I have been playing a disgusting amount of Stardew Valley lately. I started a new farm a couple weeks ago (technically two new farms, but I quickly realized that while I love Stardew Valley fishing, I didn't love it enough to put up with the fishing-focused map). Now my little farmer is well on her way to marrying Sebastian. Although she's probably going to make friends with as many people in town as possible before actually marrying him...

 

Anyway, I need to rip myself away from Stardew Valley and try to remember how to write reviews and read for extended periods of time. I saw a few people's posts about what they might read for certain squares, and, although I originally figured I'd wing it, I decided it might be fun to come up with my own lists. So, here I go. This will mostly focus on things currently sitting in my TBR/e-TBR.

 

In some cases I've listed certain books more than once, since I couldn't decide which square they'd be best for. One thing has become clear to me after putting this post together: I'm going to have to dust off my e-reader.

 

In the Dark, Dark Woods:

- The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel - Neil Gaiman  (I found a blog post that indicated this includes a creepy forest, but I don't know for sure that it counts. I borrowed this book from someone so long ago that I wince just thinking about it.)

 

Amateur Sleuth:

- A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder - Julie Anne Lindsey  

- Designed for Death - Jean Harrington  

 

Vampires:

- Gil's All Fright Diner - A. Lee Martinez  (apparently this has zombies, a vampire, and a werewolf)

- Vampire Vendetta - Alexis Morgan  

- Keeper of the Shadows - Alexandra Sokoloff  (according to a GR tag)

- I could also reread some of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake books for this and a few other squares, but that'll probably only happen if I'm desperate.

 

The Dead Will Walk:

- Gil's All Fright Diner - A. Lee Martinez  

- Devoured - Jason Brant  

- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War - Max Brooks  

 

Romantic Suspense:

- Shield of Justice - Radclyffe  (I'm pretty sure this is f/f romantic suspense)

- Tell Me Why - Stella Cameron  

 

Witches:

- I could reread one of Terry Pratchett's witch books, but it'd have to be a library checkout because I don't own any of them.

 

Serial/Spree Killer:

- Death Note: Another Note - NisiOisiN 

- I could also reread a J.D. Robb book for this one.

 

Cozy Mystery:

- A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder - Julie Anne Lindsey  

- Never Buried - Edie Claire  

- Designed for Death - Jean Harrington  

- You'll Be the Death of Me! - Stacia Wolf  (I think?)

 

Supernatural:

- Death Note: L, Change the World - M,Takeshi Obata,Tsugumi Ohba  (I say the death notes and shinigami count as supernatural)

- Demon Dog - Ally Blue 

 

Diverse Voices:

If Japanese authors count for this, I have a ton that would work.

- Spiral - Koji Suzuki,Glynne Walley  

- Parasite Eve - Hideaki Sena  

- Captcha Thief - Rosie Claverton  (technically - the author discusses her discomfort with labeling herself a "diverse voice" here)

- Seniors Sleuth by J.J. Chow (I seem to have picked this one up for free a while back, although it's now $2.99 - it can be found here)

 

Haunted Houses:

- The Banshee's Walk - Frank Tuttle  (this one's a maybe - the description makes it sound like it involves a haunted house, but I'm not 100% sure)

 

Werewolves:

- Gil's All Fright Diner - A. Lee Martinez  

- Hunting Ground - Patricia Briggs  (I think I read this one but never reviewed it)

- Secrets Of The Wolf - Karen Whiddon  (this is apparently the fourth book in a series, and I haven't read the other three - ugh)

- Howling Moon - C.T. Adams,Cathy Clamp  (OMG, another fourth book in a series where I haven't read any of the previous ones)

- Keeper of the Shadows - Alexandra Sokoloff  

 

Country House Mystery:

- The Twelve Clues of Christmas - Rhys Bowen  (I think this counts, and I suppose I could relisten to it. It might be better to just check something out from the library, though.)

 

American Horror Story:

I am probably going to have to check something out from the library for this one. All I can think of at the moment is Stephen King, who I stopped reading after Cujo, because that book depressed me.

 

Demons:

- The Left Hand of Justice - Jess Faraday  (One GR review mentioned that the main character searches for "demons" - no clue whether this one actually has demons in it, so it only potentially works for this square)

- Alexey Dyed in Red - A.M. Valenza  

- Demon Dog - Ally Blue  (maybe?)

