Humouress's new domain for 2024 - first thread

Welcome to my thread. I'm Nina, currently living in Singapore with my husband, two boys and - the star of the show - Jasper their/ our dog. My sons are @superboy - but, sadly, he's given up reading though he used to be keen - and @firelion; for Christmas 2021 they got Kindles in my desperate hope to use their love of technology to 'rekindle' their love of reading. (Update: it doesn't seem to be working very well although superboy did tell me he created an account for himself and downloaded some GNs. No idea if he actually read any of them, though.)

I met the 75 book challenge in 2020, for the first time since joining the Challenge in 2010 and exceeded it, finally reading 89 books in the year. In 2021 I made it again and read 92 books. I started a new hobby during the pandemic; I bought a die machine and started making birthday cards for family and friends as a hobby; it takes a lot longer than it looks like it does so it cuts into my reading time (I really should try more audio books) but I'm enjoying the creative process. I only managed 53 books in 2022 and 61 in 2023 - maybe this year, again?

My preferred reading genres are fantasy and sci-fi with a touch of golden age humour, mysteries and the occasional school story though I'll venture further afield (very) occasionally; after the pandemic, I'm giving romance a bit more leeway, though it's been hit and miss. I also have a heap of cookbooks which, really, I ought to crack open and experiment with.

We renovated our kitchen in 2023 (starting in April ... and we're within touching distance of finishing, at the beginning of 2024) and it sort of spread to other parts of the house (in some instances, through necessity like the attic under-floor which had been nibbled away by termites) and hopefully this year I can try out more of those cookbooks.

   
Upcycled bottle window; kitchen mosaic I designed in 2023; inspired by the bathroom mosaic I designed in 2019


Upcycled bottles - our new washroom

>2 humouress: ticker & covers (this thread)

>3 humouress: books (this thread; 1st quarter) March
>4 humouress: February
>5 humouress: January

>6 humouress: constellation
>7 humouress: icons
>8 humouress: reading inspirations

>9 humouress: currently reading
>10 humouress: bookmarks & book bullets
>11 humouress: reviews outstanding

>12 humouress: Alphabetical roots
>13 humouress: Acquisitions for the year

>14 humouress: welcome in!


75 Book Challenge 2023 thread 4.

🌳 ROOTs Humouress sets ROOTs for 2024
🐉 Green Dragon Humouress drops by in 2024

March

23. 22. 21. 20.

19. 18. 17.

February

16. 15. 14.

13. 11.

January

10. 9. 8.

7. 6. 4&5.

3. 2. 1.

  Total books read for 2022 (goal = 75)




01.04.2024


Reviews posted

(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

March

✔     23) Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener & the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton (BBC adaptation) ( / 2010)
✔     22) Same Time Next Summer by Annabelle Monaghan (2023)
✔     21) The Guidal; Discovering Puracordis by Roxy Eloise (2021)
✔       20) Off Season by Clive Fleury (2024)
✔   19) Paragon Lost by Dave Duncan (2002)
✔     18) The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston (2023)
✔     17) A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers (2020)

so far:

03 ROOTs; 01 is a physical book
                 02 are LT/ER e-books
04 library books (e-books) of which one is an audiobook

review posted/ rated/ written/ read/ (released)
✔ /  / (#) / Title

February

✔       16) Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (2011)
✔     15) Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (2022)
✔   14) The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (2013)
✔     13) The Four Forges by Jenna Rhodes (2006)
✔   12) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen (2019)
✔       11) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (2023)

06 library books, of which one is a re-read and one is an audiobook.

A couple of these may make it onto my shelves at some point.

ETA: I've bought the Lockwood & Co. series and the Merciful Crow duology, so

02 ROOTs (of which both are new acquisitions)

review posted/ rated/ written/ read
✔ /  / (#) / Title

January

✔     10) Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater (2020)
✔       09) Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho (2020)
✔     08) The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain (2007)
✔     07) Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan (2022)
✔     06) Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig (2023)
✔     04) & 05) Agatha Raisin and The Quiche of Death & The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton {BBC adaptation} (2010)
✔     03) The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (2005)
✔     02) Good Neighbours: The Full Collection by Stephanie Burgis (2022)
✔   01) Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith (2010)

03 ROOTs, of which one is a re-read.
07 library books, of which one is an audiobook.

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) so I'm back in business. The codes are now enshrined in my profile.

Reading at home :

‘Waiting for the boys to finish classes’ book :

Bedtime reading :Tashi series (yes, still)

Kindle :

Downtime : Skulduggery Pleasant

Sometimes I make notes on Litsy (also as humouress) as I'm reading so I tuck them in after my reviews.

school parents' Book club (on holiday)(it seems to have faltered)

SF/F Book club Six of Crows (we haven't had a chance to meet & discuss for a while)(this was pre-pre covid; doesn't look like it's gonna happen)

online story

LT Early Reviewers

e-book

audio book

own book/ ROOTs (Read Our Own Tomes)

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

(Things in Jars
Dune)

Holds

 
The Librarian of Crooked Lane

Holds
The Golem and the Djinni

Hills

Holds
Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Libraries:

     

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) - I stalled on my re-read of the second sub-series but I ought to try and finish it ... sometime
***The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan (relaxed group read starting January 2019) - making progress ...
{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) finished in December 2023
Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan (group read starting January 2019) - pottering on with this one, too

Discworld: Death - Terry Pratchett (group read 2023 starting with Mort in February) - didn't do well with this, either

Ooh, what about...

Lunar Chronicles
Vatta/Honor Harrington
*Ready Player One
Earthsea book 1

*sigh* ... at some point in the future

ETA: not much progress in 2023 either - except for the Belgariad. I've also read book 3, The Dragon Reborn of The Wheel of Time, in preparation for the TV series; I've watched up to the end of series 1 so far.

Currently reading

(quotes)

10 bookmarks

Book bullets
The School for Good and Evil book bullet shot by @The_Hibernator
A Pale Light in the Black book bullet shot by @ronincats
The Girl of Fire and Thorns / The Shadow Cats book bullet shot by @foggidawn
The Crow Folk book bullet shot by @Jackie_K

Reviews outstanding

2023


January
3, 4, 5
March
10, 11, 14
June
21, 26, 27
August
35, 37, 38
November
52, 54, 55, 56
December
61

Oh yes; I decided I would try to read books off my shelf alphabetically by author. If I can do two a month I should get through the alphabet by the end of the year ie A and B in January; C and D in February and so on. Of course there are some letters (like Q and X) that I don't have any authors for but it's just an experimental idea at this point.

A = Atwater, Olivia - Half a Soul : January
B = Britain, Kristen - The High King's Tomb : January (re-read)
C
D = Duncan, Dave - Paragon Lost : March
E = Eloise, Roxy - Guidal: Discovering Puracordis : March
F = Fleury, Clive - Off Season : March
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

... but: Acquisitions for the year



Ordered at the end of last year and delivered this month:
1- Penric's Labors
2- The Time of the Dark (Darwath Trilogy, Book 1)
3- The Walls of Air (Darwath Trilogy, Book 2)
4- The Armies of Daylight (Darwath Trilogy, Book 3)
5- Deathless Gods (Kencyrath)
6- Furysong (THE AURELIAN CYCLE)
7- Moonshine

Can't Hurt Me : Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - Clean Edition (requested by my son)
The Detective : The addictive, edge-of-your-seat mystery and Sunday Times crime book of the year (requested by my husband; pre-ordered which delayed the delivery)
Le Secret de la Licorne - a Tintin book in French to (hopefully) help my younger son with language.

And I did get gifted a book on orchids by my mum but that was for Christmas, so it counts as last year.

14 Welcome in!



For once, we had a quiet New Year's Eve at home, together with my parents who were visiting from Down Under. And to complete the family, we video called my sister and put it up on the huge screen in the boy-cave and played a team board game. So this is a photo of our Christmas tree, presented by Jasper (before he tried to eat his hat).

I've been lurking on LT when I had the time, so I apologise if I didn't wish you for the season on your thread (though I may have dropped by). Wishing everyone joy, good health and happiness for 2024!

 

Let the reading commence.

Happy reading in 2024, Nina!

>14 humouress: Hi Anita! You're the first one here. I hope I didn't keep you waiting at the door for too long ;0)

Welcome in.

>16 humouress: No waiting involved, Nina, I just jumped in when I saw the welcome ;-)

>17 FAMeulstee: Well Jasper loves welcoming friends. I hope he didn't thump you too hard with his tail.

Happy New Year and new thread!

Happy new year, Nina! Dropping off a star :)

Merry 2024, Nina!

Happy new year!

Happy new year, Nina!

Happy New Year!

Howdy neighbour!

Star dropped across the causeway. xx
Happy 2024.

Happy New Year which, of course, means Happy Reading!!

Happy new Year Nina, I bet you are enjoying being back in the kitchen finally.

>19 foggidawn: Thank you foggi!

>20 curioussquared: Happy New Year Natalie.

>21 richardderus: Thanks Richard. And the same to you.

>22 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita.

>23 drneutron: Thanks Jim. And thank you for hosting the group again.

>24 SandDune: Thanks Rhian!

>25 PaulCranswick: Happy 2024 to you too, Paul. Will I lose you to cooler climes this year?

>26 Berly: Thanks Kim. Happy New Year and Happy Reading to you too.

>27 avatiakh: Thank you Kerry.

There are still a few bits than need doing but it's time to pull out the recipe books, I think. It's not something I'm traditionally enthusiastic about but I've been planning to start with the new kitchen. At the moment, my eldest son seems to be getting the most use out of it, especially the new all-bells-and-whistles oven - it smells delicious (right now, in fact) but he only cooks for himself, usually :0/

Good luck with your 2024 reading! I did the same thing with my grandsons, who read all the time until about age 16-17. I bought them an ereader, but all they do (at least from what I have seen) is play games on them! I even gave them access to my Amazon account and told them they could add books, but not a one yet. ***Crying!***

Happy New Year, Nina! Here's to good reading and good cooking!

Hi Nina!

Wishing you a great one!

>37 Tess_W: Thank you Tess.

Yesterday my youngest announced that he's going to stop reading, because the Skulduggery Pleasant series has come to an end. But then he looked it up and apparently there's a new, linked series starting - so there may be hope still. He loves the series and has read the books several times. I've picked up the first one three or four times but haven't made it to the end, I'm not quite sure why.

>38 ronincats: Happy New Year to you too, Roni! Thanks for the wishes.

>39 quondame: Ooh, thanks Susan. Penguin fireworks!

Wishing you the same.

Happy 2024, Nina. Good luck with your reading but 75 is only a number, any reading is good! Well, you know that, witness the efforts with your son. (I tried with mine but it didn't take.)

>43 Familyhistorian: Thank you Meg. Wishing you the same.

I'll take what I can get, reading-wise, but I can always hope - at the beginning of the year - that I'll hit the target by December. As for my sons, they both got off to a rip-roaring start and were ahead of their age in pre-school and the first years of primary - but it petered out once they discovered computers and gaming. My husband talked me into getting a PS5 as our Christmas present to both of them. *sigh*

>44 humouress: That's where storytelling is headed, Nina. The games are all scripted, of course, but more intricately than I suspected. I don't care for staring at other peoples' visions of stories as much as seeing my own inside my head, but that's not the way the society of storylovers is headed. At least they're still using their imaginations to solve puzzles. *sigh* I wish I liked it better.

Happy new year of reading Nina!

Hoping you are having a great Sunday, neighbour.

>45 richardderus: I suppose that’s something. But they also watch videos of people playing the games - I can’t see what’s so fascinating about that.

>46 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks Kro! Wishing you the same.

>47 PaulCranswick: Sunday and Monday were pretty decent, thanks Paul.

1) Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

{first in Dobrenica trilogy; fantasy, Zenda, Ruritanian romance, adventure}(2010)



I like Smith’s Sartorias-deles series (starting with the Inda tetralogy) and Roni recommended this series to me. I recently re-read Prisoner of Zenda 💔and I really enjoyed Smith’s Crown & Court. I was in the mood for a fantasy with a (clean) romance so this is my first pick for the year.

Aurelia (named after her grandmother) Kim Murray - known as Kim - from Los Angeles has made a trip to Europe on a tight budget to try to solve the family mystery of where her mum and grandmother originally came from. While there she is kidnapped, having been mistaken for a missing duchess (also named Aurelia, though she prefers to be called Ruli) and consequently finds answers to her questions - which just lead to more questions. So she travels to the tiny, oft-overlooked kingdom of Dobrenica (where the missing Ruli hails from) to look for more answers and inadvertently becomes embroiled in their politics which leads to more adventures.

This is a modern day Ruritanian romance, but with a touch of fantasy, very much based on Prisoner of Zenda which book Smith mentions several times in her story, down to the nickname of the missing royalty: Ruli instead of Rudy. There were a couple of spots where I thought Kim jumped to a conclusion too fast, or maybe we just weren’t on the same wavelength, but that was a passing niggle.

While it may not be quite as rollicking as Prisoner of Zenda it still has plenty of swash and buckle, especially for a contemporary novel; Kim is an accomplished dancer and fencer (she has had to abandon her university team's fencing competition for her trip). The ending felt a bit abrupt but it is the first in trilogy and - because I had read the synopsises of the next two books - I was anticipating the twist.

So, if you haven’t read the synopses for the other books yet, then don’t.

I am looking forward to reading the sequels. (I just hope there's no Rupert of Hentzau plot waiting for me, though Tony (the character based on Rupert) is still lurking in the wings.)

(January 2024)
4.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

I like Smith’s Sartorias-deles series and was recommended this series. I recently read ‘Prisoner of Zenda’ 💔and I really enjoyed Smith’s ‘Crown & Court’. I’m I the mood for a fantasy with a (clean) romance so this is my first pick for the year. Nearly halfway through and enjoying it.
Kim is in Europe trying to solve the family mystery of where her mum and gran came from. She’s mistaken for missing royalty and finds answers - and more questions

Very much based (and acknowledged) on ‘P of Z’, down to the nickname of the missing royalty: Ruli (short for Aurelia) instead of Rudy

Hi and happy new year! I have read and enjoyed many of the sff series you have listed and I look forward to seeing what you read this year. I'm especially excited to hear your feedback on Jennifer Roberson's Chronicles of the Cheysuli.

Hello, happy new year and welcome, Robyn! I see we have 131 books in common (although some of them I borrowed and read rather than own and some of them I own but haven’t read yet).

You remind me that I need to get back to the Cheysuli series. I loved it when I read it the first time around but my re-read seems to have stuttered to a halt at the moment.

Hello, Nina, and happy new year! Thread found and starred.

I'm glad your kitchen is finally ready for use. Hoping whatever odds and ends remain will be finished soon.

>6 humouress: I like your rating system. I didn't post mine this year but plan to go back and add one to the top of my thread for this year soon, when I get some time. I especially like your "Writing is hard. I appreciate the work the author did" for 2 stars. I haven't been able to think of anything for my 2 star rating, so I may just borrow that.

Wishing you a great year of reading!

>54 atozgrl: Happy New Year Irene! I hope you have a great reading year too.

Thank you. Borrow away. Though, of course, I will take a commission; a book a year should suffice :0) Mind you, I don't know if I've ever rated a book as low as 2 stars. Maybe just the once?

Glad to see you getting to the Sherwood Smith, nothing outstanding but just fun adventure.

>55 humouress: So then I'll pay the commission if I rate something 2 stars?

I don't think I've ever actually rated something 2 stars either; I was just trying to cover all the bases. I have, however, given a book 1/2 a star.

>57 atozgrl: 1/2 a star?! I don't think I'd even finish a book if I was going to give it 1/2 a star. What book was it?

Happy new year

>56 ronincats: It was fun. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it but once I started I whizzed through it in about a day and a half (decently fast for me).

>57 atozgrl: (You do know I was just joking, right? But go ahead and send me the books anyway if you feel so inclined ;0))

Hmm; I'll have to work on the logistics of that one.

>58 Berly: I think I was so annoyed with one book I gave it a half star rating so the rating would register.

I'm also curious as to Irene's book.

>59 ariaaaana: Thank you. Happy New Year to you too.

>61 humouress: Yes, I did realize you were joking. :-)

>58 Berly: >62 humouress: It was 1421 : the year China discovered America which got quite a bit of coverage when it came out. I believe there was even a piece on NPR. But it was just bad history.

2) Good Neighbours: the Full Collection by Stephanie Burgis

{stand-alone/ omnibus Good Neighbours 1-4; fantasy, magic, necromancy, romance, light & fun}(2022)

 

Told in the first person, this is a collection of short series about Mia (who has metallurgical powers, hitherto unknown in this world) who lives, with her dad, next door to the unfairly attractive, outrageous necromancer Leander Fabian. A light and fun fantasy romance.

