2026 Susan (quondame) Reads #2

Susan here, ready for another quarter of a year that seems to give no quarter.

I retired very early in 2001 from an overcompensated software engineering job. I have since led a life dedicated to avoiding unnecessary effort. I live with my husband, my adult daughter, and 3 ill assorted small dogs, one for each of us.

I read mostly fantasy with some science fiction and have been very enthusiastic for a few historical fiction writers’ works—Dunnett, O'Brian, and Heyer. Lately I have sought out nonfiction about trauma recovery. I have a strong preference for works by women, authors who have come out as LGBTQ+, and POC.

If I read extreme praise about a book from people I trust, I’ll give it a try.

I am interested in fashion, mostly historical, fiber arts, and food. I have been involved in historical recreation, both Regency and medieval.

You may ignore all posts about my fanfic writing, but, if you have any taste for comfortable fantasy, you should not ignore recommendations for the works of Victoria Goddard.

This spot is for shared reads I join outside of LibraryThing, at present the Discord severs for Hands of the Emperor Support Group (HSG) bookclub, and the read alongs on the Tales by the Fire.

January HSG/bc is Ammonite
260116 I'm 75% into this - it's OK? maybe it seemed more when it came out.

TbtF is currently reading Plum Duff in anticipation of the sadly delayed Bubble & Squeak.

February HSG/bc will be Embassytown which I re-read too short a time a go to want to relearn what it's about.

March HSG/bc is Strange the Dreamer

West LA Women's BC is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and a my hold on a hardback copy just reached the library so if I pick it up tomorrow, March 6, I might finish it by Monday March 9 and so attend the meeting.
April's selection Heart the Lover is available on Hoopla, so that will work.

OK April!
The Sign of the Dragon is the selection for the main Discord HOTE Book club
Muse of Nightmares is the followup to the March selection

May
WLAWBC We didn't find all that much to talk about in Provenance other than two members who hadn't read other Imperial Radch books wanting more about the aliens. I don't recall heave alien activity in the Ancillary books, but well, my memory isn't, fortunately, definitive.
Discord/HOTE Support Group/Book Club
The Poet Empress does not compel my interest. The vibe hits me as too YA.

As of 6/10/2026

Books I have started and put down for over a week:

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die
Bound to Please
The Carmina Burana: Songs from Benediktbeuern*
Ivory Vikings
The Middle Kingdoms
Navigating the Stars
The Remembered Soldier
The Warburgs
The Wayfinder
Worn

Books I'm currently reading:

The Astral Library
Mrs. Dalloway

===========

*This is a large trade paperback with 250+ songs (Carmina) from before 1250, and I may get through 1 or 2 a day. Disappointingly this only include English translations with Latin/Middle High German text online(Link not currently working)

Books checked out as of 1/01/2026

Let's see how many of these are left on the list by the end of 2026, should I live so long....

The Axeman's Carnival
Clinch
Conundrum
Death of the Author
The Default World
Direct Descendant
Geometries of Belonging
Greenglass House
Into the Drowning Deep
Lessons in Magic and Disaster
Lightborne
Navigating the Stars
Nobody's Fool
Ocean's Godori
Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts
The Quantum Thief
Quatrain
The Remembered Soldier
Return to Nevèrÿon
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Snowflake Bentley
The Spear Cuts Through Water
Trainspotting
Terminal Alliance
Thief's Magic
Worn

Books checked out as of 06/10/2026

This list updates as I checkout and return books. Reading is sometimes mentioned in >4 quondame:

The Astral Library
The Axeman's Carnival
The Default World
Evil Genius
Liar City
Lightborne
The Lions of Al-Rassan
The Long List Anthology, Volume 7
The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls
Missing Sam
Mrs. Dalloway
Muse of Nightmares
Navigating the Stars
Nine Goblins
Nobody's Fool
Parties Scenes From Contemporary New York
Quatrain
The Scandalous Letters of V and J
The Signal Flame
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
To Ride a Rising Storm
Trainspotting
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
The Violence
The Wayfinder
Worn

2026 Acquisitions:

260106    Station Eleven
260106    The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
260110    65 Titles Fierce Women Humble Bundle
260206    The Tiger in the House
260215    The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
260227    The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies
260303    Half-Truths and Semi-Miracles
260310    Bereket
260401    The Hands of the Emperor
260423    Darksight Dare
260505    Platform Decay

Italic is for Kindle Unlimited - I may no longer have this on my Kindle.
Bold is for titles new to me - the other's I bought because I want them on my Kindle.
Bold Italic is Audio book

Updates on my fanfic for 2026, tucked away here to be easily ignored, though there may be links back!

In tiny dribbles and dabs I did get a couple of scenes written in January - too literally 1 sentence a day often. Or none. About 1800 words for the month. Most of which will probably go poof under real editing, alas.

260212
I came up with ~660 words of Kip and Navalia risking a bit of trouble to get a look at a party they weren't exactly invited to.

I did a bit of a flash fic bit in response to a despondent Kip suicide fic. When no one want to join Kip in retirement, he doesn't handle it well. I have Vou'a not handle that Kip's choice well. So not fixing anything for him, just forestalling that out. That's pretty much it for February.

(Sorry I almost skipped this, but well, here it is!) I do hope to add more, but perhaps you'll be spared.

260412
869 words on the Old Business, New Business fic, in which Fitzroy seeks Tovo's help.
A Tales by the Fire Discord discussion which arose from a comment I made of what part of the audio HOTE was harder than reading lead to re-threshing what improbably impenetrable blockheads Kip's family and friends are that they are just as dense in the last section of HOTE as they were before he was made Chancellor right in front of them.
Since addressing that denseness - though I don't find it as unlikely as some - was the reason I jumped on the request for a restaurant fic, as it was set while the Household was living in Gorjo City - and I hadn't gotten my agenda portion in shape when the date came to put it on A03 Sept 1, I put up the restaurant portion and then slowly stopped working on it. But even though it's an argument piece, I should still put it out there, if only so I can point to it next time the topic comes up.

260416 35 Song lost (Golden Glazed)

260418 297 of Golden Glaze The walls close in

260421 103 of Golden Glase my name enslaves me

260422 904 of Golden Glaze, inside the tattered man's mind

260424 662 of Golden Glaze, a different version of the view so no progress, just options.

