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Title: Only Human (Themis Files 3)
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 336
Date read: June, 2018

In her childhood, Rose Franklin accidentally discovered a giant metal hand buried beneath the ground outside Deadwood, South Dakota. As an adult, Dr. Rose Franklin led the team that uncovered the rest of the body parts which together form Themis: a powerful robot of mysterious alien origin. She, along with linguist Vincent, pilot Kara, and the unnamed Interviewer, protected the Earth from geopolitical conflict and alien invasion alike. Now, after nearly ten years on another world, Rose returns to find her old alliances forfeit and the planet in shambles. And she must pick up the pieces of the Earth Defense Corps as her own friends turn against each other.

Unfortunately not quite as good as the first two books in the series. It was still well-written, and a good conclusion to the story. But it was too bleak for my tastes. I knew already from the previous books that Sylvain Neuvel isn't afraid to kill his darlings, but it has to serve some sort of purpose for me to be on board with it.

Title: Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting With God
Author: Doug Fields
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 132
Date read: June, 2018

As a Christian, you know you need to have devotions. You've heard it from your pastor; you've seen the study guides; you may have even made a dent in the One Year Bible. Some of you have valiantly set your alarm clocks back an hour for morning quiet time, only to find that life creeps back in to steal your resolve. It isn't because you don't love God. You quit because you "bought into" someone's unsustainable habit at an unreasonable pace.

But you don't have to keep running on empty. Bestselling author Doug Fields offers an uncomplicated, practical plan that you can carry out. This book won't teach you how to "cram God" into your already-full schedule. Instead, Doug will show you a practical, doable way of setting God first, and then letting everything else in your life fall into place. You will experience the fullness God has for you-just take some time to refuel.


A quick read, full of examples of how to establish a habit of connecting with God on a regular basis, without pushing any guilt about not doing so already. I really appreciated how specific the examples were, and how easy they would be to incorporate in a busy lifestyle.

Title: Mordacious (The City, #1)
Author: Sarah Lyons Fleming
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~18 hours
Date read: June, 2018

Sylvie Rossi has the loner thing down pat, with the exception of her best friend, Grace. But when the two are trapped in a hospital during the last gasp of a dying city, alone time is no longer an option. A nurse's offer of sanctuary promises Sylvie the supplies she needs to survive the zombies - it's the coexisting with people that might do her in.

Eric Forrest will do whatever it takes to get into the dead city for his sister, including ending up dead himself. He's used to taking risks, but with every mile he travels death looks likelier and likelier, and finding his sister may be his only prospect for survival - if he can make it home.

Sylvie doesn't need more than food, water and shelter. Eric wants only to find his sister. But sometimes what we think we need isn't what we need at all, and what we find is more than we expected.


A companion series to the "Until the End of the World" series, featuring (among others) Cassie's brother and Penny's mother. I was really curious to see what happened to both of them, so I was happy to see this. However, what mostly appealed to me about the UtEotW series was the world building, and there was hardly any of that here, as the universe had already been established.

I still enjoyed it though, especially as it wasn't quite as heavy on the zombie-bashing (literally) as I'd feared. I'll probably read the rest of the series eventually, but right now I think I need a break from all the zombies.

Title: White Weddings
Author: Milly Johnson
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 2/5
# pages: 444
Date read: June 2018

Bel is in the midst of planning her perfect wedding when disaster strikes and everything she thought she knew is turned on its head. Can she hold it all together and, with the help of her friends, and a mysterious man she meets unexpectedly, turn disaster into triumph?

Bel's friend, ice-cream parlour owner Violet, is engaged to Glyn, who is besotted by her although Violet fell out of love with him long ago. But however trapped she feels in the relationship, she can't quite say the words, 'I don't want to marry you anymore.' Then, just when she's about to give up and resign herself to married life, she finds love in the most surprising of places. Will duty rule her heart or will she allow herself to be swept off her feet?

Max was planning a quick registry office do with her fiancé Stuart until she sees a TV programme about traveller brides and becomes determined to have the most extravagantly glitzy wedding ever. But in all the excitement has she lost sight of what's really important? Does she want the wedding more than she wants the groom?

And as all three friends find the dress of their dreams at the White Wedding bridal shop, its owner, the lovely Freya, guarantees that her gowns will bring them happiness - though maybe not quite in the way they expected...


Frankly, this book suffered a lot from my expectations being totally off. I'd assumed "White Weddings" would be a cozy, romantic, feel-good chick-lit - instead I got a trainwreck of a book, that I couldn't look away from. Not at all what I was looking for, unfortunately. Of the three weddings being planned in the book, only one actually takes place, none of the women are happy in their relationship (although not all of them are aware of it) and though they all have good reasons to get out of the relationships, they all need the catalyst of finding somebody else to actually get out. It seemed to belittle the very real issues the relationships had, that they needed "the other man/woman" in order to get out. Bel came closest, but still...

( Spoiler )

Of the three women, I liked Bel the most. She seemed the most believable and was definitely the one who showed most character development. I loved seeing how she grew during the story and how her relationship with her family changed. I felt sorry for Vickie, and though I wanted to shake her, her predicament seemed believable. Max was infuriating though. I really wish she'd come to understand how seriously she had wronged Stuart, instead of it just boiling down to ( Spoiler 2 )

Milly Johnson came highly recommended, but if this is the general standard and genre of her books, I think I'll stay away from them from here on.

Title: Waking Gods (Themis Files #2)
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Genre: Sci-fi, epistolary
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 336 pages
Date read: May 2017, June 2018, May 2025

As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she's dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers - and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force.

Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth... and maybe even the stars.


This book picks up 9 years after the first one left off which disappointed me a bit at first (I wanted to know what happened RIGHT after), but worked quite nicely once I got further into it.

Though obviously not as 'unique' as the first book, "Waking Gods" was every bit as good and every bit as difficult to put down. Even the (relatively) open ending didn't bother me too much, as it fit in with the rest of the plot. Still, I'll be keeping an eager eye out for the third book in the series.

I'm really fond of the writing style. It's a bit of a stretch to call it "epistolary" as a lot of it is transcripts of interviews/conversations, but there's no "narration" - everything is told through dialogue or journal entries. It adds a certain twist to the atmosphere which I really like.

Rather dark at times (Sylvain Neuvel is not afraid to "kill his darlings" - so don't expect anybody to be safe "just because") but still written with a good dose of humour. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more.

Reread in 2025: I downgraded the rating a bit on this reread (from 4.5 to 3.5) - there were just too many things left unanswered and too many jumps in narration. I realize this was a deliberate choice by the author, but it kept pulling me out of the narrative. Still enjoyed it otherwise though.

Title: An Unlikely Witch
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 243
Date read: January 2014, March 2015, June 2018, December 2021

A toddler and a snowman... Everyone in Witch Central knows about Jamie Sullivan's precog vision. The one he saw when he first laid eyes on the woman who would one day be his wife.

Now Nat and Jamie have it all. A fiery, adorable daughter, the kind of marriage that lasts to forever and beyond, and deep roots in the love, antics, and magic of Witch Central's leading family.

Those parts of the vision have all come true. All that is missing is one small boy with dancing eyes.

And all the magic in the universe can't seem to make him real.

Loved this just as much as I had expected to, but without giving too much away, I think it would be a very hard read for somebody struggling with infertility.

But to me, it was still a comfort book. Debora Geary writes love so well, and I'm looking very much forward to seeing where she takes this new development in future books. I do wish there had been more focus on the solstice gifts though. As far as I recall we never heard what all of them were... and I think that would have made for some awesome scenes!

I love Trinity, and am glad to see that she's been adopted by Witch Central as well.

I did have one issue with the beginning of the book. I don't think it would qualify as a spoiler, but I'll hide it anyway, just in case.
( Read more... )

Title: A Modern Witch (A Modern Witch #1)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 299
Date read: January 2013, May 2013, January 2014, February 2015, January 2016, August 2017, June 2018, October 2019, November 2021

Can you live 28 years without discovering you're a witch?

Lauren is downtown Chicago's youngest elite realtor. She's also a witch. She must be - the fetching spell for Witches' Chat isn't supposed to make mistakes. So says the woman who coded the spell, at least.

The tall, dark, and handsome guy sent to assess her is a witch too (and no, that doesn't end the way you might think). What he finds in Lauren will change lives, mess with a perfectly good career, and require lots of ice cream therapy.


This book had me hooked already on page two, when I discovered that at least some witches in this universe wrote witching spells using computer code! As an IT consultant myself, this was something that immediately appealed to me and I fell instantly in love.

Fortunately the rest of the book more than lived up to my expectations. Granted, it doesn't have the most complex or innovative plot, but it's just a genuinely pleasant book. I loved the characters, and their antics had me laughing out loud so often that my husband started wondering what was up. I fell in love over and over with each new situation, and found myself tearing up from their happiness more than once.

This is a true comfort book, and I have a hard time remembering when I've last fallen THIS hard for a new book. It's an instant favourite.