Review: Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life

Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie is a different take on menopause.  It is part memoir, part mythology lesson.  Blackie embraces the concept of the hag as a life choice for middle-aged/elder women.  She would not approve of using senior there.  She explores the depiction of older women through the ages and how we can take what is often a negative stereotype and spin it into something positive.  She intersperses the history and myth with tales from her own life that have led her on this journey.  Best read while wearing a caftan and drinking a cup of tea.  

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Review: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a confession.  I turned down an advanced copy of Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett because I thought it would be too romantic for me.  It was being billed as romantasy, and even with the fantastic cover and the lure of cats, I just felt I wouldn't like it.  But, this book did not give up on my.  It kept showing up everywhere.  It was recommended to me repeatedly.  Finally, I decided to put it on hold at the library and let fate decide when/if I should read it.  Well, it came off hold so fast, fate was sending an unmistakable signal.  I now regret turning down the ARC.  There is romance, but I feel in love with the dedication to cat rescue.  The cat shelter isn't a throwaway concept.  It is actually important to the story!  I'm sorry for misjudging you.  If you are passionate about cat rescue and don't mind a little romance, check this out!

Bonus points for so many cats who aren't forgotten throughout the story.  

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Review: Wordhunter

Wordhunter by Stella Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wordhunter is the first book in the Wordhunter Mystery series by Stella Sands.  You will want to start reading here.  

Wordhunter is a very clever concept, profiling criminals based on their writing.  I'm a little surprised we don't hear more about this with all the CSIs and forensic crime shows and podcasts.  It is a very compelling idea.  As much as I never liked diagramming sentences, I loved the inclusion of the main character's habit of sentence diagrams.  I could see where it could be soothing like how some people enjoy sudoku or how I feel about jigsaw puzzles.  The crime under investigation is quite disturbing and toss in a creepy professor who is just the absolute worst, this book is not for the sensitive.  

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Review: Questland

Questland by Carrie Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Questland by Carrie Vaughn is like a dream come true.  If I were offered the chance to go to a theme park based on fantasy literature and gaming, I would not hesitate to say yes.  Actually, why doesn't this exist yet?  I guess they sort of tried it with Star Wars, and I still regret I didn't get to go before it shut down.  I need this to be a real thing.  Sorry, I am digressing from the book.  Our geeky main character is hired to go take back said theme park from the developers who  went rogue.  She is given a small team of mercenaries (my term) who actually do have combat skills but not really gaming skills to assist her in this mission.  I loved all the references.  I thought this book was a lot of fun even though there were some sad parts.  

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Review: Yesteryear

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I usually shy away from books marketed as "book club picks." I find I don't always like those books, or I need to wait until all the hype has faded long away before I can pick it up. However, the premise of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke was really too enticing to pass up. I'm about as far away from being a trad wife as you can get and still have a uterus. I'm even exhausted just thinking about the time they invest to live their lives. Still, I find the idea fascinating. I thought the idea of suddenly waking up in the 1800s was clever. The back and forth in timelines reveals clues of what was really going on behind the curated online content. Nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. You probably won't see the ending coming though. It gets wild!

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Review: The Game Is Murder

The Game Is Murder by Hazell Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Game is Murder by Hazell Ward is like going to a murder mystery party in book form.  It is quite trippy though!  I thought this book was a lot of fun as it points out many of the mystery novel tropes.  It also plays with reality, and you aren't quite sure what is going on.  There are definitely red herrings.     Everything you need to solve the mystery is in the book.  However what is really going on might remain a mystery!

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Review: Platform Decay

Platform Decay by Martha Wells
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Platform Decay is the eighth book in The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.  I recommend reading all of the books because they are fairly short, and it will give you a good sense of who the characters are in this one.  You could read this as a standalone, but I think you would wonder why you should care about some people.  

As always, Murderbot is hilarious and deadly.  I like the addition of having Murderbot check in their emotions periodically.  I was often, "same Murderbot same."  I love seeing the growth in Murderbot's character.  Also, how often can you read a book that is essentially a sci-fi thriller with incredible violence and belly laugh at the same time?

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