Rune's reading Adventures for 2019

1) A Place Called Perfect
(Perfect)
by Helena Duggan

The blurb

Violet never wanted to move to Perfect.

Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time?

But Violet quickly discovers there's something weird going on – she keeps hearing noises in the night, her mum is acting strange and her dad has disappeared.

When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have been stolen away...and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!

My thoughts

This is one of the books from the course that I started last year. I wanted to like it but I just can't for the moment.

It started out very good but then it just got bogged down in a load of what seemed like pointless waiting about.

I did not enjoy this this read and can't recommend it.

2) The Fandom
(The Fandom #1)
by Anna Day

Blurb

Cosplay ready, Violet and her friends are at Comic-Con.

They can’t wait to meet the fandom of mega movie, The Gallows Dance. What they’re not expecting is to be catapulted by freak accident into their favourite world – for real. Fuelled by love, guilt and fear, can the friends put the plot back on track and get out? The fate of the story is in their hands ...

My thoughts

I got this as a pre release copy it's even signed by the The author and dedicated to me. I was certain that I would enjoy meeting Violet and her friends and joining them in their adventure at comic con.

This was yet another book for the course I am on.
Sadly I didn't enjoy it. It tried to hard to be clever and yet doesnt . I really didn't like the character's. Also the ending is sloppy and made me wanna scream.

It's an excellent concept but I can't enjoy it.

3. Childfinder
by Octavia E. Butler, LeVar Burton (Narrator)

The blurb

A telepath uses her skills to mentor children with psionic ability. "Childfinder" is available in the collection UNEXPECTED STORIES.

My thoughts

I loved Reading Rainbow and so when I found this podcast i was thrilled. It's reading rainbow for adults and Octavia Butler is truly amazing and I can't recommend her work enough.

My favourite story by Butler is Kindred. Be sure to check it out! You won't regret it!

>3 RuneFirestar: This sounds interesting, I hadn’t heard of it. I read Kindred last year and really liked it.

@YouKneek

It's called LaVar Burton Reads its awesome so check it out :)

4) The Winds of Harmattan (Kabu Kabu collection)
by Nnedi Okorafor

My thoughts

African folk story . Beautiful and sad. I loved it.

5) As Good as New
by Charlie Jane Anders

Blurb

From the author of the Hugo-winning "Six Months, Three Days," a new wrinkle on the old story of three wishes, set after the end of the world.

My thoughts

I really really enjoyed this. It's yet another story from LaVar Burton Reads podcast. A very very awesome retelling of an old story in a new way :)

6) Money Tree
by Nalo Hopkinson

Blurb

A young man sets out to uncover sunken treasure and make his fortune, and his sister must pick up the pieces. Recorded on the LeVar Burton Reads LIVE tour. This story also appears in Nalo Hopkinson's collection SKIN FOLK.

My thoughts

I am not sure about this story . I can't say I liked it and I can't say I didn't because I truly don't know how to feel about this one.

7) Black Betty
by Nisi Shawl

Blurb

The story of Betty, and her struggle to be fully understood by her new family.

My thoughts

The idea of talking animals is always fun. The fact that Betty sounds like the first family she lived with us super awesome. Although I liked the idea some of the language out me off the story.

8. The Fliers of Gy (The Unreal and the Real, #2)
by Ursula K. Le Guin

Episode of LaVar Burton Reads.

My thoughts

It looks at what would be like to fly. Its very very awesome.

9. Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience
by Rebecca Roanhorse

The blurb

Apex Magazine is a monthly science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine featuring original, mind-bending short fiction from many of the top pros of the field. New issues are released the first Tuesday of every month.

This month we celebrate Indigenous American fantasists with guest editor Amy H. Sturgis.

Also an episode of Lavar Burton Reads :)

>11 RuneFirestar: That was a great story. I also loved her full-length novel, Trail of lightning.

10.Two Hearts
(The Last Unicorn #1.5)
by Peter S. Beagle

The blurb

Coda to The Last Unicorn – a novelette. Available for free on the author's website.

A story about what happened next

My thoughts

Beautiful haunting and very very sad. But Soo worth the tears.

>13 RuneFirestar: I liked that one too. I liked it better than The Last Unicorn actually, although 3.5 years later I don’t really remember enough about it to say why. Probably in part because it was so short. (Edited to clarify: Its shortness is probably why I don't remember it, I mean. Not why I liked it.)

Here’s the link in case anybody else is interested: http://www.peterbeagle.com/works/shorts/two_hearts.htm

11. Sea Girls by Daniel Wallace

Blurb

Two teenagers deal with family issues... and a stranded sea creature. Featured on Levar Burton Reads

My thoughts

This brings back elements of the old stories of mermaids as a threat to men and deals with two teens who know of one another but don't really know each other.

It's very awesome

12. The Last Cheng Beng Gift
by Jaymee Goh

Blurb

A family matriarch takes up residence in the Underworld

My thoughts

I really liked this story to see how different cultures do different things to remember family is neat. This is the story about the older not getting the younger but later coming to live them anyway.

13.Fires - by Rick Bass

The blurb

Episode 28 of LeVar Burton Reads

My thoughts

I don't really know what to think of the story. The imagery used was really amazing and pulled me into the story. But the story itself was not one that I would read again.

14. Contagion (Dark Matter #1) by Teri Terry

Blurb

Callie is missing.

Her brother Kai is losing hope of ever seeing her again. Then he meets Shay, a girl who saw Callie the day she disappeared, and his hope is reignited.

Their search leads them to the heart of a terrifying epidemic that is raging through the country.

Can Kai and Shay escape death and find Callie?

My thoughts

Wow! It's very slow to start but once it does you don't wanna miss a beat! It really does keep you guessing. I really really loved this read and if you like pandemic then this is totally up your street!

15. Doctor Who: Fury from the Deep
(Doctor Who: BBC Radio Collection)
by Victor Pemberton, Patrick Troughton (Narrator), Frazer Hines (Narrator), Deborah Watling (Narrator)

Blurb
Patrick Troughton stars in this digitally remastered soundtrack of a classic 'lost' TV adventure.

The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria to the present-day North Sea Coast. Something nasty is lurking in the gas pipelines of the North Sea, and before long the nearby refinery is under attack. The Doctor discovers that a form of living seaweed is at work, and that a number of the base personnel have been possessed. Can he and his friends work in time to prevent an entire take-over of Earth?

This is the farewell story for the Doctor's companion Victoria, played by Deborah Watling.

My thoughts

I really enjoy the Doctor Who audio as I didn't really get into the show til recent years this is a way for me to see what past doctors were like :)

16. Doctor Who: Pest Control
(BBC Doctor Who: New Series Audio Exclusives #1)
by Peter Anghelides, David Tennant (Narrator)

Blurb

The TARDIS is lost in battle on a distant planet. When the Doctor sets off in pursuit, Donna is left behind, and finds herself accepting a commission in the Pioneer Corps. Something is transforming soldiers into monstrous beetles, and she could be the next victim. Meanwhile, the Doctor steals a motorbike and stages a jailbreak. Well, how hard can it be to find the TARDIS, rescue Donna, and negotiate a peace? But that’s before the arrival of a brutal and remorseless mechanical exterminator, bent on wiping out the insects. It may be that nothing can stop it, because this robot’s solution for the infestation is very simple: kill everything. Featuring the Doctor and Donna, as played by David Tennant and Catherine Tate in the hit series from BBC Television, this story has been written specially for audio, and is read by David Tennant.

17. Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death
(Doctor Who Library (Target) #121)
by Terrance Dicks

Blurb
Seven months after it left Mars there has still been no radio communication with the Probe Seven spacecraft or the astronauts inside it. Back on Earth concern is mounting and eventually a recovery capsule is sent up to rescue the astronauts.

But when the capsule returns to Earth it is found to be empty. As the Doctor and Liz investigate, they discover that the interior of the capsule is highly radioactive: if anyone was inside they would now surely be dead.

Have the astronauts returned to Earth? And if not, who are the sinister space-suited figures who stalk the countryside and whose very touch means instant death?

18. Fyrewall by Stephani Cox

Blurb

In a future version of Los Angeles, a woman and her ragtag crew must repair a critical piece of technology or let the city burn to the ground. Levar Burton Reads podcast

My thoughts

I think of firewalls as a thing used to protect a computer. The way the writer spells fire in the title made me think that maybe people think of this tech as magic because so few people understand it.

It's a super neat listen.

19.Doctor Who: The Krotons
(Doctor Who Library (Target) #99)
by Terrance Dicks

Blurb

Novelization of the Doctor Who TV episodes/story of the same name.

As the TARDIS door opens onto a barren planet, the Doctor steps straight into a struggle to destroy the merciless Krotons, the unseen rulers of the Gond people. Conditioned to obey by teaching machines, the Gonds put up no resistance until, with the Doctor's help, they discover exactly what has been happening to their best students.

Battling against the Krotons' vast scientific knowledge the Doctor and Zoe must stop them turning mental power into pure energy. With a brave band of Gonds and Jamie, prepared to fight to the end, it may be defeat for the Krotons, but ultimately it will be a test of knowledge that only the Doctor can match...

20. Singing on a Star by Ellen Klages, LeVar Burton

Blurb

A kindergartner travels through a portal to a fantastic and eerie new world. This story appears in the collection Wicked Wonders

My thoughts

This story is one that is featured in LaVar Burton Reads. I had to listen to this particular story a few times just to see if I really understood it. In the end I have to conclude that it is super creepy, very well written but unsettling.

21. Jackalope Wives
by Ursula Vernon

Blurb

A brooding young man is captivated by a a magical creature who dances in the firelight. Appears in Jackalope Wives and Other Stories by T. Kingfisher and Levar Burton Reads.

22.The Cell Phones
by Karen E. Bender, LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

A Rosh Hashanah service is interrupted by voices clamoring for attention.

LeVar Burton features the short story "The Cell Phones" by Karen E. Bender from her book "The New Order"

My thoughts

This is an interesting one. The point of the service is to become a better person a better version of yourself. They forget that means helping others helps them to be that better person. It's an awesome thing

23.Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil
(Doctor Who Library (Target) #96)
by Terrance Dicks

Blurb

Eminent scientist Emil Keller has developed a revolutionary new process for the treatment of hardened criminals. His invention, the Keller Machine, is being heralded as a major scientific breakthrough.

