souloftherose's 2021 reading for comfort

Discussie75 Books Challenge for 2021

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souloftherose's 2021 reading for comfort

1souloftherose
jan 2, 2021, 8:44 am

I’m Heather and this is my 12th(!) year in the 75 Book Challenge Group. I will be 40 this year and I live in a small town to the northwest of London in the United Kingdom with my husband. As of December 2020 we've adopted an older rescue dog - a 14 year old lurcher called Tink.

I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction (including children's/young adult books) and last year discovered romance novels were often very comforting. I expect 2021 will be more of the same.

Here is Tink attempting to colonise as many blankets as possible on the floor whilst we sat on the sofa (so far no attempts to get on the sofa with us but I'm not sure if he's not feeling brave enough yet or his back legs are no longer up to it).

2souloftherose
Bewerkt: nov 24, 2021, 11:18 am

Last year I subscribed to the Goldsboro Books monthly science fiction and fantasy book club which kicked off in April 2020. It feels very indulgent but has been lovely to get a signed, limited edition delivered each month since then. (Website here in case I am book-tempting anyone else https://www.goldsborobooks.com/gsff)

I'm going to list the books here and strike through when I've read them (I was on track until June last year and then work got more stressful again).

April 2020: Goldilocks by Laura Lam
May 2020: Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee
June 2020: A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry
July 2020: The Story of Silence by Alex Myers
August 2020: The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
September 2020: The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart
October 2020: Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler
November 2020: The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens
December 2020: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
January 2021: Star Wars: The High Republic - Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
February 2021: The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu
March 2021: The Shadow in the Glass by JJA Harwood
April 2021: Sistersong by Lucy Holland
May 2021: Threadneedle by Cari Thomas
June 2021: Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
July 2021: The Gauntlet and the Fist Beneath by Ian Green
August 2021: The Hand of the Sun King by J. T. Greathouse
September 2021: Among Thieves by M. J. Kuhn
October 2021: The Actual Star by Monica Byrne
November 2021: All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman

3souloftherose
Bewerkt: nov 22, 2021, 3:56 am

Pre-ordered for 2021

I'm not going to track all book acquisitions but listing here the books I have already pre-ordered - maybe to act as reminder that I already have a lot of books on order and don't need to order more...? But also because looking at the list of books I'm looking forward to makes me feel happy.

Release dates are the UK dates (I know Black Sun came out in the US in 2020)

Jan 21: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Jan 21: The Expert System's Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Feb 21: Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
Feb 21: Soulstar by C. L. Polk
Feb 21: A Still Life by Josie George
Feb 21: The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
Feb 21: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K. J. Charles
Mar 21: Act Your Age Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Feb 21: The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
Mar 21: The Unbroken by C. L. Clark
Apr 21: The Midnight Bargain by C. L. Polk
Apr 21: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
May 21: Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall
May 21: Star Trek: Discovery: Wonderlands by Una McCormack
May 21: The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
Jun 21: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Jun 21: The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Jun 21: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
Jun 21: The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Jun 21: Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
Jun 21: Subtle Blood by KJ Charles
Jul 21: The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
Jul 21: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Jul 21: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Oct 21: Longshadow by Olivia Atwater
Oct 21: All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Oct 21: Blood of the Chosen by Django Wexler
Nov 21: The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks by Mackenzi Lee

Still to come:

I'd like to say that otherwise I will focus on reading books I already own etc but I'm sure lots of other books will somehow slip onto my kindle/bookshop order.

4souloftherose
Bewerkt: jan 2, 2021, 9:01 am

Something else which kept me going through 2020 was crocheting a blanket! I started this one in 2017 but it was very much a stop/start project for a couple of years as I was making it for myself and it's modular so very easy to put down when I decided to switch projects. When the first UK lockdown happened in March I decided I would focus on finishing this blanket and I finished it in October. (You can see Tink lying on the edge of it in my first post).

I loved making this - it uses about 12 or 13 different square patterns with roughly 3 of each square but makes them all look different by changing the colour order which was really interesting to see. It was also the first project where I made my own colour palette (rather than using the designer suggested colours). This was my fifth crochet blanket but definitely the most complex one I've made.

It's shown below on our king-size double bed. Currently in use as my sofa blanket (I have a different blanket on my bed)



Project details (pattern and colours etc) as well as more photos on my ravelry project page:

https://www.ravelry.com/projects/souloftherose/nuts-about-squares-cal

5DianaNL
jan 2, 2021, 8:55 am

Best wishes for a better 2021!

6souloftherose
jan 2, 2021, 9:34 am

>5 DianaNL: Thank you Diana! And wishing the same to you!

7Crazymamie
jan 2, 2021, 9:44 am

Heather, I am so happy that you have decided to start a thread. And your blanket is full of gorgeous! Just stunning. I love the colors you chose to use. Tink looks very at home on the blankets up top.

8drneutron
jan 2, 2021, 10:19 am

Welcome back! The blanket’s beautiful!

9Carmenere
jan 2, 2021, 10:32 am

Yeah! I'm happy you and Tink decided to join us this year!
Your work is beautiful! A lockdown well spent.
Anyway, happy new year and happy reading!

10MickyFine
jan 2, 2021, 10:45 am

Happy to see you started a 2021 thread, Heather! Looks like you've got some great reads to look forward to and I love the crochet blanket. After I finish my current cross-stitch project, I'll be moving on to a corner-to-corner crochet blanket. I've got the yarn already and I'm pretty excited to start on it. Are you doing another crochet project?

11lauralkeet
jan 2, 2021, 11:29 am

Happy New Year, Heather. That blanket is amazing. The patterns are so intricate and they all go together so well. Congratulations on finishing a long-term project!

12CDVicarage
jan 2, 2021, 11:55 am

Lovely to see you back, Heather, and that blanket is amazing!

13thornton37814
jan 2, 2021, 12:10 pm

What a beautiful blanket! Hope you have a great year of reading!

14scaifea
jan 2, 2021, 12:38 pm

Tink is adorable, and that blanket is so beautiful and impressive! I love it!

15ronincats
jan 2, 2021, 12:43 pm

Dropping off my and wishing you the best of new years in 2021!

I love your blanket!!

16HanGerg
jan 2, 2021, 2:17 pm

So glad you made a new thread! Love Tink, love the blanket, love you! Your list of pre-orders is pretty awesome too - I'm mighty tempted by several of those and will have to check out all the unfamiliar ones too. Happy 2021! May it bring us much more of what we like, or at least, can deal with! xx

17katiekrug
jan 2, 2021, 3:31 pm

Happy new year, Heather! Yay for Tink! We adopted a rescue in June, and it's been so nice having more company in the house than just the cat :)

Your crocheted blanket is really beautiful and looks super complicated to do...

18lyzard
jan 2, 2021, 5:10 pm

Hi, Heather! I'm so delighted that you decided to set up a thread for this year. Never mind if you don't feel like updating regularly, we just love you to be here when you can. :)

It's lovely to hear about Tink: well done you guys for taking in an older dog!

Thank you for the note on my thread about the group reads. If you feel up to joining in, that would be brilliant, but don't let it bother you.

Anyhoo---Happy New Thread and Year, and here's hoping for a much kinder 2021!

19FAMeulstee
jan 2, 2021, 6:46 pm

Happy reading in 2021, Heather!

>1 souloftherose: So nice you gave Tink a home, he is lovely.

20quondame
jan 2, 2021, 8:45 pm

Happy new year!

21BLBera
jan 2, 2021, 8:56 pm

Happy New Year, Heather. Stay well. I hope 2021 is a great year for you.

22PaulCranswick
jan 3, 2021, 12:10 am



And keep up with my friends here, Heather. Have a great 2021.

23Fourpawz2
jan 3, 2021, 8:14 am

Hi Heather! So nice to see you in the group again. Hope 2021 is good to you.

Congratulations on adopting Mr. Tink. And I love that blanket you made. So pretty! But I have to ask if it is one of those blankets that Tink commandeered for his own use. The colors do look a lot alike. If so, plainly he has good taste.

24SandDune
jan 3, 2021, 12:50 pm

Happy New Year, Heather!

>4 souloftherose: I have got a blanket kit to crochet for Christmas, after complaining that all my RL book club friends were crocheting blankets and I wanted one too! (Slight exaggeration, only three of them). But mine is an easy-peasy lemon-squeezy blanket compared to yours, which is absolutely beautiful!

25archerygirl
jan 3, 2021, 1:27 pm

Happy New Year! So glad you made a thread this year :D

Tink is adorable and that blanket looks fantastic. So snuggly and warm - perfect as a sofa blanket.

26scaifea
jan 3, 2021, 2:44 pm

I've scrolled back up to look at your blanket again, because it's just so lovely. The color combinations are gorgeous!

27jnwelch
jan 3, 2021, 2:57 pm

Happy New Year, Heather.

Omigosh, that's a beautiful, beautiful blanket in >4 souloftherose:. You should be very proud of yourself. I bet it'd be worth about a zillion dollars if you put it on the market. But how much better to have it in your home.

Did you read Piranesi last year? If not, I think you'd like it. She did a quite different, and surprisingly effective, followup to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

28Berly
jan 3, 2021, 3:12 pm

>4 souloftherose: WOW! What a beautiful blanket. Color me impressed.

AND I love that you set up a 2021 thread. Just have fun with it and don't allow pressure to creep in. Just know that people here like and support you. : )



29justchris
jan 3, 2021, 10:26 pm

Huh. I know I commented here earlier, but apparently it didn't take. Let me try again. *clears throat*

What an amazingly gorgeous rug! And so happy to see you here again, Heather! And Tink brings the necessary cute to the world. And I look forward to seeing more of you (and more of me) in the group.

30false-knight
jan 3, 2021, 10:37 pm

>4 souloftherose:

Wow, that is a beautiful blanket!! Interested to know your thoughts on The Story of Silence when/if you get to it, as well; I don't think I know anyone else who's read it.

31curioussquared
jan 4, 2021, 12:34 am

Happy new year, Heather! I'm glad you decided to make a thread :) Looking forward to seeing what you read this year, and seeing more of Tink!

32humouress
jan 4, 2021, 1:18 pm

Happy New Year and happy new thread Heather!

How wonderful that you've adopted a rescue dog. Tink has four socks and a white tip to his tail, much like Jackie who was my dog when I was a child. And that's a wonderful blanket. I've never tried crocheting but I've failed many times at knitting, so that won't be something I'm planning to attempt soon :0)

33avatiakh
jan 7, 2021, 5:01 pm

Hi Heather - love your crochet blanket. Looking forward to seeing what you read in 2021.

34LizzieD
Bewerkt: jan 8, 2021, 1:06 pm

YAY! I'm delighted and more that you're here, Heather! I wish I had found you earlier.

That blanket is really, really, really awesome (also "ah-some," to quote a former student. Crochet is hard for me - somehow I never learned to hold the hook properly, and it always hurt my hand. I suspect that I couldn't do it at all now. I did a lacy tablecloth for my mother in same squares. Took forever, and it was not nearly as complex as yours.

Tink looks very well satisfied!

Thank you for posting your on-order list. I'll look for some of those, and be back soon.

35bell7
Bewerkt: jan 8, 2021, 7:42 pm

Happy new year, Heather - love the blanket! And I hope you don't mind, I added you as a friend on Ravelry to follow your projects (I knit, and I'm mbell7 on there).

Looking forward to following your reads this year.

36souloftherose
jan 10, 2021, 5:46 am

Thank you to everyone for the new year wishes and compliments on the blanket and Tink!

>10 MickyFine: Oh, I've never done a C2C blanket - would love to see how that turns out (and the cross-stitch).

I started another blanket just before Christmas (blankets are just my favourite thing to make for some reason - I don't know why). This one's for a friend's 40th birthday although it was her birthday last year but there's a chance I'll finish it by her 41st!

The pattern is Frida's Flowers Blanket by Janie Crowfoot but I'm using different colours my friend asked for. Picture of the blanket as per the colours in the original pattern (inspired by Frida Kahlo) and the colours I'm using (the blue and grey will be the background colours in my blanket instead of plum and blue in the original). These aren't colours I'd normally pick so I was a bit nervous about whether or not they'd work but I think they are (will try to take some pictures of the completed motifs soonish).

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fridas-flowers-blanket



>17 katiekrug: Lovely to hear you've also adopted a rescue Katie. Yes, we've definitely missed animal company this year too.

>23 Fourpawz2: Yes, that blanket did briefly get commandeered by Tink, Charlotte! I'm keeping that one mainly for me though but he is allowed to sleep on the bit of it that's on the floor.

>24 SandDune: Thank you Rhian! I'd love to see how you get on with your blanket.

>26 scaifea: Thank you Amber :-) I find myself doing the same thing with the blanket in real life as well. I think one of the reasons I like making blankets so much is because they are so comforting once made and I find playing with the colours quite therapeutic.

>27 jnwelch: Thank you Joe - I preordered Piranesi last year but it's sitting on my bookshelf since then. I think because I was anticipating this book so much I wanted to be sure my brain was in the right frame of mind to do it justice. Hopefully I will be able to pick it up soon.

>30 false-knight: Thank you! The Sound of Silence definitely sounds interesting and I don't think it would have been a book I'd have come across if it wasn't in the Goldsboro subscription. I'm just not sure how much my brain is inclined to read 'interesting' books at the moment though but hopefully soon.

