*Review* Sentient Pen15 From Outer Space by Sabrina Cross

 

Title: Sentient Pen15 From Outer Space

Author: Sabrina Cross

Genre: Erotica

Published: March 15, 2025 

Pages: 92

Liam had spent a lot of his childhood obsessed with the legends of the local mines. The abandoned tunnels underground had driven dozens of workers insane and young Liam was desperate to get to the bottom of it. But he found more than he bargained for down there.

Infected by parasitic space mold, Liam has held himself away from relationships for years. When things spark between him and the girl next door, he has no choice but to reveal the truth: his manly appendage is also the bane of his existence.

Note: Sentient Pen15 from Outer Space is a comedy romance. Yes, there will be an HEA. No, it is not meant to be taken seriously. This book is intended for readers 18+. A full set of content notes will be available in the book and on my website.

I read this book just because the cover and title made me giggle. This is my honest review. 

I went into this book with really high hopes for a hilarious read, and unfortunately, it didn't deliver on that in the way that I'd hoped. In fact, I found it feeling like a far more serious read than sentient object erotica should be, in my opinion. The spicy scenes were okay, and did what I expect them to do passably well, but I wouldn't consider this a book to return to over and over again on that score. 

This is one of those books where you immediately know what you’re getting into. The premise is outrageous, absurd, and very clearly leaning into shock value and camp. And to be fair, there were moments where that worked for me. I can appreciate when a book fully commits to its ridiculousness, and there were a handful of scenes where I could see the humor it was going for—very tongue-in-cheek, very “don’t take this seriously,” and occasionally it did make me smirk. 

But the problem is that the execution just didn’t sustain that energy. And I felt like it was far more serious than sentient object erotica should be. 

All that said, I do think there’s a very specific audience for this. If you’re going in purely for the shock factor, the novelty, and the “what did I just read?” experience, you might get more out of it than I did. It’s the kind of book you read out of curiosity, maybe laugh at once or twice, and then immediately text a friend about because you can’t believe it exists.

Overall I give Sentient Pen15 From Outer Space 2.1748 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Sabrina Cross (she/her) is a neurospicy 80’s baby from the middle of nowhere Michigan, where she still lives with her cat. She came into her monster romance era early when she fell in love with Beast from the 1997’s X-Men animated series.

After discovering sentient object romance in early 2023, Sabrina decided to embrace what she calls her ‘Hold My Beer’ style of writing and gave into the lifelong dream of being an author. When not writing weird monster/sentient object smut, Sabrina can be found hanging out on social media (@authorsabrinacross), reading, or hoarding office supplies.

*Review* Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn

Title: Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal

Author: Meghan Quinn

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Published: October 14, 2025 

Pages: 466

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a brand new holiday rom-com with all the humor and heat her fans adore.

Nothing says I love you like trespassing, public humiliation, and a town-wide Christmas spectacle to win your crush back.

Atlas "Max" Maxheimer did not sign up for this. One minute, he's anxiously trying to keep his family's Christmas tree farm from imploding. The next? He's passed out in the snow after getting clocked by a suspiciously strong bottle of soda.

Enter Betty: new in town, full of holiday cheer, and helping her uncle open a rival tree farm next door. Max is convinced she's out to destroy everything Evergreen Farm stands for. Betty thinks Max might be one sleigh short of a winter parade.

Cue the holiday chaos.

Between blizzards, blown reputations, wildly misguided romantic plots, and one stolen ornament with a seriously tragic backstory, this small-town war turns into something far messier―and much more delicious―than either of them expected.

I read this book for the small Colorado Springs Book Club. This is my honest review. 

Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal by Meghan Quinn is exactly the kind of chaotic, banter-filled holiday romance I was hoping for and I strongly recommend reading it with Home Alone in mind. From the very beginning, the dynamic between the main characters is sharp, snarky, and just the right amount of antagonistic. If you’re here for enemies-to-lovers tension, this one really leans in—and has a lot of fun doing it.

The banter is easily the standout. It’s quick, witty, and often borderline ridiculous in the best way. There are multiple moments where their back-and-forth escalates into these over-the-top verbal sparring matches—like playful insults turning into full-blown competitions or arguments that feel less about the issue at hand and more about who can out-sass the other. It gives their chemistry a really strong foundation, so when things do start to shift, it feels earned.

And speaking of that shift—the enemies-to-lovers progression is super satisfying. You get those classic moments where annoyance starts blurring into something else: lingering looks that last a second too long, begrudging teamwork that turns surprisingly supportive, and those tiny cracks in the armor where they accidentally show they care. There’s a particular kind of scene (no spoilers!) where one character steps in to help the other in a way that completely contradicts all their earlier bickering, and it’s chef’s kiss for trope lovers.

That said, it’s not a perfect five-star for me. There are a few moments where things feel a little exaggerated or slightly repetitive—like the banter occasionally looping instead of building, or certain situations stretching just a bit longer than necessary for comedic effect. It didn’t ruin anything for me, but it did keep the story from feeling as tight as it could have been.

Overall, though, this was a really fun, feel-good holiday read. It’s flirty, funny, and full of that delicious tension that makes enemies-to-lovers so addictive. If you’re in the mood for something festive with a lot of personality and a couple who clearly enjoy driving each other crazy (until they don’t), this one is absolutely worth picking up.

Overall I give this book 4.1746 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

*Book Review* Nocticadia by Keri Lake

 

Title: Nocticadia

Author: Keri Lake

Genre: Dark Academia

Published: April 25, 2023

Pages: 682

A dark, atmospheric tale of deadly secrets and forbidden love.

Mortui vivos docent.
The dead teach the living.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I’d find the cure for what ravaged her. And leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me.

Four years later, I receive an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it’s rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before. Those whose bones are said to make up the island’s white sandy shores.

And restless ghosts aren’t even its most daunting peculiarity.

Devryck Bramwell, known on campus as Doctor Death, is a brilliant pathologist in charge of the midnight lab. He’s also my devastatingly handsome professor, who seems to loathe tenacious first-years, like me. Except, his dark and enigmatic gaze tells me all the ways he’d devour me if given the chance, and his stolen kisses burn my lips with forbidden jealousy.

I crave his authority.
He aches for redemption.
Together, we’re toxic. Delicious fodder for the prying eyes hellbent on exhuming the rotted skeletons of our pasts.

For the dead have much to teach, and it’s only a matter of time before Dracadia’s most depraved secret is resurrected.

Nocticadia is a standalone dark academia gothic romance.

I read this book for The Next Chapter book club. This is my honest review. 

This is one of those books that I liked in the moment more than I loved in retrospect.

There’s definitely something here that kept me turning pages. The premise had promise, and there were stretches where I felt genuinely pulled in, curious about where things were going and invested enough to keep reading “just one more chapter.” When it worked, it really worked—those moments had a nice emotional pull and a sense of momentum that made me remember why I picked it up in the first place.

But…I also can’t ignore that there were quite a few sections where things just felt a little too drawn out. It created this uneven pacing where I’d go from engaged to slightly bored and then back again, which made it hard to fully settle into the story.

I also struggled with how certain elements played out. A few plot points didn’t hit as hard as they could have, and there were moments that should have carried more emotional weight but ended up falling a bit flat for me. I kept waiting for that deeper connection or that extra layer of development that never quite materialized.

That said, I don’t regret reading it. There’s enough here to make it a worthwhile experience, especially if you’re drawn to this kind of story or enjoy a slower, more reflective pace. It just didn’t fully live up to its potential for me.

Overall, I give Nocticadia 3.5728 out of 5 almost sexy stars. - Katie 

Amazon

Keri Lake writes gothic romance layered in vengeance, obsession and atmospheric worldbuilding. When she's not romanticizing villains or plotting peril, you'll find her wrangling family and dogs, sipping red wine, and fueling her next story with strong coffee and moody music.

*Book Club Review* Book Hangout Book Club

 Guys! I did it. This is the last book club review for me to post for this first round of competition. And except for ONE missed day, I wrote a review every day. This is basically my version of 75 hard right here (I promise, I understand how intense 75 hard is. That's the reason I'm never going to do it). And I should probably be working out right now because I got home from dinner with my parents earlier than I get home from book club on weeknights, so I have time. But our blind cat thought 2:30 in the morning was a great time to wake me up for food by repeatedly walking over my head, so I'm tired and not doing that. I'll get back to it tomorrow when instead of going out to eat I'll have to come home and cook. 

But for now, let's talk about another book club. 

Today I'm discussing the Book Hangout Book Club. I joined this group just after I quit my job at the discount bread store without having another job already lined up. And you're probably thinking that sounds like a bad time to join a new book club where you'll presumably be spending more money (at least on food and drinks at the meetings). And you'd be right. I said the same thing at the time. I found them, told my husband I wanted to join but it wasn't a good time because I'd have to buy the first book at least as the wait at the library was stupid long for The Thursday Murder Club. So my husband kidnapped me for a lunch date and then took me to Barnes and Noble where I was instructed to pick five books. Even though he complains about the number of books I own a lot, he's also my second biggest enabler (I'm the first). 

This group was a bit intimidating at my first meeting. They already had a fairly large core group, and most of them were in attendance it seemed. And while I love being in book clubs, I still get nervous when I go to a new one. But that has also made me a good book club ambassador. If I'm at a location for a meeting and see a person looking the way I always feel my first time attending a new group, I usually approach them to ask if they're there for book club. If they say yes, I drag them along to the group. Sometimes I even introduce myself first. With this group, my first meeting was at a location that opened right at the time the meeting was set to start, so I at least saw a few group members waiting outside making things less intimidating. I barely talked at the meeting though. 

This is another generic book club that reads in all genres and picks books for the year in November/December time frame. And while the book selections don't lean very heavily romantasy, the discussion after we talk about the book usually veers that direction real quick. Lot of romantasy fans in this group, so if that's your jam and you want recommendations, these ladies will deliver. There may be some spoilers about some of those books mentioned briefly, but they're pretty mild as everyone is fairly respectful on that score. It really only becomes a slight problem if a few people have read the same book and start discussing. 

This group pretty much always meets the last Sunday of the month in the morning (typically around 10 o'clock, but sometimes meetings start as late as noon depending on the location we're meeting). Because of this and Fountain Book Club sometimes meeting last Sunday of the month at one, I do occasionally miss Book Hangout meetings because the Fountain meetings are always closer to home (and that group is usually smaller so they need me more). 

And I think this is the first match-up pitting book clubs together that I actually have to decide between sometimes. So this will be interesting. Maybe I'll use it to inform my decision next time there's a conflict. 

Some of my favorite reads from this group include The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

Does this sound like a group you'd like to hangout with? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Fountain Book Club

 I was supposed to get this post drafted this past weekend, but I did not do that. I did get some other book club administration stuff done though, so I'm counting that as a win. The people in the two book clubs I run were very impressed with me (as they should be!) But now I've set the bar rather high, and they're going to expect this level of excellence all the time.

