Majkia N3RDs it out

Currently Reading:
 
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Categories:

1. Big Damn Heroes: Tricksters, Heroes, Anti-Heroes
(3/10)
2. Sword in the Darkness: Storming castles, facing down monsters, magic
(3/10)
3. Travels in Time: New worlds, new beings, space opera, hard SF, general weirdness.
(3/10)
4. Fame and Fortune: Quests, puzzles, chases
(3/10)
5. Whodunnits: Mysteries
(6/10)
6. Goggles and cool hats: alt history, steampunk, historical
(1/10)
7. Spies and Lies Spies, Thrills, Conspiracies
(3/10)
8. So Say We All: Group Reads
(2/12)
9. The Stars Made Manifest: Early Reviewers and Gifts
(1/5)
10. Beyond the Wall Scandi/Euro/Misc Mysteries
(1/10)

Category 1. Big Damn Heroes Tricksters, Anti-heroes, Heroes?



1. Return of the Crimson Guard - Ian C. Esslemont
2. Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks
3. Dog On It - Spencer Quinn
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:

Flashman - George MacDonald Fraser

Joe Abercrombie
Richard K. Morgan
Alex Bledsoe

Category 2. The Sword in the Darkness Fantasy, Magic, Storming Castles



1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling
2. Hammered - Kevin Hearne
3. Cloud Roads - Martha Wells
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:

Reaper's Gale - Steven Erikson
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor
The Crown Conspiracy - Michael J Sullivan
The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly
Steven Erikson - Malazan series

Category 3. Travels in Time New worlds, new beings, space opera, hard SF, general weirdness.



1. The January Dancer - Michael Flynn
2. The Player of Games - Iain M. Banks
3. Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:

Hominids - Robert J. Sawyer
The Dervish House - Ian McDonald
James S.A. Corey - The Expanse series
Neal Stephenson - Quicksilver etc.
Jack McDevitt

Category 4. Fame and Fortune Quests, puzzles, chases, heists.



1. Polaris - Jack McDevitt
2. The Alexander Cipher - Will Adams
3. The Gauguin Connection - Estelle Ryan
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:

Ian Pears
Matthew Pearl
Douglas Preston Pendergast and others

Category 5. Whodunnits (US/Canada/UK)



1. God Save the Child - Robert B. Parker
2. The Pure in Heart - Susan Hill
3. The League of Frightened Men - Nero Wolfe
4. A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny
5. In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley
The White Lioness - Henning Mankell

Barbara Vine
Margery Allingham
Stuart MacBride
Louise Penny

Category 6. Goggles and Cool Hats Alt history, Steampunk, Historical



1. Bone River - Megan Chance
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:
Crystal Rain - Tobias S, Buckell
In the Garden of Iden - Kage Baker
Farthing - Jo Walton
K. J. Parker - Engineering Trilogy
The Daedalus Incident - Michael J. Martinez
Martha Wells - Ile-Rien

Category 7. Spies and Lies Spies, Thrills, Conspiracies.



1. Dark Star - Alan Furst
2. A Trace of Smoke - Rebecca Cantrell
3. The English Assassin - Daniel Silva
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Possibles:

A Spy in the House - Y.S. Lee
Daniel Silva
Alan Furst
John Le Carre

Category 8. So Say We All Group Reads



Planned. Will mark as read as/if I finish them.

1. P. G. Wodehouse - February - skipped
2. Raj Quartet 1 - The Jewel in the Crown - March COMPLETED
3. Three Musketeers - March - COMPLETED
4. Margaret Atwood - March
5. Raj Quartet 2 - Day of the Scorpion -May
6. Foucault's Pendulum - May
7. Georgette Heyer - June
8. Raj Quartet 3 The Towers of Silence - July
9. Armadale - July
10. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt - August
11. Raj Quartet 4 - A Division of the Spoils - September
12. Pillars of the Earth - 4th Quarter
13. Connie Willis - December

Category 9. The Stars Made Manifest Early Reviewer books and Gifts



"The molecules of your body are the same molecules that make this station and the nebula outside, that burn inside the stars themselves. We are star-stuff. We are the Universe, made manifest, trying to figure itself out. And, as we have both learned, sometimes the Universe needs a change of perspective." - Delenn"

1. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
2.
3.
4.
5.

Category 10. Beyond the Pond Wall Scandi / EuroCrime



1. Death at La Fenice - Donna Leon
2.
3.
4.
5.

Mystery CATs:

January: Detectives: The League of Frightened Men - Read and God Save the Child - Read
February: Series: The English Assassin - Read, In the Bleak Midwinter - Read A Rule Against Murder - Read
March: YA: Book of Lost Things, A Spy in the House, Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
April: Nordic: Henning Mankell
May: Classic, Golden Age: Margery Allingham
June: Police Procedural: The Blackhouse
July: Noir, Hard-Boiled: Richard K. Morgan, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid
August: British: Anne Perry, Death of an Irish Politician
September: Book Themed: Shadow of the Wind, Burglars Can't be Choosers, Murder is Binding
October: Global: Donna Leon, Barbara Cleverly, Colin Cotterill
November: Historical: Charles Finch, Steven Saylor, The Sherlockian
December: Cozy: Victoria Thompson, Carola Dunn, Dorothy Sayers, The Alto Wore Tweed

Geo CATs:

January: Canada and US: Return of the Crimson Guard - Read,
February: MiddleEast/North Africa: The Alexander Cipher - Read
March: Central America/Caribbean: Crystal Rain
April: Eastern Europe: Alan Furst, Daughter of Smoke and Bone
May: South Asia/India: Flashman, Beverly Cleverly
June: Islands and Bodies of Water: Ann Cleeves, The DaVinci Deception
July: Polar Regions: Ice Station, Subterranean
August: Western Europe:
September: EAst Asia:
October: South America:
November: Australia/Oceana:
December: SubSaharan Africa:

Random CATs:

January: Janus: comings goings etc: A Trace of Smoke - Read, Return of the Crimson Guard - Read
February: Children's Literature: will probably skip this one
March: Birds of Spring - Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

I'm a nerd too, and I love your categories!

I'm not sure what sort of book wouldn't fit in any of your categories (poetry, maybe, but not sure beyond that), but I guess you can cross that bridge when you get there. At least if it's fiction, you can say it has a hero or an anti-hero, because that's true of all fiction, right?

Hee, I love the photo for Big Damn Heroes :)

"Firefly"!!!

That is all. :)

Nerds are awesome. Ain't we just?

>13 christina_reads: Firefly indeed and Dr Who. The steampunk lady is not so bad too. Love the categories.

Great to see you all set up and ready. I'm still tweaking mine but will probably get it up later today. Looking forward to seeing how you fill your categories this year, Jean.

Excellent categories and I love the illustrations! Looking forward to following along.

Just realized that I starred your new thread, but hadn't bothered to say hello. Love the Firefly picture. I'll be checking out your picks for Goggles and Cool Hats.

The taxonomy of nerds, something only a true nerd would indulge in. Well done!

