#Diana and 47 feel suddenly very uncomfortable

[ellenchain]

Aaaaaaah, the otters! Cuteness overload!

I love how cool mysterious bad boy Lucas turns into a blushing first date nerves mess. 47 has that effect on him.

Olivia: Omg, only cringe washed up middle aged losers who desperately want to connect to their long past youth wear skinny jeans. You're so embarrassing!

Lucas: ....but I am a washed up middle aged loser without a youth.

Lucas is a man of many faces, but when it comes to 47, somehow no mask fits quite right 🤡

((both men are incredibly deadly, but I think when exactly two of the same ilk meet, it cancels the deadliness and coolness out, and what remains are two men who somehow don't know what they are beyond that))

And hahahaha yes exactly, Lucas is a washed up middle aged loser without a youth. Sad, but true. I think all parents are embarrassing at some point, Lucas has to go through this phase too. He can be a cool mercenary all he wants - for Olivia, he's the guy with too-tight jeans and holes in his T-shirt who picks a fight at the supermarket checkout because the cashier wouldn't accept the coupon from the old lady in front of him.

[postalninja]

For the antique ask game, this passage from A New Home for Your Memories, please:

Her eyes fluttered open again as she heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, she saw Tobias observing her curiously from a short distance away. She offered him a smile, waving him over. “Good day, Lady Burnwood,” he greeted her as he came closer. “I see that you've decided to revisit the memories of your childhood?” She sighed, giving him a rueful smile. “It seemed a fitting way to say goodbye, I suppose,” she admitted with a slight shrug. Tilting her head at him, she ventured, “Would you care to join me?” There was hesitation in his voice as he replied, “I wouldn't want to track dirt onto your blanket...” Diana looked down at his boots, noting that they were not nearly as muddy as he seemed to be implying. In fact, now that she took the time to examine him more closely, she was impressed by how little dirt there was staining his clothing. It was not a sign of him shirking his duties – she had seen him hard at work, after all. He must have been quite conscientious in maintaining his professional appearance, all told. Dismissing his concerns with a wave of her hand, Diana encouraged him once more. “Nonsense,” she assured him, “blankets can be cleaned, and a picnic alone is no fit picnic at all. Please, Mister Wodsman; I insist.” Wordlessly, the groundskeeper accepted her offer, stepping over onto her blanket and easing himself down upon it. He sat cross-legged at her side, straight-backed and somewhat uncomfortable looking. She hoped that he hadn't felt obligated to sit with her when he would rather not have... Suddenly at a loss for what to say, Diana reached for a nearby cup. “Punch?” she offered, thinking that her companion might appreciate a cold drink to slake his thirst on this hot day. He nodded his acceptance, with a soft Please. Diana poured him a drink from the jug of fruit punch, its surface beaded with condensation, then handed the cup over to the groundskeeper. His thumb lightly brushed against her fingers as he took it from her grasp and muttered his thanks, sending a pleasant shiver through her middle. She felt herself beginning to blush, and took a sip from her own cup to hide it.

Oh my goodness, where to begin! It's been a while since I wrote this... my first Hitman fic, in fact! Okay, so - the picnic scene! Here, Diana is feeling sentimental, and I worried at first that I pushed it too far, that it might be out of character - but then again, it's an AU, so who cares? Anyway, she finds herself a bit lonely as she reminisces, and she can't resist inviting Tobias to join her. She found him attractive right away, and she's curious about him; he's clearly not your average groundskeeper. I put in the detail about his clothes being remarkably clean as a nod to 47's meticulousness. It doesn't matter that he works in the dirt, Tobias wants his appearance to make a good impression (and it does!) There's a bit of awkwardness as they initially sit together; Tobias isn't very good at casual conversation, and Diana feels like she might be pushing the idea too much. She worries he's just being polite, but of course, he's curious about her too, and he's touched at the invitation - surprised even. He doesn't want to impose, but she insists, so he gives in.

And from there, they manage to get past the awkwardness and get to know each other a little bit ^_^

Thanks for asking about this story! It's nice to look back at my very first foray into writing for this fandom :)

[a-gromova]

Hitman III impressions

Well, I will not write a review on the game, this is not my genre. But I would like to capture my emotions in this post. I haven't done this before. Maybe just because I was sure it would never end, huh. Of course, there will be a lot of spoilers, so if you don't want to ruin the experience, leave this post for later. I do not want and will not criticize anyone. This post is just screenshots of the first playthrough + a small comment on them. If you don't want to read, you can always just look at nice dics pics. 

I just want to say that the game ended with dignity. To be honest, even I could not imagine such an ending. I didn't expect Edwards would grip his screen time so tightly and drink blood like a parasite from each character. Do I need to say more than one word? MENDOZA. THIS IS. SIMPLY. YAVYVDALOYVDA I'm not a big shipper, you know, but... even I didn't expect THAT from IOI. Yes, everyone tried to see something behind the vibes that arose between Diana and 47 for more than 15 years,  but... wow.

Dubai

If you only knew how much Dubai gave me. From the very first mission I had the feeling that I could move mountains, damn it. At some point I even forgot where whose goals were. Or maybe I just wanted that voice to always lead me. Well... you know. I don't think it makes sense to mention for the thousandth time how mind-blowing the visuals are in Hitman 3. I just couldn't lift my jaw off the floor. Guuuuuuys, this is just a graphic paradise. But who in their right mind would make a glass floor? I was wildly uncomfortable.

And yes, I, like many others, arranged a personal meeting with Partners. You know, sometimes a voice in your head makes you do different things, and you even like it. 

Dartmoor

When I first got to the manor, the overall color scheme of the level suddenly diminished my ardor. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was going wrong. But nevertheless the level has begun and OH GOD IT WAS GREAT. I didn't expect us to be playing detective in all seriousness. Interrogate, investigate, collect evidence and then even express your version of what had happened.

And wait. Did we ask Carlisle for documents directly? WHAT? Thanks, of course, but I think you will not refuse to look at the nature around the manor in flight from the balcony?

But the mission ends. Diana did not finish the sentence. This was the first bell. I left the manor thinking "fuck". When I walked out the gate and Lucas got in touch, I was like FUCK. No no no IO, I know what you're up to, but you won't do it, will you?

Haha. They did it :)

Berlin

You know, the beginning of the level in Berlin really matches the emotional state. There is silence all around. You no longer have a goal. You are lost and don't know what to do next. Ok ok ok 47 knew what he had to do - find Olivia. But what should I do?

I don't want to describe my opinion about Grey as a character. It will take a long time, and I don’t think most people will be interested in knowing my whole attitude toward him. Yeah, I know that many people didn't like him, especially on Reddit, and many considered him an unnecessary character. Well...

All I knew was that I don't want to play like I used to. I DO NOT WANT to play the way I did years ago. Yes, of course, I've played all parts of the franchise (maybe except one) and I loved it primarily for the atmosphere, theme and gameplay. But I think you understand that you won't last long in the fandom, if you don't have something to cling to. At some point it happened to me. But then 2016 came and said hello to me.

I still cannot pass the level in any other way. I'm just shooting all potential ICA agents. Yes, I know this is a little silly and childish, but I cannot accept the fact that someone other is wearing HIS coat (sorry, 47). But I also can't afford to take it off by changing my disguise. This is a very difficult and incomprehensible feeling. Let it be so for now.

