1Robertgreaves
Part 1 is here
After a major book-buying splurge, all books I own as of today now become ROOTs. I have 46 treebooks and 49 ebooks on the TBR shelf, making a total of 95 ROOTs.
Since ebooks are always available and always tempting I am as usual going to limit myself to:
1. 2 books as a reward for each kg I lose;
2. next in a series;
3. bookclub/reading group books.
After a major book-buying splurge, all books I own as of today now become ROOTs. I have 46 treebooks and 49 ebooks on the TBR shelf, making a total of 95 ROOTs.
Since ebooks are always available and always tempting I am as usual going to limit myself to:
1. 2 books as a reward for each kg I lose;
2. next in a series;
3. bookclub/reading group books.
2Robertgreaves
Currently reading:
The Year's Best Science Fiction 26th Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois
Starting my No. 112, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. As a re-read, this book is my fifty-third ROOT for 2025.
My review of Family Bashings:
Hard-boiled story of two cops the chief is trying to get rid of being assigned to a cold-case of gay men being beaten up outside gay clubs in Philadelphia.
It was OK. I got tired of all the hints about the "Incident" which caused one of the cops to become a pariah at the station without no explanation as to what actually happened except maybe he was covering up for somebody else. The book was very obviously a prequel showing how the two main characters left the police to become PIs. I might continue one day but not immediately.
The Year's Best Science Fiction 26th Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois
Starting my No. 112, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. As a re-read, this book is my fifty-third ROOT for 2025.
My review of Family Bashings:
Hard-boiled story of two cops the chief is trying to get rid of being assigned to a cold-case of gay men being beaten up outside gay clubs in Philadelphia.
It was OK. I got tired of all the hints about the "Incident" which caused one of the cops to become a pariah at the station without no explanation as to what actually happened except maybe he was covering up for somebody else. The book was very obviously a prequel showing how the two main characters left the police to become PIs. I might continue one day but not immediately.
3MissWatson
Happy new thread, Robert.
4Robertgreaves
Thanks for dropping by, Birgit
5Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 113, The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by Stephen Anthony Smith. It fits the ColourCAT.
My review of The Left Hand of Darkness:
Classic SF novel about Genly Ai, Envoy of the Ekumen, during his posting to an ice age planet where the inhabitants are neither male nor female except at certain points in their reproductive cycle when they may become either.
I first read this around 1980 and found it enthralling, loving the exploration of the ideas. I then read it again 20-odd years ago when I found the journey across the icecap tedious. This time round I found it more enjoyable but it didn't have the wow factor from when I first read it.
My review of The Left Hand of Darkness:
Classic SF novel about Genly Ai, Envoy of the Ekumen, during his posting to an ice age planet where the inhabitants are neither male nor female except at certain points in their reproductive cycle when they may become either.
I first read this around 1980 and found it enthralling, loving the exploration of the ideas. I then read it again 20-odd years ago when I found the journey across the icecap tedious. This time round I found it more enjoyable but it didn't have the wow factor from when I first read it.
7Robertgreaves
>6 connie53: Thanks for dropping by, Connie
Starting my No. 114, The Tournament of Blood by Michael Jecks. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction:
Does what it says on the tin, taking us from 1917 to 1928, although the author did sometimes overwhelm me with statistics.
Starting my No. 114, The Tournament of Blood by Michael Jecks. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction:
Does what it says on the tin, taking us from 1917 to 1928, although the author did sometimes overwhelm me with statistics.
8Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, The Sticklepath Strangler, as my No. 115. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Tournament of Blood:
Simon Puttock tries to emulate his father by organising a tournament for Lord Hugh, only to find his efforts come to nothing when bodies turn up and he is cast as main suspect.
Not one of the author's best. I kept getting some of the minor characters who were meant to be potential suspects muddled and had a good idea of who the murderer actually was pretty early on. Also two of the victims (out of five) were a gay couple, the first gay characters I remember in this series, but the reader's sympathies were obviously meant to lie with the murderer.
My review of The Tournament of Blood:
Simon Puttock tries to emulate his father by organising a tournament for Lord Hugh, only to find his efforts come to nothing when bodies turn up and he is cast as main suspect.
Not one of the author's best. I kept getting some of the minor characters who were meant to be potential suspects muddled and had a good idea of who the murderer actually was pretty early on. Also two of the victims (out of five) were a gay couple, the first gay characters I remember in this series, but the reader's sympathies were obviously meant to lie with the murderer.
9Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 116, I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman. This is my fifty-fifth ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 42.
10Robertgreaves
My review of I Was Born For This:
Angel travels down to London to stay for a week with her online friend Juliet, the climax of the trip being to see their favourite boy band, The Ark, perform.
Told alternatively from the viewpoints of Angel and Jimmy, The Ark's lead singer, this was a quick read exploring the nature of fandoms and fanfics and the pressures on their recipients of such adoration.
Angel travels down to London to stay for a week with her online friend Juliet, the climax of the trip being to see their favourite boy band, The Ark, perform.
Told alternatively from the viewpoints of Angel and Jimmy, The Ark's lead singer, this was a quick read exploring the nature of fandoms and fanfics and the pressures on their recipients of such adoration.
11Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 117, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. This is my fifty-sixth ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 42. It fits the AlphaKIT and CultureCAT.
My review of The Sticklepath Strangler:
The vill of Sticklepath holds many dark secrets and when the skeleton of a young girl is found and rumours of cannibalism abound, Sir Baldwin and friends come to investigate.
The author is very good at invoking an atmosphere but be warned, it's a very depressing one.
My review of The Sticklepath Strangler:
The vill of Sticklepath holds many dark secrets and when the skeleton of a young girl is found and rumours of cannibalism abound, Sir Baldwin and friends come to investigate.
The author is very good at invoking an atmosphere but be warned, it's a very depressing one.
12Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 118, Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This is my fifty-seventh ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook shelf to 41.
My review of Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee:
A translation of an 18th century Chinese novel about a 7th century judge-detective. He was a real person, but as far as we know the cases presented here are fictitious.
Historical mysteries are one of my favourite genres, so I was naturally intrigued by the idea of a historical mystery written 200-odd years ago in China, long before the genre existed in the West. The three investigations are unconnected apart from Judge Dee working on them at the same time. The translator (from 1947) tries to draw parallels with Sherlock Holmes but the novel is more like what we would now call a police procedural - even if the procedure does include dreams, what I think is the I Ching, and the torturing of suspects.
I enjoyed this look into a different way of going about an investigation, and I will probably read the others in the series. In the rest of the series Van Gulik is described as author rather than translator so I'm not sure how much they owe to Chinese sources.
My review of Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee:
A translation of an 18th century Chinese novel about a 7th century judge-detective. He was a real person, but as far as we know the cases presented here are fictitious.
Historical mysteries are one of my favourite genres, so I was naturally intrigued by the idea of a historical mystery written 200-odd years ago in China, long before the genre existed in the West. The three investigations are unconnected apart from Judge Dee working on them at the same time. The translator (from 1947) tries to draw parallels with Sherlock Holmes but the novel is more like what we would now call a police procedural - even if the procedure does include dreams, what I think is the I Ching, and the torturing of suspects.
I enjoyed this look into a different way of going about an investigation, and I will probably read the others in the series. In the rest of the series Van Gulik is described as author rather than translator so I'm not sure how much they owe to Chinese sources.
13Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 119, Outlandish Knight by Minoo Dinshaw. This ebook is my fifty-eighth ROOT for 2025. It fits the RandomKIT and CoverCAT.
My review of Lyrical Ballads:
A collection of poems which was first published in 1798. Some of the poems were easy to follow, others more difficult, but in either case, I can't see what makes them so well thought of.
My review of Lyrical Ballads:
A collection of poems which was first published in 1798. Some of the poems were easy to follow, others more difficult, but in either case, I can't see what makes them so well thought of.
14Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 120, Tau Zero by Poul Anderson. This ebook is my fifty-ninth ROOT for 2025. It fits the SFFKIT.
My review of Outlandish Knight:
A biography of the historian Steven Runciman. I found it rather heavy going during his childhood, only picking up once people I'd heard of before were introduced. But then it became an absolutely fascinating look at intellectual and celeb life from the 1920s onward.
