Elorin's Reads in 2025

Hi, I'm Robyn (with a Y please) but feel free to call me Elorin.
I am 47 and this is my second year in the 75ers.
I live in San Antonio with my wife Raine and three dogs and three cats.

Things to know about me:
I re-read Terry Pratchett's Discworld books in 2024.

Last year I discovered Penric and Desdemona by Lois McMaster Bujold and Murderbot by Martha Wells and inhaled them both with delight.

I try to finish a book if I start it but I have had some DNfs in previous years, including Madame Bovary, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Octagonal Raven.

I generally love science fiction and fantasy, but with the Discworld re-read I weighed heavy on the fantasy in 2024.

I'm in a smut book club and generally read one or two erotic novels monthly for it.

My dogs
Kenzo, Mei, and Lief

My cats
Moshi


Rohrschach


Jade

According to my count, I read 189 books in 2024. LT's year in review says 164, I am not sure where the disconnect is.

I (re)read all of the Terry Pratchett Discworld books in 2024 and read all of the Dick Francis books I own (probably half of the ones out there) and discovered a few series that I fell in love with - Penric and Desdemona and Murderbot in particular.

I didn't start and DNF any titles in 2024, although I did "officially" DNF one title from 2023 that I kept meaning to get back to and finally admitted I wouldn't. Madame Bovary

I started two titles in 2024 that will start my 2025 reading list: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Daughter of Fire.

My 2024 latest thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362172#n8712598

Random, welcome

Welcome back, Robyn! Unfortunately, LT’s wiki system is down, but I’ve got you on my list to add to the Threadbook as soon as it’s back up.

So pleased to see you back again, Robyn. I look forward to keeping up with you again in 2025.

Happy new year, Robyn! Looking forward to keeping up with you in 2025 :)

Happy 2025, Robyn

Happy New Year, Robyn!

>3 elorin: LT's "Year in Review" is based on the "date finished" field, so I would start by checking those. If you fix something, there's a button at the end of the "year in review" page that says "regenerate"

Enjoy your 2025 reading!

Happy New Year and happy new thread!

>6 drneutron: Thank you!
>7 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul!
>8 curioussquared: Thanks!

>10 norabelle414: Happy New Year! I will look at my spreadsheet and see if I didn't enter reading dates at some point. Thank you for the information.

>11 thornton37814: Thank you!
>12 foggidawn: Happy New Year and thank you!

2025
1. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin
A young girl wanders into a hospital waiting room and strikes up a conversation with a young boy (who hasn't spoken to anyone in weeks) over a Nintendo and a game of Super Mario Bros. The rest as they say is history... but a tumultuous history. The two find each other in Cambridge, MA and collaborate to make a game together, something they find themselves doing for decades. This is their story.
I'm blown away. This story is so evocative and powerful and amazing. It is geeky and heart wrenching and I only managed not to sob my way through parts of it because I was reading it at work. I'm not a gamer but I want to play Ichigo or watch someone else play. The ending is beautiful.
5 stars

I'm still tweaking my thread, but I need to dig out my laptop for the numbers I want. I plan on getting to that tonight.
So far the new year of reading is fantastic. My Kindle book Daughter of Fire is in 1500s central America and slower to get going, but I think Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was a tremendous start to the year. Thank you so much SantaThing!
I had to pick a last day at work, so I will be working here until the 24th. Hopefully I will start back at my old job on the 27th but if not I'll have some days off.
I am working on my lap blanket with the chunky yarn. I don't make much progress every day but I am doing at least a little bit each day. The dogs are already using it so I could just finish it off but I want to do one more round and then edge it with the pink.

I'm battling depression and anxiety. Thankfully I see my psychiatrist on Tuesday. I don't know if there will be a med change or not but at least I will see him.

2. Daughter of Fire Sofia Robleda
Catalina is half native and half Spanish. Her mother entrusted her with an important document for their people - made her memorize it. And when the original document is found waterlogged and damaged in its hiding place, she has to find a way to transcribe a new copy without the Spanish church and government finding out about it.
This was a slow start for me but I enjoyed it once I got into the book.
3 stars

3. The Conjurer's Wife Sarah Penner
Olivia is getting tired of obeying her husband to the letter every show. When he conjures a baby fox she names Marmalade, a chance discovery may tip the scales.
Fun, short little story.
3 stars

I started Outlander and am loving it. Again. It's hard to believe how many years ago I first read this book. I can't count how many times I've read it. Definitely a comfort read for me.
I need a new spreadsheet solution. Apparently my registration was through my college and they finally decided it's out of date so I can't use Excel anymore unless I pay for a new copy. So Google sheets or some other freeware it is. Although I am considering buying a new laptop with Microsoft Office on it, as this one is old. Nuclear solution ~lol~
I'm trying to pick my new Kindle read and I am stuck between a few options - a biography, a Court of Thorns and Roses, Thieves World whatever volume I am on. I guess I don't have to decide until tomorrow when I try to get my daily Kindle reading in. The underdog is checking out the first Acorna's Children book from the library.

3 books down already -- Nice. And I loved Tomorrow and T and T! : ) Good luck with the Dr visit. Happy reading!

I loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, too :) So good! A Breath of Snow and Ashes is on my TBR for this year -- maybe we can read it together-ish when you get there, if I haven't tackled it yet.

Hello Robyn. Happy New Year.

>1 elorin: I, of course, am in my own personal smut club…

>2 elorin: Love the photos of your fur kids.

>3 elorin: and >10 norabelle414: Alas, since I don’t put all books read into my catalog, reserving it for books on my shelves and in my Kindle and on Audible, I can’t use the statistics functions of LT. I just re-purposed my @@kenner1953 account and will add all books read to it so I can report all the lovely LT statistics in addition to my own via spreadsheet. I’ve already added two books finished in 2025.

>16 elorin: Well, darn. I have this one upstairs, not in LT. I was going to donate it to the Friends of the Library, but never got around to it will probably put it back in my catalog and tag it ‘2025 toberead’.

>20 elorin: I’ve read the first eight books, have the ninth, but need to read summaries of the first eight again before stepping back into this fascinating world. Good luck finding a good spreadsheet solution.

>20 elorin: I use Google Sheets. Excel is SO EXPENSIVE now.

>24 norabelle414: My wife suggested Libre Office Calc. I have a Microsoft 365 subscription but I can only edit Excel files online. Aargh.
>23 karenmarie: I really loved Tomorrow, and T and T. I haven't googled Outlander yet to see if I need to buy another volume to have them all.
>22 curioussquared: I would like to read A Breath of Snow and Ashes together, yes. 🙂
>21 Berly: Thank you for dropping by. I had to reschedule the appointment but I'm crossing fingers things work out better with the new date.

Someone is having a party in their backyard with a DJ and it's so loud. Thankfully the dogs are just ignoring it. Leaving to go out in an hour - I can tolerate thumpy bass for that long.

I picked The Good Neighbor the Mr. Rogers bio for my Kindle book.

My eldest maternal aunt passed away last week and I found out today. I'm sad and unsettled.
On the book front I am zooming through Outlander but not at work - yes they found something for me to do other than get paid to read.
I'm mildly irritated by the Mr. Rogers bio and trying to pin down why. Slow going on that front.
We're expecting temperatures to drop below freezing tonight and oh that reminds me I need to cover my aloe.

I endorse Google Docs, which includes Google Sheets. The only charge would be if you need more storage. I've not exceeded the free space so far. I transitioned from the Microsoft suite of office programs as the Toshiba laptop I was using slowly aged to the brink of death. The Google apps, of course, operate via the internet, so the hardware you use doesn't hamper your use of them.

I know you've dropped by my place. A return visit was in order, so here I am. Don't be a stranger, and I'll try not to be any stranger than I am.

>27 weird_O: Thanks for dropping by. Google Sheets is the front runner right now.

4. Outlander Diana Gabaldon
Claire is on a second honeymoon after the war when she steps through a circle of stones and finds herself 200 years in the past. In Scotland of 1743 she is an English intruder, a Sassenach wench, and in serious danger. Married in 1945, but with no choices in 1743, she must marry James Fraser or risk being handed over to Black Jack Randall, an English captain with the face of her first husband and a soul as black as his name.
This is one of my favorite stories. I have been reading and rereading this volume every time a new one came out for decades. Claire's competence as a physician, Jamie's competence overall, and their love story hit me hard every time I read this book.
4 stars

It's cold outside but today was clear and sunny, an improvement over the rain mixed with snow late in the day yesterday. Weather is expected to get bad tonight - thankfully my only weekend errand is optional. I think it's a moot point, anyway. (I lost the captive bead on my tragus piercing and two days later the ring came out. I think I have no choice but to repierce it but I need to talk to a piercer.)
I'm reading the Mr. Rogers bio and it's going faster than I expected it to. The author tends to add facts that don't seem relevant to the narrative just to be able to share them.
I'm about 100 pages into Dragonfly in Amber and expecting to plow through most of it this weekend with the weather.
I'm not sure what else to read to give balance to the Outlander novels but I am thinking seriously of Split Infinity or at least the first few of that series (the last few don't hit the same way as the beginning of the series). Alternative to that is a Xanth re-read until I can't pun anymore. We'll see.