But Professor Keller is in truth the Master and the Keller Machine is much more than a mere machine. Soon the Doctor is involved in a bitter struggle with his deadliest enemy, an alien mind parasite, and a diabolical scheme to plunge the world into a Third World War...

24. Yiwu by Lavie Tidhar

Blurb

Can dreams come true? They can if you win the lottery, which promises to provide what your heart desires. For a humble shopkeeper in Yiwu, it’s a living, selling lottery tickets. Until a winning ticket opens up mysteries he’d never imagined.

Lavie Tidha's Yiwu is a Tor.com Original short story.

My thoughts

This story is from LaVar Burton Reads podcast. It's super awesome about how playing and winning the lotto are life changing until one day someone plays and wins yet doesn't seem to want to change. It's a very human story about life and the unexpected turns things can take.

25. Morning Child and Other Stories
by Gardner Dozois

Blurb

A collection of over a half-dozen classic science fiction stories by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author and editor Gardner Dozois.
An episode of LaVar Burton Reads podcast

26. Witness in Death
(In Death #10)
by J.D. Robb

Blurb

There was always an audience for murder. Opening night at New York's New Globe Theatre turns from stage scene to crime scene when the leading man is stabbed to death right on centre stage. Now Eve Dallas has a high profile celebrity homicide on her hands. Not only is she primary detective, she's also a witness - and when the press discovers that her husband, Roarke, owns the theatre, there's more media interest than either can handle. The only way out is to move fast. Question everyone - and everything. And in the meantime, try to tell the difference between the truth - and really good acting...

My thoughts

I love seeing Eve work and her interplay with friends and her husband it's hard but it has moments of lightness too .

27) Warped Galaxies: Attack of the Necron
by Cavan Scott, David Tennant (Narrator)

Blurb

Audio book edition of 'Warped galaxies: Attack of the Necron'. Read by David Tennant. David Tennant is renowned for his theatre and screen work, and his voiceover talents can be heard in dozens of television shows, audiobooks and audio dramas. He’s probably best known as the tenth incarnation of television’s ‘Doctor Who’.

On the hive world of Targian, Zelia Lor helps her mother search for ancient tech, digging up treasures of the past on the wind-blown plains. They are happy. They are safe. All that changes when the Necrons attack. Without warning, a host of robotic ships appear in the skies above Targian and rip the planet apart. Separated from her mother, Zelia must escape the doomed world, her only hope a scrambled transmission promising safety at a mysterious place known only as the Emperor’s Seat. Launched in an escape pod, she crashes on an icy wasteland far, far from home. But Zelia is not alone. She is joined by a rag-tag group of survivors – the street-tough juve Talen, gadget-obsessed Martian boy Mekki and super-intelligent alien-ape, Fleapit.

My thoughts

I don't generally care for the warhammer universe. For me its just too dark, but this was super cool and very enjoyable. I am considering reading/ listening to the series.

28) Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock
(Doctor Who Library (Target) #32)
by Terrance Dicks

Blurb

On a remote rocky island a few miles off the Channel coast stands the Fang Rock lighthouse. There have always been tales of the beast of Fang Rock, but when the Tardis lands here with Leela and the Doctor, the force they must deal with is more sinister and deadly than the mythical beast of the past.

It is the early 1900s, electricity is just coming into common usage, and the formless, gelatinous mass from the future must use the lighthouse generators to recharge its system. Nothing can stop this Rutan scout in its search and its experimentation on humans...

29) Playing Nice with God’s Bowling Ball
by N.K. Jemisin

Blurb

Tor.com is honored to reprint “Playing Nice with God’s Bowling Ball,” a short story by N.K. Jemisin, originally published in the August 2008 issue of Jim Baen’s Universe.

In “Playing Nice with God’s Bowling Ball,” a police detective tries to understand how a children’s dispute over a playing card could have led to a mysterious disappearance.

My thoughts

An episode of lavar Burton reads. Very cool story

30) Asymmetry
by Kendra Fortmeyer

31)The Vishakanya's Choice by Roshani Chokshi

Blurb

“Did we have a choice? An honest one. A real Choice.”

Who would you be if you had a choice? What would you do?

Early in her life, Sudha's fate was divined to be a lonely, fruitless future of young widowhood. So, it was considered a blessing when she was brought to the Hastinapur harem to become a vishakanya--a weapon, an assassin, a poison maiden whose very touch is toxic.

Sudha has never had a choice, has never known anything except the cold beauty of the harem's stone walls.

After years of living in isolation with her vishakanya sisters, Sudha is given her first mission: to end the life of a great man. Someone who, unlike her, leads a life full of glittering Choices fit for an emperor.

In their fateful encounter, a vishakanya meets a conqueror and a weapon creates a legend.

My thoughts

I hadn't heard of the concept of a position girl before reading this. The idea that it was written into sudhas future , she was forced into the role is interesting. I love the idea that in return for a kind death of her touch she is given her first real choice.

Beautifully crafted and well written.

32) Four Stations in His Circle
by Austin Clarke, LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

Language Advisory: This story contains adult language. An immigrant from Barbados strives to shake off his past, buy his dream house, and climb the ranks in Toronto. From the collection CHOOSING HIS COFFIN

33) In The City of Martyrs
by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

34) A Dark Night by Edward P. Jones, LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

Special Live episode of LeVar Burton Reads

A stormy evening leads to a dark night of the soul. Recorded live at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C. with musical accompaniment by Élise Cuffy. "A Dark Night" appears in Edward P. Jones' collection LOST IN THE CITY.

35) Driftglass by Samuel R. Delany

Blurb

As a new frontier is explored on the ocean floor, an amphiman is haunted by a deep sea accident from his youth. Recorded live at the Scottish Rite Auditorium with musical accompaniment by Kendrah Butler. "Driftglass" is contained in AYE, AND GOMORRAH AND OTHER STORIES, Vintage Books, 2003.

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LeVar Burton Reads

36. Mono No Aware
by Ken Liu

37.Star Trap
(Charles Paris #3)
by Simon Brett

Blurb

Simon Brett is back with one of his best theater-inspired detective novels in Star Trap. Though the target for murder is an odious theater and television star, actor/detective Charles Paris finds that the main character is behind the strange happenings backstage, including the rehearsal pianist being shot in the hand, and an actor falling and breaking his leg. Why does the star want to sabotage his show? The answer is one much more human than it first appears.

My thoughts

I always enjoy time spent with charles. If you like murder mysteres and like spending time with actors these are for you!

38. Annika Stranded (Season 1) by Nick Walker

Blurb

Annika Strandhed is a leading light in the murder squad of the Oslo police. Her neuroses - and she has a few - are mostly hidden by a boisterous manner and a love of motor boats. And she thinks she's funny - although her colleagues aren't so sure.

My thoughts

If your looking for a neurotic police investigator with a love of boats and odd ball knowledge these are totally for you.

>41 RuneFirestar: I have listened to several Charles Paris mysteries on the BBC, without ever realising that they are based on books!

@ pilgrim they are awesome!

39.Free Jim's Mine
by Tananarive Due (Goodreads Author), LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

Episode 38 LeVar Burton Reads

In pursuit of freedom from slavery, a young couple must gather up their courage and spend a night underground. "Free Jim's Mine" appears in Tananarive Due's collection GHOST SUMMER: STORIES.

40.The Lightning Thief
(Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
by Rick Riordan

blurb

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There's little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

my thoughts

I have always loved history but for most its a very dry, very unintresting subject filled with dates, names and places that dont mean anythiing. This book is one of those that takes part of history and makes it new and exciting for readers. I throughly love this book and felt it was an amazing read.

41. Death in the Clouds (Hercule Poirot #12) by Agatha Christie

blurb

A woman is killed by a poisoned dart in the enclosed confines of a commercial passenger plane…

From seat No.9, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat a Countess with a poorly-concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp.

What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman.

42. The Very First Damned Thing (The Chronicles of St Mary's 0.5) by Jodi Taylor

blurb

Ever wondered how it all began?

It’s two years since the final victory at the Battersea Barricades. The fighting might be finished, but for Dr Bairstow, just now setting up St Mary's, the struggle is only beginning.

How will he assemble his team?

From where will his funding come?

How can he overcome the massed ranks of the Society for the Protection of Historical Buildings?

How do stolen furniture, a practical demonstration at the Stirrup Charge at Waterloo, students’ alcohol-ridden urine, a widowed urban guerrilla, a young man wearing exciting knitwear, and four naked security guards all combine to become the St Mary’s of the future?

my thoughts

So this was gifted to me by a friend. At first I wasn't overly certain of it but the idea of traveling in time simply to see what happend well thats something that I couldnt turn away from.

>45 RuneFirestar: I just noticed that your mystery with a slavery setting is narrated by the star of Roots himself!

@pilgrim yes but i know him better from his time aboard the enterprise :)

43.The Tarot Cafe Manga Collection: Volume 1
by Sang-Sun Park

Blurb

Meet Pamela, a tarot card reader who helps supernatural beings living in the human world. She'll help anyone, whether they're a love-stricken cat, a vampire spending eternal life running from his one true love, an unattractive waitress looking for the man of her dreams, or even a magician who creates a humanoid doll to serve the woman he loves. Although she is good-natured, there is a deep dark secret that she must deal with before she can move on to the next life.

My thoughts

I love this serries

44. Torchwood: The Devil and Miss Carew
(Torchwood Radio Dramas #5) by Rupert Laight, John Barrowman (Goodreads Author) (Narrator), Eve Myles (Narrator), Gareth David-Lloyd (Narrator

Blurb

When Rhys's elderly Uncle Bryn has a heart attack while listening to the shipping forecast, it seems like another routine death at Ivyday Nursing Home. But when Rhys and Gwen go to collect the old man's effects, Gwen's suspicions are roused by another elderly resident. The conversation is cut short, though, by a fire alarm, one of many consequences of the mysterious power cuts that are sweeping the nation. Gwen has a hunch that something is wrong and her search leads her to Miss Carew, a suspiciously fit and strong octogenarian who, despite having supposedly terminal heart disease, has left Ivyday and gone back to work at the Computer firm she used to run. Miss Carew has been offered a deal by Fitzroy, a wandering alien with an aversion to electricity who is looking for a home. It's a deal that Miss Carew can't refuse. But the consequences for planet Earth are unthinkable.