This reads as obviously a collection rather than a novel even though the chapters follow a timeline because information is reintroduced at the beginning of chapters. In spite of that, it works fairly well as one narrative, which is how I read it; usually I rate individual stories in a collection individually and then average out for the book but I'm rating this one as one story.

1 - Good Neighbours

Mia and her father have, despite the friendly warnings from the locals who are suspicious of spellcrafters (not realising that Mia has magical powers), recently moved next door to a necromancer's castle. But Mia has secrets of her own and is happy to leave her neighbour alone and be left alone - until he sends his undead minions to her home.

This was fun and it looked like Burgis had fun writing this story.

2 - Deadly Courtesies

Mia perforce agrees to accompany Leander to the Necromancers' Ball to be his second in a duel, accoutred in a metal dress of her own design. And maybe her new ally will turn into something more than just an ally ... if she'll let him.

Not quite as light-hearted as the first but Mia proves she's no damsel in distress, even if she has to create her own magical dress.

3 - Fine Deceptions

Mia's dad and Leander's mentor find an excuse to send them to the other side of the country together - everyone seems to know how they feel about each other except Mia herself. Once there, they find the city even more prejudiced against spellcrafters than anything they've yet experienced, to the extent that the local magic wielders are living in hiding in fear of their lives.

A little bit more serious but still fun.

4 - Fierce Company

The prejudices Mia and Leander encountered in their last adventure follow them home to roost. And, more scarily perhaps, Mia meets Leander's family.

Also deals with serious issues but fun and with a happily ever after ending.

(January 2024)
3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Told in the first person, collection of short series about Mia (who has hitherto unknown metallurgical powers) who lives, with her dad, next door to the unfairly attractive necromancer Leander Fabian. A light and fun fantasy romance. Obviously a collection rather than a novel even though the chapters follow a timeline because information is reintroduced at the beginning of chapters.

3) The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

{first of 5 of Penderwicks series; children's, summer holidays, adventure, family, friends}(2005)

Subtitled 'A summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits and a very interesting boy'.

 

I took a book bullet for this one last year. My apologies, but I don't remember who fired it - I tend to go straight to the Overdrive websites for my three libraries when I come across an interesting book in someone's thread and hunt around hoping I find it, by which time I've forgotten who sent me there. Often, though, it tends to be a few mentions over time which indicates that the book hit the spot with more than one LT friend.

This was a National Book Award winner and has a gentle ambience but keeps you reading. It took me back to the books I grew up with though this is 21st century America and the classics I read were set in early 20th century Britain. It has that vibe of timeless, innocent summer holidays adventure without being saccharine - the dog running away, the children being chased by a bull or just counting frogs in the lily pond - plus it shows (doesn't tell) the interactions and tight bonds between the protagonists.

And they are: Rosalind, the responsible eldest Penderwick sister at twelve years old (and a half) who will be going into seventh grade after the summer; Skye, the only blonde haired, blue eyed sister, who is eleven and a bit of a maths prodigy;

'Cagney, these four are my pride and joy. The one with blond hair is my second daughter, Skye -'
'Blue Skye, blue eyes,' said Skye, opening wide her blue eyes to demonstrate.
'That's how you can remember which one she is,' said Jane. 'Blue eyes and straight blond hair. The rest of us have identical brown eyes and dark curly hair. People get me and Rosalind mixed up all the time.'

Jane is ten and writes books about her heroine Sabrina Starr for the family to read and she's also a great football (soccer) player. Batty, named after their mum, is four (though she does come across as more intelligible than most four year olds I've met) and the only one who really understands what

big, black, clumsy, lovable Hound Penderwick

is saying. Of course there's their dad, who is a botany professor and always throwing out Latin phrases, and they meet Jeffrey - the mysterious boy at the window - who lives at Arundel. And Arundel itself, a mansion in the Berkshire mountains {for those, like me, who don't know where that is, it's a subrange of the Appalachians located in west Massachusetts/ northwest Connecticut according to Wikipedia; far as I know, Berkshire is an English county} with gardens that Mrs Tifton, the snooty owner (who always mixes up Jane and Skye), wants to win the local garden contest. But the Penderwick family have taken the cottage in the grounds for the summer. And Mrs Tifton doesn't know that Hound is part of the family ...

I enjoyed this book and its ambience. It doesn't seem to have an unputdown-ness to it but I devoured it in a day or so between dentist visits and having family over for dinner. The Penderwick family are close, having lost their mother about four years ago, but the characters are not idealised - you can still see there is friction between the sisters at times. Fortunately they do have the MOOPS (Meetings Of the Older Penderwick Sisters) and MOPS (all four sisters) to enable them to uphold the Penderwick Family Honour. Their dad doesn't interfere with their holiday plans but when he does have to step in, he seems to be a fairly wise parent. And I liked Jeffrey; though an only child, he doesn't come across as spoiled and I was impressed by the way he interacts with Batty, the four year old. I love Hound. He's not Jasper but I can see the similarity in thinking.

I really like the illustration that heads each chapter, too - it encapsulates the idea of children enjoying their summer holiday. (It seems to have been used as a cover on many editions of the book, too, but not the one I borrowed.)



Read it. It's a joyful, summery story with a lot of love and friendship to counteract the stresses of everyday life.

(January 2024)
4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Subtitled ‘A summer tale of 4 sisters, 2 rabbits and a very interesting boy‘. The motherless Penderwick girls (aged 4, 10, 11 & 12) + dad and their dog, Hound, are on their summer holidays in a rented cottage in Massachusetts attached to a mansion and, of course, have adventures. Same vibes as the books I grew up with - though they were set in early C20th UK. This was written in 2005.
Halfway through. Lots of fun.

I loved all the Pendwicks books 😊 They have a timeless, old-fashioned feel to them despite their relative modernity.

>67 curioussquared: I suspect it was you who fired the fatal BB.

I read through a few of the LT reviews of this book and they all felt the same way about it.

>68 humouress: Possibly, although I read them several years ago!

>55 humouress: Well, I finally did meet a book I rated 2 stars. I had to reread The Catcher in the Rye for my book club this month, and I just didn't like it. I wound up giving it the 2 stars. I probably would have given it 1.5, but gave it the benefit of the doubt since it's considered a classic.

>70 curioussquared: Maybe the first shot, then.

>71 atozgrl: Oh dear, I hope we didn't jinx it. I haven't read the book myself; what did the rest of your book club think?

>73 humouress: We won't be meeting until the end of the month, so I'll have to report back after we meet. I had read it for class in high school and didn't remember any of it, other than I didn't like it then either. It didn't grow on me, obviously.

>74 atozgrl: I'll wait to see what they say. Somehow, you're not tempting me to read it :0)

>75 humouress: Ha! I guess not!

Maybe it appeals more to young males.

>76 atozgrl: I'll see if either of my boys are interested though my guess (given their current enthusiasm for reading) is no.

My youngest declared a couple of weeks ago that, since the Skulduggery Pleasant series has come to an end, he's going to stop reading. Fortunately on our last foray to Books K we discovered a new SP book so all is not lost (yet). If anyone has suggestions for anything similar, reading-wise, for a fifteen year old boy I'd be grateful.

4) & 5) Agatha Raisin and The Quiche of Death & The Vicious Vet by M.C. Beaton

{first two of 34+3 in Agatha Raisin series; detective, murder, village life, Cotswolds, comedy, audiobook, BBC adaptation}(2010)

 

I've enjoyed watching Ashley Jensen portraying the titular Agatha Raisin in the TV adaptation of M.C. Beaton's series and I came across them (probably in my Recommendations) and thought I'd give the books a go. Since there was an audiobook of the first two available at one of my libraries I decided to give listening while I work (or, more accurately, potter) another try. These books are narrated by a full cast (including brass band sound effects) with Penelope Keith as Agatha. I loved hearing her voice with those 'To the Manor Born' tones which suited the character in a different way from Jensen's take.

ETA: I suspect, from reading a few other reviews, that I listened to an abbreviated/ adapted version; some of the incidents didn't happen in the book I borrowed (who's Doris?) and the cat's name was different. But I didn't find Agatha as abrasive or unlikeable as some people seem to have found her; in this edition she resembled Jensen's version quite a bit. I did wonder how I whizzed through two audiobooks so quickly. Maybe I'll rethink my complete conversion to this media ...

The Quiche of Death

Agatha Raisin, having started a PR firm in London, made it successful and sold it for a fortune (or at least for more than the cost of a cottage in the Cotswolds) has now moved to said cottage and wants to integrate into Carsely village life. To this end she enters a local baking competition - and orders Roy, her former employee, to buy a quiche from the best quiche shop in London. Despite her nefarious plan, she doesn't win - but the judge does take it home to have for dinner. When he's later found dead from cowbane poisoning from the quiche, Agatha falls under suspicion.

So of course she's not going to take that sitting down and sets about proving her innocence, totally upsetting the police investigation. And she makes classic mistakes, like being alone with the murderer when she accuses them - which are pointed out to her when it's just too late. Fortunately she has friends in local policeman Bill Wong who is also considered an outsider by the locals (though he's a Gloucestershire lad born and bred, his dad is half Chinese) and Chivers, the orange (marmalade?) kitten he leaves with her to foster.

3.5 stars
The Vicious Vet

A handsome new vet moves into the village and Agatha gets a new neighbour - James, an ex-military colonel who just wants to be left alone to write his book on British military history without having to fend off all the single ladies bringing food to his door. Though Paul, the vet, has plenty of female admirers who consider him a miracle worker for their pets, one elderly lady claims that her Charlie had no reason to die. When Paul, and later his accuser, are found dead due to accidents Agatha thinks it's time to stick her nose in.

I found the way Agatha bosses James around hilarious. And he, colonel that he was, must enjoy their detective work because he goes along with her escapades without much protest. Or not until afterwards, anyway - at which point he's quite voluble.

3.5 stars (rounding down for animal cruelty)

(January 2024)
3.5 stars plus an extra half star for the audio. 4.0 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Just finished listening to 'Quiche of Death' full cast audio (including brass band sound effects). Love hearing Penelope Keith's voice. Though I enjoyed watching Ashley Jensen in the TV adaptation, those 'To the Manor Born' tones are great to hear and suit the character well. 😃
On to 'Vicious Vet'!

Hi Nina! >1 humouress: The 75 book goal is fun, but I don't pay much attention to it. I read over 75 last year because 2/3 of what I read were picture chapter books to IL5. We're happy to have you regardless of what you read.

>77 humouress: I think Catcher in the Rye is quite different from what he's been reading, so it may not do it. Unfortunately, I don't know what's appealing to adolescent boys these days, so I don't have anything to suggest.

Oh dear. The National Library just sent me an e-mail with my borrowing trends for the whole of last year. I borrowed 48 e-books from them which puts me in the top 16% of readers. That would be nationally (for Singapore) across all formats (physical books, e-books and audio books). And my genre is Literature (sub-genres Fantasy, Romance & Thrillers).

Surely more people read than that? This must include kids, too. I used to take my son to the library pretty much every week when he was in pre-school and we'd get through ... I can't remember now, but at least (possibly more than) three books at a time, I'm sure.

And Literature, to me, is the classics like Austen - or even The Catcher in the Rye.

>79 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! Thanks for coming over. I'm still partway through doing the first round - I'm currently trying to tidy up my study and shelve the last of the books so I can move the coffee table back out and bring in a reading chair which is still in the storage locker, so I haven't paid much attention to the social side of LT though I'm lurking here and there.

I know it's not mandatory or anything to read 75 books in a year - but I did make it twice (during the pandemic years) so I'm determined to at least try. I usually have a couple of dry months that put me behind and then I don't manage to catch up, even if I have a really good (for me) month.

I was tempted to get the Mr. Men books out at the end of last year - but I discovered that they were still in storage ;0)

>80 atozgrl: I had a look at the synopsis and some reviews of Catcher and I can't really see him reading it either. I've filled a shelf with the books that were considered childhood classics when I was young 🦖 but (apart from a couple that I read aloud to him/ him and his brother) they haven't been touched. For some reason.🦕

>65 humouress: Stephanie Burgis is an author I enjoy. This book is probably one of her lightest, but I really enjoy her Regency and Victorian fantasies most.

>84 ronincats: Hi Roni! Good to see you.

I've read her Harwood Spellbook novellas which were fun and light, too. I'll look into those others, thanks.

Happy Monday!

>81 humouress: I do believe that there are less people reading/taking books out from the library. Most kids go to the library to play in the kids area or participate in special activities. I see less children leaving with books. Definitely different from my time where I took out so many books that my parents had to enforce a weekly reading limit!

6) Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

{second in Shepherd King duology; fantasy, teen romance, dark magic}(2023)

 

This is the second and final part of the Shepherd King's story and we discover it via Elspeth in the Nightmare's mind and flashbacks (the Nightmare being an entity who has been intertwined with Elspeth since her childhood).

But Ravyn knew better. No promise comes without payment. Blunder was a place of magic - barters and bargains. Nothing was free. 'What does the Shepherd King want?' he asked the girl-spirit. 'What is he after?'
'Balance,' she answered, head tilting like a bird of prey. 'To right terrible wrongs. To free Blunder from the Rowans.' Her yellow eyes narrowed, wicked and absolute. 'To collect his due.'

Wild magic used to exist, granted by the Spirit of the Woods. Legend says the Shepherd King tricked the Spirit into giving him magic, with which he created twelve types of Providence Cards which controlled magic so people no longer needed to make offerings to her. In revenge the Spirit surrounded his country of Blunder with a magical mist which cut it off from its surrounding countries. Children caught in the mist run the risk of 'infection' which gives them unknown, uncontrollable magic which is never the same and which usually results in degeneration, of mind, body, spirit or all three.

There are two threads to this story; one is the desperate race by Ravyn (pronounced like the bird's name), Elspeth, Elm, Jespyr and company to collect the complete Deck of magical Providence Cards (including the missing sole Twin Alders card) before Solstice, at which point of the year magic is strongest (and before Ravyn's and Jespyr's brother, Emory, dies from the degeneration caused by the infection), to free the country of Blunder from the magical mist and the other is the story of the Shepherd King and how he originally created the Cards. One Dark Window featured the attraction between Ravyn and Elspeth while in this book his cousin Elm (the king's younger son) finds a partner for whom he is willing to risk almost everything.

Though it continues straight on from the previous book, Two Twisted Crowns doesn't feel quite the same; for one thing it doesn't have the rhymes scattered liberally through it. The overall impression I'm left with is tangled tree branches in the mist (yes, like the cover). I may have read this book in a bit of a rush because I don't remember the details - I had to go back to re-read the end to remember exactly how it went - and, to be honest, I wasn't in the right mood for teen (oh, alright, they were both 22) romance - but that's just me. And Gillig seems to have taken the old adage for writers to do the worst thing they can to their protagonist to heart - so many times everything was in place for our heroes to go ahead and win the day when they were blindsided - usually by Hauth - which set everything back to naught again.

A flash of red. 'Don't move,' came Hauth's voice. 'Don't even speak.'
Salt stung Elm's senses. His mind skittered to a halt, locking his muscles along with it. He was frozen

Though the main story is rounded off and finished, I thought this book raised more questions than it answered - why, for instance, does the magic of the Spirit of the Woods come with salt and why does the Spirit come from the sea in land- and mist-locked Blunder? I also thought Brutus Rowan got a bit of a short shift; I can see why he took the actions he did but he and his descendants are made into the villains of the story (admittedly deservedly so, in some cases).

A good finish but more confusing than the first book.

(January 2024)
3.75 stars

>87 humouress: A good finish but more confusing than the first book.

Goddesses only know *I* feel utterly at sea....

Happy new weeks reading, Nina!

>88 richardderus: Thank you Richard!

I hope that's not a generalised feeling. If it's from reading my review, it's not complete yet. I was just putting down my thoughts for now.

I just picked up an actual physical book from the library yesterday!! Mostly I have been using the Kindle or audio formats, especially thru Covid, but I need to read Chenneville for a shared read and the other formats weren't available for months. When I was a kid, regular library visits were a must, and I always took out whatever the max was.

>90 Berly: I know what you mean; the last time I went to a physical library was when I was in Sydney in April.

It's always a juggle, trying to decide which books you want to take home and which will have to wait until next time. And I think at the library when I was growing up we could take out fewer books - and, of course, you'd have to go back to the library to renew them. I was actually banned (by my parents) from the library during term time because I was more likely to read (fiction) than do my homework otherwise.