260425 808 of Golden Glaze, skipping past the unpleasantness to something also deeply unpleasant. (I've got 2923 - 215 for quotes, but I had to work to pick them!)
Mostly just blathery options, but some ideas are outing.

260426 1000 of Golden Glaze. Quintus is onto Fitzroy's obsession.

260427 533 of GG Fitzroy back into the tower, more details from heart-stone to bed chamber.

260501 570, Ōtaha. Week one of Come what may challenges. The theme is pirates.
A few days out from the Vangavaye-ve on his long journey home, Kip sees an Ōtaha, frigatebirds attacking a tropicbird to pirate it's catch.

260521 452, Crackship. I kept trying to get Zemius and Pali to sit next to each other at the fanoa-ship bash, but Dora insisted on being the vp character and having other things to observe. So I put them in the Imperial Archives during the Jubalee.
I recalled posting a couple of items for plot-what-plot, but I extracted them from earlier written fics they don't contribute to word count. Though I did edit Tovo's views on his own relationship with Vou'a to be more in his voice.

260527 1483 Song. This is an AU's AU, in which the Empire Falls, but it's a soft fall before Fitzroy becomes emperor. Kip is not doing well. His sister, Navalia, notices. Really, in the last 3-4 days, I've written over 3100, restarting this 2-3 times. I finally gave up on Kip's POV since he kept thinking of the larger situation and various family members, and gave it to Navalia to tell, since she can focus on her baby brother.

260529 103 Filk Friendship Like No Other on Love Like No Other - a day late when I should be doing guess the prompt.

260530 903 901 Anniversary (HOTE Support Group 5th Anniversary Challenge) Kip shares some Palace tradition with Eidora. 260531 I edited a paragraph. It lost words

260603 28 Guess the prompt as a wrap up for "Come what May":
Fitzroy your new verse doesn’t parse
The audience for it is sparse
You must gather your sass
To break this impasse
Or rebrand the whole work as farce

I managed at least one entry for each week.

I don't have more to add now, but maybe I'll think of something.
In any case,

Welcome!

>1 quondame: I want one!

Happy new thread, Susan. xx

Happy new thread, Susan!

Happy New Thread! >1 quondame: I love that photo :D

Happy new thread, Susan!

Of course, I am reading and listening to HOTE - I can't stop myself, lol.

I've added the three most recently published Penric books to reread ahead of the next release. I can always revisit Bujold.

Happy new thread, Susan. I love the topper.

>9 PaulCranswick: Don't we all! Thanks, Paul!

>10 drneutron: Good to see you, Jim!

>11 Narilka: Thank you, Gale.

>12 Dejah_Thoris: I haven't listened any more, but I did send a copy to my friend. She's off feeding reindeer in Finnland and swanning about Paris, but sooner or later she'll be back in her New England home away from all that excitement.

>13 BLBera: I may re-read The Testimony of Mute Things, but don't fancy butting heads with any demonic oxen.

>14 quondame: Thanks for dropping by, Beth.

Arrrgh, I remembered 1066 and All That as sly, light, and breezy. I'm finding it snide and lumpish.
And I had to add a TIOLI challenge just so my slogging reread of Black Wolves wouldn't be "wasted." Might as well drag other sufferers along, but without being too challenging.

Happy New Thread, 🧵, Susan!

>16 vancouverdeb: Thank you, Deborah!

I'm down with a disorienting, rather than a painful, migraine today. It is a bit painful, but the worst is that I can't read, my eyes don't track or work together, and written words don't make sense in groups.
I find I can listen to Hands of the Emperor however.
Cliopher and the other Islanders do speak more rapidly than the courtiers, especially the Emperor.

77) Black Wolves

The reason for April TIOLI Challenge #23: Read a book that has [color][noun] in the title

78) Testimony of Mute Things

Reread for April TIOLI Challenge #19: Read a book with cover artwork that can be considered to belong to the still life genre

It’s not optimal to go to even a quiet party of familiar company while in some sort of migraine disconnect/dissociative state. Nothing uncomfortable happened (well, in giving me a chocolate egg the hostess dropped it on my dress and soft pieces fell while I ate it. I had to button my duster to cover smudges. It wasn’t an egg worth the calories even) but I spent a good part of the afternoon listening to HOTE.

Happy April, Susan. Happy New Thread. Sorry to hear about the migraine disconnect. Not a fun way to spend the holiday weekend. I hope those books offered some company.

I'm sorry that you suffer from migraines. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have only phantom ones. I hope that today saw you feeling a lot better!
Boo for an inferior, messy chocolate egg!

I came by (and Happy New Thread too!) just to say that my copy of Latro in the Mist has come, and I'm happily reading the first book. I'm scattered this month - picking up and putting down, but I hope I can keep him going. Thank you for the recommendation.

>22 msf59: Thanks Mark, good to see you. I'm muddling on. I would like to reconnect a bit, but that'll happen as it happens.

>23 LizzieD: They are very rarely the really painful ones. Possibly because I usually zap them when my eyes de-couple and the medications do work well on the pain portion.

I do hate wasted calories and am out of charity with those who foist them on me. Sometimes that's me, worse luck.

I do hope you enjoy Latro's adventures. Gene Wolfe goes so many different places in such different ways.

79) Terminal Alliance

Meets April TIOLI Challenge 5: Read a book with a birth or death in the title

80) 1066 and All That

Read for April TIOLI Challenge #4: Read a book with a year in the title

Perhaps the migraine has dialed down my tendency to whimsy and dampened my sense of humor. Even so, I recommend against >25 quondame: & >26 quondame:. Especially the former.

Hi Susan! Happy new thread.

>1 quondame: Love the books and sign. Heh. Quarter that gives no quarter.

>21 quondame: It wasn’t an egg worth the calories even. More and more things are not worth the calories to me. I decided to stop eating sweets on March 30th and think I can hold out until my 35th wedding anniversary on the 27th.

I hope you are migraine-less and that you will soon have the wherewithal to … to get up the energy to explain to the medical powers that my back is quiet weak but that I cannot spend any time at all prone without causing a 2-3 day set of spasms from my coccyx to my rib cage. My L3-L5 can relate.

Uh oh. I loved *1066* when first I read it, and I love my students' mish-mash of misinformation too. I don't know that I'll try to read the book again though, and your review tends to support that conclusion.

Wish you a lovely day, Susan!

>28 karenmarie: Great to see you Karen! I'm fine with junk calories of my own choosing, unfortunately.

