tardis' 2016 reading record

I wish all my LT friends another great year of books!

This thread will be much as in the past. Mostly short comments, rather than reviews.

For interest (if any), here are my previous reading threads:
2015 journal: http://www.librarything.com/topic/185699#5396813 (180 books read)
2014 journal: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163304 (170 books read)
2013 journal: http://www.librarything.com/topic/147262 (185 books read)

Mt. TBR is currently at 94 items (high for me) and that's where I'm starting this year, because for once I have no library books on hand.

Starred...and happy reading in 2016!

Marking my spot on your thread, @tardis, to ensure it shows up on my home page.

Have a great 2016.

Enjoy your reading in 2016! I know you'll do a lot of it.

Got Mt. TBR down to 77 books by removing everything I'd already read. Mostly, those were things I read from the library and liked enough to acquire my own copy. Not that I don't want to re-read them, but I've got enough that I haven't read yet, so focusing on those first.

First book finished for 2016 actually is a re-read though. Started it a while ago because it was a good one to keep on my bedside table for those times when I wanted to read before bed.

1. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett. The inimitable Moist Von Lipwig gets stuck with turning the invention of the steam engine into an actual rail network.

Happy new year! I fully expect to receive some book bullets from you this year! Hope that 2016 is good to you in all ways.

Great book to start the year! Have a wonderful reading year. I'll be lurking along.

Posting here, so that you know I'm paying attention!

Happy new year! I'll be following.

Good luck with the reading this year - I wish you many enjoyable books for the New Year.

Moist is one of my favorite Discworld characters.

One off Mt TBR:

2. The Rubber Band by Rex Stout. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin solve the mystery of a promised fortune. The usual witty repartee. Archie is my hero.

Nothing better than curling up with Nero and Archie. They never disappoint.

>13 tottman: I'll second that.

>12 tardis:, >13 tottman:, >14 MrsLee: It's occurring to me that it's been so long since I read all the Nero Wolfe books that I could read them all again and they'd be like new to me. There's one of the perks of age that I hadn't thought much about: fresh reading matter that you know in advance you're certain to enjoy.

What's more, since I first read them I've learned who Escamillo is.

>15 Meredy: That's definitely been the case for me. I remember some of the broad strokes, but not the details of the case or even the outcome usually. Also this time through I'm listening to them on audio and Michael Prichard does a wonderful job with the narration. It took me a couple minutes to get used to him, but after that I can't imagine anyone else doing it.

>15 Meredy: I don't think it ever occurred to me to find out who Escamillo is. Thank you for the nudge, and how appropriate the moniker is!

>17 MrsLee:, >15 Meredy:, >16 tottman: - Never occurred to me to look Escamillo up, either. Neat!

I haven't read the entire Nero Wolfe series - only the ones I own (and not even all of those as I picked a few up before Christmas that I am only just now reading) but I hope to complete the collection some day. They're wonderful for comfort re-reads. The other day I got interested in the orchids mentioned in the stories, and sure enough, someone on the internet had done a list, and even provided photos where possible. I have a few orchids and find them fascinating, but will never have Wolfe's 10,000 or his lovely roof-top greenhouses. I totally covet them, though. I think of all the houses in fiction, Wolfe's is one of my favourites and probably in the top 5 of ones I would like to live in.

3. Over My Dead Body by Rex Stout. Archie and Wolfe have to help a dancing/fencing instructor accused of theft. Later, there's murder. One of the young ladies is Wolfe's adopted daughter! Interesting insight into Wolfe's backstory.

4. Too Many Women by Rex Stout. Archie goes undercover to find out if a hit-and-run death was an accident or murder.

You know there is a Rex Stout group on LT, right? Thinking I may have seen you in there. It's called The Black Orchid, in case you didn't know. A quiet group, but every now and then someone has something to say.

>20 MrsLee: - yes, I think I might have belonged at one time, and I can't recall why I don't now (I belong to many quieter groups). I might join again, but I'm not feeling the need :)

5. Curtains for Three by Rex Stout. Three short works in one volume. All good fun. I especially enjoyed the one where Wolfe opened his rooftop greenhouses to the members of the Manhattan Garden Club and someone got murdered in his study.

Possibly the last book from Mt. TBR for a bit, as the books from my library hold list have started to arrive again.

6. Cursed by Benedict Jacka. Second Alex Verus book. I quite like these. They hit the same spot in my brain as the Harry Dresden books, which is a good thing :)

>22 tardis: I've only read the first one so far, but I really liked it.

7. Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson. Enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away.

8. Three Witnesses by Rex Stout. Three great Nero Wolfe stories in one volume. Stout's vocabulary is excellent. Sometimes I even have to look words up :)

>25 tardis: I agree that it's always kind of fun to be faced with that!

>25 tardis: And you know if you have to look things up, you are in good company with Archie. I like how he waits until Wolfe is gone to look up the words. :D

Aside from texting, my very favorite thing about my smartphone is the ability to have it by my side when reading so I can easily look things up. I'm too lazy to stop reading and go lug out the dictionary/encyclopedia/atlas or what-have-you in the middle of a story, but with all of those and more on my little phone by my side I feel it makes me a smarter reader.

9. Taken
10. Chosen
both by Benedict Jacka. More Alex Verus. Mage politics, explosions, duels, bit of a cliffhanger at the end of Chosen. Glad I have the next two books in the series so I don't have to wait :)

>27 MrsLee:, The dictionary app is a lifesaver for me!!!

11. Hidden
12. Veiled
both by Benedict Jacka, both Alex Verus novels, both good, if very much in the mode of previous series entries.

13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling. A re-read (of course) because we just finished watching all the movies again, and I needed a palate cleanser. There are good things about the movies, but I find they skip so much and sometimes make changes I don't agree with. It was nice to revisit the source material.

14. Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I read Kondo's original book (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up) last year and found it quite inspiring, if a bit quirky. I found in cleaning out my clothes it was very helpful but stalled when it came to books (quelle suprise!). This was very much in the same vein, although with pictures and more examples, and less of the detail of the first book.

15. The Secrets of Drearcliff Grange School by Kim Newman. A girl's boarding school with a twist. Some of the students are "unusual." A new girl starts a skipping craze that sweeps the school. Has it got a more sinister side? Of course it does! Really enjoyed this. Apparently set in Newman's Anno Dracula universe, of which I have only read the first volume, but I need to read more.

^Ha! I just read that! I liked it a lot.

16. Manners and Mutiny by Gail Carriger. Last of the Finishing School series, and I really enjoyed it. It jumped the library book queue because I have been waiting so long for it. Satisfying conclusion, but now I want to read Soulless and sequels again to spot Finishing School characters.

17. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. A great but somewhat disturbing read. Post-zombie apocalypse there are all these odd kids imprisoned on an army base. Melanie is one of them, genius IQ, desperate for affection, really sweet. So why is she kept in a cell except for class time when she (like her classmates) is strapped into a wheelchair and moved, immobile, to a classroom, where they learn while still strapped in. I won't be reading this again, but it will stay with me.

I felt the same way about The Girl With All the Gifts. I'm unlikely to reread it, but I think about it often.

18. Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix. A fun little YA alt-Regency romp featuring Lady Truthful "Newt" Newington, whose family heirloom, a large and powerfully magical emerald, is stolen on her 18th birthday. Recovering it requires going to London to stay with her redoubtable Great Aunt Ermintrude and dressing as a man (with enchanted mustache to assist the charade).

19. Home by Nightfall by Charles Finch. Another Charles Lenox mystery. This time, Charles has two major mysteries - the disappearance in London of a famous German pianist, and, down at his family home in the country some weird thefts and disappearances. Good stuff.

Ooooh that Garth Nix book looks great! It's on my library hold list now!

