February was a relatively slow month for reading. How slow? 2011 was the last time I “only” read thirteen books in February.

And that’s ok.

I discovered two new series this month: Lydia Sherrer‘s Lily Singer Adventures, and Jessica Rosenberg‘s Baking Up a Magical Midlife series. Both are cozy and distracting, and although they have weaknesses, I still want to know more, so that’s really a win for the author.

Especially since the lead of one series is middle(ish) aged, and has a tween daughter.

I also read the second book in The Janet Watson Chronicle. I wanted to mention it because this was a case of me recognizing when a book is good, while also knowing it wasn’t something I especially enjoyed, yet I wanted to know what happened, so I devoured it, all the while not enjoying the dystopian elements.

In other words, that rating is heavily biased by my personal preferences.

I also stumbled upon the latest SPI files book, which was good, and might be a final book in the series. And I’m ok with that. Would I like other stories set in that world? Definitely. I’d love some short stories based on various cases SPI deals with, but I don’t think Lisa Shearin writes a lot of short stories, so I’ll have to be ok with what I have.

Oh, I finished my relisten to The Raven Boys series, and now I’m grumpy because I am again trying to figure out what I want to listen to that will draw me in and keep me exercising / cleaning / whatever thing I need done.

~Audio~

• The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton
  Blue Lily, Lily Blue, Audio Edition (2014) 8/10, The Raven King, Audio Edition (2016) 8.5/10

~Mystery~

• Tommy & Tuppence series by Agatha Christie
  N or M? (1941) 8/10, By the Pricking of My Thumbs (1968) 7/10

~Science Fiction~

• The Hound of Justice (2019) Claire O’Dell (The Janet Watson Chronicles) 7/10

~Fantasy~

• Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector (2018) Nicole Kimberling 8.5/10
• The Gorgon Agenda (2023) Lisa Shearin (SPI Files) 8/10
• Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) 8/10
• The Lily Singer Adventures by Lydia Sherrer
  Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Beginnings (2016) 8/10, Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Revelations (2016) 7.5/10, Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Allies (2017) 7.5/10
• Baking Up a Magical Midlife by Jessica Rosenberg
  Butter, Sugar, Magic (2022) 7/10, Bread, Coffee, Magic (2022) 6.5/10

I think I’m going to ignore the fact that the first month of 2023 is already over.

I’ve hardly done ANY hiking this month, and there has been little snow. So I’m not acknowledging winter passing.

On the bright side, I did have plenty of time to read, what with having a cold and ending up with vertigo.

All of which means it’s a good thing I read plenty of good books in January.

Fantasy

Unexpectedly, I read a bunch of new fantasy–including a new-to-me author! Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes was delightful. It’s what happens after the adventuring, when the hero wants to retire. Except the hero isn’t a he, and isn’t human, and wants to do something entirely new: open a cafe. It could have been written as a joke, but reminded me of Drew Hayes stories, which seem like they would be ridiculous while actually been thoughtful.

And I adore that cover–it’s a throw-back to so much 80s fantasy I read.

A Matter of Magic (1994) Patricia C. Wrede 9/10
Legends & Lattes (2022) Travis Baldree 8/10
There Will Be Phlogiston (2014) Alexis Hall (Prosperity) 8/10
A Bump In Boohail (2022) Kimberly Lemming (Mead Mishaps) 7/10
Soul Taken (2022) Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson) 7/10

Mystery

I am still rereading Agatha Christie mysteries, but I’m going through the series I don’t remember (or might not necessarily have read), which is interesting, although I don’t like them anywhere near as much as the Miss Marple stories.

The new mysteries by Josh Lanyon and KJ Charles were good, and I think that I’ll end up rereading Hide and Seek, because it was interesting and I was suffering a bit with the cold when I read it.

Hide and Seek (2022) Josh Lanyon 8/10
Masters in This Hall (2022) K.J. Charles (Lilywhite Boys) 7/10
Agatha Christie
Superintendent Battle: Murder is Easy (1939) 7/10, Towards Zero (1944) 7/10
Tommy & Tuppence: The Secret Adversary (1922), Partners in Crime (1929) 7/10
Lessons for Survivors (2018) Charlie Cochrane (Cambridge Fellows) 6/10
Murder by the Book (2018) Lauren Elliott 5/10

Romance

I feel like The Holiday Trap is the first Roan Parrish story I’ve read with a FF romance. It was a cute trading places / holiday romance, but unlike her recent books for Harlequin, went a little bit more into the struggles of the characters instead of glossing past those problems. There is nothing wrong with glossing past struggles, it is just really weird for a Roan Parrish story to do so.

The Holiday Trap (2022) Roan Parrish 8/10
The Geek Who Saved Christmas (2021) Annabeth Albert 7/10
The First Snow of Winter (2021) Joanna Chambers (Winterbourne) 6.5/10

Comics

100% comfort reads.

Check, Please! Book 1: # Hockey (2018) Ngozi Ukazu 8/10
Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones (2020) Ngozi Ukazu 9.5/10

Audio Books

I finally finished Murderbot and after a brief struggle started the Raven Boys series.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater narrated by Will Patton: The Raven Boys, Audio Edition (2012) 9/10, The Dream Thieves, Audio Edition (2013) 9.5/10
Network Effect, Audio Edition (2020) Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free 9.5/10

Since several of these books ended up in my best of the year posts, and some others I don’t feel like commenting on right now, here we have the books of December.

Fantasy

Blitz (2022) Daniel O’Malley (The Checquy Files) 9/10

Paranormal Bromance (2014) Carrie Vaughn 8.5/10

Posthumous Education (2022) Drew Hayes (Fred, the Vampire Accountant) 8.5/10

Romance

Make a Scene (2020) Mimi Grace 7/10

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care (2022) Ashley Herring Blake (Bright Falls)

Mystery

Agatha Christie
Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery (1964) 9/10
Superintendent Battle: The Secret of Chimneys (1925), The Seven Dials Mystery (1929) 7/10

All Lessons Learned (2018) Charlie Cochrane (Cambridge Fellows) 6/10

Wonton Terror (2019) Vivien Chien (A Noodle Shop Mystery) 5/10

Audio Books

Shadow Police series by Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch
The Severed Streets, Audio Edition (2015) 9/10, Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? Audio Edition (2016) 9/10

Murderbot series by Martha Wells narrated by Kevin R. Free
All Systems Red, Audio Edition (2017) 9.5/10, Artificial Condition, Audio Edition (2018) 9.5/10, Rogue Protocol, Audio Edition (2018) 9.5/10, Exit Strategy, Audio Edition (2018) 9.5/10

Non-Fiction

Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism (2018) Autistic Self Advocacy Network 9/10

We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation (2021) Eric Garcia 8.5/10

Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism (2018) edited by Barb Cook & Michelle Garnett 8/10

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in Relationships. (2021) Russell A. Barkley and Christine M. Benton 7/10

Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2015) Barry M. Prizant

I am considering refusing the ignore that November is over. It’s been another long year, and yet it somehow sped by without me accomplishing most of the things I wanted to.

Shockingly, more than half the books I read were new releases, and two of those were November releases.

And some of those were very good!

Going in I didn’t remember much about A Restless Truth by Freya Marske, but luckily it didn’t matter. One heroine is the sister of one of the main characters in the first book, but it wasn’t a problem, so you could read this book without having read the first–with the exception that you won’t get an in-depth explanation of magic here, which may or may not matter to you.

Although I had put off reading it, as it started a new series that’s a spin-off from her previous one, I very much enjoyed Allie Therin‘s Proper Scoundrels. I really like the world-building she’s done, and I very much like the characters–one of whom is badly damaged by his past (Michelle catnip).

There should be another book to follow this one, and I look forward to it.

I normally try to highlight only my favorite books in this roundups, however, I want to note Alexis Hall‘s newest romance, Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble. It is being touted as a rom com, but it really isn’t. That’s not to say there aren’t funny bits, because of course there are, but the main thrust of the story was watching the main character spiral out of control until he has a panic attack and passes out on the street. This book was extremely difficult for me to read, because I was not in a place where I could read about someone having a mental breakdown and not have it be deeply upsetting.

This is not to say it isn’t a good book, because it was well done. But… if you have issues with anxiety you might want to consider skipping this one.

After reading Paris, I ended up going deep into some comfort reads. Happy stories that feel like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold and rainy day. So of course I recommend all those as well.

