Ronincats' Reading and Craft Summer Relaxations VII

Yesterday at Mission Beach

Hi, I'm Roni, and this is my 7th year in the 75 Book Challenge group. I read heavily in science fiction and fantasy, with a side dish of non-fiction and a sprinkling of mystery and romance. This year I'll be participating in the Lois McMaster Bujold year-long Vorkosigan read, the Arabian Nights read, the Harry Potter series reread, the American Authors monthly read (at least for some of the authors), the Science, Religion & History quarterly read, and The Culture group read, for starters. I typically read about 150 books and 50,000 pages a year. I also play around with pottery, beading and wirework, crochet, garden and pets, so pictures thereof will be sprinkled throughout my threads and can be found in my member gallery.

My final thread of 2013 is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/161637

My 2014 threads:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/170681 2/22/14-4/9/14
http://www.librarything.com/topic/167738 1/22/14-2/22/14
http://www.librarything.com/topic/162722 1/1/14-1/22/14
and there are more...

Goals and tickers:

Books Read in 2014:

January
1. Indexing by Seanan McGuire (420 pp.)
2. If the Shoe Fits by Laurie LeClair (244 pp.)
3. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (313 pp.)
4. Hexed by Kevin Hearne (296 pp.)
5. Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern edited by Todd McCaffrey
6. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (297 pp.)
7. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (309 pp.)
8. The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer (234 pp.)
9. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (389 pp.)
10. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (315 pp.)
11. The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold (345 pp.)
12. Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold (302 pp.)
13. Grimoire of the Lamb/The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne (99 pp.)
14. The Librarian: Little Boy Lost by Eric Hobbs (98 pp.)
15. Longbourn by Jo Baker (332 pp.)

February
16. Bastion by Mercedes Lackey (342 p.)
17. The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson (433 pp.)
18. Frederica by Georgette Heyer (437 pp.)
19. The Arabian Nights by Hassan Haddawy (428 pp.)
20. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch (320 pp.)
21. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (309 pp.)
22. The Silvered by Tanya Huff (484 pp.)
23. Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade (179 pp.)
24. Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee (366 pp.)
25. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling (341 pp.)

March
26. Hammered by Kevin Hearne (312 pp.)
27. Mr. Wuffles by David Weisner (30 pp.)
28. Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold (311 pp.)
29. Tricked by Kevin Hearne (370 pp.)
30. Half-Off Ragnorak by Seanan McGuire (368 pp.)
31. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (396 pp.)
32. The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg (515 pp.)
33. Trapped by Kevin Hearne (322 pp.)
34. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (309 pp.)
35. Serendipity's Tide by L. Shelby (233 pp.)
36. Treachery's Harbor by L. Shelby (194 pp.)

April
37. Fealty’s Shore by L. Shelby (248 pp.)
38. The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski (265 pp.)
39. Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code by Bart Ehrman (197 pp.)
40. What Makes This Book So Great by Jo Walton (446 pp.)
41. The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (272 pp.)
42. The Celestial Globe by Marie Rutkowski (293 pp.)
43. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor (332 pp.)
44. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett (381 pp.)
45. The Jewel of the Kalderash by Marie Rutkowski (320 pp.)
46. Hiero's Journey by Sterling Lanier (318 pp.)
47. The Unforsaken Hiero by Sterling Lanier (240 pp.)
48. Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold (338 pp.)
49. Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer (304 pp.)
50. The Normans by Lars Brownworth (210 pp.)
51. The Warlock's Curse by M. K. Hobson (398 pp.)
52. A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (353 pp.)
53. Fall of Light by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (307 pp.)

May
54. The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper (381 pp.)
55. Eight Million Gods by Wen Spencer (355 pp.)
56. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (390 pp.)
57. A Natural History of Dragons (334 pp.)
58. Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach (330 pp.)
59. A Change of Heart by Candice Hern (276 pp.)
60. Disenchanted & Co. by Lynn Viehl (417 pp.)
61. Hunted by Kevin Hearne (384 pp.)
62. Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal (364 pp.)
63. Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear (336 pp.)
64. Limits of Power by Elizabeth Moon (492 pp.)
65. Crown of Renewal by Elizabeth Moon (503 pp.)
66. The Sea of Time by P. C. Hodgell (395 pp.)
67. Shattered Pillars by Elizabeth Bear (333 pp.)

June
68. Arabian Nights II translated by Husain Haddawy (266 pp.)
69. Steles of the Sky by Elizabeth Bear (429 pp.)
70. Dust Girl by Saray Zettel (290 pp.)
71. The River Kings' Road by Liane Merciel (431 pp.)
72. The Daemon Prism by Carol Berg (498 pp.)
73. Getting Schooled by Garret Keizer (302 pp.)
74. Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer (333 pp.)
75. The Martian by Andy Weir (369 pp.)
76. My Real Children by Jo Walton (320 pp.)
77. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (446 pp.)
78. Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard (348 pp.)
79. Spirits That Walk in Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman (306 pp.)
80. Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (392 pp.)

July
81. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (462 pp)
82. On Basilisk Station by David Weber (432 pp.)
83. Shattered by Kevin Hearne (332 pp.)
84. What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan (353 pp.)
85. The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner (319 pp.)
86. Legacy by James H. Schmitz (346 pp.)
87. The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde (289 pp.)
88. Artemis Awakening by Jane Lindskold (304 pp.)
89. A Taste of Poison by Aaron Kite (234 pp.)
90. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold (311 pp.)
91. A Civil Campaigne by Lois McMaster Bujold (405 pp.)
92. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold (307 pp.)
93. The Vorkosigan Companion Lilian Stewart Carl (ed.) (469 pp.)
94. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (273 pp.)
95. Of Darkness, Light, and Fire by Tanya Huff (513 pp.)
96. A Marginal Jew: Volume IV by John P. Meier (667 pp.)
97. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (388 pp.)
98. Across the Great Barrier by Patricia Wrede (357 pp.)
99. Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff (410 pp.)

August
100. Quest for Kim by Peter Hopkirk (273 pp.)
101. The Ripper Affair by Lilith Saintcrow (386 pp.)
102. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor (334 pp.)
103. A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin (464 pp.)
104. The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross (359 pp.)
105. Sorcery & Cecilia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (320 pp.)
106. The Grand Tour by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (469 pp.)
107. The Mislaid Magician by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (328 pp.)
108. Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey (312 pp.)
109. Buried Deep by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (372 pp.)
110. The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan (331 pp.)
111. The Golden City by J. Kathleen Cheney (385 pp.)
112. Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce (310 pp.)
113. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (329 pp.)
114. Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (298 pp.)
115. Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron (315 pp.)
116. House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones (404 pp.)

September
117. The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney (384 pp.)
118. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (561 pp.)
119. The Far West by Patricia Wrede (378 pp.)
120. California Bones by Greg Van Eekhout (302 pp.)
121. The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire (358 pp.)
122. Libriomancer by Jim Hines (359 pp.)
123. Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire (307 pp.)
124. A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (292 pp.)
125. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (304 pp.)
126. Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence Schoen (274 pp.)
127. Splendors and Glooms by Laura Ann Schlitz (400 pp.)
128. Second Star by Dana Stabenow (208 pp.)
129. Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda (802 pp.)

Books Acquired in 2014:

January
1. Hell and Earth by Elizabeth Bear
2. Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C. J. Cherryh
3. Aunt Dimity: Snowbound by Nancy Atherton
4. The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson
5. Legacy by James H. Schmitz
6. Changer by Jane Lindskold
7. Dragon's Kin by Anne and Todd McCaffrey
8. Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
9. Grimoire of the Lamb/The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne
10. Magnificent Devices 4-book set by Shelley Adina

February
11. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
12. Carousel Sun by Sharon Lee
13. Shannivar by Deborah J. Ross

March
14. Beast Master’s Circus by Andre Norton (301 pp.)
15. Destroyer by C. J. Cherryh (406 pp.)
16. Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds (580 pp.)
17. Spin by Robert Wilson (452 pp.)
18, Tricked by Kevin Hearne (370 pp.)
19. Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire (368 pp.)
20. Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon (497 pp.)
21. Buffalito Destiny by Lawrence Schoen (308 pp.)
22. Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence Schoen (274 pp.)
23. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett (381 pp.)
24. The Daemon Prism by Carol Berg (498 pp.)
25. Trapped by Kevin Hearne (322 pp.)
26. Disenchanted & Co by Lynn Viehl (417 pp.)

April
27. The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (254 pp.)
28. Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code by Bart Ehrman (197 pp.)
29. Of Darkness, Light and Fire by Tanya Huff (513 pp.)
30. Rise of a Hero by Hilari Bell (578 pp.)
31. The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
32. The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu

May
33. Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell (608 pp.)
32. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (352 pp.)
34. The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan (331 pp.)
35. Summerland by Michael Chabon (500 pp.)
36. China Court by Rumor Godden (304 pp.)
37. Super Finishing Techniques for Crocheters by Betty Barnden (128 pp.)
38. The Hidden Queen by Alma Alexander
39. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (309 pp.)
40. Hunted by Kevin Hearne
41. Grunt Life by Weston Ochse (420 pp.)
42. Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal
43. Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire
44. Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
45. Getting Schooled by Garret Keizer (299 pp.)
46. Crown of Renewal by Elizabeth Moon
47. Edwin High King of Britain by Eduardo Albert
48. The Sea of Time by P. C. Hodgell

June
49. Sinai Tapestry by Edward Whittemore
50. Moon Dreams by Brad Strickland
51. Off To Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer (387 pp.)
52. The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett etal. (385 pp.)

