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| art by Risa Rodil |
Truer words have never been spoken, especially this month. I've been so busy with social engagements and so stressed out and exhausted the rest of the time that I feel like I've barely read a thing for the challenge this month. Okay, so 5 books is nothing to complain about, but it's still less than I usually read. Here is what I managed to actually read this month
by J.A. Pitts
416 Pages
Sarah Beauhall is a blacksmith, has a night job as a props manager for a low-budget movie, and spends her free time fighting in a medieval re-enactment group. Her world falls apart when she discovers that dragons are real and live among us as shapeshifters; in fact, it is they who have been the secret masters of our world from time immemorial. On top of all this, it appears that Sarah has managed to reforge an ancient sword that everyone suddenly wants... and those who don't want the weapon want Sarah to take on her destiny and become humanity's saviour.(☆)
As Sarah tries to make her way in this new world, she discovers just how little she knows of reality. Fairies and dwarves and giants abound, the fault line of the Pacific Northwest is rife with ancient Norse magic. Odin himself appears with ravens at his side and cryptic advice for the fledgling heroine. And the cherry on the sundae? The discovery that Sarah's girlfriend (⚥) is from a family that has been battling these forces for generations and they look to Sarah as their last best hope.
What's a girl to do when the powers of the world decide that you're responsible for cleaning up the magical mess?
I have been looking for this for this book everywhere! For some reason, no copies of this book exist in Toronto, so I eventually just ordered it in. It's not as good as the first book, which is often the case with middle books, but it was still pretty good. This book is more about the consequences of the previous book and how it affects their normal and magical lives. There isn't as much reaction to events as I would like. An acquaintance gets kidnapped at the beginning, and they try and fail to stop it, but that doesn't seem to have any lasting effect on them. The next day they are out exploring the city and picnicking in the park. It's very odd.
I'm very much looking forward to the last book in this series (if I can find it) as I imagine it will actually wrap up all of these plots that are left hanging.
by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
863 Pages (38:24 Hours)
The end draws near....
The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One’s prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight.
The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age.
Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership. All the while, an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. To prevail, he must seek answers in Tel’aran’rhiod and find a way--at long last--to master the wolf within him or lose himself to it forever
Meanwhile, Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of his life. The creatures beyond the stone gateways--the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn--have confused him, taunted him, and left him hanged, his memory stuffed with bits and pieces of other men’s lives. He had hoped that his last confrontation with them would be the end of it, but the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. The time is coming when he will again have to dance with the Snakes and the Foxes, playing a game that cannot be won. The Tower of Ghenjei awaits, and its secrets will reveal the fate of a friend long lost.
This penultimate novel of Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling series--the second of three based on materials he left behind when he died in 2007--brings dramatic and compelling developments to many threads in the Pattern. The end draws near.
Dovie’andi se tovya sagain. It’s time to toss the dice.
Things are finally coming together in the Wheel of Time. I guess they have to when it's the second last book of the series. This is a great book even if it's not focused on the characters we want all the time. My favorite plot line is always Mat's. The much anticipated trip to the Tower of Ghenjei was worth the wait and made this book for me.The other plot lines are pretty good too; hunting the Forsaken in the White Tower (#), the battles between the wolves and Slayer, Graendal's plots and plans (⚥), even Aviendha in the Waste was interesting. Not to mention, we finally find out what's in Mat's letter from Verin! I can't wait to read the next one! (!)
by Ann Aguirre
316 Pages
"The power swelled inside me, burning, hurting, but I let it center me. Pain means I’m still here, fighting. I envisioned it swelling in my hand in a seething rush, gathering, gathering, and then I sent it out on my resolve like a dark and winged thing riding the magickal wind."
As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and learn its history. Her power is a gift, but one that’s thrown her life off track. The magical inheritance she received from her mother is dangerously powerful, and Corine has managed to mark herself as a black witch by dealing with demons to solve her problems.
Back home, Corine is trying to rebuild her pawnshop and her life with her ex Chance, despite the target on her back. But when the demons she provoked kidnap her best friend in retaliation, Corine puts everything on hold to save her. It’s undoubtedly a trap, but Corine would do anything to save those she loves, even if it means sacrificing herself…
This book goes straight to hell, literally. When Shannon gets kidnapped by demons, Corina, Chance and Butch (^..^) actually head down to the Demon Underworld to rescue her. Unbeknownst to Corine, her Solomon blood (☆) carries the Queen of the Sheol, who begins to speak with her and then slowly starts to take over. The melding is done so well that it's hard to figure who is actually in control some of the time. The lines between good and evil is definitely blurred and we begin to see that maybe we've misjudged the demons. It's an interesting concept that is pulled off thanks to Aguirre's writing. As always, I'm happy to have read another good book by her.
by Brandon Sanderson
2:07 Hours
Originally appearing in the Dangerous Women anthology and now available as a solo ebook, Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell is a chilling novella of the Cosmere, the universe shared by Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series and the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive.
When the familiar and seemingly safe turns lethal, therein danger lies. Amid a forest where the shades of the dead linger all around, every homesteader knows to follow the Simple Rules: "Don't kindle flame, don't shed the blood of another, don't run at night. These things draw shades."
Silence Montane has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. And to protect her family from a murderous gang with high bounties on their heads, Silence will break every rule again, at the risk of becoming a shade herself.
2:07 Hours
When I read the above description, I was excited to find out that all of Sanderson's books take place in the same Universe.
The Cosmere is the greater universe in which The Stormlight Archive and all other Brandon Sanderson's adult fiction books take place. That is, each book he writes is set on a unique world, and each of these worlds is set in the same Cosmere. All of the books share a single creation myth, a single cosmology and are connected by an overarching story. However, none of them dominate the storyline of any of the books.
I can't wait to read everything and put it all together. This was an interesting short story about a woman and her daughters who survive on the edge of a haunted forest by running an inn and taking on bounties. It shows the lengths women will go to to keep their families safe in unsafe times. I really enjoyed this interlude into the Cosmere
by Alyssa Shelasky
272 Pages
Apron Anxiety is the hilarious and heartfelt memoir of quintessential city girl Alyssa Shelasky and her crazy, complicated love affair with...the kitchen.
Three months into a relationship with her TV-chef crush, celebrity journalist Alyssa Shelasky left her highly social life in New York City to live with him in D.C. But what followed was no fairy tale: Chef hours are tough on a relationship. Surrounded by foodies yet unable to make a cup of tea, she was displaced and discouraged. Motivated at first by self-preservation rather than culinary passion, Shelasky embarked on a journey to master the kitchen, and she created the blog Apron Anxiety (ApronAnxiety.com) to share her stories.
This is a memoir (with recipes) about learning to cook, the ups and downs of love, and entering the world of food full throttle. Readers will delight in her infectious voice as she dishes on everything from the sexy chef scene to the unexpected inner calm of tying on an apron
I picked up this book at a free little library thinking that this would be the perfect book for me. I mean Aprons & Anxieties (#) are my things. lol. I was not mistaken. This book spoke to me on so many different levels. I have been in many of her positions in my life and I felt a deep camaraderie with her. This book seemed to revolve around love, but in the end, it was even more about loving yourself and appreciating your family and friends (⚥) and the amazing women in your life, oh and bringing everyone together with food. How wonderful!
I can't wait to try out some of these amazing recipes.
Books that I am currently reading
74 of 323 Pages
266 of 485 Pages
by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
138 of 909 Pages (35:41 of 41:48 Hours)