My head is still a rotation or two from on right. Mild nausea/disorientation. Hints of pain but out of the corners of my eye.

The energy has become a distant goal. At least it's not major pain as long as I keep within the narrow limits. Supine is fine if the bed is correctly positioned and the pillows are in place. Prone, though is a no. And I used to read for hours propped on my elbows. My daughter doesn't appreciate my campaign to get her to stop reading and gaming on her belly.

>29 LizzieD: I loved 1066 as high school student - I believe was my first encounter. Perhaps I was a sophomore.

81) The Hands of the Emperor Audio Book. First listen 10th read.

82) Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander Because when I was done with HOTE I needed more.

Both of these

Meet April TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a work by an author whose first and last initials are from the 13 least commonly used letters of the English alphabet: M, W, F, G, Y, P, B, V, K, J, X, Q, Z

>30 quondame: I'm sorry you're still not feeling well - that's miserable.

>31 quondame: Did you really manage to just listen to HOTE? I couldn't resist reading, too!

>32 Dejah_Thoris: Today is starting a bit better. More sleep, I think.

Yes, I enjoyed listening. At the very first I couldn’t read, and after I was happy being in this story with these favorite characters. In the Gorjo City afternoon sections, Rhodin’s contrasting accent works well with his contrasting attitudes.

83) Blue Sky

Re-read for April TIOLI Challenge #7: Read a book where the word "sky" is in the title

84) A Bear Called Paddington

I'd read and re-read a great many of the books on the list and decided to choose this one I hadn't read before to

Read for April TIOLI Challenge #20: The Young at Heart Challenge: Read a classic children’s book

86) Strange Beasts of China

Meets April TIOLI Challenge #2: Read a 2025 Nebula finalist, or a book that shares a title word of 4 or more letters with a finalist

85) The Game of Courts

87) Petty Treasons

Both of these

Meet April TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a work by an author whose first and last initials are from the 13 least commonly used letters of the English alphabet: M, W, F, G, Y, P, B, V, K, J, X, Q, Z

Yesterday Mike and I celebrated our 39th anniversary with our tangible results(i.e. Becky) by going out once again to Dan Tana's for a very tasty Italian meal. Alas, the lovely outdoor area where we've dined 3 years in a row - at least 3 - is being cleared because permitting has become too costly. The inside of Dan Tana's is close, dark, and very, very, very noisy. Outside it has merely been very, very, noisy. And of course there will be more competition for dining spots. Well, we'll see what next year brings next year.

I have ordered real hearing aids. Took the test online with my airpods and am expecting the arrival of the new one in a week or so.

Maybe I can read enough of Heart the Lover to feel it's worth going to the RL book club tomorrow night.

Hello, Susan! I'm Irene, and I've seen you around the threads for long enough that I decided it was way past time for me to drop by for a visit and introduce myself. I used to read lots of science fiction and fantasy when I was young. I need to get back to it, but somehow haven't found time to fit much in since I retired. Most of what I have read recently have been books for one of my book clubs.

>1 quondame: I love that topper!

>5 quondame: That's quite a list of books you have checked out! Your library seems to be generous with the number of books they allow out at one time. And 87 books read already? Impressive!

I hope you are feeling better and the migraines are gone.

>38 atozgrl: Welcome! I do read a disproportionate amount of F&SF, F mostly these days. I will, of course, push The Hands of the Emperor, but feel safe in doing so since it has many other fans in this group. Or for a smaller bite The Goblin Emperor.

I get books from three libraries and from Hoopla, so while one of the libraries is quite generous, it's not exceedingly so.

I do hope so too! Thank you!

Hi Susan! I'm returning your visit to my thread. I'm sorry you've been under the weather, especially with a migraine. A few people around me tend to have them (both my kids too; my older son seems to get them quite badly) but I've only ever had the one, and that was last century. But you have my sympathy.

Congratulations on your 39th anniversary! We're coming up on our 28th next month - let's see if my husband remembers ;0)

Happy Anniversary, Susan. We will be 37 years next month.

>40 humouress: Ours is also on the 28th. 😊

>40 humouress: Hi Nina! I am feeling significantly better.

>41 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Congratulations - will you be back from Portugal for the anniversary?

88) Heart the Lover

I read this for my RL book club which met tonight. It provided some material for discussion, and was generally considered to be somewhat disappointing.

Meet April TIOLI Challenge #10: Read a book by a female author that has been a finalist for at least two awards in 2025/2026

Happy new thread, Susan. Love the topper. Too bad about the migraines. I used to get those with the pain and all but now I just get ocular ones. Nice not to have the pain but not being able to see is not the greatest.

>44 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg! I have had the breaking head pain type, but not for years - and the Sumatriptan has worked for me so far, but does less for the disorienting and has some disorienting effects itself, I think.

89) Ooku

This looked more interesting than I found it, but the art work is pleasant and the artist has made the main characters more distinct than in other manga, although hair styles remain the strongest identifiers to my eyes.

Meet April TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a work by an author whose first and last initials are from the 13 least commonly used letters of the English alphabet: M, W, F, G, Y, P, B, V, K, J, X, Q, Z

A new Victoria Goddard story came out today:

You can find it at In Lonely Lands for $1.00

>36 quondame: I think I'll skip Strange Beasts of China - thanks for the review. Of course, I'm joining you for the Victoria Goddard novellas.

>37 quondame: Happy belated anniversay!

>47 quondame: I just bought it! In which Challenge are you planning to put it?

>48 Dejah_Thoris: Oh, I hadn't thought of what challenge it might fit - other than all the #11s.
I'm sticking Aurelius (to be Called) Magnus in #6.

Thanks re anniversary.

>49 quondame: Well, I did create that Challenge with Victoria Goddard in mind, but I'm happy to put them anywhere - I'm happy to spread my reading out!

I'll join you in Challenge #6 for Aurelius (to be Called) Magnus.

>47 quondame: Ooh, interesting.