5. Dragonfly in Amber Diana Gabaldon
Claire Randall is in Scotland with her daughter Brianna. She has come to reveal secrets long kept to herself. Will their relationship endure the truth?
This was the first of these books I read, once upon a time, and I love the imagery of Claire's gift from Hugh Munro, the dragonfly in amber. The story is evocative, carrying me through Claire's time in France and Scotland and the terror of Culloden. Jamie is her heart, and their relationship goes through so much, it's gut wrenching. I love this story.
4 stars

>16 elorin: I have ignored this novel and now I will seek it out as a read this year. Thanks!

and your pets are charming.

>32 RBeffa: Thank you and I hope you love Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

My copy of Voyager is falling apart but has enough life left for this last read through. Smut book club has selected two titles for the month both of which I want to read Butcher and Blackbird and Unfurl - they may be my palette cleanser when I need a break from Claire and Jamie.
We're going Sunday to a restaurant at a goat farm where I will get to hopefully play with baby goats while waiting for lunch. I can't wait. The food looks like it will be good, too.
Other than that, rescheduling all January appointments because a screwup cancelled my January insurance. February will be busy.

Omg, baby goat lunch sounds incredible 😍

6. Butcher & Blackbird Brynne Weaver
Just the right touch of irreverent humor and black comedy. Delicious laughter and sexy tension. Thank you for not finishing this as a cliffhanger! I can't wait to read the next story.
4.5 stars

>35 curioussquared: I can't wait!

7. The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Maxwell King
I learned a lot about Fred Rogers and his journey to become the man known as Mister Rogers. I didn't love the writing style, in sections where the series of events were very disjointed, and sometimes irrelevant to the narrative.

I started the day intending to go to a consent class. A phone call ended up taking much longer than I expected, and Mei got triggered in the meantime, so the class is nixed and I am dressed and ready to go out with nowhere to go. Thankfully Mei has calmed down.
I'm about 300 pages in to my tattered, falling apart copy of Voyager, getting ready to start the light smut selection for the month as my Kindle book. Depending on how it goes, I think my next Kindle title will be A Court of Thorns and Roses. But I have two in the series in physical books so that will complicate things later in the year. Meanwhile, Split Infinity is stuck in my brain so I am sure it will worm its way into the reading soon.

Finally pulled the trigger and drove to the piercing parlor today. Replacement jewelry for the one that fell out of my right tragus, and a new left tragus piercing. The stud is a white gold honeycomb and when I go in next I hope to get a matching bee for the other side. The jewelry was pricey, but I love the feel of the business and I didn't mind the price tag for jewelry I will wear and love for years. I'm a happy camper.

>29 elorin: That's a *lovely* way to put what is so nice about the Outlander series: the characters' competence. I want to reread it now, haha....

8. Unfurl Elodie Hart
Smut book club, sexually explicit
Belle is a very good, fairly young, Catholic virgin. And wants to change that. When her parents' neighbor turns out to own a sex club with a program called Unfurl for virgins looking to get experience, she sees her opportunity.
The whole Unfurl concept is well thought out and well written. Very empowering. I could wish I had been through the program. I look forward to more from the author.

>41 alsvidur: Thank you! I'm always struck by Claire and Jamie's abilities to do anything they put their minds to. :)

9. Undulate Elodie Hart
Sexually Explicit
Belle's best friend Maddy (from Unfurl) has gotten a job at the sex club Alchemy as their social media promoter. Finance director Zach, a widower with two daughters, finds Maddy irresistible. Will their age difference keep them apart?
I liked the book but there was a little too much emotional processing for my tastes for this kind of book. I think it's well written just not entirely to my preference.

10. Voyager Diana Gabaldon
Claire spent 20 years raising Brianna, believing that Jamie died at Culloden. But Roger Wakefield has traced Jamie to Edinburgh, Scotland twenty years after Culloden. Now Claire has to choose - stay in her own time with Jamie's daughter or try to go back again and find Jamie.
Claire's choice is a tough one for any mother to face, and her journey is full of trouble. The strength and determination she show to reunite with Jamie and then stay with him are phenomenal. Reading about Jamie's life when they were apart gives me more respect for him as a person. All in all a satisfying chapter in their story.

>20 elorin: I completely understand about Outlander! I absolutely love that series and just recently finished Book 9, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. Always happy to find another fan of the series.

>26 elorin: I am so sorry to hear of your loss, Robyn.

>36 elorin: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again!

I love the pictures of your furkids up top!

>46 alcottacre: I think book 9 is the only one I haven't read in Outlander, and I am looking forward to getting to read it.

Thank you, the baby beasts are how I spend a lot of my leisure time. I should get the snow photo of the dogs up here.

11. Bound by Stardust Angela J. Ford
The Stardust collector finds someone in the boneyard who will change her life.
Interesting story but the writing style didn't agree with me.

My last day at Z was yesterday. I start again at CG on February 3. So I get an unplanned week off (unpaid) in between. I plan to read, get some cleaning/decluttering done, work on the genealogy a little, do some yard work, crochet a bit, and read some more.
I just started Drums of Autumn and just bought Onyx Storm on Kindle so those are the immediate prospects. I liked the light smut selection for January enough that I might find book 3 of the series for lighter fare. I uncovered a wealth of books on the secretary yesterday so I might pick up some of those, depending on how time pans out.

My garden ducks in a row. A Christmas gift I finally put together and got into the garden.

12. Compulsory Martha Wells
A Murderbot short story
A miner falls down a shaft. Does Murderbot follow orders and remain in place, finish watching its media episode? Or save the human?
Wry, very typical of Murderbot. A fun bite sized chomp.

13. Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory Martha Wells
A Murderbot short story
How do you process your emotions after a corporate kidnapping?
I think I would like this more if I read it in context. As a standalone it's ok but not great.

>2 elorin: Love your animals! I once had a cat (Spooky) that looked like your Moshi , and my daughter has a cat (Bug) that looks like your Jade. My cat was feral, but my daughter's is a house cat along with two other cats and a whippet (who doesn't much care for the three cats!). :)

>53 SqueakyChu: Thank you! Leif seems to be (reluctantly) every cat's favorite and I laugh when they cuddle up to him and he just looks put upon.

14. Onyx Storm Rebecca Yarros
Sexually Explicit
Violet is a cadet at Basgiath War College. Along with her squad, the love of her life, and her two bonded dragons, she's searching for a way to save her country from the venin, the dark magic wielders, bent on mastery of the continent.
This is definitely a sequel and I wish I had reread the second book before picking this one up. There's a lot of characters to keep track of (and their dragons or gryphons) so I needed the refresher. Regardless, the story is compelling and the scenes of intimacy have lots of tension and sexy appeal.

It snowed last Tuesday. Overnight and melted by the evening. My dogs enjoyed the little bit of snow.

Reasons not to Google the series you are reading: spoilers!
I was just trying to be sure what book to pick up next and I started reading other Google questions and such. Now I am mad: at Google and myself. I should know better. I'm now trying to figure out how to write a book review without spoilers for other readers. I have been on the last 50 pages of Drums of Autumn all afternoon but it has been one interruption after another. (Not one but all three dogs NEEDED to play 20 minutes ago.) Review incoming tonight though, I am sure.

15. Drums of Autumn Diana Gabaldon
How to review this without huge spoilers for other readers earlier in the series? I'll try to be brief, but also use the spoiler tag.
Claire has returned to the past to reunite with her husband Jamie Fraser. Brianna and Roger are searching for historical clues to know Claire was successful. Then Roger finds a newspaper article reporting Claire and Jamie's deaths. Does he tell Brianna? What would she do? Go through the stones, of course! Leaving Roger behind to anchor her eventual return. But Roger follows and catches up to Brianna, which starts a whole new adventure in the colonies.
This book is a little slower in the beginning but worth the investment in time to get to the end, I think. It encompasses a lot of events and characters (1070 pages) and a lot of emotions. I really love it, especially with the ending kind of tying back to an early occurrence in the book.
4 stars

The Fiery Cross is over 1400 pages. Oh my.

My last day "off" before returning to work on Monday. Well, I have the weekend, but my last weekday. I spent time on the phone with two health insurance companies. Too much time on the phone with pretty unsatisfying answers.
I'm currently being laid on by Leif and taking a break from reading, which is how I spent the rest of the day.
I started The Fiery Cross yesterday and I am on page 265. Progress will slow once I am back to work. My Kindle book is A Court of Thorns and Roses. I'm trying to read a chapter a day.

I'm impressed you made it through 4 Outlander books in a month! Those things are chonky.

>60 elorin: I had a similar break, Robyn. Monday was not too much fun!

>61 curioussquared: I think the earlier books went faster because I remember them so well, but The Fiery Cross is a monster and taking longer. Not only is it 1400+ pages, but my new job isn't paying me to read, either!

>62 PaulCranswick: Here's hoping your Monday wasn't too bad!

