The Inklings Digest

Currently Reading:

I’m currently reading One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry. This is a short thriller about a 988 suicide hotline operator who gets a call from a young girl in distress. She begins to learn that the young girl had been assaulted by boys at a party and becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened as a way of trying to help the girl. But, as the details line up, she begins to suspect and fear that maybe her son has something to do with it. I’m about 80% into it and really enjoying it. I’ll finish it within the next hour or so. I’m also currently reading Saint’s Blood by Sebastien De Castell. This is the third book in the Greatcoats series and I’m really enjoying this whole series.

Recent Reads:

Long Way to A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers was fun, wholesome, and interesting. I’m really excited to read more from this author. I love explorations of space and this just hit a cozy spot I didn’t realize I was looking for. Voyage of the Damned by Frances White was not as fun. It didn’t feel like this book knew what it was hoping to be. It was lighthearted but also deep. The magic wasn’t really interesting and the murder mystery didn’t keep my attention well. There was also a ‘reveal’ that I just hated. It was irritating and I don’t feel like there was much lead-up to it.

I also read To Hell With Hallmark by Brad Ricks. This is a collection of short horror stories that were pretty interesting. Some were fun, some were cheesy. For anyone who either loves Hallmark movies or absolutely hates Hallmark movies, this is great if you’re looking for horror during Christmas season. I’m not the biggest fan of short stories and still enjoyed it, but I did feel like the ending was really silly. Moving onto a very different book, I read The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai and it was so sweet and wholesome it make my tummy hurt. It was precious. And this really kickstarted a love for translated healing fiction.

I did move on to Out of The Dark by Gregg Hurwitz after that. This is the fourth book in the Orphan X series and I adore it. It is peak Dad fiction for me and it’s so fun and so interesting. He’s going after the freaking president in this book. Phenomenal, fun, strangely heartwarming. I kept that fast paced action up by going into the Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman. This is the third book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and it is fun, precious, and quick. I love every minute of it. This series and these audiobooks have my whole heart. They are just so much fun. And because they’re so fun and I love them so much, I went right into the fourth book, The Gate of the Feral Gods. Spectacular.

Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage was cute and fun. I have thing for single parent tropes and seeing them fall in love with someone who treats their kids right. It’s even better that Gus doesn’t hate his child’s mother. They are friends and co-parent well and I don’t feel like you get to see that often. I went on to Draggon Your Bones, the ending of the coming of age duology by Tatianna Obey. Fantastic, loved every minute. There were a few times that it felt repetitive or too long, but I quickly got over that and cried a little by the end of it. I went on to Every House is Haunted, another short story collection. It’s okay. I got this form my Twisted Retreat box, who I have about a 87% success rate with. This, unfortunately, was part of the 13% unsuccessful rate. I just don’t really get into short stories. There were some I liked, but not enough to justify a positive regard. Luckily, this was part of a box that had two books. Hopefully the other will be great.

The Light of all that Falls was okay. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t provide for lead up I was hoping for and I just didn’t care about any of the characters. Before the Coffee Gets Cold made me cry and I will indeed be continuing it. Strangely, I moved onto to a horror after that one. I guess it was too wholesome, heartwarming, and sweet for me. I read The Perfect Victim by David Sodergren. All of his books are fun and interesting. This reminded me a little of home alone, but if it was horror with terrible people and more gore. Highly recommend. So fast paced. So fun. Brutal deaths. 10/10.

Week’s Plans:

I’ll be doing the reading reading for the next few weeks. I feel in a huge mood for intense horror/thriller or fantasy, so I’m going to continue to ride with that wave. Other than that, a review for The Perfect Victim is coming within the next few days. I expect at least one more discussion post and one more review after that.

Thanks for tuning in, I’d love to know what you thought about any of these. I’ll chat with ya soon!