February 2025 Wrap-Up

Personal Highlights from this month:

  • Miss B started her job and she is loving it.
  • Miss R got her diagnosis—unspecified ADHD, an attachment disorder, and an unspecified anxiety disorder. Her therapist is adjusting her therapy sessions to follow the suggestions of the psychiatrist.
  • BK traveled to Minnesota and got to enjoy -2 to -14-degree weather. To say he wasn’t a fan is an understatement.
  • Mr. Z has his heart set on MIT for college. But he is also interested in a college that solely focuses on computer science in Salt Lake City, any of the UNC campuses, App State, and Western Carolina.

Blog/Reading Highlights from this month:

  • I read two books in The Zemnian Series (Wolf Island and The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song). I have read (and reviewed) two other books in the series—The Breathing Sea I: The Burning and The Breathing Sea II: Drowning. I am slowly working through this series and will return to see if the other 7 books will either be free or put on KU.
  • I read books 1 and 5 of The Starlight Chronicles. I am waiting for the rest of the series to either become free (unlikely) or show up on Kindle Unlimited (a better chance of this happening)
  • I read books 0.5 and 1 of the Hellions Ride series. Like the previous books I mentioned above, I will wait for the rest of the series to become free or go on Kindle Unlimited.
  • I finished the Waldegrave Series by A.L. Tyler (3 books). I was on the fence about the series. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or was bored with it. In the end, it was a combination of the two.

Books I Read:


Books I bought (unless otherwise stated, books were free at the time of purchase):

Keep My Secrets by Stephanie Julian (from BookBub)

Beauty and the Professor by Skye Warren (from BookBub)

Museum of Magic by Beth Revis (from BookBub)

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Stacey Kennedy (from my TBR)

A Lot Like Christmas by Kait Nolan (from my TBR)

Alien Mercenary’s Heart by Mina Carter (from my TBR)

Werewolves Only by Carrie Pulkinen (from Angel’s Book Nook)

He Ain’t Lion by Celia Kelly (from my TBR)

Bound to Submit by Laura Kaye (from my TBR)

When Kings Rise by Vi Carter (from BookBub)

A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (from my TBR)

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (from my TBR)

Zoe Baird: Pathogens and Popstars by Michael Ball (from BookBub)

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne (from The Wee Writing Lassie)

Raised to Kill by Evangeline Anderson (found by going down a rabbit hole )

Heather by Chris Keniston (from my TBR)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (from my TBR)

The Big Four by Agatha Christie (from my TBR)

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie (from my TBR)

Finding Love in Forgotten Cove by Karice Bolton (from my TBR)

One Fine May by Courtney McCaskill (from BookBub)

Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau (from my TBR)

Crushing on You by Jen Trinh (from my TBR)

Craving the Fight by L.P. Dover (from my TBR)

Shadow Magic by Donna Grant (from my TBR)

Ivy & Bone by R.L. Perez (from my TBR)

Reckless by Susan Kiernan-Lewis (from BookBub)

The Fall Rush by Abby Jimenez (from Chonky Books)

By His Rule by Tracy Lorraine (from BookBub)

Unbroken by Melody Grace (from BookBub)

All This Time by Annabelle McCormack (from my TBR)

Feel the Heat by Kate Meader (from BookBub)


Goodreads Giveaway Wins

Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey

WWW Wednesday—January 29th, 2025

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme Sam hosts at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Here is what I am currently reading, recently finished, and plan to read from Thursday to Wednesday.

Let me know if you have read or are planning on reading any of these books!!

Happy Reading!


What I am currently reading:

Some wolves hunger for more than meat.

When Urho Kivinieminen, unwilling Seumi tracker for the Rutsi army that has conquered his country, is sent to scout Wolf Island, he doesn’t have much choice. The Rutsi have captured his homeland, and now they want this deserted island as well. But as Urho discovers, the island isn’t so deserted as they’d thought. Its inhabitants just aren’t human.

Once he finds the dark forces that hold the island in their power, Urho needs to escape and convince the Rutsi to leave as well. But they are determined to have its magic, whatever the cost. The island’s magic is stronger than they’d reckoned, though—and it has awakened against them.

Set in a magical Finnish-inspired world, this epic fantasy novelette of approximately 12,000 words is a prequel to The Singing Shore trilogy, but can be enjoyed as a standalone.