45. Torchwood: The House of the Dead
(Torchwood Radio Dramas #7)
by James Goss, John Barrowman (Goodreads Author) (Narrator), Eve Myles (Narrator), Gareth David-Lloyd (Narrator)

Blurb
The brewery have called 'time' and it's the last night at The House of the Dead - the most haunted pub in Wales. Barry the barman has invited renowned psychic, Mrs Wintergreen, to hold a special seance to mark the occasion, and there's a big crowd hoping for the chance of seeing their deceased loved ones for one last time. But when Jack arrives on the scene, he's determined to stop them. Ianto is puzzled by Jack's behaviour, and Gwen is suspicious. Why is Jack acting so strangely? Then the ghosts start arriving - and all hell breaks loose.

46. Torchwood: Submission
(Torchwood Radio Dramas #6)
by Ryan Scott, John Barrowman (Goodreads Author) (Narrator), Eve Myles (Narrator), Gareth David-Lloyd (Narrator)

Blurb

In Ryan Scott's episode, Torchwood are chasing aliens down the M4, when Jack accidentally blows a hole in the Severn Bridge, and the SUV hits the water. Whilst submerged John, Gwen and Ianto hear a strange noise, which, back at the Hub they realise is a cry for help. They track the cry to its source which turns out to be the deepest part of the Ocean - the Mariana Trench. Ianto rings old Torchwood flame, Carlie Roberts, who's an expert in marine geology, and Jack pulls strings with the US government to get them all on board the USS Calvin, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, which is heading for the Trench. From there they board the Octopus Rock, the only submarine built to withstand the pressure at that depth, and follow the signal. But when the Submarine crashes, the team are left at the mercy of a hungry alien.

47. Pack Animals
(Torchwood #7)
by Peter Anghelides

Blurb

Shopping for wedding gifts is enjoyable, unless like Gwen you witness a Weevil massacre in the shopping centre. A trip to the zoo is a great day out, until a date goes tragically wrong and Ianto is badly injured by stolen alien tech. And Halloween is a day of fun and frights, before unspeakable monsters invade the streets of Cardiff and it’s no longer a trick or a treat for the terrified population.

Torchwood can control small groups of scavengers, but now someone has given large numbers of predators a season ticket to Earth. Jack’s investigation is hampered when he finds he’s being investigated himself. Owen is convinced that it’s just one guy who’s toying with them. But will Torchwood find out before it’s too late that the game is horribly real, and the deck is stacked against them?

48. The House That Jack Built
(Torchwood #12)
by Guy Adams (Goodreads Author)

Blurb

Jackson Leaves - an Edwardian house in Penylan.

Built 1906, semi-detached, three storeys, spacious, beautifully presented. Left in good condition to Rob and Julia by Rob's late aunt.

It's an ordinary sort of a house. Except for the way the rooms don't stay in the same places. And the strange man that turns up in the airing cupboard. And the apparitions. And the temporal surges that attract the attentions of Torchwood.

And the fact that the first owner of Jackson Leaves in 1906 was a Captain Jack Harkness...

49.Bay of the Dead
(Torchwood #11)
by Mark Morris

Blurb

When the city sleeps, the dead start to walk...

Something has sealed off Cardiff, and living corpses are stalking the streets, leaving a trail of half-eaten bodies. Animals are butchered. A young couple in their car never reach their home. A stolen yacht is brought back to shore, carrying only human remains. And a couple of girls heading back from the pub watch the mysterious drivers of a big black SUV take over a crime scene.

Torchwood have to deal with the intangible barrier surrounding Cardiff, and some unidentified space debris that seems to be regenerating itself. Plus, of course, the all-night zombie horror show.

Not that they really believe in zombies.

50. Border Princes
(Torchwood #2)
by Dan Abnett

Blurb

The End of the World began on a Thursday night in October, just after eight in the evening...

The Amok is driving people out of their minds, turning them into zombies and causing riots in the streets. A solitary diner leaves a Cardiff restaurant, his mission to protect the Principal leading him to a secret base beneath a water tower. Everyone has a headache; there's something in Davey Morgan's shed; and the church of St Mary-in-the-Dust, demolished in 1840, has reappeared - though it's not due until 2011. Torchwood seem to be out of their depth. What will all this mean for the romance between Torchwood's newest members?

Captain Jack Harkness has something more to worry about: an alarm, an early warning, given to mankind and held - inert - by Torchwood for 108 years. And now it's flashing. Something is coming. Or something is already here.

51. Shark In The Park by Nick Sharratt

52.Shark in the Dark by Nick Sharratt

53. We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

54.The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter

55.The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter

56. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

57.The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

Just did the big read at several schools and local libraries to kick start interest the libraries summer reading challenge.

58. Skulduggery Pleasant
(Skulduggery Pleasant #1)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source - the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard.

My thoughts

These are fast becoming my most favourite books ever

59.The Faceless Ones
(Skulduggery Pleasant #3)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

The third bone-breaking, belly-busting adventure in the series that puts the “funny” back in, um, funny series. That didn’t really work, did it?

If you’ve read the previous Skulduggery books then you know what the Faceless Ones are — and if you know what the Faceless Ones are, then you can probably take a wild guess that things in this book are going to get AWFULLY sticky for our skeletal hero and his young sidekick. If you haven’t read the previous Skulduggery books then what are you doing reading this? Go and read them right now, so that you know what all that stuff in the previous paragraph was about. Done? Good. So now you’re on tenterhooks too, desperately awaiting the answers to all your questions, and instead you’re going to have to wait to read the book. Sorry about that.

60. Playing with Fire
(Skulduggery Pleasant #2)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant
Ace Detective
Snappy Dresser
Razor–tongued Wit
Crackerjack Sorcerer
and
Walking, Talking,
Fire-throwing Skeleton

—as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.

These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.

The end of the world?

Over his dead body.

61. Dark Days
(Skulduggery Pleasant #4)
by Derek Landy

blurb

Skulduggery Pleasant is lost on the other side of a portal, with only some evil gods for company. Can he possibly survive? (Yes, all right, he's already dead. But still.)

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, sorcerer, warrior.

Oh yes. And dead.

Skulduggery Pleasant is gone, sucked into a parallel dimension overrun by the Faceless Ones. If his bones haven’t already been turned to dust, chances are he’s insane, driven out of his mind by the horror of the ancient gods. There is no official, Sanctuary-approved rescue mission. There is no official plan to save him.

But Valkyrie's never had much time for plans.

The problem is, even if she can get Skulduggery back, there might not be much left for him to return to. There’s a gang of villains bent on destroying the Sanctuary, there are some very powerful people who want Valkyrie dead, and as if all that wasn’t enough it looks very likely that a sorcerer named Darquesse is going to kill the world and everyone on it.

Skulduggery is gone. All our hopes rest with Valkyrie. The world’s weight is on her shoulders, and its fate is in her hands.

These are dark days indeed

My thoughts

I really really love this set of books they just keep getting better with each book. if you like magic, mystery and touch of the supernatural this is totally the book serries for you.

62. Mortal Coil (Skulduggery Pleasant #5)
by Derek Landy

The blurb

Following the shocking revelations of DARK DAYS, get
ready for the fifth instalment of the bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series -- guaranteed to contain at least 40% humour, 50% action, and 100% thrills!

The blonde girl with the black lips turned to Valkyrie. 'We know,' she said. 'We've seen the future. We know you're going to kill the world!'

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back -- just in time to see their whole world get turned upside down! While they struggle to protect a known killer from an unstoppable assassin, Valkyrie is on a secret mission of her own. This quest, to prevent her dark and murderous destiny, threatens to take her to the brink of death and beyond. And then the body-snatching Remnants get loose, thousands of twisted souls who possess the living like puppets, and they begin their search for a being powerful enough to lead them. Facing such insurmountable odds, Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Tanith can trust no one. Not even each other

My thoughts

It just keeps getting better!

63. Poison by Chris Wooding

Blurb

Poison has always been a willful, contrary girl, prone to being argumentative and stubborn. So when her sister is snatched by the mean-spirited faeries, she seeks out the Phaerie Lord to get her back. But finding him isn't easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. With only her wits and her friends to aid her, Poison must survive the attentions of the Phaerie Lord, rescue her sister, and thwart a plot that's beyond anything she (or the reader) can imagine...

64. God Save the Queen
(The Immortal Empire #1)
by Kate Locke

Blurb

The first in an alternate fantasy series where vampires, werewolves, and goblins rule London.
Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist.

The undead matriarch presides over a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. It's a world where the nobility are infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key -- the prize -- in a very dangerous struggle.

My thoughts

If you love alternative history this read us soo for you! If you love alternative history with supernatural elements this is totally up your street.

The characters are well written and very easy to identify with. I have enjoyed this read sooooo much.

Hello Dragoneers!

I am at this point 19 books behind on my reading challenge. I wish this was not the case , sadly life has gotten in my way and so I found that as much as I loved books I couldn't settle, I had little focus. In short I was just overwhelmed and more and more things kept piling up.

I was drowning for a long while but I think for now I have finally broken the surface and am back to being me again. Yay!

So with any luck I will be posting here more regularly :) At least I hope :)

>68 RuneFirestar: Being regular is a wonderful thing. ;)

Seriously though, I do miss you when you aren't here. I am having a tough time reading to my previous level due to life, the universe and everything, so I don't have goals as such this year, except to read books I want to read.

@ MrsLee it has been that way for me for a long while. I didn't really have time to rest of stop. At some points there wasn't even time for processing everything. Nothing wanted to wait, no one was willing to give me five seconds to just stop , catch my breath. Finally I was forced to stop when my leg locked and I had a blackout due to dehydration.

It was scary have nearly ended up in hospital and the few days I waited for the swelling in my leg t go down I was able to think and get away from all the crap. I had no choice but to say no and to cancel appointments and meetings and breath. That few days saved me. After that I realized I had forgotten that personal care was a thing. Yes I am mom and I run all the behind the scenes stuffs but I am also just me. And after I got up and got going again I started taking an hour away every day. I switch my phone off. I switch my messengers off and I chill then once I am ok and feel like I have found my centre and my focus and I am not overwhelmed I pick myself up and get stuck in. :)

65.Spellslinger
(Spellslinger #1)
by Sebastien de Castell

Blurb
There are three things that earn you a man’s name among the Jan’Tep. The first is to demonstrate the strength to defend your family. The second is to prove you can perform the high magic that defines our people. The third is simply to reach the age of sixteen. I was a few weeks shy of my birthday when I learned that I wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage's duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There's just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi - a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She's difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen's only hope...