Fantasy

A Restless Truth (2022) Freya Marske (Last Binding) 8.5/10

Proper Scoundrels (2021) Allie Therin (Roaring Twenties Magic) 8/10

Good Enough to Eat (2015) Alison Grey & Jae (The Vampire Diet) 7/10

The Doctor (2022) C.S. Poe (Magic & Steam) 6/10

Romance

Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne 9/10

Jericho Candelario’s Gay Debut (2018) R. Cooper 9/10

Garnet Run Roan Parrish : The Pride of Garnet Run (2022) 7.5/10, The Rivals of Casper Road (2022) 7.5/10

Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble (2022) Alexis Hall (Winner Bakes All) NR

Mystery

Miss Marple Agatha Christie: Murder Is Announced (1050) 8.5/10, They Do It With Mirrors (1952) 7/10, A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) 8/10, 4:50 from Paddington (1957) 9/10, The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962) 9/10, Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories (1985) 8/10

Crown Court Killer (2022) Dahlia Donovan (London Podcast Mystery) 6/10

Miss Vee and the Lecherous Lawyer (2020) Delilah Knight 5/10

Audio Books

Stiletto, Audio Edition (2016) Daniel O’Malley narrated by Moira Quirk (Checquy Files) 9.5/10

London Falling, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police) 9/10

Amongst Our Weapons, Audio Edition (2022) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) 8.5/10

I’m currently at 226 books for the year, so I won’t be breaking 300 this year, which is ok! I read plenty, and I have enjoyed most of what I’ve read, which is all I care about.

And I’ve already started drafting my yearly reading round-up, and as usual am enjoying getting in the weeds.

I can hardly believe it, but I read five new releases in October. Suer, half the other books are rereads, but I tend to sit on new releases, either afraid they won’t be as good as I want, or because I’m not in the mood for them. Yet here I am reading four different books in the same month they were released.

Were the new releases good? Pretty much, yes! I was startled to discover Ada Maria Soto had a new Agency book coming out, and almost held off reading it, in fear I wouldn’t like it as well, but as I’d just reread His Quiet Agent, it seemed silly not to read Agents of Winter.

I was delighted to see Raquel V. Reyes had a new Caribbean Kitchen Mystery out, and was pleased by that sequel as well. And it’s not that I disliked Mia P. Manansala third book in her series, but I kept thinking was the second book in Raquel V. Reyes series, and so was disappointed it wasn’t. And the fact I read both in a couple weeks of each other isn’t going to help me keep the authors straight.

David R. Slayton‘s Adam Binder series finished off the arc started in the first book, and I was pleased with it–even if I probably need to reread the entire series, to pick up the things I missed first go round.

Although it wasn’t a new release, I was delighted by Kathryn Harkup’s A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie. I mean, science and Agatha Christie–what’s not to love?

I’m almost finished with my relisten of Ben Aaronovitch‘s Rivers of London series, and I have no idea what I’m going to listen to after that. (The books I listen to have to be fantasy or mystery and have to be one’s I’ve already read, so that makes things harder, especially since I like immersing myself with audio books, and some of the series on my want-to-reread lists are ones with authors I can’t bear to listen to.

I am still trying to finish my final post on representation, which is behind my reading of several books this month, except there is already one more book to read and always will be, so I just need to finish it and be done.

And that’s October.

Romance

A Girl Like Her (2018) Talia Hibbert (Ravenswood) 8.5/10

Agents of Winter (2022) Ada Maria Soto (The Agency) 8.5/10

Always Only You (2020) Chloe Liese (Bergman Brothers)  8/10

Damaged Goods (2018) Talia Hibbert (Ravenswood) 8/10

Can’t Escape Love (2019) Alyssa Cole (Reluctant Royals) 7.5/10

Bewitching Benedict (2017) C. E. Murphy  (The Lovelorn Lads) 7.5/10

Lucky Yellow Shoes (2020) Jae 7/10

Coffee Boy (2016) Austin Chant

Mystery

Calypso, Corpses, and Cooking (2022) Raquel V. Reyes (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) 8.5/10

Agatha Christie (Miss Marple): The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) 7.5/10, Thirteen Problems (1932) 8.5/10, The Body in the Library (1942) 8/10, The Moving Finger (1942) 8.5/10

Blackmail and Bibingka (2022) Mia P. Manansala (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery 7/10

Fantasy

Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists (2017) Angel Martinez 8.5/10

Deadbeat Druid (2022) David R. Slayton (Adam Binder) 8/10

Witchmark (2018) C.L. Polk (The Kingston Cycle) 7.5/10

The Great Atlantean Battle Royalchemy (2022) K.D. Edwards 7.5/10

Non-Fiction

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie (2015) Kathryn Harkup 8.5/10

Audio Book

What Abigail Did That Summer, Audio Book (2021) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Shvorne Marks and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) 8/10

False Value, Audio Edition (2020) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Rivers of London) 8.5/10

Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection, Audio Edition (2020) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by: the author, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Ben Elliot, Felix Grainger, Sam Peter Jackson, Alex Kingston, Shvorne Marks, and Penelope Rawlins 8.5/10

Waiting for the Flood, Audio Edition (2016) Alexis Hall narrated by Alexander Doddy 7/10

Towards the end of the month I started reading a lot more. Part of it was receiving some comics I wanted caught up on, but another part was trying to shift my brain back into reading as a distraction.

