Ahoy there mateys! I don’t remember who convinced me to give this series a chance but I do know that it was the discussion of music that led to it. I was warned that the series was read when much younger and so she didn’t know if it would hold up. I listened to this one on audiobook with narration by Karen Ziemba. They actually excluded samples of the chanting which was cool. They unfortunately used the exact same versions of the chanting for the entire book. Not so cool. I ended up thinking that this was just an okay read. I did like the magic system and the main protagonist. But the plot was not good for me at all. Serious problems with it. At least enough time has passed that I threw whole sections out of me noggin. So won’t be readin’ any others in this series. I am glad I read it and satisfied the curiosity I always had for the series. I do think that if I was in middle school, I would have liked this series a lot more.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! This book leads me to a rather embarrassing situation. Ye see I thought I had reviewed this book. When I realized I didn’t and went to write thoughts for this unintended stowaway, I realized that I didn’t remember the story at all. And yet the emotions still tied to this book were that I couldn’t put it down when readin’ and I loved it. I know that I planned giving this a 4.5 rating. Sigh. This is why I write this Log. To refresh me memories and to capture the thoughts after finishing it. I am telling ye that this is no reflection on the author or this work. It is a poor reflection of what me memory can be like. I am soooo so sorry for this sad, sad review that does not do this book justice at all. I find meself disgraceful. I should make meself walk the plank. I did have a ton of fun rereadin’ the crews exceptionally well-written reviews on this one and bringing back all of the forgotten details. So to author, R.S. Ford – yer book deserved so much better than me shoddy review. I be a sorry wretch who ain’t fit to read yer sequel. But I really want to.

Side note: check out those excellent reviews from crew members, Drew @ thetattooedbookgeek and Liz @ covertocover.

Ahoy there matey! I found this young adult fantasy to be just an okay read. I actually really liked the protagonist Nalia. She learns at 16 that she is not the real princess but a decoy to a prophecy. I really enjoyed how Nalia’s new life takes unexpected trajectories. I enjoy what happens with the real princess. The problems with this one were all romance related. I didn’t hate the actual romance elements. I didn’t like the guy tossed in the middle as a bad plot point. I think the story overall would have been much stronger with no romance even if I did like the real love interest. Also the last quarter of the novel was a little strange for me even if the details about it have since gotten fuzzy. But the crew has really enjoyed this one and I have no regrets.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! This 22 page 2014 Hugo award-winning short story was absolutely wonderful. Of course as it is from Tor.com I was expecting it to be. In this version of the future, telling a lie causes water to fall from the sky. How much water depends on how big the lie. This phenomena brings Matt a whole additional set of concerns about coming out to his traditional Chinese parents. I really enjoyed this quick read and absolutely loved the ideas and thoughts around telling lies. What crazy complications that entails. Yeesh! I do recommend this one and ye can read it for free here. Arrr!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there mateys! I have always known that the sloth is one of me spirit animals (though mine would be sarcastic and grumpy). So when Millie @ milliebotreads shared her thoughts on this gem, I knew I had to buy it. It was worth every doubloon. I absolutely love Slothilda and am very glad to have added this book to the hold. This was not a stowaway because I just got it but gets included in this list because it is the end of the year and I have one more posting day. I might have to buy merchandise. Because of this:



Arrrr!

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Ahoy there mateys! This is a beautifully written and atmospheric read. An older childless couple moves to an Alaskan homestead in 1920. They find the new experience to be overwhelming and are slowly losing themselves and each other. But on one magical night of the first snowfall, the couple make a snow child in a rare burst of happiness. The snow child disappears but a little girl is seen running through the woods. Where did she come from? From that first glimpse, the couple’s lives will never be the same. This book is filled with a sense of wonder, beauty, and sorrow. I read this in one sitting. There is a truly lovely blend of a magical feel and a historical reality. I highly recommend this evocative tale.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! This was me last read of 2018 and I loved it! This is a dystopian where the Earth is almost completely covered in water. There are small island settlements where the “landlockers” live. But the majority of folks are “damplings” who spend their time on boats and ships of all sizes. The story follows two women – a landlocker named Callanish and a dampling named North.