My thoughts

I adored this read. Magic is brilliant but it will only get you so far.

>70 RuneFirestar: Great plan!

66.Judgment in Death
(In Death #11)
by J.D. Robb

Blurb

She stood in Purgatory and studied death. The blood and the gore of it, the ferocity of its glee. It had come to this place with the wilful temper of a child, full of heat and passion and careless brutality.'

In an uptown strip joint a cop is found bludgeoned to death. The weapon's a baseball bat. The motive is a mystery. It's a case of serious overkill that pushes Eve Dallas straight into overdrive. Her investigation uncovers a private club that's more than a hot spot. Purgatory's a last chance for atonement where everyone is judged. Where your ultimate fate depends on your most intimate sins. And where one cop's hidden secrets are about to plunge innocent souls into vice-ridden damnation...

My thoughts

Time spent with Eve Dallas is dull.

67. Confessions of a Teenage Leper
by Ashley Little

Blurb

Abby Furlowe has plans. Big plans. She's hot, she's popular, she's a cheerleader and she's going to break out of her small Texas town and make it big. Fame and fortune, adoration and accolades. It'll all be hers.

But then she notices some spots on her skin. She writes them off as a rash, but things only get worse. She's tired all the time, her hands and feet are numb and her face starts to look like day-old pizza. By the time her seventeenth birthday rolls around, she's tried every cream and medication the doctors have thrown at her, but nothing works. When she falls doing a routine cheerleading stunt and slips into a coma, her mystery illness goes into overdrive and finally gets diagnosed: Hansen's Disease, aka leprosy.

Abby is sent to a facility to recover and deal with this new reality. Her many misdiagnoses mean that some permanent damage has been done, and all of her plans suddenly come tumbling down. If she can't even wear high heels anymore, what is the point of living? Cheerleading is out the window, and she might not even make it to prom. PROM!

But it's during this recovery that Abby has to learn to live with something even more difficult than Hansen's Disease. She's becoming aware of who she really was before and what her behavior was doing to others; now she's on the other side of the fence looking in, and she doesn't like what she sees. . .

My thoughts

I never expected to pick up a story like this. At first I thought it was gonna become some teenage Rom com gone unexpectedly haywire. It turned out that's not what it was.

It turned out that it's a book about how misdiagnosis helps a young girl with horrible disease understand that there's more to life than being pretty.

>71 RuneFirestar: I am glad that you Spellslinger; it was one of my favourite YA reads from 2017. I am currently reading Charmcaster.

>74 RuneFirestar: This book sounds great! That is a fatal book bullet!

>67 RuneFirestar: I read and enjoyed that series a few years ago. I think you'll like the rest as much as the first.

68. The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 1
(The Ancient Magus' Bride #1)
by Kore Yamazaki, Adrienne Beck

Blurb

Her name is Chise Hatori, a penniless orphan troubled by visions. Sold as a slave to an inhuman mage, she is about to begin a strange new life, filled with magic, fairies, and other beings of a fantastical nature.

My thoughts

Beautiful

69.Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse
(Goth Girl #1)
by Chris Riddell

Blurb

Meet Ada Goth. She lives in Ghastly-Gorm Hall with her father, Lord Goth, lots of servants and at least half a dozen ghosts, but she hasn't got any friends to explore her enormous, creepy house with.

Then, one night, everything changes when Ada meets a ghostly mouse called Ishmael. Together they set out to solve the mystery of the strange happenings at Ghastly-Gorm Hall, and get a lot more than they bargained for...

70.Daughter of Smoke and Bone
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1)
by Laini Taylor

Blurb

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.

When Brimstone called, she always came.

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

My thoughts

This book was not a usual choice of reading material. That being said it was a slow start and it took me a long while to actually care for the characters, finally turning to the audio book.

It was hearing the characters that really made the story live for me and made me need to know what happens next. Much like The Princess Bride it has action, adventure and true love.

I did enjoy the story but I am not sure how I felt about it. I am not even sure if I would recommend it or not.

71.The Screaming Staircase
(Lockwood & Co. #1)
by Jonathan Stroud

Blurb

When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

My thoughts

Could not put it down! Amazing!

72.The Whispering Skull
(Lockwood & Co. #2)
by Jonathan Stroud

Blurb

In the six months since Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations. Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest: the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper.

Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.

My thoughts

This was just as amazing as the first in the serries. Love these books!

Right my Goodreads has counted my last book twice. So it my next post will be number 74 :)

74.Dr. King's Refrigerator: And Other Bedtime Stories
by Charles R. Johnson

Blurb

Charles Johnson's innovative and richly imagined collection is full of stories -- sly, witty, and insightful -- that bring the world into focus. Each is a vivid cultural and philosophical portrait that deftly explores issues of identity and race. "Kwoon" follows the spiritual journey of a martial arts teacher on Chicago's South Side. "Sweet Dreams" is a Kafkaesque tale set in a world where dreams are taxed and a man and his dreamlife are being audited. "The Gift of the Osuo" is a fable about the dangers of getting what you wish for. In "Cultural Relativity," a young woman falls in love with the son of the president of an African nation but is forbidden to ever kiss him. The title story is an illuminating and deeply human tale about pre-Montgomery Martin Luther King Jr. and a revelation he had when he looked into his refrigerator late one night.
Provocative, engaging, and compassionate, Dr. King's Refrigerator is a superb and important collection from a major American voice.

My thoughts

This was part of Oscar Button Reads podcast. The story I listen too was " Kwoon " it was very good :)

75. The Best We Can: A Tor.com Original
by Carrie Vaughn

Blurb

First contact was supposed to change the course of human history. But it turns out, you still have to go to work the next morning.
At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

76.Beneath Ceaseless Skies #43

(Beneath Ceaseless Skies #43)
by Scott H. Andrews (Editor), Saladin Ahmed (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Matthew Bey (Contributor)

Contans:
Mister Hadj’s Sunset Ride by Saladin Ahmed
The Secret of Pogopolis by Matthew Bey.

77. The King Is Always Above the People: Stories
by Daniel Alarcón

Blurb

A slyly political collection of stories about immigration, broken dreams, Los Angeles gang members, Latin American families, and other tales of high stakes journeys, from the award-winning author of War by Candlelight and At Night We Walk in Circles.

Migration. Betrayal. Family secrets. Doomed love. Uncertain futures. In Daniel Alarcon's hands, these are transformed into deeply human stories with high stakes. In -The Thousands, - people are on the move and forging new paths; hope and heartbreak abound. A man deals with the fallout of his blind relatives' mysterious deaths and his father's mental breakdown and incarceration in -The Bridge.- A gang member discovers a way to forgiveness and redemption through the haze of violence and trauma in -The Ballad of Rocky Rontal.- And in the tour de force novella, -The Auroras-, a man severs himself from his old life and seeks to make a new one in a new city, only to find himself seduced and controlled by a powerful woman. Richly drawn, full of unforgettable characters, The King is Always Above the People reveals experiences both unsettling and unknown, and yet eerily familiar in this new world.

The story I listened to from this collection is Episode #42 of Lavar Burton Reads.

Some how good reads feels that I have now read 79 books. Not sure how but my next post will be 80 :)

I am currently 32 books behind on my 150 book goal for this year's read. That kinda sucks. But I will not be giving up just reading as many as I can. Thank you to all who have interacted with me this far :) Hope your enjoying my reading adventure as much as I am

80.Toward Happy Civilization
by Samanta Schwbelin

Blurb

Short story. A traveler plots an escape from a rural train station.

81. The Knife Thrower and Other Stories
by Steven Millhauser

Blurb

The Knife Thrower introduces a series of distinctively Millhauserian worlds: tiny, fabulous, self-enclosed, like Fabergé eggs or like the short-story genre itself. Flying carpets; subterranean amusement parks; a band of teenage girls who meet secretly in the night in order to do "nothing at all"; a store with departments of Moorish courtyards, volcanoes, and Aztec temples: these are Millhauser's stock-in-trade as a storyteller, and he employs them to characteristically magical effect. As in Millhauser's other books, including Edwin Mullhouse and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Martin Dressler, his subject is nothing less than the faculty of imagination itself. Here, however, the flights of fancy are unencumbered by Martin Dressler's wealth of period detail, and the result is fun-house prose whose pleasures and terrors are equally gossamer. Millhauser possesses the unique ability to render the quotidian strange, so that, emerging from his stories, the reader often feels the world itself an unfamiliar place--as do the shoppers at his department store, that marketplace of skillful illusion: "As we hurry along the sidewalk, we have the absurd sensation that we have entered still another department, composed of ingeniously lifelike streets with artful shadows and reflections--that our destinations lie in a far corner of the same department--that we are condemned to hurry forever through these artificial halls, bright with late afternoon light, in search of the way out."

My thoughts

The story I read was flying Carpets. Amazing

82. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
by Ted Chiang

Blurb

In medieval Baghdad, a penniless man is brought before the most powerful man in the world, the caliph himself, to tell his story. It begins with a walk in the bazaar, but soon grows into a tale unlike any other told in the caliph's empire. It's a story that includes not just buried treasure and a band of thieves, but also men haunted by their past and others trapped by their future; it includes not just a beloved wife and a veiled seductress, but also long journeys taken by caravan and even longer ones taken with a single step. Above all, it's a story about recognizing the will of Allah and accepting it, no matter what form it takes.

83.The Kite of Stars and Other Stories
by Dean Francis Alfar

Blurb

This book collects sixteen wondrous stories of fantasy, science fiction, horror and things in between from the imagination of award-winning fictionist Dean Francis Alfar.

84. The Simplest Equation
by Nicky Drayden (Goodreads Author), LeVar Burton (Narrator)

85. The 5:22
by George Harrar (Goodreads Author), LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

When a fellow passenger on his usual train goes missing, a man begins to wonder if everything is as it seems.

86.Kin
by Bruce McAllister (Goodreads Author), LeVar Burton

Blurb

In a future Los Angeles, a boy hires one of the deadliest alien assassins in the galaxy to protect his sister.

87.Chivalry
by Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author), LeVar Burton

Blurb

An elderly widow purchases the Holy Grail at a second-hand store and becomes wrapped up in an epic quest.

