Amber's (scaifea) Thread #4

Hey, everybody!

I'm Amber, a one-time Classics professor, turned stay-at-home parent/lady of leisure, turned part-time library assistant, turned once again Classics professor, and turned librarian again. I spend my free time sewing, writing, knitting, baking, and, of course, reading.

My reading life is happily governed by lists, which means that I read a healthy variety of things across various genres.

I'm 48 going on 12 and live in Ohio with my husband, Tomm; our son, Charlie; Mario, the Golden Retriever; and Agent Fitzsimmons, the Border Collie.

Favorite Books from 2023
A Court of Silver Flames
Radio Silence
Given
The Cat Who Saved Books
Bad Feminist
Snow, Glass, Apples
Greywaren
The Lost Library
Shakespeare for Squirrels

What I'm Reading Now:
-Scout's Honor (Stonewall Honor Book)
-Scorched Grace (mystery)
-Naked in Death (romance)
-My Hero Academia Vol 18 (manga)
-101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived (wishlist book)
-Folk of the Air (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books)
-Firelight (Beauty & the Beast retellings)
-The Uncommon Reader (audiobook)
-The Lost City of Z (from the library displays)
-Cold Mountain (National Book Award)
-How Do You Live? (Read Soon! Shelves)
-My Summer of You vol 1 (wishlist)

The books I have going at once and the On Deck books nearly all come from the following categories and lists:

-The yearly winners of a handful of the YALSA awards (Newbery, Caldecott, Schneider, Stonewall, Printz, Alex)

-A mystery

-A romance novel

-Manga

-A book from my wishlist (it's *so* long)

-A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List

-A Beauty and the Beast retelling

-An audiobook, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft/clean/drive/pack and unpack cargo at work

-a book from my library's monthly displays (two of my colleagues are in charge of the adult displays and I like supporting them)

-Agatha Christie's bibliography

-Stephen Fry's bibliography

-John Boyne bibliography

-Neil Gaiman's bibliography

-Christopher Moore's bibliography

-Maggie Stiefvater's bibliography

-The NEH Timeless Classics list

-The National Book Award list

-The Pulitzer list

-An unread book from my shelves

-A book from my Read Soon! shelves

-Book-a-year challenge: A few years ago I made a year-by-year list to see how far I could go back with consecutive reads. I've since been trying to fill in the gap years.

-A full-on re-read through Shakespeare's stuff.

Books Read

JANUARY
1. Fangirl (audiobook) - 9/10
2. $2.00 a Day (audiobook) - 7/10
3. By Your Side (audiobook) - 8/10
4. Light from Uncommon Stars (Alex Award) - 10/10
5. My Hero Academia vol 14 (manga) - 9/10
6. Anna and the Swallow Man (audiobook) - 9/10
7. The Last Mapmaker (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10
8. Maizy Chen's Last Chance (audiobook/Newbery Honor Book) - 8/10
9. Linger (Stiefvater bibliography) - 9/10
10. The Ten Thousand Doors of January (audiobook) - 8/10
11. N or M? (mystery) - 9/10
12. The Prince and the Dressmaker (from my Read Soon! shelves) - 9/10
13. The Words We Keep (audiobook) - 7/10
14. Practical Magic (wishlist) - 9/10
15. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (audiobook) - 6/10
16. Snow (library display book) - 8/10

FEBRUARY
17. Breathe and Count Back from Ten (audiobook) - 9/10
18. Honestly Elliott (audiobook) - 7/10
19. When the Angels Left the Old Country (audiobook) - 6/10
20. Katherine (romance) - 7/10
21. Iveliz Explains It All (Newbery Honor Book) - 7/10
22. Galileo's Middle Finger (audiobook) - 7/10
23. Carry On (series read) - 10/10
24. I Kissed Shara Wheeler (audiobook) - 9/10
25. Camp Damascus (audiobook) - 6/10
26. Unwind (because Charlie just finished it and told me I *had* to read it) - 9/10
27. Black Butler vol 2 (manga) - 9/10
28. Life with Father (NEH list) - 4/10
29. Attachments (audiobook) - 9/10
30. A Stroke of the Pen (audiobook) - 8/10
31. Forever (Steifvater bibliography) - 9/10
32. And Then There Were None (Christie Bibliography) - 9/10
33. All My Rage (Printz Award winner) - 9/10
34. The Moth Keeper (from my Read Soon! Shelves) - 9/10

MARCH
35. Billy Budd (audiobook) - 8/10
36. Icebreaker (Printz Honor Book) - 9/10
37. Cruel Beauty (Beauty and the Beast Retelling) - 8/10
38. A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting (Alex Award) - 8/10
39. The Seven Year Slip (Library Display Book) - 8/10
40. My Hero Academia vol 15 (manga) - 9/10
41. Cross My Heart and Never Lie (Stonewall Medal) - 8/10
42. Stars in Their Eyes (Stonewall Honor Book) - 7/10
43. The Eyes and the Impossible (Newbery Medal) - 6/10
44. The Three-Body Problem (audiobook) - 8/10
45. How to Be a Girl in the World (a favorite of one of my Tuesday Teens) - 10/10
46. Friends for Life (a favorite of one of my Tuesday Teens) - 9/10
47. Babel (Alex Award) - 9/10
48. Library of the Dead (Alex Award) - 8/10
49. A True Princess (a favorite of one of my Tuesday Teens) - 8/10
50. True Biz (Alex Award) - 8/10
51. Check & Mate (Charlie's school book club selection) - 9/10

April
52. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot (Alex Award) - 9/10
53. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (mystery) - 8/10
54. Black Butler vol 3 (manga) - 9/10
55. Mistress of Mellyn (romance) - 9/10
56. Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Alex Award) - 8/10
57. Fatal First Edition (mystery) - 8/10
58. The Men Who United the States (Books from my Wishlist) - 7/10
59. Beastly (Beauty and the Beast retelling) - 6/10
60. Dark Matter (audiobook) - 7/10
61. The Farthest-Away Mountain (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 8/10
62. Unwholly (Books from my Read Soon! shelves) - 9/10
63. Fourth Wing (Alex Award) - 10/10
64. How Lucky (Alex Award) - 9/10
65. Wayward Son (Read Soon! shelves) - 10/10
66. Ghost Wall (wishlist) - 8/10
67. Sinner (Stiefvater bibliography) - 9/10
68. Lightlark (audiobook) - 9/10

MAY
69. Year Million (wishlist) - 8/10
70. Now Entering Addamsville (wishlist) - 9/10
71. In the Key of Us (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
72. My Hero Academia vol 16 (manga) - 9/10
73. A Little Village Blend (romance) - 9/10
74. The Postman Always Rings Twice (mystery) - 4/10
75. The Princess Saves Herself in This One (B&B Retellings) - 4/10
76. Gnomes (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 6/10
77. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (rereading a favorite) - 10/10
78. The Witch's Heart (Alex Award) - 10/10
79. Uzumaki (Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10
80. How to Survive History (library display book) - 9/10
81. The Rose Code (Alex Award) - 9/10
82. Black Butler vol 4 (manga) - 9/10
83. Winter's Orbit (Alex Award) - 9/10
84. Nightbane (audiobook) - 9/10
85. The Thursday Murder Club (mystery) - 8/10
86. Only This Beautiful Moment (Stonewall Award) - 8/10

JUNE
87. Crown of Midnight (Read Soon! Shelves) - 9/10
88. My Hero Academia vol 17 (manga) - 9/10
89. Solito (Alex Award) - 9/10
90. Simon Sort of Says (Newbery Honor Book & Schneider Honor Book) - 8/10
91. A Knight in Shining Armor (romance) - 4/10
92. Me: Elton John Autobiography (wishlist) - 8/10
93. Mousse and Murder (library display) - 6/10
94. Open Season (audiobook) - 7/10
95. Prince Caspian (Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10
96. Malice (Alex Award) - 7/10
97. Icarus (Read Soon! shelves) - 10/10
98. Black Butler Vol. 5 (manga) - 9/10
99. The Hazel Wood (wishlist) - 8/10
100. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (mystery) - 8/10

JULY
101. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
102. The 39 Steps (NEH list) - 7/10
103. Never Tell a Lie (wishlist) - 7/10
104. Heartstopper vol 5 (Read Soon shelves) - 9/10
105. Imogen, Obviously (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
106. Bad Cree (Alex Award) - 9/10

Mario getting ready for one of our Brain Trust Meetings:



Agent Fitzsimmons enjoying her birthday haul:



And Charlie and his 15.5 birthday cake:



Don't worry, Mario won't feel left out of the birthday loop for long; hers is this Friday!

Welcome - come on in!

Happy New Thread Amber!!!

>6 scaifea: Thanks!

HAppy new one!

53. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (mystery) - 8/10
Pip has decided to do her senior capstone project on the 5-year-old cold case of a girl who went to the same high school. Under the guise of approaching the project from the topic of social media’s role in crime cases, Pip really intends on clearing the name of the other student – Sal - who was presumed to be the murderer after his apparent suicide and finding out what really happened to Andie Bell, whose body was never found. She teams up with Sal’s brother, Ravi, who also believes in Sal’s innocence, and together they set out to uncover the truth. But Pip quickly learns that there are layers of secrets here that she hadn’t guessed, and someone is out to stop her from investigating.

An okay mystery with some attempted twists at the end, although they didn’t have the shock value I would have liked them to, and in general the pacing was a little slow. I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t love it. The best part is the sweet slow burn romance between Pip and Ravi.



54. Black Butler vol 3 by Yana Toboso (manga) - 9/10
Another lovely romp with Sebastian the demon butler. This volume wrapped up the Jack the Ripper storyline.

>9 figsfromthistle: Thanks!

>8 scaifea: Your very welcome Amber, it seems your last thread got away from me, heh.

Happy new thread, Amber!

>5 scaifea: Love the pictures of Charlie, Mario, and Simmons.

>13 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Happy new thread.
Just the one candle for the half birthday? I suppose half a candle might be problematic to arrange. Which way would you half it?

>15 Helenliz: I used to do X-and-a-half candles for his half birthdays, but since we're up to 15+ now, the candles are kind of a lot. So just the one, yeah.

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread, Katie!

(I had to do that since I called her Amber on her new thread.)

:0

>17 foggidawn: >18 drneutron: Thanks, folks!

>18 drneutron: *snork!*

Happy new thread, Amber, and happy half-birthday to Charlie!

Happy new thread Amber!

>6 scaifea: Snort!

Happy new thread, Amber!

What did the teens end up opting for as their activity last night? I'm rooting for Peep Wars, lol.

Happy new thread, Amber!

Thanks, all!