My review of Outlandish Knight:
A biography of the historian Steven Runciman. I found it rather heavy going during his childhood, only picking up once people I'd heard of before were introduced. But then it became an absolutely fascinating look at intellectual and celeb life from the 1920s onward.
15Robertgreaves
My review of Tau Zero (adapted from when I read the book 8 years ago):
On a five-year voyage to colonise a planet orbiting Beta Virginis, the Leonora Christine meets with an accident in space and is unable to decelerate.
This was one of my favourite SF novels in my teens and twenties, when I thought I more or less understood the science as presented. This time I consciously just accepted it. Still a great story, though.
On a five-year voyage to colonise a planet orbiting Beta Virginis, the Leonora Christine meets with an accident in space and is unable to decelerate.
This was one of my favourite SF novels in my teens and twenties, when I thought I more or less understood the science as presented. This time I consciously just accepted it. Still a great story, though.
16Robertgreaves
Possibilities for reading in September:
17Robertgreaves
Currently reading my No. 121, The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes by Raoul McLaughlin. This ebook is not a ROOT. I am reading it now for my online Reading Group
18Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 123, City of Names by Kevin Brockmeier. This ebook is not a ROOT, but fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes:
Lots of good stuff in here but it can be repetitive and it does beat you over the head a bit with statistics and lists of names of people and places. And, oh dear, the misprints. When the maps at the beginning of the book are paired with the wrong captions you know you're in trouble. But I'm still glad I read it because when it decides to be interesting and informative it really is.
My review of The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes:
Lots of good stuff in here but it can be repetitive and it does beat you over the head a bit with statistics and lists of names of people and places. And, oh dear, the misprints. When the maps at the beginning of the book are paired with the wrong captions you know you're in trouble. But I'm still glad I read it because when it decides to be interesting and informative it really is.
19Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 124, The Open House by Michael Innes. This ebook is not a ROOT but fits the AlphaKIT, the ColourCAT, and the MysteryKIT.
My review of City of Names:
Howie is sent a map of his town which gives the true names of various locations. If he knocks on a portal and says the true name aloud he will be instantly transported to the location. Mild shenanigans ensue.
I was a bit surprised because I'd read some of the author's adult fiction and didn't realise he also wrote for children. The book was OK but various plot lines were not followed up and then the book just stopped. A bit of a disappointment. I don't know how I would have reacted if I'd been at the target age.
My review of City of Names:
Howie is sent a map of his town which gives the true names of various locations. If he knocks on a portal and says the true name aloud he will be instantly transported to the location. Mild shenanigans ensue.
I was a bit surprised because I'd read some of the author's adult fiction and didn't realise he also wrote for children. The book was OK but various plot lines were not followed up and then the book just stopped. A bit of a disappointment. I don't know how I would have reacted if I'd been at the target age.
20Robertgreaves
Next in the series is Appleby's Answer. Again, not a ROOT, but fits the AlphaKIT, the ColourCAT, and the MysteryKIT.
My review of The Open House:
After his car breaks down at night in the middle of nowhere, Appleby stumbles across a large house with all its lights blazing and doors open, but apparently completely deserted. What is going on?
Peak Innes with dotty but cultured members of the landed gentry making matters more and more confusing. Hilarious, and a good mystery as well.
My review of The Open House:
After his car breaks down at night in the middle of nowhere, Appleby stumbles across a large house with all its lights blazing and doors open, but apparently completely deserted. What is going on?
Peak Innes with dotty but cultured members of the landed gentry making matters more and more confusing. Hilarious, and a good mystery as well.
21Robertgreaves
My No. 126 is the next in the series, Appleby's Other Story.
My review of Appleby's Answer:
Priscilla Pringle, the well-known writer of detective stories, is offered 500 pounds by a stranger on a train to collaborate on the plot for a novel. But could the stranger be intending an actual murder rather than a fictional one? Fortunately, Miss Pringle is on her way to a talk for crime writers by Sir John Appleby.
I giggled my way through this one. Priscilla Pringle is the funniest detective writer since Ariadne Oliver.
My review of Appleby's Answer:
Priscilla Pringle, the well-known writer of detective stories, is offered 500 pounds by a stranger on a train to collaborate on the plot for a novel. But could the stranger be intending an actual murder rather than a fictional one? Fortunately, Miss Pringle is on her way to a talk for crime writers by Sir John Appleby.
I giggled my way through this one. Priscilla Pringle is the funniest detective writer since Ariadne Oliver.
22Jackie_K
Those Appleby books sound fun! I'm not a big fiction reader, but if it makes me laugh I'm much more likely to stick with it.
23Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 127, The Eagle of the Ninth Chronicles by Rosemary Sutcliff. This is my sixtieth ROOT for 2025. I will be re-reading the first novel in this omnibus edition for my book club and I may supplement it with the others as they fit the ColourCAT and the AlphaKIT.
My review of Appleby's Other Story:
Taken by Col. Pride to be introduced to a neighbour, Appleby finds his would-be host has been murdered.
Classic country-house murder mystery right up to the final drawing-room scene with the assembled suspects when the murderer is revealed. The humour here arises from Appleby's (and the author's) use of language rather than from the characters. Enjoyable but not as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous two books I read.
My review of Appleby's Other Story:
Taken by Col. Pride to be introduced to a neighbour, Appleby finds his would-be host has been murdered.
Classic country-house murder mystery right up to the final drawing-room scene with the assembled suspects when the murderer is revealed. The humour here arises from Appleby's (and the author's) use of language rather than from the characters. Enjoyable but not as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous two books I read.
24Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 128, The Sword Song of Bjarni Sigurdson by Rosemary Sutcliff. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Eagle of the Ninth and The Silver Branch:
The Eagle of the Ninth:
Invalided out of the Roman army, Marcus Flavius Aquila decides to solve the mystery of what happened to his father's legion, which disappeared in Northern Britain twenty years before, and to recover the legion's eagle, which is rumoured to be still kept in a native temple.
Wonderful YA book that is firmly rooted in place, with beautiful descriptions of the countryside, and finishes with an exciting chase. The book's central premise, the disappearance of the Ninth Legion, has been overturned by later archaeological discoveries, but that hardly matters.
The Silver Branch
Cousins Marcelus Flavius Aquila and Tiberius Lucius Justianus, descendants of Marcus Flavius Aquila from "The Eagle of the Ninth", serve under Carausius, Emperor of Britain, and lead the resistance against his successor Allectus.
High adventure with some great characters. Again, Sutcliff's descriptions of place and emotion are excellent.
My review of The Eagle of the Ninth and The Silver Branch:
The Eagle of the Ninth:
Invalided out of the Roman army, Marcus Flavius Aquila decides to solve the mystery of what happened to his father's legion, which disappeared in Northern Britain twenty years before, and to recover the legion's eagle, which is rumoured to be still kept in a native temple.
Wonderful YA book that is firmly rooted in place, with beautiful descriptions of the countryside, and finishes with an exciting chase. The book's central premise, the disappearance of the Ninth Legion, has been overturned by later archaeological discoveries, but that hardly matters.
The Silver Branch
Cousins Marcelus Flavius Aquila and Tiberius Lucius Justianus, descendants of Marcus Flavius Aquila from "The Eagle of the Ninth", serve under Carausius, Emperor of Britain, and lead the resistance against his successor Allectus.
High adventure with some great characters. Again, Sutcliff's descriptions of place and emotion are excellent.
25Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 129, Islander by Patrick Barkham. This ebook is my sixty-first ROOT for 2025. It also fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Sword Song of Bjarni Sigurdson:
Bjarni is sent into exile for 5 years and spends the time working as a Viking sailor and mercenary in the Irish Sea and the West Coast of Scotland.
This was the author's last book, left unfinished at the time of her death, but unfinished in the sense of unpolished rather than incomplete. It does show in that I found it didn't hold my interest as much as her Roman novels. The world building and insight into Viking life and customs was good, but the story itself was rather meh.
My review of The Sword Song of Bjarni Sigurdson:
Bjarni is sent into exile for 5 years and spends the time working as a Viking sailor and mercenary in the Irish Sea and the West Coast of Scotland.
This was the author's last book, left unfinished at the time of her death, but unfinished in the sense of unpolished rather than incomplete. It does show in that I found it didn't hold my interest as much as her Roman novels. The world building and insight into Viking life and customs was good, but the story itself was rather meh.
26Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 130, Being John Church by Neil S. Plakcy. This ebook is not a ROOT but it fits the AlphaKIT and the CoverCAT.
I am liking Islander but am finding the transition from island to island too jarring so I'll just read a chapter a day from now on.
I am liking Islander but am finding the transition from island to island too jarring so I'll just read a chapter a day from now on.
27Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 131, Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction by Catherine Belsey. This is my sixty-second ROOT for 2025 and fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Being John Church:
When Jeff Berman's on-again off-again boyfriend is killed in a traffic accident, Jeff finds out that almost everything he thought he knew about Pascal was a lie, right down to his name - he was born John Church. At the funeral John's mother admits she is afraid that his death was actually suicide, and asks Jeff to look into it.
Obviously meant as the first in a series, the story spent a lot of time setting up Jeff's relationships in his new community, perhaps a little to the detriment of the actual mystery, which was rather perfunctorily wrapped up. The twist I was semi-expecting didn't come so I suppose that was a twist in itself. I will probably read further installments.
My review of Being John Church:
When Jeff Berman's on-again off-again boyfriend is killed in a traffic accident, Jeff finds out that almost everything he thought he knew about Pascal was a lie, right down to his name - he was born John Church. At the funeral John's mother admits she is afraid that his death was actually suicide, and asks Jeff to look into it.
Obviously meant as the first in a series, the story spent a lot of time setting up Jeff's relationships in his new community, perhaps a little to the detriment of the actual mystery, which was rather perfunctorily wrapped up. The twist I was semi-expecting didn't come so I suppose that was a twist in itself. I will probably read further installments.
28Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 132, How To Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley. This is my sixty-third ROOT for 2025.
My review of Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction:
Varied between the incomprehensible, banal, and unconvincing. Just didn't work as a humorous introduction to life on other planets.
My review of Poststructuralism: A Very Short Introduction:
Varied between the incomprehensible, banal, and unconvincing. Just didn't work as a humorous introduction to life on other planets.
29Robertgreaves
My review of How To Age Disgracefully:
When the police stop a coach full of senior citizens and small children, the seniors start confessing to various crimes, distracting the police and giving the real fugitive a chance to get away. Who are these people and how did they arrive at this point?
Although it certainly had its moments, the rest of the book didn't quite live up to the inspired lol lunacy of the prologue. Still well worth a read, though.
When the police stop a coach full of senior citizens and small children, the seniors start confessing to various crimes, distracting the police and giving the real fugitive a chance to get away. Who are these people and how did they arrive at this point?
Although it certainly had its moments, the rest of the book didn't quite live up to the inspired lol lunacy of the prologue. Still well worth a read, though.
30Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 134, Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow. It fits the AlphaKIT and maybe the SFFKIT.
My No. 133 was Famous Landmarks by Rob Beck. I read 21% according to my ereader, but DNF'ed it at that point. It was about 2 New Yorkers who move to San Francisco for the summer and meet various people who go on to meet other people and they are all connected and pretty much indistinguishable.
My review of Islander:
Patrick Barkham visits some of the smaller islands in the British Isles.
What he had to say about the history, people, and environment of the islands he visited was very good nature and travel writing but I could have done without the many, many references to D. H. Lawrence's story The Man Who Loved Islands (which I haven't read) and Compton McKenzie, who the story was based on.
My No. 133 was Famous Landmarks by Rob Beck. I read 21% according to my ereader, but DNF'ed it at that point. It was about 2 New Yorkers who move to San Francisco for the summer and meet various people who go on to meet other people and they are all connected and pretty much indistinguishable.
My review of Islander:
Patrick Barkham visits some of the smaller islands in the British Isles.
What he had to say about the history, people, and environment of the islands he visited was very good nature and travel writing but I could have done without the many, many references to D. H. Lawrence's story The Man Who Loved Islands (which I haven't read) and Compton McKenzie, who the story was based on.
31Robertgreaves
Starting my No 135, The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. This is my sixty-fourth ROOT for 2025. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Simon Sort of Says:
7th grader Simon O'Keeffe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, which is part of the National Quiet Zone where radio and hence wifi devices are banned to help the work of radio astronomers.
An enjoyable black comedy about finding friends and incidentally recovering from traumatic episodes in the past. Some truly lol moments.
My review of Simon Sort of Says:
7th grader Simon O'Keeffe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, which is part of the National Quiet Zone where radio and hence wifi devices are banned to help the work of radio astronomers.
An enjoyable black comedy about finding friends and incidentally recovering from traumatic episodes in the past. Some truly lol moments.
32Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 136, The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood. This ebook is my sixty-fifth ROOT for 2025. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Illustrated Man:
Collection of short stories shown by the title figure's tattoos. Since this framing narrative is only referred to in a prologue, epilogue and the end of the first story, it seemed a bit pointless to me. But the stories were enjoyable, if a bit dated in some respects, not just socially but also in the expected technology.
My review of The Illustrated Man:
Collection of short stories shown by the title figure's tattoos. Since this framing narrative is only referred to in a prologue, epilogue and the end of the first story, it seemed a bit pointless to me. But the stories were enjoyable, if a bit dated in some respects, not just socially but also in the expected technology.
33Robertgreaves
As today is my birthday, all books owned on this date become ROOTs. I have 42 treebook ROOTs and 52 ebook ROOTs, making 94 ROOTs altogether, an increase of 10 ROOTS over this time last year.
34MissWatson
Happy birthday, Robert!
35Cecilturtle
>33 Robertgreaves: Happy birthday, Robert!
Bravo on tackling those roots!
Bravo on tackling those roots!
38Robertgreaves
Thank you, Birgit, Cécile, Jackie, and Egbertina
39Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 137 (miscounted actually 136), Murder At The Black Cat Cafe by Seishi Yokomizo. This is my sixty-sixth ROOT for 2025. As a bridge book it fits the CoverCAT and AlphaKIT for September and the ColourCAT for October. It's also a translation in honour of World Translation Day.
My review of The Edible Woman:
In 1960s Toronto, a young woman develops an eating disorder when she decides to marry the young man she has been having a somewhat desultory relationship with.
There were some laugh out loud moments but most of the time I didn't feel much connection with the main character. But then she didn't seem to feel much connection with herself, so I suppose that was kind of the point. Actually, I would have liked to know more about the side characters even though they seemed to be mostly stereotypes rather than actual people.
My review of The Edible Woman:
In 1960s Toronto, a young woman develops an eating disorder when she decides to marry the young man she has been having a somewhat desultory relationship with.
There were some laugh out loud moments but most of the time I didn't feel much connection with the main character. But then she didn't seem to feel much connection with herself, so I suppose that was kind of the point. Actually, I would have liked to know more about the side characters even though they seemed to be mostly stereotypes rather than actual people.
40rabbitprincess
Hope you had a great birthday! And a very happy International Translation Day to you as well :)
I'll be interested in your thoughts on Murder at the Black Cat Cafe. I've been reading each installment in this series as they've been translated.
(edit for typo!)
I'll be interested in your thoughts on Murder at the Black Cat Cafe. I've been reading each installment in this series as they've been translated.
(edit for typo!)
41Robertgreaves
>40 rabbitprincess: Thanks, RP. I was looking in my local bookshop for my birthday present to me when I saw this. The cover is a different style to the ebook versions I've read up to now. It's out of order because I still have another two to go from the ebooks but I gather they're not being translated in order so it really doesn't matter.
Possible reading for October:
Possible reading for October:
42Jackie_K
Oh my goodness, The Island of Adventure! I loved that series so much, I wonder how well it has aged.
43Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 137, Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. As a re-read of my own copy this is my sixty-seventh ROOT for 2025. It fits the RandomKIT, the AlphaKIT, and the ColourCAT.
My review of Murder at the Black Cat Cafe:
Two novellas, one almost long enough to be a novel in its own right.
In the longer novella, the narrator quite explicitly says at the start that he is telling the story to subvert the trope of an unidentifiable corpse turning out to be the chief suspect while the alleged victim is actually the murderer. Even with that massive clue I still couldn't solve the puzzle.
