Tag: News/Misc Page 18 of 26

My first thought when I saw the ten books on the chopping block today was, “Well, the List isn’t going to lose a lot of entries this week.” I think four or five of them came from the same list of “new PI novels to try” or something and all look too intriguing to cut (even if I figure I’m only going to really like half of them—I just don’t know which half).

But I didn’t expect these results.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
4. Read the synopses of the books.
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo Blurb: A woman who left her Amish community comes back to the area after many years away as Chief of Police. Soon, a murder pits her family and past against her duty. My Thoughts: Recommended by a friend, and while “Amish Mystery” doesn’t necessarily scream my style, she hasn’t led me wrong yet. Verdict:
	By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story by Antoine Bandel My Thoughts: There’s some sort of magic and pirates inspired by “the West Indies, The Swahili Coast, and Arabia”, and some sort of airship. Magic pirates in the sky=a combination that I’ve got to try. Verdict:
	The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka Blurb: An emotionally troubled PI is on the hunt for a murder victim who might actually be alive in order to save the man convicted of her murder. Verdict:
	Broken Places by Tracey Clark Blurb: “former Chicago cop turned private investigator looks into a suspicious death as a favor to a friend—and makes some powerful enemies.” Verdict:
	Last Looks by Howard Michael Gould Blurb: There’s a former LAPD detective living in solitude as some sort of penance for failure in a case. He’s brought back to LA by his former love to help an eccentric actor suspected of a murder My Thoughts: That’s a lousy 2 sentence summary, but the blurbs are too long for this space. I like the idea of the damaged cop back to try to navigate through the case, his personal baggage, and other problems. John Michael Higgins does the audiobook, and I am incredibly curious about him as a narrator. Not curious enough to buy it, but curious. I wonder if that says something abou the tone of the book, too. It may be unfair, but I don’t see Higgins doing a great job on a dead-serious crime novel. Verdict:
	What Doesn’t Kill You by Aimee Hix Blurb: “Willa Pennington thought that becoming a PI would be better than being a cop. She thought she’d never have to make another death notification or don a bulletproof vest again…But she couldn’t have been more wrong, because Willa’s real problem is that she’s always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong…Now, agreeing to do a simple favor has netted her a dead body, a missing person, and an old friend who just may be a very bad guy. If whoever is trying to kill her would lay off she could solve the murder, find the missing girl, and figure out if the person she’s trusted with her life is the one trying to end it.” My Thoughts: I think it was the “becoming a PI would be better than being a cop. She thought she’d never have to make another death notification or don a bulletproof vest again” part of the blurb that gets the hooks in me. Because you know it’s going to go wrong, and with that as the baseline, it’s going to be very wrong. Verdict:
	Black and Blue in Harlem by Delia C. Pitts Blurb: “Rook came to Harlem to re-build a life. You hit bottom, the only way out is up, right? Nice home, nice job, nice girl. With a few breaks, a hard-luck private eye can land on his feet, even if his balance is still shaky. But now that cozy home has turned deadly. With his pal NYPD Detective Archie Lin working the case, Rook joins the investigation into the death of his neighbor. Nomie George was a gentle, unassuming city bureaucrat, with few friends and no apparent enemies. Minding her own business, following government rules, and hoarding her skimpy paycheck were Nomie’s chief pleasures. But a frosty fifteen-story plunge ended her life. Could her lonely death be a suicide? Or might a brutal murderer be on the loose?” My Thoughts: The premise of this makes this a slam dunk for me. But I see that it’s the third in a series. Reading it would probably bug me, so I’m going to give it the ax (and we’ll just ignore the fact that I’ve just added the first in the series to the list, because I need to cut something in this post). Verdict:
	Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford Blurb: Teagan Frost, “psychokinetic operative” for the government seems to have her life about on track for the first time in ages, and then a “young boy with the ability to cause earthquakes has come to Los Angeles – home to the San Andreas, one of the most lethal fault lines in the world. If Teagan can’t stop him, the entire city – and the rest of California – could be wiped off the map.” My Thoughts: I thought the first Teagan Frost book was a blast and have been looking forward to digging into this one. Not sure why I haven’t. With book 3 coming out at the end of this month, I’d best get to it. Verdict:
	Half a World Away by Mike Gayle Blurb: When they were children, siblings Kerry and Noah, ended up in the UK equivalent of the foster system, and ended up in very different places as adults. Kerry cleans homes and barely makes ends meet. Noah is a very successful barrister. When they reconnect, everything changes. My Thoughts: Years ago, I tore through my local library system’s collection of Gayle books in a few weeks and couldn’t find any more. I’m not sure why I stopped looking. I saw a reference to this somewhere last year and it brought back a lot of good memories, I need to start reading Gayle again and I might as well start with this. Verdict:
	Just Like You by Nick Hornby Blurb: Lucy is “a nearly divorced, forty-one-year-old schoolteacher with two school-aged sons, and there is no script anymore. So when she meets Joseph, she isn’t exactly looking for love—she’s more in the market for a babysitter. Joseph is twenty-two, living at home with his mother, and working several jobs, including the butcher counter where he and Lucy meet. It’s not a match anyone could have predicted. He’s of a different class, a different culture, and a different generation. But sometimes it turns out that the person who can make you happiest is the one you least expect, though it can take some maneuvering to see it through.” My Thoughts: It’s Hornby. The only reason I didn’t read it last fall (and probably have it on a best-of 2020 list) is that it fell victim to that time and money crunch that was my unexpected move. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 1 / 10
Total Books Removed: 144 / 290