>31 curioussquared: Thanks Nina - Jackie sounds like a lovely dog. We're a fan of Tink's socks too :-)

>34 LizzieD: Oof, a lacy tablecloth sounds like a lot of hard work Peggy. I've only tried to do a crochet project with thread or lace yarn once and I gave up as my hands did start to hurt after a while and it was very fiddly even though the pattern was relatively straight forward. Anyone who manages to work with such find yarn has my admiration!

>35 bell7: Thank you Mary - I think I've reciprocally added you as a friend on ravelry too. I do have some knitting projects on the go as well but it's crochet really calling to me at the moment.

37humouress
jan 10, 2021, 5:56 am

>36 souloftherose: That looks pretty. It looks more plush than crochet work until you zoom in. Enjoy!

38souloftherose
jan 10, 2021, 6:31 am

Reading so far:



Book #1: Lumberjanes Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis & Brooke Allen -

One of the very minor side effects of Covid is I lost access to the library near work which has a good selection of graphic novels and rather than just buying Vol 13 onwards of Lumberjanes I decided to start over at the beginning and buy and reread them (possible justification is that my friends' children can borrow and read them when they're older but really I just wanted an excuse to do a reread of a comforting and cheering series). I'd forgotten a lot about how the series started and how much happens in just the first few issues but it was fun to start seeing hints of future mysteries and to get to know the girls' characters.



Book #2: The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A. J. Fitzwater -

This is a collection of linked short stories I picked up as part of a Storybundle deal last year and I was browsing my kindle for something to read when the cover caught my eye. It's a series of sequential adventures about Cinrak the Dapper a capybara turned pirate and her friends and growing found family. The stories are beautifully written adventures but slow-moving and descriptive rather than mad-cap pirate adventures. I would have liked more focus on the characters but this was a charming and uplifting read (and I don't think I could not read a book about a capybara turned pirate!).



Book #3: Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater -

From a twitter recommendation - this was a lovely Regency fantasy romance which was just like being given a warm hug whilst reading it. Recommended if you enjoyed Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown or Stephanie Burgis' Snowspelled (and it's £0.99 on kindle at the moment).

This is the first book in a series but it looks like subsequent books are set in the same world but feature different characters so this one stands alone and is a complete story. I haven't downloaded the next Ten Thousand Stitches yet but only because I'm saving it for a bad day.

39Crazymamie
jan 10, 2021, 8:15 am

Happy Sunday, Heather! Your newest blanket project looks to be another beauty - your friend is very lucky.

The girls and I love those Lumberjanes GNs - I have only read the first few, and you are reminding me that I should get back to them. So great that you are staring back at the beginning and collecting them as you go - an excellent plan.

You hit me with Half a Soul, and when I went to add it to my Amazon list so that I could keep an eye on it, I found that it is currently just $.99. So I snagged it! Thanks!

Hoping that the coming week is kind to you. Please give Tink my love.

40scaifea
jan 10, 2021, 9:47 am

Yay for the Lumberjanes! Comfort reading, for sure.

41Fourpawz2
jan 10, 2021, 1:00 pm

>36 souloftherose: This blanket is gorgeous too, Heather. Bet my Jane would love to spend an afternoon licking the tar out of it.

42Whisper1
jan 10, 2021, 4:05 pm

> 4 Hi Heather. What an amazing spread you made. I imagine that took a lot of time, but yielded great feelings of accomplishment!

43HanGerg
jan 10, 2021, 4:47 pm

Picked up Half a Soul because who doesn't like a warm hug?! And 99p books!
I can see your thread is going to be very unhelpful for my goal of reading more of the books I already have at home, Heather!

44humouress
jan 11, 2021, 3:19 am

>38 souloftherose: Oh, alright. You got me with a BB for Half a Soul; I'll look out for it.

The capybara one looks cute too.

45MickyFine
jan 11, 2021, 11:48 am

Rereading Lumberjanes sounds like an excellent idea, Heather. And you hit me with a BB for Half a Soul as well.

46foggidawn
jan 12, 2021, 12:20 pm

Happy new (ish) thread! That blanket is amazing, and Tink looks like a big sweetheart.

47Berly
jan 14, 2021, 7:25 am

Half a Soul borrowed from the library!! Thanks.

48BLBera
jan 15, 2021, 9:53 am

The blanket looks amazing, Heather. I keep meaning to pick up The Lumberjanes. This year.

49PaulCranswick
jan 16, 2021, 9:06 pm

>36 souloftherose: That is striking, Heather!

Have a lovely weekend.

50ronincats
jan 16, 2021, 9:39 pm

I love BOTH of those blanket patterns so much, Heather! I tend to gravitate toward smaller, more quickly completed and less yarn investment projects but both of these are very tempting. I've put both in my library on Ravelry, and put a hold on Half a Soul at the library.

51lyzard
jan 19, 2021, 4:53 pm

Hi, Heather, just passing through! I hope your comfort reading is doing it for you. :)

52humouress
jan 20, 2021, 1:06 am

>44 humouress: And now I've ordered it.



You can add a sticker to your BBs delivered chart.

53calm
jan 23, 2021, 6:12 am

Hi Heather

54souloftherose
jan 25, 2021, 4:45 pm

Oof - I was going to try and post weekly but the last couple of weeks got away from me (work - bleugh). I intended to post an update yesterday but then I lay on the sofa and read Piranesi instead (it's good!)

I have a few days off work at the end of this week so will try to post some book updates then but to give a Tink update he's definitely growing in confidence and feeling more settled and we're all getting better able to communicate with each other. He's gone from reacting quite nervously to any attempt to touch him when he was lying down (so we stopped) to wanting a gentle hand on his back when asleep next to us. Still not quite in a routine in terms of his energy levels as I think he tends to cycle through more anxious days and then have a tiredness crash where he just sleeps and sleeps..... And we've lost our routine of walks a bit the last few days because he and I both had a really exhausted day on Saturday (mine was post meeting work deadline exhaustion) so we didn't do a walk and then it snowed heavily yesterday which has turned icy today (we did some shorter walks and I don't find icy pavements fun to walk a dog on). (He's currently asleep in his bed as I type this and having a very interesting dream involving lots of woofling).

>39 Crazymamie: Thank you Mamie! I'm hoping to stay reasonably on track with my LJ reread because sometimes the later volumes referred back to earlier volumes and I couldn't always remember what happened. But I guess now I am getting my own copies I can flick back through them and it won't matter so much if I have forgotten.

Hope you enjoy Half a Soul!

>40 scaifea: Hi Amber! Yes, definitely good comfort reading :-)

>41 Fourpawz2: Thank you Charlotte! Yes, our kitty, Erica, used to claim all my blankets as soon as I made them. Tink does a little too although as he can't jump up it's much easier to keep them out of his way.

>42 Whisper1: Thank you Linda. It did take time but then I find crochet quite soothing so I don't think I mind the time it takes particularly. I think there's something about doing something repetitive with your hands that can be quite calming (although if I've been tensing my back and shoulders at work I do have to be a bit careful I don't tense those muscles crocheting as well).

>43 HanGerg: Hi Hannah - I hope you enjoy Half a Soul (sorrynotsorry)!

>45 MickyFine: Yay - more lumberjanes love and more Half a Soul hits :-) Hope you enjoy it Micky!

>46 foggidawn: Thank you foggi! He is a very sweet dog and his soppy side is starting to come out more now that he's slowly getting less anxious.

>47 Berly: Yay Kim - enjoy!

>48 BLBera: Thank you Beth! Lumberjanes are fun - maybe a series to share with Scout when she's older?

>49 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul - it's Monday so it seems a bit early to wish you a good weekend but I hope you have a relatively low-stress week. :-)

>50 ronincats: Thank you Roni! Gravitating towards smaller projects seems very sensible yet strangely those leave me feeling more stressed/anxious for some reason. I think I don't like deciding on a new project, or starting or finishing one (woe betide projects I have to wet block and pin out because they languish for ages waiting for me to do that). And so blankets are very low stress for me (once I have made the decision about colours and yarn etc) because once I've started I know I don't have to worry about finishing for ages. And you can mostly get away without blocking.

And I hope you enjoy Half a Soul! I'm very impressed US libraries seem to have copies as I thought it was self-published but maybe that's just the UK edition.

>51 lyzard: Thank you Liz and lovely to see you :-)

>44 humouress:, >52 humouress: Hope you enjoy Half a Soul Nina. And ooh - a sticker chart?! Thank you! (Wait , doesn't that incentivise me to deliver BBs...? Are you sure you've thought this through??)

>53 calm: Hi calm - lovely to 'see' you :-)

55ffortsa
jan 27, 2021, 11:59 am

Hi Heather. I know what you mean about the calming effect of hand work. I was knitting most of last year - nothing fancy, just rectangles to form blankets for charity - but now I have some sort of tendinitis (not caused by knitting) and I have to stop for a while. Boo. Glad you have your blankets to meditate over.

Your crochet looks beautiful. I have an afghan made in crochet by my grandmother, and it needs repair, so I may have to resurrect my crochet skills to replace a couple of squares here and there. It's a treasure, of course.

56Fourpawz2
jan 27, 2021, 2:25 pm

>54 souloftherose: - Non-jumping - that is certainly one area where dogs beat cats. Jane is constantly into everything that she can jump up onto and there's hardly anything she can't reach. Her ability to jump vertically from a little bitty window sill onto the tippety-top of my bedroom bookcases still amazes me; I have yet to figure out exactly how she does it. Fortunately she gets most of her enjoyment out of the jumping - unlike Willie who got his out of pawing everything over the edge so that he could watch it fall. If it broke upon impact, as far as he was concerned, so much the better.

57humouress
Bewerkt: jan 27, 2021, 11:45 pm

>54 souloftherose: Well, as long as you were doing some constructive reading, we'll forgive you.

Tink sounds like a sweetie. Just wondering - how do you know he wants a hand on his back while he's sleeping? Does he wake up and look at you with puppy-dog eyes until you rest your hand on him?

>54 souloftherose: >52 humouress: Hmm. Oops. I'm fortunate that there was nothing waiting to waylay me on this visit.

58BLBera
jan 28, 2021, 2:06 pm

Good idea, Heather. I'll add Lumberjanes to my Scout WL.

59souloftherose
jan 31, 2021, 12:37 pm

>55 ffortsa: Oh, so sorry to hear you have tendinitis. I had some upper back/shoulder issues a few years ago just after I learned to crochet and it was really hard to not be able to pick up my hook or knitting needles for a few months. I hope it eases soon and you can pick up your needles again.

>56 Fourpawz2: Glad to hear Jane is gentler on your ornaments than Willie, Charlotte! Funnily our Erica was never much of a cat for jumping or getting up high. She was a very cautious cat and had a very good memory so I wonder if she'd had a bad experience jumping when she was very young.

After saying I thought my blankets were safe from Tink because he doesn't jump up, he taught me a lesson by cheekily pulling one of my blankets off my bed so he could lie on it on the floor......

>57 humouress: That's a good question, Nina! It's quite possible we're reading a lot/too much into his body language but he likes one of us sitting with him on his blanket on the floor and putting a hand on his back while he has a nap. And if we're sitting on the sofa when he wants his nap we get stared at until one of us sits with him. (I should add my husband in particular is very willing to sit with him on the floor at the slightest opportunity so it's quite rare he has to stare for long!).

>58 BLBera: Hope older Scout enjoys it one day, Beth!

60souloftherose
jan 31, 2021, 12:53 pm

Right, books:



Book #3.5: The Lord Sorcier by Olivia Atwater -
Book #5: Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater -

So, it didn't take me long to blow through the other published books in this series and now I have the next book (Longshadow) pre-ordered.

The Lord Sorcier is a short story you can get by signing up to Olivia Atwater's newsletter. It's a prequel set during the Napoleonic Wars about two of the characters from Half a Soul but I think it's best read after Half a Soul when you know the characters.

Ten Thousand Stitches is the second novel and although set in the same historical fantasy Regency world as Half a Soul there are new characters and I think this could be read independently of the first book. Ten Thousand Stitches is a historical fantasy romance again and also a bit of a Cinderella retelling (although I didn't really notice until the author's note at the end makes this explicit) but in this case the Cinderella is genuinely a servant. There's quite a lot of light-hearted humour (and of course, a happy ending) as well as social issues touched on from the servants' perspective. I enjoyed this a lot and would struggle to choose a favourite between this and Half a Soul.

61souloftherose
jan 31, 2021, 1:10 pm



Book #4: Luna: Moon Rising by Ian McDonald -

Very proud of myself for finally reading this as I got it out of the library last February to finish this trilogy (having read the first two books at the beginning of 2020) and then Covid happened and I wasn't really sure a gritty space opera with lots of political intrigue was my jam. I'm still not sure it hit the spot and suspect gritty is still not for me so I think I ended up enjoying the idea of this series more than the execution at the moment but if multicultural, gritty space opera sounds like your thing the Luna series is well worth checking out but start with Luna: New Moon.

62souloftherose
jan 31, 2021, 1:46 pm



Book #6: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson -

This is another graphic novel series I've decided to work through this year - I read the first volume a few years ago and then somehow never got round to the rest of the series and now I don't have access to that library anymore I've decided to buy them.

Squirrel Girl is a Marvel superhero and I haven't read any of her previous comics but in this series North and Henderson have decided to joyfully smash all the superhero tropes in a very self-aware way and it's so much fun!



