Ludmilla pops in and out in 2026

Happy New Year!

I often don't have much to say about what I read, but still like keeping a running list. I will maintain my list in the top post and then pop in periodically (perhaps monthly) with some thoughts on what I've enjoyed and what didn't live up to expectations.

2026 Reading List

Fiction:
1. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
2. Outlaw Planet by MR Carey
3. Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg
4. On the Far Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (Audio)
5. Wrath of the White Crane (Tales of the Swordsman #5) by JF Lee
6. Spectral Shadows: Three Supernatural Novellas by Robert Westall
7. Blitzcat by Robert Westall
8. Finding Flora by Elinor Florence
9. The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce
10. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (Audio)
11. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (Audio)
12. The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
13. The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott
14. The King of Ireland’s Son by Padraic Colum (Audio)
15. The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott
16. Roma Mater (The King of Ys #1) by Poul and Karen Anderson
17. Gallicenae (The King of Ys #2) by Poul and Karen Anderson
18. Dahut (The King of Ys #3) by Poul and Karen Anderson
19. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (Audio)
20. The Dog and the Wolf (King of Ys#4) by Poul and Karen Anderson
21. Kim by Rudyard Kipling (Audio)
22. Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson
23. Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead
24. Render Unto Caesar by Gillian Bradshaw
25. Cats of Seroster by Robert Westall
26. All the Ash We Leave Behind by C. Robert Cargill (Audio)
27. The Ghost in the Electric Blue Suit by Graham Joyce (Audio)
28. Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead
29. The Kingdom of Almonds (The Mirror Realm Cycle Book 3) by Ariel Kaplan
30. Sekaran (Tuyo #11) by Rachel Neumeier
31. The Whale Road (Oathsworn #1) by Robert Low
32.

Non-Fiction:
1. The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston
2. King Solomon's Ring: New Light on Animal Ways by Konrad Z. Lorenz
3. The Roman Revolution: Crisis and Christianity in Ancient Rome (The Fall of the Roman Empire #1) by Nick Holmes (Audio)
4. The Fall of Rome: End of a Superpower (The Fall of the Roman Empire #2) by Nick Holmes
5. Rome and Attila: Rome's Enemy (The Fall of the Roman Empire #3) by Nick Holmes
6. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard (Audio)
7. Justinian’s Empire: Triumph and Tragedy (The Fall of the Roman Empire #4) by Nick Holmes (Audio)
8. The End of Antiquity: The Last Days of Rome and the Rise of Islam (The Fall of the Roman Empire Book 5) by Nick Holmes
9. The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire: A History of 1111 Years and One Day by Bart Van Loo (Audio)
10.

Happy New Year and happy new thread!

Happy new year and happy new thread. I'll be interested in your views on Glorious Exploits — it looks odd enough to be interesting and one of the local libraries has it.

>1 ludmillalotaria: Happy New Year and Happy New Thread. As >3 haydninvienna: said that book looks interesting!

Happy New Year, Happy New Thread! 🥰

>3 haydninvienna: I loved Glorious Exploits! My book club read it in 2024 😊

I am very curious to know what @ludmillalotaria will think of it 😊

Happy New Year; happy new thread!

Happy new year and happy new thread! I too look forward to your thoughts on Glorious exploits, as a copy is currently lurking on my TBR pile.

My thoughts on Glorious Exploits:

I think I’m an outlier. I loved the idea behind it. It was inspired by an anecdote in Plutarch’s Life of Nicias about Athenian prisoners of war held in the quarry at Syracuse:

Some also were saved for the sake of Euripides. For the Sicilians, it would seem, more than any other Hellenes outside the home land, had a yearning fondness for his poetry. They were forever learning by heart the little specimens and morsels of it which visitors brought them from time to time, and imparting them to one another with fond delight. In the present case, at any rate, they say that many Athenians who reached home in safety greeted Euripides with affectionate hearts, and recounted to him, some that they had been set free from slavery for rehearsing what they remembered of his works; and some that when they were roaming about after the final battle they had received food and drink for singing some of his choral hymns.

It’s hard to find really good historicals set in ancient times that aren’t at least half fantasy. In this case, the author goes in a different direction, using contemporary, Irish vernacular (as one lad might talk to another) to set the tone. I was all right with that because historicals can have as much to say about the present and foundational human truths as they do about the past. Case in point is this line from the novel:

The hearts of men are alike wherever you go. The rest is scenery.

