Meet Cute Magic by Morgan Elizabeth

Meet Cute Magic by Morgan Elizabeth -- 400 pages

She's a witch who can’t fall in love without getting her heart broken. He holds a grudge like no other.

Bookstore owner Rosie Mayfield wants a love of her own, but it’s not meant to be––because of her family's curse. To break it, she conjures a ghost who will break her curse, but for a cost––she has to brew a potion to help him transition to the other side. The problem? There’s only one person who hates Rosie in all of Heartwood Hollow, and she needs his help to complete the required task.

Jack Haggerty, the ghost’s grandson, has lamented about Rosie for years––she’s a disaster and she’s forbidden from visiting his gaming shop. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he’s stunned when his beloved grandfather makes an appearance. While he loves his family and will do anything to help his grandpa, he fights against the chemistry brewing between him and Rosie until he can’t anymore. But he doesn’t know how to tell her he no longer wants to go through with the plan, and she won’t admit that she’s falling for him because they’re doomed from the start. 

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey

Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey, 583 pages

From the MARC: "On the lost colony world of Laconia, a hidden enemy has a new vision for all of humanity and the power to enforce it. New technologies clash with old as the history of human conflict returns to its ancient patterns of war and subjugation. But human nature is not the only enemy, and the forces being unleashed have their own price. A price that will change the shape of humanity -- and of the Rocinante -- unexpectedly and forever."

It took some time for me to get into this book. I don't know if it was the time jump, or perhaps a sort of tonal shift. However once it got going, it. Got. Going. And it seems we're going to actually explore the ones who annihilated the gate builders, which is at once both thrilling and terrifying. 

Also, Bobbie is still my favorite. Absolute queen. 

 

What Was the Great Molasses Flood of 1919? by Kirsten Anderson

What Was the Great Molasses Flood of 1919? by Kirsten Anderson -- 107 pages

I listened to this on audio as I don't really know anything about the event.  It was interesting to learn to about.  It is typical of the books in the series in that it goes off on tangents every once in while but I found it more interesting than the last couple I listened to.

My Hero Academia, Volumes 38-40

My Hero Academia, Volume 38 - 208 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 39 - 184 pages

My Hero Academia, Volume 40 - 200 pages

Kohei Horikoshi, Caleb D. Cook (Translator)

Series Summary (From Volume 1 on Goodreads)

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…

Review

This series has a lot of allegories for how society treats people deemed "different," particularly those who are disabled, mentally ill, or otherwise physically different.  I do think the chapters following Shoji and Koda might've had a bit more of an impact if we'd seen more earlier - both of these two characters, but also of the apparent prejudice against people with "heteromorphic" Quirks.  Only 2 volumes left!  

Absolute Martian Manhunter, Vol. 1 by Deniz Camp

 Absolute Martian Manhunter, Vol. 1 by Deniz Camp-160 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beyond Mars, beyond physical form, beyond human understanding...what's left is the absolute Martian Manhunter! Brought into the Absolute Universe by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez, Absolute Martian Manhunter reinvents the Justice League's resident Martian from top to bottom, taking him on a mind-bending, psychedelic journey that transcends dimensions.

An astonishing new version of DC's iconic characters is here! In the Absolute Universe, familiar heroes have been reinvented from the ground up with origin stories that completely reshape both their abilities and their circumstances but maintain the core characteristics than fans have known and loved for decades!

FBI Agent John Jones has a problem. His brain has been infected by an alien consciousness calling itself "the Martian," and its perception of reality is utterly incomprehensible to the human psyche. Now he must navigate this new status quo, all while balancing the deeply grounded and important duties of his day job! Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez take the Martian Manhunter into the Absolute Universe on a mind-bending, psychedelic trip!

Collects Absolute Martian Manhunter #1-6.

Thoughts: I've only seen Martian Manhunter in the CW Supergirl show, so I'm not overly familiar with the character, but this was a good read. It delves into psychology and people's motivations for their actions. The Martian Manhunter embeds himself in FBI agent John Jones's mind and it's a pretty trippy story. I like the White Martian vs. Green Martian (which happens in the CW Supergirl show) aspect of the story, too. I look forward to reading the next volume (and have already started it, actually).

I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter: 6 Patient Files That Will Keep You Up At Night - Dr. Harper

 

I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter: 6 Patient Files That Will Keep You Up At Night - Dr. Harper - 120 pages

I'm a therapist, and I work with the most dangerous patients. I've seen it all... A boy who planned to be the next school shooter. A patient with OCD whose loved ones really did suffer every time he missed a ritual. A choir boy who claimed he was being molested -- not by a priest -- but by God Himself. A patient with PTSD who gave me nightmares. A husband and wife who accused each other of abuse, and only one of them was telling the truth. And how could I ever forget, Patient #220.The problem is, my patients have a habit of dying. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the common denominator. Or maybe that's just the cost of taking on exceptionally broken clients. Either way, I'll never stop trying to help.

This was a quick and interesting read.  I'd be interested to read the next one in the series if I can find it.  

He Started It by Samantha Downing

 

He Started It by Samantha Downing - 384 pages

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven't all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we'll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It's even harder when you're all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won't stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there's a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.

Wow, this was so good!  I think I've read most books by this author and once again it was fantastic!  Grandpa sounds like a jerk!