>35 tardis: I'm also tempted by the Garth Nix - popping onto my wishlist right away.

>36 reconditereader:, >37 Peace2: - awesome - two more notches on my bookshelf, and with only one shot :)

20. Away in a Manger by Rhys Bowen. A Molly Murphy mystery. Molly and young Bridie get interested in a pair of unusual street children, and Molly just has to solve the mystery around them. As you might guess from the title, it's set at Christmas time, but the library hold list was long and I only just got it. I read it in an afternoon.

>38 tardis: Her books don't require much brain power to absorb; that makes them highly attractive to some portion of the reading public, but disappointing to other readers. (Intended purely as a passing expression in the category of IMHO and thus purely my own assessment).

>39 jillmwo: - I don't know. They're not as fluffy as some mysteries. That said, depth and angst are not primary requirements for me :)

21. City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong. A thriller about a secret town in the Yukon, where people who need to disappear can go. Not bad. Kind of fun to have a Canadian author writing a book actually set in Canada, although there's nothing especially Canadian-feeling about it except a bunch of place-name-dropping - could as easily have been set in Alaska.

>40 tardis: Gosh, Armstrong seems to be working on so many series! That looks like a new one to me. I hope she finishes up the Cainsville books before the story diverges any further from the original premise.

>40 tardis: I tire of angst as well, but I think it's possible to introduce some depth and genuine feeling into mystery novels . I've nothing against Bowen's books and I did pick up the one from 2014 that won an award, Queen of Hearts to see how that one was. But my reading mood at the moment is more oriented towards non-fiction so I'll postpone reading it until my own cycle has come around again to where I can appreciate it.

>41 Sakerfalcon: I'm not sure this is a new series. It may be just a stand-alone. Certainly felt like that, although I can see how it could be extended.

>42 jillmwo: We shall agree to differ :) My mood is seldom oriented to non-fiction, unless we're talking gardening books. I probably read one NF for every 20 fiction. Bowen's Molly Murphy series is less "fluffy" than the Royal Spyness ones, or even her Welsh village policeman series (which I really enjoyed, but she seems to have finished with it).

22. Indexing: Reflections by Seanan McGuire. Sequel to Indexing, a twist on the "power of the narrative trope to force people into certain paths." Fun, but with teeth :)

>31 tardis: Wasn't Drearcliff Grange School wonderful? I do hope there will be more. And I need to find that Garth Nix.

23. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I'm not a big fan of the post apocalyptic genre, but there are exceptions and this is one of them. Mandel's story jumps back and forth in time to either side of the flu outbreak that destroyed world society. Pretty grim and yet hopeful, too.

I enjoy post apocalyptic books. I think I'll have to read this one!

>47 catzteach: It's an excellent one, with minimal violence.

>46 tardis: That was one of my favourite reads last year. Glad you enjoyed it too.

>46 tardis: I really enjoyed Station Eleven. Ever since I read it, I have wanted to go back and watch an early Merchant/Ivory film from the 60's called Shakespeare Wallah about a travelling Shakespeare troop in rural India to see if there are parallels.

24. The Brimstone Deception by Lisa Shearin. Third SPI Files novel, in which Mac, Ian and co. have to deal with many dead drug dealers and a new drug that makes normal people see through the glamour hiding supernaturals. A fast, light read.

25. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold. A re-read because I caved and bought the eARC last fall, but now I've acquired the hardcover, because that's what I do with Bujold. She's one of the few authors I buy in hardcover. GJ&tRQ (bit of a cumbersome title!) is a character piece. The fate of the galaxy is not at stake. Three years after Aral Vorkosigan's death, Cordelia comes back to Sergyar (where she is still Vicereine) and dumps a biological time-bomb on Admiral Oliver Jole. Politics, family, biology, and moving on after loss. I enjoyed it very much.

26. The Girl With Ghost Eyes by M. H. Boroson. This was really good. Chinese magic in late nineteenth century San Francisco Chinatown. Li-Lin is the daughter of a powerful Daoshi exorcist, and his student and assistant. When her father is injured by a sorcerer she must stop the sorcerer's terrible plans.

27. Midnight Taxi Tango by Daniel Jose Older. Really good, although the language takes some getting used to. Lot of slang I wasn't familiar with. More urban horror than urban fantasy.

28. City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett. City of Stairs was one of my favourite books in 2015, and so I grabbed City of Blades from the library the minute I could. What a ride! General Turyin Mulaghesh is a brilliant character, tough and principled and indomitable, and watching her plow her way to the solution of the problem at hand, and the cost of it. Just wow. Highly recommended.

>55 tardis: I haven't read any of Robert Jackson Bennett's books as yet but he's definitely on my to get to list.

>55 tardis: City of blades was indeed an excellent read. I'm looking forward to the last book in the trilogy with both excitement and dread - excitement at the prospect of another great read, and dread because it will be last one.

>57 Sakerfalcon: I wonder if Sigrud will be the focus of the third book? He's certainly been put through the mill, poor guy!

MOAR SIGURD

29. Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson. i really love Steris. Wax and Wayne may be the main characters, but Steris is awesome in her own obsessive-compulsive way. Action-packed and fast, and I really enjoyed it.

30. Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire. Really good. Verity's dancing alter-ego, Valerie, is invited to an all-star reunion reality show dance competition called Dance or Die, and (surprise!) people die! Working with the local cryptids and Verity's formidable Grandma Alice, Verity and Domenic have to find a murderer.

>61 tardis: I'm really looking forward to this one!

31. Menagerie by Rachel Vincent. Recommended by Seanan McGuire on Twitter, and I wasn't sure about it when I first started reading, but it hooked me. Cryptids have no rights and a girl who always thought she was human is suddenly "outed" and sold to a travelling menagerie. Very good!

32. Water-Smart Gardening: Save Water, Save Money, and Grow the Garden You Want by Diana Maranhao. Very US-centric, recommends landscape fabric and herbicides, but has good "how to" instructions for creating berms etc. to retain water.

33. The Water-Saving Garden: How to Grow a Gorgeous Garden With a Lot Less Water by Pam Penick. Excellent for common sense advice and inspiration.

34. Gardening With Less Water: Low-Tech, Low-Cost Techniques by David A. Bainbridge. Simple, inexpensive irrigation options. Can't wait to try a few this summer!

35. Diary of a Compost Hotline Operator by Spring Gillard. A chatty book about City Farmer's garden in Vancouver, BC. It's old (2003!), though so the resources and websites referenced at the end of each chapter are dated. I didn't bother to check any of the web links to see if they were still valid, but City Farmer still exists: www.cityfarmer.org and http://www.cityfarmer.info/

36. Uprooted by Naomi Novik. A re-read because I just bought the paperback, and just as good as I remembered.

37. Coffee for Roses by C.L. Fornari. A short book on various gardening myths, some of which I even believed in, like putting crushed eggshells in the bottom of the hole when planting tomatoes.

38. The Dark Side of the Road by Simon R. Green. A weird little country-house mystery, featuring the mysterious "Ishmael Jones," who hasn't aged since 1963 or something like that. It's pretty much what one would expect from Green - a body count that wouldn't disgrace James Bond, and a not-terribly original voice, but still a good read.

39. Staked by Kevin Hearne. Latest (last?) Iron Druid book. The usual non-stop action, but the rotating points of view get a bit dizzying after a bit.

40. Time of Fog and Fire by Rhys Bowen. Molly Murphy Sullivan travels from New York to San Francisco with toddler Liam, in response to a cryptic message from her husband, Daniel. Fog, fire, earthquake. Seemed a bit improbable, but I enjoyed it anyway.

>46 tardis: Yes, this was awesome. :o)

>65 tardis: So, the coffee grinds do not belong on the roses? Because I've added some most years.