Looks like a place i should drop into often, dropping a star

Fun categories and with Nathan Fillion & Harrison Ford to welcome me too :)

With so many of my favorite TV series referenced, I'm sure I'll be struck with BBs, lasers, and whatevers here!

love all the categories especially firefly!!

speaking of nerdish things, here's a recent tee fury tee shirt. One of many terrific designs they offer, but only for a day!

Nerds are introverts, Geeks are extroverts.

Yah for nerds! Love the tardis gif for category #3! Of course, I will be following the books your read for your Goggles and Cool Hats category, along with all of the other categories.

Oh, so the gif for category #1 is Firefly.... I thought they looked familiar! ;-)

But, but, but, can you be a nerd without a Star Trek reference? I love how everyone is so creative with their categories!

yeah, no Star Trek. No Star Wars though either... I tried to fit in 'Han Shot First" ! And maybe Tribbles....

Well, you do have a picture of Harrison Ford :-)

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/09/a-nerd-is-a-geek-is-a-nerd-is-a-geek

29> Love the SvennDiagram comment.

yes, cool article. I still like the difference I highlight best mainly because it isn't divisive. There are those of us who are introverts and those of us who are eager to cosplay. ;)

#1 is the cutest little nerd I've ever seen. Good luck on achieving your goals!

#32 by @Carmenere> Ain't she just!

I've added an 8th category: So Say We All (BSG) for Group reads.

Love the categories! Especially the Firefly and the BSG!

I love the categories, the nerd - this will probably be the most dangerous place on the planet...

You are so creative. I can't wait to see your categories filled out.

well, I'm trying to fill out some categories. I have no idea how I'm going to read all these books, given the CATs I have listed separately and my own categories. Argh.

I totally don't agree with your definition, but I love the theme & categories! :)

well, life would be dull if we all agreed on everything!

Hey, I'm a nerd, too!

Stalked you back here to star your list because of your trenchcoat-wearing cat comment on my own categories post. Not sure I made a smart decision as I can see you're a danger to my 'to read' list...

Choosing to see that as a good thing -- thanks!

#42 by @ReshiBec> LOL. Welcome anyway!

I've added a ninth category: Babylon 5: The Stars Made Manifest. For Early reviewer books and gifts.

Welcome to the challenge, majkia!! Loving everything!!

I was hoping for a Revenge of the Nerds reference in here somewhere, though! :p

#45 by @punkypower> HAHAHA! Too bad I didn't think of that!

>44 majkia: That reminds me that I am due a rewatch of the series! I hope I can find it on Netflix.

And did I mention I also like the Whodunnits picture? If not, well, now you know :D Looking forward to following your 2014 adventures!

Another article on the origins of 'nerd' and 'geek' and a few other co opted negative terms:

http://io9.com/the-secret-origins-of-nerd-dork-and-other-things-you-1482137598

Ahhh! A thread for me! Thanks majkia.

oh well, idea gone wrong

Ha ha ha!

I received some great books this year:

From the XMas Swap: (thanks qebo!)

Among Others
Ready Player One
To Say Nothing of the Dog

From SantaThing: (thanks thornton3781 !)
A Lesson in Dying
Mr Timothy
Belshazzar's Daughter
Iron House

I'm so excited about reading every one of them!

Great new books! Love your categories. I'm delaying 2014 a little longer, but I'll be joining you over in this group soon.

Thanks Katie! See you soon!

I've finished my reading for 2013 and have started my first book for the new year. It's 700 pages so no fear I'll finish it before 2014, hah!

Return of the Crimson Guard - Ian C. Esslemont

Hey, congrats on your grandbabies! I just saw the pics in last year's thread and *gushes* :)

Hope to follow more of you in 2014!

#57 by @pammab> Thanks. Both are doing well and driving their parents crazy. Doing their job quite well!

The Plan for January:

A Trace of Smoke - Rebecca Cantrell (historical Fiction) TIOLI #8, RandomCAT
Return of the Crimson Guard - Ian C. Esslemont (fantasy) TIOLI #8, RandomCAT, GeoCAT
Cold Days - Jim Butcher (fantasy) - TIOLI #3 MysteryCAT, GeoCAT
The Pure in Heart - Susan Hill TIOLI #6 - audiobook
The Magician's Guild - Trudi Caravan -GD Group Read TIOLI #10
League of Frightened Men - Rex Stout (mystery) MysteryCAT, GeoCAT TIOLI 12 - dead tree
God Save the Child - Robert B. Parker (mystery) MysteryCAT, GeoCAT TIOLI 12
Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks - re-read Banks Group Read TIOLI #13
Burn Me Deadly - Alex Bledsoe (fantasy) MysteryCAT, GeoCAT

Currently Reading

Return of the Crimson Guard Ian C. Esslemont



I'm on 130 or so of 700 pages.

When I'm reading these, I always think I should count it as two books, since after every chapter I scurry on over to the Tor. com website to read the notes in Re-read of the Fallen there. Sigh. Very dense, very good, and with way too many characters!

Hi Jean ! Love your categories and, of course, your Firefly, Doctor Who and steampunk graphics.
I see you have Farthing on your list. Are you planning to read the complete Small Change trilogy?

#61 by @VioletBramble> yes, I'm hoping to read all the Small Change books.

I'm planning on Farthing for next year too! Will look forward to seeing your thoughts on the Small Change series.

Sigh. I've added a new category. Mummies and Librarians. For, tada: Library books.

See #10 above. :)

Almost everything I read is a library book, so that would be a pointless category for me! I can't imagine paying for books unless they are reference-type books or books you want to write in for a class or something. The only books I buy are health books (what I mean by reference-type books, not a reference book, but something you'll want to refer to again and again), self-help books, and occasionally cookbooks.

well, for many years we were library-less. only within the last 10 or so years did the town libraries band together and then build actual, you know, libraries. So I got out of the habit, because the selection was so limited. And I read ebooks mostly.

Now that the county is finally beginning to grow a reasonable size ebook and audio book collection, am I getting back to using them.

This was traumatic for me, not having a library, as we'd moved here to the middle of no where from Northern Virginia where they had an excellent library system.

*Gasp* No library? That hurts my heart.

I suppose I should admit that I'm librarian so I do buy books all the time for the library. :-) And I buy books for gifts. And every Monday after work, I go to the library (a different system that's better about getting the mass-market paperbacks that I like to read).

>64 majkia: That's one of my favorite movie lines.

#68 by @mamzel> Obviously, me too. And I'm not even a librarian. :)

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J. K. Rowling



Since LT folks are doing an HP yearly read, I thought I’d join in. I tried the audio version on this re-read hoping I'd find that more interesting than I had the written word, and at least found it amusing enough to listen to the whole thing.

When I first read this, not long after it came out, I found it boring and boorish on several levels. Can you tell I’m not enamored of kidlit?

Since I can get more audios from the library, I’ll probably continue the series, hoping the follow-on books are better.

The later books do grow more complex, although I'm not sure if you'll love them if you didn't love the first one. I liked that the series got a lot of people reading, but my own reaction was that they were fine, but not fantastic. Although I do love the author, she's awesome.

I pretty much loved Harry Potter, but the first book is not one of the best. Being introduced to a new universe is fine, but the writing is not nearly as good as the later ones.

