Writing my Own Story

While staying at my mom's I read two books.

( The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton ) I was not fully prepared for the content of this book (my fault for not reading the description beforehand), but I thought it was well done in the sense that the horrors of what happened to the girls was fully felt without going into minute detail and glorifying abuse against women.

( Chasing Shadows by Karen Harper ) This one felt a little unfocused at times. I'm not sure the story was successfully completed? I'm not really sure what happened at the end. The very end of the book sets up for book 2, which I will not be reading due to the content.

I completely fell off the wagon on this one. I thought I was updating, but I haven't posted anything in months. So here is the end of 2024 and what I have been reading. I really need to make myself a schedule or something. ::sigh::

The last books I read in 2024:

Gambit Classic, Vol 1 (after seeing Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, I decided I needed more. Was not disappointed, will be reading more)
A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley (this was a fun fake dating trope)
Merlin by Zoey Indiana (this was a book 2 in a series that I started a few years ago, the series has been abandoned by the author, there were supposed to be 3 or 4 books)

And what I've been reading in 2025:

Mercy of the Vampire King by Rhiannon Futch (this was a good read, strong female character)
Not your Average Beauty by Michelle Helliwell (I loved this take on the classic beauty and the beast story)
Of Cinder and Bone by Kyoko M (they created a dragon! what more do you need to know?)
Good Girl by Anna Fitzpatrick (this was ok, it was an introspective story which isn't usually my thing. I thought it was humor going in and parts *are* funny, but its about a 25 year old trying to get her shit together)

I started Midas Legacy by Andy McDermott a while back, but it took I turn I didn't like/wasn't in the mood for at the time and I'm not a big fan of the FMC, so I've put it down. Not sure if I'll go back to it or not. The story was interesting, scientists/adventurers found the city of Atlantis in the ocean.

I am currently reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and enjoying it.

As per usual, I haven't been properly updating my books, so here's what I've read recently. I haven't been reading as much lately. Struggling to find anything good and struggling to find the desire to read.

( Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark ) This was your typical MHC story. There were a few twists I didn't see coming and overall it was an okay read. I'm starting to not enjoy books that have children being hurt. Not that I every really *enjoyed* them, but I'm at a point where I would rather not read them at all.

( Cold Fire by Dean Koontz ) Again, your typical Koontz story, though this one didn't have a golden retriever. This one also felt off with several things. The romance made zero sense, the characters had no chemistry. And the reveal of what was happening felt... wrong. I'm not sure how to explain without spoilers. Maybe it's because it was written/published in the 90s. I don't know, but I didn't really like this book.

( Batman: Damned by Brian Azzarello ) This I actually enjoyed. It veers a bit from the Batman storylines I've read before, but still holds the spirit. The biggest difference here is that it's narrated by Constantine. Their interactions are actually pretty minimal, but seeing Bruce through John's eyes was interesting. They did play with Batman's origins and I was not a fan of that, but overall I enjoyed the story.

( Constantine: Distorted Illusions by Kami Garcia ) Saw this at the store and found it at the library rather than pay $17 for it. It's not terrible, but it isn't Constantine. It's more love story than magic and they completely changed John's back story. It was a fun story, but not at all part of the Constantine story.

I just finished ( Gone by Lisa Gardener ) on Thursday. It didn't end the way I thought it would, so that was nice. It was full of twists which kept it interesting. Overall I enjoyed it. I had read another book by this author that is apparently the book before this in the series. But they're only connected in that the main group of characters is in each book, the story itself is different for each book. I read the other one several years ago and didn't remember it at all. When I looked up my review I remembered disliking one of the characters, but I didn't mind him in this book so either he was better or I liked him more. ::shrug::

I finally started Catching Fire yesterday.

My library never got the paperback copy in, so I cancelled my hold. I found it on Hoopla and am reading the ebook version. I don't remember much from the movie outside of the Games, but it feels more violent and I haven't even gotten to the Games yet. I'm enjoying it so far.

I DNF'd two more books. I'm just struggling to find something that will hold my attention.

I *did* read a large fanfic that was really well done and held my attention for the entirety of the story. So there's that. It's Manacled by senlinyu if anyone is interested. It's a Harry Potter fic with elements of the Handmaid's Tale.

I finally finished a book! I haven't completed a book since October. I may have started this in December, I can't remember for sure, but I finished it last week, so I'm counting it for January.

