Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries #8) by Martha Wells


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.

Including human children. Ugh.

This may well call for... eye contact!

(Emotion check: Oh, for f—)

  

I'm so glad that I went back and reread all the books in this series in chronological order before reading this one. I feel like I was able to appreciate this one so much more because of that. Everything was fresh in my mind, and the overall story being told throughout the books made more sense in chronological order. 

This was another fun entry to the series. I particularly enjoyed Murderbot's reactions to the different people it met, and how it was trying to work through its feelings through emotional checks. It seems Murderbot is adjusting.

I've enjoyed all of Murderbot's adventures and I'm looking forward to more. I love that most of these are short novella length and I can listen to them in one sitting. This is one of the few series that I enjoy listening to instead of eye reading. 

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC of this book. 

 

 

 

 

Friday, June 5, 2026

June 2026 Reading List

I want to read some of the books I've been eager to get to so, I've decided that even if it means I end up not reading one of two of the obligated reads for the month, I'm going to prioritize those books.  

This month's book that I've been really wanting to read but putting off is-

 

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.
 

 

 

 

Reading with The Mystery Book Club-

 

Backstitched and Stabbed (Grace Designs #2) by Tilly Wallace

The only thing worse than wet woollen togs, is a knife in the back…

As the kiwi summer draws to a close, a family outing to the beach takes a deadly turn when a lifeless body washes up on shore. Grace is devastated to recognise the victim, Ricky, who worked in her friend’s bakery. But when the supposed drowning victim is rolled over, a shocking truth is revealed—he was murdered.

Drawn into finding the murderer of the cheerful baker, Grace picks at the tangled web of secrets that surrounded Ricky. The man lived a double, or even triple, life. But which version of him had provoked the fatal encounter? Grace and her friends must find the person responsible, before another life is lost to the same tide of violence that claimed Ricky.

This is the second instalment in the Grace Designs mystery series, about a seamstress turned sleuth in Wellington, New Zealand at the dawn of the 1920s.
 

 

 

 

Imminent Harm (Cass Leary #6) by Robin James

Small-town lawyer Cass Leary's latest case could rock the Delphi justice system to its very core.

Cass’s last trial badly bruised her reputation with the local bar. Good thing Cass doesn’t care what people think. Nonetheless, her client list is drying up. When newly appointed District Court Judge Kent Tucker comes to her with a sensitive personal problem, Cass sees it as a way to get back into the judge’s and the town’s good graces.

Judge Tucker knows Cass isn’t afraid to take on tough cases. His sister is married to a monster and he’s hoping Cass can help her find a way out. When the case takes a tragic turn, Cass will face her toughest challenge yet. There’s more to this case than meets the eye and uncovering the truth leads to dangerous consequences for Cass and those around her.

Imminent Harm is the sixth book in this series of high-stakes legal thrillers. If you like blood-pumping action, compelling characters, and twisted crime conspiracies, then you’ll love Robin James’s dark tale.

 

 

 

Reading for NetGalley-

 

An Ordinary Sort of evil (A Rip Through Time #5) by Kelley Armstrong 

Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more.

Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems
 

 

 

 

Blindside (Planeside #5) by Michael Mammay

Colonel Carl Butler charges back into the world of military crisis, corporate malfeasance, and intergalactic mystery in the action-packed fifth Planetside novel from science fiction master Michael Mammay.

Carl Butler has returned to his home planet from the moon Taug and is looking forward to some rest and relaxation. But following two mysterious deaths connected with the Taug mission, he realizes that the intruders that recently set off his home’s security system might be looking to add him to the death toll.

Having been Butler’s muscle on numerous missions, Mac is no stranger to getting involved with mysteries that should be none of his business. So when the daughter of one of his gym members goes missing, he offers to help. Mac assumes she’s a simple runaway, but the case turns out not to be so clear-cut. Wondering if these strange occurrences are somehow related, Butler—along with Mac, Ganos, and the rest of his small crew—once again finds himself neck deep in intrigue.

As the clues for the various cases begin to intertwine, Butler sees the hand of an old enemy at work, and…well…he’s never been one to sit back and wait for something to happen. Gathering the team, he heads off across the galaxy to confront his suspects head-on.

But this time, they’re waiting for him.
 

 

 

 

Reading for book club-

 

Decision at Thunder Rift (BattleTech Legends: Saga of the Gray Death Legion #1) by William H. Keith Jr.

THE EPIC FIRST NOVEL OF THE LEGENDARY SCIENCE FICTION SERIES...