90) Five-Twelfths of Heaven

Meet April TIOLI Challenge #15: Read a book by a queer author

91) Aurelius (to be called) Magnus

Read for April TIOLI Challenge 6: Read a book whose title is the name of one (or more) of the book's characters

92) In Lonely Lands

Victoria Goddard's latest short story

Meet April TIOLI Challenge #11: Read a work by an author whose first and last initials are from the 13 least commonly used letters of the English alphabet: M, W, F, G, Y, P, B, V, K, J, X, Q, Z

Neither Man Nor Dog and The Sign of the Dragon are proving to be hard for me to get through. The former is very full masculinity, mostly toxic masculinity. I may have read the two thieves story before, or someone else did something very, very close. It was a story I remembered with different details, but the same punch.
Twelve Months is going back to the library before I can finish it, so I've restarted When Tides held the Moon.

My hearing aids arrived today. The world is very crackly. I suspect there are adjustments for that which I may meet tomorrow.

93) Terec and the Wild

Well I did slip this one in.

Meets April TIOLI Challenge #6: Read a book whose title is the name of one (or more) of the book's characters

>55 quondame: I've thought about reading When Tides Held the Moon, but I haven't quite gotten there yet. I'll be very curious to learn what you think of it.

>57 Dejah_Thoris: Currently I'm thinking it's way too drawn out, and I'm not seeing enough of 1911 Coney Island, for all the time we're spending there.

94) The Sign of the Dragon

This was the April choice for the HOTE Support Group book club.

Meets April TIOLI Challenge #3: Read a book for the rolling FANBOYS conjunction challenge

Retail therapy has been somewhat successful. I ordered a new folding recliner that is not only wider than the one I'm trying to replace, but also holds it's positions without engaging lock. The last one I tried only had three positions in which it would lock, and the lock ways hostile to my hands. It went back.

I'm not sure about the new keyboard/case for my iPad mini. It didn't sync out of the box so it's sitting in the corner charging and will be given a second chance in a couple of hours. This is the 4th keyboard for this iPad. 2 of one model type died due to spills, and one had sharp edges, totally disqualifying it.

I have not fully engaged with my new hearing aids. I've worn them yes, but we had a disagreement about how they handle audio books and another about phone etiquette, and I'm not up to RTFM yesterday, today, or probably tomorrow, and as for consulting with the supplier - argh!

Mike got the new keyboard working! The trick is that it doesn’t answer to keyboard but to its brand name. It’s lighter than the one that just broke, and a bit slimmer, so yay!

95) When Tides Held the Moon

Meets April TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book with a title that includes at least one of these words, “what, when, where, why, or whose"

96) Pageboy .25

Read for April TIOLI Challenge #1: Read a nonfiction book about a living person whose name you currently see in the news

Darksight Dare, the new Penric & Desdemona came out today!

>64 quondame: Woo hoo!

Now I just have to wait for the omnibus edition to be printed.

HI Susan! Happy Friday to you.

>30 quondame: Ah yes. Energy a distant goal. I’m learning to keep within narrow limits. It’s a rather emotionally painful process.

>37 quondame: Congrats on your 39th wedding anniversary! I love it – your tangible result. My 35th anniversary is this coming Monday the 27th. My tangible result is now 3 time zones away, as I’ve unhappily mentioned since last August, but her married happiness trumps her being in NC.

>43 quondame: Ooh. “Sam, felt as real as finals. “ Good one. And I love the idea of rating the level of manipulation by the author.

>60 quondame: is the new folding recliner zero gravity?

Hooray for the new keyboard!

>64 quondame: And woohoo!!!!! Are you going to read it right away? Ugh - I have so many books to finish this month that I really ought to wait until May. That said, I'd like to have the shared read with you, so I can manage whatever. :)

>63 quondame: And speaking of shared reads, I have Pageboy checked out from the library, but I've been somewhat unmotivated to pick it up. I'm not certain your review helped that, lol.

>62 quondame: I am, however, now certain I'll pass on When the Tides Held the Moon. Thanks.

>65 humouress: If you've been waiting on earlier ones, they just about ready!

>66 karenmarie: It horrid having to let them out of the house. I feel a bit like a saboteur for having made such a comfy landing spot for mine, and now she and her father are getting quotes on building her a place behind our house. Pylons have been mentioned.

The new recliner has claimed it's zero gravity, which setting works for my bed but not my motorized recliner. I like that the new one stays comfortably stable wherever I've found to stop it.

>67 Dejah_Thoris: I delayed some hours - I was in the middle of a great HOTE fanfic Touch in which the Emperor grabs Kip, not Ludvic, with very different consequences.
But I have read it now, see below.

Neither Pageboy nor When the Tides Held the Moon were bad, just I'd recommend them less widely that books that felt less targeted or had still hit square even though I wasn't the target.

97) Darksight Dare

Meets April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #13: Read a book about helping people through death.
One person gets help with a problem which will be caused by their death and another gets help 'through' a death.

>68 quondame: I still may get to Pageboy this month - it's been on my TBR since it came out.

I'll read Darksight Dare tonight - yay!

98) Escape Goat

Read for April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #12: Read a book by an author featured in the 2017 American Authors challenge

>70 Dejah_Thoris: I hope you enjoyed Darksight Dare!

99) The Library Dragon

Read for April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #21: Read a book set in a library

>72 quondame: I did - it was lovely!

>68 quondame: You do not need to be tempting me with FanFic! Especially given that each time I've read HOTE, I found it jarring that it wasn't Kip that His Radiancy ended up holding on to.

>74 Dejah_Thoris: His Radiancy absolutely wanted to grab Kip hard - he just also wanted to protect Kip and we know Kip is thick with HR's magic.

There are a series of HOTE fics set before and after Cliopher comes to the attention of His Radiancy that are both brilliant and canon compliant, so if your are ever desperate for a fix: Embers is the basic work, when Cliopher has returned to Solaara, and also the name of the series of works, Hands to the Wheel, being the other major one which is Cliopher as Secretary.

And, of interest to no one but me, a doll I'd been searching for for some years finally showed up on eBay, and at a pretty decent price. The lowest I'd seen myself and about 1/3 of the highest I'd seen one sell for. It's a version of Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden. Do I have 4 other versions? Well, maybe, but this one has nicer hair and I like the dress better.

>76 quondame: I am glad you found your coveted doll, Susan. She looks cute! How is it going with the new hearing aid ?

>71 quondame: That does sound fun. I love the title.

>76 quondame: I'm happy you found her!

