How did this year come to an end so quickly. Maybe my age is showing, it used to be that a year lasted forever, now it flies by. Definitely my age… Here are (in no particular order) my favorite reads for 2023. So far it looks Iike I’m going to reach 150 books read this year which is a record high for me! It was a good reading year, so many 4 or 5 star reads, but I had to draw the line somewhere so I have decided to do a top 10 list. Here we go… Title: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands Author: Heather Fawcett Series: Emily Wilde #2 A delightful book, with a quirky, academic main character. S ..read more

Book Title: The Hexologists Series:  The Hexologists (#1) Author:  Josiah Bancroft Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59612836-the-hexologists Release Date:  9/26/23 Star Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5. The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve The Hexologists. The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life. Aided by hexes and a bag of charmed ..read more

Book Title: The Grace of Wild Things Series:   Author:  Heather Fawcett Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61150757-the-grace-of-wild-things Release Date:  2/14/23 Star Rating: Rating: 4 out of 5. Delightful and whimsical. An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables–with magic and witches!–that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland. Perfect for readers who loved The Girl ..read more

Book Title: The Tyranny of Faith Series:  Empire of the Wolf #2 Author:  Richard Swan Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60028919-the-tyranny-of-faith Release Date:  02/14/23 Star Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5. Most anticipated book of the year. From a major new debut author in epic fantasy comes the second book in a trilogy where action, intrigue, and magic collide. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is an Emperor’s Justice: a detective, judge, and executioner all in one. But these are dangerous times to be a Justice…. A Justice’s work is never done. T ..read more

Book Title: A Good Day to Pie Series:  Pies Before Guys Mystery #2 Author:  Misha Popp Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61819089-a-good-day-to-pie Release Date:  02/07/23 Star Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5. Deliciously fun! Daisy bakes a little murder into every pie she creates, and she and her dog, Zoe, deliver them to the town’s worst cads. Now, Daisy’s entered a televised, elimination-style competition and has a shot at $100k in prize money—but she still has a murder pie to deliver between filming. In a completely unexpected turn of ..read more

I got tagged!! I haven’t done a book tag in ages so I’m excited to do this one, especially because it is about “cozy fantasy” books which have become my favorite in 2022. Thank you for the tag, and for creating it to 24 Hr YA Book Blog. You can find the original post here. Now to start… 1: Let the journey begin! What’s the first “Cozy Fantasy” book you’ve ever read? I had never heard of “cozy fantasy” until halfway through 2022 but I’ve fallen in love with it. Now I realized I’ve been reading books that count as cozy but I didn’t have a word for it. Anyway the first I read was HALF A SOUL by ..read more

Book Title: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Series:   Author:  Sangu Mandanna Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60018635-the-very-secret-society-of-irregular-witches Release Date:  08/23/22 Star Rating: Rating: 4 out of 5. Charming, found family of witches. As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s us ..read more

Book Title: Babel Series:   Author:  R. F. Kuang Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57945316-babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence Release Date:  08/23/22 Star Rating: Rating: 4 out of 5. Impressive and ambitious. Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Roy ..read more

Book Title: Ithaca Series:  Penelope #1 Author:  Claire North Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59416528-ithaca Release Date:  09/6/22 Star Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5. My favorite Greek myth retelling! ‘The greatest power we woman can own, is that we take in secret . . . ‘ Seventeen years ago, king Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them have returned, and the women have been left behind to run the kingdom. Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odys ..read more

Book Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy Series:  I WISH! Author:  Megan Bannen Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58510253-the-undertaking-of-hart-and-mercy Release Date:  08/23/22 Star Rating: Rating: 5 out of 5. Everything you could want in a cozy, funny, irreverent fantasy book. Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness. Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Unde ..read more