Olivia turned out to be a tough girl. To be honest, from the first season she did not make me such an impression. I am glad that the game allowed me to change my mind about her.

Chongqing

Absolution. ABSOLUTION!!!!! Guuuuys, I still consider this part to be one of the best in the franchise. It gave me so many incredibly cool emotions. There are SO MANY vibes. And now IOI show us Chongqing. It's just mind-blowing. 

Night, neon, RAIN. 

Ladders that stretch over the road. Bird cells. God, did anyone else remember Birdie at that moment? Please say yes and that I'm not the only one so crazy.

And yes, I was right. We're going to fuck agency. LIKE IN THE GOOD OLD TIMES. God, this level is just something.

Mendoza

Are you ready to scream? Don't answer. I can hear your screams from everywhere. Because this is MENDOZA.

I was just playing some really good fanfiction. Guys, tell me honestly, none of you work at IOI? And this is the cutscene before the briefing: YOU DON'T KNOW HER. SHE IS SENDING A MESSAGE. SDFHGDHFJSFDJF All these touches, looks. TANGO. Diana didn't play a queen, she WAS a queen. And this is rightfully her field of maneuver. From that point on Hitman 3 became a DIANA GAME. I can't say I'm against it. Our girl has deserved much more screen time in so many years. I need to spend more time at this location.

Romania

Aaaand we are inside 47's mind distorted by toxins. Wow. I really like the concept of what was happening: we are shown what we did. We were shown how we changed this world. And it all came down to accepting the past. 47 HAD to do this. If you don't accept yourself, you will never be free.

Wait. Looks like I came alive for a while. Honey, I love you even with a hole in the stomach. You don't have to die, you know?

Despite the fact that I knew what was happening there, I was not immediately able to figure out what was reality and what was feverish delirium. Only at the very end I realized that OH GOD THIS IS A REAL TRAIN. We all have the opportunity to chose the way of walking through the level: we can shoot everyone or we can sneak around providence agents. Also we have an opportunity to chose a method to eliminate Edwards. In the end I had no rage or anger. I have never had such feelings during the game tho. I injected Arthur with serum. There are things worse than death. How did he say? "At least I will die knowing who I am?" No, my dear, I could not afford you such a luxury. Even with all your money. And that is it. Be free, legend. It was a pleasure to know you.

[thecomicsnexus]

TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #45-47 AUGUST - OCTOBER 1984 BY MARV WOLFMAN, GEORGE PEREZ, MIKE DECARLO AND ADRIENNE ROY

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

Aqualad is seriously ill and drags a dying Aquagirl into Titans Tower. He struggles to bring her to the pool to get fresh water into her system, but passes out mere inches away. 

Across town, Changeling is still having difficulty coping with the death of Terra. He busts up a group of arms dealers and nearly kills them in his anger. Cyborg shows up and tries to talk to Gar, but Changeling tells him that he is through talking. Nobody was around for him when he needed help, so he has no interest in confiding in his teammates. 

Meanwhile, Dick Grayson attends an extremely uncomfortable bachelor party being held for Terry Long. Terry's inebriated brothers hire a stripper for him who jumps out of a giant cake. 

At Manhattan College, a boy named Steven tries to bond with Raven whom he has developed an interest in. Raven politely rebuffs the boy's advances and gets into a car with Jericho. 

On Paradise Island, Donna asks Queen Hippolyta's blessing to marry Terry Long. Traditionally, if an Amazon chooses to reside permanently in Man's World, they must forsake their Amazonian powers. However, as Donna is not a true Amazon, Hippolyta does not feel the need to enforce this restriction. As a wedding gift, Donna's "sister" Diana gives Donna a new set of magic bracelets. 

Later, everyone regroups at Titans Tower where they discover the dying Aqualad and Aquagirl. They quickly submerge them in a special water solution and carefully pump fresh sea water into their systems. When they revive, Aqualad tells them that the H.I.V.E. has attacked Atlantis. Nightwing is tired of the H.I.V.E. and wants to put a stop to them once and for all.

The Teen Titans, along with a revitalized Aqualad and Aquagirl travel through the Atlantic Ocean to the coordinates of the H.I.V.E.'s undersea station. As they approach the base, the H.I.V.E. Mistress consults with her Council of Seven about Operation: Waterworks. Aquagirl and Aqualad tear up two stalagmites and hurl them like mini-torpedoes at the base. The projectiles tear a hole through the station and dozens of H.I.V.E. agents wearing deep-sea diving suits spill outward. While the Titans engage the agents in their T-Sub, Aquagirl swims through the airlock and onto the base. She begins interrogating one of the H.I.V.E. agents, but another one gets the drop on her and stuns her with an energy weapon. Aboard the T-Sub, Raven telepathically feels Aquagirl's shriek of pain and teleports onto the base. Suddenly, the evil influence of her demonic father Trigon overwhelms her and she viciously begins slaughtering every H.I.V.E. agent in the room.

Back in New York, Vic returns home to find his grandparents, Maude and Tucker, waiting for him in his apartment. He is not thrilled to see them, and still resents them for the fact that they failed to attend his father's funeral. Vic angrily tells them to leave. Maude fires back at him and after a few terse words, they finally make up.

Elsewhere in the city, detective Lt. "Tank" Sherman is called to the scene of a potential mugging. The would-be victim gives her statement and tells Sherman that her attacker was nearly mauled to death by a savage green tiger.

Back at the H.I.V.E. base, the Titans board the station and regroup with Aquagirl, Aqualad and Raven. Jericho uses his powers to take control of one of the surviving H.I.V.E. agents. They fight their way through a blockade of armed men and travel deeper towards the command core of the station. From her central meeting room, the H.I.V.E. Mistress seals off the access tunnel where the Titans are located and jettisons the entire chamber into the sea. Once the pod is far enough away from the base, she activates a trigger which causes it to explode.

Believing that the Titans have been destroyed, the H.I.V.E. Mistress offers a toast of victory. However, they soon discover that Raven saved her comrades from the explosion by enveloping everyone inside of her soul-self and teleporting aboard the H.I.V.E. station. The Titans begin fighting through another throng of H.I.V.E. shock-troops and Starfire is injured when her body is stunned by electrified cables that drop down out of the ceiling. Jericho takes control of her body and presses onward deeper into the H.I.V.E. base.

At Titans Tower, Changeling returns home, still lamenting the loss of Terra. Cyborg enters the room and the two have a heart-to-heart. Gar's spirits are lifted by the arrival of an old friend - Jillian Jackson. Jillian was once Changeling's high school sweetheart.

Back at the H.I.V.E. base, the Titans continue fighting their way through an endless morass of soldiers until they come to a torpedo bay. They discover that the H.I.V.E. intends on destroying Atlantis as a show of power in the hopes that their reputation will enable them to blackmail world leaders into surrendering to them. The H.I.V.E. Mistress launches the torpedo, but Aqualad manages to disable it before it reaches Atlantis. Realizing that the battle is lost, the H.I.V.E. Mistress murders her Inner Council then takes her own life. With the battle won, the Titans wave goodbye to Aqualad and Aquagirl, board the T-Sub and return home.