July
53. Ike by Michael Korda
54. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
55. What Matters in Jane Austen? by John Mullan
56. The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner
57. Mere Humanity by Donald Williams (165 pp.)
58. Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand
59. A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

August
60. How We Learn by Benedict Carey
61. Sorcery & Cecilia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
62. The Grand Tour by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
63. Fantasy Stories by Diana Wynne Jones (ed.)
64. A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor
65. Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron
66. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
67. The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
68. The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason

My July Summary:

My highest number of books read for the year! That would be 19.
7171 pages read.
Average # of pages per book = 377
Average # of pages read per day = 231

11 books were new to me reads:
4 from the library
3 off my Kindle
3 Books Off My Shelves (acquired prior to 2014)
1 new acquisition

8 books were rereads:
4 for the group read of the Vorkosigan series
2 comfort rereads
1 for a book discussion
1 after 20 some years to prepare for reading 3 sequels that are new to me

Genre breakdown:
7 science fiction
6 fantasy
3 nonfiction
1 children's fantasy
1 general fiction
1 mystery

Author gender: 11 by female authors, 8 by male authors

6 books acquired in July

1 book out the door--via PaperBackSwap

Happy new thread, Roni! The beach looks lovely and relaxing. Nice place to spend some time with a good book. Have a great weekend :)

>5 ronincats: Thank you, Nicole, for inaugurating my thread! You have a great weekend, too!

>268 Nina, actually, Costco has carried a number of Tommy Bahama items, including beach umbrellas. The chair is very nice, can be carried like a backpack and has two pouches behind the back, one insulated.

>269 Mary, I'd love to have you hear, but after your lovely week in the mountains, I should be envying you! I've started The Ripper Affair this morning, but not that far through it yet. I also skipped the second book.

Happy new thread and happy weekend wishes, Roni!

Happy New Thread, Roni! I hope that you get to do some of that beach relaxing in August!

Happy New Thread, Roni!

Happy new thread, Roni! I love the top photo! I think I need more beach in my life.

Happy New Thread, Roni! :D

Happy new thread!

I've enjoyed the books I've read by Patricia Wrede even though I've only read a handful of her work. I think I'll have to revisit her. I haven't read any of her fairy tale series - would you recommend it?

Happy new thread!

>13 streamsong: I'm not Roni but I really liked her Enchanted Forest Chronicles starting with Dealing with Dragons.

Hey! You snuck in a new thread when I wasn't looking! :) Still jealous of your lovely beach day. Mountains and lake beaches are okay, but I do miss the ocean.

>7 ronincats: The further I read, the more I think I needed to read the second in the series first, but too late for that now. I'll just have to double back and try to forget the later story.

Happy new thread from me as well.

*blushes*

Sorry about my mix up of Miles books on the previous thread. I obviously had a brain fart! LOL

Happy new thread!

Oooh, visitors!! Please, sit down and relax a while. Have some snacks...

and drinks of your choice...


Lori, Peggy, Amber, Kerri, Faith, Janet, foggi, Morphy, Mary, Kerry, and Heidi, thank you for visiting. I hope you can find something to your tastes above. I am tickled pink to see you here!

No reading today yet--we went down to see the new wharf-side seafood market this morning, but the line was too long to actually go through. It was the first day and will be Saturdays only and there were lots of people. We'll try it again in a few weeks, when the crowds will hopefully be down. This is our first venture of fisherman selling to the public direct.

Then we went to the San Diego Bead Show. Unlike the Gem Faire that comes through every couple of months, this is a local show with lots of local artisans. I spent several hundred dollars on hand-crafted beads, I fear, and I'm still blocking on the actual construction of jewelry despite all sorts of ideas.

Then we stopped by the library before I went to pottery. Of course, a bunch of my holds had all come in at once:
A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin
Quest for Kim by Peter Hopkirk
The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross
Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce

plus I renewed Red Rising by Pierce Brown

3 weeks. No problem, right?

At pottery I threw two big bowls, teapot components and two small bowls. My mugs weren't out of the green ware kiln yet, so no glazing, but i brought home a mug I left last week because it had a chip on the bottom I needed to grind off.


Peggy, I plan to get some more beach time in this year. I just haven't done enough of that since I retired. Of course, the best beach months are September and October after the crowds leave.

Janet, she does well with the fairy tales, but, like Morphy, I love the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and also her traditional fantasy set in Lyra, of which The Raven Ring is my favorite. The Seven Towers is a stand-alone traditional fantasy which I like because of the characters.

Mary, obviously something happened in the second book to alienate Bannon from Britannica. I'm only at p. 150, but hope to proceed tonight so I can get to all the library books above.

Heidi, I knew it was just a momentary lapse!

So, welcome all, and enjoy!

Happy new thread, Roni!!

LOVE that thread topping beach picture! Makes me a bit green with envy.... :)

Roni, I just love that mug. The colours and shape is fantasitc, and the fact that it has a nice large handle so you can wrap your hands around it.

>19 ronincats: - Oooohhh... fruity smoothie drink thingees!!! YUM!

Love the mug. I also love the larger handle. It reminds me of the whole 'pinkie out' thing when drinking a cup of tea.... the handles on most teacups are just too darn tiny to hold with all of your fingers! ;-)

Happy new thread, Roni! I love the refreshments in post 19. I'm sure you'll get through the library haul in time. Because then you can get more :-)

Happy new thread Roni! I have finally got my pile of unread library books down to only 3 books (and a larger pile that need returning)! I celebrated by reserving another....

Just waving: HI!

Just dropping by to say hello! (I won't even pretend to catch up).

Happy new thread!

>19 ronincats: Yum, thanks. Oh - GORGEOUS mug. I love the colours, especially the combination of the two blues at the top.

>7 ronincats: Obviously I need to find a Costco and visit it.

>1 ronincats: I'm not jealous of your beach day. At all. ;0)

The mug is very pretty, and the beach is marvelous. How did someone who loves the ocean so much end up living in Iowa?!

>20 TinaV95: Thank you, Tina! Maybe the beach for your next get-away?

>21 NicolePatrick: Welcome, Nicole. Can you tell that I like to get my fingers into the handle?

>22 lkernagh: Lori, see above. Have another drink while you are at it!

>23 susanj67: Susan, relax and have another drink along with Lori. Three weeks for 5 books isn't too bad.

>24 souloftherose: Thanks, Heather. Way to go!

>25 connie53: Hi, Connie. Glad to see you checking back it at LT. Hugs and support on the knee rehab.

>26 SandDune: Rhian, after your lovely vacation in Denmark, you undoubtedly have a lot of must-do catching up to do at home. My thread doesn't have to be part of it. ;-)

>27 humouress: Poor Nina--so deprived! Have another drink. Use the mug!

>28 rosalita: I don't know. How did that happen, Julia?

We were going to go down to the Lemon Festival in Chula Vista today, but the spouse woke up with a headache and didn't have a lot of energy. We are eating our leftover Thai food from yesterday for dinner, so I committed to working on jewelry today. Here's what I've managed so far--I have 3 more focal elements in basically the same colors, so will be variations on a theme.

>29 ronincats: I know, I know; it's terrible. :'0(
;0)

>29 ronincats: Beaut, mate!

I hear it rained in beautiful San Diego yesterday. Hope it was enough to measure. Sounds like you're having a good summer. Lovely necklace.

Coordinating necklace:


Thanks, Nina.

Reba, only a trace here, but north county got lots. Thanks.

Roni, there is nothing worse than not being able to get your fingers in the handle of a cup, thank goodness this doesn't happen to me too often as I have small hands. I love the necklaces, especially the first one, the colour combination is very nice.

Lovely necklaces. I agree with Nicole. The color combination is what makes both of them. I especially like the concave pink rectangles in the first one.

>1 ronincats: I especially like how the beach photo appears to have been taken from the bar area - my idea of an excellent way to spend the day at the beach.

Love both of them but love the 2nd one more. The heart makes such a great center piece and makes it hang so nicely too.

For some reason, though I like both, I prefer the second necklace.

Both necklaces are wonderful. Is the second necklace made with darker toned beads, or is does it just look darker in the picture? I like the darker colour of the second necklace, but as I said, I think they are both wonderful.

Kept this one simpler, just picked up the colors.


Nicole, Morphy, Reba, and Nina, thank you. Lori, good catch--the second is made with darker beads in the bluish color.

Eric, it WAS taken from the bar where we were sitting!

Let me just say that the flash tends to wash out the soft raspberry colored clear glass beads on all of these necklaces. This is the final one in this color palate--now I'll move on to other colors.

Yum. I like the first necklace and the last one in case you're keeping count. ----oh, well, and the flower one. And of course, I like the heart one too. I'm hopeless.

>39 ronincats: Oh, nice! And the pendant in the second one is intriguing, too.

Love the big handle on the mug.

This year looks like a total non-beach year the way things are going. At least I did take some walks on it.

Very pretty necklaces - I tend to wear mostly very small stuff - little beads - and I adore the colors you chose in necklace #2, for example and would likely be drawn to a necklace that was all those with nothing larger. I'm the same way with earrings.

Hello Roni -- Oh, I always love my visits toy our thread! Lovely jewelry, and a beautiful beach photo! Hope you're having a great week.

Yes, lovely jewellery.

I **LOVE** the faience bead turquoise/teal family ones!! That color family makes my heart sing.

>39 ronincats: is just lovely, very understated and elegant looking. Charge more for it!

>40 ronincats: doesn't appeal to *me* but I am sure it will to many. That focal bead is not my personal taste.

And a general mug comment: I love that the handles of your mugs aren't weentsy-mingy-poke-a-pinky affairs. Hate loathe despise detest itty bitty handleypoos.

Love the necklaces!!! How is the farmers market booth working out for you?

>41 LizzieD: Peggy, that's what I like to hear. You are safe--all the way across the continent from any purchase!

>42 humouress: The pendants in messages 39 and 40 are hand-made glass beads that I've bought at bead fairs. The first I just bought this weekend for $4, the multicolor glass one was $10 at a previous bead fair. In both cases, the colors pulled me in.

>43 sibylline: What is funny is that the younger set seem to think my necklaces too puny for them--they want the huge statement necklaces. I have some that are all the smaller beads (in my own collection) but do like a focal bead.

