Narilka redacts her reading in 2025 - Part 3

My third (and likely last) thread for 2025!

My Rating System
- Absolutely horrible, don't bother

- Meh, I finished the book somehow but would not recommend it

- An entertaining read

- Highly enjoyable, I would probably recommend this book

- Excellent! The book may not be perfect but it was perfect for me. Possibly a new favorite.

A star is given for a book that falls between those categories.

Currently Reading


Listening To

Books Read in 2025
1. Beware of Chicken 4 by CasualFarmer
2. Be Your Own Medical Intuitive by Tina M Zion
3. Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson
4. Orlando People by Alexander C. Kane
5. Gobbelino London and a Worry of Weres by Kim M Watt
6. Hell for Hire by Rachel Aaron
7. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
8. Gobbelino London and a Menace of Mermaids by Kim M Watt
9. Heretical Fishing 2 by Haylock Jobson
10. This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman
11. The Outstretched Shadow by Lackey and Mallory
12. Space Team: The Guns of Nana Joan by Barry J Hutchinson
13. Gobbelino London & a Collision of Catastrophes by Kim M Watt
14. Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey
15. Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff
16. The Second Summoning by Tanya Huff
17. Arrow's Flight by Mercedes Lackey
18. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
19. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
20. Terciel & Elinor by Garth Nix
21. Shifting and Shenanigans by Elizabeth Pantley
22. Long Hot Summoning by Tanya Huff
23. The Awakened Way by Suzanne Giesemann
24. Witchy Whiskers by Danielle Garrett
25. Arrow's Fall by Mercedes Lackey
26. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
27. What Happened in London by Kim M Watt
28. Heretical Fishing 3 by Haylock Jobson
29. To Light a Candle by Lackey and Mallory
30. Mother of Learning Arc 1 by Domagoj Kurmaić
31. All Out of Leeds by Kim M Watt
32. The Singularity Trap by Dennis E Taylor
33. When Darkness Falls by Lackey and Mallory
34. Trouble Brewing in Harrogate Kim M Watt
35. Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
36. Mother of Learning: Arc 2 by Domagoj Kurmaić
37. The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
38. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
39. Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
40. Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson
41. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
42. A Right Shambles in York by Kim M Watt
43. Mother of Learning: Arc 3 by Domagoj Kurmaić
44. Jingo by Terry Pratchett
45. Mother of Learning: Arc 4 by Domagoj Kurmaić
46. Dade County Death Cruise by Alexander C. Kane
47. Windwitch by Susan Dennard
48. The Wayward Bard by Lars Machmüller
49. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers
50. The Perfect Run by Maxime J. Durand
51. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
52. Sightwitch by Susan Dennard
53. I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S Beagle
54. The Perfect Run II by Maxime J. Durand
55. How to Survive History by Cody Cassidy
56. The Truth by Terry Pratchett
57. The Perfect Run III by Maxime J. Durand
58. Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
59. Christmas Core by Jonathan Brooks
60. Valentine Core by Jonathan Brooks
61. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
62. Easter Core by Jonathan Brooks
63. Independence Core by Jonathan Brooks
64. The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
65. Halloween Core by Jonathan Brooks
66. The Inheritance by Ilona Andrews
67. Beware of Chicken 5 by Casualfarmer
68. Demystifying the Journey of Life Before and After Death by Lee Harris
69. Hexed in Hawes by Kim M Watt
70. Snake-Eater by T Kingfisher
71. Witchshadow by Susan Dennard

Fun Stats
Books Read: 71
Total Pages Read: 15816
Audio Book Hours: 409h 43m
Rereads: 16
TBR Challenge: N/A

2025 Series Stats
Started: 13
In progress: 19
Up to date: 21
Undecided: 2
Completed: 7
Abandoned: 8

Mount TBR
Start 2025: 222
End 2025: ?

My Personal Incomplete Series Challenge
Keeping my never-ending series list going for yet another year.

Series Stats Summary
Started: 13
In progress: 19
Up to date: 19
Undecided: 4
Completed: 8
Abandoned: 8

In Progress
Discworld: Rincewind - 7/8
Discworld: City Watch - 6/8
Discworld: Tiffany Aching - 3/5
Discworld: Overall - 33/41
Temeraire - 2/9
Joe Ledger* - 6/10
World of the Five Gods - 2/3
Space Team* - 5/11
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot Mysteries - 2/5
Of Cats and Dragons* - 1/5
Spells, Swords and Stealth* - 4/5
Valkerye Collections - 1/2
Beaufort Scales Mysteries - 4/8
Miss Percy Guide - 1/3
Tear Down Heaven - 1/4
The Magical Mystery Book Club - 1/9
Nine Lives Magic - 1/13
Witchlands - 3/5
World of Chains* - 1/5

Up to date and waiting
5-minute Sherlock* - 3/3 - #4 TBD
World of the Others - 3/3 - #4 TBD
Mystwick* - 3/3 - #4 TBD
The Locked Tomb - 3/3 - #4 TBD
Aurelia Ryder - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Innkeeper Chronicles - 5/5 - #6 TBD
The Wizard's Butler* - 1/1 - #2 audio TBD
Kate Daniels Wilmington Years - 2/2 - #3 TBD
The Dresden Files - 17/17 - #18 Jan 2026
Murderbot - 7/7 - #8 TBD
The Iron Covenant - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Bobiverse - 5/5 - #6 TBD
Dungeon Crawler Carl* - 7/7 - #8 TBD
Stormlight Archives - 5/5 - #6 expected 2033ish
DI Adams - 4/4 - #5 expected 2026
Orlando People* - 2/2 - #3 TBD
Breach Wars - 1/1 - #2 TBD
Beware of Chicken* - 5/5 - #6 TBD

Undecided/On Hold
The Siege - 1/3
Spellslinger - 1/6
Heretical Fishing* - 3/4
The Band - 2/2 - #3 TBD forever, I'm losing interest
Legends & Lattes - 1.5/2

Completed in 2025
Gobbelino London, PI - 7/7
Old Kingdom - 6/6
Keeper's Chronicles - 3/3
Heralds of Valdemar* - 3/3
The Obsidian Trilogy - 3/3
Mother of Learning* - 4/4
The Perfect Run* - 3/3
Holiday Dungeon Core* - 5/5

Abandoned in 2025
Nathaniel Cade* - 2/3
Awaken Online: Tarot* - 1/3
Hunter - 1/3
Blasphemy Online - 1/3
The Brackenford Cycle - 4/4 - #5 TBD, author MIA for a couple years
The Folk of the Air* - 1/3
Awaken Online* - 4/6
The Darkwater Legacy* - 1/2

*Indicates series on audio

Happy new thread.

The Wayward Bard through Ch 9. A little background first - our main character, Daniel, has stolen several million Euros from a crime boss and has chosen to hide out in a VR MMO for a couple years to hopefully avoid repercussions. This is all discussed in the first chapter and the book blurb so not really a spoiler. It's a bit slow to start but picking up some steam as our MC figures out the world. I expect this to catch up with him but not for a couple books.

I also had a feeling that Endurance (game state) would be important to a bard. Not for his line of reasoning but if he'd planned to drink and debauch, he'd want to last longer ;) And that's what the MC tells us his goal is - to drink and have a good time, not necessarily do any of the more fighting side of things.

I like that "crafting" profession he picked up. Though I suppose it's more a gathering profession - collecting information. It has a fancy term I've already forgotten. Seems he could make a good spy in the future.

What I'm really enjoying is the audio production. The I really like the addition of music playing during the character's bard performances with his chosen instrument and it sounds great. I think they might have scored some original music for this. What I'm liking less is that this a more "traditional" litRPG in that it focuses on the character mechanics a lot more than my other litRPG reads lately. Even though I enjoy gaming from time to time, it's been a bit stat heavy. I hope the book goes away from this as the character gains levels and is past the newness of the character class/world.

The Fifth Elephant Oh boy. At about 10% in. Racial Species tensions with riots :( Yeah, too analog to reality. Humanity really needs to get its act together so that books like this can be considered quaint throwbacks to an older time instead of incredibly relevant.

I am looking forward to Vimes being off to Uberwald already.

>1 Narilka: Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread!

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread!

>7 Karlstar: - >11 Sakerfalcon: Thanks all!

The Wayward Bard half way through Ch 13 So much for Daniel's plan to not adventure and need to do any fighting. That didn't last long lol

I'm getting tired of all the stats. I hope that smooths out once the MC is more familiar with the world.

I'm also finding that since players can just respawn, I'm less concerned over his choices or any supposed danger. Perhaps that will change too as the story progresses. Items take damage and need to be repaired, can be destroyed or left on his body when he dies. It isn't the same risk though.

Through Ch 21 Daniel is finally getting the hang of things. Pretty neat that bards can learn spells with a combo visualization while playing the right music.

I've been thinking his chronicler crafting class could lead to being a good spy and seems I'm right based on that hint his mentor gave. Or at least in politics of a sort. Though I think it's meant more as a historian based on his current quest, it is still information gathering and discovering hidden knowledge.

He's just met another player and they're heading off on a quest. We'll see how this goes.

The book is entertaining so far.

The Fifth Elephant @ 24% Oh dear lord, Fred Colon as the Captain /facepalm And yet it's pretty funny too lol I can't help but laugh: "That man over there is earlobing me!" lol Poor Nobby and the rest of the Watch are in for a rough couple weeks until Vimes is back and Fred can be demoted again. Fred is NOT meant to be an officer. His mind can't handle it.

I finished The Wayward Bard. I liked it. 3.5 stars. There were some odd spots in the audio where it sounded like the main narrator went back and rerecorded some sections and they didn't blend, which was odd. Archangelo made some interesting decisions. I'm glad he's staying as the town's bard though. He could use the experience. Looking online, the series is planned for 6 books with 5 currently published. The first three are in an omnibus, including on audio, so I'll probably continue at least that far. I'm going to take a day or two off of audio before picking my next listen.

I'm putting The Fifth Elephant on hold so I can start The Nine Tailors group read in honor of MrsLee. I will be posting most of my thoughts in the group thread though I'll come back here to post a review should I write one.

I've been sort of reading. Last week was a stressful one that kept my brain unable to concentrate on books very well :( Short version RL stuff, skip if you'd like to keep it to books. Mother in law had neck surgery for her arthritis and the doctor/hospital kept her appointment unknown until the day before. My husband has gone to help her out for a little while during her initial recovery. She is doing great so far.

Then one of our best friends had a stroke :( He's younger, early 50s, and seems to be recovering well. I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around that one.

I was able to start a new audio book, The Perfect Run. The book buddy I read Mother of Learning with picked it out since it seems to have a similar concept. Through Ch 4, this is reminding me of a mash up of Marvel with Groundhog's Day. The MC even mentions "quipiness" heh It's set in a dystopia/post apocalpyse version of our world, specifically Italy currently, where people have gained super powers by drinking some weird DNA altering concoction. The main heroes name is Ryan "Quicksave" Romano and I his personality is like a less vulgar Deadpool - that kind of quippy and bad pop culture jokes that no one else gets. His magic power is that he can set save points in time that he goes back to whenever he dies for a redo. So far so good.

Edit: My stress buster was to buy a bunch of storage containers and finally organize our junk closet. It looks great! I'm very happy having everything stored and put away properly.

>16 Narilka: I am sorry to hear about what you are going through. My best wishes to you all.

>16 Narilka: I hope both of them recover quickly.

>16 Narilka: Sorry to hear abou the RL worries and sadness. Hoping for smooth recoveries all round.

>16 Narilka: That is a lot to deal with. Best of luck to both of them with their recovery. Hang in there.

Thanks all. Things are smoothing out again. It's easier to focus on books again :) I need to head over to the group read thread, which is now intimidating with so many messages.

The Perfect Run half way through Ch 21 That was pretty funny that group wanting to rename Quicksave to Timelord LOL

This is an interesting book. It is deeper than I thought at first. Since there is no known end to Quicksave's loops, I can see how he is basically seeking novelty in addition to his desire to "perfect run" his meeting with Len. I have a bad feeling he's going to be disappointed since from the small snippet from her POV seems she doesn't want to meet him again, but theoretically he can take that into account for his perfect run scenario and win her over or something. I'm glad he still has a few morals as that would be easy to lose over infinity and while seeking novelty.

I like that we got to experience a few of his really fast restarts in this chapter as he figured out what to do about the truthteller guy lol Both entertaining and pretty horrible :)

I think it's interesting how QS can make things happen exactly as before where in Zorian's loops, little things were different a lot. Just different takes on the concept by the authors.

I also think it's good to have put a little space between both series so I'm not constantly comparing them in my head.

>21 Narilka: That's good news, I hope the recovery continues.

>23 Karlstar: Thanks. Everyone is recovering well so far. It's looking good at the moment :)

The Perfect Run through Ch 27 Sadly, I was right about QS's meeting with Len. Pity. He said he's going to focus on side quests so I'm not entirely sure where the perfect run part will come in yet. I know he's given up for now but I'm not sure if it's forever.