And I would have gotten around to getting this written earlier tonight, except my parents are in town for a couple days after visiting my brother and sister-in-law, so my evenings are spoken for tonight and tomorrow. Then we'll return to our regularly scheduled chaos. 

But I'm also tired, so let's get to the next review. 

Today I'm focusing on the Fountain Book Club, which is technically not a Colorado Springs book club, but it is a Colorado Springs area book club. In reality, this should have been the first book club I found and joined because I live in Fountain, but it literally never came across my radar. And realistically, if I'd joined it first, I might not have ever joined another. But because my first book club in the area is a 30 minute drive away from my house, when I found others that were even slightly closer to home, that feature appealed to me. Not that I'm ever leaving that book club, because The Next Chapter is a significant portion of my friend group, and that extends beyond book club, and I just haven't had that same level of connection with a significant number of members of any of my other groups. 

This is one of my generic book clubs, and has seen a fair amount of overlap in book selection with both the big Colorado Springs Book Club and Book Hangout Book Club. And when you consider that my three thriller specific book clubs have seen no overlap, that's weird! These three groups have ALL the genres to choose from, and they're picking several of the same books. But, that makes it easier for me to attend 18 book clubs every month, because it means I don't always have to read 18 whole books every month. And the books that overlap tend to be pretty well-anticipated or popular newer releases. 

While this group has had some overlap with other groups, it also leans towards fantasy. Not heavily, but several of the members, myself included, really enjoy fantasy novels, which gives them a leg up when it comes time to voting. All of the books for the year have been selected since like November (maybe December, I've slept since then). And I do like that feature when the books picked are so popular because it makes it easier to obtain them either through the library or cheaper on sale on Amazon or potentially finding it at the thrift store. I don't think I even suggested any books for this group when it was open for suggestions (which means those were submitted in November while I was hiding from the authorities in Florida). 

This group usually means either the last Sunday of the month, or the first Sunday of the month (depending on how well the group as a whole is doing at finishing the book on time) at a brewery here in Fountain. Fortunately, we always meet at one, so even when it's the first Sunday, I can still make it to both Fountain and the smaller Colorado Springs Book Club. 

Some of my favorite books from this group include Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown, and Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. 

Does this sound like a group you'd want to invade? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* COS Smutty Book Club

 I had a moderately productive weekend which is a bit odd for me. I had a book club meeting both days, got my taxes done, did some dishes, washed some laundry, created events for the next three months for both of the book clubs that I run. I've posted another book club review and did some other cleaning around the house to prepare for my parents to be in town tomorrow (my house will not be perfect when they get here, but my house growing up never was either so...) 

And now, it's time to talk about another book club. Let's go. 

Tonight I'm discussing COS Smutty Book Club. In case it's not clear by the name, this group has a sole focus on the smuttiest of smut. And a big point of conversation at most meetings is if the books we read for that month gave good sex, which is an absolutely valid point of discussion for a group that reads all the smut. 

This group is the most chaotic of the book clubs that I'm a member of (which is really saying something considering how chaotic my group management skills are). While we typically meet the last Wednesday of the month, that isn't a hard and fast rule, largely because the woman who hosts our group in her home is sometimes gone on the last Wednesday of the month. But we always pick the next meeting date at the meeting, and it gets posted typically while we're still there. But the meetings themselves are chaotic in the best way possible. We don't always spend much time talking about either of the books we had read for that month (and when we have spent a lot of time talking about the selected book it was because it was bad! I'm looking at you The Pisces.) But there is always talk about smutty books in general, and what everyone is reading and doing in life. 

Because the group is hosted in the same home every month, the rest of us contribute potluck style, and that often means we're eating girl dinner with everyone bringing whatever they feel like. I always bring a veggie tray because it's easy for me to pick up on the way over after work and it means I don't have to think about what to contribute. But other contributions tend to be a bag of chips, a package of cookies or cupcakes, Rachel usually brings some form of protein, but it's largely finger food-ish options. Occasionally we theme our contributions based on what we're reading (the month we read Pounded by Produce we did salads for the meal. Being a midwesterner, I brought a selection of midwest salads like That Minnesota Mom would make). 

We mostly select books by voting as a group at each meeting on what we're going to read next. But sometimes Rachel wants to read non-MM hockey smut, and when that happens, we tend to read non-MM hockey smut. This group also picks two books every month now. We have our real book, which is a full length novel, and then we have our bonus book which is a short novella at best, typically in the vein of a Chuck Tingle book. This has been helpful as it means I can for sure finish at least one of the two books before the meeting. And sometimes the bonus books are the real stars of the show. 

Some of my favorite reads with this group include Hallowpeen by Holly Wilde, A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney, and The Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score. 

While this is a group that I have no intention of leaving, because we do meet in someone's home, membership has been capped at this time. Which means, I can't ask if you'd want to join us because unfortunately, you can't sit with us. But I have also been considering starting a Fountain chapter for the folks that live on the south side of town (or in Fountain proper). But then I remember I already run two groups, and I'm not even organized enough to do that well. - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Deadly Chapters and Cafes Book Club

 This has been an eventful day for me so far, but not in a bad way. Got up early (for a Saturday at least) for Fantasy Book Club at 11. I was up early enough that I folded three weeks worth of laundry before I even needed to leave for book club. Then after the book club meeting, my husband and I got our taxes done. We have the best lady at H&R Block (she's wicked fast at it), but to see her for our taxes, we have to go on base. Fortunately my husband's job and veteran status gives us that option. Our return is very sad because we're in a grown up tax bracket, but we are getting a return. 