>44 AMQS: Thank you, Anne. I can't believe you are heading back to work already. You've had such a busy summer, it may be a relief!

>45 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry.

>46 richardderus: Thank you, Richard, for coming by and giving me your feedback. You know I depend on your taste.

>47 cammykitty: Katie, I'm not doing the farmer's market yet. I have a big show on Thursday, the Talmadge Art Festival's First Thursday at the Market, and wanted to save all my stock that isn't at the consignment shop (where I've only sold one dish so far) for this show to try and make back the considerable entrance fee. This show has a really good reputation for a Sunday show at Liberty Station three times a year, but this is their first time at this venue and time, so I hope it does well. http://www.talmadgeartshow.com/home.html

I finished this book on Sunday.



Book #100 Quest for Kim by Peter Hopkirk (273 pp.)

Eric (Oberon) reviewed this book recently. Since I love Kim and the library had this book, I immediately requested it. I would say that it is really only for Kim aficionados, a chronicle of Hopkirk's attempt to identify the prototypes for the characters and places in the book. Interesting but not outstanding.



Book #101 The Ripper Affair by Lilith Saintcrow (386 pp.)

This was a June Early Reviewers book. I had read the first book in the series, also as an ER selection, but missed the second book. This is the third of the "Bannon and Clare Case" series. Best described as fantastical steampunk, the series pairs the Prima sorceress Emma Bannon with the logical, rational mentath, Archibald Clare in the solving of threats to Britannia, the underlying spirit of Britain. Clearly, dark and momentous events occurred in the second book which soured Emma's relationship with Britannia and stressed Clare's logical capacities. Still, they are both pulled into the mystery of a series of murders in the Eastron End of Londinium, ones that appear to be weakening the ruling spirit of Britannia.

These books portray a murky and haunted London in the best of times, and they are dark in atmosphere. The narrative maintains a distance and reserve around the protagonists even as we access their innermost thoughts. This would not be a comfortable place, and it is not a comfortable read. The author builds suspense and develops a coherent plot, and many will love it much more than I do, who prefer a more intimate connection.

Good luck at the Art Festival! First time at a new venue may actually work in your favor. I used to do craft fairs, but they can be hit or miss and the weather has everything to do with it! One person told me it was like camping with a gallery on your back.

>48 ronincats: That's interesting because along with >43 sibylline: I also prefer smaller beads. I also like really *long* necklaces. I'm not much into pendant or "statement" necklaces. I do love the color combinations you come up with.

ETA: I'm in my late 40s. So age difference?

>49 ronincats: Wow, you got through that quickly. I still haven't started my reread of Kim.

I might like the Kim book..... but it might just be one book too many for me.... I did love the original though.

Good review of The Ripper Affair. I felt much the same, though I blamed it on the rather nebulous writing style. Much different style than the Dante Valentine series where the writing style, if I recall correctly, was more direct.

ETA good luck wishes for the Thursday art show!

Thanks, Katie. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Morphy, so many different styles out there and it's a good thing, isn't it? Long necklaces take more work and more beads--I guess I'm lazy! I think it's also body style (especially neck length) and if you wear tops with high or low necks--e.g., with turtlenecks, longer is better.

Eric, it was a quick read, and just the type of nonfiction I like for my nightly in-bed reading.

Lucy, Kim imprinted on me at an early age that using four letter words was just plain vulgar and unimaginative in swearing--the options presented were so much more original and attractive. I do love that book.

Thanks, Mary. It is a strange writing style, isn't it? I can't put my finger on it. And thank you again!

I'm starting to work on staging with some new props, including lights since we'll be there after dark. Results later, but here's the necklace I finished this morning. Again keeping the focus on the focal bead.

>55 ronincats: I think it's also body shape, too. I'm heavy, so chunky stuff just makes me look chunky.

Wonderful necklace! Just because I wouldn't wear it doesn't mean I can't appreciate it's beauty! Those shades of blue are some of my favorite colors. That and greens in the same tones. And the texture of the non-focus beads are wonderful. I'd play with them all day.

Thank you so much for the feedback, Morphy!

>57 ronincats: Lovely. I like how you have clustered tones together.

Hi Roni! Love all your creativity, hoping for big sales for you.

>55 ronincats: Nice pendant, too, but I love the necklace. The fact that it happens to be in our family's favourite colours doesn't hurt ;0)

>57 ronincats: ETA may I suggest you put those eye-catching blues near the front, where people walking by will see them? Reel 'em in, I say!

Your recent work is amazing, Roni! They are all beautiful, but I especially LOVE the necklace in >29 ronincats:!!!

Yes, it feels strange to be back at school, but I feel so much better than I have the past two years. Last year I was just dreading it -- excited about my new school and all, but I had had such a tough year in two schools the previous year AND finishing my master's. I spend last summer trying to decompress and dig out, and was so anxious about starting back up again, as well as being in a new building, school district, etc. What a difference a year makes! While I would certainly enjoy more summer, I am ready for school and quite excited:)

>55 ronincats: *applause*

>57 ronincats: Charming! I'd stop'n'shop.

So last night I spent finishing the necklaces, putting clasps on them and all, and making some matching earrings.

Beautiful! You are such a talented lady, with a good eye for color, too.

Right now, I'm a bundle of nerves. Thanks, everyone, for the support!

Your work is so beautiful, Roni! I hope lots of deep-pocketed people with an appreciation for art wander by your booth.

Hi Roni, just dropping by to catch up. Gorgeous items here as usual, and I sure hope the people at the Talmadge Art Festival take note of your wares.

>57 ronincats: & >64 ronincats: They look very effective - good luck!

>64 ronincats: Oh my goodness, those are so very lovely! I especially like the deep blue colors on the left, but all of those shades and colors are right where I like my clothes and jewelry to be. Best of luck!

Best of luck! (I think my favourites are the necklaces on the two outer edges.)

So lovely! All of them look very handsome with the matching earrings. What's the rate?

Lovely booth and lovely wares. Nice review up at >49 ronincats:. Saw The Ripper Affair in the ER offerings and was intrigued. Glad you won it and shared such a wonderful review with us.

Happy Friday!

>39 ronincats: OH WOW!! Also, nice ceramics display.

This was a very nice venue. The old police station, just north of the original Seaport Village across a parking lot, has been revamped into the Seaport Village Marketplace, with restaurants and stores, including the cheese specialty shop mentioned some time earlier. We were lined up, back to back, in the middle of the approach to the square from Seaport Village, so there was a fair amount of traffic, especially going to and from the restaurants. But I don't think nearly the craft traffic from one of their regular shows.

Richard, I put $60 for the necklace/earring sets.

I sold enough pottery to pay for the steep booth fee and supper for us at Puesto (www.eatpuesto.com), gourmet street tacos! That restaurant and bar were right in front of us and the smells were wonderful. BUT I did not sell a single piece of jewelry. Go figure.

So today I woke up with a bit of a headache, had a doctor's appt. (routine) and came back home after lunch at Japanese and slept for 2 hours!!

Muchas gracias a Morphy, Stephanie, Nina, Tina, Anne, Richard, Sheila, Julia, Judy, Heather, Mary, Reba, and Nina, Richard, and Sheila again! Your support was greatly appreciated.

>29 ronincats: lovely, lovely necklace!

Not ONE?! I'm gobsmacked! Still and all, no loss = win. And it looks as if it was a lovely day.

Ah, customers are such fickle types... and unpredictable at the best of times. But selling enough pottery is still a success!

How very odd! But I am glad you sold enough pottery to pay for your supper and your booth!

Hmm, odd. Good-oh on the pottery though.

Thinking about it, maybe most jewellery boutiques I visit have the earrings, at least, hanging on a rack. When you have them displayed flat, potential customers may not see them until they are really close, whereas the (3D) pottery stands out more?

Hello, Roni. Glad to hear the pottery was a success. Cannot understand why you didn't sell any necklaces though. It looks like the weather was nice, I hope you enjoyed your day :)

Lots of pretties on your newish thread, Roni, including the thread topper, the lovely necklaces and your booth at Seaport Village. Yay for selling pottery and a good meal!

Your booth was lovely, as always, and I'm glad you had pottery sell. Did you get a chance to walk around and look at the other booths?

>76 Whisper1: Lovely Linda!!

>77 richardderus: Yep, no loss if we don't count materials and labor. But really, I was just happy to make the $100 booth fee.

>78 dk_phoenix: >79 sibylline: It was fun and I was grateful to have sales.

>80 humouress: I've had the earrings on a rack other times, and then people don't seem to notice how they match the necklaces--six of one, half-dozen of the other, I guess.

>81 NicolePatrick: Lovely weather, Nicole.

>82 Donna828: Thanks, Donna.

>83 streamsong: I got to look at the ones in my area--lots of jewelry but only one other in my price range and style. (the others were more expensive) I don't know how they did.

So, yesterday I had an upset stomach all day and didn't even go to pottery. I did get some reading done.



Book #102 A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor (334 pp.)

I actually finished this the night before the show, and just haven't gotten around to posting it. I'm not raining on the St. Mary's parade, but this book seemed more to me like a succession of novellas rather than a tightly plotted novel. Still, a series of adventures with the St. Mary's crew continues to be entertaining.



Book #103 A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin (464 pp.)

For the first forty pages of this book, I was unsure of my response. The descriptive prose was in sensory overload and I was having to read sentences and paragraphs several times over to make sense of them.

As the static blue shock of my wakening, if that is the word, passed, little worms of it digging away into the floor or crawling along the ceiling back into the telephone lines, the hot blanket of their protection faded from my body. The cold intruded like a great hungry worm into every joint and inch of skin, my bones suddenly too long for my flesh, my muscles suddenly too tense in their relaxed form to tense ever again, every part starting to quiver as the full shock of sensation returned.

This first section of the book is very disconcerting, with the hero and the reader being completely off balance. Fortunately, it is done for a reason and the readability soon settles down to a comfortable density.

