Lisa Reads - March 2018

March's Book List feels like a slow burn, a middle month to get from one exciting month to (hopefully) the next.

While I got zero feedback on last month's recap post, I am still going to try and change it up this month to see if I get any comments, suggestions, notes, or interactions at all in this post.

CONTENT NOTE: I will be specifically noting below which books to watch for some potentially harmful content. Watch out for rape, child sexual assault, torture.

The Monster's Corner // A short story collection with monsters in common. But these aren't common monsters. As with most story collections, some were amazing, some were good, and some were not good.

If you like to be scared in small doses I recommend Tananarive Due's Ghost Summer

Trigger Warning: Rape, child sexual assault


The Player of Games // I don't think it is possible to write a synopsis for space operas, so I am not even going to try. Instead, I will steal this one from Goodreads: "The Culture--a humanoid/machine symbiotic society--has thrown up many great Game Players. One of the best is Jernau Morat Gurgeh, Player of Games, master of every board, computer and strategy. Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel & incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game, a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game and with it the challenge of his life, and very possibly his death."

This is the second book in a series, but I have read that you don't have to pick these ones up in order. They all take place in the same universe, but aren't super interconnected (characters, storyline). I am excited to grab another title in the series once I have freed up some mental space!

If you like epic space operas, I highly recommend the Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie.

Taste of Marrow // Book two in a series I started last month, this one continues the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his band of criminals. They are now off on the trail of two members of their party, who have disappeared into the wind, with a newborn. More hijinx ensue, as they travel by hippo down the Mississippi to helps their friends. In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. Now, this never actually happened, but these novellas tell a potential tale of what might have happened. And they are funny, adventurous and feature a diverse cast of characters.

If you like alternate history books, I recommend checking out Anno Dracula by Kim Newman and The Borden Dispatches by Cherie Priest.


The Hazel Wood // Bad luck seems to follow Alice and her mother around, and they are always moving from one city to the next. Until they receive news about her grandma, after which her life seems to settle into some normalcy. But then something major happens that throws all of that away, and she realizes she knows nothing about the dangers in her family's past that are now coming for her. I realize this is a crappy and vague description, but I feel like writing anything more would give too much away!

If you like Leigh Bardugo, creepy fairytales, young adult urban fantasy, you might like this one. NO guarantees though, because I love those first two things, and I didn't love this book.

Battle of the Labyrinth // Oh Percy Jackson, after all of these adventures, how are you still so dumb?

If you like Greek mythology, you might also like Greek Mythology: Ken Jennings' Junior Genius Guide #1. I picked this one up for Dude at the library, and he ate it right up! Doodles, fun facts and trivia, and some more background on the myths, monsters, and characters we hear about in the Percy Jackson books.

Small Victories // A collection of essays that show how beautiful and resilient we are, and how we can find love and hope and community in even the darkest times. Lots of talk about God in here, but I didn't feel like she was bashing me over the head with it (as can happen in other books like this). And her sense of humour is spot on.

If you like... I have no idea what this book is like. But it was really good, and you should probably just read it!

Pines // Holy mind-fuck Batman! A man wakes up on the side of a road in a small mountain town, covered in injuries, and he doesn't remember who or where he is. He eventually remembers that he is a Secret Service Agent who traveled there with his partner to investigate the disappearance of two other agents, and lost his partner in a car crash that resulted in his massive injuries. But he can't get answers from the sheriff or the people at the hospital, the townspeople are weird, and he can't seem to leave town. And it just keeps getting more messed up from there!

If you like to have your brain messed up...I'm not sure what to recommend! I don't read a lot of books like this, at least, I haven't in a long time.

Trigger Warning: descriptions of torture & war

And that was March in Books! There was one more that I finished, BUT I am going to tack that one on to April's recap. You can always follow along on Instagram for my book reviews as I finish them. @sonotladylike

I spent some time last month editing a printed copy of my 'For Later' shelf on my local library web account. Yes, I am an old person. This has put me in a much better position to be mindful and intentional about my TBR list for the remainder of the year. We all know that I am never going to be able to stick to a minimum # of books per month, so this is the next best thing for me. I mean, my list is still ridiculously unmanageable, but a girl can dream, amiright?

CURRENTLY READING // Golden Age & Other Stories by Naomi Novik.

Shouting into the void,
Lisa