7) Nora Goes off Script by Annabel Monaghan (read by Hillary Huber)

{stand-alone; romance, family, non-steamy} (2022)

 

Nora is a script writer for a romance channel living in the small town of Laurel Ridge in upstate New York and she produces scripts which all have the same formula. Her husband, Ben, recently left her and their two children and mostly what Nora felt was relief. Relief that he left her the kids and the house (which she loves but he didn't), relief that he would no longer be blowing their meagre savings on unnecessary extravagances (usually for himself) or belittling her work, in spite of the fact that she was the only one earning a steady income. I love the way Monaghan describes the house and its surroundings.

This house is a disaster, sure. But I fell in love with it when I first looked down the long windy path of the driveway. The magnolia trees that line either side touch in the middle, so that now, in April, you drive through a tunnel of pink flowers. When you emerge onto the main road it feels like you've been transported from one world to another, like a bride leaving the church. It feels like a treat going out for milk, and it feels like a treat coming home.
The house was built by a British doctor named George Faircloth who lived in Manhattan and came upstate to Laurel Ridge in the summer, which explains the complete lack of winterization. It was built to be enjoyed on a seventy-eight-degree day and primarily from the outside. I imagine his landscaping this property like a maestro, arranging the magnolias and the forsythia beneath them to announce the beginning of spring. After a long gray winter, these first pink and yellow blooms shout, "Something's happening!" By May they'll have gone green with the rest of the yard, a quiet before the peonies and hydrangea bloom.

Somehow, though, her feelings about her husband worked their way out in a script that her agent got excited about and sold to Hollywood to make a film for the big screen rather than the romance channel to make a TV movie. The story opens at sunrise at Nora's home on the day that the film company, with the two current hottest movie stars - Leo Vance and Naomi Sanchez - are coming to start filming in the tea house on her back lawn.

The first morning we woke up here, I got up at first light because we didn't have any curtains yet. I took my coffee to the front porch, and the sunrise was the surprise of my life. I'd never seen the house at six A.M. I didn't even know we were facing east. It was like a gift with purchase, a reward for loving this broken place.
I stand on the porch now, taking it in before the movie crew arrives. Pink ribbons, then orange creep up behind the wide-armed oak tree at the end of my lawn. The sun rises behind it differently every day. Some days it's a solid bar of sherbet that rolls up like movie credits and fills the sky. Some days the light dapples through the leaves in a muted gray. The oak won't have leaves for a few weeks, just tiny yellow and white blooms pollinating one another and promising a lawn full of acorns. My lawn is its best self in April, particularly in the morning when it's dew-kissed and catching the light. I don't know the science behind all of it, but I know the rhythm of this property like I know my own body. The sun will rise here every single day.

After filming wraps, and Nora can have her tea house and lawn back, Leo stays on longer ... and longer as he finds this small town the perfect place to detox from his dehumanised life. Nora takes him shopping to her discount grocery store, where he is blown away by the simplicity and by being able to buy his own produce rather than someone delegated to do his shopping for him. And, of course, Nora and Leo (you know the type - hot, sexy, six foot two, smoulders at you) start to fall for each other.

Meanwhile, Nora is juggling being a mum to 8 year old Bernadette and 10 year old Arthur (who's getting to the age where kids are too cool to know you). Bernie is easy going but Arthur (who was never sporty enough for his dad) wants to try out for the school play. Despite telling him not to get into acting, Leo agrees to help him learn lines - and the kids start to bond with him, as he does with them. Of course, nothing perfect lasts in the middle of romance novels and things fall apart. How will Nora and the kids and Leo find their happily ever after - and will it be the one that they thought that they were heading for?

So this was mostly the usual romance formula but it had two plus points for me: 1- no steam and 2- believable kids. I really liked it. There were no 'bad guys' except for the big misunderstanding - which, in itself, was plausible - (and the 'why didn't they communicate?') but everyone around them was rooting for them - or at least for Nora, since it was narrated in first person from her point of view. It was also nice meeting both Nora and Leo's families and good that her sister, Penny, was an important part of her support system.

I liked the narration by Hillary Huber, too; she does a good job of creating different voices, especially of the kids (though I was a bit startled initially when everyone spoke with an American accent, because they wouldn't have sounded like that in my head if I'd been reading it myself). This was a feel-good story. I could read more by this author.

(January 2024)
3.75 stars

Litsy notes

Just starting. Love the description of the garden. And house.

Hillary Huber narrates the audiobook and does a good job of creating different voices, especially of the kids. (Though I confess that if I'd read the book, they wouldn't have had an American accent in my head 🤗; I'm giving audiobooks a go, to see if I can be more productive and still 'read')

Litsy quotes

This house is a disaster, sure. But I fell in love with it when I first looked down the long windy path of the driveway. The magnolia trees that line either side touch in the middle, so that now, in April, you drive through a tunnel of pink flowers. When you emerge onto the main road it feels like you've been transported from one world to another, like a bride leaving the church. It feels like a treat going out for milk, and it feels like a treat coming home.
The house was built by a British doctor named George Faircloth who lived in Manhattan and came upstate to Laurel Ridge in the summer, which explains the complete lack of winterization. It was built to be enjoyed on a seventy-eight-degree day and primarily from the outside. I imagine his landscaping this property like a maestro, arranging the magnolias and the forsythia beneath them to announce the beginning of spring. After a long gray winter, these first pink and yellow blooms shout, "Something's happening!" By May they'll have gone green with the rest of the yard, a quiet before the peonies and hydrangea bloom.
I knew I'd do anything to live here when I saw the tea house in the back. It's a one-room structure the doctor had commissioned to honor the ritual of formal tea. Where the main house is flimsy white clapboard with peeling black shutters, the tea house is made of gray stone with a slate roof. It has a small working fireplace and oak-paneled walls. It's as if Dr. Faircloth reached over the pond and plucked it out of the English countryside. I distinctly remember hearing Ben use the word "shed" when we walked into it, and I ignored him the way you do when you're trying to stay married.
The first morning we woke up here, I got up at first light because we didn't have any curtains yet. I took my coffee to the front porch, and the sunrise was the surprise of my life. I'd never seen the house at six A.M. I didn't even know we were facing east. It was like a gift with purchase, a reward for loving this broken place.
I stand on the porch now, taking it in before the movie crew arrives. Pink ribbons, then orange creep up behind the wide-armed oak tree at the end of my lawn. The sun rises behind it differently every day. Some days it's a solid bar of sherbet that rolls up like movie credits and fills the sky. Some days the light dapples through the leaves in a muted gray. The oak won't have leaves for a few weeks, just tiny yellow and white blooms pollinating one another and promising a lawn full of acorns. My lawn is its best self in April, particularly in the morning when it's dew-kissed and catching the light. I don't know the science behind all of it, but I know the rhythm of this property like I know my own body. The sun will rise here every single day.

8) The High King's Tomb by Kristen Britain

{Third of 7+ in Green Rider series; fantasy, adventure, magic, re-read}(2007)



It's been over a decade since I read this and I wanted to get back to the series so I re-read this book; but it's been even longer since I re-read the first two books so I was a little lost at the beginning (as to why Karigan is sad and angry, for example) but I soon got back into the swing of things.

This starts (I vaguely recall) soon after the ending of the previous book. Karigan is now fully committed to being a Green Rider and has temporarily averted disaster for Sacoridia but no-one is certain how long that will last - and so the Green Riders and the king's advisors have to build their pitifully small defences without the benefit of magic knowledge which their ancestors had. Alton is at the Wall that holds back Blackveil Forest and struggling with his own magic but the D'Yer Wall is starting to fail so it is a race against time to rediscover the magic which was used to create it and shore up the wall before it is needed to hold back the forces of evil. The Wall guardians are annoyingly quirky and do things in their own time. Lady Estora is following her duty and is betrothed but has few real friends at court and wonders what the future holds in store for her. She meets a distant cousin of the king, named Amberhill, who has his own notions of honour. And King Zachary continues to be enigmatic though we do catch a brief glimpse of the man behind the mask, through Captain Mapstone's eyes:

She looked fondly upon Zachary who, when he was a boy, was like a little brother to her. Now he was a man full grown who had truly come into his kingship, every inch of him, his expression grave and his chin set.

The mysterious elves make an appearance and seem ready to discuss an alliance with the human Sacoridians, as well as providing a prophecy:

He simply spoke: "Ari-matiel Jametari says, 'The golden lady shall find safety only in green. A time shall come when black shrouds green, and among the dead a voice shall speak of stone.' "

The enemies of Sacoridia are delving into the secret of Green Rider magic. And a sinister character known as Grandmother is using dark magic to call together the descendants of Second Empire and bring Mornhavon the Black back.

After all her supernatural adventures Karigan is glad to be given a normal mission delivering messages on the other side of the country from Sacor city - even though she also has to take along a young Rider trainee whose attitudes to horses is less than ideal. Of course she and Fergal have adventures on the way as she gets a chance to revisit her old school (from the first book) and see old friends and go on to meet the family who train Rider horses.

But magic is not done with her yet.

I would really like to have had a map in this book as Karigan's and her friends' adventures take them all over the country. I liked seeing points of view other than Karigan's in this book. It sometimes seems that everything hinges on her, so it's good to see that other people also have an important part to play. There are quite a few threads running through this story, seen from different people's perspectives (and not all are Karigan's allies) and told concurrently which help keep the narrative flowing. I'll admit that I wasn't so keen on the love triangle (or should that be quadrangle?) and I was a bit disappointed with Karigan's behaviour towards Estora - although it does highlight the fact that she's as flawed a being as the rest of us humans.

I'm looking forward to continuing with the series - hopefully before I forget the details again. There's enough action and mystery behind the magic to keep the story flowing and a lot happens although we're still a bit in limbo by the end of the book with regards to the overarching story of how to deal with Mornhavon if and when he returns.

(January 2024)

Review posted in 2011
Karigan G'ladheon, heroine of the first two Green Rider novels, is off on another adventure. Although Sacoridia is celebrating the betrothal of King Zachary, and enjoying a temporary reprieve from the threat of Mornhavon the Black, unbeknown to them, a new threat is growing. The hidden descendants of Mornhavon's supporters are gathering to strike. Meanwhile, the D'Yer Wall, built to contain Mornhavon, is failing. Karigan, sent on an extended Rider mission, finds herself racing to save the kingdom once again, and in so doing, learns more about Rider magic and the royal tombs below the castle.

I like this series. Although I hit a slow spot in this book, about a third of the way in, it became a page-turner again, and I'm looking forward to reading the fourth book.

(May 2011)
3.5 stars stars

Litsy notes & quotes

It‘s been over a decade since I read this and I wanted to get back to the series so I‘m re-reading. But it‘s been even longer since I re-read the 1st 2 books so I‘m a little lost at the beginning (why Karigan is sad and angry for example). I‘m sure it‘ll come back to me as I go along.

I like seeing POVs other than Karigan‘s (Alton, Lady Estora). It sometimes seems that everything hinges on her, so it‘s good to see that other people also have a part to play.

9) Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

{stand alone; dating, Singapore/ Malaysia, tiger mum, family expectations}(2020)

 

A story about placating Tiger Mothers and meeting the expectations of Chinese families. Light and doesn’t take itself at all seriously.

Opens with the family Chinese New Year celebration (appropriately, Chinese New Year happens to be coming up in a couple of weeks) in Singapore of the Tang clan, at which Andrea Tang (a Malaysian Chinese) runs the gauntlet of inquisition by her aunties and discovers that she will soon be the last of her generation to not be married - a fate worse than death, by auntie standards. Having broken up with her long-term boyfriend the previous year, she decides to get back into the dating game, even going so far as to let her mother set her up with the son of a friend (read 'passing acquaintance'). She happens to meet an Indonesian Chinese billionaire but she also sneaks glances at her British Indian co-worker who is competing with her for the position of partner at their law firm - a long-held cherished dream of Andrea's. Or maybe her mum's.

I thought this would strike a chord with me, between the Singaporean setting and the tussles with family expectations. It was a decent effort but not for me. The characters didn't have enough depth for me to connect with them, nor much emotional chemistry with each other, that I could discern. Andrea and her friends have money to burn and quite happily do so (she's always acquiring a new designer handbag).

But what do I know, I'm just a poor everyman." I laughed a little self-consciously-what must this older man think of poor li'l entitled me moaning about life in my relatively pricey clothes and champagne and $350 cologne.

(I'm not sure if the author was trying to make a point here, but it wasn't expanded upon.) The girlfriends seem to spend a lot of their time partying which results in them being passed out drunk and spending the next day hung over. Of Andrea's two suitors, they seemed equally attractive to her/ attracted by her but I didn't feel we were shown why. So when she made her final choice, there wasn’t much between them, for me, and I could have seen her going for the other one. I did understand the case Ho was making for her not to choose him but it was a bit nebulous.

One thing that was good for me, personally, was that it was set in Singapore so some of the scenery/ geography was familiar; however I didn't feel that, though accurate, Ho gave it a sense of place for people not familiar to the country. Also on the plus side is that it is (fairly) cross-cultural; something that, to be perfectly honest, hasn’t quite been resolved in real life in this neck of the woods (see Andrea’s mother’s refusal to talk to her other child because she’s dating a Muslim man).

Another thing I liked - new discovery reading on Overdrive in my browser/ Libby on my iPad - was that it had little stars to denote Singapore-specific phrases and by clicking on them it would take me to the footnote.

I feel we can all relate, to some extent, to this little quote which prefaces the story:

Remember that your relatives are only human-
That means they can be killed.
-Andrea Tang Ancient Chinese Proverb

Hmm. Well, if it's an ancient Chinese proverb, maybe there's something in it?...

(January 2024)
2.5-3 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Remember that your relatives are only human-
That means they can be killed.
-Andrea Tang Ancient Chinese Proverb

Hmm. Well, if it's an ancient Chinese proverb, maybe there's something in it?

Appropriately, it starts at Chinese New Year, which happens to be coming up in a couple of weeks.

But what do I know, I'm just a poor everyman." I laughed a little self-consciously-what must this older man think of poor li'l entitled me moaning about life in my relatively pricey clothes and champagne and $350 cologne.

>94 humouress: I like the idea of having phrases neatly translated and or explained - I adore the way words and phrases can code so much,
but that doesn't seem enough of a motive to add it to my TBR.

>95 quondame: I was thrilled to discover that, myself. But it's an Overdrive/ Libby/ e-book feature, I'm sure, so it'll probably crop up elsewhere too. Most likely in non-fiction books though, I suspect.

Other people seem to like the book. I think if you go into it knowing that it's not deep and meaningful, that would manage expectations.

Argh!!! I've re-shelved the books that came back from storage and am now in the middle of addressing the books I've bought in the last couple of years which need book jackets, as well as older books which need new book jackets (because the original ones are too short/ big). But now I've discovered a powdery substance all over the shelves and everything has come to a grinding halt.

See here for details: https://www.librarything.com/topic/357888#n8388974
Advice appreciated.

I'm going to go and read a book. Hmf.

>94 humouress: That makes me so frustrated! The idea is such a great one, and to have it be of adequate-minus execution is maddening.

>89 humouress: A general life-feeling, I fear, like I got the book and it starts on p57 then skips to chapter 24. *sigh*

>77 humouress: I remember going to a talk by Derek Landy, he was quite entertaining. My kids got a book signed by him though they never read it. I read book 1 and found it ok but never continued with the series.
Mine were into Darren Shan's Demonata series in a big way, they drew and wrote fanfic. I read the Demonata & Darren Shan series just to be aware of what they liked. I enjoyed both for what they were. He wrote a good standalone The Thin Executioner.
Other writers I'd suggest are Philip Reeve, especially his Railhead trilogy or the Mortal Engines series & prequels.
Maybe Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co., not sure of the age level for these. I really liked his Heroes of the Valley & the Bartimaeus Sequence.
Other Irish YA writers: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, Peadar Ó Guilín's The Inferior & Oisinn McGann's Wildenstern Saga.
I'm a big fan of Robert Muchamore's Cherub series. I've read most of his books, his most recent series is a dystopian (probably middlegrade) young Robin Hood. Hacking, Heists & Flaming Arrows is the first book.
Patrick Ness is known for his Chaos Walking scifi trilogy but he's also written some standalones that might appeal, The Rest of Us Just Live Here.
An older one I loved is The Borribles by Michael de Larrabeiti
Chris Wooding's The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, Garth Nix's Shade's Children, D.M. Cornish's Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy.

If you want him to try some adult books, I'd suggest Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar, Naomi Novik's Temeraire series if he likes dragons
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - there's quite a few books where the virtual world and reality collide including a YA one, Erebos by Ursula Poznansk.
Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson - cyberpunk scifi, his Reamde is pretty good too though the size of Stephenson's novels can be a turnoff for a reluctant reader.
The Martian by Andy Weir
Or he might appreciate the humour of the Bobiverse scifi series.