The shorter novella also plays around with the theme of identity but then throws in an extra twist just as the reader thinks he or she has solved it. Very atmospheric and creepy.
My review of Murder at the Black Cat Cafe:
Two novellas, one almost long enough to be a novel in its own right.
In the longer novella, the narrator quite explicitly says at the start that he is telling the story to subvert the trope of an unidentifiable corpse turning out to be the chief suspect while the alleged victim is actually the murderer. Even with that massive clue I still couldn't solve the puzzle.
The shorter novella also plays around with the theme of identity but then throws in an extra twist just as the reader thinks he or she has solved it. Very atmospheric and creepy.
44Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 138, The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton. This ebook is my sixty-eighth ROOT for 2025. It fits the RandomKIT.
My review of Equal Rites:
Esk is fated to be a wizard. There's only one problem: she's a girl.
Great fun with Granny Weatherwax and assorted other characters, plus a bit of Lovecraftian parody.
My review of Equal Rites:
Esk is fated to be a wizard. There's only one problem: she's a girl.
Great fun with Granny Weatherwax and assorted other characters, plus a bit of Lovecraftian parody.
45Robertgreaves
Starting my no. 139, Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. This ebook is not a ROOT but it fits the RandomKIT and the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Island of Adventure:
Four children and a parrot want to explore an offshore island in the hope of finding a Great Auk.
Good fun, if not as gripping as I remembered from my childhood. Apparently this was the modernised/bowdlerised version, though I don't remember the original well enough to be able to tell.
My review of The Island of Adventure:
Four children and a parrot want to explore an offshore island in the hope of finding a Great Auk.
Good fun, if not as gripping as I remembered from my childhood. Apparently this was the modernised/bowdlerised version, though I don't remember the original well enough to be able to tell.
46Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 140, The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit. This ebook is not a ROOT but fits the RandomKIT.
My review of Five Children and It:
Four children and a baby discover a Psammead, a magical creature that can grant one wish per day. Unfortunately, wishes often come with unexpected consequences.
An enjoyable read whose origins as a serial is shown by the re-set button being pressed at sunset each day. The chapters with Romanies and indigenous Americans wouldn't pass muster today but they are true to how the children imagine they would be, just as the author is quick to point out how the knights are based on story-books rather than how they would actually be.
My review of Five Children and It:
Four children and a baby discover a Psammead, a magical creature that can grant one wish per day. Unfortunately, wishes often come with unexpected consequences.
An enjoyable read whose origins as a serial is shown by the re-set button being pressed at sunset each day. The chapters with Romanies and indigenous Americans wouldn't pass muster today but they are true to how the children imagine they would be, just as the author is quick to point out how the knights are based on story-books rather than how they would actually be.
47Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 141, Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction by Samir Okasha. This is my sixty-ninth ROOT of 2025 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 41. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Enchanted Castle:
Four children find a magic ring that renders one of them invisible, but that's not all it does.
Not as funny as I remember it being from when I read it in quiet reading time at school 60 years ago.
My review of The Enchanted Castle:
Four children find a magic ring that renders one of them invisible, but that's not all it does.
Not as funny as I remember it being from when I read it in quiet reading time at school 60 years ago.
48Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 142, Harbour Street by Ann Cleeves. This ebook is my seventieth ROOT of 2025 and fits the MysteryKIT.
My review of Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction:
I wobbled a bit in Chapter 2 on Scientific Inference, but otherwise this was a very clear and readable introduction to the subject. One of the best so far in this series.
My review of Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction:
I wobbled a bit in Chapter 2 on Scientific Inference, but otherwise this was a very clear and readable introduction to the subject. One of the best so far in this series.
49Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 144, Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry. This ebook is my seventy-first ROOT of 2025 and fits the AlphaKIT and CoverCAT.
My review of Harbour Street:
A woman is stabbed to death in a packed Newcastle Metro carriage in which Joe Ashworth and his daughter were also passengers.
I couldn't work out how or why mainly because I was totally fixated on the wrong person as my suspect. And I thought I was being so clever in avoiding red herrings.
I also read my No. 143, The Spendthrift and the Swallow, a novella in Ambrose Parry's Raven & Fisher series over lunch.
The widower of one of Dr Simpson's patients is distressed at the thought of an autopsy being performed on his wife's body at the insistence of her father. Raven and Fisher get involved to prove that Dr Simpson hadn't missed anything in his treatment of the dead woman.
A very slight tale that needed quite a bit of padding even to get up to novella length. It is based on a real case from the period but may be of interest only to those already invested in the series.
My review of Harbour Street:
A woman is stabbed to death in a packed Newcastle Metro carriage in which Joe Ashworth and his daughter were also passengers.
I couldn't work out how or why mainly because I was totally fixated on the wrong person as my suspect. And I thought I was being so clever in avoiding red herrings.
I also read my No. 143, The Spendthrift and the Swallow, a novella in Ambrose Parry's Raven & Fisher series over lunch.
The widower of one of Dr Simpson's patients is distressed at the thought of an autopsy being performed on his wife's body at the insistence of her father. Raven and Fisher get involved to prove that Dr Simpson hadn't missed anything in his treatment of the dead woman.
A very slight tale that needed quite a bit of padding even to get up to novella length. It is based on a real case from the period but may be of interest only to those already invested in the series.
50Robertgreaves
Starting the next novella in the series, The Apple Falls Not Far, as my No. 145. This ebook is not a ROOT but fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Voices of the Dead:
Will Raven's wife is 8 months' pregnant. Spiritualism and mesmerism come to Edinburgh. And a foot is found in a cupboard in Surgeons' Hall. But whose?
An enjoyable mystery and a great picture of mid-19th century Edinburgh. An exciting finish.
My review of Voices of the Dead:
Will Raven's wife is 8 months' pregnant. Spiritualism and mesmerism come to Edinburgh. And a foot is found in a cupboard in Surgeons' Hall. But whose?
An enjoyable mystery and a great picture of mid-19th century Edinburgh. An exciting finish.
51Robertgreaves
Starting The Death of Shame, the fifth and final book in the Raven & Fisher series, my No. 146. This ebook is not a ROOT but fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of The Apple Falls Not Far:
Little more than a short story but the last line packs a wallop for those who've read the earlier installments in the series.
My review of The Apple Falls Not Far:
Little more than a short story but the last line packs a wallop for those who've read the earlier installments in the series.
52Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 147, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. This ebook is my seventy-second ROOT for 2025. It also fits the AlphaKIT and is my book club's choice for October.
My review of The Death of Shame:
Will Raven's father-in-law commits suicide, although it is covered up as an accident. In the hope of a reconciliation with his wife, Will investigates the circumstances of her father's death and the possible connection with the death of a patient. Many of Edinburgh's most eminent doctors are being blackmailed.
A very dark finish to this series with lots of threads from earlier books coming together, mostly not in a good way.
My review of The Death of Shame:
Will Raven's father-in-law commits suicide, although it is covered up as an accident. In the hope of a reconciliation with his wife, Will investigates the circumstances of her father's death and the possible connection with the death of a patient. Many of Edinburgh's most eminent doctors are being blackmailed.
A very dark finish to this series with lots of threads from earlier books coming together, mostly not in a good way.
53Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 148, The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. This ebook is my seventy-third ROOT for 2025. I'm hoping it fits the SFFKIT.
My review of Project Hail Mary from the last time I read it:
Ryland Grace wakes up out of a coma with amnesia to find himself approaching Tau Ceti. As his memory comes back in bits and pieces he remembers that he is on a mission to save the human race.
I really enjoyed this story, following Grace as he works out the nature of the problem, and seeks a solution. The author does a great job of showing how he arrives at a solution rather than just presenting the answer.
My review of Project Hail Mary from the last time I read it:
Ryland Grace wakes up out of a coma with amnesia to find himself approaching Tau Ceti. As his memory comes back in bits and pieces he remembers that he is on a mission to save the human race.
I really enjoyed this story, following Grace as he works out the nature of the problem, and seeks a solution. The author does a great job of showing how he arrives at a solution rather than just presenting the answer.
54Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 149, Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of The Atrocity Archives:
DNF at 11%. I am obviously not the target audience.
My review of The Atrocity Archives:
DNF at 11%. I am obviously not the target audience.
55Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Eidolon, a novella, as my No. 149. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Widdershins:
Percy Whyborne, a philologist working in the Ladysmith Museum, is asked to help PI Griffin Flaherty decode a book sent by a murder victim to his father.
The rather nebulous eldritch Lovecraftian horror didn't really engage me until the last third when I started to feel some sort of connection to the characters. I'm tempted to say one and done for this series, but it may get better now that the characters are established. I'll continue with the next installment.
My review of Widdershins:
Percy Whyborne, a philologist working in the Ladysmith Museum, is asked to help PI Griffin Flaherty decode a book sent by a murder victim to his father.
The rather nebulous eldritch Lovecraftian horror didn't really engage me until the last third when I started to feel some sort of connection to the characters. I'm tempted to say one and done for this series, but it may get better now that the characters are established. I'll continue with the next installment.
56Robertgreaves
Starting the next in the series, Threshold, as my No. 150. This ebook is not a ROOT.
My review of Eidolon:
Griffin is planning a romantic Valentine's Day evening with Whyborne, but his plans are derailed by a case which must be solved before sunset.
More of a short story than a novella. Pleasant enough but still not particularly creepy or horrific, which I think it was meant to be.
My review of Eidolon:
Griffin is planning a romantic Valentine's Day evening with Whyborne, but his plans are derailed by a case which must be solved before sunset.
More of a short story than a novella. Pleasant enough but still not particularly creepy or horrific, which I think it was meant to be.
57Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 151, Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. This is my seventy-fourth ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 40. It fits the ColourCAT.
My review of Threshold:
Griffin is hired by Whyborne's father to look into strange goings-on round about a coal mine he owns in West Virginia.
This installment was better, with the mystery in the investigation being intriguing. The solution was a bit of a let down and needed more explanation of what the bad guys were actually up to. The sex scenes are very skippable and the book would not have suffered if they had been omitted. I'm not really interested in reading further.
My review of Threshold:
Griffin is hired by Whyborne's father to look into strange goings-on round about a coal mine he owns in West Virginia.
This installment was better, with the mystery in the investigation being intriguing. The solution was a bit of a let down and needed more explanation of what the bad guys were actually up to. The sex scenes are very skippable and the book would not have suffered if they had been omitted. I'm not really interested in reading further.
58Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 152, The Devil's Acolyte by Michael Jecks. This ebook is not a ROOT. Having just read an anti-Templar book, I thought I'd read one more sympathetic to the Templars.
My review of Ivanhoe:
The novel that started the craze for historical fiction set in medieval times. All the tropes are already here, Normans and Saxons, Templars, tournaments, sieges of castles, Richard the Lionheart and treacherous Prince John, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, beautiful oppressed heroines, accusations of sorcery.
We live in a more cynical age, so it does need a hefty suspension of belief but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed it even if I did find the dialogue a bit stagy at times.
My review of Ivanhoe:
The novel that started the craze for historical fiction set in medieval times. All the tropes are already here, Normans and Saxons, Templars, tournaments, sieges of castles, Richard the Lionheart and treacherous Prince John, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, beautiful oppressed heroines, accusations of sorcery.
We live in a more cynical age, so it does need a hefty suspension of belief but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed it even if I did find the dialogue a bit stagy at times.
59Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 153, The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. This ebook is not a ROOT but does fit the AlphaKIT and I presume is very seasonal.
My review of The Devil's Acolyte:
A novice monk is forced to steal. Then murders start. Is the legend of a novice who started off stealing and ended up committing murder until he was dragged down to Hell by his victim's ghost being re-played in real life?
Lots of twists and turns, so many in fact I'm not sure I fully understood how all the different threads fitted together even with the final explanations.
My review of The Devil's Acolyte:
A novice monk is forced to steal. Then murders start. Is the legend of a novice who started off stealing and ended up committing murder until he was dragged down to Hell by his victim's ghost being re-played in real life?
Lots of twists and turns, so many in fact I'm not sure I fully understood how all the different threads fitted together even with the final explanations.
60Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 153 (actually 155 - I miscounted), The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This leaves 53 on my treebook TBR shelf. It is my seventy-fifth ROOT for 2025 and I'm reading it now for Halloween and as a bridge to the November AlphaKIT.
My review of The Final Girl Support Group:
Lynette, one of a group of final girls (the survivors of slasher-film type mass murders), realises that 16 years on somebody is targetting them. But who? And can she keep the other members of the group alive even though they blame her for the eruption of violence back into their lives?
I'm not sure whether this was meant to be a parody or a serious entry into the genre. Either way I found it boring and overlong. But then I don't particularly enjoy the films either.
My review of The Final Girl Support Group:
Lynette, one of a group of final girls (the survivors of slasher-film type mass murders), realises that 16 years on somebody is targetting them. But who? And can she keep the other members of the group alive even though they blame her for the eruption of violence back into their lives?
I'm not sure whether this was meant to be a parody or a serious entry into the genre. Either way I found it boring and overlong. But then I don't particularly enjoy the films either.
61Robertgreaves
Possible November reading:
62Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 156, Pox Romana by Colin Elliott. This ebook is not a ROOT. I am reading it now for my online Reading Group.
My review of The Haunting of Hill House:
Unsettling classic haunted house story. About 2/3 of the way through I felt that reading it at night while I was home alone and mysterious sounds were coming from outside was probably not a good idea so I watched fun YouTube videos and left it till the morning.
My review of The Haunting of Hill House:
Unsettling classic haunted house story. About 2/3 of the way through I felt that reading it at night while I was home alone and mysterious sounds were coming from outside was probably not a good idea so I watched fun YouTube videos and left it till the morning.
63Cecilturtle
>62 Robertgreaves: Sounds like the book achieved its goal! How creepy!
64Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 157, The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei. This ebook is my seventy-sixth ROOT for 2025. It fits the AlphaKIT, CoverCAT, and ColourCAT.
65Robertgreaves
My review of Pox Romana:
Billed as the world's first pandemic, a terrible disease struck the Roman Empire in the 160s and there are hints of a similar disease striking Han China about the same time. We don't know exactly what the disease was or just how virulent it was but it was probably caused by an ancestor of the smallpox virus, which we know started in the 1600s.
The author looks at how vulnerable to disease the Roman population was thanks to the unbelievable filth despite or possibly because of public baths and aquaducts and the lack of certain elements in the diet of even the rich. He considers how movements of population might have helped spread the disease, and the possible economic and social causes and effects of the disease - did it bring the Pax Romana crashing down or accelerate a decline that was already underway?
I did struggle a bit with some of the statistics, especially in Chapter 6, but overall I found the book fascinating with some occasional humorous comments from the author.
Billed as the world's first pandemic, a terrible disease struck the Roman Empire in the 160s and there are hints of a similar disease striking Han China about the same time. We don't know exactly what the disease was or just how virulent it was but it was probably caused by an ancestor of the smallpox virus, which we know started in the 1600s.
The author looks at how vulnerable to disease the Roman population was thanks to the unbelievable filth despite or possibly because of public baths and aquaducts and the lack of certain elements in the diet of even the rich. He considers how movements of population might have helped spread the disease, and the possible economic and social causes and effects of the disease - did it bring the Pax Romana crashing down or accelerate a decline that was already underway?
I did struggle a bit with some of the statistics, especially in Chapter 6, but overall I found the book fascinating with some occasional humorous comments from the author.
66Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 158, Love Does by Bob Goff. This is my seventy-seventh ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook shelf down to 52.
My review of The Stardust Grail:
After a heist goes horribly wrong, Maya retires from her career as a thief to take a postgraduate degree in xenology, but her old partner Auncle persuades her to have another go at getting the Stardust Grail. If she does, she may have to choose between extinction for Auncle's race, the Frenro, and cutting off humanity's access to interstellar travel.
Great adventure story with lots of twists and turns, though I was pleased something I'd wondered about early on did turn out to be the case. The ending leaves it open for the crew of the spaceship Wonder to have lots more adventures together. I really want to read about it if they do.
My review of The Stardust Grail:
After a heist goes horribly wrong, Maya retires from her career as a thief to take a postgraduate degree in xenology, but her old partner Auncle persuades her to have another go at getting the Stardust Grail. If she does, she may have to choose between extinction for Auncle's race, the Frenro, and cutting off humanity's access to interstellar travel.
