TBR of Doom Freezing Rain Edition (Patreon)

I like snow--I was hoping for snow. Instead we got freezing rain, so Smalls has been home from school for two days, which has made working difficult. I'm glad the kid is curious and has lots of questions but also I would like to concentrate for more than ten seconds at a time. Last weekend was also hectic since I was tackling the copy edits for Red in Tooth and Claw (turned in Monday! Yaaaaay!) in between dealing with Smalls and running Bigs to urgent care. I had been banking on my mom watching Smalls, but she didn't feel good, and Man Friend was gone most of Saturday getting his mom out of the rehab center (she broke her spine over the holidays) and getting her settled at home.

So, as you can imagine, lots of stuff got back burnered. This right here is why I try to go to so many writing retreats. Sometimes it's the only way I can finish a book.

Because I was so tired of staring at my own words, I did a lot of audio over the last week or so.  I listened to The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves, (adult mystery) which is the first book the show Vera is based on. I liked it, even though it had a weird set up to the story--you get one woman's POV about events, then a second woman's POV of the same time period, than the third woman's of the same-ish time period. You get new info each time and the characters are interesting, but it made it feel a bit slow. Slow isn't bad, but if you're looking for fast-paced, this isn't it. Vera doesn't even show up until like half way through the book. I still liked it though, and will probably listen to more of them.

I've DNF'd several audiobooks since then, having a hard time connecting with narrators or storylines. I don't think those books were bad, I just think I was being persnickety.  I tried to listen to two different ones last night, ending up on Heartbreaker by Julie Garwood (Adult Thriller/Romantic Suspense). Apparently I haven't outgrown or pivoted away from listening to murder stories for comfort.

I finished a book that I didn't really care for, so I'm not going to mention that here. (It's a small world, friends, and I don't want to trash talk other authors or ever make readers feel like a book they loved wasn't good.) I read Best Fake Fiance by Roxie Noir, which is a fun contemporary romance. For those that like romance stories that follow a family, this is a fun series.

I started reading Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking by Kingfisher (fantasy). It does read like upper middle grade to me so far, so if that's your jam or you have a younger reader in mind, this might be a good choice. I'm enjoying the weirdly specific small magics of this story. So far it's been dancing gingerbread people and an undead horse...which just made me realize this is the second book I've read lately with an undead horse. Huh.

Smalls picked up two fun books this week--one from the library, which is Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters by Jones and Alvitre. (Mythology/ghost stories for children.) He picked it up because he's been really interested in ghost stories and specifically horror stories out of Native American mythos. Jones is a member of the Ponca Nation and Alvitre is Tongva, but they pull from all kinds of tribal stories. We've both been enjoying the tales so far.

The second book was Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly Devos. (YA, Horror/Satire) He wanted horror and asked to read IT by Stephen King, but quickly lost enthusiasm when I told him he would have to look up the words he didn't know and not ask me every two seconds. So I gave him a pile of horror to look through and he picked Eat Your Heart Out. (Which he quickly got on audio.) The book is set in a weight loss camp and is a satire of the diet industry, but, like, with zombies in it. He's really enjoying it.

I also ventured into the bookstore this week and picked up a few books. I picked up Uncanny Vows and Uncanny Times by Gilman. (Adult, fantasy, historical) I've already read Uncanny Times, but I wanted to get the first one anyway and I definitely wanted to read the follow up. For those that want fun historical monster hunting with no romance, the first book at least didn't have any. I also picked up Dark Window by Gillig (Adult, Fantasy) because it looked interesting and Monstrous Tales from Chronicle Books because I got a couple copies for friends for holiday gifts and I wanted my own. It's just so pretty!

For TV, since I finished the Chelsea Detective, I started watching the Brothers Sun. I'm two episodes in and loving it. Michelle Yeoh, as ever, is a gift. I think it does a great job balancing humor and action. I told one of my friends that the fight scenes were full of "gory whimsy" and I'm not sure how to explain that, but if you watch it, I bet you'll agree with me. I started watching it because both Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo recommended it (if you haven't read their books, you should) and gave it a thumb's up. Cindy said the family dynamics of the main family is spot on. I've also been watching a lot to Fresh off the Boat, because Smalls is obsessed. I've had to explain a lot of things from the 90's to him. 

That's all from me, friends. Turn about is fair play--what books do you think I should be reading?

--Lish