>22 MickyFine: The world will never know; we were on a serious tornado/severe thunderstorm warning and so the PTB decided to shut down the library at 6. So no TT yesterday.

Happy new thread, Amber!

>25 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9-2 and then, if my three-day headache still isn't gone by then, very likely coming home to a nap. Baked potatoes for dinner tonight, I think.

On the Reading Front:
I started Mistress of Mellyn yesterday and already love it, and listened to more of The Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

The Crafting Report:
More work on SLPP#2 and more on the xmas crochet project.

What We're Watching:
Some It's Always Sunny, an ep of The Three Body Problem, and a couple of Cowboy Bebops.

Hi Amber my dear, Happy New Thread dear friend.

Happy new thread! Did you all get snow today? I saw it was in the forecast for at least some parts of the Cincinnati broadcast area. I figured you all are a little further northeast so you could be dealing with it too.

>28 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

>29 thornton37814: Yes we did. Gross. But of course nothing stuck, thank goodness.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Dolly shift today and will be spending a goodly chunk of it prepping for next week's Teen Tuesday - we're crafting next week and I have prep painting to do. Frozen Friday dinner tonight!

On the Reading Front:
I finished Mistress of Mellyn and will start Fatal First Edition today. Still listening to The Daughter of the Moon Goddess; I'll probably get a nice bit of listening in while prep painting today.

The Crafting Report:
SLPP#2 is coming along. I spent some time yesterday putting together a supply list for SLPP#3...

What We're Watching:
Some It's Always Sunny, the first episode of Rick and Morty (wow), and I watched an ep of Lucifer while crocheting.

Tornado warnings and snow in the same week? And I thought Canadian weather was weird...

I hope the Dolly shift flies by today!

>32 MickyFine: Welcome to midwest weather.

On the Agenda for Today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then some baking (Mexican Hot Chocolate Pie), weekly bill sorting, maybe some sewing, hopefully some reading. Meatball Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I started Fatal First Edition yesterday and I'm nearly finished with The Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

The Crafting Report:
No crafting yesterday.

What We're Watching:
Some It's Always Sunny, and then after Family Game Night (Phase 10), we introduced Charlie to Legally Blonde, which he loved because of course he did. How could you not?

My SIL introduced us to Phase 10 and we love it! It's become a family Christmas tradition to play.

"Bend... and snap!"

>35 katiekrug: It's a game akin to Uno in that tensions can get...high. But I adore it.

Yes!!

55. Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt (romance) - 9/10
Martha finds herself on the other side of a couple of years ‘out’ in the ton and without a husband, and her aunt has gently reminded her of her options: find a husband, fast, or find a job as a governess. Martha decides on the latter and sets off for a remote manor to take up the tutoring and managing of a stubborn and motherless child with an aloof but also philandering father. The neighboring manor houses a flirty bachelor brother and his meek sister, who dotes on Martha’s charge and mooneyes the father. Martha finds herself in the middle of it all, fighting off both the advances of the neighbor and her disturbingly strong and growing feelings for the master of Mellyn.

Oooh, I loved this one. A fantastic gothic romance with all sorts of Jane Eyre and Rebecca vibes.

>37 scaifea: I remember that title from back in my high school days (when I read every gothic romance I could get my hands on, and Victoria Holt was a favorite). I wonder if my library has it now...

Victoria Holt! I remember reading a bunch of hers (and Barbara Michaels') when I was around 12 or so, and my mother gave me free-range of our little local library because I'd read everything of interest from the children's collection :)

>38 laytonwoman3rd: >39 katiekrug: I do love a gothic romance, and I definitely would have as a kiddo, had I had access to them. At 12 I was reading Gone with the Wind, which was as close as I got. I didn't even know Jane Eyre existed until my first year of college. *sigh*

>38 laytonwoman3rd: I could have written this post! My next door neighbor/bf and I devoured Victoria Holt's novels in our teens.

I'm another who read all of Mom's Victoria Holt books as a teenager, and then sought out the ones she wrote under other names (Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr).

Happy New Thread, Amber!
>10 scaifea: I loved the twist on that storyline. It was my final "yes, I want to see where this story goes!" moment.
>27 scaifea: I've seen websites call baked Potatos a snack or a side...and that confuses me.
Cause when I get a baked potato, especially loaded, I get so full afterwards :p

>34 scaifea: Yay for Legally Blonde! Somewhat related, the soundtrack from the Broadway adaptation is one of my go-tos when I want something happy to listen to.

>41 lauralkeet: >42 foggidawn: I'm glad so many people love Holt's stuff - I may have to look into reading more.

>43 Ravenwoodwitch: I am *loving* Black Butler. The story is so interesting, and the artwork is gorgeous (in more ways than one...).

I agree about baked potatoes - pair it with a side salad and how could you possibly need more?

>44 MickyFine: *grins*

On the Agenda for Today:
Looong To Do list today; we'll see if I get everything crossed off. Laundry, some baking (Pennsylvania Dutch Spice Loaf for Charlie's breakfasts this week), meal prep for Charlie's lunches, some house cleaning, organize my schedule and to do lists for the week, enter a couple new recipes into my database, possibly write up a review (I'm very likely going to finish my audiobook this morning), work on my Spanish vocabulary (I'm trying to catch up with vocab cards to where I am in Duolingo - I need a more structured way to study than Duo seems willing to give me), some sewing, some crocheting, some reading, and dinner (shredded chicken burritos). Whew.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Fatal First Edition, and as I said above, I suspect I'll finish up Daughter of the Moon Goddess today.

The Crafting Report:
Still working on SLPP#2, and I've rummaged through my stash and found all the yarn I think I'll need for SLPP#3.

What We're Watching:
More It's Always Sunny, more Three Body Problem, and Legally Blonde 2, which isn't nearly as good as the first one, but still has some cute moments.

>47 scaifea: Yeah, Duolingo felt like a good introduction for me but wasn't great at providing structured practices. But that was just my experience :/
You're a language teacher so I figure you're a better judge.

>48 Ravenwoodwitch: Well, yes, but I'm a specialist in very dead languages, so learning a living language is something I haven't done in years (I know other non-dead languages (French, German, Italian), but only in the sense that I can read them and understand if someone speaks fairly slowly - I'm not good at actually communicating in them). I want to be able actually to converse in Spanish. Anyway, all that's to say that I'm relearning how to learn to speak a language, and Duolingo works really well for most people, but I'm so used to STRUCTURE in learning a language and learning it's RULES that I'm finding it hard to let go of that. So I'm doing both.

56. Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (Alex Award) - 8/10
Once upon a time the moon goddess was a mortal woman in love with the man who used his impressive bow skills to do the Celestial Emperor a big favor and win a vial of immortality elixir. But when he was away and she was dying in child birth, she took the elixir to save herself and her child and was punished for it by being banished to the moon. And so Xingyin – the child – has grown up knowing only the moon, her mother, and a servant. All that changes overnight when the Emperor’s servants pay a surprise visit and nearly discover Xingyin’s existence, so her mother sends her away to seek her fortune. This is the story of how Xingyin works to find a way to free her mother from the Emperor’s curse, becoming a skilled fighter in his army along the way, as well as getting herself involved in a messy love triangle, of course.

I enjoyed this romantasy for the most part. I love the mythical retelling, of course, but the love triangle gets too angsty and the star-crossed aspect gets tedious.

Totally agree about Duolingo. I did Italian courses for a year and then got to Italy and couldn't say anything useful. I'm honestly not sure if Duo actually works well for people -- but it is good at giving me a little dopamine rush when I complete a lesson or earn a chest or whatever, lol.

>51 curioussquared: Oh, it does work, or at least it *is* working for me; I'm doing it to be able to communicate with a patron who only speaks Spanish, and I'm actually starting to be able to carry on conversations with her; I'm mostly complaining because learning a modern language is just so different than learning a dead one and it's an adjustment for me. And Duolingo's methods are sound (but you need to approach it with the idea of learning and retaining, not just for the chests!).

>37 scaifea: My mum had shelves of Holt, Plaidy & Heyer.And I read none of them, romance wasn't my thing. Missed out there and I regret that she got rid of loads of them. I've got all her Heyer books now.

>49 scaifea: I'm relearning German via Duo, as we deal with a number of German suppliers and I felt rather uncomfortable out there on my own with none of the local language. I'm finding the lack of explanation as to the rules and why that's the case frustrating. Word endings seem to be my weakness. I did German for GCSE (exams we take at 16) and could remember all of 1 sentence. As it referred to a budgerigar, it wasn't the most useful sentence you've ever seen...

>53 Helenliz: I need to give Heyer another try, I think. I've read one or two but didn't love them...

I think Duolingo probably works best for people like us (who need more structure in their learning) as a jumping-off point that you need to supplement on your own. I certainly bought a grammar and a dictionary to go along with it.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Dolly Shift and hoping everyone is busy elsewhere with the eclipse business (we're in the totality path, pretty much). We ran out of glasses to give away on Friday, but I expect we'll still get people coming in and calling this morning. Hot Take: I will not be looking at the sun - call me crazy but I don't believe that a pair of cheaply-made freebie cardboard glasses are confidence-instilling enough for me to trust with my eyesight. Besides, it's the sudden darkness in the middle of the day that I think is the coolest thing, and I'll just look on SM, like, immediately after for photos of the actual eclipse.

On the Reading Front:
I think I'll probably finish up Fatal First Edition today. I started listening to The Men Who United the States yesterday.

The Crafting Report:
I worked a bit more on SLPP#2, and I also sorted out the arrangement for the quilt top I've been working on lately.

What We're Watching:
Tomm's out of town on business, so Charlie and I watched some What We Do in the Shadows and some Cowboy Bebop.

>55 scaifea: - That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the eclipse, too!

Happy half-birthday to Charlie! Has he started driving lessons? Unbelievable how quickly time goes.

>37 scaifea: My mother loved Victoria Holt's books back when I was a teenager and I would read them right along with her. It has been years now since I have read one (under any of her pseudonyms. . .)

>50 scaifea: I enjoyed this romantasy for the most part. I love the mythical retelling, of course, but the love triangle gets too angsty and the star-crossed aspect gets tedious. The angsty and tedious keep this one out of the BlackHole.

Have a marvelous Monday!

>55 scaifea:, >56 katiekrug: Same!

Amber, I just returned from my library shift. All of our branches had "sold out" of eclipse glasses too. There was a notice on the website and a sign in the lobby. And still ... patrons came in and asked. And there were so many phone calls too! I really felt for the staff, having to exhibit a cheery helpful demeanor to every single person without letting them know they were the 1,000,000th person to ask.

>56 katiekrug: *fistbump*

>57 Carmenere: He's been studying the manual before taking the test, then he'll have his provisional/practice one. I can't believe he's that old!