>67 clamairy: Well, she said there wasn't any special benefit. They certainly don't hurt. I use coffee grounds on mine, too. Mind you, I use coffee grounds on everything. I get two huge buckets a week from a local coffee shop, and sometimes there isn't room in the compost bins.

41. Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free by Randy Henderson. Sequel to last year's best title award winner (my personal award list, but should be a real category in someone's awards), Finn Fancy Necromancy. FFN was a lot of fun, and BFFF is, too. Finn is still readjusting to the world and the fae in his head isn't helping. A bigfoot, Sal, asks Finn to help him find true love, and that dumps Finn and friends into a whole mess of trouble.

42. Snow White Red-Handed by Maia Chance. Picked this and two sequels up at the library on a whim. Two American actresses down on their luck take jobs as servants to a family who are heading to their castle in Germany (or someplace. Tells you something that I can't remember exactly). This one was okay, although the main characters were kind of irritating and the fairy tale link was kind of hard to believe (and trust me, I can suspend disbelief really, really well when I get into a story), but it was okay. The problem hit when I started the second book. An EVEN MORE hard-to-take link to Cinderella (Cinderella Six Feet Under), and it has turned into a DNF. The third book (Beauty, Beast and Belladona) is going back to the library unread.

>67 clamairy: & >68 tardis: My mother always used the tea leaves from the tea pot. She had lovely roses.

Of course, horse manure is the best for the roses. In the 1960s when milk delivery men, rag & bone men, coal merchants, and many other traders still used horses to pull their carts it was common to see people coming out of their houses to scoop up any horse dung that happened to be deposited outside their houses for use in their gardens.

My mother used to recite the marketing rhyme for Fison's Fertiliser:

I knew a girl who was so pure she'd never use the word manure:
She'd always ask for Fison's

I use coffee grounds here to keep the moisture in our hard clay soil. I think it works great for that. It might be coinkadinkal, but my sad azalea and non-blooming gardenia both did better after I started dumping my coffee grounds on them. The gardenia actually began blooming.

43. Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer. Psychological SF, about the nature of consciousness and psychopathy. I liked it well enough, but there was a point where I put it down, unsure if I wanted to go further. I did, however, because Rob is usually pretty reliable, and finished it. It kind of stretched credulity.

44. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor. First contact story set in Lagos, Nigeria. Good, if not as good as some of her other books. A bit confusing in spots.

45. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Pretty good fantasy about two girls, one a Threadwitch and one a Truthwitch, who have a Destiny. First in a series, I expect, since it kind of left a few things hanging.

46. Calamity by Brandon Sanderson. Conclusion to the Reckoners series. The last cell of Reckoners are still fighting Epics, with the ultimate goal of destroying Calamity, the big Epic in the sky that created all the others.

47. Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales. A bunch of adapted fairy tales, some featuring a familiar person in a blue box, some not, but all with elements from the Who-niverse. Cybermen, Sontarans, Wirrn, etc. Enjoyable quick read.

48. A Vintage Wedding by Katie Fforde. Lightweight non-demanding romance. Enjoyable but forgettable.

49. Blood Orange by Susan Wittig Albert. Another one of Albert's herb mysteries featuring China Bayles. I like these. They seem not to push my I-hate-nosy-amateurs button and the herb lore is interesting without being twee.

>75 tardis: - Herb lore???!!! Uh oh... I think I hear whizzing sounds.

>75 tardis: Maybe I should look into the China Bayles books, since my I-hate-nosy-amateurs button has been pretty sensitive lately.

>77 SylviaC: I was thinking the same, but I will wait until I find an inexpensive one just in case. :P Miss Marple never struck me as a nosy amateur, she just seemed to be around a lot of murders and had insight which an elderly observant person might have into human behavior.

Edited to add: Ok, so I cave easily. I am a sucker for catchy titles. I ordered Thyme of Death on Amazon.

>76 clamairy: It is the ones you do not hear that you have to worry about.

50. The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall. YA special girl with purple eyes, conspiracy, world-ruling cabals, cute boys, etc. Annoying cliff-hanger ending. Not sure I'll bother trying to find the next in the series.

51. The End of All Things by John Scalzi. Fun entry in the Old Man's War universe. A story told in installments, each from the point of view of a different person. I liked it.

52. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire. What happens to the kids who go through wardrobes and into rabbit holes after they come home? A lovely novella.

53. Burned by Benedict Jacka. Verus' life goes even further down the crapper when the Light Council votes to kill him and his dependents. He has a week to get Anne, Variam and Luna foisted onto someone else so they won't be included in his fate, assuming he doesn't manage to weasel out of it. Good, but Verus better dig himself out of this hole soon!

54. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine by Alexander McCall Smith. Mma Ramotswe takes a vacation from her detective agency. She's really bad at vacations. The usual. Gentle, warm.

55. The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R. King. Most of this book is Mrs. Hudson's back story. Yes, there's blood and several murders. Good.

56. Night Shift by Charlaine Harris. Third (and I think I heard last) of Harris' Midnight Crossroads series. She did make some attempt to wrap up a bunch of plot threads, although there are some things that were still open. Anyway, good fun, and I'm sad to leave Midnight.

57. Owl and the City of Angels by Kristi Charish. Someone has framed Owl for the theft of some cursed antiquities, and she has to find out who and get the relics back or die. Pretty good.

I am on vacation and getting through lots of books, as well as a lot of gardening and other needed chores. It's lovely. I just finished the last from the library (until the next lot of holds arrive) so hoping to get through some of Mt. TBR.

58. The Body in the Wardrobe by Katherine Hall Page. Nosy amateur cosy mystery with recipes, but I like the characters. The story takes place on two fronts. The main mystery is in Savannah, where newlywed Sophie is navigating a new home and new family as well as finding a corpse in her wardrobe. The other front is in Aleford, Mass, where series protag Faith Fairchild is coping with a deeply unhappy daughter and odd behaviour in parishioners.

I lost track of your thread back in March! Hi. I love your selected readings and your comments.

When I put coffee grounds into the office palm plant thingy it shiny-ed up, throwing out new leaves and then blossoming for the first time ever.

59. Fallen Into The Pit by Ellis Peters. An oldie, but goodie. Sgt. Felse (with unwanted help from his young son, Dominic) solves the murder of a former German POW, among others. -1 from the TBR piles.

I'm really looking forward to reading Night shift, but sad that it will be the last Midnight book. I love "vaguely creepy small town" settings.

And I'm glad you enjoyed Owl and the Japanese Circus. I did too, though Owl's impulsiveness and inability to learn from her mistakes annoyed me somewhat.

>89 Sakerfalcon: I kind of felt by the end of Owl and the Japanese Circus that she was starting to get a clue. Seems like there will be more books, so we'll see.

60. Rivers of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch and others. A graphic novel featuring Peter Grant and co. Very well done. I like the art; the characters really matched my mental pictures of them. The story was fun, too.

61. Lumberjanes: A Terrible Plan by Noelle Stevenson and others. Have I mentioned I love the Lumberjanes? Friendship to the max!

62. The Grass Widow's Tale by Ellis Peters. In the Felse series, but the protagonist is Mrs Felse (Bunty), rather than her policeman husband. I nearly dumped it - Bunty behaved in what I consider a very stupid way. I did finish, but probably won't re-read.

63. Devonshire Scream by Laura Childs. I said I was giving up on this series, but somehow the latest ended up on my hold list, so when it came in, I read it. The author does too much telling and not enough showing, she needs a better editor (e.g. re-use of word "chugging" twice (or maybe three times) in two pages), and her characters are far too plastic. I have to say, the mystery wasn't terrible. Just everything else was so twee that my teeth hurt.

64. The House of Green Turf by Ellis Peters. Another Felse mystery. A beautiful singer is in a car crash and wakes up knowing she wronged someone who died. She hires a PI to find out who it was. All a bit far-fetched, but a good story anyway.