Then I came home, did a short cardio workout (I plan on doing another workout a bit later, but wanted to get some of my self-imposed administrative work done first), created the events for three months worth of book club meetings in two groups, and now we're here. And that means it's time to talk about another book club. 

Today we are focusing on the third of the thriller/mystery specific book clubs that I am a member of in the Springs (that made the list. There is also a Final Girls Book Club, but much like Shelf-Care, I haven't been able to make it to a meeting. The reason Shelf Care made the bracket and Final Girls didn't is the times for Final Girls meetings seem to have more conflicts, so I'm less likely to be able to attend). Although this is the third thriller group I joined, it's actually the first one to exist (to my knowledge). If it weren't for the fact that these groups in general are widely attended (with almost no overlap in attendees beyond me), I'd feel like a bit of ass for having started one.  The ladies who run the other groups are far better organized than I am. But there is clearly room for multiple, and they all meet on different days and at different times.

Deadly Chapters and Cafes is largely a democracy when it comes to book choices. We usually have a theme for the month picked for us (such as snowy setting for December, etc), and then anyone in the group can make suggestions that are on theme. Once all the suggestions are in, we vote. We have books picked a couple months out typically (which is good because thriller books are the hardest to get at the library it seems, without facing a decently long wait). I think we sometimes vote on the next meeting location, but I believe that is usually decided by Paula, who runs the group. Sometimes I like just being told where to be though, and not having to make choices. And since this group usually meets at coffee shops and I don't really drink coffee, it's much easier when they just tell me where to go. 

You would think that being in four different thriller book clubs, these would be the groups that see the most book selection overlap, because they're drawing from just one genre. You would also be very wrong. So far, there has not been a single book that was picked for more than one of these groups, within this genre set. Meanwhile, the big Colorado Springs Book Club, Book Hangout Book Club, and Fountain Book Club have all had several books overlap between the three, and I classify all of them as generic book clubs. If you love thrillers and want to talk about all the thrillers, but you don't want to repeat books between clubs, you can rest fairly assured that you won't see a lot of overlap in the local thriller groups as they stand right now. 

Some of my favorite reads from this group include The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James, They Never Learn by Layne Fargo, and Survive the Night by Riley Sager. 

Will you be joining us for a coffee and chat any time soon? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Twists and Page Turners Book Club - Colorado Springs

 This is becoming something of a habit for me, getting to these review posts late in the day. But we're heading into the weekend now, and my parents are going to be here Monday and Tuesday, so my goal this weekend is to get ahead and finish writing my book club reviews. But I have book club meetings both days this weekend (and they're for the two groups that I run, so I have to be there), and we are getting our taxes done tomorrow as well, so we will see how well my plans work out. 

And I could have gotten to this post earlier this evening, but after getting home from work (later than normal because traffic was awful on my route home), I still had to cook supper and then eat. And then I wanted to get my workout in. I make accountability posts on Insta when I start a workout, and there is a noticeable difference in my face since last year (and if I'd been consistent for the entire year, it would probably be even more noticeable, although there is only so much I can shed from my naturally round face). But on this day last year I also did a 3.3 mile walk and since it was in my Facebook memories, I decided to repeat that today. I completed it almost 12 whole minutes faster today than a year ago. So even if my weight wasn't any different, my fitness levels are. 

But enough about me. Let's talk about a book club. 

I've been in Twists and Page Turners Book Club for about a year and a half now (I think). I joined it when it first started, but missed the first meeting. This group is focused on thriller, horror, and mystery novels (mostly thriller). We meet at 6 pm on a Tuesday evening once every six weeks (or so. There have been a couple fluctuations due to holidays and such). The every six week thing is both nice and awful. It means that some months I have one fewer meeting to attend (which makes it easier to keep up), but it also means that some months it conflicts with Books and Booze, and then I still have one fewer meeting to attend because I can't be in two places at once. If anyone has a line on dependable cloning technology, let me know. 

This group is part democracy, part dictatorship. Cassidy is wildly organized, keeping close track of who attends what meetings, and uses that information to rotate book selection through the attending members. But the person whose turn it is to pick the book doesn't get to decide exactly what book we'll be reading. They are required to provide at least three options to be voted on by the group at large. And Cassidy and Debra then research the book options to determine how available they are (when it was my turn to pick, I provided more than three options, and pre-researched availability, but sometimes I'm an overachiever like that). Once a book is picked, then we vote on where to meet as well, with a focus on locally owned restaurants. 

Some of my favorite books from this group include Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney, and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. 

Will you join us, or are you scared? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Colorado Springs Friends Book Club

 Well I had a day! And not a good one. Started out with me not sleeping well last night (had trouble getting to sleep at all, and maybe that's because I didn't workout the last two days, but it probably has more to do with the fact that I've always had a delayed circadian rhythm. Then I ran an errand at work, and on my way back to the office, I hit a pothole and flattened my front passenger tire. And I am a strong, independent woman, so naturally I called my husband to come fix it for me. To be fair, the car I'm driving does not have a spare tire and my husband has picked my vehicles for the entirety of our marriage (I usually have the newest car, so I can only complain about that a little), so I was in that position partially because of him. 

