Review: One Piece omnibus volume 7-8-9 by Eiichiro Oda * SPOILERS*

 

My 101st book of the year. I was cutting it pretty close again this year. I am obsessed with the title of volume 7... the crap gezer. It starts off with the Baratie cooks fighting Don Krieg's men. We meet Krieg's second in command, Invincible Pearl and his specialty move is called the Pearl Surprise. I find it realy funny that the see cooks have names like Patty and Carne. Reminds me of the cow villagers on Animal Crossing.

Sanji is fighting with his feet because he doesn't want to damage his hands. He also gave Patty his knife back and to hold on to it tightly while he died. Sanji is a hoot. I just got the ick from Invicible Pearl. He is monologuing and saying that he is the Iron Shield of Kriegs crew and that he has never spilled any of his blood, and oh that he is handsome too. YUCK!

Luffy shows up and Sanji gets a kick in on Pearl. His nose starts to bleed and he freaks the fuck out. He thinks he is back in the jungle where he grew up and he makes flames to keep the animals at bay. This guy is nuts. Sanji jumps the wall of fire while everyone else is panicking because they are afraid that the Baratie will burn down. Sanji basically says you cant be a cook if you are afraid of fire. 

Chef Zeff puts the fire out with his peg leg. Krieg sends a fire ball towards Sanji and Luffy jumps in front of it with a gum gum bazooka. Gin has a gun to Chef Zeff's head. The fuck!!!! He also broke Chef's peg leg. The Bastard! Really love the question corner and Eiichiro Oda comparing the end of Sanji's eyebrows to the sun, moon and Earth because of circles.

Sanji is trying to patronize Crap Geezer and Chef Zeff calls Sanji an eggplant head and Sanji loses it...lol. Sanji is refusing to leave the ship because it is Zeff's pride and joy. Pearl got a hit on Sanji and Gin is wondering why the hell he wont leave. 

We get a back story on Sanji when he was nine and a apprentice cook. He was talking about the legend of All Blue and he hated that the cooks ate the scraps that the customers didn't eat. Chef Zeff ends up boarding the ship Sanji is on and takes everything. One of his pirates starts eating food, and Chef Zeff gets pissed and tells him that they don't eat other peoples food. Little Sanji attacks Zeff and mentions the All Blue and calls them crap pirates. Zeff continues to kick his little ass. The storm knocks Sanji into the ocean and Zeff ends up jumping in after him. They get stranded on a rock and have some food to last them 5 days. The end of the chapter has Zeff taking a massive rock to his leg and saying it is the end of him. Why did he do that???

Sanji ends up portioning his food to last him 20 days. He gets to day 70 and the poor kid is starving which makes his whole plot make more sense and how he hates seeing people go hungry. He goes to Zeff and sees that he still has a whole bag of food. Sanji rips open the bag and instead of food, finds treasure and now it all makes sense in why Zeff cut off his leg, which is gross. Zeff tells Sanji he had the same dream of the All Blue and that he wants to make a restaurant in the middle of the ocean and he'll do it if they get rescued. I love these backstories!!!! Sanji is fighting for the ship as a repayment to crap geezer for saving his life with the food.

Luffy ends up involving himself and he and Sanji start yelling at each other. Krieg is over it and Pearl tries to do one of his special moves, and Gin stops him, confusing the hell out of Luffy and Sanji. Turns out Gin wants to kill Sanji and Luffy. Luffy calls them all wimps, and that they are not tough, just that there are so many of them. 

Don Krieg is getting fed up with all of the sentimentality and wants to fight to prove who is worthy of being king of the pirates. Luffy immediately shouts that he will fight. Don Krieg gets pissed and pulls out an MH5 which has all of the pirates freaking out. The MH5 is a poison gas cannonball that Luffy bounces off of himself. Don Krieg tricked everyone into thinking it was the MH5 when it was really the Shuriken bomb. While Luffy is fighting Krieg, Sanji is fighting Gin, the demon man. They are going at it, and Gin is yelling die and hitting Sanji and Sanji gives hime one good kick, and Gin admits defeat and that he can't kill Sanji.

Krieg is fed up with Gin and removes him from the pirate crew which surprises the rest of the pirates because Gin was the most loyal to Don Krieg. He shoots the MH5 and Luffy finds a mask. When the fog clears, Gin is on top of Sanji pressing a mask to his face while he remained maskless. Gin sacrificed himself. 

Volume 8 starts off with Krieg still dissing Gin about disobeying him and that he deserves to die. Sanji asks Patty for the antidote and Patty says that it is for food poisoning and not for enemies. Patty needs to resolve his issues and prioritize current moments. Krieg is fighting with Luffy and he turns his cape on Luffy when he comes at him and it is covered in spikes. Luffy punches him anyway and knocks Krieg on his ass. Sanji and Zeff are impressed and Zeff tells Sanji to keep an eye on him. The coooks are trying to get Gin conscious and they are fighting because they are bad mouthing each other's cooking....lol.