(Psst - the following is 100% greed and can be skipped to save soul skid marks)

>77 vancouverdeb: It's always fun when the daily search turns up something that's really truly been on a want list for years! Of course the list itself isn't more than 5 years old, but hey. The bad part is that 2 other fairly rare items turned up as well, and a place I'd been hoping to get a number of items from is going out of business with a final sale. So some items will remain out of reach unless the show up on eBay at a price within my reach - and one reason I haven't ordered them years back is that they were too pricey, nor do they often sell for less than original price. I have a few that got put up for bid without accurate descriptions, it can happen, but it's rare.

The hearing aids and I are OK, but the verdict is still out. I've adjusted to a few quirks but don't feel enough brain to read through all the material or do a video call. Later, but I'm just not feeling it.

>78 BLBera: Fun it is!

>79 Dejah_Thoris: See above. This makes my 3rd 8" version of Mary Lennox - and the only one that doesn't have that stupid Madame Alexander 1950s glue stiffened bob that is basic equipment. I haven't every liked it - my 1960 8" MA doll had long red saran hair, which was in every way preferable, and a thin smile, not a pursey lipped mouth.

Well, there's one more very very limited edition Mary Lennox 8" in a pink dress that I have seen for sale exactly once. It disappeared as I was looking at the listing, so there went that chance. But these aren't at all one of a kind, so maybe before I die or run out of spending money.

100) The Assassins of Thasalon

Re-read for April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #22: Read a book that starts with the letter A (first words)

101) The Shape of Me and Other Stuff

Read for April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #17: Read a book with a bird in the title or on the cover

>46 quondame: I've now read 5 of the Ooku manga though each time I pick one up I wonder if I want to continue. I'm enjoying the political side of the story and least like the continual effort to produce an heir. I like the art and especially like the covers. I should read some proper historical fiction from those times instead of this alternate world.

I keep losing your thread, I star it and then it still disappears and I find that I must have double-clicked on the star. Anyway I've read through your threads so am up to date. I now have a pressing desire to read Victoria Goddard.

eta: I'm currently reading The Trick to Time about a woman who makes dolls to order. It's rather sad book but thought I'd mention it.

>83 avatiakh: I hope I can stay found for you now. I do enjoy visits. Ooku was so 180 from what I was expecting that I’d have to retro fit to what its author intended.

The Trick to Time does sound sad - Kit de Waal has been mentioned in 75bpy more than once recently and I was getting curious. I find something just left of center about dolls and especially my own obsession. I am easily creeped out by many dolls faces and keep mostly to ones I acclimatized to as a child, but as some of those have creeped out my daughter - well I guess any stiff little face could be a trigger.

In response to >161 quondame: karenmarie the discourse that needn't clog her thread:

My smiling rather more intensely than my face found comfortable!

At least after the terror of walking down the aisle “You don’t have to hold so tightly!” from my father & and the judge pausing and saying something about breathing. I’d had to organize the whole thing with a pre wedding party in the early afternoon for my hometown guests and there was a hairdresser who “fit in” a client ahead of me. Nope, no serene bride me. Stressed a bit. I cannot now imagine how all the things I know happened that day fit into less than 18 hrs - I seem to recall 3 days of incident. The uninvited friend of my mother-in-law who smoked at a nonsmoking venue, for instance. Oh, and Mike spent the 2+ hrs just before the ceremony driving from Pasadena to Santa Monica to Pasadena to get the forgotten marriage license.

My dress was astoundingly inexpensive. Heavy sari silk made by a custom wedding seamstress who I knew from my Regency dance group and was a master costumer. She had done 5 other gowns - or 4 gowns and co-tailored the riding habit for me.

102) The Impossible Fortune

More evidence that my sense of humor is sluggish and much harder to arouse than I recall, worn thin and, well, denervated. I noticed where the choices in dialog and reflection were meant to be humorous and I was just unhumored.

Meets April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #14: Read a book from or inspired by something on my wishlist

>85 quondame: I'm sorry it was such a stressful day, but you - and your dress! - look beautiful.

>87 Dejah_Thoris: I can only say that I went into it knowing it was a family event, with a profound understanding that the distinction between a family event and a disaster is not sharp. There were small children, they caused no problems.

There was my attendant who didn't think to bring a bra or an alternative to Birkenstock sandals. She's was a sweetie beloved of all, and you never know who can come up with a spare bra and some ballet flats, even if the toes need to be tissue stuffed.
There was my husband's generation older cousin who berated him for his choice of popular music rather than the classical music his pianist once removed cousin, her daughter, could have scored the event with.
There was Mike's Lubavitch brother who loudly couldn't eat anything we served.
There was my Mother-in-law to whom the universal reaction was - I didn't believe it was as bad as you warned us - 10 minutes and I wanted to cut my own throat. (Fortunately she lived in Honolulu and it was Mike's, and later Becky's task to visit each year for her birthday.)
There was my sister-in-law who hadn't wanted the expense of flying a family of four (this was before my elder brother joined the 1% and dumped her for Gale Hayman) and did not once greet me. Not to mention my teen niece and nephew who were stoned out of their minds. My sister's two, at 5 & 7 were darling flower girls.
Oh, and my younger brother, who had agreed to help with the hall set up, made conflicting plans with my sister to visit her brother-in-law and had to be brutally guilt-tripped into stapling the ribbon swags on the walls. I think he was also tasked later with picking up all the food from Burger Continental - eastern Mediterranean food - and laying it out for the buffet. Many of the guest were part of our F&SF + Regency groups and that was a common dining spot for our local convention at the time.

For my own part, I set about a half dozen of my former boyfriends up to be the ushers. I am a member of my family, it must be noted.

Which, considering some of the drunken blowups I'd witnessed growing up, was getting off light. Really light. Of course I did get negged for not serving alcohol, but you've got to know where to draw lines with family.

Thank you for the dress appreciation!

>85 quondame: That is a lovely picture of your wedding day, Susan! Talk about inexpensive wedding dresses, I bought mine off the rack. I think it was about $350, but then that was nearly 43 years ago.

>89 vancouverdeb: Though not quite so long ago, I'm sure mine was less than $350, more like $250 and I had to bully her to get her price up. The silk was a gift from my sister. I think letting Victoria design the dress and limiting my input to answering her questions, got on her good side. I did have to have the nerve to not pick up the dress until 2 days before the event, as I was familiar with her loose grasp of time.

>88 quondame: What an event! I hope it's possible for you to laugh about it at this remove. :)

Holy Moly, Susan! That was some wedding - and you and MIke are still together!!!!! I thought my college roommate's wedding was the worst, mostly because of her MiL. They divorced after three children, and Betti and her oldest child have since died.

