Humouress surviving the tropical humidity - first quarter 2026

Wow - time flies when you're having fun! Happy New Year everyone and best wishes for 2026. Here's hoping the new year brings joy, health, wealth and prosperity to you and your loved ones. And lots of books - of course.



This is our Jasper, wearing a festive collar for Christmas.

Welcome to my thread. I'm Nina, currently living in Singapore with my husband, one of my two boys and - the star of the show - Jasper their/ our dog. My sons are @superboy - but, sadly, he's given up reading though he used to be keen - and @firelion; for Christmas 2021 they got Kindles in my desperate hope to use their love of technology to 'rekindle' their love of reading but ...

I met the 75 book challenge in 2020, for the first time since joining the Challenge in 2010 and exceeded it, finally reading 89 books in the year. In 2021 I made it again and read 92 books. I started a new hobby during the pandemic; I bought a die machine and started making birthday cards for family and friends as a hobby; it takes a lot longer than it looks like it does to put them together so it cuts into my reading time (I really should try more audio books) but I'm enjoying the creative process. I did actually manage to read 75 books in 2025 - the first time I've met the challenge in a non-pandemic year.

My preferred reading genres are fantasy and sci-fi with a touch of golden age humour, mysteries and the occasional school story though I'll venture further afield (very) occasionally; after the pandemic, I'm giving romance a bit more leeway, though it's been hit and miss. I also have a heap of cookbooks which, really, I ought to crack open and experiment with. We renovated our kitchen in 2023 and I do manage to try out a few recipes at Christmas time; generally I'm more of a baker so cakes and biscuits. I've finally been allowed off the carnivore diet for my skin issues though I think I might still follow it somewhat (I want to sample my experiments, after all).

With superboy moving overseas I've done some travelling in the last few years and had some LT meetups. It's been lovely to meet people face to face that I've been talking to online for so long.

So here's to more LT meet-ups and another 75 (at least) books this year! 🥂

>2 humouress: ticker & covers (this thread)

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

>6 humouress: constellation
>7 humouress: icons

>8 humouress: series to continue
>9 humouress: bookmarks & book bullets
>10 humouress: reviews outstanding

>11 humouress: Alphabetical roots
>12 humouress: Acquisitions for the year

>14 humouress: welcome in!

2025 threads
1️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress hops Down Undah in 2025 - first thread
2️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress at home - second thread
3️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress humming around Europe - third thread
4️⃣ 75 Challenge Humouress at home for the holidays - fourth thread

🌳 ROOTs humouress ROOTing (and re-ROOTing) in 2025
🐉 Green Dragon Humouress popping in and out of the pub in 2025

ticker & covers (this thread)





February

5.

Books (first 2026 thread) 1st quarter March

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

March

 12) First Class Murder by Robin Stevens
 11) Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
 10) Innocence Lost by Patty Jensen
 9) The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (2025)
 8) Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Books (first 2026 thread) 1st quarter February

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

February

 7) Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay by Katie Ginger (2020)
6) Plum Duff by Victoria Goddard
✔        5) Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran (2022)
 4) Love in a Mist by Victoria Goddard

Books (first 2026 thread) 1st quarter January

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

January

 3) Sinister Stranger at St Brides by Debbie Young
 2) Honor Among Thieves by James A. Corey
 1) Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard

The constellation:

  You have got to read this one!                           
  Really good; worth reading                                 
     Good, but without that special 'something' for me   
      Very nice, but a few issues                                    
         An enjoyable book                                                   
         Um, okay. Has some redeeming qualities                   
              Writing is hard. I appreciate the work the author did    
             (haven't met one - yet)                                              
                  Dire                                                                            
                  Rated only as a warning. Run away. Don't stop.              

Purple stars, from Robin's thread:

5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5

Robin has made coloured stars for me (happy dance) and the codes are now enshrined in my profile.

7/17 icons

icons/ library holds



Reading at home :

Kindle :

Downtime : Skulduggery Pleasant

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

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

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

online story

LT Early Reviewers

e-book

audio book

own book/ ROOTs (Read Our Own Tomes)

Overdrive start line & bookmarks:

 
The Tiger's Daughter
The Game of Kings


Holds
{none}

Holds released:
(The Storyteller’s Death
Psalm for the Wild-built
Lost Tribe of the Sith
Things in Jars
Dune)

 

Holds
The Whispering Skull

Holds released:
(The Librarian of Crooked Lane)



Holds
{none}

Holds released:
(Daughter of the Moon Goddess)

Litsy Notes
The Husbands
Call of the Sword

Libraries:

       

8/17 - series to continue

9/17 - bookmarks & book bullets

10/17 - reviews outstanding



March 2026
7, 8, 9, 10

February 2026
4, 6

January 2026
1, 2, 3

11 - Alphabetical roots

12 - Acquisitions for the year

13 - (just in case)

>1 humouress: Handsome best indeed! (Jasper, I mean.)

>15 richardderus: Thank you. I happen to agree with you.

Welcome back, Nina!

>17 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

Happy New Year, Nina. I hope 2026 is a great year for you.

New Year greetings from Kuala Lumpur. My project is at least physically completed and an addition to the city scape.

Look forward to keeping up with you in 2026, neighbour.

Happy new year to you! I hope you have a wonderful year ahead! Maybe we’ll meet up again if you’re visiting the UK.

>19 BLBera: Thank you Beth. Wishing you the same.

>20 PaulCranswick: I suspect I won't keep up with your threads, Paul, but I'll do my best. Happy New Year to you too.

Your building looks, if I glance quickly at the photo, like the Statue of Liberty.

>21 Sakerfalcon: Thank you Claire. Happy New Year to you too!

I'm not sure what my travel plans are for later in the year; @superboy has just arrived back in Singapore for a holiday and @firelion has got his final exams towards the end of the year so no travelling for him. But they're making noises about Christmas in England 🥶 - so we'll see ...

>22 Berly: Thank you Kim. Happy New Year to you too!

Lovely topper, Nina. Wishing you a great 2026!

>25 humouress: I rather hanker after Christmas somewhere else in Europe, or at least another visit to a Xmas market in Germany or France. Maybe I'll manage it in 2026.