REVIEW

Perhaps it was clear at the time of publishing, but it isn’t now. We are supposed to finish all original stories from “Tales” before starting to read the Baxter series. As a result (possibly to avoid confusing readers), Raven is going to be absent from most stories in “Tales” (as she has quite the character development in the first arc of the Baxter series). This is also not that clear when you reach the end, as it pretty much ends where the Crisis starts (but by then, the Crisis was 8 issues in). So when are you supposed to read the Baxter series? After issue 58 for sure. But be sure to read the first arc before Crisis.

Now that it is clear, we finally see the end of this iteration of H.I.V.E. and to be honest, I only care because I couldn’t stand them. Their mission was never that clear, and even in this one, destroying Atlantis doesn’t align that much with their idea of blackmailing countries... the whole plot feels half cooked.

I enjoy every time we get an Aqualad cameo, and in this case we also get Wally West cameos. The Monitor’s satellite at the end makes sense... but unlike earlier cameos, I have to assume that by this point in history, Wolfman was already aware of what he was going to do in the Crisis. But I don’t know. Monitor and Lyla were very active in the few months preceding the Crisis and I am not sure how many writers were in the know. I know Cary Bates knew a year in advance that he had to end his Flash run, so that would make it October 1984, the month issue #47 came out (technically there is a two-month difference, but it would be the same amount of time). So to me, by this point, they had to have Crisis all plotted out. Maybe that is why Aquagirl appeared in this story.

I give this story a score of 8

[baronessblixen]

Dialogue prompts: 9, 37, or 47. Love your writing!

Thank you so much lovely anon! Dialogue prompts were  “You’re in love with her.” + “Lie to me then.” 47: “Why are youwhispering?” Set in season 6, around Arcadia. 

“What is he doing here?”That’s the first thing Bill Scully says, or spits rather, when he opens thedoor. He doesn’t look at his sister, who he hasn’t seen in months, but only ather partner. The spooky man who is followed by doom and therefore has no rightto be here, at his house, with his family; at least that’s how Mulderinterprets Bill Scully’s current expression. Mulder tightens his grip on to theplate with the huge cake neatly tucked into too much tinfoil that Scully pushedinto his arms moments ago.

“He was invited.” Scullyrushes past her brother, leaving Mulder outside in the cold, fending forhimself. When she’s angry she can forget him, sometimes. They’re similar inthat way. He knows this. Mulder offers the cake like a peace offering. Orsomething. Bill stares at it. Then back at Mulder. His eyes narrow and for oncethey’re in agreement: they both wish Mulder wasn’t here.

“No one told me you wereinvited.” Mulder isn’t surprised.

“I was told you were fine withit.” He replies; he really should have known better. Bill yanks the plateout of his hands, the only outlet for his anger, and leaves the door open soMulder can enter. He’s not welcome here, that much is clear, but Bill ScullyJr. is not going to let him rot outside. Mulder closes the door quietly behindhim, taking a deep breath. He should have said no when Scully asked him to comewith her to San Diego. He should have insisted. He had, if he rememberscorrectly. Until that moment when Maggie Scully herself called him and told himto be there or else.

Right now he thinks or else would havebeen the better choice.

“Fox!” Maggie Scullydownright squeals when he enters the kitchen as discreetly as he can muster.Several heads turn; he recognizes Tara Scully, his very own Scully, and a womanhe has never seen before, who looks almost as uncomfortable as he feels.

“Hello Mrs. Scully.” Shegrabs him and engulfs him in a tight hug.

“I’m glad you came,” shewipes at his cheek, a motherly automatism, “I wasn’t sure.” She addsmore quietly glancing at her son, who is busy trying to free the cake from thetinfoil.

“You remember Tara, don’tyou?” Bill Scully’s wife offers him a warm smile and a strong handshake.

“Nice to see you again, Fox. Oh,you prefer Mulder, don’t you? Dana always calls you Mulder!” She laughsuncomfortably and blushes deeply.

“I’m fine with either.” Heassures her and he is certain he can hear Scully huff.

“And this is my other daughter-in-law,Sandra. She’s Charlie’s wife.” Mulder and Sandra exchange a handshake anda nod that seems to say I’d rather be somewhere else right now.

“Is Charlie here? I’ve never methim before.”

“He’s expected latertonight.” Maggie Scully tells him and he watches Sandra’s expressionsoften, just thinking about her husband getting here, saving her from the restof his family. Mulder turns around to look at Scully. She’s leaning against thecounter, her arms crossed in front of her. Not even she wants him here. Hecan’t blame her, not really. They might have the x-files back, might be backtogether professionally, but the ramifications of the last months are still painfullypalpable. Diana, he thinks bitterly, swallowing her name and the thought. Thingsthat were said that shouldn’t have been said. Things done. He stares at her,bites his lip, and she turns away from him, nudging her brother and helping himget the tinfoil off the cake. Mulder is convinced that no one will eat itanyway.

Maggie Scully shoos them all out of thekitchen when it becomes apparent that neither of them is any help. Tara andSandra are talking about babies; little Matthew is upstairs sleeping. Sandraand Charlie, apparently, are trying. Mulder tries to catch Scully’s attention,but she’s either willfully ignoring him, or truly lost in her own world. Hefeels anger well up in him. If she really doesn’t want him here then why didn’tshe just say so? He is sure she could have come up with an excuse for him. Herbrother hates him already, what’s a few more Scullys? He could have taken it.

“Can I talk to you a moment?”Bill Scully’s voice is harsh and it’s way too close for Mulder’s liking. Henods, swallows hard. He follows the other man, wherever they’re going, and nowScully looks at him. Mulder wants to ask her to save him, please, but his mouthis dry, his mind empty. Which is why he doesn’t first notice that Bill Scullyis leading him outside. Once there, he towers over him, his hands on his hips,his face dark. He’s going to punch me, Mulder thinks, or worse.

“You’re in love with her.” Ofall the things Mulder expected Bill Scully to throw at him this is not it.

“Excuse me?”

“You are, aren’t you? You’re inlove with Dana.” It’s not even a question.

“You sure you want to know theanswer to that?” Stupid, Mulder. Stupid, stupid. He doesn’t want to makeBill even angrier. He just doesn’t want him to know before he’s had a chance totell Scully. Well, he has told her. And she didn’t take him seriously. Ohbrother, indeed.

“Lie to me then. Make me try tounderstand why my mother – my own mother – invited you here. If you love her…ifyou are in love with her… I still couldn’t stand you, but. I saw the way youjust looked at her, Mulder.” He used to look at her a million differentways, or so he thought. Depending on the time of day, on her mood, and mostlyhis. On where they were, or why. On what she was wearing. In the end herealized it wasn’t true. There might still be a million different ways he looksat her now. Except they all mean the same.

“I’m not going to lie to you,Bill,” Mulder begins, “I do love her. I am in love with her. We’renot… we’re not together though, if that’s what you mean. But yes. I’m in lovewith her. Have been for a long time. She doesn’t feel the same way. Not like…she’s not in the same place. I came here because your mother invited me. If… ifDana doesn’t want me here either, I’ll just leave. I’ll just… leave.” Asif on cue, the front door opens and Scully steps out.

“You’re not making him leave,Bill.” She tells her big brother and Mulder knows that tone all too well.It means business. He’s been on the receiving end of it often enough.

“I wasn’t going to make himleave.” Bill mumbles and stomps past Mulder. He stops in front of Dana andfor a moment the siblings stare at each other, then suddenly, they’re huggingand grinning. “Glad you could make it, sis.” With that he disappearsinside. Scully walks towards Mulder and he watches her, wondering what she’sthinking. But he’s always wondering.

