The Thirty Years' War, C.V. Wedgwood

It feels silly to say that a book about the 30 Years War was a bit confusing and the endless list of battles was pointless; that is the essence of the 30 Years War and why it's so difficult to understand or teach. This book does a great job when it settles down to talk about social history, the impact of the battles the economics of the battles, or the people involved in the battles. I got a lot of great information about Richelieu and Gustavus Adolphus and I can finally remember which one was Frederick and which two were Ferdinand. But my eyes did glaze over at some of the endless chapters about battles that went nowhere and accomplished nothing.

Grade: B
#42 in 2017

A Curious Beginning, Deanna Raybourne

I couldn't decide how many stars to give this. It's not actively bad, offensive, or upsetting, but unless you love -- LOVE -- this narrator and her narrative voice, there's nothing in this book. I've read plenty of books about sassy Victorian spinsters and the mysterious dukes and adventures they have, but this also included a weird few chapters of interlude at the circus that go nowhere, and no sex. I just wasn't delighted enough with the main character (or intrigued enough by the mystery), and the mysterious angry-but-sad-inside duke was so cliche.  I read it, and to be honest I'd probably read the sequels if they fell into my lap. But the whole time I was reading it I was like "....sure? Fine? I GUESS????" Grade: C #41 in 2017

Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere), Lisa Cron

I think that ridiculous title is pretty indicative of how I felt about this book. There is good, solid advice in here, and a lot of the writing advice is very helpful. I've been plotting out a novel (because I can't watch the news or I'll lose my mind) and this was a good way to organize it and think about it. But the tone of the book was nails on a chalkboard for me. Other people may enjoy it. It's certainly upbeat and supportive. But it also felt like a manic pixie dream girl was trying to explain to me how how dreams are made, and I didn't find a lot of the sample writing sections very helpful. I didn't need most of the beginning to tell me that human brains like stories or why. I ended up skimming a lot of the end, rolling my eyes and sighing loudly.

Grade: usefulness is a B, tone is a D, let's even it out at a C
#40 in 2017

Fair Play/All's Fair, Josh Lanyon

I accidentally read book 3 before I read book 2, and honestly it didn't strike me as that weird. It was confusing. When I realized i was out of order I thought, "ohhhh, that's why their relationship is so different here," but other than that it wasn't too much. I liked three better than two, but that might be because of mistakenly reading three first.

Anyway, these books are pretty dark. People are murdered by serial killers, animals are injured, etc. I like the romance a lot (although there's a slightly odd undertone about one of the main characters being submissive and what that means for him). I enjoyed it a lot overall, though.

Grade: B
#38 and 39 in 2017

At Attention, Annabeth Albert

This book is so perfectly plotted just for me. You have a single dad raising twin daughters and trying to get over the trauma of losing the man who was the love of his life. And then you have the hot young guy who has always had a crush on him, who is the nanny just for the summer, trying to prove that he's an adult now, and responsible, and that it's okay to move on and find love again. I loved this book so much. Those are tropes I always enjoy, and this book very much hit the sweet spot of romance and plot for me.

Grade: A
#38 in 2017

Star Crossed (Fly Me To The Moon #5)

I really loved this. The ending felt the the tiniest bit rushed, but Geri and Bev are both so lovely, and a historical lesbian romance is such a rare and beautiful unicorn to find. Grade: B #37 in 2017

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin

What a delight. I know I read it in late elementary school and loved it, but I didn't remember anything about it. It's sincerely great -- the diverse characters, the nuanced interactions, the really fun mystery. And a spunky pre-teen who solves the mystery an becomes a successful business woman. No wonder it stuck with me.

Grade: A
#36 in 2017