The Silent Blade (Paths of Darkness #1) - R. A. Salvatore

I thought it was time to start another Drizzt series. Originally, this series had four books in it, but Servant of the Shard was moved to the Sellswords trilogy.

In this one, Wulfgar is struggling with the memories of his time with the demon Errtu. He strikes Catti-brie and decides enough is enough. He needs to head out on his own and try to defeat his inner demons himself. Meanwhile, Drizzt, Catti-brie, Bruenor and Regis are taking the Crystal Shard to the wizard Cadderly to have it destroyed. It's not fond of that idea, though, and calls to creatures of all types to stop the group.

Jarlaxle and Artemis are also causing issues. Artemis is bored in Calimport and has a target on his back, but Jarlaxle provides a needed distraction. He also promises the only thing Artemis really wants: a rematch with Drizzt. He needs that final fight with no interference and no magic so he'll finally be able to learn who's the better fighter.

As usual, this book was great. I'm starting to root for Drizzt and Catti-brie, but that's probably a bad idea. I kind of want to look up if that's worth rooting for, but I'm not going to. Also, Catti-brie was engaged to Wulfgar, so it's tricky to lean in that direction. Artemis really needs to find a different hobby, and I have a soft spot for Jarlaxle and his super cool hat. Ready for the next one, The Spine of the World! Good Book!

Berserk #42 - Kentaro Miura

(The big jump in numbers comes from the fact that up to this point, I was reading from the deluxe versions that combined multiple episodes into a single volume.)

I was very interested to see what this first episode after the death of the creator would look like. Casca finally has her mind free, and I could see what would happen with her and Guts. 

Or not. Chaos ensues. Griffith pops up, linked with the Moonlight Boy in a way I didn't really understand until now. The entire island of Elfheim is destroyed, and all the magical creatures have to leave. And Casca is taken away. ARGH! Guts has lost hope, and I feel his pain. I was so disappointed and sad at the end of this volume.

I have no idea when the next one is coming out in English, but I'm keeping an eye out for it. One day, these people will get it together. I believe! It's still getting labeled Good Manga! Even though I'm struggling with patience, I absolutely love the story.

The Unlikely War Hero - Marc Leepson

The Hanoi Hilton was not a place you wanted to be during the Vietnam War. Doug Hegdahl fell off his ship and ended up a prisoner of war. While he was in the Hoa Lo Prison, he hid his intelligence from his captors, which earned him additional freedoms within the camp. This book tells his story.

It also tells a lot of other stories. The best way I could describe it is to say it reminded me of Dug from the movie Up. Every time a new place, ship, or person popped into the story, I took a side trip to explore everything about it. That trip would break the timeline, and many times, take the story far away from Doug himself.

When Doug was released, two others were with him. One of them immediately tried to vanish from the spotlight, and the other was very involved with trying to keep a spotlight on freeing POWs. Doug was in and out of it for years. Eventually, he faded away so that even his friends had a hard time getting in touch with him. It made me wonder if he'd be happy with a book about him.

Overall, it wasn't really what I was expecting. I was looking for a book focused on Doug, and it felt like he was a side character in his own book. It was disappointing for me, but I did learn a lot about other things!

The Protégé - Charlotte Armstrong

Last up from my Christmas stash is this little gem. I'm somewhat sad to be out of gothics, but all good things come to an end. And honestly, I need my TBR pile to get smaller. It's a goal of mine for this year.

Mrs. Moffat is approached at church one Sunday by a grown up Simon Warren. He's the young man who used to live next door, and he seems to be going through something. The older woman is feeling a little lonely, and she wants to help the young man. Unfortunately, the young man has more secrets than she expects.

This book was a little different than the usual gothic. It wasn't a brooding man in a tower, and it wasn't a romance needing a bit of help. It was a couple of souls that were lost. One ended up finding family, and the other didn't. I really liked the change, and I was happy to see this book is actually available in Kindle form.

