ŷ������

Ioana wrote: "I agree with Bill, a book that's not enjoyable can/should be abandoned. Life is too short and there are too many good books out there waiting...

Hopefully The Priory of the Orange Tree will return soon."

Yes, you have taught me so much about letting go of books and series that aren't interesting. There are too many other books out there that will suit me better.

The Priory of the Orange Tree came in at one of my libraries, but I'm working late and the hours are still more limited than they used to be. So, I gave my hubby my library card and he's going to go pick it up. I figure after 25 years of marriage, I can trust him with one of my library cards, but I do feel incomplete knowing my library card isn't with me right now! It's almost like leaving my ID at home!! Hopefully, I can make some more progress on that chunkster soon before I forget who all the characters were!

Alondra wrote: "It sounds like my kind of book. Right now, I need to NOT buy anything else for a while. 🤔😬

I am actually considering getting rid of some books, because I am starting to double-stack my shelves again. I just don't have room for another bookshelf! 😩🤦🏾"

Getting rid of books? I just perked up. No, I don't have anywhere to store them either. But books!!! I love to browse my book shelves and I hate them when they are messy, but I also like to squeeze as many books as possible and get rid of as few books as I can. I keep saying I might want to read them...good luck with your book organizing!

Lillie wrote: "Read both of these books and liked Book Lovers (3.5 stars) but really loved The Space Between Worlds (5 stars). I'm going to have to go and see to the Buddy Chat and see your discussions. Think I was more willing to let things slide because I fell in love with the concept. Like I always say, I'm an emotional reader, lol

Overall, sounds like a good half of the month."

Lillie, maybe you don't want to read what Ioana and I were talking about on The Space Between Worlds - I really don't want to ruin the book for you. I honestly think it may have been a case of expectations for me. I expected to LOVE The Space Between Worlds, so when it didn't hit for me, I felt a bit disappointed. Whereas I didn't really think I was going to like Book Lovers very much, given my checkered past with Ms. Henry and romance books in general, so I was pleasantly surprised when the book was so good. Maybe you had the reverse, or were in the right mood for the book or whatever. We readers are a fickle and moody group. :-)

Glad you're getting The Priory of the Orange Tree back! I've been on the fence about this one, so will be interested to hear your final thoughts. I probably would need a character chart to keep up.
I'm with you on Emily Henry. Needed a kind of "light read" for an audio and went with Book Lovers even though her other books had been just so-so for me. I did enjoy it, but not too sure of the ending? Seemed a bit ambiguous for a romance. But maybe it wasn't considered a true romance? Anyway, it did make for a good audio.

Lillie wrote: "I'm going to have to go and see to the Buddy Chat and see your discussions. Think I was more willing to let things slide because I fell in love with the concept. Like I always say, I'm an emotional reader, lol"

Maybe you shouldn't read our buddy chat. You loved it, that's all that matters. Who cares what those 2 grumpy women were complaining about? Just let things slide...books are to be enjoyed, not overly analyzed.

You're making some great progress! I've not read many of the books you've read. I'm one of those who loved The Maid. It had some flaws, but I do like seeing characters on the spectrum being portrayed positively.

Ioana wrote: "Maybe you shouldn't read our buddy chat. You loved it, that's all that matters. Who cares what those 2 grumpy women were complaining about? Just let things slide...books are to be enjoyed, not overly analyzed."

Ok, I’ve been convinced not to look at your buddy read discussion. I’m going to pretend there wasn’t anything wrong with the book, lol

Lillie wrote: "there wasn’t anything wrong with the book, lol"

There wasn't 😉

Lea wrote: "Getting rid of books? I just perked up. No, I don't have anywhere to store them either. But books!!! c..."

Exactly. I'm still waffling on it, though. I think I just want to get rid of the Goosebumps that i've read and books that were 2 stars or less. I figure they aren't worth a reread.