Happy New Year and happy new books! Jasper looks very distinguished.

Happy New Year, Nina! Wishing you a great year ahead, and great books to read as well.

Happy reading in 2026!

Happy New Year, Nina!

A joyous new year to you and yours, Nina!

Happy new year, Nina! Got you starred :)

Happy new year, Nina!

Happy New Year, Nina and Jasper!

Happy New Year Nina! How handsomely festive is Jasper!

>27 charl08: Thank you Charlotte. Wishing you and your family the same.

Hmm; I haven't done Christmas in Europe (other than England) for a while. That's a thought.

>28 foggidawn: Thank you foggi. Wishing you the same too.

At 9 years plus Jasper does act distinguished - occasionally.

>29 atozgrl: Thank you Irene. Wishing you the same.

>30 figsfromthistle: Thank you Anita. And to you too.

>31 quondame: Thank you Susan. Happy New Year!

>32 Dejah_Thoris: Thank you Dejah! Wishing you and your family the best for 2026.

>33 curioussquared: Thanks Natalie. Happy New Year to you and all your boys.

>34 bell7: Thank you Mary. Happy New Year!

>35 norabelle414: Thank you Nora. Wishing you and your family the best for 2026.

>36 elorin: Thank you Robyn. Happy New Year to you too.

We took him to the groomers just before Christmas and they gave him the festive collar. We're trying to save it for special occasions so he does look extra handsome.

Thank you everyone for your New Year wishes. I'm sorry I've been in absentia but my cousins from the States came over for a few days and were staying with us. And, since @superboy just arrived home from the UK too, we've been rather busy. I'll start working my way around the threads and trying to catch up with everyone.

Good to see you posting up a storm.

>24 humouress: Good spot. It actually represents Tunku Abdul Rahman's raised fist declaration of freedom or independence (Merdeka in Malay).

Happy New Thread and Happy Reading in 2026, Nina.

>48 PaulCranswick: For a few (hundred) ringgit I could give you lessons ;0)

>49 vancouverdeb: Thank you Deborah. Wishing you the same.

1) Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard

(January 2026)

>50 humouress: Hahaha Nina. Should I really have my threads go faster!?

I think timing was on your side when you visited North America, Nina. Good luck with your reading goals and travel plans in 2026!

Happy weekend reading!

Hi Nina! I get how it feels to raise nonreaders. My middle child hates reading. (Though I suppose if they used to be readers, it may just be a pause in their journey.)

>53 PaulCranswick: Mmm - possibly not.

>54 Familyhistorian: I think you're right Meg. We were considering visiting this year to watch the World Cup but I think we've decided against it now. Thank you for the wishes!

>55 elorin: Thanks Robyn.

>56 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! I'm on holiday with the whole family. My mum, sister and I have brought books to read - I actually have a physical library book - but I haven't seen any of the others (all guys) with a book.

>58 humouress: The World Cup is also playing in Canada, so that might be an option if you still wanted to go but not cross the border into that other country which has made travel so difficult.

>61 Familyhistorian: True Meg. But we're just back from a family holiday with all four of us, my parents and my sister to celebrate my dad's upcoming 90th birthday and @firelion has his final exams towards the end of the year so there won't be much traveling for us this year anyway.

Well. Sorry for the silence but we've been away on holiday (as above) and my folks have come back to Singapore for a bit more family time. We had a very relaxing time on an island in Vietnam though we did have some excitement when we found a snake in the villa. Fortunately, as it's part of a resort, the staff turned up and dealt with it quickly (caught it and dropped it off the side of the balcony) and told us it wasn't venomous. Meanwhile, back at home, it looks like the gardening service found a small green snake in the plants on my study balcony. The Year of the Snake is making itself felt; I wonder what the Year of the Horse will do?

So, what with all the visitors (a niece over Christmas, my son, my cousin in the new year and now my parents and sister), there hasn’t been much reading time this year. But we were dropping off a family friend at the airport last month (yet another visitor) and came across a National Library pop-up made to look a bit futuristic (sadly, some of the functions didn’t work) which had only Star Wars items. I borrowed a physical book (which I haven’t done in years in Singapore) and managed to read it on holiday.

2) Honor Among Thieves by James A. Corey
{in the Star Wars Legends series; space opera, Star Wars Legends, }

(Will have to sort out the touchstone ... done. I can't use the British spelling *grumbles*)

This was set between the first two original films (Star Wars (A New Hope)/ The Empire Strikes Back), involving mainly Han Solo but also most of the main cast. I found it very reminiscent of the films to the point where I wondered if I had actually watched this; but it has Scarlet Hark, who is a new character. It was nostalgic and fun.

Han has 2 attractive women though other characters can see there’s something between him and Leia which they haven’t yet acknowledged. He does have a soft/ practical side when he stops them killing ‘monsters’ on a swamp planet which actually are vegetarian and just going about the business. We get to see Leia in action, both politically and having adventures. And, of course, Luke is also there and enthusiastic.

(January 2026)
4****

>64 humouress: A library pop-up sounds intriguing: was it self-service or some kind of manned stall?

>63 humouress: Fingers crossed we'll get pictures of a horse on your study balcony.

>65 charl08: It was self-service. It was made to look like a futuristic pod and had some shelves with books and videos. Half of the pod was sealed off and I think it was supposed to showcase robots getting an item you requested but that feature wasn't working at the time.

>66 norabelle414: 😳

Howdy neighbour!

>68 humouress:, >66 norabelle414: Seconded! Plus it's the FIRE Horse! *gleeful hand-rubbing*

>69 PaulCranswick: Hey Paul! Hoping to be able to see you in a few weeks.

>70 richardderus: My plants!

>72 humouress: Think of it as free energy helping with dinnertime preparation of sides.

>71 humouress: Looking forward to it, finally, Nina!

Happy weekend! Stasia and I have started reading Love in a Mist, so I figured I should check in and see if you were able to join in. I'm currently at chapter 15 (a little over halfway) and heading to bed soon.

>74 PaulCranswick: Me too, Paul!