The beauty of this tale for me was in the differences of the two cultures and how they viewed each other. The religions, lifestyles, beliefs, prejudices, and priorities just felt so real and wonderfully complex. Personally, I would rather be in the dampling culture (Arrrr!) despite them being treated as second-class citizens. Though eating seaweed in all its varieties might get a little bit old.

Despite me love of the dampling life, I did actually enjoy the character of Callanish a lot better. Part of it was her lifestyle. She works as a Gracekeeper. Her job is to administer burial rites to damplings. Also Callanish had more agency in her own life while North never really stood up for anything she wanted or believed in. I understand the reasons why but it was hard for me to stomach. Plus there was some mystery to Callanish’s past which made her sections more interesting.

The book did have some minor flaws for me. There were some unanswered questions regarding how exactly the sea trade worked. If land was so scarce, where did the cruise ship come from? How did they maintain their ships? Are there dockyards somewhere? The damplings can eat food from the sea like fish and seaweed and such. So why are they so dependent on landlocker food?

Also the plot had a bit of silliness to it. It was a minor issue because the world-building had captivated me. But the floating circus (aye, really!) didn’t seem feasible in all its parts. The ringmaster was a bit ridiculous in his denial. The marriage and house subplots had big holes and were overly dramatic. I wanted the bear to go away half-way through the story. The answer to the mystery in Callanish’s past was very less than satisfactory. There were these other pieces like the military and the religious cruise ship that seem incongruous to the rest of the world and the story being told.

But honestly, I didn’t care. I read this in one sitting and the time flew by. It worked for me and I can’t wait to see what else this author comes up with. Arrrr!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys! Aye, me first read of the year is neither fantasy nor sci-fi. But on the plus side it is set in a bookstore. I have been meaning to read this for forever and then the audiobook I had been on a wait list for was automatically checked out to me. So here we are.

This ended up being a very uneven read for me with the balance being on the negative side. There were parts I loved and there were parts that I didn’t love at all. What I loved best about this book was the first third. A.J. Fikry is a grumpy bookseller on a small island who has very pointed views about how life should be lived and what books should be read. He is set in his ways. Ye are first introduced to him through a young woman, Amelia, who is promoting her publisher’s current catalog. He is not nice.

Fikry’s life is falling apart and he is on the verge of giving up when a toddler is left in his bookstore with a note. His life changes then and there. Watching Fikry’s life change for the better was refreshing. I adore his relationship with Maya and watching it grow. I also really loved Amelia and Lambaise. The book basically goes through Fikry’s entire life with the reader seeing the major highlights.

The parts I didn’t like had mostly to do with character and writing style. I absolutely didn’t like Ismay’s character or her entire subplot. I get that it was part of the whole twist at the end but it didn’t work for me. I wanted her to go away. As for writing style, it was obvious that the author has a love of literature and the book is sprinkled with nuggets of book fun. But there are sections of Fikry’s ranting that were snobbish and rude. Characters in the book even comment that Fikry makes them feel dumb. The author did metatextual things with the writing in this regard that I didn’t care for. And the ending. I didn’t like the entire end of Fikry’s life or what happens to the others once he is gone.

That said, I do understand why people love this one. I am glad they love this one. I just wish that it would have worked out better for me. No regrets about readin’ this but I won’t ever reread it.

Side note: It feels so very good to be caught up on reviews and be writing a post for one book at a time!

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this comic eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

Okay so Andrews McMeel Publishing is make me happy again.  Last week I reviewed loading penguin hugs which I got because I needed a pick-me-up.  I still be feeling a bit under the weather and so when I saw comics about book lovers, I had to immediately read them.

Debbie Tung is definitely one of me crew (even if she has no idea who I be).  She be me guru and spirit animal.  Her comics perfectly reflect book love, introversion, and habits that arise from the two.  An example of her comics (from her website):

This adorable collection is 144 pages of book fun.  All the crew should read it.  Ye can pre-order now.  Don't worry I will also remind the crew closer to publication day if ye currently be short of gold.  I just know that I am glad I found this author to brighten me windy and stormy nights.  Arrr!

Side note: Check out her website.  It be awesome!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing!