Humouress adventures further in 2023 - thread 2
This is a continuation of the topic Humouress adventures on in 2023.
This topic was continued by Humouress adventures at home in 2023 - thread 3.
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2023
Join LibraryThing to post.
1humouress
first 13 are mine
>2 humouress: ticker & covers (this thread)
>3 humouress: books (this thread; 2nd quarter) June
>4 humouress: May
>5 humouress: April
>6 humouress: January - March
>7 humouress: constellation
>8 humouress: icons
>9 humouress: reading inspirations
>10 humouress: currently reading
>11 humouress: bookmarks
>12 humouress: reviews outstanding
>15 humouress: welcome in!
(I should warn you that I may get off to a slow start on LT for this quarter too, as I'm travelling again and we have a kitchen renovation about to start.)
75 Book Challenge 2022 thread 4.
75 Book Challenge 2023 thread 1.
A picture I took of Jasper last month. I can't remember if I've already posted it, but I can't resist this one.
It's part of a series of photos of him settled comfortably but when I started taking pictures he said 'Got something interesting there? Some food for me? No? Then I'm not interested, thank you' and he snuggled down again.
>2 humouress: ticker & covers (this thread)
>3 humouress: books (this thread; 2nd quarter) June
>4 humouress: May
>5 humouress: April
>6 humouress: January - March
>7 humouress: constellation
>8 humouress: icons
>9 humouress: reading inspirations
>10 humouress: currently reading
>11 humouress: bookmarks
>12 humouress: reviews outstanding
>15 humouress: welcome in!
(I should warn you that I may get off to a slow start on LT for this quarter too, as I'm travelling again and we have a kitchen renovation about to start.)
75 Book Challenge 2022 thread 4.
75 Book Challenge 2023 thread 1.
A picture I took of Jasper last month. I can't remember if I've already posted it, but I can't resist this one.
It's part of a series of photos of him settled comfortably but when I started taking pictures he said 'Got something interesting there? Some food for me? No? Then I'm not interested, thank you' and he snuggled down again.
3humouress
(if it's got a tick, I've posted my review to the book's page; stars are self-explanatory; clicking on the number will take you to the post where I've at least put down some ideas; last is the book title and, hopefully, year of publication. I hope you appreciate the alliteration)
review posted/ rated/ written/ read
✔ // (#) / Title
June
27) Mort by Terry Pratchett
26) Belgarath the Sorcerer by Leigh & David Eddings
✔25) Welcome to the Real World by Carole Matthews (2008)
✔24) Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (2018)
✔
✔
21) The Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato (2015)
✔20) The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato (2014)
4humouress
review posted/ rated/ written/ read
✔ /
May
✔19) The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford (2022)
✔
✔
5humouress
review posted/ rated/ written/ read
✔ /
April
✔
✔
6humouress
review posted/ rated/ written/ read
✔ /
March
10) Book Lovers by Emily Henry
11) Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
February
✔
✔
✔
✔
January
5) Seeress of Kell by David Eddings
4) The Glasswrights' Apprentice by Mindy Klasky (2000)
3) Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak
2) Unforgettable Fifth at Trebizon by Anne Digby (1994)
1) Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
7humouress
The constellation:
You have got to read this one! 
Really good; worth reading 
Good, but without that special 'something' for me 
Very nice, but a few issues 
An enjoyable book 
Um, okay. Has some redeeming qualities 
Writing is hard. I appreciate the work the author did 
(haven't met one - yet) 
Dire 
Rated only as a warning. Run away. Don't stop. 
Purple stars, from Robin's thread:
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Robin has made coloured stars for me (happy dance) and the codes are now enshrined in my profile.
Purple stars, from Robin's thread:
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Robin has made coloured stars for me (happy dance) and the codes are now enshrined in my profile.
8humouress
Reading at home : 
‘Waiting for the boys to finish classes’ book : 
Bedtime reading :Tashi series (yes, still), Robin Hood, Swallows & Amazons/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57280131/kindle_app_logo.0.jpg){kind=logo}
Kindle : 
Downtime : Skulduggery Pleasant
Sometimes I make notes on Litsy as I'm reading so I tuck them in after my reviews.
SF/F Book club Six of Crows (we haven't had a chance to meet & discuss for a while)
online story
Overdrive start line & bookmarks: 
The Tiger's Daughter
The Game of Kings
The Storyteller’s Death
Psalm for the Wild-built
Lost Tribe of the Sith
Ruler of Naught
(Things in Jars
Dune)
Holds
Foundryside
Get a Life Chloe Brown
The Librarian of Crooked Lane
The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II
Holds
The Golem and the Djinni
Hills
The Invisible Life of Adie LaRue
Practical Magic
Holds
Daughter of the Moon Goddess
You and Me on Vacation
Libraries:
9humouress
Reading inspirations
Ongoing series and/ or group reads:
The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
Chronicles of the Cheysuli - Jennifer Roberson
Chronicles of the Kencyrath - P. C. Hodgell (group read, started January 2018; thread 2)
Tashi - Anna Fienberg
The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold (2014-2017 group read - savouring it before I run out of these glorious books)
**Farseer (group read starting March 2018)
***The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (relaxed group read starting January 2019)
{Tor read https://www.tor.com/2018/02/20/reading-the-wheel-of-time-eye-of-the-world-part-1...
Belgariad Mallorean - group read 2022 with Stasia & Paul (amongst others)
Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan (group read starting January 2019)
Discworld: Death - Terry Pratchett (group read 2023 starting with Mort in February)
Ooh, what about...
Lunar Chronicles
Vatta/Honor Harrington
*Ready Player One
Earthseabook 1
*sigh* I didn't advance a great deal with these last year. Let's see what happens this year ... (um ... well ...)
Ongoing series and/ or group reads:
The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
Chronicles of the Cheysuli - Jennifer Roberson
Chronicles of the Kencyrath - P. C. Hodgell (group read, started January 2018; thread 2)
Tashi - Anna Fienberg
The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold (2014-2017 group read - savouring it before I run out of these glorious books)
**Farseer (group read starting March 2018)
***The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (relaxed group read starting January 2019)
{Tor read https://www.tor.com/2018/02/20/reading-the-wheel-of-time-eye-of-the-world-part-1...
Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan (group read starting January 2019)
Discworld: Death - Terry Pratchett (group read 2023 starting with Mort in February)
Ooh, what about...
Lunar Chronicles
Vatta/Honor Harrington
*Ready Player One
Earthsea
*sigh* I didn't advance a great deal with these last year. Let's see what happens this year ... (um ... well ...)
12humouress
Reviews for 2022:
May
September
November
December
Reviews outstanding for the year:
1st quarter
May
September
November
December
Reviews outstanding for the year:
1st quarter
17humouress
>15 humouress: Yes you are. Welcome over, on this fine Wednesday morning!
18figsfromthistle
Happy new one!
19humouress
>17 humouress: Thank you Anita!
20curioussquared
Happy new thread, Nina! :)
21humouress
>20 curioussquared: Thanks Natalie!
24FAMeulstee
Happy new thread, Nina!
26humouress
>22 foggidawn: Thanks foggi!
27humouress
>23 quondame: Thank you Susan!
28humouress
>24 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita!
29humouress
>25 drneutron: Thanks Jim! Ooh, you made me blush.
30jjmcgaffey
I'd love to see the full recipe for the creme caramel, if/when you find it.
32humouress
>30 jjmcgaffey: If and when, I will post it :0)
33humouress
>31 PaulCranswick: Ooh, thank you Paul - though we're a little further apart than usual at the moment.
We did fly over KL that weekend, going up to Penang, but even at that height I couldn't spot the KLCC. Of course, I don't know the geography of KL so it was a bit of a guessing game but there were lots of tall buildings.
We did fly over KL that weekend, going up to Penang, but even at that height I couldn't spot the KLCC. Of course, I don't know the geography of KL so it was a bit of a guessing game but there were lots of tall buildings.
34humouress
15) The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
{stand alone; fantasy, urban fantasy}(2020)
I'm reviewing this book now, months after having read it. This one stays with you, in a good way.
Adeline LaRue was born at the end of the 17th century to a peasant couple in rural France. Curious and clever, she was given a little more freedom than most girls of her station and so she was allowed to drive in to the nearby town with her father when he went to trade and she spent time with Estelle, an old, independent woman who might be considered a witch. And so in 1714 at the age of 23, long after girls in her position should have been married, when Addie is promised (just because she's the only female available) to a man she cannot imagine spending the rest of her life with - thereby committing to a circumscribed life - in desperation she makes a deal with the darkness (an old god who claims he is not God or the devil) trading her soul for a chance to belong to no one but herself and explore the world.
They say never ask for what you want because you might just get it.
And so Addie lives indefinitely but is remembered by no-one, once she leaves their sight.
I found this an intriguing concept and wrestled with the issues that being out of sight and literally out of mind brings. No one remembers Addie - not her parents or her friends; not any employers or landlords or boyfriends. Until Henry in 2014.
I liked the interesting twist to the end. I thought it was amusing the way Schwab denotes her protagonists (and Addie's lovers) 'girl' and 'boy' even though Addie (at 300+ years) is frozen at 23 years old and Henry is about 30 years old.
Sweeping; the narrative is set over more than 300 years and across the world. There is an impending sense of doom because the book starts in 1714 and follows Addie's long life but is interspersed with chapters from 2014 so you know there must be an ending soon. And you know that Addie must surrender her soul once she is tired of living ...
I like the way Addie never gives up fighting even though she loses almost everything. But the darkness is always waiting for her.
(April 2023)
4 stars
Litsy notes
Intriguing concept. Sweeping; set over more than 300 years.
In 1714 Addie, unwilling to marry (just because she's the only female available) and commit to a circumscribed life, makes a deal with the darkness (an old god who claims he is not God or the devil) trading her soul for a chance to belong to no one but herself and explore the world. And so lives indefinitely but is remembered by no-one, once she leaves their sight.
4 stars
Interesting twist to the end. There is an impending sense of doom because the book starts in 1714 and follows Addie's long life but is interspersed with chapters from 2014 so you know there must be an ending soon. And you know that Addie must surrender her soul once she is tired of living ...
I like the way Addie never gives up fighting even though she loses almost everything.
Amusing how Schwab denotes her protagonists (and Addie's lovers) 'girl' and 'boy' even though Addie (at 300+ years) is frozen at 23 years old and Henry is about 30 years old.
{stand alone; fantasy, urban fantasy}(2020)
I'm reviewing this book now, months after having read it. This one stays with you, in a good way.
Adeline LaRue was born at the end of the 17th century to a peasant couple in rural France. Curious and clever, she was given a little more freedom than most girls of her station and so she was allowed to drive in to the nearby town with her father when he went to trade and she spent time with Estelle, an old, independent woman who might be considered a witch. And so in 1714 at the age of 23, long after girls in her position should have been married, when Addie is promised (just because she's the only female available) to a man she cannot imagine spending the rest of her life with - thereby committing to a circumscribed life - in desperation she makes a deal with the darkness (an old god who claims he is not God or the devil) trading her soul for a chance to belong to no one but herself and explore the world.
They say never ask for what you want because you might just get it.
And so Addie lives indefinitely but is remembered by no-one, once she leaves their sight.
I found this an intriguing concept and wrestled with the issues that being out of sight and literally out of mind brings. No one remembers Addie - not her parents or her friends; not any employers or landlords or boyfriends. Until Henry in 2014.
I liked the interesting twist to the end. I thought it was amusing the way Schwab denotes her protagonists (and Addie's lovers) 'girl' and 'boy' even though Addie (at 300+ years) is frozen at 23 years old and Henry is about 30 years old.
Sweeping; the narrative is set over more than 300 years and across the world. There is an impending sense of doom because the book starts in 1714 and follows Addie's long life but is interspersed with chapters from 2014 so you know there must be an ending soon. And you know that Addie must surrender her soul once she is tired of living ...
I like the way Addie never gives up fighting even though she loses almost everything. But the darkness is always waiting for her.
(April 2023)
4 stars
Litsy notesIntriguing concept. Sweeping; set over more than 300 years.
In 1714 Addie, unwilling to marry (just because she's the only female available) and commit to a circumscribed life, makes a deal with the darkness (an old god who claims he is not God or the devil) trading her soul for a chance to belong to no one but herself and explore the world. And so lives indefinitely but is remembered by no-one, once she leaves their sight.
4 stars
Interesting twist to the end. There is an impending sense of doom because the book starts in 1714 and follows Addie's long life but is interspersed with chapters from 2014 so you know there must be an ending soon. And you know that Addie must surrender her soul once she is tired of living ...
I like the way Addie never gives up fighting even though she loses almost everything.
Amusing how Schwab denotes her protagonists (and Addie's lovers) 'girl' and 'boy' even though Addie (at 300+ years) is frozen at 23 years old and Henry is about 30 years old.