88.Shoggoths in Traffic
by Tobias S. Buckell (Goodreads Author), LeVar Burton (Narrator)

89.How Long 'til Black Future Month?
(Dreamblood 0.5 - The Narcomancer )
by N.K. Jemisin

Blurb

In these stories, Jemisin sharply examines modern society, infusing magic into the mundane, and drawing deft parallels in the fantasy realms of her imagination. Dragons and hateful spirits haunt the flooded city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In a parallel universe, a utopian society watches our world, trying to learn from our mistakes. A black mother in the Jim Crow south must figure out how to save her daughter from a fey offering impossible promises. And in the Hugo award-nominated short story “The City Born Great,” a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis’s soul.

My thoughts

Super awesome

90.Whose Body?
(Lord Peter Wimsey #1)
by Dorothy L. Sayers

Blurb

The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder -- especially with a pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What's more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath.

My thoughts

A general murder mystery

91.Unnatural Death
(Lord Peter Wimsey #3)
by Dorothy L. Sayers

Blurb

The wealthy Agatha Dawson is dead--a trifle sooner than expected--but there are no apparent signs of foul play. Lord Peter Wimsey, however, senses that something is amiss and refuses to let the case rest--even without any clues or leads. Suddenly, he is faced with another murder: Agatha's maid. Can super-sleuth Wimsey find the murderer and solve the case before he becomes the killer's next victim?The intricate trail of horror and senseless murder leads from a beautiful Hampshire village to a fashionable London flat and a deliberate test of amour.

92.The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
(Lord Peter Wimsey #5)
by Dorothy L. Sayers

Blurb

Lord Peter Wimsey bent down over General Fentiman and drew the Morning Post gently away from the gnarled old hands. Then, with a quick jerk, he lifted the quiet figure. It came up all of a piece, stiff as a wooden doll . . .
But how did the general die? Who was the mysterious Mr X who fled when he was wanted for questioning? And which of the general's heirs, both members of the Bellona Club, is lying?

93. Strong Poison
(Lord Peter Wimsey #6)
by Dorothy L. Sayers

Blurb

Mystery novelist Harriet Vane knew all about poisons, and when her former lover died in the manner prescribed in one of her books, a jury of her peers had a hangman's noose in mind. But Lord Peter Wimsey was determined to find her innocent.

>96 RuneFirestar: I think this is the only thing by Jemisin that I haven’t read yet. I’m not usually a big fan of short story collections, but I plan to try it eventually. It’s promising to read that you enjoyed it so much! I think most of the reviews I’ve run across for it have been pretty positive.

>98 RuneFirestar: BBC are broadcasting a serialisation of this on Radio 4 Extra, with Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter. It's not exactly new, having been first broadcast in 1975. Get into it here; it'll be available for the next 3--4 weeks.

94.Small Medicine
by Genevieve Valentine, LeVar Burton

Blurb

A girl scrutinizes the line between humans and robots when her grandmother is replaced with a replica.

95. Twinmaker (Twinmaker #1)
by Sean Williams

Blurb

High-stakes action combines with issues of friendship and body image in this timely and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection of technology and identity.

You can be Improved....

In a near-future world in which technology can transport you anywhere instantly, can a coded note enable you to change your body—to become taller, stronger, more beautiful? Clair is pretty sure the offer is too good to be true. But her best friend, Libby, is determined to give it a try, longing for a new, improved version of herself.

What starts as Libby’s dream turns into Clair’s nightmare when Libby falls foul of a deadly trap. With the help of Jesse, the school freak, and a mysterious—but powerful—stranger called Q, Clair’s attempt to protect Libby leads her to an unimagined world of conspiracies and cover-ups. Soon her own life is at risk, and Clair is chased across the world in a desperate race against time.

Action and danger fuel Sean Williams’ tale of technology, identity, and the lengths to which one girl will go to save her best friend.

My thoughts

The story in this collection that I read was Face Value .

96.Her Royal Spyness
(Royal Spyness #1)
by Rhys Bowen

Blurb

Georgie, aka Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin of King George V of England, is penniless and trying to survive on her own as an ordinary person in London in 1932.

So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg... She's gate-crashed a wedding... She's making money by secretly cleaning houses... And she's been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub... and someone is definitely trying to kill her.

My thoughts

A guilty pleasure

97. A Royal Pain (Royal Spyness #2)
by Rhys Bowen

Blurb

It's 1930s London, and Lady Georgiana -- thirty-fourth in line to the throne -- has a lot on her plate, but little in her cupboards, in this national bestseller...

Baked beans and boiled eggs. That's what my houseguest, the Bavarian princess, will have to eat if I don't get help posthaste. The Queen of England has requested I entertain said princess, placing her in the playboy prince's path, in hopes he might finally marry.

But queens never consider money, of which I have little. And which is why I moonlight as a maid-in-disguise. My plans:
1) Clean house in manner of palace.
2) Blackmail brother, Binky, into sending a few quid.
3) Unteach Princess Hanni English from gangster movies -- lest she address the queen as "old broad."
4) Keep eye on princess at parties, where she drinks like a fish.

Then there's the matter of the body in the bookshop and Hanni's unwitting involvement with the communist party. It's enough to drive a girl mad...

98. Royal Flush (Royal Spyness #3)
by Rhys Bowen

Blurb

A Royal Spyness mystery starring Lady Georgiana, thirty-fourth in line for the throne - and the mystery world's favorite penniless heiress.

With its posh clientele in the country for the summer, Georgie's housecleaning business has fizzled. So she tries hiring herself out as a dinner-and-theatre companion. But her first client has quite the wrong idea. To avoid further scandal, Georgie's shipped home to Castle Rannoch, where her summer plans include honoring a promise to Her Majesty to keep Castle Rannoch's divorcée houseguest from seducing the Prince of Wales. She's also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard with a top-secret mission - namely keeping an eye on the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince. And Georgie must manage all this without strangling her odious sister-in-law Fig or spineless brother Binky

99.Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot #17)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything - until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: 'I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.' Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems...

My thoughts

A thoroughly guilty pleasure

100. At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple #11)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

An old-fashioned London Hotel is not quite as reputable as it makes out! When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she's looking for at Bertram's Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Yet, not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day!

My thoughts

Another guilty pleasure and my 100th book!

101. Murder on the Orient Express
(Hercule Poirot #10)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.

Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again.

My thoughts

Love this story. Also adore the full cast BBC radio production

102. The A.B.C. Murders (Hercule Poirot #13)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

When Alice Asher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it's one down, twenty-five to go.

There's a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim's body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill; then who will Victim C be?

103.Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot #24)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

Set at the Jolly Roger, a posh vacation resort for the rich and famous on the southern coast of England, Evil Under the Sun is one of Agatha Christie’s most intriguing mysteries. When a gorgeous young bride is brutally strangled to death on the beach, only Hercule Poirot can sift through the secrets that shroud each of the guests and unravel the macabre mystery at this playground by the sea.

104. Cards on the Table
(Hercule Poirot #15)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

It was the match-up of the century: four sleuths--Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard; Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, famed writer of detective stories; Col. Race of His Majesty's Secret Service; and the incomparable Hercule Poirot - invited to play bridge with four specially invited guests, each of whom had gotten away with murder! But before the first rubber was completed, the host was dead.

105. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4)

Blurb

In the village of King's Abbot, a widow's sudden suicide sparks rumors that she murdered her first husband, was being blackmailed, and was carrying on a secret affair with the wealthy Roger Ackroyd. The following evening, Ackroyd is murdered in his locked study--but not before receiving a letter identifying the widow's blackmailer. King's Abbot is crawling with suspects, including a nervous butler, Ackroyd's wayward stepson, and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Cecil Ackroyd, who has taken up residence in the victim's home. It's now up to the famous detective Hercule Poirot, who has retired to King's Abbot to garden, to solve the case of who killed Roger Ackroyd--a task in which he is aided by the village doctor and narrator, James Sheppard, and by Sheppard's ingenious sister, Caroline.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is the book that made Agatha Christie a household name and launched her career as a perennial bestseller. Originally published in 1926, it is a landmark in the mystery genre. It was in the vanguard of a new class of popular detective fiction that ushered in the modern era of mystery novels.

106. 4:50 from Paddington (Miss Marple #8)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

Elspeth McGillicuddy is not given to hallucinations. Until she witnesses a murder at Paddington Station. But did she? No victim, no suspect, no other witnesses. In fact no one believes it really happened at all. Except her friend Miss Jane Marple, and she's returning to the scene of the crime to discover just exactly what Mrs. McGillicuddy saw.

Also published as: What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw

107. Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot #20)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

In Hercule Poirot's Christmas, the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder — and the notoriously fastidious investigator is quickly on the case. The wealthy Simeon Lee has demanded that all four of his sons — one faithful, one prodigal, one impecunious, one sensitive — and their wives return home for Christmas. But a heartwarming family holiday is not exactly what he has in mind. He bedevils each of his sons with barbed insults and finally announces that he is cutting off their allowances and changing his will. Poirot is called in the aftermath of Simeon Lee's announcement.

108. Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

109.Woodsong by Gary Paulsen

Blurb

A LIFE AS EXCITING AS FICTION

Gary Paulsen, three-time Newbery Honor author, is no stranger to adventure. He has flown off the back of a dogsled and down a frozen waterfall to near disaster, and waited for a giant bear to seal his fate with one slap of a claw. He has led a team of sled dogs toward the Alaskan Mountain Range in an Iditarod -- the grueling, 1,180-mile dogsled race -- hallucinating from lack of sleep, but he determined to finish.

Here, in vivid detail, Paulsen recounts several of the remarkable experiences that shaped his life and inspired his award-winning writing.

A School Library Journal Best Book

A Booklist Editors' Choice

110.The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack

Blurb

Illus. in black-and-white. With an extraordinary gift for suspense, McKissack brings us ten original spine-tingling tales inspired by African-American history and the mystery of that eerie half-hour before nightfall--the dark thirty.

111. My Daniel by Pam Conrad

Blurb

All I want to find is one dinosaur," Daniel was saying. "And I'll find it right here. Like I do all my fossils." Wandering through the Natural History Museum with her grandchildren, Julia Creath feels the presence of her dead brother, Daniel, she remembers a time when fossil fever hit everyone, old and young -- a time when people would kill for those old bones under the ground. Julia becomes the Nebraska farm girl she once was, as she weaves together the story of the great dinosaur rush -- an adventurous tale of love and treachery, but most of all the story of her own childhood, and of the older brother she loved more than anything. Daniel had a dream that julia shared -- and the she alone would see come true.

