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Linkity is ignoring the rumor of snow

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Reading Update
Sixty-One Nails (Courts of the Feyre, #1)Sixty-One Nails (Courts of the Feyre #1) by Mike Shevdon. “The smarter, faster brother to Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere has arrived.” ??? LOLOLOL. Sorry, but no. It was an ok urban fantasy. I might read the rest of the series. I might not.
The Shepherd's Crown (Discworld, #41; Tiffany Aching, #5)The Shepherd’s Crown (Tiffany Aching #5) by Terry Pratchett. I’m not crying, you’re crying. I didn’t realize when I started reading this, the 5th Tiffany Aching Discworld book, that it was the very last Discworld book and indeed, the book Terry Pratchett was working on when he died.
The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1)The Color of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett. Good introduction to and start of the Discworld series. I loved the Luggage!
The Last Adventure of Constance VerityThe Last Adventure of Constance Verity (Constance Verity #1) by A Lee Martinez. I found it unreadable and only made it a few chapters in.
A Local Habitation (October Daye, #2)A Local Habitation (October Daye #2) by Seanan McGuire.

“I’ll look at the camera if you feed me right now!!!” -Chaos

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Linkity really can’t believe how fast all of that snow melted

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Reading Update
Rosemary and Rue (October Daye, #1)Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire. Quite promising start to this series about a half Fae private investigator who’s involuntarily back into the investigation game after a 14 year…hiatus. (Apparently there’s an October Daye fanfic that Seanan McGuire has happily read.)
Hell Bent (Broken Magic, #1)Hell Bent and Stone Cold (Broken Magic, #2)Stone Cold (Broken Magic 1-2) by Devon Monk. Good spinoff pair of books about a formerly magic rich world nearly bereft of magic, except for a few people who are paired in Soul Complements.
Summoned (Redemption's Heir, #1)Summoned (Redemption’s Heir #1) by Anne M. Pillsworth. Very creepy young adult book about a teen boy who responds to an impossible ad in an old book and falls into the Cthulhu Mythos. Be warned that this gets off to a rather slow and somewhat plodding start, but boy does it pick it up speed as it goes!

“You’re definitely going to blink first.” -Mayhem

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Linkity links and links and linke

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Reading Update
Marked (Mindspace Investigations, #3)Marked and Vacant ( Mindspace Investigations Novel, #4)Vacant (Mindspace Investigations 3-4) by Alex Hughes. Good continuation of this series about a telepath and recovering addict who consults for the police and, under duress, the Telepath’s Guild. Unfortunately, I screwed up and read book #4 before book #3, so I spent much of book #4 thinking my memory had gotten REALLY bad when things that turned out to have happened in book #3 were mentioned…
I Shall Wear MidnightI Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching #4) by Terry Pratchett. Very good continuation of this series as teenage Tiffany works in the Chalk amid rising anti-witch sentiment.
Discount Armageddon (Incryptid, #1)Discount Armageddon (InCryptid #1) by Seanan McGuire. I liked it better upon rereading than I did when I read it four years ago!

“What now?!” -Mayhem

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Linkity has a miserable cold

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Reading Update
Last Call at the Nightshade LoungeLast Call at the Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger. Bartenders keeping humanity safe from horrors from another dimension! This was pretty silly, yet for some reason I read the whole thing.
Shattered Soul (A.I.R., #1)Shattered Soul, Broken Paths (AIR, #2)Broken Paths, Stolen Sight (A.I.R., #3)Stolen Sight, and Fenrisúlfr (AIR, #3.5)Fenrisulfr (AIR 1-3, 3.5) by Amanda Booloodian. Ok series about a psychic who works for a secret government agency keeping creatures of myth and legend out of the public eye.
Hammers on Bone (Persons Non Grata, #1)Hammers on Bone and A Song for Quiet (Persons Non Grata, #2)A Song for Quiet (Persons Non Grata 1-2) by Cassandra Khaw. John Persons is a private investigator… or is he? Lovecraftian, and I have no idea what actually happened. Or do I?
A Hat Full of SkyA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith (Discworld, #35)Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching 2-3) by Sir Terry Pratchett. Excellent young adult fantasy series continuing the adventures of one Tiffany Aching, witch.

