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Title: Outer Order, Inner Calm
Author: Gretchen Rubin
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 165
Date read: August, 2021

For most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. In a new book packed with more than one hundred concrete ideas, she helps us create the order and organization that can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

In the context of a happy life, a messy desk or crowded coat closet is a trivial problem–yet Gretchen Rubin has found that getting control of the stuff of life makes us feel more in control of our lives generally. By getting rid of things we don’t use, don’t need, or don’t love, as well as things that don’t work, don’t fit, or don’t suit, we free our mind (and our shelves) for what we truly value.

In this trim book filled with insights, strategies, and sometimes surprising tips, Gretchen tackles the key challenges of creating outer order, by explaining how to “Make Choices,” “Create Order,” “Know Yourself–and Others,” “Cultivate Helpful Habits,” and, of course, “Add Beauty.”


A very quick read - it's only 165 pages, and pages with very little writing on them at that. It was a decent enough book, and made some solid recommendations, but for somebody who's read both "The Happiness Project" and "Happier at Home" as well as FlyLady's "Sink Reflections" and Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up", there was very little new information.
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Title: Fairytales from Verania
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: Fantasy, short stories
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 329
Date read: August, 2021

In the opening story—The Unicorn in the Tower—Gary is a princess trapped in a stone tower by the evil Lady Tina DeSilva, who plans on sacrificing him on the first full moon after his eighteenth birthday. With help from his friends—a bird named Tiggy and a mangy weasel called Sam—Gary interviews potential suitors to rescue him and love him above all others, as he so rightly deserves.

The Unicorn in the Tower is followed by Sam and the Beanstalk, wherein a poor farm boy exchanges his family’s bull for magical beans and the promise of treasure in the sky. But when he climbs the beanstalk, Sam finds things are not as he expected them to be.

The Good Boy sees Todd and his immaculate ears taking center stage. When Todd’s father dies, he leaves his son in the care of his evil stepmother and two stepsiblings who live to make Todd’s life a living hell. It’s not until the household receives an invitation to attend a ball for the mysterious Sir that Todd begins to wish for a life beyond what he knows.

David’s Dragon, the final—and only canonical—tale, is set a thousand years before the rise of the Dark wizard Myrin. It begins simply: a lonely boy in a small village befriends a dragon. What follows is a story of love and sacrifice, hope and heartbreak, and what it means to earn your place amongst the stars.

Welcome back to Verania. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.


I really wanted to love this, but just... didn't :-/ It was okay, but didn't come close to TJ Klune's usual standards.

The Unicorn in the Tower, 3 stars
Stereotypical Gary-as-Rapunzel. I liked this one alright. It was pretty over the top in places, but very on-point for Gary.

Sam and the Beanstalk, 4 stars
Probably my favourite of the lot. It emphasized the friendship between Gary, Sam, Tiggy and Ryan, which has always been my favourite part of the series. For a moment there, I was afraid for the ending, but it turned out alright :-)

The Good Boy, 2 stars
Todd-as-Cinderella. I really didn't care for evil!Gary and the dom/sub plot wasn't my cup of tea either. Also, it was just too long! Could easily have been shortened some.

David's Dragon, 1.5 stars
Though it was the only completely original story of the lot, it was also my least favourite :-( The sense of dread and foreboding that followed me for most of the story made it almost painful to read.

So a 2.6 star average.
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Title: Are You Watching?
Author: Vincent Ralph
Genre: Suspense, YA
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 371
Date read: August, 2021

Ten years ago, Jess's mother was murdered by the Magpie Man. She was the first of his victims but not the last.
Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she's using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man.


A bit slow to start, but once I got properly into it, I couldn't put it down. Definitely a page-turner, and thanks to the very short chapters (which annoys me sometimes, but it worked okay here), it was really easy to just keep reading.

The plot was not at all believable, but it stayed true to its own universe, so I can accept it as just being AU. There were some twists and turns I had NOT seen ahead of time - and also some twists and turns I was certain would come, but never did. It kept me guessing to the very end, which - even if it did come a bit quickly all of a sudden - made sure to tie everything up nicely.

Kinda on the more graphic / scary side for a YA, but not too bad.
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Title: The Road Trip
Author: Beth O'Leary
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~10.5hrs
Date read: August, 2021

Addie and her sister are about to embark on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in the north of Scotland. The playlist is all planned and the snacks are packed.

But, not long after setting off, a car slams into the back of theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, Dylan, who she's avoided since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, and they've totalled their car, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. The car is soon jam-packed full of luggage and secrets, and with three hundred miles ahead of them, Dylan and Addie can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship...

Will they make it to the wedding on time? And, more importantly... is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?


I rounded down my rating on goodreads (they don't do half-stars), because it really was just okay.

Which is a shame - I've liked both of the other books I've read by Beth O'Leary - but there was nothing at all feel-good about this novel, and it is just not romantic at all to read about the start of a relationship when you KNOW from the set-out that they're going to eventually break up. (Of course I also knew they'd get back together again - it's that kind of book). Reading about a relationship falling apart is just unpleasant.

I did like (most of) the characters, I loved the friendship between Addie and Debbie, but the plot itself? No thanks.
goodreads: (Default)
Title: Sentinel (Ghost Mountain Wolf Shifters #8)
Author: Audrey Faye
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 208
Date read: August 2021, February 2023

Newborns change everything—even when they haven’t arrived yet.