In the first place, the MiL arrived from across the state with the wedding gifts from the groom's friends. She had opened them, written thank-you notes, and exchanged what she didn't like for something she thought Betti would find more useful. Betti told her to enjoy them.
She said to her son in front of the whole party, "We want you home for Christmas, dear. We know that Betti will want to spend Christmas with her folks." Betti had a response for that too.
At that time my friends called me P.A. She called me P.U. all weekend.
Eventually, her husband said in front of the whole party, "Shut up, Jean. You're not the bride."
And so it went.

Your dress was lovely and so were you! I had the cheapest, most precious dress of all. My mama made it of white velvet for our December 26th wedding with our immediate families. It was street length, which in 1970 meant above the knee.

>91 Dejah_Thoris: That was me laughing. I guess my humor is a bit dry.

>92 LizzieD: Yeah, it wasn't at the wedding that Mike's mom told me some apocryphal really nasty stories about him - it was the evening before the wedding. She mostly avoided me on the day, thank goodness. I hope Betti's MIL managed to estrange all her grandchildren. It took about 12 years for Becky to come home from Hawai'i and with a good understanding of why I wouldn't go (I did go once with baby Becky and once when she was 14 and she'd be an ally.)

Thanks re the dress. Having your mother at your wedding is a privilege - or should be - and having her make a dress is wonderful.

Today's drama was missing glasses. I couldn't find them when I got out of bed and Mike tore through piles and piles of stuff without finding them. 3 hr. later they were where I thought I'd already looked, and Mike had overlooked. Even my computer glasses proved elusive until about 5 min before I found my bifocals. At least he got to complain a lot about stuff, which he enjoys.

>93 quondame: I was hoping it w laughter!

I lose reading glasses all the time. I've finally given up and simple bought a dozen pairs. Between my work bag and places where I try to keep a pair stashed, I'm usually not without for too long. Sadly, I realize this is not possible with other glasses!

Headphones are something else I lose. I love bone conduction headphones, and a while back I lost a set. Fortuntely, I had realized it was only a matter of time before that would happen, and had picked up a backup pair on sale. I still haven't found them, lol.

I'm glad Mike got to enjoy the process!

>94 Dejah_Thoris: At least with lost head phones it's possible to make them give away their location with a find app. My daughter's used that twice recently.

I'm close to blind without my glasses, and they have complicated prisms and unusually small interpupillary distance, making getting new ones both time consuming and expensive. Oh, and always requires yet another eye exam.

103) Understood Betsy

Read for April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #18: Read a book which contains 50 or more words in the first sentence

104) Trustee from the Toolroom

Read for April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #16: First Quarter Catchup - Read a book that you listed in a previous 2026 TIOLI challenge

>85 quondame: The dress is gorgeous and your account of the wedding is great; you should write a book.

>98 BLBera: Thank you!
Of course, like many I'd love to have written a book, but balk at the writing.

105) Automatic Noodle

Meets April TIOLI Challenge Challenge #2: Read a 2025 Nebula finalist, or a book that shares a title word of 4 or more letters with a finalist

>85 quondame: You look absolutely beautiful :)

>101 Narilka: Thank you!

106) Neither Man nor Dog

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #1: Read a book with a title which includes JUST ONE four-legged animal or TWO two-legged animals

Checking in on you, Susan! I very much enjoy Nevil Shute's books and recently read Trustee from the Toolroom too.

Have a wonderful weekend!

>104 alcottacre: Two Nevil Shute books this year is quite enough. He's too distanced from his characters. Maybe in a year or two I'll try something else. I've no desire to go back to On the Beach which I read when the cold war was still freezing.

107) Twelve Months

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #19: Read a book where the verb to be is used in the firsts sentence

108) Saffron Ice Cream

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #10: Read a book where the author is from or the setting is placed in a state that borders the book above

109) Long Story Short

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #21: Read a book with the surname of a Post War UK Prime Minister in the title or written by an author with the same surname

110) Ocean's Godori

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #13: Read a book with a title word or author's name starting with F E R G U S, in that order

>105 quondame: I am sorry to hear that Shute is not an author for you - I have some of those too - but luckily, there are a lot more authors out there.

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

>110 alcottacre: It's hard to keep tripping over mid-20th cent books that used to be fine for who I was, but just hit wrong for who I am. The 19th century and earlier doesn't suffer in the same way, as we always knew they weren't enlightened as we were sure we were. Possibly it's facing how off my ideas were that creates discomfort.

But there are so many 21st cent books I am enjoying! I'm sure some of them will scandalize the next generations.

>111 quondame: I'm sure some of them will scandalize the next generations. Oh I am sure they will!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Susan!

>112 alcottacre: I'm always mildly amused-surprised when people significantly younger than I am talk about their grandmother(s) being shocked by something. Hell, my grandmothers lived through some pretty shocking times, personal, community and political themselves - or in the case of my maternal gm didn't live through them.

Really, they knew their eggs, whole and smashed - smashed a few themselves. And I lived through the 60s and 70s, and well, if I don't remember everything, I do remember living through them. Still, I've learned plenty in the last decade and hope to learn more. I'm just not claiming any innocence, injured or other.

111) Platform Decay

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #6: Read a book from a series with 7 or more works (books, novellas, short stories, etc.)

>109 quondame: Oh, dear 0 I was thinking of joining you for this one because I picked it up on sale a while back. Maybe not, lol.

>115 Dejah_Thoris: It's deeply average, and takes a further dive because the author has not picked up on any of the customary adaptions of sea-faring language to space opera, and needed to make piloting work like driving.

112) Playing God

This was recommended by a good friend who has made other suggestions that weren't my thing, but mentioned liking Martha Wells in the same conversation as Sarah Zettel. Her alien sociology is good, but this one is mostly politics and fighting.

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #5: Read a book that has a Q or a Z in the title or the author's name

I hope to get the new Murderbot soon!

>117 quondame: And this is yet another book/author I've been meaning to get to. Thank goodness there are people on LT to remind me of books I've already purchased, lol.

>118 BLBera: It's a good outing.

>119 Dejah_Thoris: LT is such a good mine, some of the veins threads are so rich as reminders or new treasure!