Does he like graphic novels or manga? At least these would keep him reading if you find a good series.
I've mentioned lots of books because you're probably aware of a lot of them already. I've read all the books I've mentioned.

I'm sorry to learn that you are still having problems with your book shelves. Keep them empty and see if the 'dust' appears without the presence of the books. You should seek local help as living in the tropics woud require local knowledge to solve the problem.

>77 humouress: >100 avatiakh: Jacob just loved Skullduggery Pleasant - I think he read all of them (or at least all of them that were about before he grew out of them.) And Philip Reeve too. Also the Time Riders series by Alex Scarrow was a massive favourite.

10) Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

{First of 3 (+2 novellas) Regency Faery Tales; fantasy, Regency, parallel world, sorcery}(2020)



As a child, Dora's soul was claimed by Lord Hollowvale but her cousin Vanessa saved her before he could take all of it by plunging her embroidery scissors into his leg, since faery beings cannot abide the touch of iron.

Lord Hollowvale jerked back from the scissors. Fear briefly clouded his face as he glanced down at them—a strange circumstance, since the scissors were only a little bigger than Vanessa's little fist, and their eyes were decorated with cheerful little roses. Vanessa drew Dora slowly around the faerie and back towards the manor, keeping her scissors squarely between herself and the marquess.
"As you wish, niece of Georgina Ettings," the elf spat finally. "I have full half of my payment. May you make good use of the other!"

Since then, Dora (Theodora Ettings) has always worn the scissors around her neck as protection against him returning to steal the other half of her soul but she has been unable to feel any deep emotions and knows that she doesn't react like normal people. Her aunt (Dora is an orphan) seems constantly exasperated by Dora's lack of emotion and her inappropriate responses; essentially, Dora has no filter and says what she's thinking out loud.

Now in danger of becoming spinsters at the grand old ages of 20 and 19, the cousins travel to London for the Season - where the Lord Sorcier, Elias Wilder, is also to be found as well as his friend Albert Lowe, a physician who happens to be the third son of Lord and Lady Carroway. Vanessa feels that the Lord Sorcier might be able to help Dora with her magical problem. And Dora might discover that she can feel emotions, even with only half a soul.

Though they are members of the nobility both Wilder and Lowe engage in charitable work, specifically trying to cure a magical plague affecting the labour classes in London. Atwater shows us a lower tier of society from those we usually see in Regency novels - though I don't know enough to attest to the accuracy or lack thereof of the workhouses and so on that she describes, myself. The medical angle was interesting and unusual and I did like the way all the loose ends were neatly tied up. I'm getting used to seeing discrepancies in small details of the manners of the period and the country in novels written now but set then (hardly a new gripe for me) but this is a parallel England where magic is used for the benefit of the nation - so it's easy to turn a blind eye in this instance.

I liked this gentle story though I did feel a bit like Dora; muffled in cotton and a little distant from emotions. I wondered, as I read, if the author wanted us to feel that Dora is on the spectrum (to coin a phrase) though that angle wasn't expanded on. It was nice to see things working out well for her in the end - because who doesn't like a Faery Tale to end happily ever after?

(January 2024)
3.5-4 stars

>102 humouress: I enjoyed Half a Soul

11) Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

{First of ? in Empyrean series; dragons, military school, erotic} (2023)

 

I listened to the audiobook (so please forgive any spelling errors especially with regards to names). It is narrated in first person from Violet's point of view, except the last chapter which is from Zayden's point of view. I'm not sure what to classify this as; not a romance because there isn't any - though there's enough sex and tension - and, yes there are dragons and it's set on a world with some magic, but I don't know that it's fantasy. All Yarros's other series (none of them are fantasy) look like they've been tagged as adult or steamy.

Violet Soringale is the youngest child of the famous General Soringale and her scribe husband. Her brother and sister became dragon riders, like their mother, (though her brother died in the war) and Violet has trained all her life to be a scribe like her dad and is the scribe master's star pupil. But, just before the day when everyone her age chooses their vocation, her mother decrees that she will also become a dragon rider - or train to become one though her sister Mira tries to convince their mother that the training will kill Violet; Violet has a condition which causes her joints to slip so she will have to hide this weakness from the other candidates. Candidates die just trying to cross a narrow bridge to get to the college and then they are allowed to try and eliminate each other, since there are always more cadets than dragons willing to bond. However their mother is adamant so Mira prepares Violet as best she can and warns her to stay away from Zayden Riderson who will hate her on principle - he is the son of the rebellion leader that their mother executed about six years ago and, as a third year, could easily kill her during training with no repercussions.

So Violet enters training and does her best to survive until Threshing, when any dragons who choose to bond will choose a rider. And then (I'm pretty sure it's not a spoiler that, of course, she bonds) she has to survive training with her dragon.

The narration (by Rebecca Soler) was alright. I was occasionally thrown out of the story to wonder if I would have read something the same way if I had read a print book. I was continually confused, especially at the beginning, as to whether she said 'rider' or 'writer' (ie dragon rider or scribe) and I was also not always sure whether characters were speaking to other characters or if the protagonist was holding an internal conversation.

I have to say, listening to the narrator(s) reading all that swearing got really annoying, especially towards the end.

This book would work better if you could read it straight through without stopping to think, but even the audiobooks is 21 hours long so it took me a few days. I stopped overnight almost at the end with about three chapters still to go so I was mulling it over and the plot holes (you know, the ones you're too intent on reading to stop and examine and subconsciously trust will be resolved as you read on) got larger and threatened the fabric of the story as I thought about it. Having finished the book now, the threads of it are only just hanging together. This is more of a steamy affair dressed up as a fantasy; there are two explicit sex scenes plus others that build the tension in this enemies-to-lovers trope (not a spoiler; it's pretty much announced with a foghorn when their eyes first meet) (and also in the blurb/ on the back of the book). Zayden's point of view (if you listen between the expletives) is possibly a touch more romantic but otherwise I don't see any emotional attraction between them.

It did start off quite well - until the two love interests hooked up at which point the plot sort of changed direction; once they did, it was all about how they could barely keep their hands off each other every time their glances crossed. The bad qualities of the anti-heroes are a bit over exaggerated to contrast with the good guys. Violet is, of course, good at everything and even learns how not to be beaten up (in spite of her handicap) in hand-to-hand combat. I found the behaviour of her best friend in particular not quite believable. I don't think I was given enough to be invested in any of the characters.

The dragons (which seem clones of those in the Harry Potter books) were inconsistent: when we first meet them they incinerate candidates on a whim (culling the weak, apparently) and they seem inhuman and alien with a different agenda to humans but, after we go through Threshing (at around the part of the book where the plot seemed to change direction) once they telepathically bond they turn into Pernese dragons (including the idea that if one partner in the bond dies, the other will succumb also - though in this case, it's the human who'd die) and will do anything to keep their riders alive. But on the other hand if the riders fall off during training, the dragons will let them though they can demonstrably catch them - as Violet's (but no-one else's) does. I did like Ten's (Violet's dragon) grumpiness though Adina was possibly a bit too cute.

It did seem weird that, though dragon riders are desperately needed to defend the borders (one dragon rider a-dragonback is the military equivalent of one cohort (or something) of infantry), the training is set up to be so dangerous that cadets die or that they are allowed to kill each other during training with no repercussions. As it is, we're told, they don't have enough and fewer dragons choose to be bonded each year. That's just shooting yourself in the foot, logistically speaking. I never worked out what the war was about or why Navarre's borders have to be defended so energetically. There was also the centuries-old secret, linked to the reason for the rebellion, that was partly revealed at the end. As far as it went, there didn't seem to be a reason to keep the secret or go to war - or brutally and bloodily suppress the rebellion - over it. But maybe that will be explained in the second book?

Good points? I didn't throw the book across the room (I would never) or DNFed it but probably because I was listening to the audiobook as I was updating my LT catalogue so I didn't give it all my focus. Upto where they hooked up it was decent enough and then it veered between okay and annoying. It had a promising start but headed downhill around about Threshing. The off-on-off-on-off ... affair was annoying; Violet kept inventing things that weren't there - such as being offended that Zayden didn't tell her a secret that obviously wasn't his to tell - even though there's precedent because she's been keeping a secret that wasn't hers to tell so I didn't think her reaction was justified and it felt like she was wallowing in self-pity for no reason. And that ending? Grow up, Violet.

This has a similar premise to Rosario Munda's Fireborne but that was better done and without the casual swearing and steaminess or insta-lust (but with a sweet and believable romance). While I ended up buying the whole Aurelian Cycle trilogy for my shelves, I borrowed this from the library too but, if I get around to the sequel, I will borrow it rather than buy my own copy. I notice that there is a different audiobook of Fourth Wing narrated by a whole cast; as there are only audiobooks of this series in my Overdrive libraries, I'll wait until they bring out the whole cast version of the next book and see if it works better for me.

(February 2024)
3-3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

- Listening to the 4th Wing audiobook. Bit confused as to when the narrator says 'rider' or 'writer' (Violet has trained all her life to be a scribe but her mum decrees she will be a dragonrider). Also never sure when characters are speaking/ protagonist is thinking
Seems weird when dragon riders are desperately needed to defend the borders that the training is so dangerous that cadets die/ are allowed to kill each other.

- About 3 chapters from the end: the bad qualities of the anti-heroes are a bit over exaggerated to contrast with the good guys. I found the behaviour of one character in particular not quite believable. This is more of a steamy romance dressed up as a fantasy; there are 2 explicit sex scenes plus others that build the tension in this enemies to lovers trope.

- Similar premise to Rosario Munda‘s ‘Firebourne‘ but that was better done and without the casual swearing and steaminess. Where I borrowed that from the library and then went out and bought the whole trilogy for my shelves, I borrowed this from the library too and, while I‘m happy to read the sequel, I will borrow it rather than buy my own copy.
ETA: Though (having now finished this book) I doubt I'm going to rush out to borrow the 2nd one.

- Stopped overnight with those 3 chapters still to go and the plot holes (the ones you‘re too intent on reading to stop and examine and just trust will be resolved as you read on) got larger and are threatening the fabric of the story. Let‘s see if they do get resolved or not …

- They weren't resolved (eg the secret that has been kept for centuries for no reason). The dragons were inconsistent: when we first meet them they incinerate candidates on a whim (culling the weak) but once they bond, will do anything to keep their riders alive (per Violet's). But if they fall off, they'll let them though they can demonstrably catch them. And Violet ... she's good at everything even though no-one thought she'd survive.
Annoyed 😕

Just listened to the audiobook (and I thought it was Zayden Riderson 😁); it wasn't his secret to keep and she's been keeping a secret that wasn't hers to keep. I didn't think her reaction was justified. The off-on-off-on-off ... affair is getting annoying.

My dad tried reading Fourth Wing and stopped. Wonder if it was the swearing. I assumed he just didn't like his new Nook. I tried to get him to buy a black and white screen instead of the more complicated tablet.

>99 richardderus: re >94 humouress: Well, other folks were more enthusiastic. I think if you approach it expecting her to poke fun at rich people's life-styles (including Andrea's) it would work better.

re >89 humouress: I might join you. Not looking forward to defungusing 3 bookshelves that I've already cleaned up (including books). I just know the chemicals are going to get me.

>100 avatiakh: Ooh thanks; lots of recommendations. I'll pass them on to him.

Ready Player One might work. We did watch the film when it came out though he was much younger then; but the boys got a PS5 for Christmas and he spent the whole holidays playing games.

I don't think he's tried graphic novels (that I know of) though he did like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Geronimo Stilton amongst others when he was younger. They have drawings/ graphic fonts interspersed through the writing.

Thanks for the suggestions re the shelves. One bookcase is half empty but the powder is still all over it - backs, doors, shelves. I'm resigned to the idea that it's some kind of mould. As someone pointed out on the other thread, the musty smell is a give away. I'll see if the pest control people have anything to say.

>101 SandDune: Thanks Rhian. I'll suggest those to him, too.

>103 quondame: So did I. I'll have to come back and review it ... soon.

>105 The_Hibernator: It could be the swearing. I think there are some 'conversations' that might disappear altogether, if you cleaned it up :0)

I hope it's not the Nook that's putting your dad off reading. Has he tried anything else on it yet?

12) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

{first in duology; fantasy, YA, re-read} (2019)

There are twelve castes in Sabor of which the Phoenix is the highest and the Crows are the lowest, considered almost untouchables. Each caste has its own birthright of magic, granted by the one thousand dead gods; caste members seem to have limited uses of their magic but caste witches - of which there are one thousand in total across Sabor - can wield the power. The Crow caste, however, has no magic and has no home but the roads. They are tolerated because their caste alone is immune to the fatal Sinners' Plague which can sweep through a village and destroy it in weeks if not dealt with.

Fie, as a Crow witch, is a chief in training for one of the Crow bands that roam Sabor, lead by Pa who adopted her after her mother was hunted down; though Crows have no innate magic, Crow witches can borrow a birthright from the bones or teeth of other castes. She knows that, despite Saborian laws, they are treated as outcasts and hunted and tortured by the so called Oleander Gentry, who ride masked at night.

The story opens when Fie's band has been called to the palace to deal mercy to a plague victim, if necessary, for the first time in 500 years. When the queen tries to cheat them of their viatik (or rightful payment) - as so often happens to Crows - Pa lets Fie set the price. And she makes a deal that could make life safer for all Crows - if she can pull it off.

I do like the map at the beginning of the book and I also found the table of castes, with their birthrights, useful.

(February 2024)
4.5-5*****

Very enjoyable. Waiting for the next sale to buy this duology

just putting thoughts down ...

Litsy notes & quotes

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not. But they are immune to the Sinners' Plague which can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month and so they collect the bodies of plague victims, dispatching them if necessary. Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down.

16yo Fie, a Crow Chief's adopted daughter, is a witch, destined to be a chief; she can borrow the magic of a person's caste from their teeth, which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else, and she can see past lives from the touch of bones. Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire, rules. Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the 1st time, to collect plague victims and ends up striking a bargain that could change all the Crows' lives

"You knew," Fie accused, stacking up every horrid piece. "That's why you ran."
Jasimir shook his head, adamant. "It didn't sound possible until now. All three Swan witches are accounted for, she has no sign, and Tavin and I witnessed the marriage ceremony ourselves. We didn't know she could lose her Birthright for only a moon. I swear, I came to your band for help because Rhusana allied with the Oleanders, and for that reason alone." Fie scowled, baleful, at the dirt. "Aught else you want to tell me? Tatterhelm's got a meaner cousin? The king's really two asps in a fancy robe?"
"I still don't know what Viimo meant about ghasts," Tavin said.
"Me either." Fie's gut twisted. Pa had taught her how to call Swan teeth just on principle, for they had but a largely useless few. Still, in the handful of times she'd blinked through the life in a dead Swan's spark, she'd heard no whisper of ghasts. And that, like so many things, bode ill. Grim silence settled over them once more as Fie plaited a whole new set of troubles into the ones on her head.
Then Tavin's voice broke in. "I really have to know: Which one of us is Pissabed?"

I do like Tavin‘s irrepressible, flippant humour. He knows how to break the tension; they‘re running for their lives with Queen R and the equivalent of the KKK after them and they‘ve just realised everything is even worse than they thought.
(Fie has had to make up Crow alibis for them and give them fake names; Mongrel & Pissabed.

unposted review from May 2022:

19) The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

 

First of 2? Fantasy (2019)

In the land of Sabor everyone belongs to a different caste, named for birds, and every caste except the Crows has a gods-given birthright. The rulers of Sabor are of the Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire; they can summon fire from nothing and will not be burned by fire. But Crows are immune to the Sinners' Plague which kills animals and people horribly and painfully and can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month, so it is their duty - which they cannot refuse if they see the plague beacon - to collect the bodies of plague victims for which they receive a fee, which is how they make their living. If they find victims still alive it is their duty to dispatch them (hence 'merciful Crow') because the plague is incurable and highly contagious. Although the wandering families of Crows are the only thing preventing the land being overrun by the plague Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down for sport.

Sixteen year old Fie is a Crow Chief's adopted daughter and is being trained by him to be a chief because she, like him, is a witch. She can borrow the magic of a person's caste, for a limited time, from their teeth which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else for their fee and she can also see past lives from the touch of bones. The story begins as Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the first time ever to collect plague victims, and ends up striking a bargain that could change the lives of all Crows.

May 2022
4.5 stars

Litsy notes

In a land where every caste has a gods-given birthright only the Crows do not. But they are immune to the Sinners' Plague which can literally wipe a village off the face of the earth within a month and so they collect the bodies of plague victims, dispatching them if necessary. Crows are the untouchables of their world, despised and even hunted down.