The birth of a baby raven is expected any day now, and Ghost Mountain Pack is kind of falling apart, or at least their dominants are. A tiny ball of fluff calls on some of their most powerful instincts—and slices into their deepest wounds.

Rio knows it’s his job as sentinel to walk alongside those dominants as they struggle.

Which would be easier if he wasn’t one of them.


Every bit as good as I've come to expect from this series. I really enjoyed seeing Kelsey and Grandpa Cleve come to their own in this one (well.... mostly Cleve. Kelsey has known who she was since the very first book!). I do think Audrey Faye has started changing viewpoint a bit too often though. I really like that we get to hear from several shifters, but wish she would stay with each one for a bit longer.
goodreads: (Default)
Title: Alpha (Ghost Mountain Wolf #1)
Author: Audrey Faye
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 322
Date read: July 2019, March 2020, August 2021, October 2022, February 2025

A pack broken.
A pup in danger.
A submissive wolf who will fight with her last breath.

Hayden Scott doesn’t know his stroll in the woods is going to start with a backpack full of watermelon and end with him the new alpha of the Ghost Mountain Pack. A very traumatized pack, and those are only the shifters he can see. Too many are missing, hiding in the woods or worse.

His wolf doesn’t care. He has a pack. One with maple-syrup-covered toddlers, a ten-year-old boy who smells like wolf right up until he shifts, and a brave woman with green eyes and serious trust problems who defended her pup with nothing more than a tree branch and sheer guts.

The walk ahead won’t be easy, but he has a list:
-- Burn down the den.
-- Deal with the evil still stalking the woods.
-- Call Mom.


I'd been hesitant to start reading this because while I typically LOVE Audrey Faye's writing, I've never really been a fan of shape shifters.

However, there are exceptions to every rule, and I ought really have known better. I finally picked this up when I needed some light reading for my vacation as Audrey Faye usually delivers that quite nicely. I think it took me about 5 (cell-phone sized) pages to get absolutely positively thoroughly HOOKED! This is her best work since the witches, and in fact it is INCREDIBLY similar to the witches in both atmosphere and character interactions. Granted, this necessarily has some significantly darker moments, but Audrey Faye's amazing gift in writing relationships and human interactions shines through bright and clear from the very beginning.

I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. I cried on at least one. I grew to love the characters. I never wanted the book to end. There were some elements I would have liked elaborated on (e.g. the dominants in the woods), but I trust Audrey Faye's pacing, that we'll get to hear more about them in the later books.

WHY did it take me so long to get started on this series? Of course, the good thing is that this means I now have another two books waiting for me. Excellent!
goodreads: (Peanut: Book geek)
Title: Angry Conversations with God
Author: Susan E. Isaacs
Genre: Christian non-fiction, Memoir
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 252
Date read: June 2015, August 2021

Disillusioned, disenfranchised, and disinterested in anything churchy, Susan Isaacs knew of only one thing to do when she hit spiritual rock bottom at age 40.... She took God to couples counseling.

In this cuttingly poignant memoir, Susan Isaacs chronicles her rocky relationship with the Almighty--from early childhood to midlife crisis--and all the churches where she and God tried to make a home: Pentecostals, Slackers for Jesus, and the über-intellectuals who turned everything, including the weekly church announcements, into a three-point sermon. Casting herself as the neglected spouse, Susan faces her inner nag and the ridiculous expectations she put on God--some her own, and some from her "crazy in-laws" at church.


Very interesting and thought-provoking book. I love the idea of taking God to couple's counselling, because while at the end of the day, I'd be the one who had to change, hopefully - like Susan - my perception of God would have to change along the way.

And it brought up some really deep issues - do we expect everything to go our way, and that God will bless our every endeavour, just because we believe? How do we cope when God's every answer doesn't seem to be "yes and amen", but a door shut in our face? How can we see the big picture and trust Him when we're in the middle of the dark time of the soul? (I keep wanting to write "the dark tea-time of the soul" - darn you, Douglas Adams!)

Definitely a book that has given me a lot of food for thought. I found myself highlighting passages all over the place, so I'm glad I got it as an ebook!
goodreads: (Peanut: Book geek)
Title: Hævnens gudinde (Goddess of Revenge)
Author: Sara Blædel
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 420
Date read: July 2010, August 2014, August 2021

While questioning a young widow whose husband had rocker connections, Louise Rick receives a phone call from her foster son, Jonas, who asks her to come immediately - a call party has been crashed by a group of bullies who wanted booze, and attacked the only adult there when they found none. 12-year old Signe tries to run away to get help, but one of the bullies ran after her, and chased her out in front of a car. She dies from her injuries later that night.

After the death of her only child, Signe's mother no longer feels there's any reason to live. But is her apathy due only to sorrow, or does she wish for revenge? A fire which ends up killing two of the bullies, suddenly makes everybody look at the distraught mother differently, but not everybody is as they seem.

Just like many of Sara Blædel's other books, Goddess of Revenge is slow to start, but once it picks up, it's well worth the effort. This one especially because I loved the secondary plot-line of Louise's issues with getting used to having a foster son.

Sara Blædel is good at introducing believable twists to the story that neither seem forced nor are spotted a mile away (not by me anyway!). Her writing is tight, and any small detail is likely to be picked up again later in the book.

The book very obviously paves the way for a 6th book in the series which would be fine by me!

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