog to murder its citizens. During 1952 the citizens of London were being hunted by a killer and poisoned by the very air they were breathing. A fast paced look at the search for a human killer and the actions (and inaction) of the government to clean up the air its citizens were breathing

Tinkers, Evers, Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America by David Rapp (339 pages)

A look at how the game of baseball went from a club sport played by wealthy individuals to the globe spanning goliath we know it today. Showing how the legendary double play combination of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, came together in Chicago and how the three men helped bring about changes to the game and business of baseball.

A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland by Troy Senik (384 pages)

A biography of the 22^nd and 24^th president of the US. Stephen (???) Grover Cleveland lived a very interesting life even before he stepped into the White House. As the sheriff and mayor of Buffalo to the governor of New York to becoming the only president to win two nonconsecutive terms as president Grover did it all it would seem. He also had surgery on a tumor in his mouth on a ship to hide it from the press, which is my favorite Grover story, this and more are used to try and get a better look at this forgotten president

October 1964 by David Halberstam (382 pages)

The definitive look at the World Series, this book showcases the Series that featured the legendary New York Yankees and the upstart St. Louis Cardinals. Providing fascinating looks of players such as Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, and Curt Flood this book is prime Halberstam. It’s him at his best, laser focused on a singular event yet showing all the people, games, and plays that led to one of the greatest World Series in MLB history.

Catalyst by James Luceno (496 pages)

Before Andor, Before Rogue One came Catalyst. Looking at the scientists and politicians involved with the development and creation of the Death Star. I liked this because it’s interesting to see how the rest of the universe was reacting to the rise of the Empire.

The Eighth Wonder of the World: The True Story of Andre the Giant by Bertrand Hebert (440 pages)

The legendary Andre the Giant is profiled in this epic biography. Andre is one of the most talked about wrestlers in history but what do we really know about him? This book tries to answer some of the still debated questions. How tall was the Giant? Seems simple until the liars that populate the world of professional wrestling get involved.

Master of Iron by Tricia Levenseller

We love Kellyn. So much.
Hey look. It's people communicating with each other about their anxiety and like...helping the other person to love them and stuff. Like healthy relationships. Imagine that. Communication.
I felt like the conflict was resolved too quickly, but I don't care because look at Kellyn
385 Pages

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Hey so Colton. You're a country star and you live in Nashville. Where's the Taylor Swift mention.
but also like....talking about artist contracts and advances and making money off of music versus making music for the sake of music.
jfkdsljfjkldsfjklda we gets to see Gavin my sweet one.
I just....love the shenanigans that the Bromance Club gets into.
I'm just....gonna be over here crying because like....sfjkld colton soft and loving and adorable.
It's the talking about how even if you're fed and taken care of physically, you can still have stuff that was wrong in your life for me.
also like....when you find a muse and the muse understands you just gotta do the writing and not be bothered....
368 Pages

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn

I don't think I even knew where this book was supposed to go, but I liked it. Because there wasn't a giant cliffhanger.
All the characters we get to see. Heart eyes
I have feelings...which I will not talk about....
Alexa play the Archer, but louder.
*needs to sit with the ending.
480 Pages

Falling for Korea by Piper Jean

 

Summary: "America meets K-drama in this rollercoaster plot with a fresh take on romance and what it means to be family.

When Sydney is sent to Seoul to live with a family she’s never met, she encounters unexpected chemistry with their son, but must fight to unravel the mystery of why she was sent away. Will she be able to get home before it’s too late, or will Korea turn out to be just the thing she needed?"

I don't even know what just happened. This book became more and more non-sensical as it continued. It kinda felt like they accidentally uploaded a first draft to the Kindle store. 

332 pages

goodreads

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

Summary: "Cassie Hanwell was born to handle emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's a total pro at managing other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own." 

I liked it! Not quite as good as The Bodyguard, but a quick, fun (ish) read.

312 pages

goodreads | MOBIUS

Cursed by Marissa Meyer

I was really afraid there was going to be a relationship change, or that there was going to be a different ending, and I would have had to throw hands.
Marissa are you referencing Marie Lu.....
We stan our trickster Gild.
Marissa how dare you make me cry.....
The way that the world was expanded, and like--the lore of the world.
496 Pages

Gilded by Marissa Meyer

It's the re-read before I read Cursed.
Also like.....all the Hocus Pocus vibes
Gild my baby. I'll protect you with my life. 
512 Pages

Shipwrecked by Olivia Dade

When it literally starts in the first chapter....
The slow burn. The pining. The long-term pining.
Can y'all just communicate everything directly. Like....you hinting and you should be listening.....but like....y'all just gotta say how your trauma affects you and your fears and your insecurities....

