On Dublin Street by Samantha Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, if I could give this more stars I would! I stayed up late just to finish it because I could not stop.... Jocelyn and Branden have a very unique relationship, filled with romance, humor, jealously, and of course all the things in their past. I now have to read the rest of the series to see how the other stories come out. 

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372 Pages

Trust by Kylie Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

John's and Edie's started out being in a robbery, making it through this was life changing for both of them. John started to settle down and work on changing his life, while Edie started to turn the other way. They began to have a wonderful friendship that eventually turned into a little romance. 

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372 Pages

Summer Knight (Dresden Files #4) by Jim Butcher

Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower.

The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man.

And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him--and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name.

Pages: 446

3 out of 5 stars

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Sometimes dead is better....When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son -- and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly cat. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth -- more terrifying than death itself...and hideously more powerful.

-One of the best King books I've read so far! It is absolutely terrifying and the imagery has stuck with me. If you like scary things, half-dead cats, and supernatural burial grounds this book is for you!

Pages: 374

5 out of 5 stars

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, son of a giant, blood brother to Odin, and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

-I have never really delved into the Norse pantheon and I'm glad I did. Thor has got to be one of my favorite gods just in the fact that he's so dense and Loki is such a little snake that I both love and hate at the same time. 

Pages: 304

5 out of 5 stars would re-read

Hitched: Volume One by Kendall Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a unique crazy story that their parents have set them up for marriage. It is a crazy story but yet I found myself wanting to know who it ends... 

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256 Pages



Hitched: Volume Two by Kendall Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This left off right off where book 1 left you hanging on what happened next. Their parents are missed up with what they set them up for to save their company. 

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200 Pages



Hitched: Volume Three by Kendall Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Such a happy ending to the funny story. These two are funny and I am starting to think that their families just have know all along that they loved each other. 

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218 Pages

Locke by Harper Sloan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been waiting to hear his story since book 1, and I didn't realize that Emmy had such a dept story also. Also the ending of this book showed how all of them have been doing. I am a little sad that this is the end, they could have kept going with other stories of their business. 

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270 Pages

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has an addictive quality, and though I started it once before and didn’t get far (traffic, exhaustion, stress), I’m happy that I finally gave this another try. I’m definitely obsessed at this point and will read onward, but I gave it only 4 stars, as there are some things that could definitely be better considering the heft of the book. I’ll list those at the bottom and block them due to spoilers.

I’ll also block the complaints, as I don’t want everyone to focus on those, as I overwhelmingly enjoyed this book. I have already started book two, and I am definitely becoming an Outlander fangirl. I am hoping that as the series progresses that it will continue to improve and address some of the things I think that are an issue and/or a disappointment.

So first up, we have the things I liked:

---Jamie Frasier. He’s kind of a mess, but let’s face it. Who isn’t at 23? No offense to 23-year-olds. Come back in 5 or 10 years, and that comment might make a weird sort of sense. Also, Jamie lived in a different time and world, which definitely muddies the waters of acceptable behaviors. I can’t help but gape at him. He does a whole lot of things wrong, for seemingly the right reasons, which makes him a fascinating companion for the journey.

---Jamie also won March-Ab-Ness and was voted Audible’s Best Book Boyfriend of all time, and all for very good reasons. He’s swoony and frequently charming, though rarely on purposes, which is an admirable quality. Also, his mouth and brain don’t always connect, which can be in turn, upsetting, amusing, and quite romantic.

---The way Claire and Jamie bicker amuses me to no end.

---The relationship between the two is surprisingly adorable, at times.

---The age and experience gaps between Jamie and Claire, which add another layer of interest to the story.

---The historical setting, and in particular, the ways of the Scottish Highlands and the different clans.

---The comparisons of medical treatments across time

---The drama, and boy is there a lot of it.

---Kilts. Yes, I said it. Don’t go all Braveheart on me. Very handy buggers, and when worn by a handsome, well-muscled Scottish warrior, nobody would dare argue their sex appeal.

---Jamie’s stories of his past, which are all pretty much upsetting, but the way he tells them is captivating.

---A scene late in the story where he teaches a small boy an important life skill. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I mean. It totally cracked me up.