Book #7: The Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher -
Book #11: The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher -

More rereads - T. Kingfisher is one of the authors who has kept me sane through the last 12 months. This duology is really one long book split into two playing around with traditional fantasy tropes (a paladin, forger, priest and assassin on a quest) with humour and a dash of unlikely romance thrown in.

63ronincats
jan 31, 2021, 4:17 pm

Still waiting for Half a Soul to become available at the County Library (ebook)!

64lyzard
Bewerkt: jan 31, 2021, 5:50 pm

Hi, Heather!

The thread is up for the group read of Orley Farm. We'd love to have you, of course, but if you're not feeling up for it, please don't worry. :)

Here

65HanGerg
feb 1, 2021, 2:55 pm

>62 souloftherose: I read those two T Kingfisher's last year and enjoyed them. I enjoyed even more A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking. Have you read that? It's great! I think it's a standalone but I for one could read a lot more in that universe if she ever returned to it. Where to after that, would you recommend?

66souloftherose
feb 10, 2021, 2:08 pm

>63 ronincats: Sending make book available faster mojo...

>64 lyzard: Very belatedly saying thank you for letting me know the link Liz.

>65 HanGerg: Hi Hannah! Yes, I did read A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking last year (I pretty much read everything Kingfisher releases as soon as it comes out although i haven't felt brave enough to try the two novels she's released which I think have more horror elements in). I enjoyed Defensive Baking but it wasn't a favourite.

Another book of hers which I think is similar to Defensive Baking is Minor Mage - the story of a young wizard and his armadillo familiar who have to bring rain back to his village. I'd probably recommend you try this one first because I think that's most similar in tone and feel to Defensive Baking.

My personal favourite of Kingfisher's novels is Swordheart which is more of a fantasy adventure plus romance like Clockwork Boys and is set in the same world but works as a standalone.

67ronincats
feb 10, 2021, 9:51 pm

Wise, that, Heather. The Twisted Ones was too much horror for me and I won't try the second. Ursula Vernon is at Boskone this weekend, it's virtual and only $25, and you have access to the recording of the sessions for a month afterwards. Check out the schedule here: https://sites.grenadine.co/sites/boskone/en/boskone-58/schedule

68souloftherose
Bewerkt: feb 25, 2021, 12:43 pm

>67 ronincats: Thanks for letting me know Roni!

Well, this weekend I am absolutely shattered and I have no idea why. I did a little bit of binge reading of some Gail Carriger books this week because I needed something fluffy and fun. I wrote a review of them and then hit the wrong key on my keyboard and lost it all :-( so for now just listing the books and I may come back to write something more detailed.



Book #14: Imprudence by Gail Carriger -
Book #15: Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger -
Book #16: How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger -

Imprudence is the second book in the Custard Protocol series and 11th in the wider Parasol Universe (if Custard Protocol and Parasol Universe sound too silly then Gail Carriger is probably not an author I'd recommend). I'm not sure it would work very well as a standalone and part of the joy I got from reading this instalment was in how it progressed some storylines from earlier books in the wider universe (Floote! And Lord Maccon and the Alpha curse.....). I enjoyed this a lot although I never felt completely convinced by the romance between Quesnel and Prue because I don't really like Quesnel for some reason).

Chronologically, Imprudence is followed by two romance novellas: Romancing the Werewolf and How to Marry a Werewolf.

Romancing the Werewolf is the novella where we finally get to see Biffy and Lyall get together :-) Probably one that's most enjoyable if you've come across these characters alreadt.

But How to Marry a Werewolf would I think make a good starting point for these books and it was a very funny and sweet fantasy of manners/romance novella.

69LizzieD
feb 14, 2021, 12:09 pm

Oh boo and hiss, Heather! I'm sorry for all of us that you lost those reviews.
Hope it will make you feel better that I am currently enjoying Clockwork Boys thanks to you and Tui. A LOT of fun!
Meanwhile, may you already be feeling better. Take care!

70humouress
feb 15, 2021, 5:45 am

>68 souloftherose: Oh no! I hate losing reviews like that.

Feel better soon.

71archerygirl
feb 15, 2021, 6:58 am

>68 souloftherose: Boo to lost reviews, but those were all books I read last year when I was bingeing on fun fluffy books, so they're good choices for that mood :)

72HanGerg
Bewerkt: feb 26, 2021, 5:25 pm

I'm just getting into Gail Carriger now, I've read the first three Parasol Protectorate books and am enjoying them a lot - just right for my mood these days. Thanks for the T.Kingfisher recommendations too! I hope the energy levels pick up! A little touch of spring in the weather has helped brighten my mood considerably, which it certainly needs these days!

73souloftherose
feb 28, 2021, 7:33 am

>68 souloftherose: Reviews/book notes now added to post #68.

>69 LizzieD: Hooray! Super glad you're enjoying Clockwork Boys Peggy.

>70 humouress:, >71 archerygirl: Thanks Nina and Kathy.

>72 HanGerg: Hi Hannah - glad you're enjoying Gail Carriger's books too. The weather has been lovely lately and I've started to see early spring flowers on my dog walks (mostly in other people's gardens as we have never been very good at doing more than the bare minimum of garden maintenance in our garden but even we have some snowdrops and small daffodils).

-------------

Life update: I'm still pretty tired all the time but (after thinking I was going down with a cold for about a week) I think it's because the anxiety has got a little better so I am having some post-anxiety exhaustion. Of course, then after a couple of days of being really exhausted the anxiety picks up again so we're in a not very exciting loop. But at least I think I've figured out what's going on.

I managed to jump through all the hoops I needed to with my health insurance through work and got a psychiatrist appointment. He suggested changing my medication but that will take a while because I need to decrease the dose of my current medication before I can start switching. I think it will be about three months before I can even start the new medication and then another several months before I properly feel the effects of the new medication so...... I'm also not really sure whether I should expect my anxiety to get worse as I decrease my current medication (as maybe it is helping a bit). Otherwise there doesn't seem to be much else they can suggest as I am already doing all the other things that might help. I suppose it's nice to get confirmation that I have managed my illness as well as I possibly could for 20+ years but I think a tiny part of me hoped there would be some kind of easy solution no one else had thought of. (I don't know why I hoped that because it literally never happens with chronic illnesses).

In Tink news we have been doing a lot of work on walking nicely on the lead and he is doing loads better. We still need to work on reacting to other dogs although the work on lead walking has made some improvements there as well. His legs are too creaky to allow him to sit on the sofa so we (well, mainly my husband) have been sitting on the floor in the living room next to him until I got the bright idea of putting some of the sofa cushions on the floor to make this more comfortable. So now, one of the sofa cushions has basically become Tink's favourite bed (covered with his blanket).

74souloftherose
feb 28, 2021, 7:34 am

Important book news:

New T. Kingfisher novel published today: Paladin's Strength (sequel to Paladin's Grace)

75souloftherose
feb 28, 2021, 7:50 am

My final January reads:



Book #8: First Class Murder by Robin Stevens -

Another entry in Stevens' childrens' series set in the 1930s featuring two school aged detectives who solve murders. I started reading this series because I wanted to see if it was suitable for my god-daughter (6) who loves boarding school stories and mysteries (and I think she will love it in a few years time), but carried on reading the books for myself because they are fun. This instalment is an affectionate homage to Murder on the Orient Express and is a lot of fun.

Book #9: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke -

I'm pretty sure I can't write a review of this but I loved this strange and wonderful little book almost as much as I loved Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell even though the two books are not at all similar.

The Guardian had a very interesting interview with Clarke earlier this year where she talks about her inspiration for the book which I found very helpful to read after finishing. It sounds like Clarke has been struggling with the same illness my husband has.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/12/susanna-clarke-i-was-cut-off-from-...

Book #10: Network Effect by Martha Wells -

A reread and I have no ability to be critical of the Murderbot books. Still excellent and very much looking forward to one more Murderbot outing later this year.

76MickyFine
feb 28, 2021, 9:48 am

I just preordered my copy of Fugitive Telemetry this week and I'm very excited.

77humouress
feb 28, 2021, 12:20 pm

>73 souloftherose: Doesn't Tink look like he's in clover? I'm glad you can make his life more comfortable.

Our Jasper is still a young'un (and doesn't he behave like it) but is apparently already showing signs of the hip problems that retrievers are prone to in later life. I give him an occasional massage that he doesn't mind at all.

78quondame
feb 28, 2021, 4:46 pm

>73 souloftherose: He looks so relaxed. Our family room is fair paved with Costco dog beds it's a risk of life and limb for me to cross it.

79archerygirl
mrt 1, 2021, 4:03 am

>73 souloftherose: Tink looks so comfy on those sofa cushions. He's very luck to have found you :D

80curioussquared
mrt 1, 2021, 12:58 pm

>73 souloftherose: Tink is so precious. I love his fuzzy face!

81SandDune
mrt 2, 2021, 2:44 pm

>75 souloftherose: So glad you loved Piranesi. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be my favourite book of the year.

82BLBera
mrt 6, 2021, 10:44 am

I've heard so many good things about Piranesi, Heather. I'll have to give it a try.

>73 souloftherose: Great photo.

83bell7
mrt 6, 2021, 8:43 pm

Glad to see you enjoyed Piranesi, Heather. I have a copy of Fugitive Telemetry on hold already when it comes out and we get a copy at the library - I may need to reread the rest of Murderbot first too.

84souloftherose
mrt 7, 2021, 1:08 pm

>76 MickyFine: Yay - so am I!

>77 humouress: I think on the whole he's a pretty happy dog at the moment :-) Sorry to hear Jaspar is starting to show signs of hip problems - I think it can be a problem for a lot of dogs (and I guess for a lot of humans as well) as they get older.

>78 quondame: Ha ha! Our living room is not that far away from that - he has a giant dog bed next to the cushion that you can't see in the photo and that's his place to sleep when he doesn't want human company.

>79 archerygirl: We feel lucky to have him too :-)

>80 curioussquared: He does have a very sweet face doesn't he? Makes it very difficult to say no to him....

>81 SandDune: It was very good wasn't it, Rhian. I'm not sure I can get my reading thoughts in enough of an order to think about best reads but I enjoyed it a lot.

>82 BLBera: I think you will enjoy Piranesi Beth (at least I hope so).

>83 bell7: A reread of Murderbot sounds good to me Mary :-)

85souloftherose
Bewerkt: mrt 7, 2021, 1:49 pm



Book #11: The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert -

I love Talia Hibbert's most recent romance series (starting with Get a Life Chloe Brown) for the sweetness, the humour and the disability rep. I've been working my way through her earlier books and whilst I don't find her earlier books as good (I think she has developed as a writer in the last few years) there's the same notes of sweetness and softness and good representation. I don't think I'm particularly keen on royal romances but this one worked better than I thought it would in that respect and also touched on some serious themes.

Book #12: The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow -

"There's no such thing as witches, but there used to be."

This was a great feminist fantastical history (or historical fantasy) about sisterhood, suffrage and witchcraft in America in the 1890s. It's not a fast read but I was absorbed whilst reading it and it left me with an itch for more books like this. (I'm not sure if the itch is specifically for witchy books or books about sisters or female friendship or what but after browsing recommendations I have added Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic and Ami McKay's The Witches of New York to my list,

Book #12.5: The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell -

This short story was free for Amazon Prime members and I picked it as a quick listen to do alongside some housework because I've enjoyed Rowell's books before.

This is a modern take on a fairytale I think? And it was an enjoyable enough listen but after finishing I have no idea what the story was about. Environmentalism/climate change maybe? There was a lot of coffee - maybe if I were a coffee lover I would have related more.

86drneutron
mrt 7, 2021, 8:38 pm

>83 bell7:, >84 souloftherose: Another Murderbot! *dashes off to get it*

87quondame
mrt 7, 2021, 8:51 pm

>86 drneutron: Yep, either on hold or recommended at all my libraries. I'm likely to buy it though. Mike has read through the novellas and novel and is quite ready for more.

88humouress
mrt 8, 2021, 2:55 am

>84 souloftherose: I haven't seen any hip problems with Jasper but about a month ago my husband took him for a walk one evening because the boys were supposed to be studying for exams. But for the next day or two, poor old Jasper was hobbling a bit so he took him in to see the vet. All that was wrong with him that time was the same as for all of us when we overexercise suddenly but I think my husband asked specifically about his hips because we're aware that retrievers can have an issue in later life. The way he bounds around, it's obviously not a hindrance to him at this point. 🙄

I see Tink is taking full advantage already of that sweet face :0)

89foggidawn
Bewerkt: mrt 8, 2021, 12:26 pm

>88 humouress: Funny story about that: when my parents' dog Sasha was a year or so old, they took her to my grandparents' farm, and she had a wonderful day chasing the tractor. She ran and ran pretty much the entire day. That evening, she was napping on the rug, and when she went to get up, she couldn't! Her muscles had all seized up after all that exercise. Mom was afraid that Sasha had done permanent damage to herself. I carried her outside to go to the bathroom, then carried her upstairs to bed and gave her a low-dose aspirin. She was fine in the morning, ready for another day of tractor chasing.

90curioussquared
mrt 8, 2021, 2:24 pm

>88 humouress: >89 foggidawn: My grandparents had a golden who LOVED to swim but rarely got the chance. Whenever we went to the beach, she would spend literally all day in the ocean if allowed (usually we had to attach a rope to her to tow her back in eventually or she was impossible to recall). She loved it so, so much, but would always pay the price the next day when she was super stiff and could barely move. My grandma kept some doggy painkillers on hand for the days she overexerted herself.

91PaulCranswick
mrt 14, 2021, 1:45 am

I see and am not surprised that Piranesi got nominated for the Women's Prize and it must be one of the favourites to win.

92LizzieD
mrt 14, 2021, 10:45 pm

♥Tink♥

I always love to see what you're reading, Heather. You manage to find the good ones! I wish you a lovely spring. Seems like we deserve one world-wide.

93justchris
mrt 26, 2021, 9:37 pm

That's a lot going on. So sorry the bureaucracy was total shit to your dad. Glad you had the fortitude to get through it. Such bullshit!

Glad Tink is enjoying his old age. He looks very charming.

I'm enjoying your book recs. I think we have similar tastes.

94humouress
mrt 27, 2021, 11:25 pm

>90 curioussquared: ... whereas our golden has only just discovered he's a water dog.

>92 LizzieD: *thumb*

95souloftherose
apr 6, 2021, 7:51 am

>86 drneutron:, >87 quondame: Yes, I'm very excited about new Murderbot!

>88 humouress:, >89 foggidawn:, >90 curioussquared: Oh poor doggies! Tink sometimes gets the zoomies and tears around the garden. I try to stop him doing this because I don't think it's good for his back legs and once he starts he doesn't seem to know how to stop and ends up very shaky all over. But in general his legs seem to be much better since we stopped him using the stairs.

>91 PaulCranswick: Also nominated for the Nebula and British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) awards too.h I confess I'd be surprised if it won the Women's Prize as I think they tend to prefer non-speculative fiction writing but I'd love to be wrong!

>92 LizzieD: Thank you Peggy! We've gone from lovely spring weather here to a bit more wintry again - snow yesterday and today but luckily it hasn't settled and there's still sunshine, just pretty cold.

>93 justchris: Thank you Chris - back in January I starred but still haven't managed to properly visit your thread. Will try to make a visit this week.

>94 humouress: Thank you Nina!

-------------------------

It's been longer than I intended since last posting here. The good news is that Tink is doing well and husband and I have both had first shots of the AZ Covid vaccine. Otherwise health for both of us has been a little bit worse than usual (some of which will probably be some side effects from the vaccine - I had some mild to moderate flu like symptoms as I've heard is fairly common with AZ) and so we are a bit more behind with everything than usual.

I'm going to do a couple of posts summarising my Feb and March reading but without detailed comments for each book to get caught up.

96elkiedee
apr 6, 2021, 8:01 am

>85 souloftherose: I finished reading The Once and Future Witches a few days ago and thought it was a great read. I quite liked the combination of magic with 19th century women's and labour movement history.

97lyzard
apr 6, 2021, 5:44 pm

Hi, Heather.

Glad to hear things are going better for Tink---though it would be good if you guys could catch a break too!

We are making a start on Margaret Oliphant this month for our Virago reads---easing in with just two short stories, The Executor and The Rector. Don't feel obliged, but we would love to have you join us if you feel up for it. The thread is here.

Take care! :)

98humouress
apr 11, 2021, 3:43 am

>95 souloftherose: Ah, the zoomies! Jasper gets those. If he's in the garden, our lawn is just big enough for him to do tight circles but sometimes he's stuck inside (or is inside when the mood takes him). Since we have a stone-tiled floor downstairs, his claws can't get a purchase and then he's like those cartoons where they're galloping for all they're worth but not moving anywhere.

99PaulCranswick
apr 24, 2021, 9:42 am

More than a fortnight since we have seen you around, Heather. Hope all is well and that you are reading up a storm.

100souloftherose
mei 6, 2021, 6:24 am

Hello LT friends! April was a bit of a tough month and I think I've been feeling a bit burnt out from work and *(gestures at universe*) everything but after some chats with my GP and managers at work I'm taking a couple of weeks annual leave to try to recharge. Coming up to the end of my first week off and I think I'm starting to feel a little bit better. I'm not really doing anything other than reading, playing Zelda: Bretah of the Wild on the Switch and watching TV (mostly The Untamed).

>96 elkiedee: Glad you enjoyed that one too, Luci!

>97 lyzard: Thank you for letting me know Liz. I did see your message last month and tentatively lined up the Oliphant stories but didn't get to them. BUT - I did finish Orley Farm and have the group read thread bookmarked to catch up on!

>98 humouress: Oh no - poor Jaspar on the stone floors! Our golden retriever growing up was the same on polished floors.

>99 PaulCranswick: Thanks for checking in Paul.

101souloftherose
mei 6, 2021, 6:55 am

Last bits of my February reading (I know - February!)




Book #16.5: Ark by Veronica Roth -
Book #17: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Volume 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North and Erica Henderson -
Book #18: The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman -
Book #19: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston -
Book #20: Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher -
Book #21: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K.J. Charles -
Book #22: Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard -

Highlights were:

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series continues to be a hoot!
Paladin's Grace was a reread in preparation for the sequel which came out at the end of Feb (Paladin's Strength)
Fireheart Tiger was short even by novella standards (I think just under 100 pages) but packed a lot of depth into its short length.

102Crazymamie
mei 6, 2021, 7:07 am

Hello, Heather! I am glad that you are starting to feel better. It's important to be kind to one's self. Birdy and Abby have been playing that very same game. Birdy is a HUGE Zelda fan. Rae and I have been rewatching our way through Buffy and we have added Angel into the mix this time - it's our first time watching Angel.

I am reading Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, and it's very good. I'm betting you have already read that one. I'm also reading Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe, which Jim recommended - loving it so far.

Please know that I am thinking about you and wishing you happy. Give Tink my love and take some for yourself.

103MickyFine
mei 6, 2021, 12:43 pm

Happy to see another Squirrel Girl fan, Heather. I just finished volume 5 this week and am loving the series so hard.

Hope your break continues to be a great way to recharge. *hugs*

104humouress
mei 6, 2021, 1:06 pm

>100 souloftherose: I’m glad you’re taking a break and looking after yourself.

To be honest, I’m usually caught between bemused and ‘get out of his way’ when Jasper gets the zoomies indoors.

>101 souloftherose: Some intriguing books to consider there.

105curioussquared
mei 6, 2021, 1:30 pm

>100 souloftherose: Glad you're taking some time off! Time spent with BOTW is time well spent :) I've played through it a couple times and finally finished the Champion's Ballad DLC a few weeks ago.

>101 souloftherose: I love Red, White, and Royal Blue -- and I need to get to Kingfisher and de Bodard at some point :)

106justchris
mei 6, 2021, 8:13 pm

>95 souloftherose: No worries. Stop by when you can. Or not. It's all good.

Glad you're doing better. I'm just now feeling the accumulated tiredness from being employed for 3 months (along with vaccination and other stuff). Keep taking care of yourself.

107bell7
mei 6, 2021, 8:35 pm

I'm glad you were able to take some time off and hope it's rejuvenating for you, Heather.

108souloftherose
mei 12, 2021, 11:39 am

>102 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie! I've also been rewatching Buffy on and off but sometimes finding the school years a bit too much of a reminder of what school was actually like! (Of course I absolutely adored it for the same reason when I was at school). I don't think I've ever really watched Angel properly either.

I haven't read either of Remote Control or Velocity Weapon yet so thank you for the recs!

>103 MickyFine: Thanks Micky! Glad to hear you are also enjoying Squirrel Girl!

>104 humouress: Hi Nina!

>105 curioussquared: Hi Natalie - glad to know there are so many Zelda lovers. I'm definitely enjoying it so far.

>106 justchris: Thanks Chris. Oof re the accumulated tiredness of 3 months working.

>107 bell7: Thanks Mary.

-------------------------------

Midway through week 2 of my leave period and I am both feeling a bit better and still feeling really tired. I don't really know what this means for going back to work but I think I am going to try going back and then see how I feel (or how quickly i feel worse).

109archerygirl
mei 14, 2021, 8:08 am

I'm glad you were able to take some leave time and recharge a bit. Going back and seeing how you feel is a good plan - there's always the option of talking to your GP again if it gets overwhelming.

All of the current *gestures at world* is taking a toll on people who don't have existing chronic illnesses. So it taking a bigger toll on people who were already paddling hard to keep heads above the water isn't surprising.

110souloftherose
mei 15, 2021, 1:43 pm

>109 archerygirl: Thanks Kathy. That's a good point about the toll on people generally and on those with chronic illnesses.

--------------------------------

Work update: After my post in >108 souloftherose: I reconsidered on the work front and decided that I don't feel well enough to go back on Monday so have let my manager know and will see the Dr again on Monday (Dr had previously suggested signing me off work but I wanted to see if taking some annual leave would help first).

It's weird because if I do nothing then I feel sort of ok and I have to keep reminding myself that feeling ok when I've been able to sleep in until 9am and then stay in bed for another 2 hours after that is probably not the same as being able to cope with a morning full of urgent emails, meetings and crises at work.

111souloftherose
mei 15, 2021, 4:29 pm

March reading:







Book #23: Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher -
Book #24: Lumberjanes, Volume 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson -
Book #25: The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu -
Book #26: The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers -
Book #27: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert -
Book #28: The Expert System’s Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky -
Book #29: The Expert System’s Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky -
Book #30: The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin-
Book #31: Witchmark by C. L. Polk -
Book #32: Stormsong by C. L. Polk -
Book #33: Soulstar by C. L. Polk -
Did not finish: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn -

Highlights/memorable reads:

Paladin's Strength was another strong romantic fantasy in Kingfisher's Clocktaur Wars world. This series is a great mix of fluffy romance, a lot of humour and often weird and wonderful fantasy elements. Although this is part of a series it stands alone and I love how ordinary her protagonists are. In this book both are older as well which is still rare in fantasy and/or romance.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is the final book in my favourite contemporary romance series (but again each book stands alone so no need to read the others first). These are steamy, very funny and Hibbert is great at including protagonists who wouldn't typically be the main characters in romance novels. In this book both romantic leads are autistic (although Eve doesn't realise this until midway through the book).

The Kingston Cycle by C. L. Polk (Witchmark, Stormsong and Soulstar) - I reread the first two books in this series before reading the third and final book (Soulstar) and this is a series that really does need to be read in order (and probably benefits from the books being read quite close together). These are political and romantic fantasy of manners novels where each book focuses on a different queer romance storyline (although I would say these are fantasy books with a romance as the secondary plot) and they are set in a quasi-Edwardian fantasy setting. The overarching political storyline works out over the trilogy so they do need to be read in order (I hope saying they're political doesn't make them sound boring - I'm struggling to think of another description). I guess the overarching theme to me was empire and how to overthrow it and what you do next (I'm sure there's lots I didn't pick up) which sounds like it could get very dark and deep but the romances themselves are fairly fluffy so it balanced nicely for me.

The Library of the Dead was notable both because I'm finally reading some of my Goldsboro books and for being an urban fantasy set in Edinburgh by a Zimbabwean author (currently based in Scotland). Set in some kind of post-apocalyptic Scotland (the exact details are never explained) our protagonist, Ropa, has dropped out of school to become a ghost-talker carrying messages from ghosts to their living relatives as her Shona grandmother has taught her until she gets caught up in a wider mystery when children start disappearing. This has Rivers of London vibes (and the publishers have clearly leaned into that with the cover design and blurb from Ben Aaronovitch) but with a grittier/darker style and less humour. Ropa's situation is more precarious than Peter Grant and by investigating the disappearance of these children she's putting her family at risk (grandmother and sister) by losing her source of income even before we consider the direct danger from the investigation.

An urban fantasy set outside London is always a plus and the Zimbabwean/Shona influences make this a very interesting read. The weakest part for me was the library of the dead itself which is a sort of secret society of magicians Ropa comes across but this didn't get fleshed out very much in this book which made it seem a strange choice for the title. I think further books in the series are being written so hopefully this gets explored more.

And Tombs of Atuan was an excellent reread - I'd forgotten how amazing Le Guin's writing is.

112elkiedee
mei 15, 2021, 5:12 pm

I never quite got into The Wizard of Earthsea but I loved The Tombs of Atuan.

113quondame
mei 15, 2021, 9:58 pm

Paladin’s Strength and The Galaxy and the Ground Within are loaded on my Kindle for reads before they are due back at the library.

Have I mentioned how much I love Ursula K. Le Guin?

The Library of the Dead sounds interesting.

114justchris
mei 15, 2021, 10:23 pm

>111 souloftherose: All of those sound wonderful!

115curioussquared
mei 15, 2021, 11:50 pm

I finished Eve Brown earlier this month and loved it! Witchmark is on my list to get to soon. Glad you enjoyed it!

116SandDune
mei 16, 2021, 3:18 am

>111 souloftherose: Oh The Tombs of Atuan was my favourite as a teenager. Haven’t read it in such a long time.

117archerygirl
mei 17, 2021, 7:50 am

>110 souloftherose: It is so difficult to reconcile feeling okay when you're doing all the things you need to do in order to feel vaguely okay (sleeping in, not dealing with crises, etc.) with whether that really means you're well enough to add in a normal working day again. After all, you feel okay! Sure, you're not doing your regular schedule, but you feel okay so that must mean you're ready to go back to work! Except you're feeling okay because you're not doing your regular schedule. You're at the bare minimum line of feeling okay and adding in other things (like a cascade of meetings and urgent emails) is going to push you below that line again.

But it is really hard to let yourself admit that and I'm very pleased you have and you're going to talk to your doctor.