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Okay, I’ve pulled another batch of 50 off the list to start culling from (part of me was hoping it’d be 60, giving me a nice, round 300 as a total). These are all books that I added in the last 14 months, which I think should make me more inclined to want to read them all (unlike something from 8 years ago, my interests/tastes haven’t changed that much). But I cut the majority of this entry’s batch.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but it’s things like that which keep my interest in this project.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
4. Read the synopses of the books.
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Living by God’s Promises by Joel R. Beeke, James A. La Belle Blurb: The authors “draw from stellar Puritan treatises on divine promises by Andrew Gray, Edward Leigh, and William Spurstowe, and offer them in contemporary language for today’s readers. [I]t will help you treasure the promises that God establishes in Christ and conveys in His covenant love to comfort you in sorrow and strengthen your faith.” My Thoughts: Good idea for a book, the Table of Contents appeals to me. But I’ve been underwhelmed with the last few books I’ve picked up by Joel Beeke. Now, Beeke has been of tremendous help to me in the past, and it feels wrong to not want to read a book from him. But I think I’d better wait for something from him that I feel compelled to read, if that makes sense. Verdict:
	Red Noise by John P.Murphy Blurb: “Red Noise is the story of an asteroid miner who just wants to be left alone. But when she arrives at Station 35 to sell off her cargo, she finds the place a disaster area, run into the ground by competing gangs and crooked cops who are happy to cheat her out of every last credit too…It has sword fights and cheap booze and grenades and cranky old guys throwing insults and very few nuclear weapons.” My Thoughts: A Western/Japanese Samurai movie set in space. How do you say no? Verdict:
	A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White Blurb: “A washed-up treasure hunter, a hotshot racer, and a deadly secret society…on a race against time to hunt down the greatest warship ever built. Some think the ship is lost forever, some think it’s been destroyed, and some think it’s only a legend, but one thing’s for certain: whoever finds it will hold the fate of the universe in their hands.” My Thoughts: I don’t remember what podcast I heard someone talk about this book on. Nor do I remember who was talking about the book, or really what they said. What I do remember, very distinctly, is the impression that I had to read it. The description sounds like something I might like. If for no other reason than to maybe see what it was that I responded to from my first exposure, I need to get this. Verdict:
	The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Blurb: Prequel to The Hunger Games, you may have heard of it. My Thoughts: I ordered this weeks (months?) before it came out, because I have a finely-honed instinct to do that with anything involving The Hunger Games. And it’s been sitting on my shelf since it arrived. I have absolutely no motivation to open it up. I think I’m done with Panem, I really don’t give a rip about Snow–I assumed I would (and I’m probably right) once I got a few chapters into it. I’m not saying I won’t get around to it one day, but for now, it’s gone. Verdict:
	The Wild by Owen Laukkanen Blurb: “Dawn isn’t a bad person–she’s just made some bad choices: wrong guy, wrong friends, wrong everything. But she wasn’t expecting her parents to pay a boatload of money to ship her off to OUT OF THE WILD, a wilderness boot camp with a bunch of other messed up kids to learn important “life lessons.” It’s true that Dawn and the other cubs will learn a lot–but it’s not what any of them expect. Because what happens in the woods isn’t what their parents planned. Sometimes plans go very wrong. And this is one of those times.” My Thoughts: If Owen Laukkanen it will be compelling, it will be tense, taught, and well-executed. But…nothing about this grabs me. Similar to his book about a disaster at sea (or something along those lines). Verdict:
	Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas, Alison Layland (Translator) Blurb: “For hyper-particular publishing heir Jonathan Grief, the day starts like any other—…all it takes to put a crimp in his routine is one small annoyance. Someone has left a leather-bound day planner with the handwritten title Your Perfect Year in his spot on his mountain bike at his fitness course! Determined to discover its owner, Jonathan opens the calendar to find that someone known only as “H.” has filled it in with suggestions, tasks, and affirmative actions for each day. The more he devotes himself to locating the elusive H., the deeper Jonathan is drawn into someone else’s rich and generous narrative—and into an attitude adjustment he desperately needs.” My Thoughts: It feels very Fredrik Backman meets Dash & Lily. Or something like that. I saw this referenced somewhere last year and picked it up. Just need to get around to it. Verdict:
	Burn by Patrick Ness Blurb: Nunc hoc in marmore non est incisum My Thoughts: It’s Patrick Ness, so it’s going to be good. Also, there’s a dragon. But something about description leaves me apathetic. Convince me I’m wrong about this one, readers. Verdict:
	The Faith Machine by Tone Milazzo Blurb: The team goes “to Africa to retrieve the Faith Machine. Built by the Soviets to turn prayers into suffering, the psychotronic device fell into the hands of a demented warlord. Tragically, the mission fails and the madman slaughters hundreds of innocents while the machine burns…While spy agencies from around the world want retribution for the catastrophe in Africa. Park’s team outplays enemies left and right, while uncovering the true threat. There’s another Faith Machine, one destined to bring hell on earth.” My Thoughts: This is another that I wish I could peg down what introduced me to the book. I can see the appeal–psychic Specical Agents. But the premise of this particular novel isn’t going to be something I enjoy. Verdict:
	Broken Genius by Drew Murray Blurb: “In 2011, Will Parker, the young prodigy CEO of a big tech company makes a coding mistake that costs a college student her life. To assuage his guilt, Will pursues a career in the FBI Cyber Division. Now, Special Agent Will Parker is called to investigate a murder scene at a Comic-Con event in the Midwest, where the victim has ties to a radioactive quantum computer that Will was working on before he left his gig as CEO…Will discovers the victim was holding an auction for the computer on the Dark Web—and the bidding is still live.” My Thoughts: I remember linking to a post by Murray last year about the use of tech in thrillers in a Saturday Miscellany. I liked what he had to say about that and want to see how he applies it. Verdict:
	The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad by Mike Birbiglia, J. Hope Stein My Thoughts: There’s probably some pretty funny stuff in this collection of Birbiglia’s stories of parenting a young child mixed with his wife’s poems about the same events. But my gut tells me the balance of this book is going to be something I’m not satisfied with. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 6 / 10
Total Books Removed: 143 / 290

