( DNF and picture books )

And now the goal set!

Nadine Harris - Deepest Well. NF, psychology and trauma. While the information about traumatic events and their cumulative effects on health was interesting, I ran into the same problem I always do with psych books. Not enough case studies/details. I really wasn't interested in the blather about her personal life, or the multiple chapters devoted to getting a clinic set up and so on. More memoir than case studies and that's not what I wanted. 5/10

Hannah Maehrer - Assistant to the Villain. #1 in series. I love this recent trend of books from the perspective of someone who works for the "villain". Hench was another favorite in the genre. Enjoyed this very much, though it did feel fanficcy at times, and I really don't think there were enough clues pointing to the identity of the Actual Problem. Have bought, though, as well as the second in the series waiting on my TBR. 8/10.

Boyd and Beth Morrison - Lawless Land. #1 in series. Now, I love me some medieval drama, and this had that in spades. The story itself was great, no troubles there, but there was so much telling where there should have been showing. 6/10, will not continue.

Terry Pratchett - Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook. I had some confusion on this one, as I had it on my "owned" list but definitely didn't have it on my shelf. Finally found it buried in my "ebooks to read" folders. XD A lovely addition to the Discworld's world, great illustrations and fun facts. Not something I'd want to buy, since I'm not a completionist, but a grand time for those curious about exactly what sort of travel book the woman from Raising Steam would have written. 8/10.

Eliot Stein - Custodians of Wonder. NF, history. Some individual sections of this were more interesting than others, but that's always the way in a NF book with discrete topics. Overall a good look at some people with skills/training/jobs that are on the verge of disappearing. The Swedish night watchman was a particular favorite, as was the Cuban cigar factory reader. 7/10.

Evie Woods - Lost Bookshop. Bit of a slow and dreamy read, but that really fit with the book overall. At no point was I actually bored or tempted to move on to a different book, it just wasn't a "can't put down" sort of read for me. 6/10.

Tanya Guerrero - Cat's People. I had a note in my tbr file that said "be careful about cat", as the book blurb itself said the cat gets sick. Fortunately, it didn't become one of my "hurled book across room" notes.

Spoiler for people like me who get upset about cats in peril.

There are actually two moments of peril: A. Physical. The cat interrupts an attack/assault on one of the characters and the attacker grabs him by the neck. He isn't hurt much, just really scared. and B. Illness. It's toward the very end, and the cat is found ill. He's found relatively quickly and immediately rushed to a vet where he gets diagnosed with kidney disease. He's treated and taken in by one of the characters.

Lovely book about caring for a stray cat, found family, and the interactions between strangers that become more. 8/10.

Daniel O'Malley - Royal Gambit. #4 Checquy Files. I just love this series. The characters, the world-building, the variety of powers and skills. Overall, fantastic. Finished in two days and only because I had to sleep at some point. XD 10/10, to buy when my fun budget refills.

WOOHOO! Have achieved my expanded goal of 15 complete books read! Shall we push it to 25? Let's see if I can make it! Still four months to go!