Patricia wrote: "Glad you're getting The Priory of the Orange Tree back! I've been on the fence about this one, so will be interested to hear your final thoughts. I probably would need a character chart to keep up.
I'm with you on Emily Henry. Needed a kind of "light read" for an audio and went with Book Lovers even though her other books had been just so-so for me. I did enjoy it, but not too sure of the ending? Seemed a bit ambiguous for a romance. But maybe it wasn't considered a true romance? Anyway, it did make for a good audio."

There's are a few character charts in the back of the book that I frequently refer to. Sometimes I have to check all the charts in order to find who they were (i.e. the animals have a separate chart). Still, I'm really enjoying the book. It's hard to plough through, but even the short break in between libraries has made it a bit hard to remember who everybody is for me.

Do you remember what you didn't like about the ending, Patricia?
There was stuff I liked and stuff I didn't like. I really liked that Nora got to remain who she is. (view spoiler)[I was afraid the author would give her a surprise baby and suddenly she'd realize that all she wanted all along to settle down in the country. Not that there's anything wrong with that life, but it wasn't who I thought the character was. (hide spoiler)] On the other hand, it didn't ring true (view spoiler)[ that if the characters were really into each other that they would just drop contact with one another. Maybe that was what you meant when you thought the ending was too ambiguous? In the epilogue, they got engaged some months later, but I think the point from when Nora moved to the city and before they met at the bookstore on her mother's former birthday created a few question marks in my mind. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, I'm clearly overthinking things again. :-)

Ioana wrote: "Maybe you shouldn't read our buddy chat. You loved it, that's all that matters. Who cares what those 2 grumpy women were complaining about? Just let things slide...books are to be enjoyed, not overly analyzed."

Unless you enjoy overly analyzing things...in which case...as my boss says after I've overly analyzed something...there's help for that, but you need to want to get help. :-) :-)

Martha wrote: "You're making some great progress! I've not read many of the books you've read. I'm one of those who loved The Maid. It had some flaws, but I do like seeing characters on the spectrum being portrayed positively."

Martha, I am so glad you enjoyed The Maid. I think that was my main problem, though. Because I had some issues with the character that could have been on the spectrum, I didn't enjoy/like her character as much as I wanted to. I hope more authors will write interesting characters like this!

Ioana wrote: "Lillie wrote: "there wasn’t anything wrong with the book, lol"

There wasn't 😉"

Ioana's right. Nothing significant for sure, I'm excited to read the sequel whenever it is done!

Alondra wrote: "Exactly. I'm still waffling on it, though. I think I just want to get rid of the Goosebumps that i've read and books that were 2 stars or less. I figure they aren't worth a reread."

That sounds like a reasonable plan. I try to make my decision right afterwards if I will reread a book or not and then give it to a friend/donate it if I will not. Once a book makes its way back to my book shelves, it remains in that black hole until I have to work on reorganizing the shelves...which only happens when I have space (hahahahaha!) or not enough space. So basically, whenever there isn't any space. :-) :-) :-)

Lea wrote: "Unless you enjoy overly analyzing things...in which case...as my boss says after I've overly analyzed something...there's help for that, but you need to want to get help. :-) :-)"

Your boss is funny, and right. 🤣🤣🤣
Please don't tell my husband there are alternatives to over analyzing things, I'm working hard to convince him this is the only way.

Ioana wrote: "Your boss is funny, and right. 🤣🤣🤣
Please don't tell my husband there are alternatives to over analyzing things, I'm working hard to convince him this is the only way."

I think it *is* the only way. For realz. :-) :-) :-)

Lea wrote: "I think it *is* the only way. For realz. :-) :-) :-)"

😘

Lea wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Glad you're getting The Priory of the Orange Tree back! I've been on the fence about this one, so will be interested to hear your final thoughts. I probably would n..."
Ok--red face here. I read what you said about the book and tried to line it up with what I was thinking, and it didn't work. I believe the ending I was thinking about actually belongs to Flying Solo. So, please disregard my comments about Book Lovers. Pretty sure I was actually fine with that ending! (Think I read too many books?!!)

Patricia wrote: "Ok--red face here. I read what you said about the book and tried to line it up with what I was thinking, and it didn't work. I believe the ending I was thinking about actually belongs to Flying Solo. So, please disregard my comments about Book Lovers. Pretty sure I was actually fine with that ending! (Think I read too many books?!!)"

Do I think you read too many books? No. Definitely not. Maybe not enough. I need as many great reviews as possible, so you all have to keep reading and reading. :-) :-) :-)

Flying Solo actually sounds good, I may have to read it. Then we can re-write the ending together! :-)

Lea wrote: "Patricia wrote: "Ok--red face here. I read what you said about the book and tried to line it up with what I was thinking, and it didn't work. I believe the ending I was thinking about actually belo..."
Sounds like a plan!

Man you are reading some LORGE books, proud of you!!

Patricia wrote: "Sounds like a plan!"

I love a good plan. And lots of good books. With good endings! :-)

Alissa wrote: "Man you are reading some LORGE books, proud of you!!"

I am kind of shocked with myself. I did put a lot of huge books on my individual list, but I'm actually reading them...and also reading more...since I didn't put The Priory of the Orange Tree on my list and decided to read it anyways.

March Month End Report

Books Read: 12 books this month and 38 so far this year. 14,049 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 30/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 2/11, 2023 Books 28/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 8/16

Previously discussed:

Bad Gays: A Homosexual History
The Space Between Worlds
Book Lovers

Recently finished:

Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night - This book is the third in the series, starting with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, about a world where there are some androids pretending to be human. I think I'm over the blade runner series. This installment was clunky and boring to me. The author, K.W. Jeter, likes to try and make surprising twists and there were some times when I wasn't expecting where the plot turned. However, just because I was surprised by a twist does not mean I will automatically like it! While I typically love a good unexpected twist, I would rather have a book where the plot makes sense and flows smoothly even if I suspect where the author is going with the plot, than a book where I am surprised, if the surprise doesn't fit with the rest of the book. Sorry, but no, I will not be reading the last book in this series. Or so I think now. 1 star.

Wayward - This book is the sequel to Wanderers, a story about a pandemic taking over the world. I think I rated both books 3 stars, but I did prefer the first book to the second in the series. This book dealt with the aftermath of the pandemic and there were some really good parts, but I felt like there was a lot of work in between to get to the really good parts. I'd still recommend it though. If you didn't like the first one, pass, this is more of the same, but if you loved the first one, you definitely don't want to miss this. 3 stars.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - Every year, I re-read a book or a series of books from my past, and this year I picked Mrs. Frisby. Parts of this book definitely feel dated. It's about a widowed mouse, who in caring for her children, encounter some rats who have some secrets of their own. I rated it the same as before, Same rating this time, 3 stars, but I think I enjoyed different things about the book this time. I don't remember the rest of the books in the series, which are written by the author of this first book's daughter. 3 stars.

The Rooster Bar - A buddy read with Lindsay and Alissa. I don't think this book is amongst John Grisham's best written books, but it does bring up some very important issues with regard to student loans, law schools and immigration. It's definitely a book where you hate the players but you also hate the game they've had to play. I had some issues with the ending, but I am glad I read the book. 3 stars.

Carrie Soto Is Back - I have a checkered history with Taylor Jenkins Reid. I like her books, but I do not LOVE them and I felt particularly her last one, Malibu Rising, was readable, but nothing to get too excited about. I was worried about this book, because Carrie Soto is an unlikable character in Malibu Rising, and I really don't care about her or tennis. Despite that, I found myself really enjoying this book. Maybe having low expectations helped. I found myself rooting for Carrie in the end. 4 stars.

Dead to the World - This is the fourth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and I enjoyed it much more than the last two books in the series. It is important not to pay too much attention to the details, Ms. Harris clearly does not have a continuity editor. :-) 3 stars.

Anne of Ingleside - I think this book is funnier now as an adult. As a child, I didn't understand the dynamics of having an annoying houseguest who won't leave and meeting up with old friends after being married for a long time. And I was still amused by the friendships that the Blythe children had - pretty sure that I befriended one of the same girls that Diana did when I was younger. you know, the one that makes up all those crazy stories. 4 stars.

