Fluff with Monsters. This is cute. There's a little bit of Harlequin Romance love story. (I was buying it more at the end than when it got started.) The non-humans aren't all evil; some just look weird. Or, are unusual in some fairly harmless way. And there are some unexpected bits. Also, wordplay that amused me.

http://www.tor.com/2013/05/14/shall-we-gather/

This is a Tufa short story. It's a nice side chapter about Rev. Chess and Mandalay.

These vampires are actually monsters. They don't glitter. They don't beat themselves up over their monstrosity. And Bledsoe does a good job of writing them so that you have some understanding of that monstrosity even though you don't buy into it.

There are a couple that aren't as bad as the others. But, that doesn't make them nice people.

Not working for me.

This was delightful. I laughed out loud and I cried.

I love the way Backman tells a story and I really love his characters. He is joining a fairly short list of writers that I keep an eye out for any new publishing dates.

This is the first in a series. It ends with a cliffhanger.

It's a pretty good YA story and a nice setup for the continuation. It entertained me for the time I was reading it. I don't know that I am inclined to continue the series, though. I have already read many variations on these themes.

I found the contemporary language jarring in a place where everyone walks or rides horses and the fanciest weapons are swords. I don't expect to read any more of this series.

Once again, Rachel Joyce made me cry. And laugh. This is an excellent companion to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It is the other side of the story.

Do not read this first. Order matters.

The first in this charming steampunk series was available on Audible for $5, so I gave it a shot. I expect I'll read the whole series. It's pretty light reading/listening and quite entertaining.

I'm really enjoying this series.

However, I'm tired of Dorian's vegan recipes. I would be tired of it if the recipes weren't vegan. That' isn't my objection. I don't dislike foodie books and I don't eat meat. But, I find the pauses to discuss ingredients to be disruptive to the flow of the narrative.

Tell me AGAIN that you can make a great creamy faux cheese sauce using cashews. I got it the first time that making hot chocolate with coconut milk is delicious. There are recipes in the back of the book and that's wonderful. And sufficient.

These are delightful. Little snippets filling in between novels. If you are reading the series, don't skip this thinking the short stories are inconsequential.

I adore Toot-Toot.

And James Marsters does a delightful job reading this.

The changes are hard ones.

This was fun. If you liked Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel books, you will probably enjoy this. And vice versa.

This series is the best sword and sorcery story I have read in years. Sadly, the third book isn't out yet and there is no release date anywhere.

This one ended on a little bit of a cliff hanger. I'm glad I already had the next one lined up. If I had been reading as they were published I might have been cranky.

This is good. It gives a nice look at how a crew team works. And it looks at Nazi Germany, and how they dealt with the rest of the world before the War actually got started.

My cousin pushed me to read it and I'm glad he did.

Not a bad story. But this Holmes isn't a natural progression from Doyle's Holmes. If he had been Holmes-like but not meant to be the original, I would have struggled less. This character doesn't fit in the Holmes-shaped place in my head.

This is fun, light and entertaining.

This is a collection of bits and pieces. Some are very good (The Sea and Little Fishes) and some aren't, more doodles than anything. I'm glad to add the book to my Discworld collection. If half was removed, I wouldn't miss it.

This does not have a happy ending. Bob isn't dead, though. So, there is hope for the world.

I just don't think I'm ever going to finish this. There may be another biography of Emma that interests me. But, this is a textbook and dry as dust. Even the woman who said that any revolution that didn't include dancing isn't for her is dull in this brick.

I really enjoyed this. It never went anywhere I expected it to.

I never had a clue where this was going to end up. It's very good straight fiction. (Straight as in no critters or bizarre plot twists, not a reference to gender. It is a novel about people getting on with their lives.)

This is an interesting look at how the White House is run and the personalities of the First Ladies from Eleanor Roosevelt to Pat Nixon. There's actually not much about Mrs. Nixon because it was time for Mr. West to retire as she moved into the WH. He very discreet, rarely saying anything uncomplimentary about any of the people who occupied the official residence. But, he does give a nice picture of the various quirks and foibles of the First Families.

Too much God. Not enough art. Could have been distiller down to one paragraph.

I really love this historical fiction/time travel mashup. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Curious to see which characters are regulars.

And, ftr, I don't think I'll ever forget that the Black Plague arrived in Great Britain in 1348.

This is why I don't even try to write. I would want to be this good and I just don't have it in me.

The author clearly felt a need to mention everyone she ever interviewed, whether or not they has anything to say except "you just can't get 'em any more."

They history of the diaspora of the citizens of Bialystok is random and spotty. And the bread just doesn't exist any more.

I tried for 2 days and I just can't do it any more.

Some of the stuff I read is the literary equivalent of a cream horn. All fluff, no substance, but fun. This thing is a soda cracker with no peanut butter.

Not a light read. Deals with difficulties of being an adolescent, suicide and mental illness. It is excellent.

This is about the monster in the closet. Or under the bed. The eyes you feel watching you when no one is there. It has been good entertainment.