Clam Shares Books & Cheeses ❂ 2025 ~ Part IV ❂

Today is Lughnasadh*, and it seemed like an auspicious time to start a new thread. (Especially since I just started a course of antibiotics to treat an infected insect bite! Yay, me.)

If you haven't kept up here is a list of what I have read and listened to so far this year: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/User:Clamairy#Books_Read_in_2025
I am at 60 total, if I haven't missed anything.

* That's a Celtic harvest festival, also known as Lammas. It's the first harvest festival of the year north of the equator, and the date is roughly halfway between Midsummer and the Autumnal Equinox, for those who were wondering. The only things I am growing this year are tomatoes and herbs, many of which I am already using. I am going to try to dry a few of the herbs, but they do not taste as good to me dried as they do fresh. I will definitely be drying the catnip! Belle gets a bit every day. She does not like the fresh, oddly.

>1 clamairy: Happy New Thread! I could be wrong, but isn't Lammastide also a festival celebrated by witches? Hoping as well that your antibiotics kick in fast!

Happy new thread! And what Jill said.

>2 jillmwo: Yes, I believe many of the pagan faiths got their dates from the Celtic feast days.

>2 jillmwo: & >3 haydninvienna: Thank you!

Nice rhyme!

Happy new thread. Get well soon. I hope the antibiotics do their job.

>1 clamairy: Happy New Thread!

Get well soon!

>5 pgmcc: & >6 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you!

The bite looks a little better this morning, but the meds are making me feel a bit off.

Happy new thread! Glad to hear the bug bite is improving.

Happy new thread! Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Happy new thread - feel better soon!

New thread! Yay!
Bummer on the bug bite. Hope it heals quickly.

>8 Karlstar: >9 humouress: >10 Narilka: & >11 catzteach: Thank you. I can't believe what a difference the meds have made in such a short period of time.

>12 clamairy: An infected bug bite is no joke - glad you got on the meds and that you're improving quickly. Hurray for science!

I have a friend who's a bona fide Pagan, though not particularly witchy. She's interesting to listen to as she follows Pagan holidays like Lammas.

Nearly all of them are harvest related - sowing seeds, working the soil, giving thanks for a good growing season. Seems straightforward enough. I like it!

Happy new thread!

Ballycastle on The Causeway Coast holds The Ould Lammas Fair every year.

>13 terriks: This may be a background for a fantasy story. What if pagan Vikings rather than Catholic Portuguese had pioneered the sea route to India, and if the same Vikings rather than Calvinist Dutch had set up a way-station at the Cape of Good Hope? How would they have adjusted Pagan holidays to the southern seasons?

>15 hfglen: The pagan holidays have all been adapted to the southern seasons. They are still cross quarter seasonal celebrations. There are eight of them. Four are celebrated at the equinoxes and the solstices, and the other four at halfway point between those. Pagans south of the equator celebrate Yule on June 21st.

>13 terriks: Thank you! I just wish the antibiotics didn't give me brain fog. Definitely worth it, though.

>14 pgmcc: Wonderful! Why is it not on August 1st, though?

>17 clamairy:
I suspect commercial and logistical reasons.

I finished The Life and Works of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser, and thought it was really amazing in scope and depth. I'm only giving it 4½ stars because I found the lecturer's voice grating at times. She has one of the voices that makes her sound like she's laughing. :o(

I have started Classics of American Literature by Arnold Weinstein. So far so good. Loved his take on Rip van Winkle. (Rip was playing ninepins with the gods!)

Really enjoyed this one. I'm moving on to The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow.

>20 clamairy: This book was so good! I had a wonderful time with it :)

Happy new thread! I'm glad the insect bite is clearing up. How can things so tiny cause so much trouble?!

I look forward to your thoughts on The other Bennett sister. I have it on my kindle.

>20 clamairy: Glad you enjoyed Longbourne!

I seriously doubt I will be seeking out more books by this author, but this one wasn't terrible.

>24 clamairy: I am a die-hard Austen fan, but I think I will want something as good as Longbourn :)

>25 Alexandra_book_life: I have to say that I am very shocked to see that this book has a higher rating here on LibraryThing than Longbourn does. The only reasons I can come up with are that there are a lot more copies of the Jo Baker book rated, and ratings to tend to trend slightly downward the more often a book gets rated. (No, I don't know why that is, but I have noticed it for years.) Also, there are only a handful of new characters introduced that aren't right of the pages of Pride and Prejudice. Longbourn not only had more, but they all figure prominently in the story.

>21 Alexandra_book_life: Such a wonderful read. I'm happy to hear you concur!

>22 Sakerfalcon: Thank you! You can back burner it, and wait until you're snowed in, or something...

>23 foggidawn: Thank you. It was wonderful.

I survived my weekend. Much fun was had. Dragon fruit margaritas were consumed. I took almost all of today off from my usual routine to recover, but I did get all the sheets and beach towels washed and dried, and I finished my book.