I hope he takes that lady up on her offer for armor to enhance his superpower. I have no idea what that would do and I want to find out :D

Interesting backstory on Augustus. He's a right bastard. I'm not sure him taking the child is good or not in this world.

I finished up The Nine Tailors. In general I enjoyed the mystery though it was also a frustrating read for the first half. I'm not sure I plan to read any more Sayers in the future preferring Agatha Christie in general and Hercule Poirot in particular. I'm heading back to finish off The Fifth Elephant.

>26 Narilka: I'm glad you ended up enjoying at least the second half. I didn't have trouble with this Sayers, but I did have trouble with the second Wimsey I read, which was Clouds of Witness. There was a trial that lasted several thousand years, to my mind.

>27 clamairy: My main problem was the way she used dialog to stand in for action. Not summer block buster blow em ups, but just regular activities. Like when Wimsey goes "fishing" it's all told through his narration instead of showing us the activity. The author did that a lot in the first half and it took me almost up to that fishing scene to really place what was bugging me. The in depth explanation of change ringing that was posted in the other thread was immensely helpful and was important for the whole book. I'm really glad we read it as a group :) We should try for more group reads again, they're fun.

The Perfect Run mostly through ch 34 I'm glad Quicksave decided to trust Len, tell her the truth and they're sort of working it out. Sort of. It was fairly low risk for him since if it had gone bad he could restart but still. It's nice to hear more about how his ability works and that he has lived a good many years.

Ok, the plushie is terrifying. That's probably the most terrifying thing I've read in a while lol Whatever is inhabiting it can follow across all of QS's loops and I'm not sure QS really is aware. I'm not sure if it's nice it wants to be his friend forever or if it's horrifying lol

The Fifth Elephant Oddly enough, I'm having a much better time at this one now. Perhaps I did just need something different to nudge me out of my little slump :)

The themes are pretty dark in this one and depressing when you really think about them. I think I'm around 70% Speciesism standing in for racism. I love how Sybil is the brilliant example of just seeing everyone as people and generally looking for the good things to admire in them. It's nice to have her as a bright spot. I'm also loving Detritus the troll with his "cold" temperature thinking lol I got a laugh with Colon wondering just how completely "Bursar" (crazy) or "Librarian-poo" (ape-poop) Vimes is going to go when he returns hahaha

The politics just makes me sigh. I feel bad for Vimes. This definitely isn't his jam. Good thing he's a damn good copper. It's probably saved his life. He pays attention.

I finished The Perfect Run. That was one crazy ending. He did get injected with the real blue serum right? Isn't he a genius now? Or more of one? The whole scenario is seriously messed up. In a way I'm sad QS is going to honor Jasmine's request to not have a relationship with another her as they were pretty good together. Luckily he did memorize those schematics so he can make the armor again.

I think I understand that the perfect run is going to be about saving New Rome, along with reuniting with Len (he has a success route now), preventing the destruction of Rust Town, saving Schrodinger the cat and likely preventing as much destruction as possible while neutralizing that underground lab. Oh, and wiping out that gang of psychos. That is a lot for Quicksave to work through.

I really enjoyed this and will be moving on to the second one as my next audio.

I finished The Fifth Elephant. I think I liked it more than my first read through. Probably 3.5 stars, if only GR's would allow half stars. There were two quotes towards the end that caught my eye. Not story spoilers.

It wasn't damn politics where good and bad were just, apparently, two ways of looking at the same thing or, at least, were described like that by the people who were on the side Vimes thought of as "bad."

It was all too complicated and, where it was complicated, it meant that someone was trying to fool you.

Seems an accurate description of politics. Sigh.

And...

All he knew was that you couldn't hope to try for the big stuff, like world peace and happiness, but you might just about be able to achieve some tiny deed that'd make the world, in a small way, a better place. Like shooting someone.

Pratchett definitely understood the human condition. Review below.

Next up, Sightwitch.

>32 Narilka: Lovely review! I haven't read this one yet, but I do know I am always in for a treat with Pratchett :)

>33 Alexandra_book_life: You really can't go wrong with Pratchett :)

The Perfect Run II through ch 9. It picks up right were book 1 leaves off and already there's something different. The cat got powers!!!! Quicksave has got to find that kitty again. I'm sure it will show up later in the story. Schrodinger's cat is going to be Chekhov's cat, just you wait ;)

Very interesting that he's joined Il Miori (or however it's spelled, I know very little Italian). I loved his back and forth with Wardrobe on his costume lol She seems like BFF material.

It also seems he might have found someone who can remember him. It could be a "be careful what you wish for" situation so we will see. I hope for the best.

Even with all his chaos and inanity, Quicksave cares. This is a more hopeful story than I was expecting from the original blurb.

We'll see how much progress he can make on preventing the second apocalypse. As if the genome wars weren't enough.

And that one fight with the psychos summoning goblins or whatever and them being afraid of his bunny LOL More proof that things do remember even if it isn't always humans.

Sightwitch I'm about 60% in. This one is structured as a bunch of diary entries. The main story has mostly come back to me. It's funny. I like how I can read a few pages and feel like I'm making progress as that covers 2-3 entries :) I also like the parallel story in the past as it is directly applicable to what Ryber is going through. Heck Ryber and Kullen just stumbled across that workshop from a couple entries back.

I am seeing the similarities to Lirael this time through. I wonder if the author has ever admitted to that as inspiration.

I probably could have finished this yesterday when I waited for my car's yearly maintenance except I didn't feel like carrying a hardback with me. So I started I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons on my Kindle while I waited. I do enjoy Beagle's writing style as I was instantly dropped into a fairy tale. Through Ch 6 I'm not sure why this is considered a cozy other than it is currently slice-of-life-ish. I feel bad for Robert and all the dragonlings he has to kill. The Dragon Market sounds godawful, like the wet markets from Asia we hear about. This is more sad and depressing than I thought it would be.

Sightwitch Ahh, there's the important stuff. There was one page much earlier explaining the paladins and how they seemed to be the genesis of magic in humans. Just now in entry Y2787 D106 a future seeing of Ryber's travel through the glacier with Kullen. Though Kullen doesn't remember his name yet and I realize I'm totally cheating by knowing this though there are hints as to who it is lol Anyway, the important bit is "I saw the last Sightwitch Sister go into the mountain. In a thousand years, she will pass through with a Paladin at her side..."

And finished. I'm glad I had that refresher as I'd forgotten that was a big deal. Or should be for the finale. Review below.

