I made a hat! It's been a long time since I made one, but now that I'm mostly settled in my new house craft time is on.

​Owl and the Japanese Circus, by Kristi Charish
There is a lot going on in this book. Indiana Jones type antiquities thief, vampire revenge, dragons in human form, otherworldly Vegas casino, Tokyo drinking bars, lots of mythological creatures, romance, and an ancient device to destroy the world. This could have gone so well, but it was kind of a mess. Owl, the former archeologist thief, is annoying and does the thing I really hate—she keeps telling us how smart she is but then does incredibly impulsive, stupid things. I kept hoping I would like it by the end, but I just couldn’t.
 
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, by Michelle Chouinard
A perfectly acceptable mystery. Capri Sanzio, middle-aged tour guide to the murders of San Fran, gets swept up in what seems to be a copycat serial murderer who is copying the murder MO of Overkill Bill, her late grandfather. When one of the victims is her former MIL, she has to find the killer before she or her daughter are fingered for the crime. Not great, not bad, with a relatable main character.
 
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries & Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, by Heather Fawcett
A friend had been trying to get me to read the first book since it came out in 2023. I don’t know why I didn’t before. I loved it. Wonderful worldbuilding, saucy, smart main characters, excellently paced, and an overall fun story. I listened to this, loved it, and immediately purchased the second book in the series on audio. I love Emily’s devotion to her academic studies that even the love of a gorgeous fae prince-in-disguise can’t make her waver—even if she does love him in return. She’s my new hero. I can’t wait for the third book early next year.
 
Ash's Cabin, by Jen Wang
Nonbinary teen, Ash, feels alone even when among their family. Their grandpa is the only person who they felt understood them. He lived in rural Northern California and boasted of building a cabin deep in the woods. When Ash finds out their family will be selling their grandfather’s land, Ash decides they’ve had enough of the world and learn to survive in the wilderness, then find a way to escape to the cabin. While there, Ash meets a lonely hiker who helps them see why human connection is important. This is a quiet story, but lovely. Not as engaging as Wang’s The Prince & the Dressmaker, it still has a lot of good things to say.
 
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
I decided to do a reread of the City Watch books in the Discworld series. This is the first book, of course, and it’s delightful as always.
 
This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Mind-bending and time-bending, this book is part epistolary and part espionage/romance. What starts as two super agents on opposite sides of a long-running war turns into a love story of equals who were bred to fight the war of history. It’s really a quite lovely book once you get your head around the format. Much recommended.
 
Natsume Book of Friends, vols. 28-29
I’ve been reading this series for something like 15 years and I still love it so much.
 
Midnight on Beacon Street, by Emily Ruth Verona
YA horror. Maybe? It wasn’t very scary or like at all. Decent set-up but the switching of POVs from MC Amy as a 17-year-old babysitter to her 11-year-old girl being babysat to 6-year-old Ben who Amy is babysitting didn’t add anything and took away from the tension. Knowing now who murders and who was murdered, I still can’t see what Ben’s narration added to the story. Not terrible, but wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend.
 
Island of Whispers, by Frances Hardinge
Lovely, illustrated fairytale from one of my favorite authors. This is the story of young Milo who is forced to be the ferryman for the dead from his small island when his father is murdered by a grieving father. Pursued by the father, who is wealthy, and two wizards, it is up to Milo to free the spirits of the dead before they use magic to harm them. Loved it, of course. 

We decided to move in February, sold our house and moved in May, moved into our new house in June and have been settling in ever since. I've done some little crafts here and there, mostly trying to teach myself the purl stitch, but now I'm moving forward again. I'm in love with these crochet jellyfish air plant holders.