That is working only so-so.

Oh! There were new releases I really wanted to read. By that I mean, I actually read two books that came out in the same month in which I read them.

Crazy, I know.

I was delighted by both  K.D. Edwards‘s third book in the Tarot Sequence, The Hourglass Throne as well as the first book in Charlie Adhara‘s Monster Hunt series. And actually annoyed I didn’t get another Oliver and Cooper book and so was grumpy about switching to Eli’s POV in Pack of Lies.

Silly me.

I’ve been reading up on the next series of posts I want to write about representation in fiction (I wrote several posts about mental health representation, and although it was good to do, it was also somewhat exhausting) so several of the books I read were ones I went delving into for quotes and ended up rereading the entire thing.

I was able to borrow the latest in Ashley Gardners Kat Holloway series, which I very much liked. I am not sure if the series is preparing to wind up or if it’s just the romance that is going to be settled, so I’m curious to see what happens next.

I did read one book that ended up pissing me off, mostly because they went with a power imbalance in the secondary character’s relationship. As I went through something similar my freshman year, I wasn’t delighted to see it seen as OK for a TA to date a student in a class he was currently assisting. No. Sorry. It’s not ok. Once the class is over, fine. But not concurrent.

Yeah, I’m still unhappy about it.

I got the newest Lacy Mechanika, which was good, but very dark, and a bit cliffhanger-y, which is mildly aggravating as those books are soooo slow to come out. Which isn’t the authors’ fault, but I do hate waiting.

And I had some comfort reads while I was flailing around. And Everything Nice is just a fun story that is full of baking–and no boinking. It’s very sweet. And I randomly got Glass Tidings in my brain and had to read that.

I also want to recommend (again) Loud and Clear by Aidan Wayne because it is sweet and cute and also has some amazing disability rep, making it clear (without preaching) just how much the luck of one’s birth affects whether someone with a disability can succeed.

Plus the romance is incredibly sweet.

I’ve got at least three new releases I coming my way; hopefully I’ll manage to read them immediately as well.

Fantasy

The Hourglass Throne (2022) K.D. Edwards (The Tarot Sequence) 8.5/10
Pack of Lies (2022) Charlie Adhara (Monster Hunt) 8.5/10
Human Enough (2019) ES Yu 8.5/10
Green Creek series by T.J. Klune: Wolfsong (2016) 7.5/10, Ravensong (2019)

Mystery

The Secret of Bow Lane (2022) Ashley Gardner (Kat Holloway) 8/10
Requiem for Mr. Busybody (2020) Josh Lanyon 7.5/10

Romance

Loud and Clear (2016) Aidan Wayne 9/10
Band Sinister (2018) K.J. Charles 9/10
Glass Tidings (2018) Amy Jo Cousins 8.5/10
And Everything Nice (2020) Ada Maria Soto 8.5/10
His Quiet Agent (2017) Ada Maria Soto 8.5/10
The Ruin of a Rake (2017) Cat Sebastian (The Turner Series) 7.5/10
Sympathy (2009) Jordan Castillo Price 7/10
The Other Side of the Roses (2017) R. Cooper
Lucky Charm (2019) Chace Verity
Adorkable (2020) Shane K. Morton

Audio

Rivers of London, Audio Edition by Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith: Broken Homes (2014) 9/10, Foxglove Summer (2015) 9/10, The Furthest Station (2017) 8.5/10, The Hanging Tree (2017) 8/10, A Rare Book of Cunning Device, Audio Edition (2017), Lies Sleeping, Audio Edition (2018)

Comics

Lady Mechanika Volume 7: The Monster of the Ministry of Hell (2022) Joe Benitez, Beth Sotelo, Michael Heisler
Rivers Of London: Vol. 8: The Fey and the Furious (2020) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, Lee Sullivan, Vol. 9: Monday, Monday (2022) Ben Aaronovitch, Andrew Cartmel, José María Beroy 7/10

Random Stats:

I’ve read 52 books that were published since 2021, and it’s currently split evenly between the two years.

13% of the books have been audio books, which apparently comes out to 13 days, 4 hrs, and 2 mins worth of audio books so far this year.

The lowest I have rated a book this year is 4/10 while 43% of the books I rated have been 8/10

8% of this years reading has been library books.

And 41% of the books this year have been rereads.