( A Deadly Web by Kay Hooper )

I enjoyed it, but I feel like the story itself is mentioned in other books, but I couldn't find any references to it in the other books of hers I have. I don't *think* I've read anything of hers that I didn't keep, but it's possible.

Because I've been terrible about updating, I'm just going to do another book dump.

( April )

( July )

( August )

( September )

A graph for the year so far:


Can you tell when I started seeing someone? XD

I have been FLYING through books this year. I may hit 100 by the end of the year at this rate.

( Dating in the Dark by Alexandria Bishop ) This was a fun read.

( Dark Sins of Avalon by Zoey Indiana )I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be finding the rest of the series. King Aurthur Reverse Harem is all I needed to know.

( Beckoned by RB Fields ) This was better than I expected it to be. The story was actually interesting and the characters were fleshed out well.

( The Cruel Prince by Holly Black ) This was a good read, if a bit predictable. I do feel they wasted the elder sister a bit, but maybe she comes back more later in the series.

The Lost Boys Series by Nikki St Crowe (Peter Pan Reverse Harem)
( The Never King ) This is a little more abusive than I tend to enjoy, but I loved the overall idea of it, so I read all three books.
( The Dark One )
( Their Vicious Darling ) This is probably my favorite of the three. Winnie gets some strength and agency here and it changes so many things. This book also feels like it opens the door to another series and I wouldn't mind reading it if it goes in the direction I'm thinking.

( Vampires Don't Give Hickeys by Holly Ryan ) This was a re-read, but I got book 2, so I wanted a refresher. Still as enjoyable the second time

( Cuddling Sucks in Coffins by Holly Ryan ) This was a bit of a let down. Nothing from book 1 was resolved, just added to. Then a new "bad guy" was introduced raising random questions that were never really fully resolved. The whole thing just felt very all over the place.

( Broken Chains by Demelza Carlton ) This was better than I thought it would be, though confusing at times. I enjoyed it over all.

And finally, I've been reading a book by a local author that I bought from a festival that was here in town a few weeks ago.
( The Vessel by Peggy Christie ) I'm about halfway through and enjoying it. I love the main character, we could definitely be friends. Also, the author not only writes well, but is really nice. We chatted for a bit at her booth.

Things have been so hectic, I didn't realize I hadn't updated my book list. I haven't had as much time for reading lately either, but things are slowing down a bit now.

I squeezed one more series out of my free unlimited subscription with The Four Horsemen Series by LJ Swallow. (I got them as two sets, books 1-4 and books 5-7, so I'm only counting them as two books)
( Legacy )
( Bound )
( Hunted )
( Guardians )
( Chaos )
( Descent )
( Reckoning )

I enjoyed this take on the Four Horsemen, the twist of making them defenders *against* the Apocalypse instead of causing it was interesting.

The very last book I read on unlimited was ( Her Villains by Jade Presley )
A friend recommended this to me and I enjoyed it, though when I went to look up the summary, the first comment spoiled it a bit for me. So if you want to read it, don't read reviews. This is book one of two, but when I last checked, book two wasn't available yet. I think it will be soon.


With my free trial over, I dug through my Kindle and found Sleeping Beauty No More by Aisha Urooj. It's book 2 of 3, but I didn't feel I missed anything coming in as its a retelling of the Disney tale. I felt it had some elements of Tangled as well. I enjoyed the story, its another that gives Aurora more control over her own fate/story. There were some areas that seemed to move too quickly, but overall, is a good story.

After that, I moved on to some mystery/thriller with ( Played to Death by BV Lawson )
This is book one in an on-going series, but they're all different stories, just with the same MC. I enjoyed the story and the MC was interesting, I would definitely read more in this series. There were some twists and turns and normal small town drama all draws you into the story.

( The Bellhop Only Stalks Once by Cat Hickey ) This was not at all what I expected. It was a fun read that kept up the mystery vibe without going dark and sinister. There were some intesnse/suspenseful spots, but was overall a light story.

( Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by JL Brayn )
This was a fun read! Very Ghostbusters feel. I enjoyed that it takes place in Savannah, it's always interesting to me to read something set in a location I'm familiar with. This is also another book one of an on-going series with the same MC.

I just finished ( Identical Death by Alexa Padget & JJ Cagney ) I was unaware that this was a prequel novella when I read it. It left me feeling disappointed. The story was really just getting started when it ended.