The Priory of the Orange Tree- I started reading this book on February 11th. My libraries did not have the audiobook, so even reading a chapter or two a day, I just finished this book yesterday. It's a huge book, over 800 pages, and I liked the book and would recommend it to those of you who love fantasy books. The world Ms. Shannon creates is interesting and expansive. The characters check quite a few of the diversity requirement boxes, and I identified very few continuity errors, which is impressive given the sheer size of the book. However, there's something I can't quite put my finger on that prevents me from putting this book on a list of favorites. Maybe it is because Ms. Shannon spends so much time discussing the politics of each area to rationalize what the characters do, that I feel like I don't actually get to know and love these great characters. Things happen to these characters, and I find myself not feeling anything, and maybe it is because I don't have an instinct for what I think they would/should do. I don't feel a connection to them or have a compatible situation where I would behave similarly. Whereas when I read The Hobbit, which this has been compared to, I immediately felt a connection to poor Bilbo, who gets the honor of hosting an impromptu party for Gandalf and the twelve dwarfs, and that continued throughout the book. I am reading the sequel. So it wasn't bad. Some parts of her books are quite impressive and in this book, dragons talk!!! So many great medieval animals too. Good, but could be better. So, 3 stars.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea - So, I loved this book, but apparently, some of my book buddies thought it was boring. It's a Korean fairy tale about the annual sacrifice of a woman to the sea god. It is far from perfect from a continuity errors perspective, and it isn't like a Marvel comic book type of story, but I just love the lyrical story telling. 4 stars.

Currently reading:

A Day of Fallen Night - The presequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree. I have to confess that when the author herself says that this book is a little longer and more politically complex than Priory, with a larger cast and more settings, I had a second and third thought to picking up this book at all. I thought the first book had way too many political complications, almost too large of a cast and a lot of settings already. I then decided that if I wanted to read this one, I will read it now, while the memory of the sequel is still fresh. And then, I'm taking a long break from fantasy books. What can I say? I'm a sucker for pretty covers. (Side poll: which cover do you think is the prettiest? , or )

Rainbow Valley - Nighttime reading. I just started this book.

A Touch of Dead - This is a compilation of side short stories in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I will be reading it alongside the other books in the series in the best order that can be managed. So, it will be here awhile, unless I decide to plough through the series a little faster than the one book per month speed that I'm currently going at.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation ��

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. Crescent City (1)
2. Heartstopper (1)
3. It Ends with Us (1)
4. Beartown (1)
5. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
6. Wanderers (1)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. The Roots of Chaos (1)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (9)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Alex Stern (1)
2. Xanth (41)
3. Zoe Washington (1)
4. The Princess Diaries (1)
5. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series: (so you can see how I really made no progress!)
1. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (9)
2. Jake Brigance (1)
3. The Miniaturist (1)
4. Comoran Strike (4)
5. Stephanie Plum (8)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner

Book of the Month: for me it was The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
Worst book: Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night was not for me
Biggest surprise: I was pleasantly surprised by Book Lovers
Greatest accomplishment: I finished two books that were both over 800 pages this month!

I like the yellow cover best. You've had a great month. I've given up on Sookie finally, but I did enjoy some of the books. Glad you're enjoying for the most part.

Looks like you had a good month Lea and knocked out a couple of huge books. I totally agree with you about The Rooster Bar. Not Grisham's best and I would add depressing. I think he must have needed money. Your discussion of TPOTOT has totally upset me. It looks like a book I would like but I read two from this authors previous series and I have to say I had a lot of problems with them. I finally convinced myself to give up on the series. Because of that I have been resisting reading TPOTOT, very successfully I might add, until your review. And you tell me it has been compared to The Hobbit? JRR Tolkien? Sacred text for fantasy nerds? Now I'm going to have to read it if only to say TPOTOT I have read The Hobbit and you sir are not The Hobbit. Thanks a lot! I'm going to Libby now to put it on reserve. Also the first cover is definitely the prettiest.

Great month!!! And yes I agree about Carrie Soto- her dad was the best character IMO

Bill wrote: "I like the yellow cover best. You've had a great month. I've given up on Sookie finally, but I did enjoy some of the books. Glad you're enjoying for the most part."