Book 136 read in 2018

Pages: 850

And now, we have my relatively minor complaints, which will contain SPOILERS:

Sanctum by Sarah Fine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The whole other world was very fascinating to me. The is a very sad story behind this whole story and that is hard to deal with all of that. She has had to deal with so much through out her life and being able to pull her self together was awesome.  

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447 Pages

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Summary: "Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose? Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them." - Amazon

I had such high hopes for this novel.  It's rated well, people I know really liked it, and the beginning had my full attention.  But ... it... drug... on....  And it falls pray to what most mystery novels fall prey to: a very predictable outcome.  I was hanging on to hope that what I thought happened didn't actually happen as it was the most predictable and easiest tie-it-up-with-a-bow ending possible.  But, alas, that's exactly what happened. 

I will give it to the author, however, for taking a very trite premise and making it at least finishable.

3/5

368 pages

Axel by Harper Sloan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first part of this book was very hard to read, not that it's not good. It's more because it's such a hard thing to read about abuse. Isabelle is very lucky to have a group of good guys willing to help her out. However, this is just proof that even with the best people watching things can happen. 

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260 Pages

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an adult fantasy novel that starts in the Middle East in the 18th century then runs sideways into an Arabic fantasy world complete with an enclosed city made of brass and 6 djinn tribes with a history of cultural clashes, social and political warfare, and servitude. Throw in a wily con artist with some unexpected abilities who is on the run in the human world, and a parallel POV of the highly moral second son of the djinn king in the parallel world, and things get interesting.

The story is delicious, with the perfect amount of world building, good pacing, a solid and interesting magical system, a unique setting, and strong character development.

This book came highly recommended by a room full of adult services librarians, so I knew immediately that I would pick it up. My only regret is that I didn't wait until November 2018 to start this, as now I'm desperate for book 2, which is not yet published.

Book 135 read in 2018

Pages: 533

Alex + Ada, Vol. 3 (Alex + Ada #11-15)

Alex + Ada, Vol. 3 (Alex + Ada #11-15)
by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn
Pages: 136
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Alex and Ada struggle to find a life together as the government and society turn against sentient A.I.s. Alex's Grandmother passes away and leaves him wealth but will it be enough for them to survive?

This was my least favorite of the series. Though it has a somewhat happy ending, I didn't find it to be a believable ending.

Arcana Chronicles #2-4: Endless Knight, Dead of Winter, Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole

I'm not sure where to start with this series.  Seriously.  It's a roller coaster of good and bad with some superb loop-de-loops and some serious slow downs.

My main complaint in the first book was the extreme idiocy and weakness of the main female character.  That did change (thank God) in the second book.  She's still rather naive sometimes, but at least the stupidity has stopped.

As in the first book, the world is by far the strength of this series.  Having people personify tarot cards is a great premise, and I like the Hunger Games feel of the whole thing.  The action scenes are well written and the side characters definitely steal the show.  The love triangle, however, is overdone and SO simpering.  This series would benefit from removing the romance of the main character immensely.

There is a fifth book.  I don't think I will be picking it up.  I didn't like the twist at the end of book four, and there is a definite increase in the amount of romance and sappiness throughout the series.  I also wish I could remind the author that she is writing about teenagers.  They seem to be less and less so as the books move on.

Endless Knight - 4/5, 320 pages

Dead of Winter - 3/5, 336 pages

Arcana Rising - 3/5, 280 pages

Fire in You by J. Lynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like Jillian and Brock, I just didn't enjoy this story as much as the others. Jillian started to realize that she needed to be a stronger person and learn to stand up for her self. Rage her cat, was so funny! 

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378 Pages

Logan (Montana Creeds, #1) by Linda Lael Miller

Logan by Linda Lael Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A book fairy recently gifted many books to my personal library, so I decided to give this one a try.

This is a classic formula romance novel with a western feel and an HEA. I liked it, but there were a few things that just didn't sit right with me. Either they weren't explained well, or they just weren't believable. The storyline and pacing of the plot was spot on for this type of story, but the pacing in the relationships between characters felt off to me, both too slow at times and too fast at others.

