Pyres is like waking up from a dark daydream of killing off heartless politicians to find that the darkness has infected your life. This short novel is an incredibly compelling read that is alternately satisfying and frustrating in just the right way. I feel like it also has enough subtext to let you make larger statements about society in ways that I haven't found in most of my recent reads.

The Big Sleep is a classic of the hard-boiled detective genre, which I really enjoy. I was surprised, though, that it was considered so amazing, because it has some noticeable flaws.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion looks from the outside like it is going to be for marketing professionals, and maybe it is used that way. However, the author focuses on how certain psychological principles work and how to avoid being manipulated by them when they are used by business people. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover how to avoid guilt trips from your relatives. Also, it was originally published in 1984, and while it does a good job of explaining everything and is undoubtedly useful, you'll hear phrases like "Red Chinese" and "Indians" to mean Native Americans. The tone is definitely more for the 1990s than the current dumpster fire that we live in.

I am always shocked when I read westerns, because they are never the sexist, racist novels that I expect. Shane, once again, blew my expectations out of the water (in a good way), even with my dislike of young narrators.

The Blacktongue Thief is a fantasy novel that feels at times like it is as much about the author's cleverness, humor, and ability to sing as it is about the characters. However, overall it is clever, funny, and well written enough that the author's presence doesn't ruin the story.

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen is a fantastic novel that does nearly everything right when it comes to romance (M/M romance, so be aware).

What to Listen for in Music helps explain how to enjoy both the beauty and the intelligence behind classical music by teaching you what you should be listening for. It seems to go from describing what a whole note means to explaining complicated musical forms in a short time, so it will be either too remedial or too advanced in parts. Nonetheless, the book teaches you what it says it will.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry turns the trope of small town romance on its head, with characters who aren't what they appear from the outside and situations that are more complicated than they seem. Frankly, that sounds depressing, but this story is as much about healing and laughter as it is about romance, plus it makes editing seem so very sexy.

The Fangs of Freelance, the fourth book in the Fred the Vampire Accountant series, deals with the repercussions of what happened in previous books. It continues to focus on the value of friendship and kindness, but delves a bit deeper into the feelings of the characters and the changes in their lives. Fred is maturing as a person, which makes the book that much more enjoyable to read.

Wolves, the first book of a series about Loki from Norse mythology and a female vet student from Chicago, sets up a series of personal and cosmic disasters for them. However, the second half of the book, while keeping the fast pace, didn't keep my attention. What went wrong?