I love the yellow cover too.

I am hoping to read all of the ŷ������ Choice Awards, so hopefully I can at least make it to #9 and #10 in the series. So far, I still think I can enjoy it enough to continue, but we'll see. You aren't the first person to tell me that they gave up on the series in the middle. And based upon the books you've been reading lately, I can certainly see why. :-)

Michelle wrote: "Looks like you had a good month Lea and knocked out a couple of huge books. I totally agree with you about The Rooster Bar. Not Grisham's best and I would add depressing. I think he must have needed money. Your discussion of TPOTOT has totally upset me. It looks like a book I would like but I read two from this authors previous series and I have to say I had a lot of problems with them. I finally convinced myself to give up on the series. Because of that I have been resisting reading TPOTOT, very successfully I might add, until your review. And you tell me it has been compared to The Hobbit? JRR Tolkien? Sacred text for fantasy nerds? Now I'm going to have to read it if only to say TPOTOT I have read The Hobbit and you sir are not The Hobbit. Thanks a lot! I'm going to Libby now to put it on reserve. Also the first cover is definitely the prettiest."

Oh, my goodness, Michelle, I am both pleased and devastated that my TPOTOT review upset you. When I heard that it was supposedly "the Hobbit for girls," I felt the exact same as you - that is one super high bar to reach. I feel as though all of Ms. Shannon's books are compared to these great works of literature and for me, they never hold up.

The other thing I'm noticing is that I read the paper copy of the first book, but I got the audiobook for the second book, and I don't like the narrator. So, now I'm not sure if the second book is definitely weaker, or if I just don't like the format.

Perhaps you'll have a better experience than I do - I really hope so if you're going to invest that amount of time in something. It is a super long book to read just to prove a point...that it is no JRR Tolkien book. Hopefully you love the book, or at least find some redeeming qualities to make it worth your read. It was for me.

I think Grisham is running out of plots. There's only so much that can happen in a court room so now he's writing about basketball, animals, etc. and in The Rooster Bar, immigration and student loans. Perhaps we can send him a few writing prompts, together with proper endings for books, and he can come up with the legal jargon in the middle? :-)

Alissa wrote: "Great month!!! And yes I agree about Carrie Soto- her dad was the best character IMO"

OMG, I loved Javier Soto. I couldn't understand how Carrie turned out how she did having him as a father/coach.

My favorite character was Nicki Chan. I was rooting for her until towards the end when I decided to root for both her and Carrie. :-)

Lea wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Looks like you had a good month Lea and knocked out a couple of huge books. I totally agree with you about The Rooster Bar. Not Grisham's best and I would add depressing. I think h..."

Now that you remind me her other series was supposed to be the next Harry Potter. It really wasn't. After checking the library I am pleased to say that it will probably be about 5 years before I can get the book. By that time I am sure my outrage will have died down and maybe I will be able to talk myself out of this one. Again. Still, The Hobbit?

Great month & congrats on finishing those big books! So far, the longest books I've read (or reading) seem to be about 475-480 pp. Which is fine. I don't really want them to add pages to make it over 500.
You haven't convinced me to try Priory of the Orange Tree--yet. I have several other very long fantasy books to get to that I know I want to read, so we'll see. I agree with Michelle on that comparison. The Hobbit? I am impressed that you have jumped into the next one though.

Great month, Lea! I may have to take a look at The Girl who fell beneath the Sea, it looks interesting.

Great month, with some humongous books, well done! I'm not convinced I should try TPOTOT...should I? Don't judge, but The Hobbit was only ok for me.

Kudos on a great month of reading.

Still waffling on Priory of the Orange Tree.

Michelle wrote: "Now that you remind me her other series was supposed to be the next Harry Potter. It really wasn't. After checking the library I am pleased to say that it will probably be about 5 years before I can get the book. By that time I am sure my outrage will have died down and maybe I will be able to talk myself out of this one. Again. Still, The Hobbit?"