Krieg has pulled out his mighty battle spear and is going to town trying to hit Luffy. Luffy keeps dodging and standing up and Krieg is getting pissed. Sanji is screaming chore boy over and over and Zeff is just standing there watching. He knows what is up. Luffy broke the spear. Luffy and Krieg are still trying to kill each other and Luffy is doing Gum Gum bazooka and bullet. Luffy is all bloody. Krieg traps Luffy in a net and throws him towards the ocean. Smart Luffy finds a way and does a gum gum giant gavel and Krieg. Luffy then falls into the ocean and starts drowning until Zeff tells Sanji and he has to jump in after him. 

Gin tosses Krieg over his shoulder and tells him that they have to start at zero since he is no longer the strongest man in the world. Gin tells Sanji that Krieg's dreams have now become his and that he hopes to run into Luffy again one day on the Grand Line. Luffy is still trying to get Sanji to join his crew, but he refuses to leave the restuarant to those crap cooks. He tells Luffy about the All Blue who has never heard of it. 

All of the cooks are eating and they start spitting out and dumping Sanji's soup. That pisses him off and then crap geezer joins in and punches Sanji. Luffy says that the soup is really good, and all of the cooks admit that it is tasty, but that Chef Zeff made them bad mouth it to get Sanji to leave and go to the Grand Line because that is his dream. 

Yosaku gets saved from the ocean and says that he tried to chase Nami's ship, but that she is headed toward an impossible place. Luffy wants to leave and Sanji agrees to go with him. We get more flashbacks of when Zeff bought the Baratie and Sanji started smoking and when the crap cooks started showing up. Sanji is leaving and he starts to tear up as he is telling Zeff that he owes him is life and then everyone starts crying. Yosaku starts telling Luffy and Sanji that the Grand Line is not paradise and that they have to get through the three main powers of the sea. The seven warlords of the sea, who are pirates that are recognized by the government. Mihawk is one of the seven warlords.

Yosaku is telling them that Nami was looking at the bounties and saw the one for Arlong Park which is in Fish Man territory. Luffy is drawing weird looking fish and Sanji is fantasizing about mermaids. We meet Saw tooth Arlong and he is giving a cut of his treasure to the marines. 

HOLY SHIT..... NAMI IS AN OFFICER IN ARLONG'S PIRATE CREW!!!! What....how... why???  

Zoro, Usopp and Johnny spot where Nami docked the Merry Go. Zoro plans to go in swinging, and Johnny and Usopp tie him up because he is still recupriating. Usopp's ego gets the better of him and he takes command as captain. He and Johnny then encounter the fish men and freak out. A ship from Arlong's crew shows up and Johnny and Usopp abandone ship leaving Zoro tied up and yelling. I honestly cannot wait to see this in the live action. I am still watching the first season. 

The little boy Chabo, who tried to fight Nami, ends up tripping Usopp thinking he is a fish man who helped destroy his village and killed his father. A girl stops Chabo and says that Usopp looks like a human, which is very funny. I do not like the anime Usopp because he long nose freaks me out. 

Nojiko knocked Usopp out when he tried to fight the fish man. She took him and Chabo to her house. She gets really pissed off at Chabo because he wants revenge and doesn't care if he dies. Najiko tells him to get the hell out and if he doesn't care about his life, then why should she continue to care about it as well. 

Nojiko tells Usopp that Nami is part of Arlong's crew and that she is also her step sister. Zoro is tied up in front of Arlong and Arlong is going on and on about how superior the fish men are because they can breathe underwater. Zoro sees Nami and hears that she is the surveyor in Arlong's crew. Nami and Zoro have words with each other and Zoro throws himself into the water tied up and Nami jumps in to save him. Then someone in the crew tells Arlong that the one with the long nose got away and headed for coco village. We learn about the tribute system. Everyone in the village has to pay Arlong and if one person can't pay, then the whole village gets destroyed. 

Volume 9 

One of the men in the village, Mr. Genzo has a weapon and that is against the rules because Arlong sees that as rebellion and now he has to die. Arlong is seconds away from killing Genzo in front of the whole village and then Usopp throws an exploding star. He tries to act brave and exaggerate how many men are ready to fight. Arlong recognizes that Usopp is a human and he gets pissed. 

They start chasing him back to Arlong park and then Nami walks into Coco village. All of the villagers hate her and slam the door in her face. We learn that the reason she wants the berries is so she can buy the village. Zoro is chilling in Arlong Park and he hears the dinner trumpet. He meets Hachi the fish man octopus who offers to take him to Coco Village.

