Accidental Traveler Series, Book 3 Accidental Mage/ Jamie Davis / 344 pages

Dragged back to the game of Fantasma, for Hal Dix, this time it's personal. Hal returns home from Fantasma to find his greatest nightmare has come true. A personal tragedy in the real world drags him back into the game world of Fantasma one last time when he finds that the emperor has left him a message after kidnapping his wife and daughter as leverage against him and his role as the prophesied hero that will defeat the emperor.  After entering Fantasma once again, Hal seeks help from his comrades Kia, the mage Tildi, and warriors he has helped. Hal must master the art of magic this time, gaining abilities and training under four unique archmages and learning their individual elements to complete his quest and fight against the emperor. Does Hal have the discipline to stick with the training and reach the end of his chosen path? He doesn’t have a choice, Hal will do whatever he has to to rescue his wife and daughter. Narrated by Roberto Scarlato 10h 18min.

Accidental Traveler Series, Book 2 Accidental Warrior / Jamie Davis / 320 pages

Hal Dix had success at home after his initial outing into the world of Fantasma after helping a city overthrow the tyrant rulers set in place by the evil emperor. He leveled up in both his job and at home, getting into the management training program.  Everything was going fine in his life. Then, the mage Tildi, the Elder that had first sent him to Fantasma showed up again with news from the other world. His friend Kia was in trouble and only he could help. Hal didn't want to be a hero, but he wasn't the sort of fellow to leave a comrade behind. Whisked away to the game world of Fantasma once again, Hal enters the role of the reluctant hero he thought he'd left behind.  Narrated by Roberto Scarlato 9h 56min.

Accidental Traveler Series, Book 1 Accidental Thief / Jamie Davis / 310 pages

Hal Dix was stuck in an unlucky life. His wife is a successful executive while his IT help desk job leads nowhere. His supervisor is a rude bully and he has applied for management training 12 times already,  maybe this time will be lucky number 13. Even his daughter's daycare teacher thinks he's a loser. Hal can't catch a break. But when he checks out the flea market by his work for any new or interesting games he comes across a strange woman who sells Hal a bootleg release of a highly anticipated game. It is just what he wished for and he can't wait to play it during his long weekend home alone. Has his luck finally turned around? Hal should be careful what he wishes for, when instead of playing a relaxing game at his computer desk in the comfort of his own home, he gets sent to the the game world of Fantasma, is this real or just a dream?  Narrated by Roberto Scarlato 9h 9min.  

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 5 Dungeon Eternium / Dakota Krout / 344 pages

The narrator for the Audio book version changed between the first four books and this last book, it is unbelievably distracting because the voices for each character are drastically different than the last books.  The Epic conclusion of the Divine Dungeon Series. The world watches the sky with trepidation. Xenocide's insanity knows no bounds, and all will soon suffer the effects he had planned. For a millennium Xenocide has manipulated the necromancers, the guild and kingdoms to get them to all war against each other and so that he could get their energy to power the massive ritual he wanted to do. And though none know what is to come, they all know it isn’t going to be easy to survive. The Master (of the Necromancers) has a plan, one that can give the world at large a way to escape the oncoming desolation. It may be on the bleeding edge of morality and what he needs might prove too difficult to secure, but The Master asks for trust, which might be difficult to get with the things he has been manipulated by Xenocide to do.  Cal and Dale both have their role to play as the world hurtles toward destruction. One needs to bring the races of the world together while the other simply needs to survive. Surrounded by supposed allies, the duo will do all that they can to succeed—but with every new arrival comes rising tensions and faltering trust. Narrated by Luke Daniels 10h 7min.

