Recent Updates and Currently Reading | June 4

Do you have a TBR jar? I have a vase filled with colored papers containing a lot of my unread books. Each color represents a genre so I can still select based on my mood. I don't get to use my jar very often, but I try my best to keep it filled with books I've purchased.

We started watching Silo on Apple TV. I'm enjoying it so far. The actors are great, and it's cool getting to revisit the series. It feels a little weird to be in a dystopian world since we don't get many stories like this one any more.

This week's update is super short since I still have a lot of work stress that is occupying my mind. We set up a new bird feeder yesterday so I'm hoping to sit outside today, calm the mind, and enjoy some reading.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ - I enjoyed this middle grade horror - recommended!

Finished Reading

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard [dnf] - I was really in the mood for a thriller this week so I pulled a thriller paper out of my TBR jar. For some reason I didn't realize this book was set during COVID. I knew there was a lockdown but I didn't realize it was THE lockdown. Anyway. I only made it 40 pages. There were references to other things like the Challenger explosion and 9/11, and that wasn't the mood I was going for at all. I need fictional escapes right now. I was worried about what else the author was going to rely on so I noped out.

Currently Reading

Night's Edge by Liz Kerin - I'm enjoying this! This is actually a pandemic book, too, but it's vampires - not COVID - so it's all good! The blurb on the cover says it's going to break my heart into pieces, but for now my heart is happy.

Below by Laurel Hightower - We are reading this over on the Horror Spotlight discord. This is my first Laurel Hightower book - I'm excited about it!

Added to the TBR

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson - My beautiful kickstarter edition of The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England has arrived. It's so colorful throughout the whole book!

Below by Laurel Hightower - I'm trying to be a frugal wizard as well right now so I grabbed the ebook of this novella. Already regretting not having a physical copy. :)

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Review | City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Source: personal purchase. This is a review of my reading experience.

City of Ghosts is a middle grade horror novel by Victoria Schwab.

Cassidy Blake's parents are The Inspecters, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspecters head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn't sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn't belong in her world. Cassidy's powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Yay! I'm so happy to have finally read City of Ghosts. I have so many Schwab books that I still haven't read including this trilogy. To be fair, I bought the rest of the trilogy after my son loved this first book, but I have no good excuses for not having read them myself.

We had a bad storm here, and I needed a horror to lose myself in, and this book called out to me.

City of Ghosts is a middle grade horror novel, but it definitely has wide appeal. It has my favorite MG elements: ghosts and friendships.

Cassidy Blake has the ability to walk between worlds and see ghosts. There was a wonderful balance between the living and the dead. City of Ghosts is creepy but also an entertaining story and well crafted.

I'm absolutely adding City of Ghosts to my list of recommended middle grade horror books.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★
4/5 stars

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Recent Updates and Currently Reading | May 28

Hello, friends! Another week has gone by without me posting any reviews, but I have a long weekend and a determination to get caught up.

Summer is here, and hopefully it will help the mental health! My husband and I went out to eat just the two of us and did some book shopping Friday. I got to work in the yard a little and watch a lot of baseball yesterday. I also read a lot this weekend which I haven't been able to do much of lately.

Do you read more or less in the summer? I think I typically read less in the summer, but this year I'm reading *while* watching baseball so I think that may help make up for doing other things while it's warm out.

Finished Reading

At the End of Every Day by Arianna Reiche ⭐⭐★★★ - This 2⭐ pains me because this book started out so good and I had such high hopes for it. In the end, it was just a really confusing read.

Currently Reading

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey - I'm hoping to focus on this book this week because I truly am enjoying it. Easier, shorter books keep winning my attention, but that just means I get to savor this one when I do pick it up.

Added to the TBR

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian - Listen to this description! "Red Rabbit is a folk horror epic about a ragtag posse that must track down a witch through a Wild West beset by demons and ghosts - where death is always just around the bend." YES. Red Rabbit comes out in September from Tor Nightfire. (Thank you, Nightfire!)

Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig - I was so excited to see this new release at my local bookstore. A Chinese pirate queen. I need her story in my life, and that cover. I absolutely had to own this book.

A Million Junes by Emily Henry - I was also excited to find A Million Junes at the used bookstore! I told my husband I wanted to see if I could find a copy of A Million Junes and what luck! 

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | May 21

Hello, my dear reader friends! I hope you are having an excellent weekend. This update is going to cover two weeks, but honestly - I don't have much to report! Last weekend was my birthday/mother's day weekend so I didn't have a chance to get online to post updates.

Things have been so stressful at work - we are restructuring yet again and probably not for the last time - so I just haven't had enough mental power to read when I get home.

