lor's silly first reading log ever! hi! 2025 pt. 1 ❤️

🌹 hey i'm lor! i've been looking for an active forum to discuss books since goodreads and fable weren't cutting it. i'm a bookseller and genre hopper! i'm usually mood reading and don't plan my TBR in advance. man i hope these emojis work.

🌻 here are some of my top reads from 2024 to give context since i'm new round these parts..
assassin's apprentice - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
tender is the flesh - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
arrows of the queen - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
the mountain in the sea - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
big swiss - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5
my year of meats - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
arcadia - groff - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
godkiller - kaner - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4

i only have a few goals this year! let's see where i'm at. i'll keep editing as i go!

75 book challenge: 28/75 (can we hit 30?)

write more reviews: 14/10 (success!!)
read more scifi: 1/3 yay!!!
the last cuentista ⭐⭐⭐ 3
read more mystery/thrillers: 4/3 !
strange sally diamond ⭐⭐ 2
a rip through time ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5
small game - braverman ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5
everyone on this train is a suspect ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5

i'm sure i'll see some creative challenges and want to join. i'd really like to do a pokemon themed one. maybe reading a book for each type? let me know if you're interested.
i'm excited to keep a little diary of thoughts and comparisons. i'm a bookseller, so i want to do a better job at remembering what i can recommend.

i'm always down for a chat if you've read anything from my read or to-read and want to share! or if you want to bug me to pick up something on my owned shelf. cheers!

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CURRENTLY READING:

katabasis 15%, physical tbr
faithbreaker 5%, kindle
assassin's quest - 50%, physical tbr + audio

on pause:

earl crush - 52%, kindle
arrow's fall - 16%, audio
the fire rose - 38%, physical tbr

january:
arrow's flight - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
i've been having an excellent time exploring lackey's work this year. the narrator for talia's books is fantastic, with great unique voices and comedic reading. the first book was very magic school shenanigans heavy, while this book leans more into talia's new power and inner turmoil. but if you like to watch two characters become intimately close in a longterm locked room scenario... this may be fun for you! i love snowed in stories!
the raven boys - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5
i don't know why i hesitate to give this amazing series start a 5. maybe because we get a lot more character work in the following books. another amazing narrator! patton has won my partner and i's hearts. one of the few YA books i've laughed out loud at.


february:
the dream thieves - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5
i had a slow reading month! but his one was worth savoring. ronan lynch is such a fun character to me. my beloved annoying bully tough exterior trauma farm boy. rest assured i am enjoying the tumblr character playlists.


march:
strange sally diamond - ⭐⭐ 2
someday i'll write a rant review. i enjoyed the first half! it was a solid 4 until the ending let me down.
blue lily lily blue - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5
yummmm this whole series is so solid. supernatural mystery and found family delight.
a sweet sting of salt - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
i had a good time! i can see why someone wouldn't like it, it was very straightforward and predictable. it was warm and cozy like a ghibli film. would recommend for emily wilde fans who want another folklore speedread.


april:
death valley - broder - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5? tentative 5? mmm cactus dr pepper
the raven king - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5? i could've done without the epilogue, actually. sacrilege, i know!


may:
had a rough month. trying to do better in june!


june:
the last cuentista - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ solid 3! would definitely recommend for a middle grade audience. im counting it toward my scifi quota.


july:
her knight at the museum - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5! a thoroughly enjoyable romcom romp for anyone who has dreamed of a man from a different era sweeping them off their feet.
harriet tubman live in concert - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 a very solid read with a lot of history you don't hear in schools!
matrix - lauren groff ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5! groff never lets me down. the vaster wilds is staring at me from my shelf.


august:
a rip through time ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 consumed on a train ride. i'm a sucker for time travel!


september:
paperbacks from hell ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 helped me to look at horror in a new way. lots of fun!!
twelfth knight - follmuth ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 adorable YA romp, delightful if you're a DnD-blogger-gamer type at heart, predictable but sweet.


october:
faebound - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5! predictable, but with a pretty digestible and fun fantasy land.
indigo - jenkins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ very solid 5. one of the most fun romances i've read, along with being action packed and educational!
a sorceress comes to call ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5! another delightful kingfisher fairytale.
coup de grace - ajram ⭐⭐⭐⭐ i'm feeling a 4. left me feeling knotted up inside for sure.
blob - a love story ⭐⭐⭐⭐ big swiss type egotism without the fun lesbianism.
under the udala trees ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5! maybe even a 5. very touching story that gives insight into nigerian life at the time.


november:
almost end of 2025! woo!
a theory of dreaming ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5... just okay. i was entertained enough.
ice planet barbarians ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4. i had fun!
small game - braverman ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 hit the spot!


december:
is it time for some wintery reads yet?
everyone on this train is a suspect ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5. always a delight. now i can read the christmas mystery!
the cybernetic tea shop ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 gotta get those novella numbers up.
ghost boys - rhodes highly recommend. great message for young and old minds.
soldier sailor ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ going to stick with me. probably my favorite prose next to groff's.

reserving this part for quotes!