>75 bell7: Thanks Mary. We put my parents on their flight home this evening; they're the last of our visitors. It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I've lived here for 29 years (give or take) and my parents or my sister or my husband's brother & family are usually our only overseas visitors and then only once or twice a year but over the last month it's been like a revolving door.

I've renewed (or put a hold on) all my Overdrive books that expired and will get my Love in a Mist off the shelf tomorrow. Going by past experience with this series, it shouldn't take long to read.

>73 richardderus: I don't know how green you think my thumb is but the only thing edible I grow on the balcony are passion fruits (a bit hit and miss with those at the moment). Though I have been told that the weeds that pop up make a decent spinach-type dish.

>78 humouress: Most Greens are edible, though that's not to say they're *tasty* or desirable to eat, unlike passion fruit! Ever made passion-fruit flummery? I saw it mentioned on Miss Fisher's Mysteries and tried making it, very yummy.

>79 richardderus: I haven't; in fact I don't think I've ever had any flummery. I see that the recipe involves gelatine, which I've never used.

I am planning on making a fool, after reading Blackcurrant Fool last month. I assumed that all the books in the Greenwing and Dart series were named for foods (or beverages) but I can't find any indication that love-in-a-mist qualifies.

>80 humouress: Isn't love-in-a-mist a plant? It's related to the plant that produces nigella seeds per Uncle Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_damascena

Fools are very refreshing! Gooseberry's my own favorite.

>81 richardderus: So it would seem. I just assumed, from the first few titles, that everything was food related. Shows where my brain is. And, yes, I've picked up a couple of kilos over the birthday/ Christmas/ New Year/ holiday period which I will now have to work to get rid of.

I find gooseberries a bit sour, usually. We used to get them in school desserts (maybe in crumble?); not my favouritest fruit.

>82 humouress: They're really sour...but in a fool, that works to the whole dish's benefit in my palate's opinion. Just up the sugar from basic 1C/200g to 1.25C/250g, or used canned-in-syrup ones.

Plus they're a diet food! No calories in custard or whipped cream because gooseberries are so healthful.

>83 richardderus: No calories? I'm in!

More balcony adventures today (Nora, Richard - I think you have something to answer for). I looked across because there was a lot of rustling going on on the balcony and then a thump and then a silly starling launched itself straight at me. I think it fell out of one of the potted palms and was a bit disoriented. Fortunately - for both of us, I feel - the glass door was closed so it hit that and landed on the deck. It was a bit stunned for a minute or two (could have been my scream) but then flew off.

About half an hour later a skinny cat with a collar came wandering onto the balcony (I must have words with Jasper again - but he does his best, poor dog) and was stalking around the spot that the bird had been. I think it couldn't see me through the glass when I started talking to it but it walked along the balcony and when it was level with the open section it definitely saw me - and hurried off. It may be the same cat I saw a few months ago but someone is looking after it now; if it is the same, it looks a bit healthier.

I'm glad you have had visitors, Nina. Where is your family from ? If your place has been a revolving door, perhaps it is nice to just have your close family.

>86 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. My parents and sister live in Sydney.

It was actually nice to have people staying with us (for once); my son is back from the UK for a while and we also had, over December and January, a family friend from Sydney, our niece who's currently studying in KL, my cousins from the States and then my parents and sister when we all returned from Vietnam. Hectic but fun! It just meant that I didn't have much time for reading or checking in on LT.

Whew! That does sound like a lot of visitors, but glad it was a fun couple of months with everyone.

I think the books in the Greenwing & Dart series (and a couple of the short stories that go in-between) that aren't food titles are plants. My guess was in honor of Hal and his botanical interests.

>85 humouress: *giggle* I see my mojo is still hot.

>88 bell7: Thanks Mary, it was fun. Except for my parents and sister, who stayed for a week, most of them were only with us for a night or three.

Ah, that makes sense. Then I wonder why the food - though Hal and Jemis obviously have an interest since they were baking cakes.

>89 richardderus: *sigh*

3) Sinister Stranger at St Bride's (aka Stranger at St Bride's) by Debbie Young

{second of 4 in Staffroom at St Bride's (aka Gemma Lamb Cosy Mysteries series; boarding school, mystery, contemporary, English countryside, Cotswolds}(2020/ 2022)

I was hit by a book bullet for the first book in this series and am continuing on. (It looks as though all the original titles, which were more like those found on girls' school stories of yore, were retitled to make them sound more dramatic.) If you grew up reading boarding school stories (and still do, occasionally), this one is for you; but this series is about the teachers rather than the pupils. The setting is contemporary - the older girls get (supervised/ limited) use of smartphones, for example.

Gemma enters her second half of term as an English teacher at St Bride's boarding school, which she has come to love. However, the security of the staff and school is soon threatened by an obnoxious man claiming to be an American descendant of Lord Bunting who had died without a legitimate heir and left his mansion and estate to be turned into a boarding school. Gemma and the other teachers aren't convinced by the so-called Earl Bunting and start investigating; but will they be able to save the school?

Fun and nostalgic for those who grew up enjoying school stories, though with a contemporary twist and a hint of future romance. I like the way that, though the focus is on the staff (the stories are told in the first person from Gemma's point of view), we also get to see their interactions with their pupils. And we see the school getting ready for their annual Christmas fair as well as finding out what happened to Gemma's predecessor. I noticed that there are quite a few descriptions of food; for instance

The fluffy puff pastry gleamed golden beneath its baked-on egg glaze, concealing a glistening filling of chunky beef darkened by stout-enriched gravy. For a while our food distracted us from our pursuit of Earl.

This was a fun, light-hearted romp through the second half term of the school year in an English boarding school for girls set in the Cotswolds, but from the staff's point of view.

According to Wikipedia, Young was a teacher at a Cotswolds boarding school for many years. Easy going and the adventures don't require suspension of disbelief.

(January 2026)
3.75***

>92 humouress: Mmm, meat pie with flaky golden crust. You have me drooling, Nina. I hope you are enjoying recovery time after the fun of so many visitors.

>93 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg.

I'm still trying to get back into routine; I'm always a bit discombobulated after a holiday.