16yo Fie, a Crow Chief's adopted daughter, is a witch, destined to be a chief; she can borrow the magic of a person's caste from their teeth, which Crows collect if a village can afford nothing else, and she can see past lives from the touch of bones. Phoenix caste, whose birthright is fire, rules. Fie's clan is called to the palace, for the 1st time, to collect plague victims and ends up striking a bargain that could change all the Crows' lives

You got me with a BB for Nora Goes Off Script. Sounds like a good one. I hope you find a fix for the powder/mould problem, Nina.

>112 Familyhistorian: Ooh, a hit! I enjoyed it; I hope you do too.

Thanks for the sympathy Meg. I'm resigned to the fact that it must be mould. I'm kind of sitting and staring at it because I know I'm going to have to thoroughly clean everything (again) with chemicals so I'm keeping the cupboard doors shut until I can work up the courage.

>111 humouress: The Merciful Crow is a BB!

>114 quondame: Woo woo! I hope you enjoy it.

I'm sitting here watching the mynahs (not the talking ones; or they've never said anything to me) on my balcony (annoying things; they mess up the place). They both look like they're dressed in adult plumage but one is chattering away demandingly and the other has to continually pop a morsel into its mouth - which only silences it for a second. {Stop annoying your parents - you're old enough to fend for yourself!} It's a lot like my own kids *sigh*

>116 humouress: I have spent a good few hours on the balcony too, Nina, today soaking up the warm breaths of air and enjoying the fact that Kuala Lumpur is pretty traffic free on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

>117 PaulCranswick: That must be relaxing Paul. Fortunately for me, we're out in what most other people here would consider the hinterlands (not far from the zoo) so we don't have too much traffic noise. Except for that one idiot with the souped up engine who roars down the road after midnight on weekends.

>113 humouress: So sorry about the mould, Nina!
Good luck finding the courage...

>119 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. Still thinking. My sister called today and gave me some natural remedies for mould prevention. The last time I used anti-fungal chemicals to clean my bookshelves it affected my breathing so I wasn't looking forward to that, either.

Hi Nina! I don't think I have visited your thread before, but I've certainly noticed you helping with the LT hunts, which I love too! I hope to get started on the Valentines Hunt tomorrow, as today I was a bit busy.

Hi Deborah and welcome over! There are more than enough threads to be keeping up with just in the 75ers aren't there; and I've been slow off the ground but I will return your visit.

I think I might be getting better at the hunts but I'm going to need some hints on the last few. Good luck with it when you get to it.

The boys and I are doing a 200+ piece jigsaw puzzle (which is to say one boy at a time and me, so far). It's from Quordle Puzzles and is laser-cut from wood so they're not the usual square-based shapes; rather they have swirls in odd places and there are a heap of animal shapes - wolf, fox, elephant, hedgehog, dogs etc. I gave in to my puzzling side and bought a few for Christmas, some for the boys and some for me. I already completed their Big Cats puzzle, which had lots of Christmas-related shapes hidden in it. Now we're doing their Rainbow Elephant - but we gradually discovered that it doesn't have straight edges, which makes it more interesting and challenging.

>123 humouress: Ooh, pretty!

>123 humouress: That looks like a lot of fun!

>123 humouress: ohh, gorgeous, Nina! That sounds like a lot of fun and very challenging. I tried a shaped puzzle some months back and at was a 750 piece puzzle, flower shapped, with flower images. I ended up packing it up in intact sections and I gave it to my sister and she was able to complete it. It is hard to get around to all of the threads, I know what you mean! I miss the days when our boys were young and wanted to puzzles with us.
Enjoy!

>123 humouress: Love it!! Love the rainbow elephant and that the pieces are such cool shapes. My current puzzle is on hold -- I'm still trying to finish up my miniature coffee/bookstore assembly. Have fun with the boys! Happy weekend.

>124 foggidawn: >125 curioussquared: >126 vancouverdeb: >127 Berly: Thank you all!

This is the current state of the puzzle. Despite not having many pieces, it's quite challenging. And, since I'm doing it with the boys, it's going slowly because I have to wait for them to be at home - and then I have to wait for them to be in the mood to do the puzzle with their old mum ...



We've put the animal shaped pieces in the top left.

>123 humouress: looks like a nice puzzle.

Happy weekend!

That is one beautiful puzzle, Nina! The animal shaped pieces are so fascinating. Great job so far! I think Dave and I will have to think about brushing Poppy's teeth and see if that works. It would save money and anxiety. We tried it when she was a puppy , but she was - and still is , such a biter, that we stopped that, thinking it might encourage her biting . But I think it could work. We'll give it a try once her mouth has healed from the extraction.

>129 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita!

>130 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah! We finished the puzzle last night; I'll try and post a picture later.

We ought to make more effort brushing Jasper's teeth, too.

He's a chewer which was a problem when he was a super-enthusiastic puppy so we got a dog trainer to help us. He pointed out that, as Jasper's a retriever, he has a 'soft mouth' but we just had to train him to use it. So we had to discourage him doing it gradually in three stages, from high pressure to low and it worked quite quickly. Now, though he still has to chew something when he gets excited, he knows not to chew us. He'll close his mouth gently on us (though his canines are still pointy enough to make me jump sometimes) or he'll break off and chew the rug. Which isn't ideal either, but better than us being bitten.

Hello Nina, how are you today?

Howdy neighbour. Hope Jasper hasn't eaten the house yet.

>132 Owltherian: Good thanks, Owl. And yourself?

>133 PaulCranswick: Not yet, but not for want of trying.

>134 humouress: I am not tired when i know i should be sleeping, but other than that I'm good.

I envy your patience in putting together puzzles. I can't do it!

That's an amazing looking puzzle, Nina. Challenging too, no doubt!

>136 Owltherian: That’s good.

>137 Tess_W: I like doing puzzles, especially if they’re a bit challenging (though I have a 5,000 piece one that seems to be entirely one colour that’s been on hiatus for a couple of years or more) - you can walk away from it and come back later if you can’t seem to get pieces to fit.

>138 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. The best part was doing it with the boys especially when they both joined me.

My younger one got hung up on one particular piece that he absolutely couldn’t find and he thought we might be missing pieces. He did eventually find it - on the floor.

This was the first time I've done a shaped jigsaw (apart from the kids' ones when they were very small) - even if it was inadvertent - and it looks quite stunning.

13) The Four Forges by Jenna Rhodes

{first in Elven Ways tetralogy; fantasy, magic, elves}(2006)

 

About 700 years before the story starts the Vaelinars (also known as elves) were cataclysmically exiled to the world of Kerith which was already inhabited by other humanoid and non-humanoid races and they now all live uneasily together. The Vaelinar are still called 'the Strangers' by the native races and hold themselves apart; they are long-lived (a couple of them even remember the exile though they would have been children then) and are now the only race with magic and don't usually acknowledge Vaelinar half-breeds since they do not carry magic in their blood. The two prologues which give us this information are written as though penned by historians of this world; the language in them is awkward and hard to follow but the narrative picks up once the actual story starts.

We follow a few characters of different races through this story. Sevryn is a half-blood Vaelinar who does not have their striking, multi-coloured eyes - but, unusually, he does have magic and finds it useful to be underestimated. The Farbranches are a dwarve-like Dweller family with three sons and a daughter who wants a sister - and they rescue a young girl from the nearby river who has Vaelinar looks and no family so they adopt her as their own and give her the name Rivergrace. In the larger world of Kerith there are war-like factions who want to break the uneasy peace or conquer lands and peoples in a quest for power; the Vaelinar ild Fallyn clan likes to make trouble and Quendius the half-breed Vaelinar wants to challenge the gods of Kerith - who abandoned their peoples when the Vaelinar arrived.

I like the warmth of the Farbranch family. Their everyday lives are woven through this fantasy and give the story a structure to build around as we spend much of the book following them, first in the countryside where they suffer Bolger and Raver raids and then in the city, where they meet other races. They also meet Lariel the Vaelinar Warrior Queen and Sevryn. There are politics and war brewing and even some environmental pollution - although I felt that particular issue was resolved a bit easily.

This is the first book of a tetralogy; although the ending is wrapped up neatly enough that it could be read as a stand-alone though it leaves enough open to continue the overarching story in the next book. It does do a lot of world building so there are initially a lot of threads to follow until they are braided together and it covers a lot of physical territory too; I could have done with a map. The timeline is initially confusing because there is a gap of twenty years between the first few chapters and the rest of the book which is not filled in and, possibly, because the Vaelinars have long lives which skews the concept of relative ages.

I think this was a LibraryThing automatic recommendation and it was quite engaging. There were some animal deaths, casually mentioned and not dwelt on, which I could have done without though it was probably only enough to take my rating down by a quarter of a star.

3.5-4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

The timeline is a bit confusing; years/ decades can pass between chapters, maybe because some of the characters are long lived Vaelinars (elves). I‘m ~ 1/4 way through and following a few characters. I‘m not sure yet how they relate to each other, though they do interact unawares.
There are many different races/ species on this planet (Kerith) who live uneasily together.
I do like the warmth of the Farbranch family, who are Dwellers (dwarves).

About 2/5 the way through and still not entirely sure of the direction but the world building is holding my attention

Maps would have been useful. There are several incidental animal deaths

Kerith has many humanoid and non-humanoid race living uneasily together including the Vaelinar from another world. There are politics and war brewing. Against this epic fantasy is interwoven the everyday life of the Farbranch family which gives it structure. Nicely done 👍🏼

Doesn‘t end on a cliff hanger and feels like a complete story but leaves enough open to continue the overarching story in the next book. I think this was a LibraryThing recommendation for me

How are you today?

>143 Owltherian: Fine thank you. How are you?

>144 humouress: Not well, i basically had a panic attack before leaving my algebra class and we were learning something new and the teacher wasn't even in there

>51 humouress: I have only read one of Smith's novels but I am definitely interested in reading more of hers. I will see if I can track that one down. Thanks for the review, Nina!

>66 humouress: I have only read one of the Penderwick books too so I need to get that whole series done.

I am skipping a ton or I would be here forever, lol. About time I checked in though!

14) The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

{first of 5+1 in Lockwood & Co.; fantasy, adventure, mystery, paranormal, children's, young adult, television adaptation}(2013)

 

The story is told from Lucy Carlysle's point of view in the first person and opens as she and Lockwood (of Lockwood and Company) are about to enter a house on a case; Lockwood is a somewhat irrepressible character:

And above all don’t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.’

‘That’s an awful lot of don’ts, Lucy,’ Lockwood said.

‘Too right it is.’

‘You know I’ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.’

‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they’re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we’re a good half-mile from the public road.’

In this parallel universe Britain has been afflicted by the Problem for the last fifty years or so, where all manner of paranormal activities and hauntings (classified as Types 1, 2 or 3) have sprung up all over the country with potentially fatal results and only children can sense the apparitions. As darkness falls, curfew is called when everyone goes indoors, safe behind iron and salt, and only children go out to work either as guards or - the more sensitive ones - to work for agencies, banishing the Visitors. Most agencies do some work for the government, specifically with the department known as DEPRAC (Department of Psychical Research and Control), and they all have adult supervisors who used to be agents but are no longer sensitive.

Lockwood and company, as we discover through Lucy's flashbacks, are the only agency with no adults - consisting solely, in fact, of (Anthony) Lockwood, George and Lucy, all around 14 to 16 years old - and not linked to DEPRAC (although Inspector Barnes drops by from time to time when things aren't looking good). Lockwood owns the house (the details of how are only hinted at vaguely) in which they all live and work and can convince them (Lucy, anyway; George likes to research cases thoroughly first - if he's given the chance) to take the most dangerous risks on the strength of his smile.

He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It's too early in the morning and I haven't had my breakfast'

I liked the banter; there was enough to keep it somewhat lighthearted without being overwhelming.

This seems to be set in a parallel London (although at one point Lucy 'fixed tea' which sounded odd) of about 40 years ago, where there are cars and telephones and Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies wear hats.

On the first case that we see (not Lucy's first, as she has been with Lockwood and Company - her second agency - for six months at this point) they have been called in by a widow whose husband fell down the stairs and now she feels a presence in the house. In solving the case, Lucy finds a necklace which involves them in another case. Meanwhile, desperate for business to keep the company afloat, Lockwood accepts a case at a manor house in Berkshire which has been haunted for centuries and where more deaths keep occurring - including a team from one of the oldest and best ghost agencies.

Wow, this was a nail biting page turner! And a BB from @drneutron (thanks doc!) who also seems to be a fan of the Netflix series based on this books series - another thing I need to look into. The edition I borrowed from the library had a preface by the author complementing the Netflix actors and setting. The plotting was good, the pacing was good and I didn't want to put this book down (though I may have wanted to look away at times). And though it's about paranormal Visitors, it wasn't a scary book (I don't read horror) though there was plenty of tension.

The title reminded me of the Nancy Drew stories I used to read as a child - but this is nothing like! This was a good book and I'll be looking for the rest of the series. It's billed as a children's/ young adult's book but doesn't talk down to its audience. I've recommended it to my 15 year old son, too, since he's a Skulduggery Pleasant fan - let's see what he thinks.

ETA: I watched the first episode of the Netflix series last night and introduced my husband to it, too. I found it fascinating comparing it to the book though he found it a bit scary (though he used to be into horror - which I can't watch).

And, of course, a good cup of tea is absolutely essential.

But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.

February 2024
4.5-5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Set in London, presumably contemporary since they have Velcro. Not sure why she ‘fixed‘ tea though.

On ch 2. They are ghost hunters since only children can sense paranormal phenomena properly and on a case in a haunted house

Set in a parallel universe where England has been invaded by ghosts. There are cars, trains, electricity, Velcro but no mobile phones and ladies still wear hats

Nail biting!

And above all don’t impersonate the client. Please. It never goes down well.’

‘That’s an awful lot of don’ts, Lucy,’ Lockwood said.

‘Too right it is.’

‘You know I’ve got an excellent ear for accents. I copy people without thinking.’

‘Fine, copy them quietly after the event. Not loudly, not in front of them, and particularly not when they’re a six-foot-six Irish dockworker with a speech impediment, and we’re a good half-mile from the public road.’

But tea bags, brown and fresh and plenty of them, and made (for preference) by Pitkin Brothers of Bond Street, are perhaps the simplest and best of all.

OK, they may not save your life like a sword-tip or an iron circle can, and they haven‘t the protective power of a sudden wall of fire. But they do provide something just as vital. They help to keep you sane.

He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away. It‘s too early in the morning and I haven‘t had my breakfast

>140 humouress: WOW

That is gorgeous!

>147 humouress: I am still irked with Netflix for canceling Lockwood & Co after only one season.

>148 richardderus: Why, thank you. I painted it myself (no, obviously not). It is rather gorgeous, isn't it?

It seems odd that they cancelled the show; it seems to have a large fan base.

Glad you liked it! And yeah, still unhappy it got canceled.

Well, finally a book I've already read (the Stroud). I got Fourth Wing out from the library but returned it unread. There are at least 3 fantasy series or books you've mentioned above that I definitely will check out, possible book bullets. You are dangerous, Nina.

>150 drneutron:

A hit, a very palpable hit.

>151 ronincats: Ooh, three; so many? Usually the book bullets are flying the other way Roni.

>140 humouress: The finished puzzle is gorgeous! So interesting to do one that is a shape like that. I'll have to try one of those. I'm glad you were able to do it with your boys and they had fun with it too.

>154 atozgrl: Thank you. It's great getting the chance to spend time with my boys, just chilling, now that they're getting older. I call them 'teens' as a shortcut but my older one turned 20 at the end of last year - and his younger brother seems to always assume he's the same age :0)

I came across the puzzle while looking for Christmas presents for the family and couldn't resist getting that one for myself, especially with all the patterns on the elephant. It being a shaped puzzle was an unexpected bonus.

Usually I get mynahs (nuisances), olive backed sunbirds and bulbuls on my study balcony but just now a rainbow pigeon landed on the railing, just for half a minute. Not that they're unusual here, but I don't think I've seen one on this balcony before.



(Not my picture; my guy had brighter colours, especially along the edge of his wing)

Yesterday evening while driving out, I saw a bird flying (probably a mynah) trailing nesting material that was probably bigger than it was - it was definitely more than twice as long.

Fun books, great elephant puzzle and nice rainbow pigeon. : ) Have a great weekend!

15) Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

{stand alone; romance, ghosts, puns}(2022)

 

A story about a ghostwriter - who also sees ghosts. This was sort of a book bullet for the author by way another of her books, The Seven Year Slip.

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for the very famous romance writer Ann Nichols but no-one knows other than the two of them, Ann's agent and their editor. But Florence, as the story opens, is about to meet her new editor, Benji Andor (who, she discovers, is pretty hot), and she's not sure if he knows the secret. The problem is that she has a deadline to meet but she can't write the 'happily ever after' ending prescribed for Ann's books after she a bad break up from her boyfriend, Lee, in the last year (the love interest keeps dropping dead in the middle of the scene).

