Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga

Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 3 by Natsu Hyuuga

Apothecary Diaries #3, 193 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

After putting on a successful and sensual(?) show of food tasting at the garden banquet, Maomao is the talk of the palace! But she soon discovers that notoriety isn't the only thing the party has granted her! Her collection of hairpins from the event brings the young herbalist a brief window of freedom beyond the palace walls, as she returns to the pleasure district for the first time in ten months! But while reunions with her father and her friends await, so too does another mystery...

Oathbreakers by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry

 Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe by Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry --280 pages

The brothers mentioned in the subtitle were the grandsons of Charlemagne and the inheritors of the Carolingian empire. The two younger surviving brothers fought against the eldest, who had inherited the title of emperor, at the battle of Fontenoy in modern France in the year 841. The feuding brothers eventually compromised on dividing their areas of rule, and these events were a significant step in the evolution of western Europe into recognizable states. The authors' tone was a bit flippant and cynical of the main figures' motives, considering the scarcity of sources from the time period. Their summaries of modern French and German historians' views of the battle and its aftermath were enlightening.

THE LOST WORLD (Jurassic Park #2) by MICHAEL CRICHTON

 THE LOST WORLD (Jurassic Park #2) by MICHAEL CRICHTON (Pgs 561-Large Print)

It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park, six years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end—the dinosaurs destroyed, the park dismantled, the island indefinitely closed to the public.

There are rumors that something has survived....

Lizzie's Little Mouse by Anne Blackburne

 Lizzie's Little Mouse by Ann Blackburne - 255 pages

Lizzie Has Dreams That Won’t Be Deterred
 
Full of faith, hope, and romance, this series takes you into the Heart of Amish country.

 
Lizzie Miller has wanted to own a New Orleans-style French bakery since she attended a wedding in New Orleans at age fifteen. So with her parents’ and the bishop’s permission, she did a two-year internship in a French bakery in New Orleans. Then she came home and worked for several years in the local Amish bakery, buying the business when it became available. And now someone wants her out. 

A string of unsettling events is surely meant to scare her away. But with the help of her friends, she will get to the bottom of why someone wishes her to fail in the bakery business. And along the way, she just may realize that sometimes dreams can be fulfilled unexpectedly—with the help of someone who was just waiting to be noticed. 

Maybe all Lizzie needs is a little faith and a lot of love.

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross

Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross -- 392 pages

Violet Savoie has a plan. A dream, rather. To open her own tattoo shop, which caters to supernaturals in need of permanent charms. As a powerful Seer, she has the potent magic to cast every kind of spell. Except the kind to give werewolves control over their beastly side. And her business partner Nico needs help in the worst kind of way.

Nico Cruz has a secret. A motive, rather. To subtly stalk and seduce Violet until she finally recognizes they are fated to be together. Ever since their heated encounter in Austin on New Year’s Eve two years earlier, he’s been dying to get his hands—and his tongue—back on her body. He knows a woman like Violet can’t be courted in the usual way. Luckily, Nico has no scruples about misbehaving to get what he wants.

But when his former pack roams into town, and an old friend is far too interested in Violet, his focus shifts to the threat venturing into his territory. Nico may come across as the quiet, broody one, but the intruders are about to regret stepping foot in New Orleans. And when Violet goes missing, no charm or spell can keep Nico’s wolf at bay.

Dive!: The Story of Breathing Underwater

Dive!: The Story of Breathing Underwater - 48 pages

Chris Gall

Summary (From Goodreads)

How do you breathe underwater? What tools can we use to go deeper and deeper into the oceans? And...what's down there?

Two-thirds of our Earth is covered in ocean, yet only 5% of it has been explored.

DIVE deep into our long history of sea exploration to learn why, how, and when humans have dived, and uncover our biggest questions about what hides in the Earth's deepest waters.

Review

I've never been diving, but I still found this an interesting and informative read!  

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey, 581 pages

From GoodReads: "The gates have opened the way to a thousand new worlds and the rush to colonise has begun. Settlers looking for a new life stream out from humanity's home planets. Illus, the first human colony on this vast new frontier, is being born in blood and fire. Independent settlers stand against the overwhelming power of a corporate colony ship with only their determination, courage and the skills learned in the long wars of home. Innocent scientists are slaughtered as they try to survey a new and alien world.

James Holden and the crew of his one small ship are sent to make peace in the midst of war and sense in the heart of chaos. But the more he looks at it, the more Holden thinks the mission was meant to fail. And the whispers of a dead man remind him that the great galactic civilisation which once stood on this land is gone. And that something killed them."

This book started out pretty slowly for me. The first couple narratives are callback characters that took some time to get used to. The scope of this book and the focus on what killed the protomolecule creators created a weird headspace. Not bad, just simultaneously chilling and wonderous. The "Miller" chapters made me feel as though my head was unspooling into atavistic abyss.