I should be back to catch up on people's posts tomorrow.

>28 clamairy:
Washing sheets and towels does not sound like taking time off. Finishing your book, on the other hand, does.

Sounds like you took one for the team with this book.

Glad to hear much fun was had.

>28 clamairy: Oh, it sounds fun - just hearing about washing beach towels has a wonderful summertime ring to it. :)

Dragon fruit margaritas sound delicious! Frankly, it doesn't matter much what prefaces the word "margarita" because it's going to get you in the end, despite the inner voice advising vigilance.

Which is generally ignored. ;)

>28 clamairy: Just because I have memories of putting wet laundry out on a clothesline in the backyard, I was wondering if that was how you dried yours? Sitting w/ a book while the towels flap in the breeze is a wonderful summer pleasure.

>28 clamairy: Dragonfruit margaritas sound intriguing. Maybe I should hunt some down.

>28 clamairy: Sounds like a fun weekend, too bad the book didn't hold up.

>29 pgmcc: I was just transferring stuff into one machine and then into another. Not very labor intensive.
Yes, @foggidawn warned me, but I read it anyway.
Thank you.

>30 terriks: I was very careful with the tequila. Mistakes have been made in the past. LOL

>31 jillmwo: I'm afraid I stopped using my clothes line when I realized I was having to rewash much of it to get the bird poop off.

>32 humouress: I bought dragon fruit juice, and just added tequila and a splash margarita mix. The juice was not quite tart enough for me.

>33 Karlstar: Thank you.

I finished A Month in the Country and I loved it. Thank you @jillmwo and @Sakerfalcon. I will have to comeback and add a short review. I have a bit of an urge to read Under the Greenwood tree, because that's what this was based loosely on, supposedly. But I think The Sunlit Man might be up next.

>35 clamairy: It sounds so lovely! I am tempted...

>36 Alexandra_book_life: I suggest borrowing it, if at all possible.

After reading that relaxing delightful book set in the post-WW I British countryside I felt like I was under assault trying to read The Sunlit Man. There was just one fight after another. That's not working for me right now. I am actually going to try Under the Greenwood Tree

>38 clamairy: So it wasn't just me that didn't care for The Sunlit Man. I thought maybe it was just post-surgery brain.

>39 Karlstar: The pace is just too frenetic, and right now that is not what I want. I would like to get to know something about a main character before he is thrown into a gladiator pit.*

I made it about four pages into Under the Greenwood Tree, and I bailed on that, too. Now I am reading The Brides of High Hill, and I am enjoying that immensely.

*I'm pretty sure I got this one as an audiobook as part of the Secret Project package. Maybe I'll try that.

>40 clamairy:. *thumbs up* Brides is relatively short and easy to absorb. Good choice.

>40 clamairy: Brides of High Hill was excellent, I thought. Enjoy!

>40 clamairy: I thought Brides of High Hill was one of the better installments. There is a new one, A Mouthful of Dust, releasing in October.

>43 ScoLgo: Thanks for the heads up. I usually buy them when they go on sale. (I am missing the second one.)

>41 jillmwo: & >42 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks! It's just what my brain wants right now.

I finished The Brides of High Hill last night around midnight.
0.0
I was not expecting any of that!!!
I will come back and write a review after I mull this over a bit more.

I have gone back to The Warbler which I started a few months ago and had to set aside.

The Brides of High Hill is another retelling of the tale of Bluebeard and his 'lost' wives. It hasn't been that long since I read The Seventh Bride, which was T. Kingfisher's take on the tale. They are not very similar, except that they are both unsettling. There is a colossal twist in this one. Definitely recommended.

I also listened to Nghi Vo's short story What the Dead Know, which was also creepy and fun. (It was definitely not as unnerving as the book of hers that I just finished.) This one is free to borrow if you have Audible.

>46 clamairy: That twist was something else!
I am glad you liked it.

>48 Alexandra_book_life: I'm still thinking about how I missed so many of the signs. It was well done.

>47 clamairy: I found the entire Into Shadow collection fairly entertaining. The standout for me was The Six Deaths of the Saint. Alix E. Harrow has quickly become an author whose works I will read sooner instead of later.

BTW... your touchstone to What the Dead Know may need adjustment.

>50 ScoLgo: Dawg bawlz! There, I fixed it.

Yes, I enjoyed that Alix E. Harrow short story quite a bit as well. It's not part of the same collection, but I really liked another of her short stories, The Knight and the Butcherbird.

Okay I just looked at the other five books in that collection, and none of them are rated as highly as the two I've already enjoyed. Which of the others would you recommend the most? Some of them are rated rather poorly.

Okay, you two (by which I mean >50 ScoLgo: and >51 clamairy:), I was not in search of a new author this week, but now it appears that I must pay attention and find titles by Alix E. Harrow.