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Like most readers, I have lists of books that I mean to read one day. I have the books that I’ve purchased which is a pretty intimidating stack (physical or electronic) and a pretty healthy Goodreads “Want To Read” list. Other methods have really never worked for me. But at a point, that list became unwieldy, despite occasional edits. Then I saw this meme and started this series, and here we are at #24.

I started this with 240 books and cut 129 books off of the list—some because I didn’t see what once appealed to me about them; they were no longer easily available/not going to be available (the author/publisher changed their mind); I still figured I’d like them, but I knew I’d never get around to finding the time to read it; or because I’d listed some two (or three) times—and I’d even read a few of them between pulling the list and getting to that spot in the series.

One positive side effect from this series is that it’s spurred me to read something—either by rekindling my interest or just reminding me it existed.
The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne from DtTH #7
Deathstroke, Vol. 1: The Professional by Christopher J. Priest, Mark Morales, Joe Bennett, Jason Paz, Carlo Pagulayan, Belardino Brabo from DtTH #12
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman from DtTH #12
Starlight by Mark Millar, Goran Parlov from DtTH #13
Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry from DtTH #13
Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran from DtTH #18
Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney from DtTH #20
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke from DtTH #22

So, they’ve now been cut from the list, too—so that’s another 8 from 240.

This little project has now eliminated 137 books off of my aspirational To Be Read List—57%. That’s not bad. Not bad at all, actually. Of course, I’ve added 49 books to it since I pulled the initial list—so I’ll be back with more to cut (just looking over those 49, I’ve identified a couple that won’t survive). I’ve already been choosier about adding things to my “Want to Read” Shelf, asking myself, “Is this just fodder for a future Down the TBR Hole?”