This book is extremely similar to Sandman Slim, recently reviewed with the decision not to continue with the series. Like SS, Matthew Swift is returned to the world with his friends and belongings reft from him, a terrible anger seeking revenge, and an enemy immediately on his heels. And violence, ongoing violence. Let me tell you why I think this book is far superior to SS. Here are the main contrasts.

The magic system is much more sophisticated, nuanced, and well-developed. It is interesting and intriguing of itself. And it is integral to the story.

The villain is also nuanced, well-developed, and all the more villainous for that.

The Order plays the same role that the angels and Homeland Security do in Sandman Slim, but even if the majority are just as hate-filled and paranoid, again, they are not monolithic, and produce a very nuanced character who adds to the mix.

The mythic characters arise from the concept of magic that underlies the book, and are fascinating.

London itself is an important character in the book, adding greatly to the atmosphere and magical intensity.

Matthew Swift, although just as bent on revenge as SS, has much more depth to his personality and, again, nuance to his character.

So all these factors make this series one I will continue as opposed to the Sandman Slim books.

ETA kkunker and Hannah (HanGerg) recommended this book to me.

>84 ronincats: I'd never cost the materials and time in unless the sole reason you're doing this is to sell the resulting pieces. Your own enjoyment counts too!

#102 A series of interconnected novellas! yes, that's it exactly. I enjoy the fun, but you're spot-on about that structure.

I LOVE the old Police Station project. What a huge improvement over the blighted state it was in for so long. Also love Pueato. Glad your event went (fairly) well but too bad you didn't sell any jewelry. Odd how different venues bring such different sales.

>84 ronincats:: Into the swamp with A Madness of Angels! (The St. Mary's series is there already, very close to the surface.)

Thanks for the recommendations!

Edit: Oops. A Madness of Angels was also there already. Swamps, right?

>87 swynn: More like morasses!

>86 RebaRelishesReading: Definitely a fun venue!

>85 richardderus: It isn't the sole reason, but it would be nice if it would help subsidize the money I put into my hobby. Still, as I said, I was thrilled to make my booth fee and a bit beyond, since my last three shows in La Mesa had failed to do that. Ooh, glad you agree with me about the St. Mary's structure, instead of excoriating me for presumably failing to appreciate the stories.

Hi Roni! Your day at Mission Beach looks perfect!

Amazon claims that they're having a hard time finding the first of Jodi Taylor's novels. I've told them to keep looking but I wonder if this is part of that whole Hachette-Amazon mess.

>75 ronincats: I sold enough pottery to pay for the steep booth fee and supper for us at Puesto Woo hoo! I don't understand why no-one bought any of the jewellery though.

>84 ronincats: Really glad you also enjoyed A Madness of Angels. I think your review summed it up much better than mine did :-)

>89 EBT1002: Yeah, mine is a Kindle copy. Looks like other stores have plenty of copies, so maybe it is part of that mess. Did you hear Disney is now suing Amazon?

>90 souloftherose: Aha! I knew SOMEONE had read it recently and moved it up the list--actually, THIS time the library had it and they didn't two years ago when Hannah recommended it. I actually had the advantage of having an extremely similar book--on the surface-- that I had just finished as well to riff off of--definitely beefed up my review.

>84 ronincats: Better than Sandman Slim? I'm in!

I'm so sorry nobody seemed to notice how lovely your necklaces and earrings were, Roni. Boo on them.

I think the picture in >75 ronincats: is just gorgeous! Beautiful lady and stunning wares for sale. Dumb customers that day. That's my guess.

Note to Stephanie: some reviewers think that A Madness of Angels is slow in some spots, and compared to Sandman Slim it is--but that's what made the space for more of the stuff I enjoyed.

>93 TinaV95: Thank you, Tina!

So yesterday I got rid of two of my hardbacks, In the Shadow of Blackbirds and The Orphanage of Miracles, when the local library agreed to accept them into their system. Whee, I thought, I'm making space in my own library. But on the way out, I made the mistake of looking at a cart marked "Free Books", and guess what I found on it! Deaccessioned hardbacks of Sorcery & Cecilia and The Grand Tour by Pat Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. I couldn't leave them sitting there. Then, when I get home, I realize that although I have the original paperback S&C that was so hard to find for so many years, and have the third book in hardback, I don't have The Grand Tour at all, and if I have books 2 & 3 in hardback now, shouldn't I keep the copy of S&C in hardback to go with them? Especially since I should keep my original copy in as pristine condition as possible?



Book #104 The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross (359 pp.)

I read the first two books of the Laundry series, The Atrocity Archives and The Jennifer Morgue, when they first came out in the US. I was intrigued by the premise but underwhelmed by the product. They were okay but I felt Stross could have done so much more with them. This is my first visit back to The Laundry, having missed books 3 and 4, and this is the book I hoped those first two would be. Not just a homage to geekdom or Lovecraftian horror, but an actual story with some depth.

Dejah Thoris and quinaquisset put this one on my horizon--thank you, ladies. Not a must read, but entertaining.

Stross is uneven, isn't he?

Hi Roni!

>75 ronincats: - Lovely set-up and it sounds like a successful outing!

I hope the stomach issues have improved.

>94 ronincats: Coincidentally, I was just thinking about Sorcery and Cecilia today, Roni, and that I should get The Grand Tour too ... and ... there's a third one?

And don't ask me about reducing the number of books owned. I have half a shelf of duplicate books (pristine condition) that I'm nerving myself to look for a good home for.

>95 sibylline: Lucy, I find Stross very uneven. He has good ideas and decent plot lines, but his characters often come out flat for me, and that is such an essential thing to my enjoyment of a story.

>96 DorsVenabili: Hi, Kerri! Good to see you back on the threads. Stomach did settle--don't know if it was nerves aftermath, something I ate, or a bit of a bug.

>97 humouress: Oh, Nina, you'll never guess what I'm doing now! Well, actually, those who know me probably will guess. Rather than pick up a library book to read, I read Sorcery & Cecilia yesterday, got a third of the way into The Grand Tour, and will undoubtedly wind up with The Mislaid Magician.



Book #105 Sorcery & Cecilia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (320 pp.)

Back in 1988, Wrede and Stevermer published a mmpb of this little fantasy set in Regency England, the result of a Letter Game where the authors exchange letters advancing the plots, each writing a separate story line that integrates at key points. At the end of the game, they realized they had a book and worked together to edit and realign the book to make a novel.

Description (from Amazon):
A great deal is happening in London this season.
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at Sir Hilary's induction into the Royal College of Wizards. (Since when does hot chocolate burn a hole straight through one's dress?!)
Then there's Dorothea. Is it a spell that's made her the toast of the town--or could it possibly have something to do with the charm-bag under Oliver's bed?
And speaking of Oliver, just how long can Cecelia and Kate make excuses for him? Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is!
The girls might think it all a magical nightmare . . . if only they weren't having so much fun.

This is lightweight romantic comedy with an imagination, lovely summer reading!

Sorcery and Cecelia sounds like a lot of fun, Roni. I'll have to see if I can find it; maybe one of the libraries around here. Hope your week is going well!

Ha! I was just over on your thread, Mary. I hope you can find a copy.

Is anyone else having trouble updating their tickers? For the last two days, every time I click on "edit" it only will let me set up a brand new one.

Oh! Yes, I thought it was just me!

ETA I tried to set up a new one but couldn't. Something on the website must be messed up.

>99 Storeetllr: Sorcery and Cecelia is fun; read it! :0)

>100 ronincats: (woo hoo, a century) It may be that I haven't updated my tickers in a while. But I think I did do one yesterday, with no problems.

I've also not been able to update my tickers. Over at the Category Challenge someone started a thread about this, as we appear to be compulsive list makers and counters over there!

Hmm, do you use TickerFactory, humouress?

I've been having issues with tickers at TickerFactory all week.

>104 Storeetllr: I do. But I realised I haven't actually updated my tickers in a while. My bad, sorry!

Darn, I was hoping you used a different ticker site. I looked but wasn't able to find one that does what TickerFactory does.

Thank heavens the tickers seem to be back working properly. :)

Thanks for the heads up, Judy. I hadn't checked, but now I am all updated!

Mary, Nina, Stephanie and Judy, I remember this happened a way back as well, and then it also took about a week for things to clear up.



Book #106 The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (469 pp.)

Taking place very shortly after the conclusion of Sorcery & Cecelia, this book takes the two couples across Europe in time to thwart a conspiracy to create a new magical Emperor of Europe in this alternate history set in the early 1800s. Just as entertaining as the first.



Book #107 The Mislaid Magician by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (328 pp.)

Ten years later, a mysterious disappearance possible affecting the nation's security lead to Prime Minister Lord Wellington sending Cecelia and James to investigate while Thomas and Kate take care of the kids and fend off mysterious intruders of their own.

Good to know the ticker site is working again! Thanks for the heads-up, Judy and Roni!

Roni, Happy weekend. I think that I am going to have to add Sorcery & Cecelia to my wishlist, it sounds interesting to say the least.

I really like S&C. I didn't think as much of The Grand Tour - the conceit didn't work as well there (for me) - and I found The Mislaid Magician mostly annoying. Though it was fun seeing where old friends had gotten to.

Roni, your review of The Ripper Affair reminded me that I had been meaning to get to the 2nd Banner & Clare series. I had read The Iron Wyrm and loved it. So now I've got to get to The Red Plague Affair and I've put The Ripper Affair in my obese wish list.

I loved the photos of your jewelry sets and the pottery. And what a great pic of you at your booth. It all looked so lovely. I'm thrilled that your sales were such that it paid for your booth fee and that you still had enough left over for a nice dinner.

By the way, the ticker site is back up and running properly again.

>109 ronincats: Not quite a book bullet, because I was planning on getting them at some point, but you've made me move the two Chocolate Pot sequels up my list.