>52 jillmwo: Oh!!! If you want current Southern Gothic, then Starling House is the way to go. If you want New England witches in an alternative universe then The Once and Future Witches is the way to go. Those are both full length novels. If you just want to dip your toe then I am pretty sure at least one of her short stories is free to borrow if you have Amazon Prime.

>53 clamairy: I just bought a copy of The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Have heard it's good but can't give an opinion because I haven't read it yet. The only full-length novel of hers I've read is Starling House, which I really enjoyed. Another tale where she takes a standard trope and turns it sideways - in all the good ways. And yes, the short stories mentioned above are free to borrow via Prime Reading™. That's how I accessed them.

Edit: a word.

>54 ScoLgo: I bought The Ten Thousand Doors of January 4½ years ago because someone in here mentioned it. I cannot remember who, and I still have not read it.

I finished this one on Wednesday, but I wanted to digest it for a bit before I reviewed it.

I have already started reading West with Giraffes. And, as per @MrsLee's recommendation, I am listening to Diane Keaton read her book Then Again.

>52 jillmwo: You can start with this short story, A Witch’s Guide to Escape

https://www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-magazine/post/a-witchs-guide-to-esca...

>57 2wonderY: If that's any indication of her writing abilities, I am absolutely tracking her work down. Thank you for the pointer to the short story.

>58 jillmwo: She excels in the short story mode. It has taken a couple of novels for her to gain control of the story, imho. She gets better and better.

>57 2wonderY: Way to destroy me, woman. 5 stars from me.

ETA: but I can't find a way to add it to my LT catalogue.

>60 humouress:

Manual entry

https://www.librarything.com/addnew.php

(In future, you can find it by scrolling to the bottom of the Add books page)

>61 sqdancer: Thanks. Of course - not thinking properly.

Many thanks to @MrsLee for this one!

I have already started listening to Tigana. (Which I discovered, much to my dismay, I have been pronouncing incorrectly for almost 20 years. It's Tee-gana, not Ti-gana.)

>63 clamairy: I was pronouncing it the same way. I hope you enjoy Tigana! So many people claim it is one of his best, if not his best.

>64 Karlstar: I have read it already! I loved* it, and I am loving it again.
(Although I had forgot how violent some of it was.)

*It was one of our group reads back the early days of the GD: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:The_Green_Dragon/Group_book_discu...

>65 clamairy: Seems like a great discussion. Clearly, I need to re-read that one again. I didn't have a copy of The Lions of al-Rassan either, (that has been fixed recently) both must have been books I checked out from the library.

>66 Karlstar: I think I actually liked that one just wee bit more than Tigana, though I gave them both 5 stars. I may snag an audio copy of that one as well.

That discussion made me a little sad because I think I'm the only one still posting here on a regular basis.

>63 clamairy: I have been pronouncing incorrectly for almost 20 years. It's Tee-gana, not Ti-gana.) Well, that makes three of us then. You, me and >64 Karlstar: . And I am pretty sure my book group all pronounced it the same way, when we did it as a fantasy selection in either 2023 or 2024.

>68 jillmwo: Ha! Watch that narrator (Simon Vance) be the one who's saying it wrong. I will do some Googling.

Edited to add: multiple hits for Simon Vance's pronunciation. Every hit, in fact. LOL

>67 clamairy: I did notice a whole bunch of unfamiliar names in that thread. It would be nice to pick a book for a group read too.

>63 clamairy: I'm still hearing it as 'Ti-gana' in my brain.

>65 clamairy: Took a peek; I have read some of those books - but many years later. Can anyone jump in any time? And how do you find a current group read?

>71 humouress: We pin our group reads to the top of the page. We don't have one going on right now. I'm can't even remember our last one, even though I'm sure I took part.

Yes, feel free to revive any of those dormant threads!

>70 Karlstar: We're overdue for one.

>56 clamairy: This is on my TBR pile, so I shall move it a bit nearer the top!

Re Tigana - I assumed it was based on Italian pronunciation so went with Tee-gana. Is this a transatlantic difference?!

>73 Sakerfalcon: I didn't think about it possibly being a Mediterranean name, which is somewhat silly of me in retrospect.

>74 clamairy: I should reread it as it's been several years.

>72 clamairy: Yes, we are, but what book and who's selecting one?

A List of Books That Could Support a Group Discussion

The City in Glass. I think there's some meat to this, although some might find it dark.
The Angel of the Crows Sherlock Holmes homage in fantasy setting
The Tainted Cup A bunch of you have already read this one, but we haven't really DISCUSSED it. And it did just win the Hugo.
Piranesi - This one might be kind of fun. I've not read it beyond the first chapter...
Edith Holler. Very gothic, so in keeping with the beginning of the autumn. It's wonderful.

Or we could agree to revisit Tigana to see if there are new reactions or new thoughts.