“What makes you think I don’t wantyou here?” Her voice is soft, as are her eyes.

“I thought… I don’t know, Scully.We haven’t talked much lately, have we?” She shakes her head no, takes astep closer. They’re almost touching. The urge to take her into his arms isalmost unbearable.

“But just so you know, I do wantyou here. I’m glad you’re here.” Her voice is barely above a whisper nowand Mulder lowers his head to hers, just to hear her better. He tells himselfthat’s the only reason, anyway.

“I’m glad to be here, too.”

“You’re not the only person inthat place, Mulder.”

“Hm?”

“You said I’m not in the sameplace you are. But I am, Mulder. I am.” She’s lost him. He stares at her,not understanding a word she’s saying. She watches him, hoping he’ll catch up,which he doesn’t, and takes his face into her hands.

“I’m in love with you, too,Mulder. You’re not the only person in that place.” With that, she puts herlips on his softly, just a test, merely a tease. Her hands remain where theyare, her thumbs gently caressing his cheeks.

“You are?” He’s whisperingnow, too, too scared to say it out loud. She nods, grinning. “Why are youwhispering? Wait, no, how do you even know what I said?”

“We could all hear you andBill,” Scully tells him, still whispering, “the baby monitor.”She points at the colorful monitor sitting there in the grass. “Taraforgot to bring it inside after playing with Matthew. I’m glad she did.”

“Oh, so am I.”  

[planttastic]

Book List 2017!

Goal: 48 Read: 48 New Authors: 13!: Rebekah Crane, Georgia Hunter, David Machado, Dee Lestari, Garson O’Toole, Tahereh Mafi, Soraya Lane, Courtney Elizabeth Mauk, F.C. Lee, Kory Stamper, Marie Lu, Mohsin Hamid, & Krysten Ritter Re-reads: 2: 1984, & The Stupidest Angel

1. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) - Rick Riordan, ★★★★

2. Dragon Fly in Amber (Outlander #2) - Diana Gabaldon, ★★★★

3. Seven Up (Stephanie Plum #7) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

4. Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life In The Void) - Mary Roach, ★★★★★

5. Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum #8) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

6. The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland - Rebekah Crane, ★★★

7. 1984 - George Orwell, ★★★★

8. To The Nines (Stephanie Plum #9), ★★★

9. At Night We Walk In Circles - Daniel Alarcón, ★★★★

10. Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum #10) - Janet Evanovich, ★★

11. We Were the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter, ★★★★

12. Eleven on Top (Stephanie Plum #11) - Janet Evanovich, ★★

13. Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum #12) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★★

14. Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum #13) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

15. The Shelf Life of Happiness - David Machado, ★★★

16. Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War - Mary Roach, ★★★★

17. Paper Boats - Dee Lestari, ★★★★

18. Hemingway Didn’t Say That: The Truth Behind Familiar Quotations - Garson O’Toole, ★★

19. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★★★

20. Unravel Me (Shatter me #2) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★★

21. Unite Me (Shatter Me #1.5 & 2.5) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★

22. Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★★

23. American Gods - Neil Gaiman, ★★★

24. Wives of War - Soraya Lane, ★★★

25. The Special Power of Restoring Lost Things - Courtney Elizabeth Mauk, ★★

26. Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum #14) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

27. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen (Stephanie Plum #15) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

28. Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum #16) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

29. Smoking Seventeen (Stephanie Plum #17) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

30. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo - F.C. Lee, ★★★★

31. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries - Kory Stamper, ★★★★

32. Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum #18) - Janet Evanovich, ★★

33. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng, ★★★★★

34. The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) - Rick Riordan, ★★★★

35. Notorious Nineteen (Stephanie Plum #19) - Janet Evanovich, ★★

36. Young Jane Young - Gabrielle Zevin, ★★★★

37. Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum #20) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★

38. Warcross (Warcross #1) - Marie Lu, ★★★★

39. Sourdough - Robin Sloan, ★★★★

40. La Belle Sauvage (The Book Of Dust #1) - Philip Pullman, ★★★★

41. Voyager (Outlander #3) - Diana Gabaldon, ★★★★

42. Feedback (Newsflesh #4) - Mira Grant, ★★★★

43. Top Secret Twenty-one (Stephanie Plum #21) - Janet Evanovich, ★★

44. Exit West - Mohsin Hamid, ★★★★★

45. Bonfire - Krysten Ritter, ★★★★

46. Artemis - Andy Weir, ★★

47. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror (Pine Cove #3) - Christopher Moore, ★★★

48. Mrs. Fletcher - Tom Perotta, ★★★

**WARNING** SPOILERS BELOW!

1. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) - Rick Riordan, ★★★★ Here's the thing. I know these are middle school books, HOWEVER some of my favorite modern literary characters have come from Riordan's Demigod books and this one contains the return of two of my favorites. I'm glad that he's continuing to write them, though I wish he would up the reading level, as I'm sure a lot of his readers are into YA levels now. An easy start for the new year! Progress: January 1, 2017 – Started Reading January 4, 2017 – Finished Reading

2. Dragon Fly in Amber (Outlander #2) - Diana Gabaldon, ★★★★ I must admit, I enjoyed this one much more than the first (a surprise, considering I wasn't a huge fan of season 2 of the show). It deals a lot more with history and the coming together of the Rising, which was more interesting than I expected. The ending was still incredibly sad and hopeful (as I did expect) and got me right in the heart. Progress: January 5, 2017 – Started Reading January 6, 2017 –page 79. "This book is long af. I was surprised to see a big reveal for a character (if you could call it that, I guess) in the first chapter. Oh the differences between tv writing and novels." January 12, 2017 –page 389. "Dude just pulled a snake out of his pocket like it was no thing. Wtf was happening in France?! Don't keep snakes in your jackets, gents. That is weird af." January 14, 2017 –page 521 "Sudden POV shift to Jaime is odd and unexpected. It seems that it's just in chunks? Makes it feel uneven." January 15, 2017 – Finished Reading

3. Seven Up (Stephanie Plum #7) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ Stephanie is bad at her job, these are super formulaic and there's a standard love triangle, yet I can't stop reading these. They are the potato chip of bounty hunter novels. Progress: January 16, 2017 – Started Reading January 18, 2017 – Finished Reading

4. Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life In The Void - Mary Roach, ★★★★★ Full of science, humor and a lot of information I never thought to ask about space.  Mary Roach is my favorite science writer, quite possibly my favorite non-fiction writer. Stiff will probably always be my favorite of her books, but I think this is tied for 2nd with Gulp. Progress: January 19, 2017 – Started Reading January 19, 2017 – Shelved January 20, 2017 – page 133 "It's things like, "buttocks are nature's safety foam" that make me love Mary Roach's books. Give me all the facts in amusing and easily digestable prose!" January 24, 2017 – Finished Reading

5. Hard Eight (Stephanie Plum #8) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I figure since this book came out over 13 years ago, spoilers don't count, so I'm not going to put this under a cut, but at least a warning. WARNING. Stephanie is still terrible at her job, goes through cars more often than she buys tanks of gas, but at least she FINALLY BANGED RANGER. Unfortunately we only got a paragraph of explanation, which does not do justice to his apparent sexiness. (For the record, I'm still Team Cupcake.)  This one did feel a bit different, as she wasn't money-driven to solve the case. It does lend her a bit more... humanity? Progress: January 25, 2017 – Started Reading January 25, 2017 – page 94 "Gdi Stephanie, if you're going to handcuff a FTA to your car, DON'T LEAVE THE KEYS IN IT.  I swear 😒 is the only face I make when reading these." January 26, 2017 – page 128 "AGAIN with the wedging herself into a car. A Honda CR-V is a gd suv. Despite Stephanie being repulsed by her 'stomach roll', unless she has the seat very far up, doubtful considering she is also tall, she would not need to wedge herself into the front seat of an suv. Ughhhhhh. 😒" January 27, 2017 – Finished Reading

6. The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland - Rebekah Crane, ★★★ I got this as a Kindle First Read and decided to read it as a filler between trips to the library. It proved to be a very quick read, and reminded me of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, though they aren't really that similar. (I had conflicting feelings about that one, too.) I think it does downplay mental illness, but does a good job of showcasing the power of friendship (less cheesy than it sounds), being there, and how tenuous that can be. Progress: January 28, 2017 – Started Reading January 29, 2017 – Finished Reading

7. 1984 - George Orwell, ★★★★ It's pretty clear why everyone is suddenly re-reading this. It's not going to save us though. Progress: January 29, 2017 – Started Reading January 31, 2017 – page 81 ""The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him..." #alarminglyrelevant" February 4, 2017 – page 199 "I know it's been years since I read this, but did I really just conveniently forget how wordy and dense it was? Oof." February 5, 2017 – Finished Reading

8. To The Nines (Stephanie Plum #9), ★★★ Finally some real character development! Or at least acknowledgement from Stephanie that she has learned things (wearing sensible shoes) and that she feels lackluster in her performance. It was interesting to see her finally evaluate her life outside of who she is as a romantic partner (I know that the romance is a big part of the series, but still).  And it was nice to see Vinnie be a little less creepy and explore some different bond types. Progress: February 6, 2017 – Started Reading February 6, 2017 – page 32 "Not really sure how I feel about Stephanie's hatred of a lady she just met, especially considering it seems to tie in with how she looks. Uncomfortable." February 7, 2017 – page 248 "For the second time, Stephanie has mentioned having sensible shoes on in case she has to run. She IS getting better!" February 8, 2017 – Finished Reading

9. At Night We Walk In Circles - Daniel Alarcón, ★★★★ A winding novel with an unexpected ending.  I really had no idea what it was going to be about, but I had read Lost City Radio in 07 or 08 for my Writers on Writing class and enjoyed it quite a bit and was excited to see that he had written another novel. Progress: February 8, 2017 – Started Reading February 18, 2017 – Finished Reading

10. Ten Big Ones (Stephanie Plum #10) - Janet Evanovich, ★★ I have a lot of issues with this one. First the good: Ranger and the tiny peek into his life. And the return of Sally Sweet!!  The bad: This one feels pretty racist with all of the gang bits.  Stephanie seems to suffer no consequences for her terrible actions and she continues to suck at her job. Despite her constant refusal to get a different job, there are times where she's is pretty lackadaisical when it comes to actually doing it.  There were A LOT of questionable things that happened, some really awful and terrible things, and at the end everyone is like, "lol, nbd." ARE YOU KIDDING ME. Actions have consequences, unless you're at the end of a Plum novel, I guess. Progress: February 18, 2017 – Started Reading February 22, 2017 – page 181 "So much fat shaming/ guilt happening right now I want to stop reading.  This is the part of 'chick lit' that I loathe. Way to reinforce stereotypes.  At the same time, if your character is going to eat a dozen donuts a day, she should know that she's going to gain weight and be on the lookout for diabetes because that's is just unhealthy." February 23, 2017 - page 226 "Jfc Stephanie, this is the worst idea, ever. If I didn't know the series was continuing, I'd think this is how the character got killed off." February 24, 2017 – Finished Reading

11. We Were the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter, ★★★★ Oh, my heart.  This was pretty difficult for me to start, mostly because I didn't want to get too attached to characters that were bound to have a horrific end. However, once it gets going (ie, all the terrible things start happening), it goes pretty quickly.  I don't know if if any one novel can encapsulate the spanning horror of the Holocaust, and I appreciate (not sure if that's the right word) that Hunter went for a more focused approach, scattering milestone dates within the story. Progress: February 25, 2017 – Started Reading March 8, 2017 – Finished Reading

12. Eleven on Top (Stephanie Plum #11) - Janet Evanovich, ★★ :Deep, prolonged, exasperated sigh:  Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie. I'm so glad you're a fictional character, because I'm pretty sure I'd hate you if you were real.  AND YET, I can't stop reading these. I blame Morelli and Ranger. Progress: March 9, 2017 – Started Reading March 11, 2017 – Finished Reading

13. Twelve Sharp (Stephanie Plum #12) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★★ FINALLY. A story I liked!  We get a lot of Ranger in this one, a pretty decent story, and none of Stephanie's cars blow up! She's competent and not as silly. I was wrong about the 'turning point' moment! Finally, finally, finally. Progress: March 13, 2017 – Started Reading March 15, 2017 – page 201 "There's usually a point in each of the novels where I think, 'that is how everything is going to go to hell.' This one is leaving her gd panic button at the office and skipping town to get away from "scary stuff" and Ranger, while someone is trying to KILL HER." March 17, 2017 – Finished Reading

14. Lean Mean Thirteen (Stephanie Plum #13) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I had issues with some of the motives in this one (especially with Joyce) and I continue to be annoyed that Morelli and Ranger pass Stephanie between them while 'protecting' her. The ending seemed a bit trite, but at least her car died in a normal way.  Not entirely sure how I feel about her constantly complaining about her job. But perhaps I'm expecting too much. Progress: March 22, 2017 – Started Reading April 1, 2017 – Finished Reading

15. The Shelf Life of Happiness - David Machado, ★★★ I got this as a Kindle First read, so I wasn't really sure what I was getting into. I liked it well enough. I definitely wanted more of the story, the end felt kind of abrupt. Progress: April 26, 2017 – Started Reading May 7, 2017 – Finished Reading

16. Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War - Mary Roach, ★★★★ Though not my favorite of Roach's books (that will always go to Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers), I found this a lot more interesting than I thought I would because it's about subjects I wouldn't have immediately thought of when thinking, 'war.'  A lot of the 'gross' that Roach does so well, (who thinks about diarrhea when fighting a battle?) along with textile science and shark repellent. Progress: May 9, 2017 – Started Reading May 18, 2017 – Finished Reading

17. Paper Boats - Dee Lestari, ★★★★ I ended up loving this book a lot more than I expected it to.  It's very sweet. The characters are charming and likeable. It does a very good job of capturing the awkward personal growth that happens during college and how it affects relationships.  I thought I could feel a bit of Tiffany Tsao in her translation, at least I found some similarities to her novel. I can certainly see why Lestari is such a popular writer in Indonesia. One of the best Kindle First books I've read. Progress: May 18, 2017 – Started Reading May 23, 2017 – Finished Reading