I love the Harry Potter books now, but it took me until the third book to get into the series. I liked the first book- for a children's book- and passed it on to my friend's son. I didn't like the second book at all. It's still my least favorite. The later books are much better and some things that are mentioned in the earlier books, that don't seem important at the time, will finally make sense within the larger story. The first book is basically world-building. Rowling is not a great writer but I do love the world - and story - she created.

I appreciate all the comments on the Harry Potter books. Since I can get audio version at the library I'll read at least one or two more.

As most folks put it, the world and the deeper story are interesting. I've seen most of the movies but lost interest int he last few because I'd mostly lost the thread and the basic story line that kept them all together. Not sure why. Perhaps too much insider baseball stuff, and those of us who hadn't read the series were out in the cold?

But anyway. Thanks all!

OMG! Harry Potter was kid-lit? Someone shoulda told me!

well, so is The Thief according to publishers and it and its sequels are 4 1/2 and 5 star reads for me.

I really didn't like the first Harry Potter book either; thought it was just a simple kids book and couldn't see what all the hype was about. I did like the later books though, I think Rowling really grows as a writer as the series progresses and the books become more complex and less childish. My favourites in the series are probably books 4 & 5. Fortunately the first two books are short ones, so they're quick to get through ;)

I live in Florida. Granted NW Florida. But still. It is currently -7C. Our high will be 3C. Tonight, -4C. I am not sticking one toe outside for the next two days. Especially since I have a head cold.

I just talked to my father in SC. It's 30 degrees colder there than here, which should be covered in snow.

I live in central FL. It is COLD riding around in the golf cart!

Playing golf in freezing weather? That's true love!

Minus single digits is positively tropical! Right now it's -16 C, windchill -27 in Ottawa. But considering that yesterday we got above zero and had to deal with sloppy freezing rain that then froze over again, I'll take the cold :P

Here, in French Alps, well down in the valley in Grenoble, we got exceptionally good weather for the season, a sweet 10-15 °C :) It's been good for a week now. We're profiting of the nice temperature and sun to drink at terrace of our favorite café and read of course :)

>81 mamzel: I don't play - I just use the golf cart for transportation :). But, it was still cold. Brrrr!

Sorry to see you have a head cold right now.

Hi Alison. Sorry that Munich winter has been so mild. Hope that will change for you and the kids soon!

Lois, all Golf cart as transport. We are setting up ours so we can use the roadways. At least for short trips to the store.

Hi, mamzel and RP. Hopefully things are well with you two. Ottawa dug out now? For now?

Oh wow, electrice. You live in Genoble? How wonderful. Lovely country there.

Lori, my head cold is finally breaking up (the nasty part) but I'm at least able to put coherent sentences together. Sort of!

I've been reading but not very quickly as my attention span has been a bit limited due to tiredness and the need to constantly be reaching for tissues, sigh. But I'm persistently working my way through Return of the Crimson Guard and listening off and on to the audio version of Dark Star.

This afternoon I'll be cheering for my New Orleans Saints as they face off against the Seattle Seahawks in the US football playoffs. The last time these two teams met last month, Seattle flattened my Saints. I'm hoping my guys can at least play well this time.

Geaux Saints!

Hoping for a good game for you, no matter what the outcome! (Agreed, routs are not very fun to watch, even if one's preferred team is doing the routing.)

Ottawa is now experiencing a heat wave -- our projected high is 4 degrees C! It's not raining now but there was freezing rain overnight, so the sidewalks were a bit slippery this morning. I'm just glad it's the weekend, because by the time I ventured out (to the library, where else), the major roads at least had been treated.

Also hope you continue to feel better!

2. Return of the Crimson Guard - Ian C. Esslemont





Back to the world of the Malazan Empire with this book from Esslemont. Epic fantasy at its most epic, with world size wars, fought by tough men and women who appreciate the miseries and the horrors of their craft.

Not for the faint of heart, grim complex storyline and plot, lots of intrigue, backbiting, betrayal and the occasional honorable person who makes it all come together.  But don’t be so sure the good will survive.

TIOLI, ROOT (2012), GeoCAT, RandomCAT, Category Challenge Cat 1

3. God Save the Child - Robert B. Parker



The second installment in Parker’s Spenser series, takes place in the 70s. Dated in some ways, intriguing in others. A bit sexist but comparatively speaking, for the time, not too bad really. More dated is the morality of the time, but true, I think, as I remember the days.

Spenser is hired to find a missing 15 year old boy. At first it seems like he’s run off, but a few days later, a ransom note arrives. And then things get more bizarre from there.

Interesting twists and turns, and Spenser’s smart arse commentary and retorts amuse.

And the clothes are a hoot. I remember them well.

TIOLI, ROOT, 2014 Category Challenge, CAT 5 Whodunnit, MysteryCAT, GeoCAT

It's my 7th Thingaversary. Needless to say, I bought books!

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. The Emperor's Blades
3. Mortal Stakes
4. Whispers Under Ground
5. Libriomancer
6. Mind's Eye
7. Use of Weapons

And my one to grow on:

The Tenderness of Wolves

Happy Thingaversary!
I had no idea what a libriomancer is. Now I wish I were one. And a cataloger as hero, great!

#91 by @MissWatson> really!

@ 90 -- Nice haul! I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Libriomancer looks really fun!

I enjoyed both Guernsey and Libriomancer a lot. Totally different genres but both great entertainment.

from tor.com

AWWWWWWWWWW Cumbercat! Tomcat Hardy! And I think Catrick Stewart should be our mascot for when someone gets a CAT Trick. :D

Happy Thingaversary! Enjoy your new books. Whispers Under Ground was great, and Libriomancer is on my TBR (thanks to BookLizard).

Congratulations on your Thingaversary, Jean.

Happy Thingaversary! Best British Cats is just too cute! Love Tom Kittenston, Cat Smith, and Simewn Pegg!

>92 majkia: Well, since I usually don't touch books with vampires I think I would be safe. But a little playing with danger?

Christina and MM. Yeah, they both sound like good fun. and I keep hearing good things about Libriomancer. I mean, how can you go wrong with a concept like that for LTers. :)

#96 by @rabbitprincess> You were the first person I thought of when I saw that list of cats! especially Cumbercat!

#97 by @DeltaQueen50> Thanks DQ!

#98 by @craso> I know! I laughed so hard when I saw them!

#99 by @MissWatson> Hahaha!

4. Dark Star - Alan Furst




Second in Furst’s Night Soldier series follows a Soviet Jew newspaper man through the rise of Hitler, and the beginning of WWII. At first a spy for the Russians based in Germany when war begins his world is turned inside out and he flees through Europe.

I love how Furst shows what little control people in those circumstances have over their lives. At the mercy of powerful elements shoving them and forcing them this way and that. I also love that Furst downplays the horrors you know are going on around his characters. He keeps the focus on the story rather than the horror.

A terrific series with insights into the mood, realpolitik and underside of the run up to war.

