Happy New Year's Eve Book Friends,
Well we have arrived at the last day of the year and I thought what better way to end it than to make a Library post for my remaining books. If you look on my Goodreads it says I've read 24 of the 20 book goal, I've actually read 28 books, most of these books are ones I read for my job, and four of them apparently haven't been published yet or made it onto Goodreads. You'll find my job books I only give stars and no written reviews, because that's what I do for my job is write reviews, and I don't want to take away from that, so I just give the stars that correlate to my rating. Upside reading for work is forcing me to get back into reading despite my attention span issues, but it does take up the majority of my reading, and I figured I'm reading them, so they should count toward my Goodreads goal if their on there.
So these last five books are my personal readings I hadn't wrote about yet this year. I do hope up my personal readings this next year so the majority of my books aren't work related, but we'll see!
Haunted on Bourbon Street (Jade Cahoun #1) by Deanna Chase
This was a fun book. It's always a fun time when I read books in this universe, I've read a couple of the Pyper stories before this. I love a lot of things with this world, the first being the location, New Orleans. I have always been interested in visiting the area, and this book lets me do that. I love the romance scenes are very satisfying to read. I hate when I've gone for a romances, or novels that include a romance, and the romantic scenes fall short, but this delivers. There's also a variety of supernaturally empowered people. Witches, ghosts, angels, and empaths are some of the beings you will find here.
My only issue with the book is it was too short, and because it was short, things had to move at a faster pace. This led to things like explanations of powers, or beings, feel on occasion like a drive by info dump, before rushing on with the story. I gave this four stars on Goodreads.
So, if you are looking for a quick read fun little magical read to lift your spirits, or wet your romantic appetite, I highly recommend this book.
If On A Winter's Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino
This book is the story of readers, writers and books, as best as I can glean from it. You take on the role of the Reader, who seeks out the book: If On A Winter's Night A Traveler, a mess up in printing leaves it unfinished and sends you to find it only to begin a journey that takes you through other unfinished reads. Along the way you intercept another reader who becomes part of your complex story. I first heard of this on I believe Keri Smith's blog and it's been on my library request list a while, and they finally got it.
I going to be honest I'm not sure how to review this. It's an amazing concept, you are a character, and I found myself wanting to know where this story went. It's also a frustrating read. You're having to stop reading pieces of other stories many which didn't retain my interest for long. I mean I'm pretty sure that was the idea was for you to feel how your story character is feeling, but I'm not feeling frustrated cause I can't finish the snippets of books, I'm frustrated cause I'm having to read them. There was also times parts of it seemed to ramble, just ramble, and I was internally screaming just get to the point! I almost DNF'ed it cause it just agitated me. The last couple chapters in the main story line your in started to make no sense, your wondering how'd we get to where we were to here, then bam the last tiny chapter is just thrown at you. I will say I liked how the end ties all the books you've endured together, but I'll be honest I breathed a inner sigh of relief I was finished. I had a hard time deciding if I liked or disliked it, also it's hard to say if it did or didn't live up to what I hoped. I'm also torn as to whether to attempt to add a copy it to my permanent collection or not. I mean it's unique and would be a nice addition, but the fact I had to force myself to read it most the time, makes me worry I would never pick it up again. It's just a book I don't know what to do with.
I'm not sure how to rate this on Goodreads, I'd say maybe 3 and 3/4 stars, but they don't do halves, cause it is worth more that middle ground three, but not a solid four. I definitely recommend you read this once. If they gave test to readers to test their reading ability, this book would be the final exam.
50 Ways To Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom
This romance involves the witch Jasmine (Jazz) and Nikolai a vampire, who have been lovers and adversaries throughout their long lives. Fate has brought them once again together as they try to figure out who's been taking vampires and possibly killing them. The path leads them back to an old foe with a score to settle. Will they survive? Read to find out.
