Space Station Mir

I've actually read a few books more recently that have surprised me, mostly in either good or neutral ways. I think I've been jumping into a lot of books (ebooks) based on title and the first page rather than a description, so that's also ended up giving me some surprise about even what genre I'm in!  Books That Surprised Me Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer--I thought this was going to be satirical fantasy, but it turned out to be a full-blown romance, just set in a fantasy world. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J.  Penner--In the vein of much cozy fantasy, I thought this was going to be about a fantasy baking competition (which it was!) and a romance, which...it wasn't really. The romance bit started out sweet but then became very rote--BUT the friendship/fellowship part turned out to be probably the most important of all, in a surprising way, and I loved that, which brought the book up from 4 to 5 out of 5 stars for me. Jane Buehler's Sy...

  Happy Top Ten Tuesday  over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Unpopular bookish opinions--I feel like we've been down this road before ! Do I have any unpopular bookish opinions I haven't already shared? Hi, I'm Miriam, and I hate Mr. Darcy  ( really.  hate . him. ) 😛. Let's see if I can conjure up some unpopular bookish opinions for the 2020s. My Unpopular Bookish Opinions for the 2020s (So Far) I'm not a big fan of enemies to lovers --in fact, it makes me NOT want to read a book (I do anyway sometimes because there are so dang many of them, but fortunately, a lot are mislabeled). I AM a big fan of friends to lovers --these don't seem to be as popular, but I love seeing friendships deepen into relationships, and I think these are a lot more realistic anyway! I'm not a Sarah J. Maas/ACOTAR fan *gasp*--To be fair, ACOTAR is the only one of her books that I've read, so I wouldn't write her off entirely and would maybe try Throne of Glass  or something else...

 Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl!  I've included some books I've read recently as well as some books that are on my TBR with covers reminiscent of spring, whether that's pastel colors or a sylvan setting. Something about green trees just says spring to me. We've definitely slipped back into a brief winter here after some lovely springlike days, (and a number of blossoming trees) but hopefully they will return soon. Top Ten Books With Spring-y Covers The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson Who Loves You Best by Marilyn Simon Rothstein The Gargoyle and the Songbird by Cora Crane Party of One by Meghan Keane Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin The Secret Country by Pamela Dean Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper Stay Awhile by Chrissa Rose The Forest Bride by Jane Buehler

For whatever reason, March has been a busy month for me the past several years (except 2020-2021 for obvious reasons). I finished the first two books on a trip I took at the beginning of the month. The rest are all quick or book-club reads crowded in on nights and weekends. This is what's getting me through. Books Read in March 2025  The Fire Apprentice by Jane Buehler (Sylvania #5)-Read my review here . TL: DR; Highly recommend to readers of romance and cozy fantasy! UnSweetined by Jodie Sweetin (Book club read)--Interesting celebrity memoir as someone who grew up watching Full House --this is really more of a confession that Sweetin wrote to keep her honest and accountable about her addiction problems, but I'd recommend it if you similarly are interested in her and Full House.  The Forest Bride by Jane Buehler (Sylvania #1)--Decided to finally read the first book in the cozy fantasy Sylvania series! Just as delightful as all the other ones, with an endearing mix of fantasy ...

 I'm starting this (very) late, so I'm borrowing Jana's exact topic over at That Artsy Reader Girl.  Like Jana, I'm not a huge fan of pranks, but I am a huge fan of books and spring! We are all certainly April's fools now, with the weather we've been having. Top Ten  Five Books You'd Be a Fool Not to Listen to On Audio Born a Crime by Trevor Noah--He narrates it himself, and it is just so laugh out loud funny. If you like his stand-up or are interested in what growing up in South Africa was like, this is a great one. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield--The narrator is lovely, and the book lends itself to oral storytelling. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss--A lot of songs and the protagonist is so theatrical, the audiobook just makes sense. However, I do generally steer away from epic fantasy on audio and listened to this after I had already read the book, so YMMV. Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper--The author narrates and it makes...

 Happy Spring! I've missed the last few Top Ten Tuesdays , so I'll take the opportunity to share my Spring TBR list here. Per usual, it's books I'm reading for book clubs or just what I'm interested in right now, rather than anything especially seasonal. Although, the birding book I'm reading now does feel apropos, as I hear more birdcalls outside my window, the daffodils and forsythia are blooming, and the cherry blossoms are budding. I feel like a lot of people read specific books in the Fall especially and sometimes for Winter or Summer. Does anyone out there have specific Spring reads? What are you all planning to read for Spring? My Spring 2025 TBR Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper (Book club read)--I'm almost done, and so glad I suggested we read this one! I love the birding parts, and it's more of a memoir than I expected, but fortunately, as a fellow Marvel and Star Trek fan, Cooper ha...

Oof. It has been a month, a year, an eternity. A lot of books I enjoyed this month, thank goodness. And I read straight through into March and already have a couple books done for that month. It has been that kind of a year so far. I enjoyed getting to share a lot of these reads and would love to hear your thoughts if you've read any! Books Read in February 2025  No One Will Save Us: A Reimagining of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Julie L. Brown (received for review from LibraryThing)--I'm so glad I asked to review this because I don't think I ever would have seen it otherwise, and I absolutely loved it. This is the inspiring, educational, and just freaking awesome alternate history we need. The warrior women of Kana (the primary of multiple cultures in what we would call Ghana that Brown brings to life) stop the Atlantic slave trade in its infancy--even traveling to Virginia to bring their people and others back home, and allying with the Powhatans along the way! If you'r...