>58 alcottacre: I had no idea Holt was so popular! Learn something everyday.

I can handle a little bit of romangst, but this was close to too much.

>59 lauralkeet: Oh. My. God. I bet I've answered the phone at least 80 times this morning. NO WE DO NOT HAVE GLASSES MAYBE DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST FLIPPING MINUTE. Serenity now. My demeanor is really struggling to stay cheery and I've never been happier for my lunch break.

>61 scaifea: I know right?! You were in my thoughts ...

>62 lauralkeet: I'm happily still on my break, but the phones are still ringing. I mean, really? 2 hours before?! Come on, people.

We had a fairly full partial eclipse (if that makes sense) when I was a teenager. We looked at it with Dad's welding goggles. I'm with you on wanting to use something with some solidity behind it if I'm going to be looking at the sun.

*sigh* organisation is needed people, come on. It's not like it's a surprise, eclipses are predictable.

>61 scaifea: We've all been answering phones, all hands on deck throughout the system. It's been a ridiculous number of calls. Now, I know that some people leave things to the last minute, but it's the sheer number that's getting to me.

>55 scaifea:
This is the part where I sheepishly admit I got mine last minute from the library across the street from my job.
...I came early when they had a fresh batch. *Nervous laugh*
How's Bebop going btw?

>66 Ravenwoodwitch:


Bebop is *amazing*! Like, actual legit quality stuff. We are loving it.

>64 Helenliz: Right?

>65 foggidawn: RIGHT?! I feel like half the county called yesterday. Embarrassing for the state of humanity, really.

On the Agenda for Today:
It's Tuesday! Gosh, I miss my Tuesday Teens since I didn't see them last week. This week is a craft one, so we'll be doodling zentangles on the puzzle pieces that I've painted white, then using the leftover CDs that I painted black over the summer to make a wreath with them. Or a mosaic, or art piece. Whatever they want to do with them, really. I'm still debating pulling out some various beads as a supplement, too. Hot glue guns will be in play. I'm still debating the soundtrack, but I'm considering Jamiroquai. Anyway, that's what I'll be doing at work. Otherwise, probably just puttering around this morning. Maybe some crocheting. Oh, and a load of laundry before I go in.

My colleague and I did pop outside for the few minutes of totality yesterday and of course it was very cool. Neither of us actually looked a the sun - she also doesn't hold much faith in the flimsy glasses - but experiencing the darkness was pretty amazing. It was so neat how it actually got...cold!...for those few minutes, and being able to watch it get dark and light again was fun. The end times are a happening place. Oh, and one of my favorite patrons and her son (who is also v. cool) stopped by just before because they wanted to watch the eclipse with us! So sweet. Made up for all the idiots calling about the glasses yesterday.

On the Reading Front:
I finished Fatal first Edition and started Beastly yesterday and so far I'm not super-impressed with the writing, but I'll give it a few more pages before I decide if I'm going to keep going or not. I also listened to a bit more of The Men Who United the States. Love Winchester tons.

The Crafting Report:
Too busy answering the phones constantly yesterday for any crafting to happen (beyond slapping together a quick sample of the TT craft for today).

What We're Watching:
More What We Do in the Shadows and Cowboy Bebop.

On the Agenda for Today:
Some cleaning, laundry, writing, maybe reading some Greek, a bit of crafting, and hopefully some reading. Spaghetti for dinner tonight, I think.

On the Reading Front:
I'm still not sure about Beastly, but I didn't get enough reading time yesterday to make a decision. I did, however, finish up listening to The Men Who United the States.

The Crafting Report:
With any luck I may finish up SLPP#2 today. We'll see.

What We're Watching:
I'm about halfway through J. Edgar; I'm generally not a huge Dicaprio fan (and still am not), but I'm working my way through movies and shows on Adam Driver's IMDB page and he has a bit part in this one. The story is interesting, though. We also watched an episode of What We Do in the Shadows.

Happy mid week!

>50 scaifea: I enjoyed that one as well. There is a second to that series as well.

>71 figsfromthistle: I'm glad you liked the Tan; I knew about the sequel, but I'm not going to continue. Did you read it?

57. Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay (mystery) - 8/10
Lindsey and Sully are in Chicago for an archivist convention when Lindsey finds a tote bag with a very rare book in it under her conference seat. They turn it in to the convention coordinator – a former professional collector of such finds – then start making their way home to Briar Creek on an overnight train. Straight out of Christie’s playbook, they wake the next morning to find that the coordinator, who was also homeward bound on the same train, has been murdered, and somehow that rare book has made its way back into Lindsey’s possession. But that’s just the beginning of their troubles when the murder train stops in Briar Creek and the suspects are all bunking in the local inn during a major snowstorm.

There’s a lot going on in this entry in the series, and it’s all a bit jumbled, to be honest. It seems that all cozy mystery series start to fray around the edges at some point, and I’m afraid this one is starting to show signs of unraveldom. I’ll stick with it for now because I like the characters, but if the writing gets much worse I’ll likely jump ship soon.



58. The Men Who United the States by Simon Winchester (Books from my Wishlist) - 7/10
Another Simon Winchester deep dive into an specific aspect of history, this time about a handful of people who, early on, shaped the US into the country it is.

Meh. Not my favorite of his works; I found myself needing to put effort into focusing on the content, and that’s usually not the case with Winchester’s writing.

On the Agenda for Today:
Some cleaning, menu planning and prepping my grocery list, working on my Spanish, some writing, some crafting, some reading. Jimmy John's for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I think I'll possibly finish up Beastly, and I started listening to Dark Matter yesterday.

The Crafting Report:
I worked a bit on SLPP#2 but still didn't finish it, and then I worked some on the xmas crochet project.

What We're Watching:
While crafting yesterday I finished watching J. Edgar, which wasn't too bad, and then started Mothra vs. Kong. Charlie and I watched more What We Do in the Shadows and Cowboy Bebop.

On the Agenda for Today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then some baking (Chinese Almond Cookies), laundry, weekly bill sorting, posting a review, some writing, some crafting, and some reading. Frozen Friday dinner!

On the Reading Front:
I finished Beastly and started The Farthest-Away Mountain. Still listening to Dark Matter.

The Crafting Report:
I pulled out the old cross stitch project (a bookmark) and worked a bit on that. It's been a while. I also did a bit of crocheting yesterday.

What We're Watching:
I finished up Mothra vs. Godzilla yesterday, and we watched some It's Always Sunny, some Three Body Problem, and an ep of Rick and Morty.

Chinese Almond Cookies:

59. Beastly by Alex Flinn (Beauty and the Beast retelling) - 6/10
Kyle is the king of his high school: rich, popular, gorgeous, and dating the prettiest girl in school. He’s also a complete ass; he looks down on anyone who doesn’t share his qualities, makes fun of them relentlessly, and plays horrid pranks on them. His world upends, however, on the night of the school dance, when the ‘ugly’ girl he prank-invited to go with him turns out to be a witch. She curses him to look just as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside, which turns him into a beast. The spell, of course, is only reversable if he can find someone to love and who loves him in return.

I should have trusted my instinct to abandon this one early on, but I had hoped that it would improve. It didn’t. Lackluster writing, an overly-simplistic retelling of the original tale that belies a not-complete understanding of the point, and characters that are either wholly unlikeable, even once ‘redeemed,’ or so cardboard-like that there’s no depth to them at all. The Belle character is essentially a stand-in for the Necessary Female Character Here, in that she does the bare minimum of being trapped, feeling scared, then sus, then in love, with no nuance to her personality or feelings or actions.



60. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (audiobook) - 7/10
Jason teaches college physics who gave up his chance to do ground-breaking research in his field in favor of starting a family with his beautiful artist wife. Both gave up promising careers for middling ones in order to put their marriage and raising their now-teenage son first. And both are happy with the decision with essentially no regrets beyond the occasional, casual ‘what if’ thoughts. Jason goes out one night to meet some old friends at a bar (a former college roommate has just won a prestigious physics award), and he doesn’t come back. He’s kidnapped, drugged, and wakes up in an alternate universe version of his life, one in which he never married and instead did the ground-breaking work he gave up in his own world. That research? Inventing a box that allows one to travel through the multiverse. He spends the rest of the book running from his colleagues in that world and searching for a way back to his own universe, his own version of his wife and son.

Typical first-person Capable White Man Doing Impressive Things While Running from Bad Guys and Fighting for His Best Girl thriller. But with Science! I guess? Not really my cuppa, I suppose.



61. The Farthest-Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 8/10
Dakin is a 14-year-old girl who dreams of meeting a gargoyle, marrying a prince, and visiting the Farthest-Away Mountain, which no one has ever managed to do. One day she thinks she sees the mountain nod to her, so she takes that as a sign and sets out to do All the Things. Adventures ensue.

A middle grade fantasy that feels like a bedtime story a parent makes up as she goes along, in the sense that it seems a little hodgepodge with “and then…and then…” vibes. Which isn’t necessarily all that bad, although the writing could be a little less clunky.

I wasn’t terribly impressed with Dark Matter either. Plus, the physics was just bad…

>77 scaifea: & >78 drneutron: So that's going on the avoid list. I'm rather fussy about sci fi, it has to bee scientifically sound. You can bend/twist/break a law of physics, but, authors, your world has to be consistent with that. You can't suddenly decide to break one because it gets you out of a plot hole you've dug yourself into. So bad physics, that's just a nope from me.

>76 scaifea: those look excellent. I made vegan apple cake and chocolate cornflake cakes last night. Kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it, I am not always the tidiest of cooks...

>78 drneutron: Several times while reading I considered asking Tomm about the physics, but then thought better of it...

Have you been watching Three Body Problem at all? Tomm gets annoyed at the science in that one, too, but otherwise it's a pretty interesting show (and the book - the first one at least - was good).

>79 Helenliz: I feel the same way about myth: it's made to be changed, but there are certain elements that must stay the same.

I tend to keep a pretty tight galley when baking, but cooking is a completely different story. Messy messy messy.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Saturday shift and then coming right home for a lovely nap. Tomm's in charge of dinner and he's decided we're getting Mexican takeaway. And that's pretty much the day.

On the Reading Front:
I started Unwholly in print and Fourth Wing on audio yesterday. Both are early days but good so far.

The Crafting Report:
Keep your fingers crossed for a slow patron day at the library so I can maybe, *maybe* get SLPP#2 assembled and finished.

What We're Watching:
Some It's Always Sunny, and then after Family Game Night (during which Charlie trounced Tomm and I at Life) we watched about half of The Mummy Returns.

Happy Saturday, Amber!