The Fiery Cross is clocking in about page 925, to mix my metaphors, and going slower now that I am back at work. Not only is the tome long, it's heavy and makes my purse rather hefty for the walk through the parking garage and building to my desk.
A Court of Thorns and Roses is my Kindle book, and I am about halfway through it. My Kindle reading streak is at 91 weeks in a row but only 3 days in a row. I keep reading Outlander books and falling asleep, forgetting about my Kindle reading.
My new/old job is great, I have been welcomed back very warmly. It's nice to be missed. I have a great number of the needed accesses already and I still remember how to do most of the job so I am already being productive even on my 2nd day back. I'm looking forward to getting fully in the saddle and making the position my own again.
Mei is currently crosswise on the bed, on her back, stretched full length, snoring. She couldn't take up more space if she tried.
I'm going to try to get in a few more pages in the Fiery Cross before I crash.

Happy New Thread, Robyn. I finally stumbled on over here. I like all the kitty and doggy toppers. I hope your new year is off to a fine start and those current reads are treating you good.

>64 elorin: Finding a perfectly-sized purse book is such a struggle! I often have 3-4 paper books going at once just because some books are not appropriately purse-sized.

I'm so glad things are going well at your job!

>65 msf59: hi Mark thanks for stopping by. I'm enjoying the current reads and happy for the weekend to spend a little more time reading. I hope your year is going great.

>66 norabelle414: I have resigned myself to putting The Fiery Cross in the backpack, it's such a chonker. I'm focusing on the dogs in the evenings so I haven't picked a more appropriately sized purse book. Thank you, I'm so glad to be back at this job.

After some time sleeping and some time reading I am at page 1184 on The Fiery Cross and 357 (of 433) of A Court of Thorns and Roses. I don't make nearly as much progress when I am not reading at work. LOL
Work continues to progress, as I uncover things left undone in my absence and find myself training a backup manager in how it should have been done (and revising and updating the instructions left behind when I left). Computer access is taking a while to get, unfortunately, but that's not anything new.
Tomorrow is smut book club "blind date with a book" which I don't have a book to exchange so I may be going into a physical book store by myself, a dangerous proposition. Thankfully I am feeling cautious so I hopefully won't end up with $100 in books and blank notebooks. We'll see.

16. A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas
Feyre hunts to feed her family. One day she kills a huge wolf along with a deer. And someone comes looking for her to pay the price. Dragged into the world of faerie against her will Feyre struggles to find a place for herself.

This is a good story, complicated and detailed. I appreciate Feyre's torn loyalties between her family and the man she comes to love and his home. The love triangle potential set up at the end of the book will have me reading the next installment soon.

I have less than 100 pages left in The Fiery Cross. And I misplaced the damned book.

I remember putting it in my backpack this morning. It wasn't there at lunch. It's not in the yard, in the house, or in the car. You'd think I would notice if a 1400 page book fell out of my backpack. I even checked with the lost and found at work.

And this begins my digital collection of the Outlander novels....

17. The Fiery Cross Diana Gabaldon
Book 5 of the Outlander saga
My paperback was over 1,400 pages and I loved every one. The story is engaging on every page.
I don't know how to review this without spoilers for people who haven't read the books yet. Suffice it to say that I loved it.

Omg, losing a book like that would drive me crazy!! Glad you were still able to finish.

>56 elorin: Aww! How cute. I didn't realize that you have three dogs. They look quite happy in the snow!

Happy rest of the week.

>72 curioussquared: I am still nuts about it, but less so since I finished the book.

>73 figsfromthistle: Thank you. They appeared to like the snow, although there was an element of "why are my paws wet?" Thankfully the snow was not long lived.

My wife needed the car today so, since I was already walking through reception, I asked about the book. They had it! I don't know if it was turned in after I asked about it on Monday or if there was confusion about what I asked for on Monday, but I have been reunited with my missing book. One less thing to drive me nuts.

18. Lights Out Navessa Allen
Sexually explicit. Please check trigger warnings before reading.
Smut Book Club
Trauma nurse meets the masked man of her fantasies and answers the looming question: is this really what you want?
This is a fun, sexy story with edgy elements. The sexual tension is great. The pacing is a little slow at times, with dollops of intimacy and sexy times cut short with far more patience than I could have tolerated. Overall, it's a great book.

19. Rediscover Your Sparkle Julie Schooler
The book is not complicated and presents simple suggestions and solutions to bringing "sparkle" into your life. It was an easy read and has a great bibliography for more books and ideas. I wasn't wild about the book, in part because I already practice many of the suggestions, but I recommend it for someone looking to make easy changes to improve their life.

20. Cut and Thirst Margaret Atwood
A short story
A trio of older ladies undertake a course of revenge on behalf of a good friend.
Well written and enjoyable. All's well that ends well.

21. Leather and Lark Brynne Weaver
Sexually Explicit, Dark Romance
Check the trigger warnings before reading
Lark is a "multiple deleter" and no one knows about her serial killer tendencies. Lachlan is a contract killer. Lark's best friend Sloane is married to Lachlan's brother Rowan. When Lark's family business starts looking at Lachlan and Rowan as possible causes of disappearing family members, Lark's solution to protect her best friend and husband is to get married to Lachlan. But will that solve the problem?
I enjoyed this story. The light banter between main characters is great. The mementos/craft trophies is great. It was a fun read.

22. There Are No Saints Sophie Lark
Smut Book Club
Sexually Explicit
Read trigger warnings before reading
Mara is a starving artist. Cole is a wealthy, successful artist - and a killer. When Mara survives a lethal encounter, she catches Cole's attention. But is she protege...or prey?
This is a rich and gritty story with a lot of uncomfortable elements. Serial killers and barely surviving poverty battle with erotic tension and beautiful art. Very dark, very edgy.

23. There is No Devil Sophie Lark
Sexually Explicit Dark Romance
Read trigger warnings before reading
Mara, former starving artist, and Cole, wealthy sculptor and killer, have moved in together. Will Cole confess his past? Can their fragile, young relationship bear the weight of his truth?
This gritty sequel to There Are No Saints tackles head on Cole's past and the mutually changed future created once Mara and her art met Cole and his money, art, and history. Explosive and shocking details paint a bloody picture of their infatuation and romance and its inevitable conclusion.

24. The Fall Risk Abby Jimenez
A Short Story
What do you do when you wake up and your stairs are gone? Call the super and make friends with the other stranded tenant! And if you want to be more than friends...
This is a great lighthearted romance with themes of empowerment and acceptance of a potential partner's quirks. I laughed a few times and I was rooting for the stranded couple all the way.

The dogs got into a fight on Tuesday just before I got home from work. Kenzo obviously needed medical attention, so I took him to the emergency vet. Stitches and a drain, which comes out tomorrow (the stitches stay in for 10-14 days). And an ecollar. Which sets off Mei. So 10-14 days of separation of the dogs. It's a hassle but necessary to get them safe and well.
I have been reading books on the Kindle, but unable to resist A Breath of Snow and Ashes...I'm on page 335. Kindle just told me book 3 of Emily Wilde is out? I might buy that to slow my Outlander reading. But I have sooo many books already on Kindle waiting to be read. Choices, choices.

25. Not Quite By the Book Julie Hatcher
When overworked bookstore manager Emma finds out her parents are retiring and leaving the store to her, she panics and plans a well deserved vacation for 6 weeks. With a 10 point goal list including embracing her inner Emily Dickinson she heads to Hearthstone Manor for inner growth, journal writing, and a little bit of mystery.
This one closed up a little too fast for my tastes but was otherwise a good book.

Yesterday after long discussion about options open to us and resources available to us, my wife and I came to the decision to have Mei euthanized. The vet went over everything we have done and what options we considered and agreed. We said goodbye to Mei this morning. It's one of the hardest decisions I have ever made. I'm a blubbering mess. I think I am taking a break from the threads while I grieve. I'll log my reading but I don't think I can manage much more.

I am so so sorry, Robyn. Sending lots of love. I'm sure you made the right decision, but that doesn't make it any easier.

>85 elorin: So sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Robyn

26. A Breath of Snow and Ashes Diana Gabaldon
Claire, Jamie, Roger, Brianna, and Jem deal with the unsettled colonies leading up to the American Revolution. War is coming and well do they know it. But life continues on Fraser's Ridge. One thing they know for certain, they will continue to rely on each other and their family out of time.
I read this in a very eventful time for me. This is a second read through for me, and I remember thinking this about the last time I read it also. The last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book went very fast to me, a lot faster than the earlier books and the beginnings of this one. I enjoyed the story and the writing but the speed seemed dialed way up towards the end.

>88 norabelle414: >87 foggidawn: >86 curioussquared: Thank you. I took today off work and I am trying to feel as much as I can so I can mask at work until the weekend.

The house is quiet with everyone sleeping but me. I grieve the absence of Mei, but the lack of anxiety and tension tell me that we made the right decision. I have An Echo in the Bone sitting on my lap to read, with A Court of Mist and Fury on deck on my Kindle app. I will read and maybe nap, until I have to get up to take medicine at 11 am. Then I will get up and go to Lowe's for new doorknobs for the house.