I'm going to finish up I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons before moving back to Discworld.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons through ch 11 I don't know what I was expecting but not that. That was a slaughter of dragons eating humans and livestock. Apparently this is more in line with a Grimm's fairy tale than the modern sanitized versions. I chose the right month to read this one. This is not cozy at all. Whoever marketed it as such needs to go read more of that genre.

The Perfect Run II through Ch 29. Just like the first book I'm surprised that Ryan achieved a major goal so early. He now has a way for Len to remember AND Livia. And it's probably during the most insane, messed up run of all time lol This has been absolutely bonkers. I know it can't last but I can't wait to see how it ends. And how Ryan figures out how to send the black goo home because that seems to be really important given how the powers work.

I'm sad that Eugene Henri (the cat, no idea on actual spelling) wasn't truly given a power, just had an extra dimensional hitchhiker for a little while. That was also resolved earlier than I thought it would be.

I really liked the flashbacks to Monaco and one of Ryan's perfect runs. Gives me a lot of hope for New Rome's ending.

The Perfect Run II through Ch 34 and 3ish hours left. The book is running out of time. I'm getting the impression that this will end on or very near when this current loop ends.

I love that Livia is on the verge of convincing Ryan he doesn't have to be alone any more and that it's OK to trust. I'm thinking that's how his final run is ultimately successful - with the help of others who remember. The interesting part is he could change his mind and reload without transferring anyone's memories at any time if he has a freakout.

Utter hilarity that Vulcan put bunny ears on his latest suit. She doesn't even know about the plushie in this loop LOL

I finished I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons a few days ago. What an odd little story. Review below. Next up, The Truth.

I also got a review written for The Perfect Run.

The Truth I'm already enjoying Pratchett's observations. This was fun, from page 19:

And thus the university got the active ingredient that it made up into pills and fed to the Bursar, to keep him sane. At least, apparently sane, because nothing was that simple at good old UU. In fact he was incurably insane and hallucinated more or less continually, but by a remarkable stroke of lateral thinking his fellow wizards had reasoned, in that case, that the whole business could be sorted out if only they could find a formula that caused him to hallucinate that he was completely sane.*

*This is a very common hallucination, shared by most people.

This is even more interesting since there are actual scientific theories that we really do hallucinate conscious reality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyu7v7nWzfo - sometimes I think Pratchett was a theoretical physicist who opted to just write satire instead hah

>41 Narilka: Very nice review! I loved The Last Unicorn, but I have yet to read anything else by Peter S. Beagle :)

>44 Alexandra_book_life: His Tamsin is also fantastic. It's a YA ghost story which would be perfect for this time of year.

>45 Narilka: Thank you! I am putting it on my list :)

>46 Alexandra_book_life:. Me too!

>46 Alexandra_book_life: & >47 Darth-Heather: I hope you both enjoy it if you try it. Here's my review for Tamsin from when I read it a few years ago. I love that we can easily attach reviews to posts now!

I finished The Perfect Run II. It was bonkers in the best way possible lol How does the apocalypse have an apocalypse lol I really like how we see the other side of the villains and heroes and how that blurs the lines a lot. People are basically people. Many of those in the Meta Gang aren't actually that bad and just want a chance to be normal while their leader is an absolute psycho. And then the leader of corporatized heroes at Dynamis is an absolute bastard, which just figures. The final reveal of how the knockoff elixirs are made is horrific. I can't decide if I think Ryan will actually deal with Zeus or if he'll just work around him for his perfect run. Also, plushie bunnies are terrifying hahahaha Not sure when I'll start book 3 but probably soonish.

>48 Narilka: I started that one a couple of years ago and got distracted. Perhaps I should try again. Nice review.

The Truth @ 43% - This is a great read :) Even though its technically part of the Industrial Revolution sub-series it could almost be a Watch book given the crime involved and how many of the Watch have seen. Anyway...

There's a conversation between Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip about what they call a food in another country that I swear is a riff on the Pulp Fiction "what do they call a quarter pounder with cheese in France" scene. I'll have to see if it is called out in the annotations later.

I loved Vetinari visiting the new press and asking if it was located on a crack in space time and if there was going to be a problem like in Holly Wood or that music with rocks in lol Really great way to reference previous books.

So many good lines in this one. I loved the section with William at the Watch house. These two stood out:

"What was it you did to Sergeant Detritus?"

"I only wrote down what he said, sir."

"Aha, pulled a pen on him, eh?"

"Sir?"

"Writing things down at people? Teh, tch... that sort of thing only causes trouble."

And...

"Got to take a picture of Ankh-Morpork's finest," said William, easing himself towards the door. Of course, that was a lie, but since it was such an obvious lie he considered that it didn't count. It was like saying the sky was green.

By now Corporal Nobbs was almost leaving the floor under the lifting power of pride.

"Could I have a copy for my mam?" he said.

"Smile, please..." said Otto.

"I am smilin'."

"Stop smiling, please."

I started How to Survive History that I picked up in an Audible sale, is pretty short and should act as a nice little break before finishing up The Perfect Run series. I grabbed it because it reminded me of Randall Munroe's What If? books. One hour in and 3 chapters down... So far the only scenario I think I realistically would be able to survive is running away from a T Rex. Who knew lol Assuming the science still holds true. Without a real t-rex to time we'll never know for sure :D

>51 Narilka: Another for the TBR! Love the bits you shared.

>53 clamairy: I added to your thread in hopes of tempting more folks into some Discworld :D Let me know if it's too much and I should move the image over here :)

I finished The Truth. Because nothing has to be true forever. Just for long enough, to tell you the truth.

This was brilliant. I was right about recognizing the Pulp Fiction reference I noted above lol Looks like there were a lot in this book.

The back and forths between Death and Mr Tulip vs Death and Mr. Pin. Such a difference. Funny how that reincarnation worked out at the end.

And the mentions to how the Times is political. Such parallels to our reality.

Poor Vimes, getting commendations for something he didn't do :)

Loved Otto backing up William with his father. Seemed quite appropriate. A hot cocoa sounds good about now.

And the link to the annotations: https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/the-truth.html

Review below. Next up will be Bloodwitch.

I finished How To Survive History. It was fun :) Hiding in a cave the t-rex can't fit in is part of the advice but also they don't run as fast as hollywood has made out. Plus once they do get going they're too big to turn easily so a human in decent shape could likely outrun them too just by making abrupt turns. At least that's the theory since none are alive to test with :D Basically the book confirmed something I'd already suspected - I don't want to live in olden times. If time travel is discovered, I'm going to the future! I plan to write a review over the weekend.