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 4 Dungeon Desolation / Dakota Krout / 401 pages

Cal finally gets Dani back and even resurrects Dale, Again. But the necromantic armies are on the warpath and nowhere is safe. Even the presumed sanctuary of Cal’s now floating dungeon is threatened! The leadership of nearly all the sentient monarchies has been wiped out, and only the races most suited to repelling the advancing darkness have an intact chain of command. Cal learns quickly that the most pressing threat is not the far-off war, but is instead those entrusted with the general population's protection. As it turns out, the idea of having a flying dungeon for your people is very tempting indeed.  Dale has been facing his own trials and tribulations better than anyone else could have hoped for, but when the war takes a turn for the worse, his duties are forcibly assumed by another. Since his only chance at survival is painful and rigorous advancement, Dale must learn if his strength of will can develop into strength alone. If not, the world itself may be at risk. Narrated by Vikas Adam 11h 56min.

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 3 Dungeon Calamity / Dakota Krout / 431 pages

Powerful necromancers are on the move, and if there’s one thing Cal hates most it’s necromancers and Cal is caught in the crossfire. Then the Necromancers take his partner and without his faithful Wisp, Dani, Cal's mind slips into madness and he begins creating traps and monsters that go against his already loose morals, his dungeon falls into disrepair. After a direct threat from an unexpected force causes Cal's mind to stabilize, he throws all of his resources into keeping his thoughts clear and busy, becoming stronger so that he and his won’t ever be hurt again, while he funds searches for his lost companion. When others fail him again and again, Cal decides to take matters into his own hands. Deadly occurrences remind Dale that no matter how well he does in his small community, he is still considered a weakling in the greater world. Though he continues his physical and mental training, he decides to gain strength by any means necessary, as he tries to find Dani for Cal before Cal slips back into madness, even if these decisions are killing him. Narrated by Vikas Adam 13h 13min.

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 2 Dungeon Madness / Dakota Krout / 424 pages

Dungeon Core Cal saved both the town the resides near him and Dale, although Dale doesn’t seem grateful to him about it. Both Cal and Dale have become stronger, each in spite of the other. The dungeon-Cal-knows exactly how much their strength has increased, and is working hard to become exponentially more powerful. His schemes are becoming more complex, and his dungeon (body) more deadly. Dale has a nasty surprise waiting for him as he works to thwart the plans of the devious dungeon. Hearing a voice (Cal) in his head that distracts him at critical moments, he must fight his mind as he battles deadly creatures. Unbeknownst to both, they are in for the fight of their lives as madness threatens the land. Narrated by Vikas Adam 12h 1min.

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 1 Dungeon Born / Dakota Krout / pages

For eons, conquering dungeons has been the most efficient way to become a strong adventurer. Although, not everything is as straightforward as it seems. Several questions have always plagued the minds of those that enter these mythical places of power: Why are there so many monsters? Where do the amazing weaponry and heavy gold coins come from? Why does the very air fill with life-giving energies?! Cal has all of the answers to these age-old questions, for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Core, a human soul forced against his will into a magical stone after Necromancers sacrifice him.  After several lonely years, Cal was able to regain sentience, allowing him to form new memories while slowly growing a dungeon around himself. With help from a friend, Dani a willow-the-wisp Cal learns how to create monsters and traps, increasing his power and size quickly. But when a threat to his existence rears its head, Cal decides that he will do anything to stay alive and become stronger. Unfortunately for treasure-seekers and adventurers, the fastest way for Cal to achieve his goal . . . is to eat anyone that enters his depths. Dale was a sheepherder when he stumbled on the dungeon in the mountains, and he knows how valuable the land on which it sits will be.  Before anyone finds out about it he buys the land rights to the entire mountain and then submits the new dungeon location to the guild. His trials to becoming stronger and richer have only just begun if only he can survive the dungeon that seems to be trying to kill him. Narrated by Vikas Adam 12h 33min.