This was a fun read I came across at the thrift store and bought on a whim. I enjoyed the characters in this book, populated with interesting people and creatures. I love the fantastical places within the normal world. I found Irma the ghost that haunts Jazz's car particularly annoying, she really grated on my nerves, which might have been done on purpose by the writer. The romance scenes where unique, but didn't do nothing for me. I find this to be a frequent problem lately when I read romance books, so it may not be the work's fault just my pickiness. So disregard that last bit of review.
This is a fun little read that I recommend if you like your romances with a fantastical elements, strange creatures, and some sass.
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
This was a YA that came up a lot with booktubers in the past few years so this year I finally checked it out from my library and read it. It's the story of Lazlo Strange an orphan who has a life long fascination with a city everybody calls Weep. He remembers the day the original name was erased from everyone's mind. He eventually become a librarian at a large library, where he's been writing books of research about the city. One day a group from Weep arrives looking for people to help them with an issue the city has. Lazlo sees this as his opportunity to achieve his dream.
I enjoyed this, it was a fun read. Janine over at This Story Ain't Over listed this on her Cozy Read Guide and I'm opt to agree with her on that. It was a cozy little read. You just felt no need to hurry just follow where the story took you. It was a book were there was no clear villains, except maybe the girl looking woman with the ability to control spirits, yeah she started out punishing those who hurt her family, but she's kind of towing that edge, and she really gives me the creeps. This was beautifully written, and the mystery of Weep kept you intrigued wanting to figure it out. The ending was a little heart breaking, but it made me want to continue the series.
This was actually a five star read for me, because it was so well written. If you love a fun romp into the world of dreams and dreamers then this is a book for you.
This is the geeky YA about three friends attending SupaCon, one of the world's biggest conventions. Charlie a vlogger who's found fame in the movies is excited to be a VIP, but is dealing with the break up with her costar, but will a fellow vlogger help her heal from that hurt. Then there's Taylor who's trying to step out of her comfort zone for the sake of her fandom, and wondering where she stands with her friend and crush Jamie. Can thesy over come their obstacles, find love, and have an epic con? Read and see...
This was a book I found at Goodwill, and when I saw the word geek I honed in on it. Being a geek and attempting to be a writer of geeky stories myself I was very interested in reading this book. I have to say the writer you can tell is a fellow geek, because they capture the fandom life so well the good and the bad, I'm just reading this like yep they know what their talking about. I love we have a love interest who is full bodied. I actually can see myself in a book. I have often bemoaned the lack of larger people in romance novels and they gave us one. She also has anxiety issues which I have as well. I wish this book had come out when I was a young adult, it may have been nice to see someone like me in a book. I devoured this book and it was another five star reading on Goodreads.
If your a geek like me who wants to see a geek laced YA Romance this story is for you.
Best Books of the Year
The Story Ain't Over recently did their Top 10 Favorite Books of 2022. This got me thinking about my own top list. I don't have ten since most of mine have been work books, which I don't discuss here, and I really haven't read enough books for pleasure that I can craft a top ten, but I do have three that stood out: The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde. These three managed to get five stars of of me on Goodreads and are the over achievers for 2022.
Goals For Next Year
I'm wanting to take time to read through my collection of Mercedes Lackey's Velgarth universe. I have almost if not 30 books in this world, and I've been inspired to read through it and make Thrifty Geek's Library posts about the read through. I also have seen the latest book in the Ex Hex series is out which I had forgot about coming out, so I totally have to squeeze that in. I'm hoping that my library will get the other books in the Once Upon A Con series by Ashley Poston, which she's also released a Rom-Com called The Dead Romantics, that I want to check out. As I mentioned I wanna beef up my personal reads, and I feel like I'm going to be getting off to a good start.
I hope 2022 has been good for you guys, and may 2023 be even better. Please be smart tonight in your celebrating, don't drink and drive, and God bless you in the new year.
*Thrifty Geek*
*Update*
I finished my latest book before midnight so it's 29 books for this year!