Welcome to the group, Lor!

I am a *huge* fan of Maggie Stiefvater and Ronan Lynch in particular.

Welcome, lor!

>4 scaifea:

thank you!! i see that you’ve ventured into the greywarren trilogy and other books of hers. i’m guessing from the reviews that i should consider them when i’m through! :) i believe her adult debut is out now and the graphic novel is this summer, so it’s a great time to be a fan!

>6 yolklor: Her new book isn't out (here, at least) until June, but I've got mine pre-ordered!

>7 scaifea:

i hope it's worth the wait! i've been dying to get my hands on the graphic novel. especially to see how they depict aglionby and cabeswater 👻

>8 yolklor: Agreed! Although I'm a bit nervous about what the boys will look like. My brain already knows exactly what Ronan should be...

4/3 - finished death valley - broder ! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5? tentative 5?



had a good time with this one. a very quick read, took me a few hour long read sessions. sometimes you gotta bed rot in a Best Western(tm) and smoke with your dad inside a giant cactus.

took the time to write a longer review here. i may be dragging the FMC through the mud a little, but it's all in good fun. i empathized with her heavily! there were a few quotes that i jotted down, but this was the favorite.

"the bird's antics are playful yet gentle. what he seems to be saying is: no. nothing. there is nothing for you to do. this is what i do. this is what is done.
i think of jethra, the love languages, and what she said about her father. how he was who he was. he's not going to change languages. nobody changes languages. this is what it is. this is what a father does."

next up? tonal whiplash! i'm starting the dresden files! storm front

visited local used bookshop and picked up some lackeys for my fantasy wall! can never pass up the beautiful art.
sometimes you have to edit stickers onto things for your health.

>11 yolklor: Nice review, Lor!

>12 yolklor: Wonderful! Who doesn't like beautiful covers?

Welcome to the group!

thanks to everyone for the warm welcomes!

i've made more progress on the raven king audiobook. 75%! reaching the climax! i've grown to care for the characters like family. i don't know what i'll do once they're gone-- i think they'll stick with me for a long time. i haven't been this invested in a world since fandom days of old. i don't know if i need there to be a happy ending, i just want it to end with a bang.

i'm considering DNF-ing storm front, not because it did anything wrong, but because i've been learning that i enjoy thriller/mystery/detective stories more on film. it's hard for me to get hooked on a detective story when i already know the beats. set up the gruesome thing that happened, meet all the cops, meet all the potential culprits one by one... i'm certainly interested in the world butcher is creating (i love a magic council), but i don't think the timing is right for me to sit down and commit to it now.

in its place, i've taken up a challenge i've been avoiding! assassin's quest has been sitting on my hobb shelf for a year now! i finished royal assassin last spring and it was a great feat. i've been collecting the whole ROTE series knowing i'll read them all one day (same with my growing valdemar shelf), but the density scares me off. i'm a slow reader and hobb has such a talent for packing every sentence with the perfect amount of exposition and character that it takes me a very engaged few months to finish a tome. i'm going through a lot of huge changes this year and i don't want reading to be a burden, but something i reward myself with. maybe this is the way! we'll see! hold me to it!!!!

Interesting reading you're doing, Lor! I think you might visit ronincats here among the 75 for another lover of vintage-ish fantasy. I'm one too, but not as well-read as Roni. I seem to prefer more contemporary fantasy, but there's an awful lot out there and other books demanding to be read, so I'm always behind. Fourth Wing was my latest love even with its YA vibe.

I did finish Storm Front but didn't care to read the next one. On the other hand, I loved and adored The Aeronaut's Windlass and the novella. I'm hoarding the full sequel and need to get to it.

Happy Reading! Come back often; we're glad to have you.

>14 yolklor: If you are not enjoying Storm Front, give it up. You can always get back to it later if you choose to, but life is too short to spend on books you are not liking.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

>14 yolklor: Woot for The Raven King! You'll love The Dreamer Trilogy - it follows Ronan's story post Raven Boys and it's SO GOOD.

I also DNFed Storm Front when I tried reading it, so don't feel bad.

>15 LizzieD:

thank you for the recommendations! i popped into roni's thread and it looks like lots of fun. i'm sure i'll nab a bunch of recs! aeronaut's windlass sounds like a noble contender for my read-more-scifi-this-year category. i've always wanted to try my luck with steampunk.

>17 scaifea:

there are many mysteries i'm still holding out for an answer to and i'm very excited!! i've tried to avoid dreamer trilogy blurbs in fear of spoilers, but if it has to do with mr. grey and the dream object underworld my interest may be piqued. or maybe it's something i won't be able to predict until the very end of this adventure!

i wanted to give it a fair shot since a lot of my bookstore coworkers are butcher fans. we recently got in a bunch of his more sought after first editions so i took that as a sign. but i should've listened to my heart, and my heart says i need more fitz and fool! (and to work on the physical tbr more, ha)

>18 yolklor: While *A'sW* is steampunky, it is a lot more fantasy than scifi to me..... most especially because of the cats. More than enough said!

Welcome to the group Lor. I was sure that I had posted here earlier but it seems not.

happy spring to all! hope you had a good holiday!

i'm juggling 3 reads now. i've got matrix - groff on my work shelf, assassin's quest at my bedside, and arrow's fall on my commute radio. i have today and tomorrow off of work so i may try to cruise through the rest of matrix!
every moment i spend reading arrow's fall the more i realize i don't want to lose talia. she's one of my favorite protags i've ever read. endlessly thoughtful and devoted and clever, i find myself looking up to her. meanwhile fitz is pissing me OFF! i've heard that becomes a common occurrence in the rest of his books, haha.

it's my first time playing a sitewide event! reminds me of some of my other favorite forum game sites, chicken smoothie and the bell tree forum. i love a good scavenger hunt. this is a little harder than i'm used to, but i like a hunt.

>22 yolklor: I always finish up juggling too many books too.

hooooo wheee! we're in the trenches of summer and i'm still struggling through too many books. life is partially to blame, soon i'll be moving from my bookstore job to a school desk job. i'm very excited but very scared. they're taking a chance on me and i'm scared i won't be what they expected. all i can do is be kind and do my best!

i'm still pittering through matrix - groff and her knight at the museum ! i'm starting to think i should've set romance as my goal and not mystery/thriller. between this chivalrous romp and the flat share i've been having a lot of fun! i think having a multifaceted male lead is what sells me on a straight romance. sir griffin is the perfect mix of silly and heartfelt, feels a lot like a goofy shoujo male lead (a la tamaki suoh).

her knight at the museum has been completed! i had a grand ol' time. life has been busy and this gave me just the right dose of joy and whimsy.

took a detour and grabbed harriet tubman live in concert for a change of pace. matrix - groff has been a slow but delicious read full of underlining, so this was my popcorn fun-and-absurd speed round.

finally finished matrix - groff. going to be a hard one to follow up! i didn't use to be such a heavy annotator, but Groff always has quotes that twist my heart. i'm pretty happy with this review! i hope you can feel my passion!

>27 yolklor: I just recently read this one as well, and loved it. I'm happy to see you did, too!

i've accepted that i won't get to 75 this year.. but that's okay, i'm enjoying the things i do finish.

i'm currently 45% through faebound and i have mixed feelings. i really like the worldbuilding-- it's simple but beautiful. i love hearing about the lush areas and botany/foods.
but the story did have me do a bit of a double take. quotes from a mid-reading breakdown last night.

- "i have to rant about faebound. the first say 25% was very scifi-fantasy star wars drama. colonel in the elf army has to avenge her people but fails a mission and gets exiled because the chieftain, who also happens to be her hot elf girlfriend, refuses to execute her for getting the squadron ambushed. her sister and her second in command (who predictably fall in love over the course of their time) have to save her. then at the like 40% mark the tone completely shifts"

- "the book goes :) what if.. dont be mad… YA fantasy trope? theres magical cat beasts with antlers and only the fairies can talk to them… but im special and the prophecy said im gonna stop the war so a creature chose Me… and now the fairy country that kidnapped wants me to be in fancy army… and oh no haha their fairy princess hates me but shes soooo hot how will i get her to like me ahaaa. also now i can fluently speak fairy"