Great adventure story with lots of twists and turns, though I was pleased something I'd wondered about early on did turn out to be the case. The ending leaves it open for the crew of the spaceship Wonder to have lots more adventures together. I really want to read about it if they do.
67Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 160, Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Allingham. This is my seventy-eighth ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook shelf to 51. It fits the ColourCAT.
My review of Love Does:
DNF. He tries too hard to portray himself as just a regular guy and Jesus was just a regular guy. He says Jesus will still love you if you're not a regular guy but he doesn't sound very convinced of that.
My review of Love Does:
DNF. He tries too hard to portray himself as just a regular guy and Jesus was just a regular guy. He says Jesus will still love you if you're not a regular guy but he doesn't sound very convinced of that.
68Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 161, What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. This ebook is not a ROOT. I'm hoping it's light and fluffy after 2 DNFs
My review of Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction:
20 pages in and my brain hurts. DNF
My review of Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction:
20 pages in and my brain hurts. DNF
69Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 162, Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress. This ebook is my seventy-ninth ROOT for 2025. It fits the RandomKIT.
My review of What If It's Us:
Two 16-year-olds have a brief flirty meeting in a New York post office and then try to track each other down again.
It had its moments but if you're going to have the chapters alternating between the two main characters' pov, they need to be more distinguishable and their respective side characters need to stand out more. I kept having to backtrack to remember which was Arthur and which was Ben, whose head I was supposed to be in, and who the different side characters were.
My review of What If It's Us:
Two 16-year-olds have a brief flirty meeting in a New York post office and then try to track each other down again.
It had its moments but if you're going to have the chapters alternating between the two main characters' pov, they need to be more distinguishable and their respective side characters need to stand out more. I kept having to backtrack to remember which was Arthur and which was Ben, whose head I was supposed to be in, and who the different side characters were.
70Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 163, Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer. This ebook is my eightieth ROOT for 2025. It fits the RandomKIT and AlphaKIT.
My review of Steal Across the Sky:
10,000 years ago aliens committed a great wrong against the human race. Now they have returned to Earth to atone by taking select Earthlings to act as Witnesses on other planets.
The first part in which we follow the work of one team of Witnesses was by far the best. The second and third parts lagged a bit and were not as exciting as they could or should have been. The conclusion in the fifth part was expected but because we only followed one team of Witnesses in the first part and did not hear very much about the other teams' experiences it is difficult to understand what the implications for humanity might be.
My review of Steal Across the Sky:
10,000 years ago aliens committed a great wrong against the human race. Now they have returned to Earth to atone by taking select Earthlings to act as Witnesses on other planets.
The first part in which we follow the work of one team of Witnesses was by far the best. The second and third parts lagged a bit and were not as exciting as they could or should have been. The conclusion in the fifth part was expected but because we only followed one team of Witnesses in the first part and did not hear very much about the other teams' experiences it is difficult to understand what the implications for humanity might be.
71Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 164, Invisible Planets edited by Ken Liu. This ebook is not a ROOT. It counts for the CoverCAT.
My review of Assistant to the Villain:
Evangelina Sage gets a job with the Villain to help her invalid father and younger sister.
It was funny and I did enjoy it while I was reading it but every time I put it down I had no real impulse to pick it back up and continue. I do have book two in the series, which I bought by mistake thinking it was book one, so I will at least read that at some point.
My review of Assistant to the Villain:
Evangelina Sage gets a job with the Villain to help her invalid father and younger sister.
It was funny and I did enjoy it while I was reading it but every time I put it down I had no real impulse to pick it back up and continue. I do have book two in the series, which I bought by mistake thinking it was book one, so I will at least read that at some point.
72Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 165, The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree by Lucille Abendanon. I am reading it for my book club. It fits the year-long CultureCAT topic of SE Asia.
73Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 166, Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovich. This is my eighty-first ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 51. It fits the ColourCAT.
My review of The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree:
Emmy Abendanon is an 11 year old Dutch girl living in Batavia in 1942 who is interned during the Japanese occupation. The story is loosely based on the author's grandmother's experiences.
The first part tells how Emmy foils her father's attempt to have them evacuated and wasn't very interesting. I felt the story only came into its own once Emmy is taken to Tjideng. Since the book is meant for readers of around Emmy's age certain aspects are omitted and others played down but enough remains to make it a suspenseful and harrowing account. I did spot one anachronism and suspected another so the editing could have been a bit tighter. Having said all that, I think adults as well as younger readers will enjoy the book.
My review of The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree:
Emmy Abendanon is an 11 year old Dutch girl living in Batavia in 1942 who is interned during the Japanese occupation. The story is loosely based on the author's grandmother's experiences.
The first part tells how Emmy foils her father's attempt to have them evacuated and wasn't very interesting. I felt the story only came into its own once Emmy is taken to Tjideng. Since the book is meant for readers of around Emmy's age certain aspects are omitted and others played down but enough remains to make it a suspenseful and harrowing account. I did spot one anachronism and suspected another so the editing could have been a bit tighter. Having said all that, I think adults as well as younger readers will enjoy the book.
74Robertgreaves
My review of Stone and Sky:
Peter Grant and his family, his father's jazz group, and assorted people from the Folly go North to Aberdeen partly as a holiday and partly to investigate rumours of a giant cat killing livestock. The local police need his specialist skills and knowledge when a man with gills is found dead on the seafront.
It's always enjoyable to explore more of this world and meet new characters.
Peter Grant and his family, his father's jazz group, and assorted people from the Folly go North to Aberdeen partly as a holiday and partly to investigate rumours of a giant cat killing livestock. The local police need his specialist skills and knowledge when a man with gills is found dead on the seafront.
It's always enjoyable to explore more of this world and meet new characters.
75Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 167, Penguin Island by Anatole France. This ebook is not a ROOT but it fits the ColourCAT.
My review of Invisible Planets:
A collection of SFF short stories from China, translated by Ken Liu.
An enjoyable collection, though despite the final essay in the book, I'm not sure what makes most of the stories particularly Chinese apart from the names of people and places.
The stories I liked best were:
"The City of Silence" by Ma Boyong - an atmospheric version of 1984 set in a future where censorship works by permitting what can be said rather than outlawing what ought not to be said. I would definitely like to read more of his work.
The title story, by Hao Jingfang, which was a lovely descriptive piece of possible or impossible worlds and their civilisations.
Liu Cixin's "Taking Care of God" where the gods who created life on Earth return to Earth in their old age to be taken care of.
My review of Invisible Planets:
A collection of SFF short stories from China, translated by Ken Liu.
An enjoyable collection, though despite the final essay in the book, I'm not sure what makes most of the stories particularly Chinese apart from the names of people and places.
The stories I liked best were:
"The City of Silence" by Ma Boyong - an atmospheric version of 1984 set in a future where censorship works by permitting what can be said rather than outlawing what ought not to be said. I would definitely like to read more of his work.
The title story, by Hao Jingfang, which was a lovely descriptive piece of possible or impossible worlds and their civilisations.
Liu Cixin's "Taking Care of God" where the gods who created life on Earth return to Earth in their old age to be taken care of.
76Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 168 (actually 166), Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard The Tainted Queen by Alison Weir. This is my eighty-second ROOT and brings the treebook TBR pile to 50. As I am unlikely to finish it before the end of the month, I have chosen it as a bridge book fitting November's AlphaKIT and December's ColourCAT.
My review of Penguin Island:
St. Maël, half-blinded by the rigours of an Atlantic voyage, baptises a flock of great auks (aka penguins), and so God makes them human. This is the story of Penguinia.
The beginning is mildly amusing but after about the half-way mark as we get closer to the author's own day the premise is abandoned and the book more and more blatantly refers to contemporary French politics, especially the Dreyfus Affair, and quite honestly gets more and more boring. It was only sheer stubbornness that kept me going despite being tempted to DNF it. And for this, they give out Nobel Prizes?
My review of Penguin Island:
St. Maël, half-blinded by the rigours of an Atlantic voyage, baptises a flock of great auks (aka penguins), and so God makes them human. This is the story of Penguinia.