118souloftherose
mei 25, 2021, 1:18 pm

>112 elkiedee: Yep, I definitely preferred Tombs of Atuan to Wizard of Earthsea (although I think I enjoyed *Wizard* as a child too).

>113 quondame: Hooray for Ursula Le Guin fans! Every time I read anything she's written I'm so impressed by her writing and thoughtfulness.

Hope you enjoy Paladin's Strength and The Galaxy and the Ground Within!

>114 justchris: Thanks Chris!

>115 curioussquared: Glad to hear you also enjoyed Eve Brown, Natalie!

>116 SandDune: Glad to hear you were also a fan of The Tombs of Atuan Rhian :-)

>117 archerygirl: Thank you Kathy :-)

General health update - Dr signed me off work for two weeks ending this Friday. I think I'm feeling more myself although still quite tired sometimes but I have coped better with general day to day mini crises which this week has thrown at me (nothing major). So I think I am probably ok to go back to work next week but will talk to my manager later this week and discuss doing a phased return which she suggested last time we talked so I won't do my full hours straight away. Medium term if I am still struggling with my full hours (normally 4 days a week) I might ask about going down to 3 days for a period to see if that helps me.

Minor life crises include a bird falling down our chimney and getting stuck in the flue above our woodburner this morning...... Chimney sweep coming tomorrow afternoon to take it all apart and hopefully rescue the bird (and clean the chimney which she was horrified to hear we hadn't done since we moved in. Apparently arranging annual chimney cleaning is something I need to add to my being a grown-up list....) I will also ask about getting something put over the top of the chimney to prevent further bird incursions.

119MickyFine
mei 25, 2021, 4:18 pm

>118 souloftherose: Hope the chimney sweep is as fun as Burt in Mary Poppins. And also that the bird is ok!

Glad to hear you're feeling more like yourself and hope the slow return to work goes smoothly. *hugs*

120lyzard
Bewerkt: mei 25, 2021, 7:00 pm

>100 souloftherose:, >118 souloftherose:

Please don't worry about anything here but continue to take care of yourself. Yes, know all about that {*gestures*} universe. :(

Of course I'm glad to hear you got on with Orley Farm*; we are planning to move on to The Struggles Of Brown, Jones And Robinson in July but the same parameters apply: please join us of you feel like it, no worries at all if you don't.

(*Gah! Just remembered I forgot to review it!!)

The Oliphants are all short works and you will probably like them, but likewise.

121souloftherose
mei 27, 2021, 1:40 pm

Bird update: the bird was ok! The chimney sweeps were able to get the bird out of the flue unharmed and it turned out to be a young adult magpie which they think had got knocked off his perch on the edge of the chimney by the recent gusty winds. He was able to fly into one of the trees near our house once we let him go where he made a lengthy protest.

Also, our chimney is now clean and certified for insurance purposes for 1 year (and I am slightly horrified that despite owning a house with a wood-burning stove for 8 years that it has never occurred to me that I should be getting this done before. Annual reminder added to my phone....) I was very impressed with the chimney sweeps as I think our fire place and surrounding area were cleaner after they'd left than before they came round.

We're also going to get a protective cover of some sort added to the chimney pots to prevent more accidental bird incursions. I have a recommendation of a roofing specialist who can come and do this.

Work update: Spoke to my manager today and I'm going to work two days next week and she recommended I leave my out of office on for the first week until I'm back up to speed. Feeling less anxious than I thought I might about the whole thing which is hopefully a sign I am really ready to go back.

>119 MickyFine: Thanks Micky. Every time I think chimney sweeps I picture Mary Poppins! The chimney sweeps were two really helpful ladies. Disappointingly neither of them were Cockney but I'm sure they get that joke a lot so I kept quiet...

>120 lyzard: Thank you Liz. I'm probably going to pass for now on more Trollope because I don't feel like my brain is properly capable of appreciating it and then I feel bad on the book's behalf.

122MickyFine
mei 27, 2021, 1:51 pm

>121 souloftherose: Glad to hear the bird was ok and that your chimney is now immaculate. Hope the slow transition to work goes well for you.

123souloftherose
mei 29, 2021, 11:50 am

>122 MickyFine: Thanks Micky.

First bit of my April reading:



Book #34: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune -

This is a book I've had on my to read list since last year when it was recommended by a lot of people as great, cosy, comfort read of a fantasy book. And it is all those things although maybe due to my expectations I liked it a lot rather than loved it.

It's an everyday, quiet or mundane fantasy story about an orphanage inspector, Linus, who really dislikes the bureaucracy of his job and is feeling lonely and unfulfilled in his life. Linus is asked to inspect a particular orphanage which cares for dangerous magical children and this causes him to question a lot of things he's been taught. It's a lovely story about truly accepting yourself and finding your people. I think I felt a sense of slight disappointment because I was expecting a 5 star read and the message felt a bit heavy-handed at times. But still very much recommended.

Book #35: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley -

A reread because I was in the mood and very much enjoyed on rereading. I think the same book written now would have more awareness of the potential 'white saviour' pitfall and probably avoid this better but I didn't pick this up on first reading (I think I only picked it up now I am more used to reading sff by non-white authors who would look at the same story from a different perspective). There's a good (and affectionate) essay which touches on this on tor.com from Jo Walton.

After finishing this I treated myself to the matching hardcover of The Hero and the Crown which is now waiting for me to pick up for a reread.

https://www.tor.com/2009/01/18/colonial-fantasy-robin-mckinleys-the-blue-sword/

Book #36: The Way to the Stars by Una MacCormack -

A prequel novel to the Star Trek: Discovery TV series about one of my favourite characters, Ensign Sylvia Tilly. This was an excellent coming of age tale about Tilly, set during her school years, and gives the background to her troubled relationship with her mother and decision to join Starfleet. McCormack does an excellent job of capturing Tilly's voice in this book - recommended for Tilly fans.

Book #37: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse -

Prior to reading this I'd enjoyed Roanhorse's short fiction but ended up abandoning the first novel in her urban fantasy series, Trail of Lightning, a couple of years ago because it wasn't grabbing me. Black Sun is the first book i new epic fantasy series (trilogy? - not sure) and I ended up buying the Goldsboro limited edition hardcover (pic below) because it was so pretty (and they emailed me about it after I'd had a tough day at work.... always fatal).

But I feel justified in my book buying because this was really good: a multi-POV, epic fantasy based on/inspired by the pre-Columbian Americas. It's not grimdark but there's definitely some blood and violence. My fantasy mood this year has definitely leaned towards the romantic, fluffy end of fantasy so I was impressed that the storytelling in this gripped me. Definitely part of a series and not a complete story on its own - there was a (possible spoiler?) world-altering event at the end of this book and I don't know when the next book is out (I don't think it even has a title yet)!.

124LizzieD
Bewerkt: jun 13, 2021, 12:09 pm

Heather, I'm happy that you are able to manage your return to work sensibly. I'm also feeling very grateful to your manager and noting how much she must value your work. Be easy!

Chimney tales!!!! In our 50 years of marriage we have gotten a couple of squirrels down chimneys. The first, walked out the front door and down the path like an invited guest taking his leave. The second was an epic afternoon, the story of which I've dined on. (It involves my DH with a broken leg and in A-fib, our peeing cat, a cousin with his 7 year-old and a butterfly net, my aunt and uncle, animal control officers, and three wildly interested piano students.) Once, when DH was a child, a bat flew out of the fireplace into the face of an unfavorite aunt. We have chimney caps now too.

Many thanks for the book titles and your evaluations! I don't really need more books, I guess, but it's always fun to look.

I do wish you a good week!

125souloftherose
mei 30, 2021, 2:06 pm

>124 LizzieD: Thank you Peggy!

Eek to the second squirrel in the chimney story! That sounds like an eventful afternoon...

My Dad reminded me that when I was quite little (somewhere between 5 and 7?) a bird fell down the chimney of the holiday cottage we had rented and I woke up early and walked through the room in question and then screamed when the bird started flying around the room. So according to him birds down chimneys are my thing now (I think my parents were able to get the bird to fly out of one of the windows once they had calmed me down).

126bell7
mei 31, 2021, 3:53 pm

I had a similar reaction to you with The House in the Cerulean Sea. Liked it, didn't love it. I'll read his new book when it comes out, though, and maybe not have quite as high expectations for it to live up to.

127souloftherose
jun 1, 2021, 3:04 am

>126 bell7: Yes, I'll also probably read his new book but with slightly lower expectations.

More April reading:



Book #38: He's Come Undone by Emma Barry, Adriana Herrera, Olivia Dade, Cat Sebastian and Ruby Lang -

A romance anthology of 5 novellas that I bought for the Olivia Dade story which didn't really work for me and but ended up really liking Cat Sebastian and Ruby Lang's stories so added another two authors to my to read list.

I think this collection was only available for a limited time but I've noticed Cat Sebastian has released her contribution Tommy Cabot Was Here separately and I would recommend this one. It's a second chance romance set in the 1950s where a single dad and school teacher get the chance to work through a long-standing misunderstanding from their school days. This was a sweet read and I think starts a new series for Sebastian with another Cabot book out in the autumn.



Book #39: It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian -
Book #43: A Gentleman Never Keeps Score by Cat Sebastian -
Book #44: Two Rogues Make A Right by Cat Sebastian -

Wonderful soft romances from Cat Sebastian which I gobbled up. Cat Sebastian's books often feature themes of people coming to accept themselves and finding acceptance from others which I think is one of the reasons I enjoy these books so much.

Each romance in this trilogy focuses on a different brother in the Sedgwick family. The first (It Takes Two to Tumble) is a Sound of Music retelling complete with a grumpy, straight-laced captain with several unruly children which was really fun. My favourite though was the third book which is not a book with a lot of drama but a slow friends to lovers romance where one character is being nursed back to health from TB.

128scaifea
jun 1, 2021, 8:34 am

Th Sebastian books sounds great! Adding them to my list.

129souloftherose
jun 7, 2021, 5:29 pm

>128 scaifea: They are very comforting reads Amber - hope you enjoy!

So work return was slightly delayed last week due to my IT account having been deactivated(!) while I was off and that took a day to reinstate so I only ended up working one day last week which was solely dedicated to wading through my emails....

And then on Friday evening we had some excitement with a sudden water leak in our bathroom (we were watching TV downstairs and I found myself thinking 'why does it sound like it's raining upstairs?') which then tripped some of the electrical circuits in the house. But luckily we managed to find a plumber who could get that sorted the next day and figured out the right switches to flip on our fuse box to get the power back on after giving everything time to dry out so all better now but quite a week!

130quondame
jun 8, 2021, 1:56 am

>129 souloftherose: Don't you just hate that sort of excitement? Tomorrow early it's the plumber for us. One leaking drain, one slow drain.

131lauralkeet
jun 8, 2021, 7:17 am

>129 souloftherose: You've had quite a time, Heather, what with feeling unwell and now this. I've been lurking throughout and apologize for not offering words of support. I'm glad the plumbing was sorted and, more importantly, that you are feeling well enough to return to work. I hope you're able to ease into things and continue to feel okay.

132MickyFine
jun 8, 2021, 12:53 pm

Sorry to hear about the plumbing emergency. I'm lucky to have a Dad who works in maintenance and a brother who's a plumber so I can usually call either of them and they can help with stuff like that. Glad to hear the fix went smoothly for you.

Here's hoping the slow transition to work is less eventful this week. :)

133SandDune
jun 11, 2021, 3:54 pm

I’m glad that you are feeling a bit better, Heather. I hope the phased return to work continues successfully.

134humouress
jun 13, 2021, 7:15 am

Hi Heather! I'm afraid I've been lurking too but am glad that things are looking up now.

Be grateful that your plumbing emergency involved water coming from above - my sister recently had an issue where it came from below. Not pleasant.

I agree with you about The House in the Cerulean Sea; probably my expectations were too high and I did find it a bit heavy handed at times but I liked it (rather than loved it).

135LizzieD
jun 13, 2021, 12:08 pm

Just checking in, Heather, and saying ACK to the plumbing problem. I'm glad you were able to get it taken care of quickly. I wish you a new week of ordinariness. Sounds like one might be overdue.

136souloftherose
jun 14, 2021, 9:45 am

>130 quondame:, >131 lauralkeet:, >132 MickyFine:, >133 SandDune:, >134 humouress:, >135 LizzieD: Thank you to Susan, Laura, Micky, Rhian, Nina & Peggy for the good wishes and keeping my thread warm!

Last week didn't end up being quite the ordinary week we hoped for - we had a sleepless night with Tink last Monday night and took him to the vet on Tuesday as he seemed in some distress which continued into the day time (unlike the night time anxiety he sometimes gets where he's fine as soon as it's morning). Nothing seriously wrong but he was in some pain from his neck which I suspect got strained on one of our walks last Monday (where he tried to throw himself across the road at another dog whilst on the lead).

We've got some pain relief for him which helps quite a bit but he's still finding it difficult to get into a position to rest his head comfortably when lying down and is a little bit more restless and clingy than usual in the daytime and only sometimes sleeping properly at night. We have been trying to get him to rest his head on pillows and duvets when lying down and finally had some success today.



For walks I've pulled out a chest harness I bought when we first got him which he didn't really take to at the time but is now willing to wear on walks and which has a handle on the back I can use to grab him if he does misbehave again without putting any strain on his neck.

137souloftherose
jun 14, 2021, 9:58 am

>130 quondame: Ugh - hope your drains got fixed Susan.