However, the story is told in first person, present tense, which I’ve grown more impatient with over the years. I didn’t much care for the main character who struck me as (pardon my language) a twat for most of it. It’s a deliberate choice on the author’s part and part of that character’s redemptive growth. I did appreciate certain scenes that stood out, but overall was underwhelmed. I’m in the minority, though. It’s been favorably reviewed by many, and I can see why they like it. Despite my criticism, I would be willing to try something else by the author and would recommend it to those interested in the period. I’d rather see authors take a chance on something inventive or inspired by their personal muse (such as this) than read the trendy stuff that gets regurgitated over and over.

Happy New Thread. I look forward to following your reading adventures.

>9 ludmillalotaria: A very fair and balanced write-up! 😊 I enjoyed reading it! I'd be interested in reading more by this author as well (because I loved Glorious Exploits).

My friends on Goodreads have told me that Outlier Island is a wonderful place - palm trees, drinks, great music. So being an outlier is totally fine 😁

Wow! It really is true that the older you get the faster time flies. Hard to believe January is already almost over. These are my January highlights.

I finished 2025 reading Jean Craighead George’s My Side of the Mountain. It was a book I read in my youth, but I couldn’t remember reading the follow-ups to it. I started January with the audiobook for the 2nd book, On the Far Side of the Mountain. Even though George’s depictions of a teenager now joined by his young sister roughing it in the wilderness are a bit romanticized it remains a delightful read.

Other fiction I enjoyed included:

Outlaw Planet by MR Carey. It’s a standalone, but set in the same world as his Pandominion series, which I have not read. This book is part Sci Fi (mysterious towers, interdimensional travel, and history repeating itself) and part alternate history (American civil war) with wild west themes. The main character is an independent woman who gains the moniker Dog-Bitch Bess and wields an intelligent weapon named Wakeful Slim.

Wrath of the White Crane by JF Lee, the fifth book in an indie, Wuxia/Martial Arts series. I really enjoy the characters and world the author has created and look forward to each new book in this series. A lot happens in this, but it wasn't until I got to the end that I realized just how much. The battles at the end are truly epic, and the characters are positioned for a new phase. I'm glad the author will be writing more.

A couple of books by Robert Westall (often thought of as a writer of children's/YA books, but these felt pretty adult to me):
Spectral Shadows: Three Supernatural Novellas: (Blackham’s Wimpey, The Wheatstone Pond, and Yaxley’s Cat) – picked up to sample the author’s horror novellas.

Blitzcat, which follows a cat and her adventures seeking her master, an RAF pilot in WWII. Along the way, the cat is taken in by various people. Life on the homefront is vividly portrayed. One of the more memorable episodes is the bombing of Coventry.

I don’t have any set goals, but I try to read 10 to 12 non-fiction books per year. Last year I think I only read 5, so I'm trying to do better this year. My non-fiction book for this month was The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston. I believe this is old enough now to be in the public domain. The author writes about nature and his time there with a painterly eye.

>12 ludmillalotaria: Robert Westall was an author I read regularly as a teen, and I've still got copies of my favourites. I recently reread some of the supernatural ones (The wind eye and The scarecrows) and thought they hold up well, not just in the scariness but in the portrayal of dysfunctional families and the sense of place. Of the three novellas you picked up, I haven't reread Yaxley's cat for a while but I clearly thought it was good enough to keep my copy.

>13 Sakerfalcon: I bought a few more of Westall’s books, which includes the horror story collection Antique Dust. I might read that for something spooky in October.

His story Blackham’s Wimpey reminded me a little bit of HE Bates’ A Moment in Time with its use of RAF vernacular, such as ‘gone for a Burton’ when a pilot is killed or missing in action, and the psychology of pilots, etc. He also has a gift for description, such as this from Yaxley’s Cat:

She wondered how much the children guessed. They had been told it was a holiday, but it was really a flight, a flight from Philip. She had to get away, before the balloon really went up, before she began yelling and he put that irrevocably understanding look on his face. Philip did not like rows; he undermined her with reasonableness, trapped her angry wasp-buzzing with strands of logic, like a patient spider.

>14 ludmillalotaria: Yes, he's really insightful about human relationships and how to write them. Something that probably went over my head when I read them as a teen, but which stands out to me now.