Who else has ideas?

>77 jillmwo: Your The Angel of the Crows touchstone is pointing to a film. At least I am assuming that is the book you meant...

>78 clamairy:. I was just thinking that I forgot to check the touchstones. I will fix. DONE. Oh, one more idea. The West Passage would generate an interesting group discussion.

>79 jillmwo: I will start a separate thread with a poll, if I can remember how to do that, later today.

>77 jillmwo: Thank you for starting it off.

Yes, I've let my thread languish.

Book Riot has started a newsletter, and today there was some positive news in the ongoing battle between authors and AI!

https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-copyright-authors-settlement-training-f2942...

>82 clamairy:. I think it's interesting that the judge in the case is scrutinizing how the various damages get allocated across publishers and authors. There was an article on Bloomberglaw.com that was interesting (no subscription so I can't link to it) where Maria Pallante (Exec Director of Association of American Publishers (AAP) said she didn't think the judge understood how the publishing world worked because he seemed to envision a claims process that wouldn't work very effectively and only engender lawsuits between publishers and authors. There is currently a good deal of heartburning and woe-is-me appearing on an industry list I follow.

>83 jillmwo: I think the woe-is-me is definitely warranted in this instance.
:o(

I have finished several books and have not come in to chat about them because I wasn't feeling it. Also I was having work done in my home, which I will never get used to. Plus, I had guests for four wonderful days.

I finished West with Giraffes and The Enchanted Greenhouse, and I finished listening to Tigana. I hope to be back with actual commentary/reviews later today, but I might end up waiting for tomorrow's rainy weather.

I finished the audiobook version of Tigana last week, and even though I didn't love it quite as much this time around I still thought it was excellent. I gave it 4½ stars, and now I am wondering if it was the inability of the narrator to do a convincing woman's voice that made me, at least in part, love it slightly less.

I found this in the Acknowledgements at the end of the book:

I wrote it because I believe there is light after darkness, warmth and wonder to be found even in the coldest of winters, and kindness in the world that can heal us. It’s my hope that this book can be a bit of light and warmth and a dose of kindness that a reader might need.

>85 clamairy: Tigana has been languishing on my Kindle for far too long! Maybe this year...

>86 clamairy: I'll keep this series in mind! A dose of kindness is always welcome.

The fourth and final (I think?) novella in Alice Hoffman's Once Upon a Time Bookstore series. Slightly treacly, but still fun. It made me crave baked goods and coffee.

>87 Alexandra_book_life: It seems like more of a Winter read to me, in retrospect. It should suit you as it's set in an Italy-esque country!

>88 Alexandra_book_life: I recommend the first one, as I think there was a bit more humor in that one.

>85 clamairy: I need to find my copy of Tigana for a reread! That means a trip to the loft, I fear.

>83 jillmwo: I'm a member of the class. I'll let you know how it all turns out. I just finished sending in a list of titles and ISBNs to the attorneys' site--theoretically that info is due the 15th.

>92 Marissa_Doyle: Honestly, I will be very interested in your experience!!

I just got an email telling me that Book 5 of The Stranger Times is coming soon!
Release date: October 9 20259 2025
Ring the Bells by C. K. McDonnell

>94 clamairy: I need to catch up on those books. I’ve only read the first one.

>95 catzteach: They are a lot of fun. I usually borrow them for my Kindle from Overdrive.

>96 clamairy:
@MrsLee enjoyed them a lot. She was reading one of them while receiving treatment. We both pre-ordered the new book.

>97 pgmcc: She liked his other series, too. I only read the first one of those. I prefer these, but at some point I'll catch up on the other one.

Another delightful romp from one of my favorite authors. In her acknowledgements she thanks "my readers, who somehow stay with me when I write book after book that bears very little resemblance to the thing I wrote last time."

>99 clamairy: "Thankfully there is no Disney prince, and no singing" - 😆😆😆 This was a very good thing, I agree.

Yay! I am glad you also enjoyed it!

>99 clamairy: Four and a half stars is a pretty high rating from you! Not sure what you've got against animated princes, though.

>101 jillmwo: I think I would prefer the house-cleaning animals at this stage of my life. I thought of you when I was reading this, because Anja makes poisons (and their antidotes) the focus of her life's study. I really think you would appreciate it.

>99 clamairy: In her acknowledgements she thanks "my readers, who somehow stay with me when I write book after book that bears very little resemblance to the thing I wrote last time."
This is one of the reasons I like Kingfisher and others like her. I admire that they don't rewrite their bestseller over and over again with different character names.

>103 Sakerfalcon: Yes, so do I. She has rapidly moved to near the top of my list of favorite current authors. I don't actually have one favorite, but I have to point out that they are almost all female, which both pleases and amazes me.

Speaking of favorite authors, Kate Atkinson is definitely one of them. I recently finished her first novel.