65. The Knocker on Death's Door by Ellis Peters. Felse is up to Detective Chief Inspector by this book. Murder in a village - is the church door cursed?

I think I enjoyed The Knocker on Death's Door more than The House of Green Turf, in fact, THoGT was a book I had to skim, or at least tune out since I was listening to the audio version. Felse mysteries are a big hit or miss with me.

My mother, who was a little, innocuous looking blind lady, used to read Braille books on her bus commute to work. There would often be some condescending soul who would ask her, "What are you reading, dear?" With great relish, Mum would say, "The Knocker on Death's Door" or "A Morbid Taste for Bones."

>96 SylviaC: in a suitably sepulchral voice, one hopes?

>97 hfglen: Absolutely!

66. Rainbow's End by Ellis Peters. The last of the Felse mysteries from my TBR pile, sadly. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The victim deserved it, and the mystery was satisfying. I find it interesting that despite the lack of modern tech (the ubiquitous mobile phone, for example), these stories don't feel as dated as some.

67. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. A re-read, because I had to describe it recently and that made me want to read it again. Still fun.

68. Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear. A re-read because I bought the paperback. Still tons of steampunk fun. I love Karen and her fellow "seamstresses" from Madame Damnable's Hôtel Mon Cherie, not to mention Priya, Merry Lee, Marshall Bass Reeves and Tomoatooah. And the sewing machine.

I really liked that book!

>101 reconditereader: From her twitter feed, it appears Elizabeth Bear is working on another one. Looking forward to it!

>100 tardis: Karen Memory is on my tbr pile. I'm really looking forward to it.

And Howl's moving castle is always a favourite to reread!

I need to catch up!

69. Death of a Nurse by M.C. Beaton. Latest in the Hamish MacBeth series. A good mystery, although Hamish's love life drags somewhat. I kind of get the feeling that Beaton may be heading for wrapping this series up, though.

70. Requiem for a Mezzo
71. Damsel in Distress
72. The Bloody Tower
All by Carola Dunn. Older mysteries in her Daisy Dalrymple series. I'm pretty sure I must have read them at some point but I didn't recall them at all. Pretty good fun.

73. Stiletto by Daniel O'Malley. Sequel to The Rook which I have read (and listened to) many times. I love The Rook and so was both very excited and somewhat afraid to pick up the sequel. I needn't have worried, though. Same mix of humour and horror. More Myfanwy and Ingrid, but other great characters, too, new and old. Odette and Felicity, for two. Cameos by a few of the minor characters from The Rook like Pawn Alan Somerville. I do miss the voice of Myfanwy's pre-memory-loss self, but basically, I loved this book, and I'm pretty sure there'll be another in the series - there's a Gestalt-shaped loose end, for one thing.

74. A Study in Sable by Mercedes Lackey. An Elemental Masters novel. Enjoyable, if not deathless prose.

75. The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Heard lots of good things about this before I got around to reading it, and it was worth it. Excellent book! I loved the Wayfarer's crew, even the obnoxious Corbin. Will definitely be buying a copy for the permanent collection :)

I plan to get a paper copy of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, too. It is definitely re-readable. I think a saw a tweet yesterday saying that the ARCs are out for her next book.

76. Switcheroo by Aaron Elkins. A Gideon Oliver mystery. Not bad, but a bit far-fetched. Also info-dumpy.

77. Doctor Who: Weapons of Past Destruction by Cavan Scott and others.
78. Doctor Who: The Fountains of Forever by Nick Abadzis and others.
Two graphic novels featuring the 9th and 10th Doctors (not both at the same time :). I enjoyed both the art and the stories, but again I'm reminded that graphic novels are way more work for me than regular prose.

79. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman. Regency-era young lady discovers she has inherited from her late mother the skills to join a demon-fighting secret society. Screws up her marriage prospects something terrible. Pretty fun. Will look out for the sequel.

80. League of Dragons by Naomi Novik. The finale of the Temeraire series. I have enjoyed this series and this installment was no exception. Novik packed a lot in, and the ending was maybe a bit abrupt, but still satisfying.

81. Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn. This was great! The main character, Evie Tanaka, is the personal assistant to a diva-like superhero, Aveda Jupiter, and the guardian of her (Evie's) teenaged sister, Bea. She's really, really good at coping with everything Aveda, although her relationship with Bea is a bit rocky, and dreams of being "normal." Which seems odd, because she seems pretty normal, considering who she's the assistant to. And then one day, after discovering a zit right after a battle against demon cupcakes (trust me, it makes sense eventually) Aveda Jupiter (aka Evie's childhood pal, Annie Chan) has a bigger-than-usual melt-down and injures her ankle, and Evie has to step in and be Aveda Jupiter while the real thing heals. She has Aveda's support team (fight coach Lisa, hunky physician/researcher Nate, and even Bea, who appoints herself Aveda's social media guru). This has great characters, snarky dialogue, passes the Bechdel Test with flying colours, is funny and affecting, and just plain fun. Highly recommended.

82. Fardingales
83. The "Susannah" Adventure
both by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer.

1950s kids adventure, part of Brent-Dyer's loose Chudleigh Hold series. Enjoyable, but the girls sure have to do a lot of cooking and cleaning.

>112 tardis: Have you read Novik's Uprooted? I've been hearing good things about it. It's a stand-alone, and I'm more drawn to those than I am to any nine parters. (I did really love the first of the Temeraire series. I just didn't keep going.)

>114 clamairy: Twice. Second read was book #36 this year :) (see post #64). Very good book!

>115 tardis: Yeah, now that I think about it your thread was probably the first place I heard about it. Haa haa!

>113 tardis: For some reason those two by EBD haven't really appealed to me. I might borrow them from a friend. I did reread Carnation of the Upper Fourth this weekend and enjoyed it just as much as ever.

>112 tardis: Hey! Pleasant surprise; Heroine Complex is available from my library.

>113 tardis: >117 Sakerfalcon: I haven't read anything by EBD except the Chalet School books. I'm curious, but there are just so many other things to read that those are pretty low priority for me.

>119 SylviaC: The non-CS books by EBD are very much in the same line. Enjoyable, for me, anyway. A few of them tie into the Chalet school series - for example in Fardingales the youngest brother is in a wheelchair, due to a car accident, and when he's stronger he needs to go to a big sanitarium in Switzerland for an operation so he'll be able to walk again. One guess which San :) And the La Rochelle books, too - some of those girls ended up attending the CS.

84. Penric's Demon
85. Penric and the Shaman
both novellas by Lois McMaster Bujold. PD was a re-read just before reading PS. Charming little stories set in the World of the Five Gods. From internal evidence in PS, they're partway between Hallowed Hunt and Curse of Chalion. In the first, Penric acquires the demon, names her Desdemona, and comes to terms with a future of never being alone in his own head again. PS is set a few years later. Pen and Des are back in Martensbridge, working for the Princess-Archdivine. A man hunting a rogue shaman (see Hallowed Hunt for more about shamans) needs a sorcerer to help, and Pen gets the job. As you'd expect, nothing is straightforward. I bought PS as an e-book, but will eventually be buying the print version from Subterranean Press, who just brought out PD in a nice little hardcover.

My two weeks of vacation are turning out to be pretty poor in the reading department. Still hoping I can have a do nothing but read day on Sunday, but we shall see.

86. The Regional Office is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales. An odd book - quite disjointed, jumping back and forth in time. I really liked it - fast-moving, involving - but had to pay attention fairly closely to follow the viewpoints. There were also a few loose ends like the why of Sarah's mechanical arm.

87. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews. A fast, light read, as most of Andrews' books are, but enjoyable. Riley's husband fails to make the ferry to their summer home on Belle Isle, disappointing their daughter and infuriating Riley. They were already headed for divorce, but she has no idea how bad things really are.