112. Nothing But the Truth by Avi

Blurb

Orchard Classics is a collectible hardcover line of award-winning titles from the Orchard backlist with fresh, beautiful new designs and new author prefaces and discussion guides.

Ninth grader Philip Malloy is forbidden to join the track team because of his failing grades in English class. Convinced that the teacher just doesn't like him, Philip concocts a plan to get transferred into a different homeroom. Instead of standing silently during the national anthem, he hums along. And ends up on trial.

113. They Do It with Mirrors (Miss Marple #6)
by Agatha Christie

Blurb

A man is shot at in a juvenile reform home – but someone else dies…

Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr Gilbrandsen, is less fortunate – shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building.

Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and vows to discover the real reason for Mr Gilbrandsen’s visit.

>105 RuneFirestar:, >106 RuneFirestar:
...cousin of King George VI of England...

Are these set in an alternate universe where the Act of Union never took place?

@pilgrim I am not sure I know what your speaking of?

@pilgrim Georgia is the cousin of King George the V of England.

Not the 6th...and as far as I can tell its fairly true to the real history of the time period. These reads are yet another guilty pleasure of mine

>125 RuneFirestar: Er, George V of Great Britain perhaps?

>124 RuneFirestar:, >125 RuneFirestar:, >126 hfglen: Exactly, Hugh.

In this reality there has not been a King of England since 1707, when the Kingdom of England ceased to exist.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and won't be surprised if I get it chopped off. Here is a very brief history of what the kings and queens of the small rainy islands off the north-west coast of Europe were king and queen of (not necessarily what they called themselves, which is a good deal more complicated).

Properly speaking there hasn't been a king of England as such since William III died (his successor to the throne was Queen Anne). The last king of England only was Philip (husband of Queen Mary), all the subsequent monarchs being Queens of England or monarchs of both England and Scotland. (Recognising Philip as King of England may be enough to get me into trouble, but there was an Act of Parliament in 1554 to say he was, so there.) James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, with the Union of the Crowns—that is, James was King of both countries at the same time. He was James VI in Scotland and and James I in England. The two kingdoms were united as one in 1707, after which all the monarchs have been king or queen of Great Britain or the United Kingdom (of either Great Britain and Ireland or Great Britain and Northern Ireland, depending on the date). Great Britain = England + Wales + Scotland. (Wales is a principality, not a kingdom, and counts as part of the former kingdom of England, to the disgust of many Welsh.)

Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is of course at present also Queen of Australia, Queen of Canada and Queen of New Zealand, by act of Parliament in each of those countries.

Just in case anybody ever asks you, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not parts of the United Kingdom nor of Great Britain.

>128 haydninvienna: Nicely summarised.

It is perfectly possible for a single person to hold more than one title simultaneously. Thus William, Duke of Normandy was also King William I of England. Similarly, George, Elector of Hanover, also became King George I of Great Britain; his heirs were both Electors of Hanover and Kings of the United Kingdom, until the direct male line failed, and Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom, whilst prevented by Salic Law from also succeeding to the Electorship of Hanover.

This is why you could get a Scottish king doing homage to an English one, for the lands he held in England, without impairing his status as an independent monarch, as King of Scots.

I am not a brit . I loved learning about the courts of the world in history and how they worked but I wouldn't say I understood or know how things are.

In the stories mentioned Georgia is a cousin of George the 5th. It also says that the Queen was intended to Marry his brother the then duke of Clarence.

I am aware we have not had a King for some time. But perhaps he's given the title by the author for the same of it? I mean he is married to The Queen.

Either way I adore the books :)

George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.

>129 -pilgrim-: Thank you. (Phew, neck is still there.)

>130 RuneFirestar: I’m only half a Brit myself, but I find the rules of the complicated dynastic games that the British play to be a bit like the rules of cricket: complicated and deliberately confusing to outsiders. But some people take them very seriously. There are apparently people who believe that if the true Stuart line of succession had not been broken by the Glorious Revolution of 1689, one of the members (I forget which) of the princely house of Liechtenstein would be king or queen today?

Who gets to be king or queen isn’t just a matter of birth. There is a principle of succession, but whether the next in line of succession actually gets to be king or queen is a matter for Parliament. As I said above, Philip got to be king not only because he married Mary but because Parliament said so. Of the 4 subsequent Queens in their own right, Elizabeth I never married, Anne and Victoria were married but neither husband became king, and of course the present Queen’s husband is not king either.

I have a vague recollection that some loony in Australia actually suggested that Charles should be made King of Australia by act of the Australian Parliament. But maybe that’s just an overactive imagination.

Having said all of that: I have read a couple of the books and I like them too.

>131 haydninvienna: You appear to have forgotten Mary II, who was also a reigning monarch, jointly with her husband William.

In eligibility for the throne, there is also the religious requirement, due to the British monarch also being Head of the Church of England.

>130 RuneFirestar:
But perhaps he's given the title by the author for the same of it? I mean he is married to The Queen.

I don't understand what you are getting at here.

In these books, is the Queen a Queen Regnant? If that is the case, how did her husband become a king?

As @haydninvienna said, there has not been a King of England since William III died in 1702. There has not been a Queen if England since 1707, when the Kingdom of England ceased to exist.

What was the author's purpose in giving their monarch, who in name and dates appears to ressemble King George V of the United Kingdom, a non-existent title instead? Was she indicating significant divergences in the history of her version of England, such that the Union never took place? Given that her monarch's queen was due to marry the Duke of Clarence (which presumably indicates that this queen is a Queen Consort, unless in this world Clarence is not a royal dukedom)-just as Mary of Teck was, in other ways her world appears to closely parallel historical reality. What are the differences that resulted in the divergence?

>132 -pilgrim-: See, only a brief reprieve for the neck ...

Actually, I hadn't forgotten Mary—that was the point of the words "in their own right". Mary became queen, notwithstanding her own decent dynastic claim, because her husband William, Prince of Orange, became king. Given a different set of circumstances Mary could have become queen in her own right, but in what must have been a pretty heated atmosphere in 1688, a royal claimant who commanded an army (and was a Protestant) was needed and that was William. Mary did indeed become queen, and seems to have been a good one during William's frequent absences at war.

Anyone who is interested in the "secret history" might find Imprimatur interesting. There is an argument that William's invasion of England was actually financed by the Italian Odescalchi banking family, of which the current Pope Innocent XI was a member, as the only way of recovering William's very large debts to them from frequent wars with France.

I'm kind of fond of Mary. She was a patron of the composer Henry Purcell, and Purcell wrote something for her (I've forgotten what—I got this story off a CD sleeve). He asked what she thought of it. She said something to the effect of, "well, I like it well enough, but I like "Cold and Raw" better". "Cold and Raw" is a bawdy country song that you can probably find on YouTube if you're curious—you want the song about the maid who sold her barley, not the June Tabor song which is different. Purcell rose to the bait and wrote a church ode based on the tune of "Cold and Raw".

Mary is a fine demonstration of how fragile life could be in the late 17th century. She was a queen, still young and apparently beautiful, popular among the people, but she died of smallpox in 1694 at the age of 32. Purcell wrote a very moving funeral music for her funeral in 1695, which was performed again at Purcell's own funeral later the same year. He was only 36.

Rune must by now be regretting having unwittingly started this. Come back Rune, I hope all is forgiven.

I love historical fictions . I don't look overly hard at how accurate they were and read them for the characters and such.

And that's all I will say. Though now I kinda regret included them :(

Anyway, on wards and bookwards!

114. The Jewel (The Lone City #1)
by Amy Ewing

Blurb

Today is my last day as Violet Lasting. Tomorrow I become Lot 197."

The Jewel is a shocking and compelling new YA series from debut author, Amy Ewing.

Sold for six million diamantes, Violet is now Surrogate of the House of the Lake in the centre of the Lone City, the Jewel. Her sole purpose is to produce a healthy heir for the Duchess – a woman Violet fears and despises.

Violet is trapped in a living death, her name and body no longer her own. She fights to hold on to her own identity and sanity, uncertain of the fate of her friends, isolated and at the mercy of the Duchess.

The Handmaid's Tale meets The Other Boleyn Girl in a world where beauty and brutality collide.

My thoughts

The Jewel is another read that I never would have considered for myself. It was a read for my course and though it was rather fast I can say I didn't find it particularly enjoyable.

Saying that it is Atwood's Handmaids take meets The other Boleyn Girl is not unfair in the least. The world of the Jewel is Brutal in its beauty.

The upper classes don't appear to be modled on any particular court in the world but a mis mash of different ones.

The ideas the author used don't seem to come from just one place but in the work you can find bits of many different cultures.

The magic seems almost like an after thought.

Safe to say not ever gonna be a writer I will read regularly or recommend.

115. The White Rose (The Lone City #2)
by Amy Ewing

Blurb

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.

But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.

But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

My thoughts

I picked it up only because I thought if I read more I might start to like the story. Still a nope from me

>134 RuneFirestar: No disparagement of your reading choices was intended; my questions were just about what the author's intent was in deviating from history - I initially assumed that they indicated that her books were set in a parallel reality and was asking about its parameters.

>133 haydninvienna:

Yes, I agree that the later Stuart women are unfairly dismissed. And also that the legality of many events surrounding the"Glorious Revolution" seem to have been established only by legislation after the fact. Imprimatur was already on my Wishlist; your comments have accelerated its ascent to the top. Thank you.

116. My Name is Victoria by Lucy Worsley

Blurb

You are my sister now,' Victoria said, quietly and solemnly. 'Never forget it. I love you like a sister, and you are my only friend in all the world.' Miss V. Conroy is good at keeping secrets. She likes to sit as quiet as a mouse, neat and discreet. But when her father sends her to Kensington Palace to become the companion to Princess Victoria, Miss V soon finds that she can no longer remain in the shadows. Miss V's father has devised a strict set of rules for the young princess, which he calls the Kensington System. It governs her behaviour and keeps her locked away from the world. He says it is for the princess's safety, but Victoria herself is convinced that it is to keep her lonely, and unhappy. Torn between loyalty to her father and her growing friendship with the wilful and passionate Victoria, Miss V has a decision to make: to continue in silence, or to speak out. By turns thrilling, dramatic and touching, this is the story of Queen Victoria's childhood as you've never heard it before.