Then Florence gets bad news from home and has to return from NYC to the Southern town of Mairmont, South Carolina where she grew up and where the family business (a funeral home) is - and where she hasn't returned since graduating from high school because she sees dead people so she got badly bullied even though she solved a murder. And while she's there, Ben turns up - but he's a ghost.

I stared through the window at the stacks of romance novels, with Ann Nichols's new books at the top. The ones I wrote - Midnight Matinee, A Rake's Guide —all of them. Dad walked by this bookstore every day on his daily lunch breaks to Fudge's. He must've seen this display, these books. I wondered if he ever ducked into the store and bought one. I wondered if Mom loved the dry humor in Nichols's new ones. Mom and I never really talked about books after mine failed. I didn't want to talk about books at all after that.
I turned to keep walking, when Ben backtracked and nodded his head toward the door. "Let's go in."
"Why?"
"Because I like bookstores," he replied, and stepped backward through the closed door. I had half a mind to not follow him, but a part of me wondered what section he gravitated toward. Literary? Horror? I couldn't even imagine him in the romance aisle, towering and broody in his pristine button-down shirts and ironed trousers. The bell above the door rang as I stepped into the cozy bookstore. The woman behind the counter, Mrs. Holly, had been there for twenty-odd years. She looked up from her book with a smile. "Well, I'll be damned! Florence Day." Even my local booksellers back in Jersey didn't know my name, but it seemed like a decade away couldn't erase me from small-town memory.

Florence decides to be like her dad (who also talks to ghosts) and help Ben with his unresolved business. If they can work out what it is. And it's a shame he's dead because he turns out to be a really sweet guy (as well as sexy) and she could have fallen for him. There are lots of mentions of golden retrievers (you know that's a plus point for me), lots of name dropping of book titles, authors and publishing houses (including a list of Ash's comfort reads at the end) and lots of deathly puns - you have been warned.

My ears began to burn with a blush, and I glanced away from him. He was a ghost, Florence. Very much dead. And off-limits. "You know, if I was any other kind of person, I'd ask you to haunt Lee Marlow's hipster ass?"
"A ghost for hire."
"You'd be chillingly good at it."
"I have a bone to pick with him, anyhow"
"Oh?" I laughed. "Were you in love with him, too?"
"No, but you were. And I can tell that it hurts."

The town mayor* is a retriever (been re-elected twice, in fact) and who doesn't love a happy dog? And when isn't a retriever happy? I'm not ashamed to admit that it tipped my rating upwards.

Granted, we're mostly in Florence's head and the secondary characters aren't very detailed but this was a light-hearted, feel-good story with romance, a lot of family love, friends and (thankfully for me) minimum steam - and also puns and, most importantly, Fetch the retriever. I like the way he pops up at the edges of scenes being taken for walks visiting his constituents and so on.

*in real life, per Wikipedia, the unincorporated town of Idyllwild in California has had golden retrievers (Max, Max II and Max III) as their mayors since 2012.

February 2024
3.5-4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

A book about a ghost-writer - who also sees ghosts. 2 chapters in, getting lots of other book titles and authors. 📕 📙

So many puns in this one.

And so many mentions of golden retrievers. I think I like this one ...
ETA: heaven's sakes, the town mayor is a retriever. I *love* this one.

"Oh, look! Annie's books."
"What?" I stared through the window at the stacks of romance novels, with Ann Nichols's new books at the top. The ones I wrote - Midnight Matinee, A Rake's Guide —all of them. Dad walked by this bookstore every day on his daily lunch breaks to Fudge's. He must've seen this display, these books. I wondered if he ever ducked into the store and bought one. I wondered if Mom loved the dry humor in Nichols's new
ones. Mom and I never really talked about books after mine failed. I didn't want to talk about books at all after that.
I turned to keep walking, when Ben backtracked and nodded his head toward the door. "Let's go in."
"Why?"
"Because I like bookstores," he replied, and stepped backward through the closed door. I had half a mind to not follow him, but a part of me wondered what section he gravitated toward. Literary? Horror? I couldn't even
imagine him in the romance aisle, towering and broody in his pristine button-down shirts and ironed trousers. The bell above the door rang as I stepped into the cozy bookstore. The woman behind the counter, Mrs. Holly, had been there for
twenty-odd years. She looked up from her book with a smile. "Well, I'Il be damned! Florence Day." Even my local booksellers back in Jersey didn't know my name, but it seemed like a decade away couldn't erase me from small-town
memory.

Florence (the ghostwriter) and Ben (the ghost) see Ann Nichols's books in the bookshop of Florence's hometown.

My ears began to burn with a blush, and I glanced away from him. He was a ghost, Florence. Very much dead. And off-limits. “You know, if I was any other kind of person, I'd ask you to haunt Lee Marlow's hipster ass?“
“A ghost for hire.“
“You'd be chillingly good at it.“
“I have a bone to pick with him, anyhow“
“Oh?“ I laughed. “Were you in love with him, too?“
“No, but you were. And I can tell that it hurts.“

Lots of puns in this book.

ASH'S COMFORT READS

Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones.
• Beach Read, Emily Henry.
• Dragon's Bait, Vivian Vande Velde.
• The Proposal, Jasmine Guillory.
• Dating You / Hating You, Christina Lauren.
• Well Met, Jen DeLuca.
• A Winter's Promise, Christelle Dabos.
• Boyfriend Material, Alexis Hall.
• The Princess Bride, William Goldman.

Some of the books mentioned in this story

>157 Berly: Oh, hey Kim; almost missed you there. I hope your weekend is great too!

>158 humouress: Ooh, I'd seen that one around, but I didn't realize there were dogs!

>160 foggidawn: To be honest, if you're looking for dogs there probably wouldn't seem to be much but if you're not expecting him, he pops up at the edges of scenes being taken for walks visiting his constituents and so on.

>156 humouress: What a beautiful bird! That's one I never heard of before. How nice that you got to see it so close.

>162 atozgrl: When I was small we lived in a town in Africa and at one point we lived by the river so my mum got me into birdwatching (I still have the binoculars that were my 5th birthday present in my study). Singapore is such a densely populated city-state that it amazes me at the amount of wildlife I nevertheless get to see. Of course, we live by the catchment area for the reservoirs and there are canals and reservoirs nearby so whatever there is, we get it - though it’s not quite as much fun when the wildlife turns up indoors (please see my previous threads for more details).

>156 humouress: Looks like the rainbow pigeon is back again today and settling in on the balcony railing for the duration.

>164 humouress: Pigeon is according to the Egyptians a food with great aphrodisiac properties....just saying!

>156 humouress: That is a beautifully coloured pigeon, Nina!
Here we have regular wood pigeons and collared doves in the garden, not so striking in colour!

>165 PaulCranswick: Oh Paul!

>166 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita :0)

>110 humouress: No, that's the only book he's tried. Though he has had some success with large print books. I might pop by the library and see what they have.

>169 The_Hibernator: Well I hope you find something he does want to read. I'm impressed that he's reading; my parents' attitude to books is that, unless it's for education, it's a rather frivolous way to spend time. Mind you, I did take it to extremes when I was growing up.

Oh Paul ! is right, Nina. Imagine eating a pigeon for any reason? A bunch of bones, I think.

Pigeons, no, but dovecotes were built to harvest squabs.

>171 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deborah. I think.

>172 quondame: *sigh* This conversation is going downhill fast. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a saxophone lesson to get to
*scarpers*...

As usual, we didn't get to see The Great British Bake Off in real time over here this year though it may not have been months late as in previous years - I was too busy with the renovations to check. And then once I started watching, I conceived an idea to use my new kitchen to try out at some of the challenges. So I've only watched the first episode where they made a vertical layer cake (essentially a Swiss roll on its end), the GBBO chocolate & raspberry cake and a showstopper in the shape of an animal. Quite apart from the fact that I can't draw or sculpt animals for tuppence, I'm not about to eat Jasper so I was left with one of the other two and I decided to make a cake for my husband's birthday.

I'm going with the vertical layer cake probably just because I seem intent on making things hard for myself. I think I've made a sponge cake once in my life though I'm not sure if I've made a Swiss roll (though I have done a rolled Pavlova). But then I thought I'd make it one of those ombre rainbow cakes that have been all the rage recently (because why not; it's not like it's hard enough already?). Well the cakes are baked and tomorrow I'll put it together ... and see if it holds up.

>174 humouress: I'm intrigued to see your cake creation!

>175 foggidawn: So I put the cake together but my husband has an overseas video conference which he's taking in his study (because of the time difference) so it'll be late when he finishes and we plan to cut it tomorrow instead ... I hope it worked; I'm waiting to see.

I combined different recipes (I used the Lemon Swiss Roll recipe but doubled it from BBC Good Food but I wasn't sure if the filling would hold it once it was up-ended) and I sort of invented the filling/ frosting/ icing. I'm making a note-to-self here for future reference: 270g icing sugar, 400ml Australian double cream (i.e. reconstituted skimmed milk with thickeners), juice of one lemon, 250g (full fat) cream cheese.

I cut the cakes in half lengthways, spread them with lemon curd, then spread the above icing over that and dotted with a few cut blueberries and blackberries for structure (theoretically, anyway). I tried not to use too much of the frosting on the inside so I'd have enough to spread over the outside plus I didn't want it leaking out - I hope I didn't skimp too much because I want the contrast between it and the cake colour to show. And then rolled the whole thing up and slathered the icing over it. So it's in the fridge overnight and fingers crossed it solidifies rather than the other way around. It looked good when I put it in.

>176 humouress: Ooo, great idea! Looking forward to pictures!

We finally got around to cutting the cake tonight. It tasted good but I think I did put too little filling between the layers and the sponge was a bit dry. Because I doubled the recipe, though the eggs and sugar got nice and fluffy when I mixed in the flour I lost a lot of volume (and then a bit more when I mixed in the colouring). The fruits in between did save it a bit.



Et voilà! The cake in its various stages.

So pretty! Sorry it wasn't as tasty as you could wish. Serve it with some ice cream, is my recommendation.

>179 foggidawn: Thank you :0) Ice cream is an idea; though there is enough icing around the edges. It just needs a bit of redistribution.

16) Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

{stand alone; children's, fairytale retelling, magic, The Snow Queen, Hans Christian Anderson, fables, fairytales}(2011)

 

This was another book bullet for an author for me (@foggidawn and @curioussquared discussing other books of hers) but it might be one of those cases where I raised my expectations too high whereas if I had read it cold I'd have appreciated it more.

Hmm; I'm not quite sure what to think about this one. It was a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen and (though I haven't read it in quite a while) those elements were all there as I remembered them. The protagonists are Hazel (who is adopted and whose father has recently moved away from the family home) and her best friend Jack (whose mother seems to be suffering from depression), both in the fifth grade at their local elementary school. Both very real children who connect with each other as with no-one else because they both have wonderfully active imaginations (Hazel's parents came to get her in a rocket ship, for example) and no-one else seems to willing or able to live in the same worlds as they do.

I liked Hazel's mum; she's obviously in a difficult situation and also doing her best to understand and help Hazel. I suppose I'm at that point in my life that, though I can see the magic, I empathise with parents - but I felt that maybe I was therefore on the 'other side' from Hazel and Jack which made me feel vaguely guilty (scratchy?) while reading this story.

The story is told in the third person from Hazel's point of view. She doesn't feel as though she fits in, especially as she's recently had to transfer from a more permissive school, but Jack is her best friend and next door neighbour though he's not in the same class. They have adventures in imaginary lands together and at school he plays with her at every recess - until something gets in his eye and he changes. And then he disappears because he's been whisked away by the Snow Queen. Hazel, with her vivid imagination, is the only one who can see through the magic and rescue him but first she has to navigate through the woods (which are not the woods of her Minnesota town) to the Snow Queen's palace.

Hazel stepped into the woods gingerly, expecting to land in a thick cushion of snow. So she stumbled when her foot went all the way to solid ground. It was not winter in the woods—at least in these woods.

As she goes through the woods she encounters familiar (to us) folk tales and fairy tales but as she goes further they become twisted away from the ones that we're used to. (Maybe these were the 'breadcrumbs'? As Hazel noted, there weren't any others):

Hazel watched the face of the compass as the needle wavered slightly, as if afraid to make too firm a commitment. But it was pointing roughly the way she was heading. Hazel was going north. Her heart lifted a little. This might be a magic woods, but there was still a north here. It was a place, like any other. The compass would guide her to Jack, and then guide her home. Who needed breadcrumbs?
She had a compass. She had a direction. She had a path. She knew where north was. So Hazel stepped on the path and headed forward.

And that was the point at which I got confused. Was it supposed to be familiar or sunder expectations? And if the second, was it supposed to be scary? Given that it's a children's book, probably not - but I felt that I was missing something, maybe an allegory, and I couldn't work out what. I felt that the ending resolved some things (and it looks like Hazel is starting to make other friends) but left a lot of questions open.

(February 2024)
3-3.5 stars

>178 humouress: Looks delicious!

>181 humouress: Thanks Anita!

>178 humouress: How pretty it looks! But would you not always expect to lose volume when incorporating flour into the batter? It is, after all, a swiss roll....

>184 richardderus: Thank you Richard! You are balm to a super villainess's heart.

As I said, I haven't made that many sponges/ Swiss rolls. It kept its volume when I initially started adding the flour - my hand was half buried in the mix - but then I started discovering little clumps of flour encapsulated in spheres of batter and ... well, it started falling after that. All in all, though, I'll count it as a success, make notes as to what to do better next time and move on (and probably never attempt it again).

And the icing didn't liquify and fall off - which it potentially could have done, according to my research.

Haiya Nina, how are ya?

>178 humouress: The cake is so fun and colorful!

The cake looks fabulous, Nina! So colourful. That must have been very challenging to make. Wow!

The cake looks great!!

>186 Owltherian: Hi Owl, I'm fine thanks. And you?

>187 quondame: Thanks Susan! I did want the colours to be obvious so I may have deliberately been a bit heavy-handed with the colouring.

>188 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deborah! It helps to have a few extra hands :0)

>189 curioussquared: Thanks Natalie! Tastes pretty good too.

>190 humouress: Im doing pretty well, i havent really slept much

>194 Owltherian: That's good. To be honest, I didn't get as much sleep as I should have.

>195 humouress: Its about 2:39am EST and i have to wake up at 6:30am EST for school

>196 Owltherian: Then you should turn off your device and go to sleep. Actually, you should stop using it an hour or two before you sleep or your sleep will be disrupted. And turn off any screens while you're sleeping because blue light is bad for your health.

I caught sight of a bird I haven't noticed before yesterday while having my coffee. It looked sparrow sized but with a small red mohawk though my eyes are going squiffy with age so it's a bit of a guess. Googling suggests it's a common tailorbird, so called because it stitches leaves together and builds its nest within the hiding place.

(as usual, not my photo; this one is from birding101.co.za)



According to Wikipedia they are shy and hard to spot (mine dived into the plants and I didn't see whether it emerged again or not) but are songbirds with a loud call so they're easy to hear. Males and females look the same (except for the tail feathers in mating season). And apparently one, named Darzee, made an appearance in The Jungle Book (which I don't, personally, recall).

Lovely bright flowers and a cute bird, Nina. We are just gradually easing into spring here, and I look forward to some brightly coloured flowers.

No pigeons in sight over here, thank fully!

Hope your Sunday was a good one, neighbour.

>199 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deborah. Those are bougainvillea, which I do have in different colours in my garden (or, actually, in my window boxes). The flower is, apparently, the little white part you can just about see at the bottom of the picture while the vividly coloured parts are bracts which surround the flowers. Look like flower petals to me *shrug*

The thing about spring (and summer) is that you get all your colours at once, which is always uplifting.

>200 PaulCranswick: Thank goodness for that! It wasn't bad, thanks, Paul. I'm sure yours was good, now that Hani is back in this part of the world.

17) A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers

{first in NeoG trilogy ; science fiction, space, future}(2020)

 

This series was recommended to me by @ronincats after I read the Indranan War series by the same author. When I finished this book three months ago I just put a place holder for it and then rushed on with my reading; I'm back to try and review it in hindsight (using the notes I jotted down on Litsy as I read).

Maxine Carmichael has, against family tradition, joined the NeoG (Near-Earth Orbital Guard) - who patrol our solar system - instead of the Navy or the family company. Commander Rosa Martín Rivas and the crew of Zuma's Ghost of the NeoG are still smarting from a close loss in last year's Boarding Games and are hoping to win this year - but Max is replacing their best swordsman and she has different strengths. The main focus of the story is the inter-forces Games, as the chapter headings suggest, but there are other things happening out in the solar system. In between patrolling - when they discover that there is a deadly mystery linked back to the Carmichael's company - the crew train and compete in the Games .