I'm glad I never picked up Beastly despite seeing it around and kind of liking the cover. Your assessment of Dark Matter confirms my thoughts on what it would probably be like, lol. Thanks for helping me keep the TBR pile down 😂

>82 curioussquared: *snork!* Happy to take one for the team, I guess. *sigh*

Happy Saturday Amber!
>77 scaifea:
My first exposure to Dark Matter was Daniel Greene ranting about it in a video. You may find it cathartic. Good to see it confirmed that the book is less than impressive.

>84 Ravenwoodwitch: Hi, Angela!

Ha! I looked up the video (I've never heard of Greene before now) and skimmed it (31 min is about 29 min too long for me), and he's adorable.

On the Agenda for today:
Laundry (always), meal prep for Charlie's lunches, some house cleaning, brush the dogs, organize my To Do lists and schedule for the week, some sewing, some Spanish, some crocheting, some reading, some baking. Spanish Rice with Beef for dinner, with Peach Graham Cracker Hazelnut Crisp for dessert.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Unwholly and Fourth Wing.

The Crafting Report:
Not much to report here. Still not finished with SLPP#2. *sigh*

What We're Watching:
Some It's Always Sunny, we finished up the first season of Three Body Problem, and then we finished The Mummy Returns.

>86 scaifea: Mmmmm peaches and Hazelnut.

>87 Ravenwoodwitch: It was the first time I tried this recipe and it was so good!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm taking my car in for an oil change (which means guilt-free reading time in the waiting area - woot!), then I'll stop by the library in the next town over to pick up a book for Charlie that my library doesn't have in, then it's home for some baking (Payday bars for the Tuesday Teens), some Spanish, some writing, some sewing, and some crocheting before dinner, which will be Spicy Chicken Soup. Tonight is the annual Parent Meeting for marching band, so as Uniform Parent, I'll have to be there. So, busy day.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on the same two books: Unwholly and Fourth Wing.

The Crafting Report:
SLPP#2 is finally, pretty much, done! I just need to give her a little bit of a smoky eye to make her look more sinister... (Big reveal on these projects will be soon, I think.) I also spend some time quilting yesterday, and I'm hoping to finish sewing together the top of this particular quilt today.

What We're Watching:
More It's Always Sunny, some Daredevil, and some SNL.

>81 scaifea: during which Charlie trounced Tomm and I at Life... Well, most parents hope for a better life for their children. ;-)

>90 foggidawn:

>91 scaifea:

Okay, the library has *finally* announce the summer library program: Adventure Begins at the Library! My branch manager lobbied hard so that our interpretation would be Adventures in Mythology, and then she promptly put me in charge. I've been spearheading the yarn art display, organizing what each of us will work on, in addition to coming up with the weekly themed activities for the kids. Whew! Anyway, the important thing is that I can now show you what I've been working on.

SLPP#1 was ZEUS!



SLPP#2 is Medusa, and I'll share a photo of her once she's got her makeup on...

>93 scaifea: That's quite elaborate! He's got to have an armature as well as all the layers and textures. Impressive.

>93 scaifea: OMG that is perfect. Both Zeus, and putting you in charge of the topic. They are so lucky to have you, Amber!

>93 scaifea: ZEUS!!! I'd know him anywhere. Congratulations, you. I kinda guess you don't hate this assignment...

>80 scaifea: Haven’t watched Three Body Problem yet, but have read the first two books. I thought the books were great! Series is on my list, though.

Thanks, all! Photos of Medusa to come...

>97 drneutron: I've just read the first one, but I enjoyed it. There are some interesting differences in the show...

On the Agenda for Today:
It's Teen Tuesday again! We'll be talking about manga today. I don't have much on the To Do list for this morning before I go in, maybe a load of laundry, but mostly just puttering.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Unwholly and Fourth Wing.

The Crafting Report:
I got some work done on the quilt top yesterday. Today, depending on how busy we are at the library, I may get started on crocheting an Athene. We'll see how it goes.

What We're Watching:
Rick & Morty.

Medusa!

She's great, Amber!

>101 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! Those snakes were a pain, but worth it.

>100 scaifea: Oh! I love her!

>100 scaifea: Fabulous!

Oooh, Zeus and Medusa look fantastic! I can imagine the snakes being a pain, but wow, what a great effect.

Thanks, folks!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9-2, then this afternoon I'll do my menu planning for next week and prep my grocery list for tomorrow's shopping. Split Pea and Sausage Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
Nothing new to report here; still working on Unwholly and Fourth Wing.

The Crafting Report:
I got started on Athene yesterday; hopefully I'll get some crocheting time in today, too.

What We're Watching:
An ep of Cowboy Bebop.

Hurrah for the library programme and being put in charge. Love Zeus' beard and Medusa is just fabulous.
What size are they?

>108 Helenliz: Thanks! You can use the books behind Zeus for scale, no? And Medusa is pretty much the same height as he is.

>109 scaifea: mmm, tried that. That made me think they were ~ 12 inches tall, and then I started second guessing myself. I'm not the world's most spatially aware person!
That's a big commitment, if you're planning crocheting a pantheon of the gods. I assume your colleagues are taking on some of the work involved?

>76 scaifea: Looks yummy!

>77 scaifea: I think I will pass on dark matter.....

>100 scaifea: Really cool! Looks great!

Happy Mid week

>108 Helenliz: I feel like the classics series titles behind Zeus are fairly short. My guess would be that Zeus is 10-12 inches tall.

>110 Helenliz: Yep, about 12 inches. And nope, not the entire pantheon.

>111 figsfromthistle: Hi, Anita! And thanks!

On the Agenda for Today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then baking (Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies), then some cleaning, some laundry, and maybe some knitting. Plenty of leftovers in the fridge, so no need to cook today.

On the Reading Front:
I finished Unwholly last night. Still listening to (and loving) Fourth Wing.

The Crafting Report:
I did some knitting on the cowl last night, and I worked a bit on Athene. Her torso is done; I'll work on her head some today, probably.

What We're Watching:
I finished another silent film, which was actually pretty solid: Orphans of the Storm. We also watched some It's Always Sunny, some Daredevil, and then finished up the Ryan Gosling SNL.

62. Unwholly by Neal Shusterman (Books from my Read Soon! shelves) - 9/10
The second in the Unwind series. Not quite at good as the first one, but it still delivers some fairly excellent action and some fun twists. I can’t wait to see what comes next with these characters and their stories.

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working 9-5, then we're heading down to Cincy for the niece's middle school musical. So, full day, but it should be fun.

On the Reading Front:
I started Dark Room Etiquette yesterday and don't love it so far, but I'll keep at it for a bit longer. Still listening to Fourth Wing.

The Crafting Report:
I finally finished the cowl I've been knitting on for forever! Photos to come at some point. I also worked a bit on Athene's head. She's coming along...

What We're Watching:
I watched 13 the Musical while knitting and crocheting yesterday, then we watched an ep each of It's Always Sunny, Daredevil, and Rick & Morty.

The cowl:

>117 scaifea: Looks lovely, Amber, I really like the colors.

>118 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

On the Agenda for Today:
I made Fruity Pebble Pancakes for breakfast this morning and they were just as amazing as they sound. I'll do some more baking later (Caramel Snickerdoodle Cake), and I need to brush the dogs, sort through the weekly bills, add a couple of recipes to my database, order some yarn for my next knitting project, write up a review, clean the inside of my car (it's been forever and it's pretty dusty in there), some sewing, some Spanish studying, some crocheting, and some reading. Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Dark Room Etiquette and still not really liking it very well. I also finished Fourth Wing and started listening to How Lucky.

The Crafting Report:
No crafting yesterday (too busy at work), but I did decide on my next knitting project: a pair of socks that are Ancient Greek Vase themed.

What We're Watching:
Well, we got about 45 minutes into the drive to the musical last night when Charlie became too carsick to continue. So we abandoned the mission, pulled off the road to let him rest and bit, found a place to have some dinner, and then headed home to watch the first half of Role Models. (*I* drove home; Tomm's city driving is enough to make even the sturdiest stomachs queasy, to be honest.)

63. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Alex Award) - 10/10
Violet has been training to be a scholar for what seems like most of her life, under the tutelage of her own scholar father. After his death she continued on that path, until her mother – a dragon rider of considerable rank – made the executive decision that Violet would follow in her mother’s (and her brother’s, and her sister’s) footsteps and enter the dragon rider training program. It’s a dangerous career path, with the majority of the first year students ending up dead before the year is over (or, really, even started), and Violet is not a likely candidate for survival. She’s short, slight, and her bones are devastatingly brittle. Oh, and there’s a giant target on her back, since the children of those who led the rebellion several years ago all would love to kill her because her mother is the reason most of their parents are dead. Her number one threat is the leader of the rebellion kids – and also Violet’s assigned wing leader. He’s the best of the riders and very, very dangerous. Also? Very, very handsome. Because of course he is. But Violet has some tricks up her sleeve, including a ridiculous amount of courage and stubbornness, so underestimating her is probably not the best idea.

Oh my lordy lou, I adored this book and can’t wait to get my hands on the next one. It ticks so many of my boxes: fabulous world building, amazingly detailed characters, excellent writing, superb twists, steamy enemies-to-lovers romance. It’s so, so good.

>121 scaifea: My friend is reading that book!

>122 Owltherian: Get yourself a copy and read along with! You won't regret it!

>123 scaifea: I'll try to look for one!

>117 scaifea: Lovely colours in the cowl.

>120 scaifea: Poor Charlie. My brother used to get rather car sick, it's so unpleasant. Used to be worse in certain cars or with certain drivers (looking at you, Grandad).

>121 scaifea: Saw a display of these in the bookshop window today. They look very swish with their dark covers & gold accents.

>125 Helenliz: I also get extremely carsick if I'm not driving and doing anything but sitting up straight and looking out the windshield. So no reading (I can't even *think* about the act of reading or I'll get sick), no knitting. Nothing. It's awful.

Yes, very...swish.

On the Agenda for Today:
More baking (coffee cake for this week's breakfasts), meal prep for Charlie's lunches, more sewing, some crocheting, and hopefully a chunk of reading time. Sticky Rice with Smoked Sausage and Peas for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I gave up on Dark Room Etiquette (it was just...bad) and started Wayward Son, plus I listened to more How Lucky.

The Crafting Report:
If you scroll up you'll see that Simmons has on a birthday scarf up top; it came in the birthday pack we ordered for both gals, and Simmons *loves* it. She trots over to it every morning and gently slaps it then looks at us like, "Okay, time to get FANCY." So I've decided to make her some others, too. I spent my sewing time yesterday digging through my fabric stash for ideas and picked out two sets of fabrics, one for Simmons and one for Mario (because I don't want to leave her out). I'll maybe sew those up this afternoon.