- "oh boy! i hope me being chosen doesnt wedge a rift between me and my sister! i hope this guy we conveniently met in the prison that matches the description of the elf war criminal we were warned about is a funny coincidence!"

i am having fun with it, but mostly because i'm hanging on for more lore about the side characters (last human, fairy queens, salawa)
but i'm really hoping for some twists and that i'm wrong about some things

i did finish faebound !
i'm curious to know what others felt about it. i thought it read very YA, so the intimate scenes were a little jarring in parts.
most of the twists felt predictable and the characters were a little flat. i did enjoy the setting! the land of the elves vs. the fae were neatly set up.

indigo - jenkins was stellar. i'll have to peruse this author's other work-- she had an excellent writing style that pulled in references from lesser-known bits of abolitionist history that suited the tone and added to the rich realism.
it felt like a cinderella story of sorts, with two hardworking characters that were absolutely made for each other. one of those romance couples that you know will be together even after The End.

Welcome to the group! I missed when you joined somehow. I'm a big Lackey fan since middle school. Fun to see someone discovering her today! And I love Robin Hobb, too.

>31 curioussquared: Thank you! I adore Lackey and Hobb's work, I just wish I were a faster reader so I could enjoy more. I'm on the last book of both trilogies I've started! I've grown incredibly attached to Fitz and Talia; I think they would get along. :)

I've just started A Sorceress Comes to Call as my next at-work book. I look forward to peeking at your review when I finish!!

>32 yolklor: I hope you like it! T. Kingfisher is probably my favorite author I've discovered recently.

>33 curioussquared: I've tried some of her others! I really liked Nettle and Bone , I love a good ensemble cast fairytale. I also tried The Seventh Bride and Paladin's Grace but neither were for me.. I'm glad Sorceress is looking like a keeper. I reread The Goose Girl last year because I was so excited. I'm so charmed by Hester especially.

A Sorceress Comes to Call is all done! Another solid 4.5 for me. The highlight was definitely the supporting cast and the humor. I can see what she meant by this being her own blend of regency romance, fairytale retelling, and a dash of horror. If this sounds like your cup of tea, dive right in! I have a thing for meddling old ladies and reliable butlers, so this tickled my fancy a lot.

One horror down for October. Cheers!

>36 yolklor: That one sounds great! Experimental horror...

Went back and wrote a proper piece for Indigo while it's fresh in my mind. Need to get my hands on a physical copy of this to lend friends!

Building up my review repertoire. : )

>39 yolklor: Yay, I'm glad you liked this one! FYI, you can give half stars on LT by clicking the full stars and then clicking again :)

>40 curioussquared: Thank you!! I learn something fun and new on this site every day. Can't wait to go back and edit all my stuff.
I'm on a review kick and was super happy to see that you also love the Nevermoor and Mirror Visitor books! I binge read Ophelia's whole journey at the start of January because I was so enchanted by the worldbuilding (and Thorn, admittedly).

I owe Morrigan a reread soon. I think I got distracted halfway through Hollowpox, but now that Silverborn is out I feel compelled to catch up. Series has some of the most magical moments I've read in a while. Never would've thought that a festive battle between Santa and a Yule Queen would make me shed a tear, but the books are so hopeful and sweet that I can't help but be moved by everything.

>41 yolklor: They're both great series! I still need to read book 4 of the Mirror Visitor series -- it's on my list to get done before the end of the year (and is sitting on my nightstand currently waiting for me:))

Morrigan is so good and I've been loving rereading the books on audio before picking up Silverborn. My 8-year-old cousin is currently obsessed with Wings of Fire and Harry Potter and I'm planning on giving her Nevermoor for Christmas. I hope she loves them as much as I do!

Another!

A very gritty and real novel, I look forward to reading more from this author. I've beaten my record of 6 books in a month from last year. Yay 7!

Got 15% into a fantasy book I'd grabbed on a whim. Felt very generic and Disney feel-good, leaning on a lot of tropes. Thought I'd add it on LT to keep record only to find it wasn't recorded anywhere and the author had no listings on LT. Traced him back to Amazon to find that they're actually Christian fiction with suspiciously similar 5 star reviews and a pseudonym author using a generative AI profile picture of him lounging with a lion with his toes out. Red flags aplenty. It bothers me that I might never have known and could've wasted my time and review on a book that might not have been written by an artist. Hope that's not the case!

>45 yolklor: Yikes! I hate that a lot.