Thirty meters tall, seventy tons of quick-striding death and destruction, the armored war machines called BattleMechs are the front line forces of the crumbling star empire locked in the horror of the endless Succession Wars. Their pilots are MechWarriors, 31st-Century knights riding armored machines powerful enough to take a city apart.

Grayson Death Carlyle had been training to be a MechWarrior since he was 10 years old, but his graduation came sooner than expected. With his friends and family dead and his father's regiment destroyed, young Grayson finds himself stranded on a world turned hostile. Now he must learn the hardest lesson of it takes more than a BattleMech to make a MechWarrior...

But to claim that title, all Grayson has to do is go out and capture one of those giant killing machines...if it doesn't kill him first.

 

 

 

Pick it for me book-

 

The Ether Witch: The Casting Call (The Ether Witch #1) by Delemhach

Tamlin Ashowan has troubled his family for years. Between the fearfulness of his magic and his refusal to share exactly what it does, his loving parents and sister don’t know how best to guide him. Tam, on the other hand, insists he doesn’t need any assistance. Despite ignoring his magic and possessing a preference for remaining locked up in his room with a good book, Tam is determined to play his role as the heir to his dukedom to the best of his ability. But being the son of Finlay Ashowan, the famous hero of Daxaria, his life is prone to chaos.

Will a new assistant, who has even more secrets than Tam himself, be able to help navigate Tam's endless responsibilities? Will all chaos break out thanks to the unstable kingdom of Zinfera? And lastly, can Tam handle everything without having to use his magical power, or will he be pushed to new limits as his fate rushes to meet him?

Find the answer to these questions and more in the new trilogy set in the same universe as The House Witch series, The Princess of Potential, and The Burning Witch series. There's no need to read the previous books to enjoy the new, fun adventure. Feel free to jump right in!
 

 

 

 

ARC I'm looking forward to reading-

 

No Good Deed (The Scarsdale Fosters #6) by B.E. Baker

Her entire life, Ardath has wanted to do one save people in a way no one managed to save her mother. After growing up without any real family, she wants to spare others from the same fate. She’s come up with a brilliant plan to save even more lives, if only she can fund it.

Albert Devonshire the fourth—whose friends call him Ace—founded a successful gaming company that he loved running. . .until his dad got sick. When he takes over management of the family-owned chain of hospitals, he discovers his Dad’s been struggling with dementia for a while. The business is in shambles, and his mother’s spending isn’t helping anything.

When a young, beautiful doctor asks for funding to launch a program she’s clearly passionate about, he hates turning her down, but he has no choice. They’re one do-gooder program away from shutting down.

Ardath doesn’t take his refusal very well, and the more time Ace spends around Ardath, the more he hates being her enemy, but he can’t let the family empire collapse over yet another crush. Can Ardath and Ace make peace, or will their duties to their families set them irrevocably at odds. . .forever?
 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, May 31, 2026

May 2026 Reading Wrap-Up

I ended up reading  8 novellas, 5 full length novels, and a few children's books this month. I don't usually count the children's books when I do these updates, but this time I'm including 2 of them because I liked them so much. I also started a book that I haven't finished it yet. I wasn't able to squeeze in all the books I wanted to read this month, but I got through most of them. I had to push Blindside by Michael Mammay,  An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong, and No Good Deed by B.E. Baker to June. The buddy read of The Soulforge by Margaret Weis ended up not getting scheduled this month, so I'll wait and see what happens with that one.

I started the month out with a reread (in chronological order) of The Murderbot Diaries, and listened to the first four while simultaneously eye reading a couple of other books. After that, I paused Murderbot for a while to completely focus on The Strength of the Few. I wanted to get that one read before book club since it's the sequel to our book club book. All but one of my ratings stayed the same for the Murderbot books after rereading them. 

 

 

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

See My Original review here. 

 

 

 

 

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

See my Original review here.

 

 

 

Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

 

 

 

Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4) by Martha Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

 

 

  

Fugitive Telemetry (The Murderbot Diaries #6) by Martha Wells (This is #5 chronologically)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

See my original review here.

 

 

 

  

Just for the Summer (Part of Your World #3) by Abby Jimenez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Review to come.

 

 

 

 

The Strength of the Few (Hierarchy #2) by James Islington

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Review to come.

 

 

 

 

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5) by Martha Wells (This #6 Chronologically)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

See my original review here.

 

 

 

 

System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

I enjoyed this more on reread. Bumping my rating up a star.

See my original review here

 



 

Platform Decay (The Murderbot Diaries #8) by Martha Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Review to come.
 

 

 

  

The Shippers by Katherine Center

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

See my review here.