>105 clamairy: This reminds me that I need to read more by Kate Atkinson ;) I loved Life After Life so much!

>106 Alexandra_book_life: That one is still my favorite, but A God in Ruins is close.

>105 clamairy:
I enjoyed that. Have you read Transcription?

>108 pgmcc: I have not. I have read nine of her books, and the only ones I own that I have not read yet are Normal Rules Don't Apply, and Human Croquet. I think she's brilliant, and she definitely has a twisted sense of humor that I greatly appreciate.

I had read several of her Jackson Brody novels before I read Life after Life and I was completely bowled over.

>109 clamairy:
I really enjoyed Normal Rules Don’t Apply. I think you will need your twisted sense of humour for it. Transcription is more normal.

I have one of the Jackson Brody books with me. Possibly the third.

Human Croquet is at home awaiting attention.

I loved Human Croquet and it was my favourite of hers until I read Emotionally weird, which still wears the crown.

>111 Sakerfalcon:
I loved Emotionally Weird. It brought me right back to my student days. I also loved it because it was one of several books I read around the same time about books within books within books... There were about five books that had that trope and they all worked very well. If my recollection is working properly the ones I can remember were:
- Emotionally Weird
- The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair
- Poor Things

ETA
- I on a Winter's Night A Traveller would be another one.

>105 clamairy: Off hand, I can't recall the title of the last Kate Atkinson novel that you recommended to me, but it is now sending baleful vibes from whatever book pile it's currently buried in. It's somewhere in another room as I can feel it giving me a side-eye. Maybe with the word Life in it? I recall that it's a hefty paperback with a dark cover.

>113 jillmwo:
Life after life?

>114 pgmcc: I don't think that's the right touchstone.

>113 jillmwo: Life After Life would probably be my guess.
>115 Karlstar: >114 pgmcc: I made sure I got the right touchstone.

>115 Karlstar: Thank you. Now corrected.

>116 clamairy: I fail to be as perfect as you. :-)

>117 pgmcc: That's because your father was a hamster, and your mother smelled of elderberries.

>118 clamairy:
Was that a European or an African swallow?

>86 clamairy: I’ve started listening to the audio; but I’m dismayed at the hysterical sounding narration. I hope it improves.

>120 2wonderY: Oh no... I wonder if there are multiple audio versions available.

I did some snooping and found a BBC Dramatization on Audible & Amazon, and a solo narration by Ian Carmichael on Libby.

>118 clamairy: ❓

>119 pgmcc: ❓❓

>122 humouress: maybe this will help

>123 Darth-Heather: Oh dear. No, I'm missing the reference. (Though that policeman looks familiar for some reason.)

>124 humouress:

*ROFL* Just cuz some watery tart lobs a scimitar at you...

That one burned down, fell over then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one...stayed up!

>127 Bookmarque: Message for you, sir!

>125 Darth-Heather: Ah. That's where I recognise the policeman from. I was afraid of that.

Thanks.

>128 Karlstar: There's some lovely filth down here!

>131 clamairy: Ok, you win! :)

>131 clamairy: LOL

Gnomes of Lychford was yet another very fun entry in the Lychford series. This time it's the gnomes that are stirring up trouble. Lots of laughter to be had. I'm hopeful there will be more entries in this series.

>134 clamairy: I'm re-reading the entire series, since I realized I hadn't read #5 either. I'd forgotten what fun they are.

>134 clamairy:
I enjoyed it. The series is very nice. Paul's wife is a Church of England minister in a small English midlands village, so he knows what he is talking about.

>135 Marissa_Doyle: Probably should have at least skimmed summaries before I dove in, but I caught up rather quickly.

>136 pgmcc: Ahh, that makes Lizzie even more interesting.

I was off having an adventure this weekend. I went to a Renaissance Faire in Connecticut. I will try to catch up on reviews later today.

>138 clamairy: Ooh, that sounds like fun! One of my colleagues when I worked in Philadelphia loved RenFaires, but my then-husband thought they were cheesy and refused to go.

>138 clamairy: and >139 Sakerfalcon:. The Pennsylvania RenFaire is fun and when my husband and I did them a decade or so back, we enjoyed ourselves. Glass-blowing demonstrations, the comic street events, the jousts, etc. Unfortunately, the site where they hold the RenFaire is very hilly with steep inclines that pose mobility concerns. We haven't been in the past few years. So I hope you'll share a bit more about what the RenFaire in Connecticut was like!

>138 clamairy: I'm glad you were able to go. My daughter, grand-daughter and I were supposed to go in August, but the Loki situation caused us to skip it. Maybe next year.

>138 clamairy: What a great adventure :)

>138 clamairy: They're always so much fun. Glad you were able to go have an adventure!

I haven't been to one in years - would love to hear more.

Going to try to catch up on a few quick reviews.