The beginning is mildly amusing but after about the half-way mark as we get closer to the author's own day the premise is abandoned and the book more and more blatantly refers to contemporary French politics, especially the Dreyfus Affair, and quite honestly gets more and more boring. It was only sheer stubbornness that kept me going despite being tempted to DNF it. And for this, they give out Nobel Prizes?
77MissWatson
>76 Robertgreaves: There have been quite a few baffling decisions by that Nobel committee!
78Robertgreaves
Possible December reading:
79Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 167, Look Up, Handsome by Jack Strange. This ebook is my eighty-third ROOT for 2025 and fits the CoverCAT and the CultureCAT.
My review of Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard The Tainted Queen:
This novelisation of her life follows Katheryn from the age of seven to her death aged around 20 or 21.
The trouble with reading novels about historical characters is that you know what has to happen however much you don't want it to. Many times I wished Katheryn would make different choices but often in this book she is portrayed as knowing what not to do and yet going ahead and doing it anyway. Sad.
My review of Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard The Tainted Queen:
This novelisation of her life follows Katheryn from the age of seven to her death aged around 20 or 21.
The trouble with reading novels about historical characters is that you know what has to happen however much you don't want it to. Many times I wished Katheryn would make different choices but often in this book she is portrayed as knowing what not to do and yet going ahead and doing it anyway. Sad.
80Cecilturtle
>76 Robertgreaves: I remember reading Anatole France and thinking the same thing. I also read about the Nobel Prize for literature and its criteria. It's all very subjective around "high moral standards". I noticed that authors are often rewarded for their writing style rather than their content. Personally, I find that the authors are real hit and miss: some I've genuinely liked; others I wouldn't even pick up a book.
81connie53
Hi Robert, sorry to have not been here for a very long time. I will start reading from here on. To many new posts to read.
82Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 168, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This is my eighty-fourth ROOT for 2025 and I am re-reading it because a) it's seasonal and b) "Look Up, Handsome" had lots of references to it.
My review of Look Up, Handsome:
Hay-on-Wye bookshop owner Quinn Oxford meets hugely successful (and very handsome) romance author Noah Sage at the town's winter literary festival. Quinn falls for Noah but his more immediate problem is that his stepfather is going to evict the bookshop from its premises on Christmas Eve.
We are very much in Hallmark Christmas movie territory here, but I loved every cheesy moment.
My review of Look Up, Handsome:
Hay-on-Wye bookshop owner Quinn Oxford meets hugely successful (and very handsome) romance author Noah Sage at the town's winter literary festival. Quinn falls for Noah but his more immediate problem is that his stepfather is going to evict the bookshop from its premises on Christmas Eve.
We are very much in Hallmark Christmas movie territory here, but I loved every cheesy moment.
83Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 169, At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read. This ebook is not a ROOT but it fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of A Christmas Carol:
We all know the story, it's been adapted for films and TV goodness knows how many times. Scrooge's name has become part of the language. And yet, even after having read it five or six times, I still found the story of Scrooge's reformation moving.
My review of A Christmas Carol:
We all know the story, it's been adapted for films and TV goodness knows how many times. Scrooge's name has become part of the language. And yet, even after having read it five or six times, I still found the story of Scrooge's reformation moving.
84Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 170, Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction by Christopher Butler. The treebook TBR shelf now has 50 books. I am reading it now for the ColourCAT and the AlphaKIT.
My review of At Home In Thrush Green by Miss Read:
Now that the hideous, uncomfortable old rectory has burnt down, sheltered housing for the elderly is being built on the site. Some old friends move in and also some new characters.
This is book 8 in the series and I must admit it's not scratching the nostalgia itch the way the others have done. I'm starting to forget who is who, and the ebook formatting is not helping with no white space to show when we move from one scene to another. I'm not sure whether to continue.
My review of At Home In Thrush Green by Miss Read:
Now that the hideous, uncomfortable old rectory has burnt down, sheltered housing for the elderly is being built on the site. Some old friends move in and also some new characters.
This is book 8 in the series and I must admit it's not scratching the nostalgia itch the way the others have done. I'm starting to forget who is who, and the ebook formatting is not helping with no white space to show when we move from one scene to another. I'm not sure whether to continue.
85Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 171, The Sting of Death by Rebecca Tope. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the MysteryKIT and the AlphaKIT.
My review of Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction:
A good introduction. I think I kept my head above water for most of the book. Unfortunately most of the examples of postmodernism in action were from novels and artworks I was not familiar with so I struggled a bit with that chapter.
My review of Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction:
A good introduction. I think I kept my head above water for most of the book. Unfortunately most of the examples of postmodernism in action were from novels and artworks I was not familiar with so I struggled a bit with that chapter.
86clue
> I finished At Home in Thrush Green last night and had similar thoughts. While I'm reading I often have to put the book down unexpectedly. Normally this series is a good one for that kind of reading but like you, I had a hard time keeping characters straight and that became frustrating. Too, I also thought the setting was too modern and at one point looked back to see what year it was published in. I'm not ready to give up the series yet but will try the next one, I think I already have it on the shelf.
87Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 172, Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love. This ebook is my eighty-sixth ROOT for 2025. It fits the AlphaKIT and the CultureCAT and also possibly the RandomKIT.
>86 clue: Please let me know how you get on with it.
>86 clue: Please let me know how you get on with it.
89Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 173, A Market For Murder by Rebecca Tope. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the AlphaKIT, the MysteryKIT, and the RandomKIT.
My review of The Sting of Death:
The missing estranged daughter of a local beekeeper reappears claiming that she was abducted and locked away in an abandoned farmhouse by her cousin, who had in fact been the first to report that she was missing.
A pleasantly twisty story with all the main suspects telling different stories, but who is lying? The dramatis personae are listed at the beginning but the information would have been better presented as a family tree. Trying to keep straight who was what relation to whom was a nightmare.
My review of The Sting of Death:
The missing estranged daughter of a local beekeeper reappears claiming that she was abducted and locked away in an abandoned farmhouse by her cousin, who had in fact been the first to report that she was missing.
A pleasantly twisty story with all the main suspects telling different stories, but who is lying? The dramatis personae are listed at the beginning but the information would have been better presented as a family tree. Trying to keep straight who was what relation to whom was a nightmare.
90Robertgreaves
My review of A Market for Murder:
Karen Slocombe witnesses the bombing of a local supermarket and then a few days later the murder of a trader in the farmers' market. Did she see something that is going to make her the killer's next target?
This seems to have been the last in the series and perhaps justifiably so because it dragged rather as if the author had run out of steam.
Karen Slocombe witnesses the bombing of a local supermarket and then a few days later the murder of a trader in the farmers' market. Did she see something that is going to make her the killer's next target?
This seems to have been the last in the series and perhaps justifiably so because it dragged rather as if the author had run out of steam.
91Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 174, The Radleys by Matt Haig. This is my eighty-seventh ROOT for 2025 and brings the treebook TBR shelf to 49.
My review of Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out:
79 year old Arthur comes out as gay to his children but his daughter does not react well, little suspecting that her 21 year old son is trying to nerve himself to tell her something.
The premise of an older man coming out was intriguing and as far as I know rarely explored in fiction. Contrasting it with his grandson's experiences made the story-line even more interesting. Unfortunately it was let down by stilted and at times rather preachy dialogue.
My review of Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out:
79 year old Arthur comes out as gay to his children but his daughter does not react well, little suspecting that her 21 year old son is trying to nerve himself to tell her something.
The premise of an older man coming out was intriguing and as far as I know rarely explored in fiction. Contrasting it with his grandson's experiences made the story-line even more interesting. Unfortunately it was let down by stilted and at times rather preachy dialogue.
92Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 175, Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, in memoriam as she died last week. As a re-read off my own shelves, this is my eighty-eighth ROOT for 2025.
My review of The Radleys:
Their whole family are insomniacs who have to wear a LOT of sunscreen when they go out. Their father goes into anaphylactic shock when a neighbour includes garlic in a Thai salad but despite certain .... urges .... starting to develop in their teens, Rowan and Clara Radley only find out the truth when Clara is attacked on her way home from a party.
I was expecting this story of ethical vampires trying to pass as human to be funnier than it was but it was still a very enjoyable tale of vampires trying to integrate and predatory vampires.
