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Finished
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen - I finished this. It was a very long and upsetting way to say that nuclear war is bad, and all nuclear policy is pretty bad as well. I think it was eye-opening to really learn the prevalence of nuclear weapons, as I had no idea of the numbers involved, especially during the heyday of it all. I also didn't know a lot of the practical details involved in a nuclear action. In all, it was angering and disheartening, especially in light of what's going on with Iran right now.
The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells - I finally got into this one. It ended up being a very sweet romance. I was impressed with how it brought it around to that, from where it started. Darragh's backstory was probably the most touching out of the MMCs in this series so far, and I greatly enjoyed Mari's character growth throughout, as she came to understand that she wasn't the only victim in the pack. There was also a ton of action in this one, so that was nice to finally get into. Definitely a slow start and less id-satisfying than the previous two books, but still very enjoyable. I think next is a new character, and then Annie is after that. I really want a story for Kennedy, though, so hopefully that's somewhere in the pipeline.
The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill - After enjoying the second comic in this series, I thought I should pick up the third sooner rather than later. This brought it back to the original characters, but worked in some characters from the second volume as well. It was just as cute as the others, and left me with a desperate longing for a tea dragon of my own.
Currently Reading
One Piece by Oda Eichirou - I should pick this back up, as I've been leaving it be for a few weeks now.
So I'm a Spider, So What? Volume 3 by Okina Baba - Nothing.
The Language Puzzle by Steven Mithen - Waiting for a hold to come back in.
The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson - Back from the library, and I've poked it once or twice, but haven't really been in the mood.
Rumo and his Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers - I finished up a long chapter that felt pretty pointless, so I'm happy about that. I'm hopeful that I enjoy the next bit more. It's enjoyable to read at this point, but also not very compelling to pick up, and I'm already having some trouble with reading right now.
Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner - A couple pages more. I am very unfocused.
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske - I returned this to the library, and it just came back in today. Not sure if I'll try to continue with it immediately, or just go with moods. It's an ebook, so I'm only doing them after 10 pm, at least until I finish another physical book, so that's not a ton of time.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - I've made good progress on this and am almost halfway through. I've been trying to embrace audiobooks since I'm struggling with all other mediums. I listen and play No Man's Sky, and it's working pretty well. I'm getting into this more as Luzia shows more of her personality. Also, there is something like a romance unfolding, and it's one that I'm interested in. I'm also pretty motivated because I took out another book from the library right before this one came back in, and I'm pretty excited to start it. So, that's good motivation.
Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie - Back at the library.
Unmasking for Life by Devon Price - I read the first chapter of this before I had to return it. I highlighted some stuff about how to unmask, but am too lazy to find it now. I've been doing some physical stuff, such as wearing noise-cancelling headphones and trying to inflict less discomfort on myself (change into comfy clothes when able, not wear bras with underwires and painful constrictions, contemplating phasing out jeans for leggings or the equivalent). But emotionally, I know that I need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable, for sure. The phrase "memory-foaming" was used, and that's exactly what I do. I get anxious and try to mold myself to others, and I need to stop. I need to get to a point where I'm ok with transgressing boundaries and just existing in a more natural state for myself. I'm trying to exist more in silence as part of that, because I do push myself to talk sometimes when I don't want to, but I need to also figure that out between still being a social creature at times. I guess I'm not sure what is natural speech at this point. Not sure I ever really mastered it, in terms of my own needs. I'm often silent, and I don't mind that, but I need to also learn to talk when I want to. It's all very complicated.
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett - I picked this book for our bookclub! I'm enjoying it, it's a fun little parody on a lot of the traditional fantasy that I grew up reading. Vimes is growing on me because he clearly has that detective brain that I enjoy in fictional characters, and I'm interested to see what exactly is going to happen, both with the dragon, and with Lady Ramkin.
Traitor to the Blood by Barb and J.C. Hendee - I realized I have any number of series that I own multiple books, and if I'm ever going to read everything I own, I need to start prioritizing those a little. This one sounded fun, so here we are. It's like the fourth book in the Noble Dead series, which is a low fantasy with vampires and elves and stuff. It's been ages since I read the earlier books, but it's pretty easy to pick back up. And it seems like this book will feature Leesil, who was my fave back in the day. I'm excited to get more into this, as I'm reading more.
The Dratsie Dilemma by G. L. Carriger - Like I don't have enough ebooks for bedtime, I started another. This one is of the most interest to me at the moment, so I will probably be reading it most frequently for a few days. It's the third? fourth? in her m/m shifters romance series. I like them, but they do tend to be a little too fluffy for me. This one seems like a childhood friends trope, so we'll see how that goes. I'm only on the first chapter, but definitely it's grabbing me more than my other ebooks at the moment.
