READ
1. Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Liked. Some stuff over my head, but understood a surprising amount and enjoyed the factoid tidbits and writing style.
2. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix
Really liked. I'm especially pleased with how the book was printed to vaguely mimic an actual IKEA store catalogue and the chapter division furnishings progressively descend into creepy craziness. The book was an experience for those that enjoy supernatural/horror.
3. The Lacquer Screen: a Chinese detective story by Robert Hans van Gulik
Liked. I'm reading most all of these I can find now. I have a very strong love of period/historical mystery genre, with bonus points if set in other countries especially. These books are based on a real life historical figure, highly fictionalized of course. There are also a bunch of great action/supernatural movies based (very very loosely) on the same person as the Inspector Dee series.
4. The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Liked, but it left me feeling a bit unsettled as this deals with abuse/trauma and mental health issues.. Premise is a group of women that were the final surviving girl that got away from their own flavor of murdering psycho. All of them are based on movie series horror fans already know like Nightmare on Elm Street (but you know, not actually THAT series) and the movies were based on real life events. Someone is coming after the women now, and it follows one of them along the path to try to save herself while also dealing with the insane trauma and PTSD they are barely coping with. So not for someone that may have their own real life PTSD/trauma/abuse to deal with.
5. The Bear and the Nightingale (The Winternight Trilogy #1) by Katherine Arden
Started this one last year, but just got back into it and completed it and the second one pretty fast. Awaiting the third now. Very much liked. Russian period fairy tale/fantasy with a serving of girl power. It is a very rich environment and the story is immersive once you get going. Beautiful writing, great character development and definitely is now on my re-read list.
6. The Girl in the Tower (The Winternight Trilogy #2) by Katherine Arden
Continuing story of the Russian girl Vasilisa, she who sees the old spirits, can communicate with animals, and dances with Death. The plot for this one is bringing her both into her own, but also shows her connection to her family and the possible loss of the same. Very much looking forward to the third book.
7. What Happened To You? Conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey
Deeply insightful and excellent read for those dealing with trauma/abuse, or family or friends that have gone through same. Very much enjoyed Oprah's personal additions to Perry's writing and the back and forth in some cases between them.
8. The Chinese Gold Murders (Judge Dee #2) by Robert van Gulik
Really nice mystery and I am enjoying the characters and colorful descriptions of the places and customs of the time period. This book contained a small amount of supernatural events, references to drinking establishments and prostitution of women, and a tiny bit of Chinese/Korean war time history.
9. Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters.
YA novel about a hard luck family, music, death, love, and ghosts. Family secrets, a gorgeously resonant LGBTQ love triangle, and just the right amount of creepiness make this young adult debut a haunting and hopeful story about facing everything that haunts us in the dark. I liked it, the romance triangle was sort of tacked on (spoiler: main character is bisexual and she has two love interests she bounces back and forth between and everyone seems totally chill), but the family/ghost story was a nice little mystery and I think it was well written.
READING CURRENTLY
10. King Bullet: A Sandman Slim novel by Richard Kadrey (12th and final book in the series)
11. Damsel in Distress: a Daisy Dalrymple Mystery by Dunn, Carola
I've read the previous books in the series, so this is likely to be a good read for me. From the back: Spring 1923, and love is in bloom -- though not for long. The Honourable Daisy Dalrymple has been enlisted by her childhood friend to recover his missing sweetheart. Miss Gloria Arbuckle, daughter of an American millionaire, has been abducted by kidnappers. Strictly forbidden to contact the police by Gloria's distraught father, Daisy must resist the temptation to bring her occasional collaborator, Scotland Yard's Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher, into the case. But as she closes in on the abductors' rural hideway, she realizes that Gloria isn't the only fair damsel whose life hangs in the balance.
DUDS
00. Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
I want to like this, but it's not hitting right and can't really get into it. It's for book club, so I'm sad that I'm likely not going to finish it in time but I'll see if I can hit it over the weekend or give up at that point. ETA: gave up on it as I just couldn't get into it. There was several people in there that were kinda misogynistic and just ugh... I am sure this is probably a good book but it's not for me.