18. Hemingway Didn’t Say That: The Truth Behind Familiar Quotations - Garson O’Toole, ★★ Oof. I will say that this is very well researched. Clearly a lot of time and effort went into finding the origins of these quotes, and I do appreciate that.  However, I am not a fan of how the information is presented. Most of it feels pretentious ("QI feels...") and stiff. To be completely honest, I don't read many nonfiction books for a similar reason, so it's purely opinion. Progress: May 24, 2017 – Started Reading May 24, 2017 – 1.0% "Holy pretentiousness Batman... This might be rough to get through, but I really love quotes..." May 24, 2017 – 2.0% "There's faulty information on the Internet?! YOU DON'T SAY. (It is possible that I'm not the target generation for this intro.)" May 25, 2017 – 11.0% "Maybe I don't like quotes as much as I thought I did." May 28, 2017 – page 59 14.9% "My last year of college, I wrote this play about a blogger loosely based on my life. I had a draft due, so I pulled a few of my own blog posts, pasted them in some strategic places and turned it in. Almost all the feedback I got was about how the blog posts didn't make sense with the rest of the writing, probably because I didn't bother to edit them. That's how I feel about some of these entries" June 12, 2017 – page 241 60.86% "Not that it's important, but I have no idea what POV is being used here. Sometimes it feels like second person, and others third? All readers know that the writer is from QI, so separating them seems awkward. Oh well." June 19, 2017 – Finished Reading

19. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★★★ I have to say, I was pretty surprised by this novel.  The premise is not new (dystopia, boy meets girl, etc, etc), but Mafi has a very distinct and different writing style that I find quite enjoyable. It's different. I imagine a lot of people hate it? There's several instances where people are commenting on Juliette's body that are gross and super off-putting. I'm hoping this is something that diminishes in further novels.  SPOILER: The best part was the end though, SURPRISE IT'S JUST A SUPERHERO ORIGIN STORY. All of a sudden we're in this weird X-Men/Inhumans universe and I am so here for it.  Looking forward to reading the rest. Progress: June 21, 2017 – Started Reading June 25, 2017 – Finished Reading

20. Unravel Me (Shatter me #2) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★★ Basically everything I expected to happen, did happen. Ughhhhhh. Progress: June 28, 2017 – Started Reading July 1, 2017 – 30.0% "So far, most of this has been angst and trying to make Warner and Juliette seem So Similar. It makes me want to barf." July 2, 2017 – 64.0% "Every time I read YA novels I always think how I would never want to be a teen again. The angst and drama and omg." July 2, 2017 – Finished Reading

21. Unite Me (Shatter Me #1.5 & 2.5) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★ Destroy Me: I do not understand people's love for Warner. I'm going to put this under a spoiler cut, just in case.  SPOILER: He's the embodiment of entitled masculinity. He wants Juliette even though: he doesn't really know her, she hates him, he thinks she'll 'save him, and that he deserves her. It's gross. He literally kidnapped her after stalking her. He manipulated her on more than one occasion, bordering on torture, just to see what she was capable of. And now he's reading her diary/book as though he has the right to know those thoughts. His image of Juliette has been stripped of all agency. I don't care that he has qualms about what the Reestablishment is doing. I don't care that he seems to care about the citizens in his sector (also creepy). I don't care that he's possibly losing his grip on reality. I'm pretty sure he's going to turn over to the Omega's side in later installments so that he can get some kind of redemption arc, and then there might be a love triangle (BARF). I hope Juliette stays far away from him. I hope she never forgives him for the kidnapping, the simulation room, or his general desire to own her. Because women don't owe men anything, because we're not objects to be owned. Fracture Me: 75% of it was just a retelling of the end of Unravel Me, so that was unfortunate. I imagine it was a nice bonus to have while waiting for Ignite Me to come out, but I don't know how much it added to the the series. Progress: June 25, 2017 – Started Reading July 3, 2017 – Finished Reading

22. Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) - Tahereh Mafi, ★★★ So, I really wanted to like this series. I really did.  However, I was so disappointed in how it all played out. The characters were totally OOC in this installment.  I still hate Warner, I don't care what he does.  The end felt anticlimactic, though that might just be a symptom of reading too much dystopian YA novels.  Pretty unsure about there being more books, but I think a lot of people will read them. Progress: July 5, 2017 – Started Reading July 5, 2017 - 6.0% "Ughhhhhhh. This is everything I Did Not Want.  Warner, your 'elaborate scheme' was not for your father's benefit, it was your way to stalk her, you creepy asshat." July 6, 2017 – 10.0% "She thinks she should lead the resistance? What? Is that why she trained so hard while she was at Omega Point? Oh wait... She didn't. Excuse me while I don't believe our MC." July 8, 2017 – 29.0% "And we descend into every trope of the third YA trilogy book. I was expecting so much more than this." July 8, 2017 – Finished Reading

23. American Gods - Neil Gaiman, ★★★ I had pretty high expectations for this novel, as I'm a Gaiman fan and a lot of people rave about it.  However, I found myself a bit disappointed. The imagery was probably the best part, a lot of awesome scenes were set up that would be visually stunning. I enjoyed Shadow as a character, but I expected more to happen.  SPOILER: It feels like 500 pages of build up to a war that never happens. I wonder if I'm just expecting too much 'action' because of other books I've been reading.  On a completely tactile note, this edition is incredibly pleasant to read. It stays open when lying on a table, and it has nice bendy covers. I bought this years ago from Borders and it's been sitting on a shelf since. Progress: July 16, 2017 – Started Reading July 22, 2017 – Finished Reading

24. Wives of War - Soraya Lane, ★★★ I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Lane does a very interesting job at skirting around some of the extremes of war. There are no overly gory or visceral descriptions of wounds or death and is generally light on descriptive detail in general. People are explained in detail, (nearly everyone is very pretty or very handsome) and an occasional location will also be described. I actually prefer less description, but I could see that others may find it lacking.  This novel is very much about emotions, and considering the subject matter, it makes sense. I found myself wanting less telling and more showing in some cases. What I did find very interesting is the gender politics that were in play. WWII is a fascinating time to explore it, what was expected of our three main 'girls,' how they either defied or followed them, and what it meant after the war was over. It gets a little schmaltzy sometimes, but I'm willing to forgive that. SPOILERS: The Thomas situation is very difficult, considering PTSD wasn't 'a thing' yet, but they did acknowledge combat neurosis. But it pained me to see Scarlet battered, and still feel that she couldn't leave, that she was required to stay with him. And for Thomas's life to come to such a tragic end. It was hard to read, but also expected. And they totally say The Thing at the end. Progress: July 24, 2017 – Started Reading July 28, 2017 – Finished Reading

25. The Special Power of Restoring Lost Things - Courtney Elizabeth Mauk, ★★ I'm not really sure what to say beyond that I just didn't like it. It's possible I would have liked it more if I had read it before Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (they have similar plots, but beyond that, they have little in common).  I didn't like any of the characters, though I did feel some empathy towards Drew and Ben. Carol was completely unlikable, though perhaps that was the point? I certainly don't understand her actions. I found myself wishing I knew more about Jennifer, maybe it would justify the reactions of her family more.  It is a very quick read, though. Progress: July 31, 2017 – Started Reading August 1, 2017 – Finished Reading

26. Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum #14) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I still keep expecting Stephanie (and Lula?) to get better at their jobs.  Adding the kid in to this novel was a nice change, glad to see Mooner back too, even though Stephanie is judges them very harshly.  I'm mostly reading these to get caught back up on my reading goal. They're easy to read and mostly amusing. Progress: August 2, 2017 – Started Reading August 2, 2017 – page 8 "I was excited to get back to these novels, but less than 10 pages in and Stephanie is hardcore judging a kid for having piercings. COME ON.  This was written in 2008. Let's move on from the 'bad people have tattoos and piercings' stereotypes please. He better turn out to be a stellar kid and she feels bad about judging him." August 4, 2017 – Finished Reading

27. Finger Lickin’ Fifteen (Stephanie Plum #15) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I mostly didn't care about the story in this one. It feels like Lula is becoming more of a caricature in every book, which makes me kind of sad. Not everything needs to be so over the top. Not everything needs to catch fire. Relatively anticlimactic ending. Progress: August 4, 2017 – Started Reading August 6, 2017 – Finished Reading

28. Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum #16) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I liked this one a bit more than the last few, it was sort of nice to have Vinnie around again (even though he's pretty terrible). I did notice several spelling and editing errors, which was kind of strange. Progress: August 7, 2017 – Started Reading August 9, 2017 – Finished Reading

29. Smoking Seventeen (Stephanie Plum #17) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I'm getting too used to reading Plum novels, and I'm figuring them out too early. Enjoyable enough, though there are a few things that are starting to get on me. Glad she finally hooked up with Ranger again. Real tired of the, "I love two men, isn't that just *ca-raaazyyy*" idea. It's not crazy? You can love two people at a time.  Dave was creepy af. Progress: August 14, 2017 – Started Reading August 16, 2017 – page 144 "Come on Steph, you can connect the dots better than this..." August 16, 2017 – page 286  "Dots finally connected. Took ya long enough." August 16, 2017 – page 300 "She literally just said 'connect the dots to [character], hahahah. I think I've read too many Plum books in a row." August 16, 2017 – Finished Reading

30. The Epic Crush of Genie Lo - F.C. Lee, ★★★★ YESSSSS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I really hope we get more Genie Lo books, because I would read many more novels of her kicking demon ass. Progress: August 16, 2017 – Started Reading September 4, 2017 – Finished Reading

31. Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries - Kory Stamper, ★★★★ Even though this took me ages to get through, I really enjoyed it. I've been getting the M-W Word of The Day email for years and was very excited when they announced this book.  It definitely helped me realize that the dictionary is not the final say on English, but just a record of how we use it. The bit on dialect is my favorite (and would have gladly read more about it!), followed closely by the discussion of 'nude'.  I certainly have a better appreciation of dictionaries and lexicographers. Progress: August 16, 2017 – Started Reading   September 21, 2017 – Finished Reading

32. Explosive Eighteen (Stephanie Plum #18) - Janet Evanovich, ★★ While I appreciate the change in narrative structure (slowly presenting information instead of all at once), it's still a Plum novel and feels a little bit out of touch.  Poor Lula deserves more than a caricature characterization. I want to know more about Connie. The love triangle is getting old, mostly because Stephanie is stuck in some pretty outdated notions of how her life is supposed to be.  It could be said that I'm rather liberal, and I'm looking into too much, but Lula can be more than just a former ho. Stop describing her outfits with such disdain. I just... expect more from a book published in 2011. Progress: September 19, 2017 – Started Reading September 27, 2017 – Shelved

33. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng, ★★★★★ My. Heart.  Ng is a truly gifted storyteller. Though perhaps it feels like a story that has been told before (maybe many stories that have been told before), it's such a nice, solid, slow build. I find myself wondering about the characters, and how their lives played out after the novel ended. Progress: September 1, 2017 – Shelved September 27, 2017 –page 1 "I was the first person in my library to get this and I AM VERY EXCITED" October 3, 2017 – Finished Reading

34. The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) - Rick Riordan, ★★★★ Though Apollo is super annoying (on purpose, I assume) and there wasn't enough of Nico DiAngelo, my Sweet Baby Death Prince (aka, no appearance and only a single mention), I enjoyed this. I love Leo, and I'm warming up to Calypso. I find Meg very interesting, especially because she doesn't fall into 'girly' stereotypes, SPOILERS also her dealing with the abuse from her stepfather is an important thing for novels to address. However, I'm all about the Waystation. I want an entire series about it, and its inhabitants and the travelers passing through.  And as cheesy as it sounds, my favorite part of all of Riordan's series is how he reps families of all types. <3 Progress: October 3, 2017 – Started Reading October 7, 2017 – Finished Reading

35. Notorious Nineteen (Stephanie Plum #19) - Janet Evanovich, ★★ I know that these are meant to be light reading, but that doesn't mean they can't be better. Stereotypes and problematic behavior (and speech, and expectations...) shouldn't be the norm. Progress October 11, 2017 – Started Reading October 12, 2017 – page 72 "I don't know if I'm just noticing it more, or judging more harshly because this book was written in 2012, but there's a lot of things that are problematic af in this. I've stopped counting the moments of casual racism, but some old dude is groping Stephanie and all that happens is she and Ranger switch seats? Hell. No." October 13, 2017 – page 103 "Threatening someone with a fake rape and groping accusation? Wtaf, Evanovich. That is not okay." October 14, 2017 –page 292 "An Arthur Beasley and a Simon Diggery? Someone finally read Harry Potter." October 14, 2017 – Finished Reading

36. Young Jane Young - Gabrielle Zevin, ★★★★ Though lacking the emotional gut-punch of A.J. Fikry, this was still an excellent novel.  SPOILERS: I think what I really took away from this was the severe inequity between men and women. Jane's career was destroyed completely, while the Senator went on, with barely a blip. Obviously this is very reflective of our society, which is all too apparent these days, and it's one of those things that gets me in the heart.  I know life isn't fair, but damn. Progress: October 14, 2017 – Started Reading October 16, 2017 – Finished Reading

37. Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum #20) - Janet Evanovich, ★★★ I don't know why I keep doing this to myself.  This one seemed a little bit less problematic at the beginning, and then just went off the rails with the racist stereotypes and constant slut shaming. Ugh. Progress: October 16, 2017 – Started Reading October 18, 2017 – page 122 "Evanovich really has something against fat people. She points out everyone's weight, and just made a show about how a woman who weighs "upward of 200" has wrists that are too big for regular handcuffs. I call BS." October 20, 2017 - page 210 "For the love of all things holy, STOP SLUT-SHAMING LULA." October 20, 2017 – Finished Reading

38. Warcross (Warcross #1) - Marie Lu, ★★★★ Well hello Marie Lu, why haven't I read your novels before?!  Warcross is like an amalgamation of Ready Player One and Quidditch with the added bonus of POC characters and a female MC (awww yeaaaahhhh). I expected the end, but it's not going to deter me from reading the rest of the series. Progress: October 20, 2017 – Started Reading October 23, 2017 – Finished Reading

39. Sourdough - Robin Sloan, ★★★★ Confession: I love stuff about San Francisco, and this was no exception. It was a little weird and a little magical, very much like the city herself.  Though I guess this technically took place in more than just SF proper. However, the descriptions of Clement St, took me right back there and made me wish I could stop and get some Pad Thai from King of Thai Noodle House #2 and a Genki strawberry and nutella crepe. ::sigh:: Memories.  It also made me want to learn how to bake bread. I think what I enjoy most about Sloan's writing is that I'm not quite sure what I'm about to get into, but I'll believe it when I'm there. Progress: October 23, 2017 – Started Reading October 25, 2017 – page 168 "I think I love Beoreg." October 26, 2017 – Finished Reading