My thoughts

I have loved getting to know a young Victoria.

117. Clockwork City (Delphic Division #2)
by Paul Crilley

Blurb

Cop. Drunkard. Low-grade magic user.

My name is Gideon Tau, but most people just call me London. (Because that's where I'm from. Get it? Hilarious.)

Three years ago, someone killed my daughter. I sacrificed everything (the human race included) to learn his name - and then had to allow that knowledge to be erased from my mind in order to save the world I'd doomed. Fantastic.

Now I have to start over from scratch, and who do I have to help me find my daughter's killer? The reanimated corpse of my boss, a low-rent P.I. who's heavily into conspiracy theories, and my alcoholic, foul-mouthed demonic sidekick dog.

Our journey will take us from Durban, South Africa to London, England, where we'll have to contend with Fae gangs fighting for territory, the murder-suicide of two Delphic agents and the seven deadly sins.

Oh, and did I mention planning a heist to break into the most secure bank in Faerie? Because that's on the agenda too. And if we fail? An ancient horned god will destroy London. (The city, not me. Although, to be fair, I don't think I'll survive either)

My thoughts

What a ride! Can't wait to see what happens next!

>139 RuneFirestar: Are more books planned in this series?

@pilgrim so far there's only the two and I have thoroughly enjoyed them. I hope there are more!

118. City of Lifestone (Realm Quest #1)
by Tom Huddleston

Blurb

Epic heroes, mighty armies and terrifying monsters clash against the backdrop of magical landscapes.

Raised as a slave in the Darkoath camps of Aqshy, Kiri dreams of a better life. Of a city of wonders, the place of her birth… Lifestone! She despairs of ever reaching it until a fateful day arrives when her barbarian captors are attacked by Sigmar's noblest warriors, the Stormcast Eternals. Seizing her chance, Kiri flees through a mysterious realmgate that takes her far from the fiery lands of Aqshy. She arrives in the realm of Ghyran and finds the city of Lifestone. But a curse lies on this place, withering its noble spirit. Her path leads her to a special group of children who, like her, are realm-marked – the prophecised saviours of Lifestone. There's Thanis, the fighter; Alish, the inventor; Kaspar; the sneak and Elio, the healer. But dark forces are allying against the children and will do anything to stop them achieving their destiny.

>141 RuneFirestar: I had feared that the ending of Clockwork City rather precluded that. However I note from his webpage that the Delphic Division books are in development as a television series, so there is some hope.

119. The Wizards of Once (The Wizards of Once #1)
by Cressida Cowell

Blurb

This is the story of a young boy Wizard and a young girl Warrior who have been taught to hate each other like poison; and the thrilling tale of what happens when their two worlds collide.

Perfect for boys and girls who love fantasy adventure ...

Once there was Magic, and the Magic lived in the dark forests.

Wizard boy, Xar, should have come in to his magic by now, but he hasn't, so he wants to find a witch and steal its magic for himself. But if he's got any chance of finding one, he will have to travel into the forbidden Badwoods.

Xar doesn't realise he is about to capture an entirely different kind of enemy. A Warrior girl called Wish.

And inside this book, at this very moment, two worlds collide and the fate of the land is changed forever.

Xar and Wish must visit the dungeons at Warrior fort, and face the evil Queen.

But something that has been sleeping for hundreds of years is stirring ...

My thoughts

Loved this story completely. Can't believe why it's taken me soon long to dive into it.

120. The Curse of the House of Foskett
(The Gower Street Detective #2)
by M.R.C. Kasasian

Blurb

125 Gower Street, 1882: Sidney Grice once had a reputation as London's most perspicacious personal detective. But since his last case led an innocent man to the gallows, business has been light. Listless and depressed, Grice has taken to lying in the bath for hours, emerging in the evenings for a little dry toast and a lot of tea. Usually a voracious reader, he will pick up neither book nor newspaper. He has not even gathered the strength to re-insert his glass eye. His ward, March Middleton, has been left to dine alone. Then an eccentric member of a Final Death Society has the temerity to die on his study floor. Finally Sidney and March have an investigation to mount - an investigation that will draw them to an eerie house in Kew, and the mysterious Baroness Foskett...

My thoughts

This was bought in a three for two sale on Audible. I hadn't realized at the time it was the second in the series.

That being said I do like March very much however There's a lot to be said for Mr. Sidney Grice. He is very much like Holmes but he is harsh and cruel with his statements and seems to enjoy upsetting people. He is particularly cutting when it comes to March.

I did enjoy the mystery but loath grice so much that I won't be continuing with the rest of the series.

121. The Cat Who Tailed a Thief (Cat Who #19)
by Lilian Jackson Braun

Blurb

In this latest installment, prizewinning reporter Jim Qwilleran—along with his lovable Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum—solve a mystery that arises when a local banker dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving behind a flashy young widow, an unfinished house-restoration project, and a trail of clues as elusive as a cat burglar in the night . . .

My thoughts

yet another guilty pleasure

122. The Cat Who Came to Breakfast
(Cat Who #16) by Lilian Jackson Braun

Blurb

Qwilleran and the cats are visiting an island known by many names. Qwill has always called it Breakfast Island, but to the taciturn natives, it's Providence Island. To the rich summer residents it's Grand Island--and to the developers and tourists who are turning this once-peaceful place upside down, it's Pear Island. But when some odd "accidents" occur, including a fatal boat explosion, Qwill suspects sabotage and sets out to investigate--because murder by any other name is just as deadly..

Somehow my Goodreads is up too 123 making my next post 124. I suspect it was my son messing with my pad when his stopped working.

124. Minimum Wage Magic
(DFZ #1) by Rachel Aaron

Blurb

The DFZ, the metropolis formerly known as Detroit, is the world’s most magical city with a population of nine million and zero public safety laws. That’s a lot of mages, cybernetically enhanced chrome heads, and mythical beasties who die, get into debt, and otherwise fail to pay their rent. When they can’t pay their bills, their stuff gets sold to the highest bidder to cover the tab.

That’s when they call me. My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner: a freelance mage with an art history degree who’s employed by the DFZ to sort through the mountains of magical junk people leave behind. It’s not a pretty job, or a safe one—there’s a reason I wear bite-proof gloves—but when you’re deep in debt in a lawless city where gods are real, dragons are traffic hazards, and buildings move around on their own, you don’t get to be picky about where your money comes from. You just have to make it work, even when the only thing of value in your latest repossessed apartment is the dead body of the mage who used to live there.

125. Part-Time Gods (DFZ #2)
by Rachel Aaron

Blurb

Life in the magical mess of the Detroit Free Zone is never easy. When you’re laboring under the curse of a certain prideful, overbearing dragon, it can be down right impossible.

My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner. At least, I used to be. Thanks to the supernatural bad luck that turns everything I do against me, these days I’m more of a walking disaster. Getting rid of this curse is the only way to get my life back. Unfortunately, dragon magic is every bit as sneaky and deadly the monsters behind it, and just as hard to beat.

But I’ve never been one to take her doom at face value. Cornered doesn’t mean defeated, and in an awakened city that rules herself, dragons are no longer the biggest powers around.

My thoughts

What a ride!

126. The Fuller Memorandum (Laundry Files #3)
by Charles Stross

Blurb

Bob Howard is an IT specialist and field agent for the Laundry, the branch of Her Majesty’s secret service that deals with occult threats.

Overworked and underpaid, Bob is used to his two jobs overflowing from a strict nine to five and, since his wife Mo has a very similar job description, he understands that work will sometimes follow her home, too. But when ‘work’ involves zombie assassins and minions of a mad god's cult, he realises things are spinning out of control.

When a top-secret dossier goes missing and his boss Angleton is implicated, Bob must contend with suspiciously helpful Russian intelligence operatives and an unscrupulous apocalyptic cult before confronting the decades-old secret that lies at the heart of the Laundry: what is so important about the missing Fuller Memorandum? And why are all the people who know dying...?

My thoughts

I didn't think I would enjoy these but I do.

127. Mournequest (Secret of the Silver Orb)
by Garry Mcelherron

Blurb

The year is 1847. Jack Turner’s 11th Birthday.
It is the awful day that his father is lost at sea.
And despite great grandma Tess’ belief
in the power of dandelion wishes, Jack knows
no amount of magic will ever bring him back.
But he tries anyway.

Nothing happens…

In an act of rage Jack sets in motion a series
of events that transport him to

THE KINGDOM OF MOURNE,

a realm half-real, half-imagined and filled with
all manner of fantastical creatures.

Jack encounters Cobs, a 437-year-old Clurichaun
(don’t call him a Leprechaun) who lives alone in
a creaky old mansion perched on top of a tree
that grows within a tree.

Cobs is the one who captures dandelion clocks
so wishes can come true. He tells Jack that
someone has been stealing clocks for the last
century, so no wishes can come true.
Jack convinces Cobs to help him and together
they set out on a quest to fulfil Jack’s greatest wish…

…to bring his father back.

128. Betrayal in Death (In Death #12)
by J.D. Robb

Blurb

At the luxurious Roarke Palace Hotel, a maid walks into suite 4602 for the nightly turndown - and steps into her worst nightmare. A killer leaves her dead, strangled by a thin silver wire. He's Sly Yost, a virtuoso of music and murder. A hit man for the elite. Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows him well. But in this twisted case, knowing the killer doesn't help solve the crime. Because there's someone else involved. Someone with a more personal motive. And Eve must face a terrifying possibility - that the real target may, in fact, be her husband Roarke...

129. Kingdom of the Wicked
(Skulduggery Pleasant #7)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

The seventh installment in the biggest, funniest, most thrilling comedy-horror-adventure series in the universe - and the follow-up to 2011’s number-one bestseller, Death Bringer…

Magic is a disease.

Across the land, normal people are suddenly developing wild and unstable powers. Infected by a rare strain of magic, they are unwittingly endangering their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Terrified and confused, their only hope lies with the Sanctuary. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are needed now more than ever.

And then there's the small matter of Kitana. A normal teenage girl who, along with her normal teenage friends, becomes infected. Becomes powerful. Becomes corrupted. Wielding the magic of gods, they're set to tear the city apart unless someone stands up against them.