>131 lauralkeet:

>131 lauralkeet: Please don't feel you need to apologise, Laura - I've been terrible at visiting or posting on people's threads this year. It's nice to know you've been lurking and nice to get a post when you can.

>132 MickyFine: Thanks Micky - work was actually the least eventful part of last week!

>133 SandDune: Thanks Rhian.

>134 humouress: Hi Nina! Yes, definitely happy it was a clean water leak and not waste water (shudder)

>135 LizzieD: Thank you Peggy! I'm going to take your wish of a week of ordinariness and apply it to this week. So far (Monday afternoon), so good!

138humouress
jun 14, 2021, 12:08 pm

>136 souloftherose: Poor Tink. I'm glad he's found some relief. And it's nice that he turns to you for comfort when he's anxious.

139curioussquared
jun 14, 2021, 2:09 pm

>136 souloftherose: Poor Tink! I hope he feels better soon

140souloftherose
jun 14, 2021, 2:12 pm

>138 humouress: Thanks Nina - less nice for my husband when his comfort is spurned!

Bit more April reading:



Book #40: Lumberjanes Vol. 3: A Terrible Plan by Shannon Watters & Noelle Stevenson -

The dangers of reviewing so late - I'm now in danger of getting this volume confused with Vol 4 which I have also reread since then, but flicking through this volume again this was a really fun volume which split the girls' adventures in two. Mal and Molly have an adventure with the Bear lady and dinosaurs (yes, the dinosaurs may have added an extra half star to my rating) and Jo, April and Ripley have fun trying to earn a badge which goes hilariously wrong. Just so much fun.



Book #41: The Roommate by Rosie Danan -

Contemporary romance that didn't really work for me. A lot of the buzz around this book came from the positive depiction of sex-work as the male lead is a porn star. But (although I can't remember the details now) I was left feeling that whilst the author was trying to be sex positive the book wasn't actually as sex positive as they intended. Also the writing style and characters never really clicked for me but YMMV as lots of other people loved this one. Probably goes without saying given the subject matter but this is steamy.



Book #41.5: Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells -

Murderbot! A short story that takes place after the events of Exit Strategy and is told from Mensah's POV and explores the effects on Mensah of her being held hostage in ES.

I think this story was originally a pre-order bonus for Network Effect last year but only if you were based in the US or Canada so I was very happy to see this being released as an ebook short (and also available for free on tor.com https://www.tor.com/2021/04/19/home-habitat-range-niche-territory-martha-wells/)

141souloftherose
jun 14, 2021, 2:12 pm

>139 curioussquared: Thank you Natalie!

142quondame
jun 14, 2021, 2:50 pm

>137 souloftherose: Thanks, the fix went quickly without any further difficulty.

>140 souloftherose: We tried to get my brother started on Murderbot last night.

143MickyFine
jun 14, 2021, 3:37 pm

Yay for Lumberjanes! I'll be picking up volume 18 from the library this week. :D

144souloftherose
jun 14, 2021, 4:25 pm

Final April reads!



Book #42: Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope -

For me, this isn't one of Trollope's best novels but I also don't think my brain was in the right space to do justice to this one. Unusually for a Trollope novel I didn't find myself sympathising with any of the characters except one (who I don't think I was supposed to sympathise with as much as I did).



Book #45: Finna by Nino Cipri -
Book #46: Defekt by Nino Cipri -

Two novellas set in a large Scandinavian-style furniture store (that is definitely not meant to be Ikea) following the adventures of some hapless and poorly paid employees as wormholes and parallel universes start popping up all over the place on their shifts. These reminded me a little bit of Jasper Fforde in some ways with perhaps a stronger anti-capitalist streak. Although these two novellas form part of a linked series being both set in the same store I think they are companion stories rather than books that need to be read in a particular order so it would be fine to start with the second book, Defekt. I think I preferred Defekt as it felt slightly more hopeful than Finna but both were very good.

145souloftherose
jun 14, 2021, 4:26 pm

>142 quondame: Glad to hear the plumbing fix went smoothly Susan and I really hope your brother enjoys Murderbot!

>143 MickyFine: Wow - volume 18! I need to get reading!

146curioussquared
jun 14, 2021, 4:29 pm

>144 souloftherose: I just finished Finna on Friday and also gave it 4 stars! Didn't catch the hint of Fforde that you did but can kind of see it looking back. I'll have to get ahold of Defekt now.

147humouress
jun 15, 2021, 2:14 am

>140 souloftherose: Oh dear. I was assuming that the ‘you’ was collective.

>142 quondame: And...? Did he like it?

148quondame
jun 15, 2021, 2:18 am

>147 humouress: Don't know. I sent All Systems Red to him, but he hasn't replied. He gets busy and absorbed.

149souloftherose
jun 27, 2021, 12:01 pm

>146 curioussquared: Glad you enjoyed Finna Natalie!

>147 humouress:, >148 quondame: *Waves to Nina and Susan*

----------------------------------------------

Finally, the last two weeks have been fairly uneventful (hooray!) but tiredness caught up with me and I spent last weekend and most of this last week feeling wiped out. But this weekend has been better (yay!) so trying to do some catching up on here.

150quondame
jun 27, 2021, 3:49 pm

>149 souloftherose: I'm glad your feeling more the thing.

151souloftherose
jun 27, 2021, 4:22 pm

Leaping over my May reading to comment on some recent June reads:



Book #64: Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles -
Book #66: The Sugared Game by KJ Charles -
Book #67: Subtle Blood by KJ Charles -

The final book in what's possibly my favourite romance series was released this month (Subtle Blood) so I reread the first two books in preparation - so good! 1920s m/m historical romance meets Golden Age pulp mashup with international crime gangs, spies, cocktails and stabbings.

Unlike other romance series I've read these books absolutely need to be read in order as they follow one couple (Kim Secretan, aristocrat and Will Darling, bookseller and former soldier) who get a Happy For Now (HFN) ending at the end of each of the first two books but only really get the Happy Ever After (HEA) at the end of the third. Along the way there's a whole lot of adventure and betrayal and our heroes work through a lot of issues. I think one of the reasons I liked this series so much is three books really gives the main characters the time and space to grow that you can't have in a one book romance (and KJ Charles does character development so well). Also, aside from Kim and Will there are some really fabulous secondary characters with especial love going to Phoebe and Maisie - I would love it if they got their own book..

Content warning for the first book: a biological weapon/plague is a key part of the plot in this book (all written pre-Covid).
Sex level: reasonably steamy.

152souloftherose
jun 27, 2021, 4:22 pm

>150 quondame: Thank you!

153Berly
jun 27, 2021, 5:15 pm

Hi Stranger! Just trying to get caught up on LT. Again. LOL. Glad you are feeling better and that work is being understanding. Hope Tink's neck feels better soon, too. Look at you--almost to 75 already!!

154SandDune
jun 28, 2021, 3:47 am

>151 souloftherose: The Subtle Blood books look fun.

155curioussquared
jun 28, 2021, 1:17 pm

>151 souloftherose: These are intriguing -- I'll have to keep an eye out for them!

156HanGerg
Bewerkt: jul 5, 2021, 5:50 pm

Hi Heather! Glad to hear the gradual return to work has worked out well. Sooo many book bullets, as usual. I just went and read the Murderbot snippet - lovely, thanks for that link!
I like the sound of the Lumberjanes - I really want to read more graphic novels but never know where to start. Saga is the only thing in that genre I've read recently and I'm behind on that even. And I love the idea of the wormholes opening up in the furniture store books - will have to give those a try! Aw, bless Tink and his poor sore neck! He always looks like such a sweetheart in all your photos. I hope the neck in now much better! I've been giving a lot of thought to getting a dog lately - but not to be seriously considered until we no longer have a rabbit I think. We've had a few dogs in our garden since we've had the bunnies and that meeting never goes well!

157souloftherose
jul 6, 2021, 4:01 pm

>153 Berly: Thanks Kim - lovely to see you here!

>154 SandDune: They are great fun, Rhian.

>155 curioussquared: Hope you enjoy if you can find them Natalie. They're self-published so probably easier to find in ebook form although I think print copies do exist but I'm not sure how many libraries/bookshops would order self-published print books.

>156 HanGerg: Lovely to see you here Hannah! The Lumberjane books are so much fun - they're young adult books so definitely a more wholesome/light-hearted vibe than the Saga series which I enjoyed but found quite dark sometimes.

I think dogs and rabbits probably often don't mix.... Certainly Tink is a breed (or more accurately a cross-breed as he's a lurcher) where we were given strong advice about not letting him off the lead (unless in a completely secure area) because these dogs have such a strong chase instinct. On the lead he will now mostly ignore cats as long as the cat isn't moving and I have a treat ready to 'remind' him. (A moving cat is still too tempting and he'll try to run to the end of the lead to chase them).

------------------

General Tink update - kind of a mixed few weeks. His neck is completely better and he is now being walked with a harness that goes round his chest as a precaution. But then he had a random vomiting episode which seemed to leave him with some discomfort (maybe from bile hurting his throat?) but that got better after just under a week. And then we had a few days of him being completely fine again and now today he seems quite unsettled/uncomfortable again but we can't figure out what's wrong. If he doesn't seem better tomorrow I'll talk to the rescue centre and see if they think we should take him to the vets (as an older foster they pay his medical bills so we run it past them first). All relatively minor but he doesn't sleep well if he feels uncomfortable at all and that means we don't sleep well.

Meanwhile I think I'm having a mini reading slump where I'm still reading but not really feeling excited about any books (which is frustrating when I have so many books I was excited about in my TBR). Currently finding Star Wars books seem to be hitting the spot so I'm ignoring my (very loose) reading plans and going with that (we also just started a SW film rewatch too).

158humouress
jul 7, 2021, 1:59 am

>157 souloftherose: Oh, poor puppy. I hope he feels better soon.

Jasper doesn’t get let off the leash because he usually hares off at top gallop to try and get all his visiting done, apparently. (I’m a little jealous of Rhian letting Daisy loose; I’d love to do that with Jasper but I don’t know if he’d come back. Plus we’re in an urban area bordering on mini-jungle so I worry about cars/ wildlife.) He’s been known to drag my younger son across the road or over car bonnets when he spots a cat.

159souloftherose
jul 11, 2021, 10:25 am

>158 humouress: Thanks Nina - Tink's all better now. He seemed fine the next day so we didn't take him to the vet in the end and he's been fine since then.

160souloftherose
jul 11, 2021, 11:10 am

Celebrating having done a few difficult-for-me things in the last week:

(1) Had my first haircut since the pandemic started (I was dithering because although I'm double-vaxxed cases are rising quite fast locally but the government announcing they would get rid of the requirement to wear masks on the 19th made me decide it would be safer before 19th than afterwards)

(2) Finally blocking and starting to join crochet hexagons I've been making for a blanket for a friend. I don't know why my brain got stuck on the blocking step for months but it did. And now I've figured out my joining method and dug out my notes on how to do it it's going very smoothly.

This is a pre-blocking photo of the layout (my duvet cover is making the background look busier but at least the colour matches!)



(3) I've booked a swimming session on Wednesday morning at the local lido (outdoor pool) to try and get myself back into some exercise (dog walks with Tink are a very gentle stroll now rather than the brisk trot he could do 6 months ago).

Obviously I still need to actually go and swim on Wednesday (and then repeat in future weeks)....

161MickyFine
jul 11, 2021, 11:27 am

Beautiful blanket, Heather!

162LizzieD
jul 11, 2021, 11:47 am

Oh! That crochet work is fabulous, Heather! I used to enjoy the making but loathed both the blocking and the joining. Good for you for getting on with it!

Glad Tink is feeling better. I'm also glad that you're getting pool time. I can't bring myself to return to our fitness center. My county vaccination rate is 38%, and as I say over and over, my mother's immunity must be compromised just because she's 99. Although I've been fully vaccinated since February, at almost 77, I can't be all that strong in the immunity department either. I'm interested to see if our doctor recommends the booster for us.

Keep reading! You're bound to hit winners again soon.

163lauralkeet
jul 11, 2021, 3:29 pm

Wow that blanket is amazing!! Very nice work, Heather. I love all the colors.

164curioussquared
jul 12, 2021, 12:40 pm

165souloftherose
jul 14, 2021, 1:30 pm

>161 MickyFine:, >162 LizzieD:, >163 lauralkeet:, >164 curioussquared: Thank you Micky, Laura, Peggy and Natalie for the blanket love!

>162 LizzieD: Sorry to hear you're missing the pool Peggy. I'm finding it very difficult to make decisions about what's safe or not given case numbers are rising so fast in my area but my husband and I are now both double vaccinated. I decided the outdoor pool was ok but I think I will continue to avoid indoor public spaces (or mask if I can't). I don't feel like I'm missing doing things really so I think I'd rather be too cautious...

166souloftherose
jul 14, 2021, 1:52 pm

Anyways, I said I had been reading some Star Wars books:



Book #71: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray -

This was published as part of the lead-up to the release of The Force Awakens film and is a Romeo and Juliet type story about two teenagers from an outer rim planet who become friends as they both work together to get a place at the Imperial Academy. The book follows them at the Imperial Academy where they realise they have romantic feelings for each other and then through their service in the Imperial Fleet through the events of original SW trilogy and the conflicts that arise when one of them joins the Rebellion.