I listened to both Penric's Fox and Mira's Last Dance, both of which I apparently should have listened to before The Prisoner of Limnos. I still need to listen to Masquerade in Lodi before I can can go back and pick up where I left the series. These are novella, so only about 3-4 hours in length. They are FUN!

Enjoyed The Nine Tailors immensely!

>145 clamairy: Nice cover! Mine is a bit more Gothic and spooky.

>144 clamairy: Go, Penric, go! These books are wonderful :)

>145 clamairy: Ha, mine had the same cover ;)

I just sent out a bunch of friend requests. Many of you I thought I was friends with already, but I was not. It makes it a lot easier for any user to see which one(s) of their friends has read or owns a book and what ratings (if any) they have given it.

If I missed you, please feel free to send a request my way.

I finished listening to yet another Penric novella. I thought that Masquerade in Lodi was my last loose end and I could proceed on to The Orphans of Raspay, but she will soon publish Testimony of Mute Things. This is yet another novella that takes place before the one I just finished. *sigh*

I have started listening to The Darkling Bride which so far has proven to be a great spooky choice for October.

I finished What Stalks the Deep and will write a review later. I have gone back to reading On Stranger Tides, which is hilarious.

>150 clamairy: I am waiting for Testimony of Mute Things! With some impatience, I might add :)

I read On Stranger Tides ca three years ago, and enjoyed it very much. Such a wild ride :)

>150 clamairy:
On Stranger Tides is a book I am looking forward to reading. I have had it for quite a while, like most of my unread books. :-)

>150 clamairy: I have On Stranger Tides out from the library at the moment, too, though I haven't started it yet. Someone in the Green Dragon BB'ed me - I forget who.

>153 humouress: I have been meaning to read this one for years and just kept bumping it down the virtual stack. I'm actually not sure why I picked it up now. Asside from >151 Alexandra_book_life: I'm not sure who else in here has read this or mentioned it recently.

>152 pgmcc: & >153 humouress: Your touchstones are pointing to the Disney film, which does not even have the same title.

>154 clamairy: eek! Okay, changed, thanks.

I have a feeling it was Peter? Richard? Someone like that who read it more recently than Alexandra.

>155 humouress: I did a scan of every mention of the book. Alexandra did recommend it to Karlstar/Jim at the beginning of this year because he had read a different book by the same author. Peter has not read it yet. I started it a couple of weeks ago, and had to set it aside for a digital library loan, but I never mentioned it in here. Perhaps you saw it tagged in a different group.
Edited to add: Looks like Amber read it last Fall.

>156 clamairy: You're right; it was in the Fantasyland directions for August that I saw it.

>157 humouress: Mystery solved!

>154 clamairy:
Thank you! Corrected.

>150 clamairy: Hey, that's the same guy who wrote The Anubis Gates. Tim Powers. And the blurb for On Stranger Tides does indeed sound very funny. But I never knew of the relation to the Disney movies.

>160 jillmwo: There is actually little relation to the Disney movie(s). I enjoyed both the book and the film as separate entities but they are very, very different. Powers sold the movie rights to Disney (I mean, why not take the cash amirite?) and they shoe-horned it into their franchise so the only things the book and movie have in common are Blackbeard the pirate and the Fountain of Youth.

On another note, for anyone that is a fan of the Brontës, Powers' latest published novel, My Brother's Keeper, may appeal. It imagines Emily and her family contending with werewolves on the remote moors of Yorkshire. Other excellent works by Tim are Declare, The Anubis Gates, (as mentioned by @jillmwo), The Fisher King Trilogy, (actual trilogy title is Fault Lines but LT touchstones won't cooperate), and The Stress of Her Regard, which has a sequel, Hide Me Among the Graves. Another humorous - but earlier work - is The Drawing of the Dark, ('The Dark' is not what you think! ;)

Tim Powers is the master of the secret history form and is one of my favorite authors.

Edit: fixed a touchstone

>161 ScoLgo: I skipped your spoiler because I'm only about 40% of the way into the book. Other than the humor and the fact that there are pirates (and magic) I'm seeing very little resemblance to the Disney film. My absolute most favorite part so far has been the impromptu puppet show on the beach.

>161 ScoLgo: My Brother's Keeper is on my tbr :) I think Tim Powers can manage the Brontës and werewolves. Delicious.

>163 Alexandra_book_life: I enjoyed it - I hope you do too!

I listened to Invasion of the Body Snatchers for the group read here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/373792

I could not limit myself to one chapter a day. :o)

Many thanks to @reconditereader for recommending this one to Jill. I got hit by that BB, though I think Jill dodged it so far.

I saw The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston tagged as a ghost story somewhere online so I thought it might fit in with the rest of my creepy October reads. It was okay. There is a lot of enjoyable humor, but it was very heavy-handed on the romance.

Only pick this up if you are looking for fluff with no genuine scares. 3½ stars.

Fun one!

What a ride! Took me a while to get sucked into this one, but I couldn't put it down near the end.

