Anne's Updates

Anne added 'Ultimate Incursion'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 12:35:26 -0700

Anne gave 3 stars to Ultimate Incursion (Paperback) by Deniz Camp
bookshelves: comics, graphic-novels, hoopla, read-in-2026
Miles goes to 6160.

I love Miles.
And it's somewhat cool that he started to remember his past in the (original) Ultimate universe, plus it was kind of a neat thing to see that he had ties to the Maker. Ish?
But at the end of the day, it felt a bit too gimmicky for me.

Skinny gist is that Maker drops by to give Miles a free pass into the brand-new universe he's creating. And while Miles ultimately decides to give it a pass, his baby sister accidentally grabs the card Maker gave him that opens a wormholeish portal to 6160. Miles dives in after her and, during his search for this adorable toddler, meets with the vast majority of the main players in this universe.

It's not bad, it's not great.
Again, I love Miles. For that alone, it was worth reading. <--for me
Recommendedish.

Anne added 'Cackle'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:36:39 -0700

Anne gave 5 stars to Cackle (Audiobook) by Rachel Harrison
bookshelves: audio, horror, humor, libby-app, magic-stuff, read-in-2026, witchy-woman, chick-lit
Rachel Harrison is certainly carving out her own niche in horror.

In Cackle, she basically takes a whiny chick-lit plot and turns it into a lesson on how to find your inner witch.
And that ain't a bad thing.

Annie was in love with Sam.
Saw the rest of life playing out with Sam. Very comfortable, very safe, very settled. With Sam.
Unfortunately, Sam thinks they "need a break". And Annie is now 30.
So, yeah. Moving into an apartment by herself and navigating a new teaching job was not where she saw her life going a scant few months earlier.

A new teaching job with new teenagers to heckle her, a new apartment with a few too many spiders in it, and a new bottle of wine every night don't exactly make a girl feel like life is going her way.
On the upside, she lives in an almost too idilic new town, and she's got a charming new friend who wants her to forget expectations and just live.

But why does everyone in the town seem a bit skittish of her BFF?
It can't possibly be because she does what she wants, when she wants, and gives no fucks about her correct place in society, right?
And it really can't possibly be because she's an actual witch, right?
Right...?

I LOVED THIS.
The things we're told we want from the time we were children can bleed into the choices we box ourselves into as women. And the sad thing is, the box is all in our minds. Unconventional is only unconventional because it's not conventional to someone else. That's nothing to be ashamed of, as we each have the right to find our own path to happiness.
Whatever that looks like.
This was a fabulous book about friendship, finding yourself, and the freedom of not giving a fuck.

Highly Recommended.

Anne added 'The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery (2026-) #1'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:36:06 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery (2026-) #1 by Chris Condon
bookshelves: comics, crime, dc-infinite, graphic-novels, read-in-2026, hard-boiled-egg
I'll be back for more.

While the title of this one kind of seems to be a bit of a mouthful for no good reason, I thought it was a really solid first issue of a hardboiled detective yarn.
Interesting characters, a bite-sized teaser intro into Ezra's world, and art that matches the mood, thanks to Jacob Phillips.

Skinny gist is that ex-cop & private dick, Ezra Cain, is looking into a case and finds the beginnings of some nefarious goings-on with a shadow organization called the Brutal Dark.
Who are they? What are they?
Next issue, please!

Recommended for fans of hardboiled eggs.

Anne added 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:35:43 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (The Tales of Dunk and Egg #1-3) by George R.R. Martin
bookshelves: audio, fantasy, libby-app, read-in-2026, short-stories
Why are Dunk & Egg so cute, though?

I've only ever read the first GoT novel, so I don't know exactly how their tale fits into the universe. I know that it's a prequel set long before the main Game of Thrones stories take place, but all the other references are lost on me.

The skinny gist is that this story follows a hedge knight named Dunk, who befriends a young boy named Egg who wants to be his squire. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that Egg is not exactly who Dunk thinks him to be at first, and the two end up having quite the adventures together in this set of short stories.

Now, I may try to go back and read the Game of Thrones stories one day, but as I have not done so yet, I can definitely say that they aren't required reading in order to enjoy these.
So, if you've seen the tv show based on these and thought you may want to give the source material a try, I say do it. And while this isn't a fluff fantasy, it also isn't as dark as Game of Thrones, if you're worried about that.

Recommended.

Anne added 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:33:49 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1) by C.S. Lewis
bookshelves: middle-grade, fantasy, audio, libby-app, read-in-2026
How do you rate a childhood favorite?

Along with A Wrinkle in Time, the Chronicles of Narnia defined what a good children's book was for me. Because, while I loved Ramona Quimby, there was always something better about a little magic in the world.
Besides, her family was a little too normal. I grew up in a cult-y home, so reading about her family, or the problems that the characters in a Judy Blume book had, was more like a peek into another world that didn't quite make sense to me.
It was easier to wrap my head around what was happening in Narnia.

