We're Halfway Through April, Aren't We?

It's been about a month. I've been consuming a lot of media. What else is there to do? I'm trying not to let my disappointment and frustration with the vaccine rollout in Canada keep me down. It's hard though.

I also wrote a piece for the Diversity and Inclusion group at my day job. I know that based on what the word count limits are for communications, it's going to get cut down. I also tried to temper the emotional aspects of the piece. However, I have my very own blog. I'm going to give it a little edit and post it here later this week, I think.

What have I consumed and enjoyed in the last month-ish?

I read...

Mexican Gothic. Yes. So good. Read it. I'm really feeling the gothic genre right now. Gothic in 1950 Mexico!

Luck of the Draw and I cried. A lot. It was so sad, though maybe I was releasing some other emotions too. Because it's a romance, I was happy at the end.

Artificial Condition, the second installment in the The Murderbot Diaries. I still love Murderbot. I want to know where their adventure is going to take them next!

Immortal In Death, the third In Death book. I definitely have heart eyes for Eve Dallas and Roarke I wonder if when JD Robb wrote about Eve's engagement, she imagined there would be 50 more books after. 

I watched...

WandaVision <3

Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I <3 Bucky.

Zack Snyder's Justice League. I think my heart fluttered a little when Barry saved Iris.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. I'd seen both already, but my daughter was in the mood, so we watched all of Korra again and a few favourite episodes of Avatar. I love those series.

History of Swear Words on Netflix. It's really good. Interesting in a way I didn't expect. 

Dota: Dragon's Blood. My friend recommended it. It's like a cross between The Dragon Prince and Castlevania. At least that's what I thought as I watched. She called it "The Dragon Prince for grownups." 

Star Trek: Lower Decks. I really needed that show.

I submitted a couple short stories. Got a rejection. Good times.

I ate some Popeye's and it was SO GOOD. I'm really appreciating Skip the Dishes lately. 

How has your spring been so far?

Three Novels Beyond the Real

I was reading Shiver, when as I neared the end, two books came in for me at the library. Bloodfever and Glory In Death. In that order. I was so excited. Two sequels to two books that had me staying up past my bedtime reading. 

Shiver

Wow. I think I use that word too much, but that ending was a definite wow. After reading The Raven Cycle I knew I had to read more from Maggie Stiefvater. Shiver did not disappoint. I was a little hesitant to read a werewolf tale, but Stiefvater's take on werewolves is not one I've read before. It's tragic. Beyond the supernatural "issues", it was the characters that got me. The characters are rich and real. They are believable and relatable. Grace is a wonder. She is unique and deserves love. Sam is sad and warm and kind. I really enjoyed the alternating points of view, but Grace was the centre for me. I often enjoy that stylye and Stiefvater does it well. 

Bloodfever

I am loving the Fever series. Bloodfever is Karen Marie Moning's sequel to Darkfever. I think I enjoyed the second book more. I loved Mac more. I loved watching her grow and learn more about herself. I liked that she didn't just fall in with whoever was making her promises. She trusted herself more. I'm in this series until the end. I want to know who/what Barrons is. I want to know more about the sisterhood. I want to see Mac get her revenge.

Glory In Death

Lt. Eve Dallas is still amazing. Glory in Death is the sequel to JD Robb's Naked in Death, a novel about a hard-ass detective, set in a future New York City. Glory in Death makes me so happy. Eve is the same, but growing, as is Roarke. He surprises her and himself. She puts it all on the line for her cases and for people she cares about. Watching her relationships grow, not just with the man in her life, but with her best friend, and her new reporter friend. Eve Dallas has me hooked. I don't know if I'll ever get tired of reading about her - and there are a lot of books in this series.

Each of these novels have a lead character who is strong, yet vulnerable. They learn and want to know more. They are three completely different worlds that these characters live in, but they adapt and seek to understand. They are compelling, consuming reads and I can't wait to read more about each of them. 

Naked In Death

It's been a while since I've been so engrossed in a novel. Naked In Death was brilliant. I couldn't put it down. I stayed up too late reading more than once. Naked In Death is the first novel in JD Robb's (Nora Roberts) the In Death series, which I've been eyeing for a while. It was daunting to begin. There are 49 books in the series! With so many books, I felt like it was too late to start, but again and again I would hear about this series and how good it was. If the rest of the series is like Naked In Death, I'm going to love all of them.

I really connected with Lieutenant Eve Dallas. She is smart, sassy, tough, but has a tender side. She's guarded and has secrets. I might eventually get a little obsessed with her. Her past is shrouded. There's a crack, dreams into a dark place, but what else is there. She is amazing at putting that aside and focusing on the case. The case was awful. I feel like it was also very relevant. It was a case we could hear about happening now. Naked In Death is a mystery that takes place in the future. There are all sorts of changes and progress that have been made, but there are still throwbacks, people who long for their grandparents' time. It's so reminiscent of the world we live in now. Someone gets in power and tries to roll back all the progress that was previously made.

Enough about real life.

I'm also a little obsessed with Roarke. That's his last name, right? I love him. He's mysterious, but thoughtful. He is private, but shows his emotions to Eve. I want to know what happens to him, to them. I've read the synopsis for Glory In Death and I'm just not sure. He's certainly a target.

Can I also mention how good the fight scenes are? I can really see the fights, the blood, bruises, the torn knuckles. I love the mystery, the tension, the romance, but I also love when a fight scene is real, when I can feel the main character fighting for their life. I've read books where the action is just glazed over, but Robb doesn't do that. She makes it as real as anything else in the book. 

This book hangover is going to last a while, I think.