Books I've recently enjoyed:

Finding Flora by Elinor Florence. This is an historical about homesteading in Alberta, Canada during the first decade of the 1900s. The main character is Flora. Newly married and fresh from Scotland, she runs away from her abusive husband and fortuitously discovers a legal loophole for claiming a homestead (females weren't ordinarily allowed to claim). By claiming a homestead, she hopes to disappear and reinvent a new life for herself. I picked this up because I've enjoyed this author's other historicals. I did think it was a bit too contrived in how everything works out, but it is written with a deft hand and is enjoyable. Although I didn't care for how Flora's husband is used as a plot device, I did enjoy reading about her challenges homesteading, the friendships she forms with neighbors, and general sense of community she gains through good times and bad.

The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce. Although marketed as fantasy, this is more in the style and tone of magical realism. The story is set in Coventry during and after WWII. Cassie is the youngest in a family of seven sisters. Her mother has always been a little fey in that she gets premonitions in the form of a knock at the door. Cassie herself has always been a fey, free-spirited child. At the beginning, she's meeting someone to take her baby boy to raise as their own, but can't go through with it. Her mother decides that the entire family will share responsibility (take turns) for raising this child Frank. I thought this was beautifully written (despite not really caring for how the author handles sex) and a loving tribute to family. I've read a handful of other books by this author, and this is my favorite so far. Last year I picked up several by him when I found them at bargain prices on Amazon, which makes me wonder, is he becoming a forgotten author? I've got several more in my TBR that I'm saving for just the right mood.

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. This combines fantasy with murder mystery. The main character, Neema Kraa, is the titular Raven Scholar. In this society the emperor can only rule for 24 years. His successor is chosen during a festival of trials and combat between eight contenders that represent the eight animal guardians in this society. When one is murdered, Neema is charged with solving the mystery and becomes a contender herself. I was frustrated with the first half of this book. It felt more YA in tone and tropes than I expected, and I felt critical of some of the internal logic and forced aspects of the plot. Also, some unnecessary cursing felt out of place. However, the second half really won me over as revelations piled up and the mythical guardians began to play a bigger role in the story. Several characters really begin to shine in this second half. Overall, this was a rollicking ride with both tragedy and humor, and I eagerly await the sequel.

On audio, I've listened to The Hobbit read by Rob Inglis and Asimov's first Foundation novel read by Scott Brick.

>16 ludmillalotaria: How did you like the Foundation audiobook version?

>17 Karlstar: I'm curious about this, too. >16 ludmillalotaria: I read the first one ages ago and just didn't keep going. If the audios are decent I might consider starting over.

>17 Karlstar: >18 clamairy: I listened to the audio narrated by Scott Brick, who is a decent narrator. This is very much an idea-driven work. I was able to appreciate it as a thought experiment but prefer more character driven stories. There is a lot of talking rather than a lot of action, which made it seem a little dry and sometimes challenged my drifting attention span. Maybe the audio enhances that perception? I am eventually interested in pursuing the next in the series, but I think I need to be in the right mood and frame of mind for it.

>19 ludmillalotaria: I've been waiting for the right frame of mind for the second book for at least 30 years...

>19 ludmillalotaria: Good description, right on the money. There is a bit more 'action' in the next book, but not a lot.

Reading highlights since last time:

I picked up Kate Elliott's Witch Roads duology. I usually enjoy her worldbuilding, but something about this series didn't quite gel for me. I was underwhelmed. The main arc for these two novels is complete, but I believe the author plans to write more in this world. I don't think I'm interested. Time will tell.

I have now turned my attention to The King of Ys series by Poul and Karen Anderson. It's about the fabled city of Ys on the coast of Brittany. The titular king is a Roman centurion sent by Maximus to become prefect of the mysterious city of Ys to ensure peace in Armorica while Maximus turns his attention to overthrowing the co-emperors of the West. The centurion Gratillonius becomes king when he attempts to enter the city and challenges and kills the current king in one-to-one combat. This is their custom for how kings are chosen. Ys has nine queens believed to have powers or to be witches, which he marries to ensure his acceptance there. Thus begins his journey to balance his duty to Rome with his duties to Ys and its queens. Complicating matters are conflicts of interest that occur between the differing religions: Pagan gods, Mithraism practiced by Gratillonius, and the rise of Christianity within the Roman empire. This is a four book series. I just finished the third book. The first book sets up the series and second and third build upon it. It's a bit of a slow burner at first, but it is also historically immersive. The authors explain that while the novels are fantasy, the surroundings during the 4th century AD are real.