Alex in the background being the shenanigan Cupid that he is. 
Hey look. It's sexism and fatphobia in the tv/movie industry.
I keep mixing up Peter and Ian in the chat, even though I know Peter is the main character and he's not Ian....like....why brain...
*laughs uncomfortably at Peter's character arc about being secure vs being happy.
I really need to know how Maria manages to pull a jar of fish out of nowhere......
The dolphin. Iconic.
Did I keep thinking about Outlander because rainy island....yes....
Ok but like....you can't drop that ship and not make a book about it...but also...saw it coming....
416 Pages

Heart and Seoul by Jen Frederick

Summary: "As a Korean adoptee, Hara Wilson doesn’t need anyone telling her she looks different from her white parents. She knows....At the age of twenty-five, she thought she had come to terms with it all, but when her father suddenly dies, an offhand comment at his funeral triggers an identity crisis that has her running off to Seoul in search of her roots.

What Hara finds there has all the makings of a classic K-drama: a tall, mysterious stranger who greets her at the airport, spontaneous adventures across the city, and a mess of familial ties, along with a red string of destiny that winds its way around her heart and soul. Hara goes to Korea looking for answers, but what she gets instead is love—a forbidden love that will either welcome Hara home…or destroy her chance of finding one."

A book with Iowa and South Korea as settings? Sign me up! 

dimples, you say?!
make this as an actual k-drama NOW. With Kim Seon Ho as Yujun.

330 pages

goodreads | MOBIUS

The Rehearsals by Annette Christie

It's the emotionally immature parent for me.
I am uncomfortable and anxious, and it's like being with the family for the holidays all over again.
don't mind me over here....screaming about boundaries and therapy and stuff.

I mean....I know Missouri is meh...but I can say that cause I'm from here. 
sfjkldsfjkldsfjkldsfdjkl mostly because I love Tom. he's great. he's a boy which means he....you know is a guy, but he's cool. he's doing his best.
Can we just all hug Tom please.

They're so cute.
"blankets were grandad's love language" same.

Hi can I have an epilogue please.
336 Pages

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Patron: I don't drink hot drinks.
Me: iced coffee. iced coffee. iced coffee.
I love the little baker.
Also everything is so soft....like it's basically a Coffee Shop AU fanfic, but with original characters.
The kitty cat. (It makes me think of the Seattle cat cafe)
304 Pages

Daughters of Eville Series by Chanda Hahn

The fact that the country's name is Baist....like....Beast
Xander being a beast is just jkldssfjklda
Also Rosalie using fear to her benefit so she can sneak around, and dying the veil black. Iconic.

We love a man who apologizes when he gets mad and is aware that he has a temper and is trying to control it....it's the soft for me. I can't
The goblin.
The moral of the story: don't listen to what other people tell you.
310 Pages

Aaaaand this country's name is Candor...like...honesty....
It's the house elves.
The way that cinders are tied into the story. fdsjklsfjkldasfjkld
It's the princess diaries + ella enchanted.
I want a nickname...someone call me sparrow.
310 Pages

Do I love it when a female character has to pretend to be a guy on a ship....yes....
It just means that there's shenanigans and it's my favorite.
310 Pages

Finally a soft boi....like...

Protective boi. We stan.
Me relating to not doing well in large groups of people and being able to feel other peoples emotions and stuff, and anxiety...and having a person that grounds you.
332 Pages

We get to see Aspen. fjkdsfjkldsfjkld
And we get to see more of Xander....which is like....my jam...I love him....
I feel like this is a.....I don't know....Swan Lake retelling?
Violet. Violet. Violet.
360 Pages

The three different blades that work for the king.
For some reason whenever Kash leaves for the day, my mind thinks about it being like Snow White...but this is obviously a Rumpelstiltskin retelling
350 Pages

Rumple being iconic.
I love Percy. don't act surprised.
WHAT DOES THE EPILOGUE MEAN?!
350 Pages

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

.....No one is 6'7"....
Me watching all this high school drama: 

So Rose is immature--but she's a teenager, so like....I have to cut her some slack.
*remembers how toxic I was in high school and college and cringes
Dimitri and Rose:

Me cringing at the 2007 book in 2022 cause eesh some of this did not age well.... mostly in terms of like....sensitivity to mental illness and stuff.....
So Lissa is Rapunzel but different.
Me knowing all of the tropes
352 Pages

Vow of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

fkldsgjkdlsfjklda
Me understanding the weird chapters now because I actually understood the lore, even though I've like...re-read parts of the book over and over.
the cameos.
I continue to love Jase and Kazi with literally everything I own. I would die for them. I would kill for them. They are literally goals. And I just....I love them.
Me (and Jase) to Kazy throughout this entire book:

496 Pages

Cruel Illusions by Margie Fuston

You can't have a character named Willow, and have her obsessively sing Cardigan in the car...
Yes my ship....... I knew it.
It's marketed as Carvaval + Buffy the Vampire Slayer....Accurate.
Also it's like....fantasy-esque, but it's in California and in modern times.... like...wut.
Minor commentary on the foster system!
512 Pages

Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

Yes I'm re-reading one of my favorite books. I love it. Fantastic content.
Jase is such a soft boy, and I just want to protect him.
The. yearning. Just.... chef's kiss....I could survive on that and the cute scenes. The absolute fluff.