35richardderus
Well my post vanished and not for the first time. The mobile app is pretty blinky. Anyway I wish you a happy new 🧵.
37humouress
16) The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer
{First of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2016)
India Steele, the watchmaker's daughter with a talent for fixing timepieces, expected to inherit her father's business. Instead, her fiancé tricked her out of it and dumped her, leaving her with no money and no home and, as a woman, India has no recourse. And, though her father was a member of the watchmakers' guild, they refused to accept India as a member, since she's a woman, so she has no professional support.
Matt Glass - tall, dark, handsome and well muscled - is half English, half American and has come to London with his friends and his very American cousin to find a particular watchmaker who is the only one who can mend his special watch - but time is running out.
India can help him with her knowledge of the watchmakers of London and so he employs her. However things don’t go smoothly for them as they realise that the watchmakers' guild has something against India when their members are reluctant to talk to her. And, as they travel around London, someone seems to be following Matt.
India realises that Matt and his friends are keeping information from her; his watch has strange properties, though he tries to hide it, and the newspapers are full of articles about ‘the Dark Rider’, a dangerous outlaw from America who arrived in England at around the same time as Matt.
On top of all this, there is the unexpected addition to Matt’s household of his very English aunt, Miss Letitia Glass, who is also the sister of the Baron of Rycroft.
What has India got herself into?
The book is set in Victorian times though it cheerfully ignores the strict propriety of the era to focus on the story of Matt’s unusual watch and the unfairness of the guild’s treatment of India. There are some moments of ...er ... close contact between the protagonists, though mild enough that the story still qualifies as young adult.
Oddly, for an Australian author writing about Victorian London, there were some Americanisms scattered around in odd places (not necessarily from the American characters) such as when the upper class English Miss Glass mentioned that someone had ‘fixed a meal’ for her.
These were small issues. On the whole, this was lighthearted and fun and easy to read. I'm looking forward to following India's and Matt's further adventures.
(April 2023)
3.5 stars
{First of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2016)
India Steele, the watchmaker's daughter with a talent for fixing timepieces, expected to inherit her father's business. Instead, her fiancé tricked her out of it and dumped her, leaving her with no money and no home and, as a woman, India has no recourse. And, though her father was a member of the watchmakers' guild, they refused to accept India as a member, since she's a woman, so she has no professional support.
Matt Glass - tall, dark, handsome and well muscled - is half English, half American and has come to London with his friends and his very American cousin to find a particular watchmaker who is the only one who can mend his special watch - but time is running out.
India can help him with her knowledge of the watchmakers of London and so he employs her. However things don’t go smoothly for them as they realise that the watchmakers' guild has something against India when their members are reluctant to talk to her. And, as they travel around London, someone seems to be following Matt.
India realises that Matt and his friends are keeping information from her; his watch has strange properties, though he tries to hide it, and the newspapers are full of articles about ‘the Dark Rider’, a dangerous outlaw from America who arrived in England at around the same time as Matt.
On top of all this, there is the unexpected addition to Matt’s household of his very English aunt, Miss Letitia Glass, who is also the sister of the Baron of Rycroft.
What has India got herself into?
The book is set in Victorian times though it cheerfully ignores the strict propriety of the era to focus on the story of Matt’s unusual watch and the unfairness of the guild’s treatment of India. There are some moments of ...er ... close contact between the protagonists, though mild enough that the story still qualifies as young adult.
Oddly, for an Australian author writing about Victorian London, there were some Americanisms scattered around in odd places (not necessarily from the American characters) such as when the upper class English Miss Glass mentioned that someone had ‘fixed a meal’ for her.
These were small issues. On the whole, this was lighthearted and fun and easy to read. I'm looking forward to following India's and Matt's further adventures.
(April 2023)
3.5 stars
38richardderus
>36 humouress: ad sum Doctore.
39WhiteRaven.17
Happy new thread Nina.
40humouress
>39 WhiteRaven.17: Thank you Kro!
42humouress
>41 Berly: All good, thanks for keeping an eye on me Kim. I popped over to Sydney to spend time with my family plus we’re doing a kitchen renovation in Singapore so my time online was spent trying to work out the best appliances or having video meetings with the team.
Got back to Singapore on Monday night. Jasper obviously missed me;he came and sat pretty much on my foot with his back to me and … requested … a long massage. The old kitchen has already been demolished and everything downstairs and in the landing is wrapped in plastic against the dust. They’ve also taken out the flooring in the attic to replace the plywood underneath (you remember the termite issue?) and taken out the walkway around the house. The kitchen essentials have been moved into the room next to it and we’ll be camping for the next couple of months or so. Plus we’re keeping the upstairs rooms locked since there are so many workmen in all parts of the house.
Oh - and my husband worked out a way to give me a few more bookshelves. (I hope he doesn’t expect me to share with the kids, because they had bookshelves in the attic 🤗). So my study table is also under plastic and my books are mostly in storage (except for the pile on my bedside table).
Got back to Singapore on Monday night. Jasper obviously missed me;he came and sat pretty much on my foot with his back to me and … requested … a long massage. The old kitchen has already been demolished and everything downstairs and in the landing is wrapped in plastic against the dust. They’ve also taken out the flooring in the attic to replace the plywood underneath (you remember the termite issue?) and taken out the walkway around the house. The kitchen essentials have been moved into the room next to it and we’ll be camping for the next couple of months or so. Plus we’re keeping the upstairs rooms locked since there are so many workmen in all parts of the house.
Oh - and my husband worked out a way to give me a few more bookshelves. (I hope he doesn’t expect me to share with the kids, because they had bookshelves in the attic 🤗). So my study table is also under plastic and my books are mostly in storage (except for the pile on my bedside table).
43richardderus
>42 humouress: You actually came home while all that Jazz was going on?! I'd have thought you'd use any excuse to stay in Aus until the dust was vacuumed up! Noble, you are.
Enjoy the new kitchen when it happens!
Enjoy the new kitchen when it happens!
44humouress
>43 richardderus: I know, I know. All medals accepted.
I had to come back to pick my appliances. And my countertops … and finishes … and so on. Can’t trust my guys; I asked my kids for ideas for the kitchen and instead they’re remodelling my back porch. They’re plonking a great big island in it and turning it into a sports bar type man cave where I was imagining a veranda oasis where I could relax and sip cocktails with my friends.
I had to come back to pick my appliances. And my countertops … and finishes … and so on. Can’t trust my guys; I asked my kids for ideas for the kitchen and instead they’re remodelling my back porch. They’re plonking a great big island in it and turning it into a sports bar type man cave where I was imagining a veranda oasis where I could relax and sip cocktails with my friends.
45curioussquared
Ooh, new kitchen!! Exciting times :) And even better -- new bookshelves!!
46humouress
Finished another book, though I have a feeling I’m missing one or two. Mind you, I’ve been letting Overdrive books expire because I haven’t been getting to them so occasionally I’ll make an effort rather than having to renew them yet again; The High Mountain Court went and expired on me when I was halfway through so I’m waiting for that to come back around. Plus I’ve had to switch to Libby and learn to navigate the new app.
Renovations are progressing apace. The kitchen has disappeared, as I said, and we’re kind of camping out of the downstairs spare room with microwave, kettle, airfryer and two ring burner. Mainly, though, we buy. After covid, Grab food (the equivalent of Uber) is doing well - especially with my boys. Plus my skin doctor has suggested I try a carnivore diet. It’s not even a week in and I’m bored with the menu - and I think I’m cheating a bit because I still have coffee and tea (with milk and sugar) plus my tea-time dark chocolate digestive biscuit.
I’m going out to stone and tile places later to look for my countertops; I think I finally picked my cabinet colour last week. When we bought our house and renovated it I put in a lot of wood to give it a colonial feel (ie British colonial) - which @superboy gripes about because he prefers a modern aesthetic - so I can’t go super modern because it would clash. I’ve dithered about continuing the dark wood theme because the kitchen is long and relatively narrow (I can get a row of counters down both sides but no way to get an island in even if I took out one row) and I’m getting to the point where I’ve looked at it for so long that I’m starting to lose perspective but I think I’m going to go with the dark wood but put in a lot of reflective surfaces.
On the other hand, we now have an attic floor again (and it’s wood again), it’s been stained and once it’s dry we’ll get the walls painted and then we can move stuff back up there and breathe a bit. And then I should get my new library shelves.
Renovations are progressing apace. The kitchen has disappeared, as I said, and we’re kind of camping out of the downstairs spare room with microwave, kettle, airfryer and two ring burner. Mainly, though, we buy. After covid, Grab food (the equivalent of Uber) is doing well - especially with my boys. Plus my skin doctor has suggested I try a carnivore diet. It’s not even a week in and I’m bored with the menu - and I think I’m cheating a bit because I still have coffee and tea (with milk and sugar) plus my tea-time dark chocolate digestive biscuit.
I’m going out to stone and tile places later to look for my countertops; I think I finally picked my cabinet colour last week. When we bought our house and renovated it I put in a lot of wood to give it a colonial feel (ie British colonial) - which @superboy gripes about because he prefers a modern aesthetic - so I can’t go super modern because it would clash. I’ve dithered about continuing the dark wood theme because the kitchen is long and relatively narrow (I can get a row of counters down both sides but no way to get an island in even if I took out one row) and I’m getting to the point where I’ve looked at it for so long that I’m starting to lose perspective but I think I’m going to go with the dark wood but put in a lot of reflective surfaces.
On the other hand, we now have an attic floor again (and it’s wood again), it’s been stained and once it’s dry we’ll get the walls painted and then we can move stuff back up there and breathe a bit. And then I should get my new library shelves.
47humouress
17) Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennet
{first in Founders series; fantasy, magic as technology, steampunk} (2018)
Foundryside is the name of one of the districts of the city of Tevanne. In this world four families (read 'corporations') create scrived objects in their foundries (and conduct more questionable experiments on their plantations away from the city) while jostling for power and control of Tevanne. Within their compounds their scrivers use magic to alter the way that objects are programmed, convincing them that physical reality is something else.
Sancia is an escaped plantation slave, now a thief in the city of Tevanne. She has a special talent which allows her to hear the 'thoughts' of living beings and inanimate objects (whether she wants to or not) which is bestowed on her by a scrived plate in her head, but using this talent causes her pain. Her current job should net her enough money to be able to get rid of her scar and this inconvenient talent which forces her to live apart.
However, the object that she steals is a powerful ancient artefact, a key created by long-gone mages and coveted by more than one of the families and so she has to go into hiding. Then she discovers that the key, named Clef, is sentient and, thanks to her talent, she can converse with it. Gradually she starts to explore what Clef's powers can do.
Meanwhile Gregor, scion of a privileged family but an idealist, wants to bring justice to the city. In the course of this theft Sancia caused a fire which destroyed a substantial part of the port district which he investigates. When he tracks her down he realises something bigger is going on than just a heist; someone is trying to exploit long lost magic of the ancients to change the balance of power in Tevanne.
I thought this was a good story but the writing could be a bit stronger especially at the beginning. There are lots of … pauses and - so on (dots and dashes) in the writing, which niggled a bit. Clef the key talks like Bruce Willis from an '80s film, which felt a bit dissonant, and there's a lot of cartoonish blood and gore, not to mention swearing, but it’s quite fun once it gets going. I did wonder when Sancia had the opportunity to learn to read, given her origins as a lowly slave.
The genre of this story falls somewhere between fantasy and steampunk. I felt it has some relevance to current debate about sentient AI. The narrative did seem to take a little while to get going but it became more interesting about a quarter way in. The magic (read 'technology') system was interesting and an unusual premise.
(May 2023)
3.5 stars
Litsy notes
Just starting on this (Ch 5). Sancia is a thief in Tevanne. She has a special talent which allows her to hear the 'thoughts' of living beings and inanimate objects. Her current job should net her enough money to be able to get rid of her scar and this inconvenient talent which forces her to live apart.
Gets more interesting about 1/4 in. Scrivers alter the reality of how things are programmed, 4 families make scribed things in foundries & control Tevanne. Sancia has stolen a powerful ancient object so has to hide. Gregor wants to bring justice to the city. When he tracks her down he realises something bigger is going on. Good story. Writing could be a bit stronger especially at the beginning. 3.5***
There are lots of … pauses and - so on in the writing which niggled a bit. Clef the key (🤨) talks like Bruce Willis from an ‘80s film and there’s a lot of cartoonish blood and gore not to mention swearing but it’s quite fun once it gets going. Wonder when Sancia had the opportunity to learn to read? Genre falls somewhere between fantasy and steampunk. Some relevance to current debate about sentient AI
{first in Founders series; fantasy, magic as technology, steampunk} (2018)
Foundryside is the name of one of the districts of the city of Tevanne. In this world four families (read 'corporations') create scrived objects in their foundries (and conduct more questionable experiments on their plantations away from the city) while jostling for power and control of Tevanne. Within their compounds their scrivers use magic to alter the way that objects are programmed, convincing them that physical reality is something else.