Anyway, I'm going to try to get to bed earlier tonight and hope that helps tomorrow be less sucky. But first, a new book club review. 

Tonight I'm focusing on the Colorado Springs Friends Book Club. This group is less than a year old, and I fear it may be the next book club I lose, in this case not because I've been kicked out but because it's foundering and we can't seem to get new members. And maybe part of the problem is that it is a generic book club that meets on a weeknight (most of my book clubs meet on Saturday or Sunday, and the few that don't largely do have a specific genre they focus on). But if we started meeting on a weekend day, I might start missing meetings anyway because of conflicts with other groups. I'm just not sure what the answer is here. This is the group that I prioritize over the Downtown Book Club because it really does need me more from my experience. There have been at least two meetings where I was one of only two attendees. And I think the meeting that I had to miss because it was moved up a week and I was in Florida for work only had one attendee. Those numbers just don't work for a book club anyway you slice it. 

If you would like to join a group where your book suggestions will hold a lot of weight, this is a great one for that. With so few of us in the group, there just aren't many suggestions being thrown out in the first place. I have personally picked three of the books we've read, and I try really hard to not be responsible for picking book club books (because if I don't finish a book I picked in time, that's way worse than not finishing a book picked by someone else). 

Some of my favorite reads from this group include The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Lamb by Christopher Moore (even though I haven't finished it yet as that was the meeting I missed because Florida), and The Bone Ships by RJ Barker (although I don't recommend the audio for this one. Voices were not done well). 

Won't you join us and be our friend? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Basecamp Books and Adventure Book Club

It was another long day, with me leaving for work before the sun was up and getting home long after it went down, again because I had a book club meeting after work. This one started an hour earlier than last night's though, and because a few of the attendees have younger children and we meet at a home, we don't stay nearly as late. But it still has me at the computer at almost 10 pm, when I should really be curled up in bed, under my heated blanket, with a book getting ready to go to sleep. 

But first, a book club review. 

Today we are talking about the Basecamp Books and Adventure Book Club. This group is hosted by a local new and used book store, and I've been a member for a little over a year I think. I was hesitant to join at first, because I make some moderate attempts to speak with my dollars (I'm not perfect at it by any means) and Basecamp Books and Adventure is a veteran owned bookstore. As the spouse of a veteran living in a military town, I know the military skews conservative, and that makes me leery. In this instance, my concern was wildly unfounded, and I give Basecamp some of my dollars nearly every month. I try to stop in for Philanthropic Fridays, but I often forget that intention when my work day is over on Friday, so I don't succeed terribly often. 

Much like Books and Booze Book Club, this group has a pretty even gender split in attendees, and is probably the most likely to have more men in attendance than women (which in my experience is quite odd for a book club). We have read a very wide range of books for this group. Everything from The Murderbot Diaries to Lonesome Dove. At each meeting, members put forth suggestions for the next month's book, and then we vote. Joe adds whatever our book club selection is to the next order he places, so there are always copies available within a week of the book being selected. We usually meet the last Sunday of the month at 6 pm when the store closes. Biggest perk of being in this book club? Getting to shop after the meetings if something caught your eye when you walked in. 

Some of my favorite reads with this group include Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John-Mandel.  

Does this sound like a group you'd want to be part of? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Books and Booze Book Club

 It has been a long day for me. I left the house this morning before 7 am (like I always do for work) and then I had book club this evening at 7 pm, and I don't come home after work if I have extracurricular activities, even when those activities don't start for a couple/few hours after I get off work. That is doubly true of this book club, because it meets about two blocks from where I work. Like I don't even fasten my seatbelt to drive there half the time, and my car doesn't even yell at me about it. In an interesting twist of fate, that meeting was for THIS book club. So even though I had this review pre-written, what ends up published will probably only vaguely resemble what I already wrote. 

On that note, let's go. 

This group is an off-shoot of the big Colorado Springs Book Club and it goes by lots of names, none of them actually official. I refer to it as Books and Booze book club because we pretty much always meet at a brewery, and it's usually Storybook Brewery. Most of the members just call it Mid-Month book club, because we meet around the middle of the month. And Gregory calls it Tam's Sci-Fi Adventures, because this group has really allowed her to embrace her love of science fiction. 

This group is managed on StoryGraph, which I know but consistently forget, and it kind of causes problems for me. With 18 in person book clubs, I really need the event reminders in Facebook to tell me what book I need to read next, and when I need to have it read by. I'm not sure I even know how to read a book without a deadline induced panic anymore. We select books by rotating through the usual attendees (and this group has the most consistent core group of all my book clubs. It also has more gender balance in attendees than most of my book clubs). At this point, we have books selected several months out, which is where knowing that information is listed on StoryGraph is important. We do a pretty good job of talking about the chosen book for about an hour before the conversation devolves into Anna just yelling about the state of the world (there was so much yelling tonight about Demon Copperhead and how relevant it is. But we also stayed more on topic than normal, which was weird). And sometimes we have barely related PowerPoint Presentations about things like the new Jurassic Park movie (Scarlet Johansen is hot) and lizard people (I'm not a lizard person). 

Some of my favorite books read in this group were Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus, and Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. This was a difficult list to come up with, because I haven't loved most of the books we've read in this group (and that includes the ones I've picked). 

I said The Next Chapter isn't just a book club, we're friends. I'm going to go a step further here. Books and Booze feels more like family, a dysfunctional family, but family nonetheless. 