On audio, I've listened to:
The King of Ireland's Son by Padraic Colum (a re-read and one of my very favorite books)

Bran Mak Morn: The Last King, a collection of Robert E. Howard's stories about the Picts. This was a fun listen, but some stories haven't aged as well as others. The most memorable were "King of the Night" (in which Kull makes an appearance) and "Worms of the Earth" a vengeance tale with elements of horror.

The Roman Revolution: Crisis and Christianity in Ancient Rome by Nick Holmes which covers history from the late republic through the time of Constantine. This is the first of a 5-book series. I liked it and plan on reading the other books in this series.

On a personal note, I was on vacation the first week of March, so didn't get any reading done during that time. Then got sick with some awful cold/flu virus. I think I'm back on track now. To test the image tool, here is a sunset from my vacation in Bermuda. I imagine those who enjoy military history would like perusing the old forts there. Early March is still the off-season (so much more affordable for us). We enjoyed our time there, but Bermuda can be quite windy.

>22 ludmillalotaria: The books all sound interesting, but I may add that Padraic Colum to my wishlist*. The photo is delightful! Was it nice enough for swimming? (I suspect not.)

Rats. It is only available as an ePub, so I would have to read it on my Fire. Oh well... But wait! I found it via Hoopla as an audiobook! :o) On my wishlist.

>22 ludmillalotaria: What a glorious sunset! Thank you for sharing it with us.

>23 clamairy: Hope you enjoy the audio if/when you get around to it. I keep forgetting I can use Hoopla through my local library. I should take advantage of it since I seldom find what I want to read available on Libby. My local library doesn’t have a great selection.

As for Bermuda, temps are nice. It doesn’t vary much between night and day and was in mid to upper 60s F while we were there. I imagine ocean might be a similar temp, but not sure. It was very windy first few days (you don’t get in the water with the high winds, and it blows a lot of sand in hotel pool). However, wind calmed and it was very nice our last three days. I saw a few people using the beach and getting in the ocean, though not venturing far, on those days. Below is a pic of the beach from our hotel. Fort St. Catherine is in the background.

>25 ludmillalotaria: Glorious! I can't get over the color of the water!

Hoopla doesn't always have that greatest selection either, but they seem to have a lot of audiobooks that Libby doesn't carry.

>25 ludmillalotaria: My goodness, the colours! It looks beautiful.

Experimenting with the picture tool again. Does anyone like owls? These are snips from trailcam videos: screech owl, barred owl, and great horned owl (all captured in the month of March).

>28 ludmillalotaria: Those are awesome!!!

>25 ludmillalotaria: >22 ludmillalotaria: Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

>28 ludmillalotaria: Great pictures!

>28 ludmillalotaria: So cool! Thank you for sharing :)

Oooh owls! So neat that there are three species showing up. The other day my hubby and I walked a trail on the river (just a couple miles downstream from the house) and I found an owl pellet. Only the second time I have.

>28 ludmillalotaria: Lovely owls! Thank you for sharing!

>28 ludmillalotaria:
Great pictures. Owls are so cool.

I'll come back later in the month with a book update. In the meantime, here are some pictures of a Scarlet Tanager. I don't see them all that often. I think their breeding grounds are further north.

>36 ludmillalotaria: Oh! These are such awesome photos. Thank you for sharing.

>36 ludmillalotaria: Wow! So cool, thank you :)

>36 ludmillalotaria: Beautiful!

>36 ludmillalotaria:
That is a remarkable looking bird.

>36 ludmillalotaria: Very nice! We don't have such interesting birds here.

>41 Karlstar: I don't believe that's true! You should put the Merlin app on your phone and let it run on your windowsill for a little while on the next nice day. You'll be surprised at what shows up on the list. They are there, you're probably just not seeing them.

>42 clamairy: That is probably the case, but I also expect more birds around now that Loki is confined to the house. Bella doesn't chase anything anymore, but Loki was a hunter.