Luffy, Sanji and Yosaku are eating in the boat and they see a Grand Line monster who is part of Arlong's Crew. It's called MooMoo the Sea Cow and it is a literal cow that likes roast pig. Luffy does a gum gum pistol and then Sanji thinks it is hungry. He gets pissed when the sea cow tries to eat him and they fight it. The sea cow goes away and they continue to eat. 

Arlong gets back to his base to see his men sprawled out on the ground. He then realizes that the man he has was Zoro and that Nami must be behind it. Nami is pissed because Zoro is fucking up her plans on buying the village. Arlong has a 20 million berry bounty on his head which is the highest in the East Blue. 

Nami fights Usopp to prove that she has betrayed the pirate crew and to keep her 8 years of work from being ruined. Arlong tells Nami that he won't go back on the deal and that he would slit his belly  before going back on a promise. Luffy, Sanji and Yosaku make it to the island and they learn from Johnny that Nami has killed Usopp. The village elders of Gosa got a message to the government and they have sent a ship to evacuate the remaining villagers.

The marine ship fires on Arlong park and Lord Arlong catches the cannonball in his mouth and chews it up. Arlong sends two of his crew to bust up the marine ship and they succeed. Nami confronts the straw hat crew and Sanji is so love struck. He is begging Nami to come back to them and Zoro wants to fight. Johnny is screaming and calling her a witch because she killed Usopp. Nami tells them to get lost and to go find another navigator. Luffy then decides it is the perfect time to take a nap. 

Yosaku and Johnny decided to split from the crew because they dont want to die. Usopp is walking through the village and thinking that Nami isn't a witch because she didn't kill him. He goes running on the beach to try to find Zoro and he finds everyone. They come to the conclusion that Nami isn't a witch...duh. Nojiko finds them on the beach and tells them they have to leave. Another marine ship shows up and is asking about Nami.

We get Nami's past where Genzo kept catching her stealing books and her foster mother Belle-mere flirting with Genzo to get Nami out of trouble. Nami stole the book because she didn't have money, but she really wants to be a navigator and sail the whole world and make a map. Belle-mere isn;t eating and she says that it is a diet. Nami says that she will stop eating and Belle-mere gets scary face. 

Nami hates that she gets hand me downs from Nojiko and she starts fighting and says that they aren't real sisters and that they aren't related by blood. Belle-mere gets furious and slaps Nami. Nami ends up running away to the center of the village. Genzo tells Nami the story of how Belle-mere ran away and came back a fighting sailor, and she brought two little girls with her, Nami and Nojiko. 

We get the story of when Arlong and his crew showed up and demanded 100,000 berries from each adult and 50,000 for children and that it supposed to be every month. Belle-mere is clueless to what is happening in the village and then her house is spotted. She tries to fight and Arlong takes her savings. He doesn't know about the girls. Belle-mere ends up paying for the girls and sacrificing herself. She gets shot and Arlong's pirates find Nami's drawn maps and takes her away. 

Nami comes back to the village and finds the villagers gathering to go and look for her. She tells them tearfully that she has joined Arlong's crew and shows them the tattoo and that they gave her money. Genzo is pissed that Belle-mere's sacrifice was thrown away and he bans her from the village. Nojika tells Luffy that Nami made a deal with Arlong and to buy the village back. 

The navy ship that showed up looking for Nami was called by Arlong and for them to confiscate Nami's money. The villagers tell Nami that they knew of her deal and they tell her she has to leave the island and that they are going to fight to death because it is what is right. Nami cries and she starts stabbing her tattoo. Luffy stops her and she asks him for help. This is the part that made me cry, he puts his straw hat on her head and goes to look for Arlong. He tells Zoro and Sanji to get ready and Yosaku and Johnny show back up to help because they heard the story while hiding in the woods. The volume ends with Luffy confronting Arlong.

Review: Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

 

Finally picked up the fourth book and sadly it was a 3 star. It took me two weeks to read. I admit that the holidays, school and work got in the way, but also I was just not invested in this installment. I love Penelope and she is one of my favorite characters. Colin is my least favorite Bridgerton sibling and he was so selfish, pouty and narcissistic at times. 

Book Penelope is so different from show Penelope, honestly all of them are different, but book Penelope is plain and dry and kind of boring. She is a spinster at 28 and finally off the marriage mart. She is now a chaperone for her younger sister Felicity who is having her first season. All of the ton are bored with this year's prospects and are getting bored. Lady Whistledown has been writing for ten years, and Lady Danbury, whom I adore, she decides to make a contest. 1,000 pounds to whoever can uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown.

Penelope decides to go into retirement as Lady Whistledown and she is followed for the first time in 10 years by no one other than Colin. Colin is appaled that she has traveled by herself to London and a shady part at that and then is flabbergasted that she is Lady Whistledown.