I'll be starting The Perfect Run III as my next audio. I'm ready for the final insanity :D

The Perfect Run III through ch 5 Livia really had me going there too! I'm glad it was just a joke. These two are a great partnership with complimentary powers though I miss Wardrobe and Jasmine. I hope they do go vacationing together after solving the New Rome problem.

And OMG! Panda has a second power!!!! I wonder if Ryan will put that in the perfect run solution. The Panda is pretty awesome.

Half way through ch 18 I think a depressed plushie is almost more terrifying than the regular insane version one was and that thought in itself is troubling lol

The romance between Ryan and Livia is very sweet. It seems like the author is setting up a HEA. I have mixed feelings about this. I love a good HEA but does it suit the setting? Ryan does seem to find the good in most everyone, if any exists, so perhaps it does.

People finding out just how awful their family truly is has been both interesting and strangely satisfying. Too bad most won't remember.

I'm very interested to see what's in Antarctica.

Bloodwitch I like how the first five chapters are each from the various POVs. They both remind us without a recap and give us the current situations perfectly. I appreciate how well done this was. This book has been easy to settle back in to, though I'm going sort of slow. Through Ch 14 In some ways it reminds me a lot of the previous book in that it seems like this is still more set up and moving people into place. The whole thing with Aeduan being cursed and his magic not healing him is a tad annoying since we have been through this already with Iseult in book 1. I find the chapters with Esme/Merick interesting. I do remember what happens to Esme but I am not remembering how the partial cleaving plays out with Merick just yet or the full tie back to Kullen.

>55 Narilka:
I am currently reading and enjoying The Truth. It is hilarious and there are plenty of allusions to other works. What amazes me is how current many of the issues raised are: misinformation; disruptive technology; etc...

>59 pgmcc: Pratchett is absolutely brilliant. I can't wait until I reach Going Postal where he does the same for the Postal Service.

>60 Narilka:
That one is one I also want to get to. I worked in the postal service for 15 years, so I have personal reasons for wanting to read it.

I really have to make a list and work my way through the Pratchetts that I haven't gotten to yet. Right now I'm listening to Monstrous Regiment and laughing like a loon.

>62 clamairy: That's another favorite :)

Bloodwitch Through Ch 26 I'm guessing the raven that Safi keeps seeing is the Rook from the novella. Especially since it led her to relative safety in that chaos. I do remember the result of her experiment with a truth stone and remember it was kind of stupid.

Seems the Raider King is also a Paladin based on Kullen's comments that they are the same but he (raider king) wears his same face from back when. I don't remember making that connection on my first read through.

Ch 30 So Stix is another paladin. I'd forgotten that. So that's...3 or 4 of 6? I'm assuming since the Rook is flying around that the Rook King is also alive, though I suppose he could be the Raider King in this time.

Yeah, the novella was very important. It probably should've been a proper 6 book series since usually novellas are bonus content and not this vital to the main plot. Unless the highlights are told again later on. I've forgotten if they are.

The Perfect Run III ch 20 /facepalm

Of course it's aliens. It's always aliens lol Reminds me of that meme with the History Channel guy.

Through Ch 25 At least since he used black flux to destroy the place it will stay destroyed and doesn't have to be part of Ryan's perfect run. That would have been rough to save New Rome with a side quest down to Antarctica.

Bloodwitch Half way through Ch 47 It seems that Monk Evrane and Corlant are also paladins. Also, the Rook King and Raider King seem to be different people. So that gives us all 6. Based on Iseult's visions, I believe the other 5 turned on the Rook King. And now Kullen is looking for the mirror and sword to kill more or destroy the only tools that can kill them? Unsure as yet.

The book is also annoying me. I'm enjoying the POVs and action for the most part but the actual story tying it all together is getting lost. I remember the last 25% of this being exciting. I hope I finish today. I've been reading this for too long.

The Perfect Run III is finished. That was a nice HEA ending. I'm glad! I really liked the final explanation of Ryan's powers, being the observer and the observed. Very quantum physics-y. The plushie is the best cosmic horror around :) If it wasn't for the slide quest to antarctica's aliens this would be 5 stars just for the pure fun of it all. That just made me roll my eyes too much lol Yeah, in a story of super powers and quips, it was aliens that was too much. Go figure :D Solid series. I'm glad my friend convinced me to try it.

Next up on audio is going to be the Holiday Dungeon Core series as it has an omnibus available. The first one is Christmas Core.

I finished Bloodwitch! That was a really great ending after all the meandering. It seems that Aeduan's mom is Eyridysi, given her silver eyes and being called Dysi. Pretty sure I missed that completely in my original read.

I am so glad that Safi and Iseult are back together. Time to go kick everyone's ass and put the world back together.

Next up it's back to Discworld for Thief of Time.

A review for Bloodwitch.

I got started on Christmas Core this morning and am getting Cat Core vibes at only 3 chapters in. The set ups are similar. Not a big spoiler but tagging in case. Elderly man dies and ends up as a dungeon core. Without any gaming experience, he opts to go with a custom everything dungeon because why not go hard mode lol I guess this is just a feature of the genre as it's only the second dungeon core series I've tried.

And a review for The Perfect Run III.

>70 Narilka: I read the first Cat Core and thought it was fun but it didn't inspire me to seek out the second one. I might give this one a try though, just for kicks. As far as the premise of the elderly man in a gaming situation I had a pretty good time with An Old Man's Journey by Greg Allanther; the MC is very funny in a you-kids-get-off-my-lawn kind of way.

>72 Darth-Heather: Adding that one to my wish list to keep an eye out for it.

Thief of Time @ 30%. I love this quote:

Susan stopped. Of course someone would be that stupid. Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying "End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DON'T TOUCH," the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.

I'm enjoying the various threads. The Monks of History that make sure tomorrow actually happens! And Lu-Tze the sweeper lol Lobsang has a LOT to learn but he'll be a hell of a monk at the end. There's a weight lifter on YouTube that goes around looking like a janitor and then can outlift the bro-dudes in the gym. He reminds me of this book :D It's pretty funny if you've never seen it before.

It's interesting that this is technically a Death novel but he has to sort of stay out because of The Rules and so sends in Susan. I completely forget what she makes of Jeremy, being the only other person like herself that she's going to meet that we're told about.

Christmas Core through ch 12 That first pair of hunters stumbling into the dungeon and being slaughtered was more of a horror and put me off a bit. I'm glad its regular adventurers after that, people that enter the dungeon knowing what they're (sort of) in store for.

I'm not a fan of the dungeon needing to kill everyone for its levels. I do like how that was handled better in Cat Core - the dungeon gaining power just from adventurers doing delves and a bonus if they died.

I finished Christmas Core this morning. Review below.