Is this a group you'd want to be adopted into? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Colorado Springs Book Club (2.0)

It's Monday, which means I had work. When I got home, the boy child wanted to drive and pick up supper for himself, as well as getting something to take for lunch on a field trip tomorrow. Since he still needs to get his driving hours in to get his license, I was not inclined to say no. Then we got home and my husband wanted to talk about his night at work, which just means I got to everything else I planned to do this evening later than I wanted to. 

I have book club meetings the next two nights, and both of them tend to go pretty late, so I need to get ahead on these reviews, so I don't end up behind again. In retrospect, I really should have put more thought into this, but I'm a rather impulsive person in general. 

But let's get into it. 

Today I'm reviewing the other Colorado Springs Book Club group (because of course I'm in both of them). I have been in this group for just over a year now (which I know because my first meeting was when they'd selected Onyx Storm for the book, just after it released). This is a group that I almost didn't go back to. There was a fairly large group at my first meeting, they all seemed like close friends, and I felt like an interloper. On top of that, it seemed like they were all young military wives, and I'm just at a different stage of my life than that. So why did I go back? Two of the women I was sitting next to at that first meeting put in some serious work to make me feel welcome and included. They were the type of military spouse that I needed but never found when my husband was active duty. And as a person who has no plans to move again, I can at least provide some stability for the group. Now I'm glad I stuck it out as most of the members when I joined have PCSd and attendance has dropped (I'm needed!)

This group is technically a generic book club, with no specified genre, but it leans pretty heavily towards romantasy. The meeting locations change, with a focus on locally owned restaurants, but we always meet the first Sunday of the month at 3 pm, so at least I always know when I have to have the book finished and when I'm busy. 

Some of my favorite reads from this group include Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry and The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst. 

Is this a group you'd want to join? - Katie  

*Book Club Review* Colorado Springs Thrills and Chills Book Club

 It's been a busy day at my house. I talked about doing a Costco run with the husband in my last post, but after that I still had to do things like cook supper and wash laundry so I'll have clean clothes to wear to work all week. A part of me really wants to expand my wardrobe so that if I'm feeling particularly lazy one week, I could just skip the laundry thing, but I don't want to do that while I'm actively on a "fitness" journey (let's be real, I'm really trying to lose some/most of this excess weight, and I've been seeing some results, but I still have a ways to go on that score). Plus, this body still isn't fun to dress. 

Since I still have one book club review to write to be caught up, let's get to it. 

This review is of the second group that I'm incredibly biased about, because I run it, still chaotically. I'm not surprisingly more organized for this group than I expect to be for Fantasy book club. Weird, I know. Much like Fantasy Book Club, I started running this one because the thriller book club that I had found and joined quickly became defunct. I don't know what happened there, but I may have been the problem just trying to keep it going when the creator failed to show up to the second meeting. In any case, I'd joined a thriller book club because it's the one major genre that I don't naturally gravitate towards, and I didn't want to lose it (and I didn't know that there was already another thriller book club option in town at the time). Obviously I feel like this is the best of the four thriller book clubs that I know of in town (and that's a lie. The other three are much more organized, and if you enjoy thrillers, I'd recommend joining all of them.) 

Much like Fantasy Book Club, this group meets at the same place, at the same time, on the same day of the month (3rd Sunday at 2:30 pm at Slice 420 on Oro Blanco). I just do not have the bandwidth to spread our business around like the other groups I'm in do. This can be a problem when the locations I've chosen are closed for holidays like Easter (that happened last year and I had to call a mulligan and host at my house). 

In this group, we pick books three months in advance, which you would think would make it easier for me to post the events in a timely fashion, and once I actually get ahead on them maybe it will. But we've been picking books this way for over a year and so far I have not gotten ahead of the game. Will this post be the motivation to do it now? Probably not. 

Some of my favorite reads with this group include Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead, and The September House by Carissa Orlando. 

Do you think my thriller group will come out on top? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Colorado Springs Atheist Book Club

 I was way too tired after book club last night to want to dive into writing another book club review, so I just didn't do that. But then my husband suggested going to Costco today, and I needed to get more ground beef for meals, so we did that, and then I had to portion out the ground beef (about 14 pounds of it) for freezing, so once again I feel behind on what I'm doing. On top of that, I have to read almost all of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver by 7 pm Tuesday for book club, and I also have to work the next two days. I have the physical book, and I just don't want to cave and get the audio on this one since I can't access it through the library. But if I don't get back on track with these book club reviews, I'm not going to get through my bracket before March is over. 

On that note, let's get into my next review. 

Today I'll be reviewing the local Atheist Book Club. I was invited to this group by someone who decided in November that they no longer want to associate with me on a friend level, and I have to assume it's based on things someone else said about me based on the timing. They've claimed that's not the case, but I read way too much to not have a decent grasp on human behavior, and this is a person I thought I knew pretty well. I was clearly wrong because I would have expected for them to at least ask about my side of the story, like I did when I heard negative stories about them. But not everyone has the same morals I do. 

Anyway, I've only been in attendance for two meetings with this group so far. I missed the last meeting as I just wasn't feeling well after Aunt Flo showed up while I was at work. Normally I wouldn't let that stop me, but I just didn't have the energy and wanted to head home and be a vegetable for the evening. A part of me regrets that decision, because the book conversations in this group have been very interesting, and we were going to be discussing The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, and I was really excited to see what others thought about Clinton's involvement with the book. 