Love and War Series, Book 3 Antibody / R.A. Steffan / 246 pages

Vithii military cyborgs never go rogue, that's the official line that the Regime gives. How could they, when their emotion centers have been ripped out and replaced with tech? Cyborgs do 3 things: follow orders, destroy whatever target you point them at, and walk calmly into vaporization chambers when it's time to be decommissioned. PX-12 known to his friends as Pax, only performed 2 of those functions during his stint in the military. D-8, one of his unit-siblings, performed all 3. So when Pax receives D-8's distress beacon 7 years after Pax saw him destroyed, there is either something wrong with his systems or the Regime is recycling the minds of decommissioned cyborgs, turning them into weapons even more horrific than they were before. To stop it, Pax and the other members of Shadow Wing, the rogue group fighting against the Regime, will need the help of telepathic Vitharan ambassador and part time spy, Nahleene Veila'ana, the woman who once helped Ryder and Temple escape a Vithii Regime controlled prison and whose motivations are questionable. Narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor 7h 48min.

Love and War Series, Book 2 Antigen / R.A. Steffan / 239 pages

Ryder is a member of Hunter Tarthasian’s rogue group of alien Vithii, Shadow Wing,  that fight against the tyranny of the Vithii Regime, and was once a prestigious doctor until she performed an illegal experiment to try to save a patient’s life and had her credentials revoked.  When Skye escaped with the antidote to a deadly bio weapon that could only affect humans, her brother acted as a decoy to throw off the Regime and was captured and is now a political prisoner held by the Regime to try to use against Skye.  Once Ryder and Shadow Wing created the antidote they broke into the water supply plant to put it into the water so they could get it out to everyone on the planet before the Regime could use the Bio weapon. Now Shadow Wing are searching for Temple, Skye’s brother, to get some recon on the Vithii prison he is being held in they send Ryder in under a false identity as a doctor at the prison, but when someone from her past recognizes her, the plan to get Temple out goes up in flames.  Ryder is now also a prisoner along with Temple, and Shadow Wing have to save them both. Narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor 7h 19min

Love and War Series, Book 1 Antidote / R.A. Steffan / 256 pages

Skye Chantrell has just escaped from a war zone and crash landed on a remote lunar outpost and her survival depends on a dangerous alien Vithii fugitive, Hunter Tarthasian.  Skye’s father was forced by the Regime to create a deadly bio weapon that targets humans but he also created an antidote to it, stole it, and died helping her escape. Now she has to get back to the capital before the bio weapon that targets humans is released and she has to figure out if she can trust Hunter and his rogue group of alien Vithii.   Narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor 7h 40min.

Lords of Kassis Series, Book 4 Ristéard's Unwilling Empress/ S. E. Smith / 285 pages

Fourth book in the Lord of Kassis series, Ricki Bailey is a member Cirque de Magik and when they found out that three of their members were kidnapped by aliens and then later settled on the planet Kassis, the circus decided to go with and settle there too.  While Ricki herself doesn’t perform for the circus she does handle all the circus’s problems, paper work, and organization. Ristéard Roald is the powerful and deadly ruler of Elpidios, a planet that is slowly dying without the Blood Stones needed to absorb the radiation gradually destroying its stratosphere. He has sworn to do whatever it takes to protect his world and his people, but time is running out. When he comes across Ricki he recognizes her from a painting done about the Empress of Elpidios and the prophecy that says she will save it.  Desperate for his people and attracted to her like no other, Ristéard kidnaps her. Narrated by Samantha Cook 6h 55min.

Lords of Kassis Series, Book 3 Jo's Journey / S. E. Smith / 212 pages

Third book in the Lord of Kassis series, Jo Strauss is a circus performer when she and her sister are kidnapped by aliens and then saved by her best friend / sister  River they end up on the planet Kassis. There the brother of the leader of Kassis, Manota Ja Kel Coradon tries to claim her as his. The second son of the ruling House of Kassis Manota is known for his knowledge, skills, and development of weaponry and his legendary skill as a warrior.  Jo starts to fall in love with him but refuses to commit all the way until he takes her back to her planet to see her parents, since she and her sisters have been missing for a couple months, and the worry must be killing them. But once there it seems like the entire circus wants to come back with her and her parents to Kassis, and then on their return journey to Kassis their spaceship is attacked by pirates. Narrated by Samantha Cook 7h 2min.