4) Love in a Mist by Victoria Goddard
{5th in Greenwing and Dart series; locked room mystery, country house mystery, magic}

Magic is out of fashion on Alinor - but maybe the old ways are coming back into style.

When Jemis and friends left Orio City, at the end of Blackcurrant Fool, they ended up rather unexpectedly with his friend Marcan who helped them with their return journey home. Unfortunately they didn't get far before being stranded by a broken cart axle and bad weather and took shelter at a local manor house - where (Jemis being Jemis) strange events befell them. The story is told in the first person from Jemis's point of view but the other characters are equally important to events.

Jemis continues to meet friends from his days at Morrowlea University as well as new ones from the University of Tara and Mr. Dart's University of Stoneybridge

"You recall a conversation we had, Mr. Dart, regarding an unpleasant experience of yours at Stoneybridge? I am distressed to say I was just now introduced to a servile excuse of a fribble by the name of Henry Coates."
Mr. Dart, never a poltroon, paled.

and we continue to discover that all his acquaintances seem to have hidden noble connections and identities. Though this is a country house mystery where they are snowed in and there is a blackmailer and murderer snowed in with them and the story doesn't advance the overall plot much we do glean a few ideas about what is happening in the larger world of Alinor. (The Greenwing and Dart books take place in the country of Rondé, in the duchy of Fiellan on the world of Alinor (of the Nine Worlds).)

A lovely romp, as usual (and I'm trying very hard not to give away spoilers for this or previous books). I'm enjoying the way they all manage to have adventures even though their society and speech is vaguely Georgian without being over the top. Jemis, despite attracting paparazzi attention,

The neatly folded New Salon from yesterday caught my eye. Ignoring the three-page essay on myself, I turned to the back and the crossword puzzle.

pulls his friends, with their various areas of expertise, into events with him. Though, of course, things tend to happen to him rather than him seeking them out.

I thought I would try to make the foods that appear in the titles of this series as I read along but I can't find 'love in a mist' which is actually a plant with a blue flower (scientific name nigella damascena). However Jemis is served a tea called 'love in a mist' and is shown how the tea leaves are tied together so they unfurl like a flower when the hot water is added. Love in a mist is related to the spice known nigella, kalonji or black cumin which also seems to be in Jemis's tea (as Hal, our expert botanist, is heard to mutter).

(February 2026)
4.5*****

"You recall a conversation we had, Mr. Dart, regarding an unpleasant experience of yours at Stoneybridge? I am distressed to say I was just now introduced to a servile excuse of a fribble by the name of Henry Coates."
Mr. Dart, never a poltroon, paled.

The neatly folded New Salon from yesterday caught my eye. Ignoring the three-page essay on myself, I turned to the back and the crossword puzzle.

>95 humouress: My brother introduced me to a tea that had been formed into a flower - I don't know if he was pulling my leg as he did while we were growing up, but he seemed to think it was natural. When the brew went cold, I dissected it. It helps to have a clear glass tea pot. The flavor wasn't impressive.

>96 quondame: I've had teas with interesting flora in them but not Love-in-a-Mist (I wonder if yours was?). Jemis seems to have enjoyed his tea, even - or especially - cold.

5) Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran

{stand alone; fiction, Sydney, Jaffna, ensemble cast, racism, failing marriage, torture}(2022)



I borrowed this at the end of last year as an e-library book which expired over the busy festive season along with all the rest so I borrowed them all again. It could have come to my attention as a recommendation or maybe I just came across it browsing through Overdrive - I can’t remember - but it appealed to me because it’s about Sri Lankan Tamils living in Sydney. I briefly looked for a synopsis before starting to read this book but couldn’t find one so I just dived in. It is told in the third person from multiple points of view which generally works quite well (though I occasionally confused Maya and her daughter).

The story is about a nursing home in the western suburbs of Sydney which is named for a well-known area of Colombo (Cinnamon Gardens). Of the original three owners, two have died and the remaining, Maya, has moved into the home as a resident. I liked Maya's character

Maya was relieved her deep-fried eggplant curry never had to stand up to the scrutiny of millions of Tamils on Instagram, just that of the constantly dissatisfied Mrs Sivaguru, a former resident of Room 15, God damn her soul to perpetual reincarnation.

Though she is still the owner, her daughter Anjali (Anji), who is a doctor, now runs the place which houses elderly people of all ethnicities and religions though the majority are Hindu Tamils - some of whom were acquaintances of Maya’s even before they came to the home. Anji's childhood best friend Nikki (she is not Sri Lankan), also a doctor, also works at the home; her marriage is failing, especially more rapidly after the death of their younger child about 10 months before the story begins.

The story goes back and forth in time and explains how Maya met her husband Zakhir in Jaffna (in the north of Sri Lanka) but they moved to Sydney after his work was censored and joined their friend Cedric in running the nursing home. It also follows Anji, Nikki, Nikki”s husband Gareth and a carer at the home named Ruben and we see some of Ruben’s past history in Jaffna as well. I found the parts set in Jaffna interesting and informative (but not always comfortable when it dealt with the discrimination and consequences that Tamils suffered before and during the civil war in Sri Lanka).

From the title I was expecting a feel-good story and initially it delivered (though there's no specific 'chai time' in the story). Though I don’t speak Tamil I do understand a few words and I enjoyed seeing them sprinkled through the story (though sometimes I didn’t recognise them in writing at first); unfortunately this aspect will only specifically appeal to a niche audience.

In a few hours, the cooks will begin frying onions, curry leaves and green chillies for the breakfast omelette, served with idiyappam, sothi and sambal. Omelette on a bed of steamed rice noodles, topped with milk gravy and a side of freshly grated coconut tossed in chopped chilli. It’s something to wake up for.

I liked the glimpses of the residents and their interactions (past and present) with Maya and her family, such as her ongoing niggles with 'that painted racoon Shanthi Segaram down the corridor' or the one resident who manages to go missing every night, somehow evading the home's security measures.

It is well written and started as a 4 star read for me but there is a darker tone threaded through it; there was some torture near the beginning which, though not vicarious, dropped it about a quarter star for me and there were a couple more instances further in. The last third of the book dealt with racist incidents which, with Gareth being involved with local politics, some confidential information is leaked to the press and blown out of proportion. To be perfectly honest I don’t like to read about racism and, as it blindsided me, dropped my rating a bit more.

I found Gareth’s character a bit confusing; I wasn't sure if we were meant to sympathise with him or vilify him and I didn't understand why he did certain things. When I finished the book it felt as though - though the main story arc did have (a rather dramatic) closure - the author had used the story as a platform to raise a few issues at various points which, though they were addressed, were never fully resolved (in the context of the story) so I’m not quite sure where we ended up.

(February 2026)
3.25 stars

still reading/ notes

Picked this up a while back but it expired over the festive break so took it out again. Can’t remember why. Was expecting a feel-good story but it has a darker tone through it which doesn’t suit me. Good writing though but may appeal to a niche audience

In a few hours, the cooks will begin frying onions, curry leaves and green chillies for the breakfast omelette, served with idiyappam, sothi and sambal. Omelette on a bed of steamed rice noodles, topped with milk gravy and a side of freshly grated coconut tossed in chopped chilli. It’s something to wake up for.

Maya was relieved her deep-fried eggplant curry never had to stand up to the scrutiny of millions of Tamils on Instagram, just that of the constantly dissatisfied Mrs Sivaguru, a former resident of Room 15, God damn her soul to perpetual reincarnation.

She raised an eyebrow. She had lightly shaded the wispy hair with her kohl pencil. Nothing excessive, like that painted racoon Shanthi Segaram down the corridor.

>98 humouress: I have that one on the shelves and it is edging closer. It won the prestigious Miles Franklin Prize a few years ago.

>99 PaulCranswick: So I see. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it Paul.

Hi Nina, I am gearing up for the weekend (I work a half day from home tomorrow so it feels like an early weekend) and trying to pick my next Kindle reads. I hope you have a great weekend yourself!

>101 elorin: Sounds like a great weekend Robyn. I think ours will be fairly relaxed with a lot of eating; my husband seems to have crammed in all our favourite restaurants in the time our eldest is here.

Somehow I have managed to miss your thread, Nina. I was just dropping by to check in on you. Hope all is well with you and yours!

Hi Nina! I'm gald to hear you not only survivied all your guests, but enjoyed tham!

>95 humouress: I've really got to read more of Victoria Goddard than The Hands of the Emperor and the immediately related books. One of these days....

>103 alcottacre: All good here, thanks Stasia. I haven’t been very active on the threads these last couple of months or so. Things have slowed down now, but so have I even though I ought to catch up on bits and bobs that I put on hold for a bit.

I hope everything is fine at your place too. I’m very slowly starting to get around the threads and will drop by yours … soon …

>104 Dejah_Thoris: Thank you Dejah :0)

I’m enjoying the shared read of the Greenwing and Dart books with Stasia and Mary (and I suspect a few others will be reading Plum Duff about now, too, in anticipation of the next book being released) but I haven’t ventured further into her universe. I do have The Hands of the Emperor on my shelves - Susan is a strong advocate for that subseries - as well as a couple of the smaller books.

I’m halfway through Plum Duff and thoroughly enjoying it. Of course, around Jemis and Peregrine, a lot happens though with this sixth book it’s been less than half a year since the beginning of the first book.

I’m getting The Twelve Days of Christmas Carol vibes …

>107 humouress: That's a series just begging to be a series, as in TV, in this age of increased fantasy-themed hits.

Greetings from -14C Long Island.

>108 richardderus: Hey, hey - have you moved?!

>109 humouress: Not yet...barring some awful thing happening it'll be the 27th.

>107 humouress: Very 12 days. Some hint for each is deliberately inserted, but 3 are blatant.

>110 richardderus: Fingers crossed then. I hope it's a huge improvement.

>111 quondame: I'll look out for them; I still have a few chapters to go. (I'm up to 'three (French) hens ...')

>113 humouress: I missed most of the others, they are more offhand/background/word choices.

Howdy neighbour. I'm looking forward to meeting you guys on Saturday.

>114 quondame: Ah - hidden clues ;0)

>115 PaulCranswick: Same here Paul!

7) Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay by Katie Ginger

{first in series; romance, seaside, English south coast, starting over}(2020)

nothing wrong with it, but doesn't stand out. didn't really connect with the characters; some of them weren't who they were made out to be at the beginning and background characters weren't filled in (eg artists)

(February 2026)
3***

You'll all be relieved to know that Paul C does, in fact, exist and is not a hologram or AI invention. We finally met up today after many years of threatening to and Paul trying to scarper for the UK when I mentioned we were planning to make a trip to Kuala Lumpur for the first time after @firelion was born. My husband, Rama, our boys and myself met Paul and then the boys went off to do their own thing while Paul treated the two of us to a very nice Japanese meal and then to a trip to Books Kinokuniya - which just happened to be a couple of doors down from the restaurant.

Paul kindly, in the best LT tradition, treated us to books:

1- The Inheritance & Other Stories by Megan Lindholm (my pick)
2- How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days (chosen by Paul for me)
3- The World in Books by Kenneth C. Davis (chosen by Rama for himself)

>119 humouress: How fun! And of COURSE you had to go to a book store!

>119 humouress: Lovely to meet you both and thanks for sharing the photo and picking the right one which does not show too much of my tummy!

The single malt you brought me was a wonderful surprise and you chose one of my favourites; ditto the note cards and the book marks.

Thank you also for tricking me into revealing I hadn't got a certain book by Martha Wells.

Enjoy the rest of your stay in my adopted home town and have a safe trip back to Singapore - where we will meet when Hani gets here. xx

>119 humouress: As I said over on Paul's thread, I'm so glad you finally had a meet-up. It sounds like a wonderful time, with a good meal and books!

>122 atozgrl: It was, Irene. I am looking forward to the return visit.

>119 humouress: I suspected Paul was a real person, Nina! What a great picture of the three of you. I'm glad you all had a great time.

>119 humouress: How lovely! I'm hoping to verify Paul's existence for myself when he returns to Britain!

>119 humouress: Your meetup with Paul is so cool, Nina! Thanks for the pictures.