Looks like it's going to be another one of those days…

129. Last Stand of Dead Men
(Skulduggery Pleasant #8)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

The eighth instalment in the biggest, funniest, most thrilling comedy-horror-adventure series in the universe - and the follow-up to 2012’s number-one bestseller, Kingdom of the Wicked…

War has finally come.

But it's not a war between good and evil, or light and dark – it's a war between Sanctuaries. For too long, the Irish Sanctuary has teetered on the brink of world-ending disaster, and the other Sanctuaries around the world have had enough. Allies turn to enemies, friends turn to foes, and Skulduggery and Valkyrie must team up with the rest of the Dead Men if they're going to have any chance at all of maintaining the balance of power and getting to the root of a vast conspiracy that has been years in the making.

But while this war is only beginning, another war rages within Valkyrie herself. Her own dark side, the insanely powerful being known as Darquesse, is on the verge of rising to the surface. And if Valkyrie slips, even for a moment, then Darquesse will burn the world and everyone in it

130. The Dying of the Light
(Skulduggery Pleasant #9)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

The FINAL shocking, heart-wrenching book in the jaw-droppingly stupendous Skulduggery Pleasant series

Valkyrie. Darquesse. Stephanie. The world ain’t big enough for the three of them. The end will come…

The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder.

And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals… and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.

The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive…

Once again Goodreads has added a book somehow. So we are on 132

132.Resurrection
(Skulduggery Pleasant #10)
by Derek Landy

The FINAL shocking, heart-wrenching book in the jaw-droppingly stupendous Skulduggery Pleasant series

Valkyrie. Darquesse. Stephanie. The world ain’t big enough for the three of them. The end will come…

The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder.

And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals… and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.

The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive…

133.The Legend of the Doozer Who Didn't
(Fraggle Rock Book Club)
by Louise Gikow, Barbara McClintock

Blurb

This "old legend" explains what happened to one Doozer who violated Doozer tradition by stopping working and going to school.

135.Midnight
(Skulduggery Pleasant #11)
by Derek Landy

Blurb

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back in their most gripping story yet, as book 11, Midnight, picks up where Resurrection left off – and runs.

For years, Valkyrie Cain has struggled to keep her loved ones safe from harm, plunging into battle – time and time again – by Skulduggery Pleasant’s side, and always emerging triumphant.

But now the very thing that Valkyrie fights for is in danger, as a ruthless killer snatches her little sister in order to lure Valkyrie into a final confrontation. With Skulduggery racing to catch up and young sorcerer Omen scrambling along behind, Valkyrie only has twelve hours to find Alice before it’s too late. The clock is ticking…

136.Tiger Baby
by JY Yang

Blurb

laVar Burton Reads episode

137.The House on Mango Street
by Sandra Cisneros

Blurb

Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero.

Told in a series of vignettes – sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous–it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.

Blurb

I read this in high school and as part of a novel project we had to use our chosen book to make an and book . It was a great way to learn about such a heartbreally amazingly joyous book

138. House on the Moon
by William Alexander, LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

Episode of Lavar Burton Reads

139. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

Blurb

In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has-a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince - and a dangerous new queen. In this masterful novel filled with humour, adventure, romance, and song, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine invites you to join Aza as she discovers how exquisite she truly is.

140. The Water Museum
by Nisi Shawl, LeVar Burton (Narrator)

Blurb

The owner of an unusual private museum picks up a hitchhiker sent to assassinate her. This story appears in Nisi Shawl's collection Filter House.

Read on episode 57 of the Levar Burton Reads Podcast

141. North Child (East #1)
by Edith Pattou

Blurb

This is a beguiling epic of magic, love, loss and betrayal based on the traditional fairytale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon". The lyrical writing and bold sweep of the story as Rose travels north will cast a spell over every reader. "A rich tapestry that will resonate with readers...The stuff of epic tale-telling, replete with high drama and compelling characterisations." - Booklist.

Rose was born into the world facing north, and as a north child, superstition says that she will be a wanderer, traveling far from home. This prophecy is fulfilled when she is taken on the back of a white bear to a mysterious empty castle, where a silent stranger appears to her night after night. When her curiosity overcomes her, she loses her heart, and must journey to a land east of the sun and west of the moon to reclaim it.

142. The Selection (The Selection #1)
by Kiera Cass

Blurb

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

23 days to read 8 books! Time to get my read on!

143. Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery
( Paul Temple BBC Serials #9)

Blurb

In a thrilling case that takes Paul and Steve to exotic Egypt, Paul Temple is called in to investigate a mysterious murder. The twisting trail takes them from London to the back streets and nightclubs of Cairo... From 1938 to 1969 crime novelist and detective Paul Temple and his Fleet Street journalist wife Steve solved case after case in one of BBC radio’s most popular serials. They inhabit a sophisticated, well-dressed world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women are chic and the men still wear cravats. And where Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard always needs Paul’s help with a tricky case. Now Paul Temple is being brought into the 21st century in this brand new 8 part recording of a lost archive Paul Temple mystery, starring Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson.

144. Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case: A BBC Radio Full-Cast Dramatization
( Paul Temple BBC Serials #15)
by Francis Durbridge, Various (Narrator)

Blurb

From 1938 to 1969 crime novelist and detective Paul Temple and his Fleet Street journalist wife Steve solved case after case in one of BBc radio's most popular serials. They inhabit a sophisticated, well-dressed world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women are chic and the men still wear cravats. And where Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard always needs Paul's help with a tricky case.

145. Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery
( Paul Temple BBC Serials #13 )
by Francis Durbridge, Peter Coke (Speaker), Marjorie Westbury (Speaker)

Blurb
Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury star in another suspenseful case for BBC radio’s smoothest sleuth and his glamorous wife.

From 1938 to 1969 crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist wife Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio’s most popular serials. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats – a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul’s help with his latest tricky case.

This time, the case involves the Fergusons, who Paul and Steve meet while on the way home from New York. They are flying to England to visit their son Richard, a student at Oxford University. But at the airport, there is shocking news: Richard has been murdered, found shot dead in his room. The only clues are a postcard from Harrogate signed ‘Jonathan’, and Richard’s missing gold signet ring.

But who is Jonathan, and what is his connection to the dead man? It is up to Paul to find the answer...

01/08 The Fergusons: After meeting some Americans on a plane, the suave sleuth faces a fresh murder.
02/08 That Good Old Intuition: Investigating the 'murder' of a student, the smooth sleuth starts wondering if the victim really is dead.
03/08 The Ring: The suave sleuth meets an author suspected of the murder, but what does she know about a vital clue?
04/08 The Encounter: The suave sleuth makes a vital discovery in the murder investigation.
05/08 Concerning Richard Ferguson: When another body is found, the sleuth's investigation takes a dramatic turn.
06/08 A Surprise For Mavis Russell: The suave private investigator gets one step closer to finding out the identity of the mysterious Jonathan.
07/08 An Invitation For Mr Elliott: Another murder brings the sleuth a step closer to solving the mystery.
08/08 Jonathan: Debonair private detective Paul Temple reveals the truth behind the Jonathan mystery.

5 books to go!

146. The Secret Key (Agatha Oddly #1)
by Lena Jones

Blurb

Meet thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddly – a bold, determined heroine, and the star of a stylish new detective series.

Agatha Oddlow has been a detective for as long as she can remember – she’s just been waiting for her first big case. And nothing gets bigger than saving the City of London from some strange goings-on.

With a scholarship to the prestigious St Regis School, a cottage in the middle of Hyde Park, a room full of beloved sleuthing novels, and a secret key that gives her access to a whole hidden side of London, Agatha is perfectly poised to solve the mystery of what’s going on. But just who can she trust when no one is quite who they seem…

My thoughts

I loved it!

147. The Mother-Daughter Book Club
(The Mother-Daughter Book Club #1)
by Heather Vogel Frederick

Blurb

The book club
is about to get

a makeover....

Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma's already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month.

But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March do?

Acclaimed author Heather Vogel Frederick will delight daughters of all ages in a novel about the fabulousness of fiction, family, and friendship.

My thoughts

I loved this read Soo much. I think it's one of my faves for this year. Heart warming, fun and beautifully crafted story of finding your way and friendships.

148.Miss Frost Solves a Cold Case (Jayne Frost #1)
by Kristen Painter (Goodreads Author)

Blurb

Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.

Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost’s daughter, Santa Claus’s niece, heir to the Winter Throne and now…private investigator. Sort of.

Needing someone he can trust, her father sends her undercover to Nocturne Falls to find out why employees at the Santa’s Workshop toy store are going missing.

Doing that requires getting to know the town, which leads to interesting encounters with a sexy vampire, an old flame, and an elevator that’s strictly off-limits. The more Jayne finds out, the more questions she has, but the answers lead her deeper into danger.

Will her magic save her? Or will she come up cold?

My thoughts

Love Jayne and the other characters who inhabit Nocturne Falls.

149. Undercover Princess (The Rosewood Chronicles #1) by Connie Glynn

Blurb

When fairy tale obsessed Lottie Pumpkin starts at the infamous Rosewood Hall, she is not expecting to share a room with the Crown Princess of Maradova, Ellie Wolf. Due to a series of lies and coincidences, 14-year-old Lottie finds herself pretending to be the princess so that Ellie can live a more normal teenage life.

Lottie is thrust into the real world of royalty - a world filled with secrets, intrigue and betrayal. She must do everything she can to help Ellie keep her secret, but with school, the looming Maradovian ball and the mysterious new boy Jamie, she'll soon discover that reality doesn't always have the happily ever after you'd expect...

A thrilling world of parties, politics and bad ass princesses, this is the first book in the brand new series THE ROSEWOOD CHRONICLES.

150. The Cat Who Went Bananas (Cat Who... #27)
by Lilian Jackson Braun

Blurb

The merry atmosphere in Pickax is dampened by the death of an out-of-town actor and the theft of a rare book. Qwill finds himself distracted from the events by his finicky pal Koko, who's been acting more fishy than feline. Has Koko gone bananas, or is he trying to let the cat out of the bag to solve the dual mysteries?

My thoughts

Time spent in Pickax is never dull. A vist with Qwill koko and Yumyum is always a pleasure.

I have reached the end goal for this year's reading challenge hope you all have enjoyed the ride :) Thank you for joining me.

Congratulations! Well done. The important thing is, did you enjoy the ride?

@MrsLee I most certainly did enjoy the ride. :)