“Still no birds!!!! Hmph.” -Mayhem

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More snow on the way as linkity springs forward

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Reading Update
Nightshades (Nightshades, #1)Nightshades, Switchback (Nightshades, #2)Switchback, and Outbreak (Nightshades, #3)Outbreak (Nightshades 1-3) by Melissa F Olson. Good trilogy about a Chicago-based FBI agent whose division is charged with investigating vampires on a kidnapping and killing spree. He’s aided by an ancient vampire who’s helping partially by her own choice, partially by duress. A couple of the books had one of my least favorite literary devices, the unnecessary cliffhanger “epilogue”.
The Lovecraft Squad: All Hallows HorrorAll Hallows Horror (The Lovecraft Squad #1) by John Llewellyn Probert. DNF. I made it about halfway through this book and decided I just didn’t care whether the remaining characters lived or died.
Black HelicoptersBlack Helicopters by Caitlin R Kiernan. Made it about a third of a way through this futuristic novella and remained both confused and uncaring, so I stopped reading.
Clean (Mindspace Investigations, #1)Clean, Payoff (Mindspace Investigations, #1.5)Payoff, and Sharp (Mindspace Investigations, #2)Sharp (Mindspace Investigations 1, 1.5, 2) by Alex Hughes. Pretty good series about a high-powered telepath and recovering addict who works for the police and is more or less trying to stay clean.
The Westing GameThe Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. Good young adult mystery about the quirky residents of a small apartment building who are suddenly thrust into a puzzle game to see which of them will receive a sizable inheritance.

*thlurp* -Chaos, cleaning Mayhem’s ears

*purring* -Mayhem

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Linkity wonders if March will come in like a lion or a lamb

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Reading Update
The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30; Tiffany Aching, #1)The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1, Discworld #30) by Sir Terry Pratchett. This was my first Discworld book and it was an quirky, enjoyable read. My plan is to read the four Tiffany Aching books (young adult) as an intro to Discworld and go from there.
Magicians Impossible: A NovelMagicians Impossible by Brad Abraham. Ok book about a bartender who discovers at age 30, after his estranged father dies, that he’s a wizard. Sounds like my perfect read, but something about the book kept me emotionally distant from it.
Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy, #1)Winter Tide and Deep Roots (The Innsmouth Legacy, #2)Deep Roots (The Innsmouth Legacy 1-2) by Ruthanna Emrys. Good historical scifi set in the aftermath of World War 2 a young woman, freshly released from an internment camp, slowly works her way back to her roots. This is set in the world HP Lovecraft created, minus the misogyny and racism.

“It’s really, really, really sad that I am starved so by my mom.” -Chaos

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Linkity Welcomes You to the Snowiest February on Record for the Twin Cities…

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…:weeping:

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Reading Update
Empire GamesEmpire Games and Dark StateDark State (Empire Games 1-2) by Charles Stross. The first two books of a trilogy set in the Merchant Princes’ universe sustain the intrigue and suspense of the original series and contain many familiar faces. Now, here’s hoping I can remember all of the details long enough for the final book to be released…
An Unkindness of MagiciansAn Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard. Very good story about the magical families who live in New York and their challenges to choose a new leader. If there are more books about this world, I will definitely read them!
Herding Cats (Sarah's Scribbles, #3)Herding Cats (Sarah’s Scribbles #3) by Sarah Andersen. Funny and so very, very on point.
Mockingbird (Miriam Black, #2)Mockingbird (Miriam Black #2) by Chuck Wendig. Decent dark urban fantasy about a psychic who can tell how people die if she touches them. I finished it, but I have no desire to read any more in this series.
Bloodshot (Cheshire Red Reports, #1)Bloodshot and Hellbent (Cheshire Red Reports, #2)Hellbent (Cheshire Red Reports 1-2) by Cherie Priest. Good pair of books about a vampire who works as a thief and is used to going it alone… but that is definitely changing, rather to her chagrin. This was obviously intended to be a longer series, but… the second book came out in 2011, so it seems unlikely it will be continued. The second book concludes tidily, but there’s a larger story arc that’s left hanging.

“…zzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Not so easy to type with his head on my arm!

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Linkity is so very very sick of snow