He then takes her to her mothers house where she was supposed to be, and on the way they get intimate and handsy. He then decides to propose marriage and the whole time he is trying to tell her mother, her mom and sisters are trying to get Penelope to leave the room because they think Colin is there for Felicity, because who honestly wants Penelope. RUDE!!!!

At a ball, Cressida comes out and says that she is Lady Whistledown and demands the 1000 pounds from Lady Danbury. Penelope is so over Cressida's shit that she decides to write one more column to denounce Cressida. The column gets delivered at their engagment party and Colin is furious.

Colin is also jealous of Penelope because she could write and did it so well for 10 years and the poor man child has no purpose. She calls him on his bullshit and says that since he is a man, he has so many doors open to him and he has the nerve to scoff at her. 

They get married and then Cressida pays Penelope a visit. Cressida knows that she is Lady Whistledown and wants to blackmail her for 10000 pounds. She gives Penelope two days to come up with the money. Colin then tells Anthony and Simon that Penelope is Lady Whistledown and makes an announcement at Daphne's ball. Penelope is not ruined especially when the first person to clap and acknowledge her is none other than Lady Danbury who knew all along. 

The ending and 2nd epilogue wasn't very good. The whole book was a back and forth of who was jealous and mad at who and why they weren't noticeable and who was a wallflower. Eloise gets married to Sir Phillip.

Review: The Brickslayer by Harold Schechter

 

The third book in the Bloodlands series on Amazon and this one was forgettable as soon as I finished it. I read it a couple weeks ago and I forgot to write this review of it the night I got home from the library. 

The main premise of this is the brickslayer who killed unsuspecting women in their homes, or hotel rooms. It was women who were alone or with their children. The killings started in Los Angeles and then they stopped after the police started looking. The killings then started back up in Chicago and they eventually capture the killer, after the police rounded up every lone black male walking about and who looked suspicious.

The killer named Robert Nixon was allegedly tortured while in police custody to confessing and his defense was that he had the IQ of a child and did the state really want to put a child to death. They pass a guilty verdict and he also confessed to the murders in Los Angeles. 

This case was the inspirate for the classic book Native Son. 

Review: My Hero Academia volume 12 *SPOILERS*

 

This volume starts off with the students learning about ultimate moves and how it will determine if they get their provisional licenses. I am guessing that this was mentioned at the end of volume 11, but with my library copy being damaged and it missing the last two pages, I am gonna assume that is the case. 

the teachers take the students to the TKL, the training kitchen where they learn that ultimate moves is based on combat prowess and not every ultimate move is a attack move. While everyone is working on their moves, of course Deku is standing there like a bump on a log. He gets told to learn more about his quirk first. All Might shows up and tries to go into his hero form and that last about 2 seconds. 

Mineta bragging how he had his idea for his Grape Rush move since he was in diapers is a flex I didn't need to know. This little perv is not a favorite. All Might is going around to all the students, giving them little tidbits of advice. While he has a Idiot's Guide to Teaching book in his back pocket....lmao. 

Deku goes to the developement studio to see about a brace for his arm, and Ida and Uraraka show up. Then the door to the studio explodes and Hatsume appears and then Ida and Uraraka are mesmerized by her boobs. This is the first time that boobs have been said even though they are on display all the time. And that is how the 100th chapter ended.

Hatsume is part of the support course, so in Sky High terms, she is a sidekick. The kids let Power loader sensei know the mods they want and Deku gets put into a full body suit that Hatsume designed. He gets the brace for his arm and he has has an epiphany about what All Might wants from him. The kids are working their ultimate moves and Deku saves All Might from a falling bolder by using his ultimate move. He is using his fists, but also his legs. All Might looks so proud. 

The day of their provisional testing arrives and they get to their test site. Aizawa announces that once they have their provisionals, that they will be semi-pros. The kids then scream their plus ultra chant. Except that it is not U.A doing the chant. It is the students from the rival school, Shiketsu High. We also meet the Todoroki of that school and he has some energy and character. He is a first year with top grades. 

We meet another hero named Ms. Joke whose quirk is to make people laugh and stop their thoughts. She walks up to Eraser Head and immediately says "lets get married" and he gives the straightest no thanks, which is funny. 

There are over 1000 students taking the exams, and they learn that it is going to be a free for all based on speed. The fucked up thing is that the first one hundred who finish will earn their provisionals, while the rest fail. Basically the reasoning for this is because the world is already saturated with heroes. To pass the test, they have to beat two other test takers that have their three targets lit. If your three targets light up, you fail. 

The test starts and we learn about the first move of the exam every year, which is the U.A Crush. Which is where every other school there, tries to take out all of U.A. because they have had their strengths and weaknesses exposed to everyone thanks to the sports festival. U.A obviously teams up witht ehexception of Bakugo and Todoroki.