Despite that, Miller does a good job of evoking a certain time and place, and the she writes characters that I pay attention to, even when their words and actions don't always align. Also, there are two children and three dogs in this book, and she does an absolutely amazing job of writing all five. I think that may be one of my favorite things about this novel, because it can be very difficult to write children (and even pets). As a result, a lot of romance novels seem to have children that don't behave and/or speak like children, which is unsettling.

I enjoyed this story, but I may not rush to pick up the next one. I think this is the sort of book that you just have to be in the right mood for, and it can't be the kind of mood where you want to overthink and over-analyze everything, which is frequently my mood. Go figure. As a result, I think I'll spread these books out and pick up the next one when I just feel ready for a good, mindless read.

Book 132 read in 2018

Pages: 374

Supernatural: John Winchester's Journal by Alex Irvine

Supernatural: John Winchester's Journal by Alex Irvine

After the death of his wife, Mary, at the hands of a demonic force, John Winchester sets out to learn everything he can about the supernatural, his young sons Dean and Sam in tow. Both prequel and resource guide, John Winchester's Journal is comprised to folklore, legend, and superstition. All you might ever want to know about the creatures that appear in the TV show Supernatural, and then some, appear in this guide.

218 pages.

Forever with You by J. Lynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Honestly I was nervous about reading a book about Stephanie, because she was made to look like someone that I didn't know if I wanted to even know more about. However, I regret ever thinking that... her story was so amazing and it was nice to see the side of her that you don't get to see in the other books. This relationship was full of up and downs the whole book. 

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370 Pages

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good look at poverty and violence, and the struggle it is to grow up inside them and to then try to make a life outside of them. It's a lot about class, community culture, and the persistent trauma of growing up inside a culture of constant stress and drama. Honestly, this hits very close to home, even in Missouri, and I know many people who grew up in such a way or are still trapped and impacted by similar childhoods.

My brother said this was a boring book, because it's everything he already knows about the impacts of growing up in poverty and despair. In fact, his exact words were, "I thought it was boring and not that good, but we grew up in a poor area, so it wasn't anything groundbreaking."

This had me thinking about why my brother would expect a book about a culture in crisis to be groundbreaking. Does he feel as if there is some kind of reason or solution to poverty and violence that he does not yet know about? And why doesn't he want to see the reality of some of our life experiences reflected back in his literature?

My mother said, "It is suited to those who have always had advantages and money and don't understand those who haven't."

Now, on some level, I understand her comment, because she's suggesting that the value of the book may be in its shock value for all of those who haven't grown up in or surrounded by some level of poverty and hardship. But who in the world are these people? And what world do they live in that I don't? How many

Solo by Kwame Alexander

Solo by Kwame Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another gorgeous novel by Kwame Alexander. My inner-musician enjoyed the musical components of this story, and the songs were performed in the audiobook, which was an excellent touch.

I enjoyed the story overall, and it had some good messages. Despite the beautiful phrases and sentences, something about the storyline just didn't quite ring as true for me as I hoped. It's not that it's not emotionally honest. It's more that it had these moments that felt too perfectly sculpted to be realistic, which of course, it's not. It's fiction, but in this genre, I expect moments to be honest and there was something here that seemed a bit inauthentic or forced.

I'm struggling to explain it, because there's honestly nothing wrong with this story, on a straightforward intellectual level. But I don't read with my brain. I read with my heart, so the 4 stars is because there was just a bit of something missing for me in this one. Not much, but enough that I don't feel the need to either hug the book or throw it at wall, which means it can't claim that 5th star from me.

All the same, it's an interesting read, and I especially recommend the audiobook.

Book 129 read in 2018

Pages: 320

Dating The Undead by Juliet Lyons
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun different view of vampires and the ending was my favorite part. I was very happy to see that they both got the happy ending that they desired. 

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320 Pages

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to confess I didn't know who David Sedaris was when I picked this up, but I was attracted to the title, of all things, and I'd seen this book floating about for years. It seemed like it was time to give it a go, and I'm glad that I did.

This was a great story, and it was so funny that I almost laughed myself into tears once. I don't remember the last time I was so tickled and laughed that hard, so five stars for amazing humor and evoking such emotional responses from me.

Book 130 read in 2018

Pages: 272