This morning my son woke up super sick so I've been with him in the emergency room. I'm getting this update out late - but I didn't want another week to go by! But that's where I am and how things are going. I'm hoping to spend some time later today reading blogs and reviews and posting some of my own! We were supposed to go watch Guardians 3 today, but life had other plans as it often does.

Posted Last Week

Book Review | In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune ⭐⭐⭐★★

Books I Recommend to Others the Most

On My Wishlist | At the End of Every Day by Arianna Reiche

Finished Reading

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ - Hopefully I'll have my review for this one out tomorrow. Recommended!

Currently Reading

Infinitey Gate by M.R. Carey - I'm still very much enjoying this one.

At the End of Every Day by Arianna Rieche - I needed an escape! I was in the mood for a book like Piranesi - a world I could get lost in, and I thought this might fit the bill. So far - I'm a happy reader! It's weird which is just what I wanted.

Added to the TBR

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin - I forgot to mention in my last update post that my pre-order of The Ferryman arrived. I don't have any immediate plans to read it, but I'm looking forward to getting to it eventually.

At the End of Every Day by Arianna Rieche - Just after posting my Wednesday wishlist post, this book arrived in the mail! So thank you very much to Atria for sending me a copy! It releases in July, but I've already picked it up.

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

On My Wishlist | At the End of Every Day by Arianna Reiche

Wednesdays are for wishlists and books I am anxiously awaiting.

One of the books I am most curious about and anxious to check out is At the End of Every Day by Arianna Reiche. First of all, it's a debut. But Arianna Reiche is being compared to Iain Reid and Jeff VanderMeer. I'm so intrigued! It sounds like it's going to be a weird horror, and I'm absolutely anxious to give it a try.

In this haunting debut novel—perfect for fans of Iain Reid, Jeff VanderMeer, and Julia Armfield—a loyal employee at a collapsing theme park questions the recent death of a celebrity visitor, the arrival of strange new guests, her boyfriend’s erratic behavior, and ultimately her own sanity.

Delphi has spent years working at a vast and iconic theme park in California after fleeing her childhood trauma in her rural hometown. But after the disturbing death of a beloved Hollywood starlet on the park grounds, Delphi is tasked with shuttering The Park for good.

Meanwhile, two siblings with ties to The Park exchange letters, trying to understand why people who work there have been disappearing. Before long, they learn that there’s a reason no one is meant to see behind The Park’s curtain.

What happens when The Park empties out? And what happens when Delphi, who seems remarkably at one with The Park, is finally forced to leave?

At once a novel about the uncanny valley, death cults, optical illusions, and the enduring power of fantasy, Reiche’s debut is a mind-bending teacup ride through an eerily familiar landscape, where the key to it all is what happens At the End of Every Day.

Expected publication: July 4, 2023 by Atria Books

Books I Recommend to Others the Most

I'm so excited about today's Top Ten Tuesday topic! I love recommendations lists. Below are books that I tend to recommend often for one reason or another!

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma

The Midnight Lullaby by Cheryl Low

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

Chlorine by Jade Song

Review | In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune

Source: review copy provided by publisher. This is a review of my reading experience.

In the Lives of Puppets is the latest fantasy novel from T.J. Klune.

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled "HAP," he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio-a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts.

My three star rating for In the Lives of Puppets hurts a bit. This really is a wonderful book, but my overall feelings land me somewhere in the middle.

I'll start off with some of the great things about In the Lives of Puppets. I love T.J. Klune's writing, and I love his messages on hope and kindness and just seeing the world through a Klune lens. In the Lives of Puppets reminded me of the Rampart trilogy (Book of Koli) by M.R. Carey in many ways. They are both about humanity, the destruction of humanity, Artificial Intelligence, and the world after AI. I loved and cared for the characters in In the Lives of Puppets - both human and AI. The world Klune created was fascinating, and I was in love with the first half of the book.

Now for the parts that didn't work as well for me. At the halfway part, In the Lives of Puppets went the way of Fairy Tale by Stephen King. To this day, I still haven't finished reading Fairy Tale. I have such a hard time reorienting myself when there is a complete change of setting and plot. It really bogs the book down and makes it a slog for me. I did eventually get 100% reinvested, but then I had to suffer my least favorite trope of all tropes. So this was a mixed reading experience for me.

Even when In the Lives of Puppets wasn't working for me, the beauty of it all was still there. I can see why people are head over heels for this story. I loved these characters. I won't forget any of them. I also loved Klune's thoughts on AI. There were just too many times I felt like I was having to push through.