I really enjoyed this although it was a little slow to start. There are a lot of references to the events of the original trilogy (episodes IV to VI) and I loved seeing how these events were seen by the various characters we had grown to know serving in the Imperial Fleet. I thought Gray did a pretty good job of showing how broadly good people could end up justifying what the Empire was doing to themselves and view the Rebels as 'the bad guys'. The end of the book spends a little bit of time exploring what was happening with the Rebellion and the Empire's forces after The Return of the Jedi which made me realise I would like to read more about this and I think the same author has a book focusing on Leia in this time period which is high on my list.



Book #72: Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks -

Reading Lost Stars started me on a Star Wars kick and we started a chronological rewatch of the films. Last time we watched all the films (I think in 2019 in preparation for The Rise of Skywalker) I found Emmett Asher-Perrin's Star Wars rewatch articles on Tor.com really interesting (links below) and they made a strong case for the novelisation of the film filling in a lot of gaps. I bought the novelisation back in 2019 but never got around to reading it then. This time I managed it and I think EAP's right - it does fill in some gaps and the novel's not badly written. But I think at heart the film has some fairly major flaws, some of which are corrected in the novel and some of which are uncorrectable (for example, Jar-Jar Binks is still incredibly annoying). So, I would say a good novelisation of a not very good film.

https://www.tor.com/2015/11/03/can-you-forgive-star-wars-the-phantom-menace-shou...

https://www.tor.com/2015/11/05/the-star-wars-episode-i-novelization-explains-all...

167humouress
jul 15, 2021, 3:21 am

Closing in on 75 already, Heather! Hmm; maybe I look into some Star Wars books.

168souloftherose
jul 25, 2021, 10:15 am

>167 humouress: Thanks Nina - I've just finished my 81st book of the year but still bad about writing about them here.

More Star Wars:



Book #74: Star Wars: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule -

This is the first in a SW publishing initiative which focuses on a new period in the SW universe: The High Republic - set about 200 to 300 years before the prequel films when the Republic was at its height. (This was also a book I received as part of my Goldsboro subscription).

The first half of this novel was a bit of a slog to read at times - Soule has the unenviable job of introducing a big cast of characters in a disaster scenario (not really my favourite type of book) and I found it difficult at first to feel interested in or care for any of the characters. But the second half of the book is more of a mystery, investigating the cause of the disaster and the cast of characters is smaller giving more opportunity to get to know them so it ended up being fairly good on average. And it was interesting to read about the Jedi when they were acting more as 'guardians of peace and justice' and not fighting a war.

There's a whole host of other novels for adults, young adults and children being released as part of this publishing drive as well as graphic novels and I'm surprised by how interested I feel in reading them. The wikipedia article seems to have the best summary I could find on storylines and characters:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_High_Republic



Book #75: Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin by Charles Soule -

I didn't clock this was the same author as the previous book until I listed them!

Having rewatched Episode I: The Phantom Menace I was looking to see if there were any books set between this and Episode II and discovered this 5 volume comic series published by Marvel which I think is set 3 years or so after The Phantom Menace. The artwork by Marco Checchetto is gorgeous and I enjoyed the story which involves Anakin and Obi-Wan responding to a distress signal on a believed abandoned planet which turns out to have two groups of people with steampunk like technology who have been fighting a neverending war for generations. It was also interesting to see the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan and Anakin's concerns about staying in the Jedi Order.

169MickyFine
jul 25, 2021, 11:03 am

Congrats on reaching (and surpassing) the magic number, Heather.

170kidzdoc
jul 25, 2021, 11:27 am

Well done, Heather!

171humouress
jul 25, 2021, 11:50 am

In that case, belated congratulations on your 75, Heather!

172drneutron
jul 25, 2021, 10:09 pm

Congrats!

173FAMeulstee
jul 26, 2021, 7:42 am

>168 souloftherose: Congratulations on reaching 75, Heather!

174Whisper1
jul 29, 2021, 9:15 pm

Hi Heather. Congratulations on reading 75 books. I've been lax in reading lately. I found a clunker regarding Churchill. What an interesting man he was!

>160 souloftherose: How I admire your ability to make such incredibly beautiful works of art!

175ronincats
jul 29, 2021, 10:50 pm

Finally catching up here, Heather. Congrats on hitting the 75 book mark and glad that chimney woes are sorted and you are working yourself back into the work groove. Hugs! Oh, and I'm going to check out the K. J. Charles books.

176quondame
jul 29, 2021, 10:51 pm

Congratulations on reading 75!

177LizzieD
jul 29, 2021, 10:54 pm

OOO! 75 in July is great!!! I look forward to your reading the rest of the year.

178Berly
aug 14, 2021, 8:44 pm

Whoohoo!!

179quondame
aug 14, 2021, 8:53 pm

Congratulations on 75 reads!

180PaulCranswick
aug 20, 2021, 11:50 pm

Well done for reaching 75 already, Heather.

181souloftherose
aug 22, 2021, 1:55 pm

Thank you to Micky, Darryl, Nina, Jim, Anita, Linda, Roni, Susan, Peggy, Kim and Paul for the visits, congratulations on reading 75 books and keeping my thread warm!

A bit of an unplanned absence in posting - I increased my hours at work to 3.5 days, got too tired (although took a few weeks to notice that wasn't a blip) and so have decreased my hours to 3 days again. And requested and received a referral to occupational health because it seemed like a sensible idea at this point.

Then I think Dan and I both had Covid but very mildly (really felt like nothing worse than a mild head cold but I eventually tested positive for Covid although Dan's test was negative) and we have just come out of the isolation period for that. We are both double vaccinated and I am so grateful it was so mild for both of us. Just have lingering end of cold symptoms and I'm not even sure I can say those are hanging around longer than they do for a cold.

So, I'm hoping I can be a bit more regular now in posting on LT (but how many times have I said that this year?)

182MickyFine
aug 23, 2021, 11:10 am

Wishing you all the best as you continue to figure out an approach to work that fits for you.

Glad to hear your COVID infection was mild and is on its swift way out the door.

183LizzieD
aug 23, 2021, 1:39 pm

>182 MickyFine: I second both those sentiments!

184souloftherose
sep 5, 2021, 8:32 am

>182 MickyFine: & >183 LizzieD: Thank you Micky and Peggy!

Have pushed myself through a bad anxiety day to try to write some comments on my two favourite July reads. (I think I have given up any attempt to comment on all my reading given how behind I am)



Book #79: Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell -

This is a space opera m/m romance that reminded me of the Vorkosigan series in some ways. There’s an arranged marriage where both parties secretly like the other but neither believe the other person could possibly be interested in them for different reasons, an assassination attempt, a forced trek through winter weather alone together when their transport crashes and one character getting injured and the other having to look after them. This was very sweet and funny and I’m happy to hear Maxwell is writing another in the same world (although I think with different characters). I borrowed this from the library but enjoyed it so much I will probably get my own copy at some point.



Book #82: The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley -

This is very different stylistically to A Winter's Orbit but this also includes an m/m romance though The Kingdoms isn’t genre romance in the same way A Winter’s Orbit is (by which I mean I wasn’t sure as I was reading if there would be a happy ending or not).

I've enjoyed all of Natasha Pulley’s books and I think this one is her best yet. It’s a heart-achingly beautiful but melancholy timeslip novel opening with our protagonist, Joe, arriving by train in a French-speaking London in 1898 with no memory of starting his journey. Everything seems wrong to him as it does to the reader as we discover the French won the Napoleonic Wars and England is now a French colony. As Joe struggles to understand what has happened to him he receives a postcard from a lighthouse in Scotland asking him to come home, but the postcard is dated from 91 years ago. I don’t want to say too much more about the plot but this will definitely be one of my favourite books of the year.

185quondame
sep 6, 2021, 1:28 am

>184 souloftherose: I'm a fan of all the Natasha Pulley I've read, so that's on hold. The other looks interesting too...

186curioussquared
sep 10, 2021, 4:28 pm

>184 souloftherose: I've been meaning to get to Winter's Orbit since it came out -- I may finally have enough free time now!

187HanGerg
sep 13, 2021, 5:31 pm

Ooof, again with the book bullets! Love the sound of both of the above. Glad your brush with Covid was very minor. I had friends that got it recently that reported exactly the same - fingers crossed that for nearly all that will be the experience of getting it now. I'm still a bit anxious about it as I always assume I'll be that one in thousands that gets it bad despite everything, but increasingly I am having to go places and do things that expose me to slight risk and I'm realising we just have to at some point and trust in the vaccinations to do their job. Also, I'm totally SWOONING over that crochet blanket which is a thing of utter beauty and if your friend doesn't sob with joy when they receive it then you should give it to me instead! ; )

188LizzieD
sep 13, 2021, 11:12 pm

Two BBs for me, Heather. I think I dithered over *The Kingdoms* when it was a Kindle deal (or maybe not; I know I've looked at it). Anyway, I didn't get it, but I will put it on my wish list now, right beside Winter's Orbit! Thanks!!!!

Hope your week is going well. Be kind to yourself.

189Berly
sep 13, 2021, 11:53 pm

Heather--Phew! So glad your Covid cases were mild. Thank goodness for the vaccines.

And two great book reviews! Thanks for sharing them. : )

190SandDune
sep 18, 2021, 11:20 am

>160 souloftherose: I love that blanket! I am getting so into crochet as well. At the moment I am trying to make an amirugumi hippo.

I am very much the same with going back to fitness. I would love to go back to aquarobics, but each time I think I am nearly ready for it, I get cold feet. We have a new leisure centre opening here in a month or so, so perhaps that will give me the push I need, as everything will be nice and new and shiny.

191humouress
sep 18, 2021, 10:03 pm

>184 souloftherose: >185 quondame: I have Pulley's The Watchmaker of Filigree Street on my shelves, so maybe I should get to that soon.

As for crocheting, while your blanket is stunning (I love the colours), I've never had any luck with my several attempts at knitting and so, especially since there's no call for warm stuff in this climate, I won't be trying crochet either :0)

192archerygirl
sep 24, 2021, 8:18 am

>184 souloftherose: Doing a thread catch-up before I go back and attempt to update my own thread.

And you've just inspired me to go and buy all the KJ Charles and Cat Sebastian books I haven't read yet (all...four of them) so yay! Apparently I'm slightly pulling out of my reading slump, but only if I'm reading romance :D

Winter's Orbit has been on my Kindle for a while so that's also bumped up the queue a bit.

Glad to hear your Covid does was fairly mild. And your crochet looks beautiful!

193humouress
okt 10, 2021, 10:11 am

Checking in on you and Tink, Heather. Hope everything is well.

194avatiakh
okt 10, 2021, 4:34 pm

Hi Heather - I have The Kingdoms on hold at the library but our libraries are closed these past seven weeks with our continued lockdown so I don't think I'll get to it till next year.
A few BBs including Winter's Orbit. I'm on a slow read of The House in the Cerulean Sea, not really drawing me in after the initial couple of chapters and I have it on kindle, an app that I don't use too often having so many digital library books on borrow.
Anyway I hope you are in good health and your reading slump has not continued.

195PaulCranswick
okt 14, 2021, 7:24 am

Having weathered a reading slump of my own, Heather, I do hope that yours is now over and done with.

196souloftherose
okt 16, 2021, 12:21 pm

Oh dear, I've been meaning to reply to the comments I see popping up here but keep not quite managing to do so and didn't realise how much time had gone past...

Anyway, *waves*, thank you to everyone for your comments and they are appreciated even if (when) it takes me so long to reply.

>185 quondame: I hope you enjoy (enjoyed) The Kingdoms Susan - I think I've read all of Pulley's books and this was my favourite.

>186 curioussquared: Hope you enjoy Winter's Orbit Natalie!

>187 HanGerg: So far vaccinations seem to be reducing the severity of Covid in all the working age people I know so that is a big relief (especially as it seems to be storming through schools at the moment and a lot of my work colleagues have picked it up from their children). I'd still be very concerned about my parents getting it though but thankfully they're still being cautious.

Sorry to report my friend did really love the blanket so it's now definitely no longer available! And that reminds me I should post some finished pictures...

197souloftherose
okt 16, 2021, 2:08 pm

>188 LizzieD:, >189 Berly: Thank you for the visits Peggy and Kim and hope you enjoy the books.

>190 SandDune: Thank you for the blanket love Rhian! An amigurumi hippo sounds very cute.

I am finding it hard to start up activities again. I think aside from feeling like I need to do a Covid risk assessment each time it's like my brain is really struggling to do anything I have got out of the routine of doing and I'm hearing other people say similar things. I've managed to stick with my outdoor pool swimming even now they have turned the heating off (water temp was 15C yesterday) so I'm hoping I can keep going with that through the winter (although the thought of doing it when it's really cold still feels quite intimidating - hopefully I'll adjust as we move through autumn to winter. And I might buy a wetsuit)

>191 humouress: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is lovely Nina and I reread that one last year so I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for the blanket compliments Nina! I think there are things you can crochet for warmer climates but I can imagine blankets wouldn't have much appeal!

>192 archerygirl: Hi Kathy! Well as it was your recommendations that got me started on both KJ Charles and Cat Sebastian I am just happy to return the favour :-)

>193 humouress: Thank you for the check in Nina.

>194 avatiakh: Sorry to hear you've lost library access again Kerry. :-(

Yeah, The House in the Cerulean Sea didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped but I ended up enjoying it. The same author has a new book out in the last few months which sounds similar in style (Under the Whispering Door) but I think I will wait until it's out in paperback or the library gets a copy.