I found this book easy to read and more-ish but not too intense. For some reason, though I enjoyed it, I didn't feel deeply invested in the characters; maybe it was because some events that we see the build-up to then finish off-screen? It gave the book a feeling of incompleteness and the time jumps it entailed didn't help either.

Initially I found all the names confusing at the beginning especially when they were given their proper name the first time we saw them but a nickname (without an explanation as to who it belonged to) on their second mention. Plus, a lot of names are similar: Ma/ Max, Nika/Zika all on the same crew but not related and Nika has an adopted sister with a completely different name.

This was a fun, light read. There seemed to be a suggestion of ESP in some of the characters though that didn't crystallise into anything in this book. I think I have a thing for Doge, the metal AI dog who reminds me a lot of our own real-life canine.

The NeoG oath, recited by the crew just before they go out to compete in one of the rounds of the Game, which also explains the title of this story:

They all circled around her and Rosa felt her heart shake for a moment when she met Ma’s eyes. He reached out and put his hand on hers. “We go out into the black,” he said
“To protect the lost,” Sapphi continued.
“And weary travelers far from home,” Locke and Garcia said together and shared a grin.
“We go out into the black.” D’Arcy’s rumbling bass was in Rosa’s ear as he reached past her, putting his other hand on her back.
“Without thought of return.” Akane’s clear soprano rang through the tunnel and Rosa knew the other teams were watching them.
“Because it is our duty to stand between.” Tamago filled in the gap on Rosa’s other side.
“Those who need us,” Huang said.
“And all the things on silent wings.” Murphy’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“That come to steal their lives away.” Jenks met Rosa’s gaze and then Max put her hand on the top of the pile.
“We are the sentinels, always ready to defend the pale light that shines in the black.”
“We are the NeoG,” Rosa looked around, nodded once, and dropped her hand.

Worth giving it a go.

(March 2024)
3.5-4 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Just starting (1/10th in). All the names are confusing at the beginning especially when they're given their proper name the 1st time we see them but a nickname (without explanation) at their 2nd mention. Plus, a lot of names are similar: Ma/ Max, Nika/Zika all on the same crew but not related. Though Nika has an adopted sister with a completely different name.

Not quite halfway through now. Easy to read and more-ish but not too intense. For some reason, though I‘m enjoying it, I don‘t feel deeply invested in the characters; maybe because some events that we see the buildup to then finish off-screen? From the chapter headings, the big thing is the inter-forces Games but there are other things happening out in the solar system. There‘s a suggestion of ESP in some of the characters.

I think I have a thing for Doge, the metal AI dog 🐕

They all circled around her and Rosa felt her heart shake for a moment when she met Ma’s eyes. He reached out and put his hand on hers. “We go out into the black,” he said
“To protect the lost,” Sapphi continued.
“And weary travelers far from home,” Locke and Garcia said together and shared a grin.
“We go out into the black.” D’Arcy’s rumbling bass was in Rosa’s ear as he reached past her, putting his other hand on her back.
“Without thought of return.” Akane’s clear soprano rang through the tunnel and Rosa knew the other teams were watching them.
“Because it is our duty to stand between.” Tamago filled in the gap on Rosa’s other side.
“Those who need us,” Huang said.
“And all the things on silent wings.” Murphy’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.
“That come to steal their lives away.” Jenks met Rosa’s gaze and then Max put her hand on the top of the pile.
“We are the sentinels, always ready to defend the pale light that shines in the black.”
“We are the NeoG,” Rosa looked around, nodded once, and dropped her hand.

>197 humouress: Oh dang sorry for the SUPER late reply, I'm pretty sure i went to bed soon after that anyways

>185 humouress: sprinkle sprinkle all that flour
How few turns can give it color
through the batter so smooth and sweet
fruits I'll add whole and complete
frosting spread on sponge so cold
sliced to show colors so bold

Twinkle, twinkle!

>204 Owltherian: No worries.

>205 richardderus: Thanks Richard!

I suggest you post that on Paul's thread, too, since he appreciates 'poultry' :0)

>206 humouress: Thanks, i have a bunch to do so I'm sorry if i ever just don't respond

>205 richardderus: & >207 humouress: Hahaha, indeed!

>208 Owltherian: We're probably all in the same boat. Don't worry about it.

And look what I found on Richard's thread ;0)

yeah, i want to be online more i just cant really fit it into my schedule though sadly

18) The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

{stand-alone/ follow-on; romance, New York City, time travel}(2023)

 

Clementine (Lemon, for short) West has inherited her aunt's Upper East Side apartment - but her aunt warned her it was magical; it could send you seven years into the past. Aunt Analea met the love of her life that way. Clementine finds the apartment lonely but she keeps hoping that she'll meet her beloved aunt again. Instead she meets Iwan who has come to Manhattan to try and make it as a chef, fuelled by his enthusiasm for the 'perfect meal' made with such ingredients as the company you eat it in and the memories it evokes as well as his grandfather's stymied ambition - and she might end up breaking Analea's rule number 2 - never fall in love in the apartment (rule number 1 being to always take your shoes off at the door). But once you go out through the door, you might come back in your time or in the past and you never know when the apartment will take you back to the past. So she doesn't know if she'll meet Iwan again, in his time or hers.

Of course, she does but it's in her time, seven years later for him and he's about to achieve his dreams but at what cost? He's lost the enthusiasm and passion that she fell in love with. And what about Clementine's career, which depends on snagging the book rights to a certain celebrity chef that her friend Drew has discovered - but has she lost her passion after losing her aunt?

A light, gentle romance, in the world of NYC restaurants and book publishing. There are references to people and companies from The Dead Romantics and Benji Anderson (as well as his fiancée) makes an appearance, which was fun and like the previous book, this has a few book- and author-name drops. I liked the occasional banter but I felt Seven Year Slip may not have been as strong as her first book - though that could have been guilt because I was rushing through reading it when I should have been doing something else. As I mull over it in hindsight, it did leave me with a good feeling but there are a few bits, like my quiche pastry last night, where there are a few gaps in hindsight that weren't there when I rolled it out, as it were. For instance, the reasons they didn't meet for the intervening years make sense but it's something of a non-event in the end.

I'm enjoying Poston's slightly paranormal take on romance; I'll be happy to read whatever she writes next. This was a right person, wrong time, sweet romance.

(March 2024)
3.5

Litsy notes & quotes

Back in the publishing world but a different company. Clementine has inherited her aunt's NYC flat - which can send you 7 years to the past. There are LOTS of references to 'Dead Romantics', Poston's previous book (including Benji himself)

I used to make my own cards, Nina. I did it for quite a while, and I had a die cutting machine as well. It definitely is time consuming. I'm not sure why I stopped. I think I trouble carrying the die machine, and cutters etc etc from the craft room to the kitchen table . I have osteoporosis, with a healed compression fracture in my back, so I try to be careful . Lovely crown that you got from Richard!

>212 Owltherian: Well, I'd be happier if my kids were online less :0)

>214 vancouverdeb: That's prescient Deborah! I've just spent the past few days blitzing card making for the nieces and nephews in the hopes my husband would be postie for me when he goes on his work trip. I managed all the US and Canadian ones except for a couple but anyway he says I might as well post them from here since he'll be in a different corner of the country.

But at least it forced me to get them done. I'm lucky enough to have a large desk in my study so my die machine is on one corner. The intention is to put it in one of the cupboards when I'm not using it but a) I always seem to be behind on the cards I intend making and b) it's a bit wide for most of my cupboards and the shelves it might fit in are already jam packed. So it's unintentionally taken up permanent residence there.

I'm sorry about your back and the osteoporosis. Definitely be careful! I know what it's like to have a bad back and you don't want a permanent injury.

Thanks re the crown. I almost had to ambush him ;0)

>215 humouress: Guess so, and i couldnt get online tonight due to having to leave my computer downstairs

19) Paragon Lost by Dave Duncan

{fourth in Ironhall Books/ first in Chronicles of the King's Blades; fantasy, sword and sorcery, adventure}(2002)



This is the first of the second trilogy of the Ironhall books, now taking place a generation or two later (so the 'Henry VIII' facsimile is no longer around). Most of the characters have changed but the famed Sir Durendal is now Grand Master of Ironhall. The story starts with Durendal offering a mission to a disgraced Blade and then we go back in time a couple of years to find out how Beau was disgraced and finally ends with him completing his mission to win back his blade, 'Just Desert'.

To remind you, Ironhall Blades are the best of the best. However, boys are not sent to Ironhall to become heroes but usually as a last resort. They train hard and become expert weapons masters - but of course each boy has their own speciality. At the end of their training the monarch comes to Ironhall (or occasionally a noble to whom the monarch has decided to give a Blade to) and runs each boy through the heart with their own customised sword and a spell which, rather than killing them, binds the new Blade to their master - or mistress (on rare occasions). Bound Blades will die before letting harm come to their master (though their loyalty doesn't blind them to that master's faults) and can go without sleep for days.

Beaumont (Beau) is acknowledged as one of the best Ironhall has had in a while and is dubbed 'the Paragon' because he's effortlessly the best at everything. So it is a bit of a surprise to Ironhall denizens when the king does not take him for himself but gives him and the next two Blades (Ironhall operates on a strict first-in-first-out basis) to a portly minister named Wassail. Durendal, however, suspects that there is a reason behind this and it turns out that Wassail is being sent on a long and diplomatically delicate (and therefore secret) mission where the Blades' skills will be needed and sorely tested.

Duncan gives us two points of view; the Chivians', who are going into Skyrria, and in the Skyrrian camp, Czarina Sophie. The Czarina and her sister Tasha, who is betrothed to the King of Chivial, live on a knife‘s edge. Czar Igor has a volatile personality (not to mention being paranoid) and could be this world's facsimile for Ivan the Terrible. He rules with an iron fist and uses magic to enforce his will with giant hounds. Sophie has her work cut out to keep him from flaring into violence - when he's around - and keeping her adult stepson, who is even more depraved than Igor, away from Tasha.

As always, I enjoyed the writing in this series. Puns are scattered around and Duncan pokes fun at, amongst other things, the beards on the Skyrrians.

The lead boat had gone on ahead to carry warning, so the reception party was waiting when Wassail stepped ashore around noon. Bands played hobnail Skyrrian music like cats quarreling in a thunderstorm, peacock Pursuivant preened amid an exaltation of Skyrrian heralds, and a dozen hairy grandees glittered welcome in the sunshine. Why would men deck themselves up in so much jewelry and gold brocade, and then hide behind such jungles? Even the liveried pike-bearing men-at-arms had whiskers down to their belts. Strike a spark and they would all go up like dry hay.

...

The open carriage provided for His Excellency's triumphant entry into Kiensk resembled a converted hay wagon, but it was drawn by eight spectacular white horses. Wassail and three Best Beards climbed aboard.

Beaumont should be irritating but he's not; he's not arrogant though he is cocky but he does have a brain and cares for his charges and his friends.

There is lots of fun - and tension. There were points I almost couldn't bear to continue reading. I know from experience that Duncan can kill off his Blades if the situation calls for it (Ironhall graduates are not usually known for long lifespans) and with them going into a parallel Russia where a despot Czar rules and his son, who is even worse, is just waiting to take over ... I could sense desperate times ahead.

(March 2024)
4.5-5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

OMG the tension! I know from experience that Duncan can kill off his Blades and now they‘re going into a parallel Russia where a despot Czar rules and his son, who‘s even worse, is just waiting to take over. The Czarina and her sister, betrothed to the King of Chivial, live on a knife‘s edge

Now a generation or 2 later but Sir Durendal is now Grand Master of Ironhall

The lead boat had gone on ahead to carry warning, so the reception party was waiting when Wassail stepped ashore around noon. Bands played hobnail Skyrrian music like cats quarreling in a thunderstorm, peacock Pursuivant preened amid an exaltation of Skyrrian heralds, and a dozen hairy grandees glittered welcome in the sunshine. Why would men deck themselves up in so much jewelry and gold brocade, and then hide behind such jungles? Even the liveried pike-bearing men-at-arms had whiskers down to their belts. Strike a spark and they would all go up like dry hay.

...

The open carriage provided for His Excellency's triumphant entry into Kiensk resembled a converted hay wagon, but it was drawn by eight spectacular white horses. Wassail and three Best Beards climbed aboard.

Well, went to a Tom Jones concert with a friend; I'll be honest, I knew maybe 40% of the songs but the old ones are goldies. He may be 83 but dear goddesses, the man has a Voice! And he was on time and an absolute charmer with those Welsh tones. Great fun. And a few rows in front of us, some ladies waving the obligatory ... um ... necessaries.

>170 humouress: I took it to extremes, too. But my parents encouraged it. They were both big readers. Dad is pretty bored these days. ☹️

>220 The_Hibernator: Oh dear. No more luck with the Nook yet?

The cake looks tasty and your crown looks fabulous, Nina!

>219 humouress: Eighty-three and still up there performing! That I'd actually go to a live concert to support...and no concert-goer, me. Too loud.

A little squicked by the panty-waving, TBH.

>222 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg! I should post a picture of the second cake I made, too.

>223 richardderus: Total respect to the man. (I've been impressed with him since seeing him in Mars Attacks.)

This being Singapore, it was limited to waving. Legend has it that they're usually thrown onto the stage. (Imagine being in the front rows if they fall short of the target.) (Actually, don't imagine it.)

20) Off Season by Clive Fleury

{first in Detective Ryan series; crime, gangsters, Sydney, detective, LTER} (2024)

  

I received this e-book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. To be honest, crime isn't my preferred genre; I requested it because I have family in Australia and because I was curious about the lead character, detective Ramesh Ryan.

The story is set in 2021 (though it was published 2024). Ryan is a high-flying Sydney detective - until he loses a guaranteed-win high profile case against a drug king-pin and is asked to temporarily move to the Central Coast town of Barton, several hours' drive north of Sydney, 'for his safety'. Coincidentally at the same time a drug shipment is mishandled just off the coast from Sydney and then bodies start turning up in Barton just after Ryan arrives there. Plus there's a fifteen year old mystery to be solved. The title 'Off Season' is because Barton thrives off the tourist trade in the summer but the story takes place during the off season when only the local residents are in town.

I thought the writing was decent enough, the plotting was good and the action flowed well. I found it easy to put down but easy to pick up again (though it took me a bit longer to read than I was initially expecting, looking at my e-reader page count) and I liked the little continuity links between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next (maybe the author's screenplay experience coming through?). I thought the seaside town was depicted well (Ryan's partial ethnicity is noticed) though I couldn't say either way how accurate the portrayal of gangsters in Sydney is.

However, the book could have done with better editing. Towards the beginning of the book there were several random, awkward exclamation marks! And though the story was told from the third person point of view, I noticed one chapter where it switched from the attacker to the victim within the same scene which was disorienting. There were many examples of odd or wrong word choices (four is a number, not a letter; 'revelry' is not the same as 'reverie'; I'm not quite sure what a 'blood wrenching cry' is and so on) which jarred me out of the story whenever I came across them and sentences were often quite short which chopped up the flow of the narrative. There were a few brand names scattered through; three or four specific ones cropped up frequently which had me wondering if they sponsored the book.

I do find it a bit hard to believe that a silver medalist Olympian (not Olympiad) from the last games could go missing without it being noticed (not a spoiler; this happens at the beginning of the story). And while I appreciate that this was a crime novel, there was the odd gruesome bit (such as a victim's face being smashed by a propeller) which felt added in just to try to make it more gritty; they cropped up very occasionally and felt out of place. Either do gruesome all the way - which would be a different type of book - or (my personal preference) don't make it gratuitously gory at all.

These were all small issues but distracted from the story.

Overall, a decent book with a lot going on.

(March 2024)
3-3.25 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

ER from LT. Picked it because I have family in Oz and for the lead character‘s name, detective Ramesh Ryan. About 1/6 in. Decent writing, could use some editing (eg reverie not revelry, letter 4, blood wrenching cry) and polish - and fewer random exclamation marks! POV is 3rd person but can suddenly switch between people which disrupts the narrative flow.

1/3 in. There's the odd gruesome bit (eg victim's face being smashed by propeller) which feels added in to try to make it more gritty. Either do gruesome all the way - which would be a different type of book - or (my personal preference) don't make it gory at all.
A character called F. has just been introduced. Not sure yet if it's their name (there are lots of weird 'gang-type' names) or a clumsy attempt to obscure their identity.

I'm appreciating the continuity between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. And the random exclamation marks seem to have disappeared but there are a few brand names scattered around. Sentences tend to be a bit short which chops up the flow.
Easy to put down but easy to pick up again. Good plotting.
Fair number of words used wrongly. No idea how accurate the portrayal of gangsters in Sydney is.