Stats:
Books read from series started prior to 2025: 15
Series completed: 4
Series caught up on: 2
New series started in 2025: 4
Physical books read: 11
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen - I finished this. It was a very long and upsetting way to say that nuclear war is bad, and all nuclear policy is pretty bad as well. I think it was eye-opening to really learn the prevalence of nuclear weapons, as I had no idea of the numbers involved, especially during the heyday of it all. I also didn't know a lot of the practical details involved in a nuclear action. In all, it was angering and disheartening, especially in light of what's going on with Iran right now.
The Lone Wolf's Rejected Mate by Cate C. Wells - I finally got into this one. It ended up being a very sweet romance. I was impressed with how it brought it around to that, from where it started. Darragh's backstory was probably the most touching out of the MMCs in this series so far, and I greatly enjoyed Mari's character growth throughout, as she came to understand that she wasn't the only victim in the pack. There was also a ton of action in this one, so that was nice to finally get into. Definitely a slow start and less id-satisfying than the previous two books, but still very enjoyable. I think next is a new character, and then Annie is after that. I really want a story for Kennedy, though, so hopefully that's somewhere in the pipeline.
The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill - After enjoying the second comic in this series, I thought I should pick up the third sooner rather than later. This brought it back to the original characters, but worked in some characters from the second volume as well. It was just as cute as the others, and left me with a desperate longing for a tea dragon of my own.
Currently Reading
One Piece by Oda Eichirou - I should pick this back up, as I've been leaving it be for a few weeks now.
So I'm a Spider, So What? Volume 3 by Okina Baba - Nothing.
The Language Puzzle by Steven Mithen - Waiting for a hold to come back in.
The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson - Back from the library, and I've poked it once or twice, but haven't really been in the mood.
Rumo and his Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers - I finished up a long chapter that felt pretty pointless, so I'm happy about that. I'm hopeful that I enjoy the next bit more. It's enjoyable to read at this point, but also not very compelling to pick up, and I'm already having some trouble with reading right now.
Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner - A couple pages more. I am very unfocused.
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske - I returned this to the library, and it just came back in today. Not sure if I'll try to continue with it immediately, or just go with moods. It's an ebook, so I'm only doing them after 10 pm, at least until I finish another physical book, so that's not a ton of time.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - I've made good progress on this and am almost halfway through. I've been trying to embrace audiobooks since I'm struggling with all other mediums. I listen and play No Man's Sky, and it's working pretty well. I'm getting into this more as Luzia shows more of her personality. Also, there is something like a romance unfolding, and it's one that I'm interested in. I'm also pretty motivated because I took out another book from the library right before this one came back in, and I'm pretty excited to start it. So, that's good motivation.
Lake of Souls by Ann Leckie - Back at the library.
Unmasking for Life by Devon Price - I read the first chapter of this before I had to return it. I highlighted some stuff about how to unmask, but am too lazy to find it now. I've been doing some physical stuff, such as wearing noise-cancelling headphones and trying to inflict less discomfort on myself (change into comfy clothes when able, not wear bras with underwires and painful constrictions, contemplating phasing out jeans for leggings or the equivalent). But emotionally, I know that I need to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable, for sure. The phrase "memory-foaming" was used, and that's exactly what I do. I get anxious and try to mold myself to others, and I need to stop. I need to get to a point where I'm ok with transgressing boundaries and just existing in a more natural state for myself. I'm trying to exist more in silence as part of that, because I do push myself to talk sometimes when I don't want to, but I need to also figure that out between still being a social creature at times. I guess I'm not sure what is natural speech at this point. Not sure I ever really mastered it, in terms of my own needs. I'm often silent, and I don't mind that, but I need to also learn to talk when I want to. It's all very complicated.
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett - I picked this book for our bookclub! I'm enjoying it, it's a fun little parody on a lot of the traditional fantasy that I grew up reading. Vimes is growing on me because he clearly has that detective brain that I enjoy in fictional characters, and I'm interested to see what exactly is going to happen, both with the dragon, and with Lady Ramkin.
Traitor to the Blood by Barb and J.C. Hendee - I realized I have any number of series that I own multiple books, and if I'm ever going to read everything I own, I need to start prioritizing those a little. This one sounded fun, so here we are. It's like the fourth book in the Noble Dead series, which is a low fantasy with vampires and elves and stuff. It's been ages since I read the earlier books, but it's pretty easy to pick back up. And it seems like this book will feature Leesil, who was my fave back in the day. I'm excited to get more into this, as I'm reading more.
The Dratsie Dilemma by G. L. Carriger - Like I don't have enough ebooks for bedtime, I started another. This one is of the most interest to me at the moment, so I will probably be reading it most frequently for a few days. It's the third? fourth? in her m/m shifters romance series. I like them, but they do tend to be a little too fluffy for me. This one seems like a childhood friends trope, so we'll see how that goes. I'm only on the first chapter, but definitely it's grabbing me more than my other ebooks at the moment.
Stats:
Books read from series started prior to 2025: 15
Series completed: 4
Series caught up on: 2
New series started in 2025: 4
Physical books read: 11