88. Anti-Hero by Jonathan Wood. Sequel to No Hero, which I read last year (I think). Non-stop action, high body count, urban fantasy/horror.

I rather liked both of the Penric books!

>123 jillmwo: Lois M-B is probably my favourite writer. I've enjoyed everything she's written. My main problem with the Penric stories is that I want MORE. I love the Universe of the 5 Gods.

89. Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. A new Liaden novel! This features Padi yos'Galen, daughter of and apprentice to Master Trader Shan yos'Galen. Korval is still being hounded by the Dept. of the Interior, and it's making a mess of the Tree and Dragon trade routes. Really good, as always.

90. Drinking Gourd by Barbara Hambly. Ben and Hannibal are playing for a blackface minstrel show when Ben is called to provide medical help to one of the conductors on the underground railroad. A terrible place and time to live, especially if you were black and/or a woman, but quite fascinating in a dark sort of way.

91. Lumberjanes: Out of Time - Still love the Lumberjanes! Freak summer snow separates the gang from their leader, Jen. Many adventures in finding her.

Well, I've been reading, just too busy to post my results! Anyway, here's what I finished since the beginning of August:

92. The Chalet School and Barbara by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. A re-read (sort of) because I just acquired the reprint edition that doesn't have bits cut out (although I can't recall and can't be bothered to check if this is one of the ones that had a lot of cuts).

93. The Feud in the Fifth Remove by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. A non-Chalet School school story. Stuck up new girl needs taking down a peg by noble day girl. Good fun.

94. The Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross. Latest in the Laundry Files. Alex, a PHANG and employee of the Laundry, has to deal with an invasion from another dimension. Excellent.

95. Imprudence by Gail Carriger. Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard are unpopular in England after the events of Prudence (Rue bargained away Lord Akeldama's tea! and pissed off Queen Victoria by making an unauthorized treaty with the were-monkeys), her parents are acting stranger than usual, and unknown people keep attacking the Spotted Custard. Fun.

I need to get Imprudence! I was excited to hear it was out.

>127 tardis: I liked The feud in the Fifth Remove too. That plot is one of my favourite school story tropes, along with the "new school must integrate with established school".

96. Children of Earth and Sky by Guy Gavriel Kay. Epic, elegiac, triumphant. Kay is a master of the complicated, political, religious alt-history. This world has such depth. Very fine.

97. Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre. Decent urban fantasy. Will read more by this author.

98. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. A re-read because I bought a new copy of the British edition and I ran out of library books so I pulled it out of my TBR pile. A great read, as always.

Next up: the 8 library books I picked up last night. Really wish I didn't have to spend all day at work!

99. Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews. The latest in the Meg Langslow series. The mystery is fun, but the real pleasure in this series is the characters. Meg's family continue to delight me.

100. Revisionary by Jim C. Hines. Latest (last? - maybe, although I thought that after the last one, too) in the Magic Ex Libris series. Seriously geeky, and fun.

>130 tardis: OOOOH! AAAAAH! Going to wait for this one to go on sale. Might be a while!

101. Last Call At The Nightshade Lounge by Paul Krueger. Apparently perfectly-mixed cocktails can endow bartenders with super powers which they use to fight demons. Who knew? This urban fantasy was fun. Chinese-American protagonist and no-big-deal trans supporting character.

STOP! Your entries sound so inviting, and I can't keep up!

Children of earth and sky is on my Tbr mountain. I've seen Last call at the Nightshade Lounge around but so far have resisted the temptation to pick it up. That may not last much longer!

>137 2wonderY: I can't stop! The library holds just keep coming!

102. A summer at sea by Katie Fforde. British romance-y fluff. Burnt-out midwife takes a summer job as cook on a small tourist boat in Scotland and has to decide what she really wants.

103. Crowned and Dangerous by Rhys Bowen. Not sure where the crowned part comes in (unless it refers to the fact that the murder victim was beaned on the head), but it was light-weight fun anyway as Georgie Rannoch and Darcy O'Mara have their elopement interrupted.

104. Knit your own Murder by Monica Ferris. Knitting shop cozy with nosy amateur detective, knitting patterns, and twee. Not the worst of it's ilk, but not especially exciting, either.

105. Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews. Magical (or so high tech as to appear magical) inn and its innkeeper must find a solution to some monsters that are terrorizing their town. A werewolf and a vampire help out. Actually better than it sounds - I liked it and I'll be getting the sequel from the library shortly.

>140 tardis: I loved these two books, and am looking forward to the third one which is in progress. They are so much fun!

>141 Sakerfalcon: Agreed!

106. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews. More fun, as Dina host an unruly peace summit while mooning over the werewolf, Sean, and coping with a suspicious cop.

107. Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre. Not bad, although I'm getting tired of hearing every second paragraph how Corine can't allow herself to forgive/love Chance because he doesn't share his soul with her. Will get next book in the series.

>142 tardis: Book 107 reminds me of the tale of the German pastor who bought a dozen eggs. When he got home there was one short, causing him to exclaim in annoyance "elf Eier!!" (translation may be superfluous).

>143 hfglen: That brought a smile. Danke schön!

>144 TempleCat: Bitte sehr!

>143 hfglen: Your story reminds me of what I say when in France when I am asked how many eggs I want for breakfast; "un oeuf est un oeuf!"

oh, ow.

You guys! :)

108. The Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells. A new Raksura book, and the beginning of a new series, hooray. All the Raksura have the same dream about the Fell, and it's not a nice dream. Moon, Jade and a team go on an expedition to see if they can ensure it doesn't happen.

109. Dr. DOA by Simon R. Green. Latest Eddie Drood/Molly Metcalf book. Or half a book. Stupid cliffhanger ending.

110. The Long Cosmos by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. There's really nothing of Pterry in this, but it was a satisfying conclusion to the series, which I quite liked.

>140 tardis: Sounds like my kind of book. I put it on my library TBR shelf.

111. Shady Lady
112. Agave Kiss

Both by Ann Aguirre. The third and fifth in the Corine Solomon series. Or 6th, since there appears to be another series book between Shady Lady and the fourth book that doesn't have Corine in it. Anyway, my library didn't have the book(s) between Shady Lady and Agave Kiss and I don't love the series enough to try to track them down. Besides, Aguirre spends so much time re-capping what happened in the other two books, and there were enough spoilery reviews on LT and Amazon that I don't feel the need. Overall, a decent time-waster, but not something I'll go back to.

113. Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire. The problem with buying a McGuire book on release day and reading it in under 24 hours is that now I have to wait for a year for the next installment, and I want it NAOW. The October Daye series is one of my favourites, and in this one Toby is again tested with stuff she doesn't like (being tactful to her "betters" is top of the list). She wants to be action girl, not politics girl.

>153 tardis: I'm reading this series slowly so as not to be in that position! I think my next one is Ashes of honor so I have a way to go. I love how Toby grows in each book and that we get to know her friends and enemies better too.

>154 Sakerfalcon: I think Toby's friends are one of the strengths of the series. They're very much all growing, too. Even the Luidaeg, although in her case it might just be that we're getting more information and understanding, rather than actual change. I'm pretty sure she has a long game in play that the other characters (Toby included) don't understand yet.

114. Bloodline by Claudia Gray. How did the New Republic fall apart? Find out here! Pretty good. Focuses mainly on Leia and her team.

115. Once Upon A Dream by Mary Balogh and Grace Burrowes. Two Regency-era novellas, Another Dream by Mary and Duke of My Dreams by Grace, in one volume - romance, of course. Charming brain candy, which was just what I needed, but I couldn't take a steady diet of it.