If you're looking for the spooky, ghostly gothic book, this one isn't going to scratch that particular itch. If you're into something a little different, maybe something that approaches the genre more from a tense, what's really going on here? kind of mystery, this might be worth checking out. I enjoyed it for sure. Good Book!

Berserk #14 - Kentaro Miura (and thoughts up to this point)

I vowed I would finish this up today, and I kept my word!

Casca's memories are restored, but she's not ready to be close to Guts. It's heartbreaking for me. After everything I've gone through! Does no one care how I feel?!

Griffith is still spreading his Griffithness all over the place and making his kingdom larger.

Okay, so it's clear this was not meant to be the end. I know the author passed away before he was able to finish it, and his friends debated whether or not to continue the story with their knowledge of the author's intentions. From what I'm seeing, they're pushing forward, carefully stepping only where they know the author wanted the story to go.

Theoretically, I'd be all for keeping my tomes the same, but this is going to be an exception. These deluxe volumes are really nice, but so far there's only two of the newer volumes and only one in English. The deluxe versions I currently have include three volumes, so it would be quite some time before a deluxe would exist, and I am just not willing to wait around that long.

The things that really stood out to me with this manga are the characters. Guts especially. He started out with nothing and no one. He really gathered quite the little family around him as time went by. And I was rooting for Casca for so long, I thought I would end up throwing one of these tomes across the room. Another thing that really struck me was the art. Some of the full page panels I would just sit and stare at and wonder how long it took to create. I'd see little fine details that had to take forever to draw in, and I'm sure I missed a lot more.

There was also a lot of gore and moments I probably blushed over, but they didn't bother me. Some of the monsters were really creative, and I actually liked the character design of a couple of the monsters. I also won't claim I understood all the panels, especially during fights.

This manga has been a really interesting ride. I didn't like where it ended, and I appreciate what I read about the friends of the author trying to stay true to the intended story. I've ordered volume 42, the newest and first episode of the new guard. I really want to know what happens next. Great Manga!

Berserk #13 - Kentaro Miura

Finally! I waited so long to get this volume! I decided to be patient and put off getting it in November, because I was going to use my Christmas money to purchase it. Then, horror of horrors, it was out of stock (because my Christmas money is an Amazon gift card). I was finally able to get my grubby little hands on it Tuesday night and spent yesterday reading it. 

We have two storylines going on simultaneously. Guts and crew finally make it to Elfhelm, and Rickert finally makes it to Falconia where he confronts Griffith. 

Casca begins her journey to regaining her memories.

I think this is one of my favorite ones. It wasn't nonstop fighting, but it has a lot of character development. It has some flashbacks, especially while they're gathering Casca's memories, but I liked the art style and the way the characters were interacting with each other. Especially the guys. The whole thing just worked for me.

While I was wallowing in my misery of not having volume 13, I snatched up volume 14 for a good price. We're in the middle of healing Casca's mind, and I'm definitely making volume 14 a priority. Good Book!

A Holiday for Murder - Agatha Christie

My daughter picked up this paperback while thrifting and let me borrow it. Unfortunately, I didn't know she hadn't read it yet, so I might have let out a spoiler or two after I'd finished. Oh well.

Simeon Lee has gathered around his entire family to mend wounds and have a lovely Christmas. Actually, he's brought them together to tell them they're all useless, and he hates them. He isn't a pleasant person, so when he's murdered, no one seems really upset. It's more the manner in which he's murdered that sets everyone on edge. That scream!

I saw Hercule Poirot's Christmas starring David Suchet, so I remembered some of the details, but I didn't remember the ending, so it was still a mystery for me. As usual, the writing is engaging, and the story is top notch. If you've never read an Agatha Christie and you like mysteries, this is a great one to start with. It has very little to do with Christmas, so I wouldn't even say you should wait for the holidays to read it. It might even be depressing to read it around that time. Good Book!