And thank you for getting All Systems Red into his hands! I'm looking forward to the release of Platform Decay on May 5, so I'll be rereading the series in the next months.....

>122 atozgrl: Thanks Irene! It was a great time.

I checked with Paul; apparently his was only a medium Cranswickian haul - but I pointed out to my husband that I could be worse ;0) He was a bit stunned to learn that my book collection is less than half of Paul's.

>120 ChrisG1: Well, of COURSE. That is the point of a meet-up (other than to verify other LibraryThingers' existence).

>121 PaulCranswick: You're welcome. To be honest, Rama is the expert when it comes to whisky.

We are enjoying the trip to KL though it's mainly catching up with folks we haven't seen in a while. I do like seeing the city as we are driven around. There are many more houses - with land and gardens - than we see around Singapore and I love the different architectural styles. We seem to be close to a lot of embassies and the various nations seem to showcase their countries with their buildings.

Wishing Hani a safe journey back. We leave tomorrow morning for Singapore.

>124 vancouverdeb: Thanks Deborah. I was starting to wonder, since we've never managed to meet. It nearly happened when Jim came over but didn't at the last minute.

>125 CDVicarage: Well, I wish you luck with that. It took me over a decade to meet him despite a few attempts along the way.

>126 Dejah_Thoris: You're welcome Dejah. I thought his reading range needed broadening ;0)

>119 humouress: That sounds like a great meetup! Good food, friends, and a bookshop - all the perfect ingredients!

>119 humouress: What a great photo. Thanks for sharing.

>130 humouress: Wish I'd been there!

>119 humouress: Congrats on finally managing a meetup! The goblin book is going on my TBR.

He exists! Congrats on the meetup :)

>119 humouress: Nice picture, Nina. It's good to have evidence of other LTers existence and nice to see that his book collection made yours look more reasonable - at least in your husband's eyes!

>133 Sakerfalcon: Thanks Claire - it was!

>134 BLBera: Thank you. You're welcome.

>135 drneutron: Next time :0)

>136 foggidawn: Thanks (phew). Woo hoo - a book bullet; though maybe it should be attributed to Paul.

>137 curioussquared: He does! Thank you.

We're now slated to visit KL every February, so (if he doesn't manage to escape to the UK before then) we'll catch up with Paul more often. Though he has promised a return visit to Singapore.

>138 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I wonder if I can take that as licence to get more books (not that I was never going to get more anyway).

>119 humouress: What a wonderful meet up! Great book choices as well :)

>144 humouress: Ha!

Safe travels and happy homecoming for you and Rama!

Glad to see you had such a great meet up, and that you're enjoying Plum Duff. I also noticed the "twelve days" references (or, well, some of them, I didn't get them all) and very much enjoyed that little treasure hunt.

>119 humouress: What a great picture! I am so jealous! :)

Have a marvelous Monday or terrific Tuesday, whichever it is!

>119 humouress: How fun!! Totally jealous of the meetup. : )

>145 figsfromthistle: Thanks Anita! Of course, Paul treated himself to a midi-Cranswickian haul too.

>146 charl08: That would be a 'yes' then? ;0)

>147 richardderus: Thanks Richard.

Though I'm currently Down Under and he's in NYC for the nonce.

>148 bell7: Thanks Mary.

No, I didn't find them all either; I think the 12 Days references petered out before the 'maids a-milking' etc.

>149 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia!

>150 Berly: Thanks Kim. Maybe next time?

I popped over to Melbourne for a bit and stayed with my husband's cousin; I wanted to visit the city as I'm in Australia anyway and her mum will turn 100 later this year.

She and her friends took me to see Wuthering Heights though, unfortunately, the film didn't impress me favourably. It didn't tell the last bit of the story (with the next generation) but I suppose did a decent enough job with the first part. Once Heathcliff returned, though, it got silly.

I wish I could pop over to Melbourne right now, sunshine has disappeared here and we are back to grey skies! Have a lovely trip.

>153 humouress: The same wishes apply, no matter where y'all are.

>158 charl08: Thank you!

It's officially autumn here (though it doesn't look like it) and Melbourne is usually cooler than Sydney but I was lucky with the weather; except for the day I landed it was really nice (not too cold for me but not too hot for them). We went out to a winery on the Mornington Peninsula for lunch one day and the sky was an incredible deep, cloudless blue. (Not to make you jealous or anything.)

>159 richardderus: Much appreciated :0)

Connections today:
Connections
Puzzle #1003
🟪🟨🟩🟦
🟪🟩🟪🟪
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟨🟨🟨🟨
All backwards; I got the hardest one first and the 'easiest' one last.

Nice to see you back to your globetrotting ways, Nina. I'd love to visit Australia if only it didn't take so long to get there from here.

>163 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. I'm visiting my parents since my dad turned 90 last month and decided to throw a party to celebrate so Nihilan and I came over for it. Since I was here and my husband's aunt will turn 100 later in the year I thought I'd visit the folks in Melbourne too because I haven't been in a while. But I hadn't initially planned to do much travelling this year because @firelion is in his last year of school and has his exams towards the end of the year.

8) Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Five girls grow up to be witches with HMRC but, as the story opens, it is a few years after a civil war between witches during which they took heavy losses and now only Helena (the bossy one) works for the coven, as its youngest ever High Priestess, while Leonie has set up an alternative coven. But, despite the hard won peace, their troubles are not over; the foreseers prophesy that 'Leviathan will rise'.

Now a young warlock has been discovered who is even more powerful than some witches; could he be the foretold 'Sullied Child' who will see Leviathan return to this world? Helena asks her friend Niamh, a vet with healing powers, to foster him while she considers the risks that Theo brings. Another of their friends, Elle, has hidden the fact that she's a witch from her family but she is forced to tell her daughter Holly since she, too, is a witch.

(March 2026)
3.5 - 3.75***

litsy:

her, slack-jawed.
I am what we call a healer. I ... heal things?
Her daughter continued to stare. Well? Aren't you going to say anything?' She finally snapped out of it. 'Mum. Do you have any
idea how much cooler you just got?'