Lords of Kassis Series, Book 2 Star's Storm / S. E. Smith / 212 pages

Second book in the Lord of Kassis series,  Star Strauss is a circus performer when she and her sister are kidnapped by aliens and then saved by her best friend / sister  River they end up on Kassis. There the brother of the leader of Kassis, Jazin Ja Kel Coradon tries to claim her as his. He is known not only for his skills as a fierce warrior but also for his knowledge of communication, security, and weapons systems.  Star starts to fall for him when he goes on a mission to protect their world, Kassis, from attack from a new group of rebels and is killed. But then information surfaces that his spaceship exploding was a cover to kidnap him to torture and break him to get information on Kassis’s defenses.  Now Star and a couple friends must lead a covert rescue mission to get him back before the rebels kill him. Narrated by Samantha Cook 7h 36min.

Lords of Kassis Series, Book 1 River's Run / S. E. Smith / 216 pages

River Knight works for a traveling circus and decides to take a much needed vacation to see her two best friends who are like her sisters.  But right when she’s getting there she sees her sisters being kidnapped by aliens, so she sneaks onto their spaceship and stows away until she can break her sister out and try to find away back home.  In the process she comes across another group of aliens also held captive. And she makes a deal with them if she and her sisters help them escape and take over the ship they will help her and her sister to get home.  But taking River home is the last thing on Torak Ja Kel Coradon, leader of the House of Kassis and the next ruler of the Kassis galaxy, mind. He believes that the three women are believed to be the prophesied warriors sent to join forces to bring peace to the House of Kassis, and he wants to keep River all to himself.  Narrated by Samantha Cook 47h 53min

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

The first chapter of the story grabbed me instantly. However, the rest of the book did not explore that storyline except to use it as a basis for the main character's motivation. 
   This is the first in the Atlee Pine character series.  Atlee is an FBI agent serving in the Grand Canyon area. She is an accomplished agent and is highly motivated to avenge her twin sister's murder when they were only six years old.  
    Atlee is brought in to investigate a mule's death in the Canyon.  The mule has strange markings that are the beginning clues to a very involved plot.  With many twists and turns, Baldacci takes us into a sinister plot to overtake our government.  Atlee is determined to get to the bottom of this threat, but has to do it without support from her regional supervisor who has told her she needs to take an extended vacation.  He has decided his agent, Atlee, is over the top in her suspicions.
     Atlee's sister's murder will be solved in a sequel.  It was only a minor introduction in this book.

My Hero Academia Volume 15 - Fighting Fate / Kohei Horikoshi (Japanese author) / 192 pages / Color in the title

Besides Midoriya getting third-year student Togata as his new mentor, three other 1A students are chosen by the other two third-years: Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui by Nejire Hado, and Eijiro Kirishima by Tamaki Amajiki.  Both groups experience fighting villains or dangerous criminals.  In the latter group, Kirishima, who was treated as useless since Vol. 5, proves himself to be extremely powerful even for a hero, let alone a new sidekick.

When Midoriya and Togata go out in the city on patrol, on the other hand, they run into a child sprinting out of an alley; Overhaul appears out of the alley behind her and claims that he is her father.  Seeing the terror in her face and the bandages covering her arms, Midoriya refuses to give the girl to him, and Togata insists Midoriya not to act so suspicious around Overhaul.  In the end, Overhaul persuades the frightened girl to come with him.

And in case that wasn't bad enough, Midoriya gets news that All Might will die between now and a year due to a mix of severe injuries and using up all his power.

Later on, the professional heroes and seven teens meet together to discuss the girl Midoriya and Togata failed to save earlier, telling them about the evidence they found that could lead to her location and thus save her.

Super Awesome, as always.

My Hero Academia Volume 14 - Overhaul / Kohei Horikoshi (Japanese author) / 205 pages / Color in the title

So much has gone on between Volumes 3 and 13 (sorry), So I'm just going to cut to the chase:

Midoriya and Bakugo fight and reveal their thoughts of each other as they do-- the former looks up to the latter for his determination, and the latter is insecure of the former for being approved by All Might more.  They're soon caught, and they both get punished and must miss class time to do "odd jobs" around the school dorms; Midoriya for three days, and Bakugo for four days (since he started the fight).  Each boy gives the other some advice on his Quirk during their punishment.