Hi Roni. I enjoyed Sorcery and Cecilia a few years ago but have never got round to tracking down the sequels. One day I will but I seem to have done a fair amount of book acquiring recently so perhaps not straight away...

I'm stopping by, but have nothing to add to recent reads as I haven't read them!

>110 Storeetllr: Hi, Mary. Yes, it's so nice to be up to date again.

>111 NicolePatrick: Nicole, it's lightweight but charming.

>113 cameling: I think I have a more positive response to the last two, Jenn, especially in this, my first rereading, when I knew more what to expect.

>114 humouress: Caro, good to have you safely home again, and wonderful to have you visit my thread.

>115 souloftherose: Every little bit, Nina!

>116 sibylline: Hi, Lucy!



Book #108 Blood Red by Mercedes Lackey (312 pp.)

This is book 10 in Lackey's Elemental Masters series, a loose collection of re-imagined fairy tale retellings mostly (all?) set in Victorian Europe. This one is inspired by Red Riding Hood and is set in Germany, Romania, and other eastern European settings.

By this point in time, Lackey is a "find at the library" author for me. Her stories are not unimaginative, but her story-telling seems prosaic and ordinary to me.

I also loved the S&C books, I read The Grand Tour first and so it remains a favourite.
Still to read anything by Mercedes Lackey, have collected a few since joining LT.

Kerry, Lackey's early Valdemar books, starting with Arrows of the Queen, were fresh and original and entertaining. Somewhere around book 13, the elaboration of the histories, backstory, etc., got rather tedious. She has been prolific, but I've never been that enamored of her series about bards or her dragon quartet or the serrated edge books or the 500 kingdoms books, although I did like her Diana Tregarde books.

Yes, I liked Lackey back in the 80s and 90s, especially the Diana Tregarde and early Valdemar series, and even the Elizabeth I series (Serrated Edge) was kind of fun, but I just couldn't get into her 500 kingdom books after the first one or two. I don't think I even read any of her other series, though it's been so long I may have just forgotten.

All these years later, I finally found and tarted up my 15-year-old review of Earth Abides and posted it in my thread...post #121.

Agreed, Mary.

Richard, I liked your review. I still have the book, but I read it more like 35 years ago and remember it not at all. I wouldn't have kept it had I not liked it at the time.

Hi Roni! Nothing to add to your conversations except my admiration of your jewelry upthread. Lovely pieces all.

Hi, Heidi! Good to see you here!



Book #109 Buried Deep: A Retrieval Artist Novel by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (372 pp.)

This was a fascinating science fiction book that's been on my shelves since before 2011. Dealing with events on Mars and the Moon, humans have to interact with the alien Disty in a cultural crisis that is resulting in many deaths.

Okay, free book for this week is a trade paperback copy of The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke, a book of short stories by the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. First one to request who hasn't already gotten a free book from me in 2014!

Hi, Roni. Just popping over to say hello. Its nice that you give away free books from time to time. That is something that I should consider doing to cull some of the books I am never going to read that others might enjoy. However the cost of postage to any part of the world from Australia is just so expensive, and unfortunatly I'm not made of money. I tend to give books to a lady I work with, she has even less than me, and she is always greatful. I hope you have a great week :)

>117 ronincats: I'm the same way with Lackey now which is a real shame as I used to buy them all in hardcover. Her Valdemar books are great (except for the Collegium series.) I also liked the Bard, SERRAted Edge, Diana Tregarde, and Dragon Jousters series. The first book in the Elemental Masters, The Fire Rose is one of my all time favorite books and the next five are good, too (except The Wizard of London. I liked the first three 500 Kingdoms.

The rest is mediocre.

Did you enjoy it Roni? I tried to read Ladies of Grace Adeau years ago but, just having finished Strange and Norrell, and loved it, I wanted more than short stories so didn't finish it. If you think I'd do better with it now, I'd love to give it a try.

Roni, I have set up the September Series and Sequels thread. Hope you come on over and let us know what series you will be reading in September.

>127 Storeetllr: I had that exact experience - and when I was ready I went back and greatly enjoyed the stories, was grateful even that she'd written them. But I know what you mean, I wanted another big novel!

Hi ya Roni

See? I really do come by every day!

Hello Dear One

Congratulations on reading so many books, and on a successful pottery showing.

Love you lots!!!!

>125 NicolePatrick: Nicole, you are right about the unfeasibility of mailing my books to other countries, unfortunately. Oh, for the good old days of the M bag.

>126 Morphidae: You are right, Morphy, about the Fire Rose, which I do love greatly. She's starting a new Herald series, have you seen?

>127 Storeetllr: Mary, PM me your mailing address and I'll send it on to you. Yes, I think you'll like it, now that there is some distance.

>128 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I went right over and checked it out and starred it, although I haven't posted there yet. Thanks!

>129 sibylline:, >131 sibylline: I SEE you, Lucy!

>130 AuntieClio: Hi ya Stephanie!

>132 Whisper1: Love you, too, Linda!

Here's what I made for my husband today.

>133 ronincats: *gobsmacked and vibrating with jealousy*

>133 ronincats: Oh dear lord.

>133 ronincats: Gorgeous! And all my favorite colors ~ red black gold!

This one would look at home in some of the fantasy novels I've read - love those colors!

Would look good on Luchare, eh??

Necklace or bracelet?

>138 RebaRelishesReading: Bracelet, Reba.

Thanks, Richard, Morphy, Mary, and Lucy.

Woke up at 4 this morning with a migraine. First round of medication took care of the head pain, now I'm dealing with my type two migraine, which is nausea and sweats. One round of meds for that down, next coming up in half an hour. Hope to be back later feeling better.

Roni, I'm so sorry to read about the migraine. I hope the meds bust it and you are soon feeling better.

Feel better soon!

Better! Thanks, Susan and Lucy. I'm just fortunate to have effective meds.

And I've finished my next book.



Book #110 The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan (336 pp.)

Being the second book of Lady Trent's memoirs, this was won from Kriti's blog a while ago. I read the first book, A Natural History of Dragons, immediately, but saved this one for a while. Still, it is going to be next year before the third book comes out, so I decided to go ahead now and get it read. I enjoyed this as much, if not more, than the first book. Although set in a fantasy world, that world is organized on the principles of our world during Victorian times, with Lady Trent's Scirling roots modeled on those of colonial England. While much of her story is concerned with dragons and the geography and societies she encounters outside of Scirling, the limitations on women of her time and her struggles against those limits form an essential part of her story and imho strengthen and deepen the story. Modeled on the stories by intrepid Victorian explorers into strange countries and cultures, but from a woman's experience and with dragons!

I adore the Lady Trent novels by Marie Brennan and can't wait for the next to come out too!

Dang it, Roni. Sorcery and Cecelia is now on my wishlist. :)

>139 ronincats: I have so much sympathy for migraine sufferers now. Sending gentle hugs.

I seem to have missed two of your last thread somehow. :( Trying to catch up. Until I do, happy reading and crafting :)

Oh so now I have to checkout the Lady Trent books. *drowning in books*

Finally getting caught up dear Roni. Hope you beat away the migraine quickly and, without it, have a splendid Sunday.

Hoping you are doing better?

Paul and Lucy, I was feeling better by post 142, but thank you for the supportive caring!

Kerry, you DO have to check out the Lady Trent books!

Melissa, better late that never, right?

Morphy, I feel for you, girl. Hope the medicines have put some limits on the pain by now.

Tina, it's light and frothy, but fun.

Mary, I agree with you completely! I've already pre-ordered the third book, even though it doesn't come out until March 31, 2015. Boo, hiss!!

So, I've been doing some reading.



Book #111 Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce (310 pp.)

Lucy put this book and author on my wish list back in June. Joyce writes beautiful descriptive prose, and pulls one directly into the middle of these people's lives. I liked all of it except Joyce's depiction of the other reality--it just seems tacky to me, and other than the sensory enrichment I see no reason to prefer it. Probably my own biases coming to roost.



Book #112 The Golden City by J. Kathleen Cheney (385 pp.)

Book summary from Amazon:
For two years, Oriana Paredes has been a spy among the social elite of the Golden City, reporting back to her people, the sereia, sea folk banned from the city’s shores....

When her employer and only confidante decides to elope, Oriana agrees to accompany her to Paris. But before they can depart, the two women are abducted and left to drown. Trapped beneath the waves, Oriana survives because of her heritage, but she is forced to watch her only friend die.

Vowing vengeance, Oriana crosses paths with Duilio Ferreira—a police consultant who has been investigating the disappearance of a string of servants from the city’s wealthiest homes. Duilio also has a secret: He is a seer and his gifts have led him to Oriana.

Bound by their secrets, not trusting each other completely yet having no choice but to work together, Oriana and Duilio must expose a twisted plot of magic so dark that it could cause the very fabric of history to come undone....

I read this for my book group. I really liked the world-building in this alternative Portugal in 1902. The mystery and its resolution were interesting. My only quibble is that this book followed the romance novel tropes a little too closely in the relationship between the two protagonists--I could have done with a little less instant physical reaction and enhanced awareness of the other. Otoh, no sex in this book, so that was a plus. Recommended for fantasy lovers who like books rooted in mythology and alternate histories.

Roni, you're doing it again; more BBs. The Cheney and Brennan both look intriguing. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better.

I like the bracelet you made for your husband; I'd wear it, in fact.

Nina, the Brennan is far better than the Cheney, if you're prioritizing!

How's the head? Are you completely returned to yourself?

The head is fine, Richard. Thank you for asking. But I'm not sure I'm ever completely returned to myself. ;-)

I'm sure there are still screws loose. I think that's inevitable...at least that's what I tell myself...

I say, Richard; that's not very chivalrous!

Hi Roni, glad the meds knocked the headache out. I used to have those but fortunately I "outgrew" them at about age 55 :)

I hear you about Joyce's 'take' on the land of the fay and the personality -- same variety and view I guess as Susannah Clarke's view and a traditional one at that. Gritty.

>142 ronincats: Bother. Another series for my wishlist.