>168 clamairy: I've heard many praise this series! I am glad you like it. I'll get to it eventually :)

>169 clamairy: I am very happy for you! I am almost tempted to reread ;)

The Anubis Gates is a lot of fun too, hint, hint, nudge, nudge :D

Ok you got me with The Darkling Bride - a copy from Thrift Books is headed my way. 🎯

>171 Alexandra_book_life:
I second The Anubis Gates.

>172 Bookmarque: You are going to have to overlook a lot of too convenient coincidences, but I still thought it was good fun.

>171 Alexandra_book_life: & >173 pgmcc: Yes, that is going on my wish list. I really liked Tim Powers' writing style.

The funny thing is several disgusting/gory things happened in the book, but they were written in such a way that they did not bother me at all.

I started reading The Sun Down Motel but I'm afraid I only made it a few pages in before they found the naked corpse of a woman nearby and I realized I was not in the mood for that particular kind of horror. I have moved on to Small Spaces as per @Darth-Heather's recommendation in that 'Ghost Stories That Thrill Us' list. I'm enjoying it so far. And I'm listening to Moon Over Soho.

>166 clamairy: No, I was just waiting until like >172 Bookmarque: I could find a reasonable used copy. The book buying budget flew quickly in recent weeks.

I liked The Anubis Gates too.

>168 clamairy: Mrs H is watching a Canadian cop show (hint: the one with the dog) and the hero keeps saying that "I just want to ask you a few questions", but of course he's a proper Canadian cop so that is really what he means.

>179 haydninvienna: I hear you. I probably failed to mention that these books are set in the late 19th century.

>176 clamairy: ooh, Sun Down Motel was definitely one of the more gruesome ones that I have read from Simone St James. It's well written, but you really have to be in the right mind for it.

I hope you enjoy Small Spaces, I love Arden's writing style anyway and was pleased to find that she had written a YA series and that they are perfect for spooky-read season. The second one is quite creepy as well.

>181 Darth-Heather: I may try that Simone St James another time. So far the Katherine Arden book is exactly what I need. It's just creepy and frightening enough to satisfy my October craving for chills, without keeping me awake at night. I did not realize it was part of a series until I had already downloaded it.

I read one St James and am not anxious to read another. It was ok, but if you read enough of that kind of thing, it's nothing you haven't read before.

>183 Bookmarque: I read The Broken Girls and I was spooked by it. I listened to two more and they were just okay.

I've started reading Boy's Life and it's wonderful so far. Definitely creepy enough for the second half of October!

>185 clamairy: So glad it's fitting the bill! :)

I have some catching up to do, review wise.



Yesterday, as some of you probably heard, Amazon cloud services crashed and burned. I had trouble finishing my NY Times puzzles, which is a part of my morning ritual. And I couldn't stream music on my Echo devices! Fine, I figured I'd listen to my current audio book. But no... Hoopla uses Amazon cloud services to stream it's books. :o( Oddly enough, Audible was working fine, so I re-listened to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving narrated by Anthony Heald. I listened to this one last year, and it my favorite version so far. (I think I've done three?) I always enjoy this book, despite it's casual racism. It was written over 200 years ago.

I decided to take a break from Peric & Desdemona and try to fit in a few of the Rivers of London books. I finished off Moon over Soho and Whispers Under Ground and enjoyed them both. For those who are unfamiliar with the series they are similar to The Rook, and, quite possibly, just as funny. Recommended for mostly lightweight supernatural hijinks. This narrator, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, is outstanding.

I might proceed right onto book four.

Anthony Heald is so good! I think I’ve listened to that one before.

Ooops, forgot about this one!
Great Halloween fare. Thank you, @Darth-Heather.
(Maybe I should go back and see what else has been added to that list!)

>189 Bookmarque: It's going to be an annual ritual for me going forward. For some reason listening to it tickles my funny bone more than reading it does.

Crap, I completely forgot about Robert Reich's book. I'll try to write a review for that in the morning.

>190 clamairy: I need to look out for this. I loved the Russian folklore-y trilogy she wrote (names are escaping me for now).

>193 Sakerfalcon: Winternight! I loved that, too.

>193 Sakerfalcon: Oh, yes! Winternight was wonderful :)

>194 clamairy:, >195 Alexandra_book_life: That's the one, and yes it was!

I'm getting behind again. I finished Boy's Life, but I won't be able to write a review until tomorrow or Monday.

In the meantime here is that review I was supposed to write a few days ago. It's a lot shorter (no pun intended) than I had planned. So it goes.

Still not ready to write my Boy's Life review. Well... maybe I'm just not in the mood. LOL I also finished Broken Homes, which is the fourth book in the Rivers of London series. I've started reading The Thread That Binds the Bones, which is a bit odd, and I'm listening to Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett which has me guffawing regularly. What a brilliant man he was.

