Category Archives: Series

365I: Zoologist Couple Explore Animals With Son and Daughter

My fourth grade teacher (in about 1971) read to our class a book about a zoologist couple and their two children (a boy and a girl) who went on an expedition together as a family to the Amazon jungle to discover animals. I think for a zoo, but maybe not. Each chapter was about a search for a different kind of animal (like an armadillo) describing its nature and its habits. The children had some thrilling adventures – for example, with a jaguar – from which they were rescued by their parents. It was a series because I remember that there was another book where they went to Africa.

364X: Fae Dark Romance Series

I read a book series several years ago and I usually have an excellent memory in regards to books, but for some reason I cannot seem to remember this one. It’s an adult dark romance series about Fae or Faries, and only some people can see them. In the first book, there was a woman who could see the Fae since she was little but ignored it until recently (for some reason…). 


There is one Puck-like character in several of the books and he’s meant to be perceived as a bad guy until his book rolls around at number 3/4 in the series when he becomes a good guy (actually was the whole time). I don’t remember his first name but I remember his last name was Black. What’s funny is that I actually read them out of order and I read this one first and went back to read from the beginning, chuckling each time he came up because the mains didn’t like him but I knew he’d be good eventually.


I also remember that there is some kind of a fairy kingdom in another dimension that are really not good people. And in fact the character I mentioned above, Black, I think used to be a kind of henchman for them? And he wanted out, but in order to protect himself and his love interest, he had to make a verbal contract with another Fae which can be tricky because they love to find loopholes, so he went on for a long time trying to cover every loophole he could think of and never breaking eye contact to try to make sure that this other Fae couldn’t hurt them in the future.


I know this is long and I’m sorry I can’t remember more….but is there any chance you could help? I have been wracking my brain for days trying to think of the series but I just can’t remember…

364J: Russian (?) siblings go live on a farm when orphaned (Solved!)

This is actually two books that I remember reading many times in the 70’s. These were two novels. The plot was that two siblings were orphaned and went to live on a farm. Maybe they were Russian or Ukrainian? I remember the description of the girl being given a special costume to wear that had many many skirts. I also remember a description of the Wax, Dyed Eggs at Easter. I think they went to the special fair and got a very decorated cookie. The Farm was stocked with lots of food, including sausages hung in the pantry. The second novel was a little darker, because I believe there was a war.
Thank you for any help you can give with these two books.

362R: Wild Manipulation / Duplication Box Adventures

Science Fiction / Fantasy

Originally read in ebook format on a nook or kindle around 2010 or 2011. The book was free. No history on services.

Man Travels the Universe using software

The book starts off on a ship with a team of people headed to Mars (it is possible the book started with them there). The team is given or find a box which they find has symbols and words inside it. The entire team studies the item. They find they can replicate items by putting it in the box. The main character discovers how to manipulate the symbols and words, which he relates to programming BASIC, to do different things. Together with a female teammate they decide to terraform Mars by opening a path to earths atmosphere. They then head back to earth using the device (instant transport).

They are a couple for a while on earth where they figure out how to duplicate money and do some other fun things. At some point they are discovered by someone. A “creator” who invites them to their place somewhere in time / space. The creator has traveled time and space and acquired all sorts of historical documents and brought interesting people to his home.  He talks about an experiment with sports players and taking Babe Ruth out of his era and putting him in the current era and Babe Ruth still excels in the current era. He also talks about viewings of history through a pinhole in time which allows him to see but the people he is viewing in history to not know.

Up to this point the main character has been traveling with the female companion. The “creator” breaks them up by introducing the man to an actress that had died in the 1930’s to 1950’s but he pulled her out of one of the realities and brought her to his home.  He ends up sleeping with the actress. The woman companion knows what happened. They then break up. The “creator” says it was for the best as it would never have lasted.  Tells him he can go wherever, whenever he wants and if the actress wants to go, she can.  While here the creator also transfers his brain to a younger body of his using the “syntax”.  The ‘creator” gives the man a pda (older style tablet) device that has pre-loaded code written to accomplish specific tasks, like duplication, portals. The man and the actress travel back to his current time and create a movie with the actress as the lead role (even through in this reality she has been dead for years). Can’t remember much after this.

There was a sequel to the book where a different man finds a pda in a bar bathroom and figures out how to use it and goes on some epic quests. The original owner of the pda was placed in a coma and was hospitalized.  in the second book was trying to have the universe re-written with his DNA encoded but a programmer said it was not possible.

361W: Japanese book about a boy who seeks a powerful sword from a dragon atop a mountain

I don’t know how you guys do with a series compared to single books, as this may be memory of the plot being tied to all the books, but I will try to order what I can remember as I go. If I were to guess I’d say there’s between 3 and 6 books.

Firstly I believe the story starts in a village in Japan. I don’t remember if the main character is foreign or Japanese. But the village is attacked by either ninjas or samurai from the emperor/shogun. The main character flees and at some point is sent on a journey to find certain treasures (maybe pertaining to the elements? Fire, sky, water, and earth). I only say this because at some point he is tasked to swim underwater for some item (I think jewelry or a pearl?) and while seeking the item underwater is tested or attacked by either a mermaid or a dragon. I know during his adventure he’s being chased by some guy who I think dies on his horse?
As the story at this point diverges from the main characters’ journey to this bad guy in hell who is trapped there wishing for revenge. Eventually the guy in hell gets free by finding the strength in a maggot he manages to eat. He escapes hell and rejoins the world as an undead and eventually starts killing other people in his quest for revenge and grows an undead army. (I’m assuming this part is in the final book) The main character hears of this and is tasked with climbing a mountain to obtain a powerful sword guarded by a dragon. The dragon tests him and after some sort of battle and fire breathing let’s him have the sword in which the character wraps up the story by killing the undead guy again.
If you have any questions please let me know! It’s been bugging me that I can’t remember. During your search you may come across a series called Young Samurai which is 8 books. I’ve read that series recently so I know it is not that one at least.

361E: Boy lives in lighthouse, has AI companion, fights elemental monsters (Solved!)

This is a children’s series
Boy lives in lighthouse with an AI companion who designs all-terrain ships/vehicles. Boy uses advanced technology mods to fight elemental monsters. There was a secret base underneath, and the main character fights elemental monsters that occur beyond the borders of human habitation. the areas are separated into the prime elements such as water, earth, air and fire along with mixed elements such as mud and lava.
My son was reading this at school in 2010/2011 and waiting for new publications at this time. He has confirmed that it is not ’The Edge’ series or ‘Monsters of the Earth’.

361B: Trilogy With People That Absorb Magic Power (Solved!)

This is a high fantasy trilogy that I read in the early 90’s where the magic system had a very unique requirement that required a person that was sensitive to magic power, who would dedicate his life not to casting/making magic but only with the ability to absorb the magic power around him like a battery and then was able to give that power to an actual mage that could then use it to make magic.  The mage would be useless without having access to this other person who would feed them magic power.

Also by the third book the magical world gets invaded by a world/reality that has modern technology like tanks and guns.