>43 Karlstar: Ah, yes. I tried putting collars with bells on mine, but they would come home without them. Most of my cats contented themselves with decimating the local rodent population, which was fine with me. At some point I decided to keep any and every cat I got inside. At our last house we had lots of coyotes so it seemed like the safest choice. Here I have fast cars driven by assholes, despite the speed limit...

Since my last update, I finished the final (4th) book in the The King of Ys series by Poul and Karen Anderson. Overall, I really enjoyed this series. The final book, The Dog and the Wolf takes place during the first decade of the 5th century and wraps up the series in a satisfying way.

Other fiction I finished included:

Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson. This takes place between 422 and 453 AD and was inspired by Germanic and Scandinavian legends such as the fates of the Nibelungs and Volsungs, Sigurd, the Rhine Gold, Attila the Hun, and a wanderer named Wodnas. Hagan is one of the main viewpoint characters and is given a sympathetic portrayal in this. The author leans more towards historical realism than magic. The writing won’t win any awards (there’s some clunky dialogue, e.g.), but it is on par with a lot of gritty historicals and grimdark fantasies. The story kept me interested in where it was going with the familiar characters from these legends and the motivations behind certain actions. I thought the historical detail was good.

Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead. The author takes literary license with Patrick's life, but I was okay with that because his journey is compelling. I wasn't sure the author was going to pull off his redemption, but for me at least he did. This is the first book I've read by Lawhead, and I intend to pick up a few more.

Render Unto Caesar by Gillian Bradshaw. Hermogenes is a businessman from Alexandria who has been granted Roman citizenship and travels to Augustan Rome to collect a debt. In efforts to collect the debt he gets caught in the crosshairs of three powerful men. Hermogenes is in many ways too good to be true, but has a stubborn iron will when it comes to upholding ideals of legal rights and justice within the Roman system.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling, which I listened to on audio read by Simon Vance. Normally, I really like Vance's narration, but due to the Indian accents he uses for most of the characters I had a hard time staying in the story. I made a note to myself to look for the ebook to read at some point.

The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. This is a gentle read (though sad) about a man who needs to rehome his cat for reasons that aren't disclosed until much later in the book. The cat has a point of view in the story. I enjoyed it, but it's not the kind of book that I would re-read.

In non-fiction, I continued with a series I started last month about the decline and fall of the Roman empire by Nick Holmes. I finished the 2nd and 3rd books: The Fall of Rome: End of a Superpower and Rome and Attila: Rome's Greatest Enemy. Both books cover the 4th and 5th centuries. Holmes writes about Rome in an easily accessible and engaging way and hits the major highlights without going into a deep dive. These books are probably best for those wanting an introduction or a refresher to Roman history. Reading these back-to-back, I realized that the author repeated some of what he covered in book two in the third book, which made me feel that he should have combined them. I guess his goal, though, was to keep each book fairly short (each one is around 300 pages).

I also listened to Mary Beard's SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, which covers Rome all the way from its founding to Caracalla in the early 3rd century.

And now for a wildlife update. Here are some pictures of some birds that have been in the yard this week: a Blue Grosbeak (the first one I've ever been able to get a picture of), a Wood Thrush, a young Red-Shouldered Hawk, and a Red-Tailed Hawk.

>45 ludmillalotaria: This was very interesting, thank you :) I am making notes.

The photos of the birds are cool!

>45 ludmillalotaria: How was SPQR? I snagged that from Audible during a sale last year. But I'm a little intimidated by the length.

Love the photos!!! Never seen a Blue Grosbeak.

>44 clamairy: We did put a bell on Loki, didn't help. He absolutely decimated the rodent population, which was good, from time to time we used to have problems with them getting in the house. However, he didn't confine himself just to creatures on the ground. Poor guy can only sit in the window and smell and listen now, which he is doing right at this moment.

>48 clamairy: I liked it. Even though it’s over 18 hours, it went by fast. Beard has a chatty style, as though narrating for a tv program. It’s not always linear, but was easy to follow (though sometimes I would forget which Gaius she was talking about because there are so many of them). It’s weighted much more toward the history of the Republic than of the Empire. She also provides a lot of interesting details on the lives of ordinary citizens, women and slaves, etc.

>50 ludmillalotaria: I thought it was longer than that. Perhaps it will give it a go soon. Thanks for the nudge.