Sancia is an escaped plantation slave, now a thief in the city of Tevanne. She has a special talent which allows her to hear the 'thoughts' of living beings and inanimate objects (whether she wants to or not) which is bestowed on her by a scrived plate in her head, but using this talent causes her pain. Her current job should net her enough money to be able to get rid of her scar and this inconvenient talent which forces her to live apart.
However, the object that she steals is a powerful ancient artefact, a key created by long-gone mages and coveted by more than one of the families and so she has to go into hiding. Then she discovers that the key, named Clef, is sentient and, thanks to her talent, she can converse with it. Gradually she starts to explore what Clef's powers can do.
Meanwhile Gregor, scion of a privileged family but an idealist, wants to bring justice to the city. In the course of this theft Sancia caused a fire which destroyed a substantial part of the port district which he investigates. When he tracks her down he realises something bigger is going on than just a heist; someone is trying to exploit long lost magic of the ancients to change the balance of power in Tevanne.
I thought this was a good story but the writing could be a bit stronger especially at the beginning. There are lots of … pauses and - so on (dots and dashes) in the writing, which niggled a bit. Clef the key talks like Bruce Willis from an '80s film, which felt a bit dissonant, and there's a lot of cartoonish blood and gore, not to mention swearing, but it’s quite fun once it gets going. I did wonder when Sancia had the opportunity to learn to read, given her origins as a lowly slave.
The genre of this story falls somewhere between fantasy and steampunk. I felt it has some relevance to current debate about sentient AI. The narrative did seem to take a little while to get going but it became more interesting about a quarter way in. The magic (read 'technology') system was interesting and an unusual premise.
(May 2023)
3.5 stars
Litsy notesJust starting on this (Ch 5). Sancia is a thief in Tevanne. She has a special talent which allows her to hear the 'thoughts' of living beings and inanimate objects. Her current job should net her enough money to be able to get rid of her scar and this inconvenient talent which forces her to live apart.
Gets more interesting about 1/4 in. Scrivers alter the reality of how things are programmed, 4 families make scribed things in foundries & control Tevanne. Sancia has stolen a powerful ancient object so has to hide. Gregor wants to bring justice to the city. When he tracks her down he realises something bigger is going on. Good story. Writing could be a bit stronger especially at the beginning. 3.5***
There are lots of … pauses and - so on in the writing which niggled a bit. Clef the key (🤨) talks like Bruce Willis from an ‘80s film and there’s a lot of cartoonish blood and gore not to mention swearing but it’s quite fun once it gets going. Wonder when Sancia had the opportunity to learn to read? Genre falls somewhere between fantasy and steampunk. Some relevance to current debate about sentient AI
48quondame
>47 humouress: Foundryside was a decent read for me, but saved from being same-same mostly by the magic/tech aspects rather than the familiar girl thief in the city set up.
49humouress
>48 quondame: I'd agree; and the magic/ tech system was a large part of the story rather than just being incidental. Actually, the main part of the story.
50richardderus
>47 humouress: This one has been on my list since it's publication. I can't seem to work up the necessary enthusiasm for it, for some reason... your well-tempered enthusiasm lite isn't working it up to the top of the list, either. If it's on Kindle sale someday I might get it.
51humouress
>50 richardderus: It's worth giving it a go - as Susan said, the magic/ tech system is interesting. It did seem to take a little while to get going thought.
52humouress
I seem to have missed entering Get a Life Chloe Brown which I must have read sometime in April. ... yup, looks like it was number 15 so I'll have to shuffle my list a bit.
In summary: wading through that amount of casual swearing and sex just makes reading the book tiring and, while the character seems to be willing to get on with her life, the author harps on about her disability and makes her out to be a pity case. Not going to continue with the series.
Litsy notes & quotes
I‘ve seen this book around the LT threads so I picked it up. I hadn‘t realised it‘s set in Nottinghamshire; I had assumed it was set in the States, so that was a pleasant surprise. I like the lightheartedness and the appearance of the main character‘s sisters (who, I think, get their own books in the series). I really appreciate the dual viewpoints and seeing the two main characters from each other‘s perspectives which gives the story more depth.
So Red (his name is Redmond and he has red hair) is upset that Chloe‘s friends abandoned her but she says herself she pushed them away. I mean, if your friend constantly cancels on you at the last minute for over a year, the message she‘s sending is that she doesn‘t want to spend time with you.
I‘m afraid the last 1/3 dragged for me and I skimmed it; it‘s pretty much about how they can‘t keep their hands off each other. Too much casual swearing and more graphic than I‘m comfortable with TBH. Oddly, Red is more 3-D than Chloe. She has fibromyalgia and is in constant pain …and that seems to be about it. I didn‘t get why Red was besotted with her. 🤗 I know there‘s a lot of love for this one but it didn‘t work for me - sorry.
2.5**
In summary: wading through that amount of casual swearing and sex just makes reading the book tiring and, while the character seems to be willing to get on with her life, the author harps on about her disability and makes her out to be a pity case. Not going to continue with the series.
Litsy notes & quotesI‘ve seen this book around the LT threads so I picked it up. I hadn‘t realised it‘s set in Nottinghamshire; I had assumed it was set in the States, so that was a pleasant surprise. I like the lightheartedness and the appearance of the main character‘s sisters (who, I think, get their own books in the series). I really appreciate the dual viewpoints and seeing the two main characters from each other‘s perspectives which gives the story more depth.
He looked up with a start, and shit, she was right. He hadn't even noticed. She split time into something endless and wonderful, like crystal splitting light into rainbows. Or maybe he was so fucking hungry for her he was slowly losing his grip on reality. One of those.2/3rds the way through and dragging a bit. They've finally got together, though (that wasn't a spoiler, was it? 😉), but I'm guessing something else has got to happen before the end.
So Red (his name is Redmond and he has red hair) is upset that Chloe‘s friends abandoned her but she says herself she pushed them away. I mean, if your friend constantly cancels on you at the last minute for over a year, the message she‘s sending is that she doesn‘t want to spend time with you.
I‘m afraid the last 1/3 dragged for me and I skimmed it; it‘s pretty much about how they can‘t keep their hands off each other. Too much casual swearing and more graphic than I‘m comfortable with TBH. Oddly, Red is more 3-D than Chloe. She has fibromyalgia and is in constant pain …and that seems to be about it. I didn‘t get why Red was besotted with her. 🤗 I know there‘s a lot of love for this one but it didn‘t work for me - sorry.
2.5**
54richardderus
>53 humouress: Whatever notional benefit there was in this merger, it's hugely outweighed by the ill-will it's engendered among damn near everyone.
55curioussquared
>52 humouress: Sorry you didn't like that one more! I did like the second book in the series best.
>53 humouress: *whispers* I think I'm the only person who actually loves Libby and prefers it over the legacy Overdrive app...
>53 humouress: *whispers* I think I'm the only person who actually loves Libby and prefers it over the legacy Overdrive app...
56jjmcgaffey
I've never used the Overdrive app and reluctantly use Libby only for recommending books to my various libraries. I download from the various libraries' Overdrive site and deal with the books in Adobe Digital Editions and calibre.
57klobrien2
>55 curioussquared: *whispers* No, I really like Libby, too. There was a learning curve and I never figured out how to get books from Libby to my Nook, so I read on my tablet.
Karen O
Karen O
58dreamweaver529
>57 klobrien2: *whispers* Me too. I'm mostly an audio girl, and I find it easier to use than Audible's app. And as I have a Paperwhite, the integration with it is easy enough for what books & comics I read. Maybe I just didn't use Overdrive enough, but I'm a little baffled by the general dislike of Libby.
59MickyFine
>54 richardderus: It wasn't a merger. OverDrive designed Libby and launched it as an alternative to the original OverDrive app back in 2017.
>55 curioussquared: *whispers* I've been using it since it launched and really prefer it.
>55 curioussquared: *whispers* I've been using it since it launched and really prefer it.
60humouress
>55 curioussquared: >57 klobrien2: >58 dreamweaver529: >59 MickyFine: There’s a lot of susurration around here :0)
I love Overdrive. The menu for Libby is different and I’m having difficulty learning how to use it because I think I expect it to behave like the Overdrive one. I can’t always work out how to switch between my saved libraries and (>53 humouress:) a book I had borrowed and was reading on one device (I think it was in Libby but it’s possible it could have been on Overdrive) didn’t appear on another in Libby until I had verified my library card again, even though I had just done that last week when switching over. Ah well, I shall learn perforce.
>54 richardderus: >56 jjmcgaffey: I’m willing to give Libby a chance; but I don’t really have a choice.
I love Overdrive. The menu for Libby is different and I’m having difficulty learning how to use it because I think I expect it to behave like the Overdrive one. I can’t always work out how to switch between my saved libraries and (>53 humouress:) a book I had borrowed and was reading on one device (I think it was in Libby but it’s possible it could have been on Overdrive) didn’t appear on another in Libby until I had verified my library card again, even though I had just done that last week when switching over. Ah well, I shall learn perforce.
>54 richardderus: >56 jjmcgaffey: I’m willing to give Libby a chance; but I don’t really have a choice.
61humouress
18) The Mapmaker’s Apprentice by C.J. Archer
{Second of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2016)
India (the watchmaker's daughter) is now employed by Matt as they continue their search, along with the rest of his friends, for Chronos who created the watch to which Matt's life is linked. They discover a clue but will have to wait a week until they can follow that lead. In the meantime, a case is brought to them by the police commissioner involving the disappearance of a mapmaker's apprentice. India soon realises that the apprentice is a magician and the search for him may unearth clues to her own heritage.
Fun with a hint of romance. One thing i like about this series is that, though it is set a couple of years after Jack the Ripper’s crimes, it doesn’t try to pretend it was written in that period so I don’t get constantly thrown out of the story.
May 2023
3-3.5 stars
{Second of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2016)
India (the watchmaker's daughter) is now employed by Matt as they continue their search, along with the rest of his friends, for Chronos who created the watch to which Matt's life is linked. They discover a clue but will have to wait a week until they can follow that lead. In the meantime, a case is brought to them by the police commissioner involving the disappearance of a mapmaker's apprentice. India soon realises that the apprentice is a magician and the search for him may unearth clues to her own heritage.
Fun with a hint of romance. One thing i like about this series is that, though it is set a couple of years after Jack the Ripper’s crimes, it doesn’t try to pretend it was written in that period so I don’t get constantly thrown out of the story.
May 2023
3-3.5 stars
63richardderus
>62 humouress: *applause applause* it's quite an achievement to get a review up amid the chaos of your renovation and the recency of your trip to Aus.
64laytonwoman3rd
>60 humouress: Our library has "tech table" hours a couple times a week, to help patrons with such issues (and anything related to their devices, really). Maybe yours offers similar help?
65humouress
>63 richardderus: Thank you, thank you.
Today I finally managed to round up the boys to go out tile hunting and finalise their choices of tiles etc for 'their' back porch - though they are still pondering over the short list. Once we get those ordered, things will hopefully proceed apace.
Today I finally managed to round up the boys to go out tile hunting and finalise their choices of tiles etc for 'their' back porch - though they are still pondering over the short list. Once we get those ordered, things will hopefully proceed apace.
66humouress
>64 laytonwoman3rd: Hmm; that might be an idea. Though I never go into the libraries here (gripes detailed elsewhere) and only borrow e-books so I'll have to visit a library to discover whether they do. I'm managing to muddle through Libby eventually, though I get a bit frustrated. But possibly less so as I go along. Thanks for the tip.
67humouress
19) The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford
{First of 4 of The Five Crowns of Okrith; very steamy, witches, fantasy} (2022)
The five kingdoms (or Courts) of Okrith are inhabited by humans, witches and fae but are all ruled by fae families. Witches form covens depending on the type of magic and the colour it manifests as and each kingdom has (or had) a witch coven associated with it. The High Mountain Court and its coven of red witches was exterminated thirteen years before the start of the story by the Northern Court king. Remy may be the last red witch from there as the king has had a bounty on the witches who escaped since then and so she has lived most of her life in hiding. Now, as the story begins, Hale, a prince of the Eastern Court, asks her to help in his mission to counter the Northern Court king as he needs a red witch to help utilise the High Mountain magic of the hidden talismans that could defeat the king. Complicating matters is the fact that Remy and Hale are irresistibly attracted to each other.