What We're Watching:
Some It's Always Sunny, some Daredevil, an ep of Cowboy Bebop, and then we finished up Role Models.

Good morning Amber! I absolutely love that you're making scarves for the gals. Are they bandannas or do they slip over the head like a cowl?

Sticky Rice with Sausage and Peas sounds mighty tasty. Have a great day.

>128 lauralkeet: Morning, Laura! They're bandanas; I just couldn't remember the word!

I love anything with smoked sausage in it, and sticky rice is delicious.

On the Agenda for Today:
Dentist appointment this morning, then some laundry, some house cleaning, then I need to take care of some emails (ugh), then some crocheting, some work on my Spanish, some writing, some reading. Taco Soup for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I am loving Wayward Son, and How Lucky isn't too bad so far, either.

The Crafting Report:
I made Simmons a new bandana yesterday, and also worked a bit on Athene.

What We're Watching:
I finished 21 and Over while crocheting (dumb but fun), and then last night we watched some Jujutsu Kaisen and some What We Do in the Shadows.

On the Agenda for Today:
It's Teen Tuesday, so I'm working 12-8, of course. It's a game week (but I forget which game we're playing - sorry). I also need to get some planning done for the weekly kiddo activities for the SLP. This morning before going in to work I'll probably do a load of laundry and crochet some.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Wayward Son and How Lucky.

The Crafting Report:
I worked a bit on Charlie's xmas crochet project (it's a Link from Zelda) and a bit on Athene.

What We're Watching:
I started an animated movie called 100% Wolf while crocheting yesterday. It's...not great, but okay to have on in the background. Charlie and I watched some What We Do in the Shadows and some Jujutsu Kaisen.

Aww! I love that Simmons loves her bandana! I've never tried one on Lottie, but she likes her collar a lot and wants it back on immediately after bath time, so maybe...?

That is so cute that Simmons demands her bandanna! I tried some bandannas on the greyhounds and they looked at me like, why are we wearing this? Lol. They like their jackets for the cold weather but apparently they only appreciate useful clothing.

>132 foggidawn: >133 curioussquared: Yep, she's a strange bird, and once something becomes a Thing for her, it's TRADITION and MUST BE repeated Every. Day. Just. The. Same. But, well, Border Collies; what are you gonna do?

On the Agenda for Today:
Some cleaning, then I need to do my menu planning and get the grocery list ready for tomorrow, then some writing, some Latin, some crocheting, and hopefully some reading. Takeaway of some kind for dinner tonight - either pizza or Chinese, likely.

Teen Tuesday was a woot. The game we played is called Freehand, and it's...different. And difficult. But hilarious, especially when you have a couple of people who are not great at it (me. It's me.)

On the Reading Front:
Nearly finished with both Wayward Son and How Lucky. We'll see if I can manage them both today.

The Crafting Report:
I got some work done on Link and some work on Athene yesterday.

What We're Watching:
I finished 100% Wolf, which turned out cuter than I thought. And Charlie and I watched another ep of What We Do in the Shadows.

64. How Lucky by Will Leitch (Alex Award) - 9/10
Daniel is a twenty-something guy living in a southern college town and working at-home for a regional airline’s customer service department. He only has a couple of friends and doesn’t get out too much, with the exception of tailgating on football game days. Overall, though, he considers himself a lucky guy, despite the fact that he has a degenerative and eventually fatal disease that has left him wheelchair-ridden, Stephen Hawking style. Then one day he sees a college student accept a ride from some dude in cowboy boots and a ballcap for a defunct team, and when she is reported missing, he’s pretty sure he was the last person to see her, except for her kidnapper, of course. But what, exactly, can he do about it? Honestly, more than you’d think.

This Rear Window-esque novel is like a fun, slightly wild ride on a motorized wheelchair (and I’m convinced Daniel would happily take readers on such a ride if requests were made). The mystery itself isn’t anything earthshattering and there are no big or shocking twists, which threw me off a bit, if I’m honest. But Daniel himself, and the more-than-half of the book devoted to his life story, more than make up for whatever the actual plot lacks. He's a fantastically created character, who rings 1000% true, and he’s one that you’ll want to be friends with for life.

>136 scaifea: - I have this one in my audio library. I think I picked it up in an Audible sale... Glad you liked it!

>137 katiekrug: The reader is great, too - I hope you like it as much as I did!

>134 scaifea: Snort. Mr. Fine and I were rewatching an episode of Bluey last night and one of the kids is a border collie who was digging to the bottom of the sand pit, found green plastic, and immediately said, "Let's dig another hole!" which felt very on brand for the breed.

Sounds like lovely plans for your at home day. I'm only a little jealous.

>139 MickyFine: Ha! Yep, Border Collies can be a bit obsessive.

On the Agenda for Today:
Grocery shopping this morning, then cookie baking (Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip), then some writing, some Greek, some Spanish studying, more crocheting, and some reading. Leftovers for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
I started listening to The North Water, and last night I finished up Wayward Son and started reading Sinner.

The Crafting Report:
I worked on the fingers on one of Athene's hands yesterday. The absolute worst. So tedious!

What We're Watching:
I watched Miss Austen Regrets while crafting yesterday, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Charlie and I watched an ep of What We Do in the Shadows and then had a rewatch of Howl's Moving Castle.

>141 scaifea: I hope this isn't behind a paywall, there's been a bit of a to-do over some knitted dolls in the West country that I thought might appeal to you.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/25/nude-knitted-dolls-censored-cafe-she...
I'm sure your gods and goddesses will rise above such earthly (and earthy) matters.

>142 Helenliz: Ah, yeah, paywall. Sounds hilarious, though!

65. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (Read Soon! shelves) - 10/10
Simon, Baz, and Penelope have left their magical school behind and started Uni, sharing an apartment in London and trying their level best to move on from what amounts, essentially, to the years of trauma after trauma that tags along after being (friends/mortal enemies/boyfriends) with a Chosen One. It’s…not going well, it seems, for any of them, and so when Penelope suspects that their school friend, Angela, may be in some sort of trouble in San Diego, she persuades the boys to fly across the pond and then take a good old-fashioned road trip across the US. Will it help Penelope figure out why she can’t figure out What’s Next as easily as she used to? Will it fix what both Baz and Simon both secretly and separately fear is the end of their relationship? Will they get eaten by southwestern dragons? Killed by Vegas Vampires? Anything is possible in a convertible Mustang on Route 66, except maybe finding a decent cuppa.

Nearly as brilliant as the first book in the trilogy – I equal parts adore Baz and Simon and want to knock their heads together, and I love that feeling. Long Live the Uncommunicative and Fret/Fraught Gay Boys trope! I love to hate it.

Hello, Amber!
I adore those crochet projects. The medusa one especially; I'm gonna look for a pattern.
I'm curious which version of Link is Charlie getting? If its specific, I mean.

>143 scaifea: Bother. Well it's too good not to share.



They were knitted and put in a cafe window to raise some money for the area air ambulance. Only someone complained about the visibility of the genitals. They have sine been covered, but the publicity has just meant they've raised more money. Evey cloud... The patterns come from a book "Nudinits: Bare-bottomed Fun from the Village of Woolly Bush by Sarah Simi".

>145 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks! The Medusa one is an amalgam of about three different patterns, but the good news is that there *are* patterns out there.

The Link I'm working on is one of the more kid-like versions; I'm honestly not sure which game it's based on.

>146 Helenliz: Adorable. The bush details, in particular, are fantastic.

Hi Amber my dear, i am loving all the knitting my dear friend, you are so talented.

>148 johnsimpson: Hi, John! Good to see you! And thanks for the lovely compliment!

On the Agenda for Today:
I'm working the Saturday shift despite being completely exhausted from yesterday's all-day Staff Development meeting. So. Many. Icebreakers. I LOATHE that shit. Complete waste of time. Grrr. Anyway, so yeah, working until 3, then home for a nap, for sure. Tomm's in charge of dinner (pork loin somethingorother, he says).

On the Reading Front:
I'm still working on Sinner and enjoying it, and I finished up Ghost Wall yesterday on the commute to the main branch. Review to come at some point.

The Crafting Report:
Last night I started knitting a shrug for myself. We'll see how that goes, although I'm excited so far.

What We're Watching:
Divergent (Charlie's recently finished the book). It wasn't too bad, really.

Oh dear God, icebreakers… only thing worse is roleplaying exercises in management classes. 😳

>150 scaifea: urgh. You have many sympathies. I'm never sure who thinks those things are a good idea, but they're really really not.

>151 drneutron: Also that. *shudder*

Hope today is better.

>151 drneutron: I’m with you Jim. Ice-breakers make me roll my eyes. Role-playing makes me want to run far, far away.

I appreciate all the sympathies, folks. UGH. And then the guest speaker was a Brand Specialist, or some such nonsense, and he was coaching us on how to craft our "personal brand." Gross. There was a worksheet involved. At this point I was all out of what little patience I'd started the day with, and for the prompt, "List 3-5 verbs that describe how people best connect with you" or something similar, I wrote, "I'd rather they didn't" and then slightly panicked when it became clear he was going to pick on people to read their answers aloud! Thankfully he passed over me. There was also a section where we were to describe ourselves with action statements. Mine was, "I am motivated by a combination of spite, annoyance, and anxiety." Again, probably a good thing he didn't call on me to share. Apparently my personal brand is just "Don't."

On the Agenda for Today:
I need to fit all the weekend chores into just today, plus this afternoon is Charlie's spring band concert. Good thing I'm still completely zonked from the last two days. Woot. So, laundry, meal prep for the week's lunches, baking, cleaning off my desk (which is an absolute shitstorm of papers and yarn and books and other detritus), organize my To Do lists and schedule for the week, sort through the weekly bills, add new recipes to my database, talk to my parents, write up a review, and maybe get some crafting in there somewhere. Frozen Friday Except on a Sunday for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
Still working on Sinner. I started listening to Lightlark yesterday.

The Crafting Report:
I worked a bit more on the knitted shrug yesterday.

What We're Watching:
Everything Everywhere All at Once. Very weird but also very well done.

66. Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss (wishlist) - 8/10
An abusive husband/father takes his family along with a college class of archaeology students on a summer reenactment trip, during which they will all live as closely to the way the ancient peoples of northern Britain lived. The professor leading the class slowly gets sucked into the father’s obsession with recreating a human sacrifice ritual, and the narrator – a teen girl and the daughter of the family man – is at the heart of the reenactment.
This one’s short but also sort of a slow burn. The tension is built up really nicely, and although I’m not sure I’d really call this a full-on horror novel, it’s definitely got a good creep factor to it.