Ramesh Ryan is a high-flying Sydney detective until he loses a sure-fire front page news case against a drug king-pin and is asked to move to the Central Coast town of Barton for his health. Coincidentally a drug shipment is mishandled and bodies start turning up in droves just after Ryan arrives. Plus there's a 15 year old mystery tangled in. (set in 2021, published 2024)

>221 humouress: nope! But he's reading another large print book

21) The Guidal: Discovering Puracordis by Roxy Eloise

{First in The Guidal series; future, young adult, YA, magic, LTER}(2021)

  

I received this as an Early Reviewer book a while ago and decided to read it now but I jumped in without re-reading the blurb (although in hindsight, like the majority of blurbs, it's rather florid and not completely accurate) so I was a bit lost at the beginning.

The year is 2119 and Aurora lives in the Boulderfell institute inside a glass dome in the city of Vencen. We meet her, and then spend over a year with her, when she has just turned sixteen and is moving from the Mustard section (the children's section) to the Navy section where she will become a Young Enforcer until she leaves after another thirteen years. One of the Youngens' duties is to patrol the city just before sunset and ensure that all citizens are off the streets.

Pax and I wandered the streets in a careless daydream. I was so thankful Pax enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, too. We would often stroll along together in silence. The city, Vencen, was built of mostly glass and steel, each building an architectural masterpiece. I could spend all day admiring the impressive works of art. Once content with the breathtaking, man-made structures, we would find ourselves in the woods encircling the city outskirts. Being immersed in natural beauty was such a rare feast.
The sunlight blinked through the myriad of fluttering leaves, making a spectacle of the brilliant-green ferns below. A few moments later, shadows crept in. The sun was setting, so we re-entered the city, seeking the remainder of light. Walking in the middle of a deserted road, Pax began to speak. "I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Bricks-'n-Mortar Men. They didn't have intelligent, pico-processing roadways."

Narrated in the first person from Aurora's point of view the story starts with a dream/ memory of the time she was captured as a toddler and brought to the institute where she now lives - but she sees it from someone else's perspective. There is a hint that there is hidden magic in this world - Aurora's first class is a history class about witchcraft and 'maleficium' last being known in 1684. Magic is obviously to be abhorred and has been stamped out.

When she moves to the Navies, we find out that first Years have to do a Unity Assessment and then at the beginning of each year the system checks if any pairs 'match'. If anyone does (and it can be during any year, and with someone from any year group) then they are betrothed and do their duties together (and, if they want, they can also book in for classes together) and when they leave the institute they will get married first (but not before then). They are given bedrooms with interconnecting doors - but they are not allowed to sleep together on penalty of being imprisoned for thirty years, which was odd. Of course, Aurora matches.

I thought the overall story had an interesting concept but Aurora doesn't seem to do much during her day - and she inevitably does something (like being injured or punished) which ends up with her being excused from duties so she ends up doing even less. She seems to earn punishments easily, sometimes randomly, and there were sections where I didn't understand her reactions. Seioh (CEO?) Jensen, who heads the Institute, hands her some harsh and unnecessary-seeming punishments and she always dreads being called to his office - but (puzzlingly) at one point when she's very upset and doesn't know where to go or what to do she finds herself going to his office and zoning out for the day on his couch. And he ignores her and just carries on with his work.

She makes friends and enemies in her new section - including some of Seioh Boulderfell's children - and her friend group is good (oddly, she only seems to have known one of them before) but it would have been nice to see more/ stronger interactions with them and maybe a few more details of her day to day life to give the story some substance. We don't find out much about this world (which may or may not be a future version of our Earth) or even about the city or life outside the institute - in fact we only leave the institute with Aurora a couple of times - so the world view is vague and we don't even know how much power Boulderfell holds outside the institute. But this could be intentional at this point in the series.

I liked the story though I felt that the pacing could do with some polishing and tightening up. There were times that the narrative lagged for me, when Aurora seemed a bit childish and places where things were left unexplained or it jumped between events, leaving gaps, which had me feeling a bit lost and disgruntled. I found the endearments certain people used for Aurora ('my little Roar', 'Little Lady') awkwardly patronising. The story is similar to Fourth Wing (young people training in a martial institute, making friends and enemies, but the people in power are keeping secrets as to why things are done the way they are) but without the dragons and the explicitness; despite its loose cohesion I liked this book better.

And then it ends just when magic makes an appearance and it starts to really get interesting! I wish I had the next book to see where this goes.

(March 2024)
3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

Told from 1st person POV. Aurora has a memory from someone else‘s pov of when she was captured as a toddler. 1/3 of the way in. Starts off well but now is losing its polish; things are left unexplained, it‘s started jumping between events leaving gaps and the tone is a bit young.
In 2119 she lives in a domed institute where they train to be Young Enforcers of sunset curfew in the city of Vencen. Magic is abhored & has been stamped out

At 16 she‘s just moved to the adult section. Some of them are betrothed so they get interconnected rooms and are paired for duties and marry when they leave at 30 but if they do anything before that they‘re sent to prison for 30 years and any baby is taken by the institute

It‘s a lot like ‘Fourth Wing‘ but without the dragons or (thankfully) the explicitness. Ch 10; starting to get intriguing

Aagh! Ends just as it gets going. Wish I had the next book to see where it goes.

Pax and I wandered the streets in a careless daydream. I was so thankful Pax enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere, too. We would often stroll along together in silence. The city, Vencen, was built of mostly glass and steel, each building an architectural masterpiece. I could spend all day admiring the impressive works of art. Once content with the breathtaking, man-made structures, we would find ourselves in the woods encircling the city outskirts. Being immersed in natural beauty was such a rare feast.
The sunlight blinked through the myriad of fluttering leaves, making a spectacle of the brilliant-green ferns below. A few moments later, shadows crept in. The sun was setting, so we re-entered the city, seeking the remainder of light. Walking in the middle of a deserted road, Pax began to speak. "I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Bricks-'n-Mortar Men. They didn't have intelligent, pico-processing roadways."

>227 The_Hibernator: Well, at least he's reading. Maybe you can try the same author on the Nook, if he likes them? Can you borrow from the library on a Nook?

I'm returning to Wordle in a desultory fashion. Today's attempt:

Wordle 1,002 5/6

⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬛
🟨⬛🟨🟨🟨
⬛🟨🟩🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

*sigh* Well, I got there in the end.

So my husband just got back from a nearly 2 week overseas trip early yesterday morning. Of course, Jasper was thrilled to see the alpha male coming back home (so he could hand over duties). My husband said he's never noticed before but Jasper had a huge smile on his face. Even my sister has said that Jasper smiles. He's just a very smiley dog.

But I can't say I'm impressed by the shameless way that that dog panders to my husband while he has absolutely no regard for his Protectoress-from-the-Thunder-and-Dog-Massager. (Well, he does pay some attention to me in Dog Massager phase, when he demands more massaging.)

>231 humouress: How rude of Jasper! As Protectoress-from-the-Thunder-and-Dog-Massager, you certainly deserve more respect.

Otter does a funny submissive "smile," especially when greeting other dogs and humans he doesn't know super well. It can look a little scary to the uninitiated as it's a submissive pulling back of the lips to show all the teeth which some would interpret as aggression, but he's just submitting to everyone left and right, lol. It's quite cute when you learn to recognize it :)

>231 humouress: ...well, Jasper *is* male...that pretty much chronicles the male demands from life....

>232 curioussquared: Quite so, thank you ;0)

Yes, Jasper does this 'yawn' thing which looks to me like a lion showing off its teeth; but apparently it's a submissive yawn that dogs do. And when he meets new people or when we come home, he gets excited and starts barking like crazy - which, of course, new people interpret to mean that he's about to attack them (my golden retriever? No way.)

And his other weirdly inappropriate behaviour is, when he gets super excited when we're playing, to start chewing on us. He has learned that this is frowned upon, so his alternative is to switch to the expensive rugs 🙄

>233 richardderus: *sigh* wretched male

We'd always had female dogs until the last one. Male dogs are a whole different story.

>236 Familyhistorian: So glad you told me that. Now.

;0)

Lol. I'm sure Jasper loves you mightily.

>238 The_Hibernator: I'm sure. I'll take it.

'Tis ever the parents' lot to be taken for granted.

Yeah, it's me again, that bad penny that shows up once in a blue moon, lol.

>240 humouress: That sounds so much like me (and my daughter Beth) it is not even funny :)

22) Same Time Next Summer by Annabelle Monaghan



{stand alone; romance, second chance, summer, first love, beach, beach home, Long Island}(2023)

Wyatt and Sam grew up spending their summers together, since their families had summer homes on the beach next door to each other. And then they became inseperable - until he broke her heart when she was seventeen. Sam hasn't been to the beach for an entire summer since then, just long weekends, but now (the story is written in first person, present tense) she's taking Jack, her handsome dermatologist fiancé, to Long Island for the first time in the four years they've been together.

But then she discovers that Wyatt, whom she hasn't seen since they broke up so painfully, is there too and though she does her best not to her old feelings for him start to resurface.

I'm catching up on my review about three months after reading it. I noted at the time that I was not quite sure yet about this; the narration threw me off a bit. I chose the audio book because I really liked the audio of Nora Goes off Script read by Hillary Huber. But this was read by Brittany Pressley (& Dan Bittner for the 'Wyatt' chapters); both had a southern accent and dragged the ends of sentences which worked for Wyatt (it made him sound laid back which suited his character) but not so much for the narration - or, really, for Sam. And I couldn't always tell what was spoken vs thought. Pressley did have a good variety of voices, so I could tell who was speaking, but I was a little distracted by her style of narration. Mind you, it was not the worst I've heard by a long shot; I was just spoiled by Huber 😊

This story is narrated in the present and in flashbacks (Now and Then), going over the summers that Wyatt and Sam first met and then grew up together. You do have to be patient with this book; I made a note that by chapter 24 (of 61; about 2/5ths of the way in) we still hadn't got to the reason for Sam's and Wyatt's break-up.

I'm not sure where Monaghan comes out on therapy on this; on the one hand, it seems to have worked for Sam's family and (in the end) for Wyatt but it doesn't sound like 'Dr Judy' fully worked for Sam - though she may have helped pull her through a tough time.

I liked Nora Goes off Script better but I like both NGoS and Same Time Next Summer for being relatively sweet and innocent (one reviewer said 'closed door' which I assume means we don't get all the details of 'bedroom encounters'); it's the thrill of falling in love that gives me butterflies, not detailed descriptions. I didn't get much sense of Jack and I thought he was a bit easily dispensed with. It did seem as though Sam's family were throwing Wyatt and her together in spite of the fact that she and Jack were in Long Island to look for a wedding venue.

I liked this though it wasn't without flaws. I'm ready to read whatever Monaghan gives us next.

(March 2024)
maybe 3.5 stars

Litsy notes & quotes

audiobook ISBN 9780593742013

Wyatt broke Sam's heart 12 years ago since when she hasn't seen him but this summer she takes her fiancé to her family's beach house - and Wyatt is there too.

Ch 24; still haven't got to the reason for their break-up. Looks suspiciously like Sam's family is throwing them together in spite of the fact that she & Jack are looking for a wedding venue.

I like both of Monaghan's books that I've read; the clean romance aspect & the thrill of falling in love.

I chose the audio book because I really liked the audio of 'Nora Goes off Script' read by Hillary Huber. But this was read by Brittany Pressley (& Dan Bittner for 'Wyatt'); both had a southern accent and dragged the ends of sentences which worked for Wyatt (made him sound laid back) but not so much for the narration - or, really, for Sam. And I couldn't always tell what was spoken vs thought. She did have a good variety of voices, so I could tell who was speaking but I was a little distracted by her style of narration. Mind you, not the worst I've heard by a long shot. I was just spoiled by Huber 😊

>241 alcottacre: Hey You! Good to see you here Stasia.

But it is fun being dramatic. Once in a while. (I was posting >240 humouress: in response to Rachel's (et al) message.)

>243 humouress: t is fun being dramatic. Once in a while. Yeah, the key is "once in a while." Lol

>244 alcottacre: We don't tend to do 'dramatic' in my family. My husband's family, on the other hand 🙄 🙄 🙄

The kids, thankfully, fall towards my side - though they have their moments.

>245 humouress: Lol. My daughter Beth definitely has her moments! My husband's family is more the 'whatever happens, happens' variety. The drama definitely comes from my side.

Drama is emotional Tabasco... don't treat it like salt and it should be okay.

I mentioned a mural, on Paul's thread, which my husband had painted for our boys over ten years ago and I thought I'd put it up here. This is a couple of years later, so it's a bit weather beaten - but, sadly, it's even more weather beaten now. I'd like to get it freshened up but it's actually on our neighbour's wall. He was kind enough to give us permission to get it painted on his wall (since, he said, he'd not see it on that side anyway).

>248 humouress: That is more mural than graffiti though isn't it, Nina?! Nice!

>248 humouress: That is a lovely mural and your neighbor must be lovely too!

>178 humouress: Yum! And so pretty! Way to dive into the cake baking.

>219 humouress: Tom Jones!! How cool is that?

>213 humouress: Bad boy Jasper!! Show some love to your protectress/massager/one who feeds you!!

>248 humouress: Lovely mural. And neighbor. : )

Phew! All caught up again. xoxo

>249 PaulCranswick: Thank you! Unfortunately, some of the colours had already faded and the toucan seems to be hidden in this photo.

>250 quondame: Thank you Susan and yes, they are :0)

>251 Berly: Thanks! I'm taking a break from baking though because my stupid skin issue has flared up again, which means I can't eat flour products (among others) - and no point baking if I can't eat ;0)

Tom Jones was lovely. Thank you for the empathy re Jasper. And thanks re the mural.

See you again ... soon?

>254 humouress: Soon! LOL. I am here again if only to share that I am all baked out. My daughter and hubby have a sourdough starter bowl in the fridge and this past weekend we went crazy making pretzels, choc chip muffins, sourdough bread and then lots of fruit muffins, too. We can't possible eat it all! Maybe I can give some of it away this Easter weekend...sorry you are on a flour hiatus or I'd offer some to you, too. : )

>255 Berly: Hello again!

I'm sorry too - it all sounds delicious! I didn't realise you could make muffins from sourdough.

>248 humouress: Wow, that's quite the mural! I'm not clear--did your husband paint it, or did you hire someone? It looks pretty high up, so not easy to do, or to touch up.

That’s an impressive mural!

>257 atozgrl: Thank you!

My husband had it painted by a couple of graffiti artists. He was getting the outside of the house repainted at the time (it get's grotty-looking quite quickly in this climate) so there was scaffolding up, anyway.

We just had the house repainted and I thought we might be able to take advantage of the scaffolding again but we didn't get the mural redone.

>258 SandDune: Thanks Rhian :0)

>259 humouress: That's too bad that you weren't able to get the mural touched up this time. I remain impressed by it.

>261 atozgrl: Thanks (again) Irene. I'm quite fond of it myself.

I think my husband decided against it partly because it's not on our wall and partly because it was towards the end of our renovation project and the bills were starting to add up. Actually, repainting the house wasn't in the original plan as it was.

23) Agatha Raisin and The Potted Gardener & The Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton

{third of 34+3 in Agatha Raisin series; detective, murder, village life, Cotswolds, comedy, audiobook, BBC adaptation}(2010)

 

The Potted Gardener

I enjoyed the TV series of these books with Ashley Jensen and I loved listening to Penelope Keith in the full cast BBC dramatisation of the first two books, so I decided to continue on in the same vein. Ms Keith is back in Carsely playing Agatha Raisin and this time Agatha can't resist taking shortcuts to win the gardening competition. You'd think she would have learned her lesson after the Quiche of Death but after all, as she points out, the judge is hardly going to eat her garden.

But this is Aggie and of course there is a murder; one of the gardeners is, quite literally, potted. So she and her neighbour James Lacey (insert quote), following very strict orders from Detective Sergeant Bill Wong not to interfere, go ahead and investigate on their own.

Given that the whole audiobook (I think this and The Walkers of Dembley together) is around 2 hours long, I suspect that this dramatisation is an abridged version of the book and some details (like Chivers's - the marmalade cat - name; actually she seems to have two cats in the e-book) have been changed. I guessed who the murderer might be before they were revealed but I don't know if that would have been the case if I had read the book.

The mystery, as I heard it, wasn't the most mysterious but I love listening to Penelope Keith in this role and James is a good foil for Aggie. Her former employee, Roy, is back too. There are some hilarious moments and I'm looking forward to continuing on with The Walkers of Dembley.

(March 2024)
4-4.5 stars