The Hobbit? I know. Really. And The Hobbit for girls? There was only one thing wrong with The Hobbit for me and that I didn't think any of the female characters were very interesting. But, I'd rather read an amazing book without female characters than read a good book with better representation. I think comparisons are a bit dangerous, because it is hard to hold up. I am reading the second book and I'm not impressed so far. :-(

Patricia wrote: "Great month & congrats on finishing those big books! So far, the longest books I've read (or reading) seem to be about 475-480 pp. Which is fine. I don't really want them to add pages to make it over 500.
You haven't convinced me to try Priory of the Orange Tree--yet. I have several other very long fantasy books to get to that I know I want to read, so we'll see. I agree with Michelle on that comparison. The Hobbit? I am impressed that you have jumped into the next one though."

Yes, I'm a bit lukewarm on The Priory. It's not the next Hobbit for girls. It's a lot of pages to read to just be good, I am sure there are amazing fantasy books that we should all be reading instead. I think over 400 pages can be a lot too. I'm not sure how I've got all these fat books on my TBR, I never think of them that way. We'll see what gets read this year, I may get bored of these big books and hit up the graphic novels.

Carolien wrote: "Great month, Lea! I may have to take a look at The Girl who fell beneath the Sea, it looks interesting."

I thought it was really interesting. There isn't a lot of action, but I love fairy tales.

Ioana wrote: "Great month, with some humongous books, well done! I'm not convinced I should try TPOTOT...should I? Don't judge, but The Hobbit was only ok for me."

No, I don't think TPOTOT is for you, Ioana. Since fantasy is not your favorite genre, skip it. I think it is a lot of work to read for a good book. If you're going to read an epic fantasy book with lots of pages, pick an amazing book! :-)

Alondra wrote: "Kudos on a great month of reading.

Still waffling on Priory of the Orange Tree."

I know, I wasn't very helpful with my lukewarm rating. The cover art is amazing, but it is a lot of work to read. I think there are other fantasy novels you'll probably enjoy more. Now I need to find those and read them. :-)

Lea wrote: "No, I don't think TPOTOT is for you, Ioana. Since fantasy is not your favorite genre, skip it. I think it is a lot of work to read for a good book. If you're going to read an epic fantasy book with lots of pages, pick an amazing book! :-)"

Phew, I'm just going to follow your advice. I have a lot of other tomes on my TBR that I'd rather read first. ❤️

Lea wrote: "The cover art is amazing, but it is a lot of work to read. I think there are other fantasy novels you'll probably enjoy more. Now I need to find those and read them. :-)"

I agree, the cover is beautiful and the thing that made me consider the book. Yes, please find that amazing fantasy book that we should all read. No pressure ;-)

Lea wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Kudos on a great month of reading.

Still waffling on Priory of the Orange Tree."

I know, I wasn't very helpful with my lukewarm rating. The cover art is amazing, but it is a lot ..."

That's what I've heard. I don't want to slog through a Fantasy read; but I am a sucker for some great cover art. *sigh*

Read Ring, Shout. Yes, for some reason its listed as horror; but its mostly Fantasy. 🤔😇

Ioana wrote: "Phew, I'm just going to follow your advice. I have a lot of other tomes on my TBR that I'd rather read first. ❤️"

I don't think you'll be disappointed with that decision. I feel like I've been reading a lot of fantasy and tomes this year. It's time for something completely different! :-)

Ioana wrote: "I agree, the cover is beautiful and the thing that made me consider the book. Yes, please find that amazing fantasy book that we should all read. No pressure ;-)"

LOL, no worries, I will keep reading Fantasy books and giving you my honest opinion. However, I might take a little tiny break, because after all the fantasy tomes I've read this year, I need to pick something completely different!

Alondra wrote: "That's what I've heard. I don't want to slog through a Fantasy read; but I am a sucker for some great cover art. *sigh*

Read Ring, Shout. Yes, for some reason its listed as horror; but its mostly Fantasy. 🤔😇"

Thanks for the recommendation. I became interested in Ring Shout after Lillie and you read the book, and I agree, it's all one mixed genre. There's always a lot of Reality in a good Fantasy story, but unfortunately, I think there are also elements of Horror in today's current Reality. :-)

Lea wrote: "Alondra wrote: "That's what I've heard. I don't want to slog through a Fantasy read; but I am a sucker for some great cover art. *sigh*

Read Ring, Shout. Yes, for some reason its listed as horror;..."