113) Mira's Last Dance



Perhaps the lightest of the Penric books, all the urgency is pending or mistaken as Penric continues to accompany the fleeing Cedonian ex-general and his widowed sister, and manages to further complicate his relationship with the latter by the ruse of passing as the courtesan Mira, one of Desdemona's former riders.
isn't working for this one.

Re-read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #7: Read a book that has the words Dance, Dances, Dancing or Danced in the title

114) Provenance

I'm re-reading this for my RL book club which meets tomorrow night.

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #2: Read a book by a woman about a woman or women

I may have gone to the wrong library to return the book I started with, but I did pick up a book each from two other libraries. This is my 2nd day this week putting on pants and getting out of the house. Yesterday was the book club. We met at a cutsie neighborhood market/deli with outside seating. It was convenient that Provenance didn't provide all that much to talk about because the place closed down at 8:30PM instead of the web-site stated 9PM. But there was good, quiet space.

115) Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #3: The “Fancy Nancy” Challenge: Read a book in which either the author’s name or a character in the book has the name Nancy

116) Angel with the Sword

I saw @DisassemblyOfReason had entered this and, well, it's been sitting on the bookshelf in my bedroom for decades....

I'd probably rate it higher if I wasn't in the midst of young woman involved in big trouble does better than any supporting evidence allows:
The Poet Empress
Provenance
and though this is an older woman
Playing God
Whoa, all starting with "P"!

Re-read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #11: May-d to last - Read a book published before the year 2000

Dropping by for a flying visit, Susan.

>76 quondame: Congratulations!

>85 quondame: Lovely photo.

MiLs; 'nuff said (more than enough, actually).

>126 humouress: Hi Nina! Good to see you! Thanks.

>88 quondame: I totally enjoyed hearing about your wedding. I loved the comment about not serving alcohol and drawing the line with family! Both my father's and mother's side of the family had their share of heavy drinkers. Like you, my reception was alcohol free. My uncle, on my mother's side, also had some wicked behavior issues. Case in point, he tried to blow up a picnic table with a match at a July 4th picnic.

And, I also very much liked your gown!

>128 Whisper1: I like a bang as much as anyone on the 4th, but not in the middle of the dinner table!

Thanks, Linda!

You have a wonderful sense of humor! I laughed right out loud.

>130 Whisper1: ;)

117) Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #3: The “Fancy Nancy” Challenge: Read a book in which either the author’s name or a character in the book has the name Nancy

118) Theres a Wocket in My Pocket

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #15: Read a book with two words that rhyme in the title

119) Tuyo

I re-read this because my other reading just isn't feeling good, and I need some story to pull me through to my happy reading place. It happens that it

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #23: Read a book with a title referring to, but not naming, a person

120) Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #18: Read a book that is considered (or you consider) a classic you've never read before. Must have been published in 1970 or before.

121) The World in a Second

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #17: Read a book translated from Portuguese or by a writer born in a CPLP country (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)

That was a bit of catching up to myself. I'm reading other books and just working through the short ones I've collected, and diverting myself. Yesterday I got out twice, once to restock from Peet's coffee and once for the library and deli in Santa Monica.

The Barrakee Mystery is more than just a little racist. It is pretty about and dripping racism.

Meridian, also includes racism, but entirely differently.

122) Meridian

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #12: Read a book by an author featured in the 2018 American Authors challenge

Susan, I very much like your comment, "but it is more a pile of matted string than a whole cloth."

Your reading a lot of books. It's good to see the illustrated books that you've read. I've learned a lot from this medium.

123) The Barrakee Mystery

I read a few of Arthur Upfield's Napoleon Bonaparte mysteries in the 60s, but I don't know if this was one of them. If it was, my father and I were severely lacking in our taste and morals. I originally selected it for an antipodean challenge but it

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #4: Read a book that somewhere on the front or back cover states that it is a mystery or a detective story, but from an author you haven’t read in the last 2 years or ever

>139 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. I know Alice Walker was an accomplished writer, but Meridian is an earlier and less composed work.

My daughter still has shelves of books from childhood, and I raid them pretty much every month. Though Fancy Nancy was after her time and The World In A Second was another library extraction.

>122 quondame: I really need to get to Ann Leckie at some point!

>134 quondame: That one is already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again. Thanks for the reminder.

Have a marvelous Monday, Susan!

>142 alcottacre: Ann Leckie can astound. I've enjoyed all her books.
Rachel Neumeier is a good storyteller and grand world builder - especially the Tuyo series which has 12 entries since 2020. A couple of those are short, but there are more long books in Tuyo than short.

123) The Bone Harp

Re-read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #22: Read a book with a title of at least 3 words, from which one letter from each word (taken consecutively) can spell a word of at least 3 letters

>143 quondame: I own Leckie's Ancillary Justice, I just have not managed to get it read.

Unfortunately for me, I cannot get Neumeier's books from either my local library or Hoopla, so I have to look further afield.

>145 alcottacre: Many of Neumeier’s books, including the Tuyo series are Kindle Unlimited. Her Newsletter is free and she includes chapters of shorter works as she writes them. So far, her Patreon has sent out entire novels about a week before publication. If you at all enjoy her world(s) or characters, her straightforward writing style makes them flowing reads.

124) Olivetti

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #14: Read a book about a family tragedy

125) KINO and the KING

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #16: Read a book that either takes place in Hawai'i or has a word which signifies aloha spirit in the title (love, compassion, peace, and respect, kindness or empathy)

Hi Susan, I was looking for your thread, but couldn’t find it. I had starred it, but the star had disappeared. Anyway, I found you again.
Lots of recommendations I will be looking for.
Rereading can be dangerous and disappointing. I did a reread of Bujold’s Barrayar series, though, and liked it a lot again. Some of the books I loved when I was young had better stay memories now.

>146 quondame: Nice to know! Thanks for the info, Susan.

Have a fantastic Friday!

>149 EllaTim: Yes, the suck fairy finds easy prey in works I read in my teens and twenties. In my thirties I occasionally recognized problematic content and deficient style.

Bujold's books quickly became favorites, and have never entirely left my re-read cycles.

Right now I'd say I'm having more of misses than hits, and the hits are more often re-reads, so they've lost some of the impact.

>150 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia!

>151 quondame: Yes, finding a real hit, a wonderful new author, is becoming more rare, so a real joy when it happens. I can’t say the other books I read are misses, though, just not as absorbing for me.