My e-library book expired halfway through my reading it and though I thought it didn't have the highest quality of writing I was engaged enough in the story to continue to the end once it came around again. Once Remy and Hale finally got together it got very steamy (I wouldn't even classify it as 'romance'); they were always jumping into bed - or even foregoing the bed. From that point it got graphic, there was a lot of dialogue about 'my mate' which sounded awkward and the story dragged a bit. Despite the rocky writing I finished the book just to find out what happened in the end but I won't be continuing with this series.
Disappointing.
May 2023
2.5-3 stars
Litsy notes
The 5 kingdoms of Okrith are ruled by fae but the High Mountain Court was exterminated by the Northern Court king. Remy may be the last red witch from there as he has a bounty on them so she has lived in hiding until a prince of the Eastern Court asks her to help his mission to counter the Northern Court king. Lots of fun and teen romance, though not the highest quality writing. My e-library book expired 1/2 way through - have to wait to find out
Forget teen romance; it turns excessively steamy later on. I'd like to know where the story goes though the writing is still rocky and it did drag a bit.
{First of 4 of The Five Crowns of Okrith; very steamy, witches, fantasy} (2022)
The five kingdoms (or Courts) of Okrith are inhabited by humans, witches and fae but are all ruled by fae families. Witches form covens depending on the type of magic and the colour it manifests as and each kingdom has (or had) a witch coven associated with it. The High Mountain Court and its coven of red witches was exterminated thirteen years before the start of the story by the Northern Court king. Remy may be the last red witch from there as the king has had a bounty on the witches who escaped since then and so she has lived most of her life in hiding. Now, as the story begins, Hale, a prince of the Eastern Court, asks her to help in his mission to counter the Northern Court king as he needs a red witch to help utilise the High Mountain magic of the hidden talismans that could defeat the king. Complicating matters is the fact that Remy and Hale are irresistibly attracted to each other.
My e-library book expired halfway through my reading it and though I thought it didn't have the highest quality of writing I was engaged enough in the story to continue to the end once it came around again. Once Remy and Hale finally got together it got very steamy (I wouldn't even classify it as 'romance'); they were always jumping into bed - or even foregoing the bed. From that point it got graphic, there was a lot of dialogue about 'my mate' which sounded awkward and the story dragged a bit. Despite the rocky writing I finished the book just to find out what happened in the end but I won't be continuing with this series.
Disappointing.
May 2023
2.5-3 stars
Litsy notesThe 5 kingdoms of Okrith are ruled by fae but the High Mountain Court was exterminated by the Northern Court king. Remy may be the last red witch from there as he has a bounty on them so she has lived in hiding until a prince of the Eastern Court asks her to help his mission to counter the Northern Court king. Lots of fun and teen romance, though not the highest quality writing. My e-library book expired 1/2 way through - have to wait to find out
Forget teen romance; it turns excessively steamy later on. I'd like to know where the story goes though the writing is still rocky and it did drag a bit.
68MickyFine
>66 humouress: Swing by my thread. I pointed Richard at some help content online that might also be useful for you. 😊
Have a great weekend!
Have a great weekend!
69charl08
Sorry - I'm only just catching up with your "new" thread. Hope the kitchen repairs are going well. I love the sound of new bookshelves - any updates there? Where has the extra space been found? (sorry if I missed this!)
70humouress
>68 MickyFine: Thanks; I checked it out.
71humouress
>69 charl08: Oh, I'm so far behind on everyone's threads so no worries. And, no, you didn't miss anything. I don't think I really said how we found the space.
To cut a short story long, when we bought the house we did some renovations before we moved in (it seems to be mandatory in Singapore) one of which was to section off part of one of the bedrooms so my husband could have a prayer room and the rest became the study. So the prayer room is being moved up to the attic and the bookshelves will go into that part.
My husband initially designed the study to have two sets of shelves, one behind the other, with the front set (my bookshelves) on wheels so you could slide them to access the shelves behind. Over the years the wheels have disintegrated twice and I added dehumidifiers so the wiring for the movable shelves tends to trail and get caught in the doors so the whole thing is more of a pain than an asset, thus the change.
Tomorrow we're supposed to get new doors for the back set of shelves - since, up to now, they haven't needed any. It's all starting to happen. Slowly.
To cut a short story long, when we bought the house we did some renovations before we moved in (it seems to be mandatory in Singapore) one of which was to section off part of one of the bedrooms so my husband could have a prayer room and the rest became the study. So the prayer room is being moved up to the attic and the bookshelves will go into that part.
My husband initially designed the study to have two sets of shelves, one behind the other, with the front set (my bookshelves) on wheels so you could slide them to access the shelves behind. Over the years the wheels have disintegrated twice and I added dehumidifiers so the wiring for the movable shelves tends to trail and get caught in the doors so the whole thing is more of a pain than an asset, thus the change.
Tomorrow we're supposed to get new doors for the back set of shelves - since, up to now, they haven't needed any. It's all starting to happen. Slowly.
72humouress
20) Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato
{First of Clockwork Dagger duology +3; fantasy, steampunk, magic, adventure}(2014)
I read this at the beginning of the year and recently borrowed the second book but I couldn't remember the story well enough so I borrowed this again.
The country of Caskentia has been embroiled in civil war for most of Octavia Leander's lifetime and she was orphaned when her village was a casualty. She is now one of the strongest medicians who uses the Lady's power to heal and is travelling incognito by airship to help a town which is suffering with the ongoing war. But it seems that someone wants to harm her as there are several attempts on her life onboard the dirigible which continue even once she's on the ground. Octavia is no shrinking damsel in distress and can take care of herself, although the help of a handsome Clockwork Dagger - one of the queen's elite assassin-spies - doesn't come amiss.
I initially read this earlier this year but I re-read it because I've just borrowed the second book but I didn't review it or rate it properly and I can't remember what happened (I find that happens a lot these days). I skipped the entire first half of the first chapter with the puppy (though it does also introduce Octavia's craft and powers) since I did note 'Just starting this as the protagonist saves a puppy's life only to find that he's destined for the dinner table' the first time around. I could really have done with a map as there's a lot of geography involved; the characters cover a lot of territory by airship as well as on the ground and several countries, cities and towns are mentioned and are integral to the story.
This book is a lot of fun (except for the collateral damage to animals and small children) and the touch of young-adult (PG-rated) romance doesn‘t hurt. Neither does the inclusion of a lost princess out of fairytales, flying gremlins and action and quick thinking by Octavia.
June 2023
Litsy notes
(First reading)
Just starting this as the protagonist saves a puppy‘s life only to find that he‘s destined for the dinner table. Threw me for a 6, especially as I‘d spent the afternoon protecting Jasper from a thunderstorm.
(I seem to be 5th in the hierarchy in his mind and that is my role: Protectoress from the Thunder. My other one is general Dogsbody/ Massager 🤷♀️)
This book is a lot of fun (except for the collateral damage to animals and small children) and the touch of YA romance doesn‘t hurt.
(Re-reading)
Re-reading this because I didn't review it or rate it properly and I can't remember what happened (I find that happens a lot these days) and I've just borrowed the second book. Skipping the entire first half of the first chapter with the puppy (though it does introduce Octavia's craft/ powers).
Octavia is a medician who heals with the Lady's power and is traveling incognito by airship to reach a town which has suffered with the ongoing war. ...A lost princess out of fairytales ... flying gremlins ... Clockwork Daggers (queen's assassins) ...
Could do with a map; there's a lot of geography involved.
3.5-4 stars (but rounding down for animal cruelty)
{First of Clockwork Dagger duology +3; fantasy, steampunk, magic, adventure}(2014)
I read this at the beginning of the year and recently borrowed the second book but I couldn't remember the story well enough so I borrowed this again.
The country of Caskentia has been embroiled in civil war for most of Octavia Leander's lifetime and she was orphaned when her village was a casualty. She is now one of the strongest medicians who uses the Lady's power to heal and is travelling incognito by airship to help a town which is suffering with the ongoing war. But it seems that someone wants to harm her as there are several attempts on her life onboard the dirigible which continue even once she's on the ground. Octavia is no shrinking damsel in distress and can take care of herself, although the help of a handsome Clockwork Dagger - one of the queen's elite assassin-spies - doesn't come amiss.
I initially read this earlier this year but I re-read it because I've just borrowed the second book but I didn't review it or rate it properly and I can't remember what happened (I find that happens a lot these days). I skipped the entire first half of the first chapter with the puppy (though it does also introduce Octavia's craft and powers) since I did note
This book is a lot of fun (except for the collateral damage to animals and small children) and the touch of young-adult (PG-rated) romance doesn‘t hurt. Neither does the inclusion of a lost princess out of fairytales, flying gremlins and action and quick thinking by Octavia.
June 2023
Litsy notes(First reading)
Just starting this as the protagonist saves a puppy‘s life only to find that he‘s destined for the dinner table. Threw me for a 6, especially as I‘d spent the afternoon protecting Jasper from a thunderstorm.
(I seem to be 5th in the hierarchy in his mind and that is my role: Protectoress from the Thunder. My other one is general Dogsbody/ Massager 🤷♀️)
This book is a lot of fun (except for the collateral damage to animals and small children) and the touch of YA romance doesn‘t hurt.
(Re-reading)
Re-reading this because I didn't review it or rate it properly and I can't remember what happened (I find that happens a lot these days) and I've just borrowed the second book. Skipping the entire first half of the first chapter with the puppy (though it does introduce Octavia's craft/ powers).
Octavia is a medician who heals with the Lady's power and is traveling incognito by airship to reach a town which has suffered with the ongoing war. ...A lost princess out of fairytales ... flying gremlins ... Clockwork Daggers (queen's assassins) ...
Could do with a map; there's a lot of geography involved.
3.5-4 stars
(but rounding down for animal cruelty)
75humouress
>74 klobrien2: I'm making progress with the library, but I've been nixed on the rolling ladders :0(
76humouress
Photos, as requested:
As you can see, it's still a mess and still a work in progress. But these are the shelves which lived behind my bookshelves and which now have new doors. The books in the cupboard to the right are my husband's books and the rest are files, crafting stuff and other paraphernalia. It all has to be cleaned up (there's a lot of dust) and tidied up but it gives me a bit more space in the study.
ETA: this is supposed to be a 'before' picture (with the bookshelves in front of the deeper shelves, at that point without glass)but you'll have to tilt your head to see it - I've got to dash to look at tiles and upholstery for the renovation. I'll try and upload a straight one later ...; okay, I think I've sorted it out.
As you can see, it's still a mess and still a work in progress. But these are the shelves which lived behind my bookshelves and which now have new doors. The books in the cupboard to the right are my husband's books and the rest are files, crafting stuff and other paraphernalia. It all has to be cleaned up (there's a lot of dust) and tidied up but it gives me a bit more space in the study.
ETA: this is supposed to be a 'before' picture (with the bookshelves in front of the deeper shelves, at that point without glass)
77vancouverdeb
>76 humouress:! Wow, Nina, what am impressive library and shelves. I mainly use IKEA Billy book cases / shelves and then shamefully have stacks of books on the floor in few rooms.
78quondame
>76 humouress: Nope. Not a mess. Not OCD organized, perhaps a bit messy, but that's not the same as a mess. I bet there is no ice-cream melted into pages.
>77 vancouverdeb: Yep, same.
>77 vancouverdeb: Yep, same.
79humouress
>77 vancouverdeb: Thank you! My husband is allergic to the idea of Ikea though I've sneaked some shelves in, for the kids' toys and books. As for stacks of books ... you don't see any photos here, right? So that must mean I don't have any ... right? ;0)
80humouress
>78 quondame: Well, most of the mess is strategically off to the left of the photo.
Food! Near my books?! That's why even my kids don't get to get their paws on my library.
Hopefully now I'll be able to sort out those (non-existent) stacks.
Food! Near my books?! That's why even my kids don't get to get their paws on my library.
Hopefully now I'll be able to sort out those (non-existent) stacks.
81humouress
One more photo - and I'm sorry but you'll have to tilt your heads to the left again until I can sort it out. These are my bookshelves in their new home (just next door to their previous one) but they haven't been installed yet and there will be a few more, to fill in the gaps. The books themselves are in storage for now.
ETA: managed to save this one the right way up.
ETA: managed to save this one the right way up.
82drneutron
Looks great! I'm not a big IKEA shelf fan either, but they do come unhandy for storage areas and such.
84charl08
Wow, love the shelves. Thanks for posting the photos.
I'm in denial about my book stacks, totally going to get to them all very soon now and they're all going to fit on the shelves - somehow!?!
I'm in denial about my book stacks, totally going to get to them all very soon now and they're all going to fit on the shelves - somehow!?!
85Berly
>76 humouress: Awesome!! That looks beautiful and I am jealous that your books will be less dusty behind those cool glass doors. : )
>84 charl08: Sure they are! LOL
>84 charl08: Sure they are! LOL
86humouress
>84 charl08: Thank you Charlotte!