TIOLI, 2014 Category Challenge, Category 7 - Spies and Lies, ROOT, AlphaCAT

I like Alan Furst's books so much, although his latest was not up to the standard of his others. The Polish Officer is my favorite. I like the set-up of a moral man trying to navigate safely through impossible times. And the atmosphere is fantastic.

The Polish Officer is the next in the series and I'm looking forward to it. And yes, a horrible world for anyone attempting to be a moral person to navigate.

Belated Happy Thingaversary!

thanks Roberta!

Weheee!!! What a way to celebrate a Thingaversary! Great book haul. & interesting review of Dark Star. I'm putting the first book on my WL.

Argh! Forgot to star your thread and have had to play catch-up.

Love the Best British Cats, SO cute! (No ladycats?)
And I totally agree with rabbitprincess that Catrick Stewart should be the CATtrick mascot.

5. The Pure in Heart - Susan Hill


Second in Hill’s Simon Serailler series, is just as deep and complex as her first. Simon, on vacation in Italy, is called home to the bedside of his sister. In her 20s she has the mind of a baby, and has been ill and in a home all her life, but Si cares deeply for her and rushes home when it looks as if she’ll succumb to this latest illness.

He arrives home just as a 9 year old boy has gone missing.

As with the first mystery, Si and his family figure prominently and at times the mystery of the boy takes second place to the mystery of Si himself, and his complex and multifaceted family and their friends. We delve into what it means to love, how we love, how we view the world and how we learn to deal with the tragedies and horrors it holds for us.

I can see how this might not appeal to everyone, as much of the mystery remains by the end of the book. But realistically speaking, the police don't always solve cases of child abduction, so I personally found that of little concern.

ROOT, TIOLI, 2014 Category Challenge Cat 5 - whodunnits, and a part of a series I hope to concentrate on this year.

Hope you enjoy Libriomancer as much as I did. I have Whispers Underground borrowed on the Kindle, so I'll have to get to that in the next 2 weeks.

I'm really looking forward to both of them.

Second in the Nero Wolfe series, takes on a group of men who are responsible for a horrible accident to one of their number. They are certain he is killing them off.

Some of the story was interesting, but I found the morality of the time a bit wearing. I expected the attitudes toward women, so that wasn’t a surprise, but the continual use of ‘cripple’ to describe the main suspect I found annoying and troublesome.

Archie can be amusing but also annoying in his attitudes as well. Nero is a bit less so, which I found surprising.

A ROOT from before the beginning of time, a TIOLI, a 2014 Category Challenge - 5 - Whodunnit, MysteryCAT and GeoCAT

I wasn't over the moon by this Nero Wolfe either, Jean. I found it very slow moving and as a huge Archie fan, I didn't think he came off very well in this book. I am however, looking forward to continuing with the series as I particularly like the 1930's setting.

I'm glad to hear that DQ. I loved the series on TV and loved Archie in that, so I'm hoping I'll see him improve. The first few books of many series have flaws and I don't mind that. Even when reading in order isn't really necessary, my OCD requests and requires that I do so! It's about the only thing I'm OCD about!

The series improves in later stories. Archie grows as a person, and Wolfe becomes more temperamental.

A down-at-the-heels starship captain takes his broken down ship to a world off the beaten path to mine for metals to fix his engines. When they start excavating they find instead a buried chamber which holds alien artifacts. He picks up the only one that is movable and there starts the tale of the January Dancer.

The artifact might be a powerful object and everyone and their siblings are after it. Thus begins a chase across the galaxy to get control of the Dancer.

The book is written as a tale a harper wants to set to music from an old man she finds in a bar. It’s an interesting method of telling the story but complicated it and made it a bit harder to follow for me.

ROOT (from 2012), 2014CC (Cat 3 - Travels in Time), RandomCAT, January Jaunts, and my first TBR Challenge

Was this the beginning of a series? I hope that if it is the same method of telling the story changes. That could really get on one's nerves!

#120 by @mamzel> yes, it's the first book of the series. lots of stuff is left unresolved (or at least undisclosed). Like, for instance, who this narrator is (it is hinted at but not clarified), although we do find out who the harper is.

The use of musical references is quite nice, in regard to the tone of the story in each chapter, and I liked that quite a bit. But it's a complex story line with the folks who begin as focus people aren't the ones we follow through the entire book.

I seem to remember I enjoyed January dancer but seemed to have forgotten it was a series!

8. A Trace of Smoke - Rebecca Cantrell



First of the Hannah Vogel series, the story begins with a 30 year old single woman on her own in 1931 Berlin, The Nazis are just beginning to step up their persecution of Jews and homosexuals.

Hannah’s young brother is a gay man who sings and dances at a gay club in the city. She writes a column for the newspaper and goes to the police station to gather information for a column and finds her brother’s picture on the wall of the unknown dead newly discovered in the city. He’d been stabbed and thrown into the river, naked. She admits to no one her brother is dead and determines to discover who has killed him – someone he knows? Or some roaming bad of Nazi soldiers?

The story takes many twists and turns and the discovery of the killer is complicated by secrets and lies her brother told and kept and the need to hide her interest from the authorities for fear she herself might be killed by learning too much about very powerful men.

I appreciated this view of Germany after the Great War and as Hitler was just beginning to create his fascist state. Hannah as believable and her actions obviously those of someone who navigated dangerous waters just barely ahead of people out to keep her brother’s secrets secret.

I hope to continue this series soon.

A ROOT (from 2012), a 2014Category Challenge (Category 8 Spies and Lies), a TIOLI and a RandomCAT.

#122 by @psutto> Up Jim River is the next book of the series. I've never heard of it, but might try to find it. The world-building was quite interesting I thought.

Getting caught up here and absolutely LOVE the Best British Cats gif! Happy belated Thingaversary, Jean. I don't usually gravity to sci-fi - if that is what it is - but you have caught my eye with your review for The January Dancer.

9. Polaris - Jack McDevitt



Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider in Space!

Second in the Alex Benedict series.

Alex and Chase run a small antiquary company on the planet Rimway. Alex has a nose for finding lost or unknown antiquities and Chase pilots their superluminal ship. Between the two of them they’ve got a penchant for getting into trouble, rubbing planetary authorities the wrong way, and sticking their noses in where no one thinks it’s a good idea.

This time, through a series of events, they begin to get interested in the ship Polaris. The ship disappeared for a month or so with a small complement of crew and very well-known passengers. When the ship was finally found, no one was aboard. This all happened 60 years ago and no one has ever figured out what happened. Alex doesn’t figure it was some unknown alien who spirited the crew away, but who was it, and why?

But the more he researches the ship and the lost passengers the more his life and Chase’s suddenly are at risk. But whoever doesn’t want him and Chase looking into it, hasn’t realized how stubborn, and determined either he or his lovely partner are.

A ‘locked room’ mystery. Lots of fun. And the secrets are well worth discovering!

A ROOT (from 2013), a RandomCAT, a 2014CC (Cat 4 - Fame and Fortune)

January Wrap-Up

Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks - 4 stars
Polaris - Jack McDevitt - 3 1/2 stars
A Trace of Smoke TIOLI #8, Random - 4 stars
The January Dancer - Michael Flynn GeoCAt, January Jaunts - 3 1/2 stars
League of Frightened Men - Rex Stout (mystery) MysteryCAT, GeoCAT TIOLI 12 - 3 stars
The Pure in Heart - Susan Hill TIOLI #6 , ROOT - 4 stars
Dark Star - Alan Furst - unofficial AlphaCAT TIOLI 19, ROOT - 4 stars
God Save the Child - Robert B. Parker (mystery) MysteryCAT, GeoCAT TIOLI 12, ROOT - 3 1/2 stars
Return of the Crimson Guard - Ian C. Esslemont TIOLI #8, Random, Geo, ROOT - 3.5 stars
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone - J. K. Rawlings TIOLI 11, ROOT - 3 stars

Fantasy: 2
Sci Fi: 3
Historical: 1
Mysteries: 3
Thrillers: 1

4 Stars: 4
3.5 stars: 4
3 stars: 2

10 ROOTS ( 3 from 'Before Time Began', 3 from 2012, 4 from 2013)
10 2014 Category challenge:
Cat 1 - Big Damn Heroes: 2
Cat 2 - Sword in the Darkness: 1
Cat 3 - Travels in Time: 1
Cat 4 - Fame and Fortune: 1
Cat 5 - Whodunnits: 3
Cat 6 - Historical - 0
Cat 7 - Spies and Lies - 1
Cat 8 - So Say We All - 0
Cat 9 - The Stars Made Manifest - 1
Cat 10- I'm a Librarian! - 0

Female Authors: 3
Male Authors: 7

Pages Read: 1 book 700 pager, 3 books 400 pagers, 4 books 300 pagers, 1 200 pagers, 1 100 pager. Total: 3767 pages

All in All, a great month. :)

10. Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks



This is a re-read for me, in order to join a group reading of the Culture novels at Library Thing.

This book certainly brought up a lot of mixed emotions for me. I spent 20 years in the US Air Force, most of it working with fighter pilots. The warrior culture at it's best. Needless to say, given that comment, all 20 years I was seen as an outsider, a rogue and a troublemaker. I retired at 20 years, as soon as I could.

Even though my particular career field was computers, not directly combat related, even so I participated in some vile things and watched lies and damn lies used to further the drumbeats for war and conflict, and worse, politics. I watched grown men cry when a Democrat was elected president, because, of course, they’ll sell us out.

Sorry if I offend anyone. Just my personal thoughts regarding my career, and still at odds with all my retiree friends and even my spouse.

More specific to the book: I found the depiction of the Idirans and Horza, and yes Belveda quite realistic throughout the book. I also agree with the depiction of the futility of war, how little the grinding reality of folks caught up in it matters in the big picture, and how it changes us and hardens us and makes us crazy, driving principles and conscience into a tiny little box as we’re caught up in the madness of group psychopathy.

ROOT (before the end of time), group read of the Culture, 2014Category Challenge, Cat 1 (Big Damn Heroes, Anti-Heroes)

Looks like a very productive month for you! :)

Just browsing . . . not taking any book bullets . . . especially since my library doesn't have January Dancer in ebook.

#129 by @rabbitprincess> definitely a good reading month!

#130 by @BookLizard> hehehe

February reading plan:

Currently reading:

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (xmas Swap)- AlphaCAT - TIOLI 1
A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny - TIOLI 5

On Deck:

In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming - MysteryCAT TIOLI 2
The English Assassin - Daniel Silva - MysteryCAT TIOLI 8
Café on the Nile - Bartle Bull - GeoCAT
P.G. Wodehouse - Thank You Jeeves - GroupRead
Revelation Space - Peter F. Hamilton - TBR Challenge, AlphaCAT - TIOLI 1
Hammered - Kevin Hearne - AlphaCAT TIOLI 2
Chocolate Chip Murder Mystery - RandomCAT, GastroCAT - TIOLI 20

Looking forward to your thoughts on Ready Player One. I cannot remember if you have read Mr. Penumbra or not.... a number of readers read both books last year and it was interesting to see the reactions to Mr. Penumbra depending on if the reader had read Ready Player One before reading Mr. Penumbra, which is interesting since they are very different books by different authors.

Hoping you like Ready Player One as much as I did.

134> Interesting. I have Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore on my Kindle right now. Probably won't get to it until later in the month.

I have Mr Penumbra slotted in to read later this year, so that will be interesting. I'd never have thought those two books would influence how one felt about either/both.

I loved Ready Player One. It brought back some wonderful memories of the 80s for me. I have Mr Penumbra waiting but it may be a while.

11. A Rule Against Murder - Louise Penny (aka: The Murder Stone)




Fourth book in the Armand Gamache Three Pines series, finally a murder happens in Quebec that isn’t in the tiny village of Three Pines. I was beginning to wonder….

Armand and his wife Reine-Marie are on vacation at a lodge hidden deep in the Quebec woods on a pretty lake. They go there every year for a few weeks, and this time they are there to celebrate their anniversary.

A wildly eccentric extended family arrives and under Armand’s nose, one of them is killed.

As usual the mystery and the killer are relatively minor factors in the book, the focus being on the psychology, the links, and the philosophy of the characters, Armand front and center.

I enjoy the series but am not a rabid fan as some folks I know are. They’re interesting and a little bit different in focus so I’ll keep reading them.

ROOT, TIOLI, MysteryCAT, AlphaCAT, 2014CC (Category 5 - whodunnit). As usual, that mystery category gets filled up fast. I need a way to distribute mysteries to more categories! Maybe by geography or something... Sigh.

Jean> You are about to be converted to the Gamache series. You are about to hit my favorite "pair" of books in the series. I always tell people that they have to read #5 before they read #6. #6 is my favorite, but #5 is solid as well. I have loved 7 though 9 too although some people don't like #8 as much because it is more different. However, I liked it for other reasons.

Ooh Ready Player One and Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore? Loved both of them!

12. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline




Parzival is the avatar for a young high school student. His life is a misery (as are so many others) and like so many others is ‘real’ life is in the OASIS, an online immersive world. When the creator of that world dies, his avatar announces that he’s leaving his unbelievable fortune to whoever can find three keys and the three gates they open.

Five years goes by with millions of kids trying to solve the first clue, in competition with a massive real life organization who wants to win the contest and take control of OASIS and start charging everyone to log on which would make kids like Parzival be unable to access the game.

Then Parzival has a breakthrough. He solves the first clue and suddenly he isn’t only competing for the prize, but fighting for his life against a corporation that will stop at nothing to win the contest.

A great fun read, lots of 80s nostalgia. Not just gamer nostalgia but music, TV series, movies and books as well.

I must say after the first three or four chapters, I wasn't sure I'd like this as much as I'd expected to. I'm a bit tired of dystopias and not all that crazy about teenage boys, but once the quest actually begins it is great fun. And there is a minimum of teen angst and hormones so that fear, ahem, dried up fairly quickly.

I do love quests and puzzles so was delighted with most of the book, and the dystopia was far from the central part of the story.