My review of The Radleys:
Their whole family are insomniacs who have to wear a LOT of sunscreen when they go out. Their father goes into anaphylactic shock when a neighbour includes garlic in a Thai salad but despite certain .... urges .... starting to develop in their teens, Rowan and Clara Radley only find out the truth when Clara is attacked on her way home from a party.
I was expecting this story of ethical vampires trying to pass as human to be funnier than it was but it was still a very enjoyable tale of vampires trying to integrate and predatory vampires.
93Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 176, Hi Honey, I'm Homo by Matt Baume. This ebook is my eighty-ninth ROOT for 2025 and fits the ColourCAT and the CultureCAT.
My review of Confessions of A Shopaholic:
I read this 15 years ago and was rather lukewarm about it. This time round I found it much funnier, though I'm not sure whether I've developed a sense of humour or am just more tolerant of inanity.
My review of Confessions of A Shopaholic:
I read this 15 years ago and was rather lukewarm about it. This time round I found it much funnier, though I'm not sure whether I've developed a sense of humour or am just more tolerant of inanity.
94Robertgreaves
Also reading my No. 177, Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On A Dead Man) by Jesse Sutanto. This ebook is my ninetieth ROOT for 2025 and fits the AlphaKIT and the MysteryKIT.
95Cecilturtle
>93 Robertgreaves: Kinsella never fails to make me laugh: it's all the little ludicrous details!
96Robertgreaves
My review of Hi Honey, I'm Homo:
I've watched some of the author's videos on YouTube and there isn't much more in this book than in the videos. The videos also have the advantage of being able to show clips from some of the shows discussed, which is useful if I haven't seen them before. It's not a bad book, just kind of pointless if you can see the videos.
I've watched some of the author's videos on YouTube and there isn't much more in this book than in the videos. The videos also have the advantage of being able to show clips from some of the shows discussed, which is useful if I haven't seen them before. It's not a bad book, just kind of pointless if you can see the videos.
97Robertgreaves
Starting the seasonally appropriate The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín as my No. 178. As a re-read of a book from my library, this ebook counts as my ninety-first ROOT.
My review of Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On A Dead Man):
On her way to report a scam, Vera meets a young woman hovering outside the police station, uncertain whether to go in and report a missing person. Of course, Vera provides comfort and undertakes to look for the missing young man herself but soon discovers he is dead.
The story follows the formula established in the first book but does allow some darker elements to creep in despite the general level of hilarity - it is if anything even funnier than the first one. I do hope we get a third book.
My review of Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On A Dead Man):
On her way to report a scam, Vera meets a young woman hovering outside the police station, uncertain whether to go in and report a missing person. Of course, Vera provides comfort and undertakes to look for the missing young man herself but soon discovers he is dead.
The story follows the formula established in the first book but does allow some darker elements to creep in despite the general level of hilarity - it is if anything even funnier than the first one. I do hope we get a third book.
98Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 179, The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. I do have another version in my library but it is a different translation so I'm not counting it as a ROOT.
My review of The Shortest Day (unchanged from last time I read it):
Nicely done eerie tale.
My review of The Shortest Day (unchanged from last time I read it):
Nicely done eerie tale.
99Robertgreaves
A very Merry Christmas to all those who are celebrating
100EGBERTINA
>99 Robertgreaves: You as well
101Cecilturtle
>99 Robertgreaves: Happy Christmas, Robert!
102Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 180, Drunk On All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the AlphaKIT and possibly the SFFKIT.
My review of The Phantom of the Opera:
Supposed to be more accurate than the other translation I read nearly 20 years ago, restoring a lot of cut material. There may have been good reasons for the cuts. The only interest I could summon up was seeing how the musical adapted the material.
My review of The Phantom of the Opera:
Supposed to be more accurate than the other translation I read nearly 20 years ago, restoring a lot of cut material. There may have been good reasons for the cuts. The only interest I could summon up was seeing how the musical adapted the material.
103Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 181, Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt. This ebook is not a ROOT. It fits the AlphaKIT.
My review of Drunk On All Your Strange New Words:
Lydia works in New York as a translator/interpreter for the Logisi cultural attache to Earth. When her boss is murdered, she doesn't trust the police not to pin the murder on her, so investigates for herself.
It combines two of my favourite genres, mysteries and SF, and the sleuth is a translator/intepreter, so I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It also had enough comedic elements to make sure I had a smile on my face as I rushed through it.
My review of Drunk On All Your Strange New Words:
Lydia works in New York as a translator/interpreter for the Logisi cultural attache to Earth. When her boss is murdered, she doesn't trust the police not to pin the murder on her, so investigates for herself.
It combines two of my favourite genres, mysteries and SF, and the sleuth is a translator/intepreter, so I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It also had enough comedic elements to make sure I had a smile on my face as I rushed through it.
105rabbitprincess
>103 Robertgreaves: I liked Drunk on All Your Strange New Words too, for much the same reasons :)
106Robertgreaves
>104 connie53: Thank you, Connie. The same to you and yours.
107Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 182, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. This re-read is my ninety-second ROOT. It brings the treebook TBR shelf to 52.
My review of Lightning Rods:
DNF. 13% in and so far nothing but a straight guy complaining how difficult it is to get laid. Not my cup of tea.
My review of Lightning Rods:
DNF. 13% in and so far nothing but a straight guy complaining how difficult it is to get laid. Not my cup of tea.
108Robertgreaves
Starting my No. 183, Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym. This re-read is my ninety-third ROOT for 2025. It brings the treebook TBR shelf to 51.
My review of Northanger Abbey:
On a visit to Bath and then to friends at the titular house, Catherine Morland learns to tell the difference between fiction and reality.
Deservedly a classic. Too many people cannot tell the difference between the world as shown in the media they consume and the real world. Austen shows it is not a new problem but it is one that we can see is becoming more urgent.
My review of Northanger Abbey:
On a visit to Bath and then to friends at the titular house, Catherine Morland learns to tell the difference between fiction and reality.
Deservedly a classic. Too many people cannot tell the difference between the world as shown in the media they consume and the real world. Austen shows it is not a new problem but it is one that we can see is becoming more urgent.
109Robertgreaves
My review of Quartet in Autumn (adjusted from when I last read it in 2013):
We follow Edwin, Letty, Marcia and Norman, four office workers who are approaching retirement age, before and after Letty and Marcia actually retire.
There were some laugh out loud moments such as the lunch the four of them have together after Letty and Marcia retire, but on this reading, as I realise I am now older than the four characters even if not retired, I find myself taking it a bit personally.
I don't think I'm going to be able to start anything new tonight, so I will leave my next book for the New Year.
We follow Edwin, Letty, Marcia and Norman, four office workers who are approaching retirement age, before and after Letty and Marcia actually retire.
There were some laugh out loud moments such as the lunch the four of them have together after Letty and Marcia retire, but on this reading, as I realise I am now older than the four characters even if not retired, I find myself taking it a bit personally.
I don't think I'm going to be able to start anything new tonight, so I will leave my next book for the New Year.
110Robertgreaves
2025 in review:
ROOTs read: 93 = 51% out of a total of 183 books
Male authors: 101
Female authors: 82
LGBT+ authors/subject matter: 49
Inner Anglosphere (UK/Ireland, US/Can, Aus/NZ): 164
Others: 19
Fiction: 156
Non Fiction: 27
Ebooks: 123
Treebooks: 60
ROOTs read: 93 = 51% out of a total of 183 books
Male authors: 101
Female authors: 82
LGBT+ authors/subject matter: 49
Inner Anglosphere (UK/Ireland, US/Can, Aus/NZ): 164
Others: 19
Fiction: 156
Non Fiction: 27
Ebooks: 123
Treebooks: 60
111Robertgreaves
Starting 2026:
Eligible as ROOTs:
Treebooks 51
Ebooks: 50
Total 101 (up from 87 on 2 January 2025)
No. 1 for 2026, Carnival of Lies by D. V. Bishop. Also first ROOT.
Eligible as ROOTs:
Treebooks 51
Ebooks: 50
Total 101 (up from 87 on 2 January 2025)
No. 1 for 2026, Carnival of Lies by D. V. Bishop. Also first ROOT.
113Robertgreaves
>112 connie53: Thanks for dropping by Connie.
My 2026 thread is at https://www.librarything.com/topic/377245/
My 2026 thread is at https://www.librarything.com/topic/377245/
