I finished Spook Street (Slough House book 4) by Mick Herron. This is the first book where I found myself wishing I hadn’t watched the show yet. The author wrote some beautiful foreshadowing. I wonder how I would have reacted to it if I hadn’t already known what would happen.

Silksong is much harder than Hollow Knight for me too. I’ve been slowly playing through it but I agree that it’s a lot more frustrating and less rewarding.

The one nice thing is that you can heal in midair, unlike Hollow Knight. You can really use that to your advantage in some fights.

I finished two books this past week:

The Magician King by Lev Grossman (The Magicians book 2). I mostly enjoyed this one. I felt there was a lot of character growth in certain characters and a lot of exploration of mental health and healing. The ending soured me a bit, but I think I understand why the author went that route.

I also read Macbeth by William Shakespeare. I mostly knew the story already from pop culture, but it was nice reading the full thing. I think this is one of the more enjoyable and approachable plays of his that I’ve read.

I’m now on the last Magicians book, The Magician’s Land. So far I’m liking it quite a bit, but we’ll see how he sticks the landing.

Oh yes, I’m looking forward to learning more about the origins of the world! My favorite so far was Dragonsinger. It was so wholesome seeing Menolly come out of her shell, and I loved getting to see Harper Hall.

I’m on The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey. This is my 6th Pern book. It’s not my favorite, but overall I am still greatly enjoying the world. The main character is in an interesting predicament and so far I’ve found the way he navigates it to be relatable. His characterization also feels quite realistic for an 18 year old brought up in his circumstances.

I finished Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey. I found it to be an easy and pleasant read. It left me wanting to experience more of the world. Good thing there’s still a lot of Pern books for me to explore.

I’m almost done reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman. The pacing is odd and the main characters are insufferable, but I’m enjoying it immensely. I hope it’s able to stick the landing and that the rest of the trilogy will be equally good.

I finished Real Tigers by Mick Herron (Slough House book 3). It was enjoyable and gripping for most of the book. I had a hard time following the final action sequence, but that’s a common problem I have in action-heavy books/movies, so doesn’t really reflect on the book.

Now I’m reading Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey (Harper Hall of Pern book 2). I’ve been really enjoying the Pern books so far, especially this trilogy. I find the main character very likeable, the story is simple but compelling, and the creatures are super fun. A great read all around.

I actually completed my card this year! It meants starting several series without finishing them towards the end, which I generally try not to do, but it was fun to branch out my reading a bit. I wasn’t planning to complete it necessarily, but I realized I only needed 7 more squares by the time January rolled around so I pushed myself to plan my reading around it.

I’m reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. This covers my last bingo square: Cozy. I’m still early on but I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s fun, not too serious, and exactly what I need right now.

I’m reading Paternus: Rise of Gods by Dyrk Ashton. The beginning was a bit slow, but it really picked up about 100 pages in. I’m about halfway through and feeling quite invested in the story.

After this I just need to pick up a cozy book and I’ll have completed my bingo board!

Glad to see this thread back!

I’ve been slowly moving toward the finish line on the bingo board. I’m about to finish Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey for the Saddle Up square. It was slow going at first but the second half has me more invested. It’s definitely not what I was expecting.

Next up: Paternus by Dyrk Ashton for the Self Published square. Then I’ll just need to pick a cozy book and I’ll be done!

I felt the same way about the Library trilogy. I loved the set up of the first book but was not a fan of where that story went after. It’s a shame because I feel like his other trilogies all had much tighter endings.

I’m mostly a fantasy reader too so those suggestions are perfect. I’ve been meaning to read more by Naomi Novik and give Becky Chambers a try, so good to know they both have options that can help me reach bingo!

I loved the Kiki studio ghibli film so that sounds like a great option! I hadn’t even thought about broomsticks. Thank you for the recommendations!

I just finished Lute by Jennifer Thorne. I picked this up for the Judge a Book by its Cover bingo square. It wasn’t too bad. I liked how atmospheric and creepy it was, and how the world felt broader than the book’s immediate setting. There was one aspect that I felt was very poorly done, but it’s a bit of a spoiler so I won’t go into detail.

Now I’m reading Slow Horses by Mick Herron. I’m surprised by just how faithfully the show followed this book. There are some differences of course, but many scenes feel practically copy/pasted. This will get me the Jerk with a Heart of Gold square.

Squres still remaining: independent author, saddle up, and cozy read. Open to recommendations for all 3, but especially saddle up!

I would ask your vet if they can recommend a veterinary nutritionist. They’ll be able to take all your dog’s info and advise you on how to feed a palatable homemade diet while including all the necessary nutrients.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik fits the bill! Uprooted by the same author should also fit.

I’m reading The Book that Held her Heart (book 3 in Mark Lawrence’s The Library trilogy). I really liked how the series started, but am not a huge fan of the ending it’s working towards, which is not my usual experience with this author.

Next up, I have 5 bingo squares left so I’m going to try to focus on getting those done.

I just finished The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence (The Library Trilogy book 2). I’m finding this series absolutely fantastic. Plus having a mysterious library as the main setting is just fun.

Now I’m reading Hamlet. I haven’t read much Shakespeare so it’s nice to slowly expand into more of his works. It’s also wild to see how many quotes I recognize from pop culture, having never read this story.

I’m reading The Trials of Empire by Richard Swan (Empire of the Wolf book 3). This book is my favorite in the trilogy. I feel like I got to see his writing style improve over the course of the series and now it’s at a point where I can really enjoy it.