>113 tardis: ooh, a series that looks like I would like. *goes to local library site to look up*

>150 tardis: Sweet cheeses, I had no idea that series ran on into a fifth book! I did listen to the first one and enjoyed it, but now I think I'll save the rest of it for a later date.

>156 tardis: Novellas tend to be my preference when I am in the situation of a week where nothing is completely getting finished. (I can usually manage to complete a novella within the space of a week, although even that can sometimes pose a challenge.) I will keep the recommendation on file for one of those weeks.

116. A French Affair by Katie Fforde. British romance fluff, about a couple of women whose deceased aunt leaves them her antique business. One ends up liking it (surprise!) and the one who isn't already married finds a guy :) Fforde is always a reliably nice read.

117. Demon Sword by Dave Duncan (originally published under the pseudonym Ken Hood). Scottish alt-history/fantasy. Demons, swords, Sassenachs, Highlanders, Lowlanders, kings, etc. Very good read, as all Duncan's books are.

118. Storm from the Shadows by David Weber. A Harrington-verse book although primarily focusing on Michelle "Mike" Henke. The usual long-winded info dumps, 4 pages of technical details about missiles, etc. but there's kind of a good epic story in there. Of course, it just stops instead of actually having a satisfying ending, but that's typical of these books.

>162 tardis:
I believe that Weber says two more books and one will be out this fall.

>163 suitable1: yeah, I've got a hold on that one already.

119. Who Killed Sherlock Holmes? by Paul Cornell. Really good. Cornell packs a lot into the book, as the team try to figure out who killed Holmes, and a bunch of people who once played him, while their boss, Rebecca Lofthouse, has her own quest to figure out what's missing from her memory. DO NOT read this unless you've read the two previous Shadow Police books.

>164 tardis:

Your post is most timely. I read the first Shadow Police book and enjoyed it. It was gritty and did not make a really big thing about the supernatural although the supernatural is at the core of the story. It struck me as a cross between The Sweeney and Buffy. (The Sweeney was a TV cop show from the 1970s that was based on the Flying Squad of the London Metropolitan police force which was subject to allegations of being to close to being crooks themselves to be allowed to continue in existence.)

I have the second book but have not read it yet, and was pondering buying the next one. (I see a fourth is coming out.)

Paul Cornell's work is great. He wrote some episodes for the revitalized Dr Who and they are amongst the best episodes of Dr Who ever.

In conclusion, thank you for your post. It has confirmed my view that I should acquire, Who Killed Sherlock Holmes?.

>165 pgmcc: Yes, you should acquire it. I should, too. I only own the first in the series - got the others from the library. I love a good cross-genre story and the "secret government/police agency that deals with the supernatural" thing is one of my favourite tropes. There would have to be a 4th coming; there's a honking big loose end in this one.

I remember liking The Sweeney, too, although it was shown rather irregularly and late at night here in the days before video recorders.

I have a Thingaversary coming up, so these are good choices for additions to my permanent collection. Must find my notebook and start a list.

>166 tardis: I have a Thingaversary coming up,

Congratulations on the forthcoming Thingaversary. the ISPCB has noted October 3rd for a review of your Thingaversary celebratory acquisitions. :-)

I think you are the first 11 year Thingaversary I have come across.

With regards to The Sweeney, it was a show I used to watch with my parents in the 1970s and my wife had only seen a few episodes. A couple of years ago we got the box set of DVDs and binge watched. That is such a wonderfully decadent thing to do.

>167 pgmcc: the ISPCB will be pleased to note that I have already taken steps to acquire some of the necessary items, although it is difficult to say if they will arrive on schedule, due to the vagaries of international shipping. As expenditure on 12 new books is not in my budget, I am planning some used bookstore visits on the preceding Friday.

I just checked the public library and they have some of The Sweeney on DVD. I've requested series 1 for some nostalgic bingeing :)

Well, I have a Thinaversary in October. Now the Shadow Police series is on my wishlist. I don't know whether to thank you or curse you. :)

>168 tardis: Your planning for your Thingaversary is a shining example to us all.

I hope you enjoy The Sweeney. We found it really nostalgic watching it.

>169 MrsLee: Now the Shadow Police series is on my wishlist. I hope you enjoy them. I can vouch for the first novel and will soon be reading the second one.

>169 MrsLee: - yes, I think you'll enjoy the Shadow Police series.

120. Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews. A re-read, because I ran 10K race on Saturday evening (Night Race, finish time of 1:16:36) and then I felt like taking a bath and wanted a book to read that didn't belong to the library, and I didn't want to go downstairs again to get something off Mount TBR, so I grabbed this comfort-read mystery off my shelf. And of course I couldn't put it back on the shelf unfinished (sacrilege!) so I finished it off on Sunday. Watching Meg cope with murder and murder attempts while organizing three weddings in one summer, fending off unwanted suitors, and riding herd on her crazy family is always fun, and it's the beginning of one of my favourite mystery series.

I just looked at the confirmation email from my latest Amazon.co.uk order (the one I was counting on to contribute towards my Thingaversary acquisitions) and the estimated delivery date is a hugely disappointing December 30th. So will the ISPCB accept those 4 books towards my total, even if they are drastically late, or do I have to come up with 4 more? This may not be an issue once I start touring the used bookstores on Friday, because one never knows what one will find, but equally, I might find nothing good in them.

I think you'll have to commit to immediately reading 4 from the TBR pile in that circumstance. (Not that I recognize or am affiliated with the ISPCB. I'm just vaguely aware that enforcement is involved and I'm always good at that.)

I suspect that the ISPCB may take issue if you are not able to find 4 books when touring used bookstores. That's what I hear, anyway.

>172 tardis: I believe @SylviaC is correct, especially as you showed so much promise with your Thingaversary planning. The ISPCB does not take disapointment well. If I were you I would keep touring those bookshops until I found the required number of good books.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it,...

Humpf. I liked jillmwo's answer best. Well, I will do my best to acquire the 9 additional books required to fulfill my commitment, without cheating by counting the 4 books my husband purchased recently, but I won't buy just anything. I will provide a list of my acquisitions and if the ISPCB enforcers want to come by and dispute the issue on October 3rd, I'll provide tea and biscuits.

>176 tardis: With tea and biscuits on offer you will have a queue of enforcers at your door.

>172 tardis:

I'm pretty sure that there was a serious discussion about "good intentions" during the last by-laws revision meeting, but I don't remember the outcome. Perhaps the chief enforcer can show you the pertinent section during tea and biscuits.

121. Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N. Holmberg. Quite an odd book. Maire has no memory of her life before she came to the village of Carmine, but has a gift for baking - she can infuse feelings into her cakes and such, so that when they are eaten the eater feels what Maire intends. Or what Maire is feeling when she makes the cake (don't eat any of her goods if she's having a bad day!). Her village is attacked by raiders and she's sold into slavery, bought by a very weird man who forces her to bake for him and his customers. She makes, for example, a gingerbread house, for a lady who lives in a forest. There's also a sort of ghost that comes to her. Over the book the mystery of her past comes back slowly, and the identity of the "ghost." Odd ending. I think I liked it, but I didn't love it.

122. Death by Sheer Torture by Robert Barnard. One off Mount TBR. An amusing mystery, mainly because of the hero's truly appalling relatives. Detective Inspector Perry Trethowan's estranged dad is dead, in a most embarrassing way - strung up in a sexual torture device and wearing spangled tights. Obviously, Perry can't investigate, but his superiors at Scotland Yard order him to go home to liaise between his family and the investigating officer.

123. Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews. Latest in the Kate Daniels series. Kate and Curran are getting married, but there's nothing but trouble in the way. Enjoyable.

124. Death After Breakfast by Hugh Pentecost. One more off Mt. TBR. A Pierre Chambrun/Beaumont Hotel mystery. A bit dated, unlike others from the same era (late 1970s); Emma Lathen's or Ellis Peters' books, for example, have held up much better. Not visited by the suck fairy, but just not quite right, either. Trying a bit too hard to be swinging, maybe, although there was mention of a gay person without judgement, which was nice. I still found it a good, quick read.