40. La Belle Sauvage (The Book Of Dust #1) - Philip Pullman, ★★★★ I am a HUGE fan of the original trilogy, and I was scared/excited to learn that Pullman was going to return to this world with more novels.  I was not disappointed. A likable new MC (::cough:: UnlikeLyra ::cough::), adventures, mystery, a little bit of terror, and a few hints about Dust!  I likely should have re-read the original trilogy before I read this, but honestly I didn't have the patience. I was the first person in my library to read this copy, and it's a beautiful edition. Progress: October 26, 2017 – Started Reading October 26, 2017 – page 1 "I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS" November 4, 2017 – Finished Reading

41. Voyager (Outlander #3) - Diana Gabaldon, ★★★★ Oh man, what a long read... I found this one much more interesting than the first two, maybe because it was a more complex story. The jumping around of POVs is a bit distracting, as it takes a bit to realize who is talking at the beginning of each bit. But I managed to breeze through this a bit easier than I thought I would, considering how much I struggled through the second one. Bring on more Jamie Fraser, please. Progress: November 5, 2017 – Started Reading November 5, 2017 – page 1 "This book is a long one. o.O Here goes..." November 11, 2017 – page 564 "Was it necessary to give Mr. Willoughby a foot fetish? Really?" November 15, 2017 – Finished Reading

42. Feedback (Newsflesh #4) - Mira Grant, ★★★★ It should be said that I'm a sucker for the Newsflesh series, and would gladly read anything in the canon.  I found this to be a very good addition to the original trilogy. I like that it was way more diverse, with a lot of effort put into those differences (pronoun use!!). I wish I had re-read the trilogy before I read it, it's been a while and I found myself forgetting a lot of little things that had happened. I don't know if it diminished it, but a fresher read would have added a lot more to the story.  I think what I really appreciated is that it sounded different from the Mason's POV. Ash has a different way of forming her thoughts and sentences, and it showed.  What I didn't like so much was the over-explaining (maybe over-defending?) what it meant to be an Irwin, and to some extent a Newsie and Fictional. That might be because I have read the OG trilogy several times and I didn't feel the need to have it explained. Also, not once was Kellis-Amberlee shortened to KA, which seemed odd. This is a world steeped in a disease, and I find it hard to believe that an entire team of bloggers wouldn't shorten it, same with all of the politicians. (I mean, we live in a world with the flu, and does anyone other than doctors call it influenza?) Progress: November 16, 2017 – Started Reading November 22, 2017 – Finished Reading

43. Top Secret Twenty-one (Stephanie Plum #21) - Janet Evanovich, ★★I think I need to stop reading these... Forever disappointed, forever annoyed by the awful stereotypes, fat shaming and repetitive storylines. Progress: November 23, 2017 – Started Reading November 26, 2017 – Finished Reading

44. Exit West - Mohsin Hamid, ★★★★★ A beautifully told story. Some nice, unexpected aspects, sweeping prose that's almost poetic and a very satisfying ending.  Ah, lovely. Progress: November 27, 2017 – Started Reading November 29, 2017 – Finished Reading

45. Bonfire - Krysten Ritter, ★★★★ I definitely picked this up because it's Krysten Ritter, who, in my head will always be Gia Goodman first and Jessica Jones second. And oddly enough, this felt like an amalgamation of Veronica Mars and Jessica Jones, especially in the characterization of Abby.  I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would, though it's not anything amazingly new. There are parts that I was less impressed with, but it was a quick read and I hope she writes more. BIG SPOILER AHEAD: I think the characters could have been fleshed out more, I found myself wanting more from Abby, more of her life in Chicago, why she feels the need to drink herself into oblivion to sleep...  A little more in the explanation would have been nice too. It felt to quick and tidy. Not to mention the very obvious 'twist.' IT'S ALWAYS THE GUY YOU CONFESS TO. Ughhhhhhh. Progress: December 4, 2017 – Started Reading December 6, 2017 – Finished Reading

46. Artemis - Andy Weir, ★★ I wanted to like this, I really did, but I found it lacking.  The storyline was good and a little different because moon stuff, but I guess I expected a lot more. I can see why a lot of people love this, and why it's ending up on a lot of 2017 best lists, it just won't be on mine. The following cut isn't really for spoilers, but just to be safe: POSSIBLE SPOILERS: I did appreciate that MC could have been a man or woman and the basic plot wouldn't change (ie the whole thing wasn't based on Jazz being a woman), HOWEVER there were a lot of bits that felt unnecessary and overly 'feminized'. I didn't believe some of her language, and some of her mental wanderings seemed really forced (when I'm in a stressful situation, I don't imagine what the dude next to me looks like while working out... "Hey, I'm a girl, it's allowed", etc). Weir has a section in the acknowledgements about the people who helped him capture a female narrator, and I think they failed him a little bit. Why is everyone overly interested in her sex life? Do people just go around commenting on how many sexual partners you have on the moon, because that's just how 'different' society is? That seems weird AF to me. Jazz gets annoyed, but it's rude and invasive. I think some of it was supposed to play on the tension between her and Svoboda, but it just seemed awkward. Progress: December 6, 2017 – Started Reading December 8, 2017 – page 94 "Struggling to enjoy this. It feels like he's trying really hard to talk like a Woman. Which is unnecessary.  It also feels like it's building up to a hull breach or fire, due to the repeated warnings of fire, and overstating of the double hull. I hope I'm wrong." December 8, 2017 – page 158 ""I was a helpless, exposed girl with no weapon" SERIOUSLY.  You can't write Jazz as a supposed badass, and then pull out that drivel. I expected more." December 8, 2017 – page 178 "That wasn't a good one, it was sexist and gross. Ugh." December 8, 2017 – Finished Reading

47. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror (Pine Cove #3) - Christopher Moore, ★★★ Not the best of Moore's novels, hardly my favorite, but a fun read for the holidays.  It's a little bit wacky and makes me miss CA. Progress: December 23, 2017 – Started Reading December 26, 2017 – Finished Reading

48. Mrs. Fletcher - Tom Perotta, ★★★ I'm not totally sure how I feel about this novel. I've read Perrotta novels since I was in high school, and I don't think this is one of his strongest.  However there are a few things that were well done: changes of voice and capturing the 'present day'. I'm getting better at reading new novels, but this one in particular felt very *now*. It might feel dated in the future, or, hopefully, serve and example of what life is right now. Well, maybe pre-45, but I digress. It's full of current cultural and social issues, but I sort of felt like I wanted more.  And wasn't a huge fan of the ending. SPOILERS: Thank anything holy that Brendan wasn't a rapist. I thought Perrotta was leaning pretty heavily toward that, and he got dangerously close to assault. Maybe I just wasn't ready to handle it, but it would have made it so much worse. I'm not really sure how we're supposed to view Brendan. Are we supposed to feel bad that he's completely clueless about how to treat women, or are we supposed to dislike him for being totally oblivious?  I will say that a lot of the situations made me think about my own assumptions (I would definitely take the Gender and Society class that Eve took), so there's that. Progress: December 26, 2017 – Started Reading December 28, 2017 – Finished Reading