This group does way more than just a book club though. They host roundtable discussions, hikes, coffee meet-ups, I think there's an annual camping trip. I really don't have a good handle on all this group has to offer yet as my focus has been on the book club. If you're local looking for an aggressively non-religious group, this would probably be a good one for you to check out. 

The two other books that I've read for this group were The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffennegger and Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. They are pretty intentional in switching between genres, and time periods within certain genres like historical fiction. They are also super organized with spreadsheets for past reads. I want to be more like them when I grow up. 

How will they compare against other book clubs? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* COS Fantasy Book Club

 It is mid-day on Saturday and I'm between book club meetings. I just finished working out and I'm almost finished reading the book for my last book club meeting of the day. I will at least finish in time. I started my morning with the Shelf Care Book Club, and it was a great small group of ladies. I will be editing my review of the group now that I've actually attended a meeting to include some information about how they operate. 

But I need to wash dishes before I leave for Next Chapter book club this evening, so let's get right to my review of Fantasy Book Club. 

This group technically hasn't met yet, because it's the result of me being kicked out of the other fantasy book club in town (because of the events that led to the rebrand of Next Chapter actually). Fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres though, so losing that group was very sad. I saw it coming though because some people are very predictable. 

I'm obviously biased about how awesome this group is, since I run it, but I'm also going to be honest that it will be run chaotically. I've met me. I have really solid intentions, and I'm off to a good start at sticking to them right now, but I am just not organized enough for things to not devolve. But that's why the groups that I run meet at the same time, on the same day of the month (in this case it's the 2nd Saturday at 11 am), and at the same place. I do not do a good job of posting events in a timely fashion, but you should at least know where to go and when. But my daughter getting an ADHD diagnosis yesterday may help me get one of my very own, and meds could make a world of difference in my ability to manage these things better. 

Unlike the other fantasy group in town, this group is for everyone; men and women. And for now we are supporting a local veteran owned brewery (Wackadoo Brewing) that puts its money where its mouth is, donating a significant portion of profits to organizations that help veterans. That is a mission I can get behind. 

Because this group hasn't met yet, I will be using my former group for books that I've enjoyed reading. Some of my favorite books in the fantasy group include Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh. 

Come back either later today or tomorrow to see what I have to say about Atheist Book Club. - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Downtown Colorado Springs Book Club

 This review was supposed to be posted last night, but something happened when I got home from work that emotionally ruined my whole night and all my plans for the evening went out the window. Instead of cooking supper, we ordered sushi/hibachi. Instead of working out and reading, I sat on the couch and watched tv while scrolling reels on Facebook. And instead of getting this review posted, I went to bed early (that was at least helpful). 

But we're heading into the weekend, so I'll just post two book club reviews tomorrow to get myself back on track, maybe. I also have three book club meetings tomorrow, so I may be a bit too busy to actually post two book club reviews. But I have nothing to do on Sunday, so I'll definitely get three book club reviews posted this weekend. 

I also get to announce the winner of the first round match-up. In a move surprising probably no one, The Next Chapter is moving on to the next round, as was expected from my first seed club. And I'm excited to actually meet the ladies in Shelf Care Book Club tomorrow morning. 

But enough of that. Let's get into the next review. 

I have been a member of the Downtown Colorado Springs Book Club for about a year, I think, but I have only attended two meetings. Unfortunately, after the first two meetings I attended, the meeting day and time have conflicted with other groups I would prefer to prioritize. Originally the conflict was with Smutty Book Club, and those meetings are pretty much always a wild time, whether we talk about the books or not. Now the conflict is with the Colorado Springs Friends Book Club, which I prioritize because it is small (I have attended more than one meeting with only myself and one other person there. We are trying to figure out how to gain some traction for this group). The two Downtown BC meetings I attended had several people in attendance, so from my experience, Friends needs me more. If this group met a week earlier, I would attend pretty much every time. But I don't expect groups to change their practices just to accommodate me. 

Before I attended my first meeting with this group, I'd heard from a few people that it was clique-y. That was not my experience, but I could see where the potential for that feeling could exist. When several people in a book club are also friends outside of the group, that can definitely bleed into interactions within the group. Book club does not exist in a vacuum. I've found book clubs to be a great way to make friends, but I'm not friends with everyone I'm in book club with. And that's reasonable. I click with different people in different ways, and some of them will always only be acquaintances. But if you thought you were part of the friend group, it would hurt to find out otherwise. 

Some of the books I'm sad I missed the meetings for include Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, The Wedding People by Alison Espach, and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

Hopefully the stars align at some point soon, and I can start attending this group regularly. Stop by tomorrow to see what I have to say about Fantasy Book Club. - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Colorado Springs Book Club

 I had a much better day at work today than yesterday, in case you were wondering. Most of you probably weren't, and that's fine. You don't actually know me, so why would you. And once again, I'm getting this written and posted later in the day than I'd like, but I only have myself to blame for that. Tonight it's because I wanted to make sure to get a long walk in after work (on a treadmill, because I do live in Colorado and even though it was nice today, by the time I got home from work, it was starting to cool down, and I'm still expected to feed the family). If I was smart, I'd get ahead on this and write TWO reviews tonight so all I have to do tomorrow is hit publish, but that's just crazy talk. 

Anyway, let's get to the next book club.