I couldn't motivate to go buy doorknobs, so I spent Sunday reading in bed. I did keep the dinner date with good friends, so I wasn't a total slug. An Echo in the Bone is going slowly for me - not enough Claire and Jamie I suspect, although I am enjoying the story and the other characters. A Court of Mist and Fury pulls me in about a chapter at a time before I get distracted by other things. I didn't realize how chunky it is (640 pages), since I am reading it in the Kindle app, but it is another big book. I don't know how much I will get read other than these two in March.

I don't recall how I thought of it, but I got it into my head to get all of the Sector General books by James White. I thought I owned two or three of them and there might be five or six total. Turns out I only have one book (Sector General) and there are fourteen of them. Plus a bunch of omnibus volumes that will confuse the issue.
Meanwhile, I am fast approaching the end of An Echo in the Bone and March is not nearly as far along as I expected. Depression makes the time pass differently. Maybe I will read more in March than I supposed.

>93 elorin: Note that he wrote...6? 7? (six) of them in one time, then stopped writing Sector General for a decade or two. I find the later books not nearly as good or enjoyable as the first lot, up to (checks series page) Star Healer. Code Blue isn't bad but not great (although I usually enjoy culture clash stories), and the ones after that seem to spend a lot of time angsting (in my memory, anyway. It's been probably a decade since I read any of them).

>94 jjmcgaffey: Thank you, I will keep that in mind as I purchase books.

27. An Echo in the Bone Diana Gabaldon
Claire and Jamie head to Scotland to recover his printing press. But nothing is straightforward of course. Between the British trying to press gang them, pirates trying to sink them, leaving Rollo behind on a ship to ship transfer, they end up with the Confederate army and the battles of Saratoga. Meanwhile, in modern day Scotland, Mandy has had surgery and Brianna and Roger have purchased Lallybroch, and they are reading letters held in surety from Claire and Jamie for 200 years.
At first I didn't like this novel as it focuses more on other characters than Claire and Jamie, especially in the beginning. But by the end of the novel it all comes together and I am fully enamored with the new cast of characters. This is the last of the books I had read before, everything else will be new to me. I'm looking forward to it.

I don't have the next two Outlander books. So I ordered a used copy of Written in my Own Heart's Blood in an attempt to be thrifty. We'll see if I can wait for the shipment or if I cave and buy it on Kindle. LOL Meanwhile, the ACOTAR sequel is my go to book. Or maybe the book of Outlander stories that is on my shelf.

Finally purchased a new doorknob for the front door today. Also ordered the newest Outlander book (I figured why wait and have to wait for the book to get here). Feeling the reality adjustment of Mei's absence - my bed is full of animals, cats and a dog, something that could never safely happen before as Mei would chase after the cats and we always feared she might catch one. Still grieving but mildly comforted to feel it was the right decision. Although I almost walked out of PetSmart when I realized they were having an adoption event today. I just wanted to cry, not see puppies and dogs that need homes. We got the cat and dog food and left, but it was a struggle.

28. A Court of Mist and Fury Sarah J. Maas

Feyre struggles with Tamlin's restrictions on her movements and dreads Rhysand coming to fulfill their bargain. On her wedding day, Rhys turns up to take her away for a week.
I appreciate the richness of the relationships built in this novel. The world building is beautiful and the fae powers explored are fascinating. I will definitely pick up the next in the series.

29. The Sublet: A Short Story Greer Hendricks
Anne is a ghostwriter with a demanding client. Something fishy is going on with her client and her new sublet apartment.

I'm glad you have your other animals to comfort you in Mei's absence and reassure you that you made the right decision ❤️ I hope your Outlander shipment comes soon!!

30. American Housewife: A Novel Anita Abriel
Maggie Buckley nee Lane is the hostess of The Maggie Lane Cooking Show. But she has a rocky marriage and some secrets her fans don't know about.
I didn't like it too much. It was interesting enough to read but the main character made a lot of sweeping assumptions about other people's thoughts and motivations. And the happily ever after ending felt just too pat for me.

My Outlander book came! Unfortunately it's the next book (Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone), not the one I need (Written in My Own Heart's Blood) to continue the series. But when it finally gets here, I won't have to wait at the end to keep reading.
The weather has been positively beautiful this past week with only a chilly overnight or two. My Amazon photos sent me an "On This Day" and it was photos in the bluebonnets - I haven't seen any bluebonnets yet this year and I wonder if the hard freezes affected them or if they will just bloom later.

>101 curioussquared: Thank you. Grief is grief but feeling it was the right choice eases my heart a bit.

I don't even know what Outlander book I am on! I will have to go check, but I really should get back to them. I think I am on Season #3 on TV...

Sorry you had to make such a hard decision about Mei. Hope you can enjoy less stress and the rest of your happy pet family.

Enjoy the weekend!

>105 Berly: I have loved all of the Outlander books, although the first four are my favorites probably because I have read them so often. Watching the series is on my to be watched list when I finish/catch up on the books.
Thank you for your words about Mei. The rest of the family is definitely happier now.

Someone at work (who I don't know) saw me in the lunchroom with A Court of Wings and Ruin in my hand and said "oh I'm reading the same book." And all I could think of was the sex scenes in books 2 and 3, and I blinked and said "oh really?" While I thought "do you really want to discuss this with a stranger at work?" Thankfully, she just said "it's taking forever" and I smiled and she moved on. New rule: don't carry smut books around at work, even at lunch.
My new Kindle app book Likely Suspects is a kinda mystery private security story, and I don't like the writing but now I want to know the answer to the mystery so I'm still reading despite the writing style.
I think my Outlander book arrives tomorrow!

31. Likely Suspects GK Parks
Alexis is hired to protect a CEO and track down the source of threats to his life.
The plot is fine but the writing style was lacking something for me.

>107 elorin:: It can be a bit weird to talk about romance books at work, but as long as we don't go into details about certain scenes, I've found my coworkers great people to talk books. For example, I was unsure about trying a certain book, but someone who I never thought would read silly books like that overheard our conversation, piped up and said to give it a try because the author does a great job on another series. On the other hand, I've learned a bit more about some coworkers than usual when they recommend stuff and it ends up being much more raunchy than I usually read. So I guess tread lightly?

32. The Worst Ship in the Fleet Skyler Ramirez
The Persephone is where washed up Naval officers go after the death of their careers. Captain Brad Martinez is a case in point. With an underpowered ship and a underwhelming crew, he takes over a patrol route in a worthless system. Until a route change on a whim changes everything.
It was a fun, short little book. Not much substance but a decent distraction from the everyday.

>109 alsvidur: I'm treading lightly, for sure. I guess talking books with people I see daily would be okay, but with a stranger at the lunchroom wierded me out. LOL

My book finally came yesterday. I'll start reading it when I finish the ACOTAR book I'm hip deep in.

33. Bully Penelope Douglas
Smut Book Club, Light Smut.
Sexually Explicit Check trigger warnings before reading
Trigger warnings aside, this story of two high school seniors hooking up days after their 18th birthdays is still set entirely in high school and made my stomach queasy to read. Barely legal sex scenes don't justify a book with adult themes about high school students. I won't be reading more from this author.

34. A Court of Wings and Ruin Sarah J. Maas
Sexually Explicit
Romantasy
Feyre, Rhysand, and the Court of Dreams navigate love, romance, jealousy, the mating bond, the powers granted by reincarnation, the threat of Hybern, dealing with the other Faerie courts, and war.
This is a long book and at times it dragged for me, but overall it's a good book. The writing is great and the world building of myth and magic fascinating. I fully intend to finish the series.

Kenzo's home from his vet visit, stitches successfully removed and deemed well enough to be out of the ecollar! I'm so happy and he seems pretty happy about it too.
Kindle book is something odd ... Don't know for sure where I picked it up but I'm pretty sure I will put it down. Funky writing style.
I'm reading Promises and Pomegranates for March's dark smut selection and then I will dive back into Outlander.

35. Promises & Pomegranates Sav R Miller
Smut book club, dark smut
Sexually Explicit, check trigger warnings before reading
Dr. Kal Anderson is known in the mafia as Doctor Death. Elena Ricci is the oldest daughter of the once preeminent Rafael Ricci, powerful mob boss in Boston. They spent a night of passion and neither can forget it. Now fate throws them together and they have to find out if passion is enough.
This book has a good plot but the sex scenes are jolting for me as I felt most were not well incorporated in the storyline. I liked the characters and most of the writing. I read an expanded version of the book with a short recounting of Kal and Elena's first night together - I read it first, maybe I should have waited until I read the main book. The footnotes were irritating.

DNF The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman I was 120+ pages in and I just didn't care what happened next. The writing style turned me off and I just didn't care for the book.

36. Hospital Station James White
Sector General hospital is a huge complex for many and varied species of the galaxy. Dr. Conway starts work there and encounters many challenges. A series of stories loosely connected.
I'm glad I decided to read these books, they are as I recall pleasing and entertaining. I'm always torn on reading a multi book volume. This time I will count each book as I finish it and add the omnibus to my library thing with the reviews when I finish the volume.