>195 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. Still a bit slumpy here at times but finding Star Wars books and romance books usually get me out.

198souloftherose
okt 21, 2021, 3:28 am

October reads of note:



Book #107: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik -
Book #108: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik -

A reread of A Deadly Education in preparation for The Last Graduate. This series is so good!

From my original review of A Deadly Education last year: A Deadly Education is the start of a new fantasy trilogy set in a magic boarding school with a very low survival rate. Our heroine El is angry and spiky and just trying to survive as best she can without the support of one of the famous wizard enclaves and without accidentally using the dark magic that seems to be her natural talent. This was a really good read and I'm already impatient for the next book in the series.

What I will add to this now is The Last Graduate takes things in a direction I wasn't expecting and ends on a major cliffhanger (I know this puts a lot of people off but honestly these books are so good I think it's worth reading them now even if you have to wait for the final book) and, thanks to a reviewer on goodreads, there's a lot of similarities with the Murderbot books in our prickly heroine and an overarching message of hope despite the darkness of the setting. Highly recommended.

199souloftherose
okt 21, 2021, 4:30 am

And then several updates to series I have been following:



Book #109: Ambush or Adore by Gail Carriger -

This is the latest short novel in Carriger's Delightfully Deadly series which is a series of adult romances featuring the characters from her YA Finishing School series. This book features Agatha who is a quieter, less centre-stage character in the Finishing School novels so it was good to see her character more fully developed. This is a very sweet and full of pining romance which covers the period from Agatha's time at the Finishing School to her 50s (romance with older protagonists - yay!). Generally the books in this series work as standalones but this as spoilers for the Finishing School series and Defy or Defend (Dimity's book) so I would make sure you've read those first.



Book #110: Longshadow by Olivia Atwater -

The third book in Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales, this includes a lot of references to the first book, Half a Soul, so it probably makes sense to read that one first.

An f/f romance with a mystery to solve (and faerie to interfere) - I enjoyed this one a lot.



Book #111: Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher -

The third book in the Saint of Steel series. Like the other books this is an unusual mix of paladin romance and rather gruesome magical crimes (although with Kingfisher the gruesome bits are always done in a way I can handle reading). It doesn't sound like it should work but somehow the two elements offset each other well (I suspect only Kingfisher could pull this off).

This instalment has slightly more of the gruesome magical crimes than previous instalments but still at an ok level for me, an m/m romance and a final sentence that hints at a resolution to the underlying mystery of the series (although I think Kingfisher's already tweeted to say the resolution itself won't be coming for a while).

200LizzieD
okt 21, 2021, 1:45 pm

Just checking in and trying not to read those reviews, Heather. I am immersed in The Hands of the Emperor, and if you haven't read it or anything else by Victoria Goddard, I urge you to give her a chance NOW!!!!!

201ronincats
okt 21, 2021, 7:15 pm

Hi, Heather! We've been reading in the same bailiwick. Loved The Last Graduate as much as A Deadly Education despite the change in focus. I've only read the first of the Delightfully Deadly series and didn't feel much of an urge to continue, but if you are enjoying them, I'm going to change my mind. Also have read Half a Soul but not the second, and now the third. And have read the first of Kingfisher's Paladin books but fully intend to read the next two. My Thingaversary is Sunday and I am planning to indulge.

And second Peggy's recommendation of The Hands of the Emperor.

202quondame
okt 21, 2021, 7:43 pm

>198 souloftherose: Yes, they are a different take on school of magic. And I'm partial to prickly girl characters.

>199 souloftherose: re:111 Oh, drat, the library that has it won't let me do any more holds and the library that doesn't won't let me make any more recommendations and the other library doesn't admit it exists.... I won't be forgetting it, but damn, this is inconvenient.

203souloftherose
okt 26, 2021, 3:23 am

>200 LizzieD: Hi Peggy! Ooh, I've seen other people recommend the Victoria Goddard books (some podcasts I follow and some recommendations on book twitter) but your recommendation (along with Roni's) is bumping it to the top of my list.

>201 ronincats: Good choices of Thingavery indulgences Roni! Carriger's Delightfully Deadly series definitely have a different style and tone to her other series I think - more romance focused but maybe something else too? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the other books in that series if you decide to try them.

And your recommendation of The Hands of the Emperor is noted - thank you!

>202 quondame: Hi Susan - completely agree about enjoying prickly female characters. I wonder if it's because I often feel quite prickly on the inside.

Boo to the limits of library holds and recommendations. Hopefully some of your holds come through soon to clear up some space.

204quondame
Bewerkt: okt 26, 2021, 6:53 pm

>203 souloftherose: Ha, I have prickles fore and aft and certainly inside! But this is no news. It's good to see some central characters who aren't smooth pebbles or alcoholic wiseacres.

205souloftherose
nov 3, 2021, 1:32 pm

>204 quondame: It's good to see some central characters who aren't smooth pebbles or alcoholic wiseacres.

Definitely!

Onto books:



Book #113: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn -
Book #114: Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn -
Book #115: The Last Command by Timothy Zahn -

Having long been a fan of the films I've also discovered Star Wars books this year and last month really got into an older trilogy (from 1991) set chronologically a few years after Return of the Jedi which features Luke, Leia, Han & Chewie trying to keep the New Republic together after the death of the Emperor but facing a new threat from the remnants of the Empire. (I should note for those interested that this series is now considered not part of official SW canon since Disney acquired SW so the events in these books don't fit with the more recent SW trilogy of films).

I thought the books were really well done and hit all the beats of the original SW trilogy without being too derivative. There are two awesome female characters - Leia is one of course and a new character Mara Jade. The villain, Thrawn, is a very smart, intellectual villain which apparently is my weak spot. The only criticism is that the female characters largely exist in isolation from each other (I've heard this called smurfette syndrome) but that's not uncommon with older sff.

There are lots more SW books by the same author (some canon and some not) which I will be checking out.

I enjoyed these a lot and I am only sad for my teenage self who loved SW and would have loved to read these stories but had no idea SW books existed at all. Recommended if you feel like reading something that's like the original Star Wars films.

206lyzard
nov 3, 2021, 4:53 pm

Hi, Heather - wonderful to have you back!

Scary to hear about your Covid situation. I hope things are improving for you and that you're keeping safe.

my brain is really struggling to do anything I have got out of the routine of doing

You're not wrong.

Honestly, the extended lockdown here has just about broken any power of routine I ever possessed...and it wasn't that strong to start with. The removal of time pressure and the ability to say, "Eh, I'll do it tomorrow" have been a disaster for getting anything done. I keep trying to shape some sort of framework for myself but, you guessed it, tomorrow will do...

207MickyFine
nov 4, 2021, 11:47 am

>205 souloftherose: Mr. Fine went on a big Star Wars novel kick last year and may have read these ones. There's a few series he's really liked so far.

208alcottacre
nov 4, 2021, 11:49 am

Not even trying to catch up, Heather, but hoping to keep better track of you from here on out.

Happy Thursday!

209humouress
nov 4, 2021, 12:14 pm

>205 souloftherose: Alrighty; I'll take a look at the Star Wars series. No promises, though.

>206 lyzard: *sigh* Routine?

Yup, mine was fairly feeble before the lockdown (which, by the way, was a year and a half ago for us). The kids have been back at school since, with some periods of home based learning, though my husband has mostly been working from home so I can ask him to pick them up. Occasionally he's been in meetings, so I've had to rouse myself and go and get them; but, you know, they've got to go back again the next day anyway ...

210Berly
nov 20, 2021, 12:55 am

Delurking to say Hi! Wishing you a great weekend.

211souloftherose
nov 24, 2021, 12:23 pm

Oof - got distracted from LibraryThing (again) by a lot of life admin (all fine - just time/energy consuming) and a medication change (ongoing) which has (hopefully temporarily) made my anxiety worse because I've stopped taking the the old medication which was helping a bit and the new medication hasn't started working yet...... On top of that I got wiped out this weekend with a cold (not a very bad one - just a lot of fatigue) and am just feeling better today.

>206 lyzard:, >209 humouress: It's actually really helpful to hear other people have struggled with routines too.

>207 MickyFine: I'm enjoying SW a lot at the moment Micky - happy to hear of any recommendations Mr Fine may have.

>208 alcottacre:, >210 Berly: Hi Stasia and Kim! Thanks for stopping by.

212souloftherose
nov 24, 2021, 1:49 pm

Let me see if I can list my November reads so far:





Book #120: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo -
Book #121: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardguo -
Book #122: Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) by Quenby Olson -
Book #123: Black Water Sister by Zen Cho -
Book #124: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade -
Book #125: All the Feels by Olivia Dade -
Book #126: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer -
Book #127: All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman -

I'm not going to comment on all of these but wanted to mention two that I thought people might not have heard of:

Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons) by Quenby Olson was the perfect gentle read to get me through a stressful week. It's a Regency historical fantasy (although the fantasy elements are minimal) about a 40 year old spinster, Miss Mildred Percy, who has spent her life caring first for her father and then her sister's children (with accommodation in her sister's house grudgingly provided in return) until one day an obscure uncle dies and leaves her an inheritance which turns out to be a dragon egg.

There's a little bit of adventure, a little bit of romance but mainly a slow realisation on Miss Percy's part that maybe there could be more to her life than putting up with her sister's criticisms. This was really well done and while this has a satisfactory ending there's a sequel being written with hopefully more adventures for Miss Percy and her dragon.

All of Us Villains is a new release from my Goldsboro subscription - I think a young adult fantasy (characters are teenagers) but the UK publisher is an adult publisher. This is a collaboration by two authors I hadn't heard of before and the first book in a duology. There's no magic school but this had Harry Potter meets Hunger Games vibes for me - there's a magical curse on a town and for mumble mumble reasons someone from each of the prominent magical families has to fight to the death every 20 years to decide which family gets to control the town's magic. I don't know why I was in the mood for teenagers fight to the death but for some reason this appealed and it was gripping and twisty and I enjoyed this a lot. There is a cliffhanger ending and I have no idea when the concluding book is coming out but hopefully next year?

213MickyFine
nov 24, 2021, 3:59 pm

I love it when genre fiction has protagonists over the age of 35. Miss Percy sounds super charming!

How was the Enola book? I quite enjoyed the Netflix film but I'm not sure if I want to read them or just enjoy the film for what it is.

214quondame
nov 24, 2021, 6:29 pm

>212 souloftherose: Miss Percy has caught my attention! Thank you.

215alcottacre
nov 25, 2021, 12:56 am

>212 souloftherose: I am adding Miss Percy to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Heather!

216Berly
nov 25, 2021, 1:26 am

>212 souloftherose: Great write-ups of those books! I want them both! LOL

217humouress
Bewerkt: nov 25, 2021, 1:29 am

>212 souloftherose: ... And yet more books to investigate and destroy my ROOTs progress...

Looks like November has been a good reading month for you, with everything over 3.5 stars.

218Berly
nov 25, 2021, 3:55 pm



I am so very grateful for you, my wonderful friend here on LT.

I wish you (and yours) happiness and health on this day of Thanksgiving. And cookies. : )

219HanGerg
nov 29, 2021, 6:26 pm

Hi Heather! Just catching up and being hit by book bullets aplenty! I just bought Longshadow for the Kindle (it was really cheap for some reason, despite only just coming out). Glad to hear it continues the quality of the other two in the series.
Although I love SF in both book and film form, I'm not a massive Star wars fan, but your mentions of the films make me feel like it might be time for a re-watch. Also, Leó has become aware of the SW universe and is expressing an interest, and it will be a fun thing to watch with him, for sure. For my birthday recently my husband tracked down a box set of every single episode of Samurai Jack ever made, which me and the little guy have been enjoying greatly. Have you seen that? I watched it loads in the early 2000's when I was living in Budapest and Cartoon Network was one of the few channels we got in English. It's brilliant mash up of loads of SF tropes with a central Samurai protagonist straight out of a Kurosawa film, all gorgeously animated. I really recommend it. Here's a great clip from one of my favourites episodes https://youtu.be/dY5Uou8hNak.
Also, I love the term "Smurfette Syndrome". Sums up a lot of SF, especially stuff written by male writers who have put in a few token "tough" female characters.

220ronincats
nov 29, 2021, 7:24 pm

Ha! Book bullet for Miss Percy's Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons), which just happens to be available on Kindle Unlimited and so it is already downloaded onto my Kindle!!

221quondame
nov 29, 2021, 9:25 pm

>219 HanGerg: I used to watch Samurai Jake a bit - usually I'd be walking through the room where Mike was watching and get caught by the visuals.

222ronincats
dec 24, 2021, 2:43 pm

223SandDune
dec 24, 2021, 2:44 pm



Or in other words: Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

224PaulCranswick
dec 24, 2021, 8:58 pm



Have a lovely holiday, Heather.

225quondame
dec 24, 2021, 9:42 pm

Happy Holidays Heather!


226HanGerg
Bewerkt: dec 26, 2021, 8:16 am

Hope you have a lovely Christmas Heather! xxx

227Berly
dec 26, 2021, 3:48 pm



These were our family ornaments this year and, despite COVID, a merry time was had by all. I hope the same is true for your holiday and here's to next year!!

228humouress
dec 29, 2021, 12:45 pm

I would like to wish you and your family the very best of the season and good health and happiness for 2022.

229LizzieD
mrt 18, 2022, 2:03 pm

Oh, Heather. I haven't spoken since October, and you haven't been here since November??? I'm off to look for another thread. I hope that you are all well!