Start of November has been packed to the gills. We moved to a new apartment this weekend. Pushing two queen mattresses up 3 staircases has left my legs wobbly. Getting up to work this morning was hard. At least my commute is now 8 minutes instead of 20. Small victories. Plus we're a block's walk away from the library now!

I'm preparing to direct the school musical this Winter, so I'm touching up on a bit of theatre history with From Aphra Behn to Fun Home as my on and off read. Hoping I can collect some Broadway fun facts that the students will enjoy.

Congrats on being done with the move! That's always exhausting.

>48 curioussquared: Thank you! Just wish the landlord would fix the things we keep emailing her about. We shouldn't have dead electricity wiring and a mouse 4 days in, lol.

Shelf is up! Not really organized in a particular way. Bottom shelf is most of the read favorites, upper two are physical tbr.

Love a good shelfie!

Me too! Some good stuff there…

>52 drneutron:
Thank you!! I'm working on setting up a reading nook with a beanbag.... maybe some of these tomes will be tabbed soon! I'm open to prodding if there's anything you'd like to recommend first. : )

Wish I could get my hands on the next book in this series, but my local Libby users are also fans...

Been a little too swamped for reading lately, but I have picked up A Theory in Dreaming since I enjoyed the first book. I can understand why someone would dislike it, but I'm a sucker for stories about girls trapped in fairytales gone wrong.

Tonight I have a theatre meeting and have to start prepping my chili for a cook-off tomorrow. Interesting week ahead.

Meeting went swimmingly. Auditions start in a couple weeks. I've never been on the director side of auditions... I'm very excited! Didn't win the chili cook-off, but got lots of compliments. I'm claiming bonus points since the top scorers had others cook their pot for the competition... scandalous! I did a scrumptious chicken jalapeno white chili.

Realized I never reviewed this book properly since Kindle deleted my notes. Bummed out.

Hark! Another!

I've been reaching for a lot of fantasy and romance lately, so I think I'm going to pivot and try some mystery thrillers to try and reach my 3/3 goal for this year. In the spirit of 3's, I'm going to read the first few chapters of 3 books and see what captures me.

Small Game - Braverman I'm a sucker for survival stories.
The Night of Baba Yaga - Otani Queer action romance with a fmc who wears fun clothes? Made for me.
Everyone on this Train is a Suspect - Stevenson Read the first book last Christmas and had a blast. Really hoping the whole series scratches that same itch.

Read the first couple chapters of Small Game - Braverman and was hooked. Excellent protagonist and setup for her journey. Couldn't put it down all holiday break!

>60 yolklor: I really loved Blair Braverman's memoir Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube, I should read her novel too. Thanks for the reminder!

Glad I came back to this one after DNFing the first time. I need to put more trust in authors I've enjoyed! And now I can read the Christmas mystery on Christmas!

Sped through The Cybernetic Tea Shop. Just fine and dandy.

Had Ghost Boys - Rhodes as my substitute teaching read today. A must-have for any school library.

Thoroughly enjoyed. The definition of cathartic.

I don't think I'll reach the fabled 75 or even 30 reads for 2025, but that gives me time to slow down and enjoy the few days I have left. My sweet partner continued our tradition of picking books from my TBR to surprise me with for Christmas. There's 600+ on there added from 2016 onward, so sometimes the pickings are a little silly. (Ex. last year he bought me Diary of an Oxygen Thief without looking into what it was. We had a laugh.)

This year he surprised me with some great picks!
- Katabasis special edition with fancy sprayed edges. I've started it and I'm enjoying it so far!
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil my first Schwab. I've heard only good things.
- Martyr! He conspired with my best friend on this one. She said if she saw me borrow it on Libby she'd return it. LOL
- The Raven Boys Graphic Novel signed by Maggie Stiefvater! I'm so stoked to finally read it. I'm so glad they're planning to do the whole series.
- The Midnight Library there's always gotta be one that catches me off guard. I understand why he would pick it, but I added it to my TBR in 2023 before I knew it wasn't a good fit for me. I always need little free library swapping material!

Overall a thoughtful and rewarding year of reading. I'm sure I'll go over some more specific favorite moments soon. I hope you all had a cozy holiday full of love and laughter!

>66 yolklor: That's a fun tradition! My husband knows not to buy me books unless he gets a list, lol, but having 600 to choose from certainly makes it exciting :D Happy new year!

new thread is live! lets do it all again!!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/377454