Cool beans!

Lea wrote: "I might take a little tiny break, because after all the fantasy tomes I've read this year, I need to pick something completely different!"

Take your time, I've just started Alexander Hamilton. With almost 900 pages, this will take a while ...

April Mid Month Report

Books Read: 4 books so far this month and 42 so far this year. 15,141 pages.

Books from Filling in the Gaps: 32/100; 2020 Books 0/1, 2022 Books 2/11, 2023 Books 30/82

Books from 12+4 Challenge: 9/16

Recently finished:

Rainbow Valley - In the Anne of Green Gables series, this one is mainly about Anne's kids and the kids of the widowed minister. There's also a runaway they take in to save from having to go to the orphanage. For whatever reason, this book didn't seem to hold up for me, and I rated it 3 stars this time around.

The Inheritance Games - My main reading this month was A Day of Fallen Night, which I will hopefully finish today or tomorrow, but after reading so many fantasy books recently, and this being 880 pages, I needed a palate cleanser. I tore through this book in two days. It is a book about a young girl who inherits a fortune, with the stipulation that she needs to live in the house for one year. The rest of the family, who expected to receive the inheritance lives there too and there is a mystery to solve. This book is not perfect, but I needed something fun and this fit the bill. The third book in the series won the GRC Award for YA Fiction, and I see that a fourth book in the series was just announced. I'm worried that the sequels will not hold up, given where the plot seems to be headed. 3 stars.

The Call of the Wild - I read this book as a child, but I never rated it here on GR, since I couldn't remember it. This book is brutal and I remembered quite a bit of it while re-reading, but I was also confusing it with White Fang, so the ending was a little bit of a surprise. It's a tough book, but a good one. 3 stars

Rasco and the Rats of NIMH - I didn't think I'd ever read this book before, but the plot seemed familiar, so it is possible. The first book in the series, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, was a book I enjoyed as a child and it held up OK, but this book didn't really work for me, and I think I remembered feeling the same way as a child. Some of the characters behave totally differently in this installment. I can't remember anything about the third book, so I will definitely read that one also. 2 stars

Currently reading:

A Day of Fallen Night - This is the sequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, and I'm almost done with it. It took me most of the month (the four other books I've finished this month are all children's books) and I don't like it. I am hoping to finish tomorrow and unless something fascinating happens in the epilogue, I'm pretty sure this will mark the end of this series for me.

A Touch of Dead - This is a compilation of side short stories in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I will be reading it alongside the other books in the series in the best order that can be managed. So, I haven't read anything, because I haven't progressed in the Stackhouse series.

Rilla of Ingleside - I'm about 1/3 of the way through this book, the last book in the Anne of Green Gables series.

Progress on the Whack-a-Mole Series Situation ��

Series Completed this year (for the moment...):
1. Crescent City (1)
2. Heartstopper (1)
3. It Ends with Us (1)
4. Beartown (1)
5. The Space Between Worlds (1) :-)
6. Wanderers (1)

Series Started This Year with Books Remaining:
1. The Roots of Chaos (1)
2. The Inheritance Games (2)

Series Started Last Year with Books Remaining:
1. Sookie Stackhouse (9)

Series That Added Books This Year with number of books I still need to read in that series:
1. Alex Stern (1)
2. Xanth (41)
3. Zoe Washington (1)
4. The Princess Diaries (1)
5. The Jaipur Trilogy (1)
6. You (2)

Series That Added Books Last Year with number of books I still need to read in that series: (so you can see how I really made no progress!)
1. Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez (9)
2. Jake Brigance (1)
3. The Miniaturist (1)
4. Comoran Strike (4)
5. Stephanie Plum (8)

Abandoned series:
1. Blade Runner

Good for you on almost completing the Anne books. I've got a few to go still. Will you check out the Emily of New Moon books or have you already read them?