Reading update:

Fiction:

The Cats of Seroster by Robert Westall
My experience of this author so far is that he doesn’t write typical books. Even when he’s writing for young adults there’s something very adult beneath the surface. This book takes place somewhere around 1500. The story follows an 18 year old man and some telepathic, Egyptian inspired, sun worshipping sentient cats fighting usurpers who murdered a Duke in southern France. There was something a little phantasmagoric about it, and I quite liked it.

All the Ash We Leave Behind by C. Robert Cargill (Audio)
This is a short, prequel novella to the author’s novel Sea of Rust, which is about an AI apocalypse. I didn’t like where the author took this story and felt it undermined his previous stories set in this world.

The Ghost in the Electric Blue Suit by Graham Joyce (Audio)
This book defies categorization and seems more of a mood piece to me. It’s told from the PoV of 19 year old named David who decides to work at a resort at Skegness in the summer of 1976. David is haunted by memories of staying at this resort with his father when he was three years old. He describes himself as Alice in Wonderland upon arriving and meeting many colorful characters that work there. This gets compared to Stephen King’s Joyland, which I haven’t read and suspect overshadows it. I found the audio narration quite entertaining and enjoyed the humor.

Non-Fiction:

Finished the last two books in Nick Holmes’ The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:
—Justinian’s Empire: Triumph and Tragedy
—The End of Antiquity: The Last Days of Rome and the Rise of Islam

Apparently, these are just the last of what’s been published so far. The author is working on another that takes up where book five left off with the Byzantine emperors in the 7th/early 8th C. I listened to audio for the 4th book and read the ebook for the 5th. Nigel Patterson is a great audio narrator for this series.

Finally, a picture of a mountain laurel shrub blooming in my yard this week:

>52 ludmillalotaria: That blossom is gorgeous. Does it smell as good as it looks?

>52 ludmillalotaria: I read a lot of Robert Westall's books in my teens and found most of them to be thought-provoking and to have a lot going on beneath the surface. I've reread several in recent years and they still hold up well. Westall made very accurate insights into human nature. I still have a copy of The cats of Seroster so I should give that a reread too.

>53 clamairy: I haven’t noticed much of a fragrance from it. It usually blooms for 2 or 3 weeks in May.

Recent reads:

Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead
Similar to his book about Saint Patrick, but written earlier in his career, this is an historical adventure story about Aidan. The author has stated that Aidan is not based on a single person, but is an amalgamation of several saints active during this period (9th / 10th centuries). Most of the action takes place in the 880s when Basil I is emperor. The story begins when Aidan is a young monk at Kells Monastery in Ireland. He is selected to go on pilgrimage with his bishop to appeal to the emperor and to deliver the Book of Kells as a gift. However, the pilgrims are attacked enroute, and during the journey Aidan becomes a slave, then a spy, sailor, and eventually advisor and confidant of lords from the Viking, Byzantine and Arab worlds. Along the way he grapples with his faith (e.g., he questions why does god let the innocent suffer) as well as getting in over his head and against his will in various political plots.

The Kingdom of Almonds (The Mirror Realm Cycle Book 3) by Ariel Kaplan. This is the 3rd and final book of a trilogy inspired by Jewish folklore and mysticism in an alternate historical Inquisition setting with mirror realms (one of mortals, the other of Maziks). I have really enjoyed the world building (though I sometimes grappled with whether the internal logic made sense) and love the ensemble cast. I was quite pleased with how it ended and can see myself re-reading this series.

Sekaran (Tuyo #11) by Rachel Neumeier. This is a series of stories/vignettes about Sekaran, the heir of the summer country, from age 9 - 63. The author said she originally envisioned writing five or six stories about Sekaran, but it ballooned into 20 plus an epilogue. I love the Tuyo world and eagerly await each new book. This is not for newbies to the series, but fans like myself should be quite pleased by it. The last two or three stories and epilogue go beyond the timeline of the most recent books so could be viewed as teasers for future material. One more book in this series was recently released, so I'll be picking it up sooner rather than later.

The Burgundians: A Vanished Empire: A History of 1111 Years and One Day by Bart Van Loo (Audio). This is non-fiction about the history of the dukes of Burgundy and by extension the low countries, Belgium, France, and western Europe, backtracking a little here and there and with digressions about the social and cultural developments of the era and certain highly impactful events. A lot of it is focused on dukes of the 13th - 15th centuries. I can see myself re-listening to this or picking up the ebook at some point so I can read it more carefully.