Welcome to my May wrap-up. I’ve finally admitted to myself that this is my real reading pace. Last year was … different. In 2020 I was reading a lot because there was nothing else to do, I’m still at home and not leaving the house much but I’ve returned to my other interests. I can comfortably read about 4 books a month unless the spirit of reading overtakes me and I’m fine with that.
What I Read
Bone Crossed – Patricia Briggs
No surprise here, I read another Mercy Thompson book. I tried to read other things this month and it didn’t work out. Mercy saved me from a possible reading slump. This time she was fighting a vampire queen and hunting a ghost.
Shifting Shadows – Patricia Briggs
This is a collection of the short stories in the Mercyverse and I devoured it. The collection proved to me that I can read the other series in this universe and enjoy it. Although I love the Mercy Thompson series itself, I wasn’t sure if I’d like Alpha and Omega because what I love the most is Mercy herself. My last doubts washed away and I have already requested book 1 of A&O from the library. I’m saving my thoughts on both of these Mercy books for my next post rounding up all the books I’ve read so far in that series.
The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes – Xio Axelrod
I picked up a romance to break my urban fantasy streak. I really liked the first ~30% of this book but the ending was a little disappointing. Toni is a session guitarist with dreams of becoming a producer and Sebastian, her ex-almost, is the manager of an up and coming female rock band. Toni auditions for the band as a replacement guitarist and is once again drawn into Sebastian’s orbit. Toni on her own was much more interesting and I loved Sebastian’s friendship with his band and the co-dependent relationship he had with the original guitarist Candy. I wanted more from Toni’s relationship with the band and I wanted more tension between Candy-Toni-Sebastian. Instead of confronting the awkwardness and pain (I’m a sucker for angst) Candy was kind of shelved by the band and by Sebastian once Toni joined the picture. I’m interested enough to read the rest of the companion novels when they come out, and hopefully I’ll get more of Candy.
A Local Habitation – Seanan McGuire
This is the second book in the October Daye series. Toby is sent on a mission to make contact with Sylvester’s niece, a duchess to a small faerie knoll, who hasn’t been heard from. When Toby gets there she’s met with a group of fae who want to merge magic and technology and who are also being murdered one by one. This book kind of frustrated me: there is a sealed building with like 10 people and one is the murderer, it took Toby too long to figure out who the killer was and do something about it. The magic elements were fun and I liked the development of Toby’s relationships with her page Quentin, Tybalt the Cait Sidhe King, and Connor.
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr 1 & 2 – Ram V and Filipe Andrade
I read the first two issues of The Many Deaths of Laila Starr. The goddess of death was fired and sent to live on Earth as a mortal. I love the art, but the story has a slow start so far. It’s interesting enough for me to want to see where the story goes and I think I’ll let the issues pile up before I read anymore.
Still In Progress
I tried to have a thematic moment in May and read books involving music. I failed and that is okay. But here are the books I’m still reading.
Wild Women and The Blues – Denny S. Bryce
This book is told from a dual perspective. One perspective is modern day and is told through a young film student interviewing a woman who was heavily involved in the 1920’s Chicago jazz scene. The other perspective is the woman’s in 1925. The reason I have momentarily put this book down is the modern day perspective. That narrator is annoying to me, I don’t like him, and his scenes are not as interesting as Honoree’s. That being said, it’s amazing to see a portrayal of history and to see it come to life in this way. My college played an active role in the gentrification and destruction of the State Street Stroll, an area that used to house jazz clubs and was the beating heart of the jazz scene. So to have that representation of what it used to be and stand for is really cool.
The Final Revival Of Opal and Nev – Dawnie Walton
I haven’t read many books that are told in a multimedia format, let alone in the style of interviews. It’s cool so far, I haven’t read enough to have a strong opinion but I’m enjoying myself.
Drop me a book on your summer TBR
Intisar Speaks 