A ROOT (2013), an XMAS Swap I received from @qebo, a TIOLI, a 2014CC (Cat 9 The Stars Made Manifest (ERs and Gifts))

->141 majkia:
It'd make a great videogame too. :)

Thought of you today!

hahaha! that's me! And that is sooooo true!

13. In the Bleak Midwinter - Julia Spencer-Fleming



First in a series, Claire is an Episcopal priest, Russ is the chief of police of an upstate New York small town. When a baby is left on the steps of Claire’s church, she helps the police track down who the baby’s mother is. But then murder raises its ugly head and Claire keeps finding herself having to support affected parishioners as well as helping the police with their inquiries.

I liked the set up. Claire is a brave, determined and smart woman. Russ is a police officer who is willing to listen to Claire’s input and act on it when he thinks it merits consideration.

However, there are a couple of REALLY DUMB THINGs that happen in the book, mostly done by the supposedly intelligent Claire that really pissed me off.

Too silly to outfit herself for the weather, too silly to listen about her car, and why the bloody hell didn't she wear the stupid boots!!!

Also, I’d solved the mystery by about Chapter 2.

But I enjoyed the setting and the personalities so I’ll probably try at least one more in this series.

ROOT (2012), TIOLI, 2014CC (Cat 5 -whodunnits), MysteryCAT, AlphaCAT

I hate it when intelligent characters do stupid things in books. I thought for a minute there that I had a copy of the Fleming book, but my trusted LT library tells me I don't.

14. The Player of Games - Iain M. Banks




The second book of Iain M. Banks’s Culture series, is startlingly different from the first one. The first, told from the viewpoint of someone outside the Culture, who hates it, was a rousing and crazy space opera. This book is instead a ‘comedy of manners.’

It follows the adventures of a Culture man whose entire existence revolves around playing games. Any game, any challenge, he will take on. So when Special Circumstances asks him to travel to another civilization and represent the Culture in a game that is the major be all and end of of that world, he agrees.

Fascinating world building, complex characterization, and terrifically detailed ideas on the clash between two worldviews that are entirely at odds and struggling to understand each other.

ROOT, TIOLI, and part of the Culture Series Read. 2014CC, Cat 1 - Big Damn Heroes etc.

Off to google the Culture series now...

15. The English Assassin - Daniel Silva



Second in the Gabriel Allon series.  Gabriel, an art restorer and ‘retired’ spy is approached by his former boss at Mossad and asked to make contact with a Swiss Banker who has contacted Israel and asked for a clandestine meeting, which is set up as a normal meeting to discuss the restoration of one of the man’s paintings.

But when Gabriel arrives to meet this man, he finds him dead. Things quickly escalate and Gabriel finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy and the target of an English assassin.

TIOLI, ROOT, MysteryCAT, 2014CC - Cat 7 Spies and Lies

Jean> I love the cover of the Silva book.

I have got to get around to the Allon-series soon!

I keep meaning to reread Iain M Banks, I can remember so little about the the culture series!

16. Hammered - Kevin Hearne



Our favorite red-headed druid has to pay the piper. He’s called on friends to help him and now he has to take his friends to Asgard to kill Thor, as he’s promised for their help.

I wasn’t as enamored of this book as I have been the previous two, but will continue the series to follow his adventures and to hang out with Oberon, best dog in the fictional universe. Also, to see how Druid Child does.

Lots of bad things happen in this book and I’m sure the consequences will hammer our druid as a result.

I wasn't as happy with this book mainly because of the loss of his friends and that I pictured Atticus as far more peaceful. And here he's a warrior. I'm not sure that fits with his religion.

ROOT (from 2012), TIOLI, 2014CC (Cat 2 - Sword in the Darkness}, AlphaCAT

We are camping this week at St George Island State Park. It's a narrow island surrounded by lovely water. It's been cool here too but finally warming up.



Sunset from our RV's doorstep.

St George Island Beach

This gives me Fernweh (a longing to go to faraway beautiful places)!

Jean> I'm so jealous that you are getting to go RVing. I really miss doing that.

#156 by @MissWatson> Oh a new word! It is great to get away. Especially to a peaceful spot where you can put up your feet and read!

#157 by @thornton37814> I'm sorry you aren't doing it any more. maybe since you miss it so much you should consider an RVing vacation. You can rent campers or stay at a cabin.

17. The Alexander Cipher - Will Adams




Daniel Knox is a down on his luck archaeologist stuck in Egypt where he’s radioactive and cannot work on any dig. So he takes a job as a dive instructor for a notorious gangster so he can earn enough money to pursue his own quest for anything having to do with Alexander.

When Knox, knowing better but doing it anyway, defends a young woman from the gangster he suddenly finds himself pursued across Egypt.

Meanwhile, several other people suddenly come upon clues that might lead them to Alexander’s tomb. Knox, hiding out with an old friend in Alexandria, passes himself off as a diver gets a low level job at the dig.

Certainly not fine literature but this is the sort of thriller I really enjoy. Archaeology, ciphers, clues and a race to find a tomb.

I couldn’t put it down and will definitely try book two of the series.

ROOT (from 2012), TIOLI, 2014CC - Cat 4 Fame and Fortune, GeoCAT (Egypt)

I've been looking for something to read for this month's GeoCat, and The Alexander Cipher looks like it might just fit. Bonus, looks like my library has it available for download in e-format. I love it when that happens!

#161 by @virginiahomeschooler> yay!

Love your pictures, Jean. At first glance I thought that beautiful white beach was a snow picture! Enjoy your trip.

Jean> I do usually rent a KOA Kamping Kabin for a few days each summer. It's the closest I can come to it now.

DQ: when we first moved to the Gulf Coast and took a ride along the pristine beaches, all I could think of was how the sand looked like freshly fallen snow. It still does, I suppose, but my mindset is now different enough that I don't think snow first!

Lori, I hope you can get back into RVing soon!

153> The series does take a turn in Hammered and the consequences are felt for many more books.

About his religion, it's all about harmony with the Earth -- not necessarily other people.

>158 majkia: Yeah, well, it's one of those German words for which I can't find a snappy, single-word equivalent in English. But the picture reminded so much of my Caribbean holiday that I started dreaming of travelling...

Jean> It was my parents' RV. They sold it when Mom was no longer able to get in and out well. I actually drove most of the time the last 3 or 4 years they had it because Dad wasn't as comfortable doing it. I can't afford an RV so I don't know if I'll ever be able to do it again or not, especially with the economy as it is and the lack of raises and cost of living adjustments in a troubled higher education market.

Looking at those photos with envy, looks gorgeous!

#169 by @clfisha> Hope you can visit a beach soon!

18. Bone River - Megan Chance




A woman is brought up by her father to be an ethnologist, then when he dies more or less handed off to his assistant. She marries Junius because that is what her father wants, and she loves the wild and rough life of Northwest Washington coast in the 1800s.

She thinks herself happy until she finds a mummy, decides to study it and it begins talking to her.

This is the second book of Megan Chance’s I’ve read. She’s wonderful at evoking eerie atmospheric settings and here she is wonderful with it. You can almost feel the cold constant rains and the water in your books as you gather oysters and relics.  You can almost hear the dead speaking to Leonie as she fights to retain her scientific ideal even as her body is struggling with her dreams and her voices.