On the Agenda for Today:
Laundry, some cleaning, some baking (Scandinavian Blondies for the Tuesday Teens tomorrow), some writing, some crafting. Thai Chicken and Noodles for dinner tonight.

On the Reading Front:
Sill reading Sinner and listening to Lightlark.

The Crafting Report:
The knitted shrug is coming along. I really should work on Athene more soon, though.

What We're Watching:
Some Malcolm in the Middle, some Daredevil, and an SNL.

67. Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater (Stiefvater bibliography) - 9/10
Massive rockstar Cole St. Clair is making a comeback to the music scene after disappearing for a couple of years (and only a select few know that he’s now a werewolf). So he’s moving to LA to record a new album while filming a reality show about the process. But he’s really in LA because the woman he fell for while trying to figure out how to be a wolf and not a suicidal drug-addict hot (in more ways than one) mess now lives here, and he wants to try to win her back (if, in fact, she was ever his to begin with). Complications: Isabel’s parents are imploding, her brother died trying NOT to be a werewolf, and she’s built so many walls to keep herself safe that even a guy with zero red flags would have a challenge on his hands. And Cole has enough red flags to make a very, very large…somethingorother…out of them. Lots of flags. Also? The person in charge of the reality show has a history of inviting hot messes to star in her projects so she can throw wrenches in their path and film them losing control. For that to happen to Cole would be bad for lots of reasons. Can he keep himself together while projecting the image of Wildman St. Clair while also convincing Isabel that he’s a safe space?

The last in the Shiver series, this is my favorite by a lot, even though (because?) the main characters are nowhere to be found. Cole and Isabel have a much more interested (and much less exhausting?) storyline, and I adore them both. Smart people doing stupid things are rarely so easy to root for as here. Steifvater, I think, was honing her Ronan skills in Cole, and it was so fun to watch.

68. Lightlark by Alex Aster (audiobook) - 9/10
Every century the rulers of Lightlark’s six realms come together to play a deadly game for the chance to break the curses each realm – and their inhabitants – have endured for 500 years. Each ruler has secrets and motives to hide, including Isla, one of the youngest of the rulers. The game is deadly by nature, but Isla’s secrets could get her killed faster than any competition. Who can she trust among the other rulers, especially when she knows she can’t trust anyone with her heart.

Another Hunger Games-like romantasy with a love triangle and some fun twists. Formulaic, sure, but a hoot nonetheless. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I’ll definitely be continuing with the series.



69. Year Million edited by Damien Broderick (wishlist) - 8/10
A collection of essays by various scientists and mathematicians on the subject of what life will be like in the year One Million. I admit to skimming a few of the essays, but some of them were really interesting.

>159 scaifea: the idea of Year Million is interesting and hugely challenging. I struggle with the interview question "where do you see yourself in 5 years time?", imagining life at that remove would leave me floundering entirely. I can't imagine what they might have in mind.

>160 Helenliz: My favorite of the essays argues for two things that the author most certainly thinks will still be around: numbers and laughter.

70. Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia (wishlist) - 9/10
Zora is a teen living in a small Indiana town and she’s, essentially, an outcast. This is because her father is in prison for swindling a majority of the townspeople, but also because everyone thinks she’s the one setting fires all over town, when really it’s the Firestarter she’s hunting down, a demon-like creature that possesses human bodies and feeds off ghost energy. The ability to see those ghosts helps her hunting skills, but not her outsideriness, and her prickly nature probably doesn’t help matters, either. When the school janitor dies in a house fire, though, things really, um, heat up, and Zora teams up with another Firestarter – whose motives are suspect but his jaw is chiseled so we’ll give him the benefit – to track down the real culprit before it’s all too late.

I enjoyed this one a great deal. Zora is a cool character: her prickly nature is excellent, and I love that she’s sort of into the Love Interest but it’s definitely a sidebar for her after the mission at hand. There are a couple of nice little twists in the plot, too.

71. In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
Two tween black girls from different backgrounds meet at a prestigious music summer camp and fall in love.

Sweet and soft, but not a lot of substance. Perfect, though, I think, for its intended demographic: middle graders.

72. My Hero Academia vol 16 by Kohei Horikoshi (manga) - 9/10
Another excellent entry in the manga series.



73. A Little Village Blend by Nathan Burgoine (romance) - 9/10
A brother and sister team own a little tea shop in the Village, and they both have interesting abilities tied to their wares: he can enhance the effects of each tea (calming, energizing,…) and she can tell the future in a person’s dregs. When a hot guy in uniform and with a gorgeous husky in tow comes in for a London Fog, Ivan is cautiously interested, but Anya has one look at the dregs and says, Nope, definitely not; he’s a mess you don’t need to try to fix. Will Ivan – a natural fixer – give it a try anyway, or will he heed his sister’s warning and wait patiently for the Protector she’s already predicted will come?

This one’s a novella that was recommended to me by one of my Tuesday Teens and I really enjoyed it. Sweet and cozy, like a warm hug.



74. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain (mystery) - 4/10
Ugh. I thought I’ve give hardboiled/noir a try again, but nope, I still don’t like it. Too grim for my tastes.

Hi, Amber.

Hoorah for Fourth Wing! I likewise loved it, and the second one is just as good. Can't wait for the third!

I also am enjoying those Baz and Simon books by Rainbow Rowell.

One I'm hoping a bit to differ with you on: A Good GIrl's Guide to Murder. I'll be reading it because Becca loved it. I hope I end up closer to her reaction than yours.

I've been on hiatus from The Iliad after getting about halfway through my re-read. is it a re-read if it's a different translation? I plan to resume reading it this week.

Hi, Joe!

I hope you like AGGGtM better than I did, too. And yay for FW and Baz & Simon!

Well, I'm of the camp that thinks every time you read a book it's a different book, so sure, why not?

I just read the description for the postman novel. It sounds like the start of a Perry Mason episode. But without the hilarious courtroom breakdown.

>167 Ravenwoodwitch: *SNORK* That's the best possible description. Well done.

75. The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace (B&B Retellings) - 4/10
Free verse has to be really really REALLY well done for me to like it at all. This collection just didn’t do it for me. I appreciate her sentiments, but I wasn’t impressed by the poetry on a technical/skill level.



76. Gnomes by Wil Huygen (Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy Books) - 6/10
Cute idea, but I think I just wasn’t in the mood for it.



77. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (rereading a favorite) - 10/10
A re-read of an absolute childhood favorite. I’m not even sure if it would hold up for anyone else, but the whole series is steeped in so much sentimental wonderfulness for me that I don’t care. I still adore it.



78. The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (Alex Award) - 10/10
A reimagining of, essentially, all the high points of Norse mythology through the eyes of Angrboda, mother of Fenrir, Hel, and Jörmungandr.

Easily one of my favorite books so far this year. I love myth retellings, but I’m also very picky about them, and Gornichec is Gaiman-level good at lovingly recrafting those old stories. The writing is top notch.

>169 scaifea: BB! The Witch's Heart is now on my stack!

Congratulations on 75+ reads!

Congrats on zipping past 75!

>169 scaifea: as a sucker for a re-telling, I'm putting The Witch's Heart on the list, especially after that recomendation.
I loved the Narnia books as a child, and have not read them since then. I'm always hesitant about re-visiting books like that, in case I ruin the memory. I do still have my set on the shelf though.

>170 quondame: >171 drneutron: Thanks, folks!

>172 Helenliz: This is one of the best retellings I've read in a long while, and that's saying something. I hope you love it.

I've come to the realization that I can handle rereading/rewatching childhood favorites if they don't stand up because I can keep the memory separate from the 'new' experience. So I don't worry about that anymore. I'm really not a fan of Lewis, and I think his allegories are both heavy-handed and pompous, but even so I still adore the Narnia books.

79. Uzumaki by Junji Ito (Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10
A horror manga about a town that slowly succumbs to a weird and supernatural obsession with spirals.

I read this one for the first time years ago and loved it, and I’ve reread it now because one of my Tuesday Teens has chatted it up as a favorite. It definitely holds up: creepy and weird and imaginative and really well done.

>169 scaifea: Congratulations on reaching 75, Amber!

Congrats on surpassing the magic number, Amber!

>169 scaifea: Lovelace's collections have been pretty popular at my library but as a non-poetry reader I haven't been tempted (although I enjoy the titles). Thanks for confirming the titles are all I need to read, lol.

Congrats on 75, Amber!!

>2 scaifea: That Jude Devereux was the first book I ever bought in hardcover (IIRC) at my first ever bookstore job 35+ years ago.

>169 scaifea: Just adding the Witch's Heart to my list.
>174 scaifea: Well well, if it isn't my favorite horror novel.
I love how after reading chapter one, I always go "wow. A man spiralizing himself into a bathtub is as normal as we're about to get. Oh no."

But congrats on breezing past 75!

>177 curioussquared: Thanks!

>178 ReneeMarie: Aw, sweet.

>179 Ravenwoodwitch: Oh, I think you'll love The Witch's Heart! And yay for Uzumaki! So weird and so good. And yeah, there's no easing into it, is there. Ha!

Morning, Amber. Congrats on hitting 75! How is everything going at the Scaife Manor? We did a birding trip to Ohio last week. Hung out at the western end of Lake Erie, near Toledo. It is a famous for migratory birds. It was a terrific trip.

80. How to Survive History by Cody Cassidy (library display book) - 9/10
A fun look into a handful of disastrous moments in history from the viewpoint of how you could have possibly survived them. In each chapter Cassidy takes on a particular event (the Chicxulub asteroid, the fall of Rome, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake,…), and using advice from experts in that specific field, he lays out a plan for survival, should you find yourself somehow back in time and in the wrong place. An easy and interesting read; I learned a lot more than I thought I would!



81. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (Alex Award) - 9/10
Follows the lives, loves, losses, and triumphs of three women during WWII, who find themselves working at the now-famous code-breaking center of Bletchley Park.

I generally don’t go for historical novels about Strong Women Doing Strong Things during WWII, but this one really surprised me. The characters are excellent, seamlessly woven into actual historical events. The love stories are interested and well done, and there’s even a nice mystery plot that ties everything together and manages to deliver a nice twist.



82. Black Butler vol 4 by Yana Toboso (manga) - 9/10
Gosh, I love this manga. Cool plot, even cooler characters. Gorgeous illustrations.

>181 msf59: Hi, Mark!

I'm glad you had a good time in Ohio!

Book 80 looks good. Fun and instructive is a great combination.
The library doesn't have that but it has another of his, Who Ate the First Oyster? which is a question I can't be alone in wondering about. I grew up in a fishing port that used to be famous for its Oysters until, around 1900, they poisoned the Bishop of Winchester and 100 of his guests. That put the end to that as an industry.