When I was a manager at the hotel, I wanted to find more of the Pentecost novels, I've read a couple, but they are hard to find. Then, when I did find some, I wasn't at the hotel anymore, so it doesn't feel urgent now.

>172 tardis: Congrats on the finish time on that Night Race. Glad you weren't too tired afterwards to climb into the bath with a book!

>182 MrsLee: They are hard to find - it's weird, although maybe they were never popular enough to get lots of reprints. There are other authors who are also elusive - I have trouble finding Gladys Mitchell, despite the fact that her books are the basis for the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries on tv.

>183 clamairy: I was mainly a bit sore and wanted to soak my muscles in the heat. It seemed to work - they felt quite good the next day. I haven't been training enough, so I was a bit worried about having overdone it.

125. Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout. A recent acquisition, and very enjoyable. Wolfe and Archie go to an agricultural exposition so Wolfe can exhibit some orchids, and due to a car crash they get involved in a fast-food tycoon's plan to butcher and barbeque an extremely expensive champion bull and, of course, there is a murder. Not of the tycoon, which is what I expected when he was introduced. I didn't know when I started that this is the book where Archie meets Lily Rowan, which was a nice surprise. Word I had to look up: apodictically (apodictic: incontestable because of having been demonstrated or proved to be demonstrable).

>185 tardis: This is one of my favorite Nero Wolfe books. Along with an interesting mystery, it is the introduction to Lily Rowan and the banter between her and Archie that always makes me smile. I listened to this one on audio last year and it was so much fun.

>185 tardis: Love that one, and it inspired me to make my version of The Best Chicken and Dumplings ever.

126. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi. Sequel to Old Man's War, which I re-read a while back. Pretty sure this is also a re-read, but if so I'd forgotten almost everything about it. It's good though.

127. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley. Flavia arrives home from her sojourn at her mother's old school in Canada to discover that her father is in the hospital, extremely ill with influenza, sister Ophelia is having a fight with her fiance, Dieter, and sister Daphne and cousin Undine being their usual annoying selves. She throws herself into investigating the death of an old woodcarver, having discovered the body herself while helping the vicar's wife by running a message to him. I guessed the answer to one of the mysteries long before Flavia did, but otherwise a good and satisfying read.

128. Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal. Really liked this. WW1 and the British are using mediums to get information from the shades of dead soldiers before they pass through the veil. American heiress Ginger Stuyvesant is one of the mediums. It's really quite a neat premise. I do think that it might have been interesting to have the story from the side of Ginger's fellow medium, Helen, who is black and somewhat disrespected by the command structure, but also the one who discovered the process for bringing the shades back to the location where the mediums are to report.

129. Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine. This was fun! Victorian era steampunk, with girl who dresses as a boy to get passage back to Mars to save her brother's life. The "science" is not ours - there is air between the worlds and some kind of winds (or something) and ships sail between the worlds. Mars appears to be the equivalent of India or Africa, with noble Brits settling plantations and the native Martians being servants and noble savages.

I haven't got that Alan Bradley book yet. Hmmm, Thingaversary looms, but just spent a LOT of money redecorating my bedroom. I may have to be content with it on my wishlist for now.

Also, Ghost Talkers and The Ghost Brigades sound like good ones. Either you are dangerous today, or I am vulnerable.

Lucky for me, I *already* had both books on my library hold list before you posted!

130. The High Ground by Melinda Snodgrass. Bunch of spoiled brats go to military academy. Mayhem ensues. I finished it, but I wanted to smack a few of the characters. Not sure I'll read on in the series, assuming there are more volumes.

131. Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger. A fun novella featuring Preshea Buss, late of the Finishing School series, now Lady Villentia, courtesy of her most recently late husband (#4). Also a large Scotsman, a house party, assassins (other than Preshea), young love, and sex.

>193 tardis: The high ground is on my tbr pile. I'll lower my expectations.

>194 Sakerfalcon: I'll be really interested to see what you think. I have some other spoilery opinions about the social/political system and the human/alien relationships that I decided not to include. There aren't any reviews on LT, and as I borrowed it from the library I won't be writing one either, but I looked on Amazon and their reviews are mainly positive. I generally like space opera, but this one didn't do it for me.

132. Breath of Earth by Beth Cato. Good steampunkish fantasy, set in San Francisco. The main character is a geomancer, who can absorb the energy from earthquakes (thereby reducing the damage from them) and then vent it into crystals which are then used to power machines.

133. A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber. How the Harringtons (Honor's ancestors) discovered treecats. Also named, and bonded with for the very first time. Damn, they're good. Actually pretty good. Kind of YA, so not as infodumpy as regular Weber books.

134. Eterna and Omega by Leanna Renee Hieber. Sequel to The Eterna Files, which I read a while back. The two organizations must band together to fight evil. Not bad. A bit confusing as viewpoints kept shifting.

135. Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart. Sequel to Girl Waits With Gun, which I liked a lot. Also loosely based on real historical characters and events, although liberties were taken. Enjoyed it.

136. Fire Season by David Weber and Jane Lindskold. Return to Sphynx and the Harringtons, tree cats, rogue anthropologists, and forest fires. I read it between midnight and three in the morning during an episode of insomnia, so I might be biased, but I thought it was pretty good.

137. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl & the Great Lakes Avengers, a graphic novel (or collection of comics) by a whole bunch of people. Silly, funny, a bit crude when Deadpool shows up. Very enjoyable.

>196 tardis:, >198 tardis: That spin-off series by David Weber really appeals to me, more so than continuing with the too tech-heavy Honor Harrington books.

138. Emperor of the Eight Islands: Book 1 in the Tale of Shikanoko by Lian Hearn
139. Autumn Princess, Dragon Child: Book 2 in the Tale of Shikanoko by Lian Hearn
140. Lord of the Darkwood: Book 3 in the Tale of Shikanoko by Lian Hearn

Three stories in a series inspired by Japanese folktales. Involving, interesting, high body count, little or no humour. Very good, though. I'm looking forward to the next (last?) book in the series.

141. Penric's Mission by Lois McMaster Bujold. The third Penric novella, which I bought last night from iTunes and read right away. Well, about half before sleep last night, and the other half this morning. Penric, now aged 30 and working for the Archdivine of Adria, and Des are sent on a mission to Cedonia. Naturally, things go awry. Very good but I want MORE! Really could have used a few more chapters to bring the story to a more satisfying conclusion. I hope very much that this means that Lois has more Penric stories in her.

142. Big Trouble in Little China volume 2
143. Big Trouble in Little China volume 3
Graphic novels, sequels to the movie. Fun stuff, although I was slightly hampered because volume 1 hasn't arrived from the library yet.

144. All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris. An Aurora Teagarden mystery. Roe and new husband, Robin, must sleuth when her half brother disappears along with a bunch of other kids. Not too bad. I've never been a huge fan of the Teagarden series, and I have only read a couple of them. This one was pretty good, though.

>201 tardis: Thanks for the heads up on the new Penric story. I don't think I'd have otherwise known it was out there. I do find that particular universe to be an interesting one.

>203 jillmwo: You're welcome :)

145. I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill. A new Dr. Siri mystery! I wasn't expecting any more - the previous one felt like the last. There are three mysteries in this one. Siri, Mme Daeng and Ugly the dog smuggle a monk into Thailand, Civilai checks out a possible reincarnation of the Buddha, and Dtui, Phosy, Mr. Geung and Tuktu investigate a kidnapping. Enjoyable, as always.