⭐⭐⭐★★

3/5 stars

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Recent Updates and Currently Reading | May 7

Hello, friends! We had a big storm come through this weekend. I got to spend most of my Saturday just watching baseball and reading. It was so lovely. My 16 year old is done with his college classes for the school year so we celebrated with a movie night. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. Tell me what you are up to!

Currently Reading

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey - I just love M.R. Carey, and this book is no exception. It's a chunky multiverse scifi, and it's not breaking my brain at all. I'm so happy.

Added to the TBR

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher - Speaking of authors that I love - T. Kingfisher. Few books make me as happy as a T. Kingfisher book does right now. "Thornhedge is the tale of a kind-hearted, toad-shaped heroine, a gentle knight, and a mission gone completely sideways." OMG, perfect. Thank you, Tor Books!

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | April 30

Hi, friends! I have great news (for me anyways). I managed to catch up on some review writing this week so stay tuned for some actual reviews. Thank you for continuing to support how thoroughly inconsistent I can be!

We took a day trip out to Galveston yesterday, and we got to visit the museum and the rainforest. The dolphins were out on the ferry ride over so it was a nice getaway.

Finished Reading

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon ⭐⭐⭐★★ - Fun alien smut buddy read with friends. Review coming soon.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune ⭐⭐⭐★★ - I loved this book, but the pacing was a struggle for me. Review this week.

Currently Reading

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky - Trying to tackle this one just after reading In the Lives of Puppets may be a mistake, but I'm planning to start this one today. We'll see how it goes.

Added to the TBR

Pomegranates by Priya Sharma - I loved Priya Sharma's Ormeshadow {my review of Ormeshadow}. I'm excited to check this one out. (Thank you, Priya.)

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson - I forgot to mention in my last update my copy of Tress of the Emerald Sear finally arrived.

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | April 23

Hello, friends! Today I'm catching up on things around here as I was away for Easter weekend and tax weekend.

How has your reading year been so far? I feel like I haven't read as many books this year, but the quality of what I've been reading has been so good.

Finished Reading

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti [dnf] - This was a dnf for me. It's written in interview format which will be fun for some readers. I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to put up with these teens being sassy, sarcastic, and annoying in the police interviews after their friend was ripped apart in the woods. I get it - but I don't want to read it. I'm the wrong demographic so don't discount this for the right YA reader.

Beach Read by Emily Henry ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ - I went to the beach for Easter, and this was the perfect slump buster to bring with me!

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel ⭐⭐⭐⭐★ - Yay for book club this month! I finally got to read Sea of Tranquility. I thought it was great.

Currently Reading

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune - I'm 100 pages in and loving it so far. The characters are so unique and the messages are lovely so far.

Added to the TBR

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - Eeek! I'm so excited about this one, and it's chunky!! "A gripping, page turner set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephen Jones as he's sent to a segregated reform school and sees the horrors of racism and injustice for both the living and the dead." I love Tananarive Due. Thank you to Saga Press for sending me this. It releases in October.

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward - I will read anything by Catriona Ward. Anything. This is a "twisty psychological horror". Many thanks to Tor Nightfire for the review copy.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown - An interstellar space horror and it's a debut? YES! This is going to be one of my next reads. Probably next weekend so I can binge it in one sitting. Again, thanks to Tor Nightfire.

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey - I love M.R. Carey. He's another must read author for me. This chunky multiverse scifi is supposed to be "genre-defying" so I'm excited to see what's in store. Thanks go to Orbit for sending this to me!

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling - I had been eyeing Camp Zero so I was excited to see it in the Book of the Month selections. It was meant to be.

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.

Recent Updates and Currently Reading | April 2

Hi, reader friends! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Book Lovers has been optioned for film. There's already a screen writer attached so fingers crossed!

Speaking of movies, we watched Murder Mystery 2 this weekend on Netflix. Adam Sandler movies are pretty cheesy, but I love them. We also finally watched Jurassic World Dominion. I had low expectations so it turned out OK enough.

Posted Last Week

Review | Chlorine by Jade Song ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Loved this literary fiction/horror/coming of age novel.

Finished Reading

Chlorine by Jade Song ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Last week I mentioned the lack of horror in this literary horror tale, and boy was I wrong. It appeared alright. I posted a link to my review above. 

Currently Reading

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez - I'm back to reading Our Share of Night. It's a chunky one, and I'm taking my time with it. I suspect I'll be reading this one for a while.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher - I started listening to this while playing Stardew Valley yesterday. Is there a greater way to relax while the family is still asleep? Probably not. 

Added to the TBR

The Replacement by Lindsey Duga - My son had a book fair at his school this past week so we went to family night together. I was excited to see Lindsey Duga's latest release because I haven't read this one yet!

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This post is being shared as part of The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz, Book Date’s It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post.