>184 Helenliz: I'm definitely tempted to give that book a try.

>182 scaifea: Yeah, that Manga is really pretty—especially the panels with food. I think Miss Toboso loves pastries as much as we do.
I also don't do "Strong Women Do Strong Things" books all that much, but this one does sound interesting.

>186 Ravenwoodwitch: Sure sure, the food. TOTALLY what I was talking about. *whispers*and not at all the butler or, um, any of the other dudes in the story.

>182 scaifea: Kate Quinn is a good writer. I haven't gotten around to that one yet, but I've loved other things she's written.

83. Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell (Alex Award) - 9/10
The Iskat Empire is held together by treaties, which are in turn sewn up with arranged marriages. Some of the subject planets are beginning to chafe under Iskat rule, so when the Iskat Prince Taam dies in a flight accident, his widower, Jainan, is hurriedly remarried off to another Iskat prince, Kiem. But a marriage between a prince whose reckless past has given him a reputation as a spoiled and disobedient royal and a quiet and deeply damaged widower who isn’t showing any actual willingness to remarry doesn’t seem like then bandage the empire needs. And when Taam’s death is revealed as a murder with Jainan as a suspect, the marriage only gets less likely to succeed. But there’s more to both Kiem and Jainan than anyone else sees, and possibly more between them than either could have hoped.

Sci-fi romance with an idiots-to-lovers trope? Yes, please. And it doesn’t disappoint.

84. Nightbane by Alex Aster (audiobook) - 9/10
The second book in the Lightlark series, this one picks up just where the first left us. The love triangle continues to be fraught, Isla continues to learn what her abilities can do, and secrets about their world abound. So, romantasy being romantasy. Are there some plot holes? Yes. Is the writing sometimes a little…silly? Most certainly. But the characters are great and the story is fun, so who cares that not everything makes perfect sense, and when the writing isn’t silver prose it’s still not the worst I’ve ever read by a lot shot. I’m declaring myself an Aster fan.



85. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (mystery) - 8/10
A group of pensioners living in a posh retirement community have a little club in which they look at cold case files and try to solve them. And then the murders start right where they are. So, much to the consternation of the local police, they set their minds to solving these uncold cases. And they learn along the way that it’s not only criminals who have secrets…

I enjoyed this one, but I didn’t…LOVE it. Elizabeth grated on my nerves. And the ending went on too long; one or two red herring twists right at the end are okay, but beyond that the trope becomes very tired very quickly. But beyond Lizzie, I adored the characters and the wordsmithery was lovely.

I've been hard at work on the Summer Library Program display, and I'm happy to say that Mount Olympus is finished!



I'm also working on a smaller Norse Myth display, but it's awaiting a colleague's Odin. I will share my Loki, though:

>191 scaifea: Wow! Mount Olympus is wonderful! Tremendous job!

Karen O

>191 scaifea: that is amazing!
Love all the details you've included, like Athena and her owl.
The horse-based creatures look particularly fiddly.

>191 scaifea: Your figures are way cool!

Thanks, everyone!

86. Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian (Stonewall Award) - 8/10
The story of three generations of Iranian men learning family secrets and learning to cope with that knowledge, while also adjusting to life in another culture, either because of a move from Iran to the US or the US to Iran.

Excellent treatment of how gays are treated in a culture other than your own and negotiating the thought shifts that go with learning your assumptions may not be accurate. I sometimes get impatient with novels that shift between narrators and time periods, but this one does it really well.

>189 scaifea: I loved this one too!

>191 scaifea: Love it!

Great job on Mt. Olympus!

>191 scaifea: That display is wicked cool.
And the eyes on Loki had me rolling, lol

Thanks, all! I'm proud of how it turned out.

87. Crown of Midnight by Sarah Maas (Read Soon! Shelves) - 9/10
The second in the Throne of Glass series. Can’t talk too much about it without giving up spoilers, but I can say that the love triangle is still going pretty strong, and Maas delivers her trademark plot twists whammies in the last 30 pages or so. Excellent fantasy series so far.


88. My Hero Academia vol 17 by Kohei Horikoshi (manga) - 9/10
Still loving this manga series.

>191 scaifea: Oh my goodness, that's great!!

Your library is so lucky to have you!

Just finished The Witch's Heart after your review. Should NOT have listened to the last hour in the car, driving while crying is probably breaking a law somewhere. But as I only listen in the car it's an occupational hazard.
It's really very good.
I'm not as up on Norse myths, so now I'm wondering which bit was myth and which bits were the author's imagination - I couldn't see the joins.

>203 Helenliz: The print version discusses the novel vs myth issue. The biggie was that the witch was made up of a number of different witches that show up, it seems mostly nameless, in Norse mythology.

I miss seeing your regular posts, Amber, and hope you're just busy with Summer Reading gear up and the rest.

>204 quondame: Thanks, that's interesting.

Amber, just saw this breaking news and immediately thought of you:
Evil penguin Feathers McGraw to return in new Wallace and Gromit film

I'm so excited!

>191 scaifea: Oh Mount Olympus looks awesome!!

Happy weekend ahead.

>202 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne!

>203 Helenliz: It's generally pretty close to what we know about Norse myth. Isn't it an excellent read?

>205 bell7: Just busy in general, really. Lots of stuff going on here lately.

>207 lauralkeet: Oh, wow, that's fantastic!! Thanks for the heads up!

>208 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

89. Solito by Javier Zamora (Alex Award) - 9/10
Memoir about the author’s experience as a young boy trying to get across the border to his parents. Fascinating and well-told.

90. Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (Newbery Honor Book & Schneider Honor Book) - 8/10
Middle Grade novel about a boy with PTSD and how his family moves to another town for a fresh start. The author hits that sweet spot of being able to write believably in a MG first person voice, and the details of the trauma are nicely unfolded throughout the story.

91. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux (romance) - 4/10
A woman gets ditched by her shitty boyfriend while on vacation in England, and while she’s crying over him in an old church, a nobleman from 400 years in the past is pulled through time by her tears. She helps him find out who betrayed him to the queen all those years ago and caused his wrongful execution. They fall in love. He gets sucked back in time. She cries a lot. Again. Then *she* gets zapped back in time to save him because he’d still been executed even after discovering at least part of the truth in the future. They fall in love again. She gets pulled back to the future. She cries a lot. Again.

Ugh. This 80s romance novel has not aged well, although, to be honest, bad writing is pretty much always bad writing. Plot holes and contradictions don’t breed in the pages over time. It’s just…not good. However, if you squint, tilt your head just right, and replace the two MCs with Nandor and Guillermo from What We Do in the Shadows, it almost kind of works.

92. Me: Elton John Autobiography by Elton John (wishlist) - 8/10
Follows the standard celebrity memoir pattern: humble beginnings, overnight fame, drugs/sex/excess, rehab, equilibrium found in later years. A fair amount of dishing about other big names, but he never gets too catty about it, and the book is well-written and interesting.



93. Mousse and Murder by Elizabeth Logan (library display) - 6/10
The first in a cozy mystery series, but it’ll be the last in the series for me. The writing is already not good, the characters are flat and uninteresting, and I had the murderer figured out within 30 pages.

94. Open Season by C. J. Box (audiobook) - 7/10
Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming with a wife, two little girls, and a baby on the way. He has a history of being a bit bungling, but he’s honest and fair. This proves to be a bit of a problem, both for him and people in high government places with secrets to hide. Pickett finds a hunter dead on his woodpile, then finds two more dead hunters in the mountain camp whence the first dead man came, but his persistence in getting to the bottom of the case makes some local higher-ups uncomfortable and then downright angry. It’s when his family is threatened that Joe really gets angry and justice starts getting served.

Yeah, this one’s just not my jam, I think. It was okay, and the writing was okay, and the plot was fine, but it wasn’t overly interesting in any aspect. I won’t be continuing with the series.

>214 scaifea: These books are very popular in my library just lately, but they hold no appeal for me. I'll probably continue to give them a pass.

95. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (Read Soon! shelves) - 8/10 (Higher than it should be for sentimental reasons)
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all get pulled back into Narnia when Prince Caspian uses Susan’s magic horn to call for aid. They discover that thousands of years have passed since they were last in Narnia and much has changed. Caspian is the rightful king, but his uncle has taken the throne and Caspian’s life is in danger. The children travel through wild terrain with a friendly dwarf to reach Caspian and his army in time to help turn the fate of the battle. Aslan also shows up just in time to help out, sort of, with, weirdly, Bacchus and his Maenads in tow.

I didn’t remember much about this entry in the series from when I was a kid. It’s not…great? Not a lot happens, there’s an overabundance of poorly-veiled references to the importance of blind faith in capital-G god, and what’s with Dionysus and his crew showing up for a revelry?! Very weird.

>216 scaifea: I'm not sure I could tell you much about this one either. I have the entire set from my childhood. I'm torn on a re-read.

>216 scaifea: I think that may be the weakest of the Narnia books in terms of plot, but I still love it. Mostly for Trumpkin and Trufflehunter, I think.

>217 Helenliz: Probably because there's not much to tell!

>218 foggidawn: You're right about the weak part...

96. Malice by Heather Walter (Alex Award) - 7/10
Alyce is a grace – a woman born with certain fae abilites – who lives in a house with other graces, where they offer their services to the nobility for a fee. But unlike all the other graces in the kingdom, Alice is a dark grace, whose abilities lean more toward curses than beauty enhancements. She’s never fit in with the other graces, or with anyone, until she meets a man imprisoned in a tower, who tells her about her true origins and begins to train her to use her abilities as they were intended. Meanwhile at the royal castle, the princess Aurora is counting down the days to her 21st birthday, when she will die unless her true love finds her and kisses her first. Many men have tried and all have failed to lift the curse. When the princess and the dark grace meet, both of their lives begin to change.

I love the idea of a queer retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but this one didn’t work for me. Too much angst, very little action, and the Big Plot Twist is visible from miles away.

Happy summer, Amber! Your Mount Olympus is amazing! Do you ever sleep?

You got me with Mistress of Mellyn and Fourth Wing. And you reminded me that I meant to reread some of the Narnia books after I listened to Once Upon a Wardrobe recently.

>221 AMQS: Ha! I do, and even take fairly frequent naps!

Yay for Mellyn and Fourth Wing! I hope you love them.

97. Icarus by K. Ancrum (Read Soon! shelves) - 10/10
Icarus goes to high school by day, being careful who he befriends and how many friends he keeps, trying hard not to make attachments that would necessitate hanging out outside of school. By night he’s an art thief, trained and working for his father, who is hell-bent on revenge against one man, Mr. Black, living in a mansion and collecting all kinds of priceless art. Then one night when Icarus sneaks into the mansion to replace an original Monet with the replica his father has painted, he gets caught. By Mr. Black’s son, Helios. And Icarus’ first real friendship begins, and leads the way for his other, tentative friendships to become real as well.