When Elle told her daughter that she‘s a witch

I‘m reading this while traveling so it took a while to get to grips with the multiple POVs but now I‘m sitting shown with it for a while it‘s hanging together better.There‘s a ‘twist‘ in the middle that is been wondering about

I raided Galaxy Bookshop in Sydney yesterday but, as it's only been a year since my last raid, they haven't fully recovered yet and I only got away with a modest haul towards my next Thingaversary. They're safely packed away in my suitcase so I'll update you when I get back but there are a couple of Kingfishers, a Martha Wells omnibus and a couple of Noviks (I think) as well as a couple of Spanish books for @firelion who will be taking his IB exams later this year - I know he'll be excited about them ;0)

9) The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

{first in The Stonewater Kingdom series; fantasy, quest fantasy, friendship, romance}

In Aisling cathedral, up on a tor in the kingdom of Traum, Six is a Diviner, She and her five sister Diviners enter the magical spring in the cathedral to dream portents for petitioners who make their way there. There are five gods who live hidden in the kingdom and who represent Omens; the Ardent Brigand, the Faithful Forester, the Heartsore Weaver, the Harried Scribe

Every ten years a new set of Diviners is chosen; their time is nearly finished and the girls are excited, planning what they'll do when they finally go out into the world. When the new boy-king comes to Aisling for a divining, one of his retainers, a dark-eyed knight named Roderick (Rory) taunts Six, saying the girls know nothing of the outside world. So the girls take the chance to sneak away from the tor for a night - but when they return, the Diviners start disappearing one by one during the nights. Six needs the help of a certain dark-eyed knight and she learns secrets behind the legend of the Omens.

I previously read Gillig's The Shepherd King duology and this has a similar ambiance with a legend interlaced into the fabric of the kingdom. She plays with words; 'traum' is German for 'dream'.

My favourite character is a grumpy gargoyle who calls anyone and everyone 'Bartholomew'; he gave me a few chuckles.

"I'm not." I led him to the shed door. "I'm leaving the tor."
His eyes went wide, the rest of him perfectly still. For a moment he looked like a true gargoyle, a lifeless monster carved of stone-Aisling's watchdog. But then he threw his head back and wept.
"Why, Bartholomew? Why would you leave me?"
Rory looked like he wanted to catapult himself out of his own skin. "Please—shut him up. He'll wake the dead."
The gargoyle's shoulders shook, his yowls near and far, echoing through the night. "I will have n-no one to talk to. N-no one to—to—"

Adding the 'romance' tag because there is a fair bit of sexual tension between Six and Rory. I dislike the term 'romantasy' which I've also seen applied to this book but I picked it up in spite of that. And, yes, there is a bedroom scene but, thankfully, not too steamy.

(March 2026)
4.5****

10) Innocence Lost by Patty Jensen

Got this with the Sword & Fantasy 8; wanted to like it more than I did though I admit that my reading was rather fractured as I've been travelling. I felt that the story was a bit like the main protagonist who was kind and nice and tried to gather the disparate characters together to fight against the bad guys but is finding it an uphill battle.

Johanna, in the country of Saarland, has magic which allows her to pick up images from wooden objects but magic is frowned on by the church so people hide their talents. She is an only child whose mother died when she was young and her father, a successful merchant, wants her to marry advantageously. Prince Roald has recently returned to court after his younger sister, the heir to the throne, died and Johanna - though only a merchant's daughter - is one of the young ladies invited to a ball to meet him. But then their tiny country is invaded and everything goes wrong.

Word of warning: there is a, deliberately awkward, bedroom scene but it's not 'steamy'. Ends somewhat abruptly with no closure.

(March 2026)
3-3.5***

11) Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett

{first in Emily Wilde series; fantasy, faeries}

This book is presented as the journaling of Emily Wilde, who is a Cambridge scholar whose field of study is faeries. She has been unable to break into the higher echelons of academia but her latest work, an encyclopaedia, should gain her recognition when she completes it. For the final chapters, she is spending the winter on the isolated island of Ljosland where common fae are more easily found than in other places and even the more aloof courtly fae or 'tall ones' (who have similar heights as humans) have been seen. But then Wendell Bambleby, another Cambridge scholar with whom she has a friendly rivalry, turns up (rather suspiciously) to do some research as well.

Emily prefers solitude to the company of other people whereas Wendell is all good looks and charm and gregariousness so he's always down at the pub. But when Emily studies a changeling living in one of the villagers' houses causing the parents misery and then two of the local youths are taken by the courtly fae, which has been happening more and more often, she finds that she does care about them. She even drives Wendell to help her resolve the situations, even though he isn't particularly attached to them.

I have been unable to find this series in any of my Overdrive libraries, for some reason, so I was happy to discover a physical copy at the library when I stayed with my parents in Sydney this month. but my reading was a bit rushed so I could finish the book before I returned home.

I felt that the first fifth of the book, until Bambleby appeared (Emily arriving on the island and setting up her research), was a bit slow. The inclusion of some stories and legends was a nice touch. There were occasional asterisked footnotes but I couldn't see the asterisks in the text. Nicely written but didn't pull me in. I liked her faithful dog, Shadow.

(March 2026)
3.5-4***

12) First Class Murder by Robin Stevens

In this third book of the case books of the Wells and Wong Detective Society, set on the Simplon Orient Express in 1935, Hazel Wong and her friend Daisy Wells are travelling to Istanbul. The girls are in their third year at Deepdean boarding school and solved a murder at school in the first term and another one in the Easter hols. Hazel's father is appalled, feeling that Daisy is leading his daughter astray, and has decided that they won't be able to get into trouble if he takes them on a train journey. Hazel does - initially - have every intention of following his orders.

My ears had pricked up at the word medium. I knew that this was a person who contacted spirits, and that made me tingle with nerves. I do sometimes privately worry about the number of dead people I have come across. I know that ghosts are not real, but I am not sure whether they know that.

But they discover that there is an unknown spy on the train, on the way to hand British naval secrets over to the Germans - and then one of their fellow passengers is murdered and (despite warnings by the grown-ups to stay out of it ) the Detective Society is determined to investigate. After all, they're much older now, at fourteen years old, than they were during their first case. And there's another junior detective in their sleeper carriage who is the same age as they are, so they might have to collaborate.