I'm glad your head is better.

Hi Roni!

>124 ronincats: - This sounds like an interesting series - sci-fi mysteries. I hadn't heard of it, but will check it out.

I’m still in summer mode, hope to have the caterpillars on their way and get back to books in early September, dropping by because it’s been... quite awhile. Wow to the array of pottery and jewelry, but I guess it’s not going to fund retirement, so it falls under the category of life enhancement.

Still lurking, Roni. I'm glad your headache is gone. Lots of migraine sufferers around here. A by-product of reading? I sure hope not. Happy last week of August to you!

Hi Roni, just dropping by to wish you a great week. Any big plans?

Hi Roni ...

>155 richardderus: Ah, commiseration among comrades, Richard! *smooch*

>156 humouress: He's just realistic, Nina.

>157 RebaRelishesReading: Obviously not my timeline, Reba.

>158 sibylline: Yes, Lucy, that's another one where fay is just boring!

>159 souloftherose: Heather, this one really is worth investing the time in.

>160 DorsVenabili: Kerri, interesting science fictional world there--I've only read two of them so far, but enjoyed both of them.

>161 qebo: Ah, the caterpillar midwife appears!! Hi, Katherine. You must be exhausted!

>162 Donna828: Happy last week of August to you, Donna. Always glad to have you lurking here, as I am doing on your thread. I can't match your reviews, though.

>163 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. Getting a dental crown replaced, going to the beach--that's pretty much it for the week. Warm weather--mid to upper 80s here this week. Are you all still warm and dry?

>164 AuntieClio: Hi, Stephanie! Glad you had such a good weekend and hope it's a good week at work as well.



Book #113 Stray Souls by Kate Griffin (438 pp.)

Because the library didn't have the 3 other Matthew Swift books after A Madness of Angels, I ordered a book from a companion series. The viewpoint character (mostly) is Sharon Li, who's just discovered she is a shaman. Someone is stealing the spirits of London, evil creatures are breaching the walls because a major guardian spirit is missing. The Mayor of London (Matthew Swift) and the second best shaman in the world, Sammy the goblin, enlist her to solve this problem.

This is all staccato-style, quick spurts of information from different sources. Sharon is what we Americans would style somewhere between a hippie chick and a Valley Girl--her voice is amazing. Not comfortable for me, but Griffin's ability to maintain her voice consistently is amazing. Finally, we settle into more of a steady plot line, and have a lot of silly fun getting through a rather serious situation. I mean, an almost-Druid who has sneezing fits when around magic, an OCD vampire obsessed with hygiene, a gourmand troll...what's not to like?

Yes, Roni we are very warm and dry here, but I have heard that we may be in for some rain on Friday, which we badly need. I am so ready for some cool, crisp fall days!

Hi Roni! I've finally made my way over here to visit! Geeze, getting caught up takes forever!
Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Hi Roni. I heard about the Napa quake. I assume you're far enough south not to be affected?

>165 ronincats: Hmm; London, you say? Silly fun? OCD vampire (who, me?) ... No! No! No more book bullets *flees, screaming, into the distance*

Stray Souls sounds good! I wonder if I have the other series on my wish list already? Dang your thread, Roni! ;)

>166 DeltaQueen50: Warm and dry here too, Judy, and fall a long ways away.

>167 ChelleBearss: Hey, mama, good to have you back!

>168 humouress: Yes, we're over 500 miles south of there, so didn't even get a tremor, Nina.

>169 TinaV95: Join Nina, Tina--except you aren't running away screaming. ;-)

So, felt like some comfort rereads after the Joyce book.



Book #113 Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (329 pp.)

Book #114 Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones (298 pp.)

>165 ronincats: I ordered A madness of angels on the strength of your rec, and it occupies a middle floor in the Tower of Due. Good to know that the fun continues.

>170 ronincats:. Oh, your covers are interesting. Well, I'm in for the 3rd book, if you are.

Wow! You've done a lot of reading and I've had to dodge quickly to avoid being hit by book bullets! Sorry I haven't been here for so long. I'd say your craft show venture was successful. As for the jewelry not selling, it has nothing to do with the quality of your jewelry. It's what I've seen at shows myself. Here are the reasons - 1. jewelry is the most common thing being sold at shows so you have stiff competition. 2. Almost anything can be made more cheaply in China. Really. And beads/jewelry is definitely made more cheaply in China.

The pottery doesn't seem to have a knock-off cheap version and people seem to understand what goes into it a little better than they understand what goes into making jewelry. That's why you did better with it. If I ever do craft shows again, it will be with some unusual product - like doggy doorbells and applique treat bags.

No way I could catch up, Roni, but I loved looking at the pictures and rushing through the reviews. I have to say that I would love your husband's jewelry for myself.

>165 ronincats: Glad to hear Stray Souls is also a good read. I'm in the privileged position of knowing that my local library have all the Matthew Swift books so I will read those before starting Stray Souls and sequels.

>171 swynn: Steve, I hope you like it when you get to it. My library doesn't have the other 3 in the series and I'm not at the buying point for them yet, but I did enjoy that one.

>172 humouress: Nina, they did these neat paperback reprints of Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in the Air in 2001, and I do love these covers. I don't know if I had older copies I got rid of, or if I just didn't have my own copies at that point, but I'm glad I have these now. And regarding the third book, see below.

>173 cammykitty: Katie, I think you are probably right about the jewelry. Unfortunately. And my pottery is woefully underpriced as well, given the time that does go into it. But I'm just doing it for fun, so I should cut the jewelry prices and try to move it.

>174 LizzieD: Good to see you here, Peggy. Thank you.



Book #115 House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones (404 pp.)

Okay, this is the third book involving Howl and Sophie. The three books were published in 1986, 1990, and 2008 respectively, and this is the first time I have read all three straight through. I think when this one came out, I reread Howl's Moving Castle but not Castle in the Air, which was a mistake, not because the plots connect that much, but because of the way characters from the second book reappear here.

Of the three books, I think HMC is the best. It is totally original, even arising as it does from the fairytale trope that if there are three brothers or sisters, it's always the youngest who has the successful adventure. It is whimsical without being frothy. The characters are delightfully developed and, as noted above, original. There is absolutely no one like Howl anywhere else in literature. It is a classic for good reason.

The second book, CitA, is a variation of the Aladdin tale, with its southern climate and genies and sultan and princess and poor lazy handsome man. But just as you are thinking you know where this is going, it gets all jumbled up and the denouement is absolutely hilarious! HoMW is another original, with a protagonist who loves books and has never had to do any work at home at all suddenly put in charge of a wizard's house in his absence. All she wants to do is read, but real life is suddenly interfering with that in a big way.

All in all, a delightful retreat from real life for me over the last few days, and recommended to all of you who loved fairytales as children.

Book #116 Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron (315 pp.)

I discovered that Rachel Aaron is also Rachel Back, whose Fortune's Pawn science fiction I reviewed in May. This is light urban fantasy, aimed at young teens, imho. Cute, entertaining, but no substance.

So, I went by the library today to drop off one book and pick up three more, and guess what I found on the 25¢ cart! Beautiful hardback editions of The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls that had been deaccessioned from the library! Of course, they have the protective covers and the library marks and stickers, but the interiors are clean and in good condition. I already have my own, so I am going to have to find a good home for these...

Hi, Heather. You dropped in while I was in the process of composing the above. Good to have you here.

Pottery today. I threw two large bowls, one the largest I've thrown yet, and 5 mug bodies, and brought home these.

I like the different shading. It makes it look like the dark blue at the bottom could be mountains. :)

>179 ronincats: OOOOO AAAAAHHHH

How I *love* those blues! And the usably sized handles! And the heat-storing fat belly/narrower neck design!

>179 ronincats: You know, I received a set that looks a lot like that, including a teapot, for my wedding from one of my best friends, and I've always loved it.

Hi, Roni. Love the mugs! Hope you have had a nice weekend :)

Diana Wynne-Jones is so good - I've just picked here and there - but the Howl set sounds like a Must. Read.

And I have the Madness of Angels on the tbr.... urk.

And I'm trying to catch up on threads after days of near absence and distraction!

Oh I love those mugs!! You do such beautiful work!

I have no idea where my garden thread is now, but there are half a dozen of these Gulf Fritillaries flitting around my plants this morning, and a new camera.

>165 ronincats: Roni I've just finished The first Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, who apparently is Kate Griffin in disguise. It's a but more science-fiction rather than fantasy, but it's well worth a read.

Oooh beautiful butterfly! What new camera?

Let me catch up and thank Melissa, Richard, Nina, Nicole, and Chelle for the kind words about my cups! *smooches*

Lucy, well, you should have some time to catch up now that the LD is off to college!

Rhian, I saw you were reading that. Thanks for the feedback. I like sf as much as fantasy, so I'll definitely give it a try.

Thanks, Mary. I picked up a Panasonic Lumix FZ70, which has a 60x optical zoom--that butterfly was way up on the olive tree! It was at Costco with what seemed a really good price for the features it has, and we are going up to cruise in Glacier Bay in a couple of weeks, so thought it worth the investment.

August Statistics

Books read: 17 Pages read: 5989

Average pages per book: 352
Average pages read per day: 193

New reads: 11 (5 library books, 1 Book Off the Shelf, 3 Kindle purchases, 2 paper books acquired this year)

Re-reads: 6 (2 favorite fantasy trilogies, the Sorcery & Cecilia books by Pat Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and the Howl/Sophie books by Diana Wynne Jones)

Genre:
Non-fiction: 1
Science Fiction: 1
Fantasy: 15

Format:
Hardback: 10
Trade paper: 1
Mass Market paper: 3
Kindle: 3

Author gender: Male=3. Female=14
Country of origin: British=8, US=9

Year of publication:
1980s=1
1990s=8
2000s=0
2012=1
2013=2
2014=5

Books Acquired: 6

PBS: 1
Library free shelf: 2
ER: 1
Kindle: 2 (cost $8.48)

Books out the door: 6

PBS: 3
Library donation: 2
School library donation: 1

I'm with Richard on all the OOOOHing and AHHHHing over those mugs!! :)

>186 ronincats: Pretty!