I am getting the feeling that I should explore Terry Pratchett. His name keeps popping up.

I understand completely about not being ready for a review on Boy’s Life. There's a lot to unpack in there. So good. My review was also on the short side, given my enthusiasm, but I didn't know how to touch on everything without writing a novella.

Edited to add: I'm with you on Robert Reich. I like to listen to him, and read his commentaries. A thoughtful man and sharp as a tack.

>199 terriks: "I am getting the feeling that I should explore Terry Pratchett."

You most certainly should, without delay!

>199 terriks: Oh definitely. My favorite sub series is The Witches, and the best of that series is The Wyrd Sisters. It's the second book in the series though, so you really need to start with Equal Rites. First, if you don't already own any, you must acquire and don some occult jewelry.
;o)

>201 clamairy: o HO! The acquisition of some occult jewelry to start a series sounds right up my alley. ;)

I also just went down a bit of a rabbit hole since I didn't know what Discworld is...holy crap! This guy seems funny and quirky and imaginative as all get-out. I think I will start with Equal Rites since this speaks to my witchy side. Lol. Thanks for the recommendation!

>202 terriks: It's the best! I expect you will enjoy it. Almost everyone in this group seems to have some version of a nicely twisted sense of humor. I, personally, aspire to be Granny Weatherwax, and I think I am gaining some ground on that goal.

>203 clamairy: Have you been practicing your headology? ;)

>203 clamairy: Maybe we should start a thread: Who is your Discworldian?

>205 humouress: Do it!

>206 haydninvienna: Maybe I’d better read a Discworld book first. I haven’t visited in a while.

>204 Narilka: Every day!

>205 humouress: A wonderful idea.

>207 humouress: Hogfather season is coming!

>199 terriks: I've been thinking about reading more Pratchett too. I've read a couple, at this point I don't even remember which ones.

>209 Darth-Heather: It is!

>210 Karlstar: This is where LibraryThing comes in so handy. Even if you didn't rate it, there's a solid chance it's in your catalog.

>211 clamairy: Right, but my Pratchett reading was pre-LT.

>212 Karlstar: Ahh. I started a handwritten list in my twenties, and when I turned 31 I got an Amstrad computer, which was really a glorified word processor. So I've been keeping track for almost 35 years.

I'll just leave this here, just in case ;)

>214 Narilka: Holy crap! lol This is amazing!

Well. I'm going to start with the witches novels; specifically, I'm starting with Equal Rites. I'm hoping not to have much difficulty getting any of these. I only have so many crinkled-plastic-library-cover liftoffs in me. ;)

>206 haydninvienna: >208 clamairy: Done!

Please be so kind as to populate it.

>216 humouress: Done!

oh well done! Wondering what we were going to read after we finished the Tiffany set. I read Hogfather in my Real life book group discussion included " Krampus" And the mythology of each of them That's fun

I am bailing on The Thread That Binds the Bones. I made it ⅔s of the way through and I just couldn't handle any more of it. It's not terrible, it's just weird. At this point it's focusing on a lot of interpersonal minutia that I have no interest in. Life is too freaking short.

I cashed in some of my Amazon points for the full price Kindle version of Queen Demon by Martha Wells, which is book two of The Rising World series.

>214 Narilka: Thank you. I will have to look at that on my PC or laptop screen. LOL

Here it is, finally. I will be AFK for a couple of days, and I will start a new thread when I return.

Happy Halloween - Samhain everyone!

Enjoy your time AFK.

>221 clamairy:
Interesting review.

It reminded me of an incident in my kitchen when myself and a friend were sitting eating curries with chopsticks. My eldest child was about four years old. She had never used chopsticks but had seen them on TV. She walked into the kitchen, looked at our meal and said, “ Oh! Chopsticks.”

She promptly picked up my chopsticks and ate a few mouthfuls of curry, put the chopsticks down and wandered off out of the room.

My friend looked at me and said, “She hasn’t learnt yet that she does not know how to use chopsticks.”

>221 clamairy: That's a wonderful quote. Now I'm going to have to look out for the book. I hope you are doing fun things while AFK.

>221 clamairy:
AFK over Halloween?
Very suspicious. Enjoy.

>225 pgmcc: A quote from teh Which Discworld Character thread

"I am also striving to become more like Granny Weatherwax."

Curiouser and curiouser.

>226 AHS-Wolfy:
I saw that and was wondering.

>221 clamairy: I enjoyed your review very much! The quotes are great :)

Enjoy being AFK :) Your timing is interesting.

>221 clamairy: I'm so glad you enjoyed it! There's a lot packed in there; not the most straightforward book to review.

I came across the first quote up there from a photographer who had done a series of B&W images of kids (mostly boys) on their bikes. I was hooked there and then on the writing.

Enjoy your AFK time! Happy Samhain and Halloween!

>223 pgmcc: Ha!