I started Valentine Core. I like the little background we're given on Elmer regarding his experience with the holiday. It will be interesting to see how adventurers respond to the theme. Probably confused.

And also finished, since these are so short. I liked it more than the first book even though it was similar in a lot of ways. The whole unexpected orgy was pretty funny. I've not seen emotional traps quite like this in a story before and thought it was creative.

I'll start Easter Core next time I have a listening opportunity.

Here's a review of Valentine Core.

I started and finished Easter Core. These books are definitely following a pattern. Dungeon creates some themed rooms. Adventures go through those rooms. Dungeon levels up and makes a new series of themed rooms. There's an interesting addition at the end that seems to be a set up for the final two books. I'm going to pause my listening over the Thanksgiving holiday and opt for some podcasts before finishing up the series. Review below.

I finished Thief of Time yesterday. This was highly enjoyable and very philosophical. I wonder if anyone has every written an essay or book about the Philosophy of the Discworld.

Lu-Tze and Lobsang visiting Qu (ala James Bond) to gear up before leaving was hilarious.

I had forgotten that both Lobsang and Jeremy were the same soul.

Weirdly, I think that was supposed to be a romantic interest for Susan though it didn't really come across that way to me.

So funny that the auditors were defeated with chocolate!! Sensory overload lol

Poor Death. He had such trouble getting the band back together for their ride. Good old Kaos.

And some quotes I jotted down.

The first words that are read by seekers of enlightenment in the secret, gong-banging, yeti-haunted valleys near the hub of the world, are when they look into The Life of Wen the Eternally Surprised.

The first question they ask is: 'Why was he eternally surprised?'

And they are told: "Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it."

......

There is no doubt that being human is incredibly difficult and cannot be mastered in one lifetime.

......

Time was something that largely happened to other people; he viewed it in the same way that people on the shore viewed the sea. It was big and it was out there, and sometimes it was an invigorating thing to dip a toe into, but you couldn't live in it all the time. Besides, it always made his skin wrinkle.

.......

Susan was sensible. It was, she knew, a major character flaw. It did not make you popular, or cheerful, and - this seemed to her to be the most funfair bit - it didn't even make you right. But it did make you definite, and she was definite that what was happening around her was not, in any accepted sense, real.

That was not in itself a problem. Most things humans busied themselves in weren't real, either. But sometimes the mind of the most sensible person encountered something so big, so complex, so alien to all understanding, that it told itself little stories about it instead. Then, when it felt it understood the story, it felt it understood the huge incomprehensible thing. And this, Susan knew, was was her mind telling itself a story.

Review below. I'm moving on to The Last Hero next. It's one of the few Discworld books I haven't read yet.

Ooo, The Last Hero is an illustrated book. I just flipped through my copy. The art by Paul Kidby looks great.

>80 Narilka: Will keep an eye out for this one!

>82 clamairy: I hope you enjoy it should you obtain a copy :)

The Last Hero I'm about half way through and just loving the illustrations. They're the best part. It's still a lot of lead up to the two groups actually getting to the mountain to see if the Disc can be saved. I do wonder if that massive life timer Death pulled out was Cohen's or something/one else's.

I started Independence Core a couple days ago. Didn't get far, only 2 chapters, and it's nice to see the dungeon working with the adventurers. Those suits to prevent soul stealing will likely be very handy.

Finished Independence Core. I liked this more than the previous one. I'm glad that the cheater guy basically killed himself permanently. I'm good with never seeing him again.

And so there's the final set up for the soul eater to return. Interesting that the gods are getting involved via their priests. I'm assuming this will end happily, the only question being how. Do the high level adventurers end up helping out? I'm looking forward to seeing how this ends. I'll be starting Halloween Core and finishing the series at my next listening opportunity.

I finished The Last Hero. I ended up liking it. The ending was semi ambiguous, though I'm pretty sure they didn't physically survive the explosion and it is their legend living on.

Next up, Witchshadow.

A review for The Last Hero.

Halloween Core through ch 9. That's an interesting explanation as to why we still celebrate Halloween that I'd never heard or thought of - to help kids understand death. I'm not really sure about that at all, at least in my lifetime. It always just seemed to be a left over from olden days that's taken on a completely different life of its own any more with commercialization.

Anyway, I was wondering if the high level adventurers were going to help the dungeon take out the soul manipulator guy but this is better. I'm guessing the mid level group will make it back in time to help Elmer out.

I started Witchshadow last night. Only in two chapters. Bleh, a time jump. I'd forgotten about that. Safi and Iseult had finally been reunited and now they're apart again. So annoying.

>87 Narilka: Sounds lovely 🥰

>87 Narilka: Glad you enjoyed it!

I finished Halloween Core. That was a nice ending. I liked how even the soulds the soul manipulator had stolen were fighting back against him.

I think I enjoyed the bonus Thanksgiving short story better than the rest. It was the perfect length for the story it wanted to tell and was a nice glimpse into how it went for Elmer and Mary after she was freed.

A solidly entertaining series if a bit formulaic and lacking depth. I am dungeon core'd out and don't need another series like this for a while.

Edited to attach the review.

Next up on audio is Beware of Chicken 5.

Beware of Chicken 5 It's so nice being back with these characters. I didn't realize I was wanting something cozy until I started listening. Through Ch 14 Gramps' introduction to everyone was very sweet. I'm really glad Jin and Meimei put him in his place though. I both do and don't hope that Big D actually goes and trains with the old guy. It seems that the bunny might need to go with too, if it happens. I suspect that Gramps could learn a thing or two if he stuck around the farm for a bit. I really like that Jin at least made him think.

The poor magistrate lol Just as he's used to one "tame" cultivator he's in for more.

Witchshadow Through Ch 11. The story is starting to come back to me. I'd forgotten that the weasel is Esme. It's good that Iseult will finally be learning about her weaverwitch powers. I do, vaguely, remember how she ends up helping Safi and the Hellbards so she needs that knowledge.

Safi's situation is annoying. At least she has the lens back.

I am glad the flashback bits are short. It's enough to fill in what happened without dragging out too much. Stormlight really turned me off of this style of storytelling and I haven't recovered yet. It didn't used to bug me as much.

I have decided to pause Witchshadow. For some reason I can only read a couple pages before I pass out. I'm wondering if its the book or if I'm really that tired. So I'm starting The Inheritance as Ilona Andrews books have always kept me awake turning that one more page in the past. We will see!

>95 Narilka: I hope you find The Inheritance more engaging. Might be a combination of being tired and not being totally enraptured with the book you're reading. I had that same issue the last two weeks.