>186 ronincats: Half a dozen fritillaries! I've seen zip this year, though the host violets are taking over my yard. Your garden thread is here.

Happy September, Roni. I love the blues that you used on the mugs, and the highly functional and eye-pleasing style.

>186 ronincats: - Lovely photo!

Have you read The Mote in God's Eye? I started it yesterday and quickly abandoned it, due to not being in the mood. I thought I'd ask the sci-fi queen what she thinks of it. It's doubtful I'd go back, but it's possible.

>190 TinaV95: Thanks, Tina!

>191 qebo: And thank YOU for that link, Katherine! Yes, the fritillaries love my passionflower vine. I need to get some milkweed to see if I can attract any monarchs in--saw a couple where I parked near the pottery studio Saturday. Other than the fritillaries, I just have some skippers and cabbage moths other than the anise swallowtail who swoops in daily.

>192 DeltaQueen50: Thank you, Judy. I did post my September S&S candidates over on that thread last night.

>193 DorsVenabili: Kerry, I absolutely loved The Mote in God's Eye. Of course, that was in 1975. I might not have the same reaction today.

>194 ronincats: Hrm. Ok. I might try it again. I just have a hard time not losing my mind when I read sci-fi set in advanced civilizations far into the future (in this case it's around 3016) and women have made no significant strides since the the 1970s. I do have a long car ride coming up, so maybe I'll give it another whirl. From the little I listened to, the world-building is impressive.

See, in 1975 that wasn't as glaring an issue. I'm sure some of the tech stuff is dated as well.

Hi Roni! Checking in after a little absence! Lovely crafts as always! I'm as puzzled as anyone as to why you're jewellery doesn't fly off the shelves. I LOVE the latest blue one with the sort of cylindrical main bead. Just my cup of tea.

Glad you enjoyed A Madness of Angels. I read the next book after that one and then kind of stalled on the series. The second book was a little too similar in it's story arc to the first for my liking. But...if I see the third somewhere I'll almost certainly pick it up, as she's a good writer, and as you say, the magic system is very satisfying. Have you read Kracken: An Anatomy (sorry, cannot get this touchstone to function for some reason)by China Mielville? It covers similar urban-fantasy-in-present-day-London territory. Not better necessarily, but an interesting variation on the same theme.

I got it! I got The Ladies of Grace Adieu that you sent ~ thank you very much! ~ and already read the first story in it. And you know what, you were right. I liked it a lot! Looking forward to reading the rest of it now.

Also, very jealous of you for your new camera. If the butterfly pic you posted is representative, it takes wonderful images! (Of course, your eye and a steady hand is also important!)

In a lot of science fiction from the late sixties and early seventies, there was a reactionary response to the women's movement, so instead of getting progress in "the far-flung future", things have either stagnated or gotten worse. It's an extremely exasperating trend but one that can be recognised for what it was.

>186 ronincats: Nice photo! Up in the tree, you say? Impressive.



This is the teacup from my set - in case you were wondering. Of course, it took me a while to throw all 6 evenly ....... oh; did I already tell you it was a gift? ;0)

>197 HanGerg: Hi, Hannah, traveller and artiste-extraordinaire! My library doesn't have the other 3 Matthew Swift books, unfortunately, but he does show up in the related series. I haven't read Kraken yet but will get to it one of these days.

>198 Storeetllr: So glad to hear it got there, Mary, and that you are enjoying it. The only drawback to my new camera is that the software is just for Windows, so I have to borrow my husband's computer to download the pictures.

>199 lyzard: Good point, Liz.

>200 humouress: Sorry, Nina, you had already told me it was a gift--but a lovely set indeed!



Book #117 The Seat of Magic by J. Kathleen Cheney (384 pp.)

This is the sequel to The Golden City, book #111 above, and finishes off the story quite nicely. Most of the world-building of this alternate Victorian Portugal was done in the first book--this one is also a mystery with political consequences.

Here I am again. Love your stats, as always!

I've finally reviewed Ancillary Justice, an Early Reviewers win, in my thread...post #224.

Five major awards won by this book, and I can't for the life of me comprehend why. Not a bad book, but it's...~meh~

Thanks, Lucy!

Still liked it better than you did, Richard. There's a review of her next one up at Tor.com.

My librarian friend emailed me a picture of this cake!

THAT is the cake I want for my next birthday. I showed my sister, and she said it would take an awful lot of work. I told her it's good then that I gave her so much notice! (My birthday is in July.) ;-D

Good grief. I disappear for a few days, come back and discover more book reviews, new pottery - which is amazing - I really love those mugs in >179 ronincats: - and even more amazing, you captured a butterfly sighting with your camera.... what a great pic!

>204 ronincats: - That cake looks too good to eat.

Wow! I would never be able to eat that - and I'm a birthday cake junky.

>204 ronincats: Wow! Just great.

That is truly an astonishing cake!

>205 Storeetllr: I look forward to seeing your cake next July, Mary. Although I'm afraid that, like >206 lkernagh: Lori and >207 LizzieD: Peggy, I wouldn't be able to eat it!

Isn't it just, >208 jnwelch: Joe and >209 sibylline: Lucy?

I've finished my second series book for September Series and Sequels:



Book #118 The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (561 pp.)

Okay, I wasn't sure about this one at the start--it had been enough time I'd forgotten a lot from the first two books. But it sucked me in and I thoroughly enjoyed the last two-thirds of the book.

ETA And I visited Mysterious Galaxy yesterday and picked up both the new Seanan McGuire, The Winter Long, and Libromancer by Jim Hines. I have read two Hines books with meh results, but this one has been recommended and Hines might be getting better, so we shall see.

Great butterfly photo and I love that cake. A cruise to Alaska, eh? Sounds wonderful. I'm hoping we can get together about earrings to go with my necklace before we leave on our cruise on Oct. 9. We will probably be home Sept. 16 (we're leaving sat. but doing some visiting on the way home). Think there will be a window?

Book #119 The Far West by Patricia Wrede (378 pp.)

I thought I had read this, but I hadn't! This is the third of Wrede's Frontier Magic trilogy. Interesting but not her best work, imho.

Dropping in to say hi, and thanks for checking out all these books for us. The Griffin book at >164 AuntieClio: looks interesting (of the ones I haven't read yet). What a beautiful cake!

Hi and hello Roni ... busy days, busy days :-) *hugs*

Mysterious Galaxy? What a great name for a bookstore!!!

Ya know, I've heard a few theories on trying to move jewelry. I wouldn't cut your prices unless you are showing in a location where you know a lot of the people attending are lower income. It's an odd sort of psychology thing that I don't really like, but people tend to think that if you have lower prices, you're an amateur. If you charge more, they think they are getting something more valuable. I've seen your pieces. You aren't using cheap materials at all. Some crafters have sworn to me that the actually moved more stuff when they charged more. You just have to know the demographics of your show. If you are going to charge less, do it as a "sale" price so people think they are getting a bargain rather than something inexpensive.

>211 RebaRelishesReading: Definitely.

>213 quinaquisset: Good to see you, QQ, cause you haven't been posting lately.

>214 AuntieClio: {{{Steph}}}

>215 cammykitty: I've thought about that, Katie, and had come to exactly that conclusion, that I'll have a sale on the prices I have now.



Book #120 California Bones by Greg Van Eekhout (302 pp.)

Shades of early Tim Powers! This evokes memories of Dinner at Deviant's Palace--that same gritty macabre feel and the southern California setting. Set in an alternate LA in the nation of Southern California, where the traffic goes by canal rather than freeway and magic is ingested by the bones from the La Brea tar pits (and other sources), this blends actual LA history and geography with fantasy in a coming-of-age/heist story. It has a YA feel to the story from the people's point of view--this is the author's first book for an adult audience--but the world-building is superb.

(Mild) curses to Richard, who introduced me to this science fiction/fantasy/horror meme:

What was the last sf/f/h book you finished reading? California Bones

What was the last sf/f/h book you did not finish reading and why? Off to Be the Wizard--seemed flat and I wasn't getting into it. I will give it another try.

What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you liked but most people didn’t? Raising Steam

What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you disliked but most people did? Sandman Slim

How long do your 1-sitting reading sessions usually last? 90 minutes

What are you currently reading? The Winter Long

Do you like it so far? Just started it, but expect to love it like the rest of the series, especially after the author's foreword saying that all the books so far were just to get to the story in this one.

How long ago did you buy the book you are currently reading (or the last book you read)? last Tuesday

What was the last physical sf/f/h book you bought? The Winter Long and Libriomancer on 9/2/14

What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you like the most and why? character-driven space opera and fantasy

What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you dislike the most and why? military science fiction--not into war and destruction

What is your favorite electronic reading device? my Kindle

What was the last sf/f/h eBook you bought? The Paper Magician

Do you read books exclusively in 1 format (physical/electronic)? no

Do you read eBooks exclusively on a single device (eBook reader/ smartphone / tablet)? Yes, pretty much only my Kindle.

Oooo looks like a fun meme for a rainy afternoon! The Eekhout looks very tempting!

I have the Eekhout here, and your review reminds me I need to get to it. I suspect it will be tops a 3.5* read, since I seem not to have processed the info that it's got majicqk in it.

Heh...glad you liked the meme!

Whew, I'm tired! Busy day at the pottery. I trimmed 4 large bowls and 5 mugs, glazed a teapot and lid and a small carved bowl. Here's what I brought home:

>220 ronincats: I love that, Roni! What a gorgeous design!

Splatterware! I like that shape, like a deep-dish pie plate.

>220 ronincats: I love everything about that bowl -- the shape, the color, everything!

>218 sibylline:, >219 richardderus: There's a lot to like about the Eekhout. Yes, Richard, there's magic but you'll enjoy it, trust me.

