Wednesday Reading Meme
What I Just Finished Reading: 3 books last week: Twilight Falls by Juneau Black, Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland, and Karma's A Bitch by Shannon Esposito. In that last one, Karma is the dog's name... and he's male. Shannon missed something there. LOL (Reviews below)
What I'm Reading Right Now: I haven't picked up my next book yet. I finished the last one on Monday so should have started the next by now, but I worked late last night and then was sooooo tired...
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Still keeping with clearing up the prompts on my almost-done challenges. Next up is Reprieve by James Han Mattson, and I also have 5 books listed on Give Me Five for somebody else to pick the one after that.
90. Twilight Falls by Juneau Black
A relaxing day with her beau, Orville, turns into a murder investigation for fox reporter Vera Vixen when a senior otter goes over the falls in the fourth book in the series.
I absolutely love this series about anthropomorphic animals going about their lives in the town of Shady Hollow, and this one was no exception. Orville and Vera’s relationship is still on track, and beaver Anastasia van Pelt is doing some growing up as well with her new love. But not everyone is happy for the lovers, which leads to the aforementioned mystery at Twilight Falls.
I enjoyed that the authors tried to mix things up with this one in regard to who the murderer could be. I also liked that they are letting the characters grow and not sticking just with what worked in the previous books. Another lovely entry in the series.
Dates Read: July 15 to 18, 2024
Page Count: 259
5 out of 5 stars
+ Challenge Factory Save The Bees - Task 1, Prompt 1 - MC is not tidy
+ Challenge Factory GISH Prompt 132. Published in 2023 and Prompt 133. Featuring an endangered creature (including in list: sea otter)
+ Lost Challenges BINGO - I19 (13/25)
91. Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
The sequel to Dread Nation finds post-Civil War USA further torn apart by both the relentless march of the undead and the racial tensions that not even a mutual enemy can mend. The heroes and villains from the previous books return, but what I love about this sequel is how each person can almost fill both roles. Gideon thinks he’s working to save mankind and leaves destruction in his wake; Jane lets her base nature take hold with Katherine’s steadying influence; Redfern tries to skirt the edge but ultimately he is always looking out for number one. Kate is perhaps the only character that stays true to herself, and as such she’s the anchor of the tale and the one I hoped for most.
Race, gender, and sexuality are all dealt with deftly here. Kate is asexual, Jane is bisexual, and both states simple are, without any fuss or fanfare. Kate is determined to no longer ‘pass’, not liking the way it erodes at her self-esteem, and everyone is seeking a community where they can flourish. The women are the leaders here and this is a powerful book about friendship… and zombies.
Dates Read: July 19 to 21, 2024
Page Count: 553
5 out of 5 stars
+ Challenges and Fandoms Fan Favourite 14 - book on TBR that matches track list of fave album (13/16)
92. Karma’s A Bitch by Shannon Esposito
I only picked this up for a prompt in a challenge - do you have any idea how hard it is to find a readily available book with a flowerpot on the cover?
Anyway, the idea behind this is good: pet accessories store owner Darwin gets psychic flashes from animals, which she uses to solve the murder of a homeless man she befriended. But everything is so clunky, from the hints of her family magical background, the instalove with the local cop, and especially the interactions with the homeless community, which actively made me cringe. I mean, I know it’s a cozy mystery, but maybe make *some* effort at realism here.
It did gain an extra star by at least offering a pretty wide array of suspects for the murder, and while I figured quite a few things out, the actual murderer was a surprise to me.
Date Read: July 22, 2024
Page Count: 302
3 out of 5 stars
+ Challenge Factory Save the Bees - 1B - flowerpot on cover (Task 1/7)
+ Challenge Factory GISH 168. MC uses a candle or oil lamp and 179. “dream” or “diary” in text
.
What I'm Reading Right Now: I haven't picked up my next book yet. I finished the last one on Monday so should have started the next by now, but I worked late last night and then was sooooo tired...
What I'm Planning to Read Next: Still keeping with clearing up the prompts on my almost-done challenges. Next up is Reprieve by James Han Mattson, and I also have 5 books listed on Give Me Five for somebody else to pick the one after that.
90. Twilight Falls by Juneau Black
A relaxing day with her beau, Orville, turns into a murder investigation for fox reporter Vera Vixen when a senior otter goes over the falls in the fourth book in the series.
I absolutely love this series about anthropomorphic animals going about their lives in the town of Shady Hollow, and this one was no exception. Orville and Vera’s relationship is still on track, and beaver Anastasia van Pelt is doing some growing up as well with her new love. But not everyone is happy for the lovers, which leads to the aforementioned mystery at Twilight Falls.
I enjoyed that the authors tried to mix things up with this one in regard to who the murderer could be. I also liked that they are letting the characters grow and not sticking just with what worked in the previous books. Another lovely entry in the series.
Dates Read: July 15 to 18, 2024
Page Count: 259
5 out of 5 stars
+ Challenge Factory Save The Bees - Task 1, Prompt 1 - MC is not tidy
+ Challenge Factory GISH Prompt 132. Published in 2023 and Prompt 133. Featuring an endangered creature (including in list: sea otter)
+ Lost Challenges BINGO - I19 (13/25)
91. Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
The sequel to Dread Nation finds post-Civil War USA further torn apart by both the relentless march of the undead and the racial tensions that not even a mutual enemy can mend. The heroes and villains from the previous books return, but what I love about this sequel is how each person can almost fill both roles. Gideon thinks he’s working to save mankind and leaves destruction in his wake; Jane lets her base nature take hold with Katherine’s steadying influence; Redfern tries to skirt the edge but ultimately he is always looking out for number one. Kate is perhaps the only character that stays true to herself, and as such she’s the anchor of the tale and the one I hoped for most.
Race, gender, and sexuality are all dealt with deftly here. Kate is asexual, Jane is bisexual, and both states simple are, without any fuss or fanfare. Kate is determined to no longer ‘pass’, not liking the way it erodes at her self-esteem, and everyone is seeking a community where they can flourish. The women are the leaders here and this is a powerful book about friendship… and zombies.
Dates Read: July 19 to 21, 2024
Page Count: 553
5 out of 5 stars
+ Challenges and Fandoms Fan Favourite 14 - book on TBR that matches track list of fave album (13/16)
92. Karma’s A Bitch by Shannon Esposito
I only picked this up for a prompt in a challenge - do you have any idea how hard it is to find a readily available book with a flowerpot on the cover?
Anyway, the idea behind this is good: pet accessories store owner Darwin gets psychic flashes from animals, which she uses to solve the murder of a homeless man she befriended. But everything is so clunky, from the hints of her family magical background, the instalove with the local cop, and especially the interactions with the homeless community, which actively made me cringe. I mean, I know it’s a cozy mystery, but maybe make *some* effort at realism here.
It did gain an extra star by at least offering a pretty wide array of suspects for the murder, and while I figured quite a few things out, the actual murderer was a surprise to me.
Date Read: July 22, 2024
Page Count: 302
3 out of 5 stars
+ Challenge Factory Save the Bees - 1B - flowerpot on cover (Task 1/7)
+ Challenge Factory GISH 168. MC uses a candle or oil lamp and 179. “dream” or “diary” in text
.