Today's group is Colorado Springs Book Club (be warned, there are at least two groups with this exact name on Facebook. The header for this one is always a solid color with the next meeting's book, meeting location and time listed). If you search for book clubs in Colorado Springs on Facebook, this group is likely to be very high on the list. It is the biggest book club I'm a member of, with consistent attendance between 20-30 people. Last year we had several meetings with over 40 attendees. I say that as a warning to anyone with social anxiety who also wants to join a book club. While this is a great group, it's maybe not for you unless you bring a good friend. It can be a lot. Shit, in this group, I can be a lot as I tend to class clown at these meetings. 

This was the second book club I joined in the Springs, which is why it's the #2 seed on my bracket. The meetings were a bit more intimate when I joined, but even then it was a good sized group. Like the other two clubs I've reviewed so far, this is what I consider to be a generic book club. It doesn't have a specific genre focus, and there's a decent variety between historical fiction, contemporary, thriller, fantasy etc. One of the things I love about this group is that books are picked for the year in advance. Voting usually happens in October or November, but then you have time to actually obtain the books, which makes it easier to either get them through the library, or to catch them on sale. And if you like one on one coffee dates, Kieshia absolutely wants to do that with you. 

Some of my favorite reads with this group include Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, and The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. 

But how will this 2nd seed fare against my 15th seed, Downtown Colorado Springs Book Club? I'll have that review posted tomorrow, and voting will begin on the Facebook page. - Katie 

*Book Club Review* Shelf Care Book Club

I'm getting to this post a little later than I'd wanted to, but I had a book club meeting tonight (happens a lot with 18 of them. Weird, I know). This was after an emotionally exhausting day at work that started about an hour before I was even supposed to be there (I get to work stupid early every day because I much prefer the commute to be a mere 25 minutes rather than the hour it would be if I left any later than I do). I usually sit in my car in the parking lot for about an hour and a half before my day starts, reading, but today I went inside so I could more easily eat the fruit bowl I'd brought for breakfast and read the book I needed to finish for the book club meeting tonight. And that was my first mistake. It ultimately resulted in an unnecessary confrontation that left me shaken as there were only the two of us in the building. Fortunately, I work for a company that values mental health and emotional well-being, and I was given the rest of the day off, and it was even mentioned that I should use the time to get a pedicure or day drink, so I did both. I am not fully centered though, as evidenced by breaking down while telling my husband about it this evening. 

But enough of that. Let's get into my next book club review. 

My journey through my unreasonable number of book clubs continues today with Shelf Care Book Club. This is a pretty new group in the area, and so far I have managed to have personal conflicts for every meeting. I will finally be attending my first meeting with this group this Saturday though, and I really enjoyed the book that was picked. Because I haven't actually attended a meeting yet, I don't really have much I can say about this group, and that's part of why it ranks dead last among the book clubs that made the playoffs. 

Books this group has read so far include The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (and I'm really sad I missed that meeting because I loved that book when I read it several years ago), The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. I am really excited to discuss The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix on Saturday, and hopefully I really like the vibe of the group as well. 

Will this underdog come out on top? - Katie 

*Book Club Review* The Next Chapter

 I am a book addict, and that extends to book clubs as well. In fact, I am in an unreasonable number of in person book clubs (18 that meet to discuss a specific book, and two silent book clubs) as well as one virtual book club that actually doesn't feel real to me yet because I keep forgetting to show up for the meetings (sorry Cuz. I'm super excited about the next two books because I at least own both of them). Being in 18 book clubs means that I spend a whole lot of time reading books that other people tell me to read. This is a very weird thing for me to want, since I hated reading as a subject in school because I didn't like being told what to read and when to read it. I have even become a bit notorious in the Colorado Springs book community because everyone remembers the chick who is crazy and in 18 book clubs. 

People in several of my book clubs consistently tell me I should pare them down, get rid of a few and maybe read some books that I pick for myself without a deadline for a change. And it's solid advice. I don't actually recommend being in 18 book clubs. But I also don't want to quit ANY of them. How would I even choose which book clubs to leave? In fact, I was recently kicked out of my fantasy book club (that's a WHOLE thing), and instead of taking the L, I started a new fantasy book club. I have problems. 

As we were heading into March, I decided to have you all help me to MAYBE narrow down my book clubs to a more manageable number (to be clear, the only times I miss meetings are if I'm ill or they conflict with other book club meetings, so I'm technically managing it already) by doing a Battle of the Book Clubs March Madness style. I am in enough groups for a solid bracket. Sure, we're starting at Sweet 16, but even I know 64 book clubs is too many. 

Up first, we have The Next Chapter. This is a rebrand of the first book club I joined here in Colorado. I have been in it the longest and I'm a founding member (twice over since it's technically a new group now, but all but one of the remaining founding members of the original group is in this group so...) This group gave me the village that I've been searching for my entire adult life. There is not a doubt in my mind that if there was some sort of emergency that required my husband and I to leave the state for an extended period of time, these ladies would step up as they're able to make sure our pets are taken care of, including administering meds twice a day for our cat who has seizures, and that our teenagers aren't throwing wild parties without adult supervision (I don't actually trust that there would be no parties, but there would be an adult present, and it would probably be Karen). 

I consider this a generic book club because we've read from a variety of genres. The hosting member for each month gets to put forth choices to be voted on by the group, typically. But the hosting member is also allowed to be a dictator and just tell us all what we're reading for the next meeting. Some of my favorite book discussions for The Next Chapter include The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (this was a dictator decision, but the meal she prepared was well themed and so worth it), and Nocticadia by Keri Lake. 

We aren't just a book club. We're actually friends. 

I'll be back tomorrow with a review for Shelf Care Book Club, and then the first match-up will begin. - Katie