What I recently finished reading:

850 years ago the once mighty Western Elves were fatally weakened by the sacking of Elvish Troia and then almost totally destroyed by a cataclysmic invasion of barbarian hordes that came soon after. They now remain only in scattered settlements in the Black Sea region of Anatole. The Eastern Elves hold the last of the elf cities, the magnificent mountain fortress of Elgard to the east and to the north of Anatole, but the Elves themselves are fading. The have lost almost all their magic, and they are hardly greater than the Humans they once ruled.
The final destruction of the Elves has been foretold two thousand years before, and now the time is all but upon them. Only through an ancient prophecy can they be saved, but it will require every bit of love, sacrifice and courage that a group of extraordinary people have to give. An Elf Princess, an eleven year old gypsy orphan girl, and a mercenary tribesman are the first to be called. They must unite in a desperate search through Anatole for the key to the survival of the Elves, but first they have to stay alive!
An epic fantasy set in Greek Turkey on the cusp of an invasion by the unbeatable Makedóne army from the west and the appearance of a new and far more dangerous barbarian far to the East.
(realistic content)


What I plan on reading next:

All magical gifts are wild. The seer’s gift is the wildest of all.

Dasha, Tsarinovna of all of Zem’, was expected to have great magical gifts. Why else would the gods have arranged her conception? But instead of anything useful, Dasha’s gifts first manifested themselves as visions of terror and destruction. Then, just when it seemed she might be gaining some control over them, they abandoned her entirely.

That’s unfortunate, because Dasha could really use some guidance right now. She’s volunteered to be her people’s envoy to the Rutsi, their warlike neighbors to the West. Dasha wants to make peace with the Rutsi, but the only way they want to make peace with her is by conquest—or marriage.

Dasha leaves behind her home and everything she knows on a dangerous journey to treat with the Rutsi. As she travels through a new land, she discovers new powers, new dangers, and the oldest magic of all—love. Dasha’s gift is wild, but she’s about to find out that the heart is wilder still. Her exploration of forbidden passion and forbidden magic might be the key that unlocks all her untapped promise as the strongest sorceress of her generation—or it could be the weapon that destroys her and everything she cares about.

A high fantasy saga that combines spiritual exploration with a touch of spicy romance, The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song is the first installment in the trilogy sequel to the award-winning miniseries The Breathing Sea. If you loved the Winternight trilogy, Deathless, and the Kushiel series, or you just want to immerse yourself in some subversive, snarky epic fantasy set in a matriarchal, Russian-inspired world, come visit the land of Zem’!

Eli likes uncomplicated. Kill the Vampire Coven Master, save the little girl, simple and uncomplicated. That changes with a phone call. Life gets complicated quickly when Eli finds out that he has to work with his most dangerous foe, a beautiful demon succubus. When Good and Evil have to work together against a common enemy, Eli has to wonder, who’s going to put the knife in his back, his enemies, or his allies.

“Confess!”
Patrick Lahm is down on his luck. Late for his book signing, out of gas and stuck in a storm. He hitches a ride to the Kurtain Motel where he is forced to spend the night. The small motel seems harmless enough at first, but as the night drags on, Patrick and the other guests slowly begin to realize there is a lot more to their temporary lodging than meets the eye.

Something evil is at work at the Kurtain Motel; something that creeps into the deepest, darkest corners of your mind and tugs at the chords of sanity until they finally break. On the longest night of his life, Patrick soon finds out that there is a reason why skeletons are kept in closets. He realizes that your sins always find a way to catch up with you, no matter how hard you try to run.

Welcome to the Kurtain Motel, where all your nightmares come true.

Olson lives in a city that has been sealed from the outside world. He’s an Eleven Year and close to citizenship. His life is upended when one of the few adults who cares about him commits suicide – or so it appears at first. While investigating, Olson meets a girl named Natalie snooping around his school. He soon learns that one of her friends died under similarly mysterious circumstances. Together, they start looking for answers, and end up discovering the city’s darkest secrets.

It’s Monday: What Are You Reading?—January 27th, 2025

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet and share what you have been and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit, comment, and add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kid-lit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, or anything in those genres – join them.


Personal

  • Mr. Z got his learner’s permit!!!

And that’s all for this week.

Blog/Reading/Gaming

  • I uninstalled Infinity Nikki. As I said last week, it was slowing down my computer.
  • In Planet Zoo, I have set up habitats for Dholes and exhibits for Diamondback Terrapin.

What I am Reading Now

850 years ago the once mighty Western Elves were fatally weakened by the sacking of Elvish Troia and then almost totally destroyed by a cataclysmic invasion of barbarian hordes that came soon after. They now remain only in scattered settlements in the Black Sea region of Anatole. The Eastern Elves hold the last of the elf cities, the magnificent mountain fortress of Elgard to the east and to the north of Anatole, but the Elves themselves are fading. The have lost almost all their magic, and they are hardly greater than the Humans they once ruled.
The final destruction of the Elves has been foretold two thousand years before, and now the time is all but upon them. Only through an ancient prophecy can they be saved, but it will require every bit of love, sacrifice and courage that a group of extraordinary people have to give. An Elf Princess, an eleven year old gypsy orphan girl, and a mercenary tribesman are the first to be called. They must unite in a desperate search through Anatole for the key to the survival of the Elves, but first they have to stay alive!
An epic fantasy set in Greek Turkey on the cusp of an invasion by the unbeatable Makedóne army from the west and the appearance of a new and far more dangerous barbarian far to the East.


What I plan to read this week

Some wolves hunger for more than meat.

When Urho Kivinieminen, unwilling Seumi tracker for the Rutsi army that has conquered his country, is sent to scout Wolf Island, he doesn’t have much choice. The Rutsi have captured his homeland, and now they want this deserted island as well. But as Urho discovers, the island isn’t so deserted as they’d thought. Its inhabitants just aren’t human.

Once he finds the dark forces that hold the island in their power, Urho needs to escape and convince the Rutsi to leave as well. But they are determined to have its magic, whatever the cost. The island’s magic is stronger than they’d reckoned, though—and it has awakened against them.

Set in a magical Finnish-inspired world, this epic fantasy novelette of approximately 12,000 words is a prequel to The Singing Shore trilogy, but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Some wolves hunger for more than meat.

When Urho Kivinieminen, unwilling Seumi tracker for the Rutsi army that has conquered his country, is sent to scout Wolf Island, he doesn’t have much choice. The Rutsi have captured his homeland, and now they want this deserted island as well. But as Urho discovers, the island isn’t so deserted as they’d thought. Its inhabitants just aren’t human.

Once he finds the dark forces that hold the island in their power, Urho needs to escape and convince the Rutsi to leave as well. But they are determined to have its magic, whatever the cost. The island’s magic is stronger than they’d reckoned, though—and it has awakened against them.

Set in a magical Finnish-inspired world, this epic fantasy novelette of approximately 12,000 words is a prequel to The Singing Shore trilogy, but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

All magical gifts are wild. The seer’s gift is the wildest of all.

Dasha, Tsarinovna of all of Zem’, was expected to have great magical gifts. Why else would the gods have arranged her conception? But instead of anything useful, Dasha’s gifts first manifested themselves as visions of terror and destruction. Then, just when it seemed she might be gaining some control over them, they abandoned her entirely.

That’s unfortunate, because Dasha could really use some guidance right now. She’s volunteered to be her people’s envoy to the Rutsi, their warlike neighbors to the West. Dasha wants to make peace with the Rutsi, but the only way they want to make peace with her is by conquest—or marriage.

Dasha leaves behind her home and everything she knows on a dangerous journey to treat with the Rutsi. As she travels through a new land, she discovers new powers, new dangers, and the oldest magic of all—love. Dasha’s gift is wild, but she’s about to find out that the heart is wilder still. Her exploration of forbidden passion and forbidden magic might be the key that unlocks all her untapped promise as the strongest sorceress of her generation—or it could be the weapon that destroys her and everything she cares about.

A high fantasy saga that combines spiritual exploration with a touch of spicy romance, The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song is the first installment in the trilogy sequel to the award-winning miniseries The Breathing Sea. If you loved the Winternight trilogy, Deathless, and the Kushiel series, or you just want to immerse yourself in some subversive, snarky epic fantasy set in a matriarchal, Russian-inspired world, come visit the land of Zem’!