>221 porch_reader:, >222 richardderus:, >223 foggidawn: thank you, Amy, Richard and foggy. I was aiming at a deep dish pie plate, actually, and got it, amazingly enough. I made it on the small side, an 8" one, for those of us cooking for two.



Book #121 The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire (358 pp.)

Okay, this is book 8 of the series, and there is absolutely NOTHING I can say about it other than what I did above, about the author's foreword saying this was the first part of the plot for the series to be developed, that all the previous books were just to get to this point. Hang on for a ride, and prepare to have everything change. Need to have read all the previous books first, but McGuire keeps making this better and better.

Book #122 Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines (359 pp.)

This is my third book by Hines. The first was his Goblin Quest, which was very predictable and rather boring except for the ending. The ending was fantastic, but that one page was not worth plowing through the book for. Pick up the book in the store and rifle through the last few pages instead. It's not subtle. The second book was The Stepsister Scheme. Yay, a riff on fairy tale tropes. Except it's glued together by some very trite pop psychology that irritated the hell out of me. So I wouldn't have tried this one if it hadn't been recommended by an LTer (and no, I didn't note down who), been a book about books, and had a blurb by Seanan McGuire (see previous message) on the cover.

The magic system allows libriomancers to pull objects out of books if they are described in enough detail and have a large enough readership to "believe" in them. Lots of science fiction and fantasy books are mentioned in the book--I've read almost all of the real ones--and Hines includes a list at the end. Sadly, however, Hines' writing and characterization continue to lag behind his "one big idea" and I doubt I will be reading any more of him. The reviews on the review page by the Wallflower and Shimmin pretty much capture my opinion.

ETA a lot of the reviewers loved it though, so your mileage may definitely vary.

>225 ronincats: I've pulled up shy of committing to almost 400pp of this despite MANY URGINGS to do so. Now I'm glad.

>220 ronincats: Love the look of that bowl. I've taken Ancillary Justice back to the library but I will get it out again at a later date to read, instead I'll make a start on The Martian.

>227 avatiakh: Oooh, The Martian! I swear, ever since I read it a couple months ago, I've wanted to read it again. Hope you enjoy it!

I could have sworn I posted something to the effect that I too love that deep dish pie plate, Roni. Also, I've been hit by so many BBs on your thread that I am almost afraid to visit. Latest: the McGuire and the Eekhout. You're a dangerous lady, know that?

>226 richardderus: Glad to be of service, sir!

>227 avatiakh: We all love The Martian, Kerry.

>228 Storeetllr: Mary, since the McGuire is the eighth of a series, it should have been an automatic bullet! ;-)

>224 ronincats: Alright alright ALRIGHT!!!! I'll buy a Seanan McGuire Toby Daye book, sight unseen, just because of all you rabid LT fans. I still haven't filled my Thingaversary allotment, anyway. Happy now?

>220 ronincats: I like your pie dish. To be honest, it reminds me of blueberry clafoutis (I've only seen pictures of cherry clafoutis, but the colour is blueberry) - pie dish with ready made pie! I like the galaxies around the edge, too; one of my favourite pottery looks.

Left a PM on your profile page.

>230 humouress: Yep. So will you be.

Oh, so sad about Hines!!! If a book on libromancy was well done, it would be a joy to read!

>216 ronincats: Glad you like the Van Eekhout, Roni! It isn't his first book for adults, though: that was Norse Code, which I thought was a little busy but a lot of fun.

Indeed it would.

I will not start another series. Nope. Nope. Nope.

No matter how much you twist my arm!!

Love the pie plate / bowl. Now that is GORGEOUS!

You are almost as evil as Richard. I put Rosemary and Rue on my wish list. :P

I bounced off this Hines too. I've decided that although I like his blog, I'm going to have to pass on his books.

>189 ronincats: Oooh, Glacier Bay. You are in for an amazing experience.

Hi Roni. I'm gradually making the rounds now that I'm fully back in real life.

I did finally get my copy of the first Jodi Taylor -- Just One Damned Thing After Another. I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but Amazon's persistence paid off.

>220 ronincats: Very lovely.

Not heard of many of your recent reads, Roni and probably won't get around to many of them but it is always interesting to see what is going on over here. Have a lovely weekend my dear.

Hi Roni, catching up and wishing you a sunny Sunday.

>204 ronincats:: Wow, that is one birthday cake I wouldn't touch for the world. So much detail. I think I would have to preserve it and go buy a cake that I could eat without guilt!

>217 ronincats:: Another fun meme. I liked your answers but I won't be doing my own because, as you know, I am not a big sic-fi/fantasy reader. Although, you and others have gotten me hooked on that Vorkosigan Saga so I guess I like the sub-genre of character-driven space opera.

>241 PaulCranswick:: I will echo what Paul said. We don't read too many of the same books, but I love the pottery and jewelry you share with us as well as the pictures of beautiful San Diego.

>242 Donna828: Hah! One year, my husband's (then) company president had his first grandchild, and celebrated by giving a cake to each department, with a photo of the baby transferred onto the top, in icing. As head of his department, my husband ended up bringing the cake home, because no-one could bear to cut into the baby. As it was, we had to lift the transfer off the cake before we could cut it :0)

Whoops - wrong thread for that post but swinging by with hellos all the same, Roni!

You may or may not have noticed my absence for the last two weeks--but I am HOME again and woke up in my own bed this morning! I don't like to publicize my absences online--although I trust all of you, I know some data-mining search engine COULD pull up that info plus enough into about me to find out where I live, and I don't need that kind of problem! But we are home and the animals and house are all safe and well and as happy to see us as we are to see them. We took the Coast Starliner up the west coast to Seattle, where we took an Alaska cruise that stopped in Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitko and Ketchikan, had fantastic weather, then came back to Seattle for long enough to visit the Elliott Bay Book Store (but not Ellen, unfortunately) and then flew back home yesterday afternoon. Pictures will be coming up on the new thread over the next couple of days. I have them on the computer but need to get them up on Photobucket so I can post them here.

Thanks to Nina, Reba, Jenn, Katie, Steve, Lucy, Tina, QQ, Sheila, Ellen, Paul, Donna, Nina again, and Lori for stopping by and keeping my thread warm. While it IS possible to get internet access while on the ship, it is at the rate of 75¢ a minute, and it just wasn't worth it!

>239 MDGentleReader: You don't know the half of it. We had perfect weather so, besides seeing the Margerie Glacier and instead of seeing the Lamplugh Glacier up close, we went all the way up the west branch and had perfect views of the John Hopkins Glacier at the head of it, something the crew told us only happens maybe 3 times a season altogether and their first time in several years.

I'm going to catch up my reading list to finish off this thread, and then get my pictures organized on the next one.

>245 ronincats: Ooh, we didn't get to see the John Hopkins Glacier. Margerie and Lamplugh were quite amazing, though. We did Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan as well as Glacier Bay. Beautiful country. We had an outside room and each view from our room was more breathtaking than the last.

I needed to contact back in the continental US during our cruise, but I waited until I was on land, the fess were ridiculous. My Dad and stepmother travelled enough they got some free access, but I didn't bother them about using it. When I did talk to my Sweetie from Alaska, I kept telling him that we needed to do this cruise together.

We also had a verandah and many of my pictures are from that location!



Book #123 Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire (307 pp.)

Ethereal, haunting, evocative...yes, this is another McGuire, but totally different from anything she's written before. It's a ghost story. Rose is a ghost, we know that right off, but the whys and wherefores come together in dribbles and dribbles throughout the book as we follow Rose through the twilight roads and up into the sunlight in a marvelously detailed world of roads and truckstops like we've never encountered before. Don't expect complete resolution, as this is the first of a series, and don't rush through this one. Take the time to immerse yourself in the atmosphere and be willing to let Rose disclose herself a bit at a time.

Highly recommended!!

ETA This was my train book, the only dead tree book I took with me, and it served perfectly.

Looking forward to the pictures, Roni. We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago and really enjoyed it, with the highlight being Glacier Bay. Nice to know you are back safe and sound. :)

Oh! Your trip sounds amazing, and I can't wait to see your pictures either! I've never visited Alaska, so they will be like a mini-visit for me. Glad you had a good time and are back safe and sound.

*BANG* (Book bullet hits another bulls-eye: Sparrow Hill Road sounds really good!)

Thanks, Judy! Didn't get up to your area this time, but the weather was so fantastic!



Book #124 A Second Chance by Jodi Taylor (292 pp.)

Oh no, she didn't really do that!!!



Book #125 Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (304 pp.)

I always enjoy George's imaginative fairy tale retellings, and this one is no exception.



Book #126 Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence M. Schoen (274 pp.)

I had the first two books of this series on my Kindle, and accidentally read the second book first. This is just fun, ridiculous space opera.



Book #127 Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz (400 pp.)

Shades of Charles Dickens' London meeting Maleficent in a children's tale! Entertaining but not great.



Book #128 Second Star by Dana Stabenow (208 pp.)

This was the author's first book, which she says fell with a mighty thud never to be heard from again. Then she became successful in another genre and so this, with two sequels, was reissued for Kindle. This one is free. Actually, it's decent near future science fiction--nothing outstanding but entertaining with interesting venues and fun characters.



Book #129 Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda (802 pp.)

Nonfiction is good for vacations, where you can put a book down and pick it up again later. This biography was a Kindle special some time ago, and since Ike's home town is also mine, I picked it up. It was a good read. There are some critiques on the Amazon review pages that are probably valid, but it still was interesting to read about, and I learned a lot more about Ike's war years than I had even known.

And that concludes my vacation reading. My husband doesn't get the concept. He complained that I was on vacation--I shouldn't be reading. Huh????

ETA and you snuck in, Mary! I'm off to prep the next thread.

Oooh, new McGuire series! Going to go order it from the library...

I really like the InCryptid series but was less than impressed with Rosemary and Rue (October Day0>