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Reading Update
Fearless (Pax Arcana, #3)Fearless, In Shining Armor (Pax Arcana, #4)In Shining Armor, and Legend Has It (Pax Arcana, #5)Legend Has It (Pax Arcana #3-5) by Elliott James. Good series about John Charming, former member of the Knights Templar, not-quite-werewolf, trouble magnet. Book 5 sort of felt like it could be the last book…
Charmed I'm Sure (Pax Arcana #0.01)Charmed I’m Sure, Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls (Pax Arcana #0.02)Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls, Pushing Luck (Pax Arcana #0.03)Pushing Luck, Surreal Estate (Pax Arcana #0.04)Surreal Estate, Dog-Gone (Pax Arcana #0.05)Dog-Gone, Bulls Rush In (Pax Arcana #0.06)Bulls Rush In, Talking Dirty (Pax Arcana #0.07)Talking Dirty, and Low Elf Esteem (Pax Arcana #0.08)Low Elf Esteem (Pax Arcana .01 – .08) by Elliott James. These eight short stories are set before the five main Pax Arcana novels and tell the tale of how one John Charming ended up in bartending in Clayburg.
Sins & Shadows (Shadows Inquiries, #1)Sin & Shadows and Ghosts & Echoes (Shadows Inquiries #2)Ghosts & Echoes, Gods & Monsters (Shadows Inquiries #3)Gods & Monsters, and Lies & Omens (Shadows Inquiries, #4)Lies & Omens (Shadows Inquiries 1-4) by Lyn Benedict. Decent urban fantasy series about a PI who’s kind of mean to everyone around her as she charges blindly forward… Also, this is an entire and complete series, which is nice.

“When will the birds be back???” -Mayhem

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*gasp* LINKITY

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Reading Update
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being CreativeSteal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon. Pretty good (and very short) ebook that’s exactly what the title says.
Lies SleepingLies Sleeping (Peter Grant #7) by Ben Aaronovitch. Good continuation of the series – it’s all hands on deck trying to catch Faceless Man #2 (and Lesley) before they do Something Very Bad.
Rivers of London Volume 6: Water WeedWater Weed (Rivers of London #6) by Ben Aaronovitch. Very good addition to the series. I hope everyone who read the Rivers of London series knows that the graphic novels aren’t standalone but actually develop the overarching story arc, too.
The Everything BoxThe Everything Box and The Wrong Dead Guy (Another Coop Heist #2)The Wrong Dead Guy (Another Coop Heist 1-2) by Richard Kadrey. Ok series about magic-resistant thief Charlie Cooper and the Department of Peculiar Science.
Countdown City (Last Policeman, #2)Countdown City and World of Trouble (The Last Policeman, #3)World of Trouble (Last Policeman 2-3) by Ben H Winters. With only a few months to go before a surprise!asteroid takes out Earth, society has completely broken down but a former police detective hasn’t given up looking for answers.
Roses and RotRoses and Rot by Kat Howard. Very good story about two sisters who are accepted for a nine-month artists’ retreat and slowly realize they’re living in a faery tale.
CharmingCharming and Daring (Pax Arcana, #2)Daring (Pax Arcana 1-2) by Elliott James. Good series about John Charming, former member of the Knights Templar, not-quite-werewolf, trouble magnet.
The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the FutureThe Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future by Ryder Carroll. As you’d expect from the guy who came up with bullet journaling, this book has very clear how-to explanations and examples. The tone reminded me why I don’t read productivity books – they exhaust me.
Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That’ll Actually Help You Get Your Life TogetherDot Journaling: A Practical Guide: How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That’ll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together by Rachel Wilkerson Miller. reread. I reread this since I was reading The Bullet Journal Method – Miller’s book is a nice example of a slightly different way to bullet journal. And her many layout examples are frequently more helpful than those of The Bullet Journal Method.
The Sound of PaperThe Sound of Paper by Julia Cameron. Abandoned because too much of the advice was higher power based.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

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In which there’s no internet to do linkity

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Sorry about another week without linkity, but I’ve been without internet since Monday night. Apparently ice burst a fiber conduit and they inexplicably can’t repair it until the weather warms up Friday. Argh. This is what I had done as of Monday… Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm or cool, as appropriate to your location! I feel so out of touch…

Reading Update
The Kill Society (Sandman Slim, #9)The Kill Society and Hollywood Dead (Sandman Slim #10)Hollywood Dead (Sandman Slim 9-10) by Richard Kadrey. And now I’m all caught up on Sandman Slim. Be warned that The Kill Society is another cliffie, while Hollywood Dead feels like it could be the end of the series (although Kadrey says there are still more books).
Butcher BirdButcher Bird by Richard Kadrey. Ok early urban fantasy from Kadrey that contains most of the ideas that would become Sandman Slim.
Dead SetDead Set by Richard Kadrey.  Ok young adult urban fantasy about a girl whose father died recently and who’s having a rough time of it in a new school without any friends.
The Last Policeman (Last Policeman, #1)The Last Policeman, (Last Policeman 1) by Ben H Winters. With only a few months to go before a surprise!asteroid takes out Earth, most people have more or less given up any pretense of normal life. But one recently minted New England police detective doggedly investigates a seeming suicide, convinced that there something not right about the death.

*sigh* -Mayhem