I’ve enjoyed this project so far—like most of those I start here, it’s taken longer than I expected, but that’s okay. It’s like browsing in a bookstore, but one I stocked myself. And as long as it’s been since I’ve had that chance to do that in reality, I’ll take even this watered-down approximation of the real thing.

I summarized this earlier, but I feel compelled to add the boilerplate info to this:
This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is (still) scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
4. Read the synopses of the books.
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

You get 11 instead of 10 this week, because this is the end of the (initial) list! There’s no way I’m going to do a post for one book (especially because that book is a thumbs up, where’s the fun in that?). Next time, we’ll take a quick look at this project so far.

But for now, how many books are we going to cut from my Want to Read list?

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
4. Read the synopses of the books.
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	A Beginner’s Guide to Free Fall by Andy Abramowitz Blurb: A family drama about roller coaster engineer in career and family trouble, and his sister, an advice columnist whose life is as just as messy. My Thoughts: I really dug Abramowitz’s earlier novel, Thank You, Goodnight and am curious about what he’s got going on. Also, I bought this forever ago, so it has to stay. Verdict:
	Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer More Equal Prosperous World for All by Deirdre N. McCloskey Blurb: “With her trademark wit and deep understanding” McCloskey argues “for a return to true liberal values, this engaging and accessible book develops, defends, and demonstrates how embracing the ideas first espoused by eighteenth-century philosophers like Locke, Smith, Voltaire, and Wollstonecraft is good for everyone.” My Thoughts: If this is any good, this is exactly the political book I want to read right now. But…I just can’t. I just cannot bring myself to care, put the effort into this, or for endure the despair that’d settle in after I finish this and look at the world around me. Verdict:
	Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha Blurb: “A powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in LA, following two families—one Korean-American, one African-American—grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime. In the wake of the police shooting of a black teenager, Los Angeles is as tense as it’s been since the unrest of the early 1990s. Protests and vigils are being staged all over the city. It’s in this dangerous tinderbox that two families must finally confront their pasts.” My Thoughts: I had a friend rave about this a couple of weeks ago. That’s enough to keep it. I still would’ve because of the various reviews I saw around publication. Verdict:
	The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity by Michael J. Kruger Blurb: “A cautionary examination of ten dangerously appealing half-truths.” My Thoughts: I read this in May ’20 and wrote about it here Verdict:
	The Bard’s Blade by Brian D. Anderson Blurb: “Mariyah enjoys a simple life in Vylari, a land magically sealed off from the outside world, where fear and hatred are all but unknown. There she’s a renowned wine maker and her betrothed, Lem, is a musician of rare talent. Their destiny has never been in question…Then a stranger crosses the wards into Vylari for the first time in centuries, bringing a dark prophecy that forces Lem and Mariyah down separate paths. How far will they have to go to stop a rising darkness and save their home? And how much of themselves will they have to give up along the way?” My Thoughts: I’ve heard/read nothing but good things about this, and until I started this sentence had intended on keeping it. But…I rarely make time for fantasy any more, and I know I’m not going to get around to this. Verdict:
	The Rome of Fall by Chad Alan Gibbs Blurb: A 90s rock star comes home to be with his dying mother and teaches at his old high school in a retelling of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. My Thoughts: Proof that I actually read things from this list and I don’t just archive them here…I read this last August and wrote about it here Verdict:
	A Blight of Blackwings by Kevin Hearne Blurb: The sequel to A Plague of Giants, about an invasion that devastates a continent, kicks off huge cultural/religious changes, and (it seems) inspires a movement to fight back. My Thoughts: Yeah, I just got done saying I don’t make time for Fantasy the way I want to. But I thought volume 1 in this series rocked. I just need to force myself to start this and I know I’ll love it. Also, I have the hardcover within arm’s reach, I pretty much have to. Another also: Kevin Hearne. Verdict:
	Critical Point by S.L. Huang Blurb: The third Cas Russell novel. Nuff said. My Thoughts: This was one of the victims of the busy-ness around my move last year, I’m getting to it shortly. Verdict:
	Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel M. Lavery Blurb: “a hilarious and stirring collection of essays and cultural observations spanning pop culture—from the endearingly popular to the staggeringly obscure…From a thoughtful analysis of the beauty of William Shatner to a sinister reimagining of HGTV’s House Hunters, and featuring figures as varied as Anne of Green Gables, Columbo, Nora Ephron, Apollo, and the cast of Mean Girls…a hilarious and emotionally exhilarating compendium that combines personal history with cultural history to make you see yourself and those around you entirely anew.” My Thoughts: Texts from Jane Eyre was a fun read, but the synopsis of this one isn’t clicking with me. Verdict:
	Broken by Don Winslow Blurb: “In six intense short novels connected by the themes of crime, corruption, vengeance, justice, loss, betrayal, guilt and redemption…a world of high-level thieves and low-life crooks, obsessed cops struggling with life on and off the job, private detectives, dope dealers, bounty hunters and fugitives, the lost souls driving without headlights through the dark night on the American criminal highway.” My Thoughts: I’m only waiting to finish The Border before I start this. Verdict:
	In Plain Sight by Dan Willis Blurb: “In 1933 New York, there are two kinds of magic, the all powerful sorcerers who use their abilities to acquire wealth and fame, and the runewrights who scratch out what meager spells they can to make a living. Decidedly in the latter category, Alex Lockerby uses his magic to aid him in his work as a private detective, consulting for the police on cases with mystical ties….” There’s more to the description, but who needs more? My Thoughts: This has been on my list since Bookstooge posted about it last March. It’ll be soon. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 5 / 11
Total Books Removed: 129 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

Cut a lot of items off the list in this entry—which is sort of the point of this. And I’m really looking forward to the ones I didn’t add to the list and need to get moving on them.

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

1. Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
2. Order on ascending date added.
3. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
4. Read the synopses of the books.
5. Decide: keep it or should it go?
6. Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Blurb: “Ethan Frome is a poor farmer, trapped in a marriage to a demanding and controlling wife, Zeena. When Zeena’s young cousin Mattie enters their household she opens a window of hope in Ethan’s bleak life, but his wife’s reaction prompts a desperate attempt to escape fate that goes horribly wrong.” My Thoughts: Like I said in the last entry, I think I read some article a couple of years ago about “why you need to read Edith Wharton.” I don’t remember where I read it or any of the content. So I really don’t remember why I put this 20th Century Classic on my list. From the description, it’s not my cup of tea. Verdict:
	Devil’s Peak by Deon Meyer Blurb: Alcoholic detective with a marriage and career on the ropes on the hunt for a vigilante killer in Cape Town. My Thoughts: I wish I knew how this got added to the list. Looks promising, but the series looks like too muh to take on. Verdict:
	One Man: A City of Fallen Gods Novel by Harry Connolly Blurb: “Presumed dead after a disastrous overseas quest, [a young nobleman] now lives in a downcity slum under a false name, hiding behind the bars of a pawnshop window. Riliska, a nine-year-old pickpocket who sells stolen trinkets to his shop, is the closest thing he has to a friend. When a criminal gang kills Riliska’s mother and kidnaps the little girl, Kyrioc goes hunting for her.” My Thoughts: I read this and blogged about back in July. Verdict:
	Kalanon’s Rising by Darian Smith Blurb: “Solve a Murder. Stop a War. Save the World. Magic, murder, and a strangely alluring enemy ambassador. Brannon’s life just got complicated.” My Thoughts: A murder mystery in a fantasy world—you know it’s calling my name. I read and heard a couple of rave reviews for this, too. True, I’d forgotten about it since putting it on the list, but I remember it now. Verdict:
	Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke Blurb: “When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules – a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. But when his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders—a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman—have stirred up a hornet’s nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes – and save himself in the process – before Lark’s long-simmering racial fault lines erupt. A rural noir suffused with the unique music, color, and nuance of East Texas…” Verdict:
	A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself by William Boyle My Thoughts: I had this on the list twice, covered it back in #18. Whoops. Verdict:
	The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep by H.G. Parry My Thoughts: I had this on the list twice, covered it back in #19. Whoops again. Verdict:
	Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Blurb: This is not something I can sum up in a paragraph or two, click the link. My Thoughts: Not really my thing, though, not sure why I added this to the list in the first place. Verdict:
	Reverting to Type: a Reader’s Story by Alan Jacobs Blurb: A “reader’s memoir,” describing his development as a reader over the course of his life. Verdict:
	Hero Forged by Josh Erikson Blurb: “Gabriel Delling might call himself a professional con artist, but when walking superstitions start trying to bite his face off, his charm is shockingly unhelpful. It turns out living nightmares almost never appreciate a good joke. Together with a succubus who insists on constantly saving his life, he desperately tries to survive a new reality that suddenly features demons, legends, and a giant locust named Dale—all of whom pretty much hate his guts. And when an ancient horror comes hunting for the spirit locked in his head, Gabe finds himself faced with the excruciating choice between death…or becoming some kind of freaking hero.” Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 7 / 10
Total Books Removed: 124 / 240

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)