>96 clamairy: So far so good. I am feeling encouraged :)

The Inheritance Through Ch 4. This is really great. The author's intro was cute :)

I was getting video game vibes at the start of the book with all the portals. It's a shame about the betrayal but man is Ada going to have fun calling those ass holes out once she escapes. I am definitely assuming she escapes this mess with Bear. And with super enhancement to her powers.

This is fun :)

The kindle has artwork but unfortunately mine is black & white and very dark. I need to see if they posted the full color art on their blog separately.

Beware of Chicken 5 Through Ch 29. This is going too fast. I realized sometime yesterday that this one is about half the length of the last book and tried to slow down. It didn't work lol I am loving this slice-of-life goodness. It seems to be a transition book as most are setting to head out on journeys soon. Yin becoming a human was a surprise. I didn't think the bunny would want that. The next book is going to go all over the place, literally, if we follow every single character's travels.

The Inheritance Through Ch 8 I liked that little nod to the Innkeeper universe via the merchant foxes :)

Ada is turning into a bad ass. So is Bear. Best girl ever! Everyone is going to be shocked when they meet up, I can't wait. Assuming it's in this book.

I also hope we get more about Ada's daughter and her power. That sounded interesting.

Art found on the artist's website here for anyone interested: https://candiceslater.art/concept-sketches

>100 Narilka: Check your touchstone ...

Thanks. Fixed it.

The site is really slow right now too.

I finished The Inheritance. That was highly satisfying. I hope the authors are able to work on book 2 next year in between edits of their new "Maggie the Undying" series. It was nice seeing a rival lee clan hehe If Ada ever makes it to Baha Char she is in for such a surprise.

Naturally they had to keep the big kitty! If that is a romantic set up, Elias needs his own counter for Bear lol

The set up is obviously for Ada to work with the Cold Chaos guild on ending the threat to Earth permanently. I'm not sure if that's a romantic set up too or not and I look forward to finding out.

Review below. I think I've been reading too many rereads lately so I'm going to read Hexed in Hawes before going back to the Witchlands.

I finished Beware of Chicken 5. This was also satisfying if too short! What a melancholy, if touching, ending. It was a cute love story for Mei Mei's parents though the disaster the village suffered was terrible. I do like how it wasn't a regular plague. Being followed by a famine was horrible luck. The mom saved everyone left with her sacrifice and no one knows.

There is plenty of future set up. Cultivator life is going to come crashing back to Jin no matter how he tries to avoid it.

I think the cast may be growing too large as the story's scope grows. Travis Baldree is starting to recycle character voices. I have to pay attention to who is speaking a bit more now.

My favorite thing about the series is the slice-of-life of it all so I hope that expanding scope can stay in balance some how.

Review below. I have no idea what I want to listen to next so I'm going to take a day or two off and listen to podcasts before deciding.

Hexed in Hawes through Ch 6 I like that Adams has her parents visiting this time around. It's funny how they poke fun at her running habit and need to arrest people lol You just know her mom does have some awareness of the folk situation though probably not specifics. It will be interesting to see how they're pulled in to all of this and if they keep that knowledge at the end or if their minds try to rewrite everything that happens instead.

Hexed in Hawes Through Ch 18 At least Adams finally has someone to arrest. Too bad she's at the bottom of a river. I hope her DCI tracks down her car to the farm, that would be useful.

There must be something bigger going on again for the police force to be wanting her for... suspicious activity? Mental health? I probably read that part too fast.

This has been pretty good pacing so I think I'll finish tonight. Good old Ilona Andrews helping me out of my reading not-quite-slump.

I opted to start Snake-Eater on audio. I've never tried the read/listen sync option so that will be different. Anyway, Ch 1 Kingfisher sure has a type for her heroines. Middle aged, relationship issues (divorced, etc.), self-esteem issues and a dog. Have to love the dog.

>107 Narilka: I'm not sure I saw her as middle-aged. I thought she was in her early 30s, at the most. But I agree with the rest of your assessment!

Finished Hexed in Hawes. Her parents accepted everything too easily lol I'm glad we got the explanation that Gloria's charms were just superstition. I do want to know what the heck Adams is becoming, the hidden depths she's found and what it's awakening. She needs more time with cats she can trust, since they can talk where Dandy can't, and might be able to tell her what to research.

According to the author's note, we'll see what's next for Adams and crew in 2026.

When I was looking through the kindle store today I saw The Wizard's Cat has released! So I checked the author's blog for audio book news and it's with Podium, no ETA yet. Probably a few months. I'll have to do a The Wizard's Butler reread before it releases next year.

Now that I feel like I have some reading mojo again I'm going to finish up Witchshadow.

>108 clamairy: Were you thinking 30s? I also forgot she needs a quirky friend or barista :D

Ch 2 and I feel really bad for Selena so far. Can't say I remember reading someone with this low self-esteem in a long time. I hope whatever shenanigans are coming soon will help her out with some confidence. The Grandma neighbor could fit in that quirky friend role. I like her so far.

>110 Narilka: Didn't I say that? LOL I really enjoyed this one. Stick with it and you'll find out exactly why she is who she is.

>111 clamairy: Oh geeze lol I totally missed it and it was RIGHT THERE! haha

Snake-Eater Half way through Ch 10 This is reminding me of A House With Good Bones in that the creep factor is ramping up. I wonder if Selena turns Snake Eater back to face the room if it would go any better.

>114 Narilka: Merry Christmas to you and yours ✨

>114 Narilka: That's a wonderful holiday greeting! I am charmed.

I finished Snake-Eater. Is cozy horror a genre?? This one gave me cozy vibes but also wasn't. It also gave some horror vibes but also at no time was I worried for the protagonist. I'm glad Selena was able to decompress and start to just be herself. I think the real horror here was her relationship with Walter and how he's a more insidious kind of abuser. Selena did find her courage with Snake Eater and it helped her stand up to Walter in the end. It's nice how a small town can come together like that.

I'm glad that saving the scorpion played a part in the end. I was hoping it would.

Grandma Billie was great. Both a kick ass grandma and the quirky friend.

>114 Narilka: A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.

>114 Narilka: Love this!

>117 Narilka: So glad you enjoyed this.Wasn't Walter just awful? I've heard stories of spouses that constantly tried to undermine the confidence of their partner, and I thought Kingfisher depicted this perfectly. Loved Grandma Billie!

>119 clamairy: I agree. Kingfisher depicted this perfectly in all its awfulness.