This refers both to their love sustaining me, and like....the actual ship and stuff.....
The cameo. sfdjklsfjkld;jklsfd (Goes and re-reads that series too)
528 Pages

Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

Seeing the two societies that want to make information available to everyone, versus protecting it cause the information is dangerous (and obviously there's other drama).

We have more perspectives, and I loved getting inside of Gideon's head.
So I hate half of the characters..... And I really hope the third book doesn't make me hate all of them....because like....the characters that I still like are like...cool.... Yes it's Callum, Nico, Gideon, and Tristan.
When a character is shocked that most people are actually selfish, like not even in a big way, but like....prioritizes themselves and their well-being.
Also characters doing bad things in the hopes of a good outcome....like...that's not how it works..... Do I want to start a soap box speech about morality....yes.
416 Pages

Sacred Hospitality by Olivie Blake (prequel novella)
The short story that was like... the pre-order incentive if you bought Atlas Six--but it came with the Atlas Paradox audiobook
I loved the entire game that was being played during the attempt to write a paper.
31 Pages

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

It's the re-read before the next book comes out next week.
sfjkldfjkldsfjkld
I stilll....like...my ship....
528 Pages

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

I wanted more Edwin because he's precious and I love him
Do I keep thinking of Titanic. Yes. 
Is that a reference to Gaston Leroux Phantom of the Opera.
Cough. Ok so there are....three chapters that are NSFW.....
I really wanted more Edwin and Robin......
400 Pages

The Ruins by Scott Smith

 

Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine. Two young couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation–sun-drenched days, drunken nights, making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an ancient ruins site . . . and the terrifying presence that lurks there.

Dumb college students, man vs. man and man vs. nature, slow burn terror. It was awesome. 

Pages: 369

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

Talking kitty talking kitty talking kitty.
Baby witches.
They call her Glinda.
Also a man who wears waistcoats.....
320 Pages

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

It's the annual re-read of Scorpio Races... sfjkldsafjkldsa
Also yes. Now I own the audiobook.
The pining. Just like...... The slow burn. The everyone knows that they're meant to be together except for them,
Also Sean being a specific brand of focused and devoted to Corr and just. fjkldsfjkldsa
Corr being an idiot for Dove. fjkldsasfjkld
I still want an epilogue or something....because I love more content and yes the book ends in a good spot, but like......more....
448 Pages

The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni

sfdjkasjkdasjkdhfjkd
Just. gahhhhhhh everything.
my ship. Like... there are so many of the tropes that just give me life.
And my other ship.
It's the being honest because you have to be and saying more than you mean to, and lying to protect a person....
Healing from traumaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
And the magic.
Mountain scene mountain scene.
And the plot twist I should have called.
It just has the Dance of Thieves/Vow of Thieves vibes and I'm like. this is fantastic.
The last chapter. Me cackling.

464 Pages

Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle

the dead rat was a live possum
Wesley throws aways a box of books. (mean girls ow gif)
I need everybody to like me so much.
Hey I'm an INFP
"my inner raccoon sulks"
inserts the gif of phineas and ferb letting nessy go
"I'm part cactus"
fjkdslsfjkdl soft and fluffy.
336 Pages

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

 

Pages: 699

"Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides? Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own."

I don't have words. The ending has ripped by heart out and run all over it. I want to throttle so many side characters. The Blackthorns don't deserve this. I am scared for Ty and how he will react in the next book but I am going to read it anyway cause I have so many questions and no answers!

Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts

Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts

Shawn Gallagher is content with his life in Ardmore, helping his siblings run the family pub and writing music in his spare time. The village gossips about why he doesn't put his talents to good use and make a profit. Brenna O'Toole, an independent tomboy and long-time family friend of the Gallaghers, has been especially vocal ... but she hasn't been so vocal about the love she's harbored for Shawn for years. Shawn hasn't so much as looked twice at her, but perhaps it was time Brenna take drastic action to get his attention.

346 pages. Book #2 in the Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Not me mixing up David Copperfield and Great Expectations for like...the first few chapters, cause that's how far I've read in Great Expectations.

Bro.....twas heavy... I mean of course it is cause it's talking about poverty and the foster system and drug abuse and homelessness and living in rural areas where there's really only one trade...
Also I'm sure this is how Dickens ends it, but like....hi I would appreciate a little more content at the end....for reasons...
560 Pages