37. Star Surgeon James White
Dr. Conway meets an ET who is nothing short of a god. Later, he's asked to Etla to help the population with all around health issues. But the Empire that claims Etla starts a war aimed at Sector General and Conway has to deal with evacuation and incoming casualties.
I don't know if this volume was cobbled together from previously published stories, but it felt more like a coherent plot to me. I enjoyed Conway's growth and development as a Sector General Senior Physician in times of crisis.

Hi Robyn! I'm returning your visit to my thread.

I'm enjoying the stories of your fur babies except, of course, the one about the fight and the consequences.

I'm sorry for your loss.

So I have lost weight since I got married in 2018 and my rings are loose. I bought ring sizers that hug the ring to make it smaller, but continued to lose weight and sure enough my wedding ring fell off at some point yesterday.
I'm really upset about it and have looked everywhere except where I am afraid it is - in the nasty, stinky trash can or equally gross organics bin. I went to work with no wedding band and felt completely undressed all day. I'm really upset. And beating myself up about not getting something to keep the ring from coming off sooner. Not to mention the added expense if I don't find it and have to buy a new one. I can't imagine wearing anything other than the custom engraved ring I have worn for the past 6 1/2 years. We'll see what we see I guess...

>120 humouress: Thank you.

>121 elorin: Oh no!! I hope you find your ring.

38. Mortal Tether Candice Jarrett
The Earth is covered with ashes raining from the sky and scientists are baffled when the inexplicable happens - all adults explode into clouds of ash in the sunlight. Even worse, the clouds reform into hungry geists in the dark that eat the living. Amaia hides in the attic when her brother Carlos tries to go for help. When he doesn't come back, she teams up with neighbor Liam to navigate their reformed world and search for Carlitos along the way.
The major premise of the story, a disease that affects people by precise age, is hard to swallow. If you accept it, the book makes sense. It's well written, aimed at a middle grade audience, and follows the logic of a world of mostly teenagers. I didn't accept the premise as much, so I had trouble suspending my disbelief. Also, where are all the elementary school kids? Maybe they were all eaten. Three stars because it was internally consistent and an interesting (if not plausible) storyline.

When it rains, it pours. Thankfully we still have a lot of the income tax return left, but man, am I overwhelmed.
On the reading front, I am reading the paperback of James White's The Aliens Among Us and Diana Gabaldon's Written in My Own Heart's Blood. My current Kindle read is a fantasy Engines of Alchemancy and I have both dark smut (Gothikana) and light smut (Taming Seraphine) titles for April. My reading has slowed down some recently, although I haven't really examined why.

>124 elorin: Sounds similar in premise to the Gone books by Michael Grant. Got to get those pesky grown-ups out of the way somehow.

>126 foggidawn: And built in villains! It's a funny world.

Most of my reading has been on Kindle lately - the "light" smut selection for the month Taming Seraphine is very dark, actually, but I am curious and compelled to keep reading. My purse paperback is still The Aliens Among Us but I am finding the short stories slow going. The latest Outlander novel goes in fits and spurts. I don't like the larger paperback format and would probably like the mass market paperback as a chunkster better. I might buy a digital copy of it also and read it on my phone. It's hard to say.

It's been a hectic week. The electrician came Tuesday morning, I had rope class Tuesday night, took Raine to the dentist on Wednesday and went to a party Wednesday night. Today was early release (leave work two hours early) because the company is closed tomorrow. Three day weekends are nice but as a contractor they really cut into my paycheck.
I'm being used as a pillow by Lief and Jade (who is purring up a storm and trying to get me to pet her instead of typing on the phone). Kenzo is passed out on the floor.

39. Taming Seraphine Gigi Styx
Smut Book Club Dark Smut
Trigger warnings - please read
Seraphine is a Lolita assassin, held captive in the basement except for when she's sent out to kill. Leroi is an assassin for hire, who finds and rescues Seraphine on a mission. She's a loose cannon and he'll have to tame her if she has any chance of survival.
This novel is very dark and very gory, very explicit in the gore factor. Be prepared and read the trigger warnings before reading the book. I found the gore overdone but I still liked the book.
3.5 stars started 4-15-25 finished 4-19-25
Purchased 4-13-25

The boys woke me up at 5:30 AM, presumably due to the thunderstorm. I gave them mini milkbones and a calming treat each and cuddles until I fell back asleep. They are passed out now, and the sky is clear.
I bought two books for the Smut Book Club - Gothikana and Scythe & Sparrow. I plan on finishing either my Kindle book Engines of Alchemancy or my purse book The Aliens Among Us before I start Gothikana. Written in My Own Heart's Blood meanwhile is about halfway done and I am waiting to finish the purse book to pick it up again. I have been having a hard time juggling multiple physical books at once, and as it's such an awkward size for me I have been leaving it on the bedside table in favor of the purse book.
It's Easter Sunday - happy Easter if you celebrate.

40. Engines of Alchemancy Scott Marlowe

41. The Aliens Among Us James White
Science Fiction short stories, including one Sector General story.
I enjoyed the stories. Two of them seemed kind of similar. I liked the teddy bear aliens the most.

It's been a long week. Monday after work was therapy, which went well. Tuesday was rope class and Wednesday rope practice. Thursday I finally made it to urgent care for antibiotics, but broke my Kindle reading streak. I was around 40 days. Friday night was quiet - I fell asleep early and got up at 10 to take my evening meds then passed back out.
I was up early this morning to take my antibiotics and chill with the dogs. I read more of the smut book club selection Gothikana. It's a strange one for me. I'm highly critical of the plot but enjoying the writing.
Written in My Own Heart's Blood is going well. I'm reading it on my lunch breaks and breaks if I take them, and some in the evenings.
I am ready to pick back up on James White's Sector General but I don't do well juggling Kindle titles so it has to wait until I finish Gothikana.
The (nice) nextdoor neighbor is dog sitting and her dog June is not happy about it. June's crying outside and setting off my boys multiple times a day, so everyone can't wait for the little dog to go home.
I have to go pick up my prescription from the far Walmart pharmacy. Thankfully it will get refilled to the closer one next month. We'll bring the dogs if they cooperate for a car ride and get everyone out of the house.

42. I Am Mr. Spock Elizabeth Schaefer
A Little Golden Book introduction to Mr. Spock. Cute high points of his life on the Enterprise. I would happily read this to a grandbaby if I had one.
I bought this for my mom, so I am not logging it in my LT inventory, but I hope she likes it as part of her Mother's Day box.

43. Gothikana RuNyx
Smut Book Club, trigger warnings please read before reading this book. Sexually Explicit
Corvina is invited to attend Verenmore University where she meets Vad Deverell, teacher and doctorate student. Teachers shouldn't get involved with students but sometimes attraction can't be denied. Meanwhile, the mysteries of the student suicides and the victims of the Slayers beg to be investigated. Could Vad be responsible? Corvina has to decide who to trust.

I liked this story. It took me a while to get on board, but I enjoyed the journey. The writing style is good and I like Corvina as a character.

I bought a book today. I didn't really need it.
Erotic Slavehood by Christina Abernathy - I have each one of the books, physically, but it is the book of the month for the kink book club and the omnibus has some updates, so I got the digital copy.

44. Major Operation James White
Conway is faced with a patient who will die if it stops moving. But even larger problems are going on at the patient's home planet.
This was more of a novel than short stories. I enjoyed the concept of global scale operations, although I had problems tracking some of the longer passages.

45. Written in My Own Heart's Blood Diana Gabaldon
In which I learned that Diana Gabaldon is on LibraryThing.

46. Scythe and Sparrow Brynne Weaver

47. Baby's First Klingon Words Cutest baby book ever. A gift for my mom - hoping she shares my sense of humor.

48. Too Many Tribbles Frank Berrios
Another gift for my mom, I am so tickled by the idea of Star Trek stories as Little Golden Books.

If you're equally enamoured with Dr Who, you could try the Doctor Mr Men books.

(Hang on - I've got to find the right touchstone. I'm never sure what to call the series ...)

49. The Bootlegger's Daughter Nadine Nettmann

>142 humouress: Those look really cute! My mom is a big Dr. Who fan, too.

Reading streak on Kindle: 9 days
My immediate TBR pile is stressing me out. I have two smut book club selections The Risk and The Perfect Fit a kink book club selection Erotic Slavehood that I started, the next Sector General book Futures Past (in the mail), and the Outlander book I am currently reading Go Tell the Bees I Am Gone.
Android did an update and my phone looks drastically different. I'm still adjusting to it.
Other than that life has been reasonably quiet. Work, read, eat, sleep, repeat.
I got a glowing report from my endocrinologist on Monday and the urologist had an appointment on Thursday for my stupid recurring UTI.
Today is the smut book club in the flesh meeting and blind date with a book. I bought one for the meeting and almost want to keep it for myself, it's a duology in one volume, Divine Intervention and Wicked Pursuit.

50. Miss Abernathy's Concise Slave Training Manual Christina Abernathy
To be noted: I own this in print but I read it as the first portion of a digital copy of Erotic Slavehood an omnibus.

51. Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners Christina Abernathy
This was read as the second half of the omnibus Erotic Slavehood, which I bought digitally, although I have a physical copy on my shelves, also.
Kink Book Club

52. The Perfect Fit Sadie Kincaid
Smut Book Club
Lily is a bike messenger. The day she delivers a package for signature to West Archer, her life changes. Meeting each of his partners during and after the delivery, she sees them all that night at their club and they invite her to dinner and a wicked proposition.
I love the writing style and enjoyed each of the characters. The sexual tension was not drawn out too far and the sex scenes were hot and varied.

53. The Risk S.T. Abby
Smut Book Club, Dark Smut

54. Sidetracked S. T. Abby

55. Scarlet Angel S. T. Abby
Sexually Explicit

56. All the Lies S.T. Abby
I'm frustrated by the series of short volumes with cliffhanger endings, but I want to know how it ends.
.

57. Paint it All Red S. T. Abby
I didn't know if I would enjoy this whole series but other than the short volumes and multiple cliffhanger endings, I did like the series as a whole.

58. Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone Diana Gabaldon
I wanted to cry at the ending. I am now ever so impatient for the last book, A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out.

59. The Hive Gregg Olsen

60. Still Beating Jennifer Hartman
Sexually Explicit dark romance - check trigger warnings

I started Futures Past on Saturday. I started Pen Pal on Sunday.

61. Lotus Jennifer Hartmann
Sexually Explicit. Check trigger warnings.

>145 elorin: I hate it when devices do that!

I like the idea of a smut book club. I can’t deal with torture descriptions, but serial killer/FBI agent sounds like fun.

Have a great weekend!

62. Pen Pal J.T. Geissinger
Sexually Explicit, Trigger Warnings
I liked this book except for the way the timelines were handled.

>159 Deern: Hi! My device is better overall but I don't love sudden change with no warning.
I love my smut book club. I read all kinds of things I would never have found otherwise.

63. The Machine Stops E.M. Forster
Inspired to read by Norabelle414, a chilling dystopian concept piece from 1909.

May is gone. I kept up my thread but barely read any others. June is my birth month and I generally celebrate all month. My plan is a Brazilian steakhouse for my birthday, we'll see how the plan works out.
Book-wise, I am reading Futures Past as my purse book, with Seven Stones To Stand or Fall beside the bed. I won three LT ER books this month, currently reading The Shape of Power on my Kindle app, with an air fryer cookbook and another novel on deck. Smut Book Club hasn't voted on June titles yet. Kinky Book Club title for June is Hurts So Good.
Between book clubs and ER books I don't know if I will have time for much else, but having essentially finished the Outlander series should mean I can pick up something from my wishlist or TBR pile. Or read something from the Kindle library I have acquired. Or read something from my shelves that I haven't read yet, or reread something else that I love. Or visit the library and check out some title or three...
Come on June!

>123 curioussquared: Yum, Brazilian steakhouse sounds like a great plan! I am finally nearing the end of A Breath of Snow and Ashes and I think this entry is just a little too long for me. But I'm still enjoying myself 😊

>163 elorin: I heartily approve of month-long birthday celebrations. My husband and my eldest son don't like celebrating their birthdays. Weird people.

Happy birthmonth! And happy birthday in advance.

>163 elorin: It's my birth month as well, and I heartily approve of celebrating all month long.

>164 curioussquared: The books get very long, but there's so many characters to keep track of, it's almost inevitable. It took me a while to finish each novel but I felt it was worth it.

>165 humouress: Thank you! I'm looking forward to dinner tonight as an early celebration and I ordered myself some trinkets last night.

>166 foggidawn: Happy birth month, happy birthday, and happy celebration all month long!

64. The Shape of Power Dan F Swinnen
I received a free copy in exchange for a review from Library Thing Early Reviewers

65. Super Easy Diabetic Air Fryer Cookbook Alexander Robinetti

I received a free copy in exchange for a review from Library Thing Early Reviewers.

ETA touchstone

>171 elorin: Let us know if they taste good, once you've tried the recipes.

66. Futures Past James White
Another James White science fiction anthology, read for the Sector General story that kicked it off. I wasn't crazy about the Sector General story, but I enjoyed White's imagination and the variety of concepts he presented. Some of the stories were great and some slogged, but overall I liked the book. I can see myself rereading a lot of the stories again.

67. The Stars Are On Our Side Jennifer Hartmann
Tabitha is recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped and watching someone she loved die in front of her. She's raising his baby and trying to get by every day when she meets Gabe. Gabe is head over heels for Tabitha, but she isn't sure she can love again. Will she ever be ready? Can Gabe wait that long?
I found it hard to get into until Tabitha started telling her story to the writer. I thought Gabe's dad's involvement was clunky at first but I appreciated how it resolved. I like the involvement of the characters from the other books.

Happy birthday Robyn!

>175 humouress: Thank you!

Yesterday was my birthday and to celebrate we went with good friends to a Brazilian steakhouse. I ordered a cocktail and they lit my whiskey on fire which I loved.

After the early dinner I called my dad and listened while he told me stories about his time in the Air Force, meeting my mom, why he wasn't there for the birth of any of his three kids, and how he ended up with 5 associates degrees and one dual major bachelor's degree. When he wound down I said happy Father's day again and went to bed pretty early.
I'm reading The Lioness of Morocco and the dark smut book of the month is Rage which I will start next. I'm feeling kind of aimless book wise, not really wanting to read the Outlander short stories or the next James White. I want to pick a purse book but can't decide on what. Perhaps I will get out of this funk and find something soon. Until then it's just book club titles.

Happy belated birthday, Robyn!

>178 norabelle414: Thank you!

68. The Lioness of Morocco Julia Drosten

69. Pestilence Laura Thalassa
Sexually Explicit

70. Rage K.A. Knight
Sexually Explicit, please read trigger warnings
Smut Book Club Dark selection
Mini-rant: This book is too big for its britches, trying to be too many things at once and covering too many topics with glossing over details. Too hard to suspend my disbelief for a nature god, a Nephilim, a Minotaur, AND a dragon.

71. Abscond: A Short Story Abraham Verghese
Ravi is a boy enjoying summer when tragedy hits. Faced with the intense, flaying grief of his mother and the quiet support of his best friend, he tackles grief and faces the future the only way he knows how.
This is a powerful piece about a boy becoming a young man on the forge of grief.

It's midnight and the house is quiet around me. Lief is laying against my hip, twitching quietly in his sleep. Kenzo has performed his nightly huff and jumped down to sleep on the floor. Rohrschach left her box on the floor to take her place at my feet, and Moshi was aggressively making biscuits and purring on my sleeping wife's shoulder but has since disappeared for the night. Jade is no doubt sleeping in the living room as she often does, lording her mastery of the front of the house over the pillows until we wake up and she slinks into her box and yells for breakfast.
An oddly compelling romance beckons from the Kindle app, which is good because I left Seven Stones To Stand or Fall in my backpack and I am not up for going to get it. I also have an ER book to start and two book club titles to buy and read if I get bored. For now I am sticking with the romance until I fall asleep.

72. The Invitation Jodi Ellen Malpas
Sexually Explicit
The bloody sequel doesn't come out until September! One of the first times I have seriously considered a preorder.

73. Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain On Purpose Leigh Cowart
Kinky Book Club
Trigger Warnings There are disturbing passages in the book. The worst for me was the description of bulimia, but you may find descriptions of consensual BDSM disturbing also. Reader beware.

74. The Knight and the Butcherbird Alix Harrow

75. Ambulance Ship James White
To those familiar with Sector General, this book is filled with the usual suspects - Dr. Conway, Pathologist Murchison, the delicate empath Prilicla, among others. But this team is taking to the road, teaming up with the crew of a specially outfitted spaceship to answer distress beacons.
Similar to earlier works this is a series of short stories but with a slightly more coherent frame story.
I enjoy James White's imagination and this novel is no exception.

76. Sector General James White
The second novel about the medics from Sector General and the Rhabwar ambulance crew, again this tale has separate stories held together with the framework story of the ambulance crew. This time the framework holds up a little more firmly as we see a sort of friendly friction between Conway and the Captain of the Rhabwar.

The first story in the collection is the Sector General origin story, Accident, which ties the origins of the great space hospital back to an earlier tale by White, Tableau.

The writing, I believe, is improving as I continue through this read of the Sector General books and stories, becoming fully fleshed out and less choppy as we go along.

77. Star Healer James White
The first full length novel, in my opinion, in the Sector General series of stories. Conway is removed from ambulance ship duties to prepare for a potential promotion. As a Diagnostician in training, he faces more complex and far reaching cases that affect more than one patient at a time.
I found the story appropriately complex and enjoyable as a full length novel.

This was the third and final book in the Alien Emergencies omnibus.

78. Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy Martha Wells
Perihelion uses new skills and its crew notices.

Congrats on 75!! And thanks for the reminder that I need to read Rapport.

Congratulations on 75 Robyn!

79. Code Blue - Emergency James White
A Sector General story that is not from Conway's POV. Cha Thrat is a new Sector General trainee who gets in hot water at the drop of a hat. Well meaning, skilled, intensely ethical, she doesn't know all the rules yet, but she's learning. If she doesn't get sent home in disgrace first.
I like Cha Thrat. She tries hard and does what she thinks is right.
This is the first book in the third Sector General omnibus, General Practice.
Started 7/13, finished 7/14

>192 curioussquared: Thanks. It was so short!
>193 humouress: Thank you!

Congrats on reading 75 books, Robyn!

Congrats!

80. The Genocidal Healer James White
Started 7/14 finished 7/16
Lioren caused a specieswide catastrophe and only wants to get a well deserved punishment. But instead he's assigned to Sector General's psychology team and given an assignment that takes him all over the hospital and to some of the hardest cases he's ever encountered.
I didn't like Lioren. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. Even towards the end as he comes to realizations and growth he desperately needs, I didn't like him. But it's a good book, regardless. Comparative religion at Sector General!
The 2nd and final book in the Sector General omnibus General Practice.

>196 norabelle414: Thank you!
>197 drneutron: Thanks.

Double post

81. Triple Sec TJ Alexander
Mel meets Bebe while tending bar, and then meets Bebe's wife. Of course she assumes they just want to be friends. But Bebe has an open relationship and wants to date. Meanwhile, Mel enters a mixology contest and has to create a great cocktail as an entry.
This is a great book. I loved the beginner to poly vibes and the nonbinary character involvement.

Don't remember when I started it. Finished 7/18.

82. LoveVortex and the Drakor's Curse Pekka Harju-Autti
This was an Early Reviewer book and it was awful.
I started it June 16 and finished it July 19th.

Wednesday on the way to suspension class, I rear-ended someone on the highway. Physically I am fine but emotionally I was super shook up. I got the car to my friend's house but wasn't sure if it would make it home. After class, he encouraged me to try to get it home (to my dismay) and I made it, but the engine was overheating and the check engine light came on for the last bit of the drive.
Thursday they towed the car to the shop but needed my physical signature to start looking at it, so I had to figure out the rental car and miss work to get it sorted out, which stresses me out. I fell asleep early and broke my Kindle reading streak by not reading Thursday. (I was reading the ER book but it was a pdf and not a Kindle read.)
Friday I got to work from home for the first time ever, which was it's own sort of stress. But working from home was nice and went well.
Today is lazy day at home. I finished my library book and turned it in and my ER book (that I hated) and am rewarding myself with the new Lois McMaster Bujold story.

83. The Adventure of the Demonic Ox Lois McMaster Bujold
Pen and Desdemona return. The children are older (Wyn is 9) and Idrene is pregnant with another babe. Wyn returns home from a summer apprenticeship with news of a possible possession. Pen gathers Otta, Rina, and Wyn to return and investigate.
I love Penric and Desdemona and this story is no exception. The frantic white ox trying to get away is filled with melancholy, and Pen's dismay as a parent to see his children growing up so fast is wholly understandable.

Started 7/19 Finished 7/19

Sorry to hear about your car accident. So stressful!!

>205 curioussquared: There's never a good time for a car accident but I'm grateful that the other driver is okay and I am insured. So much hassle though. I'm hoping they total my car so I can get a new (to me) one. We'll see!

>203 elorin: Nothing worse than pranging your car, Robyn. At least you are physically ok and the other driver too. My experience of car insurance is not too positive. I had a Citroen back in the day which certainly should have been totaled but the insurance company insisted on RM45,000 repairs and the car was never the same again. It would have been totaled at RM60,000. RM45K is about $11,000.

After the laziest Saturday ever, Sunday was busy busy. Drove to get my girlfriend and ended up standing on her doorstep for 20 minutes sending Telegram, Snapchat, and Facebook messenger messages while alternating with ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door. After no response I headed to the Smut Book Club meetup. Just as I arrived my girlfriend called to say she had just gotten all of my messages. Which sucks but it is what it is.
Smut Book Club met at Barnes and Noble and we browsed the romance and "spicy" section. I bought two books (paper back romance was buy one, get one 50% off, I was obligated to buy two). Then we went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. It was a fun outing and good to see people in person for the mostly online book club.
Home gave me just enough time to snuggle the dogs and find my supplies and then we went out to meet a friend for sushi.
I'm stuffed and glad to be home for the night with the only thing to worry about being which book to start next.
(If you're curious, my new books are Saint by Sierra Simone and Flock by Kate Stewart.)
(And to keep my own head straight, my next book options are the next Sector General book by James White, the Lord John Grey book I picked up by Diana Gabaldon, the kink book club title Power Circuits by Raven Kaldera, On Basilisk Station which I technically already started, or one of the ones I just bought)

>207 PaulCranswick: That is awful! I'm not sure how much would be needed to total it but my car is a 2011 so I'm hopeful not too much. I know insurance is wonky but at least they will take care of the other driver's car.

>209 elorin: For sure it is always a huge relief that the other car is something you don't need to worry about. I didn't have to pay the repair cost either but my car was really never the same. I hope if your car was badly damaged that they will total it for you.

I'm sorry to hear about your accident Robyn, but good to know both you and the other driver are alright.

>208 elorin: Such a hardship having to buy 2 books instead of one ;0)

>210 PaulCranswick: Good news came today - they decided to total my car, and made a very good estimate of it's worth. Now for car shopping...

>211 humouress: Thank you! I'm very glad there's no injuries. The bookstore is dangerous, I don't know how I left with only two books. I somehow managed to resist buying new bookmarks (which I never use but have tons already) but I was quite close to breaking down and buying a set of 4 books I read and loved last year as well. I skated by with two.

>213 elorin: I've recently discovered I have a weakness for bookmarks too. There's no point buying for the kids any more so I buy for myself but I do make sure I use them - when I actually read a book off my own shelves (see my ROOTs thread - it's going very slowly this year).

>214 humouress: I love bookmarks but then end up marking my place in my book with a receipt, business card, or spare slip of paper. Magnetic bookmarks are so great!

84. The Scottish Prisoner Diana Gabaldon
In which Lord John Grey and Jamie Fraser head to Ireland to confront Siverly about the accusations made by Carruthers before his death.
This was a full length novel, rather than the novella I expected. It illustrates some of Jamie's life while Claire was gone, and I loved seeing Jamie and John's relationship develop. After reading some of the short novellas in Seven Stones To Stand or Fall it was also a pleasure to revisit some of the characters from those stories.

Life moves so fast...I got word that they totaled my car midweek. I extended the rental to the 30th and went to the shop to get my personal effects. I didn't cry, but it was a near thing. I received half of the settlement from the insurance company. Saturday we went to CarMax and now I am the proud owner of a 2021 KIA Seltos. We returned the rental car this morning.
Reading -wise, I have been comfort reading. I have a book club title that I didn't want to work on, although it's very readable (Power Circuits) and someone reminded me of an older book club title that I didn't finish (and didn't like - Unequal Partnership) so I just ignored both and read Diana Gabaldon's The Scottish Prisoner. Which I expected to be novella length but turned out to be over 500 pages. I think I have one more novella in Seven Stones To Stand or Fall and then I will be reading War by Laura Thalassa as my physical book. I need to find my way back to On Basilisk Station as well. Oh, and I picked up the next ACOTAR book off my shelf when I was waiting for my phone to charge the other night, so I am partway into A Court of Frost and Starlight. I *should* spend some time reading the book club selections but I will probably be self indulgent and work on something fun instead.

>217 elorin: Glad you got your new car. I remember cleaning out my Fit after the accident in which it was totaled; it was a bit emotional.

>218 foggidawn: Thank you! I'm debating a name for the new car. The one they totaled never had a good name, which made it easier to say goodbye. That car served me very well and I miss it already.

85. Sunrise on the Reaping Suzanne Collins
A Hunger Games book, this novel tells Haymitch's story. From the dark, coal mining District 12 to the brightly artificial Capital, through the 50th Hunger Games. Haymitch is a tragic figure like any candidate for the reaping, but a brave guy who just wants to get by. He doesn't expect to survive the Hunger Games, knowing more than his life is at stake.
I liked Haymitch's story. I remember him as a jerk from the movies, and it was good to learn how he got so burnt out. A solid entry in the series.

86. Unequal Partnership Aisha-Sky Gates

86. Unequal Partnership Aisha-Sky Gates
I read this for a book club. I found it overly vague and not very helpful. There were some useful questions for communicating about relationships, but not enough to justify an entire book. Do not recommend.