The Todoroki of the other school takes out 120 kids at once by using wind. Deku is inner monologuing and not paying attention and he gets a ball to the target by a girl from Shiketsu. He thinks she is cool and then the next chapter shows Uraraka.. and I am expecting jealousy and rage. 

Uraraka and Deku are up against a group and Deku saves Uraraka from falling. He then realizes it is a fake Uraraka after they try to put a ball on his target. The clone then turns into a goopy slime person and it really is disgusting but interesting and I want to know more. The goopy girl can clone but she is naked when she goes back to her self and her targets are gone. The ick factor is definitely increased with the manga artist because he has drawn a naked teen girl. It was all full cleavage and short skirts and the hot tub scene, but now it is full body with the bits covered.

Eraser Head is talking to joke about what makes Class A so special and determined and it is because there is a pair that shows what to do and what mood to set and he is talking about Bakugo and Midoriya. Bakugo gets turned into a ball by a guy with the meatball quirk. He uses his own flesh to incase another person, making them immobile which is really fucking gross.

The count is almost at 100 and U.A hasn't lost a member yet. Deku and Uraraka and Seto are working together and Bakugo and Kaminari and Kirishima are going against the undone meatballs. They pass the exam and go into the anteroom and find out that Ida and the sparkly belly button dude whose name I forget is still taking the test. 

Aoyama is the sparkly dude, he is trying to sacrifice himself to save Ida and instead he beckons the rest of Class A to rally together. All of class A passed the first round. Now all 100 left have to endure round two as they now have to do a rescue mission as bystanders to prove their worth. 

Review: My Hero Academia volume 11 *spoilers*

 

This volume picks up right where volume 10 left off. All Might has shown up and is trying to rescue Bakugo from One For All. One For All is as strong as All Might and has blocked his punch in front of the students, which blows their minds.

Midoriya comes up with a plan to help All Might rescue Bakugo and it won't count as fighting even though the situation needs all hands on deck, the students are still not permitted to use their powers. They are counting on Kirishima and his friendship with Bakugo for him to actually take the help. Mt Lady and Gran Torino help the kids with their rescue mission. 

The one thing I do not like about reading action manga is that it is hard to follow who is actually doing the talking. I can't make out if One For All just did the whole villian monologue, or if it was All Might talking, which I doubt because he is losing steam and energy because his quirk is slowly killing him. 

Of course Bakugo is going to be screaming that he wasn't saved, just that the group being there and in the moment was the best option he had and he wanted to stay out of All Mights way. This right here shows a completely different side of Bakugo. He is tough and not wanting to look weak, but when it comes to the main Heroes fighting, he will respect them.

One For All is pissing All Might off with talking about Nana Shimura, who is the hero who previously had All Might's quirk and passed it along to him. Gran Torino has to stop All Might because it is the same way he was beaten and lost to All For One last time because he let him go off at the mouth. 

SHIGIRAKI IS NANA SHIMURA'S GRANDSON!!!!! Mind blown. Apparently my kids already knew this from playing the video games.... glad they didn't spoil me. Also everyone is seeing All Might in his true form, and they are shocked that he is skin and bones. Everyone is cheering All Might on and begging him to win and Bakugo and Deku scream at him "you can win  All Might" and honestly, this is such a powerful panel. 

Endeavor shows up and see All Might in his current state and he has the audacity to yell at All Might to explain himself about why he looks like that. I am with One for All on this one that he needs to shut up and sit down. Crime is down in the country because people have hope and a pillar of support in All Might and other heroes.

One for All knows that All Might has given his quirk to Midoriya and that he knows that he can't control it and that means that All Might has failed as a teacher. All Might finds the strength to defeat One For All and as he does so, he vows to teach Midoriya everything because All Might doesn't want to die and leave him helpless. Midoriya is crying and looking at All Might and Bakugo is just staring at Deku, like he just realized that he has All Might's quirk.

One For All is locked up where he can't sense sensors, which is part of his quirk and All Might is recovering. He has lost the remaining spark of his Ember, and he admits that the symbol of peace is dead. Endeavor is losing his mind because he is now the number 1 hero and he can't accept it. 

All Might and Midoriya meet up on the beach and All Might hits Midoriya because he still hasn't learn not to run into danger, and that All Might is officially retired and that he now has to raise Deku right. We learn that Best Jeanist is out on hiatus and that ragdoll can't use her quirk since she was kidnapped. The whole event is now known as the Kamino Nightmare. 

All Might is still teaching at U.A. High, and he and eraser head get sent on home visits for class A to get the parents permission for the students to stay in the dorms and to be a little safer. We meet Bakugo's parents, and I honestly cannot wait to see them in the show. His mom is exactly like him and his dad seems timid. 

All Might does the home test alone for Deku and his mom refuses to him stay in the dormitory. She is questioning whether Midoriya should continue going because he keeps getting injured. Midoriya begs his mom to keep letting him take hero classes, and then All Might gets down on his knees and bow to Deku's mom for forgiveness and to assure her that U.A. is going to be different and that Midoriya is going to be the next symbol of peace. 