It's difficult to summarize this YA novel because it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever read, and in a very good way. It’s sort of a retelling of a Greek myth but not really; it’s sort of a romance but not really; it’s sort of a heist story but not really. It’s all of these and much more. I absolutely adored it. Icarus is such a great character, and his coming-of-age story is so soft and lovely. Yes, there’s some harshness here, but overall it feels warm and wonderful. Icarus will stay with me as a friend for a long time, I think.

>223 scaifea: This sounds like a good one!

>224 AMQS: Oh, it's *so* good! I hope you love it as much as I did.

>223 scaifea: Okay, okay, I added it to my list!

98. Black Butler Vol. 5 by Yana Toboso (manga) - 9/10
The Black Butler is set the task of winning a curry competition for his young master, which may prove difficult since the competition is supernaturally gifted at cooking up excellent Indian cuisine. BB is BB, though, and comes through in the end, as always.

Still adoring this manga series. So fun.

99. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (wishlist) - 8/10
Alice has grown up knowing only a life on the run, although she’s not sure exactly what her and her mom have been running from. When they receive a letter informing them of her grandmother – a famous recluse and author of a now-impossible-to-find collection of fairy tales – dies, Alice thinks that maybe they can finally stop living nomadic lives and take up residence in her grandmother’s estate, Hazel Wood. But no, her mom still refuses to go near the place and forbids Alice to go looking for it. When strange people start following Alice and then when her mother is kidnapped, she has no choice, she thinks, but to try to track down the Hazel Wood and solve the mysteries surrounding it. She soon finds, though, that those who have tried before her to crack those secrets haven’t fared so well…

An interesting story nicely told, with some good twists to old fairy tale tropes.

Howdy Amber :)
As its been a bit, I just wanted to poke my head in and say hi. Hope you and theothers at Scaife Manor are doing okay.
I've seen the Hazel Wood on the shelves at the grocery store, but nothing about it jumped out at me very hard. May be worth a look after all it seems.

>229 Ravenwoodwitch: Howdy!

I think you may enjoy The Hazel Wood...

100. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (mystery) - 8/10
Vera Wong is an elderly widow who runs a teashop in San Francisco. She gets up early every morning and opens the shop, even though she only ever has one customer, and she texts her grown son several times a day, even though she knows he probably won’t respond. But her quiet life takes an abrupt 180 when she wakes up one morning to a dead body in her shop, the police don’t seem interested in calling it a murder, and Vera decides to solve the case on her own.

Adorable. Think Debbie Macomber, but with most of the saccharine replaced with delicious Szechuan. Very much enjoyable.

>231 scaifea: Wasn't "Vera Wong" great?! I love your "Szechuan" description of it!

Karen O.

>231 scaifea: I just read this one and had a great time, too 😊 Hope everything is well with you!

>231 scaifea: Ok, reserve placed. Seems popular so I'll join the gang.

>234 Helenliz: Yay!

>232 klobrien2: Yes! Such an adorable cozy.

>233 curioussquared: I'm glad you liked it, too!
Things are, for the most part, good but crazy busy. Charlie just passed the test to get his temporary/provisional driver's license. Bananas.

>234 Helenliz: I bet you'll like it!

>236 scaifea: OMG, that's crazy. I can't imagine what it must feel like to have Charlie learning to drive!

>237 curioussquared: It's so, so strange. Time is meaningless, obviously.

101. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
Silas is a trans boy on the spectrum living in an AU Victorian England where people born with violet eyes can commune with the dead, but violet-eyed women are seen merely as breeding stock and not allowed to practice as mediums. Silas has violet eyes, and that, coupled with his trans identity, lands him in an asylum that claims to cure girls with “veil sickness,” which is, of course, simply another way for men to oppress women who have a chance at exercising power over them. Because there’s no ‘curing’ going on here and the women who are sent to the asylum are habitually abused in myriad and horrific ways. Silas wants nothing more than to be allowed to become a surgeon and live a normal life, but can he overcome all that is thrown against him not only to accomplish that goal but also to break down the patriarchal system and save the young women who are his fellow inmates?

Ooof. Okay, folks, this one is DARK. And it pulls zero punches in describing the awful, awful things done to its characters. But the story is pretty darn great. My only quibble is that it’s slow to get going, and the first third of the narrative gets too bogged down in Silas’ anguish at how difficult it is for him to be trans and on the spectrum in his world. I get that that’s necessary to the story, to a certain extent, but a little goes a long way and honestly, a little is all that’s needed here. If you’re in any way squeamish, you’ll likely be happier staying clear of this one, and I’d also recommend looking up a list of trigger warnings, if you have any worries in that direction as well (I’m not going to try to come up with my own list – it would be longish – and I’m certain someone else already has somewhere out there in the interwebs).

>239 scaifea: Madam, clearly this one somehow missed my "to read" list of The Most Disturbing Books category.
Will be adding this to the "someday" pile, thank you.

>240 Ravenwoodwitch: Honestly, I thought of you while reading this one. I think you just may love it.

102. The 39 Steps by John Buchan (NEH list) - 7/10
Set just before WWI in England, the narrator tells the story of how, just after returning to London from a stint in the army in South Africa, he’s approached by a desperate neighbor with a fantastical story of German spies out to get him (the neighbor), faking his own death, and the need for a hideout. Our narrator obliges, but the Germans manage to find his new friend and kill him while Narrator is out. So N find himself on the run, both from the Evil German Spies and Scotland Yard, who now want him on murder charges. And so the rest of the story is, essentially, N running all round the English countryside, oh-so-cleverly tricking and eluding the bad guys at every turn.

Ho hum. Another first-person white dude telling how smart and resourceful he is in the face of danger. Self-insert spy fanfic much? At least this one doesn’t have any distressed damosels for him to misogynize all over. Blech. It’s supposed to be a classic, I suppose? But that just implicates it in the spread of this kind of tired trope.

"Charlie just passed the test to get his temporary/provisional driver's license. Bananas." Terrifying!

>243 laytonwoman3rd: He's a super-cautious kid and is no hurry to get on the road (we wants to log some time driving around the large school parking lot just behind our house), so I'm not so worried about him. But yeah, all those other idiots on the road are what make me nervous!

103. Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron (wishlist) - 7/10
Ivy and David are living in an old Victorian house, expecting a baby, and generally living a loving and happy life. But when they have a yard sale to get rid of some old junk left behind by the previous house owners, an old high school classmate stops by, acting just as socially inept and strange as she always did, and leaving Ivy feeling off-balance. Things only get worse when said classmate is reported missing the next day and her appearance at the yard sale was the last time anyone saw her.

A run-of-the-mill pop thriller. The writing is fine, but the ‘twist’ is obvious almost from the beginning.

>244 scaifea: that's my world as an adult driver. I don't take risks; and yet everyone around me is being too risky for both of us.
Beat of luck to Charlie. Both of you stay safe.

>246 Ravenwoodwitch: Right?! Constant Vigilance is the name of the game when I'm driving. And thanks!

104. Heartstopper vol 5 by Alice Oseman (Read Soon shelves) - 9/10
Nick, Charlie, and their friends are all so sweet and wholesome and adorable. I adore their stories and I’m very much looking forward to the final volume.


105. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli (Stonewall Honor Book) - 8/10
Imogen is a proud ally to her queer friends and is excited to visit her gay BFF, Lily, over spring break at the college she’s attending 30 minutes away. The trip is sprinkled somewhat with anxiety, though, because Lily has found a very cool group of LBGTQ+ friends who make Imogen wonder if Lily has moved on from being her best friend, and then there’s also the story that Lily has roped Imogen into about the two of them once dating, which means that Imogen now needs to pretend to be bi. But then Tess walks into Lily’s dorm room and kicks off Imogen’s slight identity crisis: does she really need to pretend or is she, in fact, not straight at all?

At first I thought Imogen’s headspace agonizing over whether she’s a bad ally who’s appropriating or actually bi was going to get exhausting real quick-like, but in the end, the story is sweet and funny and the agonizing serves a good purpose, especially for members of the intended audience who may be facing similar questions of their own. Good stuff in here that make it definitely worth the read.

How old do you have to be to get a provisional licence? And when can you get a full licence?
It's 17 here for a provisional car licence, 16 for a moped. While you have to pass a theory test before you can take a driving test, you don't have to pass the theory test to start learning.

I imagine all the rites of passage come thick & fast in the next few years. Hope you all sail through them calmly (or mostly calmly).

>244 scaifea: >249 Helenliz: I was wondering the same thing. Here the earliest age that someone can get a licence is 17, but these days it's more and more common for people to delay things, particularly as insurance for young drivers is astronomically expensive. I read recently that the average age of passing the driving test here is mid-twenties. Jacob's currently learning to drive at 24, and it's fairly common to be learning at that age.

>249 Helenliz: >250 SandDune: It varies from state to state, but generally it's 15 for a provisional and 16 for a full, I think (or at least that's been in the case in all of the states I've lived in). Here in Ohio there are restrictions on the full license for drivers from 16-18 (they can't drive without an 18+ licensed driver late at night and such).

Charlie driving… man, I’m old… 😀

>252 drneutron: *snork!!* You and me both, brother. Yeesh.

>231 scaifea: Wasn't Vera Wong a delight? She can come cook for me any time.

>254 foggidawn: I'm not sure I'd call her a delight - I think I'd be ready to commit murder myself after 10 minutes with her - but yes, I'd happily let her feed me!

106. Bad Cree by Jessica Johns (Alex Award) - 9/10
Mackenzie has been having bad dreams, and she’s convinced that she’s also somehow bringing items from her nightmares and into the real world, although they disappear as she opens her eyes. When her dead sister starts appearing in the dreams and the dream items she brings into our world turn…dark (the ripped-from-its-body head of a raven, for example), she really starts to worry. She decides to return home to her Cree mother, aunties, and cousins for the first time in years, hoping they’ll be able to help her get rid of the nightmares, but what she finds is a family still steeped in grief at the loss of her sister. And clearly something supernatural and unfriendly is taking advantage of that grief. But supernatural talents run in her blood, and the women in her family combine their strengths to fight back.

Good writing, good characters, cool story. The horror element is light in nature, so don’t let that scare you away, so to speak. And the thing that pushed this over into the category of one of my best reads of the year so far is that there are essentially no male characters here; it’s a story 100% about women helping women work through pain and grief, share joys, and just, in general, live their lives with no thoughts spared for men in pretty much any sense.

>256 scaifea: Bad Cree feels like a BB. Yep, it is.