 

 

 

 

Seams Like Murder (Grace Designs Mysteries #1) by Tilly Wallace

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language

 

I enjoyed this cute cozy mystery set in New Zealand. It was a nice, light novella and the main character was very likable.

 

 


I don't usually talk about the children's books that I buy and read. We have a couple of grandchildren and I've been reading and buying them lately. I own quite a few books by Eric Carle but this month I bought and read two of his books that I had never read before. I ended up loving these two books. I love that there are poems about each of the creatures and animals featured in them, and I'm personally a fan of Eric Carle's art in all of his books so, I loved that too.

  

Dragons, Dragons & Other Creatures That Never Were by Eric Carle

My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

 

 

 

  

Animals, Animals by Eric Carle 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

 

 

 

  

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

My rating: 5 of 5 stars  

Review to come.

 

 

 

  

Blood Evidence (Cass Leary #5) by Robin James

Still reading so no rating yet.  

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, May 25, 2026

The Shippers by Katherine Center

  

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance
Content: 

 

After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is, her sister’s a little busy being a bride at the moment—so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she’s honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo’s life. It’s bliss for her to see him again, and it’s agony, too—and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can’t bring herself to ask.

Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance—as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way.

 

  

I enjoyed the heck out of this book even though I had some issues with it. The main character, JoJo was very self-centered and oblivious a lot of them time, and she could have ruined the whole thing for me, but there were times where I saw her better qualities peek out. Like when she saw her dad for who he really was and helped him learn how to be a better person. She gave her dad a lot of grace; more than most of us would and it's what saved him. Of course that was just a subplot of the book. 

I enjoyed the main plot despite Jojo being immature and blind to things that were staring her right in the face. I felt that she should have been able to figure out why Cooper left for four years and didn't talk to her, among other things. But somehow despite that this book worked for me. 

I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters and the friends to lovers aspect of the story. Cooper was easy to fall in love with, which made we wonder why JoJo was so clueless about him. Some people do pick the wrong kind of people to date, fall for, and marry. Some people are smart academically and professionally but lack sense in their personal lives. JoJo was like that.

As usual for romance, there were some miscommunications and twists. The miscommunications were annoying, but at least some of the time the characters tried to communicate things, They just wouldn't always listen to each other. I pretty much saw every little twist in this book coming, so there were no surprises, but I enjoyed it anyway. Overall, I enjoy Katherine Center's writing style. It always pulls me right in and I get really engrossed in the story until the end. 

 

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

 

 

 

 

  

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

April 2026 Book Club: Waifs and Strays (The Cat Lady Chronicles #1) by Helen Harper

  

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Nothing I can remember

 

Nobody is just a cat lady.

Kit McCafferty's life is quiet, unremarkable and filled with cat hair. In the magical city of Coldstream, located on the border between Scotland and England, Kit is viewed as little more than mildly eccentric and mostly harmless. She passes her days caring for her family of five cats, feeding the local feral moggies, and maintaining relatively good relations with her neighbours.

All that changes, however, when a teenage werewolf shows up at her door in the desperate hope of renting out a nearby vacant flat. Kit knows that the smart move is to tell him to leave. The last thing she needs is to become embroiled in complicated shapeshifter politics. But something about the secretive young werewolf tugs at her heartstrings.

It's not long before Kit ends up caught in a maelstrom of mysterious crime and magical wrong-doing. Fortunately, there's far more to Kit McCafferty than meets the eye and she has a few dark secrets of her own.

Of course, anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that you underestimate a cat lady at your own peril.
 

 

I liked this but didn't love it. It was a fun, light read with an urban fantasy setup but with a cozier feel. I like that the author included all the normal urban fantasy species in this book; vampires, werewolves, etc., and I liked the different take on a few things. I found the cats to be the best part of the book, but then I always like cats in books. The main character's ability was different from other things I've read, and what she does to trigger this ability made me laugh even though it was also a little gross. 

Where I think the book fell short is the same place I think a lot of other self-published urban fantasies fall short, and that's a lack of depth in the characters and plot. I thought the characters were interesting but a little dull. I thought the world was interesting but the plot was a bit bland and predictable. I did enjoy the reveal at the end and it left me mildly interested in the next book, but I'm not sure if I'll continue.

 

This book was an easy one to draw inspiration from for book club snacks. My husband and I had a really fun time coming up with foods to serve this time around. He had the idea for the 'cat food' and I think he did a great job of making something that looked like cat food but wasn't gross. 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to make sugar cookies shaped like cats and found cute cat cookie cutters.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you've read the book then you'll know why I made 'cat hair' and 'hairball' treats beyond just those things relating to cats, there's something significant about them in the book. I used cotton candy for the cat hair and made coconut haystacks for the hairballs.


