Winter Philosopher's Thief; Ultimate Voyage of Cress; Create Spider-Man

Winter Well, edited by Kay T. Holt (nook)
Four stories united only by their protagonists being "older" women (and older spans a very broad range). I really enjoyed all four of them, especially the one about the expat living on another world and her relationship with the community she lived in.
(73, O19)

The Philosopher's Pupil, by Iris Murdoch
It took me a long time to tackle this one (I think the first time I tried was in 2012), because one of the main characters is too much like someone in real life that upsets me. However, I'm glad I read it, finally - her novels aren't very much like real life in general (yes, I see the contradiction with my first sentence), but they soothe and excite me at the same time, much like Robertson Davies does. This is a rare and splendid thing.
(74, O20)

Lhind the Thief, by Sherwood Smith (nook)
This was just *fun*. The author (hi, Sherwood!) says she kitchen-sinked in many of her favorite fun fantasy elements, and it does have a bit of a kitchen sink feeling, but I *like* all those things, so it worked out well for me. And it's funny how much just having a female gender-hiding-sometimes protagonist can make a classic quest plot feel relatively fresh (even though lots of quest fantasy has girl protagonists these days). Sherwood Smith has become one of the authors I hoard unread and dole out to myself in small doses, although I may have a binge later this summer...
(75, O21)

The Voyage of the Beagle, by Charles Darwin (nook)
Glad to have finally read this. As is often the case with travel and science books from this time, it is a mishmash of astonishingly modern ideas, astonishingly offensive ideas, gripping narrative, and tiresome digressions.
(76, O22)

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, vols. 2 and 3, by Brian Michael Bendis et al
I had forgotten we had these! Then I was cleaning up and I found them. The perfect break from cleaning up.
(77, 78, O23, O24)

Cress, by Marissa Meyer
This series still has the power to invoke a major case of page-turning-itis. I had originally thought it was a trilogy? So I had that whole noooooooo, I still don't know what happens thing going on. But otherwise it was a lot of fun. Twisty but easy to read.
(79)

Things You Can Create, edited by Harvey Stanbrough (nook)
Very very many mostly quite short stories in honor of Jack Williamson. I read this because two people I know had stories in it, and they were my favorite stories - but there were some other good ones too.
(80, O25)

New Dead Gulp; Shayla's Interestings

Three Parts Dead, by Max Gladstone
It took me a while to get into this one, but I really dug on the complicated theology and necromancers-as-lawyers, and caring about the characters snuck up on me. The plot heated up nicely too.
(81)

Gulp!, by Mary Roach
This was as good as her books always are, although I wish she had spent more time on the small intestine and less time on poop. I know that sounds ridiculous, but seriously? The butt end of the digestive track got way too much attention.
(82)

New Watch, by Sergei Lukyanenko
Man, I freaking love this series. And I especially love how the world-building gets richer and deeper as it develops, without losing the intimacy of the first books.
(83)

The Interestings, by Meg Wolitzer
I really enjoyed almost all of this book - it was more "Judy Blume for grownups" than I've found Judy Blume's adult books to be. Though I suspect the author would not appreciate the comparison, I mean it as a compliment. Kinda fizzled out at the end though - I ended up rereading the ending in case I'd missed something; I hadn't. But the other several hundred pages were tops.
(84)

Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues, by Lori Aurelia Williams
This book more than fulfilled the promise of its prequel. The plot was less compelling, but the writing was a lot more developed. I'm glad the author's got more for me to read.
(85)

Deep Living American Batman Circles

Batman: Earth One, by Geoff Johns et al
A more "realistic" retelling of the Batman story. Oddly moving.
(86, O26)

Living with Shakespeare, edited by Susannah Carson
Lots and lots and lots of essays about the importance of Shakespeare in individual lives, by actors and writers and comic book artists and some other people. Some of them were brilliant (here's lookin' at you, James Earl Jones), a few were a bit tedious, but overall it was a satisfying assortment.
(87)

Circles of Time, by Phillip Rock
Still with the melodrama, still with the awesome, still with the "wow, Downton Abbey owes a LOT to this series."
(89)

American Vampire, vol. 1, by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Steven King
Intriguing, complicated, pretty and gory and archetypal. I liked the alternating timelines.
(90, O27)

Skin Deep, vol. 1: Orientations, by Kory Bing
Friendly, playful, imaginative - I'm hooked on the free webcomic now, but I prefer book format for deciding whether I like a comic or not...
(91)