I don't think all the themes translate well into a modern-day children's fantasy, simply because there's too much of a cultural gap at this point. Aslan telling Susan she was never to fight in the war, for example. But there are some incredibly nuanced character developments that are still striking to this day.
Edward, the somewhat cruel older brother to Lucy, and peevish younger brother to Peter & Susan, really hit that middle child angst dead center. You can see his desperation to impress Peter and not look foolish to Susan spiral out of control when he realizes that Lucy was right about another world inside the wardrobe. If he had just come out of that closet and backed her story up, how different his story would have been.
It's a good lesson we (hopefully) learn in childhood - why it's important to admit when you're wrong, and how quickly small white lies can spiral into horrible life-changing ones.

I loved these books when I was a kid. And I'm not sure I want to revisit the entire series with my jaded adult eyes, but regardless of what I think of C.S. Lewis' religious themes now, I'll always have a soft spot for this children's fantasy.

Recommended for that classic nostalgia.

Anne added 'Absolute Wonder Woman (2024-) #18'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:27:30 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to Absolute Wonder Woman (2024-) #18 by Kelly Thompson
bookshelves: comics, dc-infinite, graphic-novels, read-in-2026
Which witch is witchier?
Zatanna and Diana go toe-to-toe in a magical brawl to decide who's got the bigger wand.

While it was fun, it was also a bit of an eye-roller from a storytelling point of view. Zatanna releases Diana and gives her back her voice, and then Diana attacks her.
That's...stupid.
And pretty out of character for Thompson's Wonder Woman.
But. Yeah, I get it. We all want to see these two go at it in that Who's faster? Superman or Flash kind of way. I'm a Zatanna fan. Because while Diana has massive amounts of magic, Zatanna is magic. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong.

Anyway, when they stop zapping each other, Diana learns a bit more about some of the inhabitants of Area 41 from Z, and why they might be working with Cale.
Spoilery things are revealed, and WW heads back into the city to take the fight to the remaining Suicide Squad.

Random thought: Where is Absolute Aquaman?
Recommended.

Anne added 'Absolute Flash (2025-) #12'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:26:57 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to Absolute Flash (2025-) #12 by Jeff Lemire
bookshelves: comics, dc-infinite, graphic-novels, read-in-2026
Boss Battle!

Wally battles the elder Thawne in a Flash vs Reverse Flash brawl that ends with an unexpected sacrifice.
[spoilers removed]

Also. Baby Grodd!
Get out of here with that ending! Looking forward to seeing what happens next with him as much (more?) than I am Wally.

Recommended.

Anne added 'Absolute Wonder Woman (2024-) #17'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:26:42 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to Absolute Wonder Woman (2024-) #17 by Kelly Thompson
bookshelves: comics, dc-infinite, graphic-novels, read-in-2026
Big girls don't cry.

Wonder Woman goes all in to stop Giganta and the rest of Cale's Suicide Squad, but Zatanna has no plans to fight. She uses Diana's magic to barf up a baby Starro (presumably what Cale was using to control her) and hits the road.

This leaves everyone pissed off.

Looking forward to the conclusion of the Season of the Witch arc!
Recommended.

Anne added 'DC vs. Vampires #4'

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:26:31 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to DC vs. Vampires #4 (Kindle Edition) by James Tynion IV
bookshelves: comics, dc-infinite, fangs, horror, graphic-novels, read-in-2026
Somewhere in London..

On the DC Mystic side, the magic users are starting to realize that this might not be your run-of-the-mill vampire infestation.
Constantine, always one to go his own way, is actually still hoping he can stay friends with Zatanna.

Well. All good things must come to an end.

Meanwhile, Ollie makes a move on his prime suspect for the Master of vampires.

Green Arrow and Batman each assume the other one is a vampire, leading to a fun stake-off.
But outside of the Batfamily, GA and the Black Canary are the only members of the Justice League who are in on the fact that vampires are infiltrating everything, so a team-up is imminent.

But how much will it matter once Wonder Woman shows up in the Batcave?
Yeah, these guys are fucked.
Right?

Recommended.

Anne added 'Absolute Green Lantern (2025-) #12'

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 07:25:15 -0700

Anne gave 4 stars to Absolute Green Lantern (2025-) #12 by Al Ewing
bookshelves: comics, dc-infinite, graphic-novels, read-in-2026
The spectrum is expanding.

Jo and Hal learn a bit more about their powers in this one. Hal especially manages to turn things on sideways now that Jo has purged the black and healed him with her ring.

Hector Hammond is using Apokolips technology. <--that can't be good
But for those of us reading other books in the Absolute universe, I'm wondering if this will eventually connect with the Father Boxes used by the Omega Men in Absolute Superman, and John's dreams in Absolute Martin Manhunter. It seems that Darkseid is being set up as the overall Big Bad in this universe.
And I'm here for it!

Very cool issue with some spoilery mentions of Tomar & Mogo to keep things fun.
Recommended.