She veers toward romance for a bit, but I’m willing to forgive that bit because of the strength of the atmosphere she evokes.

TIOLI, ROOT (2013), 2014CC (Cat 6 - Historical)

My first RANDOM READ- I've decided to use random.org to select a book from my TBR mountain each month.

Random read. That's a cool idea.

171 sounds like a lovely escape--another bb for my tbr...

Just catching up with your reviews ... and getting some BBs. Must read Iain M. Banks one day! I like your idea of doing a random read. That might help me get some long neglected books off my shelf.

Good idea to use random numbers! I've tried it with my TBR list when I'm not sure what to look for at the library.

That random read is working out great for me. Some books just get overlooked when they don't fit a TIOLI or a CAT, so this is a good way of finding those odd ones.

I've given up on Chocolate Chip Murder Mystery. Everyone is too sweet for me.

Instead I've been reading The Gauguin Connection and loving it. What a great female protagonist. And her foil ain't bad either!

19. The Gauguin Connection - Estelle Ryan




I particularly love two kinds of ‘thrillers’.  Those about chasing down archaeological artifacts (on Earth or elsewhere) and art heist/forgery. Perhaps I watched the Thomas Crown Affair too many times, but I do love art thieves and forgers, probably because of necessity they have to be pretty educated and the crime is generally more about putting something over on others rather than just an attempt to gain filthy lucre.

At any rate, I did love this book. And the main character, a high-function autistic woman, is terrific. She’s smart, she has her life organized and feels fulfilled. She has a job reading people for a high priced insurance company who mainly insures art.

She reads people’s expressions and body language in order to tell if people are lying or to understand how they are interacting, if they are hostile to one another, or are cooperating.

She’s asked by law enforcement and her boss to help when an artist is found murdered by a weapon that was stolen from a European law enforcement agency.

Then the thief, throwing her well structured and safe life into a tailspin, breaks into her apartment and asks her to help him stop more artists/forgers from dying.

I can’t wait to get to the next book in this series.

ROOT, AlphaCAT, MysteryCAT, 2014CC - Cat 4 -Fame and Fortune

I love the movie The Thomas Crown Affair! My dream house is that island get away the Bronson and Russo characters get away to for the weekend..... probably too humid for books but that whole indoor/outdoor living is my idea of bliss. *sighs*

... and a BB for The Gauguin Connection, because I am a sucker for books about art thieves.

oh yeah, that getaway was gorgeous Between The Thomas Crown Affair, and the Italian Job, I'm a heist fanatic.

I do hope you enjoy it. It has some flaws but overall I just enjoyed it so much.

We are home from our RVing adventure to St. George Island State Park, near Carabelle, FL. We had a great two weeks despite having a site that flooded every time it rained. We honestly didn't care except we worried about it last night since we had to leave this morning. But we had no problems getting out of the site and made it home in good shape.

Now I just have to catch up on everyone's threads....

Lovely picture

#181 by @psutto> thanks!

20. Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds



In a distant future, where faster than light travel does not exist, habited planets are strewn throughout the galaxy and are isolated except for their nearest neighbors given the time and distances that need to be traversed to link them up.

Ultras, humans who have, er, evolved/altered themselves, to live on light-hugger ships that travel the great distances, are even more isolated, as they can have no real ties on planets where they might not return for hundreds of years.

An obsessed archaeologist, who had gone to one planet where there are ruins of one of the few alien civilizations they’ve discovered existed, is haunted and driven by the disastrous consequences of his experiences there, which no one really understands. Nor, really does he seem to understand what happened to him. Still, he wants to go back there, to discover the truth about the Amarantans if he can.

Meanwhile, someone has hired an assassin to kill him, and she’s gotten herself aboard a light-hugger ship to come for him.

And, why, given how hospitable the universe seems, given what humans have learned about it, are there no other alien cultures, but only the husks of destroyed alien civilizations?  What’s happened to them all?  Where are they?

A very complex and rather grim universe is depicted with all the obvious failings of humans still present and affecting humanity’s civilization.  Will we, can we, ever learn?

First of a series.

ROOT, TIOLI, 2014CC (Cat 3 - Travels in Time), an AlphaCAT and a TBR Challenge Book.

Since it doesn't look like I'll get my current books finished by end of month, here are the February Stats:

Total Read: 10 - female authors 4, male 6

Pages Read: 3758 - longest book: 592, shortest: 311

Breakdown by genre:
3 SciFi
1 Fantasy
4 Thrillers
2 Mystery

All 10 were ROOTS, 8 TIOLI

2014 CC challenge- state of play:

Cat 1: Big Damn Heroes: 2
Cat 2: Sword in the Darkness: 2
Cat 3:Travels in Time: 3
Cat 4: Fame and Fortune: 3
Cat 5: Whodunnits: 5
Cat 6: Historical/Alt History: 1
Cat 7: Spies and Lies: 3
Cat 8: So Say We All (group reads): 0
Cat 9: Stars Made Manifest (ERs and Gifts): 1
Cat 10: Librarians Rock: 0

My TBR Challenge to read 12 books from a pre-selected list: 4/24

Did Not Finish: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke

Favorite of the Month: The Alexander Cipher - Will Adams tied with The Gauguin Connection - Estelle Ryan

Nice work, especially on reading all ROOTS! :)

You are making progress. I'm glad to see someone else who has a category with nothing in it yet. I should remedy that this month since I have a book with "Rain" in the title, and it is my weather/seasons category. I'm just surprised I haven't read one with "Winter" in it yet. I guess it's because we had so much of it that I was ready for spring!

->180 majkia:
What a lovely place!

Good job on the ROOTS!

March Plans: We'll see how far I get with these. I really need to plan less!

The Cloud Roads - Martha Wells -group read for Green Dragon, ROOT
Netherworld - Lisa Morton - an Early Reviewer book, ROOT
Whispers Underground - Ben Aaronovich TIOLI 1
Little, Big - John Crowley TIOLI 11 - I've been putting this off for years so ROOT
Mr Penumbra's24 Hour Bookstore - TIOLI 14, ROOT
Sweetness at the bottom of the Pie - MysteryCAT,RandomCAT TIOLI 17, ROOT
The three Musketeers - Dumas - Group Read TIOLI 10, ROOT
Crystal Rain - Tobias Buckell - TIOLI 14, GeoCAT, ROOT

Using Random. org, my Random Choice for March: Dog On It - TIOLI 9, ROOT

Currently reading:
Death at La Fenice - Donna Leon - AlphaCAT, TBR, TIOLI 2, ROOT
Jewel in the Crown - Paul Scott Group Read, TIOLI 8, ROOT

I remember liking Crystal Rain when I read it a few years ago. I meant to read the sequel but never got to it.

I've changed Cat 10 because, as usual, I was filling up the mystery category way too quickly. So I've divided the mysteries into US/UK/Canada, and Scandi/Euro/Other groupings.

Laissez les bons temps roulez!

Beautiful Mardi Gras gif!

Revelation Space sounds intriguing and I have never read Reynolds, thanks for the review.