87. Seven Stones To Stand or Fall Diana Gabaldon
7 novellas in the Outlander universe. From Lord John Grey to Roger's parents' stories, Jamie and Ian as young soldiers for hire to how Hal met Minnie.
I liked filling in the gaps, so to speak, in some of the stories.
Finished today, August 1st, 2025

So it's no secret from my reading that I am into adult (sexually explicit) books and topics - the two book clubs I am a member of are the smut book club and the kink book club. As a subset of these interests, I am interested in rope bondage and for the past year have been attending a weekly rope bondage class. My good friend and partner on this journey, Ben, and I recently expressed interest in and were accepted for an additional set of classes to learn rope suspension. We've been practicing during class time and in another rope-centric space, but tonight we did our first suspension in "public" (at a location that was not specifically about rope bondage). It went well. I was a bit nervous since there was no one there "supervising" (not our rope instructor nor any of the more experienced people from the rope community) but we had no issues. I'm still a little giddy from the success, actually.
Resisting the urge to make bad rope puns...
Meanwhile, I'm reading On Basilisk Station and The Galactic Gourmet, Power Circuits, The Bride of the Wolf (I think is the right title), and A Court of Frost and Starlight. The smut book club titles are chosen for August (A Touch of Darkness and Deep End) (after a break during July) and I will buy them when I finish Power Circuits (or find out if I can check them out - at least one is on Libby). The kink book club title for August doesn't grab me so I will probably skip it (Empowered Boundaries).

88. On Basilisk Station David Weber
Captain Honor Harrington is stationed at Basilisk Station after poor showings in the fleet war games. When the senior officer on station leaves her and the Fearless to fend for themselves, Honor and her undermanned crew buckle down the only way she knows how. Her competence and determination uncover not only shipping discrepancies and a native revolt but a full fledged invasion plan. It's up to Honor and the Fearless to try to stop it.
This is a space opera/military sci-fi with elements I love, from technical jargon and political intrigue to military codes of honor and vast space battles. To say that I could not put it down during the space battle would not be an exaggeration. I look forward to the next installment in Honor's career.

I have a planner/journal thing that I started using that has daily pages that were going to waste - I was only using the monthly and week summary pages. I've decided to use at least some of the daily pages to track my reading. I wrote down all the books I am currently reading, upcoming book club selections and TBR soon to acquire titles. I'm developing a shorthand to indicate media (K for Kindle, DT for dead tree/physical books), if it's a book club title (KBC for kink book club, SBC for smut book club) and whatever else comes to mind. It will give me a place to write down new acquisitions so I don't forget to add them to LT, and write down start dates so I don't have to hunt for them when I finish a book and I want to log reading dates. I think this will make a good accessory to my LT tracking.

89. The Honor of the Queen David Weber
Honor Harrington is back. With the newly commissioned HMS Fearless and her crew and a small squadron as well, Honor accompanies freighters of trade goods and diplomats to Grayson to negotiate a treaty. Grayson's religious beliefs hold women to be the equivalent of chattel and her citizens don't treat a female commanding officer or her fellow female officers well. Honor accompanies some of the freighters out of the solar system and returns to news of an attack by Masada, aided by Haven. Her choice is to evacuate the Manticorans and leave or stay to defend Grayson from their historical enemies.
Fantastic space opera with the anti-female twist. I am definitely adding this series to my reading list.

90. Power Circuits: Polyamory in a Power Dynamic Raven Kaldera
Kink Book Club July 2025 title

91. Bride of the Wolf Susan Krinard
Rachel comes from Ohio to Pecos County to marry Jed, never knowing he's been murdered. Holden learns he has a son, and returns with the infant to Dog Creek. Rachel loves the baby and cares for him like her own, and lies to say she and Jed were already married. It seems everyone has secrets and Rachel and Holden are unable to deny their attraction to one another.
It was a so-so story. I don't think I will be reading it again. It wasn't bad, just not impressive.

92. A Touch of Darkness Scarlett St. Clair
A re-envisioning of the Persephone and Hades story.
Well written, interesting take on the classic tale. I love how Persephone comes into her powers.

92. A Touch of Darkness Scarlett St. Clair
A re-envisioning of the Persephone and Hades story.
Well written, interesting take on the classic tale. I love how Persephone comes into her powers.

93. The Galactic Gourmet James White

>232 elorin: I need to get back to this series.

>233 humouress: When I first decided to reread the series I thought there were 6 or 8 books. I have enjoyed the rabbit hole of finding out there's about twice what I imagined and tracking down the titles.

94. Deep End Ali Hazelwood
Smut Book Club, August Light Smut title. Sexually Explicit

95. Final Diagnosis James White
Hewlitt is a healthy young man without a care in the world... except when he's not. Used to hearing his ailments have "a psychological element" he manages to get sent to Sector General to once and for all nail down what is wrong with him. Can a multi species hospital help a xenophobic hypochondriac?
I didn't like Hewlitt at first but as I got to know him and learned his history, he grew on me. The quandary of a hypochondriac at Sector General is an interesting one to explore and I think the story was well told.

96. Holes Louis Sacher
Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn't commit. Now he has to dig a hole every day in the dry Texas heat. Along with the other boys from tent D, Stanley digs until Zero runs off. Then Stanley goes after Zero.
This was a nicely woven story with the history bits in between all the digging. I would pick it up and read it again for certain.

96. Holes Louis Sacher
Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn't commit. Now he has to dig a hole every day in the dry Texas heat. Along with the other boys from tent D, Stanley digs until Zero runs off. Then Stanley goes after Zero.
This was a nicely woven story with the history bits in between all the digging. I would pick it up and read it again for certain.

97. 1632 Eric Flint
At a well attended wedding reception, partyers see a flash in the sky and find their West Virginia hometown has been transported in space to Germany and in time to 1632. The well armed population does their best to bring the United States to war torn Europe.
This was a rollicking good fun alternate history. From the United Mine Workers union to the strong female characters, both American and historical European, it is a great imagining of how things might go should such a thing happen. I'm going after the first sequel, at least.

98. Mind Changer James White
Back at the beginning of the Sector General series there was a story about O'Mara feeding an infant. This tale comes full circle.

99. Double Contact James White
The final Sector General novel. Prilicla has been a character in almost every if not every Sector General story up till now and finally gets it's own storyline. The ambulance ship Rhabwar is called to answer three distress signals in the same solar system. Two are unknown and one is from the first ship that answered the first two. Prilicla has its manipulatory appendages full, rescuing and treating the Monitor Corps crew then winnowing out the secrets of the alien space craft. But life is never simple, and the crew of the Rhabwar finds themselves faced with another intelligent species on the planet below.
Coming after Mind Changer, Double Contact was a disappointment for me. It was good to see Prilicla get its own story, but most of the book focused on its empathy and the Educator tapes it carried were something tacked on at the end like a footnote. I was also unsettled by reference to Prilicla as he throughout the book when my personal impression always had Prilicla pegged as feminine.

I have been busy this week, with rope class on Tuesday, suspension class on Wednesday, board gaming on Thursday and a party Friday night. I continue to read daily although I broke my Kindle reading streak again last week. 120 continuous weeks but only 8 or so days in a row.
My reading list this week is A Court of Frost and Starlight, 1633 on Kindle and a stalled out Empowered Boundaries that I should finish by Tuesday.
I received a free book at the Board Games on Thursday, in exchange for a review, so I will be reading it when I finish the ACOTAR volume. I can't remember the title, unfortunately.
I also got in the first of the three LE Modesitt Jr Recluce titles I am behind, so I will be picking up From the Forest very soon. I succumbed to the digital trend after seeing the price difference between Kindle and physical books and taking a look at my Modesitt shelf. So I have From the Forest and the next book, Overcaptain in paper but starting with Sub-majer's Challenge I will be digital for this series.
I'm hoping to get in a lot of reading this long weekend and otherwise have no other plans but doing dishes and picking up around the house.

100. A Court of Frost and Starlight Sarah J. Maas
This is a cozy short entry in the ACOTAR series as Feyre and company prepare for and celebrate the winter solstice. Sexually Explicit
I feel like it took me quite a while to read this as I was focused on other reads. I liked the gift exchange and the foreshadowing to the next book.

101. The Mirror of Love Alan Moore, Jose Villarrubia
Thanks to @amanda4242 for the link. I had never used Open Library and would never have read this piece if she hadn't linked it

102. Wounds That Do Not Heal J. Leon Black
I went to a game shop Thursday night and a gent walked up and introduced himself as an author looking to get more reviews on his books. He offered a book in exchange for a review and I said sure. My expectations were low and I was delighted to find myself impressed.

The boys (Lief and Kenzo) spent a lot of Sunday evening in the backyard. With the dog door that isn't a problem, but we were watching TV and I noticed them outside a lot more. I caught a whiff of something but couldn't be certain.
We headed to bed after 10 PM and the boys continued going in and out. About 1 AM they came in reeking of skunk.
They have been much calmer and in the house all day today, surprise surprise. Quite affectionate, too. I guess they learned their lessons.

103. 1633 Eric Flint and David Weber
The Americans in Grantville are traveling abroad for diplomacy and defending their young nation. They treat the 17th century to the wonders of flight and motorized boats, not to mention crude rockets and the swift communication of radio.
Some of the historical exposition dragged a little for me but for the most part I was engaged in the story. Enough that I will read the next volume at least.

>246 elorin: Oh no!! Not a fun surprise at 1am. Did they get a tomato bath?

>248 curioussquared: A combination of dish soap, peroxide, and baking soda. We didn't find the tomato juice very effective last time.

104. War Laura Thalassa
I went through this far faster than I expected. Looking forward to the third in the series, Famine.