I have no excuse now for not sorting out my book stacks. Including, I think, the TBR mini-mountain on my bedside table.
I have no excuse now for not sorting out my book stacks. Including, I think, the TBR mini-mountain on my bedside table.
87humouress
>85 Berly: Thanks Kim :0)
88humouress
21) The Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato
{Second of Clockwork Dagger duology +3; fantasy, steampunk, magic, adventure}(2015)
June 2023
3-3.5***
Litsy notes
Dedication: what lovely names; Mrs & Mr Quist.
Yay! a map!
The sequel to 'Clockwork Dagger' follows Octavia's further adventures but has a different flavour.
'Clockwork crown' refers to the crown of Caskentia, lost when the last king and his family were assassinated with a fire bomb, but only mentioned in passing. We do see more of the royal family in this book.
PG-rated romance.
I thought some of the cast (eg the horse and xxxx {spoiler redacted}) were unfairly treated by the author, with their fates.
Fast paced & action packed.
I did find that one of the secondary characters changed personality a bit suddenly and though, looking back, there was a reason given it was mentioned more in passing and didn't really explain it fully.
{Second of Clockwork Dagger duology +3; fantasy, steampunk, magic, adventure}(2015)
June 2023
3-3.5***
Litsy notesDedication: what lovely names; Mrs & Mr Quist.
Yay! a map!
The sequel to 'Clockwork Dagger' follows Octavia's further adventures but has a different flavour.
'Clockwork crown' refers to the crown of Caskentia, lost when the last king and his family were assassinated with a fire bomb, but only mentioned in passing. We do see more of the royal family in this book.
PG-rated romance.
I thought some of the cast (eg the horse and xxxx {spoiler redacted}) were unfairly treated by the author, with their fates.
Fast paced & action packed.
I did find that one of the secondary characters changed personality a bit suddenly and though, looking back, there was a reason given it was mentioned more in passing and didn't really explain it fully.
89richardderus
>76 humouress: *hyperjealous fantods*
What a lovely set-up, Nina! It must make a lot of longevity difference to have the doors...excludes some, at least, humidity, right?
Splendiferous! Thank you for raising my blood pressure out of envious rage!
What a lovely set-up, Nina! It must make a lot of longevity difference to have the doors...excludes some, at least, humidity, right?
Splendiferous! Thank you for raising my blood pressure out of envious rage!
90humouress
>89 richardderus: My pleasure, Richard. Anytime ;0)
91humouress
22) You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry
{stand alone; fiction, romance, friendship} (2021)
This is the story of how Poppy and Alex met, as narrated by Poppy, gradually became best friends and spent every summer holiday since travelling together as platonic friends even when they had their own partners. It alternates between the present holiday (‘this summer’) and snippets from the earlier ones starting 12 years ago and progressing in sequence. However ‘something’ happened two years ago, since when they have stayed out of touch. Poppy wants to revive their friendship and tries to recreate the type of budget holiday they used to share before she got her dream job writing for a travel and leisure magazine which paid for glamorous stays.
This was fun and I did like the almost nonsensical, non sequitur nature of the banter especially between Poppy and Alex. This quote had me giggling
And, following THE format, the obligatory misunderstanding at the end was unnecessary especially since (as we’re told at the beginning of the story) they had a misunderstanding two years ago which resulted in them being incommunicado until (per the chapter headings) ‘this summer’. Rather than that, it might have been nice to see Alex’s point of view of how or when he realised he’d fallen in love with her.
On the plus side for me, the ‘bedroom scenes’ weren’t as graphic as my last two in this genre, thankfully.
I feel that Henry may have had ideas in her mind that haven’t fully been expressed in the story; the prologue is set five years ago and though I thought ‘Oh, okay’ when I got to the five years ago chapter it wasn’t all that significant. I think this could have been a tighter story if she’d left it to think about and then come back to it. I wish authors would stop using the present tense for things that happened in the past; even the flashbacks were narrated in the present tense, which was confusing.
(June 2023)
3.25 stars
Litsy notes
Review: This is the story of how Poppy and Alex met, as narrated by Poppy, and spent every summer holiday since travelling together as platonic friends. It alternates between the present holiday and the earlier ones starting 12 years ago. 🤬 But even the flashbacks are narrated in the present tense. I don’t know if the education system has changed or something but I do remember learning to write in the past tense when we were 6 years old.
Blurb: I’m not really in the mood for a romance at the moment - especially after the last disappointment - but this expires in 5 days and Henry’s books have been decent before
Off to a slow start - probably because I wasn't in the mood - but this one has me giggling:
'Touching is such second nature to me that once I accidentally hugged my dishwasher repairman when I let him out of the apartment, at which point he graciously told me he was married, and I congratulated him.'
Ch 16. This is fun but confusing because, given the bumpf, it’s fairly certain they’re going to get together though they met 12 years ago, holidayed together every year since but she keeps insisting she’s ‘not going to marry Alex Nilsen’ even though there seem to be all these signals
{stand alone; fiction, romance, friendship} (2021)
This is the story of how Poppy and Alex met, as narrated by Poppy, gradually became best friends and spent every summer holiday since travelling together as platonic friends even when they had their own partners. It alternates between the present holiday (‘this summer’) and snippets from the earlier ones starting 12 years ago and progressing in sequence. However ‘something’ happened two years ago, since when they have stayed out of touch. Poppy wants to revive their friendship and tries to recreate the type of budget holiday they used to share before she got her dream job writing for a travel and leisure magazine which paid for glamorous stays.
This was fun and I did like the almost nonsensical, non sequitur nature of the banter especially between Poppy and Alex. This quote had me giggling
Touching is such second nature to me that once I accidentally hugged my dishwasher repairman when I let him out of the apartment, at which point he graciously told me he was married, and I congratulated him.Essentially this is the story of how they finally get together after twelve years of being best friends and maintaining a platonic friendship so they wouldn't risk losing the only person in their respective lives who truly gets them (even though they are polar opposites in personality). But I admit I didn’t really understand why they didn’t get together earlier, once Poppy realised she had feelings for Alex and she could see (occasionally) that he had feelings for her. Every one around them could see they were in love (sorry if that’s a spoiler but I think that’s fairly obvious from the premise of the book) but Poppy kept insisting she was ‘not going to marry Alex Nilsen’ even though there seemed to be all sorts of signals - which was a bit confusing.
And, following THE format, the obligatory misunderstanding at the end was unnecessary especially since (as we’re told at the beginning of the story) they had a misunderstanding two years ago which resulted in them being incommunicado until (per the chapter headings) ‘this summer’. Rather than that, it might have been nice to see Alex’s point of view of how or when he realised he’d fallen in love with her.
On the plus side for me, the ‘bedroom scenes’ weren’t as graphic as my last two in this genre, thankfully.
I feel that Henry may have had ideas in her mind that haven’t fully been expressed in the story; the prologue is set five years ago and though I thought ‘Oh, okay’ when I got to the five years ago chapter it wasn’t all that significant. I think this could have been a tighter story if she’d left it to think about and then come back to it. I wish authors would stop using the present tense for things that happened in the past; even the flashbacks were narrated in the present tense, which was confusing.
(June 2023)
3.25 stars
Litsy notesReview: This is the story of how Poppy and Alex met, as narrated by Poppy, and spent every summer holiday since travelling together as platonic friends. It alternates between the present holiday and the earlier ones starting 12 years ago. 🤬 But even the flashbacks are narrated in the present tense. I don’t know if the education system has changed or something but I do remember learning to write in the past tense when we were 6 years old.
Blurb: I’m not really in the mood for a romance at the moment - especially after the last disappointment - but this expires in 5 days and Henry’s books have been decent before
Off to a slow start - probably because I wasn't in the mood - but this one has me giggling:
'Touching is such second nature to me that once I accidentally hugged my dishwasher repairman when I let him out of the apartment, at which point he graciously told me he was married, and I congratulated him.'
Ch 16. This is fun but confusing because, given the bumpf, it’s fairly certain they’re going to get together though they met 12 years ago, holidayed together every year since but she keeps insisting she’s ‘not going to marry Alex Nilsen’ even though there seem to be all these signals
92humouress
We are not happy bunnies at home at the moment because on Sunday night when @firelion took Jasper out for a walk he came back early because they had been chased by another golden retriever. I didn't think much of it but then we found one spot on Jasper's paw where he was bleeding so we cleaned it up with antiseptic. On Monday morning I took him out for a walk but he wasn't as enthusiastic as usual and on Monday evening @superboy took him out and said he seemed nervous and stuck to his side, rather than running ahead as usual plus he seemed a bit lethargic around the house.
So we took him to the vet on Tuesday and he gave Jasper a thorough checking over and found a couple more bites including one on his inner hip which we have to watch to make sure it doesn't abscess. So he's on double antibiotics as well as something for the infection which means we have to get 10 tablets into him every day (some in the morning, some in the evening) plus we've got to get our poor boy to sit still so we can pack the puncture on his hip with a cream twice a day to hopefully prevent it abscessing. Fingers crossed we get it right, or he'll require surgery to put a drain in in an awkward area, and which will mean a large incision.
He's limping around the house, poor baby, though he doesn't move much and seems to be sleeping even more than usual in the daytime. But I took him out for a very short walk (he's the kind of dog who needs at least one walk a day, if not two, usually) this morning since he's missed the last couple of days and he was still (almost) as excited to be going out; which is to say he didn't do his usual spins on the way to the door. (Once I counted twelve full revolutions - of course, with vocals at top volume.)
So we took him to the vet on Tuesday and he gave Jasper a thorough checking over and found a couple more bites including one on his inner hip which we have to watch to make sure it doesn't abscess. So he's on double antibiotics as well as something for the infection which means we have to get 10 tablets into him every day (some in the morning, some in the evening) plus we've got to get our poor boy to sit still so we can pack the puncture on his hip with a cream twice a day to hopefully prevent it abscessing. Fingers crossed we get it right, or he'll require surgery to put a drain in in an awkward area, and which will mean a large incision.
He's limping around the house, poor baby, though he doesn't move much and seems to be sleeping even more than usual in the daytime. But I took him out for a very short walk (he's the kind of dog who needs at least one walk a day, if not two, usually) this morning since he's missed the last couple of days and he was still (almost) as excited to be going out; which is to say he didn't do his usual spins on the way to the door. (Once I counted twelve full revolutions - of course, with vocals at top volume.)
93humouress
After I brought Jasper home, I went for a longer walk. I like going along the canal because there's more wildlife there and I continued on to the reservoir though it was getting hot (it's been hotter than usual, I feel, the past few weeks). Walking back along the reservoir, I noticed a water tractor which was clearing weeds from the bottom and a heron or crane sitting in the basket getting a free ride.
So the tractor would dig up weeds from the bottom of the reservoir and take it back to a floating pallet to dump. The bird would sit on the basket and then hop in to look for breakfast once the weeds came above the surface, ride back to the 'island' and hop off when the tractor dumped the weeds. Then, when it went back out, the bird would fly back to its post on the basket, for its next course.
So the tractor would dig up weeds from the bottom of the reservoir and take it back to a floating pallet to dump. The bird would sit on the basket and then hop in to look for breakfast once the weeds came above the surface, ride back to the 'island' and hop off when the tractor dumped the weeds. Then, when it went back out, the bird would fly back to its post on the basket, for its next course.
94humouress
23) The Apothecary's Poison by C.J. Archer
{Third of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2017)
With their search for 'Chronos' stymied and knowing that Matt will need a magical doctor as well as a magical watchmaker to fix his watch, he and India have been focussing on searching for such a doctor when a newspaper article catches their attention. They visit Dr Hale, who is said to have performed a 'medical miracle' but he is later murdered and they have to investigate to clear Matt of the murder charge. In the process they discover more magicians - and more people determined to hide the evidence of magic, which puts their lives in danger.
The 'will they, won't they' nature of their YA-rated romance continues as Matt refuses to tie anyone into a relationship while his life could end at any time while India, her confidence shaken by Eddie Hardacre, feels she is undesirable as well as Matt's social inferior (as Matt's aunt apologetically keeps reminding her).
Still fun, though I started finding it hard to keep track of the suspects in this one, since some of them first appeared in the previous two books. Though it's set in Victorian England, the manners aren't as formal though Archer doesn't make the mistake other authors do of emphasising some old fashioned manners while introducing glaring anachronisms.
Though there are copious amounts of tea. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling rather thirsty ...
(June 2023)
3-3.5 stars
{Third of 13 in Glass and Steele series; fantasy, magic} (2017)
With their search for 'Chronos' stymied and knowing that Matt will need a magical doctor as well as a magical watchmaker to fix his watch, he and India have been focussing on searching for such a doctor when a newspaper article catches their attention. They visit Dr Hale, who is said to have performed a 'medical miracle' but he is later murdered and they have to investigate to clear Matt of the murder charge. In the process they discover more magicians - and more people determined to hide the evidence of magic, which puts their lives in danger.
The 'will they, won't they' nature of their YA-rated romance continues as Matt refuses to tie anyone into a relationship while his life could end at any time while India, her confidence shaken by Eddie Hardacre, feels she is undesirable as well as Matt's social inferior (as Matt's aunt apologetically keeps reminding her).
Still fun, though I started finding it hard to keep track of the suspects in this one, since some of them first appeared in the previous two books. Though it's set in Victorian England, the manners aren't as formal though Archer doesn't make the mistake other authors do of emphasising some old fashioned manners while introducing glaring anachronisms.
Though there are copious amounts of tea. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling rather thirsty ...
(June 2023)
3-3.5 stars
96humouress
>95 foggidawn: Thanks. We have to do the cream twice a day. I did it yesterday morning with the help of two people (fortunately the workmen who are doing the renovation have also fallen in love with Jasper) and a muzzle we got from the vet's. Last night, the boys were in charge but it took four of us and the muzzle. This morning I managed it without the muzzle and just one person to pass me the antiseptic, cotton wool etc. We've just done the evening session with the boys in charge again and it took five of us and we had to use the muzzle again. My husband's role was as alpha male to get Jasper to lie down and not run away. Part of the problem was that he got bones for dinner and he's still working through them, so when I got involved he seemed to think we were playing the old game - where I pretend to try to steal his food - hence the muzzle.
Why waste time getting your feathers all wet when you can get some human lackey to bring the food up for free?
Why waste time getting your feathers all wet when you can get some human lackey to bring the food up for free?
97humouress
>93 humouress: This looks like a grey heron.
Photo from National Parks Singapore
Photo from Singapore Birds Project
Photo from National Parks Singapore
Photo from Singapore Birds Project
99PaulCranswick
>98 humouress: Half right anyways - gardens are not as essential!
Heaven's to Betsy - are you also still awake?!
Heaven's to Betsy - are you also still awake?!
101PaulCranswick
>100 humouress: Hahaha, Nina. I went to bed very early (at 10 pm) and after 4 and a half hours sleep I think that is it for now!
102FAMeulstee
>92 humouress: Poor Jasper, dog bites can be nasty.
>96 humouress: And poor humans, a lot are needed!
>97 humouress: Majestic birds, we have them too, I see them almost every day. The Dutch name is 'blue heron'.
>96 humouress: And poor humans, a lot are needed!
>97 humouress: Majestic birds, we have them too, I see them almost every day. The Dutch name is 'blue heron'.
103humouress
>101 PaulCranswick: I did something a bit similar; I have a very comfortable rocking chair to wind down in at the end of the day and I tend to fall asleep in it, but it's not so comfortable that I don't feel repercussions the next day. I did actually manage to get into bed last night (after we connected), so not too bad. Hope you managed some quality nap time.
104humouress
>102 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. He seems to be getting better and walking more easily today though still not moving as much as usual. It just took the two of us again this morning, with no need of the muzzle. I suspect @superboy gets a bit anxious and transmits it. Mind you, Jasper does tend to play up more when the kids and I are around. He knows he can pull the 'puppy dog eyes' look and we'll fall for it.
Another bird with a huge range! And here I am trying to show you exotic Asian wildlife :0) I see much more than I used to in suburban London - or maybe there's just more countryside there for them to hide in. It's very concentrated in Singapore - and getting even more scarce, especially recently when there seems to have been a building boom carving off more jungle.
Another bird with a huge range! And here I am trying to show you exotic Asian wildlife :0) I see much more than I used to in suburban London - or maybe there's just more countryside there for them to hide in. It's very concentrated in Singapore - and getting even more scarce, especially recently when there seems to have been a building boom carving off more jungle.
105charl08
Oh no, poor Jasper. Hope he recovers without any drain business.
I love the heron picture and observations. I stayed near Kew for a bit and was amazed to see herons on the Thames. Although I think garden pond owners are not so fond of them as they are not fussy about whose fish they eat!
I love the heron picture and observations. I stayed near Kew for a bit and was amazed to see herons on the Thames. Although I think garden pond owners are not so fond of them as they are not fussy about whose fish they eat!
106FAMeulstee
>104 humouress: Good that Jasper is on the mend.
Gray herons used to be rare when I was a kid. But they came back, and now some of them have learned to sit next to anglers, in hope to get their catch. I have even seen gray herons in the middle of some cities, like Rotterdam and Zwolle.
Gray herons used to be rare when I was a kid. But they came back, and now some of them have learned to sit next to anglers, in hope to get their catch. I have even seen gray herons in the middle of some cities, like Rotterdam and Zwolle.
107humouress
>105 charl08: Thanks Charlotte, he seems not to be limping now though he still isn’t moving from place to place much. This afternoon he had a nap under the fan on the porch with his head tucked under his dog bed and he didn’t move when the architect (who’s in charge of our renovation) left though he did say ‘hello’ To him.
I got some nice videos of the heron but I can’t/don’t know how to post them on LT. My mum can empathise with the pond owners. I don’t think she had any raiders when we lived in London but she did acquire a very attentive kingfisher when she set up her pond in Sydney.
I got some nice videos of the heron but I can’t/don’t know how to post them on LT. My mum can empathise with the pond owners. I don’t think she had any raiders when we lived in London but she did acquire a very attentive kingfisher when she set up her pond in Sydney.
108humouress
>106 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita.
I’m glad the species made a comeback. I’m sure using their brains to get humans to do the hard work had a part in that.
I’m glad the species made a comeback. I’m sure using their brains to get humans to do the hard work had a part in that.
109figsfromthistle
>76 humouress: Love the bookcases. Great idea to have doors/glass -less dusting to do!
>98 humouress: Amen to that!
Happy Weekend ahead.
>98 humouress: Amen to that!
Happy Weekend ahead.
110klobrien2
Just stopping by to say “Hi!” I hope Jasper is getting better all the time, and that you are having a nice weekend!
Karen O
Karen O
111humouress
>109 figsfromthistle: Thank you Anita.
There’s always dust and even with doors on it still gets in. Everyone is always renovating; the other half of our semi-d hasn’t been lived in for ages so the bats moved in and the owners have had to do a bit of rescue and refurbishing. The house two doors down was knocked down to build a 4 storey plus basement apartment/ house (apparently for one extended family but each floor is self-contained). So the neighbours in between, who previously had a garden (even though it’s as small as ours) filled with fruit trees and chickens, cleared all that out for just a lawn since they lost their sunlight to the shadow of the new house.
But we have a new gardener and once the pots from the back ‘garden’ go back after we put down the new pool surround (it used to be decking but now I’m trying to put some grass in - but that’s a whole other story) we’ll be able to sort out the front and maybe reorganise the plants.
There’s always dust and even with doors on it still gets in. Everyone is always renovating; the other half of our semi-d hasn’t been lived in for ages so the bats moved in and the owners have had to do a bit of rescue and refurbishing. The house two doors down was knocked down to build a 4 storey plus basement apartment/ house (apparently for one extended family but each floor is self-contained). So the neighbours in between, who previously had a garden (even though it’s as small as ours) filled with fruit trees and chickens, cleared all that out for just a lawn since they lost their sunlight to the shadow of the new house.
But we have a new gardener and once the pots from the back ‘garden’ go back after we put down the new pool surround (it used to be decking but now I’m trying to put some grass in - but that’s a whole other story) we’ll be able to sort out the front and maybe reorganise the plants.
112humouress
>110 klobrien2: Thank you Karen. Jasper is much better, thanks. We’ve been taking him on short walks because , apart from being an active dog usually, with all the renovation going on, his normal space at home is rather curtailed.
We’ve always had a deck walkway around the house and around the pool at the back but the wood hasn’t done too well over the years and water didn’t drain well from the space beneath (risk of mosquitoes) so I’ve decided to pave it instead. So all my pots from the back have been moved to the front garden and this week they’ve been putting cement (I assume? or is it concrete?) down which means Jasper has even less space to mooch around in. Mind you, we did see some paw prints in the cement so he’s obviously not letting it stop him.
We’ve always had a deck walkway around the house and around the pool at the back but the wood hasn’t done too well over the years and water didn’t drain well from the space beneath (risk of mosquitoes) so I’ve decided to pave it instead. So all my pots from the back have been moved to the front garden and this week they’ve been putting cement (I assume? or is it concrete?) down which means Jasper has even less space to mooch around in. Mind you, we did see some paw prints in the cement so he’s obviously not letting it stop him.
113humouress
25) Welcome to the Real World by Carole Matthews
{stand alone. chick-lit, romance} (2008)
Fern works as a barmaid and in between pulling pints at the King’s Head she sings in the pub, accompanied by her best friend Carl. She’s struggling to make ends meet because she also tries to help out her brother Joe who is a single parent to six year old Nathan who has bad asthma. Then she gets a temping job as assistant to world famous opera star, Evan David, and at the same time she and Carl try out for the TV talent show Fame Game.
On the whole, I found this a gentle book. I liked Fern’s story and the way her family was described. I can relate to her exasperation with her parents who have been married so long they tend to take each other for granted and one snaps at the other while the other is rather oblivious. She got young Nathan right; he’s not a martyr or annoying or sickly sweet. The ending was a bit of a fairytale and a bit sudden after all her struggles - but that’s why we read, right; for the happily-ever-after.
But I didn’t buy the romance; it seemed shoehorned in afterwards and you can still see the gaps. The obligatory ‘misunderstanding’ was … I’m not sure how to describe it. Flimsy? Non existent? Embarrassing on Fern’s part, yes. But there was no attempt to mitigate it and only a half-hearted attempt to explain it to her and trying to build the suspense by keeping the reader in the dark failed miserably. I could have done without the last chapter, myself.I was hoping, right upto the end, that she’d pick the other one and I really don’t get why she didn’t. There was no reason (apart from surface insta-attraction) or even chemistry shown for her to pick the one that she did.
But I still enjoyed the rest of the story.
(June 2023)
3.5 stars (not sure whether I sh
Litsy notes
Set in inner London, for the most part. Shaping up, possibly, to be, potentially, a love triangle. I'm rooting for the third leg (third wheel?). Gentle, but I'm enjoying it - even the exasperating dad.
{stand alone. chick-lit, romance} (2008)
Fern works as a barmaid and in between pulling pints at the King’s Head she sings in the pub, accompanied by her best friend Carl. She’s struggling to make ends meet because she also tries to help out her brother Joe who is a single parent to six year old Nathan who has bad asthma. Then she gets a temping job as assistant to world famous opera star, Evan David, and at the same time she and Carl try out for the TV talent show Fame Game.
On the whole, I found this a gentle book. I liked Fern’s story and the way her family was described. I can relate to her exasperation with her parents who have been married so long they tend to take each other for granted and one snaps at the other while the other is rather oblivious. She got young Nathan right; he’s not a martyr or annoying or sickly sweet. The ending was a bit of a fairytale and a bit sudden after all her struggles - but that’s why we read, right; for the happily-ever-after.
But I didn’t buy the romance; it seemed shoehorned in afterwards and you can still see the gaps. The obligatory ‘misunderstanding’ was … I’m not sure how to describe it. Flimsy? Non existent? Embarrassing on Fern’s part, yes. But there was no attempt to mitigate it and only a half-hearted attempt to explain it to her and trying to build the suspense by keeping the reader in the dark failed miserably. I could have done without the last chapter, myself.
But I still enjoyed the rest of the story.
(June 2023)
3.5 stars
(not sure whether I shLitsy notesSet in inner London, for the most part. Shaping up, possibly, to be, potentially, a love triangle. I'm rooting for the third leg (third wheel?). Gentle, but I'm enjoying it - even the exasperating dad.
114charl08
Paw prints in the cement made me smile. A bit like one of those celebrity handprints!
I've been reading Tan Twan Eng's latest one, House of Doors mostly set in your part of the world. I loved it, but I did wonder how it would read to someone who knows Singapore well.
I've been reading Tan Twan Eng's latest one, House of Doors mostly set in your part of the world. I loved it, but I did wonder how it would read to someone who knows Singapore well.
115humouress
>114 charl08: They'll be preserved but maybe never seen, since they'll be under the tiles. I should take a photo.
I did pick up on of Tan Tan Eng's books (Garden something - will look it up) but haven't got around to reading it though it's been in my possession for a few years now. Paul C has read books by this author, I believe.
ETA: The Garden of Evening Mists. I'll see if I can find it and give it a go, finally (but don't hold your breath).
I did pick up on of Tan Tan Eng's books (Garden something - will look it up) but haven't got around to reading it though it's been in my possession for a few years now. Paul C has read books by this author, I believe.
ETA: The Garden of Evening Mists. I'll see if I can find it and give it a go, finally (but don't hold your breath).
116humouress
https://www.librarything.com/pic/10006830
Took a photo of our star’s immortalised prints:
ETA:I can’t find a way to get the .jpg on my iPad so I’ll post it later okay, I've managed it now. And here's a photo of our kitchen inspector:
Took a photo of our star’s immortalised prints:
ETA:
117humouress
24) Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren
{stand alone. First love, romance, young adult} (2018)
After Macy's mum died her dad bought a cabin for summer getaways. Elliott lived next door and the two young teens bonded over a love of books. As they grew up they became each other's first love but something traumatic happened which resulted in them losing contact until they accidentally met about a decade later and started filling in the gaps in their lives.
I thought this was quite a sweet first love/ forever love story; I liked the way they started off innocently as just best friends and the relationship grew believably from there, with the kids slowly falling in love. It's nice to have someone who you trust who knows exactly how you think. I like the way Elliott is so honest and I'm a sucker for guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves. I liked his big family, as well as Macy's small one.
I found it better than You and Me on Vacation which I read recently which had a similar premise - i.e. best friends to lovers and what went wrong, told in flashbacks/ count up, and second chances. This has more teen angst and first love - but it's also about BOOKS. I'm not sure why the authors say this was their first venture into women's fiction though.
But I think that the real message of this story is the number of senseless accidents on the roads. Please, travel safely.
(June 2023)
4-4.5 stars
Litsy notes
It‘s nice to have someone who you trust who know exactly how you think - as long as you‘re on good terms with them ☺️
Coincidentally, th two protagonists‘s birthdays are within a week of my sister‘s and mine, respectively
Another one about best friends to lovers (see ‘You and Me on Vacation‘) and what went wrong, told in flashback/ count up but better done (at least so far). More teen angst 🤗 and first love 🥰 but also BOOKS💖
First love, forever love. I liked this one and the kids falling in love.
I like the way Elliott is so honest. And I'm a sucker for guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves. I liked his big family, as well as Macy's small one.
Not sure why the authors say this was their first venture into women's fiction though.
But I think that the real message of this story is the number of senseless accidents on the roads. Please, travel safely.
{stand alone. First love, romance, young adult} (2018)
After Macy's mum died her dad bought a cabin for summer getaways. Elliott lived next door and the two young teens bonded over a love of books. As they grew up they became each other's first love but something traumatic happened which resulted in them losing contact until they accidentally met about a decade later and started filling in the gaps in their lives.
I thought this was quite a sweet first love/ forever love story; I liked the way they started off innocently as just best friends and the relationship grew believably from there, with the kids slowly falling in love. It's nice to have someone who you trust who knows exactly how you think. I like the way Elliott is so honest and I'm a sucker for guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves. I liked his big family, as well as Macy's small one.
I found it better than You and Me on Vacation which I read recently which had a similar premise - i.e. best friends to lovers and what went wrong, told in flashbacks/ count up, and second chances. This has more teen angst and first love - but it's also about BOOKS. I'm not sure why the authors say this was their first venture into women's fiction though.
But I think that the real message of this story is the number of senseless accidents on the roads. Please, travel safely.
(June 2023)
4-4.5 stars
Litsy notesIt‘s nice to have someone who you trust who know exactly how you think - as long as you‘re on good terms with them ☺️
Coincidentally, th two protagonists‘s birthdays are within a week of my sister‘s and mine, respectively
Another one about best friends to lovers (see ‘You and Me on Vacation‘) and what went wrong, told in flashback/ count up but better done (at least so far). More teen angst 🤗 and first love 🥰 but also BOOKS💖
First love, forever love. I liked this one and the kids falling in love.
I like the way Elliott is so honest. And I'm a sucker for guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves. I liked his big family, as well as Macy's small one.
Not sure why the authors say this was their first venture into women's fiction though.
But I think that the real message of this story is the number of senseless accidents on the roads. Please, travel safely.
118humouress
26) Belgarath the Sorcerer by David & Leigh Eddings
{prequel Belgariad; fantasy, epic fantasy}
In the vein of the rest of the series. Don’t read it first if you haven’t read the Belgariad yet but plan to because there are spoilers.
This took me a while to meander through, not because it wasn't fun to read but more because, I think, I knew the story so there was no urgency to rush ahead to find out 'what happened next?' It was more of a comfort read, visiting old friends.
4****
Litsy notes & quotes
Enjoying this. It‘s more for people who have read the Belgariad and the Malloreon than a stand-alone. I like the way Eddings pokes fun at himself (themselves) along the way for some of the quirks in his narrative. He also tries to change things up by giving a different view of events that we were told about as legends by saying that priests and so on embellished the stories as time went on. Maybe not as good as the original but still fun
Noting minor discrepancies, especially from the Belgariad
Easy reading, especially if you‘ve read the Belgariad and the Malloreon; easy to dip in and out of though some details (the ‘real story‘ vs ‘the myths‘) are different. But there are some things where I think ‘Wait, we didn‘t know that until later‘ and minor possible discrepancies but I can ignore those. Still fun
I do feel the Thulls unfairly get the worst of it on all sides
And, even though Torak is the villain, he didn‘t have much of a choice since he was created as a mistake.
{prequel Belgariad; fantasy, epic fantasy}
In the vein of the rest of the series. Don’t read it first if you haven’t read the Belgariad yet but plan to because there are spoilers.
This took me a while to meander through, not because it wasn't fun to read but more because, I think, I knew the story so there was no urgency to rush ahead to find out 'what happened next?' It was more of a comfort read, visiting old friends.
4****
Litsy notes & quotesEnjoying this. It‘s more for people who have read the Belgariad and the Malloreon than a stand-alone. I like the way Eddings pokes fun at himself (themselves) along the way for some of the quirks in his narrative. He also tries to change things up by giving a different view of events that we were told about as legends by saying that priests and so on embellished the stories as time went on. Maybe not as good as the original but still fun
Noting minor discrepancies, especially from the Belgariad
Easy reading, especially if you‘ve read the Belgariad and the Malloreon; easy to dip in and out of though some details (the ‘real story‘ vs ‘the myths‘) are different. But there are some things where I think ‘Wait, we didn‘t know that until later‘ and minor possible discrepancies but I can ignore those. Still fun
I do feel the Thulls unfairly get the worst of it on all sides
And, even though Torak is the villain, he didn‘t have much of a choice since he was created as a mistake.
Have you got all that straight? Try to remember it. I don't want to have to go through it all again. I repeat myself often enough as it is.The Eddings poking fun at their writing style
Belgarion of Riva, Godslayer and Overlord of the West, read the last page of his grandfather's text with a certain awe and a kind of wonder as his entire perception of the world subtly shifted. So much had happened that he hadn't known about. The meaning of events that had passed almost unnoticed suddenly came sharply into focus as he reflected on what he had just read.I found the epilogue touching, the way Garion‘s family history comes into focus for him, hearing it from someone who lived through it. I‘ve had similar experiences recently listening to stories from an aunt who got married just as civil war was breaking out and from another aunt who, aged 11, had to look after her 5 younger siblings on the last boat to leave before WWII because my gran was expecting and my grandad had to stay behind.
120PlatinumWarlock
>118 humouress: I remember just loving that series, although it has been literally decades since I read it. I have all of them (and The Mallorean) as ebooks and should do a reread sometime soon!
121charl08
>116 humouress: Recorded for posterity! They're really clear, I'm a bit surprised he managed it so effectively.
122SandDune
>115 humouress: I've read both of Tan Twan Eng's first two books and The Garden of Evening Mists was particularly good.
123humouress
>119 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita.
124humouress
>120 PlatinumWarlock: Oh, Stasia and I just did our re-read of both series and then decided to continue with the prequels. I'm planning to buy Polgara the Sorceress tomorrow for our next shared read, if you'd like to join us?
125humouress
>121 charl08: It's partly the angle I took it at; I took a couple of photos standing up first but they weren't so clear.
The workmen have put a temporary door across the passage but I think that that day they left it open because they had laid that section and (obviously) it hadn't set. He follows me to the back when I go to check on progress, if he's allowed past the barrier. I didn't think he'd go around by himself - but it looks like he did sneak through. There were a couple of greyish shadowy spots on the fur of his legs for a couple of days.
The workmen have put a temporary door across the passage but I think that that day they left it open because they had laid that section and (obviously) it hadn't set. He follows me to the back when I go to check on progress, if he's allowed past the barrier. I didn't think he'd go around by himself - but it looks like he did sneak through. There were a couple of greyish shadowy spots on the fur of his legs for a couple of days.
126humouress
>122 SandDune: Alright, alright - I'll see if I can find it ;0)
127humouress
Jasper usually shows a marked preference for spending the night outdoors - he runs outside when he knows it's time for him to be tied up for the night (there was an Incident just after lockdown, so we take precautions). But for the last four nights or so, he's barked to be let in because there have been lightning/ thunder storms at around 2am. Last night @firelion said he'd bring him back in. The first time I heard a bark, I wasn't sure so I ignored it. The second time, I tried to rouse my son but he was having none of it and Jasper was quiet again but when he barked a third time some time later, I went down. Usually I can see him peering through the grill, waiting for me but I didn't this time - but that could have been because stuff's been moved around outside due to the renovations.
So I opened the door and invited him in. The first night, he'd seemed uncertain of his welcome and had to be persuaded in. The second night he came straight in. The third night, he bounded in excitedly. But last night ... the silly dog started scarfing down his leftover dinner as soon as he saw me standing there. There was quite a bit so he had to take a water break and then a few more breaks to check the sky before continuing with his midnight snack. Eventually I gave up, locked the door, turned off the lights and went back upstairs - fully expecting him to relent and ask again to be let in but he didn't. Weird dog.
So I opened the door and invited him in. The first night, he'd seemed uncertain of his welcome and had to be persuaded in. The second night he came straight in. The third night, he bounded in excitedly. But last night ... the silly dog started scarfing down his leftover dinner as soon as he saw me standing there. There was quite a bit so he had to take a water break and then a few more breaks to check the sky before continuing with his midnight snack. Eventually I gave up, locked the door, turned off the lights and went back upstairs - fully expecting him to relent and ask again to be let in but he didn't. Weird dog.
128PlatinumWarlock
>124 humouress: Oh, that sounds fun! Thank you!
129curioussquared
Oh I love Jasper's immortalized paw prints so much. And good thing he's supervising the project so closely!!
130humouress
>128 PlatinumWarlock: Okay, then!
You might want to have a look at this thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338624#8090788
You might want to have a look at this thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/338624#8090788
131humouress
>129 curioussquared: Thanks Natalie :0)
132humouress
27) Mort by Terry Pratchett
{4th in Discworld series, 1st in Discworld: Death subseries; fantasy, humour, anthropomorphic personification}
How do you review a Discworld book? I read Mort for the (February 2023) LibraryThing group read of Discworld: Death. Not three pages in and I was laughing out loud every few seconds. You want a quote? … well, there‘s … but to put it in context … um, just read it. You won't regret it (not the first 3 pages, anyway).
So: the Death of Discworld (who, as you know, is a skeleton in a black, hooded robe with actinic sparks deep in his ... er ... eye sockets and who rides a white horse named Binky) decided that he needed an apprentice and chose a mortal fortuitously named Mort.
Litsy notes & quotes
I‘m starting ‘Mort‘ for the (February 2023) LibraryThing group read of ‘Discworld: Death‘. 3 pages in and I‘m laughing out loud every 5 seconds. You want a quote … 🤗 … well, there‘s … but to put it in context … um, just read it. You won‘t regret it (not the first 3 pages, anyway).
Lots of death similes:
Like most Discworld books, hard to put down - because there are no chapter breaks (or I haven't found one yet).
Definitely seeing PG Wodehouse‘s influence here
Progressing apace. I‘m grimacing (the fragrance of Ankh-Morpork, for instance) and grinning and stopping now and then to giggle.
(When Mort requests the afternoon off)
{4th in Discworld series, 1st in Discworld: Death subseries; fantasy, humour, anthropomorphic personification}
How do you review a Discworld book? I read Mort for the (February 2023) LibraryThing group read of Discworld: Death. Not three pages in and I was laughing out loud every few seconds. You want a quote? … well, there‘s … but to put it in context … um, just read it. You won't regret it (not the first 3 pages, anyway).
So: the Death of Discworld (who, as you know, is a skeleton in a black, hooded robe with actinic sparks deep in his ... er ... eye sockets and who rides a white horse named Binky) decided that he needed an apprentice and chose a mortal fortuitously named Mort.
Litsy notes & quotesI‘m starting ‘Mort‘ for the (February 2023) LibraryThing group read of ‘Discworld: Death‘. 3 pages in and I‘m laughing out loud every 5 seconds. You want a quote … 🤗 … well, there‘s … but to put it in context … um, just read it. You won‘t regret it (not the first 3 pages, anyway).
Lots of death similes:
Death coughed tactfully, although it sounded like the pistol-crack of an ancient beam full of death-watch beetle.
Like most Discworld books, hard to put down - because there are no chapter breaks (or I haven't found one yet).
Definitely seeing PG Wodehouse‘s influence here
Progressing apace. I‘m grimacing (the fragrance of Ankh-Morpork, for instance) and grinning and stopping now and then to giggle.
Death pulled up short, so that Mort walked into him. When the boy started to speak he waved him into silence. He appeared to be listening to something.Sorry to be morbid (oops - didn‘t mean that) but though this is Pratchett‘s Discworld, it‘s also about Death‘s business.
THERE ARE TIMES, YOU KNOW, he said, half to himself, WHEN I GET REALLY UPSET.
He turned on one heel and set off down an alleyway at high speed, his cloak flying out behind him. The alley wound between dark walls and sleeping buildings, not so much a thoroughfare as a meandering gap.
Death stopped by a decrepit water butt and plunged his arm in at full length, bringing out a small sack with a brick tied to it. He drew his sword, a line of flickering blue fire in the darkness, and sliced through the string.
I GET VERY ANGRY INDEED, he said. He upended the sack and Mort watched the pathetic scraps of sodden fur slide out, to lie in their spreading puddle on the cobbles. Death reached out with his white fingers and stroked them gently.
After a while something like grey smoke curled up from the kittens and formed three small cat-shaped clouds in the air. They billowed occasionally, unsure of their shape, and blinked at Mort with puzzled grey eyes. When he tried to touch one his hand went straight through it and tingled
…and the shopkeeper was looking at a handful of antique copper coins and wondering precisely how he came to have them.🤦♀️
‘How do you get all these coins?‘ asked Mort.
IN PAIRS
(When Mort requests the afternoon off)
BUT WHY? said Death. IT CAN‘T BE TO ATTEND YOUR GRANDMOTHER‘S FUNERAL, he added. I WOULD KNOW.
'I meant, what goes there?' the guard tried again, with a mixture of doggedness and suicidal stupidity that marked him for early promotion.‘… officer material …‘ 😂
Mort caught the spear gently and lifted it out of the way of the door. As he did so the torchlight illuminated his face.
'Mort,' he said softly. It should have been enough for any normal soldier, but this guard was officer material.
'I mean, friend or foe?' he stuttered, trying to avoid Mort's gaze.
'Which would you prefer? he grinned.
133PlatinumWarlock
>130 humouress: Brilliant - thank you! Will you continue in that thread or start a different one?
134humouress
>133 PlatinumWarlock: You're welcome.
I think we're just sticking with that thread since we just have the last two to go.
I think we're just sticking with that thread since we just have the last two to go.
135SandDune
>132 humouress: Mort is the book that finally got me in to Terry Pratchett after trying The Colour of Magic years earlier and not being that excited by it. But Mort is great.
136humouress
>135 SandDune: The Colour of Magic came out when I was at university; we had a tiny Dillons on campus which was, of course, filled with text books so the Fantasy section was limited. Things like the 'insurance agent' gag were completely obscure to me - I only discovered what he meant years later (quite recently) - but it had enough moments to keep me reading Discworld.
137The_Hibernator
I didn't mind Colour of Magic, but Mort is much better.
138humouress
>137 The_Hibernator: I think I'd agree. I don't remember Colour of Magic being as funny.
139humouress
And in other news, I just paid almost $120K for the privilege of renewing the 'certificate of entitlement' for my car for another ten years, which allows me to own my car for that long after which, I believe, I won't be allowed to renew it again. I'm guessing that in other countries you'd pay less than that for a brand new car? And, of course, I had to renew my car insurance and road tax.
Not counting the ERP gantries (electronic road pricing) which deduct upto $3 when you pass under them. Thankfully they only run at peak hours on high traffic roads but it adds up. My husband hits at least one every morning on the way to work (it could be as many as three) and if he's dropping our son at school, he goes through that gantry twice because he has to exit the expressway to drop him and then circle back to the previous entry to get back on.
Not counting the ERP gantries (electronic road pricing) which deduct upto $3 when you pass under them. Thankfully they only run at peak hours on high traffic roads but it adds up. My husband hits at least one every morning on the way to work (it could be as many as three) and if he's dropping our son at school, he goes through that gantry twice because he has to exit the expressway to drop him and then circle back to the previous entry to get back on.
140SandDune
>139 humouress: $120K? I thought I had a rough idea of how much SGD were worth but I double checked because it didn't seem believable, and it came out as about £70,000. The current price for our existing car (which we bought new) is around £25,000 (of course other more expensive models are available). Is having a car essential?
141curioussquared
😳 wow, 120k? Works out to about 90k USD which is definitely more than we paid for our Honda CRV new and also more than what we paid for it combined with what annual registration renewal fees and insurance payments will be for its useful life. (I was just complaining about the $450 registration renewal fee because it's based on the value of your car so it was about 3x what my older car's fee was but I'll stop complaining now!)
142quondame
>141 curioussquared: Wow, that does seem high, and would probably pay for an UBER to anywhere local I'd care to go for 10 years. Does not being able to renew mean not being able to have a car at all after that or having to change cars?
143humouress
>140 SandDune: When I first came to Singapore there were only two MRT lines (the equivalent of the Tube) and public transport wasn't that convenient to where we live(d) so it was easier to have a car. The CoE is supposedly to discourage car ownership. Recently the government has been building more MRT lines so our nearest station is a 10 minute walk away rather than the previous 45 minute bus ride. But I've been spoiled by having a car; it takes about half an hour to drive from one end of the country to the other.
144humouress
>141 curioussquared: Well, that was just for the renewal of the CoE. If I had to actually buy a car, it would be far more than that, brand new. And then I'd have to get a CoE for it, too.
145humouress
>142 quondame: The CoE is for the car. You 'bid' for a 10 year CoE (prices fluctuate according to the bidding, but there was no other price option when we renewed) when you buy a new car (I think you buy second hand cars with their CoE included) and if you want to keep your car beyond the 10 years, you have to renew the CoE. You can either get 5 years or 10 years - but you can't extend it if you choose the 5 year option. After that, the car can't be used in Singapore (the government wants to keep the age of cars down; possibly because it's safer) so it has to be scrapped or - as we did with our last car - sold overseas.
146PlatinumWarlock
Wow, Nina. As someone living in a city with awful traffic, I can appreciate the government's desire to keep car use down, but I'm also really attached to my car! At least they're building more lines...
147humouress
>146 PlatinumWarlock: At some point I suppose I'll have to give up my car, to cut costs but hopefully that's a long way off in the future. My mum is currently fighting that battle with my dad :0)
149CDVicarage
>148 humouress: They look lovely - have fun filling them!
150atozgrl
Wow! Those look wonderful! Wish I had a spot to install something like that. Enjoy the beautiful shelving!
151curioussquared
Gorgeous!!!
152The_Hibernator
Lovely!
153quondame
>148 humouress: Impressive. Once filled with book it will be overwhelming.
154PlatinumWarlock
>148 humouress: "Book Porn". 🤣
155humouress
Thank you all :0)
My books are in storage, so I'll start bringing the boxes back soon. I need to make a few tweaks, like changing the lighting (since we have all the renovations going on anyway), clean them up and then have fun re-shelving the books.
My books are in storage, so I'll start bringing the boxes back soon. I need to make a few tweaks, like changing the lighting (since we have all the renovations going on anyway), clean them up and then have fun re-shelving the books.
157charl08
Shelves look lovely. Hope you *do* have fun unpacking and deciding where everything goes.
158humouress
28) King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist
{first in trilogy of Firemane Saga; fantasy}(2018)
This is the first book of a trilogy, from the author of the Midkemia books, which is set on the world of Garn. It focuses on four teenagers in alternating chapters, about 15 years after the prologue which is told (in the third person) from baron Daylon's point of view (he will do the wrong thing for what he thinks is the right reason) and opens with the carnage of war which I found hard to read. It tells us of the conquest of Ithrace, one of the five great kingdoms of this world, and the extermination of its royal family which may have long-reaching magical consequences for the fate of Garn. But it is rumoured that a newborn baby may have survived.
Some of the teenagers that the book then follows are Hatu - a red-headed orphan of uncertain moods - and his companions who are being trained as assassins. The other is also a red-headed orphan who has just completed his training as a master blacksmith specialising in Damascene swords. Leaving his village to prevent this precious knowledge falling into the hands of the king of Sandura - who initiated the war against Ithrace and who now aims to conquer the world - he finds his way to Daylon's barony.
I felt that this book could have used tighter editing (including basics like spelling, amongst other things). I found that some information tended to be repeated, which was wearisome; for example we're told more than once that someone notices that in a city buildings nearer the fort must be older because their builders would have wanted its protection. There were other small issues: often extraneous description was thrown in which didn't seem to add anything. And each chapter follows a different character without any indication who it is in the chapter heading. You can work it out within a couple of sentences but it's still a bit disorienting. Generally, the writing doesn't feel as mature as it should from someone of Feist's experience.
The story has a flavour of the tales of Ancient Greece. Overall, I thought this was okay but not gripping and I'm not in a rush to continue the series.
(July 2023)
3 stars
Litsy notes
Partway through. From the author of the Midkemia books but set on the world of Garn. Prologue opens with the carnage of war and I found it hard to read. It's told (in 3rd person) from baron Daylon‘s PoV - he will do the wrong thing for what he thinks is the right reason.
The book itself focuses on 4 teens in alternating chapters, about 15 years later.
Could have used tighter editing (including basics like spelling etc). I'm finding that some information tends to be repeated; eg we‘re told more than once that someone notices that buildings nearer forts must be older because their builders would have wanted its protection.Generally, the writing doesn't feel as mature as it should from someone of Feist‘s experience.
Small issues: often extraneous description is thrown in which doesn't seem to add anything. Each chapter follows a different character without indication in the chapter heading. You can work it out within a couple of sentences but it‘s still a bit disorienting. Okay but not gripping. Has a flavour of tales of Ancient Greece
3***
{first in trilogy of Firemane Saga; fantasy}(2018)
This is the first book of a trilogy, from the author of the Midkemia books, which is set on the world of Garn. It focuses on four teenagers in alternating chapters, about 15 years after the prologue which is told (in the third person) from baron Daylon's point of view (he will do the wrong thing for what he thinks is the right reason) and opens with the carnage of war which I found hard to read. It tells us of the conquest of Ithrace, one of the five great kingdoms of this world, and the extermination of its royal family which may have long-reaching magical consequences for the fate of Garn. But it is rumoured that a newborn baby may have survived.
Some of the teenagers that the book then follows are Hatu - a red-headed orphan of uncertain moods - and his companions who are being trained as assassins. The other is also a red-headed orphan who has just completed his training as a master blacksmith specialising in Damascene swords. Leaving his village to prevent this precious knowledge falling into the hands of the king of Sandura - who initiated the war against Ithrace and who now aims to conquer the world - he finds his way to Daylon's barony.
I felt that this book could have used tighter editing (including basics like spelling, amongst other things). I found that some information tended to be repeated, which was wearisome; for example we're told more than once that someone notices that in a city buildings nearer the fort must be older because their builders would have wanted its protection. There were other small issues: often extraneous description was thrown in which didn't seem to add anything. And each chapter follows a different character without any indication who it is in the chapter heading. You can work it out within a couple of sentences but it's still a bit disorienting. Generally, the writing doesn't feel as mature as it should from someone of Feist's experience.
The story has a flavour of the tales of Ancient Greece. Overall, I thought this was okay but not gripping and I'm not in a rush to continue the series.
(July 2023)
3 stars
Litsy notesPartway through. From the author of the Midkemia books but set on the world of Garn. Prologue opens with the carnage of war and I found it hard to read. It's told (in 3rd person) from baron Daylon‘s PoV - he will do the wrong thing for what he thinks is the right reason.
The book itself focuses on 4 teens in alternating chapters, about 15 years later.
Could have used tighter editing (including basics like spelling etc). I'm finding that some information tends to be repeated; eg we‘re told more than once that someone notices that buildings nearer forts must be older because their builders would have wanted its protection.Generally, the writing doesn't feel as mature as it should from someone of Feist‘s experience.
Small issues: often extraneous description is thrown in which doesn't seem to add anything. Each chapter follows a different character without indication in the chapter heading. You can work it out within a couple of sentences but it‘s still a bit disorienting. Okay but not gripping. Has a flavour of tales of Ancient Greece
3***
This topic was continued by Humouress adventures at home in 2023 - thread 3.