I started Magic & Murder as my next audio book. I picked up the omnibus of the first 3 books of the Starry Hollow Witches series in an Audible sale and this is the first one. I'm just over 3 chapters in and the main character, Ember, is having a bad day at work. She goes to repo a car from a mobster, which doesn't go well. He tracks her down and threatens her and her daughter when they are saved by the timely arrival of witches claiming to be Ember's cousins. The MC is from New Jersey and the stereo typical accent the narrator is using is both annoying and accidentally hilarious. I'm entertained so far.

I'm almost done with Witchshadow and haven't had much to comment on. I go up and down on this series, really loving it and then just not wanting to read it. I think it's partially due to me not being as into Epic fantasy at the moment and also not as into YA as I was previously. There are some really good parts though and this ending is fantastic so far. I am looking forward to seeing how it all ties up now that the final book is released.

I finished Witchshadow yesterday. While I did enjoy it more reading it closer to the series, the story was rather chaotic and a bit of a mess. A friend sent me a link to a couple blog posts by the author as to what happened to the author during the writing of this book/series, which does explain a lot. I wish the author had stuck to her guns and told the story as originally intended. Additional books would've given a better set up rather than trying to cram everything into this one. The book has a great ending though it irritates me that Safi and Iseult STILL end up parted at the end.

I'm moving on to the final book, Witchlight, next.

I'm enjoying Magic & Murder more than I expected too :) Through Ch 13 I think it's great Ember is being shoved into a journalist job lol It actually makes her investigating things seem plausible in a more than "i just want to clear my name" way. I really like her daughter too and the small town paranormal community they find themselves in. I have no idea who the murderer is :) Also, that accent has toned way down or just blends with all the other accents that are now in use.

A review for Witchshadow.

A review for Snake-Eater.

I need to finish up my review for Hexed in Hawes and have run out of steam. It's partially written so I have hopes I'll finish later today after I've had a nap :D

In the mean time, can I get a little piffeling to bump my thread up to 150 comments? Thanks in advance.

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year!

And following on from the Elephant's Child in >128 Bookmarque:, here's a view of the Great Grey-Green Limpopo River.



There is a fever-tree forest not far away, and the other side of the river is Botswana.

Just adding in a literary piffle quote here:

Read what gives you delight—at least most of the time—and do so without shame. And even if you are that rare sort of person who is delighted chiefly by what some people call Great Books, don’t make them your steady intellectual diet, any more than you would eat at the most elegant of restaurants every day. It would be too much. Great books are great in part because of what they ask of their readers: they are not readily encountered, easily assessed. The poet W. H. Auden once wrote, “When one thinks of the attention that a great poem demands, there is something frivolous about the notion of spending every day with one. Masterpieces should be kept for High Holidays of the Spirit”—for our own personal Christmases and Easters, not for any old Wednesday.

This from a lovely book that I return to frequently, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs. Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year! 🥰

>126 Narilka: Another nice Kingfisher I can read! Hurray 😁

>131 jillmwo: I remember something like this in one of Robertson Davies’s essays, where he was answering a comment about reading being the adventures of the soul among masterpieces.

And seconding the praise of the Jacobs book.

>126 Narilka: I’ve just finished reading this and I adored it! Heroine finding her confidence, found family, weird desert town, humour - this hit on so many of my favourite things. The radio DJ gave me welcome to Night Vale vibes, always a good thing. Even the snake didn’t trigger my phobia. A perfect start to my reading year.

>128 Bookmarque: Oooo, thank you! Love the art and elephants :D

>130 hfglen: That is a pretty view. When was that photo taken?

>131 jillmwo: That's a great quote. I think perhaps "Read what gives you delight" should be my 2026 goal!!

I ended up taking two naps lol The first wasn't successful. The second was perfect and I feel rested. I woke up out of a dream to Toto's "Hold The Line." I have no memory of the dream but it must have been good to have that as the musical score.

I did it! A review for Hexed in Hawes.

Some wrap up for 2025....

Fun Stats
Books Read: 71
Total Pages Read: 15816
Audio Book Hours: 409h 43m
Rereads: 16
TBR Challenge: N/A

Shortest book completed: Christmas Core 153 pages
Longest book completed: Wind & Truth 1344 pages

Average book length: 391 pages

Average rating for 2025: 3.8 stars

Mount TBR
Start 2025: 222
End 2025: 268

I picked up a lot of books from my mom's collection. I did a terrible job at reading any in 2025 and hope to get through some in 2026.

2025 Series Stats
Started: 14
In progress: 19
Up to date: 19
Undecided: 4
Completed: 7
Abandoned: 8

Started in 2025
Orlando People*
Tear Down Heaven
The Obsidian Trilogy
Heralds of Valdemar*
Keeper's Chronicles
The Magical Mystery Book Club
Nine Lives Magic
DI Adams
Mother of Learning*
Witchlands
World of Chains*
The Perfect Run*
Holiday Core*
Breach Wars

Completed in 2025
Gobbelino London, PI
Old Kingdom
Keeper's Chronicles
Heralds of Valdemar*
The Obsidian Trilogy
Mother of Learning*
The Perfect Run*
Holiday Dungeon Core*

*indicates series on audio

>140 Narilka: Naps are a nice way to greet the New Year.

Oe more bit of piffle as you haven't yet got to the magic number. This is from Alberto Manguel in A Reader on Reading

...the best guides, I believe, are the reader’s whims—trust in pleasure.

From my LT Year in Review

I read the most books in December (9).

I read 71 books, which means I read a book approximately every 6 days.

My top genre: Fantasy. You read 50 books in the genre.

I added 105 books in 2025!

I added the most books in April.

Earliest publication date: The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (1934)

Latest publication date: Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher (2025)

Book Measurements for 2025:
You added 10.45 feet and 116.55 pounds to your book stack!
You need 0.69 IKEA billy bookcases to hold your new books for 2025.
Or, if you store them in the garage, you need 3.10 U-Haul boxes.
And make sure your floors will support the added weight of 6.04 adult badgers!

>144 jillmwo: Another great quote :)

>144 jillmwo: Or as Elizabeth von Arnim has it, "Only Happiness Here".

Come on everybody!!

So close. We are nearly there. One. More. Reply.

I'm sure you'll get there.

Happy New Year!

We made it!!! Thanks everyone :)

>138 Narilka: 21 May 2014! But given the funds I'd go back to Mapungubwe National Park "like from a gun a bullet"! But to Leokwe hutted camp or Vhembe bush camp; unfortunately the camping site suffers from a plague of monkeys.

ETA exact day

>153 hfglen: Very cool. I don't usually comment but I do enjoy all the photos you share and the stories behind them.

I'm thinking your cozy horror tag deserves its own thread for discussion. What do you think?

>155 clamairy: Sure. It seems to have a lot of interest since we both read Snake-Eater.