I had to admit that Alexander seemed like a rather good detective. Daisy scowled, which I knew meant that she had come to the same conclusion.
‘All right,‘ she said, the words dragged out of her reluctantly. ‘Share and share alike. But only for this journey. You are not becoming a proper member of the Detective Society.
‘That‘s OK,‘ said Alexander cheerily. ‘You can‘t be a member of the Junior Pinkertons either. My friend George would kill me.‘

Fun. I found Daisy a bit unlikeable in the first of the books but she wasn't too bad in this one. Oddly, despite - or maybe because - the story is told in the first person from Hazel's point of view as we read her write-ups of the case, I didn't get much sense of her.

(March 2026)
3.5***

litsy quotes

My ears had pricked up at the word medium. I knew that this was a person who contacted spirits, and that made me tingle with nerves. I do sometimes privately worry about the number of dead people I have come across. I know that ghosts are not real, but I am not sure whether they know that.

I had to admit that Alexander seemed like a rather good detective. Daisy scowled, which I knew meant that she had come to the same conclusion.
‘All right,‘ she said, the words dragged out of her reluctantly. ‘Share and share alike. But only for this journey. You are not becoming a proper member of the Detective Society.
‘That‘s OK,‘ said Alexander cheerily. ‘You can‘t be a member of the Junior Pinkertons either. My friend George would kill me. Now, how d‘you want to fix the rest of these interviews?‘

Speaking of faithful hounds, how did Jasper welcome you home?

>169 humouress: I've been debating reading thi one. Your review didn't help me decide, lol.

>171 charl08: Jasper was very happy to see me. He knows the sound of my car, I think, and my husband and son picked me up from the airport in my car. Often when I come back in the daytime he'll come out to the car-porch; he has to come from inside the house through the back door and down the side of the house and across the lawn or down the walkway (the car-porch is right at the front of our plot so he almost goes from one end to the other). That day he did seem to be trotting faster and his tail was wagging more. Though I was a bit miffed that he reserved his happy howl for when my husband walked into the house (don't worry, I got one the next day).

The big bone shaped toy that I got for him last year has been reduced to a golf-ball sized lump and my son asked me to buy another one. I didn't go to the same shop I bought it from and I'm not entirely sure he should have been eating it but I got him some other toys. I opened one of the balls I got for him and maybe they have a scent about them because his ears perked up interestedly as we were struggling with the packaging. So we finally got it out and I threw it for him; he chased it excitedly, retrieved it and brought it back to his mat - where he lay down and guarded it.

He does like chasing it but he usually gets bored after a few throws (I had to teach him to chase balls when he was younger). I've kept it as an indoor toy and I don't want to throw it too hard - breakable items plus he does seem to have the hip dysplasia issue that retrievers are prone to so I'd rather he doesn't skid into the furniture. Maybe it'll replace his 'welcome home' hamburger toy which I'm still annoyed that got lost during the house renovations three years ago. He does like to play tug-of-war with the ball when he brings it back but it's not the easiest game for humans, not having much to grab on to.

(Re 'faithful', Jasper does love us but - like many golden retrievers - he's also always happy to see old friends and just as happy to welcome new friends; I often joke with first time visitors to our house that I'll have to frisk them when they leave to make sure he's not going home with them.)

>172 Dejah_Thoris: Oh dear :0)

I saw this around LT a couple of years ago and friends who mentioned it liked it so I tried finding it on Overdrive but it still hasn't turned up. I prefer borrowing new-to-me authors before deciding whether I love it enough to buy because I'm a completist and I can't deaccession books so it means that I'd have to find space for the whole series on my limited bookshelves if I bought it. I was tempted to buy it anyway because it always seems to be in bookshops.

Having read it, I've decided that I don't love it enough to buy but I'm more than happy to borrow the other books. It's a fairly gently paced novel with Emily setting up her research, including making friends with the local common fae, and her interactions with the villagers, because she does have to meet them occasionally especially to replenish supplies. Once Wendell turns up there's a bit more happening and Emily does interact more with the locals partly in the course of her research and partly because, for instance, she needs help to chop firewood to heat the cabin she's staying in. Bambley, as she knows from experience, likes his luxuries and has brought a couple of research students, more to keep him in comfort than do the research, so he's no help and they very quickly abscond.

But then, once Emily starts looking into instances of the fae's appearances, she realises that she has the expertise to resolve some issues - she claims to us to be the world's foremost authority on fae - and then she starts having adventures. The courtly fae, especially, have no interest in humans but sometimes take them capriciously and may, but more likely don't, return them later. Wendell is an odd fish, and Emily discovers that he has a secret. They argue a lot, kind of like 'an old married couple' but that adds to the fun of the story. I liked the inclusion of some stories and legends (presumably invented by Fawcett). It's billed as a 'romantasy' but I dislike that portmanteau and, Emily being a loner, there are no torrid love scenes (thankfully). It's more of a friendship than a romance, which works better for me.

(Hmm; I think I'll put some of this into my review.)

I would say it's worth borrowing and reading. As I said, I had to rush reading it to finish it to return to the library before I left Sydney, so I couldn't spend the time to settle in and savour it better (and I probably had some pre-expectations so my brain my have automatically held it to a higher standard than if I hadn't seen the enthusiasm about it).

I've read all three of the Emily Wilde series and the relationship between the two main characters gets more involved/understandable as the series continues.

Nice of Jasper to welcome you home from your wandering.

Happy spring, Nina!

>175 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. The plan is to stay at home for a while now, especially as @firelion is in Year 12 and will be sitting his IB finals towards the end of the year.

I did get that impression about the relationship between the two characters from the ending and the blurbs for the next books.

>176 richardderus: Thanks Richard! Wishing you the same.

Over here (for the week and a half I've been back) it's been hotter than normal and didn't rain much until today; it looks like monsoon season might have arrived.

>178 humouress: ALREADY! That's early...it worries me how we ignore the very clear signs of the Earth changing around us.

>179 richardderus: Well, looks like I may have jumped the gun on that one. But it was a heavier than usual downpour for not-monsoon.