So far so good, you can see my book bingo card here. I had one DNF, On The Road by Jack Kerouac, which I struggled with throughout a good chunk of March, but I am so glad I put it down, because I didn't want to put myself in a slump. I have finished 8 books in the first quarter of the year:

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell - this story famously started out on AO3, which I didn't know about until after I read it, but it might explain why I loved it so much. It is a M/M sci-fi romance that is very tropey, but also deals with some tough issues. I was delighted by this story, I loved both the main characters, and couldn't help but root for them to get together

The History of the World in Fifty Dogs by Mackenzi Lee - this is the best bathroom reader, and I don't mean this in the negative way, it is prefect for bite sized reading. Each chapter is a non-fiction story about a famous dog from history

The Professional by Robert B. Parker - this was a decent mystery, an easy read, but not particularly memorable. I will say that it was supposed to take place in the 2000s, but it felt like it could have been taking place decades earlier, if you had said that it was placed in the 1960s, I wouldn't have batted an eye, the set-up and the snappy dialogue was good, but didn't feel particularly modern.

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu - a novel about a teenage Bruce Wayne, before he became Batman. I enjoyed this one, it was fun to see Bruce being less assured, and making mistakes. I wanted more Bruce and Alfred scenes, we get a couple really nice scenes between them when Alfred is hurt, but I wanted to explore their relationship more. Although, this is probably just me, I am a sucker for the idea that Alfred is Bruce's adoptive father, even if that isn't always acknowledged in canon. My one complaint, is this felt very modern, like taking place in 2018 (when the book was published), but if this is the story of a now adult Bruce Wayne shouldn't have been taking place in the 1990s or early 2000s?

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware - another okay mystery, I think this one had some potential, but the author dragged it out for a little too long and the ending was kind of cliched. I was disappointed, because I had heard good things about this author, but this is her lowest rated novel, so maybe not the best one to judge her on

Star Trek/X-Men by Scott Lobdell - this one was fun, the X-Men are pulled through a portal into the Star Trek universe, and meet Kirk, Spock and McCoy. I really liked this, I just wished that it had been a little longer, there was a lot of plot to get through, and I wish we had more time to see the characters interacting, but I get they were probably pressed to fit the entire story in one volume. Also, Trek authors really like to pile the trauma onto Kirk don't they?

Airframe by Michael Crichton - this was an interesting mystery, and the author did a good job explaining the aviation related plot points. I can see why this author's books are well liked, they are pretty engaging. I will say though, you can tell this was written pre-911, because some of the airplane practices would not fly nowadays, for example there is a scene where the cockpit door is left open during a flight, and you would never see that now.

His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale - If you ever read those old historical romances and wondered what it would be like if the genders where reversed, then this is the book for you.  Our heroine is a very large, experienced, warrior woman, and our hero is a soft boy monk who spent his entire life cloistered in a monastery.  I loved this, it was so fun to see the classic tropes reversed.  Someone on another review said that Lucien, our hero, was a cinnamon roll, and that is a prefect description for him.  He is a cinnamon roll that has a lot of internal conflict about his growing feelings for Glory, our woman warrior.  This probably isn't for everyone, but it was great for me.  Someone on DW recommended this to me last year, and I can't remember who, but whoever you are, thank you!