146. The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez. Constance has been an adventurer all her life, thanks to a fairy godmother's "blessing" and she's fed up. It gets old, saving the world day after day. She wants to be normal and boring. So she (with help from best friend Tia) decides to find the fairy godmother and get the blessing removed. Pretty fun.

146. Precious and Grace by Alexander McCall Smith. A No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book, which pretty much tells you all you need to know. The ladies (with help from Charlie) deal with a pyramid scheme, a lost dog, and help a woman who left Botswana as a child and wants to find her past. Nice.

147. The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch. Lady Ty calls in the favour that Peter Grant owes her, and it's no end of fun, and then there's the Faceless Man and Lesley May. The usual mix of sharp dialogue, police lore, and wizardry. Love it. You must read all the previous books in the Rivers of London series first, though.

>206 tardis: Oooh! I'm on the waiting list for that audio. Meantime, I've ordered the two graphic comics that insert between books 4 and 5 and 5 and 6. But I will miss Kobna Holdbrook-Smith being the voice of Peter Grant.

?206 Glad to hear the latest instalment keeps up the level of enjoyment for the series. Looking forward till the pb version comes out (if I can wait that long).

>208 AHS-Wolfy: I decided I couldn't wait. I rarely spring for hardcover, even less so when I have to pay in GBP, but this series has become one of my favourites.

148. Treachery's Tools by L.E. Modesitt. Latest in the Imager series. The High Holders are revolting (in more ways than one) and Alastor and the imagers must defend the Rex. Not that he's a good Rex, but he beats the alternatives. Reliable as always.

>206 tardis: oooh you've reminded me how far behind I am - I really must catch up on Foxglove Summer.

149. The Tengu's Game of Go by Lian Hearne. Final book in the Tale of Shinanoko series. As good as the other books in the series (see above). Wraps up all the loose ends, Satisfying.

150. High Heat by Richard Castle. Latest in the tie-in series for the Castle TV series. Fun stuff. Will be interesting to see if it continues now that the series has been cancelled. They've certainly left it open to continue.

151. Otherworld Chills by Kelley Armstrong. A bunch of stories in the Otherworld universe, featuring characters from Armstrong's other books: Nick, Paige, Jaime, Elena's kids, etc. A nice light snack.

152 & 153. Big Trouble in Little China, volumes 1 and 4. More graphic novels (see above). They came from the library out of order but really, it didn't make a huge difference. Not the most complicated plots :)

154. London in Fragments: A Mudlark's Treasures by Ted Sandling. Sandling got interested in mudlarking - scouring the beaches and tidal flats of the Thames for bits of the city's past - and this book documents some of his finds and what they represent in the history of the city. Very interesting!

>214 tardis: ooooooh. Oooooh. Ow. Yes, okay, you definitely got me with that one. And I don't mind at all, I love this sort of thing!

>214 tardis: That looks really cool!

>214 tardis: Ouch! A direct hit. Have to own it.

155. The Apothecary's Curse by Barbara Barnett. An 19th century doctor begs an apothecary for a cure for his wife's cancer, and the results are not what was expected. Jumps back and forth between past and present. Really good characters. Liked it.

>202 tardis: Big Trouble in Little China is one very strange (yet enjoyable) movie. Were those graphic novels similar in tone?

>219 clamairy: Yes, very similar :) a lot of fun. More outlandish than the movie as comics lack the SFX limitations of low-budget movies :)

156. The Chalet School Reunion by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. Grizel is coming back after 8 years in New Zealand to handle her parents' estate, and Joey seizes the opportunity to organize a reunion of early Chalet School girls. Pretty much the usual, but fun.

157. Rivers of London: Night Witch by Ben Aaronovitch. Graphic novel, set after Broken Homes, and very good. LOVE this series.

158. The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. Conclusion to the series begun in The Paper Magician. Pretty good, but not outstanding.

159. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Jumps around a lot, but all the threads eventually merge, and it's very, very good. Rather bleak, though. Definitely going to get Jemisin's other books, though. Fantastic writer.

I'm so happy you've discovered her. Her writing is amazing! The sequel, The Obelisk Gate, is out now. She also has a trilogy and a duology complete. She's so great!

>221 tardis:, >222 reconditereader: I liked The fifth season and The obelisk gate best of what I've read by Jemisin so far. I strongly disliked the romance in The hundred thousand kingdoms and didn't go on to finish the trilogy.

160. Shadow of Victory by David Weber. Latest installment of the Honorversse. It really felt like half a book - there was important stuff going on off-screen, like negotiating with the Havenites, and stuff. Even so, it was a doorstop, and full of Weber's patented info dumps and "as you know, Bob"s. And a cast of thousands.

161. The Librarians and the Lost Lamp by Greg Cox. Tie-in to the TV series. The lamp in question is Aladdin's, and the genie isn't very nice. Not eternal prose, but a fun diversion.

Glad to hear about the Librarians book. I love the show and have had my eye on that book.

162. The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst. Book one of a series, but works well as a stand-alone. The "queen" controls the elemental spirits and keeps them from harming people. Girls with queen potential are trained to take over when she dies. Pretty good. Will look out for the next volume in the series.

>226 tardis: put this one on my TBR list.

>226 tardis: I've seen other good reviews for this, but yours has pushed me into putting this on my wishlist.

163. The Inheritance by Charles Finch. Charles Lenox helps an old friend who has a mysterious inheritance and someone trying to kill him. Lots of misdirection. Good story.

164. Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual (For a Sexist Workplace) by Jessica Bennett. Funny, sarcastic, and has useful strategies for coping with sexism by both men and women. It comes a bit late for my career, but then I think my work environment has generally been pretty good. Despite being aimed at women, I think many men would also benefit from reading this book.

165. Bossypants by Tina Fey. So funny.

166. Delete All Suspects by Donna Andrews. Murder mystery featuring an artificial intelligence, Turing Hopper, and her human partners. Andrews seems to have abandoned this series in favour of the Meg Langslow ones, but it's actually pretty good, and considering it was published in 2005, not hugely dated.

Today is Boxing Day. While millions of deluded Canadians head for the malls in search of post-Christmas bargains, I am having a Do Nothing But Read Day. I have snacks, tea, pillows, blankets, cats and time. I shall report in periodically :)

Yay Boxing Day, and all the props you've got to assist.

It's been a quiet day here, with three grands exploring all the new toys.

Daughter finally got up and we plan to go to Michaels only, for more art supplies.

Well, so much for reporting in. I read, i ate, I dozed, I read 2.5 books so far.

167. The Prickotty Bush by Monty Don. A Christmas gift that I started yesterday. A memoir of Don's obsessive remodeling of the garden he and his family acquired with a house. Good, but slightly bittersweet. This is the .5 book, since I started it yesterday.

168. Death on the Downs by Simon Brett. Mystery from TBR pile. A woman out for a walk on the downs takes shelter from the rain in an old barn and finds human bones. Needless to say she gets nosy. Good.

169. Seeing the Light : A Marie Jenner Mystery by E.C. Bell. A paranormal mystery. Marie sees ghosts. Set here in my home town, which is fun. Pretty good.

170. Drowning in Amber by E.C. Bell. Second Marie Jenner mystery. Also good.

171. Five Have Plenty of Fun by Enid Blyton. An oldie, but not too bad. Blyton hasn't held up as well as some of my other childhood favourites, but I still enjoyed it.

And that's the end of my Do Nothing But Read day!

That appears to have been a great DNBRD.

Wow!

I'm impressed! I think I would've been able to get through two books, maybe.

Sounds like the perfect Boxing Day!

172. Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. A slightly weird story of superheroes and supervillains - told in alternating chapters by one of each. Quite fun.

173. Changes for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. The last term before the school's transfer to Switzerland. The usual shenanigans.

And that's the last book for 2016! Tomorrow I'll start the 2017 thread.

Happy New year to all!