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Books IWSG

#IWSG April. 2025- Anyone Up For A Quest?

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

Before I get to the OMQ, I wanted to say that, yes, this post is late. My site crashed recently, and I just got it up and running, but I forgot to complete the scheduling sequence required for this post to go live while I was still asleep. Oops! Oh, well. Hope everyone has a lovely IWSG Day!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with, or have a beer/glass of wine with?

My answer is also available as a YouTube Short that I’ve shared on social media.

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Last month, I shared a fun interview with author Ronel Janse van Vuuren for her release of Smoke on the Water. Next week, I plan to release my video book reviews, but for now, I’m so excited to share my 5-star review of that book.

Smoke on the Water (Irascible Immortals Omnibus)Smoke on the Water by Ronel Janse van Vuuren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an omnibus collection of several short story/novellas in a series by the same author. I missed reading the individual releases, but I am glad I was able to read the complete series in this edition. As I read, I could imagine being the weary reader waiting for the next installment to come out. Though each of these stories could clearly stand alone, I like that they were all connected and led up to the final conclusion.

I appreciated the many laughs throughout the series, but I consider the more emotional parts to be my favorites. I think it takes a clever mind to craft stories with this level of complexity, filled with humor, and still be able to have those gut-wrenching “aha” moments. I don’t consider myself a scholar of mythology, but I have studied several pantheons and know from general conversations that I know more than the average person, so I was delighted to learn things I hadn’t known from reading this book.

Another kudos to this author for being able to balance all the different cultures, mythological pantheons, and various points of view in a respectful manner. Ultimately, though, I feel the standout feature of this reading experience was the overall message and the villain reveal. I was so pleased with the conclusion of this book that I almost wanted there to be more.

Highly recommend to fans of mythology across various pantheons, cultural diversity, fantasy and magic, as well as those conscientious about the environment.

Even if you don’t care about the environment, this could totally be a fun read.

View all my reviews

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Personal Updates…

1) Here are the vlogs I posted last month in case you missed them.

Reading Vlog, with no book reviews featured.

Food Vlog, with A Meta Moment & a Quick Meal featured.

Writing Vlog.

2) I’ve moved my personal updates over to Patreon. Click this public post if you want to check it out.

My Patreon community is usually able to watch my Counting My Blessings video three days early, but now it’s public if you’d like to see it and don’t want to go to Patreon. There’s also a short for it, in case the full video is too long for you.


Will you help me grow my community to 100 FREE subscribers on Patreon? You get monthly updates and exclusive content. I tell you the truth, it’s better than a newsletter!


Commerce update…

Bookish Love Triangle featured

If you’re interested in the featured item or other clothing, click to visit Sell My Tees.

The stickers and other accessories can be found at Redbubble.

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I have enjoyed my Foundry Lunch Bag for more than a year and am happy to be sharing it with you. The links featured below are affiliate links if you want to try it out.

Fit + Fresh Foundry Gender Neutral Lunch Bags

Small Blue |  Large Grey & Tan | Large Chestnut/Mauve

So, are you up for a Quest? If so, with whom?

It may take some time, but I promise I will eventually stop by your blog.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jennifer Lane,
L Diane Wolfe,
Jenni Enzor,
and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #23).

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Book Club Books

What I #read in Feb. ’23 & what I #amreading!

Today the IWSG Book Club launches our March discussion about what we are reading. It doesn’t have to be a book club selection just something you are excited about. Let’s all share what we are reading, and perhaps, we’ll find something to add to our own TBR lists. Click this link to go straight to the discussion. I’m currently reading Spiral of Hooves & In Darkness: The Vampire.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

In February 2023, I completed 5 titles. My goal was 3. Two of the publications I read were novelettes in a series and one book I previously DNFed. I read through the first part very quickly to get caught up to where I originally left off. So far, I’m going well with my Goodreads Challenge.

2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
36 books.
hide

Below you’ll find my star ratings and review tags for each title I completed in the indicated month. You can also click the images to see the thorough reviews. There may even be a video for you to watch below, but I make no promises.

Rating: 4.0 – Review | Amazon

Rating: 5.0 – Review | Amazon | Bookshop

Rating: 4.0 – Review | Amazon | Bookshop

Rating: 4.0 – Review | Amazon

Rating 3.0 – Review | Amazon

Check out my Goodreads Wrap-Up video or watch my Book Review video below (I elaborate on the public reviews I’ve posted).

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IWSG BOOK CLUB THEME CHALLENGE

#iwsgbookclub

This a voluntary monthly challenge, just for fun. Click this image to try the challenge.

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So tell me, what are you currently reading?
Did you read anything interesting in February?
Are you going to try the March theme challenge?

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
Book Club Books

#iwsgbookclub July 2022 Poll & What I #read in June

Please join the IWSG Book Club today on Goodreads for a short general poll. Aside from spotlighting two IWSG member books each month, we also want to engage in bookish whimsy and encourage others to have a healthy reading lifestyle. You don’t have to be reading or have read the 2 current featured books to be able to participate in this poll, so please, join in the festivities. Click the image below to see our fun poll. This month the topic is about writers becoming their characters.

July ’22 General Poll

In June 2022, It was a 5-star month for me, though, I read 3 titles and DNFed 1. Check it out.

2022 Reading Challenge

2022 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
60 books.
hide

Below you’ll find my star ratings and review blurbs for each title I completed in the indicated month. If you have not signed up for my newsletter, please consider doing so. That’s where I post an overview of what I’ve been reading, watching, and writing quarterly, as well as talk about my love of reading while offering tips for having a healthy reading lifestyle. You can also click the Goodreads links to see the thorough reviews. At the bottom of this post, you’ll also be able to watch a video of my monthly reviews, if that’s more your style.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads (Coastal), VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

5.0 – High-seas fun!

Review

Amazon

Bookshop

NA – DNF

Review

Amazon, ebook only

5.0 – Scary future.

Review

Amazon

Bookshop

5.0 – Thoughtful letters.

Review

Amazon

You can watch my June Goodreads challenge update here. Click below to watch my June book review video, if that’s more your speed.

Here’s the latest on my YouTube series, Read Local Show (Hampton Roads, VA, USA) and Read All Over Show (global).

If you’re interested in being featured: check out the Read Local/All Over Sign-up form here.

So, did you read any good books in June or did you try either of the IWSG Book Club Books?

What did you think of the ones I read? Any recommendations?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter