Weekend Reads: Body Parts

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Kate

This theme just popped in my head and I couldn’t tell you why. I thought it and it made me giggle and now here we are. So, without further ado here are some recommendations for your weekend that all share a common theme, they involve bodies.

The Vagina Bible by Dr. Jen Gunter

Dr. Jen Gunter is (was? now that twitter is no longer twitter?) twitter’s doctor, especially when it comes to downstairs parts. This is a good resource to keep around. It dispels myths and gives you clear and forthright information about the vagina, vulva, uterus, and other bits.

Head On by John Scalzi

Black and White Cover showing a human figure missing its head and circle. The text reads "John Scalzi" and "Head On"

This is a standalone novel by John Scalzi related to another of his novels, Lock in. Set in a world where people with Haden’s disease become locked into their bodies and have to interact with the outside world through android, Chris Shane is an FBI agent and a Haden who is called in to investigate a Haden-related crime. This book was so good. There was mystery, politics, betrayal, characters you loved and characters you loathed. This is definitely something you can finish in a weekend. And you’ll want to. It was hard to put down.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

You know how I said that I had no idea where this theme came from? I think I have solved my own mystery. I assigned Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to students taking a general humanities course about the modern world, which means I’ve recently re-read it. This is a classic for a reason. Science, madness, reason, love, hate, what does it mean to be human? What do we owe each other? There is so much in this classic.

Okay, so there you have it. Selections of pieces and parts. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are you planning on reading this weekend? Sound off in the comments!

Weekend Reads: Runaways

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Kate

It is January and the holiday season is over which means most of what is fun about winter is over. Except for the curling up with a good book, that is! Here are some suggestions of stories that involve travel, in case you’re stuck inside thiinking it would be better to be anywhere but here, where ever here is.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart

Genuine Fraud follows the friendship of Jule and Imogen, in reverse chronicle order, leaving you as the reader to put together the pieces of how the characters ended up where they ended up. The characters go from London, San Francisco, Puerto Rico, Martha’s Vineyard to New York. Sounds like a wild ride to me!

The Caraval Trilogy by Stephanie Garber

The Caraval trilogy is the story of sisters who are obsessed with a magical game. The sisters accept an invitation and travel to the game to find themselves at the center of the game where one of them must search for the other. If she fails, her sister could disappear forever.

The Dispatcher Series by John Scalzi

I never actually wrote a review of these books after I posted them as ‘What I’m Reading’. They’re super interesting. In an alternate timeline, if you are murdered, you turn back up again as you were moments before your death. This is horribly inconvenient for anyone who wants to commit murder, but is obviously nice for potential murder victims. It is also nice for other reasons, like if you are about to die during surgery, your doctors can be given another chance. Dispatchers are people who are officially sanctioned to murder people in certain circumstances. But there is a whole grey area where Dispatchers can also be employed. Zachary Quinn reads the audiobooks and he does an excellent job. These were interesting and enjoyable mysteries. I don’t love that they are exclusively from audible, since I prefer to get things from the library, but this is the world we live in.

Beth’s Favorite Books of 2024!!!

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Bethlylou

I read a lot of good books this year. Like many of us, books were a much-needed respite from all the things going on in the world. So, I am forever grateful to all the authors who created the amazing worlds I visited this year.

In no particular order. Here are the books that I loved the most in 2024!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang – This was such an excellent book. It was a tough read, I am not going to lie because I saw a little bit more of myself in the main character than I would care to admit but that’s a good thing. It’s good to be uncomfortable from time to time because that’s how you learn and ultimately grow. So yes, read this book. Especially if you are a liberally leaning white woman.

What the River Knows and Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez – These were a fun series. It really is a mix of The Mummy (1999 version) and Death of the Nile. I loved the dynamic between the main character and her love interest. It was a mix of adventure, romance and mystery. What the River Knows was so much fun, I had to immediately read the sequel Where the Library Hides. It just hit all the right notes for me.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – What if you could become a character in your favorite story? Sounds like fun, right? It is, at least to me. Rae may disagree as to where she ends up at the end of the book, but it is so much fun. A lot of humor and all the fantasy tropes that readers expect. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out.

Assistant to the Villain and Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer – Both of these books were so funny. I think I picked this up on a whim because it sounded interesting, and I am so glad that I did. It is just the right kind of humor I like. It is so ridiculous I love it.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – The only non-fiction title on my list. Okay, it might have been the only non-fiction book I read this year, but I digress. Jennette’s story is heartbreaking because so much of the pain in her life was caused by her mother. How she handling it all now is admirable. I only wish the best for her.

The Familiar – Leigh Bardugo – Magic, mystery, betrayal. It is all here. I loved the atmosphere of the story. Leigh Bardugo is such a great writer. She paints such great portraits in her books. If you are looking for a standalone fantasy novel, You can’t go wrong with this one.

Spoiler Alert, All the Feels and Ship wrecked by Olivia Dade – I love them all. The Spoiler Alert trilogy follows three different couples from a TV show. All of them are relatable and easy to cheer for. I also love the fan fiction part of the stories.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi – Another hilarious book. I have never read John Scalzi before but I might have to after this. The absurdity of the books is amazing. Like I need this to be a movie or TV show because it would be awesome.

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan – I was introduced to Sophie Jordan from her first dragon books, so I was happy she’s back to writing dragons. There are some similarities to the last series, but I am not mad about it. It was a very fast read, and I didn’t want it to end. It’s a good thing the sequel is coming out next year.

Those were my favorite books of this year. After going through my list, I see a theme of comedic books. I obviously needed the laughs, and I am probably going to need the laughs next year. What were your favorite books of this year?

Review: Starter Villain by John Scalzi

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Bethlylou

This book was so funny. I listened to the audible ebook narrated by Wil Wheaton and it’s just perfection. Charlie has had a string of bad luck. He was laid off from his journalist job and now working as a substitute teacher. He’s divorced and his father just recently died. He is living in his families home that his siblings want to sell. Things are not great. Then his estranged Uncle died and he’s thrown in the world of villains. He founds out that his Uncle may have had a legit business of owner parking lots but his real business was being a villain and messing up the plans of other villains. Charlie is now a head of his Uncle’s business and with cat spies and talking dolphins. He’s a bit over his head. Even more so when a group of other villains want him to join their group or he’ll lose everything.

This is book is ridiculous in all the best ways. His cats Hera and Persephone are spies that were sent to watch him and can communicate with specialize keyboards. The dolphins that guard his Uncle’s volcano island lair want to unionize. Charlie is funny and grounded. He takes everything with an awe and WTF reaction that is appropriate in situations like this. While everyone underestimates him, he outwits all of them with his knowledge and journalistic experience to dismantle his rivals in one fell swoop. To say this book was enjoyable that I was so sad when it was over and there isn’t a sequel. I forgot what it’s like to read a standalone book. Go read the book or listen to the Audible. You will not be disappointed.