I made shrimp and andouille jambalaya for my family last night. Mardi Gras was just a good excuse!

21. Death at La Fenice - Donna Leon



First of a series of contemporary mysteries set in Venice.

Guido Brunelli is called to the opera house in Venice to investigate the death of the Conductor, a man who is considered the greatest conductor of his time. He’s found poisoned.

The main character of the book is really Venice itself. I loved the atmospheric descriptions and the concentration on settings and descriptive prose. Brunelli, in contrast with Venice, is a bit dull. He’s happily married, content and not particularly deep. But he does read people well and that goes a long way to helping him solve the mysteries surrounding the man and the murder.

I’ll read more of the series to enjoy the setting. And due to the fact this was a mystery I actually didn't figure out long before the end of the book.

Category 10 - Mysteries (Eurocrime)

194> Yum! I wasted most of the afternoon looking for a King cake. My friend told me Whole Foods had them, so I checked 3 different stores (and 3 other supermarkets in between) with no luck, so we settled for mini-beignets.

oh bummer. we have King cakes everywhere here.

We have a bakery across the street from our site that makes King cakes and hot cross buns for Easter.

I saw some hot cross buns, but I don't know if I like them.

I did get some Irish bread with raisins and caraway seeds. Yummy.

I'm also planning to read more of Donna Leon's series for the same reason: to enjoy the wonderful setting. The mystery did have some good twists too.

Most intrigued - what is the difference between hot cross buns and King cakes?

A king cake is like a big ring-shaped cinnamon roll frosted with icing and purple, gold, and green sugar. They also make them with fruit or cheese filling - kind of like a danish. A plastic baby is hidden inside and whoever finds it is supposed to have good luck and gets to buy the next king cake.

Not sure about hot cross buns, but they have fruity bits inside and icing on top. I thought the fruity bits were kind of suspect - looked like something you'd find in a Christmas fruit cake.

I love hot cross buns - you got it right, hot cross buns are a sweet bun with dried candied fruit worked into the dough and usually there is a cross on the top of the bun in either an icing or a baked butter cream. The King cakes sound wonderful - the cinnamon one with the icing! Hot cross buns can be found in virtually all food stores but King cakes were quite the mystery to me until you explained them.

I have no idea what baked butter cream is, but sign me up!! I didn't know what a King cake was either until I met my Cajun friend in graduate school. In the past, I've actually had them shipped up from Louisiana.

I had to go out and buy some KerryGold Irish butter to go with my Irish bread.

Ok, I'm just learning about this King cake business, I don't like icing on cakes of any kind ...

I think the thing that we've here that would be similar is a brioche that we eat for the epiphany: a bun with small sugars spread on the top ... with a lucky charm inside in porcelain. If you're lucky enough to not break a tooth when you find it, you got the crown :)

205> The brioche does sound similar. I think King cake season starts around epiphany and goes until Fat Tuesday. I think it's called a King Cake because of the 3 kings.

How can you eat cake without icing? I don't care for the sugar topping because it gives it a gritty texture, but I actually bought a can of frosting tonight and have been eating it with a spoon. LOL.

Never heard of a King Cake before but now I want one! although not sure about the baby..

Hahaha. I didn't get a king cake this year. Now I'm sorry I didn't! I haven't been to NOLA for Mardi Gras. Too cowardly about the crowds, but we did go one year for Halloween. Yikes. What a night. It was shoulder to shoulder to shoulder on Bourbon St and you had to keep walking up and down the street our you'd get trampled, I swear!

The one Mardi Gras I truly wish I'd gone to was the one that happened only a few days after the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2009.

22. The Cloud Roads - Martha Wells




First Book of the Raksura.

Moon has no idea who he is, never mind what he is. He’s different and has never seen another person like himself. He’s a shifter, can fly, and is living among groundlings. But he’s forced to flee often when his secret is discovered.

He’s learned to trust no one, with good reason, but when someone who looks like him saves his life, he reluctantly agrees to accompany his new friend Stone to Stone’s colony.

It’s a tale of self discovery, facing one’s fears and hopes, and learning to reach out to others so we can find a place for ourselves in the world.

There’s an interesting romantic subplot, which is crucial to Moon’s decisions, but does not drive the story.

Lots of suspense and action as Moon helps Stone and Stone’s people defeat the dreaded Fell who pray on everyone.

Very well written, with powerful female characters, lots of character development and complex and intriguing world building.

Will definitely read more of this series and Martha Wells in general.

A ROOT (from 2012), TIOLI, and 2014CC (Cat 2 - The Sword in the Darkness)

That's a stunning cover, too!

#210 by @mamzel> It is, isn't it?

First book of the Raj Quartet. A wonderful, powerful book depicting British and Indian relations at the height of WWII when Gandhi was pushing for Independence and the British were more focused on defeating Japan and Hitler.

It’s the story of a rape, the events leading up to it, and how all sides, and individuals see it and interpret the events so differently, through their own prejudices and assumptions.

I read his way back in about 2000, so it was a surprise to see how well it held up to a re-read.

2014CC (Category 8 - So Say We All- Groupreads), a ROOT, a TIOLI.

I see at the top of your thread that you are reading Dog On It. I hope you enjoy Chet and Bernie. They're one of my favorite sleuthing teams.

I'm enjoying Chet a great deal. And I love the fact he's the narrator :)

I have got to read The Raj Quartet.

215> nice pic

24. Dog On It - Spencer Quinn




Chet might have failed K9 training but he’s landed on his feet, and is now a partner of the Little Detective Agency along with his human Bernie. When I young girl goes missing and the dicks are hired by the girl’s mother, Chet and Bernie set out on a journey to find the girl and bring her home.

A fun story, narrated by Chet who tends to be just a tad forgetful, but he remembers the important things, like half-off BBQ coupons, you can be sure!

TIOLI, ROOT, 2014CC (obviously Category 1 - Big Damn Heroes), and my RANDOM.org selection for March.

#216 by @RidgewayGirl> and Lori: Thanks!

#213 by @mamzel> I loved Chet. He's my hero. :)

Glad to see you like Dog on It. I've got it in my TBR stack, and I've been looking forward to it.

My advice is to enjoy a book at a time, with a few months in between. As enjoyable as one serving of Chet-isms is, they can get tedious if you overindulge.

#222 by @mamzel> Yes, I can see that happening. I've got so many series to read, I seldom read more than one in a month, or sometimes only one in a year! EEp.

218 & 221> I also have Dog On It on my Kindle - one of my SantaThing presents. Glad to hear you liked it.

25. The Three Musketeers- Alexandre Dumas




A re-read for me. Actually, I listened to an audio version this time. Good fun, although I confess I found the supposed wonderfulness of Milady a bit hard to take. Or are men really that easy to dupe?

TIOLI, ROOT (from before the beginning of time - okay, before LT), and a group read.

Jean, I think in that time, before dentists, nose jobs, exercise and healthly eating, when women didn't wear a lot of cosmetics, naturally beautiful woman were few and far between. So one as beautiful as Lady DeWinter was described to be (along with her natural cleverness) had no trouble ensnaring men in her net.