- The Accidental Demon Slayer - Angie Fox  

- Taming the Demon (Harlequin Nocturne) - Doranna Durgin  (one of the main characters wields a "demon blade")

 

Genre: Horror:

- Spiral - Koji Suzuki,Glynne Walley  

- Parasite Eve - Hideaki Sena  

 

Chilling Children:

- Anna Dressed in Blood - Kendare Blake 

- Game - Barry Lyga  (GR has "horror" as one of the top tags for this)

 

Terrifying Women:

- The Forbidden Game: The Hunter; The Chase; The Kill - L.J. Smith  (I may have to check out a library book for this square, because I think this is the closest thing I have to horror by a female author, and my vague memories of it say it probably doesn't count)

 

Darkest London:

- Whispers Under Ground - Ben Aaronovitch  (the other books took place in London, so my guess is this one does too)

 

Murder Most Foul:

I'll probably have any murder mystery I read that I can't use for one of the other squares count towards this one, since I have quite a few that would work.

- The Bishop's Pawn by Don Gutteridge (historical murder mystery - it can be found here)

- City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett  

- Lessons in Love - Charlie Cochrane  (this one would be a reread)

- Death by Silver - Amy Griswold,Melissa Scott  

 

Locked Room Mystery:

- Tokyo Zodiac Murders (Detective Mitarai's Casebook) - Soji Shimada,Shika MacKenzie,Ross MacKenzie  (This isn't in my collection yet, but it's sitting in my Amazon shopping cart, so it's either that or ILL)

- The Mystery of the Yellow Room - Gaston Leroux  (not technically in my collection, but it can be downloaded for free via Project Gutenberg)

- Greenthieves - Alan Dean Foster  (the description makes this one sound like a sci-fi locked room mystery)

 

Monsters:

- Drumbeats - Neil Peart,Kevin J. Anderson  (Surely one of the stories in this anthology has monsters?)

 

Aliens:

This square won't be a problem at all. I own so much sci-fi with aliens.

- I could continue on with C.J. Cherryh's Foreigner series.

- One of James White's Sector General books

- Chanur's Venture - C.J. Cherryh  

- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - Becky Chambers  (I stalled on this one ages ago - I've been meaning to give it another shot)

- Halo: The Flood - William C. Dietz  

- Good Luck, Yukikaze - Chohei Kambayashi  (Yukikaze was so good, so it was a surprise that this one didn't work for me. I've been meaning to give it another shot, and it's been long enough since I read Yukikaze that maybe I won't be as prone to comparing the two. The aliens in this one are called the JAM.)

A Fairytale of Possibilities - Kiki Arch... I'm cruising through Amazon looking for funny. Looking for easy. Looking for a HEA. When I stumbled upon this recently released gem. If you are in the mood for rom-com where both characters are adorably quirky, I'd recommend this read.

It is sweet and any storyline tension are soon made to easy sailing. The dialogue is wonderfully snappy and funny from all the main and supporting characters. It's like watching a perfect comedy of errors to have one you think you can't have be the one for you. Lauren and Rachel were completely relatable in their story. It's difficult to move from best friends to lovers. They trip a bit getting there, but in the end the story leaves you with a warm HEA.



4.5 out of 5 stars

The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings was a book club read.

I really didn't connect with this book at all. I felt the novel lacked character development and emotion. I kept feeling I was reading a book that was missing the first 100 pages. I just couldn't connect with the story or the characters. Just not my cup of tea. So moved on swiftly.

Will be interesting to see how it works as a discussion book.

Read by Julieanne - Hemmings is also author of The Descendents. The Possibilities has an idyllic setting in Colorado. The main character's son dies in an avalanche 3 months prior to the start of the book and she is dealing with her overwhelming grief and guilt. As life goes on both for her and around her, she discovers aspects of her son's life she didn't know. Hemming's writing is very descriptive and I was drawn in straight away from the first page.

This is book #2 in the Secret Life of Amy Bensen series. It picks up where the first one left off. Amy left Liam after she overheard him talking to Derek about her. She starts to feel that she cannot trust him anymore. Amy decides she needs to make her way to back to her hometown in Texas and confront her demons that keep haunting her. She is on a plane ready to leave and makes an excuse to get off to find her mom who isn't there yet. She thinks she has fooled everyone by escaping but as she is getting into a taxi she sees Liam. He tries to convince her that is not the bad guy but she leaves anyway. As Amy keeps running away, Liam keeps finding her. Just as things are starting to come together, Amy leaves again, this time with Meg, who is claiming to be her brother's wife! While these two are running, she sees Jared, from New York. He tells her not to trust Meg but to trust him. He was proof he is friends with her brother. As she is hiding out with Jared in a motel in her hometown, Liam finds her! Fun confrontation! They work together to figure out who is behind all of this. Once they do, they decide to confront the person with the proof that Chad left her so this person would leave her alone. In the meantime, Amy has an unfortunate health issue and is comforted by Liam. Amy and Liam believe they can know move on with their lives after confronting the person trying to kill her. What they don't know is that Chad is still alive, being kept a prisoner somewhere!

This story has so many twists and turns you can't put it down. I love these two characters and can't wait for their complete happy ending!