>152 EllaTim: I was just thinking how many wonderful new authors were on my reading schedule, but my feeling for the newness of an author is a bit off. Still, in the last 5 years there’s Victoria Goddard and Rachel Neumeier - and Natasha Pulley hasn’t been known to me that much longer. And of course, Martha Wells, Becky Chambers, Ann Leckie, Katherine Arden, Katherine Addison, Nghi Vo, and T. Kingfisher aren’t authors of my youth or middle age really.

126) Tarashana

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #23: Read a book with a title referring to, but not naming, a person

127) What Stalks the Deep

I got a Hugo ballot complementary copy so this one I was able to

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #9: Read a current Hugo finalist or a previous Hugo winner

>144 quondame:. HI Sue, I very much enjoyed your review of The Bone Harp. My local library usually has the books I look forward to reading. They are closed this weekend because of the holiday. I'll head there on Monday to see if I can obtain a copy.

This thread is a joy to behold. I'll be back again to spend more time here.

>153 quondame: That’s a list of authors I like as well. All found through LT, and your thread contributed.

>156 Whisper1: I hope you enjoy it. Goddard is so good at deep dives into damaged characters and worlds while not abrading the reader on the sharp edges of either.

I do love that the library is always open for e-books!

Thank you!

>157 EllaTim: In this group, I'm a relative new comer, and Goddard & Neumeier are the only ones of those authors I've first read since joining. I may have found Goddard here first, but FB is more likely. I know I found Neumeier through the Discord HOTE Support Group.

Robert Jackson Bennett is another new author for this decade. I'm pretty sure I first read Foundryside before joining LT, but that one didn't make him an author to follow. But The Divine Cities I think I did learn about on LT, though maybe via The Green Dragon.

128) Lisig

The final chapters and epilog were included in today's Rachel Neumeier Patreon bulletin. It may be released as a short sometime in June or included in a compendium at the end of the year. Possibly both. Rachel said she had to edit out almost all the interactions with women in Bereket so she set out to write about the young woman from Tano's original tribe who is mentioned only in one scene of that book.

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #2: Read a book by a woman about a woman or women

I enjoyed Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, when I was young , Susan. Glad you did too.

129) Tasmakat

Well, I was re-reading the series, so why stop?

>160 vancouverdeb: Hmm, I didn’t, though I could go so far as to say I appreciated what it was doing. I would have hated it as a preteen totally skwiked by my body and desperately clinging to any shred of privacy.

130) The Rachel Incident

This was suggested, but not chosen, by my RL book club. If it comes up again, I won't recommend it at all.

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #20: Read a book set in Republic of Ireland or United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales)

I thought I'd get a bit more done today, or at least read. But, there was a fic challenge and I had a wee idea. 900 words shouldn't take 3 hours to get close to right, but somehow...
Still, I did in.

131) The Far Traveler

Read for May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #8: Read a book featuring Vikings

132) The Poet Empress

This book was the May selection for HOTE Support Group book club. It

Meets May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #23: Read a book with a title referring to, but not naming, a person

131 books already!! Wow. I am so far behind it would take me forever to read all your posts, let alone the books. LOL. I'll try to keep up a little better. : )

>167 Berly: Hi Kim! It's good to see you active on LT again. My keeping up has been more skimming than diving for some months now, but I've been hanging in.
It hasn't been a stellar year for reading so far, but there are some new books that have been enjoyable.

133) Unnatural Magic

I started this for a 'U' in May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #13: Read a book with a title word or author's name starting with F E R G U S, in that order, but since that didn't work out I'm glad it

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #2: Read a book with a mountain on the cover, and/or ‘mountain’, the name of a mountain, or the name of a mountain range in the title

>166 quondame: >169 quondame: Umm....That would be #132 and #133 I think. : )

>170 Berly: You're right, of course.

Just didn't want you to undercut your amazingness!

Stopping by to say hi, Susan.

>172 Berly: Aw, gosh.

>173 vancouverdeb: Good to see you, Deborah!

134) A Long and Speaking Silence

This one would have made an awesome 'again' in May TIOLI Challenge Challenge #22: Read a book with a title of at least 3 words, from which one letter from each word (taken consecutively) can spell a word of at least 3 letters

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #7: Read a book by an author you've read at least three times before

135) Waking the Rainbow Dragon

OK, my daughter couldn't find her copy of The Rainbow Fish so I

Read for June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #5: Read a book with a rainbow or the word "rainbow" on the cover.

136) The Fourth Princess

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #8: Read a book with a word from a Marvel Cinematic Universe work in the title

>169 quondame: I'm intrigued. I'll look out for it on Overdrive/ Libby.

>117 quondame: I really liked The Fourth Princess, but you know the saying, your mileage may vary, Susan.

>178 humouress: It's just different enough to be worth the time.

>179 vancouverdeb: Does it ever. It looked interesting from the description, but for me it did not deliver.

136) Radiant Star

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #9: Read a book that has a 3.5+ rating and 15 or fewer reviews here on Library Thing

137) Translation State

Maybe reading so many of Ann Leckie's books with vp characters who weren't a good fit in the family they were raised in makes some common trends a bit obvious.

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #13: Read a book that matches a category on the 2026 Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo Card

Today just didn't. I woke late and think I have the mildest of migraine symptoms, just general offness.
I managed to get to book club, but hadn't re-read the selection thinking it was a book I remembered a good deal of. It wasn't.
Lovely weather for sitting on an outdoor patio though.

>183 quondame: Sorry you are feeling off today, Susan. I hope the migraine is gone soon. Let's hope tomorrow you are feeling much better.

I hope today is a better day, Susan.

>184 vancouverdeb: >185 BLBera: I'm going on my 3rd off day in a row. Grumble, grumble. Well, I've an apportionment with my PCP on the 19th.

Thanks for the good wishes!

138) The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

This was the selection for my RL book club. Unfortunately, though I'd read it, I had 100% forgotten it. I'd also mistaken it for the book where a young woman repeatedly tries to assassinate Hitler in redo's. So I had only the briefest refreshes when I went to the meeting, because I'd been reading Translation State to make up for my disappointment in Radiant Star

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #6: Read a book with a number in the title, but not a date

139) The Unicorn Hunters

I've loved a numer of Katherine Arden's books. Not this one. But, faint though it is there is a rainbow in the unicorn's mane so it

Meets June TIOLI Challenge Challenge #5: Read a book with a rainbow or the word "rainbow" on the cover.