Turns out the dorms are not just for the kids safety, but to also root out a potential spy within the students. 

The students move in and they all decide to peek into each other's rooms. Midoriya is a total fanboy and brought all of his All Might merch, which is kind of weird since he is a teacher. Tokoyami's room is a literal bat cave which gives dark and spooky vibes. The kid whose quirk comes out of his belly button describes his room as twinkly. Koda, who is one of my favorites, has a bunny in his room which fits his quirk perfectly. Sato ends up winning the vote for the best room, all because he baked a chiffon cake. 

The book ends with class a learning the success rate for getting their provisional licenses. Unfortunately, my library copy is missing the last few pages, so I do not know how this volume ends. 

Review: Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie by Harold Schechter

 

Book two in the Bloodlands series. This one immediately got my attention because it mentioned Laura Ingalls Wilder and I loved the little prairie books growing up. Now as an adult, I understand that they are problematic. It also mentions that Laura Ingalls Wilder did an interview as an adult and talked about the Bender Family which this book is about.

The bender family was a family of four who owned a tavern or inn on the Osage trail. It was on the way to the city of Independence in Kansas and they were right down the road from the Wilders. The descriptions of these family members made them not intriguing and seemed downright rude. There was a rumor of incest and I automatically think hillbillies and hills have eyes type shit. 

There starts to be alot of missing people coming up and it is always right on the Osage trail near the Bender Inn. The book goes into detail of how the victims were slaughtered. There was no rhyme or reason for the murders. They could be wealthy or have pennies. There was one instance where it made me so angry and it was a father that was murdered and he was with his 18 month old daughter and when they found his grave, they discovered that the baby was buried alive with his body.

The Bender family also would drive the horses and wagons into the rivers and woods and when the horses would be found, they were found starving or starved to death. The Benders get caught and they go on the run. They are never found. The rumors abound that they went to Mexico, Florida and even all the way to Paris. We get vigilantes from the government and learn of corruption in the Kansas senate. 

We get information about a trial of two women from Michigan who looked like the Kate Bender and Ma Bender. A woman turns them in because she has a dream of someone standing behind her and trying to kill her and who killed her father by pushing him down some stairs. They get aquitted because they have people for them and even people from the location around the Inn say that they do not resemble or do. They get sympathy and the defense also finds out that the woman who could be Ma Bender was in prison at the time during the murders. 

Countdown to 2026 pt. 2// Sunday Post #77

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly from The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Week 2 done and dusted for the month. I am so excited for Christmas this year. I am usually stressed and not into Christmas, but this year, it just feels different.

I am still trying to reach my goodreads goal and I am reading Mangas and amazon original stories. I am utilizing my kindle when we go to library events. Onto the prompts. Most of these I read this year and then day 14 is the one I am hoping will be my final read of the year. 

Day 8: Baubles/ Ornaments: A very colorful cover

Day 9: Fairy lights: Something magical

Day 10: Under the Tree: Book you forgot you owned

Day 11: Mistletoe: A little bit of Romance

Day 12: Holly & Ivy: Book with great world building

Day 13: Feast: Book that was magnificent

Day 14: Christmas Pudding: One more book to squeeze in this year

Review: The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

 

Still continuing in this series and I have to say the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore is still my favorite. I am just obsessed with this cover because of the cabin and the little Westie on the cover. This is the third book in the Dream Harbor series and with every book I read, I want to move to Dream Harbor.

This installment follows Kira, a girl from Georgia who is trying to figure out who she is after her twin and other half, up and got married and moved to Denmark. Kira is a doomscroller and loves to follow homesteading profiles... which is so relatable. I follow so many homesteaders and renovating people. 

She ends up using her remaining trust fund to buy the christmas tree farm and delapitated farm house. She has no heating and she seriously underestimated the amount of work that would need to be done. The love interest is Bennet, who is the brother to Jeanie who owns the Pumpkin Spice Cafe.

Bennet is the helper and wants to help everyone with everything. He has three dogs and honestly, I wish that the were characterized better because their names are said so much, that I did not know which one was being talked about. Kira is obsessed with animals and she meets the dogs on her property and she is an absolute bitch to Bennet. 

My thoughts throughout the first half of the book was she is deserving of the cold and not having heat in her house because of the bitchy way she is acting towards Bennett and everyone. She doesn't want help, but then later she is reminiscing about the maid that she had growing up and how she finally noticed her when the maid missed a day of work because she was sick. 

She finally noticed because her breakfast didn't taste the same.... HOW FUCKING SHALLOW! Even though there is supposed to be some redemption for her character when she gave half her trust funds to charities... just to spite her mom because god forbid "what would their friends say"?

I really thought the town went to far when they recruited Bennett to snoop of the farm for a dead body because of the rumors of the previous owner. I also think that Kira and Bennett are not a good match for each other and that the sex scenes were boring. The only hot thing about it was in front of the fireplace during a snowstorm. 

I do kind of wish that when Bennett left to go back to California, he would have made Kira sweat out the wait a little longer before running back like a dog with a bone. Also Kira getting pitbull named Benny which is Bennett nickname is very tacky. 

I was uncomfortable with the dogs meeting because it was not a safe way. Bennett lets his three dogs run straight to Kira without knowing about the new dog and the pitbull was scared and timid and growling. It is realistic, but I feel that it would send the wrong message to people who read this book and have never owned dogs, and they suddenly get one and think this behavior is ok.

Review: The Pirate by Harold Schechter

 It is the end of the year and I am trying to hit my Goodreads goal and that means reading shirt stories and getting around to the amazon original stories that I have had my eye on forever. I got 3 months of free kindle unlimited a couple months ago and I have not utilized it because out of site, out of mind. I decided to dive into this series during spooky season, but never got around to it and now I am.

I went in knowing nothing about this installment or the whole series, and I was surprised that while I was reading, it was sounding like nonfiction and it had pictures. I googled and the Bloodlands series is in fact nonfiction which I had a hard time believing because one of my favorite things about good nonfiction is when he feels like a story and it is not boring at all. It keeps you engaged and makes you want to know the facts.

This installment is about a man named Albert Hicks who was charged with piracy after he committed murder on a Oyster slooper in New York. He could not be charged with murder outright because they never recovered the bodies of the captain and two crew members. The only punishment for murder back in this time was death by hanging. With the missing bodies, Hicks thinks he will be a free man, but then the U.S. government decided to charge him with piracy because he took around 300 dollars with his roughtly estimated to be a little over 1000 dollars today.

Piracy is punishable by death and Hicks lawyer tries to claim that it was not committed in open water, but if any type of robbery is committed on any type of body of water in the US, it is considered piracy. 

Hicks was found guilty and was hanged or more like strangled to death where the statue of liberty is currently standing. It was a big spectacle with people coming and watching and even P.T. Barnum bought the clothes that Hicks wore during his trial to display in his museum.

While reading this, the crowds and the entertainment outlook that was put on this trial reminded me of the Luigi Mangione perp walk earlier this year, and how it was just one big show and attention seeking for the politians and goverment. 

Countdown to 2026// Sunday Post #76

 

 The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly from The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I follow a couple of book bloggers who do this countdown every year, where they share books that they have read throughout the year and fit it to the daily prompt. I have been wanting to do this for the past two years, but haven't done it.

I am going to be sharing a week's worth of daily prompts in my Sunday Posts because I cannot post daily because of work and kids.

December 1st-7th prompts:

1. Snow – a book set in a cold or wintry climate

2. Shopping- last book you added to your wishlist

3. Wrapping Paper- A lovely cover

4. Gifts- a book you enjoyed more than you expected too.

5. Chocolate- a book that was simply delicious

6. Christmas stocking- Novella or short story

7. Christmas Tree- a winter read

Review: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness *SPOILERS*

 

My hubby and I watched the first season of the show back in September and he liked it so much. I told him I haven't read the second book and I finally finished it and he has been going on and on, like have you finished it. Sadly, I didn't really enjoy this installment. It reminded me too much of the second book in the Outlander series, where Claire and Jaime go to France.

Diana and Matthew have timewalked and went back in time to 1590. Elizabethan London. As soon as they get the the old lodge, they find some members of the school of night. Very influential people who we study today, are ordinary people back then. They are surprised that Matthew has shown up days later in England and married. All of the men can smell that Diana is a witch and both sides learn that things are happening.

Matthew is still keeping secrets from Diana, mainly about the witch hunts and executions in Scotland. She learns that he has many hats and has to do all of these things to keep the congregation happy, the queen happy, and the brotherhood happy. Right away he gets a letter from Phillippe demanding that he return to sept-tours.

His character was not a favorite of mine upon meeting and how he was treating Diana, but near the end of his storyline, I was wanting a hug from him because it showed that with strangers he is hesitant, but to family and those he cares for he will do anything. 

During this time, they are trying to find Ashmole 782 and a witch to help teach Diana. There are so many times that they look for witches and find one only for them to be afraid because of retaliation or to tell a preacher to get good favor.

They eventually go to London because they are fleeing one such preacher who wants to question Diana. They spend some time in London where they find a group of witches who is able to teach Diana how to become the weaver she is and Diana forms her familiar which turns out to be a Firedrake. They also find out that Ashmole 782 was taken by the Emperor of Prague and that is their next stop.