 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, May 15, 2026

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

 

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre:  Fantasy, Romaance
Content: Moderately descriptive sex, Strong language

 

Born to the firelit domain of the underworld, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods kill each other for magic, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry letters through the realms, but she also carries secrets of her one of them deadly, the other a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met…

Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life – begging the goddess he befriended in dreams for aid. But his prayer went unanswered, forever hardening his heart against the gods. That is until the same goddess comes tumbling through his window, bearing a letter to change both their destinies. For Matilda and Vincent are tangled together by threads of fate and the promise of a future beyond dreams, one that might rewrite the dark, blood-soaked ways of the gods…or end them.
 

 

After reading and loving A River Enchanted, and A Fire Endless, I was excited to read another book by Rebecca Ross. So it was a little unfortunate that I didn't love this one. In the beginning it took me a while to get into this. I think I was around 20 percent in before it grabbed me and I felt more engrossed in the story. I had mixed feelings about the main female character. I didn't like or understand why she got involved with one of the characters in the story the way she did. It was off-putting to me that she developed the kind of relationship that she did with this person. There were red flags all over the place. She even saw them but that didn't stop her. Also, it didn't make sense to me that she made the deal with the river god, especially considering who he was, when she could have just used her cloak to disappear and swim across? Why did she need to walk across the bottom of the river to get to the keep?

I also had mixed feelings about the main male character. As a romantic character he was fine but I felt like he was a weak leader and a very poor strategist. In fact everyone involved in the war in this book was a poor strategist, and believe me, if I'm saying this then that says something, because that is not my forte. We have the god of war in the story and I have no idea what role he really played in helping them besides killing a few people. He seemed very inept. This part of the story should have been built up more. None of the characters really thought through their actions enough or even used their god powers to the best of their advantage. This stuff really frustrated me. There's more I could say but I'm trying to avoid spoilers so I'll leave it there. 

There were things I did like about this book enough to give it 3 stars. I like some of the supporting characters a lot and I liked the way the romance came about between the two main characters, and once I got into the story it was hard to put it down. I also really enjoy this author's writing style. Will I read more Rebecca Ross after this? Yes, I'll still give her other books a try because I love the first two I read so much.

On another note, I wasn't really sure how to categorize this book. It reads rather YA and although this is a standalone story, it is connected to a YA series. However, the age of the characters and some of the other content has me categorizing it for adult readers. I wouldn't recommend this for younger YA readers.

 

“He chose me first,” I replied. “He dreamt of me before I knew of him. His soul found mine before I even knew how to look for his.”

 

 

 

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Twelve Months (The Dresden Files #18) by Jim Butcher

  

 My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong language, Grief and PTSD are depicted

 

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the Dresden Files, can he save himself?

One year. 365 days. Twelve months.

Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.

Harry lost people he cared about in the battle, and that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild, but it’s a heavy load. He needs time.

Time is one thing Harry doesn’t have, however. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and killing innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.

It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of him to rise to the challenge?

  

**Some spoilers for previous books in the series. Read with caution. 

It was nice being back with Harry Dresden, even though he was grieving throughout most of the book. It had a real human quality to it that I think most of us could relate to. There was a big hole in this book without Murphy but that reflected what it feels like in real life when we lose someone. Jim Butcher did a really good job of showing how it feels, and I was feeling all the same things right along with Harry. 

 

“Pain is a fire. That’s true for all of the people, some of the time. If you’ve never had to stand   in that fire, be patient: Your turn is coming.”

 

I liked that this book took its time in developing the relationships and characters, letting them breath and grow and change at a pace that felt real. I'm not sure how I feel about the deal with Lara yet, but I liked the way things played out. I'm also really glad that Harry was able to step up and be more present in Maggie's life. 

 

 “There’s a little girl who is waiting for you,” he said. “She keeps a little light in her window     at night, you know. In case you come to see her and need it to find your way.”

 

Overall, I'm happy with the way this book progressed the plot and characters and that a couple of things got resolved, one being Thomas's situation. I was glad it wasn't dragged out longer, even if some of it ended up not ideal. I was also glad that Harry found some peace and happiness in the end. 

 

 I realized that peace and happiness aren’t the same thing. Not at all. Happiness is peace in    action. And peace is happiness at rest. And neither one has to be perfect to be real.

 

As always, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.