4. Before they Are Hanged (First Law Trilogy Book 2)

By Joe Abercrombie (514 pp)

Between this and the last book I reread a couple of other books for a class I took and I didn't list them. Why? I don't know. I have some internal rules about what books I post or don't post but I don't know what those rules are.

I discovered this author not too long ago and I am thrilled to have to many books to look forward to. This series is fantasy set in a sort-of early Europe type world -- it's really brutal. There is war everywhere and the story is divided into different points of view, each with an impossible task to do, while the evil forces are hammering on them. Lots of death and gore. But also, funny? There is a lot of humor here. I love these characters. I plan to pass the trilogy off to my cousin and I am seeing him in a week so I'm diving right into book #3.

3. Night of the Living Rez

By Morgan Talty (278 pp)

I don't know what to tell you about this book. First of all, for me, the title hints of zombies but there are none. The book is connected short stories. I love representation and seeing contemporary Indigenous stories and the writing is good. But these characters were so dysfunctional and unlikeable -- I had a hard time with it.

2. Iron Flame (Empyrean, #2)

By Rebecca Yarros (884 ebook)

As much as I loved the first book: fun setups and payoffs, dragons! romance, is how much I was disappointed in this book. It was not fun. It dragged and dragged. If I had a friend describe a relationship like the one the main character has, I would ask them to reconsider whether it was healthy. Violet is always either enraged or blaming herself for everything. I think the book was too long and rushed. I had trouble following the plot. I had trouble distinguishing the characters. I am unlikely to continue the series.

1. On A Sunbeam

By Tillie Walden (533 pp)

This is an amazing graphic novel with creative world-building. It's set in space but not like we usually see space stories. The main character Mia joins a crew that repairs old buildings and this story is woven together with flashbacks of how Mia ended up here. Really good and I should probably read again. If I have any critique it's that I had a little bit of trouble keeping some of the characters straight and where I was at in the timeline.

46. Squad: Anyone Would Kill to Belong

By Maggie Tokuda-Hall (Lisa Sterle Illustrator)(211 pp)

This is a graphic novel about a teenager who moves to a new school and falls in with the "it" crowd only turns out they are werewolves and she has to join them now that she knows the secret. I don't want to give away any spoilers but problems ensue. Loved the illustration style. Fun story.

45. Blood of Elves

By Andrzej Sapowski (398 pp)

This book was first published in 1994. I think I got it before I started watching The Witcher but then I never got around to reading it until after I watched the show. Like I say for almost every fantasy book: I got lost with the kingdoms and which people were for an against other people and who had what goals. But I loved the characters and active writing style. I loved the humor. I don't think I'm going to carry on with the entire series. Maybe.

44. Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas

By James L. Adams (209 pp)

This is one of those books I have had sitting around and read a chapter here and a chapter there and took a few notes. The book talks about creativity in organizations and problem solving. The book was recommended to me in the context of writing and for that I don't think it's particularly helpful. But as a general text to get someone thinking about blocks to creative problem solving (e.g. cultural, intellectual) it is interesting. There are also lots of exercises and ideas to improve creative thinking.

43. Tracy Flick Can't Win

By Tom Perotta (272 ebook)

This is a sequel to the book, Election, that might better be known as a movie staring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. Like all of us, Tracy is 30 years older and like many of us, the ambition of her youth didn't turn out quite the way she had hoped. Due to her mother's serious illness she ends up back in the town where she grew up and back at the high school of election where she is the vice princpal. The story is told through several viewpoints including some of the high school students. This is my favorite kind of story: dark but funny and nothing turned out like I expected.

42. The Heart Principle

By Helen Hoang (351 pp)

I followed up my romantasies with a contemporary romance. This one is about a violinst, Anna, suffering from burnout. Her terrible boyfriend wants to open up the relationship before they commit so she seaches for a one night stand and finds a dude, Quan, who is going through some stuff of his own. When the book started, I didn't think it would work for me but the leads are super charming and won me over. The story did get a little long for me with almost all of Anna's family being so insentitive and wretched toward her.

41. A Broken Blade (Halfling Saga #1)

By Melissa Blair (450 pp ebook)

When I finished Fourth Wing, I was in the mood for another fantasy book and had this one already on my ereader. I bought it because the author is Native and I love seeing a Native author in this genre. The story is about a young woman who is an assassin for the King in a magical world. There are Fae, Elves, and Mortals plus Halflings. A mysterious Shadow threatens the kingdom and Keera is dispatched to take care of him. Everything quickly becomes more complicated with lots of surprises. Fun book.

40. Fourth Wing

By Rebecca Yarros (528 pp, ebook)

This book has been popping up everywhere for me since it came out in May. It's been on my list and then moved up the list. I decided to treat myself for a long airplane ride and I am happy to say the book delivers. It's fantasy about a young woman who is enrolled against her wishes into a brutally competitive military academy. By brutal I mean people die because they can't keep up with the training or because they kill each other. Also, there are dragons. If you take all the super popular books of the last 20 years and stick them in a blender -- this is what you'd come up with. But it was super fun and page turny. I almost forgot to mention there is a steamy romance. The book isn't perfect, I had a few beefs but very fun to read. A flight attendant glanced at my ereader and immediately asked me how I was enjoying the book and whether I had Book #2 yet. It's loaded up and ready to read next.

39. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk and Robot #2)

By Becky Chambers (152 pp ebook)

Love these books. Sibling Dex and the Robot Mosscap hang out together and travel around to different villages. I find these books very comforting and relaxing.