After Midoriya's punishment ends, not only does he need to catch up in school, but the class also has special guests-- three third-year students who've had personal experience in the professional hero world.  At least one of them, Mirio Togata, proves it in their first drill fight, where none of the first-years, not even Midoriya, were able to beat him-- at least, not without feeling like he or she got pummeled in the gut.  Nevertheless, Togata, originally All Might's to-be successor, becomes curious of Midoriya due to his quick analyzing of opponents as well as why he was chosen as the successor instead.     

                                                         

Meanwhile, the League of Villains invite a criminal who goes by "Overhaul" (the plague doctor guy on the cover) to join them; however, Overhaul declines, pointing out that their never having a structured plan before sending any hit man out on a mission is a major flaw in their system.  He leaves, but he also keeps an opportunity in coming back open while he goes at his own pace on wreaking havoc.

First off, I haven't been able to watch Season 3 the anime adaptation, and I hear this book was the equivalent to the season finale, so now I feel a little more ahead in the story.

Second off, YAY!  MIRIO TOGATA!  I hear so much about this guy from memes-- anyone who has a kid that plays a lot of Fallout would be reminded of its mascot when one sees him-- and he was as plucky and memorable as I thought he would be, but also a lot scarier than I expected.

The Mountain Between Us/Charles Martin/329 pages

SCCCLD Book Challenge: The Mountain Between Us/Charles Martin/329pages




WOW!  What a story of survival!  A snowstorm is threatening as Ben Payne is trying to get home after a medical conference/mountain climbing trip and Ashley Knox is trying to make it back home for her wedding.  When their flights are cancelled, Ben hires a private charter and invited Ashley to share the small plane.  Tough pilot, Grover, gets them off the ground and headed in the right direction before the storm hits but then suffers a heart attack and crashes the plane.  Not only is the distress signal equipment disabled on impact but Ben has broken ribs and Ashley has a fractured leg.  Adding to their problems, no one knew they were on the plane, Grover didn't file a flight plan and they are miles off course and literally in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the predicted snowstorm with no food.  You get most of that from the first chapters in the book.  The rest of the story is detailed with what they did trying to survive interwoven with Ben's narratives to his wife, Rachel.  You hear the story of Ben and Rachel from when they met in high school, share moments at lots of track events, medical school and marriage.  From what Ben shares with Ashley, you hear of a loving, caring marriage.  Ben and Rachel seem so perfect for each other that Ashley begins to wonder if she really has met her perfect mate or is she just settling for a trip down the aisle with a good friend.  Meanwhile, back on the mountain, they are freezing, starving and doing a good imitation of being the walking dead trying to find civilization.  Towards the end of the book you start to get the feeling that something is not right with Ben and his wife.  When the "surprise" ending was revealed, I had to go back and re-read portions of the book to see why I hadn't picked up on the details--had I miss read what was written?  But no, Martin has just done a marvelous story telling job.  Parts of the book had me in tears.  Parts of it had me feeling chilly in the middle of August.  Many parts had me marveling that anyone, Ashley or Ben, could have been able to do what they did.  This was a change of pace book for me--not my usual type--but I loved it and recommend it to all.

The Invisible Library/Genevieve Cogman/341 pgs.

Irene is sent on a mission for the invisible Library. This Library collects works of fiction from alternate worlds in order to keep all "worlds" in balance. Irene's mission sends her, and her assistant, Kai, to an "alternate" London--a London that has vampires, and Fae creatures, to name a few. They are to acquire a particular edition of a Grimm's fairy tale, and transport it back to the Library. There is sabotage, adventure, humor, etc., in this Victorian era/steampunk novel. It's the first in a series, and highly entertaining. Highly recommended--especially for anyone in the library profession!