The Emperor is really gross and he developes an infatuation with Diana. She hosts a play and she ends up gaing a favor from the Emperor and she demands to see the book. They see it with the three pages that were missing in modern time. They also learn the grisly and disgusting truth about the book which was very shocking.

There is a whole lot more, but otherwise, I ended up giving this a 3 out of 5. There was so much detail about the clothing and the food and the furniture that it got boring. But when it came to Gallowglass and Matthew stealing the book from the emperor, there was nothing. Just plans to do it and then the next paragraph was Matthew and Gallowglass walking into the house holding the book. I was fed up. 

I was also waiting for something bad to happen to Diana because of course something would, and it ended up being at the very end with an influential person and Matthew's sister Louisa. I really liked that Diana got to speak and see her dad in Elizabethan England and he helped her let go of her fears.

This took me so long to read and I am hoping that the show will be somewhat better. 

Review: Herakles by Lizzy Ford

 

The last novella in the Omega miniseries. I unfortunately didn't like this character very much. I read this at the library and once again there was another person there just talking at the top of her lungs to the librarian and it was very very distracting. I just didn't care about this character. 

We were told the same thing that was mentioned in Cleon about how he had all these surgeries to make him look perfect and be strong and that is how he became the peoples Champion. 

The only thing that really got my attention and made this a three star is that we learn that he is the one who took Lyssa from her home and shot down Mismatch. He is trying to keep her and the priest safe. He wants to leave after getting them the house on the plot of land from Cleon and the priest tells him that Lyssa is the next Oracle of Delphi and that he need help erasing her memories and shielding her so she wont be found.

Herakles is against this because he feels that this is the same exact thing that was done to him. He ends up doing so and attaching the red cord to Lyssa's wrist that shields her. This was a great full circle moment and I will be reading Omega next month.

Review: They Whisper by Claire Fraise

 

A year and a half after buying this book after finishing and loving the first one, I finally read it and enjoyed it. It picks up right where the first left off. I was not confused or lost about anything. I didn't forget much, only minor characters and then the story reminded me immediately. 

The story picks up immediately with Shiloh and Max back at home. Max has been found and Leonard is dead. Francesca is freaking out about seeing Miles spirit and goes to the hospital to see him only to be told that he had just died. Turns out, Leonard jumped into Miles body and then killed a nurse to get into his body. Francesca put Miles spirit back into his body.

Shiloh and her mom are trying to move on from Shiloh's claim about her dad molesting her and a cop comes by to tell them that he made bail and he will resume his job as sherriff because it was an elected position. Shiloh is appalled and she starts getting questioned about his missing gun and how the crime scene of Leonard's trailer was tampered with. Shiloh goes to retrieve the gun, but it is not where she stored it.

Miles body starts to detoriate and they find out that an old circus freak show performer who was with Leonard is still alive and coming to town with the circus. They go and they learn that since Miles was dead too long, that his body is rejecting the soul. He can't blink and his is forming rashes and blisters on his body. He gets given a drug that is essentially bone dust and it helps rejuvenate him.

This book only had three POV's and thankfully one of them was not Miles because he became a downright asshole and was blaming Shiloh for getting him killed and choosing Max over him. He became egotistical. 

Francesca learns how to cross the void and to walk among the spirits on the other side. She unwillingly takes one of her dead friends with her and accidentally leaves her behind. The preacher who Francesca trusts, ends up betraying her to Leonard in the end because he really wants to cross over.

I was not a fan of the relationship developement between Jonah and Shiloh and how there was an almost sex scene. The story could have done without that. The ending had me hooked and Miles is now inhabitating the body of the rookie cop who wanted to take Jonah down because he was a bad seed. 

Review: Cleon by Lizzy Ford

 

The penultimate novella in the Omega series. This follows the rich dude Cleon from the previous novella from Niko's perspective. This follows Cleon after his father's murder. We learn that is the first born and he expects to take his father's place and gain his inheritance by birthright. He and his siblings feared their father because he was a tyrant at home but loved by the citizens because he was a two face asshole.

The supreme magistrate visits Cleon and he is expecting to be given his fathers title and the supreme magistrate shoots him down. Telling him that he knows that Cleon had his father killed and that he has the evidence of Niko doing the job sloppily and that actually Cleon did the magistrate a favor by killing him because no one could actually stand him.

The supreme magistrate gives Cleon a lowly position and sends him upstate. He leaves with his servants and when he is at his home, his only friend and now turned enemy has shown up with a priest to ask for safety and a place to hide so they can pray in peace and not fear repurcussions. Herakles is the name of the person who was once a friend to Cleon but we learn of his past and I felt so sorry for him and disgust at Cleon. Cleon was kind of a Dr Frankenstein and did experiments and surgeries on Herakles to make him the strongest and biggest fighter. 

This once again gave me a boost in interest for the next and last novella and I am hoping to get to the main novel in January.