Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont, a mated witch and vampire, must find a witch to tutor Diana before her powers spin out of control. The problem is witches of Diana's prodigious skill are presently few and far between. Thus they decide their best bet lies in witches of the past. Diana and Matthew timewalk to Elizabethan England, where they rely on Matthew's friends, the mysterious School of Night, to protect them. Plunged into a world of spies and magic, Diana and Matthew find themselves in a race against time to find Ashmole 782 and figure out the gaps in Diana's magical education. The past, however, harbors far more dangers than they ever imagined.


Book 2 in the All Souls Trilogy. 584 pages.

Smiling Faces and First Place(s)

Members of the winning 2017-2018 Missouri Book Challenge team!

Our beautiful trophy!

Photo credits to Kayla Collins.

Romance Binge

Running into Love by Aurora Rose Reynolds

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this might be boring, but I was absolutely charmed. It's funny, and it has an awesome dog. It gets 4 stars for the story and the extra star is for the dog, Muffin. :)

Pages: 224

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Stumbling into Love by Aurora Rose Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet. But it plays too much into that, “I’m not like other girls” BS that I don’t enjoy much, because since when is there a standard for what the typical woman is like? I know many women. All different.

In this case, she likes t-shirts and sweatpants and doesn’t wear makeup, so automatically she is a “tomboy”—-um, nope. That’s not how that works. Or even what that means. Being low maintenance and/or cozy and confident in your own skin doesn’t make you less “womanly.” End rant.

Story itself is good, outside of that silly and unnecessary stereotypical nonsense.

Pages: 200

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Tossed Into Love
by Aurora Rose Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pizza, fashion, and lots of misunderstandings. Best part is the elderly neighbor, who is a real gem.

Pages: 208

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Drawn into Love
by Aurora Rose Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, sweetness. I’m a sucker for a story with an adorable kid and an ugly dog.

Pages: 214

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The Anatomy of Jane by Amelia LeFay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy wow. This is hot, and I love these characters. There's actually a good story/plot here to draw you in, so you won't just be reading for the intrigue of it.

pages: 272

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The Anatomy of Us by Amelia LeFay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Also good, though I wanted them to deal with past issues better. And sometimes the little girl speaks with language that is way above her development level, which left my inner-educator feeling uncomfortable about the lack of authenticity/accuracy. Other than that, another enjoyable read.

Pages: 200

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell

301 pages

3.5/5

The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas.

I picked this up because someone recently mentioned Gladwell's 'social epidemics' idea - as in, how do things that are trivial or forgotten become widely popular again, or how do things become a cultural icon.  His analysis of this idea is entertaining in a light and fluffy kind of way, and I found the discussion of a 'market maven' the most valuable parts of the book.  These are the people who others turn to for advice regarding a product, either because they are extremely knowledgeable about something or are particularly picky.  They have a large impact on the market - more than you'd think. 

The book is repetitive and has some odd omissions (the internet isn't mentioned until the afterword - yeah...), but the most frustrating thing is that Gladwell never discusses HOW to create a 'social epidemic'.

Overall, this was an interesting read, especially the social psychology aspects, but has very little actual scientific meat.

The Princess and the Fangirl: A Geekerella Fairy Tale by Ashley Poston

Summary: "From the acclaimed author of Geekerella, this geeky spin on The Prince and the Pauper is a perfect story for geek girls of every fandom."

This novel is for fangirls everywhere! If you have ever been a part of a fandom or been to a Con, then this book is for you. 

319 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is darkly enchanting. At first, I was quite captivated with the world, but by the 2nd half of the novel, I just wasn't connecting as well anymore.

I started to feel very separated from the characters, and I found myself rewinding a lot (listened on audio). Granted, I didn't feel particularly well, which could have impaired my attention span. Still, once I found some space between myself and the book, I couldn't seem to recover the gap and draw myself back in. I may try this again some day, just to see if it was me that created the distance, or if it was the book.

Regardless, there is something different and fascinating here, so for that alone, it's worth giving it a try, assuming you love deep fantasy.

Pages: 435

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Still outstanding. I think I got even more out of it on the second read. So many layers to consider and explore.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
Nothing I say in a review could do this story justice.

It’s well-written, full of voice, current, relevant, timely, insightful, and heartbreaking. I think everyone should read it. Right now. And then we should all sit down and discuss it. Everywhere. In every library, school, and home across the nation.

Pages: 444

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is fun. I love that she’s a librarian. It’s an interesting and different take on vampires. I just wanted it to have a bit more depth and to be just a bit more compelling. I never really had that desperate urge to turn the next page, even though I enjoyed this concept and the characters overall.

Pages: 355

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a treasure. I accidentally did this backwards, because I saw the show first, before I realized it was based off of a book. Both are excellent, with their own sort of heartwarming charm that is just a bit different for each.

Pages: 340

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to love it, but this just wasn’t for me. I did think the storytelling improved some as the story progressed, and the concept was interesting. I just could never fully engage with this. I’m not sure if it was the writing or what. It just fell flat for me, overall. I found myself anxious to finish, not because I was excited to know the ending, but because I just wanted it to end.

Pages: 287

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

512 pages

5/5

According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .

I am PUMPED for the upcoming Amazon series - I mean, David Tennant, y'all.  So, I thought I'd better read this gem of a novel again as it's been at least five years since I last read it.  It's still awesome - still snarky - still irreverent - still totally fun.

And just for your enjoyment, here is the trailer for the upcoming show:

Hellion by Karen Lynch

Hellion by Karen Lynch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series. It’s the perfect blend of demons and desire.

Pages: 314

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book started out on a great note. It was fascinating, exciting, and dramatic, for those first few chapters. It showed such promise that I couldn’t wait to read what came next, and the magic system had me absolutely captivated. Unfortunately, after that, the plot faltered, the characters meandered, and it was mostly a downhill slide for me.

I think I had my heart set on a truly epic dark fantasy novel, in the vein of Leigh Bardugo, and this just couldn’t touch that level of writing or world building. Instead, I got a rather tedious story about political betrothal with completely undeveloped side characters and way too much telling and backstory, primarily delivered through the dialogue. Because the dialogue was often used as a tool for telling, that impacted the character development, especially in regards to personality.

Basically, with the exception of the start of the novel and a few moments at the end of the novel, the plot lacks intrigue, and the action scenes aren’t enough to hold it together, since the storytelling lacks suspense and emotional resonance. I probably should have stopped reading, since I became more and more frustrated and disappointed the longer that I read, but I kept on, since the magic system was of interest to me. I kept hoping that everything would arrive, all at once, but that never really happened. It had short moments of promise, and then it would lapse back into telling me what to think, feel, or know, instead of just showing me and allowing me to make my own judgments.

The world building was also a bit weak for me, but that may be because it’s hard to settle into the world building, considering the issues with the writing and storytelling. On some level, I’m very interested in this world, even though I didn’t love this novel, and I’m not sure I really understood the complexity of this world, based on the delivery.

This book might be ideal for the types of fantasy readers who care more about concept and magic system than overall storytelling. There’s a small part of me that wonders if with time, and/or future books, this could grow into something amazing. For me, it’s just not there yet.

Pages: 385

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient, #2)

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, my heart! I can't say how happy I am to see neurodiversity so well-represented, especially in the romance genre. I especially loved reading yet another great story about an MC with an autism spectrum disorder, written by an author with an autism spectrum disorder.

What is even better is how utterly charming, original, and heartfelt this story is. I could not stop reading it. It's absolutely compelling, and I also hope it is eye opening for those who don't have a lot of experience with or understanding of autism spectrum disorders. This is a great book for awareness, but regardless of that, it's just a great story.

I'll definitely read this one again, because it is so utterly satisfying.

Pages: 320

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! And more, please!

If Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J Maas would join forces to create a book baby in my lifetime, I would die a happy woman. They both have the kind of creation magic that is untouchable. Maybe something with dueling POVs from completely different worlds who then bang together by the middle of the book. It would be glorious.

Pages: 527

The Spies That Bind by Ally Carter

The Spies That Bind by Ally Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An adorable prequel novella to the Gallagher Girl series. I listened to the audible original, which was good.

Pages: 156

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Summary: "Susan Orlean reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution--our libraries."

I loved this book so much, and it reminded me of why I fell in love with libraries and books and information in the first place. 

I'll read it again and again. 

317 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

Lots of Books

So I've been on a really long reading break, because I just couldn't focus to read. I decided to work on easing back in this past week, and I picked mostly romance, as it's easy to not get overwhelmed or confused. They pretty much all follow a pattern and end in an HEA, so that stopped me from constantly having to reread or rewind. I also picked really short books, but it turns out that wasn't necessarily a good choice in some instances.

 Here they all are, and now I'm absolutely sick of romance after reading so many average books, so hopefully I can get back to some fantasy, Sci-Fi, and YA, now that I seem to be back on track with reading again.

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Dirty Exes by Rachel Van Dyken

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Funny and unexpected. An easy read that moves at a fast pace. Everything I’ve read by Van Dyken has been good. She’s a solid choice, because you can count on a quality story.

Pages: 296

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Dangerous Exes by Rachel Van Dyken

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m surprised that I liked this as much, or even more than book one. The grandma really adds to the quirky charm.

Pages: 318

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The Duet

by R.S. Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one charmed me. Onward to book 2.

Pages: 326

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The Design

by R.S. Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charming, funny, and endearing. I enjoyed it.

Pages: 272

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Chasing Spring by R.S. Grey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not a fan of this. I like nonlinear formats, but this just isn’t well done. You can’t settle into any person or time frame, before you are ripped back out of it and jostled around.

I’m going to try one more book by this author, because one of my bookish friends loves her. But this just didn’t do it for me at all.

Pages: 249

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Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I adored this one, probably because they are teachers. Plus, it’s really funny, and it’s a best friends to lovers trope, which I always enjoy.

Pages: 262

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Scoring Wilder by R.S. Grey
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This one just didn’t really do it for me. It started off strong with funny female characters who build good friendships, but it went astray by the halfway mark.

For a forbidden love story, it completely lacked thrill, which is disappointing. Where was the excitement and intrigue and adrenaline that usually accompanies this trope?

The most major conflicts were resolved in the simplest ways and not by the MC, so she didn’t have to work for or through anything at all. Everything just always got handled for her by others. All of that resulted in what became a boring and pretty tedious story, compared to some of the other works by this author.

I enjoyed it at first, but by the last half, I just couldn’t wait for it to end already, probably because the plot is also all over the place for the last half of the book. It just wasn’t for me.

Pages: 402

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Arrogant Devil by R.S. Grey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved the slow burn of this, as the characters transitioned from enemies to friends, but let’s be honest. The 5 stars are really for the grandma and the dog, who both utterly charmed me.

Pages: 354

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A Place in the Sun by R.S. Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So delicious! I liked everything except the epilogue. And all the conflict resolved pretty quickly and easily, but that worked for this book.

Pages: 348

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Behind His Lens by R.S. Grey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was okay but definitely not one of her best. There was a lot of telling and not much of a plot. I don’t love it, but I also don’t dislike it, which means 3 stars. And once again, conflict was too easily and prettily resolved, which still equals boring to me.

Pages: 291

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The Allure of Julian Lefray
by R.S. Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great MC.

Pages: 366

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The Allure of Dean Harper
by R.S. Grey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Basic enemies to lovers trope with an opposites attract theme and a sassy female lead.

Pages: 282

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Remembering You by Sandi Lynn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was charmed by this short novel. Everything is a bit rushed, but not necessarily in a bad way. It has a decent plot, and it’s bright and hopeful.

Pages: 120

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I Dare You
by Ilsa Madden-Mills

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was surprisingly sweet and has some depth.

Pages: 254

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I Bet You
by Ilsa Madden-Mills

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not bad. I enjoyed this one. Things resolved a bit too easily, but so it goes.

Pages: 298

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The End Zone
by L.J. Shen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s not a bad little novella. Obviously it can’t contain the depth of a full novel, but I tend to enjoy the friends to lovers trope.

Pages: 153

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Hard by Scott Hildreth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is some weird and gritty shit, but I was immediately hooked. It’s inconsistent, inauthentic, and unrealistic, but for the first half of the story, I didn’t really care. I was along for the fast ride.

Emotional responses are almost nonexistent, and character development is minimal. Serious situations are mishandled. The plot is...honestly, I’m still not sure what the plot is, other than random and convenient, but I guess plot is not the point of a story like this. It started out super sexy and then unfortunately went unnecessarily astray and became disturbing and uncomfortable.

Regardless of the issues with the writing and storytelling, I still couldn’t put it down. I’m not sure how to justify that to myself, but it just is what it is, folks. Two stars for the overall story. The third star is basically for shock and drama.

Pages: 261

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Rough

by Scott Hildreth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was far more realistic and satisfying than book one, so I’m glad I read onward. The father was my favorite character.

Pages: 306

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Dirty by Scott Hildreth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Nope. This one was a misguided mess that lacked honesty and chemistry. The male MC was a boring cliche. It started out at an unnecessarily rough point, and then it somehow became both boring and ridiculous.

I should probably just stop this series, but I keep hoping for something that never arrives. Book 2 was significantly better, so there's some sort of promise there, unless that one is just a fluke. Regardless, it seems to be hit or miss with these books, and currently there are more misses than hits. I may pick up the next one and give this series one last try, but I'm not going to finish it, if things continue in this vein.

Pages: 288

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Rigid

by Scott Hildreth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Much better than the previous.

Pages: 313

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Nuts
by Scott Hildreth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not bad. A basic read, but it’s one of the best in this series.

Pages: 318

Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Year

Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Year: From Doctors Who Are Parents, Too! by Mayo Clinic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book is organized month by month. I enjoyed reading a chapter each month as my baby grew, and found that it answered many of my questions about nursing. feeding, sleep, and common conditions.


576 pages

Baby 411: 7th Edition: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby's First Year by Denise Fields and Ari Brown

Baby 411: 7th edition: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby's First Year by Denise Fields
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I basically used this as a manual for my baby's first year. I have already purchased the Toddler version. The information is fact-based without sounding overly clinical and leaves enough room for parents to make their own decisions. I found that this approach gave me confidence and peace of mind.

576 pages

Educated by Tara Westover

Raised by survivalists/religious fundamentalists who despised the Government and everything it did, Tara never went to school and spent her days working the the junkyard with her father and helping her mother make tinctures and midwifing. It wasn't until she struck out on her own to college that she fully realized the true faces of her family and her upbringing.

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 352

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

A falling star plummets into the Faerie world beyond the wall that boarders the village of Wall in England. A witch goes to find it to steal it's heart, two princes go after it to claim the kingdom of Stormhold, and a young man named Tristran begins his quest to find the star for his lady love.

I loved this story! It's the perfect fairy tale full of magic, bravery, and nonstop English adventure where love wins the day and there is a happily ever after.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pages: 248